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- ̗̀ ❛ @xregulusbblack.

lily evans was undoubtedly in a shit mood. she couldn’t help it  ——  between class work, practicing for try-outs and her own patrols, she was swamped already and considering simply heading down to the lake and keeping the giant squid company for the unforeseeable future, she didn’t particularly need to do other people’s job for them too. but, alas, here she was  ——  waiting outside the slytherin common room   ( merlin helped her )   waiting for one regulus black. she’d never spent time around sirius’ brother, but considering the climate around the castle, she could only expect a solid hour and a half of biting her tongue and watching her back. lovely. next time a head student had to step in to cover patrols, she was shoving potter onto it and running  ——  she hated the dungeons, hated the way the hair in the back of her neck stood up and her muscles tightened.  hated how unsafe she felt.  she could only hope to get this over with, quickly and swiftly.

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- ̗̀ ❛ 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑎.

There was quite a few things Matilda loved more than having her rereading of the Princess Bride interrupted by screaming third years chasing one another off the Pitch. Lemon tarts, lip lined letters, dark ale, and a sudden storm of doxies –those were acceptable distractions. But young boys discovering the temper that comes with their raging hormones were only interesting when she too was a third year.. and responsible for the mess. 

“Oh, Westley,” she asked the tree next to her, “Do you think if I scream “hit him” a professor will come out and make them –shut the fuck up!” Her sing-song tone landed on a piercing scream as she clutched the now shut book to her chest, turning on her heels to escape the noise only to walk into another tree. “For Merlins – oh, for Merlins sake.” Her voice only growing more irritated as she realized that it was not, in fact, an English oak she’d walked face first into, but another student, “Fake cough or something if you’re going to walk up on someone like that. Or kill me before I turn around if that’s your game.”

' oh, bollocks ! ‘   it wasn’t that she’d counted or anything, but if lily had to spitball a number for the amount of times she’d walked straight into someone since first year, it’d be hitting ninety right about now. she swayed for a second, a hand moving to steady the other girl instinctively  ——  then she took a step back, nose wrinkling ever so slightly. while lily hadn’t spent an amazing amount of time around the girl, she knew matilda from slug club, and from the joys of sharing a castle  ——  it seemed like at this point it was impossible to run into someone she’d yet to meet. in reality, she’d seen someone sitting alone and figured she’d head on over and see if they fancied some company, but it now definitely looked like a solid no.   ‘ sorry, sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. just wanted to see if you’d like someone to sit with you. ‘

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- ̗̀ ❛ 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑢𝑠.

          “sorry to disappoint, evans,” he teased as he sat down next to her, one foot dangling off the edge and unwrapping a piece of chocolate that he brought with him. it was always nice to have their talks at the astronomy tower in the middle of the night; it was just so peaceful compared to their days. “news?” he repeated as he swallowed the chocolate. “hmm, nothing too much. just classes are already hell, first years trying to go into the forbidden forest,” he paused, knowing what lily was fishing for, and of course she already knew. “and you know, got so drunk i kissed one of my friends, but nothing too entertaining so far,” remus concluded, rather quickly to get it out. 

he knew what she was after, and as always, remus lupin had humored her. lily wasn’t sure what reaction he’d expected from her, really, but she had to assume the soft punch to his shoulder and the big eyes she’d turned on him weren’t particularly surprising  ——  she knew he’d   liked   sirius, but she hadn’t expected them to actually kiss. ever. remus lupin might be great at a lot of things, but when it came to going after what he wanted he was as slow as a slug.   ‘ oh, piss off  ——  that seems plenty entertaining. ‘   the last drag was pulled from her cigarette before she threw it off the edge, hand moving to bring the cake to her mouth instead.   ‘ please, for the sake of merlin’s polka-dot underwear, tell me you didn’t do something dumb afterwards, remus. bloke finally kissed you, i expect you to tell me you’ll be living blissfully in sin after we graduate. ‘ 

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 ——   - ̗̀ ❛ 𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑠.

His head had found its way into his hands. No longer could he bear to watch the fire, to think of anything besides what was in that letter. At the same time, he didn’t think he could bear hearing what his mother had written, no doubt would have put him in an even worse mood because Walburga was not one for forgiveness nor any form of motherly love. 

He looked at the redhead beside him, then gingerly took the letter from her hands, tearing it in two and watching as the flames licked and devoured the parchment. Sirius sighed, a kind of sigh beyond being simply tired, or worn out, but of being so completely exhausted that he felt like he might break. “I’ve decided I just- I want nothing to do with her and therefore do not want to hear what that woman has to say.” His tone was as bitter as black coffee, the kind that soon becomes infectious because the dark cloud of bitterness seemed to hang over everything. 

But then he felt it, in the pit of of his stomach – guilt. Not towards throwing the letter into the fire or anything having to do with his family, but more because of Lily’s. He’d sat and complained about how horrible his family was, and how difficult his life had become, yet there sat Lily whose family had been torn away from her without a choice. “God.. Lily, I’m sorry, I wasn’t even thinking, I-” He stumbled on with his words, though he knew none of them had any depth to how he felt. 

her head shook so quickly that she looked like a dark red blur, an extension of the cozy fireplace that burned before them. lily understood the tone in his voice, the implications of his apology  ——  he wanted nothing to do with his mother, told her outright, and hers was dead. it wasn’t uncommon for this to happen  ——  someone complained about family, about having a rough year, then quickly shot her big sad eyes and apologies. the truth was, it didn’t bother lily. her life, her parents  ——  they’d been good people, kind and accepting, and absolutely infuriating at times. the fact that they were gone didn’t mean that someone else couldn’t have a shit family, couldn’t hurt. so she shook her head, waved a hand absentmindedly as she turned to properly look at sirius.

‘ oi, none of that. i’m fine, i get it. ‘   she didn’t speak about petunia. that was rule number one of being lily evans  ——  while at hogwarts, she didn’t speak of her sister to anyone that wasn’t mary, or emmeline, or remus. her sister, her prim and proper, let me find a man to fulfill my life, anything different from me must be handcrafted by satan himself sister was lily’s only taboo subject. but she looked at sirius, really looked  ——  then sighed. guess she had to add sirius black to her list, of all people.   ‘ i’m not exactly on speaking terms with my hag of a sister. i understand not wanting horrible, judgmental people in your life  ——  and i understand that it hurts, even if we think it’s the right thing to do. ‘

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- ̗̀ ❛ 𝑗𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑠.

‘Thanks, I guess. But what could have been so important for you to sit tight for three hours?’ He asked curiously because there truly wasn’t all that much he could think of aside from preparing patrolling schedules and discussing possible changes. The events at Hogwarts were minimal and far in between unless you actually wanted to count the Quidditch matches so there couldn’t have been anything additional happening at that time. 

James had just been picking up some papers off the floor that someone must have forgotten (or decided to liter on purpose) when she asked him about Quidditch. His interest got piqued and he glanced at her curiously wondering why on Earth would she be willing to talk hypothetically with him about his team,. ‘Yes, that is the only player we don’t have. Why? You know someone you’d recommend?’ Truth to be told James had actually been rather worried about that particular year when it came to finding a keeper. He had already realized that before his sixth year ended and being a total Quidditch nerd he also kept an eye on the younger years. From year second until the last one there was no one he’d consider good enough to join the team. ‘Because if that’s so then you might be actually saving our team.’

' you ask that now, but wait until everyone gets bored of their schedules and we have to re-do everything  ——  coordinating everyone’s absolutely bonkers. ‘   she watched him as she spoke, lips quirking into a smile as she realized just how little he knew about how this whole head student thing worked  ——   she’d had time to learn, to see people at each other’s throats over schedules, over patrolling partners, meetings running far too long and once ending in tears. still, she thought he was doing just fine all things considered. who knew that james potter could surprise her ? 

‘ not exactly recommend. ‘   fingers drummed against the desk, head tilting as she pondered on whether or not she should continue this particular conversation. it was probably ridiculous of her to think about trying out  ——  it made her nervous, and excited, but it was most likely ridiculous. and still she nodded, shrugged, cleared her throat before  ——   ‘ i’m thinking about trying out. see what happens and all. ‘

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- ̗̀ ❛ 𝑝𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟.

               𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐃𝐈𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐋𝐄𝐓  his  grin  slip,  merely  lifting  one  shoulders  in  a  crooked  shrug  as  he  pulled  an  eclair  out  from  his  armful  of  treats  and  handed  it  over.   “   ——   oh,  not  ENOUGH,  i’m  sure.  they  say  forgiveness  is  a  virtue,  you  know,  and  you  can’t  ever  be  too  virtuous,  can  you  ?   ”   he  helped  himself  to  an  eclair  as  well,  raising  it  in  a  toast  before  taking  a  bite.   “   ——   not  to  imply  you’re  NOT  virtuous,   ”   he  added  on  through  a  mouthful  of  pastry,  eyes  wide  and  earnest.   “   ——  you’re  probably  one  of  the  most  virtuous  people  i  know.   ”

there was no denying her poor attempt at hiding a smirk as she took the   bribe   eclair, shaking her head slowly at peter’s attempt at swaying her  ——  he was funny, she’d always thought so, and as much of a little shit as the rest of the marauders. lily reckoned that’s why they stuck together  ——  funny, surprisingly endearing idiots were most likely drawn to each other.   ‘ ah, of course. since i’m probably one of the most virtuous people you know, you figured you’d bribe me with pastries, is that it ? ‘   and yet the head girl took a bite of the treat, humming to herself in momentary delight before she waved her free hand around.   ‘ c’mon, i’ll walk you back to the common room. consider me bribed. ‘

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- ̗̀ ❛ 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦.

She’d always tried to help her best friend, especially with Quidditch. Being part of Gryffindor’s Quidditch team had gained them access to the pit whenever possible, just like today. Seeing Lily fail, however, truly bothered Mary. If only she could be a better teacher. “No, Lils, come on.” she raised on hand into the air, defeated by Lily’s current mood. “We have to stay optimistic. Look–” Mary flew a few meters higher and started to actually nosedive down. Stopping just before she’d have hit the ground, Mary sighed loudly. “You just have to keep your focus on where you are, where you want to be – and you have to know how fast you are, at every minute. It takes practice to fully be one with your broom, but it’s just as running.” Mary looked upward towards her best friend. “We have James on our team. I’m confident you’ll be better than him in no time.”

‘ mary, i love you—    you know that i love you. but i’m not an idiot. i know all of that, i just d’know why i’m choking all of a sudden. ‘   lily wasn’t horrible, she knew she wasn’t  ——   she was fast and she knew what she was doing. any other time, she’d have been good, but with try-outs just around the corner, nerves seem to be getting the best of her. every time she seemed to be relaxing, the idea of making a complete ass out of herself in front of everyone jumped to the front of her mind, and she just  stopped  moving. everything halted.   ‘ as much as i sometimes want to hit potter across the head, love, he’s brilliant on a broomstick and you know it. and if i keep flying like this, he’ll be rejecting me so hard i’ll never be allowed to set foot in the stands again. ‘

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- ̗̀ ❛ @dvilskiss​.

lily was brilliant at many things in this world  ——  but nothing compared to her  avoiding severus snape like the plague  skill. not that she had a reason to, she wasn’t in the wrong in this situation  ——  it was simply easier not to look at him. speak to him. it wasn’t worth the irritation, the hint of pain she always felt when they spoke  ——  the shudder of fear at the idea of the person he was becoming. and, of course, he’d never seemed to grasp why she didn’t want him in her life anymore. lily was almost positive he’d never understand, and she was done wasting time trying to spell it out for him. unfortunately, professor slughorn had gathered a little meeting  ——  not slug club, just back to school tea as he’d put it, and she’d found herself taking a breath as she saw her old friend blocking the table.   ‘ excuse me, you’re standing in the way. ‘

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- ̗̀ ❛ 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑢𝑠.

          remus let out a laugh, crossing his arms over his chest as he approached, the brisk air atop the astronomy tower shocking him at first. even though he wasn’t on duty that night, of course he had to tell a group of first years trying to sneak into the forbidden forest to go to bed. “the elves were stingy tonight,” he said, his tone light and amused. “but i got a couple of your favorites,” remus unfolded his arms, digging into his pockets before offering her all the sweets he could get from the house elves in the kitchen. “it took a lot of begging, i hope you know that.”

‘ is this where i make a joke about you begging for me ? ‘cause i want to, but then i remember that’s just in my dreams, love. ‘   laughter echoed in contrast to the quiet of the night, her smile wide and bright as she scooted over to give him room to sit next to her  ——   hands moving to grab a neatly wrapped slice of cake as she let her cigarette dangle from her lips. lily let it rest on her lap after taking a bite, tapping ash over the edge of the balcony and shooting remus a little look, pausing.   ‘ any news you’d like to share with the class ? ‘

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- ̗̀ ❛ 𝑝𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟.

               𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐇𝐄  was  busted  before  lily  even  saw  him.  it  was  supposed  to  have  been  a  clear  trip  from  the  kitchen  back  to  gryffindor  tower,  according  to  the  map,  but  an  unexpected  close  encounter  with  mrs  norris  had  forced  him  to  take  a  detour.  apparently,  directly  into  the  path  of  one  redheaded  prefect.  he  gave  her  a  cheeky  grin,  waving  cheerily  as  if  it  wasn’t  over  an  hour  past  curfew.   “  ——  evans  !  fancy  an  éclair  ?   ”   when  it  came  to  avoiding  detention,  peter  wasn’t  above  bribery.   //   @withcringflowcrs

there were a few things certain in life  ——  death, people getting punched during a heated game of quidditch, never finding a lighter when you need one   and   finding one of the marauders up past curfew  at least  once a week. in the three years the redhead had been patrolling, it happened like clockwork  ——  she wasn’t sure she had a keen eye for spotting them, or if they’d gotten sloppy over the years. eyes rolled back into her skull as lily sighed, a smile spreading on her lips even as she gazed up at the ceiling for a second, then  ——   ‘ first off, yeah, i do. ‘   eyes traveled to peter’s face, head tilting as a curtain of red hair fell danced over her face, teeth catching at her bottom lip.   ‘ second  ——  do you know how many detentions i’ve let slide this week, peter ? ‘

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- kate jacobs (inspiration)

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- ̗̀ ❛ @maryedenmacdonald​.

‘ that’s it, i quit. i’m never getting on the team  ——   it’s hopeless. ‘   it wasn’t. not really, but after a solid two hours flying and dragging mary to the pitch with her, lily couldn’t help but feel her confidence dwindle. the truth was, she didn’t have the practice most other people had  ——   she’d always loved flying, always adored quidditch, but she’d never given it proper thought. actual training. and now try-outs were in two days and she was going to make a complete ass out of herself.   ‘ how about i just nosedive right now and put us all out of our misery ? ‘

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- ̗̀ ❛ @rcmlupins.

‘ you’re late. ‘   it wasn’t a lie, he was, but there was no malice in her tone  ——   no actual bite to her words as she turned back to smile at her friend, legs dangling off the edge of the balcony, a lit cigarette between her fingers. it wasn’t a particularly clear night, leaving the sky to look blotchy and dark grey, but she loved it nonetheless  ——   especially considering remus was there with her. it was tradition, their late night astronomy tower chats, and they made everything else worth it. so what if she had to stay up until five the night before to make sure she didn’t have coursework to get to tonight ? the reward far outweighed the trouble.   ‘ but i’ll forgive you, provided you brought the loot, i didn’t forget it’s your turn on snack duty. ‘

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The letter was an incredible treasure, proof that Lily Potter had lived, really lived, that her warm hand had once moved across this parchment, tracing ink into these letters, these words, words about him, Harry, her son.

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- ̗̀ ❛ 𝑗𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑠.

As the second prefect meeting came to an end, James realized that he really could get a hang of this headboying thing rather quickly. It wasn’t all that different from getting prepared for Quidditch and meeting with his players to talk strategy. Sure, it was a different sort of planning, but it was all logical, repetitive and had to be dealt with on a regular basis. Fortunately, he also had Remus to help him in case there ever was anything he was uncertain about. And - he sure as hell was. After all, could anybody really expect him to have even the slightest idea as to how the prefecting functioned? In his life, he had only ever cared enough to be able to tell when or where they could be caught in the middle of misbehaving and then get handed a week-long detention. Even with Remus eventually earning the prefect badge and being forced to navigate the two lives he had never paid much attention to it, except for what was absolutely considered common knowledge. 

Not surprising was also the speed with which the prefects left the classroom the meeting had taken place in after they had been dismissed. Blink and you’ll miss it. Blink and you’ll never know that 25 kids had spent over an hour working together almost not caring about their houses and backgrounds. However, no amount of blinking could help you miss the mess that the most well-behaved students in Hogwarts left in their wake. ‘Are they always leaving in such a hurry?’ James asked curiously the only other person who remained there - Lily - as he pulled out his wand to start cleaning up after the escapees. ‘I mean I know that people scatter after Quidditch practice as soon as they can, but that’s because they don’t want additional practice or to get yelled at. All we could do here was change our minds and keep them longer…’

‘ last year, a meeting lasted for three hours and i’m still surprised no one got cursed. the second it’s over you run before they can trap you... well, we trap them. we did good work, though, the schedules aren’t too hard to organize. and they listened to you. ‘   green eyes scanned over doodled, written and rewritten notes as she carefully slipped the parchment into her bag, knowing she’d end up spending the night going over everything and preparing alternative scheduling options  ——   in a week, someone would realise they didn’t get along with someone else, and the complaints would pile up.   ‘ could’ve been a lot worse. ‘

lily got up, swinging her back over her shoulder and tilting her head at the other gryffindor, teeth catching her bottom lip as she moved to rest her hip against the desk they’d been sitting at, nodding a little as he spoke.   ‘ speaking of quidditch  ——  you’re down a keeper. hypothetically speaking, what exactly are you going to be looking for this year ? ‘

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- ̗̀ ❛ 𝑔𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑜𝑛.

“Evans, wait up!” Gideon ran after the familiar head of red hair, dodging first years as he passed them in the corridor. His head was killing him, the alcohol he’d consumed at the ‘welcome back to Hogwarts’ party taking its toll, but even that failed to dampen his enthusiastic disposition. After all, he’d just gotten back to school and he wasn’t going to let anything ruin his first week.

“I can’t believe we’ve been here near a week and I haven’t said more than five words to you. It’s an outrage, really. A crime.” Said with a contagious grin as he fell into step with the young woman, Gideon stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trousers which had gotten a bit too short over the summer. It didn’t bother him much, a bit of ankle never hurt anyone. 

the second the familiar voice reached her ears, lily couldn’t help the wide smile that spread on her face, or the instinctive eyeroll that followed  ——  nothing brightened your day more than an adorable idiot, and that was how she’d always seen one half of the prewett twins. she liked them both, at the end of the day, but she’d be lying if she said gideon wasn’t incredibly amusing.   ‘ i nearly spoke to you at the party, but you seemed far too occupied getting pissed out of your mind. ‘  her smile was wide, head turning to give the boy a wide, cheeky smile as they walked together, red hair swaying as she did.   ‘ how’s the hangover ? no too bad, i hope. ‘