My heartfelt thanks: EmiStone, starbolt7, peaceoutrunner23 and mcgonagiggles. The others previously mentioned: I am a witch really, Terrorist of the seven seas, Artie, RiTuxa, rooftopboys, rhea, TWHATT18, Noelle D, MissCheivous12, FallenAngelFox, DreamChaser6, elizaye, and Hellfire Putten Ninja. You know how much I love you guys? No? Well, now you know. I love you guys. Reviews are welcome.

"You know I suck at apologies."

Shrugging back quickly into my clothes, I sprinted like hell through the corridors, searching for the smallest sign of Bianca or Willow. I wasn't sure why, but I needed to apologize to them. No girl ever pulled an expression like that if she wasn't hurt. So, first, I needed Lily.

I hurtled through the corridors, and shouted, "Whizzing Frisbees!" about ten yards from the fat lady. She swung open, and I pulled the door shut behind me, propelling myself into the common room, only to come to a complete stop. Lily sat there in an armchair like the Godfather, waiting for me. I squeezed my eyes shut, took a deep breath, and then opened them again. It looked like I'd done something wrong. She never wore the expression if James or I weren't in trouble. And I repeat, what did I do?

"Hey, Padfoot." Lily said, scarily calm.

"Hey, Lily." I smiled at her tentatively.

"I've just been reading this book," She pointed to a leather-bound book in her lap. "And I want to try something. Would you be my guinea-pig?"

"Sure…?" I said, not liking where this was going. She was too calm. She knew that I'd done something, and I knew I'd done something. The only difference was that she knew what it was, and how I should correct it.

It was definitely a non-verbal spell, probably not something I knew. There was a curious tickling in my head. Inside my head. Suddenly, I found myself plunging into a memory. One of my memories.

In front of my eyes, the whole day was replayed. School, the fight with Lily, James' detention, Willow, Bianca…and then there was other stuff I didn't want to remember – Concern for Regulus. Storing the letters from home. All my memories, laid out. Suddenly, I realized what was happening. I wrenched myself out of that state, and I couldn't help but to be mad at her.

"Lily!" I stared, half in shock. "What – what the hell?" I asked eloquently.

"It's called Legilimency. Surely you've heard of it." She said, quiet as a ghost.

I shook my head, mute.

"It allows you to see into someone else's mind. Be glad I didn't try to control you. I bet it would've worked." All this was said with a deathly calm. She was scaring me. She sat there, her normally pink face drained of blood. There was a letter lying on the ground near her. You could see pink lines on her face, where she had probably scratched herself trying to wipe her tears. The tear tracks were pretty obvious, too. Her left hand was running its way through her hair repeatedly, and apparently, she didn't notice. There was in ink spill all over her white shirt. What the hell?

"Lily?" I asked, suppressing the million questions at the tip of my tongue for the most important one. "What happened? Why are you so upset?"

"I'm not upset!" She said shrilly. "We need to be able to protect ourselves from this jackass. Just who does this Voldemort think he is?" There was a suppressed glee in her quiet voice. "I found Legilimency in the restricted section. I don't know why. I think we need to know this. Especially mudbloods like me." She spat out with venom.

"Lily! Never call yourself that again!" I said, shocked. Lily hated that word. "You're not a mudblood. Magic runs undiluted through your veins, given to you by no one. You are strong enough to bear it yourself. There is nothing wrong with your blood." I said fiercely. "What brought this on?" I asked in a worried afterthought.

She picked up the letter and dragged herself across the short space to hand it to me. I read it quickly, only just catching the gist of it. It was signed, Please don't do anything rash. I love you, Lily. I know she was close to you, but you need to stay calm. All my love, Mom.

My first selfish thought? My own mother wouldn't be caught dead writing a letter that ended like that. Not one addressed to me.

"Lily?" I asked. No response. "Lily…just who is Melissa?"

No response. All of a sudden, she fell across my chest, beating at it. "It's so unfair, Sirius!" She screamed. "She was my best friend! The only one who thinks I'm normal in the outside world! Even my own parents are uneasy when I'm in the house! She knew! She knew, and yet she was fine with it! And now she's dead! She's dead, just because her pure blood parents tend to fraternize with unholy squibs and mudbloods! She's dead!" She screamed, launching into another stream of profanities I didn't know she knew. Was she hysteric? Was I supposed to slap her?

Biting my lip, I landed a sharp blow across her cheek. "Lily, please!" I begged as she continued to swear vengeance against Voldemort. I raised my hand, whether to slap her again or to draw out my wand to calm her down, I didn't know. Thankfully, I was saved from the prospect when James walked through the door.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" He screamed at me.

"She's having a fit, Prongs!" I shouted back helplessly as Lily continued to pound on my chest.

When I looked at him, Lily glanced in the direction as well, and slumped over into his arms. He muttered consolingly to her, and she sobbed, getting ever-quieter.

I rubbed absently at my chest, calling for Kreacher.

With a crack, he appeared. "Master?" He asked, glaring at me insolently.

"Stop looking at me like that, Kreacher." I said sharply. "I want you to make Lily a cup of tea and get me a vial of Draught of Peace. Also, get me mint sprigs, wormwood, shrivelfig, porcupine quills, castor beans, and maybe some peppermint. Bring them to the dungeons. Also, get started on Felix Felicis, like I told you. Right? And you will not utter a word to anyone; be it my mother, Regulus, or Voldemort himself. Clear?"

"Yes, Master." He said before disappearing with a crack.

"Draught of Peace, I get. But why are you brewing Euphoria?"

"It's quick and easy? Besides, it's supposed to be an excellent cure for hysterics. Call it extra credit." I said, in a sudden brainwave. "I'll meet you back here in, let's say, an hour? Can you keep her sane until then?"

He shot me a look, and I wheeled and sprinted for the dungeons.

"Professor Slughorn?" I knocked.

"Sirius Black? Come in, come in, m'boy." He said, exuberant as always.

"I was wondering, sir, if I could use the class for a little while."

"But of course." He said jovially. "Why, may I know?" He asked, not particularly curious, it seemed.

"Extra credit, sir. I want to brew Euphoria. Will that count, sir?"

"It isn't very easy, Sirius. You do know that?" He asked, and I nodded. "Well, I shall be back in an hour to judge it. Do remember that you are not alone, Sirius." He chuckled once, before letting me into one of the classes.

The faint smell of crushed sopophorous bean and fluxweed was spreading through the room slowly. A thin veil of grayish mist covered the potion brewer. I saw rose thorns acting as fuel under the cauldron. There was only one potion I knew that required such meticulous measures to reach perfection.

"Veritaserum?" I asked, peering through the haze, interested despite my mission.

Receiving no response, I got to work on my own potion. "Kreacher!" I said, and with a crack that didn't get any less startling with time, he appeared.

"Master called Kreacher?" He said, keeping his eyes down.

"Yes. You have the ingredients I require?" I asked.

He began to neatly separate and pile the ingredients. When he was done, he asked me if I required anything else.

"Yes. Did you give Lily her tea?" I inquired.

"Yes, Master. Kreacher put lemon in it when the mudblood girl asks him to."

"Don't call her that." I frowned. "That's an order. Did you get my vial of Draught of Peace?"

"Here it is, Master." He said, handing me a vial of turquoise liquid."

Again, he asked if I needed anything else.

"Nothing for now, thanks." I said. I actually did like the little guy when his mouth was closed.

He disappeared with another loud crack. I pocketed the vial and lit a fire under the cauldron half full of water. I would need quite a bit. As the water boiled, I began the painstaking job of cutting the castor beans. Nasty, slippery little things, they were. I should've asked Kreacher to do it for me.

I decided, to hell with it. I picked up my wand – Mahogany, unnaturally long at almost 14 inches with (according to Mr. Ollivander, how very curious that this particular wand would pick me) a peacock feather core – and flicked it at the beans. They began to cut themselves quite a bit neater than I would have. I dropped in the sliced shrivelfig slowly, piece by piece. I noticed that the slight haze had cleared, making it easier for me to brew.

"Have you got any mint?" the other brewer asked me.

"Bianca?" I said, surprised. "Um, sure. Here." I floated some of the mint over to her.

"Thanks." She said curtly. Dropping in the porcupine quills, I watched my potion turn bright yellow.

"Hey, Bianca?"

"Yeah?" She said, looking my way, with what looked like tears in her eyes.

"You do know that I suck at apologies?"

"Yes. I do." She said.

"Well, so…" I looked at her hopefully. Her face was stony. "Well, I'm really sorry, Bianca. I didn't mean it."

She was mad at me. I actually wasn't sure why, but she was mad at me, and I'd found out a long time ago that it was best to simply apologize, no matter what you did (or didn't do.)

"Sorry for what, Sirius?" She asked, her voice dripping sugar.

I was stumped. Of course I had been dumb enough to underestimate her, and now look where I ended up! Was I supposed to tell her that I didn't know why she was mad at me?

"Uh, I…er, well – I was going to –"

"Enough, Sirius!" She said, sighing exasperatedly. "I've had enough of your lies. You didn't do anything wrong! I did! So take your remorse and shove it!" She said, her voice breaking. "Do you know what Lily's going through? Do you? That, and I feel like a selfish bitch because I feel bad for the petty things that have happened to me, but I can't stop feeling this way!"

"What way, Bianca? Tell me what's wrong, please!" I said, honest-to-goodness confused.

"Sirius, please don't make me say it. I can't take this. I just cannot. Please, Sirius. Please." I saw a glistening tear slide down her cheek.

The smell of peppermint rose up to greet me, and I knew the Euphoria was done. I thanked my lucky stars that I had made more than required. I scooped up a vial full, and walked over to Bianca.

"Bianca, please. Hear me out. I don't know why you're angry, and I won't pry if you don't want to share, but I'll be there for you. I'll be your best friend, Bianca. Please." I said, offering her the Euphoria. I saw her cringe.

"So help me, Sirius, if you made it wrong and I end up bouncing off the walls…" She left her threat unfinished as she sniffled, and knocked the Euphoria back like a shot.

Instantly, a smile lit up her face. "Thanks, Sirius." She sighed, grabbing onto my collar and almost melting into my shirt.

I felt the remnants of her tears on my shirt, and simply waited for her to move. I did occasionally stroke her hair.

"Thanks, Sirius. I'm not sad anymore." She said, grinning at me.

"Good." I said, not quite able to fake a perfect smile. Two hysterical girls in one night were really draining. "Let's go and give this stuff to Lily." I said, conjuring up a bottle.

So, I'd done something wrong which would most probably make sure that Bianca wouldn't want to see me. If she didn't want to see me, and I made myself disappear, McGonagall would have my hide. I sighed.

Slughorn decided that then was the perfect time to burst through the door.

"Children!" He boomed. "I take it you are both finished?"

"Yes, sir." We replied in unison.

"Good, good." He said, walking over to Bianca's potion. "Hmm…quite good, Miss Hughes, but maybe you stirred a bit too long? It's a little colored, is it not? Veritaserum is…?"

"Supposed to be colorless and odorless." She filled in.

"Quite true, but I'll take it. Nine marks, Miss Hughes. You may go." He said.

She began to gather her stuff, stalling. Waiting for me, I realized. I really did love Euphoria. It was like watered-down Felix Felicis.

"Sirius, m'boy." He said. "Hmm, very nice, very nice. Peppermint? Is that not Lily's trademark?" He asked sniffing the air.

"She did tell me to add that, sir."

"Very well. Ten, Mr. Black. You are excused." He smiled genially.

"May I take a bottleful, sir?" I asked as respectfully as possible.

"But of course, my boy." He said as he walked out.

I quickly filled the bottle and pocketed it.

"Whizzing Frisbee." Bianca said, smiling widely.

"What's has you in such a good mood?" The Fat Lady asked, but opened unwillingly.

We slipped in, and James was still holding Lily close, as violent shudders wracked through her body. He looked up as we entered.

"Does it work?" He asked me quietly.

"Exhibit A." I said, pointing at Bianca. She smacked my arm.

"Ouch!" I said, frowning at her. "Of course it works." I said in his direction.

"Peace first? And then Euphoria?"

"That's the order it said in the leaflet." I said in referral to one of the thousand St. Mungo's leaflets I read when I was younger and still lived with my parents.

"Kreacher!" I called again. There was a crack in the air.

"Yes, master?"

"More tea?" I said, sounding more like a question.

"Yes, master." He said, bowing.

He was back in under a minute. I added a few drops of the Draught of Peace and handed it to James, who fed it to her like she was a little child.

The effect was instantaneous. She calmed down enough to sit by herself, though her hands were still wrapped around her knees.

I put the Euphoria in the empty mug and handed it back to her.

She drank that too, and I thanked Merlin when it seemed to work. Though she was still quiet (it took more than Euphoria to heal such great hurt, or so I had been told), she seemed slightly happier. I sighed in relief.

The common room door swung open to reveal McGonagall standing in the doorway, not wearing her usual tight-lipped long-suffering expression. In its place was the ghost of a smile.

"Mr. Black? Professor Dumbledore would like to see you."

"Me, Professor?"

"Yes, you, Black." She snapped.

"But I didn't do anything this time!" I said, sighing sadly. She wouldn't believe me anyway.

"Minerva?" I said as sweetly as possible.

"Professor. McGonagall." She said through gritted teeth. She hated when I had an effect on her, irrelevant to whether or not it was to make her smile.

"Whichever you prefer, Minerva." I repeated, sweeter than before. "What have I done?"

"Why would you think that?" She asked with a smirk. An odd expression on her usually severe face.

"Everyone's angry with me today. Why not add you and Professor Dumbledore to the list?"

"Professor Dumbledore has always said that you shouldn't count your OWLs before you receive them. Some patience, Black." She said.

We walked quietly until the ugly gargoyle. "EarwaxFlavoredBertieBott'sEveryFlavorJellyBean." I said, sniggering. Whatever you said about the man, Dumbledore most certainly had style.

I contemplated how much more detention I could get into as I climbed up the stairs. The door was slightly open, but still, I knocked.

"Come in, Mr. Black." Dumbledore said softly.

"Sit." He pointed me to a chair.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes." He didn't say anything else.

As I waited for him to speak, I unconsciously stroked Fawkes' feathers. I had to get myself a phoenix. Finally, I decided to break the silence.

"Why, sir?"

"You don't need extra credit, Mr. Black." He said, his eyes twinkling.

"No, sir."

"And you did brew Euphoria for that purpose, did you not?"

"Erm…" I bit my tongue and told the truth. "No, sir."

"I assume you did it for Lily Evans?"

"Yes, sir."

"Sad business, that. Now, I take it you know the consequences of a wrongly brewed Elixir to Induce Euphoria?"

"Yes, sir."

"You should have gone to Professor McGonagall."

I felt a little bit stupid. He was right. We should have.

"Yes, sir." I said, looking down. Dumbledore had a way of making me feel like a child. A very different one from the one I was at Grimmauld Place, but a child nonetheless.

"Very well. Since there is no harm done, we will speak of this no more."

"Thank you, sir." I said, sighing in relief.

"Now, there is one more thing I would like to talk to you about."

"Sir?"

"You're uncle Alphard passed away last night, Sirius."

I looked away from his face. I had like Uncle Alphard. He was quite nice.

"This is his will." He said, handing me a roll of parchment. I scanned it quickly, and caught the gist of it.

"He left me…all his gold?"

"Yes. It seems so."

"Wow."

"My congratulations, Mr. Black, but it seems that your aunt, Bellatrix Black's mother, is not satisfied. They plan to contest it. If you would like, I could speak to the goblins as Gringotts. Of course, you could do it yourself, if you prefer."

"No sir. If you would do it, it would be a great relief to me." I said quietly.

"So be it. Do you plan to attend the funeral, Sirius?"

"No, sir. I don't want to kill anyone." I added quietly.

"Yes. No use wasting your talent in Azkaban." He chuckled. "Chocolate Frog?" He offered, pointing to a pile on the edge of his table.

"Thanks, sir."

I took one, and made my way to the door. I flipped the card around - Devlin Whitehorn, founder of the new broom company, Nimbus. Maybe I could get myself one of those with Uncle Alphard's money. Biting the head off, I contemplated what this meant. Well, I could buy myself a – rotorbike? Was that it? Wonderful looking muggle contraptions. I was sure I could enchant it to fly. I could also buy myself a house. I really did like Potter Manor, but I needed a place to call home.

Entertaining such pleasant thoughts, I made my way back to the common room. So in the end, the day had gone quite well.

Hey everyone! I wanted to apologize for not updating sooner. I've been a bit busy. My birthday's coming up later this month, and I'm getting married in March! Busy, busy, busy. So, sorry, really. I'll try to be better about it. As usual, rate, review, recommend.

Rose.