Infinite

Chapter One

Walking with a Wolf

Have you ever just wanted to kill your own flesh and blood? Not in a mean or sadistic way, but in an "I hate you, you are so annoying" way? I have, repeatedly. Why is it that out of all the siblings I could have had in the world I was stuck with nosy Petunia Evans? The giraffe-cow hybrid. Yes, there is such a thing. You see, she's nosy so she needs a long neck to pry - hence the giraffe. Then the cow part, well, she's just a cow. No explanation needed. It's not my fault that I'm the pretty, talented, most fantas-

"Lillian! Get your little behind down here now!" Rose Evans shouted for her daughter. "You are going to miss the train!"

-tic, and sweetest person in the whole wide world. Okay, so I'm really not that conceited, but you tend to start to praise yourself when you have an older sister who only likes to bring you down. Positive attitude and all that. I hate her... okay, so maybe hate is a strong, overused word. Maybe I have a very strong dislike for her. I wish my parents could see how treacherous and horrid she really is.

"Lillian Evans, if you're not in that car in five minutes then you aren't going back to Hogwarts!"

Sometimes... parents are a drag.

"Yes, mother," Lily Evans closed her journal - not a diary - and stuffed it into her purse.

Lily opened her bedroom door to see her redheaded mother standing outside with her arms crossed over her chest. Lily stood up on her tiptoes and planted a wet kiss on her mother's rosy cheek. The redhead skipped down the stairs and went outside to see her father loading her trunk into the back of his '74 Camaro.

Her father, Henry, looked more like her horse of a sister Petunia, but in a handsome kind of way. He had floppy brown hair that showed his receding hairline. He had the same dark eyes as her sister as well as the tall, skinny, giraffe-like figure. He, unlike Petunia, was pleasant to talk to. He always knew how to crack a joke, but he wore horrendous clothing. He liked those repulsive argyle sweaters, vests, and everything else imaginable.

"Hey, Bright Eyes, you can sit in the back with Petty," Mr. Evans said as he waved a hand towards his youngest child as he inspected the back of his prized car for scratches.

"Ha ha, Daddy, that was funny," Lily rolled her head back in fake laughter. "I thought you actually said to get in the back of this car here."

"Get in the car, Lillian," Mrs. Evans called as she opened the front door to the Camaro and hauled her small frame into the car.

"I promise she won't bite," said Henry who walked in front of his daughter.

"How do you know she isn't a vampire? Or even a werewolf for that matter?" Lily spoke with a slight whine in her voice.

"Considering your sister-"

"Distant relative you mean," she interrupted with a smile playing on her lips.

"Petunia-"

"You mean 'It'?" Lily supplied condescendingly.

"Lillian," Henry cocked his head to the side.

"Father," she mimicked her parent.

"Get in the car."

Lily sighed dramatically before walking over to her father's car, opening the door, and slowly - ever so slowly - sliding into the back seat next to her fuming sister. The witch, who could never pass up the chance to royally annoy her sister, leaned over towards the brunette as the car pulled out of the driveway.

"Ickle bickle bockle boo-"

"MOTHER!" Petunia shouted. "Freak here is doing magic on me!"

"Lillian!" Rose shouted as she turned around and glared at her daughter. "Petunia! You two stop it right now! Lily, stop tormenting your sister, and Petunia, stop calling your sister names."

Petunia glared at her sister before turning to stare at the scenery that passed by her. Lily, on the other hand, crossed her arms over her chest and silently congratulated herself for a job well done. The redhead turned her attention to her purse only to pull out a paperback book entitled "Peter Pan" by J.M. Barrie. She pulled out her flower-covered bookmark and began to read.

It seemed as though they arrived at King's Cross extremely quickly, which was both a blessing and a curse. One, she got to get away from her sister. Two, she didn't get to finish her book. Her father parked the car and went in search for a trolley while Rose, Petunia, and Lily walked towards Platform 9 ¾. A couple minutes later, Henry appeared with Lily's trunk in a trolley.

"Bye, Sweetheart," Rose kissed her daughter on the forehead as she embraced the younger redhead.

Lily pulled back and turned towards her father, her favorite parent. She launched herself at the man, hugging him with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. She stayed in her father's arms for a while as she watched people pass. Henry pulled away first. He patted his daughter on the top of her curly red head.

"Be good, Bright Eyes," he spoke softly. "Make me proud."

"As long as you make me proud," Lily replied while she smiled brightly.

Lily turned towards her sister and nodded her head in the seventeen-year-old's direction. Petunia, however, didn't even take notice of her sister's somewhat kind gesture. Lily just rolled her eyes as she grabbed her trolley. She bid one last farewell to her parents before she closed her eyes tightly and ran through the wall onto the platform.

Lily felt a slight shimmer go through her body when she crossed the magical barrier. Her eyelids flew open and her emerald eyes sparkled as they landed on the scarlet engine. A smile, once again, lit up her pale face as she looked around expectantly. The redhead pushed her trolley towards the train when her eyes caught someone over to the left of her.

She snapped her head towards the direction of the familiar boy. There he was, the boy whom girls practically drooled over. His black hair fell elegantly into his pale eyes. His clothes hung loosely on his thin frame. His demeanor was always haughty and bored, except for right now. It was as if the boy deemed everyone inferior to him. It was Sirius Black's attitude that made Lily despise the boy.

With Sirius Black was a younger version of him, only that boy was slightly paler and had a longer nose. The boy, who was most likely Sirius's brother, looked around the age of thirteen. Next to the two boys were most likely their parents. The man looked exactly like Sirius except for the expression on his face. Sirius's father had a look of disgust as he watched several of the students pass by. Sirius's mother had eyes that were narrowed, and a sadistic smile twisted her features. Her mouth twitched slightly as her hand rested on Sirius's shoulder.

Lily couldn't help but feel curiosity surge through her whole body. She had never seen Sirius Black look so helpless and sad before. The redhead strolled up towards Sirius, not knowing exactly why she cared why the boy, whom she had always hated, looked so sad.

"Mudbloods and muggles all over the platform and out," Mrs. Black's voice was one of complete disgust. "Vermin if you ask me."

"Vermin is an understatement," Mr. Black spoke swiftly.

"I want nothing but the best of you, Sirius, do you understand me?" Mrs. Black turned towards her son and dug her fingernails into the boy's pale cheeks. "It's bad enough that I have a piece of shit for a son, but I will not tolerate any more of your outbursts."

"I'm sorry if I don't meet your standard of approval," Sirius's voice was thick with sarcasm.

"Don't be smart with me, boy," Mrs. Black growled. "I don't know why I put up with you. You're not even good enough to get the prefect position!"

"What do you want me to say if you don't want me to apologize for things that weren't even my faul-"

"Don't take that tone with me," the woman hissed under her breath. "You are incredibly frustrating and irritating to look at let alone talk to."

Lily felt the urge to save Sirius. She pushed her trolley closer and yelled out Sirius's name. Mrs. Black jumped back in surprise, releasing her son in the process. The handsome teenager turned around to see the redhead not far away from him. He rubbed his face gingerly where there were crescent marks from his mother's fingernails.

"Evans?" Sirius questioned, a shocked look on his face.

"Sirius Black, why haven't you owled me all summer?" Lily cried as she pulled the sweetest look on her face that she could muster. "I was ever so lonely. I was hoping, oh wishing, that you would owl me."

Sirius looked at Lily as though he'd never seen anything like her. Before he knew it, Lily had linked her arm with his and dragged him towards her. Lily had politely introduced herself to the Blacks as she complimented their son. Mr. and Mrs. Black looked at the girl with narrowed eyes; they knew she wasn't a pureblood based on her last name.

"So funny this boy is right here," Lily smiled brightly as she pulled Sirius back with her. "Quite handsome too. Nice meeting you!"

Sirius, with a dumbfounded look on his face, walked towards the train with Lily. He helped the redhead load her heavy trunk onto the train and all the while they never shared a word. The whistle blew loudly to warn the students to get on the steam engine before it pulled away. The two fifteen-year-old Gryffindors just got on the train as it started to leave the station.

"Uhh... why did you pretend to be my friend and pull me away from my family?" Sirius spat out the word family as if it were the foulest thing imaginable.

"You looked like you were getting pretty beaten down," Lily responded. "I know I hate it when I get belittled, so I thought I'd save you the grief."

"Why do you care if I get yelled at?" Sirius questioned her with his eyes flaring. "Since when has perfect Lily Evans ever helped someone out that she thought was an arrogant prick?"

"I'm sorry if I tried to help you, your highness," Lily shouted. "Next time I'll let your mother dig her fingernails so deep into your cheeks that you bleed for days!"

True to her redheaded personality, Lily stomped her foot hard into the ground and stormed off to the prefect compartment for her first prefect meeting. She didn't even want to be a stupid prefect. Lily knew that she wasn't the smartest girl in her year in Gryffindor. She didn't study, she knew practically nothing about Transfiguration and Herbology, and she could care less if students were out of bed past curfew.

She strolled into the prefect compartment to see the Head Boy, Frank Longbottom, and Head Girl, Paris Van Arden, sitting at a table with fifth, sixth, and seventh year prefects. Lily scanned the small group of people hoping to find someone that she knew and liked.

"And you are?" Paris Van Arden thought that she was just the smartest and greatest person on the face of the earth, but Lily thought she was hideous and dumb.

Paris was in Ravenclaw. She didn't fit the regular Ravenclaw standards like the other Ravenclaws Lily knew. Paris was a ditzy big-breasted idiot. She had dark brown hair that was dyed blonde. Her skin was so tan that she looked like toast. She wore horribly too much make-up, and she reminded Lily of a prostitute.

"Lily Evans, fifth year Gryffindor prefect," Lily pulled on a tight smile. "Would you like to know anything else? Perhaps my linage or how I look so fantastic?"

Frank Longbottom smiled softly at Lily and motioned for her to sit down next to him. Lily had only met Frank briefly before. She knew that he was the Keeper on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. The redhead also knows that Frank befriended James Potter and Sirius Black since they were all on the same Quidditch team for four years. Frank seemed like a nice bloke who was excellent in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Some say that the only student in the whole school that could come close to beating him in a duel was James Potter.

Lily took the seat next to Frank when her eyes caught a small, sickly looking boy. His sandy hair lay limply on top of his unnaturally pale face. His amber eyes glistened with tears and there was an expression of pure anguish on his face. His hands were holding the side of his chest, and Lily thought she saw something red seep between his fingers. Remus Lupin saw the fellow prefect staring at his hands and immediately tried to cover up as much of his side as he could.

Lily looked at the other people in the room and noted the fifth year prefects. Severus Snape had a hooked nose and always seemed to have long, greasy hair. His hair was always in his menacing face. He had a stare that would scare little children. Next to him was Bellatrix Black. She was really pretty in Lily's eyes. Bellatrix had long flowing black hair. She had the same pale eyes as Sirius Black, whom Lily supposed was her cousin. She had an exotic beauty that the redhead would never be able to achieve.

The witch's gaze wandered over to the Ravenclaw section in search for other fifth year prefects. Guinevere Haswell was a fellow redhead. She was an incredibly nice girl and amazingly smart. Lily always knew that Guinevere would get the prefect position. Lily would be willing to bet that Guinevere would be Head Girl when they enter their seventh year. Brent Paddock was a handsome boy who played Beater for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Lily would be lying if she said she never had a crush on the chocolate- haired and blue-eyed boy. He too was pure Ravenclaw, smart beyond recognition.

Lily's eyes wandered again to find the Hufflepuffs. She found them soon enough for they were all wearing bright yellow. The redhead blinked her eyes a few times to focus them on the group of people. It took her awhile to figure out who were the fifth years, for she never really had classes with Hufflepuff. The male prefect was Oxford Stover who was a very shy boy. Lily only remembered the name from the Hogwarts letter she had received over the summer. He had short chestnut hair and warm brown eyes. If anything, the redhead would call him a wallflower. Skylar Devereux was the female Hufflepuff prefect. She played Seeker for her house Quidditch team; she wasn't very good. Then again, Lily could barely ride a broom, and she was criticizing a girl who had the guts to play on a team of all males. Skylar was a tomboy with her blonde hair was always pulled back into a messy ponytail, but yet she could be elegant when she wanted to be.

"Any complaints?" Frank asked as he looked around the room.

Lily shook her head and watched as the prefects seemed to have agreed with whatever just happened. Had she really tuned out the Head Boy's speech for that long? Lily caught Remus's eyes and raised her eyebrows in the air as though to tell him to say something. The pallid boy looked puzzled for several seconds before it seemed to dawn on him what Lily was trying to say. The Gryffindor straightened himself up as he winced in pain.

"Ex-excuse me?" Remus asked timidly.

"Yes?" Paris asked in an annoyed tone.

"The- the patrol that Lily and I are supposed to have on- on September 20th?" Remus inquired. "Can that be changed?"

"Oh!" Lily laughed quietly. "That's it."

"Excuse me?" Paris snapped as she whipped her dyed head towards laughing girl.

"You're excused," Lily responded as a couple of the prefects chuckled.

"Do you think you're cute or something?" Paris asked as she twirled a piece of her stiff hair between her fingers.

"Oh, no, I know I'm cute."

Lily placed her chin in her left hand and twirled a piece of auburn hair between her long fingers. That got several smiles from the prefects; even the Head Boy and Remus Lupin seemed to enjoy the display. Nobody particularly liked Paris, but no one would actually mock the girl to her face. That was what set Lily apart from everyone else. She wasn't afraid to be bold, but she would never do anything to purposely hurt anyone. She was a clean joker.

"What date do you want to change the patrol to, Remus?" Frank asked with a smile playing on his face.

"Lily can pick," Remus offered the girl a smile.

"I don't care, Frankie," Lily spoke in a singsong tone. "Gimme a good date and I'll be happy."

"How about the twenty-first? Is that okay, Remus?" Frank asked as he wrote down the new date.

"Sure."

By the time the train reached Hogwarts, Lily had a nice stack of papers. There were timetables for the patrols for the first semester of school. There were two other dates that Remus saw fit in changing. Did he even consider his partner? No, he didn't. It was very nice of him indeed. Since Remus felt bad about changing three dates, he volunteered to patrol tonight. It was the first day back at Hogwarts, and Lily was stuck patrolling. The redhead disliked the timid boy for volunteering her services.

Lily stepped off the scarlet engine, turned towards Remus Lupin, and thanked him for offering her night away to look for first years that were most likely to explore. Her voice was thick with sarcasm and fake cheer. The male prefect blushed profusely and apologized, saying that he would patrol on his own. Lily, however, cut him off with a wave of the hand and simply said, "Next time talk to me first."

Lily stood outside of the train watching for her friends to come off. Soon enough, she saw a tan girl with black hair walk off the train. Behind her was a girl with curly chestnut hair. Small frames were perched on her nose as she held several books in her arms.

"Rhiannon Cromwell is a git!" Lily said in a playful tone.

"Lily Evans is a bigheaded prat!" the girl replied as she rushed toward Lily and enveloped her into a hug.

"All summer I was stuck in my house with the 'Evil Flower', and you didn't even write!" Lily exclaimed as she pulled away from the girl and turned towards the brunette.

"I was in Sweden for a holiday," the girl answered.

"Hey, Lily," the brunette greeted while they hugged.

"Why hello, Miss August," Lily greeted back, parting from the hug to look at her friend. "You barely wrote."

"We went on vacation to Germany to spend time with my grandparents," August Diefendorf replied with a small smile. "Sorry."

"I'm bored," Rhia spoke in a slightly arrogant tone.

"Rhia, please calm down," Lily smirked as she linked her arm with her best friend.

"I'm hungry-"

"You only think of your stomach," August interrupted.

The three girls laughed. With arms linked, the friends stepped into a horseless carriage and rode along to the magnificent castle. Small talk was exchanged as the girls chatted about their summers. Lily had the least to talk about, for she was stuck at home her whole holiday. She listened rapidly to her friends' tales of the far away lands she had never been too. Okay, so maybe they weren't so far away, but a girl can pretend can't she?

They finally reached the castle, which looked the same as ever. The comrades jumped out of the carriage and stared up at the stone palace. The redhead sighed contently; she was home. The nostalgic feeling Lily felt all summer slowly slipped away. The statues, the secret passage ways, and the Hogsmeade visits were all greatly missed. The being late for class, the boring Quidditch matches, and the sleepless nights in the dormitories were highly appreciated. This was truly home.

The girls walked into the fortress and were suddenly greeted by the welcoming aura of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The ghosts were about and flying in every direction. The students talked excitedly as they made their way into the Great Hall. The Great Hall was beautifully decorated with banners of the four houses along with streamers the four colors of Hogwarts.

Lily took a seat at the Gryffindor table, which was covered in scarlet and gold. The dishes and silverware were placed neatly on the scarlet tablecloth. The napkins were held together by a gold band with a small Gryffindor lion embossed in it. The goblets, with their ancient carvings, screamed to be filled. Everything was perfect, and nothing could change the magical meal that the students and faculty were about to share together.

It was then that a messy-hair boy caught Lily's attention. Her emerald eyes wandered from the flawless table setting to James Potter. He still had the same thick, black glasses that hid his hazel eyes. His black hair was still a monstrosity. The boy strolled towards Gryffindor table as if he were the muggle king of England. The genuine smile was spread across his lips as always. James sat down next to his best friend, Sirius Black. You would never see the two without each other. It was as if they were joined at the hip.

"Earth to Lily," Rhia called as she waved a hand in front of her friend. "Psst, Miss Evans, table sixteen is now available."

"What?" Lily questioned, turning towards her best friend with a look of puzzlement written on her face. "What are you going on about?"

"I was simply trying to pull your attention away from the scrumptious James Potter," teased Rhia while she flipped her black hair behind her shoulder.

"Argh, Potter? That arrogant prick?" Lily had a look of pure disgust on her face. "Why in the name of all that is holy would I be looking at him?"

"Because he's funny, smart, cute, and not to mention head-over-heels for you."

"The day I got out with James Potter is the day that Professor Trelawney actually starts doing her job and stops tormenting the students with deaths that are never going to happen."

"Well, she does have an ancestor who is a world-renowned psychic," August stated as she lifted her nose from the thick book she was reading.

"Or maybe she just had a really horrible childhood where she was upset that she didn't have psychic powers so she tried to turn into a he but nature wasn't so nice," Lily supplied, "and she is really embarrassed to admit it."

"A he/she?" Rhia questioned as August snorted.

"You know, she was born a she but wanted to be a he, so she dressed up in her father's clothing and all the other kids poked fun at her and told her if she couldn't be a good psychic, then she'd be good at being a boy...?" Lily trailed off. "I'll stop now."

"What are you even talking about?"

Rhia came from a long line of pureblooded witches and wizards. Such talks were not seen as 'proper' in pureblooded eyes. She basically knew nothing of the muggle world, and that was one of the reasons that she had been taking Muggle Studies since she was thirteen. August was a half-blood, her mother was a witch, and her father was a muggle. She was raised as a muggle, but knew of the magical world before she arrived at Hogwarts.

"Sometimes I just ramble on about stupid things," Lily smiled, "you should know that by now."

"Sometimes you utterly baffle me, Lily Evans," Rhia replied as she glanced down where Sirius Black and James Potter laughed with Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew.

"It's part of my charm," Lily answered with a sigh. "People just can't get enough of me. They never know what I'll say next."

"That's an understatement," Rhia muttered.

Rhia reached over across Lily to where August was sitting. She grabbed the book from her grasp. August made a sound of protest and reached out to snatch her book back. Rhia was too quick, however, and looked at the front of the book to read the title.

"'Was Fliegst Du'?" Rhia wrinkled her nose, horribly mispronouncing the words. "What does that mean?"

"Where are you flying," August spoke calmly as she made another futile attempt to get her book back.

"I'm not flying anywhere," Rhia replied smugly.

"It's German!" the brunette exclaimed. "I'm German, and I read German books!"

"Why would you read a book about flying?" the dark-haired girl questioned, handing the book back to August.

"It talks about all of the Wizarding Communities around Europe," August answered as she buried her nose back into the book.

Rhia and Lily then made small talk, letting August continue with her beloved book. The girls talked about nothing in particular, just nonsensical banter. It wasn't before long that the first years filed into the grand dining hall with Professor McGonagall. Some first years looked to be in awe, but others seemed slightly nervous - then there were the ones who looked like they had just made a mess in their pants.

The Transfiguration professor went up towards a stool and the Sorting Hat. The raggedy hat sang a particularly boring song as usual, one that Lily didn't even pay attention to. McGonagall pulled out a list seemingly from nowhere and started calling the names of the first years who were to be sorted. The professor's strict voice called out the first name, "Ayres, Calandra." A very short, pale girl stepped up to the Sorting Hat looking as though she'd go down like a ton of bricks at any second.

"Look at my brother, the idiot," Rhia sighed as Calandra was sorted into Ravenclaw.

"He looks really different."

Lily's eyes landed on the tan boy with a mop of curly black hair. He had the same blue eyes as his older sister, not to mention the tall and thin frame. He had a smug smile on his face, as though he was half plotting something.

"Cromwell, Jonathan," McGonagall called out the next first year.

"Bet you anything Johnny will do something for attention," Rhia watched as her eleven-year-old brother walked up towards the stool very slowly and dramatically.

"I bet he starts screaming, 'It's eating me! I'm being eaten!' when the hat touches his head," Lily smiled widely as the hat touched his head.

Rhia laughed as she watched her brother under the Sorting Hat. It seemed to take forever before the hat had exclaimed, "Gryffindor!" Lily and Rhia stood up and cheered. Their claps and cheers were the loudest out of everyone. Johnny Cromwell looked at his sister and her best friend in disbelief. He blushed furiously and made a motion as to give a very rude gesture to them but thought better of it.

The list of students seemed to go on forever. Maybe it was the fact that nobody paid attention to the sorting that made it seem longer than usual. Lily and Rhia resorted to playing tic-tac-toe on a napkin. Lily had already won six games with her mad skills and Rhia had won only two.

"I don't understand how you always get three in a row," Rhia sighed as Lily grinned widely.

"If I told you my secrets," Lily spoke as she lazily drew a small flower in the top right corner of the new tic-tac-toe board, "then I would have to kill you."

"August told me to always go for the middle first," Rhia drew a large star with several smaller stars around it in the middle of the board, "but you go for the corners."

"That, my friend, is called strategy," Lily replied as she drew another flower in the bottom left corner.

"Whatever," Rhia sighed as a sound of clicking silverware on a goblet filled the dining hall.

"Welcome! Welcome back to Hogwarts! Welcome to the first years!" the headmaster smiled warmly at the student body.

Albus Dumbledore was the loveable, eccentric headmaster of Hogwarts. He was ever so old; but in the right light, you could see the redness of his hair show through. He had a terribly long, white beard that flowed to his stomach. He had sparkly blue eyes that were hidden behind haywire eyebrows and moon-shaped glasses. The bright smile, which was almost always on his face, made him look a good fifty years younger than he actually was. There was an ageless kindness about him, and his juvenile personality was always well received.

"I have a few notices before we tuck into your delicious food," Professor Dumbledore announced with his arms held open as he if were half expecting someone to run up and give him a hug. "I must remind you that the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students. Mr. Filch has also asked me to inform you that he has made a list over the summer of all things that are prohibited in the school."

The headmaster looked over towards James Potter and Sirius Black with a huge smile dancing on his face. It was a genuine smile that reached his eyes and every other part of his body. The old man averted his gaze from the two best friends and looked at the rest of the student body.

"You can view the list on the door of Mr. Filch's office. I'm sure he would be more then thrilled to talk it over with any of you if you have a comment or question," Professor Dumbledore sighed contently. "Let's dig in, shall we?"

There were several motions of agreement as the aging man clapped his hands together, making mountains of food appear out of nowhere. The chatter in the room was in full force. Hands reached out from every direction to grab the delicious food that the students had missed all summer.

It wasn't long before the food disappeared into the stomachs of the students and staff. It was then that the prefects had to show the first years to their dormitories. Lily was less than thrilled about this. When she was done then she had to patrol with shy, quite Remus Lupin. The boy never seemed to talk to anyone except those blasted friends of his.

Lily and Remus walked the first years to Gryffindor Tower as Rhia, Sirius, and James pretended that they too were first years. James seemed to be following them as though he were a little kid afraid to move too far away from his parents. It was annoying. Since James went along, Sirius was sure to follow. He couldn't go anywhere without James Potter at his side - pathetic really - it was as though Sirius was a lost dog without his master. Then Rhia, the girl was obsessed with Sirius Black. She was one of the many. It was double pathetic in Lily's eyes.

"Now listen to me," said Lily as she turned around to face the first years as they approached the Fat Lady, "I don't want to be a prefect, but I am. I don't want to patrol tonight, but I have to. You probably want to explore, but you can't. If I see any of you out of bounds on my patrol night, I'll give you two months detentions. Understand? Spread it around to the other houses."

The first years looked oddly at each other, slightly afraid of the redhead. Rhia looked at her best friend with a huge smile on her face. The three Marauders looked at her with a mixture of shock and admiration.

"Heart's parade," Lily told the Fat Lady as the portrait flung open. "Get inside and stay inside. Come on, Lupin."

Remus jumped slightly and looked at his friends for help. The redhead swore she heard Sirius Black tell Remus to be carefully around Lily and that she might bite. She didn't care, however; she just wanted to get this over with.

It was weird walking through the deserted castle. It was extremely boring as well. Did Remus Lupin ever talk? Personally, Lily wanted to bang her head on every wall in Hogwarts. The time seemed to pass at an excruciatingly slow rate. If you could die from boredom, Lily would have been long gone by now.

"Are you incapable of talking?" Lily finally broke the silence thirty-five minutes and twenty-five seconds later.

"What?" he speaks!

"We've been walking around - on a patrol you volunteered me for - and you haven't said one single sodding word!" Lily exclaimed. "I'm bored. I need entertainment."

"I'm sorry," the boy apologized as he blushed furiously. "I'm not really one for conversations."

"Nah," Lily's voice was thick with sarcasm, "I would have never guessed."

The boy didn't respond, and the two lapsed into complete silence yet again. The redhead kept telling herself the patrol was only two hours long. Two hours long... that was a long time to be in complete silence. Ten minutes and forty-five seconds passed until Lily spoke again.

"Can't we at least talk to make the time pass quicker?" Lily's voice whined.

"Talk about what?" Remus inquired with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Listen, I don't mean to be rude or anything like that, but we're partners. We are going to be working together until we graduate, unless you become Head Boy," Lily stopped and faced the fellow teenager. "We need to become friends and talk so this isn't something I dread every week! I don't want that. You're a really nice guy, so pretend I'm James Potter or Sirius Black or even that Peter Pettigrew."

Lily looked at the boy with a pleading look in her eyes. The boy bit his lip as he contemplated what to do. This hesitation made Lily feel horrible. Was she really that bad to talk to? What was wrong with her? Why wouldn't he just say that he would try or something like that? Was Petunia right? Was she just a freak?

"Right, sorry then," Lily turned away and started down the hallway. "I didn't know I was that bad."

"No! No!" Remus said frantically. "It's not that! You're no- you're not bad! I mean it's just complicated."

"Right," Lily replied as she opened a classroom door and looked for anyone out of bounds.

"No, I mean, okay," Remus sighed while he walked in front of her. "I'm Remus Lupin, I'm fifteen, and I live with my parents outside of Dover. I'm an only child."

"I'm Lily Evans, I'm also fifteen, and I live with my parents as well, but I live in Windsor. Unfortunately, I have a sister whom I would just love to flog to death."

Remus turned towards the redhead with a slightly alarmed look. He watched as Lily broke into a wide smile and struck a little pose. The boy couldn't help but smile as a soft - very soft - chuckle escaped his lips. Yes, Lily had done it. She broke the ice. She paved the way to a lasting friendship.

The rest of the patrol went by quickly as the two got to know each other. They learned about each other's favorite classes and teachers. They learned about each other's summers and friends. It was magnificent. By the time the patrol was over, Lily was slightly disappointed. The two made their way back to Gryffindor Tower.

"Remember last year when there was a rumor going around the whole school that someone found McGonagall and Dumbledore snogging in an abandoned classroom?" Lily asked as Remus said the password. "Do you know who did it?"

"Yeah... well..." Remus let out a nervous laugh. "That was kind of James and Sirius who started it.

"You're joking, aren't you?"

"I wish I was," Remus pulled a tight smile on his face.

"Were you part of it?" Lily asked as the boy looked extremely guilty. "Perfect, innocent, smart, little Remy Lupin helped spread a rumor that made McGonagall take off fifty points from each house and cancel a Hogsmeade weekend?"

"It wasn't my idea," Remus explained. "I just went along with it."

"That's what they all say," Lily smiled widely. "That's what they all say."

Lily smiled widely as she waved a hand in Remus's direction as if to say goodnight. The girl yawned loudly before prancing up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. She opened the door to see Rhia sitting on her bed with her arms crossed over her chest.

"If it isn't Lily Evans, back from the dead."

"If it isn't Rhia Cromwell, back from... hell?" Lily grinned as she went over to her wardrobe to change into her pajamas.

"How was patrol with the ever so bashful Remus?" Rhia seemed to be having too much fun with whatever she was planning.

"Good?" Lily pulled a shirt over her head. "We talked-"

"About your friends?" Rhia shot up in her bed. "Did he say anything about Sirius?"

"Yes, actually he did," Lily half lied.

Sure, they talked about the "marauders" and Lily's friends, but there were no details involved. There were just small things exchanged. There wasn't any life changing information, but Rhia was always the hopeful one.

"Who does Sirius like? Did he say?" Rhia jumped off her bed and practically ran to dive on Lily's bed.

"Yes, he did," Lily lied. "Apparently, Sirius got a girl pregnant, twice actually."

"Sirius is... Sirius has children?"

"Yep, there's going to be a shotgun wedding."

"Shotgun wedding?" Rhia looked confused.

"He's going to have to marry the girl at wand point."

"Oh, who is it?"

Lily shrugged her shoulders and buried herself in the covers. It was a redhead that had started the rumor about a one Sirius Black just to poke fun at her best friend. It was Kelly Watson who had overheard the conversation from her bed in the fifth year dormitory. It was Kelly Watson who told everyone that Sirius had two children. Then it was Sirius who received a howler from his mother about representing the Black family in such a light. It was then Lily Evans who would feel bad about spreading a false rumor and would try to apologize to Sirius. It was a domino effect of sorts.