I Solemnly Swear: Marauders One-Shots

September 1, 1978

Since it's September 1, I'm going to make you guys sad :)
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September 1, 1978.

For many, that day was the start of their whole lives. Witches and wizards crowded onto Platform 9 3/4 to board the Hogwarts Express. Eleven year olds might make their best friends on the train. They'd grow up, learn who they were, make a difference in the Wizarding World, and it all started here. In a secret platform at King's Cross on the first of September.

Perhaps the seventh years can be seen boarding the train, already having their best friends, already grown up, already knowing who they are, what they want to be. They already have plans to make a difference in the Wizarding World. And their lives, too, had started in a secret platform at King's Cross on the first of September.

But despite their age, despite everything, they all still felt the same way: joy and fear. It was natural, of course, to feel relieved to come home, but for many it was their last time coming home, and they all couldn't help but wonder if home was really so safe anymore. Voldemort was rising, there was no denying it. No matter what their parents said, no matter what the teachers said, he was gaining power. Fast.

But this is where the Marauders come in. They would pull their annual prank on the train, and everything would be better than it was before. Maybe, the fear would disappear in the face of joy and laughter, if only for a moment. The Marauders always seemed to make every situation just a little less terrifying. And sure, none of the students had caught a glimpse of the raven-haired James Potter, or the tall, lanky Remus Lupin, but they were simply hiding. Right?

So it was with great fear and sadness that the students of Hogwarts bade farewell to their families, not knowing if they would see each other again. And as the train pulled away from King's Cross on September 1, 1978, every student on board waited in anticipation for the Marauders' first prank of the year.
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Ten minutes. Ten minutes until they remembered. Ten minutes until a Hufflepuff prefect stood up suddenly and walked to the Marauders' usual train compartment, the one they had sat in for the past seven years. He opened the door. It was empty.

And suddenly they remembered: that on July 1, 1978, James Potter and Sirius Black and Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew had graduated only two months before. That James had kissed Lily Evans in the Great Hall on their final morning and everyone had cheered. That the Marauders, and their pranks, were gone. That they would never again return to London on the first day of September. They had grown up, they had moved on.

But they would never be forgotten.
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Happy September 1!! Make sure you show your Potterhead Pride today! (wow that actually sounded fancy can we make that thing? #PotterheadPride ?) Have a great day!