Sirius sat down on the porch, the sun was just starting to go down She turned around and smiled at him before leaning down, her red hair falling all around her, as she picked up the little crying boy with shaggy black hair.

"What did mommy tell you Noah?" She asked him placing him on her hip.

Noah looked up at her, wiping his big grey eyes, "That it would bite me." She said snuggling closer to his mother.

"That's why we don't play with the gnomes, no matter what daddy says." She told him sending a death glare (and a wink) at Sirius. "Now let me see your finger." The boy held up his pudgy little finger and Lily examined it before giving it a kiss. "I think you're going to survive."

"Promise?" He asked her.

"Promise." She told him kissing his head and setting him down. "Now go get ready for bed." The little boy ran inside and Lily made her way to Sirius smiling. "I told you he shouldn't play with the gnomes." She said sitting on Sirius lap.

Sirius woke with a start looking around the dorm. Everyone else was still asleep. His heart was beating and he thanked God James couldn't read minds. He grabbed a shirt off the floor and headed downstairs. Sirius had been having these dreams about Lily for months now. And as luck would have it she was sitting downstairs by herself, the only other people were a group of third year girls who smiled at Sirius and giggled.

Sirius sat down in the chair next to Lily.

She looked up from her book, "You sure you don't want to sit next to your fan club?" She said motioning vaguely towards the girls.

"I'm sure." Sirius said stupidly. For the first time in his life Sirius didn't know what to say. "So um, are you going home for vacation."

"Nope." Lily said not even bothering to look up, unlike most girls Lily was not, nor had ever been, charmed by Sirius Black. This however only made Sirius want her more.

"How come? Is everything okay."

With a sigh Lily closed the book she was reading. "My parents won some vacation and are going on it together. I'm staying here. And how about you Black, are you staying here for vacation?" She asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You've met Regulus haven't you?" He asked.

"Yeah…"

"Would you want to spend a week living in the room next to him?"

Lily cracked a smile, "I see your point. Is it true about his friends plan on joining up with You-Know-Who?"

Sirius wished he had information to give her, something interesting to say. He finally had her attention and all he could tell her was, "I don't know. I honestly don't talk to Reg unless I have to."

"My sister doesn't like me either." Lily said sadly. She pushed a piece of hair out of her eyes and turned towards Sirius. He was aware of the eyes of the third years staring at them. "It's cause I'm a witch. Honestly I think she's jealous."

"Well of course she is. Can you blame her?" Sirius asked, his heart, he feared, was literally going to pound right out of his chest. It was something of an almost Christmas miracle that she couldn't hear it.

"I guess not but she doesn't need to be nasty does she?" Lily asked. "I mean, I didn't choose to be this way."

"You wouldn't think my family would be nasty because I'm not evil, but they are." Sirius said giving her what he hoped was his most charming smile, and she smiled back, a real genuine smile and this time he was almost sure he was having a heart attack. Sure James liked her but James also liked Madeline Verity and he made out with her in a broom closet. He knew truthfully Madeline wasn't the same thing but what was he supposed to do, he couldn't make her leave his head and he was allowed to have a conversation with whomever he wanted. 'Quit thinking about James' He told himself, pushing his best mate out of his head.

"I never though we'd have anything in common." Lily said her green eyes twinkling.

"Padfoot darling!" James said bounding down the stairs, "And the most charming Evans! How are you today my dear?" He asked offering her a low bow.

"Sod off." Lily said picking her book back up and offering Sirius the slightest of sad smiles.

"Whatever you want dear." James said turning his attention back to Sirius. "I think I've found another secret passageway and I want to check it out before Wormtail wakes up, you know how clumsy he is. Care to join me?"

"Of course my darling Prongs." Sirius said, and with a stab of regret he followed James out of the common room only glancing back at Lily once.

"The whole break alone with Evans? You are so lucky!" James said crawling along the passageway. "My stupid parents make me come home. I was looking forward to it, but to think I could be snogging Evans the whole time. It seems such a shame."

"Mate I really don't think she wants to snog you." Sirius said trying not to think about the dream he had last night, and certainly not of the conversation earlier. "Are you sure this ever ends?"

"I think I see light ahead." James said. "Yeah. Oh here's something. Ouch!" And the two boys came out in the back of Honeydukes.

"Amazing." Sirius said, looking around in awe.

Sirius and Lily were two of the four people staying in Gryffindor for Christmas. The other two were a pair of twin first year girls. Grabbing James' Invisibility Cloak and praying that Lily was in a good mood Sirius made his way downstairs. He made his way to the stairs that lead up to the girls dormitory. Once last year he had tried to sneak up to the girls dormitory on a dare and learned the hard way that they turned into a slide. The hard part being that McGonagall had been about to come down at the time and was not pleased to see him in a heap at the bottom.

"EVANS! EVANS!" Sirius yelled up the stairs. "LILY EVANS!"

"What?" Lily said sticking her head around the corner. "Is something wrong?"

"Not even close." Sirius gave her his best smile. "Want to go on an adventure."

"With you?"

"No with the giant squid. Yes with me."

"I don't know Sirius." Lily said.

She said his name. Sirius. It sounded so sweet…. 'Snap out of it.' "Come on live a little."

"Are we going to get in trouble?" She asked raising her eyebrow.

"Only if we get caught." He said and on a whim he threw the invisibility cloak over himself.

"No way!" She said bounding down the stairs and knocking into Sirius who had, purposefully, moved into her path. "Where did you get this?" She asked taking the cloak and holding it in her slender hands.

"It's James. Now are you ready to go."

"I'm going to regret this. I just know it." Lily said.

And that was how it all began.