"Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and let people hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to pick up the pieces when it's all over."
- Gloria Naylor
Harry walked slowly from the room, hidden beneath his invisibility cloak. He could see the snow on the window, and hear carols singers outside. Madam Rosmerta was still talking to McGonagal and Fudge, with Hagrid listening behind the door. He wiped the falling tears from his face, sighing. Just before he left, he heard Professor McGonagal's voice. "And Skye Turner. Never one without the other, by the middle of sixth year. Of course, we don't talk about her anymore. But she was the only girl lucky enough to get close with them. Why, she was their best friend." Interesting, Harry thought to himself. I wonder..
Skye Amelia Turner was not a Marauder. She did not accompany Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs on their monthly adventures to the shrieking shack. She saw the map, she used the map, but her name was not printed on it. Skye Turner was not an illegal animagus. There were three of them, James, Sirius and Peter. Skye was not one. She didn't get killed by Lord Voldemort or his rising power, she didn't get murdered by her own cousin, she wasn't strangled to death, her life didn't end in the Battle of Hogwarts.
But that's not to say she wasn't a huge part of their lives. Lily, Mary, Marlene and Alice often had said they would remember her till the day they died. That was impossible. James would never forget. Remus would remember. Peter couldn't move on. And Sirius.. Sirius would never forget to remember. Remember the girl who they met in second year, who escaped the centaurs with them in the Dark Forest. Who, in fifth year, learned how to control ice. The girl who had hauntingly beautiful blue eyes that sparkled with her almost constant laughter. The girl who had received almost every detention with them. Skye Turner, who had defended the first years who were bullied. Who was Sam's first and almost only friend. The girl who was beautiful. The girl who was funny. The girl who was carefree. The girl who was quick witted. The girl Sirius fell in love with. The girl who, ultimately, left them.