The weeks passed slowly but they did pass. Lily and James slowly accepted their newly orphaned status and rejoined the world of laughter and love. It was mid-October before Lily managed to laugh again. It was then that James was able to prank again.
"We've got to plan the Halloween Ball." Lily said, glancing at the list of duties she held in her hands. "McGonagall says we're to do something 'fresh'. Any ideas?" She asked the prefects.
Hannah Peck, a rather petite Hufflepuff, raised her hand. "We could do a costume ball. Like the kind Muggles have."
Lily nodded. "That would work. But should we do it themed?"
Another prefect, a seventh year Ravenclaw, spoke. "We could do a masquerade." He said, smiling at Lily.
He was rewarded with a grin back. "That sounds brilliant but what kind of masquerade? Think details, everyone. We have to plan out decorations, a menu, music, everything. Think fun but simple." She glanced at the Ravenclaw again. "I do like your idea, Gavin, but only if we can figure out how to either simplify it or make it more elaborate. We need details along with a grand idea."
Gavin grinned back. "Got it."
James glanced down at the list Lily held. "What about a couple's pairing? Something like we place the names of all the third-year and up girls in all the houses into a basket and have the boys pick one each. The boy would have to then find the girl and escort her. Of course we'd have to have a no-cheating spell but it could work." He looked at the prefects. "What do you think?"
Lily broke in before the others could speak. "I think it sounds bloody brilliant, James!" She said excitedly. "We could add in costumes that they'd have to wear! I'm sure we can think of 358 couples. Come on everyone, all you'll have to do is make a list of all the couples you can think of. Have them written down by the next meeting, okay? Ask your mates but don't tell them why until we get McGonagall to approve it." She smiled at everyone. "Meeting adjourned."
James laughed at the happy look upon Lily's face. "You're such a little girl, Lily." He said with a kind smile.
She looked at him and beamed right back. "Yes, I know. Start listing."
They sat for three hours making a list of all the possible couples they could have. At the end, Lily read them off.
"Adam and Eve."
"Annie Oakley and Frank Butler."
"Marc Antony and Cleopatra."
"Barbie and Ken."
"Dagwood Bumstead and Blondie Boopadoop."
"Donald and Daisy Duck."
"Elvis and Priscilla Presley."
"Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner."
"Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt."
"Fred and Wilma Flintstone."
"Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera."
"George Burns and Gracie Allen."
"Gerald and Betty Ford."
"Gomez and Morticia Addams."
"Harold and Maude."
"Herman and Lilly Munster."
"Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall."
"John F. and Jackie Kennedy."
"John Lennon and Yoko Ono."
"John Smith and Pocahontas."
"June and Ward Cleaver."
"Lancelot and Guinevere."
"Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz."
"Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller."
"Mickey and Minnie Mouse."
"Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte."
"Pebbles and Bam-Bam."
"Pierre and Marie Curie."
"Prince Ranier and Grace Kelly."
"Rhett and Scarlett Butler."
"Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach."
"Romeo and Juliet."
"Shirley Temple and John Agar."
"Spiderman and Mary Jane."
"Sonny Bono and Cher."
"Superman and Lois Lane."
"Cinderella and Prince Charming."
"Beauty and the Beast."
"The Little Mermaid and her Prince."
"Aladdin and Jasmine."
"Robin Hood and Maid Marion."
"That's 41." She said, looking at her list. "I think we should get first dibs. What do you say?"
"You don't plan on being in the box?" He asked curiously.
"Nope. I've got my date picked out. Hope he wasn't planning on choosing from it though." Lily smiled.
"He was. But he was going to cheat."
"He sounds like quite a scoundrel."
"And you sound like Scarlett O'Hara."
"Speaking of her, let's chose who we want to be!"
James looked at the list again. "Hm… I'm thinking along the lines of the Little Mermaid."
Lily laughed but didn't disagree. "Okay. Now let's get our friends together. Whom should we put Caro and Sirius as?"
"Rhett and Scarlett, easily."
"Pippa and Charles?" Pippa had gotten over her crush on Remus rather quickly and had begun dating a very intelligent Ravenclaw named Charles
"Prince Ranier and Grace Kelly."
"Now we just need a date for Remus."
"Sounds perfect." Lily giggled for a moment before sobering up. "Do you think it's alright if we tell the others that the Heads have to go together? We'll say McGonagall made us."
James nodded. "It'll be fine, Lily. Don't worry."
"I can't wait to see the looks on those girls' faces! They'll be crushed!"
"What about the boys?" They laughed again, enjoying their newfound kinship. It was comforting knowing that someone else felt the same way they did.
"Well I'm going to go… gotta study." Lily smiled at him before leaving James alone in the prefect's study.
James watched her leave, her hair swing around her petite waist, and leaned back against his chair. She was such a beautiful girl. He felt lucky to be whatever they were. He wasn't sure if they were dating or merely friends. They hadn't kissed, not once, but they held hands quite often and hugged nearly every night before bed. It wasn't completely platonic, hinting of a future romance. Mostly, it was a healing method.
After half an hour in the study alone, James got up and slowly left.
The leaves had started to fall, decorating Hogwarts with a stunning medley of colors. The Marauders, in all of their childlike amusement, held many a "leaf fight" beneath the trees that shaded the walkways. Lily, Pippa, and Caroline fought with them, with an additional player.
Lee-lee Parker was a very smart, very beautiful girl. She was exactly one year younger than Lily and lived exactly one floor below her in the Gryffindor Tower. Lee-lee was the only American at Hogwarts. Her parents were also American. The only reason Lee-lee had been allowed to attend Hogwarts was due to her grandfather, a very prominent American wizard, who had married an English witch a year before Lee-lee was sent to Hogwarts. The witch, who was named Marchella, pulled a few very well-connected strings and had Lee-lee admitted to Hogwarts.
She was quite unusual from all of the other sixth years. Not only was Lee-lee stunning to look at, her mind was awe-inspiring. Lee-lee had read the entire required reading list by the age of seven. She had managed to produce a full-blown Patronus by the age of eleven. By twelve, she was a registered Animagus. She was the youngest person to ever be actively recruited into becoming an Auror. She flew for the American Quidditch team, the Sterling Stars, since she turned fourteen. Her IQ, which her mother had insisted on testing, was 202. And yet, Lee-lee was a modest, kind, and fun-loving girl.
The girls in her year were quite envious of her and the boys had no idea what to make of this astounding creature. Because of this, Lee-lee had spent her first few years at Hogwarts in extreme solitude. She had logged many hours in the library, reading nearly all the books there. She even had a note permitting her to read any book in the Restricted Section, something unheard of at Hogwarts. It was while she sat in the library for hours that she had met Remus Lupin.
He had come in one day in September, looking a bit downcast after a particularly unpleasant Defense Against the Dark Arts class. He had felt a bit depressed as he listened to the professor lecture about werewolves. It was fairly upsetting to hear how his classmates recoiled in fear. Not even his friends' defense of them had helped make him feel better.
Lee-lee was surrounded by books at the only table that had a free chair. Remus didn't even see her above the stacks of books. He merely thought that someone had forgotten them there. Sighing, he pulled out some parchment and began to write.
Lee-lee heard this noise and was startled. She was sixteen, after all, and quite shy around the opposite gender because of all the subtle rejection she had felt. The only people she was comfortable around were those in her MENSA group and her fellow Sterling Stars. She gazed through a gap in her stacks and saw a sandy-haired boy sitting there at her table! She decided that since he had already sat down, she might as well say hello. Besides, she knew who he was from the pranks he, along with his friends, had pulled.
"Um hello," she said, peeking over the stacks, "I'm Lee-lee Parker."
Remus jumped at hearing her voice. Lee-lee shrunk a little bit but kept smiling at him.
After a moment's pause, which felt like an eternity to Lee-lee, he replied. "I'm Remus Lupin."
"It's nice to meet you," Lee-lee said in her pretty southern drawl.
Remus just nodded before launching into an apology. "I'm really sorry. I didn't see you here." He packed up his parchment. "I'll just be leaving then." He stood up and began to walk away.
Lee-lee jumped up. "No! No! It's really okay. Come back, if you want." She smiled shyly. "It's really fine with me."
Remus looked at her closely, looking for any pity in her eyes. Instead he was surprised to see the same the look he felt upon his face. He smiled back at her, wholeheartedly, and was pleased to see her loosen up. "Alright," he said, "so long as it's not a bother."
"No, no bother." Lee-lee grinned at him before settling down into her chair again.
Remus took out his parchment and scribbled a few lines before pushing away her books for a moment. "You don't mind talking, do you?" He asked.
Lee-lee shook her head. "It'd be great." She mentally kicked herself for sounding so overeager.
"You must hear this all the time but where are you from?" Remus asked, looking at her intently.
"South Carolina." She smiled at the confused look on his face before adding, "it's near Mexico."
Remus laughed. "So how did you end up here?"
"Long, long story. Basically my step-grandmother pulled a few strings."
"Nice of her."
"Very."
There was a pause before Remus continued. "You're not by chance the Lee-lee Parker of the Sterling Stars, are you?"
Lee-lee colored a little but nodded.
"And of the MENSA group?"
Another nod.
"Genius IQ?"
Yet another nod.
"Damn."
Lee-lee blushed even more. "It's no big deal," she muttered.
"Oh but it is! You're bloody famous!" Remus grinned at her. "That's absolutely amazing. You've got to meet my friends, Sirius Black and James Potter. They'll go absolutely insane to know you're THAT Lee-lee Parker. They'll bother you with a million questions."
Lee-lee smiled. "It's really no big deal."
Remus rolled his eyes. "Lee-lee, listen to me. You. Are. A. Big. Deal." He carefully enunciated each word, making sure she realized how amazing she was.
"Thanks, I guess." Lee-lee grinned. "And you're Remus Lupin of the infamous Marauders, also know as Moony."
Remus looked at her, a bit surprised. "How'd you know that?"
"The IQ, remember?"
"Oh yeah." Remus glanced down at his watch. "Listen, I'm going to meet my mates for a bit. Want to come meet them?"
Lee-lee tried to play it off coolly but inside she was terribly excited. A chance to meet the other Marauders. "Sure, sounds cool."
Remus escorted her down the candle-lit hallways into an empty classroom, where Lee-lee saw three boys and three girls perched upon desks, achieving the ultimate look of coolness. One girl had fiery red hair ("Lily Evans!" Lee-lee realized excitedly) and was laughing at a raven-haired boy ("James Potter!"). Another girl, a small brunette ("Caroline Pruitt!"), was leaning into the arms of none other than Sirius Black. The final girl ("Pippa Frigg!") was seated across from a rat faced boy whom Lee-lee recognized as Peter Pettigrew.
"This is Lee-lee Parker," Remus said to his friends. "Yes, THAT Lee-lee Parker." He added as he saw curious looks pass across James and Sirius's faces.
"Bloody hell, no way!" James exclaimed. "I had no idea you went here!"
Lee-lee nodded.
"That's fucking amazing." Sirius winced as Caroline slapped his arm for cursing. "Merlin Caro, I was just expressing shock."
"Use a different adjective, Sirius." Caroline turned to face Lee-lee. "Ignore them. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lee-lee."
"The pleasure is mine." Lee-lee smiled at her.
"I'm Caroline and that prat is my boyfriend, Sirius Black." Caroline leant over and kissed Sirius on the cheek.
Pippa Frigg smiled at her. "Pippa. That's Peter." She pointed at him, a look of distaste fleeting across her pretty features before she pointed on. "That's Lily Evans and James Potter."
Lily took a break from glaring at James to smile at Lee-lee. "It's great to meet you, Lee-lee."
"Back at you, Lily."
James walked towards her and was about to say something when Sirius cut in. "No flirting, Prongsie. I know you want tickets to see the Sterling Stars but you'd better save all that for Lily."
Lily rolled her eyes at Sirius while James shrugged. He walked back over to Lily and placed his arm around her, hugging her tightly to him. Lee-lee watched him whisper something in Lily's ear and she felt so jealous of the love they obviously shared.
Lee-lee spent the rest of the afternoon with them, laughing and feeling very much welcome. In fact, the last time she felt that amazing was with her friends back home.
"Oye! Lee-lee! Focus!" Pippa shouted as she threw a wad of leaves at her boyfriend, who sat on a bench with an amused look on his face. "We've got to get them back for the bushel they sent our way!"
Lee-lee nodded. "I'm already thinking of a plan!" She replied.
Lily and Caroline didn't bother to wait to join in the conversation. They were too busy pelting the boys with leaves.
"Dammit James! You got some in my mouth!" Lily shouted, glaring across the "battlefield".
"Sorry Lily!" James replied before being elbowed rather sharply by Sirius, who whispered the words "this is war!" at him quite furiously before sending an avalanche of leaves towards his own girlfriend.
Caroline yelled as the leaves poured down on her. There were so many there that she was basically trapped. She had to literally swim through them! As she did, she managed to glance at the silver watch Sirius had given her for Christmas last year. "Oye everyone! It's nearly time for dinner!" She shouted through the leaves.
"Truce!" Peter instantly yelled, feeling the pangs of hunger in his pudgy stomach. "Truce!"
Sirius looked at him disgustedly before shrugging. "Truce I suppose." He said.
The girls nodded and a truce was called. The nine of them (Pippa's boyfriend, Charles, was walking with them) walked into the castle, pulling leaves out of their hair and clothes.
Lee-lee smiled as she watched everyone break into couples, holding hands or whispering sweet secrets. She may have been a genius but she wanted something like that too.
"What are you smiling at?" Remus asked, waiting for her near the entrance to the Great Hall.
"Them." She looked over at all the happy couples. "They look so… perfect."
Remus laughed. "Trust me, Lee-lee, they're not."
"But they're happy."
"Yeah, that they are."
Lee-lee smiled at him for a moment. "So am I." She paused. "And I have you to thank for it."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll tell you about it later," Lee-lee promised as she sat down at the wooden table beside her new friends. For the first time at Hogwarts, she felt happy.
Lily and Caroline were sitting on Lee-lee's bed, watching her make a mess of her trunk quite rapidly.
"What are you looking for?" Caroline asked, raising her eyebrow.
"My favorite shirt!" Lee-lee's reply was muffled by the shirts that she was digging through.
Four sets of eyes were watching her unpleasantly and Lee-lee knew it. They were staring at the two of the most popular girls in the entire school who were calmly sitting on Lee-lee's bed. Lee-lee couldn't help feeling a bit of fear that her roommates would somehow sabotage her new friendships but she kept it hidden. No need to make her friends think she was a nutcase.
"Lee-lee darling, we're going to be late for the picnic." Lily said patiently, getting off the bed and kneeling beside her on the floor. "Can't you wear this one? I bet you'll look gorgeous in it!"
Lee-lee shrugged. "I guess. I was just hoping to wear this one shirt I got back home. I really love it."
"I know what you mean, Lee, but we've really gotta get going. You'll look great in this one." Lily handed her a pale pink long-sleeved shirt. "You're so lucky, you get to wear pink!"
Lee-lee laughed as she changed her shirts quickly. "Yeah but I don't have stunning hair like yours!" She lifted one of her golden curls. "All mine does is curl."
Caroline rolled her eyes. "No one's happy, I know. Can we go now?" She asked. "Sorry to be a bitch but Sirius told me he has something to tell me and I'm quite curious as to see what it is."
Lee-lee nodded. "I know, Remus told me."
"Did he tell you what it was?" Caroline asked, her eyes widening.
"Nope. He just told me that Sirius told him that he wanted to talk to you." Lee-lee grabbed a belt off of the floor and smiled. "Ready." She said.
Lily grinned back at her while Caroline, who was currently feeling a bit grumpy, merely shrugged. She stood up and walked out the door, waiting for her friends at the bottom of the stairs.
"Bye!" Lily said, slipping out the door.
Lee-lee looked at her four roommates who were staring at her with unadulterated envy. "I'll see ya'll later!" She said, flashing them a smile before running out of the room. Lily latched arms with her and they walked down the staircase and joined up with Caroline, who finally broke her grumpiness when they reached the lake outside the castle.