It was soon time to go back to Hogwarts. Sirius, James, Severus, Remus, and Lily found a compartment where they all sat.
"How was your holiday?" James asked, breaking the silence.
Sirius and Severus hesitated.
"I already know what happened," Lily said when she noticed them.
"Me too," James said quickly. "Remember, I'm related to Dorea Black, so we Potters find out stuff about the Blacks pretty quickly."
"I found out from my father," Remus said. "The news is spreading like wildfire. For a Black to be disowned because of an object with black magic is a huge deal."
"I heard that Orion and Walburga are homeless because they don't have any money," James said. "I know that Walburga lost the money from the Black Family vaults, but I didn't realize Orion lost them too."
"He sort of disowned himself from the family, so he lost the money that way," Sirius explained.
"If they're homeless, then maybe a werewolf will eat them," James said excitedly, not realizing Remus' expression.
Sirius noticed, however. He quickly said, "James, that's a bit harsh. Come on! Maybe a big spider will eat them!" Remus grinned after that. James laughed.
"Yeah, maybe," he said.
"Wait, Lily, what's that on your face?" Severus asked, leaning forward. "Is... did someone hit you?"
"Petunia slapped me across the face a few times," Lily said with a shrug. "Don't worry, I informed the headmaster and Professor McGonagall. I haven't heard back yet, but I assume they'll do something about it."
Sirius widened his eyes. "So that's what Grandfather was upset about," he commented. "He received a letter and immediately went to floo-call McGonagall."
"Well, that explains a lot then," Lily said. The compartment door opened to reveal Alice and Mary.
"Could we sit with you?" Alice asked.
"Sure! I hate being the only girl!" Lily exclaimed. Mary laughed.
They all talked for a while, getting to know Alice and Mary better. Sirius wondered when Alice would get together with Frank.
While the Marauders were talking to Alice and Mary on the train, Petunia Evans was happy. She wouldn't have to worry about her freakish sister for a while. She could have her parents give her all the attention again. She could have a normal life again.
She was deciding what she was going to do first with her parents when there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" she called out as she bounded towards the door. She opened the door to see two adults standing there. The woman spoke first.
"Petunia Evans?" she asked.
Petunia straightened up, smiling. These people were here to see her. "Yes, that's me! What can I do for you?" she asked sweetly.
"Are you parents home?" the man asked.
"Oh yes! Let me get them for you!" she said quickly. Then she paused. "YOU!" she shrieked at the woman. "You're one of THEM! I remember you! You came to talk to my sister about that freak school!"
"Petunia! That is no way to treat guests!" her mother exclaimed, horrified. "Go to your room while we talk to our guests." Petunia huffed and ran up the stairs, slamming the door to her room.
"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Evans," McGonagall greeted.
"Hello Professor McGonagall," Mr. Evans responded. "We're sorry about our daughter's behavior. She's been like this since Lily got her letter."
"That is what we are here to speak to you about," the man said. "I am Headmaster Arcturus Black, headmaster of Hogwarts."
"Oh, come in!" Mrs. Evans exclaimed. Lily had told them about the new headmaster, and they were curious to see what he was like.
Once everyone took a seat, McGonagall started to speak. "The headmaster and I received a letter from your daughter, Lily. She has informed us of her sister's treatment of her and how you two have not done anything to stop it. She says you said you want to keep the peace in the family, but what you're doing, Mr. and Mrs. Evans, is breaking the peace by not stepping in to stop Petunia from hurting her sister."
"I do not know what your definition of peace is, but if you want peace, then you need to stop this bullying from continuing," Arcturus said. "You are supposed to keep your children protected, even if that's from one another. Petunia is verbally and physically hurting Lily."
"But it can't be that bad, can it?" Mrs. Evans asked.
"It doesn't matter how bad it is," Arcturus snapped. "I am a father. I have two children that I raised. I now have two grandsons I am taking care of. If my children or grandchildren had a fight between one another, I would step in to stop it. Because that's what a parent does:. That's how you keep the peace. With that being said, we are giving you your only warning. If you don't step up and put a stop to Petunia's bullying, then Deputy Headmistress McGonagall and I will have no choice but to get Child Family Services involved. They are a department within the Ministry of Magic, and trust me, you don't want them involved. Any questions?"
"No, sir, we don't," Mrs. Evans said shakily. "We will take care of this."
"You better," McGonagall said sternly. "You know perfectly well what you need to do. Do your jobs as parents. Good day." The two Hogwarts staff members stood.
Mr. Evans showed them to the door, and once they had left, he said, "They're right. We have failed as parents."
"I cannot believe we let it go this far," Mrs. Evans said sadly. "Petunia! Get down here!" Petunia came down, upset that for some reason, when she had tried listening to the conversation from her bedroom door, all she heard was silence.
"Yes, Mum?" she asked.
"Your treatment towards Lily will stop AT ONCE,'" Mrs. Evans said angrily. "It has gone on too long, and we're not going to tolerate it anymore."
"But!" Petunia said frantically. "She's a freak!"
"You will NOT say that word again in this house!" Mr. Evans snarled. "If you ever say that word again, you will have soap in your mouth!"
Little did they know that the two Hogwarts staff members were just outside, listening to see if they would take their warning seriously.
"It sounds like they're listening to us," Arcturus said. "I think it is safe to leave." McGonagall nodded 'in agreement.
They Disapparated, relieved that they wouldn't have to remove Lily from her home. Arcturus could only imagine how badly Harry was treated by that woman in the future. Not this time, not on his watch.