The first interaction I had with them coincided with the first day of my sixth, and penultimate, year at Hogwarts. I didn't even speak to them, yet it was the beginning of everything. Sometimes I just wish I could go back to that day and not have looked up into his dark, slate-grey eyes. Then everything would have been different, and I wouldn't have ended up alone, as the one left behind. But, I guess you could say that's getting ahead of the story.

My gaze flickered between the contents of my pewter cauldron, and the instructions in the Potion book that was currently balancing precariously on the edge of the table. The colour of my elixir definitely wasn't the saffron yellow that the book said it should be at this stage; there was a hint of orange to it making it decisively amber coloured. I chewed thoughtfully on a strand of my dark hair, considering whether to stir it one more time, or go ahead and add the sopophorous beans. Aware of the other students around me, continuously getting further ahead, and of the heavy tread of Slughorn that was coming closer, I made up my mind and reached over towards the beans.

However, a cold, slightly slimy grip on my arm stopped me in my tracks. I looked over at the boy next to me who, despite the constricting hold on my hand, seemed completely focused on the potion in front of him. His lanky hair created a curtain around him, hiding all of his face bar the tip of his nose, as he spoke.

'Put in a sprig of peppermint, then wait a minute before adding the sopophorous beans.'

I eyed the forgotten peppermint, half hidden under the left-over porcupine quills, cautiously for a moment, before tossing it into the cauldron with a shrug. As it sunk into the depths, the potion's colour lightened considerably until it was definitely what one would call saffron - well, at least it looked better than it had before.

As I waited for my potion to settle, my thoughts drifted towards the boy beside me. Severus Snape. I didn't know much about him, not caring to listen to the rumours that were constantly circulating the school. The sole reason as to why I was currently sitting next to him in potions was that I had no friends in this class, and he seemingly didn't either. Added to that, I was in dire need of help if I even wanted to consider getting a N.E.W.T in Potions, and it was common knowledge that he was the best in our whole year. Granted, that sentence was the first he had said this whole lesson, but at least it meant I wasn't looking like too much of a dunce the first day back.

My musings were interrupted by the unmistakable sound of my Potions book falling down onto the stone tiles. Simultaneously a shadow fell over the table.

'Hey Padfoot, look what we have over here. Snivellus is talking to a girl and she hasn't run off screaming. What can the world be coming to!'

I didn't have to look up to know who that voice belonged to, or to know who would reply to it. And sure enough, I was right.

'I don't know Prongs, she must be blind not to see that greasy mop he calls hair.'

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Snape's hands clench, the knuckles turning white.

The silence that followed caused me to stop counting the grains of wood in the table's surface, and look up slowly through my lashes. I could see both boys standing next to me had their wands discreetly drawn and pointed straight past me at Snape.

Crap, I just had to pick this seat, didn't I? The first day back and I was going to be caught in the crossfire of a fight. What happened to keeping my head down and focusing on studies!

Just as it looked like things were about to get ugly, Slughorn suddenly seemed to cotton on to what was happening and sprang into action.

'Now, now boys, I don't think that's really necessary, do you? I wouldn't want to be giving out detentions on the first day of school.'

Under his gaze, the two boys slipped their wands away and walked towards the back of the classroom.

A minute passed and I finally allowed myself to look up, intent on finishing my potion before class ended, but instead found myself gazing into a pair of charcoal eyes. The longer I stared, the deeper they seemed to pull me into their depths. Transfixed, it took me a moment to notice that he was holding a book out to me. My Potion's book, which had somehow been knocked to the floor by one of them when they had first come over.

'Sorry, love.' And with those words, he winked at me and headed off to rejoin his friend.

So that was James Potter and Sirius Black.

My second meeting with them, coincidentally, was later that day. But then, I didn't believe in coincidences. I thought it must have been fate, that we were both there at the same time. I don't know if I believe that anymore.

'Saturday night at the movies,

Who cares what picture you see'

A song by the Drifters was stuck in my head, and I was singing it softly to myself whilst using my wand to twirl a lock of my hair, which had somehow escaped the bun I had thrown it into.

I was currently sitting cross legged at the end of one of the four long tables that took up most of the space in the cavernous kitchens. In front of me was a bowl full of ice cubes, and resting on my lap was a cooking book dedicated to salmon.

Yes, I knew it was two in the morning. Yes, I knew I had to get up at seven in the morning. And yes, I knew it was the first week of school.

I don't really know why I was here. A mixture of too much food at dinner and the screaming girls who made up the rest of my dorm room meant that sleep was the furthest thing on my mind, and my feet had unconsciously led me here.

Flicking past a recipe or two, I leant over and took another ice cube, popping it into my mouth and taking pleasure in the loud cracking noise caused by me biting down.

A loud creak broke through my reverie, and I looked up to see the door to the kitchens slowly open, revealing... nothing. I cocked my head quizzically as I stared at the empty space. All of a sudden the door banged shut again, and if I strained my ears I could hear hushed whispers from outside it.

Confused and slightly irked by these mysterious events, I turned my focus back towards my book, only to be interrupted yet again by the opening of the door. This time, however, two boys stumbled through it, hurriedly closing it behind them. The front one awkwardly ran a hand through his hair, which was already so messy that it could rival mine, while the other just winked at me whilst simultaneously shoving something behind his back.

After a moment of me staring at them, and them staring at me, the latter one came out from behind his friend.

'You're catching flies there Dunwell,' Black teased as he sat down on the bench in front of me, casually picking up an ice cube and examining it.

I closed my mouth, still retaining my deer-caught-in-the-headlights look as I realised what a mess I was. My t-shirt was too small for me and I was a hundred percent sure you could see my bra through it; this fact was then confirmed as Potter looked down and sniggered slightly. My hair was pulled up in the messiest bun ever, with half of it falling out, the holey trackies I was wearing were rolled up to my calf and - shit, I hadn't been arsed to shave my legs in the last couple of weeks and the dark stubble stood out against my pale skin. Added on to that, one of my heels had fallen off and was currently residing on the bench below me, its studded toe an inch away from Black's leg, revealing the chipped nail varnish on my toes.

And, of course, Potter and Black had to look like they had just stepped out onto a catwalk.

I cautiously bent down to retrieve my shoe, my eyes never leaving theirs, taking great care not to brush against Black's trousers in the process.

Whilst I had been sitting there, no doubt looking like the idiot I definitely felt like, Potter had come over and joined Black at the bench; they were both currently surrounded by a gaggle of House Elves, who seemed positively thrilled at the amount of food they were ordering.

Once they had finally finished listing the four different types of pie they wanted, they turned their attention back to me.

'So, what do we have here. A Hufflepuff out of bed after hours.'

'The very same 'Puff who was talking to Snivellus earlier. And how do you even know about the kitchens?'

My mouth opened and closed twice uselessly, before I remembered how to use my voice. Not only had these two loud boys disrupted my peaceful night visit, they had then proceeded to engage me in conversation. For a start, how did they even know my name? I mean, obviously I knew who they were; James Potter and Sirius Black made up the noisier half of the infamous Marauders and were the boys that every girl in our year seemed to swoon over. But I was just the loner Hufflepuff, who wasn't even really accepted by the rest of her house.

'When I can't sleep I like to wander about the castle. I've been coming here for years. What about you?'

James and Sirius grinned and shared a knowing look.

'We're the Marauders, what else did you expect? We found this place in our first year, it wasn't exactly hidden well.'

I frowned slightly at that last comment, and arched my eyebrow.

'So you just go round tickling all the paintings then, do you?'

At this Sirius let out a bark of laughter, but before he could reply the House Elves came rushing back again, their arms laden with food.

The two Gryffindors stood up from the table and started accepting the plates, levitating the ones they couldn't carry in front of them.

'Well, speaking of Marauders, we'd better get these back to the others. Peter will have probably fallen asleep waiting by now. See you round, yeah?'

Suddenly exhausted, I rubbed my eyes before giving a small nod in reply. As they headed towards the exit, I clambered off the table and got up myself, gathering my book up in preparation to leave.

I then noticed that Sirius had paused in the doorframe, and was looking back at me with those unfathomable eyes of his.

'Don't forget your wand,' he said, and with that he was gone.

Looking around me, I saw that my wand had somehow rolled under the table and got lodged next to one of its legs.

Finally, with my wand wedged securely behind my ear, I left too, turning right where they had turned left, and heading back to my bed.

I wonder if in the morning I'll think that this was all a dream.

A/N: To be honest, I'm not really sure what this is. I've had this character in my head for a while, and then this evening a plot just came to me and I've been writing ever since.

It's midnight now, and I don't know if this is any good or if I'll continue it. I'll probably just wake up in the morning and realise how shit it is. Added to that I've still got all my other stories that I should be working on rather than starting something completely new.

But anyway, here you go. Enjoy.

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