Disclaimer: J.K.'s

A/N: Here is my next chapter! The cliffhanger will be solved! Okay, I kinda exaggerated in my last A/N. Remus' Uncle Arius isn't evil. Well, he is, but that's another story that has nothing to do with this. If you've ever played Devil May Cry 2 you'll know what I'm on about. And my new names for Ursa and Corvus are Bear and Crow, because those are what the constellations they get their names from are. Lyra is NOT called Lyre, she's just corrupted. Sorry for the delay but, see, I'm a sadist, and I like seeing you suffer from cliffhangers.

jeswin: Well, yes I am. Occasionally. Yes, possibly killing Sirius. And the evil uncle thing is explained above. Hmm, you are right about the romance factor. Tell you what, how about I write a whole chapter just for you, with some Lily/Sirius, and even some last minute Annie/James. Lily is definitely staying with Sirius, for time being anyway. Let me know about the special romance chapter, okay? I totally want to please my readers! Besides, I like writing romance.

Ciria: The only people who know about Sirius' parents are the Marauders & Co. No, Crow and Bear were not death eaters. Crow was the Heir of Gryffindor, he's not going to be evil. Truth is, Corvus just drinks too much and has too violent a temper. Ursa is a little afraid of Corvus I think, and…I dunno, just goes along with it. (Scary, when I don't know what my characters are thinking. Well, I do, but not in the greatest detail.)

GoldenRose: Thank you, glad you like the friendship. Truth be told, I like the relationship, but I'm afraid it seems like slash to some. Apparently not!

Annie sobbed out, "I…I…I'm moving!"

"Well, that's not so bad," Peter reasoned.

"Yes, it is!" Annie yelled.

Sirius frowned. She's moving. Big deal. Many things are worse. Remus' parents dying for example. My…situation, for another example. "Why is it so bad?" he asked.

Annie sniffled. "Because, I'm moving to--to…I'm moving back to Texas! I won't be going to Hogwarts anymore!"

Lily wiped at her tears. "Isn't it awful?"

Remus' voice was cold. "No, it's not. Not in these times. In fact, it's wonderful. It's safer in America. Here, many worse things can happen."

"You unfeeling son of a bitch!" Annie yelled angrily.

"I'm not unfeeling Andromeda Starr, you are!" Remus retorted. "You scared us all, because in these Dark times, moving isn't so bad. People dying is bad! Abuse is bad! Moving is not fucking bad!"

James scowled. "Remus, Annie didn't mean to make you feel your parents are unimportant."

"Maybe not James, but it felt like it. And you'd always stick up for your girlfriend!" This came from Sirius.

"You bastard!" James yelled. "She is my girlfriend! Just like Lily is yours! Wouldn't you do the same thing I'm doing?"

Sirius shook with fury. "No James, I wouldn't. Not in this situation. I'd yell at Lily, just like Remus did to Annie, if she came in sobbing, 'Oh I'm moving, boo hoo!'"

Annie slapped Sirius across the face, before kicking him in the groin.

Sirius dropped to his knees and doubled up. "Ouch…you…bitch!"

"That was totally uncalled for Andromeda!" Remus yelled.

"Well, you didn't have to be so unfeeling!" Annie shot back.

"And Sirius didn't have to call her a bitch!" Lily added.

Sirius gasped from the floor, "Lily…she…didn't have to…kick me…in the groin. Do you…have any idea…how much that hurts?"

James glared. "You deserved it!"

"Well, I admit he could have been nicer, but you could have damaged him permanently!" Remus yelled. "I'm glad you're moving if you act like this!"

Unseen by anyone, Peter slipped out of the room.

Sirius got shakily to his feet, clenching his teeth from the pain. He could bear it, worse had been done, but…OUCH.

Annie glared, then said slowly and purposely, "Well, it's no big deal that Remus' parents died. They're just two of hundreds. And your parents abuse you Sirius? So what? I'm sure it's nothing worse than what I've just done."

Remus' eyes filled with tears. "Bitch!" he yelled, and ran out of the room.

"Ooh, the crybaby. Are you going to cwy, Siwius?"

Sirius shook with rage. "Andromeda Starr, don't you dare make…my life sound easy. I'd love to see you try it. In fact, I'd love to…see you go through half of what I've gone through and …live. You bitch!" And he stormed away too, to find Remus.

Lily hesitated, then said, "I have to agree with Sirius and Remus on this one Annie. You were a little harsh."

"Fine, side with you goddamned boyfriend. That's like you Lily, you…you…mudblood!" Annie said angrily.

Lily turned red with fury, before going to her own dormitory.

James scowled and shook his head. "You really messed up Annie."

"Go ahead, side with your best friends and Lily, not your girlfriend! See if I care!" And Annie slapped James across the face too. He left the room too.

Annie collapsed on the floor, sobbing.

Meanwhile, Sirius had run through the halls. He found Remus easily, and slid inside the room.

Sirius walked over to Remus, who was crying on the floor, but the tears were more angry than sad.

"If she's moving, why did she say all that, and do all that?" Remus asked angrily.

Sirius sighed. "I don't know."

"How dare she? How dare she nearly make fun of my parents death, and you?" Remus asked. "By the way, are you all right?"

Sirius nodded. "I've been through worse."

"But why?" Remus asked again.

"I think I know why," came a new voice. James.

Sirius and Remus both spun around. "Why?!" they half-yelled in unison.

"And don't you dare say, 'Because she's moving,' James. Just because you're on her side--" Sirius began hotly, but James interrupted.

"Wait, wait! I'm not on her side, she had no right to do all that, but I think I know why. It's because she's moving to America--wait, I'm not finished--and she wants us all to hate her so that she won't miss us as much. That's why when Remus was sort of angry, she took it further," James said.

Lily's voice came from the doorway. "Brilliant theory James! Do you think so?"

James nodded. "Yes, I do."

Peter slipped into the room. "You do what?"

James explained his theory again. As Peter was nodding, they heard a voice from the door.

"That's right."

"Annie!" James said.

"Yes, I did want you all to hate me. Because I'm moving in a week, and I didn't want it to be sad," Annie said.

Remus put his arm around Annie. "Hey, Annie, we're not going to stop being friends, we can all write you know."

"Thanks Remus, you're right," Annie said. "But James…I don't think we can go on dating across the Atlantic."

James nodded, eyes downcast. "Yeah, I know."

Annie walked over to James and kissed him. "It's not you James," she reassured him. "And if there was any way it could work--"

"I know," James said quietly. "I know."

Sirius could see James was upset about Annie breaking up with him, even if he wouldn't admit it. He resolved to talk to James later. After all, I'm supposed to be his best friend. And I haven't been acting like it lately. I mean, I've been acting like Remus is my sole friend. And I…I couldn't live without James. I--I don't know what I would do without him.

~*~

That night, when everyone was asleep, Sirius sat at the foot of James' bed. "James…wake up!" he hissed.

James jerked awake. "Sirius? Wrong bed, Remus is next to me," James snapped.

"James, look, I'm sorry I haven't been acting much like your best friend lately. But James, I can tell you're upset about Annie, even though you act like you don't," Sirius said.

"Ah, guilt trip," James said knowingly and sarcastically.

Sirius scowled. "It is not a damn guilt trip James! If you were upset about me spending so much time with Remus, you should have said something."

"No, it's not that you were spending time with Remus, it was you abandoned me, and Peter and Annie, and Lily too! You just left us Sirius, because Remus needed you more." James' tone softened a little. "And I understand, sort of. I do, really. But right now, I'm just…I am upset Sirius. I love Annie, I really do. But she's right, we can't continue this over the Atlantic."

"You should tell Annie that James. That you love her," Sirius said softly. He was thinking about his own girlfriend. James is right. I do need to spend more time with Lily. With him and Peter too, to be honest.

James smiled. "You're right. And you should too. Tell that to Lily I mean. Annie told me--never mind, I'm not supposed to tell you."

"James, please!" Sirius begged.

"Well…all right. Annie told me that Lily told her she thinks you don't really love her, and that you never did, because you haven't shown it for awhile, or even told her that," James whispered.

Sirius' eyes widened. "But I do James, I do! Lily was…she is one of the rays of comfort that reach me through the mass of pain and misery in the holidays." Then he blushed, because he thought he'd said too much.

"Sirius, you should tell Dumbledore about that," James said gently.

"NO!"

"All right. All right. But do talk to Lily."

Sirius nodded. "And you talk to Annie."

"I will. I will."