The Last Enemy: Dark Marks

The Last Enemy #2

by C.H. Darling

The entrance to Hell is hidden at the base of a large willow tree, a human-sized hollow tangled in its roots, ready to swallow you whole...

It’s 1976 and the events of the past term at Hogwarts have left their mark on all involved. But it’s a new school year now, with new teachers, new rules, and new regrets. Yet as the war clamoring outside the castle walls grows ever louder, the students inside will learn that some marks are impossible to wash away.

Dark Marks is the second book of The Last Enemy series, which follows the lives of the heroes and villains of the First Wizarding War from 1975-1981.

Genres: Fan Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Fiction, Friendship

ebook

First published July 27, 2024

Reviews

[sarah]

i don’t even know where to begin with how GOOD this series is and how much it means to me

as a long time marauders fan, i’ve read a lot of the most popular fics - atyd, choices, crimson rivers, debt of time, etc. but i’m a jily girl at heart and i always walked away feeling like i was missing something.

the last enemy has everything i ever could have hoped for in a canon marauders fic - realistic storyline, incredible characterization, raw emotions, and great character and relationship development.

this version of lily is exactly how i’ve always pictured in my head. a soul character for sure. everything i could have hoped for. i absolutely adore her.

and this version of james is EVERYTHING. soft and tender and funny and a bit anxious and secretly a bit of a nerd about certain things and thoughtful and slowly becoming more self aware and i just love him.

and the relationship and interactions between the marauders!!!!! perfection

i can’t wait to keep reading and i’m just hoping and begging that this series never gets abandoned

[Dasha Veraksa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am continuously astounded by how well written this series is!!! It is as if JK Rowling wrote a prequel except there is no way that she would have done as good a job.

[Namitha Renjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot explain the rollercoaster of emotions that I've had through this fic. I've read my fair share of marauders fanfic, but nothing has captured that feeling of anger and helplessness at an increasingly dark world. And yet, how there's singing and dancing and romance that pushes through. And the characterization of everyone, but especially lily *chefs kiss*

[bruna · Rating 5 out of 5]

as far as i’m concerned, this is canon.

ps.: jily is my newest obsession

[Hope White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly brilliant. I can’t stop randomly crying when thinking about the marauders, and it’s all because of how well this was written. The attention to the original HP plot, the character development and the humour and intricacies between relationships are honestly incredible. I’m now going to cry myself to sleep because I need the next one immediately please!!!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the only marauders canon I’ll accept. Thank you.

[fantasticcolorcloudflap · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCUSE ME?? HELLO??? IVE BEEN ADDICTED TO THIS FOR SO LONG I FEEL EMPTY NOW THAT ITS OVER. I cannot wait for book three. It's beautiful I just love it so much. And the CLIFFHANGER COMMOOOON😭😭😭😭

[Kayleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know what to do with myself now.
Nothing is ever going to take the place of this in my heart. I said it the first time and I’ll say it again: this is the only marauders that I will ever accept. I needed canon compliance, I needed Jily, I needed wolfstar and I’m getting it along with a hell of a lot of angst.

The prose, the plot, the characterisation, everything is utter perfection and I wouldn’t change a single thing. The amount of quotes that have left me stunned, speechless or sick but I can’t forget about the chapters that have me giggling away too.
I love it too much.
I can’t go a day without thinking about TLE and everyone in it, please please please don’t ever abandon this!! I’m in constant awe of this author and can’t wait for TLE3!!

[Madison Coats · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. A perfect fic that gives premise to the HP marauders era - genuinely giggled and sobbed during this experience and am BEGGING C.H. Darling to post book 3 as soon as she possibly can 😭

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I accidentally told a date that one of my fave books ever was a fanfic and he looked at me like I was psychotic but I just need ppl to read about Harry’s parents and their friends and appreciate CH’s prose and character building and TENSION AND CLIFFHANGERS and how she’s writing a WHOLE SERIES about the marauders and appreciate it for what it is: a masterpiece

[We did not have a second date (: ]

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm crying. it's so good. This book is feeding my hp heart

[kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’m so sad that i finished it in under 5 days but i had to finish it because this book was impossible to put down and i’ve been neglecting my responsibilities over this fic it’s embarrassing. jily i lovw u :(

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you C.H. Darling for putting together another wonderful Jilly book for me to enjoy with Yami. Book 2 definitely has a more somber tone, with so much darkness creeping into the world. More death. But then there is the romance. The perceived unrequited love. The few chaste moments where everything is perfect in the world. And we get the origin for the marauders map!

At the end of the day, you have put together a canon-compliant prequel that all Harry Potter fans would enjoy! Thanks to you, I get to walk through the hallowed halls of Hogwarts again. This time with more mischief, punching death eaters in the face, animagi, and abuse of secret tunnels.

It's more adult, but then again, so are we. Anxiously awaiting book 3!

[désirée · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars 🐦‍🔥🖼️🐍🐾🍁👓

1828 pages. 12 days. more than 100 000 words, and yet I don’t even know what to say. I know this is only the second installment of what seems to be a long series, we’ve got a long way to go, however I feel very attached to this series and their characters.

I truly wish I didn’t know the ending already, as tragic as it might be it truly breaks my heart that all of this — their love story, their friendships, their protests will be for nothing. My god, I’m such a mess.

I hope the author updates this as soon as they can because this is excellent work. But now, enough talking. Off I go to read some wolfstar <3

[sleepyhollow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will cry every night until CH Darling starts dropping TLE3 chapters

[Emma Koster · Rating 4 out of 5]

En er komen er nog twee!!!! 🥹🥹🥹 echt the gift that keeps on giving

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly believe that once this is finished in its entirety, this will be my favorite marauder fic of all time. Of. All. Time.

[Jaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5, although I mean, it's not a full five only because it's the second book out of four and the last two are not out yet, so I'll just put 5. This was bloody good and I really enjoyed reading it - maybe it made me alienate a bit too much, but it was worth it. Great characters - there are some things that I would have done differently, but I'm discovering that one of the beautiful things about fanfics is that everyone has their own ideas about how things should go, believe in them strongly, and could only find a book compliant with all of them by writing it themselves. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the third book. But for now, mischief managed :) (As if I weren't planning to start reading another marauder fanfic as I'm finishing off this review).

[Ariane B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure I really have any spoilers, since this marauder era story is pretty consistent with the HP head canon.
After the amazing first book this one starts in the summer before 6th year. Lily has fallen out with Snape. The marauders have their own issues consequence of the prank situation. James is distressed by the fallout between moony and Padfoot. Again the writer is changing from POV each chapter. And it is ridiculously good and such an amazing read. I want to add more to this but no time now. But read this, it will not disappoint!

[Olivia Epp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Final chapter of the Last Enemy finally got updated!!

One of my elusive six star reads...What every Harry Potter fan wishes the Cursed Child was. Would love to be able to buy physical versions and put them next to my Harry Potter books.

James has the most amazing character arc. Had you asked me when I first started reading the first "Last Enemy" book if I thought James would be one of my favorite characters and favorite of the Marauders (right up there with Remus ofc), I would not have believed it. In the first book (although it was starting to change a little by the end), James was my least favorite Marauder besides Peter of course. Remus deserves the entire world, we love him. And Sirius, although having a dark and mean streak about him, he goes through A LOT with his family, so I`m able to forgive it. He grew up in an abusive, prejudiced family and is able to walk away from it despite being disinherited and unable to rely on them anymore, which is far from an easy thing to do. Then we have James, who, before this book, has pretty much had a perfect life and hasn't gone through difficulties. He's popular, he's a jock, he has a group of friends who care about him and he can count on, he has a family that loves and dotes on him, he's rich, he's intelligent and talented, the list goes on...honestly, reading all that it's kind of amazing how the author still makes James feel so real. Because he's also naive and ignorant, he can be a bit of a bully (especially to Snape), he can be arrogant, and he doesn't use his voice and status to help those who can benefit from someone like him (until this book of course).

He grows up and matures SO MUCH in a short span of time and in such a believable way. He's also such a good person who sees the good in almost everyone, and his mistakes are realistic and come from his ignorance/living a privileged life.

Truly wish these books were canon so everyone can stop hating James so much. It also makes the reason so many characters: Hagrid, McGonagall, Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, etc. love him make so much more sense, because we actually see his character development. Rather than just hearing "oh yeah, he just grew up."

Lily goes through SO much in this book, that I really just can't wait for her and James to finally be together in the next book, so she can finally have some well-deserved happiness. She's always my favorite chapter to read (which says a lot because I love every POV character), and I will always root for her.

POV characters ranked (from favorite to least favorite): Lily, James, Remus, Sirius, Regulus, Peter, Snape. Also would love to get a Marlene chapter POV chapter or two in the next book.

"What made him different from his family? From Bellatrix? His father, whose name was forever carved next to his own? Banished or not, he was still a Black. He always would be. Walburga may have burned him off the family tree, but its snarling roots had grown tightly around his ankles, his torso, his heart. Maybe that darkness was in his blood. Maybe he’d never escape it, no matter how far away he ran."

Awww my heart!!!

[mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last chapter of this book was officially posted a few hours ago! I cannot believe it's finished, but can't wait for the rest of the two books in the series either.

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that I used to be one of those people who thought fanfictions were somewhat less than published stories. I hadn't understood the appeal until I read All The Young Dudes, which made me go through a frickin' roller-coaster ride. I'm sorry but that book was better than anything J.K Rowling could ever come up with, so I didn't know if I'd ever find a marauders fanfiction comparably as good. The first book in Last Enemy series already had proved me wrong, so when I say this one is even better, I'm just as surprised as you.

The characterization is on point, the writing extremeeelyy good, and the plot NEVER gets boring. Not once in these 71 chapters! I love how evident the character development of all these silly people, so I can't wait to cry in future books 3

Anyone on the verge of reading this series should just get on with it already. Go go go.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best marauders era fanfiction ever. The writing is fantastic but what truly blows my mind about this fic is the level of detail. Each character has such an amazing, nuanced character development. There are sub-plots within sub-plots in this story and they are all woven together to create an absolute masterpiece. The OC's created, such as Graham and April, have left an indelible mark on me. This piece of fanfiction reminds me that amongst the vast ocean of below-average fics, there will always exist some that exceed the writing quality and thoughtfulness of plot of many published novels. The first instalment of this fic (howling nights) is amazing in its own right, but the second instalment has honestly blown my mind. I especially love the ending chapters. The growth of these characters against the backdrop of the wizarding war, coupled with the knowledge we have of each of their fates, makes for a tragic but hooking read.

[Aju Ani Justus · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final chapter released today, just as I was finishing my read-through. Wow. It's political. Many of the political topics are relevant to the 1970s and the world, but there's something universal about students banding together to fight (and die in a war) against fascism. It resonates across the years, nations, and contexts, and that hits hard. It's awesome. I mean, obviously, there are the advertised slow burns and angst, but this is my new headcanon for all the other reasons also. Because it makes the fight feel real and relatable in an almost scary way. It's book two out of four, I believe, and I'll have to get back to this series in about 5/6 years and catch up because I noticed how the chapters tend to end on cliffhangers, and my heart can't take that week-to-week/month-to-month. I love it. Thank you, CH Darling. Congrats on finishing book two, and thanks again.

[Diego · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technically I’m 3 unwritten chapters behind. But counting as completed since I’m too impatient and need the win to move on to another book.

CH Darling did it again. Fantastic read. Really helped flesh out characters. I did find this one a lot darker, but made sense, considering the source material. I loved seeing Lily getting excited about fighting the injustice.

I will say I had to suspend a little more belief in this book than the last. Wolfstar moments. How clueless Jily are, super ridiculous. Lily and all her boyfriends.

Overall, fantastic book.

[Lané Haimon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am beside myself - so so good. It’s truly a crime that this series cannot be published for real…

While the slow burn romance nearly killed me, and this book was a little long, I loved it. I have so many questions and need to know so many things! I loved the character growth and the dynamic friendships that formed and grew. I enjoyed the ties to the original HP universe and how it expanded.

Cannot wait for the next one… please come soon… I’m begging you.

[anna &#x1f33a; · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 🌟
this was crafted so well with all the intersecting POVs! canon-compliant (where it makes sense), interesting and original plot, good character development (allowing all of them to be flawed and subsequently work on their issues), believable teenage relationships, jily AND wolfstar and, last but not least, witty and funny - seriously laugh-out-loud-funny at times! 💓 the only downside: too little mary in this book, i hope she makes a comeback in book 3 & 4 - which i can’t wait to read!

[Deandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no chill and I don’t care. I LOVED this. I read every bit of it at every possible chance . I’ve always wanted a Marauders era tale and I think this is it. It’s funny and serious, all the characters seem well captured and dimensional, I appreciate the perspectives of all sides. Worth the read and worth the attention.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

YAY IM SO HAPPY THAT THIS IS FINISHED CH DARLING IS SO AMAZING!! love this fic and the first one two, my jily heart is exploading and the ending was so perfect even though james potter is my soulmate. Cannot wait for next one!

[Abril · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am genuinely devastated to have finished this book and not yet have access to the third one, but I know (god, I trust) that it won't be long before TLE3 comes out and I'll be there, to root for those two clueless kids and their love.

[Baška Baďurová · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only realised at the end of this book that the series is not finished and now I have to wait for the next one and I feel like that might be a crime against myself and humanity in general???

brb babes just putting myself into a medically-induced coma until book 3 is out thank yew