ONE OF US IS LYING!

NOVEMBER 1977

6th Year

• • • •

"I know what it's like to tell yourself a lie so often that it becomes the truth" - Karen M. McManus, One of Us Is Lying

Leah Sherlock had never been a fan of being told what to do.

So when James Potter and Sirius Black cornered her after she came out of the girls' bathroom during dinner.

"What're you planning?" Sirius asked her.

Leah raised an eyebrow, "Did the two of you seriously follow me out of the Great Hall and wait outside of the girls' bathroom just to ask me a stupid question?"

"Answer him, Sherlock," James said, "What're you planning?"

"A lot of things," Leah shrugged, crossing her arms, "Constantly. All the time."

"Why are you so focused on Remus?" Sirius pressed.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The sixth year rolled her eyes, pushing past the older boys, only for Sirius to grab the girl's arm and spin her back to face him.

"You're a good liar." The shaggy-haired boy stated.

"I know." Leah nodded.

Sirius sighed, but carried on with what he was saying, "I'm a good liar too. Which means that I know a lie when I see one. What do you want with Remus?"

"What? I'm not allowed to talk to another academic?"

"You've been talking to him?" James raised an eyebrow.

Leah then realised that Remus had kept their little rendezvous a secret. She respected that as she knew how his friends would react, or was it because he was ashamed to be her... not-so-but-yes-a-friend. She was incredibly smart, but not socially.

"As much as I talk to you." Leah lied.

"You never talk to us." James said.

"Exactly." Leah spun on her heels, speed walking down the hall, the seventh years running after her.

"Then why were you and your sidekick talking to Peter about him and us last week?" Sirius pressed, making the girl sigh and stop walking, the two boys stumbling to a stop, as she turned to look at them.

"Claudia is not my sidekick," Leah said through gritted teeth, "She is my friend."

"Well, then why were you and your friend talking to Peter about him and us last week?" Sirius rephrased, crossing his arms and raising and raising an eyebrow.

Leah chuckled, "Of course he told you."

"He ran to us scared to death," James told her, "And as head boy, I demand you to tell us, or-"

Leah let out a snort, cutting him off, "Or what? You'll give me a detention? Take away house points. I'm shaking in my boots."

Sirius let out a sigh, before saying, "Just tell us why you're so obsessed with Remus and we can all go back to dinner."

Leah crossed her arms, matching his stare, "Tell me what I want to know and I'll tell you."

"Remus leaves once a month due to family business."

"Not that." Leah rolled her eyes.

Sirius and James shared a look, the latter asking, "Then what do you want to know?"

"The large parchment."

They both visibly paled.

"W-What large parchment?" Sirius nervously asked.

"The one you and your friends huddle around when planning a prank," Leah cocked her head to the side, "The one that I've noticed one of you always has, no matter the time of the day."

"We don't know anything about a parchment." James told her curtly.

Leah Sherlock smirked, "Then I guess you'll never know." She shrugged, before walking back to the Great Hall.

___

Leah and Felix sat in the library, doing their homework in silence, as every time the older boy would try and ask her for help, Leah would only glare at him as a reply.

The girl's gaze was constantly trained on a table across the room, where two Gryffindor girls were smiling with each other as they did their own homework. Leah sat watching them eagerly, like a lion ready to pounce on its prey. And when the blonde Gryffindor stood up and left the library, that's exactly what she did.

"Leah?" Felix whisper-shouted after the girl, who ignored him as she walked over and sat across a certain redhead at the table, "Oh, I'm not getting involved." The Scottish boy muttered to himself, hitting his head on the table.

Glancing up, Lily Evans raised an eyebrow, "Leah Sherlock."

"Lily Evans." The younger girl nodded curtly back.

"What do you want from me?" Lily asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What makes you think that the only reason I came over here was to get something from you?"

"Because you're you."

"Fair point," Leah nodded, "But I don't want something from you."

"Really?" Lily asked, unconvinced.

"Can I simply not sit with my companions' friend in the library?"

"Companions?"

Leah nodded, "Watson and Harielle."

"I thought Claudia was your best friend."

Leah nodded, "What did I say?"

"What do you want, Leah?" Lily repeated with an aggravated sigh.

"Claudia wants me to be more... sociable," Leah spat the last word out, "So I thought that the best way to do that is to try and be... friendly... with her friends."

"Such as me?" Lily raised an eyebrow.

"You, McKinnon, Lupin. The lot." Leah shrugged.

"You realise that all of the boys tell me things, right?" Lily asked, packing up her things.

"I don't know what you're alluding at." Leah shook her head.

"Look, I don't know why you're so interested in Remus' whereabouts," Lily said, standing up, slinging her bag over her shoulder, "But he's a good guy. And he sees you as a friend. Don't hurt him by trying to dig into something that isn't there. And as for the large parchment. They like to mind map their pranks." She shrugged, before exiting the library.

Leah sighed, walking back over to where Felix was sat at their table, the boy having just watched everything.

The younger girl eyed him with a small glare as she slumped back down in her chair, "What?" She spat.

"I told you it wouldn't work." Felix chuckled, the smirk falling off his lips when Leah hit his arm with a heavy textbook.