Title: Understand Me (6/?)

Author: Eleret

Author E-mail:Eleret@aol.com

Category: Romance/Angst

Rating: PG-13 (For some kissing, depressing stuff, and adult themes)

Spoilers: PoA GoF (maybe) (Knowledge in all of the books is recommended but not necessary.)

Summary: Lily Evans and James Potter have been on the same Quiditch team for a while, yet they know almost nothing about each other. Narcissa Claude and Sirius Black are completely different and they don't even know each other yet. Remus Lupin can't figure Nancy Bode out. Sybil Trelawney and Peter Petigrew form a club for unappreciated people. And no matter how much they deny it, what all of these eight teens want most is someone to understand them. N/S, L/J, R/OC (not a Mary Sue), and P/Sybil.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I own only Nancy Bode's first name and Narcissa Claude's last name.

A/N: Next chapter! Bunches of hugs to everyone who reviewed! I feel much appreciated and it's making me want to right more than ever! Personal thanks at the bottom. In this chapter you figure out what note Narcissa gave Sirius, because Whether Rose and Hollie asked for it and I cannot refuse a loyal review (not that the rest of you aren't loyal!)! Oh, and I've decided I'm sick of Remus being the incredibly mature and wise one and Sirius being the temperamental, less mature one, so I'm switching things around a bit. I think Sirius deserves a bit more credit. After all, he survived twelve years in Azbakan.

Chapter Six: the Not-So-Serious Saint

Meet me out by the lake at lunch, the note that Narcissa wrote him had read. And ever since that, Sirius hadn't been able to concentrate. Usually he hung on Professor McGonagal's ever word during Transfiguration, but today he found his mind wandering. Even when McGonagal announced that they would be turning their desks into pigs that day, something that Sirius normally would have been ecstatic about, Sirius only smiled faintly and continued thinking.

Now, Transfiguration was over, as was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and he was half done with Charms, his last class before lunch. Sitting at his desk in-between Remus and James, he took a moment from wondering why Narcissa wanted to meet him to look at his friends. They were just as out of it as he.

James was staring down at his parchment and shaking his head ever so slightly. Sirius noticed that James was sketching, something which he hardly ever did but was quite good at when he put his mind to it. Looking closer at the sketch Sirius saw that it was one of that pretty red-head Lily. He wasn't surprised; it was fairly obvious that James fancied the pants off her, even if James himself couldn't see it.

Remus was reading his book. Well, there was nothing unusual about that. Remus found Charms boring, so he almost never paid attention. What amazed Sirius was that Remus still managed to get quite good grades in the class, for all that he rarely listened. The odd thing was that Remus was not really reading. Instead he was glaring at the book with intense annoyance and muttering so quietly that Sirius could only catch the phrase, "Stubborn, obnoxious brat of a Slytherin," before he became too quiet again.

Sirius rolled his eyes. Remus always seemed quite impartial and unbiased, but he didn't like the Slytherins any better than the rest of them, really.

And Peter looked worse than the rest of them put together. He had his head resting in his arms, on the desk, and was glaring determinedly at Professor Flitwick. Sirius wondered what the small man had done to deserve a dose of Peter's usually mild temper.

As Sirius observed his friends, he was unaware that the class was passing. When Flitwick told the four of them that they could leave, they realized that the rest of the class was already exiting the classroom. Grabbing his books, Sirius bounded out of his desk and exited the classroom at a run, leaving behind an irate professor and three surprised friends.

***

Narcissa had gotten out of Potions ten minutes early. Because of this, she was now pacing in front of the lake biting her nails and waiting for Sirius to show up. Walking back and forth in front of the lake, she looked quite a bit like an army general preparing for war, though she didn't know it. She clasped her hands behind her back and she was walking with a purposeful, swinging stride.

Sirius, making his way down to her, saw the resemblance immediately and had a hard time not bursting into laughter. As he neared her, he called out, "Reporting for duty, General, sir!"

Narcissa spun around. First, she looked startled, then she raised an eyebrow, "General?" she asked incredulously.

Sirius smiled back, "You look exactly like a muggle army general preparing for war when you pace like that. You could get an acting career."

Narcissa decided that muggle army generals and wizarding ones were probably quite similar. If so, she imagined that Sirius was quite crazy. "Right," she said with a skeptical look.

Sirius grinned, "No, really, you did. But anyway, what did you want to talk about? Anything new with the Lucius-the-incredible-crap-weasel situation?"

Narcissa snorted, "Nice name. But no, nothing new with that situation."

Sirius nodded, "I thought so. About the name, that is. So, what's up?"

Narcissa sighed and turned serious again, "I just wanted to know…you're really helping me? I mean, you weren't lying, were you? And you aren't going to tell anyone, are you? Are you just going to stay with me until this problem seems resolved, and then leave? What do you want with me?" Now Narcissa was sounding slightly hysterical, and trying desperately to fight tears of confusion, exhaustion, and hunger (she hadn't had breakfast, remember).

Sirius raised both eyebrows, "I thought we went over this yesterday."

Narcissa scowled, "You expected me to believe you? I need re-assurance, alright? So just answer the damn questions, and try to be at least a little more convincing," as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. Her temper had gotten out of control, and now he was bound to hate her.

Sirius considered Narcissa with level eyes. Finally, he sighed, "Alright. I am really going to help you; no I wouldn't lie. I promise I never will about something so important unless it is absolutely necessary. I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to. You know, the Marauders are very close friends, but that doesn't mean I tell them about ever single detail of my life, and they don't tell me everything either. Everyone deserves some secrets. And I will never leave you. I don't want anything from you except the knowledge that I have helped you," He looked at her with a smile. "Are you satisfied now, or should I repeat it again?"

Narcissa was shocked. He wasn't mad? Lucius would have slapped her for what she had said. She smiled in wonderment, "What are you, some kind of saint?"

Sirius laughed, "Yep, that's me."

Narcissa laughed too, and then quite unexpectedly she took his hand, "Come on, I'm starved!"

"Yes, sir, General!" Sirius followed her with a mock salute.

***

"Hey, Sybil, made any predictions lately?"

"Yes, Sybil, what's my fortune?"

"Who's going to die next week, Sybil?"

Sybil Trelawney could not take any more. She stormed out of the Great Hall, the mocking voices echoing in her head. She walked quickly along the halls, up the flights of stairs, and to the Divination room. There, she sat down, her breath coming quickly. Sybil had a bad temper, but she didn't let it out because she was afraid of it. She was afraid that if she started to yell she wouldn't be able to stop and she would start yelling things that she didn't want other people to know about. Like her father and her mother, or lack there of. With a sigh, she put her angry thoughts away, and collected her things.

"Hey," she looked up to see Peter standing in the door way. Sweet Peter, who understood everything. Surely, she could tell him, couldn't she?

"So," Peter said, sitting down beside her, "What happened in the Great Hall? Were they mocking you again?"

"Uhuh," Sybil said with a sigh and a nod.

Peter sighed, "I'm sorry. Why don't you stand up to them?"

Sybil grimaced, "Because I'm not brave. I can't just stand up to people: they'll just laugh more. And I don't have the courage, anyway. I wish I did, but…" she shrugged with frustration.

Peter smiled ruefully, "I know. You can't help but be who you are. So, anything else you want to tell me? You know that I don't tell anyone," he took her hand and looked into her eyes, "Believe me, alright? I trust you, will you trust me too?"

Sybil nodded, biting her lip, "Yeah, I do. And I have got something to tell you. I…I don't loose my temper, or tell people off for harassing me, because I'm afraid of what would happen. Terrified, in fact."

Peter nodded, "Why?"

She took a deep breath, "Because I'm afraid I'll start yelling and I won't be able to stop. I'm afraid that I'll not just yell at them, but yell and my mom for committing suicide and my dad for running away and my brother for dying of pneumonia, and everyone else who had made my life a misery. I'll yell at the people who run the orphanage where I live for being so heartless and at the other children, who are always harassing me. And I'll yell at myself, for being such a lame person," all of this came out very fast, and when she was finished she had to stop to breath, watching Peter with her large brown eyes. What would he think of her?

Peter took a deep breath. Finally, he said, "Would it help if you yelled it where no one could hear you? I mean, you could yell at me, instead. And maybe, if you yelled it out, you wouldn't have to be worried anymore."

Sybil stared at him. No shocked glances? No pity? No averted eyes? Finally, she was able to speak, "You would let me do that?" she asked incredulously.

Peter nodded, "If it would help you."

She took a deep breath, "I think…I think it might. I never thought of that before, but I think it would."

Peter smiled, "Well, then go ahead."

Sybil took a breath, and then she let her pent-up emotions come. Soon, her eyes were filling with tears and she had begun to whisper, "Mom, I hate you for what you did to our family. We were happy. Then you committed suicide, mum, and it ruined everything. I loved you, Patrick loved you, and dad did too. Why mum, why did you?" By now, her voice had risen and she was half sobbing half yelling. "We were fine. You never looked depressed-how were we supposed to know?

"And dad, why did you leave? Why? I didn't do anything! Pat didn't either. We loved you. And mum, too. And it wasn't your fault she died! It wasn't! Were we just mistakes, daddy? Did mum just not let you leave? Did you want to? Did you really love me? Did the things I did count at all? I cooked and cleaned and did the laundry-I did everything!

"Oh, Patty…You should have held in! After mum died and dad left, I couldn't deal with anyone else dying! You knew that, but you did anyway. And I left you Patty…I promised I w-wouldn't! And I did…I'm sorry, Patty…I tried! And you left me…

"And Miss Ore! You never gave me one chance…to you, I was just another lame little homeless orphan that no one wanted! I don't mean anything to you. And if I get the chance, Miss Ore, I'll kill you! You're the only person I've ever wanted to kill…and I hate you for it! And I hate that you won't listen, and that you don't understand. I hate you!

"And I hate Polly and Andy and Amanda for being horrible to me. For pouring ice water on me in the mornings and beating me up…I hate you all," the last sentence was a whisper, her voice hoarse from the yelling.

She cleared her throat, "But most of all, I hate myself…I hate you for never telling anyone, for never standing up, and for being fake. I hate you for telling people your fake prophesies and for always predicting horrible things. And most of all, I hate you for making everyone die. I hate you because people want to bully you. And I hate you because you hate yourself. I hate myself! I do…" and with that she dissolved into unintelligible sobs.

***

Peter didn't know what to make of what Sybil had just said. He found it very hard to believe that anyone could hate so much. Well, he could almost believe it. After all, hadn't he always hated his friend for overshadowing him? Hadn't he always hated himself for staying in there shadow?

So, when Sybil stopped yelling and leaned on his shoulder, sobbing, he wrapped his arms around her, a bit awkwardly. He rocked her slowly back and forth like his mother had done when he was very young and came home crying from the bullies. And he whispered to her that it would be alright, that she would feel better now.

And he truly believed himself. She would feel much better having confessed her hatred.

But, he thought, feeling a bit lost, who can I yell at? Who will listen to me? And for a minute, he felt very alone in the world. Then, the answer came to him in the form of the small bundle of tears he was holding.

Sybil.

***

All through classes Lily was unable to concentrate. First of all, James shared all of her classes, and it was extremely hard to concentrate near him. And also, she had to remember to grab him after the last class they had that day: Potions.

On her way to Potions, Lily's stomach fluttered with nerves. For one thing, she was horrible at Potions. In fact, Lily was horrible at anything remotely like cooking. Once, when she was nine, she had blown up the stove trying to cook brownies, and ever since had been banned from the kitchen for both her and its safety. Her Potions' record was not much better. The other reason was that she was partners with James in Potions.

Taking her seat beside him, Lily was sure that her face must be one fire. And, due to her pale skin, he would be able to see it. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately), James was blushing too.

"Hi," he muttered quietly as she took her seat.

She managed (somehow) to give him a bright smile, "Hello!" she said, trying to sound like her usual, cheerful self and not like she was about to faint. "I was wondering," she said more quietly, "Could we maybe talk after classes? Perhaps we could go for a fly over the forest?" she asked, hardly daring to look at him.

James swallowed, "Er…okay. I suppose that'd be fine. I'll see you over the Quidditch Pitch at about five, alright?"

Lily nodded hurriedly and then turned towards the front of the classroom as the Professor began to explain the day's assignment. However, though she listened dutifully and took detailed notes, she remembered almost nothing the Professor had said.

***

During Potions James concentrated at least as badly as Lily, if not worse. He couldn't help but worry about Lily, what with her sitting right next to him. And what did she want to talk about, anyway? Was it just about a new idea for Quidditch? Or, could it be about the night before?

After the Professor had finished her talk, James was glad to find that Lily had taken notes. Had she not, James would have been completely lost. He couldn't remember one word of the Professor's talk. However, he could remember irritating little details like the smell of Lily's hair (roses and lilac) and the way her quill scratched against her parchment and the way that she bit her lip slightly while she was jotting the notes down.

Quickly reading the notes, James set to work making the potion of the day. Unlike Lily, he had quite passable Potions' grades and managed to keep Lily from failing as well, most of the time. Today, he made the Clouding Drought nearly mechanically, trying his best to think of anything but Lily.

First, to pass the time while he watched it simmer, he recalled all the Quidditch matches he had been to. Then, when thoughts of how well Lily played Quidditch began taking over his mind, he switched to recalling all the full moons for the following year. Eventually, however, he gave up and let the thoughts of Lily invade his brain.

Later he reflected that it was extremely lucky he hadn't blown up his cauldron with all the attention he had been paying it.

And, though thoughts of other things invaded, there was always that lurking worry in the pit of his stomach about his meeting with Lily that afternoon.

***

End of Chapter Six!

A/N2: Woo! This is my longest chapter so far! I loved everyone's reviews and appreciated them very much. Next chapter, Lily and James meet. Hopefully, we'll see more romantic action between Remus and Nancy, but no promises, because I'm not sure how long and time-consuming the scene with Lily and James will be. Please tell me what you thought of it, especially of Sybil's confessions. My theory there was that she always predicts the worst because the worst always happened in her life. Please tell me if you think it was too dramatic or sentimental.

Thank-you's!

Hollie- Wow, two reviews from you! Thanks so much! Thanx for catching the error in chapter four too. I've got a couple ideas about the Sirius/Narcissa/Lucius problem, but I won't tell you now. Just remember that Narcissa said she would never marry except for love, before she decided there was no such thing as it. I figured that Narcissa can't be totally in control, either, so that having her have trouble with directions would be a good addition. And you've found out now. I'm glad you liked the humor. Yes, I did partly get the name Alanna from Tammie's books, and partly because I have an old friend named Alana (though spelled differently). Her books are the best, in my opinion. I recommend you read all of them-they are all very good. However, I think that since I read the SotL books first they will always be my favorites.

WhetherRose-Yet another review from Wonder Reviewer! Thanks so much! I've told you about the note now, haven't I? I love that you suggest things for the next chapter; it helps a lot! And I've written more now! Thanks a bunch!

Lilyflower8602-Thank you!

Mystikalolo-I'm glad you think so! I'm writing fast!

Milkyweed-I'm glad you loved it! I'm posting now!