Golden TRageDY-A Marauder Headcanon

Eighteen Candles

"I really don't see anything here. Are you sure you saw a boggart?" Remus asked over his shoulder, his head deep into the cupboard, searching under his wand's feeble light.

"Yeah...just look a little deeper, Moony," Peter insisted.

"Mate, are you sure your boggart doesn't take the shape of your reflection?" Sirius sniggered.

"I swear there isn't a living soul in here. It's midnight, can we just go to the dorm and retu-"

"Happy Birthday! Surprise!!" from every dark corner of the room sprang students with massive grins plastered on their faces.

Remus looked around astoundedly.

"Oh.." was the only thing he managed to utter as he turned speechless.

"I told you he'd forget it again!" laughed James, putting his arm around Remus's shoulders, "it was Lily's idea, really," he added heartily.

"Brilliant," Sirius agreed, "can't believe it didn't occur to me first."

"Lily?" exclaimed Remus, "didn't know you were capable of breaking school rules? Let alone initiating it!"

"I suppose I signed up for this the moment I befriended the infamous Marauders," Lily beamed.

"I suppose you did."

"But that doesn't mean you have to make so much noise! I don't want the whole school to know about this. I'm still a prefect; after all," she added louder, addressing the rest of the room.

"You are a lost cause, Evans," Sirius said, shaking his head from side to side. "But I am glad you're among a group of lost causes now," he grinned.

***

Marlene was sipping her firewhisky when she got the uneasy feeling of being watched.

"You look stunning," sounded the voice as he appeared on her side as though out of thin air.

"Clean up quite nicely yourself, Mr. Black," she replied, her eyes sparkling in the semi-darkness.

Remus, Peter, James, and Lily were seated around a small, round table as the music begun playing, surrounding them with shadows of dancing figures.

"You look nice," James said, clearing his throat.

"And you," Lily replied with a small smile.

Remus motioned for Peter to stop speaking and looked from Lily to James as through observing a tennis game.

"James, would you like to dance with Lily?" he asked with a mocking serious tone.

"Well," James replied uncertainly.

"It's a simple question, yes or no, Prongs."

"Yes! Of course, I'd like to," James said in one breath.

"And Lily?"

"I'd love to!" Lily answered brightly.

"How excellent for you two. I can now enjoy my piece of cake," Remus replied smugly, rubbing his hands together.

On the way to the dance floor, James bent and whispered in Remus's ear, "Are you flirting with Lily for me?".

"Someone has to," Remus answered with a smirk.

But as thrilled as James was to dance with the girl he fancied since the third year, he couldn't help but notice that as much as the redhead was putting out a brave appearance, something was bothering her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked gently.

"Huh?"

"You have that little frown between your brows that appears when you're brooding."

"Oh," gave out Lily with a small voice, blushing slightly, "well, yes. It's just that...there is so much going on. I try not to think about it, but there are new deaths in the daily prophet every day. And yesterday, a muggle family was killed in Northampton. Voldemort's army is getting stronger every day and they are no longer acting secretively."

The dark-haired boy didn't so much as flinch at the mention of the name but his expression shifted from the careless boys' Lily knew to one of a troubled but determined adult's.

James, I think...I think we're at a brink of a war," she finished grimly.

"I know," he answered with a clenched jaw, "and when the time comes, we'll stand together and fight. They can't win against all of us, can they?" he said simply.

In that fleeting moment there was a deep understanding between the two which needed no words to complete.

She leaned on his frame, smiling in his shoulder-feeling her breathing lighten. All wasn't so bad, after all.

***

Marlene's head was throbbing from one too many beers she had gulped down, her feet burning from the 6-inch-heels which were now clutched in her right hand. Her vision was blurred, her messy hair all over her face, much like the waterproof mascara. The blonde was opening doors of the small rooms extending from the chamber, searching for her friends absentmindedly. She opened yet another door occupied by a snogging couple, which she closed hastily, but it was soon reopened when she turned around.

"Hey, hey, Marlene! Blimey, you need to get back to the dormitory."

She stretched her hand to the wall, trying to regain balance. Seeing Sirius's face had the effect of sobering her up instantly.

"Sirius," she said more to herself than him, "where did you appear from? Wait, were you in that room? But there was a snogging couple in there..." she asked, pointing to the door she had just opened.

He simply stared back at her, expressionless.

"Were you just snogging-?" her gaze turned to the disheveled Ravenclaw girl standing behind Sirius.

"No, no, no," she said, losing her balance once again and nearly falling to the ground as Sirius caught her just in time.

"Don't touch me!" she cried, pushing away his hands, standing up again.

"How could you?" she said, looking straight at his grey eyes, "who the hell is that girl anyway? just how could you? I thought we were-"

"You thought we were what? What are we, Mar?" he asked defensively but a clear note of wonder audible is his voice.

She looked at him in disbelief.

"You're the one who told me we weren't an item! That we never could be. It's only a fling, right?" Sirius asked.

All was black. That was the last thing Marlene could remember from that windy mid-March evening.

Author's Note: Every now and again I'll bump into a tumblr post, a meme etc. and if I believe it to be representative of the Marauders I might integrate it in my story. I try to point this out , but sometimes I forget to. Had to clarify that.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! 

Love, Yours Truly.