A/N: hey, guys! It's me with a new story! It's the first story I've submitted in the Marauder Era. And just so you know, it takes place in their fifth year. The story is probably really obvious about the ending, so please be nice about it. R & R!

Cammie's P.O.V.

School isn't exactly the happiest place on earth for me. No, my happy place is in California, right next to the beach, where I actually have friends, not at Hogwarts in England, where it's been four years and barely anyone has opened their mouth to talk to me.

I'm Muggle-born, so it's not as if I would have fit in right off the bat. But, I was expecting to have at least a couple of friends.

And my fifth year will most likely start off just the same: no friends. Usually all of the Gryffindor girls sit in one compartment, but I'm usually not included in that, since barely anyone knows I'm a Gryffindor.

It's not as if anyone makes fun of me, either. I'm just shy around new people. I didn't used to be shy, but for some reason, now I am.

"You really must hate that school in England, huh?"

I smirked at Casey's comment. We were tanning on the beach in Malibu, where I live. And I was unusually quiet, or at least unusually quiet to my Muggle friends. At Hogwarts, I'm always quiet, so they'd hardly call it unusual.

"Well, sort of," I said. "I wish you could have gotten that letter, saying that you were magic."

Another thing about Casey: she knows I'm a witch. I couldn't keep it a secret from her, I mean, I tell her everything. That's what best friends are for.

"Yeah, well, I'm not the witch," said Casey. "It can't be that bad there."

"Barely anyone knows I exist," I said. "I really don't talk much."

"That's a shock," said Casey, giggling like the fifth graders we acted like. Too bad we're fifteen. Well, Casey's fifteen. My birthdays not until the fourth of December, and I'm not expecting any different treatment from my fellow Hogwarts students. They don't even know when my birthday is.

"I know, right?" I said.

"Doesn't anyone notice the full two pieces of parchment you send me every week?" asked Casey. She had gotten used to saying parchment, since I don't exactly use lined paper at Hogwarts.

"No, no one even notices me when I'm on my way to the owlery!" I said.

"Brits are weird," said Casey. "I mean, all the guys in California think that you're the hottest girl, ever since fifth grade! You've been asked out a million times before! Don't the Hogwarts people ever notice?"

"Not really," I said, examining my nails. "But Hogwarts is hard. I don't really take much notice of them, either."

"Yes, but that's because you always have time to work on whatever crap you're working on," said Casey. "Because you have no friends!"

"I'll make friends…eventually," I said.

"I want a full two pieces of parchment on your friend when you make one, deal?" said Casey.

"Deal," I said.

It was my last hour on the beach that I was spending with Casey. After this, I went home, showered, finished my packing, and got on a plane to England. My mother said goodbye to me at the airport, along with my little sister, who just couldn't wait to get me out of the house. But, by the end of the year, she always ends up giving me the biggest hug she can muster, because it's totally awful that I was away and that she had no one to talk to and blah blah blah. Oh, and my dad was there, too, and he gave me a strong hug and told me to try out for the Quidditch team this year (I had told my dad all about Quidditch and he bought me a broom over the summer; I've been practicing every day to be Keeper with Casey).

I landed in England in about a day. I've been doing this flight since I was eleven, and my parents started to let me do it alone when I was thirteen. And the routine has always been the same: get off the airplane, catch the Knight Bus (I learned about that when I was twelve and was pointing at something across the street), and take it to The Leaky Cauldron. I spend the night there, and then I catch the Knight Bus the next morning to King's Cross, where I'll catch the train and you probably are bored to death right now with my rants about what I do every year. I promise I'll try to stop.

But, anyways, this year was no different. And I got to the Hogwarts Express on time and found a compartment all to myself, with no one joining me until I got to Hogwarts.

The feast was fine, and then I went up to Gryffindor Tower, and fell asleep, and woke up early the next morning to practice some Quidditch. There's really not much detail to explain.

But Quidditch, so far, was good. I bewitched the Quaffle to fly at me in different directions, so I would have to catch it.

And then I got my schedule at breakfast: Potions first with Slughorn and the Slytherins.

First thing I do is walk into Potions class (Early, of course, so I don't get that awkward feeling of finding an empty seat next to some random person that doesn't want to sit near me). I set up my cauldron and only have to wait about thirty seconds before more of the class starts filing in.

"I'm telling you, Prongs, she is definitely the girl for me!"

"That's what you said last year, and she only lasted two days!"

"Well, she was horrible at snogging."

Ah, what do you know? The Marauders. They don't know I exist either.

Well, anyways, Slughorn came out (jovially, of course, because he wouldn't be Slughorn without saying his one-million-times-a-day word "Oho!"). And then, he went on about how this year, we would all be trying extra hard and blah blah blah. I was tuning him out, wishing I had some music to listen to, when all of a sudden he mentioned, "We will be splitting up into partners. And no, you will not be splitting yourselves up, I will be splitting you up, according to whom I think you will work best with. Lily and Severus, that is a definite. You two work finely together, and you make a great team. Oho, the very best is only procured from you two."

There he goes again, with that damn word.

"Frank, you will not be with Alice. Too distracting. I think you should be with Remus, that would be a good pair, yes it will. Peter, you will be with Alice, maybe she can help you out a bit. Greg, you shall be with…Millie! Maybe you two will be amazing, oho, let's hope. Ben, go with James…on the other hand, go with Mark. James, be with Delilah, and don't murder her with your concoctions. Cammie…how about you go with Sirius? Maybe you can keep him concentrated."

Whoa, hold on. Me? With Sirius? Sirius Black? One of the Marauders? Is he insane? I almost said that out loud, but I quickly stopped myself. Besides, how bad could it be?

"Wait, hold up, Slughorn," said Sirius. "I don't think there's a Cammie in this class."

Apparently, it could be that bad.

Sirius's P.O.V.

Potions…never really my subject. I once blew up the classroom and then got two weeks of detention. Prongs was livid because apparently I missed too many Quidditch practices. Seriously, is that all he cares about? There are more important things out there! Like girls! Especially girls!

But, enough about that. We should get back to what we were talking about before…what was it again?

Aha! Potions!

Is saying 'Aha' as bad as saying 'Oho'? I should stop saying that and come up with a new word…

Great, I'm getting off topic again. All right, Potions. And Slughorn was assigning partners.

And then he said I would be with Cammie. Who the hell is Cammie?

"Wait, hold up, Slughorn," I said rather rudely. I haven't said the word 'Professor' in over two years, ever since my mum told me to start being respectful to my elders. Yeah, like I'm really going to listen to her. "I don't think there's a Cammie in this class."

"Mr. Black, there is," said Slughorn patiently. He thinks I'm stupid and that I cheat. Cheating is for the wimps that don't study! Okay, so I don't exactly study…I more along the lines of…well…do nothing. I'm just great at life!

Like this one time, we snuck into the Slytherin Dungeon, and…

"Mr. Black? Mr. Black? Black, are you even listening?"

Oh, right. Slughorn was talking.

"Sorry, dozed off for a bit," I said. "Where were you?"

"You're partner is seated in the desk in front of you," said Slughorn slowly. "Oho, boy, I swear you must have a short-term memory loss or something."

Wow, that's rather rude of a teacher to say.

"Wow, that's rather rude of a teacher to say." I actually said it out loud. Oh, well. Everyone's used to me not thinking before I speak. Slughorn should be used to it as well.

And he chose to ignore my comment.

"Everyone move and sit next to your partner!"

I didn't have to kick anyone out of any seat, because the seat next to this girl that I was working with was empty.

"Wow, you must have social problems or something," I said. "No one's sitting next to you."

"Not a big surprise, really," said the girl with an American accent.

I gasped. "You're American!" I exclaimed.

The girl shrugged shyly. "Yeah, I guess."

"Are you, like, a transfer student or something?" I asked. I don't think Hogwarts has ever had a transfer student. That would be so cool if she was a transfer student!

"No," the girl said. "I'm just from America. And I don't think there's a school there."

"Actually, there is," I said, proud to know something that this American didn't. "You have to send an application to get in, though."

"Oh," said the girl. "That explains it, then."

"Explains what?" I asked. Was I not paying attention? Crap.

But the girl seemed totally calm when she said this, as if she hadn't told me yet. "I'm Muggleborn."

"Oh," I said. That explains a lot. Maybe that's why Slughorn said she would keep me concentrated or whatever. Muggleborns are usually smart and good at magic.

Then, the potion ingredients were put up on the board. And soon, that girl came back with the ingredients…wait, when had she left to get the ingredients?

Damn. Must have dozed off. Oh, well, it's not like I won't pass this class.

"Come on, let's start," said the girl, taking some weird potion ingredient and chopping it up.

"So what's your name?" I asked.

"Cammie Legront," said the girl. She was still shy. Well, it must be because she's next to me. I mean, most girls do refer to me as a sex god. She must be nervous.

"Well, I'm Sirius Black," I said in a comforting, don't-be-so-nervous tone. "Good to meet you."

"Likewise," said the girl, leaving the conversation there. I leaned back in my chair casually.

"So…which state do you live in?" I asked.

"California," said Cammie shortly.

"Which city?"

"Malibu."

And the conversation was left there. Wow, she must be really shy. Am I really that hot?

"So…have any friends where you come from?" I asked.

"Yes," said Cammie.

Wow, what's with the one-word answers?

"Wow, what's with the one-word answers?" I asked.

Cammie shrugged. Oh, so now a no-word answer, huh? Well, I bet I can break the ice!

"So what's your friend's name?" I asked.

"I have a lot," said Cammie.

"And how many do you have at Hogwarts?"

Cammie looked uncertain when answering, as if not wanting to tell me. "None."

What the hell? How can you go to Hogwarts for four years and have no freaking friends?

"What the hell? How can you go to Hogwarts for four years and have no freaking friends?"

"I don't know," said Cammie. "I'm shy in new places."

"That's obvious," I said. "What do you do on Hogsmeade trips, then? Or at Quidditch games, huh? What do you do there?"

"I go occasionally," said Cammie defensively.

"You have no social life," I said stubbornly.

"I know," said Cammie.

It was quiet for a couple of minutes. Cammie was still busy chopping up…whatever she was chopping up. So I took the rat spleen and started chopping that up, just to busy myself.

"So what are the names of your friends?" I asked. Have I already asked that? Damn, I must really have a short memory.

"Do you want me to name all of them?" asked Cammie.

"Yeah," I said.

"There's Casey, Mackenna, Jordan, Samuel but he goes by Sam or Sammy, Danny, Sandra but we all call her Sandy just to annoy her, Miguel, Josh (short for Joshamee which we occasionally call him to be annoying), Andrew, and Geoff."

How the—

"How the hell can you have so many friends in California but none at Hogwarts?"

This girl is so confusing.

"I'm shy," said Cammie. "It's not a crime. Oh, yeah, I'm going to be arrested for lack of social abilities, right?"

I laughed. For someone who has anti-social problems, she's pretty funny.

But Cammie stopped talking right there and went back to working on our potion. And she even threw out the rat spleen I had worked so hard on chopping up. Turns out it didn't even need to be chopped up at all.

Damn.