There was another month or so of brief encounters that kept Sirius going. Seeing Lily in the Great Hall. Seeing Lily at Quidditch matches. Seeing Lily in the common room. There was a lot of seeing but very little talking. Usually if Black wanted a girl, she would be his in a blink, but Evans was different. She was confident enough to speak her mind on top of being stunning and kind; Black didn't seem to stand a chance.
The summer half term rolled around slowly, people were stressing about OWLS and teachers kept piling on the work; everyone was glad of a break. Sirius Black was staying at Hogwarts as he did for every holiday apart from the long summer break. His family didn't want him home; he was a disappointment to them, nothing more. Holidays for him meant time to himself to just be. He could walk around the grounds, go to Hogsmeade, do whatever he wanted to. It was going to be bliss.
Lily Evans had decided to stay at Hogwarts to study; she'd never get anything done at home so it was the logical option.
Sirius woke up the first morning of the holidays. Yesterday had been filled with "see you soon" and farewell pats on the back. Today he had lied in until 10, gotten dressed and now trudging down to the common room. Nobody would be there. He turned in to the familiar room and saw that she was there. Lily was sitting in the window, a faint glow surrounding her, reading. Black stopped still, his mouth open slightly in surprise, it was safe to say he hadn't been expecting to see her until everyone else once again filled the hallowed corridors of Hogwarts with incessant chatter. Lily blinked and looked up then smiled that warm smile Sirius loved.
"Hello Sirius, I didn't know you were staying!" she chimed.
For a moment he was lost for words.
"Yeah, I always do." There was an awkward pause. "Wasn't expecting to see you here…" he trailed off slightly at the end.
"I'm here because I need to study; if you want we can study together?" She was still smiling.
"Sure" I'd love to was mentally added.
"Where would you like to start?" Lily moved so there was room for Sirius to sit down.
The sunny days were spent between the two of them, initially studying with minimal chit chat but as they grew to know each other there was laughter and jokes thrown in as well. It was something in her smile that really hooked Black. It was such an expression of pure enjoyment that it was infectious. The pair spent pretty much the whole day together every day, it was like heaven.
The week began to draw to a close and Black started to wonder if he should make a move. She had been moving closer in their chats, stroking his arm occasionally, a hug before going to bed. All that meant that she was interested, right? It was too late to write to anyone for advice so Sirius decided to leave it but still keep close because as soon as term began, he was going to make his move.
Soon enough, the life of Hogwarts was back to bursting as more and more people arrived for the final part of the year. Sirius was reunited with the marauders and Lily with her friends, naturally because of circumstance, they weren't able to see each other much beyond a quiet "hi" in the corridors or common room. Black noticed that Lily's smile wasn't quite as sunny now and there was no smile when he was with James, instead there was a thin line where her mouth should have been. James' constant picking at Evans was starting to piss Black off. Why couldn't he just leave her alone instead of sniffing around her and looking for arguments?
After a few failed attempts Sirius finally worked up the courage to leave Lily a note:
Hey,
Study session under the willow
6:30
Be there!
Padfoot
He left it in her corner, just in the inside cover of her Hogwarts: A History which she was reading at the moment. All there was left to do now was see if she turned up.