Marauders to the End: Year One, Chapter One
TITLE: The Rat, the Stag, the Werewolf, and the Dog
FANDOM: Harry Potter
CHARACTERS: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Severus Snape, random OCs and parental units.
RATING: PG-13
WARNINGS: Child abuse, violence
SUMMARY: We meet our protagonists and a meeting is had.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY: This story dates back almost thirteen years, to my very earliest days as a fangirl. I had just learned about the concept of fan fiction when I decided I wanted to write my own, but being eight years old at the time, it wasn't terribly successful. Five years later, at age 13, I wrote the first few chapters of what was going to be my masterwork, the definitive, seven-part series about the Marauders' school days. Needless to say, I didn't finish it. I kept working on it all the way up until last year, got part way into the second part, and ran out of steam. I might go back to it at some point, but since its conception, the story has become less of a dramatic tale of adventurous misdeeds and turned into a sitcom crack fic. (More on that later.) As said, this first chapter was written when I was 13, and I haven't actually read it in a year or so. So here it is, uncut, unedited, Marauders to the End.
A dog was fighting
Always trying.
But none could hear
The poor boy's crying.
Sirius Black lived in hell.
Sort of.
At least, it felt like hell. His parents hated him enough. And the feeling was mutual.
His brother was no better. Regulus was so much trouble that Sirius wanted to pound him. But if Sirius so much as touched Regulus, he was pounded himself.
Probably the worst was Kreacher, the mad old House-elf who would mutter and curse and occasionally turn Sirius in for random things that he most likely didn't do. Yes, Sirius Black hated his family.
But he did not tamely accept this fate. No matter what happened, this young rebel would fight for his belief that everyone, wizard and Muggle alike, were equals, even if his surroundings said otherwise. He would escape or die fighting for what he believed in. Of course, at age eleven, he had no idea that the latter would be his fate, and that he would leave this world fighting a family member as he so often knew he would.
A werewolf was howling
On a moonlit slope.
Like the dog,
He had no hope.
Remus Lupin also lived in hell.
His hell wasn't quite as bad as Sirius's. True, his father was a drunk, and his poor mother was dead, but at least he wasn't beaten for no reason.
Of course, that was probably because everyone was afraid of him. He was a werewolf, and no one wanted to anger him for fear of setting him off on the full moon.
He kept his condition a secret, and shut himself away in the house he had always lived in. His dad came and went, sometimes on his own, sometimes carried home by some of his mates, sometimes not for days at a time.
Remus always ignored this, and took care of himself, letting the entire place fall into misery and decay, always remembering the day his mother died and what he might have done to save her. But it was too late now. And Remus swore on his mother's grave that he would never let somebody he cared for die, and that he would never become like his father. How very wrong he was.
A stag was running,
Flying free.
A boy as happy
As can be.
James Potter knew nothing of hell.
All he knew was the rich green land and beautiful blue sky. He knew not that somewhere, a rebellious young man was fighting the pressures of family life, and a bright but bitter boy was trying to survive long enough to be accepted. All he knew was that there was a beautiful country side, a clear blue sky, a happy home where the worst thing that could happen was dinner would occasionally burn, and the entire world was ahead of him.
That was James Potter's life. A present that was bright and promising, a wonderful past that he could lark back to without regret, and the future. That beautiful, wonderful future that would someday be his.
Little did James know how beautiful the future was for him. And how terrible...
A rat was walking,
With no strife.
Though sometimes hard,
His was a good life!
Peter Pettigrew had a fairly comfortable life. He lived in an average house, with his parents and younger sister, Polly. It could always better, but it could always be worse.
He didn’t fly free and do nothing but dream of the future. He didn’t fight to avoid being beaten to death. He didn’t have to work hard to get half a meal.
His mother took care of him and Polly, and loved them more than anyone could know. His father was a hard-working, respectable man, and it was always a joy for him to come home in the evenings. Peter and Polly were the best of friends, even if they were as different as night and day. Yes, it was a nice world to live in, a very nice world indeed. Even though there were so many things he wanted, it was a fine life!
All four of these boys were fated to meet. In a very short while, their paths would cross, and they would be changed forever. They would get everything they wanted...and then lose it to the most hateful spirits in the world: Hatred, Spite, Suspicion... and the worst man ever born.
Of course, Sirius Black didn't know that morning that in a few short hours, he'd be meeting his first friend in a long time. All he knew was that his mother was in a worse mood than usual, as demonstrated by the morning's wake-up call.
"GET UP OR I'LL FEED YOU TO KREACHER!" Mrs. Walburga Black shouted up the stairs. She was a rather pretty woman, or would have been if her face wasn't always contorted with rage.
Better than hearing you scream at me all day, Sirius's rebel side thought. But he didn't say it out loud. For one thing, he was too tired to shout down the stairs. And for another thing, he would be severely injured if he did.
Remus Lupin woke up tired and sore, as usual, but in higher spirits than yesterday. He couldn't believe his good luck from the night before when he had gone through the attic to see if his parents had had some of the books he needed, because he hadn't had enough money to buy all of them.
He had found some of the books he needed, and some he hadn't but wanted to read anyways. Then he had noticed the little chest.
It was made of wood, and was completely uninteresting, except for the letters B.A.M.L. carved into it.
Those were the initials of Remus's late mother, and just looking at them made him remember everything. He had gone to it, compelled by instincts of his own.
He had opened it and gasped. Inside was more money than he had ever imagined his mother having. True, it was only a few hundred galleons, but it would be enough to buy his school things new and still have something enough left to eat until he left for Hogwarts.
Remus smiled. It was going to be a good morning.
Sirius hated shopping, unless it meant getting a few items to...ahem...treat his brother to, even if it meant another black eye (he'd already gotten one that week) and scrubbing cauldrons for a week. He didn't know why, but he was a natural born prankster in the wrong family.
Other than joke shops, Sirius and shopping didn't mix, especially when it included his mother, as proven by noon, when she gave him some money and told him to go get his books.
Sirius took off at full speed, before she could change her mind. He went straight to(God forbid) the bookstore.
Remus went outside in daylight for the first time in nearly a week. He only left when absolutely necessary, and because of that, and the fact that he had what some might call an illness, he was very pale. He wasn't bad looking, but he usually tried to blend in with the woods.
He went outside and threw out his arm. Immediately, a large, violet triple-decker bus appeared out of nowhere. The door opened, and a young wizard stepped out.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus," he said. "Emergency transpor-"
"Yeah, thanks, Steve," Remus said.
"Hey, Ern!" Steve called to the driver. "It's Remus Lupin!"
"Yes, we know its Remus Lupin, are you blind?" Remus was in no mood for Steve's pointless caterwauling. "Now will you please just tell me how much it is to get to Diagon Ally?"
"All right, all right, ten sickles!"
"Thank you!" Remus snapped.
Ern shook his head. "You talk just like her. Snappish, impatient, never one for friendly conversation..." He trailed off at the look on Remus's face.
Remus made it to Diagon Ally in one piece, which was quite a surprise given Ern's driving skills. He had been here a few times before, and was familiar with most of the shops. He got most of his supplies without incident. Then he went to Flourish and Blotts.
Sirius hated bookstores. Sirius really hated bookstores. He always thought that all books had something against him, unless they were books with...ahem...useful information. Unfortunately, he only had a limited amount of time, let alone money, so he couldn't even think about these.
Sirius searched for his books, regretting every second he was there. He wished he'd taken advantage of the situation and gone to the joke shop, even if he couldn't buy anything.
He found everything he needed and was about to leave when another boy about his age walked in.
He was a sallow skinned boy with lank, greasy hair, a hooked nose, and cold, dark eyes.
Sirius didn't know why, but he didn't like this boy. Perhaps it was just the air about him, or those eyes that were so cold a Dementor would shiver. It didn't matter what it was. Sirius most definitely hated this boy.
The boy seemed to notice he was being watched, because he turned around. The moment he say Sirius, his eyes narrowed in dislike, and Sirius knew the hate he felt was going to be mutual.
The boy made his way over to Sirius. "What are you looking at?" he asked
Sirius swallowed. He didn't know if he should insult this boy. He didn't think he should, since he didn't even know him.
"At the most fascinating thing anyone could look at," Sirius answered, figuring this was as neutral as it could get. However, this was the wrong thing to say.
"Think you're all that, don't you?" the little slime ball asked. "Think you're better than me, you silly little pixie?"
"Basically, yeah," Sirius said. "'Cause I'm not a slimy little git like you." He turned away.
He hoped it wouldn't end in violence, but...
"Anmediam!" A jet of dark blue light came from behind Sirius. He ducked, and the spell hit another boy a few feet in front of him, who was just reaching up to get one of the books on the first year supply list.
When the spell hit Remus, he didn't quite know what had happened at first. That was probably due to the fact that he fell into the bookshelf, and after several hundred heavy volumes fell on him, (it was just now clarified by the shop manager who was on duty that it was 754, plus the bookcase) it wasn't clear that this crucial member of our story wasn't going to return to the house in the middle of nowhere to read the books he was looking for. But he was alive, and after about five minutes, he awoke to see a pair of concerned gray eyes, one of which was severely blackened and bruised, looking down at him.
"Are you ok?" the boy above him said
"Never been better," Remus said sarcastically. "I like being hit on the head with the biggest books in the shop."
The other boy laughed and helped Remus to his feet. Remus felt that he'd like this boy. He looked as though he'd had never known better times, and wouldn’t last long enough to know love. Sort of, Remus thought. Sort of like me. Yet underneath the loss and despair, underneath the black eye that looked so startling against such a handsome and innocent face, this boy's eye's were kind, and seemed to have a mischievous glint, a quality that was always laughing, no matter what hardships came upon him.
"Sorry about that," he said.
"That's all right, it's not your fault." Remus didn't think this boy should be apologizing. He didn't cast the spell.
"What's your name?" Remus asked.
"Sirius. Sirius Black."
"I'm Remus Lupin."
The two boys shook hands just as the door opened.
Sirius turned quickly and gasped as the most unpleasant looking woman Remus had ever seen entered the shop.
“It’s my mother,” Sirius whispered, pulling Remus around a shelf. “She doesn’t like anyone, especially me, so you’d better watch out if she knows you’re friendly with me.”
Remus nodded, wondering how a mother could hate her own son. His own poor mother had never been anything but good to him.
“Sirius? Sirius, where are you, sweetheart?” Mrs. Black’s voice was sweet. Deadly sweet.
“Coming, Mother.” Sirius stepped from behind the shelf.
“Have you gotten all your books?”
“I just need one more,” Sirius replied. His voice sounded flat and neutral. If he was lying, he was doing a very good job of it. Remus wondered about that. Why should anyone lie to their own mother? What could they gain?
Sirius went back behind the bookshelf. “Listen, Remus,” he hissed. “I’m going to have to leave. I’ll see you at Hogwarts, all right?”
Remus nodded. Sirius scanned the shelves, grabbed a book at random, and ran out from behind the shelf. Remus heard him talking to the manager, then heard the door open and close, and the first boy to be kind to Remus in a long time was gone.
Sirius hoped he’d see Remus at Hogwarts. He seemed nice, and Sirius had needed someone to be nice to him for a very long time. He didn’t even know how long it had been since his parents had started to hate him, since all the beatings and lectures and shouting had began. How long? he wondered. How long?
He knew better than to mention Remus to his mother. She had made it quite clear when it had started years ago that he was only allowed to make friends with “respectable, pureblood children.” Sirius wasn’t sure if Remus fell into this category, but he’d certainly never heard the name “Lupin” in the list of acceptable families his mother had given him. He’d heard it so many times, he could recite it by heart. Malfoy, Crabbe, Nott, Goyle, almost any of his relatives… the usual suspects.
“What took you so long?” Mrs. Black asked in her “nice voice,” the one reserved for guests and public places so no one would know what she was really like.
“Had a bit of a problem finding my books,” Sirius answered with a shrug. He didn’t want to tell her he’d had a problem with a boy she’d probably approve of, especially if he disliked her son.
“Hmm…” Sirius could tell he was going to get hit when he got home. Hard. Across the mouth. Fortunately, he was very talented, and had figured out how to put a Permanent Sticking charm on his teeth when he was about eight.
He was right. The moment they got in the door, she hit him with such force that Sirius fell and collided with the coffee table.
“That’s for wasting my precious time,” she snapped. Regulus, who had been watching from the inside doorway, laughed.
Sirius was left on the floor, a horrible cut on his forehead where he’d been hit.
It was bleeding as much as Sirius had bled in his entire life.
FANDOM: Harry Potter
CHARACTERS: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Severus Snape, random OCs and parental units.
RATING: PG-13
WARNINGS: Child abuse, violence
SUMMARY: We meet our protagonists and a meeting is had.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY: This story dates back almost thirteen years, to my very earliest days as a fangirl. I had just learned about the concept of fan fiction when I decided I wanted to write my own, but being eight years old at the time, it wasn't terribly successful. Five years later, at age 13, I wrote the first few chapters of what was going to be my masterwork, the definitive, seven-part series about the Marauders' school days. Needless to say, I didn't finish it. I kept working on it all the way up until last year, got part way into the second part, and ran out of steam. I might go back to it at some point, but since its conception, the story has become less of a dramatic tale of adventurous misdeeds and turned into a sitcom crack fic. (More on that later.) As said, this first chapter was written when I was 13, and I haven't actually read it in a year or so. So here it is, uncut, unedited, Marauders to the End.
A dog was fighting
Always trying.
But none could hear
The poor boy's crying.
Sirius Black lived in hell.
Sort of.
At least, it felt like hell. His parents hated him enough. And the feeling was mutual.
His brother was no better. Regulus was so much trouble that Sirius wanted to pound him. But if Sirius so much as touched Regulus, he was pounded himself.
Probably the worst was Kreacher, the mad old House-elf who would mutter and curse and occasionally turn Sirius in for random things that he most likely didn't do. Yes, Sirius Black hated his family.
But he did not tamely accept this fate. No matter what happened, this young rebel would fight for his belief that everyone, wizard and Muggle alike, were equals, even if his surroundings said otherwise. He would escape or die fighting for what he believed in. Of course, at age eleven, he had no idea that the latter would be his fate, and that he would leave this world fighting a family member as he so often knew he would.
A werewolf was howling
On a moonlit slope.
Like the dog,
He had no hope.
Remus Lupin also lived in hell.
His hell wasn't quite as bad as Sirius's. True, his father was a drunk, and his poor mother was dead, but at least he wasn't beaten for no reason.
Of course, that was probably because everyone was afraid of him. He was a werewolf, and no one wanted to anger him for fear of setting him off on the full moon.
He kept his condition a secret, and shut himself away in the house he had always lived in. His dad came and went, sometimes on his own, sometimes carried home by some of his mates, sometimes not for days at a time.
Remus always ignored this, and took care of himself, letting the entire place fall into misery and decay, always remembering the day his mother died and what he might have done to save her. But it was too late now. And Remus swore on his mother's grave that he would never let somebody he cared for die, and that he would never become like his father. How very wrong he was.
A stag was running,
Flying free.
A boy as happy
As can be.
James Potter knew nothing of hell.
All he knew was the rich green land and beautiful blue sky. He knew not that somewhere, a rebellious young man was fighting the pressures of family life, and a bright but bitter boy was trying to survive long enough to be accepted. All he knew was that there was a beautiful country side, a clear blue sky, a happy home where the worst thing that could happen was dinner would occasionally burn, and the entire world was ahead of him.
That was James Potter's life. A present that was bright and promising, a wonderful past that he could lark back to without regret, and the future. That beautiful, wonderful future that would someday be his.
Little did James know how beautiful the future was for him. And how terrible...
A rat was walking,
With no strife.
Though sometimes hard,
His was a good life!
Peter Pettigrew had a fairly comfortable life. He lived in an average house, with his parents and younger sister, Polly. It could always better, but it could always be worse.
He didn’t fly free and do nothing but dream of the future. He didn’t fight to avoid being beaten to death. He didn’t have to work hard to get half a meal.
His mother took care of him and Polly, and loved them more than anyone could know. His father was a hard-working, respectable man, and it was always a joy for him to come home in the evenings. Peter and Polly were the best of friends, even if they were as different as night and day. Yes, it was a nice world to live in, a very nice world indeed. Even though there were so many things he wanted, it was a fine life!
All four of these boys were fated to meet. In a very short while, their paths would cross, and they would be changed forever. They would get everything they wanted...and then lose it to the most hateful spirits in the world: Hatred, Spite, Suspicion... and the worst man ever born.
Of course, Sirius Black didn't know that morning that in a few short hours, he'd be meeting his first friend in a long time. All he knew was that his mother was in a worse mood than usual, as demonstrated by the morning's wake-up call.
"GET UP OR I'LL FEED YOU TO KREACHER!" Mrs. Walburga Black shouted up the stairs. She was a rather pretty woman, or would have been if her face wasn't always contorted with rage.
Better than hearing you scream at me all day, Sirius's rebel side thought. But he didn't say it out loud. For one thing, he was too tired to shout down the stairs. And for another thing, he would be severely injured if he did.
Remus Lupin woke up tired and sore, as usual, but in higher spirits than yesterday. He couldn't believe his good luck from the night before when he had gone through the attic to see if his parents had had some of the books he needed, because he hadn't had enough money to buy all of them.
He had found some of the books he needed, and some he hadn't but wanted to read anyways. Then he had noticed the little chest.
It was made of wood, and was completely uninteresting, except for the letters B.A.M.L. carved into it.
Those were the initials of Remus's late mother, and just looking at them made him remember everything. He had gone to it, compelled by instincts of his own.
He had opened it and gasped. Inside was more money than he had ever imagined his mother having. True, it was only a few hundred galleons, but it would be enough to buy his school things new and still have something enough left to eat until he left for Hogwarts.
Remus smiled. It was going to be a good morning.
Sirius hated shopping, unless it meant getting a few items to...ahem...treat his brother to, even if it meant another black eye (he'd already gotten one that week) and scrubbing cauldrons for a week. He didn't know why, but he was a natural born prankster in the wrong family.
Other than joke shops, Sirius and shopping didn't mix, especially when it included his mother, as proven by noon, when she gave him some money and told him to go get his books.
Sirius took off at full speed, before she could change her mind. He went straight to(God forbid) the bookstore.
Remus went outside in daylight for the first time in nearly a week. He only left when absolutely necessary, and because of that, and the fact that he had what some might call an illness, he was very pale. He wasn't bad looking, but he usually tried to blend in with the woods.
He went outside and threw out his arm. Immediately, a large, violet triple-decker bus appeared out of nowhere. The door opened, and a young wizard stepped out.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus," he said. "Emergency transpor-"
"Yeah, thanks, Steve," Remus said.
"Hey, Ern!" Steve called to the driver. "It's Remus Lupin!"
"Yes, we know its Remus Lupin, are you blind?" Remus was in no mood for Steve's pointless caterwauling. "Now will you please just tell me how much it is to get to Diagon Ally?"
"All right, all right, ten sickles!"
"Thank you!" Remus snapped.
Ern shook his head. "You talk just like her. Snappish, impatient, never one for friendly conversation..." He trailed off at the look on Remus's face.
Remus made it to Diagon Ally in one piece, which was quite a surprise given Ern's driving skills. He had been here a few times before, and was familiar with most of the shops. He got most of his supplies without incident. Then he went to Flourish and Blotts.
Sirius hated bookstores. Sirius really hated bookstores. He always thought that all books had something against him, unless they were books with...ahem...useful information. Unfortunately, he only had a limited amount of time, let alone money, so he couldn't even think about these.
Sirius searched for his books, regretting every second he was there. He wished he'd taken advantage of the situation and gone to the joke shop, even if he couldn't buy anything.
He found everything he needed and was about to leave when another boy about his age walked in.
He was a sallow skinned boy with lank, greasy hair, a hooked nose, and cold, dark eyes.
Sirius didn't know why, but he didn't like this boy. Perhaps it was just the air about him, or those eyes that were so cold a Dementor would shiver. It didn't matter what it was. Sirius most definitely hated this boy.
The boy seemed to notice he was being watched, because he turned around. The moment he say Sirius, his eyes narrowed in dislike, and Sirius knew the hate he felt was going to be mutual.
The boy made his way over to Sirius. "What are you looking at?" he asked
Sirius swallowed. He didn't know if he should insult this boy. He didn't think he should, since he didn't even know him.
"At the most fascinating thing anyone could look at," Sirius answered, figuring this was as neutral as it could get. However, this was the wrong thing to say.
"Think you're all that, don't you?" the little slime ball asked. "Think you're better than me, you silly little pixie?"
"Basically, yeah," Sirius said. "'Cause I'm not a slimy little git like you." He turned away.
He hoped it wouldn't end in violence, but...
"Anmediam!" A jet of dark blue light came from behind Sirius. He ducked, and the spell hit another boy a few feet in front of him, who was just reaching up to get one of the books on the first year supply list.
When the spell hit Remus, he didn't quite know what had happened at first. That was probably due to the fact that he fell into the bookshelf, and after several hundred heavy volumes fell on him, (it was just now clarified by the shop manager who was on duty that it was 754, plus the bookcase) it wasn't clear that this crucial member of our story wasn't going to return to the house in the middle of nowhere to read the books he was looking for. But he was alive, and after about five minutes, he awoke to see a pair of concerned gray eyes, one of which was severely blackened and bruised, looking down at him.
"Are you ok?" the boy above him said
"Never been better," Remus said sarcastically. "I like being hit on the head with the biggest books in the shop."
The other boy laughed and helped Remus to his feet. Remus felt that he'd like this boy. He looked as though he'd had never known better times, and wouldn’t last long enough to know love. Sort of, Remus thought. Sort of like me. Yet underneath the loss and despair, underneath the black eye that looked so startling against such a handsome and innocent face, this boy's eye's were kind, and seemed to have a mischievous glint, a quality that was always laughing, no matter what hardships came upon him.
"Sorry about that," he said.
"That's all right, it's not your fault." Remus didn't think this boy should be apologizing. He didn't cast the spell.
"What's your name?" Remus asked.
"Sirius. Sirius Black."
"I'm Remus Lupin."
The two boys shook hands just as the door opened.
Sirius turned quickly and gasped as the most unpleasant looking woman Remus had ever seen entered the shop.
“It’s my mother,” Sirius whispered, pulling Remus around a shelf. “She doesn’t like anyone, especially me, so you’d better watch out if she knows you’re friendly with me.”
Remus nodded, wondering how a mother could hate her own son. His own poor mother had never been anything but good to him.
“Sirius? Sirius, where are you, sweetheart?” Mrs. Black’s voice was sweet. Deadly sweet.
“Coming, Mother.” Sirius stepped from behind the shelf.
“Have you gotten all your books?”
“I just need one more,” Sirius replied. His voice sounded flat and neutral. If he was lying, he was doing a very good job of it. Remus wondered about that. Why should anyone lie to their own mother? What could they gain?
Sirius went back behind the bookshelf. “Listen, Remus,” he hissed. “I’m going to have to leave. I’ll see you at Hogwarts, all right?”
Remus nodded. Sirius scanned the shelves, grabbed a book at random, and ran out from behind the shelf. Remus heard him talking to the manager, then heard the door open and close, and the first boy to be kind to Remus in a long time was gone.
Sirius hoped he’d see Remus at Hogwarts. He seemed nice, and Sirius had needed someone to be nice to him for a very long time. He didn’t even know how long it had been since his parents had started to hate him, since all the beatings and lectures and shouting had began. How long? he wondered. How long?
He knew better than to mention Remus to his mother. She had made it quite clear when it had started years ago that he was only allowed to make friends with “respectable, pureblood children.” Sirius wasn’t sure if Remus fell into this category, but he’d certainly never heard the name “Lupin” in the list of acceptable families his mother had given him. He’d heard it so many times, he could recite it by heart. Malfoy, Crabbe, Nott, Goyle, almost any of his relatives… the usual suspects.
“What took you so long?” Mrs. Black asked in her “nice voice,” the one reserved for guests and public places so no one would know what she was really like.
“Had a bit of a problem finding my books,” Sirius answered with a shrug. He didn’t want to tell her he’d had a problem with a boy she’d probably approve of, especially if he disliked her son.
“Hmm…” Sirius could tell he was going to get hit when he got home. Hard. Across the mouth. Fortunately, he was very talented, and had figured out how to put a Permanent Sticking charm on his teeth when he was about eight.
He was right. The moment they got in the door, she hit him with such force that Sirius fell and collided with the coffee table.
“That’s for wasting my precious time,” she snapped. Regulus, who had been watching from the inside doorway, laughed.
Sirius was left on the floor, a horrible cut on his forehead where he’d been hit.
It was bleeding as much as Sirius had bled in his entire life.