dumbledamnn

[dumbledamnn]

Party Like It's 1974 (Ch.4)

Characters: Marauders, OCs

Pairings: Remus x fem!OC, Marlene x Dorcus, Lily x James

Word Count: 4167

Warnings: Language, very little angst, little sneaky sneaky heh

Summary: Kat and Emma go to Hogwarts in 1974 lol

“Alright ladies, if we are gonna do this, we are gonna do this right!” Marlene stands defiantly, ready to lead this tier 5 operation. “Lily and Dorcas, you two are on decorating duty. This place has gotta be jammin’! Though the road ahead of you is difficult, I am placing my trust in both of you.”

“Yes sir.” Dorcas salutes sarcastically. Lily offers a silent nod, a promise to fulfill their very serious duty.

“Emma and I will get the snacks-”

“Yes!” Emma exclaims, halting Marlene’s speech. “I love food and I’m pretty good at sneaking into the kitchen if I do say so myself.”

“But we’ve definitely never done that before…” Kat adds.

“Yeah, what? Never. Absolutely not. I’m just guessing that I’d be really good at sneaking in and probably know the layout of the kitchen like the back of my hand.” Emma smiles as Lily shakes her head at her troublemaker friends.

“It’s just a guess though… totally not from experience…” Kat adds again, her grin spreading by the second.

“Yeah, yeah we get it. You two are grade-A sneaks. Kat, remember when you brought all those muggle games and then they got confiscated last January?”

“Ah, yeah. I had just gotten them for Christmas too. Rest in peace my bowling set.” Kat sighs, holding up her prayer hands in a moment of silence.

“Well, you are gonna go get them. All of them,” Marlene puts her hands on her hips, proud of her successful delegations.

Kat half-heartedly raises her hand. “Though I love the game plan, Marlene, I have one question. How mad would y’all be if I got Gub to help me carry the games back? There is just no way I could carry those on my own, especially if I have a whole ass bowling ball.”

Marlene, as the team leader, weighs the options for a split second. “Yeah, of course.”

“Gub is an honorary member of the girl’s club at this point,” Dorcas adds.

“Especially since he was rejected by the boy’s club.” Lily rolls her eyes. Any thought of James sends Lily’s pupils straight back into her head.

“A moment of silence for Gub,” Emma bows her head in respect. The rest follow her lead, a single moment of complete peace.

“Alright team, let’s break!” Marlene ends the silence with her exclamation.

They begin tackling their designated jobs, the liveliness of party planning overtaking the tragedy of the exploding suitcase.

–

Kat steals Gub from the guy’s side, offering little explanation to the rest of the boys. They head out first, followed shortly after by Marlene and Emma who now cover themselves with their robes for a more discreet look.

The door closes behind them, leaving Lily and Dorcas to stare at the space they’ve been given charge of.

“So, where should we start?” Lily nudges the couch back a bit, sighing. “Marlene wants us to go big doesn’t she?”

“I think that's a fair assumption.” Dorcas crosses her arms. They both stand still as if the answer would appear if they made no sudden movements.

“Well let’s think about this logically,” Lily steps closer to Dorcas, “we need a place to sleep, we need a space for the games, we need a space for the food, and…”

“Pizzazz. We need pizzazz.” Dorcas adds. Their smiles begin to grow alongside their excitement.

“Right. Pizzazz. What would make this a…uh pizzazz-y more party?” Lily looks around, searching the room for an answer. Carpets, fire, couches, and rugs are homely but they aren’t quite party material.

Then she spots it. In the corner of the room, hidden underneath a dusty scarlet sheet, hides a machine she recognizes from her home.

“Music, Dorcas! Look!” She shouts, rushing over to rip off the sheet. She reveals a record player, its grey box with long black legs hovering over a small box of unlabelled vinyls.

“Yeah! I remember this. So uh…how do you use it?” Dorcas kneels down, fingering through the black discs.

“Well, you…uh…shit.”

–

“Hey so, where are we going again?” Gub trails slightly behind as Kat speeds down the hall. “And why are you walking so fast?”

“We have two stops to make and-”

“Two? I thought we were just going to Filch's office for the games.” Gub elongates his strides to catch up with Kat, whose walk keeps speeding up.

“I just have one quick stop to make first.”

Filch’s room is across the river on the east side of campus. As soon as they exit the building, they are met with a covered walkway that leads them straight to their destination. The covered walkway, a wooden bridge, rickets in the autumn wind, completely obscured by darkness. The only thing giving them a gauge of the distance is a small light about 100 feet away.

“Uh, Kat?” Gub says, grabbing onto a nearby rail.

“Yeah?” Above them, a rather concerning caw screeches out violently into the night. Below them, rushing water crashes into the rocky cliffs that elevate Hogwarts into the air.

“Would this be a good or bad time to mention that I am a bit frightened of heights?” Gub whispers back, his eyes searching the side of the bridge for a sense of stability.

“No, no, that's totally fine. Uh. If it makes you feel any better, I’m a bit frightened of just about everything else out here.” Kat whispers back, peeking out over the side to find the source of the screech in the sky.

“No, actually, that does not make me feel any better.”

“Oh. Well then, we might be in a bit of a pickle here Gub.” Another caw in the darkness causes both of them to tighten their clutch on the wooden poles beside them.

“A pickle?” Gub asks with a little shake of either laughter or fear in his voice.

“You know what, we’ll cross that bridge after we cross this bridge,” She laughs at herself, the awkward chuckle  echoing off the bridge into the chasm below.

“Alright Gub, we’re running out of time so we’re gonna make a run for it okay?”

Gub gulps, pushing himself off the wall into the center of the walkway, taking a starting position. “Okay. I’m ready.”

Kat straightens up, letting go of the bridge to join Gub, ready to run.

“Alright, three…two…one. Go!”

–

Marlene and Emma are almost perfect thieves. With their robes pulled over their heads, they are almost perfectly hidden in the darkness; Only their eyes peer out into the empty halls. They squat, roll, and hide as if they are dodging little red lasers at every turn. They take shortcuts only seasoned sneaks would know, arriving at the kitchens in almost record time.

Their only setback is the sheer amount of giggles they let escape them as they run through the halls, waking almost every portrait on their way down. But that’s beside the point.

“Alright, the house-elves are great but they are kinda sticklers when it comes to the rules. I’m friends with a few of them but I swear, if we run into Sinjie or Scrag, we are dead meat,” Emma gives Marlene the rundown, her years of experience finally coming in handy.

“We’ll have to stick close to the walls. Lucky for us, the sweets are right by the entrance so we won’t have to travel too far. Grab whatever you can and we should be good. I’m gonna go further in and see if I can swipe us some Butterbeer.”

Marlene nods, brows furrowed in determined readiness.

“Okay, let’s do this,” Emma pushes the door open, slowly revealing the largest small kitchen ever. The kitchen spans the length of the Great Hall and is impeccably clean. Every cabinet, stovetop, and refrigerator is waist level, an obvious tailor towards the working house-elves. Though the ceiling stood high, much of the space is filled with recipes on the wall and framed kitchen rules.

Emma’s layout is spot on, the desserts sitting right at the entrance, ready for the taking. Marlene begins to stuff the two bags she brought with as many treacle tarts, pumpkin pasties, sour stripes, and chocolate frogs as she could get her hands on. She makes sure to grab an extra load of chocolate for Emma and even more for Remus, just in case.

Emma continues further into the kitchen. Usually a lively place, right now it is eerily quiet. Even late at night, it wasn’t unusual to find a few house elves around, sharing some snacks or playing gobstones.

Across the room, Emma approaches the drinks, an elaborate set up of spouts coming down from the ceiling. Varying in colors, the only tell of their contents are little pictographs on the tap handle. She looks around in search of some form of to-go cups when she notices a peculiarity. Further down the hall stands a door she hadn’t noticed before. Well, she had noticed it, it's just that it always seemed to be a door to nowhere. She has never seen anyone enter or exit it and the light behind it was always off.

That is, until now. The door, still closed shut, is outlined with light and if you listen closely, there are sounds of music and conversations happening inside.

Emma takes a step forward, her curiosity growing, but she is stopped by thoughts of their upcoming party. She has a duty and if she doesn’t get cups quickly, Marlene might steal the whole damn kitchen. She takes one last look at the door, noticing the shadows of footsteps on the floor. She looks to the side, noticing a lidded pot right next to the door, then back at the mysterious door.

“Maybe just a quick peak…”

–

“So you need me to do what exactly?” Remus scratches his forehead as he looks down at the exposed record player and the two bewildered girls.

“Make it play music,” Dorcas says, matter-of-factly. She picks up one of the records, handing it to the still confused Remus.

“And why can’t Lily do this? Or Kat? Or Emma?” He takes the record, flipping it over in his hands.

“They aren’t here,” Lily mutters.

“And Lily can’t remember how, so we got you,” Dorcas adds. Lily blushes at her own lack of knowledge.

Remus sighs, taking a knee in front of the machine. He lifts the cover, setting the vinyl gently on the pin. He drops the needle as the disc begins to spin. Earth, Wind, and Fire begins to sing softly through the scratchy speaker.

Remus stands up as he wipes the dust off onto his pants.

“And why are you two trying to listen to records in the common room by yourself in the middle of the night? I mean I’d expect this from Marlene or Emma but it's a bit surprising coming from the queen of rules and you, Dorcas.”

Lily smacks his arm as Dorcas stands to join them.

“Lily and I are having a passionate affair,” Dorcas doesn’t hesitate, her composure completely deadpan.

Remus’s eyebrows shoot up, allowing a smirk to grow on his face, “Is that so?”

Lily smacks Dorcas in the arm this time, “We’re throwing a party,” she says.

“Lily, that’s supposed to be a secret!”

“Since when?” Lily lifts her eyebrows in confusion.

“And how does one get invited to this super-secret party?” Remus smirks, crossing his arms.

“It’s a girls-only party, Rem,” Dorcas retorts.

“That’s not true, Gub is coming,” Lily corrects. Her sense of rightness outweighs the obvious push-and-pull Dorcas is trying to do.

“Lil’, girl, we have to teach you about getting with the program,” Dorcas teases. “Fine, I’m sure Mar won’t mind and I’m positive Emma won’t either. The more the merrier, but there is one condition.”

Remus smiles at the success of his request. “I suppose that’s fair, what is it?”

“Get us pizzazz.”

Remus’s face scrunches up as he tries to process what pizzazz might entail. Then it hits him, the most obvious solution.

“Okay, hear me out… Who do we know who throws the absolute best parties? With the most pizzazz?”

Lily and Dorcas look at each other, an entire conversation happening between them in a moment of silence.

Remus’ eyes dart between them.

“Ah screw it. Go get them.”

—

Fear is a powerful motivator. That’s what they say at least. And fear is probably why it takes a record time of 9 seconds for Gub and Kat to sprint the 100 feet from the west side to the east side of the castle.

It takes everything in them not to scream as the wood creaks beneath their pounding steps. As soon as they hit the other side, the two burst through the large wooden door, entering the building.

It takes a few moments for them to catch their breath.

“Alright, I need you to head down the hall. Filch’s room is the second door on the left. Grab anything you think would be fun. Games or whatever you find. Got it?”

“Yeah. But wait, where are you going?” Gub asks as he starts to head down the hall.

“I’m just grabbing something real quick. You know the spell right?” She asks as she starts towards the nearest set of spiral stairs.

“Yeah, Alohomora.”

“Perfect, I’ll meet you back here in 5 minutes alright!” She disappears around the corner.

Gub turns, continuing off down the hall to retrieve the games.

Five minutes later, he’s back, standing alone in the hallway, a stack of board games in his hands and a bag of bowling pins at his feet. Gub is a very timely person.

It takes an extra five minutes before Kat comes back down, panting as she stuffs a small piece of paper into her pocket. She is a very untimely person.

“Sorry, I got lost. I started running around and I think I almost ran into McGonagall. This is more exercise than I’ve done in weeks. Now I’m- wait a second. Where’s my bowling ball?”

There is no bowling ball in sight.

“I’m sorry Kat. I couldn’t find your bowling ball.” Gub drops his gaze, saddened by the loss.

“Are you sure? You looked everywhere?” She pleads with him, searching for some hint of hope. Maybe he had missed a spot or maybe Filch was secretly bowling down the hall.

“I’m sure. I’m so sorry, the bowling ball…is gone,” Gub sighs at the tragedy.

Kat simply shakes her head. “It’s a cursed world we live in Gub… it’s a cursed world,” she pauses for a moment, faking a sob. Suddenly she laughs, her demeanor shifting so suddenly the surprise almost knocks Gub off balance.

“Sorry, I was just thinking about what would happen if we said Accio bowling ball. That would be such a bad decision. Like wablam, bowling ball to the head,” she laughs again.

“Sometimes your mind is a scary place,” Gub states with only a slight look of concern on his face.

“You're telling me, buddy. Alright, let’s get back and start this party,” she pats him on the shoulder, taking a few board games from his hands. He picks up and slings the pins over his shoulder and they head back out the doors.

—

Emma creeps towards the door, promising herself she was only headed this way for the pot. She would grab it, happen to bump into the door, accidentally toggle the handle, peek inside, then head back to the drinks to fill up the butterbeer.

She was never a very curious person but there is something about Hogwarts that makes her constantly want to explore every nook, wander every hallway, and climb every tower. The magical mystery of the building is too much for her to deny her adventurous nature.

She slides the pot off the counter, completing step one of her plan. She closes the lid tightly with her fingers. It would be the death of their plan if she were to drop it.

Steps two and three are a bit more difficult as she crosses the space between the counter and the door. Her fingers faintly brush the handle, making sure it wouldn’t squeak if she were to twist it. Slowly, she begins to turn it until it won’t turn any more.

Now just a quick peek, as she pulls the door out, using the cushion of her shoe as a buffer.

An outpour of music fills the kitchen along with shimmering light. Inside the room, the entirety of the Hogwarts house-elves dance around white-clothed tables with drinks in their hands. They sing and shout, hugging each other in celebration. It is a lively view and brings a big smile to Emma’s face.

There is so much joy and fun, it is taking everything in her not to jump in and join in the commencement. That is until something catches her eye.

A rather tall figure in the corner, obviously a student by the robes and height They hover over the house-elves, Their hair short and black and their skin pale. She squints, trying to get a better look when suddenly a hand grabs her shoulder.

“Oh shit,” she almost shouts but the sight of Marlene behind her calms her nerves.

“Close the door,” Marlene whispers, nudging Emma’s arm.

“Sorry!” Emma closes the door and the two sigh in relief. Emma rushes over to the drinks, pulling the tab with the little sketch of butter until the pot is full. She puts the lid on and squeezes it tightly. They take one more look around before rushing out the kitchen, back to the dorms.

–

Remus’ grand plan is to summon the two wildest Gryffindors, James and Sirius, from their chambers to throw what they call ‘an actual jammin’ party’.

The first thing they do is fix the lighting. As Sirius puts it, “lighting is the mood maker and the mood killer at a party. If it's a jammin’ party, you have to have at least two disco balls.”

Then they fix the furniture, moving all the chairs and couches to the edge of the room. They set up tables for the food and games, bringing out blankets and pillows to make a big pile in the middle. A combination of a communal bed and a soft dance floor, the room is set perfectly.

Next is the decor. James is, and always has been, the top of the class at charms. She would never admit it, but even Lily is impressed by his skills. James fills the room with infinite confetti, falling and flying like snow. He adds some color to the disco ball, animating the room in a kaleidoscope of light.

“Now this is a party!” James looks smugly around the room. Everyone has smiles on their faces, even Lily. That is until she sees James and her frown immediately returns.

Dorcas walks up to him, patting him on the back. She leans over and whispers, “You should apologize.”

He sighs in response as his eyes trail Lily from across the room. “I know I just…” he sighs again.

Suddenly the door wooshes open, revealing a rather sweaty set of Marlene and Emma.

“We have the food!” Emma shouts, hauling the butterbeer to the nearest table. Before she could get there, Remus takes it from her hands, relieving her from the weight.

“Oh thank god, my hands were killing me.” She walks to her spot on the couch, now against the wall, plopping down for a moment of rest.

“Damn ladies, this is almost perfect!” Marlene takes in the room, a now festive sight.

“Almost?” Sirius puts his hand on his chest, utterly offended by anything less than perfection.

“Yeah, almost. You’re missing the most important part,” She smiles as she sets the bags of sweets on the designated food table. Lily begins pulling them all out, sorting them into categories.

“No offense to Earth, Wind, & Fire, but if we really want to party, I think we all know what needs to be done,” She walks over to the record player, stopping the needle from going on any further.

A quick “Accio ABBA record,” summons one of the center blacks discs straight into her hand. She tosses it down and throws on the needle, turning the volume up.

Waterloo blasts through the speakers, causing a wave of cheers from the gang. Emma jumps up from her seat, reenergized by the song.

The door swings open again revealing the second sweaty pair of Kat and Gub. Kat throws the games down, immediately joining Emma to dance. Gub follows after, honoring his Swedish idols. Sirius and Marlene join them immediately, each singing and dancing to their heart's content.

It takes Marlene grabbing Dorcas’ hand before she joins in, reluctant at first. Marlene swings her around until her awkward tension is gone, making her laugh and sing with ease.

Sirius finally drags Remus into the dancing pool with the classic ‘Caught on the Line’ dance move.

“You gotta do it, Rem. You gotta! Be my fish! Be my fish, Remus! Come on!” Sirius keeps shouting as he reels and reels the line in.

“Be his fish! Be his fish! Be his fish!” Emma begins to chant, still swinging her arms to the song. He glances at Emma, rolling his eyes at her stupidly big grin before he begins to hop in in all his fishy glory.

While everyone dances, Lily stays by the food, fiddling with her piles of candies. James stares, sighing every couple of minutes and muttering under his breath, his only company Peter.

It isn’t until track 7, “Honey, Honey”, that the gang finally gets the three off their walls and into the center of the room to dance. They dance and dance until they are out of songs to dance to. Then they eat and eat until their stomachs are full. Finally, they play at least four rounds of Bogarts and Aurors and at least five more rounds of Clue.

It isn’t until the sun peeks through the windows do they finally lay their heads down to rest.

“That was some first night huh?” Kat whispers to Emma, who is already almost drooling next to her.

“Mhmm,” she droopily responds, eyes closed.

“It seems it was, Ms. Russell,” a shrill voice interrupts all of their drifting.

“Oh shit,” Sirius says, rubbing his eyes as he sits up.

“What have we here? Stolen items and various charms?” Professor McGonagall stands at the door, once again dawning the most ornate of robes. Her hair is neatly pinned back and her glasses hovers on the tip of her nose. She surveys the room as the eight of them stare at her like deer in the headlights.

“Can’t we have one year without your shenanigans?” She looks down at them, a hint of a smile on her face.

“I’m sorry Minnie, no-can-do,” James responds, still flat on his back with his eyes closed.

“Mr. Potter,” she tsks at his nickname for her, looking back at the other students. “Listen closely. If I catch this kind of behavior again, you will be losing house points.”

“Professor, please-” Lily starts to argue but she is interrupted.

“However, today and today alone, I will let you off the hook. Clean up this mess and go back to your rooms before the other students awake.”

The group lets out an almost unanimous sigh of relief. Professor McGonagall pivots on her heel and heads back to the door.

Before leaving, she turns around one last time, a small but still noticeable smile on her face “And it's good to have you back.”

The door closes behind her. James thrusts a pillow over his face, groaning into it.

Kat suddenly sits up, eyes wide. “I forgot!” She stands up, shoving her hand into her pocket. Pulling it out, she reveals a note, the note she disappeared earlier that night to get. “Lily! The spell! The spell is Tergeo!”

Lily lets out a scream, the irritation of forgetting finally relieved as the word she had been looking for all night finally came back to her.

“Why were you guys looking for a cleaning spell?” James sleepily mutters into the pillow. The girls each shoot a glare at him for withholding this knowledge from them but the pillow obscures them from his view.

Lily rushes up the stairs, leaving the rest to clean up the common room.

Despite their lack of energy, they finish up pretty quickly, leaving only the table of snacks out for the other students to eat if they wanted.

They settle on quick goodnights to each other as they each go back to their dorms, feet dragging and eyes drooping.

Before the girls cover their noses and shield their eyes in order to enter their room, Lily opens the door revealing a spotless and odorless dorm. She receives little woo’s of thanks but unfortunately, her praise would have to wait until morning when their brains could compute her heroism. For now, they all crash land on their beds, sleeping the rest of the day away.

[dumbledamnn]

Party Like It's 1974 (Ch.3)

Characters: Marauders, OCs

Pairings: Remus x fem!OC, Marlene x Dorcus, Lily x James

Word Count: 3659

Warnings: Language, little angst

Summary: Kat and Emma go to Hogwarts in 1974 lol

“Radices et rami? How the hell am I supposed to remember that?” Sirius grumbles as the Gryffindors pile through the Fat Lady’s frame into the common room.

After the feast had finished, all the students were dismissed to their corners of the castle to unpack and prepare for the upcoming academic year. The Gryffindors are forced to trek several shifting staircases and declare an ever-changing password to a rather grumpy opera singer before they could enter their common room.

“I wish they wouldn’t change it every year…” Peter mumbles, stumbling in behind Sirius.

“I don't know what you guys are talking about, Radishes and Ramses just rolls off the tongue.” James heads straight for the couch across from the fireplace, plopping down as a rush of students file past him into their rooms.

“Radicals eat rams, James. Don’t be stupid.” Emma says, lounging down next to him.

The common room is a very festive and homely place for the Gryffindor students. Maroons and crimsons coat every surface, contrasting the otherwise grey cobblestone walls, oak furniture, and gold trim. Tapestries with ancient, renaissance patterns swirl over the walls, and various paintings of Gryffindor alumni monitor the incoming class. The fire, a centerpiece of the room, crackles, casting a flickering light on James and Emma’s faces.

“Radices et rami,” Lily mutters as she marches by. She casts a glare towards the back of James’ head before disappearing into the staircase that leads to the girl’s dorms.

Though most students rush to unpack and settle in, some students linger around, surveying the room. Particularly, many first-years wander around, skimming the titles of the various ancient books on different rustic shelves, pressing their faces against the spells of moonlight cascading from the massive windows, and introducing themselves to each golden framed friend.

“I’m gonna go unpack. I’ll see you guys up there.” Remus heads towards the boys' side, marked by a wooden door on the bottom floor. Peter tails behind him, throwing a quick wave before disappearing into the hall.

“I’m gonna go check on Lily.” Marlene smacks James on the head as she walks by the couch. Dorcas follows her, adding a flick of judgment.

“Ow. Why am I being punished?” James rubs the back of his head in pain as if he hadn’t taken at least three quaffles to the skull last season and claimed he felt nothing.

“Because you’re a dumbass.” Dorcas throws back at him.

“Just because Snape sucks ass doesn’t mean you get to yell at Lily,” Marlene shouts before disappearing up the stairs.

James lets out a sigh, burrowing his head into his hands yet again.

“Good luck with your wallowing James. I’m gonna go unpack.” Sirius throws up a peace sign, a gesture he learned from the resident muggle aficionados Kat and Remus last year.

Without Sirius and Marlene, the room is a lot quieter, save for a few first-years and Kat chatting with a portrait in the corner. Of course, this peace lasts only a moment before Sirius bursts back into the room.

“James. There’s a ghost in our room.” He is breathing heavily despite their room only being 10 feet away.

“No way, Sirius. A ghost? At Hogwarts? For real?” Emma is terribly quick with her sarcastic comebacks.

“I’m serious.” His eyes are big and he wrings his hands as if shaking them violently would make his claim more convincing.

“We knew that already.” Kat chimes in from across the room. She doesn’t even glance back, continuing her conversation with Caveris the Wolf-Tamer, her friend on the wall.

“No!” Sirius, now extraordinarily exasperated, pleads with his friends “A stranger broke into our room.”

“What the hell Sirius, what do you mean?” James stiffens, still hesitant to believe him.

“Are you serious?” Emma furrows her eyebrows, still deciding whether or not his claims are true.

“Emma, we already established this.” Kat chimes in again, earning herself three simultaneous glares from the group.

“Yes! It's just hovering in the corner of the room!” Sirius takes a step closer and lowers his voice. Through gritted teeth, he says “It even had the audacity to wave at me.” Sirius collapses onto a nearby crimson lounge chair, burrowing his head in his hands. “What does it want from me?”

“Gub!” Kat shouts, finally turning away from Caveris to face the boy’s side.

Sirius, on the brink of madness, throws up his hands. “Katherine! Now is not the time for your made-up words! Please, for God’s sake. Listen to me.” He shakes his hands above his head, putting on a real show of insanity.

“Hey!” A gentle voice from behind him sends an almost electric wave of goosebumps straight to Sirius’s soul. He lets out a blood-curdling, and rather high-pitched scream before jumping up and hiding behind the couch where James and Emma still sit.

Kat runs across the room, pummeling the culprit with a bear-hug.

“Gub! Hi! How are you? How was your summer? Were you sleeping? Did we wake you up? How are- is, how is it going? What? Yeah. Hi.” Kat begins interrogating the rather tall and lanky boy.

“Did she just call him Gub?” James leans back over the couch, whispering to Sirius. Sirius simply shakes his head up and down.

Emma smacks the two, hard. “You two are the dumbest dumbasses I have ever met.”

She gets up and joins Kat and Gub, offering him a welcoming hug.

Gub Hartvigsen is the only Swedish student at Hogwarts and James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus’s fifth roommate. He was assigned to their rowdy room since the first day of their second year and he has never had a moment of peace since. When they accidentally set off Dr. Filibuster’s Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks in the dorm, Gub was there. When they slipped Frog Spawn Soap into all the showers, Gub was the first to lather and rinse. When they stole FIre Whiskey from James’s parent's house, Gub cleaned up the vomit. Gub was, for better or worse, always around, and yet, the four mischief-mongers never noticed him.

To be fair, their previous year was a doozy and luckily Gub is a patient man.

“So you aren’t a ghost?” Sirius stands up from behind the couch.

They turn to face him and James, who are now both standing and wearing highly suspicious looks on their faces.

“Are you scared of ghosts?” Gub’s Swedish accent is noticeable but his English is impeccable, seeing as English is Sweden’s main language.

“No.” Sirius sounds like a toddler trying to convince their parents they aren’t scared of the dark.

The three laugh sparking red across Sirius’ cheeks.

“You’re… Gub?” James asks slowly.

“I am,” Gub responds with a smile. His voice is almost melodious as it never wavers above meditative and calm.

Gub is a gentle soul and a practical prototype of a stereotypical Swede. His eyes are a sea-ish shade of blue and his hair is like white fire; far blonder than Marlene’s, yet its style resembles Dorcas: straight yet scruffy like he constantly just woke up from a nap.

James straightens his shirt, walks over to Gub, and puts his hand out.

“Well, uh, nice to meet you Gub…?”

“Hartvigsen.” Gub finishes for him, accepting his handshake.

“Yup, yeah, that. I was gonna say that. Nice to meet you, Gub.”

From outside, the clocktower begins to chime, signifying it is time to go to sleep.

“Well…” Kat starts.

“Yeah, I'm probably gonna go unpack now.” Emma finishes.

“But you guys can go get to know each other!” Kat squeezes Gub’s hand, giving him a quick smile before heading off towards the stairs.

“Even though you guys have lived together for a year,” Emma adds before following Kat up the stairs.

“Wait what?” Sirius is cut off by the goodnight calls from Emma and Kat as they turn the corner.

The boys stand there awkwardly. Even the first-years have filtered out, leaving the common room an empty cavern with only the crackling fire to fill the silence.

“Well, shall we return to the room?” Gub offers. The other two nod in agreement. Gub is the first person at Hogwarts to leave the ever-so-talkative Sirius Black and James Potter speechless. The three head off into the boy’s side, closing the door behind them.

And so the first night in the dorm begins.

--

The consistency in color does not let up when it comes to the Gryffindor dorm rooms. Maroon cotton sheets and red velvet drapes, the only other place with that much crimson is a blood bank. The round room holds five beds, each paired with a wooden bedside table, a latched chest at the foot of the bed, and a view of the castle. The center of the room is a large open space covered in oriental carpets where students often sit with their friends.

Each student’s luggage is delivered to their room long before the feast has started. Their bags are seated neatly on their beds, placed by the many house-elves serving around the castle.

Though the sun has long since set and the common room emptied, the individual dorm rooms are more than lively. Particularly the room, home to a certain five Gryffindor girls known for their nonsense, tomfoolery, and cooperation with a certain group of Gryffindor boys, at the end of the hall.

The five, Lily, Dorcas, Marlene, Kat, and Emma, scramble around the room, unpacking their things.

There are several types of unpackers. Some, like Lily, are ‘get it done' kind of people. This is why each of her articles already has its labeled place and she is finished sliding her bags under her spotless bed. Kat also falls in this category, but she lacks the high-strung tendencies that Lily has. Some, like Emma, are ‘do it later’ kind of people. This is why she is currently lying on her bed, enjoying the comfortable sanctuary of her down-comforter while her bags lie barely touched, on the floor next to her.

“I’ll do it tomorrow. I’m too sleepy to organize right now.” Emma tries to convince Lily of her sound logic but Lily’s rigid expectations can’t be swayed.

Some people, like Dorcas, are “I'll get it when I need it” kind of people. This is why her toothbrush and pajamas sit on her bedside table while the rest of her school clothes remain packed.

Then there are people like Marlene, whose type of unpacking can’t be put into words.

“Marlene, would you please stop throwing all your shit on my bed?” Dorcas picks up a pile of clothes, tossing them on the floor near Marlene’s barely visible bed.

“Language Dorcas.” Lily doesn’t even turn around as she neatly lies her maroon and gold striped ties in her bedside drawer.

Marlene’s head pops out from under her bed, eyes looking wilder than they normally do. “Lil, this is gonna be a long fucking year if you’re gonna pick up the hobby of saying ‘language’.”

She disappears back under the bed as Lily sighs, eyes rolling back into her head.

“Marlene, not to like, stunt your progress or anything, but what the hell are you doing?” Emma tries to get a look under Marlene’s bed but her eyesight is blocked by the many piles of clothes.

“How did you even fit this much clothing in your suitcase?” Kat asks as she slots some textbooks onto her dresser.

Marlene’s head stays hidden this time, as she explains, “I had my older brother do an extension charm on my bag. I practically begged him to do it but I guess there are perks to him working in the Ministry.”

‘Once again, why are you under your bed?” Emma asks.

Suddenly, there's a bang from under her bed followed by a few muffled curse words. Suddenly, green and brown ooze followed by misty grey smoke begins seeping out from under Marlene’s bed.

“Marlene!” Dorcas shouts, dropping to the floor to see what happened.

Finally, Marlene scoots out, revealing herself to be covered head to toe in what can only be described as goop. The same greenish brown slime stuck to every part of her person. Her eyes barely peak through the thick coats on top of her skin.

“Ew. Oh my god.” Lily steps back, a look of utter disgust as the goop starts dripping onto the wooden floor. It crawls out over the carpets, slowly crawling until it finally comes to a stop by Lily’s feet.

“Damn it, Mick. I’m gonna kill him for this.” Suddenly, it begins to hit them. A wave of the most putrid smell any of them has ever smelled in their lives. It smells as if they were buried six feet under a garbage plant, the stench bringing tears to their eyes.

“Oh God Marlene, what the hell did you do?” Dorcas’s hand shoots up to cover her nose as Emma begins to gag.

“Holy shit, I have to get out of here.” Emma snatches her wand and blanket and books it out of the room.

Kat steps closer, examining the scene. Goop is oozing everywhere and the smell is spreading at a rapid rate, getting worse by the second.

“I was trying to,” Marlene’s words are interrupted by hard swallows as she tries not to puke. “I was trying to…use my suitcase… as a secret closet…under my bed. Oh god, please get this stuff off of me.”

Dorcas stands up and looks at Lily, who now has tears in her eyes from the rancid aroma.

“Should I grab some water?” Kat asks, trailing along the outskirts of the room towards the door.

“No. Let me.” Lily snatches her pillow, covers her nose and mouth, and walks closer to the scene of the crime. She tiptoes around the slime-covered floor. “Are you ready?” she asks, pointing her wand straight at Marlene’s face.

Dorcas steps back, joining Kat on the other side of the room. Marlene squints her eyes shut and nods.

“Aguamenti.” From the spout of Lily’s wand, a stream of water begins to wash away the goop, which, after being drenched, begins to sizzle before dissipating in the water. The smell, however, remains in the air. Their dorm is now in a state of rotten air and damp floors. The four girls stood amiss of what to do.

“Explain to me one more time what you were doing?” Lily asks, her tone peeved.

“I figured if I kept my suitcase open, I could use the extension charm on my suitcase as an extended closet under my bed, but my brother must have rigged the bag. I’m gonna kill him.” Marlene is still gagging between words.

“If you don’t figure out how to fix this mess, I’m gonna kill you Mar.” Dorcas pinches her lips shut in radical bitterness.

“I’m sorry, can we leave or something, I think the smell is getting in my hair.” Kat starts inching towards the door, hands covering her space buns as if that would protect them from the stench.

As soon as they step outside of the dorm, fresh air greets their lungs and the smell is cleansed from their system.

“I can breathe!” Marlene shouts, raising her hands in victory. Dorcas rolls her eyes.

“He must’ve put a radius on the smell so it wouldn’t affect the whole dorm.” Lily puts her hand on her chin, pondering solutions to their predicament.

“How do you think we get rid of it then?” Dorcas asks.

“I think I remember reading about a spell that could help but…ugh. I can’t remember it for the life of me.” Lily stomps in exasperation, channeling all her annoyance at her own memory.

“That’s okay, Lily. Let’s head out to the common room and maybe you’ll remember it. Either way, we can always sleep out there,” Kat suggests, nodding her head back towards the stairs.

--

Back in the common room, Emma is already wrapped up in her comforter perched in her seat on the couch across from the fire. She leans her head back until she can just barely see her roommates heading down the stairs.

“Hey guys, it doesn’t smell out here.” She says.

“No way. I didn’t notice.” Kat snarks back, rolling over the couch, flopping next to her. Emma offers her part of her comforter and she gladly accepts.

“Did you guys get the stuff out? What happened?” Emma asks as Marlene and Dorcas take seats in the two neighboring armchairs directly across from each other. Lily heads straight to the bookshelf across the room, mumbling as if she was casting an incantation.

“I had a brilliant idea-”

“Oh, got it. That’s enough for me.” Emma cuts Marlene off. Kat and Dorcas chuckle as Marlene lifts her finger in defense. She tries but she comes up empty.

“Well, at least I’m helping us make memories.” Marlene finally retorts. She has a smug look on her face but the rest of them are not as amused. “Without me, half of our cherished memories wouldn’t even exist!” She continues, trying to convince them her presence was worth the trouble.

“Half of our problems either,” Dorcas sighs, throwing her head back on the chair.

“Come on! Remember the time that I got us invited to that centaur party in the Forbidden Forest?” Marlene’s suggestion is met by a series of grumbles.

“Ugh, I was sick for a week after all the pumpkin pasties I ate.” Kat grabs her stomach.

“Or the time I stole some food from Slughorn’s Slug Club party.” She tries again.

“Those cauldron cakes were so not worth the scolding we got from McGonagall.” Emma chimes in.

“What about the time Lily really wanted that book or whatever from the forbidden section in the library and I got us there!” Marlene is now exasperated by the barrage of rejection.

“Yeah, and how we almost got banned from the Hallowe’en feast? Thanks for that, Mar.” Dorcas bites out.

“Not to mention we lost 30 points from Gryffindor. That cost us the cup.” Lily slides a book back into the shelf. She turns around, slumping her back against the hardbacks.

“Fine. Fine. I’m never sharing my good ideas with you guys again.” Marlene humphs, crossing her arms as if she has dealt them a viable punishment.

“Thank you,” Dorcas says, offering a rather sassy smile to her counterpart.

“Hey Lily, did you find anything?” Kat asks across the room.

“No. It’s killing me. It’s on the tip of my tongue. I know exactly what the spell does and I still can’t remember the name. This is so frustrating!” She stomps again. Lily is notoriously a stomper.

“Did you find any of the books you were looking for?” Emma asks, turning around on the couch to face her.

“Nope.” Lily starts to walk back over to the couch.

“Guys, I’m sorry. My stupid brain can’t remember.”

“Excuse you. Do not talk about Lily that way.” Marlene shoots up.

“You know what I-“ Lily starts to argue but she is cut off by a barrage of aggressive support.

“You are so smart it physically pains me,” Emma shouts.

“We do not accept that sort of negative talk in this household.” Kat claps back.

“You are brilliant. Absolutely brilliant Lily. Do not let yourself think anything less.” Marlene finishes.

Dorcas walks over to the rosy-cheeked Lily.

“Don’t beat yourself up, Lil. If anything, this is all Marlene’s fault. You’re brilliant and no matter what, we’ll figure it out. Worst comes to worst, we tell McGonagall tomorrow and get a little telling off.” She pats Lily on the back, leading her over to join the gang by the fire.

“Yeah…” She starts.

“Wait! I have an idea!” Marlene wears a wicked smile.

“How about not,” Emma shuts her down so fast, she barely has time to blink.

“Wait! I have an idea!” Kat jumps up, shoving the comforter into Emma’s face.

“Deja Vu,” Emma’s retort is muffled by the blanket.

Kat quickly runs back up the stairs, disappearing out of sight. There is silence, then the sound of muffled coughs in the distance before a door slamming. A few moments later, the sound of a door opening and a few more coughs drift into the common room.

Kat stomps down the spiral stairs back into the common room, heading straight for a nearby desk. In her hand, she holds a quill and a piece of parchment. She begins to furiously write, her hand moving so fast it seemed it might fly off at a moment’s notice.

She stands, folding the parchment in thirds and stuffing it in an envelope. She adds a few words to the front of the envelope then hustles over to her friend in the portrait. She beckons Caveris, who was sitting on a rock in the distance, closer to the edge of the frame and whispers into the painted surface.

“What the hell is going on?” Marlene whispers to the rest of the girls.

Emma turns away from Kat, eyes fixed once more on the flames. “I choose not to question her.”

Kat walks across the room, taking her seat beside Emma. All eyes are on her as they wait for an explanation.

None comes.

“Would you care to share with the class?” Marlene breaks the silence.

“No thanks.” She responds, taking back her section of the comforter.

“Where’d that letter go?” Dorcas eyes Kat’s empty hands.

“To a friend.” She only adds to the ambiguity.

“And how does that help us?” Lily asks, now seated with her back to the fire.

“You’ll see.”

“Yup. Mhmm. Yeah. Totally. Anyways guys, if you think about it, this is like a sleepover party,” Emma swiftly changes the subject, “since we aren’t in our dorm it’s kinda special, right? So I think we should have a party!”

Everyone nods in agreement. If there is one thing these ladies are good at, it’s throwing a party, even if it’s only for themselves. And boy are they gonna throw a party.

[dumbledamnn]

Party Like It's 1974 (Ch.2)

Characters: Marauders, OCs

Pairings: Remus x fem!OC, Marlene x Dorcus, Lily x James

Word Count: 3570

Warnings: Language, little angst

Summary: Kat and Emma go to Hogwarts in 1974 lol

Despite it being Hogwarts' 984th year, the magnificence of the building never faded. The training grounds of some of the greatest witches and wizards of all time, the whole castle emanates magical energy. With its twisting, grand spires casting geometric shadows over the tree-coated landscape and its steely grey stones pressing firmly against the star-speckled sky, there are hints of mystery tucked behind each rotating stairwell and engraved door. Each day, hundreds of secrets are whispered between the golden-framed paintings on the walls as the stone-cold gargoyles witness each student’s story unfold.

It would take far more than 7 years for a student to experience all the adventures Hogwarts has stored in its ancient walls. Although, that doesn’t mean there aren’t those willing to try.

As the students march under the tilting stone entryway, they have little time to take in the genuine scale of their new place of residence. They are ushered through the winding hallways, up the shifting stairs, straight to the open doors of the Great Hall.

As it is every September 1st, the hall gleams with tradition. Four sprawling mahogany tables line the floor of the room, covered in empty tableware. Above them hover colored flags intermingled with glowing candles and mystical stars. The flags designate each table to one of the four houses at Hogwarts, a natural pairing of like-minded students. The students flood in, rushing to whichever house table they belong to, filling the hall with echoes of joy and excitement as the students reunite with their friends.

At the opposite end of the room, the current selection of professors watch intently as their previous pupils fill the seats. Dawning ornate robes, they stand above the students giving off a sense of gentle authority. Smiling and waving politely, their excitement is calmed by their maturity and stature.

It isn’t until Sirius and his gang of misfits enter that they break their air of posterity with a uniting sigh.

“It feels so magical” Kat takes a seat next to James at the Gryffindor table.

“Astute observation Sherlock,” Remus adds as he and Emma slide into the bench across from her.

“It’s almost like it is magic.” James’ eyes grow wide with sarcastic shock.

“Wait a second…you’re telling me that-”

“Oh my god, I get it.” Kat rolls her eyes, sharply cutting Emma off. Sirius and Peter take the end seats and the group takes in the place they call home. As their eyes roam for familiar faces, they barely exchange any words. There is so much chatter in the hall, it is almost impossible to think.

“Hey dorks!” The hall is silenced by a bellowing voice from the doorway. Like a wave, each head turns towards the noise.

“Marlene, oh my god.” big smiles grow on the gang’s faces. Posing like the top auror on the cover of Witch Weekly, Marlene McKinnon stands in the center of the doorway. She smirks as she surveys the nearest batch of students.

Behind her, an equal but extraordinarily different presence exudes the same slightly threatening energy. She rolls her eyes at Marlene.

“Come on Dorcas, I’d never pass up a chance to make an entrance.” Marlene turns and winks at the girl behind her.

The two are practically each other’s reciprocals. Marlene’s hair is like strands of starlight and her skin is like seafoam while Dorcas’s hair resembles short waves of darkness and her skin is like espresso. Marlene wears her clothes as though they were a blanket, tousled and lounging on her arms while Dorcas stands tall and prim, clothes tucked in and well-fitted. They are the embodiment of yin and yang.

Across the room, Sirius mounts the table, planting his feet firmly between dinner plates. He cups his hands around his mouth, prepared to shout some witty comeback at Marlene, but before he can get the words out, another strong presence enters the arena.

“Ms. McKinnon, will you please seat yourself at the Gryffindor table. You as well Ms. Meadowes. And Mr. Black, get your feet off the table. You are to be setting a good example for our new students.”

Sirius meekly climbs down while a group of Slytherin’s snicker from across the room. Marlene and Dorcas nod at the voice, scuttling over to take the seats next to Kat and Emma.

The shrill voice belongs to Professor Minerva McGonagall, the head of the Gryffindor house. Her shrill British accent was nothing less than a cover to her strong will and domineering presence. She could whip any student or professor into shape and never lift a finger.

Behind her, a crowd of twitching and chattering first-years stares in awe at the room before them. For some, this is an experience they waited for their whole life while for others, this is one of their first experiences with magic. The nuance was not lost on any of them

Professor McGonagall makes her way to the front of the hall, taking her position next to a rather old hat on an even older stool. The first years pack the center aisle, their nervous mutters and shuffling feet echoing into the galaxy above. They know what is coming and it will determine the next 7 years' worth of their life.

The hat, sitting on the stool, has a wide brim with a tall body, the fabric coming to a slumped, dull point. It is covered in patterns and patches of all mismatching sorts, its only cohesion is its incoherency. If you look hard enough, it seems to heave soft yet deep breaths. This slump of fabric is the one thing standing between the freshmen and their futures.

The entire student body stares at Professor McGonagall waiting for her to speak. She stands, hands folded, mouth thinly closed, staring back at the curious eyes. Nervous silence fills the room with tension.

A twitch and suddenly every eye moves from the professor to the seated hat. As though it was a mouth, one of the creases in its fabric begins to speak- no, sing, filling the hall with its melodious and deep voice. The shock on the students' faces was nothing compared to the shock on the professor’s faces when they heard the song the Sorting Hat began to sing.

“Honey honey, how I’ll sort you, a-ha, honey honey

Honey honey, it’s a contact sport, a-ha, honey honey

I see your ambition clear

Cunningly, the crowds you’ll steer

And soon they’ll know what I mean, you're a Slytherin

Oh, you make me dizzy!”

It would not be an overstatement to say everyone’s jaws had dropped. The Sorting hat sways side to side, grooving out to its own voice sprawling across the walls.

“Honey honey, let me hear it, a-ha, honey honey

Honey honey, can’t conceal it, a-ha, honey honey

The things that you tolerate

The work that you dedicate

A Hufflepuff’s a true friend, there till the end”

“Hell yeah! Sing it out Sortin’ Hat! Sing it out!” Sirius throws up his hands in an attempt to start a communal clap, cheering at the hat’s groove. As the Sorting Hat continues its jam, slowly the clap spreads across the Great Hall, turning the age-old tradition into an all-out concert of sorts.

“I don’t wanna miss my chance baby, My knowledge I will advance

So stay in reality girl, you best take my advice

But I've got the wit for you boy, you'll never outsmart me

There's no other house than Ravenclaw I rather would be.”

The Ravenclaws cheer at the end of their verse while every student now waves their hands back and forth in a unanimous sway to the song. McGonagall’s shock fades into a sort of amused grimace. Behind her, many of the professors follow the lead of the students, happily tapping their feet to the new stylistic choice of the Sorting Hat.

“Honey honey, dare me baby, a-ha, honey honey

Honey honey, thrill me baby, a-ha, honey honey

You’re chivalrous, you bravely rawr

But I know just who you are

And honey, to say the least, you're a Gryffindor!”

The students practically ascend with cheers and applause as the song comes to end. Students who were filled with jittery anticipation only moments ago now throw their worries to the wind as they clap with their fellow classmates.

After a few moments of joy, the cheering halts to the clearing of a throat. Professor McGonagall lifts her hands to reveal a scroll of names.

“Now…” she clears her throat again, glancing at the Sorting Hat in slight exasperation, “When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted.”

“Lilian Abernathy” A rather small young girl makes her way to the front. She climbs up atop allowing Professor McGonagall to set the hat on her head. The Sorting Hat almost consumes her, barely balancing on the top of her large circle frames and folded ears.

The freshmen watch as she pioneers the experience of being sorted. Sorting is a silent endeavor, a very personal moment between you and the hat. No one truly knows what goes on in the moments when the hat presides over your head except for you and the ageless piece of apparel.

“Gryffindor!” As it is when any student is announced to their house, the Gryffindor table stands and cheers in a welcoming wave for little Lilian Abernathy. She scurries over and takes a seat at the table, bombarded by welcoming pats and handshakes from upperclassmen.

McGonagall continues through the list, an even sprawl of students heading off to each table. For some, their house is practically etched into their personality. Emma is one of those people, a Gryffindor down to her bones. For some, their family lineage creates a pathway for their house, like James whose parents were also Gryffindors. For others, the Sorting Hat shatters the expectations of the world. For example, breaking the age-old tradition of the Blacks as Slytherins by sorting Sirius into Gryffindor. Lastly, there are the wild cards. Whether they are muggle-born or from a mixed house family, some people are unpredictable variants only the Sorting Hat could be able to dictate. Such was Kat, an outlier to the wizarding world. Anything goes for those types of people.

“Barty Crouch Jr.” A scraggly boy makes his way to the front of the room.

“Ah, here we go,” Peter mutters, turning his gaze away from the front of the hall.

“Who’s that?” Kat asks.

“My family always raved about his dad’s work in the Ministry…” Sirius nods at Barty, whose eyes stare directly at the brim of the hat placed on his head.

“Oh. Got it. Not a fan of him then.” Emma looks away from the front, turning her eyes to the ceiling’s infinite bounds.

“I’m guessing that's a bad thing?” Kat searches for more answers but all her friends have little care for the boy at the front of the room. She looks back at Barty. His leg is violently rushing up and down and he seems to be muttering something. The hat sways as if muttering back to him. Barty finally looks down, letting out a long breath of air as he squints his eyes shut.

“Ravenclaw.” The Ravenclaw table offers a few claps but it's obvious that many of them share similar feelings to Sirius and Peter. The sorting continues.

Finally, one girl stands alone in the center of the room, the last to be sorted.

“Caroline Winters. Come up here dear.” She marches up to the plate, pivoting sharply on her heel, crossing her legs when she sits.

“Quick, what do you think it’ll be?” James challenges.

They all let out a practically synchronized whisper of “Slytherin” right as the Sorting Hat announces the same answer.

A sea of green claps and cheers, almost hissing, bursts out as Caroline saunters to the table and takes her seat.

“Damn. So much potential wasted Ms. Winters. I really wished for better for you.” Emma shakes her head in disappointment. The gang snickers while a sea of glares shoots them down from across the room.

“Marlene, you owe me 5 galleons.” Dorcas holds her hand out, palm up in expectation.

“No way. Already? I haven’t even done anything yet.” Marlene protests, eyes searching across the hall. “Oh damn, you’re right. God, Fern, get a life. I’ll pay you when we get back to the common room.”

“Wait what?” Emma says, smiling at the two bickering ladies.

“Dorcas bet me I couldn’t get past the Welcome Feast without Fern glaring at me. I almost made it too.”

Emma cackles in response. “Wait, wait, I got you.” Emma searches for Fern at the Slytherin table. With her silver hair and piercing green eyes, she’s never difficult to find. What makes it easier is the fact that Fern is always paired with her best friend Scarlet. Scarlet is just as noticeable with her dark skin marked with slashing scars. It looks as though she's been through at least three wars. Rumor has it that she got into a fight with a clabbert and she definitely lost.

Emma shoots an even more aggressive glare across the room to the both of them, receiving matching eye rolls in response. “Oh, this is gonna be a fun year.” Marlene laughs, throwing her arm around Emma.

Suddenly there is a flash at the front of the room, filling the space where the sorting hat used to be with fog. It forms together, spiraling upwards until it shoots back to the ground in a grand clash. As if one blinked him into appearance, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore now stands behind a pedestal.

“Welcome, welcome my dear students to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I want to thank you all for coming for without you I would not have a job.” He chuckles alone. “There are no new professors so, for you first years, a quick introduction is due. I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts. I am akin to the bowtruckles of the forest. Many legs with many talents. Professor McGonagall, Professor Mullein, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Slughorn are the heads of the four houses respectively. The rest of these professors hold faces you will see very often, so I do hope you take the time to get to know them.”

He continues to ramble for a couple more minus, outlining rules that many of the students heard before and making references no one understands.

“And be careful not to let the snarggle’s sleep in your dresser. That will only leave you in a tizzy. And now, without further ado, let the feast begin.” He lifts his hands outward, seemingly conjuring forth a meal fit for a kingdom. The four tables are filled with platters of roast beef, sausages, bacon, and pies. Bowls appear with potatoes, ships, Yorkshire pudding, and peppermint humbugs. No space was left unoccupied with some sort of delicious dish waiting to be eaten. The students erupt in a carnivorous outcry, snatching up food as if they had never been fed.

“This is, by far, the best part of the year. Hand me the potatoes please.” Emma says, a bread roll stuffed in her mouth. Remus fulfills her wish, grabbing the nearest bowls of chips, potatoes, and mash.

“Yes!” Emma scoops out handfuls onto her plate, making many noises that resemble a cavewoman.

The gang feasted to satisfaction. It really was the best time of year.

“Wait, Kat, where is Gub?” Marlene asks before taking a big bite of a lamb chop.

“I’m sorry, what did you just ask her?” Sirius jumps in. He and James stare down Marlene as if she just insulted them and their ancestors.

“You guys are kidding right?” Dorcas says, stealing a piece of broccoli from Marlene’s plate.

“Dorcas, the bowl of broccoli is literally right there.”

“I want yours.”

“Don’t try to change the subject ladies!” James tsks at them causing Dorcas’s face to turn a slight shade pinker.

“I think he said he was gonna sleep through the feast to defeat the whims of jet lag.” Kat sighs.

“It’s not worth the battle guys. Poor Gub would need to pay rent if he wanted to exist in their world.” Emma sighs, glaring at Sirius and James. They hold their hands up like caught prisoners.

“I swear on James’ life I have never heard of a Gub so don’t blame me,” Sirius shouts in defense.

“Well, I swear on Sirius’s life that-”

“You’re swearing on Sirius’s life, what?” James is cut off by the only voice that could turn his face bright red.

“Lily! Uh-hi I was just hi.”

“Smooth James.” James kicks Sirius’s foot under the table.

“Potter. Boys. Good to see you guys.” Lily smiles politely, then turns to the ladies of the table. “Hi, guys! How was your summer?”

Lily is, for better or worse, the most responsible member of the gang. She is kind, organized, a real type-A girl whose motivation and wit know no bounds. Which is what made James’s crush on her even more hilarious. The more he tried to get her to notice him, the more she hated his guts. Yet somehow, they were always stopped at corners getting into tiffs or pushing each other teasingly in the hallways on their way to class. Though she might not notice it herself, Marlene swears she cheers even louder when he catches the snitch during the Gryffindor quidditch matches.

The girls let out a barrage of hellos and offer just as many hugs.

“Do you wanna sit with us? We can make room?” Kat asks, squishing closer to Dorcas to offer up a seat. Lily looks at the space, then at James.

“Um… No thanks. I’m actually on my way to say hi to a friend, but I thought I’d say hello before we saw each other in the dorms.”

James’s smile drops into a scowl. “Let me guess. Snivellus.”

“James. Don’t call him that.” Lily’s tone shifts, targeted anger at James.

“Why do you like that freak?” James scuffs his feet on the ground, almost like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

“Why are you so insistent on being a bully?” Lily grits her teeth.

“You think I’m the bully? Do you even know what he says about us? What he says about you when you’re not around?” James turns, almost shouting at Lily. Her face turns red, clenching her fists tightly at her side.

She responds in a violent whisper. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. Goodbye Potter. See the rest of you in the dorm.” She whips around, marching away towards a daunting figure at the end of the Slytherin table.

Severus Snape sits, a hint of a smirk on his face, watching the scene as James slams his hands on the table while Lily huffs away from him. His greasy black hair obscures his eyes but it is easy to see the hint of malice in them. He is cruel, and Lily’s blind trust prevents her from protecting herself against him and his evil intentions. Or so James thinks. Whenever the topic shifts to Severus, he practically implodes with anger. As does the rest of the gang. But when you’ve witnessed Snape degrade people based on their blood status then talk to Lily like he’s the most innocent boy in the world, it sets a fire of injustice in your soul.

“One point Snape, zero for Potter. Who will win this year?” Sirius remarks,

“Ugh. I hate that she talks to that snake…This sucks.” James drops his head onto the table. Kat pats him on the head.

“There, there James. Just… think of this as quidditch and Lily is the snitch. You know, you might not see her the whole game and she might avidly avoid you and other people might be swinging their bats and quaffles all around her but eventually, after waiting patiently, you’ll zoom at her on your broom, reach out your hand, and snatch her from the sky winning 100 points for Gryffindor and we win!” Kat throws her hands up in victory.

“Yeah, no offense Kat, but that wasn’t the best of metaphors,” James says into the table.

Kat shrugs, patting his head one last time before returning to the food on her plate. “I liked your metaphor Kat, don’t worry,” Emma says, giving her friend a knowing nod.

“I think what she meant was, eventually Lily will realize what scum Snivellus is and that there was someone better waiting for her and chasing after her this whole time.” Remus offers a spark of hope to James, enough for him to lift his head and reach for a piece of treacle tart from across the table.

“Thanks, Rems.”

“Or maybe Lily will finally realize what a hunk I am and finally go for the real man of our group,” Sirius says, puffing his chest out in an obnoxious manner.

Marlene practically spits out her water. “You’re kidding. If Lily wanted a real man, she’d date me. Nice try Sirius.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” And once again, Sirius and Marlene are bickering at the Gryffindor table.

Laughter returns to the group and even James joins in on the smiling. It is the first of many days ahead of them this year, a rather daunting thought. Yet, all they could think about is how good it feels to be home with family.

[dumbledamnn]

Party Like It's 1974 (Ch.1)

Characters: Marauders, OCs

Pairings: Remus x fem!OC, Marlene x Dorcus, Lily x James

Word Count: 3810

Warnings: Language

Summary: Kat and Emma go to Hogwarts in 1974 lol

For the workers at Platform 9 ¾, there were only two true days of work a year. The first was in June, a day they like to call the Day of Withdrawal. This is the day when all the menacing adolescent children return to their parents for the summer holiday. Some quick-witted station worker coined this phrase when they noticed all the parents looked as if they had finally succumbed to their separation anxiety while all the kids looked like they could use a butterbeer.

The second falls at the start of September and was dubbed the Day of Frenzy. Though just as many people came in June as they did in September, the latter is significantly more chaotic. The Day of Frenzy is the day that all the incoming students board the Hogwarts Express and take off towards their next year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The frenzy is fueled by the reunions of overjoyed upperclassmen, the nose-blowing cries of parents as they wave goodbye to their babies, and the panic of first-years who simply don’t know what’s going on.

Unfortunately for the platform workers, today is the first of September and the station is filled to the brim with black cloaks and trolley carts. One could barely hear the conductor announce the countdown till take off over the hustle and bustle of students.

Amid the people, a fourth-year meanders through the crowd with her cart. She glances around, hoping to catch a glimpse of a familiar face. There are so many people and the heat is practically rising off the floor. She rolls up her black sleeves and shoves her circle glasses back to the top of her nose.

She is a sweet-looking girl whose entire complexion screams her Irish heritage. Her freckles are like hundreds of dots of color on her otherwise pale skin. Her black hair stands out, tied back in braided pigtails.

She tries again, surveying the crowd as she pushes her cart along. She realizes that driving blindly was a bad idea as she collides with another cart, sending their luggage straight into each other.

“Vidor! Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” The girl rushes to the point of collision. She picks up her owl, poking at it. The bird, Vidor, shakes its feathers and gently shrieks. The girl lets out half a sigh of relief, interrupted by her realization that Vidor wasn’t the only victim of this accident.

“I’m so- wait what the-” She whips around to face the other cart but finds no one at the wheel.

“EMMA!” two voices harmonize in a horrific shriek from behind her. Emma barely flinches as she turns to face her surprisers, a wide grin on her face.

“James! Sirius! Hi!” She tackles them with a bear hug. The two, stand for a second, partially stunned by her hug and partially stunned by her lack of response. Finally, they succumb to her hug, their confused looks mixing in with the joy of seeing an old friend.

“How the hell did you not react to that?” James begins to laugh at the absurdity that is Emma.

She shrugs, finally letting the two breathe.

“My brain, empty, no thought, can’t be surprised cause nothing is going on up there.” The girl points at her head and begins to laugh with James.

“Emma is an enigma. It’s better not to question it.” Sirius slings his arm around Emma’s shoulders, grinning.

“So how are you guys? How was your summer?” Emma looks at the two boys. Her smile is huge and her eyes gleam with excitement. Her expectant looks are met with a bit of hesitation as the two boys look at each other. Were they caught off guard or was that an awkward glance?

A faint “Sonorus” drifts across the crowd before the train conductor’s voice interrupts every conversation in the station.

“Five more minutes till departure! Students, say your goodbyes and board the train!”

“Later then.”James gives a short smile before making his way back over to their converging carts. He wiggles his finger in front of Vidor before pulling his stuff briskly off of Emma’s.

The three walk across the platform, dropping their luggage off at the back of the train. They head to the front, maneuvering through the departing families till they climb the stairs to their next year.

--

The Hogwarts Express smells like candy. It tastes like sugar sticks and pumpkin pasties. It feels like faded velvet and leather briefcases, like an old museum with framed strangers promising a worthwhile trip and nick-nacks whose purpose was lost years ago.

Led by James, the three push through hugs and trunks to get to a row of open carts in the back. Through the foggy glass, you could make out which ones were occupied and which were already full of other eager students.

Cabin A is occupied by Maegen Locke and her Hufflepuff friends. The cart fills with cheers as she reveals a king of clubs. A group of sorrowful first years hands her their Licorice Lace as the cards begin to shuffle themselves.

The practically silent Cabin B is the current reading spot of a Ravenclaw couple. Though they are facing each other, they are too engrossed in their reading to mind each other’s presence.

The Slytherins seem to have claimed Cabins C-F as their territory, each cart filled with bitter hisses and judgemental glares. As they pass, Sirius and Emma make sure to return the favor to each individual.

The next set of carts are home to less noise than the front. Scattered amongst them are pairs of friends or lonely individuals hoping for a friendly face. James breezes past, tossing a quick glance into each window. He is searching for someone. Emma and Sirius trail behind, still mocking the rather irritating Slytherin they had just passed.

James finally halts in front of Cabin M as another announcement fills the train.

“One minute till take-off. Hurry up and board the train! We’ve got places to be people.”

“Feeling rather sassy today, isn’t he?” Sirius chuckles.

“I support him. I would too if I had this job.” Emma gives a sympathetic nod towards the speaker. “Keep on keeping on Mr. Conductor.” Sirius lets out a yelp of laughter.

Suddenly, Cabin M swings open. Two heads at very different heights pop out. The first, and lowest, is a soft and round look boy with blotchy cheeks and fluffy-looking hair. He smiles a very toothy grin at the new company. The second towers above the first, a more defined face decorated with freckles and faded scars. His hair curls down into half circles, matching the slight curve of his pointed nose.

“Hi, guys!” The shorter one bursts into the hallway. He is radiating excitement.

“Hey Pete, Hi Remus.” James ruffles Peter’s hair and enters the cabin, throwing himself down by the door.

“Remus, you got here early? Hey Peter!” Sirius follows after James, also patting Peter on his head like a house cat. Peter is glowing from the affection.

“Hi Peter,” Emma skips the pat but offers a quick hug instead. He is warm and soft like a gentle bear. He scuttles back into the cabin taking his seat between Sirius and James.

“Hi!” Emma’s face flushes ever so slightly after making eye contact with Remus.

“Hey,” His voice is gentle as he motions for her to enter into the cart. “Ready for another year?”

”Hell yeah!”

It’s barely 11 am and Emma’s mouth already hurts from smiling. Her stomach is flipping with excitement in a mix of nervous butterflies and overwhelming joy. Her mouth is producing way more saliva than it normally does.

She takes a seat next to Remus by the window. Outside, the platform, now void of students, is filled with waving parents.

“Last call. If you haven't boarded yet, I swear to God.” The conductor’s voice sharply carries into the cabin. His mood has decreased significantly in the past fifteen minutes.

The boys begin talking about future pranks and first classes while Emma stares out the window. Normally she would be absolutely engrossed in the conversation but something was bothering her. Her eyes darted across the rows of parents, searching for the bother.

Emma has this special skill, a spidey sense of sorts. When it comes to people, she can read them like books. Some people use auras or zodiac signs but nothing is as certain as Emma’s instincts. They were, for better or worse, never wrong.

In all honesty, though, her instincts span farther than just reading people. Directions, decisions, the right places to eat. One time last year, she was the only one not in the mood for pie (something very unusual for her) and she was the only one to avoid food poisoning. All to say, right now, her instincts are telling her that something was missing and she knew exactly what it was.

The train chugs out a burst of air and the wheels begin to squeak.

“Wait a second,” Emma says, turning towards the door of the cabin. “I swear to god if she is late for this.”

The train begins to move, a light chug on the tracks, before screeching to a sudden stop. The group lurches forward at the sudden stall. Outside the cabin and down the hall, a girl boards and begins offering a slew of apologies to the other students.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! That’s my bad. I didn’t mean to.” Emma’s mouth drops as Sirius howls in laughter. Peter’s eyes dart around in slight confusion.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” James cackles as he opens the door to their cabin. He waves his hand towards the girl down the hall.

“James! Hi!” she says before turning towards some glaring Slytherin. “Sorry about that.”

She quickly walks down the hall to Cabin M, rushing into the seat beside Remus before the train picks up speed and shoots down the tracks.

“Kat, I literally called you this morning, I, how? How are you late? Why?” Emma leans over Remus to stare down at her friend. Sirius calms his laughter down while the others wait for a response.

Kat breathes heavily. Her cloak is sagging by her elbows and her brow is furrowed in sweat. The extra time she took to get to the platform might have been used to do her hair. Unfortunately, the rush has made her space buns sag on the side of her head. Loose strands curl around the frame of her face.

“I,” she breathes heavily, “couldn't decide what to wear.”

The boys snicker slightly, but Emma’s face scrunches in even further confusion.

“We have...a uniform?” She questions, glancing down at Kat, who is wearing the same thing as everyone else in the cabin.

“I realized that...an hour too late…” She trails off, glancing around at the boys. She notices they are all stifling smiles at the sheer stupidity of the situation. The Hogwarts Express has never been more than a second late until now. It was almost an impressive feat.

“Oh my god.” Emma lets out a disappointed mom sigh but she can’t stay in character. She starts to laugh, allowing the others to finally break as well.

Kat sighs, still trying to get some oxygen in her lungs before taking off her cloak and shoving it to the corner of the seat. The train is much cooler than the station but the cold September air was not enough to stop the pool of sweat from the run to Platform 9 ¾.

“So, how was everyone’s summer?” Kat asks as the laughter dies down.

“Hung out at James’ for most of the summer.” Sirius pulls out his wand and starts to weave it between his fingers. “I thought I’d get a break from the snoring but alas.”

James punches Sirius in the side, stopping Sirius from laughing at his own joke.

“He helped me with my quidditch training. This year, I’m gonna kick some Hufflepuff ass. Wait, Emma, did you say you were gonna try out this year?”

“Yup! I want to be a beater so I can smack the shit out of everything.” James and Emma high five. Remus giggles but quickly goes back to his nonchalant grin.

“My mum and I went to the Quidditch World Cup.” Peter’s soft and mousy voice fills the pause.

James shoots up in his seat, excitement on his face. “Oh yeah, I heard about that. You were there?”

Peter, motivated by James’ interest, begins to ramble. “I was! Everyone snuck in these things called dissimulators that puffed up colored smoke. It was mad. At first, there weren’t that many people in the crowd but the more colored smoke puffed up, the larger the crowds grew. Then suddenly, halfway through the match, all their dissimulators turned into their wands. It turns out they snuck them in despite the new code. There were so many of them that the guy in charge just quit then and there. It was crazy!”

“Hell yeah! Fuck the system! Idlewind sucked ass. God, I wish I could've seen it.” James raises his fists in a fuck-the-system type of way.

James is the current Gryffindor seeker. He is the best seeker the team has ever seen since the early 1900s. Ever since his first year, he brought the team countless victories making Gryffindor undefeated since 1971.

“What about you Rem?” Sirius nods towards the quiet giant.

“I read a few books. My family and I traveled to Paris for a weekend in May. It was pretty fun. Oh! I forgot.” Remus stands up and snatches a briefcase from the storage above. He flips over the leather flap and starts digging around. He pulls out a stack of Parisian postcards and begins to deal them out to his friends.

The girls almost synchronically say “Awe!”

Sirius lets out a genuinely excited “Nice.” as he inspects the image. “I love muggle things.”

“Anyways, what about you guys?” Remus glances at the two girls sitting beside him as he tucks his briefcase above.

Kat nods her head to Emma as a signal for her to go first.

“Me?” Emma points to herself.

“Yes, you,” Kat says in a mom-ish tone.

“I’m just making sure.”

“Who else would I be-”

“Ladies. Though I love a good catfight, is someone gonna answer the question?” Sirius interjects, finally tucking his postcard into his cloak.

Emma kicks Sirius in the shin. “I’m telling Marlene you said that.” Sirius’s eyes go wide in slight fear as Emma starts to recall her summer.

“My family and I went camping all over Ireland. We took an RV and went everywhere, ending at my Grandparent’s house.”

“Awe that sounds so-” Kat tries to say but Emma wasn’t done.

“And then we got absolutely schwasted with my relatives.”

“O-Oh.”

Emma smiles sincerely and turns to face Kat, ready for her summer wrap-up. However, the rest of the gang is cackling. Sirius’s distracting deep-voiced Hyena laugh almost masks Remus’s sweet giggles. Peter snorts softly while James laughs like a politician. Kat just huffs out air.

After a bit of laughter, Kat finally answers the question.

It is worth mentioning that, though Kat attends Hogwarts, she’s not quite like the others. Besides the fact that she is completely muggle-born, she is from America.

“Um...I went to Arkansas at one point. I think it's a fake place made by the government. We shot fireworks off and it almost hit my brother. Luckily his hearing came back after a few days. Uhh..let me think… I tried to bake cupcakes but I accidentally baked the frosting and iced the cupcakes with the batter. That was a really bad experience…” She trails off, finally looking at her friend’s faces.

The rest of the group just stares at her in complete confusion.

“Yup, sounds about right. Anyways, what classes are you guys hoping to get?” Emma turns back to the rest of the group.

“Genuinely, you two are just- yup okay. I’m hoping to take Astronomy this year.”

The group begins to recall what classes are for fourth years and what teachers they are excited to see. Seamlessly they fall into old patterns of conversation and inside jokes. Their laughter fills the cabin, the reunion of best friends after a far too long break. They are talking and laughing so loudly, they almost miss the Trolley Witch.

“Wait!” Peter yells down the hall. The Trolley Witch slowly pulls the cart back in front of Cabin M.

“What would you lovely bunch like?” She waves her hand over the array of brightly colored candies and chocolates.

Simultaneously, there is a shout for chocolate. Emma and Remus look at each other before chuckling awkwardly.

“Dear God…” Sirius rolls his eyes, smiling “I’ll take one Bertie’s Botts please.”

“Here you go, dear. Anyone else?”

“Do y’all have any like, lollipop type things?” Kat eyes the cart curiously.

“We have acid pops.” The witch’s voice was like honey.

“Oh, that sounds fun, sure I’ll-”

“No!” Emma shouts. “Unless you want a hole burned in your tongue.”

“Okay, literally why would you sell that?” Kat’s face is wide in confusion.

“Why’d you go and spoil the fun?” James laughs while Sirius pouts at the missed opportunity.

The Trolley Witch starts to laugh, a rather haunting contrast to the sweetness of her voice. She rolls the cart away, letting the door shut behind her.

“So Remus, chocolate already? Is it your time of the month?” Sirius nudges Remus’s foot. Remus rolls his eyes and kicks Sirius back. Sirius yelps and grabs his shin.

“If you guys keep kicking me, I’m gonna break a bone.”

“Then stop saying stupid shit.” Emma kicks his other foot, gently but enough to get another yelp.

“And never ask a person if it's their time of the month, That’s just common sense.” Kat rolls her eyes and smirks at Emma who glances back.

“Can’t a man enjoy his chocolate in peace?” Remus shakes his head. He continues to munch on the bar, sporting a look of satisfaction with each bite.

Emma looks outside. The view had changed from the cityscape of London to the rolling hills of Scotland. The sun that was once midway in the sky was now creeping towards the horizon. Has time flown that quickly?

“Have you guys heard from your other roommate this summer?” Kat curiously looks at the other guys. Their faces are completely blank.

“We have another roommate?” James asks as Sirius begins counting the boys in the room.

“Is it not just the four of us?”

“I didn’t notice anyone else for the past three years…” Peter mumbles. Remus just shrugs, too preoccupied with his delicious treat.

“You’re kidding me right?” Kat glances around, hoping for even a hint of a smile. She came up empty.

“You’re telling me there are five students in a room?” James asks.

“Emma, help, my brain is hurting from the dumbass-ery.”

Emma begins to count on her fingers, smiling but also surprised at the ingenuity of the boys.

“Marlene, Dorcus, Lily, Kat, and Me. Five.”

The guys let out a synchronized “Ahh…” as if this was a brand new revelation.

”I suppose we’ll find out when we get there.”

“But Gu-” Kat is interrupted by Emma’s shushing noise. She shakes her head and Kat recedes back in her seat.

The room fills with piercing golden sunlight as the sun tucks itself behind the hills. The setting sun is a marker signaling twenty minutes left in the train ride.

“Oh, I have a question,” Kat asks.

“Yes, Miss Russell. What is your question?” Emma responds in the most McGonagall voice she could muster. It was pretty on point.

“Are y’all still doing that thing?” She glances around.

“Did she just say y’all?” Remus’s face scrunches at the cowboy-ness of the phrase. Emma laughs and Sirius snickers.

“What thing?” James nods back to Kat, acknowledging her question.

“The animal thing, I forgot the word…” Suddenly she is shushed by everyone. She jolts back in her seat. She squints until the memory comes back to her.

“Oh sorry, yeah I forgot… It's a secret.” Kat starts to whisper, glancing out the door’s window. No one passes by.

“It’s more than a secret, it's illegal,” Peter mutters, glancing around nervously. James nudges Peter and gives him an affirming nod. Peter sits up with more confidence than he had before and smiles at Remus.

Remus stares at his empty wrapper.

“Yeah, we’re still doing it,” Sirius says in an almost demanding tone. As if there wasn’t any other answer besides yes. He stares at the sunset outside.

“Of course we’re still doing it.” Emma smiles, and gently pats Remus’s knee, pulling him back from his wrapper into reality. Remus returns the smile and mutters something along the lines of “thanks”.

James chuckles, “Hey it looks like we’re pulling into Hogsmeade.”

Outside, the dark landscape fades into brick buildings with uneven roofs. The buildings, partially obscured by darkness, still glow with a whimsical light. Some have shop titles branded on the front with faded letters while others glisten with a sort of old-fashioned newness.

The train tracks along until it arrives at a long wooden port lined with poles carrying firefly torches. In the middle of the wooden planks stands a rather large and hairy man holding a little kerosine lamp. He waves as the train flashes by him.

“Hagrid!” Emma and Sirius smush their faces against the window while the rest wave furiously behind them. Hagrid recognizes the zealous pack and returns the wave as they speed by.

Finally, the train screeches to a stop. With a final blast from the horn, the doors fling open.

“Students, grab your things and go.”

Suddenly, the train is filled with the same hustle from back at the station. The students snatch their bags from the overhead storage and make their way, single file, to the boardwalk outside. The first years are hurried away with Hagrid while the rest wrap themselves in their cloaks in an attempt to fight the brisk autumn air.

Finally, a rather short professor with an extraordinary mustache begins to direct the students down the road to standing wagons. The wooden wheels are at attention with reigns that lead to nowhere. As the students board, the carts sway from side to side. After the cart is full, it takes off, ricketing full speed down the dirt road towards the castle.

“I’m so excited.” Emma practically jumps onto the cart. Boarding one by one, the group takes in the horseless carriages. Magic was always peculiar but this was astonishing even to those who knew magic like their ABCs. As soon as James sits down next to the others, the carriage starts to trot away towards the castle. It was time to start their next year at Hogwarts.