A/N: I don't know if any of you watch football but EURO 2008 is on and my team SPAIN just got to the finals against Germany...It's finally their year!! I hope so anyway.

Ok thanks for reviewing, please do so again...and let me know if its getting too slow, angsty or boring...I'm worried the action has slowed down.

Incessant Beating

MARY POV

I'm dreading today. It's Tuesday. Not only do I have Arithmancy, which has been awkward for weeks because Sirius and I barely said a word to each other anymore but I also sat next to Lily in every one of my other classes. It's scaring me. We haven't talked in days. Days!! How do you go this long not talking to your best friend? Marlene and Dorcas fall out all the time, but it's usually about silly things that Lily and I roll our eyes at. Marlene and Dorcas had tried to talk to us about it, but there was no denying that the things that were said on Saturday were far past cruel. Evil even! And Lily and I are the furthest thing from evil. I came out of the bathroom just in time to see Lily pulling her hair into a tight ponytail. She was carefully avoiding my look and struggling to tease her auburn locks together. Finally she sniffed rather decisively and walked out of the dormitory, her head held high and her bag swinging behind her. Dorcas and Marlene looked at me. I could only shrug.

"Oh Mary, can't you just apologize!?" Marlene asked impatiently as Dorcas threw her a disapproving look.

"Not until she does first! She started this!" I replied angrily, also combing my hair into a tight ponytail. It had neither the elegance nor the precision of Lily's but it never would, would it?

"You both are just being stubborn!" Marlene said crossing her arms across her chest. She idolizes Lily, of course she would take her side!

"Well, if you're so bothered, just go be friends with her!"

Marlene looked shocked. I was even a little shocked. I don't know why I'm being such a cow.

"At least she's open to the idea of fixing things! All you can think about is bleeding Sirius!" Marlene shot at me angrily.

I laughed. "Oh, like you wouldn't? Haven't you been trying to sleep with him since Fourth Year?"

I said it. I don't even know why, I'm just so upset and I'm not myself lately. Marlene looked completely pissed off and even Dorcas who isn't the type of person to take sides scowled at me.

"Whatever, you both always liked her better anyway!" I said, my voice high-pitched. I won't cry. I won't.

Marlene looked completely exasperated. "You are such a child! Grow up!" she said and stalked out of the room. That left Dorcas and I looking at each other.

"Mary, why are you being so insecure?" she said in her quiet voice.

"I'm not!" I said indignantly.

"I know you've had a hard time with Sirius and other people…but why would you think that your friends…the friends you've had since First Year didn't like you? That really hurts…" she said shaking her head sadly before also leaving.

I hate my life. I truly do.

I'm getting quite sick of all this whispering. I've heard it since the beginning of the year and now there's just three weeks until Christmas. Surely these people have something better to talk about!? I can't even believe they want to discuss my life. A few months ago they hadn't a clue who I was. I really was very angry. I snapped at the person who stopped me just as I was about to enter the Transfiguration classroom.

"What do you want!?" I asked impatiently.

"Only to talk to you" came the surprised voice. I turned and saw Richard Davies with a confused smile on his Ken-doll face.

"Oh"

"I haven't spoken to you in a while" he said with a grin. I almost rolled my eyes. He'd complimented my hair in four different ways last week. Trust him not to remember.

"Yeah, well…" I said looking into my classroom. McGonagall was still grading at some papers on her desk.

"Look, what are you doing for the Hogsmeade trip before Christmas?"

I stared at him. Was this a joke?

"Uh...I don't have any plans yet" I stammered.

He smiled easily. "Great, now you do. You and me, Hogsmeade?"

I blinked. Did he just ask me out?

"Uh…" was all I could muster.

He flashed me a brilliant smile and laughed. "I'll take that as a stunned and grateful silence. I'll see you at dinner" he said before walking over to his waiting friends. I pretended not to see the high fives he'd received. I walked in to the classroom slowly, seeing McGonagall nod at me. Without a word, I walked toward my usual desk. I suppose I should be happy. Richard is very handsome and I know a lot of girls who'd give anything to go out with him. For some reason all I could feel was empty. I saw Sirius try to smile at me, but he looked sad almost immediately. I suppose that's because I must have a frown on my face. Not only was I totally confused about my date with Richard and my situation with Sirius, but Lily was also not in her usual place. Instead she was sitting with the rather sniffly Hufflepuff that always sits by herself. I'd feel sorry for that girl, but she's really not very pleasant. When you try to talk to her she just looks like you've made fun of her. Lily didn't even look my way and I noticed that she, Marlene and Dorcas were whispering before falling silent when I walked by. I tried very hard to look expressionless and just sat in my seat. The Marauders had given me a smile but even they looked a bit reluctant doing so. Sirius was the only one whose eyes never stopped studying the expression on my face. I sat quietly throughout the entire class, waiting desperately for it to be over so I could use my free to go cry in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

SIRIUS POV

Evans was not being pleasant. Even Prongs agrees. She, McKinnon and Meadowes have been whispering non-stop since Mary walked in. Girls are ridiculous. I bet they all felt awful for being so horrible to Mary but at the same time, none of them seemed to want to break out of their little, secure threesome. Evans is even sitting with that disgusting Hufflepuff girl. Even if Evans is one of the nicest people in our year, I don't believe for a second she enjoyed that.

I watched Mary carefully throughout the lesson. She was biting her lip, rather cutely, but it made me sad to see it wasn't due to nervousness or concentration. She looked like she was trying very hard not to cry. I was glad Prongs and I had patched things up. Although, I don't think I ever have to worry about my friends ignoring me for days on end. Of course they've all been mad at me at the same time, but that doesn't stop them talking to me…even if it's a lecture. I wanted very much to see Mary alone in Arithmancy to see if she was alright. Prongs asked her once during the lesson when he was walking to the front to ask Minnie something but she just shrugged.

When Transfiguration ended, she was the first one out of the classroom. I saw that Evans had watched her leave with a very sad expression on her face, but she just turned to Dorcas and Marlene.

"I have bloody Care of Magical Creatures now!" Marlene said. Dorcas laughed.

"Don't you love that class?" she asked but Marlene just pulled a face and they both laughed again. Evans didn't seem to be listening at all. She was just putting her stuff away very slowly.

"You ought to check on Mary" James was saying to me.

"Yeah, I'll go look for her" I said to the Marauders who nodded. Of course though, as I headed to the door McGonagall stopped me for a lecture.

Forty minutes later I finally left the deserted Transfiguration classroom and pulled out the map. Mary was in the out of order girl's bathroom. I couldn't go in there though. Moaning Myrtle has had a crush on me and James since Third Year when we were in there planning a prank. I walked back to the common room watching Mary's dot pace around the room. I sighed as I entered the Portrait hole. I was surprised to see that Dorcas and Marlene weren't with Evans and she was currently sitting next to Moony looking sullenly at him. I joined them and looked at Prongs who didn't even notice I was there, he was too busy watching Lily concernedly.

"And I didn't mean any of it! That's the worst part, I used her insecurities against her and now she's angry at Marlene and Dorcas because they seemed to have taken my side!" she said tearfully looking at a surprised James of all people.

"Oh Lily, why don't you just talk to her?" Moony was saying as he also glanced at James.

"I can't! I don't know what to say! This year has been so awful for me. I feel like I'm losing all my best friends!" Lily said covering her face. Prongs and I both noticed the tears dripping from her hands.

Even though he had stiffened at the discreet mention of Snivellus, Prongs immediately shifted seats and hesitantly started patting Lily on the back. Her hands slid away and she looked at him, red-eyed but grateful. He smiled at her encouragingly, but I could tell he was nervous.

"I just want her to forgive me! I wish I could take it all back you know?" she said looking at James as her hand slid to his knee. I couldn't help it but my eyebrows shot up and I had to stifle a chuckle. Her head darted to me and she looked livid for a second. Suddenly she started to laugh. She rested her head unconsciously on a very pleased Prongs' shoulder and laughed hysterically between sobs. She finally calmed down and shook her head.

"This is all your fault!" she said glaring at me and James but there was a faint twinkle in her eye.

Prongs and I exchanged looks and he discreetly raised an eyebrow as his arm slid around Lily's waist.

"No! You were the one who wanted to talk to me yesterday! And anyway, you don't see me and Prongs fighting do you?" I said with a smirk.

Lily seemed to suddenly realize who had her arm around her and she jumped. "Get your paws off me Potter!" she said. Prongs shrugged.

"You know you wanted it Evans" he joked half-heartedly.

She looked very confused momentarily but said nothing. We spent the remainder of the free trying to cheer her up and she occasionally laughed at our silly jokes. It's probably the first time she's sat with us and not ended up screaming at me or Prongs. It's usually only Moony she can stand. Even though I was glad Evans was feeling a little better, at the back of my mind I was worrying about Mary. When the bell rang for our next lesson, I was the first one to leave.

I saw her, waiting outside the classroom with the others, her eyes puffy and unfocused. All I wanted to do was hug her and kiss her and try and make everything better. Instead I settled on standing next to her. She looked at me for a second but then drearily fixed her gaze on the floor. I smiled as Professor Vector passed and the rest of the class filed in. I caught Mary's arm lightly before she followed. She paused and looked at me with her pretty but dull green eyes.

"Are you alright?" was all I managed. Stupid, stupid. Couldn't think of anything better, could I?

She shook her head and turned away again but I insisted on stopping her.

"You know I'm still here for you right?" I whispered to her with as much sincerity as I could.

She looked deep into my eyes for a moment and a small smile slid on to her beautiful, soft lips. She licked them unconsciously and my eyes dropped down to look at them.

"It's good to know I have someone" she said quietly before gently prying my hand off her arm and entering the room.

Damn this incessant beating in my chest!

A/N: I know Mary was a right cow in this chapter but she's just being defensive. Dramatic turn in the next chapter hopefully. I know you want more Sirius/Mary...it's been a while. Review it please!! I miss the days where I'd get 20 for just one chap :( haha only joking, I'll gladly take what I can get.