Disclaimer: I own next to nothing. This is almost completely JKR's.

Author's Note: Wow. I honestly thought this chapter wouldn't happen, if not from lack of reviews then from the fact that before chapter 3, there had only been 5 hits on chapter 2. But I got five times the number of reviews asked for. I'm quite happy now, and will be content unless I still have 11 after chapter 12. That does NOT mean I want you to quit reviewing, however. So, here it is, longer than the rest just for all of you...

Heart's Desire

Chapter 4

-----Remus's Point of View-----

There was a bang from the front of the hospital wing. I turned to look at the door, as did Sirius and James. Peter walked in, followed by a boy with dark brown hair that I vaguely remembered from the night before. He took one look at where Harry, Ron, and Felicia were standing, and muttered a soft "Oops." With that, he glanced around and changed into a dark brown horse that I definitely remembered seeing. I glanced to where his friends were, only seeing the salamander that had tried to talk to me in wolf form and a brown eagle. The third teen had disappeared. 'That's odd,' I thought to myself. 'He turned into a wolf last night. I wonder where he is.'

"Damn, Nev, did you have to scare us like that?" Ron asked, transforming back.

"Sorry," Neville said, blushing slightly, having transformed as well.

"Oh well, no harm done," Harry said. I did a double take, as did James, Sirius, and Peter. New where did he come back from?

"Where did you go?" James asked, as if reading my thoughts.

"Nowhere," Harry said, sounding confused, but not surprised. That's one thing I've noticed about people's lies. They may go a good job portraying one emotion, in this case confusion at being asked where he had gone, but not another, like surprise that he was asked at all.

"What, you can become invisible at will?" Sirius asked, rolling his eyes. By this time, Felicia had changed back.

"Of course he can. Can't you? All the really good wizards can," she teased.

"Humph," was all Sirius had to say in response.

"I believe there was a reason we came up here," Harry grinned.

"Ah, yes. Do you want in on a prank war?" James asked Peter and I.

"Keep in mind that you will lose," Harry grinned. "We already ruined one of their pranks. It was a little elementary, but still. Nev, are you in?"

"I guess," I answered James, ignoring most of what Harry had said. If they had already stopped one, they had to be good; no matter how advanced they thought the prank was.

"Yeah!" Peter squeaked excitedly. Neville nodded enthusiastically.

"Remember that we have to talk to Ginny and Laura about it later. We can explain ground rules while we plan. Anyway, onto other business." Harry was suddenly serious. "Do you go to that clearing often?" I, for one, was slightly shocked that they had figured out exactly who we were so fast. Well, in a way, anyway. I guess me being in the Hospital Wing did give it away a bit, but still… I'd have to remember to ask one of them about it later.

"No, that was the first time," Sirius shrugged. "It looked pretty cool, though."

"I wouldn't go back if I were you," Felicia said.

"Why on earth not?" Peter asked doubtfully.

"There were three, fully-grown, hungry acromantulas outside the ring of trees," Harry said. If you were to judge by the tone of his voice alone, you would think he said this kind of thing every day.

"You're kidding," James said, somewhat hopefully.

"Would I kid about this?" he asked seriously.

"No, I guess not," James sighed reluctantly. We sat in silence for a moment, each lost in our own thoughts.

"What do we have next?" Ron asked.

"Charms," James replied automatically.

"In how long?" Ron continued.

"Half an hour," James replied, glancing at his watch.

"In that case," Harry said, standing. "You'll have to excuse us for a bit. We have a prank to plan." He grinned, and motioned for the rest of them to follow him to the other side of the infirmary.

"Should we start planning as well?" Peter asked, shooting them nervous looks. It appeared he didn't like the fact that they had ruined one of Sirius and James's pranks anymore than I did.

"Oh would you two chill!" Sirius exclaimed, seeing the look. "We were trying to put a firework in Snivellus's cauldron, which just happened to be Harry's cauldron as well, since they're partners now, and Harry got wise to it and set it off in James and Evans's cauldron. It was nothing!"

"It's more than anyone else has ever accomplished," I pointed out. Sirius didn't look happy about that. "Let's just plan."

"Alright," James said, while Peter nodded and Sirius shrugged.

-----Neville's Point of View-----

"You got it?" Harry hissed to me as we settled in on the opposite side of the room from the Marauders.

"Yup," I whispered back, holding up what appeared to be flesh-colored string. Harry smirked.

"They won't know what hit 'em," Ron said, somewhat proud. It appeared he really wanted to be able to tell Fred and George that he had outpranked the Marauders.

I sent the end of the Extendable Ears that listen in on conversation on its merry way, and put the other end to my own ear.

"Do you have sound?" Hermione grinned.

"Sound's a go," I grinned back. We had gotten together quite a few times over the summer, and one of the main things we did while at Hermione's house had been watch muggle spy movies.

"Alright," Harry said, using the spell to communicate. Even though we knew our opponents didn't have the equipment we have, we didn't want them to overhear us. That, and if he used the spell while I eavesdropped on the Marauders with my ears, the two conversations wouldn't overlap nearly as much. "What do we want to do?"

"Could we get some of Fred and George's fireworks to follow them around?" Ron suggested.

"That would distract to many other students, more than likely us included," Hermione pointed out. "We could set off a portable swamp in their trunks."

"Nah, maybe for a grand finale or something," Harry said. "We need something to start it off with a bang."

"Hmm… Well, we could combine a firework with a tracking and invisibility charm," Hermione said, thinking a bit. "It would only follow the specific person around, and only they would be able to see it."

"That sounds pretty good," Ron said.

"Yeah, it does," Harry agreed.

"Hey, guys, they're finished planning," I said, listening to the beginnings of a conversation about quidditch through the Extendable Ears.

"What are they planning?" Hermione asked instantly. Honestly, I was going to tell them. I wouldn't just leave them hanging like that. Well, except for that one time…but that is neither here nor there.

"They're going to try to give us candies that turn us bright pink," I said, pulling the Extendable Ear back. I like quidditch as well as the next person. Well, in this case, that's not strictly true, because I was sitting between Ron and Harry, who both love it with a passion. Anyway, that wasn't the point. As much as I like quidditch, and as much as I may be willing to talk about it, I really don't care to listen if I don't have to. "They seem to think they can get them to us without getting the entire house."

"Just how do they plan to do that?" Harry smirked. I shrugged.

"I have no idea. They just said they'd use what they used for their last edible prank," I said.

"We are going to turn the tables on them, aren't we?" Ron asked excitedly.

"Of course," Hermione said in a business-like voice. All we'll have to figure out is exactly how. Now, however, we should join back up with them. The bell's about to ring." Sure enough, the bell did ring just about as soon as we got back across the room.

"Well, lets go. Charms is quite a hike," James said, shouldering his bag. The rest of us followed suit and, waving good-bye to Remus, left the infirmary.

"Here we are," Sirius said three floors later.

"Bout time," Ron said, trying his best to sound irritated instead of bored. We quickly entered the classroom. We seemed to be the last ones there, but we weren't late. It was then that I got my first glimpse of them. My parents, sitting there, in the front row. I finally realized something like what it must have been like for Harry ever since we got here. He had been in the company of his father and godfather practically non-stop since we landed in the forest, and with his mother during Potions. I knew she was good in them; Slughorn makes quite a point of reminding Harry about it. I know it gets on his nerves sometimes, especially since, while not by any mean as bad as I am, or even Ron, he is more than likely no where near her skill level, and doesn't like being constantly compared to her.

"Class," Professor Flitwick squeaked as we took our seats. "It's my sad duty to inform you that one of your fellow students was found cursed this morning, inside a broom closet. Does anyone have any information regarding this incident?" Predictably, no one said anything.

"Think I should say something? You know, along the lines of self-defense or something?" Harry asked through the bond.

"Nah," Ron said. "It'll just cast you in a bad light, because no one else was there to corroborate to story, except for your friends. It would just make you look bad."

"I agree," Hermione and I said at the same time. Harry just nodded.

"No one, hmm," Flitwick said, casting a doubtful eye towards the Marauders, who looked just as confused as everyone else. "Very well. Today we will be learning a more advanced shielding spell. It is, if powerful enough, able to shield the caster from the Cruciatus and Imperious curses, although it usually takes quite a bit out of you. In those cases, it usually can last for no less than one curse, and makes your energy levels lower, and you less able to dodge, which is still the most effective way to block any of the Unforgivables. If used properly, it will reflect the spell back at the caster. In fact, if the person using the shield is fast enough, they can add their own power to the spell. When it rebounds on the person who cast it, it will be worse than it originally was. There are very few people who can pull this off, however. The spell will only work that way if your shield turns white instead of the normal bright blue. Usually, however, it will simply cause the spell to deflect off to a side. Now, for a practical demonstration. Protego Maximus!" A bright blue light surrounded Flitwick. "There," he continued, canceling the spell. "On by one, I want you to try. I don't expect you all to get it on your first try, as it requires quite a bit of power and concentration, although they are interchangeable for this spell. Miss Evans, why don't you try first."

Lily stood up. "Protego Maximus!" Blue light surrounded her, although it was almost navy instead of electric blue, like Flitwick's had been.

"Most excellent for a first try. Ten points to Gryffindor," Flitwick said, sounding pleased. "Mr. Pettigrew!" This is where I stopped paying attention. Well, that's not completely true. I know that Peter and Snape's charms turned orange, the second to the delight of the Marauders. James and Sirius managed to make theirs green, although closer to yellow than blue. Mum and Dad each managed a shade of purple, Mum's having much more blue than Dad's. No one had gotten as close as Lily yet. Finally, he called Harry.

"Mr. Granger, lets see what you can do."

"Yes, sir," Harry said, rising and walking to the front of the room, just everyone before him had done. "Protego Maximus!" A blinding white light shot out from his wand.

"V-very good, Mr. Granger. Ten points to Slytherin," Flitwick managed. He had a mixture of shock and awe on his face. "That can't have been your first time casting the spell."

"No, your right. It's not. I've known it for a while now," Harry shrugged, sitting back down. We all could do it. It was one of the first spells Dumbledore taught Harry, and he taught it to the entire DA in return. Briefly, I wondered what they were doing without Harry to lead them, but I shook it off at the sound of Flitwick's voice.

"Mr. Jones," he called, motioning me forward. My spell word isn't as high as Harry's, but I knew my shield would at least be blue.

"Protego Maximus!" I called. A blue light only a little duller than Flitwick's surrounded me. Flitwick proceeded to be shocked again, and awarded another ten points to Gryffindor.

"Miss Granger," Flitwick said, calling Hermione forward. Her spell was almost as bright as Harry's, although I knew Hermione's was more concentration than power, unlike Harry, who definitely used more power than concentration. "Ten points to Ravenclaw."

"Mr. Welker," Flitwick said, bringing Ron to the front. Ron cast the spell, with the resulting shield being a little darker than mine. He didn't have the power Harry had or the concentration Hermione had. He also didn't care nearly as much about grades as I did. "Another ten points to Gryffindor!"

"Homework!" Flitwick said, seconds before the bell. "Practice. Those of you whose spells were orange, get them up to red or yellow. Red and yellow, work up to purple or green. Purple and green, work for blue. Blue, try for brighter. Harry and Felicia, no homework. Class dismissed."

We filed out the door towards the Great Hall. We were half way down the first flight of stairs when a voice called, "Hey! Wait up!" We turned, following the Marauders' lead, to see Lily and Mum hurrying forward.

"Teach us how to do that!" Mum said, coming closer. I was going to have to start thinking of her and Dad as Alice and Frank; otherwise, I might slip up and accidentally call them Mum and Dad.

"Do what?" Ron asked, acting confused.

"Teach us to cast the spell like that! It was amazing!" Lily said excitedly.

"Should we?" Harry asked through the bond.

"Might as well," Hermione responded. "It'll give us some practice, too. We might even form a new DA."

"Sure, we'll teach you," Harry said. "Anything we can, too. It's a war. Everyone needs to know as much as they can. I'm actually a little shocked that they haven't taught that spell in Defense or something."

"Defense is mostly theory this year," Lily said, sounding sad. "It's hardly any spell work. We're supposed to just automatically get it by reading about it in a textbook."

"Lets go to lunch and talk about it," Alice said. I was suddenly struck by how young they all were, and how much they would be forced to see before James, Lily, and Sirius would die, and Alice wouldn't be…herself anymore.

"Alright," Ron agreed readily. I swear, he is always hungry.

"Harry, I'll meet you as soon as you're done. We're going to have to go to the library," Hermione said, a gleam in her eye. Harry looked as if he wanted to protest, but decided against it.

"Why? You two don't even have any homework yet!" Sirius exclaimed. "Why on earth would you want to go to the library?"

"Because we have spells to look up and plans to make," Hermione said, with the air of one stating the obvious. "Lets go eat." She headed off in the direction of the Great Hall.

"You're just going to let her drag you to the library?" James asked Harry, dumbfounded. He apparently knew enough, however, to not say anything when Hermione could hear.

"It saves time," Harry shrugged, following Hermione. If I agree to go to the library with 'Licia right off, she'll find what she's looking for sooner and let me go do what I want to do."

"I guess that makes sense," Peter said. We continued to the Great Hall in silence. Harry broke off for the Slytherin table. I had almost forgot he wasn't in Gryffindor. Seems I wasn't the only one.

"Oh yeah, I forgot he was a Slytherin," Sirius sighed. "And I was really starting to like him." He sat down at the Gryffindor table. Ginny was already there, and, upon closer inspection of the Ravenclaw table, I discovered Luna was as well.

"What difference does that make?" I asked. I seemed to be the only one who didn't get it. Ron and Ginny just glanced at each other knowingly.

"All Slytherins are evil," was all that Sirius could say.

"No, they're not," I said, thinking of Blaise Zabini, Millicent Bulstrode, and now Harry. I could see him at the Slytherin table, talking to Snape of all people.

"Nope, all evil," Sirius replied. He started eating.

"And why are they all evil?" I asked.

"They just are. Trust me on this one," Sirius said. Just then, Remus came in and sat down.

"Hey. She finally let me out of the hospital wing," he said, piling food on his plate. "Where are Felicia and Harry?"

At that moment, Harry stood up from the Slytherin table, nodded to Snape, who was apparently saying something, and walked over to Hermione at the Ravenclaw table. She nodded and stood up as he approached. She said something to Luna, who shook her head, and then they both came towards us.

"Do any of you want to go to the library with us?" Hermione asked. Everyone but Remus frowned at the mere thought of the place.

"Do you need someone to show you the way?" Remus asked.

"No, but you're more than welcome to come," Harry said.

"I'll stay here for a bit, then, and meet you up there," Remus said, turning back to his food.

"Alright," Hermione said, turning to follow Harry, who had already set off towards the doors.

Just as they reached the doors, Snape joined them from the Slytherin table. Sirius made a noise that sounded a lot like "See? Evil," before turning back to his meal. Ron, Ginny, and I just rolled our eyes.

Author's Note: I wasn't sure if I was going to answer the reviews, but then I wanted to answer some, and decided I might as well.

starchild9867: Yeah, meeting his dad came as a bit of a shock, didn't it? hehe. Meeting Lily wasn't quite as big a deal, although we still haven't read Harry's reaction...

Bewittching: Glad you like it so much! Thanks for the encouragement! As long as it looks like I've got at least one review per chapter, I'm not too upset. lol

Charlottay: Thank you! And I don't like some of the really odd names, either.

runnerz: Is this any better? It was just a few sentences over 8 pages. Thanks for reviewing!

Shunnow: Yeah, it was kinda supposed to be like that, although it won't be the same events, for the most part. I've got some planned that will have two points of view, but, although I'm still switching points of view, they won't usually be of the same events. Your first review in 2 years? I'm honored.

aruui: Like I said above, I'm not always doing the same events through 2 different points of view, although I will be using lots of view points. But, it will be two points of view for things I consider important, like the arrival. Thanks for reviewing!

numbah 14: Thank you for your review! Ah, well, he has quite a bit else going for him, SOMETHING had to go wrong!

no name: Thanks for your review, and thanks for your input on the Dumbledore question!

little bits: Well, I'm not going to take it off anymore. Thanks for your review!

Now, for an important question. Should there be romance in this story? If so, should it be slash or not? You can even tell me what ships you want, too, but that doesn't mean I'll use them. There are some I really like, and some I can't stand, but you can still tell me. You never know, you might have a favorite that's a favorite of mine, too! Anyway,please review!