Liv returned Cassie to Potter Manor at sunset. She wasn't able to stay long, citing that David had dinner waiting for her and Cassie's cousins, but she had thanked Mrs. Potter and greeted Mr. Potter before wrapping Cassie in a tight hug.

"Be safe at school," Liv said to her. She pulled back, keeping a grip on Cassie's shoulders, and smiled softly. "Remember, if you ever have any questions or concerns – about school, about your parents, or anything else – don't hesitate to owl me. You're part of my family now, Cassie. Don't forget that."

Cassie's eyes burned when she reached up and clasped Liv's hands. "Thank you. I'll remember."

When Liv had gone and the fireplace had returned to normal, Mr. and Mrs. Potter turned to her with kind smiles.

"Here." Mr. Potter handed her a fork and a small plate with a piece of vanilla cake and as little of the red frosting on it as possible. "Remus said to save this for when you got back."

"Sorry that you weren't here for Peter's cake-cutting, dear," Mrs. Potter added as Cassie took the plate gratefully. "James insisted we do it early, so you all would have more time for your festivities tonight."

Cassie took a bite of cake and sighed at the sugary sweetness that coated her tongue. Utter perfection. "Has he even told you what we're doing?"

"We were hoping you could tell us," Mr. Potter said with a grin.

Mrs. Potter sighed. "Just please don't do anything dangerous. Or illegal."

Cassie wanted to point out that their son was usually the instigator – ringleader of the Marauders he was – but decided to spare them any heart problems that might arise from it.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Potter," she said, smiling wryly. "I'll keep them in line."

James's parents smiled and sent her off with a wave as she bounded up the stairs, taking another bite from her cake as she went. She reached her bedroom and nudged open the door with her hip, but paused on the threshold when she heard the loud and obnoxious voices of the Marauders coming from her joint bathroom with Sirius.

She set down her plate on the dresser and knocked smartly on the door. The voices inside quieted just a bit as Sirius opened it. "May I help you?"

"Yes." She peeked over his shoulder to see James, Remus, and Peter standing at the counter, their various toiletries spread amongst them. "Any particular reason why they're invading our bathroom?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. We were in my room, then we got bored waiting around, so I told them to get ready here."

She pressed her hands over her heart and batted her eyelashes. "Isn't that so precious? Getting ready together like you're going to the ball – ACK!" She ducked away, laughing, when Sirius took a swipe at her. He shook his head in exasperation. "Just get changed, Princess."

She leaned against the door frame and looked at James. "And what, exactly, is the dress code for our mysterious night out?"

James grinned at her. He'd attempted to flatten his hair against his head, but unruly pieces kept sticking out at odd angles. On anyone else it would've looked ridiculous, but for some reason it only added to his charm.

"Muggle casual," he said with a wink.

She raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'll leave you boys to it." She made to close the door for some privacy, but Sirius slipped past her and flopped down on her bed. She glared at him. "Make yourself at home, why don't you?"

He grinned, kicking his feet up lazily. He was dressed simply in dark jeans, a black shirt with a matching leather jacket, and heavy black boots. Average attire, but with his shaggy dark hair and handsome face, Cassie couldn't help but admire him sprawled on her bed.

"Technically, this is my home now," he said, stretching his arms above his head. When Cassie continued to glare at him, he sat up. "What?"

"I have to change."

"I'm aware."

She rolled her eyes at his wicked smirk and pointed to the door. "Out, perv."

He pouted. "I'm not a perv; I'm your boyfriend."

"And I'm still half-convinced that you and James can read each other's minds," she said. "So forgive me if I don't want your other girlfriend knowing what my bum looks like."

Sirius barked out a laugh as Cassie shooed him from her bed. "To be fair, it's hard not to notice your bum—"

"Out!" Cassie opened the bathroom door and shoved him inside, still laughing, before she slammed it shut again. Shaking her head, she flipped open the lid of her trunk and began yanking various articles of clothing out.

She decided to copy Sirius for the night and grabbed a black top and a pair of dark-washed jeans. She shed her robes and swapped them for the Muggle clothes, unceremoniously dumping the robes into her trunk. The note from her father was still crumpled inside one of the pockets, and she wondered if she shouldn't just set them on fire instead. At least then she'd have one less thing to worry about.

Tomorrow, she thought. I'll deal with it tomorrow.

She grabbed some earrings and a necklace along with her toiletry bag and knocked on the bathroom door. "Are you decent?" When she received their affirmations, she entered the bathroom and immediately choked on the heavy scent permeating the air. "Dear Merlin, what is that?"

Remus shot James an annoyed look. "I told you that you were using too much cologne."

"It was a gift from my mum," he protested. "Shove off."

Cassie made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat and edged past Sirius to get to the mirror. "Oi, stop hogging; some of us actually have to put effort into our appearances."

Sirius shook his head in mock-concern. "I know, Cass. That's what I've been trying to tell Peter all night—"

"Hey!" Peter complained, turning away from combing his blond hair in the mirror to look at Sirius, his cheeks red. "That's not fair!"

The other boys chuckled, but Cassie rolled her eyes as she plucked out an eyeliner pencil from her bag. "Don't listen to him, Pete. Sirius just doesn't understand the struggles the rest of us mere mortals go through."

Peter reluctantly laughed along with the others, though his face still remained quite flushed.

Sirius met Cassie's eyes in the mirror and quirked his brows when she started applying the eyeliner. "Since when do you wear makeup?"

She made a face at him. "It's not like I've never worn it before."

"True," he conceded. "But I've only seen you wear it for special occasions."

"Is Peter's birthday not a special occasion?" She finished her eyeliner and pulled out a tube of mascara, meeting Sirius's gaze challengingly. "And so what if I want to wear makeup?"

Sirius held up his hands. "Nothing. I just didn't know you were into that sort of thing."

She shrugged. "People can change their minds, Sirius."

"So they can," he said with a grin.

"For what it's worth Cass, I think you look great either way," Remus said, blushing slightly when Cassie turned on him, beaming.

"Why, thank you, Remus," she said brightly. "And thanks for saving me that piece of cake." She winked at him. "I knew there was a reason you were always my favorite."

Remus and Cassie laughed when the other boys yelled "OI!" in unison.

"Betrayals aside," James said, throwing a glare Cassie's way as she smeared on her mother's favorite shade of lipstick and flipped him off in the mirror, "we should get going soon. Dad set us up a Portkey that leaves in half an hour."

"A Portkey?" Cassie glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "James, where are we going?"

But he only winked and replied, "You'll see."

xx

"A Muggle film," Cassie said, looking up at the tall, flashy building that Remus had referred to as a 'cinema'. "That's what all your fuss was about?"

James shrugged and clapped Peter on the back. "It's what Wormtail wanted for his birthday. Right, Wormy?"

"I can't believe you pulled it off, Prongs!" Peter said.

"Anything for my little Wormy," James cooed. He reached out to pinch Peter's cheeks, but Peter shoved him off.

"Well, we should get tickets for whatever film we're going to see," Remus said. He raised a brow at James. "Assuming you have a film in mind?"

"Pete's the one with the birthday," he said. "He should decide."

Peter nearly skipped inside the building, he was so happy. Cassie followed at a slower pace, walking with Sirius and Remus as James dashed after him.

"Has Lily never told you about the pictures?" Remus asked her; he must've caught the look of skepticism on Cassie's face when he held the door open for them.

"I just never understood," she admitted. "She talked about moving pictures, but not like the ones we have in the wizarding world." She glanced around nervously, hoping no one was paying attention to them; they were in a Muggle town about an hour from Potter Manor, and she would prefer not to have any Ministry officials swoop down on her for accidentally breaking the Statute of Secrecy. "She said the pictures were...prerecorded?" She grunted. "I dunno. Muggle technology makes no sense sometimes."

Remus smiled at her. "No, you've got it right for the most part. It's complicated to explain, really, but Lily did a good job giving you the basics."

"Did someone mention Lily? Lily Evans?" James sidled back over to them, his hazel eyes bright behind his glasses. "You mean the light of my life? My one true love?"

Cassie pulled a face. "Godric, you're embarrassing."

"Need I remind you of the moment we shared last term, Princess?" He contorted his face into an expression of agony and wailed in a poor imitation of Lily's voice. "Oh, James, are you all right? Does it hurt, James? It's okay, Madam Pomfrey will help, James."

"We thought you were dying, you git," Cassie said. "All of us were worried about you."

"But she said my name," he said dreamily. "It's a start, Princess; you'll see. I'll have Evans bagged by the end of this year, or my name isn't James Fleamont Potter."

"Is that a wager, Potter?"

"I do believe it is, Alderfair."

Cassie's grin widened until she was baring her teeth at him, smelling gold in her future. "A hundred Galleons says you won't."

James grinned right back at her, a predatory gleam in his eye. "You're on, Princess." He spat in his hand and held it out for her. "On my honor as a Potter."

Cassie spat in her palm and shook James's hand. "And on my honor as an Alderfair."

Sirius looked back and forth between them once they released hands, their bet now sealed. "You two really are the worst influences on each other."

Remus snorted. "Don't encourage them, Padfoot. Next time we turn our backs they might be ruling the world together."

Cassie glanced at James, raising her eyebrows. "Empress Cassie has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"Quite," he said. "I also like the sound of Emperor James."

Remus and Sirius shook their heads as Peter ran back up to them, waving five tickets in his hand. "I got them! The Omen! It starts in five minutes!"

"That sounds...ominous," Sirius said as he received his ticket from Peter. He ignored all their groans at his awful pun. "What's it about?"

Peter shrugged. "Dunno. But the bloke at the counter told me it was supposed to be scary."

"Excellent," Remus said. "I'll grab popcorn and drinks. You all get seats."

"I'll come with," Cassie said, shimmying out from under Sirius's arm. "You'll need help carrying stuff."

She and Remus walked to the counter labeled 'Concessions'. He made to pull out his old, cracked leather wallet, but Cassie shook her head at him, reaching for her small shoulder bag.

"I got it," she said. "Liv gave me some Muggle money just in case."

"You don't have to—" he said, face flushing.

She waved him off. "I think I can spare a few pieces of Muggle paper. It's not like I really have the opportunity to use it."

She didn't want to draw attention to the fact that she had quite a bit more money than Remus and his family did, but the unspoken hung in the air. The Lupins weren't particularly wealthy, from what she had gathered; everything Remus owned was bought secondhand, and he was more reserved with spending compared to James and Sirius, who threw their money around like it was nothing. She didn't pity him – he'd hate that – but she understood that her position allowed her a lot more privileges than his did, especially with his condition.

He didn't object to her argument, though his face was still red when Cassie pulled out her Muggle bills. She looked at him helplessly. "Er, you should probably handle the transaction though. I don't know what's worth what."

His mouth quirked in a tiny grin as she handed over the bills. "Yeah, sure, I got it. Don't worry."

They waited in line behind a couple in their early twenties who did not seem to mind that they were in public, given their roaming hands and flirtatious whispering. Cassie and Remus shuffled awkwardly, avoiding eye contact with either party, but she glanced at him when he cleared his throat softly.

"How'd the Ministry go?"

"Boring. Stuffy." She flashed back to Mr. Gorgon's office and her father's note. She had wanted to wait until after Peter's birthday to bring it up, but perhaps Remus knew something she didn't. "Hey, does 'Norvina' mean anything to you?"

"No, can't say it does." Cassie bit back her curse, keeping her expression neutral when he looked at her. "Why?"

She shrugged. "No reason. Just saw it somewhere. I couldn't figure out if it was a name or a place though."

"Sounds like someone's name to me," he said.

She nodded, ignoring his questioning look and breathing out a sigh of relief when the handsy couple moved off and they could order their snacks.

Remus paid and reluctantly kept the change when Cassie insisted that she had no use for Muggle money. They set off for the correct theater, laden with two large buckets of popcorn and five fizzy drinks that were already making Cassie's teeth ache just looking at them.

She happened to glance out a window as they passed, but she nearly screamed and dropped the popcorn when someone else stared back at her from the outside.

Her first thought was the woman she had seen in the Potters' shed, but the shadowy silhouette looked more male than female. And the eyes – not dark, but light; so light they seemed to glitter at her, even through the night veiling the world on the other side of the glass.

"Cassie?"

Remus had stopped a few paces from her, his eyes shifting between her face and the window. She opened her mouth, about to point out the silhouette, but when she turned again it was gone.

Swallowing back her sudden panic, she shook her head and walked away from the window, wondering if she was starting to see hallucinations.

"I'm fine," she said despite her pounding heart. "Let's go find the others."

She didn't look back.

xx

By the time the film ended, it was nearly midnight. Cassie wrapped her jacket tighter around herself as they left the cinema; the first bite of autumn was in the air, and it nipped at her face and hands as they stood out on the sidewalk, the Muggles they had shared the theater with streaming out behind them. Sirius draped his arm around her shoulders casually, and she shot him a grateful look, leaning into his warmth.

"That was wicked." Peter's eyes hadn't stopped glowing since the credits had started rolling. "Best birthday present ever. Thanks, Prongs."

James sketched a bow. "I am quite amazing, aren't I?"

Remus snorted. "Amazingly humble too."

"That was pretty great," Cassie agreed. She punched Sirius lightly in the ribs. "Especially because I got to watch you nearly run out screaming."

Sirius winced. "I don't like scary stuff. Never have."

"So, what now?" James said. He rocked back and forth on his heels, his hands in his pockets. "Our Portkey back doesn't leave for another hour."

"Food?" Cassie suggested.

Peter made a face. "I'm stuffed."

"Probably because you ate an entire bucket of popcorn by yourself," Sirius retorted. He jerked his chin to something behind James's shoulder. "There's a tattoo parlor right there. We could check it out."

Cassie raised her eyebrows. "Planning to get inked up?"

He shrugged. "Someday. Not tonight, though. But it'd give us something to do."

"I'm game." James looked around. Remus shrugged, indifferent, and though Peter looked slightly put-out, he didn't object. Cassie quirked her lips as if to say What the hell? "All right. Let's go check it out, then."

They crossed the dark and near-empty street toward the small building that boasted burning red lights and a buzzing OPEN sign. Cassie could feel a heavy thumping in her chest as they got closer, and when Sirius opened the door – a loud bell clanging above them – the bass-driven wailing of Muggle rock music assaulted her full-force.

A Muggle woman in her thirties with black hair and an array of facial piercings looked up from her magazine at the counter when they entered. The acrid smoke of her cigarette filled the air as she looked them up and down, her ruby-red lips twisting. "Aren't you all a little young?"

Sirius took her in coolly, his easy charm oozing through his drawling voice as he said, "We're just looking."

The woman shrugged and went back to her magazine, but not before her eyes raked him over appreciatively.

Something tight coiled in Cassie's gut at the look, but she forced it down; she knew Sirius was attractive – one would have to be blind to not see that. She shouldn't get jealous over someone else appreciating his looks. She relaxed her shoulders and breathed deeply, but couldn't help sliding her hand into Sirius's as he passed her to look at some of the artists' sketchbooks behind her.

James, Remus, and Peter huddled together on one of the battered leather sofas at the front of the shop, flipping through one of the tattoo portfolios and pointing at various designs, occasionally laughing over something. Cassie looked up at Sirius as he perused one of the other books, tapping and humming thoughtfully every now and then.

"When were you going to tell me you wanted a tattoo?" she asked playfully.

He smirked at her, glancing away from a design of a soaring raven. "I've always wanted one. Maybe multiple. I dunno; I haven't decided yet."

"What were you thinking of getting?"

"Not sure. Anything that catches my eye, really." His silver eyes flicked up to meet hers. "I do know that I want one for all of us, though." He jerked his head back to where the other Marauders were lounging. "Moony, Prongs, Padfoot, Wormtail." He hesitated. "Sparks."

The name sent a ripple of pain through her. Sparks. That had been Will's nickname for her when they were children.

"Maybe not that one," she said quietly. "Perhaps it's time I get another name."

He smiled wryly. "I can always go with Princess."

"Definitely not that one." She bit her lip. "How long did it take you to become an Animagus?"

His brows rose in surprise. "A while. Any reason why you're asking?"

She looked down at the sketchbook, running a finger over the laminated page. "I suppose you'll tell me it's too dangerous to become an unregistered Animagus like you, James, and Peter if I were to tell you I'd been considering it?"

"I'm offended, Princess." She met his eyes again and found him smirking, that wolfish grin that was reminiscent of his dog form lighting up his face. "It's almost like you don't know me at all. I'm a Marauder; breaking the rules is in my blood." He flicked her nose. "I wouldn't stop you. I'd help you." His face turned serious. "I do have to warn you though; it's a long, complicated process. You should only go through with it if you're ready to be one-hundred percent committed to seeing it through."

"You all did it to help Remus," she said, keeping her voice low. "I'm not ready to start right now, but maybe in a few weeks." She shifted her gaze to Remus. He was laughing at something James had said, too far away to hear their conversation. "I want to help him too."

Sirius smiled and kissed her. She kissed him back, glad that he was willing to help her and not hinder her in this new undertaking of hers. She'd been pondering it all summer, weighing the risks, but it all boiled down to one thing: she wanted to be there for Remus like the others were, in all ways.

Cassie pulled away, smiling, and glanced down to the drawing Sirius had unknowingly stopped at.

A black skull stared out at her from the page, its eyes dark and hollow and its mouth split into a wide grin. Acid-green serpents spilled from its eye sockets, its nostrils, its mouth. Cassie's stomach churned. She'd seen something similar before – the Dark Mark of Lord Voldemort. Inked into the flesh of her brother's left forearm. The Mark that was left above every place where the Death Eaters had terrorized and murdered, the same one that was splattered across the front pages of the Daily Prophet almost every week.

Sirius closed the book quickly upon realizing what had caught her attention. "Cass? You all right? You look faint."

"Fine," she murmured, dazed.

He reached for her. "Cass, I'm sorry you had to see that. I know—"

"I need air." She stepped back from him and pushed her way outside. The wind had picked up since they entered the shop. It tore at her hair, her clothes, but she barely felt it.

Nausea coiled in her gut. The Mark – that stupid bloody Mark. She'd had no idea she would react like that. But remembering the harsh black ink on Will's arm, remembering that day she'd stood with him in her family's tomb as he'd offered her the chance to destroy their world and start from scratch... It was too much. It was unbearable.

She paced a few feet down the sidewalk, the heels of her boots clunking dully against the pavement. On some impulse, she stopped and looked up from her feet – and saw a shadow standing at the edge of the sidewalk. Waiting for her.

The shadow turned and disappeared into the alley it stood at the entrance of. Cassie half-turned back to the tattoo parlor, her heart in her throat, but stopped. She stared into the shadows where the silhouette – the same silhouette she'd seen at the cinema – had gone.

She took out her wand and followed it.

The alley stank of garbage and urine, but she crept forward, her wand aloft. Rats scurried away from her feet, but she paid them no mind. She stopped just a few feet inside. Shadows stretched out before her, swallowing everything from sight. Only a sliver of moonlight and a shaft from one of the streetlamps offered her any clarity in the dark. She stood and listened, her ears and eyes straining.

And then she struck.

She whirled around, knocking into a solid, warm body, and shoved it back against the alley wall. The shadow grunted, but before it could run, Cassie was there, her hand wrapped around its throat and her wand poised over its heart.

"I should've known," she said, her wand and voice unwavering. "I can't say I'm thrilled to see you again, Avery."

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, the shadow took form: black hair, curled elegantly across a pale forehead; startlingly blue eyes; haughty, aristocratic features. Beautiful, is how she would have described him – if she didn't hate him with every fiber of her being.

"Cassie." She'd forgotten how soft his voice was. Even with a hand at his throat and a wand at his heart, his voice still sounded like silk running across sharpened steel. "Long time, no see."

She made a noise of disgust, but released his throat. Her wand stayed pointed at his chest. "Have you been following me?"

"Only tonight." He looked entirely unruffled admitting it. "I live nearby, you know; I get curious whenever our guards report there are other wizards and witches visiting the area."

"Your guards?" Cassie scoffed. Typical pure-bloods. The Sacred Twenty-Eight made her family seem downright normal. "Well, here I am, Avery. Your curiosity satisfied?"

"It appears so." He cast a disdainful look the way she came. "Tell your cubs I send them my regards."

He brushed aside her wand like it was a minor inconvenience and started walking toward the alley's entrance. Cassie sneered after him.

"Running away again? How predictable of you."

He stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn to face her.

Cassie stared at his back, all the pent-up anger and frustration she had kept tempered down that summer rising to the surface again.

"It seems all you do is run – from Carlisle, from me. From Voldemort." His shoulders stiffened, but still he did not turn. "Did you think about it this summer, Avery? What I asked you last term?" He said nothing. "Have you made your choice? Have you decided whose side you really fight for?"

"I fight for myself," he hissed, hands clenched at his sides.

"Then prove it. Show me you mean it, and I'll let you walk away."

Slowly, he turned to her. His eyes stood out like glowing chips of ice in the moonlight, his face stark against the shadows.

She stared at him, unflinching.

"What do you want me to prove, Cassie?" he growled. "I didn't attack your friends tonight. I haven't attacked you. I could easily drag you before the Dark Lord right now if I wanted to."

"Then why don't you?"

He smiled bitterly. "Maybe because I still have some last shred of hope inside me," he said. "For a better world. For me. For you." He took a deep breath. "For us."

He took a step closer to her. Cassie wanted to back away, but instead stood, rooted to the spot, as he slowly closed the distance between them. His eyes stayed on her face – so bright, so haunted.

She drew herself up as he stopped mere inches from her.

"I am not your savior," she spat.

"No," he murmured, "you're not," and kissed her.

He had kissed her before. It was a vague memory, clouded by Veritaserum and her desire for Sirius at the time, but she still remembered it: the way his hands had gripped her waist, the movement of his lips across hers. It'd been rough and uncomfortable; an act, to keep from raising anyone's suspicion if they were caught together.

But this time was different. This time, his hands were gentle and warm as they cupped her face. This time, his lips were soft, pressing into hers with careful intent, even when she did not respond. His scent wrapped around her: bergamot spice and sage. An unexpected but heady scent that lingered even after he pulled away.

"You are my hope, Cassie Alderfair," he said.

He walked away, and she let him.