AN: Quite a demand for part two of the backstory already. 3 or 4 people wanted it, and it's only been up a day (By the way, the update after this will be an actual chapter. No more backstories, no more italic)! Thank you guys soooo much. Updates usually won't be this fast, but this was pre-written and I wanted to give you something for my appreciation. Here it is!
Disclaimer: I own the plot, and I own Roxi, but that's it. Unless JKR decided to give me the rights … but why would she give them to a complete stranger?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Transfiguration was the bane of my existence. It was so difficult for me sometimes. Thank Merlin I had others to help me, others who could actually manage the assignments and didn't complain when they always had to help me. Sirius and Lily were two of these people.

Lily had been my best girl friend and dorm mate for nearly five whole years now. We'd been practically inseparable for that whole time. The sole exceptions were the times she went off to study in secret with Severus Snape, who wasn't too bad for a Slytherin. We weren't particularly close, but we were friends through Lily. This meant that if he did something to her, that'd be the end of my friendship with him. He had his moments, however. And I knew how close they were, for almost as long as I'd been friends with Sirius. So I could appreciate this when others couldn't.

The only other times we didn't spend together were when I was with the Marauders, as the boys had come to call themselves. On the occasions I helped them with pranks (barely getting any detentions! I was good at hiding my actions and lying, as the Sorting Hat had said back in first year.), they called me a 'Marauderette'. I liked the name, but the 'ette' was irritating. Too girly for me, like my name. Lily didn't approve of how close I was with them, but she was usually okay with it. Mostly because I put up with Snape.

I think Lily would have liked the Marauders a lot more if James didn't keep declaring his love for her at random times, like in the middle of breakfast to a packed Hall. I was actually really good friends with James, so I knew he liked her a lot. But he didn't listen to me when I told him to take it down a notch. I knew she was friends with Remus, him being a prefect and more studious and bookish and rule-following than the rest. I'd told James back in third year to maybe follow Remus' lead. But to no avail.

Or maybe she'd like them if they stopped pulling pranks, getting detentions, and being generally 'obnoxious'. Her word, not mine. But I'd been doing all those things as well, and she didn't hate me. So I think it all came down to what they did and how they did it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The boys came bursting into the common room one March afternoon, making too much noise for Lily's liking. I looked up – Remus and Peter weren't there. It was just James and Sirius, and they were looking like they were prank-planning. I, naturally, wanted a part in this. "How about you keep studying for the OWLs and I'll go calm them down? I know you've gotten sick of trying," I offered.

Lily took one look at them and nodded to me. I set down my Transfiguration notes – how I loathed the subject! – walked over to the boys.

"All right. I want to know what's going on, and I want to know now," I whispered. Sirius tried – and failed – to look innocent. "What do you mean, oh dear Roxi?" I snorted. This act never worked on me, and he was well aware of that.

"I mean, dearest Siri, that you two are going to prank someone. I want in," I got a murderous look from Sirius at the pet name and a funny look from James.

"Actually, Rox, is it alright if you stay out of this one? You know Lily doesn't like when we prank Snape, and she hates it when you help. You're supposed to be friends with Snivellus anyway," he said apologetically. I was stunned. He'd never asked me not to be a part of one of their pranks. In fact, he usually asked if I'd help or had any ideas!

"You know very well that I don't mind pranking Snape. It's more fun for me than any of the others, actually! He doesn't know I have a hand in most. It makes it more fun to talk to him the next day when he's complaining about you. And most times Lily doesn't even know I'm in on it! Why can't I help?" I couldn't help whining a little.

"Look, Roxi, just stay out of it. We'll tell you all about it later. Don't you have to study, or practice Quidditch? You know the Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw match is in a week," Sirius said.

I despised when he tried to change the subject. Yes, I was on the team as a Chaser, but James and Sirius were on it too! James was a Chaser like me (and Captain – Merlin knows he deserved the title.) and Sirius was a Beater. And the studying excuse was a bit rich, because they should've been studying too. Plus, Siri knew I didn't care how I did in any class except Transfiguration. I was scared about failing that.

"Sirius, you know how little I care about classes. And yeah, I want to secure that spot in the House Cup game, but you do too! I don't see you practicing every spare minute. If it means that much to you, I'll keep out of it, but what are you hiding from me?"

I felt hurt, because I was almost certain there was something he didn't want me to know. The two of us knew nearly everything about each other. And I had a little talent that he wasn't aware of – reading the emotion in his eyes. They held guilt right now, so he had to be keeping something from me.

"Let's just say this prank might be a little more – drastic – than the others. We don't want you getting hurt," James intervened.

"Can you at least tell me what you have planned?" I asked. This much they could share, right?

"I don't see a problem with that. What we're going to do is knock him out with a Stunning Spell, then tie him to a Gryffindor banner in the Great Hall. We want everyone to see how much he cares about the lions," James grinned.

"But you can't tell. Or come see it in action. Because he may put up a fight, the git. And we also don't want him falling on you while we're tying him up," Sirius added. I could respect that.

"Okay. I'll keep it a secret. Make sure Lily isn't anywhere near the action when she patrols. I don't know her route tonight. Also make sure Remus keeps her away." They were never careful enough, so I added that extra warning and bade them goodbye. I needed sleep, and I knew Lily needed a nap before her shift.

"Hey Lils, let's go get some sleep before you have to be all prefect-y and stuff," I yawned. She agreed, gathering her notes, and followed me up the stairs.

"Oh, Roxi, did you find out what the boys were doing?" she asked.

I hid a grin and answered, "They weren't doing anything. Just talking." Their joke would be amazing to see the next morning.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I walked into the common room after giving the Fat Lady the password ("Thestrals!") and immediately heard yelling. I knew that voice. Oh no, what had Sirius done now?

"…completely careless! He could have died, Sirius, do you realize that? Do you know how -" Here James' voice faltered. "- he -" (James whispered this.) "Would have felt if he had killed him? You know that's his one big fear! And do you know how I feel about saving him? I usually wouldn't, but this was something my best mate had done!"

So far all I'd gotten out of this was that Sirius had nearly killed someone, that the killer would have felt awful about it, and that James had saved the victim but didn't like it. It didn't make any sense to me. Where was Remus? He could usually calm them down. He had that effect.

"James -"

"No, Sirius, you went too far this time! Roxi was right last night, you were hiding something! Were you actually planning that instead of our prank?"

Whoa, now I was being mentioned? That must mean I was right! Strangely, I didn't feel good about it. I needed to hear more. "Say something else!" I muttered. And they did.

"I wasn't planning it! I just happened to meet him on his own down a corridor. He took his wand out right away. I was thinking to myself 'Relax, Snivellus, I'm not going to do anything right now.' But he was so determined to hex me that I got angry. So I told him what he could do to … you know. I didn't think he'd actually use it – you know he doesn't trust us! It's not my fault he was a stupid git as usual."

So Snape was the victim! One of Lily's best friends. I could imagine why James was so unhappy. But didn't he say he'd saved Snape?

I was so lost that I had to say something.

"I'm confused. I thought you said you'd saved him, James. And Lily would thank you for that. So why are you two fighting?" I asked, revealing that I'd been eavesdropping. Sirius gave me an incredulous, angry look. James looked angry too. But not at me.

"I'm angry because Sirius gave Snivellus information that nearly got the latter killed, and Sirius didn't do anything about it. He came and told me, and then I ran to go tell Snape. Ended up saving his life. Something I hadn't ever planned on doing for my enemy. You can't tell me you'd feel overjoyed about saving Santana? This is the same thing, only Lily wouldn't nearly kill her then not care," He spoke of Lily tenderly.

True. I'd hate helping Santana in any way. She and I were sworn enemies. This was why I was so looking forward to the upcoming Quidditch match. I'd be able to show her that I could beat her, since she was a Chaser on the Ravenclaw team.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry; I need to focus on the present issue.

"That is true, James. But as much as both Lily and I … despise … Santana, neither of us would try to actually kill her." 'On purpose, anyway,' I added under my breath. "Sirius, what were you thinking?"

"I was just thinking it'd be a good laugh. I'm not a murderer; I never will be. I can guarantee you that. It was supposed to be a joke. I'll apologize to him, since it was my fault. Can we just agree to forgive and forget? I'm sorry."

He did look apologetic. And he knew that he'd nearly gotten Snape hurt – or worse, killed. He probably even knew that if Dumbledore wasn't so lenient with the Marauders sometimes he would be expelled. All he'd gotten was a months worth of detentions.

And there was the fact that I forgave him easily for most things. Only once had I really held a grudge against him, in third year. I was talking to him again after a month. So in a way, resistance was futile.

James was clearly thinking the same thing.

"Okay. You're forgiven. But only because you're my best mate and the rest of school would be rotten without you," he conceded. Sirius thanked him then turned to look at me.

"Rox, do you –"

"Why do you need me to forgive you? This is a problem between you two, I just happened to join the conversation. You're off the hook with me, since I don't know the whole story. And even though I want to know, I won't ask. So go find the guy and apologize to him for whatever it was. I'm off," I waved, and then headed up the girls' staircase, curiosity brewing.

I. Would. Not. Ask.

And yeah, I kind of understood why he needed my forgiveness. He knew I'd heard that he'd nearly killed someone – unintentionally, but he still did it. But if it didn't concern me, I didn't need to interfere.

It was more of a want to interfere.

If I knew myself, I knew that wasn't my last say on the subject. I'd know about it soon enough. Sirius was my friend, and he couldn't hide things from me very well. I always got the truth out of him somehow. I knew he would tell me, and he knew he could tell me. We trusted each other with all our secrets.

He knew my fears; getting hurt so badly that I couldn't play Quidditch ever again. A friend turning on me and becoming my worst enemy. A dangerous creature killing me. Spiders, and when I found out about them, Acromantula. I mean come on, those things are terrifying!

I also knew his worries. He was scared of commitment, which was why he only had a girl on his arm for about a week before he broke up with her and moved on to the next one. He was terrified of Thestrals, and in extent, death. Sirius was brave, so he wasn't afraid of much else.

I trusted that boy with my life.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I exited the Great Hall after the Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL with Lily and some friends of ours, chattering about the exam.

"I thought that question about the Kappas was easy, but the one about the Grindylows really confused me. I don't think I got that one right, but other than that and some other ones, I thought I did really well. How about you, Roxi?" Lily asked me.

"Well, I got stuck at the Boggart question for a little while before I remembered what the answer was. I thought the exam as a whole was pretty easy," I replied.

Our group kept walking till we reached the edge of the lake, still talking. A couple girls took off their socks and shoes and rolled up their robes, walking into the cool water. Lily and I had moved our conversation from the OWL to her conversation with Snape the night before.

"- and then he said that Avery and Mulciber were talking about an attack that had happened on a Hufflepuff Muggleborn's family that hadn't been reported in the Prophet. Apparently they wouldn't give information about the wizard in their family, so they got tortured. It's horrible how that can happen, isn't it? Especially to innocent people," Lily shook her head sadly.

"Yeah, it is." I looked away, hoping the family was okay. Something by the beech tree caught my eye. "Hey Lils, it's Snape! And the Marauders. Oh, this can't be good," I groaned. Nothing good ever happened when the boys were facing off.

"What?" She looked to see what I was talking about. It was the five boys. James shouted a spell at Snape, then Sirius did. Snape was knocked to the ground and the spectators started laughing at him. Pettigrew was watching with a gleeful expression on his face and Remus was reading. How could he read with something like that going on right in front of him?

"I've had enough of them fighting! I'm going over there. You coming?" she asked, already starting to walk over. I just followed, a nonverbal 'yes'.

*We got over as James yelled "Scourgify!" at Snape, whose mouth immediately filled with pink bubbles.

I could tell Lily had had enough.

"Leave him ALONE!" she screamed at James. I noticed James automatically reached up to rumple his hair as he and Sirius looked over.

"All right, Evans?" he asked, trying to sound older. It didn't seem to have a positive effect.

"Leave him alone," my best friend repeated with contempt. She really hated him. "What's he done to you?"

"Well, it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean …" James answered, grinning when his response got a laugh from his audience.

I shot a look at Sirius, who looked like he was enjoying the exchange, and shook my head. Sometimes there was no sense in him.

Meanwhile, the argument was still going strong.

"You think you're funny. But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone."

"I will if you go out with me, Evans. Go on … go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again," James said, taking a chance.

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the Giant Squid," Lily responded coldly. James never learned, did he?

Behind James, I saw Snape starting to crawl towards his wand.

"Bad luck, Prongs. OI!" Sirius yelled.

He'd clearly noticed Snape, too.

Before anything could happen, Snape shot a nonverbal spell at James, who received a cut on his face. I felt angry. James was my friend, and he'd never tried to inflict injury on Snape!

James was always able to hold his own, however. A few seconds and a flash of light later, Snape was upside down in the air, robes falling over his head. All around, people started laughing again. I looked at Lily, whose lips twitched like she wanted to laugh along with them. I certainly did. But I'd decided to be on her side for this particular fight. I hid a grin.

Lily's expression went back to anger. "Let him down!" she yelled.

"Certainly," James replied, and did just that. Snape fell on the ground and, as soon as he got to his feet, Sirius said, "Petrificus Totalus!" and we all saw the effect of the spell.

Looking at Lily, I was surprised smoke didn't start pouring out of her ears in anger.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she shouted at her not-so-secret admirer.

She really scared me sometimes. Especially when she was fuming mad at someone and had her wand pointed at them. If it was me that her anger was directed at, I would've backed down by now. I knew what she could do when she lost her temper.

Clearly, James had the opposite reaction.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," he said seriously.

I looked at him in disbelief. No one messed with a livid Lily Evans.

"Take the curse off him, then!" Lily yelled back. I felt like telling her to use her indoor voice. She was beginning to give me a headache from all her shouting.

James complied and reversed the curse on Snape.

"There you go," he said. "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus –"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"

I drew in a breath. He had crossed the line.

I turned to Lily, who looked like she had seen a ghost – or more likely, the person Snape really was. She quickly overcame it, but I could still see the hurt and betrayal in her eyes.

I couldn't blame her.

"Fine. I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus."

James was livid.

"Apologize to Evans!" he roared at Snape, dangerously angry.

"I don't want you to make him apologize. You're as bad as he is," Lily shouted.

Uh oh. Headache's back.

"What? I'd NEVER call you a – you-know-what!"

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can – I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK." Lily insulted him.

I didn't say anything.

Lily, done with the fight, walked away. She didn't look back, even when James called after her. I followed. She needed time to cool off before seeing either James or Snape again.*

I didn't say anything.

"Rox, that was horrible. Severus … I can't believe it …" Lily started to cry, cutting off her words, as we walked.

I couldn't find the words to say. She was in so much pain. So I let her cry, hugging her.

I still didn't say anything.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"…and by the time we got back to the dorms she was sobbing. Sobbing, Sirius! I can't believe Snape would do that. Well, I can believe that he would do that in general, just not to Lily! They were best friends! He was her first magical friend, and he betrayed her. She cared about him. Best friends … I am going to make Snape wish he'd never been born. Poor Lily." I took a breath, and Sirius decided to take that as a chance to get some words in.

"We knew he was a scumbag. I'm not surprised he called her a –" – here he stumbled over the word- "– a you-know-what. He and his pack of Slytherin cronies call every Muggleborn that. James and I both think she's better off without him."

I gaped at him. "Excuse me? They were best friends! No one is 'better off' without their best friend. She balanced him out. He was kinder around her. Now he's going to be terrible, and she won't ever talk to him again. He meant so much to her. And you think this is a good thing?"

I was shocked, to say the least. I thought Sirius would feel bad about having a hand at causing this to happen. It was because he and James decided to attack Snape that the latter had called his former best friend a Mudblood!

"Kinder? Rox, you heard him. No kind person calls their so-called best friend the worst name imaginable. As for being terrible, well, he was always the worst excuse for a living person I've known. He's horrible with Evans or without her," Sirius argued.

I could not believe him.

"Why are you saying this? Snape pretty much broke Lily's heart, and you're almost supporting him. I know you're taking James' side, and I know James likes her – hell, everyone knows James likes her! – but if he really did, he would want the best for her. He'd want her to be happy. And right now, Sirius, Lily is anything but happy."

"How did we get to the topic of James? Merlin, you're twisted. We were talking about how Snape is no good for Evans. James has nothing to do with that!"

Oh joy. Now we were yelling.

"Sirius, James may not have everything to do with it, but he's a contributing factor. And Snape was good for Lily! Did you not hear what I said? They were friends for years, and one conversation wrecked that. A conversation that wouldn't have happened if Lily hadn't gone over to stop you guys from being mean to him!" Seriously, is he always this dense, or am I just figuring this out now?

But what he said next drove everything out of my mind, except for my anger.

"Then Evans shouldn't have come over to stop it."

And he said it so calmly, scornfully, that I couldn't help but wonder: 'Who is this boy, and what happened to my best friend?'

I was so close to shouting at him. But I wouldn't.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Whoops. Shouting. But I really didn't care anymore. "OF COURSE LILY WOULD HAVE TRIED TO STOP IT! HE WAS HER BEST FRIEND! SHE WAS SICK OF YOU AND JAMES ATTACKING HIM, SO SHE TRIED TO STOP YOU! JUST LIKE SHE ALWAYS DOES!" I was breathing hard, looking at Sirius incredulously. He knew Lily would have done what she did, and here he was, arrogantly ridiculing her actions. Actions that had been repeated however many times were necessary. He was picking now to do this?

"Shut up, Roxanna. Stop trying to defend Snape. You don't even like him, you never did! I don't understand why you're doing this." Sirius didn't look confused. He looked … haughty. Like he thought he was better than everyone.

Better than me.

"Don't you DARE tell me to shut up, Sirius Black! I can say whatever I like. And I'm going to. You're right, I've never liked him, but I'm defending him because you always do this. You always pick him to be the victim. And someday, that's going to come back to bite you in the arse."

My next few words would do so much more damage than I'd ever thought they could.

"And … I'm not sure I want to be around you when that happens."

Sirius took in a breath shakily. Furiously.

"You don't want to be around me. That means … that means you don't want to be my friend," He said, staring at me.

I nodded, lowering my eyes. I couldn't think when he looked at me like that, much less say anything.

"After all these years? After all we've been through together, you don't want to be friends anymore?"

Again, I nodded. This time, I held my head high. I was not going to shy away.

"Fine. I don't, either."

I breathed out. I knew that Sirius could've gotten a whole lot worse.

Then Sirius took the damage I did, and turned it into a disaster.

"Why would I want to be friends with a Mudblood, anyway?" he sneered.

I gasped. If Snape has crossed the line when he'd said that word to Lily, then Sirius had started fighting against his side. He knew what saying that could do. Our friendship had ended, and Sirius had pretty much made sure that it could never be reformed.

And for the first time, Sirius actually looked like a Black. His heritage was shining through, strong and proud. I could not believe it had taken me this long to realize that this is who he was. He was born a Black, and he would always be a Black.

For seven years, I had fallen for his act. Not anymore. I knew who he really was, and I was determined to make sure that he would never hurt me like this again.

I turned away, not allowing even one tear to escape my eyes. Without looking back, I left. Just walked away from my former best friend. Now I knew how Lily had felt just two days before.

Now I knew how it felt to have your heart broken, by the one person you would never have expected it from.

Words that are spoken aloud inside the ** belong to JKR.

AN: Roxi's heart is broken. Poor her. Sirius is horrible, isn't he? Next chapter there'll be Sirius POV, so you can see how he's dealing with what he caused.
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