Well, well. This is so much fun, writing this! I have to say, I'm pleased with this, expecially considering I wrote it in a short period of time, and while enduring constant badgering from T to finish it. SO THERE.

Do review. I know you want to. Deeeeeeeeeeeep down. :D

M. Sunshine

The sun was setting, making the chilly October evening seem warmer than it really was. Maya sat in the Common room, her Arithmancy book open in her lap but her mind miles away. When Ti had left her the previous evening, she'd blushed profusely, feeling James and his friends' eyes trained on her alone. Making some lame excuse about homework, she'd darted away from them and taken a seat at the Ravenclaw table, all alone. She hadn't minded really: after that, she was glad to just be left alone in her embarrassed misery. Now, the following night, she was sitting alone, curled up in an armchair. After being generally unsocial at dinner, she happily escaped to the cosy comfort of the Ravenclaw Common room. Her friends had stayed later at dinner, and were most likely sitting in the library now. Really, Maya should be with them, starting her recently assigned essay, but she couldn't bother. It didn't matter much though: she was a week ahead of everyone.

A few minutes past nine, the room started filling up, as the library had just closed (Ravenclaw tower tended to fill up as the students were all shooed out of the library), and Maya soon spotted Andrea, Emma and Sarah among the kids entering.

"Hey, there you are." Andrea said, leading the others up to her and sitting down on the couch opposite her friend. "We missed you." Maya shrugged.

"Yeah, had some stuff I needed to… think through."

"Aha…" Emma frowned.

"Did you start that essay?" Maya kept from snorting.

"No offense, Emma, but I have no need to start it tonight. Besides, I'm in no fit state to study at the moment."

"Oh come on." Sarah said, exasperated. "Can't you and Ti just make up already?"

"We have!"

"Then what is the problem here?" Before Maya could spit out her annoyed retort, there was a loud tap on the window closest to them. They all spun around, and Maya quickly recognised one of Ti's owls, Dave. She frowned and walked over to open the window for him.

"Hey, Dave." she said, letting him step onto her arm. "What're you doing here, eh?" Spotting the letter tied to his leg, she hastily removed it and gingerly placed the regal looking owl on the arm of the sofa. Unrolling the parchment, she read through the four, short sentences, scribbled in Tielle's careless print. She smiled sadly, and fingered the ink for a moment before stuffing it in the pocket of her robe.

"What was that all about?" Emma enquired, stroking the owl.

"Just Ti being Ti." Maya replied breezily.

"Elaborate."

"Shan't." she said in a sing-song voice, and opened the window again to let the impatient bird fly back home. "I'm going to go for a stroll. See you later." She waved, and left her friends dumbstruck as she swept out of the room and into the chilly corridors. It was about twenty past nine, ten minutes until curfew. Being a Prefect, Maya knew when each part of the castle was being patrolled, and by whom. This made sneaking around a lot easier. Ti would be so proud, she thought, amused. Her best mate didn't know about her knowing the castle like the back of her hand, and it was probably best that way. Maya knew she'd never get her to shut up, or stay in her Common room, if she found out. While walking, she tried to think of a reason for Ti's going home. That girl could take a lot, so something must've really rocked her boat if she was actually allowed home. Feeling a dull ache in her chest, Maya realised she already missed her exuberant friend, and she sighed deeply. Hopefully she won't be too long… She kept strolling, her feet taking her automatically through secret passages and such. As she was walking through a hidden corridor, her eyes glued to the ground, she walked straight into someone. The collision sent her falling backwards, and she gasped as her back hit the stone floor.

"Oh, shit, I'm so sorry." Though she could not see him, Maya knew precisely who the voice belonged to, and she stiffened at it. "Are you okay?" Looking up, her brown eyes immediately met James'. His entire face bore a worried look, and he offered her his hand.

"Yeah…" she said, grabbing the extended hand. "I'm fine, it's okay." Standing, she brushed herself off, trying to force the blush from her heated cheeks.

"You sure? That was quite a fall." Maya felt confused. Normally, James seemed cocky and very self-confident. Now, however, he sounded anxious and gentle. Why can't he just be one person, and stop turning my world upside down!

"I'm fine, seriously." she assured him, carefully pulling her hand out of his (it had sort of remained there after his helping her up). He smiled crookedly, and, to Maya's deep irritation, she blushed a deeper red and broke eye contact.

"So what is a Ravenclaw Prefect doing out and about fifteen minutes past curfew?" he asked, sounding amused.

"None of your business, Potter." she returned, though without malice or irritation. He was easy to talk to, even though she felt like her stomach might actually cause her to cartwheel soon. He snorted.

"Really, Wood? Our dads played Quidditch together. Let's put this crap away and be pleasant, shall we?" She almost giggled. Almost. YES, ALMOST.

"Fine." He stuck out his hand again, and she shook it resolutely.

"Come on, let's continue our wanderings together." She rolled her eyes, but thought she might as well, and followed him.

"So how is it you can wander however you like?" he asked as they came out into a wider corridor. She shrugged.

"Experience." she answered. "And the fact that I am a Prefect. It has benefits, you know." He chuckled.

"Yes, I suppose it does. Though Al is all protective of the secrets. Says it's his 'duty to the school' not to tell." He rolled his eyes, and Maya allowed herself to laugh.

"How about you?" she enquired, genuinely interested as to how this boy managed to get around the castle undetected. He seemed to contemplate something for a moment before pulling a piece of old parchment out of the pocket in his sweatshirt. "Er, great." she said, staring sceptically at the yellow square.

"Actually, it's bloody brilliant." She raised her eyebrows. James took his wand out and tapped the parchment lightly. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Instantly, inked words appeared on the front.

"The Marauders' Map?" she read, frowning at him. "What are the Marauders?"

"Never mind that." he dismissed, unfolding it. "Take a look." She inched closer, her heart hammering inside her chest at being so close to him (he smelled faintly of shampoo, she noticed), but focused on the object opened in his hands. Staring in disbelief, she realised it was a map of Hogwarts. And not only that: it had dots wandering around, labelled with a name.

"Does this…?"

"Yup." he nodded. "Shows where everyone is, all the time." Her mouth actually opened in astonishment.

"That's… that's some advanced magic." was all she could manage, mentally berating herself for merely commenting on the level of magic, not on the wonder of the possibilities. Ti is way better at these things, she thought, a bit miserably.

"A bit." he said with a grimace. "It's brilliant though. Allows me to walk around without meeting anyone, should I want to."

"Then how come you walked into me? Surely you must have seen me coming?"

"I… I didn't have it opened." She raised her eyebrows, finding a little confidence somewhere in her cloudy mind.

"And why might this be?" He scratched the back of his neck.

"Dunno…" She frowned at him, but decided she'd leave the subject. At least for the time being.

"I see. Why are you out and about anyway?" He shrugged.

"Just fancied a walk. Get away from stuff, you know."

"Yeah, I know the feeling." she nodded. James nodded ahead of them.

"Left or right?" Once again, Maya's heart seemed to hammer just a bit harder at his continued interest in walking with her.

"Doesn't matter. Left?" she said, and at his agreeing they started through the corridor. "What's up with Ti and Al then?" she said, just to get a conversation going. Merlin I'm lame, talking about his brother, she chastised herself. James snorted, and thankfully seemed amused.

"Haven't the foggiest. It was so obvious, for ages, that he was dating someone. I have to say, I was kind of surprised when it turned out to be Zabini." Maya pursed her lips.

"I'd prefer it if you refrained from insulting my friends, Potter." she said pointedly, giving him a sideway glance.

"Ah. Right. She's your best mate, right?"

"Something along those lines."

"Sorry about that." he added, and gave her a truly apologetic look. "I slip up sometimes. Not used to being with people from other Houses." She raised her eyebrows at him as they rounded another corner, and pressed against the wall as Professor Hayes sauntered past.

"Really?" she asked in a hushed voice, taking care to not let her Head of House hear her.

"Well, yes. All my friends are Gryffindors."

"And you don't speak to kids from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin?"

"Most definitely not Slytherin." he put in.

"You are so unbelievably prejudiced." she exclaimed. "You spoke to Ti before. She's in Slytherin, and she is awesome."

"I don't doubt it. It's just, you know…"

"Honestly, with your parents I thought you'd have a bit more maturity than that." she said, feeling a bit disappointed in this boy she barely even knew.

"Come on, Maya…" Her heart warmed when he spoke her name, but she forced the pleasant feeling away, focusing on the annoyance.

"Seriously, James. They're not bad people. They just have… a different disposition, that's all."

"Don't pretend you like them all."

"I never claimed I did. But you could be a bit more open to these things." she said determinedly. "I need to go." She'd just looked at her watch, and was getting edgy as it was just about ten o'clock. She wanted to get back to the tower and try to outline her essay before she went to bed. "Listen, I need to get going. It was nice talking to you!" She gave a wave and hurried off, feeling his eyes on her back. Ignore it… She clenched her hands, and rushed on.

M&T

Breakfast the next morning was a pleasant affair. Maya was pretty much herself to her friends, but she kept her eyes well away from the Gryffindor table, not wanting to accidentally spot one particular seventh year.

"What's first on our schedule again?" Emma asked, spreading honey on a piece of toast.

"Herbology." Maya and Andrea replied together, grimacing at one another at it. Sarah rolled her eyes but didn't look up from the newspaper she was reading.

"Great." she snorted. "Plants."

"Since when are you such a sceptic?" Maya asked, raising her eyebrows at her ginger friend.

"Oh come on, Maya, not even you can say that this subject is even remotely interesting." The brunette pursed her lips.

"Well…"

"You hesitated."

"You interrupted me!"

"I did not."

"But you did."

"That would have been rude."

"Yet you did."

"I'm not rude."

"GUYS!" They spun around, facing an irate looking Sarah. "Would you pipe down, for, like, two seconds?" Smirking, Maya twirled her wand, transfiguring the Daily Prophet into a purple, stuffed elephant.

"Cute." Andrea remarked, a crooked smile on her lips.

"Very funny." Sarah grumbled before getting up and storming out of the Hall, leaving the elephant.

"So sweet!" Emma gushed, picking it up and checking the toy out. "Nice work here." She said, aiming the comment at Maya.

"Thanks. I do my best."

"Well, I'm keeping it."

"You do realise that's really a newspaper."

"So? No reason he can't stay."

"Oh, it's a he now, is it?" She nodded, placing the toy carefully in her satchel.

"Yes, and his name is Churchill." Maya coughed on her tea.

"Churchill?"

"The very same."

"Why on Earth would you name an elephant after an old politician?" She sighed heavily, as if it was the stupidest question one could think to ask.

"Because," she said in a rather superior tone of voice, "he is awesome."

"Emma, that's hardly a very good answer." Maya retorted. "You'll lose your straight O's if you keep this up." Offended (bur most likely only pretending to be), Emma got up, and with her nose in the air she left the Great Hall. Quite gracefully, Maya noted.

"Interesting morning." she said thoughtfully. Andrea just shook her head, completely perplexed by the entire situation. Maya smiled, and beckoned for her to follow to the Greenhouses for their first class.

M&T

When the Ravenclaw girls were sitting down for lunch, Maya sighed heavily. Some classes were truly boring when there was no Ti there to tell off. Her friend usually didn't pay attention, and Maya had to copy her notes for her, or nudge her out of her nap. She always pretended to be really annoyed with Tielle about it, but the truth was, she rather enjoyed it. All her other friends did just as well as her, and didn't need her help. For some reason, she liked the idea of someone needing her. Not that Maya liked cheating, but this wasn't the same thing.

"… and I put that at the end." Andrea was saying, pointing at a paragraph in her essay. Emma nodded, eating a bit, but seemed interested.

"I thought of doing that. But I thought it'd fit better together with the theory of how to alter something living." she said. Transfiguration, then. Maya didn't pay much attention. She'd finished that essay, and didn't want to hear their corrections. It was done, and she didn't want to start feeling uncertain and changing stuff. That usually didn't end well. So she sipped her pumpkin juice, glancing fleetingly at the Daily Prophet. Seeing nothing of interest, she sighed and finished off the last of her meal.

"I just want to run off to the library for a mo." she said, getting up and hoisting her packed bag over her shoulder.

"Sure." Emma said absentmindedly, reading her essay, comparing it to Andrea's. Sarah rolled her eyes at them.

"See you later." Maya grinned, walking out. There weren't a lot of people about, as most were still having lunch, so Maya had an easy time getting to the library. She hadn't exactly been clear about what she was going to do. In fact, her visit to the book-filled room was anything but academic. Harmless, yes. She just wanted to be alone, partly to have the time to write Ti a letter, and partly to think about the previous night's events. Sitting down at a small, empty table, she pulled out a piece of parchment, a quill and ink to start writing.

Ti!

I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner. Had stuff on my mind.

I have to say, you leaving surprised me. I hope you're all right, and please be in touch soon about what's up. I miss you; classes are dull when you're gone…

Maya chewed her quill, not knowing really how to continue, letting the tip of the feather hover above the parchment for a moment before she kept on writing.

Actually, I had quite the conversation with a certain Mr Potter yesterday. I'll tell you all about it once you get back.

I should get back to the others now; I have class in a bit.

Miss you!

Maya, xxx

She read it through. Short, but that was fine. She expected Ti to be back soon, after all. Drying the ink with a quick spell, she rolled it up and sealed it. Putting it aside, she got out her Charms book, just to make it look as if she was working. Once it was open and she was staring at the page, she allowed her mind to drift.

She'd had a crush on James for years. There was something about his handsome features, messy hair and lively brown eyes that made him completely irresistible, at least in Maya's opinion. Of course, she'd brushed it aside to begin with; as she was rather embarrassed tot think she'd fall for someone simply because of his looks and his skill on a broom, obviously inherited from his gifted father. That was another thing that scared her a bit: James' entire family was immensely famous, not to mention wealthy, and being a modest Ravenclaw, the last thing she wanted was to be thought of as a gold digger. As the years had passed, and she'd watched his girlfriends come and go, she'd realised just how deeply rooted her affection for him was. She couldn't stop looking at him, and blushed every time he caught her doing so. The thought of all the pretty young witched he'd rejected made her nervous. Maya wasn't particularly confident about how she looked, and as James looked heavenly to her, she doubted he'd even look her way.

But he had. A few times she'd looked up to glance at him, and their eyes had met. Naturally, she was far too insecure to even consider that he might have similar feelings, and would immediately close up and run away. But the conversation they'd shared the previous night made her think. That map was brilliant, and being out after curfew, it was hardly likely that he'd close the map. So how could he have missed her approaching? He must've known. But then, how could he allow her to run into him?

Maya clutched her head, getting thoroughly confused by all of this. She desperately wanted to think about it, try and sort things out. Not understanding things frustrated her to no end, and not being able to wrap her head around this made her want to scream.

"Are you okay?" Maya almost knocked her ink off the table as she jerked around, only to meet the curious and concerned green eyes of Albus Potter. It seemed the entire Potter clan was set out to ask her this particular question. She shook her head slightly.

"Yes, I'm fine." He smiled softly.

"You seem a bit agitated." She snorted, moving her ink and quill out of harm's way.

"Yes, well…" Without an invitation, he sat down beside her, leaning his elbows in the wooden table top.

"I was looking for you, actually." She raised her eyebrows at him, closing her book with a thud.

"And why is that?" was her reply.

"I was just wondering if you know where Ti is…"

"You don't… Is everything okay between you?" Maya hardly knew Al Potter, but he seemed nice, and as Ti was dating him she was convinced he must be all right. She would at least give him a chance.

"Yes. Or no. I don't know."

"Do elaborate." Another Potter sibling who's easy to talk to, she observed.

"We had a bit of a fight. I'm afraid I overreacted a bit. But I need to speak to her, and I haven't seen her for a while." Maya nodded thoughtfully, wondering if she should tell him about her going home. Why not, she decided.

"She went home for a bit, actually."

"Home?" Maya nodded. "How come?"

"That I don't know." she answered honestly. "I got an owl from her before, only saying she'd be away for a few days and that she'd explain once she got back."

"And she… She said nothing about me?" Maya shook her head.

"I haven't seen her for a while." she added, in an attempt to make him feel better. All she got for a reply was a small nod.

"I'll let you get on then." he said in a low voice, and hurriedly left the room. Maya sighed. What on Earth was up with the world?

M&T

The last classes of the days passed in a sort of trance for Maya. She answered a few questions, earned Ravenclaw a few points and tried to be civil to her friends. All in all, it hadn't been a very eventful or pleasant day. After dinner, she followed Emma, Andrea and Sarah to the library, but sat by herself, reading a novel. She was in no mood for schoolwork, and knew she'd just do a poor job if she even tried in this state of mind. The absence of her best friend made her jittery and short-tempered, and she felt sort of bad for being totally unsocial to her other friends. Out of the corner of her eye she could see some fourth year Gryffindor walking up to Emma, asking her something in a low voice. Her ginger friend's eyebrows shot up, and she looked over at Maya, who gave her a questioning look. Emma spoke for a few moments with the bratty-looking girl, before pushing her off and hurrying over to Maya's side.

"What was that all about?"

"You haven't heard?" Maya snorted.

"No, and neither had you until just now." she pointed out. Emma waved her hand dismissively.

"Do you want to hear it or not?"

"The latest Hogwarts gossip, hold me back." Maya said sarcastically.

"It concerns Tielle." Maya stiffened. Okay, interested.

"Okay, ignore my comments. Shoot." Emma smirked. "Oh drop that face and just tell me already!"

"Suddenly very eager."

"Emma…" she growled menacingly.

"Well, there's this rumour going-"

"There are always rumours about Ti." Maya interrupted.

"Oh, nothing like this." she said confidently.

"Okay…" Emma stared at her.

"They say Ti's pregnant." This time, Maya did knock her things on the floor as she stood up, outraged.

"What?"

"That's not the best part." Emma continued, her eyes clouded. "They say Malfoy's the father."