Annoyingly, my search for any trace of Glenn had brought back nothing so far. This time, I was alone on it; usually I would have gone to Dorcas, and at times, I almost wrote her letters before remembering they would simply be returned unopened after a few days.

A few days ago, I'd gone back to her house for the first time, strolling around the neat ordered flat that she'd been confined, probably being forced to order it just to stay the same. It hadn't even felt like her house, all empty and bare but I'd forced myself throw it for her sake. It was the first place where I could find leads on Glenn after all.

But I'd got nothing.

It was as if someone had come through and meticulously erased all evidence of their relationship. If you looked in mine and James's room, you'd find little notes and trinkets, picture of the two of us together, just evidence that we'd been together at all. But in her flat, there was nothing; whether it had been taken or it had never been there at all, I wasn't sure.

Ideally, I would have spent more time there, checking every cupboard thoroughly before it was cleaned out in a few weeks but I had a husband to spend time with, who took as much priority as my plan. Today, I had originally marked it aside for a thorough combing of Dorcas's flat but at the last moment, Sirius and Remus had announced that they had other plans for us.

"Lily, James," Sirius said, a large piece of pancake balanced precariously on the end of his fork, "We have an announcement."

"We think we've found a place we like," Remus finished.

"Remus, I thought I was going to tell them," Sirius said, looking somewhat aghast.

"Sorry, I just couldn't help myself," Remus said, taking another bite of his pancakes, "But we've booked another viewing at twelve and it would mean the world if you came to see it with us."

"Sure," I replied, "James, you up for that?"

He looked up quickly, shaking his head a little as if getting back into reality, "Huh? What? Yes... wait, what's happening?"

"Sirius and Remus have found a place and hey want us to come and look with them," I replied, "You okay with that?"

He paused for a moment, his brow furrowing a little before nodding. He didn't continued to face his pancakes for a few moments before abruptly looking up, "Yes, I would be okay with that."

Although he hadn't said anything to Remus or Sirius, he'd secretly confided with me that he was having some trouble dealing with it in his mind. From what I could tell, he was predictably alright with the fact Sirius and Remus were both men but the sudden shift in dynamic had stumped him somewhat. For as long as he could remember, they'd been a band of four brother and although with the sudden disappearance of Peter, they'd somewhat disbanded, in his mind that was how they would always remain. Now for two of his brothers to be dating, the whole thing seemed to have slightly baffled him. Still, he was trying, faking it until eventually he wouldn't feel the uncertainty and confusion.

For once, Sirius and Remus didn't disappear off early and the four of us apparated together at twelve, making me yet again feel nostalgic to the dynamic we were about to lose. For a moment, I suddenly freaked out that we were going to apparate in front of an estate agent or something but Sirius and Remus clearly had been there a few times, knowing the place well enough that they made sure we arrived in a surprisingly sleek emergency exit staircase.

Just from the lobby and staircases, I could tell this place was high class: Sirius would settle for no less. Unlike the shabby chic of the converted house turned flat we lived in, this place was modern, a tall concrete building with large octagonal windows stretching from floor to ceiling. It felt odd to think this brutalist building could soon become such a key place in my life and I felt a vague shiver down my spine as we walked up the stairs.

"Geez, you two, how high up are you?" I asked, around the fourth flight of stairs.

"Not long now..." Remus replied ominously and me and James exchanged a look of I'm getting too old for this which was ridiculous considering we weren't even twenty yet. It suddenly occurred to me that maybe Sirius's decadence extended beyond the building; he wouldn't just settle for any old floor... he would have the top and nothing else. My suspicions were confirmed as we came to the end of the staircases, Sirius's smug smile intensified by a million.

"Don't we have to wait for an estate agent or something..." I asked as he confidently approached the door.

"No, they gave us the keys to have a look around ourselves," Sirius replied, "Not that we need them."

"But we will use them," Remus replied firmly, "I told you, magic can weaken magical locks over time."

"But it's fun..." Sirius moaned.

"Can we just go in?" James asked, sliding in between them, "I don't care if we magically unlock, use keys or ram it down."

Sirius's eyes lit up but Remus quickly glared, "No, no ramming it down, damn it, Prongs, why would you even suggest that?"

James shrugged, him and Sirius exchanging a smile, "Sorry, Moony, I forgot that Padfoot is incapable of detecting when things aren't... Sirius."

"You did not just do that," Sirius said, shaking his head as Remus gave me a weary look before unlocking the door with the keys.

The interior of the flat was eerily similar to Marlene's, so modern and a la mode that it could have been torn out of a magazine. As we walked in, I noticed both Sirius and Remus's nose wrinkle in disgust and I sensed that if they bought the flat there would be a quick redecoration. It took me a few moments, to realise how large the place was, the living room alone stretching for meters, a balcony running along the entire thing.

"This is where you guys are going to be living?" James said, his jaw dropping open, "Wow, take me with you... I'm joking of course, I understand that this is your space but I will be popping by rather a lot."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Remus laughed.

"And look at that stove..." James took a few steps towards the open plan kitchen, "Look at all those hobs, think of all the pancakes I could make..."

His pace quickened as he ran towards the stove and Remus's teeth gritted together.

"Remus, don't make that face," I laughed, "He's fine."

"What if tries to make pancakes on the hob?"

"So?"

"Well, it's not connected," Remus said.

"He could use magic," Sirius suggested which only made Remus's eyes widen further, "Go keep him company if you're worried."

Remus nodded slowly before making his way over, leaving me and Sirius alone.

"There's a killer view from the balcony," Sirius said, after a pause, "Want to come and see it?"

"Go on then."

We made our way over to the glass doors, and with a quick look on either side to see if Remus was watching, Sirius magically unlocked it and we stepped out. The winds were harsher up high, pulling my hair around so it prickled and lashed my face but the view was more than worth it. It was located near the Thames which meant you could see across to the buildings on the other side and although it didn't compare to the view from Hogwarts, it was still pretty damn amazing.

"You lucky bastard," I murmured, leaning on the balcony edge, "Seeing this everyday."

"If we get the place," He replied, leaning next to me, casually pulling a cigarette out of his bag and lighting it with his wand, "You know, we told the real estate agent we were brothers."

"And she believed you?"

"Not until we said we were adopted, no," He replied, "Luckily we're persuasive though and I'm a good liar."

"Why didn't you tell her the truth?"

He raised a quizzical eyebrow at me, "What sort of question is that?"

"Sorry."

"Anyway, I brought you out here to check on you," He replied.

"Why are you checking on me?" I asked stiffly, straightening up a little.

"I don't know, you tell me," He replied, "It's just you... hard to explain really without sounding weird. I guess I was just checking how you're doing after Dorcas's death because you sneak out a lot - "

"You can talk," I huffed.

"Not judging, not judging, simply observing," He replied quickly, "And I just wasn't sure if it were connected."

After a long pause, I shrugged, "It might be."

"What do you mean?"

Although I wasn't going to tell him everything, an abridged version wouldn't hurt, "I go to her house sometimes. Try and figure how it happened."

"I get that," He replied, taking a long drag from his cigarette, the smoke billowing serenely as it got caught in the breeze, "And?"

"Nothing," I replied, "I just want to ... talk to him."

"Talk to him... creative way of saying beat up," He sniggered.

"But there's nothing, it's as if he doesn't want to be found."

"Well, he doesn't," Sirius replied, "He's a deatheater and an arsehole and his girlfriend was just murdered. He's hardly going to want to stop by for a chat."

"I just want to try and figure it out," I sighed, "Get some closure on it."

"Damn, you're making me feel bad about leaving," He replied.

An idea suddenly occurred to me, and I turned to Sirius who raised an eyebrow at me, "Sirius..."

"You look devious."

"I need to find him," I said bluntly, "But I'm getting nowhere with her house. I need your help."

"How can I be of service?" He said, giving a mock bow, "I am at your disposal - "

"I need you to get in touch with Regulus."

At this, the smile faded from his face, "No."

"Please? I need help, I need to find him."

"I can't," He replied stiffly.

"Can't or won't?"

After a pause, he mumbled, "Both."

"Sirius, please?" I begged, "I need to find Glenn, Regulus might know something. Imagine it was Peter or James who was killed - "

"Don't say that," Sirius replied quickly, visibly shivering at the thought although it could also have been the breeze.

"You would need this too," I replied simply, "We work the same in ways, and I know you know where I'm coming from. Sirius, please, I'm asking you as a friend to help me."

After a long pause he turned to me, "No promises, okay?"

"So is that a yes?" I asked and he shrugged.

"It's a no promises," He replied simply, "And for now, it's all I can give."