The twenty-seventh of March was an unofficial holiday at Hogwarts: it was James Potter's birthday, and he was notorious for throwing the wildest celebrations since the Prewett twins were in school. This also made it Lily's least favourite day of the year, for obvious reasons.

This year, rumour had it that invitations to James' party had been hidden around the castle, allowing anybody lucky enough to find one to attend. As a result, in the week leading up to the party, multiple classrooms were ransacked, and every time Lily turned a corner she found students peering hopefully into the suits of armour stationed along the corridors. Bertram Aubrey, a Hufflepuff fifth year, even incurred a week's worth of detentions for taking apart the Gryffindor hourglass piece by piece in search of an invitation among the rubies.

Naturally, Lily spent the week leading up to James' birthday studiously avoiding any sort of activity that might lead to the discovery of an invitation. When walking to class, she kept her eyes trained on her feet, and she outright refused to open any letters without Marlene inspecting them first.

On Friday morning, Lily was groggily rummaging through her trunk when her hand brushed something that didn't belong. It was smooth with a fine grain, flimsy between her fingers, and she knew what it was before she'd even laid eyes on it. Nestled among the undergarments at the bottom of her trunk was an invitation.

Her cheeks burned. Never mind that James had gotten past the protections on the girls' dormitory — he'd gotten past the locks on her trunk! She snatched the square of parchment up and unfolded it in her lap.

You are cordially invited to a night of debauchery and magical mischief-making in celebration of James Potter's sixteenth birthday, the parchment read. Meet in the vegetable patch at ten o'clock on Saturday evening. Gifts in multiples of sixteen will be accepted. Bring Your Own Broom.

"Ooh, you found an invitation too, Lily?" asked Mary, sitting up in bed. "That makes all of us, doesn't it?"

"I didn't find an invitation," said Lily. "That implies I made an effort. Someone put this in my trunk. Next to my knickers."

"Oh, yeah, that was me," said Marlene with a yawn. Lily's mouth fell open, but Marlene shrugged. "James wanted to make sure you knew you were invited."

Lily frowned at the invitation. "I'm not going."

"Rubbish, of course you are," said Marlene. "It'll be the party of the year."

"Yeah, and it's Potter's party."

"Right," said Marlene, "which means it's going to be brilliant."

"No, it means he's going to be even more annoying than usual and expect us to fall over at his feet, just because he managed to go another year without accidentally offing himself —"

"Loads of people will be there." Parvana caught Lily's eye in the mirror she was using to brush her long, glossy hair. "Those invitations were all over the school. It'll probably be so crowded he won't even notice you."

Marlene snorted. "Right. Because of all the people James is likely to forget about, Lily tops the list."

"Plus, I'm a prefect," said Lily. "I can't go. I have to set a good example."

"Remus is a prefect, too, and I bet every Galleon I own that he'll be there," said Marlene.

"Yeah," said Lily, "but he's not exactly a shining example of good behaviour, is he?"

"You know you want to go," said Mary. "It'll be a good time."

"Potter will be there."

"You're coming," said Marlene firmly. "Give him sixteen Dungbombs as a gift, if you'd like. But you can't ditch us."

Lily knew it was a losing battle. "Fine. But if he asks me out, I'm leaving."

After prefect rounds on Saturday evening, Lily returned to her dorm, where Marlene was waiting for her.

"Mary and Parvana already left," Marlene informed her. "How long do you need to get ready?"

"Thirty seconds," said Lily, pulling her robes over her head.

Marlene raised an eyebrow as Lily pulled on her frumpiest jumper and jeans. "Going for Muggle chic, are we?"

"I don't want him getting any ideas."

Marlene grinned. "Not sure how much control you have over that. Let's go."

Peter Pettigrew was waiting for them in the vegetable patch, sitting on an absurdly large yellow squash. He nodded approvingly at Marlene, who was carrying a broom. "The party's three miles away, due west," he said. "Fly close to the treetops and you can't miss it."

Lily climbed onto Marlene's broomstick, gripping the sides of her waist. Bile rose in the back of her throat as soon as Marlene kicked off. She didn't think she'd ever get used to flying. They weren't even wearing helmets.

As they soared above the Forbidden Forest, their destination came into view. Peter had been right: there was no way to miss the enormous oak that towered above the rest of the canopy, its branches glowing faintly with light. Marlene pushed on the handle of the broomstick, and Lily dug her fingers into Marlene's waist as they began to descend.

They landed on a thick, gnarled bough that jutted out like a crooked finger. Lily immediately clambered off the broomstick, feeling slightly queasy. Her head brushed against a couple of leaves, which rustled and began to glow with a cool silver light, illuminating their surroundings.

The wide, curved branch they were standing on sloped downwards, towards the trunk of the tree. The trunk was massive, as big around as any of the towers at Hogwarts, and there were windows cut into the bark, revealing a hollowed-out room inside. The oak's boughs had been elongated and thickened to form twisting walkways, and as Lily watched, a pair of students holding hands meandered along a far branch and disappeared behind a thick, shimmering cluster of leaves.

Marlene let out a low whistle and reached out to touch the silver leaves above them. "This is impressive, even for James."

Lily peered over the edge of the bough, trying to catch a glimpse of the forest floor below, but it was so far down that she couldn't see the ground. She swallowed nervously and followed Marlene across the branch and inside the trunk of the tree.

The interior was just as spacious as it had looked from the outside, but so many people were crammed in that Lily wondered just how many invitations James had hidden. A gramophone in the corner was blaring Muggle rock music so loudly that the floor pulsed with each beat, and the walls gleamed with the same shimmering light as the leaves. A silver pine cone the size of a chandelier hung from the ceiling, rotating slowly, its gleaming scales throwing light in all directions. The overall effect was dazzling.

"This is amazing," said Marlene.

"We are so high up, and the only thing keeping us from plummeting to our deaths is Potter's Transfiguration skills," replied Lily.

Marlene shrugged. "I trust him."

"I think I need a drink."

"Ask and ye shall receive," said a voice. Sirius was standing behind them, a bright yellow drink in his hand. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and he sported a garish orange-and-yellow striped pantsuit, complete with flared bottoms and platform shoes.

"Nice outfit," said Lily, the corner of her mouth twitching. "I think I've seen similar in one of my mum's magazines."

"Your mum has great taste," said Sirius. He winked and offered her the drink he was holding. "My own invention. I call it Sirius' Sunrise Surprise."

Lily sniffed the drink. To her relief, it smelled like citrus and mint. "This isn't going to poison me, is it?"

Sirius placed a hand over his heart in mock offence. "Lily 'Shrinking Violet' Evans, how dare you accuse me of such a thing? Is it because you don't trust my drink-making abilities, or because House Black has a long history of poisoning Muggle villagers for sport?"

"Er, the first one," she said, taking a sip. It really wasn't half bad. "Thanks for the heads up about your family, though."

But Sirius wasn't listening; someone else had caught his attention, and he vanished into the crowd.

"It's never a good sign when he's drunk enough to talk about the House of Black," said Marlene, standing on her tiptoes and craning her neck above the crowd. "Reckon we should give James our presents?"

"Might as well." Lily downed the rest of her Sunrise Surprise for courage, and her skin began to glow a pleasant yellow colour. "Hang on," she said, examining her arms. "Did Sirius charm…?"

"'Course he did." Marlene nodded in approval as the yellow glow shifted to pale pink. "I like it. Pastels go well with your hair."

Lily rolled her eyes.

They approached a table at the edge of the room, which was stacked with enough presents to nearly touch the ceiling, and Lily shook her head. "What kind of person asks for sixteen presents each on their birthday?"

"Trust me, Evans, I'm worth it," said James, walking up to them. He wore a golden crown inlaid with rubies, and Lily had a sneaking suspicion that if she counted the number of gems they would total sixteen.

"Nice crown," said Marlene, smirking a little. "A Potter family heirloom?"

"Au contraire, ma amie." James took the crown off his head and twirled it around his wrist. "You're looking at what was formerly a bird's nest."

"A bird's nest?" said Lily before she could stop herself. "But that's — that's really advanced Transfiguration —"

"You say that like you don't think I'd be capable of such a thing," said James, sounding offended. "It wasn't that difficult. It's not perfect, either, look…"

He held his arm out to her, the crown dangling off his wrist. Upon closer inspection, the crown had a slightly twiggy look to it that its sheen couldn't disguise.

"All the same," said Lily begrudgingly. "I am a little impressed."

His chest swelled as though she'd just asked him to marry her. She immediately resolved to never say anything remotely resembling a compliment to him again.

"So what did you lot get me?" asked James, putting the crown rakishly back on his head.

"Oh, mine's good." Marlene pushed the jar she was holding into his hands. "Sixteen newt's eyes, each steeped in a different herbal extract." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Supposedly some have psychoactive properties. I think a couple are poisonous, though — I got 'em in Knockturn Alley, so…"

James laughed. "Marlene, you are a treasure. Thank you! Lily, dare I ask…?"

Lily grinned and pulled a roll of parchment from the back pocket of her jeans. "Enjoy."

James unfurled the parchment, pushing his glasses up his nose for a clearer look. "'Sixteen Rejections for the Next Sixteen Times James Potter Asks Me Out,'" he read aloud. "'Number one: No. Number two: Still no. Number three: Not going to happen.' Huh. Interesting. Anyway, d'you have plans next Hogsmeade weekend?"

Lily laughed despite herself. "Refer to rejection number one, Potter."

"What's this?" Remus Lupin appeared at James' side and peered at the parchment. "Something to deflate your head a bit, James? Lily, this is exactly the sort of demotivation he needs. Thank you — from the bottom of my heart."

He smiled at her, but Lily's stomach twisted uncomfortably. If it was true that Remus was what Severus said he was… and if it got out…

"I actually was hoping to see you, Remus," she said, thinking quickly. "I wanted to talk to you about this week's patrol schedule — was hoping you'd swap with me. Shall we?"

Remus looked as if he'd rather not talk about prefect duties right at that moment, but he followed her out of the tree trunk and across a wide branch, which dipped slightly under their weight. Lily's stomach lurched again, and she hastened to reach the end of the bough, where a hammock made of silver vines stretched between two smaller branches.

"Er, if we could make this quick, Lily," said Remus as he took a seat in the hammock.

"Right, yeah," said Lily distractedly, joining him in the hammock. She should have asked Sirius for a few more Sunrise Surprises before attempting this conversation. Was there a polite way to accuse someone of being a werewolf? Maybe she ought to ease into it. "Er, so, did you help put this treehouse… thing... together?"

Remus nodded. "Easier than it looks, actually. A couple days of skiving off class to Transfigure the tree, some Silencing Charms, a few anti-gravity spells for good measure…"

"I'm glad for the anti-gravity spells, at least." Lily relaxed a little, watching her feet, now glowing orange, dangle in the air. "I've never been a big heights person. Fear of falling to my death and all that."

Remus shrugged. "There are worse ways to go. Anyway… the patrol schedule?"

"Er, yeah," said Lily. "Actually, that was kind of a ruse to get you away from the others. I wanted to talk to you about something."

Remus' eyebrows raised slightly. "I'm all ears."

"Great," said Lily, biting her lip. "Look, Remus, I'm not sure what's going on with you and I don't care, because it's not my business, but... "

Remus' pleasant expression froze in place, as though someone had pointed a telly remote at him and pressed 'pause'.

"What's going on with me?" he repeated, getting up from the hammock. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"Oh yeah?" she said. Her heart was pounding in her ears. "I think you do."

Remus regarded her warily for a moment. "What is this about, Lily?"

"It's Severus." The words tumbled out of her mouth in a rush. "He thinks he knows what's going on with you — about your illness, or your mum's illness, or whatever it is. He has a theory —"

"A theory?" Remus' expression was one of polite interest. "I didn't think my life was interesting enough to warrant theories. Is it very interesting, this theory of his?"

"That's not… I'm not — I don't care about his stupid theory, alright? I just wanted to let you know —"

"But I'd like to hear it," said Remus. "We could exchange theories if you'd like. My theory is that your dear friend Severus is a malnourished Bowtruckle masquerading as a human being. What's his theory about me?"

"You know what? It doesn't matter," said Lily. "I was just trying to do you a favour —"

"And I appreciate that," he said, "but my curiosity's piqued now, and I simply must know what sort of interesting ideas dear Severus has about my life —"

"Fine," she snapped, heat rising up her neck. "Why do they call you Moony?"

"Because I've got pockmarks," said Remus immediately. "You know, more craters than the moon?"

"You're impossible," she said. "That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"You can tell Severus he's cracked the case." Remus feigned a yawn. "I suffer from pimples, that scourge of adolescent boys."

"Must be terrible."

The corner of Remus' mouth twisted in an ironic smile. "Quite. Why don't we rejoin the party?"

By the time Lily stood up from the hammock, Remus had long since reentered the treehouse. Boys, she thought, reaching up to tighten her ponytail. Her hand grazed the overhanging leaves, disturbing a small, metallic beetle. It clicked its wings and began to buzz around her head.

Carefully, she picked her way back to the tree trunk, putting one foot in front of the other on the wide bough. As she pulled open the door to the treehouse, the beetle whizzed past her ear. Inside, it circled the room a few times, then flew upwards, landing on the glittering pine cone. It rubbed its shiny wings together and emitted several puffs of chalky white powder that fell onto the heads of the students below.

Lily frowned. That wasn't typical beetle behaviour.

A flash of gold caught her eye; across the room was James Potter, wearing his crown. He frowned slightly as he watched the powder drift down from the pine cone. Then he elbowed Sirius, who looked upward, eyes widening in alarm. Both boys made to grab their broomsticks, which were leaning against the wall.

Lily glanced back up at the beetle. It hissed loudly and vanished with a small pop.

Then the treehouse exploded.

James had barely managed to grab his broom when the force of the blast knocked him backwards. He collided with the wall, which buckled under the impact, and he was hurled out of the tree, tumbling towards the forest floor below.

"ARRESTO MOMENTUM!" bellowed a voice. James' descent stopped so abruptly that his stomach nearly came out his mouth, and he scrambled onto his broomstick.

Sirius swooped down to hover beside him. "Get the others!" he yelled, and he slashed his wand through the air, sending more Slowing Spells into the night.

James nodded and dove towards the base of the tree as fast as his broom would allow. His knees buckled as he slammed into the ground, but he immediately whirled, casting Slowing Spells at the students who were still plummeting towards the forest floor.

High above him, the shimmering crown of the tree had been blown clear off. There was a smoking hole where the treehouse had been, open to the night sky. As he watched, the hole began to close, and the trunk stretched towards the stars, sprouting new branches. Within seconds, the old oak had completely repaired itself. It was as if there had never been an explosion — or a treehouse — at all.

James swore under his breath. Absently, he cast Bubblehead Charms at the students who were sinking slowly through the air like water. Nobody was getting a concussion if he had anything to say about it.

"James," called Remus as he fell, "what —"

A Bubblehead Charm muffled the rest of his words.

"The Fall of Troy," grunted James. "Someone's idea of a prank."

Remus landed in a large pile of wet leaves, and the Bubblehead Charm popped. "Merlin's tits," he said, which was strong language coming from him. "What sort of lunatic would think it was funny to watch us all fall to our deaths?"

"Oh, you wouldn't have died," sneered a voice behind them. Mulciber stepped out from behind the trees, flanked by Severus and Avery. "Permanent disability, maybe, but pure-bloods are resistant to the regular ways of dying. Your Mudblood friends, on the other hand…"

"Use that word again and I'll turn your blood into terracotta," snapped Lily, striding towards them with her wand out. To James' great relief, she was unharmed, though her jeans and jumper were smeared with dirt, and she seemed to be glowing pink. "I'm a prefect, and I demand you tell me what you're doing here."

"So am I, and I'd like to know the same." Remus scrambled up from the leaf pile, pointing his wand at the group of Slytherins. He glanced at Lily, and something unspoken passed between them that James could not decipher.

"I'm a prefect as well," said Avery, smirking. "And as we've discovered an illegal, off-grounds party, I'm afraid we have no choice but to turn you in. What do you think McGonagall will say when she discovers that you were endangering student lives with experimental Transfiguration, Potter?"

"The only people endangering lives were you lot," retorted James. "Which one of you geniuses thought it was a good idea to try and blow us all up using the Fall of Troy?"

Lily glanced at him, confused. "The Fall of Troy?"

"Also known as Untransfiguration powder," said James quickly. He wanted to throttle Mulciber, who was openly grinning at Lily's question. "You know, the time the Greeks Transfigured their entire army into a wooden horse? And once they were inside Troy, they used this powder to Untransfigure themselves and won the Mycenaean War?"

"Muggles have a different version of that story," said Lily darkly. Her eyes flickered to Severus, who was determinedly examining a spot on the ground.

There was a wet thump behind them, and James turned to see Sirius skidding through the leaves on his broom, Peter landing rather more gracefully beside him.

"Hang on a minute," Sirius jabbed a finger at the group of Slytherins as he dragged his broom to a stop. "Did YOU LOT do this? What the ACTUAL —"

"Old news, mate," said Remus, his wand still level with Mulciber's chest.

"You can put your wand away, Lupin," said Mulciber, sounding bored. "Unless you want to add duelling to the growing list of infractions you've committed tonight…"

"It's five on three, dickhead." Sirius strode forward until he was nearly nose-to-nose with Mulciber. "We could Stun you lot and leave you here as a midnight snack for the Acromantulas. How's that sound?"

"Actually," said Mulciber, "It's seven on five, our favour. But I forgive you for not knowing how to count."

Lily made a small squeaking noise as four more Slytherins stepped out of the shadows. James recognised a few of them — one was Rabastan Lestrange, a Beater on Slytherin's Quidditch team, and another was Bellatrix Black. She waved cheerily at Sirius, whose expression darkened at the sight of her.

"We could still take you," growled Sirius, but James shot him a warning glance and he lowered his wand.

Bella laughed. "What a good lapdog my cousin is! Does he come when he's called, as well?"

"Why don't you try it and find out?" snarled Sirius.

"Enough, Sirius," said James. They were well and truly caught. "We'll go with you," he said to Mulciber. "But Sirius, Remus, Peter and I were the ones who threw this party. We Transfigured the tree. Lily and the others had nothing to do with it."

Mulciber's eyes gleamed with malice. "Taking responsibility, are we, Potter?"

"Sometimes I even surprise myself," said James, tucking his wand into his robes. "Back to the castle, then?"

The trek through the Forbidden Forest took the better part of an hour. A few of the Slytherins stayed behind to corral the rest of the students who had attended the party, but Bella insisted on accompanying James and the others. She walked uncomfortably close to Sirius, rubbing shoulders with him and giggling every time he tried to shove her away. By the time they reached McGonagall's office, Sirius looked ready to commit murder, which James was certain would not help their case.

Professor McGonagall seemed to have been expecting them. Although it was past midnight, she sat primly behind her desk, her hands folded and her back ramrod straight. She was still in her tartan robes and pointed witch's hat, like she hadn't bothered going to bed yet. Either Mulciber had tipped her off, or else she somehow knew it was James' birthday and had been expecting trouble.

"Sit," she said, gesturing to the chairs in front of her desk. "Mulciber, Avery, Snape, Miss Black — you may go."

"Lily too," James blurted as he took a seat. Beside him, Sirius groaned.

"Miss Evans stays," said Professor McGonagall. "At least until I determine the extent of her involvement in tonight's activities."

"But she didn't do anything!" said James. "She just came to the party!"

Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "Miss Evans, is this true?"

Although the Sunrise Surprise had long since worn off, Lily's face was as scarlet as her hair. James wondered if she'd ever gotten in trouble before. "Yes, ma'am," she said, her eyes on her feet. "I was there."

"Then I am very disappointed in you," said Professor McGonagall. "You were out after hours, and off school grounds, no less. That shows a serious lack of judgement."

"It does, ma'am," Lily's voice quavered. "I made a mistake. I'm sorry."

"I accept your apology," said Professor McGonagall stiffly. "You are both a prefect and a young witch with a bright future. Learn from this experience, and do not repeat it."

Lily swiped at her eyes with her sleeve. "I won't, Professor."

"I am relieved to hear that," said Professor McGonagall. "I will deduct ten points from Gryffindor, and you shall serve a detention. Does this sound fair?"

Lily's eyes were filled with tears, but James thought she'd gotten off rather easily, all things considered. He'd lost more points than that for far smaller offences. And only one detention! It must be her first.

Professor McGonagall's eyes softened at Lily's distress. "You may leave, Miss Evans. Get a good night's sleep, and remember that tomorrow is a new day."

Lily nodded and picked up her bag, sniffing a little. As she pulled open the door, however, she glanced back just enough to make eye contact with James. Her tears were gone, and her green eyes sparkled with obvious delight as she smirked at him.

James' mouth fell open. Lily winked, her smile growing wider. Then she flounced out of the office.

As the door swung shut, Professor McGonagall focused her attention on James and his friends. Her expression was much more severe than it had been with Lily.

"Minnie —" started Sirius, and James kicked him.

"Thank you, Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "I agree that was a disrespectful form of address. Now, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Er… I threw a party because it's my birthday," replied James, trying to think of a way to frame the situation that wouldn't land him a hundred years' worth of detentions.

"The party is not the problem," said Professor McGonagall. "The problem is that you chose to celebrate in the Forbidden Forest."

"Technically," said James, "we were above the Forbidden Forest. I don't think there are any rules about that."

Professor McGonagall blinked. "Explain."

"We Transfigured a tree," said James.

"It was this massive old oak," added Sirius. "One of the tallest in the Forest."

"We turned it into a treehouse," said James. "I honestly wish you could have seen it. It was brilliant."

"It really was," agreed Peter. "We hollowed out the trunk to make room inside, and we put a spell on all the leaves so they'd turn silver if you touched them. Plus we turned a pine cone into a disco ball — er, do you know what a disco ball is, Professor?"

"We took some safety precautions, too," said Remus. "There were anti-gravity spells around the perimeter of the tree to support the treehouse and the people in it, in case something went wrong. After tonight's events, you can imagine my relief that we prepared in advance."

James could have kissed Remus for playing the role of responsible prefect so perfectly. Especially considering they hadn't put any anti-gravity spells on the treehouse.

Professor McGonagall's eyebrows had travelled further and further up her forehead during this discussion. "Can you show me?" she asked at last.

Sirius grinned and drew his wand from his pocket, pressing the tip against his temple. He closed his eyes, and when he pulled the wand away, a thin silver thread hung from it.

Professor McGonagall made no comment on Sirius' ability to cast a nonverbal Memory Charm. She merely slid a small stone bowl, roughly the size of an ashtray, across her desk. Sirius tapped his wand against the bowl, dropping the memory inside.

Professor McGonagall prodded the bowl's misty contents with her wand, and a silvery, miniature version of the old oak rose before them. Small, wispy figures on broomsticks darted around the tree, shooting tendrils of smoke towards it. Professor McGonagall flicked her wand, and the memory sped up: the figures zoomed around as they elongated the branches of the canopy and created the treehouse.

"Impressive," she said at last, pushing the bowl towards Sirius, who used his wand to pick up the memory inside. "That took a fair bit of magic. Unfortunately, as you made the poor decision to build this treehouse in the Forbidden Forest and host a party there past curfew, there must be consequences."

James winced. "I was afraid of that."

"Deducting fifty points each seems more than fair. Each of you will also serve a month's worth of detentions. Separate detentions," she added, and the look of glee on Sirius' face vanished. "I think that is enough for tonight. Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew, you may go. Potter, I would ask you to stay for another minute."

Sirius shot James a pained look before closing the office door, leaving James alone with Professor McGonagall. They regarded each other for a moment.

"You are supremely talented at Transfiguration, Potter," said Professor McGonagall at last. "It is rare that I have a student who is so innately gifted."

James would have been less stunned if she had offered him his own set of tartan robes. "Erm," he said. "Thanks. You're not bad, yourself."

Her lips grew tight at the edges, perhaps to hide a smile. "I suppose it is an exercise in futility to tell a sixteen-year-old boy to be more careful."

James grinned. "If I were more careful, I'd be a worse wizard and a worse Chaser. We don't want that, do we?"

"Certainly not." The lower half of Professor McGonagall's face lost its battle for control, and she returned his smile. "I must admit that I am hoping to display the Cup in my office this year. I've even got a space picked out for it." She gestured towards a glass cabinet behind her, which was rather conspicuously empty.

"No worries, Professor. We're going to flatten Ravenclaw."

"I'm glad to hear it." She adjusted her pointed hat as she stood up. "You may go now, Potter."

His hand was on the door handle when she cleared her throat.

"Another thing," said Professor McGonagall, examining her wand. "If one needed a safe place to go during an electrical storm, there is a passageway behind the statue of Cornelia the Unbalanced that leads to a small grotto under the castle."

James stared at her. She made a shooing motion with her hand and swept into the room at the back of her office, effectively ending their conversation.

That was probably for the best. He didn't have the heart to tell her they'd discovered that passageway in their second year.