"Are you serious about this?" asked (Y/N), turning into the grand moving stairwell with Marlene. The pair walked toward the Great Hall for breakfast, suspecting things would be just as crazy as usual. "It could be dangerous," she added, concern flooding her otherwise even voice. Nonetheless, a small smile appeared across her lips, even more so to see Marlene understood where her concern was coming from.
"I'm sure," replied Marlene, brushing some of her blonde locks over her shoulder and briefly straightening out her black robes. "Like the boys, I trust you with the potion," she stated, as her grin lit up as she thought about the conversation she'd had with each of the boys and (Y/N), how it all just made her more determined to become to an Animagus, although for her own reasons.
Each knew it would be dangerous and against the school rules and likely the Ministry, especially if they didn't register their abilities; even so, it was still something she wanted to do. The danger didn't mean anything now, especially compared to Marlene's progress in understanding her best friend and ensuring (Y/N) wasn't alone when she struggled to control her unique abilities.
"I wonder if Lily handled the latest drama between Isolde and Allegra," spoke Remus from behind the girls, Sirius appearing next to him mere moments later, having jogged to catch up. Upon hearing the names of the Smith Twins, he only rolled his eyes, no doubt recalling the nightmare Christmas break had been, the constant fighting and never-ending yelling as the pair traded insults. Allegra always resorted to yelling I hate you when she had nothing else to say and wanted to end the fight on her terms.
"Speaking of Lily Flower," voiced James as he joined the group, "Reckon she'd go to Valentine's dance with me?" he added, knowing attending the dance with Lily strongly depended on whether the professors allowed the Marauders and (Y/N) to go at all. Especially considering the disaster of the last one, even if (Y/N) had prevented the dance from being ruined, she had caused panic.
"I'd rather kiss the Giant Squid," replied Lily as she strolled past with Severus and Isolde. The dark-haired Slytherin boy seemingly ignored his four tormentors, although he did at least acknowledge (Y/N) with a simple wave. James' intended insult died on his lips as Remus jabbed his shoulder if only to prevent unneeded trouble. Despite Sirius' attempt, he, too, hadn't got any further, as his words of insult had been met with a whack across the back of the head by (Y/N) using the parchment roll she had. Peter hadn't succeeded either. Instead, he thought twice the moment Marlene's heated glare landed on him, stamping out any confidence he might have gained to commit another act of insult against Severus on his own.
"How do you do that so easily?" questioned Isolde, almost amazed by how quickly two of her roommates had prevented more bullying, displaying in silence that they disagreed. A small chuckle escaped her lips as James rubbed his shoulder and glared at Remus; the latter seemed content to ignore it. Sirius, however, had exclaimed a loud Ow! before reaching for the spot (Y/N)'s rolled parchment collided with his head. Upon looking at (Y/N), he'd stuck his tongue out at her, at least before a grin pulled the corner of his lips.
"Hey, Snivellus," called Allegra, acting as if she was the coolest witch in the castle rather than the menace many had proclaimed her to be. A wickedly sweet smile appeared across her lips as if she was unaware the nickname was a means of torment rather than a friendly nickname exchanged between friends. After all, she'd heard James, Sirius, and occasionally Peter refer to him as such and happily but mindlessly followed their lead; they were popular, after all.
"That's not my name," harshly replied Severus, not bothering to spare the brunette muggle-born a glance. Instead, his cold glare landed on the four boys he'd had a running war with since the first train ride to the school. If only to determine if they were behind Allegra's unwanted attention turning to him or if she'd done so herself for one reason or another.
"How about teaching me some of those spells you've been working on?" commented Allegra, although her tone made it sound more like a demand than a polite question. Once again, she ignored his previous comment. Her smile turned victorious when his dark eyes landed upon her as if she was thrilled he wasn't paying attention to Lily or Isolde anymore. However, she failed to realize the mixture of anger and surprise lit in his eyes, even more so when he questioned how she knew what he'd been working on. "Maybe you could give me some advice," she pestered, again blind to the obvious.
"Pay attention in class," Severus responded bluntly before walking off and uttering a quiet goodbye to Lily and Isolde. He seemed clueless to the chuckles left in his wake and James's almost compliment.Nice one, Snivellus.
"Rude," shouted Allegra, an offended expression painted upon her features as she stomped off into the Great Hall. Many thought she would chase after Severus, but they were soon proven wrong when she stopped inside the golden doors. There was little doubt she'd get her favorite breakfast before it was all gone.
"Allegra," called a girl; Ulrica was her name; she was another Gryffindor student. Some would have described her as bright, funny, and smart once. But now, the third year was described as a menace, terror, and a bully. Even more so after the incident on the train while returning from Christmas Break, rumor had spread about her mean streak and display of cruelty toward first years, behavior that had been shared by her two best friends, Georgie and Samantha.
"Come join us," added Samantha, waving Allegra over with a gracious, even friendly smile. Without a second thought, Allegra wandered over to the small group, a smile of her own as she dared not get her hopes up; they could eventually be her friends. Upon noticing two other girls there, third-year Slytherins known for their bitter attitude. Raya Snyde and Jessica Rosier. They were among many with a knack for Dark Arts and an admiration for the Dark Lord and his goals.
"That doesn't strike up confidence for the better," quietly spoke Lilly upon entering the Great Hall and finding a spot big enough for the small group. She noticed Allegra wandering off toward the furthest end of the Gryffindor table. However, the concern was forgotten when Lily turned to Isolde, Marlene, (Y/N), and the Marauders. A smile of her own reappeared upon noticing Sirius still nursing his head where (Y/N) had clobbered him. "Do tell Snap, what's going on between you and Sirius?" laughed Lily, calling (Y/N) by the nickname Joaquin had lovingly bestowed her with.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Lil," innocently replied (Y/N), playing dumb to the subject once again, even if she did know what they meant. After all, she'd noticed how people whispered whenever she walked by in recent weeks. At first, she thought nothing of it; she was different, and whispers were expected, so she ignored them. That was until she noted the whispers increased when she was around the Marauders, specifically Sirius.
It soon dawned on her why: the two were often engaged in playful banter, professors paired them together at every given a chance and neither complained. Plus, many had likely noticed Sirius would purposely get himself in detention just minutes after she'd been given one. Their friendship had blossomed more since the third year had begun, and now it seemed like others expected it to become something more as they did when it came to the friends growing between Marlene and Remus.
"Sirius, you tosspot," called Lily, her accusing eyes finding the fluff-haired boy quickly. The playful insult to fall from her had a serious undertone as if she was about to scold him for misbehaving. The loudness of Lily's words, however, was what caught everyone's attention. "What have you done to corrupt my precious Snap?" she asked. Isolde chuckled from her side while Marlene tried her hardest to stifle her laughter, even more so when Sirius looked so confused and caught off guard as if he was a deer caught in headlights.
"Told you it would stick," commented Joaquin as he walked by, arm in arm with Helena. The twins smothered (Y/N) with a sibling hug filled with affection, Helena adding a sweet kiss to his little sister's cheek. "We love ya, little Snap," he said as the pair left, at least before they parted a short distance away; Helena joined her friends at the Hufflepuff table, and Joaquin joined their brother Qimir at the Ravenclaw one.
"I think I might try that on Mason," replied Marlene with a gentle smile. "It's adorable how fearless you three are."
"So, when does that start happening to our dear, sweet Isolde?" asked (Y/N), chuckling when Isolde paled at the thought of such a public display of affection, especially in a romantic way. "I'm just joking with you, Issy. Although I can't remember Joaquin being this googled-eyed about anyone before," she commented, admitting her brother had never been struck by love like this before; sure, he'd had crushes, but this was different. Even Qimir seemed to have noticed, and Helena often took the opportunity to pester her twin.
The attention soon returned to Lily, who playful scolded Remus and Sirius for corrupting her precious Snap and irreplaceable Mar. James quickly mentioned Joaquin corrupting Issy, leading Lily to comment that she'd eventually get to the fifth-year boy. She even said she had a (Y/N) and wasn't afraid to weaponize her.
"And you lot call me the mom of the group," sweetly commented Marlene, chuckling as Lily continued briefly before stopping. Meanwhile, Peter tried his hardest to make himself as small as possible while chowing down on a bowl of cereal, almost as if he was terrified Lily would turn her attention on him any second, and he'd be forced to defend himself against her playful scolding.
"I heard that, Mar," called Lily with a wink, "Think of me as your protective, slightly older sister, who's ready to kick some butt," she added, as her attention diverted back to the two teenage boys in question. They both shared a glance while ignoring James' amused laugh in the background. Lily, however, soon brought the laughter to an end when she threw a small ball of screwed-up parchment at his head.
"I kind of feel sorry for Joaquin when she gets put through this," voiced (Y/N), knowing her brother was brave and bright, but even so, it was doubtful he could come up with something quick enough to defend against Lily in Momma Bear protectiveness even if he would call her adorable and compliment her on her chosen tactics afterward. "Should I advise him to prepare?"
"I promise I haven't corrupted our precious Snap, Crackle, and Pop," softly spoke Sirius, holding up his hands to surrender to the petite redhead. "If anything, I encourage the chaos already there," he added, quickly ducking when Lily threw another ball of parchment at him and attempted to swot him over the table.
"Snap, Crackle, and Pop?" questioned (Y/N), confusion rifle in her voice, as she tried to comprehend the nickname and the odd choice of words. "That hardly sounds like me, Siriusly Strong. Snap, Cackle, and Bang are far more fitting," she replied with a light bout of laughter, ribbing herself in the process. Her response was enough for James to spit his morning pumpkin juice out, and Peter burst into laughter.
"If anything, Lil," spoke Remus, his voice calm despite the urge to laugh loudly at (Y/N)'s comment, despite dreading the upcoming full moon. "Black Snap brings the playfulness out of each other. (Y/N) encourages Sirius to be better while he jokingly teases her to keep her out of trouble and vers her attention back to where it needs to be, especially in class. We all know how easily (Y/N) can get distracted," he added, speaking truths he knew those who looked close enough would know. The map and the potion had proved to be good distractions, enough that (Y/N) wasn't constantly turning the castle into a never-ending nightmare of pranks.
"As for M and M," began Isolde, officially bestowing the other pair with their little nickname as Remus had done seconds prior with Sirius and (Y/N). "We all know it would be Mar corrupting our innocent Remmy," she added with a chuckle, even more so when Remus sent a confused glance her way, most likely not understanding why he was the innocent one, and Marlene's deadpan glare, as she tried her hardest to keep a straight face.
"Remus. Innocent? Are you sure we're talking about the same person?" called James.
"Compared to the rest of you Marauders, he's innocent," collaborated Lily before reaching for toast and strawberry jam. Soon enough, the conversation turned to the classes on the agenda for that day: Defense Against The Dark Arts, Potions, Transfigurations, Charms, Herbology, and Care of Magical Creatures. It was a busy day ahead of them, even more so for those on the Quidditch team, who'd be swept off to practice after dinner that evening, no doubt to prepare for the last match of the season, Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff.
At the end of the Gryffindor table, near the steps leading to the professor's table, Allegra sat with the group of Samantha, Ulrica, Georgie, Jessica, and Raya, smiling as she engaged in random topics of conversation. For the first time since attending the school, she felt like she belonged somewhere, almost overwhelmed by it. It was as if her prayers and hope for belonging had been answered. Finally, Allegra was building friendships with people with the same beliefs, idealism, attitude, and way of thinking as her. They, too, wanted to be famous when they were older; they wanted to be known worldwide, just like her. As a bonus, neither of the Gryffindor girls, Samantha, Georgie, or Ulrica, were fond of Isolde or the group of girls she called friends and family.
The girls quickly clued Allegra in on their plan; they would terrorize the spineless Marauder, Peter Pettigrew. They planned to start with small things, a little spell here and there, similar to how the playful prank war between the Marauders and (Y/N) had begun before it flourished into the friendship it is today. But as time passed, they planned to get bolder and bolder; their aim was to get him suspicious of everything and everyone and terrify him to the point that he wouldn't leave the tower, not even for classes or outings with friends.
"That won't work," confidently spoke Allegra upon being clued into the entire plan. "Peter is never alone; atop of that, it's nearly impossible to get him on his own. After all, he surrounds himself with more powerful and popular students for a reason, so he doesn't become a victim of others," she added, displaying just how observant she had been even if she had personally been making other's school life a living nightmare with her constant drama and fights with Isolde. "You have to exploit his lack of confidence. Make it seem like we can protect him better than the rest of the Marauders. Once you've gained his trust, you can use him to torment the other, maybe even discover what they're up to."
"It's the long game, but the odds are it would work better," said Samantha, sharing her favorable opinion. "If done correctly, we should see the fruits of labor as information that can be used to blackmail the others," she added viciously. A gleam of malice sparkled through her eyes at the thought of the wicked games, even if they would take a little more planning to commit to fully.
"Tell me more about this Dark Lord," voiced Allegra, not caring if she came across as an idiot to her new friends. She was a muggle-born; like many with no magic, she was clueless and likely blind to what was happening across the magical world. She was so blind that she hadn't even realized a growing threat or that the magical community was on the verge of war outside Hogwarts.
"Lord Voldemort," spoke Raya, her voice no louder than a whisper, as if to keep the conversation secret from those passing by and avoid the unwanted attention from concerned professors. "He's not fond of Mudbloods, but I'll bet he'd make an exception for one as like-minded as you," she added, using the term mudblood so casually that one could easily miss that it was an insult. "He's looking to recruit Death Eaters and new followers into his ranks. Together, they aim to bring much-needed change to the Wizarding Community and bring Salazar Slytherin's vision true. First Britain, then the world."
"The Ministry caused the war," spoke Jessica, spite ringing through her whispered voice. "Of course, they don't agree with his vision. Dad says once the traitors are dealt with, the Ministry will fall, and the Wizarding World will be reformed for a better future," she fearlessly added, not bothering to hide her intention to join the ranks of the Death Eaters once she left Hogwarts—a goal she shared with her brother Evan. "Most Pure-Blood families are supports, except for a few blood traitors," she spat.
Immediately, she thought of Aleister Moody and the Wolffe and Weasley families. A few members of the Black family also disagreed with pure-blood traditions and values. None more so than Andromeda Tonks. Although Jessica never voiced it, she suspected Sirius Black would eventually follow in his cousin's footsteps, especially if his behavior was anything to go by and his pride at being placed in Gryffindor over Slytherin.
"Voldemort will win," rambled Georgie, ignoring that she was a half-blood and her mother was a muggle who believed in magic. Ignoring that her father had broken those traditions, she held to such a high priority. "Dad is a firm believer in Voldemort's vision," she added confidently, seeming to forget her father's actions of marrying a muggle rather than another pure-blood was exactly what Voldemort opposed. Although Georgie would admit she enjoyed being the only one out of three to have magic, her two sisters were magicless squibs, a stain on the wizarding family they come from. Their father had forbidden them from knowing anything about the magical world, instead insisting they were muggles and didn't need to know about it.
"So how does one go about becoming a Death Eater?" asked Allegra, clearly displaying she wanted nothing more than to be part of a movement that aimed to reform the magical world. Even if it were her kind, the war was against, and regular muggles unaware of the magical world existing alongside their own would be targeted as innocents would be hurt. Of course, Allegra didn't care about that; all she cared about was being a part of something that shared her twisted belief, something that would eventually change the world, something that would help her gain infamy.
