Lily Evans was angry.

She was so angry she didn't bother studying for her Arithmancy O.W.L. ("I could do Applied Numerology in my sleep," she told a worried Mary), and she hardly cared when she left large swathes of parchment blank during her History of Magic O.W.L.

It was all so ridiculous. Why was she being tested on the intricacies of goblin warfare when not a single question alluded to the centuries of anti-Muggle sentiment in wizarding Britain? Why were there no essays on Muggle-born assimilation into magical communities? It was as if whoever had written the exam had forgotten that people like her existed — like they didn't have a history.

And that made her furious.

She was angry with wizarding Britain and its nearsightedness. The world of magic and wonder she had been promised when she was eleven was a lie. Being a Muggle-born witch didn't make her special; it made her a second-class citizen.

Lily was angry about all of these things. Most of all, though, she was angry with herself.

"I've been an idiot," she said. She was sitting cross-legged in bed with Marlene and Parvana. Marlene had brought cheese sandwiches up from the kitchens for lunch.

"I mean," said Marlene, talking around a chunk of sandwich, "you're gonna have to qualify that statement."

Lily gaped at her. "Are you saying I really have been an idiot?"

"I know it's not what you want to hear," said Marlene, "but Severus is scum. And he's been that way for ages. He took advantage of you, over and over. And because you have a kind heart, you kept forgiving him."

"Thanks a lot," said Lily drily. "I know I was being stupid, it's just — he was my best friend. Imagine if Mary started turning into a Death Eater. What would you do?"

"Probably the same thing you did," said Marlene. "Give her too many chances 'til she broke my heart. I'm not judging you. I get it."

Parvana nodded, but her brow was furrowed. "I do think you shouldn't have taken your Felix Felicis to get back at him," she said quietly.

"Come off it," said Marlene immediately. "That was brilliant. You should have seen the look on Snivellus' face after you blew up half the dungeon, Lil."

"But she could have been seriously hurt," said Parvana. "She was seriously hurt. How is that revenge?"

"I knew what I was doing," said Lily defensively. "It was my potion. I knew the risk I was taking."

"Yeah," said Marlene. "Lily knew Madam Pomfrey would set her right."

"Even so," said Parvana. She took a bite of her sandwich, chewing thoughtfully. "You shouldn't hurt yourself to get back at someone else."

"Says the girl who nearly killed herself on the Quidditch pitch just so Ravenclaw wouldn't win the Cup," Lily teased. Parvana's eyes widened, but Lily grinned at her. After a moment, Parvana smiled back.

"I will say this," added Marlene. "Lily, your fingernail clippings are worth more than every bone in Snivellus' body."

"More than those smelly robes he wears, too," said Lily. She tried to sound nonchalant, but her cheeks began to burn as soon as the words left her mouth.

"The bright side — if there is one — is that you know where Snape stands now," said Parvana. "Think of how long things could have dragged on if he were a better liar. At least you can go home for the summer and get some space from him."

Lily groaned and flopped back onto the bed. "We're from the same town, Parvana. He's practically my neighbour."

Parvana started to respond, but the door of the dormitory burst open with a bang, cutting her off. Mary strode in, carrying a large bouquet of purple and white flowers. "We have a situation," she announced, dropping the flowers on Lily's bed.

"I'll say." Marlene twirled a violet hyacinth sceptically between her fingers. "Are these from James, or —"

"Worse," said Mary. She plucked Marlene's sandwich off the bed and took a bite. "And there's more where that came from. A certain Slytherin named, quote, Snivellus Snake, end quote, is currently standing outside Gryffindor Tower. He wants to —"

Marlene's eyes darkened. "Don't say apologise."

"You've got it," said Mary.

"Great," said Marlene. "Because clearly a bouquet of bloody hyacinths makes up for destroying someone's potion and calling them a you-know-what…"

"Mudblood," said Lily dully, staring at the ceiling. Marlene and Parvana cringed.

Mary made a sympathetic face and patted Lily's hand. "I know this is so unfair, Lily, but he says he doesn't care how long he has to wait. He wants to talk to you and he swore he'll sleep outside the common room if he has to —"

"He's so dramatic," said Lily. "He spent all year avoiding me, but now that I'm done with him, he won't leave me alone. Classic Severus. Eurgh." She groped for her wand on her bedside table. "Incendio."

Immediately, the flowers around her caught fire, and Mary leapt off the bed with a shriek. Parvana got up rather more gracefully, offering Marlene a hand.

"Nice one." Marlene pulled out her wand and sent a stream of water towards the smoking remains of the flowers. "Evanesco."

The ashes vanished, and Lily rolled over, eyeing Marlene imploringly. "Do I have to talk to him?"

"You can do whatever you want," said Marlene. "Let him sleep in the corridor, for all I care. It's no less than what he deserves."

Lily groaned. "I should tell him to go away. He really will sleep out there."

"You see?" said Parvana. "He's punishing himself to get back at you. That's not healthy, it's —"

"Okay, okay, point taken," said Marlene. She smoothed Lily's hair affectionately. "Look, if you wanna talk to him, then do it. But if he doesn't bugger off, you have my permission to turn him into a newt."

"A newt would be an improvement," grumbled Lily, but she stood up and pulled on her nightgown. "At least they're not dramatic."

Severus was indeed waiting for her in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, wringing his hands.

"I'm sorry," he said before she had even climbed out of the portrait hole.

"I'm not interested."

"Lily, please — I'm sorry! I'm so sorry. For all of it. For taking your potion, for —"

Lily's eyes narrowed. "Taking my potion?"

"Stealing it, then," amended Severus.

"Ruining it."

She thought he might argue that he didn't know about the protective enchantments, but he said hastily, "That too. Ruining it."

"Great," she said. "You're sorry. Can I go back to my dormitory now?"

"Lily," he said, twisting the sleeves of his ratty robes. "As soon as I… when I called you — what I called you — I knew I had made a mistake, it was just… my friends were there, and —"

God, she should have expected this. Of course he was blaming what had happened on Mulciber. Heaven forbid Severus admit that his behaviour was no one's fault but his own.

Lily inhaled deeply, trying to maintain her calm. "Excuse after excuse, Sev. I'm tired of hearing it, so you can save your breath, alright?"

"I'll do better," he said. "I'll tell them all I've changed my mind — I'll tell Mulciber…"

Lily laughed, though the situation wasn't particularly funny. "You don't get it, do you, Sev?" she asked. "Our friendship is over. You can tell Mulciber whatever you want, but I'm not going back to being mates with you. Ever."

"You can't mean that," he said. "After all we've been through —"

"I do mean it," she said. "It's over. I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here."

"I was. I would have done. I'm so sorry for the potion, and I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just —"

The slur fell too easily from his lips. "Slipped out, did it?" she said, and she could tell by the way he blanched that he hadn't meant to say the word aloud a second time.

"I'm so sorry — if you forgive me, I'll —"

"No," she said coldly. "It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years — none of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends, and all your plots and schemes —"

"I swear, I'll tell them —"

"You know," said Lily, her voice rising, "if someone referred to me as a Death Eater, I'd curse their lips off. There's a jinx for that, you know — Vomihominis. But you — you don't even deny it! You don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be! You can't wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?"

Severus looked at her imploringly, but she met his gaze coolly, without blinking. She wasn't going to let him wriggle his way out of this one. Finally, he dropped his head, ashamed.

"I can't pretend anymore," said Lily. "We both know there's a war coming. You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine."

"Don't say that — you said you wouldn't fight..."

"I've changed my mind," she hissed. "My place in this war was decided by Death Eaters like you, Sev, and I will fight against all you stand for until my last breath."

"No — listen, I didn't mean —"

"—To call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?"

Severus' chin wrinkled. God, he wasn't about to cry, was he? She climbed back into the portrait hole before he could speak.

As the painting swung shut, Lily pulled out her wand and aimed it directly at his chest. "I've sworn to Marlene that I'll turn you into a newt if you try talking to me again," she said. "So leave me alone."

That Saturday, Lily spent the evening patrolling the castle for the last time as a fifth-year prefect. The corridors lay dark and quiet; most students were busy packing or lounging in their common rooms.

She was on the second floor when a suit of armour tipped over with a crash, startling her. She drew her wand, but before she could mutter a spell, Remus Lupin stepped around the fallen knight, holding his hands up.

"Sorry about that, Lily," he said pleasantly. "Awfully clumsy of me." He pointed his wand at the suit of armour, righting it, and fell into step beside her. "Nice night for a patrol, isn't it? Mind if I join you?"

She shrugged. "If you want. I'm sort of in a mood."

"I've been known to get those myself from time to time," said Remus as they rounded a corner. "I find chocolate usually helps."

Lily smiled a little. "That's something I'm looking forward to having at home. Actual chocolate, the kind that doesn't move or scream or turn into something else when you take a bite of it…"

"Toblerone's my favourite," said Remus. "It never screams. Very predictable."

Lily glanced at him. "You've had Muggle chocolate?"

"'Course I have," he said. "My mum was a Muggle. I thought you knew that."

Lily suddenly couldn't breathe. It was like an invisible hand had grabbed hold of her lungs and squeezed. She and Remus were the only ones in their year to have lost parents; it was one of the reasons she'd always felt a sense of solidarity with him. How could she have forgotten his mum was a Muggle?"

"Shit," she said. "I'm so sorry. I can't believe I didn't remember… that she was..."

Remus' eyes were a soft, murky green, like moss at the base of a tree. "Lily. It's fine. You've got a lot on your plate recently — I don't expect you to go around memorising my family's blood status on top of everything else."

"It's not fine," she said firmly. "It matters."

He looked a little surprised. "Why?"

"Because — it means you're a half-blood, like me. I mean, not exactly like me, because I'm —" She really was not explaining herself well. "It's something we have in common, that's all. I shouldn't have forgotten."

Remus hummed a little. "I don't think you should put so much weight on blood status. I mean, for all intents and purposes, I might as well be a pure-blood. My mum died when I was eight, and even before then, we were a magic household far more than a Muggle one. I don't think I even rode in a car — a proper, Muggle car — until I was on my way to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters for the first time."

"Oh," said Lily, abashed. She'd thought their upbringings had been similar, with magic in the periphery. "I guess I assumed you grew up the same way I did."

Remus shook his head. "My childhood resembled Peter's, or James', far more than yours. It had to."

She wasn't certain what he meant by that last bit. "I see."

They continued along the corridor without speaking. She suspected they were both thinking about their childhoods and the people they'd left behind.

At last, Remus said, "I think you should be proud to be a Muggle-born."

"Yeah," said Lily sarcastically, "I'm very proud that a bunch of people I've never met hate me for being born. So proud to be the butt of jokes, to be called names…"

"That's not what I meant," he said. "Being a Muggle-born is like knowing a foreign language, or being from a different country. Like how James' family is from India. It's an insight into another culture that not many wizards have."

She resented the comparison to James. "I'd rather only speak Magic and be done with it."

A thin line appeared between Remus' eyebrows, as though he could tell what she was thinking. "About what happened by the lake —"

"Please don't apologise for it," she said. "I've had enough of that already, and you didn't do anything wrong."

He shook his head. "I should have stepped in. James and Sirius went too far."

"I think they didn't go far enough, actually." She tried to sound nonchalant, but to her embarrassment, her eyes filled with hot, wet tears.

"Oh, no," said Remus. "I'm sorry, Lily, I didn't mean —"

"S'alright," she said thickly, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "It just — God, it just really hurt. When Sev called me — what he called me. It really, really hurt."

Remus sighed deeply. "You didn't deserve any of that, Lily. I wish it had never happened."

"Me, too." She sniffled. She wished she could pull some deeper meaning from the event, some way to spin it as a lesson, or find a silver lining. But there was no bright side to be found. Her best friend had called her the worst word he could say.

As they descended the stairs to the first floor, Lily furtively tried to dry her face and appear normal. Remus was watching his own feet as he walked; he appeared to be debating something with himself.

"Is there something you'd like to share?" she asked, determined to act as if she hadn't just burst into tears.

Remus rubbed his mouth and nodded. "Yes, actually. I don't know if you noticed, but Sirius and I had a bit of a falling-out this term. To make a long story short, he did something that hurt me very badly. It ruined my trust in him."

"Oh, really?" said Lily. "You're still mates, though, aren't you? You two looked pretty chummy in the common room last night, messing around with that expanding trunk of yours..."

"Yeah, we made up," said Remus. "I forgave him. But only because he genuinely apologised. When he said he was sorry, he meant every word."

"That's... "

"Surprising?" Remus gave her a wry smile.

"I mean… a little. Just knowing Sirius, he's not exactly in touch with his emotions, is he?"

"That's the understatement of the century," said Remus. "I told myself I'd only forgive him if he apologised. I figured it would never happen. I was as surprised as you were."

"I'm glad he did," said Lily. "I've always admired your friendship. He's so much fun to be around — too much, sometimes. But you keep him from jumping off a cliff just to see how far down it goes. You two are good for each other. "

Remus tugged at his shirt collar and looked away. "Er — right. Yeah. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've been where you are. I'm sorry you had to lose a friend this year, too."

He gave her a little smile and patted her twice on the shoulder. The gesture was so awkwardly boyish that she laughed and hugged him, her face pressing into his jumper. He'd gotten taller than her — when had that happened? After a moment, he hugged her back.

"You big softie," Lily mumbled into the wool of his jumper.

"They don't call me Remus 'Bleeding Heart' Lupin for nothing," he replied, disentangling himself from her. "Everything's going to be okay, Lily. I promise."

"Even if there's a war, and my best friend's on the other side?"

"Even so," said Remus. "You're worth ten of him, so keep your chin up."

"People keep telling me that. I —"

A rustle sounded from inside a nearby classroom, and Lily jumped. Remus pulled out his wand and raised his eyebrows at her. "What do you think — Peeves the Poltergeist, or a couple of shagging Ravenclaws?"

"My money's on Peeves," she said. "Ravenclaws are too smart to make noise past curfew."

"Bold statement," he said. "It's up to us prefects to find out." He tapped his wand on the door handle. There was a faint click and the door creaked open.

Lily grinned and followed him inside.

The Slytherin's induction ceremony as Followers took place at midnight on the last day of term. The centre of Dungeon Thirteen was conspicuously empty; the usual sofas, tea tables and chairs had been relegated to the sides of the room. At the far end of the dungeon, in three high-backed white chairs, sat Bella, Lucius and a third, heavyset Death Eater with tan skin. They faced the Intents like a panel of judges.

"Please sit," said Lucius as the Intents filed in. He gestured at the row of chairs lining the opposite end of the room from the Death Eaters.

Severus mentally berated himself as he took a seat between Mulciber and Avery, who were wearing finely tailored black robes. He wished he had thought to wear dress robes. He wished he owned dress robes. One day.

"I trust you have remembered to bring your pledges," said the third Death Eater in a gravelly, vaguely familiar voice. "We will now accept them as a token of your dedication to the brotherhood."

"Evan Rosier," said Bella sweetly, "would you like to go first?"

"Erm, alright," said Rosier. He stood up, adjusted his robes — his expensive, silken dress robes — and strode forward to stand in front of the judges. He pulled a small grey cube out of his pocket and levelled his wand at it. The cube grew larger and larger until it wasn't a cube at all, but a cage, containing —

"A Rougarou," said Rosier. "My father and I went hunting in America over the Easter holidays, and we managed to capture one. I thought the Dark Lord might find some use for it."

Severus stared at the creature, repulsed. Its body was humanoid, but it had the head of a massive, slavering dog. It thrashed against the bars of the cage, its jaws open, but no sound came from its mouth. Its eyes were rolling madly, and yet — they looked almost human. Something about the irises. Like the eyes of the werewolf, Severus thought.

Lucius nodded appreciatively, and Bella let out a low whistle. "Impressive," she said. "If you'll allow us to confer…"

The three judges bent their heads together, whispering. Finally, Lucius turned towards Rosier. "We accept your pledge," he said. "Welcome to the brotherhood, Evan Rosier."

Lucius gestured towards Bella. She stood and held up a dark cloak with a large hood, draping it over Rosier's shoulders. The silver clasp which she fastened around his neck was shaped like a skull with the tongue of a serpent. Rosier bowed low in front of the Death Eaters and returned to his chair, where he sat with his hood up.

Wilkes went next, presenting the judges with a string of shrunken heads capable of stealing a person's voice. After him came Rabastan Lestrange, whose hands shook the entire time, and then Mulciber, who had brought an assortment of valuable heirlooms from his family's vault. The third Death Eater looked especially pleased with Mulciber's pledge, and Severus suddenly realised why he seemed so familiar; he was the spitting image of Mulciber.

After Mulciber came Avery, who simply donated a decent amount of gold, insipid dullard that he was. Severus rather thought that Bella was fighting not to yawn throughout Avery's entire pledge.

Finally, Severus was the last one left. All the other Intents were wearing their hooded cloaks.

"I've got something a bit different prepared," he said, standing up. "Bella, if you would…"

Bella nodded and raised her wand. Three different pelts appeared between Severus and the judges, hanging in the air as though suspended by invisible strings.

"This first hide," said Severus, touching the pelt on the far left, "is werewolf fur. Notoriously resistant to most forms of spell-casting. Bella, if you were to fight a werewolf, which spell would you use?"

"The Killing Curse," she said instantly, and the Intents laughed. Even Lucius let out a small chuckle.

"Let me rephrase that," said Severus. "Say the Dark Lord has tasked you with subjugating a werewolf. How would you do this?"

"That would be difficult," said Bella. "Werewolf fur is so magically resistant that most spells are ineffective. Even the Cruciatus will only tickle it."

"Would you care to demonstrate?"

"Absolutely." Bella drew her wand. "Reducto. Stupefy. Confringo."

The werewolf pelt absorbed each spell with ease. The Blasting Curse vanished into it with a muffled thump, and the fur swayed gently, as if moved by a breeze.

"See? Ineffective." Bella placed her wand delicately across her lap.

"Exactly," said Severus. "Hence the need for my spell." He slashed his wand through the air like he was wielding a sword. "Sectumsempra!"

There was a flash of light, and the pelt lay in ribbons at his feet.

"Giant skin and troll hide are similar, aren't they?" he continued. He touched the two remaining hides that hung in the air. "Known to be resistant to magic. Well, no more. Sectumsempra!"

The giant skin and troll hide rent open instantly, joining the werewolf pelt in strips on the ground. Lucius' mouth was slightly open, and Severus felt a small rush of pride.

"This is my pledge to the brotherhood," said Severus. "We will not be defenceless against these Dark creatures."

"I see," said Lucius slowly. "Allow us to confer." He turned towards Bella and Mulciber's father, but their whispers lasted only a moment.

"Severus Snape," said Lucius. "It is unanimous: we accept your pledge. Welcome to the brotherhood."

Bella rose, beaming, to drape a cloak over Severus' shoulders. The cloak was heavy and well-made, likely more expensive than every article of clothing he owned combined. She reached for the clasp, but Severus put his hands over hers, and she stilled. He fastened the clasp himself.

As Severus returned to his seat, Lucius stood up. "You all have done well," he said. "As of tonight, you are Secondaries." He turned to Lestrange, who nearly tripped over his robes in his haste to stand up. "Rabastan, tomorrow marks the end of your Hogwarts career. Would you like to fight on the front lines for us?"

"I would be honoured, sir." Lestrange's voice cracked, but he bowed deeply.

"I will expect you at Malfoy Manor during the new moon, then," said Lucius. "As for the rest of you — the Dark Lord requires you to finish your schooling at Hogwarts. Over the summer, you will await further instructions. You are not to tell anybody that you have become Secondaries. If you do, we will know, and the consequences will be… unpleasant. Do I make myself clear?"

Severus and the other Intents — Secondaries, now— nodded, and Lucius smiled widely.

"Congratulations," he said. "You will not regret joining the brotherhood."

Bella stopped Severus in the corridor before he could follow his housemates back to the common room. "I'm leaving tonight with Lucius," she said.

"So you won't be taking the train tomorrow?"

"Waste of time," she said loftily, adjusting her robes. "Like so much in this castle."

"I suppose," said Severus, looking carefully at her. She was still taller than him, but not by much. "Thank you for getting those pelts for me. And for… well. For everything, I guess."

"It's been a pleasure." She gave him a small smile. "Everything gets better from here, Sev. Just wait until next year. Or, better, wait until you're out of school. You'll see."

"I expect I will."

"Last thing," said Bella. She grabbed him by the shoulders and stared into his eyes. Severus felt a familiar sensation at the back of his mind, and he nearly smiled. Then he showed her what she wanted to see.

Memories of Lily flashed in his mind, tinged with nostalgia but not regret. The memories rose at random, uncoupled from strong emotion — they were playing on a playground as children, they were riding the Hogwarts Express for the umpteenth time, they were passing each other in the corridors on the way to class. Their recent row outside Gryffindor Tower, where he'd begged her forgiveness, where he swore he'd abandon the Dark Arts, didn't feature at all. Lily, it would seem, was a childhood sweetheart he had outgrown. Nothing more.

It wasn't the truth. But Bella wasn't looking for the truth.

"Good," she said, releasing him. "You're ready. I'll miss you, Severus."

No, you won't. He raised a shoulder, noncommittal. "Something tells me I'll be seeing you again."

Just like that, the term was over, and James was packing the last of his things into his trunk and saying goodbye to the other members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. On the train ride to London, he, Sirius and Peter managed to find an empty compartment at the back of the Hogwarts Express.

Remus joined them after finishing his patrol of the train. "Snape's sharing a compartment with Mulciber and his gang," he said, taking a seat beside Peter. "They're all looking quite pleased about something or other."

"'Course they are," said James. "Snivellus called Evans a Mudblood in front of the entire school after putting her in the hospital wing. I'm sure they're patting themselves on the back while plotting who they can humiliate next."

"It's weird, isn't it?" asked Peter. "Having schoolmates who actually think What's-His-Name's doing the right thing?"

"Nah, it's not." Sirius stretched his long legs across the compartment. "Spend the summer with my family and you'll see. Plenty of people think Whoever-He-Is has got the right idea."

James began to cast about frantically for a change of subject, lest Sirius begin ruminating on his upcoming holiday with his terrible family. "Er," he said, "y'know, I'd never really thought about it before, but do we know who he is? This great evil wizard everyone talks about in hushed tones, I mean."

"I haven't the foggiest," said Peter, and Remus shook his head.

"Isn't that the point?" Sirius seemed determined not to be pulled out of his foul mood. "If nobody knows anything about him, he's got plausible deniability. Maybe he's just a figment of our imaginations, and the Muggles are killing themselves off."

Peter snorted. "That's likely."

The compartment door opened, and Parvana tumbled in, followed by Marlene and Mary, who was dragging Lily by the hand.

"Budge up!" said Marlene, nearly falling into Sirius' lap. "Make some room, fellas, you know what time it is…"

Sirius groaned. "The Year in Review?"

"That's right!" said Mary brightly. "How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess," mumbled Peter, whose face was being squashed into the window as Mary squeezed into the seat next to him.

"Everyone's here, right?" asked Lily, counting heads. She seemed to skip over James' wild mop of hair entirely; since that day by the lake, she'd taken to acting like h he didn't exist.

"I think so," said Parvana. She settled herself beside James, their thighs touching.

"Great!" Marlene clapped her hands together. "Now we can start. Alright, fifth year Gryffindors — show of hands, who here had an excellent year?"

Mary and James raised their hands immediately, followed by Peter and Parvana. After some consideration, Remus put his hand in the air, as well. Lily's hands remained clasped in her lap, and Sirius was staring out the window, arms folded.

James kicked Sirius in the shins. "What do you mean, you didn't have an excellent year, you great lump? Just because you're mopey now, doesn't mean —"

"Three words," snapped Sirius. "The entire month of April. Sound familiar?"

"That's five words," said Remus. "Seven, if you count the second sentence."

Sirius began to make a rude hand gesture at Remus, but Marlene caught his arm.

"Not in the spirit of the game!" she said. "Let's focus here. So five of us had an excellent year, six counting me. Six over eight is…" She scrunched up her face, calculating. "Alright, that's an Acceptable, I'll take it. Next question: did we win the Quidditch Cup?"

"We did!" cheered Mary. Peter let out a loud whoop. James took an exaggerated bow and nudged Parvana, who blushed as the rest of the compartment applauded.

"We certainly did," said Marlene, motioning for the others to quiet down. "For the first time in nearly a decade. All thanks to one inspired Captain and our brilliant Seeker. And myself, of course," she added as an afterthought. "So I'll give us full marks in the 'Quidditch' category. Next: did we win the House Cup?"

"Well," said Remus with the air of someone trying to head off a confrontation, "we weren't last —"

"Third place is our best yet," added James. "Let's not forget that."

Marlene and Mary rolled their eyes at each other, and Parvana sighed.

"I don't get it," said Lily. "I know you lot get loads of detentions, but you earn a fair amount of points, too. Not to mention we won the Quidditch Cup. How did we end up third?"

"Two words," said Sirius. He was still facing the window, but there was a slight smirk playing around his lips. "We got carried away with the expanding trunk."

"Technically," said Remus, "that's eight —"

"Oh, God," said Lily. "You didn't —"

"Unfortunately, we did." James pushed his glasses up his nose. "It turns out there is a limit to Undetectable Extension Charms. And it turns out we found that limit. In Professor McGonagall's office."

"Remus John Lupin," said Lily, rounding on him. "Don't tell me that racket we heard while on patrol —"

Remus did his best to look shamefaced. "I was charged with distracting the prefects on duty. Which happened to be me and you."

"I don't believe it," said Lily. "I thought you were spending time with me because you enjoy my company."

"It's not mutually exclusive," said Remus. "We had quite a nice night, didn't we?"

"Careful, Lupin, you'll make James jealous with that kind of talk," warned Marlene, and James reached across the compartment to shove her good-naturedly. "So, third in the House Cup nets us a Poor, which is up from the Dreadful of previous years, so I'll allow it. Last category — and this is the one I'm most disappointed with you all on — romance."

Sirius perked up a little. "I snogged Daisy Hookum. I did my part."

"You didn't snog Daisy Hookum," said Peter scathingly. "You closed-mouth kissed her. That's not snogging."

"Yeah, well, I would have snogged her, if I hadn't had to keep a lea—"

"Alright, alright," said James. "Look, Marly, I'm sorry we keep letting you down with our love lives. But we've had, er, extenuating circumstances for the past couple of years, which have prevented us from snogging girls to our hearts' content."

"Told you they're all snogging each other," Lily muttered to Mary, who giggled.

"Evans —" said James, but he stopped short when she glared at him. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. There was no point explaining why they'd been carrying leaves around in their mouths since the middle of year three. It would just complicate things.

"I snogged someone," volunteered Parvana. Her cheeks darkened as she spoke. "Bertram Aubrey. It was after Hufflepuff lost."

"A pity snog?" asked Sirius, raising an eyebrow.

"I still think it counts," said Parvana, and Marlene nodded.

"Peter and I snogged, too, after we won the Quidditch Cup," said Mary. Everyone stared at her, Peter included. "You might not remember," she told him. "You'd had a lot of Sirius' drinks. But it happened. So I guess that counts."

"I… I remember," stammered Peter. "I just didn't think —"

"You've been holding out on us, Pete!" roared Sirius, leaning across the aisle to smack Peter on the shoulder. "I can't believe you've gotten more action than I have."

"Right," said Marlene, "so three snogs —"

"Two snogs and a closed-mouth kiss," corrected Remus. He widened his eyes innocently as Sirius turned towards him.

"Another P, unfortunately," said Marlene, shaking her head.

"That's just dismal," said Lily. "We did better in year two. And we were twelve then."

"At least we did well in Quidditch," said Marlene. "I expect us to get the House Cup next year, though."

"Second place or bust!" cheered James, and Mary applauded.

Remus stood up, stretching. "I think I hear the trolley witch. Who wants a Chocolate Frog?"

The Hogwarts Express was pulling into Platform Nine and Three-Quarters by the time they had finished their Chocolate Frogs. Lily and Mary excused themselves to change into their Muggle clothes, and the other girls trickled out of the compartment as the train slowed to a stop.

James' mother and father were waiting for him partway down the platform, sitting on a bench. His dad's shock of silver hair was unmistakable, the signature Potter curls bleached white by time. His mum was wearing a checkered red sari with stripes of gold at the edges, the exact colours of Gryffindor. She looked beautiful. She always looked beautiful.

At the sight of his parents, James' heart lifted until he thought he might float off the platform. He felt weightless with joy, like his Animagus was a bird instead of a stag.

"Mum," he called. "Dad!"

His parents turned at the sound of his voice, and he ran towards them, not caring that he was sixteen and maybe too old to love them so much. He gave them both a long hug — his mother smelled warm, like vanilla — before turning back to say goodbye to his friends.

It was then that he realised that Platform Nine and Three Quarters was not as he remembered it. At the far end of the platform stood a crowd of parents dressed in Muggle clothing. They were surrounded by wizards wearing dragon-hide leather and crimson robes draped over their shoulders.

"Dad," said James slowly, "are those —"

Fleamont Potter nodded solemnly. "Aurors."

"Why are they here?"

"Protection, I'd assume."

Sirius caught James' eye and strolled over, hands in his pockets. "You've noticed too, eh?" he said, jerking his head towards the Aurors. "Clearly, we've missed something while we've been away. Maybe we should start reading the Daily Prophet."

"Maybe," said James. Lily had walked up to one of the Aurors, trunk in tow, and was asking him something. The Auror looked sceptical, and Lily produced a slip of paper from her bag for him to examine. After a moment, the Auror nodded and stepped aside.

A plump woman with auburn hair pushed her way to the front of the crowd, and Lily threw her arms around her. As they embraced, the Auror watched them warily, one hand hovering over his wand holster.

"Protection," repeated James. "Dad, who are the Aurors supposed to be protecting? Them, or us?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" His father clapped a hand on James' shoulder. "Come on, son. Let's get you home."

A/N: So ends year 5! If you've made it this far, I would love if you left a comment :) Doesn't have to be anything big, whatever you have to say means so much to me!

Thanks so much for sticking with the story, and enjoy year 6!