Tally ho everyone! thanks soooo much for reviewing my story! id reach out my hug you all warmly if that weren't physically impossible. So, to console myself...here's another chappie! YAYFULNESS! It's getting juicy now, guys! HAHA keep reviewing to keep me happy! If anyone has any suggestions about where the story shoud go from here, just review. Simply review. Magic. So, anyway, sit back and enjoy! (ps. Thanks to everyone who dropped a line that 'lily' was only spelt with one 'l'! What a grievous error!)

DISCLAIMERi own a copy of all the hp books (who doesn't?) i own all the movies. i own a friggin' hogwarts cloak. i own a fake wand. Heck, i even have a harry action figure. But most regretfully, i dont own Harry Potter tm. Tragic, i know.

Have buckets of fun! Here we go...

Lily tried to draw breath, but an all-encompassing nothing pressed constrictingly in on her from all sides. She felt an unbearable upsurge in the gravity; pushing in upon her ribcage, stunting her breathing...she tried to cry out but found her mouth sucked in nothing...then she fell forward upon her face, onto a rough gravely surface. She remained face down for a few seconds, breathing in dust and pollution, as her head's sickening spinning slowed down. Apparation was not for the faint hearted. Dazedly, she lifted her head. She had dropped into the midst of a grimy, dilapidated complex of houses. Their dirty, bleak faces swam depressingly before her eyes.

She staggered over to a mount of rotting, compact garbage by the side of the road she had apparated in on, and sat shakily down; an overwhelming desire to throw-up surged about her stomach. A weak moonlight, struggling to sidestep the thick smog of pollution that hung about, cast everything into a ghostly silver sheen. The place smelt heavily of unclean persons and decomposing refuge.

Was this where James wanted her to go? This run-down, filthy complex, unfit for any living inhabitants. Except perhaps rats, mused Lily as one scurried fretfully into the darkness looming about the sides of the depressing houses. Was this a trick? Did Sirius and James Apparate off somewhere else to have a good laugh about leading her on? That seemed like something the pair would do. Had she been stupid enough to take James seriously? To think he actually cared about her feelings, her problems...actually cared about her...

"OI! EVANS!"

A loud, amused voice suddenly rent the air. She snapped her head around in the direction it came from. James and Sirius were standing down the other end of the complex, the darkness cloaking them so sufficiently she had not noticed them. A reluctant smile spreading across her face, she sprang up and jogged over to join them, all sickness winding out of her.

"Potter, keep your voice down!" she whispered reprimanding as she got near them "People are trying to sleep."

"Yes, Evans, Thank-you for the moral lesson." Lily reached them and they started to walk leisurely towards one of the filthy houses, James humming joyfully.

"Excuse me, but where are we and what are we doing?" demanded Lily.

"We are heading for Sirius here's ol' pad." James responded, taking in the derelict surrounds with good nature. Sirius was silent. Lily rather thought his face appeared to have taken on a greenish tinge, but perhaps that was a trick of the washed-out moonlight.

"And how will that...help."

"C'os, there's something in here. It'll let you repair the damage." James said mysteriously. Lily raised her eyebrows, unconvinced the pair were for real. " It'll...help." James smiled reassuringly at Lily. Lily stumbled on a broken curb.

"Here we are!" he said , running forwards into the shadow of one of the crumbling, grimy houses. Lily stopped walking and stared at it. The house was identical to all the other houses surrounding it. There was nothing special about it whatsoever, apart from the fact there was a rusted old car without wheels parked conveniently in the driveway, probably on show to rack the other house's tenants with jealousy that the owners of this particular house were wealthy enough to afford a car. Albeit the burnt shell of one.

Lily stared dubiously up at the house's stained face. Sirius. Live HERE? She had heard the rumours that flitted about Hogwarts like cruel birds, clawing at Sirius' pride and swooping at his reputation. About the massive fight he had had with his family. How they disowned. How he ran away. How James' family had taken him in...She had not believed any one of the many gossips who uttered it hungrily into her ear. She dismissed the whispers as sadistic slander. Yet, here she was. Standing before Sirius' home. She glanced covertly at him. His face had a defiant determination riding across it, yet , Lily noted, it was greener than ever.

"Well." sang James briskly." What are we waiting for?" He strode confidently up the crumbling foot path, stepping cautiously through the untamed long grass of the front 'garden'. There he stopped. Lily peered through the gloom at him. Had he lost his nerve? Suddenly, there was a deep rumbling noise, followed immediately by a loud POP, as a house burst into existence on the left-hand side of the rusty car house. Lily leapt back in shock, painfully crushing Sirius' foot. The house, just as grimy a the others, had appeared out of nowhere, as if it had just inflated itself in the narrow strip of grass running between the two houses now neighbouring it. James was grinning broadly at the look upon Lily's face as she approached the house with awe.

"Inside, my fine furry friends." he now whispered, and taking Lily's hand lead her towards the entrance.

Sirius hesitated, looking sweatily uncollected, then followed reluctantly.

"I think you may do the honours, Padfoot ol'pal!" James murmured to Sirius, inspecting the doorhandle, which was a silver serpent wound sinuously around and old fashioned brass handle. Sirius made a small groaning noise, put his hand into his robes, and pulled out his wand. Lily watched, amazed, as he tapped the door in 3 places: slightly above the handle, precisely in the middle, then down in the far left corner. Sirius then drew away, looking grim. Silence ensued. Lily shivered. The place had horribly menacing air to it, like a haunted house. Then, they heard a series of mechanical clickings and whirrings, and the door creaked grudgingly open.

"Well, there you are! I think you can do the honours, Prongs ol' pal!" Sirius flourished his hand in the direction of the doorway and the snatch of the shadowy black hallway beyond it.

Smirking, James erected his head, illuminated his wand, and, holding it aloft, ventured first into the house's dark hallway. Sirius strode in after him, and Lily close behind. She could see nothing in the solid pitch black that loomed beyond the strip of moonlight thrown across the floor from the open door.

"Close the door." Sirius whispered so softly he was barely audible. Slowly, Lily swung the heavy door shut. Impenetrable black enveloped them. Lily hurriedly stepped closer to James. She had an inane fear of darkness.

"Both of you follow me as close as you can. Do not make any noise. If possible, keep breathing to a quiet minimum." Sirius breathed to Lily and James. Lily felt her grip tighten convulsively upon James' arm. Were Sirius' parents really that horrible?

"Lily. Circulation." James whispered down to her. She loosened her grip but did not let go. They seemed to be ascending a staircase. Lily brushed its elaborately draped banisters with her fingertips, her eyes wide and unseeing, the undiluted darkness pressing in on her The house was deathly quiet. Suddenly, there was a sharp squeal of pain, and a high-pitched yelp.

"Who's there!"

"Who's there?"

"Show yourself!"

"You show yourself!"

"Regulus?"

"Sirius? Sirius!"

"Is that you?"

"Is that you?"

"I asked first!"

"Oh, Lumos!"

Lily held her wand up high above her head. It's beam fell upon a scared looking boy of about 13, who's dark hair and sculpted face greatly resembled Sirius'. It seemed Sirius and the boy had run into each other at the top of the stairs. The boy was clutching his nose in pain, and Sirius was furiously massaging his forehead.

"What are you here for?" the boy said thickly from behind his hand. He lowered his voice worriedly. "You're not here to bump off Mamma and Father are you?"

Sirius snorted, looking at the boy with contempt. "Unfortunately, no. That would be a rather fruitless expense of my time." he replied flatly. "We're here to help-" His voice petered out suddenly. His mouth gaped and sagged as colour drained from his face at remarkably speedy pace, his eyes fixed on something just over Regulus's shoulder. Frowning, Lily edged nervously around to see what monstrosity was causing such terror in Sirius. She had the merest glance of a tiny skinny dark figure prowling around in the shrouding darkness before it darted away, off down the impenetrably black corridor beyond the staircase.

"What is it?" asked Lily, uncomfortably aware of the colour Sirius' face was exuding.

"Kreature!" breathed James in hoarse whisper. Lily was alarmed by the fright in voice. "We've got to go!" James screamed, just as a hideous scream of pure loathing echoed horribly from down the hall. Lily moaned with fright, and covered her ears. Grabbing roughly at Lilly's cloak, James and Sirius tore off down the hall, towards the scream! But they veered off into a room off the hall, flashing inside and slamming the door closed. "colloportus" panted James, and the door thankfully sealed itself.

"Over here! Now!" yelled Sirius, who had strode over to one of the large portraits lining the room's walls. He flicked out his wand again, tapped the portrait, muttering:

"Time's a bounding,

Clock's a sounding,

Life's many hours flit by.

Past' s un-a-changing,

Though a way's arranging'

For those brave enough to try."

The portrait glowed deep gold around the edges for a second, then suddenly, a voice spoke out of it, a rough, bored voice which rumbled in a frequency Lily was sure would carry out into the corridor.

"Who dares disturb me?" it rumbled.

"Lilly, come and talk to it, NOW!"

She obeyed, walking shakily over to the portrait. This was all her fault! Why couldn't she have just live with the guilt? The gutting shrikes of a woman could be heard beyond the room, growing louder and louder.

"No, Mamma. I didn't see where he went!" cried Regulus plaintively in the corridor.

"So, what do I do?"

"Speak to the portrait! Tell it where you want to go!"

Lilly could just make out small, grumpy looking man in the painting, a dusty silver wig perched atop his head, an immensely large watch in his hands.

"Umm." She thought hard. Sirius shot a nervous glance towards the door, which was now being hammered upon. "August the 30th!" She shouted finally.

The portrait heaved an irritable sigh. "Fine! Manners would be nice occasionally!" The little man fiddled intricately with the large gold watch in his hands.

"C'mon!" James shouted at him, panic stripping at his voice.

"Rude!" muttered the little man to himself. "Ignorant young insolent-"

"GO!" They all screamed simultaneously, as the fierce hammering against the door increased.

"Right!" the old man said. "Got it!" And he lifted the watch by its fine gold chain, and spun it. But instead of slowing down , the watch's rotating velocity sped up until it was a mere gold and white blur. He looked up at he 3 terrified teenagers. "Well, off you go!"

The portrait swung forward, but instead of revealing a blank wall, it opened to a solid square block of shining gold, like the portrait had been concealing a window, and an illuminous sun was shining through it, stunning their eyes in the darkness. Lilly barely had time to admire its beauty before James and Sirius both took one of her arms and, as one entity, dove head first into the shining window of gold, just as the door burst open .

The a cacophony of screams and wails faded slowly from their ears...Lily could see nothing except for the vast expanse of incandescent gold swirling mystically around them...then, with out warning, they plunged heads first into a Persian rug upon a very hard, real floor. Lily faintly heard a door open. Clutching her head where it hit the floor, she got groggily to her feet, James and Sirius rising too. They seemed to be in the room they had just left, except there was early morning light streaming in through the high curtained windows. They all stared at the door. A boy stared back. A boy that looked, in every possible minute detail, exactly like James. He had his hand on the doorknob and appeared to have just opened it. His mouth was hanging at an obscene angle.

"Hiya!" ventured a stunned James.

The boy crashed in a dead faint to the floor.

cue mystery music) Oooooh, you're all saying. Yes, crafty again. Har de har! Stay tuned my monkeys. More slooshiness on the way.(review. go on!)xoxoxoxo