A/N- HI GUYS! I'm back! This is a pretty short filler chapter but it has some foreshadowing :3 Another spiffing piece of news is that I've made an Instagram page for this story! WOOT WOOT! Go follow it now for snippets, casting, and other things you won't get on this platform! the handle is vantheman_jukebox

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

It felt strange to be boarding the Hogwarts Express for her final year. It wasn't the final time just yet, but the inevitability of a conclusion loomed heavy. The platform which had seemed daunting in her first year, now felt familiar and comforting. The hoards of students and their flustered parents milled about, the slow din gradually becoming louder. Dany had asked her parents to stop coming to the platform in her fourth year, but after Mike had started going to Hogwarts, they had insisted on accompanying both their children. Dany did not protest - it made her life a lot easier if she didn't have to deal with Mike alone. Things were still tense between them, and part of her wondered if that would ever change. What had she done that her brother behaved like he would prefer it if she didn't exist…

"Dany!" Remus' sandy head moved towards her, taller than the sea he was engulfed in. She smiled at him and tried not to focus on the fresh scars on his face. Remus hated to have attention drawn to his condition, and Dany understood why. Seeing people regard you with pity was something she hated herself.

"Remus! How've you been? Any sign of our Head Boy and Girl yet?"

"I think I saw Lily over there somewhere," said Remus, pointing to the other end of the platform. "Her parents are with her but no sign of her sister."

Dany nodded grimly. Things between Lily and her sister, Petunia, were steadily getting worse. The latter was currently dating a rather obnoxious muggle, creating more clashes between the two sisters.

"I see Marlene over there!" Dany waved at the athletically built girl with a mop of golden hair. "Marls! Over here!"

"Wotcher! How was your summer?" Marlene looked toned and tan. She must have practised a lot for her last Quidditch season.

"Lazing about, helping mum with work, avoiding Mike, eating, oh! And did I mention eating?" Dany grinned at the memory of her almost perfect summer. "What about you, Remus?"

"I went to my grandmother in Ireland. She hadn't seen my Prefect badge. She was pretty pleased about it." Remus was never one to brag, but you could detect the tiniest hint of pride as he talked about his grandmother's reaction.

"Your savior is here!" Sirius spread out his arms dramatically, bringing almost everyone's attention to him. A few sixth and seventh year girls giggled at him, to which Sirius responded with a wink and a smirk.

"I really think we need to get him that 'drama queen' sash this year," muttered Marlene.

"Or at least a crown," mused Remus.

"Even a tiara would do," added Dany, eyeing Sirius in amusement.

"I'll take all of those if you're handing them out," he said, walking up to them. "Marly, you look prepped for the season. James will be thrilled. Moony, ol' boy! I daresay you've grown over the summer. This-" he said, pointing towards Remus' head. "James will not be so thrilled about. And dearest darlingest Dany."

Dany rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't stop her cheeks feeling slightly hot. No matter how well she knew Sirius, it was very difficult to be unaffected by his charm. And he was really amping it up at the moment.

"I have a bone to pick with you," he continued, placing a hand over her shoulder. "The lads and I are a bit miffed you didn't tell us about your secret friendship with O'Brien."

"It's not a secr-"

"Uh, uh ,uh. Don't argue, dearest. You'll be needing to make some amends. So start using that brilliant brain of yours."

"You're not-" Dany stopped mid-sentence, noting Sirius' eyes light up mischievously. "You're joking, right?"

"My name is everything but. Think about it," he said, tapping her forehead before walking off with his hands in his pockets.

"I'm not actually going to have to make amends, am I?" asked Dany, glancing at her friends.

Remus chuckled softly, while Marlene shrugged her shoulders and made a rather obscene gesture with her hands.

"Lils!" Dany grinned at her redheaded friend who had just managed to extricate herself from her parents. "That badge looks good on you."

Lily beamed at her, the Head Girl badge flashing in the sunlight. "Thanks, Dany! I'm honestly a bit nervous about it all. This is such a huge responsibility. I don't want to mess up in any way."

"I'm sure you won't, Lils," Dany assured her. "You're the brightest witch in our year! And you've been Prefect for two years. You've got nothing to worry about."

There was a loud crash as a couple of second years found themselves on the receiving end of a Marauders' prank. Sirius barked out a laugh, sending a mock salute to the first years.

"Are you quite sure about that?" Lily sighed, preparing to tell off Sirius even before they had boarded the Hogwarts Express.

Before she could do anything, James had appeared from behind them, reassuring the frightened first and second years, before going over to where Sirius was standing.

"Tone it down a bit this year, yeah Pads?" he muttered, patting his best friend on the back. Sirius' grin faltered for a second before he nodded his head and walked away to talk to Peter.

"That was unexpected…" Dany let out a low whistle, while Lily was still staring at James with an open mouth.

"Lilykins!" James exclaimed, running over to hug his girlfriend.

"And he's back," chuckled Dany.

The first week of classes passed by in a blur. The teachers had made it their personal business to make sure none of the seventh years had even a sliver of time to do anything but study. On top of that, James and Lily had Head duties, while Remus and Dorcas (who had been made prefect in place of Lily) were also being run ragged. Dany found that she barely hit the bed before sleep overtook her every night. Defense Against the Dark Arts was proving to be particularly difficult with a new professor who looked like she was continuously being made to stand next to an extravagantly putrid smell.

But there were also a few good things that came with being a seventh year. Her continued association with the Marauders meant that she now had a close group of friends. She had become particularly close to James, Sirius and Marlene - all three happily swooping her up in their neverending Quidditch talks.

The first Saturday of the term happened to be Gryffindor quidditch tryouts. The position of the second Beater needed to be filled, and a good four hours out on the pitch ensured that the Lions had a complete team. Bertram Aubrey - a burly fifth year, was added to the team. Dany had gone for the tryouts, filling a vicarious thrill from watching everyone play Quidditch. Plus, James had instructed her to take notes as he would consult with her later. There was not much to consult, however. The Gryffindor team was by far the strongest in Hogwarts, and Dany had no doubt that they would lift the Cup again this year.

The seventh day of the week was blissfully relaxing thanks to a heavy downpour throughout the day. Most people slept in late, enjoying a rare day of doing nothing. Dany, however, was far from pleased.

She stared at the fire moodily. Stupid rain. Stupid uterus. Stupid fucking everything. She sent a silent glare towards James and Lily (stupid coupley couple) and stopped herself from summoning a bucket of ice water and dumping it over them both. Instead, she scowled and hugged the cushion closer to herself.

"Here. Eat this. It'll help." Sirius was standing in front of her, holding a large slab of chocolate in his hand. She turned her glare on him before a thought struck her.

"Hang on. How did you know?" she asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

He smirked that god-awful, fucking sexy smirk of his and tapped his nose. "Padfoot can smell."

It took her a second to grasp what he was saying and when she did, her face turned the color of a tomato, heat rushing up her neck. He shot her a lopsided grin and sank into the sofa next to her. His stretched out, languid posture was a complete contrast to hers (the only time she had felt more stiff was when Dorcas had stunned her in DADA class). He turned his head slightly towards her and grinned at her lazily.

"Come on," he bumped his shoulder with hers. "You'll feel better. And you do so many utterly ridiculous things every day. This is the last thing you should feel embarrassed about."

She frowned and punched him on his arm. He just grinned at her and shoved the chocolate into her lap. Dany reluctantly broke off a piece and bit into it. Salted caramel and sea salt - mm… With a slight frown still gracing her forehead, she slid down the couch, resting her head on his shoulder. She felt his body tremble with a deep chuckle before his hand wound itself around her waist.

Yes, being friends with the Marauders definitely had its perks…

How short was that? Lol. Anyway, I should be able to put up quicker updates now that I'm on a sort of break (not really though).

Ooh! Can anyone guess the MCU reference I chucked into this chapter? :3 Heu heu heu

As always, I love all your reviews! Keep 'em coming!

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