She thought her life was over – but fate gave her another chance, in a world of magic. Now, running around Hogwarts with James Potter and his friends, she's about to make choices that will change the future in ways she never thought possible…

Marauder's Phase

CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE

Mysterious

I was a nervous wreck. I was a complete and utter basket case over the next few weeks, leading up to the start of our final year at Hogwarts. It was understandable. All of us were on high alert, fearing another Death Eater attack, and Maggie didn't seem to want to let any of us out of her sight. Lily had somehow managed to convince her parents to let her stay at the Potters' for the final few weeks of the holidays, so the only bright side was that I got a room-mate. Lily and I would stay up late, finishing our homework and discussing our plans for the upcoming term. Lily had heard that there was something big that was going to happen soon, something that the Ministry was keeping really quiet but that they seemed very excited about, and all of us speculated as to what it would be.

Meanwhile, I didn't see Sirius' brother again until school started and, for that, I was glad.

What had I meant by what I'd said to him? Did I actually imply that…I cared about him?

Regulus was a Death Eater! He was one of the enemy!! But…he'd saved my life, too, on two occasions. That deserved some sort of recognition now, didn't it?

By some unspoken rule, none of us mentioned it, but the locket bearing the Black family crest and the terrible curse that burned anyone who wasn't a pure-blood was a constant reminder, and Lily wouldn't go near the thing.

I didn't blame her.

Meanwhile, Haphazard was working overtime, carrying letters between the Potters' and the Pettigrews'. Peter had been shocked to learn about what had happened during mine and the others' "holiday". And, when I wasn't worried about the events of the present, I full-on panicked about the future.

Bellatrix was meant to kill Sirius and Nymphadora…Dolohov was going to kill Remus…Voldemort himself was going to murder James and Lily…and Peter…well, if he really did go through with it and betray us all, then he'd get what he deserved. But…he was our friend…wasn't he?

And Regulus…would be dragged beneath the Horcrux lake by the Inferi, and probably become one himself…I even felt sorry for Snape, who'd be killed by Nagini…

Dumbledore would be killed…Alice and Frank would be tortured (by Bellatrix and co.) into insanity, having a permanent effect on their son Neville…

Harry would grow up without his parents…so would Teddy…Molly and Arthur would lose one of their sons…

All these people I knew and loved…

Was I the only one who wasn't going to die!? Or be hurt in some way – except for, of course, the deaths of the people I loved above all others?

Sirius…Remus…Lily…James…and, to an extent, Peter and Regulus too…

What could I do about it?

***

The morning before the day before school started again, and the day after we'd been to Diagon Ally for the last time to buy school stuff, we were sitting in the Potters' living room, each doing our 'own thing'.

Remus was fully immersed in The Standard Book Of Spells, Grade 7, and sitting on the couch next to him was Lily, who was writing a letter to her parents. James was sitting on the floor and polishing his Nimbus 1700, and Sirius was sprawled out in a large armchair, apparently asleep.

And I was sitting in a corner by myself, having a whispered conversation with Septimus, which didn't really need to be whispered since I was the only Parsletongue in the room. Only to Septimus could I tell all my fears to, since nobody else would understand.

"Ssso you want to find your real family?" The King Cobra flicked his long black tongue in and out.

I nodded. "I need to find out who I am – am I really a Pax, or am I someone else? Maybe I'm a Lestrange, or a Rosier, or a Potter or a Black – although I hope I'm not a Black…" I added, glancing at Sirius.

"You never know…" Septimus replied darkly. He turned his head toward Sirius as well. "But I doubt that you are…you do not have the looksss of a Black…"

"Thanks a lot!" I fairly yelled – in English.

Everyone else stopped what they were doing and stared at me.

I turned red. "Umm…never mind…"

"Are you alright, dear?" Maggie asked, as she came in with a tray of tea cups and a tea pot.

"Yes Maggie." I replied, feeling embarrassed.

Maggie and Reginald kept bustling in and out of the room, as if they were afraid to let any of us out of their sight for too long. Lily and I even suspected that Maggie checked up on us during the night after we'd gone to bed, even though sometimes – what with our Transfigurations homework and all the Potions assignments we were getting from Professor Slughorn – we weren't getting to bed until long after midnight.

I didn't mind, though. I would be leaving Hogwarts after this year…I was determined to savour every single moment from here on out.

Even if it was mountains and mountains of homework…

***

The day before school began, something very interesting happened.

Lily had to return to her house to collect a few things for school that she'd forgotten – her warmest cloak and dress robes, among other things – so James, Sirius, Remus and I decided to go with her.

"I can get Valencia too." Lily said, as we all took turns going through the fireplace into the back room of Tea Is Magic, where Kloey and Brunilda greeted us happily. We went out the back way, and walked down the streets toward Lily's house, talking about what was going on at Hogwarts this year.

"I'm a little nervous," I confessed, tugging at my light pink singlet. The weather was unusually warm today, like I'd imagined it to be at the start of The Order Of The Phoenix. All of us were dressed in t-shirts, singlets, shorts or, in Lily's case, a denim skirt. Lily was fanning herself with a hand-made paper fan, and Remus kept on drinking from a bottle of water.

"Why's that, Em?" Remus asked.

"Because when we leave this year we won't be coming back," I replied, half-saying and half-singing. "No more hanging out cause we're on a different track and if you, got something that you need to say, you better say it right now cause we won't have another day…sorry, song-moment." They laughed. "Actually, I mean the first part – you guys got to spend more time at Hogwarts then I did. I don't know if I'm ready to graduate quite yet…" I trailed off, embarrassed.

"Well," Lily said tactfully. "You could always become a teacher there…"

I nodded. "I had the same thought…although I wouldn't want to teach Defence Against The Dark Arts…" I admitted.

"Why not?" James wanted to know.

"They say the job's jinxed," I whispered conspiratorially. "Actually, I think it is, ever since…umm…"

"Ever since what?" The others were interested now.

I sighed. "Ever since Dumbledore refused the post to You-Know-Who…"

Every single one of them gaped at me, as we turned up the front walk of Lily's house.

"Voldemort applied for the post of Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher?" Lily gasped.

I nodded. "Twice, actually – the first time he'd just gotten out of Hogwarts and Professor Dippet – you know him, right?" The others nodded. "Well, Professor Dippet said he was too young. But then when Voldemort applied again, Dumbledore said no because, well, he already knew what he was like, didn't he?" I shrugged. "So Voldemort jinxed the job."

Lily nodded knowingly. "That's why none of our teachers have lasted more than a year…Professors Ackerly, Morrison, Jades, Ryles and Lards, and Madam Nightroad," She ticked them off on her fingers. "I wondered why they all left…although Ackerly and Lards were the only ones who really got hurt…"

Remus drew in a breath. "Can you imagine if Voldemort had been teaching us?"

"It would've just been 'Dark Arts', none of this practical defence stuff." I said sensibly, as Lily knocked on the front door since she'd forgotten her key.

We expected her mum or dad to open the door – we didn't expect it to be Petunia and Vernon, both of them looked as displeased to see us as we were to see them.

We didn't speak, as Lily and I went up to her room to pack her suitcase, and the boys hunted around the house for Valencia.

By the time Lily and I had come downstairs, there was no sign of the orange cat anywhere. Lily was starting to get worried, and just about to phone her parents at their office, when there was a high-pitched shriek of panic from out the front, followed by the unmistakable angry yell of Vernon.

Lily, James, Sirius, Remus and I ran outside, to find Petunia shrieking on the front lawn, and a dead bird at her feet, clearly caught and killed by a clever Valencia.

Valencia herself was standing, with her fur on end, in front of Vernon, who's face was turning purple and, as Lily dashed across the lawn, Vernon aimed a kick at the tabby cat.

"No!" Lily shrieked, grabbing the cat in her arms and Vernon's boot connected with the side of Lily's shoulder. She cried out in pain as she landed on the grass, and James – with a yell – ran to her, as Valencia nuzzled Lily's face, which was pale with shock.

I, meanwhile, had seen red from the moment this had all taken place, and now I charged up to Vernon, ignoring the fact that he was about ten times bigger than I was, and could easily have floored me in a second. I was angry, and my anger clouded my better judgement.

"What is your problem, Vernon!?" I shouted at Vernon, standing on tip-toe until I was totally in his face. "Trying to kick a poor innocent cat for acting like all cats do, and then injuring our Lily!!??"

Vernon's face contorted with rage and I gasped as he actually raised his hand to hit me, his temper getting the better of him too. My hands instinctively flew up to protect my face but, I needn't have bothered.

Because Sirius and Remus were suddenly there, their wands out and sticking into the large folds of Vernon's virtually non-existent neck.

"Vernon!!" Petunia shrieked.

"You sure you feel up to this, friend?" Sirius said, a hint of dark humour lingering in his words – his eyes were dual storm clouds.

Remus' face was cold with anger.

Vernon, who knew enough about magic from Petunia, paled slightly and staggered back.

Over his shoulder, I could see James helping Lily to her feet, and Lily winced slightly as she picked up her suitcase and handed it to James.

"Sirius, Remus," I said sharply, noticing a few people passing by staring at us. "Enough. Siri, you still can't use magic outside of school, and Remus you should know better! He's just a Muggle, he can't help it!" I added.

Sirius and Remus lowered their wands, and glanced back at me, before nodding and pocketing their wands.

They turned, and Sirius took my hand as we walked over to Lily and James, and Valencia jumped up into Remus' arms.

As we were walking away from the house, Petunia finally found her proper voice, and called out: "Y-you freaks are all just the same! Lily, you're no sister of mine!"

Lily's green eyes had filled with tears, and I spun around sharply. "Get a life, Petunia!" I yelled back to her. "Lily's got me! I'll be her sister!"

Petunia looked shocked for a second, as I turned back around and marched over to my friends. Sirius took my hand, I put my arm across Lily's shoulder, and together we 'freaks' walked off down the road.

"Thank you, Emma." Lily whispered to me.

"Any time…sis." I replied, and her tears spilled up and over – but she was smiling.

***

When we got back to the Potters', it was evening, and Maggie and Reginald were waiting for us with two letters which they said were from Hogwarts, one for Lily and one for James.

It didn't take me more than a second to figure out what the letters were.

Out of the envelopes fell two identical badges – red, with gold 'H's on them.

Everyone else stared at them, glittering in their respective owner's palms in the afternoon sunlight, except for me. I just said, rather briskly and with a huge smile: "Head boy and girl – congrats to both of you. Although how they made James head boy when he wasn't even a prefect, who knows? Anyway…well done you two."

Lily smiled at me.

And Maggie threw her arms around her son and began to sob happily.