Right, I have been a bit naughty for three reasons…

Number 1- I neglected to update my last story for over 6 months! If that's not a listed crime, it most certainly should be.

Number 2- Having realised the above, I reread my story and realised there were certain bits that I didn't like (a lot that I did though), some bits which I thought needed changing and then realised I had no idea where the story was going. So I deleted it, have renamed it (coz the last title sucked a bit!) edited it and (gasp….!) PLANNED it! Lets hope that now it will survive my purging gaze (as technically this is big fic mark 3).

Number 3- I have another LJ fic up at the moment ('Lily') but for reasons crucial to the plot, Sirius has not (as yet) made his entrance and won't do so for another few chapters. And I LOVE SIRIUS! Not just coz he's absolutely gorgeous and scrummy in the book (and whatever anyone says, Johnny Depp IS Sirius), but he is soooo much fun to write! So this gives me a chance to let out my frustration of having written no Sirius in months!

As many people know, my updates are sporadic but as I have done a lot of work on this already I may be able to do some regular updates, at least in the beginning. It also enables me to incorporate bits we learnt in HBP into this story (e.g. in the last one, Lily hated potions- a fact we now know to be complete crappola quite honestly!).

So I really really hope you like this story- as always I am completely open to all kinds of constructive criticism… it's the only way we get better isn't it?

Mountains worth of chocolate for those who work out the function of that little button that says 'review' on it!

Lol r xxx

Disclaimer- If I can't have all of Harry Potter, can I just have Sirius? Please?

Greyback smelled blood. Fresh at that. He had already eaten twice that night, but five year old child? Now that was a delicacy he wasn't going to pass up…

The small boy stood alone outside a dense clump of trees. The swings of the park were swaying eerily in the cool breeze. The boy didn't cry, but stood stock still, eyes trying desperately to find someone he knew in the rapidly gathering gloom. But there was noone. He called out for his mother but there was no reply.

The child's piercing blue eyes shone in the twilight as they filled with tears. The game of hide-and-seek had clearly ended ages ago and no one had found him. The other children didn't like him much anyway- strange things happened around him and they generally avoided him if they could.

He didn't like the park- the older children had told him stories of a monster that lived in the bushes that ate children if they stayed out after dark. He didn't necessarily believe everything they told him- he was quite a cautious child, but he didn't like the idea of going in there anyway.

A small rustle behind him made him jump. He turned around but couldn't find the source of the noise.

'Mummy?' he called out. No reply. He took a cautious step forwards, trying to see past the trees.

'Hello?' he said again. A stronger gust of wind blew around him, threatening to unbalance him. Then, a patch of light lit the trees- the moon appeared from behind the clouds; a bright silver orb that the child looked at for a few seconds before turning back to the trees. The patch of moonlight had illuminated to pinpricks of light from within the dark. Then a growl…

12 years on…

'Ow. Prongs that was my foot.'

'It's not my fault they're so big.'

'It's not my fault that the only place you're not as clumsy as Evans is on a broomstick.'

'Lily isn't clumsy.'

'Oh no, she just spilt multicoloured ink all over my transfiguration essay as a joke.'

'Yeah, that's right.'

'She didn't do it on purpose.'

'Actually, she did. She said it was to pay you back for trying to assault her when she was doing her prefect duties.'

'I did not.'

'Yes you did, I was with you.'

'Oh yeah.'

'You deserved more.'

'What? Of Lily or the ink on my essay?'

'Which do you think?'

'Oh, Lily… ow fuck Prongs, that was my foot!'

James grinned. That one had been on purpose.

'Aww, is little Jamesie getting jealous of my irresistible good looks?'

'Oh yeah, so jealous. Especially after she cursed your nose off when you tried to assault her.'

Sirius winced. That had bloody hurt. Why had he chosen the brightest witch in the school to pick on? Why?

'Coz you're an idiot.'

'Damn it Prongs, were you legili-thinging me again?'

'Now what would make you think that?'

'Coz you just read my mind.'

'Bit of a give-away huh?'

'Only a little.'

'There goes Peter.' The two boys stood stock still under James' invisibility cloak as they stopped walking two hundred yards from the Whomping Willow. They had told Peter to go on ahead as usual so he could freeze the tree. They watched it for a second, looking, for all its evils, like a regular tree.

'You know considering it was only planted six years ago, it's grown a bloody lot,' said Sirius.

'Bet Hagrid's been giving it a bit of help though,' grinned James. They both knew full well that Hagrid was doing all he could to make the willow more vicious than it already was, for reasons known only to Hagrid. However, over the past 6 years, James, Sirius and Peter had sustained, between them, 3 broken arms, 5 broken noses, 2 cases of whiplash, 1 broken leg and 26 visible scars just from trying to get as close to the tree as possible. Of course, when they had found out how to become animagi, they hadn't sustained any injuries at all, but poor Davy Gudgeon…

'Thanks Wormtail,' whispered James to the rat at the base of the tree as he slipped the cloak off him and Sirius. He cast a glance up at the sky. The moon was currently being shielded by a thick band of cloud, no doubt heralding rain for the next morning. But the moon was definitely there.

'Ready mate?' asked Sirius.

'When haven't I been?'

'Okay, let's go.'

Up at the school, a red-haired girl, a seventh year, cast a glance out of the window. She couldn't see anything through the dark but she still sat and stared, worrying. They'd all gone out. Again.

Frustration welled up in her. Why wouldn't they tell her what they were doing? She was as good a marauder as any of them, if not more so in Peter's case.

She finished the last Potion's essay, not that it was hers. She knew Sirius and James hadn't done it yet, and they probably didn't even know it was in for tomorrow. But she didn't fancy having to do detention duty when they were in it. Last time, they'd managed to destroy an entire dragon skeleton, conjure up about five boggarts and set her hair on fire.

'You look so hot when you're fiery,' Sirius had said as Lily had them suspended in the air while she tidied the room, extinguishing those things that had caught fire in the tumult, including her hair. The comment had cost him.

'Hey, Lils, what's up?' Nick Foster strolled over to her in the library, top button of his shirt undone, shirt sleeves rolled up in a casual manner and chestnut hair gleaming in the candlelight.

The low-down on Nick Foster- a very tall, very good-looking, fiendishly bright Ravenclaw with a body belonging to a God, eyes that were possible to melt in and a smile that made students and teachers (female I'd like to clarify) go weak at the knees. Also one of Lily's best friends and head boy.

'Nothing,' she replied in a monotone. He walked round to her and glanced over her shoulder.

'You're not doing their work again? Lily-'

'Look, I'd do the same for you if you needed me to.'

'Would I ever need you to?' A pregnant pause followed and Nick grinned and intoned, 'No, of course not, Nick. You are a wonderful person and I love you,' in a slightly too convincing 'Lily' voice. Lily smacked him playfully and turned back to the essay that was now drying.

'How do you keep your writing so neat?' he asked peering over her shoulder at the three foot long essay. 'Mine goes all spaz if I write over a foot.'

'What can I say? It's a gift,' said Lily, smiling.

'You're a gift to those mangy marauders.' He stood up, kissed her on he cheek and said, 'Go to bed soon. You look dead on your feet.'

'I will.'

'That's my girl.' Winking, he walked out of the library, leaving a path of swooning girls in his wake. Lily sighed, she had such lovely friends. That was the best thing about Nick. No matter how bad you felt before, after any conversation with him, no matter how short, you always felt a hundred times better.

Lily gathered up her books, and left five minutes, not giving the window a second glance. Which was just as well- four elongated shadows were moving along the edge of the forest before being lost in the trees… in clear view of the library.

6 hours later- Gryffindor Common room

'I thought that was most invigorating,' said Sirius as he slipped out from under the cloak and stretched languorously.

'Yeah, I …thought so… too,' panted Peter, clutching at a stitch in his side. 'I …just wish that… I could… change into a …larger animal. It's… really diff…icult keeping up…with you guys.'

'Keep your voice down Wormtail,' whispered James casting a wary eye around the common.

'Where's my little grass-eyed goddess?' asked Sirius, looking round the common room too.

'Bed probably,' replied Peter who had just about got his breath back. 'It is four am.'

'No wonder I'm so tired,' yawned James. 'That and my little scuffle with those tree guardian things.'

'Bowtruckles,' said Peter immediately (he was a keen herbologist).

'Yeah, whatever,' muttered James, yawning. Peter looked slightly hurt and James, feeling a bit bad said, 'Sorry mate.' He gave a huge yawn. 'Come on, let's get some sleep, I'm bloody exhausted.'

And with that, they traipsed upstairs, Sirius still whining slightly- his transformation always seemed to have more of an after-effect on him than on the others.

4 hours later- Gryffindor 7th year boys dormitory

'Where were you! You left me here, alone again! I hate you all, you're so mean to me! You are going to tell me where you were, NOW!'

Sirius rolled over, burying his head under his pillow. 'Squeaky voice… too early… ow…'

'Oh you wimp!' said Lily, jumping on his bed. 'Come on, get up!'

'Prongs, your girlfriend's sitting on me,' muttered Sirius.

'I am NOT his girlfriend!' yelled Lily, pounding the pillow under which Sirius' head was seeking refuge.

'But would you like to be?' asked James.

'NO!' yelled Lily, now going to jump on his bed, as jumping on Sirius' didn't seem to have the desired effect she was looking for. Sirius just didn't seem to feel pain at all- not that Lily weighed much anyway.

'Ow! Sirius! Mate! Little help would be appreciated.' Sirius rolled out of bed, strolled over to James' bed, picked Lily up around the waist with one arm, strolled back over to his bed, dumped her on it and crouched over it like a cat over a mouse. Lily squealed as she was picked up and dumped on the bed, but didn't move. Truth be told, no girl would have really minded if Sirius Black was crouched over them, dark hair and chocolately eyes inches away from their face.

'Look my little emerald-eyed munchkin, you know how much we love you, but you can't seriously expect us to forgive you for waking us up at some ungodly hour of the morning.'

'Yeah I can, you owe me.'

'Owe you what?'

'For what happened on Friday.'

'I already paid for what I did- or did you fail to notice what you did to my essay.'

'You'd hardly written a thing.' At the look of indignation on Sirius' face, she continued, 'Anyway, classes start in half an hour, I came to get you lot up before you miss another days worth of lessons and you get into detention. Again.'

Sirius grinned- ah the life of a Marauder. Detentions a regular fixture, girls throwing themselves at your feet in worship, no work and great grades. That was the life.

'Yup, most definitely,' said James from across the room.

'Ahhh! Prongs, don't do that legilililgi-whatever thing,' Sirius shouted, wincing at the slight headache it gave him. 'Have I ever told you how much it hurts'

'It doesn't hurt that much,' said Lily, who had had it used on her many times.

'Does too.'

'Baby.' Sirius couldn't think of an adequate comeback to this so he decided that tickling was the next-best option. Lily screamed and wriggled on the bed as Peter gave a grunting snore and rolled over.

'How can he sleep over that racket?' muttered James, unheard by anyone as Lily screamed again, tears pouring own her face form the relentless tickling.

'Stop, stop, stop!' she gasped. Sirius ceased his onslaught.

'Okay, that was your punishment for the day, now skedaddle. I want to get dressed. Unless you'd like to stay of course,' he added a cheeky grin on his face as he pulled off the t-shirt he had slept in. Lily almost actually considered staying for a tiny infinitesimal second, but then thought better of it. Not good gossip to be floating around the head girl's reputation.

'Siri, darling, I'd love to. But I have important work that needs seeing to,' and she blew him a kiss as she made for the door, trying hard not to look at the beautiful body standing before her.

'Don't I get one too?' asked James from his bed. Lily grinned, walked over and kissed him on the cheek, threw a triumphant look at Sirius and walked out of the door.

'You know mate, I think she's torturing the both of us,' Sirius said once Lily's footsteps had died away. James lay on his bed in a slight state of shock. That was possibly the closest he'd ever been to Lily… ever. She had hated him so much. Was he changing for the better? Or had that just been to spite Sirius? Actually, he didn't care, he just knew he was going to be in a good mood for the rest of the day.

Sirius looked over at him from where he was trying, and failing, to get Peter out of his bed (he wsn't quite so petite as Lily). Sirius glared at him and muttered 'Why can't I do legili-whatsit?'

Yay! First chapter done. But first, I'm going to read over it, just to make sure I like it this time… yeah, cool. Hope you guys like it too (meaningful glance at that teeny-weeny little button on the bottom-left that happens to start with an 'r' and ends with a 'eview'). Presents to all my reviewers! Lol r xxx