The Bookworm and the Beast (A Remus Lupin Love Story)

Chapter 1: Hating the Marauders?

JULIA POV:

It was a cloudy day when I made my way to King's Cross with my best friend Lily Evans. We were heading back to Hogwarts for our sixth year, and I couldn't be more excited to get away from my annoying, little brother and my harsh, strict parents who nag me for every single thing I do. 

"Evans! Hey, Evans!" Irritation flashes through Lily's eyes as James Potter runs up to her and attempts conversation. "How was your summer, Evans? Miss me?" He asks, messing up his jet-black hair with one hand.

"Can't say I did, Potter," she replies harshly.

"Lily," I warn, but she doesn't listen.

"Can't you just leave me alone, Potter?" He looks almost hurt by the statement. He had, after all, been bugging her to go on a date with him for five years now. She hadn't once said yes. 

"Tough luck, mate," Sirius Black says, coming behind James and putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. The other two follow him in his wake, Peter Pettigrew bouncing around, desperately wanting to be involved in their antics, and Remus Lupin, his nose stuck in a book while chastising Potter and Black for planning to prank some Slytherin boys on the train. Yep, those are the Marauders, also known as the kings of Hogwarts. They take pleasure in the many girls who throw themselves at them, except for Remus, who has no interest in girls, and Peter, who has no girls interested in him. A bunch of downright bloody gits if you ask me. They think they're so amazing because they're in Gryffindor....well, I am too and I'm amazing...whatever, do you see my point here?

"C'mon, Julia, let's go find a different compartment!" Lily screeches, face flushed with anger as the Marauders make themselves at home in the same compartment as us. James throws a quick wink in Lily's direction, and I have to hold her back from strangling him. I give all the Marauders a death glare before Lily and I exit the compartment. 

"We shoud go find Sev," Lily suggests and I wince. Sev, or Severus, is Lily's Slytherin friend. He's really nice and all, but his friends are really creepy. Especially that guy Fenrir. He looks at me like I'm a piece of raw meat...

"Fine. But if he and his friends start talking about all that pure blood crap, don't expect me to stay." She makes a face and drags me along. "But seriously, Lil, I'd rather sit with the Marauders." 

"Do not speak that name!" Lily wails with mock rage and I surpress a giggle. We eventually find the compartment that Severus is in, along with his annoying friends, and sit down. They're in the middle of a conversation about a house elf that wasn't loyal. 

"-and he killed it! Just like that! I mean, it wouldn't obey his orders, so what else can you do, right?" The boy Lucius asks and the others laugh, including Sev. Then they all turn to us and scowl. 

"What are you Gryffindors doing in here?" Regulus (Sirius' brother) asks. 

"We came to see Sev," Lily says confidently, while Sev blushes at his nickname. 

"Severus, how can you be friends with these mudbloods?" The girl Bellatrix asks and Lily's ears go red while I gasp. That's probably the worst possible name to call a muggle-born.

"You have no right to call us that!" I say, standing up angrily. Severus defends neither Lily or me in any way whatsoever. 

"No one asked you, mudblood filth!" I scowl at her and she scowls back. She's a year older than me, but I could still take her in a fight. 

"C-come on, Julia, let's not sit here," Lily says, on the edge of tears as much as me. Those words stung. I give Bellatrix and the rest of them one last death glare before following Lily out of the compartment. I see her wipe away a few stray tears before surprising me and walking into the Marauder's compartment. Everyone watches, open-mouthed, as Lily goes over and sits right next to James. James looks like he just won the lottery or something. Hearing those dumb Slytherins call both Lily and I those names really made me both mad and hurt.