Tears of the Ages

"Padfoot!"

Blearily Sirius looked up at his best mate. His eyes drifted back up to the bowl of cooling porridge set before him. A little drop of honey migrated closer to his spoon. It was too early for this, whatever this was. Stealing himself, he looked up again. "What did I do now?"

"This." James thrust a bouquet of daffodils into Sirius's face.

Slowly Sirius took the yellow flowers. One always had to be careful when accepting something from a Marauder, especially when one was a Marauder. When the flowers touched his hands an annoyingly shrill shriek met his ears. It sounded faintly like singing, and straining his ears he could decipher the words.

Jamsie, I don't know what I thought

It's obvious you can't be bought

(Although I tried--your parents were quite rude)

I know that you love me

Don't worry about that ugly Lily

To the end it will be you and me

Oh, Jamsie

The song went on for a few more stanzas but Sirius was too busy laughing to really pay attention. Remus and Peter had heard the unfortunate song and were having a hard time remaining seated on the bench. Furiously, James glared down at Sirius.

"What? You think I sent them? Well let me tell you mate, bloody brilliant that they are, I didn't send them. Although I wish I had, or could meet the maker..."

"You're supposed to help me."

Sirius shrugged his shoulders and went back to the flowers, having them play again. "You're the one that accused me first."

It was at the line about Lily that the aforementioned girl sat down. Her mouth hung open and she delivered a steely glare at James before turning so her back faced him. She quickly started up a conversation with the girl sitting next to her.

James held his head in his hands. "Great, I finally make progress with Evans and this," he said, waving in the direction of the flowers, "screws it all up."

"Look on the bright side, maybe Lily will get jealous."

"Hah, I never get that lucky."

Sirius took that moment to start the flowers up again, causing multiple laughs.

From across the room grey eyes watched, amused.

It didn't end there for James Potter, unfortunately. Over the course of the next few weeks he was sent singing cards, various letters professing undying love, boxes of chocolate he swore were enchanted and plenty of Zonkos products.

"James!" Sirius's voice met a whining note. "Why can't we use them? They are perfectly good dungbombs!"

"NO! They could be bewitched to do something horrible." James shivered involuntarily. He threw the latest package full of dungbombs into the garbage.

"I'll take my chances." Sirius went to dig them out but James summoned it towards him.

He held it in one hand and walked away. "I'm not letting my best mate get eaten alive or something just because I have a stalker."

"But a very considerate stalker."

"She's a stalker nonetheless." James started to walk down the dormitory stairs to dispose of the dungbombs so they would be securely away from Sirius.

He was followed by the boy who was acting like a lost puppy. "But James!" Getting no response he tried another approach. "Maybe it's not even a she."

James turned around. "Of course it's a she, you git!"

"But how do you know that?"

"Well...er...I just do."

"Compelling response," Remus said from the other side of the otherwise silent common room.

Huffily James made a beeline for the portrait opening with Sirius arguing behind him. Suddenly Sirius was starting to get frustrated with how paranoid James was becoming due to this stalker, especially because of the fact that he kept throwing away perfectly able gifts.

- - - - -

Silvia was waiting in the room when Aurelia arrived. As she was there first, it was her choice to what the room resembled, and it held a particularly comfy atmosphere, complete with sofas of a deep green. One of those was where the red-haired girl lounged currently.

"So, anything interesting happening in the house of the loyal and brave?"

Aurelia took a seat while looking at her cousin suspiciously. "Why are you asking?"

"It's nothing devious if that's what you're thinking, just curiosity. Inter-house unity and all that stuff Dumbledore has been shoving down our throats." Silvia noticed her cousin's expression had yet to change. She sighed. "I'll tell you mine first then, hmm?"

"All right."

"Lizzie got caught up in her drapes this morning. Set them on fire, too. Poor thing scared the first years to pieces when she ran down the stairs all ablaze. It was glorious. Your turn."

"That wasn't everything," Aurelia pointed out, sending the other girl a withering glance.

"We'll go in shifts then. Otherwise we can't possibly convey everything."

"Couple second years thought they found a secret passageway during Defense lessons last Tuesday. Turns out Woldrum actually set a trap to catch them out of class."

Via grimaced at the thought. "That was weak. I filled the boys' dormitory with dungbombs, tied to some liberated Potions frogs."

"Slughorn gave me detention. Past curfew."

"McGonagall gave me two. For nicking the frogs."

"I'm seeing Eric Tremming."

"Ravenclaw? Outside the box. Never liked him. Too cocky."

"Great kisser, though."

"Nice to know. Choked on fluxweed making Polyjuice."

"James is being stalked."

"Potter? Oh I want details, and don't you dare skimp on me!" Silvia was sitting forward in her seat. It was no secret that little love was lost between two of the Marauders and the Slytherin Colton, so this revelation would most likely serve as highly amusing.

"It started with singing daffodils. It was a few weeks back at breakfast. Then it gradually progressed to gifts of sweets, dungbombs, candy and the like." Aurelia watched her cousin falter slightly.

"Stalked? It sounds more like he's just got a secret admirer."

Lia let out an exasperated breath. "That's what we've been trying to tell him! But I swear the boy's gone mad. He's become all paranoid and thinks everyone is out to get him. Sirius has gone batty with not being able to utilize all of the gifts, because James will throw them away the instant they appear."

Silvia nodded, accepting that but then her brow creased. "What about the other half of the friendship square?" vengeance

"Remus just ignores them all. Peter is conflicted on who to side with, James or Sirius. It's amusing, as he'll switch his support every two seconds."

"So, Black and Potter are going crazy?" Silvia leaned back into her seat, with a comfortable posture.

"Yes," Aurelia said, eyeing the faked redhead suspiciously. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason," she said, twirling a bit of her reddish hair as she leaned back. Then she sprung forward suddenly, shocking her cousin. "I need your help with something."

"Silvia, do you remember what happened the last time you said that?"

"Lia," Silvia's voice held that whining tone that is used commonly by toddlers worldwide. "That was different. I won't be asking you to sneak into Romey's room and take his wand."

Aurelia huffed. "I bet the results will be the same. Aurelia ends up with punishment for weeks while Silvia basks in the glory of her engorged toad."

"Yeah, but did you see Gran's face when she stepped on it! It was wonderful! Anyway, I was wondering if you could do something for me and I promise you won't get into any trouble for it. It happens to be something in your house."

Silvia had a mischievous smile across her features.

"And what would that be?"

"Well you see..."

The girls spent the next few hours deep in conversation and plotting. It is never a good idea to let both of the Colton cousins in the same room when one had something up their sleeve.

- - - - -

"I swear that was absolutely brilliant!" James' voice carried up from the stairway outside the boy's dormitory.

"Snivellus definitely didn't suspect a thing. I wager it was one of our better pranks this year."

Sirius was joyous at the prospect of having caused harm upon their least favorite person.

"Will you two ever grow up?"

"Not likely, Moony," James said as he looked back at his friend before entering the room and lighting the candles. His eyes widened at the sight.

There were rose pedals everywhere and entirely more candles than usual. Most were centered around one bed, namely, his. The drapes were shut and it smelled like some sickening flowery perfume. James gulped and then walked forward. The other boys had quieted. Silently raising his wand he muttered a spell to draw the curtains. Seeing no one was in his bed, he let out a visible sigh.

He then glimpsed the simple scarf that lay across his pillow and the note beside it. He left the scarf alone and picked up the note.

I couldn't help myself; I just had to see your room, your things. I only wish you had been there. But I wanted to give you this scarf, as it helps me to think of you. It matches your eyes. But now you can think of me when you wear it. I left you a few other presents in the room.

James' reaction was shock. It wasn't until Remus approached to tug the note out of his hand that he screamed. It actually reached a fairly high pitch.

"Bloody hell, what's his problem?" Sirius asked while covering his ears.

Wordlessly Remus handed the note back towards his dogged friend.

"She...she was in my...my room. Oh crap, crap, crap."

James was close to hyperventilating and he alternated between the two phrases.

"James, calm down."

"SHE WAS IN MY ROOM!"

"We gather that mate, but it doesn't look like anything's awry," Sirius pointed out, looking over the rest of the room. The only things out of ordinary were the candles, rose pedals and the scarf.

James grabbed the note from Sirius. "Nothing awry? Nothing awry! Did you even read the note? It said she left presents. PRESENTS! Those are just flesh eating spiders in disguise! Oh Merlin, maybe they're clowns!"

"Clowns?"

Remus leaned over to Sirius. "Muggle thing. People dressed in bright clothes and put make-up all over their face."

"So...they're like girls?" Peter asked, still slightly confused about the subject.

Sirius and Remus spared him a bewildered glance before focusing back on James, who was currently tearing the room apart.

"James! James, stop it! HEY! That's mine!" Sirius went over to tackle his friend away from his possessions.

Remus flung himself on his bed, with a hand over his face. These were not his friends. Nope. Not a one of them.

"Hey Remus, what's wrong with Potter?" asked one of the several Gryffindors crowded by their doorway. They all stared as James slunk underneath a bed to escape Sirius, and emerged on the other side with a crazed gleam in his eye.

"You don't want to know."

- - - - -

All of the Marauders and several other Gryffindors were exhausted that next morning due to James Potter's antics to scour the whole tower for any signs of presents. It was in a combined History of Magic lesson the next day that things got a little bit worse.

"Hey Potter! I heard you're being stalked!" The voice came from none other than Silvia Colton, who couldn't care less if Professor Binns could hear her or not. Most likely he couldn't anyway.

James grit his teeth. "What's the matter Colton, you jealous?"

"Merlin, no!" Via let out a good-natured laugh. "I don't know what girl--or most likely boy--would be so crazed as to want to stalk you."

"Do you have a point?"

"Well, since you asked, I would like to thank you for all the dungbombs and chocolates that have been coming from the Gryffindor houses' waste bins. We've all found them very beneficial." Silvia neglected the portion that they all turned out to be transfigured rocks and not the actual things. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

"Do you make a point of going through our trash?" James sneered, making several of those listening in laugh.

"Hardly," Silvia retorted, eyes narrowed. "I found out from some chatty first years, who just happened to be Gryffindors."

"Preying on first years? That's low even for you, Colton."

"I'm sorry, Potter, I just have to ask you a question..." Silvia reached into her bag and pulled out a grey-colored scarf, much like the one James had received the previous night. "Does this match my eyes?"

"Why you--" James grabbed for his wand before being restrained by his friends.

"I do hope the two of you have learned something from this amusing experience."

"And what would that be?" If looks could kill, Silvia would have already perished under James' gaze.

Silvia grinned, undeterred. "That you shouldn't mess with me. And the fact that you're both gits."

"You keep mentioning two of us, but I was the only one receiving things. Maybe you can't count." James grinned tightly at his joke and his friends slowly joined him.

"Boys," Silvia said, rolling her eyes along with half the girls in the classroom, from both houses. "You're extremely simple-minded. You and Black. Or didn't you notice how you were driving him insane, especially each and every time you'd throw one of my gifts away."

It was at that point that Sirius released James and made to move towards her himself.

"Mr. Black, why are you out of your seat?" Professor Binns voiced from the front of the room.

Sirius looked between a grinning Silvia and the expectant professor. "I was just retrieving my quill."

"Then once you have done so, it would be best if you sat back down in your seat."

He sat back and muttered murder under his breath, while next to him James mirrored his thoughts. Across the room, Silvia and most of the Slytherins couldn't contain their glee. Even some of Gryffs laughed, Aurelia certainly among them.

- - - - -

Aurelia had always had some immunity to the stupidity Gryffindor boys plagued on other students. It got her thinking that it was Lily's doing, for there was not even the slightest possibility of Lily being infected with any of their common-placed idiocy. Being around her tight-wound, book-worm friend most of the day seemed to widen that immunity. She wondered who was vaccinating Remus.

"What're you reading?" she asked quietly so as not to disturb the other fifth years in the common room.

Remus' eyes shifted upward to look at her as if they did so often, which was probable since James and Sirius must have interrupted his reading often.

"Hairy Snout, Human Heart," he said calmly looking back down to finish a sentence.

Aurelia knew the book. She'd checked it out from the library and read the first few chapters. A book about a werewolf's struggle, interestingly enough.

"Remus, are you saying..."

"Yes."

She was struck with the realization that she'd been right, which meant Remus was a werewolf...which meant Remus was a werewolf! Her functions would have broken down and she would have shifted into her 'all sentimental' mode had she not seen the great big smile forming on his face. It had been silently decided that they would make a joke out of it.

"I knew it!" she whispered fiercely with a glance to the corner. Remus chuckled. "Were you going to tell me all along?"

"That was the plan, yes."

"I could have just asked you instead of trying to go through Potter and Black! Is that what you're saying?"

"Uh...yeah."

"Remus, I swear, if I wasn't feeling both tired and extremely intrusive to your personal space, I would be knocking all four of your heads against the Fat Lady's portrait."

"Good thing you're tired then, huh?"

Aurelia rolled her eyes and the muscles in her head ached with the effort. She was tired, she hadn't been lying about that, but there was no way she was going up to bed now.

"God, Remus--I have no idea what to--"

"It's not a big...well, yes. I suppose it is a big deal."

"No," Lia teased. "You growing fur and a tail once a month isn't all that much different from what you do on a nightly basis anyway, is it?"

"I hope you're not going to judge me--"

"Never!"

"Or pity me--"

"Of course not!"

"Or tell anyone el--"

"What do you take me for, really?"

"A rare English Pogrebin who overdoses on Veritaserum and ends up rabbiting to her unsuspecting victims."

"Touché, Remus!" Aurelia eyed the portrait and then the students studying in the corner. "What is wrong with those two anyway? If you didn't care if I knew, why were they being so difficult about it when I asked them?"

"Because that's what they are. Difficult."

"Isn't that the truth."

"Ever since Sirius moved in with the Potters it seems to have gotten worse."

"What did you just say?"

"They're both more difficult since Sirius moved--oh. He hasn't told you yet? Sirius ran away."

"He did? When did this happen?"

"Well, over the summer," said Remus. "Mr. and Mrs. Potter just took him in like he was already theirs. He's over there enough to be part of the family already."

Aurelia sat back in her seat, playing with the strand of hair that kept falling into her eyes. She couldn't contemplate a good enough reason for someone to run away from home. She was well aware of Sirius' family situation, but she was not entirely sure she knew just how much hatred he held for them. Aurelia loved her father dearly and even though occasionally she would be the victim of his drinking habits, she would never run away.

"Why'd he do it?"

"I wouldn't...I don't think that..."

"Nevermind," she said quietly, but sternly.

They sat in silence, just staring at one another until a dark figure with back to fireplace, making his face indiscernible, walked up to them.

"Hey Lia...Remus."

Sirius slouched boyishly next to Aurelia on the couch; his legs spread wide, his hands behind his head and elbows to each side. He reminded her of Romey wearing something other than Quidditch robes. Boys will be boys, she told herself while trying to ram down her urge to punch him in the stomach.

"Remus said you could tell me and you didn't," she said, looking sideways at him.

"YOU TOLD HER?" Sirius shouted, making a few of the study-buddies in the corner look up from their Transfiguration notes.

"Of course I told her," said Remus, calm as could be. "I said I would tell her if she asked."

"And you asked?"

"Of course I asked! Didn't you get that I was a bit more than interested from my deeply thought-out and inventive interrogation?"

Sirius hesitated under Aurelia's steely glare before saying, "Look, I'm sorry I was spying on you..."

"What? You were SPYING ON ME?"

A snort almost escaped Remus when he saw the look on Sirius' face.

"You told her that but you didn't tell her that?" he exclaimed loudly.

"Sweet Merlin! You were the--!"

Sirius pushed himself out of his slouched position and had his hand covering Aurelia mouth before she could get the next word out. Anyone in the common room who hadn't been listening in before was now. The threesome was being looked over curiously by a dozen different eyes. Aurelia grabbed Sirius' hand and flung it away from her. They all sat in silence, waiting for the other fifth years to mind their own business, each group staring at the other.

"O.W.L.s!" shouted Sirius suddenly.

Aurelia found it hilarious that upon hearing the acronym, the study group immediately went into a frenzy of opening textbooks and grabbing notes out of others' hands. But her carefree expression changed almost as suddenly.

"So you're all--well, of course you are. Merlin, I can't believe I hadn't seen it before. Your nicknames!"

Moony was a werewolf. Padfoot was a dog. Wormtail, she soon deduced, was obviously a mouse or a rat. But Prongs? Like a horn (rhino?) or large claws (lion?) or possibly antlers?

"What's James?"

"Sorry, don't know what you're talking about."

"Drop the act, Padfoot. I know you're all Animagi."

"Not all of us."

"Sorry, Remus. Is he a...deer?"

"Oh, that's real masculine. A deer." Sirius scoffed. "He's a stag."

"And it's incredibly masculine to be a puppy."

"I'm a mutt!"

"Of course you are."

They glared silently. Remus got sick of watching them, picked up his book and began where he'd left off. Sirius' gaze faltered as a figure walked behind Aurelia.

"Is that Vouldora or Derkson?"

Aurelia looked behind her, recognizing Maria's curly blonde head.

"Vouldora."

"It's Maria, right?"

"Yeah."

Sirius grinned, lifting his feet on top of the couch cushion and jumping over the furniture to position himself in front of Maria's path to the girls' dormitories. Aurelia watched him chat up her friend out of the corner of her eye. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary until she heard Maria's giggling while Sirius pecked her cheek.

That was weird.

He walked her to the stairs and offered his hand so she could get onto the first step without tripping on her robes, which had never been a threat before. How sickeningly sweet and romantic of him.

"Are you two together?" she asked once he returned to his seat.

"We are now."

"That was a quick skip through the first steps of dating and right into the Wanna Snog Stage."

"We weren't snogging. Planning that for--"

"Don't want to know!" said Aurelia and Remus at the same time.

Sirius looked complacent, but not exactly happy.

Aurelia mumbled quietly, "If Frieda had walked through the portrait, I bet she would've been the proxy."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." She was just jealous, she figured. Jealous that Maria was now dating and she wasn't. Tremming had broken up with Lia only two days ago and she was still a little shaken up about it. "Dating bites. No offence."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you can..."

"Bite? Don't kid yourself, Lia. You can bite too, though regrettably not as hard."

"What's that supposed to--"

"Jamsie, over here! We've gotta go."

"What did you mean by that?"

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to go plot you cousin's gruesome death. Remus, you coming?"

"Talk to you later, Lia."

"Remuuus!"

"Maybe I should--"

"Get your ruddy book and let's go!"

- - - - -

"Dammit, Davis! Would you stop tapping your finger?"

Silvia looked like she was ready to murder someone (most likely Ivie who was disturbing the silence). The fifth year Slytherins were arrayed throughout the common room, all with various academic materials about them. They were studying, or at least trying, for the upcoming O.W.L.s.

Ivie scowled, running another hand along her perfect golden hair.

"Oh, give it up, Via. It's not like you really care about your grades."

It was a known fact that Silvia Colton rarely studied for an exam. She would just wing her way through it on natural talent and a little luck.

Even so, the statement caused Silvia's blood to boil.

"Ivie, you don't know a thing about me. Don't pretend you do."

"Well, maybe if you spent some more time with us, instead of running off with older people, I would! You probably go visit that little cousin of yours once in awhile too."

Normally Davis wouldn't have tried Silvia's patience, since it rarely had encouraging results, but the pressure of the tests were weighing on her mind, making her voice things she would normally keep to herself.

Silvia scoffed. "Is that what this is about? You're jealous that I'm friends with Malfoy and the Black sisters? You seem to be good friends with Regulus. Why don't you ask him to introduce you to th--oh wait! I forgot you already have."

Davis pushed back her chair from the table she was seated at. She shook with rage. "You little--"

Elizabeth caught her arm before she could move towards Silvia.

"Cool it, both of you," she said and delivered a glare to each one in turn. "We're all feeling the pressure. Don't make it worse. You know it's a bad thing when I have to be the voice of reason around here."

"Fine, give the little princess what she wants. I'm out of here."

Silvia stood up and didn't bother to collect her things. She wasn't really studying; Ivie'd been right about that. She relied on her talent more than anything else, but she knew talent wasn't going to be enough for the O.W.L.s. As she walked towards the exit she heard one last thing.

"Notice how she avoided any mention of her cousin?" Ivie sneered while glaring daggers at Silvia's back.

The Colton girl gripped her wand and seriously considered turning around and to hex. Then she heard that unmistakable voice of Evan's. "Drop it, will you, Davis? Unless you want your hair to turn purple..."

She made her way outside into the still frigid air. She cradled her arms against her chest, not even having the flimsy protection of her robes around her. Sprinting across the ground, she was a blur of green, black and grey until she reached the edge of the forest. Not knowing why, she looked over her shoulder before proceeding into the trees.

Once inside, Silvia felt a calm rush over her. She always felt comforted inside of it, which was odd since it was supposed to be terrifying. She walked until she found a small clearing inside of various trees. She sat on one of the protruding tree roots and put her head in her hands. She shouldn't have snapped at Ivie like that. It really wasn't her fault that Silvia's nerves were so shot.

It was her own fault.

She had been running from all the pain in her life that she didn't think it would catch up at any point. She ran from her aunt's death, her uncle's rapidly-changed attitude, from the fact that her father was often away from home, that her mother was too busy with other things to really notice her. That was the reason she had dyed her hair. Sure, it had started because she was hurt by her mother's reaction to the death of her Aunt Maggie, but it had grown into something larger.

Winter break had been a nightmare for her. Her parents (mainly her mother) had insisted that she return home for the holidays since they never got to see nearly enough of her. But the whole vacation they'd gone to parties and functions, ones in which her father would often be absent for and her mother would be with her gaggle of friends, trying to pawn her daughter off to eligible and influential young men. Silvia couldn't have cared less.

It wasn't that she didn't know her mother was trying to do her best for her only child, it was just that she wasn't. She didn't really know what was best for her daughter. Silvia had always wished that she could have some sort of siblings, someone to share the burden in their household. The closest thing she'd ever gotten to one was Aurelia, and that suited her just fine regularly, but it was after visits to her home that she wished she had a brother or sister.

Once, when she was younger, she had even gone into a Muggle hospital and wandered her way through to where they kept the newborn babies. She thought maybe she could just take one to be her family. She'd gazed through the window for what seemed like hours, just watching the babies, wondering which one could be her brother or sister. Then one had started to thrash about and got tangled up in the tubes it was hooked up to. Going closer to the window she watched as the baby struggled harder until it finally stopped altogether. It hadn't moved again and the soft rise and fall of its chest had turned into stillness. She'd left quickly, hoping not to cause any more unintentional harm against anyone else.

That had sealed her fate, though; she wasn't meant to look over another being.

Silent tears slipped down her cheeks as she remembered the angelic look on the baby's face so long ago. She wondered now why no Muggles had even gone in to check on the baby. If they don't even take care of their newborns, how can they be trusted to take care of the rest of the world, she wondered.

Silvia had had an aversion to Muggles ever since.

A twig snapped in the brush around her. Grey eyes snapped up to look into blank white, shiny ones, like those of someone without sight. Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed upon her favorite creature--a Thestral. They were fascinating. People were afraid of them, which was fine with her.

Curiously, the horse-like creature made its way towards her. It viewed her with an apprehension, despite the interest it held. Silvia extended a hand in a way of greeting. She'd been able to see the Thestrals since she saw that baby die. She had never mentioned it to others, for it wasn't a memory she enjoyed.

Eventually the Thestral took to exploring the pinkish object before it. Its nose was sniffing her hair when it sneezed. Silvia reeled back, slightly disgusted, before throwing her arms around its neck and laughing to the point of crying again. She finally released the creature to be about its business.

"You know, they aren't safe."

Silvia turned to see Evan Rosier emerging from the edges of the clearing.

"You come to lecture me too, Evan?"

"No, I came to check on you."

He walked closer to her and she remained firmly rooted.

"And why do you care what happens to me?"

"You seemed pretty upset with Ivie in there, and you rarely show any emotion. Something was eating at you besides O.W.L.s. You know you could pass those in your sleep." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "You're freezing."

"It's nothing," Silvia dismissed while trying to gather herself together again. "I just forgot my robe, that's all."

He moved to wrap an arm around her and she didn't protest to the added warmth. She was really quite cold. "Silvia, you shouldn't have snapped like that. It's Ivie. She's about as harmless as a fly."

Silvia's hands went through her hair.

"I know, I know. It's just, I dunno know. I was feeling overwhelmed, all right? Hex me for having a breakdown once in awhile."

"That's the thing, you never have breakdowns. You're always the cool, calculating head in the situation. I think that's why she reacted that way," Evan admitted calmly, while running his hands over her arms to try and warm her up.

They sat in silence for awhile before Silvia gave a laugh.

"You know, if anyone saw us like this, they'd think we actually liked each other."

"Not to mention we'd be in a bit of trouble. You're still dating that, Ravenclaw is it?"

She smiled sheepishly. "I wanted someone smart for a change. And you were dating that girl with the annoying voice. I don't know how you can stand her."

"I find ways to shut her up," said Evan as he grinned mischievously down at Silvia.

"Ew! Too much information!"

- - - - -

Aurelia sat up in her seat and sighed. Looking a few desks to her right she saw Lily, who was still working zealously on her test. Seated in front of her were Potter, Derkson, Silvia, Rosier and Tremming. Behind her, Remus, Black, Pettigrew, Emily and Vouldora--who had her face in her hands.

She had recently been through a break-up with Black, the poor kid. It was a bad pairing, though. Sirius was getting sick of her clinginess. As he put it, he needed space every other minute. Vouldora had been absolutely devastated. While they were dating, for that whole six days, she'd been as giddy as a niffler in a diamond mine.

Turning in her seat so that she faced the right wall, she spotted a Ravenclaw who had been staring at the heartbreaker with a daydreaming face on and Aurelia rolled her eyes.

Yes, let's all trial headlong after the apathetic mutt, Lia thought.

Sirius was leaning back in his chair so that only two of the legs were on the ground. He was looking four seats in front of him at James and gave him a thumbs up.

Aurelia caught Sirius' eye suddenly and she raised her eyebrows in an inquisitive way. He grinned and lifted the front of his shirt up, letting if fall back down onto his chest. She cocked one eyebrow, confused. Sirius' grin widened as he made to undo the first two buttons of his shirt, underneath his loosened and slanted tie, and then pointed to her. Aurelia's eyes widened and her hand flew to the top of her blouse. It was unbuttoned, exposing enough of her chest to make any guy who wasn't overanxious about acing their O.W.L. drool. She quickly buttoned it up and looked back to Sirius, who was now pouting. She glared, but her face lightened as she mouthed a "thank you."

Despite how unfeeling he'd been with Maria, she could not shun the troublemaker.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. she had finished had been notably easy. Especially the questions about werewolves, since she had spent two weeks doing independent research on them. She continued to reflect upon the lack of difficulty of the feared O.W.L.s as time ticked by with nothing to do but wait.

Finally, they were dismissed after Professor Flitwick had humorously collected the papers from anxious students wanting to put just one more word down.

The last O.W.L.! Freedom!

Everyone was thinking it.

She met up with Lily and Emily and their group with the tearful Maria and comforting Frieda. Lia felt like a betrayer, disloyal, because she was so close to Maria's ex-boyfriend. What did she expect? She wasn't about to destroy a friendship rooted since year one--or was it two? Whatever it had been, it had been long. Aurelia was trying hard to come up with excuses to ease her guilty conscience.

They walked out to the lake, taking off their shoes and dipping their feet in the cool water. Summer with all its pleasant features was about to hit them in the face, comparable to the rays of sunlight shining down from high above their heads.

Of course, something had to happen that would ruin the perfection of the scene and naturally the cause was the Gryffindor Gits.

Silvia referred to the 'Marauders' by that name, a favorite in the House of Snakes. Oftentimes, Lia would catch herself calling them that--sometimes out loud--and she felt so bad about it, she had created a new name for Severus other than 'grease-ball': the Slimy Slytherin. Her housemates had taken quite a liking to it.

It seemed as though those two were about to clash skulls in a few short moments. Gryffindor Gits vs. Slimy Slytherin. It had a nice ring to it.

"Hey Snivellus!" called James.

Lily stiffened and she turned her head to spot the display they would be putting on. Aurelia laughed to herself when she saw James glance over at their group, using his signature hand-swipe to mess up his hair.

Name calling, threats and a few spells later, Lily was up from her seat and walking towards the theatre. Aurelia, against her better judgment, stood up and followed. She wouldn't say anything because Snape's helplessness was amusing her immensely. Lily wouldn't see that. Lia's face remained as serious as that of her friend's, but she would not actively get involved.

"Oy!" Sirius yelled suddenly and blood splattered across James' cheek with a gash in his skin to accompany it. Aurelia put a hand up to her own cheek as if to wipe off the invisible blood lingering there.

By the end of the charade and Lily's gracious, unappreciated gestures, the girl was fuming. She turned around and grabbed Lia's arm tightly, leading her back to the lake. Before she was carried too far away, Aurelia replied to James' "Who wants me to take off Snivellus' pants?" by shouting "Trust me, James, no one wants to see that sight!"

The whole audience was shaking with laughter and Snape, after emitting an audible growl, tumbled to the ground from the lifted spell and return of gravity.

"Why'd you do that, Lia?"

"Why'd you do what you did?"

"Is that really the reason or are you trying to dump the buckets on my fiery mood, because you should know that smoke makes you choke." Before she ended her sentence, Lia had started coughing and gagging, holding her hands to her throat. "Cut it out!"