Hey all, sorry it's been so long! I've been working on And You Are?, the sister-fanfic to this one. Check it out! Just click on my penname link up there and find And You Are?. It's mostly an LJ fic, but it incorporates Alyssa and Sirius. It's set simultaneously with Politically Incorrect. Pls. R&R at the end, that's how I know if I'm going to continue w/ the story or not! Now on with the show!

The laughter subsided, and James once again fell into a pensive mood. Remus and Sirius noticed this; Peter seemed completely clueless.

"Hey, cheer up, mate. She'll come to her senses eventually," Remus said, attempting cheerfulness.

"Yeah," Sirius added, "She just needs to get to know you." He paused. "And we need to get to know you," he said, turning towards Alyssa. Alyssa could feel a hint of a blush creeping up.

"Well... I'm new here, as you all know. I've had a tutor for the last ten years of my life because my dad thought that I was too good for a school like Hogwarts. Personally, I disagree and think that this is the best year of my life."

James sounded indignant. "Too good for Hogwarts? Hogwarts is the best wizarding school in the world, and Dumbledore is the best headmaster there ever was! Why did your dad think that?"

Alyssa mumbled something incoherent. At that moment, the door slid open and a plump witch pushing a food cart appeared. "Anything off the cart?"

Sirius stood up abruptly and helped himself to everything. James got some cauldron cakes, Every-Flavored-Beans, and Jelly Slugs, and Chocolate Frogs. Alyssa got a stack of cauldron cakes and some pumpkin juice, very gracious that the food cart came when it did. James seemed distracted with all his food and did not persist in questioning her for some time.

Remus, who would occasionally pick off of something that James or Sirius had opened, asked, "So, do you know what house you'll be in?"

Alyssa started on a cauldron cake. "Gryffindor, I hope," she muttered through a mouthful, "I've heard it's the best by far." Everyone else nodded fervently. "You're all-" (she glanced quickly at Peter) "well, I can guess that all of are probably in Gryffindor, then?"

Sirius nodded. "Yep, and Gryffindor really is the best. I mean, just look at the competition. Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, those Slytherin losers..."

Alyssa laughed. "I suppose I can always expect an unbiased opinion from you, Black."

"Always. And enough with the surname," Sirius mumbled, mouth full of chocolate. "By the way, what's yours? Your surname, I mean."

"Oh..." Alyssa was relieved that she and her dad didn't share the same last name. She was tired of being treated like a princess (or a slug) every time someone found out who she was. "Doward." She then stared out the window, pretending to watch the scenery, but really seeing nothing.

James must have noticed something (Sirius and Remus were too busy having a jellybean fight) and changed the subject. "So, Sirius, who d'you think is going to fill the empty positions on the team?"

Alyssa perked up instantly, perhaps because several jellybeans showered the window next to her face. "There's a Quidditch team at Hogwarts?"

"Are you joking!" Sirius gasped, dropping his Chocolate Frog, "of course there is! Quidditch is the best part of Hogwarts." Remus gave him a look. "A-and, you know, the learning experience and all." Remus threw another handful of jellybeans into Sirius's hair.

"How... how do you join? Do you think that they'd let me try out?" Alyssa asked excitedly.

James gave her a calculating stare. "Well, I think you'd be small enough to play Seeker. Of course, you could try out for Keeper as well, Johnson told me he wasn't coming back this year." He paused. "Yeah, it'd be great if you tried out."

Sirius, meanwhile, was staring at his friend. "Since when were you the authority of the Quidditch team?"

"Since I got this!" James grinned and whipped a piece of parchment out of his pocket, waving it in his friend's face. Sirius and Remus (and Peter) stared at it, trying to read.

"Hold it still a minute so we can read it," Remus said, putting down a box of jellybeans and snatching the paper away from James. There was a moment's silence, then….

"Quidditch Captain!" all three of them gasped in unison, a moment later. James sat there and soaked up the glory.

"Yep."

"Aww, great job, mate!" Remus said, clapping James on the back.

"Wow, that's really good," gasped Peter, eyeing James with awe.

"Course it is. He's J-a-m-e-s P-o-t-t-e-r!" enunciated Sirius, as though speaking to a first year.

As Alyssa watched the three friends congratulating James, she felt a sudden sense of warm longing in her stomach. She'd never really had close friends that she could sit and talk with. Her father had sheltered her far too much for that. That was when the idea struck her.

James seemed to enjoy the initial glory of the moment, but after a while, he fell back into his pensive state again.

"Hey, you've really got it bad for this Lily, don't you?" Alyssa asked, having observed James's shift in emotion.

James did not respond, but at the name Lily, his face lit up and he grinned bemusedly. Sirius just shook his head and grinned at Alyssa.

"That means 'yes'," he said lazily, leaning back in his seat again and replacing his arm across the back of Alyssa's seat.

"You know, I've had an idea. I could... erm, that is, if you want me to, I could go over to their compartment and... well, get to know them a bit. And I could slip in a couple of good things about you to Lily?" Alyssa suggested. Although she had met them half an hour ago, Alyssa had taken a great liking to the Marauders… well, James, Sirius, and Remus, at least.

James's face lit up like a jack-o-lantern and he looked like he was restraining very hard from hugging her.

Alyssa tutted, shaking her head. "Man, you've got it real bad. Anyways, d'you think it would work? I need a couple of girl friends, anyways-"Sirius put on a hurt look. "-not that you guys aren't my friends, you're really great. But I need, you know, a variety."

"Of course, girl talk, all that stuff, yeah, we see what you mean," Sirius nodded knowingly.

"Um, yeah, girl talk, if that's what you call it. This way, James can learn about Lily, and vice versa."

Remus chuckled. "No need for that. James could list all the classes Lily was taking, what her favorite subject is, what her favorite food is, everything."

Alyssa was surprised. "Oh, then-"

"Yeah,"Sirius added, "'cause he's been pretty much stalking her for the past five years."

"That long, huh?" Alyssa was beginning to think that if it had been that long and James and Lily were still having rows, there wasn't much hope left.

Peter spoke up for the first time. "Yeah, remember that one time when you offered to carry her books to all her classes just so you could find out if she was really taking Arithmancy and Divination? That was really funny..." Peter broke down into snorty giggles. (AN: Peter won't really be in the plot much, except for choice times when I can make him look stupid. That is, stupider than he already is). James gave him the Stare of Death, and everyone else was silent.

James broke the silence. "Yeah. I really think I like your idea... yeah."

"Now," Alyssa said with a grin, "I'm letting you know that I blame you for any injuries I may sustain from flying shoes-"

"Oh, go on, get out of here!" James standing up and brandishing a fist in mock anger. As Alyssa slipped out the door, Sirius waved and said, amidst artificial tears, "We love you, Alyssa, you're a martyr!"

"Shut it, Black, I'm not dead yet!" Alyssa yelled from the hallway.

"Yeah, yet," Remus mumbled, his mouth full of chocolate, "I'm betting a galleon she comes back with a shoe print on her back just because she mentioned the word 'James'."

Sirius grinned behind James's back. "You're on."