A/N: Chapter 11 – whoa, I never thought I'd make it this far! Thanks to all you guys who reviewed – you guys kept me going, no matter how many flames I got.
*
"Sirius get up before I hex you!"
"You expect me to believe that you'll actually be able to do that?"
"Forgive me if I sound like James this morning, okay? But please just wake up!"
"Oh, Remy, it's you. I thought James was threatening me, so I didn't listen. You know how pathetic he is with charms, hexes, and things. Are you okay? You sound kind of croaky…"
"I – I'm fine, okay? Don't worry about me…" Remus said quickly.
"Are you sure, Remus?" Sirius asked, slightly suspicious of Remus' defensiveness.
"I told you already – I'm fine."
"Okay, okay – no need to get worked up. You just seemed slightly out of it just now…" Sirius said, surveying his friend with bewilderment on his face.
"I get the point, now let's go."
"Yeah, yeah, keep your boxers on. Where's James, anyway?"
"He went down ages ago to the library. He seems really interested in that project Inkle's assigned us."
"Wonder why…" Sirius said, as he tied his shoelaces. "Okay, mate, let's go. I'm guessing Peter's gone too?"
"No – he's still asleep. I didn't feel like waking him. It's a Saturday, after all," Remus said, shrugging.
"Then why'd you wake me up?" Sirius asked heatedly.
"Supposing I hadn't woken you up until your stomach started growling so much you had to wake up, what would you have done?"
"I would have yelled at you, asking you why you hadn't woken me up. I know – I know. Well, let's go already."
The two walked along, not talking much. Both were immersed in their own thoughts. Sirius was busy thinking about the past day's events, and Remus was pondering his own personal situation.
If there was one thing Remus feared, it was that his friends would learn of his deepest secret. And what was this secret? He was a werewolf. (A/N: Okay – I know you probably know this, but I'm mentioning it anyway.) This explained the reason why he hadn't been able to join Hogwarts last year, when he really had turned eleven.
The previous Headmaster, a Professor Diamantine, had refused to allow those without pure wizard blood into the school. Only due to the Ministry's influence, he had admitted a few Muggleborns, but the list ended there. Squibs, werewolves, those with vampire-relations, and other such people were not allowed in, no matter what their past was.
Dumbledore had been the Transfiguration Professor until this year, when he had been appointed Headmaster as Diamantine retired. Almost immediately, he hired a number of new professors and modified the curriculum for each year so that a number of new subjects were added. He took in the few students that had been rejected, and the Deputy Headmistress, Professor Orenstein, sent out letters to all the eleven-year old wizards and Muggles who were to start at Hogwarts that year.
So it was that Remus came to Hogwarts. He had fitted in with the other students well enough. But would his friends still be his friends if they found out about his identity? Remus decided it would be best if he made up excuses each time the full moon came around.
The two boys walked up to the Gryffindor table to see James sitting there already. Sirius slid in next to him, and Remus sat down on his other side.
"Hey guys – what took you?" James asked as they started to grab their toast and sausages.
"Well – I had to wake Sirius up. You know what he's like on Friday nights. And I guess we were just walking slowly."
"Oh, I see. Uh, Remus, are you feeling okay? You look a little off-color this morning."
"I'm fine! Why do you people keep pestering me? Just mind your own business, okay?" Remus snapped.
"Sorry mate – didn't mean to make you mad."
Remus – realizing that he shouldn't have yelled – decided to tell them something that would keep them quiet for a while. "Look, guys – yesterday, I got a letter from my dad. He says my sis is going to the States to look for a job out of the country, and he wants me to go and see her off."
"You have a sister? You never told us that. How old is she?" Sirius asked, his eyes glinting.
"She's nineteen so I suggest you don't get your hopes up. I did say she was getting a job – you don't expect an eleven-year-old to immigrate to another country looking for jobs, do you?"
"Hey – if she's nineteen than my sister probably knows her. They would've been in the same year at Hogwarts."
"Uh, Riana didn't go to Hogwarts… We lived in – in the States at the time, so she went to a school there…"
"You guys lived in America? You know, Remus, there's a lot of stuff you haven't told us," James said, looking at Remus with an awkward expression on his face.
"You're right about that…" Remus muttered to himself. This lie is turning out to be a lot bigger than I had expected. I sure hope they don't try to find anything else out – if they ask my dad about Miss Riana Lupin I'm going to be in soup. I don't even have a sister. I've never been to the States. I – jeez, I'm going to have to carry this on for another six years…
"What did you say?" James asked again.
"Nothing – well, James, Sirius tells me you've actually been studying for a change."
"Inkle's project… I'm stuck with Evans and those two handholding freaks. Plus Lily's got some idea of hers brewing – obviously to get us in trouble. It's got something to do with how Inkle's going to fail us if we're caught asking others for help…"
"He changed it remember? If you get caught, then you just get a detention. What do you think she can possibly do, anyway?" asked Remus.
"What would you do if you were trying something like this? You're forgetting that she's a whiz at Charms."
"Change the topic, guys. They're coming," warned Sirius, as he glanced at the marble staircase, where the four girls could be seen coming down, chattering away casually. The three boys fell silent immediately.
"Lily, do you really think this is going to work?" Suzanne asked her friend.
"I still have to perfect parts of it – like how we're going to do everything without being seen and such. And there's always the fact that they could find out and do it back to us… Or we could get caught and get detentions ourselves," Lily said, shuddering.
"I don't know. This seems a bit too mean, Lily. Are you sure that it's worth it? Maybe we should do something else," Sammy said unsurely.
"Hmm – I guess you're right, but it's always worth a try, right? We could come in at the last moment and make Professor Inkle change his mind and then they would owe us a favor…"
"Cross your bridges when you come to them," Suzanne muttered.
"Excuse me?" Lily asked.
"I mean, don't think of what you're going to do until you've planned everything before that. If you're not sure of what you're going to do first, don't do the last part yet."
"Oh – I think I understand – but I'm still not quite sure," Lily said slowly, her head tilted to one side.
"It would probably be helpful if you guys talk about something else, unless of course you want the guys to know about your little prank?" Pooja said, as they approached the Gryffindor table.
"Hey, Sam…" Sirius muttered as the girls made as to sit down. "Ouch – what was that for, James?" he screeched as James nudged him in the ribs.
Sammy smiled, shook her head, and sat down next to Lily at the end of the table. The other two girls sat down as well, but whereas Pooja was silent, Suzanne tried her best to strike up conversation with the boys.
"Hey, Remus, you look kind of sick..." Suzanne told him, genuinely concerned.
"So I've heard," he answered dully.
"Is something wrong?" she pressed.
"His sister's leaving to go back to the States," James explained, "and his dad wants him to go home to see her off."
"What do you mean 'to go back'?" Suzanne asked.
"They used to live there before. Hey, you're from America, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I'm from Miami. Hey, Remus, where did you guys live?"
"We lived in – uh – Washington."
"Do you mean Washington State or Washington DC?"
"Why are you asking me all of these questions?" Remus asked her suddenly.
"I don't know."
"Do you mind talking to someone else for a while?" he asked again.
"Okay – I didn't mean to annoy you. I can understand if you're sad and stuff about your sis. Do either of you have siblings?" she asked James and Sirius.
"I've got a sister – same age as Remus'. But James is an only child – lucky bug."
"Don't you like your sister?"
"Are you kidding? Living with her is sheer torture. How can you even ask such a question?" Sirius screamed.
Suzanne laughed and replied, "I have an older brother, but he's real cool. He didn't come to Hogwarts, though. He preferred staying in America. And in case you're wondering, he's fifteen – and a prefect at the place he goes."
"My sister was a prefect too, but she didn't get to be Head Girl even though she really wanted to," Sirius said. "It's a good thing too, or else she'd probably expect me to be Head Boy when I'm in seventh."
"Do you guys play Quidditch?" Suzanne asked.
"Do we play Quidditch? Hell, yeah – I mean, that's practically all we do except for annoy our mums and his sis. I do the Chasing, and he does the Beating. My dad plays every now and then, so he plays Keeper," James said energetically.
"Oh, rad – I used to be Seeker when my friends and I used to play back home. We could be a proper team!" Suzanne exclaimed happily.
"Hey, Suzanne, Sam told me that you've been to Magnolia near China. What's it like there?" Sirius asked suddenly, trying to avoid the fact that Pooja had just winked at Sammy.
"What are you talking about? A magnolia is a flower," Suzanne said, looking at him as though he was insane.
"Oh, then, I don't know what it's called but wherever your uncle works near China."
"Mongolia – yeah, I've been there. It's cool, I guess, but I don't remember very well. I was just seven when I went."
"Mongolia, huh – where else have you been?" asked James.
"I don't remember going anywhere else. We did go to France once to visit my mom's relatives. She's French, you know. What kind of places have you been to, Sirius?"
"What is this – twenty questions or something? And I haven't been anywhere except for here. I've lived in the same house for eleven years. You can ask Sammers to verify that."
Suzanne grinned and said, "Sorry about asking so much stuff, it's just that I don't really know anything about you guys, and I was curious."
"Don't worry – uh – Suzanne. Sirius probably enjoyed it," James said, winking at his friend.
"Shut up, James – first Sam, and now her. What is with you?" Sirius asked, rolling his eyes. Turning to Suzanne, he said, "Forgive James, here. He's a bit short-sighted."
"I can see that. Well, it's been nice talking to you three, but I guess I'd better go…" Suzanne muttered, grabbing a piece of toast and walking away, dragging Pooja behind her.
"Uh, well, see you round," James called after her. Once she was out of earshot, he whispered into Sirius' ear, "She's a weird one, Suzanne. She seems nice enough – a bit too nice if you ask me – but there's something weird about her."
"Yeah, I guess so. She talks too much, but otherwise I guess she's okay. But we should find out if she's really good at Seeking. Then maybe next year the three of us can sign up."
"Listen – James, Sirius – I think I'll go down to the Hospital Wing. My head's reeling like anything and I feel kind of queasy. I'll see you later, okay?" Remus told them, clutching his head and walking off.
"Something's definitely up with Remus. He can't miss his sister so much that he feels sick, can he? I mean, I'd never feel that way about mine," Sirius said.
"Yeah, but then I guess he must have been really attached to her. Or rather, he still is attached to her. His sister probably isn't like yours," James guessed. "Anyway, what do you want to do today?"
*
"Suzie, don't you see? It's perfect," Pooja said, trying her best to justify herself.
"I don't know, Pooj. It seems kind of far-fetched. I mean, what proof do you have that they liked each other before? I don't think this is going to work. After all, they are only eleven. I doubt anyone could possibly think of a guy like that when they're only eleven – not counting Jackie – even if they have been neighbors and best friends ever since they were born."
"Suzanne, you're not helping. Look, I know that they've had a fight, but I know how to make sure that they get out of it. They're already friends."
"But they're not going to go any further. Why don't you just wait a few years? I mean, they've never seriously liked each other in the past, have they?"
"Sirius kissed her once," Pooja supplied.
"Really – when was that?" Suzanne asked, suddenly interested in what she had to say.
"It was sometime when they were six."
"Well that explains it. Jeez, Pooja, six-year-old kisses don't mean anything! I was even kissed by some stupid guy when I was around that age!"
"When Sammy went with her dad to France Sirius missed her. It was sometime when they were eight, and they went because Sammy's dad was supposed to get a job there. But I don't think it worked out, or else she would have gone to Beauxbatons instead of Hogwarts."
"Give it up, Pooja. When they were eight they were still friends, remember?"
"Oh, alright – but don't you think that they should?"
"That who should what?"
"Don't you think that Sammy and Sirius are perfect for one another, and that they should seriously consider getting together?" Pooja said in a rush.
"That remains to be seen. Now can we go? This isn't exactly the best place to talk. My feet have fallen asleep – and it's only been ten minutes."
Suzanne crawled out from behind the couch where they had been talking and stretched out her back. She walked over to the other side of their Common Room where Lily and Sammy were discussing how to get James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter into trouble.
"Hey guys, how's it coming?" Suzanne asked.
Lily was about to answer, but Sammy spoke cutting her off.
"I'm still not sure whether or not we should really go through with the whole set up. I mean, sure they've been mean and stuff, but I think we're doing extra in getting our own back. Think about it."
"You know, Lily, I've been thinking. Sammy's right – this is way too much. How would you feel if you got a detention for doing nothing?" Suzanne said.
"I'd feel terrible – but that's the whole point here, guys," Lily whined.
"I think you're being a little heartless there, Lils," Sammy commented.
"What would you know about being heartless, Samantha?"
"Don't call me that," Sammy said through gritted teeth.
"Should I call you Sam, then? That's what Sirius calls you, isn't it? Or do you prefer Sammers?"
"Shut up, Lily! What's gotten into you?" Sammy exclaimed, as she looked at Lily in disbelief.
"I don't know. I'm sorry, Sammy. I shouldn't have blown up like that. It's just that – I don't know – this week's been so strange. On Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, I thought that you three and the guys were the nicest people in the world. Then nearly immediately, everything falls apart. We're two different cliques. And then again, we try to be friends – James and I – but it doesn't work. And suddenly, Suzanne comes and says, 'It's all okay – we can be friends.' I just don't get it. I don't get it at all. I've never had friends before, but I've never had what you could call an enemy either. I don't know how to act with people. I don't know how to make friends or how to be nice or anything. I'm just – me – just me.
"I don't know who my friends are and who aren't. It's all so confusing. Petunia – my sister – used to make sure that I hadn't any friends. I usually stayed by myself so no one really bothered to make an enemy out of me either. None of my parents' friends ever visited our house with their kids, and my parents usually wanted me out of the way when they came over. I never met anyone outside of school. Petunia hated me so much that she usually just pretended that I didn't exist, and her friends never found out that she even had a sister until they came to our house for a sleepover once.
"Don't you see? I don't know anything. And the fact that I'm a Muggle – well, it makes everything even more complicated. I've never been to a party in my life, and I've never invited anyone over to my house either. I don't know anyone who would even want to come over anyway. Okay, so maybe I could have tried to make friends, but so many people idolized my sister that I didn't have a chance next to her. Here at Hogwarts – things seem so easy, but I don't know if they really are, or if I'm just making a fool out of myself. I can never tell if I'm where I belong or if everyone's putting on an act to make me feel that way, and later just laugh about the whole thing. I don't know where I am, what I'm doing, or if it's really worth it. I'm sure if you guys were in my place, you would understand everything going on, because you guys are from wizarding families already. I just feel so – I don't know. I feel as though I'm in the wrong place. I feel as though that letter was sent to the wrong Liliane Evans."
"Lily, of course we're your friends. And you think you're feeling out of place? All of us are, Lily. We're all here for the first time, no matter what kind of families we come from. Hogwarts is our home away from home, don't you see? We're all a family when we're here. You idiot, how could you even think that we're just doing all this nonsense to make fun of you? Do you think this is all a joke or something – or a dream? Here I'll pinch you –" Pooja said, and as she leaned over to pinch Lily on the arm, Lily pulled it away.
"Okay, okay – I believe you!" she cried.
"You'd better," Sammy said, laughing.
"Right – well, now that all the sentimentalities are over, can we get back to work?" Suzanne asked, exasperated.
"You know, we should probably be getting our homework done…" Lily said. The other three answered with groans.
"Come on, Lils. I know that you don't want to do homework any more than we do, so why make us?" Pooja pleaded.
"Well if you don't do it now –"
"We can do it tomorrow. Let's just chill out for today," Suzanne decided.
"I don't know guys – we'll end up not doing it at all," Sammy said.
"You do it for us then. We'll risk getting the answers wrong. Hey, Suzie – do you want to play chess? I brought a set with me," Pooja said.
"Come on, Pooj – listen to them for a change. I guess we should do our work. We can't exactly make them do our homework for us. We'll definitely get caught. Let's just get it over with, okay?"
"Oh – alright, I will. But don't let's do our Defense project. It's so boring."
"You're stuck with Peter, aren't you? I pity you – but at least you're with Mina too. She's got a temper, but from what I could see, she only used it on Peter. They'll keep each other company and you can do the work undisturbed," Suzanne said casually.
"It's easier said than done. Besides, I don't want to do all the work myself. What's the point of having groups then? Eh?" Pooja asked.
"Will you two stop it, already? We're doing our homework for History of Magic. It's due first, so let's get it out of the way," Sammy suggested.
The four finally settled down and pored through their books – occasionally scribbling down a few notes. It was silent for a while, until someone walked into the Common Room.
"That was a smashing practice, don't you think?"
"Yeah, it was. Even Wilson was happy with the job we'd done for a change."
"Matthews is an awesome Keeper. It's good that Wilson took her on this year. She's been trying for it for a couple of years now, but I guess he didn't want to replace the Finnigan girl. But now she's graduated, so we've got Matthews."
The boy and girl who had been talking walked into the Common Room, slightly startled to find the four first years gathered on the carpet. Both had brooms balanced on their shoulders, and the girl's hair was slightly ruffled. The boy's robes were splashed with mud.
"You're the new first years, aren't you?" asked the girl. "I'm Lisa – Lisa Jacobs. And this is Cameron Daley."
"I can introduce myself, thank you very much. But yeah, we're Lisa and Cam. We're on the Quidditch team. Are any of you interested in Quidditch? Wilson – that's our captain by the way – he'll be graduating himself this year, so we'll have a few empty spots, in case any of you would like to sign up next year."
"Oh – do you have a Seeker, by any chance?" asked Suzanne, her eyes shining.
"Wilson plays that spot, so it'll be open if you'd like to try for it," Lisa said. "Mind you, it's not a given that you'll get it. They're usually a lot of people who come to tryouts. It's not only second years."
"What about all of you guys – not interested, or do you just don't want to take the risk?" Cam asked, smiling.
"Um, this is probably a stupid question, but what exactly is Quidditch?" Lily asked shyly.
"You're the Muggle kid, aren't you? Well there's nothing wrong with your question. I'm not sure if I can explain it, but it's basically the wizarding sport. You've got four balls, seven players on each team, and three goalposts at each end of the Quidditch pitch… And you play on broomstick."
"You should probably ask your friends for a better explanation. Cam isn't' very good at teaching," Lily said, getting a punch on the arm from her friend as she spoke.
"Ha – very funny, Lisa – well, we'll see you girls around, I guess."
The two split and went up to their dorms. Almost immediately, Suzanne cried out with excitement.
"I say, I'm definitely going to sign up! I just hope I make it…"
"You have to wait till next year, though. First years aren't even allowed to bring brooms. But you're right. It does sound really fun. It's really too bad that they just got a new Keeper, but maybe I can try for Chaser instead," Sammy said.
"I never knew that you played Quidditch. You never said anything about it."
"I know I didn't. But none of you ever asked. I used to play with Sirius when we were really little, but they weren't real games. We would just toss golf balls and apples to one another while flying around on toy broomsticks. I played once or twice with them after James moved in next door, but they didn't want a Keeper because it got too complicated with just three people."
"James said that his dad used to play with them as a Keeper. What about you, Pooja – don't you play?" Suzanne asked.
"I wouldn't go near a broomstick if my life depended on it. I can't fly for anything," she said, shaking her head.
"Will someone please tell me what Quidditch is all about before I lose it?" Lily cried.
"Oh, sorry, Lils – I forgot. Well, there are seven players on a team –" Sammy began, and the next couple of hours was spent teaching the basics of the game to Lily. Every now and then, one of the girls would tell a short anecdote of their flying experiences.
"It sounds fun, but are you sure it's safe?" asked Lily unsurely.
"It's safe enough. You might break a bone now and then if you get hit by a Bludger or if you get knocked of your broom, but it's nothing a little magic can't heal," Sammy said, winking.
"I'm guessing that's how the nurse keeps busy all year round. I would have wondered that she doesn't get bored of her job, but now that I've heard about Quidditch, I think I've changed my mind," Lily said, making the others laugh a little.
"Let's play chess. I haven't played in ages, and I'm out of practice. Sammers, come play," Pooja called from where she was sitting on the floor.
"No, I don't want to. Ask someone else," she answered, pulling out another textbook from her bag.
"Suzanne, will you?" Pooja asked, turning to the brunette who was also poring through a book – though not one for school.
"My brother makes me play with him all the time at home. I'm sick of chess," she replied. "Sorry, but ever since those two walked in, my minds been on Quidditch. Here, maybe you should read this. You'll like it. Hey, for all you know, you might start to enjoy flying. Take it – I have two copies." She handed over a copy of Quidditch Through the Ages to Pooja.
Wrinkling up her nose at the book, she said, "I'll pass." Turning, she looked up at Lily with round puppy-eyes, she begged, "Please, Lily, play chess with me."
Lily couldn't help laughing at the face she was making. "Oh alright," she said, "I'll play with you. Mind you, I'm not very good."
Pooja's face lit up immediately. She flashed Lily a wide grin and immediately pulled out her chess set.
"Come on, Lily. Get yours out," she directed. But when she saw the confusion on Lily's face, she said, "Oh, I forgot – you wouldn't have a set for Wizarding Chess, would you? Suzie, give yours to Lils, over here."
"What – okay, but hang on. It's in my trunk. I'll be half a second, guys," Suzanne said as she bolted up the stairs. After a while of rummaging through the contents of her trunk, she ran back down.
"Here you go. You can keep them Lily. I bought them in Diagon Alley when I was buying my school stuff, and I was going to give them to my bro for Christmas, but you can have them instead. He has enough chess sets that he can use a different one each day of the week," she said, as she handed the pieces and board over to Lily. "Consider this as an early Christmas present. Mind you, you're getting anything else," Suzanne added grinning.
"I'm not?" Lily asked, mocking a pout.
"Are you going to pay for these, then?"
"Okay, you win. Help me set up, will you, Pooja?" Lily said.
"What do you mean 'set up'? Wizards' Chess is different from the kind of chess Muggles play, Lily. Here, watch them," Pooja said, as she put her pieces on the board. Lily watched, amazed, as the pieces automatically arranged themselves correctly. Eager to see if her own pieces would do the same, she dumped them out onto the board. They, too, positioned themselves on their own.
"Do they move on their own, too?" Lily asked in wonder.
To her surprise, before Pooja could answer, one of the Knights spoke up. "What do you take us for – invalids? Of course we can move on our own!"
"I say, this is cool!"
"Okay, can we play now? You go first – you're white."
Lily had played chess a couple times before, (besides the endless hours she spent trying to win against her computer) but she had never had the chance to become very good at it. Computers don't lose very easily.
Pooja, on the other hand, had spent endless hours playing against her father, who was nothing short of a professional chess player. Over the past few years, she had picked up chess the way one would learn their vocabulary. But her father still remained unbeaten. Pooja longed for the day when she could call out, "Check mate!" to her father. But until then, Lily would have to do – for she had lost – already.
"Check mate – in three moves, Lily – what happened?" Pooja asked.
"I'm not sure. Let's try again. Then, maybe, I can figure it out," Lily said, her brow furrowed.
They played several more games – each of which Pooja won. Lily was starting to get slightly bored of losing all the time.
Pushing the board away, she said, "Oh, play with someone else, Pooja. You're probably not getting any fun out of playing against me. I told you I wasn't good. Hey, Suzanne, you play. You're probably a good match for Pooja since you play with your brother all the time."
"What did you say?" Suzanne asked, tearing her eyes away from her book. She hadn't been paying attention to the two chess-players at all. She had been much too engrossed in her book to notice that Lily had lost horribly.
"You play. You'll be a good match for Pooja. You play. You'll be a good opponent. I'm not good enough to play against her. You play," Lily repeated.
"Did someone hit the replay button on you or something?" Suzanne asked as she got up and walked over to the two. "Okay, I'll play, but only one game, Pooja. Chess is too boring for me."
Lily shifted her position so that Suzanne could sit, but instead, Suzanne ran up the stairs and started going through her trunk again.
"Suzie, what are you doing?" Lily called up after her.
As she ran back down, she answered, "I'm getting my chess set. It's always better to use one that's used to you. New ones are a slight disadvantage because it takes them a while to trust you. The ones I have are my brother's old ones, so they've been used quite a bit, but they're better than buying a new set that has to be broken in."
"Why didn't you tell me that? And all this time I thought the reason this set wouldn't listen was because they fell offended that I didn't believe they could move on their own!" Lily said hotly.
"It skipped my mind. But you know now, so there's no need to get sore at me."
Lily got up and picked up Suzanne's book where it had fallen and proceeded to read it, but their chess game was so intense that she couldn't keep her eyes on the words for very long. Suzanne may not have been as good as Pooja, but she certainly was good enough to spot Pooja's weaknesses.
She's very offensive. That's always the best tactic, but Pooja doesn't even keep her pawns around to block anyone. If I can get past her Knights and her Queen, I should be able to get a Check at the very least.
"It's about time – check!" Pooja said energetically.
"Wait – what just happened?" Suzanne asked snapping out of her trance.
"I checked you. I moved my bishop from here to there," Pooja answered, pointing.
"Oh, right – um, okay, I'll move my Queen then. And you can't kill it because it's covered by my knight, see?"
"Hmm, you're right. You're a lot better than I thought you'd be."
"Practice makes perfect, after all. But you're really good too. How'd you learn to play?"
"My dad's a pro at this game. My mom doesn't take much interest in it, but my dad's always into these thinking games. He taught me to play, and then he taught my younger sister."
"You've got a sibling too? That's funny; all of us do – except for Sammy, though. She's been left out."
"I've got enough cousins to last me a lifetime, thank you very much. I don't fancy having a younger sister following me about twenty-four seven, taking all my clothes, and messing up my room or an older brother to boss me around all the time. I'm fine on my own," Sammy said, pausing for a while to look down at her. But she looked back at her work almost immediately.
"You're always on your own, Sammy. Don't you ever wish you had someone your age to hang around with?"
"I do. You guys are there for me to 'hang around with' as you say," Sammy answered, this time without looking up.
"But what about in the summer – you'll be alone again."
"I'll find something to do. Don't worry about me. You've got to worry about Pooja's Queen – it's about to take that knight of yours that's covering your Queen."
"What – Oh, you're right…"
"Oh, Sammers, did you have to give me away? I say, have you been watching us? You seemed too interested in your homework," Pooja asked.
"You know how I detest History of Magic. It's got to be the most boring subject in existence."
"Yeah, you're right. I guess it could be interesting, it's just that the way old Binns lectures us in that monotonous voice, it makes me just want to fall asleep."
"I know what you mean. But I can't help worrying that I'm going to fail our exams at the end of the year if I don't manage to keep awake somehow," Lily said.
"Exams – we have to take exams?" Suzanne asked.
"We have to take one in every subject each year. And in fifth year we have to take our OWLs, and if seventh we have to take our NEWTs," explained Sammy.
"We do? In the US, we just take tests once a term in each subject. That's it. I mean, we do take OWLs and NEWTs but we don't take yearly exams. Doing everything by the term makes things so much simpler because even if you forget everything at the end of the term, you won't need it again at the very end of the year. I can understand now why my brother said he preferred the school in Miami to Hogwarts," Suzanne groaned.
"What are OWLs and NEWTs?"
"Gosh, Lily, I keep forgetting about you. Sorry, but it's just that I'm not used to having to explain about all these wizard things. I've been with Muggles before, but I was never supposed to tell them about our kind – it's against the law. But you're okay! You got a letter so it's okay. We're supposed to tell you," Sammy said.
"It's okay. I understood – and even if I didn't, I know you wouldn't get mad at me for being a Muggle. But what are they?"
"OWLs are Ordinary Wizarding Levels. NEWTs are Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests. Uh, don't ask me why they named them like that, but that's what they're called. I'm not quite sure why we have to take them, but I do know that if you want to get a job at the Ministry, you have to get a full score in both," Pooja explained.
"Did they decide the names first or the short forms?" Lily asked.
"Don't ask me – I didn't invent them."
"Ooh, just wait till I get my hands on the person who did…" Suzanne said flexing her fingers.
"Oh, Suzanne, you're acting like an idiot," Sammy giggled.
"She isn't acting. Didn't you know? She is one!" Pooja teased.
"Oh, of course – it's my mistake."
"You guys are awful, really," Suzanne said, frowning.
"Aw, now she's all sad – poor little Suzie," Lily said, giggling.
"Liliane Evans, stop teasing me!"
"Hey, don't call me Liliane!" Lily screamed back.
"Then should I call you Tiger Lily? That's James' nickname for you now, isn't it?" Suzanne asked, getting up and backing away so that Lily couldn't do anything to her.
"Sirius calls Samantha Sam, and James calls Liliane Tiger Lily!" Pooja giggled. "I wonder why they're the ones with the nicknames…"
"You two are just so annoying!" Sammy and Lily shouted together.
"Is there something wrong with being annoying? I mean, I'm supposed to be annoying, but I don't see anything wrong with that," said someone.
The four girls spun around to face the portrait hole, and there they saw none other than James and Sirius standing there in the doorway.
"Talk of the devil…" Lily muttered as she rolled her eyes.
Sammy on the other hand, slightly pink, asked, "How long have you two been standing there?"
"I think it was since, 'Then should I call you Tiger Lily', wasn't it James?" Sirius asked the boy next to him.
"Yeah, I think that's about right," he replied.
Now it was Lily's turn to blush. She didn't say anything however. She didn't think she was capable of opening her mouth without screaming.
"Uh, Lily, we should – um – get going on Inkle's project. I've been looking for John and Jackie but I couldn't find them, so it looks like we've got to work on our own." In an undertone, James added,"I want to get it over with as soon as possible."
"Oh – um – okay then, I guess. I should be able to put up with the likes of you for a while," Lily said slowly.
"Give it a rest, will you?" James said slightly fed up with her never-ending insults.
"Yeah, whatever – just let me grab my things, okay?"
Suzanne nudged Pooja, who winked back. Then she spoke up. "What are you guys doing for your project, anyway?"
"Werewolves…" they answered together.
"What about you two, Sammy – Sirius?"
"We're researching kappas in Magnolia," Sammy said grinning.
"Hey, so what if I can't say it right? You don't have to rub it in," Sirius said, slightly hurt.
"I'm sorry, but I just can't help it…" Sammy giggled.
"Just don't explode on me, again, okay? You freaked me out more that day than my watch's alarm did."
"Well, it's not my problem you're scared of the teachers. If you hadn't been, you wouldn't have been all tensed up when Inkle walked by."
"I am not scared of teachers, Sam! I just don't like it when people look over my shoulder."
"I'm not as gullible as you think, Mr. Black. I know you too well for that."
"Oh really, well tell me something then, that no one else here knows – not even James."
"Are you sure you want me to do that?" Sammy asked dangerously.
"I dare you."
"Sirius, you might not want to take this risk. She's known you since, like, forever, after all," James said unsurely.
"Don't worry – I've told you everything about me too, so there can't possibly be anything you don't know."
"No, there is something. Do you remember last Valentines' Day in fourth grade? When Amanda Dimes kissed you on the cheek, you wet your pants. What do you say to that, Mr. Black?" Sammy said curtly.
Apparently, Sirius didn't have anything to say to that. He merely turned a bright red and glared at Sammy. The others in the room, however, were roaring with laughter.
"I don't think you ever told me that, Sirius, old fellow. I dare say you were too embarrassed!" James said laughing.
"At least I didn't beat her up," Sirius choked out. "You punched every boy who gave you a valentine. And most of the boys showed up with valentines for the whole class, since the teachers said that if you brought one you had to bring one for the whole class."
"I didn't wet my pants when I opened each valentine, though, did I?" Sammy snapped.
"No, but you did cry when Sally Matthews slapped you across the face for beating up her brother."
"Sirius, she was a sixth grader three times my size! I'd like to see you hold your ground in such a situation."
"Break it up, guys. You're going way overboard in this whole thing," James said as he pushed them aside.
"Who are these people? And how do you know them?" Lily asked, interested. Sammy hadn't told her exactly how well she knew Sirius, or about for how long they had known one another.
"We went to a Muggle school before Hogwarts because our parents didn't want us to be sitting idle all the time. Uh, but otherwise we lived across the street from one another, so we knew each other – relatively well," explained Sirius.
"But what hap –"
"Uh, bye – I got to go… I've to check on Remus…" Sirius muttered quickly and dashed out before Lily could finish her question.
Lily laughed and said, "What did happen between you two that made you so mad at him, Sammy?"
"I can answer that," James interrupted. "I moved in next door to Sirius and ever since we became friends, he'd been ignoring Sammy. It's kind of stupid, really, but he thought I wouldn't like him if I knew his best friend for nine years had been a girl. Okay, maybe I would have thought he was a sissy fool if I had known then, but if I knew it was Sammy – well, from what Sirius tells me you were a big tomboy then. You were big on sports and – uh, beating up people from what I understood."
"He really told you all that?" Sammy asked, wrinkling up her nose.
"Yeah, he did. There was more but I don't quite remember it all. He said something about how you'd changed quite a bit, but you were still pretty much the same – I don't know, it was kind of confusing after a while. He seemed to be talking more to himself than to us," James answered, grinning.
Realizing he had said a bit too much, he called out to Lily. "Are you going to take any longer? I haven't got all day, you know."
"I got my stuff a while ago, but you were busy talking to Sammers to notice," Lily answered reproachfully.
"Then let's go, already."
The two walked out of the portrait hole and walked along towards the library wordlessly. Lily had a lot to ask James, and vice versa, but neither felt capable of breaking the silence. Finally, when it really started to annoy both of them, they turned on one another.
"For goodness sake, say something!" Lily screamed.
"You're blaming me for not saying anything, but you didn't speak either!" James cried.
"What – well, I thought you didn't like me talking, Potter," Lily answered obstinately.
"The feeling's mutual, Tiger."
"What happened to the Lily?" Lily asked him.
"It's too long. Besides, the word tiger serves the purpose well enough," he answered, looking ahead and resuming his walk.
Lily jogged a little to get back to pace with him. The silence went on once more. "Grr, I may not like talking to you, but I prefer it to silence, jeez!" Lily said.
"I'm flattered…"
"No, really, you can be nice if you want to be, you know," Lily said.
"So can you, you know," James replied mockingly. "But, well, I've been thinking…"
"So have I – I mean, about what Jackie was saying the other day. Normally, I'd just ignore her, but, well, this time I think she had a point," Lily agreed.
"Yeah, I thought so too. John's usually slightly dim, but for a change I think his words really made me think."
"Hmm – made for each other, don't you think? Both of them are pretty similar – could've been twins."
James couldn't help grinning. Lily had a different way of looking at things. It was a pity the other girls had a lot of influence on her. In the beginning it had looked as though she would've been one of them, but Lily had too much of a fiery temper to stand long.
"Well, anyway, what do you think of their advice?" James asked finally.
"I think it's worth a try. If we don't have anything good to say to one another, we won't say anything at all. We might not be able to be friends, but we don't have to be enemies either if we just ignore one another," Lily suggested, shrugging her shoulders.
"Uh, that wasn't exactly what I thought… I was thinking more along the friendship line," James said dully. "We don't have to, I mean, it hasn't worked so far. But, well, Samantha and Sirius were probably the main reason for the entire rift between you four and us. Now that they're being perfectly friendly again…"
"Look, James, I know that all eight of us want to be friends with each other, but it isn't going to work. I mean, it works for the six of them, except for Suzanne and Peter, I guess… and maybe Remus, but it doesn't work for us – as in, you and me."
"We can try," James suggested bleakly.
"What do you think we've been doing all this time, James – playing games?" Lily exclaimed.
"No, but we can always keep trying, right? Lily, I know this sounds really one-sided, but we've never really hated you four. We just haven't gotten along. All of us have our differences. I guess Sirius didn't like the way I was helping you so much when we were catching the train, but after a while of talking to you, he liked you. Peter liked you too, after you slapped that git, Malfoy, across the face. Remus couldn't help taking a liking to you, and I guess I couldn't either, ever since I asked you where to buy an owl from in Diagon Alley. Your sister sure was weird. No offense…"
"Can I ask you something?" Lily said unsurely.
"You already have," James said complacently.
"James!" Lily whined, punching him lightly on the arm.
"Okay, shoot."
"Exactly why do you guys want to be friends with us? Aren't you four happy on your own?" Lily asked plainly.
"Of course, we're fine on our own. But we can't help feel that it wouldn't be good on our part to make enemies out of you four. Sirius and I – well, we really met our match in you and Sammy, I'll tell you that much."
"Very funny, Potter – but really, is that the truth, or do you just want to make a good impression with the other people in school? When I was walking onto the Hogwarts Express, following you two, do you have any idea what people were saying about me?"
"No…" James said slowly.
"There were all sorts of whispers. Did Potter get a new girlfriend? Who's that girl with Black and Potter? Everyone seemed to know you two, and they all seemed surprised to find me with you."
"A lot of people know my dad, that's why. He's an Auror, so naturally a lot of people like him and trust him. And Sirius – well, his sister was pretty popular when she was here, and Sirius himself always has a few girls on his tail."
"What's an Auror?"
"Oh, sorry – um, an Auror's a person who basically – well, Aurors are Death-Eater catchers, to put it in simple terms. They basically fight those on the Dark Side, and work alongside the Ministry of Magic."
"Oh, I see. What does Sirius' dad do?" Lily asked.
"He works at the Ministry. He's in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. It suits him well, actually, since he's a pro Quidditch player. He was Quidditch Captain when he was in Hogwarts. I think he was a Beater, but I can't remember. Sirius takes after his dad a lot, and not just in looks. He prefers Beater to any other position," James answered, walking brusquely.
"Well, we're here, so we might as well start working on this project," Lily said. Shuddering, she added, "Are werewolves as dangerous as they're made out to be in books and on TV?"
"I wouldn't know. I mean, they are dangerous. They're larger than normal wolves and if you get bit by one then you become one too. They're pretty strong and could probably knock you out – or worse. But I don't know anything else about them."
"But this is all so – so weird," Lily said, as she walked over to the section of the library with books on magical creatures.
"What is?" James asked following her and pulling books off of the shelf.
"My parents always told me that everything – you know, Santa Claus, fairies, trolls, griffins, leprechauns, witches, and all that – that they were all imaginary things that people made up to entertain us and make us laugh or cry or get scared," Lily answered. "And now – I'm researching werewolves in a school for witches and wizards."
"Yeah, I guess it would be strange for Muggles who get accepted into wizarding schools. But they're real enough. My dad said that the reason Muggles have stories and movies about them are because in the beginning our kind weren't very good at keeping things secret, so certain things escaped. Why do you always have a witch on a broom? Flying was probably one thing that just could not be kept secret. That's why witches always have brooms, turn people into toads, and have black cats for pets. I'm just glad they never wrote stories about witches and wizards using owls for a postal service. Then we'd really be in soup."
Lily couldn't help laughing. James had a way of making everything he said sound funny even if it was a simple statement. "James you're really too much. But we have to get to work, so no more talking."
"Let's see how long you last under that rule, Tiger."
"Is that a dare?" Lily asked.
"No, I was just making a statement," James replied, making Lily frown. "There's no need to get upset. At least it isn't a bet."
"Oh, shut up, Potter."
"So, we're back to last names, are we, Evans?"
"James, let's not go through this again, okay?" Lily groaned.
"It's fine with me. Personally, I prefer Tiger to Evans," he said winking.
Lily rolled her eyes and hid herself behind her book. She skimmed through the pages until she came upon something relevant. Quickly pulling out her quill and some paper, she jotted down the notes. She glanced at James and seeing the face he was making while trying to read her writing upside-down, she burst out laughing.
"What did I do? Man, you're always laughing at me."
"It's not my fault if you can't read upside-down, James!"
"It's not my fault if your handwriting is too messy to read upside-down, Lily!"
"Give it a rest, will you?" called out a familiar sneering voice.
"Who's that?" James and Lily called out together.
Snape and Malfoy stepped out from behind a bookshelf, both smirking at the two sitting on the floor. James was about to get up but Lily pulled him down again.
"Don't do anything stupid," she muttered to him.
"I can take care of myself, thank you," he said, pushing her hand away and standing up once more.
"So, Potter, we meet again," said Snape.
"Yeah, I didn't expect to have to see your stinking face any more, but you can't have everything, can you?" James spat at them.
Lily stood up too, in case she had to run to the librarian for help. She didn't want them to pick a fight in the library.
"So, your little Mudblood friend is back, I see," Malfoy said, nodding towards Lily.
"Keep your mouth shut, unless you want a mark on your other cheek this time," Lily said quietly.
"Oh, so the little girlie's talking big this time, is she?" Snape challenged.
James couldn't take it anymore. He lashed out. With a lightning quick movement, he jerked his leg forward and kicked him deftly in the stomach, causing Snape to become unsteady and fall over backwards, groaning. But there was still Malfoy to deal with. Before James knew what had happened, Malfoy's fist connected with his jaw. The pain seared through him. Rubbing his jaw, he felt blood come from his lip. He stepped backwards, expecting to find Lily behind him, but she wasn't there. She had rushed off to get the librarian.
"Oh, drat, Madam Pince isn't here! Why did she have to go now, of all times, for a bathroom break?"
Running back to the scene, she saw that Snape had now gotten up. James was up against two people. Luckily, there were more people in the library. Running through the aisles, looking for someone, she found none other than Lisa and Cam.
"Oh, thank God you two are here – Snape and Malfoy and James are having a fight – stupid idiots! And Madam Pince isn't even here to stop them!"
"Three first years are picking a fight? Cam, you better go check it out," Lisa said.
"Yeah, I'm going," he said, getting up quickly and going over to where they were.
Lily was in too much shock to say anything. She just fell to her knees and put her hand on her forehead. Her heart was pounding and she felt dizzy.
"Hey, Lily, it's okay. Cam's a prefect; he'll break them up. Why did they start fighting in the first place? And what were you doing there with them?" Lisa asked.
Lily explained slowly about their meeting on the train and about they're second meeting minutes before. When she had finished, Lisa's arm was around her shoulder and she was brushing Lily's hair out of her face.
"It's okay, Lily. There's no need to worry. You didn't do anything wrong. As far as I can see, uh, Snape provoked James into kicking him. There'll just be points taken away – that's all."
"Will Cam take points from Gryffindor too?" Lily asked.
"He's going to have to. It wouldn't be fair otherwise. James did strike first, mind you."
Lily stood up. She muttered a quick excuse about having to go back to work, and walked away slowly to where the three boys had been brawling. She was glad to see that Snape and Malfoy were gone, but when she caught sight of Cam kneeling on the ground talking to James who was holding his head in his hands and staring at the floor, she couldn't help but get worried all over again.
She waited until Cam had left – walking straight past her – before she sat down next to James again. Neither of them said a word for a while, but James broke the silence.
"I'm probably the first Gryffindor to get a detention in the first week of school."
"You're not – not getting a detention, are you?" Lily asked frantically.
"Malfoy is too, but Snape isn't. He didn't do anything, after all. Why do they always have to pick on me, the stupid gits?"
"It's because they're jealous," Lily stated, saying the first thing that came into her head.
"What have I got for them to be jealous of? Don't be stupid, Lily."
"I'm not being stupid. But they are jealous of you. Why wouldn't they be? Look at it logically. You're got everything anyone could ask for. Everyone in the whole school knows you. You've had friends from the first day of school. You're smart. You're –"
"You're just trying to cheer me up," James said dismally.
"No, I'm not. I mean, I am, but I'm not lying to make you happy. I'm telling you the truth. Anyone would just die to be in your place, James," Lily said optimistically.
"You wouldn't."
"James, when I said 'anyone' I was referring to any boy," Lily clarified.
"Yeah, you're right. Girls would probably die to be in your place," James assumed.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lily said slowly.
"You're the first girl I've ever thought of as a friend."
"You're the first person I've ever thought could be a friend."
"Really – what about Sammy – isn't she your friend?" James asked.
"Yeah, but I met you first. You may not have become my friend, but after I got to know you, I thought you'd make a good friend."
"Did you think that even after you found out that I stole your best friend's friend?"
"Are you talking about Sammy and Sirius?" Lily asked, picking up another book.
"Yeah, I am. Everything's my fault. It's not fair. How was I supposed to know that Sammy felt bad that I was hanging around with Sirius? I never even knew that they were friends. I thought that their parents just made them play together because they were friends. And now, Cam says that the only reason Malfoy hit me was because I kicked Snape. I mean, jeez, they were the ones who were criticizing us."
"James, slow down. You're talking nonsense. None of it was your fault. You can't possibly tell what's going to happen. If Sirius didn't tell you about Sammy then that's his decision. You don't have to take their whole situation to heart. They're friends now, aren't they? When I told Lisa what happened, she was on your side. She didn't expect you to get a detention. She just thought a couple of points would be taken, that's all."
"A couple of points – Cam took five for each of us."
"So, that means ten points from Slytherin. Look on the bright side, James. They're in trouble too."
"What bright side are you talking about? I don't see anything bright at all."
"What if I say yes to be friends?" Lily said suddenly.
"I thought you already did say yes."
"Hmm – well I didn't. So what if I say yes to be friends?"
"Do you always try this hard to cheer people up?" James asked again.
"Yes – now what if I say yes to be friends?"
James gave her a weak smile. "You don't have to. You already have. You don't have a choice."
"Yeah, you're right about that," Lily said grinning.
"It's about time you agreed, Tiger."
*