A/N: Leah's POV

-C

Things had been more than a little tense between the Marauders (mostly Remus) and Susanna for weeks, but nobody was telling me a word about what was going on, even my sister, and I admittedly had my own problems to be thinking about. The last thing I needed was for Susanna's drama to blow up at me to, even though I knew that either she would have to fix it or I would have to confront it eventually, because my sister not getting along with some of my best friends was just not going to last. It couldn't.

Besides, things were hard enough with the guff I was getting from Constantin about his friends and what had happened to them with that stupid prank.

I'd told him what felt like hundreds of times, but he was still convinced that it was one of my friends, even though it was obvious that nobody who could have gotten into their dormitory had done it. They'd even complained to Slughorn, gotten an inquiry.

The Marauders had been fully absolved.

But still, Constantin just wasn't buying a word of it, he wasn't satisfied, and it was seriously cramping my love life.

And that was, in fact, the reason I was stabbing my potatoes with my fork, not because Sirius was harassing me, despite what he probably would have liked to believe.

"Leah, are you even paying attention?" he snapped.

"No," I said honestly, glaring at him. "Leave me to eat in peace!"

He raised his eyebrows, looking down at my plate.

"Leah, dear, you've not eaten anything. You're just turning things to mush. And besides, this is important, so will you please just listen?"

I had listened long enough to know it was about Susanna before zoning out, of course. But what did he want me to do about things? I didn't even know what was going on with them.

"What was it you wanted again?" I asked, going back to my plate, this time mashing up my peaches.

"I need you to help me lock Suzy up in a room with me," he said brightly. "She's not talking to me, she's avoiding me quite deftly, and I need to talk to her."

My sister didn't often avoid Sirius, so whatever it was that was going on, it was a big deal. She was clearly making quite an effort. As a token of sisterliness, I frowned up at him.

"If Susanna doesn't want to talk to you then I'm sure she's got a very good reason," I said smartly. He began to protest, but I cut him off. "I don't want to hear any more about it, Sirius. I'm not going to help you. I'm sure James would be thrilled, now leave me alone."

I didn't tell Sirius no very often, but when I did, no meant no and he knew that. So instead of trying to argue some more, he did, in fact, get up and move down toward where the other Marauders were sitting. I sighed.

"Don't you think you were a little hard on him?" Alyson asked, and I jumped slightly, not having been aware that she had been present.

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking around at Alyson and Mattia, who were sitting by me and had been the whole time, I supposed.

"You didn't even listen to what he had to say," Alyson pointed out. "It seems to me it would have been reasonable to at least hear him out."

I looked down at my mushy food and frowned. She was right, I knew. But honestly, I had far too many things to think about to bother with apologizing to Sirius. Besides, he was already gone.

"Something's on your mind," Mattia pointed out. "What's wrong?"

I sighed.

Of course they could tell something was wrong, I had snapped at Sirius rather unwarrantedly and managed to turn my entire meal into a mushed mess on my plate. Even for me this was not typical behavior.

"I'm just frustrated because Constantin insists that somehow the attack on the Slytherins had something to do with me. I just can't find a way to make him see otherwise."

"Well, it sort of is," Alyson pointed out in that voice she used when she was saying things that were utterly reasonable and was surprised that the person she was saying them to couldn't see the obviousness of it.

But how could it be my fault? I didn't attack anyone, I never would have attacked Constantin, and I had no idea who could have done it because all of the people I would have thought would have done it were completely accounted for and absolved. I didn't want to think about who might have done the prank for me, especially considering how murderous a few of the Slytherins were about the whole thing.

I shook my head.

"No, really," she continued. "You get attacked by a bunch of Slytherins and then they all just happen to have been mercilessly pranked? That doesn't happen by sheer coincidence."

"Constantin didn't-"

"He didn't stand up for you," Alyson continued. "He's not coming out in the open about it like a brave boyfriend would."

I wanted to point out that he wasn't a Gryffindor, but I had a feeling I would be a my-point-exactly look for my efforts, so I refrained.

"Besides," Mattia pointed out, "the logical thing would be to blame it on the Marauders. Leaving Constantin untouched would have been counterproductive."

She was right about that. It had certainly thrown a lot of suspicion on the Marauders.

Somehow it was even less comforting, though, knowing that the whole ordeal probably was my fault in some way. Or rather, that it did have something to do with me. After all, what did that mean for my relationship with Constantin?

And more importantly, who was the one responsible for everything? It wasn't the Marauders, so who did I have to blame/thank, really?

I continued to angrily mash my food.

Of course, I should have known then that the day couldn't turn out good for anything, but I still had an optimistic attitude when I went to classes. It was promptly shattered, however, when I walked into the girl's toilet on the first floor between classes, only to find Sirius and Betsy shouting at each other, the insults echoing off the walls. There was no way they could hear or understand each other. They just kept shouting over each other, as if yelling just a little bit louder would make the other person stop and listen.

I really had to use the toilet, so to begin with I walked right past them to the stalls, did what I had to do, washed my hands, and walked back over to the pair who obviously hadn't realized that someone else was there with them. Irritated, I pulled out my wand and silenced them both. They both looked at me, shocked, and when the echoing died down I began to speak with them as calmly as possible.

"Now," I said, "when I lift this charm you are going to tell me what this is all about one at a time starting with Betsy, and you are going to talk about it like civil people. Understood?"

It took a moment to get a response, but they both did nod after a bit, reluctantly, it seemed.

I waved my wand and released them from the charm, turning to Betsy.

"What's happened?" I asked.

"There was a girl in his bed again this morning," Betsy said softly, eyes full of tears, either from hurt or rage, I really couldn't say. I fought the urge to assault Sirius and let her continue. "I don't want to constantly be hearing about him and other girls, it's exasperating!"

This was more than a bit disconcerting, not because I had any doubt of Sirius's faithfulness, but because I knew it would not get any easier for Betsy in regard to the rumors and the stupid fan girls. I had known Sirius long enough to know that when he looked at a girl like he looked at Betsy, that meant something special. I also knew he was all talk, and that his moral gauge for how to treat a girl he was dating (well, as far as faithfulness was concerned) was what Mrs. Potter would say if she found out about his behavior.

He certainly never meant to encourage the stupid fan girls, but people as pretty as Sirius often didn't have a choice in the matter. And on top of his being pretty, he was unquestionably the most popular boy in school, only magnified by the fact that he was best friends with the Quidditch hero of Gryffindor.

It was amazing, I mused, how shallow some people could be as there was so much more to Sirius, but then, he'd had even more rabid fans when he was still set to inherit the Black family fortune, so perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised at all.

"Sirius," I sighed, "is this the same girl?"

"She looked the same," Sirius said with a shrug. "I still don't know her name. I'm pretty sure she's not a Gryffindor, though."

"It was a Ravenclaw," Betsy spat. "I don't remember her name either, but she shouldn't have even been in Gryffindor Tower! Explain that, Sirius!"

"Woah, civil, please," I reminded her, holding up a hand to try to calm them down. "I'll look into it. Tell your side of the story, Sirius, calmly, please."

"That's just it, it's not changed!" he said, running his fingers through his raven locks anxiously. "I don't know anything about who she is and how she got there, and don't say I was drinking last night because I remember everything I did and I certainly didn't drink a drop."

"Don't worry, I believe you," I said gently. "Now, Betsy, I think you and I need to have a bit of a chat. Sirius, get lost."

Instead of being insulted by my abrupt dismissal, Sirius looked relieved, as I knew he would be. He kissed a disgruntled, fuming Betsy on the cheek and walked out of the girls' toilet, leaving us alone.

"How can he be like that?" she sighed. "How can he be so... so...?"

"Unconcerned?" I offered. "Cavalier? Bloody charming?" Betsy nodded. "Look," I said with a heavy sigh, "you know as well as I do that it's not his fault. He's doing his best."

"I know," she admitted. "But... but it's so stressful, being his girl. The looks I get from other girls, the knowing that someone's always going to be trying to steal him away from me. It's aggravating. Brigitta suggested talking to him about it, but somehow it turned into a shouting match."

"My advice?" I said. "Don't bring it up. Complain to your friends. Hex a few of them when he's not looking. But Sirius can't do anything about it, and knowing that is only going to frustrate him even more. If you want to be happy between the two of you, you're going to want to suffer alone on this, because he's already suffering on hurting you without being able to stop."

She looked up at me, surprised.

"You're sure?" she asked. "He never said anything about-"

"Betsy, he's a boy," I sighed. "And more than a boy, he's Sirius. He doesn't like to talk about things that bother him."

Betsy didn't seem to like this idea very much, but eventually she agreed with me, thanking me for my advice, saying she would consider it. I hoped she actually would and I watched her leave the toilet with a contemplative look on her face, so at least she was considering it for the moment.

And then I had the sudden urge to wash my hands again, so I did so, trying not to think of what that girl who snuck into Sirius's bed had done before she had been discovered there.

When I got back to Gryffindor Tower for my free period, I settled down with my Ancient Runes texts and a bit of parchment and began translating roughly, knowing I would be going over my notes again later with a more careful eye and fixing my mistakes, smoothing out my coarse translations.

Despite what people might like to believe, this was actually a tactic I taught Susanna. Her translations were much coarser than mine to begin with, but hers somehow always came out looking smoother, and there was an idea running around that she came up with such smooth translations naturally.

Which was absurd, really, because not even the greatest translators of all time had naturally smooth translations, and certainly no one our age ever did.

I had just settled in, quill in ink, ready to begin my first line, when Peter Pettigrew of all people sat down across from me.

"I'm a bit busy at the moment, Peter, but we can talk later," I said, turning back to my book and trying to concentrate on the familiar symbols.

"It's not me, it's Sirius wants to talk to you," Peter squeaked. Then, upon realize that he'd said exactly what he hadn't meant to say, he gave a terrified sort of squeak and said, "I mean-!"

"Relax, Peter, I wasn't coming with you either way," I told him, wondering if that would actually assuage his guilt at spilling the beans before properly luring me off in whatever way he had been proscribed.

I knew what Sirius wanted to talk about. Rather, I knew Sirius wanted to talk about whatever it was to do with Susanna, or perhaps even Betsy, but I had my own life and my own work and I'd already told him no on the one count and I just wasn't going to jump to his beck and call every time he needed me.

But surprisingly, timid Peter wasn't budging.

Whatever Sirius had said to pluck up Peter's courage, it had obviously done the trick, because he then said, "No, it's really important that you do this, Leah. It has a lot to do with Remus's health and happiness."

Remus?

I thought we were talking about Susanna.

Or were we still?

Health and happiness...

Was he going to tell my sister about his condition? Did he want my help, my advice? I wasn't sure how I could be of service. All he had to do was tell her.

"I'm not sure I understand," I said slowly. "Does this have to do with Suzy?"

Peter hesitated.

Ah, so it did. I nodded to myself, cleaning off my quill and capping my ink.

"All right then," I said, hoping it was about what I thought it was about. "I suppose it can't wait?"

"Sirius said to get you now," he said sheepishly.

"Don't worry, I won't tell him you spilled the beans," I assured him. Why Sirius thought everything needed to be a top-secret mission was beyond me. Probably the boys had been watching too many Muggle films.

Peter fidgeted anxiously for a moment, perhaps deciding what he should do or say next, and then he nodded, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet and I cleared away my things into my bag, judging that he was going to lead me out of the common room upon my readiness.

I was right, of course. Peter was, unsurprisingly, the most predictable of the Marauders and after more than six years I'd gotten reading all of them generally down to a science.

"It's not far," he assured me.

As I followed I thought of the state Remus had been in lately, the state he must be in at that moment, waiting for me to come and give him advice that he probably didn't even need. After all, there wasn't anyone more understanding than Susanna.

But he was nervous, of course. Remus had always been nervous where his condition was concerned, and where Susanna was concerned, and putting the two together had probably driven him to the verge of nervous breakdown.

Yes, perhaps Sirius calling on me was the smart thing to do after all.

Who knew he had it in him?

Of course, my confidence in his intelligence was once again called into question when I found Remus not only distressed, but curled up in a corner, crying, and Sirius pacing the room. James was sitting on a desk between the two, clearly trying to decide what he was supposed to do, and this was the scene Peter led me into before scurrying to his own corner and looking around with wide eyes at the other three.

Great.

"All right, Peter said it's important, so tell me what's so important," I said, ignoring Sirius and moving to comfort a clearly distraught Remus.

Sirius, though, blocked my path and looked straight into my eyes, his own grey eyes flashing wildly.

"You need to get your sister to talk to me. She's been very stupid."

I blinked.

What had she done?

I looked over at Remus, saw how utterly broken she was, and then realized something that didn't seem possible at all in my mind when I thought of my sister and Remus.

Somehow, he'd told her some or even all of the truth, and she'd done the unthinkable and turned him away.

Or something like it.

I didn't know what was going through Susanna's head, but there was some sort disconnect, there must be, and I needed to figure out what it was.

"What do you expect me to do?" I asked. "You know how stubborn she can be."

I was thankful that Sirius didn't give me the look he usually did when I said that very thing. After all, I was nearly as stubborn as Susanna, she was just better at getting her way because she rolled right over people.

"Tell her that she owes me," Sirius said intensely. "She'll know what I'm talking about, and the fact that it's coming from you should make her start acting reasonable quickly."

Whatever it was she owed him for I knew I couldn't ask. Sirius wouldn't have told me anyway, but I nearly shuddered to think what it might be if he expected such results.