If and Only If . . . Jily

Decision Made by a Hat

Sirius Black was gesturing wildly while proclaiming a tale that was obviously made up (including several instances where he hand-fought enormous dragons) when Remus Lupin paused in his discussion with Peter Pettigrew and Lily Evans to make a sarcastic quip that sent them all to tears.

Sirius pretended to look extremely offended for a few seconds before he joined them, laughing heartily.

Roaring at the friendly expense of his new friend, James's laughter trailed off as he felt the instinctual urge to look up. Glancing at the compartment door window, he watched as a sallow-faced boy his age with stringy black hair pause at glass separated them. James followed the boy's cold, dark eyes to see Lily smiling as she giggled at Sirius's affronted expression.

A searing surge of protectiveness swelled up inside of James as the boy eyed Lily's vibrant hair and eyes, the delicate features of her face and the glow that appeared to radiate from her as she laughed.

But before James could do anything, the boy moved on.

"Oi, mate! What got your knicker in a twist?" Sirius exclaimed upon seeing a funny look on James's face.

Pulling his eyes away from the window, "Nothing, just thought I saw the trolley witch," James said distractedly.

Lily squinted at her best friend, unconvinced.

"So what house do you guys think you're gonna be in?" Peter asked, oblivious.

At this, Sirius looked strangely dejected. "I bet I'll be Slytherin," he said morosely, "My whole family's been in there."

James looked shocked, "Blimey! And I thought you were alright!"

"All the houses are alright," Remus reprimanded. "Just because they're in Slytherin, doesn't make them evil."

James held back a retort because he still didn't want Lily to feel bad if she got into Slytherin and the look on Sirius's face was so downcast that he didn't dare say what he was going to.

"Yeah, you're right," he ceded to Remus.

A pause followed.

"Well, I think I would like to be in either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor," Lily jumped in.

"Hufflepuff wouldn't be bad either, right?" Peter nervously bit his fingernails.

Sirius, glad for the subject change, debated logically, "Hufflepuff is a really good house and it just gets a bad rap because it takes in the most students." He paused thoughtfully, "And I reckon that's only because they're the kindest house."

The group discussed the attributes of all the houses and then moved on to continue the conversation that Remus, Lily and Peter had about the classes. Just as they were arguing about whether Transfiguration or Defense Against the Dark Arts was the most difficult class, a soft knock rapped on their door and a plump, kind-faced witch opened their door.

"Food from the trolley, dearies?" she smiled maternally.

James, whose stomach had been growling for the last half hour, eagerly dug through his bag for his money bag.

Remus looked away, embarrassed. His family was not poor, but the consequences of his condition took a toll on the Lupin's finance and he was sent to Hogwarts with three galleons that were only for emergencies.

However, Lily, Sirius and Peter both looked up, excited about the prospect of the trolley.

Peter felt as though he was starving and was used to having snacks throughout the day. Since they were one of the last compartments, the trolley had been late getting to them. He tore his gaze from the assortments of delectable treats and fumbled for the pouch that contained his savings.