A/N: Thanks for another amazing review from Siriusly luvs Harry Potter, siriusly guys, you should read the stories or go hug her or something . . . now!

Ohh it all kicks off in this chapter . . .

Warning: If used in a strange manner the " - "'s are bad words.

10th Oct

I was a Marauder first.

10:30am

My stomach is slowly killing me and I may just be having the start of an exceedingly awful day.

James tore in last night after his patrol with Lily last night – yeah, the silly girl had told him about Amos, I mean really! Would you tell the person who is under the impression that you are their true love that you fancy someone you know they hate? Well, thanks Lily. He saw the rest of us Marauders chilling by the fire, Peter, Remus and I were sat on the comfiest chairs by the fire and Sirius had decided to plonk himself on the floor, resting his back against the front of my chair, and decided to infect us with his black mood.

"Billie." He snapped, "How many sit ups have you done this week?" With that he turned his back to us before lying down on his back, hooking his toes under the sofa and furiously beginning to do sit-ups. I sighed, pushed Padfoot off me and laid down and beginning to exercise as well. Sirius decided he would help by sitting on my feet.

"What's up then Messer Prongs?" He asked, giving me a grin my brother couldn't see. After a string of obscenities flew out of my twins mouth I thought it better I spoke for him.

"Lily fancies Amos." Peter gasped, Remus looked up curiously from his book and even Sirius showed some emotion at the news.

"Aw, man-" He began but James had stopped halfway through a sit up, his muscles tensed horribly, and was staring at me murderously.

"You knew?" An incredulous, angry tone rung through his voice and I thought I heard Peter gulp.

"Yeah, about five minutes before you did." I told him, slightly angry at his childish behaviour. I heard his teeth clink together as he continued to sit up.

"What did she say to you?" Remus' curiosity won over his desire to keep out of it. James hmphed loudly.

"Only that her and Amos were more than friends now so she'd thank me kindly if I left them both alone, she doesn't want me to fancy her – apparently I don't know the meaning of love – and reminded me that the friendship we have now, had, was really only for the sake of our badges so we don't have to pretend anymore."

"What a bitch!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Don't call her a bitch Padfoot!" James and I said at exactly the same time his eyes widened and he looked between us both waiting for something else to happen.

"Suppose I deserve it." James mumbled dejectedly.

"James, for the first time ever I disagree with you." Peter spoke up. An appreciative smile twitched the corners of James mouth.

"Thanks wormy."

"It's not like Lily to behave like that." I said, almost to myself. I had paused at the top of my sit up so Sirius pushed me back down again with a cheeky grin.

"Well it happened." Was the last thing James said regarding the matter, he did, however, make me do sit ups until past midnight.

Lily pretended to be asleep when I went up to bed and we barely spoke this morning, I really needed to talk to her before we saw James, I didn't want to pick sides but she wouldn't be my eye and hurried down to breakfast as soon as she could. The walk down to breakfast with the boys was ok. Remus and Sirius had managed to coerce James into making an appearance and in true Marauder fashion he had made sure he looked absolutely perfect. I was awarded with an apologetic hug after last night's sit-up nightmare. We took our usual places at the table in the Great Hall and were soon joined by Lily who shuffled up from further down the table. It was Sirius who dared break the silence.

"Good morning Evans." He greeted her politely but with a stone cold edge to his voice. She visibly flinched. "Little touchy are we?"

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking Black." She replied just as stonily. Then the table fell back into silence, it was even worse than when Sirius and I fell out. Soon something broke the silence, a silky smooth voice whose owner I would very much like to punch.

"Lily?" It enquired and we all spun round to face none other than Amos Diggory. I grabbed Sirius' wrist to stop him from standing up.

" – off Diggory!" The swear word slipped out of his mouth. Diggory looked liked he'd been slapped around the face. "Go play with a – muggle electrical plug and – electrocute yourself and take your – bint with you!" Everyone's mouths fell open, Padfoot usually only used that bad language when he was REALLY mad. Lily cast him an appalled look before getting up and leaving with Amos without a word to any off us, not even me!

"Have a good day everyone." Amos smirked, the expression twisting his face into a gargoyle's. I prayed the wind would change. His goodbye was met by another flow of swear words from both Sirius and James.

"Well I'm sure that went down well. You charming things." Remus half snarled from behind his paper. James and Sirius knew not to pay too much attention to what he said, he was still grumpy from the full moon, but shut up all the same.

I can't believe breakfast actually started to look up. I was tempted into smiling by Sirius at least twice. Then the owl mail came. I was as surprised to see Ethelbert as he was to see me when I posted my letter to my parents. So surprised that when the letter was dropped in front of me it took a few moments for me to remember what to do with it.

"Most people open letters Billie." Moony's voice told me sardonically, calling from behind a moving picture of the Gringotts goblins. Sirius and James snickered into their breakfast. I turned to them.

"Funny James?" I asked, "Not all of us get mail everyday." He mustered up a dirty look before ripping open his mail from mum and dad.

Dear Billie,

Glad you're well.

Don't worry about not keeping in touch, James and I have been corresponding almost daily so I'm in the loop with everything that has happened. Your grades sound ok, do try to keep up with your brother though, I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving you a hand with your homeworks. James has told me about Emmeline, quite a lucky find, I'm sure you'll agree. Your father and I are planning on coming to watch every match when you become the junior England team. James told me about Sirius and your little tiff, you should really be kinder to him, he's had a tough year and is still a guest to our family, whether you're at home or Hogwarts! Congratulations on your potions success, I'm sure you'll think of a good way to use it. However, do not even consider drinking that stuff before a quidditch match, you WILL be disqualified as will the whole team and do you really want to ruin it all for everyone?

Billie, you know better than to ask for your father. He is, of course, fine but is a very busy man. It's due to him that you will have a future after Hogwarts so show more respect than to call his work pointless – if his boss saw that then he could get fired! We would both appreciate it if you kept your opinions to yourself when you do not know what you are saying.

Should you need me do try to contact me through James, it's easier that way.

Stay well.

Mum.

I felt my hand clench up, crunching the ball of paper into a ball. James' head snapped up.

"No wonder you don't get post if you treat it like that!" He joked, I saw Remus frown as he put his newspaper down.

"Can I read your letter?" I asked as politely as I could. James' hand automatically tightened around his letter.

"Erm." He replied noncommittally.

"Let her read it Prongs." Sirius told him, reaching to grab for the letter himself.

"No!" The parchment was pulled closer to him.

"Why not?" Remus questioned. His hand too, ready to grab the letter.

"Because, then we'll only get the 'not fair, his letter was better than mine' when really they were just the same!" I looked at my twin, shocked and betrayed.

"Oh really? Take a – look at this and you tell me whose letter was best!" I stood up and threw the tight parchment ball hard at his head before striding off angrily. So James gets a letter everyday? So he's getting better grades than me? So James is captain? So James picked a half decent player? So James told you about me and Sirius? So James is allowed to know about dad but I'm not? (because I bet he is) SO WHAT?

Why doesn't she get that we are different people?

And why did it take a WEEK to write back when James gets a letter everyday.

As I strode out and down to the greenhouses I got a lot of: "Oh look, it's Potter! What's up Potter? You heard about the Ravenclaw team? They're going to squish you – Girls can't play quidditch!" The blue, Ravenclaw voices seemed to drift away as I walked past them, too lost in my angry hurricane to care. I found myself forgetting Herbology and dumping my bag and cloak by the edge of the black lake and beginning to run round in a loose circle. The water was eerily still and I could see my reflection cut sharply like glass into the water's surface. I didn't go to Herbology, I knew Sirius would make up an excuse for me; I'd done it enough times for him.

Now I'm sat, sweaty and awkward, next to Lily. We haven't said anything to each other. She probably doesn't think she needs to explain why she's been such a bitch because James and Sirius swore at her precious Amos. I don't have to say anything to her; I'm not even sure what I would say, "Lily, just go and get the – away to your boyfriend, I'm – off because my parents don't love me as much as they do my brother"?

Everyone is swearing a lot today.

James has tried apologising, not directly of course, but I got a note from Sirius saying that he said sorry. I spun round slightly to see an apologetic smile on his face, whether Sirius charmed it there or not is a different story, then a note from Remus. I didn't write back. He deserves to feel the full power of Billie Potter when she's ticked off.

8:30pm

It's just gotten worse.

I didn't think it could.

But it has.

It seems our crap moods have spread throughout the castle. Nobody seems to smile today – maybe I just didn't notice it – but the Marauders' dark clouds seem to hang over everybody's head. James and I made up at lunch it wasn't so much of an "Oh, we're friends again – ace", more, "Oh, you're family, I'd better be nice" if James did feel really, truly bad I missed it. Even Sir seemed to be a bit under the weather as we all trooped in, if professor Jubential couldn't cheer us up it was decided no-one could. I barely spoke to Lily all day, she wasn't at lunch, or dinner and I've only just seen her now: when she came to ruin things even more.

"Erm, James, could I have a word?" She asked quietly, disturbing our study circle ten minutes before she was due to start her patrol with him.

"What do you want?" He retorted, gaze never flickering from the page he was reading. I looked up, however and saw her looking intensely nervous but after the day I'd had I knew better than to think she'd apologise.

"To tell you something . . . alone . . ." James snorted in controlled laughter.

"Whatever you have to say to me can be said with these guys around – surely any hurt to my pride would make you feel better about yourself anyway?" I saw her flinch and felt bad, James was being harsh. Scanning the table I saw Remus wearing a look similar to mine. Lily inhaled deeply and mustered up some courage.

"Fine. I'm not doing patrol with you anymore."

"What?" James choked. "You can't just decide something like that! The whole timetable has to be changed!" Lily shook her head.

"I cleared it all with Professor McGonagall earlier."

"Well isn't that great. I know you think I'm a crap head boy and you don't like me because your nancy boy boyfriend doesn't but we are supposed to act like a team and YOU are supposed to tell me if you plan on changing something like that!" Lily paled as James' voice rose, then she flushed an angry pink.

"Sorry James but I figured you'd just act all immature like you are now!" James actually stood up in anger then thought better of it when everyone else in the common room began to back up against the walls.

"Who the hell am I doing patrols with?" He questioned angrily.

"Mary Ainsworth." She replied quickly, eager to get away.

"Just leave me alone then Evans." He told her coolly before sitting back down and determinedly ignoring her.

Well I wasn't having any of that. I stood up and raced after her as she made to leave.

"Oi! Lily!" I called ad she spun around – deserved dread in her eyes.

"Look, Billie, I have to g-"

"Oh no, you don't have to be anywhere, why can't James do the patrol with Remus?" I was blocking her from getting to where Amos was meeting her.

"Because then we'd have to change the timetable! It was a simple swap this way!" Her eyes were green and deadly.

"As long as you get what you want then?" My suggestion made her eyes sharpen even more.

"What is your problem? It doesn't have anything to do with you – even if it did I'd expect you to at least try to see where I'm coming from! You're supposed to be my best friend!"

I felt an onslaught of anger, if she wanted me to see her side then why hadn't she even bothered to talk to me at all today? If she wanted me to see her side then why didn't she try to make me see it?

"Slightly hard when you avoid talking to me all day because you know you've been a bitch to my brother!" I roared and she took a step forward furiously.

"Because I knew you'd take his side! You always do!" I gasped, appalled.

"Lily for Merlin's sake you told him to drop this imaginary pretence that you've just made up and for him to leave you alone! He – loves you Lily! More than that Amos creep ever will!"

"See! You weren't even there you just took his side of the story!"

"You won't – tell me your side of the story!"

"Because you won't listen! Because you're a – Marauder and just like the rest of them you NEVER listen!" Lily screamed at me before flouncing off. For a second or too I watched her go incredibly shocked that a swear word actually flew off her tongue but then a comeback kicked in.

"Oh yeah?" I shouted down the deserted corridor, "Well, I was a Marauder first!"

I stood there staring for a long while, I don't know exactly how long, wanting her to come back or something, I don't know exactly what I wanted, before feeling a warm hand grip mine.

"Sorry." I whispered.

"Tough – on her. You are a Marauder and it's time she learnt that if she can't beat us then she's got no choice but to join us." Another one of his warm hands pulled me into a hug and I smelt that vague wet dog smell, and his old cigarettes.

I pretended not to notice the letter from my parents burning away in the fire where James had put it as we walked past.

A/N: Ooohhh.