Sirius turned and immediately started laughing uncontrollably. Remus stared at him in shock for a second before he started smirking, then chuckling, and finally was consumed by laughter.

"What is so funny?" James asked.

Sirius gasped out, "Your face!!"

"That is sooo not funny anymore," James said.

Lily and Lindsay had joined in the laughter, so James kind of chuckled to go along.

"Go look in a mirror," Remus said, still laughing.

James walked over to a store window where he could see his reflection, "LILY!!"

Lily assumed an innocent expression, "Yes James?"

"Oh don't give me that look, undo this!!" James whined.

"Sorry, can't. You'll have to do it the old fashioned way," Lily pulled out a bottle of make-up remover and a packet of cloths.

Lindsay smiled at him, "I would suggest you hurry. Malfoy and his friends are on their way over here."

"Oh no!" James cried and ducked into an alley where he began scrubbing his face furiously. "I am going to get you for this Lily!"

"But how could it have been little ol' me? After all there's nothing I could do to hurt a big bad boy like yourself," Lily said mockingly.

"Oh, shut up! I think you got your revenge," James said, upset.

"Stop being such a baby. I told you not to keep talking, but noooooo! You had to keep saying stuff about - Oh hey guys," Lily said, turning to the new arrivals.

"Are you done hanging out with them?" Lucius asked, jerking his head towards Sirius and Remus.

"I think I got all my stuff - Oh!! I have to go back to the owlery with Lindsay real quick, and then I can go home," Lily said. "You guys are welcome to join me if you like."

"Lindsay?" Severus repeated.

"Lindsay, Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, and Anthony Schoel. Guys this is Lindsay," Lily introduced them, not noticing that Lindsay wouldn't look at them.

"Yeah, we'll come with you to the owlery. If you want some emotional support, we can hand out at your house for awhile, too," Anthony volunteered.

"Hey! We're better emotional support than you!" Sirius argued. "We should go home with her."

As Lily's eyes started to darken, the boys decided to come to an agreement.

"Umm, maybe all of us could go?" Remus volunteered.

"Only if you can keep the cutting remarks to a minimum!" Lily bargained.

The boys looked at each other challengingly and nodded.

Lily smiled, "Well then, I could really use it. My sister probably won't talk to me, and the realization is going to hit my parents pretty hard. I know they said they believed me, but I'm not so sure they do."

"Let's get over to the owlery," Lindsay said quietly. "It closes at sundown, and that is only a few minutes away."

"It closes at sundown?" Lily asked. "There isn't a specific time?"

"A lot of stores around here work that way," Sirius explained. "I never really thought about it."

"Hold it," Lily said. "We have to wait for James."

"Where is Potter?" Severus asked annoyed.

"And why are we going back to the owlery? Weren't you in there forever already?" Sirius asked.

"I didn't actually buy it, but I found the perfect thing," Lily said. "Oh, but Lindsay, is there anything I can do about that disorientation thing? I mean I don't think I want my owl driving people crazy every time I send a letter."

"Oh, they can learn control over that just like you. The reason hers were so vibrant, was because it was reflecting your lack of control," Lindsay replied.

"Does anyone else feel out of the loop?" Lucius asked.

Sirius nodded, but realizing he'd agreed with him, decided a cutting remark was in order, "The better question is, do you ever feel in the loop?"

"Sirius," Lily growled warningly.

"Alright, alright," Sirius grumbled.

"Why is it that we seem to be able to hold in our remarks, while you don't have so much control?" Anthony asked.

"There is more negative things to say about you," Sirius supplied.

"It's not me, Lily," Remus said defensively. "It's all Sirius!"

"Way to stick by a friend," Sirius mumbled.

"Way to be antagonistic," Remus shot back.

"Way to use big words," Sirius retorted.

"Way to have a pathetically minimal vocabulary," Remus said, smiling.

"James!" Lily yelled at the figure that had emerged from the alley. "Over here."

"Potter, you're looking shiny today," Severus snorted.

"What are they doing here?" James asked cruelly.

"We're all going to the owlery and then to Lily's house," Remus said.

"No negative remarks, no cursing, and no physical contact," Lily said sternly.

"I don't know if I can take this," James cried.

"Suck it up," Anthony said. "If we can, you can. I don't know why she wants you guys around, no that wasn't a negative comment, that was a fact, but you're not going to monopolize all her time."

"No more facts," Lily interjected.

At the owlery, Lily immediately went to the small nook in which her special owl was placed.

Lindsay walked behind the counter, "Here, I can ring you up."

Lily handed the cage over to her, "Is this going to be terribly expensive?"

"Why should it be?" James asked suspiciously.

Remus hit him over the head, "James, she hasn't bought an owl before, how should she know the price range? Why are you so paranoid?"

"Heh, oh yeah," James blushed. "Sorry."

Lily and Lindsay exchanged an amused smile, "It's quite alright."

Lindsay rang up the purchase and gave the cage back to Lily with a black cloth over it, "Maybe you should keep it under this for awhile."

"Why won't you let us get a good look?" Sirius asked. "Is it the one that looks like me?"

Severus opened his mouth to make a comment, but Lily got their first, "Severus, before you say anything, I want you to know that I always thought you two looked quite a bit alike."

That shut Severus and Sirius up.