Life without Ginny was…different. Ron was moping almost constantly, Seamus was following Ron around, trying to comfort him and the twins were a wreck. Harry wasn't much better off than Ron, and Draco spent all her time scaring inconsiderate people away from him. Poor Hermione didn't know what to do or think, and was researching human feelings in the library, at a loss. Finally someone got an idea. That someone being none other than Neville Longbottom.
After classes one day, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Draco, and Dean all wandered into the Gryffindor common room. As they did, Neville pushed a button on a strange device. Music filled the room.
"Ne minna? Shinohara no koto suki? Watashi wa DAISUKI!"
Harry blinked in surprise and Neville beamed. He had charmed a muggle CD player to work without batteries, and then spent all night learning to work it. He had found a girl who was known for her intense love of muggle entertainment (a pure-blood Slytherin, ironically) and asked her to owl her mother to send her the happiest CD she could think of. The girl happened to be Japanese, and had immediately thought of Shinohara Tomoe, and sent for her Supermodel CD. Neville figured that as long as it sounded happy, it didn't matter what the lyrics were, and promised to return the CD as soon as possible. Seiya, the Slytherin girl, pleased that someone had taken an interest in muggle media, kindly overlooked the fact that Neville was a Gryffindor and said he could return it anytime before school ended. After all, she hadn't brought her CD player, so it wasn't a great loss to her at the moment.
The song continued and a smile tugged at the corners of Draco's mouth.
"Neville?" she asked. "What on earth…?"
"I like it!" Neville grinned. "C'mon! Listen! Isn't it cute?"
Ron was smiling despite himself.
"Where did you ever get something like that?" Harry asked, also finding himself smiling. Neville beamed.
"From Seiya Nakamoto." He said, proud that he had talked to a Slytherin and come out on top.
"The Slytherin girl?!" Hermione asked in surprise. Neville nodded. "So it's muggle music then?"
"Yeah!" Neville said. "But isn't it great?"
No one could argue. It was cute and cheery, and soon Seamus was humming along and dancing around. The song finished too soon, and Dean asked Neville to play it again. Neville looked at the machine for a moment before hitting a button that started the song over. This time Seamus started dancing right away. He pulled Ron along with him.
"C'mon! Dance!" he giggled. Hermione blushed and shook her head, but Dean pulled her near Seamus and Ron and started dancing. Shyly she followed his lead. Draco grinned and began dancing as well. Harry joined her. Soon the other students joined in. Dancing, laughing Gryffindors of all ages were soon everywhere. The CD continued to play through over and over and even Neville joined the dancing. He had managed to put the CD on 'repeat all' before hand.
"Majikaru ni detekuru kurukuru mirakuru!" Draco sang, spinning Harry around. The ebony haired boy laughed. Everyone had caught on to Kurukuru Mirakuru quickly, and every time the girl on the CD sang the words "kurukuru mirakuru" everyone shouted it along with her. "Mirakuru kuru kuru kuru kuru kuru kuru kuru yeah!" caught on quickly too. No one had any idea that they were actually singing "cle cle miracle" but they were having fun, so it didn't matter. Someone had conjured up a magical disco ball, and spots of coloured light were everywhere. Suddenly the portal burst open and McGonagall stared at the students in shock, but only a few noticed her. Neville was one of them. He froze in horror. He was going to get detention for sure…
"Professor!" Draco called in delight. She pulled McGonagall into the room. "Come on! Dance!"
McGonagall looked at her strangely, but at the blonde's wide grin, she found herself fighting a smile. Harry danced over.
"Hello!" he greeted McGonagall. "Care to dance?"
He offered his hand and McGonagall stared at it, surprised. Then she smiled slightly.
"It'd be my pleasure Potter." She said, trying not to laugh as Harry pulled her into the mass of students and she began to dance. Neville sighed in relief. The students who noticed their teacher stopped dancing and stared. After awhile though, most everyone had seen her, and they resumed dancing. Ultra Relax was playing when people began to tire, and started just hanging around, talking and laughing like they were at a party, which as far as they were concerned, they were. Even McGonagall and Hermione struck up a conversation. Everyone was having a good time when Snape burst in.
He flinched, hearing the cutesy music over the Gryffindor's voices. The confused face of Remus Lupin peered around Snape's shoulder.
"You didn't tell me they were having a party." Remus said. "What's the occasion?"
"Obviously they're celebrating the fact that Ms. Weasley will not be attending Hogwarts anymore." Snape said. McGonagall noticed the two adults and excused herself from Hermione.
"Remus!" she greeted, smiling. Then the smile vanished and she turned to Snape. "Severus."
"Minerva." Snape gave a slight nod, but Remus grinned.
"Hi Minerva!" he said cheerfully. "How are you?"
"Wonderful!" McGonagall replied. "But what are you doing here?"
Remus's smile turned sad and he glanced pointedly over at Harry who was giggling and flirting with Draco. McGonagall nodded.
"Well, Sirius will be pleased to see you." she said. Remus raised an eyebrow.
"Sirius' here?"
"Hi Remmie!" a voice yelled as Remus was suddenly, and forcefully, tackle hugged by what appeared to be a flying black ball. Remus blinked. He was on the ground, on his back, staring straight up at Sirius Black, who was seated on his chest.
"S-Sirius?" he choked out. Not because of overwhelming emotion or shock, but because a full-grown man was sitting on his chest, making breathing difficult. Sirius resisted the urge to lick Remus' face in dog-like fashion, and got up, allowing the sandy-haired man to stand and attempt to regain his dignity. Once standing, Remus favored Sirius with a sugary smile, and Snape eyed the two with distaste.
"If you have no need of my company, I'll be leaving now." He said flatly. Remus turned and smiled at him.
"Thank you for…being civil." He said, it obviously being the only compliment he could find. Snape eyed him, turned, and exited the room dramatically, cape flying. Meanwhile, Draco had excused herself from Harry, and had slunk up to Hermione.
"Um, Hermione?" she asked quietly. "I need one of those white stick things."
Hermione held back her laughter and discreetly handed Draco a tampon. Draco shoved it in her robes and made a face.
"I hate being a girl." She said flatly.
"Don't we all." Hermione said, grinning. "Don't we all."
Harry ended up going over to a couch were Ron, half drunk, was sitting in Seamus' lap, giggling, retelling his adventures from first year.
"And then I says, I says to him, 'nah! We's gotta play 'cross the board!" he said dramatically. Seamus, Parvati, and Dean, equally drunk, roared with laughter. Harry fidgeted. Draco returned a few minutes later to rescue him, however, and the two moved away from their drunk friends. Remus and Sirius intercepted them on their way up to the dorms.
"Professor Lupin!" Harry cried in delight.
"Outta the way oldies." Draco grouched. Sirius smiled at her and ruffled her hair.
"Aw, is the little evil girl in a bad mood?" he teased. Draco glared.
"Who's your…uh, friend, Harry?" Remus asked, smiling. Harry grinned.
"This is my, er, girlfriend." He said. "Let's go upstairs, and I'll explain."
Draco grumbled something about inconsiderate adults, but didn't cause a scene. The four headed upstairs.
A few minutes later a shout echoed down to the common room.
"I KNEW IT!!"
~ * ~
After the party, everyone was in a considerably better mood, and they all forgot about Ginny not being there. She was never all that important anyhow.
~ * ~
Meanwhile, the rest of the evening passed without incident, and morning dawned bright and early, much to the disgust of one Severus Snape. The tall man dragged himself out of bed, and went into his bathroom. He paused in front of the mirror.
"I'm not a grease ball." He said firmly. Nonetheless, as he had last time he uttered those same words, he took a shower. "Stupid Gryffindor girl. What does she know?"
Yes, what did Miss Mornings know? Not much, that was certain. Or at least, so Snape hoped. She had known that he had dumped James Potter in favor of Lucius Malfoy. She had known that, not only was he a deatheater, he was spying for Dumbledore, she…How much did she really know? Lupin being here wasn't going to help put his mind at ease either. What if Mornings knew…no, she couldn't. But if she did…he decided that, just in case, he was going to be a bit nicer to the blonde girl and her annoying, perfect boyfriend. After his shower, Snape dried off and dressed. Then he opened his door. And closed it again in shock.
"Sevvie!" whined a female voice from the other side of the door. "That was rude!"
Snape reluctantly opened the door again. The young woman on the other side of the door was very short, with shoulder length, curly red hair with black streaks in it, brown eyes, and a big grin. Her eyes were rimmed in black and her lips were painted crimson. Snape stared at her.
"Red?" he finally asked after a moment of silence. The woman smiled.
"Well, I couldn't always have green hair and lips!" she said before pulling the tall potion's master into a hug.
"I never understood why you and Keiko always insisted that your hair and lips had to be the same colour." Snape said flatly. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to protect the school!" the woman said, striking a pose. Snape smirked cruelly.
"Right." He said, obviously not believing her. The young woman wilted a bit.
"Sevvie, I mean it." She said. "Dumbles asked me and a few others to come stay here as extra security from Voldie. Remmie's here and Inky…"
"Yes, I've seen them." Snape said flatly. "And honestly, Lilia, stop using all those ridiculous nicknames."
"No." Lilia said. "So, is it true that Jamie and Petal's boy is here? And Sissy's?"
"Shall we talk about this on the way to breakfast?" Snape said flatly. Lilia blinked.
"Oh, alright." They began walking.
"In answer to your question, yes Potter's son is here." Snape growled. "However, the Malfoy's boy is currently away in an exchange student program."
"Damn." Lilia said. "I wanted to meet him. He sounds adorable."
Snape sighed. He had never liked Lilia, she was far too irritating and…insane for him to deal with. Not to mention her major mood swings. She could be cute and giggly one moment, then dark and morbid the next. It was…unnerving, and Snape had never had the patience to deal with her. The redhead had apparently not grown up since he'd seen her last, in other words, Black would be delighted to see her. He'd never known how Narcissa and Keiko could stand to be around her, but they were all good friends none-the-less. Oddly enough, the hyperactive cutie skipping along next to him was also one of the most malicious Slytherins Hogwarts had ever seen, despite her annoying tendency to befriend students from all the houses, including the retched Marauders. And that mood swing thing…Snape shuddered. He didn't want to be around when she went into morbid mode.
~ * ~
Harry, Draco, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Seamus, and Sirius were all seated together at the Gryffindor table for breakfast when Remus came running into the room. He sat down next to Sirius, grinning his pretty face off.
"Padfoot! You'll never believe who's coming down the hall with Snape!!" he squealed. Sirius blinked, but he didn't have a chance to question, because at that moment a loud squeal rang out.
"REMMIE! INKY!!"
Sirius's eyes widened.
"Lilia?" he said as he was glomped by the small woman. "I thought you were coming next week!"
Lilia turned and glomped Remus.
"I missed you too much to stay away!" she giggled at the two men. Harry and his friends stared. Lilia blinked at them. Then she glomped Harry.
"Emerald! You're Petal and Jamie's boy!"
Harry's eyes widened considerably as the pretty woman hugged him. Then she spotted Ron and glomped him too.
"And you're Artie and Apple's youngest boy!"
No one had a chance to say anything else to the enthusiastic redhead, because she had just spotted Dumbledore.
"Dumbles!" she giggled, racing up to give him a hug too. Harry blinked.
"Dumbles?" he asked. Sirius laughed.
"She has a nickname for everyone." He said. "Just wait, if she's hanging around, she'll have nicknames for all of you too."
The group of Gryffindors watched in shock as Lilia hugged all the teachers, calling them by their ridiculous nicknames. McGonagall was 'Kitty', Flitwick was 'Shorty', and Sprout was 'Chlorophyll' just to name a few. After giving 'Sevvie' a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, Lilia headed down to sit with the Gryffindors.
"This sucks." She said as soon as she sat down. "Why can't we sit with the Slytherins?"
"Because you're the only Slytherin among us, Lilia. We're all Gryffindors." Remus said logically, buttering a piece of toast. He glanced at Draco. "Sort of."
"Who are you?" Draco asked. Lilia blinked.
"You look freakishly like Sissy, ya know that, Lovely?" she said in response. Draco blinked.
"Sissy?"
"Narcissa." Lilia said. "As in, Malfoy."
"You know her?" Draco asked. Lilia laughed.
"Yeah! We were in the same house and year! I was one of her best friends!" she giggled. Draco nearly choked.
"You were Narcissa Malfoy's best friend?!" he asked in shock. Lilia looked at him in confusion.
"Well, not really. She liked Keiko better than me, but I was good friends with her. Is that a problem?" she asked. Draco pulled herself together.
"No, I just figured Mrs. Malfoy would keep more…dignified company." She sneered.
"Oh, get off your high horse." Ron muttered. Lilia giggled.
"Lovely is Drakie." She said, grinning. "Am I right? This little flower is Lucy and Sissy's little dragon?"
The group stared at her.
"Lilia is right, is she not?" Lilia asked, tilting her head. Then she grinned. "Don't take Lilia for a fool. She is a Slytherin after all."
"And a right good one too." Sirius said. "Though you'dve been a fine Gryffindor."
"Nah, I'dve been bored out of my mind by all the chivalry, nobleness, and honor." Lilia grinned. "I swear, you were all so good you practically gave of sparkles. Not that being 'good' stopped you from getting into trouble."
"Better to break rules than laws." Remus shot back. Lilia pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
"The end justifies the means." She said. "I helped people."
"And killed people along the way." Remus said.
"Minor inconveniences."
"You're horrible."
"You're too noble."
"Slytherin."
"Gryffindor."
"Evil bitch."
"Goody-two-shoes."
"Murderer."
"Dumbledore's lap dog."
"Okay, you can stop now." Sirius said. "Don't want you at each other's throats too soon now, do we."
Remus crossed his arms and turned his back on Lilia. Lilia stuck her tongue out at Remus's back.
"Honestly you two." Sirius smirked. "Decide whether you love each other or hate each other."
Remus sputtered for a moment, while Lilia blinked rapidly, much to the amusement of the Gryffindor kids.
"So you've been called to help protect the school?" Harry asked. Lilia beamed and struck a pose.
"Got that right, Emerald!" she declared. "Slytherin I may be, but I'm not some little lapdog for Voldie."
Hermione choked on her juice.
"Run that by me again?" Ron said, eyes wide. Lilia blinked.
"Hm? That I'm not Voldie's lapdog?" she asked. Ron, Sirius, and Seamus roared with laughter. Harry, Hermione, Draco, and Remus grinned, and Neville gave a nervous smile.
"Voldie!" Seamus cackled. "I love it!"
"Not so scary sounding now, is he?" Hermione grinned.
"Think he'd mind if I called him that, next time we meet?" Harry laughed quietly. Draco smiled.
"Take a picture." She said. "I'd love to show my dad the look on Voldie's face when he his nickname!"
"He wouldn't waste time on expressions." Lilia said, her voice suddenly serious, and a bit lower. "You'd be dead before the words came out of your mouth, Potter."
"Shit." Sirius mumbled. Lilia looked harshly at him.
"Something wrong, Black?" she hissed. "It's true, and you know it. He wants the Potter boy dead, and he won't waste time with delicious torture."
"We don't want to hear about it Benson." Remus said coldly. "Go tell it to them."
He pointed at the Slytherin table.
"They're always willing to be given new ideas."
Lilia's suddenly dark eyes flickered over the table, and rested on Neville.
"You, Longbottom, isn't it?" she asked. Neville nodded nervously. "Seen your parents lately? Better watch out, the Dark Lord wants the job finished. If he has his way, you'll be in with them before your twentieth birthday."
Neville squeaked and shuddered. Remus glared at the redhead.
"Get lost Benson. Go on over to the slimy gits you belong with." He growled. Lilia stood up sharply.
"As if I'd want to be around you freaks." She tossed her hair and stalked over to the Slytherin table, where she quickly engaged Blaise Zabini in an obviously morbid conversation. Sirius shook his head.
"Interesting girl." Draco said, unfazed. The other Gryffindors were all stunned.
"Sorry about that." Sirius said. "She's a bit…unstable."
"That's an understatement." Hermione said, staring after the woman.
"Mind, she'll be a bit better when Keiko shows up." Remus said. "She always managed to balance Lilia out a bit."
"That's my mother's best friend then?" Draco asked. "Keiko?"
"Keiko Nakamoto? I've heard of her!" Ron said. "Isn't she that Japanese witch who works with rare magical creatures like Thestral winged horses and snidgets?"
"Yeah, that's her." Sirius said. "Right little bitch that one."
"I liked her." Remus said. Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Well, she liked you too." He said. "However, she hated me. And the feeling was mutual. She was horrid. Cruel as they come."
"Sirius, just because she didn't want to sleep with you doesn't make her a monster." Remus said flatly. Sirius blushed.
"That's not the only reason I don't like her."
"Okay, so she was a bit…aloof. Maybe a bit sarcastic. Okay, so she was a female Snape/Malfoy clone." Remus sighed. "But she was damn smart, and we often did our homework together."
"A parselmouth isn't she?" Hermione asked. Remus nodded. "I think she's fascinating. I've read all about her. She breeds Re'em on an island a ways off the coast of Japan. She keeps a variety of intensely rare pets including a black phoenix, the only known miniature dragon, and get this, a tamed lethifold. Oh and an Augurey, but that's not all that rare. She's one of the most famous witches/wizards in all of Magizoology's…"
"Hermione." Draco said. "Shut up."
Hermione frowned at her, but didn't continue. By this time, breakfast had finished, and the Gryffindors stood to head to their first class, Charms. Remus and Sirius stayed seated.
(Random author's note: I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!!!! YAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!)
"So, have you heard who else will be arriving?" Sirius asked in a low voice.
"I heard Ruby Candidum would be coming." Remus replied. "But from what I can tell, she's the only other Gryffindor."
"They're not all Slytherins are they?" Sirius groaned. Remus shook his head.
"Heavens no." he said. "Too risky. Too many of the Slytherins from our time at Hogwarts are deatheaters. No, I believe that Keiko and Lilia are the only Slytherins. River Nagaoka, Wynter Torres, and Autumn Clarke from Ravenclaw are all coming, and I think a Hufflepuff is coming too, but I could be wrong."
"Ruby's coming?" Sirius asked. "You sure?"
Remus nodded. Sirius' eyes darkened.
"Moony, do you remember what happened in 6th year?" he asked quietly. Remus sighed.
"Yes Padfoot."
"Well, if you want my opinion, that was never resolved, and now we're gathering the same people together again."
"It'll be alright. We're adults now."
"I just…want to make sure we're…you know, alright."
"Sirius, I'm not going to leave you."
"I just…"
"Don't worry. They're just going to have to accept it. I'm taken now."
Sirius was slightly reassured, but then again, Remus only knew half of the real story.
~ * ~
I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!! RIVER PROPOSED!!!! BY A WATERFALL!!!! WAAAAIIIIIIII!!!!!! I'M SO INSANELY EXCITED! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!! I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!! TO THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MAN ON EARTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *screams happily* Review please!!!!!