AN: Alright, if i owned Harry Potter, i would be so rich that I'd swim in money! Sadly I'm not so...oh well. My characters are Aiden, Robyn and Keira, nothing else is mine! Also, the bold and italics are thoughts. You'll find out who's thoughts they are later, but there important to the story!

Things you once loved fade away and you find yourself wishing there were more time You would do all the things you wanted and needed to do before the unbelievable happens. Hearts would have mended and trusts would be stronger. I know this, because I have experienced it. More things had happened in less then 4 years, the 4 years that made my life whole, and tore it away as soon as it came to end. If only there was more time. I could have saved myself and others heartache, but being the prideful Gryffindor I was, I ignored all the signs. That is where it all built and crumbled; the damn Gryffindor pride…

Chapter 1

"JAMES POTTER! HOW DARE YOU! Y-Y-YOU EGOTISTIC PRAT!"

Aiden Ballard jumped and fell out of her bed. She groaned and yawned on the floor, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She involuntarily got up and made her way down the stairs to see Lily Evans pinning a very scared looking James Potter. Aiden whined, "Lily, it's too early to threaten my dear cousin!"

Lily let go of James momentarily and turned to face Aiden, anger clearly written all over her face. Aiden gave a nervous laugh and there was a slight pause. "RUN!"

James and Aiden darted up the boy's stairs and into the Marauder's dorm, putting all the charms they knew on the door. The two didn't breathe as they expected Lily to break through and tear them apart. They let out a breath but as soon as they did, Lily began pounding on the door, "I'LL GET YOU POTTER! AND YOU TOO BALLARD FOR AIDING THE ENEMY!"

Aiden hid behind James, fully expecting her to pound the door open but instead, the red head had appeared to stomp down the steps. Aiden then giggled as James looked at her like she was crazy. James shook his head muttering 'girls' before jumping on his bed, leaving his cousin on the floor, laughing hysterically.

When Lily stomped down, she had cooled considerably. She saw first years in awe and fear. She decided to have a little fun, "Boo!"

The first years screamed and ran out of the common room while Lily giggled. "Picking on first years Miss Head Girl?"

Lily turned to see Robyn Reed and Keira Vega, both who had grins on there face. "Oh shut up. I think I had Potter piss in his pant though!"

The three laughed and when it died down, Robyn looked around slowly, "Hey, where's Aiden?"

Lily grinned, "She came down helping Potter sneak away, she's upstairs with him."

Keira giggled, "If they weren't cousins, I'd be scared if I were you Lils."

Lily shot Keira a glare that stopped her grinning. Lily grabbed the nearest pillow and flung it at Keira who immediately got hit right in the face and fell to the floor with a thud. The girl growled and Robyn stood on the coffee table with a pillow in the air screaming at the top of her lungs, "PILLOW WAR!"

Pillows were thrown, people were hit, glares were sent, and laughs couldn't be controlled as the girls watched the younger years mumbled about immaturity.

Aiden, Lily, Keira and Robyn finally made it to the Great Hall, laugh free as they ate there breakfast. Aiden was grinning, "Hey Robyn, can I have the cinnamon roll over there?"

Robyn rolled her eyes and laughed at her friend, she had a craving for anything cinnamon in the mornings that it had become a morning ritual. Aiden ate it contently while the girls talked, "So Lils, what's with you a Potter?"

Before Lily could reply, a soft voice spoke into her ear, "Yes Angel, tell us what's with you and me."

Lily turned bright red, the Marauder's taking this for anger, but the girls knew she was blushing, "What do you want Potter?"

James stood up straight and sat next to Lily and in front of Aiden who was still happily eating her roll, oblivious to everything around. The Marauder's all sat down and smiled at the girls who rolled there eyes, "So cousin, what was so funny today?"

Aiden finally looked up, jade green eyes mixed with pink meeting gorgeous hazel. They stared each other down until Aiden looked down at her roll and then at Lily, "I just thought it was funny how a girl could have the all mighty James Potter whipped."

Everyone tried to keep from laughing except Aiden and James who were emerged in there staring contest now. "Well how about Aiden Ballard, Gryffindor vixen who hasn't had a boyfriend since…ever."

Aiden narrowed her eyes, "That's because I don't want one, I've had plenty of offers thank you very much James, you know that. Or did you forget that you hexed a 5th year yesterday for asking me?"

The table went quiet and James snorted, "I didn't want my dearest cousin to be a molester, but go ahead if you want."

Aiden then got up and punched James in the face. He fell back and rubbed his jaw,his eyes glistening with amusement. Clearly this had happened more than once."Good punch."

Aiden beamed but Professor McGonagall came rushing down from the staff table looking murderous, "What is the meaning of all this nonsense!"

Aiden looked rather innocent, "Well you see Professor, I was quietly eating my cinnamon roll when James here wanted to be sassy; the punch was a result of it."

James continued to rub his jaw and stood up, "I think I deserved it anyways."

McGonagall fumed and whispered dangerously, "Detention! Both of you! Mr. Potter, watch your mouth and Miss Ballard, control your temper! Honestly! You'reCousins!"

She walked off muttering something and the whole hall was silent. Aiden and James looked at each other and began laughing, making the whole hall erupt in giggles.

The Marauder's decided to abandon the hall after McGonagall threatened to take points away if they didn't shut up. "So Prongs, you never told me Aiden had such a good hook!"

James glared at Remus who only grinned. "Shut up Moony or I might just have her show you a thing or two."

Remus shrugged while Sirius rolled his eyes, "Honestly, can we stop talking about Ballard? Why is she the constant topic of our conversations?"

James and Remus grinned now while Peter looked lost. "Because you love her Padfoot!"

Sirius growled and stalked away, "Never, she's an insufferable woman with a stupid temper."

Remus leaned in and whispered to James, "But he still loves her."

Sirius turned around, "I heard that!"

Aiden sat; bored in doubleNEWT potions and it hadn't even been 5 minutes into class. Aiden and Robyn were sitting together when Professor Slughorn grinned evilly, "Today we will be starting a project that requires partners."

The class erupted in happy whispers, already deciding who was going to be partners with whom. "Not so fast, I will be assigning the partners. Now, everyone get up. That's it. Now, up front, Black and McKinnon, Meadows and Lupin, Evans and Davies, Ballard and Lestrange, Reed and Snape, Vega and Diggory."

Aiden paled, she was going to have to be partners with Lestrange? Oh this was not happening to her. 'I'll wake up in class, drooling like always and get detention for not paying attention.'

When it didn't happen, she sighed and walked over to the desk where Rodolphus Lestrange was, smirking. She sat down hesitantly but didn't show she was scared. She wouldn't give him that luxury. "Now that we have our partners, we will be working on a hard Potion. This Potion let's us see your very worst memory. It will take us several weeks for it to brew so in the meantime, you'll have to give me the ingredients and tell us how each is important to the Potion. We will start brewing next class, so in the meantime, we will be taking notes and let you do some research. Do not waste this time."

With that, Professor Slughorn exited the class. Some went up to get some books, Aiden was one of them. As she reached for a book on a high shelf, she felt an arm wrap around her waist. She turned around, ready to smack Lestrange, but she saw it was only James, "Yes? Do you need something?"

James grinned while looking through the shelves; they were the only ones up while everyone else was talking. "I know how awful it must be to be partnered up with him. And I have a bet for you."

Aiden raised an eyebrow as she scanned threw a book, "What is it? How much?"

James chuckled, "10 galleons. I bet you can't get Rodolphus to fall in love with you in a week."

Aiden blinked a couple of times before she narrowed her eyes, "What's in it for you?"

James smirked, "You never miss a beat do you? Well, if you get him to do that, and then break his little heart, it's just another way to get Slytherin back. Either way I win."

Aiden laughed, "Yes, well one week, starting tomorrow."

James nodded and they went back to there desks. Aiden decided to do some research before going through with her plan.

The Potion in question does not have a name for it doesn't have a specific creator. When drunk, the person who swallowed the Potion has a stream of light project the memory onto the wall. It does not show all of the memory, but a glimpse of it, to protect the person's privacy. Unspeakable's are still trying to figure out why certain ingredients do this, in the mean time we can only guess.

Aiden slammed the book down, Professor Slughorn knew it wasn't in the books; we were to make a logical guess. She looked over to see Rodolphus looking at her. She wasn't even aware that he was watching her. She remembered the bet and she smiled sweetly, "Do I have something on my face?"

Rodolphus grinned, "No, I was just thinking how beautiful you are when concentrating."

He ran a finger on her cheek, caressing it and she felt sick, but the bet wasn't going to let her give up. She reached up and placed her hand on top of his as she watched lust cross his eyes and she knew she was already halfway through with the bet.

An: Please Read and Review, i want to know what people think of my story! If you flame me, give me a at least the reason why you dont like it.