AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry this took so long; school and stuff. BTW Kal-El is Mira's owl and also Superman's birth name. I hope you guys enjoy meeting Lily and Severus!

CHAPTER 2: BS

"Remy, I'm fine. Quit hovering." I said as the doctor bandaged up my right arm.

"Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes. That…raccoon…just wasn't very nice." I struggled to remember the story I told the doctor about why I had five gashes up my forearm that looked like claw marks…which is exactly what they were. "I'm lucky this is all that happened."

"You'll need to change the bandages twice a day, for the next eight weeks." The doctor told me.

I nodded. "Okay. Thank you Doctor Swanson."

When Doctor Swanson left us alone in the room to go get my parents, Remus climbed up onto the hospital bed with me. I draped my good arm around his shoulders.

"I'm really sorry."

"It wasn't your fault. You kept telling me you needed to go home and get away from people. But I wouldn't listen."

"What exactly happened? I forget everything when I transform—the beast takes over."

"Does your head hurt?"

"Yes…and I don't know why."

"Hand me my bag, and I'll explain it to you."

"Okay…" Remus said skeptically.

Remus leaned down, picked up my bag, and carefully handed it to me. I opened the flap, and pulled out Sherlock Holmes. Remus gasped. Down the cover there were five deep and wide gashes that exactly matched the ones on my right arm.

"My god; did I do that? Why?"

"You did it because I smashed it over your head."

"I think you'd better start at the beginning."

"Well, I was born in a small town—" I began.

"I mean when I transformed tonight." Remus interrupted.

I grinned. "I know. I'm just messing with you, Remy. Well as you know, we were looking up at the sky finding constellations, and you kept telling me that you needed to go home. When a cloud moved and uncovered the moon, you screamed in pain, and transformed. When you advanced on me, I beat you over the head with Sherlock Holmes. You didn't like that…and—"

I held up my arm and my book.

"How did you get away with only that?"

"Every time you came near me, I slugged you with my book. Eventually you realized that I wasn't worth the effort and the pain and took to biting yourself instead."

"Oh. That's good. Again, I'm really sorry."

I waved it off. "Whatever. I'm alive aren't I?"

The door to the room burst open, startling Remy and I. Mommy flew into the room first followed by Daddy, the latter of which who glared at Remus. They suffocated me with hugs.

"Mira! Baby, are you all right?"

"I'm fine mommy. This is just a flesh wound."

"I want you to stay away from my daughter." Daddy told Remus.

"Of course, you're right sir." Remus sighed, getting off the hospital bed.

I smacked Daddy's arm. "Daddy, that's not fair! It wasn't Remy's fault! It was mine! He kept telling me he needed to go home but I wouldn't listen. And now that I know, there's no way I can leave him to his fate. He's dealt with this for three years all by himself, and if I can help in anyway, I will. Besides, tomorrow we're headed off for Hogwarts and Remy will help me change my bandages twice a day." I looked at Remus. "Won't you, Remy LeBeau?"

He chuckled at his nickname, and nodded. "Of course."

"Good." I hopped off the bed and hooked my left arm through Remus's right. "Come on, let's go. I need to get home and feed Kal-El."

xxx

"I'm comin' home I've done my time. Now I've got to know what is and isn't mine. If you received my letter telling you I'd soon be free, then you know just what to do if you still want me. If you still want me. Oh, tie a yellow ribbon round the ole oak tree. It's been three long years do you still want me? If I don't see a ribbon round the ole oak tree—" I sang softly as we drove to the train station.

"Mira, what are you singing?" Remus asked.

"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree. You can't tell me you don't know that song." When Remus shook his head, I gaped at him. "Oh, come on! It's a classic!"

He just blinked at me and I shook my head.

"I think Mira has it on a cassette tape in the car somewhere." Mommy replied.

I grinned. "It's in the dashboard, the tape is white, and labeled 'Mira's Favorite Songs'. Play it please!"

I had started to bounce up and down in my seat as Mommy placed the tape it the cassette player. As the song started playing, I caught an evil glint in Daddy's eye as he looked in the rearview mirror.

"What?" I asked.

"We're here." He said laughing.

"But the song just started!" I whined.

"Honey, we can't change the facts."

I sighed, and Remy and I climbed out of the car to get our trunks and our owls.

"So what do we do?" I asked as we walked down the platform.

"You see the wall between platforms nine and ten? Run at it."

"Daddy, you're crazy. I'm not running at a wall. This is one practical joke I won't fall for."

"Honey, your dad's not lying."

I turned to my mom and blinked. "Let me get this straight…I have to run at a wall?"

They both nodded. "Yes, honey. You do."

"Remy, why don't you go first?"

"So if someone gets injured, you want it to be me?"

"I'm already injured."

Remy sighed—the guilt tripping had totally worked—and ran at the wall, disappearing into it.

"That's not conspicuous at all." I muttered sarcastically, as I followed behind Remus, and my parents followed behind me.

"You have your extra gauze bandages?"

"Yes mommy."

"I'll miss you so much!" She cried, suffocating me with yet another hug.

"You'll see me at Christmas. Did your parents do this to you?"

"Every single time." Daddy told me.

"Well okay then. I suppose that makes it all right."

"Honey, because of your arm, we'll go ahead and put your bags on the train for you. Go have fun and remember that we love you."

"I love you guys too—except you daddy. You're mean." I joked. "Kidding. See you at Christmas!"

After one last hug, Remy and I boarded the train and made our way to the back of the train. We opened the door a compartment where a girl with dark red hair sitting in a corner, crying. I motioned for Remus to go ahead without me.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked taking the seat opposite her.

She looked up and wiped her eyes. "Who are you?"

"My name's Mira. Sorry to intrude, but I just wanted to know if there was anything I could do to help you."

"But you don't even know me."

"Sorry it's just something I learned from my mom. She told me to always see if there was something I could do to make people less upset. I never really thought I'd need that advice though. So if you want to talk, I'll listen. And besides; if you tell me your name then I will know something about you."

"My name's Lily. Do you have any siblings Mira?"

"No, I'm a one and only child. I think my mom didn't want any more because they might end up like my dad…"

"Is your dad that awful?"

"No! He's a serious prankster, and although I hate that I'm the only one he pulls pranks on, I love him to death. So why'd you ask about siblings?"

"My sister hates me!" Lily cried and burst into fresh tears.

I moved over to sit next to her, and tentatively patted her shoulder. "I'm sure she doesn't hate you. She's just upset. She'll get over it."

"But what if she doesn't?"

"Trust me, she will. It probably won't hurt to push the envelope and apologize to her first, but you guys are siblings, it's impossible to hate each other for long."

"Thanks. I'm feeling a bit better."

"Glad I could help, but I really should go. Remy is probably sitting quietly all alone, waiting for me to show up. It was really good to meet you and I hope we're in the same house."

"It was good to meet you too."

I smiled at her and left the compartment and continued towards the back of the train.

"I have something to show you." I said to Remy, as I closed the compartment door behind me.

"Really? Is it your bright pink gauze to make me feel even guiltier?"

"Why would I need to show you that? You were there when I got it and it was green at that point." I said reaching into my bag and pulling out Sherlock Holmes and handing it to him.

He ran his fingers across the pristine cover. "Is this the same book I saw yesterday?"

"Yup daddy was nice enough to fix it for me so now you have nothing more to feel bad about."

"Yeah right, thanks for trying."

"Whatever. Help me think of ways to get back at my dad that doesn't involve using magic."

"Why does he pull so many pranks on you anyways?"

"Because he's a terrible human being with nothing better to do with his time."

"Isn't he a high ranking ministry official?"

"That doesn't mean he doesn't get bored. In fact, it means quite the opposite." I giggled.

Remy chuckled and as I took out a deck of cards, I heard quite a commotion in the hallway, and got up quickly.

"What's wrong?"

I handed him the deck of cards. "Deal me in for a game of slap-jack. I'll be right back."

He nodded and I headed into the hallway, to see Lily and a boy with black hair already in his Hogwarts robes leaving the compartment I had found them in. She looked up, and I motioned for her to share the compartment with Remus and me.

"Long time no see. Who's the boy?"

"Mira, this is Severus."

"It's nice to meet you. This is my best friend Remus. So what brings you two to our neck of the woods?"

"There were two annoying boys in our compartment. They were making fun of Severus because he wanted to be in Slytherin and he wants me to be there too."

"That's stupid. It doesn't matter what house you're in."

"What do you mean?" Severus asked quietly.

"It's something my mom told me. I always used to ask her what house I was going to be in, and she'd tell me that no matter what house I was in, she and daddy would still love me. When I finally asked her why she always told me that, she said 'it's not what house you're in, it's how you use the knowledge that you're given.' Voldemort abused the knowledge he was given."

"What houses were your parents in?"

"My mom was a Hufflepuff, and my daddy was a Slytherin. Do you two want to play BS?"

"I'm not sure how to." Severus said.

"Don't worry we'll teach you. Remy, will you split the stacks please?"

He nodded, and Lily and Severus sat down and the four of us began to play BS, Remy and Sev, on edge with each other, while Lily and I conversed easily with both boys and each other.

"Two fives." Remy said, placing two cards facedown.

"Bull." I said, looking at Remy's facial expression. "You need to learn how to bluff better Remy; now take the pile. Two sixes."

"Bull." Severus said.

I shrugged, keeping a poker face, as I reached towards the pile.

"Read 'em and weep." I giggled turning the two cards over. "Game over, all my cards are gone."

"I want a rematch!" Lily cried.

xxx