AN: Hey everyone. To anyone that's still reading this story, thanks for the support but I don't really see myself finishing it. It's been over five years but a decent amount of people are still following and favoriting so I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up. In fact, any Harry Potter story I've worked on is most likely going to be discontinued. I've also moved over to AO3 permanently, so any stories I do work on will be over there under the username Ethenette.
I was still in high school when I wrote this story, and even younger when I posted the first version that I doubt anyone remembers. I don't really remember what my original plans were due to how long it's been and my interest in Harry Potter fading. But, I'll see if I can remember a few beats.
- James and Tansy would have been a slow burn. Tansy was working on getting over any feelings she had for him, while his crush started to grow. They would have had a brief moment together before Tansy graduated(she was a year older than the marauders and Lily), but with the war picking up Tansy would have moved on rather quickly to focus on other things. James and Lily don't get together at all in this version and just remain friends. Lily knew Tansy had a thing for James which turned her off of him, and James stopped showing as much interest. Not sure who I would have paired Lily with if I paired her with anyone at all. She would have gone on to start her own potions business and been very successful.
- There was going to be a death eater attack at Hogsmeade before Tansy graduated. During this attack she gets tortured, and has 'mudblood' carved into her skin. She tries to get Snape to fully leave the death eater side after this event, but he's fully committed. Since writing this, my feelings on Snape as a character have changed a lot. I had wanted to redeem him when first writing this, but if I were writing it now I wouldn't. Snape joins the death eaters, and since Lily isn't in the same position as canon he doesn't get the chance to show his loyalty to Dumbledore. It's possible he would have ended up dying early. After the attack is when Tansy and Lily fully repair their relationship before she graduates. Tansy also repairs her relationship with Petunia. In this story since Tansy is older than Lily, Petunia saw Tansy as corrupting their youngest sister. Tansy wasn't exactly a normal child either, so her and Petunia never really got along. After Petunia sees the scar when Tansy comes home over break, they work on repairing it. Petunia also doesn't marry Vernon in this story. Her and Lily are a lot closer and write pretty consistently (a lot of it was due to their shared frustration over Tansy's aloofness), and Petunia didn't feel the need to marry someone who prescribed to a 'normal' lifestyle like she did in canon. She isn't perfect, but not as bad as she was in canon. Due to her own short sightedness, Tansy doesn't realize it until a bit later when Petunia comforts her after her attack.
- Tansy would have joined the order due to Alice's influence. She wouldn't have been able to get a good job as a reporter due to her status as a muggleborn and would work as an assistant which she hates. She ends up pairing up with the Lovegoods to start a paper of their own while working with Pandora to find out more about the horcruxes. Regulus would have eventually joined them as well, and I had planned for him to be saved from his fate.
-Caradoc still went missing like in canon while trying to help Tansy with a lead on the horcruxes. Tansy doesn't fully disclose what the information was about which is why he got caught up. His capture, and believed death is what causes Tansy to open up to the people around her about what she's experiencing and her past life. James is a comfort to her at this time too and they get closer. Caradoc is able to escape, but due to the torture he experiences he's never fully the same. He also never really forgives Tansy despite how close they used to be. They're still friends once Tansy explains herself, but there's a distance there that Tansy can never really bridge.
- James and Tansy would have officially gotten together years after the war. I had never fully decided Harry's fate, but he wouldn't have been the chosen one in this story, if he had even been born. The prophecy wouldn't have been the same. If he had been born, it wouldn't be through Lily. Tansy would've had an unexpected pregnancy after a night with James due to the stress of everything going on in her life. Caradoc would've been presumed dead at this point, and she'd be hitting a dead end when it comes to the horcruxes and how to kill Voldemort. It's unexpected, and even though she considers getting rid of it, she sees it as a chance at happiness despite how reckless it might be. But, Harry was always a what-if in this story, so this is one possible route.
-Remus and Sirius would have gotten together as a background plot. The prank still would've happened, and I would've explored a break in the marauders friendship group for a bit before they come back together. Peter wouldn't have become a traitor, and he would've taken Severus's role as a double agent. I didn't get much of a chance to explore it, but he has a bit more confidence in this story and Tansy took extra time to befriend him and try to build him up. People didn't expect much from him, so he was able to blend in.
- Neville would still be born around the same time no matter what. Frank would've died to Bellatrix Lestrange in this fic, but Alice would've avenged him. She would have raised Neville as a single mom with the help of Tansy and friends and family.
- I had never fully mapped out Voldemort's death, but Tansy wouldn't get a lot of acclaim for it. The horcruxes would be destroyed, and while Tansy is a somewhat skilled witch she wouldn't have the power to take Voldemort out. Caradoc plays a role in Voldemort's official downfall, due to the help of Dorcas Meadowes who escaped. In canon, Dorcas was killed by Voldemort personally, and is an order member. In this story, Dorcas is almost ambushed and brought to the same area as Caradoc around a similar time. They are able to escape together before Voldemort gets to them somehow. Probably due to some plot device I'm not too sure about. They would've been on the run while following the horcrux lead Tansy set Caradoc on. I would've split the povs, one side following Tansy who thinks Caradoc is dead and the other side following him as he makes progress on his end. Caradoc and Dorcas would've officially taken out Voldemort with people working on the sidelines to take out the horcruxes.
- The epilogue would've taken place ten years later at the Hogwarts Express. James and Tansy are married. If I had gone the "Harry is Tansy's kid" route, it would end with Harry going to Hogwarts and James and Tansy seeing him off from Harry's POV. Neville (who has much more confidence due to Alice's influence) and him would be best friends. He'd still be friends with Ron and the Weasleys too before that due to Tansy having a past relationship with Fabian. Ginny doesn't have a crush on him, and instead idolizes James and Tansy a bit which annoys Harry. Harry and Ron tease Ginny a bit, while Ginny has a crush on Neville who's a lot nicer. The Prewett brothers still die in this fic, and Tansy and Molly become close and grieve them together. Harry is also friends with Luna beforehand. Tansy and the Lovegoods have created a very successful paper which was seen as one of the only truthful ones during the war. Tansy also runs a Quidditch column which is extremely popular that Ginny is addicted to. Pandora survives in this fic. Caradoc and Dorcas are praised as heroes of the Wizarding world. Harry makes note of how he doesn't understand how someone as quiet as Uncle Doc could be a hero, and how he's a pretty sullen guy. James and Tansy would've had another kid a few years younger than Harry, a daughter called Effy(short for Euphemia) after James' mother who's very shy and ends up crying when Harry leaves. Regulus would be the potions professor at Hogwarts, while Remus is the professor of DADA. Harry mentions that his aunt Lily would have created a wolfsbane potion for him to help with his condition. Lily might have kids of her own in this fic, but with how deeply motherhood defined her in canon I'm not sure if I would've gone that route. She's happy and successful either way. James played professional Quidditch for a bit after the war, and now just coaches. Not sure what Sirius would be doing professionally, but I don't see any of the main cast becoming aurors like people head canon. He might've become a curse breaker. Peter works a job at the ministry, another unsung hero of the war. People still look at him strangely for his work as a double agent, but he still has his friends and a family of his own. Harry is a good kid deep down, but with James, and the marauders stories of their time at Hogwarts, and the era of peace they're in without worrying about his status as the chosen one, he has a bit of an ego like James did and still has his penchant for trouble. The story would've ended with Harry on the hogwarts express with Ron and Neville. James has given Harry his invisibility cloak(without Tansy's knowledge) and Harry is talking to them about what they can use it for once they get to Hogwarts. They meet Hermione in a compartment and she talks their ears off. I wouldn't have shown it, but it hints at them becoming a quartet. Harry waving to his parents and sister as the train leaves. He has Tansy's eyes in this fic, and he makes a note of it then because Tansy's crying which she doesn't normally do. A bit cliche, but a mostly happy ending with room for possibilities. If I had stuck with it I might've written one shots of Harry's time at Hogwarts.
- A lot of this is so convoluted and I'm not sure how I was planning to tie everything together. But, to anyone who was waiting for an update, I hope this is somewhat enjoyable. Sorry I couldn't finish the actual story.