Chapter Seven: The New Marauders

Christmas passed by as usual and the break melted into school. School melted into exam time in May. Lauren and Harry had started fighting after sixth year Christmas and declared they hated each other, but Harry still liked her. Lauren seemed like she didn't return the feeling, and she told Nick that that night had been a complete mistake. Harry was becoming more and more like James and by April of seventh year he, Ron, Nick, and Seamus were practically the new Marauders. All of the teachers commented on them and their likeness… Nick was like Sirius, his father, which had become a public fact after clearing Sirius's name, Ron was like Lupin, the prefect, and Seamus was just there, but he wasn't like Pettigrew except for the fact he did a lot of following. Of course, Harry was just like his father so he began to have a big head. The four boys walked around with their heads high in the air, all the girls attracted to them. Of course, Ron and Seamus still had their girlfriends, but Seamus was known to cheat once in a while. After all, they reasoned, when you're the most popular four in school, you can do that.

April of the seventh year had brought around many changes. Harry had grown tall and thin and become Head Boy. To the shock of everyone, it was not Hermione, but Lauren who had become head girl. Lauren was finally grown up, at least physically if not mentally. Her hair was layered and highlighted to frame her now amazingly beautiful face. Her skin was tan from the unusually nice spring weather, and she was now perfectly curved and thin. Her eyes were alive and her cheeks were rosy, but she was still the same old energetic Lauren. It was just too bad for Harry that she didn't like him and held a grudge against the boy. It wasn't his fault he goofed off a little and cast spells on younger years for fun. It wasn't being mean, it was just having some good fun.

Nick looked probably the best of all of the Marauders. He was amazingly good looking and all the girls melted when he came near. His brown hair was amazing in complimenting his face, tan from the sun which in turn complimented his big deep eyes. His teeth were bright white and happily pulled into a smile often, confirming his long-standing nickname from Lauren, Smiley-Boy. Even his twin had to admit he wasn't completely ugly. And he grudgingly admitted the same about his vivacious twin. Nick had become Harry's new best friend, beating out even Ron.

Ron had become more attractive than anyone had expected of him. His baby fat had been lost and he was very good looking. Of course, he was not as good looking as Harry or Nick but he was still enough to be considered a Hogwarts Heartthrob.

The four guys had gotten in so much trouble it was hard to keep count. They were lucky that they were so bright, or their lives would be doomed. Instead Harry was captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team and Nick was the highest marking boy in the school, with his twin scoring just as high. They had everything going for them: the looks, the marks, their Quidditch, the girls. Ron and Nick knew nothing of Lauren; they just thought that she was Harry's enemy. Often the four would go out of their way just to make Lauren mad. They would hex young students in front of her, harass Crabbe and Goyle and Draco, or pull a prank on a teacher in her full view. Of course it all became Harry's fault, which Nick thought was hilarious. Nick was obviously still amazingly close to his sister, but when he was with the "Famous Four", as they called themselves after Lauren did, he was a completely different person. Lauren was fine with him having other friends and other things; she did too. She and Hermione, whose hair was as bushy as ever, were very close friends. Lauren did get a little annoyed with her sometimes, but they were so much like they were related that it was natural.

On this particular day it was beautiful and sunny. Harry and the boys went outside, planning to play a trick on some second years or Slytherins, whoever they saw first. They went and sat by their favorite spot near the lake while Nick threw extra toast at the Giant Squid. Ron stretched out quietly on the grass and Seamus followed suit. Harry sat on a rock and ruffled his hair with a goofy grin on his face as he spotted Lauren and her followers walking outside. Hermione, Pavarti, and Lavender followed her everywhere she went, not mentioning random others who followed her whenever they got the nerves up to.

Since last year, Lauren had been asked out by a lot of guys, but she had refused every offer with class. No one knew why, and no one knew pretty much anything about her personal life. She would flirt and grin and giggle, but that's as far as you get to her. Well, with Harry it was different. She wouldn't let him get anywhere near her, but much to her dismay he usually found a way to manage it.

"Harry, don't go making goo goo eyes now, it looks like we have a victim at 12:00." Nick said jokingly, grinning at the new prey.

Draco and his two flunkies, Crabbe and Goyle, were walking with their heads held high out of the castle. Harry immediately jumped up, tousling his hair again and hoping Lauren was watching. Ron and Seamus jumped up when they saw what the other boys were doing.

As usual, the two in front were the notorious Harry and Nick. Ron and Seamus were tagging behind, excited but a bit unsure. Draco was really going to get it this time, Nick thought, all thanks to his asking Nick's twin out. At least she had turned him down, but unfortunately it was nicely. He wondered why Harry was helping him out if he was enemies with Lauren. Actually, Harry had become a lot of fun and really cool since he hadn't had to deal with anything Voldemort at the end of the last year. He was totally carefree and fun this year, and everyone had noticed the difference.

When the four were half way to Draco Harry accidentally spoke his thoughts out loud. "Hey, I wonder if Lauren's watching?" He asked, trying not to look over at her and ruffling his hair in the way the girls loved.

"Ooooh, Harry-Boy here has a teeny little crush on Lauren!" Nick exclaimed a little loudly, making some close fourth year girls look over. "Harry-poo, do you looooove her?"

"Shut up with the nicknames." Harry grinned. If his secret was going to be out, he might as well make light of it.

"Oh Harry! Go get your girl!" laughed Seamus. Unlike Ron, who understood how to be mature about girls since he had gone out with Hermione, Ginny hadn't gotten to Seamus yet. He was still as immature as the other two about crushes.

"You bet I will. Right after I go get Draco." Harry grinned again, moving into his victims.

"Oi, Draco!" He called to the thin youth. Draco immediately turned to face his arch nemesis.

"What Potter, want to beg me to be your friend? It gets old after a while." Draco's lips turned back to reveal an evil grin.

"Malfoy, last time I looked it was you who offered me the hand of your slimey friendship. Too bad I don't like grease balls." Harry said, keeping his voice casual. By now all of the students on the grounds where looking at them. This, thought Harry, is going to be good. He grinned his goofy grin and turned to look for Lauren. He saw her slim figure with her hands on her hips, her group of girls behind her. He couldn't read her expression, so he smiled at her and turned back to Draco.

"Flipen-" But Draco was cut off by Nick. "Expelliarmus!" he screamed, and Draco's wand flew into the air.

Harry smiled at Nick as Crabbe ran to catch Draco's wand. Nick smiled back and got out his wand at ready position again.

"Tarantallegra!" cried Nick, and Crabbe started dancing uncontrollably, unable to give back the wand while dancing. Goyle ran away as fast as he could, leaving Draco to fend for himself. Draco immediately grabbed Goyle's wand, which he had dropped, and pointed it at Harry.

"Impedimenta!" he screamed, hitting Nick instead. Nick was immediately slowed down and heavy headed.

"No one messes with Nick Black! Petrificus Totalus!" Harry yelled, hitting Draco squarely in the stomach. His legs and arms were bound to his sides and he started screaming like a girl. Harry laughed and counter cursed Nick, allowing the four to all double over in laughter. Nick did a curse to change Draco's underclothes to pink and his over clothes appeared in a pile beside him. Harry laughed ruffled his hair once more to find Lauren and wink at her. He found her all right… right next to Draco!

"Mobilarbus!" Lauren whispered, loosening up Draco's limbs. He was still shaking and Lauren conjured up a glass of water and chocolate. Then she stood to face Harry.

"Well, this sure didn't go as planned." Whispered Seamus, trying not to laugh.

Lauren's face went into a fit of anger. "How could you do this to him? He didn't do anything to you! You're all so mean, every last one of you! He's not even a mean person, you just have a dumb grudge against him and stereotype all Slytherins! Oh, Harry James Potter, I hate you! You pompous, arrogant, big-headed, half-…" But she cut herself off to worry about Draco, who had frantically put his robes back on to cover his underclothes.

"What's the matter Draky, don't like pink underwear?" Harry asked, trying to be bright after Lauren's fit. It was all Draco's fault for messing up his chances with Lauren.

Before Draco could reply, Lauren took out her white wand and screamed, "Desaugeo!" Before she could see how rapidly Harry's teeth were growing she ran inside with her posse following close behind.

Ron quickly performed the best counter spell he knew and soon Harry's teeth were back to normal. The four silently walked back to the castle and Harry went to lie on his bed. For a whole hour, the only thing he would repeat was, "She hates me. She hates me." It was getting on the other three's nerves, so Ron snuck out to have a talk with Lauren. Not that Harry noticed, he was too busy obsessing over her to.

"Lauren!" whispered Ron as he walked down the steps to the common room. "Lauren, you awake?"

"Yeah. Go away. You're just a jerk like the others." Lauren sighed, annoyed.

"Hey girl, there was a time you and I were friends. In fact, I'm going out with one of your best friends, so give me at least a little room to talk." Ron said persuasively.

"Fine, but just for Hermione. What do you want?" Lauren asked.

"Well, Lauren, whether you realize it or not, Harry really likes you. I didn't realize it myself until tonight, so I don't blame you if you haven't. And if you don't like him at least be nice to him. He might be big headed but that's just because he's trying to impress you. He's keeping up our entire dormitory because all he's doing is repeating how much you hate him." Ron stated, trying to get Lauren to see from his point of view.

"Well, it's true. He's a pompous idiot and it's not easy to tell that he likes me when all he does is bother me. Tell him to give up and go for the many other girls that seem so obsessed with him, Lord knows there are enough of them." Lauren icily replied.

"Fine. Just think about what I said for a while." Ron sighed at his failure and went back upstairs. He turned around for a split second to see a strange expression on Lauren's face and… for a split second, was it a smile he saw? No, just his imagination, for the next second she had a straight mouth and the same expression.