𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐑𝐀 | 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

✧ chapter 57 ✧

1977

In the days following the announcement that Lily finally gave in and snogged James, the whole school was abuzz with rumours and gossip. Some believed the two had secretly been an item for years, but kept it secret because they enjoyed the attention that came with the whole 'will they/won't they' aspect. Other's believed that the two weren't actually together, but it was a sort of 'publicity stunt' for lack of a better term, and that the two were only pretending because once again, they enjoyed the attention that came with the head boy and girl dating. As for the crazy eight, they were simply relieved that Lily finally said yes. After all the tension that followed their major fight the previous year, it was nice to see them so happy. No one even minded when they held hands or said something sappy to the other.

"Can we wear purple to your wedding?" Marlene asked one day during lunch. Seeing as the boys had been absent from lessons that morning, the girls utilised the time without them to discuss usually insufferably girly things without snarky comments. They had quickly glossed over the latest fashion trends in both the muggle and wizarding community, and spent a good portion of the morning discussing Hogwarts cutest couples, past and present, and who they thought from their year would last, and who wouldn't.

"Please, James and I haven't even been on a proper date yet." Lily responded incredulously, rolling her eyes.

"I think purple would be lovely. I saw these wonderful dress robes in Witch Weekly the other day. They were lavender coloured with a sweetheart neckline and these floaty sleeves. The empire bodice would accentuate your tiny waist Marls, and the floaty skirt was so pretty." Aurora gushed, acting as if Lily hadn't even spoken. The two girls both bit their lips to stop themselves laughing as they heard Lily groan.

"Sorry Lily we're just teasing." Marlene giggled, smiling apologetically at the disgruntled redhead.

"We are wearing those purple dresses to your wedding though, Marlene and I both look good in purple." Aurora interjected with a serious expression, punctuating her sentence by slurping a large spoonful of soup.

"In all seriousness though, you and James could be the next Frank and Alice Longbottom." Marlene stated, referring to the now married couple who had dated all through their years at Hogwarts, graduating a few years before the crazy eight.

"Oh, aren't those two adorable!" Lily enthused, forgetting all about her previous annoyance.

"Their wedding was so sweet!" Aurora added, her eyes glazing over as she thought back to the pictures Alice had shown the girls when they saw her last in Dumbledore's office. Alice's dress had been a simple white gown with a white mesh overlay that was embroidered with dozens of tiny, colourful flowers. She had her short hair styled with a slight finger wave and wore a crown of wildflowers to match her bouquet. The reception was held in a large open field with large marquees filled to capacity with vibrant floral arrangements. The whole thing had been so simple, yet so elegant and so completely Frank and Alice.

"The two of them looked so happy." Marlene sighed dreamily, imagining herself one day in a healthy relationship like theirs where the love and respect was mutual.

"Frank looks at Alice the way James looks at you, Lily." Aurora stated, bringing the conversation back to its original path, much to Lily's chagrin. The redhead blushed, staring down at her almost empty plate.

Just as Marlene opened her mouth to comment, movement around the girls pulled them from their thoughts. Everyone else in the hall had begun milling about, heading to their next classes.

"Saved by the bell." Lily grinned, collecting her things and rising from her seat. Aurora narrowed her eyes while Marlene simply looked confused. As a pureblood, she had never endured the harsh clang of a school bell used in muggle schools and therefore did not understand the reference.

On the way to their next class of the day, the girls were joined by three out of four very sleepy looking Marauders, two of whom had visible injuries.

"What the bloody hell happened to you?" Marlene gasped, noting a rather large gash peeking out of the collar of Sirius's robes and snaking its way along his collar bone, and what appeared to be bite marks on James' left hand. Aurora exchanged a look with Sirius, who nodded ever so slightly. She also couldn't help but notice Lily raising her eyebrows ever so slightly at James, whose expression then mirrored hers. The small actions were so subtle that to most people the exchange would have gone unnoticed.

"Can't say, secret Marauders business." James attempted to shrug it off, shooting the girls a wink and tapping the side of his nose with his forefinger.

"Well, at least Peter, ever the most sensible of you three, has escaped injury." Lily smiled, patting the boy on the back. It was only after he inhaled sharply that Lily realised he too, must have been injured.

"Let's just get to class, yeah?" Peter offered as a feeble attempt at changing the subject and diverting attention away from himself. As he spoke, his breathing was laboured and his voice strained and Aurora couldn't help but notice.

Aurora grabbed Sirius's hand and held him back so the two of them were walking just behind the rest of the group.

"What happened last night?" Aurora whispered in reference to the full moon, her voice laced with concern.

"It was a rough night," Sirius stated, allowing a small yawn, "Moony was out of control, more than usual. He went after Prongs, who reared up on his hind legs in defence which was when Moony bit his hand. He then turned on me. Wormtail, the idiot, rushed in to help me and was flung against one of the walls of the shrieking shack." Aurora gasped, thinking of Peter as a small, defenceless rat running to his friends aid and being hurled against a wall.

"Wormtail knows to stay out of the serious fights I don't know what he was thinking. His entire body is covered in bruises and we're convinced he has several broken ribs but he won't go to Pomfrey for fear of upsetting Moony." Sirius continued, his expression pained as he watched Peter struggling to hide his constant wincing.

"I'm worried about him." Aurora finally stated after a moments silence.

"How so?" Sirius enquired, cocking his head to the side as he continued to observe Peter.

"Ever since Mary, he's been different. Well, we all have, but he's handling it the worst." Aurora explained, guilt rising up inside her.

"I suppose," Sirius prompted, subtly coaxing Aurora into saying what was really on her mind.

"I guess I just feel responsible for him. I predicted Mary's death Sirius and I didn't do anything to stop it. What if my predictions for Peter are true as well? What if Mary was the trigger and he heads down a path of darkness and self-destruction?" Aurora's words became more frantic as she wound herself up.

"Rory," Sirius stopped and gripped both her shoulders so she was forced to look at him, "you mustn't blame yourself for what happened to Mary. There was no way you could have known when or where your prediction was going to take place. Promise me you won't?" Sirius's silver eyes bore into Aurora's blue ones and she nodded feebly.

"I still think we should do something about Peter. If I have the power to help him, to stop him from destroying his life, and everyone else's who cares about him in the process, then I have to do it."