AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is short and sweet, and somewhat uneventful. Actually, very uneventful, but vital to the plot so here it is. Oh, and before I forget, I need a beta reader -- and not just for my Harry Potter fics. Any takers out there? Please review! thanks!
~Teller

DISCLAIMER: All standard disclaimers apply

"Albus, we need somewhere to stay." Lily said, bouncing Harry on her right hip. Dumbledore nodded, not looking up from his pacing. "The Fidelius Charm didn't work, and I'm not willing to risk it again." Dumbledore stopped and stared.

"Not -- not willing?" He asked, sounding surprised. Lily shook her head.

"The only people that would be choices at all are you, Sirius, and Remus, and everyone knows they would be. One Imperius Curse, and it's all over -- I doubt we'll have the luck to survive two of the Dark Lord's attacks."

"So --"

"So, here's my application," Lily said, handing Dumbledore a thick parchment envelope. "I'm applying for the job of teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts next year, seeing as Proffessor Redding is retiring this year. It's tough competition, with young Mr. Quirrell applying for it as well, but I'll give it a chance." Dumbledore took the envelope, and met her determined verdant eyes with his own surprised azul ones. He smiled.

"Yes, the competition for this job is very fierce, but I'll look into your application."

"Thank you, Professor," she said, grinning. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. My first choice would have been Charms, but as Professor Flitwick has held that position for many years . . ." Dumbledore nodded.

"I think the Defense Against the Dark Arts position would suit you just fine," he said, his smile widening.

"Thank you again, Professor," she said, returning his smile.

"You are most welcome, Lily," he said, putting the resume on his desk and sitting down. "Now, if you do not mind, I have some applications to review . . ." Lily nodded.

"Not at all," she grinned, and left his office, Harry giggling in her arms.

A pearly gray figure watched her walk down the hallway, his faintly green eyes sparkling in a ghostly smile behind clouded glasses.

Lily, Sirius, and Harry sat on the bank of the Hogwarts Lake, tossing bits of bread in for the giant squid. Whenever a giant tentacle would sweep up above the surface Harry would gasp, and tears of fright would form in his green eyes. Then the appendage would splash into the water and curl around the tiny piece of bread, and he would laugh and clap his hands, making Lily and Sirius dissolve into hysterics every time. When Harry saw them laughing, he would turn to look at them and go cross - eyed. When this happened for the fifth time, Sirius stopped laughing and looked carefully at Harry.

"Lily, look at Harry," he said, frowning slightly. Lily stopped laughing.

"What?"

"See how he goes cross - eyed?"

"Yes . . . isn't that normal for children?" Sirius shook his head.

"No, Lily, it isn't . . .good thing you weren't a medi-witch." he paused. "Lily, I think this means Harry needs glasses." Lily frowned.

"Are you sure?" Sirius nodded.

"Let's take him up to Madam Pomfey just to see." Lily nodded, and they stood, brushing grass clippings off their robes as they walked up the sloping lawn. They passed several of the elder students who had the blessing of a free period, and they nodded to each other in acknowledgement.

"So did Dumbledore tell you yet?" Lily asked him. Sirius shook his head, and took Harry from her arms, tossing him a few feet in the air and catching him before he fell. Harry laughed out loud, and Lily shook her head.

"Tell me what?" Sirius asked.

"I applied for the job as Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts." Sirius raised his eyebrows, a surprised look on his face.

"You did?" He asked. Lily nodded, a huge smile on her face.

"I did. I don't know if I'll get it, because of that Mr. Quirrell applying, but I think I have a chance." Sirius seemed to be having problems coaxing his eyebrows to come down from his hairline. "What?" Lily asked.

"I just never pictured you as a teacher, Lil'," Sirius laughed.

"Oh? And why not?" She asked, stopping and putting her hands akimbo, her eyes laughing. Sirius' eyes widened.

"I don't know!" He exclaimed. Lily laughed.

"Yes you do! Nevermind, I don't want to hear it. Now come on, lets go up to Madam Pomfrey." Sirius nodded, and they continued up to the Sick Wing.

"No doubt about it, he'll be needing glasses," Madam Pomfrey said in a business-like matter. "I would give him the Better-Vision Charm, but he's far too young. His eyes haven't finished growing yet. So . . ." she rumaged through a drawer in her desk, and finally pulled a pair of over-large, square-lensed glasses out. Sirius choked back a laugh, and Lily glared at him reprovingly. Madam Pomfrey added her glare to the moment.

"Don't be ridiculous, Mr. Black, of course I'm not going to give him these glasses," she said, walking back over to Harry. She put the glasses on him and tapped them with her cherrywood wand. They shrunk, then grew a bit, then shrunk again, faded into black and rounded out into circular lenses. Harry blinked, but he didn't go cross eyed. Lily smiled.

"Is that all, then?"

"Yes, that'll be it. If he breaks them, just give them a tap with your wand and they'll fix themselves right away. I've placed a charm on them so he won't loose them, so you needn't worry about that. If he still goes cross-eyed, let me know, and I'll give him a stronger pair." Lily nodded, and Sirius picked Harry up.

"Thank you so much, Madam Pomfrey, you're a miracle worker."

"Not at all, Lily dear, and why don't you call me Poppy? As you might be working here next year," Madam Pomfrey smiled and winked at her. Lily frowned slightly.

"How did you know?" She asked. Madam Pomfrey only smiled wider.

"Word gets around quite quickly here, my dear. Now, go along outside, you two, its far too nice of a day for you to be cooped up inside." Sirius and Lily laughed and obliged, leaving the hallway. They almost ran into someone when they came out of the door.

"Oh, excuse me --" Lily began, then stopped when she saw who it was. Sirius stiffened.

"What are you doing here?" He asked gruffly. Severus Snape, the rival of Sirius, James, and Remus Lupin while at school at Hogwarts, sneered derisively in answer to the question.

"I suppose I might ask you the same thing, Black. Or have you been held back all these years?" Lily put a restraining hand on Sirius' wand arm.

"No, Sirius and I are here on sanctuary," she said lightly. "After the Dark Lord's attack on my home, this is the only place that we are safe." Severus' eyes widened, and a slightly strangled noise of surprise escaped his throat, which he hurriedly covered with a cough. Lily noticed he gripped his left arm tightly, right below the elbow.

"Just as I suspected would happen," he scoffed brusquely. "Potter's over-large head attracted attention, just as I told him it would, and for once, it was not the positive, ooh-ahh attention his ego implied he was used to . . ." he said, continuing walking down the hallway. Lily paled and shook her head, and Sirius purpled in rage.

"I can see he hasn't changed one jot," Lily said sadly. "What was he doing here?"

Madam Pomfrey had come out the door behind us, and shook her head at Severus Snape's retreating back. "Applying for the position of Potions Master, didn't you know? Merlin help us if he gets the job." Sirius groaned and Lily frowned.

"Dumbledore wouldn't hire him, would he?" She asked pensively. Madam Pomfrey sighed and shook her head.

"I'm quite sure I don't know, m'dear, quite sure I don't know." Sirius glared as Snape finally rounded the corner and went out of sight, heading for the Headmaster's office.

Guess what you do now? reviewreviewreviewreviewreview!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ~Teller