Hello! Long time no see, eh? I apologize about that but you know how life gets. Thousands of things to do and just not enough time to do them, right? On the bright side now I'm here and I'll try to update often. (:

Thanks to my beta AikoRose because she still finds the time and will to look after this story. And of course thanks to you, beautiful reviewers, for your wonderful words and feedback and you readers who put this on alert.

I don't own anything you recognize as J.K.'s even though I really wished a certain werewolf was mine.


Chapter 7: Friends

As the class went by, the winners from the duels were given free time while their partners went and duelled someone else who had also lost.

It was no surprise when James defeated his opponent since 'their magical abilities were legendary' (Sirius' words). However it was surprising for everyone when instead of pestering Lily Evans to go out with him once more, he went to sit next to Ceeline, who decided indifference was the best way to go, and didn't even acknowledge him.

"I'm sorry," he said in a tone that clearly indicated he really wished he didn't have to apologize. "And Padfoot is too."

"Hmm."

"Please forgive us," he asked puppy-eying Ceeline. Darn, he was cute. "Give us the honour of having you try-out for Gryffindor's Quidditch team. You know you want to." Ceeline huffed and finally rolled her eyes.

"Fine. You two are forgiven. When are try-outs?"

"Monday, during break."

"I'll be there. So, what's with you and Lily?" Ceeline laughed as James' whole being changed. He looked more alert, his back straightened, his eyes opened and looked from the floor to Ceeline's eyes. It kind of reminded Ceeline of a hound, the only thing missing were the ears up and stiff.

"Why? Did she say something about me?" he asked practically bouncing in his seat.

"Woah there, she didn't say anything," Ceeline lied. Seeing James like an excited toddler on Christmas morning made it impossible for her to inform him that Lily had, indeed, mentioned what an annoying, arrogant git James (or in Lily's vocabulary, Potter) was and how she wouldn't go out with him if her life depended on it. "It's just, you kept staring at her during Herbology, and Potions and Lunch and…shall I continue?"

"Lily Evans is the best-looking girl, the most amazing creature in the entire universe and my future wife and mother of my kids," James said turning to look at Lily with a worshipping look.

"Really? Didn't she yell at you during Potions that: 'If you kept staring at her she would hex you so hard you would be in the Hospital Wing until Christmas'?" Ceeline couldn't help asking. Effectively, James' face fell.

"Well, that's because she doesn't know it yet. But she loves me, she's just in denial," James explained.

Ceeline could understand Lily a little bit better now, James Potter could be arrogant. Deciding it would be better if she didn't say anything else, Ceeline made a humming noise and started picking her things up.

"Oi, Padfoot. How about you leave something for the rest of Hogwarts to eat?" James asked as they arrived and saw everybody was already there.

James had been babbling about Lily Evans and how wonderful she was to Ceeline which ended up being the cause that James wasn't paying that much attention to where he was going and accidentally pushed a first or second year making him collide with Ceeline resulting in her falling and the things in her bag littering the hallway.

The poor kid wouldn't stop stuttering apologies to them both and had helped Ceeline pick her things up while James doubled up in laughter making no attempt to help her.

Once all of her things were back on her bag, she assured the younger student that it wasn't his fault, that James was a total berk, apologized to him and thanked him for helping her. The kid all but ran out of there.

Anyways, Ceeline had glared at James for some seconds before rolling her eyes, shaking her head and telling him to "better move or they will be very late for dinner".

"Ghua?" Sirius asked. Ceeline supposed it would have sounded more like 'what' if Sirius hadn't spoke with his mouth full.

"Don't talk with your mouth full; it's disgusting," Ceeline reprimanded him slapping him lightly on his arm and sitting next to Remus. "Is he really going to eat everything?" she asked him nodding to the gigantic piles of food Sirius had placed on his plate.

"Most likely," Remus answered resigned.

"That's just wrong, Sirius," she commented putting some meat for herself.

"'M a 'roin 'n!" he answered looking offended. 'What?' Ceeline mouthed to Remus.

"'I'm a growing man'," he translated for her clearly and Ceeline wondered how long it had taken him to be able to understand Sirius when eating like that. He did, after all, had five years of practice. Ceeline snorted disbelievingly before turning to Lily.

"Hey, how come you are sitting all together?" she asked. Ceeline didn't know a lot about Hogwarts, but of what she had been told, the girls usually sat away from the Marauders since Lily couldn't stand James or Sirius.

"We got here first, they sat next to us," she said in a tone that clearly showed her lack of enthusiasm for it. Ceeline arched her perfectly plucked eyebrow at Remus since he was the only one of the three boys who didn't have his face stuffed.

"Padfoot was whining about you ignoring him and decided he wasn't going to take any chances of you sitting away from him," he shrugged.

"Honestly Sirius, it's only been two classes. Besides, I can sit with the girls if I desire to since they are my friends too. I don't like possessiveness," she said exasperated with the boy.

"But, Doll," Sirius whined but shut up as Ceeline raised her eyebrow at him warningly.

Dinner was, overall, enjoyable. Ceeline would've found it better if Lily stopped glaring at Sirius and James, if the latter had kept his (horrible) flirting attempts to himself and if Marlene and Sirius hadn't started a competition for the best (or worse, depending on one's point of view) lewd comment; Ceeline wasn't a prude or anything, but Marlene and Sirius' attempts almost had her blushing. Of course Alice, who was the target for their remarks since her boyfriend – Frank Longbottom – had pecked her lips before taking his place with his older friends, was beet red by the fourth or fifth attempt of the two contestants.

The best thing about dinner, however, was that, as she was sat next to Remus Lupin, she got to know the bloke better. And she liked him. Not like-like him, she had only known the guy for twenty-four hours…less actually; but she found him to be a person she could easily become involved with – as friends of course!

Afterwards, they all left for the common room. It was Friday night and Ceeline, along with the majority of her friends, refused to go to sleep or start with homework.

They all sat by the fireplace soaking the warmth it provided. Lily and Alice sat together on a love seat, Mary was sitting/laying on the arm of said piece of furniture and Marlene was laying on the carpet with her head resting on the two love seat cushions she had stolen, and placed against the base of the seat so she wasn't just staring at the ceiling.

Sirius and James took one of the large couches resting their backs against the arms and stretching their legs so that basically, they ended up having each other's feet next to them. Peter was sitting cross-legged below them and Remus had taken a seat on an armchair next to them.

Ceeline and Annabeth were together on a scarlet and golden chaise. Annabeth was sitting comfortably in it. Ceeline was laying on her side, resting her head on Annabeth's lap while her twin absentmindedly played with her hair.

"So…not that I don't enjoy what we are doing. It's very exciting and all, but are we planning to do…something?" Mary finally asked bored with picking on the love seat's fabric.

"What would you like to do, Macdonald?" Sirius drawled, obviously bored as well.

Mary sighed. "I dunno."

Five minutes later they were all on the floor playing exploding snap, until rather late hours. They say time flies when one's having fun, Ceeline found that statement to be true. They were so busy talking and laughing nobody noticed how late it was until some seventh-year girls came to complain about the noise and ordered them to bed.

She felt happy at being accepted so easily into this new environment.

Review please? Also, should I put an image as "cover" for this story? If so, what do you suggest I put? This just came out of nowhere and I'm at loss I guess. Leave me your thoughts on everything! :3