a/n: And thus ends my original character-ness for now.  I dedicate this chapter to my mother, who came up with the inspiration for this idea of a secret admirer (thanks, Mum).  Here you get a first taste of James and company's mischief-making.  Enjoy.       

T H E   S E C R E T   A D M I R E R

"""E

r…Miss Grey Lady?" Siandra asked to the rather pretty ghost floating in front of her.  A few weeks after she had first met Rownica, she remembered her promise to talk to The Grey Lady about her.  She was now face-to-face with the Ravenclaw ghost she wasn't quite sure what to say to her.

              "Yes, dear?" she asked, looking expectantly at Siandra.

              "Er…well…see, there's this ghost, maybe you've heard of her…her name's Rownica…"

              "Yes, of course I've heard of her," she replied stiffly.

            "Well, see, she really wants to be the Ravenclaw resident ghost.  And her sixth (I think) great grandmother was Rowena Ravenclaw," said Siandra in what she thought was a convincing tone. 

              "Just because her ancestor was what she was doesn't mean that she displays the qualities that designate the Ravenclaw house.  It's your mind that distinguishes your house, not your ancestry.  Anyway, I have proof that Helga Hufflepuff's great grandson was in Gryffindor," she continued haughtily.  Siandra had to admit that The Grey Lady definitely had a better argument than Rownica

              "She says that she really, really wants your position.  I just saw her a few days and she says that she has a better death than you," Siandra said.  Rownica hadn't exactly said that, but she did say that she had a good death, "She was poisoned by a Dark Lord in disguise."

              "Well…" The Grey Lady looked a bit flustered, "I do admit that she has a better death than me but that has nothing to do with being the Ravenclaw resident ghost!"

              "Let's hear it then," urged Siandra.  She liked listening to ghosts tell how they died because it wasn't often that you got to hear people tell you how they died. 

              "I'd rather not talk about it."

              "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to intrude.  Well, I've got to get to the library to do some studying.  I'll see you later!" she said and waved good-bye to The Grey Lady.  She climbed the stairs on the left up two floors and entered the library and heard a voice that she had hardly ever heard before. 

              "Oy, Sirius, c'mere!"

              It was the voice of James Potter.  She hardly ever saw him and his friends in the library.  Somehow she hadn't thought that the word "library" was on their vocabulary list.  Not that they weren't smart, oh no, that wasn't what she meant.  They were some of the smartest students of their year, excluding Peter, but they usually got the books they needed very fast and went out.  This sudden hanging out in the library struck Siandra as very suspicious.  She crouched down low and waddled silently from bookshelf to bookshelf as Sirius made his way with Peter tagging behind him from the "W" section to the "A" section keeping well out of view.  She finally stopped at the bookcase just behind the one that James, Sirius, and Peter were congregating at, crouched down, and peered through the crack between the top of the books and the bottom of the next shelf. 

              "Are you absolutely sure that it's right?"

              "It's in the library, isn't it?  Madam Pince wouldn't put a book with false information in the library."

              "And you are absolutely sure that Remu — "

              "Yes."

  "Do you think we should surprise him?"
"Dunno.  I some how think that it will be hard to, with about three years."

"I hope we won't get caught."

"I don't think we will."

"We need to ask him for information anyway.  Maybe he can help us!"

              The feet of Sirius shifted a little bit, probably to look at the book that James was holding.

              "I guess that this book will have to do.  I guess that third years study it so that's why it's there.  The only other way that we're going to find something is in the Restricted Section and I don't know how to get in there."

              "Excuse me."

              Siandra had risen from her hiding place and was confronting them.

              "What did you hear?" demanded Sirius.

              "Enough!  I heard you talking about 'getting caught' and trying to get into the Restricted Section!  Think of the points you'll lose from Gryffindor!  What is it that you're doing, anyway?"

                "It's none of your business!  If we get caught then it's our fault but we'll make sure that we're not — "

              All of them turned their backs to her and started a hurried whispered conversation.  Siandra sat back against the shelves. 

              "She's really good at transfiguration and spells and stuff.  Maybe she could help with — "

              "Shh! Don't go telling her!  And of course she would be helpful, if she didn't have all that stuff about breaking the rules in her head."

              Siandra was listening intently.

              "Are you sure that she can't help?"

              "Yes, absolutely! And make sure that you don't let anything slip, Peter."

              They had all triumphantly returned and faced Siandra.

              "You can't help us if you are so intent on sticking to the rules.  What you can do is just please don't go telling anything and keep it a secret — "

              "And what are you going to do with poor Remus anyway?" she demandingly interrupted, "He's had enough trouble with his aunt being sick…"

              They seemed to think that this was funny and were unsuccessfully trying to stifle their sniggering.
              "What? You don't think that I like him, now do you?  Because you can be sure that I," she stopped, looking at their confused faces and realizing she had completely misinter-preted.  "Well…er…that wasn't what you meant…But anyway, as a fellow Gryffindor I have a right to know what you're planning to do to break the rules that might lose us loads of house points!" she demanded, more to distract them because she knew that her attempt was almost completely hopeless.

              "No you don't!" replied Sirius, "We're going now, anyway.  Good-bye," he said and they all crowded to get behind Siandra. 

              After they had left, she hurried into the section to see if there were any other books on that topic.  To her dismay, there were none unless they were looking at Acromantulas and Ashwinders by Riskana Dier.  It looked like there was an empty space so they must've taken the book that they had wanted for their 'secret rule-breaking' thing.  She thought about going to ask Madam Pince, the librarian about it, but decided against it.  If James and Sirius thought that they could get away with it, they usually could, even though she wanted them to know that they couldn't do it with impunity every time.  She crept back to the "C" section and checked out a large green volume packed with counter-curses for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

              She waited for Claire, who she was supposed to meet outside of the library and, when she caught a glimpse of her hair down the hallway, ran up to her and was about to tell her about the conversation that she had just heard between James and his friends, but then remembered that they had told her not to tell anyone about it.  Instead, she asked about the homework for Charms, which they talked about until they reached the Gryffindor common room.  Right outside the portrait hole, Lily was waiting for her.

              "Ooooh!  Come and look!  There's something for you in the dormitory!" she beckoned them to come with her as she raced up the spiral staircase.  On her four-poster bed, there was a small envelope.  Hanging out of the envelope was a rather tarnished old necklace.

              Siandra ran to the bed and hurriedly split open the envelope.  The necklace flowed out of the envelope and onto her bed.  Inside was a rather messily written note, which read:

A gift for you

Keep it safe

        "Maybe it's from a secret admirer!" suggested Leanne, who just had come in and seen Siandra reading the note.

        "Who could that be?" asked Lily at once.

        "I don't know," she said slowly. She didn't recognize the handwriting. She looked over the note again.  It didn't look like anyone's handwriting that she knew, but then, it was hurried so it might look different from his or her regular handwriting. 

"Did anyone in here write it?" she asked, making sure that no one had sent it in just for a joke.  All three of them shook their heads. 

            "And why would they send me this old piece of costume jewelry?" she questioned.

            "It's a token!" exclaimed Leanne, excitedly as if she ought to have known, "If you wear it, then he might reveal his identity.  Keep it safe, like the note says!  Even if it looks like costume jewelry, it could be valuable.  I bet it's pure gold!" 

              Siandra, still filled with consternation, put the necklace in a locked drawer of her jewelry box along with the envelope and the letter and put the silver key in her dresser drawer.  As she crawled into bed that night, she was still pondering the sender of the letter. Who could it possibly be from?