Disclaimer: Do I look like J.K? Do I write like J.K? Of course not. But I do, however, own Ly and this plot so ask first unless you want something horrible to happen to you.

Author's Note: I'm such a loser, I'm already writing the next chapter and I just posted the last one yesterday . . . That's okay, I'm sure you guys appreciate it. I mean, honestly, it only took me about a week to update. I count that as good. I only know one author who updates more than once a week and that's Pazza. She's not human, I swear. At least I think Pazza is a she . . . Anyway I am surprised people liked the last chapter. . . I really didn't think it was that great . . . Maybe that's because I was so out of it when I wrapped it up. Oh well. Here we have some leaps through time because it's fucking annoying that I'm on chapter 20(original) and Halloween just ended. I'm such a loser . . . :rolls eyes: Within . . . maybe five chapters they should be second years. No worries, the chapters will be thorough.


The Zinnia Blooms--What Kids Do


The sun shone brilliantly despite the chill of November, and the sky was a rare shade of blue that only autumn could offer the day of the first Quidditch match. The seasoned Quidditch captains complained that there would be glare in their players' eyes, but were visibly anxious to get out there and play. The whole school was excited, especially the first years—some of whom had never even heard of Quidditch before ("How can you have never heard of Quidditch?" James asked confusedly).

It would be Gryffindors against Slytherins, and thus tension was high. In equally high spirits, the boys had decided to play a little prank on their favorite victim. They lay in wait for quite a while but when Snivellus finally tried to walk through the hall to breakfast, James and Sirius—each crouching behind a suit of armor—pulled a thin, transparent string, making him trip and land helplessly on his face. Perfect, James thought, exactly what I wanted. He and Sirius laughed as the small Slytherin struggled to his feet. They stood, too, walking around him so as to wrap his ankles in the string. His face was pale but angry.

"You need to be more careful, Snivelly." James smirked. "That's a nasty fall." He looked over to Sirius and they both walked the opposite direction of the Great Hall, causing the string to pull Snape's feet out from under him. He fell again and both boys laughed. Nothing is better than physical comedy. "Oy, see, Snivellus? You could really hurt yourself that way. In fact, I think we better get you to the Hospital Wing. What do you think, Sirius?" He looked at his friend playfully.

"Oh, yes, indeed!" Sirius nodded vigorously, his face serious though his eyes were still amused. "That looked quite bad; we'd better go at top speed!"

James grinned and they both began running towards the Hospital Wing that—luckily for Snape—was on the same floor only a few halls away. As they ran they laughed, and other people watched and laughed as well.

"Potter, Black!" Snape was yelling angrily trying to at least get himself on his back. "Let go of me!" He had failed in righting himself and was now just keeping his face off the ground and trying hopelessly to grab onto the smooth stone floor. Having severely bitten fingernails, it did him no good and caused him no pain.

"We have to get you to the Hospital Wing fast!" Sirius told him grinning as they ran. "Just look at how red your face is. That can't be good."

"You cad!"

Sirius just laughed and James joined him. James had to say, this was a bloody good plan. One of his best yet. They passed McGonagall as they ran, but couldn't care less.

"Stop running in the- Wait, what are you doing? COME BACK!" She yelled and then chased after them.

"The fuzz is on our tail, mate!" Sirius laughed, a little breathless.

"Hurry then!" James grinned.

They sprinted the last stretch to the Hospital Wing and then collapsed—tired, winded, and laughing.

"Get up, now!" McGonagall told them angrily when she arrived there moments later.

They did so obligingly as Madame Pompfrey began fussing over Snape.

"What's wrong, Professor?" James grinned.

"You tell me." Her eyebrows flew upward.

"Aw, come on, we were just bringing our fellow student to the Hospital Wing. He took a nasty fall." Sirius frowned and nodded.

"And somehow I think you had something to do with that." The black-haired witch sighed in frustration. "Detention with me on Monday, both of you. Now apologize to Mister Snape." She pointed to Snape, who was now standing, thanks to Madame Pompfrey.

"I'm terribly sorry James pulled one on you, Snivellus." Sirius sighed.

"Mister Black, that's no apology!" McGonagall said incredulously from behind him.

"Ooh, sorry, Professor, but the Quidditch game is going to start soon." He scampered out of the Hospital Wing, James snorting and not far behind. "I really have to go. Make an appointment, and I'll get back to you! Bye!" He called behind him and waved as he ran.

"Mister Black!" She yelled angrily.

The boys just laughed and kept on running.

Not long after, James and the other four Marauders made their way to the Quidditch pitch decked out in Gryffindor garb (scarves, gloves, In Pete's case a hat, the works!). With the exception of Ly—who was wearing khaki pants and a scarlet turtle-neck under her long coat—the lot of them were wearing their school uniforms. They were able to get a good seat as very few people were there yet. Soon, however, the stands were full with excited students from every house and year. James very much doubted there was a single able-bodied student that wasn't at the match. He might as well have been married to the game because only death could have kept him away. Death or Lily Evans. Ha, more like death by Lily Evans. She hadn't been too pleased when she overheard him telling Ly and the others about Snivelly's trip to the Hospital Wing. Ly hadn't been too pleased either, actually. She'd told them off for leaving her out. He just had to ignore Lily's displeasure and hope for the best, though. It was going to take forever, but he could wait. She was so gorgeous and smart . . . not to mention friendly . . . even if she would hardly look at him.

"Alright folks, today we have Gryffindor against their rivals, Slytherin!" A loud roar went up as the energetic announcer—a Gryffindor boy looking about fifteen—finished his first statement. "Both teams have two new additions, so let's give 'em a cheer they'll hear in the locker rooms!" The crowds screamed, as did James and his friends, though Remus looked unwell, having just gotten back Thursday evening. "Come on, you lot can do better than that! Give me a real cheer!" And a real cheer he got. "That's more like it!"

A small line of gold and scarlet clad students emerged slowly.

"And here we have the Gryffindor team!" A cheer rose up again, almost drowning him out as he started speaking again at the same time that the Slytherins tried in vain to boo loud enough. "Captain and keeper Arthur Weasley; Chasers Gregory Wood, Nick Johnson, and Sarah DeWitt; Beaters are Martin Daniels and, new to the team, Richard Daniels. And last but not least the brand new seeker, Henry Mill!" Every Gryffindor in the place yelled, some stomping and clapping as the Slytherins booed loudly and the other houses cheered mildly.

A similar line of silver and green came out just as the noise was dying down.

"And here we have, of course, the Slytherins." The announcer said in a bored tone. His emotions were backed by the Gryffindors who booed just a fiercely as the Slytherins had. Yet again, the cheering side won. "Captain and seeker Lucius Malfoy – don't get too scared Henry, he's not that good." McGonagall gave him a look as he earned the need of body-guards. He cleared his throat. "Chasers Samuel Knott, Leonardo Zabini, Hector Flint; Beaters Harold Goyle and Thomas Crabbe; and Keeper Terrence Pucey. Pucey and Zabini are the new players for Slytherin." The Slytherins, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs cheered despite the negative tone and the Gryffindors booed.

James noted that while the new Gryffindors were young, the new Slytherins looked to be about fifteen and sixteen. Madame Hooch walked out into the center of the field—her still-red hair contrasting strikingly against the green field—and both captains stepped forward, trying desperately to scowl more intensely than the other.

She said something that couldn't be heard from the stands, and the two attempted to squeeze the other's hand off briefly before stepping away. She looked satisfied and said something else that resulted in all the players throwing a leg expertly over their broom. And then her whistle sounded, the best sound in the world, and every last player took off, zooming upwards, streaming for the sky as fast as their brooms would let them until they reached the appropriate height.

"And Slytherin takes the Quaffle right off the bat with a swerve from Zabini—apparently a good pick—and he heads . . . straight at the stands?" James watched as the boy came right at him and then swerved at the last moment, successfully making a Gryffindor nearly crash. "Oh, tricky move! And he ditches Johnson. He makes for the goal – ow! A Bludger from behind, folks. Nice job, Martin. But Knott grabs it before DeWitt and . . . looks like he'll – NO! Weasley does it again and blocks it with the tail of his broom. Wood has the Quaffle now, and he's roaring as fast as that Stratus goes—we really should get better brooms-"

"Greggor!"

"Calm down, Professor. It's—ah, well Wood dodges a Bludger from Goyle and goes straight at the goal—Oh! What's Flint doing? That's a dirty move, that is! Cutting him off . . . And Wood barely manages to avoid a crash but the Quaffle drops. Johnson is right there and he catches it. He sweeps past Flint—ah, look at him flail, well that's what you get—and he throws the Quaffle . . . Oh-ho! Well you can't pick all good ones. The ball goes right past Pucey. Honestly, my gran could've gotten that one . . ." there was an outraged cry from the Slytherins and McGonagall. "Zabini has it now and he's flying like he's going to knock DeWitt right off! But he swerves, yet again, and—while she's in shock—he goes for the goal. Richard saves DeWitt from a Bludger and smashes Goyle. Ooh, that had to hurt. What's this? Wood tries to block Zabini, but he doesn't look he's stopping . . ." The whole crowd gasped or pulled in a hissing breath. "OUCH! Look at that! He flew right into him and he's still going. That's just lunacy. Somehow, I don't think either of them are that well off. And now Knott has the ball! Oh, Shite! It's in before Weasley can even see it."

"Daniel Greggor if you don't watch your tongue-"

"Don't worry, Professor! And, look, Henry's making a dive. Oh watch out Mill, that Malfoy is quick in on the broom. Meanwhile, Wood is swerving around everything! A Bludger by Crabbe flies right past him . . ."

But James wasn't listening to Daniel Greggor. He was watching as Henry Mill concentrated and hugged to his broom—making him at least three times as aerodynamic as Malfoy—in an attempt to gain just enough speed . . . and he did. He swerved in front of the older boy—not allowing him to catch any break-wind to make him faster—and he reached forward straining endlessly. They were flying at angle into the ground and James was on his feet, watching as Lucius struggled to gain speed as Henry slid further up his broom until he held up in triumph the tiny glittering ball and righted his broom.

"AND HENRY MILL CATCHES THE SNITCH! Gryffindor wins, GRYFFINDOR WINS THE FIRST MATCH OF THE SEASON!" The stands were exploding with cheers from everyone but the Slytherins.

James was jumping up and down wildly as Mill flew around the stadium to display the snitch. He looked to his left and Sirius was behaving in the same matter. They high-fived and then stood there grinning like idiots.

"PARTY IN THE COMMON!" An older Gryffindor shouted from the very top bleacher.

"Let's go! We don't want miss anything, do we?" Ly grinned and threw an arm around James and Remus, even though Sirius was closer. James didn't think much of it.

"Let's go!" He grinned back, and they trooped off, Sirius and Peter latching onto the sides once they got into the Castle. That was a brilliant game . . .

(Sirius' POV)

Sirius grinned, but he had noticed the way Lycaon's arm looked like it was going to grab him but had darted around to catch Remus at the last minute. Maybe she did like Remus . . . He'd ask later. She only ever asked Remus for help—not that the other three of them would have been of much use—and she did seem unusually worried about him. Wow, who would have thought? Oh well, there was a party to get to!

When they entered the commons it was much fuller than normal. People were milling about and laughing without a care in the world. There was butter beer in one of the corners—though Sirius had no idea how anyone could have gotten it—and everyone seemed to be in high spirits. The Marauders were making their way to the butter beer when the common erupted into applause and cheers. He turned and saw that the Quidditch team had just entered.

Arthur Weasley cleared his throat and everyone quieted. "Today was a smashing way to start the new season which is, as you all know, my last. I really think we can win this year. I really want to thank one person in particular for this victory, and that, of course is Henry."

The thin boy stepped forward grinning. He had shaggy, dark brown hair and dark eyes as well as a slightly tan complexion. A few girls giggled in approval, but, thankfully, Ly wasn't one of them. That would have been humiliating. One voice, however—distinctly male and recognizable as that of the announcer—shouted out.

"I love you, Henry!"

Everyone in the common room laughed and Arthur clapped a hand on the seeker's shoulder. "As you all know, Henry is a 3rd year, and this is his first year on the team, but I dare say it'll be a good one." Everyone clapped and Henry continued to grin mutely. Well at least he isn't gloating . . . "Now," Arthur smiled, descending further down the steps, "let's celebrate." A raucousness of agreement rose.

The Marauders just shrugged got themselves some butter beer.

"Merlin but it's crowded in here." Ly muttered unhappily.

"I know, I think we might get trampled." Remus frowned.

"Hey, grab an extra, mates. Let's just go up to the dorm. Who needs the crowd, anyway?" Sirius suggested.

"Not me." James shook his head and grabbed an extra bottle. The others did the same and retreated upstairs.

"Hey, you guys go ahead," Sirius said just before they reached their dorm. "I need to talk to Lycaon for a minute."

"Okay, Mate," James gave him a puzzled look but hurried on, Peter and Remus in tow.

"Something wrong, Sirius?" Lycaon asked, standing right where the group had left her.

"Not exactly . . . and make sure to keep your voice down. I know those wankers are listening from the other side of the door." He said the loud enough for the other boys to hear.

"Too right." She smirked, speaking quietly. "So what is it?"

"I was just curious if you really do like Rem. I mean, you and Rem hang out a lot and . . . well, I noticed that you grabbed him instead of me when we were leaving the stands."

"You are absolutely insane!" She looked vaguely troubled. Then she remembered to keep her voice down. "Look, Rem just looked like he needed to be cheered up. In fact, he almost always does. Especially after he goes to visit his mum. Quite frankly, I'm beginning to suspect that he's the one that's sick," she rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of it, "but the thing is . . . with me and Rem, we're friends. You asking me if I like Remus is like you asking me if I like James. Remus just so happens to be the Marauder I'm the closest to."

"Oh, okay." Sirius blinked, not quite sure how to make heads or tails of all that. Then he asked confusedly, "do you like James, then?"

"Sirius," Lycaon sighed heavily, "there are some girls in this world that would rather wander around blind, deaf, and dumb than hang out with most other girls. Of those girls, some do need social interaction, so they turn to boys. Those girls don't see boys as boys 85 of the time. I'm one of them."

"Alright then," Sirius smiled, catching on, "let's go in now. They'll be suspecting we ditched them or something by now."

"So is it true? Is Sirius really off his rocker?" James asked casually from the floor beside the doorway the minute they stepped in.

"Not really." Ly shrugged. "Is that all you lot heard?"

"That and Sirius calling us wankers." Remus answered amiably from his bed, the one closest to the door.

"Oh, so you missed the part where Sirius asked me if I wiked cute wittle Wemmie-kins or wittle Jamie boy?" She plopped down on James' bed in the back. Godric, well of course I sound stupid when she says it like that. Sirius blushed just a tad, sitting on his own bed, not far from James'.

"He what?" James asked incredulously.

"They're right, Siri, that's pretty silly." Remus gave a wan smile.

"Oh, give me a break, would you?" He glowered. "It's not my fault Ly isn't an actual girl."

And then there was the silence before the storm.

Several hours and several, several, several butter beers later Sirius was starting to feel a pleasant buzz despite the fact that Lycaon had slammed his head with a pillow earlier. Pete looked like he had had a bit too much but the others were just fine. In fact, Remus had only had three and so was not even mildly affected.

"Pete's going to be a little ill tomorrow." Ly smirked.

"He's already asleep, isn't he?" James asked, getting up and looking at the short, pudgy boy.

The room had a very quiet, warm feel to it. It was like nothing could break the contentment.

"It's really nice in here . . ." Remus said calmly.

"I know, I sort of don't want to leave . . . the girls are a real nuisance." Ly was watching as James prodded Peter.

"Well, just stay here. It'll be like a sleep-over." Sirius rolled over to his back, half-on and half-off his bed.

"Yeah, it's not like we're going to make you leave." James prompted.

"You guys don't mind?" She looked around owlishly.

"Well, I suggested it." Sirius said.

"And I supported it." James sat back down on his bed.

"And I don't mind." Remus was lying on the floor, while she was on his bed.

"Okay. That sounds good." She gave a vague smile and let her head fall down onto the comforter.

"What are we going to do . . . I'm not tired yet, are you guys?" James looked around.

"Why don't we do something . . . fun?" Ly gave a mischievous smirk, and Sirius heard himself agree, but he wondered whether or not this would end well.

(Ly's POV)

Ten hours later found Ly waking up to the bloody sun shining right in her ruddy eyes. Ugh, bloody hell . . . why didn't I shut my curtains? She groped blindly for the thick cloth and was met with nothing. Sodding curtains . . . where are they? She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Wait a minute . . . I'm not in my bed. I'm not even in my dorm! Oh, oh wait. Oh, yes. The sleep-over bit. She shook her head and smoothed her hair uselessly. Very blearily she remembered sneaking out, leaving Peter sleeping in the dorm alone, romping around, running away from Filch, hiding in a passage, and something about a painting and a kitchen or putting a pear on their map . . . it really didn't make much sense, and it wasn't helped by the dull throbbing in her right temple.

She could hear the shower running and everyone but Pete was laying their bed, so it, of course, could only be him. She struggled to her feet only to find that the left side of her body was asleep and she lost her balance, falling onto James' bed and James.

"Ugh . . . Sirius gerrof . . ." He mumbled.

"Not Sirius." She muttered and pushed herself up, using his bed to keep her steady while she worked her limbs awake. The came to life with pins and needles and she sighed. "Bloody hell . . ."

"Huh? Ly, what . . . oh yeah." He sat up and shook his head, then grabbed his glasses and put them on roughly. "Did you manage to get Siri up yet?"

"No . . . but what do you mean 'manage'?"

"Watch." He struggled out of bed, all of them having slept in their clothes.

He walked over to Sirius and pulled the blankets from his grip with a little difficulty but Sirius only rolled over and held his pillow. He grabbed Sirius' ankles and yanked, pulling him off the bed with an ominous thud.

Sirius, however, was still sleeping, the pillow having come with him. Ly couldn't believe it.

James then took the liberty of sitting on his best friend's stomach.

"Come here and hold his arms." James said sleepily.

"Is there a reason?" She walked over and squatted down to hold Sirius wrists tightly.

"Yeah, he'll sock me a good one of you don't. Normally Rem or Pete help." James, still sitting on Sirius' stomach, turned and began lightly slapping him. "C'mon, Mate. Wake up." Sirius turned his head and his wrists started struggling in Ly's grasp. "Sirius . . ." He slapped him just a little harder, one hand to each cheek in the fashion a grandmother might have used.

Ly gave a more pressure to Sirius wrists as they struggled much harder. At least he was coming to.

"Now this," James to Ly with a smirk, now fully awake, "can be fun." He looked down at Sirius as the boy twitched in pre-wake. "Sirius, wake up!" He said as one last warning and then when that didn't work he pinched Sirius' nose and covered his eyes.

"Ugh- ah, ah!" Sirius woke up panicking. "What . . . JAMES!" He began struggling and Ly had to use her weight to keep him from whomping James to a bloody pulp. "CAN'T YOU WAKE ME UP REGULARLY?" He yelled at the other boy who had jumped away laughing by this time.

"Good morning to you too, Mate." James grinned.

"D'you have to be so loud?" Remus asked wearily from his bed.

"Maybe if James could stop trying to kill me—wait . . . but Rem . . . Oh, hi, Ly. I thought it was Rem holding me."

"Hi, Sirius." She smirked and let go of his wrists.

"Wow, did you actually sleep, Rem?" James asked, peering at his friend.

"Yeah, I did."

"That's excellent! Maybe one day you'll look like it!" Sirius grinned and stood up, he and Ly previously just sitting there.

Ly stood up as well, almost wanting to ask what exactly they did after they snuck out, but not sure if it would be worth the embarrassment of admitting that the butter beer had affected her more than she thought. It was, after all, butter beer. How embarrassing was it to admit that butter beer was too much for her? Luckily, Pete asked what they did after he fell asleep and, apparently, they had written 'You Stink' on Filch's list of things not allowed in the hallways, tangoed with some suits of armor which made more than enough noise to attract Filch, hid in the passage behind Mimosa Voinovich—who they were so well acquainted with that they called her Mimi—for about an hour and then stumbled out. Eventually, after James knocked Sirius into a painting and then Ly had the strange urge to feel the caked on paint, they had found themselves in the kitchens where they had proceeded to stuff their faces. That sounds like it was fun.

(Remus' POV)

November had come and gone, and with the loss of November there had come the loss of blue skies. In fact, there had come the loss of anything but cold and snow outside. Not, of course, that Remus Lupin was complaining. He loved the snow. At the same time that that had been his downfall, he loved the outdoors and anything to do with them—particularly snow.

The beginning of December meant other things, too, though. There was a full moon on the 1st and 2nd, as well as the 30th and that one would stretch to the first night of the New Year. Not only that, but Remus Lupin was going to turn 13 on the 6th. It reminded him that he was a full year older than all the others.

As he sat in the dorm playing Chess with Peter—the only other Marauder not in detention today—he couldn't help but think of last year at this time. Last year he'd been sent to a regular wizarding school—the ones for the kids that didn't get put in Hogwarts for whatever reason and whose parents couldn't afford to send them to Beauxbatons or Durmstrang. Those children as well as the unwanted and non-magical. There had been next to no secrecy about his condition there, and he had been made to sit in a back corner—away from all the other children, and even the teacher.

Peter waved his hand in front of Remus' face. Oh, my turn at last. His bishop moved forward (AKA diagonally) two spaces.

"Check." He smiled lazily.

"What? Ugh! I can't believe I left it wide open!" Peter threw his hands up in the air.

"Neither can I!" His king proclaimed.

"Well, it was that or get taken down by my knight. Besides, it's only check just yet." Remus stared down at the board. No matter what, he's still trapped.

"We're home!" The door swung open to reveal James, Sirius, and Ly. "Who thought of early morning detentions anyway?" James rolled his eyes.

"What did you have to do?" Remus asked with a small smile.

"Nothing too bad. We just had to clean up after Peeves, what with the whole 'lets-pour-out-all-of-Binns'-papers' trick that he pulled last night." Sirius sighed and let himself fall down on his bed, face first.

"He only dumped one cabinet." Lycaon shrugged. "We've had to do worse. Remember the time we had to clean up all of the eggs he spilled? Those things were all along the Charms hallway." She sat down between Peter and Remus.

"I remember. I was there for that one." Remus let the corners of his mouth lift as he remembered how they'd convinced him that knocking over one of the smaller bookshelves in the library was actually a good idea.

"McGonagall says he's been acting up more than usual this year just because he knows the lot of us will have to clean it up. Apparently we're competition." James let his bag fall onto the floor with a thud.

"Well, I can't say you guys didn't earn it. Honestly, Snape's hair is going to be yellow for weeks."

"Hey, we didn't know his potion'd do that. It just so happens to be a lovely side effect." Sirius grinned.

"I think sunny-blonde suits Snivellus." Ly leaned back thoughtfully, making the chessboard tilt and all the pieces yell foul words at her. "Oh, do shut up." She scowled down at them.

"Ooo0oOh!" Sirius and James said at the same time. They gave each other a little smirk and then sang. "Ly and Snivelly, sittin' in a tree, S-N-O-GG-I-NG!"

"Wash your mouths!" Lycaon looked horrified at the very prospect.

"Sorry, Ly, we ran out of the soap that doesn't leave an aftertaste, so that's a no-can-do." James gave her a cheeky grin.

She rolled her eyes as Sirius and James started laughing. They make quite a show . . .

"Bloody hell! You won again, Remus! No matter what I do, you're going to crush me!" Peter complained.

"Remus is a strategist, Pete. I'd surprised if you ever beat him." Ly shrugged nonchalantly.

(Ly's POV)

"I would be too." The blonde boy sighed huffily. Pete's not so bad, really. Just a little dull.

"How many of you guys are going home for the Hols?" James asked, looking around.

"I'll probably be staying." Remus was putting away his chess pieces, but it seemed to Ly to be an excellent way to avoid looking at any of them.

"Why is that?" Sirius was lying on his stomach on his bed and staring at Remus as a child might. It was a rare moment in which you saw Sirius Black looking innocent . . .

"It'd just be too depressing to go home. Mum's in the hospital, Dad's always working or at the hospital, I'd have no choice but to sit around by myself or go visit the hospital." Remus sighed, looking weary. It must be bad if he'd rather stay here . . .

"Well, I'll be staying, too. That's for sure." Sirius scowled, the innocent look was replaced with an angry one. Lycaon watched as his eyes reflected his inner turmoil and began churning like a tempest. It was what they always did.

Not, of course that Ly stared at his eyes for any period of time . . .

"I doubt those sods even want me to come home. They certainly didn't seem to protest the idea of staying when I wrote them about it." He was glowering at the wall now.

"How did I expect that?" James asked in mock-wonder. "Anyway, what about you, Ly?"

"Yeah, I'll be going home. Back to my room and the regular routine, you know. Little sister runs through the house screaming because 'Saint Nick' came, parents smile knowingly, and I'm supposed to pretend like I still believe it."

"You have a little sister?" Pete asked.

"Yeah, she's eight." Ly sighed.

"She's probably just like you, isn't she?" He smiled.

"No, actually she's nothing like me. She has light brown hair, blue eyes, a sweet temperament, and everyone loves her to pieces. She likes The Boos—you know, that insanely up-beat boy-band; spring; and the color yellow. Actually, she's rather my polar opposite." Ly frowned, just realizing this.

"Eh, well," Peter shifted the subject, obviously discomforted, "I'll probably go home, too. I think my parents would be rather disappointed if I stayed."

"I think I want to stay." James mused, staring off distantly. "I know my folks'd be just fine with it. 'Sides, Rem and Sirius need a little company." James grinned.

"Speaking of Rem . . . we know everyone's birthday, isn't yours coming up soon?" Sirius asked shrewdly.

"Yeah, the 6th."

"WHAT? That's two days, Rem? Why didn't you warn us? Now we only have two days to get you birthday presents!" James complained, rather worked up about it.

"Oh, you don't have to get me anything." Remus blushed lightly.

"Of course we do! None of us have any financial problems. But, how are we going to get anything?" Sirius frowned.

"Well 3rd years and up are at Hogsmeade today . . ."Ly mused.

"So? Who'd do that for us?" James looked increasingly unhappily.

"Who said anyone would have to?" Lycaon quirked a brow.

"Do you actually want us to sneak past the teachers and everyone?" Peter stared at her in shock.

"Actually . . . I was thinking maybe just one or two of us for maneuverability. And, no, not past the teachers," she rolled her eyes. "Do you remember how we caught that Ravenclaw boy sneaking around a while back?" The boys all nodded. "Well, I took the liberty of pestering him about it and I learned a little something interesting."

"What? And you didn't tell me?" Sirius looked hurt.

"I wanted it to be a surprise, for Christmas, you know." She smiled, trying to win back forgiveness.

"Well, I guess I'll get over it." Sirius scowled.

"So, it leads to Hogsmeade?" Pete asked.

"That it does, Petey boy." She grinned. "And seeing as I found at this piece of information, I think it's only fair I get to go. So, who, if anyone, is coming with me?" She looked around.

"Me!" James and Sirius said at the same time. They then glared at each other.

"I'm going to go!" James said pompously.

"Why? I want to go to Hogsmeade, too!" Sirius threw a dirty look at the tousle-haired boy.

"Calm down, you oafs." Lycaon rolled her eyes and swatted at them. "Why don't you settle this reasonably?"

"How?" James eyed her, looking wary.

"Rock-paper-scissors, of course!" She rolled her eyes. Isn't it obvious?

"Okay," James smirked, "I'm good at this."

"So am I!" Sirius said, highly reminiscent of a toddler.

"ROCK-PAPER-SCISSORS-SHOOT!" The raven-haired Marauders said rapidly, though amazingly at the same time.

Ly looked down at the results. "AND SIRIUS IS VICTORIOUS! And so, alas, Mister Potter's rock is smothered by Mister Black's paper."

"I still think that my rock would keep the paper down . . ." James muttered darkly.

"Yeah, yeah," Lycaon waved it off. "So, James, Pete, think quickly. I want to go to Hogsmeade!"

"What do you mean 'think quickly'?" James was still displeased about his defeat.

"Well, you and Pete are going to have to tell Sirius and I what you want to give Remus for his birthday, obviously. We will, of course, just charge you when we get back." Ly fiddled with the end of her long ponytail casually.

James glowered and pouted while Peter looked very anxious.

"How about this: Sirius, Remus, and I'll go down to the commons so that you two can figure out what it is you want to get, alright?" Ly suggested helpfully.

"Good idea!" Peter smiled, obviously relieved.

The three of them left the room, with or without James' consent.

"D'you want to listen in, Rem?" Sirius asked the other boy, who had been rather quiet throughout this entire affair, even for him.

"No! I want it to be a surprise!" Remus looked a little shocked that Sirius would even ask.

"So, Rem, what would you like for your birthday?" Lycaon began the grilling.

(Sirius POV)

In a very short amount of time Sirius and Lycaon were sneaking happily down the hallways with the Sirius in front, taking whispered directions such as 'left' or 'right' from Ly, who held the map. ("It's got all the basic parts of the castle, at least" she had muttered, disappointed with the slowness of progress.) As they walked they passed a rather pretty, older Hufflepuff who a tall Slytherin was approaching, obviously trying to look suave. Just as the Hufflepuff noticed the Slytherin, Sirius passed him and couldn't resist. He darted to the side just slightly and stepped on the back of his robes. The boy's arms flailed like windmill before he finally stopped himself from falling backwards, only to fall flat on his face. Somewhere in all the 'whoa' 'whoa' 'ahh!' Ly gave a snort and then covered her mouth quickly, though neither of the older students noticed. Sirius felt rather accomplished, especially as the Hufflepuff girl giggled and the Slytherin looked increasingly confused and humiliated.

After a walk during which time Ly happily etched the passage onto the map while Sirius carried the cloak and his lit wand, they came to stairs. Ly blew on the map, drying the last of the ink, and then shoved it away, the two of them ascending cautiously. They already knew where this led. Sirius whispered 'nox' when they finally reached what appeared very much to be the end. Of course, one could only assume in was the end when their head suddenly smacked into something.

Lycaon could be heard stifling a laugh as he cursed under his breath.

They both peeked up into whatever was above and, low and behold . . . it was a cellar. A slightly dusty, slightly dirty cellar filled with crate upon crate of, of course, candy. And now for the fun part.

The two of them slipped under the invisibility cloak just for safety, and abandoned it promptly after moving into the crowd. Peter had decided to buy Rem enough sweets to be sick on (he had even made a complete list); James had decided to get him—what else-several quidditch posters; Sirius had decided on a quill set he knew Remus would never have even considered getting for himself; and Lycaon had carefully leafed through and picked out several books that she seemed to feel Remus would love.

Sirius of course, had barely maintained interest in the book shop. Quite frankly, he'd barely maintained consciousness while in the book shop. Afterwards, though, Lycaon had amicably suggested they go get some butter beer from The Three Broomsticks, which they did.

"Hey, Sirius, let's get a table. You know, enjoy this as best we can." Ly smiled, darting through the thick mass of mostly students.

"Sure, why not? It'll be two years before we can do this legally." He followed her, though feeling as though she had a considerably easier time at it than he did.

"Hello, there! You two look a little young." The waitress who walked over gave them a small, knowing smile. "That's alright; I've never ratted a kid out before, and won't do it any time soon." The woman seemed more to be a girl fresh out of school. "Butter beers for the lovebirds, I'm assuming?" She grinned.

"Well, I don't see any lovebirds, but I think Sirius and I'll have butter beer, yes." Lycaon smiled passively, obviously using this as the most polite way she could think of to say 'we're not bloody going out!'.

"Agreed," Sirius gave a nod. The waitress simply gave that all-knowing smile that was beginning to bug the bageezes out of Sirius and then clopped off happily, not seeing Sirius' frown.

Lycaon groaned and set her head on the table. Her cheeks were pink but Sirius didn't know whether it was from the cold or the waitress' comment.

"Is it so wrong for a girl to spend time with boys?" She asked, sounding very much frustrated.

It was a combination, then, most likely.

"Obviously," Sirius grinned toothily, therein earning him a glare. He simply laughed. Sometimes it's just so fun to annoy her . . .

They found themselves buying a few nifty pranking products, a few sweets for themselves, and then heading back to the castle after a very enjoyable day out despite any small hindrances. When they got back James and Pete paid up, looking a little glum, but then brightening when they saw what they had actually bought. The idea of giving things to Remus seemed equal in excitement to Quidditch at the moment, and that was saying something. They told Remus he had to stay in the commons and read up for a while so that they could attend to a few things. Sirius and Ly each slipped Rem a chocolate bar as they headed up to the dorm, and, if that fairly idiotic grin on her face meant anything, Lycaon was having as much fun as Sirius was.

In the dorms they discovered the solution to the wrapping-paper problem by using old essays that had been stuffed haphazardly into school bags and text books. They set their thickly wrapped presents at the foot of Remus' bed with a smile.

"Oy! Remus Lupin can report to the first year boys' dormitory!" James bellowed down the hallway.

Remus appeared—book in hand—a moment later with a frogish grin. "You really shouldn't have bothered . . ." He said quietly.

The look on his face was killing Sirius. He honestly wasn't expecting us to do anything!

"Of course we should have." Ly shrugged, always the one with words. "Friends do that sort of thing, you git." Or not.

Remus continued to smile frogishly, however. Well they are close. I suppose he's used to her . . . ways.

(Remus POV)

Two days passed and soon enough the Marauders had blind-folded Remus to lead him around the castle. Sirius got yelled at several times for trying to use him to hit people with, but eventually they came to a stop. They turned him and pulled him into a place he knew immediately was the kitchens. He could smell it and grinned despite himself.

"Oh, look at that goofy smile! The prat knows!" James whined.

Lycaon mumbled something along the lines of 'there's turkey, who wouldn't?' and then whipped off the blindfold. Sure enough, he was in the kitchens. A house elf bobbed up to them devotedly.

"Can Kopper help, Sirs and Miss? Do Sirs and Miss need anything? Kopper would love to help them, Kopper would." The house elf nodded up and down rapidly, his ears flapping. The poor thing was looking at them so hopefully . . .

"Can we have a cake, Kopper?" James asked.

"Of course, Sir! Kopper would be most pleased to get you a cake, Kopper would. What kind of cake could Kopper make you, please, Sir?"

Remus received a glance from James. "Could . . . Could we have chocolate cake with chocolate icing?" Remus asked.

"Kopper will get to it right away, Sir! Kopper likes to make cakes, especially for nice young Sirs." The House elf nodded his head furiously.

"Could you bring milk with that, too, Kopper?" Sirius asked casually, obviously used to dealing with house elves.

"Of course, Sir! Kopper will bring it all! Kopper will be happy to bring it all, Kopper will." Kopper grinned and hurried off to begin the cake.

"Wow . . . they're really panicky, aren't they?" Peter asked, his eyes wide.

"Quite pitiable, actually." Lycaon made to sit down on the floor but a random house elf shoved a chair beneath her. She looked pleasantly surprised.

"Why are the Sirs all standing? Duffy will get them nice, comfy chairs, yes. Duffy will make sure the Sirs are all comfy . . ."

And so, Remus Lupin awaited a cake while in a comfy chair, dutifully provided by Duffy.

"Time for presents!" Lycaon pulled out her hefty-looking present to Remus and dropped it in his lap.

It was quite obvious what it was . . . But still he smiled and gingerly removed the essay on newt kidneys—which he distinctly remembered helping with—and found three books. One was titled 'A Way to Spend a Rainy Day', clearly a prankster book. The next was titled 'Tutoring—the Ultimate Tax on Patience', a bit of a thanks, obviously. And the final book was . . . his heart skipped a beat. 'Wolves have Packs, not Families – the story of a loup-garou'.

"A book about a werewolf?" He asked, managing a curious voice, despite his anxiousness. She knows . . . Oh, Merlin's beard . . . She knows . . . How? I haven't slipped up!

"Yeah, I read it a while back. It's not a classic . . . but it should be. It has a lot of stuff about how everyone around the main character felt and got through it . . . I suppose I just figured it might be uplifting, what with your mum and all." She shrugged.

He made a note to see whether or not the werewolf died in the end. At least it wasn't a clue that she knew . . .

"Now me!" Sirius shoved his considerably lighter present at Remus.

He found a set of two large, eagle-feather quills; two slightly smaller raven-feather quills; a pewter ink well; and small, ornate blade to make the tip of the quills sharp again.

"Wow, Sirius! It's . . ." Remus ogled at the set, at a loss for words. That had to be expensive. "It's . . . I don't know what to say!"

"Well . . . you always use the same two quills and they look like they're falling apart so I figured, why not go all out?" Sirius had the decency look slightly embarrassed.

James looked slightly out-done. "Well, gee, now that Sirius has shown us all up, here's my present." James rolled his eyes as he handed Remus a very light present.

Remus opened it to find . . . posters. Not just any posters, but a poster where all the members of the Montrose Magpies whizzed about in their black and white robes against the backdrop of a perfect quidditch day—bright and rainless, but cloudy—according to James, and another in which Eunice Murray ("Best seeker of all time!" James commented) was complaining about how slow the snitches were in a speech bubble. Remus laughed.

"And here's mine!" Pete blushed, giving Remus a lumpy present, wrapped in a Herbology assignment.

Remus smiled knowingly. Yup, candy. "Thanks Pete. It looks delicious."

"You're welcome!" The blonde boy grinned.

"I . . . I really appreciate it guys. It's nice." He smiled around at them, a lump forming in his throat. I'm so silly . . . getting worked up over something like this . . .

"Sirs, Miss, Kopper made your cake, he did. Kopper made it as good as he could. He brought milk too, Kopper made sure, and in nice cups. Yes, yes, Kopper brought milk in nice cups."

"One last thing, Kopper!" Lycaon jumped up, scaring the house elf without meaning to. "I need you to find me some vanilla icing and a pastry bag, can you do that?" Remus could just barely hear Ly whisper. Kopper nodded. "Just lead me then," Ly looked up. "I'll be right back, boys, I just need to see to one thing very quickly." ((an: a pastry bag is one of those cone shaped bags you squeeze things out of))

"Don't take long in the loo!" James cried out.

"I'm not going to the loo!" She called over her shoulder and then disappeared around a corner.

When she came back Kopper was bringing a small table over while insisting she sit down and let him take care of everything, and she was carrying the cake herself.

"Ta-da!" She grinned, setting the cake down on the small table, seemingly unaware of Kopper begging her to sit down and let him serve them like a good house elf.

On the cake there was now neat lines of vanilla icing reading 'Happy Birthday Remus' and then, in very small letters beneath that, 'the thoughtful one'. Remus could tell she'd tried to make the letters more legible than her usual scrawl, and this almost, almost undid him. I'm not some little girl, he told himself fiercely.

He watched as they fought over who got what piece while Kopper tried desperately to keep them from spilling their milk or cutting the cake themselves.

No . . . I just can't tell them . . . It's selfish. I'm selfish. I'm selfish and horrible, but I can't give this up.


Author's Note: WOO! Chapter 9, everyone, is approximately 20 pages on Word! Now, I know you're probably looking forward to more, but here's the thing. I HAVE 18 DAYS UNTIL SCHOOL STARS AGAIN! And that means that updates will be considerably slower. I think I did well with this update, though. 20 pages in 10 days is a good thing. I will be updating 'Memory' and re-vamping the first chapter 'Taint It' before I update LiMM again so, I'm sorry, loves, but it will be a while. Just know, I'm not abandoning this story and I never, ever will. I'm not as fickle as that. I have some things I'd like you to read in the mean time.

What's Love? by Ronnie

Short, not too sweet, and completely underappreciated.

And/or

Monsters by Pazza

It's RL/SB so go ahead, run away now if you don't like that. Just know that this author is also a pervy slash reader. (Writer too! See 'Memory' if you're into that.)