Loralei needed to clear her head, so she found Remus and got him to get her the invisibility cloak to use to disappear a while. Remus seemed to know why, from the way she refused to talk about why she was upset. She would end up telling him at some point. She always did.

She went in a carriage to the school with the Marauders. The Marauders were what James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter called themselves. Everyone knew it too, they were called that by everyone now. Sirius kept looking at her, and how she rested her head on Remus' shoulder, she looked tired, and he could see the red rim around her eyes. She wouldn't look back at him, so he knew she was crying, and what she was crying over.

Him.

James knew something was up, since Remus kept throwing Sirius glares every so often when he said something that he didn't like. James didn't like when something messed with his little sister, especially if it was one of his friends. Something was going to happen.

When they arrived at the castle Lily came up to them, looking worried.

"Where have you been? When you didn't come back after an hour I looked for you!" She said, her worry quickly turning to anger. "Do you know how worried I've been?"

"I'm not a child, I was fine." Loralei replied softly.

"Looking beautiful as ever, Evans," James commented, smiling.

"Shut it, Potter." She turned to him briefly before turning back to her friend. "We need to talk."

"We have all night, tomorrow's Sunday." Loralei said, her face blank and her voice in a monotone. This was her wall she had built up to get through today.

Loralei was just so tired, and nothing was helping her, no one was helping her. Lily was inexperienced with relationships, and Remus could only keep it to dating around because of his condition, James was so infatuated with Lily, he would only date around himself, waiting for her to come round. She had no one to talk to about it, because no one would get it. Not one of them, she could get sympathy, but no advice worth following, and the "follow your heart," saying from Lily was getting on her nerves, it would only work for a few things, none of them as complicated as this.

"Let's go inside, shall we?" Loralei turned on her toes and bounced through the courtyard back through.

The boys turning to follow her, but a sharp yell of, "Black!" From Lily stopped them.

"Yes?" He turned around, looking at her.

"You and I are going to have a talk. I don't know the whole story, and I doubt I'll ever know it, I don't care." She advanced until she was in his face. "I swear that if you mess with her, or mess her up, James isn't the one you should be afraid of." Lily ran to join up with Loralei, leaving the boys in a daze.

"She called me James." James said happily.

After Loralei ate something she seemed to get enough energy to act as if nothing had happened, joking around with Remus, James, and Lily, though begrudgingly answering when Sirius directed something her way.

When she made it to bed, didn't tell Lily anything, just said she was fine. She closed the curtains around her bed, and fell asleep.

The next day she seemed back to normal, and started giggling when she saw the sun shining through the window.

"We're going tanning." She told Lily, pointing at the sun.

So tanning they went, getting their swimsuits on, and putting a jacket on over it, Loralei went to the kitchens to get some food and lemon juice to put in their hair.

They went by the Black Lake, putting out towels to lay on, and taking off their pants and shirts to let the sun soak into their skin.

Loralei loved the sun, and since it didn't show too much in Scotland she thought she'd soak as much of it in as she can today. Lily needed a little color too.

Loralei poured the lemon juice into her hair saturating it, and handing the container to Lily, but she shook her head.

"I like my dark red." She told her, putting baby oil on her skin, and handing Loralei the bottle.

Loralei put some on her skin until she was shiny, then laid back onto her towel, putting her arms over her head to get the whiter parts of her arms tanner.

"You're getting blonder." Lily remarked, looking over her best friend.

"Yeah, that's why they call it summer training. James even got tan." Loralei said.

"Where'd you get the food?" Lily asked quickly changing the subject and looking into Loralei's tote bag and pulling out a muffin. "Ooh, chocolate chip."

Loralei laughed. "It's from the kitchens, and I got enough food to keep us for a while, James wouldn't know we're out here anyway."

"Is he ever going to let me go?" Lily asked.

"I tried to get him to try to be your friend...I don't think he knows how..." Loralei muttered. "It's funny though, for someone being so good with girls, he doesn't seem to be able to have them as friends."

"Except you." Lily said.

"I'm his sister, in everything but blood, there's a difference. Plus we grew up together, it's kind of hard not to be like siblings."

"I guess." Lily agreed.

"Did you see John Mickinon? What a babe." Loralei said, changing the subject.

Lily laughed. "He spent half the night trying to get your attention, the other half talking to you. Of course you think he is, you enjoy the attention."

"He's a good beater too, since Fab and Gideon left." Loralei said, agreeably. "He should be able to keep the bludgers off us this year. Too bad I going to stick to the no dating on the team rule this year."

"Oh yes, how unfortunate, you must date a someone from another house if you want a jock!" Lily teases.

"I kind of want to tease a Slytherin this year, Regulas looks good."

"No, Lore." Lily told her. "Not a Black."

"What? He's only a month younger than me." Loralei said, defiantly. "And it's not because of Sirius, Reg's always been nice to me."

"Because you're pretty." Lily told her. "Come on, every guy in this school is a superficial twat."

Loralei laughed. "And you only have to deal with Severus in the summers, I have to say Remus is my favorite. He reads the books I give him, and gives me books. He knows we're just friends and doesn't ask for more. I like Remus."

Lily smiled, laying back on her towel and closing her eyes to shield them from the sun. "I like Remus too, he's different. He doesn't use girls, and he rarely dates. It's like he's trying to find the right girl."

"He really is, and if he wasn't like my brother I'd be after him. He's a total sweetheart." Loralei laughs. "It's not like he'd cheat either, when he found out that Johnny did that to me...uh-uh, he was not having it. That's how he was in the hospital wing, the boys got a hold of him."

"They all love you don't they?" Lily asked.

"In their own way. I'm not too fond of Peter though, he gives off a vibe I don't like." Loralei scrunched up her nose. "But he's usually doing something whenever I go to Hogsmeade with them so I only have to deal with him in the summer."

"That's good, I guess." Lily said.

Loralei sighed. "I'm going to sleep now," She turned over, making her clothes a pillow.

"Have fun." Lily yawned. "I think I will too."

They were awoken by water being shaken on them.

Loralei screamed before she saw it was just a dog, a big black dog that looked to be young, shaggy and a little wet.

"Aw, hey there boy." She said, slapping her leg for the dog to come closer. He did.

The dog licked her neck, as he got in her lap.

"Ew," she laughed. "Aw, you're a good boy aren't you?" She scratched his neck. "What's your name sweetheart?"

"Come on, Lore, you don't know how many diseases that thing has." Lily told her.

"Just because you prefer cats doesn't mean I do." Loralei grinned. "I've always wanted a dog." She turned back to the dog. "Lay down, boy."

The dog did just as she asked, but put his head in her lap, making her laugh and scratch behind the dog's ears.

"Look, he's trained and everything." Loralei said. "He's not a stray."

Lily rolled her eyes. "If it bites you its your fault."

"He's not going to bite me." Loralei said, as she kept playing with the dog.

He licked her arm, from her wrist to the inside of her elbow.

"Come on, that's gross, Lore." Lily said.

"He's a dog." Loralei said slowly. "It's what dogs do." She leaned over the dog's face and puckered her lips. "Kisses." The dog licked her lips. "See? He's a sweetheart."

Lily shook her head and laid back down on her towel. "Are you going to keep him in our dorm?"

"He probably belongs to someone else here, maybe Hagrid." Loralei said.

"Maybe you should, it'll keep you off dating this year." Lily told her.

"OWL's are going to keep me off dating this year." Loralei replied. "Unless I finally date someone in my year, then we could study together, wouldn't that be cute?"

Lily groaned. "Most of the guys in our year, except Sev and Remus, wouldn't study when there's a girl sitting right next to them. Reality check."

Loralei rolled her eyes. "The boys study."

"Are you sure they weren't just coming up with an excuse so you wouldn't think they were up to something?" Lily asked.

Loralei laughed. "You make them seem worse than they are. They're actually really smart, James gets a higher grade in Transfiguration than you do, Remus is even with you and Sirius is just under you with me."

"And Peter?"

"Don't care about him." Loralei said.

"So, let me see, you're in love with Black, and Potter and Remus are like your brothers?" Lily said, trying to wrap her head around Loralei's relationship with the Marauders.

"I'm not in love with him." Loralei protested. "I...it doesn't matter anyway."

"Did you see him flirting with anyone last night?" Lily asked.

"Doesn't mean he won't. Watch, he's going to be after some girl in a week tops, and I'll be so yesterday I won't exist, or worse, be put in the sister-zone."

The dog let out a whine. Loralei realized she had stopped petting him, she started again.

"Sister-zone?"

"It's like the friend zone, only worse." Loralei told her.

"And he's not in yours?" Lily asked.

"He's never been." Loralei admitted.

The dog stood up and walked away, making Loralei lean towards where the dog was trotting away.

"No! Let me love you!" She cried, reaching her arms out for the dog.

Lily started laughing. "Every time. You do it to your owl too."

"Because some piece of me thinks they'll come back." Loralei shook her head.

"He's never been in your friend-zone?" Lily asked. "Honestly?"

Loralei shook her head. "No, not really, or long enough to count."

"What if I told you that he was coming this way?" Lily asked.

Loralei's face went blank. "My hair's messy and I don't have any makeup on."

Lily started laughing. " You look fine."

"Lore?" Sirius called.

She turned, and put a surprised smile on her face. "Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked.

"I'm going to take a shower." Lily smiled.

"Don't let James hear." Loralei teased.

Lily rolled her eyes and grabbed her things stuffing them all in her bag. Loralei put on her shorts and put everything else in her bag slipping on her flip flops and standing in front of Sirius.

"What about?"

"Yesterday." He said.

"I thought we were forgetting." She told him, softly, looking straight into his dark blue eyes.

He shook his head. "I'm not, and I realized you never had a problem with me, only what could happen."

"What will happen. I know you Siri, you've never stuck with one girl for more than a month, if that." She said.

"Give me a chance." He said. "Come on, Lore, give me a month to change your mind."

Loralei bit her lip, turning her eyes to over his shoulder, thinking.

"I'll tell you what," she finally says. "If you get James and Remmy's permission, I'll give you a month to change my mind." She took a peek of his expression. He was grinning.

"All right." He says happily. "One last thing-" he took her hand and put it to his chest, right over his heart, so she could feel it beating quickly, then leaned down to press his lips lightly against hers. "I'll see you in an hour." He says, backing up. "I knew you liked the necklace." He turned and ran back to the castle.

Loralei giggled, biting her lip and playing with the necklace he had given her for her birthday, before frowning. What did I just do? She thought.

An hour later she was in the North Tower, visiting on of her favorite teachers, Professor Cassandra, who taught Divination. She was a tall woman with a willowy figure, flowing robes accentuated this. She had dark brown curly hair and light green eyes, she was in her forties but didn't look a day over thirty.

"Loralei Potter, it's been too long." She smiled at her favorite student. "Did you write down all your dreams?"

Loralei nodded, handing her a velvet-covered book. "Yeah, here you go."

"Did any come true?" She asked, seriously.

Loralei nodded. "Page three."

Professor Cassandra nodded. "So how was your summer?"

"Boring, as usual, but I did catch up on some sleep at least, started studying for OWL's and such. But I thought I'd drop that off, I have to go though."

"Mr. Black I presume, did you get him out of my class?" She asked.

Loralei laughed. "No, but I promise he'll be on better behavior this year."

Professor Cassandra smiled. "Of course not. Go along now, Loralei."

Loralei smiled. "See you later Professor."

She sat in the common room, it was mostly empty except for the Marauders and Lily, all of them listening to Sirius as he asked James and Remus' permission to date her.

"Come on, James." Sirius said.

James did not look amused. "Are you going to shag her and dump her?"

"No,"

"Cheat on her?" Remus cut in.

"I know better than that." He said.

"Why do you want to date her?" Lily asked quickly, trying to get her piece in.

"What?" Sirius asked.

"Why do you want to date her?" She said, slower. "Is it her hair? Her boobs?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Then what is it?" She asked.

He looks back at Loralei, she had a curious look on her face that mirrored everyone else's. No one knew why, and Lily couldn't imagine him having more than lust for her best friend, and everyone knew it.

"Do I have to say it now?" He asked, pleading in his voice.

"Yeah, you do." Lily said.

He groaned, running a hand through his hair and looking at the floor. "I love her."

Silence followed his statement, so he went on.

"I-I love the way she tells me to wait until she's done reading to talk. I love the way she always has a comment for everything. I love the way she plays with her lips when she's reading letters. I love the way she'll spend all night trying to get me to be able to pass the final exam for Divination, and still laugh when I fail." He glanced at Loralei over his shoulder. "I love the way she tells the truth even if it's hard to say or hear. I love how she stands up for what she believes, and never backs down. I just love her."

Loralei looked at him blankly, until a small smile appeared on her face, he smiled back.

"There are rules I want followed." James says loudly, making Sirius and Loralei break eye contact and look towards him.

"Which are?" Sirius asked.

"You can't sleep together for at least six months." He said. "If you ever cheat on her you're out. That, 'bros before hoes' stuff, doesn't happen here. She's my sister not one of your play things."

"Okay," he says.

"I don't want to hear about you doing something stupid and upsetting her." Lily said. "I want that to be a rule."

"Me too." Remus agreed.

"All right, that's another rule." James agreed.

"I don't want to hear any sex stories about her." Remus said. "That would be weird."

"Okay," he agreed.

"We want to be able to add rules as issues come up." James said. "Does anyone have any more?"

They shook their heads.

"Okay, you have our permission." James said. "You know the rules."

"Deal," Sirius said before turning to Loralei. "Whaddya say?"

She laughed. "That's what you say? Really?"

"Come on, after everything I said before you still want more?" He asked incredulously.

"Yeah, yeah I do." She said standing up, and smiling. "I want to be wooed."

"You're only doing this because you know I will." Sirius said.

"And there's your challenge. Make me fall for you. Too bad you have to get me to trust you first." She tells him. "You have until October."

He chewed on his cheek. "Okay."

"See you later, Siri." She smiled, walking up the staircase to the girls' dorms.