Golden TRageDY-A Marauder Headcanon

Unforeseen Beginnings

To Mr. Deepak, without whom the world of Harry Potter would forever remain a mystery to me. 

We all know about him — the Boy Who Lived. The symbol of hope and light amid the darkness of the First Wizarding War and everything that came with it. The hero who only at the age of 17 succeeded at killing none other than Voldemort himself(with the help of his two best friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, I must add). But how many of us know about the love that brought about his existence? How many of us know what Sirius Black was like before spending more than a decade in Azkaban or Remus Lupin before being the only Marauder left at large? What happened before the McKinnons were wiped out of the face of the earth? This story isn't about Harry Potter and his adventures but is a retelling of an epic tale of love, loss, and sacrifice of teenagers who found themselves trapped in a war much bigger than themselves.

Ever since that first time she met him in the compartment of Hogwarts Express, she had done nothing but loathe him. He hurt Severus then. The way he spoke about Slytherins. But the dislike only increased over the years. He bullied others and did so just because he could. His arrogance, pride, his annoying smirk, and lack of consideration never failed to astonish her. She and Potter never spoke much, except for his failed attempts to flirt with her or his annoying habit of trying to ask her out, but she disliked him quite the same. The memory of her last interaction with James Potter was fresh in her mind. The way she scolded him and forced him to put Severus back on the ground. Only a few months later so much had changed.

Lily was immersed in her thoughts, looking out the window at the continuous green landscape with patches of red, purple, and yellow from batches of flowers piled as to create the illusion of a continuous colorful carpet. At a distance, the sheep were overshadowed by the contour of the dwarf hills. She was on Hogwarts Express on her way to a new academic year. It was hard to believe that it had already been five years since that first time she and Sev had sat on this train. Sev...the thought hurt her. The redhead was brought back by a loud laugh of male voices. She looked out the compartment door to see the Marauders passing by.

The Marauders- oh, the marauders. Every female in Hogwarts seemed to be swept by their effortless charm and boyish mischief, and honestly, who could blame them? They were gorgeous. James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew were inseparable friends; they always found ways to get around rules and find a constant supply of entertainment for themselves and anyone who cared to notice them. The Marauders(especially Sirius and James) were the kind to intimidate. When around them, one felt an uneasy sensation at the pit of the stomach, perhaps from the fear of boring them and being abandoned while the boys found new mischief to complete. They were like everyone else, only different, special, privileged. Almost everyone was too ready to turn a blind eye to their impish ways and eager to find excuses for the boys, as not to feel guilty about being attracted to them themselves. It didn't hurt that they were outstanding in academics, had one of the best Quidditch players and a prefect in their small circle.

Lily looked at the watch, she would soon need to attend the prefect meeting. Last year she was chosen as one of the two fifth-year prefects from Gryffindor house along with Remus Lupin. She started walking toward the prefect compartment when she hit something or rather someone solid. A tall, muscular figure moved away so that she could now see his face. A well defined, square jaw, beautiful bone structure, dark, messy hair, hazel eyes with just a spark of golden visible from where she stood. Potter.

"Oh...sorry," said the redhead.

"C'mon, Evans, don't be so formal with me!" James replied, the smirk slowly appearing on his face, looking down at the small figure from above.

"Right," she said awkwardly, staring at her feet.

"So...how did you spend the holidays?"

It felt so fake and hypocritical pretending to have a normal and civilized conversation with the boy she so strongly disliked that Lily was eager to wrap up the small talk.