"We'll be washed and buried one day my girl

And the time we were given will be left for the world

The flesh that lived and loved will be eaten by plague

So let the memories be good for those who stay"

Winter Winds, Mumford and Sons

Adelaide Deveo, although she had always attracted a lot of attention due to all of the horrible things that had happened to her family, was now becoming a source of entertainment for the students of Hogwarts. She made enchanted origami in lessons, did elaborate impressions of all the teachers at meals, and even charmed one of the suits of armor to dance in the corridor. Of course in between all of their laughter people started wondering just how this girl could go from the school's charity case to the life of the party.

"It has to be an act." Remus said to Peter one day after they watched her levitate Olin to swing by a chandelier in the entrance hall "I'm not even that cheerful!"

"Well you've got your own furry little problems to deal with." Peter said with a smirk.

"I just mean that I can't imagine someone functioning after everything she's been through."

"I heard that she has to take a pepper-up potion every hour or she becomes catatonic."

Remus shook his head, "Yes there has been a lot of talk about her this week."

The Hogwarts rumor mill had been running on overdrive with all the talk about Adelaide's strange behavior. Accusations varied in their seriousness , someone had said that Adelaide was simply in love with Olin and that was why she was so cheerful, while someone else had the nerve to suggest that Adelaide was actually responsible for all of the deaths in her family as if she were an heir to a fortune or something.

Adelaide seemed to be on top of all the rumors and actually used them as material. One night in the Great Hall , while Olin tried to chat up a chesty fifth year Adelaide knelt down on the table in front of him and proclaimed to the whole hall that even though she had ditched Olin because he was such a thickhead no one else could have him because she wanted him back. Her histrionics made it obvious that there were no feelings between her friend and herself and managed to silence some of the busybodies in the school, not to mention James Potter whom she thoroughly embarrassed when she said "Olin please let me be the James Potter to your Lily Evans!" Lily found a lot less humor in it than James and the rest of the school did.

The marauders actually felt outshined at times. Sirius took it the hardest claiming that she had the "sympathy vote" and that was why people laughed harder at her impression of Slughorn as a walrus than they did at his joke about Snape's hair. James was always ready to defend her, he seemed to think that this whole personality she had adopted was just a front for a lot of deeper problems. He often changed the subject when her name was brought up, he claimed that talking about it always seemed to depress him.

"It's strange you know? I knew her mother and father, it's horrible that they're dead now. There is this creepiness about the whole situation, I don't know."

"I think that it really says a lot that she can handle that much loss and still act normally, means she's a strong person doesn't it? " Sirius said, shocking his friends as it was the nicest thing he had ever said about the girl. "I'm still peeved off that she's making a damn spectacle of herself, but I reckon most people wouldn't even be able to get out of their beds ."

"Well Sirius you acted a bit like she is after the business with your parents." Peter said "That is to say that you were strong about it and made a spectacle of yourself to cope."

He shot Peter a look, but didn't continue the conversation. It seemed that Sirius' admiration of Adelaide was very short-lived.

The end of September marked the beginning of two wars. One was slowly gaining strength outside of the walls of the castle. Aside from the occasional disappearance or murder reported in the Daily Prophet the students of Hogwarts were shielded from Lord Voldemort and his death eaters. However there was still a sense of foreboding that Remus and his friends could never ignore. James's father worked with the Auror department at the ministry, Sirius's family were avid supporters of Voldemort, Peter was afraid of everything, and Remus knew werewolves would likely be recruited by death eaters as weapons. Somehow, despite the fact that everything outside of Hogwarts seemed to be falling apart, the marauders were filled with optimism and confidence. They had taught themselves to transform into their respective animals and spent one night every month running around with a werewolf. There was a sense of being invincible, one that you could only feel as a teenager. The second war would eventually run parallel with the first. The students would be unable to ignore it, as they would witness battles every day. The end of September brought the first of these battles. It was a windy day and the Gryffindors had double potions with the Ravenclaws.

When Remus arrived in the corridor outside of Slughorn's classroom he found Adelaide Deveo toe to toe with Sirius Black. It was an inevitable altercation. Sirius had taken a personal interest in Adelaide and he seemed hell bent on silencing her. James stood next to the pair, playing Remus's usual role of the mediator.

"Dev just step back he didn't mean_"

"Yes I did!" Sirius snapped, glaring down at the girl in front of him

"He can't just say whatever he wants about someone , especially if they aren't even here to defend themselves!"

"Get out of my face Deveo!"

"He was just having a laugh! Weren't you Sirius?"

"No one is laughing Potter!"

"Remus, what is going on?" Lily Evans was beside him looking at the argument with horror.

"I dunno, I've just gotten here." Remus mumbled.

"Adelaide what are you doing!"

"Stay out of this Evans! I'm about to jinx every hair off of Black's pretty little head." Adelaide sneered.

"If Slughorn sees this you'll both get a detention, just leave it alone!"

"C'mon Sirius she's right." James said "I've got your back Evans."

"You most certainly do not Potter."

James winked at her and started to push Sirius away from the potential duel.

It was one of those rare occasions where Sirius Black was actually willing to leave a fight unfinished. Unfortunately, it was also one of those rare occasions that Adelaide Deveo came down from the clouds and fell victim to the impulsive emotions that often accompany personal tragedy. Adelaide saw something in Sirius that she hated and Sirius saw something in Adelaide that made him burn with jealousy. He was the product of a pureblood society that had ruined her life and she had seemed to master indifference in a way that he never could. In both minds the other was heartless. The irony of this first of many battles only comes with hindsight.

"Black we aren't finished here!" Adelaide yelled at a retreating Sirius.

"I am."

Maybe it was instinct or just the look in Adelaide's eyes, but Remus found himself preparing to intervene in a dwindling row. And then as quick as the strike of a match words exploded from Adelaide's mouth; powerful, pointed words that would spark a flame which overtime would be capable of destruction that Remus' young mind couldn't even fathom.

"Just because they disinherited you doesn't make you any less of a disgusting, heartless, prejudiced, fucking pureblood princess!"

The tension in the corridor was as thick as smoke.

"Just because your family is dead doesn't make you a victim , you don't get my sympathy! Walking around here like everything is a big fucking joke. It's obvious you don't care_"

"Shut your mouth Black! You know nothing about me!" Her wand was in his face now.

"Deveo I swear I will make your life a living hell, get your fucking wand out of my face."

"Make my life a living hell huh? Sorry Princess your pureblood mates have already beat you to it."

Before a prefect, or a friend, or a bystander could even think to intervene sparks began to fly from the tips of the two wands. The duel was sloppy. Most curses missed or were easily blocked , but there was so much emotion behind every movement that it felt like the most dangerous duel Remus had ever witnessed (including dozens of incidents with the Slytherins). Finally the figurative fire was put out by an actual one. Sirius' robes were ablaze and Adelaide was dangling upside down, one hand preventing her skirt from exposing her knickers to the world the other trying desperately to reach her fallen wand. This was of course the moment Slughorn chose to open his classroom door.

Adelaide and Sirius sat through double potions red-faced and smoldering, having lost 50 house points and racked up detentions for the next two weeks.

And thus it had begun.