The Marauders: Year One (female)

35. The Letter

Lillian sat down at the table in the Great Hall beside Mason, and took a sip of his pumpkin juice, savouring each drop. It just wasn't like Muggle drinks. He longed to drink butterbeer, but that could only happen once they were in their Third Year, when they could go to Hogsmeade village, the only known all magic settlement in Britain.

Mason nodded at Lillian. As much as Lillian liked him, he was a little quiet at times, being wildly crazy at others. He was far too unpredictable. Patrick still wasn't responding to his letters, and with the strange, wide gap between him and Severa, he found it hard to get someone to talk to. Lillian missed Remus.

The strange girl had been missing for over a week, and there were all sorts of rumours going around. Lillian knew better than to believe them. He knew that Remus had not got lost in the Forbidden Forest, and he definitely knew that Remus was not going to become a giant queen.

Coming into the magical world had been amazing, but it had come with costs. Currently, the Wizarding World was caught in a war between a fearsome wizard called 'He Who Must Not Be Named', or 'Voldemort'. Few liked to call him by his real name, believing it to be unlucky or cursed. The other cost was her friendship with Severa, and Severa had come at the cost of Patrick.

He and Severa had been friends ever since that fateful day at the park. That was the day Lillian had learnt all about magic, and Wizarding Society. About Hogwarts. The day her life had changed, and the day she had lost Patrick.

Patrick was jealous that he could not do the magic that Lillian could. He hated Severa for it, and for how poor she was. Severa's parents were not good people. They often fought, and poor Severa got caught in the crossfire. As a result, she often came seeking shelter at Lillian's house, which Mrs. and Mr. Evans only too gladly offered her. They, too, were extremely keen to hear about magic what went on in the Wizarding World. Severa had reasoned that it wasn't a breach of the Statute of Secrecy as Lillian's parents were Muggles with a wizard son.

Lillian sat at the table thinking, when a lovely owl came soaring in, and landed right on his bread rolls. He stared at it in surprise, not knowing what to do. He'd never received an owl before. He'd sent owls to his parents, but they did not know how to send one back.

'Shoo, shoo,' he said, gently shoving it off his rolls. The owl looked offended. It gulped down one of his sausages.

'Hey!' Lillian continued to stare at the owl nervously. It just stared right back, with its unnervingly massive eyes.

Sirius saw this stare-off, and rolled her eyes. Sliding down the bench, she halted beside Lillian. 'You've got mail, gingernuts,' she drawled at Lillian.

Lillian frowned at her. 'Don't call me that.' He didn't want to have to ask her for help, but after a while he gave in. 'How do I get my mail?'

Sirius smiled brightly. 'So glad you asked!'

Normally, owls would carry mail in their beaks or claws, but this owl had a pouch on its belly. Sirius pulled the small scroll from within.

Lillian grabbed it, and began to read it. Most people didn't use owls with pouches. Only businesses and offices. Sirius took a closer look, squinting. It had the St. Mungo's logo on it.

Something clicked in Sirius's brain. 'Oi!' she gasped. 'Is that from Remus?'

She lunged wildly for the parchment, but Lillian hissed and recoiled.

'Stop that!'

He gave her an angry glare, and stalked from the hall, to read the letter in private. Sirius felt hurt. She'd sent countless owls to Remus, and none of them had been replied to. But then, if she was at St. Mungo's, only approved contacts could write. It would explain a lot.