Little Women (2019), Dir. Greta Gerwig / Derry Girls (2018), S1 Episode 6 / Peace, Taylor Swift / Derry Girls, S1 Episode 1/ Beloved, Yves Olade / Little Women (2019), Dir. Greta Gerwig / Normal People, Sally Rooney

It was said, by most Hogwarts graduates, that their seventh year was both the best and worst time of their life. The best, because it was the first time they could shed that skin of teenage awkwardness and really become them. The worst, because at the end of the year, they had to leave everything behind to start a new life in adulthood. 

For Penelope Taylor, adulthood looks a little different. Outside Hogwarts, the Wizarding World is in heavy turmoil. You-Know-Who is gathering his forces, preparing for whatever it is Dark Wizards do. Muggles are being strung up in the streets. People are evacuating, going into hiding, running to safety in other corners of the world if they can. 

So, for Penny, adulthood is war. Adulthood is hiding her muggle parents away in a distant country (Ireland) and joining a secret society to help her defend her rights. Adulthood is fighting people she once went to school with, people who would very much like to see her dead for nothing other than her blood. Adulthood is looking after herself, for if she doesn't, she might end up as another name on a list of casualties of war. 

But that's next year. For this year, Penny is going to live, like a real person. Penny's going to cause chaos and break stuff and fail exams, all the things teenagers are supposed to be doing. 

(Are they supposed to be falling in love?)

For James Potter, seventh year is his last chance to do something he's attempted many times before (badly). In third year, he asked Penny Taylor out on a date. She laughed. He tried again. She said no. He tried again. She said no. He tried again. She hexed him. He tried again. She hexed him again. He tried a last time, and she insulted him so badly he's still not quite healed the verbal scars and hexed him, painfully enough to make him get the hint. 

James regrets his third year. 

Everyone (including Penny) figured James's crush would disappear. They've both moved past it now, as friends, at least in Penny's eyes. Unfortunately, it's only gotten worse as he's grown older, and now they're both in their last year of school, James is faced with the unfortunate realisation that soon they could never see each other again. They're both different people now - no one really knows what they're doing when they're thirteen, anyway. So that's why James and the rest of the Marauders come up with Operation Romance-Penny-Taylor-Before-She-Gets-Expelled. 

The only problem is, James is terrible at - well, romancing. And Penny is equally bad at being romanced, while James's friends are terrible wingmen. And You-Know-Who is trying to kill them all... Maybe it's not meant to be.

Penelope Taylor / We're not abducting him - we're kidnapping him. 

Tara Mitchell / Well, that was nice. What are you in the mood for now?

Clare Quinn / Alcohol. Copious amounts of alcohol.

Hana Sato / We could, we could sell our organs, or, and forgive me if this is a bit left-field, but could we not, you know, get jobs?

Disclaimer

I do not own Harry Potter or the Wizarding World, but I do own Penny and her friends. I also took heavy inspiration from certain episodes of Derry Girls. 

I also do not support JKR in any way. We don't support TERFs here. If anyone disagrees with this, you're not welcome here. 

Author's Note

Penny is a weird mix of Erin and Michelle from Derry Girls, Clare has Crowley / Sister Michael vibes, Tara is such an Aziraphale and Hana is a bit like Clare from Derry Girls but also completely deranged in a different way

The idea came from Derry Girls but in Hogwarts, and then I thought it fixed with this timeline because Penny and James are so well-suited, and also I saw a quote by the writer of Derry Girls where she said that for most of the show, you forget what's happening in Derry because the girls are so used to it, but every so often some horror happens and you suddenly remember. This is a bit like that - the war is slowly drawing closer but no one really thinks about it anymore, not at Hogwarts. But every so often, something horrible happens and reminds them

but for the most part, this fic is about love / friendship / growing up and will be very lighthearted! I really struggle to find fics on here that aren't super violent / dealing with dark topics / very thought provoking and honestly just wanted to write something fun. Not good fun but fun nonetheless. It mainly focuses on Penny & James but Clare and Tara's relationship shall be touched on, not sure if they'll have POVs or not yet. 

Inspirations: Derry Girls (highly influenced), Good Omens (Clare and Tara), Little Women, Lord of the Rings (Tara and Penny are literally Merry and Pippin)

Content Warnings

Profanity, references to war, anachronisms