Standing There By You

Ch. 30- Fourth Year

Disclaimer: Let it be known... it's still not mine.

A/N: Bonjour! (This is EyesofEmerald writing, pre-vacation) Right now I'm probably laying out on the beach with a golden tan, sipping strawberry dacharies as cabana boys -looking mysteriously like a seventeen year old Sirius- are fanning me with palm leaves.

Eh, more than likely I'm red as a tomato and scribbling away on a notepad. But I'll be thinking about the aforemention description, no doubt.

I really rushed to get this chapter writtten before I left, so I'm sorry if it's not up to standard. More Graceness soon, I promise. ::Bites nails:: Beta's responding to your reviews for me, props to her for uploading this, btw.

B/N: Hello everyone this is beta and yes if you see anymore B/N's that stands for 'beta's note', EyesofEmerald has no faith in me, I am deeply hurt. She doesn't think I am capable of writing good thank you's but I'll show her! Well, enjoy this chapter!

Sirius Black Fanclub update: Everyone who participated in the Boxer Challenge is a winnner ; ) And our first erm... floozie, shall be dance-flirt. Kudos!

"Bit of seaweed in your hair, Lilykins."

Lily turned to glare at Sirius before swatting his hand away. "Thanks," she said dryly, plucking the slick green plant out of her hair.

Beside her Grace laughed and Julie stifled a giggle, determinedly keeping their eyes glued to their dinner.

The two quarreling fourth years had arrived in a rather humorous sight indeed, with seaweed stuck in their hair, stench of the lake (as Sirius so kindly pointed out), and mucky school robes dragging behind them. Being the stubborn kids they were, they point blank refused to skip dinner like Hagrid had permitted them to, at the risk of losing any dignity.

Lily was in quite the grumpy state and showed it well as she stabbed her meat harder then necessary with her fork, but James seemed to be fairing along quite nicely...

"Oh James," Angie cooed, brushing aside his lake filled locks. "It must of been dreadful."

"If you mean sharing a boat with her... then yes it was," James said, grimacing in Lily's direction. "But if you mean the fall in the lake, well that certainly was no task at all. My swimming skills are top notch."

Lily let out a short laugh from above her battered pork. "Oh please," she scoffed, "you sputtered and grabbed my head to stay afloat, all the while practically drowning me in the process."

"I got so close, too," James said, giving a mock exaggerated sigh. "Pity..."

James and his friends laughed, and a few moments too late, two mindless vixens joined in too.

Sirius turned to Val- who immediately stopped breathing upon being caught in his gaze- and grinned. "You look... erm," he was about to compliment her, but the black streaks the rain had created down her face from the over-application of mascara threw him off a bit. "Uh... you look," Val looked at him expectantly and began to furiously bat her eyelashes, effectively making her raccoon eyes worse. Sirius cringed slightly. "You look... hungry! Here, wanna roll?"

Several seats over, the girls turned away from the empty drabble and began a conversation of their own.

"Did you hear they've switched Muggle Studies to Tuesday?" Lily asked, as she nibbled on bites of corn.

"Thrilling," Grace said unenthusiastically.

"Well if you weren't interested then why did you take it?" Lily asked.

Grace smiled. "Easy grade."

"Well I took it for the culinary," Julie said excitedly. "Do you think we'll start that section sometime soon?"

Lily shrugged and then looked up at her friend. "I didn't know you liked to cook."

Julie nodded and gave a small smile. "One day I'll let you taste my scones."

Lily laughed, while Grace made a frame out of her hands and held it up to Julie. "I can just see it now," she said, giving a half smile and proclaiming, "Julie Taylor, the most brilliant chef in all of London." She dropped her hands. "Ooh, do you think you'll get to wear one of those tall funky hats?"

Julie laughed. "Maybe."

"Do you know when the next Hogsmeade trip is?" Sirius asked, as the four boys tread the familiar path to their dormitory. "I'm running low on supplies."

James shrugged. "I don't think they start until September."

"October, actually," Remus put in. "That's what it was last time at least."

Peter nodded in agreement and Sirius let out an incredulous scoff.

"October?" Sirius repeated. "I can't wait that long!"

Remus laughed. "Well you're going to have to. It's not that-"

"Well why should we have to wait?" James cut in, his eyes having that mischievous gleam. "I mean, we're the Marauders, remember?"

"Oh yes," Remus said dryly. "Well let's just march on up to McGonagall's office and tell her we're going to Hogsmeade because we're the Marauders. While you're at it why don't you get a couple homework extensions as well."

"Oh could you?" Peter asked anxiously. "I didn't finish my summer work yet."

"Maybe Pete," James said, before turning to Sirius. "What'd you think, mate? I mean, there's loads of passages in this school, I'm sure one of them has got to lead to Hogsmeade."

Remus gave an involuntary shudder, and James turned to look at him. "Oh, other than that, I mean."

"That hallway," Sirius said suddenly. "Remember, the one with all of the twisted tapestries? I'll bet there was a passageway there. Or, maybe the one will all of the statues."

James nodded. "I can't remember them all... we really have to start keeping track, you know."

"Yeah," Sirius nodded. "Well anyway, when should we go? Tomorrow night?"

Remus frowned. "How about this weekend?"

"Okay," James said. "That way we'll have time to search for a passage."

The four boys looked at each other and grinned. Sirius scuffed his shoe against the hard floor and added, "Wonder what a firewhiskey tastes like..."

They walked up the staircase to sort out their things before exploring, and Remus arriving first, pushed open their dormitory door to reveal a freshly cleaned and empty room; the bed curtains were perfectly drawn and there wasn't even a speck of lint on the blankets. "Ah..." he said, smiling at the scene before him. "The room is finally livable! I can actually see the floor."

"We'll fix that," Sirius announced, entering the room with James and Peter closely behind him.

In an instant the sparkling clean room was littered with clothes and tossed blankets, loose wrappers falling about and food saved for later, all landing on top of comforters and bedposts.

Remus gave a slight whimper as he shoved through the now horrendously messy floor and flopped pitifully onto his bed. "Ah well," he said, mostly to himself. "At least my area of the room is-"

He was cut off as a strewn robe and an article that looked mysteriously like boxer shorts were tossed onto his bed. Remus rolled over and heaved an enormous sigh. "Such pigs..."

Later that night the boys got out their old and trustworthy cloak, stumbling a bit more than they used to because of the somewhat drastic change in height.

"We've already checked this section," Sirius said, as they rounded a familiar set of paintings.

"Have we?" James asked, scratching his head. "No, I think that was the other corridor."

Remus sighed. "I think we've been everywhere," he said tiredly. "Maybe we should just try again another night."

"If we don't find it tonight, we probably won't get to go this weekend," James said, "and besides, we've yet to fail at anything."

Peter sighed loudly. "We have already been in this section. See, there's the wrapper I dropped."

Sirius made a slight indignant noise and James responded by whipping the invisibility cloak off. "Well no one's around," he said, after Remus looked at him with an aghast expression. "Besides, this is probably what's holding us back. We can hardly move under that thing."

As they walked on Remus stooped down and picked up the wrapper, shoving it in his hand and muttering something about the declining economy.

"Well what's this?" Sirius asked, striding over to an interesting painting they must have missed. The boys followed him, and James shook his head.

"No Sirius, I'm certain we should go this way." He led the group to the opposite end of the hallway and pointed to an odd tapestry. "Look, that's got to be something."

"No," Remus shook his head, walking back in the direction Sirius had shown them. "Remember? That one night in second year we had commented that this was really unusual, it might be something."

"No," James said, dragging his friends back down the hallway. "That was nothing, we..."

He cut off as an echoing of footsteps sounded at the bottom of the stairs. The four boys looked at each other wide eyed, and then a little ways down the staircase at the strewn cloak.

"What do we do?" James whispered. "There's no way we can get to that cloak."

Sirius looked at him, down the stairs, and then back up to James. "Run!"

As one the four boys set off on a sprint down the hallway, a bit frantic as the steps became more audible. "A door!" Sirius whispered happily, pointing to a huge doorway in the middle of the hall.

"Where did that come from?" James asked suspiciously.

"Who cares, it's a door," Sirius said, stepping in. James, Remus, and Peter followed soon after, and shut the door quickly.

They breathed heavily from the quick run, turning around to view the mysterious room they had entered.

All four jaws dropped open, and wide eyes stared at their surroundings in awe. They stood in a very comfortable sort of area, with a very... unique variety of objects filling the room.

"Whoa..." Sirius breathed, his eyes searching the treasures that lay abounds.

"What is this room?" James asked curiously.

"I don't know, but look at all the books!" Remus said happily, hurrying to the large shelves.

"And the food," Peter said, rubbing his hands greedily. As he stuffed several sweets at a time into his mouth, he mumbled, "I was just hoping for some, too!"

"Do you think this is some sort of... I don't know, room that can hear what you're thinking?" James asked.

Sirius nodded slowly. "And it provides whatever you've wished for."

James grinned as he spotted a pile of parchments with intricate sketches drawn on them. "Quidditch plays," he said, leafing through them. "And look, a bottle of Purpurgi's Broom Polishing Cleaner. I was just thinking I had to clean my broom."

"Good to know we all had a keen eye on our objective," Sirius said, smirking.

Remus looked over from one of his books. "Oh, so you were only thinking about the passageway, Sirius?"

Sirius shrugged and then spotting something, he grinned like a madman as he settled himself on a plush red cushion and flipped through some sort of calendar.

"Girls," James, Remus, and Peter said in unison.

"This is bloody brilliant," Sirius said, tilting the calendar to face the boys. "Wicked Witches Calendar, a new girl for each month." He wiggled his eyebrows and smirked.

"You're so odd," Remus said, going back to his book.

"I'm odd?" Sirius asked, bemused. "You're the one who chooses to read about 'educational stuff' when you could be looking at very pretty pictures."

Quite awhile passed by as James looked eagerly through Quidditch plays, Peter nibbled on so much food it was sure to cause him a stomach-ache later on, Sirius flipped happily through his calendar, and Remus, of course, skimmed through his many books.

"Well, we'd better get going," James finally said, after he'd memorized each and every play and took enough bottles to oil his broom to its squeakiest.

Remus looked up. "Hey, we still haven't found the passageway."

"Oh look, her robe's exposing her shoulder!" Sirius announced, goggling gleefully at the 'wicked witch'.

James rolled his eyes and looked over at his friends. "Well maybe one of us was at least subconciously thinking of what we were actually searching for," he said, glancing around the room. "Maybe there's something in here that could give us a hint."

"What's that?" Peter asked, pointing a finger at a nearby table.

James and Remus looked over to see a large book resting open-faced on top of a small wooden stand. "That wasn't there before," James said, as he, Remus, and Peter stood up to investigate. "Sirius," he said, grabbing the calendar and smacking it across his head. "Get up you goon."

"Fine," Sirius pouted, standing up beside James. He waved his hands in mock excitement. "Ooh, a book."

"Well maybe it's a clue," Remus said, as he peered at the displayed page. "There's a witch on it."

Sirius made a face. "She's got one eye and a hump, poor thing."

"Nah, it's a statue," James said, holding up the page. "See, look at the description below it."

Sirius nodded. "So it must have something to do with the passage. I'm sure we can figure it out from this."

"Yeah, probably. Well, ready then?" James asked, looking around at his friends. "It's nearly dawn, and we still need to pick up my cloak."

The other three nodded, and they set off to get the most out of the quickly decreasing hours they had left until morning.

"G'night Genie," Sirius bid fondly, as he stepped out of the room.

His friends turned to stare at him. "Genie?"

"Well the room's got to have a name," he explained in an obvious manner, "and our wish is her command. Thus, Genie."

The others shook their heads. "Alright, Sirius."

The next day the boys walked through the hallways, a bit drowsy due to their three or so hours of sleep. They were on their way to History of Magic, (at least three of them were, Peter had run back to Herbology to retrieve the homework he had forgotten) and the chances of them staying awake during the old man's droning were about zero to a hundred.

Sirius felt Remus straighten up from the slouched position they all had acquired, and looked up to see what had caused this change.

Rolling his eyes, he saw Remus's gaze averted away from that of a rather eccentric and loud girl across the hall.

"Now's your big chance, Remmy," Sirius said, nudging his friend's side.

"Chance for what?" Remus said lightly, ducking his head and continuing on as if nothing had happened.

"Oh you're getting a bit irritating," Sirius said, "would you just admit it already?"

Remus looked at him with an aghast expression. "I haven't a clue what you're-"

"It is getting tiring Remus," James put in. "You're very obvious, you know, to us anyway."

"Yeah mate," Sirius added. "Just admit that you fancy her. Ask her to Hogsmeade. Snog her a bit... and you're done with it."

Remus made to protest again, but stopped at a look from James and Sirius.

"Fine," he said quietly. "I like her. There, you happy?"

"Okay, good," said James. "Now go ask her to Hogsmeade."

"Well it's not that simple," Remus said. "I mean, there are a few complications, you know."

"Like what?" asked James.

"Well for one, Sirius fancies her."

The two friends stopped walking and turned to look at Remus incredulously. "What!?"

"Well you do," said Remus, looking up at Sirius. "I mean, you're always flirting with her, and when she made the team, and well you two are just perfect-"

"Remus, Sirius flirts with everyone," said James. "Heck, he flirts with my Grandma. I certainly hope that doesn't mean he fancies her."

Sirius frowned at James's last statement, but then grinned at Remus. "No worries, mate. I don't fancy her in the least. Actually, I've got my eyes on..." Sirius looked around the corridor and spotted a girl their age walking near them, "Abbi." The girl's tumbling cinnamon locks fanned around her face as she whipped her head to face them, her over-bright blue eyes wide as they fell upon Sirius.

"Hey," he said, throwing her a suave half-grin. "You, me, Hogsmeade." She responded with a meek sound and he gave her a charming wink. The awe-struck girl let out a giggle and said in a dazed voice, "Sure."

"Well this works out," Sirius said, as Abbi ran down the corridor to no doubt, tell her friends. "Now just go ask her out, and-"

"That's not all of the complications," Remus continued. "I mean..."

"Oh come on, Remus," said James, "It's not that diffi-"

"I just... oh look, the door's open, we can go in now!" he pronounced with feigned excitement, nearly bouncing into the room.

James and Sirius sighed impatiently but followed him nonetheless. "Ah well, I can't complain," Sirius said, perking up, "I got a date out of it, after all."

B/N: Well I hope you had fun reading, and as for the review thank you's, I was personally granted this task by EyesofEmerald herself. I hope they are up to the usual standards. And a very special thank you to:

Dulcis Caelum- for the contribution of the wrinkly eyeball ; )

Charmed4ever- Yay! Gold stars for EyesofEmerald, she says thank you. But what about me?No gold stars for beta ;) But hey, a review is just as good! Thanks a lot for the fantastic review.

CotN4Life- Aww, that's touching reading it over again, I'm glad that you enjoy it so much and your review means a lot, thanks: )

dance-flirt- YAY!! Congrats to the winner!!! You just got a date with Sirius to Hogsmeade, how do you feel now? Thanks for being such an active member of the SBFC, you rock! Thanks for the marvelous reviews!

dreamlessnights- Your reviews are splendid just the way they are! I'd rather have your review then no review at all! I'm glad this story can bring laughter to you. Thanks a bunch for the awesome and interesting reviews!

espergirl04- I'm glad this story could make you laugh! Have loads of fun at your summer camp. I feel bad for Sirius too, I mean having a git like that for a brother…but it must be written to portray Sirius's character to it's fullest extent. Thanks for the review : )

FadingSlowly- I like your penname! When they got drenched they fell into the lake…sorry if that part confused you and I hope that could answer your wuestion! Thanks for the reviews!!

Gaby-Malfoy- Yes we'll all miss EyesofEmerald but, I think I'm a pretty darn good replacement..:) I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Thanks bunches for the review!

holly-evans- Hey, thanks for the review. I hope this chapter is as satisfactory as all the rest! : )

iluv2grind- Lily should have pushed James in to show him who's boss, but we can't have James looking too much like a fool. Thanks for the fabulous review!!

ImperishableStars- I absolutely love your penname, Regulus's name has been fixed and thanks for pointing it out! Yay, I love that they're getting older too, it's much more exciting to read and write about! Thanks bunches for the review: )

Jess- Yes, they do get themselves in a bunch of pickles don't they? Well there will probably be more of those situations, until they realize that they don't hate each other! Thanks for the review: )

koalacancan- Yay! thanks for reading this story, I hope you enjoy it!

Lanette- "poor remus, the poor cute idiot" hehe I liked that line of your review. Cute, indeed, but don't worry I've got my eye on James instead! Thanks for the review it means a lot : )

leyre- yes, indeed especially when its two squabbling teenagers! Thanks bundles for the review!

Loadsofwaffle- Hey, thanks for reviewing, and yes Lily and James are the cutest couple, sad to say that James is mine though….Lily can't have him. Thanks for the enthusiastic reviews, they mean a lot!

Marauderette-hmm, EyesofEmerald has claimed Sirius as her own, but I, beta get prongs for myself! Remus and Grace will be coming up soon, EyesofEmerald and I already have that all planned out, so no worries. Well I can help you pick out your name…I like Marauderette the best. It definitely has great potential. Thanks bundles for the marvelous review, I hope you'll be a loyal reviewer!

MelissaMoony- I'm glad this story provides amusement to it's readers! Glad you're enjoying, and thanks for the review!!

MidnightPrincess- Remus/Grace..interesting indeed, I guess you'll just have to read and find out…. Thanks for the review: )

MilesFromNormal- Lily and James getting over it and snogging, well that would be simple but then our story would be boring! It'll be awhile before they realize they're both being stupid and they love each other….well you'll just have to keep on reading to see how it happens. Thanks for the fantastic review: )

Ninde Annare-Yay! I'm glad you enjoyed reading this chapter, the review was much appreciated!!!!!

Oliverwoodschic-I agree with your review, a great story indeed! Your review was much appreciated.

PhoenixLupin- Yay, I'm glad you like this fic! And I'm glad you like the way Lily and James are portrayed!! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the rest! Thanks bundles for the review: )

Pline- Well, I'm glad you're enjoying this fic so much, and I hope you enjoy the rest! Thanks for the review!!!

Quiteona-Yay! I'm glad you're enjoying this fic so much! And I'm glad you're enjoying the humor added in it. Thanks for the reviews, they're awesome!

RSB-Raven Sirius Black- Thanks for the review, as for putting it in your LJ I don't think EyesofEmerald would mind, but you'd better get the okay from her first. : )

silverpheonix2- Yeah, unfortunately Lily and James won't be liking each others company for awhile, which of course is okay because Angie will keep him company ; )

siriusismine- I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you like this chapter too! I second your motion for Viggo Mortensen or Johnny Depp for the role of Sirius in the movies. I personally like Ch. 3 too, Angie is one of my favorite characters, maybe because we have so much in common ; ) President and Vice President are already filled positions for the SBFC, by EyesofEmerald and myself, secretary perhaps? Thanks bundles for the reviews!! I think you and dance-flirt need to realize that Sirius is EyesofEmerald's…you can fight over him with her.

thoroughbredchickie- I'm delighted to hear that you love this fic. It makes me get all 'gooey and fuzzy' hehe…but your support really makes having fics like this worth while. And your request to join the SBFC is underway….pending all the necessary paperwork has been filed. (Did I mention I'm the Vice Pres. of the club?) Thanks a bunch for the awesome reviews!!!

Windowseat Wonderer- Ahh. All the way at the end of the review thank you's, but don't worry…saved the best for last. I'm glad that this fic can bring some joy into your life. And as for sharing it with your sister, yay, I'm glad you introduced this story to someone new! Your review was much appreciated : )

B/N: Yea, so my author thank you's were pretty spiffy, EyesofEmerald has so little faith in me!