Disclaimer: Any characters mentioned or even talked about in J.K. Rowling's books are not mine. I only own my characters, which obviously are not in her books. And if I did own those characters, I would not be writing online, I would be publishing my book!

A/N: I am soooo sorry! I am ashamed of my own laziness! I have slacked off for the longest amount of time. BUT! I am very pleased to say that chapter 4 is HERE! So, let me babble no futher! Enjoy!

Chapter 4 - The Usual Unusual

As the Headmaster looked up at the ceiling so did the rest of the school. "Bubbles?" The Headmaster said puzzled.

"Impervious time?" Sirius asked.

"I'd say so." Remus replied enthusiastically.

"Impervious." They all whispered in unison.

"Here we go!" James said excited. "Everything is going to be fantastic!"

"He has no clue." Remus whispered to Sirius.

As the bubbles began to fill with water so did miniature lilies.

"Wait a second. Why are lilies growing in the bubbles?" James asked suspiciously.

"We have no clue!" Sirius lied.

"Somehow, I don't believe you." James replied.

"The Impedimenta Jinx seems to be working." Sirius said.

As the lilies grew in the water bubbles, they slowly began to descend from the ceiling.

"Ready for the best part?" Remus asked.

"Yep!" Sirius added.

"I'll let you have the honors James." Remus stated looking at his friend.

"Okay then. 1, 2, 3!" With a flick of his wand, he lifted the Impedimenta Jinx and the bubbles began falling one by one. Mass pandemonium broke out in the Great Hall. First years began diving under the tables, Dumbledore strangely was smiling as a bubble bursted on his squashy hat, and everyone else began running around trying to dodge the water bubbles as they fled to the Great Hall doors.

"You never said the bubbles would fall on us!" Maggie screamed at Sirius.

"You never asked if they did!" He yelled back grinning.

"I'll get you for this!" She replied through gritted teeth.

"Me too!" Cheryl replied miserably from down the table. "It took me an hour to get this curl charm right!" She said referring to her hair.

"James Potter!" Lily yelled outraged at the fact that she was drenched.

Once the last of the bubbles fell and everyone returned to the Great Hall after their evacuation, Dumbledore began to speak again.

"Curious. I wonder who our pranksters are." He said casting his glance towards the only dry people in the hall, the Marauders. "Mr. Filch has just informed me that water bubbles have been added to the list of forbidden items. A few seconds later, he cast a drought charm over the hall to dry it, and dismissed the students.

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this tinkering with the prank. Why didn't you tell me? Why did you make lilies grow in the bottom of them? I mean of all things-" He said being cut off by Sirius.

"I should think that would be obvious! It's because we know of your undying love for Lily!" He said passionately like a man in love.

"Hey James," Said a fellow Gryffindor named Alex Worsebov.

"Yea?" James responded.

"How come only you, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were dry? Were you all behind this prank, or was it Peeves?" He asked suspiciously.

"Well, all I can say is Impervious ring a bell?" James said slyly.

"Right. I got ya. So, you lot staying up tonight?" Alex asked.

"Probably not. Remus is exhausted, Peter never goes to bed late, Sirius might stay up, and I guess I'll be up till about midnight. Why?" James replied.

"Some of the boys said they were planning some 'events' for the girls in the morning." Alex stated mischievously.

"Well now that you said that, we're in!" Sirius said walking up to the two.

"Oh, wait! I can't" James stated.

"Why?" Sirius and Alex asked in unison.

"I ummm, have something to attend to remember Sirius." James said trying to get Sirius to catch on.

"Oh yeah, I can't go either. Sorry mate, guess we'll see you tomorrow." Sirius said before he and James turned towards the portrait and left.

"I can't believe we almost forgot." James said.

"Yea, Mooney would have outright ignored us." Sirius said following James.

"Wait, I forgot my cloak. Be right back."

"Ready?" James asked shortly after he returned .

"Yep!" He replied as they continued their journey down the corridor towards the Whomping Willow.

"Where's the stick?"James asked looking around. "Why don't you change and go sniff it out."

"Sure." Sirius replied before shrinking down into a black dog. A few minutes later he gave out a bark towards James.

"Alright then. I'm willing to bet Wormtail forgot to put it where we told him. Anyway, lets just go." He said before changing into a stag.

Meanwhile with the girls...

"So, how was your enchanted carriage ride with the famous James Potter?" Maggie asked.

"The usual blunt annoyance." She replied dully.

"Are you sure that's all that happened?" Alison added.

"Well if your asking if I suddenly fell in love as he passionately kissed me in his arms, then no. However, he does like me." She said suppressing a grin.

"Really!" Alison and Maggie yelled together.

"How do you know?" Maggie asked fully excited and into the conversation.

"Well he kept saying I was cute when I got mad and how he never calls me Evans anymore." She said as if she were uninterested.

"Ohhh my gosh!" Maggie squealed jumping up and down.

"Did we call it, or did we call it!" Alison said taking credit.

"You guys," Lily began.

"Yea?" They chimed back.

"Have yall seen Cheryl lately?" She asked nervously.

"I haven't seen her since the feast." Alison answered.

"Neither have I, but I talked to Marty Bottlekeg a few minutes ago. In the common room and he told me that she broke it off with, with, um what's his name, Phil? He said it was bad. I don't know what happened but he ended up in the Hospital wing with a tail an big ears." Maggie stated sadly. "I tried looking for her, but I couldn't find her so I gave up."

"Oh drat!" Lily muttered.

"What?" Alison asked.

"I need to ask her something. Do you think she's okay? I mean it sounds like her temper got a hold on her." Lily asked worried.

"I really don't know..." Maggie said in a sort of trance. "With her you never really know..."

"What's the deal with her and boys? I mean does she like not believe in commitment? Normally you hear about guys doing that but not girls." Alison stated annoyed.

"You guys she's having some, some problems. At home..." Lily stated cautiously.

"What do you mean?" Maggie asked puzzled.

"Well, I don't know if I should say." Lily said getting uneasy.

"Well we're not asking for her whole life biography honey, I just want to know why she does that." Maggie said.

"Well, you two better not tell anyone, even Cheryl. I don't know if she's okay with more people knowing, even if it is you guys, I mean she didn't tell you so I would assume that she didn't want you to know. Anyway, did you ever wonder about her dad?" Lily asked.

"Well not really." Maggie responded.

"Well, a long time ago her mum met this guy at Flourish and Blots. He was handsome, young, sweet, and seemed like the whole package. Well, he like her mum too, so he asked her out and before they knew it, Cheryl's mum was pregnant with Cheryl. When Cheryl's mum told him that she was pregnant she thought he might get mad, it was a bit of shock for him, but being the 'wonderful' guy he was, he proposed to her. Cheryl was born and all seemed great. Then one night when Cheryl was five, her dad came home and started crying. She tried to help him, but he shunned her away and went to his room. A few minutes later her mum was crying and he walked out the house with a bag and never came back." Lily stated solemnly.

"Oh my." Alison said stunned. "I had no clue, honestly." She said apologetically.

"I know, but that's partially to why I worry about her. I know after her dad left them, her mom became, well, a hooker. Sadly, at the time Cheryl blamed herself. They went to counseling for a short amount of time, but Cheryl decided that she hated it and left. Ever since then her mom had her sister Demi, I still don't know how that happened, quit her job and has two regular jobs now. I just feel bad because she doesn't like other people to try to help her."

"Well that still doesn't explain the whole guy dump thing." Maggie added.

"Well I guess you could look at it as basically she felt like it was just part of her to be a leaver or something, like her dad left them. Maybe it's her was of staying in touch with him or something. Or maybe she likes getting back at the opposite sex, who knows..."

"Well then, I guess we should go look for he." Maggie said dazed.

"Yeah, I'll go look go her in the library and by the hospital wing. Mag, go look in the Astronomy Tower and the Great Hall. Ali, go check in the North Tower and dungeons. Check all the classroom by your areas incase she's really hiding." Lily announced making the plans. "Got it?"

"Got it!" So they were off searching for Cheryl.

While the night aged and the students began to dwindle off to bed, the Marauder's kept their werewolf friend company and helped him in the Shrieking Shack with some minor improvements meanwhile Lily and her friends looked for Cheryl. After about an hour of searching, Lily found Cheryl in a deserted classroom near the library. Cautiously she approached her disoriented friend.

"Cheryl?" Lily asked nervously. "Are you alright?"

Cheryl did not reply.

"What happened?" She said gazing into Cheryl's tear shed eyed. Just before she was about to speak, Cheryl found her voice.

"We got in fight." Cheryl said.

"You and Phil?"

"Yea. We were talking about his family and then he asked me about mine." She said taking a deep breath. "He wanted to know why I didn't talk about my dad. When I told him it was none of his business he got mad. He started yelling about how he told me about his family but I couldn't tell him about mine." Cheryl said with her eyes filled with tears. "I didn't mean to be rude but well, oh Lily!" She said bursting into tears. Lily leaned over and pulled her into a comforting hug patting Cheryl on the back. I normally wouldn't care, but I don't know, mum is working too hard and Demi- I just couldn't tell him! He wouldn't understand: She said muffled by Lily's shoulder. "The way he got so offended- its just- it was just like my dad!" She said crying.

"There, there." Lily said patting Cheryl on the back some more, "What happened next?"

"Well once he saw that I was crying he got even more upset about the whole thing, and started yelling and said that I was crying over such a stupid thing." She said sniffling a little. "I got mad and, and I hexed and jinxed him with every spell I knew. Mind you I could see because of the tears in my eyes so most of them missed but I think I got him once or twice."

"Twice." Lily added. "You hit him twice. Marty Bottlekeg said he had a tail and big ears when he saw him in the hospital wing." Lily said.

"You won't tell anyone will you?" Cheryl asked Lily peering helplessly into her eyes.

"No, not if you don't want me to."

"Thanks." Cheryl said a little more calm now.

"But you know, Cheryl, it's nothing to be ashamed or upset about. Just because you don't have the 'perfect family' doesn't mean that you are bad, or your family is bad. I mean look at my family, they're all muggles! And you know how some wizards hate muggles and muggleborns."

Cheryl let out a small giggle. "Well I guess you have a point. Thanks Lils." She said smiling. "I never realized how messed up things are for you too, but people always view as perfect."

"Gee, thanks Cheryl" Lily said laughing. "No I'm just kidding, but you can call on me anytime." She replied. "Comm'on we better start heading back to the common room before it gets too late. I don't want James and his friends to say I'm skipping out on my duties by staying out late. Plus you look like you could use a good night's sleep."

"Oh yea, how are you and James? I meant to ask you earlier about your carriage ride together- Hang on, did you just call him James?" She asked smiling.

"Well..." Lily began explaining everything that happened after Cheryl left as they made their way back to the common room meeting up with Alison and Maggie.

"Goodnight girls!" Lily said before heading off towards her Head girl dormitories.

"Goodnight." They all replied settling into their beds as they all planned to get some sleep before the start of term the next day.

(A/N - Okay, he it goes "I'm Sorry." I deeply do apologize for the months of waiting, I guess I could say that I developed a dislike for typing but I'm back! I have a little bit of chapter 5 written but I got to finish that and I am planning on doing that today so hopefully if my schedule keeps getting cleared out like it is now, then you will have a lot to read in the next upcoming weeks! I'm just as excited as you! Lol, anyways I do apologize again for the delay and please do review or email me. Tell me what you think! Or what you want to happen! Chat with you later you guys!

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Thanks to my latest reviewer:

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