*Lilah POV*

The moment I entered the dining hall, whispers broke out.

My eyes darted nervously across the faces of my classmate's parents who were staring at me curiously.

James' arm tightened on my shoulders, trying to soothe my nerves.

"Don't worry so much, Love. Everyone will love you," he whispered softly.

"The only reason everyone is staring so much Lil' Lupin is because of this git," Sirius gestured furiously to James. "James is like that God with the triton – y'know the water one? Of course, I'm that Zeus guy but still-hey!" He yelps at Remus' surprised slap on the back of his head.

"Where did you even come from?" He mutters, rubbing his head angrily.

"You're freaking the poor girl out Pads," Remus laughed, dimples pulling at his cheeks.

James led me to the Gryffindor table, his fingers drawing soft circles of comfort onto the top of my arm.

"Why are they staring? Someone doesn't get this much attention from being new." I wondered aloud, confusion marking my words.

"It's because you're with the Marauders and probably also the fact that you and James came in together," Peter interjected, quickly sitting between Sirius and Remus across the table from James and I.

I glanced curiously at the arm still placed around my shoulders causing James to cough awkwardly, slowly removing it and smiling sheepishly at me.

"The Marauders? That's what you call yourselves, right?" I remembered, thinking back to the enchanted map of the castle.

"That's what our people call us," Sirius corrected, his arms sweeping out dramatically.

His people?

I began to laugh while Remus began muttering under his breath, probably insulting his friend.

"Why are you laughing, Love? It's true." James smirked, his mischievous eyes twinkling.

"We're like King's, and now that we've accepted you into our social circle that means that you're a soon to be Queen." Sirius stated seriously before mumbling under his breath, "more like someone's Queen." A cheeky grin danced on his face as his friend glared, his cheeks slightly tinted pink.

"What was that last part, Sirius? I didn't quite catch that." I asked curiously.

"Oh it was nothing," He waved dismissively, the grin still lingering on his cheeks.

I quickly ate before walking to class with Sirius – the only Marauder who had potions first up.

Sirius, of course, chose the table the furthest from the teacher's desk positioned at the right-hand side of the front.

"Students! Students! Settle down now." The teacher chided, running a hand over his balding head.

The Slytherin's in the room reluctantly listened to their head of house, shuffling back to their chairs at the commencing of class.

The teacher, who I later found out was called Mr. Slughorn, proceeded to explain to the class the potion we would be making and listing off the ingredients required.

"...And all these will be found in the cabinets on the outskirts of the room. You may begin." He clapped enthusiastically.

"I'll get the ingredients, you get the book." Sirius uttered before heading off in the direction of some perky Slytherin blonde.

Great.

I pushed my chair back, it scrapping quietly across the stone floor of the dungeon.

I ventured to the front of the room and quickly collected the book, eager to complete my first potion.

A Slytherin girl stepped in front of me, "Lilac right?"

"Um, it's Lilah actually," I corrected politely, allowing a small smile to spread on my face.

"I don't really care what your name is," she began harshly, a glare quickly forming on her face. "What I do care about is my boyfriend hanging out with some slut." She spat, fury lining her words.

I stared in shock before I realised that not everyone would be as welcoming as the Marauders and my dorm mates. "Look I'm not sure what I've done or who your boyfriend is but I'm sorry if I've done something to upset you."

"You're sorry?" She screeched, "Who the hell do you think you are? That you can waltz in and can magically be popular and be with my boyfriend? I don't think so. No wonder your mum's dead, she probably killed herself so that she didn't have to put up with you anymore."

Tears pooled in my eyes as she delivered the final blow, the silence of the classroom and the watching of my peers only contributing to my humiliation.

"Who the hell do you think you are? That you can just waltz in here and act like you know me? That you know what happened to my mum? Well, you know what? Fuck you." I seethed, my sadness quickly transforming into anger.

I turned my back on the Slytherin and calmly waltzed out of the classroom, only then allowing the tears to fall.

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