A/N: Everyone, I hope you read my Author's Note after chapter 14.  This is chapter 9, with some slight changes.  The changes are for the better, I assure you.  If I've left anything out that was previously in chapter 9, please let me know.  I've changed Nikki's cronies a bit on purpose, so don't bother me with that.  Read on!

To Be Young Again

Chapter 9: The Morning After

            "What did what mean, Jamesie?" asked a female voice behind him.

            "What the-" James whirled around.  Standing in the doorway to the boys' dormitories stood none other than Nikki Gryfan.  Nikki was in Gryffindor, but she acted like her true place was Slytherin.  She was known as the Gryffindor slut, and gave Gryffindor a bad name.  Well, not really, but she was the 'dark side' to Gryffindor.

Nikki and her two best- and only- friends, Vylette Snyder and Alicia Morono (who was in Slytherin, but was still part of Nikki's 'group'), strutted around like they owned the school, which was far from the truth.  They were hated by everyone, but refused to admit it.  Nikki had fiery blue eyes and long blond hair, and was very attractive on the outside, but the inside was ugly.

Everyone knew she had a crush on James (for some reason she preferred James over Sirius) but James refused to acknowledge it.  He didn't want anything to do with her, just like every other guy in school (except the Slytherins; they didn't care what was on the inside as long as the outside looked good.  You know.)

            "Nothing, Gryfan," James snarled.  "And don't call me Jamesie, or you'll regret it."

Nikki looked hurt, but quickly put on her 'bright, cheerful and happy' face again.  The one that said "I-have-no-worries-in-this-world-and-the-only-thing-that-matters-is-me.

            "Aw, but James, don't you like the nickname?  All the other guys like the nicknames I give them."

            "I highly doubt it, unless 'all the other guys' meant 'all the Slytherins.'"

            "Well…" Nikki didn't know what to say to that.  She huffily walked away, tossing her hair as she went.

James left the dormitories.  He entered the Great Hall and found his usual spot with the Marauders.  He easily found his way into the conversation about the full moon.

James felt a pair of hands on his shoulders.

            "Get off me, Gryfan," James said through gritted teeth as he looked up at the owner of the hands.

            "We're in the same House, James," Nikki said, barely resisting the "-ie."  "You should call me by my first name."

            "Number one, Gryfan, is that maybe the Sorting Hat was on crack when he put you in Gryffindor, because everyone knows a slut like you should be in Slytherin."  There was a bit of cheering at this comment.  "And number two, I am not, on any account, going to call you by your first name.  It disgusts me that I have any association with you."

There was a stunned silence from Nikki.

            "Ouch," said Vylette.  A sharp look from Nikki shut her up.

Lily came and sat down next to James, looking, in James' opinion, like an angel.

            "Hi, guys," she said.  "Mind if I sit here?"

Sirius' jaw had hit the floor.  Remus raised an eyebrow.  Peter looked confused.

            "What?" Lily asked.

            "Uh, sure," said James.  He was grinning.

            "Um… Evans?" Sirius asked.

            "Lily," James corrected sternly.

            "Right… shouldn't you be at the Ravenclaw table?" he pointed.

            "Dumbledore doesn't care, now does he?" Lily shrugged it off.

            "Ooh, perfect prefect Lily Evans has a dark side after all," James teased.

            "Oh, shut up!" Lily said, and smacked him on the arm playfully.

            "Um… Black?" a voice said behind Sirius.

            "Watch this," Sirius whispered to James.  "Sirius does me fine, Miss Taylor," he said, looking behind him.

A pretty young girl with long brown hair and clear blue eyes stood behind him.

            "Okay… Sirius.  You can call me-"

            "Caitlin?" Sirius suggested, smiling.

            "You know my name?"

            "Of course.  A beauty like you had to be recognized."

Caitlin blushed deeply.  "Why, I'm flattered, Sirius."

            "Hey, meet me at the benches after Transfiguration," Sirius whispered to Caitlin.  She giggled and went back to her seat next to Katherine, smiling widely.  Her smile lit up her whole face.

James tuned out of the conversation.  They discussed this every month and nothing ever changed.  He listened to Nikki Gryfan, Alicia Morono and Vylette Snyder's conversation.  Alicia was saying loudly:

            "Drew… Drew… Drew…"

That was all James caught.  Alicia was obsessed with the fact that she was dating Drew Payne, a Slytherin seventh year.  Her friends had tried to tell her he was a bad guy, but she never listened and they gave up.  Drew smoked pot, flirted (and maybe did more than that) with every girl he met, and was rumored to be in some deep crap with Dark Magic.  But Alicia refused to see that.

Alicia Morono was totally concerned wit her appearance: her hair, her clothes, and her make up.  She was a big pain in the butt.

A/N: I know I left a bunch out, but oh well.  Live with it.  ~_^ You guys know what happened.  Alicia Morono and Drew Payne are based on real people: Alicia Herrera and Drew Cadwell.  Thanks for this awesome idea, Amy!

Coming up in chapter 17:

End of the year exams

Leaving for summer holidays

And maybe a bit here and there

(You can e-mail me your review if FF won't let you review on the website.)

Heart,

~*OutofAzkaban*~