James bit his lip. "Give us a try?" he repeated doubtfully.

Inside, his stomach was tumbling about in excitement. Was Lily asking him out? Or, as his head seemed to think, was Lily asking for his friendship?

His eyes searched her face: her cheeks were pink, the look her eyes enchantingly hopeful.

Lily nodded earnestly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"I've been a bit stupid," she admitted ruefully, making James laugh.

James' laugh made Lily feel warm. She watched his eyes light up in delight.

"A bit?"

"A lot," she conceded, looking at him questioningly. "What do you think?"

James scratched his head, and made a split-second decision that he waspositive he was going to regret. "I think you're at the tail end of the world's biggest hangover. I think you've just stumbled out of a very messy relationship. I think that as much as I want to say yes, I don't want to be rebound boy."

Lily frowned, blushing. He was saying no?

"I'm not saying no," James quickly countered, reading the look on her face so well that Lily was amazed. "I just want you to be sure that I'm – that I…"

"That you're the right choice?" Lily supplied helpfully, before kicking herself. "But I am sure, James. I'm just… seeing things clearly for once."

James smiled. His hazel eyes regarded her fondly, and his thumb stroked her hand. Lily watched him, amazed. He'd been after her for years, and all of a sudden…

James drew a deep breath, fully prepared to tell what was possibly one of the bigger lies of his life.

"Lily, I've fancied you for years. A few weeks here or there isn't going to make much of a difference to me, is it?"

"She asked you out?"

Sirius looked skywards, as if fully expecting for the clear blue day to come crashing down on their heads any minute now. James sighed, and ruffled his hair, frustrated. How their talk had changed so suddenly from Quidditch tactics for the upcoming match, to Lily, James didn't know, but he certainly didn't like it.

Remus and Peter were watching him with similarly shocked expressions.

Sirius shook his head. "Mate, if it was me, I'd be looking a lot more cheerful right now."

James shrugged. "It's complicated," he muttered unhappily.

Remus rolled his eyes, regarding James suspiciously. Suddenly, realisation hit him, and he choked.

"You said no?!"

James lay back on the grass of the Quidditch Pitch and closed his eyes. The question had been inevitable, and yet he found himself unprepared to face it. And, really, the boys had a point. Why had he said no? Lily Evans, object of his affections, had asked him out!

Really, it all came down to her reasoning. Why on earth did she want to go out with him, all of a sudden?

Emmeline sat back and set her quill down, looking both satisfied and amused. "Good," she said, pushing her homework away with a satisfied sigh.

"Good! He said no, Em. Not even Potter likes me anymore," Lily ended, looking despondent. Frowning, she picked up Emmeline's homework and began to read it, fully intending to be as critical as she could. Then she'd see how much Emmeline liked criticism.

Emmeline smiled and rolled her eyes. "Look at this from James' perspective, Lily. You ask him out hours after you break up with Scamander. Why do you ask him? He doesn't know, and I'm guessing you don't either."

"He wants to make sure it's really him I want to have a relationship with," Lily finished, sighing. Defeated, she set Emmeline's homework back on the table, her urge to edit suddenly dissipated. "I know, he told me. I just don't know why I'm not suddenly allowed to have an epiphany, you know?"

Emmeline shrugged. "Prove it to him," she suggested, quirking her eyebrow in a dare. "What do you have to lose?"

"Right, troops! We've been practicing for weeks, and this is it. Tomorrow, we're facing Hufflepuff, and we want to win."

Remus leant against the wall of the change room, standing removed from the team. He couldn't help but admire Sirius' uncanny impersonation of a general going to war. Peter perched on the bench beside him, adding the finishing flourishes to a Gryffindor poster.

"How's that, Moony?" he asked, tongue poking out between his teeth in concentration as he added a touch of gold to the lion's mane.

Remus grinned. The lion was looking particularly fearsome as it reared over the cowering badger.

"Perfect, Wormtail."

Peter grinned. "Good."

Drawing out his wand, the smaller boy waved it over the banner, and immediately the caricatures came to life. The lion yawned; its jaws huge as it displayed its teeth. The badger shot him a look of apprehension and backed away, but all the lion did was curl up and fall asleep.

Sirius surveyed his team as they reclined around the change room. James and Emmeline were talking in soft whispers. Jordan was throwing a Quaffle to Reaser, who was beating it to keeper Williams with his bat, and Wood was playing with the Snitch, as always. And there were Moony and Wormtail, leaning over a banner… Sirius leant back against the wall with a sigh and closed his eyes. Immediately, his mind drifted back up to his dorm, to the letter hidden beneath the false bottom of his trunk. Thankfully, what with all the drama surrounding Scamander, everyone seemed to have forgotten about Sirius' little episode. Everyone but Sirius, that was. In his mind's eye, the letter unfurled, the word inheritance leaping from the page to engulf him…

"Padfoot, you all right?"

James' voice cut through his thoughts, and Sirius opened his eyes to see that the team was regarding him strangely.

"Yeah, fine," he mumbled, before smiling. "So as I was saying before,tactics…"

"Haven't seen much of Snivelly lately," Sirius remarked casually as the Marauders made their way back up to the Gryffindor tower. "I'm starting to miss him."

"Well I'll be sure to pass on your sentiments," a snide voice replied from behind them.

Spinning, the four boys came face to face with Regulus Black.

Peter looked between the brothers, fascinated. Their relationship had always intrigued him; being an only child, he found it odd that anyone with a sibling would despise him so mercilessly.

"What do you want, Regulus?" Sirius snarled.

Peter watched his friends. Remus' face was carefully impassive, although Peter couldn't help but notice he kept his wand was within his reach. James looked frightening, wand already gripped in his hands. His face was unreadable, hazel eyes glittering coldly. Sirius looked furious, hate etched into every contortion.

Regulus smiled. "Father was wondering if you received your letter," the fifth year announced silkily. "He wants you to know that he is ashamed that you of all people was made Alphard's heir, and to ensure that you put your inheritance to… good use."

"Inheritance?" James countered sharply. "What inheritance?"

Sirius winced, and Regulus' smile broadened. "Oh," he said softly. "Didn't you tell them? Don't want your friends to know? Ashamed, are you?"

"What's he talking about, Sirius?" James asked quietly.

"I… er… inherited some money, from my… my uncle, Alphard."

Regulus raised his eyebrows. "Some money? Oh, Father will be pleased. Lets not call a mudblood a wizard, brother. You inherited a fortune of dirty Black money, and you don't want your precious friends to think of you any worse. But as much as you try to deny it, you are a Black, Sirius, and one day you'll have to accept that, and our dirty money."

"When were you going to tell us?"

Remus' voice was soft, gentle even. Sirius was going to be sick.

"Eventually," he mumbled, unhappily. "Once I'd gotten rid of it."

"Surely any money is good money?" Peter ventured tentatively.

Sirius shook his head, miserable, and then dared to look at James. His best friend had been silent the entire trip back to the dorms, and Sirius was mentally preparing himself for James' anger.