Lacerta Black -- James Potter --

2

Slughorn handed the trio their schedules. Hers were of course all advanced to please her parents though she had managed to squeeze in Muggle Studies. The first thing on her agenda was Transfiguration with the Gryffindors. She could only hope that the Marauders had failed their O.W.L.S so that she didn't have to sit through the class with them. 

She stuffed her face with her blueberry muffin, stopping only when she saw a hurried movement out of the corner of her eye. Remus Lupin had a furious expression that looked menacing on his scarred face as he marched right towards her. 

"I've got to go," she said to Natalia and Tonya as she pushed herself off her bench and ran out of the Great Hall. Her curls were once again straightened and flew behind her as she tried to find a place to hide. It seemed silly for her to be upset with her older brother for running away as she did the same with her problems. 

The lycanthrope grasped her upper arm and began to drag her towards the kitchens, their usual meeting spot where they would get hot chocolates and gossip with the house-elves. "James told us about the party."

"Damn you and your freakishly long legs," she muttered, simply allowing him to walk them to the kitchens. She cursed her parents for her small stature as she stood a foot shorter than him. 

He tickled the pear and released her arm as soon as they stepped through. Mimsy, one of their favorite elves who always enthusiastically served them, leaped forward to hug their legs. "Oh! Mimsy has missed Miss Lacey and Mister Remus over the break!" 

"Get him white chocolate, Mimsy," Lacerta smirked evilly. 

"That's blasphemy," Remus frowned. "I will bite someone if I see white chocolate."

"The usual?" Mimsy asked as they nodded in response. 

She huffed, dramatically stomping to a chair as far away from him as possible. He rolled his eyes at the familiar Black family dramatics and sat across from her. "Do you want to explain why James said that you don't believe we're friends?"

"Because we're not," she crossed her arms. "You're my brother's boyfriend who was kind enough to get to know his baby sister. He left and now you don't have to pretend to like me."

"That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard," he thanked Mimsy for his steaming cup of hot chocolate, topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. "We all care about you and Regulus, Lacey. Hell, you two are just as much of a Marauder as the rest of us."

"I don't want to be apart of your little boy band," she narrowed her eyes at him. "Now if you don't mind, I have to get to Transfiguration."

"We're in the same class," he deadpanned. "It doesn't start for another thirty minutes. . . I know that Sirius left you, but that doesn't mean we are going to do the same."

Lacerta didn't know what to do, but she was a Slytherin through and through and an important part of that was self-preservation. If she pushed them away then they couldn't hurt her. 

"Look Lupin," hurt flashed through his brown eyes at the use of his last name. He once considered them to be as close as Sirius and James. Platonic Soulmates. "I don't want your pity nor do I need your friendship. Leave me alone and stop cornering me in the hallways."

She got up from the table, her hot chocolate untouched as she decided to go to class early. Her bag bumped against her hip as she strode through the halls with a cold expression that made some of the younger students shy away. After all, no one wanted to get in the way of a suspected future death eater. 

"Good morning Minnie," she greeted with a small smile. The only motherly affection she'd ever felt was with the woman in front of her.

"Miss Black," she nodded. "Your seat will be in the back, left corner."