Here is a new story! It's going to be a SB/OC story eventually, but I'm not rushing in to that. The story begins when the marauders are about to embark on their sixth year at Hogwarts. My hope is that I'll keep the story alive until after they graduate.

I would really appreciate if you would leave a review when you're done reading to let me know what you think! :)

The story is somewhat AU so just keep that in mind when you read it in case some things doesn't make sense. I've made the school bigger - imagine there are basically 100 students per house and year. And yes, I realize the sorting ceremony would take ages if that would have been the case, but just disregard that scenario. Raina Thomson is the main character and she's the same age as the marauders, the story is written from her POV.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Literally nothing. Except for Raina.

Prologue

Who am I, you may ask? Well, for most part of my life I was invisible. That was a part of my life that I was completely content with. I didn't bother anyone and so no one bothered me. Granted, my social life was quite dull, but I didn't mind. Much.

I had planned to keep being invisible until graduation, but life certainly seemed to have something fairly different in store for me. My mundane life proceeded to carry on in a completely fine manner until one dreadful day in the bookstore of Diagon Alley. That day became the starting point for things to change drastically. I still wasn't sure if it changed for the better, or for the worse.

What's my name then, you wonder? Not that it should matter much to you, because I'm sure you've never heard about me before.

I'm Raina Thomson, and this is my story.

"Are you absolutely sure that it's alright that I leave?" My father asked me for the gazillionth time as we were strolling down the streets of Diagon Alley. His hand squeezed a little tighter at my shoulder as to letting me know that he didn't mind staying with me.

I smiled at him. I knew that he actually had to be at work right now, but he was too stubborn and proud to miss out on our tradition to buy new books and other school material together.

"Go, dad. I'll be fine," I told him while giving him a light pat on the back.

His face was tired, and I could see a bit of sadness in his eyes. He pulled me in to an embrace and I closed my eyes as I inhaled his intoxicating musk. Ronald Thomson was my best friend, my hero. He worked night and day to be able to support me. Whatever I wanted or needed he got me, no questions asked.

He put his hands on my shoulders and pulled away to give me a grin. "You going to meet up with some of your school mates?"

I felt a slight twitch at the corner of my mouth as I formed a smile and nodded my head. It would break his heart knowing that I barely had any friends.

"Have fun," he said and with a light tap on the Chudley Cannons hat I had my hair tucked in to, he apparated away to the Ministry of Magic.

With a muffled sigh I mumbled 'thank you' and turned around towards Flourish and Blotts to purchase the books I needed for this year's classes.

It didn't take long for me to reach the bookstore with it being only a few streets down from where my dad had left me. When I walked in through the doors, the bells chimed beautifully and the cashier looked up and greeted me with a nod.

I closed my eyes and breathed in the wonderful scent of old books. I took a few seconds to just look around the place, admiring the height of the bookshelves, wondering just how many different books they had in there.

After a few seconds of my weird admiration I walked over to the Potions section to try to find the book we needed for this years class.

Suddenly, amid my careful search, all the oxygen that filled my lungs evaporated as something forcefully slammed in to my back, making me fall over and completely tip over a bookshelf. Books were sprawled everywhere, and a fairly heavy object was nailing me to the ground.

Correction, a fairly heavy boy was nailing me to the ground.

The head of tussled jet-black hair turned around and a pair of glimmering hazel-brown eyes looked at me confused.

Oh kill me now… None other than James Potter was nailing me to the ground.

"Sorry 'bout that, love, the Snitch almost got away from me," he grinned as he held out his right hand where a Golden Snitch was beating its wings manically, trying to fly away.

Just as quickly as he had smashed in to me, he was up on his feet and reached out his left hand to help me up. It felt like my heart skipped a beat when he flashed a smile my way.

Still baffled about the accident, I looked around the room to observe the mess I had been a part of making.

I made eye contact with James and he almost looked like he recognized me for a second. I felt my cheeks warm up when I thought about that horrendous day in our fourth year where I had decided to try out for Gryffindor's Quidditch team. If it hadn't been for my strikingly interesting and adoringly irresistible personality (hello, ever heard of sarcasm before?), I might even have been able to finish my try-out.

"Who are you, then? Have we met before?" James asked me while I still tried to comprehend what had just happened.

It took me a few seconds to realize what he had just asked me. I sighed silently. This was just another confirmation to my previously stated theory – I was completely invisible. Not only were we in the same year and the same house, we had also taken about thirteen subjects together during our five years at Hogwarts. Plus the whole Quidditch-debacle, but that was a story for another time….

"I'm Ra-" I started.

"Oh bloody hell! Seriously?" James interrupted me and pointed somewhere alongside my face. I looked around confused, not sure what had drawn his attention away from me.

"What ar-"

His voice cut me off mid-sentence again. "Chudley Cannons? That's my team too! I swear by Merlin's beard that this is the year they will win the League Cup again!"

When he patted me on top of my head I started to comprehend what he was coming at.

"Oh." Was all I managed to say.

He gave me a somewhat disappointed look, perhaps wondering why I didn't start to jump with excitement just as he was practically doing. Or maybe he was wondering why he was still there, talking to a girl like me.

I was still a bit shocked, and a part of me was a nervous that I would be banned from entering this store ever again, on account of the chaos that had just been made. James on the other hand, seemed like he barely even noticed what a mess he had accomplished when crashing in to me.

A voice abruptly broke the awkward silence between us, and drew both of our attention towards the exit. "Prongs!"

I saw Sirius Black standing in the doorway, obviously calling for James. I hand't quite figured out why they suddenly decided to call each other by these peculiar nicknames, but since no one else questioned it, neither did I. They were so interesting that way, the marauders, always in the centre of attention and adored by nearly every single soul at Hogwarts.

The tall, darkly handsome boy was looking right towards us. His eyes swiftly passed me for a second, before only focusing on his friend.

"What are you doing, mate? You just disappeared on us when we were leaving this place!" Sirius loudly asked and stared at James. Once again, I was completely invisible.

"The Snitch got away from me!" James explained and tossed the Golden Snitch up in the air, just to gracefully catch it again only a millisecond later.

He turned back towards me and smiled. I was surprised that he remembered that I was still standing there.

"Well that is my cue to leave. It was a blast knocking in to ya', Chudley-girl, hope to do it again sometime!" He said with a wink.

"Uhm, perhaps you could give me a heads up first then?" I heard myself saying.

Don't know what got in to me really. The less words escaping my mouth, the better. That's how you're supposed to keep your head down and not get in to any trouble. Damn it, Raina, now he's going to think you are a total nut.

But James laughed loudly and gave me a nod before disappearing out of the store following his friend.

I looked around the store confused, trying to see if anyone else were in as much of awe as I was about that whole surreal scene. But no one even looked my way; it was like none of them had a single care in the world for what had just happened.

I was still shocked. James Potter had talked to me. And Sirius Black had looked at me.

My heart practically jumped out of my chest when I played with the thought of being friends with the marauders.

But then I sighed to myself, realizing that both of the boys had probably forgotten about me by now.