So the character of Leah is loosely based on me. I own Leah and any other characters you don't recognize. Other than that they are all property of the famous, the lovely, the one and only JK Rowling. Please review!:D

Chapter One- The 'L' Word

Bloody Hell! My head was throbbing… It felt as though there were sharp tiny daggers piercing through my skull (kind of like how I pictured acupuncture would feel like). What the fuck happened last night?

I can't remember how I got back here. How did I possibly make it back to my bed last night?

For last night, I was completely and utterly sloshed. No. That can't be right. I was Leah Hawthorne. Miss Goody-two-shoes. Well okay, that's a slight exaggeration. I mean I was no Lily Evans. That girl was a saint. I wonder if she knew about my antics at the party last night?

I looked over at the clock on my mantelpiece- 6:23 AM. Brilliant. Now I was awake at six-thirty in the bloody morning on a Saturday!

I turned to face Lily and realised she had her hangings drawn. Perfect. I would just quickly get showered and dressed and she would never know about my little escapade. In fact, I barely remembered the events of last night.

Groggily, I stumbled to the loo: the throbbing in my head still present. I got ready, half asleep and then slowly slipped my dress off. I stepped in the steaming shower and let the hot water wash the product out of my hair. I splashed water on my face getting all the glob of eyeliner and mascara off. I finished my shower and stepped out of the tub coming face-to-face with the full-length mirror. After wrapping my hair with a towel I wiped the foggy mirror and surveyed myself.

I wasn't exactly fat but I wasn't skinny either; I was more or less, normal. Some would say I had a figure, curves in the right places but overall I was fairly average looking. Not pretty but not ugly, not tall but not short and not flat but not huge. I was, in all aspects, boring. I ran a hand through my auburn hair and pulled at a strand of bright pink hair. This was the only aspect of my appearance that I liked. It made me different. With that strand of pink hair, I was no longer average. It was a little strange that one strand of hair meant so much to me. After all, it was just a tuft of pink hair- small and insignificant. But as a sixteen-year-old girl, it meant a lot.

Oh bugger. In all this haste to get ready I'd forgotten my clothes on my bed. It was all right actually. I highly doubted any of my roommates would be awake at this hour of the morning. So I stepped out of the loo, completely naked, with nothing but a towel wrapped around my hair.

"There you are! Do I even want to know what happened last night? Actually, I think it's better if you tell me but first, for god's sake get dressed."

This was my worst nightmare. Not only was Lily up and about and questioning me about the events of last night but for the first time in six years, she'd seen me naked. Not that it was weird. I mean we shared the same dorm for six years. But I was far more conscious about my appearance. I nearly ran to my bed and hastily threw on my bra, panties, a maroon jumper and a pair of my favourite black skinny jeans.

"Okay Lily, I'd love to tell you but I'd rather do so in private… I wouldn't want to wake up any of our roommates. You know how Marlene is if someone disrupts her 'beauty sleep' and I'm also starving. Why don't we talk in the kitchens?"

"All right. But you better tell me everything and start from the beginning."

Half an hour later Lily had gotten dressed, we had walked down to the kitchens and I had finished demolishing my chocolate chip pancakes.

"So tell me Leah… What happened last night?"

And it all came flooding back to me.

"Well I guess it all started about a week ago in potions. Remus Lupin was sitting in front of me as usual and he turned back to borrow some salamander's tail and then he asked me if I knew about the upcoming Marauders' party after and I quote 'we win the match'. It's incredible how confident these Marauders are. Anyway, I said I hadn't heard about it and he invited me! This was a Marauders' party Lily; they're legendary. I was so-"

"I understand Leah. Marauders' parties are incredible but please get to the part about what happened last night."

"Fine. I just thought you wanted to know the whole story. Here's what happened last night. I got sloshed and came back to the dorm and you know the rest."

"Oh all right. You're impossible! Fine. Tell it your way then."

"Okay. So as I was saying… I found out about the party and well it's different for me. I'm not exactly popular and after what happened with Stanton I just wanted a night out. Anyway, it was by the lake and I nervously made my way to the party alone. Isabel and Zoe thought it would be better to meet there rather than me having to walk all the way to the Hufflepuff common room. So I arrived and barely recognized the people there. Well I actually recognized them but very few of them actually knew who I was. There was even a bunch of seventh years. I was wondering why there seemed to be people from every house other than Slytherin celebrating a Gryffindor win but then I remembered the match was against Slytherin.

So I sat my awkward self down on the grass waiting for Isabel and Zoe but it was a good half an hour before they came and in that half an hour I had seen him. Alexander Stanton was at the party! What was he doing there Lily? He was the most bookish Ravenclaw in the history of Ravenclaws and there he was smiling and socializing and actually having fun!

I needed a drink and that's where it all started. I literally settled down next to the crate of firewhiskey and had my first drink. I lifted the little glass bottle up, popped open the cap and downed the contents. There was a strange burning sensation in my throat but it felt so good at the same time. So I had another and another and considering it was my first time drinking by the time Zoe and Isabel appeared I was completely sloshed. The twins left me by the firewhiskey and went to talk to some Ravenclaw lads they had just met.

I think that was when I decided I didn't really like the party very much and I attempted to make my way back to our common room."

"Oh thank godric that's it. I was expecting much worse knowing you. You can be a little crazy sometimes. Anyway, that's when you made your way back to the dorm. Wait. So I understand why you were drunk but why were you crying?"

"I wasn't done with my story yet!"

"Fine. Now this is actually interesting me…"

"Where was I? Right. So I was attempting to make my way back to our common room but I was so pissed I didn't know left from right and it turns out I was walking in circles. Anyway, I was so drunk that somehow found myself at the Quidditch pitch and Lily, you're not going to like this, but I ran right into Diggory snogging that slut Nicole from Ravenclaw."

What you might be wondering is why Lily Evans would care about the doings of a certain Amos Diggory when Potter was her one and only. Well, she hadn't quite realised that you see. Since April of Fifth year Lily Evans had been going around with Amos Diggory and they'd been quite in love, in fact the whole idea of a James Potter and Lily Evans romance had died down. However, he had to ruin it, that low life bastard broke up with her in September ending their six-month romance. It was truly heartbreaking. Even James Potter stopped asking her out although Diggory did end up in the hospital wing with pus filled boils covering his skin thanks to a certain James Potter.

"Lily? Are you okay? Please just let me finish. Anyway, so literally tackled that slag and punched Diggory in the face. I doubt he knew it was me but I'm so sorry about that."

I looked up and Lily was actually smiling. No, she was beaming.

"Thank you so much Leah. You really are a true friend. It's okay if he knew it was you he deserved that punch."

I smiled to myself. If only she dealt with Potter in the same way. When she found out it was Potter who put Diggory in the Hospital Wing she cursed him into oblivion.

"Back to the story. After that little incident I sprinted off the Quidditch Pitch at top speed. I vaguely remember James Potter being at the pitch and I think he said something along the lines of, "that was brilliant! If you hadn't done that I would have probably punched him myself." Anyway, so I was heading out of the Quidditch Pitch and that's where I saw them. I think Alex wanted to be alone because his friends headed off back to the party and he continued walking towards the castle. Well now that I knew he was walking to the castle I decided I might as well follow him. However, try to remain discrete when you're drunk is not an easy feat.

It was probably only seconds later when he turned around to see me crawling, yes crawling, behind him. I don't remember exactly what he said or what I said but somehow I was now walking alongside him. This is what I do remember of the conversation:

Alex: Leah, you're the one that ended this.

Me: Yeah. But I was upset. What did you expect?

Alex: I expected you not to give up on us that easily. You were angry with me. We've fought loads of times before but this was different. You broke up with me. After telling me you needed time to think. This was not something that just happened at the spur of the moment.

Me: Look I'm sorry but you have to understand I wasn't in a good place. I made a mistake.

Alex: You fucking broke up with me via owl! I was sitting on my bed on Sunday night and I saw your owl. My face actually lit up. I thought you were okay. I thought you wanted to talk to me again.

Me: I'm sorry (tears threatening to spill)

Alex: I feel like it's all just a game to you. It wasn't because of what I did that you broke up with me. It's not that at all. It was that you are so concerned with what other people think or how people look at you that when you started going around with me and you found people asking you why you were going out with that 'nerd' you needed any excuse to end it.

Me: That's not true. (This time I was actually sobbing)

Alex: When you ended it you didn't even consider how hurt I would be and then you tell me you'd made a mistake and you wanted me back. I am so sick and tired of your mixed signals. You act like I broke up with you. You behave as though I did something wrong. So tell me Leah. What did I do wrong?

Me: Alex I- I forgave you for before but I was upset. I'm hot tempered and I made a stupid mistake. But I wanted you to fight... I wanted you to fight for us.

Alex: You wanted me to fight for us when you were breaking my heart? Why on earth would I ever want to fight for us?

Me: Because I love you. I fucking love you and I told you I'd made a mistake and I wanted you back. I-"

"Oh Leah! Not the L word."

"I was so sloshed I couldn't help it. I just had to let him know how I felt…"

"So then what happened? What did he say?"

"I'll basically just sum up the conversation with this. We'd somehow found our way to the Portrait Hole. He told me that he really truly cared for me but that was it. He'd thought about taking me back but he just couldn't deal with all the drama that came with, well, me. He even brought up Patrice. I just don't think he liked me as much as I loved him. That's what it came down to and then he just said to simple words, "Goodbye Leah", and walked off towards the Ravenclaw tower."

"At which point you stumbled in the common room, crying and I took you to our dorm."

"Yeah. That basically sums up my night."

That's when I received one of those rare Lily Evans' hugs. Then, she pulled me out of the kitchens and dragged me towards the Gryffindor common room.

By the time I'd finished my story and we'd left the kitchens the sun was shining and breakfast at the Great Hall had started. This meant one thing; students at Hogwarts were awake. I, on the other hand, just wanted to sleep. Lily decided to head to the library so she could get a head start on the Potions' essay due a week from now and I made some excuse about having to owl my mother.

Instead, I headed straight to my dorm, closed the hangings around my bed and snuggled under my duvet.

When I woke it was noon. My dorm was completely deserted except for Marlene, who was getting ready. I slowly made sure there was no one else in the dormitories and then I proceeded to shut the door or rather, slam it shut.

Marlene nearly jumped out of her skin and dropped the mascara she'd been holding.

"Marls, do you have a minute?"

"Oh, it's only you. You gave me a fright! Sure. What is it? But first, can you tell me something? Which shade of eye shadow do you think looks better- this soft purple or blue?"

She turned around to face me and I cannot deny she looked gorgeous. Marlene was the girl every guy wished they could date and the girl every girl wished they could be. She was the epitome of beauty. She had that perfect hourglass figure, skin that was always lightly tanned and these bright blue eyes that could get you to do anything for her. Her lips were full and a rosy pink that made her permanently look like she was pouting, but in a sexy, sultry way. Her hair was a gorgeous blonde with shades of brown and somehow it always managed to look perfect. She looked, well pretty perfect.

However, I'd always secretly thought that Lily was prettier. Yeah, she wasn't as perfect looking but she was stunning. With her red hair that fell in perfect curls and striking green eyes she was definitely beautiful. Marlene was pretty but Lily was beautiful, and then there was me. I looked okay enough on my own but being best friends with these two just made me seem plainer than I already was. It took me a while to reply.

"Wow. Marlene, you look gorgeous. I'd definitely go with the soft purple it makes your eyes stand out more. What's the special occasion?" I said, winking.

"Adrian's taking me out today and I really wanted to look good for him."

Adrian Davies was her long-time Seventh year boyfriend. He was the Romeo to her Juliet. That was one reason most guys hated him. He was the bloke that got the girl and I mean THE girl. Not that he wasn't handsome. Adrian could give Sirius Black a run for his money, not that I fancied him, no, I just appreciated his beauty. Besides, they were the golden couple. No one wanted to break them up. It was the perfect guy with the perfect girl, how it was meant to be.

"Oh wow! It's been a year, right? I'm sorry. I completely spaced. Happy Anniversary!"

We began talking about their 'surprise' date Adrian had planned and she was so happy. I didn't want to take that away from her. My story could wait.

"So Leah… What did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, that. Never mind. It can wait until after your date. I am so happy for you Marls!"

I really meant it.

"Nonsense. I can tell it is something. What happened last night? I heard you and Lily come in late and when I woke up you were passed out on your bed fully dressed and you slept till noon! So what's up? Is there something I should know?"

So I told her everything. I didn't leave out a single detail. Like with Lily I made sure she knew everything, down to the last word.

"The L word, Leah?"

"I know. I really screwed up, didn't I?"

"I'm not going to act like that wasn't a big mistake and it was not something I would have expected you to do in a thousand years but he's a bastard. You told him you loved him and he was too proud to say it back. He doesn't deserve you Leah. He really doesn't."

I nodded but I couldn't help feeling miserable. I'd really messed up. Did I actually even love him or was it the firewhiskey talking?

"Leah. I know what we can do to get that arrogant twat back! I am going to give you a makeover!"

"I'm sorry Marls but I don't see how that's going to help get him back. Besides, I don't want to get him back."

"Of course you do. Don't you see? I am going to make you look gorgeous. You're going to look so good that by the end of it every guy in Hogwarts will want you and Stanton will realise what he's missed out on."

I don't know why this seemed like a good idea to me. I was Leah Hawthorne. The only time I dressed up was for a Marauders' party and I'd only been to one in my life. For some strange reason I conceded. I blame it on the fact that I would do anything for Marlene to stop talking. It was giving me a headache. Anyway, there I was letting Marlene McKinnon give me a makeover.