Chapter 1: Black
The moment Rebecca Potter stepped through the barrier onto Platform 9¾, she was immediately ambushed by the sweet scent of train smoke, owl droppings, and her brother’s hovering.
"You’re not sitting with that Crouch boy again," James said before she even reached the trolley.
«Oh, no. Here we go again...»
"Good morning to you too, Mother," Rebecca drawled, hoisting her trunk with one hand and balancing her owl cage with the other. "How are your mood swings this fine September?"
James ignored her sarcasm with the kind of focus only an overprotective older brother could master. "He’s weird, Becca. He stares too long and talks like he’s auditioning to be Minister for Magic at fourteen.”
"He’s interesting."
"He’s creepy," James snapped.
"You’re creepy," she shot back, breezing past him toward the train.
She found the Marauders’ usual compartment halfway down the train, where Remus already had his nose in a book, Peter was chewing through a bag of chocolate frogs, and...
Sirius.
Sirius was leaning back eating a sugar quill, his boots on the seat, smirking like he owned the entire railway system.
“Morning, Becca,” Remus said without looking up. “Did you pack your textbooks this year, or are we still relying on your freakish ability to absorb information through osmosis?”
“Knowledge is for the desperate, Remus,” she said airily. “I, however, was born enlightened.”
Peter snorted. “So was Lockhart, and look where that got him.”
"He's my potions partner, Peter." She frowned.
Peter's smile vanished. "Oh, my condolences."
Sirius raised an eyebrow as she flopped down beside James. “You’re wearing eyeliner,” he said.
“I am,” Rebecca replied, unapologetic.
He blinked. “You’re fourteen!"
“I didn’t know there was an age restriction,” she said, casually kicking his foot off her seat. “Or did you write one?”
Sirius muttered something that sounded suspiciously like bloody hell and sat up straighter, trying not to look directly at her.
Remus gave Sirius a knowing look.
“She’s like my sister,” he murmured to Remus.
«Ouch.»
James immediately perked up. “Exactly! Thank you! She’s like your sister. So if Crouch even looks at her the wrong way–”
“He might have an unfortunate accident involving a Vanishing Cabinet and a bag of dungbombs,” Sirius finished calmly.
Rebecca sighed and looked at Remus. “Why do I hang out with them?”
“Because I’m here,” Remus said serenely. "And I have to make sure you don't hex anyone this year."
Just then, the compartment door slid open and a pale face with sleek brown hair peeked in.
“Hi, Rebecca,” said Barty Crouch Jr. with a polite smile. “I saved you a seat in our compartment, if you want–”
“She’s good,” said James, before Rebecca could open her mouth.
«I'm not good.»
“Yeah,” Sirius added, cracking his knuckles. “She’s got, uh... a family meeting.”
«Family? Seriously?»
Peter waved. “Maybe next time!”
Sirius closed the compartment door shut right on Barty's face.
«These three are going to ruin my non-existent social life.»
Rebecca stared at them. “You all are unbelievable!"
James shrugged. “You’re welcome.”
“One day,” she said slowly, “I’m going to date someone just to watch all of you combust.”
Peter clapped. “Ooh, can we vote? I say Regulus.”
«Who?!»
Sirius choked on his sugar quill.
James turned blue.
Remus finally looked up from his book. “I’d start running, Peter.”
★·.·⍣·.·★.·*·.·⍣·.·★
Rebecca had fallen asleep on James's shoulder. She was peacefully lost in her beauty sleep when suddenly... A smell. Awful. Like something—or someone — was rotting, that forced her to interrupt her sleep and open her eyes looking for the cause of that stinking smell.
«Is that cheese? Smells like rotting cheese and beans.»
"Did someone just fart?" She asked, waking up immediately, she stood up and looked at the four boys, James, Sirius and Peter looked guilty.
«Eww.»
Rebecca made a face, Remus opened the compartment door for her. "You are all disgusting!"
"Well, don't think your diapers smelled like flowers!" James shouted as she walked out the door and slammed it closed.
She knew where to go. On the last vagon, same compartment, away from the noise.
She opened the door and her smile vanished. "Black."
Regulus didn't even look up from his book. "Potter."
"Crouch!" Barty shouted smiling. "I knew you were coming, sit, please. I was telling Reg how my summer was."
Rebecca sat next to Regulus, each one on the corner of the seat, sitting as far as they could.
«I came here scaping from undesirable people and ended up sitting next to... Unwanted people.»
Somehow, they ended up arguing anyway.
"Blood pure obsessed."
"Blood traitor." Regulus argued back.
"Snake!" She said, crossing her arms.
"Pigeon!" Regulus retorted back.
Rebecca gasped placing a hand on her chest.
"Oi, I'm a pigeon too!" Barty said looking at Regulus.
"Thank the blood traitor you invited." Regulus said casually looking back at the book on his lap.
Rebecca saw the book title, "Introduction to Dark Arts, really?" immediately tried to tackle Regulus, only managed to make him lay down on the seat.
"Oi!" Regulus hid the book behind his back. But that didn't stop her.
Rebecca climbed on top of Regulus trying to reach the book. "Give me that bloody thing, I'm going to burn it!"
"Over my dead body!" Regulus argued, his hands went to her waist trying to push her away. "You are mental!"
"What are you even thinking? Reading that rubbish..." Rebecca grabbed Regulus by the collar of his shirt. "Are you insane?!"
«I want to choke him.»
"Can you stop arguing?!" Barty shouted "I've had enough with my parents, I don't need you fighting too. Merlin, you two look like a fifty-year-old married couple on the verge of divorce."
Regulus stopped pushing her away, Rebecca stopped struggling to reach the book. They both looked at Barty, silence for a moment.
Then the compartment door opened.
James and Sirius entered.
«Bloody fantastic.»
"Becca, Remus says that we have to apolo-" James stopped talking, pale, his soul left his body. Sirius's jaw dropped to the floor.
Rebecca on Regulus lap, her hair a mess, Regulus lying on the train seat, his deshived, his hands on her waist, her skirt hitched up a little, just a few centimeters.
Sirius to James. “Mate, is your sister straddling my brother?”
Then Barty, poor innocent Barty, said something that could be easily misinterpreted.
“I told them not to do what my parents do all the time, but they never listen.”
"Rebecca. Elizabeth. Potter. Move." James said calmly even though his knuckles were white.
"No." Rebecca and Barty were in front of Regulus like a human shield.
Sirius was behind James, not doing anything just killing Regulus with his eyes and to be fair, Regulus was doing the same.
"You don't even know what was happening!"
"I saw enough! Do you think I'm stupid, Becca?" James said angrily.
"I was trying to kill Black!" Rebecca shouted.
"By doing what? Straddling him?!" James shouted back.
"Actually..." Barty started. "People can die if they have too much-"
"Shut your damn mouth, Crouch!" James snapped.
Barty leaned close to Regulus to whisper. "This bloke needs some of what Hufflepuff smoke..."
"I don't want you anywhere near my sister," James pointed at Barty. "and I don't want Black near her either. In fact, much less you, anyone but you!" He pointed at Regulus.
Rebecca grinned. "Does that mean I can date someone els-" James interrupted her.
"And you!" James finally pointed at Rebecca. "Back to our compartment. NOW."
"You are not my father!" Rebecca yelled at James but still obeyed him.
"Be glad I'm not father, the poor old man would have fainted!" James yelled walking behind her.
Sirius stayed behind for a moment, just staring at Regulus. "Don't be a wanker with her."
Regulus narrowed his eyes. " Funny how you care about who touches her, dear brother."
Sirius's jaw clenched, he took a deep breath before walking towards James who was scolding Rebecca all the way back to the marauders compartment.
"You are not dating anyone until you're forty."
★·.·⍣·.·★.·*·.·⍣·.·★
The rest of the way to Hogwarts was tense. Rebecca was upset, James was annoyed, Sirius was awfully quiet which was weird, in any other moment he would have been teasing the hell out calling Rebecca sis-in-law or something to get under James's skin. Instead he looked mad, like he had been betrayed.
"This looks like a funeral." Peter whispered to Remus who just nodded in agreement.
«It is, Pete. I'm dead once we get there.»
Then, the door opened. Lily Evans. "Remus, Prefect duties."
«Thanks Merlin.»
"Lily!" Rebecca ran to her and hugged her like she was a kicked puppy. "Thanks Merlin you're here, I'm dying!"
"Hey little one." Lily hugged her back. "What did your idiot brother do now?"
"Oi!" James protested. "She's just playing the victim here."
"He's awful!" Rebecca cried. "He locked me here with these weirdos. Except for Remus."
"Thanks." Remus smiled while Sirius and Peter frowned.
"They are loud, dirty, Peter smells like cheese and they fart, Lily." Rebecca said horrified. "They fart!"
"They are boys, sweetie." Lily caressed her hair.
"They are disgusting!" Rebecca cried on Lily's chest. Lily consoled her.
"Lily-flower, don't believe that crybaby, I found her straddling Black's lap." James said annoyed, Rebecca narrowed her eyes at him.
Lily's eyes widened, she looked at Sirius horrified.
"Not me!" Sirius frowned now even more annoyed. "Regulus."
"Oh, well..." Lily looked at Rebecca. "Explanations?"
"I was just trying to choke him." Rebecca shrugged, tried to defend herself.
"Mhmm..." Peter thought for a moment, then... "I heard that some blokes are into that kind of stuff."
Everyone looked at him. Badly.
James exhaled. "Be glad Evans is watching."
"Remus, we still have to go." Lily said and Remus nodded.
"No!" Rebecca complained. "He's the only one whose sanity is intact!"
"Oh, my poor baby." Lily pouted and hugged Rebecca tightly.
"If you want a baby I could help you." James smirked and winked at Lily.
Lily just rolled her eyes, and Rebecca frowned. "Gross..."
James shrugged. "I'm just saying."
"I bet Regulus says the same to Becca, right?" Peter whispered to Sirius, thinking it was a good joke.
Spoiler: It wasn't.
Sirius looked at Peter as if he was considering murderer.
Peter shifted awkwardly towards Remus. "You are not gonna leave me with them, are you?"
"Prefect duties." Remus stood up and shrugged.
"Try not to kill each other while I'm gone." Then he walked out of the compartment. Lily said goodbye to Rebecca and followed Remus.
Rebecca sighed and sat next to James and in front of Sirius who was looking at her... Like she had broken something.
Rebecca noticed and frowned. "What?"
"Nothing." Sirius said coldly.
"James, your dog has rabies."
James looked at Sirius, he indeed looked like a dog about to catch a squirrel. "You threw yourself at his brother, what did you expect?"
"I did not-" Rebecca rolled her eyes "ugh just forget about that."
