"So Lily Billy…?"

"Grrr! Don't call me that!"

"Lily Bug, then?"

"No!"

"Lily-Petal? Lily-Rose? Lilykins? Lune la Lily? Lily the S-"

"Sirius, stop! Go be annoying somewhere else! Or do you need something? And if that's the case, just tell me what you want already. And enough of the stupid nicknames! Lil seems to work just fine for everyone else. Or does your superiority complex make it neurologically impossible for you to be rational when attempting to gain my attention?" fired off a rather bemused Lily.

"You dare attempt to oh so vainly demote my rather gifted intelligence? Bah! Lily, I'm shocked," Sirius said in mock innocence while placing his hands over his heart. "I would have expected someone so well learned as you would know that while I often portray a fool, I truly do know what the 'big words', because as the saying goes, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. I prefer to not shame myself, so I learn the words that people try to use to confuse one who acts as a fool. Now, on to other matters of business," Sirius finished in a sarcastically dignified voice.

"Right and that would be…" answered an equally sarcastic Lily.

"Oh goody. You're going to cooperate. I need some advice."

"…On…? I'm not a mind reader you know."

"On how I should ask out this one Hufflepuff. She's one of the Beaters on the house team, and, well, you both say 'no' to a lot of blokes, so I was wondering if you could help me find a way around the 'no' wall."

"Well, what did James say?"

"Pardon?"

"Don't play stupid with me Black."

"He said… it wouldn't work. He said I should go with my usual style."

"Oh, and that is? I'm not one that has been sought after by the renowned Sirius Black."

"Pull her into a broom closet, snog her senseless, and then ask her if she would like to meet up with meat Hogsmeade the next time we went," came Sirius' reply without missing a beat.

"Well… that sounds… like a rather good plan, I guess," answered a rather red Lily. "But I'd let her se whose pulling her into the cupboard before you do. Otherwise Gryffindor may be short one Beater for a while."

"Funny."

"What?"

"That's almost exactly what James said."

Lily got even redder. "Well, I guess great minds think alike."

Wait, since when do you think James has a great mind? Actually, since when do you use great to any extent when talking about James, unless it's to say he is the world's greatest performing balloon on hot air on a stick, or something like that? Especially when you are talking about James Potter!" Sirius could feel a romantic breakthrough about to occur, so he was stretching Lily to her limits of reason.

A cherry red Lily answered indignantly, "Since he became a noteworthy and respectable Head Boy, who not only acts responsible, but has shown how bright he really is! And I can easily use great to describe James! He has a great sense of humor! He is a great quidditch player!"

Sirius began to smirk at the flustered and irate Lily.

"James is great at Transfiguration! He is actually a great person. And guess what? James has the greatest body and eyes and hair of any other guy at Hogwarts!"

Them with a gasp of realization of what she had just said, Lily's hands flew to cover her mouth, which was gaping in shock. Her eyes followed by widening with fear and glanced to the who had heard her confession, because not only had she said those things, but worse, she has said them in front of Sirius Black, James' best mate.

Sirius' face was covered in a hurt expression, but his eyes only showed pure amusement and joy.

"Lily, I'm hurt. Don't I have at least one of the greatest physical or social or academic features at Hogwarts? James really should be given them all. It's rather unfair, you see."

"If you want to that question that you'll like, I suggest asking somebody else to answer it for you," Lily replied honestly and still sarcastically. "Perhaps that Hufflepuff will have better answers for you."

"If she agrees to go to Hogsmeade with me, that better be the case."

"So you're going to do as planned?"

"I guess. Nobody else has a great plan I can use."

"Well, good luck," said Lily as she turned to leave while she still could find her dignity.

"Hey, you don't really think all those things about James, do you?"

She sighed. "I don't know Sirius. I think maybe I do, but…"

"Let me guess, you like him, but you want him to stay the way he is now, so you don't want him to know, but you also sort of do want him to know, because now that you think you like him, you slightly want him to ask you out again so you can finally say yes, right?'

"Ummm, yeah, I guess that's right."

"Thought so," Sirius laughed.

"But Sirius, please don't tell him what I said. I really don't want him to go back to being an arrogant toe rag with an ego the size of Jupiter."

"Lily, honestly, I don't think he was ever really that bad. I think all he really needed was a chance and some hope."

"Than I guess we need an agreement on what can and can't be said then."

"State your proposition, General."

A brief smile then, "You can tell James that either Heather or April, told you that I said that if James keeps acting the he has been, he may yet have a chance with me, but if he changes back, no dice. Your end of the deal is that if you do this, I can personally assure you one date with that Hufflepuff. Does that sound like a plan?"

"Miss Lily, I believe we have ourselves a deal," agreed Sirius as he stuck out his hand.

Girls Dorm, 10:26 p.m.

Lily shook, and the deal was made.

"So I just made a deal with Sirius Black, and you guys are part of it," announced Lily, walking into her dorm later that night.

"About what," Heather nearly shouted. "You always said he was the worst of the lot!"

"Yes, but he is also the easiest of them to use," said April with a smirk.

Lily shuddered slightly. "Yes, thank you April. The deal though, is that he tells James that one of you told him he still had a shot with me, and I help Sirius to get a certain Hufflepuff to date him."

"So you definitely like James Potter then, Lily?"

"I believe so."

"Finally," sighed Heather.

There wasn't time for her to duck from the flying pillow that came a nanosecond later. "Ouch!" was all she could do.

Boys Dorm, 10:39 p.m.

"Well James, I had a very interesting conversation with a particular girl today," Sirius began.

"Let me guess, the Hufflepuff."

"Wrong-o mate."

"Who then?" asked James as he started to become interested.

"Heather." He had chosen to say it was Heather, rather than April because he information was usually a tad more truthful, and April gossiped more.

"Lily's friend? What did she say?" James was now wondering where this would lead.

"Well mate, at long last, your future is looking romantically better."

AN: Umm, sorry for the wait? I was a little preoccupied with scholar bowl try-outs and the Twolight movie, so hopefully this was at least okay. Big chapter coming up next, so be ready. Maybe by Friday?