She's the Girl | A Marauders Love story

Chapter 1

It's a joke.

Hailey Lowel sat at the Gryffindor table in between her best friends James Potter and Sirius Black, like she always did. Her other best friend Remus Lupin was sitting in his usual place beside Sirius, and they all sat opposite to the girls she shared a dorm with. They did this every morning without fail. No matter what happened during the day, the group of teenagers sat and ate the same breakfast at 7:00 every morning in the same places at the table. They all joked about how they would break into Hogwarts once they had graduated to keep the tradition going, but they joked about everything. For example, that very morning, James had asked Hailey on a date, like he did once a week, but he was just joking like he always did.

Sirius had dared James to ask Hailey out in their first year. She had declined, saying her parents didn't allow her to date until she was 16. Since then, James had asked her out weekly, each time with a different pick-up line and the same cheesy smile, knowing that she couldn't and wouldn't accept. Now, at the end of their fifth year, it had become routine. Every Saturday morning before breakfast, James would come up to Hailey and ask her on a date, she would decline, and they would go on with their morning.

It had always been a joke to them, and she was fine with it like that. It was natural to them, and she didn't see it stopping.

James Potter sat eating his breakfast like he always did. Hailey in between him and Sirius, and Remus on the other end. Just like every Saturday morning, he had asked Hailey out, and she had declined. Everybody knew it was a joke, and it happened routinely, but for some reason, he had felt a little upset when she had declined. He didn't understand why, but he wasn't going to talk about it with Sirius or Remus, because they would run straight to Hailey. He would have to just write a letter to his mom.

The thing with Hailey was that everybody liked her. She was nice to everyone and didn't believe in any of the house stereotypes. Even most of the Slytherins liked her. She made sure that none of the pranks the Marauders did were too harsh, and she always went out of her way to include people. She was pretty much perfect. She was smart, nice, talented, and pretty. She got better scores than Sirius in Charms, which was a difficult task.

Hailey was practically perfect in every way, and everyone knew it.

Especially James.

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Hailey laughed as James carried her down the stairs on his back with Sirius and Remus watching them bemusedly. Out of all of the Marauders, James and Hailey were the closest. For some reason, they just clicked. They were always together, and Hailey was known to sleep in the boys' dorm from time to time, taking the extra bed in the corner. She had some clothes in James's wardrobe so she didn't have to walk back to her dorm in the morning to get ready as well.

There was another boy in the Marauders dorm, Sean Prowly, but he got a girlfriend in their fourth year and spent quite a few nights in the Hufflepuff dorms rather than his own. He now only had a small collection of his clothes in a trunk in the corner and came in about once every week or so to grab something, and he was gone again. None of the Marauders minded. It was nice to have the dorm to themselves. They could talk without people listening, and have awesome sleepovers (though they would never tell anyone that part).

Hailey giggled as James huffed dramatically and pretended to gasp for breath.

"You're too heavy Hails. I can't carry you any farther."

Hailey sighed and got down.

"Wimp."

James put his hand on his chest and gasped dramatically.

"If you didn't weigh five hundred pounds, then it-" He was interrupted by Hailey tackling him.

"Take it back!"

As the two fought on the marble staircase, their friends stopped and stood patiently waiting for them. This happened at least once a week, and Sirius and Remus would stand there quietly until a teacher found them and told them they had somewhere to be.

Sure enough, Professor McGonagall walked up the staircase and looked disdainfully at the two wrestling teenagers on the floor.

"Miss Lowel, Mr. Potter, if you wouldn't mind, I would prefer that you kept your disagreements off of the main staircase." Hailey and James looked up.

"Sure thing Minnie!" Hailey stood up and dusted herself off.

"That's Professor McGonagall to you Miss Lowel." Professor McGonagall looked over to Sirius and Remus.

"Do make sure they make it to your destination without another brawling match, will you?" When Remus and Sirius nodded, she looked to all of them and continued up the stairs.

"You could have warned us," James grumbled as he got up.

"Like you would have listened. You two always do this, I don't know why you think today would be any different." Sirius rolled his eyes at their faces, and the group of teenagers made their way towards the Black Lake.