Hermione quickly sat down opposite Sirius and next to Lily and Remus. All her anxiety had made her quite hungry so when she saw strawberries and pie she rapidly picked the plumpest and what she thought was the most delicious.

"So Hermione, we barely know anything about you, care to share?" Remus beside her leaned into her shoulder with a light nudge.

"Well I'm a muggleborn, I don't have any family," she felt better saying this rather than that they were dead "I've had a few close friends, I like to read and I hate flying."

"You hate flying?" James' face said what he didn't say - that he thought she was insane.

"I don't blame you," Lily ignored James' reply and smiled at her "James persuaded me to have another go at flying on a broom with him, needless to say after he did the loop the loop 7 times and several barrel rolls, I didn't try it again." She glared at James and he cowered under his girlfriends gaze.

"It was only a joke, please forgive me." James turned on his sad eyes and his lower lip trembled as he tried to get his girlfriend to forgive him.

"You're such an idiot, James." She tried to stay angry but after a few seconds just smiled and leaned into him. James smirked behind her back and winked at Sirius before placing an arm behind Lily.

Hermione watched Lily and James interact and wished that Harry were here to see this. He would have loved to see how in love his parents were. She felt a pang in her chest. She wanted that. She wanted the unbreakable love between James and Lily. Her less than perfect relationship with Ron had been a cruel lesson and her romantic world had shattered. But looking at James and Lily she felt her soul start to hope that she would one day find her other half.

Looking around the great hall whilst eating strawberries she tried to see if she could find the mystery guy from last night. It won't be a slytherin... she thought happily to herself. Whoever had played with her last night would definitely be a Gryffindor or a Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff were too nice to actually hex a student on person and a slytherin would cast a harmful curse aiming to give her an injury. Her eyes darting around the tables she tried to see the black curtain of hair on a boy. She couldn't see anyone. Is he injured? Has something happened? Countless possibilities whisked through her head and she frowned. Where are you?

Severus watched the new girl look around the room looking for someone. Who is she looking for?

He watched as her eyes became frantic, constantly switching from the ravenclaw table and the gryffindor table. A small frown dimmed her face and he found his own face troubled. Is she looking for me? Immediately he dismissed this as they had only met yesterday and their greeting had hardly been friendly... just playful. It was a nict thought anyway no matter how far fetched it was. As his frown was disappearing, the idiot Black, stretched out her hand to pat hers gently. Severus felt an angry swirl in the depths of his stomach and his frown darkened.

"Jealous Severus?"

He turned to his right and found Abraxas staring at him with an amused expression.

"Of course not Abraxas, I've had enough of gryffindors for a lifetime." he replied in a snarky tone.

"This one is certainly enchanting, isn't she?"

Severus followed Abraxas' gaze to watch Hermione again. The angry feeling in his stomach appeared again and he fought it down. "You're welcome to her."

The words left a bitter taste in his mouth and his heart wished he could stuff them back in his mouth. His brain on the other hand left it there, looking out for his heart, making sure that it never got hurt again.

He watched again as Hermione and the rest of the Marauders started to get up and leave out of the great hall. His eyes strayed from Hermione to rest on Lily. Dear, sweet Lily. Oh, how she had changed. She was the only one who had ever accepted him for who he was. Didn't bother looking at the outward appearances that had deterred so many but to the person inside him who just wished for someone to understand him. But no matter what he always managed to screw it up. Lily had left him. No-one needs me... He watched Hermione again. She was laughing at something James had said and her grin was a beacon of happiness as he caught a last glimpse of her as she turned the corner. She'll never need me.

He looked down towards his strawberries. His favourite fruit always cheered him up so he took care to eat them with cream. Immediately his mood lightened and he quickly finished them off and made his way over to his first lesson - Potions.