Getting someone to do you a favor in Slytherin was not always an easy thing, and it was even harder if you didn't have anything they wanted.

But it was even harder to get a Slytherin to divulge his/her secrets.

It was especially difficult for Zinnia, because her position in Slytherin was still undecided. She was respected, of course, but people were wary of her and rarely took the initiative to interact with her.

The sad thing was, now that she thought about it, her only allies in Slytherin were Emily, Reyna, Severus, and the Rosiers—it was a tentative maybe for Regulus.

This was not acceptable. Zinnia was absolute shit at making new friends, but she needed allies. And she was in sore need of connections. Her lack of social skills and status as a Muggleborn was definitely not helping.

A loud bout of laughter rang through the room, and Zinnia twisted in her spot on the couch near the fireplace to scowl at Arin, who was, as usual, surrounded by people. He was lazily sprawled out on an armchair near the corner of the room facing the window to the Great Lake.

Water lapped at the windows, a soothing undertone for the story that Arin was currently telling. As he told a particularly funny joke, the students around him burst into laughter again, making the normally peaceful room explode into noise, and Zinnia slammed her Potions textbook shut, irritated. She roughly shoved her papers and books into her bag at her feet and decided to head to the library, where Lily and Severus probably were.

As she stood abruptly, Arin's eyes briefly met hers, and he gave her a curious look, which she promptly ignored, and stalked out of the room.

Although she told herself she was only so annoyed because she couldn't study with all the noise, she knew that she was jealous. Jealous of the way that Arin seamlessly integrated himself into any groups of people; his enigmatic charisma drawing people to him left and right. He was nothing like Zinnia, and she suspected he had many more connections than she knew about.

Quickening her pace, she was just about to turn the corner when she was faced with Remus Lupin. Again. He was, of course, surrounded by his friends. Zinnia pushed down the instinctive urge to grimace and instead tried to get out of the situation civilly.

Baby steps, right? She told herself sarcastically.

"You're looking better than you did last time." She noted politely. The full moon had long since passed, and Lupin's skin had lost its sickly, pallid color.

Lupin moved from foot to foot nervously. "Yeah. It was a nasty cold, but I'm better now." The tension around them was stifling and Zinnia could feel the strain in their pleasantries. Zinnia's eyes drifted to the parchment that Potter was clutching, as she answered, almost distractedly, "Glad to see you're feeling better."

Out of all the Marauders, the one that Zinnia could come closest to holding a cordial conversation with was Lupin. That didn't change the fact that he was a Marauder, but he wasn't obnoxious or aggressive, and Zinnia found his presence rather calming, on the contrary.

His eyebrows lifted in surprise at her courteous response—it was probably the last thing he'd been expecting from her, of all people. Her attitude with the Marauders wasn't exactly charming or friendly. "Thanks." He answered hesitantly.

Zinnia's eyes were still stuck to the parchment, and she strained to read the tiny print. But she caught a few of the letters and instantly knew that it was the Marauder's Map. She was just about to ask Lupin what it was but was struck with the sudden thought that it was probably useless at the moment.

The Marauders were still third years, which meant that they still had another four years to figure out all of the castle's nooks and crannies. And that meant that the Map was still in progress, because there was no way they could have charted all of the secret passageways within the span of three years. She'd have to find another way.

She lifted her eyes away to meet the glares of Potter and Black. (She ignored Pettigrew, filing him away—at this time, he was still harmless, if not, annoying.) Lupin was still staring awkwardly, unsure of what to do or say. Zinnia gave Lupin a polite nod, which he returned; completely disregarded the other three boys, and went on her way.

"Rude!" She could her Potter exclaim, and it didn't bother Zinnia in the slightest. It wasn't as if she didn't know she was rude. It was just a trait of hers that she'd have to fix if she ever wanted to partake in diplomatic meetings.

The library was filled with students, as it always was, and Zinnia lingered near the front, scanning the room for any open seats. She spotted Severus and Lily in the far corner and was just about to head over to them when she heard someone call out her name.

"Zinnia! Over here!" She turned to see Emily waving at her, quill still in hand. Reyna was by her side, and raised her eyebrow as an unspoken invitation. Zinnia gave them both a half-nod to acknowledge that she'd heard and seen them, but her gaze shifted back to Lily and Severus.

She was torn. A part of her, the part that still clung to family and familiarity pulled her, dragging her in the direction of her sister and her oldest friend. But there was another part of her, a part that felt independent and new; a part that liked spending time with Emily and Reyna, even though she had known them for a shorter amount of time.

Zinnia stood motionless for a few seconds, still unsure of what to do. Finally, her feet moved, taking her in the direction of Emily and Reyna. Guilt peppered her with every step, and she tried to comfort herself with the knowledge that neither Lily nor Severus had noticed her presence, so they wouldn't know she'd chosen her friends over them.

(But, as she would find out later, this was merely the first of many schisms to come.)

"Hey." She greeted awkwardly, still overcome with guilt about her decision.

Emily let out a warm grin. "Hey, Zin. Common room too noisy?" Zinnia felt her heart twist with the use of her nickname—it had been something private, personal. Something that only Lily used. But it was different now—Lily wasn't the only one anymore.

"I bet it's Arin and his friends again." Reyna commented loudly, though she had no disdain in her voice. It was something more akin to admiration.

"Yeah." Zinnia affirmed both questions and sighed emphatically to show her annoyance. "It's always loud when Arin's there." She tried to keep her voice exasperated but a hint of jealousy bled through.

"Awww," teased Emily, her brown eyes sparkling, "are you jealous?"

"What." Zinnia stated bluntly, trying to avoid the fact that Emily was right, "Why would I be jealous?"

Laughing gently, Emily slung an arm around Zinnia's shoulders, ignoring the way Zinnia tensed. It'd been so long, but she still wasn't used to people touching her so casually, in such an affectionate way. "Don't you deny it. You're pretty lonely sometimes."

Reyna smirked. "Good thing you have the two of us. I don't know where you'd be without us."

"Oh, shut up." Zinnia snapped, but it was without heat. She realized, all of a sudden, in a strange moment of clarity, that she'd been progressively spending less time with Lily. She was in the same House as Severus, so they talked often, but she never really got to spend quality time with Lily except in the Room of Requirement. And their meetings had gone from every day to once every week.

At first, it had been unavoidable events, but it had slowly turned into rushing off to meet with other friends instead of spending time with each other.

(It was hard to believe that this had become normal for them, that they had drifted away away

Especially Lily. Lily was always with Marlene, Dorcas, and Alice now. Severus had even told her that the girls had their own name for their little group. And it hurt.

She, Lily, and Petunia had always been the Evans sisters. They always would be. But now they were more than that. They were other people's friends, in other Houses. It was achingly, dizzyingly different.

Fear gripped her heart. Lily was leaving her behind. She was leaving her behind in a bright blaze, dust lingering in her wake. And Zinnia was left alone, in all that lonely, ugly, dust.

Zinnia felt a sudden urge to go over to where Lily and Severus were sitting and spend the rest of her day with them.

(She didn't want to be left behind.

[Don't leave me alone.

Don't.])

A hand snapped in front of her eyes. "Oi. You okay?"

Zinnia blinked to see Reyna staring at her, brows furrowed with concern. Emily's arm was still slung over her shoulder, solid and warm. A tiny sun bloomed in Zinnia's stomach, but it was soon swallowed by all the twisting unease. "Yeah. Sorry, it's nothing. Just spaced out for a moment."

Focus. She mentally slapped herself, don't forget what you need. s.

"Hey," She said suddenly, breaking the odd silence that had descended on their table, "Is there a book on secret passages in Hogwarts or something?"

Emily glanced at her. "Why the sudden interest?"

Zinnia shrugged easily, openly. "Nothing, I just randomly thought of it. I mean, Hogwarts is such an old and powerful castle. It's bound to have secrets, right?"

Emily removed her arm from Zinnia's shoulders to straighten out her homework. "If there were books like that, they'd probably be in the Restricted Section." "I don't think many people know about the passages." Added Reyna, "They're all warded and disguised and it'd take a crapload of time to figure it all out."

Damn it. She couldn't exactly break into the Section, and she'd need a teacher's permission if she wanted to get in.

And from the sounds of it, Emily and Reyna didn't know much about secret passages. It wasn't surprising, really. They were only second years, and hardly needed to get out of the castle unnoticed.

"Hm." Zinnia gave a thoughtful hum of agreement. "So how do you answer number six for the Transfiguration homework?" She successfully diverted the conversation, leaving the topic forgotten.

After finishing all their homework and chatting for a while, Zinnia left Emily and Reyna to find someone who'd know about secret passages in Hogwarts.

If there was anyone who'd know about them, it'd be Arin. She'd just have to wheedle it out of him—she couldn't have him getting too suspicious, after all.

She entered the Common Room and spotted Arin reading a book in the same spot he'd been in earlier, except there weren't any people surrounding him this time. She was just about to walk over to him when she nearly tripped over someone's leg.

Glowering angrily, she recovered from her small stumble and looked for the assailant. To her surprise she was met with the nervous gaze of Jonathan King. His legs were outstretched in a casual position on the floor and he held a book in his lap.

"Sorry." He murmured, glancing away.

"It's fine." Zinnia answered coolly, mentally noting that King was sitting at an angle that allowed him a direct view of Arin. "Busy reading?" She gestured towards his book.

"Uh—" He flushed darkly, adding to Zinnia's suspicions, "Yeah."

"What's it about?" She forced a note of innocent curiosity into her voice.

"Uh," Started King, glancing quickly down at the open pages in his lap, "Arithmancy."

"Wow, really?" Zinnia feigned interest, "I love Arithmancy. What theory are you reading about?"

King flushed again, but probably out of embarrassment this time. "I—" He tried to discreetly scan the pages of his book but found it futile and looked back up, not daring to look Zinnia in the eye. "I forgot."

"Oh. That's okay." She gave him a small wave, deciding to leave him alone, now that her suspicions were confirmed. "See you around."

"See you." King mumbled, nearly inaudibly, and dropped his head toward his book, effectively hiding his face.

When she settled down near Arin, he spoke without looking up from his book. "I see you're busy bothering Jonathan King."

Zinnia rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be such an arse. I wasn't bothering him. I was just being friendly."

Arin finally looked up, his eyes sharp and focused. "Friendly my arse." He snorted. "I know what you're doing, and you should stop. It's just a temporary infatuation. He'll get over it."

Zinnia fixed him with a withering stare. "If you say so." She shifted her gaze, only to see King staring at them. "See? He's staring again."

"Zinnia Evans." Arin stated exasperatedly, carefully enunciating each syllable.

"Okay, okay." Zinnia decided to let it go, releasing Arin from her teasing for the day.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Arin folded his arms over his chest, his tone cautious. There was typically a sharpness to Arin, like that of the blade of a knife, thin and deadly. But today, he looked weary. Or perhaps he was starting to look more and more weary.

It was unsettling, because he looked like he was tired of the world. Like Zinnia was. An unbidden stab of pity pierced her, and she suddenly felt the whole difference in their ages with a blinding precision.

Arin was a child. A teenager, but too young to be an adult. Too young for the shit the world was dumping on him. And Zinnia was an adult. She could not stop the heavy sorrow that filled her, because it was one more person scarred, one more person burdened with weights that should never be carried.

The words burst out of her like water pouring out of a dam. "I'm sorry." It was quiet and fierce. Heavy with understanding.

Arin blinked with surprise. "What for?"

"Nothing." Zinnia shrugged, "I just wanted to say it."

"Okay?" Arin's brows knit together and he paused. "Thanks." The word was solemn and old.

Zinnia quickly cast a Silencio under her breath, signaling that the conversation was going to be private. Arin shifted slightly so that no onlookers could read his lips. The room was mostly empty, with a few people scattered around, but it couldn't hurt to be careful.

"Does Evan know that you're a Death Eater?" She asked bluntly.

Instantly, Arin looked alarmed. "What? Did he say anything?" He asked urgently.

"So I take it it's a no?" Arin glared at her in response. Zinnia snorted. "No need to get your knickers in a twist, I was just wondering."

There was a small silence of incredulity before Arin asked slowly, "You came all the way over here just to ask me that? And I don't even have knickers."

"Of course not." Zinnia gave him a flat look and continued. "Are you going to hide it from him?"

For the first time, Arin looked uncertain. "I don't know." His voice was quiet, lacking his usual confidence. Arin was a confident person. He knew what he wanted and he knew how to get it. But when it came to his brother, he was a whole different person. Zinnia wondered if this was how she seemed to others when it came to Lily. "I want to protect him, but eventually, he'll figure it out. And he'll hate me for not telling him."

"Yeah." Zinnia agreed softly. "That's how I feel about Lily."

Arin looked down at his hands. Zinnia sat silently, unsure of whether or not she should comfort him. Slowly, she placed a hand on his back, offering him strength and support.

His back was broad and strong, but his form was small and vulnerable. It was so strange that Zinnia didn't know what to do but sit there with her hand on his back.

"You know," Arin said after a while, almost sardonically, "this is the first time you've initiated touch with me." Zinnia scowled and made to move her hand back, but Arin's next words stopped her. "Thank you. It means a lot to me."

At first, it seemed silly—it was just a simple touch, a hand against a back. But then she remembered that Arin, despite his outward appearance, was lonely. Just like her. No one understood his predicament and he struggled with it alone. Just having someone showing comfort was probably a huge relief for him. So Zinnia didn't move her hand away, no matter how uncomfortable she felt. She wasn't a touchy person, but sometimes it was worth it to offer physical contact to others.

(She remembered, distantly, the feeling of Lily's small, bony arms around her whenever she had a nightmare. The childish, wet smack of lips against cheek. It's ok, Zin. There's nothing here.

…

[Don't leave me behind])

"How did you know I was a Death Eater anyway?" Arin finally looked up at her, his gaze once again sharp and unwavering. He was back to Arin. Not Arin, older brother of Evan, but just Arin.

Zinnia removed her hand. "I told you, I just put the clues together."

"Fine." Arin's expression was a bit disgruntled and vindictive. "You know I'll figure it out anyway."

Zinnia frowned. That was exactly what she was afraid of. She changed the subject, not wanting to linger on it for too long. "So how will you get out of the castle when Voldemort calls for meetings?"

Her blatant usage of Voldemort's name was still a source of discomfort for Arin, but he easily brushed it off. "I'll use one of the passageways." At Zinnia's raised eyebrows, he added, "And it won't alert any of the teachers. Don't worry. It's completely fool proof."

Bingo. Zinnia had to smother the triumphant smirk threatening to emerge. "What passageway is it?" She tried to keep her voice emotionless, faintly disinterested.

Thankfully, Arin didn't notice. "You know Barnabas the Barmy on the 7th floor?" Zinnia nodded. "It's there."

"How do you open it?" Zinnia asked, when he didn't elaborate.

Arin's eyes narrowed. "Why do you want to know?"

"What if I need to contact you and you're at a meeting?" Zinnia knew it was a shit excuse, but she couldn't think of any other one on the spot. "Or what if Evan needs help and you're not there?" She used his one weak spot against him.

Shaking his head, Arin considered her. "You're tricky, you know that?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be in Slytherin."

"You have to push the foot of the giant on the left and the tile directly below the foot will loosen. Just lift up the tile." He grudgingly offered her the information.

Zinnia was impressed. "How do you know this?"

"Connections." Arin answered vaguely, hinting that he wasn't going to reveal anything more. Giving out information in Slytherin was dangerous. Though she and Arin were allies, they both had their own secrets, and that wasn't enough for the kind of trust that was between best friends.

"Don't come looking for me though." He warned, "Just meet me at the side of the forest next to Hogsmeade. The passageway lets out near there."

"Of course." Zinnia said easily, knowing that it would be too dangerous to meet any Death Eaters or Voldemort at this point.

Arin lifted the book in his hands. "So what to work on some Runes?" He gave her a grin, letting her know that they were moving onto different, lighter subjects. Zinnia wasn't bothered—she didn't know how to help Arin anyway, and she had gotten what she had been looking for. "Sure."

It was sad, but Zinnia was honestly lost when it came to Arin. She knew he felt uncomfortable that Zinnia knew his secret—and therefore could use it against him—but he also trusted her as a friend and ally. Arin was as always, an enigma. He was probably feeling unimaginable pressure, trying to juggle his sixth year as well as the responsibilities of his position as a Rosier and as a Death Eater. But Zinnia was never good at acting the psychologist, and she right now, all she knew how to do was let Arin deal with his own problems. If he ever needed help, he'd ask. Hopefully.

She had briefly entertained the idea of telling him about the Horcruxes, but ultimately decided against it. Even if telling him would help them build up trust as well as gaining an extra person as help, it was too risky. The less people knew about it, the better. For now, at least. Telling Arin was too risky—if Voldemort ever used Legilimency on him, the both of them would be caught and killed.

And that raised another issue—she needed to learn Legilimency and Occlumency as soon as she could. She'd have to ask Severus for help.

Well, all that would come at a later time. For now, she had a way out of the castle undetected, and that was the first step of many to come.

Severus lounged about with Lily by the Great Lake, enjoying the feeling of the sun against his face and Lily's familiar, enjoyable company.

"Have you spoken to Zinnia recently?" He asked Lily, leaning back on his hands. Lily stopped rummaging through her bag. Her legs were outstretched, bare toes brushing the lush grass. "No, why?"

Sometimes, Severus felt that he and Zinnia were becoming increasingly distant from Lily. It was a horrible feeling, and he was doing everything in his power to rectify it. Zinnia, however, hadn't seemed to notice, and neither had Lily. It was strange, to have two out of three, but at the same time, he liked having Lily's company all for himself.

Granted, he still felt that there was something missing, and though he'd never admit it, he found himself waiting for Zinnia's sarcastic and dry remarks, only to hear nothing.

But he liked having Lily there by his side, just the two of them. He liked it too much. So he kept quiet and stopped telling Zinnia to meet him somewhere with Lily.

"She's become quite... chummy with Arin Rosier recently. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing."

Lily's eyes lit up, emerald green shining so brightly that Severus couldn't bring himself to look away. "Ooooh!" She squealed, "Looks like she's got a crush."

Severus felt his face twist with confusion and disgust. "Really? Zinnia? There's no way."

Lily rolled her eyes affectionately, punching his shoulder lightly. "Oh Sev, you poor boy. You just don't know the workings of the female heart."

"I'm pretty sure Zinnia's heart is more stone than female." He snorted wryly.

"Sev." Lily cast him a scolding look, but it was without anger. "Tell me more! I've heard of Arin Rosier and I've seen him a few times, but it was only a glance. What's he like? How does Zin act around him? How does he act around Zin? Sev!" She fired off questions animatedly.

"I don't know." Severus answered, trying to come up with what to say. "He's a sixth year. And he's pretty friendly with Zinnia, I guess."

"Are you serious?" Lily's voice was nearly a shriek. "That's barely anything! What does he look like? Is he nice? Is he handsome? Is he smart? Does Zin ever blush around him? Have you seen her blush? Does he treat her nicely? C'mon!"

Severus could barely keep up with the flow of words, and he stared at Lily, transfixed. The sun caressed her hair, coloring it fire and gold: erupting volcanoes and blooming carnations, red fireworks shattering the night sky, distant yet expansive sunsets swallowing the world; something and everything. She was everything.

And Severus thought, at that moment, that he might be in love.

"So?" Lily's bright, excited voice interrupted his reverie, and he blinked, the moment broken.

"Uh." He struggled to pull himself back to the conversation. "Well, he's popular, I suppose. A lot of people like him, so that has to count for something. And according to the Slytherin girls, he's very handsome. Zin gets along well with him—they study runes together a lot." He stumbled awkwardly when trying to describe Arin's looks—it was a bit weird to talk about how handsome another boy was.

(Sometimes, Severus wished he were handsome enough to make Lily turn her head and look at him. See him as more than a best friend, a brother.

But those thoughts were buried deep, and far, far away. Deep enough so that it wouldn't ruin their friendship.)

Lily's lips melted into a wide grin. "She does have a crush on him! Why else would she bother spending so much time with him? I'm glad; he sounds like a nice guy. Maybe I should meet him to see what kind of person he is. I don't want Zin getting hurt. He is a bit older than her, after all."

Severus' eyes were still locked on her face—(those freckles, splattered across her face like stars; those soft, pink lips; those bright, bright eyes)—and he tore his gaze away in order to focus on his thoughts.

"Yeah." He agreed distractedly, "He's graduating next year. I've spoken to him a few times and he's not that bad. I don't think he'll purposely hurt Zinnia."

"Good." Lily said fiercely. "I still want to meet him though."

A slight breeze tousled Lily's hair and Severus opened his mouth to say more, only to stop when he felt a shadow fall over him. He looked up and saw James Fucking Potter looking down at him with a condescending expression.

"Enjoying the afternoon, Snivellus?" Potter mocked, a cruel light dancing in his eyes.

Sirius Black smirked savagely. "He's probably incapable of enjoying anything. Just look at that face!" The two of them burst into harsh, grating laughter.

Lily leapt to her feet. "Go away!" She snarled, looking like a goddess of vengeance. She was the blazing flames of a wildfire, destroying everything in her path.

"C'mon Evans, stay out of it." Potter warned her, but he had taken on an amiable tone.

"I will not!" Lily snapped, "I'm not going to just stand by when you bully Sev!"

Lupin shifted uncomfortably in the background but didn't say anything.

Black lifted his wand and Lily immediately moved forward, trying to help Severus, but everything happened to quickly and had the misfortune of happening at the wrong times, and Black accidentally shoved Lily into the ground. His eyes widened and he immediately apologized, but Severus saw red.

"Engorgio Skullus." He hissed, a jet of green shooting out from his wand. Potter dodged it by a hair and returned fire with one of his own hexes, which Severus swiftly blocked with a simple Protego.

Black came up on his right, shooting a spell just as Severus shot out two in succession towards Potter. The spell singed the edge of his robe as he used his entire body to avoid it. Potter jumped back with a yelp, hit by one of the Stinging jinxes before his eyes narrowed and he prepared to exact revenge.

Just as Severus finished distracting Black with another spell and was just about to face Potter, someone cast a powerful shield charm around Severus and another spell shot out and knocked Potter back a few feet.

Panting for breath, Severus gathered himself and dusted off his robes. Arin Rosier strode forward, still holding out his wand. "Ten points from Slytherin and Gryffindor for fighting." He said coolly, his face stony and intimidating. The prefect badge on his chest glinted in the sun.

Potter and Black scowled but didn't protest, as the point deduction had been fair on both sides. Lupin ushered them away before they could do or say anything else, and Pettigrew followed behind them.

Remembering what had happened, Severus turned his head to look for Lily. She was now standing with her shoes on and had moved next to Zinnia. Severus frowned. When had Zinnia gotten here? He strode over to the Evans sisters. "Are you okay?" He addressed Lily.

(A really big part of him was hoping—though it was unlikely—that Lily had noticed his skill in the fight and was impressed by it.)

Instead of answering, Lily sighed exasperatedly. "Why do you have to get into a fight with them every time?"

"They knocked you over!" Griped Severus, disgruntled by her lack of a positive response.

"Your robe's burned." Zinnia noted unhelpfully. Severus scowled and muttered a spell under his breath to fix it.

Arin was now standing in front of them. "Thanks." Severus told him, albeit a bit crabby that Arin had interrupted a fight that Severus had clearly been winning.

"You're welcome." Arin looked amused, as if he knew what Severus was thinking. "So, everyone okay?"

Lily and Severus nodded collectively. "That was a nice shot, by the way." He told Zinnia, referring to the spell that had knocked over James. Since Arin had been the one to cast the shield charm, it left Zinnia with the offensive one.

Zinnia smirked in reply.

The group stood awkwardly for a moment, unsure of what to say, but Lily broke the silence.

"Hi! Thanks for that." Lily gave Arin a friendly smile. "I'm Lily, Zin's sister." At the nickname, Arin looked over Lily's head and raised an amused eyebrow at Zinnia. Zinnia never let anyone call her by a nickname.

Zinnia gave him a glare that was equivalent to I will fucking cut you. Arin smothered a laugh and moved his gaze back to Lily. "No problem. It's nice to meet you. I'm Arin Rosier." Lily stuck her hand out for a handshake but Arin took it and bowed slightly, smoothly kissing the back of her hand. Lily's face erupted into a fiery blush and Severus a surge of jealousy like a tidal wave.

"Smooth bastard." Muttered Zinnia, but it was more fond than scathing. Severus glanced at her, horrified. Maybe she did have a crush on Arin after all.

Arin, upon hearing her words, flashed her a wink. "You know it."

Zinnia glared. "I've got a wand and at least three different hexes I've been simply dying to try out." She threatened, not so subtly telling him to lay off.

"Whatever you say, shortstuff." He gave her a shiteating grin.

Zinnia, with the reflexes of a girl on a rampage, shot a tongue-tying hex at him; one that he barely dodged. Severus rolled his eyes at their antics but found himself worrying more and more that Lily was right about Zinnia having a crush on Arin.

They had a sort of ease around each other, but at the same time, it was tinged with some sort of tension. Severus didn't know where that tension came from, but he knew the two shared some sort of secret. That was the only thing that created that kind of atmosphere.

The only people Zinnia was comfortable around were Lily and himself, and possibly Emily and Reyna. So her relaxed, almost playful (but not really) demeanor around Arin was slightly alarming.

Arin laughed easily and turned to chat with Lily. "So what classes are you taking?"

Their conversation drifted further as the two walked ahead, with Severus and Zinnia lingering behind.

Severus stared longingly after Lily's back, watching the mesmerizing sway of Lily's hair.

When he finally looked away, he was met with Zinnia's mildly amused face. His eyes widened at being caught staring.

Zinnia let out a mirthful breath. "Don't worry, I already know about your crush on Lily."

Severus felt glued to the spot and he gaped. "What."

"You're really bad at keeping your feelings hidden when it comes to Lily. I'm surprised half the world doesn't know." She told him dryly.

"Oh Merlin." Severus groaned, completely forgetting that he was going to grill Zinnia about her crush on Arin. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Yes." Zinnia answered decisively. "Good thing Lil's too dense to notice. Well, at least when it comes to herself." She amended.

"Merlin." Severus bemoaned again, looking positively miserable. "I bet Potter knows." He spat out Potter's name like a bad word.

"Probably." Zinnia admitted, "But I'm not sure."

Upon seeing Severus' dejected and embarrassed face, she offered him a light slap on the back. "Cheer up. At least Lily doesn't know. And it's better you than Potter, right?"

Severus straightened at this. "Yeah."

"See?" With another pat on the back, Zinnia began to walk faster to meet up with Arin and Lily, who were paused a few feet away and waiting for Zinnia and Severus to catch up.

It was a desperate, frightened thought, but Severus couldn't help but wonder what would become of his crush.

A/N: Severus, welcome to the world of hormones. Heh. I know it sounds overly dramatic, but this kid's pretty much liked her since they were kids and well, he's a fourteen year old guy with a hopeless crush. I'll take my chances.

Also, I repeat, Zinnia does NOT have a crush on Arin. It's just Lily being Lily and Severus being paranoid. I see them as having more friendly and sibling-like interactions right now.

James and Sirius are also still jerks at this point to Severus, but they're nice people deep, deep down, really. Severus just brings out the worst in them. They pretty much started hassling Severus because they were bored (and James probably wanted to impress Lily).

This was a buildup chapter, so expect actual action next chapter. And Regulus.

Thank you so, so much to everyone who favorited and followed! And thank you to fatesmask, PrincessBlonde, Fukatsuki, Amequa, Goldspark1, UniCryin, Tamani, bookcoda, LyraxSlytherin, lizy2000, alia00, Black Eclipsed Soul, Guest (1), Himeno Kazehito, TheFoolishDreamer, inari, misherukuro, Andy the willow tree, Doragon no Namida, Gal, KyuubiNoPuma, WhispersOfWings, Nostalgic Beauty, Spica75, nerderlyne, SunshineBubbles, poohdah7340, A simple reader, omnipotent Porunga, SimplyLokajad, Guest (2), Ryohei S., Guest (3), , Marie, NatNicole, moon so bright, Guest (4), trynmailme, and gr8rockstarrox for reviewing!

Replies to guest reviews:

Goldspark1:

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing as usual!

As for Lily and the Marauders, you'll definitely be seeing more of them in the future. The chapter named Interlude: Lily and James (not really) was more of a drabble about future years, so everything will be elaborated on in later chapters. And Lily does end up with James in this fic (unless I get a really, really good reason for her not to), so I'll definitely be detailing out that process. Haha, yeah, I like the drama too.

Remus is definitely going to have more interactions with the Evans; he's honestly the most tolerable one at this point.

Hmm, that battle sounds really interesting, but I don't see it happening any time soon. I'll definitely keep it in mind for later chapters though! They'll be interacting more as the years pass, so it'll make more sense then.

Ah, thanks so much for pointing out that mistake! I'll go back and fix it when I have the time. :)

Guest (1):

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you like it. :)

inari:

Haha, well, I actually meant that in a big brother kind of way, but you can interpret it any way you want. Ship whatever you like. :)

Gal:

Thanks for reading and reviewing! I definitely won't give up on the story.

A simple reader:

Thanks so much for pointing that out! I totally forgot about that, whoops. Actually, was that the closet that Draco moved into Hogwarts? I'm a bit hazy on the details.

Guest (2):

Thank you so much for the encouraging words! I won't give up on the story for sure.

Guest (3):

Well, the chapter is pretty much a series of bad jokes and slapstick comedy. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Andy the Willow:

Haha, no worries, I always get too lazy to log in too. I'm glad you liked the puns! And thanks so much for the kind words.

Marie:

Thank you! I'm glad you like it. Though I'm sorry that it wrecked your productivity! I always procrastinate with fanfiction too, tbh.

Guest (4):

Thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed it. :)