I'm glad that I got a response! I can't promise to usually update this frequently, but I had this written and I'm trying to encourage more readers! I don't have a beta-reader, so if you notice some silly mistake it's all on me. I apologize in advance, because I know there's some in here.

To tell the truth is revolutionary. ~ Antonio Gramsci

Chapter 2

"Black. Get out." Our pleasant silence was interrupted by Lily storming in, which caused Sirius to drop some of his colorful beans, and stand up suddenly, banging his head on the trunk rack above. I jumped up too, startled.

Lily looked livid. Her normally tame appearance, looked wind-swept, like she had battled hurricanes to reach our compartment. Her normally pale face was red and her hands were in tight fists, her knuckles pale white, silver rings straining across her fingers. Sirius looked as startled by her face as I felt, Lily hardly ever got truly mad, and never in front of someone besides me. But, he knowing girls as well as he did, knew when to leave a situation.

"I'll see you later Addy. Um... Good to see you Lily?" He said, backing out of our compartment for some safety far, far away.

"Thanks for the Drew Balls," I called as he walked away. He turned to give a little 'no problem' wave, "Sirius." I whispered. Sirius. I felt warm inside just saying his name. I started to smile, until I remembered the storm, otherwise know as Lily Evans, still standing and seething rage in front of me.

"Do you know what HE just did?" The emphasis on "he" left no question as to who the 'he' was. I mentally sighed. This would be why I didn't want to get my hopes up too high, even when all the signs seemed positive. Lily already held such a grudge, one little thing by James would set her off, make her positive he was the jerky third or fourth year again.

"Did he ask you out." I couldn't get too emotionally or mentally involved. I was getting whiplash from Lily's emotions and the beginning of one of my migraines.

"No!"

"Did he… jinx a poor little first year."

"Well… no!"

"Did he try to kiss you."

"NO!"

"Then what's your problem? It doesn't sound like he did anything." After each question, her face got a bit redder and her voice louder and shriller, until the final 'no' turned into a screech.

"HE'S HEAD BOY! THAT'S WHAT HE DID!" With that final bit of information she sat down with a 'humph' to glare at my amused expression. "What's so funny?" she asked, or rather demanded.

I couldn't help but laugh. She wasn't mad. She was appalled. She looked so horrified at the thought of James being Head Boy. "I don't see what's so wrong Lily. It's not like he's stupid. Of course, he isn't a genius like you, but then again no one is. And the Head Boy and Girl don't necessarily have to be the smartest two people in the school. To be a Head Boy or Girl you have to be respected by everyone, which he is, you have to be get along with the teachers, which he does, and you have to be a good person-" I held up my hand to her attempt to interrupt, "which he is, though you seem to have a great deal of trouble believing it."

James wasn't what I would call a traditional Head Boy, but he wasn't lacking a necessary skill that would take him out of the running. I never considered him as Head Boy, but the more I thought about it, it made sense. He was smart, he just didn't always try s hard as others. He was respected and apart from his pranks, a pretty nice teenage boy. Teachers liked him, for all his trouble making ways, and other students liked him too. Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and the other teachers choose the Heads, and I was confident that if they though he was the best candidate, he deserved he badge.

"You sound like you're in love with him. Why don't you go ask him out then?" She snarled. Very un-Lily like. "Sorry." She said quieter. "I know you like Sir-" I coughed to interrupt, "I know you like someone else," she said, changing where she was going with her statement, "I didn't mean to be nasty… I'm just… confused, I guess." She said ending in a whisper.

"Don't worry." I replied, just as quietly. Of course she knew I still liked Sirius. I could pretend and fool myself, but there was no fooling her.

"I don't even know why I got mad. I walked down to the compartment, like I was supposed to, and I saw Remus, so I was like 'Cool, I guess Lupin's Head Boy'. And then James comes up behind him and smiles at me, and I guess I lost my head a bit there, being the first time I'm actually allowing myself to look at him and not see a jerk, and I smile back. He's shocked, of course, so I smile a bit more, because it's like 'hey, I can do this, I can flirt and act cool and not be nerdy and maybe like James'. So I congratulate Lupin on getting Head Boy, and he just looks at me a little funny and keeps walking past the compartment with that rat-boy, whatever his name is. So I think that's a little weird, but I don't dwell on it. So I go into the compartment and introduce my self to all the prefects, and I say 'We just have to wait for Remus and we can get started'.

And then the compartment opens from behind me and James of all people comes in and is like 'You can get started, we aren't waiting for Remus, I'm Head Boy'. And so I laugh and tell him to get out. And now I have all the prefects looking at me and James pulls out a badge, and sure enough it says, "James Potter" "Head Boy". So he comes in and stands beside me and starts off on the lecture and introductions. And I just stand there like an idiot with my mouth open staring at him the entire time. So towards the end, he turns to me and asks if there's anything I want to add, and I can't even speak enough to say 'no'. So he dismisses everyone and walks out leaving me standing there, my jaw still on the floor."

"Wow." I was shocked. James had matured, but I didn't think he had that much.

"And now I can't figure out why I'm so mad about him being Head Boy. I actually don't even know if I'm mad!" She stood up and started pacing. More very un-Lily like behavior. She was normally so calm and collected, even though she had the hair. She didn't like when her temper got the best of her, so she always tried to hold her emotions in. Today was turning into a very unusual sort of day.

"I don't know what to say." I didn't. This was another new situation. There was nothing to say, besides the obvious. 'You're Head Girl, James is Head Boy. You get to spend some time with him, away from his friends; boys always behave more naturally away from their friends 'cause they don't have to show off. Don't even sweat it. It'll be good for the both of you, I think."

She sat back down. And stared out the window, leaving us in silence. It wasn't a bad silence, only a thoughtful one. I knew she heard what I had said, and now I just had to let her think.

I thought back to Sirius. He was heart breaker, I knew that. At least, my head did. My heart on the other hand, wasn't always so smart. He was just too handsome for my own good. I really had to get over him. It was better that way, safer. But… I realized he had never answered my question as to why he came by. Succumbing to my romantic, wishful thinking side, hoped maybe he had come by to see me, but realistically I knew there was certainly a more logical reason, one not involving me.

"Okay." Lily finally looked away from the window, and the growing darkness outside. "I agree. It should be good, for both of us." It still seemed she was trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince me.

"Glad you're being reasonable." I joked, attempting to lighten the temper in the room, which had grown darker as Lily and I had thought.

"Shut up." She said, half playfully, half seriously. We laughed, and room became a little less like the eye of a thunderstorm.

"Why did Sirius stop by?" Lily asked, probably just having realized there was something unusual about the compartment when she stormed back in. She's not normally unobservant, but today I could cut her some extra slack.

I didn't have an answer for her, just a guess. "I think he was coming to warn you? Or maybe he was looking for James?" Those were the best I could come up with.

She let the subject drop, and the train continued to chug across the Scottish countryside. It grew steadily darker outside, and I just read my magazine and Lily read her book. A few friends poked their heads in to say hi, then continued on. Lily went on a brief patrol up and down the train, reminding first years to put on their school robes as we got closer and closer to the castle.


"Fe'st years! This way! Follow me! Fe'st years!" Hagrid stood, towering over everyone, with first years cowering at his huge feet. He was the Hogwart's Grounds Keeper, and sometimes he helped out with the Care of Magical Creatures class. He knew almost everything about Magical Creatures, but his height was definitely intimidating, especially from a 5'3'' shrimp like myself. I was too nervous ever to be friendly, but knew Lily sometimes went down to his cabin, either to visit or study or find a place to escape James.

"Home sweet home!" Lily announced as she came up behind me. We stood for a moment on the platform, looking up at the school which had become our home more than anywhere else had. Lights glittered from window, visible across the lake, and the entire thing almost looked fake, or at least too good to be real. Lily and I were like sisters, and Hogwarts our home. I had missed it, and thinking forward I would miss it even more when I graduated. Which was this year. Merde. I wasn't ready. Not to leave Hogwarts, not to grow up, not to have do something with my life.

"Yeah, home sweet home." Sirius laughed dryly, as he and the others came up behind Lily and I, causing her to jump. Of course, I assumed, he wouldn't see Hogwarts like that. He was from a Pureblood family, one of the richer ones. He probably saw Hogwarts as confining, not freeing like Lily and I saw it. His loss.

"Well Lily, we get a carriage to ourselves up to the castle. You coming?" James offered with a dashing bow and smile, which Lily took in stride, and they left the platform to walk to the carriages.

The carriages. Eww. Maybe the single thing about Hogwarts I didn't like. Not because of the carriages themselves but the things which drew them. Thestrals. They weren't bad looking creatures; like skinny horse like with wings. But most people didn't know that. Only people who had witnessed a death could see them.

Before third year, after seven rides in the carriages(two to school, one away, and four for the Christmas holidays), I had no idea what pulled them. Magic I assumed, the one time I gave any thought to it at all. Then the winter of third year, before Christmas, I was called home because my father was in an accident. We had always been close. He had always wanted a son but got me, and we made it work. The person who had taken my out to ice cream after visiting St. Mungo's, the one who had taught me my first hexes to save myself from horny guys, had been the one to go buy me my first broomstick when mum didn't think I was ready for one. After his death, I came back to school alone. There was only one carriage waiting for me instead of the usual hundred. And it was being pulled by something. A yucky horse I thought originally, until I got close. Then all I could think about was the father I was never going to see again. When I reached the castle I was still bawling and was sent to the Infirmary, where I found out what the not-horse was.

"You okay?" A gentle voice asked in my ear. I leaped up, surprised, and looked around. Sirius and I were the only ones still standing on the platform, and all the carriages had already gone, except for one which Lupin was holding back, waiting for us.

"Yea," I laughed, shakily. "Just great." He frowned at my tone of voice. "Let's go." I said quickly, hurrying towards the waiting carriages. His longer strides kept pace with my shorter ones, as I tried not to look at him or the thestrals, leaving me to look at the ground.

Sirius stopped me before we were within hearing range of the other two boys. "You sure you're okay Adrienne?" He stared down intently at me. Another reason I had always had trouble escaping my crush on Sirius- he could always make you feel like you were the one, the most important thing on his mind, the only thing he cared about at the moment. His eyes could pierce flesh, see into my heart and mind. He was never afraid to stand close, and with his height paired with my "fun size-ness," he towered over me, but instead of being intimidated, I felt protected. His open and honest face seemed to beg me to confide in him, a trait people usually associated with me, and I wanted to tell him the truth. No one else knew the entire truth besides Lily: no one wants to broadcast that they've suffered an emotional breakdown.

When I got out of the Hospital Wing, rumors seemed to be everywhere for a week. They broke of suddenly when James and Sirius did something stupid that attracted everyone's attention, and people stopped focusing on me, and then the next drama came around, and thankfully, no one ever found out the truth. I learned later that Lily had some influence on the timing of the prank pulled, but what else are best friends for?

I liked Sirius. I could admit that to myself without ruining my life, my self-esteem. But I knew what type of boy Sirius was. He was out-going, and athletic, and smart and popular. He had everything going for him. He could have anything, or anyone, he wanted. I wasn't one to sell myself short, or beg for compliments. I could acknowledge that I had things going for me- I had some great friends, I could be pretty if I put in an effort more often, I was willing to try hard, and people liked me because I listened well and could offer honest, but nice advice. I didn't gossip and I didn't like when people talked about me. Sirius- no Black- and I were different. No matter how perfect he seemed, I knew nothing but a cup of raspberry tea and a shortbread cookie were perfect. I also knew that you couldn't trust everyone, and Sirius generally represented everyone, or who everyone wanted to be.

I looked away, scanning the area around us. "I'm fine, really." I shivered when my gaze passed over the two waiting thestrals. He looked to the front of the carriage as well, but his eyes kept moving, looking for what had made me shiver. He couldn't have believed me, I'm a terrible liar, but he moved on quickly. "Let's go. Those two look impatient."

I judged the distance from the ground to the steps of the tall carriage, and prepared to make the leap up, when Lupin stuck his hand out to help pull me up.

"Thanks." I smiled and said gratefully, knowing I would have made a fool of myself if I had leapt.

"No problem," he said with a smile. "Sorry mate," he said, his smile turning apologetic as he looked towards Sirius getting into the carriage. Of course he didn't have to jump. "Knew you'd want to help, but we can't delay any longer." Sirius growled at Lupin. I looked between the two boys in confusion, then settled in next to Lupin, across from Sirius and Peter, the little rat boy.

Boys confused me some days. Actually, they confused me most days. They had to be different species, or from a different planet, or something that explained why the heck they were so different. People said that boys were much more straight forward than girls, but when they made cryptic little remarks like that, I had to disagree. Honesty. I'm a firm believer in that. Boys suck, but girls can't live without them, myself included. Grr.