Hello everybody, this is the next in my Shadows Series about Lizzy Potter

If you havent read The first Shadows yet, you might want to read that first, otherwise the characters will be quite confusing!

Anyway, hope you enjoy this first chapter!

If you regognise them, I dont own them! Capeash!

"1, 2, 3 Go!" Lizzy yelled, jumping into her brother`s room with a muggle water gun and spraying the four sleeping boys. Marlene ran in after her, soaking Sirius`s panicked face.

"Aghh!" Sirius yelled, crashing onto the floor.

"Help!" James yelled as Lizzy cornered him.

"Waa!" Peter wailed, totally confused,

"Lizzy, it's seven in the morning" Remus said calmly from his bed.

Lizzy turned to glare at him, "It was eleven at night!"

Marlene looked nervously at James who was going purple. "Retreat!" she yelled.

The two girls pegged it from the room, leaving utter chaos in their wake.

"They are going to kill us!" Marlene yelled as the girls ran down the quiet street.

"They will, if they catch us" Lizzy grinned as they turned the corner up a narrow lane.

"Lizzy there's four of them and two of us; of course they're going to catch us!" Marlene said hopelessly. "Anyway where are we going?"

Lizzy rolled her eyes at her friend "We are going to see my dear cousins, who will side with us!"

Marlene grinned "Oh is this the way to the twin's house!"

They rounded a bend and sure enough, "The only problem is if they aren't up!" Lizzy laughed as she knocked on the door.

A thin ginger man answered, and beamed at the sight of them. "Lizzy! And you must be Marlene" he said, enthusiastically shaking her hand.

"I didn't know you were coming down Arthur" Lizzy said, hugging him.

"Who is it dear?" a tired voice came from inside.

"Lizzy and Marlene" said Arthur, smiling widely and ushering them inside.

Lizzy walked confidently through the house into the Kitchen where her eldest cousin Molly sat feeding baby Charlie.

"Hello Lizzy" Molly said, yawning as she fed the last spoonful of food to little Charlie.

Lizzy walked over to her, Marlene following awkwardly.

"Hi, Hello Charlie! Do you remember me? Aunt Lizzy?" she said in a stupid voice.

Charlie looked up at his mother for reassurance as Marlene smiled at him shyly.

"LIZZY!" a voice yelled, as something small collided with her leg.

Lizzy picked up the small ginger boy "Hello Bill" she said, as he clambered onto her shoulders.

"Who she?" he asked, pointing at Marlene, who looked nervous.

"That's my friend Marlene, are you going to say hello?" Lizzy said, smiling at Molly and Arthur.

"Hello Marlene, Do you read stories?" he asked, as Lizzy put him down.

"Erm, yeah?" Marlene said, looking at Lizzy for help.

"Oh, good come on" he said, reaching up to grab her arm. As Marlene was led from the room by Bill, Lizzy turned to Molly.

"So how are you doing?" Lizzy asked her older cousin, they had never been very close because of the age difference. Still Lizzy had always wished they were, she would love an older sister.

"Just tired really" Molly yawned, before looking at Lizzy guiltily. "Erm, you wouldn't mind..."

"Whoa, look at the mini babysitters" Gideon teased as he sidled into his living room.

Marlene didn't look up from the story she was reading to Bill:

"And Wee Willykins kissed and huggled the hop-pitty pot and promised to always help the dollies and never to be an old grumpy-wumpkins again."

"The wizard and the hopping pot, really Bill" Fabien said scornfully as he sat next to Lizzy who was holding a sleeping Charlie.

"Shush, you'll wake him" Lizzy scolded.

"Ooo!" the twins said together.

Lizzy looked at Bill "They are so babyish aren't they!"

Bill giggled at this as Marlene put the book away before sitting down next to Gideon.

"So what brings you to our humble abode?" Fabien said in an eerie voice.

"Humble!" Marlene snorted.

Lizzy rolled her eyes at them "Epic hide and seek" she explained.

Gideon whistled softly, "What did you do?"

"Sprayed all four of them down this morning." Marlene said proudly.

"Water guns!" Fabien said, impressed.

"What water guns?" Bill asked curiously, sitting down by Lizzys legs.

"They shoot water...Oh here" Lizzy began, but then handed him her own water gun.

Bill played happily with it while the older children talked.

"So, do you two want to stay for Lunch?" Lizzys Aunt Arctua asked Lizzy and Marlene as they came into the kitchen to fetch some more drinks.

Marlene looked at Lizzy, "Erm..."

"That would be brilliant, if you don't mind" Lizzy said grinning.

"ELIZABETH POTTER WE KNOW YOURE IN THERE!" a voice thundered from outside.

"Got to go!" Lizzy said, before running from the room.

"What are we going to do?" Marlene said desperately.

Lizzy ran back into the sitting room "Guys you need to hide us!" she said urgently to the twins.

To her surprise, it was Molly who sprung up a mischievous glint in her eyes "Come on!" she said.

She pushed them both up the stairs, just as the door opened.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Lizzy heard Sirius`s voice shouting.

"Wow, what did you do?" Molly laughed as she opened the door to her old room.

"Woke them up at seven with a water gun!" Lizzy grinned as she pushed Marlene inside the room.

Molly laughed "Been there done that! In the wardrobe, go on!"

Lizzy and Marlene squashed into the wardrobe, both very cramped.

"Reckon we`ll get into Narnia?" Marlene joked.

"What's Narnia?" Lizzy whispered, straining her ears to hear where James is.

"Never mind" Marlene sighed, wriggling around to get some more room.

"Reckon they`ll have given up by now?" Marlene asked, as the girls trudged along the crowded beach having left the twins in the playground.

"Probably" Lizzy said, watching the cute muggle boys surfing.

"Shall we head back then?" Marlene said, then following Lizzys sightline. "Didn't think he`d be your type" she laughed.

Lizzy shook herself free, "What the dark haired one, why not?"

"Looks a bit like Regulus?" Marlene pointed out.

"Regulus is good looking" Lizzy admitted "I just don't see him like that."

"What about Remus?" Marlene pressed.

Lizzy whipped around to make sure there was nobody nearby, then whispered "Yeah that still hasn't gone away. It's been horrid, just coming downstairs and seeing their smiling at me"

Marlene smiled sympathetically "It will eventually go away, but are you sure...?"

"Quite sure!" Lizzy snapped over her.

"O.k." Marlene said her hands up.

Lizzy glared at her "Quit guilt tripping me!"

"Dam they're in the sitting room!" Lizzy whispered, her and Marlene where crouching under the kitchen window.

"Well, we could climb the drain pipes?" Marlene said, a mischievous smile forming.

Lizzy grinned "Brilliant, come on then!"

They crept round to the other side of the house, soon reaching the solid looking black tube.

"You first" Marlene said.

"Wimp" Lizzy teased, as she began to haul herself up the drainpipe.

She went quickly, making sure she didn't look down. She soon reached her balcony, neatly jumping onto it.

She quickly leaned over the edge "Come on, it's not far!"

Marlene nervously grabbed hold of the piping and began to climb.

She moved slowly, looking quite sick.

"Come on Marley! It's not too far" Lizzy encouraged.

"You have to be kidding me!" Fabien's voice came drifting up to the balcony.

Marlene lost her balance and fell

"Aghh!" she screamed.

Gideon managed to catch Marlene before she hit the floor.

"Whoa, got you!" he said.

Lizzy breathed a sigh of relief and turned towards her room "O.k. just come in the front door, I'll...JAMES POTTER I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"Lizzy, you are allowed to come down for dinner."

Lizzy mother was standing in the door, looking disapproving and sympathetic at the same time.

Lizzy didn't move "I don't want any" she said sulkily.

Her room was still a complete mess, a mess she would now have to clear up even though James had made it with his stupid friends.

Dorea Potter sighed, "Fine, goodnight Elizabeth" she said sadly.

After she had left Lizzy moved of her bed to lock her door shut.

Then she observed the full extent of the chaos:

Her books spread all over the floor

Her bed stripped and covered with scrunched up clothes.

Her room trashed!

Just because of some harmless prank that had been provoked in the first place!

Lizzy could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She wiped them away fiercely with the sleeve of her T-shirt.

She forced herself to breathe normally, and ignoring the painful lump in her throat, rolled up her sleeves.

She had a lot of cleaning to do; she might as well start now.

Lizzy put the last dress into her wardrobe and looked around her room.

It was finally neat and normal again.

She sighed, it must be quite late but she wasn't tired.

Something glinted on her wooden desk; she moved over and picked it up.

It was a small lion.

Lizzy smiled, Regulus had cornered her on the train ride home:

"Elle" Regulus poked his head round the compartment door.

Lizzy smiled at him and stood up"See you" she said haphazardly walking out of the compartment.

"Hi" she said, walking slightly along so her friends couldn't eavesdrop.

"Hello, I just wanted to say goodbye and well give you this" He said, awkwardly handing her a small parcel.

"Oh you shouldn't have, it's not my birthday for a week" she said, secretly thrilled he`d remembered.

"Well I won't be seeing you over the summer so..." he said.

Lizzy grinned and opened her present. It was a tiny little silver lion, with a tiny heart made of green stones on the side.

Lizzy was speechless, "It's beautiful" she stuttered, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly.

He was slightly pink when she released him. "Well Narcissa helped me..." he began.

Lizzy grinned at him "Then she has excellent taste."

Regulus smiled back "Write to me, over the summer!"

Lizzy nodded "I will" she promised.

Lizzy put the lion down on her desk and sat down, and started rummaging for ink and parchment.

A knock sounded at the door, a familiar knock. Three short taps and one long one.

Lizzy stood up and unlocked the door; Marlene was standing there looking sheepish in her dressing down.

Lizzy smiled at her slightly "What time is it?"

"Eleven, can I come in?" Marlene asked nervously, glancing up the hallway.

Lizzy stepped aside, Marlene walked in looking around. "Oh, I thought it would be worse"

Lizzy snorted and sat sown on her bed, "I cleaned it up, what did you think I did for five hours!"

Marlene smiled slightly, perching next to Lizzy "If it cheers you up, James was still complaining about his nose at dinner."

Lizzy laughed "Did mother manage to get it straight?"

"Yeah, still Sirius`s respect for you has gone through the roof!" Marlene laughed

"God, I can so see Charlotte killing me when we get back to school!" Lizzy grimaced.

"Was she who you were writing to?" Marlene asked, looking at the half finished letter.

"No thought I ought to write to Regulus, I mean, I promised." Lizzy yawned.

"When do Millie and Edgar get back from Wales?" Marlene asked.

"Missing him are we?" Lizzy teased.

"Shut up!" Marlene blushed as Lizzy laughed at her.

Footsteps sounded outside; "If that's James with a bomb, I'm going to kill him" Lizzy hissed.

The footsteps paused outside her room.

Lizzy stood up and softly walked to her bedroom door.

She swung it open, there was nobody there. "James? James if dad knows you've nicked his invisibility cloak then you're dead."

When nobody answered she shut her door softly, before turning to Marlene

"Idiots" she muttered.

"Goodnight" Marlene said, snuggling into the bed.

The two girls were sleeping head to toe in Lizzys bed.

The result was a cramped but comfortable situation, it was certainly warmer!

"Night" Lizzy murmured into her pillow, letting her eyelids droop.