Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any thing about Harry Potter and so on…yet.

Lily Evans looked carefully around the corner into the dark common room. She just wanted a midnight walk and she did not want to be sprung. She searched the room then concluded it was all clear.

"Evans. Fancy seeing you here at all times."

Lily groaned at the sound of James Potter's voice. He must have been hiding in an armchair, she thought. "What do you want Potter?" she asked him.

"You to go out with me." He laughed. "Nah. I can wait for that. I just want to know what you're doing here at this time of night."

"That's none of your business Potter," Lily replied sharply. "I'm free to do what I want to. Now, get out of my way." She pushed past him and walked to the portrait hole. She scrambled through into the corridor.

Lily took a deep breath of the cold night air coming through the window. Thank goodness she was out of that stuffy tower.

Lily walked silently around the castle that night, returning to Gryffindor Tower at two a. m. She always felt so much calmer about her life after her midnight walks.

"Back so soon, Evans?"

Lily jumped as she entered the common room. "My walk lasted two hours, Potter, isn't that long enough?"

"Hmmm…" said James thoughtfully. "Not sure about that one. I suppose that's personal preference. Now, what are you doing tomorrow? Going to Hogsmeade? With me?"

"As if, Potter. Just let me go to bed, would you?"

"If you didn't go for midnight walks so much, you wouldn't be so tired."

Lily was startled. Nobody but her and her dormitory mate, Nichloe, knew about her midnight walks. "How did you know…?"

"Ahhh, Evans, one day I shall tell you of how I am in places where I can't be seen. But for now, it's my little secret. As I was saying, are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow with me?"

"No, Potter, I am not. Get the stupid idea of you and I going out, out of your head." With that, Lily strode up the girls' spiral staircase to her dormitory.

When she entered the room, Lily closed the door behind her and collapsed onto her bed.

"Back, are we?" her dormitory mate, Nichloe, asked sleepily.

"Yes, Nichloe."

"Good." Nichloe rolled over and fell asleep, snoring loudly.

For the past five years, Nichloe's snores had been Lily's lullaby. But tonight they kept her awake.

"Nichloe?" Lily said into the darkness after an hour of restless sleep. "Nichloe?"

Nichloe didn't wake up.

Lily picked up her wand and muttered an icy wind spell.

Nichloe shot awake, shivering. "There are other ways of waking me up, you know. There's the always reliable 'shake-awake' and…"

"Nichloe, do you think I should go out with Potter today? Like go to Hogsmeade with him?"

Nichloe stared at Lily. "You're seriously considering this?"

"So what if I am, Nichloe?"

Nichloe shrugged. "Ok. Just forget it. But Lily, I can't make decisions about your love life. You have to make up your own mind."

"You're always such a great help, Nichloe."

"You're welcome," yawned Nichloe. "Can I go back to sleep now?"

"No. Because you didn't help me."

"Oh, Lily. Go with him if you really want to. I don't know anything about asking boys out or accepting their offers of dates."

"Yeah, I probably should have realized that. Considering you won't ask Sirius out, and you want me to do it for you."

"Shut up," groaned Nichloe and she feebly chucked a pillow at Lily.

"You've always been such a good shot, Nichloe."

"Stop insulting me."

"Oh, I can't now. It's helping me so much. You should ask Sirius out Nichloe."

"Make me."

"Note to self – make Nichloe ask Sirius out today."

"You can't."

"Can."

"Lily, you can't."

"You know nothing of my will power."

"Then I'll make you go with Potter today."

"Nichloe!"

"Hey! You're doing the same to me…just a different person." Nichloe thought for a moment.

"Although…if I did make you go out with Black…"

"Don't you dare!" cried Lily and she began chucking pillows at Nichloe. "He's a jerk!"

"Thanks! I'd like to go out with him you know!" Nichloe chucked pillows right back at Lily.

The two girls continued their pillow fight until breakfast.

They walked into the Great Hall yawning widely.

Nichloe gave Lily a sudden push and Lily found herself sitting next to James.

She gave Nichloe a desperate look, but Nichloe just grinned at her and pointed at Sirius next to her.

Lily groaned and stabbed at her breakfast. She could hear Nichloe talking about something completely random with Sirius. And, judging by the look on his face, he had no idea either.

Nichloe always did that when talking with boys.

"So, may I ask, why are you sitting next to me, Evans?"

"They call it 'friendly force'," replied Lily.

"Does that mean Nichloe pushed you to sit next to me?"

"Well done! The boy gets 1000 Galleons!"

"Huh?" asked James, not understanding.

"Oh, forget it Potter."

James was silent for a moment then, "So are you coming with me to Hogsmeade today, Evans?"

"No," said Lily bluntly.

"Oh, ok," said James, disappointed. "Who are you going with then?"

"Either by myself or with Nichloe."

James thought for a moment then leaned into Lily's ear and whispered, "Does Nichloe like Sirius?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

Lily began to listen to what Nichloe was saying to Sirius. She was talking about carrots.

"Don't you think carrots are great Sirius?" she was saying.

Sirius looked at a loss of what to say.

"They're so orange and my mum says that they help you see in the dark."

Sirius looked really confused now.

Luckily for him, Nichloe was cut off as the owl post arrived.

Lily's owl, Windsong, swooped down and dropped a package in front of her. Then he turned around and flew to the Owlery.

Nichole's tawny owl dropped a letter in front of her. Nichloe picked it up, opened it and began to read, her eyes scanning the parchment.

A smile spread over her face. Then her eyes began to sparkle.

"Who's it from, Nichloe?" Lily asked her.

"My sister, Annabelle. She says she loves her new job."

"That's great."

"She's even written about something funny that happened to her the other day."

"What does your sister do, Nichloe?" Sirius asked her. This was something he could talk about.

"Well, uh. She, um…" Nichloe stuttered.

Sirius waited patiently.

Nichloe took a deep breath. "She works at Zonko's, she does the unpacking of new stock, she puts it on the shelf and she evens gets to be a saleswoman sometimes," she said in a rush.

"Hey, that actually sounds like a pretty cool job," said Sirius. "Is she going to be there today? At the counter?"

Nichloe read the letter again. "Yeah, she says she is. Lily, do want come with me and meet her?"

Lily smiled. "Oh, yes please, Nichloe."

"C'mon. We'd better get going," said Nichloe.