When Lily entered the hospital wing for her last shift as an apprentice, the infirmary was blessedly quiet. Madam Pomfrey was sipping a cup of tea at her desk, and all the cots lay empty, save for one at the far end of the infirmary, which was surrounded by curtains. Sally's cot.

Assuming that Madam Pomfrey would want her to check Sally's humours, Lily approached the drawn curtains. No Aurors were standing guard at the moment — perhaps they'd taken a break.

"Sally?" she called.

There was no response.

Lily tried again. "Sally? Are you awake?" She rattled the curtains, then pulled them back cautiously. Sally slept with her wand under her pillow and had hexed Lily more than once after being startled awake.

The cot was empty.

Lily felt a jolt of panic. Trying to stay calm, she picked the rumpled blanket off the cot, as if Sally might have been hiding underneath it. But there was no sign of Sally or her belongings: no wand under the pillow, no stack of books beneath the cot. Only a vase of Flitterbloom flowers, which had been a gift from Caradoc Dearborn, remained on the bedside table. The flowers waved their leaves cheerily at Lily.

"Looking for something?"

Lily whirled around. Sally was standing behind her, dressed not in her usual infirmary gown, but in a crisply pleated Hogwarts uniform.

"Oh, my God," said Lily, putting a hand to her chest. "Don't do that to me, Sally."

Sally sat on the cot, looking smug. Though her movements were still stiff, she looked significantly healthier than she had a few weeks ago: her once-matted hair was now parted in two sleek plaits, and her cheeks had regained some fullness. "I've been discharged from the hospital wing, you know."

"What? Since when?"

"Oh, about an hour ago," said Sally.

That was news to Lily. Only a week ago, Sally had needed about twelve different potions to balance her humours. Madam Pomfrey hadn't discharged her too soon, had she?

"That's… fantastic," Lily managed. "Are you going home, then?"

Sally shook her head. "N.E.W.T. examinations are next week. I can't miss that."

"That doesn't seem fair," said Lily. "You spent the last six months in a painting, instead of revising like everyone else. I bet they'd postpone your exams, if you asked…"

"What's done is done," said Sally. "I don't need special treatment."

Lily nearly told her that she was being stupid, but arguing with Sally never did her any good. She changed the subject instead. "Where are you going to stay, now that you've been discharged? One of the Hogsmeade inns?"

Sally's jaw was set. "Gryffindor Tower."

"That's stupid," said Lily before she could stop herself. "It's not safe for you to stay in the castle, the Slytherins…"

"I've got nothing to fear from the Slytherins. Dumbledore has severed the head of the snake." Sally spoke triumphantly, clearly expecting Lily to understand her meaning.

"Severed the head of the…?" asked Lily after a moment.

Sally sighed. "Mulciber has been expelled."

"Oh," said Lily. "Well, that's good news, at least." She'd suspected as much, considering she hadn't seen hide nor hair of Mulciber since that fateful night in the dungeons, but it was nice to have confirmation.

"The other Slytherins who were involved have been given sufficient detentions to occupy them until the end of the year," said Sally. "Not that they'd dare try anything with Mulciber gone, anyway. But Dumbledore's prepared me a private room in Gryffindor Tower, just in case. The Aurors will continue to… guard me." She said the last part with considerable distaste. "They're helping move my things into Gryffindor Tower now. I just came back here to get the Flitterblooms my father sent."

Sally hefted the vase on the bedside table into her arms. She sagged a little under its weight, though the vase wasn't terribly heavy. "I'd better be getting back. Don't forget there's a prefect meeting tonight — it's the last one of the term."

Lily knew better than to ask whether or not Sally would attend the meeting. "Of course. I'll see you there."

Later that evening, Lily was the last to arrive at the prefect meeting. She never showed up early anymore, not even to class: being early only gave people extra time to pester her for details about what had happened in the dungeons.

Remus Lupin nudged her as she took her place beside him and gestured towards the front of the room. Lily followed his gaze: Sally was standing beside Chester Fernsby, the Head Boy. Her hands were clasped in front of her and her back ramrod was straight. Two Aurors lurked behind her, wands drawn and surveying the room suspiciously, as though Sally was surrounded by murderous convicts instead of a handful of prefects.

"Did you know Sally was out of the hospital wing?" asked Remus.

Lily nodded. "She only got out this afternoon."

Remus raised his eyebrows. "That's impressive. She certainly doesn't waste any time, does she?"

"I know," said Lily vaguely. She'd spotted Regulus across the room, next to Edmund Avery. If he was surprised to see Sally, he didn't show it; his face was carefully composed.

"Listen up, everyone," said Sally, and several hushed conversations died at once. The entire room waited with bated breath to hear what she had to say.

"This is our last meeting of the term," she continued. "As such, I hope everyone has had a productive year at Hogwarts. Now, to business: with exams beginning next week, the library will be open until midnight. Madam Pince has asked for volunteers to staff the library in the evenings. I've got a piece of parchment for sign-ups, if anyone is interested. Next, Filch the caretaker…"

As Sally continued to talk, Lily looked around the room. Regulus' careful mask of neutrality had slipped; his eyes kept darting towards Sally and away again, as if he was afraid to look at her for too long. Many of the other prefects looked bewildered, even disappointed, that Sally had neglected to mention her six-month absence.

They probably expected to take some new gossip back to their common rooms, Lily thought bitterly. She was glad Sally wasn't talking about what had happened. She didn't owe them anything.

As the meeting went on, Lily began to feel disappointed as well, but for a different reason. Regulus hadn't looked her way even once. She wasn't sure what she'd expected from him — they'd agreed not to be friends, after all — but to ignore her completely?

As soon as Sally adjourned the meeting, Regulus left the staffroom. He hadn't looked at Lily once.

That stung, but at the same time, Lily felt relieved. What they had been through together — whatever they had once shared — was over. There was no point in pretending otherwise.

After the meeting, Lily struck up a long and boring conversation with Chester Fernsby about banned Zonko's products, hoping the subject matter was dull enough that nobody would wait around to talk to her. By the time they'd thoroughly exhausted the topic, the only other students still in the room were a pair of Ravenclaw prefects who had volunteered to clean up — gunning for next year's Head Boy and Girl, no doubt — and Remus, who was waiting for her.

"Took you long enough," said Remus. "I don't think I've ever seen you so passionate about confiscating Dungbombs."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're too observant?" said Lily as they left the staffroom.

"I think it's been mentioned once or twice," said Remus. "I noticed Sirius' brother didn't ogle you the entire meeting, either. That was another change of pace."

"You — what? That's not true, he didn't ogle…"

"Didn't he?" asked Remus. "He and Sirius make the same face… though Sirius usually does it when he's staring at his motorbike..."

They reached the first-floor landing, and Lily stopped abruptly. "Hang on. Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Voices," she said. She peered down the corridor; a light was shining under the door of an empty classroom. "Someone's in there."

Remus followed her as she crept closer. "Is it a couple of prefects having a post-meeting snog, do you think?"

"God, I hope so," said Lily. "I'm in the mood to take points." And she pressed her ear to the door.

"…going to wonder where I've gone, so make this quick," said a clipped voice inside the classroom.

Lily's eyes widened. Regulus, she mouthed to Remus.

A distinctly feminine voice responded. "How are you faring? Are the others in your House still…?"

"Trying to kill me?" replied Regulus wryly. "Well, they aren't pleased, I can tell you that much. Severus still…" He lowered his voice, and Lily didn't catch what he said next.

Remus looked questioningly at Lily. "Who's he talking to?"

"I think it's Sally!" said Lily. She wished she had James' Invisibility Cloak. She would love to sneak inside the classroom and hear all the details of Regulus' conversation with Sally. Were they plotting something new together?

Sally was still talking, though her voice was so muffled that Lily only caught the last word, which was "…trouble?"

Regulus laughed, though the sound lacked any humour. "I've been sleeping in the painting. He made it clear that I wasn't welcome in the dormitories."

Sally said something in response that Lily couldn't make out. She pressed her ear more firmly to the door, as if that would improve her hearing.

"It's fine," said Regulus. "The painting —"

"Out of the question," said Sally, raising her voice. "I know what it's like to sleep there. I won't allow it. You'll stay in my dormitory, Dumbledore's made private quarters for me. It's decently spacious, and there's an extra bedroom, so you wouldn't be…"

The sarcasm in Regulus' voice was unmistakable. "I don't think I'll be any safer sleeping in Gryffindor Tower, but thanks."

"It's not a request," said Sally. "We'll disguise you, so you can enter and leave freely. I could ask my father for some Polyjuice if you like, he's got a supply at home…"

"I don't like the idea."

"Well, I don't like the thought of you tiptoeing around your House for the next week. This is just a temporary measure, anyway — your buddies in Slytherin will cool off over the summer. They're not stupid, they'll realize how much you did for them this year. They'll be grateful. But right now, you do need to keep your distance. And I can help you do that."

There was a pause. "Fine," said Regulus at last.

"Gather your things," said Sally briskly. "I'll meet you on the seventh floor. If anyone asks, you're helping me move into my new quarters."

Too late, Lily realized that footsteps were coming towards the door of the classroom. She scrambled backwards, and Remus pulled her behind a nearby suit of armour just as the door swung open.

Lily held her breath as Regulus and Sally stepped into the corridor. The space behind the suit of armour was too small to hide both her and Remus. They'd certainly be spotted if Regulus or Sally glanced their way —

Beside her, Remus drew his wand. He whispered a few words under his breath, and a disembodied voice filled the corridor, cackling madly.

"Oooooh!" said the voice gleefully. "Who's in the corridor, up to no good?"

Sally swore. "Peeves," she said. "We'll have to split up. Hurry, before he sees us together and word gets out —"

"CAUGHT YOU!" shouted the voice. "CAUGHT YOU SNEAKING!"

Sally practically sprinted down the corridor. Regulus went the other way, hurrying past the suit of armour that Lily and Remus crouched behind.

Once Regulus and Sally were out of sight, Remus whispered a counter-charm, and Peeves' cackling laughter faded.

"That was brilliant," said Lily, stepping out from behind the suit of armour. "You'll have to teach me that spell. It really did sound like Peeves, how did you…?"

"Trade secret," said Remus, dusting off his jumper. "Did you have a fruitful eavesdropping session?"

"Er, something like that," said Lily evasively. She and Remus were friendly, but she wasn't sure just how much he could be trusted with secrets of this magnitude. If Remus had overheard that Sally wanted to smuggle Regulus into Gryffindor Tower… would he tell anyone? Surely he'd tell his mates, wouldn't he?

"By the way," she said as they returned to the common room, "how much of that conversation did you hear?"

"Oh, I couldn't make out a word of it," said Remus lightly. "A bit disappointing, but my hearing must be worse than yours. Why do you ask?"

Lily narrowed her eyes, unsure whether to believe him. "Not a single word?"

Remus' pleasant expression didn't change. "I'm afraid not. Though judging by their body language, I believe they were discussing the patrol schedule."

He had to be lying. But Lily supposed that pressing him about it wouldn't do her any favours.

"Yeah," she said. "Boring, wasn't it?"

"That was my impression, as well," said Remus. "Good-night, Lily."

And he disappeared up the stairs to the boys' dormitories. Lily watched him go, pursing her lips. Surely Remus knew more than he was letting on. But maybe…

A vague memory from the previous year rose in the back of her mind. James' sixteenth birthday party, when Remus told her very politely that his nickname was 'Moony' because he had pimples.

Maybe Remus did know how to keep a secret. And maybe she was grateful that he did.

For the first time in her entire Hogwarts career, Lily received the highest marks possible on her exams. She found this awfully suspicious. It was true that the exams were usually a breeze, but eight Outstandings?

She suspected that the teachers were using the exams as another excuse to show favouritism towards her. Most of them seemed inclined to give her an O for simply showing up. Professor McGonagall was the notable exception: she watched Lily conjure a rabbit out of a hat with as stern an expression as ever. Even old Professor Binns must have known what had happened with Sally Dearborn, as he gave Lily her first-ever 'O' on her History of Magic exam.

There was one exam, however, that she wasn't guaranteed to pass. The Apparition licensing exam took place only a few days before the end of the term. Lily was more nervous about this exam than all the others combined: she wasn't sure she could handle the embarrassment if she Splinched herself again, and in full view of Instructor Twycross this time.

At ten o'clock on Saturday morning, Lily and the other sixth years who were of age met in the Entrance Hall, where a trio of disgruntled-looking Aurors was waiting to escort them to Hogsmeade. Only a few sixth-year Slytherins joined the group, as Mulciber had been expelled, and Avery was nowhere to be seen. Severus stood alone, skulking by the giant hourglasses that tallied the House points. Lily noted with satisfaction that there were far more rubies in the Gryffindor hourglass than emeralds in Slytherin hourglass beside it.

Instructor Twycross was waiting outside of the Three Broomsticks, alongside a handful of Ministry wizards in grey robes. They all had the same pale, insubstantial look to them, like they were part-ghost. Side-effect of too much Apparition, thought Lily with a shudder.

"Welcome to your Apparition exam," said Instructor Twycross. "To obtain a licence, you must Apparate thrice in quick succession. Unsuccessful Apparition, including Apparating to an incorrect destination, is grounds for immediate failure. Splinching will also result in failure, as well as a thirty-day ban on retaking the exam."

Lily swore he looked at her as he said this.

One of the examiners, an elderly witch with oddly colourless eyes, shepherded Lily into a group with Sirius Black, James Potter, and a handful of Ravenclaws. "We shall Apparate from Madam Puddifoot's to Honeydukes, and then to the Shrieking Shack," said the examiner in a thin, wavering voice. "After the entire group has reached the Shrieking Shack, you are to Apparate to the Three Broomsticks, where Instructor Twycross will be waiting. He will provide you with the results of your examination, as well as your licence, if you pass."

"Excellent," said Sirius. "See you at Madam Puddifoot's, then." And he spun on his heel and Disapparated with a resounding crack.

The Ministry witch blinked several times, not sure what to make of Sirius' sudden disappearance. The Ravenclaws stared disapprovingly at the space Sirius had previously occupied, as if he had somehow cheated. Lily glanced at James; he was grinning proudly.

When they reached Madam Puddifoot's, Sirius was leaning against the shop's pink door, looking very pleased with himself. "I'll go first, shall I?" he asked the examiner.

"That is acceptable," said the witch in her quavering voice. She pulled out a tarnished silver pocketwatch whose colour matched her hair. "You shall Apparate in five-minute intervals. That will give me enough time to ensure that nothing is… left behind."

The wispy little examiner spoke with such relish that Lily suspected she was actually excited at the prospect of somebody getting Splinched.

Sirius was the first to Disapparate, followed by the Ravenclaws, who seemed eager to prove that they, too, had mastered the art of Apparition. James turned to Lily when they were the only two left. "Ladies first," he said.

"Thanks, but that's alright," said Lily. "You go ahead." If she was destined to Splinch herself again, she certainly didn't want James Potter to witness it.

James shrugged. "Suit yourself." He turned on his heel and Disapparated with a crack, leaving Lily alone with the examiner.

"Nervous, are we?" asked the examiner, giving Lily a knowing look.

"Not really," lied Lily.

The old witch clucked her tongue. Lily wondered if the examiner knew that she had Apparated illegally and was due to face the Wizengamot because of it. Probably, she thought. Instructor Twycross knew, and he seemed like the gossipy sort.

After five minutes had passed, the examiner nodded at Lily. "Careful not to Splinch yourself, dearie. If you leave behind a single red hair from that pretty head of yours, I'll have no choice but to fail you."

"What makes you think I'm going to Splinch myself?" retorted Lily. She stared evenly at the examiner, daring her to mention the Wizengamot trial.

The examiner went slightly pale; even her robes seemed to become more transparent. "No harm meant, dearie. Very few Muggle-borns pass on the first try, you know."

Lily's stomach, which had been in knots, grew hot with anger. If there was one thing she was good at, it was defying expectations. "What makes you think I'm Muggle-born?"

The examiner tapped the list of names on her clipboard. "My poor dear, it says here that your surname…"

"…is Abbot," snapped Lily.

The wrinkles on the examiner's forehead deepened. She checked her clipboard, confused.

Serves you right, you old crone, Lily thought, and she turned sharply on her heel.

She reappeared outside of Honeydukes. Sirius and the Ravenclaws were nowhere to be seen; they must have already Apparated to the Shrieking Shack.

"Alright, Evans?"

She looked up; James was sitting on the roof of the shop.

"Yeah, fine," she said. "Why do you ask?"

"Your face is all red. Did you have trouble Apparating?"

"No," said Lily defensively. James quirked an eyebrow, and she let out a breath, willing herself to calm down. "Our examiner is a hag."

"Really?" asked James. He jumped off the roof and landed beside her. "Did she try to make a deal with you? Your firstborn in exchange for an Apparition licence, something along those lines?"

"She had the nerve to suggest I might fail. Loads of Muggle-borns do, she said. As if my blood has anything to do with it."

"That's just batty," said James. "Doesn't she know that Lily Evans has never failed an exam in her life?"

Lily smiled despite herself. "Someone ought to let her know."

"I'm sure she'll change her tune after seeing your flawless Apparition technique," said James. "Shall we head on to the Shack, then, to stay ahead of the hag?"

He held out a hand to her. Lily hesitated. Was he suggesting they Apparate together? After a moment, she put her hand in his. His palm was surprisingly calloused.

He smiled reassuringly at her. "On three. One… two —"

There was a loud crack, and James let go of Lily's hand. For a moment, she thought that he'd Disapparated, but no; when she opened her eyes, he was still there, an expression of surprise and anger on his face as he glared at —

"My apologies," said an all-too-familiar voice. "Meant to Apparate to the post office, but I must have overshot the mark."

Lily whirled around. Severus had appeared by Honeydukes' window display; his lip curled as he caught sight of James.

"You're not supposed to be here," he said, addressing James. "You ought to have Apparated to the Shrieking Shack already."

"Is that so?" said James. "Hoping to catch Lily alone, were you?"

Severus' eyes burned with hatred. With what seemed like a great effort, he refocused his attention on Lily. "We need to talk. About what happened in the dungeons."

"I have nothing to say to you," hissed Lily.

"Well, I have something to say to you. I've been thinking, and only one explanation makes sense. Did Regulus —"

Severus broke off. James had stepped in front of Lily, putting himself between her and Severus. "Didn't you hear, Snivellus? She doesn't want to talk."

"James," said Lily warningly. Now was really not the time for him to antagonize Severus, not after he'd nearly died at Severus' hand —

"Don't be foolish, Potter," said Severus. "Leave us. Unless you want a reminder of what happened the last time we met…" His hand drifted towards his wand.

Lily tensed, ready for the duel that was sure to come. Either James would hesitate, giving Severus the opening he needed, or else James would whip out his own wand and curse Severus first.

To her surprise, James put his arms behind his head, looking amused. "Sorry, Sev. Wish we could stay and have another grand confrontation — I'd love a couple more scars — but Lily and I need to finish our Apparition Exam. If you'll excuse us…"

Severus' hateful expression grew even more twisted as the corners of his mouth turned down. He looked at Lily. "Since when are you on a first-name basis with Potter?"

Lily wasn't proud of what she said next. She wasn't sure what made her do it, aside from the fact that she knew that it would hurt Severus worse than the Cruciatus Curse. And God, did she want to hurt him.

"James and I are dating," she said. "So he can call me whatever he likes."

The look on Severus' face was delicious. He seemed to go through the stages of grief all at once: first shock, then disbelief, then anger and betrayal crossed his sallow face. He stared at her, apparently unable to comprehend what she'd just said.

"You…" he spluttered. "He… you…"

James was looking at her with a similarly stunned expression. Lily gave him a pointed look, silently willing him to go along with it.

"Erm, yeah, that's right," said James, catching on. "We're, er, definitely dating."

Severus' face finally settled into a murderous expression. "I knew it," he snarled. "I knew you had feelings for him. You've fancied him all along, haven't you? Even last year, when he would curse me for sport. You always defended him. I knew it."

"It's true," said Lily coldly. "I've fancied James for ages. Glad you've finally cottoned on."

Because she wanted to twist the knife even deeper, she turned to James and grabbed his hands. "Let's get out of here," she said, and she bounced on her toes and kissed him clumsily on the mouth.

Severus' jaw dropped.

James didn't kiss her back; he seemed to be in shock. Lily squeezed his limp hands, hoping she wouldn't regret this, and turned on her heel, Apparating both of them to the Shrieking Shack.

As they reappeared on the grubby pavement outside the Shack, they stumbled apart. James staggered into the sixth-year Ravenclaws, who were waiting nearby.

Sirius whistled loudly and caught James by the shoulders. "Do mine eyes deceive me? Prongs and Wondergirl, enjoying a Side-Along snog?"

Oh, my God, thought Lily. What have I done?