Disclaimer: I don't own the Marauders, but I sure wouldn't mind if I did. ;P They belong to J.K. Rowling. I do, however, own Leah Matthews and the other OCs. Don't steal, please!
Girl of His Dreams
Chapter Two: How They Have Fun
"Leah..." A voice called out to her, soft and deep like she always imagined an angel's voice might sound like. She allowed herself to be pulled from her slumber, but slapped feebly at the hand that was gently shaking her shoulder. The angel chuckled. "Leah, wake up. We're at Hogwarts."
"Say wha-?" Leah opened her eyes and blinked owlishly at the "angel" that turned out to be Sirius Black. She sat up quickly, glad he couldn't read her mind. From what she'd witnessed so far, the last thing he needed was a boost to his ego. She looked around, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "We're here? Are we late? Where is everyone?" She added, noticing the emptiness of the train.
"They've gotten off the train already," he replied. "Remus is waiting for us, let's go!"
She grabbed her jacket and followed him sleepily off the train. The cold evening mist billowed up around them, giving the entire place a spooky, ethereal look that gave Leah goosebumps. She looked up at the castle in awe.
"It's a real castle," she said, laughing. "This is amazing! It's huge!"
"Just wait 'til you see the inside," he said, heading out into the darkness. Leah noticed he was walking in the opposite direction of the other students and cleared her throat.
"Uh, Sirius? Where are you going?"
"First years don't take carriages," he replied, turning to face her in the dark. "They take boats."
"Well, that's great and all," she replied, looking over her shoulder to see if anyone had noticed them. The boarding station was suddenly empty, void of any sign of life- train included. Ghost train? She wouldn't be surprised. It sounded like a Stephen King novel, and she moved closer to Sirius as shivers ran up her spine. "Need I remind you that we're not first years?"
"I'm not... but you are. Technically," he added, smirking. "What's the harm? Ah, there he is. Almost got it, Moony?"
"It's ready," he called back. Leah saw the tip of a wand in the mist, and hurried toward it- she had never been a fan of the dark. She kept following it until her foot sank into the ground with a splash, and she heard a quiet laugh behind her. With a scowl, she looked down to see her leg, half-way up to her knee, sunk in the lake.
"If that's not a sign of foreboding, I don't know what is," she mumbled, shaking the water off and climbing into the boat that floated harmlessly beside her. Remus helped her settle into the boat, growling as Sirius plopped down, rocking it precariously. While the boat skimmed smoothly atop the surface of the lake, Leah charmed her leg dry and looked up at the castle. It was amazing- bigger than she'd ever imagined, and to the east, she could see the rings of a Quidditch field.
"Haven't you ever seen a castle before?" Sirius asked jokingly. Leah shook her head.
"I'm from Alaska- no castles." She smiled. "You guys really get into the whole witch and wizard thing, huh?"
"What's the point of learning magic if it's not absolutely magical?" Remus asked as their boat drifted closer to the bank. "It adds to the experience."
"SIRIUS BLACK!" A loud, piercing cry rang out from the shore, and Sirius laughed nervously at Remus, who looked edgy as well. The blonde shook his head and tried to duck down behind Sirius.
"I knew we'd get in trouble," he muttered. The path up to the castle was well-lit, and it illuminated the figure of an older woman, who had her hands on her hips and a frown on her face. Leah recognized her from the Ministry of Magic, when she first arrived in London and had yet to be sorted.
"What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?" Her bronze-colored hair was done up in a neat bun, her hat askew slightly. "Why couldn't you take the carriages like everyone else?"
"Professor McGonagall," Leah called, waving. "How are you?"
"Oh, Miss Matthews, there you are!" She met them on the bank as they clambered out of the boat. "What are you doing with Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin?"
"Well, they offered to give me a tour," Leah said smoothly, giving her a soft smile. Well, it was mostly true. "Remus and Sirius thought it would be a neat idea to let me ride in the boat, since I was technically a first year."
"Really?" The professor looked skeptical at first, and it hardened considerably when they nodded, playing along.
"Of course we did," Sirius said. "How could you ever doubt us? We just wanted to get Leah into the spirit of how things work around here- from what I've heard, school is boring where she's from. No fun at all, really...They don't even have a castle."
Her hawk-like gaze landed on him, and Sirius flashed her a charming grin, completely unfazed by her blatant disapproval.
"It's true," Remus added, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry for the trouble, Professor."
"Well, if you say so, Mr. Lupin. Excellent idea, Mr. Black. Ten points to Gryffindor for helping out a new student!"
Sirius and Remus glanced at each other in shock. They shared the same thought: It worked?
"Now, march yourselves up to the Great Hall! You don't want to miss the sorting, do you?" She turned and strode briskly back up the hill without another word, her emerald robes billowing behind her. Leah pulled her own plain, black cloak tighter around her and began to follow the professor.
"Bloody brilliant," Sirius said, sagging onto Remus with relief. "And to think, I pictured you as Miss Innocent at King's Cross!"
"Me? Innocent?" All she could do was laugh. They made their way up to the castle, Remus lagging due to the fact that Sirius still hung off of him like a large, benign tumor.
"Would you kindly get off of me? This hill is steep enough without you adding all this weight..."
"What weight?" Sirius demanded. "Is that a fat joke?"
"It's no joke," Remus retorted. "Get off of me!"
"Leah!" Sirius' voice was full of mock horror. "Moony just called me fat! You heard him, didn't you?"
"You're not fat," she assured him, rolling her eyes. "Stop being such a girl."
"I think I'm in love," Sirius muttered to his lycan friend. Remus rolled his eyes and shoved Sirius off of his side.
"Of course you are, Padfoot. Leah is a pretty girl who you haven't sucked face with yet." Sirius' face stretched into a broad grin as he righted himself and followed after his best friend.
"Did you just say 'yet,' Moony?"
Remus didn't answer. When they met up with Leah in the Great Hall a few minutes later ("About time, you two! What were you doing, stopping for coffee?"), she was standing with Lily and James, who was nearly dancing with excitement.
"Oi, Padfoot, you're never going to guess!"
"Guess what?"
James blinked. "What?"
"What?" Sirius looked confused. James returned his puzzled expression.
"I don't know, mate, you told me to guess what."
"... What?" Sirius and James burst into laughter, and Leah and Lily shared the same look- it was a mix between incredulity and embarrassment.
"If anyone asks," she told Lily quietly, "I don't know these people."
"Same here," she muttered back. "Let's go eat."
"May I join you?" Remus hung his head. "It's almost like I can feel my brain cells dying."
"Aww," Leah crooned. "Of course you can!" She walked with he and Lily, and many of the other Gryffindors introduced themselves to her as she sat down. It wasn't long before she heard someone whisper about how she was hanging out with the Marauders. She assumed that Sirius and Remus and James were the Marauders, because aside from Lily, Leah hadn't been seen with anyone else. word to spread insanely fast- moments later, she was sure her face was bright red from all the attention, and Sirius sat down beside her, poking her cheek and laughing at her.
"Oi, Matthews... your face looks like a tomato!"
"It does not," Leah protested, ducking her head in embarrassment. "I wasn't aware of your reputations when I sat with you on the train..."
"Sorry about that," Remus said, holding out a goblet. "It's mostly Sirius' and James' fault, I promise. Here, try some pumpkin juice."
"Pumpkin juice?" Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "You must be joking, that's nasty."
"You're a witch," Sirius told her. "You have to like pumpkins. Drink it."
"No way!"
"I thought that when I first came across it, as well," Remus said, chuckling. "I was surprised by how good it was."
"I still think it's nasty," Leah muttered, lifting the goblet to her lips. She took one sip, then another. Remus lifted a brow while Leah swished it around in her mouth before gulping it down. "It's like cider. It's sweet... but also tangy. I've never had anything like it!"
"Try the tarts," the girl across from Leah said. She had introduced herself as Melaina, and had short black hair and dark eyes. Her voice oozed false cheeriness, and she reminded Leah of the cheerleaders at her old school- the preps who tried to be real life Barbie dolls. "They're my favorite, so you'll definitely like them."
"No thanks," Leah said, poking the meatballs on her plate. "I've already eaten too much of these things... whatever they are..." She scowled. "I wouldn't be surprised if I just puffed up into one of them any moment now."
"Are you ready for a tour?" James asked, puffing up his chest. "It's my obligation as Head Boy!"
"You're not fooling anyone," Lily grumbled. "You just want to cause trouble because you know I won't be there to baby-sit."
"How can you think such horrible things about me?" James demanded, mock hurt written on his features. "Evans, you wound me!"
"Off with you, Potter." She turned her head, and he sighed, rising to his feet.
"Let's go guys! Oi, Wormtail, where have you been?" James turned his attention to the awkward-looking boy as he shuffled up to the Gryffindor table. He shrugged.
"D-Didn't feel like watching the Sorting."
"Okay, well we're giving Leah a tour. Wanna come?"
"Actually, I'm starving," he replied, sitting down where James had just moved from. "I think I'll stay a bit longer."
Remus and Sirius climbed out of their seats the same time she did, and immediately began bickering over who had stepped on whose foot. Leah shoved past them, a frustrated growl leaving her lips.
"You're like children, honestly! Cut that out you two."
"We were just playin' around," Sirius whined. He sidled up to Leah and threw his arm around her. "Did you want my attention, Matthews? All you had to do was ask..."
"Oh, shut up," she replied. "I think you've given me plenty of attention, thank you."
"You shouldn't be ashamed of wanting me all to yourself," he continued. "It's perfectly natural to be attracted to me."
The arguing and joking continued loudly as they traversed the corridors, until James sighed and stretched, reaching up to the ceiling.
"I've missed Hogwarts," he told the group. "I don't know what I'm going to do when it's all over..."
"You could be a professional Seeker," Remus suggested. Sirius wrapped his arm around Remus, his other arm still draped around Leah's shoulders.
"I don't know what I'm going to do either," he lamented. "What about you, Leah?"
"I'm not sure," she replied. "I want to be an Auror, but my record isn't exactly clean. The American Council of Witches and Wizards doesn't take my kind."
"Your kind?"
"It's... a long story. Nevermind." She laughed the topic away, and James hummed.
"Being an Auror would be fun," he said. "Tons of excitement." Remus coughed loudly, and Leah looked him over in concern.
"Hey, you okay?"
"Just a little cold," he replied, his voice resonating with frailty. Leah frowned thoughtfully, looking- really looking- at his face for the first time. There were a few scars that had mostly faded, but were still noticeable. She said nothing, but her mind was reeling.
She could do the math. She knew the symptoms very well.
Heather...
I've found a new wolf, it seems. I'm like a magnet.
"Here's the common room," Sirius announced proudly, waving his arms toward a painting of a very fat woman. Leah stared between him and the painting as if he were on drugs. In fact...
"Are you on drugs?"
"Er, no." James and Remus laughed, and Sirius winked at her. "You say the password, and the portrait moves so you can go inside."
"Oh, I see. Well, let's go!" Leah smiled, eager to see her new home. Sirius suddenly hung his head in shame.
"I forgot the password. Oi!" He ducked behind a rather large pillar. He reminded Leah of the British spy, James Bond.
"Black. Sirius Black." Yep. She could totally see it.
"First years are coming! Shall we, Prongs?"
"Good eye, mate." They all piled around the pillar, watching the troupe of first years make their way toward the painting.
"You're about to watch a prank done Marauder-style," James told her quietly. Pulling his wand out of his belt, he muttered a soft string of inaudible words, and dashed out in front of the painting once more. Leah watched, amused, as he bent over and dragged his wand tip- which was now glowing a snot green- along the ground. Four long lines connected to make a box, and just as he leapt back behind the pillar, the first years passed their hiding spot.
Leah was confused. "They're just lines."
"'Just lines,' she says," he scoffed. "Watch what those lines can do!"
"You know," she said randomly, "I once heard that you can tell a lot about a person by how they have fun."
"Well, you're about to learn a hell of a lot about us," Sirius replied, snickering. Leah watched with baited breath as the first years got closer and closer to the box, the small crowd talking amongst themselves loudly. The girl in the lead had long brown hair, and was talking animatedly to a young boy who looked as though he really couldn't care less. The girl stepped into the box and let out a blood-curling shriek as the ground inside melted into a pool of green slime. She toppled in, and several other classmates fell in after her, having not been paying attention.
"They're like lemmings," Leah laughed quietly, watching them topple one at a time into the pool. Several tried to stop at the edge, but ended up getting pushed in by those behind them. Leah knelt to the ground.
"Serpentralis," she whispered. Brown and green ribbons sprang from her wand and formed into snakes, slithering toward the pool. She was glad she had taught herself this trick in her second year, when she wanted to prank the girls who always lounged in the school's swimming pool.
"Oh, no," a girl shrieked. "What's that!" Screams erupted from everyone, several boys included, and Leah laughed loudly. Just as her ribs were beginning to ache, Sirius followed her example.
"Arachnos," he muttered, and tarantulas burst from his wand, scuttling across the stone tiles on hairy legs. The first years waded around in the pool, wailing uncertainly- they didn't want to stay in the pool with the snakes, but they sure as hell didn't want to get out of the pool and play with the spiders.
"No where to go," Leah snickered. Sirius laughed, too, and James tucked his wand away.
"Well done, mates," he said, saluting each of them. "Now to go out there and fix it! When Lily shows up and sees me helping them out, I'll look like a hero! She's bound to fall in love with me after that!"
Leah saw a flash of red hair over his shoulder, but decided not to warn him. She only smiled broadly. "Sure, James. Whatever you say."
Remus cleared his throat, shuffling away awkwardly. "I'm, uh... going to go help the first years."
"Yeah, me too," Sirius added nervously, grabbing Leah's arm and backing away. James blinked.
"Oi, what's gotten into you lot?"
Suddenly, a very angry, feminine voice hissed from behind him,
"Having fun, Potter? How about you, Black?"
A/N: (2900 words!) CHAPTER TWO! Well, how was it? For every review I get, 1$ will go to fund the James Bond spin-off, "Sirius Black!" ("My name is Black... Sirius Black.")