Chapter One:

Eighteen Months Earlier

Summer holidays had come to an end, yet again. It was one of those things that you could always depend on. Like the seasons that change every three months and the sun rising in the morning with the moon rising at dusk. Summer holidays were like that too. They always begun, they always ended, but they never lasted for longer than they were supposed to. Most people would complain about this simple fact and say that the end of summer is like the end of the world. But I myself, can't help but feel an excited anxiousness every time the summer months draw to a close. Maybe it's because I'm weird, but Hogwarts Academy has always felt like a second home to me. Those walls hold for me a comfort that even my own home can't manage. Then again, when you live in a big house with only two other people and your loyal dog, the atmosphere begins to feel a little empty.

But at Hogwarts there is no such feeling. Sure, it's like a huge castle, but during the year it's populated by over three hundred people including staff. It's a boarding school too, which makes it easy to fall into a natural pattern. And they split us up into four houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw which makes it especially easy to make close friends. I have three people in my life who have become my closest friends, so close that we could be mistaken for brothers. These three people are Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. The four of us over the years have become known as the Marauders, experts in pranking.

I guess that's more than enough reason for me to want to return to Hogwarts at the end of each summer.

"James. You're breakfast is getting cold."

I sighed as my mom's voice floated up to my bedroom. I was packing the last of my things into my trunk, not wanting to forget anything. Hogwarts Academy was located in the countryside, near a small village called Hogsmeade. It was away from the busy bustle of regular life, something that I was more than content to leave for the eight months I spent at Hogwarts.

"James, hurry! It's almost ten. The train leaves at eleven!"

Closing my trunk, I quickly sidled out of my room before my mom could shout again. I reached the banister and slid down, leaving my trunk at the top. One of my favourite features of the house was the winding banister. Being an only child, I was easily amused by little things like that.

"James Franklin Potter!"

I cringed, caught in the act yet again. My eyes wandered over to where my mother stood in the open doorway, hands on her hips, a scowl painted across her face. I grinned innocently, causing her eyes to narrow angrily. My grin faltered and I bit my lip nervously. "Hey Mum. Just...umm...dusting the banister for you."

Her eyes rolled and I knew I was in for a long lecture. "James, if I wasn't worried about you being late for the Hogwarts Express, I would reprimand you and ground you. But seeing as we're in such a situation, I'll let it pass with a simple warning: don't do it again. Now come eat breakfast."

I felt a wave of relief wash over me as she walked into the kitchen. My mother, Eleanor Potter, was not someone to joke around a lot. She was far too serious, something she had inherited from her father, my grandfather, Colonel Arthur Mason. My dad, on the other hand, was a big softy. If he could, he would slide down the banisters with me. But Sergeant Mom kept him in check and in her presence acted like a strict guy. And then, when it was just us guys, he would go out with me to buy an ice cream and check out the girls down at the beach.

After waffling down my breakfast, which was very uncomfortable with my mom watching my every move and breathing down my neck, I ran back upstairs to get my trunk. Walking down the stairs, I almost tripped over my dog, Napoleon, who had unwisely chosen to lay down in the middle of the flight.

He barked as I nearly stepped on him and I stumbled backwards. The trunk, thankfully, helped me maintain my balance. But then Napoleon leapt up and knocked me down, licking me with his long pink tongue.

"Napoleon," I protested, throwing my hands up in defence, "Not on the stairs boy!"

But the big golden retriever would hear none of it. He kept licking me and barking. Of course, he knew I was leaving. It was always the same. When he saw the trunk come out, he sensed that I would be leaving him again for a whole year. It was hard for me to leave him too; he was one of my best friends, my greatest pals. He had been mine since I was ten and I loved him to death.

"Napoleon! Come here at once!"

At the sound of mother's shrill voice, Napoleon obediently ran down the stairs and sat down in front of her, though his eyes stayed trained on my every move.

I gathered my trunk once more and came to the bottom of the steps, hardly noticing as my mother began to gather her possessions, placing them into one of her many purses.

Napoleon whimpered quietly as I kneeled next to him and rubbed my hand through his golden fur. "I'll miss you too boy," I whispered quietly, "But I promise to write every week."

"WOOF!"

I laughed as he licked me once again and then with a final rub behind his ears I stood up. Every time I left for school, I couldn't help but imagine if I were a dog, unable to speak for myself, unable to understand what was going on around me, how I would feel if one of my greatest companions left for long periods of time, leaving me with a stern woman and a confused husband.

"James, please. How many times am I going to have to yell for you to come?"

I muttered something inappropriate under my breath. Over the years, I had become perfectly adapted to the strength of my mother's hearing, knowing exactly how low I had to speak to make sure she couldn't hear me. The way I speak of her, must really make her come across as a horrid woman. She's not really. I remember when I was younger, how she would always smell of lilies and baked bread. She would take me to the park and push me on the swing until I felt like I was flying. And at night, she would always read to me from Dr. Seuss and Robert Munch. And then, both her parents had died in a car crash, and she had become this bitter stranger.

My father once told me that when they died, a little piece of my mom had died with them. I never understood why it had to be her sweet, nurturing side that had to go. Another one of life's mysteries. And then, every once and a while, I would see a glimpse of the woman who once adored me. But these moments were becoming less frequent and shorter lasting.

"James."

With a final glance at Napoleon, I picked up my trunk and walked out the door, glad that the car ride would only last ten minutes.

*********************************************

Half an hour later we arrived at the train station, with only five minutes until eleven o'clock and the departure of the Hogwarts Express. My mom was in a frenzy as she pulled into the parking lot, cursing our bad fortune. There had been an accident right near our exit. Some guy had tried to commit suicide and had swerved his car into the railing. As far as I knew, he had been unsuccessful, and now I was late for the train.

My mother practically threw my trunk at me as she slammed the back door and then promptly began to push me in the right direction.

"Mum!" I protested as we passed through the crowded station, "I can walk by myself!"

"Yes," she said, as she shoved a woman out of the way, "But at the pace you normally walk, you'll be late for the train, and then I'll have to drive you to the next stop!" There were three places that the Hogwarts Express stopped, as an attempt to convenience people. London was the first of the three stations.

"Finally!" she shouted and I could see the scarlet train standing out. My heart leapt with joy and my feet quickened of their own accord. But then my mom held me back. "Now James," she said, "Be careful this year, and try not to get into any trouble." Her voice was sharp, but in them I could sense a hint of motherly concern. Suddenly, her arms wrapped around me and drew me in for a rare hug. Her lips touched the top of my messy black mop of hair. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mum," I whispered back just as the train let out a shrill whistle.

Quickly, I made my way to one of the opened doors and stepped onto the train. I could see my mom standing in the crowd of people, her gaze fixed on me. I lifted my hand and waved as the wheels started to propel the express forward.

Her hand was in the air too, waving. I watched her, with a smile on her face until she faded in the distance. She had bestowed me with one of those rare moments and for that I was eternally grateful to whatever God was above us.

With the train slowly beginning to pick up speed, I began to make my way towards the end of the corridor, passing compartment by compartment, filled with students returning for or starting a new year of Hogwarts.

Most I recognized. One was full of girls giggling. Their door was open and I managed to hear one mention a certain Amos Diggory. Apparently one of our Gryffindor girls had finally settled with Hufflepuff heartthrob Diggory. He was an interesting fellow to be sure, not one that I would call friend, more acquaintance. And even if I had tried to make small talk with Diggory, he would have shooed me off, preferring to spend time with his blond, perfect hair.

Another compartment I passed, had an unfortunately familiar platinum blond haired freak sitting amongst an array of mostly male, most black-haired gits exactly like him. They were sixth year Slytherins and were a rather unruly bunch that I had no patience for. The platinum blond one, a Mr. Lucius Malfoy came from one of the most 'prestigiously' aristocratic families and was apparently a descendant of royalty. But really, he was nothing more than a pompous, arrogant, jerk.

Finally, I reached a compartment that held the three people I admired most in the world: the rest of the Marauders and my best friends. As I slid open the door, three very different faces turned to face me, identical grins painted across their faces. Maybe now would be a good time to introduce them properly.

Sirius Black, sitting the closest to where I stood, was the first person I had met at Hogwarts and we became good friends and, even though I'm close with all of them, Sirius has remained my closest friend. He's a good guy, a lot like me with the same black hair, though his eyes are incredibly grey while mine are boringly hazel; but his family is completely messed-up. His mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. Valentine Black, consider themselves to be of high birth and high society and are the biggest snobs I have ever met. Well, apart from the Malfoys in any case. Anyways, Sirius hates his family and the way they live and he constantly gets beat up for it. He has a younger brother who goes to Hogwarts too, Regulus, and he's just as much of a jerk as his parents, the little creep.

Remus Lupin, who sat opposite of Sirius, is the logical, calm, sensible, mature one of the group. He's also the studious one who always gets the best grades. He happens to be the top kid of our grade which means he'll probably be valedictorian in two years. The teachers love him, his tutees worship him, and girls ignore him. As far as I know he's never dated, and personally I think these girls have no idea what they're missing out on. He's such a sweet guy and I don't know how he got mixed up with us, but he did and I can't say I regret it. His family life is perhaps even more messed up than Sirius's. His mother abandoned him and his father after his birth and his father died in our third year at Hogwarts. Now, he lives with a foster family. They're not bad people, Remus says, but he wishes he had his real family. The only problem is there are two other kids in that family, a boy and a girl. The boy is the same age as us, and goes to Hogwarts. He's a Slytherin who goes by the name of Nott. The girl is a sweetheart and is a year younger in Gryffindor, Adelina.

Last, is Peter Pettigrew who at the moment was sitting beside Remus. He's one of the oddest people I've ever met and to be honest, I'm not nearly as close to him as I am to Sirius and Remus. He's very short, the shortest in our grade and is a little overweight. He tends to be pushed around alot and looks to us to protect him from bullies. I consider him to be like a little brother and we happily punch back for him, well not so much Remus, but Sirius and I know how to lay it on thick. How much else can I say about Peter? He's a bit gullible and is kind of a mama's boy. Honestly, I've been to his house before and his mother spoils him like there's no tomorrow. His father has been out of the picture for years, apparently he was a heavy drinker and one night went out and never came back. But Peter was four at the time and doesn't remember it. His mom's dating a new guy, her fifth since I met Peter. This one is a clerk by the name of Harold. I've met him once and he's okay, I guess. A little weird, but he's definitely a step up from the last one who turned out to be a stripper. And concluding the Pettigrew family is a little girl named Meagan who is four years younger, in Ravenclaw, and was born two months after her father died.

"Hey Prongs!" Sirius jumped up suddenly and threw his arms around me, slapping me on the back and then threw back his head and let out his trademark laugh.

I stared at him weirdly. "What's so funny Padfoot?"

"You have lipstick in your hair."

I hastily wiped my hand through my hair, erasing the last remnants of my mother's tenderness. Better to keep it in memory than out in the open.

Sirius was still laughing as he sank back into his seat and patted the empty space beside him. "So, who's lips were you locked on this morning Mr. Potter? I hope she's the reason you almost missed the express."

I rolled myself as I sat down beside Sirius. "Actually, she's the hottest blonde babe I've ever met."

"Ooh, do tell!" Peter squeaked, jumping up and down in his seat. He looked painfully ridiculous and Sirius burst into another fit of laughter.

Remus shook his head and stared at me intently. "Your mom," he said knowingly and I nodded. Nothing got past Remus. He didn't say anything, and he didn't have to. I knew he was happy for me; he knew what it meant to me.

Sirius looked disappointed and slumped in his seat. "Your Mom? A hot babe? Gee Prongs, and here I was, hoping for some real hot action. So, no girl?"

"Nope," I responded, and grinned, "But I'm sure you did."

"Try three Russians," Remus teased, and suddenly I saw that he was holding in his hand a book. Remus was always reading and at the moment it looked like he was immersing himself in War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.

Sirius glared at Remus. "Moony, shut up would ya?" He turned back to me and shrugged his shoulders. "So there was Ethel, Greta and Maria," he counted off his fingers, "And then this girl who was looking for it badly and the only name I got from her was Sex Kitten."

"You slept with four girls over the course of one summer?" I asked incredulously. I knew that Sirius was fast with the ladies, but this was ridiculous.

Sirius shook his head, and he looked thoroughly upset, "No. Ethel let me take her out for supper and then she went back to wherever she came from. Greta and I dated for a whole month but then when I tried to sleep with her she ran away. Maria, on the other hand, I dated for a week, and then when I tried to call her, realized that she was on her honeymoon."

"Sirius, you're not serious, pardon the pun. You were dating a woman who was engaged."

"She never mentioned it," Sirius said in his defence, "And it's not like I slept with her. Only Sex Kitten..."

"Stop saying that name," I shouted, blocking my ears with two hands, "That's just disgusting. Please don't tell me you were drunk."

Sirius shook his head. "I wasn't drunk and I didn't really sleep per se with Se...her. I was at a club and she stumbled up to me, looking completely wasted. She tried to lead me away with her but I told her no. I didn't want to have my first with a drunken bitch."

"Padfoot..."

"Don't Prongs," Remus said suddenly, "I already tried to talk sense into him."

Sirius threw him another glare and sighed. "Just because I want to sleep with a woman doesn't make me a bad person. If I was a horrible guy, I would have slept with the drunk one. But I possess morals too and I know right from wrong. And as far as I know, there's nothing wrong with wanting to share love with another human being: male or female." He tossed a glance at Peter who glared at him and folded his arms angrily.

"Just because I haven't dated half of England's women, doesn't give you the right to assume that there's something off with my sexual orientation. I happen to have a major crush on someone in our year."

I rolled my eyes probably for the hundredth time that day and glanced at Moony who had re-immersed himself in his book, though his eyes shone with amusement caused no doubt by the scene playing out before us.

"Oh really," Sirius said teasingly, "Who? Rikki Martin?"

Actually, the irony of Rikki's name had always struck me as odd, seeing as Rikki was a shy Ravenclaw girl in our year who stood at a height of 5'2 and was far different from the Latin singer who really knew how to shake his hips. However, Sirius's play with the name went deeper than that and Peter turned bright red.

"N...No," he stammered before taking a deep breath and then whispered a name that was incomprehensible.

"You're going to have to speak up Wormtail," I said, unable to hide my curiosity. In all the years I had known Peter, I had never known him to show interest in dating girls.

Peter glanced at his feet, his face reddening at a rapid pace. He said something again, but all that I could understand was mumbled garble.

"Wormtail," Sirius prodded, "Speak up mate. We can't understand a word your saying."

"I said," Peter started, but before any more words could leave his mouth, the train came to a screeching halt.

"Already at the next stop?" Sirius glanced at his watch and shrugged, "Time goes by quickly when you're talking about the ladies."

I shook my head, but remained silent as the sound of people talking filled the still air of the train.

Remus stood suddenly, closing his book with a firm poof. "Well, best be off," he said, sliding his book into his carry-on bag, "I have to go meet the Heads and Prefects. They should all be here at this point."

James nodded. Remus had been made Gryffindor prefect last year along with Danni Tonks, who was a soft-spoken girl, almost as smart as Remus, and possessed the coolest hair in the entire grade. Ever since second year it had been a bubblegum pink and short to her shoulders.

"Don't want to be late for Danni," Sirius said teasingly.

Remus gave him a withering look. "Danni and I are just friends," he said shortly and then dashed out of the compartment, weaving his way through the crowd of people who were searching for free compartments.

"He's obviously in love," Sirius said with a tone of certainty as he reclined, stretching his feet onto the empty space that Remus had left. "Poor guys being delusional. And talking about delusional..." He glanced quickly at Peter who was turning bright red again, "You were saying."

Peter began to stammer again. "I...I...I..."

"Oh for the love of God Wormtail!" I exclaimed, "Just say it, would you. You know he's going to bother you until you do. Who do you like?"

Peter sighed and finally gave in. "Evie," he said in a barely audible voice.

"Evie!" Sirius shouted in amazement, "You like Evie Fletcher! Oh, now this is interesting to be sure! Evie Fletcher is dating someone already, Wormtail. You're after another man's woman."

"Shh!" Peter cried imploringly, as his watery eyes turned meaningfully towards the doorway.

I glanced quickly towards the door and scowled. Nott was leaning casually against the frame of the door, a glint of malice evident in his eyes. "Well, well, isn't it three-quarters of the fabulous foursome."

"Wow Nott, had no idea that you could do Math," Sirius said mockingly, not even bothering to turn his head to face him.

Nott's eyes narrowed, but he did not retort, which surprised me. Then again, Nott was not known for being the wittiest of the bunch. That was usually Lucius or Rabastan's place. "So, what are you three whispering about?"

"That's hardly a concern of yours," I replied coldly, "Now, why don't you tell us why you're bothering us when school hasn't even started yet. Are you really that anxious to lose your dignity?"

Sirius and Peter laughed while Nott just stood there, at a loss. After a few seconds, however, his face was contorted into a huge grimace and he pounded a fist into his hand. "Just you wait Potter."

"Wait for what? For you to understand what we're saying?"

Nott growled and then turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, but before leaving a thread of curse words and other profanities.

"Well," Sirius said slowly, "If it was a swearing contest, he would definitely take the cup."

I nodded in agreement and then stared out the window as the train took off again, headed straight for Hogwarts and home.

*****************************************

Remus returned late in the afternoon from his meeting, looking utterly exhausted. "I swear," he said as he sank onto the seat, "We never agree on anything, not with Lucius and Bellatrix arguing against everything we propose. I don't know how Sam and Erica are going to get through the year."

"Sam and Erica?" I asked in surprise. It was unusual for two Heads to come from the same house, but apparently Albus Dumbledore had felt that two Ravenclaws would do the job well.

Remus nodded as he opened up a water bottle and took a big sip. "Yep. They're really great, actually, and Sam managed to win a shouting match against Lucius. But still, the Slytherins are especially upset by Dumbledore's choice of Heads. They wanted the Head Boy to Rudolphus, you know, Rabastan's older brother."

"Oh, you mean Rudolph, the red-nosed idiot," Sirius laughed at his own lame joke that invoked only unimpressed stares from the rest of us. "Gee, apparently everyone's humour ran away over the summer."

"And apparently so did someone's ability to be funny," Remus reciprocated and then smiled, "Danni's hair is still pink. But it's shorter than it's ever been. Really cute, actually."

Sirius and I shared a quick glance. "So, have you asked her out yet?"

Remus laughed as he went through his bag, searching for his book. He pulled it out and opened it to the right page before responding. "We're just friends."

"Friends, my arse," Sirius said and leaned forward, snatching the book out of Remus's hands.

"Hey!" Remus protested and lunged for it. Sirius, however, was quicker and stood on the seat, dangling it overhead.

Remus was a little taller than Sirius, but with the added bench, all he could do was stare at Sirius with angry eyes. "Give me back my book or else."

"Oh come on Moony," Sirius said nonchalantly, "Just admit it, you like her."

"Shove off," Remus said with a vehemence that was a quite unlike him, "Just give me the book and stay out of my business." With that, he jumped up, snatched his book back and walked out of the compartment, with a storm cloud buzzing around his head.

Sirius smiled triumphantly as he settled back into his seat. "He's in love."

"Padfoot," I said slowly, "You really shouldn't bug Remus like that. He doesn't deserve to be treated with contempt."

"Contempt," Sirius repeated, "Moony doesn't mind it; he knows it's all for fun. And if it wasn't for me pushing him, he wouldn't ever get himself girl, I promise you that."

Peter rolled his eyes. I didn't say anything; it would do no good. Sirius, at times, could be a hell of a lot more arrogant than even the Slytherins.

The rest of the train ride was spent mostly in silence. Near the end of our trip, Remus returned, though he remained sullenly silent and deeply absorbed in his book until we finally came to a halt at the Hogsmeade Station. Outside the train, twilight had fallen and on the horizon, the moon could be seen rising.

Excitement filled me as we began to disembark. Returning to Hogwarts always invoked within me this feeling of belonging that even my own home could not conjure.

"C'mon," Sirius said, placing a hand on my shoulder as we were engulfed in a crowd of familiar places. "Let's grab a carriage before they're all full. Remember last year." He shuddered and I suppressed the urge to laugh. Last year was hard to forget. Sirius had found himself sitting in a carriage with three second year girls who still suffered from a major crush over him. Needless to say, Sirius had been overwhelmed by their endless giggling and fluttering eyelashes.

Remus and Peter hailed us over from a carriage and we hurried over. Once we were seated, I turned to look out the door to watch the desperate scramble to reunite with friends and find empty carriages. And then my eyes fell on her.

She was walking, alone, through the throng of people, her red hair swaying and falling just like waves in the ocean. And the way she walked, as if she was the essence of elegance and grace. She looked like she belonged to the royal family, so perfect was her every move. And then her head turned in my direction and I caught a glimpse of her eyes. Round, emerald eyes that sparkled like diamond and seemed to hold some deep secret. I was captivated. What I wouldn't do to swim in those green pools of light. And suddenly I was resolved to make her mine and to make sure that we were together forever.

Never before had I believed in true love, but in one moment, I felt as if I couldn't breathe as if she was the air that I needed, that she was all my life. And I didn't even know her.

"Prongs? Hey Prongs! Earth to Prongsie!"

A hand fell across my vision and like that the moment was broken. I looked towards the interior of the carriage where three pairs of eyes were staring at me like I was mental or something to that effect. "What?" I asked.

"Well, let's see," Sirius said, and placed his finger on his cheek, pretending to think hard, "Umm, oh yeah. We've been calling your name and you've been staring off into space like you've been possessed by some demon. Were you trying to ignore or us or was it that temporary deafness syndrome?"

I sighed. "Sorry, I didn't hear you guys. What were you saying?"

Sirius's eyes began to glow mischievously, "So, who is she?"

"Who's who?" I asked, aware that my cheeks were probably flushing red with embarrassment. Had they seen me staring?

"Who's the girl you were staring at?" When I didn't respond, Sirius gestured dramatically, "When a man sees a hot babe he sees only her and hears nothing. It's the MRTHG syndrome."

"The what?" I demanded.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "The Male Reaction to Hot Girls syndrome." The tone in his voice made it sound as if the entire world should know.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Right. Well, I wasn't suffering from that. I was just thinking about Hogwarts. I'm glad to be back."

Sirius looked doubtful and stared past me to see if he could spot anything. I prayed that the girl had already moved on and sighed with relief when Sirius sat back, looking perturbed. "Don't think you're off the hook yet Prongs. I'll figure out this mystery; I've never met a case I couldn't."

I laughed nervously but said nothing as the carriage started to move. As we drove along the rocky road, my mind couldn't help but turn to thoughts of the beautiful girl. I would see her again, no doubt, but I would have to be sure not to make it obvious to my friends, not yet.

A.N. Okay so this is still in test run mode. I want to see how many people are interested before I get really serious. I'm hoping you'll find it to have an original storyline and get drawn in by that. So if you like it, and would want to read more, please, please, please, please review with questions, suggestions, comments of praise. That's what keeps me writing, keeps me inspired. :D Hope you all stick around for more.

Love you all,

Faith :D