Marlene had snuck out of the castle to hang out with Henry for the night, borrowing James' invisibility cloak so she might do such a thing with much more ease. She took her regular tunnel back into the castle but, having spent the evening wrestling around with Henry, headed straight for the kitchen.

She made her way down the stairs towards the basement, being cautious her footsteps made as little noise as possible. A few of the portraits grumbled as she passed by, her wand light emanating from beneath the cloak.

"Who in Merlin's name is doing that!?" cried a man from a painting where he sat, his hand atop his dog's head. "The nerve!" It was hard for Marlene not to laugh at the confusion the portraits endured. She was just about to turn the corner at the bottom of the stairs when she heard voices coming from the Entrance Hall. She knew she shouldn't go over. The smart thing to do was to ignore the commotion and walk the other way... but how could Marlene stop herself? She'd always struggled with being nosy and the fact that she was currently invisible sure made it a lot easier. Being careful her footsteps went undetected, she moved towards the voices.

"Pathetic," she heard someone exclaim harshly, "don't you want to prove yourself?" Now Marlene was really intrigued. She realized as she moved closer the voices came from the entrance to the dungeon. Xander Coxley, a very big Slytherin with an abnormally large forehead, towered over someone backed against the wall who he was clearly trying very hard to intimidate. Marlene moved closer to get a better look. She made out a tall, thin guy with piercing grey eyes. Had it not been for the short hair she might have thought it was Sirius and not his younger half.

"I didn't do anything," Regulus growled, puffing out his chest as though to seem tougher than he did standing there, blocked in by Xander.

"You think the Dark Lord would take kindly to you speaking with a good for nothing mudblood?" Xander spat, causing even Marlene a little alarm. "Do you want to turn out just like that blood traitor brother of yours?" Regulus seemed to grow tense at the mention of Sirius.

"No," he glowered, "I'm nothing like him."

"He socializes with all kinds of mudbloods and blood traitors, maybe you should go join his lot-" Regulus shoved Xander hard in the chest, pushing him away so he could move off the wall.

"It'll never happen again." He glowered at Xander, his face hard and angry. The sight broke Marlene's heart. She could remember Regulus as a young boy, always tailing behind Sirius. He always seemed so bright and happy. They'd destroyed him.

"You better hope not. If you need some reminding of who you're loyal to just look down at your left arm, because that is never going away."

"I'm loyal to the Dark Lord and only the Dark Lord." Oh Regulus, Marlene thought sadly, you were so much better than this.

"Better stay that way," Xander said warningly, before turning and rushing down the stairs to the dungeon. Marlene gulped nervously, watching as Regulus stood there, his hard exterior crumbling away. He looked so small now, no one left around to impress. His shoulders fell and his eyes grew watery. He leaned back against the wall for support and Marlene was certain she heard a small sob escape his lips. Uncomfortable intruding on a personal moment now she tried to slowly back away. Instead she tripped on the back of the cloak and went tumbling to the ground.

"Fuck," she cursed absentmindedly. Regulus' head shot up, his eyes wide with fear.

"Who's there?" he cried out, Marlene knowing well she'd been caught. She removed the cloak to reveal herself, Regulus gasping. "Marlene, what're you-"

"I was just on my way to the kitchens," she explained, despite being in the complete opposite direction. She gathered up the cloak, clambering to her feet with some struggle, Regulus staring at her blankly all the while.

"Did you listen to that all?" he demanded, his tone growing cold.

"Enough," Marlene replied staring towards his left arm with heavy eyes. He caught her glance, staring down as well. A cruel smile curled upon his lips like sour milk.

"You want to see it?" he taunted her.

"No," Marlene replied honestly, shaking her head. Regulus pulled up his shirtsleeve anyways, revealing the ink that traveled all up his forearm. Marlene stared down at it sadly. "Why'd you do it, Regulus?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked her, his guard right back up. "You're a bloody fool for not joining up as well."

"You're a bloody fool for joining up at all," Marlene replied curtly, Regulus appearing taken aback. She hadn't spoken to him in years but she'd always had a soft spot for the younger of the Black brothers. It was ironic, really, that Regulus would be the one to become a Death Eater. He'd always been the kindest of the pair. Sirius had a tendency to often be crueler and more harsh with his words, whereas Marlene had always found something comforting in Regulus. When they were younger and he'd followed Sirius along to the Potter's once or twice and Marlene had gone aside and played with him while the boys busied themselves elsewhere.

"You can still stop it." Regulus scoffed, turning away. "You don't have to do this Regulus," she pleaded. Only Marlene would waste her time doing such a thing. She didn't know why she cared so much what the hell Sirius' younger brother did but seeing him look so defeated triggered something in her.

"What would I have left without this?" he asked her bitterly, his gaze so dead and yet still filled with such fear.

"A conscience," Marlene told him, crossing her arms. "I'm sure you and Sirius could work things out-"

"I don't want anything to do with him." Marlene's face fell into a deep frown.

"You're better than this-"

"You don't know me," Regulus snapped at her. "In fact, I'm not sure why you're still even standing here. You don't understand the half of it. Sirius had it so easy. He got to run away and make a whole new family. What do I have left? Nothing. Just run off back to my brother," Regulus hissed, his words slicing like a cold knife. Marlene still wouldn't back down. It took a lot more than that to break her.

"You've always looked up to him and then he just left you, I get it Regulus, it wasn't fair. He shouldn't have done it… he can be selfish. Trust me, I know it. He's hurt me too but you can't just throw your whole life away. We'd help you, we all would-"

"Just because my brother likes to screw you doesn't mean you understand the half of it," Marlene's whole body tensed up at the cruelty of his words. He'd changed. He'd gone hard.

"Keep trying to convince me," she hissed right back at him, "I still don't buy it." Regulus glared at her but Marlene held her ground. "You have a choice," she told him, "you always have a choice." With that she threw the invisibility cloak back over herself and strode off towards the stairs; she no longer had an appetite.

It was Valentine's Day at Hogwarts and Alice didn't think she'd ever felt worse. For starters she woke up late the morning of, late and grumpy. There were dark circles beneath her doe brown eyes from a lack of sleep and she couldn't seem to stop yawning her whole journey down to the Great Hall. All she could think about was getting some tea and toast in her before she had to rush off to Transfiguration.

Sadly, instead of a busy Great Hall, the Entrance Hall was jam packed with students. Alice scanned the crowd for a familiar face, spotting Mary, Peter, and Emmeline off to the side.

"What the hell is going on?" she demanded, rushing towards them.

"Some kid named Gilderoy Lockehart got sent so many valentines the Great Hall literally overflowed with owls," Peter told her, his eyes glistening with amusement. Alice's mouth fell open.

"You're joking."

"I bloody wish he was joking. I have owl poop on my favourite sweater!" Emmeline cried in despair, moving her shoulder forward for Alice to take a look. "How does some unknown Ravenclaw get that many freaking Valentines?"

"He probably sent them all to himself," Peter chuckled, "to impress everyone."

"Well now I'm just grumpy and hungry. He's created a monster," Alice told them, pouting.

"Hi you guys!" a voice, much too perky for the morning, cried out. The whole group turned around to see Cecily and Frank approaching or - more accurately – Cecily dragging Frank.

"Why is she talking to us?" Emmeline grumbled to Mary who laughed in response.

"Crazy about the Great Hall, huh?" Cecily exclaimed, everyone staring at her blankly. Alice herself wasn't sure why she'd come over. She didn't seem to particularly like any of them?

"Yeah," Peter replied for the group of them.

"So, do you guys have any plans for Valentine's Day?" Cecily asked them, her hand clutching Frank's tightly all the while. Alice wanted to turn and rush off as quickly as possible but she didn't want to seem weird. She hadn't spoken more than a few words to Frank since Lily's birthday and she didn't plan to anytime soon. Alice had decided to dedicate herself full time to completely forgetting about Frank Longbottom and recovering form the whole situation. The time to move on had arrived and she was throwing herself into it wholeheartedly. If Frank was happy she would have to make the change.

"I don't believe in Valentine's Day," Mary stated proudly, staring down her nose at Cecily. "I think it's just a total scam to get you to spend way too much money on cards and chocolate." Frank laughed.

"Way to be cynical, McDonald."

"I'm so disappointed the Great Hall got flooded with owls; I had the most adorable gift being sent to Frank!" Cecily explained to the group in despair. Alice wanted desperately to punch her in the face but kept the urge reserved. You're getting over him. You're not letting these impulses get to you.

"Oh! Since we're talking about valentines, this came for you Alice," Peter said, pulling an envelope from his back pocket. "Right before the owl invasion." Alice stared down at the envelope curiously. Who the hell was sending her a valentine?

"Ooh, do you have a secret admirer you haven't told us about?" Mary teased her, Alice turning bright red.

"No," she chuckled nervously, feeling Frank's eyes boring into the side of her head.

"Her and Remus are having a secret love affair, I'm sure of it. Especially after I caught them asleep on the couch together-"

"Mary," Alice snapped, immediately shutting up her friend, "that's not funny. He's dating Leila."

"Caught you two sleeping on the couch together?" Cecily asked, completely clueless as to what was going on. Alice looked towards Mary who had a horribly guilty expression upon her face. She'd come downstairs early the morning after Lily's birthday party and found Remus and Alice fast asleep together and had shook the pair awake. It'd all been innocent of course, everything between the pair was, but they'd been grateful Mary had found them first regardless.

"She's just joking around," Alice said shaking the whole thing off. "Remus and Leila are very happily dating." She let her eyes flicker towards Frank for a fraction of a second. He stared at her with such heavy emotion she nearly melted beneath the weight of his gaze.

"I should get going to class," Alice mumbled, turning and walking away as fast as possible. She just couldn't catch a break, could she? It was like everywhere she turned Frank followed her. She tore the valentine open as she strode away, pulling a tiny card with a heart on it out of the envelope.

So you won't feel bad when Frank is sending things to Cecily. - Remus

A smile tugged at Alice's lips. At least she always knew she had a friend looking out for her.

"Griffith!" Alice could recognize that voice anywhere. She paused in her tracks, turning around to see Frank rushing after her. Alice watched him in agony. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? She was getting so close. It'd been weeks since any real conversation had taken place between the two. She was doing well and now he was going to run along and screw it all up.

"What are you doing?" Alice sighed. "Your girlfriend is with you-"

"Was Mary right?" Frank asked without pause. "Is something going on with you and Remus?" She stared up at him in shock, her mouth falling open.

"Excuse me?"

"You two are always together, you're always running up to the room looking for him," Frank shook his head in dismay. "That's from him, isn't it?" He pointed towards the Valentine in Alice's hands.

"You have some nerve Frank-"

"Tell me I'm wrong," he demanded, growing aggressive. Alice couldn't believe him, when had Frank ever acted like this?

"You don't deserve an answer," Alice told him, disgusted with his actions. "I don't owe you anything, Frank. You're with Cecily and should actually be with her right now, not confronting me about some ridiculous love affair I am not currently taking part in."

"You don't owe me anything?" Frank asked in astonishment. Alice stood tall, her arms crossed defensively against her chest.

"No," she replied sternly, "I don't. I've done everything I can to show you how sorry I am and it's not enough. So what am I left to do, Frank? What do you want except for me to move on? I'm trying so hard to just…." she motioned between them, the point clear. "I don't want to have to feel like this anymore. I don't want to be nauseous every time I watch you put your arm around Cecily. Do you know how exhausting that is?" The anger had disappeared from Frank's eyes and he stared at her now only with sorrow. "I'll see you around Frank," Alice sighed turning to walk away before another word could be said.

She didn't want another moment of staring at Frank's sad and disappointed face. She didn't want another opportunity to sit and wonder if everything between them could ever be repaired. She just wanted to forget all of it, to completely block it from her thoughts.

Alice slunk into Transfiguration, plopping down in her seat beside Marlene who stared over at her curiously.

"You okay?"

"The Great Hall is closed," Alice pouted, ignoring the real problem.

"Closed? Since when-"

"Some kid flooded it with owls."

"What?" James cried out from the table beside them, leaning over Lily to hear better.

"They had to shut down breakfast; there were owl droppings in so much of the food." James laughed loudly.

"That's just epic," he exclaimed to his girlfriend. "Oh, Merlin I wish I'd thought of that. Flooding the Great Hall with owls on Valentine's Day." Lily shook her head at her boyfriend, a small smirk upon her rosy lips.

"You're losing your touch Potter," she teased him, "someone else is getting to the pranks before you." Alice smiled at the sight of them, all teasing and in love. She missed that. She missed Frank making her scowl at him because he teased her for one of her silly habits. She missed telling him not to send her a Valentine's Day gift because she thought it was a ridiculous holiday.

"Oh Frank, I told you not to get me anything!" she'd whined in fifth year when he'd pushed a small box towards her while they studied in the library.

"Just open it, alright?"

"I can't. Now whatever is inside of here is just going to make me feel guilty because I didn't get you anything." Frank just laughed at her.

"Come on Al." She'd untied the ribbon delicately, pulling the box open. She struggled not to gasp loudly.

"So you'll never forget you're my girl." It was a locket, a picture of the pair of them kissing inside. Alice still had it in her jewelry box. She hadn't the heart to get rid of it.

Oh, Merlin she missed Frank, and Valentine's Day just made it all the more apparent.

Lily and James both had a spare period and decided, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, they'd spend it together. They strolled the empty corridors of Hogwarts hand in hand, Lily occasionally nuzzling her head against James' shoulder.

"So, you're not a Valentine's Day kind of person?" her boyfriend asked curiously, the pair on their way to Gryffindor Tower. They were going to go and snatch the jelly slugs James had stashed in his dorm room and then cuddle up and read as they always did in their spare time.

"It's not like a specific choice of mine," Lily clarified. "I mean I'm not opposed to the holiday. I just don't really care?" she offered her answer unsurely, James nodding along. "My dad was a big fan of Valentine's Day," Lily said, James' eyes lighting up as he looked over at her.

"Yeah?" he asked with genuine interest.

"Mhm. He had this pink jumper he always wore on Valentine's Day and he'd surprise my mum with all kinds of gifts, us too. He said it wasn't about significant others, it was about reminding the people you loved that you were thinking of them."

"That's nice," James smiled beside her, "I like that."

"Do you believe in heaven?" Lily asked suddenly, a stress line coming down between her eyebrows as she frowned. James paused, looking down at Lily.

"Are you worried about your mum? What's going to happen when…" Lily winced. She didn't want to even hear the word. She felt so guilty being away at school while her mom stayed home dying. It made her sick to her stomach.

"When I was younger I thought that there was a God and heaven and all that stuff you know? I thought everything had a purpose, that good people got rewarded for doing good deeds." James sighed, crossing his arms. He looked at her with great concern.

"What about now?"

"I don't know what I believe anymore," Lily admitted, the confession terrifying her. "I want to believe my dad is always with me, but…" Lily swallowed back tears. "That's just too nice an idea to be true, isn't it?"

"No," James replied surely, "I don't think so. I think there's something else, something bigger than us. If bloody magic can exist how can you not believe that your dad is with you right now?" Lily stared up at him with big hopeful eyes.

"Do you really believe that?" James took her in his arms, holding her closely.

"I think that the ones we love never really leave us. There's no way your dad isn't watching over you, no way your mom won't find him again when she dies. They loved each other Lily, that doesn't disappear, even when we die." Lily didn't think she had ever felt so in love with him. Sometimes it terrified her how strongly she felt when she stared into James' hazel eyes. It wasn't right. They were only seventeen; they hadn't even been dating half a year and still she couldn't help but be hopelessly in love with him.

"Why're you staring at me like that?" James asked with a curious smile. Lily shook the look off her face.

"Because you're the most amazing person I've ever met."

"Can I get that down in writing?" James joked.

"Don't get cocky," Lily stood on her toes just to get a good kiss in. James' grip on her tightened as their lips pressed together, their tongues meeting. God, she could have shagged him right then and there in the corridor… everyone was in class, after all. James pushed her back a few steps against the wall, his hand grasping a large chunk of her dark red hair.

A large cackle came from behind them, James and Lily pulling apart quickly.

"Filthy mudblood," a cruel voice hissed towards the pair of them, Lily's heart landing in her throat. Avery and Cordelia strode by, the latter glaring right at Lily. She felt James tense up, most likely preparing for fight, but Lily beat him to it.

"You want to repeat that?" she called out after Cordelia, her wand pointed right at the witch before her. The two Slytherins turned around, staring at Lily in shock.

"You want to lower that wand mud-"

"You better watch your tongue Avery," James warned the larger wizard, "or you might just lose it." Avery laughed.

"Oh no, not Potter! I'm shaking in my boots!"

"A mudblood and a blood traitor. Isn't it such a romantic story Av'? Both destined for a painful and well deserved death." Cordelia and Avery grinned at each other, the anger inside of Lily growing. She was twice the witch Cordelia was. She was the best in her year, so why did she suddenly feel so inferior?

"Hey Evans, why don't you remind your little boyfriend what happened the last time you pointed your wand at me?" Lily's jaw tightened. That was the last straw. She flicked her wand, Cordelia flying backwards, smacking into the wall.

"You bitch!" Avery cried out as Lily flung a rather powerful Bat-Boogey hex at him.

"Sorry, anything else you two would like to say to me?" Lily prodded the pair of them, Avery crying out in distress. "Should I fill in the blanks? You good for nothing, filthy mudblood?" Lily offered the pair, twirling her wand in her hand carelessly.

"Sounds about right!" Cordelia shot at her furiously, nursing her sore head. "You forget the part about how you're dirtying our blood now."

"Dirtying your blood?" The sentence went right over Lily's head but James seemed to know just what Cordelia was trying to say.

"You're pathetic, you know that?" he snapped at her. "The only person dirtying their blood is you. With all your disgusting pure blood antics-"

"She's ruined you," Cordelia told him, "you'll never stand a chance now." Lily's face dropped. Ruin James? He came from one of the most prominent lines of purebloods? Why should dating her have any effect? "You could have joined us." James scoffed.

"As if, you lot aren't even close to smart enough for me. You'll lose and then you'll all see." Cordelia shook her head, a sinister smile pulling at her lips. Lily wanted to hex her all over again.

"You're a blood traitor now," Cordelia told him, pulling her wand out and pointing it at Lily. "You've been pegged. Your whole family has. You'll see." The mention of his family caused James to grow even angrier.

"What's that supposed to mean?" There wasn't a chance to answer before Professor Flitwick walked in on the lot of them, gasping in horror, bats still flying around Avery's head.

"What in Merlin's name?" he squealed, Lily realizing, in horror, that her pointed wand was not a good look.

Sirius couldn't help it; he was watching Marlene. She was sat in the library, her attention focused heavily on the piece of paper before her. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, as she appeared to be drawing something. Sirius had forgotten that she liked to draw. He'd seen her do it a few times; she'd even made him something once. It was her secret hobby. He wondered now if whatever she was conjuring up had to do with a Valentine's Day gift for Henry.

"Sorry, what do you mean your girlfriend doesn't think muggle-borns and purebloods should date?" Remus questioned Peter across the table.

"You're twisting my words Remus," Peter sighed exasperatedly, "that's not what Dora said."

"You just told me that she said she specifically asked if you were pureblood or not when you asked her out?" Sirius might have let himself get into the conversation had he not been distracted. Marlene pressed her lips together in a tight line as she seemed to be troubled by something she'd done on her page.

"I worded it wrong," Peter assured his friend, "really I did. Of course Aldora isn't prejudice; she's really sweet. Next Hogsmeade visit she's apparating in to visit me. You guys will all see." Sirius couldn't miss the anxiousness in Peter's tone, as though he were desperate for his friends to approve.

"Can't wait Pete," Sirius told him, looking over for a fraction of a second before returning his glance to Marlene.

"Why don't you just ask if she needs some help?" Remus offered, Sirius jumping in his chair.

"What?" he asked, his eyes quickly returning to face his friends. Remus smirked.

"You've been staring at McKinnon for the past fifteen minutes."

"I haven't-"

"Do you like Marlene?" Peter gasped, his beady eyes bulging. Sirius glared at the pair of them.

"I do not like Marlene. She is possibly the most annoying person I have ever met." Remus didn't look wholly convinced. Sirius hated having a smart friend. He couldn't tell Remus the truth, of course. He knew Lily would never tell James unless he told her she could – she was great with secrets – but Remus could slip up. Not consciously, but the group of them were all together so often he might just make a joke without realizing it.

"Do you have plans with Leila for tonight?" Peter asked Remus excitedly, changing the subject to Sirius' relief.

"Supposed to go down to the water after dinner with some hot chocolate and watch the stars – until we get too cold at least. Then we'll probably hang out in the Hufflepuff common room."

"The Hufflepuff common room?" Sirius questioned him.

"It is ridiculously comfy," Remus told them. "It beats ours by a long shot." Sirius raised his eyebrows.

"Suppose I'll have to find me a nice Hufflepuff girl too." He sat back in his chair, pushing the front legs off the ground as he teetered backwards carelessly.

"Hey, where do you reckon James is?" Remus asked, looking around the library curiously. "He and Lily were supposed to meet us here after class."

"They weren't even in last period," Peter reminded him, a nervous look falling upon his chubby face.

"Maybe they're off somewhere celebrating the holiday," Sirius suggested to the pair, Peter scrunching up his face with disgust.

"Ew."

"It's the circle of life, Pete."

"Please stop," Remus begged him. Sirius laughed, before hearing a familiar voice.

"Sirius," it whispered urgently, his ears perking up. "Sirius you twat, pull me out of your pocket."

"Is that James?" Remus asked, totally confused.

"Coming from your pocket?" Sirius reached his hand in pulling out a mirror, James' face reflecting back.

"Mate, what the hell?"

"Lily and I are stuck in detention," James sighed, his eyes falling.

"You got Evans stuck in detention on Valentine's Day?" Only James could do such a thing.

"No! Why do you just assume it's my fault?" The three present Marauders shared a special look before answering the question in unison.

"It's always your fault."

"Avery and Cordelia cornered us in the hall and Lily hexed the crap out of them. Flitwick caught us."

"Sounds like your Valentine's Day has gone to shit," Sirius continued to poke fun at his friend, James appearing less than amused.

"Will you do me a favour?" he begged. James gave Sirius the look he always did when he really needed something and of course Sirius knew he hadn't a choice but to say yes. That's what they did; they were brothers.

"Sure, what's up? If you need me to murder the Slytherin bastards I am one hundred percent game."

"Can you check on Lily? She's in Flitwick's room. I'm worried about her. Just take my invisibility cloak, okay?" Sirius' eyes darted towards Marlene for only a second. He dreaded having to leave so that he could no longer continue stealing glances of her. Her face was drawn in concentration, her tongue sticking out a little as she pressed her pencil to the paper.

"Okay," Sirius agreed, "I'll go."

"Thanks."

"Don't sweat it," he assured his friend, placing the mirror back into his pocket. He stared back at Remus and Peter, saluting them.

"So long comrades."

X

Twenty minutes after leaving the library Sirius arrived in front of Flitwick's classroom. Hidden beneath the invisibility cloak, so no teachers would catch him sneaking in, he flicked his wand to unlock the door letting it slowly creak open. Lily was sat at a desk near the front of the class, her head cradled in her arms against the top of the desk. She jolted up at the sound of the door, spinning her head around.

"Is someone there?" she cried out into nothingness, squinting at Sirius – not realizing he stood right before her. Sirius stepped through into the room. He shut the door behind him and pulled off the cloak, Lily sighing with relief.

"You had me going for a second there," she told him pointedly, Sirius grinning as he came to sit down beside her. "What're you doing here?"

"James asked me to check on you," he explained, Lily nodding, frowning just the slightest. "What?"

"Nothing," she lied, turning her head away. Sirius hadn't journeyed across the castle just to hear that "nothing" was wrong.

"What is it, Evans?" he pressed on.

"I'm dragging him down, aren't I?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"What?" Sirius replied in shock.

"I'm a… mudblood. Just dating me puts his whole family at risk. I could get him killed just for being with me," Lily said tearfully. Sirius could barely believe what she was saying.

"Since when did you start talking like that?" he demanded.

"We're just kidding ourselves thinking this can all work, aren't we? He's from a long line of wizards and I'm just some good for nothing muggle and I'm going to get him killed one day for it. One day he's going to get a curse to the heart and it's going to be all my fault."

"Cordelia really did a number on you, didn't she? If you believe all that pureblood bullshit for a minute, Lily, then you're an idiot. With or without you James would be considered a blood-traitor. The Potters have been fighting this war long before you came around and James would have always joined right alongside his parents. It's just the kind of person he is." Lily still didn't look very settled. She leaned her elbows on top of the table, exhaling deeply.

"I really love him," she admitted ruefully.

"I know."

"I don't want to be the reason something bad happens. I don't want to drag him down." Sirius frowned deeply. He surely understood the terror that came with thinking you dragged the person you cared about down. He'd experienced it often before. How many times had he let Marlene walk away from him in tears out of fear of what he could do to her?

"The thing is Lily, even if you did try and walk away he'd never let you. You're stuck with him." She laughed, knowing well it was true.

"He just doesn't see what I see," she told Sirius, "he doesn't see all the horrible things that could come out of this. If it ever came down to a choice, if I had to walk away to save him, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

"Even though that's completely ridiculous? If you let their prejudice dictate your decisions than they win."

"I don't care," Lily admitted exasperatedly, "I don't care about winning if it means James gets hurt." It was purely selfless, the kind of thing only someone completely in love would do. Sirius smiled at her.

"Prongs has got you right under his spell, doesn't he?" he teased her, Lily groaning in pain.

"Sadly," she said, dropping her head down to the desk once more.

Remus had been waiting for Leila outside of the Hufflepuff basement for nearly forty minutes and he was quickly growing impatient. It was Valentine's Day, what was she doing being forty minutes late? A third year Hufflepuff approached, going towards the barrels they had to tap.

"Would you be able to help me out?" Remus asked the kid kindly, "Can you ask Leila McAllister to come out if you see her?"

"Sure," the kid nodded, slipping through the passageway. Remus leaned back against the wall, his arms crossed. He'd been excited for Valentine's Day but now he was just angry. Who showed up forty minutes late for a date? Remus stood there, daydreaming as he waited. Things had been going so well between them, Leila had even handled her first full moon pretty well. She'd seen Remus before and been right by his bedside when he'd woken up, the pair spending the whole day together. What the hell could be the matter now?

The barrel top popped open and Leila stepped out from the passageway, glaring at Remus. She didn't look like she was planning to come out for the night.

"What is going on with you?"

"Is it true that you and Alice Griffith have been sleeping together?" The statement was so absurd Remus barely had an answer.

"Sorry?" Leila rolled her eyes at him.

"Lenora came and told me. She overheard Mary gossiping about it in the corridor. She caught you down in the common room together. Is that right?" Remus pinched the bridge of his nose, struggling to produce a non-destructive answer.

"It was not like that Leila-"

"It never is between you two, is it?" she responded coolly. "There's always some other answer."

"We were up talking until late, we fell asleep and Mary woke us up in the morning. That's about as far as it went between Alice and I; we're mates - good mates - that's about it." Leila's brown eyes flooded with tears, Remus' stomach knotting with guilt.

"You're different with her," Leila pressed him, "you're more open, you're more honest. You told her about your secret before you told me-"

"It's not a bloody contest Leila!" Remus snapped, growing impatient. He was not about to be backed into a corner for something he didn't do. He had waited for her for nearly forty minutes and this was what she came out to do, yell at him? Had he given her any reason to distrust him? Had he ever done anything but try and protect her?

"So why do I always feel like I'm somehow competing with Alice Griffith? Why does it always feel like there's something stopping you from fully being with me?"

"I've told you everything," Remus told her earnestly, "I've been more honest with you then I've been with any other girl."

"More honest than you've been with Alice?" Remus could not believe this was how he was spending his Valentine's Day.

"Alice was there for me when you weren't, Leila, and I don't want to hurt you but that's just something you're going to need to get past." Leila glared at him.

"I could have been there, had you told me the truth-"

"You ran!" Remus bellowed furiously. Leila stared back at him, wide eyed in shock. "I told you the truth and you ran like hell and I didn't hear from you for another two weeks." Leila's lip wobbled the slightest. Remus didn't mean to hurt her, he really didn't, he just hated how similar this fight felt to the ones they'd experienced before breaking up. He thought that telling Leila the truth would solve everything that'd been between them.

"So that's it then? You'll never care about me as much as her because I was scared-"

"No Leila, you've decided that to be true. I'm here, I've been here all night waiting for you, and where have you been? You could have simply let me explain the situation before letting Lenora get in your head. I just wanted to spend my evening with you, to have fun together like we always do and you had to go ruin it because you decided you were somehow less important than Alice." Leila's mouth gaped open but Remus didn't want to hear another word from her.

"Come find me when you've decided to be reasonable," he said, strutting away, his face pinched with anger. He'd forgotten how she could do that – let her fears ruin something good. When you get space you forget all the little habits about someone you hate, all you can remember are the good things. Remus moved so quickly across the Entrance Hall he practically toppled over a person in his way.

"Whoa there," a familiar voice spoke, steadying Remus. He looked up to see Dorcas Meadowes standing before him, a long dark coat hanging off of her, her cheeks rosy from the cold. "Are you alright?"

"Having a shitty night," Remus huffed, straightening out his jumper. He'd forgotten about the bag he had hanging from one hand filled with blankets and a thermos of hot chocolate. That was all incredibly pointless now.

"Ah, Valentine's Day blues," she nodded understandingly. "I'm pretty sure you're supposed to have a good night when you're actually in a relationship?"

"They lied," Remus told her, sighing heavily. Dorcas frowned, studying him carefully, tucking a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear.

"Something you want to talk about?" she asked him, her voice filled with compassion. He hated that she had an effect on people, an ability to make you want to pour your heart out to her. She always seemed to have the answers no matter how minor the situation appeared.

"Not really," Remus shrugged, pushing the topic off, "just fighting with my girlfriend."

"Didn't get her the gift she wanted?"

"She doesn't like how much time I spend with Alice," Remus explained, leaning against the wall behind him. Dorcas moved to stand in front of him, her arms crossed, a look of worry upon her face.

"Alice and you are good mates," she said, Remus nodding.

"Really good mates," he agreed.

"Your girlfriend should really respect that."

"She thinks I like Alice better than her." Dorcas raised an eyebrow.

"Do you?" Remus scoffed as though the notion were completely ridiculous.

"Of course not! If I liked Alice better than her why would I bother getting back together with Leila in the first place? It's insane. It's not fair to make me feel bad for having a close friend who's a girl."

"You're right. I see where Leila might be coming from as well though. She feels like an outsider considering she was the last person to find out about your secret."

"It's not like she reacted fairly!" Remus cried back defensively.

"You can't fault people for their reactions Remus," Dorcas told him, "it's what they do in the end, how they decide to handle something, that truly matters. So Leila freaked out, she didn't quite understand, she came around didn't she?" Remus bit his lip; he supposed so. Now he just felt horribly guilty.

"I'm a complete tosser, aren't I?" Dorcas laughed, giving his shoulder a small squeeze.

"You're a seventeen year old boy, don't be too hard on yourself." Remus pulled himself off the wall, turning towards the staircase, Dorcas following.

"What're you doing in the castle anyway?"

"Late night meeting with Dumbledore," she explained, her hands tucked away into her coat pockets.

"On Valentine's Day? No hot date lined up for you?" Dorcas snorted.

"I don't really do hot dates. Most men don't like that I work long hours and find saving the war a little more important than spending time together." Remus cracked a smile. A part of him wished Leila might be a little more flexible like that.

"I'm sure there's a guy out there," he promised her.

"Well, thanks Remus. I'll be sure to keep an eye out," she said as the pair continued on up the stairs together.

Mary entered the Room of Requirements, gasping. A record player stood off to the side, the sound of Ella Fitzgerald's voice carrying from it quietly. The floor was scattered with rose petals and the bare cement walls streamed with fairy lights, giving the room a special glow. In the center of it all was a table, littered with food and candles, Reg standing right beside it. He smiled nervously, his hands held behind his back.

"Reg, this is…"

"Too much," he finished for her sounding defeated. "I know…I should have held back a little more…" Mary shook her head, continuing to stare around the room in awe.

"No, god no," she assured him, "it's perfect."

"Perfect?" Reg asked in shock. Mary laughed.

"More than perfect, really Reg." Mary moved forward towards the grinning ginger boy before her. She got rare moments with him. Her friends still didn't know they were an item and Mary wasn't quite ready to tell them yet. Things were simple as they were now. Reg was just hers and no one got to poke and prod them with questions.

"I've never really done Valentine's day before," he explained.

"Neither have I." She wished he'd stop assuming she was so experienced. She knew about as much about everything as he did. Mary had hardly dated anyone through her time at school, a few short relationships but nothing serious.

"You told me your favourite food group is pudding so everything is sweet," he said, gesturing towards the table. Mary looked over to see an assortment of cakes and candies. Could he get any better? Here she'd been, always looking for some great, incredibly attractive, popular guy to sweep her off her feet, but she'd completely missed the shy, kind, and understanding boy right under her nose.

"This is so amazing Reg," Mary mused, cupping his face in her hands, "really."

"I just wanted to make you feel special." If only he knew what a sentence like that meant to her. No one had ever wanted to make Mary feel special. Most the time she was overlooked and forgotten. Reg didn't overlook her though. It seemed she was all he could ever see and it made her feel amazing.

She moved forward, her lips finding his, his fingers tangling in her hair as they kissed. Mary's breathing quickened the faster their lips moved together, the tighter Reg's grip on her grew.

"Mary," he said, pulling away suddenly, "I'm still not sure if I…"

"That's fine," she promised him, really meaning it.

"It's not that I don't want to, I just feel…a little inexperienced." Mary bit her lip, watching her boyfriend curiously.

"Can I try something?" she offered. Reg nodded nervously. "If you want me to stop just tell me, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed. Mary pressed her lips to his once more. A soft kiss at first and then one that grew more passionate. She let her fingers trail down to the button of his jeans, slipping it open and sliding her hand down into his pants. Reg tensed up at first but then seemed to slowly relax into the whole thing. His breathing quickened as Mary moved her hand along his cock, continuing on until she felt him climax, Reg letting out a small gasp.

"Was that okay?" Mary asked with a smirk, grabbing a napkin off the table to wipe off her hand. Reg's eyes widened.

"That was amazing," he told her, making Mary laugh. She moved her face close to his, their noses touching.

"Well you can get that any time you like," she assured him. Mary didn't mind much that Reg was inexperienced or that everything made him nervous. She liked that he didn't pretend. He didn't pretend he wasn't uncomfortable when he was; he was honest with her. There was something so refreshing about it.

"Okay then mister, let's try some of this amazing feast you put together for us," Mary told him, sliding into her seat, Reg going across from her.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Mary," he said with a smile, his cheeks still flushed.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Reg," she returned, reaching her hand across the table for his.

A/N: Thanks for the patience over that longer than usual break between chapters! It's been a little harder for me to juggle school starting up again and getting chapters out but I'll be back in the groove of things soon enough. Hope you all enjoyed Valentine's Day with the Marauders and as usual, your reviews are life. xx