Teresa sat at the Gryffindor table next to Lily, leaning on one as she gazed anxiously at Professor Dumbledore. She had just been admitted to Hogwarts as a fourth-year due to the accidental destruction of San Francisco's school of magic by a group of alumni.

"Calm down, Resa, I can see you sweating. After this, we can unpack."

"I'm just afraid he'll mention me, or make me say something."

"Dumbledore?" The redhead let out a short, soft laugh before linking arms with her friend. "No, he wouldn't do that to you. He'd be more likely to award us points for accepting you." Teresa grinned.

"You should've had to pay to get me. I was going to pick Ravenclaw."

"Pick?"

"I tried talking to the little hat, and we had a long conversation. In Professor Dumbledore's office."

"You sound like you're in love."

"He was a rather nice shade of taupe…" Lily flicked her hand with two of her fingers.

"Don't you dare go hooking up with the Sorting Hat, Resa. Think of those poor little first-years who'll have to put it on after you've gone and absolutely desecrated it."

"As if I'd give my first kiss to a hat."

"In comparison to some of the people here, the hat'd be a good choice."

"I thought some of the Ravenclaws were cute. And a few of the Gryffindors."

"Oh God, I forgot to tell you, whatever you do, do not interact with J-"

"Miss me?" The two girls whipped around to see a dark-haired boy with beautiful blue eyes and his tall, black-haired companion, who had dark coffee brown eyes.

"James, please leave us alone. I don't want to start this all over again."

"Me neither. Let's pick up where we left off, out next to the lake-" His eyes flickered to Teresa, who was staring confusedly between Lily and James and his friend. "Hey, I'm James. Are you new here?"

"We could always show you the sights," drawled the black-haired one. Theresa cocked an eyebrow and started to open her mouth as Lily grabbed her arm.

"Resa and I are going to the restroom."

"We'd love to join you," grinned James, moving closer to them.

"Not a great place to get to know each other. I like the Room of Requirement better. More room to move around," he finished, smiling roguishly. Noticing Lily shooting James a glare, she opened her mouth.

"It'd be great if you moved away from us, actually," snarked Teresa, standing up with Lily, "It was nice meeting you; I hope it never happens again." Smiling innocently, she and Lily brushed past them towards the exit.

James looked at Sirius. Sirius looked at James.

"Jesus, that girl's got a mouth," muttered James, running a hand through his hair.

"I bet she can do more than talk with it," grinned Sirius, wiggling his eyebrows. Remus held his head in his hands and rolled his eyes as the two began talking about the new girl. Peter stared at them with adoration plainly written across his face, Remus going through all the apologies he would have to make to the poor girls throughout the year.

"They get progressively more annoying as the year goes by."

"I think that James guy likes you, Lily," remarked Theresa, "Have you given him a chance?"

"He's just such an asshole to Sev and all the other quiet kids."

"Maybe he's trying to catch your attention?"

"Well he's not going about it the right way."

"I'm going to tell him," she teased, "You like him!"
"He is the most annoying, conceited, arrogant brat I have ever had the pain of meeting!" The two walked up a spiral staircase towards the Gryffindor Common Room. "I've never skipped the ceremony. D'you think they'll notice we're gone?"

"If we get caught, do you think we could just say you had a feminine emergency?"

"And how would we prove that?"

"Lemme punch you, Lily. Then we can wipe a maxi pad all over your face."

"I'm going to punch you in a minute, Resa."

"See! You're hormonal already!"

Sirius kicked his feet up on the dining table and leaned back on two legs of his chair. James did the same, while Peter tried to copy them and ended up promptly falling out of his chair. Remus drummed his fingers on the tabletop across from them.

"God, she was cute," muttered James, smiling and looking up at the ceiling.

"Theresa?" asked Sirius, raising an eyebrow defensively, "She'll be fun." Remus leaned his head back and glared at him.

"Don't tell me you're going to ditch Georgie! She's staring at you right now!" Sirius casually glanced over at a pretty blonde Hufflepuff, who, making eye contact with him after he winked, giggled and began chattering with a group of her friends. "You promised her you'd wait over break."

"I did. Break's over. She's gotten a bit clingy, and it's only been an hour."

"Well, what'll be your excuse this time?"

"Probably same as the others."

"Every girl in our House and Hufflepuff knows you never stick around. She doesn't. Only the Ravenclaws are intelligent enough to keep you at arms distance."

"Lily's clean," squawked James, dropping his chair so it rested firmly on the ground.

"Yeah, yeah, she's a bit too uptight for me, mate."

"Thank God for that."

Teresa and Lily heard footsteps pounding down the hallway towards the entrance, signalling the Sorting was over. The portrait hole opened to allow a swarm of wizards and witches into the room, filling every single couch, bean bag, and chair. Teresa, eyes taking everything in, briefly exchanged glances with Sirius, who winked and lounged in the loveseat across from her, long legs opened towards her. She rolled her eyes as a faint pink tinge crept up her neck. God, he's cute. A brown-eyed boy next to him glared at him before mouthing 'I'm sorry' to her and sighing. She grinned back at him before focusing on James, who was now standing on a table.

"Will all the first-years please stand up? I need a head count, that's all." Approximately ten small wizards and witches stood up confusedly, worry written across their faces. "Alright, so it's tradition for the firsties to...take a bath...as sort of proof they really are Gryffindors. Teresa felt Lily shift uncomfortably next to her.

"We'll have to help them in a moment. James is being a git again."

"We'll be heading down to the Lake now! Firsties, please line up at the door." Almost every single other Gryffindor excluding Teresa, Lily, and the brown-haired wizard was either smiling or laughing. "Ready kids?"

"James?" called Lily, beckoning him over with her finger coquettishly as she stood up and walked towards the girls' dormitory. "Could I talk to you for a second?" Teresa shot her a confused look as the two walked out of the room amidst ooh's and ahh's. She blinked in surprise as Sirius sat down next to her and leaned in towards her face. Shifting her legs slightly away from his so their limbs weren't pressing together as much, she sighed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name this morning? I'm Sirius."

"Teresa." He snorted.

"Don't you have a nickname?"

"Only my friends use my nickname."

"Which is?"

"Resa."

"Sounds like a nun's name, for God's sake." She fought back a smile at his disgusted look.

"Maybe I'm training to be a nun."

"They don't allow the hot ones to be nuns, Tessa."

"Excuse me?"

"I've made a nickname for you as part of our blossoming friendship," he declared, smiling roguishly and ignoring Remus' snort. "You're now Tessa. Or Tessie. Tess. My God, you're a bloody dictionary."

"Are you calling me fat, now?" she teased, not fighting the grin that threatened to cut her face in half.

"You're a mind reader, Tessa." She elbowed him in the gut.

"You're an asshole."

"A friendly one, though."