In Hogwarts there were two kinds of people, just as in the world (according to the Ministry of Magic) there were two kinds. In the world you had wizards and you had muggles, in Hogwarts you had the people who loved the Marauders, and the ones who hated them.

Unfortunately neither is completely right of course; you'll always have the people on the fringes of society, the random cults that sporadically spring up that you seldom hear about. After all there are Squibs in the world, and there are people like me in Hogwarts who could really care less about the Marauders and their antics and devoted followers who worshiped them.

I'd been in the same house as them since we'd all entered the school, and now as seventh year began I still could've cared less about them. Don't get me wrong I liked when we got out of class early for one of their pranks or when the Slytherins sometimes got what was coming to them, but it didn't matter much to me. It was 1977, Voldemort's forces were getting stronger every day, and the Eagles had come out with a song for me to completely drool over (Hotel California actually) so you could excuse me for my lack of interest. Until I saw him that is, there's always an 'until' in the stories of people, and this was one big until, it changed my entire school year and the rest of my life, and in a way I didn't expect.

"Lily Evans if you don't get out of the shower this very instant I'll give Potter something of yours to add to that shrine I'm sure he keeps in his dorm!", I shout through the bathroom door to this year's head girl, one of my dorm mates, who also happened to be a bathroom hog. There weren't a whole lot of Gryffindor seventh years girls in our dorm, they'd split it into two rooms of eight and lucky me had ended up with Lily who took a good hour at the least to get ready.

"Mellow out Sky, I'll just be a second.", I hear from within the shower steam filled den that is our group bathroom.

Head shaking I turn and walk over to my bed to get my shower stuff from my trunk. It's the first day back so there's no rush anyways but I'd like to go hang out with Cor and Frank. Frank has a few new records for me and that was all that was on my mind right now. Anything electrical wouldn't work near the school but luckily I'd gotten a player that ran on a spell I'd learned years ago to save my trio of friends from music deprivation.

"Alright I'm out now, any plans of giving Potter my knickers can be forgotten now. Does all this look okay?", Lily asks as she struts from the bathroom with a billow of steam left over from her shower behind her. I was shocked she actually had to ask, she was one of the most loved girls in our year, she could go to class in a banana suit and people would say she was a vision. Flaming mid-back hair that was pin straight, two inches taller than my sad 5'3, and the object of James Potter's affections, it was no wonder she was a Gryffindor favorite.

"Yes you're lovely, but why'd you roll up the skirt? Those uniforms are bloody short enough as it is on me, then again skirts make me feel naked so whatever.", I reply and head off to take my long awaited shower.

It was a quick one because of how starving I was after the train ride and my hopelessly thick hair had to be dried with magic. Looking over my reflection I did an assessment of myself for the first day back. My sun bleached blonde hair was longer, and wavier if that were even possible, now well down my back, eyes were still grey and in my opinion a bit dull, I'd grown an inch and was no longer deathly white as I had been. Not a bad change for one summer of riding around the country in my mum's beat up van.

Satisfied after some make-up application I ran out the door fixing my tie as I made my way through the common room out the Fat Lady's portrait, down the stairs and to the Great Hall. Walking in on your own was always unnerving, there were so many people and the size of the room was daunting, making you feel rather small in comparison. Fortunate enough for me Coriander and Frank were near to the doors of the hall at our table on the left once you entered. Grinning I ran over and squished between the two of them, glad to be back in my normal habitat again.

"Music news please, mum wouldn't let me listen to anything all summer, she's still convinced record player's ruin the 'harmony of nature'. I'm on the brink of death hear.", I automatically direct at Frank, who has the best vinyl collection of anyone I know and knows I'm not over exaggerating when it comes to my mum whose mind is still stuck in a hippy commune state. He didn't have that issue but Coriander's parents had been the same once, which left us with some doozy of a names. Skyla Willow Ophelia Guinevere Olwyn Emerson, was my full name, Cor's was far longer and much more difficult to pronounce, we'd long since given up trying to.

" Some Pink Floyd, the song 'Walk This Way' on a 48', and my new personal favorite, 'Slow Ride', which I think you'd probably be interested in. I still have your collection it's in my trunk up in the dorm, and before you ask no, none of them got messed up.", he finishes and goes back to shoving talking to Alice who is beside him, he absolutely adores Alice and has done for a few years now.

Cor had been watching our yearly record talk and if I guessed correctly by the demented smile that was on her pixie like face it was that time of year again. I was right, which just goes to show I know these two far better than is natural.

"We need to form an idea on who we are interested in this year, scope while the first years are being sorted and tell me before we go to bed as usual okay?", she gets out before the chatter dies down and the first , first year of 1977 goes up to the stool to be sorted into their house. (Ravenclaw)

I wasn't paying attention to any of that of course, I only had up until tonight to decide who I was 'interested' in as Cor had put it. It was our tradition, we said the name of whoever it was at the same time on the first day back so that neither of us ended up arguing over someone. If you did by some chance have the same it was only the first day and could easily be remedied, it made things easier for the two of us since first year when we both liked Frank for some strange unknown reason.

Trying not to be shallow I thought of guys I'd spoken with before and found interesting. It wasn't Diggory from Raveclaw any more ,I had learned he was far too full of himself by now. My line of vision moved up the table to where the Marauders were, we'd never had one of us decide on one of them. James was off-limits although he had lovely black hair, Peter was cuddly reminding you of a teddy bear but not my type. Sirius was beautiful, but probably carried some form of genital disease by now if the rumors were to be believed about his womanizing, which left Lupin who always appeared to be dreaming with his mind far off on something else. He was rather attractive actually, but the group just didn't hold my attention enough and I moved on to Mathew Bones. By the end of the dinner I still hadn't decided, although I could sense Cor had known since we stepped foot in the Great Hall that night.

"You guys go ahead I think I'll just head to the library for a bit.", I tell them as we're leaving and make of in the opposite direction of them, partially buying myself thinking time, but also in search of a new book, preferably on history. I might even see Sev there.

Severus and I were friends since we had both shared the same library table for years. I had never agreed with his crowd but our corner table was safe ground. We mostly talked about books or music and not his Voldemort loving creeper friends. He was rather fond of discussing Lily as well although they no longer spoke to each other. Both of us agreed history was an excellent subject, Sev said if it weren't for potions he might have pursued a carrier in it.

On the quiet walk through the deserted halls leading up to the library I thought of how this coming war everyone spoke of in hushed tones had completely changed my plans for becoming a historian for the Ministry of Magic as I told Sev was my dream job. I may as well assume now that all able people around my age would be drafted into fighting somehow, may as well practice and become an auror now. Maybe after all the idiocy over blood purity and Voldemort's lust for power was said and done I could retire from it and become a historian as I'd wanted to.

"Don't step there!", came a voice I hadn't heard before from the foot of the stairs I'd been halfway down that lead to the library entrance. Pausing mid-step I realized I had almost stepped on a trick stair and fell because of how lost in thoughts I was.

Avoiding it I went the rest of the way to the bottom where the person who'd luckily warned me stood. It was Lupin, which explains why I didn't recognize the voice, he was rather shy and I never heard him speak before. He was carrying quite a load of books, one of them happening to be my favorite on the French Revolution and the wizard politics involved in it.

"Thanks for that I was a bit out of it, it probably wouldn't have went so well. Nice book by the way, you enjoy reading about the revolution?", I smiled to the sandy haired boy in front of me.

His expression was so bashful until I mentioned the book, which made his eyes spark with interest at that. "It's my favorite on the subject actually I got it so I could read it again."

At that I think my ovaries exploded, it was the first time anyone had ever shown an interest in the Revolution as I did. You could sign me up amongst the common majority in one of the many fan clubs dedicated to the Marauders; I knew whose name I was telling Cor tonight.

Chapter 2:

"So what's this sudden interest in one of the Marauders?", Cor whispers despite the fact that we'd muffliato'ed everyone, while we sat cross legged on my bed with the violently red curtains drawn, so they couldn't hear our yearly discussion. Which was just as well because Cor's version of whispering was a far cry from it.

"I don't know, he intrigued me I guess, could just be the whole 'saved me from breaking something' thing. It's just a minor interest but maybe I'll explore into it some more, and don't you dare get that perverted look on your face.", I grinned poking my best friend who did indeed have her mind in the gutter face on full force. We were both terrible about that, but she was decidedly worse from time to time.

"Hey I didn't say anything but if that's what you were thinking I mean there must be something to it."