Disclaimer: I do not, nor ever will (unfortunatly), own Harry Potter, his friends, or the magnifficent books by JK Rowling and I dont even own the movies. I think I'll go off and cry now...

Chapter 10

I awoke to a white room. At first I thought I was in one of those Muggle Asylum things, but then I was brought back to my senses by the young trainee nurse bustling around me.

I groaned and brought a hand to my head.

"What happened?" I asked and my eyes widened at how scratchy my voice sounded.

"Ah," Madame Pomfrey said with a smile, "You're awake." A bunch of potions were bundled into my arms and were forced down my throat.

"How do you feel?" she asked when every last drop of the potions were gone.

"Tired. Sore. Like sh-"

"If I were you, I wouldn't finish that sentence."

I looked to where the voice was coming from.

"Remus!" He, the rest of the Marauders and Lily were walking through the door.

Madame Pomfrey sighed and tapped her foot.

"Five minutes!" she exclaimed, "Five minutes and you will go. My patient needs rest!"

"Wait..." I said shocked, "You're here to see me?"

"Well, duh," Remus said in a 'no nonsense' tone, "You're my 'chum'apparently," He sat down at the chair next to me.

"You saved my life," Lily reasoned, "it's only fair."

"I came because she did." James wrapped an arm around Lily.

Sirius grumbled.

"We made him come," James chuckled. It seemed like I had no choice in the matter. Whether I wanted visitors or not, they were here to stay.

I ignored the figure in the corner (Black) and looked towards Lily.

"How did you know I saved you?" I asked her. She glanced quickly towards Sirius and back to me, but at the time my head was pounding and little movements like that were missed.

"A little... dog... told me," she said with a smile.

My eyes widened slightly in disbelief.

"A... dog?"

She nodded.

I shook my head and wondered slightly if any of the potions that the nurse had given me had any 'loss of hearing' side effects.

"What happened to me?" I repeated for about the twenty millionth time.

"We were hoping you could tell us," Remus replied, "All we know is that you left in the middle of dinner and had to portkey back. According to Dumbledore you've had some Unforgivable Curses used on you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Dumbledore told you all this?"

Remus began to look sheepish, looking everywhere but at me. "Well... You see..."

"We listened in outside the door," James said bluntly.

"Well... How did I get to the Hospital Wing then?" I asked, "If I portkey'd to Hogwarts then I probably ended up in the grounds. Who found me?"

Everyone looked at each other with clueless expressions.

"We don't know. We only heard that you'd been hurt when a couple of third years were talking about it in the common room."

Sirius mumbled something in his chair, but everyone assumed he was still grumbling from being dragged there against his will.

"It has to be a Slytherin," Lily said, "No offence, but all the other houses don't exactly... like you."

Sirius mumbled again, but still didn't look up from the floor.

"I'm not on their Christmas list, that's for sure... Right, so it's a Slytherin. It has to be at least sixth or seventh year. No one else would be strong enough to carry me. If you haven't noticed, I'm not the thinnest wand in the shop."

They all raised their eyebrows, at what I don't know. It was true. I had flab hanging everywhere. No wonder I'd only had one boyfriend, and that was to get to my best friend at the time. She was the most gorgeous person I've ever seen. Long flowing blonde hair, deep blue eyes, flawless skin. Sometimes it amazed even me that she was put in Slytherin. But the year before last she was transferred to Beauxbattons (AN: sp?). Once again I was deserted.

"I found you, okay?!" Sirius exclaimed out of nowhere.

"What?!" Lily, James, Remus and I shouted. It was at that moment in time that I realised that Peter was nowhere to be seen. It was strange when you think about it. Wherever the Marauders were, he was soon to follow. Ah, speak of the devil.

The doors flung open and the chubby boy waddled in to the Hospital Wing.

"Sorry I'm late guys," he mumbled in a whiny voice, "Slughorn kept me for longer for my detention than I thought he would."

Sirius was looking at the floor as if ashamed of himself, whilst everyone else looked at him with wide eyes.

"What did I miss?" Peter asked.

"Only the scariest thing ever to happen," Remus told him, his gaze never wavering from Sirius.

"Oh," Peter mumbled and sat down on the bed opposite and started to eat some chocolate.

"Why?" I managed to choke out.

"Why?" he stood up and looked at me. There was something in his eye that I couldn't quit identify. "Because I know what it's like to pass out from pain. I know what it's like to have no one to talk to. I know what it's like to not have any real friends."

"So you saved my life because you pitied me?" I asked in disbelief. I couldn't believe it. Sirius ' I Am Holier Than Thou' Black pitied me because I didn't have any real friends. I could only name one or two Slytherins that actually had people who would die for them – family excluded, so I was nothing special

He shook his head.

It seemed as if he would stop there, so I ushered my hands to try and egg him on. I myself wanted to know why my arch enemy saved me when I was on the brink of death. It would be his dream come true to never see me again.

"I saved you because it was the right thing to do," he said. The doors to the Hospital Wing banged shut behind him as he stormed out of the room.

"Well... That was different," James muttered.

"Out! Out! It's already been ten minutes! My patient needs rest! Out!" Madame Pomfrey ushered the Marauders and Lily out of the Hospital Wing and the silence that followed was deafening.

"'It was the right thing to do'?" I whispered with wide eyes before the trainee nurse once again bombarded me with potions.

My last thought before I fell into a dreamless sleep – from the potion, not because my mind was void of all 'bad things' – was that maybe Sirius and myself were more alike than I imagined. It just took me a near death experience to realise it.

I was released from the Hospital Wing a day later only because Madame Tucker said she would knock me out herself if I stayed in another day.

"I know a song that'll get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves. I know a song that'll get on your nerves, and this is how it goes."

That repeated over and over – I lost count at fifty six – is enough to make any old nurse go senile. She released me on the one condition that I didn't go to any classes for that day. That was fine by me. Who'd pass up an offer to not go to class? Well, certainly not me.

Now that I was free from the hawk-like eye of Madame Pomfrey and her basket full of potions, I had enough time on my hands to think back on what Sirius had said.

'It was the right thing to do'.

A sudden flashback took my mind to the train ride at the beginning of the year. It was only the fifteenth of October (I had been out cold for a couple of days) but it seemed like a lifetime since I saw the bright red steam train.

It was the right thing to do when I dropped my Slytherin shell in aid to help other people. It was the right thing to do to put aside my differences with Black so that it wouldn't get in the way. It was the right thing to do to pretend to hate any living thing that was half-blood or less. It was the right thing to do to spy on Voldemort for the Order, even if it got me killed in the process. It was the right thing to do to be a Death Eater. Why? Because if I didn't, lives would be at stake. We were in the middle of a war, and it wasn't until that point that the blow hit me full on.

AN:

I had a bit of trouble with this chapter.Writer block again! –SheepishSmile—

Anyway, tell me what you think!

Any plot ideas are welcomed with a cookie!!

Stacey

xxx