From Beginning to End

Chapter 46: The Marauders

TW
drug mentions
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The next day golden rays streamed down, a glittering fortress surrounding the inhabitants of the vast, stone castle. A lake, like a siren, called young children to play and drown in its murky waters. Fresh spring blossoms floated in the afternoon breeze, reminding the world that a new page had been turned.

     A young girl closed her eyes and basked in the warmth that northern Scotland rarely brought this time of year. History called out but she ignored him. After all, the past was the past.

     A boy marked with jagged lines of pink smirked to her left. "So Sirius is—"

     "Don't finish that sentence if you want to see another day," the girl interrupted without so much as opening her eyes. Out of a pocket came a small baggy. She tossed it to him. "Take this. I can't be trusted with it."

     The boy didn't need to be seen to know that he wore an expression of deep disappointment. A sigh mingled with the wind. So many months of progress seemingly disappearing before their eyes. A pop sounded and the bag was gone, never to be seen again.

     "I didn't take it, you know."

     "Okay."

     The girl's lips curled downward, her eyes flickering open. She did not turn to him. "You don't believe me."

     The boy stood, rubbing imaginary dust from his trousers. "Given your track record...no." his footsteps receded.

    The two had made a pact back in December. A pact to be good, to not give into substances and other vices. Neither were great with keeping their word though.

    In History of Magic a week or so later, James nudged Sirius who caught the attention of the other two. Peter giggled under his breath, Remus rolled his eyes in amusement and Sirius smirked as James pulled out his wand, attention fixed on Severus Snape a few rows over.

He muttered a spell, his friends high-fiving and cheering as he did.

Soon, the Slytherin began muttering profanities towards the Gryffindors. His text books and desk overall was covered in a syrup-looking goop ruining his progress.

This had caught the attention of many others in the small classroom who had begun to whisper and laugh amongst one-another.

A Slytherin nearby, one of Stella Malfoy's friends coughed loudly. The boys doubted it had been a cough at all.

     Sirius saw his potions partner, Shepard, who sat behind the sniveling idiot, lean forward. She said something that he could not make out but seemed pleased with herself. Stella, beside her, snorted loudly but Binn's didn't notice.

Evans was glaring at both of them. Snape too glared scathingly, but Shepard just shrugged, leaning back in her seat.

"It wasn't me."

     "Yes, I know it wasn't you, Shepard," he snapped. "It was those-those—Marauders!"

     Sirius shared a glance with James who instantly wrote the term down. They'd been meaning to come up with a group name for a while now. What better than a name that Snivelous would despise?

Remus caught Calista's eyes and winked while the others continued to giggle at the hilarity of it all.

     "And in 1807 the Goblin..."

Oh right, they were supposed to be learning...oops.

     As class ended, Lily Evans marched straight up to Potter, eyes ablaze with anger. "That wasn't funny," she snapped at him and the others. "What has he done to you?"