A/N - I own nothing.

Of Friendship and Love

It was that time of year again - the time when the students of Hogwarts left the school and went home for the summer.

Aboard the gleaming scarlet steam train, the five teenagers known as the marauders were sat in their usual compartment.

16 year old Selena sat with her back against the window and her legs crossed in James Potter's lap. Selena had the wavy dark hair and fair complexion that her brother had, but where his eyes were steely grey - like their father's - hers were bright blue - like their mother's. Although Selena was classsed as a Marauder, she didn't have a nickname and she wasn't animagus, as her brother wouldn't let her become one - James and Remus had been reluctant to let her too. The three of them, and occasionaly Peter, were always looking out for her - sometimes too much so. Selena was as loud and confident, and a magnet to the opposite sex as Sirius was, but she was also different. Where the boys would run around pulling pranks, Selena would plan them but not carry them out as she always refused to run around in her four inch Christian Louboutin heels. Sometimes she stayed out of the boys more wild schemes and went to hang about with her female friends - she needed the time to be a girl too. This was why Molly Prewett and Alice Fawning were such good friends - they were so different to the boys.

Sirius Black was commonly known as the ladies man, he went through girl after girl dating and not really caring. He was fiercly protective of his sister, and even he knew that sometimes he was too much so, but he couldn't help it.

James was every bit as good looking as Sirius and also had many girls after him. He was loyal and witty and had made quidditch captain at the beginning of their 6th year - something no one deserved more than James. Of all the Marauders, he was closest to Sirius. Selena came a close second though, she was pretty much the only female in the year who wasn't head over heels for him, which he respected. She was also the only one willing to listen to his quidditch rants as she was also a chaser on the team.

Remus was more reserved than Sirius, Selena or James, but he still liked to pull pranks just as much as the others did. His relationship with Selena was based on their similarities. Neither liked to run around all the time. Neither approved of the bullying of Severus Snape, however much he deserved it. Remus tried many a time to enlist Selena's help in forcing her brother and his partner in crime to do their homework - but sometimes not even she could get through to them. She was also the only girl who knoew of his secret, so there was a great deal of trust between the two.

Peter sometimes annoyed Selena because he hero worshipped the others. But she saw a side to him that made her want to look after him - he seemed so vunerable and lonely that she tried her best to include him in whatever the Marauders were doing.

As usual, Peter had gone off in search of the woman with the food trolley, and Remus had accompanied him to ensure that he didn't get lost - which would have been typical of Peter.

' I can't believe we're going home again already,' James stated, from his seat on the bench next to Selena, ' It seems not a week ago that we started off the school year.'

Sirius sighed bitterly. He and his sister often found themselves a little jealous of the other three, who all had happy families who loved them, wheras the Black twins did not.

' It's not home really though, is it? ' he muttered darkly.

Selena nodded, ' Hogwarts is our home - it's the only place that can make us truly happy.'

James, who had been toying with the bows on his friends high heeled shoes, slapped her knee lightly, ' You know you're always welcome round at my house - the both of you. My mum and dad adore you, sometimes I wonder why they don't just adopt you, since they always go on about how wonderful you are. But if you can't feel truly happy at my place then perhaps you won't be invited this year...'

He was only joking but Selena grasped his fingers quickly, ' No,' she said in a whisper, ' You have to let us come. We can't spend a whole three months living with the vultures. '

As James looked into Selena's face he knew that something was wrong, though he didn't know what.

The other Marauders knew that the twins' parents weren't particularly pleasant people but they didn't know the full extent of it, as the pair didn't want to tell anyone else - they were too proud, and it was not their nature. They thought that things would sort themselves out. There were times when Selena felt like telling the others everything - especially James when he would spot a bruise on her arm after school holidays, or catch her looking sad and down. But she didn't because that would make Sirius unhappy, and he was all she had at home.

But even he didn't know the whole story. No one did.

James glanced between the worried looking girl and her brother. Sirius looked as of he were trying to signal to her with his eyes, trying to tell her not to say any more.

' Lena,' James said softly, as she continued to keep her hold on his hand, ' I was only joking, of course you'l be coming to mine as soon as possible.'

Lena breathed a sigh of relief, and looked out of the window, her expression pained.

James looked between his two best friends again, ' Is there something you want to tell me? '

' No.' answered Lena shortly.

' Are you sure because maybe...'

He was cut off by a teary eyed Lena standing up, ' If you'll excuse me, I need a moment to myself,' she said acidly, sparing Sirius a glare on her way out.

Before James could speak, Sirius shook his head, ' Don't even bother,' he warned.

--

On the platform, after the train journey, students were met by their families.

Lena and Sirius stood by the wall of the platform as they always did after debarking the train. They knew that their parents would not be here to meet them.

' Can't we just go? ' Lena snapped, looking up at Sirius.

' No and you know why.' he replied, ' We have to wait until James has gone because if they see us leaving without our parents, then they'll know something is wrong.'

' As if James doesn't know already,' Lena snapped sarcastically.

' Yeah? Well whose fault is that? ' Sirius retorted, ' If you could just keep quiet then they wouldn't get suspicious, would they? '

Lena sighed and calmed down a little, ' Would it really be such a bad thing if we told them how our parents treat us? Maybe they could help us out.'

Sirius replied, ' We've talked about this though. We agreed that we didn't want them to know. We can handle it can't we? OK, dad hits us sometimes and the vultures pretty much ignore our existance, but we can deal with that, can't we - only for a few days before we can go to James' house.'

Lena shook her head sadly, ' You don't know the half of it.' she replied quietly.

Before he could question her, James and his parents approached them.

Mrs Potter hugged the two teenagers, as Mr Potter shook hands with Sirius and kissed Selena's hand.

' Sirius, Lena, it's so good to see you - are you parents not here yet? ' asked Cherilyn, looing around the pratically empty platform.

' I expect they're just running late,' Sirius replied cooly, ' they'll be here soon.'

' Would you like us to wait with you whilst they arrive? ' continued James' mother.

' Oh no, we'll be fine Mrs Potter,' Sirius assured her, ' We wouldn't want to inconvienience you.'

' It's no trouble, but if you're sure...'

' Yes, we'll be fine, they'll get here soon imagine.'

Mrs Potter seemed satisfied, ' Well, of course you'll both be coming to stay with us very soon, we'll give you a few days to get sorted out and pack new clothes and then you can come around. James will owl you, won't you dear? '

James nodded, rolling his eyes at his mother's forwardness. Anyone would think they were her best friends.

James took Sirius aside to say goodbye whilst Selena said her goodbyes to Mr and Mrs Potter.

James then took Selena aside.

He was looking at her with deep concern.

' Now you take care, won't you? ' he said as she threw her arms around him, and he encircled her waist with his.

She nodded, her eyes filling with tears again.

When they broke apart he used his sleeve to wipe her eyes, ' Hey - none of that now, what's gotten into you? '

She shook her head and refused to meet his gaze, ' Nothing.'

He put his hand under her chin and forced her to look up at him, his eyes now filled with worry, ' Is this the thing that got you so upset on the train? '

She shrugged silently.

He persisted, ' Do you want to tell me what it was all about? '

She shook her head.

He sighed and pulled her into another embrace, ' This conversation is not over,' he whispered, meaning that he would continue to as questions the next time that they met.

As the Potters left, the Blacks waiting a good few minutes before leaving to discover what was in store for them this year.