A/N: Once again, I apologize for the long wait! I also apologize for the short chapter--I will do my very best to make up for it in the next one! Hope you continue to enjoy...

Chapter 4

"Yaagh! Get out!"

This was the cry that greeted the house the next morning. Hand slapped over his eyes, Sirius tore out of the bathroom before missing the top stair step and tumbling all the way down.

James appeared, carrying a plate of toast and smirking. "Ooh. You're very noisy, Padfoot."

Sirius glowered. "I ran into your very lovely girlfriend in the loo—and I think she was—"

"Say what!"

"Boys." Nicole emerged from the kitchen, balancing three plates of bacon, eggs, and tomatoes. "Wait, what did you say, Sirius?"

"Honey! Let me help." Quickly relieving his girlfriend of her load, he scurried to the dining table.

Lily descended the staircase clad in mint-green robes, her dark-red hair damp. Her green eyes were narrowed at Sirius as she sat down and began spooning tomatoes onto her plate.

"Would you like to borrow some of my Gwenilda Whisp's Straight Away! Hair Cream?" Sirius asked meekly.

Lily considered for a moment. "Hmmm…maybe. But it's all right, Black. It wasn't your fault."

Suddenly, they all heard a loud tapping on the kitchen window as a sleepy Remus stumbled into the room, still in his yellow pajamas. Lily got up, gave the owl a drink, and retrieved the envelope attached.

"It's from…Hogwarts?" she exclaimed when she spotted the official seal.

"They miss us already. Oh, I'm touched," James remarked.

Lily tore the envelope open and skimmed the parchment. "It's from the Headmaster," she reported. "Professor Flitwick is going on leave, and he won't be back until January. So…Professor Dumbledore wants me to take over Charms while he's gone!"

"That's wonderful, Lily!" James said happily.

Even Remus had perked up. "That's really good news!"

"He says it's alright if I don't want to say at the castle—I can come home evenings and go back before breakfast," she continued.

"You get to call the teachers by their first names? Ain't it wonderful?" Sirius cheered.

This was met with silence.

"Well, it's true!" he insisted. "You could call McGonagall 'Minnie' and she can't throw you in detention!"

This elicited laughter from the group. Sirius had made that very mistake in an unforgettable Gryffindor Transfiguration lesson—calling the stern professor 'Minnie-meow' while she was standing right behind him.

"I'll try to resist the urge," Lily promised as she snatched some parchment and a quill to pen her 'yes'.

"I can't believe this—you've barely graduated a week and already you've got a job," Nicole marveled.

"Don't worry, Nic—I have a feeling Dumbledore'll be owling you next to tell you Sprout went on holiday too," James assured her.

"Or maybe Flourish and Blotts," Sirius quipped.

"I guess." Nicole looked very unsure.

"Nicole—don't worry. You'll never be out of choices, not with what you've got!" Lily said enthusiastically. "Hey, how about a celebratory shopping trip after breakfast? You get to boss Black around and make him carry your things." She waggled her eyebrows.

"Hey--oh no, honey, not you, I'll carry you if I have to—Lily!"Sirius complained.

"Not more shopping," groaned James. "Didn't we just do a whole lot of that yesterday?"

"Yes, James—but there's a difference between 'necessary' shopping and 'just-browsing' shopping. We did 'necessary' shopping yesterday. Today, we do 'just-browsing' shopping."

James looked blank.

"The basic translation is: Follow me around, watch me try on the latest robes, carry my things, don't argue, and you get a nice reward for it all at the end of the day," Remus supplied.

James ambled off, grumbling. "One of these days, Moony, you're going to write a guidebook about these things for us."

xxxxx

"Twenty Galleons for this?" Lily quickly replaced the bottle-green robes with a shudder.

"It's very finely made," the clerk said smoothly. "Feel the material? And see the rich colour? Miss, it would look ever so stunning on you if you just try it on…"

"No thank you." Lily grimaced.

Nicole slung a swath of bright yellow cloth onto its hanger. "Same here."

"Why, miss?" The clerk turned her attention to Nicole.

"It wasn't quite me," the dark-haired girl replied. "Thanks anyway."

"Thank Merlin," Sirius muttered darkly as they exited the boutique. 'If you buy one more thing, I will collapse."

"Just our luck that we had to fall for a couple of compulsive shoppers," James muttered back. "Lucky Moony…getting to stay home from all this…"

After Lily had announced the shopping trip, Remus had emerged with a copy of the Daily Prophet and declined, saying that he wished to have a go at the classifieds.

"Aha!" Lily stopped suddenly.

"What now?" whined James. "If it's shoes again…"

"The last one, men!" Lily quipped.

Nicole grinned and pinched Sirius's cheek. "It's your reward."

Looks of wonder came upon the boys' faces when they saw that they had stopped in front of a…gourmet food shop.

"Score!" they exclaimed, slapping each other high-fives.

"Pick out whatever you want, and we'll cook it for you tonight," Nicole explained.

"As a thank you for putting up with us," Lily finished.

James swept her up into his arms for a kiss. "I love you too!"

Then the two boys rushed the shelves.

xxxxx

"Dinner!" Lily called.

A loud sound that resembled a stampeding herd of rhinos burst out. Nicole had barely lowered the plate of steak to the table when she was rushed by James and Sirius.

Remus shuffled in, his face drawn.

"Is there something wrong?" Nicole asked him. "You look…odd."

James and Sirius exchanged bewilderedly panicked looks.

XXX

A/N: Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Big thanks to my reviewers Ketta dragontamer, Daisy Black, and Wilty!