Prologue
James Potter is an only child and has grown up in a loving home. On the other hand, he has experienced trauma. One was when he went to visit his best friend, Sirius Black. Another was from his past relationship with Benjy Fenwick.
Sirius Black never has experienced love until he went to live with the Potter's. Sirius has grown up knowing only one thing, 'You have to become a popular sensation just like me and your father.' His mother, Walburga Black, always insisted on it.
Remus Lupin grew up an only child and always wanted a sibling just to vent to. His parents never got him the way his best friend, Peter Pettigrew, did. He grew up in a wonderful home, but it was hard. His dad was distant, and his mom never cared enough to know even his favorite color.
Peter Pettigrew grew up with a single mother. His father left when he was four, and he always thought it was his mother's fault, never his, nor his sisters, Enid. Since Peter thought it was his mother's fault, he hated her since that day. His mother grew distant after she found out.
Regulus Black always looked up to his older brother, Sirius. They were close. When Walburga, his mother, got mad, Sirius always took the blame and got punished in place of him. When Sirius left at sixteen and Regulus was fifteen, Walburga started punishing him.
When Evan Rosier' parents got murdered doing a job for the Mafia, him and his twin sister, Pandora Rosier, went into foster care. After they died, he was the one to take care of his sister. Every house they went to they were brutally beaten. Evan, of course, took the blame for everything, no matter how stupid, and was the one who had cuts and bruises all over.
Pandora Rosier always felt bad for her brother, Evan, and made sure to keep a first aid kit on hand, every house they went to. When they turned eighteen, they ran away to their friend, Barty' house.
When Barty Crouch' friends came to his house, he hid them in his room, and always was worried that his father would find out, but after a few months, he decided to run away with them. He grew up an only child, and his father was a single parent. He always got brutally beaten and had no treatment.
Dorcas Meadows grew up with loving parents but was never cared for. Her sister, Elizabeth, was the favorite. Dorcas got used to never being able to do what she wanted, so when she couldn't take it anymore, she went to her friend, Emma Vanity's.
Emma Vanity was always sweet and kind. All the relationships she's ever been in were always what fucked her up. Benjy Fenwick traveled all over the world and was always dating 10 people at once, and soon Emma got tired of it and broke it off.
Marlene McKinnon grew up in a great home. Her brothers were distant after she came out as gay, but her parents were always supportive. When she was fourteen, she got a girlfriend, and her brothers, Mason, Mitchell, Matthew, and Maxwell, all went and threatened her to break up with her.
Mary Macdonald was always teased at school for being black. Every day, she went home and cried into her pillow and never told her parents. When she met Marlene McKinnon, they instantly clicked and soon started dating. In the end, it never worked out, but they stayed friends.
When Lily Evans started dating James Potter, it didn't feel right, and she started developing feelings for a girl in her grade. When she found out, she told her boyfriend immediately, and they broke it off. She told her family after, and her sister, Petunia, went distant and never spoke to her again after she moved out.
Emmeline Vance found out she liked girls when she started developing feelings for a girl who was a few grades above her. She was told all her life, 'You will marry a man and will have a boy,' by her mother. She never had the greatest home life but always knew other people had it worse.
Rita Skeeter always dreamed of being a writer, a popular one that everyone knows about. When she met Bellatrix Black, she knew that that dream would vanish if she spent too long with her. Soon enough, she couldn't hold back and started dating her.
Bellatrix Black was never one to disobey her family, but when she saw Rita Skeeter, she knew immediately that that was a lie she always told herself. Bellatrix didn't grow up in a great home, just like her cousins, Sirius and Regulus. She was the oldest and always shielded her sisters from harm.
Narcissa Black was the youngest of her siblings and never left their sides for too long when they were at home. She never got hurt because of her sisters, but was always emotionally hurt, especially by her ex, Lucius Malfoy.
Andromeda Black was the middle child and most responsible. She knew her sisters were gay as soon as they landed their eyes on Rita Skeeter and Alice Fortescue. Andromeda was never one to judge a book by its cover, but when she met Ted Tonks, she knew that he was the only one for her.
Alice Fortescue was never one to betray her family, but when she told them she might be gay they disowned her and never contacted her again. She was second-guessing herself when she met Amelia Bones. She was the sweetest girl of her generation and was so beautiful. They started dating, but Amelia didn't want to tell her family, so they broke it off.
***
James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, The Mauraders, are all sitting around in their dressing room ready for their show to start.
Someone yells from outside the door, "10 minutes, boys!" It was their producer, Minerva McGonagall.
They met her when they were singing at a small town restaurant where they got a little gig. James' mom, Effie, owns the restaurant.
Effie always thought the boys were really good at singing and they still are. They first started singing for Effie and Monty, James' dad, and Monty suggested they sing out in public. As soon as Effie heard that idea, she told them they could perform at her restaurant.
That was only two years ago, and now they are music sensations. "Thanks, Minnie!" Peter shouted through the door.
Sirius was snuggled up next to Remus, and Peter was right beside them with James' head in his lap. Sirius and Remus started dating a year ago after finally telling each other their feelings. James was getting tired of them hiding their feelings and finally told them, and I quote to "Suck it up and tell him."
Someone came barging in the door. It was their friend, Emmeline Vance. James met her at a college party, and they immediately clicked.
James met Sirius in secondary school. He saw his little brother, Regulus, in the hallways a lot but never actually met him.
Peter met Remus when they were young and eventually became friends.
Remus was the one to meet Sirius. When Sirius saw Remus at the same party, James met Emmeline, his eyes lit up, and knew then and there he was the one for him. All four of them were at that party, and all became fast friends.
"Your late, Em." Remus scolded.
"I'm sorry. I was meeting my girlfriend' friends and forgot to check the time."
Emmeline met her girlfriend a little while before she met James. They just started dating a few months ago, and Emmeline never tells them her name, just her features.
"Up, now." Emmeline is their hair, makeup, and outfit stylist. She always was really good at all that stuff and loved it so much that she begged them to be just that.
She started with Peter and went on to Remus, James, and finally Sirius. Their first show was in their hometown, Windsor, England. They got to choose their first outfits and hairstyles.
James and Sirius always matched their outfits to each other for their shows, so they were both wearing black ripped jeans, black shoes, and a Mauraders t-shirt. Remus and Peter were wearing blue jeans, black shoes, and a Mauraders t-shirt.
At this specific show, there are multiple bands performing, and they were the first ones. By the time Emmeline got done, it was right at the ten minute mark and she rushed them all out.
Sirius was the drummer, James was the lead singer, Peter was on guitar, Remus on keyboard, and they all had mics. Everyone was only supposed to sing one song, so they chose their best song.
Hate You was their best seller and one of the many few songs Sirius sings in. James wrote the song after him, and Benjy broke up. James speaks. "Hey, everyone. We're the Mauraders." James starts singing.
You say you're sorry more than are
Would it all be different if you weren't so far?
Now, I'm crying on the freeway
Overthinking how we fell apart
Sirius starts singing.
I'm in the sweater you gave me
But it's not warm as it used to be
I don't want to cut you out like this, but I think that I got to
Peter starts singing.
Hate how you lied and called it honest
I let you drive, and now I'm car sick
Remus starts singing.
Hate knowing that her eyes made you forget all about mine
Hate how you loved me in the right ways
How you turned us into a cliché
James sings the last line.
I don't hate you
They walk off the stage and see people walking up right after them. They walk down and watch the next bands play. Marlene McKinnon comes up to James just as the last band sings the last line.
Marlene squeales in his ear. "We're up next."
"Not so loud? Hmm? That almost burst my eardrum."
"Sorry. I'm just really excited." Marlene walks up on stage with Mary Macdonald and Lily Evans. Marlene goes to the drums, Mary goes to the guitar, and Lily goes to the mic.
"Hey, guys. We're the Valkyries." Lily starts singing.
One more covered up tattoo, new year, but same issues
New shoes, knees get scraped tryna reach by the laces
Mary starts singing.
Boy one was better than boy two, just a little more to lose
The short fuse, he blew it and I couldn't face it
Marlene starts singing.
And for every jab he took
He left a million-dollar baby, not much weaker
Marlene sings the last line.
It's not about one broken heart but a thousand papercuts
James yells. "Go, Valkyries!" So loudly that Marlene had to cover her ears and have a silent conversation with him.
Marlene and James have been friends since they were three. They know each other so well that they can have a conversation just with their eyes.
They walk down, and the next band goes up. Marlene comes to sit right next to him with Lily and Mary right behind her. Marlene was about to say something when her eyes went to the stage.
"What are you looking at?" James eyes her suspiciously.
"Her." She points at a dark skined girl with curly hair and gold makeup. She's wearing a black skirt, black heels, and a Skittles t-shirt, going towards the electric guitar.
James knew she was gay even before she knew herself. He has a gay radar. He can spot a gay from a mile away. "I saw her and knew immediately that she was your type."
Marlene giggles. "That's just because you know me so well." James winks at her.
James sees a girl at the mic. She has blonde hair and has a Skittles t-shirt, black boots, and black leggings. James sees Emmeline right at the stage in front of them.
"Em!" She looks at him. "Isn't that your girlfriend!?" She blushes. "I'll take that as a yes!" James sees Emmeline laugh, and James smiles.
He sees a boy go to the drums. He has brunette hair and a Skittles t-shirt, black shoes, and blue jeans.
Another boy with blonde hair with a Skittles t-shirt, black shoes, and blue jeans goes to the other mic in the front.
The last boy has black hair, a Skittles t-shirt, black shoes, and black jeans. He heads for the guitar and another mic. When he turns toward the front, James recognizes him as Regulus Black, Sirius' younger brother.
He leans over to Sirius. "Isn't that Regulus?"
"Yeah. I didn't know he was coming here."
Everyone on the stage is at a mic, and Regulus starts speaking. "We're the Skittles." Everyone laughs.
James sees the boy with blonde hair turn toward Emmeline' girlfriend. He mouths. "Did you have to pick such a stupid name?"
The girl mouths. "Sorry." And the boy rolls his eyes and turns back towards the mic. The girl starts.
Oh, yeah
Don't need permission
Made my decision to test my limits
'Cause it's my business
The other girl starts singing.
God, as my witness
Start what I finished
Don't need to hold up
Taking control of this kind of moment.
The boy with blonde hair sings.
I'm locked and loaded
Completely focused, my mind is open
All that you got, skin to skin, oh my God
Don't you stop, boy
The boy with brunette hair starts singing.
Somethin' bout you
Makes me feel like a dangerous person
Somethin' bout, somethin' bout
Somethin' bout you.
Regulus sings.
Makes me wanna do things that I shouldn't
Somethin' bout, Somethin' bout, somethin' bout
Nothin' to prove and I'm bulletproof and
know what I'm doing
Regulus sings the last lyrics.
Somethin' bout you
They walk off and sit down behind them. Marlene wispers in his ear. "Their sitting behind us."
James wispers back. "I can see that, Marls." He laughs while Marlene scolds him with her eyes. The rest of the bands go, and soon, the owner walks up on stage.
"Those were all lovely performances, but unfortunately, we can only choose three." He pulls a card out of an envelope and reads off of it. "We have a three way tie. The first group is...... The Valkyries!"
Mary, Lily, and Marlene all squeal. "Yes!"
"The second group is....... The Skittles!" The girls squeal, and the boys all have straight faces. "The third and final group is..... The Marauders!"
Sirius whoops and leans over to kiss Remus while Peter and James do a victory dance. Sirius joins a few seconds later. Remus is just smiling at his friends ridiculousness. They sit down and never stop smiling the whole night.
After the shows over, everyone goes to their dressing rooms. Marlene, Lily, and Mary are in the Marauders dressing room. Emmeline comes in after ten minutes. "Are you guys high, again?"
"Noooo. We would never." James says sarcastically.
"Figures. I wanted you to meet my girlfriend."
James sobers up real quick. "Are you going to tell us her name?"
"Well, duh." Emmeline rolls her eyes.
"What else would happen, dumbass." Lily says.
"Can you and Mar just fuck already? You're made for each other." Mary rolls her eyes, but it looks like she's considering it.
Andromeda walks in and stares at them. "Minnie is going to kill all of you." Andromeda met Mary at a party, and she introduced her to Lily, Marlene, James, Remus, Peter, and Sirius.
She points at Remus and Sirius on the couch, then Peter beside them with Marlene. Then, Mary and Lily on the ground, and James on the other side of the room.
Marlene got up and went to lay down on James' lap. Her head is in his lap, and her body is lying comfortably on the floor. James starts running his hands through her hair.
Andromeda went to the couch where Marlene just got up and sat down. Emmeline signals to something outside and goes to sit down on the couch. She pushed Sirius and Remus to the floor and sat down.
"Hey! We were sitting there." Remus says.
"Dro." Sirius whines. "Help?"
"Respect your elders, Siri." Lily says.
"No, don't even start with that, Lily Evans." Emmeline says. Lily snickered.
Someone walks in, and James recognizes her as Emmeline' girlfriend. She goes right to Emmeline and sits down. "This is my girlfriend."
"No, really? James says sarcastically. "Never realized when I asked you if she was your girlfriend, you blushed for no reason." James rolls eyes.
"James Fleamont Potter." Lily sneers.
"Sorry, Lils."
"Anyway! This is Pandora Rosier." Other people come in. "Narcissa Black. Andromeda' sister."
"Which one, though?" Peter asks.
"Do you guys never listen to me when I explain family history to you?" Andromeda asks. Everyone shakes their head.
"It's always so boring." Sirius says.
"Sirius, you should be the one listening." He shruggs.
"Too boring."
Andromeda rolls her eyes. "Anyway," Emmeline starts. "Evan Rosier, Pandora' twin. Barty Crouch. Dorcas Meadowes."
Sirius looks at Regulus and takes a deep sigh. "I'm not high enough for this. Prongs?" James was about to hand it to him when Marlene speaks.
"Don't even think about it."
"But, Marls."
"No." James sighs and puts it back down.
"Do you always listen to your second best friend?"
"No, Sirius, I don't because you're my second best friend." Marlene snickered.
Sirius gasps. "Take that back. Moony." Sirius whines.
Remus shakes his head. "Nope."
"Prongs." Sirius whines again.
"Marls has been my best friend since I was four. Mum even likes her best out of all my friends."
"Funny, I was the first to get a room in the house." Marlene says.
James looks down at her. "Yeah, and you spend every summer there with me."
"I don't want to go home to my brother's." Marlene' face fell.
"I know."
"What happened?" Mary asked.
"When she told her family she had a girlfriend, her brothers went and threatened her. She hasn't talked to them since she moved out."
"What are their names?" Lily asks.
"Maxwell, Mason, Mitchell, and Matthew. You know, I never liked them." James looked back down at Marlene. She smiled.
"I love you."
"I love too, Marls."
"Sickening." Evan says.
"Are you dating?" Dorcas asks.
Marlene sits up and gags. "Hey! We dated once!"
"Yeah, until we both came out."
James rolls his eyes. "True. Isn't everyone we know gay?"
"Let me think."
"Dro' not gay." Lily says.
"No, she dated Rita at some point." James says.
"Still can't believe she went for my sister after that."
"Their still dating. Have you seen the papers she writes? It's mainly about Trixie." Mary says.
"You know, they could have been in the Valkyries if they didn't peruse different careers." Marlene says.
"Would you have let them?"
"No. But we would have considered it."
James turns toward Cissy. "Cissa! How you doin'?"
"Good, actually. I'm their stylist."
"I heard that Alice is their manager." James wiggles his eyebrows.
"James."
"Your ex was horrible, Cissa. Have you seen how ugly he looks? He was a cunt."
"Fine, I have to agree with you. He was a cunt. He was cute at the time, by the way."
James looks at his phone. "Party at Mums." He looks up.
Sirius cheers. "Thank you, Effie! I'm going to go pass out in my room afterward."
"I think everyone will. Peter probably won't make it."
"Hey!"
"Every time, you never make it to your room."
"Do you all live there?" Evan asks.
"No, we just went there once, and the next time we came back, we had a room."
"Cissa, all your stuff is still in your room, by the way." Marlene says.
James laughs. "She stumbled into the wrong room one night and found all your stuff."
"Marls!"
"I'll text Bella, Rita, Ted, Frank, Emma, and Alice."
"Dro, you left the car there, right?"
"You picked me up."
"Sorry, too high to think."
Remus, Sirius, Peter, Mary, Lily, Marlene, Emmeline, Narcissa, and Andromeda' phones all buzz. "Groupchat, really?" Andromeda asks.
"Fastest way."
"It says 'Guvs, parvy at mt plave.'"
"Too dizzy?"
James phone dings with a message.
Alice🥳
'Is James high again?'
Sirius, Remus, Mary, Andromeda, Narcissa, Lily, Peter, Marlene, James, and Emmeline all laugh simultaneously.
Em🤐
'Yes.'
Rita🖊
'We're coming.'
Marls🥶
'You were fucking Bella.'
Bella💝
'Yes she was.'
Everyone laughs again.
Lils🥵
'We'll be there soon. Just barge in when you get there. Effie' waiting.'
Teddy🧸
'Sure will. See you soon, my love."
Andy🤠
'Love you.'
Teddy🧸
'Love you too.'
Sirius gags. "Gross mother fuckers."
"Would you guys like to come?" James asks.
They all look at each other and all say, "Yes."
After they were free to leave, they all went to Effie and Monty' house. By the time they all got there, Rita, Ted, Frank, Alice, Bellatrix, and Emma were already there.
James opens the door and goes straight to his room. He comes back down with liquor. Sirius runs to him and drinks straight out of the bottle.
"James!" James looks over and sees his mum.
"Hi, mum."
"Who are these people?"
James points to them. "Evan Rosier, Pandora Rosier, Dorcas Meadows, Barty Crouch, and Regulus."
"Regulus. Good to see you again."
"You too, Effie."
Sirius tries to get Effie' attention. "Mum! Where's the rest?"
"Rest of what, sweetheart?" Sirius holds up the now empty bottle of liquor in his hand. "James keeps it in his room."
"I do what now?" Sirius goes up the stairs.
"Come on, let's go sit down."
"Ok, mum."