“Well, well, well, look who we have here. How are my favorite ladies doing this evening?” asked Sirius Black with a goofy grin on his face as Lily, Meredith, and Kelly climbed into the carriage.
“Andy,” Black added with a nod as Andy climbed in. Andy, unlike the girls, was on fairly good terms with the Marauders. In fact, he had been good friends with them in their first and second years before drifting away as he became friends with Lily, Meredith, and Kelly. Andy probably would have even become a Marauder with a silly nickname and everything else that set the four boys aside if he had kept up the friendship. Instead of Andy, however, a chubby boy with mousy brown hair named Peter Pettigrew took his place. Lily did not quite see what Black, Potter, and Remus saw in the boy. Pettigrew was not quite up to par with them physically, socially, or even academically. He tagged along with their group, drawn to their leadership and power in the school.
As they took their seats, Lily saw that the Marauders had changed over the summer just like her friends had. Remus Lupin, the only sensible one in the group in Lily’s opinion, was not quite as shabby and bedraggled looking as usual. It looked as if he had grown an inch or two over the summer, making him appear even older and mature. Peter Pettigrew had seemed to gain an inch or so as well, except his happened to be around the middle. And although she did not want to admit it, both Sirius Black and James Potter seemed to have grown taller and become even more attractive. Black’s dark hair was longer, hanging about his face and framing his handsome features. Potter’s jet black hair was also longer and more untidy than ever, but it did not look half bad this year Lily noticed. All the boys appeared to have finally grown into their adult bodies and with the addition of four extra bodies, the carriage was very cramped.
“So, what classes are you boys taking this year?” Kelly asked. Lily stared at her friend in disbelief. Only Kelly would strike up a friendly, casual conversation with the Marauders.
“Oh, we’re taking the usual load: Transfiguration, Charms, Potions and the lot. We might add in a few pranks here and a couple of girls there, though,” Black said as he flashed his white teeth at them. “James might even try to take on Evans this year. It is his last chance.”
Lily dropped her jaw with indignation while Potter turned beet red.
“Sirius, I mean it,” Potter muttered sharply, elbowing Black in the side.
“Fine, fine, if you want to be like that, go ahead. I’m not stopping you.”
As they were carried down the road to Hogwarts for the last time, Black eventually lost interest in annoying the girls, considering they tried their best to ignore him, and began a conversation with Potter and Andy.
“So, who do you think the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher is going to be?” Black asked.
“How do you know Calderwood won’t be here this year again?” asked Andy. Black and Potter exchanged glances.
“There’s a curse on the job,” Potter said simply. “Think back over the last six years we’ve been here. Have we ever had one for more than a year?”
“No, I guess we haven’t now that I think about it,” replied Andy. “Why is there a curse on the job?” He glanced over at the girls, silently asking them if they thought the Marauders had anything to do with this.
“Beats me,” Black answered, shrugging his shoulders. “But it doesn’t really bother me; no one can possibly be worse than Calderwood. How many detentions do you think she had given us by the end of last year, Prongs?”
“Probably over a hundred, at least,” said Potter with a chuckle. There was silence for a few moments until Potter spoke again.
“I can think of someone worse than Calderwood, though. My dad’s an Auror and he’s heard rumors of some wizard who calls himself ‘Lord Voldemort.’ He’s supposedly a power hungry maniac who kills whoever he wants whenever he wants.” Potter stopped at the groups’ worried looks. “But who knows? My dad could be wrong. Volde”what’s his name could be nothing but a disturbed escapee of St. Mungos.” He tried to laugh off the last dark and foreboding few seconds before Remus quickly changed the subject.
“Look, we’re here,” Remus announced as the carriage stopped in front of the school. Lily and her friends got out of the carriage and parted from the Marauders. They were silent walking the distance from the carriage to the great doors of the Entrance Hall, thinking about what Potter had just said. Surely Voldemort was not a threat to them! They were at Hogwarts, protected by the best headmaster the school had seen in years. Although she assured herself of her safety, still, there was something deep down inside Lily that was unsure.
*****
As they entered Hogwarts, Lily let out a sigh of relief. She was finally home. The vastness of the Great Hall still overwhelmed her like it did the day she had first stepped into the hall. Above, the ceiling accurately portrayed the evening sky, a mix of navy blue sprinkled with indigo and other various shades of blue.
After the sorting of the new and terrified looking first years, Lily along with the rest of the school enjoyed a delicious meal, making her appreciate Hogwarts all the more. As she chatted with her friends, she glanced over at the Marauders. Usually, she would catch Potter sneaking glances at her. However, he seemed as though he didn’t even know she existed. For some reason, Lily felt somewhat disappointed at this new change. Even though she loathed Potter with all her might, his drastic disinterest in her bothered Lily and she even felt a bit insulted.
As she was finishing up her dessert, Dumbledore rose to conclude the dinner and dismiss the students to bed.
“Now that your bellies are full and I see that some of you yawning, I hope you will spare me a few words before I dismiss you to bed. First, students are reminded that the Forbidden Forrest is off limits. Secondly, Quidditch try-outs are coming up. Check with the Head of your House or Quidditch Captain for specific dates. I would also like to remind the Head Boy and Girl to report to my office for a brief meeting. They should know that I am fond of lemon drops.” Here, Dumbledore winked at Lily. “I hope you all have a good night and sleep well. Classes begin bright and early tomorrow morning.”
Lily groaned. The Head meeting with Dumbledore and Potter had completely slipped her mind. She stood up to leave for the Headmaster’s office, but being the good student that she was, Lily was not completely sure where his office was. She looked around for Potter but, he managed to elude her gaze and disappear into the crowd.
Fortunately, Lily was able to navigate her way through the castle well enough to find her way to Dumbledore’s office. As she entered, she sat down in a cushioned chair in front of a smiling Dumbledore and next to Potter who was staring intently at the various spinning objects on the headmaster’s desk.
“James, Lily,” Dumbledore began. “First, I would like to congratulate you again on becoming the Head Boy and Girl of the school. You should be very proud of yourselves. You have proven your leadership skills over and over again these last six years which has earned you this position. Second, I would like to inform you of your duties this year. I’ll be brief, as I know that you need your sleep.”
“You will be responsible for patrolling the castle every Monday and Friday nights. The Prefects from each of the four houses patrol Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights and teachers patrol on Sunday nights. You will also be in charge of the passwords for each of the houses. You are free to change them whenever you feel necessary, though I will forewarn you that if this duty is abused,” he glanced at Potter with a slight smile, “then it will be taken away. Finally, every few months, you should meet with the Prefects. This can be brief” just review how their weekly patrolling duties have been going and if they have had any general problems with their position. I trust that you two will do a fine job. If you have any questions at all, please do not be afraid to ask.”
Dumbledore beamed as they got up from their seats and left his office. Even though the headmaster had made her job seem easy, Lily doubted that it would be simple working with Potter. She sighed, knowing she was in for a rough year ahead.
More than Meets the Eye by lilybobily7
Chapter Notes: Disclaimer: This world belongs to JKR.
Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Endnotes: Well, what did you think? I would love to hear your opinions!