The Beginnings of the Marauders

Lily awoke to sunlight streaming across her face early in the morning. Her mother was gently shaking her. "Honey, wake up. You need to eat before you leave," she was whispering. Lily glanced over and saw Petunia still sleeping, loud snores issuing out of her open mouth. She quickly went through her morning routine before sitting down at the table with a grapefruit. Her parents were getting ready for work so she ate by herself in silence.

After a while, Mr. Evans came down the stairs carrying a trunk. It was Lily's; her name was engraved on the brass buckle on the side. "You will be needing this, dear," he told her. Everything felt so strange. She was preparing to leave her home for months at a time, something she had never done before. Not only that, but she was also going to a strange place she had never been with people she had never met. Lily wasn't sure how she felt-excited for a new adventure, or sick at the prospect of leaving her comfort zone. Either way, she knew it would be a rewarding experience.

Petunia made her way down the stairs eventually, still royally upset at the world. She hadn't said much the past few days, and spent most of her time sulking and brooding. Lily was worried that she might not get over it, but her parents assured her that her sister would be fine. "She'll accept who she is and move on," they told her. "She'll always love you; you're her sister." They couldn't seem more wrong.

Everybody was silent as they sat waiting for the Potters to arrive. Once they did, it was all Lily could do to keep the tears out of her eyes. Her parents couldn't travel to King's Cross Station with them since they had to leave for work, so the goodbyes were made in their living room.

"Bye, mum. I'll . . . I'll miss you," Lily stuttered as she hugged her mother goodbye.

"Goodbye sweetie. I expect you to write all the time and send it with that fancy owl of yours."

"Goodbye, dad. I'll miss you too."

"Goodbye, Lily," he replied as he held her tightly. Lily never wanted to let go. She was anxious about the life ahead of her, and she wanted to have her parents by her side as it came. It was hard for her because she felt like she was letting go. She never wanted to leave them.

After promising to write as soon as she could and to visit at Christmas, they left. It felt too sudden; they just . . . left. Lily bit her lip to keep from crying as they walked through the train station. She heard James talking excitedly to his parents in front of her, and he glanced back every few minutes. What is he looking at? she kept asking herself.

"Well, here we are," said Mrs. Potter.

"Mum, you're delusional!" said James. "Platform 9 over here . . . and Platform 10 over there. All that's here is a brick wall!"

"Oh, sweetie, haven't I told you? The Hogwarts Express has to be kept hidden from Muggle view, so the platform has been charmed. It's through here," she replied as she indicated a brick wall. "It's best to go at a bit of a run."

Lily gaped at her. "You want us to run into a brick wall? Have you gone mad?"

The Potters laughed and shook their heads. "Here, James will go first, won't you son?" asked Mr. Potter.

"Uh . . . right, dad, right away . . ."

James stepped back ten feet away from the wall and looked at it sceptically. "I can't believe you guys never told me about this before," he muttered. He glanced at his parents one last time before closing his eyes and breaking into a run. He peeked one eye open when he was mere centimetres away from the wall and gasped as he suddenly saw a platform labelled Platform 9 ¾. "Wow, that was weird."

A few seconds later, Lily emerged through the wall with the same expressions on her face that he assumed he had on his. His parents followed shortly after, still laughing at the young wizard and witch. The two children turned around at the sight that beheld them.

Before them stood the magnificent Hogwarts Express in all its splendour. Steam was puffing out of the smokestack as students rushed aboard. Lily, momentarily frozen in awe, was jostled back to reality when James gave her a nudge toward the Express. "We'd better find a compartment." he said distractedly. He seemed enthralled by the scene as well.

"Goodbye, son. Write us when you can." With a final hug from each of his parents, James turned back toward Lily and they boarded the great train.

The inside was quite plain compared to the shining engine. After all, it was only a student train. The two walked through several cars before they found a place to sit. The train rolled out of the station as the two sat in awkward silence. Not five minutes after they had left, however, they were greeted by another young twosome.

The compartment door slid open and a skinny boy with dark hair poked his head in. "D'you mind if we sit here with you? Everywhere is full already."

"Oh, go right ahead," said Lily as she shot a quick glance at James. He looked a bit uneasy.

The boy walked in followed by a girl of about their same age. "My name is Sirius. I'm a first year," he added sheepishly. Sirius was tall for his age with dark eyes and shaggy hair. He had a light tan and a nervous smile as they watched him sit down. The girl came in and sat across from him, next to James. She was noticeably shorter than Sirius with straight blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes that stood out against her pale skin. "Oh right," added Sirius. "This is Alexandra," he said while he nodded toward her. "Both of us needed a place to sit so we decided to look together. It looks like it we should fit comfortably in here." He was eyeing the empty seats on the benched. Indeed, with just the two of them, James and Lily had more than enough room to be comfortable.

James looked unsure of himself before he decided to turn to the girl. "Alexandra, you said you name was? It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh please, call me Alex. And the pleasure is all mine." The two quickly engaged in conversation, leaving Lily and Sirius in an awkward silence.

"So, um, what did you say your name was?" Sirius asked, turning to face her.

"I didn't," she responded with a playful smile.

"No, really, what is it?"

"Would you know if I were lying to you?" Lily wasn't entirely sure why she was playing this guessing game with him. Flirting wasn't exactly on her list of priorities for school, but she supposed it was a way to alleviate her boredom.

"No, but James might."

"Oh and how, pray tell, do you know James already but not myself?"

Sirius hesitated for only the slightest moment, but it was just enough to catch Lily's attention. "He's friends . . . of the family. It's a . . . blood thing. You must be Muggle-born, huh?"

Uh-huh, changing the subject. She made a mental note to keep a close eye on those two. "How do you know?"

"Because if you weren't, I would know your name already. Now please tell me, what is it?" He looked at her with his most pathetic face and she saw his eyes full of mock pleading.

"Lily," she said, finally giving in. "Lily Evans."

Sirius smiled and sat up a little straighter. He held her hand in his and said in his most charming voice, "I wish not to darken your name, a flower, for mine is Black. Sirius Black." Slowly he raised her hand and pressed his lips against it, causing her to blush deeply and giggle like crazy.

"Well, Mr. Black, there shall be no darkening here. A name's a name; it's nothing more than what our parents call us."

It seemed that her words affected him deeply, for it was she saw a brief shadow cross his face before he became sober. "I do not wish to be Black. I would rather I were light. But I am young, and my future is real."

Lily did not know what he meant, but she pondered his words as the train rolled through the hills. Many conversations and chocolate frogs later (Lily found a Dumbledore card), the train arrived at Hogsmeade Station. The students were instructed to leave their luggage as they got off the train.

When the four stepped onto the platform, they were greeted by a vociferous voice saying "Firs' years, firs' years this way!" It didn't take them long to find the source of the noise. Herding all the first years to the side was a large man. So large, in fact, that he was twice the height of a normal man and at least three times as wide. They gulped and made their way over to where he was standing.

"He must be part giant," whispered Alex. James and Sirius nodded in agreement. Lily, who had never heard of such a thing, merely stared.

"Don' be shy now. To the boats with yeh" The giant-man was talking to them and waving them toward the rest of the terrified-looking first years. They were huddled at the bank of a lake, waiting to get into rowboats. None looked too excited about rowing across an unknown lake in the dark with a giant-man, but nobody said anything about it. If he noticed, he didn't say anything either. "Go on, climb in. Four ter a boat. Jus' follow me across the lake. And if yeh need anythin', my name's Hagrid."

James, Lily, Sirius, and Alex climbed into a rowboat and followed the rest of the new students across the lake. The school loomed ahead of them; to Lily, it looked like an old castle from a fairy tale. It was colossal on the outside, and she could only imagine how vast it was on the inside. Would there be magical halls and doors that appeared out of nowhere? Or would it be like any "normal" building? She was bursting with thousands of questions but knew asking anyone would be futile. They'd only been here just as long as she had.

After crossing the lake, the students were marched up the main entrance where they were met by an old, stern professor. "Good evening and welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am Professor McGonagall. If you would follow me, the sorting ceremony and feast are about to begin. Right this way." She set off at a quick pace up the staircase behind her. They followed her until they reached a set of heavy double doors. "Please wait here until further instruction," she told them before stepping inside one of the doors.

Lily was trembling inside. What on earth were they going to do? She didn't know what she had expected, but it wasn't this. She had been thinking of classrooms, cafeterias, and shabby dorms. This place was definitely nice. Then it hit her.

"Wait. Sorting ceremony? What was she talking about?"

"I don't know. Carmen told me something about teams, or houses she called them."

A pudgy kid that none of them knew spoke up. "Oh I hope it isn't some kind of test of skills or formal ceremony. I'm completely unprepared for the likes of that!" He looked rather worried until Sirius assured them that it was nothing of the sort.

"Relax, it's just their way of putting us into groups. We won't really have to do a thing."

"Oh and how would you know that?" asked a boy with platinum blonde hair.

"Because my mother has a way of finding things out."

"Well, who might you be, then?"

"Sirius Black."

The boy's face lit up with excitement. "Black? There's a Black at this school! Well, when we're sorted into Slytherin together there's no measure to how great the two of us can become. What do you say to that?" He extended his hand toward Sirius.

"I say . . . sod off." Sirius turned back around toward Lily, James, and Alex, who were snickering with delight. The boy, however, did not look so pleased.

"Nobody tells Lucius Malfoy to sod off. And if you think you do, you'll have another thing coming at you."

"That will be quite enough," interrupted Professor McGonagall. "You students have been here all but twenty minutes and you're already causing trouble. I can see we have a rowdy lot this year. Now, follow me."

She led them through the double doors into the largest room most of them had ever seen. It was lined with long tables filled with older students. Along the back wall was a table with what appeared to be the staff. Dumbledore was seated at the middle of the table. Candles floated in midair, providing the room with a warm glow. When the first years looked up, they thought they saw the sky outside.

"It's enchanted, you know," whispered a boy with sandy blonde hair, "to mimic the weather outside."

The first years were marched down the middle aisle to a platform at the front of the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall placed a three-legged stool down in front of them and set a raggedy old hat on top of it. She stepped away and watched it expectantly. They gasped in surprise when the brim slit open like a mouth and the hat began to sing.

I belong to Hogwarts,

A school that's brave and true,

Fit to teach the best

Of wizards just like you.

I can tell you who you are

For I am the Sorting Hat.

There is no other hat around

Which will top my chat.

I can sing, I can think;

I'm the smarted of them all.

Let's get this sorting on before

With hunger we all fall.

Our first house is Gryffindor,

For those brave and true.

If you are loyal to all,

This house may be for you.

Or perhaps dear Hufflepuff,

For the kind of heart.

If patience is your virtue

This house may be your start.

Or rather Ravenclaw

Where intelligence is key.

If I had been a human

That's where I would sort me.

Maybe you're a Slytherin,

Cunning and determined.

You could gain real power

From being there in the end.

Get on with it! Put me on!

I go over your head like that.

I'll tell you where you belong

For I'm a Thinking Cap!

After the hat finished its song, it moved about as though it was looking at each of the new students. They shifted uncomfortably where they were standing waiting for whatever came next.

"All right, when I call your name come sit here and place the hat on your head," said Professor McGonagall. She held a piece of parchment in front of her and read off the first name. "Marie Abant."

A small, timid-looking girl made her way to the front. Trembling, she sat down and put the hat on her head. After a few moments, the hat cried "HUFFLEPUFF!" A loud roar came from one of the long tables, and she made her way over there and sat at one of the empty spaces.

A few more names were called before "Sirius Black." The room became quiet as he walked up to the stool and sat down with the hat on his head. Sirius had a rather disinterested but defiant expression on his face, and it seemed as though he was arguing with the hat. Finally the hat decided. "GRYFFINDOR!" The room remained quiet after this announcement. After a few moments of shocked silence, the other Gryffindors began to clap wildly while Slytherins shot them expressions full of hate.

"Indespicable," they heard Lucius whisper behind them. "A Black sorted into Gryffindor-what is this school coming to?"

After several more students, it was "Lily Evans" who was called next. She walked up to the stool, sat down, and placed the hat on her head.

"So, you're a Muggle, eh?" the hat asked her.

She must have shown surprise when the hat began talking because a few older students were giggling.

Yes, she thought.

"Hmm . . . I can see a lot in you. Very kind, but too much potential for Hufflepuff. Not power-hungry enough for Slytherin. Ravenclaw would be good for you. I feel great intelligence in you. Yet, there's something else. It will have to be . . . GRYFFINDOR!"

Lily clambered down off the stool and walked to the Gryffindor table next to Sirius and Alex, who had been sorted earlier. She was smiling with relief, glad that she was done and glad that she already knew someone in her house. The rest of the sorting passed in a blur. James was sorted into Gryffindor as well as the pudgy boy, whose named was Peter Pettigrew, and the sandy-blonde boy, Remus Lupin, plus several others. Lucius was sorted into Slytherin with the rest of his newfound posse of thugs who looked too dumb to open a door by themselves.

After "Devin Zimran" had been sorted into Ravenclaw, Dumbledore stood up to address the students. "Welcome first years, and welcome back returning students. I have a few reminders before our usual feast. Please keep in mind that the forest beyond the Hogwarts property is forbidden to all students. Mr Filch would like me to remind you that there is to be no magic in the corridors. Also he has a list of forbidden items posted on the door to his office that are not to be used in the corridors either. Now then, I can see you have all had a safe journey, and you must be starving, so, tuck in!"

New students gasped as the tables were suddenly filled with food. Everything looked so delicious, and there were so many options.

"Oh boy, you're going to have to roll me out of here tonight!" exclaimed Sirius.

James glanced at Sirius briefly before smiling and replying, "Don't ask me, I think I may need some help as well." The two laughed nervously and began stuffing their faces with food.

Lily and Alex enjoyed their mealtime chatting with each other. Lily hadn't had much of a chance to get to know her on the train, so she decided now was as good a time as never.

"So Alex, are your parents wizards?"

"Well, my mum was a witch, but my dad didn't know about it until my letter came. She hadn't told me either, but he thought we were plotting against him or something. I think he finally calmed down a bit before I left, but it could have been something my mum slipped in his coffee. What about you?"

"Muggle. Both Muggle. Even my sister. She didn't seem too happy that I'm a witch and she's not. My parents took it nicely, though. They seemed rather excited, actually."

"See, that's nice. I feel bad for my mum right now, having to put up with my dad ranting and raving. He'll get it eventually. Maybe I should owl him later."

They also talked to Remus and Peter. Lily learned that Remus' mum had been a Muggle and his dad had been a wizard, but, unlike Alex, his mum had known since their wedding. Remus seemed timid, but once they began asking him questions he answered them eagerly. The whole time he was rather nervous, occasionally fidgeting with his robes. Lily figured it was just first day jitters.

Peter, like James and Sirius, was a pureblood wizard. He was slightly plump and much shorter than any of the other first years, and seemed to make himself eager to fit in. He talked to them in his shaky little voice that made him sound like a small child in a candy store. Lily could tell already that he was a follower, and it made her wonder what qualities he had that even put him in Gryffindor. She shrugged it off as none of her business and went back to eating.

Several courses and refills later, the school was dismissed to their dorms. The Gryffindors followed their prefects through the corridors and up several flights of stairs to a portrait of a fat lady in a pink silk dress. They stopped in front of it and watched as she looked around and said, "How wonderful, new first years. Do try not to wake me in the middle of the night. Password?"

Lily and Alex both gaped at the talking portrait. They had, of course seen some of the other portraits moving, and were equally surprised at those, but none of them had actually said anything.

One of the prefects said "Devil's Snare" and the Fat Lady swung forward to reveal the Gryffindor Common Room. They walked through the hall and gathered inside where the other prefect told them, "This is the common room. Boys' dorms are up the stairs to your left, girls' the same and to your right. Your trunks have been brought up and place by your bed. I suggest you get a good night's sleep before your first day of class tomorrow."

The boys and girls separated and went their separates ways up the staircases. Lily and Alex found the first year dorm and easily identified their belongings. They decided to follow the prefects' advice and fell asleep quickly, dreaming pleasantly about what lay in store for them.