Spotting the crevices

Lily de Moiré, on hearing the name of her house, got up from the stool and started pacing towards the Gryffindor table.

"Don't you think we should introduce ourselves to her?" Sirius asked Lily, his eyes following Lily de Moiré.

"And why should that be?" Lily asked back.

"Oh! Head boy and head girl – we are. It is our responsibility……." He trailed off, his breath caught somewhere between his throat and his chest as Lily de Moiré reached the table where they were sitting.

"May I sit here?" spoke Lily de Moiré. Her voice was soft and pleasing, like a note of music sung by a nightingale or so Sirius felt.

"Of course you may," James spoke getting up and closing Sirius' dropped jaw. " Hi, I'm James Potter and he is Sirius Black,"

" Hello. I am Lily de Moiré, but you can call me Lou, my pet name," she replied and sat next to James, between him and Sirius.

Lily looked across the table at the new Lily. Her face was frowned with apprehension and her look was far from friendly. She didn't know why, but she had taken an instant dislike to her. Then, she received a kick from under the table. It was Sydney, who was sitting next to her.

"What?" asked Lily, quietly.

"Don't stare," whispered Sydney into her ears.

"I'm not staring at her. I'm just gauging her,"

"Gauging?"

"Yeah, checking if she fits or not,"

"And why have you started this 'groupism' activity?"

"Not groupism. Just caution,"

"From?"

"She looks like a veela to me. She might have been sent here on purpose, to lure out secrets or something. Just a possibility though,"

"And why do you think so?"

"Gut feeling,"

"Or rather jealousy,"

"Me and jealous, of what?"

"James being friendly with a new 'Lily',"

"Don't whisper in a group. It is bad manners," hollered Sirius, before Lily could think of an answer to give to Sydney's implication.

"And since when have you been our professor of manners?" Lily snapped back at Sirius.

Remus, who was sitting next to Sydney, spoke up, "Come on guys, not one of your fights again,"

Lily and Sirius stopped immediately, but the air of discomfort prevailed until James broke the silence, " So Lou, How do you find it here, in Hogwarts?"

"It is quite extraordinary a school, I must say. The castle is superb,"

"You speak English quite well, being a French; not that I mean that French people can't speak good English or anything like that," Sirius stammered.

"I understand. Actually my father died when I was just two years old and my mother is an English woman. So we spoke more of English at home," she replied sweetly.

Remus felt bad for her. He knew how it was to lose one's parents. Lily sensed his feelings and started chatting with him about his holidays at James' house. James' parents had always considered Remus as their second son and for him too Remus was like a brother. Remus also loved them immensely. Lily knew that talking about them would make him feel batter.

Sydney, Peter and Sirius were busy deciphering the French riddles thrown at them by Lou while James was busy eavesdropping on Remus' and Lily's talk. He was continuously staring at Lily who was listening about his parents with utmost affection. He could not take his eyes off her beautiful face even for a minute. Lily noticed him looking at her and basked, secretly, under the numerous rays of attention.

…………………………………………..

"Same dorm?"

Sirius and Lily received the biggest shock of their lives when professor Mcgonagall told them that they would have to share their dormitory for the whole of year. They were both dumbstruck but keeping in mind the strictness of the transfiguration teacher, they followed her quietly. She led them through the seventh floor staircase and right behind the portrait of Barnabas, the barmy was the entry to their new dormitory.

"Now set your password," ordered professor Mcgonagall gravely, in her usual bored voice.

"Boomslang skin?"

"Snitch well,"

Lily and Sirius suggested at the same time, both staring daggers at each other after hearing the other's choice.

"Can't you for once think other than potions?" said Sirius in an affronted tone.

"Can't you think other than your nincompoopish Quidditch?" Lily answered back in an equally rude tone.

"Quidditch is not nincompoopish."

"It is. It is the worst game ever invented by anybody in the whole wide world with the most zany idiots playing it, flying after a silly golden snitch and hexing every other saint who comes in their way,"

"Do you by any chance mean that your 'Sev' is a saint? No, he's not. He is a snooty mindless git and so are you,"

"Sure I'm a git but not as stuck up and egoistic ac you,"

"WILL YOU BOTH KIDLY SHUT UP?" shouted the professor, at the top her voice, who was silently observing their fight and getting angrier by their word.

"I'll set the password now. It is ' Gofrins Mesh'. Now off to your dorms you two," She turned back and went away leaving Lily and Sirius with enough silence between them.

"Gofrin's mesh," uttered Lily irritatedly.

The portrait swung open and revealed the arch, which led to the common sitting area. The dorm was exactly like the Gryffindor common room, just the wall above the fireplace had the portrait of the previous year's head boy and head girl.

The walls were done up in rust whereas the curtains were a lighter shade of red with streaks of golden in between. The floor was carpeted with rust coloured rugs and the red couches looked comfortable, placed right across the room. On the right corner of the room was the staircase leading to Lily's room and on the left was the one leading to Sirius'. In front of the wall next to the staircases , a wooden table and chair were kept. Lily reckoned that they were the study tables. Lily's table was near the fireplace and Sirius instantly envied her for that.

Without speaking a word to each other, they took to their staircases and entered their respective rooms.

Sirius went down and swooped down on his cushiony bed. He realized that his room had been decorated in the same way as his room in his house – Grimmauld Place.

The same was applicable for Lily too. The chestnut side desk, the ivory door, the marble floor, the basket for Cleo – everything was the same as Lily's house in Spinner's End. She quickly changed into her blue nightgown and snuggled inside the duvet with Cleo following her.

"Good night, Cleo,"

mewwwwwwww

A girl in a white gown with a train full of silver sequins was running with a man in a black suit. This time she was running ahead of him.

Someone shouts, "Lily,"

The girl turns back and sees a flash of hazel eyes………………….

…………………..and Lily woke up.

The dream had come again but it was different this time. She was breathless as if she had been actually running. Her eyes were tired and sleepy but she couldn't sleep.

Nor could a boy in the Gryffindor dorm.

"Prongs…….Prongs……………PRONGS!!!!!!" Sirius shook James out of his trance. He had gotten up early and gone into his old dorm to meet his friends. " Where the hell were you?"

"Nothing, I'm just sleepy," James drawled.

"Something that you'd like to tell me, Prongsie?"

James tried to look confused but it didn't work. Sirius was his best friend and knew him since he knew he was. He slouched his shoulders and squatted on the bed.

"Lily?" Sirius asked again.

James nodded.

"Of course. Who else on the globe and in the ever expanding universe has the power to do THIS to James Potter!"

James smiled.

"Look at you……..you're smiling like a love-struck puppy! Get alive, Prongs. You're a stag, not a pup,"

"I just want her to accept the obvious fact that she likes me," James replied in a sulky voice.

Sirius was not used to seeing his nonchalant, or rather over-the-top, friend in such a sunken state. Since last year, when Lily has accepted James' friendship on the condition that he would stop asking her out, he had been brooding quite a lot. He needed to vent his feelings out. Sirius decided to help his friend. But the question was – How?