Cliffhanger? At least I told you who that girl was! =D Here's more and thanks so much for the reviews! I love it when the little MSN thingies pop up and says botfanfiction has sent me an owl!

Chapter 24

"Let go of me, you creep!" She spat, pulling her hand away from his. "This is your compartment? You're just next door?" She asked in outrage.

"Are we now? What a co-incidence!" James said loudly.

"Hey, Nikki, free chocolate frogs and every flavour beans in the compartment!" James said enthusiastically, turning towards the girl next to Lily.

"Really?" Squealed the girl with Lily excitedly and squeezed past James into the compartment. She settled herself down in James's seat and began devouring the sweets.

She had straight blonde hair, streaked with brown. She wore her hair up, with many braids looped over her head. Two golden braids trailed down either side of her face, braided with brightly coloured beads. The hair spiked out from its bun behind her braids, bouncing happily every time she bobbed her head. She had bright twinkling blue eyes, a thin but energetic frame and her dimples showed whenever she smiled... which was almost all the time.

"Nikki!" Wailed Lily, apparently shocked that her best friend had deserted her.

"Just a minute, Lils..." called Nikki in between mouthfuls. "Itsh fwee!"

"Hey Lily, fancy going out with me next Hogsmeade weekend?" asked James hopefully.

"No!" Replied Lily firmly. "Nikki!"

"A minute, a minute!"

"Eat all the sweets you want, Nikki," urged James, then he turned coolly towards Lily. "Why not Lily? We're gonna have so much fun. You can know the real me. Look, I'm Head Boy now!"

He tapped the gleaming scarlet button on his chest and Lily's jaw dropped. I noticed, pinned on her chest, just above a scarlet and gold crest bearing a lion, was a badge that read HG.

"No!" She gasped, mostly to herself.

"Yes!" Cheered James happily. "And you're Head Girl! We are going to have so much fun working together Lily."

She shook her daze away and glared at James, prodding a finger at his chest.

"Why did Dumbledore make someone as conceited, unruly, and big-headed like you Head Boy?" she asked ferociously as though something like that should be made a sin.

"Well maybe he thought I was capable of the job," replied James proudly. "So how about it?"

"But... but... wha- I don't... you?" She mumbled in shock, her face twisted in disgust. "Nikki, are you done already?"

"I'm ready, I'm ready," squealed Nikki, frantically scooping up all the chocolates and candy she could hold earning a shocked "Hey!" from Peter.

"See you, Remus," she giggled before Lily pulled her away.

By the time James had shut the door and returned to his seat, Peter was fuming.

"She took almost all the candy!" He complained.

"Seriously can you even squeeze another Chocolate Frog into that tummy of yours?" Asked Peter.

Peter folded his arms huffily.

"I think she likes you Remus," Sirius teased giving Remus a slight punch on the shoulder.

"No she doesn't," Remus muttered, blushing crimson and attempted to bury his face into the book again.

Sirius put on a simpering, high voice and waved limply at Remus. "See you, Remus!"

I laughed. It was too funny. Remus blushed harder and told Sirius to shut up. Sirius however laughed even louder. After the excitement had died down, James made sure everyone was ready to listen to his rant before he started.

He talked about Lily until there was nothing else to talk about anymore. Then the sun lowered itself behind the glistening hills, bathing the earth with the last rays of golden sunlight. There was less activity along the corridors now as everyone has retired to their compartments.

"You should change to your robes, we're going to be arriving soon," advised Remus quietly. I nodded. I looked around the compartment, Peter had fallen asleep. Even James and Sirius had quieted down, biting slowly into the last bit of candy left.

After I had returned to the compartment, clad in my crisp new black robes, James was fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat.

"I'm bored... and I had all that sugar..." James said restlessly and sighed. "I think I'll go visit my love..."

He popped in the last bean into his mouth and heaved himself up. He opened the compartment door quietly and turned left. We heard another compartment door open and then James's voice.

"Well, hello my beautiful Lily flower," he crooned.

"Shut up and get lost!" Snapped Lily's voice, sounding highly irritated.

"Hey James, got more sweets?" Came another voice, Nikki's, high and perky as usual.

"No sorry," replied James. "Lily, the love of my life, my shining star, my summer's breeze, my springtime sun..."

There came a noise of disgust. "Shut up, Potter! Get out!"

Then a while later, we heard shuffling of feet and a dull thud. And then footsteps down the corridor. But a while later, the one who opened the compartment door was not James, but Nikki.

She too was already dressed in black robes, with a red and yellow tie, and the same crest upon the front of her robes as Lily and the rest of the boys. They were all in the same house.

"Hiya guys!" She said quickly in a very high voice that made Remus frown. "So what are you doing? There's like just an hour to go, and I was really bored. And you know that Lily doesn't like to play much, she was reading her Charms book the whole way, which was really boring for me. You should join her Remus, you both love to read but I-"

"Nikki," interrupted Remus loudly. "Nikki... please... shh."

"Oh I'm sorry, sure I'll keep quiet... It's just that I'm very excited! You are too, aren't you?" She demanded to me.

"Sure," I replied quickly, nodding.

"You had too much sugar..." muttered Peter.

"Sugar? Who said sugar? I want some sugar!" Nikki said bouncing and smiling widely.

"Why are you here anyway?" Asked Sirius.

"Oh, well James and Lily are... erm, shall we say quarreling?"

"James still trying to persuade Lily to go out with him?" Asked Sirius, half laughing.

"He was when I went out," replied Nikki shrugging. "Anyway, I haven't seen you around. New? My name is Nikki."

She extended a delicate hand and I shook it. She smiled wider if that was possible. Suddenly we heard a sharp noise... like a slap. And a few seconds later, James hobbled into view with a hand clutching his face. He collapsed next to Peter and sighed, one hand still against his right cheek.

"Ouch..." muttered Peter forlornly, looking at James sadly.

But James's face broke into a grin. "Did you guys see that?"

"Er, we heard it," I said, shrugging.

"She... She actually touched me!" He said in and awe-struck voice. "I'll never wash my face again!"

"What?" Asked in Remus in a shocked voice. "You're weird, Prongs..."

"Her silken skin upon my cheek..." He sighed deeply. "And this burning red mark she left behind... Oh Lily, when will you ever be mine?"

He gazed into space then said "Hey Nikki, you're her best friend. You can dig it out from her right? Ask her if she really loves me..."

"She doesn't," said Nikki simply.

"But I know it's in her somewhere...deep down, we were meant for each other, me and her, James and Lily Potter, Lily and James Potter... doesn't it sound right to you?" He asked heatedly. "Make her reach deep inside her delicate little heart, to uncover her true feelings... I just know that somehow or other, we were meant for each other..."

"Why don't you stop dating all those other girls then if you think she's definitely the one?" Asked Nikki, folding her arms, her constant smile disappearing for a while.

"I'll stop that this year," he vowed.

Remus chuckled. "Yeah right..."

"No serious, I will. I'll change... for my darling Lily. Just for her, Nikki you tell her that. I'm Head Boy now, I'll have to change," he said.

"Well, fine, I'll tell her," she said standing up. "Don't get your hopes up though. Bye James, Sirius, Peter, Reine, Remus... I hope I see all of you in the Gryffindor common room later," she added with a cheery wave.

A few moments later, the door sprang open, and I sitting closest, jumped. A few guys with slightly roguish looks about them stood by the door and on their chests were green and silver crests with snakes on them, bearing the words Slytherin in silver lettering at the bottom.

"Look it's the Marauders," mocked one of the boys, a large burly one with dark brown hair.

The others guffawed. "Yeah, ha ha! Lame as always... got slapped again Pothead?" Sneered another.

"Shut up, as if you are competent enough to ever get any closer to Lily Evans," snapped James.

"Who even wants to date Lily Evans, that Mudblood!"

Quick as a flash, James withdrew his wand and pointed it right at the chest of the middle boy. "Take that back," he said dangerously.

"Hold on... I wonder what McGonagall will say when I tell her that her Head Boy's been hexing other students," sneered a greasy haired boy.

"Why don't you make like the slimy squirrel you are and get lost, before there's trouble," warned Remus.

"What are you going to do? Curse us to death? That'll be good for a Head Boy wouldn't it?" Sniped another that had pallid skin and shoulder length oily hair.

"Hold on, who's this?"

A hand shot towards my face and stroked my cheek. It brushed my skin like electricity. I let out a small scream and dodged away, bumping into Remus and then trying to get away from him instead. All this contact... It was more than I could take. The Slytherin boy's touch caused those horrible memories to burst into my mind. I couldn't stay there. I wanted to run, to find my own quiet space where no one could get near. But they were blocking the exit.

I frowned at them, casting them the fiercest look I could muster.

The muscular one with the brown hair squeezed next to me and grabbed my hands.

"No!" I pleaded. Every second his hands were pulling my arm. The force... it was exactly the same as Lestrange's. Exactly the same. I screamed and struggled trying to free my hands, but he was much stronger than I ever will be.

"Keep your hands away from her, you [expletive deleted]," shouted Sirius jumping to his feet with his wand aimed at the creep. "I'm not Head Boy so I'll have no hesitation in cursing you down the corridor."

Suddenly everyone had their wands pointed at each other, even Remus. Each Slytherin had their wands pointed at the Gryffindors, and vice versa.

"Go away right now," warned James dangerously.

"Come on, Avery," muttered the blonde haired one keeping an alert eye fixed on James.

The one called Avery dropped my wrists before giving a dangerous look my way. I choked the tears back as I slid to the other end of the compartment, pressing myself against the side.

"Are you okay?" Asked Remus gently.

I nodded quickly and stared out the frosted glass, hardly able to see anything but blurs. Tears flowed down softly down my cheeks as I desperately tried to put that memory back where I had stored it for so long.

"You're crying..." he said softly, putting his hand on my arm but I pushed it away roughly then I had intended.

"I'll be fine..." I assured him and he left me alone.

"You better do something about those Slytherins now you're Head Boy James," advised Sirius. "Insolent jerks."

I sighed to myself. It was brought to my attention again. Would I be in Gryffindor? What if I'm not... I'll be so alone in another house. Everyone already knows everyone else. I'd be like a first-year! At least first-years don't know any of their housemates yet. Everyone in the house would have already had close friends in their little cliques... and I'll be like an outcast.

When the train finally screeched to a halt at a quaint train station, all of us got off and assembled down at the platform. On a sign hanging from hooks on the wall read 'Hogsmeade Station'. I suddenly felt this surge of excitement and a sudden rush of butterflies fluttering in my stomach.