Chapter

Lily walked with Mary into the Great Hall. They picked seats at the Gryffindor table, and immersed themselves in conversation while they awaited sorting and the start of term feast. Lily was too busy looking across the hall to find Severus to notice when James dropped into the seat beside her, closely followed by Sirius, a few minutes later.

"Evans! How was your summer?" James asked, Lily glanced at him and sighed.

"It was fine," She turned back to Mary. James look irritated, he could not be shook off this easily.

"Everything all right, Evans?"

"Everything is just fine, Potter. I just heard what you did to Severus on the train, and quite honestly, I don't understand why I should waste my time talking to someone who so obviously needs to stop randomly jinxing people and grow up." Her voice went harsh at the last two words, and she turned away from him again. James didn't test her patience.

"I know plenty of grown up people who jinx people for fun," He whispered defensively to Sirius.

Sirius snorted. "Oh yeah? who?"

"Us in three years?" James said, completely serious. They stared at each other for a few seconds, then they both started to shake with laughter. "Whatever. I am thirteen years old, I should not be getting told to grow up. I have the rest of my life to grow up." Sirius nodded in agreement. "But what I don't understand," James continued whispering after a minute of sitting in silence, "Is why she hated me before I started jinxing her best friend. Like I can sort of understand now, but before. I hadn't done anything that could've bothered her."

"I'm sure you did plenty," Sirius smiled innocently as James picked up a fork from the table and mimed stabbed Sirius with it. "And anyway, despite the fact that she obviously can't stand you, you still love her, and will still ask her out. Because being rejected by her is better than being ignored by her."

"Sirius Black, what did I tell you earlier about me and Evans?" James muttered through gritted teeth.

"That I'm not supposed to keep telling you that your in love with her, because your not."

"Right."

"But you are, so I'm going to keep telling you until you listen."

"I hate you," James muttered stubbornly, turning away from Sirius.

"No you don't, you..." But Sirius was cut off as the doors opened and Professor McGonagall led in the new first years. James and Sirius sat abnormally quite through both sorting and the feast. James was sitting in quiet defeat, Sirius in distinctive pride. They left the Great Hall with Remus and Peter, talking, just not to each other.

Lily stood outside the doors to the Great Hall as they passed. James smiled at her, but she didn't acknowledge it. She was waiting for Severus. He came out with Avery, and wouldn't have noticed Lily if she hadn't reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Hey Lily,"

"Sev. I feel like we haven't talked in months."

"That's because we haven't talked in months," Lily rolled her eyes.

"Yeah I know. Do you want to each lunch together tomorrow? In the library?" Severus' face lit up at the offer.

"Yeah, of course,"

"Perfect, see you then," She smiled at him. Severus watched as she walked away from him. Her red bouncing off her back. His best friend. That's all. Friends. He stood in the same spot for a few minutes, as the remainder of the school drained from the Great Hall. Mary MacDonald was one of the last out.

"Oh Severus, have you seen Lily?" He pointed in her in the direction Lily had walked off in. Mary assuming she had gone to the common room, hurried up multiple floors and through many secret passage ways until she arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Password?"

"Arachnid," Mary said, shivering at the word, she hated spiders. The portrait swung open and Mary hurried inside. She ran straight to her dormitory, and was glad to find Lily sitting on her bed, unpacking robes.

"Lily! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Why?" Lily asked curiously, she rarely saw Mary this excited.

"Because I just heard from Alex who heard from Jim who heard from Alice who heard from Jane who heard from Kenny who heard from Jen who overheard them talking that James Potter is going to ask you out!"

Lily groaned. "Why? Like, I could guess he would probably do it eventually, but still. How many ways can I make him see I can't stand him!"

Mary shook her head sympathetically. "I knew you'd say that. But he is the second best looking guy in our year, and one of the most popular boys in the whole school although he's only in third year."

"But I don't care about that stuff, and," Lily paused, "Wait. You said second best looking guy, who do you think the first is?"

Mary giggled. "Well, Sirius."

"Sirius Black? As in James Potters best friend?"

"Yeah. Did you see him today? The summer holidays did him good. Plus, he has the whole 'I'm a total rebel because I'm in Gryffindor and the rest of my family was all Slytherin and they hate me for it' thing going for him."

Lily stared in disbelief at her friend. "Okay, but if you ever want me to double with James, think again."

"Deal. Now I must be getting to bed. Our dormitory mates will be up soon, and I don't feel like listening to them talk about my future beau."

Lily didn't know what to say to this, so she changed into pajamas and got into bed without another word.

It was past midnight. Everyone was asleep. Except for James and Sirius. They always sat up late the night before classes start after summer, Christmas, and Easter holidays. It was one of those traditions that was never spoken of but always followed. They always sat in their favourite chairs by the fire in the common room, doing nothing of consequence, doing nothing but staying up so they'd be as tired as possible the next day.

"James. Have you heard the latest rumor?" Sirius asked as they stared into the fire.

James yawned. "Nope. How far around the school is it?"

"Pretty much everyone in our year has heard. Quite a few fourth years, the odd second year."

"What is it?"

"Your asking Evans out,"

"No I am not! What's the rumor?"

"James," Sirius turned away from the fire to face his best friend. "That is the rumor." James stared back.

"No! Now the whole school will know." He put his head in his hands and groaned.

"What? You were planning on asking Evans out?" Sirius asked shocked.

"No," James moaned, "This whole school will know I like her."

"You've been denying for two years that you like her, why admit it now?"

"Because if the whole schools going to talk about I figured at least one person should know it could be true."

"And you picked me as that person, thanks mate," Sirius smiled, and James aimed a punch in his direction.

"Just, don't mention it to anybody, okay?"

"Yeah, because I would do that," Sirius' voice was crawling with sarcasm, but James got irritated anyway.

"Whatever, I'm going to bed." He started up the stairs. "Oh, and remember, library tomorrow at lunch so we can start researching animagus."

"Why are you reminding me tonight? I'll see you tomorrow."

"Not without Remus. Because while I'm in Arithmancy tomorrow morning, you'll be in," James cleared his throat, "Muggle Studies."

"Oh I am so looking forward to slacking off in that class." Sirius called up the staircase after James, who just laughed.