The next morning I am assaulted by Winnie Frank the moment I step into the common room.

"I heard you, you know," she gushes.

"No I don't know, Winnie." And I don't. The only thing I can think of is that I found I got full marks on my astronomy test last night, and Winnie wouldn't care about that at all.

"You walked with Sirius Black and his friends to Astronomy yesterday morning!" So I did. How invigorating.

"And so what? It's not as if I had a choice in the matter. If I did I'd-"

"Did he mention the dance?" Ah. So this is what good old Winnie wants. I should have known.

"Well he did…" I say slowly, "and I asked him who he was going with, just for you."

"REALLY? What did he-" Winnie is jumping up and down by this point. Pathetic.

"He said it was none of my business. It isn't either." Winnie looks extremely put out by this. I enjoy her expression, and in a fit of cruelty, I decide to have a little fun with the matter. "Quite frankly, Winnie, if he hasn't asked anyone now, I highly doubt he's going to ask you, or anyone else."

"That can't be true! It can't! Why wouldn't Sirius Black want a date?" Ooooh this is so much fun.

I shrug. "Perhaps he is a homosexual."

"Noooooo!" Winnie runs back towards the dormitory wailing. People stare. Winnie nearly knocks Lily off the spiral staircase as she runs up it.

"What did you SAY to her Rosalind?" Lily nearly shrieks at me.

"Not much," I say, "I merely suggested that perhaps Mr. Black does not date women, as he has not yet asked a date to Noël Night."

"Oh, well that's not-" Lily realizes the meaning of what I have told her. "ROSALIND! I can't believe you said that! That wasn't very nice at all!"

"It was quite funny, and it got a great reaction too."

"I won't disagr- IT WAS NOT NICE! I mean it. It's something that Snape from Slytherin would say." That's below the belt, that is. I try to point out that I'm not that as bad as Snape, but Lily won't hear it.

We quibble all the way through breakfast. As luck, or unluck, would have it, Black and his groupies decide to invade the seats near me. Lily is now giving me the "be nice" lecture, and I am ignoring every word of it. So instead, I decide to eavesdrop on Black. I notice he wears nice cologne, but that is all eclipsed by the fact that he would be eating exactly like this dog Lily's muggle neighbor has if he were not using a fork. He shovels it all in as if he's been starved in Azkaban. And it's not like Black needs any more food than he's already getting. Lily says he would be an American football player if he were a muggle.

"James, you've got to do something, you can't keep putting it off. It'll be too late, and soon you'll be roped into doing something that you don't want to do." Black sounds somewhat annoyed. But not that annoyed. I've only seen the pair truly mad at each other once. It was last year, and I haven't the faintest idea why. They were both ripping mad, but apparently it was supposed to be a secret, so they couldn't scream at each other in the common room like normal people. Their poor lackey, Lupin, kept trying to get them back together, but Potter kept insisting that Lupin should be very angry with Black. It was quite funny, except nothing seemed right in school for the week that they were angry.

"Don't worry about me, just-" Potter's voice is really low. "It's hard. Do your own thing, Sirius, you don't need to wait for me. I might as well not…"

"But James, it's what you want to do, you've only said it a million times. And I have to wait for you. If I don't she'll think the deal is done." Potter groans. "Today. Stop being Mr. Nobility." Hah! Like he ever was.

"Hullo Veronica." Joyous joy of joys. She sits herself on Potter's lap, kisses him on the cheek, and picks up one of his sausages with her fingers. Veronica puts the sausage in his mouth. He takes a bite. Potter puts his arm around her back. The position is not quite right, and his fingers are moving wildly. It has to be some sort of sign language because Black shakes his head in disgust after he finishes, and turns to the fat boy from Slytherin, who, like Veronica, really should be eating at his own table. The Slytherin says something, and Black grabs the last sausage off of Veronica's plate and gives to him before Veronica can get at it. He doesn't need any sausage that's for sure, but at least I don't have to watch that poor excuse for a female feed Potter.

"So, Ros, what are you going to say to Winnie?" I jump. Oh, Lily has decided not to talk at me anymore, but rather to me.

"Nothing. I doubt… you know," I almost said it right next to Black. That could be interesting, but I don't want a fight this early in the morning. "She'll get over it after."

Lily just scowls.

* * *

After charms that day, I am pretty stressed. Not Ms. Lily Evans. She can do charms so well it really is disgusting. I tell her this, but Lily just says "potions" to me. That keeps me quiet. I am quite good in the class.

Actually, we are walking to potions class. Veronica, Black and Potter are walking in back of us. I walk faster than normal. Wouldn't want to get in the way now would I? Some middle age woman walks by us and stands at the statue of the gargoyle that is in the hallway. I can tell immediately that she's going to see Dumbledore because the gargoyle is where the entrance to his office and quarters is. I've never been to Dumbledore's office actually. The only reason I know that is the entrance is because Lily saw Potter come out of the hole behind the gargoyle once, and she asked him where it went. Potter told her, and she told me. Ever since I've known about it being there, I've seen Potter or Black or that Slytherin boy who thinks he's a Gryffindor going or leaving there at least once a week. The only person I've never seen there is their friend Lupin, whom they are way too friendly with not to involve him in their evil plots. The funniest thing is that once I saw Lupin arguing with Black and Potter to let him get in trouble for once. I don't know what was worse, Lupin begging to get into trouble, or the fact that he has to ask permission from Black and Potter to do so. Odd.

The middle aged woman taps her feet. I get a good look at her. She is one of those people who dresses as if it were half a century or so ago, except if she had lived half a century or so ago, she would dress as if she's living a half a century before that. Her hair is in one of those old-lady curly stick-out dos. Her hat actually has a feather sticking out of it, and her white-gloved hands are gripping an oversize Chinese-fireball purse. Her robes are white with big pink polka dots. I won't mention the makeup. Although I would never say anything, and am certainly not licensed to comment on what does and does not constitute fashion by a long shot, I must say she does look quite funny… even for a witch.

For once in my lifetime, I think I agree with something Ms. Engerton has said. Do you know why I think this? Because even though she's a comfortable five meters in back of me, I can hear that she has the indecency to make snide remarks about the woman. She goes on to inform Potter and Black that women like this should not only not be allowed to quit their homes, but be able to take up valuable oxygen that should be given to "handsome and beautiful people like Sirius, and especially you, Jamesie." Gag me with a fork.

I poke Lily and we turn around to snap at Veronica. To my utter disgust, I see that Black is convulsing with silent laughter, looking from Potter to the woman and back again. To his credit, Potter has a strange expression on his face that doesn't entirely agree with what Veronica is saying, it's a mixture of disgust and cynical amusement.

Lily goes up to the woman. "Excuse me, ma'am, can I help you with anything?"

The woman smiles at her. "Well, I'm waiting for the Headmaster. I know this is his office, but I'm afraid he's changed the password since I last came. He's done it five times in the past two years. A sign of the times to be sure. Honeydukes is going to be out of different types of candy by the time this Dark Lord thing blows over if he keeps changing the password like this."

"I'm not sure if he is in. He went to the Ministry last night, and missed the entire Prefects' meeting. I didn't see his at breakfast (probably because she was too busy talking at me, but I didn't see him either) this morning. He should be back though." Lily explains patiently.

I see Veronica whisper something (likely nasty and likely about us) in Potter's ear. Potter is watching us very closely. Black is still laughing. I just don't see what Winnie sees in him. I hope he is a homosexual so I don't have to listen to the disillusioned Winnie tell me how sweet and handsome Black is, and just how much she'd love to kiss him.

Lily and the woman are still talking.

"Oh my, you're Head Girl, how nice. You probably know my little boy. He's a Gryffindor too."

"Er-maybe- what year?"

"His final. He's Head Boy. I'm so proud of my baby." My jaw drops.

Lily quickly turns her gasp into words; "I believe I do know him then."

"Isn't he such a nice boy?" the woman who can only be Mrs. Potter says. I can't believe any of this. She's Potter's mum. I never would believe that Sir Groovy Quidditch has an embarrassing mum. He has a fault!

"Erm-yeah," I nod along with her. What an obvious lie. It is amazing how blind parents are concerning their children.

But not that blind. Mrs. Potter spots her "nice boy."

"James! Sirius!" She walks toward them. I half expect her to say "got a kiss for your old mum" but she doesn't. Damn.

Black is still laughing hysterically. I realize that he's not laughing at Mrs. Potter, but at Veronica for insulting her boyfriend's mum in front of him. "Always laughing at something Sirius," Mrs. Potter chuckles to herself.

"So, what brings you here?" Potter asks. He's looks really nervous, and I would be too if my mum came to school to talk to the headmaster and I were Potter. If I were me, I wouldn't be nervous. I've never had a discipline problem in my life.

Mrs. Potter gives her son a look, "I want to meet with Albus about certain current affairs you know. That is all. There isn't anything else is there?" Her voice trails off. "Oh and they've got the nicest hats in Gladrags…." I don't care to listen to anymore of the conversation.

Dumbledore comes up to her looking weary. He's wearing his traveling cloak, and I bet he is just now returning to the school from last night. Something must be seriously wrong.

"Mathilde." He bows Mrs. Potter into his office. The password is "Blood lollipops." How disgusting.

Veronica motions for Black and Potter to come back to her. "How do you know that dink?" Black laughs again. Lily and I laugh too. Can't help it.

"You don't want to know," Black says smartly. "I- erm, need to have a private word with James, so why don't you go to class, Verronica?"

"See you around then," Smooch. How vulgar. But she is now gone. Neither Potter nor Black notices me or Lily, as they walk into an empty classroom. I stand outside the doorway.

"I hate when she does that." Potter pulls a handkerchief out of his robes and wipes off all the lipstick from his face. What? "I can't believe she just said that." Huh?

The bell rings. Lily hurries off to class. I do too, but my bag rips and some things fall out. I motion for Lily to go on. Somehow Black and Potter are so thick that they see none of this, and ignore the fact that I'm right outside.

"I sure can," Black says. "Shows you what she's like. But I'm honestly glad she did say what she did. An excuse to tell her you're not her boyfriend, and you're not going to the Noël Night with her." WHAT? Is this common sense? Coming from them? Impossible.

"Still… There's no reason to pull a Rosalind Perry on her when she hasn't done anything to me." Potter says.

Excuse me? Pull a Rosalind Perry? I assume he's using my name to refer to a sudden outburst of cruelty that would be used in breaking up with you know who. As much as I admire his goals, I don't appreciate him mocking my assertiveness, especially in my presence. Girls need to be more assertive anyways.

"You don't need to. Tell her your mad about your mum. That's good enough not mention you can't stand her." Black puts in. Potter can't stand Veronica? After all those public displays of affection? "You've got to do it, James. This is the only dance there is. If you have to go with Veronica, you won't get another chance to go with whom you really want to go with."

"But what if she says 'no'? What will I do?" Potter says. He actually seems worried he won't get a date. What planet is he from. The only sensible people who would ever turn him down are me and Lily, and he knows not to ask us anyway.

Black thinks for a bit. "Just be honest. That always works." What would he know about being honest? Last week, everyone saw him put a dungbomb in Snape's potion, and when it exploded, the first words out of Black's mouth were "it wasn't me."

"I hope you're right."

"I do too, James. I've been wanting to ask my date for the past two weeks, and I'm surprised she hasn't been taken." Guess he's not a homosexual. Dammit. At least I only have to deal with Winnie Frank for another five month before I leave school.

Unfortunately, I'm out of stuff to pick up, and therefore out of an excuse to eavesdrop. Not wanting to miss any more potions, I run down to the dungeons.

a/n That's it for now… and the fun hasn't even begun yet! Keep reviewing