An: I realized that the link to the marauder's era fic didn't copy right so I'll post it again at the end.
Drop off at Platform 9 3/4
It was bright and early on September 1st and Jazlyn had hardly slept. But still, she rose with the sun at around 6 in the morning. She wandered her room making sure that her trunk was all packed. Her eyes caught on her Jewelry box. She had already packed some of her jewelry away in a smaller box that was now tucked away safely in her trunk. She planned to leave most of her jewelry at home. She wasn't sure why but she walked over and shuffled through what she was leaving behind. She pulled out the two Dog Stars pendant she had taken last year from the London Flat. She had left it in the small box she had found it in and had hardly touched it since she had taken it. She didn't want to take it to school with her. It reminded her of her father and she didn't need that for her first year.
Still, for whatever reason unknown to her, she took the necklace out of its little box and put it around her neck. She slipped the box into the pocket of her jean jacket and tucked the pendant behind the top of the light grey dress she had on. She knew that they had to go through muggle London's King's Cross station to get to the Hogwarts Express so she had put on muggle clothes.
She saw a flash of movement in the corner of her mirror and quickly ducked.
"Surprise!" Came the voices of her Mother and Uncle Remus at the same time as she heard something splat on the mirror.
"Ha! You missed!" Jazlyn said standing up. She brushed a finger on the cake that had been thrown and splattered on her mirror. "Mmm chocolate and caramel! My favorite!"
She spun around to look at her mother and uncle and gave them a cheeky grin. Uncle Remus groaned.
"How is it that we woke up at the dawn of time and we still can't catch her by surprise," he said exasperated. He looked at Jane pretending to be annoyed. "I woke even earlier than you to floo here."
"Well I suppose that's what happens when the one we're trying to surprise is a seer," her mother shrugged.
"Actually I saw your reflections in the mirror," Jazlyn laughed.
"Well how about that," Remus said. He stepped forward and wrapped her up in a hug. "Happy Birthday, Procyon!"
She pulled back and gave him a glare.
"Don't call me that!" She said. "And thank you!"
"It's only fitting to call you that on your birthday as it was the name given to you when you were born after all." He laughed. Jazlyn just rolled her eyes and hugged him again. She should have expected it as he was the only one who still called her that. Especially every year on her birthday.
"Happy Birthday, sweetheart," Jane said. Jazlyn stepped away from Remus to hug her mother and thank her. "You look all ready to go. You know the train doesn't leave for another four and a half hours, right?"
"Yes, but I simply couldn't wait! I already packed up the gifts from last night and everything too." Jazlyn exclaimed. Even though her birthday was today her family had celebrated last night since they were leaving today. "Plus it's going to take us a couple of hours to drive there."
"Oh you'll be alright," Jane replied. "It's not like we'd make you late. We have done this before, you know?"
"Good luck getting the others up if you really want to leave so soon," Remus added.
"I bet you 10 galleons Harry's already up too," Jazlyn said confidently.
"I wouldn't take that bet if I were you, Uncle Moony," Harry's voice came from the doorway.
"You too?" Remus exclaimed. "You both are way too awake for this time of day!"
"Oh come on, Remus," Jane said. "You can't honestly tell me you weren't awake so early on your first day."
"Bold of you to even assume I had slept at all," Remus said. "I did however have an excellent nap on the train."
Jane and the two first years snorted. Harry walked into the room and peered at her neatly packed trunk and the tank next to it with her toad, which she decided to call Shimpling. She had come up with the name after looking through her chocolate frog cards and finding Derwent Shimpling a man who had eaten Venomous Tentacula and survived, but he had also turned purple. She thought it fit since her toad was also purple. (Briefly, she had wondered what would happen if she fed her toad Venomous Tentacula.)
"You're all packed?" Harry asked.
"And you're not?" Jazlyn shot back.
"Oh I am," Harry said."I was just checking. I still can't believe you're bringing a toad. Just so you know, I won't be sitting by you on the train."
Jazlyn rolled her eyes at him and stuck his tongue out.
"You're just not on my level, Potter," Jazlyn said.
"More like you're not on mine, Black," Harry retorted. The two of them continued to mock bicker with each other as they headed downstairs for breakfast.
"I swear it's like going back in time with those two," Remus said after they left.
"I know. I feel like they become more and more like their fathers every day," Jane said. "Just don't tell Jazlyn I said that."
"Oh of course not," Remus snorted. "I think, though Harry is more like Lily than James. Avalon however is all James."
Jane snorted in agreement. She waved her wand at Jazlyn's trunk and the tank with her toad making them levitate behind her.
"You'll get Harry's, will you?" She asked Remus. "And wake the others before Jazzy and Harry attack them."
Remus laughed and agreed.
An hour later, after a special birthday breakfast with birthday cake flavored pancakes provided by the house elves, the Black and Potter family were all packed up in the car. The car was magically enlarged on the inside to fit all 5 children, two adults, the two trunks, and the animals. It was also enchanted to go faster and squeeze through traffic unnoticed so that they made it to King's Cross station at 10:30 am sharp.
The family casually made their way to the barrier between platforms 9 and 10.
"Alright," Jane said. "Remember you've got to walk between the barrier, don't stop or be afraid you'll crash. Understand?"
Harry and Jazlyn nodded. Harry had never gotten to go with them to pick up or drop off his aunt Sara as he had been with the Dursleys during that time. And Jazlyn had only gone twice. Once to pick her up during Christmas time Sara's first year before the twins were born. She had been only 2 at the time. And the second time for Sara's last year when she was 8 after begging her mother to go for her birthday. Jane thought it would be too much to bring all of her young charges with her to pick up and drop off one teenager. So most of the time they were left with Mary or Remus. But now all the children were old enough to handle themselves on the platform so Jane saw no problem bringing all of them with her to see the two new students off.
Remus and Jazlyn went first together. Remus helped Jazlyn push her cart. Jazlyn stared in awe at the train.
"Let's find you two a good compartment," Remus said once everyone had made it through. They made their way toward the back of the train. They passed by Neville Longbottom with his grandmother and stopped and said a quick hello.
"Mom, we want a quick look in the train!" Caspian said before taking off onto the train with his brother and Avalon.
"No!" Jane shouted and went after them.
Remus led Harry and Jazlyn to find a compartment. He was pleased to find a familiar compartment empty and started helping Jazlyn lift her trunk into the compartment. After he finished he turned around to find two red-headed twin boys who looked to be about in their third year helping Harry lift his trunk and tucking it away into the same compartment.
It was then that they caught sight of Harry's scar.
"Blimey," one of the twins said.
"Are you-?" The other started to ask.
"He must be!" The first one answered. Remus went to interrupt but Harry opened his mouth first.
"Who?" Harry asked, confused. Jazlyn smacked her hand to her forehead.
"Harry Potter!" The twins said together.
"Oh, right, him," Harry said intelligently. "I mean, I am."
Jazlyn snorted. And before the twins could say anything else Remus put his hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Let's go find the others shall we." He gave the red-headed twins a stern look.
They started to apologize when the voice of a woman, who must be their mother, called for them.
Remus, Jazlyn, and Harry stepped off the train and found Jane scolding the three younger children nearby a family of red-heads that included the twins from earlier.
"Ah! there you are!" Jane said. "Find a good compartment?"
"I think we found the best compartment," Remus said with a smirk.
Jane smiled widely in return and looked in the direction of said compartment. Her mind flashed and she could almost see her eleven year old self standing there struggling to lift her own trunk alongside a familiar little boy.
"Would you like some help," the boy said to little Jane. He came over and pushed her trunk up without bothering to wait for a reply.
"Thank you," Jane said in a quiet voice.
The nice boy was quite good looking. He had luxurious hair and striking grey eyes. He had a slightly haughty and aristocratic look about him. And yet it was casual and relaxing.
"You're welcome," the boy said just as politely. He stuck out his hand. "I'm Sirius Black by the way."
"What?" Jazlyn's confused voice interrupted Jane's memory.
"Don't worry about it," Jane said with a nostalgic smile. "This place just brings back memories. Oh, you'll both love it! Be sure to write all the time!"
"Jazlyn can use a school owl instead of Hedwig," Harry said. He had named his owl Hedwig by flipping through random names in his textbook and thought it had fit the snowy owl. "It's her fault for getting a toad instead of an owl. She made her choice."
Jazlyn simply stuck her tongue out at him again.
"And remember to be good," Jane said. Remus snorted.
"Not too good I hope," he interjected. Jane smacked him on the arm.
"What?" He said defensively, "I'm still a marauder you know. And someone has to say it otherwise James would come back to haunt me and you know it."
"Aren't you the one that made them behave?" Jane said quizzically.
"No. That's what I made you think." Remus said to her. He turned to the two before him and knelt to whisper conspiratorially in their ears. "If you can, try to find the map."
He straightened up and winked at them. A whistle blew.
"You two better hurry," Jane said as she gave them each a big hug. Avalon latched herself onto her older brother.
"Please don't leave me alone with the Dursleys," she begged.
"Don't worry, Avalon," Harry said as he hugged his sister. He whispered quietly so that Jane wouldn't hear. "I'll write to you and I'll make sure to tell Hedwig to leave Aunt Petunia a… stinky present every time. And maybe see if she would peck Dudley's eyes out too."
Jazlyn and Harry took turns hugging and saying goodbye to everyone before hopping onto the train just before the whistle blew again.
They rushed to their compartment and opened the window to lean out to wave goodbye. They saw Avalon and another girl with flaming red-hair chasing the train.
Jane and Remus stayed back and waited until the train was out of sight. Tears pricked Jane's eyes.
"Oh if only Lily and James could see them." She whispered quietly to Remus. "And Sirius too."
"James and Sirius would cry more than you," Remus said, making Jane let out a little laugh. He gave her a comforting one armed hug.
They gathered the three remaining kids and made their way back to the car. Avalon and the Black twins ran ahead racing each other leaving the adults to walk behind them and talk privately.
"If only I could have freed him by now," Jane muttered solemnly.
"Have you found anything new?" Remus asked.
"No. If it really was Peter, he certainly covered his tracks well." Jane said darkly.
"I still find it hard to believe it was Wormtail," Remus said. Jazlyn was about to interrupt before he continued. "But if it was, he would be good at hiding his tracks. His animagus was a rat after all. And he certainly managed to sneak his way out of detention more than James and Sirius."
"How can I find any proof if he's dead?" Jane said quietly. "I thought of asking known Death Eaters if they knew if either Peter or Sirius were Death Eaters. But all the ones outside of Azkaban have lied themselves away and wouldn't tell me even if they did know. And I can't exactly go into Azkaban questioning other death eaters. Fudge has been trying his hardest to prevent me from seeing Sirius again. I haven't been able to go back since last year."
They saw the children waiting impatiently by the car. They stopped and Jane discreetly waved her wand to unlock it so the kids could climb in. Remus grabbed Jane's arm to stop her from going closer.
"Not every death eater," Remus whispered. "There are two known ones that have been freed."
Jane's eyes widened. "You don't mean—"
Remus nodded.
"Mom!" Caelum called through the window of the car. "Hurry up! You're so slow!"
The two adults glanced at each other silently agreeing to finish their conversation for later.
An: marauders era fic prequel link:
/s/13846990/1/Start-of-a-War
for whatever reason it won't let me put the www. fanfiction .net so you'll have to do that yourself. or just click o my profile if you want to read it.
