A/N- Oh, shoot! I forgot to mention in the last chapter that I don't own anything!

"Dani!" Sirius shouted as the girls reentered, "Thank Merlin you're here!"

She smiled coyly, "Why, Sirius… did you miss me?"

Sirius blushed a tiny bit. James' eyes widened. Sirius generally abused girls but given the expression on his face, he liked Dani. For real.

Remus was feeling much better by now. He'd talked to his friends, and they'd helped him to calm down and stop jumping down innocent kitten-owners throats.

Sirius kept flirting mercilessly with Dani, who could dish it out as well as she could take it.

Over the trip to Hogwarts, Sirius began to realize how wonderful she was for him.

They could talk, and that was new. Normally, girls tripped all over themselves for Sirius. He was used to it. This girl surprised him. He loved to be surprised.

They arrived at school and sat through the feast uneventfully. The end, however, housed a brilliant prank a la Marauder.

I'll spare you the details, but the outcome was Severus Snape hanging by his greasy hair from a balcony.

Dani stormed away with Lily halfway through the spectacle.

She loved pranks, but that was an attack. A four-against-one ambush. And that was not okay in her eyes.

(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)

Late that night, Lily stomped around the girl's dormitory, ranting to Dani, who'd gotten over her anger as quickly as she always did.

"They do it all the time, then expect me to like them!" she exclaimed, frustrated.

Dani sighed lightly, "Lily, these things happen. You can't get angry with someone over who they are, or what they think is funny. They won't change."

"But they should!" Lily shouted.

"Agreed." Dani said, standing and taking one of Lily's hands. "But James isn't going to."

"That's why we can't be together." Lily muttered. Dani gave her a moment to think over what she'd just said before replying.

"No." Dani said quietly. "You can't be together because you don't trust him."

Lily looked, startled, up at Dani, who was almost two inches taller.

"What?" she asked quietly.

"You don't trust him." Dani repeated. "He's willing to do anything for you, but you see him pulling these pranks, and stop giving him a chance. You tell him they're stupid, but don't tell him why."

"How can you know that?" Lily asked, almost upset that Dani knew her so well. Was she that transparent?

"I had a best friend like you," Dani said quietly, "It didn't really work out, but she had similar problems." Dani sighed lightly, trying not to remember why they'd had to stop being friends...

"But you agree that they take it too far," Lily inquired, interrupting her train of thought.

Dani smiled, "Yes. But there's nothing we can do about that. Instead, we'll toy with them and have our own fun."

Lily smiled, "That's a wonderful idea." There was a quiet pause, then: "How?"

Dani bit her lower lip lightly, then her smile broadened. "I've got an idea."

(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)

Dani learned that with the 'experiment', she was a bit ahead of Hogwarts as far as wizarding knowledge went.

She's been a bit worried that she wouldn't fit in at this new school, but she was pleased to find that her popularity flourished as she continued just being herself. Unfortunately, 'herself' was impatient, and having troubles distracting herself enough to wait for Hogsmead, which was supposed to be an amazing village that was completely wizard-inhabited. Lily had told her all about it, and Dani was so intrigued that she absolutely could not wait to visit. Lily helped Dani distract herself from her curiosity, but it still seemed like forever until finally, it was Saturday. The day that the students could go to Hogsmeade!

Dani helped Lily get ready that morning. In Lily's trunk, she found a solitary pair of jeans, and a dark green tank top. They discovered that they had the same size shoes, so Dani was able to lend her a pair of strappy sandals. Dani made a mental note to keep an eye out for a clothes store in Hogsmeade.

For herself, Dani pulled on a pair of ripped up, low-cut jeans, and a black short sleeved t-shirt that showed a thin strip of her flat stomach. Luckily, she'd thought to bring a pair of jeweled flip-flops. She put those on, then did her and Lily's makeup.

Lily was not accustomed to caring how she looked. She usually just pulled her hair into a ponytail and left the rest of her appearance alone. But she was willing to try something new. Dani had assured her that it would be worth the effort to see the expression on James' face.

Dani lined both of their eyes with eyeliner and mascara, then pulled at Lily's hair. She curled it quickly so that long waves of dark red hair fell over her shoulders, then she turned to her own reflection.

Dani put the top half of her hair in a ponytail, then pulled the front pieces back out. She didn't look complete, but was unsure of what else to do to fix her hair.

Lily stared thoughtlessly at her reflexion in the mirror. She didn't know if she'd ever looked so…trendy!

Dani played with the pony tail at the pack of her head, and as she lifted her arms Lily spotted a glitter that distracted her from her own reflexion. A dark blue belly button ring.

She blinked. "You have your belly button pierced?" she gasped.

Dani looked over and smiled simply. That had been her sixteenth birthday present. Permission. She'd had to pay for it herself, but it was still a present.

Lily suddenly laughed, "I've wanted my bellybutton pierced for two years!"

"We have a lot in common." Dani said happily, trying not to ask why she hadn't just done it. "Let's go find the guys."

The day before, Dani and Lily had invited the Marauders out with them to the wizard village. They were going to meet in the common room then go out together.

Dani went first, to warn James not to make any inappropriate comments on Lily's appearance. It was pretty clear that Dani was going with Sirius when she bounded down the stairs and gave him a hug.

Lily came down the stairs next. James' jaw dropped, but he remembered his warning and didn't say anything inappropriate.

Sirius kept an arm casually around Dani's waist as they walked to the common room exit, then helped her through, very gentleman-ly. Dani thought it was adorable.

Lily was blown away by his behavior.

At the same time that how he was treating Dani was great, it was very out of character for him. She just hoped that Dani was being serious with him. Sirius was making such an effort, she wasn't sure whose side she'd be on if it didn't work out.

Sirius and Dani broke off from the group for an hour or two. He brought her to Honeydukes and introduced her to all sorts of brand new sweets. He took her to a book store, a hat shop and the Quidditch Emporium, finally stopping at The Three Broomsticks where everyone had agreed to meet.

Dani slid into a bench beside Lily and whispered "How was it?"

Lily smiled, "Later," she whispered back. Lily was more at ease around James than she ever had been. She actually enjoyed his company which was both very new and very nice.

The whole Hogsmeade experience had Dani even more sold on the wizarding world. Everybody there was so nice! It was so different from New York, which was a sort of harsh, gray place to live.

Dani had found a clothing store in the middle of the wizarding heaven, and she took Lily there after a few butterbeers. Obviously, the guys couldn't go help them try on clothes, so Dani and Lily went alone.

"Dish." Dani said, pulling her friend to a large jeans display. Lily really needed help in that department.

Lily smiled self-consciously. "It was really nice. He was so… normal! What about you and Sirius?" she asked, eager to leave the spotlight. Most girls didn't get along very well with Lily, so she wasn't used to 'girl-talk' or really talking about herself at all.

Dani shrugged, "He's cool, I guess…" Lily frowned. She was afraid of that. Dani didn't like Sirius as much as he liked her. "I mean… I like him, but after hearing what he did to all those other girls, it's kind of… hard to trust him. Why would I be any different from Samantha? Or Georgia? Or Sarah?" She'd gotten a few notes in class from girls giving her fair warning that Sirius Black was dangerous territory.

Lily shook her head slightly, "I don't think so." She said quietly, "I don't think he'd do that to you."

"But how do I know that?" Dani asked, concerned. She walked her friend to the dressing rooms with five bundles of denim in her arms.

"I guess… you don't." Lily admitted, stepping into the cubicle to try on her potential new jeans.

"Exactly." Dani said quietly. "I don't."

(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)

The boy's made it back to their dormitory, where a similar conversation was occurring.

"So…You finally have your Lillers?" Sirius said suggestively.

James rolled his eyes. "Today, she was so nice, and normal. It was amazing! She's so...everything I want. What about you and Dani?" he asked, pretty sure that Sirius had asked him out of formality.

An eager smile began to grow across Sirius' features. "She's so great! She's comfortable, and fun, and so different than anybody that I've ever met before!"

James smiled at those words and how they applied to his Lily.

(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)

"Come on!" Sirius whined impatiently the next morning. The girls were taking forever!!!! They were supposed to meet the boys for breakfast five minutes ago!

Remus smiled. He tactfully chose not to point out that Sirius had never had problems waiting for a girl before.

Finally, light footsteps could be heard on the stone steps as Lily and Dani emerged, laughing as hard as they ever had before.

James peaked an eyebrow at Lily actually laughing with somebody. Usually she was so serious. He was suddenly very glad that this Dani had come to their school. She was really good for Lily, who'd suddenly become so care-free and happy, it made his heart glow.

"Hi!" Dani said cheerfully, reaching up to peck Sirius on the cheek.

Suddenly, he didn't mind that she'd been late. She looked amazing even though she hadn't done anything special. Her large silver hoops earrings almost reached her shoulders. He played with one lightly.

"Where do you find these things?" he asked softly, with a mischievous smile.

"Why?" Dani asked sarcastically, "Do you want to get your ears pierced? Because boys and huge hoops don't go together very well."

Sirius laughed, "No," he said happily, "But Snivellus might want one,"

Dani bit her lip, and glanced over at Lily, who, thankfully, was talking to James and not paying attention to Sirius.

"Come on!" Dani exclaimed happily, tugging Sirius toward the exit of the Common Room. He grabbed hold of Remus' sleeve who, in turn, took James, who took Lily, who grabbed onto Dani. They were a human chain making their way…in a circle.

"What? Where are we going?" Lily asked wildly.

The smile on her face lit up her eyes in a way that James had rarely seen before. He didn't know that had been possible to make her any more beautiful, but all it seemed to take was a real, genuine smile. He loved it when she was happy. Her whole person glowed in euphoria.

Sirius took the lead. "It's a secret." He said mysteriously.

"You must do exactly as directed." Remus said seriously.

The girls nodded, while exchanging a 'these guys are such dorks' look.

"Good." James said happily.

Sirius led the group who were still connected by various articles of clothing, down a series of stairways and halls, to a large still life of a bowl of fruit. "Tickle the pear." He instructed.

Lily reached up, remembering her promise to do as instructed, but she couldn't seem to reach all the way up to the pear. Dani tried next, the smile still not gone from her lips.

"Ha!" Dani exclaimed when she managed to poke the pear. Then it started to move, and she jumped back. "What in the…" she muttered. Then reached up and tickled the fruit.

Moments later, Two things happened. The pear turned into a door handle, and Sirius stared openly at Dani.

"What?" she asked, concerned. Did she have something on her face?

"You pierced your belly button?" he asked wildly. Didn't that hurt?

Dani laughed lightly, "Um, yeah? Is that a problem?" she asked nervously.

"No!" Sirius exclaimed, "I just…" He was lost for words. It was sort of...hot!

"Not many people at Hogwarts have naval rings." Remus said calmly, knowing that Sirius would be unable to answer her for several minutes.

Dani resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Who cared who pierced what? "Oh," she said with a shrug. She chose to channel her annoyance into excitement as she grabbed the door handle and pushed. "What's in here?" she asked excitedly.

"Food!" James exclaimed.

Lily smiled. Food was in the Great Hall. Why had the boys led them here? Once inside, Lily could see what James meant by 'food'.

Food was quite literally everywhere. Counters littered with ingredients were off to the sides, and on the right were four large tables that appeared to be set up just like the Great Hall.

"Cool!" Dani exclaimed happily. "How'd you guys know this was here?"

Sirius smiled, "Marauder secret," he said in a voice that was obviously meant to keep her curious.

Lily was slightly less enthused. "Slavery!" she exclaimed when she saw the House Elves scurrying crazily to and fro.

"What?" James gasped. Why was she so upset? He immediately yearned for her smile.

"My school employs slaves!" Lily said unhappily. "Why? Why must slavery persist in a community where wizards are perfectly capable of making food for themselves?"

She ranted for a few more moments, but Dani was lost in her outpour of words.

"Woah there, Lily." She finally said. "Chill. Does anybody here look upset?"

Lily turned on her friend, "That's completely beside the point! Slaves didn't always look miserable! Do you know what would have happened if they did? Maybe these House Elves are unhappy but afraid of showing it!"

Sirius shot Lily a bewildered look, slightly glad that it wasn't his girl that was raving like a maniac. "They're happy. They love working here."

"How do you know that?" Lily shrieked.

Dani sighed lightly. "Come on, Lils. Let's go ask a few of them, okay?"

Lily seemed reluctant, but allowed herself to be led over to a cluster of House Elves who were fussing over a batter of some sort.

"Hello," Lily said nervously.

Dani was more assertive in her inquiry. "Are any of you unhappy at Hogwarts?" she asked bravely.

The Elves twittered quickly, but the general consensus was 'no'.

"Would you rather work somewhere else?" Dani asked. Again, the answer was no. "Have you been completely honest?" The Elves chattered 'yes'.

"Yeah," Lily muttered, almost embarrassed. "But why would they be honest with you? You could be the enemy!"

Dani turned back to her friend. "Lily, listen to yourself."

Lily, in stereotypically red head fashion, blushed rather furiously. "Oh…you're right. I'm being stupid."

"Yes, you are." Dani said calmly, "But we won't tell anybody." Lily giggled quietly, glad that she had such an amazing friend.

They returned to the boys, who were sitting glumly at Gryffindor table, not eating. At the sight of the girl's happy faces, however, they perked up immediately.

"Are you all right?" James asked with concern evident in his eyes.

"Of course I'm all right," Lily smiled. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Behind her, Dani held a finger to her lips, and the boys remained silent.

Together, they ate breakfast, then went up to the Common Room. James thought that Dani's effect on Lily was wonderful. She could calm Lily down without being hexed into oblivion like everybody else would be. James found it much easier to have fun with a calm Lily.

"Truth or Dare!" Dani suggested happily. It was perfect! After all, it was hardly difficult to lie about your darkest secret.

Lily's eyes glittered. "Excellent idea!"

"Smashing!" Sirius agreed.

Remus looked reluctant. Playing that game lead to dark secrets. One secret in particular…Remus was a werewolf.

"Actually, I'm going to go to bed." he said hastily.

Then, he disappeared up the stairs.

Lily smiled sympathetically over at Dani, who was the only one in the room who didn't know why Remus wasn't playing the game.

"We're going to play Truth or Dare with four people?" Dani asked uncertainly.

"Lame!" Lily exclaimed.

"Oh, well." Dani said happily. She tugged Lily behind her, up to their dormitory. "We'll be right back," she called over her shoulder. She needed a little privacy for this conversation.

Once in the seventh year girl's dormitory, Dani's blue eyes lit up excitedly.

"I think there's something weird going on with Remus." She said happily.

Lily cautiously arranged her expression. "Oh? Like what?"

Dani's smile didn't falter. "I don't know. Maybe he's a vampire," she was really hoping for that one. "Or a werewolf or something!" she added quickly.

Lily nodded slowly, "I've thought about that, too. But we can worry about that later. Let's just…keep it on the down-low for now."

Dani shrugged. "I still want to play Truth or Dare," she complained lightly.

Lily shrugged back, "Don't see why we can't. Even if there are only a few people."

Dani grimaced, "No…Let's find something else to do."

Secretly, Lily was happy that Dani didn't want to play. After all, if the boys said anything about their being Animagi, there would be some definite tension.

Dani could feel the fear and anxiety in the air around Remus before he left. That was one of the perks to being a half-vampire. Her senses were heightened immensely.

There were all sorts of restrictions against her and her kind, but she always worked through them. She had a good hold it now. She didn't feel the need for blood or anything like that too often. If she ever couldn't control her desire for real blood, she could eat a blood-sucker. She also had a few vials of blood hidden in the bottom of her trunk, as well. She was one hundred percent safe to be around. It was just that people tended to get upset when they knew.

The Ministry gave them a bit of extra money each month for her to get medical help. That helped them out a lot, especially since she didn't need any outstanding medical assistance besides the occasional blood fix.

It was definitely a good thing that her father was a vampire, but not her mother. He could tell her tricks like the bloodsucker thing. If Dani was a full vampire, her life would be much more difficult, and much less sunny.

Lily shrugged. "The Marauders always have something going on. Let's go ask them what to do."

Dani laughed, "What is with that name?" she asked, "Are they three years old?"

"They think they're the Princes of Prank," Lily explained with a smile. She thought that the name was sort of stupid, too.

Dani shook her head, then allowed herself to be led back down to the boys, who were waiting in the Common Room.

She loved how comfortable she was around everybody, and how well they accepted her, but she wouldn't ever tell them her secret. That was too dangerous.

She'd only told one person other than her parents, and to put it lightly, that did not go well. She'd learned her lesson well, though.

They'd moved to New York, and restarted their lives. She wouldn't do that ever to them again.

A/N-There you go. Now you know a bit more about Dani's past. I think it's pretty ominous, myself. Oh, and Just so you know, I wrote this way before Twilight, so try not to use their Vampire Rules when thinking about Dani, because they didn't exist when I wrote this. And no, Dani is not the daughter of Edward and Bella. As I said before, they didn't exist when I wrote this.

~Dani