I realise it's taken me a while to write this chapter, but I've become a real perfectionist with my work since going through English exams, I've cut out two sections on the train and after the head student scene because they dragged, and I'd rather spend time carefully editing chapters and being happy with them instead of rushing to finish and losing the impact like I did during the last summer holiday. Plus I've edited about 3 chapters since writing the last one which has taken a while + I'll be doing more so I hope you don't mind too much

Sirius was still in a bad mood the week after, and had spent the morning sat on a swing staring into space trying to contemplate the imminent loss of Kara. He finally decided to go and stare at his ceiling for a change of scenery so he slunk back to the house, head down, hands in his pockets. He opened the door to the house to find James sat on the stairs open mouthed in complete shock.

"Oh God what's happened?" Sirius snapped out of his state of self-pitying.

"It's nothing bad, well not for me anyway. Probably terrible for the school though. I just can't believe it's actually happened" James muttered.

"Stop trying to build the tension and just tell me" Sirius moaned, trying to grab the letter out of James' hand.

"Ok, ok, I've been made head boy" Sirius made the exact same face James had when he walked through the door.

"… I think there's a joke somewhere in that sentence. I haven't found it yet but it must be there, unless Dumbledore's finally lost it" Sirius laughed, finally getting the letter out of James' hand and seeing for himself the impossible. "You're not even a prefect!"

"Sirius, with the high levels of genius, popularity, and plain awesomeness that I have, is it really a shock that I was picked?" James laughed, flicking his hair dramatically, promptly getting smacked in the head by Sirius.

"Don't go getting cocky, do you know who the head girl is?"

"It's not exactly hard to guess is it?

"OH MY GOD!" Lily screamed, jumping about the living room "I got it! I'm head girl!"

"Well done, now you're head of the freaks" Petunia rolled her eyes and went back to making tea "It's pathetic, I come home for one day and it's still all about that know-it-all"

"Oh shut up Petunia, just because you've settled down to a boring life with a fat ponce doesn't mean you have to take you anger out on me" Lily snapped at her.

"Do NOT talk about Dudders like that!" Petunia shouted back.

"Ooohhh, Dudders, how quaint" Lily laughed. Petunia glared at her, through Lily's mug to the floor, and stormed through the smashed china out the house.

"Look what you've done now" Lily's mum tutted, starting to pick up the remains.

"This is so unfair! The greatest thing just happened to me and that cow always seems to find a way of making herself the victim! Now I'm being blamed! I'm SICK of this family and I can't wait to leave again"

"That is SO UNFAIR!" Lily's mom finally snapped "I have done SO MUCH to keep this family together and I'm repaid by ungrateful, fighting daughters who can't bear to be in the same room as each other!" She sobbed before running out of the room leaving Lily left stood there staring at the door wondering if she'd imagined it all.

Lily couldn't remember why on earth she thought going to Petunia's house was going to help solve the issue considering she'd probably end up punching her in the face, but it was too late to back out now. She stood at the gate staring at the perfect garden: uniform lines of petunias, neatly trimmed hedges bordering it, and precision cut grass. Clenching her fists Lily pushed open the gate, walked up to the door and, against everything she wanted, knocked. The door swung open to reveal Vernon Dudley stood in a pinstripe suit and a black tie.

"What?" he growled upon seeing who it was.

"I'm here to talk to my sister" Lily tried to say confidently.

"Well she's out, and I was promised that this was a ma… a freak free area so if you wouldn't mind never coming back, it would be appreciated" Vernon tried slamming the door in Lily's face but she wedged her foot into the gap in the door.

"This is actually none of your business, so if you wouldn't mind I think it's polite to invite a family member in and offer them a beverage whilst they wait, but of course as a freak I wouldn't know that" Lily said through a fake smile.

"Fine, Petunia is shopping at the moment, and will be back soon, would you like a drink?" It pained Vernon to say.

"That would be lovely" Lily smirked before inviting herself into the living room and perching on a hideous floral chair.

"Here" Vernon snarled, passing Lily a plastic cup half full of water "Bon appetite" he laughed before going upstairs leaving Lily on her own.

Lily, being as nosey as she was, couldn't resist poking around Petunia's house. Everything was annoyingly spotless in the kitchen, and such an overpowering shade of pink Lily got out of there quickly, finding herself stood in the hall.

"Oohhh, what's under here?" Lily thought to herself, opening the door to the cupboard under the stairs. It was dark, dingy, and stuffed full of cleaning products. "Huh, barely any room to breathe" She thought before shutting the door, just as she was about to go into the living room Petunia came through the door, out of breath and weighed down by shopping bags.

"Let me help you" Lily offered, going over to her and trying to take some bags off her. Petunia looked up and deep frowns formed in her forehead.

"What, and YOU doing here?" She scowled, dragging the shopping past.

"Look, you shouldn't be doing that, let me help" Lily stepped forwards but Petunia shoved her back.

"This is my life Lily, I don't want you in it. Get out of my house"

"I came to try and make up, for mom!"

"Ohh, because you want to be the perfect little girl that's there to fix the family and save us all from the depths of misery? Well I hate to break it to Lily but that's not going to happen" Petunia puffed before finally dropping the bags in the kitchen. "So please get out of my house, get out of my life, and get lost"

"Petu…"

"No. You don't understand how much you've ruined my life, it's best if you just go away. Nothing's been right since that boy came into your life"

"If it's just about Severus I really don't see what the problem is" Lily started to say before Petunia slammed the table and looked up at Lily.

I'm not a fool Lily, I know something's wrong in your freak world, and I know you. You're going to think you can stop whatever it is, and you're going to be killed"

"Why would you say that?"

"Because it's true! I can't stand to see you killed so I'm removing the bomb before it blows up, now please, get out of my house" Petunia shouted, pointing and the door with tears building in her eyes.

"FINE" Lily was fed up of trying to be the nice one so she stormed out of the house she hoped to never see again, slamming the door as she went.

"NO! Not this hell hole, you can't drag into a place of such torture, such pain, and such soul destruction! This is against my human rights, you're essentially imprisoning me, are you prepared to live your life knowing that?" Kara shouted.

"Kara shut up and get on the bloody train!" Lily growled at her "You're making a scene!"

"If they didn't want me to make a scene, they shouldn't be forcing me to go back to school" Kara argued, still resisting Lily's shoving. Recognising Kara's shouting Sasha poked her head out of the carriage she was in.

"But what will I do with all of these chocolate frogs?" She called, and sure enough Kara was sat next to her ripping open packets.

"I'm still totally against being here" Kara said through a mouthful of chocolate.

"It's only for another year" Lily tried to console her as she plonked herself next to them.

"Actually, about that…" Kara started awkwardly before Sasha butted in.

"You haven't told her!"

"Told me what?" Lily looked concerned.

"I may or may not be moving to Australia at Christmas?"

"Ok"

"That's it, ok?" Kara waved her hands in front of Lily's blank looking eyes, she was clearly already mourning the loss of Kara.

"Well…" Lily clenched her fists and breathed in "It makes sense, your family are hated by the Black family, you know who's gaining power, I'd rather you left now then get killed…"

"…but?"

"But I bloody hate you for going!" Lily cried, wrapping her arms around Kara "This damn war has ruined everything" She sobbed into her shoulder, remembering the last time she spoke to Petunia.

"It's ok, it's Ok, I'm here now!" Sirius announced as he leapt into the carriage "There's no need to cry about how lonely you've been anymore"

"Please ignore him, he's been like this… since birth" James laughed as he pulled Sirius onto the seats opposite the girls "So, Lily, heard who's head boy yet?" He smirked

"No I haven't, I bet it's just some stuck up, know it all, full of himself guy who will be unbearable to live with" Lily laughed, she'd already heard from Sasha it was James.

"Well I've heard the head girl is even worse" He grinned back, kissing her playfully on the lips.

"Oh God get a room please" Sirius pretended to wretch "Let's not forget this is seventh year, and it's going to be bloody awesome!"

"Oh yeah, I really feel the constant threat of death adds to my enjoyment of things" Sasha sighed.

"Way to lighten the mood there Sasha" Kara nervously laughed

"Yeah, I want no talk of this shit until the end of the year" Sirius punched the chair at the word shit "All I'm accepting right now is there are some arse holes in other houses who may or may not go join evil"

"And some may or may not be our younger brothers" James pointed out, hinting at Regulus.

"I refuse to admit he could be so stupid" Sirius shook his head

"But…"

"I REFUSE" Sirius shouted, and silence fell over the group as they all saw how the war had created a bit of darkness in all of them.

"Attention!" Dumbledore's voice echoed throughout the Grand Hall "I would like to welcome all of you back to Hogwarts, you've managed to make it back even in these dark times" Everyone looked around at the half full tables and the lack of expectant, excited faces that normally filled them "It has always been my policy to be completely truthful with you, and that continues even now. Hogwarts is in danger, it's the first place dark forces will try to infiltrate because of you. But be sure I will do all in my powers to protect the students at this school"

"This is a real pep talk isn't it?" Peeves shouted from the window he was sat on.

"But nonetheless" Dumbledore continued "I hope things will remain as normal as possible, and that is why I would like to announce the return of Quidditch"

"YES!" Sirius jumped up and threw his hands in the air, causing everyone in the hall to turn and stare and him. Dumbledore chuckled and continued.

"Now enough of the formalities, let the feast begin!"

Wow, I can't believe such a short chapter took so long. I didn't realize I'd be doing more after I left school then I was before, I've had Uni trips, induction days, pre-course study, prom, sleeping (the most important, obviously), so once again sorry for the time take to write this. . Has everyone read the new short story from JK herself? If you haven't here it is: en/daily-prophet/qwc2014/2014-07-08/dumbledores-army-reunites It's great to hear more + I hope she'll be writing even more! As ever REVIEW, REVIEW NOW!

Mischief Managed