Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and events from J.K. Rowling's wonderful Harry Potter books. I am writing this for my own enjoyment and hopefully for the enjoyment of readers. Anything you recognize belongs to JKR. The rest belongs to me.
Chapter 52: Meeting Marianne
"Honestly, James!" exclaimed Marianne. "It's not that bad."
"Yes, it is," muttered James, rubbing a long scratch on his arm. "That little demon did this!"
"Mr. Paws is not a 'little demon'," said his mum. "Actually, he can be very sweet."
James snorted and said, "About as sweet as Snivellus."
"Who?" questioned Marianne.
"Never mind," he replied. He shook his head and said, "I just can't believe you're taking a crazy cat's side over your own son!"
They were walking toward barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 at King's Cross. Marianne stopped and said, "He's not crazy; he just has a strong personality! And I'm not choosing him over you." She grinned, ruffled his hair, and said, "You know you'll always be my baby boy!"
James scowled and said, "I am NOT a baby."
Marianne decided to have some fun with James stepped towards him, pinching his cheeks. She raised her voice a bit and said, "Oh aren't you just the cutest little thing, trying to act all grown up!"
"Mum!" James whined as he pushed her pincer-like grips off his cheeks and stepped back, looking around to see if anyone had witnessed the display. He turned back to his mum only to see her chuckling. "Very funny," he said. "And I'll have you know that from where I'm standing, I AM practically grown up." He stepped up to her and looked her straight in the eyes, proving that he was already her height.
"Yes, yes," she conceded. "You're growing quicker than I can keep track of. By Christmas you'll probably be taller than me. If you take after your father you still have quite a bit of height to gain."
James smiled at the thought. Marianne smiled back, realizing that James was no longer closed off or sad at the mere mention of his father. She wondered what had happened to get him to this point, whether it was time or his friends. She had even found him engrossed in many conversations with Joseph, his father's portrait, that summer.
James had to admit that it was fun speaking with Joseph. He had learned a few more valuable pieces of information about Hogwarts, including the location of another secret passageway behind a mirror on the fourth floor. It led to a wishing well that was located about 100 feet behind Zonko's Joke Shop. James couldn't believe his luck in learning this information, and couldn't wait to pass it on to Sirius, Remus, and Peter.
They passed through the barrier where the sight of the scarlet steam engine greeted them. Marianne turned to her son and sighed, "Have fun during your fourth year, but please don't subject me to letters from your Head of House about all the mischief you and your friends get into. I expect you to study hard."
James smiled innocently and Marianne chuckled, knowing her son and his capacity for mischief.
Just then James noticed three people appear through the barrier. James recognized the woman as Sirius' mother. He had seen her there at the train station on a few occasions. Beside her was a boy that had to be Regulus, Sirius' younger brother. Like his older brother, Regulus had black hair and dark eyes however the boy had an haughty look about him, sending disdainful looks toward students who looked like they were Muggleborn or had less money.
James looked to the third person and was shocked at the sight of his best mate. James and Sirius had spoken over the summer however James had never gotten a good look at Sirius through his mirror. Sirius had always stayed in the shadows, presumably because he did not want his family to know he was speaking with a Potter. James watched the thin form of his friend gaze around the platform, finally meeting his eyes. James noticed that Sirius' hair was longer and fell into his face a little.
Sirius grinned and started walking toward James and Marianne, only to have his arm grabbed by his mother. She pulled him back and although James couldn't hear the conversation, he could tell they were having a rather heated exchange. Sirius stood straight, which was about an inch taller than Elphaba, and yanked his arm out of her grasp. He muttered something and dragged his trunk toward James. As he approached, his face brightened at the sight of his best friend and surrogate mum.
Marianne was shocked at Sirius' appearance. He looked like he hadn't eaten a good meal in months. Her trained Healer's eye picked up on a slight limp in his right leg. He shook hands with James and clapped him on the shoulder before turning to greet Marianne. Once she looked into his eyes her heart melted and went out to the boy. Even though he had only visited her home a few times she knew he was a good boy and he was almost like a second son to her.
"Morning, Mrs. Potter," said Sirius.
Marianne walked over to him and gave him a tight hug, feeling how thin he was. She was amazed that despite his lack of nutrition he had gained a few inches and was even taller than James. When she pulled back she smiled at him and said, "How many times do I need to tell you, Sirius? You can call me Marianne!"
"Oh, yeah," smiled Sirius.
Marianne scrutinized Sirius before asking, "So how was your summer?"
Sirius' eyes darkened a bit before he tried to casually reply, "It was about what I expected."
Marianne moved her gaze back to Sirius' mum, who was glaring back at them. Marianne defiantly glared back before turning back to Sirius. "Sirius, I want you to be honest with me," she said. "Did your family mistreat you during the holiday?"
"Ah, well - we don't exactly see eye to eye on several issues…" said Sirius. The whistle of the train sounded and Sirius took the opportunity to grab his trunk and say goodbye to Marianne. "We'd better get on the train, James," he said.
Marianne sighed in frustration. She wanted to help Sirius but he wasn't ready to accept her help. She jogged after the two boys and called, "Sirius!" He turned back to her and she said, "I expect to see you for Christmas and Easter this year!" He gave her a big smile and boarded the train.
Marianne walked to her son and gave him a quick hug before pulling out her wand and muttering, "Dermacurato" at his scratched arm. The wounds sealed and James grinned at his mum. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and jumped onto the train. He gazed back at her and flashed her a broad grin before walking inside to catch up with Sirius. Marianne sighed and said, "That boy is going to be a heartbreaker!" She turned around, wondering who would capture his heart, and bumped into a pretty girl about her son's age with long, deep red hair and bright green eyes.
The girl looked up at Marianne apologetically and said, "I'm so sorry!"
Marianne smiled and said, "It's quite all right, dear. Actually, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."
The girl smiled and started to make her way toward the train when Marianne suddenly cried out, "Oh no! I forgot…" She turned and said, "Miss!" The girl turned around with a questioning glance at Marianne. "I'm so sorry, Miss…"
"Evans, Lily Evans," the girl replied.
"Lily. Could you do me an enormous favor? My son forgot his permission slip for Hogsmeade and you look about his age - maybe you know him?" Marianne asked.
Lily smiled and asked, "You want me to give it to him?"
"Would you? He will kill me if I forget to give it to him," Marianne replied.
"Sure, I can give it to him, and if I don't know him I'm sure I'll find someone who does," said Lily. "What's his name?"
Marianne sighed in relief and pulled the permission form out of her pocket. Handing it to Lily, she said, "His name is James Potter. Thank you so much for doing this!" She paused and looked at Lily, noticing that the girl's posture had stiffened and her eyes widened. "Are you all right? You look awfully pale." Marianne wondered if the mention of her son's name had anything to do with Lily's sudden ill appearance. "I'm sorry, you don't have to do this. I can just mail it to him instead."
Lily shook her head and smiled weakly. "No, there's no need for that. I'll make sure he gets it."
"Alright, then," said Marianne. "If you're sure."
"It's not a problem," Lily insisted. She turned and boarded the train, feeling a knot forming in her stomach. She had barely started her fourth year and already she had to face James, but she couldn't exactly say no to James' mum, could she? It would have been rude, and James' mum seemed very pleasant. Lily walked down the carriage, peering through the window to each compartment. Eventually she saw the familiar sight of messy black hair and steeled herself before opening the compartment door.
"-starting with a set of antlers…" she heard James say to his friends before they heard the door and turned abruptly toward her, looks of surprise evident on their faces. Lily wondered if they were busy planning their next prank on Severus.
James stared at Lily, transfixed. She was still dressed in her Muggle clothes, shorts and a tank top, and James couldn't help but notice that Lily's slender figure had developed. Her fair skin had the hint of a tan and her deep red hair had some natural highlights from spending time out in the sun.
"Evans!" called out Sirius, breaking James out of his trance. "What brings you here, or did you open our door by accident?"
Lily shook her head and said, "I was looking for Potter."
James' ears perked up and he smiled. "You were?"
She glanced at him and said, "Your mother asked that I give this to you-"
"My mum? You met my mum?!" asked James. He thought in horror to the cheek-pinching display his mum had done back on the Platform. He prayed his mum hadn't told Lily anything humiliating. "What EXACTLY did my mum say to you about me?"
Lily sighed and said, "She didn't say anything except that you would be upset if you didn't get your Hogsmeade permission slip. She asked if I could pass it on to you."
Lily held out the form and waited for James to take it. He stood up and walked to her, taking the parchment, but not without touching her hand in the process. He felt a jolt of electricity shoot up his arm. As he looked from his hand back to Lily he noticed she had stepped back and was flexing her fingers as if they had gotten shocked.
James smiled and said, "So, Evans…do you want to sit with us for a while?"
Lily quickly mumbled, "I have to find Marlene and Alice." She turned around to walk out and bumped into the door. Blushing, she opened the door and exited, letting the door close behind her.
Rubbing her forehead where it had bumped the door, Lily finally found Alice. She was in a compartment reading Which Broomstick. Across the way Frank sat reading a book, though his eyes often glanced toward Alice when she wasn't looking. Lily smiled and opened the door.
"Lily!" exclaimed Alice with a broad smile. "How was Greece?"
Lily sat down next to her and replied, "It was absolutely amazing! The weather and the blue sea were wonderful." Lily launched into her descriptions of the Greek Isles her family had cruised to, her favorite being the island of Santorini. It was a small crescent shaped island north of Crete that surrounded a volcano. She described the different beaches and the sunsets. Her family had stayed in a hotel overlooking the caldera and they had enjoyed lounging on their terrace as the sun set over the sea. There was also an archaeological site that was discovered relatively recently - a city that had been destroyed and buried by a volcanic explosion. She had enjoyed wandering through the ruins and seeing the newest discoveries.
That summer she and Petunia had managed to temporarily put aside their differences and become sisters again. Lily suspected that being so far away from home, away from the reminders of their differences, had helped. Petunia was still infatuated with Jonathan, her classmate. She spent half the trip gushing over how handsome and wonderful he was. Lily chuckled as she saw her father scowling at every mention of his eldest daughter liking a boy.
Harold Evans was not crazy about either of his daughters growing old enough gain interest from the opposite sex. He was mortified when several boys flirted with Lily while they were at Paradise Beach on the island of Mykonos. After chasing them off he had a rather heated conversation with his daughter about her choice in bathing suits. Instead of her black bikini he wanted her to wear the one-piece with the ruffly skirts. She had to remind him she hadn't worn that bathing suit since she was six years old.
Coming back to the present, Lily suddenly wondered where Marlene was. When she asked, Alice replied, "She's probably with Abel." Abel Canton was a sixth-year Hufflepuff who had asked Marlene out shortly before the end of the previous year. They lived close to each other so they had been able to see each other throughout the summer.
Just then the door burst open and in stepped, Marlene, fuming. Her hair was drenched and sticking to her cheeks, which were flushed with anger. Clenching and unclenching her fists, she spat, "For one moment, he almost seemed human, but then he had to show his true colors again, the evil pig!"
Lily, Frank, and Alice all sat there staring up at Marlene with wide eyes, unsure of whether or not to speak, afraid that one word would cause Marlene to unleash her anger upon them. After several moments of watching Marlene, Frank finally asked, "Who?"
"Sirius Black, that's who!" yelled Marlene, causing Frank to recoil.
"What happened?" asked Alice.
"I was with Abel, having a perfectly enjoyable time…"
Lily and the others took that to mean they were snogging.
"…and all of a sudden I felt a large flood of water hit us. When I looked at the source I saw Black standing nearby with an empty bucket, laughing his arse off!" Marlene started to pace the small space while the others moved their feet out of her way. "Then! Then, he has the audacity to claim he was only trying to cool us down before a prefect could find us."
Alice tried not to find humor in her friend's story, but was having a difficult time. She tried to look at Lily but noticed she was trying to suppress a smile.
"Then what?" asked Lily.
"What do you mean?" asked Marlene.
Lily raised an eyebrow and said, "I've known you long enough, Marlene. Don't pretend like you didn't curse him on the spot."
Marlene's angry scowl slowly changed into a calculating smile. "Now that you mention it…"
"McKINNON!" came a muffled voice from the corridor.
Marlene opened the compartment door to reveal Sirius, wearing the bucket over his head.
"Yes, Black?" she asked curtly.
"Get this thing off of me!" he yelled, his voice echoing from inside the bucket. He tried to lift it off of his head without success.
"I don't think I will," replied Marlene. "Personally, I think you look better this way."
Sirius tried to fumble for his wand but Remus rushed over and grabbed his arm. It looked like he had been running, he was out of breath. "Sirius! We'll get the bucket off. Let's just get back to our compartment."
Sirius attempted to struggle out of his grip however Remus had a firm grasp. Marlene was a little surprised that Remus could get control of Black while he was so angry. Remus didn't appear that strong and in fact, he looked like he was feeling ill again.
As Black was dragged away Marlene turned toward her friends and sat next to Frank. There was an awkward moment of silence before Lily finally said, "So…Marlene…tell me about Abel."
Marlene smiled and launched into a description of her latest boyfriend.
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A/N: First things first - Yes, the Hogsmeade forms are signed when they're 3rd year students. I just figured they needed to be signed every year.
So, how did you like Marianne? Don't you just love it when your parents embarrass you in public or in front of friends/prospective boyfriends/girlfriends? Do you ever wonder if they do it on purpose or if it just comes naturally? Personally, I don't think James inherited all his mischief from his dad…
Thanks to my latest reviewers: Nyscat, nanopy, delpheena, hpfreak, lilly flower, Mani12191, tigerfairy, Remus'sweetie, Jo Bob, Alicia, and sista7.
Next chapter: The Sorting and the feast. It's the start of a new year - what next for James and Lily?