AN: Hullo. Now, I'm just going to say straight off the bat that this is not the sequel to ITISNS. Rather, this is another Marauder-era school story, and I know you might be thinking: You've already DONE THIS, Jewels, but... well, you're right. Actually, mostly I wanted to write a Deathly Hallows applicable Marauder era school story, and while originally I intended to revamp ITISNS, I eventually figured that the fans of the original might end up hating me, because it would mean dropping a few story lines (i.e. Frank and Alice) in place of others (i.e. Mary Macdonald existing and Snape being Lily's ex bestie). Otherwise, I'd get to a point where there would be way too many characters to keep track of. So, instead I just started from scratch... some of this might seem similar to ITISNS, but the plotline, villains, and OCs are different. It really is just my style and a few themes that have stuck around.

As with ITISNS, please note that James Potter is a human, teenage and—get this—male character... not a twelve year old girl and not (I'm sorry, Stephanie) Edward Cullen. Don't hate.

Disclaimer: Shout out to JKR. Also to Regina Spektor for some inspiration :-)

Reviews are better than sex.

Prologue

"No one laughs at God when they're staring down the end of a wand."

Her words, emanating from that perfect little mouth as clearly as if they had been uttered just a moment before, resounded in James's head: over and over like the beat of a drum. In his mind, she was beautiful, sixteen-years-old and sitting in that corridor with the torchlight flickering against her pale, flawless skin and in her bright green eyes. That was almost two years ago, and how things had changed. She was still beautiful, of course, perhaps more so, but there must always be a difference in the way which one understands the beauty they possess and the beauty they covet from afar.

"No one laughs at God when they're staring down the end of the wand," he remembered her saying once again, and he smiled just a bit, because of course, Lily was right. Lily was usually right. With the tip of the enemy's wand pointed at the spot between his eyes, while his own wand lay out of reach, there was a God. There was meaning and significance, and there was a reason to survive, because there was order, truth, importance, and something beyond the tip of that wand. He made a mental note to tell Lily later that she was right: that such a threat makes cowards of intellectual skepticism. It was irrational, he supposed, but that did not matter. Late recognition of divinity may be an act of intellectual cowardice, but just now, it made him brave. Lily was usually right.

He felt himself begin to smile and awaited the curse—the curse that would end it, or at least bring about significant pain or unconsciousness. But it did not come. At last, the enemy opened his mouth, but no curse came out.

"She doesn't love you," he barked desperately. "She doesn't."

Apparently, no one laughed at God when they had lost the one they loved either.

James allowed the words to stab him, knowing they must be true. He allowed the pain to fill but not subdue him. He nodded. "Maybe," he replied at length. "But that's just something I'm going to have to deal with for myself."

Broken by James's apathy, the older wizard narrowed his brown eyes and pulled his mouth into a tight frown. The youthful handsomeness he had possessed only a year ago had vanished. "You'll be dead soon," he said.

James blinked. That was an odd thought: dead soon. Then he nodded once more. "Go ahead," he responded, with something like defiance. "I've made peace."

Because finally, he understood what that phrase meant.

A/N: None of this makes sense, so I'll just go ahead and post the first chapter now. It still won't make sense but I'll feel better about myself.

Reviews are more cowbell!

Love,

Jewels