'What?'

Her voice was wavering, soft, weak. She looked so utterly shocked that we'd figured it out. I shook my head and took a step forwards as Sirius reached behind the sofa and grabbed our broomsticks. 'Lily, I want my cloak back. You can keep the money, but I want my cloak. Sirius wants his stuff too.'

'My mirrors,' he said, and I blinked in surprise. We used those mirrors when one or the other of us was in detention. 'That gold necklace with the family crest on it. I want it back. All of it.'

'But… I…'

'Lily, don't make me do this.'

She was shaking her head again and again and she looked so utterly pathetic. People behind us were stepping forwards and my eyes flashed over the stunned face of Bianca, Remus' wide eyes, Peter's confused expression. But Lily now lifted her eyes and looked at someone behind me. 'No…' she whispered.

I took a step forwards and my foot landed on the bottom step of the stairs. The stairs disappeared and turned into a slide. Lily shriek and I leapt out of the way, catching my broomstick as Sirius threw it towards me and within a second, Padfoot and I were tearing up the now stone slide.

When Lily found us, Sirius and I were sitting on her back, surrounded by her clothes, books… and our stuff. My cloak. A bag of money. A silver chain. Sirius' gold necklace. The matching set of mirrors. The Marauders Map. Some silver hair pins.

I looked up as she walked in, tears streaming down her face. It took so much effort to keep from asking her why. Sirius was flicking through one of her books, tearing out one page of notes after another. A diary. With references to us. I stared at Lily. And shook my head.

'You bitch.'

I didn't speak to her. Oh, she wrote to me, one owl after another tapping at my window over the holidays. My mother asked me why I didn't answer her. I hadn't seen Lily on the train home, nor in Kings Cross and I bloody well didn't want to. As far as I cared, that thieving little bitch could rot in hell. She used us. The sweetest, oh so lovely creature of Hogwarts used us.

Sirius stayed with me, of course. He'd left home ages ago, sick of his parents and their pure blood mania. He figured that living with someone else's nice parents was better than being with a psychotic inbred family. That and I was too interesting a person.

We were both determined to become Aurors, like my father, and we spent as much of the Summer holidays as we could stand studying. By August I had stopped staring at the envelopes address with Lily's little neat hand and began to automatically chuck them in the fire.

We lived on an average sized property and, as I mentioned before, have our own House Elf. The manor was inherited by my father after his parents passed away but he believed in making his own fortune. As did I. After Sirius spent the first Summer here, they were already willing to adopt him. As my mother pointed out 'He's a nice boy… a little rough around the edges but still nice.'

This is high praise, considering he was brought up in something akin to a mental institution.

When our letters from Hogwarts finally arrived, I almost threw mine in the fire by habit. I was used to spotting Remus' and Peter's handwriting and the fact that it was neither had my hand gliding towards the flames.

Lucky. I don't think Dumbledore would have been too impressed with my Head Boy badge ending up in cinders before the first day. I stared at it in shock. I hadn't even been elected Prefect! I shook out the extra letter.

Mr Potter,

I assume that you would be a little concerned as to why I have chosen you as Head Boy. Firstly, your heroic efforts last year contributed a great deal. I believe that you have a lot to offer our school and the sudden maturing during last year showed me that you are entirely capable of posing as the student's representative.

Secondly, considering who your female counterpart is, I know that this year will run smoothly in the hands of two very capable young adults.

I look forward to seeing the affects of the potent partnership between you and Misss Evans in your final year.

Sincerely,

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Sirius and I stared at each other.

'Evans?'