"Another year back," sighed Lily Evans. "Another year of being
ignored and labeled a bookworm. Yippee. This is going to be loads of fun."
Sixteen-year-old Arabella Figg looked at her best friend.
"People don't ignore you," she said indignantly.
"Give it up, Bell. You know that same old pep talk doesn't work anymore. I've just accepted it," snapped Lily.
Normally, Arabella would've been offended and taken aback by Lily's behavior; today it was directed towards a group of Slytherin girls, including Narcissa White and Aimee de Croix, and their boyfriends, Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy.
Both Lily and Arabella were Muggleborns, and were getting used to the Slytherins behavior.well, at least, Arabella was.
The two girls were equally as intelligent and shy, but both had a charismatic personality, once someone took the time to get to know them. That was where the similarities ended.
Lily was medium height, with curly auburn hair, creamy skin, and had stunning emerald eyes. Arabella was tall, with caramel blonde hair, tan Greek skin, and olive green eyes.
"Lily." began Bella, but Lily cut her off.
"Don't say you're going to kill those slimy Slytherins. It's not going to work today. They're right; I am just an ignored Mudblood bookworm. What else is new?" said Lily bitterly.
"Lily!" exclaimed her friend. "You know as well as I do that none of what you just said is true!"
Lily just continued to stare out the window, and started to hum softly to herself. Arabella knew it was better to argue the concept later, when Lily was a bit more sensible.
An hour later, there was a knock on the compartment door. Arabella stole another glance at Lily, and then went up to go see who it was.
Standing outside were five people, who looked desperate for a hiding place. She immediately understood why when she heard Narcissa shriek and Malfoy's loud and murderous yell.
Arabella ushered them inside and slammed the door, charming it to be unbreakable. The people were panting slightly, but had the air of great mischief; one quick glance told Bella it was the Marauders and another girl she couldn't quite recall the name of.
James Potter was the ringleader of their little group. He was tall, about 6' 3", with untidy black hair, chocolate brown eyes, and a muscular Quidditch physique.
Sirius Black, his best friend, looked very similar to James, same height and build, but with an incredibly roguish feeling about him, ceruse eyes, and more tamed hair.
Remus Lupin, another member of the Marauders, had sandy blonde hair, piercing amber eyes, was one or two inches shorter than his friends, and had a bit of a tired manner about him; he was bright, as were James and Sirius, but he was the most responsible and sensible of the group.
Peter Pettigrew, the last boy of the group, was average height, with baby blue eyes, and spiky blonde hair, and boyishly handsome.
The girl looked a lot like James, as though they were related, but not close enough to be siblings. She had blue green eyes, black hair which was a bit more kempt than her cousin's, and she was of a rounder build.
"Thanks for sharing your compartment. All the others are occupied and everyone's terrified of the Slytherins hexing them," said Remus. "I'm Remus Lupin, by the way." He nodded to the rest of his friends, who introduced themselves.
"James Potter."
"Sirius Black."
"Peter Pettigrew."
"Charlie Potter."
"Charlie, your real name is Charlotte," remarked James.
"And you're James' cousin," added Sirius.
"I know that," said Charlie, exasperated.
"We're just clarifying it for you."
"Thanks ever so much, Si, but I think I can handle the truth."
"Like the truth about your Aunt Mildred and-" broke in Sirius.
"I don't need to hear this!" shrieked Charlie, covering her ears. "Shut up!"
"Like that'll ever happen," sniggered James, a devilish look upon his face.
"All of you shut up. We don't know who else is in our compartment, excuse my rudeness."
"Yeah, you are pretty rude, Moony," said Sirius, looking down on his friend in mock disapproval.
"Undoubtedly," commented Peter, sticking his nose in the air. "Ever so rude."
"Whole-heartedly," stated James, cocking an eyebrow.
"Shut up. What's your name?" asked Charlie, directing the question towards Bella, and a glare to her friends.
"Bella Figg. That silent girl in the corner is Lily Evans. She's usually more hospitable, but she's.in a bit of a bad mood," Bella answered, jerking her head towards Lily.
"How come?" asked Peter, before he was elbowed by James.
"You can't just go and ask that," he said, adding the air of a parent who was scolding their child. "I know we've taught you better than that. What year are you in, anyways?"
"Sixth year Gryffindors," Bella replied, leaning back and pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "We mostly keep to ourselves."
"Why?" asked Peter, tactful as ever.
"It's easier that way. Nobody notices us as much, though the Slytherins still manage to. You have your hands full with Malfoy and Snape, but we receive the biting end of all their insults, from the girls. Sometimes we're lucky enough to get the whole group. I've gotten used to them, but Lily hasn't," answered Bella boldly, wondering why she wasn't being as shy as she usually was.
Sirius' and James' eyes darkened, Peter stiffened somewhat, Charlie looked angry, and Remus.there were no words to describe how Remus looked. Concerned, burdened, and a bit of.Bella couldn't really figure out what the last emotion was, but she already felt attracted to him.
"What'd they do?" asked Charlie.
"The usual," Bella answered. "Calling us insecure Mudbloods, who won't amount to anything, people who aren't fit to live on the face of this earth and what not."
"WHAT?!" exclaimed Sirius and James furiously. The two stormed out of the room. Charlie and Peter exchanged a quick glance and tore after the boys.
Remus looked at Bella again.
"And those words have no effect on you whatsoever?" he asked, his brow furrowed. Bella averted her gaze.
"No," she said slowly and uncertainly. She gave him a cheerful, yet fake smile. "I don't really mind anymore."
Remus had an unconvinced expression on his face, but didn't pursue the subject any further.
"I'll be right back," said Lily suddenly, startling both Remus and Bella.
"Where are you going?" asked Arabella.
"Bathroom," came the reply. Remus and Arabella started a deep conversation and were lost to the element of time.
~*~*~*~
"You two have got to stop fighting all the time! You could get expelled!" exclaimed Charlie angrily. It had taken about a half an hour to stop Sirius and Snape from beating each other up and James and Malfoy from hexing the entire train into oblivion.
"Let's go back to our compartment," Sirius suggested, ignoring the glare from his friend.
Lily had just come out of the bathroom; she had accidentally stayed there longer than she intended, still upset about the Slytherins.
Suddenly, somebody pinned her roughly against the wall. Lily winced at the pain as her shoulders smashed into the hard wood.
She looked up and shrunk back. Lucius Malfoy had his cold, grey eyes on her, Severus Snape beside him.
"Please let me go," whispered Lily.
"Why?" drawled Malfoy. "I have all the time in the world. Now, let me ask you this simple question.what did you tell Potter and Black?"
"N-nothing," stammered Lily honestly.
"Liar," hissed Snape. Malfoy's grip tightened around her arms; his fingernails cut into his skin and she started to bleed.
"I swear, I don't know!" snapped Lily. "Leave me alone!"
Malfoy slapped her hard across the face. Tears welled up in Lily's eyes.
"We'll be back, Mudblood." With that, Malfoy shoved her against the wall, and the two Slytherins swept to their compartment.
Lily sunk to the floor and cried.
"Have you guys seen Lily?" asked Charlie, interrupting a conversation about Quidditch. Everyone had been back in the compartment for an hour, and she had just noticed Lily's absence.
"She left over an hour ago!" said Bella. "If she met Snape or Malfoy."
"I'll go," volunteered James. "The Slytherins won't bother me."
Arabella looked pleadingly at Remus, her eyes asking him to let her go instead.
"I've got to agree with James at this point, Bell," he said. Bella nodded dejectedly, and leaned back.
James stood up and walked out to the corridor. He checked around, and didn't see her. He walked towards the end of the train, and heard a sob and several hiccups, and rounded the corner.
Lily was curled up, sobbing and shoulders shaking.
"Lily, what happened?" he asked softly. Lily shook her head. "Can you at least look at me?"
She shook her head again. James gently tilted her chin up and his eyes widened.
"What in Merlin's name happened?" Her cheek was bright red, and she bit her lip as he tenderly brushed his hand against it.
"Can't---can't tell," she sniffed. "They'll find out."
"Then at least come back to the compartment."
"I can't! Bella will get worried.and." Her lip started to tremble.
"I'll heal you then," said James. He pulled out his wand, and muttered a few healing spells his mother had taught him.
James helped her up and led her back to the others. He slid the door open and all eyes turned to them.
"Lily!" exclaimed Arabella. "What happened?"
Lily sat down in her window seat again and begun to cry once more. James embraced her sympathetically.
"She won't tell me anything," said James. "All she'd say was 'they'll find out' and I have a damn good idea who it was."
"Narcissa?" asked Bella worriedly.
"Nope. I think it was Malfoy and Snape," replied James through narrowed eyes. "She had a big red slap mark on her cheek, and fingernail cuts on her arms."
Bella looked furious.
"Lily! Why did they do that to you?" she demanded.
"They'll---they'll find out!" she hiccupped.
"Nobody here will tell them you told. What happened?" asked Charlie.
"They wanted to know what I had told James and Sirius to make them go out and beat them up and hex them," murmured Lily.
Remus noticed the dark look in James' and Sirius' eyes.
"If you go out and beat on Snape and Malfoy, it'll just make things worse. Calm down," he said. "I'm going to play Exploding Snap. Anybody up for a round?"
******
The rest of the ride was enjoyable enough. Charlie and Sirius flirted openly and unabashedly; it was obvious the two were head over heels for each other. Lily stayed in James' arms and fell asleep while he was reading a book.
Remus and Arabella were playing a competitive game of Exploding Snap and laughing. Peter had long ago left to visit his Ravenclaw girlfriend, Hera Almont.
"Guys, we're almost there. Let's get in our uniforms. Men, out!" ordered Charlie, pointing her finger out the door.
"Hey-" began Sirius in an objection, but Charlie held out her hand.
"Don't even think about it. I can win any argument. Out!" The boys sighed and exited the compartment.
Lily, Bella, and Charlie quickly changed into their school uniforms and cloaks, and let the boys, who had changed in the lavatories, back in.
"I can't wait to get back," sighed Bella.
"Too bad we only have two years left," said Lily sadly.
"Come on, girls! No bad moods, we just got back! And I believe the boys have a grand prank here they're going to pull off on the Slytherins at the feast!" said Charlie jovially.
"Another year, another set of pranks," said Sirius happily. "Could it get it any better than this?"
"Uh, yeah, actually it can. We could be in Hawaii, basking in the sun, sipping Margaritas." said James wistfully.
"Oh shush it," said Charlie. "Let's go get in a carriage."
Remus was the only guy allowed to sit in the seats; the girls forced James and Sirius to sit on the floor.
"Aw, come on! It's probably all disgusting on the floor!" protested Sirius, wrinkling his nose.
"It is not! They clean these things, you know. And you're probably the dirtiest thing that's ever been on it anyway," taunted Charlie.
They reached the doors of Hogwarts, and hopped out. It was pouring rain, and thundering overhead.
"I'm all wet!" complained Sirius, once they had gotten indoors. Lily muttered the drying spell, and instantly, they were all warm and dry.
"Thanks, Lily," said Remus. The group of six trooped into the Great Hall and sat next to Peter, who had gotten there before them.
"Hey, Pete," greeted Charlie. "Have a good reunion with Hera?"
Peter blushed.
"What, did you have a major snog fest or something?" asked Sirius. This made Peter turn the color of a ripe tomato. James and Remus sniggered, until the new first years filed into the hall, looking incredibly terrified and nervous.
One by one, they were sorted, and Sirius seemed about ready to pass out.
"I'm starving! How many first years do they have, three thousand?"
"That from the King of Exaggerators," whispered Remus.
Finally, the Sorting ended, and Dumbledore stood up.
"Welcome back to another year! I would like to remind all of you, particularly a group of sixth years who seemed to enjoy almost lighting the Whomping Willow on fire, to stay out of the Forbidden Forest." He seemed to be aiming this comment towards the Marauders, who grinned. "Also, I'd like to tell you that Mr. Filch has asked that no Dungbombs be thrown in the corridors, as it makes a horrible stench, and he much detests cleaning it up. And, without further adieu.Eat and be merry!"
"Hear, hear!" yelled James and Sirius. Instantly, the plates before them filled with food. The boys piled their plates high, and they all immersed in separate conversations.
"What's your family background? I'm a Muggle born," said Bella.
"Pureblood. Though I don't really know why that matters to some people," said Remus thoughtfully.
"Me neither," said Bella, taking a bite of her salad.
"We're running awfully short on topics today, aren't we?" asked Remus, while casually flinging a spoonful of peas at Sirius.
"Well.yes. But that's also because we're stuffed and exhausted. Um.I'll pop a random question.what's your favorite subject?" Bella inquired.
"Transfiguration, hands down. It's so much easier than everything else.though I like Muggle Studies as well," answered Remus, after thinking about it for a few moments.
"I'm horrible at Transfiguration.I like Charms and Arithmancy. I wish we had a Literature class, though, like they do in traditional Muggle schools. I love to read," said Bella, brightening at the thought of books.
"What kind of books?" asked Remus, dodging a flying muffin Sirius had sent his way.
"Fantasy," replied Bella.
"Muggle or Mag-" Remus began.
Sirius interrupted their conversation.
"Watch this." he said, grinning. Bella noticed James and Peter had a mischievous look on their faces, as did Remus.
The girls looked over to the Slytherins. Peter snapped his fingers, and instantly a torrent of rain poured down upon the Slytherin table.
The hall rang with laughter.
"Potter! Black! Lupin! Pettigrew! In my office now!" yelled Professor McGonagall.
"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Minnie!" Sirius yelled back. McGonagall reddened in fury.
"Don't provoke her!" hissed Remus.
"Too late," said Peter. McGonagall stormed over to them. "RUN!"
The four boys sprinted out of the door, their enraged Professor at their heels.
"Let's go upstairs. They'll be back at the Tower in a while," suggested Charlie. The three girls stood up and walked back to Gryffindor Tower.
When the boys failed to turn up after three hours, the girls went up to their dormitory and fell asleep. Well, Charlie and Lily fell asleep; Bella was still up and pondering Remus' earlier question. "And those words have no effect on you whatsoever?"
Bella sighed and stood up. She wasn't going to get any sleep for a while, not with all the thoughts in her head at the moment. She pulled on a baggy sweatshirt, and slid on some old slippers.
Arabella padded down the cold stone floor steps, and returned to the Common Room. It was completely empty, and the fire was roaring away in the hearth.
She was so deep into her thoughts that she didn't notice a certain Marauder sit down next to her on the couch.
"Bella?"
She looked to her side, startled.
"Oh, hey Remus," she answered, relaxing. "Why are you up?"
"I'm always up late. The question is why are you up?" he asked.
"Just thinking, I guess," she replied, staring into the crackling fire.
"Anything important, or just random thoughts?"
"A little of both."
The two sat in silence for a few moments. Arabella found herself looking out the window. It was a beautifully clear night, with a crescent moon surrounded by shining stars. She sighed.
"What's wrong?" asked Remus.
"It's almost the full moon.I feel so bad for Izzy," she said. "My younger brother." Remus regarded her cautiously.
"Why?"
"Do you swear never to tell anyone?" asked Bella warily. "Cos if you don't, then I can't tell you."
"I swear, upon Snape's greasy head," said Remus. Bella giggled.
"Well, my brother's.a.a.w-werewolf," she stammered, turning away. "He's been one since he was three, and he's seven now. I feel so bad for him.and it was my fault I wasn't watching him carefully enough."
Bella bit her lip. Remus turned away, knowing the pain all too well.
"It wasn't your fault," he whispered. He knew he was taking a dangerous step, but he could always perform the Memory Charm if the reaction wasn't good.
He took a deep breath.
"I'm a werewolf too."
Sixteen-year-old Arabella Figg looked at her best friend.
"People don't ignore you," she said indignantly.
"Give it up, Bell. You know that same old pep talk doesn't work anymore. I've just accepted it," snapped Lily.
Normally, Arabella would've been offended and taken aback by Lily's behavior; today it was directed towards a group of Slytherin girls, including Narcissa White and Aimee de Croix, and their boyfriends, Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy.
Both Lily and Arabella were Muggleborns, and were getting used to the Slytherins behavior.well, at least, Arabella was.
The two girls were equally as intelligent and shy, but both had a charismatic personality, once someone took the time to get to know them. That was where the similarities ended.
Lily was medium height, with curly auburn hair, creamy skin, and had stunning emerald eyes. Arabella was tall, with caramel blonde hair, tan Greek skin, and olive green eyes.
"Lily." began Bella, but Lily cut her off.
"Don't say you're going to kill those slimy Slytherins. It's not going to work today. They're right; I am just an ignored Mudblood bookworm. What else is new?" said Lily bitterly.
"Lily!" exclaimed her friend. "You know as well as I do that none of what you just said is true!"
Lily just continued to stare out the window, and started to hum softly to herself. Arabella knew it was better to argue the concept later, when Lily was a bit more sensible.
An hour later, there was a knock on the compartment door. Arabella stole another glance at Lily, and then went up to go see who it was.
Standing outside were five people, who looked desperate for a hiding place. She immediately understood why when she heard Narcissa shriek and Malfoy's loud and murderous yell.
Arabella ushered them inside and slammed the door, charming it to be unbreakable. The people were panting slightly, but had the air of great mischief; one quick glance told Bella it was the Marauders and another girl she couldn't quite recall the name of.
James Potter was the ringleader of their little group. He was tall, about 6' 3", with untidy black hair, chocolate brown eyes, and a muscular Quidditch physique.
Sirius Black, his best friend, looked very similar to James, same height and build, but with an incredibly roguish feeling about him, ceruse eyes, and more tamed hair.
Remus Lupin, another member of the Marauders, had sandy blonde hair, piercing amber eyes, was one or two inches shorter than his friends, and had a bit of a tired manner about him; he was bright, as were James and Sirius, but he was the most responsible and sensible of the group.
Peter Pettigrew, the last boy of the group, was average height, with baby blue eyes, and spiky blonde hair, and boyishly handsome.
The girl looked a lot like James, as though they were related, but not close enough to be siblings. She had blue green eyes, black hair which was a bit more kempt than her cousin's, and she was of a rounder build.
"Thanks for sharing your compartment. All the others are occupied and everyone's terrified of the Slytherins hexing them," said Remus. "I'm Remus Lupin, by the way." He nodded to the rest of his friends, who introduced themselves.
"James Potter."
"Sirius Black."
"Peter Pettigrew."
"Charlie Potter."
"Charlie, your real name is Charlotte," remarked James.
"And you're James' cousin," added Sirius.
"I know that," said Charlie, exasperated.
"We're just clarifying it for you."
"Thanks ever so much, Si, but I think I can handle the truth."
"Like the truth about your Aunt Mildred and-" broke in Sirius.
"I don't need to hear this!" shrieked Charlie, covering her ears. "Shut up!"
"Like that'll ever happen," sniggered James, a devilish look upon his face.
"All of you shut up. We don't know who else is in our compartment, excuse my rudeness."
"Yeah, you are pretty rude, Moony," said Sirius, looking down on his friend in mock disapproval.
"Undoubtedly," commented Peter, sticking his nose in the air. "Ever so rude."
"Whole-heartedly," stated James, cocking an eyebrow.
"Shut up. What's your name?" asked Charlie, directing the question towards Bella, and a glare to her friends.
"Bella Figg. That silent girl in the corner is Lily Evans. She's usually more hospitable, but she's.in a bit of a bad mood," Bella answered, jerking her head towards Lily.
"How come?" asked Peter, before he was elbowed by James.
"You can't just go and ask that," he said, adding the air of a parent who was scolding their child. "I know we've taught you better than that. What year are you in, anyways?"
"Sixth year Gryffindors," Bella replied, leaning back and pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "We mostly keep to ourselves."
"Why?" asked Peter, tactful as ever.
"It's easier that way. Nobody notices us as much, though the Slytherins still manage to. You have your hands full with Malfoy and Snape, but we receive the biting end of all their insults, from the girls. Sometimes we're lucky enough to get the whole group. I've gotten used to them, but Lily hasn't," answered Bella boldly, wondering why she wasn't being as shy as she usually was.
Sirius' and James' eyes darkened, Peter stiffened somewhat, Charlie looked angry, and Remus.there were no words to describe how Remus looked. Concerned, burdened, and a bit of.Bella couldn't really figure out what the last emotion was, but she already felt attracted to him.
"What'd they do?" asked Charlie.
"The usual," Bella answered. "Calling us insecure Mudbloods, who won't amount to anything, people who aren't fit to live on the face of this earth and what not."
"WHAT?!" exclaimed Sirius and James furiously. The two stormed out of the room. Charlie and Peter exchanged a quick glance and tore after the boys.
Remus looked at Bella again.
"And those words have no effect on you whatsoever?" he asked, his brow furrowed. Bella averted her gaze.
"No," she said slowly and uncertainly. She gave him a cheerful, yet fake smile. "I don't really mind anymore."
Remus had an unconvinced expression on his face, but didn't pursue the subject any further.
"I'll be right back," said Lily suddenly, startling both Remus and Bella.
"Where are you going?" asked Arabella.
"Bathroom," came the reply. Remus and Arabella started a deep conversation and were lost to the element of time.
~*~*~*~
"You two have got to stop fighting all the time! You could get expelled!" exclaimed Charlie angrily. It had taken about a half an hour to stop Sirius and Snape from beating each other up and James and Malfoy from hexing the entire train into oblivion.
"Let's go back to our compartment," Sirius suggested, ignoring the glare from his friend.
Lily had just come out of the bathroom; she had accidentally stayed there longer than she intended, still upset about the Slytherins.
Suddenly, somebody pinned her roughly against the wall. Lily winced at the pain as her shoulders smashed into the hard wood.
She looked up and shrunk back. Lucius Malfoy had his cold, grey eyes on her, Severus Snape beside him.
"Please let me go," whispered Lily.
"Why?" drawled Malfoy. "I have all the time in the world. Now, let me ask you this simple question.what did you tell Potter and Black?"
"N-nothing," stammered Lily honestly.
"Liar," hissed Snape. Malfoy's grip tightened around her arms; his fingernails cut into his skin and she started to bleed.
"I swear, I don't know!" snapped Lily. "Leave me alone!"
Malfoy slapped her hard across the face. Tears welled up in Lily's eyes.
"We'll be back, Mudblood." With that, Malfoy shoved her against the wall, and the two Slytherins swept to their compartment.
Lily sunk to the floor and cried.
"Have you guys seen Lily?" asked Charlie, interrupting a conversation about Quidditch. Everyone had been back in the compartment for an hour, and she had just noticed Lily's absence.
"She left over an hour ago!" said Bella. "If she met Snape or Malfoy."
"I'll go," volunteered James. "The Slytherins won't bother me."
Arabella looked pleadingly at Remus, her eyes asking him to let her go instead.
"I've got to agree with James at this point, Bell," he said. Bella nodded dejectedly, and leaned back.
James stood up and walked out to the corridor. He checked around, and didn't see her. He walked towards the end of the train, and heard a sob and several hiccups, and rounded the corner.
Lily was curled up, sobbing and shoulders shaking.
"Lily, what happened?" he asked softly. Lily shook her head. "Can you at least look at me?"
She shook her head again. James gently tilted her chin up and his eyes widened.
"What in Merlin's name happened?" Her cheek was bright red, and she bit her lip as he tenderly brushed his hand against it.
"Can't---can't tell," she sniffed. "They'll find out."
"Then at least come back to the compartment."
"I can't! Bella will get worried.and." Her lip started to tremble.
"I'll heal you then," said James. He pulled out his wand, and muttered a few healing spells his mother had taught him.
James helped her up and led her back to the others. He slid the door open and all eyes turned to them.
"Lily!" exclaimed Arabella. "What happened?"
Lily sat down in her window seat again and begun to cry once more. James embraced her sympathetically.
"She won't tell me anything," said James. "All she'd say was 'they'll find out' and I have a damn good idea who it was."
"Narcissa?" asked Bella worriedly.
"Nope. I think it was Malfoy and Snape," replied James through narrowed eyes. "She had a big red slap mark on her cheek, and fingernail cuts on her arms."
Bella looked furious.
"Lily! Why did they do that to you?" she demanded.
"They'll---they'll find out!" she hiccupped.
"Nobody here will tell them you told. What happened?" asked Charlie.
"They wanted to know what I had told James and Sirius to make them go out and beat them up and hex them," murmured Lily.
Remus noticed the dark look in James' and Sirius' eyes.
"If you go out and beat on Snape and Malfoy, it'll just make things worse. Calm down," he said. "I'm going to play Exploding Snap. Anybody up for a round?"
******
The rest of the ride was enjoyable enough. Charlie and Sirius flirted openly and unabashedly; it was obvious the two were head over heels for each other. Lily stayed in James' arms and fell asleep while he was reading a book.
Remus and Arabella were playing a competitive game of Exploding Snap and laughing. Peter had long ago left to visit his Ravenclaw girlfriend, Hera Almont.
"Guys, we're almost there. Let's get in our uniforms. Men, out!" ordered Charlie, pointing her finger out the door.
"Hey-" began Sirius in an objection, but Charlie held out her hand.
"Don't even think about it. I can win any argument. Out!" The boys sighed and exited the compartment.
Lily, Bella, and Charlie quickly changed into their school uniforms and cloaks, and let the boys, who had changed in the lavatories, back in.
"I can't wait to get back," sighed Bella.
"Too bad we only have two years left," said Lily sadly.
"Come on, girls! No bad moods, we just got back! And I believe the boys have a grand prank here they're going to pull off on the Slytherins at the feast!" said Charlie jovially.
"Another year, another set of pranks," said Sirius happily. "Could it get it any better than this?"
"Uh, yeah, actually it can. We could be in Hawaii, basking in the sun, sipping Margaritas." said James wistfully.
"Oh shush it," said Charlie. "Let's go get in a carriage."
Remus was the only guy allowed to sit in the seats; the girls forced James and Sirius to sit on the floor.
"Aw, come on! It's probably all disgusting on the floor!" protested Sirius, wrinkling his nose.
"It is not! They clean these things, you know. And you're probably the dirtiest thing that's ever been on it anyway," taunted Charlie.
They reached the doors of Hogwarts, and hopped out. It was pouring rain, and thundering overhead.
"I'm all wet!" complained Sirius, once they had gotten indoors. Lily muttered the drying spell, and instantly, they were all warm and dry.
"Thanks, Lily," said Remus. The group of six trooped into the Great Hall and sat next to Peter, who had gotten there before them.
"Hey, Pete," greeted Charlie. "Have a good reunion with Hera?"
Peter blushed.
"What, did you have a major snog fest or something?" asked Sirius. This made Peter turn the color of a ripe tomato. James and Remus sniggered, until the new first years filed into the hall, looking incredibly terrified and nervous.
One by one, they were sorted, and Sirius seemed about ready to pass out.
"I'm starving! How many first years do they have, three thousand?"
"That from the King of Exaggerators," whispered Remus.
Finally, the Sorting ended, and Dumbledore stood up.
"Welcome back to another year! I would like to remind all of you, particularly a group of sixth years who seemed to enjoy almost lighting the Whomping Willow on fire, to stay out of the Forbidden Forest." He seemed to be aiming this comment towards the Marauders, who grinned. "Also, I'd like to tell you that Mr. Filch has asked that no Dungbombs be thrown in the corridors, as it makes a horrible stench, and he much detests cleaning it up. And, without further adieu.Eat and be merry!"
"Hear, hear!" yelled James and Sirius. Instantly, the plates before them filled with food. The boys piled their plates high, and they all immersed in separate conversations.
"What's your family background? I'm a Muggle born," said Bella.
"Pureblood. Though I don't really know why that matters to some people," said Remus thoughtfully.
"Me neither," said Bella, taking a bite of her salad.
"We're running awfully short on topics today, aren't we?" asked Remus, while casually flinging a spoonful of peas at Sirius.
"Well.yes. But that's also because we're stuffed and exhausted. Um.I'll pop a random question.what's your favorite subject?" Bella inquired.
"Transfiguration, hands down. It's so much easier than everything else.though I like Muggle Studies as well," answered Remus, after thinking about it for a few moments.
"I'm horrible at Transfiguration.I like Charms and Arithmancy. I wish we had a Literature class, though, like they do in traditional Muggle schools. I love to read," said Bella, brightening at the thought of books.
"What kind of books?" asked Remus, dodging a flying muffin Sirius had sent his way.
"Fantasy," replied Bella.
"Muggle or Mag-" Remus began.
Sirius interrupted their conversation.
"Watch this." he said, grinning. Bella noticed James and Peter had a mischievous look on their faces, as did Remus.
The girls looked over to the Slytherins. Peter snapped his fingers, and instantly a torrent of rain poured down upon the Slytherin table.
The hall rang with laughter.
"Potter! Black! Lupin! Pettigrew! In my office now!" yelled Professor McGonagall.
"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Minnie!" Sirius yelled back. McGonagall reddened in fury.
"Don't provoke her!" hissed Remus.
"Too late," said Peter. McGonagall stormed over to them. "RUN!"
The four boys sprinted out of the door, their enraged Professor at their heels.
"Let's go upstairs. They'll be back at the Tower in a while," suggested Charlie. The three girls stood up and walked back to Gryffindor Tower.
When the boys failed to turn up after three hours, the girls went up to their dormitory and fell asleep. Well, Charlie and Lily fell asleep; Bella was still up and pondering Remus' earlier question. "And those words have no effect on you whatsoever?"
Bella sighed and stood up. She wasn't going to get any sleep for a while, not with all the thoughts in her head at the moment. She pulled on a baggy sweatshirt, and slid on some old slippers.
Arabella padded down the cold stone floor steps, and returned to the Common Room. It was completely empty, and the fire was roaring away in the hearth.
She was so deep into her thoughts that she didn't notice a certain Marauder sit down next to her on the couch.
"Bella?"
She looked to her side, startled.
"Oh, hey Remus," she answered, relaxing. "Why are you up?"
"I'm always up late. The question is why are you up?" he asked.
"Just thinking, I guess," she replied, staring into the crackling fire.
"Anything important, or just random thoughts?"
"A little of both."
The two sat in silence for a few moments. Arabella found herself looking out the window. It was a beautifully clear night, with a crescent moon surrounded by shining stars. She sighed.
"What's wrong?" asked Remus.
"It's almost the full moon.I feel so bad for Izzy," she said. "My younger brother." Remus regarded her cautiously.
"Why?"
"Do you swear never to tell anyone?" asked Bella warily. "Cos if you don't, then I can't tell you."
"I swear, upon Snape's greasy head," said Remus. Bella giggled.
"Well, my brother's.a.a.w-werewolf," she stammered, turning away. "He's been one since he was three, and he's seven now. I feel so bad for him.and it was my fault I wasn't watching him carefully enough."
Bella bit her lip. Remus turned away, knowing the pain all too well.
"It wasn't your fault," he whispered. He knew he was taking a dangerous step, but he could always perform the Memory Charm if the reaction wasn't good.
He took a deep breath.
"I'm a werewolf too."