Oh what a shame we've all became such fragile broken things

A memory remains just a tiny spark.

Wrong Doings

"So you and Kirsty are back on," James said when Sirius entered the dormitory. "Let's take bets. How long will they last this time?"

"Funny, Prongs." said Sirius.

"Why are you going out with her?" Peter asked.

"Because I can, Peter."

"It's to make Riley jealous," Remus said while reading his book.

"It's not."

"I'm agreeing with Moony," James said.

"Well she's doing the same to me!" Sirius exclaimed. "She's going out with Parker!"

"And why would she want to make you jealous?"

"Because she liked me!"

"She then denied it, though," Remus said.

The four boys looked at each other an awkward silence filling the air.

"Where's Evans?" Sirius asked. "I want to talk to her."

"I've Riley with a Ravenclaw boy recently."

"Yeah, he's in the year above us. Brandon Parker."

Lily and Severus were in the library studying for a Potions test they had in two days. It was only reaching eight o'clock and they had arrived at half past seven but Lily had felt like they had been studying for hours.

"Oh," Severus said. "The way Regulus talked about their time at Christmas, you would think they were going out."

"Really?" Lily asked and looked up from her book. "What has he been saying?"

"Nothing really. He just goes on about how she acted around him and what not."

"No shit…"

"Evans!"

"Mr. Black! Will you please be quiet?"

Sirius dodged Madam Pince as she came running at him, a rolled piece of paper in her hand.

"Sorry! I'll be quiet!"

Madam Pince retreated after giving him a dirty look and Sirius leaned on the table Lily and Severus had occupied.

"Bear it, Snivellus. I need to borrow Evans."

"Leave, Black. If that's the way you wish to speak to my friends, I don't wish to see you. And I am not something that needs to be 'borrowed'."

"It's urgent, though," Sirius said.

"Is it a matter of life and death?"

"Not really no…"

"Well then I have no interest in helping you," Lily said. "Now if you'll excuse us, we've got studying to do."

"It's about Riley," Sirius said. "I need to talk to you about her."

Lily looked at Severus who was staring daggers at Sirius and then looked back at Sirius who was staring down at her looking desperate.

"I'll be two minutes," she said and stood up and walked down the isle, Sirius following.

"Does Riley like me?"

"She's going out with Brandon."

"Is she doing it to make me jealous?"

"Why? Are you?"

"No! I just-I'm only wondering. She told me she liked me during the holidays and then said she didn't mean it and it's just…I'm confused."

"If she did I'm sure she wouldn't be with someone else," Lily said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have studying to do."

Riley entered the common room that night after a freezing night on the quidditch pitch and fell down on the couch in front of the fire. She was the only one in the common room and she had no idea what time it was and she was starving. She heard footsteps up above her and Mary came stumbling down the stairs.

"Riley? Are you okay? You've been away for ages."

"I'm fine. The practice went longer that I thought it would."

"I see," Mary said. "Lily and I were taking turns on seeing if you'd appeared yet."

"Oh, I'm sorry. You can go back to bed now," Riley said. "I'm just going to heat up and I'll be up in a few."

"Alright."

Mary yawned and then turned back upstairs. Riley made sure she was out of sight before she ran up the boys stairs making sure to be quiet and opened the fifth year boys door. All of there hangings were shut and there were the occasional snore. Riley went to the bed in the middle out of the five and pulled the hangings back slowly and pulled the covers away from James' face.

"James," she whispered. "James, wake up."

She rocked him slowly.

"That's nice, Lily. Keep doing that," he mumbled.

"It's not Lily you idiot!" she said. "Wake up!"

His eyes were wide awake and he jumped in the bed.

"WHO-WHA-?"

"Shh!"

Riley jumped on James' bed and covered his mouth and pulled the hangings with her other hand.

"Prongs? What's going on?"

"S'alright, Moony. Bad dream."

"Okay."

"What are you doing Riley?" James whispered.

"Want to go for a late snack?"

"Do we have to?" he pouted.

"It would be much appreciated."

"Fine," he grumbled. "Can you get off me? I feel bad that it's not Lily that is straddling me."

"You pig," she said and got off him.

"I'm a teenage boy, what do you expect?"

Riley stood outside while James put on appropriate clothing and they then made their way down to the kitchens. Riley felt as though she hadn't spoke to James in forever. They waked to the kitchens, both watching different parts of the Marauder's Map as Riley no longer cared whether they got caught so she didn't hide away under the Invisibility Cloak.

They entered the kitchen and an Elf appeared.

"How can Linky help the Mister and Missus?"

"I'll have a cheese sandwich please, Linky," Riley said.

"Just hot chocolate for me," James said. "Please."

Linky nodded and set off down the kitchen and Riley and James took a seat across from each other at a table.

"So, what's been happening in your life, James?"

"Not much," he shrugged. "Still trying to get Lily to go out with me…I think she's warming up to me if I say so myself!"

Riley laughed.

"She is…She's not shouting at me as much."

"Maybe she's just ignoring you?"

"Hey! Let me have some hope!" James said. "Ah, thanks."

Linky appeared with James' hot chocolate and Riley's sandwich.

"What about you, Riles? I noticed you're seeing a Ravenclaw." He took a sip of his hot chocolate. "Who is on the quidditch team."

"Calm down, James," Riley said. "I'm still a Gryffindor supporter at heart."

"Mmmhmm.."

"James! I'm being serious! I'd chose you guys over everyone else!"

"Explain who you mean by 'guys'."

"Well, you, Remus, Peter, Frank…"

"What about Sirius?" James questioned.

"He's not speaking to me at this moment in time and I don't know why."

"Maybe it's because he considered you a close friend and you-" he stopped abruptly.

"And I what? James, what don't I know?"

"Nothing. It's not my place to say."

"It has something to do with me," Riley stated. "I have a right to know."

"And like I said, it's not my place to say."

"James."

"He feels like you messed it up," James said. "Sirius is the kind of person who can't handle people leaving him, Riley. You were so close and now that you're seeing someone, he feels like he's lost you."

"I'm not his property," Riley said, hurt. "I can have other friends, I can have a boyfriend and still be friends with him! Who does he think he is? He's the one that sleeps around!"

"Riles, that's enough!"

"I'm not hungry anymore," she said and pushed away her plate. "I'm going to go to bed."

Riley didn't wait for James to say anything. She left the kitchens almost immediately and ran up every flight of stairs. All she had wanted was to be the way her and James always were. Like brother and sister but after that conversation, she found it hard to think they could be. She knew he would always stick up for Sirius but she had secretly hoped he would favor her too. Obviously not.

"Can you pass me the jam, Riley?"

Lily was sitting across from Riley the next morning at breakfast. Riley pushed the jam across the table and continued to take small bites into her toast.

"Am I missing something?" Lily asked.

Riley shook her head.

"Will you talk then?"

Riley shrugged and then turned around when she heard a group of laughter behind her. The Marauders were walking by to a seat at the table.

"Excuse me," Riley said and got up from the table, leaving the Great Hall.

"Riley! Riles!"

She felt a hand on her arm and she turned around to meet Brandon.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just don't feel good."

"What class are you in next?"

"Muggle Studies," Riley groaned in reminder. "Do you have a free period?"

"Until first break I'm off, yeah."

"Can we do something? I don't want to go to Ancient Runes either."

"Well," Brandon said and put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. "What would you like to do?"

"I just want to sit back and relax and not think about anything," she said. "And going down to the quidditch pitch will not help."

Brandon laughed and Riley smiled up at him. A genuine smile. She liked his laugh. It wasn't a fake laugh that most guys would do to make girls feel like their funny. His was really and truly gleeful. Although Riley knew this was all a way to make Sirius jealous, she was starting to really like Brandon and enjoy his company.

"I have an idea! We go to the kitchens, get lots of food and just sit in a room with pillows and just…relax!"

"I think you've gone mental," Brandon laughed and gave her a kiss. "Let's go then."

Lily had entered Ancient Runes and started copying down the Lesson Starter on the blackboard. She heard a clutter of noises; talking, laughing, chairs being scraped. Remus took a seat beside her and he too started to copy the same thing as her. When she was done, she set down her quill and looked around. Everyone seemed to be in place and Professor Bathsheda Babbling had entered the class.

"Is Riley not in today?"

Lily suddenly turned around to see Riley's seat two behind her, next to Severus, was empty.

"I saw her in the Great Hall this morning for breakfast," Sirius said. "She seemed fine."

"She wasn't, Professor," Lily said in defence. "She said she wasn't feeling very well and she didn't even eat her breakfast. Get your facts right before you open your mouth, Black."

"Okay, okay, that's quite enough. If any of you see Riley for the remainder of the day, please tell her to come along to find out what she missed."

Lily knew she could be lying for Riley, but Riley never skipped class unless she was really unwell. And she had barely ate this morning, so it was the only thing she could think of. Professor Babbling started the lesson and with one last dirty look at Sirius, Lily started to take notes. She would spend her break finding Riley.

"We should do this more often."

Riley and Brandon were sitting in an abandoned classroom, sitting on red and blue pillows, eating.

"Agreed, but I'll need new excuses," Riley laughed.

Brandon just smiled and kissed her. He done that a lot and it didn't bother Riley at all. She use to hate it when she saw guys and girls always kissing, even just little quick kisses but now she knew how it felt to have a boyfriend and she wanted to do the same all the time.

"I think it's almost break," Riley said. "I should really go to my other classes."

"Same. I've got Defence then Transfiguration."

"Let's go."

Brandon stood up and pulled Riley up and with a flick of her wand, every piece of evidence that they had been there was gone. The couple walked out of the class and down to the Entrance Hall just as everyone from the Dungeons started to flood in. Riley saw Remus walk through the crowd from the stairs walk towards her.

"Hi, are you feeling better? Lily said you weren't feeling very well."

"Em, yeah. I went to Madam Pomfrey and I feel much better."

"Good!" He said. "Well, Lily has went to the common room to look for you. She didn't know where you went."

"Okay, thanks for telling me, Remus."

Remus nodded then walked into the Great Hall.

"I better go get Lily," Riley said and gave Brandon a quick kiss. "See you later."

Riley got to the Fat Lady's portrait when it swung open and Lily appeared.

"There you are! Where were you this morning? Why did you leave at breakfast? I lied for you, Riley! I am not a liar!"

"Calm down, Lily. I'm fine."

"Why weren't you in class then?"

"I…I didn't feel like it."

"Didn't feel like it? Riley, what's wrong?"

"Nothing!"

"You've never skipped class before," Lily said. "Now tell me the truth. You wouldn't do it because you felt like it."

Riley and Lily stood in silence for a long time, staring at each other.

"I had some kind of a disagreement with James last night and I just started to think how easier everything was before I got involved with everyone, you know? It was easy and I wouldn't know what it was like to lose a close friend and now I think I've lost two," she took a deep breath. "And it's horrible. Sometimes I just wish…I just wish I had stayed hidden."

Riley saw the hurt look in Lily's eyes.

"Well then, if that's how you feel, I'll leave you alone then."

Lily brushed past her and Riley saw her push a tear away to the side.

A LONG CHAPTER? OMIGOD WHAT?

Yes, haha! All the reviews really made me stick to my guns and write away!

Hope you enjoyed!

Abbey!