Disclaimer: I do NOT own Harry Potter and/or anything else that could impose some sort of copyright infringements in this fanfic.

Author's Note: This is another wonderful collaboration with my good mate, Brittany! Yes, we're in British mode now. Basically, our rough idea is formed by roleplaying almost, and I go back to proof/edit anything. We agree and upload it. The pair of us enjoy writing for certain characters. She writes for Lily, Snape, and Sirius, while I write for James, Pettigrew, Remus, and most of the background characters to this point. There has been one minor OC because if you research the Potterverse timeline, there aren't many Gryffindor girls to befriend Lily due to age gaps. We're attempting to keep fairly true to the basic timeline.

The story takes place during the Marauders' final year at Hogwarts. As for pairings, there will definitely be what we find canon. XD That said, look out for James/Lily/Snape drama and Sirius/Remus. If gay implications, and perhaps a confession of feelings at some point, offend you, you have been warned.

At any rate, I hope you lot fancy this Marauders' Era story! If there's any interest with a few reviews, then you can expect more chapters.

The sun wasn't showing, but when was that new in England? The sky was a familiar, miserable gray that all of its inhabitants would have been accustomed to. Thunder boomed while lightening clashed soon after. Weather conditions never seemed affable, though the rain that fell foreshadowed a nasty storm that was about to come. Not exactly the worst downpour of the elements—rather the most awful turmoil between several students that attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

A young man with lank, raven hair was out in the storm. He was heading toward the large Whomping Willow near the outskirts of the school grounds. Nobody dared to go near the tree, just as not a soul suspected it was guarding some kind of secret. Well, none of the commonality of the school. Severus Snape had the disposition to be aware of what lied in the dark. Sirius Black wasn't a trusted source, though he had an inkling about Lupin ever since he noticed any abnormal behavior.

Much to his horror, poking that particular knot under the many roots didn't stop any of the branches from wildly flailing. Black must have guided him towards the wrong one. He wouldn't have believed the tip under different circumstances, but he was entirely bent on solving the mystery. Although the tree had snatched him up by his ankle, he was brought face to face with a beast. A learned person like Snape recognized all the signs; that was a werewolf, who was none other than Remus John Lupin himself. Those snapping jaws were only inches away from piercing Snape's flesh, and possibly tearing off one of his limbs if the Whomping Willow didn't take the opportunity to do so first.

Another wizard sprinted out onto the scene. He also had dark locks, though they were far more messy and teeming with life. The young man let several obscenities slip from his mouth before he neared the massive tree. "I'm GOING to get you down, Snivellus!" James Potter called in a rather strained manner. As the mighty branch that possessed Snape flew toward the ground, James took a hold of the other's hand. He swiftly drew his wand from his robes. "Confundo!" James cried with confidence. The particular branch was befuddled and it drew back, causing Snape's leg to become liberated.

Unfortunately, the pair recoiled hard, colliding with the muddy ground. Most of Snape's weight was put on his bruised leg. A loud cracking noise could be heard.

"Argh!" Snape hissed dangerously as the unbearable pain seared through his leg. His mind was spinning, he found it hard to think straight because of the excruciating pain, it was almost too much to bear. It was difficult to fully comprehend all the events that had just taken place, it was like a nightmare. Lupin's hidden secret had finally been revealed to his eyes, and it was terrifying.

"L-Lupin, he's a werewolf, I knew it...Potter!" Snape muttered this, looking at James with utmost disgust, though his voice was feeble. The greasy-haired teen turned his head away, feeling as if he was going to go unconscious at any moment. He was minutes away from the darkness, but he felt a sick sense of satisfaction through the pain. Slowly things began to fade.

James' hazel orbs grew three times their natural size. "Goddammit, Sirius," he cursed bitterly. His friend had jeopardized all of the self-proclaimed Marauders. Was it really worth it? "You keep your bloody trap shut, Snivelly!" The demand was given without any hesitation. Grudgingly, James secured one of Snape's arms, bringing it over his shoulder. He kept his grasp as the two trudged back towards Hogwarts. The only person that would be able to keep Snape's silence was Albus Dumbledore.

The Hogwarts Express rolled along merrily in the bright sunshine. The sun rays bounced off the bright red paint with each roll of the train wheels. A nice day was truly a rarity in England, and most students seemed to really enjoy it. Sirius Black, a tall and good looking young man, gazed out the window. His pitch black hair fell into his eyes casually. The eighteen year old tapped at the window, looking rather bored. His fellow Marauders kept him company in the rather spacious compartment. James seemed to be staring into space, Pettigrew was looking nervous which was most likely because it was their seventh and final year at Hogwarts, and Remus was...

Sirius drew his attention to Remus Lupin. The young man's eyes were closed and he was breathing steadily, looking almost peaceful. The chestnut-haired one really was rather sickly, and it wasn't rare to see him taking the occasional nap, especially after the full moon. It would be a shame to wake him, he looks so beautiful sleeping like that, Sirius thought with a smirk. Sirius needed some amusement, he couldn't sit in boring silence anymore.

Sirius leaned over Remus, outstretching his slender fingers. His fingertips brushed against the other man's eyelashes as he latched onto his soft eyelids. With a quick snap Remus' eyelids retracted, while Sirius let out a hardy chuckle. Remus began to squirm and awaken from his slumber.

"Hah! You should have seen your face, Moony. But I guess you really couldn't because you were sleeping," Sirius professed, beaming.

A gratuitous wake up call never came off as welcoming. This was especially true after a recurring nightmare of a dreadful memory. A tired grimace pulled Remus' lips down. He typically made an effort to take Sirius' gentle abuse with humor, but he was in no mood. The other's end of the year stunt was like an insult to his lycanthropy. The reality was that Severus Snape knew, and if it wasn't for Dumbledore's intervention, the whole school would too.

"Please don't touch me," Remus quipped deliberately. The retort was not natural. Remus usually had a cordial disposition. Under normal circumstances, he would have inquired about Sirius' summer. Then again, if he wasn't affected by the incident, he also would have visited the young man and wrote letters.

Sirius was a bit taken aback by Remus' terse response, although he had a hunch of what the underlying cause was. His summer was rather depressing. He kind of regretted what had happened with Snape last year, it didn't exactly turn out as planned. Incidentally, he wished the event would just blow over.

"Come on Moony, I didn't mean anything by it..." Sirius trailed off with a hint of guilt.

"Is everything merely a joke to you, Sirius?" The question that left Remus' mouth was certainly pointed. There was no way he was going to call him Padfoot now. Anybody could tell that he was bothered. Remus put up with a lot because he was happy to be liked and accepted by the other Marauders. But how far could one person be pushed? Frankly, he felt that Sirius took advantage of that fact.

"It's not like that!" Sirius said a little too loudly. He shifted uncomfortably, wishing Remus would stop being so upset with him. It just didn't feel right, they usually got on so well. His orbs glanced out the window, as if trying to escape the current moment.
"Listen, I'm sorry...okay?"

Apparently, Remus was reading all the signals wrong. From what he gathered, Sirius' body language suggested that he couldn't meet his gaze. His mind wandered, musing about if the other meant his words. "A proper apology requires eye contact, my friend. A word cannot bring forgiveness, but actions." The sandy-haired teen's tone was calm, but there was a thread of tension if one were to listen close. He expected the other to show that he desired for everything to be right again.

"I said I was sorry, is that not good enough for you?" Sirius retorted hotly as color began to rise in his cheeks. He was rather tired of Remus acting like such a victim, he needed to lighten up and deal with matters right. Sirius believed that Remus was completely overreacting, it was a bit inconsiderate to not write post at least once over the summer...it had caused a lot of worrying.

"If anything, I think you owe an apology as well!" he yelled, absorbed in his own thoughts. In his mind, he felt as if he was one hundred percent justified.

Remus immediately grew perturbed by Sirius' rejoinder. How could he be such an inconsiderate git? Perhaps he was spending too much time with James. "Have you gone mad?" he implored, quirking a brow.

A panicked yelp squeaked out of Peter's mouth. He was becoming completely terrified by the ugly row between his two friends. Remus was supposed to be the one that diffused any situation, yet he was fueling Sirius' fire. His small, watery eyes gave James a pleading look, who suddenly came back down to earth from the depths of his mind.

"Will you TWO shut it?!" James demanded. All the noise proved grating. "I CANNOT hear myself think and WHAT I am pondering is very important!" This was the seventh and final year. If he didn't win Lily Evan's heart, then there was a very good chance she would fleet away forever. The pressure was unbearable. His head was splitting from this Head Boy business. Of course he didn't secure the position on his own—James' parents made a generous contribution to Hogwarts for the staff to consider it. Still, he was going to have to deflate himself some to secure the position all year.

Sirius' gaze fell on Peter Pettigrew, feeling rather annoyed. It wasn't like this was that big of a deal, right? he thought as he took one last look at Remus. James' interjection had caught him off guard. It was almost as if James hadn't been there the whole time, he had been unusually quiet.

"Alright, let's just stop this madness! What on earth are you talking about Prongs, are you really that concerned about this school year? It's gonna be a breeze," Sirius said, regaining his composure.

Remus folded his arms as if he were hugging himself. He seemed to be trying to keep himself together. There was no point in arguing further, for Sirius' skull remained entirely thick. He was far too tired, anyway. Listening would be far easier than arguing.

Hazel orbs became fixed upon Sirius' face. One of James' hands fell into his pocket, and he squeezed a struggling snitch. He was somewhat surprised that the wings remained undamaged. The young man had been doing that to relieve stress all morning. "Evans..." James breathed, sounding unusually pained. Now that it was only them, there was little reason to put up his invincible facade. "This is the last year that I have, Pads! I'm STARTING to get worried since she hasn't succumbed to my debonair charms!"

Sirius now realized that James was solely thinking about Evans, which shouldn't have really come as a surprise. His little spat with Remus had really thrown him off. He tossed his hair back a bit as he relaxed in his seat.

"Well, mate, I suppose you'll just have to try harder," he said with a grin, trying to make himself feel better. "Why not try going the extra mile though, Prongs? Why don't you find out what her favorite candy or flower is or something? Some sweet gesture, the birds really love that."

"The problem is that I can't even get her to talk to me willingly," James explained to Sirius. His brow knitted with thought. "She wouldn't divulge that kind of information. We're going to need that one foreign bird's help." An image of the Ravenclaw girl came to mind. She was decent, but not extremely popular. Her race and blood seemed to play a role in that, which was disgusting. At the moment, her name was escaping James. "You know, she's one of your fans, Pads. THAT one."

"That Todd girl?" Sirius inquired raising a brow. He had to admit, she really was one of his fans, and she stood out in more ways than one. It was rare to see a girl of her ancestry, but paling around with Evans made her even more noticeable, given James' obsession. "I'm sure I can find out anything you want, Prongs. You know I'll help a friend in a need any way I can," he said earnestly, although his tone was as light as air. He sensed negativity from Remus as the words escaped his mouth.

James snapped his fingers. "Precisely the one, Padfoot!" he declared triumphantly. "She is Evans' best friend, so I'm sure she is bound to know anything and everything! But it has to be you, because, well...everyone of those girls that Evans talks to suspects me as some kind of predator." James didn't like the way they scrutinized him. Were they jealous?

"Hah! A predator, huh? That's great, I really don't see why they're so terrified of you," he said with a ridiculous grin, poking James once with his index finger. "I'll do it for you, mate! I'll find out everything you need to know, maybe even her measurements? But I'm sure you've spent countless hours figuring out those numbers," he said, quirking brow.

A hearty laugh left James' mouth. Sirius was cheering him up quite a bit. He was making the impossible suddenly seem possible. "You know I'd prefer the exact thing over my guesswork," he comfortably joked along.

"Oh, you're such a brilliant friend, Padfoot!" Peter piped in. The pudgy teen seized each opportunity he had to earn points from James and Sirius. "Moony should realize that!"

"That's the spirit! Maybe I can get that Todd girl to tell me in exchange for something, if you know what I mean," Sirius said in an ultra masculine like way. His attention quickly shifted to Peter, who had just praised him. He slapped Pettigrew on the back rather forcefully. "Hey, thanks Wormtail! He's right, huh, Moony?"

The bridge of fortitude collapsed. His feelings were completely hurt. "Acts of machismo at that magnitude disgust me," Remus stated, biting his lower lip. Did he want to go off on Sirius or sulk somewhere? The combination of sorrow and fury was peculiar for Remus. His emotions were typically collected. These people were his only friends in the world, yet he could not stand a single one of them at this moment. "Excuse me. I feel ill." Part of him truly felt like retching.

Without looking back at the three, Remus alighted from his seat and sprinted out. He had to make an escape. Some time away from the other Marauders would do him good. Being followed was the last thing that he desired. Unfortunately, most of the compartments were filled. He continued down the corridor, finally coming across one in a corner. Remus peered through the small window. There was a vacant seat beside Severus Snape, and Lily Evans and Sumi Todd sat opposite of him. Remus was out of options. This wasn't a time to be finicky.

He knocked once to alert them of his presence before he slid the door open. "Pardon the intrusion, but would you lot mind if I sat in here?" His honey colored orbs were desperate and weary.

Tender green eyes met his, looking a bit startled. Lily Evans had been chatting quietly with Sumi while sneaking glances at Severus Snape every now and then as he muttered something in pathetic attempts to add to the conversation. Long red hair poured over her shoulders, and her skin was slightly pale. Remus Lupin, one of that toerag's mates...but he's not a bad guy. She did despise his choice of company however, similar to how she despised Snape's choice of company at times. Lily looked from Sumi to Severus, not really sure of what to say.

Snape's greasy hair had been covering half of his face, his side profile was barely distinguishable. Utter loathing was building within his being, he could almost scream. "Did those gits finally get to you?" he seethed avoiding eye contact.

Sumi's frigid orbs glanced at Remus, but she seemed more captivated by the black and white Persian Longhair in her lap. Besides Lily, the brilliant feline was her only true companion. The girl was petite in stature, and her complexion was similar to Lily's own. Her hair was jet black and short, stopping near her neckline. The cat let out a low mewl. "Whisky approves, I suppose. Or maybe he's just happy that I refuse for him to ride in the cargo section!" She giggled after she spoke. Sumi's tone was unwieldy. She had a Japanese accent, though sometimes she seemed to not expect a response.

Remus watched as she scratched between the cat's ears. "That's a matter I'd rather keep private." He couldn't bear to look at Snape. The other was aware of his true identity. A cat's approval proved well enough, for Remus gingerly took the vacant spot beside Snape.

"I'm sure that's not the only matter you'd like to keep private...." Snape's tone was cold and low. Remus Lupin's presence did not bode well with him, especially after last year's incident. The whole thing had left the greasy-haired one completely scarred. He did not look at him, but instead continued to stare at his knees. Snape wanted nothing more than to cast the other one out. He despised him with a passion, but he kept his composure...for Lily Evans' sake. He missed how things used to be.

Lily shifted uncomfortably, she had known Snape's theory all too well, and she knew what he was getting at. Frankly she was still quite upset about last year, when he had called her that wretched word. Of course they still had the occasionally awkward conversation when she could not avoid him, but she made sure not to return his post all summer. Most of his letters only brought tears to her eyes, she just couldn't bring herself to forgive him.

"I reckon Whisky makes up his own theories about people, too!" Sumi chimed, almost as if she was oblivious to the tension in the compartment. Her hand continued to scratch the Longhair in the right way. The purr the creature exuded provided her constant solace. "You know, I suspect that from his eyes. It's quite easy to see when he's studying someone or something." The innocent chatter was definitely a habit.

Remus knew exactly what Snape was insinuating. He felt himself tense slightly. The sad reality was that he would rather endure those kind of jeers than argue with Sirius. "Everybody has their secrets," he answered simply, attempting to keep his wits about him.

"Yeah, well..." Snape muttered pathetically and directed his attention out the window, as if the country side was the most fascinating thing in the world. It was killing him inside, if only he could reveal the truth, although it was more for his own selfish gain than the good of the students. His dark hues caught a glimpse of Lily's left leg, and he felt his cheeks burn. It was mostly covered by her dark robes but it still made him flush nonetheless.

Slender fingers scratched behind Whisky's ears. Lily was grateful for Sumi's idle chit chat. Agitation had already been permeating throughout the compartment, and it had only gotten worse. "I really do love Whisky," Lily said with a bit of forced cheerfulness. "I suppose he really does think you're alright, Lupin."

"I'm sure you can attest to that yourself, Snape," Remus finished for him. He felt some of the stress melt away knowing that the greasy-haired teen was socially inept. His gaze had remained on the feline the entire time. A weak smile budded upon the young man's lips. Acceptance was something he rarely received, so he was more than happy to welcome the beautiful moments where he was. "Is that so?"

The feline reveled in getting triple the amount of attention than usual. There were three sets of eyes on him and two hands. His purring rose a bit in volume. "Yes! He says yes!" Sumi exclaimed brightly. At that instant, she could have put the sun to shame. "And of course he loves you too, Lilly. You and I are his best mates."

Meanwhile, matters weren't so rosy in the compartment where three of the Marauders resided. The young men had gone into slight turmoil ever since Remus made his exit.

"Bloody hell, Wormtail!" Sirius roared, looking like a beast ready to strike its prey. His eyes shot daggers at Peter, as if to cause him pain with each blink. "How can you be so thick? I can't believe you said that!" he growled while looking at James for assistance.

James shook his head. "Why did you run your mouth off like that, Wormtail? You are well AWARE that Moony is still affected by the incident!" he castigated. A scowl came onto his handsome features.

Poor Peter. He was positively petrified. "But...but...!" the pudgy teenager barely managed to choke out. He didn't like to object, but he had to defend himself somewhat. "Padfoot, you seconded my t-thought! Y-You made it seem...seem right! Even if it w-wasn't!" Peter finally squeaked. "I-Isn't that t-the t-t-truth, Prongs? You...You heard him!" James was the MOST powerful student. He was the one to be sided with in the end.

"He's gotcha there, Pads," James admitted, a dejected sigh escaping from his mouth. "Therefore, you should be the one to bring our mate back." Sirius was making plenty of blunders as of late. Ever since that particular prank went wrong, affairs had been somewhat soured. James already forgave him, which meant Peter did also. The same couldn't be said for Remus.

Now a dejected sigh escaped Sirius' lips. "That's for true," he muttered, feeling rather bothered by it all. He knew it was his fault Remus left. Normally the handsome young man would have felt a bit of remorse for Peter, but he was too distracted. "You're right, Prongs," Sirius felt as though the words were being pulled out of his mouth, almost as if he didn't want to say them. It wasn't so much that he hated admitting he was wrong, it was just the fact that he upset Remus Lupin...more than once.

Sirius gave one more look around the compartment, as if checking to see if he was leaving something behind. He ran a hand through his perfect hair, and gave a weary grin before slipping out. The mischievous one made his way down, peering into each window with an apace manner. The walk seemed to never end, but at least his eyes found what they hungered for.

"OI!" He bellowed as the compartment door flew open. This was quite the sight to see, one of his best buddies sitting right next to the scum of the earth, Snivellus. "Moony, come back and sit with us. Don't get to close to Snivellus, he might drip grease on to you. Really, you shouldn't be sitting next to filth. I'm sure you showered today, you don't want to risk getting dirty."

Sirius had a knack for abrupt entrances. "Not interested. I can take care of my own personal hygiene," Remus told him, his tired eyes fixated upon Whisky's face. "You don't need to be ridiculous." He had no desire to meet the other's gaze until a proper apology was made, which would require effort and action.

"Come off it! Let's go," Sirius retorted forcefully. He wanted to have a moment alone with Remus, if only there weren't so many eyes on him. Normally he would love the type of attention, but not this time. "Look, are you coming back or not?"

Fortunately, the scarlet locomotive made the decision for them. Hogwarts was far off in the horizon. It's brilliant outline was visible in the fall hues of the sunset. Many students immediately began shuffling and heading out. This was all the more convenient, for their bags were magically brought to their dormitories. All that needed to be taken was whatever was brought to the compartment.

"Back in carrier you go, Whisky," Sumi whispered to the cat with a pout. She lifted him up like a mother would with a child before placing him in his traveling cage. Whisky didn't come off as particularly pleased then. "It will only be but a moment, poppet. There, there..." Sumi coaxed. Her frigid irises snapped to Sirius and she zeroed in on his face. A small hint of pink graced her cheeks. "Say, would you care to walk off with me, Black? Whisky's been telling me how he wants to ride with you on the carriages all morning..."

Severus Snape gracelessly leapt to his feet at once. It had been more than he could bear, Sumi Todd was driving him mad. Talking to that cat like it had feelings, it was disgusting. He practically sprinted out of the compartment, nearly knocking Sirius over as he made his way off the Hogwarts Express. Lily watched this with a furrowed brow, her emerald eyes blazing into Snape's back.

"Watch it, Snivellus!" Sirius said while dusting himself off. Figuring Remus wasn't going to cooperate anytime soon he decided to accept Sumi's offer, she wasn't a bad looking bird...just a bit scatterbrained. "Sure, Todd! I wouldn't want to disappoint Whisky here," he told her with a large grin. "Shall we?" As the two walked out together, Lily gave Sumi once last look before being left to gather her things with Remus.

Remus could believe it. Sumi attached herself to Sirius' one arm and held the Longhair's carrier with her other hand. Sirius was partial to eye candy. Incidentally, he was the exact same to a great number of Gryffindor women. This apparently applied to some girls in different Houses as well. "...Honestly," he breathed in an exasperated manner. "I apologize on behalf of him taking your dear friend away," Remus offered Lily once the pair was out of earshot. He slid the door open, waiting for her to exit before himself.

"No, no, it's not a big deal...I know it makes her happy," Lily stated, the look in her eyes softening from Remus' tone. She straightened out her robes and exited the compartment, offering him a smile that she could not contain. "Thank you."

In a flash, Lily and Remus were brought face to face with James. He had been making his way out of the train. The timing was just awful. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" James roared, his hazel eyes widening with horror. "Right. You went off to get cozy with Evans! Prat! To think how I DEFENDED you!" he screamed, completely taken by the green-eyed monster. Pettigrew was in tow, seemingly James' imperfect shadow. He let out a yelp for the umpteenth time on the train and trembled with pure terror.

Remus shook his head. "Please, James. You're overreacting. I was merely being cordial by getting the door for Miss Evans," he explained with a placid tone. Lily truly had a powerful hold on his cohort's heart. Remus felt even more exhausted. The year was definitely off to a dismal start.

Lily cringed at the sound of James Potter's voice, this was not a good way to start the night off. "For your information, he didn't do anything wrong! Just go play with your snitch why don't you?" she huffed, grimacing at James, feeling as if her blood was actually boiling. "Conceited git!" And with that she stormed off, forgetting to tell Remus good-bye. Peter Pettigrew looked after Lily idiotically as she walked away, shaking slightly from all the yelling.

There was no need to act as if he wasn't bothered. Most of the students had already filed out. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, James turned around and quickly drew his wand from his robes. He pointed it directly against Peter's throat. "I'm in NO mood for anybody to be looking at her like that!" the messy-haired teenager snapped. "Everybody JUST needs to stop!" James couldn't take it anymore.

The temptation to hex Peter didn't fade as he bumbled out some drek that was supposed to be an excuse. He was too infuriated to listen. Without another word, James stormed off towards the horseless carriages. The whole energy between the Marauders was warped. Hopefully, it would get straightened out in good time.