Hey, People. Now the Name's probably 'Being a Circulatory System' because I was 1) Studying Bio, and 2) Had nothing better to name it.

But read on. R&R!

Chapter 1

I Am a Circulatory System

I am a circulatory system.

Sounds philosophical, doesn't it?

It's not supposed to.

I'm just so bored, waiting for my friends to finally discover me in my compartment. Daddy's book on The Human Circulatory System (and Diseases Affecting It) is spread out on my lap.

I can't remember why it's spread out on my lap.

That happens to me sometimes. I forget when I did something, and why I did it. Usually, it's when I'm concentrating on something far more… interesting.

I suppose my breakfast this morning was a whole lot more interesting than grabbing this book. Mum had come up with this fascinating gluey thing that was supposedly porridge. She proudly said she'd put everything she could find into it.

Come to think of it, I did taste broomstick bristles and our house-elf Shanta's toe-nail in it…

My stomach does a queasy turn just as the door to my compartment bursts open. About time, too.

"Bloody stupid trunk." The person huffs, trying to drag the trunk in.

To my amusement, it's only James, under the impression that his beloved Lily Evans has arrived.

Because he thinks Lily's arrived, he abandons his efforts and straightens up, spiking his hair and trying to look unconcerned about his disobedient trunk.

"She cometh not, James." I sigh.

"What does that mean?"

James is so completely oblivious to the Muggle world. He isn't even entirely sure what a Muggle fireplace looks like (this is a fact- he said so last year), so expecting him to have read Marianna by Tennyson is expecting too much.

I'm not too involved with the Muggle world myself. As far as blood goes, I'm what some Slytherins may affectionately call a Pureblood. However, since I socialize quite freely with other human beings, they may also add I'm a blood traitor.

But you can't ignore good writing- and the Muggle world has quite a lot of that.

"Lily's been staying over at Mary's in Scotland. So the McDonalds are driving them over."

James rolls his eyes.

"Oh." He sighs and sits down opposite me, stretching his legs out comfortably, "How were your hols, huh, Neil?"

"Lovely." I reply truthfully.

And the holidays were quite eventful, this year.

Did I not nearly drown in my bathtub because my brother's friend sent him a water-serpent for his birthday? My brother named the vicious creature Bubbles, (har har har), and he was pretty reluctant to let it go in the lake.

"And yours?"

"Padfoot came over quite unexpectedly." James said, "He should be here in a minute."

He then launches into an animated description of the Quidditch they played, how they wrote the perfect game-plan to win the House Cup. He also told me they'd flown over to Lily's place.

"And did you go in?" I ask, wincing a little as I imagined Petunia's reaction to them. Lily's sister is just a bundle of love, you know. She's so sweet she refuses to eat at the same table with me and Mary because we're 'just more of those freaks'.

He smiled sheepishly, "No, I was too scared."

"Good reason to be, too." Another voice said and Remus joined our little club, "She'd probably hex you all the way to the Antarctic and back."

"Nah, she'd probably just leave him with the seals." I say, "And the Northern Lights."

"What lights? Where's this Ant-Attic anyway?"

Remus sighs, "Give him an atlas sometime, will you, Neil?"

"Sure, I'll find one." I reply.

I'm fine with the Marauders (though I'm closest to Remus). I think it's because I'm not head-over-heels in love with any of them. Now this may have been untrue in our third year, when I did have a tiny crush on Sirius Black. It may even have been untrue now-

If I hadn't met Dean Winchester.

The mere thoughtof him makes little hearts blur my vision, while more pop out of my ears and nostrils.

It shouldn't have been too difficult for my friends to guess I was completely smitten by our Quidditch captain. But then, I barely spoke to him when the others were around, so they never noticed how I went pink and couldn't string together two witty sentences anymore in his presence.

And it's a little hard to tell when I go pink because of my half-Indian blood. When Lily goes pink, you can her red face from on top of the astronomy tower.

My mother's from a pureblooded Indian family- the Chowdhurys. Well, her mother was British, so she's only half-Indian, which gives me only half of the half-Indian blood. And that always confuses me, so anyway-

Mum came over to England to practice medicine when she was twenty- and there she met my dad.

My mother's name is Rakshata, but my brother and I try to never say her name aloud in front of her because we can't pronounce it right. And the fact that her own children can't say her name right infuriates her. So when people ask us what our mom's name is when she's around, we pretend not to hear them. Being considered deaf is hardly as bad as a one hour lecture on how un-Indian we are.

James and Remus are now debating on who the new Headboy is. I don't really wonder. It's obviously Mary's older brother- Steve McDonald. She told me in one of her recent letters.

It went something like this:

Dear Neil,

I HAVE SUCH GOOD NEWS!

STEVE'S HEADBOY!

ANYWAY, I'LL WRITE TO YOU LATER BECAUSE STEVE JUST SAID I COULD POLISH HIS BADGE!

Love,

Mary, the proud little sister of Hogwarts Headboy Steve McDonald (EEEEEE!)

Yes, I'm not lying. That gushy thing is the letter I got.

Steve McDonald is so good he makes me feel cruel and heartless when I accidentally step on an ant. Sometimes, I wonder how Steve lost his halo and if I should gift him a new one. But I don't think Mary will take too kindly to that. She thinks Steve's the cat's whiskers.

I beg to differ.

My brother is the cat's whiskers and the bees-knees and the dragon's fire and the Hippogriff's talons. He's the best thing ever. Hell, he's better than Dean Winchester, and almost nothing's better than Dean Winchester.

There is a loud crash outside and the sound of shouting.

We'd recognize that shrill voice anywhere. It's Bellatrix Black. And from the things she's saying-

"You've tainted the family name…"

"Aunty Walburga should blast you off the family tree,"

"I hate to look at you, you traitor!"

"You're so ugly I can't believe you share my blood!"

I can only assume she's talking to her beloved cousin- Sirius Black.

James and Remus are on their feet, wands drawn. The thing about the Marauders is- if one goes down, the other three go down with him.

I shouldn't worry about their safety. After all, James and Sirius are pretty darn good at the Dark Arts, and Remus Lupin can use his wand so skillfully that he's completely and utterly floored Professor McGonagall. And she's hard to floor, believe me.

But still.

It's not like I have anything better to do, and I'm not bragging or anything (OK, maybe I am a little)- but when I draw my wand and make a demand, people tend to obey me.

James tries to tell me to back off- they'll manage- but I nod impatiently towards the door and hold up my fingers. One… two… three-

"Stupify!"

The spell hits Mulciber in the chest and he falls down like a plank, in a lovely swirl of tailored black robes.

I nod approvingly at Remus, and aim a spell at Bellatrix. That girl's a maniac, but she's always been fast. She ducks and whirls around, sneering at me. "Aha, if it isn't the little sister!" she cackles, "The blood traitor! Sectumsempera!"

Another spell hits me from my side, launching me back three feet and sending me crashing into the frozen body of Mucliber. I look up dazedly, and see someone else has entered the fight.

My brother.