June, 1976. Hogwarts.

The fifth year at Hogwarts was peaceful and quiet for Alya. It passed quickly, without any particular problems.

As at the end of the previous year, grades were excellent in almost all subjects and relations with teachers and classmates remained unchanged, based on admiration and cool courtesy. June was just around the corner and the only event that slightly shook Alya's mood was the upcoming O.W.L. exams. Their purpose was to assess, through the judgement of a committee outside the school, the knowledge and preparation of budding young wizards. The results of these tests were considered extremely important, capable of considerably influencing the students' future careers.

Unlike most of her schoolmates, Alya wasn't worried at all. The exams didn't frighten her. She knew she was highly prepared in all subjects. All of them, except Potions of course. That subject based on nauseating concoctions and granguignolous ingredients was her Achilles' heel.

Alya was perfectly aware that she would never make it through the Potions exam with her - meagre - skills alone. But the clever Slytherin girl was also aware of a detail which could work to her advantage.

Among the students there were rumours - and Alya was certain they were well-founded - that professor Slughorn passed secret information about the exams to his favourite students and those who were members of his exclusive Slughorn Club.

Despite the great risk involved in this action, Slughorn knew how to act with meticulous discretion. He knew how to astutely identify the weak link in the external committee, the person most prone to dissolve in useful revealing chatter. After all, this was not a difficult feat; Slughorn had been very good at weaving friendships with the right people within the upper echelons of the magical world. The Slughorn Club, after all, had been created for that very purpose: to secure valuable acquaintances among the powerful of the future. This would guarantee him certain comforts.

Alya yearned to get her hands on such information. It would have helped her pass the Potions exam without too much difficulty. But she didn't belong to Slughorn's exclusive circle of his favourite students.

In order to get hold of Slughorn's valuable information, all Alya had to do was to play one last, desperate trump card. Her noble family name.

Alya began to delineate within her cunning and manipulative mind a simple plan, but if put into action with timing and cunning, it could guarantee her excellent results.
All Alya would have to do was to show up in the Potions professor's office in tears, confessing amidst agitated sobs her concern about the exam. She would then accurately point out how much she considered him to be one of the best teachers at Hogwarts and how her noble family had also always had a high opinion of his unimpeachable professionalism.

Alya would end the charade by confessing that she had turned to him because she believed him to be the only person who could give her the right advice and the best tips to cope with the exam. Finally, in a voice filled with hope, she would remind her pompous teacher how she would never forget his kindness and helpfulness.

Having concluded her mock outburst, Alya would then wait. With a carefully mournful look, the brilliant Slytherin student would have waited for her words to hit the targeted spot.

After all, Professor Slughorn was an easy prey, given his soul as ambitious as it was naive. The fish would have taken easily the bait thrown by Alya. Slughorn wouldn't have missed the opportunity to secure long-standing gratitude from the daughter of one of the most noble and powerful families in the magical world. Even if Alya wasn't part of the small circle of Slughorn's favourite pupils, her surname would have exerted a certain attraction on him.

The very idea of this strategy could in calming Alya's apprehensions. Thus, the girl was convinced that she had no other choice but to pass the difficult Potions exam.

***

June, 1976. Hogwarts Park.

Alya, Philippa, Melyssa and Beth had gone to study outside, enjoying the pleasant warmth of the sun. Less pleasant was watching the other pupils, exempt from the O.W.L.s, frolicking around them, chatting happily in small groups or diving into the cool waters of the black lake. Even the giant octopus, which surfaced from time to time, seemed to be having a good time.

It was the first weekend of the month, classes were over and all the fifth-year students had thrown themselves headlong into the general review of all subjects, in view of the start of the exams. A feverish anxiety hovered around them, like a dark, oppressive aura. Many were on the verge of a nervous breakdown, others relentlessly repeated everything they had studied in order not to give in to despair.

Alya and her friends were lounging by the shores of the Black Lake, trying to relax with the cheerful lapping of the clear waters. Beth held a large manual of Spells on her lap and questioned her companions in turn; every time the girl with the black curls questioned Alya about a definition or technique, she didn't fail to answer correctly. And this only infuriated the other girls, who still stumbled over uncertainties.

"It's all useless! I can't remember anything. My O.W.L.s will be a disaster!" whimpered Melyssa disconsolately, as she grabbed the large volume of Spells, to review for the umpteenth time a definition that had just gone wrong. Philippa also had decided to abandon her feigned confidence that day, giving in to anxiety, sinking her snow-white face into numerous scrolls filled with notes. Alya ignored them. She looked much more interested in the petals of a dandelion fluttering gracefully in the air. With a distracted air, Alya amused herself by making them dance with her wand like synchronised ballerinas, making them move to the rhythm of an imaginary melody. Beth turned to Alya in an envious tone:

"Unbelievable! To look at you, you'd think the idea of exams didn't touch you at all."

"Indeed it does," replied Alya, with condescension.

"Well, apparently that's a characteristic of you Blacks -" observed Philippa caustically, casting a mischievous glance in the direction of the large beech tree near the lake shore, a handful of metres away from the small group. "Even your charming twin brother seems to have something else on his mind!"

Alya paid no attention, lost as she was in her plans and stratagems. In the shade of the large tree, a small couple was intent on exchanging an intense passionate kiss. A slender girl with fluffy blond hair was holding tightly to a tall dark-haired boy, whose profile was unmistakably that of Sirius. His left arm firmly encircled the girl's waist, now completely surrendered to that virile and energetic grip, while the boy's right hand crept securely through the girl's locks. Alya had no idea who the girl was that Sirius was kissing so ardently, so much so that it aroused giggles and curious glances among the small group of other students who had decided to study around there. To be honest, Alya found that she didn't really care that much; she only noticed the scarlet and gold brooch pointed at her chest. It was obviously a Gryffindor one. In fact, that area of the park seemed to be swarming with students belonging to Sirius House, with the exception of Alya and her Slytherin friends. Alya gazed at the small group nearest the beech tree. It was composed mainly of girls, all Gryffindors, intent on glaring at the young couple, exchanging smiles and glances of understanding, mixed with a slight dose of envy. Beth and Melyssa - and maybe even Philippa, although she had never openly admitted it in front of Alya - weren't the only ones, in fact, who had taken a shine to Sirius: the young Black was a big hit with the girls and Alya suspected that many of them would have liked to be in that blonde-haired girlmate's place. Strangely, as Alya noticed, there was no sign of Potter or the other members of the small gang which Sirius belonged to. Apparently, they must have given him a few moments of freedom to enjoy some intimacy with the girl.

In the midst of the group of chattering Gryffindors, one girl stood out for her detached attitude. She was the only one who did not look at all at the kiss between Sirius and her little friend, busy practising some spells with her wand, with a serious look on her face. She had thick dark red hair, tied back in a long ponytail. Lily Evans. Alya recognised her immediately and couldn't help feeling a rush of annoyance. She couldn't stand her, with her perpetual know-it-all expression; the darling of Slughorn, the potions genius. Of course, she didn't need plans and strategies to pass her OW.L.s brilliantly. Who knows, Professor Slughorn had probably already briefed her on the topics the committee would ask in the test. Dull Muggle-born, Alya thought wickedly. Just seeing Lily Evans in the crowd caused her enormous annoyance. With a theatrical flick of her wrist, Alya suddenly lowered her wand and the graceful dancing petals immediately fell to the ground, helpless.

"Come on, let's go!" blurted Alya peremptorily.

"Why? Don't you want to enjoy the show?" mocked Philippa, shooting one of her taunting glances towards the beech tree.

"Please! It's disgusting! Besides, there are too many Gryffindors here for my taste. Let's go back to the castle!" hissed Alya, with visible contempt.

" Ok, as you prefer" agreed the blonde girl reluctantly. The other two followed obediently, but without taking their eyes off the couple.

All four Slytherin students stood up and turned their backs to the romantic spectacle Sirius was giving.

They had barely taken two steps when a sudden noise stopped them. A thud. Sobs and groans of pain. An excited hubbub. Alya and her friends turned curiously and saw the blonde Gryffindor girl no longer intent on canoodling with Sirius, but lying on the ground, in tears, holding her arm - turned in a decidedly unnatural position - with her other hand. Sirius was beside her, his expression confused. He was asking her something, but Alya could not hear them from where she stood. Other students rushed to the rescue of their companion. Lily Evans was the first to reach the couple and, with a very caring manner, was already helping her friend to her feet. As they watched the dark red ponytailed student bent over her injured companion, Alya's eyes narrowed to a slit. She felt the usual monster lurking in her gut, suddenly awakening for no apparent reason. It seethed with rage, but Alya did not understand why.

"What could have happened?" she whispered to Beth, trying to quell the fire that was blazing in her cheeks.

"How should I know! Come on. Those stupid Gryffindors make too much noise!" her friend urged her indifferently.

Alya, Philippa, Melyssa and Beth walked through the school's front door, heading for the Great Hall. There there would be no annoying smooching or strange falls. But Alya could not reach the hall. A few metres from the doorstep, someone yanked her violently by the arm, so hard that she spun on herself. It was Sirius. A furious expression reigned on his face. The grey eyes - so similar to those of his twin sister - darted with pure rage.

"What the hell is in your head?" he ranted loudly. Several students loitering in the corridor cast curious glances towards the two Blacks.

Alya was astonished for a moment. Never, in five years at Hogwarts, had her brother Sirius dreamed of addressing her so openly. His greatest intent had always been to pretend he didn't know her, as if she were a complete stranger. The situation didn't bode well.

Alya instantly composed herself, freeing herself from Sirius' grasp.

"What's in your head? What the hell do you want from me?" she answered him curtly, raising her chin to peer at him superiorly. Sirius was much taller and towered over her menacingly.

"Don't pretend you don't understand! I know it was you. They saw you!" Sirius' voice increasingly resembled an angry snarl.

"It was me who did what?" repeated Alya, narrowing her eyes defiantly. She was really curious to hear what nonsense her brother was coming up with to insult her.

"You attacked Marlene! Some girls saw you waving your wand. You hexed her, didn't you? She broke her wrist because of you!" shouted Sirius, in a rage. Alya laughed in his face, scornful.

"And why would I waste my magic on that insignificant little witch? Maybe your friend can't stand up!"

"You're just like our mother! Always ready to get in my way when life suits me. I hate you! Sneaky and malicious!"

"Don't you dare insult our mother!" although Alya was a span shorter than him, she now stood imperious and furious in front of Sirius, who reciprocated her with a look full of deep contempt.

"Courage!" hissed the boy, blatantly drawing his wand. "Tell me what spell you cast on Marlene. Then I can return the favour! You used one of your little snake friends' spells, eh?"

As she screamed her rage, Sirius backed away a few steps and Alya sensed that he would not let the opportunity to attack her slip away. There was no lie in his threats, he really wanted to throw some spells at her.

"How stupid you are! I'll tell you again: I didn't do anything! Your insulting little friend fell tripping over her own feet!" she also shouted, choleric.

"Liar!" roared Sirius, with all his rage.

The other students, who had only cast a few fleeting glances before, now stood motionless in their positions, their eyes glued on Sirius and Alya. A palpable tension had descended in the corridor. Everyone was expecting a fight. Philippa, Melyssa and Beth, quailing, had slipped inside the Great Hall, trying to get away immediately from a possible source of trouble.

As she spoke, Alya surreptitiously slipped her wand from behind her back, which she kept in a sleeve of her school uniform. She knew Sirius was ready to strike and also how skilled he was at spells.

It all happened in a brief handful of seconds: Sirius raised his wand, his lips tight, his gaze fierce, the spell ready in his mind. But Alya was faster. It had always been so, though Sirius had never had occasion to verify it. His sister's reflexes were far quicker and more responsive. Sirius didn't even have time to pronounce the formula for the invoice, when Alya's voice thundered in an imperious, yet effective Expelliarmus. Her brother's wand flew four metres backwards, rolling on the ancient stone floor, under the astonished gaze of the students grouped in the audience.

"Damn you!" hissed Sirius through clenched teeth. Alya looked up at him with her chin held high, her eyes sparkling with defiance and triumph.

"What's going on here?" the stern voice of Professor McGonagall thundered suddenly from behind Alya's back. The woman with the grizzled expression and austere bearing had just emerged from one of the classrooms. She took in the scene before her and guessed roughly what had happened. Or, at least, who was involved.

"Black -- Both of you! In my office. Now!" commanded McGonagall, peremptorily.

Alya and Sirius - having picked up their wands from the floor - reluctantly, but obediently, prepared to follow her, casting each other sombre glances in daggers.

Once in the study, the professor's voice thundered again:

"I demand an explanation for your regrettable behaviour just now. You know very well that it is forbidden to cast spells in the school corridors. This is a serious violation of school regulations," the teacher exclaimed, with a stern frown.

"Sirius started it. He is the one who attacked me. I only defended myself," replied Alya, offended.

"That's because my sister first hexed Marlene McKinnon, breaking her arm," Sirius explained, in a surprisingly calm tone.

"I am aware of Miss McKinnon's condition, Black. She is currently with Madam Pomfrey. Her arm will be mended before you two can even leave this room." said Professor McGonagall, looking at Sirius with an understanding gaze, as if to reassure him. Alya felt a rush of annoyance again, at that scene.

"I didn't hex anyone at all! My brother's lying!" she exclaimed, a little too loudly.

"It is you who are lying!" retorted Sirius, straining not to scream.

"That's enough!" Professor McGonagall slammed her hand violently on the desk. "Stop this bickering!"

"Anyway, Sirius is right. It's obvious that someone has hexed Miss McKinnon" asserted McGonagall, giving Alya a suspicious look.

Before the girl could even reply, the door to the study opened and the massive figure of Professor Slughorn appeared on the threshold.

"Minerva! You sent for me urgently. What's going on?" he asked, pointing his puzzled eyes first at Alya and then at Sirius.

"Horace! Come on in. There's an important matter that needs clarifying!" his colleague greeted him, signalling for him to join her.

As she watched her Potions teacher walk across the room, Alya began to feel some concern. This absurd situation was in danger of ruining the plan she had devised to beguile Slughorn.

Professor McGonagall quickly briefed her colleague on the events that had brought the Black twins into her study.

"I was just saying that someone put a spell on Miss McKinnon out in the park. A bad joke, nothing more, but it caused my student to break her wrist. She is now in the Hospital Wing."

"Oh for Merlin's beard!"

"Mr Black claims that it was his student here, Miss Black, who attacked McKinnon. That is why, just now, I found them both in the hallway intent on casting spells at each other."

"It.was.not.me!" growled Alya, by now unable to hold back her anger. Although Professor McGonagall was trying her best to appear impartial, it was clear as day that she considered her guilty. After all, she was the headmistress of Gryffindor House and seemed to have some sympathy for her rebellious but extremely bright pupil. It must have been for that reason that Sirius, as soon as he had set foot in the office, had sported such a relaxed attitude. He knew McGonagall would listen to him. More anger bubbled up in Alya's stomach. She found that situation so absurdly unfair.

"Actually, Miss Black, there are some students who claim to have seen you waving your wand a few feet away from McKinnon, just moments before the accident. Doesn't that strike you as an interesting coincidence?" said Professor McGonagall. Her tone was calm, but her aquiline eyes twinkled with accusation, aimed at Alya.

"I think it's far more interesting that all these students you mention are Gryffindors, Professor,'" retorted Alya, coldly. Slughorn winced.

"Miss Black! Mind your language!"

"I repeat: it wasn't me!" added the girl, adamant, deliberately ignoring the reprimands of the director of her House.

"Then who did?" blurted Professor McGonagall. By now she had given up hiding the fact that she didn't believe a word that posh Slytherin said.

At that question, something suddenly awoke in Alya. The rabid monster, sleeping inside her, which had been licking at her insides just before, was definitely awakened. Alya felt as if electrocuted; an idea suddenly appeared in her mind like a powerful intuition.

Why had she not thought of it before?

The thick ponytail, the detached attitude, indifferent to Sirius and his friend's romantic show, the serious, almost annoyed look... the figure of Lily Evans rushing first to help Marlene McKinnon lying on the ground, aching and injured, crashed into Alya's thoughts in an overpowering way.

A little voice hidden in her head had begun repeating insistently:

She did it. She did it. She did it.

Unable to restrain herself, Alya pronounced the sentence aloud:

"Lily Evans. Lily Evans did it."