「THE DOE AND STAG 」
• Synopsis •
Doe Evergreen and James Potter met when they were kids. The pair despised each other until they both began their time at Hogwarts. As years went by, Doe realized her feelings for James a little too late, as he fell f...
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Just when Doe and the others thought they could enjoy some well-earned respite—it struck them all like a bolt of lightning that they still had NEWTs to prepare for. Of course, it wasn't going to be for several months until their exam, but they were all well aware that they would need to allot substantial portion of their schedules toward studying.
Taking their final year as it came, since the Marauders, Doe, Lily, and some of their friends who had grown close throughout the short period in the year—all had to strike a balance between their academic studies, NEWTs prep, and even meeting up with the Order to get information of the currents events of the war.
Their generation had endured much hardship and understood the full implications of the responsibility. They were aware that they had to strive for their best to ensure a bright future, especially for those they were concerned with.
Voldemort's desires were to undermine it all, and it was now their responsibility to resist and prevent the looming darkness.
Eventually, the challenges will become easier to bear. Someday it will be done. No one can foretell just when, but if they persisted and they believed — it will become a reality.
A few months had passed since their previous trials. It was now October of their current year. This was the time when the Marauders reached peak mischief, where nobody was spared from their pranks.
Doe was a prime example of this. She was seated in the Great Hall, eyes closed and face smothered in breakfast and pumpkin juice. She exhaled audibly as laughter echoed around, led by James, Remus, Sirius, and even Peter themselves.
As she slowly opened her eyes and wiped away the food, she slammed her hands on the table.
The males swiftly bolted away upon her reaction, recognizing her anger as a cue. As she chased after them, explosions could suddenly be heard throughout the Great Hall – evidently, their mischievous prank was taking hold once again.
It was like a ripple effect, starting from her table and branching out to engulf every other table. Her's was the catalyst that ignited the chain reaction.
Doe had gradually mellowed out with time as she pursued the males, unlike the intensity in the initial moments when the incident occurred. She was now filled with laughter rather than anger, acknowledging how such moments were to be cherished.
As thoughts of the impending future struck Doe, all playfulness ceased. James, who deliberately lagged behind the group, halted his journey as he glanced back, only to notice the tears sliding down her cheeks.
As Doe fell to her knees, her flood of tears would continue unabated. James rushed over to her side and the other marauders soon followed.
"See, I told you that we should've targeted someone else first," Sirius commented, with a raised hand and shake of his head, "We made her cry."
"Padfoo—Sirius," the two male marauders whispered in unison, a warning to their mischievous companion.
James, who was already kneeling, turned towards her upon hearing her voice. He could still see the tear-stained face beneath the bright smile she bore.
" Sorry, I just...realized that...moments like this won't be forever."
"Don't be sorry," he smiled gently, "Realizing that moments like these don't last forever is exactly what makes them worth cherishing."
Sirius was quick to break out in laughter upon Doe's words. "Oh Doe," he snickered, as he placed a hand over his stomach, "What makes you think that we'll ever stop pulling pranks? Do you really not know who we are?"
Remus and Peter both tilted their heads with chuckles of their own, unable to stop the giggles from taking hold at Sirius's comment.
"Right, until we're at Dumbledore's age, even," James echoed, further expanding on Sirius's sentiments.
"I can see that." Lily walked up behind Doe, accompanied by some of their shared friends. The remaining marauders saw this and all turned their attentions to her.
Artemis chimed in with a cheeky comment as she directed a wink towards Remus, making him momentarily avert his eyes, "If these bozos weren't pulling a new prank every day, I'd definitely think the world was coming to an end too,"
Lily echoed in agreement, "Who else would keep causing commotion if it wasn't them?"
Dilara Avci, who had joined the group alongside Artemis, contributed to the banter with a small remark.
"Or they were impersonators," she said weakly, stepping out from behind the larger females. Her regular hospital visits rendered her a barely-seen member of the friend group, but she remained an integral component regardless.
Doe swiftly stood up and looked at each of her friends, announcing her intent to lead them somewhere.
James, who had risen to his feet, took hold of her hand and offered reassurance, "Well then, lead the way."
The group of friends followed Doe as she led them to the Astronomy Tower. They shared puzzled glances as they wondered what she had wanted to show them, but before they could ask any questions, their friend began to head towards the railing and cupped her mouth.
"WHEN THE WAR IS OVER, I WANT TO BECOME A MEDIWITCH!" Doe's voice roared through the wind and echoed across the skies as she shouted, cupping her mouth. Realizing that her words may have carried further than she expected, she turned to the others.
"I know we all try not to discuss the war," she began to explain, "but instead we must think of what comes after. I want my future to be in Medicine and healing—what about all of you?" She questioned, turning to each friend in succession.
James stepped forward and cupped his mouth as per Doe's suggestion.
"WHEN THE WAR IS OVER, I WANT TO BECOME ONE OF THE BEST QUIDDITCH PLAYERS IN THE WORLD!" he shouted with much strength, further adding to the echo of Doe's own voice. He then turned to the remainder of the group, inviting them to share their own ambitions.
"So," he began, speaking to the others, "are you going to just stand there, or are you going to join in?"
With the first individual stepping forward to continue the pattern, the rest of the group soon joined in to express their own desires. Their futures would be dramatically altered following the end of the war, and while life seldom went as planned, it was essential to allow themselves to be a tad selfish and envision their hopes for after the war.
