Sorry about the wait, I've been really uninspired lately, not to mention painfully busy with homework and Driver's Ed and yikes with the boy and such. But you know what inspires me and gets me writing? Reviews! I know you guys get tired of hearing authors say they want reviews, but feedback is truly one of the building blocks of inspiration! Please consider telling me what you think! Thank you, loves! I hope you have a phenomenal day!

Bitterwood Manor's door creaked.

Actually, just about everything in Bitterwood creaked. The floor, the stairs... it seemed everything was conspiring against Lily to get her caught and arrested.

No school will hire a teacher with a breaking-and-entering charge! Lily thought, panicking. She whispered to James, "Are you sure Regulus is upstairs?"

He laid a reassuring hand on her forearm. "Yes. Sirius isn't in the same wing as Regulus. As long as you keep clear of…"

Unfortunately for Lily, she was distracted by the goosebumps racing up her arm from James's touch, and didn't hear James's warning about where Regulus was.

"Let's split up. We'll find Sirius quicker that way."

Did James say that Sirius was in the left wing? Or was it Regulus?

She decided to take her chances with the left. Tiptoeing down the corridor, Lily took in the decór- every bit as ghastly and gaudy as the outside had been. There were mounted animal heads on the wall, a row as far down as she could see. On the left hand side, a door to a room stood open. Lily's curiosity got the best of her, and she pushed the door open.

The only furnishing it contained was a wall-tapestry. Intrigued, Lily crept into the musty old room, eyes darting from wall to wall, eyes soaking up the intricate weavings of the ancient wall-hanging. There are burn marks all over it, Lily thought curiously. I wonder why?

Just then, Lily caught sight of a name she recognized- a name with a burn mark where a face once was. She was sickened. His own mother burned him off the family tree. James was right. We need to get him out of here. With new resolve and a quick step, Lily exited the room determinedly.

Unfortunately, she didn't get far. She was knocked to the ground by a tall, thin body, and she looked up at a face she had hoped to never see again.

"Lily! What the bloody hell are you doing here?" asked a confused Severus Snape.

"I was just- I don't have to explain anything to you!"

"Actually, you do," Snape said, stepping closer to Lily. "You're sort of breaking and entering, Lily."

"It was- don't call me Lily, you son of a- why are you here, anyway?"

"I'm friends with Regulus."

"Of course you are," Lily said contemptuously.

Snape stepped closer again. "Don't use that tone with me, Lily. You know why I did what I did. It was all for you. I was trying to protect-"

Lily scoffed. "Oh, sure you were. You betrayed me and called me that- that name because you cared for me!"

"Lily-blossom, don't twist my words like that!"

"Don't you dare call me Lily-blossom ever again!"

SMACK! Lily's small red handprint stood out against Snape's sallow skin. Touching his face, Snape looked like he was about to start pleading again, but before he could start, a cocky, jovial voice rang out from behind him- the voice of James Potter.

"Well, Lily-blossom, I would say I didn't think you had it in you, but I have been on the receiving end of that slap, and I have to say, it hurts like a-"

Ignoring James's statement, Snape leaned closer to Lily. "Why are you travelling with that contemptible-"

Lily lifted her head, ready to turn her back on Snape. "Because some people, Snivellus, are not what they seem. I think we all know that." Spinning on her heel, she turned to walk down the corridor. A new laugh joined James's from down the hall. Between chuckles, the rich tenor of Sirius's voice called out to Snape, "I'm leaving, Snivellus! I would say it's been a pleasure having you here, but I'm afraid I was never much of one the lies and etiquette of the elite. Tell my dear mother I won't be back for summer break!"

Staring with disgust at the three people at the end of the hallway, Snape called over his shoulder. "Hey, Regulus, you might want to see this!"

Sirius paled. "Crap. He'll call Kreacher."

Lily looked at Sirius curiously. "Who's Kreacher?"

"Joseph Kreacher is our groundskeeper. He's bloody fast and knows the estate left and right- and he'll do anything for my mother, who wants me to stay home so I can suffer, and thus, he would do anything for her favorite child. Actually, I think he might have a thing for her, but-"

A thin voice rang down the hall, and the silhouette of a thin teenager was illuminated from the stained-glass window at the end of the hall. "Kreacher! Stop them!"

Sirius tugged on James's wrist. "We have to get out of here, and fast. Kreacher knows everything about this dump, and the only way we'll get out is if we have a head start. Where's Bertha?"

"I parked her behind the gardener's shed."

"Well, we'd better get a move on. Kreacher's on the prowl, and very little goes by him. Let's go."

James grabbed Lily's wrist and her arm once again erupted in goosebumps. Now is not the time for this! I have to be quiet, be focused- For the second time that day Lily ran into someone and was nearly knocked over. This time, however, Lily felt herself sinking into a broad chest and the welcome feeling of being pressed against another warm body made her feel secure and happy- Ew! This is Potter we're talking about! Pull yourself together, Lily! Focus!

Shaking her unwelcome emotions away, Lily pushed herself away from James to find Sirius peeking around a corner.

"He's gone to the menagerie! We have to make a run for it, now!"

"You guys have a menagerie?" Lily asked incredulously.

"Evans, now is not the time for questions! Kreacher will be back any minute and we have to run three hundred yards at full speed to get to Bertha. Are you ready?"

"Oh, I was born ready, Black!"

James whispered in her ear, "Last one to the van has to buy the next milkshakes!"

Sirius tugged on James's sleeve. "He's coming back! We have to go now!"

James began to count. "On your mark, get set, go!"

The three teenagers bolted out from the cellar door. Behind them, Lily could hear the shouts of a man, presumably Kreacher. I will not let this abusive ass catch ME! She pushed her legs to their full range, pleading with them to go faster. Overtaking James, she could see Bertha behind the gardener's shed.

"Young hooligans, befouling the ancestral home of my mistress with their liberal ideals!"

Lily smirked and screamed over her shoulder, "Damn right!" She climbed into the van, and she and Sirius shouted for James to run faster.

Kreacher drew closer as James hopped into the driver's seat.

"Go, go go!" Sirius screamed from the back seat. James put the keys in the ignition and the engine sputtered and died. "Now is not the time! Bertha!" he yelled at the car. He tried again, and this time, with Kreacher less than ten yards from the van, the engine struggled to life.

"FLOOR IT!" Sirius yelled from the back of the car. James did just that, and with a mighty lurch, the van flew out from behind the gardening shed. Sirius got up and opened the sunroof. Standing with with his top half outside the car, he gave a one-fingered salute to the outlines of two teenagers in Bitterwood Manor's window. Spreading his arms elatedly, Sirius gave a genuine laugh- a laugh so infectious that Lily started to laugh along with him. She kicked her shoes off, put her feet on the dashboard, turned to a smiling James, and spoke.

"You owe me a milkshake."