Someone To Understand

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot and any OCs.

Sirius sat fuming, in silent contemplation of what he had just realised about Crystal. She was the sister of a guy that he had hated since first year, and now that he realised it he felt like an idiot for not seeing it before. How long had he known Marius and Violet for?

Also Maycomb wasn't exactly a common name, they were the only pure blood family who had it as a surname, so why hadn't he realised this when Moony told him what her name was, or even when he had first seen her, she did, after all, look a lot like Marius, they even had the same eyes, though, Crystal's eyes reminded Sirius of flames whilst Marius' were icy and cold. So why hadn't he realised?

Suddenly realisation hit Sirius like a bolt out of the blue, Crystal was in Ravenclaw, and that was why he hadn't made the connection between her and her siblings, Violet, Marius and Abigail, she was, like him, from an ancient pure blood family, and she should have been sorted into Slytherin, but like him she wasn't put there. He couldn't help but wonder why that was...

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James was irritated, after the second interesting confrontation of the morning, Sirius had spaced out again, and his new spacey best friend was starting to irritate him. He was about to tell Sirius as much, when the group's, second, stunned silence of the morning was abruptly broken by McGonagall, she was positively fuming.

"Apparently she saw Crystal's little display", he thought wryly, "Sirius is definitely gonna get detention for this one, I bet he's still even too stunned to mount his usual defence!", James inwardly laughed waiting for the fireworks to begin.

He was not disappointed.

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Sirius was rudely jerked out of his silent contemplations about Crystal by a very angry Professor McGonagall. She had clearly seen the fight earlier and, had probably after a few moments of either stunned silence, or internal hysterics at his expense, decided that punishment was in order for disturbing breakfast.

"And just what do you call that little display Mr Black?", she began dangerously, her eyes glittering with suppressed anger, "That was absolutely disgraceful and I am ashamed to have you in my house if you will insist on treating people like that, and causing scenes at breakfast!", she shouted furiously, her face flushing and her eyes narrowing dangerously, "Twenty points will be taken from Gryffindor, though none will be taken from Ravenclaw, as though Miss Maycomb's actions were rash, they came from a desire to defend her friend, so the intent was noble. Also yourself and Miss Maycomb will serve detention in the library at five pm tonight." At this point McGonagall paused, looking pensive, "Although I hate to inflict more of your presence on her perhaps a shared detention will put a stop to hostilities between the two of you, and any further fights over breakfast."

"But Professor", began James pleadingly, looking worriedly at his silent best friend, knowing full well that Sirius NEVER simply accepted punishment without trying to talk his way out of it, "You can't take points from Gryffindor but not Ravenclaw, Crystal started it!" he finished looking scandalised at the thought of Gryffindor loosing so many points at once.

"Silence Potter," McGonagall snapped irritated at his gall to try and talk her out of issuing a just punishment, "or you will also find yourself in detention tonight." McGonagall finished throwing warning look at James, as well as the other, so far silent Marauders. With that she walked away, after informing them that she would inform Crystal of her detention in her Transfiguration lesson before lunch.

It was Peter who talked first after she left, "That was so unfair!" , he squeaked indignantly, "She started it and you get punished!"

"If you want to go into detail," huffed Sirius testily, "I started it when I hurt Sienna's feelings." He said flopping down into his chair and pushing away his half eaten breakfast. He was clearly in a foul mood.

The other Marauders were meanwhile stunned, had Sirius actually admitted that that girl was right about what she had said to him, and that McGonagall was right to punish him? It was a very subdued group that headed to Defence Against the Dark Arts that morning.

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Meanwhile Crystal had finally calmed down enough for her to arrive, five minutes late to Potions, her first lesson of the morning.

After receiving a ticking off from Professor Viero Crystal was instructed to join a group and get down to making their set potion.

She was annoyed to find herself quickly dragged into a group by her roommates, Mandy Corner and Patricia Boot but this annoyance quickly turned to shock when they, and all of the Hufflepuff girls in the classroom, began to thank her for standing up to Sirius the way she had.

Crystal couldn't believe that all of these girls, half of whom had gone out with Sirius, actually approved of what she had done, but it was starting to make her feel a little better about the situation. However her new good mood did not last long.

After double Potions on a Monday morning, the Ravenclaws then had Transfiguration, and as soon as she entered the Transfiguration class room Professor McGonagall approached her and explained to her about her forth coming detention with Sirius.

Now with a detention with Sirius Black looming on the horizon Crystal was once again in a foul mood. However this did not stop her from doing her duty, as a friend, to Sienna and, though it took the whole lunch hour to achieve, she eventually managed to convince Sienna to come to afternoon lessons, citing, as evidence, the scene at breakfast to prove that Sirius had had his comeuppance for the break up.

Sienna was still withdrawn during lessons that afternoon but she was feeling much better. All the teachers were sympathetic to her, having, for the most part, witnessed the fight between Crystal and Sirius at breakfast, and Sienna was pleased that Crystal had cared enough to stand up for her, though she was dismayed to hear that it had cost Crystal an evening detention, with none other than, that prick, as she had taken to calling him, Sirius Black.

That evening Crystal was forced to rush down to the Great Hall, while Sienna took her bag with her to Ravenclaw Tower, as soon as lessons were over, in order to grab a bite to eat before detention. As a result she was quite alone when she arrived in the library five minutes early for her detention...

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Sirius meanwhile had not had such a good day. The 'Evans Crowd' had seemingly decided that he deserved what he got at breakfast, as had an alarming number of other girls, and to make matters worse, all the teachers knew as well and were far from sympathetic to his plight.

It was, therefore, a harassed Sirius who was forced to rush his dinner in the Great Hall in order to arrive at detention in time. However, he, unlike Crystal, was not alone when he entered the library, five minutes late as usual, as the other Marauders felt that he should have a guard of honour to protect him from Crystal, should she decide to attack him again.

Sirius was disappointed to note, when he arrived, that although he was five minutes late the librarian was no-where in sight yet. He was just about to tell the other Marauders to leave him to it when he heard voices in the far corner of the library.

Their curiosity getting the better of them Sirius and the other Marauders cautiously crossed the library to find the source of the voices...

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As soon as Crystal saw them standing there waiting for her, with no librarian in sight she knew she was in trouble.

Marius looked positively furious, his ice blue eyes glinting with malevolence in the candlelight, whilst her sisters and their friends merely smirked, knowing that for Crystal there was no escape from them and no one to save her, once again they had her out numbered six to one and she knew that she didn't stand a chance.

"It would be easier," she mused, "and less painful in the long run, if I just stand there and let them get on with it." , but it was hard to do nothing, and she soon found herself, out of habit, trying to defend herself, though it didn't take them long to separate her from her wand.

Crystal soon found herself, in the familiar position, of being on her knees crying out in pain, a bloody gash searing across her left cheek. She longed for someone to save her but she knew, deep down, that it was never going to happen.

Crystal had learned long ago that it was no use hoping for a miracle, after all, hope was for idiots, she lived in the real world, and had learnt through harsh experience, that no matter how loud she screamed, no-one was ever coming to save her...

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When Sirius rounded the corner the sight that met his eyes was one, that even in his worst nightmares he could not possibly have imagined.

Crystal was on her knees crying out in pain, her wand was lying a few feet away from her and there was a huge bloody gash across her left cheek, marring her beautiful face. Her intense blue eyes, which, he had only ever seen glowing with fire and strength were now dulled with hopelessness and fear as she gazed up at the face of her torturer, her brother Marius, whilst five more Slytherins, two of them her sisters', one Severus Snape and another, his own brother, Regulus looked on in amusement.

Sirius instantly felt somehow responsible for this situation, though he would not have been able to explain why. He felt an instant surge of protectiveness towards Crystal, and, as the Slytherins had not yet noticed the presence of the Marauders, being so engrossed in torturing Crystal, he cleared his throat dangerously to announce his presence...

The Slytherins instantly froze, hearing the unknown person clear their throat they had immediately assumed that it was a teacher or the librarian but, when they saw only the Marauders, their cockiness returned, though they still decided to beat a hasty retreat.

Shooting Sirius a last warning look Marius hurriedly left the library with the rest of his entourage, seemingly satisfied enough with shocking the Marauders than actually getting into a fight with them.

It was all Sirius could do not to hex Marius or his idiotic brother on the spot, for what they had done to Crystal, but somehow he kept his cool long enough to let the Slytherins leave.

For a moment the Marauders and Crystal remained frozen in place, none of them quite knowing how they should react in this situation. It was Remus who moved first rushing to Crystal's side, passing her her wand and helping her gingerly to her feet.

James for his part, Sirius knew, was completely stunned, as, unlike Sirius he had no idea why Crystal's own family would attack her. Similarly Remus and Peter were clearly not sure why this had happened to Crystal and, to her obvious dismay, each of them advocated telling a teacher and sending her to the hospital wing, realising that he would have to step in before one of his friends did something rash Sirius wearily ran a hand through his hair and patiently explained to them that, if they told the teachers what had happened it would only make Crystal's life worse.

Remus, James and Peter clearly disagreed, but deferring to their friends judgement they grudgingly agreed to say nothing. Pleased that he had managed to control his friends, and noticing Crystal's relief about them not involving the teachers.

Sirius then calmly told Crystal not to worry, and that they would get those 'slimy Slytherins' back themselves later.

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It was at this point that Crystal snapped, she did not want Black and his friends pitying her, she did not need their help! It was their fault that Marius had even attacked her today!

Angry, Crystal, for the second time that day, completely lost her temper with Sirius and exploded. "I don't need your help Black!", she raged, "I can fight my own battles!", she paused glaring maliciously at Sirius as if silently daring him to interrupt her, and continued, "I don't need a knight in bloody shining armour, especially not a self righteous prick like you!", she finished nastily, standing up suddenly and trying not to grimace at the pain in her ribs this caused, she stalked off, well aware that she was now most likely late for her detention, as Madam Pince was sure to have arrived by now.

Sirius, not intending to let her escape so easily once again grabbed her arm and pulled her back to question her, "Well then," he began, "if you're so good at fighting your own battles, then how come, they were beating the living crap out of you!", he challenged angrily.

"Maybe because they had me out numbered six to one." Crystal replied sarcastically glaring at Sirius through her long lashes, trying desperately to pull away from his strong grip on her arm, her fierce blue eyes flashing with anger and embarrassment at being found by the Marauders of all people in such a state.

"Well why were they attacking you in the first place?" Sirius questioned curiously, hoping to shed some light on the situation.

Crystal was worried by his tone, Sirius could obviously guess, at, least partly, what that argument with her brother had been about, being in almost the same situation himself with his family, but she didn't want everyone to know her problems.

Completely ignoring the three other Marauders Crystal looked Sirius straight in the eye with such intensity that it caught him off guard and said quietly "Are you really so arrogant that you believe that you're the only one with problems in", she paused, not knowing how to continue so that Sirius would understand but the other Marauders would not, "that area." , she finished suggestively, before spinning on her heel and successfully managing to force the stunned Sirius to let her go.

She was clearly referring, subtly, to her less than perfect relationship with her Slytherin family, something she knew that Sirius would be able to relate to, if he would only stop being self absorbed, long enough to realise that he wasn't the only person on the planet with that particular problem.

Muttering obscenities under her breath about the Marauders she used her freedom from Sirius's grip to head off down the aisles of books towards the librarian's desk, stopping once along the way to perform a quick healing charm on the gash on her cheek.

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Once again Crystal had succeeded in stunning Sirius, he had merely tried to be kind to her and figure out what was wrong, and she had once again blown up in his face, an event that he was rightly learning to fear, as, for a 'shy' girl Crystal had one hell of a temper.

Crystal had also managed to get him to re evaluate himself and his own actions for the second time that day, making him realise that she was right, and that they did have the same problem with their respective families.

Bidding goodbye to his fellow Marauders Sirius arrived at the detention ten minutes late and received a ticking off from the strict librarian.

Throughout the detention, Sirius tried unsuccessfully to capture Crystal's attention, but the girl simply ignored him, and for once in his life he was at a complete loss for what to do.

More surprisingly, to Sirius, the obvious gash on Crystal's cheek had disappeared, between her walking away from him and arriving at the detention. This led him to only one conclusion, one, which he did not like the sound of at all, if the gash had disappeared, then Crystal must have healed it, and this led him to believe, that if she had done this once, then how many other times had she done it, that he didn't know about?

Thank you to all my reviewers, I really appreciate your comments, and to anyone else who reads this please review, I want to know what you think!

Thanks! XXXX