Loraina and Remus were officially the most sickeningly sweet couple the halls of Hogwarts had ever experienced-and gossiped about. If they weren't together, they were staring at each other and making eyes at each other, and if they couldn't do that, they were gushing about each other to anyone who would listen.

"Loraina, I love you, but if you mention one more thing about how adorable Remus is when he makes that grossed out face in Herbology, I am going to kill you!" Delilah said in an irritated voice.

"I'm sorry," Loraina said. "I just like him so much."

"Really?" Lily said sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed."

Loraina blushed and continued mapping out the stars. "Please don't kill me, but I think I've figured out something to help Remus with his transformations."

"Really?" Lily said, perking up with interest. "What is it?"

"It's kind of complicated, and I might need your help. You're much better at potions then I am."

"I'll help with anything you need," Lily said with a sweet smile.

Delilah was hunched over her work, scribbling away furiously. She was trying desperately to get her grades up, not wanting to leave Hogwarts. It was proving to be quite a difficult task, and she was spending more time in the library then she had during her entire school career.

"Could you two keep it down? I'm trying to compare and contrast the Patronus Charm with your average communication and shield charms, thanks," Delilah said impatiently, violently turning the pages of her book.

Lily raised her eyebrows. "It's like looking in a mirror," she muttered.

Delilah shot her a resentful look and Lily recoiled, continuing to read her book on poetry while Loraina updated her calendar with the dates of the full moon.

"I give up!" Delilah exclaimed, throwing her quill down. "I'll just leave Hogwarts and go live with my stupid parents for a few months until I turn seventeen. It can't be that bad, can it?"

"Delilah, don't give up yet!" Lily demanded. "I'm sure I can salvage some of my old notes."

"Yeah," Loraina encouraged. "And I know I made some really good notes in my textbooks. You'll have these essays done in no time."

"Thanks, you guys. You're the best."

"We know," Lily and Loraina answered in unison. The portrait hole to the Heads' common room opened, and Lily turned to greet James, holding in her moan of dissappointment when she saw that Sirius was with him. Delilah tensed, Sirius shifted awkwardly, Loraina glared, James cleared his throat, and Lily just sat there like a deer in headlights watching a tennis match, her head swiveling back and forth between her best friend and her ex boyfriend.

"I'm just gonna...go," Delilah said lamely, clumsily gathering her stuff and shooting out of the portrait hole. A piece of parchment fluttered out of her hands and into Sirius's hands. He looked down at it and was surprised to find a couple of verses to a song written on it.

Your metallic eyes,

They haunt me,

Follow me,

My own blue eyes,

Haunt you,

Follow you,

Remind you of your lies.

My own defenses,

Have hit the ground,

I'm open and exposed,

To his advances,

And I need my hero now.

My deepest fears,

Are coming true,

He is making his way back to me,

And I just don't have the energy,

To fight anymore.

Sirius could immediately sense what this song was about. Him and Orion. But when had Orion began to fight his way back into her life? Sirius intended on finding out what it was, even if it killed him.

JLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJL

Lily dashed up the stairs to James's room, her flannel pajamas almost tripping her entirely. She bounded into his room and started jumping on his bed in excitement. He slowly opened one eye and then shut it again, rolling onto his pillow and muttering something along the lines of "five more minutes".

"James! James! James!" Lily screeched, still bouncing. He finally resigned himself to the fact that she wasn't going to go away. He rolled back over to face her and sat up on his elbows.

"Yes, my beautiful flower?"

"I don't know," she said, flopping onto the bed beside him. "But I couldn't sleep so I came to see you."

"But now I can't sleep!" James whined.

"Exactly!" Lily exclaimed. She wriggled underneath his comforter and cuddled up against him. James sighed, pulling her closer and breathing in the scent of her hair.

"Why couldn't you sleep?" he mumbled.

"Bad dream," Lily replied. "But I'm fine."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"It was just about the attack. It's stupid, really, that I'm still upset about it," she said, lifting her head to look at him.

"It's not stupid. It was a really hard day, Lil," James consoled.

"But everyone else seems to be over it. I mean, you and Delilah got the worst of it and you're both fine."

"Or we just pretend to be," James said. "I know that I'm not fine with it. I've had dreams of that night a lot of times. It's normal, Lily."

"Okay," she said, her voice slurring slightly. James looked down at her to find her breathing steadily, her eyes closed in her slumber. He closed his own eyes and fell back into a dreamless sleep.

JLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJL

Sirius, in his aimless, depressed wanderings, had somehow stumbled upon his dear cousin Orion, who jeered at him.

"How's Delilah? I've been meaning to get her in a one on one conference..."

"Stay away from her, Orion," Sirius hissed. "You're just going to hurt her and we both know it."

"You mean like you did?"

"Shut up. You don't know anything."

"She told me, you know. We had quite the nice little conversation about it. I'm going to beat you, Sirius, you just wait."

Sirius pushed his cousin against the wall.

"She's not a prize to be won."

"To me she is," Orion sneered. "And this is all just a little game that you're going to lose."

Sirius pushed Orion against the wall one more time for affect before dropping him.

"Then let the games begin."

JLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJL

Delilah flattened against the wall she had been behind as she heard Sirius stalk away in the other direction. Her breath was short as she desperately tried to keep herself together.

Who was Sirius to be protecting her? He had hurt her more than even Orion had, at least emotionally. She had never loved Orion, but she had most definitely loved Sirius. The thought of Orion coming after her again, however, was becoming more and more terrifying by the second. This time, she would have no safety net, no Sirius to hold onto for dear life. Sure, he was saying he would keep trying, but Delilah wasn't sure if she could ever be civil to the boy who broke her heart ever again, let alone go back to him. Sighing, she banged her head lightly against the wall.

"Don't hurt your beautiful little head, Delilah," a slightly mocking voice cooed. She looked up in shock at the husky, deep voice.

"Hello, Orion."

"Hello, Delilah," Orion practically sang. "How are you doing, love?"

Delilah bit back her angry retort and fluttered her eyelashes, swallowing the nervous ball in her that was telling her not to do this, that he would see right through her. "I'm doing great, now that you're here."

"Fallen for my charm again, I see," Orion smirked. "Just as I expected."

Delilah pouted. "I tried so hard, but you're simply irresistable."

"I do try," Orion chuckled. Delilah resisted the urge to roll her eyes and scoff at his typical response.

"Come a little closer, Ri," she said, biting her lip. She pulled him by the tie. Just as he puckered for a kiss, Delilah snorted and kneed him in the groin. "Buh-bye, Orion."

As she walked away, Orion looked up from his place on the ground. Delilah Monroe was going to get it. And he would start with her little mudblood best friend.

Author's Note: This chapter is a bit short, but whatever. I've decided to put Lily more into the plot than before, so that should help fix my issue with Lily and James kind of dissappearing for long periods of story time. I'm excited to keep developing on this, and I hope you all are, too!