wonderfully messy misadventures | harry potter

prologue

For as long as the marauders could remember, it had been the four of them against the world. But then their world changed, in more ways than one. James Potter finally got the girl he'd been pining after since he was eleven, Lily Evans.

Remus Lupin found love with Marcy Nettles, and fought against it with everything he had. For so long Remus was afraid to love, but she was more than willing to wait for him. So she did until he could no longer help it.

Peter Pettigrew also found love in the order of the Phoenix. A woman named Nancy Carpenter, who loved him so. She loved him in spite of all his flaws and insecurities, and all of his secrets too.

And to the surprise of everyone who knew him, Sirius Black, who dated what felt like half the boys and girls in his class, managed to be locked down. Violet Richmond with a pureblood Slytherin who rejected every value that her family had tried so desperately to instill her. The moment she graduated Hogwarts she decided to join the order. To her, it was the only right thing to do.

Even as war loomed over their world, the young couples fell deeper and deeper in love. By 1980, three of the four couples were married. James and Lily in the summer of 1978, Peter and Nancy the fall, and Violet and Sirius the next winter. Remus and Marcy decided not to marry. Remus didn't want to trap her in a relationship with someone like him. Marcy never argued. Not because she agreed, but because she loved him enough that she didn't need any paper or officiant. They were together, and that was enough.

And that's why Remus was terrified when he found out that Marcy was pregnant with their child. He wanted the baby, of course he wanted it. Just like he wanted to marry Marcy. But he was scared in a way that almost paralyzed him. Not only would Marcy be tied to him forever, but their child may have lycanthropy. Marcy tried to tell him that it would be alright, but he wouldn't hear of it. Not until Eleanor Lupin was born April 2nd, 1980. Then Wisteria and Astrid Richmond-Black on June 17th. After that, the Potter twins, James and Cassandra on July 31st. Finally, Marnie Pettigrew was born October 2nd.

Their children brought most of the only true joy they got to experience during the war. They were beautiful and bright and everything that the young parents hoped they would be. Even amidst all the chaos in their world, they knew that had their children and each other.

Then the events of October 31st, 1981 happened. The deaths of Lily and James Potter truly did change everything. The war was over, but none of them had gotten their happy ending. Harry and Cassandra were sent to live away with Lily's downright awful sister, Petunia, and her equally vile husband, Vernon.

Peter Pettigrew had managed to fool them all. He gave away James and Lily's location, got them killed, faked his own death, and blamed it all on Sirius Black. His wife and daughter were treated with the upmost kindness and sympathy, and Nancy was revered as some sort of hero. But she was just as much a traitor as her husband was. She figured out what he'd done long before Halloween night. After that, she had no idea what became of Peter, but she also didn't particularly care. She had Marine to worry about now, and a secret to take to the grave.

Violet Richmond watched in silent horror has love of her life was dragged away to Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit. Her and Sirius had gotten married rather quickly, but she knew that there was no way that he would've ever betrayed his friends. There is certainly no way he would have let anyone bring harm to James, Lily, Harry, or Cassandra. She begged Dumbledore to let her take Harry and Cassie, to no avail.

As for Remus, the war had taken a greater toll on him than most. He withdrew from everyone, Marcy and Eleanor included. Once again, Marcy was patient. But people can only take so much. Even when she cried and begged and pleaded with him to just talk to her, to let her know what was going on in his head, he didn't. He couldn't. He told her it would be best if she left. She refused. For months after that, she stayed by his side waiting for him, just like she had so many times before. Eventually it was all too much. She had a daughter to take care of. So one final time she pleaded with him, and one final time he turned her away.

In the years that each of the women waited to send their children off the Hogwarts, they all carried the hope that they would reunite. That they would be friends, best friends. Just the way they all had been before. And during their children's third year, that wish came true.