Disclaimer: I own nothing. Aside from a few smelly socks littering my bedroom floor, which may or may not be making a guest appearance in later chapters… It's all JK's.

Author's notes: Regarding the layout of both the castle and the grounds surrounding Hogwarts: whilst I have a fairly good idea of them, I am not playing close attention to JK's version at all. I'm simply writing in locations as they suit me, because I'm lazy!

Still slightly out of breath, having hurtled as fast as my legs will agree to carry me through endless corridors and down vast mountains of stairs (seriously, when was Hogwarts ever this huge? I swear, someone's extended it since I last checked), I finally find myself outside. I welcome the cool breeze as my muscles burn, but waste little time savouring the sensation; there are far more pressing matters at hand. There's no one else around, though I can hear the chants of the entire school still going strong over at the Quidditch pitch. I make my way to the foot of the Gryffindor tower and, gazing up, wonder how I never noticed just how huge and prominent it is. It's practically the first thing you see on approach to the castle from the Quidditch grounds; you couldn't miss the sight of it even if you'd recently had an unfortunate accident involving your eyeballs and a very specific case of splinching. I gulp, and cast my charm, completely unnoticed by anyone else. Not that me being seen matters one way or the other, given the nature of this particular act of vandalism.

Right. Well, that's that. Now, to find Moony. He could be anywhere; it's not like I've been keeping an eye out for him and have an idea where he may or may not be… If anything, I've spent these past few days mostly secluding myself in the boys' dorm, avoiding going anywhere that there's a possibility of bumping into him. Seeing as I have nothing to go on, I reason with myself, I may as well start in all the obvious places. I march off towards the lake, with a particular spot in mind; the four of us have spent many a day lazing beneath the shade of an old oak. Despite my haste, a movement across the other side of the lake, nearer to the Quidditch pitch, catches my eye. My heart leaps for a second, until I recognise the dark red hair billowing around the figure of a slender girl appearing out of the distance. I can't imagine what she's doing alone over there, unless… I brace myself, there's no way she's going to be pleased to see me of all people, and break into a furious run.

I as approach, Lily recognises me; I doubt I imagine the way her entire body tenses or the shadow that crosses her face. Before she has a chance to even open her mouth, I shout her down "Lily! Lily, I know I'm the last person you want to speak to right now-"

"Oh, you got that one right, Sirius Black, you callous little swine!" Lily's eyes are furious as she interjects, and looking ready to tear me to pieces.

"-and you have every right to hate me right now, and I wouldn't blame you if you cursed me on the spot, but please… Can you just hear me out?"

Her mouth already starting to form her next verbal attack, my heart pounds as she pauses; the bark of Lily Evans is nothing compared to her bite and I at least want her to hear me out before she curses me from here until next week. Hands defiantly on her hips, she seems to struggle with herself, obviously desperate to launch another tirade of abuse upon me. "OK, you've got one minute, Black."

"Nothing can excuse what I've done-"

"Oh, you think?" her voice absolutely drips with sarcasm.

"-Absolutely nothing, but I need to tell Moony… I need to tell him just how sorry I am. For being a prize prat, and for being utterly selfish, and for being unable to be the amazing friend to him that he's always been to me. I- Lily, I love him, OK? I think I have done for a very long time. I'm quite aware that I may have made irreparable damage due to my stupid selfish ways and for not being able to cope with my own feelings and would be lucky for him to even hear me out, never mind rekindle our friendship, but if I never try and make things even a little bit OK, well… Then it's like I'm justifying what I did and said. Even if he hates me forever and even if he performs every single Unforgivable Curse on me, I just want him to hear me say that I'm truly, truly sorry."

Lily gawps at me, and I now know what the expression 'eyes on stalks' looks like personified. I may have just rendered Lily Evans speechless, and let me tell you now, that ain't no easy feat.

"Um, Lily?"

"Sorry, sorry… I just never, ever thought I'd hear the great Sirius Black admit he was wrong. And not in such a passionate way, either. I mean, I didn't think you even had feelings like a normal person…"

Gee, thanks. I guess I deserved that one, though. "So… You know where Remus is?"

Quickly recomposing herself and finally ridding her face of the fish-like expression it had taken to wearing in the past few moment, Lily regards me warily "Of course I do. I'm just- I mean, can I trust you, Sirius?"

"Not to cock it up again? I swear, I'll do my utmost best. I'm not certain I can make things right, but I know I'll do anything I can to prevent them from getting any worse." The pleading tone of my voice sounds unnatural, but I'm not faking it; it's just that being at the mercy of someone else, especially a girl, is something completely new to me. I'm not proud of it, at least not any more, but usually I'm the one calling the shots and having them chase after me.

Lily sighs and shakes her head in defeat "OK, OK… I guess if the power to make Remus happy again resides with anyone, it's you. Failing that, I'm interested to see what imaginative curses he can come up with." She regards me again for a few seconds. "He's in the broom-shed. The old one, I mean. He's been hanging around in there for days-"

"Lily Evans, I could kiss you!" I lunge myself at her, embracing her for a brief moment but as tight as I can, then waste no more time in breaking into yet another ferocious gallop towards the Forbidden Forest, just outside the border of which lies the abandoned Quidditch supplies shed. In the distance, I hear her yell after me "Just don't you dare mess things up, Black!", though I think she knows that I intend on doing nothing of the sort.

Out of breath, once again, and the blood rushing in my ears, I find myself outside the wooden, run-down shed. My confidence suddenly lost, I creep up to the grey, cracked windows. I press my hand to the glass, fragile from many a stray quaffle having been struck in this direction, and clear a patch in the thick dust. I look inside, into the colourless interior, and it takes me a moment to adjust to the darkness of the scene before my eyes. Only a moment, and then I see him: my Moony, slumped on the hard wooden floor.