AN: If this chapter seems rushed and/or sloppy then sorry, I guess. I couldn't help it. It was this or no chapter. I honestly don't know why this took so long to push out. Since my last post the electricity was fixed in my house, so I have light AND my friend gave me her old laptop so I can write in a normal keyboard. I have no excuses, other than I wasn't able to summon my normal determination/will to get writing. Yeah.

Also, I posted Chapter 24: Valentines in Hogsmeade last year! Do you know what that means? I've only posted like thirteen chapters since then! That's one per month basically, right? AGH! Last year today, I had such high hopes on already being on a higher chapter by now, like ninety or a hundred. Boooo!

Happy Valentines btw.

Anyway, read, enjoy, and review.

Chapter 38: Back at Hogwarts

I woke up as I normally did; by myself and before the grandfather clock in the room announced it was six in the morning. The darkness the green curtains pulled around my bed provided was cosy, inviting to sleep an hour or two more. But that was an invitation I would never accept, even if I wanted to or needed it.

I had a long first day ahead and lots of assignments to start doing.

Thankfully, I had arrived back at Hogwarts at a perfect week. In the middle of it really, but still perfect. Easter Holidays was a week free of classes, though not of work, of course. I've heard that it was a good time to concentrate on the work given by the professors and to give the extra mile if one needed to raise class marks. Lily had been the one to tell me that, not that her grades needed to be raise over Outstandings. I don't think there's ever been a higher mark.

Anyway, my return from St. Mungo's delivered me right in the middle of it, so I had the perfect opportunity to work back to my original academic position. The one that allowed me to scrap pass the marks I needed to move forward. Yeah, minimum to pass and stay in N.E.W.T.s.

I'm sure my teachers must have given mountains of work, abysmal amounts to drive any student insane. Luckily for me, I had been pencilled into their schedules for the day –and various other dates during the rest of April– to meet in their offices. All thanks to Dumbledore. School work called like a siren calling sailors, and yeah I felt like I was sailing to my death. But in an excited doom to get everything done kind of way, not in the death doom.

What I wanted to do in terms of my assignments and studying was to dive fully into them, drive myself to exhaustion, headaches and sleepless nights to get them done and out of the way. That though, was impossible. I had been given stern sermons both in St. Mungo's and Hogwarts about taking care of my health. And their insistence angered me in ways that even laying in my bed I could feel my insides shaking slightly with the memory. I cared about my health, sure, but as I looked at the curtains for no reason at all, I knew that I would do as they said not for my wellbeing. It was to keep Dumbledore, The Minister, Head Healer Pyke, Merlin's portrait and Madam Pomfrey off my back.

So that meant making sure every adult in the castle saw me eating all my meals, pretending to had gotten bountiful sleep, being as pristine as possible and two hours of rest everyday with Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing.

I sighed. I had a long day head of me with those two hours with the school Healer, meetings with my professors and starting my assignments. But that was for the afternoon and the rest of the month. This morning was to finding Lily and the boys as soon as possible, for I missed them terribly, and to ask for forgiveness and explain, if necessary.

Comfortable and laid out under my covers, though slightly peeved that I had to remain in bed longer than I wanted to, I waited for my dorm mates to begin to rise. I decided to wait until they left the room completely, if possible, or until my bladder became too desperate.

There wasn't much fuss as they came to wake up. They were girls accustomed to rising early, so even in days with no classes; they woke shortly after the clock chimed. Long minutes passed before I heard any of them speak a word, but one of them shook her sleep off and began talking hoarsely. I think it was Gertrude, I couldn't tell. Her voice was muffled by what I might dare say was the sound of several showers running.

Shortly, the dorm was filled with commotion, as the girls went about loitering around the room. Mafalda's level tone carried above the sound, not because she was talking loudly, but probably because she was trying to get her words across to something said to her. "That won't be necessary, Gertrude. I'm going to the library with Ivan."

There was a wave of 'oohs' and 'aahs' by the other three girls before Gemma particularly began to tease. "Is it like a date?"

"Oh, is there love blooming?" Hestia, close to my bed said, joining in to what seemed fun gossip between friends that knew each other for years. Sometimes, when I eavesdropped on them like that, after the incident in the Duelling Society, I would get envious.

"Why would there be? He's my fiancé." Even being teased, Mafalda remained composed.

"I love my fiancé." Gertrude gave that titbit about herself as if we all didn't already know that she was crazy about her boyfriend, Rabastan Lestrange.

Right then, I didn't feel envious at all. In all honesty I was happy. I had a hard time swallowing for a moment, as I heard my dorm mates bicker a bit more about love and fiancés. As much animosity was between us, I really did miss them, even though I was gone just a couple of days. My time away from school had been shorter than my previous visits to St. Mungo's, but somehow this time I felt like longer had gone by. I don't know why. Maybe my close brush with death had something to do with it.

There was a loud tumble, like books falling from somewhere and after, Hestia whining out of nowhere. "Don't tell me you have rounds!"

"My Prefect duties are not just doing rounds."

Hestia didn't seem to care about that. "Gemma, you promised you'd help me today."

"And I will, after I'm done briefing Burk." The Prefect told Hestia in her best collected tone, almost coming close to how elegant Mafalda sounded when she used it.

"Isn't that Peregrine's job?" This was said by Mafalda as she referred to the seventh year girl Prefect. With Mulciber gone one would think that the responsibly of Slytherin House would fall on Peregrine Yaxley, but she wasn't the brightest tool in the shed when it came to being a Prefect. Not that one needed to be intelligent for the position; apart from occasional logistics, it seemed like an easy job to me. Anyway, Peregrine's forte was in dishing out detentions to anyone outside our House, in everything else, she had followed Mulciber. "Slughorn should have chosen a better replacement for Mulciber."

Gemma sighed loud enough for me to hear. "Niles Burk could never come close to even touching Lorcan's shoes, not with a head full of Qui—"

"Wait Gemma," Mafalda said, her voice dripping with worry and so making the whole room quieter with it. When she spoke next, even close to a whisper, her words resounded around the room. "Who pulled those curtains?"

So finally they noticed.

I guess that hoping these girls would leave the dorm so early on a holiday was a naïve thought, even more so wanting to wait in hiding for it. There wasn't a sound in the dorm for an extended moment before I sat up on my bed. I resigned myself into moving. It was a lazy day after all; no class and the girls would probably stay in as late as possible in the dorm before heading down for breakfast. Or at least till a more normal hour of the morning. As uptight as they were, they knew how to relax, unlike me.

Relaxing was not something I was ready to let myself enjoy yet. I would rest when needed and if I had to, but if I relaxed, well, I don't really know what.

Taking a deep breath, I shed my bed covers and rose to pull the side curtain. Light rendered me blind for a second, as I moved to stand, my bare feet welcoming the softness and warmth of the carpet on the floor. Walking to a position in which I was in plain sight to all the girls, I stood there for a moment, watching. Gertrude and Hestia were both sitting on the bed right across from mine, Mafalda was crouching next to her trunk and Gemma stood at the foot of her bed. She was the closest to me, immaculate in her school robes and the Prefect badge shinning on her chest.

I spared them all a glance, for what reason I couldn't say before turning around to open my wardrobe. The girls had stared at me in different levels of shock as the silence in the room grew awkward. Then again it became that way as soon as they realized I was in the dorm. Whatever their reasons, be it my sudden unannounced arrival from St. Mungo's, my duel with Lorcan Mulciber and him being expelled or the reveal of my ancestry, my dorm mates had been rendered speechless for the moment.

Fishing out some casual worn-out robes that as the rest of my close, made me look like the frumpy Slytherin I was once called to my face by Sirius, I took a deep breath again. I had missed the girls. That I couldn't deny, and it was a relief to see their faces even when they were staring at me as if I had two heads instead of one. However, I wasn't about to do anything about anything. I was not going to talk to them, trying to come up with small talk or the like.

In my opinion I had already done enough by climbing out of bed and presenting myself to them. That was enough. So, with my robes on hand, I ignored all the girls, walking passed them to the bathroom.

I took my sweet time taking a warm shower, hoping against hope that it would be enough time for the girls to get a grip on themselves to either leave or ignore me once I returned to the room. Particular, I was more hopeful on the ignoring one. Dressed comfortably, I walked to the sink that held my toothbrush and go into using it. When that was done, I brushed the tangles off my long hair, not a hard job. Pressing my hair back into a tight bun, I resigned myself again, to face my dorm mates if need and return to my trunk to get my things. The expression I gave myself back through the mirror was not too reassuring, though I didn't look as haggard as many other times I had seen my reflection. The healing and resting I got in the hospital had gotten my face to look refreshed. That at least, seemed good to me.

Back in the dorm, Gemma was nowhere to be seen.

She had left. At least one had done as I wanted. The rest stared once more, but I ignored that, this time going to my trunk. All my school materials were in there, so I began to gather everything I thought I would need through the day. I tried to consider not damaging my newly healed shoulder as I browsed through my books and notes.

"Are you well, Faraday?" A brave soul ventured. It was Gertrude, I knew her voice. I didn't turn to her. When I had returned to the room, I saw she hadn't moved, so I kept still too and did not answer.

Of my dorm mates, Gertrude was the most approachable, even in my time as a Slytherin pariah. And maybe if only she was in the room, I would have answered, but Hestia and Mafalda were there and that made me a little nervous. Though I knew it was their polite education that made her ask, I for the moment didn't feel like being polite back. Therefore, there was an awkward silence that extended itself more than it was necessary.

I resolved myself to leaving, bolting out the dorm and House as I rose putting my bag on my shoulder.

It was at that moment that Gemma returned, appearing to run smack into a wall when in fact she just came into noticing I was practically in the middle of the room being stared at by her friends as if I was a freak of nature. Which I guess is not wrong, in a way.

"I-umm," My staring back must had done something, for she opened her mouth and then close it again. Gemma looked around as if looking for help. Though I said nothing, I was stuck into staring at her, more because of shock than anything else. There we were, the six year Slytherin girls, standing around like idiots. As soon as that thought bounce around my head twice, Gemma collected herself as she did best, this time managing to speak at me. "Lily Evans is waiting for you by the portrait."

Now it was my turn to open and close my mouth.

I would like to say that I bolted from my dorm because I was excited to see my friend who had so kindly saved me the hassle of having to go look for her, but that would have been only half the truth. No, I abandoned my dorm mates because Lily was waiting by the portrait. The Slytherin portrait. The Slytherin portrait only a handful of people in the world knew was of Merlin. Merlin, my most times overbearing ancestor grandfather. Yeah no, this was horrible.

So I left the girls staring after me to run through the common room. There were a few students loitering in the common room and I paid them no mind. I strode as fast as I could to the exit, trying not to look at the handful of housemates there and what their reaction to seeing me might be. I wasn't interested in their normal stares, much less some the same as my dorm mates.

Just as Gemma said, Lily waited outside the portrait door.

My heart swelled with excitement and I couldn't keep a smile from breaking out on my face, not that I had no reason not to. She was a sight for sore eyes, standing there in muggle clothes. Her face lit up as she saws me, delightfully beautiful as it was framed by her long straight red hair.

I stepped out Slytherin House to jump on her, hugging her tightly. Again, it hadn't been too long since I last saw her, but I missed her as if months had gone by and not days. Lily, wonderful girl that she is, accepted my embrace with one of her own, holding me tight too. My eyes began to sting as it became hard to swallow, had I been standing on my own I would have begun to shake. The near-death experience had done a number in me that I didn't understand fully, yet it made self-doubt and loathing ring through my being. She was the first person I was to face about my lying and secret keeping. Lily who was my first and best true friend, what if she didn't forgive me? The Daily Prophet article had come out before I could formulate a good enough explanation. What if the worldwide reveal of my direct connection to Merlin and Morgana changed our friendship, or worst, damaged it?

"Did you read it?"

Lily allowed me to hide myself from her, not pushing me away or pulling back from the hug. Maybe she could tell how horrible I felt. I would have wanted to tell my secrets instead of having her randomly read them in the country's wizard newsletter. And I knew she had, even when I asked. Even when she answered. "Really hard not to, actually."

"I'm sorry."

A throat was cleared behind me, and a clearly male voice spoke after it. "Good morning Faraday."

Shit, I forgot.

Before I realized, I had pushed off Lily, who looked behind me to who spoke. She wasn't bothered, but then again she didn't know. I, on the other hand wanted nothing more than to hex myself or something for my own stupidity. I had run outside to prevent any acquaintanceship to form between my friend and the painting, yet instead I had given the picture a show for which he would try to interrogate me later. I turned around to face Merlin, already looking forward to the conversation about Lily he will want to have and how brilliantly I was going to ignore him.

"Good morning, grandfather." I repeated, starting uncomfortably at the painted canvas. Trying not to drag the situation longer, and evade any possible outcome that had me introducing Lily to Merlin, I grabbed her arm. Without being too forceful, I pulled her to the direction of the stairs, not giving the painting my back for a second. "Excuse us."

I let go of Lily once we had climbed enough stairs so not to be seen by the picture of Merlin. I hadn't thought of it the previous night when Dumbledore and Slughorn had walked me to the dorm, but these were the very stairs I had rolled down on a week ago. Seemed strange to me walking up them like nothing happened, without a second thought.

The information felt weird. Luckily for me, Lily had just the topic to make me forget about that. "That's your grandfather's portrait?"

"Ancestor really," I said without thinking, though it wasn't a lie. Lily eyed me with what I could only assume was curiosity and goodhearted suspicion. It clicked to me then that I had spoken much to her about my connection to the Slytherin portrait. This was her first time seeing it, and since I was free to speak of whatever I wanted, I went full on with the truth. "Merlin."

"That's Merlin!" Her voice rose were her astonishment, the news making stop moving.

"Shhh," I said though at that hour there wasn't anyone going up or down the stairs. I turned to her, stopping mid step to speak. It was a point I had to get across, because even if I technically didn't have to keep my secrets anymore if I wanted, the topic about items relating to Merlin and their existence were still something to be secretive of. "Only a handful of people in this school know. You can't tell anyone Lily. Promise me, please."

"Of course I won't tell." Lily reassured me and I believed her completely. I knew I could trust her with anything. And she could do the same with me. Maybe I should tell her that someday. "But will you tell me more? About everything."

There was no saying 'no' to that sweet plea of friendship, and I didn't even need to see into her green eyes to nod. "Yes, I'll tell you lots."

We found a secluded corner close to the stairs that led up to the Astronomy Tower and I told Lily as much as I dared to start with. She listed carefully and patiently, visibly curious of all I had to say.

I told her of my arrival in Diagon Alley, of the secrecy the Ministry had demanded of me, of my relationship with Lorcan and all the ups and downs of being Merlin and Morgana descendant, including the delirious state my female ancestor's blood made me go through . I spoke in detail about the blood knowledge, though she already knew a bit of that, and how Dumbledore helped me research to get a better understanding of what I had inherited. There were however, a few things I decided to leave out entirely for Lily's wellbeing and my piece of mind. I steered clear talking about particularly the Duelling Society and the monthly runs with the Marauders. Those were truths that weren't only mine and affected more than one person. They were also truths that might have adverse reactions. If Lily knew what the Duelling Society did in their initiations, she would bring Slytherin House to the ground alone with her wand if she had to. And if I spoke of my runs, I would be revealing the boys' great secrets. After all, saying that once a month I ran around the Forbidden Forest with a werewolf, a rat, a stag and a dog merited hours of interrogation alone.

Plus I would never betray Remus trust in me with his secret.

My stomach had begun to ask painfully for breakfast by the time I shut my mouth, but I pushed that aside as best possible. This was more important. Lily tapped her foot as she chewed everything I had said. I knew there were hard matters to come to grasp of, but it's true when they say that she's brilliant. Brightest witch in Hogwarts, if you ask me. "I can't believe you were actually in a serious relationship with Mulciber."

I wasn't surprised that her first reaction was toward Lorcan. Nor I was surprised to be glad for it. This topic in particular was a long time coming, and I'm an eternally grateful that Lily had the consideration of not questioning me about it before. "It was love at first sight, I think."

"The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. He had this unhealthy obsession with you and I'd always catch you giving him these painful looks that I didn't understand, but now I do. You were crazy about him." Hearing her say that didn't sit well with my empty stomach. She meant well by saying it, as she leaned her back against the stone wall, however it still felt horrible. I hated that she had noticed this thing, but then again, I never truly could hide what I felt inside for Lorcan. As blank as I tried to keep my face, I always knew that Lily could see the repulsion and infatuation I held towards him.

"Don't remind me."

"And you two duelled," She was staring at a point away from me, but I was looking at her so I fully noticed how dark her face became and how her eyes hardened. "All those injuries you got, he did that to you."

Of course she was angry. It was completely understandable, even more so coming from Lily, who even at the beginning of our friendship would had been happily to fight with me against Mulciber if only I had asked. Maybe I would have saved myself a lot of heartache if I had just asked for her help, hell if I had just talked to her about it fully. But that was now in the past, and though it still hurt and I would probably take a bit more time to heal, I was over it. I had been so since the duel. "And he bullied me for months."

What I added didn't calm Lily in the slightest, it did the opposite really, but that wasn't a problem.

"That ruddy bastard! I'm going to kill him. Mark my words Faraday; if I ever see that bloody yellow-bellied git again I'm going to introduce him to the pointy end of my wand." For an emphasis she shoved her hand up in the hair, as if she held her wand in it. I was taken aback for a second. Lily rarely ever spoke angry like that. And even when she did, she didn't pack on the insults. That is, unless she was shouting off James Potter, but that was another matter altogether.

A pang of fear went off inside me; though I pushed it away before I let it affected me. The last thing I wanted was for Lily to soil her beautiful soul with dealing with Mulciber "Hopefully, it'll be a long time before that happens."

"Did he know?" Lily asked and I looked at her not understanding. Once, she tried to not meet my eyes, but being the brave lioness she is, she stared at me steadily. "Your secret."

I was taken aback by her concern over that one thing, though I guess it might merit alarm. But that's not why I cared. I cared because she was worried that I had trusted him more than I trusted her before now and that made me feel all sort of good things. "I never told him anything outside the lies I was told to say. Actually I think I told you more of the truth the first time we talked than I ever told him."

At that, she smiled. Of course it made her happy, though she still didn't know that she was the first person ever to whom I was telling this.

There was the sound of a chiming clock in the distance, the big one that announced the time and the beginning of class on weekdays. This time, it just said that it was eight. Still early, but I guess long hours are to be expected on days that start early. I thought we had been there longer. It certainly felt like I had been talking for hours.

"What are you going to do now?"

I hadn't even realized that I got distracted looking at nothing. My gaze went to my friend, as I tried to make sense of her question where I stood. "About what?"

"Your future, I guess." She said with half a shrug. I don't know what brought her question on, if it was because my identity was public or simply it was the time to talk about it. Friends did that, I believe. Mafalda kept asking Hestia about her future plans too. That Lily was doing it was just that. She was worried about me.

Or so I thought when I went on to speak. I was probably right, though I don't know if about that. "The same thing I've been doing, try to keep up with class and graduate from Hogwarts."

"Yeah, but what about after that?" Lily took a step toward me, away from the wall. Her sudden move made me flinch a little, however I think it was mostly due with the ferocity of her questioning. I hadn't thought that this matter would turn up as unexpectedly as it did, or that it would be that important at the moment. "What will you do once you're out in the real world?"

"Do you mean professionally or what?" I didn't want to sound defensive, but I felt like that a little. "I haven't thought about it. What are you going to do?"

That got her off my back faster than I thought it would. Lily's face relaxed, though it didn't seem particularly content. Passive is more like, as she returned to the wall to press a shoulder against it. My legs were beginning to kill me, after standing so much, but I compensated by doing as Lily, my body turned to her as well. "I wanted to be a Professor. Come here and teach magic to muggle-borns like me."

"You would be brilliant, Lily."

"I thought so too, but," Lily went on, her face dark again and it made my stomach start to bother me. I didn't like the way Lily's face insisted of souring like that. There was a deep sense of worry in her, one that she oozed from every pore and made me nauseous. I knew she didn't do it intentionally, but it made put me on edge. "There's going to be a full-on war, everybody says it and I don't want to sit around doing nothing. I want to help."

I stared, cocking my head to the side. "Are you going to be a Healer then?"

She eyed me strangely, as if I had said something weird. "No. I think I'm going to try being an Auror." Her words made everything worst. I didn't know much of the wizarding world outside of what I read in books and newspapers, but I knew what Aurors did, and how dangerous of a job it was on normal days. In days of war, well I didn't want to imagine. Even less when I had to imagine Lily being one. She must have seen distress in my face or something for she gave me a sad smile. "I know it's dangerous, but I want to fight. I won't stand back quietly waiting to be protected and neither should you."

I had a hard time swallowing, and after that, when I managed to speak, it was in a small voice."I don't-"

"Faraday," Lily hadn't heard me, hell I don't think she even noticed. She had looked away from me earlier, staring off to the corridor we had come from. "You should think hard on your future, now that you still have the peace to do it."

Her words resounded in my head, heavy and full of foreboding, though that wasn't Lily's fault. Truth be told, I had no clue why deep inside I was afraid. Because that was what it was, there was no escaping the truth, but I didn't have time to get to the reason of the matter at that moment. Next to me, Lily straighten, leaving her pose on the wall as she stared off to the corridor again. I followed her gaze, for that made me anxious, yet that didn't last long once I saw what it was, or more like who it was that was running towards us.

"Peter?"

With his mousy face red and puffy; product of the running I would imagine, Peter came toward me. Why he was running, I really didn't understand, but he was coming right at me so I couldn't keep at bay the pure happiness I felt in my entire being. Barely a week had passed since we last saw each other, yet Peter had been so worried about me to showcase such a beautiful action, to even run towards me. Never would I have thought to have a friendship in which something like that would happen. Before he jumped to hug me, I saw how glossy his eyes were, and the trail of tears that marked his face. With this and my reunion with Lily earlier, my bottom lip quivered as my heart warmed, reducing me to an emotional wreck. All I wanted to do was to cry with him, and it took a lot not to.

"I missed you." He said in my ear.

I held on tighter to his shoulders. "I missed you too."

When I looked up, the rest of the boys were coming too. They weren't running like Peter had, but once they were close enough they joined in the hug. James was the first one I saw, as he smiled at me, the hazel of his eyes looking particularly dashing behind his glasses. There was relief in his face, as he came behind Peter to put his arms around the two of us, but he looked slightly tense. There were bags under his eyes, he looked strained and exhausted, and his hair didn't seem as perfectly messed up as normally. A side glance gave me the answer. Lily, though she was still there, was looking away as I was engulfed. Of course poor James looked like that; he had been getting hexed all week by Lily. Both she and Sirius had spoken bountifully of the subject in their letters.

Speaking of Sirius, he gave me one of his best smiles, the kind that made girls swoon and a devious grey wink that had me shaking my head on the crook of Peter's neck. Dressed in muggle clothes, he appeared to not have a care in the world as he joined us. With his long arms going around James and Peter and me, Sirius made sure to crush us with his embrace.

There were grunts going around, a couple from me. It was then that I noticed that Remus had stayed behind. I tried to pull a hand free, one that had been trapped between Peter's shoulder and Sirius's chest to wave it. Remus, pale and exhausted looking as always, gave me a thoughtful smile that didn't reach his eyes. I thought that to be strange, especially since with my hand toward him, I could feel the pull of our blood. If it was because of me or him, I didn't know, but one of us called for comfort, and I couldn't move to satisfy it. It was a strange feeling, I'll admit, one that I think it was the first time I was conscious of it.

There was something I didn't understand, I don't know what, but it wasn't the time for me to figure it out. I started to squirm out the hug, it had dragged too long and too crowded, even though it was filled with comradeship and I'll dare say affection. It was that show of affection, I saw, had made Lily uncomfortable. Then again, James Potter was standing a few feet from her.

"Care to tell me how you knew where to find us, Potter?" She asked, crossing her arms as she glared at him.

"It's a secret." James said more like his normal self. He still looking strained, but he wouldn't be James Potter if he didn't risk his life to talk to Lily Evans "But long story short Lily-flower, is that I'm amazing and you should date me."

"She'll hex you again, James." Remus warned with a tired exasperation that made me think it wasn't the first or second time he had told James that recently, and I'm sure it wasn't. I was still not aware –I would have to ask Sirius– of just how many times Lily ended up hexing James. By the looks on the Gryffindor boy and the tense atmosphere between him and the Prefect girl, it must have been a high number.

"Mate, I think you mean we're amazing." Sirius put an arm over James shoulder as he spoke to him, completely serious about what he was saying. "So she should date all four of us."

Peter squealed next to me, the idea scandalous in his mind, apparently. I took a step away toward Lily, for what reason I didn't know. It was probably because I had been too close to James when he retaliated to the insane comment, throwing Sirius' arm off his shoulders, and squaring off facing his friend. "Touch my Lily and I'll kill you, mate."

Obviously or stupidly, I'm not sure; Sirius rose to the challenge, puffing out his chest toward his friend and speaking with the same spite. "Do it!"

Three things happened in a blink of an eye, or that's how it felt to me. A fight began, if it can be called that between the two boys when James pounced at Sirius, grabbing his friend attempting to go for a sort of headlock. Second thing I saw was that behind the tug and pull, as Sirius tried to gain the upper hand, Remus shook his head. A long rise and fall of his chest was indicator enough for me that he wouldn't bother to lift a finger to stop his friends. He remained silent, and somewhat distracted, even with what was happening in front of him. And the third thing I noticed was that Lily had produced her wand. I had seen it with just a sidewise glance, and I didn't need to look at the girl to know just how irritated she must have been at the whole absurdity happening.

At the sight of it, Peter wasted no time, and hurried to James. "P-prongs! Prongs!" He called as patted the fighting boy's arms, struggling to not become entangle or come out losing from it. When he got the attention of his two friends, he pointed to Lily, and when hazel and grey eyes went to her, their squabble was done. I'm sure that the sight of Lily Evans holding her wand in anger was frightening to anyone on the opposing side.

James and Sirius patted each other down, as if checking how the other was and then interlocked arms around each other's shoulders like the best mates they were even after their dispute. Like nothing happened, Sirius turned to me, his face as handsome as ever, but more youthful with red colouring product of his mock skirmish. "So Faraday, you're related to Merlin now?"

I was shocked by the sudden change, and the sudden turn toward me. My mind was not so ready to speak to them about Merlin and such after what I had just witness between them, but I tried as best I could. "It's been that way since I was born, really."

That made him chuckle. I think it was because of the insecurity with which I said it.

"Faraday Ambrosius." James spoke looking away from me, pronouncing my name out deliberately, as if he was tasting how it rolled off his tongue. At least that was my impression."We're you even planning on telling us someday?"

It took me a moment's hesitation to shrug.

"That's a no." Sirius announced to his friends, looking around.

Remus spoke up. He hadn't move from his earlier spot behind the rest of the boys, nor did he seem too comfortable to be there with us. "She wasn't obligated to tell you, Padfoot."

"But she should have." Sirius turned around to face his Prefect friend, letting go of James in the process to point at me with a hand as he spoke. "She's our Birdie. We're her only friends. It would have been good to know."

I guessed I should have been ticked off about those comments, and I was about to voice out my slight discomfort about that when Lily spoke. "What good would it had done, Black?"

Lily, standing with her arms crossed and still holding her wand, had spoken with abhorrence in her voice, annoyance and spite dripping from every word uttered. And so Sirius, of course, had answered her very much the same way. I was mildly aware that at least he hadn't met Lily's challenge and pulled out his wand too. "Like I would tell you, Evans."

"I d-don't care that Faraday didn't tell us. It doesn't matter." Peter, bless his heart, spoke standing next to me on my other side.I gave him a smile as thanks and he accepted it with one of his own.

"Peter's right, Padfoot. It doesn't matter that Faraday is related to the most famous wizard in history and she's wasted so far the potential of that birth-right by not having us help her exploit it." The way James said it, did make me feel like it did matter to them. However, it left me questioning just how they would use my ancestry for their crazy plans. I might even be inclined to hypothetically ask later. "Like our dear Birdie once said 'we don't need to know everything about each other'."

"I never said that." I told him; though it did sound like something I would have said at some point.

"In my heart you did." James said giving me the kind of smile that he would normally shine toward Lily, which she hated. I don't know why really. It was impressively charming, lighting up his face and knowingly capable of making hearts skip, but slightly full of itself, like he was. Maybe that was it.

I felt my cheeks get warm in a good way, so I smiled up at him. "And so I did, if you say so, my love."

That did the trick and before James tried to pretend my flirting hadn't affected him, Sirius and Peter had begun to laugh. Even Remus cracked a smile as the bespectacled boy looked around with a red face, searching for who knows what. He gave me a slightly embarrassed glare, this was James Potter in front of his lady-love; he had to maintain as much composure as possible. I'm not going to lie; I did feel a sense of gleeful pleasure when I met his stare.

"Merlin, I will vomit," Lily said, shaking her head and pushing her wand unto a back pocket. She held my gaze for a second before motioning to the corridor that led to the rest of the castle with her head."Let's go get breakfast, Faraday."

"I'll go t-too." Peter voiced, grabbing unto my arm, so to not be left behind. Not that I would do that.

James was back to his normal antics, and he perked up at the idea of sitting for breakfast with the girl he was after. I imagine it was that and most likely it was. He gave me the charming smile from before, and shared it with Lily too. O-ho I was right, though there was a minimal chance of being wrong."We should all go. Like Sirius said, were friends."

"I did say that." Sirius said and the rest of the boys took it as a sign to start to leave. They turned to the corridor, and even Peter let go of my arm to start walking.

At the collective movement of the crowd, Lily placed a hand on my arm, pulling on it slightly to stop me from moving. I looked back as she spoke. "On second thought, I'll go get your notes Faraday and meet you in the library, if you're up for it."

"Aww no," I protested realizing that oddly, I had an echo. A glance to the side showed that James was now standing closest to me, and had voiced out the same displeasured as I did.

"See you in a bit." Lily left me no choice but to agree with her as she left us.

I was left with no choice in the matter, as Lily didn't wait for me to give her an answer. She smile in parting, and pushed past the Marauders to hurry down the corridor. I sighed as I watched her go, torn between wanting to spent time with her and the boys. Lily tried to be civil to them for my benefit, but I guess there were limits to everything, and I prefer for her to be away for a while than to start hexing James. It was still a little disheartening to watch her go the same way we were taking to the Great Hall. Only her promise of meeting in the Library shortly kept me in top spirits as I went with the Gryffindor boys.

We followed a grim face Remus, who looked like he was in serious need of the energy a good breakfast would provide. Peter and Sirius went after him, and at the back I fell into step with James. He didn't seem too affected by Lily's fleeing and the relaxed expression he carried made me feel a sliver of admiration toward him, I don't know why. Maybe I was falling in love with him.

"Hey James," I called as I laughed at the thought of love, other than platonically, toward James. His head turned my way as he raised his brow at me. "How did you guys find us?"

His hazel eyes squinted behind his glasses as he looked at me like I said something strange. And though I did believe that was a normal occurrence with me, this wasn't the case. "Wormtail told you, don't you remember?"

I shook my head.

Pursing his lips, James reached to his back pocket, stopping for a moment. Remus, Sirius and Peter didn't seem to notice that we had stayed slightly behind. From his pocket, he produced a large, square piece of folded parchment with nothing written on it. Somehow I expected something brilliant, and I think he saw the dissatisfaction on my face. With his other hand, he pulled out his wand and pointed its tip to the parchment he held, muttering something about solemnly being up to no good. That did something, and James handed me the enchanter thing.

I felt my eyes go wide as lines took life of their own, crisscrossing, joining together and fanning towards every corner of the parchment. Holding gingerly between my hands, I stared at it, marvelling at what I was seeing, and what I could recognize was a brilliant piece of enchantment.

"Where did you get this?" I breathed amazed of everything I was seeing, recognizing what the tiny, named ink dots moving around meant. I read the great, curly green words that appear on the top of it, reading the particular nicknames of self-entitled purveyors of aids to magical mischief-makers. There was no hiding the wide almost speechless smile I felt on my face. James seemed particularly pleased to see it. "TheMarauders' map? This is a map of Hogwarts?"

"We didn't get it anywhere. This is our work of art. Our masterpiece, a map of Hogwarts that shows everyone in the castle at every minute of every day." He was astronomically pleased by the look on my face, the amazement and surprise I couldn't help be engulf by. Of course, only he and his group of friends would think of doing something like a map of the school. My elbow was grabbed by James, who pulled me closer to him. He leaned down, almost as if to whisper to my ear, but he didn't get that close, only enough for me to see the brown, gold and green in his hazel eyes with great detail."Don't tell Evans. Please Faraday?"

"Why are you even telling me?" Sure, I asked, but I didn't answer every question directed at me. Nor did I expect other people to do differently, not when it was with something as amazing as a real life map of Hogwarts created by gifted students to cause mischief.

"You kicked Slytherin arse Faraday, you're officially one of us now." With an infectious smile he took back his map, folded it and put it securely on his back pocket. I stared at him, thinking about what he said. If he was referring to my fight with Mulciber, I don't think it was something to boast about. I held my ground but he ended up winning. Technically, I guess I did beat him around a little; however it was nothing compared with what he ended up doing to me.

I made a face at him, a twisted one that meant no harm, but also tried to convey that I didn't like his comment at all. "Don't be mean, Potter. I'm a Slytherin too, you know."

"Not to worry, we'll make a Gryffindor of you." That smile never left his face, and of course it didn't when it looked so easy and laidback there.

I scoffed at the absurdity, enjoying James but just that.

"Move it, Ambrosius!" Sirius yelled farther along from us. I don't know if he had just realized that we had stopped, or it was now that he chose to call us, but I hurried toward him. Leaving James to follow behind me, I fell into step with Sirius and Peter, Remus still leading the way. Being called by my real surname was strange to me, I realized as I walked, not that I had ever gotten used to Nolan.

I guess I just had to get used to this one.

We made it to the Great Hall shortly after, and all I wanted to think was that I was exaggerating by saying that every pair of eyes siting for breakfast fell on me. But it wasn't an exaggeration and I was at least glad that it was still the morning, and the tables of the Great Hall were at their slowest time of the day. And that meant that less than half the school population was present to witness the descendant of Merlin and Morgana eat her first meal back in Hogwarts.

Great.

It took me a lot, but I braced myself and turned toward my table. Resisting the urge to squirm under the limelight, that was something I would try not to allow myself ever, if possible, I searched up the Slytherin table. The girls of my dorm were sitting by the middle, heads turned my way too. They had been cordial enough in the morning, they acknowledged my presence and two of the even asked me how I was doing, but I wasn't about to sit with them. I looked on. Closer to me, I recognized the faces of a few first years, particularly that of Graham and his friends. He too was staring my way, but unlike my dorm mates, I was interested in sitting with him. I took a step towards my table, and when I went for a second, I couldn't move.

There was a familiar pull at the back of my head, where I knew my hair neatly tied into a bun was. Someone grabbed it to prevent me from leaving, and the only person that did that was Sirius.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked me. I couldn't see his expression, as he stood behind me, but he didn't sound particularly please at me.

"To get breakfast?" I said motioning to the Slytherin table.

"Not on that table you're not." He scoffed, letting go of my hair, and moving me around in a way that I somehow ended next to him with one of his arms around my shoulders. With that he led me in the direction of the Gryffindor table behind his friends. "You're sitting with us for the rest of your life now."

I looked up at him, wondering if he was joking or not about it. "You know that's not going to happen, don't you?"

He rolled his eyes, looking away from me. "Let a man dream, Faraday."

That left me speechless for a second. Not sitting on the Slytherin table for the rest of my school life was improbable, and he knew that. As great friends as we were, my occasional meal with the Gryffindor's before my duel was just that, occasional. As much animosity as there is between me and my housemates, I do take to heart the need to sit with them. And obviously, the pride of sitting on the Slytherin table; nothing could change that, not even possible death.

"Alright, but only for today." He seemed particularly pleased that I gave in into him, but it wasn't a matter I was interested to fight for. I would sit on the Slytherin table whenever I wanted to. However, I was my first day back, and like I had intended as soon as I woke up, the morning was to be dedicated solely to meeting with my friends. I had missed them dearly, and they missed me too, their letters were indicators enough. Speaking of letters. "Wait Sirius, tell me something. What happened with the bet? Did we win?"

Sirius looked down at me with what I can only describe as amazement, as if I grew a second head and he was marveling me. It felt strange for a second, but then a smile that was up to no good stretched on his face as he fished into his pocket and brought out jiggling hand. Needless to say, I was delighted with his accomplishment.

...