The baby marauder

CHAPTER 11

up top is my Lucius Malfoy Face claim

EDITED

James, Sirius, Peter, Remus, and Mila sat around the common room table, surrounded by piles of textbooks, notes, and quills. They were deep in concentration, trying to cram as much information into their heads as possible before their upcoming exams.

As they worked, Archie cooed happily in his playpen while Cassie, a bit older and more mobile, crawled around the room, grabbing at anything she could get her hands on.

"Careful, Cassie," Mila warned as the baby girl tried to grab a stack of books. "We don't want you getting hurt."

Sirius chuckled. "I think she's trying to help us study. Maybe she knows the answers already."

Everyone laughed, but then there was a sudden commotion as Archie started crying loudly. James hurried over to the playpen to check on him.

"What's wrong, little man?" he asked, picking up the fussing baby. "Are you hungry?"

Peter shook his head. "I don't know how we'll manage caring for two babies during the exams. It's going to be chaos."

Remus nodded in agreement. "We'll have to ask Professor Dumbledore if he can look after them for a few hours. I'm sure he won't mind."

Mila sighed. "I just hope they don't start crying during the exams. We'll be so distracted."

As they continued to study, the babies became increasingly fussy. Cassie began crawling over to Remus, pulling at his robes and making grabby hands at the quill in his hand.

"Looks like someone wants to be a wizard, too," he joked, handing her the quill. She promptly put it in her mouth.

Archie continued to cry, and James tried to soothe him with a bottle. "I don't think I've ever been this tired in my life," he said, yawning.

Sirius patted him on the back. "Hang in there, mate. We'll get through this."

As the night wore on, the group became more and more frazzled. They tried to focus on their studying, but it was complicated by the constant crying and fussing of the babies.

Finally, they decided to call it a night. Mila scooped up Cassie, who was now sound asleep, and Peter gathered up Archie, who had finally stopped crying.

"We'll drop them off with Dumbledore first thing in the morning," Remus said as they returned to their dorms. "We can't afford any distractions during the exams."

The group nodded in agreement, relieved to have a plan in place. As they settled into bed, they tried to push thoughts of exams and babies out of their minds, hoping to get a good night's sleep before the big day.

***

Lily sat in the Slytherin common room, her eyes flickering with newfound excitement. Fletcher Parkinson sat beside her, a slight smirk on his face as he watched her expression change.

"You know, Lily," he said, his voice low and smooth. "We could really use someone like you on our side. Someone with your talents and intelligence."

Lily nodded slowly, her mind racing with the possibilities. She had always felt like an outsider, even among her own friends. But here, with the Slytherins, she was starting to feel like she belonged.

"I don't know," she said hesitantly. "I mean, I don't want to hurt anyone."

Fletcher leaned in closer, his eyes gleaming. "Oh, but don't you see, Lily? That's the beauty of it. We don't want to hurt anyone. We just want to be the ones in control. The ones calling the shots."