Disclaimer: All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine.

Updated as of 3/29/2019.

Chapter Six

The Meaning of Names

September slipped into October faster than anyone could truly notice. The mornings became frostier, the temperatures cooler, and the trees lining the grounds and bordering the Forbidden Forest burst into an array of sunset-colored leaves before their branches became skinny and bare in preparation of winter.

Autumn was in full swing, and soon, the first snowfall would come, which led to many students taking advantage of the fading good weather and spending the majority of their free time out on the grounds. Those in fifth-year and up could not join them, however, as the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. workloads kept piling on, which led to an early on-set of colds and other stress-induced illnesses amongst the older students, and a sense of enmity towards the younger ones.

"Look at them," Cassie said bitterly, staring out a window of Gryffindor Tower that overlooked the lake and scowling at the first years she could see chasing each other around and making random objects float. "Having fun, oblivious to the anxieties of being old, living carefree lives. It sickens me."

She was on her second hour of homework, with two rolls of parchment laid out before her for Transfiguration alone, not even counting the extra two she would have to write for Potions and Herbology. The stress of classes and homework was finally starting to catch up with her – so much so that she'd almost made a second-year girl cry earlier when she'd been talking too loud in the common room and Cassie had snapped at her. (However, after a harsh admonishing from Alice, Cassie had been forced to track down the girl and apologize.)

"Then close the curtains and stop looking," Marlene retorted. Her voice was thick and nasally from the sinus infection that had attacked her yesterday, but after a trip to the Hospital Wing and some Pepper-Up Potion, she was back to good health – though her attitude could use some work, in Cassie's opinion.

Cassie sniffed in disdain. "I will do no such thing. I will watch them prance around with no responsibilities to remind myself of my suffering and the obscene amount of homework I still have to do before bed."

There was a dull thunk on the table across from her the end of her sentence. She and Marlene turned to see Alice with her head down, her deep breathing indicating that she was fast asleep.

"Me too, Al," Cassie sighed, dropping her quill and stretching out her fingers as Marlene poked Alice's cheek to no avail.

"Yeah, she's out," she confirmed. Cassie snorted, wishing sleep would come that easily to her. All of her dreams of late ended with her jolting awake in a cold sweat as Professor McGonagall's voice echoed in her head, telling her she was too stupid to attend school any longer and mocking her for not doing her homework. That alone was enough to put her off from sleep for the past week.

"Where's Lily?" she asked, shoving her Transfiguration homework out of the way to make way for her Potions, not realizing she had pushed it onto Marlene's own homework as the blonde girl shrugged and in turn placed it on top of Alice's head.

"Dunno. Probably having a mental breakdown in the bathroom again."

Cassie rolled her eyes in exasperation. If she thought she was stressed, it was nothing compared to Lily; the girl had become the walking definition of anxiety. Anyone who spoke more than a sentence to her was liable to be yelled at, and crying hysterically had become a sort of hobby for her. It frightened Cassie immensely; if this was Lily now, she didn't want to be anywhere near her by the time the actual exams came around. She would likely end up the victim of a brutal murder if she even cracked a joke.

"Blimey, I'm hungry," Cassie moaned, reaching across the table to take a look at Alice's watch to see how long they had until dinner. Marlene nodded, distracted, and hastily took out a tissue from her pocket to blow her nose loudly.

Cassie turned Alice's wrist to face her, studying the hands of the watch as the sleeping girl sighed, muttering something about Mandrakes before falling silent again.

"Excellent, five minutes to," she said, just as her stomach gave a sharp pang. "Let's head down; I heard there was black pudding tonight."

"Can't," Marlene said, sniffling. "I have to finish this scroll for Professor Babbling or she'll have my head."

Cassie shrugged before reaching over and slapping Alice's hand.

The brunette jerked awake and sat up quickly, causing Cassie's Transfiguration homework to shower to the floor as Alice made a high-pitched noise of surprise.

"Oi, that's my Transfiguration homework!" she said, pointing to Alice. The other girl looked down in confusion before picking up the parchment and returning it to her.

"What was it doing on my head?" she asked when Cassie snatched it back.

"Never mind that," she said, shoving it into her bag and standing. "Dinner awaits us, my dear Alice."

Alice yawned widely, slumping in her seat and closing her eyes.

"You go," she said, waving a lazy hand. "I'm too tired."

Cassie looked between Marlene and Alice, affronted.

"Betrayed by my own friends," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Don't think I will forget this injustice so easily, ladies."

Marlene rolled her eyes. "Cassie, go eat something before I get the urge to throw this inkpot at you."

"Ungrateful and terrible, the lot of you," she retorted, turning and tossing her hair in a melodramatic fashion. "I hope you have a horrible time without me here."

They didn't reply, which made Cassie huff in annoyance as she climbed out of the portrait hole and set off for the Great Hall. She loved her friends, she really did, but sometimes they could never truly appreciate her humor.

Their loss, she thought haughtily, traipsing down the marble staircase just as a group of Slytherins emerged from their dungeon common room, heading for the Great Hall such as she was. She hung back on the stairs a bit, not wanting to awkwardly enter in beside them, especially when she saw who they were.

She only recognized three of them, as they were in her own year: Severus Snape, Kanin Mulciber, and Edmond Avery. They were with three other boys; two of them looked like older students – sixth- or seventh-years maybe – and the last one younger. Cassie's gaze hesitated on the younger boy, feeling as if she recognized him, but she snapped her eyes away quickly when Avery turned his head in her direction.

He made eye contact with her briefly, giving her a small nod of acknowledgement. She returned with a jerky wave, her surprise clearly overriding any normal movements. He disappeared into the Great Hall before she could do anything else though, and she shook her head, frowning before following them in.

With her early arrival came the blessed opportunity for her to sit alone and eat in peace for once. She sat down in her usual seat enthusiastically, her stomach rumbling. She began to load her plate with food (silently cheering when she saw that there was, indeed, black pudding), and was about to take a disgustingly large bite when the Marauders themselves walked in, heading for the Gryffindor table.

Shoving the spoonful of pudding into her mouth anyway, she watched them approach, pondering if she should say hello to Remus or not. The past month had become so intense in coursework that she had never taken him up on his offer to sit with him and his friends in the common room, and they'd had no partner work in Defense since the first essay, so she hadn't had the opportunity to talk to him there, either. (Though he had let her go on an angry tirade when the essays were handed back, hers marked with a large red 'D' when his was an 'A', despite them both having the same exact information.) They occasionally exchanged pleasantries, but that was about the extent of their interactions. That is, until he spotted her sitting alone and waved. He said something to his three friends before walking over to her, and the others followed in his wake, though much more slowly.

Cassie painfully swallowed the large bite she had taken and downed a gulp of pumpkin juice just as Remus arrived, the others in tow. "Mind if we join you?"

She raised an eyebrow at his friendly smile, suddenly wary. "Er, sure. As long as your mates don't mind."

She looked pointedly to the other three Marauders; Pettigrew shifted on his feet nervously, while Potter looked agitated and Black just scowled.

"They don't mind," he assured, giving them a glare as if daring one of them to object. When they didn't, Cassie found herself suddenly very anxious as Remus plopped down next to her, the other three sitting on the bench across from them.

As they began filling their plates, none of them saying anything, Cassie poked half-heartedly at her food, not that hungry anymore as she realized that she was eating dinner with the Marauders, of all people.

"So, Cassie, how are you finding O.W.L. year?" Remus asked, breaking the awkward silence.

She smiled nervously. "Well, I've only thought about pitching myself off the Astronomy Tower twice so far, so I reckon it's not too bad right now." She glanced over when Pettigrew snorted into his stew, his lips twitching in a grin that she felt heartened by, if only a little bit.

Remus nodded, chewing thoughtfully. "You know, that's not too terrible of an idea, really."

Cassie snorted. "If you ever need someone to push you off in the near future, then you know who to come to."

He chuckled at that, and she took another bite of pudding, halting her chewing when Black finally spoke up.

"Do you always eat like that?" he asked, eyeing the large bite she'd shoveled into her mouth with mild distaste. She raised an eyebrow as Remus scowled, and Potter jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow.

Swallowing, Cassie stared back into his light grey eyes and said, "Do you always ask stupid questions?"

Pettigrew truly laughed at this, and Potter disguised a chortle behind a cough. Remus looked highly amused when Black's face turned the faintest hint of pink.

"Never mind," he mumbled, shaking his head and dropping his eyes back down to his plate.

Cassie smirked to herself: Alderfair – 1, Black – 0.

"How's practice going, James?" Remus asked to smooth over the awkward moment. Potter gave a noncommittal shrug, and Cassie suddenly remembered that he was a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"All right, I guess," he said. "Our new captain, Weatherly – that seventh-year bloke who looks like his mother mated with a rock – has no idea what he's doing half the time, and the new Chaser we got can't tell his arse from his head, but we're not terrible. I reckon we'll still beat Hufflepuff in the match next month." He then grinned and clapped Black on the back. "At least we have a solid Beater this year, eh, Pads?"

Black gave a flippant wave of his hand, taking a swig of pumpkin juice. Cassie stared at him.

"You're a Beater? Since when?" Her brother had been on the team since his third year, yet she'd never heard him mention Black before. (Potter, on the other hand, she'd heard about loads of times; apparently Will had not shared her sentiments toward him, and had actually found him a decent bloke, and a brilliant flyer.)

"Tried out for the first time this year!" Potter said proudly, looking smug when Black rolled his eyes. "And about bloody time – we were losing hope in gaining another good player, but I convinced him to give it a go."

"Sirius is a great player," Pettigrew chimed in. "All those times we scrimmaged at your house, James, he carried our team single-handedly."

"If you're done drooling over me now," Black said moodily. Cassie cocked a brow; Black was usually always the center of attention, but right now he looked downright uncomfortable.

"Oh, but Sirius, can't you see?" Potter said in a high-pitched voice, pretending to swoon. "I'm madly in love with you! I can't stop, no matter what—"

Potter choked when Black shoved a forkful of mashed potatoes in his mouth, and Cassie couldn't help laughing at his wide-eyed expression when he swallowed with a large gulp and started chuckling too.

"You lot are ridiculous," she said, shaking her head.

"Part of the Marauders' charm, dear," Potter said. He winked, though the effect was slightly marred by the potato now smeared on his chin.

Remus cleared his throat. "Er, James." He pointed to his chin, and Potter reached up to wipe the potato residue off his face, making a disgusted noise.

"What's with the name, anyway?" she asked, looking to Remus. "'The Marauders?'"

"It's a thing we came up with ages ago," he explained. "We didn't start publicly using it until this year, though; I don't even remember who first came up with it."

"It was me," Potter said at the same time Pettigrew said, "I did."

"Pete, your idea was the Crusaders, but we shot that down faster than you could say 'hippogriff'—"

"Come off it, James, it was my idea—"

"Anyway," Remus said, tuning out the two boys' argument and speaking to Cassie again. "It was something we came up with our first year, and it's just kinda stuck since then."

Cassie nodded thoughtfully. "I tried to come up with a name for me, Marlene, Lily, and Alice before."

"Oh?" Remus looked interested. "What was it?"

"The Raging Whoremones."

Remus choked on the pumpkin juice he'd been drinking, spluttering as he burst out laughing.

"You're bloody joking," he gasped. "When was this?"

Cassie grimaced. "Last term."

This confession made Remus laugh harder, and she chuckled, as well. Potter and Pettigrew stared between them in confusion, finally pulled out of their argument, but she glanced to Black and saw the tiniest of smirks on his lips. As soon as he made eye contact with Cassie though, he went back to scowling and took a hearty bite from his chicken.

The rest of the dinner passed with relative ease, as their conversations deviated to classes and their dreaded course load for the year. Cassie began to relax with the more time that passed, realizing that maybe the Marauders weren't setting her up for some terrible humiliation as the Hall filled with more students. None of her friends had yet to show, so when the Marauders finished off their plates and prepared to leave, she felt a slight twinge of loneliness, though wondered if that was just her food digesting, instead.

Potter and Pettigrew had the courtesy to wave to her before they left, but Black followed on their heels without so much as a glance back. After bidding her farewell, Remus made to leave too, but she stopped him when a sudden thought occurred to her. "Remus?"

"Yeah?" He turned back to face her, his brows furrowing when he saw her troubled expression. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know," she said truthfully. "I…guess I'm just unsure."

"About what?" He was looking at her intensely, and she shifted when he sat back down next to her, those green eyes never leaving her face as she debated whether to tell him her misgivings or not. But in the end, she thought there was no use in denying it, so she continued.

"About…this." She gestured to him and the retreating backs of the other Marauders. "I mean, none of us have ever acknowledged each other before now, and suddenly, we're eating dinner together? I'm not trying to sound snobbish, or anything, but…why are you being so nice to me?"

She bit her lip when he didn't immediately speak, picking at a loose thread on her skirt and cursing herself for being so nosy, for wanting reassurance that this wasn't some awful joke at her expense. She had to believe they had hearts somewhere.

"Look, Cassie…" His tone made her involuntarily flinch, and her heart sank with the inevitable sting of rejection. "I think you're a nice person; I don't know why it's taken me so long to notice, but you're actually really easy to talk to. You listen, and…that sticks out to me. I'm not used to people doing that for me – listening, and talking to me like I'm an actual person, not just James and Sirius's friend."

He paused, his fingers tapping nervously on his leg while she watched him, feeling some hope rising in her chest again.

"I also know what it's like to be viewed differently – for people to look at you and see something that reflects only what they want to see." He looked at her again when he said this, and her throat constricted, knowing he was talking about her brother, her family.

"I don't see you like everyone else does, Cassie." He met her eyes, and she suddenly had the feeling that maybe, just maybe, Remus Lupin was telling the truth. "Maybe it's because of things that I've been through, or maybe because getting to know you has changed my mind, but I'm not trying to befriend you as some sort of cruel joke. It's because I genuinely think you're all right."

He suddenly cleared his throat, looking away awkwardly. But once again, Cassie was stunned by this sandy-haired, green-eyed Marauder. He knew what she was going through; he had been there, or still was, and though she didn't know what it was – he understood. He knew of her family, of her brother, but here he was: talking to her, befriending her, treating her like a person and not the shadow of another one. The gravity of his words finally sank in, and she found herself holding back tears, her chest feeling too tight.

"Cassie?" Remus looked to her in concern when she sniffled. To her mortification, she felt a tear slip out of her eye, quickly followed by many more. "Oh, bloody hell, I'm such a git."

He started fumbling in his robes for a handkerchief, but when he couldn't find one, he just grabbed a napkin off the table and held it out for her. "I'm so sorry, Cassie. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"I'm not crying," she protested weakly, dabbing at her clearly red-rimmed eyes. "I think I'm just coming down with whatever Marlene had…"

Remus gave her a dubious look, and she let out a breathy laugh. "Poor excuse?"

"Just a bit," he said drily. She gave him a tiny smile before biting her lip.

"Um, sorry," she said, waving her hand to refer to her sudden crying. "I just… No one ever really comes out and says that, you know? I mean, I know the girls are there for me, but…they never talk about these things. They shy away from it, like they're scared I'm going to react terribly to it. But…thank you, Remus. For talking about what it feels like. I…really appreciate it. And I appreciate you and your mates – no matter how pratty they are – for at least trying to see past my brother."

He gave her a gentle smile. "Of course, Cassie. I'm glad I could help."

They sat in silence until she noticed that they were starting to garner attention from the entering Gryffindors, and she nudged his shoulder slightly.

"You should catch up with your friends," she said. "I think I'll be fine now."

He nodded and stood up, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before walking away.

"Oh, and Cassie?" She looked up, and he gave her a wink. "That offer still stands, anytime you need it."

"Maybe one day, Remus," she replied, but gave the Marauder a last wave and smile before he left the Great Hall.

Keeping her head down and trying to block out the whispers, Cassie reached for a slice of pumpkin pie and continued to eat, feeling truly content for the first time in a long time.

James, Sirius, and Peter returned to a nearly empty common room, as everyone else had gone to dinner save for some very studious seventh-years holed up in a corner, their quills scratching like mad and their expressions haunted as they worked.

The three present Marauders took their usual seats by the fireplace, their eyes occasionally sliding over the place where Remus would normally sit and remaining silent, none of them quite knowing what to make of the dinner they'd had with Cassie Alderfair a mere fifteen minutes ago.

"So…" James began when he couldn't take the silence any longer. "Interesting night, eh?"

Peter grunted in agreement, picking at his nailbeds as he always did when he was thinking. Sirius said nothing, staring into the crackling flames with a creased brow.

"I didn't think it was all that bad," James prodded. "Remus was right; she's nice enough, and I like her humor."

"That doesn't mean we can trust her," Sirius muttered.

James frowned, suspecting what his best mate was thinking and not quite liking it. He knew Sirius had grown up in a pure-blood household vastly different from his own; the Blacks were practically pure-blood royalty, and had belonged exclusively in the elite, egotistical House of Slytherin for generations, until Sirius had been Sorted into Gryffindor unexpectedly. And it was no secret that the Black family was also supportive of the anti-Muggle and -Muggle-born fever taking hold of the wizarding world. James imagined that the presence of this girl – whose own family followed the values of the one Sirius was trying so hard to get away from – did not bode well with the other boy at all.

"We don't know that," James countered. Sirius scowled.

"Her brother's a Death Eater, James!" he snapped, turning to glare at him with dark grey eyes. "How do we know she isn't like him, that she was raised to become one herself when she came of age?"

"That's a little hypocritical, don't you think?" James raised a brow.

Sirius's face scrunched in confusion. "Huh?"

James rolled his eyes. "You're making judgments on her based off what her family believes. I thought you of all people could understand that not everyone is like their own flesh and blood, Sirius."

Sirius flushed, though he still looked angry. "I do! But I don't know anything about her."

"And you're not going to if you keep skulking around in her presence and refuse to see past your prejudice," James retorted.

Sirius's eyes flashed. "If you and Remus want to be her friends, fine by me," he said coldly. "But when she starts strutting around with a Dark Mark and hexing Muggle-borns, don't say I didn't warn you."

James opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when the portrait hole opened and Remus walked in. He looked tired and worried, but his eyes glinted happily when he saw them.

He sat down next to Peter on the couch, oblivious to the tension in the air, but when he took in Sirius's and James's scowls and Peter's twitchy demeanor, he cottoned on quickly. "What happened with you lot?"

When Sirius said nothing, James leaned back in his armchair and crossed his arms. "Sirius thinks we're fraternizing with the enemy."

Remus sighed, closing his eyes and slumping in his seat as if he'd expected this. "And why does he think that?"

"Because we know nothing about Cassie Alderfair, and he thinks we shouldn't trust her because of her brother," Peter filled him in, still tearing at his nailbeds and refusing to meet the dirty look Sirius shot in his direction.

"Why do you want to be friends with her anyway?" he asked Remus. "From what I can tell, she's not even worth the time."

Remus sat up, opening his eyes to reveal a hard green that met Sirius's glare challengingly.

"Because I know what she's going through, all right?" he said, and even Sirius was taken aback by the sudden vehemence in his tone as they all stared at him. "I know how she feels: alone, scared, like nobody understands her position – because I feel the same way!"

The other boys traded a guilty glance as Remus sighed wearily. He spoke in a much softer voice this time. "I just want her to know that she has allies, should she ever need them. She even told me tonight that the other girls are afraid to discuss it with her, and I know how much that alienates a person. She shouldn't have to be by herself in this."

Silence met his words. They listened to the logs cracking in the fireplace as the flames flickered shadows and light across their faces, each one thinking carefully and mulling over what Remus had told them.

"I don't think she's bad," Peter said quietly, still picking at his fingers. He shrugged when everyone looked to him. "Anyone who can take down that much pudding and not be sick in one sitting seems all right by me."

Remus snorted but James nodded in agreement.

"If you're all right with her, Moony, then she's fine with me," he said. He suddenly grimaced. "So long as she doesn't try and get back at me for the quill thing."

They all turned expectantly to Sirius. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, deliberating, before finally throwing up his hands.

"All right, I'll give her a chance!" he said. "But if she starts acting like one of those Slytherins…"

"She won't," Remus said firmly. Sirius just huffed, irritated that he was being outvoted in the matter.

"Then here's to attempts at new friendships!" James said, pretending to toast. "Let's just hope this doesn't come back to bite us in the ass."

Next Chapter: The Letter

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