Disclaimer: You know how it runs - I don't own Harry Potter, nor any of its characters
I had originally published six chapters of this fic under the title 'something called magic' back in 2012 and never really got around to updating it. I scrapped the plot, kept some parts and rewrote the rest because I wasn't happy with it but also because I wanted to get back to writing jily. Mind you, if you're looking for something that sticks straight to cannon with zero possibilities of any deviation this isn't for you, I've tried to make it as canon as possible but there are certain tweaks to make a plot. If you were one of the readers from back in 2012 welcome back :)
CHAPTER 1
EVERYTHING NEEDS A BEGINNING
The rain battered against the pavement, drowning out the silence frosted thin across the branches lining the pavements. The streets hummed empty as shadows slowly started to gather by the hidden corners of the houses, the rain leaving behind its teary imprints in cloudy grey puddles. A hooded figure stepped out of the dark, and slowly made their way down the street, the rain blurring the outline of their cloak. The stranger remained gracefully oblivious to the weather, walking briskly over the rivulets that had begun to run down the pavement. The stranger halted abruptly at an incongruent space between the two houses and approached the gap, lifting a foot almost as though to climb a stair that did not exist. And the next moment they had disappeared, their cloak blending through the shadows, and a footprint the only lingering memory of their presence.
Lowering the hood she allowed herself to be kissed on the cheek quietly. Her dark hair drew the light against the silvery green wallpaper as she dropped her cloak onto the floor, knowing that the ancient house elf had been waiting at her heels.
"It has been long, dearest aunt" her voice vibrated through the timbers as she followed the candlelights. Cabinets decorated the walls around the hallway, its shelves filled with ancient relics and trophies bearing identical crests and inlays. Perched in the centre, a massive tapestry wove out with the same crest at its heart.
'Toujours Pur'
"How are Cygrus and Druella?"
Three people sat by the mahogany table, a woman and two boys - not men, for they were not men yet. They shared the same features - the black hair, dark brows and sharp jawlines
"Never been better" the shadows that had crawled behind her had settled on her eyes, her thick eyelashes fluttering down as she picked up a cup of tea, joining them.
"News of your personal recruitment into the Dark Lord's innermost council has been abound", the woman drawled slowly, "it is well deserved, my dear. You have made the family proud"
Bellatrix didn't respond immediately as she swished the warm liquid around her mouth, enjoying the bitter aftertaste it left on her lips. Her eyes travelled over Walburga Black, settling on her cousins - both of whom seemed to had inherited the Black family's brooding eyes.
"The Dark Lord is the greatest of them all" she spoke softly, tilting her head as she closely observed the eldest of the boys. She wondered if he remained as weak and sympathetic to traitors as she had last remembered him to be.
"The Dark Lord is getting stronger each day. He gains devout supporters who believe in his just cause to purify the world from undeserving criminals. He has started-"
"What wrong have they caused you?" the whisper seemed to slap her in the face
"The wrongness lies in their nature" her eyes flashed as she found the cold stare that fixed her across the table
"Is it not worse to be cruel and grovel at a feet of a pretender?"
She could feel the blood pounding in her ear and her hand twitched towards her wand. She caught him smile dryly at her and stopped herself
"You have always been as delightful as I remember you, dearest cousin" she spat
"You have done nothing but bring disappointment to this House"
Sirius switched his gaze towards his mother, his face sinking into the stony exterior engraved in his memory from his time at this house.
"The Dark Lord has started to look for individuals gifted enough to join his noble cause and has given me the reigns of liberty to include our family. It is the greatest honour to be bestowed a position in his innermost circle" Bellatrix continued, her voice lilted, speaking to Walburga although her eyes remained affixed on Sirius
"You will not say no, do you understand?"
He closed his eyes, refusing to let her see the storm beneath them.
He opened his eyes to the red and gold sprawled across the ceiling and momentarily didn't recognise where he lay, his eyes searching for familiarity underneath a firework preserved mid-explosion. When had the silver and green become his sense of familiarity? he thought bitterly, feeling the hard mattress press against the back of his spine. He imagined the bone scrapping across the scratched mattress, and yet refused to move as he had for the past few hours. He could still smell her musk and felt the bile rise up in his throat. He felt a tightness in his chest and exhaled sharply, frozen helplessly as he replayed the memories trapped within the grey confines of his childhood home. The room had been draped with anything and everything he could find to remind himself that he didn't belong and behind the banners and posters, Grimmuald Place had ceased to exist. And yet he remained bound, a mere breathe away from his face on the ancient and horribly familiar silver branches of the tapestry downstairs.
The badge that had fallen out of the letter lay forgotten on his table, the worries of yesterday laughable today. He forced himself up and snatched up the badge, the grooves of his name no longer a stranger on his fingertips.
'Mr. Black, we are please to announce that you have been chosen as the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain.'
His eyes scanned the familiar words for a thousandth time. It had to be a hoax - the prospects of him in a position of responsibility was absurd. Kingsley had seemed the most probable choice for captaincy, once Fabian and Gideon had left school. He knew he flew well on the team, and yet even he could agree that a good player was not all you needed to make a good captain. Hell, James probably deserved it more than he did. James and he were practically brothers and Quidditch held a special place in their bond, both of them making the team when they were in their second year. And although James pretended not to work for it, Sirius had watched him fly across the pitch every evening when the lights in the castle winked out. He had watched silently each night from the stands as James threw the quaffle repeatedly, working to improve his accuracy and speed. One night after watching him struggle to score and fly fast enough to catch the quaffle before it plummeted to the ground, he had joined him at the changing rooms and handed him a warm flask of pumpkin juice that he had picked up from the kitchens. He had stood with his arm outstretched as anger and uncertainty fought in his mate's hazel eyes, the tiredness and gratefulness winning in the end. He was aware that James would be upset if he knew that Sirius had gotten the badge, although he would never admit to it. The argument was well versed and familiar, however today he couldn't help but feel his heart drop as he looked at the words again.
'Gryffindor Quidditch Captain'
Five years ago when he was sorted into a house so starkly different from the rest of his family, he never doubted whether he belonged. But now he wondered, was he Gryffindor enough to be captain? The heart of a lion - something he didn't think he had increasingly or never had possessed in the first place as he returned at the end of each term to a house crawling with the stench of the dark arts, as he silently sat through conversations flippantly condemning hundreds of lives. He rubbed his eyes wearily as he opened one of the drawers, taking out numerous clippings, articles and pamphlets staring back at masked faces he recognised around at dinner.
'The Dark Mark was seen yesterday at Lighton Street. Aurors say that…'
'The Minister of Magic has officially declared a state of emergence…'
'Aurors injured as a massacre...'
'Followers of the dark wizard, calling themselves Death Eaters have attempted to….'
It was 1975.
It had been nearly thirty five years since the war had first begun. Initially blossomed as the over-ambitious design of a maniac – a talented young man turned insane, the wizarding community had been prompt to disregard the notions of a revolution within the magical society, a revolution against those with less credible ancestries. However, no one had quite anticipated the magnitude of support and momentum the idea gained over the years – its ideology spreading amongst the influential almost akin to a parasite. Initial anxiety surrounding the International Statute of Secrecy exploded amongst the prominent families, and the ideology was further grounded by the release of the Pure-Blood Directory. Supporters of the dark wizard converged by the numbers while murders grew common placed. During the span of the last ten years, circumstances seemed to deteriorate rapidly; the darkness of despair of the war seemed to loom closer – a war that threatened to tear families, friends and lovers apart; a war that seemed to have no end nearing. It had been another long year, filled with betrayal, horror and the beginning of what was to come.
The wizarding world was at war; it had been at war ever since Sirius Black had been a little boy, raised almost at the heart of the darkness. However, he was now determined to fight back because that was not someone he wanted to become. Tomorrow he would be back on his way to Hogwarts, and the last time he would set foot in this house.
"Someone kill me already" muttered James Potter as he hauled his trunk up the Hogwarts Express, his black hair already sticking up.
"I would love to, but I need help with my transfiguration essay" said a voice from behind. James jumped and turned around to face a boy with bright, clear blue eyes that were partially covered by his light brown hair.
"Remus!"
Remus grinned, his smile warming his eyes framed by heavy dark circles. His face looked gaunt and he had a new scar across his cheek.
"A prefect! I always knew you could do it, Remus. I believed in you and here you are" James choked and pretended to wipe his eyes as Remus pushed him away in mock offence.
"If you don't stop fawning over each other, we'll never find a proper compartment all to ourselves" joined a new voice behind them
"Sirius! You're still alive!" James noticed the dull eyes and the slight grimace as he hugged his best mate. He felt slightly guilty as he did each year watching Sirius walk back into a place that had and would traumatise him. The vacant expression had progressively gotten worse with each September, nevertheless something about this year was unnerving. He had seen Sirius look defeated before but this year he looked more…broken.
"You know my family, an absolute delight" Sirius laughed hollowly before pointing towards Remus's badge and shrieking, leaving neither James nor Remus any room to begin a conversation.
"I'm so proud of you, Remus! I only hope you remember the common people like me and James when you sit on your throne of glory" he gushed squeezing Remus into a tight embrace
"Ow 'geoff me Sirius, you wanker"
"I'd hate to see the new Gryffindor prefect smothered even before term begins" Lily said bracingly, her cheeks flushed as though she had been running, her braid threatening to unravel itself.
James felt his heart almost stop, followed immediately by a flash of anger at himself - a rhythm he had grown familiar with. Lily Evans, where could one start to begin explaining her? Fiery. If James was forced to choose one word, he would choose fiery in a heartbeat, and it wouldn't just be for her flaming red hair or her temper. He could almost smell her scent of pressed peony and citrus as her hair had whipped across his face when he had first noticed her in fourth year. He had recognised her as the same girl who had turned up her nose at him and Sirius on their first day, and the girl who had the entire common room whispering about, having a Slytherin for a best mate. She had started to apologise for bumping into him at the doorway of the classroom but her green eyes seemed to recognise his familiar smirk and she had turned away abruptly. They had continued to flash in annoyance as he took to asking her out, his confidence turning into frustration and further relentlessness. She had managed to evade every one of his requests or attempts at conversations, almost feeling a vindictive pleasure in snubbing him every time he asked her out. If James was being completely honest with himself, he was tired of the constant bickering they had entered into effortlessly - the constant fights, the immature hexing and endless disdain. And yet, here he was today wondering how his hair looked. He was stuck in an endless loop of infatuation and he was ready to grow out of it.
"Hey there Evans" grinned James - a greeting Lily wholly ignored.
"Oh hi Peter!" she brightly waved before dragging Remus away by the arm
"Hey there Evans?" chortled Sirius, watching James scowl at him.
"Merlin, this trunk is so sodding heavy" grunted Peter as he joined Sirius and James.
"Peter", said Sirius solemnly, "let me teach you something called magic"
"Locomotor Trunk"
Peter's trunk alleviated in front of Sirius and together they entered an empty compartment.
"Did you see the new scar on his cheek?" asked Peter as Sirius threw himself across the seat. They didn't have to ask who Peter meant.
"It's been two years since we started, the spells have got to work this year" said James in frustration as he stowed away their trunks.
"You do realise that we've been trying advanced magic, even before our OWLs? It takes someone accomplished, a minimum of three years to turn into animagi - at least that's what McGonagal has been claiming"
"Remus would probably go on a murdering rampage is he found out and it doesn't need to be a full moon when it happens" warned Peter
"I just don't understand why doesn't want us to help him" exclaimed Sirius while sitting up, "what is it? Is it some strange sense of pride he's suddenly found in himself? We've known him first year, so why is it so hard to trust us?"
"Isn't that chirpy, coming from you"
Sirius turned to look at James, who was glaring at him
"What do you mean"
"Why is it so hard to trust us?" James repeated as he turned around, "why don't you answer that yourself as you seem to be on the same side of the river as dear old Remus. I've watched you come back from each summer worse than the last but this year, it looks like you've almost given up - you could have owled me, I asked you over for summer and nothing. You won't tell us what's happening with your family, what are you afraid of?"
"Nothing" said Sirius quietly, "look, you are my best mates but this - this isn't your problem"
"Are you being bloody serious, do you even hear yourself?"
"Yes, and I'm saying I don't want your help"
"I think someone is about to walk in" Peter interjected quickly as James opened his mouth.
They looked up as the door to their compartment slid open. Marlene Adams stood by the door, looking frustrated. She had spent the last twenty minutes searching for Lily before she realised that Lily was most likely in the Head's compartment. She looked around at the three boys in front of her. It almost looked like they had been quarrelling, Marlene noticed as she mentally cursed herself for picking the only compartment that seemed to have any seats left on the train. She prayed Lily would be too tired from the prefect's meeting to notice her choice of company.
"Is there a seat?" she heard herself asking
"Hi Marlene, and yes" Peter grinned up at her as the other two grunted in acknowledgement, both refusing to meet each other's eye. Marlene had never seen them argue, hell, she didn't know if Sirius and James could even disagree on anything but said nothing as she sat across them, kicking Sirius's legs out of the way.
"Been practicing?" James asked her, ignoring Sirius's glower at him
"I've tried out a number of strategies", she said hesitantly, curious but apprehensive about what had just occurred, "there's this particular one that I wanted to discuss with you" she sat up straighter and grabbed a chocolate frog
"It better be good" Sirius joined in conversationally. Quidditch was one thing they would always be eager to discuss
"I've been watching the playbacks of Kestrels all summer long. Isn't Darren O'Hare simply gorgeous?" she said dreamily and James blinked at her. Marlene grinned guiltily and hurriedly started to talk again as he opened his mouth to interject.
"Anyway" she said before James could interrupt her with another one of his lectures. Marlene had a feeling that it would involve how the lack of concentration was a seeker's bane, "I saw how he used the Hawkshead Attacking Formation to spread out the chasers and that reminded me of what the Russian player did last year during the World Cup. I don't remember the name of the strategy she used, but her name was Petrova Porskoff"
"It's called the Porskoff Ploy' piped up Peter abruptly in his reedy voice, Marlene and James stared at him
"You're welcome" he mumbled as he returned to the Daily Prophet
Marlene turned to see James looking at her and felt herself heat up.
"What?" she muttered, rather awkwardly
"That's pretty smart, Adams"
"Er, thanks?"
However, James Potter wasn't listening any longer as he traced lines on his thigh, muttering to himself.
"Hawskhead attack. Spread the chasers out. But the arrow formation is too common. It will have to keep them surprised. Maybe-"
He looked around the compartment. Peter was laughing at something in the Daily prophet while Sirius had reverted back to gazing out of the wind moodily as Marlene watched him with keen eyes.
"Who do you think got the badge for Captain this year?" he asked her
"I don't really know, but I bet it's Kingsley. He'd keep us on the winning streak"
Marlene flew as seeker on the team while James, Sirius and MG remained as chasers, Fabian and Kingsley had been beaters and Gideon had been keeper. She was a late addition to the team, a find of Fabian's as he saw her fly in attempt to recuse someone's stranded cat. However, Fabian and Gideon had left school this year, leaving one of the beaters and the keeper position open. She started to scan through the names of every Gryffindor she knew, wondering who would fill the position at tryouts. She remained lost in her thoughts, reliving the euphoric feeling as she caught the snitch for the first time. She looked around to catch Sirius's eyes on her and grinned sheepishly.
"Have you heard from Kingsley yet?" she asked him
"No I haven't" he snapped abruptly and turned away to moodily look out of the window.
Marlene shrugged. She had started to recognise Sirius's black moods although they still bothered her.
Sirius closed his eyes. He hadn't meant to snap at Marlene but he was lost on how to start grappling with everything he was going through. If everyone considered Kingsley as the most likely candidate for captaincy, as he would wholeheartedly agree, he wasn't about to try and correct them, precisely because he had made up his mind in the last hour to resign and force McGonagall to make Kingsley Captain. He was yet to fathom how the sensible and prim head of house could have sent the badge to him.
In another section of the Hogwarts Express, Lily Evans sat along with her fellow prefects in the Heads' compartment. She crossed her legs and peeked a glance at the other Gryffindor prefect - Remus Lupin. She sighed in annoyance at the look of perfect concentration that was etched on his face. She turned her gaze towards this year's head girl, Larine Macmillan.
"We must take pride in our position and serve as role models to the rest of the student body"
Lily grimaced. She wondered if Larine herself believed in the words she was saying, because Lily would hardly encourage anyone to look up to herself as a 'role model', especially after the new fallout with her sister over the holidays. She sighed and looked over the other prefects. Few were dozing away, few rapt with attention while the rest looked as bored as she felt. She caught Tyler McKinnon's eye and mouthed 'save me'. Tyler chuckled as he rolled his eyes at her.
"Lily, will you do it?"
Larine's voice resounded in the compartment and Lily blinked at her
"I asked if you would like to take charge of the event." Larine repeated, clearly irritated with her lack of concentration. Lily could see Tyler smirking from the corner of her eye.
"Sure. Definitely, I will" Lily replied, having no clue what she had just agreed to assist with
'That's settled then. Amrita, will you volunteer to schedule the Hogsmede trips this year?'
"So, what did I get myself into?" Lily asked Remus as they both watched Larine pounce on her next victim
"Celebrations" he muttered
"You know, decorating and organizing for the year's festivities. Starting with Halloween, Christmas, the Ending feast and anything in between" he clarified at her raised eyebrows
"Anything in between?"
"You could ask Larine" smiled Remus slyly
Lily stared at him and stuck her tongue out, effectively communicating her disapproval at his lack of help. She noticed everyone getting up and hurried to her feet, stretching her sore limbs. She checked the patrols schedules and lightened up when she saw most of the shifts shared with Alice Brighton, the Ravenclaw prefect. She followed Remus out of the compartment, wondering where Marlene had decided to stow herself away as she reached the end of the aisle and peeked into the compartment, seeing Marlene's familiar thick brown hair straining against her hair tie.
"I'm exhausted" she announced, sliding the door open and feeling her stomach drop as she saw the faces welcoming her
"Hi again Lily" Remus held back a laugh as he made space for her, across from…James Potter. Lily groaned inwardly and settled herself on the seat. She and Marlene were definitely going to have a talk when they reached Hogwarts.
"Don't say anything" she glowered at Potter, "I don't want to hear it". She was sick of anything to do with Potter, his presence almost seemed to make her exhausted as she instinctively put up barriers and her scathing tongue sharpened. She grabbed a chocolate frog and stuffed her mouth to prevent herself from saying anything, because heaven forbid that they start an argument when she was tired and still reeling from Petunia's contempt. She looked around for a distraction and spied a Daily Prophet wedged between Marlene and Remus.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you" Potter spoke as he noticed her hand make its way towards the paper
"Why not?" she scowled at him and snatched the paper up.
The Dark Mark stared back at her and she froze momentarily. She knew it was just a picture but it didn't stop the sudden pounding in her heart and the irrational fear that had started to trickle through her. How many sleepless nights had she spent, dreading the same? Dreading to go back home only to find the mark over her house and her family dead, all simply because she had introduced the magical world to her old world?
"Here" Potter threw her a copy of Witch Weekly as he took the paper from her shaking hands, pretending not to notice. She took the copy wordlessly and buried her face behind the cover. She didn't want to start thinking about the first civilised interaction she had with Potter. Everything could wait - they weren't even at Hogwarts yet. As if on cue, she heard the train whistle.
"I think we're nearing the castle now" Remus yawned and nudged a sleeping Sirius with his foot
"We better go change" Marlene spoke up
"You can change here if you want" James smirked and Lily fought the urge to slap his face hard, the previous moment forgotten entirely in wake of his comment
"I swear, tolerating him doesn't get easier" she muttered as she walked out of the compartment.
"I'm sorry, theirs had happened to be the only free compartment" Marlene whispered as they watched the sorting. Lily sighed, she hadn't meant to give Marlene the silent treatment.
"I just - I'm so tired of Potter treating me like some possession he needs to have. Every single day, he has this ridiculous petulant urge to get a yes. I just," she sighed again, "I really don't like him. I've seen the way he treats everyone he assumes is beneath him and the need to assert power is just childish and immature. He exhausts me, I wish I could push him into a box chained at the bottom of the Great Lake"
"Not sure Moaning Myrtle would disapprove"
Lily cracked a smile
"I'm sorry Mar, I just have a lot on my mind. Things weren't great with Tuney when I left and everything seems to be happening too fast"
Marlene nodded and squeezed her hand, spooning more of the mashed potatoes onto Lily's plate.
"You'll need that with all the shouting at the first years"
Dumbledore dismissed them and Lily stood up, yelling at the first years to follow her. Sirius watched as James stared at Lily, he looked away, he couldn't worry about James and his feelings right now. This was probably the only opportunity that he would get to meet with McGonagall before the entire school knew he was captain. He wandered through the castle's secret passages, waiting for everyone to go inside their dormitories. He located McGonagall in her office eventually and entered, surprising her.
"What are you doing, Black? Curfew starts in thirty minutes. I would have thought it was beneath you to get detention on the first day of school"
"I know curfew starts in thirty minutes", he replied curtly, "and this will only take a minute. I came regarding the Captaincy" he held out the badge to her
"Aaah. I was expecting you" McGonagall seemed to smile slightly at him, but it vanished almost immediately and Sirius wasn't sure if he had imagined it or not.
"Well then you know what to do" he said and left the badge on her desk
"Trust me, you weren't my first choice Mr. Black" she said and gestured him to sit down
Sirius took a seat hesitantly.
"I was convinced by your predecessors, the Prewetts" she continued
"Who?" echoed Sirius, confused
"Fabian and Gideon Prewett successfully convinced me that you were appropriate for the post"
"Are they crazy?" exclaimed Sirius, running a hand through his hair
"I was of the same opinion initially" she agreed
"But why me? Professor you know me. I – I can't – I can't do this. Kingsley is appropriate for this! He was born a Captain. Must have been ordering his nurses or mother or whoever around with his diapers, giving them the right tactic to change his milk formula. This is absurd. Bloody mental"
"Mr. Black" said McGonagall sternly, "Fabian had initially consulted Mr. Shacklebolt, but he refused the offer" she continued, "you were the next option"
"How come Kingsley gets a say and I don't?" Sirius yelled, his irritation swiftly mounting. He didn't want this stupid batch and the fucking title.
"Why not James? Or MG?" he got up from the chair and paced about the office. He paused and looked at the Gryffindor Head who had her eyebrows raised, "I want to resign"
"No, Mr. Black"
"You can't refuse me the right to resign!" he shouted
"You will not resign, Mr. Black and I shall under no circumstance receive your resignation"
"Well that's just – just – just bloody brilliant" he swore
McGonagall remained impassive and cleared her throat
"I would expect to see the Cup in my office this year too. Make sure you book the pitch as early as possible, before the other Houses pull it together and commence their training"
Sirius glared at her, opening his mouth furiously. But McGonagall cut him before he could speak
"Good evening Mr. Black, and good luck"
He pushed past the Fat Lady and sat down heavily on one of the armchairs by the fire. They must have planned this as a joke, thought Sirius, a way to make his year miserable. What was Fabian even thinking? They all knew how important Quidditch was to each of them. It wasn't just a sport. They didn't play it just for the victory. No, Quidditch meant so much more than that. To Sirius, it represented freedom. Being up in the air, he felt unrestrained. It was almost as though he could break free of the bonds his birth and blood imposed on him, as he soared in the air. He was himself, not defined by his name or status as a pureblood. He was simply Sirius, Gryffindor chaser.
A sudden pecking at the window interrupted his thoughts. He opened the window and an unfamiliar owl flew in, sticking its feet out to letter attached to it was addressed to him. Surprised, he removed the letter from the owl and it took flight.
He sat back on the armchair and spread out his legs. The common room was empty. Everyone had gone to bed early, tired from the train journey.
He looked at the letter from the unknown owl and opened it. He scanned it and recognized Fabian's writing. The letter was short.
'Hey Sirius,
I know that you're probably mad at me and my idiotic brother, who's breathing down my neck while I'm writing to you. We guessed you would have gone to MGGonagall asking her to take back the badge, and she would have let slip that we recommended you for the Captain position.
Wait, before anything else. Congrats! Quidditch captain, whoa. Someone's growing up, our ickle baby Sirius.
I'm writing this to tell you to relax. It wasn't one of our evil jokes, to have you as Quidditch Captain. I actually believe you're captain material, even if it sounds crazy. James would have been equally likely, but we decided to go with you. So don't be a pansy and start having all these life defining dilemmas. Go and schedule practices, because we'll make sure we'll kill you if you don't win the Cup this year.
Gryffindor For The Cup!
Fabian
And Gideon.'
Sirius smiled while he re-read the letter. Feeling like something had finally gone right, or horribly wrong he folded the letter and climbed the stairs to where his real family waited.
Don't hate on me for the extra love spent on Sirius in this chapter, I've just gotten so tired of how fandom treats Sirius as the carefree irresponsible perpetually drunk friend. Next couple of chapters are more Lily - James angst if you're looking forward to it.
Please please please do review, it helps massively with the motivation to write! :)