Apologies for the lateness my dear readers. Hope y'all had a happy Easter.

I had planned to post this on Monday- but I was incredibly busy over the Easter Weekend.

Enjoy folks

VIII: Meeting the Marauder Clan Part 2- story time

After the most delicious meal that Harry could ever remember eating (a rich, creamy, tomato soup followed by a succulent chicken dinner complete with all the trimmings and treacle tart to finish) the Marauder clan had retired to the living room again, leaving a pair of House Elves (called in from another property that the Potters owned) to clean up. The unconventional family were in the midst of sharing their history with Harry- who had not laughed so much at any other point in his life.

The best one yet was probably his father's stag night when he and Sirius had come up against a group of Policemen; but the story Remus was currently telling him, about the Marauders attempting to join the first years on their ceremonial trip across the lake, came a close second.

"Prongsie here apparently forgot how much he had grown in the four years since we were firsties" Remus chuckled, wiping a tear of mirth away from his eye. "Because he didn't duck far enough and cracked his head on the rock and ended up falling into the lake. Then Padfoot, fearing for your dad's life rose with the intent of saving his life and ending up with the same thing happening to him"

"S'not funny Moony" James huffed. "It bloody hurt"

"Didn't knock anymore sense into you either, did it?" Remus quipped

Harry laughed harder than the rest of them, due to the fact that he alone had not heard this tale many times before.

"Nobody else is really sure what happened after that" Chloe butted in from her place, conveniently, between James and Sirius. "These two morons didn't show up at the feast and the new lot of first years weren't particularly forthcoming with the details- Hagrid found them on his way back to his hut, lying on the edge of the lake- care to tell your godson what happened, darling?"

She kissed her husband's cheek

Sirius grinned. "The giant squid snatched us up and took us to the edge"

"To this day we still don't know why" James finished. "But that's enough Marauder stories for the time being- tell us about your life son"

Harry sobered up immediately at that.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Lily asked, taking his hand and squeezing it

"You don't want to hear about my childhood" Harry told them. "Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Dudley made my life a misery"

Poppy's ears pricked up at that. "You lived with the Muggles? Where was I?"

"You weren't" Harry told her. "Though I wish you had been"

"Why?" she frowned, confused

"Because that way they might have treated me better" he replied curtly. "That or blamed me for your having magic"

"What did they do to you Prongslet?" Sirius asked in a horribly calm voice which scared Harry a little.

"They didn't hurt me if that's what you're getting at" Harry told him- not sure why he was defending the family who had made his life a misery in an attempt to 'stamp the magic out of him'. "No they just didn't try to hide the fact that I was about as welcome there as a…"

"A speck of dust?" Lily asked, smirking

Harry nodded. "Didn't have an actual bedroom until my Hogwarts letters started arriving."

"Where did you sleep then?" James demanded "The garden shed?"

"Uh, no" he shook his head. "The um… cupboardunderthestairs"

"Pardon me?" his mother broke in. "The cupboard under the stairs? They made you sleep in a cupboard?"

Harry nodded. "Until after my first Hogwarts letter arrived- I got Dudley's second bedroom"

"Second bedroom?" Lily snapped. "They've got a four bedroom house? Their son gets two rooms and mine has to make do with the bloody cupboard under the stairs"

"To be fair" Poppy chimed in. "Last time I saw Dudley he was nearly big enough to need two bedrooms"

Only Lily didn't laugh at that. Mary laughed the laugh of a child who didn't understand why what she had just heard was funny.

"What did you mean by 'first letter'?" Remus asked, as his now purple haired five year old snuggled into his lap.

"The Dursleys wouldn't let me have them, so Professor McGonagall kept sending them- I only got my letter when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to deliver it in person"

Sirius growled, Chloe placed her hand on his head and stroked his hair murmuring, as one would to an irate dog. "Down Padfoot"

Sirius looked at her, his lip twitched and he turned into the large black dog which was the origin of his nickname. He lay beside his wife, his head in her lap, smiling wolfishly up at her.

"Padfoot" Lily broke in. "No dogs on the sofa"

Padfoot whined but obliged his red haired hostess.

Robyn stood by the common room, watching the storm which raged outside the castle. It was a storm which Marcus Flint would have to be as stupid as he looked to make his team practice in. She was the only Marauder in Gryffindor Tower at that moment as Percy was on patrol, Will had detention and Teddy had (in a fit of butter beer addled bravery) volunteered to be the Weasley twins' guinea-pig in their latest experiment.

Sighing, she turned from the window and crossed to her favourite arm chair, before she got there a tentative hand curled around her wrist; it was Hermione Granger with a quill in one hand and an envelope.

"You want something Hermione?"

Hermione looked a little surprised the fifth year had addressed her by her first name again, but rallied quickly and asked for her address.

It was Robyn's turn to be surprised. "Why do you want my address?"

"Because your brother's my friend" Hermione replied. "I've written him a letter but I don't know where to send it"

'Hence the envelope' Robyn smiled and took the quill from her and scribbled the address on a scrap piece of parchment which lay abandoned on one of the tables. "There ya go, but you could have asked Neville"

"Neville, as in Longbottom?"

"That's him- mum's his Godmother, he knows our address." Robyn nodded. "Look Hermione, it's good that you and Harry are mates and everything, but you should really try making friends with some of the other firsties"

Hermione's face fell. "I've tried but…"

"But what?"

"They don't like me- they think I'm a know-it-all"

Robyn knew this, gossip travelled fast around Hogwarts. Hermione reminded her of what Percy had been like during their first year. She placed her hand on the younger girl's shoulders.

"Hermione, look, you're a good kid, if a bit too clever." She caught the flash of pain in Hermione's eyes and realized that she'd been misinterpreted. "Back in first year my friend Percy had the same problem. Hold back a bit, relax. Try offering to tutor Neville- he could use the help"

"I don't know" she mumbled, suddenly finding the parchment in her hand fascinating.

"Trust me I'm a Marauder, helping my fellow Gryffindors is part of that" Robyn ginned. "Plus, being friends with Harry James Potter won't hurt your social status"

Hermione giggled. "Thank you… Robyn"

"Any time… Hermione"

(Meanwhile on the other side of the Mirror)

Hogwarts was in uproar. Wizarding Britain had descended into chaos. The entire Wizarding world was beginning to panic. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived had vanished. It had been three days since their young saviour had vanished and they were still none the wiser as to how and where Harry had disappeared. His family didn't seem bothered by his disappearance.

~V~

There you go Luna Edwards, you wanted a new chapter so there it is :)