"For the last time, Prongs. You are never getting with Evans." Sirius Black said as he watched Lily Evans walk down the corridor towards them.

James Potter ignored his friends. As Lily walked past the group he tried to greet the fiery red-headed Gryffindor. "Hey, Evan- Shit!" He exclaimed as he was hit in the face with a silent curse thrown over her shoulder.

"Fantastic curse connection today, Evans! Bravo!" Sirius called as Peter applauded.

"Fuck you, Black!" Lily called over her shoulder as she walked over to Severus Snape, whose shoulders were shaking from trying to suppress his laughter.

"C'mon, Prongs. You're blocking the passageway. Again." Remus said as he teased James, who had fallen onto his back.

"Wow, James. Wow." Andrew, James's American cousin said as he laughed.

"Fuck you all!" He said before getting up, pinching his nose.

At that moment, Andrew was smacked in the back of the head. "Ow!"

"Shut up, bird boy." Michaela, another of the few Americans attending Hogwarts snapped. She looked at James and stated "She hit you with a Nosebleed Curse, didn't she?"

As she performed the counter-curse, Remus explained what happened. "She cursed him silently over her shoulder."

"Ah." She said diplomatically.

"Why couldn't you have been a Gryffindor?" James complained once Michaela finished the spell.

"Because I was born to be a Ravenclaw" she pinched her nose in frustration "and what did I tell you about interacting with Lily Evans?"

"I forgot?"

"Right. And bird-boy over there has a muggle tattoo of a hippogriff on his chest!"

"Hey! Don't take your anger out on me just because Neufeld doesn't notice you!" Andrew retorted.

Michaela's eyes filled with tears as she blushed in shame. "I hate you so much, Derby!" She whispered before running in the opposite direction towards the doors that lead to the entrance by the gamekeeper's hut and the docks on the Black Lake.

"What?" Andrew asked when James face-palmed and Remus smacked the back of his head.

"You had to mention the Hufflepuff Keeper, didn't you, Hawk?" Peter shook his head in amazement at his stupidity. "She's had a crush on him since they met at the Sorting."

"But he's half-deaf from too many bludgers to the head!"

"She doesn't care. He's probably the only person that's keeping her on this earth." Remus said quietly so only the other Marauders could hear.

"But she's so carefree all the time! She laughs constantly!" Sirius protested.

"Don't you remember how she was towards the end of our second year? How she kept on being found asleep on the top of the Astronomy Tower?"

"Yeah?"

"She told me..." He paused, fearful of telling them what she told him. "She told me that she was debating throwing herself off the tower without any cushioning spells to break her fall."

The silence among the four friends was palatable. Finally Peter asked "Why?"

"Because she was in the middle of class when she got the news that her grandmother died. Remember how close they were?"

"Yeah, all she did our first year and half our second was talk about her. Oh. She died after we came back from Holiday, didn't she?"

"Yes. Now do you understand?" Remus hated to tell what Michaela was not ready to share, but was tired of the jokes about her being just a know it all temperamental Ravenclaw.


Michaela ran to the Whomping Willow and cried while seated amongst the roots. The tree never harmed her, and allowed her to stay there as long as she would sing to it. The tree didn't care if the songs were happy or sad, as long as she sang to it. But when it felt the tears falling from her eyes, it rubbed its branches together to create a groaning sound that was its version of singing to try to cheer her. The sound was low, but it carried into the halls of Hogwarts, and caused many professors to dismiss class early so they could find the source of the mournful music.

When they found her at the roots of the Whomping Willow, after she'd cried herself asleep underneath the tree, they levitated her body a safe distance away from the tree before trying to wake her.

By this time, a crowd of students from different houses had gathered to hear the Whomping Willow sing. A short, stocky Hufflepuff fifth-year in quidditch gear pushed his way to the front. "Michaela!"

Dumbledore turned to the Hufflepuff "She is fine, Mr. Neufeld."

"This is the second time this month that she's cried herself to sleep here, Professor! I'm taking her to the Infirmary." He picked her up gently, and carried her back to the castle in the path formed by the students that had come.


When Neufeld brought her into the Infirmary, Madam Pomfery shook her head "Where was she this time?"

"Beneath the Whomping Willow. It was singing to her."

"Are you sure you don't want her to know it was you?"

He shook his head in assent. "She loves someone else. I don't want to hurt her." he turned away, and ran out of the Infirmary. He poked his head back in "Please tell the other professors to not tell her?"

"I will."


Once Madam Pomfrey told the professors the boy's wishes, they discussed what was her reason for choosing that tree to cry under.

"But when did she start behaving this way?"

"I fear it is because she had to hide her true feelings from her friends after her grandmother died. They were very close while she was alive. They would Owl each other daily. When her grand mother died, the ravens bringing letters and small packages stopped almost entirely. Her mother fell into depression and her father carried on, like the muggle war veteran that he is. She tries to hide herself behind a bright smile, a ready answer, and a loud laugh; and it works for most people." Professor Flitwick said, feeling sorry for one of his favorite students.

"But why did she not tell us?" McGonagall asked, feeling sorry for the girl.

"Because it is not in her nature, Minerva." Professor Dumbledore said. "She places the happiness of others above her own so she can hide herself from her emotions as well as the emotions from us. When she is ready, she will tell us what happened to cause her so much pain."