Still March 10th, 1977

James Potter threw his head back, his forehead slick with sweat. His glasses fogged due to his excessive, yet necessary panting. He let a low whistle at the sight before him. It was one he cherished greatly.

Each member of his Quidditch Team laid on the grass, looking up to the sky while gasping for air. It had been one of their hardest practices yet since James was mighty determined to win the upcoming match. He smirked, "Good job, Mates. This - cough - is indicative of our hard work. We will reap the fruits of our labor-"

"Sod off, James," Sirius Black said, still searching for oxygen. He lifted only his middle finger up.

"We are done for the day, right?" Esmerelda Smith, a third year chaser, asked quietly while sitting up.

James was about to complain, because truthfully, there was much more to be done. However, he noticed the tired bunch had yet to move from the comatose positions. He rubbed his chin and exhaled, "Fine. Get some rest tonight, you lot. We did brilliant today, but we have to keep it up, aye?"

The Quidditch Team moved achingly up and off the field, leaving James in the middle. Only Sirius, who took he longest to get up, stayed. He rested a hand on James's shoulder. "Please tell me that you're aware that Henley has been watching the entire practice, right?" He asked quietly.

James looked up from the ground and said, "That's exactly why I didn't take my shirt off. I'm dying under here."

Sirius rolled his eyes as they each took a side of the ball chest. "Have you spoken with her? She looked pretty pissy when you told her off on Saturday."

James shook his head. "I can't really face her, not after what Lily had said about promising Henley that we weren't a thing." And the fact that we snogged under a tapestry after class…

"You can't just ignore her," Sirius said as if it were obvious.

"That's truly rich coming from Hogwarts' very own playboy bunny."

"All I am saying is that you live under one tower."

"I think she's been avoiding me too," James added. They set down the chest once they were underneath the tent. They began to make their way up the staircase when James added, "she's been dodgy. And unusually calm."

"Yeah, calm is not her forte," agreed Sirius.

"You think she knows?" James asked.

"About which one?" Sirius asked, raising a brow.

James had relayed everything to Sirius before practice, about both snogs with Lily. He thought it would be best to tell Remus some point today, after his recovery from his celebration. And, he would wait to tell Peter. He loved the little guy, but Peter was not the best at keeping secrets.

Not that he wanted to keep his two sublime snogs a secret from the world. James was more concerned with preventing Lily from creating more boundaries for them. He hated her for pushing him away, even though she'd just pull him back. It felt like the longest game of tug-of-war. But that wink yesterday maybe finalized the game.

"Hmmm…" Sirius said, tapping his finger against his chin. He tapped it for extra long, pushing James' patience. "Truthfully, yes. Birds know everything-"

"James?"

"Speaking of the devil…" Sirius grumbled with wide, vulnerable eyes.

James looked down the staircase to see Camilla Henley at the end. She looked lovely as always, but there was something different. The usual fire and passion that just radiated off of her was gone now. James couldn't place the word, but the closest intuition he got was that she seemed peaceful.

"Hi," he said awkwardly. He earned an eye roll from his best mate.

Camilla smiled, "Do you mind if we talk for a second?"

James looked to Sirius, who motioned with his hands for him to step forward. "Oh, please, don't let me stop you," Sirius smiled, aiming for reluctant chivalry. James wanted to punch him, but instead just walked past him. "Have fun, kiddies," Sirius said, waving them off.

"I'm sorry that he's a prick - he was just born like that," James clarified as he and Camilla walked out of sight.

She scoffed, "Oh, I know."

James cleared his throat. "So, what's it that you want to talk about?"

Camilla looked down at her feet and said, "This is hard for me, so bear with me. Okay?"

"Sure," he nodded, not liking where this was going at all. James prayed for a conversation about Quidditch, OWL advice, or even the bloody war going on. Anything but a possibly deafening speech about Lily Evans.

"I think we should end this," she said simply, looking up at him. "Whatever it is that we're doing."

James blinked once, twice, and then thrice. "You're breaking up with me?"

"Were we really even dating?" Camilla asked. He couldn't help but notice the little smirk on her face. She had a point, and she knew it. She went on to say, "James, I really fancy you."

"I fancy you too." He immediately regretted saying that; it was like a knee-jerk reaction. Even though it wasn't helping anyone to lie, James felt he needed to. For some strange reason to appease women.

She shook her head, but didn't look angry. "No, you don't. Or at least not the way I fancy you. I want to be with you, but I don't think you're ready to be with me. Even if you wanted to be."

James expected this break-up to be a lot of things, but he would never have expected to hear those words come out of Camilla's mouth.

"I want someone who cherishes me, sees me as their everything, and I know that's a lot to ask from someone-"

"It is," agreed James.

Camilla laughed a little and shrugged, "It took me a lot to realize that it was. I expected it right off the bat from you the moment you took interest in me. It was a bit of a slag move-"

"Okay, no need to switch from self-worshipping to self-degradation."

"- But, it's what I want," Camilla added. She said it with so much confidence and clarity that no one could convince her otherwise. "People are dying and battles go on everyday. It may be dramatic but I don't want to waste my possibly short-lived time with someone who clearly doesn't want me."

James felt a bit shook and a bit attacked. He didn't know why, he just did. So, naturally he felt the need to defend himself. "Camilla, I do want you. It- it's just that… it's complicated."

He hated the way that sounded too.

Camilla scoffed. "Is it really that complicated to understand that I don't want to be with you because you still are chasing after Lily Evans?"

James' eyes widened, but said nothing. He was intrigued as to where this was headed.

"Hestia may have seen you two snog on the stairwell last week."

"Bloody Hell," he grumbled. Intrigue lost.

"But, don't blame it on her," Camilla added quickly. "I felt like this for a while. And, truthfully, I'm glad it happened. Because, it finally made me see what I couldn't for so long."

"Evans kissed me." Why was he still defending himself? An act he enjoyed immensely.

"That should make it so much more easy for you to understand this then," Camilla countered. She took a deep breath. "James, she's for once in arm's reach of you. Why would I want to be in the way of that? No one enjoys being the antagonist of a good love story."

James enjoyed the pun but tried not to let it show. He looked down at Camilla. Somehow, she was still smiling, as if this were all funny. He then said the most honest thing that he had ever said to her, "I'm sorry."

Camilla bit her lip before saying, "Me too." She turned away to go back down the stairs, but looked back once she took hold of the banister. "I hope you get her, because this would really blow then."

James laughed as he looked down at his shoes. "I hope so too. Camilla?"

"Yes?"

Perhaps this was out of line, but James Potter did not adhere to normal social lines. "Have you ever thought of Dirk? He couldn't keep his eyes off of you all practice today?"

Camilla blushed beet red before saying her official goodbye to James Potter.

Emmeline Kim waited, and waited, and waited. She had been sitting across from her ex-boyfriend for the past ten minutes, waiting for some sort of explanation. She had agreed to speak to him after he ran down the hallway shouting her name like a battle cry. The flabbergasted look on his face was satisfying.

But now that they were here, just sitting in the common room staring at each other, Emmeline felt completely dissatisfied. Mary had made everything sound so urgent.

"Thanks for, er, sitting with me," Robert stated. He wouldn't even look her in the eyes.

"Yes, sitting is positively lovely."

Robert read her sarcasm and rubbed his forehead. "I must be the last person on the planet you want to speak to."

"You and You-Know-Who are neck-and-neck," she said, crossing her arms. Patience was not her strong point.

"Oh, come on, Em," he insisted. "I'm trying here."

"And I'm waiting," Emmeline countered hotly. "I'm trying my very hardest to not walk out on you, and you're just trying to make small talk."

Robert, already on his way towards frustration with this girl, rubbed his temples and said, "I was trying to utilize subtlety."

"We are far past subtlety."

Robert knew this to be true. So, he took a deep breath and said, "My parents have set up an arranged marriage for me."

Emmeline tapped her foot, waiting for the punchline. When she realized there was none, she exhaled sharply. "Okay, let's go back to subtlety."

"They set up with Lucinda Talkalot."

"Oh, I think I'm going to vomit."

"And, they're very adamant about it. They think it'll appease my mother's side of the family, but I know it won't. The Malfoys want to keep the family line pure and view my mum as a traitor. I didn't know what else to do…"

Emmeline took a deep breath. She knew that Robert came from a tolerant wizarding family, but also that his mum, Amara, was raised by greedy supremacists. Both his parents who seemed like lovely people and seemed to enjoy Emmeline a lot. Now, she was re-evaluating her ideas.

"When do you walk down the aisle?" Emmeline asked sourly. She was a creature of emotion.

Robert sighed, "I don't intend to."

Emmeline raised her brow. "Oh?"

"I don't hate Lucy, but she's a prat. Entirely selfish and a downright snob. I couldn't marry her ever," he explained as if it were obvious.

Although Emmeline knew it was rather nasty of her, she had admit that hearing those criticisms were music to her ears. "Have you told your parents your thoughts on Talkalot?" She asked, trying to appear cool.

Robert nodded, "Yeah. I have. I told them I was far too in love with someone else to marry anyone."

Emmeline's heart began beating wildly. She couldn't control it, and it must've sounded like a rock concert in her chest.

Boldly, Robert stood up and took the sit next to her. Normally Emmeline would've protested, because such intimacy was only allowed between she and her boyfriend. Robert was still her ex, but she couldn't deny that she missed his closeness.

He took Emmeline's hand into his and said softly, almost like a secret, "I love you, Em. I always have."

"Rob…" She murmured.

"I should've told you about my parents' arrangement with the Talkalots, but I was scared. And that's no excuse. I just didn't want you to run from me."

Robert Vance was a shy person, and rarely showed too many of his feelings at once. For him to be so candid with her, Emmeline knew that he meant it.

"I want to be with you. I'm sorry if I ever made you doubt that," he added, kissing her hand.

Emmeline smiled. She put a hand on his cheek and said, "Sorry my jealousy got the better of me. The fact that I lost my visions for a while and the first one I got back was true about Dorcas really made me believe in them wholeheartedly. I should've talked to you about what I saw between you and Talkalot." Her voice got a bit choked up, as if a lump suddenly appeared in her throat.

"Don't be," Robert insisted. He kissed her forehead before leaning his own against hers. "I love you, Emmeline Kim."

"I love you, stupid Robert Vance," she said, giggling. He kissed her tenderly, and it felt as if every issue in her life disappeared. She was back with her boyfriend, as the way they ought to be. For once, Emmeline Kim wasn't worrying about the future.

March 11th, 1977

On Friday evening, all the sixth years gathered in the Great Hall. It would be their first Apparation class of the year, and many of the students were excited to learn this skill. Apparation meant speedy travel in comparison to broomsticks and floo powder, but really, it meant that they were soon to be legal adults in the eyes of the magical world.

Lily, Marlene, Mary, and Dorcas sat together while listening to Emmeline Kim forecast their horoscopes for the month.

"It says that this is a month of change for you, Libra Marlene. Perhaps its referring to your bet with Sirius?" Emmeline read from Witch Weekly. She raised her brows sleazily.

"Sod off," Marlene grumbled as she bit her nails.

"Or the fact that you're brother is going to be our professor," smirked Mary.

"Okay, perhaps I am going through a tipsy-turvy month," Marlene said defiantly. "That doesn't mean the stars have it aligned for all the people born in late September, aye?"

"Or maybe it does," shrugged Emmeline.

Marlene made an irritated noise as the girls laughed. They were busy doing normal adolescent nonsense, while Lily Evans was contemplating different … adolescent nonsense. Although she appeared to be paying attention to her friends, she was actually more focused on a group on the other side of the Hall.

The Marauders sat together casually. Remus, Sirius, and Peter were talking while James was fiddling with his snitch. It looked like a regular old scene, one that she had observed several times before, but today, she noticed that James had on an unusually dull face on. He was concentrating on the snitch with such intensity that she swore it was going to blow up. She had half a mind to go over and ask him what was wrong.

Well, she knew what was wrong. Lily had snogged him while he was still dating Camilla. He was probably contemplating the meaning of life, or congratulating himself on the feat. She was very curious as to what was going on in his brain since they hadn't spoken since their lips were stuck together behind a bloody tapestry.

Her pride stepped in and made her stay seated. Lily hated doing this to herself. Everyone was right about her relationship with James, that it was all her fault. She was the one to knock down the line of dominoes. Sure, she could blame everyone in the castle, but at the end of the day, Lily Evans was a clever witch. She knew it was on her and nobody else. She let out a tired sigh.

"If it's any consolation," Dorcas said, sitting cross legged next to Lily, "he thinks about you too."

Lily jumped. She was still getting used to her friend with impaired ligilmens. Once her breathing settled, she looked to Dorcas before looking back at James. "You must think that I'm a slag. I must've fucked everything up."

"Fucked what up?" Dorcas asked.

His relationship with Camilla, Lily thought. I heard about the break-up rumors. You must have too.

Dorcas shrugged, "I heard about them too. But, I also think that no matter the reason, it's a lot to put someone else's break-up on yourself."

The ginger rubbed her forehead. "I was so… messy about all of this. You must think I'm a slag.," she whined.

"Lily, you're talking to the girl who made out with her professor," chuckled Dorcas.

Lily had to laugh at that one, but she was still angry. For some reason.

"It's reasonable to be upset," The Slytherin encouraged. "I mean, it seems like you're in the dark and curious. Also, Lily, you're just seventeen. This is the time of utter mess."

Lily nodded, "This is true." Despite her friend's honesty, she didn't know how much it helped.

Luckily, she didn't have much more time to waste thinking about it. The entrance doors opened with a bang, and all the students stood at attention for their Apparition professor.

"Smashing," Marlene and Dorcas grumbled at the same time, just as Max McKinnon walked in.

A few girls giggled as the young professor walked in to greet his students. Max McKinnon was a handsome man and had an air of effortlessness. He wore simple dark trousers and a white button-down shirt. He bowed his head and gave a wave to Marlene and then Dorcas. Several students noticed that, including Remus Lupin. To say that he was pleased would've been generous.

"Hello, students," McKinnon said as he stood with his hands in his pocket. "As many of you may know, I am Max McKinnon. For a brief introduction, I am a Hogwarts alum myself. I do a lot of traveling and work here and there, but for the time being I needed to find a place to settle. So, when Dumbledore reached out to me, I was more than happy to oblige returning to this castle. I even recognize some of you lot from when I was seventh year myself." He gave a wink, which caused a swoon from several of the female students.

"Now, he's a craddle-robber," grumbled Remus, with his hands over his chest.

"I love petty Remus," sighed Sirius. "He's one of my favorites."

"To begin," said McKinnon, clapping his hands together, "does anyone not know what it means to apparate?"

No one raised a hand.

"Perfect, we're all ahead of the game. Now, the Ministry has a very clear-cut cirricculum on how to teach apparition. It's a fine art with many rules and regulations. They want me to teach you the three D's."

Sirius made an impolite laughing noise, but immediately shut it down when everyone turned to look at him.

"Mr. Black?" smiled McKinnon. "Would you care to share the three D's with us?"

The young Gryffindor simply shook his head. "I do that in private company, thank you," he said.

A few students laughed, including Lily. She tried not because Marlene was already rolling her eyes. Lily noticed that Sirius' remark also made James laugh a little too. It was nice, just as nice as the one he gave her before the began hooking up.

"Well, does anyone know what the three D's are?" asked McKinnon, trying to move along the conversation.

Ravenclaw Xavier Lovegood raised his hand. "Destination, Determination…" He couldn't finish, but earned a respectable nod from the professor.

"Good try, you got two," said McKinnon, pacing. "Five points to Ravenclaw."

Xavier Lovegood was rather pleased with himself, and looked hopefully to Lucinda Talkalot. The blond ignored the platinum blond because she was more focused on Robert Vance, who was with his friends staying close by to Emmeline and her friends.

Secondary Education was a shitshow of a place.

"Either way," McKinnon said, waving off the idea of the Three D's, "it's a very minimalist view of apparition. To apparate, one needs, yes, determination. But more than that! What else do you think a wizard or witch needs to utilize in order to apparate?"

"A genetic disposition for it!" Evan Rosier called out, earning snickers from the Slytherin crowd. Other members of the crowd, made a disgusted noise.

"Fat-headed bigot," Lily said, loud enough for the people around to her hear. She and Marlene almost pulled out their wands

"No, definitely not that," said the Professor. He gave Rosier an unamused look before saying, "Ten points from Slytherin."

"What?!" shouted Mariah Avery.

"That's not fair," agreed Alec Mulciber.

"Oh, yes it is," Dorcas countered haughtily.

Professor McKinnon cleared his throat. "In my classroom, I will not tolerate students blatant racist remarks. If that's how you are going to speak around me, you will see consequences for it."

"My father will hear about this!" Evan Rosier shouted.

"If I continue to hear anymore from you, Mr. Rosier, I will send you right on up to see the Headmaster. Am I clear?" There was a sternest to the Professor's tone that immediately made the Slytherin crowd quiet.

Remus, who was no fan of this man, even had to commend him for his grit. Not many professors stood up to children from rich pure-blood families with dangerous ties.

Marlene let out a low whistle. She beat her chest and murmured to her friends, "That's my big brother."

"Now, can someone tell me," said Max McKinnon, closing his eyes, "what I am looking for. To beat the speed of light, what does a wizard or witch need to make it to their destination?"

"A good map," suggested James, garnering laughter.

"No, James."

"A clear mind," offered Ravenclaw prefect Twyla Schwartz.

"Close, close."

"Vision," Remus called out.

Professor McKinnon clapped his hands together. "Well done, Mr. Lupin," he said. "Vision. Not only do you need to know where you are going, but you need to envision it. Think of all the details of that place using your five senses. I don't need to teach you what those are, right?"

Most of the students laughed at the Professor as he walked down from the pedestal. He set up a long piece of rope by the students and another one at the entrance. Suddenly, the professor poofed away and miraculously re-appeared in front of the other rope. Some students had never seen appation before and gasped.

"Isn't Hogwarts an apparation-free zone?" Mary asked, concerned.

"Observant, Miss MacDonald," McKinnon nodded, approvingly. "For these weekly lessons, the non-apparation charm placed on the castle will be lifted. Today, we will try to do a simple apparation. From there to here."

Another round of gasps. "But, we haven't learned any theory, Professor," said Peter Pettigrew. "Won't we be splinched?"

Professor McKinnon chuckled, a chuckle that James and Marlene had known too well. It was the one that James used from time-to-time, a reckless breathy chuckle.

"Sometimes, Mr. Pettigrew, you just have to jump right into it. Life doesn't always provide theory. Sometimes you just have to try it on your own."

Peter blushed, but enjoyed that statement.

"So, line up."

The students skittered to form a semi-straight line. The first one in line was naturally Marlene McKinnon.

"Miss McKinnon, pleasure to see your enthusiasm," the elder McKinnon smiled.

"Enthusiasm is my speciality," Marlene said haughtily. She narrowed her eyes on the other rope. She took a deep breath before poofing away.

"She's going to be splinched, for sure," James grumbled to Sirius. His cousin was just as cocksure as he was.

"As long as it doesn't affect her ample behind, I am content," shrugged Sirius.

James perked up and looked behind him. "What'd you say?"

Sirius, luckily, had no time to answer because Marlene appeared at the other side. She earned a round of applause, from her brother included, but she had a curl singeing, as if it had been on fire.

Marlene made an irritated noise.

"It'll just be a dead end, Love," her brother called out. "Next, Miss Talkalot."

As each student tried their hardest, no one came out without a splinch. Peter ended up with half of his hair gone while Robert Vance ended up with a large wound on his arm. However, Karma really took the cake when Evan Rosier somehow ended up on the chandelier. The professor had to gently levitate him down.

The only ones to do the small task perfectly were Dorcas Meadowes, Sirius Black, Emmeline Kim, and Gregory Mumps. The last on the line was Severus Snape, and by this time, students were ready to go. It was nearly nine-thirty.

"All right, last one, Mr. Snape," Professor McKinnon said with a nod.

As if switching on a light, Snape apparated away and re-appeared within seconds. He landed on top of the rope, balancing himself like it was nothing.

Professor McKinnon nodded and clapped slowly for the student. "Someone took the task literally, I like that. Five points to Slytherin."

Marlene let out grumble to Lily, "just when I thought he would be cool."

"He has to be fair," explained Lily. "He's a professor."

The blond rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Lily re-concentrated on Severus, whom liked mighty pleased with himself. There was something new to him that she hadn't noticed until now. Maybe it was the way he stood or held his head, but he sure looked… arrogant.

"All right, everyone, well done, I will see you here again next tuesday. Please read chapter 2 and 3 from the Apparate Anywhere book. Please take one. Good Night," said Professor McKinnon.

Before leaving the Hall, McKinnon stopped in front of his sister, Lily, and Dorcas. Emmeline had gone off with Robert for some much needed alone time, while Mary went off to find Caradoc.

"See, that wasn't so bad?" Max smirked. "Was it?"

"No, it was great," Lily smiled. "I prefer practical methods of teaching."

"You did quite well, Lily. You were very close, pick it up in no time," McKinnon said reassuringly. He looked to Dorcas and said, "I'll see you Thursday evening, correct?"

Dorcas nodded, "See you then, Professor."

Marlene looked positively flabbergasted and began moving her mouth like a fish out of water. Before she could grasp onto her words, her brother kissed the top of her head. "Good Night, Marley. Let's have tea soon," he said before walking off and out of the Hall.

"Let's have tea soon?" Marlene repeated. She snorted. "He's a prat. And why're you two meeting? Are you shagging my brother?"

Lily tried not to make a scene by gasping for air.

"No, Marlene," Dorcas said firmly. "He's teaching me occulmency."

"Occulmency? Why do you need to know that?"

"I'll explain later, just not right here, okay?" Dorcas said, herding her friends in the direction of the textbooks.

The girls were some of the last to line-up. Marlene and Dorcas got theirs quickly, while Lily had to reach out to the last one. At the same time, another hand appeared.

Lily looked up and saw that James had placed his hand on the same one. They both retracted their hands immediately.

"Sorry," she stated, quickly.

She was about to reach for the one beside it, but James offered her the one she had originally touched. "Here," James said. His voice was surprisingly calm and soothing. "It has better binding."

Lily wished for Dorcas' telepathic skills, wondering why he was so tame right now. Or, how he appeared to be.

"Thank you," she murmured quietly as she took the book into her hands.

"No problem," James nodded. He gave her a slight, yet tense smile. "I'll see you later."

Lily was fascinated by this prospect, but before she could add to it, James had walked off. He left her rather conflicted, aching for consolation. Although it pissed her off, in a way, it was finally James' turn to walk out on Lily Evans.

Severus walked in the Slytherin common room feeling mighty proud of himself. Not only did he get five marks back for his House, but he did better than James Potter on the first apparation evaluation. Yes, Severus was that kind of bitter.

He was one of the last ones in, right after Dorcas Meadowes. She gave him a bored look before heading towards the girl's dormitory. She never really regarded him much, and vice versa. Besides being the child of Mason Nagut, Severus could not see the Dark Lord's interest in the girl. Many Hogwarts males hyped up the brunette, and although, she was fit, Severus was not so interested.

Severus fervently hoped that the Dark Lord had more compelling interests in the barely legal witch than just her subpar looks.

Not many other Slytherin were up as Severus made his way into the kitchen for a spot of tea. He enjoyed the solitude and set the kettle to boil. Just as he lit the fire, Mariah Avery joined him in the kitchen.

"You did very good at today's class," she commended, although it did not sound like a compliment.

"Your praise means the world," he said dryly. "What do you want?"

Mariah smiled devilishly. The girl always had an agenda. "It's not what I want, Severus. It's what he wants."

Severus gave her an appraising look. Mariah often reminded him of Bellatrix Black, an actual obsessive psychotic.

"And what does he want now?" Severus asked, just as the kettle began to sing. He poured the steaming into a cup slowly. "I've been under the impression that the Dark Lord has been taking matters into his own hands when it comes to her."

"Oh, yes," nodded Mariah. She blew on his steaming cup for him, immediately making his stomach turn in nasty ways. She looked up to him with her big round eyes. "But, he can't do it alone this time. It's harder since Dumbledore has his eyes on her all the time."

"I thought he was going after Meadowes on a more mental level," Severus murmured, snatching his tea cup away from Mariah.

"The Dark Lord likes to be thorough, you know this," Mariah explained as if it were perfectly clear. Lord Voldemort was far from perfectly clear. "He wants to be sure to end her before more word gets out. He doesn't want to loose followers."

"How do you know all this anyway?"

"Parkinson."

"Compelling pillow talk material?"

"Naturally."

Severus rubbed the bridge of his large nose. He did not need to know that. Trying to win an argument with Mariah Avery was like trying to convince a rock it had feelings. But, Severus did want to know all of this information actually, but not here. They definitely shouldn't be having this conversation here since Dorcas was only rooms away, and now that her ligilmens wall was supposedly down, who knew how she could hear or not hear.

So, he took a step closer to Mariah and gave her a final look. He asked in a short voice, "What does he need from me?"

Mariah smiled. If a cat could smile after catching its mouse, she would look like that. "He wants to know everything you know about the Shrieking Shack."

Severus blinked a few times before sipping his tea. Where to begin?

A/N - To all of the Henley Haters, I hope you feel content. If you have anything to say, please drop a review. It always means the world to me. If not, favorite or following would also be great. Hope you enjoyed!

Rose