Lily burst into her dormitory, startling the other girls as she stormed through the room and rummaged noisily through the trunk at the foot of her bed. "Of course I'm out of rue," she muttered, rifling through the jumble of books, parchment, and satchels of varying sizes in her trunk.

"What's wrong?" asked Mary Macdonald. She and Marlene McKinnon were sitting together on Mary's bed, swapping Charms notes and comparing essays. Across the room, Parvana Patil was lying on her back in bed, wand pointed at a set of miniature Quidditch figures zooming around in the air above her. "You seem a little… how can I put this…"

"Stressed out?" said Marlene, and Mary nodded.

Lily sighed. "Two words," she said. "James. Potter."

Mary made a sympathetic noise, and Marlene's mouth quirked up at the corner.

"What's he done now?" asked Parvana, sitting up and using her wand to direct the Quidditch figurines back into a velvet pouch.

"You know how Gryffindor plays Hufflepuff this weekend?" asked Lily.

"How could we forget?" Marlene shared a glance with Parvana, who was also on the Quidditch team. "James has been working us half to death doing drills. He's mad about winning the Cup."

"Exactly," said Lily. "This morning during breakfast, he made every student at the Hufflepuff table roar like a lion. Every. Student."

"Probably tampered with the pumpkin juice," said Mary sagely. "It's always the pumpkin juice."

"Those poor Hufflepuffs," said Marlene, who looked like she was struggling not to smile. "That sounds awful."

"It was!" said Lily. "Because when we — the other prefects — tried to reverse the charm, we weren't able to, and we tried everything. The Hufflepuffs started roaring louder and louder as they got more and more panicked about not being able to talk…"

"Wow, that actually sounds like fun," said Mary. "Remind me not to skip breakfast anymore, Marly."

"Wait a minute," said Parvana. "How do you know it was James who did it, and not some other Gryffindor fanatic?"

"Easy," said Lily. "He came over and told me he'd let me in on the countercharm if I agreed to go out with him."

"Ah," said Marlene. "Definitely James, then."

"He is such a brute," sighed Mary, pulling a brush through her wavy brown hair. "A handsome, talented, charming brute…"

Lily rolled her eyes. "He's not even that good-looking. Sirius Black is leagues above him in that department…"

"Ooh, someone fancies Sirius," teased Marlene, patting the bed to indicate Lily should join them. "Come sit, we can gossip about Gryffindor boys and copy each other's homework, it'll be fun."

Lily laughed, shaking her head. "I wish, but I can't right now, Marly, I've got to go — "

"But it's free period!" said Mary.

"I've got that project for Slughorn I need to work on," said Lily. "Honestly, if I'd known at the beginning of the year that it would take up so much time, I don't think I'd have even started. The potion I'm trying to brew is so finicky."

"Yeah, but you'll definitely get extra points on your O.W.L.," said Parvana, and Mary nodded her agreement. "It'll be worth it when you get an Outstanding."

"At this point, I'd rather take an E if it meant I got my non-existent free time back."

"Aw, it can't be that bad." Marlene ran her hands through her short, choppy blonde hair, making it stand up at the ends. "Brewing potions is just following instructions, right? Tedious, confusing instructions, mind you, but all the same…"

"This one's… different." Lily hesitated. Slughorn had impressed upon her the importance of secrecy when it came to this potion, considering how easily it could be misused if it fell into the wrong hands. Still, she knew the other girls in her year were trustworthy, even if she wasn't as close with them as she was with Severus. "Look, don't spread it around, alright, but… I'm trying to make Felix Felicis."

Parvana's eyes widened. Mary yelped and clapped a hand over her mouth. "You are joking!"

"Merlin's soiled pants," said Marlene. "You're not actually planning on using it during your Potions O.W.L., right?"

"Of course not!" said Lily quickly. "It really is just to impress the examiners. But it's so finicky, it keeps spoiling because it's really sensitive to atmospheric changes and the phases of the moon. I keep trying to correct it with common rue, but you have to use a kilo to have any sort of effect, and it's just…"

"Miserable?" asked Marlene, and Lily nodded.

"Makes me glad I'm going for a job in Muggle Relations," said Mary, rolling onto her stomach. "No more Potions after this year! It'll be great."

"Right," said Marlene sarcastically. "You'll be able to spend all your time answering questions about what a light bulb is instead, what a great trade."

Mary leaned over and jostled Marlene's shoulder in retaliation, causing Marlene to spill ink all over the bedsheets.

"Low blow, Macdonald!" said Marlene, reaching for her wand. "Evanesco — oh, bugger — I swear that was an accident… " Her spell had removed the ink from the bed, but had wiped Mary's parchment clean as well.

"Oh, it's fine, I'll just have to copy yours now," said Mary happily. "You're a better writer than me, anyway. Lily, you're sure you don't want to study with us? Marlene could ruin your essay too, it'd be a laugh…"

"Tempting." Lily smiled. "But I really should go look for some more rue."

"So diligent," sighed Mary. "It's a character trait I'll never possess, going into Muggle Relations and all…"

Marlene snorted. "By the way, Lily," she said. "Since you're going out, would you mind looking for Fletcher? We haven't seen him in a week or so — I'm wondering if he got sidetracked by all the raw meat in Hagrid's hut."

"Oh, alright," said Lily. Fletcher was Mary and Marlene's cat: they had adopted him after second year and were especially proud of having trained him to deliver letters like an owl. Being a cat, he wasn't very efficient at it, and they often went long stretches without seeing him. But he was generally capable of bringing the Sunday edition of the Daily Prophet up from Hogsmeade's post office. "I'll let you know if I find him."

She bid her friends goodbye and left the dormitory, making her way through the castle and onto the grounds of Hogwarts. It was early March, and the weather was just warm and sunny enough to make Lily hopeful that spring really was on its way. She meandered towards the edge of the lake; as she passed the last of the greenhouses, she heard a familiar voice.

"Lily — wait up!"

Severus was jogging towards her, stuffing some papers roughly into his bag.

"Hi," she said warily as he caught up to her. She hadn't seen much of him recently: he had practically stopped eating meals in the Great Hall and was never in any of their regular meeting places.

"Where are you going?" he asked, falling into step with her.

"Why do you want to know?" she said coolly. "Thought you were tired of hanging around me."

"That's not — I…" spluttered Severus. "I've been busy, alright?"

"Busy with your new mates? With Mulciber?"

"He's not — They're not — " Severus stopped, his cheeks turning red. "Look, I wanted to apologise. I know I haven't been a great friend to you recently."

"No, you haven't," agreed Lily. "I don't appreciate it when my best friend avoids me without telling me why."

"I wouldn't, either." His thin shoulders drooped. "But I won't disappear anymore. It's just…"

"Just what, Sev? What's your excuse this time?"

"I'm not trying to make excuses!" he said hurriedly. "Honestly, I'm not. And I haven't been hanging out with my 'mates', as you call them. I've been spending time alone. I've needed to think."

"About what?"

"About where my life is going. About what I want to do after Hogwarts. And — don't say 'I told you so' — about the people in Slytherin who want to be my friend all of a sudden."

"Do you want to be their friend?" asked Lily. They reached the edge of the lake, and as they walked she scoured the banks for rue.

Severus shrugged. "Not really. But I don't know how to say so without causing more trouble. What are you looking for?"

She ignored his question. "Why don't you want to cause trouble?"

"If you're looking for bladderwort, I could lend you some. I've got loads."

"I'm not looking for bladderwort," she said. Severus sighed, and they continued walking in silence.

"I made you something," he said at last. "To make up for being a bad friend."

She glanced at him in spite of herself. He really did look sorry. "What is it?"

Severus pulled his wand out of the sleeve of his robes. "I call it the Langlock Jinx. It glues the victim's tongue to the roof of their mouth. I thought it might be useful the next time Potter is harassing you."

Lily smiled. "I could have used that this morning, with the Hufflepuffs, actually. Were you in the Great Hall during breakfast?"

"No, but I heard about it. Emma Vanity told me."

"Oh, it was awful, Sev. We couldn't figure out how to make them stop roaring, and then Potter said he'd tell me if I went out with him…"

Severus' mouth twisted in disgust, but something like nervousness gleamed in his black eyes. "What did you say?"

"No, of course! I'd date a troll before I'd touch Potter."

"That's an offence against trolls," said Severus, relaxing a little. "They can't help being large and stupid. Some people actually prefer that in a mate, you know."

"True," said Lily, laughing. "Though I've never understood — oh, look, rue!" She ran over to a clump of wildflowers growing beneath a large oak tree whose branches extended over the lake. She pulled out a small knife and handkerchief and cut a generous handful, wrapping it up delicately, without letting the flowers touch her skin.

"Rue?" said Severus, amused. "That's what you wouldn't tell me you were looking for?"

Lily's cheeks turned pink. "Well, I was angry!"

"But we passed a patch of rue ages ago. I thought about pointing it out, but I didn't think you'd be interested."

"Oh… did we?" Lily tucked the bundle into her bag. "That teaches me to get distracted. You didn't happen to notice a fat tabby cat running around, did you?"

"No. Why?"

"Fletcher is missing. Mary and Marlene's cat? He runs off all the time. I told them I'd keep an eye out for him." She glanced at Severus, who looked a little pale. "What?"

"Nothing," he said, turning away from her. "Back to the castle, then, since you've found what you were looking for?"

Lily stretched, tilting her face towards the sun. "Let's stay out here a bit more, at least till lunch. You can teach me the Langlock Jinx without anyone butting in."

Severus nodded, and they settled on the grassy bank, throwing clods of dirt into the lake and taking turns pointing their wands at each other, laughing. When the bells signalling the end of the period began to toll, they took their time walking back up to the castle for lunch. Upon entering the Great Hall, they sat together at the Hufflepuff table without even discussing it, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

On Saturday morning, James tramped through wet grass gleaming with dew as he led the Gryffindor team down to the Quidditch pitch.

"Right," he said after they had all changed into their scarlet Quidditch robes. "Hufflepuff's going to be a decent match for us this time around. They've got a great Seeker and a decent Keeper, but their Chasers are hopeless, which is good news for us. We need to score as many points as possible — and as quickly as possible, in case they catch the Snitch first. Marlene and Otis, you're aiming your Bludgers at the Hufflepuff Chasers unless you hear me say otherwise. Parvana, don't look for the Snitch yourself unless their Seeker is distracted. Stay on his tail."

Parvana nodded in agreement and James pulled on his gloves. Outside the changing room, Madam Hooch whistled, signalling that the match was about to start.

"We can do this," said James. "Make me proud out there." He picked up his broom, and the rest of the team followed suit.

The sun blinded him as he stepped onto the Quidditch pitch, and he raised a hand to shield his eyes. The stands were packed with students wearing their respective team's colours, clusters of crimson and gold mixed with rows of yellow and black. Dozens of banners and scarves flapped in the breeze, and there were cheers as the two teams lined up in the centre of the pitch.

"Captains, shake hands," said Madam Hooch. James stepped forward to clasp hands with the Hufflepuff Captain and Keeper, Frank Longbottom, a seventh-year who was much taller than he was. The two teams mounted their brooms, and with a shrill whistle from Madam Hooch, they took to the air.

"And they're off," announced Sirius Black, sounding bored. He was almost as much of a Quidditch fanatic as James, but he'd been suspended from the team after racking up a record number of fouls against Slytherin during the previous year's Quidditch final. Professor McGonagall, in a rare moment of weakness, had allowed Sirius to take up match commentary for the duration of his year's suspension, a decision she had immediately and obviously regretted. "Took them long enough, but Potter probably got caught up doing his hair. Look at how tousled it is. That much volume takes effort, it does."

James grinned as he caught the Quaffle and tucked it under his arm. He nudged his broom forward, speeding towards the Hufflepuff hoops.

"Gryffindor in possession of the Quaffle, Potter passes to Peregrine Flint — good thinking on his part, don't want that hair getting too windswept — Flint to Suzuki, and I can't believe they've outflown all of the Hufflepuff Chasers already. Hufflepuffs might actually be as thick as everyone believes, judging by these flying skills — alright, too far, sorry Professor McGonagall — sorry, Hufflepuff, you know I love you all — it's Suzuki against Longbottom now, she shoots — and…" Sirius groaned. "Longbottom makes the save. No surprises there, though, he's practically the size of Hagrid. Suzuki should try going between his legs next time, she'd probably fit… that wasn't innuendo, Professor, that was an innocent joke, but the whole stadium's thinking it now —"

Within the first fifteen minutes, Gryffindor scored twice, but they made three more attempts on the Hufflepuff hoops that were easily blocked by Longbottom. Meanwhile, both Seekers hovered far above the pitch, zigzagging back and forth as they searched for the Snitch.

"Another great save, courtesy of Longbottom… Gryffindor needs to pull Suzuki, she's too timid with her shots. James, mate, send someone out who can shove Longbottom off his broom… hang on, Eustace Fawley, the Hufflepuff Seeker, is doing something interesting. Finally, it's been, what, twenty minutes?… Anyway, I assume he's seen the Snitch, he's speeding down, Gryffindor Seeker Patil catching up and… oh, ouch…"

James heard the collision from across the pitch and groaned. Parvana was normally fairly reserved, but when playing Quidditch she was an absolute daredevil, making dramatic plays that even he found risky. Not that he would ever dream of telling her to tone it down.

Sirius' voice came on over the magical megaphone. "Patil absolutely steams into Fawley — that wasn't innuendo, Professor, it's just the way my voice sounds, you know I can't help that — alright, moving on, looks like Patil's deliberately crashed into him, knocking him off course but taking a nasty beating herself in the process… Madam Hooch considering calling a penalty, decides against it — and it looks like Fawley's lost the Snitch. Shame, too, since this match is a Seeker's to win…"

A well-timed Bludger knocked the Quaffle out of the hands of a Hufflepuff Chaser. Peregrine Flint swooped down, caught the ball, and passed it to James, who sped towards Hufflepuff's goalposts. Longbottom was hovering in front of the hoops, arms bent at the elbow, ready to catch the Quaffle —

"Potter shoots — NO! He FEINTS! And he SCORES!" Sirius cheered, but his voice was drowned out by a roar from the stands. "THAT is how you play Quidditch! James, mate, that was a work of art!"

The Gryffindor Chasers, buoyed by James' success, scored four more times in the next half hour, while Hufflepuff scored twice. "Seventy-twenty in favour of Gryffindor," announced Sirius, not bothering to stifle a huge yawn. He had a tendency to become loudly bored when matches were not exciting enough. "Hufflepuff in possession — not for long, though, judging by the angle on that Bludger…"

The Bludger whacked a Hufflepuff Chaser in the back of the head, and she dropped the Quaffle. James dived, twisting on his broom so he was upside-down, and caught the Quaffle as it slammed into his chest. Righting his broom, he swerved around one of the Hufflepuff Beaters, towards Longbottom, who was waiting for him —

A flash of gold glinted in the hoop to Longbottom's left.

"Parvana!" bellowed James, throwing the Quaffle as hard as he could at the hoop to the right.

Longbottom lunged to the side, and the sudden movement made the Snitch shoot upward. Parvana had already begun to dive, though, and she collided with the Snitch, barrelling through the middle hoop as her fingers closed around the fluttering golden ball.

That evening, the Gryffindor common room was full to bursting with students celebrating the victory over Hufflepuff. Crimson and gold confetti rained from the ceiling, gathering in the folds of robes and accumulating underfoot like snow. At one end of the room, a table was set up with food and drinks — mostly butterbeer, though a few scattered bottles smelled of something stronger. Sally Dearborn, a sixth year and Gryffindor's resident artist, hung a massive, enchanted poster over the fireplace, which flickered as it depicted the highlights of the match.

James was sitting with a group by the fire, one arm draped around the back of the sofa and the other holding a large silver goblet full of amber liquid. Taking a drink, warmth spread from his stomach to his chest and his neck. He passed the goblet to Sirius, who was sitting at his feet, shoulder-to-shoulder with Parvana. Sirius took a long pull from the goblet and then whooped, jumping to his feet and pulling Parvana up with him. "Who wants to duel?" he asked, his eyes bright. A few students cheered; some shook their heads, smiling. "Parvana, fancy a go?"

"Sure," she said, reaching up to tighten her ponytail. "Don't cry when I steam into you, too, though."

"Phrasing!" cried Sirius, looking elated. "Don't let McGonagall hear. What say you, James?"

"'Course I'm in."

"Don't forget about me!" said a voice at his side. Marlene had joined them, her cheeks flushed and her short blonde hair sticking up in all directions. "Yoo-hoo," she called, waving to a table in the corner. James' stomach flipped; Lily was sitting with a couple of friends, clutching a mug of butterbeer.

"Come on, Lil," said Marlene. "Make us proud."

Sirius raised his eyebrows as Lily slid off her chair to join the group. "Well, well. I didn't know you liked duelling, Evans."

"What can I say? I'm full of surprises." There was a mischievous light in her emerald eyes, and James had to force himself not to stare.

In the end, it was decided that there would be a tournament, and sofas and armchairs were shoved to the sides of the room to clear enough space for the duellers. Sirius declared himself both referee and contestant, and announced that only fifth years and up would duel, much to the disappointment of the younger students. This ended up being for the best; even among the upper years, most of the students were terrible duellers. The majority of matches ended after only a couple of hexes, although Otis Podmore pulled off a Shield Charm to general applause, and Peter managed to Disarm Parvana in an upset that had the whole room shouting and stamping their feet.

In the second round, Marlene faced off against Remus, and James noticed Lily biting her nails as she watched. Marlene was quick and fierce, weaving from side to side as she fired off hex after hex. Remus, on the other hand, parried her spells with a certain deliberateness, his wand movements steady and sure. Finally, he found an opening and hit her with a Knockback Jinx with such strength that Marlene was lifted off her feet. As she flew through the air, however, she managed to cast a Stunning Spell that rendered Remus unconscious before she slammed into the wall, and Sirius called the match a draw.

Lily and Peter went next. To James' surprise, she won handily, casting a Full-Body Bind on Peter after he fumbled a Shield Charm.

"If I didn't know better," James mumbled to Peter, helping him off the floor, "I'd say you threw the match on purpose."

Peter's ears reddened. "I — er — thought you might want the chance to duel her yourself. If you win this round, that is."

James grinned. "You're a pal, you know that?" He clapped Peter on the back and stepped into the centre of the room to face off against Sirius, who quirked an eyebrow as James pulled his wand from the pocket of his robes.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said Sirius, signalling for the room to quiet down, "the final match of the second round. Will the victor be the devilishly handsome, the most noble, the most refined House of Black? Or will it be House Potter, the boyish firebrand who could really use a haircut, not to mention a shag?"

"Keep talking, Black," said James, aware of Lily's eyes on him. "Time to put your Galleons where your mouth is. Aurum Rumina!"

Sirius retched, doubling over as coins poured first from his mouth, then his ears. James fired off his next jinx, but Sirius twirled his wand and cast a nonverbal Shield Charm, deflecting the jinx. Protected by the strength of his Shield Charm, Sirius passed the tip of his wand over his face, his brow furrowed in concentration. Immediately, the coins vanished, and Sirius straightened up, grinning somewhat madly. He Vanished his Shield Charm and advanced on James, slashing his wand through the air.

James had to roll to avoid Sirius' curse, grabbing a handful of confetti off the ground as he did so. Coming to his feet, he tossed the confetti above his head. "Alliago!" he yelled, and the confetti turned into tiny red and gold darts which hung motionless in the air for a moment before accelerating towards Sirius, who dove out of the way.

Their duel continued, equal parts playful and earnest. Sirius' spells were stronger, but James was the more clever fighter. After one of Sirius' curses grazed James' shoulder, James retaliated by Transfiguring the rug beneath their feet into a large red net, which wrapped itself around Sirius' legs, causing him to fall over and the wand to clatter from his hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there you have it," panted Sirius as he scrambled into a sitting position. "Having narrowly defeated the daring and able House of Black, Potter advances to the finals, where he will face the formidable Lily Evans. Peter, if you'd be so kind as to bring me another Firewhisky, House Black would owe you a life debt…"

"Last chance to forfeit, Evans," said James, grinning at Lily as she stepped into the middle of the room. "I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're the prettiest witch this side of the Black Lake."

To his surprise, Lily didn't frown or flush. Instead, she smiled and extended her hand for him to shake.

"May the best wizard win," she said. "Or witch, as the case may be."

Sirius took a swig from the silver goblet and pressed his wand to his throat, amplifying his voice so that he could be heard over the crowd. "Lily Evans, James Potter, are you ready?"

James nodded, his eyes fixed on Lily, who stood across the room from him. A small, unexplainable smile still danced around her lips.

"You may draw your wands," said Sirius. "On my mark…"

James moved before Lily had a chance to react. "Calvario!" She ducked, narrowly missing the bolt of silver light from his wand. Spinning, she brought her wand over her head and pointed it at him with both hands. She narrowed her eyes, murmuring under her breath, and a web of electricity streamed from the tip of her wand, reaching James, encompassing him…

"Arania Alliago!" shouted James, and the web collapsed in on itself and reformed into an enormous, shimmering spider. Its limbs crackled with electricity as it advanced on Lily.

"Arania Recanto!" she cried, waving her wand, and the spider vanished with a crack like a lightning bolt. She threw three more spells at James in quick succession, but in the time it had taken her to deal with the spider, he had gotten a Shield Charm off, and all of her spells ricocheted uselessly away. Lily swore in frustration and slashed her wand through the air like a sword, sending a barrage of hexes towards James which did nothing more than glance off his Shield Charm.

James grinned, making a show of putting his hands behind his head as a well-placed Jelly-Legs Jinx cracked his Shield Charm. "By the way, Evans. Wanna go out with me?"

"In — your — dreams — " She punctuated her words with one spell after another, until finally his Shield Charm shattered under the barrage of hexes.

"Ah, but that wasn't a 'no.'" He dodged her Trip Jinx and cast a Tickling Charm, which curved in midair to hit Lily between the ribs. She fell to the floor, clutching her sides with laughter. He advanced on her, and she pointed her wand at him despite her helpless giggles, her eyes narrowed in concentration. A jet of water shot out from her wand, barrelling towards him.

Godric's teeth, he thought. Of course she was good at nonverbal spellcasting.

"Glacius," he said quickly, and the jet of water froze in midair. "Reducto."

The ice exploded, sending millions of shards flying in all directions. Lily's laughter turned into a shriek, and she barely managed to roll out of the way. James waved his wand, muttering an incantation, and the ice shards rose off the ground, coming together to form a large bouquet of sculpted roses. With another flourish of his wand, the roses turned a glistening pink.

"For a maiden most fair," he said, bowing as he offered her the icy bouquet. "Though the colour might clash with your hair, I'm afraid."

Shakily, Lily got to her feet, still hiccuping from the Tickling Charm. "You know what your problem is, Potter?"

"I'm too clever by half?"

"You talk too much," she said. "Langlock!"

James felt his tongue stick itself to the roof of his mouth. Spluttering, he pointed his wand at her, trying to pronounce a hex, any hex. Maybe a Stunning Spell would work —

"Thubeby! " A pathetic shower of sparks emitted from his wand, and Lily tilted her head to one side, amused.

James could hear the crowd's cheers — Sirius was howling with laughter — and his shoulders sagged. He had always been shit at nonverbal spells, but maybe he could pull off something simple. Concentrating as hard as he could, he tried to disarm her nonverbally.

Lily's wand twitched in her hand. She looked down at it and then back at him, grinning. His heart sank as he tried to pull his tongue from the roof of his mouth.

"Sev is really quite clever, isn't he?" she asked, advancing until they were nearly nose-to-nose. They were separated only by the bouquet of roses, which was beginning to melt in his hands. She was so close he could see a tiny speckle in her left eye. His pulse quickened even as his thoughts slowed to a stop. She was right there —

Lily smiled angelically. She pressed her wand to his chest.

"Depulso!"

The bouquet shattered into a thousand pieces as James was thrown across the room. He skidded into one of the couches as the crowd thundered their applause. When he staggered to his feet, Lily was still smiling. Without saying a word, she raised her arm into the air and he felt his wand leave his grip, flying across the room and settling effortlessly into her outstretched hand.

Severus sat on his bed, knees drawn up to his chest as he watched Mulciber move silently about the darkened dormitory. It was nearly midnight — almost time to meet Lucius in Dungeon Thirteen. Mulciber cast a derisive glance at him as he pulled his robes on.

"You coming or what?"

Severus shrugged, but he picked up his wand from the bedside table and stood up, following Mulciber out of the dormitory. Avery was waiting for them outside the Slytherin common room.

"How were prefect rounds?" asked Mulciber, yawning loudly.

"Fine," said Avery, tucking his prefect's badge into his robes. "Loads of Gryffindors celebrating their big Quidditch win by shagging each other behind tapestries. Not your girl, though," he added with a glance at Severus. "Reckon she stayed in her common room like a good little teacher's pet."

Mulciber snorted as they set off into the labyrinth-like dungeons. "Do you know where we're going, Severus?"

"I have an idea."

"Really?" said Avery, glancing at either end of the corridor. "I don't know about you, but my invitation said to meet in Dungeon Thirteen. Which is inconvenient, since Hogwarts only has twelve dungeons."

"Right," said Severus sarcastically. "Lucius just happened to organise a meeting in a room that doesn't exist."

"Lead the way, then, if you're so sure," said Mulciber, shoving Severus ahead of him. Severus cast them both a scathing look but kept walking.

Avery began to protest once he realised where they were going. "But Dungeon Twelve is that way! We're going in the wrong direction!"

"Did the invitation say to meet in Dungeon Twelve?" asked Severus.

"Well, no, but — "

"Then why in Salazar's name would we go to Dungeon Twelve?"

"Erm," said Avery. "Because thirteen comes after twelve?"

Severus couldn't keep himself from rolling his eyes. "Thirteen comes after twelve. Brilliantly reasoned, Avery."

"What's your great plan, then?" demanded Mulciber. "Because it looks like you're going to lead us out of the dungeons entirely — "

"Avery," said Severus, cutting Mulciber off, "while you were rounding, did you happen to notice the Wandering Stairs anywhere?"

"Oh!" said Avery. "Yeah, I did. It's on the third floor tonight, by the Charms corridor."

"Perfect," said Severus. They ascended the marble staircase, their footsteps echoing in the silence. Once they reached the third floor landing, Severus heard Mulciber mutter, "Lumos," and a dim light illuminated the dusty corridor in front of them.

"This way," said Avery, pushing Severus aside as he approached the brass doorknob that jutted out from the stone wall. He twisted the doorknob and the wall swung open. Avery ushered the other two inside, as if using the Wandering Stairs had been his idea, and Severus fought the urge to hex Avery's prefect's badge up his nose.

"Dungeon Thirteen," said Mulciber confidently. The torches on the walls dimmed for a moment, as though the staircase was hesitating. Then the ground shook slightly as a light appeared at the top of the stairs.

"That worked?!" exclaimed Avery. "I don't believe it!"

"I knew there was a reason we kept you around, Sev," said Mulciber, and Severus twitched. Hearing Lily's nickname for him out of Mulciber's mouth made him want to curse something.

They reached the top of the stairs and stepped into what looked like a posh sitting room. Everything was immaculately white with golden accents, from the ornate, ivory hearth to the gauzy curtains that covered tall windows. A soft light seemed to be filtering in through the windows, even though it was midnight and they were almost certainly underground. Severus couldn't keep an expression of surprise from his face. This was Dungeon Thirteen?

Across the room, Bella was sitting primly in a high-backed white armchair, wrapped in a baby blue silk robe and sipping a cup of tea. She smiled cheerily at Severus and waved a pinky finger at him.

"Good show," said an appreciative voice, and Severus turned to see Lucius Malfoy standing beside him. "I must say, I'm impressed. Whose idea was it to use the Wandering Stairs?"

"Mine," said Avery immediately.

Bella barked a laugh. "He lies, Lucius!"

Lucius raised his eyebrows. Avery grimaced and jerked his head towards Severus. "Fine, it was his idea. But I'm the one who knew where the Stairs were!"

"An impressive insight, I'm sure," said Lucius smoothly, moving to sit beside Bella. "Please, join us. Tea, Severus?"

Severus nodded, and Bella handed him a tiny china cup filled with emerald green tea as he settled into the armchair beside her. The other recruits sat in similar, high-backed armchairs, arranged in a ring. He, Mulciber and Avery were the only fifth years, but he recognised a couple of sixth years — Wilfred Wilkes and Evan Rosier — and one tall, barrel-chested seventh year who was one of the Beaters on the Slytherin Quidditch team.

"Thank you for responding to our invitation," said Lucius, taking the seat on Bella's other side as he cast his eyes imperiously about the room. "We were expecting a few more guests, but as they have failed to arrive by midnight, we will consider their invitation declined."

He raised a hand and a heavy bolt fell across the golden door, locking the room from the inside. A few people looked surprised at this casual display of wandless magic, and Avery nearly spit out his tea, but Severus remained impassive. Lucius probably had his wand up his sleeve — or else Bella was the one who had locked the door while the others' eyes were on Lucius.

"I would like to extend my congratulations on successfully completing your first task as an Intent — finding your way to Dungeon Thirteen. It is said that only those who are destined for greatness can enter its golden door. I am relieved so many of you have joined us; it portends good things for this group of Intents."

Severus wanted to roll his eyes out of his head. Proclaiming they were special because they found a hidden room at Hogwarts? Hogwarts was a giant castle that had been steeped in magic for centuries. It had hundreds of hidden rooms. You had to actively bumble around with your eyes closed to avoid running into one.

"As Intents, you are expected to form the bonds of brotherhood," continued Lucius. "This requires spending time together. You will rise together in the mornings to exercise during the week. You will eat meals together. You will be responsible for cleaning the Slytherin common room, except on weekends. Once a week, you will meet as a group and Bella will guide you through a bonding activity."

Severus wondered how much trouble he would get in if he hurled his teacup at Lucius' impeccable robes. He had thought this meeting would be about proving his ability in the Dark Arts, not — he gritted his teeth involuntarily — bonding activities. He had a sudden, horrible vision of being made to paint Mulciber's nails. It was like something out of his worst nightmares.

Bella nudged him as she stood up, bringing him out of his reverie. "Intents will also be responsible for making a pledge to show their commitment to the brotherhood —or sisterhood, as the case may be," she added, tossing her hair. "Pledges are limited only by your imagination, so don't be boring. In the past, we've had Intents bring us Dark family heirlooms, or curses from foreign magical traditions, or offerings in the form of Galleons." She sighed dramatically, making it abundantly clear that she considered monetary donations hopelessly pedestrian.

"The process starts on Monday, so be prepared," Lucius said, getting to his feet. "I regret that I must be off, but I look forward to hearing reports of your progress. Bella, dear…" The two exchanged air kisses before Lucius swept out the golden door, which unlatched itself as he approached and clanged shut behind him.

The room filled with hushed conversation as soon as Lucius had left. Severus leaned back in his chair, massaging his forehead with his fingertips. The Dark Lord required bonding activities. He would have preferred torture.

Mulciber leaned over and plucked the teacup out of Severus' hands, taking a long drink from it. "So it begins, eh, Sev?"

He definitely would have preferred torture.

During the next few days, the Intents began to establish a routine — rising together before the rest of the castle was awake, running drills outside on the grounds, eating together, and spending evenings studying together in Dungeon Thirteen, whose golden door began to appear randomly throughout the dungeons whenever Severus was alone. Apparently, once found, the room made itself difficult to lose again.

Severus was surprised to discover that he didn't actually mind spending so much time with the other Intents. Granted, Avery would always be an annoying prat, and Mulciber continued to remind him of an overgrown, semi-intelligent bulldog, but the other Intents were alright.

The worst part was that he no longer had time to spend with Lily. He switched tables to work with Mulciber during Potions on Monday, something Lily was visibly hurt by, but Severus was able to placate her after class by telling her that Mulciber had bullied him into switching. This wasn't true, strictly speaking, but it was definitely something Mulciber was capable of, and Lily seemed to swallow the lie without too much questioning. Severus sensed that she didn't entirely believe him, but she was willing to pretend for their friendship's sake.

On Tuesday evening, he made the long trek from the dungeons to the Astronomy tower for class. As he climbed the staircase to the seventh floor, his stomach gave a sudden lurch. His foot was stuck to the stair below him. He tried to pull his leg away, but to no avail, and he swore under his breath. He didn't remember there being a trick step on this particular staircase —

"Alright, Snivellus?"

James Potter appeared at the top of the steps, flanked by Peter and Sirius, who was stowing his wand in his robes.

Not a trick step, then. A Sticking Charm.

"Three on one's not your usual style, Potter," said Severus, his heartbeat quickening. Keep talking; stall for time. "You never gang up on someone unless you have at least four on your side. Where's Lupin run off to? Did his guilty prefect's conscience finally grow a backbone to match?"

"He's ill, actually," said James. "Touch of the mumblemumps. He's quite disappointed to have to miss out on this."

"Pity. Here's hoping he drops dead," snapped Severus.

"Shut it, Snape," Sirius growled. "Remus is twice the wizard you are."

Severus snorted. "Well, he's a genius compared to you. Not the brightest star in the Black family constellation, are you? Though I shouldn't be too surprised, considering all the inbreeding has turned your family tree into a single branch —"

Sirius pulled out his wand so quickly that Severus didn't have a chance to defend himself. A Stinging Hex struck his cheek, and he tasted blood. At the same time, he felt a tugging sensation as his wand left his back pocket; Peter had disarmed him.

"Cowards," said Severus, relieved that his voice didn't shake. "Hex me again, you inbred blood traitor —"

"Oh, we will." James advanced down the steps towards Severus. "By the way… does Lily know that her lapdog uses such nasty, prejudiced language?"

Severus spat at him, and pink saliva landed on James' shoes. "Take her name out of your mouth."

"It's funny," continued James, as if he hadn't heard, "because she's the reason we decided to have a chat with you. You see, she used a very clever little charm on me the other day, and we couldn't help but wonder if it was one of your creations."

"Not to mention that hex you hit me with last Hogsmeade weekend," Sirius said. "You're quite the inventor, aren't you?"

"Our concern," said James, coming to a halt a few steps above Severus, "is that you're in league with the other Death Eater wannabes in your House. I think you're creating new spells for What's-His-Name and his followers to use."

"You're wrong." Severus tried to sound disdainful. "I'm not one of them."

"Don't lie," said James. "I saw you lot yesterday, doing laps around the Quidditch pitch. And Lily herself told me that you've been teaching curses to Mulciber. Does a de-boning spell sound familiar?"

Severus' heart dropped through his stomach. "No — she wouldn't tell you… He made me. I didn't —"

"Right, so that's a yes," said Sirius, rolling up his sleeves. "Anyone who would intentionally teach Mulciber a spell like that is a Death Eater in my book. On three, then, James?"

James nodded and pointed his wand at Severus' chest. Severus braced himself for whatever was sure to come. He would not let these cretins have the satisfaction of seeing him afraid.

"One… two —"

"What the hell do you lot think you're doing?"

Severus' heart, formerly somewhere around his navel, returned to his chest with several skipped beats. Mulciber and Avery were standing at the foot of the stairs.

"Duelling in the corridor, Potter, Black?" asked Avery as he and Mulciber climbed the stairs to join Severus. "Pettigrew, why are you holding two wands?"

Mulciber narrowed his eyes. "Not duelling, Edmund," he grunted. "These brave Gryffindors are attacking a defenceless student."

"Bullying, then," said Avery, shaking his head. "My, my, I can't imagine Professor McGonagall will be very happy to hear about this. D'you think she'll settle for taking points, or will you lot end up in a round of detentions as well?"

"Piss off, Avery," said Sirius, but he and James backed away. Peter, looking somewhat sheepish, handed Severus his wand back, and the three Gryffindor boys took off.

Severus glanced at Mulciber and Avery. "Er — thanks. You didn't have to do that, though…"

"Rubbish," said Avery. "You're one of us now, remember? We're in this together."

"Did they hurt you?" asked Mulciber.

Severus touched his cheek and winced. "Stinging Hex, nothing serious. I think they used a Permanent Sticking Charm to fix me to the stairs, though…"

"Oh, that's a breeze to get rid of," said Avery. "They're not as durable as their name makes them seem." He pointed his wand at Severus' foot. "Decollisa."

Severus raised his eyebrows as he bent to rub his ankle. "I'll have to remember that one."

Avery smiled. "Don't spread it around. That particular counter-charm's a bit of a family secret. Consider it payment for your de-boning spell, yeah?"

"We better get a move on," announced Mulciber, checking his watch, which was inlaid with tiny, pearlescent teeth. "Sunset's in five, and Professor Vega won't appreciate if we miss Jupiter's rising."

They made it to the top of the Astronomy tower just as Professor Vega was shutting the door. Severus headed towards the corner where he usually worked, alone, but Mulciber stopped him.

"Sit with us, Sev. We don't bite." He flashed his yellow teeth in a smile.

Severus hesitated, but only for a moment. Nodding, he followed Mulciber to the other side of the tower, where Avery was pulling out his star chart.

As Severus began to set up his telescope, he glanced past the parapet, towards the grounds. The view was different on this side of the Astronomy tower; he could see the Forbidden Forest and the Whomping Willow. Its thick, gnarled branches hung motionless, not even swaying in the breeze.

Severus paused. The Whomping Willow never stopped moving. That was the whole point. He swung his telescope downwards, twisting the knobs to get a better look at the tree.

Two figures, one of them supporting the other, were moving slowly towards the trunk of the Whomping Willow. The taller one was wearing white robes — Madam Pomfrey? And the other, smaller one —

Severus' breath caught in his throat.

The two lowered themselves into what appeared to be a hole at the base of the tree. As soon as they did so, the branches began to move again, swaying with increasing violence.

Severus slowly raised his head from the telescope. There was no doubt in his mind about who the smaller figure had been.

Remus Lupin was sick, indeed.