"Evans!"

The shout carried down the hallway, over the heads of the tens of students, and to Lily's ears. She stopped, halting not only herself, but her friend Dorcas who had been walking with her. The throngs of students pushed and moved past as the shouter made his way over. Lily was still unsure of the identity, before she saw the black hair. Her heart gave a leap, and then dropped when she realized it wasn't the right black hair.

"What do you want, Sirius?" She asked, still irritated from Saturday.

"Let's go for a stroll, shall we?" He threw his arm around her shoulder, and began to lead her away from Dorcas.

"I have Transfiguration," Lily tried to duck under his arm, but his resisted.

"No, no, Meadowes can carry on without you." He turned. "Can't you Meadowes?"

"Go ahead, Lily." Dorcas sighed. "I'll tell McGonagall there was Head business."

"She won't believe-" But Sirius cut her off.

"Wonderful! Come now, Evans." Sirius led her down the corridor a bit while the students around gradually started to diminish. Lily waited patiently, raising an eyebrow at Sirius. He paced around a little before turning to face her. His eyes traveled around her face before any sort of resolve formed in his own. Sirius wondered for a long moment if he was even right, if he could make the accusation at all. Then he thought about Saturday; he thought about the last Hogsmeade trip.

"-It explodes in the middle of class and everyone would blame him. Brilliant, I know, don't praise me too quickly, Prongs. Prongs? Prongs are you even listening to-" Sirius realized he'd been planning a prank primarily with himself. His best friend was hardly paying any attention to him at all. Instead he was staring twenty feet ahead at, predictably, Lily. She was walking with a couple of her mates, laughing occasionally. Sirius looked back at James, who wore the look of someone completely smitten. It was sweet really, but this was best mate time, not Lily Evans time.

"Oy, Prongs!" Sirius snapped, finally catching James's attention.

"What?" James frowned at his tone.

"If you want to talk to her so badly, just do it." He was half kidding, but at the look James gave him...he guessed he'd just have to suck it up and find Peter. James took off in Lily's direction. He shouted her name, jogging to catch up with her. The redhead turned, face immediately lighting up. She responded somehow-Sirius couldn't hear-and took a few steps toward him. They stood very close to each other, smiling and laughing. Something about the way she stood closer to him then was altogether necessary, responded to his every movement inversely, and just how she looked at him, something about it all flicked a switch in Sirius's brain. He felt his jaw drop, and then slowly he began to smile.

"How do you feel about James?" Sirius asked finally. He watched carefully as Lily's face-whether she knew it or not-lit up like a Christmas tree. Her eyes shined brighter, and her smile stretched across her face more earnestly. The idea that Sirius had been thinking on solidified in his head. Of course, he thought.

"What do you mean?" She took a stab at casualty.

"Just...what do you think of him?"

"I think he's a prat." There wasn't any negativity in the statement. "He's ridiculously full of himself, and his head couldn't be any larger. He thinks he's brilliant, and he is sometimes. He's also very sweet. And funny. And an amazing Quidditch player. He's clever too." She stopped, seeming to realize the implications of her string of compliments.

"I thought so."

"What?"

"You fancy him." Sirius said plainly and turned to walk away.