A/N: Thank you, thank you!! I love you all!! :) This chapter is a little odd and it randomly sidetracks, but I think it still pushes the story along a little. Don't take too much notice of some of the events, for the most part they are just a device to move the plot along and are unlikely to resurface. Thanks for everything, enjoy the chap!


The Reckless Danny Murray

SIRIUS POV

It was a strange ending to our day at Diagon Alley, as Prongs and I watched Moony leave Cheryl, and Mary soothingly rubbed Lily's back as she hurled all over side of the building we were hiding behind. I moved away from the wall, slightly disgusted but James just looked worried. He hesitantly scooted forward, closer to Lily who was coughing, red in the face and tears forming at her eyes. I knew the girl was a light-weight!!

Mary sent me a worried look and I spoke up,

"How're you going to get her home?"

Her eyes widened at the question and she looked frightened suddenly.

"Mary, don't worry…she just had too much to drink," I said, touching her shoulder.

"Watch her for a second James?" she asked before moving over to me.

"Sarah said to Owl when she wanted us to pick her up, but to give her half an hour's notice…should we take her to St. Mungo's?"

I laughed. "No, no, she'll just get in more trouble than its worth. Send the Owl. She'll be fine."

"Ok.." she said, hurriedly rummaging in her bag and pulling out a quill and a bit of parchment. She wrote quickly and furiously, sneaking glances at Lily who was now resting her head on James' shoulder. He hurriedly whispered Augmenti and also, Transfigured a rock into a glass, filling it with water. Taking it, she shivered.

"Oh Evans, what am I going to do with you?" he asked with a small shake of his head. He removed his jacket and put it around her shoulders which indeed was a chivalrous gesture because it was very steadily threatening to snow. Evans had sunk back against a wall looking pale and dazed. Even in her weak state, I felt annoyed at her. Why did she have to bloody go and throw up? Now my time with Mary had been cut short and I'd be blamed for Lily's silly misconduct. Selfish I know, but you have to be sometimes, don't you?

Mary was muttering spells to clean the vomit from the ground and soon she joined Lily, leaning against the wall. She had just sent off an Owl with her letter. It was lucky there were so many Post Owls flying around! Prongs looked at me and shivered a bit. He covered it quite nicely but I knew he was dying to go inside to the warmth.

"Well, Moony…what d'you reckon?" I said, trying to relieve the tense atmosphere.

James laughed. "Haven't a clue. Wonder how he's going to break it to Wormy".

"Oh that'll be nice. Poor Pete will run off into a corner and cry!" I said with a smirk and we both chuckled.

"You lot are laughing…laughing during my time of need!!" Lily spat as she looked queasy again.

"Oh…sorry Evans!" James said quickly but quietly.

I rolled my eyes. "Evans, no one told you to go down two Firewhiskys and a Butterbeer!"

"Ugh," was all she said as she closed her eyes.

Suddenly there was a crack and Sarah McDonald was back, a very amused smile on her lips.

"Oh Lily, what've you gotten yourself into love?" Sarah said with a smile crouching down and running some fingers through Lily's hair.

"Where were you?" Mary asked, confused at her quick arrival.

"Oh I ran into Gerry Bott and he asked me to have a drink with him. How on earth did you lot manage to get served alcohol?" she asked eyeing us.

"I have a bit of a pull…" I explained. She rolled her eyes in amusement and looked at Mary.

"Picked a good one haven't you Mary?" she teased.

"She didn't drink!" I said hurriedly in her defense.

"I'm sure she didn't. Mary'll be done after one! But its so cute of you to be concerned," she said with a little condescending wink. For the second time today my bloody face went pink and I felt very stupid. I looked away as Sarah spoke up.

"Blimey James, I know you're a gentleman, but your coat? Honestly!" Sarah said clucking her tongue and helping Lily to her feet. "Alright let's go back to the house. Mum and Dad are at a luncheon, so I'll be able to deal with this without them finding out…ok?" She looked at Mary and Lily who nodded meekly and then turned to us.

"Who's coming to collect you lot?"

"Oh…uh, my Mum said she'll be by at about six," James said embarrassedly.

"Well once we get to my house, you can Owl her and tell her I'll drop you home or to collect you from Comstockton," Sarah said briskly, supporting Lily on her arm.

"You live in Comstockton?" James and I said at the same time as he looked at Sarah and I looked at Mary. Comstockton is like the coolest place Wizards own! There's a bunch of famous people I love who all lived or live there.

"Yeah, I know, it's perfect," Sarah replied with a laugh.

"Here, let me take her…" James offered seeing the older girl struggle slightly.

"Thanks," she replied brightly, leading the way to her car. Mary and I walked in silence while James murmured something to Evans who still looked very out of it.


MARY POV

"This is so cool," I heard Sirius whisper to James as we got out of the car at my house. They were looking at Magenta Comstock's memorial ice sculpture that was installed across from my house. There were a few of the more fashionable wizards sitting on the benches nearby smoking cigarettes, with long hair and fang earrings. I noticed that they also had motorcycles parked nearby and Sirius was watching longingly.

"They've lived down the road for years," I said to him, speaking for the first time since we left Diagon Alley. His focus switched and he looked at me instead, seemingly enthralled by my every word. My town was definitely the place Sirius felt he was meant to live in.

Meanwhile, Lily was completely out of it. She was dozing in James' arms looking rather peaceful. I feel like she secretly was enjoying this and just didn't want anyone to know she wasn't nearly as drunk as she had been previously.

"Here, James let's take her inside. Why don't you two go for a walk?" Sarah said to Sirius and I, her eyes sparkling.

"Uh…" I stammered, wondering if he'd agree.

"Brilliant!" he said with a little glee and grabbed my hand as we walked toward the sculpture.

I blushed at his touch but he was too excited to notice.

"Magenta was a genius, wasn't she?" Sirius muttered as we stood in the snow, holding hands and watching the abstract ice sculpture sneeze a shower of snowflakes on to us. He laughed and squeezed my hand and I said nothing, just concentrating on the way his fingers entwined perfectly with mine.

"More bloody tourists," I heard the most handsome of the group of boys mutter. "Oh hang on, isn't that Mary MacDonald?" His icy blue eyes glimmered when he saw me. Danny Murray from Forty Two Magenta Road had practically grown up with me. I'd had a giant crush on him for most of my life, until of course Sirius Black entered my line of vision.

"Hello Danny," I said tiredly. He knew he was hot. He also knew how much I'd liked him. He turned me down as soon as he found out. I never quite recovered from the confidence blast. Maybe that's why I'm so shy now.

"You know him?" Sirius whispered. I could see that he was slightly impressed by the older boy. The fang hanging from his ear was sharp and black and he was as haughty looking as Sirius himself. He wore a leather jacket and blue jeans, his tight white t-shirt skimming the waistband. I glanced over at Sirius, dressed similarly minus the jacket and the fang earring and instead adorning a fitted, red windbreaker.

"Who's your friend Mary?" Danny asked mockingly. He seemed equally but grudgingly impressed by Sirius but at the same time had a look, which dared him to challenge him.

"This is Sirius Black, he goes to Hogwarts with me," I replied, giving away as little information as I could.

"Who are you?" Sirius asked in a cool voice, one which would make me tremble in ordinary circumstances, but suddenly I was feeling very tense.

"Danny Murray, I'm a Seventh Year at Durmstrang."

"What's that like? All Grindelwald fanatics?" Sirius asked, boredly.

"Some." Danny looked very interested in the fact that we were holding hands and I instinctively tried to let go of Sirius' grasp. He was having none of it, however. I could tell he was intrigued by my childhood acquaintance and wanted to test him.

"That yours?" Sirius asked nudging his head slightly at the motorcycle parked nearby.

Danny smirked. "Yeah, like it do you?"

"It's alright, I have a…"

They spewed off into motorcycle talk and I lost track of what was going on. I wanted desperately to make Sirius come inside. I didn't want to see him befriend the boy who'd rejected me. My ears pricked up at the sound of my name.

"…whatever. So, Mary...you've gotten rather gorgeous since I last saw you." Danny was mocking me. I know he was.

"No, I haven't."

"Tried hard for your little boyfriend here?" he sneered. Why did he seem angry? He'd never liked me anyway. Boys are the worst. They always want you when you have no interest anymore. And, I didn't look any different. Maybe I take a little bit more care of my hair and caution with the small amount of make-up I wear, but nothing had really changed dramatically with my physical appearance. Perhaps my demeanor is different? I have become more confident lately after having dated Davies and Sirius.

"He's not my boyfriend," I replied, glancing at Sirius who didn't say anything. He was just looking at Danny with contempt. Oh good, they weren't getting along. They seemed to be challenging each other with their eyes. Oh, well I suppose that's not very good either, is it?

"Well then, why don't you and I go get sloshed at the pub when the tourist goes home?" Danny said and his friend laughed.

I didn't know what to say, I just blinked but reacted to Sirius' hand squeezing mine tighter. Oh, he still hasn't let go then?

"She's not going anywhere with you," Sirius said in a protective tone. While I was confused about the possessiveness that seemed to have ensued, I was also intrigued by the fact that he cared so much. All thoughts of Remus and Cheryl and James and Lily vanished. All I saw was Sirius Black acting like I was his girlfriend and Danny ought to back off.

"Can't please her can you? I suppose that's why you haven't been able to call the little nobody your girlfriend yet eh?" Danny teased, mocking Sirius. Sirius kept a straight, calm face as he watched him.

"Don't talk about her like that," he replied simply, ignoring the attack on him and jumping to my defense.

"Why not? She's always been a bit loose and desperare, haven't you Mary? Throwing yourself at me every chance you get?"

Now, that was a blatant lie! I most certainly did not throw myself at him, ever! I was far too innocent back then. For goodness sake, my first kiss was only a few months ago!

"Don't lie. And I'm warning you, don't talk about her like that," Sirius said stiffly, dropping my hand and drawing his wand.

Danny's eyes were mocking still. "Going to duel me are you Amateur? Why not solve things the old fashioned way?"

"Which is?" Sirius asked coldly, his jaw tight. Oh Merlin he's so gorgeous. How I could've ever thought about Danny when Sirius Black was alive, I'll never know. Danny was fit, yes but Sirius was fit and caring. And that, made all the difference.

"A race. You get that Motorcycle you were talking about and race me around the village. For your girlfriend's honour."

Sirius looked as if he thought this idea was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard and I half expected him to roll his eyes and throw a jinx Danny's way.

When Sirius said nothing, Danny spoke to me.

"Where's that gorgeous sister of yours? I'm sure she'll want to come out with me. It's not the first time!" he said with a cruel laugh as his friend chuckled happily.

"Stop it. Fine. We'll race. Give me twenty minutes," Sirius spat. He stuck out his wand arm and the Knight Bus appeared. He said nothing to me and his stormy grey eyes met Danny's icy blue ones with such bubbling anger, I thought they would explode from the intensity. When the Bus disappeared, I was left alone with the boys I grew up around.

"You are such a pathetic git," I said, furious with Danny.

"Tourists can't come round dressing like us and think they belong!" Danny countered.

"That's just the way he is! He doesn't try to be anyone else!" I yelled back desperately before running to my yard and perching on the armchair on our porch, waiting for Sirius to return.

He didn't. Not after twenty minutes, or even an hour. Danny seemed to get bored waiting and shouted to me, leaving with his friend.

"Looks like your boyfriend is a bit of a coward! Pity he doesn't care about you more!" he yelled. I said nothing but his words hit hard. Did Sirius just really leave me here when I'd expected him to come back and face Danny? Not that I particularly wanted them to race. It was reckless and dangerous. But that was everything Sirius lived on and craved. Why wasn't he here? Was he looking for an out? As I pondered this over and over again in my head, I saw that James and Sarah had exited our house and were now looking at me.

"Where's Sirius?" James asked in a puzzled voice.

"He left," was all I managed dully, staring stonily at the ground.

I could hear his surprise, even though he didn't say anything.

"Go inside Mary, you've been out here for hours," Sarah said gently. I nodded and watched as Sarah and James got in the car so she could take him home.

Why had Sirius left me?


A/N; Thoughts? Cheryl will come back in the next chapter and will probably be explained. Haha its funny writing that name when I know exactly which reviewer it refers to :) Thanks again everyone, please review!