The Slytherin

You shouldn't be surprised to hear I lust after Sirius Black. After all, I'm a girl – and he's gorgeous. Shallow, I know. I don't apologise.

If it makes you feel better I don't stand a chance. Honestly. I really don't. I also don't care. I mean, I know he gets around a bit, but even Sirius Black has his limits. And he hates Slytherins. Not that this bothers me much – I'm not too fond of Gryffindors. Besides, I don't really like Sirius. Yes, he's physically close to perfection. Yes, I would snog him if I had the chance. But hormones aside… We are in no way compatible.

Things might have been different if he'd been sorted into Slytherin; if the 'Black' inside him had been allowed to flourish. But nope (stupid hat). Sirius belongs to the crimson and golds. He's a Gryffindor. And a marauder. And I'm proud to be a sneaky Slytherin. So I take what I can get… I told you Sirius was aesthetically pleasing. Thus, meet my boyfriend – Regulus Black.

Of course, I've never told Regulus that what attracted me to him was his resemblance to his brother. That would be awkward. And despite the bad press our House gets, I'm not an evil person. At least I don't think so. But I suppose it's all relative.

Lily Evans certainly doesn't think very highly of me. She'd tell you I was a racist. I'm not, though. Racist, that is. Well – maybe slightly. Not in a bad way though. Oh no… I bet you're judging me now, right? I see it more as a… superiority complex. I happen to think that if you're a pureblood you just have an ever so slight advantage. It's not like I want to – for lack of a better word – 'exterminate' all the muggleborns. The thought hasn't even occurred to me… Or at least when it did it made me slightly uncomfortable. We need them. I concede this. Otherwise, we'd run out of witches and wizards and then how would we rule over all of filthy muggle-kind?
Kidding.
Jeez… Slytherins can tell jokes too you know. Take my friend Bella for instance. Granted, she's slightly more intense with the whole 'pureblood' thing – but that girl is witty! Nobody's safe when she's in a foul mood. The curses and the insults drip off her tongue like grease off Severus Snape's head.

Oops. I shouldn't make fun of him. He's on our side after all. Forget I mentioned him. What was I saying? Ahh. Lily Evans.

Right – well, I respect the girl. I do. She is smart. She's also prejudiced. Just because I happen to be a pureblood Slytherin she taints me with the 'racism' brush. I suppose it might also have something to do with the things my brother called her before he graduated… But that was my brother. Not me. She doesn't know that I agree with him. You don't see us Slytherins ostracising Regulus because his brother's of the lion persuasion. Nope. Clearly, we Slytherins are far more tolerant.

The Hufflepuff

I was made a prefect this summer. That's cool, right? Maybe not 'cool' like the marauders are cool, but –

dramatic sigh

I can't believe I've mentioned them already. Moving on.

Who am I kidding? I don't want to be a prefect. I'm not very authoritative. Just the idea of walking up to certain unnamed students and telling them to behave… It makes me shudder. Mum was pleased, though. I didn't explain any of my reservations to her. She'd never believe it. I have a whole hoard of younger brothers and sisters, and I'm forever having to yell at them. Not because they're especially misbehaved, but because otherwise they'd never shut up. And that's the side of me she gets to see most whenever I'm home from school.

Don't get me wrong – I love my family. To itty bitty bits. But despite what Lily Evans would tell you, there's a big difference between dealing with spirited children and teenage marauders. I suppose I'll just have to be one of those prefects that shies away from her responsibilities… Only I don't want to be. I didn't realise Dumbledore even knew who I was, but he's shown this faith in me. I don't want to let him down. I suppose that's just the Hufflepuff in me talking…

Roger Mullins is the other Hufflepuff prefect. He's not bad; a lot more outspoken than me. I suppose he can always take over any duties I'm too cowardly to complete. In all likelihood, I won't even have to deal with the Gryffindors. I mean – that's what they have their own prefects for. And their prefects are Lily Evans and Remus Lupin.
Side note: I know he's a werewolf. I don't care that he's a werewolf. He doesn't know I know.
As I was saying… Who better to control James Potter and Sirius Black?

Oh. I can hear Lily shouting at James right now. Remus is also there; he's only having breakfast, exchanging an occasional word with Peter Pettigrew opposite. But he does it so well. He looks slightly peaky, but otherwise completely at ease. He's finished his juice and he's standing now. He says a quiet word to James and – oh my. Lily's stopped shouting and James looks sheepish. That's impressive. I wonder what he said; but I don't want to appear too obsessive so I switch my attention back to my toast. I feel slightly better. Slightly curious too, but mostly better. We'll just leave Remus Lupin to deal with the Gryffindors. With the marauders. He is one after all. And Remus Lupin can do anything…

God, I love him.

The Ravenclaw

"Morning, scallywag." I roll my eyes and decide not to respond. My attention is elsewhere; I reach across the table and grab the last croissant. Of course, the plate refills right after. Damn. I take a large bite and chew thoughtfully. We had homework for Potions, I'm sure we did. No doubt I've done it. It'll be in my bag somewhere. But I can't for the life of me remember what it actually was. "I can't believe I have to compete with a bloody croissant!"

I finally shift my gaze to meet the accusing stare of my best friend Daniel. "You can't compete." I tell him simply. Then as the furrow between his brows deepen, I gesture at him with my half-eaten breakfast. "You're not edible." A small, thoughtful frown paints his features, before Daniel moves his head in a slow nod.

"This is true," he agrees. With a shrug he turns on his chair, and begins filling his plate with generous portions of bacon. I grin at him. I love Daniel. Not in the girly, oh-he's-so-cute way; but in the he's-my-best-friend-and-life-would-suck-without-him kind of way. By now, Martin and Josh have taken the seats opposite us and Jason is sitting on my right. I smile to myself – feeling surprisingly content. It's the first breakfast of the term and I'm back with my boys. What could be better?

"Why so chipper, Porky?" Jason, of course. He's called me that ever since I confided that I thought I had been a chubby baby. From anyone other than my boys, I might have been offended. I didn't mind Jason calling me it – I hit him nonetheless.

"Oh, just imagining being back on that Quidditch pitch, so I can push you off your broom." Jason laughs. He never takes my threats seriously. That sucks.

"You could try, I guess. But if we remember I'll be carrying a massive beaters bat with a giant bludger at my disposal…it doesn't seem such a good idea." I have no comeback so I just stick my tongue out at him and turn to face Martin. Before I can get a word out, Lily Evans is at our table.

A faint blush rises across her cheeks as she moves to stand by Daniel. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and her ridiculously emerald eyes sparkle.

"Hi, Daniel." She smiles at him. Daniel swivels quickly in his seat to face her, and I wince with him as he reaches up a hand to rub his sore neck. He hastily swallows his food, before favouring Lily with a large smile.

"Hi, Lily. Do you want to sit?" He moves over on the bench to make room for her, but she smiles kindly and shakes her head.

"No, that's okay. I just wanted to see what lesson you have first." Daniel turns to check the timetable I collected earlier.

"Potions," he answers, turning back to her. "You?"

"Same," says Lily. Daniel nods, but Lily's smile is expectant. I'm about to give him a nudge when the boy puts the pieces together for himself.

"Well, do you want to walk together?" Lily's eyes are positively shining now. She nods.

"I'd really like that."

"Great. I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall in five?" Lily nods again. She finally looks at the rest of us, and her blush deepens.

"Hi guys. Bye, guys. See you soon, Daniel." Daniel looks like he only half understood what just happened, but manages to call out a 'see you', before Lily is back at the Gryffindor table.

Daniel determinedly doesn't meet any of our eyes, and focuses on devouring the mountain in front of him. I can't help it. I let out a most unRavenclaw-like giggle. Daniel looks at me warily.

"What?" he demands. I give a small shrug.

"Nothing. I just think you guys make a cute couple." I see the blush creeping up Daniel's neck. He doesn't respond at first. Just finishes eating, puts down the fork, and rises from the bench.

"Thanks," he finally mutters, and with a wave and a small smile makes his way to meet Lily.

I watch him leave, and as I do so my gaze falls upon the Gryffindor table. James Potter is eyeing Daniel with great distaste. I frown at this, and send my own glare his way. He doesn't notice – too fixated upon Daniel and Lily. I feel a growl rise in my throat. What right does he have to behave that way? Lily has no interest in him. She's told him that repeatedly. And she and Daniel have been growing close since before the holidays. Stupid prat.

My scowl freezes on my face as I turn to see the boy next to James Potter. Sirius Black. He's smirking at me, openly amused – he may even be laughing. He nudges James and the boy finally notices the death glares I've been sending his way. James' eyebrows merely rise, ever so slightly, but he seems to lose interest quickly. He turns back to where Daniel had been, but I feel smug when he realises they've gone.

James Potter is not so easily evaded. He jumps up from the table, forcibly dragging Sirius with him. Sirius allows himself to be ambushed towards the doors, but never breaks eye contact with me. I transfer my glare to him, and his smirk widens significantly. He gives me a little salute, then they're through the doors and out of my sight. Thank Merlin.

My gaze hovers back to the Gryffindor table, softening only slightly. Stupid marauder-worshippers. Them and practically the whole school. It's not that I previously harboured any grudge towards them. But my loyalties lie with my Ravenclaw boys – my friends. If those marauders are going to interfere with Daniel's life, well then they're going to have to take us all on. Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, sitting side-by-side, seem infuriatingly unaffected by the entire incident. I suppose they're used to James' behaviour. Remus does give me an apologetic smile. And while it isn't much, I suppose it is at least something.

I finally turn back to my own table. Josh is looking at me with exasperation.

"Finally!" he throws up his hands in exaggerated relief. "Are you ready to go?" He sounds desperate. I feel the smile return to my lips. I wonder how far I can push him…

"Just one more croissant." I reach across to grab it, but Josh is having none of it. The moment my arm is outstretched, he grabs a hold of it and leads me down the table.

"Come on, woman. We're Ravenclaws. We're never late for lessons. We take study seriously." With a small laugh I allow him to lead me out of the Great Hall. Martin and Jason follow us.

I flash Jason a grateful grin when I notice he's brought a croissant with him. I reach out my hand to grab it. He looks at me, eyes twinkling with amusement and in one huge bite eats the tasty thing himself. I gape like a fish, until with a wink and a shake of the head, still chewing, he gestures towards Martin. Behind his glasses, Martin also looks amused. But he holds out a croissant and really does allow me to take it. I take a bite, shoot a mock glare at Jason, and allow Josh to pull me towards the dungeons.

The Gryffindor:

Yes, I'm a Gryffindor.
Yes, I'm a girl.
No, I'm not dating any of the marauders.
No, I don't want to.

Now that we've got that sorted…

I'm sitting in Potions waiting for Slughorn to arrive. He's not here yet, but a shout does alert me to the presence of his favourite student – Lily Evans. She comes storming through the door and I raise an eyebrow as I notice she's holding the hand of the Ravenclaw Daniel Winters. Lily sees me looking and gives a tired smile. I wonder what Potter's done this time.

She sits in the seat next to me, Daniel beside her. Before I can so much as utter a greeting, James is in front of us.

"What's the matter, Evans?" He grins at her. "Something I said?" Lily is refusing to look at James. She turns to speak to me, speaking a little too loudly to be convincingly nonchalant.

"Good holidays?"

I don't even bother to reply. James gives a small chuckle. Behind him, I see the other three marauders making their way to the back.

"All right, Evans. I'm sorry." She's still not looking at him, but the way her eyebrows narrow suspiciously tells me she's listening. "Let me make it up to you. Let me take you on a date…" Lily spins to face James, and her expression is so furious I'm surprised she's not breathing fire. James doesn't flinch. He fixes her with that cocky grin, waiting for a response.

"No, Potter. No." Her words come out in a hiss. "I don't accept your apology, and I have no wish to date you. Leave please." Her words are cold now. James opens his mouth to respond, a smile playing around his lips. Merlin, that boy doesn't know when to give up.

"I will if you go out with –" Before he can get any further, Daniel cuts in.

"Look, Potter," All eyes now swivel to the Ravenclaw. I'm slightly taken aback by the vehemence in James' look. Daniel seems not to notice. "You've said your piece. I think it's time you listened to Lily and backed off."

"Is that right?"

"That's right." Daniel isn't going to back down. He's never struck me as the confrontational type, but I suppose he's no wimp either. And from the look of things that's his girlfriend/nearly-girlfriend James Potter is hitting on. He's standing up now. This might just get interesting…

"Dan-" Lily speaks softly, worry in her tone.

'Oh great. Just what this situation needs,' I think, as Sirius Black appears at James' shoulder.

"Prongs," Sirius is talking to James. His voice is pitched low, but we can all hear it. "Let's leave these two lovebirds alone. Let our prefects engage in a little interhouse bonding…" The mockery in Sirius' voice is evident, and James smirks. With a last look at Daniel, raising an eyebrow at Lily's blushing face, he follows Sirius to the back. Hmph. I guess Sirius had his sensible hat on today. Crisis averted.
Damn.

Behind us, the marauders are talking in hushed whispers. Daniel is still standing. Some more Ravenclaws enter. They're Daniel's friends, I know. Seeing him, an identical frown crosses all of their faces.

"Daniel?" The girl asks quietly. He looks at his friends. An understanding seems to pass between them.

"Sit down, mate." That's the one with the glasses. Martin, I think. Daniel looks at him for a moment and then does as suggested. His friends occupy the row in front of us. I see Daniel's anger slowly ebb away. He turns to Lily.

"Sorry." I hear his voice, but only because they're so close. There's no way the marauders behind us can hear. And that's a good thing because the next thing he says is: "You were right. That Potter's a moron."

I don't think James Potter would take too kindly to that. I notice the girl in front of us – Daniel's friend. She's glaring at James now. This is all so surreal. Everybody usually loves the marauders. Suddenly I'm surrounded by haters. Sirius watches the girl. I hold back a smirk. I know that look.

"How are you doing?" Sirius calls out to her. The words are civil. His tone is a challenge. The girl begins to respond. I cross my arms and get ready to enjoy the drama.

Unfortunately, Slughorn walks in. The girl hastily faces the front. I hear James scoff. Silly Ravenclaws, I think. They've got book smarts, I'll give them that. But if you're going to take on James Potter, you take on Sirius Black. And if you're going to take on James Potter and Sirius Black, you can't let class distract you.

It requires focus.
It requires confidence.
It requires determination.
Trust me – I know…
I didn't say I've never dated a marauder.

A/N: So, I just had to add this in... Please review! :D
It's my first fic so would be really nice to see how it's being received. Honesty's the name of the game. So, even if you don't like it feel free to tell me so (and suggest any improvements). Thanks! x.x.x