Ad Animos Hominum Movendos

When people are dead, or put in prison, or commit unspeakable crimes, it tends to alter our view of how they were before any of it happened. We revere the dead, we vilify the criminals, and we make excuses for the redeemed. However, I think that someone needs the truth of the Marauders. Harry Potter needs that truth. I was their classmate, Lily's sometimes confidante, and I saw everything. Harry's been told lies all his life, and I'm ashamed to say that I let Albus Dumbledore keep lying. I even helped, staying here in this grubby Muggle house with all these stray Kneazles. Now, I want to write down this story, so that Harry can hear it. He deserves to hear the truth about his past, because it may impact his future.

James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. Lily Evans. These names are scribed into the collective memory of the wizarding world. Brave James, protecting his family as best he could. Sweet Lily, sacrificing herself so her son could live. Heinous Sirius Black, betraying his best friends for power, then killing another. Pitiful Peter Pettigrew, so weak but trying to avenge the Potters. Remus Lupin, suddenly bereft of all his friends, pitied by many.

I can tell you right off that those aren't the right descriptions. James Potter was an immature fool, for the most part, though he was smart enough. He loved Lily, yes, but he wasn't the gentleman he's been made out to be. In fact, I doubt he ever would have gotten married, period, much less to Lily, but he managed to get her pregnant - not once, but twice. The first time, Lily miscarried at three months, but by then James had already proposed, so I supposed he felt like he needed to wait another few months before he rescinded the offer. Two months later though, in November of 1979, Lily was pregnant again, so they were married the next month.

Lily, on the other hand, is clearly where Harry got his Slytherin traits from, though I doubt he knows that. Lily told me during our third year that she understood then why the Sorting Hat had said what it said. Confused, I asked her what she meant, and she told me how the Hat had been about to place her in Slytherin, until it realised she was Muggle-born. "It said I'd not fit in for these years at least, so I should go to Gryffindor instead." She said it quite matter-of-factly, but I knew then, and know now - Slytherin would have been lucky to have Lily. She was an excellent Slytherin in her own right, even being in Gryffindor.

Which is, after all, why I believe Lily got pregnant on purpose. Lily's no idiot; she knew what a contraceptive charm was and could use one as well. There's another misconception to clear up. Lily and James weren't some fated love story. Lily dated from the time we were in fourth year, and she had a reputation by fifth year. James had an equal reputation, I would say. They got together when they were chosen Head Boy and Head Girl, and Lily quickly realised that James Potter was, as they say, a catch. She dug in and held on, and to this day, I do not think that Harry James Potter was an accident at all.

Sirius Black. Harry knows, as do I, that Sirius did not commit the horrible crimes he has been accused off, but Harry does not realise that not being a criminal doesn't make one a good person. Sirius's reputation exceeded both James's and Lily's, for the simple reason that Sirius was rather indiscriminatory - male, female, or, as it turned out, lycanthrope. He pledged himself monogamous only twice, but that was at the same time, to two different men. When Severus found out, and broke up with Sirius, he threatened to tell Remus that Sirius had been two-timing the both of them. That's when Sirius sent Severus down into the Whomping Willow.

Severus Snape. He was a nasty, vicious boy in many ways, but he was made that way. In our first year, he was painfully shy, and didn't have a word, kind or unkind, for anyone, of any House. By our third year, he had been picked on and ridiculed, primarily by the Marauders, and it's little wonder he turned to Voldemort, in the spring of our fifth year. When Sirius tried to kill him, James found out, and went to save Severus. Not out of any goodwill towards the Slytherin, understand, but because he didn't want his best friend expelled from Hogwarts.

Predictably, Albus sided with the Gryffindors, enacting no punishment. Neither did he expel Severus, however, despite the Mark on his arm. Albus has much to answer for, in my opinion, especially his treatment of Severus Snape. He could have offered him asylum, but instead he forced him to take on the dangerous role of spy. Albus Dumbledore is not the genial, open-minded and benevolent leader that many see him as.

When Remus awoke the next morning, in the infirmary, Sirius only told him that he had been mad at Severus. Severus had been prevented from ever speaking to Remus of the incident, and that gave Sirius the perfect cover. It ended up being 1981 before Remus found out the truth, and years later before anyone else. Unfortunately, it was Remus's discovery in 1981 that led to Peter Pettigrew being chosen for the Potters' secret-keeper.

But I digress. Sirius Black is not a criminal, insofar as he did not betray the Potters, he did not blow up thirteen Muggles with a single curse, and he is not a Death Eater. He does, however, consider himself somehow above the law. His old flying motorbike was and still is blatantly illegal, and I know that he would have killed Peter Pettigrew in 1993, just as he would have killed Severus Snape in the fall of 1977. He's not generally a very nice person, and I was chagrined that he was named Harry's godfather. If Sirius Black had been cleared before Harry came of age, I would have fought his placement with Sirius with all that I could. Harry does not need to be taught to screw around with everything that walks on two legs, nor does he need to pick up any number of vile habits that Sirius Black has been known to have.

Actually, Sirius has been far more responsible than I would have ever imagined possible since his escape from Azkaban. I'd like to hope that it means he's grown up, but there are other actions that suggest that is not the case. So I worry that this facade of responsibility is merely that - a facade.

Then there is Remus Lupin. Yes, he seems genial and kind, but let's not forget that he's a werewolf as well. He's smart and a good friend, but his life post-1981 was not the hell that people assume it to be. He found a steady job on the Continent and came to visit me occasionally, posing as "Old Mrs. Figg's" grown son. This way he saw Harry from time to time. He wanted to return to Hogwarts to teach when Harry first started, but it was two years before he convinced Albus to allow him to do so. I still disapprove of him teaching Harry to cast the Patronus, though I suppose that worked out all right, and he should have told Harry from the beginning who, exactly, he was. I suppose it's quite clear that I always thought of Remus more highly than James or Sirius either one. Still, one should never forget - once a Dark creature, always a Dark creature. I think highly of Remus Lupin, yes, but trust him completely? Never.

Finally, Peter Pettigrew, the last of the Marauders. Never as powerful, never quite as much a part of the group as he would have liked. James and Sirius were best friends, and Remus's lycanthropy drew him apart somewhat, but Peter... Peter wanted more. He wanted to be accepted, to be as close as friends could be. But Peter was the sort of person that put you on edge. His neediness and his tendency to cling only made you push him farther away, in a horrible cycle broken only when Peter would grow overly emotional, and the others would feel guilty, starting everything over once more. I saw it happen many times each year, for seven years. I don't know when Peter finally decided he was tired of it, and joined He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I don't know because his demeanor among us never changed. Even as he was plotting his revenge, he still wanted to be a part of the group.

So, that's who they were, the Marauders and Lily. Why do I say that this makes a difference to Harry? Perhaps I need to explain more about Harry himself and why he lived when others died.

Lily wasn't Muggle-born; she was adopted Pureblood, stolen from her birth family and sent to live with the Evanses, per Albus. I found this out only last year; Lily never knew it. Even now I don't know who her parents truly were, or why she wasn't allowed to grow up with them. James Potter, on the other hand, was relatively well-known as a relative of Godric Gryffindor. I'll let you in on a little secret - bloodlines really do matter, most of the time. The relatives of the Founders have stronger magic. The older a Pureblood line, the larger the magnitude of the average strength of its members. There are, of course, exceptions, Harry's friend Hermione being one of the more notable ones, but overall, what most of the wizarding world openly pretends to disbelieve is precisely the truth.

Harry, then, was the product of, I assume, two powerful wizarding families, not just one. Whether anyone aside from Albus Dumbledore knew this fact is another matter entirely; I rather think that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has some inkling; if he did not before, then he certainly must at least suspect something now. Sometimes I wonder if Harry was placed where he was deliberately, in a bid to ensure some sort of victory. The idea sounds preposterous, even as I write it down, yet it's strangely compelling as well. Even if Harry was not placed there, there were few people who were unhappy with the outcome of the events of Halloween 1981. I would wager Harry, Remus, Sirius, and I are among the only ones.

I also think that Harry is enough of Lily's child that he would, if it truly came to it, prefer his parents alive over You-Know-Who defeated. Or, rather, would prefer his dream of his parents alive. I sincerely doubt his dream would in any way approximate what the reality would have been. Lily would have done her best to stay married to James, I'm sure, but in the end, they would have parted ways, Lily with a sizable alimony package and some fame, and James with a heir to show for it. And where would Harry be? No doubt in much the same position he finds himself in now - stuck at Hogwarts for holidays - except the summers would be spent shuttling between two houses, and he wouldn't have to do chores at either one.

Do I sound pessimistic? Perhaps. Real, true love can strike, even that early in life. Look at Arthur and Molly Weasley, the Longbottoms, and even Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. Yes, the Malfoys. Love isn't the especial province of Gryffindors, you know. They were in school with Arthur and Molly, I believe, though a few years younger. Narcissa tried for years to have Draco, and they ultimately resorted to Muggle infertility treatments, something that very few people know. I know only because I was known as discreet within the Ministry, and Narcissa chose me, from the four in my office, to make the arrangements for their appointments.

I digress. I feel as if I have failed Harry. He lives in dreams about his parents, and in reality deals with the nightmares of the Dursleys. Since Lily was adopted, there is no benefit whatsoever to justify the boy staying there. I confronted Albus about this, but he merely smiled in the enigmatic way of his and made some comment about strife being good for the character. Strife? The way that poor child has lived has nothing to do with strife, and everything to do with neglect and threatened abuse. I suppose it made him pathetically grateful to be rescued at age eleven, however, and perhaps that was the intention.

I know that Harry is treated as if he is his father by Severus, who teaches Potions now, but what Severus doesn't realise is that Harry's pride in his father is not pride for the man that he knew. Harry's pride is for an illusion that never existed, an illusion fed by Albus, the general mythos, and, now, Sirius Black as well. Harry is a far better boy than his father ever was, I must admit, and the similarities in their appearance have only fed the James Potter myth. Sometimes I believe that even Albus has started to believe his own propaganda.

I'd like to see Harry break away from the lies, but I don't know how to help him. My contact with him has always been limited, and Albus has always forbidden me from telling the boy my true identity. As the war grows ever more intense, however, and more and more is asked of Harry, I feel he should know his past. I feel like he should be given the opportunity to make his own decisions. He's nearly seventeen; his birthday will be next week, and that will make him of age in the wizarding world, able to participate in any legal transaction, able to assume his own guardianship. I will breathe a sigh of relief on that day, but he must be made aware of his past, as well all the attempts to control both it and his present-day life as well.

Arabella Figg put down the quill and stared at the parchment, still wondering if she had done the right thing by putting the words in writing. She sighed and stood, leaving the tale untouched on her desk for several days.

She returned the night of 30 July 1997 and carefully folded the papers together. She waved her wand and in place of "Old Mrs. Figg" was Arabella Figg, skilled Muggle-Magical Liaison and friend of Lily Evans Potter, 37 years old. She changed her clothes into something more appropriate for her age, and set off down the street.

The boy was working outside, weeding the garden in the last bit of sunlight. "Hello," she said. "Harry Potter?"

"That's right," he grunted. "Who's asking?"

She smiled. "Arabella Figg." She reached out her hand with the bundle of parchment. "You know that you'll be of age tomorrow; you can leave this place."

He shrugged. "Dumbledore's always said that this was the safest place for me."

"Dumbledore hasn't always told you the truth, Harry," she replied tartly. "Albus Dumbledore has begun to believe his own propaganda." She sighed and shook her head. "Here. I wrote down what I remembered. I was in school with your parents and the rest of the Marauders. I don't... please don't think I have an ulterior motive. I just think you deserve the truth."

He took the parchment. "All right." He looked up and smiled. "If I leave, where should I go?"

Her response shocked even her. "Narcissa Malfoy."

"Draco's mother?!?"

She nodded. "Narcissa and I are friends, after a fashion, and she's been quietly passing me information for years. She told me long ago that if I ever needed a place to stay, or knew someone who did, she could put them up for at least a week." She misunderstood the shocked expression on Harry's face. "I know that Lucius and Draco are both Death Eaters, but she can make sure that you aren't seen by either..."

"No," Harry interrupted her. "Draco's not." He said it with such firmness and finality that Arabella was taken aback.

"How do you know?"

"I know."

Then Petunia Dursley called for Harry to come in and serve dessert, and he left with a small smile thrown over one shoulder. Arabella frowned after he disappeared. "I hope I did the right thing."