A/N: This was going to be a one shot, but it was just too long, so… Please R&R!
Sirius walked down the crowded corridor, grinning. He loved Hogwarts, where he could get away from his stupid Gryffindor-hating family. James Potter was on his right side and Remus Lupin was on his left. On James's other side was Peter Pettigrew. Sirius could tell without looking that Remus was laughing at some stupid but great joke, and that Peter was scurrying along, trying to look like he belonged with these amazingly cool people. He also knew that James was grinning at girls as they passed. Sirius wouldn't have been surprised to see a couple of them faint. It wouldn't have been the first time.
"Earth to Padfoot," James was saying softly. "Here she comes."
Sirius shook his shaggy hair out of his eyes, tempted to start laughing at his best friend. "I don't care about her. You are the mental one." He watched the three girls walking toward them. Lily Evans was giggling with her friends; Mary and another Gryffindor girl who Sirius didn't know well.
James had his eyes glued to Lily. "Kali!" she was laughing. "And here I thought you were smart!"
The girl Sirius didn't know, Kali, sniffed theatrically. "Oh, please, Lily."
"Come on," Mary smirked, tossing her brown hair over her shoulder. "That was the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
James grinned at Lily. "And how are you?" he asked politely, interrupting their conversation. Sirius watched Lily's reaction for a moment. James's effect on girls really was hilarious.
"Hello, Kali," Sirius said pleasantly when he got tired of watching Lily blush. Kali was tall, with broad shoulders and blond hair that reached just past her earlobes. She had the look of someone who was strong, driven, and smart. He wondered how he had never noticed her, seeing as she was in his house. And she had a very commanding presence.
"Go away, Sirius." She flipped her hair behind her ear, grabbed Lily by the wrist, and dragged her off along with Mary, rolling her eyes.
James turned to watch them go. "Wow," he sighed after Lily.
"Ouch," Remus commented.
"What?" asked Sirius.
"That," Remus explained, "has to be to one and only girl in the whole school who doesn't like you."
"She knew my name," Sirius pointed out. "She can't hate me that much."
"I know the name of Snivilus," James snorted. "And I hate him that much. Besides, you are in the same house. It's not that weird that she heard your name a couple of times during the last three years." Sirius sighed. James had a point. It didn't stop him from thinking about Kali all the way back to the Gryffindor common room, though.
xxxxxxxxxxx
Kali dragged Lily to an empty corridor, Mary still right behind them. "Honestly, Lily," Kali sighed when they stopped. "Will you get a grip?"
"What?" Lily huffed, swinging her red hair, cheeks still flaming from their encounter with James.
"You can't go on like that forever," Kali said. "Your reaction to him really is pathetic."
"It is not," Lily objected. "He's an arrogant git."
"Just keep telling yourself that." Kali rolled her eyes.
"What about Sirius Black?" Mary asked Kali deviously.
Now it was Kali's turn to get offended. "Him? That idiot? Why would I ever want to associate with him?"
"'Me thinkest thou dost protest too much'," Mary quoted, smirking outright.
"God, please, no Shakespeare!" Kali cried, covering her ears.
"We don't need to hear about your aversion to timeless classics," Lily sniffed.
"We don't need to hear Shakespeare."
"Back to the point," Mary cut in.
"Please, I don't even want to think about him," Kali groaned.
"I thought you liked him," Lily said mischievously. "But I wasn't really sure…until now."
"What?!?" Kali shrieked.
"You don't put energy into people you don't like. And you don't bother thinking up insults for them."
"Oh, just shut up," Kali muttered crossly.
"We win!" cried Mary triumphantly. "You do like him!"
Kali glared at them. "If you say anything to anyone, the Great Hall will be decorated with your insides the next morning. And I am not saying I like him!" she added hastily.
"Right." Lily rolled her eyes. "Come on, we'll be late for class."
xxxxxxxxxxx
Lily, Mary, and Kali slid into their seats before Professor McGonagall came into the classroom. Sirius watched them as they laughed over some joke. Well, Mary and Lily laughed; Kali scowled. At one point, all three of them glanced over at him. For some reason, the sight of him sent them into a fit of giggles. Kali rolled her eyes and tucked a bit of blond hair behind her ear, shaking her head, but he saw that she was still looking his way. He smiled charmingly at her, and she gave him a disgusted look and turned back to her friends. God, she was pretty.
Kali tried to pay attention to McGonagall, but she couldn't concentrate properly. She could practically feel Sirius's eyes boring into her back, and was tempted to turn around and glare at him.
Near the end of class, Professor McGonagall made an announcement. "You are going to be doing a project for me." The whole class groaned. McGonagall chose not to pay attention to that. "You will get with your partner tonight and…" Kali didn't hear the rest. Great. Partners. No doubt chosen by the teacher, so she was almost guaranteed not to be with her friends. She sighed and tuned back in. "The partners will be…" McGonagall stared naming people off. "Mary McDowell and Remus Lupin." Mary tried to suppress a smile. She'd had a crush on Lupin for ages, for reasons unknown to Kali. "Lily Evans and Peter Pettigrew." Lily almost groaned. Kali felt sorry for her; just about anybody would be better than the rat-like Pettigrew. "Kali Spinner and Sirius Black." Kali did groan. So much for her 'Pettigrew is the worst possible partner' theory.
"Is something wrong, Miss Spinner?" the professor asked sharply.
"No," Kali replied, keeping her voice even. "I'm fine."
McGonagall continued pairing partners up, but Kali wasn't listening. Great, she thought. I had to get Sirius Black. I'm dead. Sunk. Ugh.
Sirius couldn't help grinning to himself when he heard Kali's name paired with his own. Kali and Sirius. It had kind of a nice ring to it. Just then, Kali turned in her seat to glare at him. It was a look that said, "Don't get any ideas, buddy. I can hex you half way to the moon and still get and 'Outstanding' on this project, and I will if I have to." He smirked at her. It was actually kind of impressive how much girls could say with a look that would have just said, "I hate you," on a guy's face. He laughed silently to himself at how angry she was. He had heard her groan when McGonagall had announced the pairing. This was going to be fun.
A/N: I hope you liked this! There is only going to be one more chapter, and I'll update as soon as it's written (could be a while. I'm working on 'When did This Happen') Please please please review! Maybe it will make me write faster. You never know.
-k