Harry Potter 1. The Noble & Most Ancient House of Black

Six years was a long time to be ostracized by everyone you loved. Just ask Sirius Black: the bane of his parents' existence. One would think that Sirius must have done something horrible to be so hated by his own flesh and blood, when in reality, simply being good was reason enough for them.

You see, the Black's were a family of particularly powerful wizards. Each of them had been educated at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and sorted into Slytherin. Sirius, on the other hand, was almost immediately placed in Gryffindor, where he further sullied the family name by associating with muggle-born wizards. The horror! Because of this, family relations became so strained that Sirius was one of the few boys to actually count down the days until summer ended. And this year was no exception.

Sirius groaned, glancing at the calendar tacked to his wall. There were, unfortunately, five long days until he returned to school. To anyone else, that would seem like nothing, but in the Black household, it felt like a lifetime.

"Master Sirius," a high-pitched voice whined, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Your mother is wanting you!" The voice giggled. "You's been a bad boy, hasn't you?"

"Oh, shut up, Kreacher," he moaned in response. Kreacher the house-elf quite literally lived to please Sirius' parents, which meant he could torture their son as much as he liked. Sirius wasn't above retaliating. Besides, he needed something to entertain himself with while he waited for school to begin.

Reluctantly, Sirius trudged down the stairs, mentally bracing himself. His mother was like something out of one of those muggle horror films. All she ever did was shriek and moan and hex whoever looked at her the wrong way. It took all of Sirius's patience to be in the same room as her.

"You rang?" he said dryly, marching into the living room. The Black matriarch lounged in her armchair, glaring daggers at her eldest child.

"That's no way to talk to your mother, young man," she reminded him tartly. He was tempted to point out that that was no way to treat her son, but thought better of it. After all, it was a bit early in the morning for a duel.

"My apologies, your highness," he drawled, bowing sarcastically. Mrs. Black pursed her lips, but did not comment.

"You're not going to Hogwarts this year," she finally announced. Sirius felt his heart stop beating. They couldn't ban him from Hogwarts, could they? Not without reason? He hadn't done anything _that _bad last year, except that mess with Moony and Snape. But that had been all cleared up... So there had to have been some kind of mistake...

"W-what?" he finally choked out, too shocked to make a snide remark. His mother smiled sickeningly.

"I've had a letter from Dumbledore. It seems the castle is in danger from the Dark Lord, as they call him. So all your classes have been relocated." Sirius sucked air into his lungs. Relocated - that wasn't so bad. He'd still be with his friends and (more importantly) away from his parents. Everything would be fine.

"Where?" he demanded, more confident now. Mrs. Black shrugged.

"Oh, a few places. I expect some will go to Beauxbatons. You're brother's going to Durmstang - he's thrilled. They're sending different years off to different places, you know. Trying to make room for all the students. I've just suggested that they might have more room if they cleansed the school of all those stupid mudbloods-"

"Would you _please _just tell me where I'm going, Mother?" Sirius managed through gritted teeth. This woman never failed to drive him mad. It was as though she couldn't go five minutes without bringing up her hatred for muggle-born wizards. If they were so useless, why did she waste so much energy complaining about them?

"Sixth years," she began slowly, smirking at her son's annoyance. "Are to be attending Veneficus Hall." Sirius's brow furrowed. He'd heard of most wizarding schools, but never that one.

"Where's that supposed to be? Mars, right next to Pigfarts?" he spat. It was obvious to him that this was some poorly planned joke of his mothers to get him to go away. Knowing her, the _real _Veneficus (if there even was one) was probably some institution famous for churning out Death Eaters. Still smiling serenely, Mrs. Black conjured a map with a flourish of her hand.

"Actually, Sirius... It's in America. New York, to be exact."

Sirius was dumbstruck. For once, his mother had said something that made him happy. America was definitely far enough away from his family, and if what his mother said was true, he would get the chance to explore New York with his best friends in the entire world. He could quickly feel himself growing more and more excited. His imagination was running wild. He'd heard stories about America before, and now he would be able to live there for a whole year. The magic, the food, the culture... He grinned to himself. He was willling to bet there would be more than a few cute New York girls for him to, ah, befriend.

Eagerly, he snatched the map from his mother's hands. There it was, Veneficus Hall.

"How are we getting there?" he wondered aloud, in too good of a mood to be rude. Mrs. Black rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you read the letter yourself, you lazy brute?" It was harsh, but Sirius was more than used to much worse. Taking the letter off the coffee table, he waited until he his mother had left the room.

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Orion Black, _

_I regret to inform you that the safety of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been threatened by a wizard who refers to himself as the Lord Voldemort. This wizard stands for cruelty unheard of in the wizarding world today, and supports the total annihilation of muggles. Although this threat is not yet immediate, we have deemed it best to close the school temporarily. _

_However, as we know how important it is for young witches and wizards to be taught properly, we have arranged for all students to be educated in various other wizarding schools around the world. Students will be separated based on their year. Each of your sons will be sent to a different location. _

_Regulus Arcturus Black, as a fifth year, shall be taught at the Durmstang Institute. Sirius Orion Black will be sent to Veneficus Hall, a reputable American school, with the rest of the sixth years. Students will be transported by Portkey on September 1st. Portkeys will leave from St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Please remind your children to bring all of the books they may need, despite their not being at Hogwarts. _

_Sincerely, _

_Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster_

Sirius beamed. He certainly wasn't pleased that Hogwarts was in danger, but it seemed like Dumbledore had everything under control. Besides, he'd always wanted an excuse to travel. Regulus wouldn't even be there to bother him. It was like a dream come true. It seemed impossible that he was going to have to wait to leave. Suddenly, five days seemed even longer than six years.

"It'll be worth it, though," he muttered to himself. "It will all be worth it in the end."

**A/N: What did you think? If you didn't like it, please bear with me; I'm a bit out of practice. Besides, it's only the first chapter! Anyways, I just thought having them go to America and not just meeting an exchange student was a cool idea. Please comment and keep reading! Thanks!**


	2. A Peculiar Portkey

irius was quite sure he'd never seen St. Mungo's more packed in his lifetime. And he'd been there quite a bit. First for Regulus's birth, then when he broke his leg, then when Aunt Lucretia died... The point is, the normally cramped hospital was near to bursting with people.

"So many mudbloods," his mother muttered. "Such a shame..." Sirius mentally counted to ten. If he didn't control himself, he would attack his own mother in public.

"You needn't worry about that where I'm going, Mum," Regulus simpered, ever the obedient child. "Durmstang's sure to put them in their place." Their parents' prideful gazes nearly made Sirius puke.

"You got that right," Orion Black agreed. "They'll have none of this equality rubbish." He sent a sidelong glance at Sirius. "Although I've no doubt those Americans will be far too soft on them." Walburga scoffed.

"Not like Sirius will mind. He's betrayed us all already. This will just be the final nail on the coffin."

"Thank God for that," Sirius muttered under his breath, desperately searching the crowd for someone he knew. Finally, he latched onto Lily Evans' arm.

"Lilykins!" he bellowed. "So good to see you again! Well, beautiful, we'd best be off to find our Portkey! So long, Mum, Dad!" His family sneered in disgust at the muggle-born witch, but they allowed Sirius to wander away.

"Insolent boy," Orion spat as he left.

"Black!" Lily growled. "Unhand me. Now." Sirius pouted.

"Oh, but Lilykins! I was so looking forward to seeing you!" he sputtered. "Unless you don't want Jamsies getting jealous..." She rolled her eyes dismissively.

"I swear Black, you have five seconds to let me go, or I will hex you into next week. Five... Four... Three... Two..."

"EVANS!" a familiar voice roared. Sirius cackled loudly as his best friend, James Potter raced through the crowd. "I had a feeling I'd see you here!"

"Really? You thought you might see me on the way to school? Perhaps you should pursue a career as a Seer, Potter." James grinned widely.

"Excellent idea! In fact, right now, I see you on a date with me!"

"On second thought, maybe you should just check into St. Mungo's." If she'd been paying attention, Lily might have noticed the slight disappointment that flickered across James' face, but by the time she looked up, it was gone, replaced by his trademark grin.

"You'll come around," he assured her cockily. Sirius grimaced.

"You so sure about that, mate?" James turned around, as if only just noticing his best friend.

"PADFOOT, OLD BOY! Was your summer as horrible as ever?"

"Of course," Sirius shrugged. "Was your's as brilliant as ever?"

"Of course," James replied. "But cheer up, Sirius! We're headed to New York! City of dreams, or something like that." Subconsciously, James ran a hand through his hair. "Do you suppose they'll have Quidditch?" Sirius considered this a few moments before answering.

"They must!" he finally decided. "It's a wizarding school, isn't it?"

"Is that really your biggest concern right now?" Lily cut in. "Hogwarts could be in danger from You-Know-Who and you're thinking about Quidditch?"

"That's not entirely fair, Evans. I'm thinking of you, too," James winked.

"You're repulsive. Really," Lily hissed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find someone I can actually stand."

"Not-not Snivellus?" James pouted, crestfallen. "After what he... What he called you-"

"No, not Severus," she spat. "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm looking for Alice."

"Oh. Well, good luck with that, Evans!" With one last roll of her eyes, Lily was once again lost in the crowd of students. James grinned.

"I think that went rather well!"

"Yup. She didn't even call you an arrogant toerag!" Sirius agreed.

"And to think it only took five years..." A tired-looking, pale boy stepped out from behind James, dragging his trunk behind him. His robes hung off his shoulders haphazardly, and he looked as though he might drop dead any moment. Still, his eyes twinkled with mischief.

"MOONY!" Sirius and James shouted in unison.

"There's no need to shout, I'm right here," Remus reminded them, frowning.

"What's the matter with you, then?" Sirius demanded. His friend furrowed his brow.

"It, er- has to do with my, um, furry little problem," he stuttered. Sirius cocked his head.

"But that's not for two weeks."

"I know that! But we're going to be in America, you git! There's no Shrieking Shack!"

_"Oh." _

"Exactly."

"But Dumbledore-"

"Yes, yes, apparently he's got it all fixed, but I can't see how. We're going to be in a city. There's no way they'll be able to contain me." His face paled even further at the thought. Sirius and James exchanged a nervous glance. Remus did have a point, as much as they hated to admit it. His lycanthropy was bound to create a problem.

"Sirius! James! Remus!" a voice whined from behind them, interrupting their thoughts. Peter Pettigrew stumbled forward, clutching a small suitcase to his chest and lugging a truck that was possibly twice his size behind him.

"Can you believe we're going to New York?" he burst out as he drew nearer. His face scrunched up in excitement, making him look more like a pig than his true animagus, a rat.

"Please control yourself, Wormtail," Sirius sneered, ignoring the fact that he was secretly just as excited. "Before you piss your pants."

Peter blushed. It often seemed that he was much younger than sixteen. At least, he acted that way. His childlike appearance and round belly did nothing to help him, nor did his nearly non-existent talent for magic. Wormtail had always been the smallest, least impressive, of the group of friends, something that never failed to drive Sirius insane. It was pure luck that Peter had managed to make friends with James and Remus, rather than become a victim of Sirius Black.

"Would sixth years please report to the second floor?" the familiar voice of Professor McGonagall boomed. Excitement bubbled in Sirius's stomach. This was it. In a matter of minutes, he would be in America.

He followed his friends dutifully up the stairwell, searching eagerly for the Portkey. Apparently, the second floor was more commonly used for Magical Bugs and Diseases. A few Healers watched the parade of students go by interestedly before they stopped in front of a hospital bed.

"Students, please drop your luggage. It will be transported to Veneficus separately," McGonagall announced, standing in front of the stretcher. "Now, if you would please approach the bed behind me... As a warning, not everyone will be able to come in direct contact with the Portkey, so please hold hands with those around you to ensure we all arrive safely."

"Evans!" James called immediately. "You heard her, we have to hold hands!" Lily sent him a withering glare before turning away. "Too much?" he asked his friends.

"Too much," Remus agreed, smiling. "Come on, then." Solemnly, the four Marauders approached the bed.

"Who wants to hold my hand?" Sirius bellowed, grinning at a couple of Ravenclaw girls nearby.

"No one," James informed him flatly.

"Oh, shut up-"

"Everyone on?" McGonagall yelled. "And we're off!"

And just like that, they were flying through the air, headed towards America.

**A/N: Thoughts? Btw, I don't know if anyone takes Latin, but there's a reason it's called Veneficus Hall... Any guesses? Comment please! Next chapter: the Marauders arrive in America. **


	3. The Metropolitan Museum of Magic

To put it simply, the students of Veneficus Hall were freaking out. All around the campus, kids were giggling with anticipation and gossiping about their visitors. Unfortunately, that included Wren Emerson's best friend, Scarlett.

"Can you _believe _it, Wren? England! How cool is that? I've always wanted to go there. And those accents are _to die for," _she gushed. At sixteen, Scarlett Crealy had about as much self-control as a puppy. It was kind of annoying, really, especially to someone like Wren.

Wren was one of those people who was popular without really knowing it, mostly because people were too intimidated to speak to her. She was known for her dry, sarcastic responses to just about everything and her habit of never wearing the proper uniform to class. Most people described her as clever, although she didn't put much effort into her schoolwork at all. Or, anything, really. It was chance that she was a good enough Seeker to be captain of the Quidditch team, chance that she had a good amount of friends, chance that she managed to look presentable everyday. After all, what was the point? She didn't want to be at Veneficus. In fact, she'd much rather be at home, studying magic with her father and being left to her own devices.

_"Wren," _Scarlett whined. "Are you even listening? There could be _cute guys!" _She slapped the table for emphasis, causing Wren to roll her eyes.

"That doesn't really matter to me, does it, Lu?" she pointed out, glancing across the dining hall at her boyfriend, Harvey Jenks.

He was the exact opposite of her in every respect. Where she had dark, wavy locks, he had sunny blonde hair. Instead of bright green eyes, he had deep brown ones. Her skin was pale; his was tanned. She didn't care about much of anything; he was very sincerely concerned about everything. She was Quidditch captain, he was Class Minister of Magic. You could even say they were the perfect couple.

Scarlett followed her gaze, frowning.

"Just because you have Mr. Perfect, doesn't mean I do!" she wailed. "Stop rubbing it in my face!"

"You brought it up," Wren said coolly, used to her friend's outbursts. While Wren was known for being virtually unflappable, Scarlett was the school drama queen. She looked the part, too, with her pin-straight blonde hair and big, blue eyes. Sometimes people wondered why the two were even friends with each other, but their dynamic just _worked. _Scarlett would freak out about the gossip of the day, Wren would calm her down. It was routine.

"Wren Emerson, the headmistress would like to speak to you." The friends looked up from their conversation to see a tiny messenger pixie hovering above them. Silently, Wren stood up. Years at Veneficus had taught her that if you were approached by a pixie, you complied with what they asked right away. She knew from experience that pixies could be vicious when they were angry.

"Bye!" Scarlett hollered from their table. Wren sent her a smirk over her shoulder. This should be interesting.

* * *

Wren awkwardly hovered at the threshold of Headmistress Troy's office. It was a well-known fact that the doorway was charmed so that only those who were invited in could enter. Rumor had it that this tradition had begun when a student walked in on the headmaster and a professor doing... well, things they shouldn't.

"Uh, Headmistress Troy?" Wren tried. The headmistress of Veneficus glanced up from her desk, smiling.

"Ah, yes! Come in, Ms. Emerson!" Wren felt the charm on the doorway release as she stepped into the office. It was familiar to her; after five detentions you were required to meet with the headmistress, and Wren had had far more than five detentions.

"You've probably heard that the Hogwarts students arrive tonight?"

"Yup," Wren responded, popping the 'p'. If this was all she'd been called up to talk about, she might as well have stayed with Scarlett.

"We've arranged for them to arrive upstairs."

"Cool," Wren nodded, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. 'Upstairs' actually referred to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Unbeknownst to Muggles, the entire wizarding community of New York was located beneath the ground, and the Met happened to be built on top of Veneficus. It fit will, though, as it give the students easy access to the Muggle world. All they had to do was walk upstairs and they were immersed in Muggle culture.

"They'll need to be greeted," Troy continued. "Probably by someone their own age. Someone who contributes to the school greatly..." Wren furrowed her brow. Was Troy asking her to greet the new students? It sure seemed like it, but that wouldn't make sense. Wren was hardly the most diligent of workers and her biggest contribution to the school was her penchant for mischief.

"A lot of their students are interested in Quidditch, you know, and we figured it might be a good idea if you'd help us out. You know, get them interested in extra-curriculars..."

"And you think I'd help with that?" Wren asked incredulously. Troy frowned.

"Well, you're the captain, after all. It's not just you, though. We asked Harvey Jenks to meet them, too. You know, seeing as he's Class Minister of Magic."

"Oh." It was still unclear why she was being asked to do this, but Wren only shrugged. Headmistress Troy would get her own way somehow, and it wasn't like there was anything better to do. "Sure." Troy beamed.

"Perfect! Meet us upstairs at six!"

* * *

Fifteen minutes after six, Wren glanced at her watch. She'd gone flying over Central Park, concealed from Muggles by a simple charm, and hadn't bothered to check the time.

"Shit," she murmured, jogging up the main staircase. She couldn't just ditch, but she knew she was going to have to make some kind of awkward entrance, which she hated.

"And we also have a very good Quidditch program, captained by Wren Emerson, who is, um... right..." Troy's voice drifted through the halls and Wren forced herself to move faster.

"Here!" she called out, bursting into the room. "I'm Wren, and I'm right here." A sea of unfamiliar faces stared at her, just like she'd feared. They probably thought she was some kind of insane freak. She glanced at her boyfriend to see a ghost of a smile on his face. At least Harvey didn't seem to care that she'd humiliated herself.

"Wren... Nice of you to join us," Troy said through gritted teeth. "We were just explaining our Quidditch program to our visitors. Would you like to tell us anything about it?" Wren frowned. Was this her punishment for being late?

"Sure," she shrugged finally, fighting to keep on her detached, uninterested mask. "Basically, we practice over Central Park and play most of our games against little schools like Salem. Feel free to try-out, but only if you don't totally suck." Troy glared at her. "Oh, sorry. _Please _only try-out if you don't totally suck."

There were a few, sporadic laughs from the students, while some simply looked uneasy. She was particularly concerned about a small, fat boy surrounded by three, relatively good-looking friends. While they were laughing the comment off, the chubby boy looked positively nauseous.

"Well," Troy began awkwardly. "Let's get started with our tour, then!" The crowd shuffled behind her, already murmuring about their new, temporary home.

"I think I may scared them," Wren whispered to Harvey as they led the pack. "Oops." Harvey grinned at her.

"Yeah. _Oops." _

"Wren! Harvey!" Troy hissed. "Go fraternize with your new classmates!" Oh-so-obedient, Harvey quickly fell in with a group of people who called themselves Hustlebuffs, or something along those lines. Wren surveyed the crowd, trying to decide who she'd grace with her presence first.

"Lovely show back there," a British accent told her. Whirling around, she found herself face-to-face with one of the chubby boy's friends. This one had curly, long-ish black hair and wore the cockiest grin she'd seen in a while.

"Stop it, you're making me blush," Wren responded wryly.

"Oh, I can think of many ways to make you blush," he winked. Wren had to force herself not to laugh.

"That's the best you come up with? Seriously?"

"I am Sirius, thank you very much. And your name is... Wren, was it?"

"Wow. That's one heck of a good memory you got there..." She trailed off, not knowing what to call him.

"Sirius," he finished for her.

"What?"

"My name is Sirius."

"Are you serious?"

"Not usually."

"Seriously."

"No, I'm Sirius," he responded, smirking. Wren quirked an eyebrow at him. Did he have any idea how irritating he really was?

"Sirius!" an exasperated voice called. Another one of the chubby boy's friends emerged from the fray. This one looked exhausted, as though it was all he could do to stay awake. He wasn't as good-looking as the Sirius guy, but he wasn't bad-looking. Just odd. "We just got here, and you're already trying to get in someone's pants?"

"Remus, stop ruining my fun," Sirius whined. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Terribly sorry about him."

"Uh huh."

"He's a bit uncontrollable, really."

"I can tell."

"You'll probably see him again at Quidditch try-outs, though-"

"Oh, God, really?"

"I'm right here!" Sirius cut in. Wren glared at him.

"Please feel free to leave at any time."

"Anyways," Remus continued. "We'd best be finding our friends and you know, unpacking. Sorry again."

"Yup." Scowling, Wren watched Remus drag Sirius away. There was a reason she didn't talk to many people outside her group, and it was because most of them annoyed her. It wasn't that she hated anyone, it was just that they were all incredibly irritating. Sirius was no exception. From what she saw, he was a slobbery, obnoxious player with no self-awareness whatsoever. And that's when something Remus said hit her.

"Hey, Remus!" she shouted, moving through the crowd. Remus turned back momentarily. "Tell Sirius that no matter how much he tries, he's not getting in my pants!"

**A/N: Lots of new characters in this one... What did you think of them? I tried to make Veneficus as different from Hogwarts as possible so I wouldn't just be copying. Do you think I succeeded? Comment please!**


	4. Pillow Talk

American dorm rooms really weren't that different from British ones, Sirius decided. They were still boring and dull and colorless. Nothing like America itself. In fact, the few hours he'd spent in America had assured him that it was one of the most un-boring places one could find. There were new surprises around every corner, adventures just waiting to happen, and, from what he'd seen, the people were nice enough.

"Moony," Sirius whisper-shouted across the room. As in Hogwarts, the living arrangements were determined by house, so (thank God), the Marauders were still together.

"What?" Remus snapped. Sirius frowned.

"No need to be rude."

"It's 4 AM, and you're waking me up. There's a need to be rude."

"For Merlin's sake," James' growled, voice muffled by the pillow. "Go to bed!"

"Padfoot started it," Remus shrugged.

"I don't fucking care," James hissed. "I just want to sleep."

"There'd be no fun in that, though, Prongsies!" Sirius grinned.

"Wait- I've dropped my glasses. Hang on- _lumos." _Immediately, the room erupted into light, nearly blinding the half-awake boys.

"Wha-what's going on?" Peter groaned, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Nothing that concerns you," Sirius said shortly.

"Sirius," Remus said warningly. Peter had an embarrassing tendency to cry when under pressure, which meant he was terribly over-sensitive. It simply added to the long list of why he bothered Sirius.

"Anyways, I want to pillow talk. What girls do at sleepovers, and all that."

"We're not girls, you git!"

"We could be. In some kind of alternate universe. Particularly Wormtail."

"Nice one, Paddy," James chuckled.

"Uh... I don't get it."

"Don't worry about it, Peter," Remus assured him, trying to fight off laughter. He had to at least _pretend _to be more mature than his friends.

"Now that you're all up, you may as well entertain me," Sirius declared. "So, here's what's been keeping me up all night: when are Quidditch try-outs?"

_"That's _it? _That's _the great philosophical question you've been struggling with?" James demanded incredulously. "They're at ten! Which is in about six hours."

"Fabulous. Absolutely smashing. Thanks, James. You can all go back to sleep now."

"Are you joking?"

"No, I'm-"

"-don't say it-"

"-Sirius."

"Wait a second!" Remus suddenly exclaimed, to the dismay of his roommates.

"All I want is to go to bed. What do I have to do to go to bed?" James moaned.

"No, you'll enjoy this- Sirius has a crush."

"I don't!"

"You do."

"Alright then, who is this supposed crush on?"

"That Wren girl. She's captain of the Quidditch team," Remus declared, smirking.

"And?"

"You want to see her."

"I want to get on the team, you prat. I don't care about the girl."

"Sure you don't."

James propped himself up against the wall, not even trying to hold himself together. The entire idea was hilarious, really. Sirius having a crush? This could mean sweet revenge for the years of teasing he'd endured due to his undying love for Evans.

"You could do worse, mate," he pointed out. "She's pretty."

"She's a bit scary, though," Peter complained, remembering how intimidating she'd looked when they first arrived.

"She's sarcastic, mate, not scary," Sirius told him. "You've just got a crappy sense of humor."

"Aha!" Remus shouted. "You do like her! Admit it, Sirius!"

"Never."

"But will you admit that you think she's fit?" James prodded.

"Fine. She's fit."

"Score one for Prongs and Moony!"

"Yes, but Sirius thinks the Giant Squid is fit," Remus lamented.

"Touche."

"Hey! In my defense, I was _very _confused when I said that!"

"Yeah! He was saying all sorts of things after we gave him that potion that day! He even said he didn't like me," Peter chimed in helpfully.

"Wormtail, I believe that potion we gave him was Veritserum," James snorted.

"Yes, but it was poorly made! Why else would I say I disliked Peter?" Sirius said sarcastically, exchanging a glance with James.

"I haven't the faintest idea," he responded. "Now, let's go the fuck to sleep so Sirius can be nice and well-rested for his girlfriend at Quidditch try-outs."

"I DON'T LIKE HER."

**A/N: A little bit of Marauder action there... I always love writing that stuff. Even if it always ends up as huge chunks of dialogue. Thoughts? Next chapter: Quidditch try-outs.**

P.S. Who liked Sirius's subtle digs at Peter? 'Cuz I did. ;)


	5. A Blimp Named Lola

"Wren. _WrenWrenWrenWrenWren. _Wrennn..." Scarlett hunched over Wren's bed, frowning. It was 9:20 and Wren was being characteristically stubborn about waking up. It was a battle they fought everyday, although usually Scar was able to wrangle Wren out of bed in time for breakfast.

"Wren Abigail Emerson!" Scarlett whined. "Get your lazy ass up, _now."_

A muffled noise came from deep beneath the covers - _"Why?"_

"Because it's try-outs today. For _your _team."

"Oh. Right."

Reluctantly, Wren heaved herself out of bed, pulling her arms across her body. It was a mystery to her how Scarlett was so chipper. She was being forced to spend her day watching a bunch of amateurs flying their broomsticks through the air. Not exactly thrilling.

"Wait a sec- Scar, why are you coming again?"

Scarlett, unfortunately, was terrified of heights, meaning her Quidditch career was over before it began. It couldn't be relaxing for her to watch people dangling from sticks high up in the air.

"To support you," she cooed. Wren shot her a look. "And to scope out the new kids. But I'm totally supporting you, too."

"Well, thanks for that," Wren muttered.

Seeing as she would have to walk through New York City to reach the practice grounds, she tried to dress as inconspicuously as possible. Sighing, she tugged on a pair of black leggings and a gray sweater with the album art from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon emblazoned on the front. One of the good things about Veneficus was that you could wear whatever you like out of class, so long as it wasn't 'inappropriate'.

"We should probably get going," Wren suggested, forcing her feet into a pair of simple, turquoise and black sneakers. She cursed under her breath as she fastened her father's stopwatch to her wrist. "We're gonna be late."

"I told you!"

"Not helpful, Scar."

* * *

One slightly hectic walk through New York later, and they had arrived at their Quidditch pitch. It was a bit of a pain, seeing as it had to be hidden by all sorts of charms, but a good pitch, nonetheless. It probably would have been better if Wren had waited and showed the first-timers the way, but she figured they'd get there somehow. Harvey would tell them, or something.

"Did you meet any new kids coming to try out today?" Scar asked for the billionth time. Since she'd found out that Wren had chaperoned the Hogwarts students last night, she was bursting with questions.

"For the last time, there were a few," she grunted. Scarlett clapped to herself.

"What did they look like? Were they cute? Were they-"

"Well, one of them was devilishly handsome!" Burying her face in her hands, Wren cursed under her breath. Coming up over the crest of the hill were Sirius and his clique. Two of them carried broomsticks.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Scar wondered aloud. Sirius grinned.

"I'm Sirius, and this is James, Remus, and Peter. And you are?" Scar blushed, giggling obnoxiously. Wren almost puked on the spot.

"I'm Scarlett, Wren's friend."

"Ah! Birdy!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Birdy?" Wren questioned.

"Your name is Wren, Wren is a bird, and so you are Birdy," he explained impatiently.

"Please never call me that again."

"Nope... No, I think Birdy suits you. Don't you think, James?"

"Definitely," the boy with the glasses smirked. Wren rolled her eyes.

"Are you all trying out?"

"No, just Sirius and me. Remus and Peter came along so that we have someone to clap when we do something good," James said.

"What, you didn't bring a fan club over from England?"

"No, actually-"

"Wren! I have a delivery for you!"

Looking beyond Sirius and James, Wren smiled in relief. It was Harvey, and he had a troop of potential flyers in tow. Hopefully the new arrivals would shut Sirius up for at least a small amount of time.

"Finally," she muttered, brushing past Remus to greet her boyfriend with a short peck on the lips. "I thought I was going to have to punch one of them," she said, gesturing to where Sirius and James still stood. Stepping backwards, she addressed Harvey's followers.

"Well, you're all here, so you must have some idea what Quidditch is. Basically, we're just going to be scrimmaging today, so go line up depending on what you want to be. Keepers, chasers, beaters, seek-" She frowned. "Well, I'm seeker, so I guess if you're trying out for that... Sorry, but no."

Wren attempted to look somewhat less scary as a wave of first-years stumbled past her. She didn't want to be mean, it was just her nature. She recognized a few kids in her grade as well, most of whom had already been on the Quidditch team at least once. She shifted awkwardly as a seventh year walked by, looking put-out that he had not gotten captain in his last year at school. _Sucks for him, _she thought grimly.

"Wren! Wren!" A chubby third year came barreling towards her, and Wren couldn't help but smile. Scarlett's younger sister, Lola, was, for some inexplicable reason, absolutely obsessed with Wren. At first, her fervent adoration had been irritating, but now it was almost endearing. Lola was a sweet kid, and unfortunately didn't have too many friends of her own. Wren frowned as she considered the very real possibility that Lola would be heartbroken if she didn't make the team.

"Hey, Lo," Wren smiled weakly. The small blonde girl waved wildly.

"I'm trying out! Can you believe it? I'm finally trying out!"

"Great, Lo, but you're gonna have to stand with everybody else, okay?" Wren requested, grimacing. She couldn't imagine that this girl's try-out will go well. Glancing back at Harvey, she looked for his broom. "You're not trying out?" Harvey shrugged.

"No time. Wizards' council takes it all up." He watched a few fourth years giggling nervously in anticipation, a faint smile on his lips. "I kinda wish I was, though." Wren smiled.

"We can still practice together, I guess," she suggested.

"Definitely."

Finally, the first group of kids took off. Wren zoomed through them, mentally going through her checklist. Good position... _Check. _Good aim... _Check. _Able to catch... _Uncheck. _

To her dismay, the only two really gifted players she found were Sirius and James, who, despite being new to the school, zipped through the air as though they owned the entire pitch. On the downside, they also had the annoying habit of trying to catch the Snitch, even when she was seeker. She had been right about Lola, too - the poor girl couldn't fly to save her life.

"Let's take a break!" she yelled across the pitch. Immediately, all the players drifted down to the ground and dismounted their broomsticks. Instinctively, they gathered around Wren, waiting for directions. "That was pretty good," she began. "And when I lock down the team, it's hopefully going to get even better. I'll have the list up... um..."

From the corner of her eye, Wren spotted something that looked an awful lot like a blimp. A blimp with blonde hair and undersized clothes on.

"Lola!" she shrieked, chasing after her. Scarlett bounded up from her seat, watching her sister rise from the ground in horror.

"Wren, do something!" she hissed. As she drifted upwards, Lola began to cry. Loudly.

"Get me down, get me down!" she wailed. "I wanna go down!" Wren wanted to punch something. She knew something like this was going to happen.

_"Reducto!" _Wren shouted, whipping her wand out of the waistband of her leggings. The effect was immediate. Lola slowly began to deflate, falling rapidly towards the ground. _"Spongify," _Wren murmured to the ground. Where there was once green grass, a mattress now stood, ready to catch Lola when she fell.

"Who. The _hell. _Thought it would be a good idea to blow up Lola?" she growled, turning back to the players. In the stands, she saw that chubby Peter boy struggling not to laugh. "I'm sorry, did I say something funny?" Peter shut up quickly.

"So. Who was it? Tell me now and I might be nice about it." A timid looking second-year inched her hand up. "You did it?" Wren demanded incredulously. It looked much more advanced than second-year magic.

"N-no," the girl stuttered. _Clara Fowl, _Wren remembered her name was. "No, I wouldn't, but- um-"

"Yes?" Wren prodded.

"I, uh, saw someone." Wren tried to soften her features as she approached Clara.

"Can you tell me who it was?" she requested softly, squatting to Clara's height. "You won't get in trouble."

"It was- it was them!" she finally burst out, waving her finger at Sirius and James. Wren nearly lunged at them. Were they kidding? Their first day at Veneficus, and they thought it would be funny to hex some poor girl?

"We were helping her fly better!" Sirius smirked. Wren glowered. Scarily calm, she strode towards them until they were almost nose-to-nose.

"You're new here, so I'm going to give you some advice," she drawled. "You wanna hex someone? You _don't _do it in front of me, and you _don't _do it to some poor thirteen year old. It's not cute, or funny, it's obnoxious. Got that?" Without waiting for an answer, she turned to Lola, who was now crouched on the mattress with her older sister.

"Don't worry about them, Lo," Wren cooed comfortingly. "They're just taking their insecurities out on you. For example, chances are that James over here has a very small dick. And judging by his behavior, it would seem that Sirius has an even smaller one." Sirius and James each turned flaming red as the other students tried to muffle their giggles. "You're dismissed," Wren informed them sweetly. "The list will be up at six tonight. Au revoir!" She fluttered her fingers at Sirius and James, who were now joined by an awestruck Remus and Peter.

"Really. Leave. Now," she ordered. And for what was perhaps the first time in their lives, Sirius and James did exactly what she said.

**A/N: I like this chapter :) Do you? And yes, I used the blowing-up thing from Prisoner of Azkaban. But it's resolved differently! No Ministry of Magic involved whatsoever. Comment please!**


	6. The Perks of Being Captain

**A/N: Hey guys! So I know I've been updating like crazy for the past two days, but just to warn you: they're gonna slow down soon. Hurricane Sandy cancelled school so I was kind of channeling all of my energy into this, but in a few days I have to go back :( Anyways, I'll still probably update around once a week. So, without further adieu... I give you Chapter 6: The Perks of Being Captain!**

In the hours following Wren's verbal reaming of Sirius and James, their popular had plummeted to a record low. While they had expected to be hero-worshiped for their cleverness, the entirety of Veneficus Hall had turned against them permanently. It was almost like Wren had some kind of magical control on people's thoughts, and had turned everyone against the Marauders. That, or she was simply too scary to cross.

Even Peter, the president of their fan club, seemed reluctant to be associated with Sirius and James. Now that they were no longer 'cool', they were no longer worth it.

"It was a stupid prank," Sirius muttered under his breath during their Potions class. "Everyone would have found it hilarious at Hogwarts."

"That's the point, isn't it?" Remus reminded him. "We're _not _at Hogwarts anymore."

"Well, it's not fair."

"What's not fair,Black? That you've finally been knocked down a few pegs?" Severus Snape sneered from the seat behind them. Sirius gritted his teeth.

"Piss off, Snivelly," he growled. "Shouldn't you be washing your hair or something?"

"Don't mind me, Black. I'm just enjoying the fact that I'm no longer the only one that knows you're a complete swine." Severus bared his teeth in a wild grin.

"Well, at least being a swine is better than being _you," _Sirius quipped. Severus glowered, but didn't bother replying. Years of experience had taught him that this was a losing battle; besides, it sounded like that girl could put Sirius in his place well enough.

Satisfied that he'd won, Sirius smirked to himself. Some things would never change, no matter what Wren did or said about him. Soon enough, he'd have things exactly as they were at Hogwarts, and she was just going to have to accept that she couldn't stop him. This was a temporary setback, not a major crisis.

Beside him, Remus was paying as much attention to the lesson as always. The Veneficus Potions master was probably half as annoying as Slughorn was, and much more impartial towards his students. It was kind of refreshing, in a way.

"Who can tell me how long Felix Felices takes to brew?" Professor Woodbrow asked, glancing encouragingly across the classroom. As usual for Hogwarts students, no one but Severus raised their hand.

"Yes, Mr, uh..."

"Snape," Severus informed him shortly. "It takes approximately six months to brew the perfect Felix Felices. Any less and the results could be disastrous." Woodbrow looked pleasantly surprised.

"Exactly the answer I was looking for, Mr. Snape!" he praised. Sirius scoffed. Of course all the teachers would love Snape. Just wait until they saw his original spells! "Now, everyone write this down..."

Suddenly, the door at the back of the classroom banged shut. All eyes turned to watch Wren amble in lazily. Over her simple, black and gray uniform, she wore a far too large, black cable knit sweater, which drooped off of her shoulders and hung off her form. Her motorcycle boots smacked against the floor as she strode to the front of the room.

"Ms. Emerson," Woodbrow greeted her. "You're late."

"Quidditch thing," she shrugged.

"And I was not informed of this because...?"

"It just came up," she answered simply. Woodbrow seemed to be struggling to contain himself.

"Ms. Emerson," he began. "You cannot just make up Quidditch commitments to get out of class." The class watched the exchange with baited breath. It was clear that Wren was grating on the professor's nerves, but it didn't seem like she would be backing down anytime soon.

"'Course I can. I'm captain." She paused deliberately before adding, _"Sir." _Woodbrow gaped at her, as if he couldn't believe that she dared to talk back to him. While the rest of the class twittered to each other about Wren's nerve, Sirius took the time to examine his new rival.

He hadn't been lying when he said he thought she was pretty. Ironically, she looked as fragile as a porcelain doll, with her flawless, pale skin, pink lips, and startlingly bright green eyes. In contrast, each of her ears had one or two cartilage piercings. Her hair was the deepest brown, looking almost black in the light. At the moment, it was piled on her head in a messy bun. All in all, she looked like the perfect rebel. Sirius couldn't help but wonder how a girl as aloof and seemingly uncaring as Wren could ever become captain of a Quidditch team. It just didn't add up. And then he remembered the hint of compassion in her eyes when he'd blown that third year up.

In that moment, it seemed very clear to Sirius that she was not as tough and mean as she liked to pretend. In fact, she was probably very kind. Which was why it was so very unfortunate the she'd already gotten on his bad side.

* * *

Wren had never felt so torn in her life. The Quidditch team list was due up in forty-five minutes, and so far she had decided on one player: herself.

On one hand, she needed the best team she could get this year. It was no secret that she was not a very good loser, and if they lost when _she _was captain, she didn't know what she would do. But the two best players she'd seen were both jerks, and she felt obligated to cut them. After all, Lola was like her surrogate little sister. She couldn't let anyone get away with torturing her.

Anxiously, she twisted her earrings. Not many people noticed this habit of hers, although she did it whenever she was under pressure. It was like some people with biting their nails: she just couldn't stop.

"Having some trouble there?" Harvey whispered in her ear, coming up from behind her. She smiled weakly up at him and his friends as they joined her.

"Would I be an awful person if I put those two British kids on the team?" she asked, biting her lip. Harvey chuckled.

"Of course not," he assured Wren. She sighed in relief. "You'd just be a hypocrite," he added belatedly, grinning.

"Shut up," she whined. "I'm being serious. I'm not cut out for all this decision-making stuff."

"Wren, you've been making your own personal team roster every year since we were 11. I think you can handle it."

"That doesn't help me _now!" _She turned to one of her and Harvey's best friends. "Jeff, what do you think?" Jeff considered the problem before responding.

"Put them on the team, then make their lives a living hell," he suggested. Wren's eyes lit up.

"I like the way you think," she cackled, grinning evilly. "Now, who else do I torture this year?"

"Bess Burman would make a good Chaser," Jeff mused.

"And you should probably give that seventh year Keeper," Harvey added. "What was his name? Scott Donaldson, or something? He was the best one out there today and it would kind of suck to get cut your last year." Wren jotted it down.

"That's five including me," she counted aloud. "I need a Beater and a Chaser."

"Mason Armstrong for Beater?" Harvey proposed, referring to a hulking fifth year who'd been on the team for the past three years.

"Perfect," Wren agreed, nodding. "And I'll put..." She glanced over her notes from the try-outs. "Josie Simmons as the last Chaser," she decided. She ran over the roster, pleased with herself. They were all talented flyers who, for the most part, would get along well with each other. Besides, Troy would be pleased that she'd included some of the Hogwarts kids.

So why couldn't she shake the feeling that she was making a mistake?

**A/N: It's me again! Anyways, the second half of that was maybe a little boring, but I wanted to show what Wren's like when she's with people she's close to and set up the Quidditch team. Plus, Severus Snape made his entrance!  
**


	7. How to Lose a Friend in 10 Minutes

2 AM was far too early to be awake, Wren decided. It was cold and dark and boring and exhausting and lonely. It was one of those times when you really wished you had someone to hug or just talk to, when in reality you didn't have anyone at all. It wasn't her fault she was awake so early, though. It was Scarlett's.

"Wren Emerson," Scarlett fumed. "Did you know that my sister is in the sixth year core center right now, _sobbing?" _Wren forced an eye open.

"Um, I'm sorry?" she tried. Scarlett obviously blamed her for Lola being upset, but she honestly didn't have the slightest idea why. She hadn't even _spoken _to Lola since the Quidditch list went up, and... _Shit. _

"Would it really be _that _hard to put her on the team?" Scarlett demanded. "I mean, I know she's not the best flyer _ever, _but she really wanted this! And she really likes you!"

Wren sighed. This was one of the difficulties of being friends with Scarlett. Because she had no interest in Quidditch whatsoever, she was never able to understand that it was more than just a silly pastime. It wasn't like you could just throw together anyone who could sit on a broomstick and play a good game. There had to be some strategy to it, even if that meant making hard decisions.

"Look, Scar, she just wasn't good enough," Wren said, not bothering to sugarcoat it. "And it's her first year trying out. She has to, you know, pay her dues first." Scarlett's eyes narrowed.

"What, like those British kids 'paid their dues' when they _blew her up?" _

"That's different."

"How? How is it different, Wren? Those guys came out of _nowhere _and you _hate _them. Lola's liked Quidditch for a long time and she's the sweetest kid-"

"The difference is they were _good!" _Wren finally exclaimed, throwing her hands in they air. "They didn't _suck. _And if I was putting together a team of the nicest people in this school, Lola would be first on my list, really. But that doesn't change the fact that she can't play Quidditch!"

"You just don't _get _it, do you? She _idolizes _you! You were supposed to look out for her-"

_"I _was supposed to look out for her?" Wren repeated incredulously. "You may have forgotten, but she's _your _sister! Why is it that every time Lola has a problem she comes to _me, _not you? Because you don't even _talk _to her! You've never even pretended to care until now! So you don't get to be mad that I didn't completely rearrange the team in order to make a spot for her."

By the time her little speech was over, Wren was breathing heavily. It wasn't fair that she was supposed to jeopardize her team to make room for a girl who couldn't even play. It wasn't fair that Scarlett blamed her for Lola sucking. It definitely wasn't fair that her two best players acted like Neanderthals.

"I just want to go to sleep," Wren requested. Without waiting for a response, she turned away from Scarlett to face the window. Even though they were underground, the school was enchanted to make all the windows echo the city above it.

"You're unbelievable," Scarlett said lowly. "I was the first one who even bothered to talk to you because you act like such a _bitch, _and you're calling _me _the cruel one? Well, you know what, Wren? Screw you. Screw you and your stupid little Quidditch game, screw you and your big bad girl act-"

"I get it Scarlett! Now, would you please just leave me alone?"

"Fine."

Wren listened to her former best friend's footsteps as she walked away. She'd always been glad that she and Scarlett had gotten a room all to themselves, but now she wasn't so sure. Would this be less awkward, less painful, if there were other people around to diffuse the tension? Or would they all side with Scarlett and leave Wren completely on her own? Scarlett did have a point when she said Wren could be a little bitchy, but she'd done the right thing. Right?

Did this mean that everyone else blamed her for taking Sirius and James? No, of course not. Harvey and Jeff had understood, and they were some of the nicest, fairest people she knew. They would make people understand, maybe even make _Scarlett _understand. They had to.

* * *

After a few more fitful hours of sleep and a _very _awkward confrontation with Scarlett that morning, Wren found herself in the dining hall, sitting completely alone. She knew Harvey would probably be coming soon, and he would bring some of his friends too, but that didn't change the fact that her best friend wasn't there.

"What's got you looking so down, Birdy?" The last person Wren wanted to see slid smoothly into the seat beside her, smirking.

"None of your business, Black," she growled. He feigned hurt.

"What, I can't show concern for my _captain?" _Wren curled her fingers into a fist.

"Look, I am _so _not in the mood to deal with you right now. So would you please just-"

"Is he bothering you, Birdy?"

"Prongs! I was wondering where you'd wandered off to!" Sirius grinned. Wren glowered at the table in front of her. Why couldn't they just leave her _alone? _

"What kind of nickname is Prongs?" she muttered under her breath. Sirius and James (thankfully) ignored her.

"You know, Birdy," James mused. "We were just so glad when we heard that you'd seen the light and decided to put us on the team after all."

"So we've decided to grace you with our presence this lovely morning!"

"I'd advise you to reconsider," she growled.

"But we need to bond! You know, so we can work together well on the pitch!" Sirius explained.

"Or we can wait until practice," Wren shot back. "Don't you have any friends to sit with?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Sirius retorted. Wren winced. He had a good point there, but then again, it was _his _fault her best friend had abandoned her. If he hadn't been so good at Quidditch...

"Sorry, would you mind if we sat here?" Wren looked up to see Remus and Peter. Her heart plummeted. She didn't really mind those two, but couldn't anyone see she wanted to be left alone?

"According to these two," she droned, gesturing to Sirius and James. "Whether I mind or not doesn't matter. So sure, go ahead."

"Thanks," Remus smiled, plopping down across from her. "We met when we first arrived, didn't we?" Wren tried to smile back.

"Yup. You had to save me from this one," she said, elbowing Sirius.

"Hey!" he whined. Wren ignored him, raising an eyebrow expectantly at Peter. They hadn't really been formally introduced, and she wasn't about to start a conversation.

"Um, I'm Peter, Peter Pettigrew." Wren nodded.

"Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, yeah, you too- And I'm sorry for, for laughing," he mumbled.

"What?" Wren furrowed her brow.

"At-at Quidditch try-outs," he explained. "You got angry at me for, for laughing." Wren still couldn't figure out what he was talking about.

"Wormtail, please put something in your mouth, other than your _foot," _Sirius sneered. Peter lowered his eyes, flushing. Wren couldn't help but feel a flicker of pity. This kid was obviously a bit of a dunce, and it didn't seem fair that his only friends teased him.

"Shut it, Black," she snarled. "Peter was trying to be nice, something you obviously wouldn't know about." She wasn't exactly sure why she was defending the bumbling boy, but he looked like he needed a friend.

"Whatever you say, Captain," Sirius said in a sing-song voice. Remus smirked subtly.

"It would seem that you've done the impossible, Birdy, and actually made Sirius Black listen," he laughed, only to be silenced by a look from Sirius.

"I listen!" he defended himself. "I just chose to disobey."

_"Sure," _Remus agreed complacently.

After a few more moments of listening to their banter, Wren tuned out of the conversation. She had more pressing things to think about than Black's listening abilities, one of them being how she was possibly going to tolerate him long enough to play Quidditch with him. He was abominably annoying and she was quite sure she'd rather make out with a dog than spend any more time with him than was necessary. Maybe Scarlett had been right. Maybe she'd ruined a friendship for nothing.

"Uh, Wren?" Harvey's curious tone pulled her out of her thoughts. He sent a questioning look towards James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, to which Wren only shrugged, as if to say she didn't know how they'd even gotten there.

"Who's this, Birdy?" Sirius asked obnoxiously. Remus knocked him over the head.

"Sirius, you idiot, we've met him. He's the Class Minister of Magic!"

"Oh. What's that again?" Sirius wondered, cocking his head to the left.

"It's a Muggle-type thing," Harvey explained helpfully. "Kind of like a class president." Somewhat awkwardly, he forced his chair between Wren and Sirius. Inexplicably, Sirius seemed incredibly amused by this, as did the rest of his friends. James, luckily, was able to keep on topic, though.

"Huh. We haven't got anything like that at Hogwarts. But I suppose some of us are just natural born leaders," James mused.

"If you're referring to yourself, Potter, let me just advise you that real leaders don't blow random people up," Wren said icily. "Those are dictators."

"Harsh," he replied.

"You deserved it," she informed him simply. "You know, funnily enough, sitting with you people has made me lose my appetite. So if you'll excuse me..." She stood up dramatically, pushing her tray of food away from her. "Shall we, Harvey?" she simpered in a fake posh accent. Before he could respond, she gripped his arm, forcibly dragging him away from the table.

"Everything okay?" he managed once they were out of earshot. Wren sighed heavily, leaning her head onto his shoulder. Normally, she didn't like getting into fuzzy-feeling talks with Harvey, but today she didn't have the energy to resist.

"No."

**A/N: This is a pretty long chapter! What did you think? Do you like Scarlett or is she just annoying? You know the deal... Comment and favorite! Thanks for reading!**

Oh, and by the way, I should probably say that I don't own anything but Veneficus Hall and it's inhabitants. The rest is J.K. Rowling's.   
**  
P.S. Did anyone get the dog pun?**


	8. Opposites Attract(Just the Wrong People)

For some unknown reason, Sirius was completely and utterly absorbed in Wren Emerson.

It wasn't that he liked her or anything. Seriously (no pun intended), he didn't. She just confused him.

First, she had easily rebuffed his attempts at flirting with her, almost like she was looking straight through him. Then, she'd very publicly told him off for playing a harmless prank on a third year. But later, she'd put him on the Quidditch team, and he thought they might actually get along okay. Until breakfast that morning...

It simply didn't make sense. Since he'd met her (which, granted, had only been a couple of days ago), he hadn't been able to nail down her personality at all. Other than the fact that she was a little bit scary, she was a closed book. It was frustrating and a little off-putting that she was so secretive. Sirius prided himself on knowing exactly how to get to a person, and now he had to face the one person he couldn't decipher.

"So Birdy has a boyfriend," he brooded to no one in particular.

"Jealous?" Remus taunted him.

"Not in the least. She's far too alternative for my taste," Sirius informed him triumphantly. It wasn't a lie. Sirius's usual flings were all blonde, blue-eyed girls with miniscule IQs. It was obvious that Wren fit none of those requirements.

"Certainly seemed like her boyfriend was, though," James pointed out, smirking. "Making sure he sat between you and all that. Kind of touching, really."

"He's got no need to be," Sirius assured them. "I find Wren's little outbursts amusing. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Well, _I _like her," Peter announced, sounding more self-confident than usual. The other three Marauder's whipped around to face him.

"You like Wren?" James reiterated incredulously.

"Congrats, mate!" Sirius burst out. "I was beginning to think you were queer!" Peter colored.

"She's kind of nice to me, that's all. And very pretty."

"Probably too pretty for you, I'm afraid to say," Sirius quipped. Remus glared at him.

"Peter, I think what Sirius is trying to say is that Wren's very... er, _different _from you," he supplied. Peter shrugged.

"Opposites attract, and all that. I'm not saying I'm going to marry her or anything. I just like her."

"Hang on, I'm still confused," James interrupted. "I thought you were terrified of her?"

"Not anymore."

Sirius opened his mouth to comment, but was quickly stopped by sharp glances from James and Remus. To be honest, Peter's infatuation with Wren only fed Sirius's curiosity. What was a boy like Peter doing liking a girl like her? Not only was she miles above him socially, she'd hardly said a word to him. Surely he had some self-awareness.

Not only was this new information puzzling, it was also quite amusing. Although everyone was confused as to why Peter had suddenly fallen for Wren, Sirius couldn't help but look forward to watching his bumbling attempts at flirting and Wren's stoic rebuffs. And he'd pay to see Peter get in a fight with that Harvey guy. Now _that _would be funny...

"Speaking of relationships," James began, zapping Sirius out of his own little world. "Let's talk about mine and Evans'." All three of his friends rolled their eyes, groaning. At first, it was kind of comical listening to James moon over Lily, but now it was borderline pathetic.

"I don't think we can fairly call that a relationship," Remus countered. James huffed.

"Just because she says no, it doesn't mean that she doesn't love me deep down!"

"Deep, deep, deep, deep, down..."

"Shut up Padfoot! She's simply in denial! Afraid to face the seriousness of her real feelings."

"Whatever you say, mate."

"No, really! It's an actual thing! Moony, isn't denial an actual thing?" James demanded desperately. Remus shrugged.

"In those awful Muggle romance films, it is," he said dryly. Sirius snickered.

"See, James? Even Moony admits it's hopeless!"

"Well, it's not!" James insisted, crossing his arms childishly. Although he acted like his pursual of Lily was a joke, anyone who knew him half as well as Sirius did could see that there were real, true feelings underneath it all. He wasn't exactly sure what it was like to love someone with every fiber of your being, but he figured it felt something like this. And her continual rejections did affect him, just a little bit.

As if she could hear his thoughts, Lily sauntered over at that exact moment. As usual, James's entire body tingled. Not in a sexual way, exactly, more in the way one feels right before unwrapping a Christmas present. Excitement and happiness and anticipation and wonderment all at once.

"The answer is _no, _Potter," she spat when she saw James's mouth open.

"How did you know-" Lily glared at him, as if to ask him if he was being serious.

"I came over here to talk to Remus, actually," she informed him snappishly. "We have DADA together first and I was wondering if he knew where the classroom was."

Like always, James felt a twinge of jealousy as she watched Lily easily interacting with one of his best friends. He knew Moony would never do anything with her, but it didn't change the fact that he was too repulsive for Lily to even talk to properly, and Remus was apparently good enough. He waved halfheartedly as the pair walked off to their class, discussing the difference between Hogwarts and Veneficus' learning strategies.

"Cheer up, Prongs," Sirius grinned, nudging him. "Moony's far too much of a gentleman to make a move on Evans." James snorted.

"I know that, arsehole."

"Just trying to be helpful."

"Well, you're not doing a very good job of it."

"My apologies," Sirius said suavely. "Now, in a shocking turn of events, I'm actually going to class!"

"What?" James held a hand to his heart. "I think I've just gone into shock."

"I know. America's changed me," Sirius sighed mockingly. "It's like I'm a new man."

"As long as we don't have another Moony on our hands!"

Chuckling, Sirius walked away from his friends. Truthfully, he wasn't really going to class. Well, he was, but not because he had any real interest in learning. He was going to class because he was 99% sure that that's where Wren would be, and he wasn't about to miss another opportunity to tease her endlessly. Her face when she was angry was just too cute. (In a totally platonic way. Because he didn't like her like that. Relationships were James's things, not Sirius's.)

**A/N: Another chapter focusing on our lovely Marauders... I also threw in a little Jily, because they're pretty adorable together. So what do you think of Peter's crush? I wanted to make him as real-ish as possible, because I feel like in most stories, he's kind of written off as creepy when he didn't betray Lily and James yet. Comment please! Oh, and happy Election Day!**


	9. A Team United (Kind Of)

It was finally Friday. And Wren couldn't be happier.

After what was perhaps the worst week in her lifetime, she was more than ready to spend her weekend holed up in her room, listening to underrated Muggle music, relaxing. After she'd confided in him, Harvey had assured Wren profusely that Scarlett would get over it, but that moment hadn't come yet. So the only thing left to do was mourn the loss of her one true friend. Luckily, all she had left to do before that was survive one Quidditch practice. Unluckily, Sirius and James were going to be there.

Truthfully, James had kind of grown on her (keywords being 'kind of'). Some of his jokes were actually sort of funny, even if he was a little bit awful. But Sirius was still hell to talk to. All he ever did was make bad puns about his name, relate everything and anything he could to sex, and take every opportunity to annoy her. It was like he was still 13 or something. Besides, why did he have to bother _her? _Why not another girl? Scarlett would have said he liked her, but Wren knew better. She'd spent enough time with guys to know how to tell when they liked someone, and this wasn't it. He was just genuinely annoying.

On the other hand, Peter had made it quite obvious that he had a crush on her. They rarely even saw each other, but every time they did, he'd blush and start rambling to the ground about how nice Veneficus was. If Black was a pubescent preteen, Peter was a giggly school girl. Some girls might have found his shyness endearing, but Wren just found it weird. Plus, she already had a boyfriend.

Glumly, she picked up her broomstick, mentally bracing herself for practice. It would be the first time the entire team met up together, so she was probably going to have to start it off with some awkward 'get to know each other' exercise. It was inevitably going to be uncomfortable for everyone involved, and by the time they finally got into the groove of flying with each other, it would probably already be time to leave.

As planned, she was the first one on the pitch. It was strangely peaceful, sitting in the stands by herself with nothing but a broomstick. It reminded her of when her father was teaching her to fly, and sometimes when they'd land, they'd just sit by the lake behind their house, watching the clouds travel through sky.

On an impulse, she mounted her broom. It couldn't hurt to get warmed up before the others arrived, and flying had always comforted her when she was sad. Sometimes, she liked to think that she could just never land, and keep on going until she lost sight of who she was and where she was from. That being said, she couldn't remember the last time she'd flown just for fun. Lately, she was always flying for Quidditch, never for herself. Maybe there wasn't that big a difference between the two, but it felt good just the same. Wren wasn't sure how long she stayed in the air, dipping and diving like the Red Baron, before she was interrupted, in a very cliche twist of fate, by the two people who had helped to make her life so sucky that week.

"Looking good there, Birdy!" Sirius complimented, looking all too pleased with his view.

"Quit it, Black, or I'll shove this broomstick somewhere you don't want it," Wren threatened in response. "Potter," she added coolly, nodding at him.

"Good evening, Birdy." Wren rolled her eyes at the nickname, but didn't comment. She'd only known these guys for a week and she could tell that they were not about to budge on their little term of endearment. Besides, one could kind of say she was friends with them, or at least acquaintances. And Wren really wasn't in a place to be burning bridges, no matter how infuriating she found them.

"So, when do we start?" Sirius asked, looking around the pitch.

"When people actually get here, dumbass," Wren sneered. "If you hadn't noticed, you need seven people to play Quidditch. There's still four coming."

"And those four are late," Sirius informed her, checking his watch.

"They're coming."

Sure enough, the silhouettes of four people appeared on the horizon. Wren forced a welcoming smile onto her face. Leading the pack was Scott, her new Keeper. Just like at try-outs, he looked more than a little bitter to be the only seventh year on the team and not the captain. Wren smirked to herself. It wasn't her fault she was good.

"Wren, I am like, _so _sorry we're late!" Bess Burman gushed. "It is so, entirely my fault, and I get that and everything, but I can _totally _explain. You see, like, I was talking to Josie about when practice started, because I had _completely _forgotten, and then I was really, really nervous, and these guys were just comforting me because they'd all been on the team before, and I hadn't, and we lost track of time-"

"Bess," Wren interrupted, resisting to urge to strangle the overly enthusiastic third year. "It's fine, okay? Just come on time next time."

"Really?" Bess simpered. "Great! It _definitely _won't happen again, I promise." She smiled brightly before continuing, "By the way, you are _so _not as scary as people say you are." Sirius guffawed loudly, earning himself a glare from Wren.

"Thanks, I guess," she responded, not sure how to feel about this. "Anyway, I guess we should all introduce ourselves before we start, so..." She plopped onto the ground. "Say your name, year, position, and... I don't know, something cool about you. I'll start. I'm Wren, I'm in sixth year, and I play Seeker. And, um... I was home-schooled until third year." She tried to keep her face neutral; it was common knowledge that she'd started Veneficus late. It was just _why _she started late that bothered her.

"I'll go next!" James volunteered. "I'm James, I'm in sixth year, I play Chaser, and I have already met the girl I am going to marry!" Sirius snorted while the Americans all exchanged confused glances.

"Okaaay," Wren said. "Sirius, you go." He brightened, clearing his throat dramatically.

"I am Sirius Black," he began. "I am also a sixth year, I'm a Beater, and, as you may have noticed, I am undeniably good-looking." He winked.

"You next, Josie," Wren sighed, slightly disgusted by Sirius's insane level of vanity. The shy looking girl beside Sirius looked around nervously.

"Um, I'm Josie. I'm a fourth year. I play Chaser. And, um, I like to write, I guess." She blushed, looking down. Wren smiled encouragingly.

"Great. Mason?"

"I'm Mason. This is my fifth year, and I play Beater. Something cool about me is that... I don't know, I played fullback in football before I came to Veneficus," he shrugged. Wren wasn't surprised. She knew a bit about Muggle sports, and, even though he must have been young when he'd played, he was definitely big enough to play fullback.

"What's a fullback?" Sirius discreetly asked James.

"Dunno."

"Okay, Bess." Bess beamed.

"Okay, cool. So, hi everyone, I'm Bess, I'm a third year, I play Chaser. And... I can lick my elbow!" she exclaimed. "Watch!" Wren had to admit, she was slightly impressed when the third year _actually _licked her elbow. Cringing, she turned to Scott.

"Your turn." He nodded solemnly.

Scott was a little imposing, even to Wren. He was brooding, and dark, but not in the good way. He got into fights constantly and was spotted suspiciously sneaking off campus more than once. In short, he wasn't the kind of guy you wanted to cross.

"I'm Scott. I'm in seventh year. I play Keeper. I moved to New York when I was seven. Done."

"Great," Wren said, happy that they were finished with that. She played Quidditch to fly, not bond. "Now, let's get in the air."

The entire team mounted their brooms hastily, just as eager to get started as Wren was. The practice was just as disjointed as Wren had expected; it was a bit like everyone was flying independently instead of as a team. First practices were always tough, Wren knew, but she couldn't help but feel frustrated. She was tired of having to work so hard to make things perfect, and it had been a long week.

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to hold in her anger much longer, she finally called the end of practice. There was no use in staying out any longer, anyways. It would be getting dark any minute now.

"Alright, guys," she said as she landed, feeling obliged to give them a pep talk. "We, uh, have a lot to work on, but it wasn't bad for our first time flying together. See you soon, I guess." She sighed to herself as she watched the team leave.

"You coming, Birdy?" Black asked.

"Nah, I'm going to stay here for a while, I think."

"You sure? It could be dangerous to be alone at this hour, especially at this time of night."

"I can handle it. Now leave." She shooed him away, glaring. It was going to be a long, long year.

**A/N: A bit introspective. Keep in mind I wrote the last bit on my phone. Review please!**

**P.S. If you're ever wondering why I always say "comment" instead of "review", it's because I posted this story on Quotev first where there are no reviews and then just copy and paste it. So... yeah. **


	10. The Pixie's Message

It wasn't really unusual for one of the Marauders to be summoned to the head of school's office. In fact, Sirius and James were sent at least once a week. Which was why the four friends weren't very surprised when they spotted a small messenger pixie hovering behind them on their way to class.

In their short time at Veneficus, they'd grown accustomed to the small, fairy-like creatures fluttering about, distributing messages all over the school. They'd also learned not to disobey them. Just the other day, some Slytherin had insulted one and been brutally attacked. (The Marauders, of course, found this astoundingly funny.)

Hesitantly, they approached the pixie, gripping their wands behind their backs.

"I carry a message for Remus Lupin," it declared finally. "You are to meet with Headmistress Troy as soon as possible." All the boys exchanged a look; what could Remus have possibly done wrong? His worst offense was probably skipping a homework assignment, certainly nothing that warranted a meeting with the headmistress.

"Must be my, er, furry little problem," he murmured out of the corner of his mouth, coloring. To this day, he was still ashamed about his furry little problem, despite assurances from his friends and family that it was not his fault in any way, shape, or form. "Er, should I go now, or after class?" he asked, addressing the pixie.

"Whenever is most convenient," it informed him politely. James cut in hurriedly.

"In that case, it had best be after class. So much work, you know." The pixie glared at him for interrupting, but nodded obediently.

"I will convey this message to Headmistress Troy immediately."

"Great, er, thanks," Remus mumbled. Once the pixie was well on it's way, the boys turned questioningly to James.

"What was that?" Sirius demanded.

"I can't be concerned about my best mate's education?"

"No, you're far too selfish for that." James sighed.

"Fine. I don't care about whether Moony learns anything here or not. But I want to get into that meeting," he admitted. Remus gaped at him.

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"Isn't it obvious? My cloak," James said in a 'duh' tone. "We'll skip class and fish it out of my things, then follow you to Troy's office. This way we'll all know exactly what we're doing on the full moon."

"We?" Remus repeated, frowning.

"Yes, _we. _It's tradition, remember? Besides, we can't miss our first fun night in New York," Sirius responded.

"But-but, this is different from Hogwarts," Remus protested. "It's a big city - so many people in one place... If we go out that night-"

"Moony, I can see you sprouting gray hairs as you speak," James joked. "It'll be fine. Just like always." Remus fumed.

"You-you're not getting the _point, _James; you never have-"

"We're going, and I don't care what you say. Come on, Moony, you know we'll find a way there even if you don't give us permission. Might as well surrender now."

Before Remus could answer, James strode away in the direction of the dorms, Peter and Sirius following. Swallowing his frustration, Remus jogged to catch up. It would be a losing battle, just like it was in fifth year. No matter what he said or did, James and Sirius had their own agenda, and Peter would undoubtedly follow. It was frustrating, of course, but that was just the way things were.

* * *

The boys made sure to wait until well after class had ended to go see Headmistress Troy. Remus was terrified that she'd figure out he ditched class and had finally convinced them to hold back a little longer. That, and he was stalling for time. He didn't want to meet Troy at all, and he certainly didn't want his friends there. Chances were that Troy was not as sympathetic to his kind as Dumbledore was, and it would probably be a horribly awkward, humiliating meeting. Not to mention the fact that Remus was hoping to transform alone in New York. In a city so congested, it was even more possible that he'd haul off and bite someone.

The hallways were basically empty as they made their way to the office. Most students were either at class or in their dorms. Still, James, Sirius, and Peter stayed under the cloak. If someone saw them, the results could be disastrous.

"Remus?" He tensed. The voice belonged to Wren, and while he'd hardly spoken to her, he'd hoped to get away without encountering anyone at all.

"Hi Wren," he mumbled. Her brow furrowed.

"Are you... lost, or something?"

"What? Oh, no." Remus balanced awkwardly on the balls of his feet. Couldn't she just move on already? It didn't seem very in-character of her to willingly interact with another human being, much less on of Sirius and James's buddies.

"Huh. So you're going to see Troy?" she assumed.

"Why do you say that?" Remus responded, perhaps too quickly. Surprisingly, he didn't deal very well under pressure and was very afraid that he was about to give himself away.

"Uh, there's like, nothing else down this way," she explained. "I was just down there too."

"Oh? Why?" Wren smiled cryptically.

"That would be telling. I think the bigger question is why you're here and not your friends."

"Um, oh- well, you know, I mean- just some little stuff, no big deal, I don't really know, even," he spluttered. Wren raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Okay then," she said finally, choosing to let the issue drop. She didn't want anyone finding out her secrets, so why should she press him for his? "See you around, I guess." She paused, grimacing slightly. "And tell your friends that I'm adding a practice tomorrow. We need some work."

Remus sighed heavily once she finally walked away. How close had he been to spilling everything to her?

"Oi! Moony!" He jumped. He was positive he'd told Sirius not to make himself known, so it couldn't be him... Wait, scratch that. It was _Sirius._ "Did you just have a civil conversation with Birdy? It's a miracle!"

"Get back in the cloak, Sirius," he hissed back. Troy's office was in sight now and this was not the time to screw up. Struggling to calm himself, he forced his feet to walk closer. His hand shook as he raised it to knock on the door. Knock, knock, knock-

"Whoever's there may come in!" a high-pitched, whiny voice told him. The door swung open and Remus stepped in cautiously, knowing that his friends were right behind him.

"Ah," Troy greeted him. "Remus, is it?" He nodded. Troy put on a bright smile, but it was clear to see the disgust in her eyes. She looked like she might throw up at any moment. Dumbledore must have had his work cut out for him convincing her to let Remus attend.

"Yes, ma'am," he said timidly. She pursed her lips.

"Well, as you know, I'm Headmistress Troy. Professor Dumbledore has informed me of your... _condition _and I wanted to assure you that we have made arrangements for the full moon. Across campus, Veneficus has a good-sized shed that was once used as the ground keeper's house. Seeing as there is no ground keeper, it's all yours. A pixie will escort you there at five o'clock precisely one week from today."

"Th-thank you," Remus stuttered. He still had his doubts about the safety of his transformation, but the shed did sound ideal. If he could just convince the rest of his friends to stay inside, everything would be fine. Stiffly, he pivoted back towards the door, only to be stopped by Troy.

"Mr. Lupin," she called. "Although I cannot deny you the right to an education, I can't lie and say that your kind doesn't completely _disgust _me. I will never understand how you possibly live with yourself knowing you could kill an innocent human at any moment." Remus bit his lip before responding as honestly as he could.

"Sometimes, neither can I."

**A/N: Alright, well, I didn't love that one, but I thought I should get it out there. The nor'easter just hit so I have a two hour delay... Maybe I'll get another short one out before I have to leave. Comment please! It really means a lot to me!**


	11. More Than Memories

For an underground school, Veneficus was unbelievably large, Wren realized for the millionth time. She'd found herself wandering through the endless halls a lot lately, searching for some refuge from Scarlett, who was currently hogging their room.

More often than not, Wren ended up settling for the library, but today she needed something more secluded. With Scarlett out of her life, she'd been thinking more and more about what (and who) else she had lost. And that kind of thinking led to her being a little touchy, which was not something she wanted to be in the library for.

Of course, there was only one person she was really thinking about. Her father. The man who bought her her first broomstick, tucked her into bed every night, and patiently taught her spells. Not the man that was dragged away from their cottage, kicking and screaming, on the grounds of being insane. And even if he _was _unwell, it wasn't his fault. No one could have predicted what happened that night.

_Wren was twelve when it happened. She remembered very clearly the heavy thumps of footsteps on the front walk, but she couldn't remember ever feeling particularly scared. Why should she? It was light outside when they came, and the sun was gleaming on the lake in the backyard. She was merely curious when she heard the door open. It wasn't until her father's reaction that she felt real fear._

"No, no, please... Don't punish her; it's my fault! She doesn't even know her mother..." Wren had never heard her father sound so... Weak. She'd always thought of him as virtually unflappable and to hear some strangers reduce him to begging was frightening, to say the least. It was only made worse because he was talking about her with whoever was at the door. They wanted to hurt her because of something her mother did... But her mother had died in childbirth. What could her mother possibly have to do with her?"

"She's an abomination, just as you are a disgrace. She needs to be eliminated immediately. Now stand aside, or else you'll be joining your pretty little Muggle wife." Wren winced. Not only were these people flippantly discussing the murder of two people (including herself)

"But I'm _a wizard! Doesn't that mean Wren has a right to be too?"_

"Anyone stupid enough to conceive a child with a Muggle deserves whatever they get. Can't have those kinds of idiots reproducing, can we?" The voice was low and gruff, almost like a mobster on one of those Muggle shows. It was unlike anything Wren had ever heard.

"No, no- WREN! WREN, RUN!" Her father's voice was frantic, but she didn't know where to turn. Her mind spun with possible escape routes, each more complex than the last. The list of possibilities dwindled quickly until Wren realized that this was invariably the end of it all. She and her father were about to die.

It wasn't anything like the books, where everything suddenly becomes very clear and peaceful. It was more like watching her favorite Quidditch team lose a game. She didn't want it to be happening, but there was no way she could fight it. On the other hand, she would still throw a colossal fit as she watched the opponent's score multiply. Everything that was happening was so utterly out of her control, and yet she wanted_desperately to change it._

"Your family warned you, Emerson. Now if you don't stand aside-"

"Wren! Do you hear me? RU-"

"CRUCIO!"

Wren's entire body shuddered. Her father's ear-piercing screams cut through the house; she was sure someone would hear it. The thought of being rescued didn't make it any better, though. Her father was being _tortured because he tried to protect her. Her father was going to be killed because he tried to protect her. A cascade of tears leaked out of Wren's eyes. How long did they have left to live? Ten, fifteen minutes?_

"CRUCIO," the menacing voice repeated, sounding almost amused. Wren could feel the bile rising in her throat. Horrified, she leaned over her bed and vomited. This was just too much for her.

At that moment, her father's quivering voice rose. Even though she knew he was going to die, it was somehow comforting to hear his voice one last time. But then she heard what he was saying.

"Avada... Avada KEDAVRA!" _he roared. Wren's blood ran cold when she heard two loud thumps from beneath her. Her father had just killed someone. He was a murderer. _But they deserved it, _she told herself, shaking softly. It didn't change what he did. _

From that day onward, Augustus Emerson was never the same. That could be expected, of course. Even if the American Ministry had pardoned him, he had still took away two lives. But it wasn't just that he was different. Wren would often walk downstairs to find him muttering strange things to himself, talking to people who weren't there. Occasionally he'd look straight through her, as though he didn't know or care who she was. She didn't dare tell anyone about the changes she noticed in him, if only to save the rare moments when he would turn to her and grin, as if nothing had ever happened.

Wren would be content to live like that for the rest of her life if she needed to. But then her aunt had to come to visit. And when Wren's father did not recognize his own sister, she had him shipped away immediately, breaking his daughter's heart.

Despite her protests, Wren was forced to move in with her Aunt Reagan and begin attending Veneficus Hall. Her entire family seemed to just forget about her father, like he was never even there, but Wren thought about him everyday. What he'd be doing at the mental hospital. If he missed her. If he regretted marrying a Muggle. She liked to think he was happy with the choices he'd made, but she knew he couldn't be. How could he be happy that he ended up in an asylum?

Eventually, Wren curled herself into a small closet. It felt very cliche, but there wasn't anywhere else for her to go. Besides, she was almost positive she wouldn't be found there.

No sooner had she settled into the tiny closet than the door opened. Wren tensed; it would be extremely awkward if she was caught by some couple hunting for a place to make out. Looking up, she froze. It was a couple at all.

It was Scarlett.

**A/N: CLIFFY! (...Kind of.) Shorter chapter, but very important... What do you think of Wren's past? What is Scarlett going to say? Comment/favorite please! It means so much to me and it's what keeps me writing. And it gets more people to read my stories... So comment! Thanks guys :) I'll try and update soon.**

P.S. GUESS WHAT TODAY IS? MY BIRTHDAY! I'm officially fourteen. Surprised? 


	12. Therapy in a Broom Closet

"Wren," Scarlett began dramatically. "We need to talk." Wren bit her lip. She really wasn't in the mood for a confrontation, but if she did anything but obey, she would only deepen the rift between her and Scarlett.

"Um, okay," she agreed finally, steeling herself for a fight. This was bound to happen sooner or later, so it might as well be sooner. Scarlett flipped her angelic blonde hair, pouting. Wren frowned. She recognized this look perfectly. It meant Scarlett was about to cry. And Wren _really _didn't like dealing with crying people.

"Well, I've been thinking a lot about what I said to you. And I was wrong," Scarlett admitted. Wren stayed awkwardly silent. "Well?" Scarlett pressed her.

"Yeah, um, I'm sorry too," Wren stuttered. Scarlett smiled brilliantly, flopping down next to her.

"Thank God that's over with," she said. "But we do need to talk about this. Hold my hand." Wren hesitantly did as she was told, and Scarlett wrung her hand earnestly. "I just wanted to tell you, that whatever you're going through, you can tell me. And if this is about your dad-"

"It's not," Wren said automatically. She had already wasted enough time contemplating her past in solitude, she didn't want to rehash it all with Scarlett now.

"I think it is," Scarlett responded. "It wasn't your fault he went coo-coo." Wren snapped her head around.

"He's not coo-coo," she growled. Scarlett looked at her pityingly.

"Fine. But he's still sick, Wren."

"Stop it, Scar."

"Why?" she demanded. "I did research on this in the library, you need to face the traumatic events in your life if you're ever going to move on! Besides, it's not like I'm gonna tell anyone. Harvey and I are still the only ones that know."

"I don't care that someone might find out. I care because I don't need a shrink."

"I'm not a shrink! I'm a friend!" Scarlett's eyes glittered with tears. Wren resisted the urge to slap her. It wasn't like _her _father was insane. But that's just how Scarlett was. She felt everything like it was happening to her instead.

"Would you please just drop it?" Wren begged quietly. Scarlett's eyes softened.

"Look, you don't have to lie to me. I know you're mad that your aunt found him like that and everything... But you have to understand, she was protecting you."

Wren stayed silent. In a way, Scarlett was right. Her aunt wasn't to blame. But on the other hand, she was completely wrong. Wren wasn't harboring a grudge towards her aunt. Sure, they weren't close, but that was really all there was to it. No, Wren was angrier that her father had been tortured and next to nothing had been done about it. Yes, he killed his tormentors. But there were still people like that out there, people who would inflict so much pain on innocent families... And the Ministry didn't even care. All they had done was apologize for the trauma she endured and moved on. Weren't they supposed to be stopping things like this from happening? Instead of confiding in Scarlett, she sighed.

"I know," she said compliantly. Scarlett squealed.

"Great! So can we go back to normal now?" Wren modded, relieved. That was relatively painless. "And you do know you can talk to me whenever, right?" Scarlett finished hesitantly.

"Yeah, Scar. Of course." Feeling oddly sentimental, Wren leaned forward to wrap her arms around her recently re-acquired best friend. It had been a long time since she'd had someone she could call her true family, and Scarlett was the perfect sister.

In an odd déjà vu moment, the door to the closet swung open once again. Only this time, the intruder really was a couple. Wren groaned when she saw exactly who it was.

"Birdy!" Sirius exclaimed. He glanced at Scarlett, eyes twinkling. "Are we interrupting something?"

"Shut up, Black," Wren grumbled. "I'm in too good of a mood for you to ruin it." He placed a hand over his heart.

"I'm hurt, Birdy. Marlene here doesn't think I ruin things!" he said, gesturing to the daffy looking blonde on his arm.

"Marlene?" Wren repeated. Sirius's companion grinned stupidly, wrapping herself around him.

"I'm Sirius's gir-"

"-Friend," Sirius finished. "Marlene's my very good friend." Marlene looked a bit put out at her new position, but smiled obliviously.

"You're that Quidditch girl from when we got here, right?" she confirmed, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. Wren sighed. This girl was clearly doomed to have her heart broken by Sirius.

"Uh, yeah," Wren responded awkwardly. "Um, we'll just be going now, I guess." She pulled Scarlett, who was glaring furiously at the boy who pranked her little sister, away.

"You actually talk to him?!" Scarlett demanded incredulously.

"Unfortunately," Wren answered, rolling her eyes. "Not by choice, though. He stalks me so he can annoy me as much as possible."

"I think he likes you," Scarlett announced.

"Trust me, he doesn't," Wren chuckled. She knew Scar would say that. Usually she would throw a fit at the very idea, but today she was in too good a mood. Even with Sirius's intrusion, she had her best friend back. And, cheesy as it sounded, that was all that mattered.


	13. Beast on the Loose in NYC

This was it. Remus's first full moon at Veneficus. Sirius's stomach was churning with nerves already; he could only imagine how Moony felt. While they'd all been very blase about it at first, the reality that they were going to be holding back a fully grown werewolf in a city chocked full of people was just sinking in. There were so many variables, so many ways it could go wrong. What if this one night ruined everything?

"Ready, boys?" James asked, pushing his glasses further up his nose. He sounded as confident as ever, despite the seriousness of the situation they were about to be in.

Peter and Sirius nodded solemnly. Remus had left about half an hour ago, instructing them to wait to come down, just in case any teachers decided to linger. It wasn't likely, but they weren't in a place to be taking chances. Anxiously, the three animaguses (animagi?) set out, being careful to cover themselves with the invisibility cloak.

They had scouted out the shed Remus was held in the day before, wanting to be sure they knew exactly where to go. It was directly across campus from the main dormitory, not too far at all. Although it was wooden and quite small, it seemed sturdy enough. It had to be, if it was going to cage in a werewolf. Apparently, the shed had been formerly used as a gamekeeper's house, but it had been near fifty years since Veneficus had actually had a gamekeeper. They did everything with magic now, according to Headmistress Troy.

Sirius held his breath as they tip-toed through the halls. He couldn't remember feeling this anxious since the first time he had transformed. Would he be sent home if he got caught? What if Remus hurt someone because they weren't strong enough to control him? It was a lot of pressure, if he was being completely honest.

Finally, they reached their destination. The moon was still low in the sky, and Remus hadn't even transformed yet. When they found him, he was curled up on the floor, screaming to himself. Not for the first time, Sirius realized that if it were anyone other than his best friend, he would have called them a wimp for crying. But Remus had reason to. Every month he endured agonizing transformation, and he spent the rest of the time worrying about it.

The screams grew steadily louder, cuing James, Sirius, and Peter to transform. In a matter of seconds, a wolf was faced with a stag, dog, and rat. It cocked its head curiously. These new playmates looked familiar, but who were they? Shaking its fur, the wolf growled lowly before lunging at the stag.

It had begun.

* * *

Hours later, Sirius crouched outside the door of the hospital wing. He and James had been waiting for Remus to emerge for an hour (Peter had been too tired to come), with no result. They had gotten some odd looks from Veneficus students, but they were too exhausted to care. Remus would be coming out any moment now and they needed to a) celebrate the fact that no one had gotten killed/seriously maimed, and b) do their homework. (Maybe more Remus for the second one.)

"Come on, Moony," Sirius whispered impatiently. James sighed.

"I need help with my Potions essay. Now."

"Remind me why we're doing this again?"

"Because we're good friends."

Once again, the two friends lapsed into silence. Sirius wasn't surprised to feel himself slowly nodding off. He did nothing to stop it, either. James and Remus could wake him up when it was time to go back to the dorm...

"James! Black!"

In unison, James and Sirius groaned. They both recognized the voice of their Quidditch captain. The first game was in only a few days and Wren had been working them to death. They'd just barely managed to escape her after class yesterday. James had always considered himself a bit of a Quidditch fanatic, but even he was getting tired. For someone so independent, Wren sure seemed to care an awful lot about winning.

"Salem Academy moved up the game. It's tomorrow now. We're having an emergency practice ASAP," she informed them, hands on hips.

"But, but Birdy... It's so early! And I'm so tired!" James protested. She raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Because you couldn't come at five PM yesterday since you thought it was 'past your bedtime'. So unless you two spent all that time hooking up with each other, you have no excuse to be too tired. Be at the pitch in five," she ordered, already walking away. Sirius pouted, turning to James.

"She's worse than you, Prongs. And that's saying something," he declared hoarsely.

"Do you think we'd have to play if we broke both our arms?" James wondered aloud.

"Knowing her, probably."

"Knowing who?" a bleak-sounding voice asked. The door to the hospital wing swung open to reveal a very haggard Remus, sporting zillions of bandages.

"Birdy," Sirius answered easily, not bothering to greet him. Remus never liked to dwell on his transformations.

"Ah. Do you have practice again?"

"Five minutes," James responded. Remus frowned.

"Shouldn't you be going, then?"

"It's not like she'll kill us."

"You so sure about that?" Remus asked doubtfully. He liked Wren well enough, but she was... intense. Definitely not someone you wanted to disobey.

"Fine, Moony. If our company is so distressing to you, we'll leave," Sirius sniffed, feigning offense. "Come on, Prongs." Dramatically, the two stood up and stormed away, leaving Remus behind. He had a point - Wren probably wasn't above murdering them for being late. Or at least seriously injuring.

Stuffing down their nerves, they tramped down to the Quidditch pitch. They were expecting Wren to be angry with them; they were about 10 minutes late. They were _not, _however, expecting her to be pummeling in Scott Donaldson's face.

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long! This week's been kinda crazy... It's my play's tech week and the end of the trimester at my school. Things should be a LOT better next week :) Anyways, comment please!**


	14. The Wrath of Wren

It would appear that the rest of the Veneficus Quidditch team either had no idea how to restrain their beloved captain, or simply didn't want to. Wren was straddling Scott Donaldson, holding him down in order to aim her blows better. It was a bit like one of those Muggle television shows about the jungle, in which two lions duke it out for the crown. Sirius had to admit, he was surprised at Wren's strength.

"Don't. Fucking. Talk about him. Again," Wren was panting between punches. Scott looked strangely calm, like he was having some kind of out-of-body experience. In fact, he was smirking serenely, ignoring the blood that was trickling down from his nose.

"Defending your crazy daddy? Too bad he can't even thank you, seeing as he doesn't know who you are anymore," he shot back. The fire in Wren's eyes had been slowly cooling, but now the flames were burning even higher than before.

"That's a _lie," _she roared, pounding her fists into his chest. "He's not- don't you dare call him crazy." Brutally, she struck Scott in the face again.

"Crazy-"

_"SHUT. UP," _Wren commanded. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" The entire team could see her slowly falling apart. The cool, collected Wren was losing it before their eyes. Having been in his fair share of fights before, Sirius could see that Scott was not going to come out on the upper hand this time. Wren's entire face was contorted with rage; there was no way she would let him go.

"Birdy!" Sirius tried, attempting to intervene. It had just occurred to him that if Wren tore apart a seventh year, chances were that she would not be captain for much longer. And, manic as she was about practice, the team couldn't afford to lose her skills. Veneficus may not have been his real school, but Sirius would be damned if he lost a game to some prissy, American all-witches school like Salem. "Birdy, cut it out!" He glanced at James for help. Taking the hint, James raced over, prying Wren's hands from Scott's chest.

"Calm down," he coaxed her. "He's not worth it." Once Sirius and James had successfully pulled her to her feet, Wren squirmed out of their grip.

"Get your fucking hands off of me," she growled. "I got this." She lunged back towards Scott, only to be caught once again by Sirius.

"Birdy, would you rather kill him, or beat Salem?" he reminded her, raising an eyebrow. "You'll regret it later." She glared at him.

"Sorry, Black, I wasn't aware you were a Seer," she sneered. Nonetheless, she backed off. Her mahogany hair had fallen out of its braid and whipped into her face, giving her a feral air. She looked like a lioness ready to pounce at any moment. "Practice is cancelled," she snarled to the rest of the team. Scott, who was bleeding in multiple places, chuckled at her from the ground.

"You mean you don't want to spend the rest of the hour beating me up?" he taunted. Wren's lip curled.

"Get off my pitch, Donaldson," she demanded lowly. "Get. The _hell. _Off my pitch." Slowly, Mason Armstrong stepped forward to help him up. Bess Burman was clutching Josie's arm. The entire team seemed terrified of their captain.

"Um, Wren- I, uh, don't think your dad is crazy," Bess squeaked, trying to be nice.

"Leave," Wren responded harshly. Shaking slightly, she watched as the rest of the team shuffled away in silence, a strange ache in her throat. It wasn't exactly that she felt guilty for beating Scott up - he deserved it. She just felt guilty that she didn't feel guilty, if that made any sense. She had just attacked someone and she didn't feel the slightest inch of self-reproach. It kind of disgusted her.

"You, uh, want to talk about it, Birdy?" James asked hesitantly.

"No," Wren said shortly.

"So... your dad really is crazy?" Sirius pressed, oh-so-tactfully. She scowled.

"He's _not _crazy," she insisted. "He's... sick. And he _does _still know who I am."

"Oh," Sirius responded, unsure of what to say next. "Um... How did it happen?"

"None of your business," Wren hissed, before stalking away dramatically. James glanced at Sirius.

"I think she's mad."

Sirius sighed. He had wondered for weeks now about why Wren was so... Wren-ish, but now, he wasn't sure he wanted to know at all. After all, knowledge came with a price, one that he certainly wasn't prepared to pay.

**A/N: I am SO sorry about the wait! I was in a play at school, and last week was tech week so I was there until 8:30 every night, and then it was also the end of the trimester so I had a ton of work... Anyways, I'm back now. I didn't love this chapter but I thought I would try to get something out so you guys weren't waiting forever. Thoughts? **


	15. Crazy Runs in the Family

Wren couldn't remember being so angry in her life. Her pulse was pounding, her head was spinning in rage... She was positive she was about to explode. Why couldn't Black just let her finish with Donaldson? She would have given anything to just get in a few more punches.

It wasn't like her rage was unwarranted, either. He had the nerve to insult her father, knowing what they had been through. How had he even learned about Wren's past? It was her most well kept secret. Wren growled under her breath. The entire situation was just so wrong. She'd always known Donaldson wanted captain, but she would never have guessed their little rivalry would go this far.

"He's an idiot," she assured herself as she stormed through the hallways. It would appear that news of her little fit had already spread; everyone was giving her a wide berth. She wasn't exactly sure where was going, even, just that she needed to get away from all the questioning looks and judgmental stares. They all knew now. Not just that she'd beaten up Donaldson, but about her dad, about everything.

"Wren!" a soothing voice called. She paused, sighing in relief.

"Harvey," she breathed. Her boyfriend jogged to meet her, frowning in concern.

"I heard what happened," he murmured. Wren looked away; embarrassingly enough, she felt like she was about to cry. Sensing her discomfort, Harvey cleared his throat. "Want to go up to my room?" Wren nodded. If they went back to her room, Scarlett would be too intrusive, and they couldn't very well stay in the middle of the hallway, so Harvey's room was really the only choice. The Class Minister got a large suite all to themselves, so they wouldn't have to worry about a roommate popping in.

Silently, Wren followed Harvey up the endless stairs to his dorm. He opened the door solemnly, inviting her in. As the sixth year Minister, he got the second biggest room, right behind the seventh year Minister. Immediately, Wren threw herself on his familiar leather sofa, finally allowing a couple of tears to leak down her face. This was worse than her fight with Scarlett on so many levels. Now all her vulnerabilities were just on display for the entire school. _'Oh, look, it's that girl with the crazy dad! I wonder if she's crazy too?'_

"I can't believe he did that," Harvey said solemnly, looking like he was still in shock.

"I can't believe he _knew," _Wren responded, equally distraught. "I mean, it was just you and Scarlett who knew- you didn't tell him, did you?" She examined him suspiciously. Harvey blanched at the implication.

"What? No, of course not! Wren, don't you trust me?" he demanded, brow crinkling. _Great. Now he's mad at me, too, _Wren thought to herself.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Wren sighed. "I'm just... confused, I guess. I-I really don't know how he'd figure it out, and I just thought you knew him better than Scarlett-"

"I get it. But I promise you - I have never said anything about that night." He looked straight into her eyes, as if he was hypnotizing her. "I wouldn't. I know what your dad means to you."

Wren smiled faintly. This was one of the times she was glad she had someone like Harvey in her life. Maybe he wasn't as spontaneous as some girls would have liked, but he was steady and reliable. He never lost his temper or blew up on her. It was a utopian relationship.

"Thanks," she breathed. Hesitantly, she leaned forward to kiss him. They weren't normally a very lovey-dovey couple, but it wasn't like they didn't care about each other. And, after all, they were teenagers. They were bound to show affection _sometimes. _

Gently, Harvey kissed her back, smiling against her mouth. With their respective commitments, it was rare the two got to see each other now. Spending their time making out might not have been quite as meaningful as long conversations, but it was probably more fun. Besides, he wasn't complaining.

* * *

Wren reemerged from his room about an hour later. They had spent some of their time kissing, but they spoke in between as well. Wren was, after all, going through a minor crisis at the moment. They discussed the possibility that Scarlett had betrayed her, considered the dilemma of whether or not Wren could kick Scott off the team, and talked about her father. It was refreshing to have that much time to just chat about everything without someone (i.e. Sirius) barging in every five minutes.

Feeling sufficiently better, Wren strode towards her room, head held high. She tried to push away the doubt that Scarlett had exposed her secret; she had already decided Donaldson had spied. It was too soon for another fight and Scarlett wouldn't do that anyways. They were best friends. Best friends didn't just go around exposing each others' secrets like that.

"Birdy!" Wren froze. _Really? _she growled mentally. _Really?!_

"This isn't the best time, Black," she said smoothly, not bothering to stop.

"C'mon, Birdy, I've just stopped you from murder! I think I get to talk to you," he panted, finally catching up with her.

"I wasn't going to kill him," she snapped. Sirius raised a doubtful eyebrow.

"Really? 'Cause that's what it looked like." Wren ignored him. "Anyway, you shouldn't have been that upset, seeing as it was a lie and all."

"A lie?" Wren repeated. Sirius furrowed his brow.

"Yeah. I mean, your dad's not really a nut job, is he?" he pressed.

Anger boiled in her stomach. No, her father wasn't a _nut job._ He was ill - that was all. And frankly, it wasn't Black's place to judge her family. After all, he had just waltzed into Veneficus like he owned the place and decided that it was his right to judge and hex and annoy everyone in the vicinity. He was clearly the one with problems.

"He's mentally unstable, if that's what you're asking," she hissed, gritting her teeth. It was taking all her willpower not to pounce on him, too. Where was Harvey when she needed him? "But you say one thing about my dad again and I swear to you that I will beat you up worse than I did Donaldson. My dad's a great man, asshole. He's not just some basket case. Got that?"

"Hey, I didn't say anything. At least now I know where you get it from," he joked lamely, choosing not to notice her fury. Wren's upper lip curled.

"You disgust me, Black," she sneered, walking away from him even faster than she had before.

"Oh, Birdy! Come on! Birdy!" Once again, he chased after her. "I didn't say it was bad. Hell, I'd rather my parents be in the loony bin than out."

"He's not in-"

"Loony bin, hospital, whatever. Point is, it seems like you care about him quite a bit, so you're lucky. I honestly wouldn't give a flying fuck if my mum lost it, so at least you two like each other somewhat." Wren still glared at him. Whether he thought she was lucky or not, she wasn't going to let him get away with insulting her father like that. He had no idea what they'd gone through, none.

"You don't care about your parents, Black? Why am I not surprised?" She took a menacing step towards him, venom leaking from her voice. "Oh, yeah, because you're a self-centered dick. Now leave. Me. Alone." Sirius looked just as upset now. With an anger rivaling Wren's, he stepped even closer to her.

"I'm not a self-centered dick," he insisted. "You don't know my parents or me, so just shut up."

"Back at you," Wren retorted. And with an odd sense of deja vu, she strutted away.

**A/N: Longer than last time! Comments please! And remember to share this story so it gets more favorites, and thus more comments, and this gives me more motivation to write... Thanks guys!**


	16. A Marauder's First Betrayal

In a weird way, being in a fight with Wren kind of sucked. Not in the 'oh, I can't live without her' way, more in that 'she's fun to annoy and now I can't' way. At least, that's what Sirius had decided. She was one of the only people he really talked to at Veneficus outside of his immediate group of friends, and thus one of the only people he could bother constantly without looking like a total douche.

Well, perhaps he should rephrase that. He probably still looked like a douche when he bugged his friends, but at least he could get away with it. Now, for the most part, he had to keep his annoying tendencies to himself, lest he risk incurring Wren's wrath. It was frustrating, to say the least.

Not that he would be apologizing anytime soon. He had been honest with her, there was nothing wrong with that. Who cared if her dad was bonkers? And she didn't know that he didn't like his parents because he was simply self-centered. She'd simply assumed the worst of him, and he hadn't assumed anything at all. He stated the facts, which, apparently, she didn't like.

"Padfoot? Are you still alive?" Remus joked from beside him, waving his hand around. "We're going to dinner now."

"Dinner?" Sirius repeated, effectively distracted from his tiff with Wren. James laughed.

"That's got his attention." He took a few steps back. "Come on, Padfoot! Dinnertime!" He patted his knees as if he was talking to a dog. Sirius pouted back.

"Why is it always me, Prongs? Wormtail likes food too and you've never made fun of him," he pointed out. James frowned at Peter, who was panting to keep up with them. The chubby boy's eyes were wide, like he couldn't even comprehend how cool his friends were.

"It's no fun with someone that vulnerable. Besides, he's incredibly annoying when he cries."

"Touche."

"What am I?" Peter asked, desperate to be included. "What were you two saying about me?"

"Just that we don't know how much longer Birdy will be able to resist your charm," Sirius deadpanned. Peter blushed.

"Ha ha. I really do like her, though, even if her dad's some kind of wacko. D'you think we could sit with her again today?"

Sirius grimaced. He wanted nothing less. Not only was he in a fight with Wren, but he would have to endure Peter's awkward, stilted attempts at conversation for a whole hour. It would be unbearable.

"Sorry, no can do, mate," he informed him carelessly. Peter's mouth curled downwards.

"Why not, Padfoot?"

"Because Birdy dearest isn't very pleased with me at the moment," he announced. Remus snorted.

"And you're respecting her wishes? Have you hit your head?"

"No, actually, because she's pissed me off, too."

"Ah," James mused. "And how did she do that?"

"She called me a self-centered dickhead." His friends stopped.

"Sirius," James groaned. "You _are _a self-centered dickhead."

"Still, it's not very nice to say. And she, uh, talked about my family."

The boys went silent. If there was something they had learned in their six years as friends, it was that no one brought up Sirius's parents. If he wanted to talk, he would say so, but otherwise they were as good as dead to him. For someone he'd only recently met to comment on them was the biggest mistake anyone could make.

"Well, then we won't sit with her," James declared, siding with Sirius, as usual. Remus nodded in agreement. Behind them, Peter continued to scowl.

"It's not like she knew," he said.

"Exactly. She shouldn't of said anything," Remus responded.

"He probably deserved it," Peter continued.

"Look, Wormy, if you want to sit with Wren, be my guest. Just don't sulk all dinner. Okay?" Sirius finally intervened. This wasn't the first time Peter grated on his nerves. The boy's general existence was reason enough to get annoyed.

"Fine then. I will sit with her," Peter decided, trying to look confident. The rest of the Marauders gaped at him. Could it be that Wormtail had finally grown a backbone? He had never dared to contradict their word before. Maybe he genuinely liked Wren. (Of course, that didn't change the fact that it was never going to happen between them.)

"Alright. Go ahead, Wormtail," Sirius challenged him, raising an eyebrow. Peter faltered.

"O-okay. I'm going now."

"Have fun."

"Y-yeah."

Sirius watched Peter tip-toe to Wren's table, where she was perched between her boyfriend and that blonde girl - Scarlett, was it? They all seemed a little tense, probably because of everything that had happened with Scott. Part of Sirius wondered if Wren was upset about _their _fight, but he pushed the question away. Why would she be? They weren't even that close. Still, he couldn't help but hope that she felt a little bit of regret.


	17. A Sinister Secret

Wren couldn't help but feel a little tense sitting between Harvey and Scarlett at dinner. True, she had decided to give them both the benefit of the doubt on the whole telling-Scott-about-her-dad fiasco, but that didn't mean she didn't have any reservations. There was still the possibility that one of them did betray her, and thinking of that made her hair stand on end. The situation didn't get any better when that chubby friend of Black's hobbled over to join them.

"Er, hi... Peter?" Wren said, hoping she remembered his name correctly. His face lit up.

"Yeah, yeah! I'm Peter!" he squeaked. Wren exchanged a confused glance with her friends.

"Do you, er, want to sit down?" Scarlett asked charitably. He nodded excitedly before plopping down on the bench. For some reason, his eyes seemed to be trained on Wren, which was more than enough to make her uncomfortable. Privately, she prayed that his friends wouldn't be joining him too. She didn't think she could handle seeing Sirius again after their explosive argument earlier.

"Y-you look, um, very... Very nice... Um, Birdy," Peter stuttered suddenly, flushing bright red. Wren furrowed her brow. Was he making a move on her while her boyfriend was sitting right there?

Harvey's eyes flitted from her to Peter and back again. He seemed just as confused as she was. This Peter kid couldn't be serious. Despite himself, Harvey felt a little amused. It might have sounded bad, but he couldn't really imagine Wren going for someone like that.

"Thanks," she muttered hesitantly.

"I mean, like, you- you always do. Look nice, I mean. You always look nice, but you look nice today too, so..." Wren arched an eyebrow. Beside her, Scarlett buried her face in her hands, unable to control her laughter.

"I think she gets it, Pete," Harvey pointed out, smirking at his girlfriend's expression. Peter looked down.

"Right, yeah... Anyway... Just wanted to tell you."

"Well, thanks." The four sat in an awkward silence until Scarlett jumped in.

"So, Peter, how do you like Veneficus so far?" she asked kindly. Peter tried to smile.

"It's very... Very..."

"Nice?" Harvey suggested wryly. Wren elbowed him in the side.

"Er, yeah," Peter agreed. "I like the teachers a lot more than I do back home, but I miss my family a bit."

"What are they like?" Wren prodded. She didn't by any meanslikePeter back, but it couldn't hurt to be nice to him. After all, at least he was trying.

"Well, I have a younger sister. She's nine. We both live with our mum. I mean, when I'm not at school I live with my mum. The rest of the year I live at school, but I write them a lot back at Hogwarts. It's just harder here because it's such a long journey. For an owl, you know." She nodded sympathetically. She imagined that someone as shy as Peter would be very close to their family, so it made sense he missed them.

"At least you have your friends," Harvey said, finally catching on to the whole 'be nice to Peter' act.

"Um... yeah," Peter nodded, looking a little awkward. Wren got the sense that he wasn't on the best terms with Sirius, either. Choosing not to press the matter, she dug into her food, eager for an excuse to stay silent. She allowed herself to zone out as Scarlett carried on with making small-talk, and soon found her mind wandering to a certain British beater.

What did he mean when he said she was lucky to have her father? She couldn't imagine how having a dad that hardly knew you existed was lucky in any universe. But then he had gotten so defensive when she talked about _his _family... Why? What made him hate them so much? She'd heard his best friends call him things much worse and he never reacted that way. It could only mean there was something about his parents she didn't know. What could it possibly be?

Trying to be discreet, she glanced over at his table. Sirius was laughing heartily with his friends, a broad grin on his face. It seemed like he'd completely recovered from their argument. If it wasn't for the shadow of anger in his eyes, Wren might have thought he didn't even care...

"Wren? Are you listening?" Harvey prodded, poking her shoulder. She jumped, embarrassed to be caught. It didn't seem like anyone noticed who she was staring at, though. Not that she was staring. She was just... Observing. Yes, observing. That was it.

"Yeah, just a little tired. What were you saying?" She plastered an interested look on her face.

"The student Ministry was just thinking of having a dance, or something to kind of unite the two schools. You know, help everyone get to know each other outside of class," he informed her. She tried to look excited. Dances weren't really her thing, but he seemed pretty excited about this. Besides, it wouldn't kill her to go.

"Cool. Sounds great."

"Totally!" Scarlett squealed. "I, personally, cannot wait to go shopping." Her face lit up suddenly, like she had just realized something. "Do you think Troy would let us go up to New York to get dresses?"

"Dresses?" Wren repeated, wrinkling her nose. Scarlett rolled her eyes.

"Of course, silly. And the guys will need suits..."

"Suits?" Peter squeaked. "What about dress robes?"

"Is that some kind of like, bath robe?" Scarlett asked. He frowned.

"No, it's just what people wear to dances back in England," he told her.

"Oh. Well, you'll probably want to get a suit anyways. I have a feeling no one's going to be wearing dress robes here." Peter looked flustered. He opened his mouth a few times as if to speak, but always closed it before he got anything out.

"Everything okay?" Harvey pressed. Peter looked away.

"Y-yeah," he stuttered. "I-I'll just have to, uh... write home for money, that's all," he shrugged. Wren's eyes softened. If money was the issue, she knew how he felt. Her father had never been particularly wealthy, and her aunt didn't lavish her with jewels now, either.

"You could just borrow someone else's," she offered kindly.

"Maybe," he said glumly, although Wren got the feeling he didn't see that as a viable solution.

* * *

Only a few hours later, the announcement for the school dance went up. All the girls were thrilled, of course, while all the guys saw as it as the perfect opportunity to, well... you know. Wren, on the other hand, was pretty indifferent. For her, dances were fairly low-key events. Sure, she usually needed a new dress or something, but Scarlett took care of that quickly enough.

So she was relaxed as she trudged back from class. The only thing on her mind was Scott, which she had just about gotten over, and... Sirius. Which she was just confused about. Especially because she found herself wishing they weren't fighting. And why would she ever think that? She didn't even like Sirius that much, and she had a perfectly good circle of friends, ones who didn't insult her father.

It was around the DADA classroom that Wren heard a small, squeaky voice. Curiously, she followed the source of the noise, pausing just outside of the door to the men's room.

"Temporary...," she heard. Her brow furrowed. The voice sounded awfully familiar. "I just need . . . money." Now another, deeper voice chimed in.

"Complete loyalty . . . the Dark Lord," it said. Or, at least, that's what she could make out. "Serve always . . . Tell no one." Her heart sped up. She felt like that Muggle girl in the stories - Nancy Drew, was it? These two boys, whoever they were, were making a deal of some kind. And it didn't sound like a good one. After all, how could 'the Dark Lord' mean good things?

"Mark . . . Now," the squeakier of the two voices replied. Wren leaned in closer to hear better, but immediately regretted it. There was a screech of pain directly behind the door. Her insides churned. Her instincts had been right, at least. Something sinister was going on.

"Oh, shut up." Suddenly, two sets of footsteps approached the door, causing Wren to jump backwards into the shadows. The door swung open to reveal two British boys.

The first, Wren had never met. He had stringy black hair, each strand coated in a layer of grease. His large, hooked nose sported multiple pimples, and was incredibly out of proportion to his beady brown eyes. Wren felt a ripple of disgust run through her. She'd never seen anyone be so unclean. Scarlett would have fainted if she'd been there.

It wasn't the horrifyingly dirty boy that shocked Wren to her core, though. It was the small, round boy that trotted out after him, clutching his arm in pain. It was the boy with sparse, mousy hair and watery, nervous eyes.

It was Peter Pettigrew.

**A/N: RANDOM SUBPLOT ALERT! So, I didn't love this chapter, but in my defense, I'm sick. On Thanksgiving. I know, my life sucks. Anyways, please comment and favorite if you haven't already! I love hearing from you guys; it's what makes me keep writing! **


	18. Friendly Advice

Peter was acting weird. Weirder than usual, that is. Every time Sirius, or any of the Marauders, spoke to him, he would jump close to fifty feet in the air before giggling nervously and making some strange excuse for his behavior. It was one part unsettling and one part amusing to watch. Sirius quickly learned to entertain himself by sneaking up one him every once in a while. While it was odd, it didn't seem like anything to worry about. Just another one of Peter's inexplicable quirks.

That was what Sirius believed, or, at least, he did. Until Wren scurried up to him between classes and yanked him into a deserted classroom.

"Birdy, if you wanted to snog, you should have just said so. And broken up with your boyfriend. I thought you had some class," he drawled. She flicked him off.

"That's not what I want, Black. We have to talk." He raised an eyebrow.

"So you want to apologize?" Wren snorted again.

"You're an idiot," she growled. "It's about Peter." Now it was Sirius's turn to scoff.

"You like him back? And _I'm_ the idiot?" Wren bit back a blush.

"No, I don't _like him back. _I heard him talking to someone. It just sounded... off."

"That's helpful," he snapped sarcastically. Wren growled.

"Would you listen to me? He was talking to someone about some kind of mark, and then... then he started screaming. You know anything about this?" Sirius blanched. A mark... It couldn't mean what he thought it meant. Peter was Peter, and he was _not _a deatheater. He wasn't a Slytherin, so he couldn't be... Right?

"I... um, I mean... Well, yes and no. It's... I don't know about Peter, but..." He trailed off. If he continued, he would have to explain about his crazy family and screwed up childhood, which he really wasn't ready to do.

"But what?" Wren prodded, hazel eyes wide. She stepped closer to him for emphasis and Sirius couldn't help but notice that she was about a foot shorter than him.

"My... Er, my family is... you know, into that sort of stuff."

"What sort of stuff, Sirius?"

"There's a, uh, group... Back in England. Big on pureblood superiority and all that, followers of the, uh..."

"Dark Lord?" Wren guessed, heart racing. Pureblood superiority reminded her too much of that night in third year. They didn't like her because she was a half-blood. Her father married a Muggle, and that's why they hurt him...

"Yeah. His name's Voldemort. The Noble House of Black is, er, a big fan." Abruptly, Wren backed away from him. Before he could stop himself, Sirius reached out to her. "But I'm not! That's why... That's what..."

"That's what you meant when you said I was lucky?" she finished for him.

"Er, kind of." He felt overwhelmingly uncomfortable, like all of his baby pictures had just been plastered around the castle. Was this how Wren felt when Scott revealed her secret?

"Well, I'm not," she informed him, nose in the air. "By the way, it was your family's buddies that did this to him. Or the American version, anyway." Sirius choked.

"What?"

"I'm a halfbood. They didn't like that, I guess," she informed him snappishly. She knew it was irrational, knew it wasn't his fault, but she couldn't help her anger. It was just so unfair that all of this had been dumped on her. First, her father was crazy. Then, her entire school found out and it was her new friend's family's fault (kind of). Now she had this Quidditch match tomorrow...

_"Shit," _Wren breathed suddenly. Sirius crinkled his brow.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Quidditch," Wren groaned. "And I have to play with Donaldson tomorrow or find a replacement, and I just can't even deal with it right now..." She massaged her temples, falling into a chair. This was all happening way too fast. Why couldn't she just have a normal life, like Scarlett or that Marlene girl Sirius was with the other day? One without all these stupid responsibilities and secrets.

"Hey," Sirius said softly, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. Wren didn't have the energy to shrug it off. "Don't worry about him. Everyone can tell he wants this just as badly as you do; he'll behave himself. And you're a good enough Seeker that the game will be over before it even begins." She studied him.

"Thanks, I guess."

"Yeah. And, um, thanks for telling me... About Wormtail," Sirius ground out. Now that he'd helped Wren with her problems, he needed to deal with his own.

"Wormtail?" Wren repeated.

"Yeah, Peter's nickname," he informed her, shrugging.

"Yeah, I know. Just sounds... fittingly sketchy, I guess," she joked. And Sirius couldn't help but wonder what that meant.

**A/N: Thoughts? Short, I know, but it wouldn't make sense for that to go on any longer. Next chapter: the game against Salem!**

Also, I published a new story, and I would love it if you checked it out! It's about a girl named Arden, who's brother was killed by a werewolf and... Yeah, it's better than it sounds. Anyways, please comment/favorite this AND read This Neck of the Woods!


	19. Secret Skills

It was hard for Sirius to think of anything but Peter after he and Wren's little... chat. The Dark Mark meant a lot of things to him, truthfully. His parents, his cousins, (possibly) his brother. But he never... He would have never thought of _Peter. _Innocent, naive little Peter, who was always just good enough to fit in, yet just awkward enough not to be noticed.

But now Sirius _had _to think of other things. He had to think of Quidditch and winning, if not for himself, then for Wren, who was doubtlessly having a panic attack in her room. So, he put on his uniform, gathered his broomstick and bat, and walked outside as calmly as possible, trying not to grimace as he passed by Peter. He still hadn't confided in his friends about the rat's betrayal, mostly because he didn't want to say it out loud. That would mean admitting that there was something wrong with the perfect little group of friends he called his 'real' family.

"Padfoot!" James called after him, stumbling to keep up. Usually he was the first one awake on game days, and it was _never _Sirius. This new development was slightly worrying. "What in Merlin's name are you going so fast for?"

Sirius contemplated confessing everything right there and then, but decided against it. Not only would it be too hard, it would break James's heart. The Marauders and everything they'd created were like his baby. He could never play a good game knowing that he'd been betrayed.

"Birdy will go mad if we don't hurry up," Sirius lied, shrugging. James furrowed his brow, glancing at his watch.

"We have half an hour 'til we have to be there," he pointed out. "Moony and Wormy are still asleep."

"Oh," Sirius responded, slightly disgruntled. "Er, I want to warm up."

"Warm up?" James repeated incredulously. "You never warm up!"

"Well, now I do," he snapped back, continuing on his way to the pitch. He really wasn't in the mood for small talk. In fact, he felt a bit like Wren, with all these stand-offish responses.

Finally, they reached the pitch. Sirius sighed in relief. With the rest of the team around, there would be no more need for him to keep dodging questions. Of course, only Wren was there as of yet, pacing the locker room and gnawing furiously on her lip.

"Good, you're here," she greeted. "Look, Salem sucks. They do - everyone's always known it. That's why we _can't. Lose." _

"Geez, Birdy. We're the only ones even here yet. Save the pep talk," James teased. Her mouth twisted into a frown.

"I'm doing it one by one," she informed him tersely. "So I get to as many people as possible before Dick-aldson comes along."

"Clever name," Sirius guffawed, pushing away the memories of their last conversation. He had to act as normally as possible until they_ - he - _figured the whole Wormtail thing out.

"Thanks," Wren spat.

"Anytime."

* * *

The team gathering was tenser than Sirius could have imagined. Scott - or Dick-aldson - was smirking smugly in the corner while the rest of the group was trying not to make eye-contact with Wren. She looked slightly terrifying; her eyes were blazing and her mouth was scrunched into a determined scowl. Anyone could see that she was ready to kill. (Figuratively, and perhaps literally, too.)

She was even more intimidating minutes later, when she was high in the air on her broomstick. Locks of hair were struggling free from her ponytail, whipping in her face as she circled above the game like a vulture. In her bright blue uniform, she stuck out from all the bland Salem girls. Sirius was almost tempted to think she was beautiful - but that sounded so... well, for lack of a better term, _serious. _So for now, she was still just pretty. _Kind of. _

For some reason, he glanced at her between batting wildly at Bludgers. His mind kept flashing back to what she said about Peter and it was incredibly distracting. All he could think about was how it must have happened... She would have just been walking by when Peter screamed and she noticed the Mark on his arm.

No... No, that couldn't be it. Wren didn't even know what the Dark Mark was, and even if she did, it wouldn't have just appeared on his arm. Someone had to have given it to him... Another Death Eater at Veneficus!

Blinded with curiosity, Sirius jerked the handle of his broom straight up. He needed to know who the other Death-Eater was, and he needed to know now. If he didn't figure it out, he was sure he'd go mad, and then they certainly wouldn't win.

Wren, apparently, didn't see things the same way.

"Black! What the _hell _do you think you're doing?" she roared above the crowd. "You might have forgotten, but we have a game to play!"

"I know, Birdy, I know," he assured her. "But- the other Death Eater-"

"The other _what?!" _she demanded.

"The one that made Peter scream," he explained, too caught up to even make a sexual joke about what he'd just said. "Who was he?"

"I have no idea," she ground out. "Now start doing your job!"

"No- what did he look like? Tell me and I'll go back to beating and whatnot, but just tell me first!"

"Why?"

"Because I want to know! So tell me!" Wren pouted, looking a bit flustered.

"He-he was tall-ish, I guess."

"Tall-ish. That narrows it down," Sirius drawled. Wren glared at him.

"I could be kicking you off the team, so take what you get," she warned him. "His hair was black - and really greasy, and his nose was on the bigger side, I guess."

Sirius's insides froze. He really shouldn't have been surprised - Snape was the poster boy for dark wizard material. But it was all so convoluted... Peter turning to Snape for help? Or did Snape offer up his services? Either way, it was weird. But on the other hand, it had _always _been weird.

"Thanks, Birdy," he breath before whizzing back down to the game.

"Black- what just happened?" Wren called after him, but he ignored her. He had the answers he needed now. All that was left to do was have a nice little chat with Snivellus.

* * *

They had won. Regardless of Sirius's little spaz attack, Veneficus Hall beat Salem Academy. It didn't really come as a shock, but it was nice to win anyways.

James, predictably, was planning a victory party. Without Hogsmeade, it was going to be a little difficult, but he seemed confident that he could make it happen. Normally, Sirius would be latching on to any plans involving alcohol, but he had more important matters to tend to at the moment. Actually, one important matter. And it started with an 'S'.

"Snivelly!" he hollered, patrolling the section of the dorms devoted to the Slytherins. A belligerent Snape slithered out of the shadows, lip curling in disgust when he saw Sirius.

"What do you want, Black?" he spat.

"Just to know what you want with my friend," Sirius retorted, faltering a bit on the 'friend'. Peter still was his friend, wasn't he? Except for the fact that he was a crazy liar...

"I would never want anything with any friend of _yours, _Black."

"Then what did Wren Emerson hear you and Peter Pettigrew talking about?" he growled. "And don't tell me he wanted help with Potions." Snape froze.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," he stuttered.

"Oh, I'm sure you do," Sirius chuckled. "Death Eater."

"At least it's better than being a blood traitor!" Snape wailed.

"Then you _are _a Death Eater?"

"None of your business!"

"What my friends do is my business!" Sirius contradicted him.

"Then keep better tabs on your friends! And keep away from me, _blood traitor." _Finally exasperated with this game of cat and mouse, Sirius's hand flicked to his wand.

"Tell me, Snape, or I swear-"

"Black!" a shrill voice interrupted. Sirius groaned internally as Lily Evans stormed over. "You're not allowed to attack random students at Hogwarts, and you're not allowed to do it here-" She stopped short at the sight of her ex best friend. "Sev- Um, Snape. Hello."

"Lily," Snape swallowed.

"Evans, to you," she corrected him coldly. "In any event, I came here for Black - Potter's looking for him."

"Potter?" Snape repeated.

"Potter. I ran into him in the hall, and apparently there's some party for the Quidditch players. Just, come on, Black." Sirius followed her obediently, trotting to keep up. He desperately wanted to ask her about the awkward run-in with her ex best friend, but ultimately decided against it. Lily was bound to burst into tears, and then James would rip Sirius a new one for making the love of his life upset. Besides, he now had no choice but to confront Peter. If Snape wasn't willing to give up any answers, pathetic little Wormtail wouldn't be able to hide.

Once they finally reached the site of the party, Sirius was surprised to find it fairly well stocked. There was plenty of firewhiskey and magical sweets, and a steady stream of music was emanating from a plump pillow on the couch. Most people were dancing or talking, Wren was lounging in the corner like a loner, Remus was nibbling a piece of chocolate, and James was pining after Lily. So where was Peter?

And then, as if God was listening, the crowd of people parted to reveal a tipsy, droopy-eyed Wormtail.

"Wormy!" Sirius hollered, trying to sound as nonthreatening as possible. "Come here!" As usual, Peter immediately obeyed his more popular friend.

Once he had Peter firmly in his grasp, Sirius discreetly dragged him outside. He didn't want anyone to witness this exchange - it was quite possible that it could go very, very wrong.

"Show me your arm," he commanded. Peter blanched.

"Wha-what?"

"Show me your arm, Peter."

"U-um, al-alright," he stuttered. Chuckling nervously, he thrust forward his right arm, pulling up his shirt to reveal pale, smooth skin. Sirius growled.

"Wrong arm, Wormtail." Impatiently, Sirius grabbed the bumbling boy's left arm, yanking his sleeve upward. There, he found a glittering skull and snake emblazoned on the flesh. His lip curled upward in disgust. He'd been angry before, but there was still a chance that there was some kind of mistake. Now he knew for sure that one of his best friends had gone and betrayed him. He'd expect this from his brother, even, but never Peter. "How... How could you?" Peter stared firmly at the ground.

"I... You don't understand, Sirius."

"Oh, I don't?" Sirius roared. "You mean my parents haven't helped me to properly understand the mass murder of millions of innocent wizards? Enlighten me, Wormtail! I mean, what with your extensive knowledge of the subject!"

"Of course you don't understand!" Peter snapped, looking uncharacteristically fierce. "You've plenty of money and plenty of friends, you're the great Sirius Black! You don't have anything that you need, you don't get what it's like to be like me! I have to do this Sirius, I have to!"

"What? You think I have everything? Yes, I suppose I do, except for the fact that my parents hate me-"

"You didn't ever think I have the same problem? Except everyone at school dislikes me too, even you and James! Don't try to deny it! All you ever do is tease me and laugh at me! If it take the Dark Lord to get me any respect, then so be it!"

"Don't expect respect from me and James now! You really are a rat, Wormt-"

"Shut up!" Peter cried. "Shut up!"

"You honestly think I won't tell him?" Sirius hissed. "Now that I know who you really are?"

"I know you won't," Peter insisted, voice just barely wavering.

"Now how could you possibly know that?" Sirius drawled.

"Because you're going to forget this conversation."

"What?" he scoffed. If Peter was implying that he had the ability to wipe Sirius's memory, he was sorely mistaken. His charm skills were quite frankly pathetic, and-

_"Obliviate!" _he shouted suddenly, so loudly that Sirius was positive someone would hear. But before he could form the entire thought, his memory of the past two days was gone in a dizzying flash and he fell hopelessly to the floor. The last thing he managed to glimpse before passing out was Wren, rushing towards them with her wand in the air.

**A/N: Ooh, plot twist! Thoughts?**


	20. Alibis and the Aftermath

Wren wasn't entirely sure about what just happened. She'd been celebrating her Quidditch win, minding her own business, when she heard a vague shout. Naturally, she followed the source of the noise, and walked in to find Peter Pettigrew towering over an unconscious Sirius Black.

Well, _that _was something you don't see everyday.

"Peter?" Wren burst out incredulously. The small boy whipped his head around, eyes wide in fear. He stumbled on Sirius's limp legs until he finally backed into the wall.

"Wren!" he squeaked. "Sirius... He's unconscious!" Wren narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah, I got that," she growled. She hadn't forgotten Sirius's warning. If everything he'd been saying about Volda-whoozit was true, then Peter was the enemy. She kept her hand wrapped firmly around her wand, ready to attack at any moment. "I'm more interested in _why _he's unconscious."

"Oh, er, right... Well, you see, I can see how it would look strange to you, but... I have a perfectly reasonable explanation!"

"Oh, really?" Wren challenged doubtfully, arching her eyebrows. She'd been told she could be a bit scary, and she planned to use that to her advantage.

"Yes, really!" Peter cried desperately. "He... he hauled me over here and started hollering about how I betrayed him, or something, and then he came towards me, and I was just going to stun him, really, but something went wrong, and now he's unconscious!" Wren pretended to look thoughtful.

"So you're telling me you _didn't _betray him?" Peter shook his head furiously. "And you _didn't _pledge your loyalty to the Dark Lord?" He tensed, but recovered quickly.

"Never!" he assured her forcefully. Wren scoffed.

"Then it _wasn't_ you I heard, talking about how you needed money _so, so _badly, and how you promise to be a faithful servant?" she drawled, voice dripping in sarcasm. Peter's eyes widened.

"You- you heard that?"

"Who do you think told Black, you idiot?" she sneered. Peter not-so-discreetly made a mad dive for his wand, snatching it off the ground. Wren snickered, her wand already extended. _"Expelliarmus!" _she barked, catching his wand easily as it soared through the air. He really was a dunce if he honestly thought she wouldn't notice he was about to hex her. For good measure, she stepped over to Sirius's limp form, sliding his wand out of his pocket. Couldn't be too careful.

"Now I suggest you tell the truth, or I'll have to use all three of these wands on you." Peter giggled nervously.

"It was supposed to be a secret," he began.

"Yeah, I guess it must have sucked when your best friend found out you supported a mass murderer."

"No!" he wailed. "No, that's not it - you see, it's not what it looks like." His eyes shifted around the room, searching for a viable story. "There's- there's this thing I do."

"Oh, yes, that explains everything," Wren hissed bitingly, raising her own wand once again. Peter held his hands up in defense.

"No, please, Wren! I can explain, I promise! It's a ruse - really, it's just a ruse! We've got this... organization, thing, back in England, put together by our headmaster, and it's to _stop _the Dark Lord, so you see, I'm really just a double agent, I swear!" Wren paused for a moment. And then, suddenly, she dissolved into peals of laughter.

"You... expect me... to believe... _that _bullshit?" she demanded through her cackles. "Tell me, did you eat glue as a child, Pettigrew?" She advanced slowly, moving in on her prey. She didn't really know what she was going to do, just that she had to do something. Stun him, maybe? A nice jelly-legs jinx and then she could interrogate him-

"Birdy," a sleepy voice groaned. In tandem, Wren and Peter whipped around to face Sirius, who was slowly lifting himself off the floor. "What on earth are you doing to Wormy, and why am I on the ground?"

"You don't remember?" She gasped as the pieces came together. "He _obliviated _you!"

"I did not!" Peter piped up. "He's just too drunk to remember, that's all!"

"We were all at the party together, he didn't have anything to drink!" she shot back.

"Then why can't he remember?"

"Because you _wiped his memory, _you numskull!" she roared.

"Wait, why would he do that?" Sirius wondered aloud.

"Because he's a _traitor!" _Wren wailed. "He's with Volda... Voldy... the Dark Lord!" Peter froze.

"Sirius, I-"

"Peter?" Sirius scoffed suddenly. "He doesn't have the balls to betray us!"

"See?" Peter entreated Wren. "I don't have the balls!"

"Are you both really that stupid?" Wren snarled.

"Who's that stupid?" a new voice demanded. James Potter swaggered into the room, closely followed by Remus Lupin.

"Black here won't admit that Pettigrew is a Death-Eater, even though we've had this conversation before!"

"We have? I don't remember," Sirius chimed in.

"Because you've been obliviated! Merlin, you're dense!"

"Are you accusing one of my best friends of being in league with Voldemort?" James thundered furiously.

"He has the Mark, check his arm or whatever!"

"Fine, I will!" James retorted.

"Wait!" Peter begged. James paused.

"Oh, don't wait, he's just going to feed you some crap about how he's a double-agent for some secret organization your principle made! Like there's even such a thing!" Wren commanded him.

"Secret organization?" he repeated.

"I know! It's ludicrous!"

"No, it's really not," James replied stonily.

_"What?!" _

"My parents are members. I'm not supposed to know, but I do. I found a letter from Dumbledore over break. It's called the Order of the Phoenix. So before you accuse someone innocent of doing something so horrendous, do some research," he spat.

"Wait, James!" Peter interrupted. Much to Wren's shock, he sprang to her defense. "Wren _did _catch me in an... odd position. She overheard me talking to someone about the Mark, and then walked in while Sirius was passed out. You see, she told him what she heard, and he asked me about it, so I _did _have to obliviate him, for the Order, you see. And he was knocked unconscious, so... I guess it did look suspicious."

Wren gaped. How could a boy as dumb as Peter Pettigrew be such an adept liar? James, Remus, and Sirius all seemed completely convinced by his little story. Was she really the only one that could see the cracks? However, before she could call him out, Peter released the real whopper:

"So, for the sake of the Order, I'm going to have to obliviate you all as well."

"What? Peter, I believe you and all, but I can't let you do that," James said definitively.

"I have to," Peter sighed.

"No, you don't! I think it's clear we all dislike Voldemort just as much as you, so we're going to be a part of the Order, whether you like it or not! And don't think we won't be able to deflect your charm, especially now that we all know what you want to do!"

"I don't have a choice!"

"You do," James insisted. "And I'm making it for you: you're not obliviating us. Not now, not ever. We're going to support you, mate."

"You are?" Wren gasped.

"Look, Birdy," James began condescendingly. "I get you're shaken and everything, but honestly, you hardly know Peter at all. He doesn't lie. So please, just move past this, okay?" Before she could respond, James strode out, the rest of the Marauders in tow.

**A/N: I don't love it, but it is what it is, and I needed to get you something after all this time. Sorry about the wait, by the way. What do you think? Comment please!**


	21. Insects and Other Annoying Things

**A/N: Hey guys, I am SO SO SORRY about the wait. I know it took a long time, but finals just suck like that. Christmas break soon, though.**

**I'd also like to ask you to remember the victims of the Sandy Hook School Shooting in Newtown. I live about 20 minutes away from the school and it's been a truly horrifying experience. If you haven't heard of it, it was the second deadliest school shooting in US history (behind Virginia Tech). If updates continue to be slow, chances are it's because I'm trying to comfort friends who live there. Thank you for understanding :)**

To say the least, Sirius was confused.

Not just because he was hearing two very different stories regarding Peter's possible betrayal. Well, sure, that was a little befuddling. But what the real problem was, was that he should know exactly who to listen to.

He should have been able to immediately say he trusted James's judgement. They had been best friends for years, they were practically inseparable. Shouldn't that be reason enough for Sirius to put his faith in him, instead of American he'd met about a month ago? Still, Wren just seemed so sure... And she acted like they'd been in on this together the entire time. _We _were_in on this together, _a voice that sounded annoyingly like Wren's reminded him. _You just don't remember because your supposed 'best friend' _obliviated _you._

_But Peter had a reason for that,_ Sirius argued with himself. _He explained it all to us. It was for the Order. And James agreed. _

Satisfied, Sirius settled back into bed. It was probably around four in the morning, which was really far too early for him to be up. Usually it was impossible for him to be awake before 8 AM, but you see, tonight he never fell asleep in the first place. He just lay there, pondering the meaning of life.

Or something like that. After all, friends kind of _were _the meaning of life, at least to him. With no family to speak of, and arguably no real redeeming qualities, all Sirius really had were the other Marauders, and perhaps Wren. And if one of them wasn't really his friend, his whole life would just dissolve on the spot. Which, needless to say, would not be good. And it also wouldn't be good if he had to choose whose word he trusted more: James's or Wren's...

Eventually this moral dilemma forced him to examine his entire relationship with each of them. As previously stated, he and James were brothers. Sirius had little to no doubt that they would end up being the odd old people everyone stares at in the store, the ones that made crude comments because they could and continued to check out much younger girls. At least, that's what he hoped for them.

Wren, on the other hand, was a virtual stranger. He knew about her family, although that wasn't her choice. He was also on her Quidditch team, but again, she was kind of forced to accept him. So their entire relationship was her somewhat reluctantly fitting him into her life and him annoying her about it. Which she probably hated, but he liked, in a very weird way.

It was strange to think of himself feeling anything other than indifference to someone like Wren. She was grunge-y and gritty, and perhaps even more rebellious than Sirius. She never gave anyone any indication that she cared about them, and was often too tempestuous to actually talk to. But then again, she was strikingly pretty, and so aloof that it was sort of intriguing. And she was a bit of a martyr, too. He remembered her indignant reaction when he hexed Lola. If he had to pick a favorite person outside of the Marauders, it would probably be her. She was kind of perfect for him.

He paused in his train of thoughts. Why did all these things sound so _romantic? _They weren't in any kind of relationship, and she had a boyfriend. He didn't like her that way at all. In fact, the very idea made him sick to his stomach. Or... was that butterflies?

No, it couldn't be. That sort of thing only occurred in bad novels for adolescent witches. Not real life.

But why did the sickening feeling only grow when he thought about Wren? The only answer was that they really, truly _were _butterflies. And if that was true, then those butterflies needed to be killed immediately.

* * *

The stupidity of some people really was astounding.

They could literally be staring at the enemy, and they didn't even notice it! They were just too damn stubborn to admit that they'd been wrong about someone. Wren growled furiously under her breath as she thought about James, Sirius, and Remus, the three people she was currently enraged at. How could they be so idiotic as to think that Peter was telling the truth? It was no secret that Peter wasn't the brightest, so why would he possibly be recruited for some secret organization? It simply didn't add up. She needed to make them see that. But how?

She'd tried talking to James, and had failed. Sirius would undoubtedly just go along with whatever his best friend decided. Peter obviously wasn't an option. Would Remus be willing to listen, then? She paused. It wasn't as though she had anything to lose.

Satisfied with her new plan, Wren immediately began her search for the most responsible Marauder. If she were Remus Lupin, where would she be? Lunch had ended hours ago, so he wouldn't be in the Dining Hall. His friends were probably in detention for something or other, so he would probably be using the time to do something productive, like homework...

Determinedly, Wren headed towards the library. She was pleased to see that he was exactly where she predicted he would be, sitting at a table, nose in a book. Not wasting time with greetings, she slid into the seat across from him.

"You don't _actually _believe Pettigrew's little story, do you?" she demanded. Remus started, but recovered quickly.

"I trust my friends," he told her solemnly.

"But it's _ridiculous! _You must know that! Sirius and James might be idiots, but you're not. Pettigrew's _lying _and you know it. Just admit it before he hurts someone!" Remus shifted uncomfortably.

"Sirius and James are very loyal."

_"Too _loyal," Wren insisted.

"Look, Wren," Remus sighed. "I know it looks really, really bad to you. But- but I trust Peter. I have to."

"Why?" she demanded.

"Because there was a time when he could have very easily turned on me. But he trusted me against all evidence. I owe it to him to do the same," he said cryptically.

"What is _that _supposed to mean?"

"It means that not everything is what it seems! Now can I please finish this essay?" he burst out exasperatedly. Wren pouted and his eyes softened the tiniest bit. "Just trust me when I say I have very good reason to trust Peter, okay?"

Wren grunted in response before dejectedly walking away. She did trust Remus. Even if they didn't know each other very well, he seemed like a genuinely good person, and it was clear he was smart. Plus he'd been so adamant in defending Peter, she couldn't really argue with him. So, against her better judgement, she slunk back into her dorm room. Peter still looked plenty suspicious to her, but there was no use beating a dead horse. So she would have to trust the Marauders, whether she liked it or not.

**A/N: Thanks for reading, guys! Again, I'm sorry if it wasn't my best, especially because I kept you waiting for so long, but my community has been struggling with Friday's tragedy and I'm kind of having a hard time concentrating. Thank you so much for understanding, and please keep Sandy Hook in your thoughts! (Comments would be great, too.)**


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Harry Potter, Humor, Romance