#telling lily about becoming animagi

[dearestdo3]

Hcs for slytherin!james?

He was devastated at first since he's a proud descendant of the great Godric Gryffindor, and now he's their family's only Slytherin

^ but he'd settle in nicely in the snake's den after he busied himself with Quidditch and gained lots of friends and fame

He saw with his own eyes how not all Slytherins are evil like he thought of before. There's actually non-purebloods, as well as decent, nice purebloods in this house!

^ And he experienced first hand how unfairly judged Slytherins are by the rest of Hogwarts, especially Gryffindors

^ Opened up his eyes to a more nuanced perspective, and he became much less judgmental and one-sided than canon Gryff!James

On one hand, I want Sirius to also be in Slytherin, but on the other hand, Sirius Black becoming a Gryffindor and James Potter a Slytherin is absolutely hilarious

^ The duo of all time. Ended house rivalry. They hang out with each other more than they do with their own housemates.

^ Marauders never gets established, therefore no animagi. It's only Sirius and James.

He's one of the most popular Slytherins; he's from a respectable pureblood family, he's good looking, rich, smart, and their Quidditch team's star Chaser

Slughorn adores him. He believes he's ol' Sluggy's favorite snake eventhough he's not that invested in potions

James made sure to stay away from the people he suspected as DE supporters/recruits, and try to convince his fellow Slytherins to do the same

^ This earned him quite a mixed reputation among the Slytherins (and Gryffindors)

Still does his 'pranks' alongside Sirius, but a bit smarter about it and they managed to avoid detention most of the time

Goes into fights a lot with Mulciber and Avery since he still insists on refusing to have anything to do with Dark Arts

^ The two call him a hypocrite for his 'pranks' and mock him for being a blood traitor

Speaking of the duo, he shares a dorm room with Mulciber, Avery, Rosier, and Snape! (RIP)

He would either be besties with Regulus, or they'd absolutely despise each other (it has everything to do with Sirius) (and Quidditch) (and Pureblood politics)

And the rest of these are more jeverus-adjacent, but could be read as platonic too :3c

THE classmate who laughed the loudest and teased the longest when Sev was struggling to mount a broom during their first flying lesson

He'd have a secret admiration (and jealousy) of Sev since he sees firsthand how Sev is so dedicated (and weirdly enthusiastic) to his potions research, his studies, and even cheering on the Slytherin Quidditch team

^ (Sev literally just sometimes watches their practices and games but James counts it as a huge, insanely ooc gesture lmao)

^ He also saw firsthand the bullying and shaming of Sev's blood status from their housemates

^ He might be hostile towards Sev, but his heroism and 'I can fix him' mentality wins

Despite their early tension, both James and Sev managed to warm up to each other and settle their differences after one too many confrontations with the other three dormmates

James would drop comments on how Sev needs to stop burying his nose in books and enjoy the sun (like watching their team's practices and games, wink wink)

Made sure that Sev isn't going to be swayed by the DE lot since he knows how crafty and smart Sev is, and how dangerous the other side could be if they have him; so he made extra effort to befriend Sev and pull him towards the 'light' side

After hearing about Sev's family situation (through Sev himself or via Lily), he stopped mocking his looks and started to gift him stuff every Xmas

^ He'd also softly tell Sirius to leave Sev alone (making up excuses of course so that Sirius wouldn't feel like James is warming up to the dungeon bat)

He still struggles a lot to not be overly sarcastic or mean when he talks to Sev (it's just so hard to when he's Snape) but he makes a conscious effort to be nice and patient towards him

Sev would tutor him in Potions, while he tutors Sev in Transfiguration

^ They would make bets and challenge each other to see which one of them would get more house points

^ This, in turn, made the Slytherins more friendly and accepting towards Sev (because he racks up those pts like his life depended on them, like hell he'd lose to James Potter)

He'd actually open his mind to Dark Arts after years of knowing and befriending Sev, and see that having knowledge in it would bring benefits that people often overlook

^ He would ask tons of questions to Sev (which Sev would begrudgingly and happily oblige)

He feels kinda proud that he gains Sev's friendship, like he'd just befriended a Bearded Dragon; it's something special and not a lot of people get this close to the prickly git

Lily would get jealous that her best friend is being pulled away by the arrogant toerag LOL

[nerdcousin]

Do you ever just think of a different universe, in which the marauders realise that they are being dicks in like third year or something when it isn’t too late yet, and they stop bullying Snape, and apologies; and Snape (and a good few of the other Slytherins bc that whole portrayal is just lazy writing in my opinion) don’t have as much of a problem with muggles (probably because they actually spend time with people who don’t have blood supremacist views/have positive examples of muggles and muggle borns, depending on case); and they all become friends.

And when Regulus comes to Hogwarts Severus befriends him, and ofc he’s Sirius’ brother. And because he’s obviously friends with other Slytherins as well, and he introduces them to the marauders and their other friends and thus the gap between Slytherin and Gryffindor starts to mend.

A good few more people find out about Rem being a werewolf and become animagi. Lily also befriends the Marauders and stats dating James earlier (canonically she couldn’t stand at least James and Sirius until sixth year).

All the friend groups (Marauders, Snape’s gang, Slytherin Skittles etc) become intermingled. These people all get invited to so many weddings and anniversaries after Hogwarts, it is actually ridiculous. The wizarding world, canonically-ish, has no issues with queer people so whatever rocks your boat works. Charora, wolfstar, jili, sevity, snulciber, Jegulus, rosekiller, marily whatever you want.

And Sev isn’t mentally quite as fucked about Lily’s death, but now he’s of course also sad about James, Sirius and Peter, and Regulus, but he’s got other friends too, ones that are not death eaters, so he isn’t (actually) one either, and he’s mentally just more healthy. We’ll just say he still becomes a spy for the Order for the sake of convenience.

Remus is left mourning Regulus and his other new friends after the war, but the wizarding community is stronger, and he had more support.

The Order is also in a better position because the kids managed to change the views of their age group so drastically.

If you have ideas for other characters, please add, idk too much about them cuz I tend to fixate on just a handful of characters but I would love to read your thoughts.

When Snape goes to teach at Hogwarts he isn’t a downright antisocial asshole like he is in canon so he becomes part of the Big Happy Hogwarts Staff Family. (If you know fics for this trope please tell me I am starved)

He’s also actually a good teacher, because he has always been competent, and since he’s healed from his own trauma much better than in canon, he isn’t an utter arse to everyone.

And when Remus comes to teach they instantly become, or rather re-become, rampaging bffs.

When the staff starts a prank war they team up, and no one stands a chance against the man who knows virtually every potion in existence and the literal former marauder.

Sirius gets pardoned, because this time both Remus and Severus are willing to hear him out. Peter still escapes because Remus transforms, but everyone present demands Sirius is questioned with verita serum. Professor Binns is finally retired/exorcised, and Sirius becomes the History of Magic Professor. (Idea for this from Oh God, Not Again on AO3)

Remus still has to leave because of the curse, but he drops by now and again, now that his boyfriend and hopefully-soon-to-be-but-we-all-know-it’s-gonna-happen-so-soon-to-be fiancé works there. Harry never goes back to the Dursley’s.

Snape eats dinner with the other members of the Order. His hair isn’t greasy, because he isn’t too depressed to wash it. Minerva and Poppy (they are married btw) are mother figures for him, as well as the Marauders. Snape isn’t Nevils biggest fear, because he isn’t a bully. Everyone is actually shocked when he kills Dumbledore, and he is just generally more well liked.

Umbitch doesn’t know what hit her when she comes face to face with not only the Weasley twins and the contempt of the entire student body and faculty, but also prank-planing mastermind and gay disaster Sirius Orion Black the Third.

Draco isn’t a twat, or at least not as much, because his parents weren’t as bad as they are in canon. Him and Harry start dating.

Harry’s name-choice for his kid(s) isn’t terrible.

The marauders era gang comes together in the afterlife by the end of the second war and ‘lives’ happily ever after. The rest of course join then eventually, but they’ve got their lives to live at first.

Like these characters could have ALL had such beautiful relationships with each other, platonic and romantic, but nO, they HaTe each other and they have too much tRaUmA

Feel free to add and comment, but (and the fact that I feel I need to say this says a lot about this fandom or at least my experiences with it) if you’re going to insult me for liking certain characters or having certain head canons, just don’t. You don’t like, scroll.

[youknowwho-mustnotbenamed]

November 20 - Transfiguration Classroom | word count: 562 | @wolfstarmicrofic

Today, we are going to be talking about animagi.” Professor McGonagall announces from the front of the classroom. It’s amazing how much power she wields. She doesn’t even have to call for silence, she simply speaks, and everybody stops and listens. It’s the kind of power his mother would both admire and despise. Sirius loves it. “Who can tell me anything about it?”

A moment of silence before Lily is raising her hand. “An animagus is a witch or wizard with the ability to transform into an animal at will.” As Lily speaks, the chalk—which had previously been hovering in the air before the chalkboard—starts writing almost verbatim of what Lily said.

“Thank you, Miss Evans. It should also be noted that becoming an animagus is a difficult task that very few magical folk accomplish. It requires both a depth of magic, as well as the precision to wield it as you need. Can anybody think of a wizard who is a known animagus?” She hardly waits before continuing. “You cannot. Because even should they accomplish animagus status, they chose to keep such talents hidden. You might very well come across an animagus in your lifetime, and never know it.

Now, if everybody can please break into groups and discuss the properties of an animagus, and how it both differs and relates to traditional transfiguration. Hopefully everybody has done the reading.” The last sentence, is directed toward their corner of the room.

James and Peter spin their chairs around to face Remus and him, eyes bright as they talk about the prospects of being an animagus and pranking. James is already coming up with plans as though they will become animagus tomorrow. They are hardly fourteen so they hardly have access, let alone control, of their magic. Besides, Sirius has seen books about this before, the process is long and arduous, it takes months if not years to be able to transform successfully.

Speaking of which, the last time he had thought of becoming an animagus, he was six, maybe seven, barely understanding the scope of magic. He had mentioned wanting to become a bird and fly to the stars he was named after. Mother had scolded him and refused him dinner that night. Apparently, it wasn’t ‘dignified’ to ‘consort with animals’.

Years later, he brought up the wishful thinking with Reggie. Where they both turned into birds and flew away from Grimmauld. The fantasy was enough to comfort them for the long and lonely nights spent apart, but soon fell flat as their relationship began to strain.

Now, he thinks about it again. But not becoming a bird this time. No, this time he will be a wolf. He will be a wolf and he and Remus will play under the full moon. He knows from his research that werewolves aren’t set off by animals, so if he were to effectively become an animal, Remus wouldn’t be blood thirsty. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Both of them running through the Forbidden Forest, free as the wolves, no fear to burden them. And even better, Remus wouldn’t have to hurt himself anymore.

All he has to do is find the book that he knows is in his father’s study. It details the whole process, everything he needs to be closer to Remus. Everything he needs to become part of his pack.

[t1oui]

no voldemort au where jegulus raises harry and marpanlily raises luna. sirius, remus, peter, barty, and evan are the cool uncles while dorcas and marlene are the cool aunts. there's nobleflower who got together later in life and who are currently living in one of the black family's ancestral homes in france with neville and draco. (frank is around frequently and lucius isn't around at all.)

neville and draco being brothers. neville telling alice about draco's crush on blaise and draco chasing him around the school, landing them both in detention.

luna and harry being siblings. while neville and draco, their cousins, are fighting, they simply sit back and watch. they adore each other and, if they can help it, are almost never seen apart.

harry being a slytherin. he rooms with draco and blaise, is best friends with pansy, and still frequently visits hermione, ron, and neville up in gryffindor tower.

pansy and harry (and vincent and greg) have been losing their minds for years over draco and blaise's pining. the two of them finally get together when harry tells them to shag and spends the rest of the night in ron and neville's room. the next morning, it takes a glance at draco and blaise and him wiggling his eyebrows to get a detention from snape.

harry and luna firecalling lily from the hearth in ravenclaw tower at least two or three times a week. the two of them talking to her about homework, crushes, and their latest exploits in teasing draco.

their parents showing them how to become animagi, which leads to narcissa and alice wanting to learn how, too. mcgonagall giving her students a fond eyeroll when their words are slurred in class because, really, it is quite obvious when you're hiding a leaf underneath your tongue.

harry being best friends with the patil twins, some of the few people outside of his dad's family that he shares a culture with. him spending hours in the library studying with padma, even longer out on the quidditch pitch flying with parvati.

harry, who's been dating cedric since his fourth year (where he watched the tournament instead of competing), and padma, who isn't interested in romance, being the cause of at least 90% of hogwarts's couples: dean and seamus, draco and blaise, luna and ginny, neville and hannah, hermione and pansy, and - of course - parvati and lavender.

remus being the d.a.d.a. professor from harry's first year through to his seventh, and retiring soon after when harry decides he wants the position himself. neville becoming the herbology professor, pansy and blaise going to potions and charms, but draco deciding to become a healer. ("what the hell are we meant to talk about if we're all bloody teachers?" he asked them once, much to his friends' amusement.)

cedric becomes the transfiguration professor when dumbledore finally agrees to retire and promote mcgonagall, and cho spends three years playing for puddlemere united before becoming the school's newest, coolest flying instructor. hermione surprises no one by rising through the ranks to minister for magic, and pansy quickly finds herself the chief editor of the daily prophet. rita skeeter quickly finds herself without a job. ron becomes an auror, a job he excels at, and during a mission in bulgaria he finds himself running into viktor krum. harry and padma see an opportunity.

every summer without fail, harry finds himself curled up on regulus and james's couch with a book, legs tangled with luna's or draco's or nev's or sometimes cedric's. he spends hours flying above the burrow's fields with the weasleys, spends long summer days taking lessons from krum because even in regulus's increasing age, he's the best seeker harry's ever seen.

harry spends his evenings sitting on the porch of his late grandparents' farmhouse, braiding hermione's hair the way pandora and mary taught him when he was young. the adults are inside. pansy is curled into hermione, flipping through a copy of witch weekly while luna sits on harry's other side and flips through her own copy of the quibbler.

neville is showing hannah and blaise some sort of frog by the creek that lavender is swimming in with seamus, dean, and the patil twins. up high in the sky, ron, draco, and cedric are flying with viktor, ginny, and cho in a two-vs-two match that is most definitely in the latter team's favor.

here, harry thinks, is home.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Hello! Any advice about writing Lily? I’m hopefully writing the co-writing summer challenge with her as one of the main characters, so any advice would be appreciated!

You mean Lily Evans?

Well, the thing is, @therealvinelle and I have... pretty much made that character up. I'll fully admit to it because what we're given in canon is hilariously small in comparison to James (given a lot more screentime and defining traits)

We're told that Lily was a favorite of Slughorn's (which per a post that has yet to be written was a... alarming scene in HBP, let me tell you) and that she was talented in Potions. She had a good wand for Charms. Those who talk about her say she was nice, perhaps had a bit of a temper, and then quickly pivot to James.

This was the invisible woman.

What this means is that you can pretty much do whatever you want and no one will cry foul at you. So long as you're consistent and have an idea of who you think she is, you should be good.

But I can tell you how @therealvinelle and I characterize her.

She's Scarily Intelligent and Ingenious

What we do know about her canonically is that she was the driving force of the protections surrounding not only Harry and the Dursleys. We're never told what she did, exactly, but we're told it's her handiwork and we see its effects.

No one can attack the Dursley's home or presumably cause harm to its inhabitants while there. Voldemort is unable to even touch Harry's skin without melting like the Wicked Witch of the West.

These protections cannot be replicated on any other safehouse including Grimmauld Place, the Burrow, or any other place the Order has an interest in protecting.

To get around the protections, Voldemort has to create a homunculus using Harry's own blood (note this was not his first choice which was the Philosopher's Stone and had he not had this issue he may have tried a different 'enemy')

This is someone who managed this at 21 with no education after Hogwarts, who is locked in a house with very few books, and presumably does so under the nose of Dumbledore as well as her husband.

Depending where you lean headcanon wise/explanation wise, Lily also is responsible for deflecting the killing curse for Harry: something no one else had ever done beforehand or after (Harry resurrecting continually for unexplained reasons).

As a result, we tend to write her as an intensely thoughtful and innovative person who spends a long time thinking things through and searching for solutions to problems. We also write her as a very pragmatic person, the kind who would consider the solution of sacrificing herself for the protection of her son and family and then go through with it.

No One Realizes She's Brilliant

Lily is noted as being good at Potions in the same breath as James being good at Transfiguration. Now, James did become an animagi at thirteen, that's nothing to sneeze at and per canon is impressive, however it's not the protections placed on Harry.

The most credit Lily is given is from Dumbledore who... praises her as a woman who sacrificed herself for her child and nothing else. She's not noted as the greatest witch of her generation the way Hermione is or talked about much at all.

What we're looking at is someone who did well enough in school, probably better grades than Harry, but no one really recognized her for what she was (probably because she wasn't a memorizer/rote learner the way Hogwarts encourages).

As a result, @therealvinelle and I tend to see her as suffering intense imposter syndrome. She assumes everyone knows what she knows or that, when dismissed or contradicted (particularly by someone like Dumbledore), that there must be something she didn't consider that they must know of.

She's Well Liked But No One's Close to Her

Given the canonical reactions and the fact that she's cited as having no close friends beyond Severus (who she severed ties with), it seems that she was very amiable and well liked but that she put up walls and was a very difficult person to get to know without anyone realizing as much.

She's one of those people you meet who you think is charming but then realize later after you've walked away that you don't know a single personal thing about them. (If, of course, they realize this at all, which the entire world does not).

This is likely to hide vulnerabilities and perhaps in reaction to being Muggleborn in a wizard's world.

As a result, she's also an intensely lonely person for all she doesn't admit as much even to herself. James ends up her closest connection but their relationship is strained by being in hiding and ultimately having conflicting personalities.

The Snape Thing

This is where uh... there are opinions from other parts of fandom. This one you're on your own for in explaining why Lily left Snape and then dated James and how it makes sense for her as a person (whether you like it or not is a different story, but if you want a consistent character there should be a reason both of these things happen).

I won't get into this here as it's not really the post for it but it's something you'll have to understand if you want to write her consistently as a character (even if it's an AU where that event doesn't happen)

TL;DR

The best advice I can give is to read @therealvinelle or my fics featuring her as a character.

You got anything, @therealvinelle?

[eastwindmlk]

Last and probably my least favourite one! Day 31. Prompt accidental couples costume. Word count: 1015

The boy were ecstatic about their costumes, it was hilarious and clever and no one but they would know. Which they thought was only making thing better. Still basking in the victory of becoming Animagi, they collectively decided to dress up as each other.

To make things fair they’d drawn lots and went about collecting their costumes, most of the raided from trunks and laundry piles. There was some secret arts and crafts, some nifty transfiguration and just like that they were dressed as each other.

Remus had been mildly disappointed, though they’d all agreed that the rat was the worst costume to get. They’d teased him about the large ears the moment they appeared on his bedside table, a spell-o-tape and coloured paper construction.

Peter, in turn, was more than a little chuffed to be dressed as Sirius. The moment they’d drawn their names he dove into his head first. Even going as far as to make Sirius sit for some sketches before disappearing to the library for long enough all of them were worried. Only to emerge with a pair of enchanted ears that moved and a tail that wagged.

Frankly, all of them were impressed. Though not impressed enough for Sirius to lend him his favourite dragon hide boots.

Sirius worked smarter, not harder and transfigured some branches into antlers and called it a day. It wasn’t like anyone would be able to tell the difference between his and James’ clothes. The night of the party he fished James’ old frames out from the bottom of his trunk, one of the glasses already missing after a particularly rough quidditch game. It was perfect.

That left James, who had absconded a jumper quite early in the month and then got to work on transfiguring hair colour and growing out his sideburns. Something he considered keeping after Halloween since he thought he looked quite handsome with them.

He, just like Peter – Who was beside himself when James asked him, him, to explain the charm that he used for his tail and ears. - he managed to pull it off just in a nick of time. Only half an hour late to the party, he wandered down to find his friends.

The common room was packed and he found them around the same time that he found her. Now, he wouldn’t have thought much of things if Lily had not looked at him in shock and horror before pulling the red hood further over her face.

First, James simply assumed that this was just her being peeved at him for something. While they weren’t at each other’s throats the way they used to be. - Probably because he did not make a sport about getting into arguments with her. - They weren’t friends by any stretch of the imagination either.

It wasn’t until he was talking to Fiona, a third year who had tried out of the team but barely not made it, that her look, or rather glares, started to make sense. “Didn’t know you and Lily were that close?” she remarked, eyeing his flask of gin expectantly until he poured some into her pumpkin juice.

“What do you mean?” James asked curiously, tipping a little more into his own drink before practically sinking it. His eyes searching the crowd for the red hood.

Fiona laughed and elbowed him playfully. “Funny! You know, usually only couples do couple’s costumes,” she pointed out and he nearly choked on his drink.

“Couple’s costume?” James blinked at her.

The horror on his face clearly giving her pause before bursting out into a fit of giggles. “You didn’t? Little Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf? Really? That’s not a wizard story then?” He shook his head in response. “Well, you could have fooled me.”

Which was precisely what Lily thought too when she followed after him when he and Sirius disappeared through the portrait hole for a fag. Her cheap boots clacking loud against the flagstones as she shouted for him. "Potter?"

The two boys paused and Sirius nudged James with an encouraging grin. "Look who's coming round! Go them 'em, wolf boy," he teased before giving him a shove in the right direction.

The moment James stepped closer, he knew something was off. She did not look happy, actually her narrowed eyed and splotchy cheek were big warning signs. Like the ocean retreating from the beach before a tsunami.

Still, he lifted one hand and smirked at the redhead. "All right, Evans? Couldn't wait to get me alone, could you?"

She did not dignify him with an answer and instead crossed her arms over her chest, defensive now. "Did you know? You did, didn't you?" she accused.

James stood there, gobsmacked before managing to croak out the words. "Sorry, what?" Taking off his glasses to polish them on the edge of his jumper. An excuse to not look at her fuming for a moment.

"You somehow worked out my costume and decided to do-" Instead of finishing her sentence she flung her hands out at him and wildly gestured at him. "That!"

He knew he shouldn't laugh and he managed to swallow most of it, only letting a short burst escape before reigning himself in. "I hate to break it to you, Evans but you didn't even cross my mind when we chose this," he informed her smugly, bristling just a little to rub it in.

Lily sputtered and huffed before stomping her foot. "Bullshit!" she exclaimed and turned her face away from him. Almost like she couldn't even stand to look at him. He'd have taken offence if it had not been for the bright red colour of her cheeks. "What are you even supposed to be?"

"I'll let you work that one out for yourself, Little Red," he taunted and rolled his shoulders back. "But who knows, if you ask me nicely I might be your big bad wolf next year." And with that he tuned on his heel and walked away. Though, he hoped that Sirius had caught her expression for him.

[jfleamont]

How about Revolver?

Hello! Thank you so much and sorry for the wait :) This one's twice as long as the others, and it's also a sequel to the previous microfic, Thistle, as requested by a lovely anon. Here it is!

Revolver - 1380 Words

Lily doesn’t want to admit it, but James was right.

It doesn’t even take her long to find out what he was hiding - three weeks to be exact - and in hindsight, she should have known. I mean, look at that head of hair, she thinks as she watches him soar above the pitch; she wouldn’t be surprised if it was hiding his antlers.

He knows she’s watching him practise, he’s used to it by now. She spends a lot of her time watching him, and he has welcomed the attention enthusiastically: she observes him at dinner as he talks with his friends, and he catches her staring while he works on the patrol schedule.

There is also that time at Hogsmeade, when she sees him leave the post office. He’s beautiful, as always, the strong wind blowing through his hair, and for a moment she wonders if she should go up to him and kiss him there and then, not because she wants to extort information from him, but purely because she wants to. It turns out that she doesn’t need to: James looks around and finds her right away. Her back is leaning on the wall of a back alley, a book in her hand that she is pretending to read. He doesn’t smile at her; he simply marches up to her, a determined look, and grabs her face between his hands. 

This is the story of their first kiss. Both of their noses are cold, but his hands are deliciously warm as he holds her. She sighs into the kiss; she’s never felt this weightless. Her hands are everywhere: his hair, his shoulders, on his chest underneath his coat. She only wants him, and she has him, but it’s not enough. It will never be enough.

James pulls away slowly. “Sorry,” he says, but he’s not. His eyes are still closed - she knows because she’s looking at him now - and he’s resting his forehead on hers. He’s not apologising for the kiss (they both knew it was bound to happen); this game they’re both playing, he’s just lost it. She’d try to guess the secret, and he’d play hard to get. That was the unspoken rule.

She pecks him again. “Do your nicknames have anything to do with this?”

He throws his head back, laughing. “Merlin, I didn’t stand a chance, did I?”

James’ hands leave her face; he runs his fingers through her hair, trying to make it look more presentable and he stands up straight in an effort to sober up. He puts more distance between them, and neither of them looks very happy about it.

“You didn’t exactly make it hard. This was the final piece of the puzzle, so thanks for the help,” she says as she pushes off the wall.

He looks happy, even proud of her. “So what is it? What’s my secret, Lily?”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow. Tell the lads I won, okay?” she replies as she starts walking away, leaving him behind. His laugh echoes in the alley, and she resists the urge to look back. She doesn’t want to give him the satisfaction, not after realising that James and his friends were stupid enough to risk their lives to become Animagi.

══════════════════

It hadn’t been her first thought, naturally. She knew they left the dormitories every full moon, but she supposed they were just waiting for Remus near the Whomping Willow, hidden under James’ cloak. The breakthrough, however, had happened during a Transfiguration class: they had been taking a mock exam, and McGonagall had turned into her Animagus form halfway through, silently walking among the students as if she was ready to catch a mouse, and then it dawned on her. None of the students in the Gryffindor tower had rodents as pets, but Lily was sure to have seen one in the common room just a few weeks before.

══════════════════

She’s made peace with it now. She’s not angry, not anymore. She’s impressed, surprised and yes, still a bit scared, but she understands now that he was trying to protect his friends. And her, too. She’s worked hard for her Head Girl position, and being involved in something this illegal is the last thing she wants. He knows this, but he also knows that her curiosity has no limits, so he gives her the option to walk away. 

She’s in too deep. She doesn’t have a choice.

So now Lily is sitting in the stands, waiting for James to get off that stupid broom. She wants to tell him off for choosing such obvious nicknames (and terrible ones… Honestly, Prongs? Really?), and then she wants to snog him senseless and make him forget who he is. It’s only been a day after their first kiss, but it feels like an eternity, and she’s never been less patient in her life. She also has half a mind to ask him to transform in front of her, but that’s a terrible idea. Probably. Maybe not.

The sound of his voice echoes around the Quidditch pitch, and he orders the team to dismount from their broomsticks and put everything back. Lily feels a certain anticipation; this is it, this is what she’s been waiting for. 

She sees him flying towards her; he stops right in front of her, hovering a couple of feet above and she has to crane her neck to look at him.

She narrows her eyes, studying him. “I didn’t know deers could fly.”

He puts a hand on his heart in feigned outrage. “I am no common deer, you heathen! I’m a stag, the king of the forest.”

“Is that so?”

He lowers his broom and gets off, but almost trips as he closes the distance between them. She can’t contain the snort that escapes, and James looks even more offended than before. “Don’t worry, keep hurting my pride, I don’t mind.”

“Oh, poor you,” she tells him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He reacts immediately, placing his hands on her waist and squeezing gently. It comes naturally to them, it’s like they’ve been doing this their whole lives.

“I fly better than I walk,” he says, his mouth dangerously close to hers, a teasing smile on his lips. She thinks she has a million things she needs to ask him, but they all seem rather trivial right now.

She doesn’t know who kisses who first - she likes to think it was her - but she isn’t too fussed about winning when James Potter is holding her like that, when she can feel his broad shoulders underneath the uniform, when he’s kissing her like his life depends on it, open mouthed and hungry and raw. She doesn’t know how long they stay like that; soon she’s out of breath and he is too. 

“Go out with me, Lily,” he asks as he kisses the side of her mouth. He peppers kisses on her lips, her jaw, the tip of her nose as he repeats the question over and over. She giggles, trying to push him away but he doesn’t give up.

“Yes, yes, I’ll go out with you! Now go take a shower, or you’ll be late for the party.”

James finally stops and takes a step back, satisfied with the answer. “Right… Remind me again why I told Marlene I’d be in charge of the music?”

“Because you told her she has shit music taste. You dug your own grave, James.”

He winces, running a hand through his hair. “You’re not going to help me here, are you?”

Lily shrugs, and starts walking towards the stairs, James at her heels. “Even if I wanted to, I can’t. All I have here at Hogwarts is that Jackson 5 record. That, and Revolver.”

“I was thinking of something more recent, you know? Like the new album by Queen, the one that came out a few weeks ago. News of the World, I think.”

“And you already bought it, of course,” Lily turns to reply to him, but notices he has stopped at the top of the stairs. “Wait, aren’t you coming?”

“It’s faster if I fly down there. Want a lift?”

Well, she should say no, she hates flying. But she doesn’t want to say goodbye yet.

“I do, actually.”

[wastelandmoony]

Déjà Vécu: Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty : I Wanna Be Your Dog

Summary: Everyone has secrets.

Characters: Remus Lupin/Reader, Sirius Black/Reader (no use of y/n), James Potter, Petter Pettigrew, Regulus Black, Marlene McKinnon, Mary MacDonald, Lily Evans

Warnings: none.

Déjà Vécu Masterlist

Companion Playlist

Read on AO3

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July 24th, 1975

We did it.

The letter was short and nondescript, but she knew exactly what James was referring to when the piece of parchment was dropped through her open window by a familiar tawny owl. They had done it. The boys had finally become Animagi.

She chose not to respond to the declaration, for the sole reason of not really knowing what to say. The three of them would undoubtedly tell her the moment they reunited, though she was concerned about how they’d break the news to Remus. 

A month prior, during the final week of their 4th year, Remus had received a letter from his father during breakfast requesting (leaning more towards demanding) that he return home for the summer. James was put out when he read it, having made plans to have both Remus and Sirius stay at the Manor for the entire summer. Obviously, James and the other two boys had used his absence to their advantage, finally completing their almost two-year-old plan to become Animagi.

She had worried about Remus ever since departing Kings Cross, writing him every day in their shared notebook. He had been apprehensive to return home, having not spoken to his father since the previous winter. Ultimately, Remus had told her that he believed his father asked him to visit to keep up appearances. Allegedly people began to inquire about Lyall’s son, a subject the elder Lupin vehemently strived to avoid. The bright side, Remus disclosed, was that his father largely left him alone, giving him plenty of time to read and do whatever he fancied. 

Crumpling up the letter from James, she rolled off the bed and moved the needle over on the record player in the corner of her bedroom. Marc Bolan’s voice echoed softly as Monolith ushered her thoughts away.

———

September 1st, 1975

“Alright, out with it then,” she scowled at the three giddy boys sitting in the train compartment. James and Sirius were grinning ear to ear, Peter on the other hand was trying to hide his elation. They hadn’t spoken to her upon their arrival on the platform, instead Sirius grabbed her hand and dragged her inside the train. Once seated with the door firmly shut, the three boys were vibrating with excitement. Remus had yet to arrive, so time was of the essence to get this out in the open.

“We did it,” James finally spoke.

“Yes, you made that clear in your note. Do you care to elaborate at all?” She crossed her arms.

“A dog!” Sirius was practically jumping out of his skin. (No pun intended.)

She gave him an exasperated look, “What?”

“I’m a dog!” He whisper-screamed before transforming into a large shaggy black dog. 

“Sirius!—“ She tried not to shout, watching wide-eyed while the dog jumped up onto the seat and wagged his tail so hard into James’ face that it knocked his glasses off. As James leaned down to pick up his lost spectacles, Sirius changed back and sat down.

“Sorry, mate,” he laughed at his best friend, who smiled back, not even the least bit perturbed. 

“Sirius, you can’t just change forms whenever you want! What if someone walked past and saw?!” She could throttle him right here, right now, in this train compartment.

He shrugged, “But no one did, did they? Relax, Yellowjacket.”

His cavalier attitude about this was mind-boggling. 

She looked at James, her expression incredulous, “and what about you?”

He beamed, “A stag.”

She knew he wouldn’t be as bold as Sirius to change form right now, but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t interested in seeing it.

“Tell her yours, Pete,” Sirius kicked at the boys’ leg, leading to a grimace from Peter.

She looked over at him just in time to catch his eye roll.

“…a rat,” he murmured. 

Sirius slapped a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter. James looked down at his lap, biting his lip to contain his own chuckling.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s lame,” Peter grumbled, slumping down further in his seat. 

“It’s not lame, Pete,” she tutted, “Rats are pretty cool, they can sneak into the tiniest spaces. I think it’ll be really useful.”

His mouth gave the tiniest upward turn, just as Remus threw the compartment door open. 

“Hello, lads,” he stepped over Sirius’ outstretched legs to get to his normal spot by the window, “Why’re you all so quiet?”

She hadn’t realized they had been staring at him. They hadn’t even discussed when the other three were planning on unveiling their secret to him, and she doubted they would do it right now, not with the risk of Remus taking the entire revelation badly.

She took it upon herself to break the silent tension, “Did you hear, Lily made prefect!”

At the mention of her name, James immediately straightened. 

Sirius rolled his eyes, “Great, now we’re going to have McGonagall’s trained guard watching us 24/7.”

James crossed his arms, “Lily wouldn’t tell on us like that.”

“Oh, because you know her so well?” Sirius sneered.

James punched him in the arm, “I don’t need to know her like that. We just…have a connection. I can feel it.”

Sirius furrowed his brows, and then immediately burst into a fit of laughter, “A connection? You’re delusional, mate.”

She shot Sirius an annoyed look, to which he threw his hands up innocently.

“Am I wrong?”

“You’re being rude,” she sighed, “leave him alone. We never made fun when you were in love with Mary.”

“Not to his face…” Remus mumbled while digging through his bag.

Sirius stared at her from across the compartment, face unreadable, but his eyes were practically burning through her, “I was never in love with Mary.”

Something about the way he was staring made her unwilling to break the contact. Her heart raced as his blue eyes finally left hers, following James as he stood up and went to the compartment door.

“Where’re you going?” Pete asked, sounding the most nervous she’d heard him in a while. 

“I’m going to congratulate Gryffindor’s newest prefect,” James smirked as he slipped out into the corridor. 

The door clicked shut quietly, and she glanced back over at Sirius. The intensity in his gaze was gone as he kicked his feet up on the now-vacant section of the bench seat.

“Five Galleons that she jinxes him,” he grinned.

“Make it ten. But I bet she’ll just ignore him as usual,” she said.

Sirius shot her a wink before leaning his head back against the wall, “You’ve got a deal, love.” 

———

She smirked as Sirius slipped her the money under the table in the Great Hall. His fingers brushed against her palm lightly, sending a chill up her arm. 

“Pleasure doing business with you, Black,” she pushed the feeling as far down as she could.

James had just joined them at the table, having spent the rest of the train ride with Marlene and some of the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team talking strategy. 

“I can’t believe she’s still friends with that slimy git,” He grumbled as he sat on the bench beside Sirius. 

“Who…?” She followed his narrowed gaze to see Lily walk through the gilded doors with Severus.

Mary rolled her eyes, “Trust me, we’ve been trying to figure it out as well.”

She dipped her head as McGonagall strode past the table, having once again transfigured her Hufflepuff robes to blend in with her friends. A double line of first years trailed behind the professor, their little faces full of every emotion from fear, to anxiety, to pure excitement. She turned to Sirius across the table, who was presently in the midst of a heated conversation with James and Marlene. She remembered his face as they had stood side-by-side waiting to be sorted, how pale and afraid he was. Regulus popped into her mind, the way he had looked at her with such disgust that day on the train when Sirius failed to show. Things could have been so different if he wasn’t placed in Gryffindor. She wondered if they would’ve stayed friends. A piece of her believed it, but all logic points to the alternative. She shook her head, the thought of it was almost too much; the five of them being fractured.

“You alright?” Sirius said softly across from her.

James and Marlene were still gesticulating about whatever, but his focus had turned to her. Concern stitched his brow as she gave him a half-smile.

“Of course, just thinking about our first time seeing the Great Hall. Do you remember?”

“I remember you falling off your broom the next day—“

She went to kick him under the table, only for him to move slightly to the left.

“Bastard…” she whispered, as he smirked, “I’ll get you back for that.”

The heat in his eyes threw her off, “Do your worst, Yellowjacket.”

———

The feast wound down as it usually did, with plenty of laughter and a few minor arguments (most courtesy of Sirius). Dumbledore took to the lectern and asked for all prefects to escort the new first years to their respective dormitories, concluding the evening with another one of his vague anecdotes. 

“I should probably make an appearance at my own table before anyone catches on,” she said as she gathered her bag. Sirius quietly mumbled the incantation for the transfiguration of her robes back to yellow, holding her gaze for a moment too long. Enough for her to feel the heat rise to her cheeks. 

In an attempt to hide her slightly flustered state, she turned towards Remus to say goodnight, only to see him stand up and fumble with something in his hand. 

“Where’re you going?” James said across the table, mouth still filled with dessert.

Remus began to play with the lapel of his robe, “I, erm—“

He took his hands away from the fabric and she saw the small pin, a crest with a scarlet engraved P.

“You’re…a prefect?” The question barely left her mouth she was so hurt. Not at the new role, but that he had kept something so seemingly innocent from her. 

Remus didn’t look at her, “I’ll—I’ll see you later.” 

She watched as he quickly ushered the small group of first years out of the Great Hall with Lily in tow. 

“Did you know?”

She turned to see James starting at her in disbelief. Shaking her head, she stood from the table and grabbed her bag, “No…I had no idea.”

“This is unbelievable,” Sirius said as he got up to leave, “we’re practically untouchable now!” 

She kept silent as the four of them left the hall, Peter and James turning to head up the main staircase to Gryffindor Tower, while she began the journey down to the lower floors.

“Oi! Where’re you headed?” James called from halfway up the stairs. 

She hadn’t realized Sirius was still beside her.

“I’m going to walk her down, I’ll be up shortly. Don’t touch my Honeydukes stash, Pete!” Sirius pointed an accusatory finger towards them.

She shook her head, “You don’t have to—“

He cut her off with a look, “I know Remus usually walks you down the first night.” 

Words failed her, so instead she kept her head down and let Sirius lead her towards the kitchens. 

At the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room, they lingered. She stared at the golden wood barrels and fought back every urge to cry or scream. Frankly she wanted to do both.

“I’m sorry,” Sirius said quietly.

She turned to look at him, “…why would he keep something so trivial from me? I tell him everything, he’s my best friend.”

She felt the tear slide down before she could stop it, and Sirius was immediately pulling her towards him, wrapping her into a tight embrace.

“You know how he is, he’s a mystery,” he said as he rested his chin atop her head, “Who knows why Moony does half the shit he does.”

She inhaled slowly and counted to ten, grounding herself in the smell of smoke and spice, the warmth of Sirius’ body pressed against hers. 

“I don’t think he meant to hurt you, not intentionally,” Sirius trailed a hand down her spine, the softest touch that sent her head spinning. 

She pulled back, she needed to be alone. Between Remus’ lies and Sirius’—well she didn’t really know what was happening with that right now—she needed to unravel the emotional knots threatening to choke her.

“Thank you for walking with me,” she said, “you didn’t have to do that.”

Sirius kissed the top of her head, “Remus isn’t the only one who can look out for you,” he began to back down the corridor, “Goodnight, Yellowjacket.”

[saveregblackordie0726]

Sombre et Pur' (Chapter 2)

Third Year – 1973, 1974 

Third year should have been easier. By now, I was settling into Hogwarts like it was a second home, the castle corridors feeling more familiar than those of our old house back in the muggle world. I'd grown out of the wispy bangs and the too-large ears that marked my first-year awkwardness. A confidence I never knew I possessed started bubbling to the surface. 

But some things were harder, no matter how many times I'd climbed the Grand Staircase or snuck a forbidden snack from the kitchens at midnight. The chasm between me and Lily sometimes felt like an ocean, the brilliant flame of her relationship with Snape flickering like a distant beacon I could never reach. And Regulus Black... our rivalry had only intensified, the silent war in the classroom a relentless drumbeat that underscored every day. 

Yet, beneath all that thrummed a different unease entirely.  

It centered around Remus Lupin. 

Remus, my confidant among the boys. He was brilliant but bookish, always with a forgotten quill behind his ear and a smudge of ink somewhere on his pale skin. His kindness felt boundless, extending not just to his friends but even to those on the outskirts, like dorky Peter. There was a sadness behind those warm, brown eyes though, a secret he held tight, like a wounded animal protecting its softest spot. 

It was the full moons that gave it away. The disappearances, timed perfectly with the lunar cycle. The pale, drawn look upon his return, the way he'd flinch at sudden noises and shadows. The whispers from older students – fragments of words like 'creature' and 'danger'. It started as a suspicion, a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach, until one moonlit night, it snapped into focus as I watched the Whomping Willow flail and thrash with unseen force. 

Werewolf.  

The knowledge hit me like a Bludger to the chest. It explained everything. 

Fear clawed at me, but not in the way I expected. It wasn't fear for myself, but fear for him. The isolation, the burden he must carry... my heart ached with it. Yet, there was anger too. Furious, burning anger at James, Sirius, and Peter. My boys, the ones I'd come to rely on. Why didn't they tell me? Did they not trust me enough to share this part of Remus? 

The confrontation happened in a hidden alcove off the library. It was the spot Remus and I usually met to discuss whatever bookish obsession had consumed us that week. This time, there was no book in my hand. 

"You lot are hiding something," I said, unable to keep the accusation from my voice. My cheeks were hot, a furious blush mirrored in the outraged splotches staining Remus' face. 

"Clem, I..." he began, his voice thick with shame. 

"Don't lie to me!" The words burst out harsher than I intended. "I know." 

James and Sirius appeared at his sides then, a united front of guilt and defensiveness. 

"Clem, it's complicated," Sirius started, his carefree tone absent. 

"No," I cut him off. "It's really not. You've kept a massive secret from me, and Remus has been suffering all alone. Did you really think I wouldn't figure it out?" 

They exchanged glances, a silent conversation I wasn't privy to. It was Peter, timid Peter, who finally spoke. "It's for his own protection, Clem. You don't understand –" 

"Don't I?" I rounded on him. "Don't I understand what it's like to be different? To have people talk about your family behind their hands? I know what it feels like to be alone!" 

The silence that settled was heavy. Even in my anger, a pang of guilt flickered through me. Had I pushed too far? My gaze fell to Remus, who looked a thousand years older than his fourteen years. 

"We're working on it," James spoke, his voice low and full of a determination I'd never heard before. "We're going to help him." 

"How?" My voice was barely a whisper now, all the heat momentarily gone. 

It was Sirius, surprisingly, who answered. "We're...we're going to become Animagi." His face held a mixture of defiance and uncertainty. "So we can be with him during the...the full moons. So he's not a monster anymore, just one of us, one of the pack." 

The sheer audacity of it left me speechless. The danger, the impossibility, the utter brilliance of them... my boys were going to defy fate itself for their friend. 

He saw the determined look on my face before I could. “Don’t even think about it.” Sirius commanded, Peter beside him, the two looked as if they were paternal authority in my life and it set my teeth on edge. 

"You want me to just sit back and do nothing?" I asked finally, my heart pounding a desperate rhythm in my chest. "While you risk everything for him?" 

James took a step forward, his eyes earnest beneath his ever-messy hair. "Clem, you don't understand –" 

"Yes, I do!" The words cut through the air. "I understand loyalty, and I understand love. Maybe more than any of you." 

Sirius looked away, a rare flicker of vulnerability crossing his features. "This isn't some Hufflepuff helping-the-helpless act," he retorted, but it lacked his usual bite. "It's dangerous. More dangerous than you can imagine." 

"Let me decide that," I countered, fire surging through my veins. "Remus is my friend too. Let me help." 

Their faces held a mix of reluctance, worry, and a grudging respect. 

"Clem..." Peter began, his voice small. 

"I won't let him face this alone," I said, my voice unwavering. "We're in this together – always have been, always will be. Besides," I added, attempting a lighter tone, "Someone has to keep you four idiots from getting yourselves killed." 

A small smile broke across James's face, the first glimmer of light in the tense atmosphere. "Merlin help us if you turn out to be even half as stubborn as Lily." 

"Try twice as stubborn," Sirius snorted. "And with better aim during a Bludger attack." 

My own smile finally bloomed. For a brief, glorious moment, there was just the warmth of camaraderie, the unwavering bond we had forged over stolen sweets and detentions. 

But the reality crashed back down, as these things always did. Remus cleared his throat, his hand anxiously twisting his worn-out sleeve. "Clem, listen…it’s too much. You’re only third year – there’s so much you don’t understand about…what I am.” 

“And I intend to,” I said, my resolve firm. “But if you think for one second you’re doing this without me, you’re all more Gryffindor-brained than I thought.” 

“She’s got a point,” Sirius admitted, a grudging acceptance in his eyes. “Besides, the more brains, the better. Who knows what kind of insane spells we’ll need?” 

Peter’s worried frown finally eased. “Maybe you could help us research? Figure out the safest way…” He trailed off, the prospect of my vast bookworm knowledge suddenly a distinct advantage. 

But James shook his head, a determined glint in his eye. "No, she's not just helping. She's in." 

"James!" Remus sounded panicked. 

"She's proved herself, hasn't she?" James said. "Kept your secret, stood up to us, not scared off by all this…" He gestured vaguely, encompassing the gravity of their situation. "Knew there was more to her than met the eye, Moony. Sounds like Marauder material to me." 

Tears stung my eyes – whether from gratitude or terror, I wasn't sure. Sirius let out a low whistle. "Damn, Evans. You know how to make an entrance." 

“But not yet, youre still only a third year. If we somehow pull this off, you have to give it some time, Clementine.” Remus added, his face severe and drawn. 

Despite the looming danger, the impossible task, I finally felt like I belonged. Not as Lily's sister, not just as a kind Hufflepuff. I was one of them – risk-taker, rule-breaker, a friend to the core. 

"Deal," I said, extending my hand. The looks of stunned surprise were almost comical. But Peter's face lit up with a touch of awe, and James, after a moment of deliberation, grinned. 

Sirius simply shook his head, a fond smile playing on his lips. "You really are something else, Clem Evans." 

And in that moment, huddled amongst the dusty bookshelves, an impossible plan and an unwavering sense of purpose solidified. 

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The end-of-term exams loomed, casting long shadows even over the sun-dappled shores of the Black Lake. I'd always loved this spot behind the castle, the soft tickle of grass against bare legs and the soothing lap of the water's edge. This time, it served as an outdoor study lair, a desperate attempt to cram weeks' worth of knowledge into my head. 

Remus was stretched out beside me, a Herbology text open on his lap. My head resting on his thigh, his even breath lulling me into a deep relaxed state. But today, even the calming scent of dittany and lavender couldn't soothe his worried frown, and my eyes kept straying from my Potions notes to subtly watch him. The next full moon was in a few days, and its approach weighed heavily upon him. 

"Can't concentrate?" I finally asked, nudging him gently with my foot. 

He sighed. "Honestly? No. It's hard to focus on... mandrakes when..." 

"I know," I murmured, a sympathetic ache settling in my chest. Even amongst the comforting chaos of the Marauders, Remus's secret burden was one he bore largely alone. 

Suddenly, a wave of shouting drifted across the lake. It came from the direction of the Transfiguration courtyard, its sharp edges cutting through the usual birdsong. I tensed, my studies forgotten, but tried to shrug it off. Slytherin squabbles were common enough, unworthy of our intervention. 

Remus, however, had sat up, his ears straining toward the noise. "That sounds like Wormtail, doesn't it?" he muttered. 

Anxiety sparked to life in me. "Probably..." I started, trying to sound casual, but a sharp yell, undoubtedly Peter's, made any pretense of indifference impossible. 

We scrambled to our feet, our forgotten textbooks abandoned on the grass. As we hurried towards the courtyard, snatches of cruel laughter drifted over the ivy-covered walls. Slytherins. It was always Slytherins. 

Bursting into the courtyard, the scene confirmed our worse fears. Peter, surrounded by a jeering circle of green robes, was red-faced with humiliation. His bag dangled high above him, bouncing wildly at the end of a complex levitation charm, its contents spilling onto the cobblestones below. 

With a groan of fury, I surged forward. Standing at the center of the Slytherins was a trio I recognized all too well. Evan Rosier, with his cruel smirk, and the hulking figure of Barty Crouch Jr. And, of course, my academic nemesis himself – Regulus Black. It was him holding Peter's bag aloft, his pale face alight with cold amusement. 

"Let it go, Black," I snapped, pushing through the crowd. "This isn't funny." 

The laughter died abruptly, the ring of Slytherins turning to regard me and Remus with a mixture of surprise and disdain. 

"Well, well, what have we here?" sneered Rosier. "A Badger and a bookworm to the rescue." 

"Just doing my Hufflepuff duty," I retorted, trying to mask the tremble in my voice with defiance. They may have been older, but fury stoked a reckless courage within me. 

Regulus, however, barely spared me a glance, his focus on Remus. A flicker of recognition, perhaps even a touch of disapproval, passed over his features. "Shouldn't you be in the library, Lupin?" he drawled. "Or are you broadening your social circle?" 

The jab hit its mark. Remus stiffened, his fists clenching by his sides. 

"Just give him his bag back," Remus said through gritted teeth. 

"And why should we?" Regulus countered, tilting his head with mock curiosity. "Tired of being the picked-on Gryffindor, are you?" 

I could practically feel the tension coiling in the air, the threat of a fight brewing. The Slytherins outnumbered us, but neither Remus nor I were ones to back down. Yet, even in my anger, a sliver of uncertainty crept in. Confrontations were the Marauders' usual territory, not ours. I lacked Sirius's quick tongue or James's bold intimidation. 

Regulus, as if sensing my hesitation, smirked and raised his wand higher. To my horror, Peter's bag swooped and spun in a sickening arc, sending his belongings scattering even further across the courtyard. 

"Leave him alone!" I shouted, rage overriding any sense of self-preservation. 

Regulus turned those sharp eyes on me, something dangerous glimmering beneath their surface. "Or what, Evans? Going to hex me with a particularly vicious Tickling Charm?" 

His taunt hit me like a physical blow. I knew Regulus expected me to shrink back, the meek Hufflepuff facing a pack of Slytherins. But that flicker of doubt I'd felt was already fading, replaced by a white-hot surge of anger and a fierce protectiveness for Peter. I might not have James's swagger or Sirius's rebellious streak, but I wasn't defenseless, nor was I about to let my friends be humiliated. 

"Actually," I said, my voice surprisingly steady, "I was thinking of something far more embarrassing." 

He raised an eyebrow. "Enthralled, I'm sure." 

Without another word, I focused my will, drawing upon the weeks of practice hidden away with Remus under the cloak of the full moon, lessons gleaned from forgotten library tomes and whispered instructions. I pictured the spell in my mind's eye, the complex wand movement, the intonation... 

"Levioso!" 

There was a gasp from the surrounding crowd as the spell shot from my wand. Before Regulus could react, his body snapped upside down, his robes falling just a smidge to reveal shockingly bright yellow underpants. His face flushed an even deeper red than Peter’s had been moments before. 

The silence was broken by a wave of stunned laughter. Not cruel laughter like the Slytherins had doled out, but the amazed, slightly disbelieving laughter reserved for an unexpected feat. Some Slytherins even edged back warily, eyes flicking between me and the now-dangling form of their friend. 

My own heart was pounding with a mix of triumph and a hint of fear. That spell was advanced, a fourth-year charm, and I’d never performed it on an actual person before. 

Regulus struggled for a moment, but his wand had clattered to the cobblestones, leaving him utterly helpless. It was a profoundly satisfying sight. 

Then, Remus was beside me, his voice low. "Finite." 

The counter-curse snapped the magic holding Regulus, and he dropped with a graceless thump to the ground. He scrambled to his feet, a murderous look in his eyes. I was bracing myself for a retaliation spell, but instead, a flicker of something akin to respect crossed his face. 

“Not bad, Evans,” he muttered, adjusting his robes with forced dignity. He gave a sharp nod to his cronies, and without another word, the trio stalked off, leaving the courtyard to us. 

In their wake, a wave of relief washed over me, mingled with a heady sense of power. I’d stood up to them, I'd defended Peter, and I'd shocked the whole lot of them in the process. 

Peter was rushing toward us, his eyes wide. "Clem, that was amazing! How did you...?" 

A beaming smile burst across my face. "Studying," I stated simply, "And a thirst for some sweet, sweet vengeance." 

Remus nudged me, his own grin growing. "Maybe Black won't underestimate you so much next time." 

We gathered up Peter's scattered belongings, ignoring the scattered whispers and curious stares from the remaining students. As we made our way back to our abandoned study spot by the lake, I felt a shift – not just in the dynamic of the courtyard, but something within myself. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight painted the corridors in shades of indigo and amber as I hurried back to the Hufflepuff common room after a dinner that had dragged on far too long. My thoughts were still a whirl about the scene in the courtyard. I kept replaying my spell, the look on Regulus's face when he'd been hoisted helplessly into the air. A thrill of defiance warmed me, battling against the lingering knot of unease. I'd embarrassed him in front of his Slytherin cronies, there would be retaliation. 

Lost in thought, I nearly collided with a figure lurking in the shadows near a torchlit alcove. 

"Evans," came Regulus Black's voice, cold and sharp as a blade. My heart skipped a beat, any warmth from my earlier triumph vanishing instantly. 

"Just where I wanted to run into you," I muttered sarcastically, trying to sound more confident than I felt. 

He stepped out of the shadows, his usually pristine robes rumpled, the lingering flush of humiliation evident high on his cheekbones. "Clever spell," he admitted grudgingly. "Though you were lucky. A bit less showboating and you might have had a real fight on your hands." 

My earlier defiance flickered back to life. "Oh, really? Care to demonstrate?" I retorted, forcing a boldness I wasn't quite sure I possessed. 

"Perhaps another time," he said with a sneer. "Right now, I want a word." 

I wasn't given a choice. Before I could protest, he'd seized my wrist, his grip surprisingly strong, and dragged me into the shadowy alcove. 

The flickering torchlight revealed the dangerous glint in his eyes. "Don't think I'll forget that little stunt, Evans," he hissed. "You humiliated me. Mess with me again, and there won't be any misplaced chivalry holding me back. You might be Sirius' favorite plaything, but that offers you no protection." 

Fury surged through me, hot and bright. "Oh, so you'll resort to hiding behind your brother now?" I spat back, wrenching my arm free. "Maybe I should hex your hair to match his and tell everyone who the real follower is." 

His face tightened, and for a moment, a flicker of vulnerability passed through his steely gaze. It surprised me. Despite all his swagger and arrogance, he was just a boy, his bravado a shield rather than a weapon. 

"My brother is an idiot," he snapped. "He thinks defiance makes him strong. It makes him weak. He's a blood traitor, a disgrace to our family." His voice rose, tinged with an aching desperation that seemed at odds with his earlier composure. 

"And you? What do you think?" I challenged, unable to contain my curiosity. Were the rumors true? Did he harbor the same dark prejudices as his infamous Death Eater parents? 

He fixed me with a chilling stare. "I think it's my duty to uphold our legacy. To preserve what generations of Blacks have built." There was no hesitation in his declaration, no hint of doubt. A wave of nausea hit me - his words carried the same cold certainty I'd seen in his mother's eyes at a Christmas party two years back, the same disdain she'd leveled at me when she discovered my Muggle-born heritage. 

"And that legacy includes bullying those weaker than you?" I couldn't keep the disgust from my voice. The thought of my sweet, timid Peter being tormented by these pure-blood zealots filled me with rage. 

"Those weaker than me deserve their place," he said dismissively. His face was a mask of cold indifference now. "If they were stronger, smarter, worthier, they wouldn't be in that position, would they?" 

"You're as cruel as they say you are," I said, unable to hold back the harsh words. 

"And you're more dangerous than my idiot brother gives you credit for." He stepped closer, and I was suddenly aware of just how alone we were in this shadowy recess. "But remember, Evans, kindness isn't power. You might get a few chuckles, a few cheers. In the end, your little Hufflepuff heart won't save you." 

The silence crackled with tension. Desperate to wound him the way he'd wounded me, I grasped for a weapon, letting petty anger override any sense of caution. 

"What, did Mommy Dearest teach you that?" I scoffed, my voice dripping with scorn. "Did you learn it at her knee, how to kick someone when they’re down?" 

He flinched, the momentary vulnerability replaced by a burning fury. "Don't you dare…" he snarled through clenched teeth. 

"Or what?" I challenged, refusing to back down. "Going to cry for her? Have her come and defend her obedient little boy?" The words tumbled out of me, harsher than I intended, but the hurt and disgust at his callous cruelty fueled my reckless tongue. 

His eyes blazed, and his hands balled into fists. "You know nothing," he spat, each word like a drop of venom. "You have no idea what it's like... the pressure, the expectations..." 

And that's when I saw it. Not through the cold, calculating eyes of the Slytherin bully, but in the trembling of his hands, the frantic way his gaze flickered around the empty alcove. It was a chink in the armor, the flicker of a boy overwhelmed by a burden he didn't fully understand. 

"Don't I?" I retorted, my voice softer now. "Think about what you said about Peter. Do you really believe he deserves to be picked on because he’s less powerful? Less... pure?" I almost choked on the last word. 

"Yes." The answer came swift and certain, but his eyes betrayed him. There was no conviction there, only an echo of words he'd heard all his life. 

"Or do you say that because it's what you've been taught?" I pushed. "Because you don't actually know any different?" 

His jaw worked, as though he was chewing over the question, and something like confusion flickered across his face. For the first time, I saw Regulus Black not as a monster-in-the-making, but as a boy trapped within the confines of a poisonous ideology. Did he truly believe his own rhetoric, or was he desperately clinging to it for lack of anything else? 

"What does it matter to you?" he hissed finally. 

"It matters," I said fiercely, "because you’re choosing to be cruel. You're turning your back on the good in you… and that's the worst kind of weakness." 

His eyes widened in shock, as though no one had ever dared accuse him of such a thing. Then his expression hardened once more. "You would know all about weakness, wouldn't you Evans?" he sneered. "Always playing the good little Hufflepuff, simpering after your precious friends." 

Even as the insult stung, a strange feeling welled up inside me: pity. His world, his family, had built walls of prejudice and entitlement around him. He'd never been given a chance to see beyond them. 

"You don't know anything about me," I fired back, fighting against the trembling in my voice. "Or what my friendships mean." 

"Don't I?" He stepped closer, his voice almost a whisper now. "You're in love with him, aren't you? My brother. Like a little lost puppy, following him with those heartsick eyes." 

Heat flooded my cheeks, a mixture of fury and mortification. He was right, in a way. I did care for Sirius, more than I was willing to admit – even to myself. 

Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I met Regulus' taunting gaze. "Even if I was, it would be none of your business. I feel sorry for you, Black." The words slipped out before I could stop them, and the moment they did, I regretted them. I was playing his game, sinking to his level, and it made me despise myself. 

But that wasn't the only reaction on his face. There was a flicker of something else, something wounded. He quickly masked it, his usual sneer returning, but I'd seen it. My words had struck a nerve. 

"Save your pity, Evans," he said dismissively. "I don't need it, and neither do you. Kindness won't protect you, not in the end." His voice was flat now, all emotion stripped away. He turned abruptly and stalked out of the alcove, leaving me alone in the dim, flickering light. 

I stood there for some time, a storm of emotions swirling within me. Anger at his cruelty. Fear of what he might try next. But most of all, a profound sense of sadness. For him, for myself, for all of us trapped in this endless cycle of house rivalries and ancient prejudices. 

[heaven4lostgirls]

could you please write one with James or Remus or sirius and Indian specifically Bengali reader. Fluff or angst. Friends to lovers????

love saves all

james potter x indian!fem!reader

summary: james has been in love with you forever, he can’t stand to see you with someone else

warnings: fluff, minor mentions of injuries

a/n: hi lover! thank you for the request, i’m not bengali and i didn’t want to write something that could possibly offend the bengali community however i did try and incorporate indian culture because i’m tamil (telegu) so i hope you enjoy this! if you don’t let me know 💗

the sun shone down on your brown skin as you made your way through the forbidden forest after one of remus’ transformations. you could feel the fatigue hitting you now and you knew that you needed a nap before even attempting to go to any of your classes.

you knew you would be excused considering minnie and dumbledore both knew of remus’ transformations and that you guys would help, however they were unaware of you all becoming illegal animagi.

as you watched sirius and james make their way to the hospital wing where they laid moony on one of the free beds you took a damp washcloth and softly ran it over remus’ new scars over his face.

he softly winced and for each wince you muttered a small apology.

“if i knew i’d have y/n/n doting on me when i got hurt maybe i’d get hurt more often” sirius teased and you couldn’t help but smile before flicking his forehead.

“if you got hurt, i’d let you bleed out padfoot” you smiled sweetly at him and you could hear james snort to the left of you.

once madam pomfrey had come to help remus you all made your way to the boys dorms where you decided to lay down for a bit.

“y/n, do you want to come lay down with me?” you heard sirius ask before a loud oomph was heard as he fell of his bed or more correctly speaking he was pushed by a certain raven haired boy with glasses.

“i’ll come lay down in a minute, i’m going back to my dorm to do some prayers for rem” you state, getting up before making your way to the door.

you hear hurried footsteps behind you and you turn around to face a sheepish looking james.

“can i come with you?” he mutters before rubbing the back of his neck.

“of course you can jamie”

you both walk hand in hand to your dorm where you take off your shoes outside and kneel in front of your shiva statue.

you light your lamp and relight some agarbatti that had finished through the night.

you feel james kneel next to you and you look at him with a smile. he looks confused in a sort of cute puppy way.

you show him the correct motions and pray with him before putting ash on his forehead.

you sit in silence for a few moments before you peek open an eye to look at him.

he looks so serene, happy and at peace in front you of you that you can’t help but smile.

he cracks open one of his eyes to shoot you a smile before motioning his head forward telling you to pay attention

you muffle a laugh before you finish off your prayer and make your way back to the dorm before cleaning up.

as you both lay down in james’ bed after sirius had gotten bored of teasing you two, you draw circles on his chest and you can feel him smile down at you.

“hey y/n/n? what do you thinks gonna happen to us in the future?” he asks albeit curious to what your answer would be.

“my parents are looking for potential suitors i guess, it’s odd for me to be of age and not be

betrothed to someone already, i guess hogwarts could only buy me so much time”

“betrothed? you mean engaged?”

you hum and you can feel him tense under you, you weren’t particularly happy about the circumstances either but there was only little you could do against your parents.

“w-what if we got married?” james fleamont potter never stuttered. especially when talking to girls.

“james you know that can’t happen, what about lily? you’ve been chasing her for years..”

you feel him shift so he’s sitting up and he lifts your face to face his.

“lily was always a distraction for me y/n, i never thought you would like me - i still don’t think you do- but i won’t be able to live with myself if i let you get married to someone else without knowing how i feel about you”

your eyes well with tears and you can feel your heart thudding against your rib cage.

“you like me?”

he smiles almost amused by your lack of composure before his eyes fill with love and affection.

“like? i’ve been in love with you since the day we met y/n”

you can’t contain yourself for some reason and as tears escape your eyes you slowly lift your hand to james’ face and place your lips on his.

“i have been waiting for you to say that since 5th year james.”

“oh-“ he flushes in embarrassment.

“okay okay we get it, you two love each other BUT FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN PLEASE GO TO SLEEP ITS 6AM”

you and james snicker to yourselves as you go back to cuddling as sirius’ sleepy snored fill the room once again.

[seriouslysam8]

☕ so let's hear some marauders stuff!! How about how Lily became friends with them. Who was her second friend amongst the group?

When did Lily figure out Remus' secret? How about the gangs biggest secret of being anamagi

Lmfao you’re just trying to get me in trouble.

Lily one hundred percent became friends with Sirius first out of the group. They bonded over their shitty siblings and their annoying home life. Then, I would say she befriended James (friends first for awhile), then Peter, then Remus. I stand by the fact that she was not close to Remus. At all. I don’t think she had anything against him, but I don’t understand the fanon interpretation that they were besties. The letter in DH highlighted this. She writes to Sirius in a very fond tone and asking for his help with James. Obviously, she’s comfortable talking about personal issues with Sirius. She mentions Peter. Not only does she mention Peter, but she gives him the affectionate nickname of Wormy. Remus is never mentioned. I don’t think she disliked him or there was any beef, but Remus was always kind of mopey and woe-is-me I’m a werewolf and dangerous and blah blah blah. That’s warranted. He was discriminated against. He has legit reasons to have gripes. But I also think it hindered him from making strong relationships with other people. I could see him being painfully polite with Lily but never going out of his way to become her friend in a way I think Sirius and Peter did.

I feel like Lily just kind of figured it out pretty young because Snape was obsessed with it. She obviously knew before the WW incident because of her conversation with Snape. I just don’t think she cared at all that he was one and move on.

She totally didn’t find out about the Animagi thing until James and Lily were serious serious. Like they weren’t going to tell just anyone. Once they knew Lily was endgame and she felt the same way, they told her.

[annabtg]

I couldn't sleep for a while last night and I was just lying there thinking about stuff

And Nom de plume somehow made it's way into my mind xD

And i really like how you made Sirius and Lily being friends at Hogwarts a thing, right, and so I was thinking along the lines of what might have been different because James didn't go to Hogwarts (Obviously the Lily - Sirius friendship) but it got me thinking about Remus and his Lycanthropy!!

I know James became an animagus (that reveal scene hahaha❤️) but do you have any headcanons for the others? Or is Remus even a werewolf in your universe? Or have you already mentioned and I somehow missed it and am being an idiot now oh no...

My dear Abi! ❤️❤️

First of all, thank you for the lovely ask and for thinking about my story ❤️ it's wonderful to know it's made an impact on you!

Second, yes, Remus is a werewolf in this story and it's mentioned in the fic! I have a lot of thoughts on the whole thing though and not all of them are in the fic, so I'll explain here!

Cut for spoilers!

So, the idea is that during Hogwarts, without the war or James's influence to rally the boys into a ride-or-die group, all the Gryffindors are friends almost in equal measure. The boys and Lily, of course, know that Remus is a werewolf - I haven't decided whether it becomes public knowledge while he's at school or later, but definitely once Wolfsbane goes live, werewolves have no reason to hide anymore.

Which brings me to James.

My headcanon is that James meets Remus and Peter, Sirius's friends, after they all finish Hogwarts and have more freedom to go out and hang out and everything. He likes them from the get-go and is soon informed of Remus's condition, which intrigues him and makes him want to help. Belby (canonically the inventor of Wolfsbane) is a professor in the Academy and has probably been working on Wolfsbane or other similar projects for a while, so James decides that after he finishes his degree, he will get his Archmagicianship (equivalent to a PhD in-universe) under him, working on Wolfsbane. And because he's always had a particular love and talent for Transfiguration, he figures - the Animagus potion transforms people to animals, right? What if some of its ingredients could do the reverse - transform a wolf to a man?

So his experiments focus on studying the Animagus potion, both the qualities of its ingredients and the process of its brewing. And this is what he tells Lily in the reveal scene - since he had made it, and had to document the whole process (which is what's required when someone wants to become an Animagus) why not take it too? And when he needed more batches made, he could have made them himself, but he thought it would be fun if his friends were Animagi too, so he had them volunteer as subjects (since the potion is always made for a specific person, the leaves that have to be chewed and whatnot).

So eventually, James and Sirius and Peter are (registered!) Animagi, and the key to Wolfsbane DOES turn out to be found somewhere in the Animagus potion process, so Wolfsbane is patented and credited to Belby and Potter. James gets his Archmagicianship and minor celebrity status and continues working in the Academy as a postgraduate researcher for the next couple of years, until he realizes that he doesn't feel motivated enough anymore, he did what he had set out to do and by now he's grown tired of research. It's a lonely job and he's been lonely for too long.

So, when he gets the chance to apply for a position at the Ministry - where so many people work! - he leaps to it. And the rest is history. 😊

[elvendorx]

Out of curiosity and because you write about them so beautifully, how do you think the HP characters we see (Harry, Ron, Hermione, Molly etc.) would react to seeing James and Sirius’ relationship in action? Like Harry upon learning the truth of Sirius comes to understand they were close but if he actually really got to see it in action? See how obsessed they are with each other? I think his brain might melt. Also, he might be kinda jelly cause him and Ron have some issues that turn into some pretty decent fights (GOF, DH) that I just can’t fathom happening with J/S.

hello and thank u! as usual i've taken your question and made it into a bigger question for myself because my answer is slightly different if we're thinking about harry who grew up with james and sirius around, vs harry in canon getting some retrospective understanding of how james and sirius were with each other (e.g. through the pensieve) so i'm answering both, oops :)

harry's introduction to james and sirius as friends is through the frame of sirius as his parents' eventual traitor, so from the get-go his understanding of their friendship is very intense and emotionally heightened. his parents being trustworthy people who were done wrong by a close friend just intensifies the tragedy of their death for him but also lifts them higher into harry's idealisation of them as Good People. even when he does believe sirius wasn't the traitor, sirius reinforces the full-on nature of his friendship, devotion, loyalty to james by telling harry "I would have died rather than betray them". so harry always knows how close james and sirius were. sirius maintains that intensity even 12 years later that harry overheard from mcgonnagal and hagrid, people he trusts, who tell him that james felt the same, fighting dumbledore on how much he trusted sirius.

that said, even though harry regularly notices james and sirius as a separate duo to remus and peter, throughout swm and in the photo in sirius' bedroom, i don't think he has any real sense of what james and sirius' friendship looked like in terms of shared activities etc outside of becoming animagi. seeing snape's worst memory changes this idea of their dynamic and he doesn't necessarily see that complete deferral to each other as positive in the way that maybe he could without knowing specifics. not that james and sirius' dynamic isn't positive in lots of way, but he gets a sense of the unpleasantness involved in the kind of boundless bond they created between themselves. he sees james' "sirius was the only one that james would stop showing off for" and he has "a slightly apologetic note in his voice" when he says to sirius:

"he just attacked Snape for no good reason, just because — well, just because you said you were bored".

that's where he gets that james and sirius would do things that he wouldn't in the same situation. harry wouldn't start a fight if ron said he was bored, because harry doesn't get pleasure from cruelty in the way that james and sirius did. it's a huge part of harry's story, recognising that those he admires do things that he doesn't admire and that people aren't black and white.

beyond that though, when he's used to the idea of his dad and sirius and dumbledore being flawed peop,e so i think harry understands james & sirius as the best example of a friendship with its own history and nuances. he has a very strong relationship with sirius independent of james, but at the same time sirius is a connection to his parents but in a way that makes him family, to harry himself and i think harry would sense that james & lily also felt that way about sirius because of james' parents being dead, lily's parents being dead and her difficult relationship with her sister, sirius being harry's rightful guardian in the event of their deaths. he accepts sirius as the person that james trusted the most and sirius becomes that for harry too, and i don't think he'd see anything unusual in it beyond them being reckless and cocky when they were younger.

if he grew up with them both in his life, i think it would be confirmation of the above and the general perception of james & sirius would continue along the understanding of james and sirius that the books - as brothers, or more broadly just as family. harry would grow up with sirius as family and james and sirius' relationship would be harry's baseline understanding of friendships, just very easy, seamless, fun, trusting, unconditional. harry would probably talk about "his dad and sirius" a lot so his friends would be very used to the idea of a james & sirius unit, would maybe be surprised that they weren't blood-related.

ron would probably be like "ah yeah they're like fred and george" and probably find them really fun, he'd love their stories from hogwarts and the things they did to snape & others, whereas it might sour hermione to them a bit. would they feel bad enough not to tell those stories post-hogwarts? i mean they knew they were wrong but sirius and remus downplay swm, james still fought with snape without lily's knowledge, so they'd probably tame them down and be careful who was around when they were telling them but they'd see it as their funny memory together more than a terrible thing they did? possibly a lot of harry and ron's arguments would smooth out if james & lily hadn't died because harry gets upset with ron taking his family for granted and ron gets annoyed at the attention harry gets and they would be largely non-issues in that case. it's hard to say, harry would be a different person (answering my own question here, apologies).

in wider circles, i think james & sirius would be highly regarded, trusted, they could have been an unappointed authority to others within the order, people who are recognised as capable and intelligent and whose opinion people would seek out and trust but i also think they would be a force to be reckoned with and a bit of an annoyance for others in certain situations where they insist on a certain plan and always stick together, potentially go rogue together when others disagree because they think they're right and they egg each other on in this. snape is extreme in his of james and sirius (not necessarily wrongly) but there would be others who would maybe be wary of them, who would see them as arrogant, reckless, irresponsible, maybe a cruel streak but also recognise them as capable. hermione can be more critical of sirius, she thinks he's selfish and wants harry to be expelled, she thinks his judgement is impaired by his loneliness, so I think she'd be critical of some of james & sirius' behaviour as a pair too. i think it's notable that harry doesn't tell ron and hermione about the scene he sees in the pensieve.

molly is the most likely to have a bit of a gossip and a snip ngl, probably all indignant about james spending a lot of time with sirius, making digs at sirius about giving james and lily space or something, rolling her eyes at something sirius has bought for harry (again), asking sirius why he doesn't find a nice girl to marry and stop bothering james & lily (i just can't envision james and lily staying together tho, they give me such young panicked war marriage vibes). i don't think it would bother sirius with james around, james would make a joke to diffuse it and sirius would moan about molly later to james and you wouldn't get so much of that snappy impulsive streak.

there might be other comments about them being close without anything malicious behind it from the order crew or whoever, you might get tonks like "you two are so in love" when they agree with each other or come to the rest of the order with a plan they've come up with together. i kind of love tonks and remus teaming up to tease james and sirius actually, that's very cute.

i hope i've actually answered what you were asking! let me know your thoughts too <3

[impishtubist]

My contribution to chaos night is that we have no proof Sirius suspected Remus was the spy because of him being a werewolf and in fact, canon is more supportive of the idea that it was something else that made Sirius distrust Remus: we know the Marauders knew Remus was a werewolf since they were 12 and in fact became animagi because of it, and I highly doubt James would have agreed to keeping Remus ignorant of the switch if Sirius said “so I think Remus has betrayed us all because he’s a werewolf.” I’m willing to concede it might have played a role, in the vein of Remus being sent on werewolf missions like he is in the 2nd war and not telling the others why he keeps disappearing or what he’s doing (as Remus also suspected Sirius, at least if his apology for believing Sirius to be the spy is any indication), but I simply can’t believe it was solely because he was a werewolf. Like, even if one thinks Sirius is that shallow and flighty as to develop a distrust after this not being a problem for at least 6 years (and ignoring that Sirius would probably also be dealing with a similar version of this in the form of people thinking he’s like his family), do people also think James and Lily would both go “yeah, him being a werewolf is super shady now even though we’ve never had a problem with it before”? I’m of the opinion that Remus was probably doing something for Dumbledore and not telling anyone about this (much like he did in POA with not telling Harry he was friends with James, and we know Dumbledore is allergic to telling people things) and Sirius, canonically brilliant and also really good at reading people, notes him acting suspiciously and distrusts Remus on the basis of his behavior and not telling them what he’s doing. Point is, it drives me nuts when people act like Sirius suspected Remus because Remus was a werewolf, when this was something Sirius had never shown an issue with at any point and committed a crime to help with, something he did at 15 and decided to do at like 12. He knew Remus for like a year at most when he decided that yes, he will become a criminal for his new friend, this is a marvelous decision. Sirius is ride or die to the max and we can talk about how this ultimately damns him and the Potters, unable to believe Peter is the traitor and seemingly unable to truly grasp the idea of betraying your loved ones (something I imagine to be rooted in his family. If he could walk away from everyone and everything he knew for what he knew was right, why would anyone turn on their own beliefs and friends?), but that’s a different discussion and I’m here to complain about people acting like Sirius believed Remus to be a traitor on the basis of Remus being a werewolf

Yeah, this is what also annoys me about the Remus stans. Whenever you read a fic they've written, it's clear that they hate Sirius and are trying to punish him for the crime of thinking Remus was the spy because he was a werewolf....but he DIDN'T. That's not the canonical reason!

I agree with you. My headcanon has always been that Remus was keeping things from Sirius and James (because it's canon that he does this - look at how he told Harry absolutely nothing in POA), and so of course Sirius would be fucking suspicious of that. That's shady! Sirius was RIGHT to suspect him!

[liiilyevans]

I've come back for more Jily 😍

39. When and how did they admit that they loved each other? If they haven’t yet, why?

40. Do they have any regrets in their relationship?

49. Do they keep secrets from each other?

50. Would they ever break up? If so, why? Who would handle the breakup better?

ship asks

When and how did they admit that they loved each other? If they haven’t yet, why?

Hehe. This is one of my favorite things because James says I love you to his friends all the time. He leaves Sirius to go practice Quiddtich, 'Love you, brother,' Remus goes on Prefect duties, 'I love you, mate,' Peter goes to make a kitchen run, 'Be safe, Pete. Love you.' So, the first one time he tells Lily 'I love you' is in sixth year. He's leaving to go to Quidditch practice for the first time since Christmas hols. Sirius and Remus can see that as soon as it's out of his mouth, he didn't mean to say it. His eyes go wide and all the color drains from his face. Lily doesn't even look up from her book, just says, 'Love you, too' and goes back to studying. Sirius is shocked. Remus not so much since they've been become really good friends.

When they finally start dating, James is very careful not to say it because it would mean something completely different. Sirius teases him relentlessly about it. In the end, Lily says it first. They're in his dorm room, and it's lazy Saturday. She just says, 'You know I love you, right?' James doesn't say anything for a whole minute until she says his name, then he kisses her and tells her he loves her so much.

Do they have any regrets in their relationship?

No, but to be fair they didn't have time to make any regrets. They were only together for four years. I'm sure they had stupid fights that they regretted, but I don't think they had time for any real relationship regrets. Also, they were in a war. I think war makes you really look at what's important in your life and what's not. They didn't have time to fight with each other or have conflict because there was so much conflict going on around them.

Do they keep secrets from each other?

Absolutely not. I'm not one of those people who believe that James would have kept that he was an Animagi from her. By the time they started dating, James trusts Lily with his life, and he trusts her with his secrets, too. The only thing he would have considered keeping from her is Remus' condition, but I always thought Remus told her the trust at the beginning of seventh year due to her being Head Girl and growing very close to the Marauders over the summer.

Would they ever break up? If so, why? Who would handle the breakup better?

I hate this question lol, because I really believe that Lily and James were soulmates and will go to their graves holding hands. But if I'm play devil's advocate, I think if they ever broke up, it would be because of the war and the strain that it put on their relationship. Neither one of them would handle it well at all. They would still have to see each other every day and would possibly have Harry. I think they would turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms like drugs and alcohol (especially considering the time period). They would both be an absolute mess.

[laremsworld]

Marauders TV show - a concept:

- Season 1: all rainbows and happiness. They‘re 15 and living their best lives in Hogwarts. A lot of fun, the successful transformation into animagi, James casually flirting with Lily, some occasional sad scenes where Sirius tries to win over his brother, Regulus. James asks Remus to stop smoking, saying that it‘s going to kill him at a young age. Remus answers: „well, make sure that I have a nice funeral then.“

- Season 2: begins with Sirius running away from home, he has a strong character development in this season, Regulus ultimately decides to stay with his family and not to go with Sirius, James matures and becomes the father of the group, Lily befriends Remus after cutting all the ropes to Snape.

- Season 3: last year at Hogwarts, everyone gets nervous, attacks outside of Hogwarts rise, they have to decide what they want to do outside of Hogwarts. Lily looses both parents, falls in love with James.

- Season 4: After graduation, James and Lily move in together, the gap between James and Sirius (the rich ones), Peter (middleclass, finds a job immediately) and Remus (very poor, no one hires him) gets more and more obvious. The tension between Sirius „at-least-you-have-a-supporting-family“ Black and Remus „I-am-the-reason-why-my-family-is-suffering“ Lupin gets bigger and bigger. They eventually stop talking. James‘ parents suddenly die. Lily finds out that she‘s pregnant.

- Season 5: it starts with the Potters‘ wedding. Sirius and Remus don‘t talk anymore at this point. Dumbledore comes to tell Sirius that Regulus is probably dead. Sirius finds out that it was Remus who gave the headmaster this information. Sirius confronts Remus and asks him how he could now these kinds of information, if he‘s not in Voldemort’s inner circle? James and Lily try to function as newlyweds and soon-to-be parents, but there‘s a lot of tension. Peter and Sirius start hanging out more than normally. Harry Potter is born.

Season 6 (final season): The Potters find out about the prophecy. The marauders try to work together to make a safe place for Harry. Even Sirius and Remus try to be nice, but their relationship seems destroyed forever. Remus finds out that Sirius met with Narcissa, but the Black boy claims it‘s because of Regulus. Remus leaves for an important mission (where he has to befriend the werewolfves). Sirius has the idea of switching the secret keeper.

Final episode:

The Potters die, Harry survives. Lupin comes back from his mission and finds out about his friends‘ deaths. He tries to find Sirius and/or Peter and wittnesses their big fight. Sirius has a mental breakdown in Azkaban, crying „I‘m sorry, I‘m sorry“ all the time. Remus is seen standing at James and Lily‘s graves, lighting a cigarette. One tear is falling down his cheeks.

Everything gets dark, then, there is a light coming that can be later identified as Sirius motorcycle. Hagrid brings Harry to Privet Drive 4, Dumbledore holds the baby first, then puts it slowly on the doorstep. He looks sadly at the baby and whispers: „Good luck, Harry Potter.“

~ The End ~