Disclaimer: Do I really need to write this? Do you honestly need me to say exactly the same thing that I said the other 18 chapters?!?

Carrying on………….. [and I can't really think on a chapter title, so chapter 19 will do nicely]

"Oh yes, Lily. Uh-oh is definitely what you should be using to describe this." She slowly threatened, glaring at me through narrowed eyes.

"What did I do?" I had best get the facts straight before she started ranting. You honestly never knew what would happen when she lost her temper. The burns the people had gotten when they accidentally interrupted her concentration when she was brewing a potion. . . I was, in fact, in awe of her skills! I never knew the anyone could curse in those many languages, most strong enough to make a sailor blush, while still hexing the students into the next week, all in record time!

"I don't know who you are, Hermione, but I don't trust you." She pointed an accusing finger at the said person, who hugged her book to her chest, as if wishing that it could be large enough for her to cower behind. "The Krum brothers graduated from there almost five years ago, you couldn't have seen them playing Quittich. And there hasn't been a transfer from Durmstrang for over a millennia, and it's doubtful that they would ever want to break that long-standing tradition. Durmstrang's famous for its twisting, shrewd, conniving and ruthless students who wouldn't give a toss if everyone else in the world were killed. Just because you're from there would make me hate you."

"But that's unfair!" I interjected, Hermione looked like she would burst into tears at any moment and I felt like I owed her something, least not my pity to be trapped so far in time away from her family and friends. "You go on about how the wizarding society is biased in its beliefs and stereotypes," grey eyes focused on me, I hate it when she does that! "I mean, Karen, you even started that ballet that was passed around the school about Intolerable Cruelty Towards House-elves that you send off to the Ministry! And you're being biased to one of my friends just because she's from a certain school!"

"Oh, she's you friend now is she?" Karen sneered, her face contorting, "And what does that make us? Karen and Carley, the two lemons, the two lesbians in your school. Ashamed to be our friends now are you?" She spat, backing up and shaking her head. "And I though that you would actually understand. You were our best friend for more than three years - I never thought that you would betray us now. We trusted you. . . I can see that that was a mistake" With one last final glare, she spun and stalked into the Great Hall.

"And I though that you would actually understand. You were our best friend for more than three years - I never thought that you would betray us now. We trusted you. . . I can see that that was a mistake." It echoed in the silence of the corridor, as if Karen were there, speaking them again and again.

I never thought that you would betray us now.

We trusted you. . . I can see that that was a mistake.

"Lily?" Hermione asked cautiously, here eyes wide.

We trusted you. . .

"Lily, I'm so sorry. . ."

Betray us. . .

"Well. . ." I tried to act breezy, not show how deep the cut that Karen had sliced went. "Well, 'sorry's can't really help in this situation."

That was a mistake.

I gave a weak smile to Hermione, which faltered slightly as I looked up at her. Her eyes were filled with sympathy, and the one thing that I couldn't deal with that that moment was sympathy. I could feel the tears welling up and blinked rapidly.

"Lets go and have tea, Hermione." I ordered, with more venom than I normally would have. Surprisingly, with no more than a small nod, she followed. Still clutching her book.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be down in the kitchens gorging yourself to death?" I snapped, looking down at the hand grasping my school robe. I transferred my glare to the face of the perpetrator. Remus.

"Remus," Hermione warned, unsure of what I would do, "let go of Lily's robe. . ." The fact that she thought that I would fly off the handle coaxed a small, twisted grin to my lips.

He gave a small smile as he let go and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, but looked slightly nervous at my expression accompanied by Hermione's warning.

"I was, um, just wondering whether you and Hermione wanted to sit with us." A twinkle appeared in his eye. I had the feeling that he was plotting something, but at the present moment had no idea what it was.

"Ok," Hermione agreed readily, but I wouldn't be swayed as easily.

"And who says that we want to sit with you?" As unfair as it was to take out my anger on Remus (what had he done?) I couldn't help it.

"Absolutely nothing, which is the whole reason." he responded with a cheeky grin. I think that Sirius and James have had a bad influence on him. Actually, strike that, the Marauders have had a bad influence on each other. "You seem to have had one of Karen's famous 'arguments' – her temper's as short as her brown hair." Remus explained to Hermione, so that she wouldn't feel left out. "I know that you've had experience with them, Lily, but perhaps not on the receiving end."

I nodded my agreement, looking over to where Karen and Carley were sitting, glaring 'Adva Kedavras' at us. Remus followed my gaze and nodded at this confirmation.

"Well who say that we weren't going over to sit with Anya, Laura and Katriona? Hum?" I countered, "I haven't spoken to them for quite a long time and they're my dorm mates!"

With another cheeky grin, Remus pointed over to where Anya, Laura and Katriona sat. A Hufflepuff - John Watson, my Transfiguration partner, accompanied them. "Looks like Watson there is the new flavour of the month – feel like joining them?" I shook my head with disgust, Katriona literarily sitting in John's lap.

"I wouldn't recommend it either." Hermione added her two Knuts, "If you look at the Ravenclaw table, that girl there with dyed blond hair isn't looking too impressed with the seating arrangements."

"Of course not," I told her, following Remus to the part of the Gryffindor table that the Marauders sat at, away from the others. "John Watson is Shona Watson's twin brother, only she's in Ravenclaw and he's in Hufflepuff. Shona's going out with Andrew Kirkcaldy, also in Ravenclaw, but she's a control freak and she's probably upset that John didn't get her explicit permission to sit there. Shona likes to think that she's the more popular in the year, which isn't too great considering that all of my friends and I are at the bottom of the column, not that most of us would actually give a toss about of our status. But Shona's slightly annoying because almost all of her other, brainless-twits that she calls her 'clique', will relay her all the gossip – and like most gossip, it's warped and twisted, unrecognisable to the truth."

"You actually stand for that? Hogwa- I mean Durmstrang -" Hermione corrected for the benefit of the eavesdroppers, there were certain to be quite a few, even if some didn't do it intentionally. "Durmstrangnever had anything as complicated as this. I find this appalling that one girl – Shona? – could run the social life behind Hogwarts and her spies report to her peroxide-dyed-blond-Highness."

"I think that I've had a bad influence on you, Hermione," I mused, humoured by the fact that she blushed slightly at that. "I don't think that you would ever say anything as sarcastic as that before I met you."

"Well it's almost unbelievable to think that one girl could do that!"

"Yes, well Shona is - peroxide-dyed-blond-Highness?!" I exclaimed, the words just sinking in. "Her hair's dyed blond? Who in their right mind would dye their hair that shade of blond?! How did you know that she's dyed her hair anyway, Hermione?"

"Girl's intuition," She smugly replied.

"What? Girls intuit-"

"Welcome, welcome. . . to the Marauder's feasting ground!" Remus announced with a great flare, his hands indicating the part of the table.

I swing around and glared at the Marauders, annoyed at them for being so close to where we had been standing so that I hadn't been able to convince Hermione to tell me how she knew. Almost as one body, they drew back slightly. Perhaps it was just a reaction to the 'angry' vibes that were sure to emanating off my person. Or perhaps it was my sparkling personality. . . hopefully not the latter.

"I think that Lily's annoyed." Sirius mock whispered, behind his hand to James, loud enough for all six of us to hear.

"Sure, Sirius, why don't you say it a bit louder, maybe then all of Scotland will hear you." James bantered back at him.

"I SAID. . . I THINK THAT LILY IS A TAD BIT AN- hey! Yomph arg gogngh geg inph!" James had shoved a roll into Sirius's mouth, choking and coughing issuing forth.

"Boys will be boys." Hermione muttered behind me.

"Ah, peace and quiet!" Peter exclaimed as he removed his fingers from his ears. "I think that I can hear the birds singing their beautiful, high-pitched songs outside once again!"

"High-pitched, hum? If you Marauders won't stop grating on my nerves, I'll have you permanently singing high-pitched." I growled as Hermione and I sat down. Peter, the only one of the four on the same bench as me, scooted over until there was enough space for more then three people separating us.

"You wouldn't dare!" James exclaimed.

"Just try me." I smirked.

"James, don't do this – don't you remember what happened last year when-" Remus' protests fell on def ears.

"You'd be too chicken!"

"I take it that you want to be the first?"

"You'd never do it." James shook his head, a superior smile on his face.

"You want to bet?"

"Um, James. . . this might not be the best of times to-" Sirius tried to interfere.

"Ya I want to bet! You'd never do it!"

"Will to!" It's amazing how arguments always simplify back to these two words. . .

"Will not!" And also these two words.

"Will to!"

"Pudding anyone?" Peter interjected.

"Will not!"

"Will to!"

"I guess that I'll have to finish the trifle on my own. . ." Peter sighed.

"Will not!"

"Will to!"

"Oy, Peter, don't hog all the trifle – it's my favourite!" Sirius reached over and tried to pull the bowl away from Peter's grasping fingers."

"Let go!

"Will not!"

"You let go!"

"Will to!"

"No, you let go!"

"Will not!"

"You let go!"

"Will to!"

"No, you let go!"

"Shut up, you four, Dumbledore's-" Remus valiantly tried to quite us.

"Will not!"

"You let go!"

"Will to!"

"No, you let go!"

"Sirius, I'm sure that Peter will leave you something, but just be quite for a few-" Again Remus was interrupted.

"Will not!"

"You let go!"

"Lily, I'm sure that James believes you, now can you please be quite for a-" And again he was interrupted.

"Will to!"

"No, you let go!"

"Peter, if you will only – " Hermione tried.

"Will not, chicken!"

"You let go!"

"They are so original." Remus muttered to Hermione, who nodded her agreement.

"That's it, you're going to get it!"

"No, you let go!"

"DETENTION FOR ALL SIX OF YOU!" A cold voice, filled with anger shrieked from the other end of the hall. Madame Giles.

There was a moment of stunned silence, in which the clink of a glass from the Slytherin table could be heard throughout the hall. And then:

"All six of us?"

"That's unfair!"

"I'm calling my lawyer!"

"But I didn't do anything!"

"But Madame Giiiiiiiiles. . ."

"Oh shut it you five, I believe that you did, in fact deserve –"

"Shush, Hermione!"

"Ya, you want us to get into trouble?"

"Us five? She gave you detention as well!"

"No she- detention?! I've never had a detention in my life!"

"Well, hate to put a black mark on your record, but you've got one now."

"A detention?! I have a detention?! Madame Giles, we didn't do anything!"

"FIFTY POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR EACH!" She screamed to be heard over the noise that we were making.

"FIFTY POINTS?!"

"But that's 300 points! We'll be in the negative!"

"See Hermione, knew that you would come around to our thinking."

"It specifically states in Hogwarts Jurisdiction Rule 3290 –"

"Exactly, you can't do this to us!"

"Section 57, Sub-section 61 –"

"But THREE HUNDRED points!"

"Paragraph 23, Line 94 –"

"This is preposterous!"

"Yes, exactly! This is unjust, unfair, undue-"

"I don't believe this!"

"This is not happening. . ."

"Completely undeserved, unwarranted, unreasonable –"

"Which says that, 'In relation to Section 55, Sub-section 6, Paragraph 90 – "

"Biased, prejudiced and discriminatory! Not to mention completely excessive!"

"Headmaster, tell her that she can't do this!"

"Very nice Sirius, did you use a Thesaurus?"

"Line 14 on the Children's Rights passed by the Ministry in the year 1472, after the famous court ruling considering the –"

"QUIET!" After we realised that no sound was emerging from our throats, our heads whipped around to the Head Table. The first sight that greeted my eyes was that of Professor McGonagall with an amused grin on her face, almost like that of a cat that had just had a bowl of cream placed in front of her. Then I realised that Headmaster Dumbledore was on his feet, his wand in his hand.

"Thank you, I will release the charm if you agree that the noise level will not rise so that I will be forced to raise my voice." At our hasty nods, he said the counter curse. After clearing my throat to be sure that I was back to normal, I focused my complete attention towards Dumbledore. However, Sirius could not help one last comment:

"Since when has McGonagall ever grinned?" Hermione shot him a look to kill - and he shut up, dutifully directing his attention towards Dumbledore.

Ok, now, I was worried.

Well, I hate to say this, but I'm getting tired of writing this and I really need to find my plot and I have LOTS of school work! So I suppose if there was a great demand for me to keep writing, I would TRY. But I make no promises………

Well, hope that you liked this!