10 Things I Hate About You Marauder's Style

by The Revettes

When Sirius makes a bet with James that he can get the school reject to date him, he gets more than he bargained for. Based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew and 10 Things I Hate About You.

Today I saw my hero fall apart,
The one who taught me to be strong,
On the outside I look fine,
But on the inside I am dying

"You're not normal!" Erin screamed at her friend who happened to be sitting right beside her. It wasn't as if this wasn't an every day occurrence.
"And what is normal?" Myra asked her. She shrugged her shoulders and walked into the next room.
Erin chased after her. "Could you for once just embrace being a teenager? I mean it's like you want to put everyone off. What happened to the nice happy girl that I used to live here all those years ago?"
"She died," Myra turned around to face her, stopping Erin dead in her tracks. "She slit her wrists and killed herself. She's gone and she's not coming back no matter what you do." Myra climbed the stairs and slammed the door to her room.
Erin shocked, stayed where she was and just looked up to where her friend had hidden herself. It had been years since she'd seen Myra smile a real smile and not just fake one for the sake of making everyone else happy. She shook her head and bounded up the steps. She knocked on the door.
"Go away!"
"But Myra-" she was cut off as Myra decided to turn up her music to a point where she knew everything she said would be unheard. She sighed deeply and then went downstairs.
Myra had been found on the streets, an aura of desperation surrounded her. The Blacks had taken her in, trying to get some credit from the people around them. So she'd lived with the Blacks for years.

When she first came there was almost a haunting look in her eyes as she ghosted around the house. It was almost like she wasn't even there. The only difference that the Black family had noticed that there was one more place setting at the table. Sometimes there was even an extra person, when she came out of the room they had given her.
"I don't understand it Lily," Erin said as she sat on her pink bed. Her room was everything a teenage girl would want. It was decorated pink with a white canopy bed, and a wicker desk to match. On the walls were various pictures from school and her child hood.
Lily shrugged and looked at her friend, "I have no idea. Just give her time." She popped another M&M into her mouth and headed to look out the window.
"Lily," Erin whined as she got up and walked over to her friend, "She's had plenty of time!! This isn't fair! You wanted to go to that party just as much as I did! You know that everyone that matters is going to be there!"
Lily sighed and walked back to the bed. "Yeah, I do want to go to that party, but you know how strict your parents are."
"I know," she scowled as she mocked, "You can't date unless Myra dates. I hate them."
"I know that's not true," Lily embraced her friend in a hug, "How about we just stay home and have a pig out and watch TV? Like last Friday."
"But we do that every Friday!" Erin whined again, "I want to be a normal teenager, I want to be able to go out and dance and have fun. I don't want to be stuck in this house for the rest of my life."
"We could always sneak out," Lily suggested.
"Yeah right. We got caught last time, remember?"
"Oh yeah."
Myra slid down her wall and just sat there. She looked around her room. It had gone through some transformations since she'd been here, just as she had. As a ten year old she'd been disturbed, thinking she was trapped within these walls, so she lashed out. Any material she could get her hands on went onto the wall: markers, pencil, paints, stickers, and sometimes even her own blood when everything had been taken away. And then she'd painted it a bright red, almost matching the colour blood. She'd been bleeding from the inside at that point. So desperate for attention, screaming out that she needed help, but silent at the same time. After that she swore she'd do nothing more for attention but she'd grace the room with things she though signified herself. So she'd painted two of the walls black and left two red. She started slapping things on her walls: posters, lyrics (hers and others), guitar tabs, concert tickets, and painted on hand prints. This was her room, her sanctuary.
What happened to that nice happy girl that lived here all those years ago?
She died. She's gone.
Then she did something she hadn't done in years. She cried.

"It's not fair. It's not at all fair," Remus said, catching up with the group: Sirius, James, and Peter.
"What's not fair? There's a lot of things in this world that just aren't fair. Like my transfiguration grade for example. I stand firm that I deserve better than a B+ but McGonagall says she won't give me an A because of the whole turning Lucius's head into a rat's head," Sirius commented.
"It's this girl-"
"It's always a girl. What girl?" James interrupted
"Erin Black-"
"Oh god, don't tell me you've gotten hung up on the one girl in the entire school you can't have," Sirius punched Remus' shoulder.
"Don't tell me she's taken or James has a thing for her. Why can't I have her?" Remus demanded.
"Her parents have this dating thing," Peter started.
"You know Myra?" James slung an arm over Remus' shoulders.
"Well, yeah. Who doesn't know her?" Remus asked James.
"No Blow Myra. She's the only girl I can't get to swoon over me. It's just a damn shame," Sirius stroked his chin.
"Never mind that. What's liking Erin have to do with Myra?" Mooney stepped out of James' hold and turned to face him, effectively stopping the group in their tracks.
"Sirius, who lives in your aunt's house with you and Erin?" James turned to his best friend and partner in crime.
"Myra," Sirius rolled his eyes.
"And what's this grand rule that they've made up?"
"Erin can't date unless Myra dates."
"And when was the last time that Myra cared about anyone else but Myra?"
Sirius opened his mouth to answer the question, then abruptly shut it. A pensive looked graced his face for a few moments, showing his befuddlement on what the response would be. "I'm not quite sure. Before she moved into my family maybe."
"Anyway, Myra doesn't date. It's like it's not in her BNA-"
"It's DNA, James," Remus rolled his eyes. After getting a pointed look from his co-Marauder he said, "Go on."
"As I was saying, It's like it's not in her DNA or something. She's socially retarded about boys. Or maybe she's harbouring same sex tendencies. I don't know. But, it you want to date Erin, somehow in some alternate universe, Myra needs a date too. Erin can't even go to school dances unless Myra goes. So basically you're just screwed," James grabbed Peter's arm and walked away, leaving Sirius to choose between him and Remus.
"Thanks for the pep talk. It did wonders for my self-esteem," Remus said sarcastically as he shifted his backpack.
"It's not like she wasn't normal at one point. There's hope my friend. If there's a will, there shall be a way. Or something like that." Sirius checked his schedule. "Damn, McGonagall's class is starting really soon. If I have any hope of raising my grade I need to actually be there on time. Being responsible...I think. Later."
Remus waved to the back of his friend as Sirius high-tailed it down the corridor. He was alone, again.

"Hey Remus!" Erin greeted as she bounded up to him cheerfully. He could hear his heart beating in his chest.
"Oh, hey Erin," he said, trying to hide his nervousness.
"So, are you ready to tutor me in potions?" she looked at him with a smile. He loved it when she smiled. She was so carefree and whimsical.
"Sure," he answered, "Do you need help with the essay or the actual brewing of the potion itself."
Erin paused and thought for a moment, "Umm. . . I suppose a little of both. Should we head to find an empty dungeon that we can use?"
"I suppose." Remus said as he followed her. They both headed downwards to the dark potions class. Remus didn't seem to notice the dark much. He was too busy basking in the glow of Erin's radiant beauty. She chattered on about the new dress she got and how no one had better have that dress. She never even noticed the look in his eye every time she laughed or smiled. It was like music that he had never heard before; it intrigued him and made him want to know more.
"What shall we start with?" Remus asked, just a little bit nervous. He'd never been anywhere near as perfect as she was.
She shrugged her shoulders. Her face making an adorable pout that went straight to Remus' heart and pulled at it.
"We can start with the brewing of the potions. Get the bad stuff out of the way," Remus pulled out his books and placed them on the table that they had seated themselves at.
"Not the bubbling and brewing part. Please, spare me for a little while," She looked longingly into space, imagining the perfect day it was outside. If only she could be out there with her friends.
"Well, there are some really good books, in the Hogsmeade book store we could check out. I mean, that is if you want to," Remus said, a blush creeping up on his face.
Erin's face lit up, "I'd love to," her face fell, "But I can't. My parents don?t allow me to date."
"Not even if it was for school?" Remus said desperately, "I mean, it's not really a date. We're looking for stuff to help you with your potions grade."
Erin rolled her eyes, "It doesn't matter to them. I'll say the word boy and they'll automatically think that they're going to be grandparents in the near future."
"That's too bad," the boy said uncomfortably, not exactly knowing to respond to her comment.
"Yeah," she sighed and then her face brightened up, "Wait a second! They said I could go out if Myra does!"
Remus' face got bright with hope, "Really? That's great all we need to do is to get my-"
"Hello!" Erin cut him off, "Have you ever seen Myra?! She's a basket case! No guy in their right mind would go out with her!"
"There has to be someone that will go out with her," Remus sighed.
"Good luck with that one," Erin rolled her eyes and shifted in her seat.
"Well, I'm going to try and find someone," Remus smiled at the lovely girl next to him.
"You'd do that for me?" Erin's eyes lit up.
"Of course I would."

"Okay, James. I've got a dilemma," Remus said as he sat down at the table for dinner.
"And I am always here to make light of dilemma's. How may I be of your service?" James asked.
"I kinda told Erin that I'd try to find Myra a date so that she and I could go out," Remus tried to spit out in one long drawn breath.
Sirius spit out his drink over the table, nearly hitting Peter. "You did what?!?"
"I told Erin that I'd get Myra a date," Remus had a grimace on his face as he said the sentence a second time. "Oh god, it's hopeless." He slammed his head on the table.
James picked up Remus' head the boy's hair. "It's not hopeless. We'll find her a date. There has to be someone out there desperate or courageous or just plain stupid enough to date her."
James looked down the table at all Gryffindors and then at the other tables of the other houses. He then looked across the table and smiled.
"No, hell no. Never. Nope. Not doing it. Don't even think about it," Sirius waved grand gestures of defiance at his friend James.
"I dare you. Not only dare you, I double dog dare you," James gave Sirius a smirk.
"No."
"Dared you."
"But-"
"Double dog dared you."
"There's got to be more incentive of this dare than just winning it," Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "I'm willing to negotiate a price."
"Ummm, James," Remus piped up.
"Homework for a month," James started the negotiation.
"Not enough," Sirius dismissed it right away.
"Ummm, James," Remus said with a little more force.
"Homework for two months," James bartered again.
"James," Remus said with more force.
"Nah," Sirius gathered his books, indicating that he was closing things soon.
"Homework and detention for two months!" James said desperately.
Sirius quirked an eyebrow at him. "Homework and detention."
"James!" Remus screamed.
"What?" James asked.
"Let go of my hair." The minute Remus said this James opened his hand and the werewolf's head went plowing into the table. After he brought his head back up and rubbed the spot where it had hit, he said, "Should we really be putting stakes on getting Myra a date?"
At that moment, Erin and Lily walked by. Erin looked at Remus and gave him a small smile. He smiled back at her then looked at the two boys.
"Alright," he conceded, "But I just want to say right here and now that I don't think it's a good idea."
"Well, the thing about that Remus," James grinned as he put his arm around his friend, "is we didn't ask you what you think of the idea."
"Of course you didn't. You never do," Remus said, shaking his head.
"So, Sirius. The offer stands at two months of detention and homework being done for you. Do you take or leave the offer?" James demanded.
"I'm thinking I accept but there's nothing more to give me to throw me over the edge and demand that I have to take the job?"
"Fine three months homework but only two months of detention. That's my final offer. Do you accept?"
"I accept." Sirius then turned to look at the end of the table, finding Myra sitting by herself. He was at the head and she was at the end, "Hey Myra!"

"I think I might have found Myra a date," Remus said later on that week. The two Gryffindors were sitting at a table in the library working on Potions yet again. Erin looked gloomy. It was a beautiful day outside and she was stuck inside working on a subject that she neither cared nor cared to learn about.
"Really?" Erin cheered up considerably.
Remus nodded, "Yeah. Do you know Sirius Black?" Nice going, Remus thought to himself as he cringed slightly, that's her cousin of course she knows him.
Erin looked at him, "That's my cousin."
"Oh, yeah right." Remus tried to cover up his mistake without looking like more of an idiot, "I forgot."
"I don't think Myra will go for it," she answered dreamily as she looked out the window.
"Why not?" Remus asked.
"Because," Erin replied, "She hates him, how did she put it?" she paused and thought for a moment, "Oh yeah. She hates him with the passion of a thousand suns."
"It's with the passion of a thousand fiery suns," Remus corrected. The Taming of the Shrew was one of his favourite plays. His mother had read it to him when he was little.
"Whatever," Erin said, dismissing her mistake.
"Well, she can't be all that bad," the boy said, his spirits falling again.
Erin laughed, "I don't think you quite understand the situation. Sirius is NOT her type." She paused again then said, "If she even has a type."
"Well, he could become that type." Remus offered.
"If you say so," she gathered up her books, "I'm going to go work on Transfiguration. It's something that makes sense to me. Toodles!" With that, she bounded out of the library, leaving Remus surrounded by a stack of books.

Myra walked down the hall, a stack of books in her hands. She had Defence Against the Dark Arts next and it was a few hallways down, that was if the staircases didn't shift on her. She juggled the books into her free arm as she walked down the steps.
"Hey. Hey Myra!" she heard yelling from behind her. She groaned knowing exactly who it was and not wanting to talk to him at all. Myra continued walking forward ignoring the voice calling. "MYRA!"
Sirius jogged to catch up with her and jumped down the steps two at a time. He finally got in front of her and forced Myra to stop. "Hey you."
"Fuck you." She then pushed past him and kept walking down the steps.
"I wish."
"Could you forget about being gross for just two minutes and pause to think about how much I want to just kick your balls so far up your ass that you'll need a removal operation?" Myra smiled at the horrid face on Sirius's face and walked by.
"Let me first just say ouch," Sirius said.
"Everyone is entitled to their opinion," Myra told him leaving him behind.
"Hey! Hey! Are you going on the Hogsmeade trip this weekend?" Sirius asked her as he once again had to jog to keep up with her.
"I don't know, why?" Myra gave him a stern look.
"I don't know. Just thought maybe you would want to hang with me. You know," Sirius looked at the ground. Myra took in the sight.
"Remind me again why I would ever want to be within arms length of you? Actually that's a reminder for right now and guess what, this is my class. Later," Myra dodged into the classroom.
"Meet you at the carriages!"

"Myra please!" Erin begged as she followed her friend down the steps.
"No!" Myra shouted for what seemed like the millionth time.
Erin stomped her foot and was beginning to become red in the face, "Why not! It's one freaking trip to Hogsmeade! You act like it's some kind of massacre! Everyone goes to these things! It's something we do for a little thing called fun!"
Myra turned around and rolled her eyes, "Oh yes. Spending Mummy and Daddy's hard earned money on crappy candy and stupid supplies for practical jokes sounds like ever so much fun!" she replied sarcastically as she clapped her hands together and batted her eyes.
"You suck!" Erin screamed as she threw herself down on the couch. "Remus invited me to go to Hogsmeade with him! Do you have any idea what that means?"
"It means that you might get laid in the near future?" Myra said as she sat down next to Erin.
"No!" Erin retorted, "It means that there's actually a decent guy out there that likes me. Come on Myra! I would do the same for you."
Myra looked at Erin and sighed. She had been there for here all of those years and stood up for her when James and Sirius called her names.
Myra sighed, "Alright."
Erin's eyes went wide, "Are you serious?" She let out a high pitched scream and hugged her friend tightly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She let go of Myra and stood up, "I have to tell Lily! Hey Lily . . ." she began as she ran up the stairs and out of sight.
Myra groaned. What the hell had she just gotten herself into? She dragged her body up the stairs and to the dorms to get her books. She needed to do some research on a paper that had been assigned to them.
As she opened the door she heard two squeals, "She said she would! Like oh my god I can't believe it!"
She walked through the conversation and grabbed her books. "This is a one time deal, you do know that right?" Myra said as she turned around to look at Erin.
"Sure it is," Erin smiled sweetly. It was then and there that Myra knew that she should have said no to the girl in front of her.

"It's on. Myra said yes!" Erin exclaimed at Remus. She was jumping up and down in her seat as they sat in the dungeon studying the hideous potions.
"Really?!?" Remus got excited at the prospect of Erin going to Hogsmeade with him. "So you can go?"
"Of course silly! If Myra goes, I go. There's no way you could stop me from going on my first school Hogsmeade trip."

He smiled at her. It was the first time that he had seen her smile a real smile in a long time.
"I'm glad that I can go with you," she said as she looked at him. He looked back into her blue eyes and moved closer to her.
"Yeah. Me too," he answered as she moved closer to him.
Their lips were about to touch when Lily burst in, "Erin! Where are you! You have to help me pick out my outf-" she stopped mid-sentence when she saw the two. "Wow, Erin! I found you. Oh, hi Remus."
"Hey there Lily," Remus said, his voice filled with tension.
"Anyway, Erin you so totally have to help me with my outfit for Hogsmeade! It's a shame that you have that monster of a sister," Lily rolled her eyes.
"Actually, Myra's got a date," Erin smiled at Lily and then flashed her smile at Remus.
"Really! Oh girl, we've got to talk!" Lily grabbed Erin's arm and drug her to the girls' dorms. "Now, tell me. Why were you talking to that loser. You know he's only popular by association. Without James and Sirius he'd be nothing."
"I think he's sweet," Erin said, almost dreamily.
"Gag me with a spoon. Sweet? Gross."

Erin looked uncomfortable, "Lily, I like him. I've liked him for a really long time."
"Yeah? Well, we have a reputation to hold up don't we? If you were seen dating him it would be the end of your social life as you know it and we can't have that."
Erin looked at her disgusted, "Narcissa was right."
Lily shot a glare at her that could kill, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Just what I said, now, if you'll excuse me I have tutoring to get back to." She walked back into the library.

Erin huffed back into the library and sat down in her seat across from Remus.

He looked up with a surprise look on his face, "Back so soon? I thought that you were helping Lily pick out her outfit for Hogsmeade."

"Don't even get me started. You know, I wish that I would listen to Narcissa."

"With what?" Remus asked. He was genuinely confused. Why would she just talk to him like this. Could it be because she had no one else to vent to at the moment and he was the only one available? Or could it be that she actually trusted him?
"Narcissa says that if someone doesn't like you for who you are then you shouldn't hang out with them. I'm finding this out now. I guess some things you have to learn the hard way," Erin groaned. She really liked Remus and she didn't know why she was telling him this at all.

"Well, Narcie has a way of being right," Remus let out a laugh thinking of Narcissa saying what Erin had just said. It was definitely something he could see Narcissa saying to someone in need of advice.

"But the thing is," Erin started up again, "Then no one will like me. Let's face it. The only reason why people put up with me is because Lily wants them to. If I stop hanging out with her, no one will want anything to do with me." She sighed and slammed her head on her hands that were resting on the table

"I will," Remus said quietly. Erin looked up at him as if she was seeing him with new eyes. No one had ever said something like that to her before. She thought the reason why she wanted to be popular was so people would like her. Now, she realised that the only reason why she wanted to be popular was so that Remus would like her. That didn't matter to him. He liked her for who she was, not who she hung out with. She leaned over and kissed him with more passion than she had ever felt in her life.