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THE MARAUDERS: WHERE 2023’S HOTTEST STARS ARE NOW
If you were on the internet in 2023, and I know you were, you knew who the Maruaders are. Four boys, friends since childhood with insane amounts of musical talent, reaching the peak of their fame only to seemingly come crashing down in a huge blowout on the internet?
Well, that's almost what happened. Let's review.
Let's start with drummer Sirius Black. Ex-Heir and apparent cousin to royalty, Sirius Black was every tween girl's crush and responsible for atleast a 20% increase in homosexuality in youths. Born in November of 1998, Blacks childhood was anything but normal. His (now estranged) Father was Orion Black, billionaire owner of Black Corps and his mother was Walburga Black. Black has reported in interviews over the years that his parents were the complete opposite of caring and warm, preferring to have nannies to do their parenting until it came to corporal punishment, which his Mother preferred to inflict herself. Black has described his childhood as ‘abusive’, noting over the years that no amount of money could make up for the ‘physical and psychological torture’ that he and his younger brother, Regulus Black (Age: 23, current Lawyer for The Marauders), endured. When Black was 13, he was sent to Hogwarts Prep, a private school located in Scotland. While enrolled in Hogwarts, he met what would soon become his bandmates and proclaimed family, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin. Not even a year later, Black would begin to spend his school breaks with James Potter and his family, calling them his unofficial adoptive family (Black did officially join the Potter Family in June of Last Year, revealed in a post made on the Stars' Instagram.)
Now onto the Potters. James Potter is the guitarist for the Marauders and co-songwriter of two of their albums. James Potter was born in March of 1999, making him 26. The sweetest of the group, James Potter, has a multitude of fan pages dedicated to him and his (Now these are THEIR words, not mine, folks!) ‘Babygirlness’. Yes, dear readers, you read that correctly. The internet and its infantilization of grown men strike again! Though Potter has been reported to follow quite a few of these pages, so I find it hard to say he dislikes the internetz view of him, but thats neither here nor there. Potter has been in a public relationship with model Lily Evans since early 2023, and the pair announced their engagement in June 2024. James Potter is the son of Inventors Fleamont Potter and Euphemia Potter. Potter has been very public about his childhood, praising his parents for providing a picture-perfect childhood. ‘It was the kind of house people see on TV. I really couldn't of wished for better parents,’ Potter told TMZ last July at his mother's birthday party, Sirius Black at his side.
Peter Pettigrew is the pianist, which is wow! You don't see those much in Pop bands, but alright! Born in 1999, Pettigrew got his love of music from his Mother, who used to play the piano for their church. Little is known about Pettigrew's childhood, but he has been quite vocal about his experiences with bullying and growing up ‘different’. Pettigrew met the rest of the Marauders when he attended Hogwarts Prep. Pettigrew, while private with his personal life, is the most active marauder on social media, keeping a constant presence on apps such as Twitter and Instagram. Pettigrew has a loyal fan base.
Remus Lupin, the lead singer and bassist for the Marauders, had a quiet childhood and has kept quite a few things private from the public eye. ‘I was a sick kid. We moved a lot. Not much more to say than that,’ Lupin once told a reporter. Despite what little we do know about the lead singer, his mysterious nature seems to intrigue people more than deter them. ‘I love that little gay emo Victorian-looking dude from that one British boyband. See, now you guys don't know if I'm talking about Niall Horan or Remus Lupin.’ One fan tweeted, then followed with, ‘I was talking about Remus Lupin.’. So I think it's safe to say Remus Lupin is not lacking in the fan depart as some might mistake since his fellow bandmates seem to be quite public with their fame. (Also, yes, that is a real tweet. I was shocked, too, guys.) With what little we know about the pop star, I can't really give you a true background, but I can make something up! Here goes: Remus Lupin grew up in the Welsh countryside, happily with his mother and father, until one dark and stormy night he was attacked by a werewolf! Oh No! From then on out, the poor boy suffered terribly from lycanthropy, until he received a scholarship (true!) to Hogwarts Prep school (this part is also true!) where he would meet his new best buddies Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew! Yipee! True story there, folks.
DISCLAIMER: It is not a true story. Don't sue me.
Anyways, where were we? Oh Right!
The Marauders recorded for the first time in 2017, simply four amateurs in a booth paid for by their guitarist's parents fooling around and somehow striking gold. Two weeks after they put their songs ou,t they somehow began to climb the charts, starting with a small cult following that somehow grew into a supernova thanks to the help of social media. Then came their second release, which had similar results to the first. people began to take notice of this new name, these ‘Marauders’. Two months after they released their first song, the Marauders signed with Pheniox Records and immediately recorded their first fully-formed album. Soon, they were household names. Icons trapped in the bodies of teenage boys.
Their fame only continued to grow until you couldn't go anywhere without being reminded of their existence. Coffee Shop? Their song is playing in the background. Doctors office? Their interview is on TV. Driving down the street? A billboard with their faces. Stroll in the park? A bench because apparently Remus fricken Lupin picnicked here once—You get my point? They were IT . Until 2023.
It started with a Tweet.
At first glance, it's a pretty standard tweet. A lot of artists make the choice to take a hiatus, things get too busy, art becomes unenjoyabl,e and they need a break. No big deal! Except for the fact that the Marauders weren't the ones who made the tweet. In fact, they had no idea they were going on a hiatus.
The internet immediately went crazy. At the time, the Marauders were the biggest band in the world. When the Hiatus was announced, people immediately went to various social media platforms with their speculation and concerns. In fact, there was so much public outcry that not one, but two app servers crashed. Yeah. It wasn't a fun day.
There were theories immediately. The band has broken up, some thought. Does this mean there won't be a tour for the new album, people asked. This is INSERT NAME HERE’s fault! Everyone had a different idea about what had happened, but the truth would soon be revealed.
But before we get to that, we need to review the year of 2023.
The Marauders, coming off a successful album release, announcing they are writing another that will be released the same year, fans are ecstatic. In the same month, Remus Lupin is spotter with Famous Soccer played (Football, for my UK readers,) Marlene McKinnon, relationship rumours bgin to fly only to be confirmed! Two months into said relationship, whispers begin to flood about apparent tension in the Maruders band, and then a week later, the ‘Hiatus’ is announced. Alright, all caught up? Good, this will all make sense in a moment!
Remember how I said the truth would be revealed? Yeah, turns out it wasn't a good idea for the Marauders to sign a contract as impressionable teenagers. Impressionable teenagers don't often read the fine print. It had turned out that within the Maruders' contract clause, there had been a part about... now, how do I put this politely? Oh yeah, not being big ol’ Queers. Basically, they were all meant to be straight. To keep the image of the boy band correctly.
Now, as a lesbian writer, I think this is probably the stupidest conservation shit I have ever seen, but then again their manager was a stupid conservative shit. And, as it would turn out, not a single boy in the boy band was in fact straight.
This really is condensing the whole situation, but the information on what went down is quite private. All we truly know is that the boys no longer liked the confines of their original contract, it created tension within the band, and they switched to join P&M Entertainment, a management company owned by wives.
Once they switched to P&M, it was announced that they boys would not infact be going on hiatus.
‘It was a lot,’ Sirius Black told TMZ in July of 2024 when asked about the change, ‘Our old management really seemed intent on breaking us up, they tried pushing a solo contract on me at the end. It wasn't a good time for any of us.’
‘We had been friends for nearly a decade, but at that point I really think if one more bad thing had happened, none of us would've talked to each other any more,’ Peter Pettigrew told TIME’s magazine, ‘We were all feeling like.. Kinda like targeted? Our manager at the time really knew how to twist words. I truly believe it would've ended our friendship if we had stayed under Phenoix.’
‘I stand with what we’ve said in the past, we’re all in a really good place now with our music and the terms of which we make it under.’ Remus Lupin told TMZ, ‘I prefer to keep the past in the past when it comes to that shit-show.’
So; In the end, the Marauders came out. Like literally, they came out of the closet and their contracts.
Peter Pettigrew was the first, changing his profile picture to that of himself with an Asexual flag, then immediately releasing an interview telling about his struggles with sexuality and the stigma he faced within the industry.
Then there was Remus Lupin AND Sirius Black.
Yes, thats right, ladies and gentlemen, at the same time. And together.
Like every good clique, there was love in the band. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin officially announced they were in a relationship while on tour, with Sirius Black posting a photo of the two with the caption of ‘And they were Roommates!’. And if anyone would take this photo and claim it as bromance, they made sure there would be no confusion by leaking the news to gossip writer Rita Skeeter.
The final one to come out was James Potter in April of 2024, seemingly accidentally in an interview letting the news of him being bisexual slip, he later posted to Twitter, ‘I kiss my bros every night and you guys thought I didn't ALSO like men??’.
Nowadays, the Marauders continue to be a huge name in the music industry, their latest album having gone double platinum. Remus Lupin and Sirius Black remain in a relationship, having been living together since the pair bought a house in July of 2023 and adopted a dog in May 2023. James Potter and Lily Evans are set to wed in May of 2025 before Evans’ fashion line with designer Mary Macdonald-Vance comes out. Peter Pettigrew recently started a charity to help LGBTQ youths find counselling with bandmate Sirius Black, and has even released a solo album with features from the Marauders and The Longbottoms.
The Marauders have gone through their share of ups and downs, and I think we can all say we enjoyed the ride and can only hope they continue to create magic. Thats all for me.
*
“Pete it would be great if you warned us before you livestream a recording session again.”
“You can't just let a girl live, can you?”
“..You spend too much time on TikTok, mate.” James laughed, though he was currently scrolling through the app while lounging on the couch. Peter was on FaceTime with him, currently vacationing with Mary and Emmeline in Norway for something or other. He didn't ask anymore. Pete was always on some sort of adventure. There had been a compilation video pop-up titled ‘Peter Pettigrew forgetting he is famous for five minutes’ of which four minutes had consisted of a recording session from the previous week, Peter had accidentally live-streamed an hour of. “Did you see that new article? The ‘Where Are They Now’?”
“The BuzzFeed one or..?”
“Not Buzzfeed.”
“I did, speaking of, how's your fan page? You dastardly, handsome baby girl.”
“Like I said you're on TikTok too much.” James scoffed good-naturedly, “and your one to talk, you;ve got the most fanpages out of us four.”
“I can't help my natural beauty draws people in,” Peter shrugged, “I can't lie, though, the ‘Where are they now?’ made me feel a bit old. Like some band from the 70’s or something,”
“Now that would be cool though, I always thought the seventies fit me. I love a good bellbottom,”
“You do look good in bell-bottoms, I can't lie.” Peter nodded, pausing for a moment as voices talked in the background, “I’ve gotta head out, Em’s made dinner reservations, and Mary wants to get there early.”
“Right, I love you, Mate. You'll be heading back next week, yeah?”
“Yep, I'll be back before you guys can even miss me. Give Lils and the boys my love, yeah?”
“Course, see you later, Pete.”
“Oi,” Pete interuppted and James moved his finger away from the red end button, “Send Sirius and Remus that article, yeah? I think they’ll like it.”
“..I cant help but think you have something up your sleeve planned.”
“Me? Never. Send it.” Peter cocked his eyebrow, “Now, bye, love you!”
*
(moony) there was not a rise in youth homosexuality
(wormtail) there definitely was
(wormtail) youre just jealous it wasnt you
(padfoot) honestly im flattered, every tween girls crush
(moony) i’m selling my engagement ring
(wormtail) engaged not even a week and already ending it…
(padfoot) it's fine he can't break up with me, he’d miss snuffles too much.
(moony) thats a manipulation tactic, you guys see what I have to put up with???
(moony) if i wanted to be manipulated, i wouldve stayed with jamie
(padfoot) everytime you bring him up I feel like I've just been called a slur
(wormtail) you and me both
(wormtail) now back to the article…
*
peter and remus
(remus) i know damn well you wrote that article
(remus) you are not slick
(peter) i would never
(peter) now paying SOMEONE else to write it…
(remus) you make me question my sanity
(remus) what possessed you
(peter) got drunk and bored
(peter) the tumblr groups convinced me
(peter) im weak and it was a fun read
(remus) your lucky i love you
(peter) oh cmon Raina did a great job writing it
(peter) i found her on etsy
(peter) it was hilarious
(peter) remus?
(peter) you cant ignore me forever i know where you and your fiancé lives