DISCLAIMERS I do not own any of the characters you recognise. DEDICATIONS I dedicate this chapter to all those who have reviewed previous chapters. Thank you for all your suggestions, they will be taken into account. Please anyone else reviews are greatly received. AUTHORS NOTE So I am back again with another update, I hope you didn't feel you had to wait too long. This chapter starts a bit, well, bitty, but hey, let's just go with the flow. Hopefully this chapter will make you laugh, but we will see. LOL. Wish me luck. So, like I have said before on with the story.

CHAPTER FIVE - A Death and a Dare

And so the school year started, and with it the laughter and the fun, mixed with the seriousness of work.

But one person was unhappy, and that was Lily, whenever people asked her about Mike, she felt they were questioning her, and she felt alone, very alone. She stopped speaking to people, hiding herself in the dormitory or the library. The only person she really spoke to was Emma Aabeck, but she soon shut up when anyone else was near.

One afternoon she sat up in her dormitory with the curtains drawn round her bed. Suddenly they were flung open, and there was Belle, looking angry.

'Right you,' said Belle, 'what's been going on?'

'Nothing!'

'Yes there is. I've never seen you like this before, you snap at everyone, even Rebecca for 'looking at you'.'

'Sorry.'

'Don't apologise to me. I'm your best friend that is what I am here for. What I want to know, is what is wrong?'

At this Lily broke down crying.

'Oh Lily, I'm sorry, I'm just worried about you.'

'It's just, I feel so lonely. You are always off with Sirius, Alison is off doing whatever Alison does, and Rebecca prefers being on her own. And I miss Mike so much. Every time someone mentions him I feel like they are questioning me.'

'I didn't realise you felt like this. I promise, I won't leave you out again.'

'No!'

'What do you mean?'

'That'd mean you'd see less of Sirius, and that I not fair.'

'But I'm your best friend.'

'And he is your boyfriend. And I always have James, Remus and Peter.'

Belle pulled a face and they both giggled.

'I'm sorry about before,' carried on Lily, 'it's just the stress of coming back to school and missing Mike.'

'If you're sure?'

'Yes I'm sure.'

'So do you want to come down to the common room? It appears that Emma is beating James at chess, something her brother is finding highly amusing.'

'OK. This could be funny!'

A couple of minutes later both girls descended into the common room to find their friends all gathered round, watching Emma move her queen to check James' King.

'Check!'

James moved his bishop, but with a satisfied grin, Emma moved her castle,

'CheckMate!'

James groaned and leaned back in his chair, whilst everyone else grinned at each other. It was the first time that anyone had beaten James, and he had been becoming quite conceited about his playing.

'Where did you learn to play like that?' asked Lily, drawing everyone's attention.

'Our father,' answered George for his sister, a terrible habit of his, 'he's a brilliant player, though Em can now beat him on occasion.'

'Hand it over.' Remus suddenly interjected.

'I haven't got any money with me.' Answered Sirius.

'Yes you have, you lying scumbag. I saw you put some money in your pocket.'

Sirius sighed and proceeded to pull out ten sickles from his pocket, which he threw to Remus, with VERY bad grace.

'What was that about?' asked Belle.

'Sirius and I had a bet, about whether you two would come down friends, or fighting and screaming at each other. Sirius lost.'

'Remus!' growled Sirius.

'So!' said Belle. 'You obviously didn't think I was tactful enough to cheer up Lily.'

'No! I mean yes! I mean. I don't know.' He finished.

'Well!' and Belle picked up a cushion and started whacking Sirius round the head with it.

Sirius jumped up and ran round and round the sofa trying to get away from Belle, until he tripped and they ended lying on the floor kissing to their hearts content. The rest of the group, now used to this behaviour ignored them.

Meanwhile Peter was trying to strike up conversation with Steve, who was as quiet as Rebecca, and thus slightly overawed by Sirius. Everyone else was discreetly watching to see whether it worked as Steve had only muttered a few words so far.

Suddenly Professor McGonagall came through the portrait. They all looked up at her in shock - apart from Belle and Sirius who were *cough* otherwise engaged - as she only usually visited the common room at the beginning of the year.

'Miss Figg, Mr Black, would you please kindly get up off the floor and stop making a public display of yourselves.'

Belle and Sirius jumped about a foot in the air, before scrambling to their feet blushing.

'George, Emma, will you please come with me. And perhaps Mr Potter and Miss Evans had better accompany us.'

All four looked at each other raising their eyebrows. They scrambled to their feet and followed McGonagall out the room.

Half an hour later the portrait hole burst back open, and Emma came charging back in, pushing past people as she ran to her room, followed a minute later by Lily.

'Hey, Lily.' Called Belle. 'What's going on?'

But Lily just waved Belle aside.

Alison and Belle looked at each other in surprise, Lily didn't usually just ignore people. But they shrugged and carried on their conversations until James escorted a very red-eyed George through the portrait.

'I'm just going to go up to my room for a bit too.' George started before trailing off, fresh tears threatening to spill.

'James. What is going on?' asked Sirius as George retreated up the stairs.

'Steve, will you just go and check on George for me?' James asked.

Steve looked at Rebecca in panic at being addressed, she just nodded at him and he followed George up the stairs.

'Well?'

'Professor Dumbledore has just received notification from the ministry that Emma and George's parents have been killed. He called them to tell them.' Replied James sadly.

'Oh my god.' Gasped Alison. 'those poor children.'

Belle gave a coarse cackle, 'You sound like their parents.' She said, her eyes filling with tears.

Even though none of them had ever met Mr and Mrs Aabeck, they had been shown pictures and knew so much about them. They could not imagine what it would be like to loose a parent. Let alone two.

Just then Lily came down the stairs from Emma's room, she beckoned Belle over to her,

'Belle, could you help me grab my bedding. I'm gonna sleep in Emma's room tonight, so she is not alone. They are going home tomorrow for the funeral, so I won't take anything else.'

The rest of that day and the next passed in a blur, even though Emma, George, Lily and James were excused lessons until Emma and George left for the funeral, the others still had to attend. But if you asked them what had happened they would not have been able to tell you what they had done. Their hearts and minds were too busy with Emma and George.

When they returned from waving them off at lunchtime, they all collapsed into armchairs and sofas in the common room, which was empty as everyone was at lunch. They sat in silence before Remus looked at his watch and gave a yelp,

'Damn. Classes start in five minutes, and it's potions.'

This caused the rest of them to jump to their feet, and gathering their belongings that charged out of the common room, whist Lily and James, who had been excused for the rest of the day, laughed at their antics.

But soon quiet once more descended on the room, and both sat there thinking about the last few days.

'Lily?' James suddenly said, if not just to break the silence.

'Yeah.'

'Can I ask you a favour?'

'Go on then.'

'Well it is just, we were planning a prank, and we need a charm for it, and we're not very good at charms. So.'

'No.'

'Please!'

'Aren't you getting a bit old for pranks?'

'No. Go on.'

'It's your prank. You do it.'

'Well, I suppose you just don't dare to.'

'Is that a dare?'

'Why? Do you accept?'

'I never turn down a dare.'

'Well, I can think of a better one than that anyway.'

'Go on then.'

'Fine. I dare you. to. sleep in my dormitory for a night, without being discovered.'

'And I dare YOU to the same.'

'OK, but no one else can no till afterwards, then we must fess up.'

Lily thought about it. 'Alright. What about the forfeit?'

'We'll decided when and if.'

'OK. Deal!'

'Deal!'

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AN. So my readers, what did you think of that chapter? Like I said it was a bit bitty, but the next few were a lot of fun to write, so hopefully they will be fun to read.

I don't know when they will be up, because I have to type them onto the computer, and that will take sometime, as they are quite long, and I am not the world's fastest typer.

Replies to reviews:

LE That's alright. I enjoy the writing part, it is just the typing up on the computer that is depressing.

Belandra Thank you. Dumbledore's idea behind the buddy system will become clear in a little while, but not for the moment.

sissy-6 Thank you.

Lily Flower Again thank you, you made me feel so happy. I know Sirius could never be responsible, but we will see, especially as Steve and Sirius' characters are so completely different.

katc I like that line as well ('three of our number are attached and have been for more than two days.'). I came up with it at 2 o'clock in the morning and just had to write it down. Pity that there are more Slytherins so really 'more Slytherins the worst'. Sirius and responsibility are just two words that don't mix, but hey, we'll see. No. Not our fav giant. He is so funny, the way he lets slip all the secrets. Nevermind, we'll see, and I am sure that whatever she does it'll be good.

Jaina Solo Thank you for your review, and I have taken you idea in to account.

Shadow I saved the dodgiest to last. As you can see, the upload is fine. Thank you for the slight changes you made. Just one thing about your review, you said 'sehr gut meine petite freundin' isn't petite French not German? Did you like the Lily and James 'thing' then? I thought it added a bit of dimension to the story, but I wasn't sure. Maybe I should have mentioned it earlier, like in the hug scene, but I didn't, so oh well. I am glad that I put Pierre in too. He will feature reasonably strongly in a later chapter, but I already told you this, so I won't say anymore, so not to spoil anyone else's fun. Um. Slight problem, I won the review war, because I kept on the point about the story, and didn't go off about Hilpilio volcanoes. Oh, and one more mention about Emma and George, and you know what I mean, and you will be placing your life into my hands!

OK. So there were my thanks. Thank you for reviewing last chapter, and hopefully you will do this one as well.

In the next few chapter we will see Teddy bears And the dare, with some humorous side-tracks!!!!!

The common consensus was that Remus needed a girlfriend so in the next few chapters he might get one, not straight away, I have to build that part up first. My question for this review is what name would you like his girlfriend to have, Caroline, Abbey, Julia or Jessica? (HeeHeeHee, I feel evil). Not that I feel guilty, just evil!!!) Those are my ideas, but if you are totally against them, just say. Thank you. AND REVIEW!!!!!!!!