“Hello, nice to meet you.” Lily said kindly.

“Lily is a beautiful name.” James blurted out stupidly. Immediately Lily’s pleasant smile dropped from her face and was replaced by an uncomfortable looking frown as Sirius snorted in laughter.

“I am not a midget. I’m eleven. I’m supposed to be short.” Samantha shot back. “Unlike you, are eleven year olds supposed to have noses that big?” Samantha asked, causing Sirius’ smirk to drop into a scowl.

“I do not have a big nose.”

“Do to.”

“Do not.”

“Do to.”

“Oh. My. Godric.” Marlene breathed.

“What? I don’t see anything! Who are you talking about?” Lily asked, trying to find who Marlene was staring at.

“Oi, Hart, do all girls where pajamas like that?” Sirius asked his friend, who was still crouching behind James, completely forgotten by Lily.

“Shut up Gonzo.” Samantha stuck her tongue out at him and Sirius just laughed loudly.

“Stop staring!” Lily shouted at James, who was still in a stupor.

“Er, Marcus, I think we should go…” Lily suggested as she also began to gather her things. James looked at her in shock.

“Why? We were having a lovely time! Besides, your lunch hasn’t even arrived yet!” James said, his own date, Karen from Ravenclaw, looking at him with disappointment.

“I didn’t order lunch.” She said, hurrying even more now to get out of there.

“Samantha, I’m sure they’ll get over this. They’ll have to understand.” John said, reaching out to hug his sister. She only flinched away.

“No. No, he deserves to be angry. I deserve everything he said to me. I never should have lied to him like this.” she said, and before her brothers could try and comfort her anymore Samantha had stormed out of the kitchen, needing to be alone.

“How many school rules have you broken?” She snapped at him.

“Er, well, I couldn’t tell you. But since you’re prefect and all, you should know.” Lily’s eyes widened in shock. James had very nearly just talked back to her, causing her to be speechless.

“Shh, if we’re caught we’ll be murdered!” Samantha hissed as they crept along the hall of the boys’ dormitory.

“Oh calm down Sami. Sirius and James are both at quidditch practice and Remus and Peter are in the library.” Marlene said.

“Why are we doing this? I have no interest in seeing their dorm.” Lily snapped, looking behind her to check (for the seventeenth time) that no one was around.

“Lily?!” Every single one of them chorused as James fell to floor in complete shock that all of his wildest fantasies were actually coming true.

Hesitantly Lily crossed the threshold into the boys’ dorm and waved at each of them, deciding she’d rather ignore James who was on the floor wrapped in blankets.

“So you also know that the apocalypse is coming. You can see it outside, trees are on fire and the Giant Squid is practically slithering across the front lawn!” Samantha said dramatically, even pointing out the window.

“Right.”

“Sirius Orion Black! What the hell is the matter with you?!” Samantha suddenly snapped as she thumped him on the head with her text book.

“Sirius, if you get caught do you have any idea how much trouble you’d be putting yourself in? And what about Sami?” Remus hissed, lowering his voice as he heard someone outside of the compartment.

“Oh sod off, I do not fancy him, never have, never will.” Samantha and Marlene only sighed. “While I may admit that he’s growing on me a bit I don’t think I could ever see myself in a romantic relationship with him”

“Liar, I caught you ogling his bum the other day with my own eyes.”

“Marls, just give me a minute. Please?” he seemed to beg, the look of confidence he had when he had first come over completely gone now.

“Remus. I do not want to talk to you.” She hissed at him and Lily and Samantha swallowed audibly as they watched Remus’ face turn into one of irritation. This could not be good.

“Sweet Merlin, when am I going to find a bloke like you two have?” Lily asked, frowning at Marlene who only smirked.

“Lils, you’ve already found him. It’s just a matter of admitting that you’re incredibly attracted to him and desperately want to rip his clothes off as much as Sami wants to do to Sirius.”

“You can take that goofy grin off you face Padfoot. We have things to discuss.” James said easily when he stood next to his best friend, Remus right behind him smiling smugly.

“What goofy grin?” Sirius asked as he continued to look towards the staircase, said ‘goofy grin’ still on his face.

“Hurt my feelings? Sirius Black, you’ve called me fat, stupid, incompetent, clumsy and loud more times than I can count. How exactly would this have hurt my feelings?” She asked, raising her eyebrow at him as Sirius looked decidedly uncomfortable.

“Well, we might as well ask them now that we’re up here! We’ve got nothing else to lose.”

“Except our dignity.” Marlene muttered.

“Where were you that whole time?” She asked again.

“Oh, I can breathe underwater.” He stated simply and Lily scoffed.

“Be serious Potter.”

“Well Prongs, I doubt you and Evans will be ready to move in together that quickly, so having somewhere to stay in between would be very smart don’t you think?” Sirius replied.

“We’ll talk later. Right now, I have to make my lady love fall in love with me.” James said, and Sirius sighed.

“You’ve got to stop calling her that mate.”

“Are you gonna snog him?” Samantha blurted out, and Lily’s cheeks instantly turned red.

“Well, I mean…um, that all depends on…and if—well, it really matters if…”

“You’re just a kid! You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into!” Patrick was practically shouting now.

“Well, where is she then?” Marlene asked, only taking a moment to understand the nervous hesitation in Lily.

“I don’t know, but I just don’t feel right about it.” Lily mused, once again looking to Samantha’s bed. Definitely not slept in.

“Sirius, I’m sorry.” She said flatly, swallowing down another sob as she willed herself to step away from him, but her body couldn’t. She had never been able to resist him and now was no exception.

“Professor, they deserve a life better than the one they’re about to embark on, better than one surrounded by death and fear.”

Dumbledore paused, pressing his finger gently against his chin as he nodded, his eyes watching Samantha shrewdly.

“James Potter, you’re awful.” Lily laughed, as she slid off his knee into the now vacant seat.

“Eh, that’s nothing Evans. I suggested he fight him.” Sirius said, a broad smile on his face.