Lily stood outside the Common Room, hesitating.

"You better get a move on." the fat lady urged.

Lily took a step forward and walked down the corridor. She took a left and walked down a rickety staircase that led her to a brightly lit corridor. She hiked her book bag higher up on her shoulder as she carried on walking. Hearing voices ahead; she picked up her pace. Hopefully they could help her find her way to the Great Hall. She turned the corner and almost groaned.

Sirius, James, Peter, and Remus stood arguing among each other. They didn't look at her as she came into view and stared at them in horror.

"Instead of fighting," she yelled, "maybe you could do something useful like helping me find the Great Hall!"

James's head snapped in her direction. He pulled a little smile on and pressed past Sirius.

"Hey there," he smiled.

"Back up, Potter." she said coldly.

"Touch." Sirius observed.

"You were rude to me first." Lily snapped.

"Rude? None of us were rude." Sirius frowned.

"You were to Severus, and he's my best friend!" she spat.

Sirius's expression lit up and Lily hated the way it made his face so much more handsome. James elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"I'm going this way," Remus said quietly.

He walked up to Lily, hesitated, then asked,

"Would you like to come?"

Lily smiled at him gratefully.

"I say its this way, Remus." James called.

"Lily?" an astounded voice asked, "What are you doing down here?"

Lily turned and smiled. Severus stood there watching her.

"We could ask the same of you ." James spat, annoyed he had shown up.

"Our Common Room is down here, you git." Severus returned.

"What does that make you?" Sirius shot.

"Smarter then you lot." he replied.

Sirius opened his mouth to retort but Remus cut across him,

"Drop it."

"The Great Hall is this way. Coming Lily?" Severus asked.

Lily nodded and hurried after her friend. She didn't see James's fallen face as her dark red hair wiped around the corner and out of sight.

[X]

"Well," Lily gazed at the columns on her schedule, "at least we have one class together."

"Not until Thursday." Severus complained.

"No--look! We have Astronomy together on Wednesday. And we get Friday's off. Fantastic." Lily said.

Severus glared at her.

"Oh come on, Sev. We can hang out on the weekends. I promise all my extra work will be done. Nobody but you." Lily encouraged.

"Do you swear?" he asked.

Lily help up her right hand,

"On our friendship. You can't get anymore bound then that."

Severus set off for Transfiguration alone while Lily hurried off to catch up with Patricia Hurried, her fellow first year Gryffindor.

"You and that Slytherin boy seem close," she said, slowing down as Lily ran forward.

"Yeah. Severus and I are best friends." Lily nodded as they headed down the grounds to Herbology with the Hufflepuffs.

"He's a SLYTHERINE." Pat put extra emphasis on the last word.

"So? He isn't bad." Lily replied as they stopped a little way from the rest of the class.

"He isn't bad now, but he will soon. Slytherine's house as turned out more dark wizards and witches then any other house." Pat said.

"Yeah, because Hufflepuff's are demons." a sarcastic voice said from behind.

Pat and Lily turned to find Sirius and James standing behind them.

"Get lost you prat." Pat spat.

"Come on now, Pat." Sirius soothed, "Don't be like that."

Pat's glare faltered at his smooth words. Lily 's emerald eyes had turned to stone as she glared at the pair of them.

"Do us all a favor and get lost." she snapped.

Sirius turned his charm on Lily but she remained cold and distant.

"Put your wand away, Black! I don't know why you have that out, it doesn't impress any girls here that you can do magic. They can too." someone called from behind.

Professor Sprout came into view. She hit Sirius smartly on the head with the handle of the spade she was holding before pushing the green house doors open.

"Maybe you could stick your wand up your back side and see if that helps your magic any." Lily hissed as she and Pat swept past Sirius.

Remus and Peter joined the two girls at their Flutterbutter hedge where they began to chat easily. James watched Remus with envy as Lily let out a sparkling laugh.

"Sorry that Sirius is such a git. He has it in for pretty girls." Remus apologized.

Lily laughed as she pulled her dragon hide gloves on,

"I'm glad everyone seems to think I'm pretty, but I'm not."

Pat rolled her eyes at Remus over the purple plant.

The rest of Lily's week went fine. Sirius backed off (she had a suspicion that James might have stepped in to in force this) and she and Severus had been partners in both Astronomy and Potions.

It was Thursday evening and Lily sat in the Common Room by the fire with Pat; her books spread around her.

"Slughorn seems to have taken a liking to you." Pat said as Lily scratched a sentence out of her Transfiguration notes.

"Oh, that was because Severus is amazing at Potions. All I did was hand him the things he needed." Lily said.

"Either way, he likes you. You were rather cheeky." Pat observed.

Lily shrugged,

"I don't enjoy other students being made fun of because they can't do something."

Pat watched her as she pulled her Transfiguration homework to her and double checked her answers.

"Why are you doing that now? Its not due until Tuesday." Pat asked.

"I promised Severus--"

"'I promised Severus' its always about that slime ball." someone mocked.

Lily didn't look up as Sirius plopped down next to her.

"I thought I told you to leave me alone." she said as she scribbled furiously on her parchment.

"Ah, Remus and James don't know--"

"What do I not know, Sirius?"

Sirius flinched as James placed his hands on his shoulders. Annoyed, Lily grabbed her bag, shoved her books inside, picked up her parchment, quill, and ink. She glared at the two boys and turned to Pat.

"Its getting crowded down here. Go up with me?" she asked.

Pat nodded and stood up to follow Lily. She shot the two boys an apologetic look as Lily stormed off. James smacked Sirius in the back of the head,

"Lat off her, you prat."