"Oh, I would bet a lot of money that you will turn into a fish or something," mused Marlene as she and Sirius were working their way through their Charms homework.

Marlene had discovered early on, that the best way to do well in Charms homework was to copy Sirius's work. He was exceptional at Charms, and always did well in the homework. So she copied his homework at any chance she got.

"Really, how much will you bet?" Sirius looked up from his homework and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Oh I don't know," Marlene shrugged, "but I bet that you will be a stupid orange fish that just flops around on the floor and- why are you laughing?"

"Because, you just pulled yourself into a bet," Sirius grinned, "if I turn into anything other than a fish, you have to do something that I choose."

"What will you choose?" Marlene demanded.

"I can't tell you that!" Sirius threw back his head and laughed, seeming to share a joke with himself, "that would give away the surprise."

"Okay, I'll take you on that bet," Marlene decided, "but if I win you owe me twenty galleons."

"Deal." Sirius grinned and the two shook hands.

********

"So you made a deal with Sirius Black and you don't know what it is?" Lily demanded.

"It's a bet actually, and I know that when I win, I will have twenty more galleons than I have now," Marlene pointed out.

"What if you loose?"

"I won't loose!" Marlene shook her head, "anyway, what's the worst he can do."

"Well, he's an arrogant toerag, just like James, so there's quite a few things he could do," Lily mused.

"They're not that bad," Marlene shurgged, "she they're both arrogant and they think that the world revolves around them, and there was that one time that they made my eyebrows grow really long, but they mean well."

"That's what I keep saying about Severus!" Lily pointed out, "but-"

"But Severus is evil. James and Sirius aren't," Marlene said stubbornly. Still, after being friends for years, the only thing that the two girls argued about was Lily's friendship with Severus. It was a cause of great annoyance for Marlene as she still couldn't see how Lily managed to still make excuses for him, when it was clear that he and his Slytherin Pureblood friends were all clamouring to join Voldemort and kill all of the muggles and Muggleborns that they could. "We're not having this argument again Lily, we're just going round in circles."

"Exactly!" That's why you should just try to be nice to him!" Lily attempted to persuade Marlene again. This argument always went the same way.

"No way." Marlene shook her head stubbornly and began walking quickly down the corridor. "I am not being friends with someone who takes pleasure reading about all of the muggle killings in the daily prophet!"

Over the last few years, more and more examples of Voldemort's power had been coming to light. It had been getting worse more recently, with more and more reported muggle killings.

Whenever one of these articles appeared in the prophet, Marlene always heard excited murmurs from the Slytherin table. Murmurs of approval. They wanted to be just like that, and Marlene wouldn't stand for it.