Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter, James Taylor's music, or Lord of the Rings.
Never Die Young is a James Taylor song that I think fits the Marauders very well. So it begins is a Theoden quote from the Lord of the Rings.
Warning: There will be some dark plot lines and scenes, but they will not be explicitly described for the most part. There will be an attempted sexual assault at one point.
I'd like to give a special thank you to everyone who has helped me work through my ideas, given me feedback, and proofread.
X
The warm summer weather outside matched the warmth and laughter inside the Evans residence. The two Evans sisters, Lily and Petunia, giggled as they baked a Victoria sponge cake with lemon curd and cream in the kitchen, flour dusting their cheeks, aprons, and noses. Mrs. Evans left the kitchen to take a hot cup of tea to Mr. Evans as he worked in his office.
Petunia's eyes went wide at the sight of Lily snatching a bit of the lemon curd and then some cream out of the plastic pot. "Lily, no! You mustn't do that!"
Lily licked the spoon, the tartness of the lemon curd perfectly balanced by the cream. "Why ever not?" The green cabinets contrasted with her dark red hair.
"It's not right!" Petunia insisted.
Her almond shaped green eyes twinkled. "Oh, come on, Tuney! Try it. It's tasty!"
"NO, Lily! I said it isn't right," Petunia scolded.
Lily shrugged. "Suit yourself, Tuney. But it's really tasty, this is."
Petunia hemmed and hawed over whether or not to snatch some lemon curd and cream. Finally, bracing herself to move quickly, she snatched a tiny bit of each, licked it off her spoon, and then washed the spoon in the sink. She dried her hands off on the tea towel with lemons stitched on it, which matched the lemon wallpaper.
Mrs. Evans returned to the kitchen to place the scones and the Victoria sponge cake in the oven and set the timers. "Darlings, Professor McGonagall should be here shortly. Please smarten yourselves up and change into your good clothes." She put away the ingredients before washing the kitchen utensils in the sink.
"Yes, Mum." They went to their rooms to get changed. Once Lily entered her pink and green room, she saw the bright green short-sleeved pinafore dress along with a matching headband, white tights, and black Mary Janes. As Lily washed her face and got dressed, excitement from the anticipation of Professor McGonagall's arrival filled her up. However, she felt nervous about how Petunia was going to react. She brushed her dark red hair, tucked it behind her ears, and put on her green plaid headband. Then she and Petunia, who wore a matching outfit but in purple, joined their parents and a serious looking woman with square spectacles in the Sitting Room. The delicious smells of the fresh scones next to the teapot on the coffee table and Victoria Sponge cake baking in the oven wafted throughout the house. 'That must be Professor McGonagall.'
Mr. Evans gestured to each of his daughters. "Professor McGonagall, this is my eldest daughter, Petunia Evans, and this is my youngest daughter, Lily Evans."
"It's lovely to meet you, Professor McGonagall," both girls shook her hand.
"It is lovely to meet you both as well," Professor McGonagall said as they all sat down.
Professor McGonagall was a formidable woman with a tight, jet black bun. "As I explained in my letter, I am here to discuss Lily Evans and the arrangements for her future. I have come to offer Lily a place at my school. It is a school called Hogwarts. We believe that Lily may have abilities that we are looking for."
"What abilities, exactly?" Mr. Evans asked.
"Have you ever noticed that Lily can do things that other children can't? For instance,... has she ever made anything happen without meaning to,... perhaps when she was upset or angry?" Professor McGonagall asked.
Mrs. Evans hesitated. "Yes, she has. And she does things for fun sometimes too."
Professor McGonagall furrowed her brows in confusion. "For fun? What do you mean?"
"She likes to make little flowers grow out of her hand or fly out of her hand. Sometimes she likes to soar through the air off the swing set, but we tell her not to," Mrs. Evans explained.
"Lily can do all of these things because she is a witch, just like I am a witch." Professor McGonagall turned the teacup she was holding into a rat then turned the rat back into a teacup.
"Wow," breathed Lily. 'So it's true. I AM a witch. I CAN do magic. Sev was telling me the truth. … I always knew I was different, and Sev told me I was different, but it all just… it all just seemed too good to be true.' She looked over at her parents. Both faces were frozen in expressions of shock. She next peeked at Petunia, whose mouth had fallen open. 'But I thought Tuney hated magic.'
"A witch? She's a… a witch? So she can do all those things because she's a… she's a witch?" Mr. Evans asked.
"Yes. And Hogwarts will be able to teach her how to use her magic, and, most importantly, how to control her magic." Professor McGonagall handed Lily's parents a letter with a scarlet wax seal. "This letter includes a list of all the school things Lily will be needing as well as her ticket for the train that goes to the school enclosed in this letter. That's everything, unless you have any questions."
Lily and her parents asked several questions, all of which Professor McGonagall answered. Just as she was getting ready to leave, Lily asked, "Professor McGonagall, won't you stay for dinner? Mum's made a homemade steak and kidney pie and Tuney and I made a homemade Victoria sponge cake with lemon curd and cream for dessert."
Professor McGonagall hesitated and then softened her stern expression. "…Why yes. I'll stay for dinner. That sounds lovely."
X
Remus Lupin was, in some ways, an ordinary boy. He loved to play chess and gobstones, and attended Caerphilly Catapult games with his dad. He also loved to read - everything from Spider-Man comic books to Charles Dickens. But, at the same time, he was an unusual boy because he was a wizard. He also had a deep, dark, and dangerous secret. He… was a werewolf. One night when he was five years old, a great dirty, smelly, and sweaty werewolf broke in through his bedroom window. Luckily his father, Lyall Lupin, got there in time to push the werewolf off, but it was too late. The werewolf had already bitten Remus. And from that moment forward, his life changed forever. He was not allowed to play with other children for fear that they might discover his secret. His parents became isolated from their community and they moved at least once a year for the same reason.
There was a knock at the door as the rain poured outside on this dreary March day and a fire crackled in the wood burning fireplace. His mother, Hope Lupin, answered the door to find a tall man with a long gray beard standing on their cozy cottage doorstep. "Hello. May I come in?" the man asked as Lyall appeared at Hope's side.
'Dumbledore? Albus Dumbledore? THE Albus Dumbledore?' Remus looked up from his copy of Oliver Twist as his parents attempted to block Dumbledore's entrance. But much to Remus' amazement, Dumbledore charmed his way into their cozy rubble stone cottage.
Hope spoke in her sing-song Welsh accent. "Remus, darling, go to your room for a bit while your father and I talk to Mr. Dumbledore." Her brown eyes rounded.
"Yes, Mum." He picked up his book and headed for his room, which was decorated in Caerphilly Catapult's colors of light green and scarlet, a Caerphilly Catapult flag, and the walls were lined with Caerphilly Catapult and Spider-Man posters. He tried to continue reading, but his mind was filled with too much excitement to focus. 'I wonder what Dumbledore's doing here.' He picked up his father's old wand from his nightstand. "Wingardium Leviosa," he whispered as he focused his attention on one of his Spider-Man figurines. The action figure rose through the air rather shakily before Remus lowered it again. He practiced the spell for a little while longer when suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Come in." He set his wand down.
His parents entered his room with Dumbledore, who looked around at the Caerphilly Catapult paraphernalia and Spider-Man posters. "Remus, Mr. Dumbledore would like to talk to you about something."
Remus furrowed his brows. 'But why?' "Me? He wants to talk to me? But… what for? About what?" 'About … about Hogwarts? Surely not.'
"Why don't we chat over a game or two of Gobstones?" Dumbledore said gently, as he gestured to the posters on Remus' bedroom wall. "We can talk about The Caerphilly Catapult have been doing this year and you can tell me all about this young man in the tight red and blue robes, this Spider-Man." His long, silvery white beard seemed to sparkle like snow.
Remus was shocked. "You… you want to play Gobstones and talk about the Caerphilly Catapults and learn about Spider-Man?"
Dumbledore's bright blue eyes twinkled. "Yes, my dear boy, I do! ... Or we can play Chess if you prefer. It's up to you."
Remus' face lit with excitement. "Let's play Gobstones! My set is in the sitting room." He grabbed a couple of Spider-Man comic books on his way out. They settled in on the sofas underneath the low ceiling with the exposed wooden beams and set up the Gobstones game. As they played, Hope set down a fresh pot of tea, matching floral teacups, and a plate of fresh crumpets on the wooden coffee table next to them. Remus told Dumbledore all about his favorite comic books and Charles Dickens and his other favorite authors and they discussed quidditch. After a little while, Dumbledore said, "I've heard that you turned eleven a few months ago. Is that right?"
Remus nodded with excitement. "My mum made me a roast beef dinner and birthday cake for dessert!"
Dumbledore beamed. "Well that does sound like a splendid birthday! A splendid birthday indeed. … And I trust you know that since you're now eleven, you're now old enough to attend Hogwarts this autumn."
Remus' heart shaped face fell. He had given up a lot since his werewolf attack, but being unable to go to Hogwarts was one of the worst parts about his condition. "…Yeah. I know. But I can't go." His parents sat on either side of him as his mother clasped his hand in hers. He thought through all that he had had to give up after his attack. Constantly moving, not playing outside, and no more friends. His own dog, his best friend in the world, became so terrified of him that they had to find a new home for him. Remus still had the picture of Snuffles in a drawer in his room that he looked at whenever he felt particularly sad.
Giving up all of that could have been bearable if he had had something to look forward to. Like going to Hogwarts. It was lucky, really, that he had no friends. He had no one that would leave him for the great wizarding school. No one to watch grow into a wizard. No one to be jealous of. 'At least Dad can teach me some magic. That's better than nothing.'
"Ah. I'm quite aware of your predicament, and I think I've come up with a rather clever solution if I do say so myself. It's one of my more clever ideas, which, between you and me, is saying something." Dumbledore waved his wand to gracefully summon a model of the Hogwarts castle and grounds as Mr. Lupin moved the teapot, cups, and crumpets aside.
'He knows? How did he...? Woah. He made that with Magic?' Remus stared at the model in awe as Dumbledore set the model down on the coffee table. He had never seen Magic like that before.
"This… is a model of Hogwarts." He gestured to the different aspects of the model. "We have the castle right here and there's an abandoned shack out here on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. That shack is where you'll do your transformations."
"But what if I get out of the shack and I bite someone?" Remus worried.
"Ah. I'm glad you asked that. You see, I sealed up the shack from the outside so that it's only accessible through a tunnel," Dumbledore explained.
'What if someone gets in the tunnel entrance?' "How do you get into the tunnel?"
"Now's that's a good question. I can tell already that you'll be a fantastic student. The only way in is through this tree, called the Whomping Willow. This Whomping Willow attacks anyone who approaches it until you press the knot on the trunk like so." Dumbledore pressed a button-like knot on the trunk of the model tree as it made to attack his hand, at which point the tree froze. He then lifted a section of the model from the shack and the Whomping Willow, and Lyall stood up to help hold the model of the tunnel up for Remus to see. "Once you do that, you'll descend into the tunnel that goes underground all the way to the one and only entrance to the shack. When you're in the shack, you'll be away from everyone else and safe to transform."
"Won't people hear me? Dad has the cellar enchanted to dampen the noise, but you can still hear some of it and we have to move a lot."
"That shouldn't be a problem. All we have to do is let some rumors arise and let everyone think it's haunted," Dumbledore explained with a twinkle in his eye.
This was too good to be true! He had to be dreaming. There was no way this was true. Soon enough, he was going to wake up in the morning from a wonderful dream, the type of dream that you try to get back to it. "So does this mean… does this mean… I really get to go to Hogwarts?" Remus said with a glimmer of hope in his voice.
"Yes, but only if you want to," Dumbledore smiled.
Remus beamed. "Want to? Of course I want to! Who wouldn't want to go to Hogwarts?" He looked at his parents. "Mum, Dad,... does this mean… does this mean that I'll… I'll have friends?" With a pang of sadness, he thought about his long lost best friend, Alwyn.
Tears welled up in Hope's warm brown eyes, Lyall let out a gasp, and a tear streamed down Dumbledore's cheek, although Remus seemed to be the only one who noticed the latter. "Yes, my dear boy, you will. I think a bright, curious, thoughtful, and kind young man such as yourself will have no trouble making friends. … Would you like to keep the model? Consider it a belated birthday present."
Remus' whole body and soul lit with even more excitement. "Yes, sir, Mr. Dumbledore! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"