A/N: Thanks for the reviews and alerts so far! Makes me so happy :) Now presenting Chapter Six, "If You Want to Make Enemies," which is longer than any of the others. I hope that's not a problem! Hope you like! Let me know :) :) :)

If you want to make enemies . . .

Mary woke the next day in a black mood. She was torn between anger and guilt. She couldn't help but feel bad about what she had said to Sirius. She knew he was good and noble and brave on the inside. He would not have come from a family of Slytherins and been sorted into Gryffindor if he did not have honorable qualities. He was just so arrogant and cruel sometimes.

It seemed that Mary wasn't the only person in a dark frame of mind. James and Lily were still seething from yesterday's argument. Even Remus, who didn't really have a reason, at least not one Mary could perceive, shot glares to anyone who looked at him. He gave two second years detention before breakfast. And Sirius was nowhere to be found. Mary watched for him at breakfast and in their first class and then during break, but he did not appear all day.

After Divination, Mary's last class of the day, she met Lily, who had been in Arithmancy, and headed for dinner. Mary withdrew from her thoughts when she found Lily saying something to her. So far the only words they had exchanged the entire day were class-oriented.

"—is staring at you like that?" Lily asked. "Like—like he wants to jinx you."

"Who's staring at me?" asked Mary, who was very befuddled.

"Sirius."

Mary whipped her head around to where Lily was looking. Sirius was leaning against the wall outside of the Great Hall, hands in his pockets with a face of pure fury. Mary paled and tripped. Dropping her bag, her books spilled from where it had split open. A book slid to Sirius's feet. He kicked the book down the hall and walked into the Great Hall.

"Sirius Black!" berated Lily. "For heaven's sake, what is going—Mary, let's just summon them. Accio, books!"

"Thanks," said Mary, embarrassed. She had dropped to her knees and begun to gather her books. Why hadn't she thought of a Summoning Charm?

"Because Sirius just acted really awful, that's why," said Lily, now repairing Mary's bag. "Why did he do that?" added Lily with a sideways glance at her friend.

Mary had apparently voiced her thoughts once again. It was getting embarrassing. Mary shrugged in reply to Lily.

"Is whatever that's going on why you've been in a bad mood and why Sirius has skived classes all day?" asked Lily.

Mary didn't say anything.

"What happened, Mar?" asked Lily kindly.

"I told Sirius that he didn't deserve to be in Gryffindor," said Mary slowly.

Lily's eyebrows rose steeply and her mouth twitched. "That took some guts, huh? I can't believe he took it so seriously, though," added Lily after a moment. "I would have thought he would've brushed it off. What prompted you to, er, say that to him?"

"Idunnoknow," muttered Mary.

"He must have said something to make you say that," said Lily. "It's so unlike you."

Mary's feelings hurt at these words, though she didn't understand why. Lily was only trying to help her. Why did everyone think she was some shy little coward who never got angry? Because you are, said a confident voice in her head.

"Sirius is such a bully!" burst Mary fiercely. "And he is so haughty! He bullies everybody and expects them to be intimidated. I just can't take it sometimes! It's like he and James think they're the gods of Hogwarts, and they're not! They may be Gryffindors, but they act like Slytherins. I don't know what the sorting hat saw in him!"

Lily's eyes were wide with surprise.

"I'm glad you told him then," said Lily when Mary had taken a few breaths. "He shouldn't bully anyone, especially my best friend." Lily smiled a little.

"I guess I overreacted, though," Mary told Lily. "I shouldn't have said what I said. I know he's a Gryffindor . . . somewhere inside."

"Deep, deep, deep, down inside," laughed Lily.

Mary laughed, too, and it made her spirits rise a little. Funny how laughter can do that.

"But seriously, why don't you explain that to him, Mary?" said Lily.

"He wouldn't listen," said Mary gloomily. "You saw what he did just now."

"If he would listen to anybody, I think it would be you," said Lily quietly.

"Why?" asked Mary incredulously.

"Because he took it to heart so, Mar," explained Lily. "I don't know why he did, but he did, and that's got to mean something."

"Maybe," said Mary thoughtfully.

"C'mon, let's eat dinner before it's over," said Lily.

"I hope there are some chairs next to the Marauders," muttered Mary sarcastically.

Lily burst into laughter. "Yeah, let's hope—" Lily cut off as they crossed the threshold.

James and Sirius were walking through the door right as they entered. Mary almost ran into James.

"Thinking about skiving off detention, Macdonald?" asked James, but not in his usually joking manner. He sounded harsh. "Won't work. McGonagall sent us to fetch you and go down to Filch."

Mary had completely forgotten about detention. Lily looked at her apologetically.

"Let's go, Mary," said James. "Now. I'm not in the mood." He and Sirius walked right past her.

"If I wasn't ignoring him, I'd give him a good kick in the—"

"Macdonald!" called James without looking back.

Lily gave her an encouraging look, and Mary took off after Sirius.

"Sirius, I am so sorry for what I said, yesterday," said Mary. She waited for him to reply or nod or anything, but he just walked along with James staring straight in front of him.

"I didn't even mean it! I don't even know why I said it like that!" Mary pleaded with him. "I just wanted you to stop bullying me—"

"It's called teasing, not bullying," said James. "Sirius isn't a bully, Mary."

"Well, whatever it is—it just seems that—no one likes it. No one—I don't like to be belittled, and that is what it felt like, Sirius."

No response.

"Sirius, please, I just got too wound up," said Mary. "I shouldn't have said it like that. It was hurtful, and I feel so bad. . . ."

"Didn't your mother ever tell you that life is full of temptations?" said Sirius, way off subject. "Oh, wait, I forgot. You're Mary Macdonald. You only wish it was."

Mary stopped walking. "Is that really how you're going to act?"

"Why don't you go pretend to read a book and really listen in on other people—"

"You cannot talk to me like that! You shouldn't talk to anyone like they're nothing to you, Sirius Black! It's cruel!"

"Who are you, Mary Macdonald?" he asked arrogantly, turning around for the first time and looking her straight in the eye. "No body."

Mary's eyes began to fill with tears but she pushed them back. She would not let him of all people see her cry.

"I take it all back," she said as he turned his back on her. "Don't ever change, Sirius Black. I want to remember why I want to forget you."

"Sod off, Mary," he said without even looking at her.

. . . try to change something.

A/N: Quote by Woodrow Wilson.

Dedicated to stewart02. YOU ROCK!

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