She thought her life was over – but fate gave her another chance, in a world of magic. Now, running around Hogwarts with James Potter and his friends, she's about to make choices that will change the future in ways she never thought possible…

Marauder's Phase

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THREE

You Owe Me

I was walking through the halls, the day before the Yule Ball, and it should have been like any other day, except that I was feeling so confused, and glad that classes had been cancelled until the day after the day after the ball. Because I could only concentrate on one thing.

In the future, Tonks was supposed to marry Remus and have a baby, little Teddy Lupin.

But…I really liked Remus, a lot. I'd even gone behind the back of the other person I liked – a lot – just to be with him, despite the fact that they were best friends. And he liked me a lot, too. We were…Bonded, even though I didn't really understand it that well…

But…Remus had agreed to go to the ball with Tonks…granted, I hadn't really given him a choice, but still…maybe there was hope for their future yet…

So why did I still feel weird?

Were Remus and Tonks even supposed to have met yet? The real Harry Potter…well, the one I knew from the books…was supposed to have happened a lot differently from this…in the seventies, and without yours truly…so…

"I really wish I knew what was going on…" I muttered.

I stopped at the top of a staircase, and looked down.

At the bottom of the staircase, Severus Snape looked up at me. He glared at me. For some reason, that made me feel angry.

"Oh…" I said angrily, turning on my heel. "I've had enough of those Slytherins! They're as bad as the books made them seem, those bloody Slytherins!"

"You mean me?" Asked a soft voice from the shadows.

I yelped, as Regulus came out of the darkness.

"Don't do that!" I hissed. "Please!" However, I was happy to see him. I hadn't been talking to Sirius much, lately. In fact, I'd been avoiding him, unable to confront him about what I'd seen the other day.

Why hadn't he pushed that other girl away? Unless he felt about her like I felt about Remus…but did he feel about me the way I felt about him?

"Hey, are you okay?" Regulus asked me, and it was only then that I realised I was biting my lip.

I stopped mutilating myself, and shook my head. "No. And I haven't been alright for a long time. The Dark Lord is after me for some reason, and the only thing I can be worried about at this time is the stupid Yule Ball." Regulus raised an eyebrow. "I don't even want to go," I went on, resting my arms on a balustrade, looking over the edge and wondering what it would be like to fall. "But they're making me…"

"It's going to be that bad?" Regulus asked, leaning on his elbows against the banister with his back to it.

"It's going to be a nightmare!" I exclaimed, not caring if Snape heard or not. "Your brother let himself be kissed by another girl and I don't think he wants to go with me anymore, Remus is going with Tonks, James and Lily are going together and I am NOT going with Peter…and I CAN'T go doe, because I HAVE to have a partner to dance the first dance with!" I finished in a sort of wail.

"Doe?" Regulus repeated.

"Yeah, like stag for guys, doe for girls." I replied. "I read it in a book…" I sighed. "Stupid dance…I need some dress robes…and some shoes…make-up…oh, and a date…"

"I can help you with something…" Regulus said quietly.

"The shoes?" I blinked.

Regulus grinned. "No, not the shoes. Just make sure you get something that goes with dark green, okay Ems?"

"Okay," I said, mentally running through all the colours that went with green. "White, pink, si-wait, why?"

"Because Mother just sent me some bottle green dress robes," Regulus replied. "You know how my parents are with the colour green…"

"I do," I nodded. "But why would I need to match y-oh…" I finally understood. "Ohhhh…umm…uh…Reg…umm…" I was about to ask what people would think (like I cared) but he cut me off.

"Remember, you owe me…" He turned his silver eyes on me, and I found myself falling silent, remembering…

Walburga nodded. "I see that she is. Alright then, I won't stop you from going." She smiled at me. "You're such a lovely young lady, Miss. Pax."

'Yeah, I'll bet'. I thought. Regulus and I looked at each other.

"You owe me." He said quietly.

I didn't like the way he said that.

But I just nodded. "See ya, Reggie."

He nodded to me, then took his mother's arm and she Disapperated with him.

"From when you helped me convince your Mum to let Sirius come to Tucson with us?" I said, once I'd found my voice again.

Regulus looked impressed. "You have a good memory, Ems."

I didn't mention that I'd been reading about that day in my diary last night. Instead, I said: "Reg, you hardly said a word to convince your Mum. You just said 'That's actually a really good idea Mum, school's been really stressful lately – Emma is absolutely right.'"

"Yeah, but it was the clincher." Regulus replied.

"Did you just make that word up!" I exclaimed. "What the hell's a clincher!"

"You don't want to go with me?" Regulus suddenly looked sullen, like I'd imagined him from the books.

"Regulus…" I closed my eyes. Actually, his proposition did make a lot of sense, plus it solved all of my problems – albeit creating a new, more challenging one. And it's not like I didn't want to go with Regulus…he was definitely a good friend…and I believed he was a good dancer, considering how he skated on ice…and he was a good friend. No…he was more then a friend…I just wasn't sure where the middle ground between friend and boyfriend was, but Regulus was definitely there. Going with him to the ball would be fine – if I could figure out how to tell Sirius. What everyone else thought was irrelevant. Without opening my eyes, I reached out and found Regulus' hand on the balustrade. "Just do me a favour, Reg – don't tell anyone. I'd rather not have the whole school know before your brother…do you understand?" I opened my eyes and looked at him, to find that he was grinning again. He looked like the cat that had gotten the canary…or the cream.

Despite myself, I also smiled – going to the ball with Regulus would be fun. When I was with Regulus, I didn't care what anyone thought of me.

Of course, I felt the same way when I was with the Marauders and Lily, so…

"By the way, Em," Regulus said to me. "THAT was the clincher…"

I rolled my eyes. "Idiot. You knew I didn't not want to go with you."

"What?"

"Shut up, genius." I smiled.

"Wotcher, Emma!" I let go of Regulus' hand quickly, as Tonks appeared between us suddenly, and I nearly fell over the banister. "There's an owl for you in the owlery – a huge package addressed to Miss. Pax!"

I glanced at Regulus, who wasn't looking at Tonks. "Wouldn't it be ironic if it was dress robes?" I muttered.

"Go get em', Alanis." He replied.

"Where do you learn this stuff from!" I cried in disbelief.