Hello everyone, sorry that its been a while I had a really nasty Italian exam coming up (which I epicaly failed)

Anyway please enjoy the chapter and please tell me what you think :) or :(

"And how exactly was I supposed to find time to do a three foot essay on goblin wars?" Millie ranted as the girls started miserably getting ready.

Charlotte rolled her eyes "Well if you hadn't spent all of last Sunday messing around at the Quidditch pitch you might have stood a chance"

Millie pulled a face "Oh come on Charlotte, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw is only three weeks away Gideon needs to practice"

Lizzy smirked "But he doesn't need you to hold his hand all the way down to the pitch Millie"

Millie scowled at Lizzy "Like you can talk after what you were like with that snake!"

Lizzys insides squirmed but she managed to smile "At least Black doesn't have freckles as his main feature"

Millie stuck her tongue out "I happen to think his freckles are cute"

Lizzy pretended to clutch her heart in shock "Quick, call the daily Prophet! Millie just used the word cute without a scornful tone!"

Millie saluted her with two fingers "Go to hell Potter"

Charlotte glanced at Marlene "Marley are you feeling alright?"

Marlene had massive bags under her eyes but nodded "Course, why wouldn't I be?"

"You just looked a bit miserable" Charlotte smiled "Come on you lot, we won't get any breakfast"

Lizzy grinned "She's probably tired; Millie's snoring could deafen the entire tower"

"Do you think that Dumbledore will throw a Valentines Dance again?" Edgar asked as they ate breakfast.

Fabien snorted "After last year?!"

Lizzy shook her head "Last year was an unprecedented disaster, McGonagall won't let him!"

Gideon laughed "Does anyone else reckon they are an item?"

Edgar smirked "Old Dumbly is certainly henpecked if they are"

Charlotte rolled her eyes "Anyway...I really hope there is a dance"

Lizzy smiled "Remember last year when you two had a fight?"

Fabien laughed "That was so stupid"

"What's that bruise on your arm?" Edgar asked sharply as Marlene moved to reach the pumpkin juice.

She blushed and pulled it back "Nothing"

Millie grabbed her arm and looked at the purple blotch "When'd you get that?"

Marlene glanced at the table "I just banged into something"

Lizzy winced "It must have been pretty hard, when?"

"I don't know" Marlene mumbled "What lesson is first?"

Lizzy smiled "You really aren't yourself today, its Thursday so Defence against the Dark Arts first I think"

Charlotte nodded with a giggle "I think Professor Fritten is bringing a Hinkypunk in"

Millie and Lizzy exchanged a glance and Lizzy smirked "Well maybe this time you could always look at the Hinkypunk..."

"Unlike the Kappa" continued Millie with a grin "Where you spent the whole lesson staring at Professor Fritten"

Gideon grinned and started singing "Oh how Lottie is smitten with dear Professor Fritten"

Charlotte glared at him "Don't start that again!"

"Right third years these are Hinkypunks" Professor Fritten said excitedly "Notice how they appear to be made off smoke. Can anyone tell me why they are carrying a light?"

Charlotte thrust her hand into the air "To lure unsuspecting travellers into bogs at night, Sir"

Professor Fritten beamed at her "That's right Charlotte, five points to Gryffindor"

"Subtle McMillan" muttered Crouch from next to Gideon.

Charlotte turned bright red and Fabien scowled at Crouch "Shut your mouth"

Joseph Clint smirked "Touchy touchy"

Professor Fritten didn't notice the argument "Now I have three Hinkypunks so you can divide into groups of five"

"Stuff that" muttered Lizzy "We'll work as a seven, come on"

As the Gryffindor's crowded around one of the tanks Professor Fritten shook his head "No children, I told you to work in fives"

"Well they are Gryffindor's, they probably can't count" Astoria Nott said snidely.

Millie smirked "Whatever Medusa" causing Astoria to tug at her unruly curls.

Regulus cleared his throat "Guys its quite simple, three of us work with two of them"

He didn't look at Lizzy and she ignored him "Professor Fritten why can't we work in sevens? Seven heads are better than five after all"

Millie nodded "Yeah Sir, we'll be good honest"

Professor Fritten shook his head "Get on with it or I'll mix you all up"

Lizzy pulled a face "But Sir..."

Professor Fritten sighed "Miss Potter and Mr Bones you will work with Mr Crabbe, Miss Yates and Mr Crouch, understood?"

Edgar pulled a face at Lizzy who held her hands up "On your head be it Sir, I take no responsibility for my actions."

"That could have been worse" Charlotte said fairly as they walked outside into the courtyard.

"Only if Yates had been swapped for Clint" Edgar muttered

"Or Black" Millie said with a glance at Lizzy "That could have got nasty"

Lizzy rolled her eyes "I doubt it, I'm so over that"

Charlotte smiled patronisingly "But is he?"

Lizzy snorted "Well it looked it when I saw him snuggling up to Druella Yaxley last week"

Charlotte dismissed this instantly "Rebound relationship"

Fabien coughed "Anyway..."

Millie "How do you reckon the Cannons will do next week?"

Lizzy threw herself into the conversation, much to Charlotte's annoyance "Well isn't their seeker injured?"

"Yeah" Gideon clarified "So they're pulling in their reserve seeker, who isn't supposed to be great"

"What's his name? Dates?" Millie asked "He's only just left school hasn't he?"

Lizzy nodded "Sammy Dates, he left just Hogwarts last year"

Charlotte perked up "Oh yeah, he was that Ravenclaw boy with the dark brown eyes"

Millie rolled her eyes "Trust you to remember that"

Lizzy smiled "Well he was blonde..."

Charlotte raised her eyebrows "Just because you prefer boys with dark hair"

Lizzy grinned "Of course I do; dark mysterious stranger and all that"

"Wonder what that says about you as a person" wondered Charlotte "Marlene?"

She jumped and looked around "Huh?"

Lizzy smiled weakly "Are you sure that there is nothing wrong Marley?"

Marlene crossed her arms and muttered "Like you'd care"

Lizzy was taken aback at the sudden hostility "Pardon?!"

Marlene squared up to Lizzy "You think you're so cool and oh so kind for being nice to all the losers. Well you're just a bitch!"

Gideon held his cousin back as Fabien stepped forward angrily "What the hell Marley?!"

Marlene looked around at all of them before bursting in tears and running off.

"What the hell?" said Charlotte weakly "What the hell just happened?"

Millie glanced at Lizzy "Did you say something?"

Lizzy snapped her mouth shut and shook her head "Not that I know of"

The bell rang abruptly, making Charlotte jump "Maybe she's waiting in Herbolgy to apologise?"

"Where is she?" Millie muttered as Professor Heatherwood fussed over the hole in Edgar's protective gloves.

Charlotte glanced around "She's not in here, I wish I knew what was wrong with her"

Lizzy scowled and savagely stabbed at the Belladonna she was supposed to be pruning "Good luck with that Lottie"

"Don't be like that!" snapped Millie "She's obviously upset about something!"

"She didn't call you a bitch" muttered Lizzy sullenly with a pout.

Charlotte took a deep breath "Lizzy come on, this is Marlene we're talking about. There must be a reason for..."

Lizzy ignored her and glared at a Venomous tentacula in the corner of the greenhouse "She's spent every holiday at my bloody house. She has her own room!"

"Lizzy, stop it" Gideon said walking over and calmly placing a hand on his cousins shoulder.

She turned on him "But I haven't done anything!"

"Well then make sure you don't do something you'll regret" Edgar said quietly.

Lizzy could feel a small lump in her throat "How exactly am I the bad guy?!"

"You're not! I just don't think we should put Marley down as evil yet" Charlotte said firmly.

"We need to find out what's wrong with her first" Edgar said solemnly.

Millie found this remark unhelpful "Nothing gets past you does it bro'?"

"We'll try to find her at lunch then" Lizzy said; she turned, going to the front to pick up some more dragon dung.

"And whys my baby sister sitting on her own?" James asked loudly, his voice clearly audible up and down the Gryffindor table.

This broke Lizzys train of thought and she managed a small smile "Long story"

Sirius made a big deal of sitting next to her "Well we have precisely three minute, twelve seconds until we have to run for our lives. Knock yourself out"

Lizzy raised her eyebrows as the other Marauders sat down "Do I want to know?"

James grinned impishly "Probably not, but I do so spill sister"

Lizzy shook her head "No I think not, I confide in you as a very last resort"

James pouted but Sirius grinned "Who's above Prongsie?"

Lizzy raised her eyebrows "Who the hells Prongsie?"

Sirius's eyes narrowed and he leaned in so they were nose to nose "You know who it is"

Lizzy took a bite of her bread and chewed languidly "No I don't, do tell me Sirius"

A bunch of girlish giggling interrupted them, Rita Skeeter's gang of girls were looking at Sirius apart from Eloise Long who was glaring at Lizzy jealously.

James looked between them and snorted in an irritated way "Did you want something girls?"

Rita looked him up and down with a smile "Maybe we did, maybe we didn't?"

Lizzy rolled her eyes "Oh get on with it"

Marietta Clearwater crossed her arms "Just thought you might want to know that your friend Marlene is crying her eyes out in the... buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz"

The Hufflepuff girls clutched their throats, unable to make any noise other than buzzing in their throats.

Sirius winked at Lizzy as the Hufflepuff table exploded with buzzing "Got to go"

Lizzy shook her head at James "Why buzzing?"

"Black and yellow bumblebees" James explained with a laugh as he grabbed his bag.

"Did you find her?" Lizzy muttered as she slid down next to Edgar on the classroom bench.

Millie leaned across her brother to answer "No such luck, I'm assuming that she didn't come to lunch?"

Edgar spoke as Lizzy shook her head "Well Charlotte and the twins aren't back yet"

Professor Binns cleared his throat "Last lesson I asked you to complete a three foot essay on the Goblin war of the thirteen hundreds, kindly bring yours up when I call your name"

Millie swore under her breath as her brother produced a roll of parchment "You said you hadn't done it!"

Lizzy smirked "No he said that you couldn't copy his work"

"That means you haven't done it" Millie muttered as she went to give her excuse to Binns.

As Lizzy was rummaging through her bag Fabien, Gideon and Charlotte came crashing through the door onto her desk giving her quite a shock "Merlin!"

They sat down quickly, Fabien muttering an apology for being late and Charlotte blushing under the curious stares.

As soon as the Ravenclaws had resumed writing there notes Edgar leaned across Lizzy "Did you lot find anything?"

Charlotte thrust several pieces of parchment across the table "Look at this!"

Edgar flitted through the papers as Millie and Lizzy read over his shoulders.

They were notes that had been thrown at Marlene over the last two months which she must have hidden; snide bullying notes.

Lizzy picked one out in particular and read it out loud "How does it feel to be the Potters mud blood charity project?"

Charlotte took it away from Lizzy before she could rip it up "There are loads of them in our dormitory...how long do you think it's been going on?"

"I wonder" said Millie sarcastically "Since you dumped Black obviously!"

Lizzy felt her stomach drop but she glared at Millie defiantly "No, he won't be involved!"

Gideon bit his lip "Lizzy at the very least he knew about it..."

Lizzy whipped around "How would you know?! This is Crouch!"

"Snakes all have scales" muttered Millie "Oh come on Lizzy, you dumped the guy, and you know he wasn't a saint anyway..."

Charlotte raised her eyebrows and cut Lizzy of before she could retaliate "Well it doesn't really matter who it is does it?!"

Edgar nodded "What matters is that we find Marlene and get her to report this"

Lizzy nodded "Your right, but how are we going to find her?"

"James can always find everyone" Fabien suggested helpfully "We could ask him"

Lizzy nodded "I'll ask him as soon as this lesson ends"

Millie looked at the desk "It's really weird how James can always find everyone, do you know how he does it?"

Lizzy shrugged "I'll find out one day when I've got nothing better to do"

"Are the boys in position?" Millie asked prompting confused looks and eye rolling from her friends.

Lizzy was pacing outside the tapestry of Lady Minirirella the Cruel "How exactly do you want me to just know?"

Charlotte cut in before they could start arguing "Leave it!"

Lizzy shrugged "Come on, its not going to get any easier the longer we wait"

Millie nodded and poked the tapestries stitching ruthlessly until it opened "Thank you"

"Marley?" Charlotte asked quietly as she poked her head into the passageway.

There was a tense silence where nobody breathed until Millie lost patience and walked straight into the dark corridor "Marlene McKinnon get out here!"

There was small sob and Marlene spoke "Go away"

Lizzy bit her lip "Marley please come out...we need to talk to you"

When there was no reply Charlotte sighed "Lumos"

The beam of light illuminated Marlene who was huddled in a corner, her eyes red and tearstained.

Lizzy groaned at the sight of her friend so upset "Oh Marley"

Millie pulled the tapestry shut behind them "Why didn't you tell us Marls?"

Marlene's eyes widened "Tell you what?"

Lizzy raised her eyebrows and handed Marlene one of the more charming notes which commented on her weight and height "About this, how long has this been going on?"

"I...a few months" Marlene admitted, not able to meet there eyes "I just tried to ignore it but then they started attacking me in the corridors..."

Charlottes gasped "A few months? Why on earth didn't you tell us? We would have stopped it"

Millie nodded "Yeah we would have beaten the shit out of them"

Lizzy gritted her teeth "Who said we won't still?"

Marlene's head snapped up "No, you mustn't do that"

Charlotte narrowed her eyes "But you are going to Dumbledore, aren't you?"

Marlene looked away "I can't, they'll..."

Lizzy shook her head disbelievingly "They'll what?! Who is they anyway?"

"I'm not telling you" Marlene said quietly prompting the others to look at each other in disbelief.

"Well you're telling Dumbledore" Millie said finally "Come on, we're going now"

Marlene scrambled to her feet "No! It's my word against there's, he'll never believe me"

"Yes he will" Lizzy said determinately "Now come on"

Marlene shook her head "I'll go but...Lizzy can't come"

Lizzy turned on her "What?! Marlene, why the hell can't I come with you?"

Marlene looked at Charlotte for help "You wouldn't want too Lizzy"

Lizzys stomach plummeted and she started shaking "Marlene who has been bullying you!?"

Marlene swallowed slowly "I'm sorry Lizzy...I didn't want you to find out"

But Lizzy was already halfway down the corridor, her wand drawn and her eyes blazing.

"Hey Potter have you seen my sister?" David McMillan asked Lizzy as she stormed down the staircase.

She didn't turn around "Dumbledore's office, she's busy"

David looked offended but returned to his friends without comment.

Lizzy stopped to get her bearings; she was standing outside the Library.

A voice wafted outside "Hey Regulus have you written your conclusion yet?"

Lizzy tightened her grip on her wand and burst into the Library, the sunset catching the tears in her eyes "Black!"

Regulus was sitting with a few of his friends but he stood up as soon as he saw Lizzy "Elizabeth what's wrong?"

She stepped towards him "You bloody pathetic coward! You didn't have the guts to face me so you took it out on one of my best friends!"

He went pale as he realised what she meant "Oh my...you don't understand"

She choked with hysterical laughter "Don't understand?! What don't I understand?! Maybe you weren't picking on Marlene because she was my friend then?! Was it because she's Muggleborn?! That's totally o.k then! I HATE YOU REGULUS BLACK!"

She had tears running down her cheeks and stopped to catch her breath though the sobbing.

He moved quickly; wrapping his arms around her shoulders and holding her close "Well I love you Elizabeth Potter..."

She tried to push him away but he clung on tighter, pressing her face against his chest as though he was comforting her again...

"IMPEDIMENTA" Lizzy yelled, desperately trying to get away.

Time seemed to stand still and she saw the hurt in his eyes before he was flung across the Library and sent crashing through the third storey window.

Lizzy gasped involuntarily as she heard a dull thump.

Girls started screaming, Boys were swearing and Madam Pince ran out to find another Professor.

Lizzy felt someone grab her arm and Crouch spun her around "You physco bitch!"

Lizzy reacted instinctively, swinging her other arm around so that her fist connected with the Slytherin's nose.

As Crouch fell to the floor Lizzy ran out of the Library, sprinting up a secret passageway away from the chaos.

"Hey Lizzy" Sirius said with a smile before he saw her face "What's wrong?"

Lizzy ignored him and threw herself at James and burst into tears "I'm going to be expelled!"

Remus, who had just been getting ready for bed, turned bright red and dived for the cover of his four poster bed.

James looked round at his two remaining friends for advice while patting his sister's hair awkwardly as she sobbed on his bed.

Sirius perched on the end of the bed and attempted a joke "So who'd you kill?"

This made Lizzy start howling and James kick Sirius as hard as he could causing him to topple of the bed "Very helpful"

Peter hovered nearby "Lizzy what's wrong?"

James patted his sisters back "She thinks she's going to be expelled"

Lizzy raised her head from James's sodden pillow "I am going to be expelled!"

Sirius knelt by the bed "What on earth for?"

Lizzys only response was burst into tears again and James pulled her into a hug, giving Sirius a look which clearly meant just shut up already you prat.

Remus emerged fully dressed but still red faced "Hello Lizzy, why do you think you're going to be expelled"

Lizzy took a deep breath "I didn't mean to...I just...I didn't want to..."

She broke down again as the older boys exchanged disbelieving glances.

Suddenly Fabien came bursting through the door "James have you seen...Oh"

He ran over to Lizzy "What happened? We saw them taking Crouch to the Hospital wing!"

Lizzy sniffed dejectedly "I think I broke his nose"

Sirius burst out laughing "Dumbledore won't expel you for breaking his nose you stupid idiot"

Lizzy glared at him "It's not that...I hexed..."

James shook his head and hugged his sister tightly "Lizzy as long as you didn't use a really dark curse there is no way Dumbledore will expel you"

Lizzy pushed him away and dived back towards the pillow "I pushed Regulus Black out of a third storey window!"

Fabien's mouth widened "Deliberately?"

Lizzy kicked him "Of course not! I just shouted impedimenta and he was standing near a window. Oh I am going to be in so much trouble!"

Fabien shook his head as she started crying "What are you talking about? The stupid prat had it coming?!"

Sirius glared at him "That's my brother you're talking about..."

"And he's the one who has been beating Marlene up" shouted Fabien angrily in Sirius's face.

James jumped up "He fucking did what?! I'll kill him myself!"

Lizzy bit her lip "James..."

James ignored her and Sirius looked livid "The slimy little...I can't believe...he's just as bad as the rest of them!"

Remus sat down on the bed "Sirius I think you're jumping to conclusions a little..."

"Shut up Remus...you don't understand" growled Sirius.

Fabien looked at Lizzy and saw how pale she'd got "Come on cous' we should go and see Marlene"

Lizzy let herself be dragged out of the room, her head spinning with "I love you Elizabeth Potter"