I guess people liked the first chapter so i decided not to keep you waiting to read the next one so here it is.Enjoy!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Lily and I finally found an empty compartment and got settled, she looked at me and just started laughing. I gave her a quizzical look and rolled my eyes. Sometimes I just didn't get her at all. I didn't see what could possibly be so funny that she would be in hysterics?

"Lily, I love you very much so I'm hoping you won't take any offense to what I'm about to say but you need major mental help."I said.

"H-h-h-he...a-a-and when you...and t-t-then the t-t-thing..."She stuttered and laughed even harder.

"What are you saying?"I asked."Calm down and breathe already!"

Her hysterics slowly faded to giggles and she wiped tears of laughter from her face. She just stared at me still giggling.

"Are you done now?"I asked.

"The look on his face was priceless when you threw that handle at him. I still can't believe you did that."She said disbelievingly.

"Well I'm sick of his attitude and him strutting around like he owns everything and everyone and I just wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his face just once and oh he just annoys the crap out of me."I ranted.

"What happened to saying 'just ignore it, hell go away eventually' everytime he pissed you off?"She asked.

"Ignoring him hasn't worked for the past five years so why should it work now?"I scowled.

"I thought it was really funny though."She started laughing again while I stared out the window and watched the countryside whizz by.

The Marauders

"I am going to get her so good for this. Do you see the mark that left!?DO YOU SEE IT!!"Sirius whined.

He had been sitting in the compartment, looking at his reflection in a mirror from one of his many fans for almost ten minutes. There was already a visible lump right in the middle of his forehead from the handle of Pepper's trunk hitting him.

"Calm down Padfoot. You're just mad that she finally got you."James said with a laugh."And boy did she get you good."

"Well you have to admit you've had it coming for what five years now?"Peter piped up.

"Oh shut it Wormtail."

"Jeeze. When you threaten his looks he gets kinda testy doesn't he, Mooney."James replied.

"Don't worry it'll go away in a few hours."Remus said.

"Or a few days, maybe a week at the most."said James,"I'm sure your fans will come back when you don't look like you're growing a second head anymore."

"You guys are the worst friends ever. I hope you know that."Sirius said.

He turned back to the mirror and scowled at his reflection and the now bruised lump on his head. The rest of the marauders howled with laughter around him.

Pepper

"Come on Pepper wake up!"Lily yelled in my ear.

I jolted awake and looked sleepily up at her. I honestly couldn't remember when I fell asleep but now the land scape was pitch black as it raced past the window. Lily was half way into her school robes so I guessed that we must have been almost there. I stood up and streched before reaching toward my trunk to pull out my robes. When I opened my trunk I heard Lily snort so I looked up to see what the problem was.

"What?"I asked.

"Do you just throw everything in at the last minute when you pack or does it take you a few days to create a mess like that?"She replied.

"Shut up! It takes talent to be this unorganized thank you very much."I retorted.

After a few minutes of digging I found my robes and shoved everything else back in. When I closed the lid I heard Lily snort again but this time I didn't bother saying anything about it. I knew it would just end up with her making another smart remark about how much of a mess my trunk was. I stood up and pulled my robes on just as the train started slowing down. Thank God we would be getting off the train soon. I really hated having to sit still for that long. I sat back down bouncing in my seat as Lily resumed reading her book. How she could just sit there and read was beyond me. She peeked over the top of her book and eyed me with a weird expression on her face.

"Not excited are you?Iknow two year olds that can sit still longer than you."She said.

"Hogwarts is like my home. I can't help being excited to go back."I grinned and she smiled back.

"This summer wasn't really that bad was it?"She asked tentatively.

I looked away trying to find an excuse not to answer when the train finally shuddered to a stop. I stood up quickly and opened the compartment door.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."She said quietly.

"Thanks Lily."I turned and smiled at her.

She always understood and knew when I didn't want to talk about something or bring up any bad memories. That's what I loved most about her. She never tried to pry into anything but let me tell her on my own time. I would eventually tell her what had happened but not just yet. It kept replaying in my mind but I wanted nothing more than to just forget it.

Flashback

My dad and I were currently having a screaming match about me being magic, started by me saying I would be leaving for Hogwarts in a few days. He hated anything to do with my witchcraft or anything to do with any type of magic and thats why he left my mother. When my parents met, my mother never told my dad that she was a witch. Even when they got married she never said anything or let on even a little bit. Then when she had me something went wrong and she would have died if her magic hadn't taken control and fixed her. My dad had of course suspected something and when they took me home a week later she cracked and told him everything. Then he filed for divorce and my mother, not having anywhere to live lost custody of me when dad kicked her out of the house. Thats all I was ever told, I never met her or even found out where she lived. When my dad found out what I was he hated me too. As long as I stayed quiet and out of his way things were fine but when we did start fighting, things went very bad.

"I DON'T SEE WHY YOU CAN'T JUST ACCEPT IT! MAGIC IS PART OF WHO I AM AND IT SHOULDN'T MATTER TO YOU IF I'M A WITCH OR NOT! I'M YOUR DAUGHTER SO YOU SHOULD JUST LOVE ME FOR WHO OR WHAT I AM!"I screamed.

"IT'S JUST NOT NATURAL CAYANNE! YOU SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO WHATEVER IT IS YOU DO! WHY DO YOU THINK YOU CAN'T TELL ANYBODY ABOUT IT OUTSIDE OF THAT SCHOOL YOU GO TO! EVERY NORMAL PERSON IN SOCIETY WOULD SEE YOU AS THE FREAK THAT YOU REALLY ARE!"He yelled back.The vein in the middle of his forehead was popping out. I was seriously pissing him off.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT EVERYONE ELSE WOULD SAY!IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME! WHAT DOES MATTER IS THAT NOTHING I EVER DO IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU! I HATE LIVING HERE AND GETTING PUT DOWN EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE!"I shouted back. I wasn't going to let him know that almost every day at school was just as bad.

"WELL IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT HERE THEN YOU CAN JUST LEAVE AND DON'T BOTHER COMING BACK THIS TIME!"He yelled even louder.

"WELL YOU CAN JUST KISS MY WHITE ASS!"I screamed and turned around to walk away.

I pushed it too far that time. Though saying something like that might not seem like much, saying it to my father was like calling him every bad name in the book and spitting in his face. He grabbed my arm with a death grip, whipped me around and punched me with a swift upper cut to my jaw. He released his hold on my arm and I stumbled against the wall.

"Pack all of your shit, get out, and if I ever see you anywhere around here I will not hesitate to kill you."He growled.

End Flashback

I rubbed my right arm absentmindedly where the bruise from his hand was still a deep purple. The one on my jaw was still sore but I had covered the large reddish purple blemish with a whole lot of cover up. I was just glad that Lily hadn't noticed it yet. I forced a smile as she pulled me along behind her to get off the train. The crowd jostled us as we slowly made our way down the corridor and out the door. On the platform in hogsmeade station, I took a deep breath and I could almost feel the magical charge in the air. A real smile spread across my face as a cool breeze ruffled my hair and gently swirled my cloak around me. Excitement coursed through my veins as we climbed into a carriage with a couple of Lily's other friends from our year and took off toward the school. After a few minutes I could see some of the many turrets and then the gleaming lights shining through the windows of the great hall. The magnificent castle, grounds, and the lake slowly unfurled before us in a breathtaking sight.

"Welcome home Pepper."Lily whispered in my ear.

I grinned as my heart swelled with happiness.