A/N: Okay so just a short filler for today. I won't update again until Wednesday, unfortunately, as I'm now starting my spring semester.

Chapter Dedications: CrazyMuggleborn44, mekio777, I wont go down without a fight, and LastInTheWilderness. Thanks for reviewing and adding this story to your alerts page.

Chapter Thirteen

Two minutes after becoming a Marauder, Rain was startled by a barn owl landing in her plate. She stared at it a moment before it clicked it's beak in annoyance and held out it's leg impatiently. Attached to it's leg was a letter. Rain quickly untied it and the owl flew off.

On the front of the letter were the words:

Rainnina Bone

Great Hall

Gryffindor table

She laughed and showed it to her friends.

"Look," she said. "It's addressed to the Gryffindor table even though I'm Slytherin."

"Well, yeah," said James. "You eat here all the time. What does the letter say?"

She opened it and read aloud:

Dear Miss Bone,

I am pleased to inform you that you have the opportunity to join the Slytherin and Gryffindor first years in broomstick training in the courtyard this afternoon after your Charms lesson. You are not obligated to join them however, as this is optional. If you do not show up, it will be assumed that you do not want lessons.

Sincerely,

Prof. M. McGonagall

"Cool," said Rain. "D'you think I should take the class?"

"Yes!" came two simultaneous responses from James and Sirius.

"That's settled then," said Rain.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," said Remus.

"Oh I want to," said Rain. "I was just running it by you guys to get your opinion on the subject."

0-0-0

Later, after Charms, Rain made her way to the courtyard where she and the first years would be learning to fly. She was given a few odd looks as she approached the group, as she was obviously too tall to be eleven.

"Okay everyone, settle down," said a tall thin wizard, calling the group together. "I am Anthony Aravian, you may all call me Mr. Aravian or you can use my first name if you wish, as I am not exactly a professor. I will be teaching you all to fly today, so if you would be so kind as to stand next to a broomstick so that it is on the same side as your wand arm."

Rain decided to use her right hand and stepped up to the left side of her broom as most other students did.

"Alright," said Aravian. "Put your wand hand over you broom and say 'up'."

Rain held her hand over the broom and said "up". The broom jumped into her hand immediately. Only two other students had the same result, one was Tanner Lewis, he smirked at her as if to say "I'm better because I'm younger and you're a Mudblood." Rain rolled her eyes.

When everyone had their brooms in their hands, Aravian instructed them on how to properly sit on a broom, walking up and down the line, adjusting people's grip.

For the next ten minutes Aravian had them hovering just a foot off the ground, scooting around each other. Rain just wanted to shoot into the sky and soar. Unfortunately Aravian called a halt to the lesson after only half an hour and sent them all off to dinner.

"That was lame," Rain muttered. "That wasn't flying, when do we get to the good stuff?"

"Yeah," said a Gryffindor first year who she recognized as Tipper Andrews, the other student to get their broom up in the first go. "When does the real flying start?"

Another first year named Samantha Turner turned to Tipper and whispered loud enough for Rain to hear. "Don't talk to her, she's a Slytherin!"

Tipper stared at Rain, his eyes taking in the badge on the front of her robes. "But she always sits at the Gryffindor table," he said in a confused voice.

"I'll bet she's just spying for them," said Samantha.

Rain turned to the girl, steel in her eyes. "I get enough prejudice from the entire Slytherin house, I don't need more from a Gryffindor firstie."

Samantha looked at Rain as if she had threatened to curse her, and Rain stormed off without a backwards glance.

She flopped down next to Peter at the Gryffindor table for dinner and started piling food onto her plate without a word.

"Er... how was your flying lesson?" James asked tentatively.

"Oh," said Rain. "I had quite forgotten how irritatingly boring it was amidst the first year prats!" She directed this last word down the table at Samantha.

"Gryffindors are getting on your case now?" Sirius asked in disbelief.

"I think they just don't know the full story," said Remus before Rain could go off on a rant. "They're first years, and if either of their parents went to Hogwarts, they would have been taught that Slytherins tend to be vicious towards Gryffindors."

"That's stupid," said Rain. "I was never singled out like this in Canada or the States."

"Let's not talk about it," suggested Peter.

"Wormtail's right," said Sirius. "Let's talk about something a bit more cheerful. Like Snivelus' horrid morning."

James laughed and the other Marauders smiled.

"Hey, guys," Rain asked. "Now that I'm part of your group, do I get a nickname too?"

"Sure, Rain," said James. "Ours are based on our Patronuses; I'm Prongs, because my Patronus is a stag."

"And I'm Padfoot, because mine is a dog," said Sirius.

"And I'm Wormtail, because mine's a—"

"Rat?" Rain asked, catching on. Peter nodded. "So where does Moony come from?" she asked turning to Remus.

"Er..." Remus looked nervous. "That one we can't tell you yet. It's not that I don't trust you, but it's a bit personal and to be honest, we haven't known you very long."

"Okay," said Rain. "I understand that thoroughly. You tell me when you're ready."

He smiled gratefully.

"So what's your Patronus, Rain?" Sirius asked.

"I've never cast one. I've read about them in my Defense Against the Dark Arts book, but I've never been able to cast one."

"We'll help you," said James.

"Yeah," said Peter. "If they can teach me, then they should be able to teach you, I'm rubbish at spells."

"You can't be that bad," Rain reasoned.

"He is," said James, Sirius, and Remus together at the same time Peter said "I am."

There was a long lull in the conversation, but true to form, James broke the silence.

"You said your flying lesson was dull?" he seemed insanely shocked.

"It was," Rain replied, continuing to eat. "He wouldn't let us fly any higher than a foot off the ground."

James looked revolted at the very idea. "A foot off the ground!"

"I would fly higher than that and I'm afraid of heights," said Peter.

"They had us flying much higher when we were first years," said Sirius.

"Well they hired a new teacher this year," said Remus. "I heard he's real nervous about kids getting hurt under his watch."

"Well his class is rubbish," said Rain, suddenly loving the word "rubbish".

James suddenly got a mischievous look in his eye.

"Uh, oh," said Rain. "I dunno if I like that look."

"Get used to it," said Sirius with a grin. "He does it all the time."

"Rain," said James, "how would you like to learn to fly for real?"

"I'd love to!" she said eagerly. "But how?"

"I'll teach you," he said simply. "I happen to be a very good Quidditch player."

He grinned widely while he said this, running a hand through his messy hair. Rain stared at him in disbelief.

"Doesn't your neck hurt?" she asked in concern.

"Huh?" James was confused. "Why would my neck hurt?"

"Because of the weight of your fat head on top of it," Rain said, suddenly grinning.

There was laughter down the table. When the five Marauders looked, they saw Lily smiling at Rain, laughter in her eyes. James turned back to Rain.

"Fine, be that way," he said. "Good luck finding someone else to teach you."

"I could always get Regulus to teach me," said Rain nonchalantly.

Both James and Sirius choked on their drinks at the same time. "What?" they both shouted in unison.

Rain looked at them both in barely contained amusement. "What what?"

"Since when does he know more about flying than me?" James looked hurt.

"Since when does Regulus fly at all?" Sirius asked.

"You obviously don't pay much attention to your brother," Rain commented to Sirius. "He canceled tonight's study session because he's trying out for the Slytherin Quidditch team."

Sirius looked shocked.

"Quidditch player or not, I still have more experience," said James. "I'm Gryffindor's star Chaser."

"So you will teach me?" Rain concluded.

"Oh, I see what you did there," said James. "Very clever. Alright, Rain, I'll teach you how to fly."

A/N: Anyway, you know the drill; R&R!