Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will.

Chapter 3: What Happened to Us?

It was three years since Lily, Miranda, Tina, Megan, Remus, Peter, James, and Sirius had first glimpsed the castle. They were all the best of friends. All of them were the top in their classes, except Peter and Tina, but they weren't bad, just not the best. They all loved pranks, and would pull them often.

James was the Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, and Sirius was a Beater. James had already been made Captain, too. (A/n: To me it sounds kind of early, but Oliver Wood was already Captain in his third year if you count, I think). James was the person in the group who would get all the materials needed for the prank they were going to pull off. He had never failed to get a single item. Sirius and Remus were the two who made up the actual prank

Lily's passion was reading, but she didn't always insist on playing by the rules. If you could get it out of her, you could see her wild side. She would spend lots of time in the library, but not always for schoolwork or innocent reading. She would often times be looking up various spells, charms, and jinxes for the group's latest pranks.

Remus also loved reading, and he also had a wild side. He and Lily were probably the closest boy and girl in the group, and many people wondered why they weren't going out. The truth was, they were so much the same it would be boring.

Megan was a Chaser on the Quidditch Team, as was Tina. They both were adventurous and almost never missed a prank the boys pulled. When they did, they would do their own. Megan and Tina were the two people who would make sure everything for the prank was set, so that practically nothing could go wrong.

Peter had an adventurous and pranking side, but he was a follower, not a leader. He might have been able to pull off a prank or two, but he was more useful in helping with the pranks somebody else thought of. He didn't have an actual part in the pranking system, but he was really useful when one of the others needed help getting something (James) or finding a book on something (Lily), or anything else.

Miranda was the creative one. She loved pranks (they all did; even Lily) but her passion was arts and creating things. Lots of times, she would organize the pranks, like when to steal things they needed, when and where to pull it off. She was the criminal mastermind behind the whole operation. She even made up a name for their group: the Marauders.

The Marauders were the most popular people in Hogwarts. Kids could always look forward to waking up to see a roommate disfigured, snow falling in the common room, Slytherin underpants hanging on chandeliers with the owner's names on them, or an occasional prank on one of the Marauders themselves.

All of the boy members of the Marauders had already had numerous girlfriends; they had gone from cute to hot. All of the girls had had a couple of boyfriends. There were many people who wondered why the Marauders hadn't hooked up with each other (A/n: Boys with girls. No slash in this fic). They had all had their little crushes (and some still had) but never anything serious.

Today was the first Quidditch game of the season. Megan, Tina, James, and Sirius had already left to change and warm up, and the others were still finishing their breakfasts.

Some of the older players on the Quidditch Team hadn't liked being coached by a third year, but they had gotten over it when they saw that James was really capable of handling this job well.

"Okay, team. We're going to win this match. No Slytherins are going to beat us, ever," James was saying, pulling on his gloves. "If we win this match, we'll have an early lead for the Quidditch Cup. The Slytherins may be good, but we're better. So let's get out there and win!" The whole team cheered, and walked to the entrance of to the pitch. When they heard Madam Hooch blow the whistle, they all mounted their brooms and took off. The Slytherins were already flying around, their green robes billowing behind them.

The cheers were deafening; three Houses were cheering for Gryffindor, and one for Slytherin. As soon as the Gryffindor team flew out, the Slytherins started booing, but the sounds were lost in the cheers.

Once everyone had taken their positions, Madam Hooch walked onto the pitch. She opened the jumping box next to her, and the Bludgers flew out. They instantly flew towards either side of the field. Sirius tightened his grip on his club. Then Madam Hooch released the Snitch. The tiny golden ball flew out and circled around James' head. Then it flew towards Robert Zenelia, the Slytherin Seeker, and circled his head. After that it flew away.

"I want a nice, clean game! Out of all of you!" said Madam Hooch, taking out the Quaffle. The Slytherins all grinned at each other, and Madam Hooch threw the Quaffle in the air.

"And the game begins!" shouted the announcer, Michael Delios. All at once, the six Chasers dove for the Quaffle. Tina got it first, and Megan flew away. Tina passed it to Megan, and Megan flew towards the Slytherin end of the field. She pretended to shoot, and passed the Quaffle to the other Chaser, Jeffery Minken. Jeffery threw the Quaffle into the unguarded left hoop, and it fell through.

"Ten points to Gryffindor!" shouted Michael. The Gryffindors, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw cheered. The Slytherins booed. James grinned.

"Nice one!" he called to Jeffery as he flew by. Then he resumed his search for the Snitch. He noticed the Robert flying closely behind him. 'Following me, huh? Well, this is going to be too easy then.' James pulled into a dive. Instantly, Robert followed him. James pulled up quickly but Robert took longer. He didn't crash though, much to James' disappointment.

"Thomas passes to Keeter! Keeter passes to Thomas! Thomas passes to Minken, Minken passes to Keeter! Jenkins intercepts the pass and is speeding away! Jenkins passes to Clauster! Clauster passes to Frollmen. Frollmen shoots...and scores! Ten points to Slytherin." The Slytherins cheered, while everyone else booed.

"Dammit," James muttered.

"Thomas intercepts the pass! Passes it to Keeter, who is flying down the field...she shoots...she scores!!! Yeah! Gooooooo Gryffindor! Up yours, Slytherins! Oh, sorry, Professor. Ten points to Gryffindor," said Michael after a stern glare from McGonagall. Megan flew up next to James, just as Robert dived.

"Why aren't you going for it?" she screamed. "He's going to get the Snitch!" Up in the stands the others were screaming the same thing.

"Go! Go! What are you waiting for, Potter?"

"James! Go! Get! The! Snitch!!!!" Lily, Remus, Peter, and Miranda were screaming. "What are you doing?"

"James!" Megan shouted. "The Snitch! The Snitch! He's going to get the Snitch!"

"No, he's not," said James calmly, looking somewhere else and then back to Robert.

"How do you know!?" Megan screamed, making sure Jeffery and Tina were handling it while she was yelling at James.

"Because, first of all, he's about to crash. And second of all, the Snitch is over there," said James, and with that sped off towards Gryffindor's side of the field. And no sooner had he wrapped his fingers around the fluttering ball then Robert rammed into the ground. There was a sickening crack and Robert lay motionless.

"Potter has caught the Snitch! 150 points to Gryffindor!" shouted Michael. "Gryffindor wins, 170-10!" The Slytherins groaned. The Captain roared. One of the Beaters screamed madly and rushed towards James. James didn't see him, because his back was facing him. James flew far up, waving the Snitch in the air and grinning. But suddenly, the Slytherin Beater hit a Bludger with all his might towards James, and it hit him in the head. James was aware of Sirius screaming just as madly as the Slytherin Beater, but then he was falling...falling…

Lily screamed.

"What? What's going on?" asked Miranda who had been looking somewhere else. Lily pointed shakily at the pitch and leapt up from her seat. Miranda and Remus and Peter looked to see James falling off his broom, blood flowing from his head. Sirius was charging to a Slytherin Beater, brandishing his club. Remus, Miranda, and Peter followed Lily onto the field. Megan and Tina had already landed and were trying to think of how to make sure James didn't break all his bones hitting the ground. The teachers were rushing onto the field too, and Dumbledore arrived seconds later. He raised his hand and said something. James slowed down, and landed on the ground softly.

Sirius had been restrained and brought to the ground. He had put up a fight but finally satisfied himself with the fact that he'd broken the Slytherin Beater's nose and bruised him severely. McGonagall led the Slytherin Beater off, muttering angrily about detentions and suspension.

The Marauders anxiously followed the stretcher bearing James to the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey tried to shoo them out. After several useless attempts, she gave up and started taking care of James. She waved her wand and he was in red pajamas. Then she conjured a huge bandage and a magical potion that, when put on the cut would clear it out (bacteria and dirt and stuff. Same as the Muggle stuff, but a lot better), and poured some on James' head. The cut glowed white for a moment, then returned to its normal color. Madam Pomfrey then wrapped the bandage around James' head and, with a last disapproving look at the Marauders, left the room to see to Robert and the Slytherin Beater.

Lily was almost crying. She felt so bad for James and was worried he wouldn't be all right. She had had a huge crush on James for a while but he obviously didn't feel the same way. The reason Lily knew this entered the hospital wing at that moment.

"Hey, Britney," said Sirius dully. He and James were like brothers. Britney Jackson was a Ravenclaw third year, and James' current girlfriend. Lily unnoticeably glared at Britney as the latter sat down on James' bed.

"Is he okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Does he look okay?" Lily muttered. Britney didn't hear her.

"That was so mean! How could that boy do that to James?" she said. Lily rolled her eyes.

"He's a Slytherin," she said. Britney ignored her. None of the Marauders, except James liked her at all. She had blond hair and brown eyes. She could be funny sometimes. Britney Jackson thought the world revolved around her and that she was the best. She was really mean and a world-class bitch.

It was starting to get dark out. Lily stood up to close the window. Britney turned towards her.

"Excuse me, Lily, dear," she said. Lily turned around.

"What?"

"Could you leave me and my boyfriend to have some privacy for a moment? And the rest of you, too," said Britney, smiling. Lily smiled the same way.

"Why do you need privacy with him? He's unconscious." Britney's smile wavered, but she kept it on.

"Just leave us, okay?"

"Why? I have the right to be here, too. He's one of my best friends."

"Whatever," said Britney. She left the Hospital Wing, slamming the door behind her. Lily closed the window and calmly sat back down.

Madam Pomfrey made them go to the Great Hall for dinner, and then she wouldn't let them back in.

"He needs rest!" she called through the door, and shut it. The Marauders sighed, and headed up to the Gryffindor common room.

The next day was Sunday, so as soon as the group finished breakfast, they went down to see James. They found that he had woken up and was eating a large bowl of Frosted Flakes. Madam Pomfrey was bustling around, looking at his head.

"Concussion...can be fixed in a heart beat...nasty gash...oh, I'm afraid it will be a scar..." she was muttering. James looked up from his cereal and smiled painfully at his friends.

"Hey, guys," he said. They waved and came over.

"How are you feeling?" Lily asked.

"Super," said James. Lily smiled. Madam Pomfrey took away James' cereal bowl ("Hey, I was eating that!") and waved her wand, pointing it at James' head. A jet of silver mixed with gold shot out and entered his head through the cut. James started laughing.

"Hey...that...tickles!" he gasped. Then the jet of light shot back out of the cut and disappeared. Madam Pomfrey checked his head again.

"Good, good, that fixed the concussion," she said. She waved her wand again, and a large bandage appeared over James' cut. "I'm afraid you will have that scar for a long time, maybe forever," she said to James. "Luckily it's mostly concealed by your hair." He nodded. "You can go. I want you back here at the end of the day, though." James nodded again and smiled. He carefully climbed out of the bed and padded across the stone floor to the bathroom to change.

When he came back out, the Marauders were still waiting for him.

"Ready to go?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah," answered James. "Is today a Hogsmeade day?"

"Yeah," said Miranda. "Let's go, or we might be late." They headed out of the Hospital Wing to the Entrance Hall. Lots of students were gathered there, waiting to board the carriages. Finally, Hagrid came inside and said the carriages were ready. The students all walked out of the hall, chatting. The Marauders managed to get their own carriage.

While they were riding, Miranda started on one of her favorite topics.

"So, Sirius, who do you like?"

"You, of course," he said, grinning. Miranda grinned too.

"Then I'm sitting next to you. James, scoot." James dutifully switched places with her, and he was now sitting next to Lily. Sirius put an arm around Miranda's shoulders.

"Sirius, you cheater," said James. "Don't you have a girlfriend? That girl in Hufflepuff?"

"Oh, yeah," said Sirius, pretending to have forgotten. This was a game they played often, with different people. Usually it meant nothing to any of them, but this time Miranda felt a pang in her heart.

'What was that?' She wondered. 'I don't care if Sirius has a girlfriend. I don't like him...do I?' She frowned and mentally shrugged it off. "How about you, Remus?"

"I dunno," he said. "No one at the moment."

Everyone smiled.

"Suuuuure," said Miranda. Then she turned to Lily.

"Who do you like, Lily?" Lily looked around confidently, pretending to study everyone carefully. She seemed calm on the outside, but on the inside she was a nervous wreck. She always told the truth about this, but she couldn't this time!

"It's someone in this carriage," she said finally and truthfully. Everyone looked around at each other.

"Oh, it must be me," said Sirius. "Who wouldn't like me?"

'Yeah, who wouldn't?' thought Miranda. 'Wait! What was that thought? I don't like Sirius Black! He's my best friend! But he's so hot...SHUT UP!!!'

"It could be you," said Lily. Miranda sighed.

"Well, we're not going to get anything from her. James, anyone besides Britney?" James rolled his eyes.

"Britney? Please, I can't stand her. She's so...annoying. Thinks the world revolves around her. No, I'm breaking up with her today."

"Then why did you put up with her for so long?" asked Sirius.

"I kept thinking she might get better, but I've had enough," answered James.

"So, who do you like?" Miranda asked. The boys all looked at each other. James had told them last night. It was against the Marauder rules to tell some people something but not tell others, but, hey, Marauders were rule-breakers. As James pointed out to Miranda when she accused him of telling the other boys.

"You'll see later," said James. "Miranda...who do YOU like?" Miranda blushed.

"No one..." she said. 'Yes you do...' teased her brain. 'You like Sirius Black. And you know it...now admit it to your friends.' She ignored the little voice and looked at Megan. "Megan?"

"No one, at the moment. I did like Stanley McTigue earlier, but not anymore."

"Ooh, he's a hottie," said Tina. James opened the carriage door as it came to a stop. He was the first to climb out. When everyone was out of the carriage they headed off towards Hogsmeade.

"Let's split up," suggested Lily. She needed to talk to her girl friends.

"Okay," agreed James. He needed to talk to the guys.

"We'll meet at the Three Broomsticks in…say two hours?" said Tina.

"Sure," said everyone else. The girls and boys split up and went in two opposite directions.

"Oh my God. Oh my GOD," Megan was saying as they were looking at dress robes. "You like James?" Lily had finally admitted it.

"Yeah," she said miserably. "But I'm sure he doesn't like me."

"He might," said Miranda fingering some satin robes.

"I doubt it."

"We'll see," said Megan.

"How about this?" Miranda snapped her fingers as an idea came to her head. "He's probably going to ask his current crush out today...so if it's not you send him an anonymous letter. Like a secret admirer thing. We'll see where it goes from there." Lily thought it over.

"Okay," she said. "Yeah. I like it."

"Do you think I should do it?" James was asking his friends as they walked the cobbled streets.

"Yeah, go for it," said Sirius.

"I think she might like you," said Remus.

"And what's the harm, really? If she says no, you can still be friends," put in Peter.

"Yeah," said James. "Okay. I'm going to ask Lily out then."

When they met at the Three Broomsticks later, everyone was excited. Lily couldn't wait to find out whom James was asking out and if it wasn't her, to send the anonymous letter. James couldn't wait to ask Lily out. The others couldn't wait to see it all.

"Everyone want a butterbeer?" asked Sirius, standing up. They all nodded and he walked up to the bar. "Eight butterbeers, please," he said to Madam Rosmerta. She nodded and walked away. Soon Sirius came back carrying four frothing mugs and levitating the other four. Everyone drank their butterbeer and talked about nothing in particular. In what seemed like no time, it was time to go back to the castle.

They climbed in a carriage and rode back up. James was silent, thinking about how he was going to do it. Lily was staring out of the window, getting more nervous every second. Everyone else was just sitting quietly, thinking about things.

When they reached the castle, it was already time for dinner. The Marauders walked into the Great Hall, anticipating a great meal. As they sat stuffing their faces (at least the boys were. The girls were picking at their food, nervous for Lily), Britney came over. James wiped his mouth on his napkin and looked up at her.

"Hey, Britney," he said as she sat down. Lily was sitting across from him.

"Hi, James," Britney smiled.

"Listen, can I talk to you?" James asked. Everyone else, except Lily, was talking to each other. Britney looked at Lily.

"Sure," she said. "But Lily, you should go away then. It's private."

"How do you know?" Lily retorted. "You don't even know what it's about."

"Just go away."

"No," said Lily and returned to her salad. But then Britney said it. The thing that made Lily crack.

"Why do you hang around with James, anyway? Or, why does he hang around with you? He must feel sorry for you. You're so ugly, and useless. All you're good at is schoolwork. You're totally boring. You only have friends because they pity you. That's what James always says, anyway." Lily turned to James and hurt filled her eyes. James had a shocked expression on his face.

'Probably because he thought she wouldn't tell.' thought Lily bitterly. All this time she had thought he was her true friend, but he only pitied her. 'Fine. I don't care. I don't need James Potter to survive.' Lily looked at Britney who was smirking. Lily tried to glare, but couldn't because tears were starting to fall. She pushed back her chair with a loud scrape and ran out of the Great Hall. The whole Gryffindor Table watched. James stood up just as quickly and ran after her.

Lily ran blindly down corridors, wiping tears out of her eyes. She couldn't believe it

'How could he do this to me? I wish he had gotten more damage from that Bludger.'

James was having a hard time following Lily. He couldn't believe Britney. How could she do this?

'Aah, Lily, where are you?'

Lily sank down on the floor, unable to run any longer. James soon found her and sat down next to her.

"Lily –" he began.

"No," she said. "Go away. I can't believe you. I never thought you were capable of doing something like this to a person. Why are you even here, anyway? Shouldn't you be with Britney, laughing it over?"

"Lily, believe me, Britney made all of that up. I never, ever said that, any of it."

"Oh yeah? Why would she make something like that up? She had no reason to. It's not like I'm a threat to her. You don't like me."

"Lily-" she cut him off again.

"You know why this hurts even more, James? I have this huge crush on you. Or had, by now. I was so excited to see who you were going to ask out tonight so that I could send you a secret admirer letter, if it wasn't me. I've liked you for a while. When you were unconscious because of the Bludger, I was worried that you would have permanent damage. That something awful would happen." She stood up, and so did James. "But you know what? Now, I couldn't care less. Now, I know what your really are like. I'm glad that, finally, after three years, I know who you are as a person."

"Lily, I swear, Britney made it all up!"

"Why!? Why would she do that, James?"

"Because, she knew I didn't like her anymore! She knew that I liked you! She knew that it was you I was going to ask out tonight!"

"Yeah, right. Just leave me alone, Potter," Lily said. She saw the hurt in his eyes, but she didn't care. He had hurt her so much worse. She started to walk away, but he grabbed her arm. She looked right into his eyes. "What?" she asked coldly.

"C'mon. Why are you believing Britney? She's lying!"

"Stop trying to lie your way out of this, Potter. It's not going to work," Lily said. She was one of those people who didn't take these things lightly. Once again, hurt flashed through James' eyes, but was immediately replaced by anger.

"Fine!" he said. "I'll leave you alone. I never knew you were like this. I never thought you would be one to believe what your enemy, since I know you two hate each other, says over what your best, I mean former best friend says. Since you want it so much, I'll leave you alone, Evans," James said bitterly. The cut in Lily's heart got deeper. Evans. That was what she was to him now. And he was Potter to her.

"So this is how the inseparable Marauders start separating," Megan whispered sadly to the others from around the wall they were watching Lily and James from.

Then James turned around and walked away.

I thought it was too good to be true
I found somebody who understands me
Someone who would help me to get through
And fill an emptiness I had inside me
But you kept inside and I just denied
Some things that we should have both said
I knew it was too good to be true
Cause I'm the only one who understands me

What happened to us
We used to be so perfect, now we're lost and lonely
What happened to us
And deep inside I wonder, did I lose my only?

-What Happened to Us, Hoobastank.