I own nothing from the Harry Potter Universe

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Snap!

A twig broke under the weight of someone's (or more likely, something's) step.

Lily whirled around and searched the darkness behind her, now certain that something was following her.

Normally, she felt at ease in the Forbidden Forest, despite its rather bleak name. During her many romps through its gnarly trees and winding paths, she always took great care to respect it and the integrity of the beings that called its magical environment home. However, her walk in the forest tonight after her Care of Magical Creatures test last period (which she easily aced, she had always had a way with animals) had left her with an unsettling feeling of being watched…

Turning around slowly, she continued to make her way back to Hogwarts and the dull security that was her feather bed. Her thoughts turned to Hogwarts and her feet followed. Hogwarts, her true home and the only place she truly felt safe and appreciated, by her professors, not by her peers. Most of her fellow students avoided her, finding her a little too odd to accept into their cliques, yet not sufficiently bothersome to warrant bullying or harassment.

Yes, Lily was usually just left alone with her books, her drawing, and her eccentricities. Not that she minded, of course, her exemption from the tiresomely shallow teenage hierarchy just gave her more time to devote to her studies and her passion for art and animals, or, at least that's what she told herself when she saw other kids her age laughing and having fun with their friends…

Lily pulled her jumper more firmly around her slim body as she slowed her pace, relishing the feel of the breeze whipping her bright red hair against her face. She swung her sketchbook by her side as she hummed a recent pop hit she had heard on the wireless in the common room the other night. Climbing over a fallen tree, she bent down to retie her shoelace when she heard an odd noise. She couldn't place it because it sounded muffled by a piece of material.

Honestly, this was getting ridiculous, Lily thought.

"Hello!" She called out, not really expecting a reply.

Frowning at the serene sounds of birds chirping and the low wailing cry of an augurey in the distance, Lily backtracked a few yards, fully intent on telling whatever was following her just how rude trailing someone for half an hour was in polite society (fully forgetting the forest was not equal to Almack's and etiquette was not exactly a priority with most inhabitants…).

Climbing back over the fallen tree, Lily went in the direction she had heard most of the sounds. Making sure she was avoiding any poisonous plants, she walked through the trees, thinking that maybe she—

Thump!

Lily's thoughts were interrupted as she found herself with her back against the cold ground and her feet tangled around a root. Dammit, she thought as she picked herself up, dusted her jeans off, deciding to hell with it and went to turn back to the castle. Then she saw it.

A bundle of cloth on the path.

An abandoned bundle of cloth on the path.

An abandoned whimpering bundle of cloth on the path.

Now, Lily was by no means an expert on abandoned bundles of cloth, but she was fairly certain they were not supposed to whimper…

Cautiously inching towards it, she held out her wand and poked it.

Nothing.

She poked it again.

Still nothing.

Completely baffled, she could only stand there bewildered until it let out a piercing wail.

Nearly jumping out of her skin, Lily recognized the sound she had heard earlier. It was crying. It was a baby crying.

Bleeding hell.

Lily looked down at the sight before her. The bundle of cloth had unraveled when its occupant had let out a particularly loud wail and Lily could fully see it. It beat its tiny fists in the air, obviously extremely dissatisfied with its current situation. Lily would have found its head of golden curls and huge blue eyes adorably cherubic, that is, of course, if it wasn't screaming bloody murder in the middle of a bleeding forest!

Lily started to panic. What the bleeding fuck was a baby doing in the forest! And who had been following her! She had just passed by here, whoever it was had heard her retracing her steps and left the baby, a her, or him, no, wait, definitely a him (the blanket had moved aside and revealed chubby little legs that were also beating in the air in discomfort), on the path for her to find!

Lily stood, completely immobile. What was she supposed to do? As she stood staring at the baby, she quickly realized that whatever she decided to do, she couldn't let him freeze. Moving down beside him, her hands shook as she readjusted the blanket tightly around him, slightly appeasing him for the moment. She laughed at her shaking hands, marveling at her discomfort. She had faced ashwinders, boggarts and even Aragog in this forest and not batted an eyelid, yet when confronted with a harmless baby, she got the shakes!

She quickly looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of anyone, anything, to help solve this mystery.

No dice.

Sighing, she considered her options. Well, what could she even do? It's not like she could just take him back to the castle, Dumbledore would—

Wait! Of course! She would take the little tyke to Dumbledore! The brilliant old wizard would surely know what to do!

Smiling at her good luck at having such a kind-hearted genius as her headmaster, she bent down and reached for the baby. Picking it up as she would if handling a small animal in CoMC class, she almost dropped it when it let out a great wail. She grimaced and held it closer, attempting to imitate how the sisters at the orphanage where she stayed during the summer handled the babies.

Thinking her eardrums might burst if he reached a higher pitch (and more than a little worried at the remarkable shade of red the baby was turning), she did the only thing she could think of.

She sang.

Her voice was still a little shaky from her recent shock but the sweet, melodic tones seemed to sooth the child in her arms as she rocked it back and forth.

Having never really considered herself a maternal sort of girl, Lily was quite surprised to find herself smiling down at the babe. Snapping out of it, she quickly reprimanded herself for getting sentimental feelings towards the little wailer. After all, Dumbledore would soon find the irresponsible mother and fix this misunderstanding.

Charming her sketchbook to fit in her pocket, Lily set off towards the castle, thinking how funny it was going to be to walk into Dumbledore's office with a baby in her arms. Chuckling to herself and singing to the baby, she planned out what she would say to the Headmaster.

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"So…" Albus Dumbledore said, letting his serious tone wash over the boys in front of him. Not that it affected them, of course. The Marauders all looked at him with wide innocent eyes and blank expressions.

"So," he began again, willing his eyes not to show the amusement he was feeling at the news of their latest prank. "You boys will never believe what Professor Slughorn has just informed me of…"

The boys all seamlessly cocked their heads to the side inquisitively, as if they had no idea what the Potions Master had found wrong with his store cupboard.

Dumbledore steepled his fingers beneath his long beard and frowned at the group of boys assembled in front of him, each one the picture of innocence and virtue. Of course, being the Headmaster for the last 6 years, Albus knew better than to trust the façade before him.

James Potter and Sirius Black sat in the two middle chairs, perfectly at ease beneath the scrutiny of the older wizard. Dumbledore was incredibly wise and just as fair; they did not fear him, although they had great respect for him. The two boys were in this office almost as much as he was, always accused of some misdemeanor or another, yet far too clever to ever have something proven against them. After 6 years of transgressions, most professors didn't even bother reporting them now. In fact, the professors seemed to be almost as fond of them as the students were. Everywhere they went they were the objects of great admiration, always setting the standards for 'cool', whatever that means…

Obviously, this admiration rubbed off on them, nurturing their egos. It didn't help that both boys were abnormally handsome in their own way, James with his attractive coffee-brown eyes, untamable hair, and carefree wit, and Sirius with his gorgeous black locks, steel-gray eyes, and self-assured charm. Together, they had broken more hearts and rules than any other duo to date. In short, they had the run of the school.

On either side of them sat another vital part of the Marauding team: Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Remus, although arguably as attractive as the other two, had a better sense of judgment and was less obvious about his transgressions, when playing with both hearts and with rules. However, this refined sense of wisdom, though keen, could outweigh neither his penchant for mischief nor his fierce loyalty to his friends, who had stuck by him despite some rather unsavory situations.

Remus glanced to the other side of the quartet, idling wondering if Peter was going to withstand Dumbledore's stare. Not that Remus didn't trust Peter; however, Peter did have a problem with authority figures, usually favoring to go with the flow than stand up to them. Although Peter was squirming slightly in his chair, he seemed to be holding up against the old man's gaze.

Peter nervously pushed a strand of blond hair behind his small ear and hoped the Headmaster would let them go soon. For Merlin's sake, they hadn't left any evidence to accuse them! Peter glanced over to his friends, more than a tad envious at their comfortable posture and carefree grins… He jumped slightly when Dumbledore resumed his speech.

"Well, boys, you know as well as I do that—"

Dumbledore's words were interrupted by a knock on his office door, so light that the boys didn't hear it. Peter twitched nervously, wondering why the Headmaster had stopped talking.

"Come in." Albus said, raising his head to see who had come to see him.

All four of the boys' heads turned to see who had interrupted their lecture. Their eyes widened as they saw Lily Evans timidly walk into the room. They were surprised that she even knew where Dumbledore's office was, let alone the password. They were even more surprised to see her carrying a bundle against her chest, a bundle that looked suspiciously like a baby!

The boys' eyes widened when they heard the baby let out a little snore in its sleep. They turned around to face the Headmaster, each one curious about the interesting change in events.

If the Headmaster was surprised that his best student had just wandered into his office with a child in tow, he didn't look it. In fact, he smiled kindly at the redhead and conjured another chair for her to sit in.

"Miss Evans," he said, trying to put her at ease, "Do sit down, I daresay your situation will be much more interesting than doling out detention to these young chaps."

Lily glanced at said boys and felt her face flush. Honestly, people didn't have the right to be that attractive and yet so arrogant!

"Uh, sir," she stammered out, not wanting to discuss this in front of the school's most popular clique, "I can come back after you're done, I—"

Her sentence was cut off when the baby started to cry softly. She readjusted his blanket and rocked him a little, trying not to laugh at the dumbstruck looks on the boys' faces.

"Nonsense, Miss Evans," Dumbledore said, "Now, what would be the problem you are having?"

Lily gaped at him. Did the man not see the baby clutched to her breast!

"I, well, you—I found—"Lily spluttered, her rehearsed speech flying out the metaphorical window.

Albus smiled at Lily, trying to put her at ease. "Where did you find the bundle of joy, Miss Evans?"

Lily was slightly annoyed at his light tone, as if she came in here with a child clutched to her chest every other day.

"He was in the Forest! I heard someone following me and I—"

She was cut off as one of the boys spoke up. She thought his name was James, but wasn't sure.

"You were in the forest? You shouldn't go in there! You could get—"

Dumbledore held up his hand to silence the young boy. "Mister Potter," he said, "I believe that you reprimanding Miss Evans on her out of bounds wandering is akin to the proverbial pot calling the metaphorical kettle black, hmmm? Please continue Miss Evans."

James frowned at the Headmaster and quieted down, wondering why the pretty redhead had been out in the forest alone. He didn't know much about her, except she was in his house and kept to herself mostly, but the thought of her getting hurt still bothered him for some reason…

"Well" Lily started, "That's all there really was… I heard someone following me, so I turned back but I just found this baby… And, well, I couldn't just leave him there… So, well, I, uh, brought him to you."

Albus nodded at her. "I see, I applaud you for your good thinking, you did the right thing. As for the baby, let me guess. A head of astonishingly blond curls, remarkably blue eyes, and very lulled by singing?"

Lily's eyes widened at his apparent knowledge. "Why, yes! This is wonderful," Lily said, "You know him! You can find his mother and—"

"Alas," Dumbledore interrupted, "That is not the case."

Lily's eyes dimmed in confusion. "But, you said—"

"Yes, Miss Evans" Dumbledore again interrupted, "I know what I said. Sadly, it is not from personal acquaintance that I know the child, rather, I am acquainted with the species."

"Species?" Lily asked, confused. "But he's looks human…" She peered down at his sweet face and couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore was right. The baby's hair was too perfect, his eyes too blue, his smile too bright, to be considered altogether normal.

"Yes, they all look human" Dumbledore said, "At least until they reach their first year and sprout their gills."

"Gills!" Lily and the boys questioned simultaneously. Lily had almost forgotten their presence until they exclaimed aloud with her.

"Yes, gills" Dumbledore continued, ignoring their shocked expressions, "How else would they breathe underwater? That is where mermen live, traditionally speaking…"

Lily stared dumfounded at the baby. How could this little creature's smooth ivory skin turn into the scaly, gray skin she had seen in so many depictions in books? There had to be a mistake.

"No mistake, Miss Evans" Dumbledore said. Lily wondered how he knew what she was thinking. "Yes, it seems we are in a pickle…"

"How so, Headmaster?" Lily asked, not sure she wanted to hear the explanation.

Smiling kindly at her, he wondered how to explain that she was going to be burdened with a baby for what looked like, well, at least a couple of months… "I assume you haven't read Kalen McFishies So You've Found a Merbaby? Either edition?"

Lily shook her head.

"I can't say I'm surprised," Dumbledore said, "Quite longwinded if you ask me. However, I was forced to endure McFishies wordy oeuvre a number of years ago, when another student found herself in the same situation as you."

Lily didn't bother to ask him to explain, knowing he would tell her everything she needed to know in time.

He did.

"Well," Dumbledore said, "Merfolk are reclusive creatures, guarding their privacy with utmost care. Except, of course, when a mother is forced to abandon her baby. You see, Lily, merfolk are very strict when it comes to breeding. When they encounter a child that doesn't meet their standards, they force the mother to abandon it, usually far from the banks of their water so she is not tempted to sneak it back in."

Lily gasped at their cruelty, wondering how they could have found fault with such a wonderful little thing.

Dumbledore continued. "Most of the time, the mother cannot save her child for she needs someone to nurture it until it reaches its first year and can slip back into the clan unnoticed. However, there have been a number of documented cases where the mother has found an adequate surrogate human to stand in her place temporarily. It seems, Miss Evans, that in this instance, you qualify."

Lily felt his words sink in; she was shocked by this bizarre turn of events.

Dumbledore cast a look to the boys in front of him, wondering how they would react to the plan quickly taking shape in his head.

Dumbledore went on, "There are certain, er— oddities that go along with these merchildren. You see, merfolk are the bearers of old, dark magic. When a merperson is out of water for prolonged periods of time, they tend to lose control of their powers, resulting in freak accidents and calamities. The last time something like this happened, Velma McPherson, the young lady in charge of the baby, had to be followed around constantly, forever having chandeliers fall around her, freak fires starting up unexpectedly…"

Lily's eyes widened even further at the mention of random fires, as did the boys' eyes.

"So, Miss Evans," Dumbledore began, a twinkle in his eyes, "You can see why I wanted the boys to stay."

Lily looked at him blankly, then, it dawned on her.

"Oh, no! You can't be serious!" She said, not wanting to voice what she thought the Headmaster was proposing.

The boys quickly caught on to what Dumbledore was suggesting, yet rather bewildered at Lily's harsh tone of rejection. Any other girl in the school would adore having to be around them constantly!

Lily blushed as she realized how her exclamation sounded, the last thing she needed was for the Marauders to start noticing her. With her luck, they would start pranking her and her bully-free life would be ruined.

Lily recollected her thoughts and started again. "I mean, that's nice of you to offer, but really, I'll be fi—" Lily's rejection was cut short when she heard a noise above her. The next thing she knew, she was staring at the corner of a heavy looking book hovering less that an inch above her nose. It had somehow fallen off the shelf and would have knocked her out, if James Potter hadn't used his quidditch-honed reflexes to cast a quick Immobulus.

Lily stared at the book above her head, thinking about how close she had been to being taken out by the tome. She was speechless.

James Potter put his wand back in his pocket and cleared his throat. "We would be happy to be of assistance, Headmaster." James said, daring Lily with his eyes to contradict him, with the evidence hanging not half an inch above her head.

Sirius smiled at his friend's chivalry. Hell, it would probably get annoying having to bodyguard a girl against flying objects and random flames, but he would be damned if he would turn down the Headmaster's request for help.

"Yeah," Sirius agreed, "I'm pretty sure I have a suit of armor somewhere and I'm sure I could conjure up a noble steed, count me in."

The other two Marauders nodded their agreement.

Lily could only gape.

Bloody. Hell.