If Love is a Game...

Lanni Weasley

Story Summary:
It's the Marauders' final year at Hogwarts and they have everything - and that includes a few big problems. James matures and finally wins over Lily; Remus falls head over heels for Lucius Malfoy's cousin; and Sirius finally gets the girls of his dreams. But that girl is supposed to marry Malfoy and her parents hate Sirius and her friends. Soon, she must choose between being the next Mrs. Lucius Malfoy or the early deaths of Sirius and her friends. Deep trouble is on the horizon of bliss.

Chapter 01

Chapter Summary:
It's James's and Sirius's Seventh Year at Hogwarts and they have everything - although a few big problems. James matures and finally wins over Lily; Remus falls for Lucius Malfoy's cousin; and Sirius finally gets the girls of his dreams. But that girl is supposed to marry Malfoy and her parents hate Sirius and her friends. Soon, she must choose between being the next Mrs. Lucius Malfoy or the early deaths of Sirius and her friends. Deep trouble is on the horizon of bliss. Now AU
Posted:
03/16/2004
Hits:
5,321
Author's Note:
This is my first attempt at a novel-legnth fic. I think it's novel-sized enough with 40 chapters (soon, it'll be 41), don't you think? I need to read more MWPP stories. I actually came up with the idea for this story when I created a totally different character that won't show up until the sequel,


If Love is a Game...
Chapter One
The Beginning of Trouble

"Sirius! Hey, Sirius!" James yelled. They were at King's Cross Train Station in London.

James Potter, seventeen, pushed his cart as fast as he could through the crowd. He didn't care how many people shouted at him or had to dodge him; he wanted to see his friend, Sirius. He finally stopped by the brick wall between Platforms 9 and 10. He pushed his messy black hair out of his eyes and fixed his glasses.

"Hello, it's absolutely spiffing to see you here, James," Sirius Black joked, shaking his best friend's hand. They laughed. "I haven't seen you in what - oh - five minutes."

They laughed again. A few Muggle girls passed by and pointed at Sirius. They whispered to each other and giggled.

"I see nothing has changed with you," James chortled. Sirius grinned back smugly. "Have you seen Remus or Peter yet?"

"No, Remus is probably rushing some First Years on the train like the Prefect he's supposed to be," Sirius said lightly. "And Peter - ah - he's probably lost without us."

They laughed again.

"We should get going," James sighed thoughtfully. "Remember last year when we took our good ole time and they had to stop the train? We don't want that happening again, do we. Or do we?"

They snickered and then passed through the wall to Platform 9 ¾. The red Hogwarts Express steam engine was there, smoking as usual. Students of all years ran about, rushing to get on the train and get their things packed. They were taller than many of the students, being that they were among the oldest and in their last year.

James sighed rather sadly, remembering that it would be the last time he'd come to Hogwarts like this. Then he remembered that Lily Evans still hated him. He'd show her; he'd change her mind or better yet, he'd change. A few sixth year girls giggled out of control as they passed Sirius and James. Remus Lupin, James and Sirius's friend, was - as usual - making sure that some first years weren't late.

"Remus!" Sirius called out. Remus looked up and smiled. James shook hands with him when they stood beside him. "How did the summer find you?"

"It found me different one night every month," Remus said calmly. They all laughed. Remus looked around them. "Have you seen Peter anywhere?"

"I thought he'd be with you," James said, shaking his head slowly.

"No, I thought he'd be lagging beside you," Remus sighed, still looking calm and not worried. "You know, he's usually late, and you two were late."

James blew a loud raspberry. He'd been late once before; it was no big deal, really.

"I'm sure he's saved us a compartment," Sirius said distractedly as he saw a seventh year Gryffindor girl walk in one of the other doors on the left. James noticed.

"Don't worry; you'll get her before the end of the year," James told him firmly. Sirius smiled, but, unlike usual, he didn't feel so confident about it.

"Hey, I'm in here!" someone called from the train. The three seventh year boys looked over to see Peter Pettigrew sticking his head out of a window, waving his arms frantically. "Are you guys coming or what? The train's gonna leave any minute!"

"I'll be there in a minute," Remus said. Sirius and James boarded the train, heaving their trunks.

~*~

Although lagging behind - as Potter and Black always do - is common for many students, it's not common for me. But this year, I was late. How could I be so foolish? Mum and dad were so angry with me when I didn't wake up on time. Although I think that they were a little too hard on Andrew and me, I guess I deserved it.

Krystyna Melanie's thoughts were scattered to the back of her mind when she heard the compartment door open. She looked up to see her best friend standing in the doorway looking thoroughly ecstatic. Lily Evans walked in and shut the compartment door.

"Hello, Krystyna, I thought I'd find you in our usual compartment," Lily said.

"Yes, I find it very comfortable," Krystyna replied loftily. Lily smiled and sat down in the seat opposite of Krystyna. "Have you seen Sara or Lorena anywhere?"

"I only saw Lorena talking to Allen," Lily sighed. "I haven't seen Sara anywhere. She's probably just running a little late. You remember, she moved further up north a bit this summer."

"Oh yeah," Krystyna mumbled, having completely forgot. "I remember her telling me that."

As she slapped herself mentally for forgetting (since when did she have a bad memory?), the compartment door opened again.

"Sa... You're not Sara." Lily frowned. True, it wasn't Sara or Lorena; it was Sirius Black and James Potter.

"Oh, sorry, I thought this compartment was empty..." Sirius said, turning away so they wouldn't see his flushing cheeks.

"Hello, Evans," James said joyfully.

"Hello, Potter," Lily said dismally.

"C'mon, James, let's get a move on," Sirius muttered. "I know we can both see that this compartment is full."

"But Sirius-" James began, but Sirius help up his hand and didn't let him finish.

"There will be no room for us with Remus, Peter, and their friends," Sirius told him loudly. "Besides, Peter's already saved one of the best compartments."

"Oh, yeah," James sighed.

"Sorry for the interruption," Sirius said to Krystyna and Lily. He shut the compartment door. Krystyna and Lily stared at each other, very confused.

"He-he didn't act like an egotistic fool," Krystyna said, feeling slightly dazed.

"And he got James to leave me alone," Lily whispered in disbelief. "I can't believe that just happened." She shook her head. "I'm not sure if it really did happen."

"Maybe he's finally changing now," Krystyna sighed dreamily. "I mean, he's cute and all, but that ego of his and the way he acts - oo - I just can't stand it! Maybe now..."

"Yes and maybe Potter will be different, too," Lily added, "but I shouldn't press my luck. Black changing is lucky enough."

"Who knows, they just could be both faking it," Krystyna said, giving her shoulders a shrug. Lily frowned. "It could all be just an act, you know."

They were again interrupted by the compartment door opening. This time, though, it really was their friends, Sara Whitfield and Lorena Fawcett.

"Hello, Lily," Sara greeted. "Hello, Krystyna."

"Fancy seeing you here," Lorena grinned. Sara collapsed into her seat next to Krystyna. Lorena struggled with the door to shut it; it wasn't cooperating with her.

Krystyna stood up halfway. "Need any help?"

Lorena looked back and hastily said, "No, I got it; it's cool." She gave a strained grin and went back to tugging on the door. It had always been like that - or at least, since they started Hogwarts six years ago. Krystyna sat back down slowly.

"Where were you, two?" Lily asked. "Does it take longer to get here from your new house, Sara?"

Sara nodded her head. "Yeah, it does." She yawned. "I had to get up earlier. That wasn't good." Lily grinned; she lived pretty close to here so she didn't have to get up that early. "You have to come see it though, Krystyna; Lily's already seen it."

"Yeah?" Krystyna looked at Lily. "How was it?"

"Amazing!" Lily exclaimed. "It was so big and pretty! The parlor room had cathedral-like ceilings. They had a chandelier, too. It was very pretty."

Sara smiled. Finally, after much difficulty, the door clicked; Lorena started to shut the compartment door completely when someone stopped it from closing all of the way. They looked back. Remus Lupin had his foot in the door. He pushed it open.

"Krystyna, we're needed at the back of the train," Remus said quickly.

"What is it now?" Krystyna asked, annoyed, not at Remus but at her duties as a Prefect.

"Snape and Malfoy decided they'd jump James and Sirius," Remus replied breathlessly. "Hexes are flying everywhere down there; Peter got hit with something; Tiffany, Samuel, Derek, and Desarray are also down. I can't do this alone; it'd be homicidal! Also, Sirius got hit with some curse, and he's on the ground - still shooting some nasty hexes at Malfoy, of course. I need help."

Krystyna jolted out of her seat and took her wand out of her pocket.

"Let's go, Remus," Krystyna replied. "We have to get this calmed quickly." She stopped before disappearing and turned back around to face her friends. I'll be back."

Krystyna walked completely out of the compartment. Remus inclined his head to them, apologetically, and shut the door. Glowering, Lorena sat down slowly.

"I cannot believe Snape and Malfoy have already started problems," Lorena said, frowning. "We haven't even gotten started for Hogwarts! I told-" Lorena cut herself off and shook her head. She took a deep breath and growled, "And Malfoy hit Black, the foul nasty prat."

"Calm down, Lorena," Lily told her, although she was very worried herself. "I'm sure Krystyna and Lupin can handle this. They're the best Prefects at Hogwarts."

"Still..." Sara whispered doubtfully. Lorena looked out the window with a look of irritation. She and Sara didn't believe Lily, and she didn't believe herself either.

~*~

Indeed, hexes were flying everywhere in different colours, just like Remus had said. But James, Sirius, Malfoy, and Snape weren't the only ones in on the fray; many other seventh and sixth year Slytherins and Gryffindors were shooting curses at one another. It didn't matter who got hit as long as it was someone from the other house.

James was behind a slightly open compartment door, shooting every hex he remembered at Severus Snape. Sirius was on the ground behind a dropped trunk, one hand clutching his left leg in pain and shooting hexes from over the trunk with his other hand at Lucius Malfoy. Peter Pettigrew was on the ground; his eyes weren't completely closed. A few other Gryffindors - even Andrew Melanie, Krystyna's brother - were placed around everywhere, shooting hexes at the Slytherins.

"Merlin's beard!" Krystyna exclaimed at the sight of it all. It looked like World War III had sprung in the magical world instead of the Muggle world. It was a horrific scene. Remus dodged a hex that had bounced off of a mirror.

"I'm not sure if we can stop this together," Remus said grimly. Krystyna shook her head; she was on the same path of thinking. There was a loud blow of the whistle, signaling that the Hogwarts Express had departed Platform 9 ¾.

Remus ran over behind the trunk with Sirius. "None of the teachers are here to stop this madness," he told him. "It's just Krystyna and me."

Sirius immediately stopped shooting hexes and fell down behind the trunk completely.

"What? You brought Krystyna into this mesh?" Sirius shouted. "Get her out of here! I don't want her to get hexed because Snivellus and Malfoy hate James and me!"

"She would've come anyway," Remus said loudly over the shouts. "You could hear the screams in the front of the train, and she's a Prefect!"

"I don't care if she's the Minister of Magic!" Sirius said, shaking his head violently. "Get her out of here, now."

Remus looked at Sirius. "She's very capable of taking care of herself, Sirius," he snapped. But one heated glare from Sirius and Remus was not going to argue. It didn't matter that he was injured; Sirius could do some serious damage still. "She's going to murder me."

Remus ran back over to Krystyna. He pulled on her arm gently.

"C'mon, let's get you out of here," Remus said quickly. He cringed at his choice of wording. She would undoubtedly catch it.

"What?" Krystyna cried, pulling back. "We can't just - Sirius told you to get me out of here, didn't he."

Remus didn't answer her, but the expression on his face justified it. He hastily looked away and avoided eye contact with her. She glowered at him.

"I can't believe it!" Krystyna exclaimed. She pushed Remus so that a hex missed him. "I'm a Prefect; this is my duty. I can't just abandon them!" She dodged another hex.

"Watch out!" Remus yelled, knocking Krystyna down so a hard hex missed her. Luckily, it didn't hit him either. He helped her up. "Sirius will be after my blood if I don't get you out of here now-"

"Then I'll explain that I refused to be taken away to his pompous ego," Krystyna ended.

"Krystyna!"

Krystyna spun around to see Lily running up to her. "Krystyna, what's - good Lord!" She saw what was behind Krystyna and Remus.

Krystyna ran up to her friend, panicking. "Lily, you shouldn't-"

"I thought you just meant a squabble between the boys not a war between practically all of the seventh and sixth year Gryffindors and Slytherins!" Lily shrieked.

"It was just a squabble between the four when I left to get Krystyna," Remus replied loudly. They all dropped to the floor to dodge six hexes shot at them.

Then, Krystyna saw Sirius. Something hit the trunk he was behind and crammed him between the wall and the trunk. He screamed when it hit his leg and he dropped his wand. James stopped and looked at his best friend while Lucius Malfoy just laughed triumphantly.

"Sirius!" Remus shouted, standing up. "Great, damn..."

"I-I don't have any ideas," Krystyna said, extremely worried and still on the ground. She rolled onto her back. Lily stood up. She had made up her mind. It wasn't the most brilliant plan in the world, but it was the only one she could think of. She pulled her wand out of her pocket.

"Okay, I'm doing the Freezing Charm," Lily told Remus and Krystyna as Remus helped Krystyna to her feet, "so everything will stop for a minute."

"How will that help us?" Remus asked.

"Well, I might have to do it two times," Lily sighed, "but it'll have to do. We can move the Gryffindors out of the way so the Slytherins will stop shooting hexes once they've realized that there is no one there to hurt." Krystyna looked at the scene again. "Unless you'd rather move the Slytherins out of the way," Lily added.

"No, I think I'll stick with the Gryffindors," Krystyna replied quickly. "We can move them in the compartments or shoo them, and then we can deal with the Slytherins."

"Yes, I think that'll have to do," Remus said gravely, as though he was dreading what he was about to do.

"Okay," Lily sighed, focusing on much needed energy. She pointed at the Slytherins and shouted the charm, and they froze. Once the Gryffindors realized they had frozen, they stopped retaliating.

"Hey, what happened?" Ethan Acts yelled.

"Who did the Freezing Charm?" Jack Gregory shouted. There were many no's. Lily put her wand down. Remus and Krystyna took charge.

"Alright, everyone get in a compartment!" Krystyna yelled. There was a light jolt, signaling that the Hogwarts Express had hit a bump. A few of the frozen Slytherins fell on the ground. James walked out of his compartment.

"Who did the - Krystyna, why are you here?" Sirius said loudly, trying not to glare at Remus.

"I wouldn't let Remus take me away," Krystyna simply said as she passed him. Sirius stopped glaring at his friend and quickly apologized with his expression. Lily began to deep breaths; she'd have to do the charm again in thirty seconds. James ran over to Sirius. He pushed the trunk off of him.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Nothing, Madam Pomfrey can't fix," Sirius said, relieved that the trunk was off of him.

"Sirius, we just started for Hogwarts a little while back," James told him. Sirius's expression dropped considerably. "We're not going to be there for a while."

"What? Aw, man, I can't believe it," Sirius replied. "Time sure does seem like it flies when you're duelling Slytherins."

"Don't worry; there's a nurse at the front of the train," Krystyna blurted. Sirius looked over at her. Lily was preparing to do the Freezing Charm again.

"How do you know that?"

"I went there last year, when Flint hexed Lorena," Krystyna answered. Sirius didn't say anything to her; he just stared. Lily then did the charm again when she saw motion coming from the Slytherins. Remus and Krystyna pushed the last Gryffindor in a compartment.

"Er - what about Pettigrew?" Lily asked, peering at him worriedly.

"Mobilicorpus!" Remus said, pointing his wand at Peter. At the moment, Peter's body began to float in the air. "We can take both Sirius and Peter to the nurse."

James helped Sirius to his feet.

"Lead the way, Melanie," James said.

"Wait!" a voice cried out. They all turned around to see a Ravenclaw seventh year Prefect named Derek Wosser. Sirius and James rolled their eyes and turned back around. "I've got a few more injured people. Can you hold on for a second, Krystyna?"

"Er, yeah, sure," Krystyna mumbled. They waited while Derek gathered a few people, being the two Hufflepuff seventh year Prefects; an unharmed Tiffany Allison helped them. They all went to the nurse.

~*~

At the nurse's in the front of the train, James helped Sirius sit down on a small bed while the nurse, Mrs. Tyson dealt with Peter, who was still unconscious. She muttered things under her breath, saying that children always start wars and that they hadn't even gotten to Hogwarts yet.

"And just where, pray tell, are the Slytherin Prefects?" Mrs. Tyson snapped suspiciously. She was thinking that one of them had done something to them.

"They were trying to hex James and me to death," Sirius answered harshly.

Mrs. Tyson stared at Sirius. "They were hexing you two?" she said doubtfully. "Prefects were disobeying rules? I highly doubt-"

"Believe it," Lily said angrily. Many Gryffindors and Prefects were hurt because of that stupid grudge. "Severus Snape was in on it, trying to hex Potter."

Krystyna turned around to gawk at Lily, who didn't notice that she had said something out of character. She had just defended James. What was the world coming to?

"And Narcissa Black? Well, she may not have been hexing me as usual, but she wasn't doing anything to stop the problem either," Krystyna replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "She was just laughing-"

"-at her own cousin, may I add," Sirius snarled.

"Well, I'm not going to act soft like Madam Pomfrey" - James, Sirius, and Remus sniggered - "so on with you all. My patients need rest before they get to Hogwarts."

And with that, Mrs. Tyson acted just like Madam Pomfrey and ushered, Krystyna, Lily, and Remus out of the room.

"You should have seen the look on Nate Zambini; whoo, it was absolutely priceless!" Sirius joked before James was pushed out of the room. They both laughed.

"Ah, yes, and Snivellus had one crazy look on his face when I bat bogeyed him," James chortled. "It was covered with bogey bats."

He and Remus howled with laughter.

"Oh, someone could've gotten hurt seriously!" Lily exclaimed irritably, thankfully returning back to normal. "Pettigrew could have long-term injuries!"

"I doubt it; I don't think Slytherins would go that far," James sighed thoughtfully. "They may be conniving, little fiends, but they lack certain qualities; they don't have enough bravery to do that."

He and Remus laughed again. Lily rolled her eyes, but Krystyna couldn't help but think it was funny. Deep down, Lily knew it was funny too, but she'd never admit that.

"They would've face expulsion, no doubt," Remus added. "They always chicken out when threatened."

James and Remus laughed, as if the whole matter was fun and games.

"You're so full of it, Potter," Lily snarled as she pulled herself to a stop at their compartment door. Krystyna didn't stop. "Krystyna, where are you going?"

"I'm going to go deal with those Slytherin prats," Krystyna replied. Lily took her hand off of the door, ready to go with her. Remus and James had kept on walking and joking around.

"I'll come with you-"

"No, I can handle it with Remus," Krystyna told her firmly. "I'm a Prefect, Lily, it's my duty. Besides, I don't want Malfoy or Snape or anyone of those other brainless gits to hurt you."

"Why would they hurt me?" Lily asked rather thickly.

"Use your brain, Lily," Krystyna sighed. Then, she looked back to make sure James and Remus weren't near. "And they all know that Potter likes you so... They'd probably get the idea of hurting you to get back at Potter indirectly."

It suddenly made sense to Lily. She looked back at the door, feeling a lot better. She grasped the handle again. "Oh, that's good," Lily said, mainly to herself. She didn't think twice to mention about Sirius and her. "I never thought of that."

"I can tell," Krystyna joked, grinning slyly. They laughed together. "Now go on in there. I'll bet Sara is bored to death without you in there telling them about Muggle fashion. And you might want to make sure that Lorena is still in there; she might have gone after Malfoy to deal with him."

They laughed again, and Krystyna turned around to catch up with Remus. Lily pulled the compartment door open and walked in, slowly shutting it behind herself as she watched her best friend about to walk into one of the biggest mistakes of her life. And none of them knew it.

~*~

Krystyna caught up with Remus, slightly breathless. They stopped at a compartment.

"D'you know how lame it'll be, spending the whole trip to Hogwarts by myself?" James complained as he opened to door to an empty compartment. "With Padfoot and Wormtail in the nurses' office, and you dealing with those Slytherin narks, I'll be alone."

"Prongs, I won't be dealing with them the entire trip to Hogwarts," Remus said seriously. He then added under his breath, "Hopefully."

"Well, you will be for the most part," James sighed.

"Yes, for the most part I'm afraid," Remus agreed grimly, his eyes rolling to the Heavens. "Well, Krystyna and I must be off. They're probably wondering where their targets are at by now, and I'm not so sure that all of the Gryffindors stayed quiet and in hiding."

James's eyebrows jumped, and he shut the compartment door. Remus and Krystyna headed for the back of the train again.

"What is it with, Padfoot, Wormtail, and Prongs?" Krystyna asked curiously. "Are they your nicknames? Prongs is James, right?"

"Yes, they're our nicknames, and yes, James is Prongs," Remus explained. "Wormtail is Peter and Padfoot is Sirius."

"What's your nickname?" Krystyna questioned.

Remus turned his face away from her so he wouldn't make eye contact with her or even let her see his odd expression, which he couldn't subdue. "I'm Moony."

"Moony?" Krystyna said, stopping herself from laughing. "What sort of nicknames are those?"

Krystyna had always had a knack for prying things out. No one was able to keep a secret from her. It was something in her voice and her eyes that made you couldn't resist from spilling everything. When she and Remus had to question students about something that was going to happen or who did that or what, everyone squealed like a pig. They couldn't resist her charms, her looks, her talk, her moves, her eyes, her questions, or her stubbornness.

It was like nothing the care-taker could do. He'd just threaten them with the usual punishment, but they only got detention; and detention wasn't so bad. But Krystyna, she was much different. She would make you believe the punishment. There was absolutely no doubt that every time something happened, Remus would find a few suspects and Krystyna would find the trouble-maker. They were the perfect Prefect team. Even Remus had trouble with those eyes, so he didn't face her still.

"Just one of James's and Sirius's jokes," Remus lied quietly. "They change them every month."

Krystyna didn't believe him, and Remus knew she didn't, but she didn't press the matter any further. After all, they were close to being good friends; she didn't want to ruin that. That's when he walked into the door. He staggered a little, dazed.

"Are you okay?" Krystyna asked him, stopping and trying not to giggle.

Remus blushed, feeling deeply embarrassed. "Oh, yeah, I'm okay," Remus muttered. Krystyna then couldn't help but giggle. "I, er, just wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"I see," Krystyna sighed. Remus looked away from her and took a deep breath. Krystyna could tell that something was up, but she didn't say anything.

~*~

Sirius lay on his bed boredly. The Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Prefects were huddled in a tight circle whispering to each other, no doubt wondering who and how they would punish. They only had one question on their plate right now: Whether or not to punish James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. Their whispers were very quiet and to themselves, but with his trained ears, Sirius could hear every word.

"Potter is always causing trouble with Snape," Tiffany muttered.

"And the same with Black and Malfoy," Derek mumbled.

"Yeah, and Snape hates Black too," Dessary whispered.

"Peter's a follower; not a leader," Samuel noted quietly. "I don't think he did anything to make this jumble happen. I think he just got caught in the line of fire."

"I agree with Samuel," Dessary said, nodding her head.

"Yes, so about Potter and Black..." Derek began.

"I say we give them detention until they have to start using their other hand as their wand hand!" Samuel muttered excitedly.

"No, making a speech on how to be friends with people from other houses!" Tiffany giggled. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I say we make them smile to each other," Dessary sniggered.

Derek got a great idea. "No way, we have Kr-"

"Your little plots to punish James and me are quite pathetic," Sirius yawned. They all looked back at Sirius who was casually leaning on his bed, resting comfortably.

"What do you know, Black?" Derek spat. "The only thing your brain can hold is how to break the rules."

"Is the word 'obeying' not in your dictionary?" Tiffany said angrily.

"No, it's in my dictionary, all right," Sirius said, sitting up. "I just don't use it often."

He grinned slyly, snickering to himself, and laid back down in his bed while the Prefects glared at him.

"You fancy yourself smart, don't you, Black?" Derek snapped.

"Actually," Sirius said lightly, "I do."

"Prat..." Samuel muttered.

"Git..." Dessary mumbled.

"Mindless narks," Sirius said loudly. They glared right back at him.

"We could give you detention for that!" Derek shouted.

"You can threaten me all you want," Sirius sighed, stopping himself from laughing. "It's not like I'm gonna beg you not to do it."

Samuel was about to spit something back at him, when Peter began to stir. Samuel glared at Sirius and then huddled back up with his fellow Prefect friends, plotting against him. Sirius sighed and looked over to Peter. He opened his eyes and saw Sirius staring at him.

"Hey, Wormtail," Sirius whispered. "Nice of you to join the party." Peter smiled feebly. The hex that he'd been hit with was still weakening him.

~*~

Lily looked out of the compartment window, watching the blue, purple, and pink sky slowly turn into a dark blue/black. The sun was slowly setting over the horizon, and the moon was slowly rising into the sky. Lily, Lorena, and Sara hadn't spoken much to each other for minutes. They were beginning to wonder how long it would take Krystyna and Remus to dismiss all of the Slytherins. They were all dying to go check on the situation.

"I'm hungry," Lorena finally said. Lily's stomach grumbled - she was, too.

Sara felt her stomach. "I didn't eat any breakfast," she sighed and then groaned. "I'm starving."

"Correction: You're just hungry," Lily noted. They giggled and then stopped abruptly. None of them felt very funny.

"Do you think something's wrong?" Sara finally spoke out. Lily and Lorena stared at her. "I mean - with the Slytherins and all that." Lorena looked at Lily.

"They probably haven't even gotten to the back of the train yet," Lily sighed grimly, cringing on the thought. Lorena looked like she wanted to spit something out when there was a knock on the door. Lorena, being the closest, opened it; it was the lady with the cart.

"Food?" she asked.

They all dug in their pockets and pulled out a few coins. "Yes!" they all cried out in unison.

~*~

Remus held open the last door for Krystyna. She smiled and walked in casually, knowing that almost all of the Slytherin seventh and sixth year boys were in the same room. Remus walked in and shut the door. Only a few took notice in their entrance. Narcissa Black came roving over to the two.

"The situations getting taken care of," she said in a matter-of-factly tone, like she didn't want them there. "All of the Prefects are working. You aren't needed-"

"All of the Slytherin Prefects, I assume," Krystyna interrupted calmly.

"Yes, but-"

"We're here to add a little Gryffindorishness to the flavor," Krystyna interrupted again, looking over the scene of scattered and stretching Slytherin boys. Only four other Slytherin girls were in the room, and three were fleeing quickly when they saw Krystyna and Remus enter.

Narcissa, looking very tense and angry, tried her best to speak calmly. "Okay," she simply said, and she stalked away.

"So what are we going to do?" Remus muttered, his eyes scanning the room quickly, trying to remember most of the names of the Slytherins in the room. "Are there too many Slytherins for us to handle?"

His eyes locked on five Slytherin boys beginning to open compartment doors and then flickered to the ones he knew contained seventh year Gryffindors. Krystyna had noticed, too.

"Let's hope that they left after we did; they would've had time to," Krystyna whispered back, almost reading his mind. "Let's just...talk to some people about how this all started. You know we have to get every view - even if you saw it start. It'll make us look prejudice, you know, because you're friends with Black and Potter."

"Yes, that makes sense," Remus said, mostly to himself. "I'll get started with Snape."

"You sure?" Krystyna questioned, staring at someone in the Slytherin groups. "I mean, I could always take him on."

"I'm... Okay, what's wrong?" Remus asked, finally spotting who she'd locked eyes with. "I'll deal with Malfoy, if you want-"

"No, Remus," she replied firmly. "I'm fine with him. You go along and talk to Snape. For goodness's sake, you know he can't talk to me."

Remus grinned when he saw Krystyna grin. Snape could never talk to Krystyna straight. He'd stutter or forget what he was about to say. It just made sense for Remus to talk to him. Slowly, Remus walked towards Snape, who was looking at his wand.

"Snape, you're a Prefect, what happened here?" Remus questioned, already knowing the answer.

"Potter and Black jumped Lucius and me and shot some dastardly hexes at us," Snape answered, still looking at his wand and not at Remus. "We had to defend ourselves."

"Being a Prefect, you should know that it's our duties to stop duels such as these, not keep the flame roaring," Remus told him.

Snape gave Remus a very loathing glare. "Oh, you're just saying that because Pothead and Black are your friends," he scoffed.

Remus looked very surprised. "You mean, you didn't see me standing right by the door?" he asked.

"You were?" Snape questioned, sounding very different indeed.

"Yeah, I saw the whole thing happen," Remus replied, feeling elated.

Snape blanched. "You're lying," he whispered.

Remus grinned. "I'm not," he sniggered. And so, Remus went off to bug another Slytherin boy as Snape stared at him, flabbergasted. Krystyna carelessly meandered her way to Lucius Malfoy. He was stretching carelessly, not looking at her.

"What is it now, Krystyna?" he asked calmly. Then, his pale eyes looked into her blue eyes. "Come crawling to me, asking me to forgive you after not accepting me for six years? Hm?"

"Only in your dreams, Malfoy," Krystyna replied firmly.

"I have a first name, you know," Malfoy whispered.

"Really? I did not know," Krystyna said in a mock voice. Then, she changed her look into a loathing look. "I'm not thick like your croons, Malfoy. You have to be a friend of mine before I call you by Lucius."

Malfoy grinned. "You say it nicely," he told her.

"I say it loathingly," Krystyna replied. "Now, down to business: What happened here?"

"Oh, the usual: Potter and Black jumped Severus and me, and we just had to defend ourselves. They're always ganging up on us; I just don't know why."

Krystyna rolled her eyes. "You say that..."

"And I'm telling the truth," Malfoy added.

"Only in a Slytherin's eye," Krystyna retorted.

"Oh, so you're backing Black up, aren't you?" Malfoy snickered. "You finally fell for his little tricks. You finally fell for ickle Sirius Black."

Krystyna kept her calm easily. She just used her eyes to bore into Malfoy's eyes. "Like I said earlier, I'm not thick like your cronies." She took a step around Malfoy. He looked back at her, not moving his feet. She kept her hands tied behind her behind her back, her wand between her fingers in her left hand. "Malfoy, you can't really think that a Gryffindor, like me, would ever like a Slytherin, like you. I mean, you have just as big of a pompous ego as Black. But, c'mon, if I was forced to choose between you and Black, it wouldn't be you; it'd be Black. But seriously, I don't see that happening."

Malfoy thought up of another scheme. "So, you're doing this with Lupin, huh?" Malfoy sighed. "I'd've thought you liked better."

Krystyna stopped and felt like kicking him for that snide, cold remark.

"Remus is not my type," she said in a would-be-calm voice, "but he's still a better man than you'll ever be."

"He's your friend," Malfoy repeated. "You called him by his first name."

"A level that you will never get to," Krystyna replied. She went to question another Slytherin; Malfoy irked her too much. He stopped her by grabbing her arm. She looked back at him.

"Why?" he whispered. "Because I'm in Slytherin?"

"No, because of how you act," she whispered back. She pulled her arm away from him and walked toward Remus, who had been watching everything. Malfoy grinned at Remus who glared back at him. Malfoy's grin faded, and he looked back at Snape, who was staring at him.

"Is Malfoy giving you any trouble?" Remus whispered in Krystyna's ear, still keeping an eye on Malfoy who had looked back at them. Krystyna didn't look up at him, but stared at the Slytherin boys behind his back.

"That depends on your definition of trouble," Krystyna replied. Remus looked down at her and Krystyna looked up at him. "No, he's not. I'm fine. I can handle Malfoy, and besides, I'm finished with him."

"Okay, just making sure," Remus sighed. Remus walked off to deal with Flint - since Krystyna obviously couldn't because he'd hexed Lorena once; one suspicious move out of him would be enough to send the sparks flying. Krystyna walked over to Bellatrix Black quietly; she was barking a few mad orders at a lagging fifth year Slytherin.

"Hello, hello, Black," Krystyna said with a playful grin and her hands behind her back. Bellatrix spun around. Krystyna was bitterly reminded that she was cousins with Sirius. How could two people related to each other so closely be on completely different sides? Bellatrix had a bored, hateful, hazy glare.

"Hello, Melanie," she snarled. "How's your brother? Is he okay after the fight he and his little buddies decided to play on us?"

There was a certain mocking tone in her voice as she spoke to Krystyna. Krystyna had never gotten along with Narcissa because Narcissa had always adored Lucius, but Lucius could care less about Narcissa; he wanted Krystyna, which made Sirius and him hate each other. So, in cause, Bellatrix hated Krystyna, too, but unlike Narcissa, Bellatrix would do anything to anybody - even in front of a professor.

"Oh, he's just fine," Krystyna sighed with fake relief. "He didn't hurt too many Slytherins."

Bellatrix frowned. "He won't have his ickle Prefect sister there to protect him forever," she growled.

"That's where you're right," Krystyna said coolly. Bellatrix grinned nastily.

"And then, that's where I'll get him back for all the things you've done to the Blacks," Bellatrix snarled. Krystyna stopped pacing around Bellatrix and leaned in, her playful grin broadening on her face.

"That's where you're wrong," Krystyna said calmly. She leaned back to normal and began pacing again. "Andrew may not be the best, er, dueller in the world, but he's getting better, and" - she looked over Bellatrix - "could soon easily take you on in his seventh year."

"Oh, that's right, he's in his sixth year this year with me," Bellatrix exclaimed. "Oops, I forgot...since he has the brain capacity of a first year. How silly of me."

"We might as well cut to the chase because you know why I'm here, and I know why you're here," Krystyna snapped. "What happened here?"

Bellatrix's nasty grin widened. "Why are you here? To ask why my ickle cousin got hurt?" Bellatrix laughed. Krystyna didn't change her casual expression. "Sirius may have the best...ah...skills in the family when it comes to duelling, but he never quite got it."

"Got what?" Krystyna questioned curiously.

"He never quite got the rules," Bellatrix sighed thoughtfully. "He didn't realize that if you're a Black and you betray and dirty the name of Black, you are no longer a Black. I knew right from the beginning when I saw him that this heir to the Black fortune was going to be nothing but trouble. Regulus was everything, but still, he is not the eldest child of my uncle so he won't be getting everything. Sirius was pampered like a spoiled brat, and he still fought with his duties. Regulus may not be quite as stunning as Sirius, but he is - at least - going into the family business."

"What's that?" Krystyna teased. "Becoming a Death Eater? I'm sure the Dark Lord would love that."

The smug grin on Bellatrix's face faded quickly. "I'll have you know that the family business is an honorable job, Melanie," she growled spitefully. "Besides, he's only risen, and I'm not sure if he'll get far."

But something on Bellatrix's face made Krystyna think very different; something told her that Bellatrix was going in the "family business" too.

"What happened here?" Krystyna demanded.

"Potter and narking Sirius jumped Lucius and Severus; that's what happened," Bellatrix answered.

"I've heard differently."

Bellatrix's eyes landed on Remus who was talking to Crabbe and Goyle, who were obviously confused again. Remus appeared to give up trying to dig through their thick skulls and went to question Nate Zambini, who was on the ground sulking in his own defeat. "The Lupin boy?" She gave an awful laugh. "You trust him?"

"I'd trust him with my life, if that's what you mean," Krystyna said seriously. Bellatrix had to laugh at such Gryffindor nobleness. "Yes, I know, way to much Gryffindorishness."

Bellatrix couldn't stop laughing. "You obviously don't know then!" she sniggered.

"Know what?" Krystyna asked curiously.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Bellatrix sighed, calming down. "What else have you heard?"

"I've heard that Malfoy and Snape jumped Potter and Black."

"You don't call the boys by their first names," Bellatrix said, amazed.

"No, I don't," Krystyna told her.

"But you call Lupin by his first name?"

"Yeah, got a problem with that?"

"No, not at all," Bellatrix sighed. "Well, if you're done with me..."

"I'm glad to leave you alone to your...ah...duties," Krystyna muttered. She turned around and began to walk away, staring at Bellatrix inquisitively. Suddenly, she bumped into something hard yet soft. She looked in front of her and saw that she'd bumped into Malfoy. She didn't feel embarrassed.

"I've already talked to you, Malfoy," Krystyna said. "Move - get out of the way."

She took a step to the side, and Malfoy got in front of her. A playful grin came upon his face. She stepped to the side again and he followed. She leaned on her left foot and put her hands on her hips.

"Malfoy, get out of my way," Krystyna told him. Still, he didn't move. Had Remus noticed? Malfoy was blocking her view of him. "Malfoy, I just want to get back to my own compartment-"

"Ah, yes, with Lorena, Whitfield, and the Mudblood, Evans," Malfoy interrupted, a malicious glint in his gray eyes. Krystyna felt very angry and affronted.

"Don't talk about Lily like that, you brainless git!" Krystyna shrieked. "Lily's better in magic than you are."

Malfoy's face contorted with anger. "No Mudblood is better than a Malfoy - especially not a Malfoy like me," Malfoy growled.

"This is an exception, I guess," Krystyna hissed. She went to walk past him when he grabbed her by the wrist and stopped her.

"No one speaks to a Malfoy like that, Krystyna," Malfoy snarled.

"I just did," Krystyna said calmly. She dropped her look down to Malfoy's wand, which was spinning madly between his fingers. She already had her left hand placed readily in her left pocket. She fingered her wand and then grasped it. She looked back up at Lucius. "Now, if you don't mind..." She went to pull her wrist out of his grip.

"Actually," Malfoy scowled, gripping harder on Krystyna's wrist, "I do mind."

A few Slytherins had stopped to stare at the scene. Krystyna was glaring at Malfoy and he was glaring back. It was so hard on him that she didn't like him, but to say it in front of everybody like he was nobody was...unbelievable.

Malfoy found his calm again. "Krystyna, Krystyna, when will you learn that I'm not easily made to back down?" he asked her with an smirk on his face.

"Malfoy, Malfoy, when will you learn that I don't like you like you like me?" Krystyna questioned with a teasing smile. Then, she frowned. "Now, let go of me."

Malfoy didn't reply and he didn't let go of her wrist. Krystyna's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Let go of me, Malfoy," she growled. Still, Lucius didn't say anything to respond and didn't let go of her. Without warning, Krystyna had her wand pointed at Malfoy, and he had his wand pointed at her. He'd finally let go of her. Most of the people looked at them and some at Remus. Remus looked at Krystyna, but she was too busy glaring at Malfoy to make eye contact with him. "Listen, Remus and I will just be leaving-"

"Leaving? You just got here, Krystyna!" Malfoy howled with laughter. "You're not leaving yet!"

"Oh, yes I am!" Krystyna said loudly. She brushed passed him. "C'mon, Remus, let's get out of here."

As soon as she grasped the door, she found it locked. "Alohamora!" Krystyna whispered hurriedly. It unlocked, and she opened it, but Malfoy slammed it shut with his hand.

"You're not leaving until I say so, Melanie," Malfoy growled.

"Leave her alone, Malfoy!" Remus ordered, standing between the two. Malfoy laughed.

"Oh, so you're going to stick up for her, eh Lupin?" Malfoy chortled loudly. Everyone chimed in, but Remus didn't care at all. He held an angry and determined look on his face. "You gonna protect her from me?"

"I'm sure she could knock you down any time," Lupin said boldly. Malfoy stopped laughing and everyone else did too.

"I don't think so," Malfoy sighed.

"Well, I think so!" Krystyna shouted, stepping beside Remus. "I'd duel you right here, Malfoy, and prove you wrong, but I'm a Prefect. And I'm afraid that I'd give Hogwarts a bad image if a Prefect kicked a student's arse for being an impudent, selfish nark - even though he deserved it."

Suddenly, Krystyna felt a searing pain on her left cheek. It was white hot, but she didn't scream or cry. She jerked her head a little and put her hand to it. When she took her hand down, she saw a streak of red blood on it. She looked over and saw that Narcissa Black had her wand in her hand and she was puffing indignantly.

"That's what you get for talking to Lucius like that!" Narcissa cried out gallantly. It just couldn't happen.

Krystyna could never let someone else get the last laugh. She tried to stop herself, but couldn't. She whipped her wand around at Narcissa and shouted the Bat Bogey Hex. Narcissa screamed and ran away. She and Remus soon found themselves in a blizzard of different colour hexes and no one to help them. Remus was hit with something, but managed to get the door open.

"Go!" He pushed an already three times hexed Krystyna out of the door. She felt someone grab her wrist and pull her back; it was Malfoy. She shouted any curse she could think of, and he yelled and let her go. She fell on the ground and screamed in pain. Her leg had been hit with something; it hurt so badly. Remus came wobbling out all bloody and slammed the door shut.

"Collaportas!" Krystyna gasped, pointing her wand at the door. The Slytherins couldn't get through. Krystyna helped Remus stand up. "You really need to rest. We need to find a compartment you can rest in while I get the nurse."

"And you?" Remus asked, dazed.

"Nurse..." They walked until Remus had pointed out James's one-person compartment. Remus slung the door open and James bolted out of his seat.

"BLOODY HELL!" James screamed as he saw the state they were in. "What in the heck happened to you two?!"

"Narcissa Black didn't like what I said to Malfoy - hexed her - curses flying everywhere," Krystyna panted as James helped her sit Remus down on a seat. "Watch him while I get the nurse."

"But if Sirius sees you like this-I should-"

But Krystyna shut the compartment door in James's face. Remus needed help. He'd been hit with so many hexes just to get her out of there.

Help. Needed help. Needed the nurse. Her mind was clouding up and her vision was going blurry. She needed to stay focused. She pushed herself off of the wall. Nurse. Remus. Hexes. Slytherins. Help. Nurse. Front of the Train. James. Lily. Andrew. Malfoy. Narcissa. Sirius.

And with all the hexes waving on her, Krystyna fell in the middle of the floor. She had blacked out; everything had gone dark for her.


Author notes: Thank you for reading!

This chapter was - oh my gosh - HUGE. On ff.net, where I first started posting this, this is around the first five chapters in one, I think. Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking. I was a crazy, little bugger at 13.