Protecteur (HP Marauders)

Chapter 1

A/N: Welcome! I have a few notes before we begin. This fanfic will take place during the marauders' era and will span about 10 years. There will be multiple time skips, and I will indicate the larger ones. Some of the characters will occasionally speak French. I will write the dialogue in English but put it in italics to to indicate it is French (unless the French is immediately translated for storytelling purposes). That is all for now. I hope you enjoy the first chapter!

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"I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again" 

- "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor

Chapter 1

December 1972

Alice Darbonne loved to run. It made her feel light and free. She ran all the way from her house to the nearby park. She ran by the river Seine amongst the trees and away from the people. She loved the river, the way it twisted and turned. It also reminded her of freedom. She knew that, if she followed it from her town of Le Pecq, she would eventually reach Paris. She loved Paris.

The 11-year-old stopped when she saw the large tree. It was the one with the branch that extended over the river, almost close enough to touch. Alice could not resist the call of adventure. She looked around quickly to make sure no one was around. Then she began to climb the tree.

She climbed all the way to the special branch, which creaked as soon as she stepped onto it. She hesitated before getting on her belly and hooking her arms and legs around the branch. Then she slowly shimmied along the branch until she reached the edge. Her heart races as she saw the water right below her. She carefully reached out her hand to touch it.

"What are you doing?" a voice called in French from the shore. "Alice! Get back here!"

Alice did not dare look back at her older sister. She did not want to risk falling into the river. Instead, she called back to her. "No way! I'm fine!"

Alice heard a frustrated sigh followed by the sound of scrambling. Then she heard her sister's voice much closer to her. "Come on, Alice. This isn't funny. You could get hurt."

"Mind your own business, Inaya."

"Why  are you going this?" Her voice was calm and patient, and it eased some of Alice's tension.

"I want to be close to the water. I like the feeling of hovering over it."

"But you could fall in."

"I'm not scared. I can handle it. Besides, I want to be brave like mum and dad."

Inaya let out a heavy sigh. "Being reckless does not make you brave. Besides, mum and dad are brave for a cause. Who are you doing this for?"

Alice bit her lip, feeling a twinge of guilt. "Myself, I guess... But I don't know how to do it the way mum and dad do it. I can't be like them."

Inaya's tone softened as she spoke again. "You're right. You can't be like them. You can only be like yourself. You have to be brave in your own way, Alice. I believe your strength comes from your kindness."

Alice scoffed at that. "You mean like mum? She uses her kindness to get past people's defenses so she can expose them. I don't know if I'm capable of that."

"Perhaps not, but you'll find your own use for your kindness. You could use it in pursuit of the questions you ask that no one ever considers."

"My questions..." Alice let out a sigh. "No one cares about my questions. 'We're in a war' and 'that's not how things work' is what they always say. My questions just get in the way."