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 Five: It's Not a Game

It was almost Halloween- it had been two short months since she had arrived at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Leah had noticed right away just how magical Hogwarts tended to be- it flaunted its castle by keeping its paintings alive and its ghosts a part of daily life. (By having them teach, no less. She realized why Binns was so boring; do you realize how horribly monotonous a lecture can be when the professor doesn't have to stop to breathe?) Nearly-Headless Nick was a treasure to all Gryffindors. A brave man, he was, and wise to boot. Leah liked going to him for advice, and even for directions.

Unfortunately, it was hard to follow him when he would just randomly float through a wall. This is the shortest route, he would swear, as if forgetting Leah was solid, as well.

As Halloween floated just around the corner, Leah had been subject to all sorts of pranks by all sorts of people. She could understand it- she was the new kid, after all, and that made her as vulnerable as any of the first years. Harmless pranks were one thing: she could find humor in Sirius' gift chocolates, which turned her tongue and teeth a vivid shade of blue- "To match your eyes."- and she could even laugh at herself when James had left a spare card from Exploding Snap in her bag. Did you know that if you keep a card from the rest of the deck for longer than an hour it explodes?

Leah didn't.

But it turns out it does explode, very messily, and Leah was forced to pick up the charred remains of her bag, as well as all of her possessions. If it had been anyone else, she'd have laughed, so she figured, why not laugh at herself?

There were some jokes, however, that totally crossed the line. And the only creature who dared cross that line was the one thing she couldn't physically maim: a ghost.

She had always thought there was some sort of rule against male ghosts going into the Girl's Dormitories. It made sense to her- if living boys weren't allowed, dead ones shouldn't be either. It was just how things were supposed to work. Especially when they could just float in and take your stuff.

Which brings us to Leah's current situation. Leah had been in the shower, scrubbing away the orange slime that had fallen from a precariously-perched bucket atop the girls' dormitory door, when suddenly, she heard a clatter arise from her room. She opened the door with just a towel on, knowing that it must be a girl who was making the noise.

Well... she was wrong.

It was Peeves, the resident Prank Champion, or so he proclaimed. He and the Marauders were having a competition, it turned out, and Peeves was about to cross the finish line. He levitated all of Leah's belongings into the air, and with a light popping noise, they were gone, and so was Peeves, his cackling still echoing from the walls.

For a second, all she could do was stare. Then-

"PEEVES! GET BACK HERE WITH MY CLOTHES!"

She tightened the towel around her body and sprinted out of the dorm room, leaping down the stairway two steps at a time. She landed with a loud thump on the floor.

"I MEAN IT, PEEVES! I'M GOING STRAIGHT TO DUMBLEDORE IF YOU DON'T RETURN THEM RIGHT THIS SECOND!"

The first years, who didn't have class today, stared at her in shock. She whirled on them with a furious scowl.

"What the HELLare you looking at?"

"Woah," a familiar voice exclaimed from the Portrait Hole. Sirius looked her over with a smirk. "Is that a new look, Leah?" He flashed her a thumbs-up. "I approve!"

Her outraged glare silenced him immediately, and he ducked behind Remus, who averted his eyes with a blush.

"What exactly are you doing?" Remus asked. James sniggered, and Lily, who had just arrived, rushed in to save the day, wrapping her cloak around Leah's shoulders and scolding the boys angrily.

"Oi, we didn't do anything," Sirius protested, raising his hands defensively. "We just got here!"

Now that everyone was there, Leah's temper faded and her embarrassment took over. She turned bright red, stepping behind Lily as tears sprang into her eyes. She turned and ran wordlessly back up into her room, while the boys tried to figure out what in Merlin's name just happened.

"She was yelling at Peeves about her clothes," a first year piped up. "It was scary."

"Yeah," another one agreed, nodding fervently. "Really scary."

Lily sighed. "I'll go talk to her."

"What a jerk," Leah mumbled, searching through her trunk and suitcases for anything Peeves might have left behind. "Even my wand is missing!"

"What happened to your things?" Lily asked, surprised as she entered the ransacked room.

"Peeves," Leah replied angrily, wiping her eyes. "He just took off with it while I was in the shower... I can't believe I just ran down there... in front of everybody..." She hung her head. "How embarrassing... I bet they're all laughing right now."

"Sirius and the others were worried," Lily told her, shuffling through her own trunks. "They've gone to find Peeves and get your clothes. We're about the same size- you can borrow some of my clothes until Sirius and James come back."

"Thanks, Lily."

As she was getting dressed, Lily told her she was going to see McGonagall. "If Peeves has been coming into the girls dormitories," she explained, "Professor McGonagall needs to know. I'll be right back."

Leah followed her downstairs and sat beside Remus, who was sitting in an armchair reading. He looked up when she plopped onto one of the loveseats beside him.

"Are those Lily's clothes?"

"Yes. They're not really my style," she admitted quietly, still blushing. She plucked at the purple sweater she was wearing. "I'm not a huge fan of purple, either, but at least I'm not naked."

"Sirius was very angry."

"He looked the same to me," she replied grumpily, folding her arms over her chest. "I suppose you know him better than I do, of course."

"I do," he agreed. He hummed thoughtfully. "He's taken a liking to you."

"Is that so?" Leah smiled wryly and swept her legs up onto the couch, wiggling her toes as she lounged on her back. The warmth of the fire felt good against her chilled skin, and she closed her eyes. "Well, I've heard several stories about the women Sirius 'takes a liking to,' and I have no intention of being a notch on his bedpost."

Remus chuckled. "Who told you those stories? Hopefully not Melaina Yearham."

"It was her," Leah answered. "And some of her friends who'd all dated him. Why?"

"He dumped her back in fifth year," Remus explained. "I'll admit he dated a lot of girls during his fifth and sixth year, but it's nothing like the stories. He doesn't sleep around."

"Really?" Leah felt a little bad for believing the girlish gossip, especially considering how shallow and bitchy Melaina was. "Just rumors from a jealous ex, huh? That's original."

"Not much in life is truly ever original," he said wisely. He laughed at his own words. "Maybe I'll be a philosopher when I graduate."

"Perhaps." Leah was drifting closer and closer to sleep. She yawned. "You give great advice."

"I do, do I? Want some, then?"

"Sure."

"Don't scream."

"Hm?" Leah frowned, opening her eyes groggily. "What do you-?"

"BOO!"

"AAAHHHHH!" Leah sprang from the couch and fell into an unceremonious heap on the floor, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest. Sirius swung himself over the back of the couch and leapt into her seat as she climbed to her feet, hands on her hips. "Sirius! What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," he replied cockily. "I'm perfect. Besides, Moony tried to warn you."

She growled, but before she could get too angry, Sirius jerked his thumb up toward the dormitories. "Your clothes should be back by now, and we told Peeves not to mess with you again."

"Will he listen?"

"If he knows what's good for him," he boasted seriously. "I should have exorcized the bloody git."

"Thanks..." Leah sat down beside him and blushed. "For everything. You've been a great guy, even from the beginning. I'd probably still be at King's Cross if it weren't for you."

He reached out and ruffled her hair. "Of course I've been great," he replied. "I'm always a great guy."

She rolled her eyes and rose to her feet. "I'm going to go change. Not a fan of purple," she muttered. Remus grinned.

"You mentioned that already."

"Yes, well, I'm really not a fan of purple." As she made her way up the stairs, Sirius smirked over at his best friend, who just shook his head.

"She said you were a great guy," Remus reminded him. "That doesn't mean she's head-over-heels."

"Moony, my dear old mate... She may not know it yet, but she's going to fall for me sooner or later. Most likely sooner, once I turn up my charm a bit. She won't know what hit her."

"It's not a game," Remus chided gently, still reading his book on Egyptian Magic. "She isn't a game."

"I know that," he muttered, running his fingers through his bangs. "I don't want her to be a game. That damned Melaina absolutely ruined my reputation..."

"I think if you spent less time flirting with other girls and showed more interest in her, she'd forget all about the rumors."

"...Maybe you're right." Sirius grinned. "I don't have to stop flirting, I just have to flirt with Leah! A lot!" He jumped up. "Thanks, Moony! I'm going to go set up my plan of attack."

As he rushed upstairs, Remus sagged into his chair.

"That's not what I said at all..."

A/N: (1800 words) So? How was it? Is it just me, or are these chapters longer than they used to be? Hmm... Anyway, stay tuned, readers! Thanks for reading, and please review!