So in an effort to ensure international collaboration, Dumbledore has started an exchange program that will send two Hogwarts students to each of nine other schools around the world. Interestingly, this means that there's an exchange program between ten of the top schools in the world. So... two kids from each school go to nine other schools - that's eighteen out of a year. In Hogwarts that means about half to a third of each of the four houses - Is that half to a third of each year? On the bright side, Harry won't have to try to get into N.E.W.T. level Potions with Snape. I think Hogwarts might actually have fairly small classes, as it is for British wizards only. Beauxbatons, too, as it's just for the French. All the other schools are much bigger, as thay take in students from much larger ranges.

I think there might be wizarding groups just like there are major language groups (Indo-European, etc.). Europe and Britain wuld all have a similar, Latin-based style, while Native American, South American, African, Middle Eastern, South Asian, East Asian, and Polynesian would all be different. For one, the ridiculous attachment to wands is a European thing, surely, descended from them Latin and Greek folks. They seem very focused an goal-oriented. Some other styles of magic, like Native American, would be much more general and perhaps diffuse.

Background on this universe: Sirius and Remus were definitely a couple. Sirius had much less animosity towards Narcissa than Bellatrix, so she came to Narcissa's party when she asked him to. Narcissa also wanted to make her husband angry, so that was part of the reason she invited Sirius.

Remus and Lily definitely had something going on at one point, which strained relationships with the rest of the Marauders a bit, and also makes his relationship with Harry a little more paternal. This might also make Sirius insecure, thinking that he's some sort of second best because Lily became unavailable.

Why did she become unavailable? She must have had some sort of spunk that made Remus just a little bit boring for her. Would Remus berate himself for being too cautious? There's a lot of Marauder backstory I want to tell.

Sirius and James - there must have been an immediate bond there. I think the Potters would be a pretty long-standing pureblood family, typically sorted into Ravenclaw or Slytherin - James is, after all, very clever and ambitious. I'd say his parents would be Ravenclaws, seeing as Sirius described them as being too nice to be Slytherin. Meanwhile, Sirius is a Black, which is of course all-Slytherin. So when the both of them get sorted into Gryffindor, there would be an immediate connection - the two who are out of place. Remus and Peter, meanwhile, are both the type to blend into the background.

I can just imagine Remus, all grays and neutral browns, trying so hard and with so little effort to blend into the castle walls. That's such a picture idea.

Ron mentioned Bill having a penfriend in Brazil.

I think maybe Remus and Lily would have gotten especially close during that time in fifth year after Sirius screwed up. I need to look back really carefully and see how the various stories about fifth year line up. Remus seemed pretty noncommittal during Snape's memory of the exams, but wasn't that only months after Sirius' big mistake? nevertheless, both he and Lily would have been prefects. What about that prefect bathroom, huh...

Would be interesting if Remus and Lily were each others' firsts, then ended up with one of the inseperable boys that they'd always wondered about being gay. That would be a pretty interesting thing to share.

More doubts about Remus and Sirius. Would Remus think that Sirius was just being ever more rebelliosu and refusing to continue the Black line? Would Sirius? After all, if they started dating after fifth year, that would put it at about the time Sirius ran away from home. After Sirius grossly betrayed Remus' trust, Remus would be pretty cautious, right?

There's a LOT of seeds for mistrust and suspicion between Remus and Sirius. Sets them up perfectly for the big betrayal. And Peter would have been there all along, watching.

Then there's the big issue of Voldemort already being around in the Marauder era. Wouldn't he at least be on the horizon? Need to check facts about how long Voldemort had been in power when Harry's parents died.

And how and when would Remus, Sirius, James, and Lily have joined the order? And Wormtail? Would he have turned after joining or before? Would perhaps some of the misfortunes of the order scared him and made him turn? That sounds plausible. He would have joined because he'd have followed Remus, Sirius, and James anywhere, but thwne things got tough for the Order, hw discovered that there were some place he could not follow...

Peter thought he would have followed his friends anywhere. In the Order, he found that there were some places he coul not follow...

This could apply, too, to the relationships he watched his friends develop. James and Lily, at least, had settled in for the long run, and ven if Remus and Sirius had had rough times and suspicions, they shared something Peter knew they'd never share with him.

It's hard to see friends fall in love.

So, yeah. I love the Marauders. What about this generation? But first, a pic idea.

A series of "background" shots along the lines of the one above about Remus. Remus kind of blending into his background, and... well, think about it more later. Something for James and Sirius.

So back to this generation. Draco.

Draco has to come to Sirius' funeral and talk to both Snape and Remus. He has to have some reason. I think it would be really interesting if he remembered Sirius as the first (only?) member of his family to touch him. This would have to happen when he was pretty young - barely two or something like that. Maybe mere days before Harry's parents are killed. Harry's birthday is in July, so if he gets killed on Halloween (check this!) then we can have Draco born, say, in midwinter, making him a good half-year older. Maybe even a little more. Then during mid-autumn of Harry's second year, when Harry would we a year and three or so months, Draco would be just shy of two. This is still a little young, but early memory can start due to some traumatic event. So maybe Lucius first used Crucio on Draco the same day Sirius showed up. That might impress Sirius' touch on Draco's memory.

Remember, though. Draco is a prat. An evil prat. Try not to be too fanon.

So Draco's father is in jail and his assets are frozen. Sirius is dead. Draco sees that Voldemort will not protect his father or his other followers, that simply being on the same side as those likeliest to win won't necessarily afford him a comfortable living. He doesn't understand the reaction of his mother very well, and he doesn't understand his own at all. He's angry, confused, and has some sort of strange feeling about Sirius' death that he can't place or name.

Narcissa, by the way, I think would resent being a trophy wife, at least a little. I don't think she'd have loved Lucius very much. She would be angry at his capture, in a slightly triumphant way. I think she may have had more pride than he - I get the impression that the Blacks are even more blue-blooded than the Malfoys - and would have regarded his obeiscance to Voldemort with some contempt.

Sirius, meanwhile, might have been her favourite living Black relative. Speaking of Sirius, how informed would the Death Eaters have been about what exactly happened the night the Potters were killed?

Interruption and a few quock shots. Narcissa mostly looks out for herself, after being dumped into a pretty loveless marriage as a trophy wife to somefrom from a family she considers slightly beneath her. She uses the comfortable living afforded by her husband to pursue her own ends.

Draco takes after her, mostly. Remember that he is an arrogant, cowardly, racist bully. He prefers to have others do his dirty work, and is not particularly gifted - at least not in Charms, as we learned from his O.W.L.. I don't think he has it in him to do the noble thing Snape has done, but I also think he, especially having seen how his father had fallen, would not want to be a Death Eater. The subject of toadying is a little bit difficult. I think Narcissa would have given him a bit more pride. He helped Umbridge and was an absolute prat about it, but I think this did not bother him so much because he did not have to do anything he didn't want to for her. He got to abuse Gryffindors and beat on Harry. I don't think he'd be so good at the whole groveling and unquestioning obediance bit that Voldemort seems to prefer.

There's just not many endearing qualities to chose from with this guy. Maybe once he is separated from his cronies he will change. Perhaps bereft at once of his father and his two cronies, he will actually rise to the occassion and become more his own man.