For Our Parents Willed So

For Our Parents Willed So

*

Future Plans

*

"I can't believe it!" exclaimed James. "We're going to have a Triwizard Tournament! I sure as Hell will try to get into it. Wouldn't it be cool if I won the tournament, eh?"

"Merlin forbid you being chosen," muttered Severus. "You'd either get yourself killed or brag about it for the next decade or so -- regardless of whether you win or lose. And you'd lose, believe me."

"Gee, thanks for the support," James said dryly. "I knew there was a reason why I love you so much."

"Of course there is," the blind boy said smugly. "Did it really take you that long to realize?"

"Now, now, kids, calm down," chuckled Remus. "I know that with your passionate love it is hard to try to keep it down, but for our sake, try harder. Not too much public display; there are first-years around."

"Aww, let them look," laughed Sirius, flashing a grin at a nearby first-year girl who gave him a fearful glance. "After all, they should get to see the coolest people in this school as well, right?"

"Right, Mister Malfoy," Lily said with a smirk. "It was really fun, by the way, to watch the teachers addressing you -- or trying to. I think Professor McGonagall was the only one who didn't call you 'Mister Bla-Malfoy,', well, except for Lucius, of course. At least they all knew about it already."

"I'm an alive legend," the Grim Animagus said cheerfully. "Or Lucius has let it out in the staff lounge, whatever. Anyway, let's settle down!" he then announced, plopping down under the tree they used as their gathering point. The others followed his example, all smiling.

As the first of September had happened to be Saturday, it was now Sunday, and they had a whole day free before school started. As it was very warm and sunny outside, the Marauders -- who nowadays consisted of the four Animagi, Severus, and Lily -- had decided to spend the afternoon outdoors, enjoying the sun. Happily chattering and settling under their favourite tree, they all relaxed.

"So, what are you guys going to do with your lives?" asked Peter. He then leant back against the tree, drawing Remus into his lap and wrapping his arms around the even smaller boy. Even nowadays Remus looked like a third-year -- a pretty small one. Peter himself looked at least like a sixth-year, although he wasn't that big either. James, at least, was only glad about this -- Remus was still the perfect Seeker. Sirius maybe couldn't play anymore, but the Gryffindor team was still great as ever.

"I'm going to study Care of Magical Creatures," said Sirius cheerfully. "I'd love to become a magical vet." They all nodded, none surprised at that. Sirius had always been very fond on any animals, even more so than Peter, who had lately lost most of his interest to any other furry things than his fiancé's animal form.

"We're both going to America," said James then, answering for himself and his fiancé. "I'm going to try out their Auror training system, and Sev's going to go to Merlin's Institute for Blind."

"Merlin's Institute for Blind?" echoed Sirius. "I've never heard of that."

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me," came the dry answer. "It's a special wizarding university," explained Severus then. His head was resting in James's lap, and he'd appeared to be sleeping until now. "Both the students and teachers are all blind. You can learn almost any wizarding job there, but usually it takes some time longer, as you also have to learn how to do the job without sight. There's almost always a way for a blind person to do the same as a seeing one, but it's also usually much more difficult."

"And what's the job you're going to learn there?" asked Remus teasingly. As if they hadn't all known already. From their very first day of school it had been clear to everyone what Severus would become.

"I'm going to be a Potions Master, of course," the Slytherin huffed. "What about you, anyway? What are the great and mighty going to do after they graduate - if they do?"

"Be nice," snorted James, playfully slapping his fiancé on the forehead. "That was uncalled for."

"Hey, he teased me, I teased him," chuckled Severus. "We're just mutually enjoying ourselves. Isn't that the Gryffindor way of things? Anyway, Remus, what are your plans for future?"

"Well..." Remus and Peter exchanged hesitant glances. Then Remus said, "We're both going to France. I'm going to study in the Lycanthrope University in South France, and Peter's going to become a mediwizard in the Medi-Magical University of Lyon."

"Okay, Pete boy as a mediwizard is just fitting," said Sirius with a slight frown, "but why on Earth are you even bothering to study anything? You could easily become a professional Quidditch player! You're one of the best Seekers in centuries and you fucking know it!"

"You're forgetting one thing, Paddy," Remus said quietly. "While I'd do nothing rather than play Quidditch, there's no chance in Hell any team would hire a werewolf. So, I'm just going to become a DADA professor for some Lycanthrope school. They rarely have teachers who've studied in any non-Lycanthrope school, so I shouldn't have any problems getting a job with my Hogwarts background."

For a moment, everybody was quiet. Then, however, Sirius took it upon himself to break the silence. "Hey, Lils!" he said to the only female member of their group. "What are you going to do? Remy and Pete go to France, I and Lucius stay here in the jolly good Britain, and James and Severus are going to terrorize America. Where on this old ruddy planet are you going to spread the Marauder spirit?"

"Merlin forbid that," the young witch huffed, making the Marauders adopt insulted expressions and Severus chuckle aloud. "And for your information, I'm going to study in Ireland."

"But what are you going to do there?" Sirius still inquired, not giving up. "Are you going to become a striptease dancer, or what? Or why aren't you telling us?"

"Shut up, brat," snorted the witch. She'd obviously been around them for far too long. Then, however, she actually blushed. "Well... I will tell you, if you promise you won't laugh at me."

"Aww, this is getting quite interesting," said James with a teasing tone, his hazel eyes twinkling with amusement. "Paddy didn't get it right by any chance, did he, Lils?"

"NO!" she exclaimed in shock. "It's just... I'm going to study..." The rest of her sentence was said so quietly that none of them could make out the words.

"Excuse me?" asked Remus, smiling slightly. "I don't think we quite heard you. Could you please repeat it?" Although his tone was friendly as ever, his eyes were twinkling with true Marauder mirth.

"I'm going to study Herbology," Lily said, blushing furiously. "Well, happy now?"

Of course, Sirius burst into laugh, while the others grinned broadly, struggling against laughter. "At last, you'll become a true flower girl!" exclaimed Peter, voicing their ancient in-joke.

"Very original, Pettigrew," drawled Severus. "Since when did you become so amusing?"

"Severus!" exclaimed James. "Geez, don't scare me like that! I thought you were asleep already."

"So thought I, too," muttered the Slytherin. "But as I still heard some idiotic babble I figured that I must be still awake -- or, if not still, then at least again. Because no matter what, I absolutely refuse to admit that my dreams are quite as idiotic as some Gryffindor jokes."

"Nice to see you appreciate our company, you big, blind bat," Sirius said cheerfully. "By the way, do you always wear black because you like the scary bat impression, or because that way you won't mess with the colours?" There was no malice behind his question, though, just some friendly teasing.

"I wear black because it's most convenient for scaring innocent first-years out of their skin," replied Severus levelly. "I'd love to say that your taste in clothes isn't that great, either, but I hardly can be a judge in that. For some reason somebody seems to always put the lights out when I try to look at your attire."

At that, Sirius bursted into laughter. "Nobody's messing with the lights, Bat-boy," he said then, still giggling. "Your dim's just so wit that it makes everything else seem so, too!"

"I do believe you meant, 'your wit's so dim,'" Severus told him in an overly friendly way. "Then again, as this is you we're talking about, I wouldn't be so sure..."

"Merlin," muttered Remus, watching as Sirius again bursted into laughter and Severus curled up to James, seemingly having every intention to go to sleep again. "I'm really happy I'm not marrying either of them."

"That's it, Moony," sighed James, rolling his eyes towards the sky. "Add an insult to the injury, why don't you? Why not hit me for a good measure, too?"