☆ 𝟙 : the beginning of the end

one the beginning of the end

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'YOU KNOW, JAMES, you really are an annoying twat.'

'Why thank you, [y/n], it's always a pleasure to be of service.'

James curtsied to [y/n] as she was sat at the breakfast table with a smashed egg caught in her hair, the yellow yolk dribbling down the side of her face.

'Head Boy material, my arse,' [y/n] muttered bitterly as James sat down next to her, grabbing a piece of toast from the silver rack in the middle of the table.

'Morning, sunshines,' Sirius beamed as he stepped into the dining room from the kitchen, all ready and dressed to go. 'Had a bit of an accident, did we, Paws?' he sniggered.

'Go away,' [y/n] sighed, pulling a face as the yolk dripped on to her hand.

'And you should be setting an example as Prefect,' Sirius tutted as he sat opposite his sister and best friend.

'Piss off.'

'You shouldn't be using Muggle cursing as Prefect, Miss Black. In front of your superior, too.'

'Prongs, just shut the fuck up and get this egg off me.'

James gasped sharply. 'I am offended that you would use such language under my roof.'

'James Potter, this is not your house!' Mrs Potter shouted from the kitchen. 'Unless you want to start paying rent!'

'But Mum –'

'But Mum,' [y/n] mimicked under her breath with a loud giggle.

'If [y/n] wants to use Muggle language like that to get you in order then she can,' Mrs Potter continued.

James pulled a face and before he could say anything, Sirius mimicked again, 'But Mum!'

'Stop moaning, James!'

    'That wasn't even me!' James exclaimed as [y/n] and Sirius started barking with laughter. 'It comes to something when my own mother loves her adopted children more than the one she literally gave birth to.'

'Oh, Prongs,' [y/n] said, still giggling.

'Not so much of a mummy's boy now,' Sirius grinned, carrying on with eating his sausages and bacon.

'Shut up.' James rolled his eyes playfully then his eyes attention diverted to the eggs in the basket in the middle of the table.

'Prongs, no,' [y/n] warned.

'Prongs, yes,' James replied, picking up an egg and throwing it at Sirius' head.

    There was a crack as the shell smashed and the insides spilled all over his black locks.

'Prongs!' Sirius cried, picking up an egg himself and throwing it across the table.

'Oh my Godric,' [y/n] exclaimed, 'Padfooot!'

She picked up a slice of toast and threw it like a frisbee at Sirius' forehead, but he ducked and it flew straight into the window.

Behind her, James picked up a slice of bacon and threw it at the back of [y/n]'s head which landed with a slap.

    'Why's everyone aiming at me?'

'Because brothers don't attack brothers!' Sirius shouted as he picked up the plate of sausages, hid behind the chair he was sat on and started throwing them at [y/n] whilst James ran to the end of the table to grab the scrambled eggs and serving spoon, using it as a catapult.

    A small, fluffy ginger kitten kneazle with white paws that looked as though it was wearing socks and a bite in its right ear pattered into the room.

'Don't hit Minnie!' [y/n] shouted, launching across the room to rescue the cat, named after the Marauders' favourite professor.

It slowly turned into a war. Pumpkin juice dripped down the walls and scrambled eggs were splattered on the windows. Bacon slopped on the framed photographs on the cabinet and sausages were scattered across the floor with footprints marked into them as they squished into the tiles.

The three teenagers weren't looking any better themselves. Sirius' previously perfectly combed hair was now as unruly as ever, bits and pieces of meat, egg and toast caught in the curls. James was relatively clean – it was only his school robes that the food latched itself onto. [y/n], however, was a different story. She was covered from head to toe in everything from the breakfast table and after slipping on some pumpkin juice on the floor and landing on top of some sausages, she grabbed onto the table cloth which sent the remainder of what was on the table being poured on top of her.

Mrs Potter sighed with small chuckle as she entered the dining room with the three seventeen-year-olds, glanced at the state of the place, then shook her head with a smile. 'You better tidy up quick because you only have an hour until the train leaves.'

It didn't take [y/n], Sirius and James long to tidy up. A quick cast of 'Scourgify!' and a wave of their wands eventually left the room in its original state – clean white walls, clean lace cloth, clean silver and clean photographs on clean china cabinets.

Stepping outside Potter Mansion at fifteen minutes past ten, suitcases in hand and Minnie [y/n]'s arms, the trio Apparated to the Muggle side of King's Cross Station.

'How crazy is it to think that the next time either of us make this journey through the barrier, it'll be when we're taking our children on their first day?' James asked as they took two trolleys from the trolley bay – one for James and one for the twins.

'Well, I don't want children,' Sirius announced, 'but I'll be more than happy to take my niece or nephew and godchild.'

'If you think I'm leaving my children on their own with their uncle to look after them, then you're wrong,' [y/n] laughed as she and her brother followed their best friend through the platforms of the train station, still holding Minnie in her arms.

    'We'll have to see what time tells, little sister.'

'Big sister,' [y/n] corrected.

Sirius groaned, 'You're going to hold that against me for the rest of your life, aren't you?'

    'You bet.'

'Come on, you two!' James called from between Platforms Nine and Ten.

'We're coming!' [y/n] and Sirius shouted back simultaneously as James disappeared through the barrier.

The twins stopped just before they needed to start their run through the platform wall.

'Remember our first day?' Sirius asked. 'You were so nervous.'

'I was scared that people wouldn't like us, that we'd disappoint everyone, that the teachers would hate us,' [y/n] listed. 'Even you heard how that bitch talked about Dumbledore – who knew if I was wrong about him possibly hating us back?'

    'Now look,' Sirius said. 'We're in our last year, we don't have to go back to that hell-hole ever again, you're a prefect, we're still able to cause havoc in the school and everyone loves us.' He grinned. 'I was right about that last part, wasn't I?'

'When are you ever wrong, Padfoot?'

'Never, Paws.'

The pair looked at the barrier once more then turned to look at each other, the same mischievous glint in each of their eyes.

'Do you think we can both still fit at the same time?' [y/n] asked.

    'I guess we'll just have to find out,' Sirius replied.

'Ready, Dog-Star?'

'Ready, Bear-Star.'

The pair ran through the barrier just like they did on their first day – side by side with their trolley in front of them, the addition of Minnie purring as they ran, just about squeezing through the gap.

'You took your time,' James said as the twins emerged from the other side. 'Come on, let's go look for the others.'

    'You don't have to go looking far,' a tall and lean figure said.

'Moony!' [y/n] cried, running up and giving the tallest Marauder a hug. 'How was your summer? Was North Wales with your mum's family good? How's your furry problem holding up?'

'Rainy the whole time, yes it was lovely, and the same old, a little worse without you lot to keep me company but at least you were all there for the first month,' Remus replied.

    'What about you, Wormtail?' [y/n] turned to the shorter boy. 'How's your mother?'

'She's OK,' Peter said quietly. 'She's seems to be getting better slowly but the nurses in St Mungo's think it may be a Muggle disease.'

    'Oh, Pete,' said [y/n] full of empathy, her hair turning a pale blue in sadness as she and the others reached over to give Peter a quick hug.

    'Did you three stay out of trouble then?' Remus after the embrace ended.

    'Are we that disappointing?' Sirius snorted.

'I think you have a different definition of disappointing to the rest of the world, Pads,' Remus sighed. 'But hey, at least you weren't stupid enough to end up on the news.'

Sirius, James and [y/n] glanced at each other a giggled nervously.

    'Oh, Godric,' Remus said, his voice full of dread.

'What did you do?' Peter asked excitedly.

    'Well,' Sirius started, 'we decided to go to the Muggle zoo near where James lives one day in the summer.'

    'Oh, Godric.'

    'And can you remember in the Muggle newspapers there was a story about how a bear escaped from its enclosure?' James continued, grinning broadly.

    'Oh, Godric.'

A look of pure joy spread across Peter's face as Remus was left speechless.

'It's not like I broke any laws or anything,' [y/n] said defensively. 'I didn't perform any actual magic in front of Muggles and I didn't actually let a bear out of its enclosure.'

    'You're still illegally an animagus, Paws,' Remus whispered.

[y/n] shrugged her shoulders.

'I can't believe that was you,' Remus sighed. 'I thought I recognised the markings and I thought it was strange that the bear suddenly disappeared but when they checked the enclosure all the bears were still there.' He paused and looked at [y/n]'s innocent smile as she hung off the handle of the trolley. 'Why?'

'I was bored,' [y/n] shrugged again.

Remus' face broke into a grin. 'I'm just annoyed I wasn't there to see it myself.'

'Think of all the time we'll have after we leave to do stuff like that together,' [y/n] laughed, wrapping an arm around Remus' shoulder and making a rainbow gesture in the air before looking into the distance. 'But come on, we'd better go get our compartment before some first-years nick it.'

'I thought we needed to go to the Prefects' compartment first,' James called from the back of the migrating group.

'You can have a little chill before going, Prongs,' Sirius said. 'I know you're desperate to see Evans but –'

'I'm not desperate,' James informed, 'I just want to prove my maturity through punctuality.'

'Mhm,' [y/n] hummed with a raised eyebrow and a wink in James' direction.

'You're such a bully, Paws.'

'I didn't do anything!'

'Clearly.'

'She's right though, Prongs.'

'Don't take sides, Wormtail.'

'I'm not taking sides.'

'I'm taking sides and I agree with [y/n].'

'Moony, you traitor.'

The group dropped off their suitcases and Minnie at the luggage carriage and eventually made their way across the platform and onto the scarlet train. They pushed past younger students waving goodbye to their families from the windows and eventually, the reached their destination with ten minutes before the train was set to leave.

'One more year guys!' [y/n] exclaimed as she threw herself into the Marauders' usual compartment right at the back of the train.

'I can't believe it,' James sighed, lifting [y/n]'s feet up and replacing them on his lap after he sat down.

'So,' [y/n] said, tracing the tiny carving of a bear in the corner of the wooden panel by the window, 'whatcha think guys? New year, new us? Last year, last chance to prove ourselves as more than troublemakers?'

'I'm sorry, who are you and what have you done with my sister?' Sirius laughed.

'No, I agree with Paws,' Peter stated. 'What if we came up with something which we have to do by the time we leave?'

'Like a promise?' [y/n] asked, to which Peter nodded. 'That's a nice thought, Wormtail.'

'I quite like that idea actually,' James agreed. 'You know what? I'm going to aim to apologise to Filch.'

'Pfft, really?' Sirius exclaimed.

'Come on then, Padfoot,' Remus smirked, finally putting his book down. 'What're you going to do?'

    'I will do every piece of my homework,' Sirius pledged.

'As if you'll be able to do that,' [y/n] snorted. 'I'll try and last a month without detention.'

'You wouldn't manage,' Remus told her.

'I said I'd try,' she emphasised.

'Whatever,' Remus smiled. 'Wormtail?'

    'Apologise to Snivellus,' the boy said with some thought.

'Fair enough,' Sirius approved. 'He doesn't deserve it, but fair enough.'

'What about you, Moony?' James asked, everyone turning their heads to face the lanky teenager.

'I'll have to think about it,' he replied. 'Maybe something to do with books?'

'Attempt to stay away from books, for a week at least?' Sirius suggested, kicking his foot up from his lying position on the floor to try and take Remus' book from his hands.

'I couldn't do that! Besides, I can't put this one down,' Remus explained, pulling the novel away from Sirius' foot.

'What's the story about then?' Peter asked, peering over Remus' shoulder to take a look.

'It's terrible really,' the boy replied sheepishly. 'It's a typical Muggle storyline  – girl meets boy, girl becomes best friends with boy, girl realises she's in love with boy, girl finds out boy has loved her all along, girl and boy get married.'

'Awh, that sounds cute,' [y/n] swooned. 'I heard that Lily was planning on starting something in the library, like a bookshelf where students leave one of their favourite books for future students to read. I said I'd help her start it so I'll probably be having a couple of meetings with her.'

    'Can you talk –?'

    'Yes, Prongs,' [y/n] sighed.

    'Thanks,' James beamed. 'I think I have a real chance this year. Something's telling me that by being Head Boy, I've proven to her that I can be a well-behaved, hard-working student.'

    'In other news apart from Prongs' fantasy world,' Sirius said, 'we have to plan an amazing prank for our last day.'

    'Yes!' Peter squeaked as his eyes lit up at Sirius' suggestion.

    'Or, you know, you could study for your N.E.W.T.s,' Remus stated, his nose stuck in a Muggle storybook.

    'Always a bore, Moony,' James sniggered. 'Always a bore.'

    'At least he'll be more likely to get a job by keeping out of trouble,' Sirius said, sticking his feet on James' lap and his back against the wall by the window.

    'Not with my furry little problem I won't,' Remus said, still reading the book.

'Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine, Moony,' [y/n] told him.

    'Yeah,' Remus said dismissively.

    'And besides, Prongs, you're meant to be Head Boy and setting the example,' [y/n] pointed out.

    'I still don't get how you got it,' Sirius said. 'You weren't even a prefect.'

    'They always say that Dumbledore works in mysterious ways,' said James.

    'Well, I'm not complaining,' [y/n] chuckled. 'I got prefect from it.'

    'Which, again, I don't understand,' Sirius breathed.

'Remus needs someone to accompany him on his rounds, doesn't he?' [y/n] stated. 'You can't have an odd number of prefects.'

    'Yes, I know that, but why you? Surely Dorcas or Alice, or even Mary were better choices than you. Merlin, even Marlene.'

'Thanks, Pads,' [y/n] said, faking hurt. 'I really needed that confidence boost.'

'You'll get over it,' Sirius laughed.

    'I'm sure I will,' [y/n] replied with a sarcastic smile, just as the train's whistle sounded.

    'That's our cue,' James announced, slapping his thighs and standing up. 'Come one then, lads.'

    'I'm not a lad,' [y/n] reminded him.

     'Yeah, you are,' James chuckled, ruffling [y/n]'s hair. 'You're one of the lads.'

'I'm honoured,' [y/n] muttered.

'Are we going today or what?' Remus asked the pair who were blocking the exit of the compartment.

   'All right, Moony,' [y/n] said before laughing. 'Or should I say – Moody.'

'Funny, hilarious. Now, let's go before we experience the wrath of Lily Evans for being late.'

A long walk to the front of the train, a couple of bumps into people and several, 'Excuse me's later, the trio entered the Prefect's compartment.

'Potter,' Lily said sternly, 'you're late.'

'Sorry,' James replied. 'Right, what do we need to do?'

'We need to give a quick briefing to everyone about their roles, what they can and can't do, not abuse their position etcetera, etcetera. Then we need to explain that their rotas for duty will be owled to them tomorrow morning at breakfast...'

As Lily continued to explain to James about what needed to be done, [y/n] and Remus sat down in the luxury carriage and waited for the other Prefects to arrive.

'You know, Moony, you could actually put your book down for once.'

'Maybe I don't want to.'

'Maybe I'll make you,' [y/n] said, sneakily snatching the book out of Remus' hands and sitting on it.

'Paws,' Remus moaned.

The other prefects started pouring into the carriage, and with Remus poking [y/n] in the side, the girl was forced to give the boy his book back.

'Right, are we all here?' Lily asked.

     'Looks like it,' James said, giving a quick headcount.

Lily and James – mainly Lily – gave the prefects a detailed briefing on what their role in the school was and the special privileges that came with having the title. She gave the password to the prefects' bathroom which got the fifth-year prefects rather excited and also explained that the rotas would be arriving by owl the following day with the owl post.

'... I'm planning on giving the rest of this week's duty to sixth and seventh-years as you will probably have more of an idea of what to do on your rounds,' Lily explained. 'And I think that's all we have to go through. You're free to go, or you're welcome to stay.'

Everyone got up to leave the carriage, bursting into lively chatter as they entered the outdoor corridor.

    'Oh, [y/n]?' Lily called, just as the girl was about to leave with James and Remus.

    'Lily.'

    'Can I speak to you for a second?'

    'Sure,' [y/n] replied. 'Boys, I'll be with you in a few.'

'Thanks,' said Lily, closing the compartment door behind [y/n].

    'What's up, Lils?'

    'I don't know who else I could talk to about this because Alice, Mary and Dorcas have backed me all along about it and even Marlene has told me that I've been right to do what I've been doing since the beginning but then you've been saying that I should just wait and see what happens before making a judgement because he really is a lovely person and I don't know if I actually like like him or whether it's just because it's our last year and he's the only remotely attractive person around here and he's acting much more maturely and maybe it's my hormones telling me 'Choose him!' and I can't make my mind up about what to do and –'

    'Breathe,' [y/n] interrupted.

Lily let out a deep breath and an, 'OK.'

    'Now,' [y/n] started, 'who do you like?'

    'Well, I don't know if I actually like him and if I do it goes against everything I've ever said –'

    'Evans!'

'Yeah?'

    'Who do you think you like?'

'James,' Lily finally said with a small sigh that could've been a swoon if [y/n] didn't know better.

    'I knew it!' [y/n] screamed. 'Merlin's pants, Lily!'

'Shut up, [y/n],' Lily hissed.

    'I'm not shutting up, Lils! He's fancied you for years and now you decide you like him!' [y/n] continued to yell.

    'But what if I've pushed him too far away, [y/n]? What if he doesn't like me anymore?' Lily panicked. 'And he's matured so much, [y/n]! Head Boy, Quidditch Captain, he got near straight Os in is O.W.L.s at the end of fifth year...'

    'You're Head Boy and Girl this year, so surely you could bond,' [y/n] suggested. 'And you have duty with him.'

    'Y'know, I keep forgetting I'm Head Girl,' she laughed.

    'And I keep forgetting that I'm the replacement Prefect for you.'

    'But anyone could've guessed that! You're so talented, kind, funny and intelligent,' Lily told her. 'The same goes to Remus.'

    'Why, thank you,' [y/n] said. 'Speaking of that lot, fancy coming back to our compartment?' [y/n] asked.

    'Yeah, go on then,' Lily replied.

    'Guess who's back?' [y/n] exclaimed as she slid open the compartment door, just as Remus declared, 'That's my promise for this year then.'

    'Brilliant!' James exclaimed.

    "I hope you don't mind, boys, but Lily's going to join us for the rest of the journey.'

James' face lit up all of a sudden.

    'No. Lily can stay, you can go. It's been nice without you here to sit on my books,' Remus joked.

    'What was that?' [y/n] asked with a smirk as she jumped on Remus in an awkward position that hurt both herself and Remus, although she tried her hardest not show it.

    'Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch. You're annoying and I don't like you,' Remus said.

[y/n] grabbed the book Remus was reading and stood by the open window of the compartment, dangling the pages of paper out of it.

    'So, what were you saying?' [y/n] teased.

    'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean any of it. I love you really, you're an amazing friend, now could you be a responsible prefect and give me back my book?' Remus pleaded.

    'Seeing as you asked so nicely,' [y/n] smiled, handing back Remus his book and sitting down next to him.

    'So, have you come up with a duty rota yet?' Remus asked James and Lily.

    'No,' James answered simply.

    'Well, I have a rough draft but I wanted you to have a look at it before we showed Dumbledore, Potter,' Lily said.

    'Can I have a look at it then?' James asked.

    'It's in my luggage back in my compartment if you want to come,' Lily told him.

    'Sure,' James replied, standing up and opening the compartment door for Lily to walk through.

    'Ever the gentleman, Prongs,' Sirius winked.

    'Hopefully it'll work this year,' James muttered as he followed Lily.

    'Am I right in believing –?'

'Oh, yeah, as if it's not obvious,' [y/n] interrupted. 'But you can't tell anyone, all right?'

    'If you say so,' Remus agreed. 'Only if you promise to do the telling-off on duty if we have to. You know how awkward I am.'

'Whatever you say, Moony.'

    A comfortable silence fell over the group as they pulled away from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters in the Hogwarts Express for the last time, the rolling emerald hills beside them seemingly endless on the drive to Scotland.

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