I'm on chapter four… believe me, I did not expect this. Thank you so much for all your support! And a special thank you to a review I received recently, correcting Steph's German in chapter 2. I'll take extra care to ensure all German is correct in the future! Thanks for letting me know!

This chapter is dedicated to my Kelly, as I wish her all the best in her dance show, which should be very soon. It's also a congratualtions for doing so well on her dance exam.

Here's an interesting sidenote- it's my birthday on Sunday, so you guys can leave me a review as a present! Just think… I can now legally use magic outside of school! Sweet or what?

This was a longer author's note than usual… I apologise for that. I promise, you'll see the plot developing properly soon. I promise!

Anyway, enjoy chapter four, and leave a review please! They make my day!

Chapter 4

October dawned, and the gloom of September had seemingly faded overnight. The grounds outside were a glimmering multi-tone of reds, yellows and oranges. Even the pumpkins for the Halloween Banquet had sprung up overnight. The pupils were back in to their old routine of lessons, meals and bed… life seemed right in the castle.

James scribbled his work out furiously, muttering under his breath. Alice watched in a bewildered fixation. "Now there is some good gossip—James Potter actually does his work. Will the wonders ever cease?"

Sirius laughed boisterously and put his arm around James. "Hardly. I know my Prongs, and he would not spend precious eating time on work. This would be the Quidditch team, correct?"

"Yeah… I promised to post the results tonight on the board, and so far, I've only decided on a Seeker, two Chasers and a possible Keeper," James said with a sigh.

"No Beaters?" Alice asked.

"The Chasers are priority right now. I need just one more…"

Remus rolled his eyes and drank his orange juce. He began to re-read today's Potions homework.

'Alchemy is a combination of Potions and the Muggle study of 'Chemistry'. Egyptian alchemists are credited with being the first to endevour in the study, creating gold from less precious metals. Alchemy operates on the principle of equivelant exchange. The fundamental property of this is: obtaining can only take place if something of equal value is first lost. For example—'

"Remus, could you explain more about Chemistry? It sounds like a fascinating study. Please?" Ryan asked.

"Later, okay? I want to—James, your hair is green again!"

"I like it now… I think I pull it off. Look at me, I'm beautiful!" James said, ruffling his hair as he so often did.

Alice, the resident fashionista, clicked her tongue in annoyance. There were times where you could hardly believe calm, cool and collected Alice was friends with fiery, opinionated Lily. One of the few things they did hold on mutual ground, though, was their immense hatred of James Potter.

Sirius frowned at Alice, as though just noticing her presence. "Speaking of hair, how is yours doing that, Alice?"

"Doing what?" she asked.

"Dunno… It looks all blonde… and then at the top it's… not."

Remus took a sharp intake of breath and glanced at Alice. Most men in the Muggle world knew it was best to not tell a woman about her roots. The Muggle men knew the painful consequences. The wizards on the other hand…

Shockingly, Alice shrugged. "I don't know. Lily beached my hair in the summer, and now it's… doing this."

Remus laughed and put away his Potions essay. "That's bleached, Ally."

"Oh, yeah, that. Is it supposed to do this?"

"Yes, don't worry. It's a perfectly natural process. If you prefer it blonde, you can bleach it again."

Alice frowned and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "No… I liked being a dark haired beauty, and if you have any sarcastic comment to make, Black, I suggest you keep it to yourself."

This consequently sparked an argument on the injustice of denying a man his right to joke when the punchline is so easy. Remus shrugged, and tore a piece of toast off. "So, Ryan, why the sudden interest in Muggles?"

"Well, there are so many differences between us that it's interesting to have a basic understanding of their habits, beliefs and the way they've flourished without the assistance of magic."

A low, venomous chuckle caused the group to turn. Behind them stood a tall Slytherin girl, who sneered at Ryan. Her claret hair flowed freely, tumbling down her white shirt, drawing attention to her open buttons and cleavage. Her cold steel eyes stared at them, an arrogant gleam mocking them.

"Something funny, Leigh-Ann?" Alice hissed.

"Oh, not funny… I just find it amusing," she said, her voice an earthy, husky murmur. "I mean, really, a Lancaster taking interest in Muggles? And a Potter and a Black too… Sirius, honey, I didn't see you at Narcissa's wedding last week. It was simply divine!"

Sirius smirked. "Well, honey," he said, stressing the petname, "I thought that, with you, Cissy and husband dearest there… with all that ego in one room, you wouldn't have room for lil ol' me."

She flicked her hair back. "You may mock all you want, but your fraternising with half-bloods and mudbloods has—"

"Don't call her that," James said, standing up. He glared harshly at Leigh-Ann, his fists clenching.

Leigh-Ann shrugged and tugged her shirt down. "Whatever. This is a waste of my precious time. All I request is that you stop dirtying the pure-blood name with your ridiculous sympathy for… lesser people." She smiled sweetly. "I bid you adieu, gentlemen."

"What a bitch," Alice said darkly, as Leigh-Ann stalked back to the Slytherin table.

Remus frowned. As one of the minority of his friends to be raised in a Muggle environment, he often felt like that he was missing a big part of knowledge. He had no clue how the wizarding families did things, or how extreme their views on half-bloods and Muggle-borns truly were.

"Are you guys all raised like that…?" he asked tentatively.

"Not all of us. My family are Muggle-sympathisers. Mother finds them adorable," Ryan said.

"Mine are indifferent," James said. "They're happy to ignore them and continue with their lives."

"Mine have no control over me, so it makes no difference," Sirius said with a grin.

Alice shook her head. "It's just scum like her, who swan around like they own the place. Not all pure-bloods are bad. It's just people like… well… did you see 'The Prophet'?"

The Marauders shook their heads. Alice sighed. "There's been an increase on attacks on Muggles. These guys just swoop in, torture and kill these poor Muggles… and disappear like that. It's a mystery. The Ministry has no clue who's doing it, but they think it's an organised syndicate—like a… mafia?"

"Wow, so some people are that elitist, huh?"

"Well, you're half-blood, right? Don't you know about this kind of thing?"

Remus paused and shook his head. "No, I was raised by my father. He's Muggle… he didn't know I'd end up being magical…"

He glanced out the window, to the autumn leaves falling. The leaves fell like snowflakes, gently descending to the ground. It was beautiful sight, watching the hues of yellow and red blend in to a—

Strange… that yellow looked vaguely blue-ish in tint. Perhaps his eyes were playing up again… why was his head suddenly pounding?

"Moony, you look pale. Are you OK?" Sirius asked.

To lie or be honest… that was the dilemna. It was an odd thing to hallucinate colours… he hadn't heard of such a ting before. Perhaps it was fatigue… He hadn't slept much, after all.

"I… feel ill," he said finally.

Sirius put his hand on Remus' forehead. "You're burining up… go back to bed and meet us at Lunch."

Remus nodded. "I think I will… bye."

He gathered his things and hastely waited, trying desperately to hide that nagging feeling that he was going insane. It was normal to see things with a fever… headaches caused that kind of thing. He was fine.

He flew up the main stairs, determined to get away from the loud clattering of the Great Hall. His heart was palpitating to an extreme speed, sending his head spinning. The pain was unbearable—it was as though his limbs were on fire. He only felt like this during a transformation… surely he couldn't… it was morning! And almost a half moon for that matter. He was fine and sane. He was—

"I'm not insane," he said aloud, angry at his subconscious.

A scared Hufflepuff girl looked up at him. "I-If you say so, mister…"

Nick caught up to Sirius in the Foyer, flirting shamelessly with a gaggle of giggling sixth-year girls. "Sorry ladies, I need him," he said.

They groaned and continued grudgingly on to their lessons. Sirius put his arms up in protest. "Hey, I was working my magic!"

"They weren't even legal!"

"There wasn't a creepy age difference between us. Don't be so… oh, what's the word… boring."

Nick sighed and grabbed Sirius' arm. "Let's go, Romeo. We're staring a new topic today, so we need to be on time."

"Romeo?"

"It mystifies me that you didn't take Muggle Studies."

Sirius laughed and walked with Nick across the grounds, discussing who they thought would make the team this year. After five minutes of walking, they finally reached the usual meeting place for Care of Magical Creatures.

Care of Magical Creatures was one of Sirius' favourite lessons. He adored being surrounded by the open space of the Hogwarts grounds, and feeling the air whip through his long onyx hair. He loved admiring the creatures that were paraded in front of them. He even loved correcting some of the know-it-all Slytherins, who acted to cool to care. He loved the freedom they had.

It was a well-kept secret that Sirius was a good student. Oh, sure, he was sent out of a lesson at least twice a week, had detention most Fridays, and had a reputation as something of a Joker… but he had talent, and that was the main thing.

Charms and incantations were easily memerised. Potion ingredients, he could list off at the drop of a hat. And magical creatures…

He'd always exceled in this lesson. Nick was, better than him, granted, but Sirius provided close competition. He loved all creatures—Demiguises, Kneazles, Manticores… Werewolves…

What was wrong with Remus today, anyway? He seemed more… wolfish, of late. Ever since the Lancaster boy had been joining them, Remus seemed edgier, more aggressive. Perhaps it was Ryan's influence that was making Remus so on edge.

Professor Kettleburn appeared before them, wearing his trademark marroon cloak. He was an impressive man, large in stature, presence and in size. He was possibly the only person at Hogwarts to come close to matching his aid, Hagrid. Time had been kind to him—few wrinkles blemished his wide face and he betrayed no sign of withering. Were it not for the fact that his body had submitted in its battle with gravity, and the silvery hair that grew on his head, he would look much younger than his eighty-seven years.

He addressed his students in his his rumbling tenor. "Morning, class! I have a treat for you today!"

Leigh-Ann, who had been absent for most of the previous month, sighed and rolled her eyes. "Don't you always?"

Professor Kettleburn stroked his fading grey beard, contemplatively. He apparently, had opted to ignore the cutting comment. "Now, who can tell me who Eris was?"

There was a quiet mumble amongst the students. Sirius grinned. Time for the Joker to come in to play. "Come on, Prof, you know how this works. You'll ask a question, we won't know, I'll make some smartass comment that secretly amuses you, and then Nicky-boy here," he said, patting Nick's back "will swoop in and save the day. Can we just skip that today?"

"Oh good, it's not just me noticing the rut we're stuck in," Kettleburn said with a smile.

Nick sighed. "Eris was the Greek goddess of discord and strife. She was the one who provided Paris with the golden apple, for the fairest of them all, thus starting the Trojan war."

"Outstanding, m'boy! Now, what do you think she has to do with today's lesson?"

Sirius raised his hand slowly. "They're a species of the 'Allures', right? Like Nymphs and stuff."

"…Correct… should I be on the look out for some indication of impending doom?"

The other students laughed. Sirius merely bowed dramatically. "I was due a shining moment at some point, Prof! Where's your faith?"

"Do you care to elaborate on what an Allure is?"

A smirk. "Not really… you know how shy I get! I simply abhor the limelight."

This earned a few hearty chuckles from his classmates. Professor Kettleburn rolled his eyes. "Mr Latanée?"

Nick looked down. "They're a collection of species that have… an allure to them, I suppose. They creatures that bewitch wizards and Muggles, be it with looks, voices, or with any other characteristic they have at their… disposal…"

"Correct! Eris are a form of Allure. They attract people in… an unconventional way. She was the goddess of strife… and likewise they become a being of strife. They're that intangible love you want to possess, but can never hold. Perhaps it's because of circumstance, or maybe tradition… but they take that form."

Liam, the tallest of the Ravenclaw congregation, raised his hand. "So these chicks… they're dangerous?"

"Dangerous, yes. But 'chicks', as you so ignorantly put it… this is what makes the Eris so special. They're the only Allure breed that has male counterparts."

Nick looked up. "They can be men…"

"Indeed. They take any form, as long as they cause strife in the heart."

"Could you give us an example of strife?"

Kettleburn frowned. "Well, let's say a woman from a high-class wizard family meets an Eris. That Eris would probably be… some form of servant, or someone of a lower class."

"Someone they can't have…"

"Exactly. Now Allures include Veelas, Nymphs, Sirens, Eris and Mermaids. Now, who besides Nick knows the difference between a mermaid and a siren?"

No one raised their hands. Nick sighed and raised his.

"No, no, Nick, I think now would be a good time to introduce my own Allure."

From the paddock emerged a young woman. She looked younger than most of the students, with her soft face framed by tumbling curls. Her lips were shaped like a rose petal, with the exact same shade of pink. Even in the grossly misfitting workclothes, and clumsy combat boots, she looked strangely elegant walking towards them—a seraphic vision clad in khaki. It was her eyes that were the most striking— a deep, wooden brown which gleamed with an experienced weariness.

"This is Eleanor Dalby, and she'll be my new assisstant. Eleanor, can you tell them the difference between a siren and a mermaid."

Eleanor frowned at the class, with a look which said 'you-should-know-this' and then sighed. "The difference... their apperance, the location they are indiginous to, the food they eat, the pitch they sing at, mating—"

"I thought they could only be girls," piped a Slytherin, Courtney.

"You can be a mermaid and not be an Allure."

"Oh… how does that make sense?"

"You can be a Quidditch player and be a Seeker, but you don't have to be a Seeker to be a Quidditch player. Likewise you can be a mermaid and an Allure, but you don't have to be an Allure to be a mermaid."

"That was a quick analogy," Professor Kettleburn remarked.

Eleanor looked at him and flashed her eyebrows in a 'you-should-know-better' manner. "I'm always prepared."

Professor Kettleburn laughed loudly and grinned at his class. "She looks like a Pixie, enchants like a Nymph, but has the ferocity of a Hungarian Horntail. You should be careful around this one, boys. But what a woman she is!" His gaze suddenly focused beyond the class, and a bright grin illuminated his wide face. He waved over to the new figure. "And it seems another Allure has graced us. What a luck day, indeed! Steph, my pet, it's rare you trek this far from your books. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Steph grinned back and ran over manically, excitement evident in her eyes. "I wanted to see them! I know you said you'd show me later… but pretty please? I have to see them!"

Professor Kettleburn waggled his sausage of an index finger at her teasingly. "Ah, ah, ah! Patience is a virtue. You should know this."

"Impatience is not a sin, though, so in theory, I'm fine. Please?"

Professor Kettleburn guffawed, a booming sound which disturbed the newly tames Porlocks in their pen. "Well, Hagrid should be here soon, and he'll take you to see your kittens, oh, impatient one."

"Cats?" Leigh-Ann cried, a contemptuous sneer playing on her flawless lips.

Steph spun around, with a child-like beam. "Chesire Cats! Oh, they are the most brilliant things! They have beautiful golden eyes, the softest fur…" Steph gushed, clasping her hands. Her eyes met Sirius' and she addressed him, as though they were the closest of friends. "Siri, has Rem told you about the book club? Will you be joining?"

Sirius chuckled at this, though it was drowned by the louder laughs of his peers. "I don't read for fun… or out of free will. Moony is the Marauder bookworm, I'm just the lovable Maverick."

"Oh, well shameless advertising anyway! You're all welcome!"

Eleanor clicked her tongue irratibly and crossed her arms, shooting a withering look at Steph. "Excuse me, but I'm trying to teach."

"Oh, sorry. I'm just… bored. I have nothing to do."

"Well, kindly take your boredom elsewhere. Clearly, we are busy."

The women stared at each other—Eleanor with an icy contempt and infinite loathing, Steph with a childish curiosity and oblivious smile. "I'm just standing back here. You won't notice I'm here, Ella!"

"Don't call me—"

Sirius raised his hand and started waving it. "Ella, I have a question!"

Eleanor sighed, clearly tired of the distractions. "Yes, Mr. Black?"

"Could Allures breed together? Like, a Nymph with a Mermaid? Actually… how do Mermaids breed?"

Nick chuckled and grinned at Sirius, who winked back. Typical Sirius… even when he was playing mediator, he was thinking of sex…

"A Nymph-Allure and a Mermaid-Allure couldn't breed—they're both female. An Eris-Allure could, in theory, breed with a Nymph-Allure; but bear in mind that Allures are immune to the charms of other Allures. We'll cover Mermaids in a few weeks, so we'll discuss mating then."

Just then, Hagrid appeared, carrying several large logs in his arms. "Here yeh go, Professor. Plenty o' wood here ter keep the fires goin' fer the—oh, sorry, Professor. Didn't mean ter disturb yeh."

It was then that Eleanor's short physique became gravely apparent. Standing beside Hagrid, Eleanor looked even more like a Pixie. Perhaps she was aware of this towering presence, or she possibly was reacting to being addressed as 'Professor', as she suddenly straightened up and spoke with a lofty importance.

"Oh, it's quite alright, Hagrid. Someone else beat you to it," Eleanor said, glaring at Steph.

Steph didn't flinch, and merely tugged on Hagrid's sleeve. She looked up to him with the smallest of pouts playing on her lips. Allure was right… she knew how to use her feminine tricks to beguile. "Will you show me the Chesire Cats, please? I'm being a hinderance, and I don't want to disturb Ella any farther…"

Hagrid flushed and dropped the logs in the pile of others. He offered his arm to Steph, who graciously accepted. "O' course yer not! An' o' course I'll show you them cats… they're beauts, aren't they? Had one o' them in me hand jus' before—a kitten, mind. Jus' curled up an' started ter purr at me."

Steph grinned and they walked away merrily, discussing Chesire Cats, and their cute appeals. Professor Kettleburn muttered something to Eleanor, who sighed. She looked at the class. "Well, I suppose we had better start on Veelas first. They are one of the most—"

"Couldn't we learn more about Eris?" Nick asked.

Professor Kettleburn laughed once again. "My, my Mr. Black… you certainly influenced Mr. Latanée. I suppose it couldn't hurt to deviate from the lesson… what do you say, Miss Dalby?"

"Oh… I suppose there's no harm. I'll just rearrange the lesson plans tonight." She pulled out her wand and pointed it towards the broom closet. "Accio chairs!"

Dozens of white plastic garden chairs came flying from the shed, soaring above the class' head and landing neatly in four rows. Two seats landed at the front. For the first time in their four years of Care of Magical Creatures, the seventh-years had a classroom.

"I had Hagird bring these out, just in case," she said. "Now Eris… the golden apple for the fairest of them all. It's a cute story, but all it really illustrates is the Eris' nature of revelaing themselves to Muggles. They can be rather dramatic in that respect; of course, it's dependant on the nature of the individual Eris."

"So, wait, they have personalities?" Liam asked.

Eleanor sighed. "Of course they do. They're virtually indistinguishable from humans."

"But if they're beasts—"

"Centaurs are beasts. Are you insinuating that Centaurs have no personality? To make that claim, you'd need to have same conception of personhood that wasn't philosophically vulgar. Many Muggle philosophers have endeavoured to solve this very problem of personhood. It's reasons like this that extremists in 1811 were halted in their campaign to classify Muggles as 'beasts'—that is, an unintelligent creature, who could not understand nor assist in the shaping of wizarding laws. Only Mermaids of the Allures are in the best category, or their own volition. Eris are 'beings'."

Nick raised his hand, rapidly scribing all that Eleanor had said. "So, how are we to distinguish Eris from humans? Are there any more differences we should be aware of?"

Eleanor smiled at Nick. This boy was swiftly becoming her favourite pupil. She recognised the yearning for knowledge his his large eyes.

"Well, physically they are identical, however, all Eris are pale. Some to the point of looking anaemic. Also, they tend to seem… perfect. They are the Mary-Sues of the creature world."

"What's a Mary-Sue?" asked a short Hufflepuff, Roger.

"It's… It's like… I can't give you a concrete definition. Ask the Librarian, or I hear you have a Literature professor here."

Sirus laughed. "You just sent her packing!"

Eleanor flushed. Clearly, she had no idea who the 'hinderance' had been. "O-oh. Anyway, they vary in nature, but they tend to fall perfectly in to either the introvert or extrovert grouping. It makes them seem almost… robotic."

Nick frowned. "And… in theory, they could masquerade as a wizard?"

"Oh, no. They have no magical powers. It is possible for them to marry in to wizarding families and have wizard children. The family need never know that they're an Eris."

"I see…"

Professor Kettleburn clapped his hands together. "That will do! I've seen all I need to see."

"Excuse me?"

Professor Kettleburn smiled and stood from his seat. "How would you feel about taking the seventh-years for their Monday and Thursday lessons?"

"Really? Wow! That would be—I mean… if you think I'm ready, then I accept."

"I believe you are. That's all we have time for folks. We had a late start after all." His eyes met Sirius'. "Some of us were a bit delayed in our arrival this morning."

Sirius nudged Nick. "Yeah, Nick!"

Transfiguration had been painful, both mentally and physically. McGonagall had decided to tell them that they were to sit mock N.E. soon, so as to determine whether additional lessons were required. As for the physical aspect…

"For crying out loud, Wormtail!" James moaned, rubbing his side. "All you had to do was turn an eggcup in to a hamster. How the hell did you screw that up?"

Peter frowned. "Well, I… I don't know! I did everything McGonagall said to do."

"No, you didn't. You had the wand movement wrong, and you didn't ennunciate. That's why your eggcup decided to bite us," Ryan said matter-of-factly.

Sirius laughed. Ryan was a know-it-all, and it annoyed him… but the look on Peter's face was priceless. He suddenly started waving. "Nick! Hi! I haven't seen you in, like… ages!"

Nick stood outside the Charms classroom, bidding farewell to Professor Flitwick. "Oh, hi, Sirius. Hey guys, what's up?" He smiled at Ryan. "And hello again, Ryan."

'Okay, I can do this one. A simple hello. That will suffice.'

"H-hello again. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks, and yourself."

"Good. I'm good."

They turned the corner to the main staircase. "So, will you be joining us for Lunch?" James asked.

"I'd love to, but I already made plans to study with Lucy."

"Oh, that fit bird for Care of Magical Creatures? You sly dog, you!" Sirius said with a smirk.

"…Right… anyway, thanks for the offer. He smiled at the group. "See you later."

He left their ranks, only to be replaced with Remus mere seconds later. "I thought I'd catch up to you! Ryan, you look glum."

"Well, yes, I feel rather glum. My chances seemed to have become suddenly limited."

Remus frowned, taking a moment to decode this. Then he nodded. "Oh, I see… I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright. It's hardly your doing."

Peter huffed. "What are you—"

Suddenly, he was interrupted by the sight of a short fifth-year boy ran over to the Marauders. He had short, well-kept onyx hair, which was groomed to perfection. He, unlike the Gryffindor group, wore his uniform properly— his shirt tucked in, his tie straight and his sweater-vest was pressed. The resemblance between him and Sirius was striking. In fact, the pair could be identical, were it not for the fact that Sirius sported the 'scruffy pup' look today.

"Sirius, hi! I haven't seen you around school in ages," he said breathlessly.

"Now, we know that's a lie Reg. I saw you staring at me like I was a God at breakfast, not to mention at Dinner and Lunch yesterday," Sirius said with a grin.

Regulus blushed. "Ah, w-well… I just missed you over the summer. Dad said you'd come back for sure… and the house was pretty quiet without you."

"I understand, little guy. Who doesn't idolise me?"

The Marauders didn't even glance at each other. They simply raised their hands. They found it was best, at times like this, to stop Sirius' ego inflating too much.

Sirius pouted. "Oh, come on! You three are so far in the fandom closet, I'm scared one of Wormtail's hideous jumpers has held you captive!" he declared.

"Oi!" Peter cried.

Sirius winked at Peter and continued his self-advertising. "I mean, who can resist these rugged good looks? This boyish appreciation of life? This cunning intellect?"

James laughed and put his arm around Remus. "It's finally happened. He's lost his mind," he said.

Remus shook his head, amused by the ramblings. He turned to Regulus. "Would you care to have Lunch with us today?"

Regulus' eyes shone with an awed appreciation. "Wow, that would be—"

"Oi, Reg! Come on, we're waiting," his older companions snapped.

He flushed and looked down. "N-no thanks. I'll… see you later Sirius."

"See you, little guy!" Sirius said with a grin.

Regulus smiled and rushed away to meet his friends. Remus frowned. "I don't like the look of that crowd he associates with. Can't you do something, Pads?" Remus asked.

Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his messy raven hair. "It's not as simple as that. Mum likes those kids—she says they're the right sort."

"Surely that's another reason to stop him then," James snorted.

"Yeah, but Mum's approval is the most important thing to him, you know? It's like… he does way more for her than he should because I don't do enough. At the same time, I know that if I worked on him enough, I could turn him in to a loveable rebel, like me."

Peter frowned. "Why would that be bad?"

"Regulus is too pliant. I want him to stand up to that hag himself. If he has that independence on his own, then I won't have to worry about him. So, if right now he wants Mum's approval, I won't interfere."

Remus smiled. "That's sweet of you. You're really a nice guy at heart."

Sirius smiled back. "See, that's another reason for you, my favourite Sirius fan boy, to adore me."

"And you've lost that side of you. Well done, Pads," James said with a sigh.

Remus said nothing and continued on to the Great Hall, smiling to himself. "What did he mean by he missed you? Where did you go?"

Sirius chuckled nervously. "Now, don't get upset. You know I would've told you if I thought it wouldn't worry you…"

Remus stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face Sirius. He had that infamous scowl on his face, the one which could easily turn Medusa to stone in an instant. It rivalled the darkest glare of Minerva McGonagall herself. His fists rested firmly on his slight, bony hips, and he uttered the three words which struck fear in to each Marauder's heart.

"Sirius. Orion. Black."

Sirius shuddered. He was in deep trouble now. "I left home this summer. I've been staying at James' place… Mum doesn't actually know I've left, but I'm sure she'll catch on."

"You said you were only thinking about leaving, I didn't think—Sirius, what possessed you to—are you okay?"

Sirius sighed and ruffled his hair in a James-like manner. "I wanted to avoid this. I'm fine. I might go back… I may not. I'm just so sick of being oppressed. Can we just drop it? James looks depressed! Bother him!"

James sighed. "Thanks for that, Pads. It's no big deal… I need to choose one more Beater…"

"…Did I make the team?" Sirius asked.

"…Pads, mate… I'm sorry, but—"

"No, I get it… I know I'm not the best. Nick is way better, and getting some new blood on the team will—"

Remus frowned and glared at James. "James Potter, if you don't tell him the truth right now I will personally hand you over to Lily for a lecture on why it's wrong to lie. And you know that will be painful for you. Just look at him… I think he'll cry."

"Alright, I'll be good mum!" James said with a laugh. He grinned at Sirius. "Like I could really play Quidditch with my wingman and brother-in-mischief by my side. Of course you're on the team!"

Sirius grinned and hugged James. "I knew it! I'm brilliant!"

James and Peter laughed, whilst Ryan shook his head. Remus took a seat on the bench and shook his head. He waited patiently for the group to join him before starting to pile his plate with food. It had been a wasted day… a day of restless waiting. The first Monday of October hadn't boded well for the rest of the bewitching month…

Well, maybe it would all get better?