Lily was more than a little amused at his hasty retreat, though she did feel a touch bad about it. He probably hadn't seen it that way, she was sure, but she saw it that way. Let's see what the strangers know that we can use.
"It's not your fault," she assured Locke. "Human nature, I suppose. The baser side of it, at any rate." She personally would be more inclined to help someone before anything else, but that was her basic nature. She had a temper, and could hold a grudge, yes, but only to people who incited it. Generally, strangers didn't merit that sort of response from her.
That, though, had rubbed her the wrong way. "Sorry for driving your friend away," she returned as she flashed a slightly impish smile to Locke. "I'll have to tell my mates that someone's trying to exploit us and they should be careful about it." She wondered, if Sirius had been here, if he would have played along and made up some ridiculous story for the bloke. She was willing to bet he would have, and it would have served him right, too.
"Suppose that sticks you with me for company," she added as she regarded him. "Though I can bugger off if you'd rather."