DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING HARRY POTTER RELATED. J.K. ROWLING IS THE GODDESS OF ALL THINGS HARRY POTTER AND I THANK HER FOR HER LOVELY CREATIONS. ANYTHING FROM THE ACTUAL BOOKS IS SIMPLY QUOTED AND ALL RIGHTS TO THOSE SCENES BELONG TO J.K. ROWLING.
I DO OWN ANY AND ALL OF MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS. NO CHARACTER OR SITUATION IS MEANT TO BE BASED OFF OF ANYTHING FROM ANYONE ELSE. ANY SIMILARITIES ARE COMPLETELY COINCIDENTAL.
A/N: Alright, here's Chapter 1! I'm excited! Unfortunately, years 1-2 of the Marauders are going to be quite short (fanfic wise) because I don't have anything REALLY amazing for them to do until Year 3. So, if anyone has any ideas I will take any and all of them into consideration for Years 1-2. Otherwise, it's just trucking it and introducing characters that need to be introduced and setting up for later stuff I guess. I hope it'll be entertaining enough. This chapter gears mainly towards Elliot, but starting next chapter will be back into switching between people and places. Uhm... thats about it. Enjoy. Review please!
And thank you Penguinscanfly07 for being my first favorite-er for this story! I hope it lives up to your expectations!
~*~ I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good ~*~
"I don't think I could ever forget that first time on the Hogwarts Express. It was the first time that we all met. I don't think any of us would have ever believed that we'd become so close in the next seven years." – Elliot Driscoll
Chapter 1: Come Together
"Remus! I got us a seat! Come on!" Elliot yelled out the window of her compartment. Remus waved at her from the platform before giving his mother a final goodbye and boarding the train. Dwayne was there to help Remus put his trunk into the storage area above the compartment. The older boy wore his school uniform already, complete with yellow and black prefect badge. After they were settled, Dwayne turned to Elliot, "You settled then? I have to go to the prefects meeting."
"All good." Elliot assured him, "Go have fun. See you at school!"
"Going to join me in Hufflepuff?" He asked her with a mocking smile. She scoffed, "Hardly!" Dwayne laughed and headed out, leaving his sister and her friend alone.
Remus and Elliot watched Dwayne leave before they truly settled into the compartment. "He teases me about what house I'm going to be in all the time! I do NOT want to be in Hufflepuff with him!" Elliot complained, "I'd so much rather be in Ravenclaw like my father or Gryffindor like my mother's family." Remus nodded, "I'm just happy to be here. Any house will do me well." Elliot frowned, "Even Slytherin?"
"I hope it doesn't come down to that." Remus admitted quietly.
A small knock on the door caused both of them to turn towards the compartment door. The boy standing in the open doorway was small, mousy, and obviously nervous. "There's really no room in any of the compartments… I was wondering if I could sit here… with you…"
"Sure!" Remus said, barely thinking about it. "I'm Remus."
"And I'm Elliot!" the girl said, tapping the seat next to her, "Come! Sit!"
The boy smiled, something that seemed a little foreign to him. "I'm Peter." He said as he took a seat next to Elliot, "It's nice to meet you."
The train set off only a few moments after Remus and Elliot wrestled his trunk into the storage area with the help of a very nice third year boy from Gryffindor named Travis McClustry. They spent the first half hour of the train ride talking, interrupted only by the snack trolley. Elliot pulled some money from her pocket, informing the others that she had nicked it from her brother, and bought them a round of Chocolate Frogs and Pumkin Pastys. However, a little while later, Peter started to feel a bit sick from the rocking of the train. He dashed out of the compartment without a word. "Should I go follow him?" Remus asked. Elliot nodded and watched her friend leave. She smiled to herself and turned to stare out the window, watching the world go by.
"I swear some boys have no manners at all! What a rude thing to say!"
Elliot turned her head back to the hallway, listening as the girl's voice came closer. "I'm sorry, Severus. Let's just find a new compartment to sit in."
"Lily, there are no more open compartments." A boy's voice said.
"Well, I..."
Elliot jumped up and stuck her head out of the door. Her eyes caught the boy first. He had long dark hair and was dressed in all black. Next to him was a red-headed girl pulling her trunk behind her. She looked distraught, staring at the dark-haired boy with big, pleading eyes. Elliot assumed that, since they didn't wear any house colors, the two were most likely first years like her.
"Hey!" Elliot said, being sure to smile, "There's room in here! My compartment mates are off looking for a toilet... so you can take their seats for now." The red-haired girl beamed. Elliot motioned for them, "Come on. I'm sure that when they come back we can squeeze five of us in here. One of the trunks can stay on the floor."
They joined Elliot in the compartment, the girl, Lily Evans, sitting next to Elliot and thanking her a hundred times, telling her about the boys from the other compartment who had insulted her friend, Severus Snape. Elliot scoffed and assured the two of them that those boys were jerks and that it was good that they'd all found each other. Peter and Remus didn't return until minutes before the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station. They had time for a quick introduction before the first years were summoned by a booming voice to head over to the lake.
They were led by a giant of a man to a dock packed with small boats. "Four to a boat!" the man yelled as he seemed to squeeze into a boat of his own. Lily reached out and grabbed Elliot's hand, "Stay with us." She whispered. Elliot glanced at Severus who was grasping Lily's other hand, staring at the lake and beyond. "Alright."
Elliot turned to Remus who smiled at her, "I'm going to stay with Peter. You go on with them." Elliot smiled back, "See you inside then."
"Right."
As Remus and Peter trotted off, Elliot followed Lily and Severus to a boat. "If the sorting doesn't go right, I don't know when I'll see Remus again." She said sadly as she watched two girls climb into another boat with Remus and Peter. Lily squeezed her hand, "I feel the same way. Severus and I…" She fell silent. Severus glowered at the water, "You had better be in Slytherin."
"Is that where you want to go?" a girl's voice asked. The three companions looked up to see a brunette girl with muddy-brown eyes smirking at them. "I know for sure that I'll be in Slytherin. My whole family has been in it. Pure Blood to the very core I am!" Lily leaned into Severus who rolled his eyes at the new girl. She beamed at him as she sat down, "Antigone Everral is my name. Who are you?"
"Severus Snape." Severus muttered.
"Lily Evans." Lily said quietly.
Elliot didn't grace Antigone with an answer. She stared off into the distance as the boats took off and Hogwarts Castle came into view. "Oh wow!" Lily whispered. "It's beautiful..."
The first years filed into lines as they passed through the giant doors of the castle, following the orders of the Professor standing before them. She was a tall, black haired witch with a stern face that made even the worst behaved children think twice about crossing her.
"My name is Professor McGonagall." She said to them as she lead them into a small, empty chamber. Once they were all inside of the room, Professor McGonagall began a small speech, "Welcome to Hogwarts. The start of term feast will begin shortly, but first, you must all be Sorted into your respective houses. The four Houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Your house is very important. You will attend lessons with your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common rooms. Good behavior will gain you house points, any misbehavior will lose house points. At the end of the year, the House Cup is awarded to the house with the most points—a great honor. I hope you will a prove to be a credit to your houses. The Sorting Ceremony will begin in the next few minutes—in front of the whole school—so you may want to smarten yourselves up a bit, yes?" She gave them a small smirk before turning and gliding through the door that lead into the crowded Hall beyond.
"This is it!" The boy standing next to Elliot said with a grin. "Gryffindor here I come."
"I hope so." A second boy replied. The first boy patted the other on the shoulder, "You'll be alright, Sirius. My Dad said that the Sorting Hat usually takes your choices to heart. If you really don't want to be in Slytherin, it should know that."
There was no time for more. The door to the Hall opened and Professor McGonagall led the first years through the Great Hall. As Elliot passed the Hufflepuff table, Dwayne gave her a smile and a nod. She nodded back, but couldn't smile. Her stomach was tied into knots as she walked up to see the Sorting Hat. Her mouth dropped open as a flap opened and the Hat began to sing.
The boys from before were near her, and she could hear them whispering to each other. She glanced back and saw Seveus behind the boys, glowering at their backs. They must be the ones from the train...the ones who were teasing him.
"Almhurst, Aida!" Professor McGonagall shouted. Elliot snapped back from her thoughts to watch the girl run up to the Hat. Almost as soon as it touched her head the Sorting Hat shouted out "Gryffindor!" The Gryffindor Table erupted in applause as she ran over to them. Elliot shoved her hands in the pockets of her robes and crossed her fingers, hoping for the best.
"Black, Sirius!"
The boy who had complained about maybe being put in Slytherin only moments before walked tentatively up to the Hat, pulling it down on his head. It took a moment or two, but it finally shouted "Gryffindor!" Sirius smiled in triumph and ran down to the Gryffindor table.
A few more names went by, including Conant, Pyper (Gryffindor) and Covea, Derek (Ravenclaw), before Elliot heard Professor McGonagall call her name.
"Driscoll, Elliot!"
She bounded up to the Hat, ready for anything. It seemed like people were very happy with their houses so far, and her hopes were high. The Hat barely skimmed her head before it shouted out "Gryffindor!"
Elliot jumped up from the stool as the Hat was pulled from her head and ran to the Gryffindor table. She sat down across from the other first years who all beamed at her. "Welcome!" Sirius said, smiling wide. She smiled back, forgetting that he was probably the boy who had upset Severus earlier. She watched a few more first years as they were sorted into Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Then Professor McGonagall shouted, "Evans, Lily!"
"Gryffindor!" The Hat announced.
Elliot glanced over at Severus. His face dropped and he looked as if the little bit of color had drained from his face. "Oh Severus..." Elliot mumbled. Maybe he'll end up in Gryffindor too...
Lily ran over and sat next to Elliot as they watched Everral, Antigone get sorted into Slytherin.
Soon, Remus, Peter, and a boy named James Potter (Sirius's friend from the train) were all sitting around Lily and Elliot. Lily reached down for Elliot's hand, grasping it tight, as "Snape, Severus!" was called.
"Slytherin!"
Lily groaned and leaned into Elliot, "He's going to be so sad!" She said, her green eyes filling with tears. Elliot hugged her, "We'll still see him! Don't worry!"
"Who'd want to?" James Potter asked, smirking mischievously, "He's a slimy git. You'll make better friends."
"Shut up!" Lily snapped at him, glowering. She glanced over at the Slytherin Table, "He's my friend. And Elliot's too, right?" She turned to Elliot who nodded, "Right!" But she too glanced at Severus at the Slytherin table. A blonde boy with a prefect badge patted Severus on the shoulder, obviously welcoming him to the House. Dwayne had told her that Slytherins didn't really get along with anyone besides other Slytherins. Could Lily and Severus be close enough that houses won't matter? Elliot thought to herself.
It seemed that only time would tell.
A/N: Alright... next chapter as soon as possible. I'll start writing it at work tomorrow! Thanks for reading!