A/N: This chapter has been edited from its original version as of 4/22/08.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Prologue

Lily Evans' eyes widened in horror as she read through the letter in her hands.

This was bad.

Bad, bad, bad!

They could not do this to her. They could not do this to her! Her parents absolutely could not to do this to her! It had to be a mistake. They knew how she and her sister got along. They wouldn't actually try to…

It was a mistake. She was dreaming. This could not be happening to her! And it was just all too horrible to be a dream.

She quickly read through the letter again. The contents of the letter had not changed. It most certainly was not a dream. It was really happening. She angrily slammed the letter down on the table in the Great Hall causing several other people to look. She felt her face redden as she read her mother's are careful and deliberate handwriting once more.

Dear Lily,

I know you were looking forward to coming home this summer, but there has been a slight change of plans. My Aunt Nettie had an unfortunate accident falling down the stairs. Don't worry, it's not too serious. However, your father and I are going to her home in Italy to help her recover. Sadly, this will most likely take up a large portion of your holiday. I have already talked to Petunia – and she agreed – and you will be staying with her and Vernon for the summer. I understand that you and your sister do not have the best relationship, but I really think that you should view this as an opportunity to become closer. Take care and write back soon

Love,

Mum

Lily closed her eyes and anxiously rubbed the back of her neck, unaware of the figure approaching her.

"What's wrong?"

Lily opened her eyes to see the figure who had just sat down across from her.

"Hello, Audrey," she greeted one of her best friends.

"You always rub your neck when something's wrong," her friend persisted. "Tell me what's bothering you."

Lily let out a brief smile before she answered, "My parents are going to Italy."

"Oh," Audrey said. The confusion was evident in her voice. "I would be really upset too."

"That's not why I'm upset," Lily said quickly, sensing her friend's misunderstanding. "It's not where they're going; it's where they're making me go."

"Oh… Oh! Petunia?" Audrey asked as revelation suddenly dawned on her. Lily nodded her head miserably in confirmation. Lily had told her friend a lot of stories about her older sister. None of them good.

"Oh, Lily. I'm so sorry," her friend sympathized.

Lily didn't say anything. She still felt slightly numb from the news. A whole summer with Petunia! Lily looked at her friend with a look of complete anguish on her face. Anything would be better than spending the summer with her sister. Lily despairingly lowered her head onto the table.

"Couldn't you stay with someone else? Maybe Nathaniel?" Audrey suggested, referring to Lily's boyfriend.

Lily shook her head. Her parents would never allow her to stay with her boyfriend for the entire summer. And Lily wasn't entirely sure she wanted to spend the entire summer with him. She cared about him and all, but he tended to drive her a bit mad at times. She wasn't sure she could handle the whole summer with him.

"My parents would never let me spend the summer with him anyway. Remember the Christmas incident?" Lily asked as her friend nodded her head.

Lily had wanted to spend part of the Christmas holiday with him. Her parents did not. She ended up sneaking out to see him which led to a large row with her dad. Lily was grounded for the rest of the holiday and not permitted to even write to Nathaniel for the remainder of the holidays. Lily loved her parents, but they did have a slight tendency to be overprotective.

"What about Olivia?" Audrey suggested. "Or Mary? I'm sure they'd both love to have you."

"Olivia has eleven brothers and sisters; there's barely enough room for her in house. And Mary is going to Spain with her family."

Lily shot her friend a pleading look. Audrey squirmed slightly in her seat, looking intensely uncomfortable.

"Well," Audrey said, looking very uncomfortable. She scanned the Gryffindor table looking for other people that would be willing to let Lily could stay with them. "Maybe, if you're really, really, desperate…"

"I've stayed at your house before," Lily cut her off quickly, hoping her friend was suggesting that she stay with Audrey. Her heart leaped at the idea of spending the summer with her best friend instead of her awful sister.

"I know, but I'm staying with my aunt and uncle this summer…"

"Oh," Lily sighed disappointedly. "So, you're aunt and uncle wouldn't want me to come. It's okay. I understand."

"No, they wouldn't mind," Audrey automatically responded. She quickly clapped her hand over her mouth, looking terrified of what she had just said. L

"So, they wouldn't mind if I stayed too?" Lily pressed; her voice was filled with hope. "Please? I'd rather stay with anyone other than Petunia!"

Lily watched her friend anxiously, trying to read her reactions.

"No, they wouldn't mind. I mean, my aunt said that I could bring a friend if I wanted, but…"

Audrey's mouth dropped open in horror; she had clearly not meant to tell Lily that. Her friend, however, seemed oblivious to Audrey's horror.

"Great!" Lily replied. "That's fantastic! Thank you so much, Audrey. You don't know how much this means to me!"

Lily felt happiness swell up inside her. She would be spending the summer with one of her best friends. She wouldn't have to deal with her sister at all. A large smile spread across her face.

"I've got to owl my parents before we leave tomorrow," Lily muttered excitedly.

She quickly leaped out of her seat, leaving her half-eaten breakfast on the table. She grabbed her bag and rushed out of the Great Hall, leaving a shocked Audrey behind.

"No! Wait! Lily!" Audrey called after her friend.

She rapidly abandoned her own breakfast and ran off towards the Owlery to stop her friend before she sent that owl to her parents. Lily didn't know what she was getting herself into. If she had known about him, then she never would have agreed to this. However, Audrey's hopes of catching Lily were dashed as she collided into someone else. She let out a groan of pain as her head hit the hard floor. Her school supplies were scattered everywhere. The situation couldn't get much worse.

"You fell, Devy," an annoyingly familiar voice told her.

She was wrong about the situation not getting worse. It just had. She mentally groaned. She didn't have the time or the patience to deal with him at the moment. She look up to see Sirius Black standing over her with a very satisfied smile on his face, and something else that looked suspiciously like smeared red lipstick. She was only curious about it for a second before a flustered looking Ravenclaw quickly left the broom closet Black was standing in front of. Figures, she thought.

"I know I fell, Black. I don't need you to narrate my life," she responded as Black stretched out a hand to help her up. She looked at it for several seconds, debating whether or not to accept help from someone like him.

"I won't bite," he responded with laughter as she begrudgingly accepted his hand. "Not unless you ask first."

"You're such a gentleman," she responded sarcastically, temporarily forgetting her quest to find Lily before she was able to send an owl to her parents.

"I know," he said cockily with an extremely smug smile on his face.

"I was being sarcastic," she replied angrily.

"I knew that too. It doesn't change the fact that I am a gentleman," he responded. Audrey rolled her eyes.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" she demanded.

"I could ask you the same thing. I was saying goodbye to a friend," he answered, emphasizing the word "I," and making it obvious that he wanted her to tell him what she had been doing. She refused to give into him.

"In a broom closet?" she asked derisively, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't be so jealous. We can say goodbye in a broom closet too," he said suggestively.

He grabbed her hand and began to lead her towards the broom closet. She quickly yanked her hand away. She began to walk off when she remembered the events that occurred earlier that morning. She let out a small groan. She had spent too much time bantering with Black. Lily was sure to have already sent that letter. There was no way to avoid it now. Lily was almost definitely spending the summer with her and her cousin.

"Have you seen James?" she asked.

"You want to say goodbye to him in a broom closet? That's just sick, Devy," he responded in a teasing voice. It still caused Audrey recoil slightly at his words. She felt slightly sick at the suggestion of her and James like that.

"That's gross. No. I can't believe you would even suggest that," she replied, cringing as she spoke. Her mind was still reeling with the suggestion. The thought of her and James together like that was enough to want to make her throw up. Audrey could feel her dislike for him growing even more each second.

"You can never tell with you, Devy," Black answered lightly as Audrey sent him a harsh glare.

"I need to find Lily," she replied, ignoring his suggestion and the horrible nickname that he liked to call her. "You really enjoy torturing me, don't you?"

"I can think of some other things I would enjoy doing with you too," he suggested seductively.

Audrey felt her cheeks turn pink against her will. He smirked arrogantly at her. She knew he had no interest in her. She really wasn't his type at all, but he still insisted on constantly messing with her head. It only increased her dislike of him.

"Is she with James?" he asked.

"Who?"

"Lily."

"Of course not! Lily has standards, unlike some people," Audrey answered pointedly.

"Was that directed at me or James or the Marauders in general?" Black asked with an unfaltering smile on his face.

"All of you," Audrey replied angrily. She had been hoping to get some sort of indignant response from him. Something she could easily turn back on him with a sarcastic comment. But nothing seemed to shake him.

"On behalf of James, Remus, Peter and myself, I would like to point out that we do have standards," he replied smoothly, still unshaken by anything Audrey said.

"Having a pulse doesn't count. And I'll admit that Peter, Remus, and James have some standards, you on the other hand…"

"Must be why I'm attracted to you," he answered.

Audrey felt herself blush against her will. He was doing this on purpose. Just to get a reaction out of her. Her experience with the opposite sex had been somewhat… limited. As in she had never really dated very much. It wasn't exactly hard to get a response like that out of her, but no one seemed to enjoy it as much as Black did.

"And you're attracted to me too, of course. Everyone is," he added.

Audrey felt her cheeks grow continually redder. She mentally cursed herself for doing so. She knew that Black treated every girl exactly the same way as he treated her. Only, he seemed to enjoy annoying her more while he seemed to prefer to just snog all of the other girls in broom closets.

"You're really an arse, you know that right?" she asked.

He merely smiled and nodded as if he did in fact know that he was an arse and it did not bother him at all. Audrey let out a frustrated sigh.

"If you see James, tell him that I changed my mind and I'm bringing a friend."

"It's Lily, isn't it?" Black asked knowingly.

She froze momentarily, wondering how on earth he knew that. Coming up with no other response, she merely nodded her head.

"How'd you convince her to come? She hates James. And me. No, wait. You decided to show your cousinly love for James, and play matchmaker."

"No," Audrey responded as she looked guiltily at her feet. She nervously twisted her hands together.

"Then what?" he asked. "There's no way she would willingly agree to spend the summer with James and me without some convincing first."

Audrey didn't say anything. Her eyes were fixed on the floor. She refused to look at him.

"You didn't tell her. Haven't you two been friends for years? Why didn't you ever mention it?"

"James and I are cousins, not siblings. And, in case you didn't notice, we're not that close either," she defended.

"You used to be," he pointed out.

"Not anymore."

A/N: This chapter is just setting up what's to come and establishing some character for Sirius and Audrey. Expect a lot more Lily and James interaction in the future. The title isn't random. It has a meaning, but that's for later on. I just hope my story doesn't change freakishly in that amount of time, so the title no longer makes sense. I hope you all enjoyed the prologue! James is actually in the next chapter, don't worry!