Summary: Sirius wants to find his soul mate and asks James's permission to date Lily.
Categories: Other Pairing Characters: None
Warnings: None
Challenges: Series: None
Chapters: 3
Completed: Yes
Word count: 10696
Read: 6425
Published: 10/28/05
Updated: 03/12/06
1. 1 by joanna
2. 2 by joanna
3. 3 by joanna
The Love Of His Life
Prologue
James looked over at Lily and her friend, Tamara, and he felt a sudden jolt of merriment, although he had absolute no reason to be cheerful. One of his best friends was in detention, the other one was in hospital, and Peter was asleep up in their dormitory. Lily and Tamara were revising spells for Transfiguration, and James was reading a book about poisonous plants. It was their sixth year and exams were an everyday topic now. Sirius was joking about them, Remus was worried about them, and James was preparing for them ever since he overheard Lily talking to Tamara about her wish to become Head Girl.
Lily and Tamara were sitting in the Three Broomstick in Hogsmeade. James was lurking around; he had no one to spend the Hogsmeade weekend with. Sirius was in detention, this time with Peter and Remus. Actually he had been with them on that night, but he hadn't been caught. The others had insisted that he should go to Hogsmeade. Around midday he regretted it, but then he noticed Lily and Tamara heading for the Three Broomsticks. They were conversing about the final exams, and that’s when Lily confessed her aspiration to Tamara. James had never wanted to become Head Boy; he was quite relieved when he wasn’t made Prefect, although McGonagall threatened him with the prospect. At that time, he had been really tempted to fail his OWLs, but he didn’t want to disappoint his mother and father. He'd gotten nine OWLs. Of course, he was no where near Remus’ and Lily’s eleven Outstandings; he had received only three in Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms.
Out of the corner of his eye, James noticed a movement from the portrait hole, and he saw that Sirius was back from his detention. His friend looked really tired, and he literally slumped onto the couch next to him.
“I’m tired,” Sirius announced, but looked at him expectantly.
“Remus was brought to the hospital,” he informed Sirius. “He has some kind of infection,” he explained.
“Oh, boy!” Sirius exclaimed sighing wearily. “You think…” he wanted to ask, but then realised that Lily and Tamara were sitting in the Common Room, too. “James?” he then asked, as if something had just popped into his mind.
“Yes?” James asked back warily. He knew Sirius; his tone indicated that he was about to say something unpleasant.
“You remember talking about my research?” Sirius asked.
He let out a laugh with relief and said, “You mean the story to excuse your love escapades?”
In the same moment, James had to regret both the laugh and the question; Sirius was obviously hurt.
“Okay, okay, sorry,” he said trying to mend the damage he had inflicted with his inconsiderate words. “I didn’t mean it that way,” he muttered, although both of them knew he had.
“I’m trying to find my soul mate. I know I’ve sometimes teased you about being besotted with her” Sirius said, indicating Lily with a slight movement of his head, “but don’t make fun of my quest to find the love of my life!”
“All right, spill the beans! What did you want to say?” James asked, trying to sound earnest.
“I wanted to ask for your permission to ask Lily out,” Sirius whispered at such a high speed that it took James almost a minute to realize what his friend just said.
James looked at his friend, confused, and felt his stomach give a lurch. He felt angry and betrayed.
“Okay, forget I’ve mentioned it. I’m going to bed, I have a splitting headache. Filch made me clean the mirrors on the seventh and the sixth floors, and the nasty git said he would wait for me to do the dungeons ones. Seeing the rate I’ve landed myself in detention this year, he didn’t have to wait long,” Sirius said, hiding his nervousness by overexplaining.
James nodded absent-mindedly, still replaying Sirius' request over and over in his mind."
#1
Sirius put his robes on and decided to wait for James, who was looking pretty tired this morning. Peter had left them a note that he would visit Remus first and would catch up with them in the Great Hall. Sirius and James went there together in complete silence. They didn’t even look at each other. James seemed to be sulky, and Sirius knew him better than to try to pacify him. Trying to apologise or lighten the mood with a joke or witty remark would be a grave error; he knew that from experience. James needed time to brood over this.
They sat down and, as their plates appeared, their two other friends arrived. Sirius was relieved to see Remus up and well again, and for a brief flicker of time, he saw the same on James’ face, but then his lines hardened again. Sirius knew that Remus noticed the change immediately, because he enquired what the problem was. Moony was looking at them back and forth. Sirius only shrugged his shoulders but James shot a glance full of daggers at him.
“For Merlin’s sake, he asked you, didn’t he?” Remus asked, looking alarmed.
“You really like her, Padfoot?” James blurted out, directing his question at Sirius, and he could hear the desperate hope in his friend’s voice. He wished he could tell James that this was all a joke, another teasing about James' craziness over Lily. He wanted to say something comforting but was interrupted.
“Of course he likes her!” Remus answered for him. “Who doesn’t? She is beautiful, smart and witty.”
“You, too?” James asked Remus, his voice full of anxiety.
“Don’t worry, I don’t want to ask her out,” Remus said with a lopsided grin.
James didn’t talk to Sirius all day, and Sirius was getting impatient. After all, he had explained that he only wanted to make sure that he didn’t miss the chance to erase Lily from his list. After lunch break, James turned to him and said “ although through gritted teeth “ that Sirius could do what he wanted, and then he headed to his Ancient Runes lessons.
Sirius had a free period. He went to the library to do some research for a Transfiguration essay and found the object of discord there. She was doing her Potions homework. A ray of sunshine found its way into the library, and it fell on Lily’s head. Her deep red hair shone brightly. For a minute, his mind was blank; it felt like he couldn’t utter a single thought.
“Hi,” he greeted her, but Lily only nodded. “How are you?” he asked.
“Fine,” Lily answered, looked up briefly and turned her attention back to her books.
“It’s such a lovely day, isn’t it?” he tried to keep the conversation going.
“Sure,” Lily said, this time not even looking up.
“How is it going?” he asked kindly.
“It would go just well if you’d stop disturbing me,” Lily snapped at him and threw him a threatening glare.
“Well, I’m just trying to be polite,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.
“Well, go and try someplace else,” Lily retorted.
“Okay, forget that I’ve tried to be polite to you, Evans,” he said, grabbed his books, stood up and moved several tables away from Lily.
Ten minutes later, a shadow fell over him. Sirius looked up and saw that Lily was standing there. He noticed that she was both annoyed and exasperated.
“Fine, talk to me,” Lily ordered him.
“Take a seat, please,” he stood up and pulled out a chair for her.
“Thanks,” Lily said after sitting down, surprise in her eyes and with a look worth tons of questions.
“Well, how are you?” he asked.
“I’m under pressure,” she explained, and he heard the apology in the explanation so he nodded. “Everyone seems to think that there is only one subject and that’s theirs. Flitwick made me head of the Charms Club, and Slughorn wants me to join the Potions Club. McGonagall said that I need to work harder; she said she knew I could do better.”
“And what about you? What do you want, Lily?” he asked her.
“I don’t want to join the Potions Club; Snape is there,” she said, shuddering slightly. “Besides, I don’t have the time for it.”
“What about telling McGonagall that you’re quite satisfied with your performance in Transfiguration?”
“You would do that with McGonagall?”
“Actually, no because Transfiguration happens to be my favourite subject. But I would tell that to Flitwick if he would want me to concentrate more on Charms. I like Charms and I like him, but I would like to concentrate on Transfiguration.”
“Um, okay, but we are talking about McGonagall,” Lily said, still looking uncomfortable about the thought of ever saying something like that to McGonagall.
“I know,” he grinned at her. “Would you like me to tell her?”
“No, for Merlin’s sake!” Lily exclaimed. “I’m a Gryffindor! What kind of bravery is that if you don’t dare to talk to your own Head of House?”
“I guess you are right,” he said with a nod. They sat there contemplating her options, but with no satisfying result. Finally they had to leave for their Potions lesson. They arrived there together, and James threw an inquisitive look at him, but Sirius shook his head. No, he hadn’t asked her out yet. Potions was as usual, and after class Lily stayed behind to tell the professor that she didn’t want to join the Potions Club, and Sirius decided to wait for her.
“What did he say?” he asked her, after she had finished.
“He said he understood my reasons, but I think he wasn’t that glad with my decision,” Lily said and flashed a smile at him. “Thank you for your support.”
“Would you like to take a walk before dinner?” he asked her, feeling a sudden wave of courage.
“What?” Lily asked him.
“I’m asking you if you would take a walk with me before dinner. At the lake,” he added.
“Take a walk?” she asked back.
“Yes. What’s wrong with it?” he asked, surprised. “I would like to talk to you, and I think the evening breeze is balmy, and the sun is setting. It must be tremendous scenery to enjoy,” he said, with a mocking undertone.
“And you’d like me to accompany you?” Lily asked, sounding disbelieving.
“Yes,” he answered, nodding.
“Where is Potter?” Lily enquired and looked around.
“What?” he asked, taken aback.
“Where is Potter? Is he waiting around here to laugh at my expense?”
“No. James has nothing to do with this,” he said, realization dawning on him.
“You are asking me out?” Lily demanded for clarity.
“Yes,” he admitted.
“And why?”
“I want to get to know you better,” he explained.
“Sirius Black, ‘Skirtchaser of Hogwarts’?” she still sounded shocked.
“Well, I’d like to explain to you why I got that reputation if you would take a stroll with me around the lake.”
“So it’s a stroll already?” Lily asked back. “Do I have to hold your hand?” she asked, revolted.
“Only if you want to,” he grinned at her.
And then he saw a resolution taking shape in Lily’s eyes.
“I know that I will regret this, but yes, I'll take a walk with you. No strolling and no holding hands,” she added, shooting a warning look at him.
“Okay, no strolling or holding hands. I guess I can live with that.”
“Then let me take my stuff back to the dormitory and meet me at the lake,” Lily said and dashed off.
Half an hour later, he was waiting for her at the lake. She was walking briskly towards him, now and then casting a nervous look around.
“Lily, no one will jump out of a bush to say ‘You’ve been had!’” he told her, chuckling.
“I wasn’t going to…” Lily wanted to deny it, but then shook her head.
He looked at her questioningly and then they set off.
“What are we going to do now?” Lily asked two minutes later.
“We could talk,” he suggested and looked at her for approval.
“I saw you had a letter yesterday,” Lily told him. “You know, till that morning, I never realised that you don’t get any letters,” she said, obviously not wanting to talk about herself.
“Yes, my family is a bunch of nerds and evil bastards,” he told her with a harried smile.
“Tell me about them” Lily pressed on.
“There isn’t anything much to tell about them, Lily,” he said with a shrug.
“What about your brother? He is at Hogwarts, isn’t he?”
“He is a Black through and through. He is in Slytherin. You can imagine the disappointment of my dear mother when she was informed I was sorted into Gryffindor. A very long line of Blacks, and they were all in Slytherin. What a shame!” he said, a painful smile flickering across his face. “Enough of my family. Besides, I don’t live with them anymore.”
“You are living with a relative?”
“No, I have found myself a new family. James’s,” he explained. “I moved out of the Black family house and had nowhere to go. James's mother offered me a place to stay with them. They are very nice people. They treat me like a son,” he said, reminiscing about the best summer of his life.
“I see,” Lily said, and after looking at her incisively, he could see that she really understood. “Were you just as cute as a child?” She looked at him suddenly.
“You think I’m cute?” he asked, surprised.
“Come on! You had to know that. You are cute, ask anyone.”
“Thanks,” he said, blushing a bit. He knew girls liked him, but they never paid any compliment to him. “Well, I think not. I was skinny and pale. I didn’t like to leave the house.”
“Why not?”
“I was a brooder,” he confessed.
“And what were you thinking about?” she asked curiously.
“Well, many things. Mostly about my family.”
“And?”
“I always thought they brought the wrong kid back from the clinic. I’ve pictured every kind of scene where my real mother would show up and take me away. Well, obviously it never happened. Besides, this face is a Black’s face,” he said, pointing at his own face.
“It was the same with me. Only I thought that me and my mother had been somehow kidnapped and now had to live with Father and Petunia. There were times when I thought mother was a fairy queen and I was a princess, and one day my real father, the fairy king or his men, would find us and bring us back. That was after my ability to do magic showed the first time,” she said, laughing bitterly.
“You know, I can picture you as a fairy princess,” he smiled at her gently.
“When was the first time you did magic?” she asked.
“I think I’ve done it since I was a baby, but magic of a greater kind I did when I was seven.”
“What did you do?”
“I’m not particularly proud of it, so I don’t want to talk about it much. I can only say it was my birthday, Regulus took my gift, and he ended up in St. Mungo’s,” he summarized the incident. “What about you?”
“It was pretty much the same, only I was already ten. I was left alone with Petunia, and she wanted me to wash her shirt. I didn’t want to so I made it shrink. After that she could dress one of her teddy bears in it.”
Sirius laughed and Lily joined him. Slowly, they made a half-circle around the lake, and they were already going back when Lily realised that he didn’t tell her why he had that bad reputation.
“You see, I have this theory that everyone has a soul mate somewhere. You only have to take the time to find them,” he began to explain. “So I’ve decided to search for mine. I began here at Hogwarts.”
“And how can you tell when you meet your soul mate?” Lily enquired.
“Well, you feel it. It must be like when you are missing something and then find it. It makes you feel whole, I assume,” he said hesitantly.
“So you haven’t found your soul mate yet?” Lily asked, her smile indulgent. He was very grateful that she didn’t laugh at him.
“No, I haven’t.”
“And that’s why you’ve dated so many girls?”
“Exactly. You see, I have a method. I’ll have three dates with the same girl, and after that I would kiss her, and then I should feel whether she was my soul mate.”
“I see. But wait a minute! You have dated Tamara four times!”
“I wasn’t sure about her. I'd felt something after our third date, but the feeling vanished on our fourth.”
“What about Celia? She had only two dates,” Lily said accusingly.
“I know you are friends with Celia Harrington, but she is so boring, I could barely stay awake on our first date, and it got worse on our second,” he explained to her.
“I know,” Lily said after a sigh. “She is a very loyal friend, but she tends to get immersed in one subject and then she cannot talk about anything else.”
“Tell me about it,” he said, shuddering at the thought of that second date. “She was into Quidditch that time, and I really like Quidditch, but I think I needn’t know every single one of the fouls committed during some kind of World Cup back in the 15th century. From blatching to skinning and in alphabetical order, too!” he complained, and with his suffering face, he made Lily laugh aloud.
“And this is our first date?” Lily asked, suddenly sobering up.
“Yes, Lily,” he admitted.
“It was a good one,” Lily said awkwardly.
“I take it as a compliment, darling,” he said smirking.
“Oh, shut up!” she cried, planted a kiss on his cheek and then stormed off.
He looked after her until her figure disappeared in the castle and then set off, too, to return to the Great Hall. James, Remus and Peter were waiting for him there.
“Where were you?” Peter demanded to know.
“I was with Lily,” he professed and then turned his attention to his plate full of a delightfully arranged, delicious meal. The house-elves must have had some elf-made wine before dinner, he mused and tucked in.
They went back together to Gryffindor Tower, Remus conversing with James about Transfiguration tomorrow, and Peter babbling about the upcoming Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor two weeks later. Sirius went up to their dormitory to grab his Transfiguration essay he wanted to finish, and he was returning to the Common Room whistling a happy tune when he was confronted with James, who had apparently followed him.
“You kissed!” James accused him.
“Were you spying on us?” he asked, a hot white anger rising up in his body.
“Never! How could you suggest such a thing?” James exclaimed outraged.
“Okay, sorry,” he apologized, after calming down a bit. “No, we haven’t kissed, although she kissed me.”
“She kissed you?” James asked taken aback.
“Yes, but only on the cheek,” Sirius hurried to assure him.
“But why?” James wanted to know.
“Well, I guess she wanted to say thank you for the wonderful evening,” he told him and then walked down, sidestepping James.
Many thanks to my Betas: ByMerlinsBeard and Crazy About Dan
# 2
“I’ve talked to the Head Boy.” Lily heard Remus announcing this on a Tuesday evening in the Gryffindor Common Room.
Tamara and she were sitting not far from the fire, where the Marauders sat. Peter, Remus and James were seated on a comfy, lilac sofa, and Sirius was in a plush, claret armchair. There were books spread over the girls' little table. They were working on their homework for Professor Flitwick. Lily had a parchment in front of her and a quill in her hand, but she wasn’t writing anything. She was watching the four friends from the corner of her eye, although she had much to do. Tamara had already nudged her in the ribs earlier this evening because Lily wasn’t paying attention when she explained something to her.
“He told me that Dumbledore was planning a surprise Hogsmeade weekend this coming Saturday,” Remus continued.
“Excellent!” Sirius exclaimed.
“Does this mean that we shouldn’t count on you, Padfoot?” Remus asked his friend, lowering his voice when he spoke his friend’s nickname.
“Exactly. I’m going to ask Lily out,” Sirius said, stood up and headed for Lily and Tamara.
Lily hurriedly tore her gaze away and acted as if she was absorbed in her Charms essay. She looked up again after Sirius greeted them with a 'hi.' He flashed a smile at her and then said, “So, about our next date….”
“What about it?” Lily asked back in a somewhat mocking voice.
“Hogsmeade weekend this week,” he informed her. “Would you like to go with me?”
“Well, I really should stay―” Lily started to say, but Sirius interrupted her in mid-sentence.
“Come on, Lils! Even you should have some fun,” he tried to persuade her.
“Oh, all right then,” Lily gave in and then turned back to her homework. A few seconds later, she noticed that Sirius was still lingering around. “Why are you still standing around?”
“I’ve just wanted….” Sirius answered, slightly flushed, but then made up his mind and didn’t end the sentence. He turned and sauntered back to his friends.
Lily resisted the urgency to look after him and pretended to focus on her composition. She let her hair fall into her face and turned to Tamara. “Is he still looking over?”
“James or Sirius?” Tamara asked back, whispering.
“Don’t be silly! James, of course.”
“Yes, he is practically staring his eyes out,” Tamara said after looking over to the boys.
“Good,” Lily said, nodding, and this time she really returned to her books.
On Thursday evening, Dumbledore called everyone to the Great Hall and addressed them about the house rules again. At the end of his speech, he announced that he scheduled a Hogsmeade weekend. The following day, students were chatting excitedly about their weekend plans and what they would do in Hogsmeade. Tamara told Lily that she was going to stay in, and Lily spent every break between their lessons trying to persuade her to go.
On Saturday morning, Lily woke up early to get ready. She headed immediately to the bathroom, where she showered and washed her hair. She wrapped a big bath-towel around her body, made a turban out of a smaller one, and then planted herself in front of her cabinet.
“What are you looking for?” Tamara asked her still sleepily. She was lying in her four-poster and made no effort to get up.
“For something casually elegant.”
“Wear that plain, wine-red skirt and that white blouse with the little green flowers,” Tamara suggested.
“I don’t like that blouse very much.”
“Okay, then that beige top,” Tamara advised.
Lily took out the skirt and top and then laid them onto the bed.
“Do you want my make-up kit?” Tamara offered.
“You are a dear!” Lily hugged the yawning girl, who had finally got out of bed and was going to her cabinet, stifling a yawn on her way.
Lily dried her hair with a simple spell, pulled it into a pony tail, and then sat down at the edge of her bed. Tamara handed her a silver mirror. Lily took it, looked into it, and asked jokingly, Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?
Tamara smiled indulgently, and then tapped her wand on the top of a wooden box. “Alohomora!” she said the spell, and the lid opened.
Three layers unfolded themselves slowly: one for mascara, one for eye-shadow with a row for eye-liners, and one for lipsticks with a row for lip-gloss. There were so many colours and shades that Lily wanted to touch them right away, although this wasn’t the first time she saw Tamara’s magical make-up kit. Her friend tapped her wand at the glossy, dark brown mascara and then at the mirror. The eyelashes of Lily’s mirror image became brown. Lily nodded, the colour was perfect. Tamara proceeded, and Lily saw as her mirror image’s make-up got ready.
“Are you satisfied?” Tamara asked her.
“Quite,” she gave her approval with a nod. Her friend tapped the mirror a last time and murmured a spell. The chosen make-up was transferred to Lily’s face.
“Thank you,” Lily said, then dressed and went to her cabinet to check her appearance a last time in the big mirror on the door of the wardrobe. Pleased with what she saw, she went back to her bed and grabbed her bag.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go to Hogsmeade?”
“I'm pretty sure, Lily. I have to catch up with Transfiguration. McGonagall already gave me a lecture about how important Transfiguration is when you want to become a Healer.”
“Okay then,” Lily said, and then left for the Common Room.
Sirius was already there, but he wasn’t alone; Peter was with him. Lily heard yesterday that the captain of the Quidditch team scheduled an extra training because the Gryffindor Team lost the match last weekend against the Hufflepuffs. Valerie Vane asked Remus out, so Peter had to spend the Saturday alone.
“But what should I do alone in Hogsmeade?” Lily heard Peter asking.
“I don’t know, Peter,” Sirius answered, somewhat irritated. “Try to chat up that Larissa girl.”
“She doesn’t even know I exist,” Peter complained.
“Make her notice you!” Sirius told him. “Make a plan! Whatever!” he said exasperated.
“But Sirius….”
“Should we cancel this, Sirius?” Lily asked the young man, reaching the last step of the staircase.
Sirius spun around and gasped as he took in Lily’s appearance.
“No, of course not. Peter is a big boy, he can take care of himself, can’t you, Peter?” he turned to his friend.
“I can,” Peter said, nodding, and left for the boys' dormitory.
“You look stunning,” Sirius complimented Lily.
“Thank you. You look good, too,” Lily returned the compliment. Sirius wore blue trousers with a deep blue shirt.
“Well, how about breakfast, then?” he asked and, after Lily’s nod, they went down to the Great Hall. They met Remus and Valerie there, and after breakfast, the four of them lined up for the Hogsmeade trip. Lily noticed happily that Tamara changed her mind, but she couldn’t see Peter anywhere.
“He’ll be all alone in Gryffindor Tower,” she mused aloud.
“You mean Peter?” Sirius asked back. “Yes, probably, or he’ll go to the library,” Sirius said, and then flashed a smile at someone whom Lily couldn’t see.
“How did Remus acquire that really nice purple spot around his eyes?” Lily dared to ask, as Remus and Valerie were chatting with Celia and Nita, the other two Gryffindor sixth year girls.
“You don’t really want me to tell about that,” Sirius said, throwing a quick glance at her, and then returned his attention to McGonagall, who was telling off his brother for some reason.
“Just try me,” Lily said, and then looked at him inquisitively. She clearly didn’t notice the episode; her line of sight was obstructed by a big Slytherin boy.
“Okay, you wanted to know,” Sirius said, his attention back to Lily. “Snape insulted Peter. He told him he is practically a Squib and has no right to study at Hogwarts.”
“But Peter is not that bad. He is good at Charms.”
“I know. I don’t know what gripped Snape; he usually doesn’t go for Peter. Anyway, James and Remus heard the remark and made him pay for it. A fight broke out, and finally Sprout spotted them. Lucky for them, she really likes Remus, so they didn’t get any detention. She only docked a few points from Gryffindor and Slytherin.”
“But Peter didn’t seem injured this morning,” Lily said, frowning.
“Because he ran away. That must be the reason why Remus accepted Valerie’s invitation. After James told us that he had to go to a training today, Remus went to Valerie and asked if the invitation still stood.”
Lily didn’t know what to say, but she suddenly didn’t feel any pity for Peter anymore.
They arrived in Hogsmeade, and because Lily had to buy a new quill, Sirius went with her to the stationary shop.
“Okay, what do you want to do today?” Sirius asked her after stepping out of Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop.
“You asked me out, you have to entertain me, Sirius Black.”
“Sure, I just wanted to know if you had any special wishes. You see, I’m a polite guy,” he said, smiling half seriously, half mischievously.
“Okay, to tell the truth, I have always wanted to go to the Hog’s Head, but then never did. I wanted to go with the girls, but they simply refused, and I don't think it is much fun alone,” Lily explained, and then looked at him expectantly.
“That’s no place for a girl like you, Lily,” Sirius said earnestly.
“I know, I know,” Lily said, brushing his worries aside with a wave of her hand. “But I want to know why not. And I want to see it with my own eyes.”
“Okay, I guess, if you are going with me, then we could stop by.”
“Good,” Lily said, nodding, and then flashed a thankful smile at Sirius. Ten minutes later, she wanted to step into the pub, but Sirius hindered her.
“I think it would be better for me to enter first,” he put his hand onto Lily’s. Lily looked down at their hands, and Sirius pulled back his hand hastily.
“Okay,” Lily said hesitantly. She was only half convinced, but she knew if she really wanted to see the Hog’s Head from within, then she had to play according to Sirius’ rules.
They stepped inside, and for a very long minute, every guest was staring at them. Sirius grabbed Lily’s hand and led her to the counter.
“We would like to have two Butterbeers,” Sirius told the barkeeper, who looked slightly familiar to Lily. Especially his eyes.
Lily took a place at a nearby table, and Sirius joined her with their beers.
“Is he always this gruff?” she asked, whispering.
“Yes, always,” Sirius whispered back, after he swallowed his beer. “I don’t think that he is the amiable type of man.”
Lily giggled at his remark and then took a sip.
“Well, I don’t think that he usually serves beer in this bar,” she said, showing Sirius her fingerprints in the dust, which had settled onto the beer bottle.
“Take a look around,” Sirius told her. “These men don’t drink Butterbeer; they like Ogden’s Old Firewhisky.”
“Have you ever tried it?”
“Yeah, once,” Sirius said and shuddered. The headache afterwards was something to remember for a lifetime.
“Alone or with”“
“With James and Peter. Remus wouldn’t come. Peter barely took a glass and was out for three hours. This was good because he was able to bring us back home when he came round,” he said, and then let out a bark-like laugh. “In those three hours, we emptied two bottles of Firewhisky. We were sloshed for the rest of the night,” Sirius told her.
“And how was it the day after?” Lily asked curiously.
“I don’t even want to think about it, Lils,” Sirius said with a painful smile. They drank their Butterbeers in silence, both of them deep in thought. “Are you done?” Sirius broke the silence some minutes later.
“Pity we had to leave, I think they were getting used to us,” Lily told him as they were on their way to the next destination, which Sirius kept secret from her. “Where are we going again?” she asked for a second time, pressing him to give away their destination.
“I haven’t told you yet, Lils,” Sirius informed her and smirked. “But you’ll see,” he smiled mysteriously.
“Okay, so what was the most embarrassing moment in your life?” Lily asked him suddenly.
“What? Why are you asking this?” Sirius asked, perplexed.
“I just want to get to know you better,” Lily explained after she shrugged her shoulders.
“By asking me about something like that?” Sirius asked incredulously.
“Well, that would tell a whole lot about you.”
“And would you―in return―tell me about the most embarrassing moment in your life?”
“It’s only fair trade,” Lily agreed.
“Um, okay,” Sirius nodded. “To tell the truth, it was when I have asked you out.”
“Really?” she asked back.
“Yeah,” he said with a nod. “I can think of something else if you don’t believe me….”
“No, it was just…. Well, flattering on a second thought, but first I thought it rather strange.”
“Strange in what sense?” Sirius asked and stopped in front of the Shrieking Shack. “Strange like creepy, or strange like unexpected?”
“The latter,” Lily told him and earned a smile from Sirius.
“Okay, and now to you, Lils.”
Lily, after pondering about whether she should tell the truth or not, decided for the truth.
“Well, it was here at Hogwarts in our third year,” she began, “and I was talking to Tamara about how I really don’t like Transfiguration, especially because I don’t like frogs and mice to work with. I couldn’t see why McGonagall was making us deal with such ugly creatures. I was theorizing that maybe she has thought it fun to watch us girls squeaking. On top of that, I imitated her telling off Celia for complaining. And as it happens, Professor McGonagall was standing right behind us,” Lily said, and the memory still made her blush.
“Did she say something about it?” Sirius asked curiously.
“No, nothing.”
“She was probably at a loss for words. I think she had never been criticized before,” Sirius chuckled. “I liked her lessons from the beginning.”
“And you like her, too, don’t you?” Lily asked back.
“I really adore her,” he confessed with a smile, which indicated that he was slightly embarrassed for being found out. Lily thought it was cute. “I think she is the best thing that could have happened to me,” he said then earnestly. “She taught me honesty and loyalty. Something my parents neglected to do,” he admitted. “We are here,” he announced then, clearly not wanting to talk about the subject anymore.
“The Shrieking Shack? I think it’s forbidden to go in there,” Lily voiced her worries.
“Have you ever heard Dumbledore mention it in his speeches?” Sirius asked back.
“No,” Lily shook her head hesitantly. “But that doesn’t mean””
“He forbade us to go into the forest and to wander around in the castle after curfew, but you think he forgot to forbid this?” he asked, indicating the building with a movement of his hand.
“No, you're right. But aren’t there”” Lily wanted ask, but Sirius interrupted her.
“You're not afraid of ghosts, are you?” he asked her in amazement.
“No, of course not,” Lily answered indignantly. “I’m a Gryffindor, just like you,” she added.
“Well, then nothing stands in our way. Besides, after the Hog’s Head, this will be a walk in the park.”
Sirius took a look around and then cautiously bent down. When he stood up again, he had a key in his hand. Lily didn’t ask how he knew where the key was lying; she didn’t want to know.
“Okay,” Sirius said, after stepping in, “I’ll give you the tour. The stairs are a bit shaky, but don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you.”
“I thought you're giving me a tour. Why would you stay behind me?” Lily asked suspiciously.
“To catch you if you fall,” Sirius explained calmly.
Lily decided, again, that it was best not asking any questions for which she didn’t want to know the answer.
“Do you know something about this building?” Sirius asked her.
“Just the one thing Nearly-Headless Nick told me after a Halloween in our fourth year. He said even the ghosts feared to go in here.”
“Well, it was built five years ago, and since then it has been said to be haunted,” Sirius told her.
“I know that. But the question is, why?” Lily wanted to know.
“One day I’ll tell you, but this isn’t the day, Lils,” Sirius said secretively.
“Okay, keep your secrets,” Lily said, pouting a bit, and then stopped in the middle of her track. “What was that?” she asked, turning halfway back.
“What was what?” Sirius asked back.
“A low whistling,” Lily whispered.
“I didn’t hear it,” Sirius shrugged his shoulders. “Could we go on, please, these stairs are a bit wayward.”
Lily nodded and then went on, but one minute later she came to a halt again.
“Did you hear it this time?” Lily asked him and turned. She was so fast that Sirius couldn’t hide his smile. He tried to put on an innocent face, but it was already too late.
“So it was you!” Lily accused him and took a step back to be closer to Sirius. His face sobered as he saw how infuriated Lily was.
“I…. I didn’t…” he stammered.
Lily was now staring into his eyes; their faces were only an inch apart. The look in Lily’s eyes almost made him cringe. But then”to his utmost bewilderment”she laughed out loud.
“You should have seen your face!” she said after her laugh subsided, still chuckling a bit.
Sirius laughed too, and Lily noticed again how his laugh sounded like a bark.
“You are very good,” he had to admit.
“I had many occasions to practice,” Lily said, thinking about the times when she and James had an argument. Then she turned again and continued to climb the stairs. Once there, she looked around. The place was a bit creepy, but she thought it looked… somehow cosy, too. And then she heard an unearthly sound, which made her jump.
“Stop it, Sirius!” she told him off, but Sirius looked really innocent this time. “It isn’t funny anymore.”
“It wasn’t me,” Sirius denied the accusation. He was looking around investigating. “Draw your wand and stay here,” he told her then, sounding grave; his voice indicated that he was holding back his fury.
Lily couldn’t guess why he seemed to be irate. But she drew her wand and stayed there. For almost a minute. Then she spotted a room with a door slightly ajar. She ventured in there and gasped. The space looked like the Common Room in Gryffindor Tower. There was a spindle-legged table (just like the ones in Dumbledore’s office) between a plush, puce-coloured couch and a yellow armchair. A larger, shabby table stood in the corner, and it was heavy with books. The couch and the armchair were standing in front of the fireplace, and there was a single book lying on the ground in front of the couch. Lily just wanted to pick up Turn into Yourself, by Trance Voormeer, when she heard a noise, probably coming from the staircase.
She hurried out and saw a large, black dog chasing a rat. Her heart was beating frantically as the dog reached the rat and took its tail between his teeth. The rat squeaked and the dog let go of it. The little animal scurried away, but the dog remained there. He eyed Lily for a moment, and then set off towards her. Lily backed into the room, but the dog followed her in.
“Good dog,” she whispered, her voice breaking. Gryffindor or not, she was pretty frightened.
The dog let out a short a bark, and then came closer to Lily. Lily wanted to take one more step back, but collided with the back of the couch. She had no choice but to await what the dog would do. There was another bark, and the dog came even closer. He nudged Lily’s hand with his nose; and Lily couldn’t help it, she giggled at the sensation. Relieved, she bent down and scratched the dog’s head.
“So, you are a big softie,” she whispered and patted its back. “You are magnificent, but I guess you know that,” she told the dog, and this remark earned a grunt. Then the dog ran out of the room.
A few seconds later Lily heard Sirius shouting her name.
“Coming!” she shouted back and stepped out of the room.
Sirius looked at her inquisitively, but Lily didn’t know why.
“Why were you in there?” he asked, and Lily thought she heard a slight accusation in his voice.
“I…. Is it forbidden?” she asked, sarcastically, finally letting her Gryffindor-pride take over her. She had been letting Sirius be in charge on this date, but now she had enough.
“I thought I told you to stay here,” Sirius told her.
“There was a big, black dog…” Lily started to explain―explaining herself was a conditioned reflex from her childhood―but then made up her mind. “You know what? I don’t think I should explain my actions. You were the one who left me alone in a creepy, probably dangerous, house!” she said, sounding defiant.
“I’m sorry.”
“Me, too,” Lily said, her anger gone. “You went to investigate, and I’m a witch with a wand, I’m capable of defending myself. I hate it when people want to boss me around.”
“I didn’t want to sound like that. I was just worried for your safety,” he explained and Lily generously forgave him.
“There was a big, black dog, and first I was afraid, but he was harmless.”
“Okay. Do you still want to take a look around?”
“Yes,” Lily said, nodding, and she followed Sirius downstairs. She didn’t want to question him about that room; she knew that Sirius wouldn’t answer her query.
The tour ended ten minutes later, and then Sirius escorted her to the Three Broomsticks. On their way, he was joking about how Lily was frightened of the whistling sounds he'd made; and Lily reminded him of how scared he was of her false anger. They stepped into the pub still laughing. Remus and Valerie were there, and they asked Lily and Sirius to sit with them. Some time later Tamara joined them, too. They had a wonderful time; Sirius’ joking made everyone laugh. Around three o’clock, they went back together to Hogwarts.
“And how was it?” Tamara enquired. They were alone in their dormitory; Valerie, Celia and Nita were in the Common Room.
“Well, it was good. Very good, indeed.”
“Good for you,” Tamara said, and Lily heard a slight disapproval in her voice.
“Does it bother you that I’m going out with him?” she asked her friend.
“No, not at all,” Tamara said, shaking her head.
“Really?”
“Really,” she confirmed. “And if it did, would you stop dating him?” she asked as an afterthought.
“Well, no. Sorry,” she said, and was really sorry. But this was probably her last chance.
“Why not? You aren't in love with him, are you?”
“No, I’m not,” Lily answered honestly. “But dating Sirius Black fits perfectly into my plan. Besides, it’s great fun with him.”
“Fun? At Madam Puddifoot’s?”
“He didn’t bring me there,” Lily said, and then stood still for a moment. She contemplated this. Both Tamara and Celia told her that their second dates were at Madam Puddifoot’s. “We were in the Hog’s Head, and then in the Shrieking Shack.”
“Really? How odd!” Tamara voiced Lily’s thoughts. “And what was so much fun?”
Lily told her about how Sirius made witty remarks about the Hog’s Head’s innkeeper, and then about the funny noises at the Shrieking Shack. But she didn’t tell her about that room in the house. She felt it was someone else’s secret, and she knew it would feel like betraying Sirius.
“And he laughed a lot,” she added finally. “And that always makes me laugh.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I guess because it sounds like a dog bark,” Lily said, and then realization struck her. The book on the floor in that room! The big, black dog! The injuries the four friends had once a month. How could she have been so clueless? After all, she figured out Remus’ secret in their fifth year. After that she knew why they called him Moony when they thought no one was around. She contemplated the other nicknames she'd overheard. She didn’t have to think about it, which one of them Padfoot was. Wormtail―that pesky rat, Peter!―was in the Shrieking Shack today. And Prongs…? Why did they call James Prongs? Well, she decided, it was something she had to find out later.
“Do you think it would be that much fun with James, too?” Tamara’s question brought her out of her shock about her discovery.
“I don’t know,” Lily responded. “I hope so.”
“But Lily, how could you date one of his best friends?” Tamara asked, this time clearly disapproving. “I only hope that your plan won’t backfire on you, and instead of making him jealous, you make him to hate you.”
“I hope not, Tamara, I hope not.”
TBC
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#3
“But, Lily, really, it’s great fun,” Sirius said, persuading. They were sitting in the Great Hall, having breakfast.
“But it’s Charms Club on Saturday,” Lily insisted.
“And who sets the meetings?” Remus chipped in. He was watching Sirius with growing interest. Why would he want to bring Lily to a Quidditch match where James was the star?
Sirius shot him a grateful glance and then turned to Lily, awaiting her answer.
“Well, it’s me, but Flitwick...” she started, however Sirius interrupted her.
“Lily! You should really show Gryffindor House your support.”
“Okay, okay,” Lily gave in. “I’ll reschedule the Charms Club meeting, but it'd better be superb or else…” she didn’t end the sentence deliberately.
“A Ravenclaw-Gryffindor game is always good; after all, it’s James against Shacklebolt,” Sirius said.
“Oh, yes, I forgot!” Lily said, but Remus didn’t believe her. He threw her a quizzical look, and Lily replied with a non-committal shrug of shoulders. In Remus’s opinion, it was hard to forget that she went out with Kingsley Shacklebolt at the beginning of their fifth year, even if that relationship was not a long-term one. Especially hard to forget, after the tantrum James threw when he learned of it.
“Who is his new girlfriend?” Sirius asked Lily, not noticing the interlude between her and Remus.
“Well, he wanted to go out with Tamara,” Lily replied.
“But?” Sirius asked, sensing a ‘but’.
“But Tamara said no,” Lily replied.
“Would it bother you?” Remus asked Sirius.
“No, she’s afraid of dogs,” Sirius explained.
“Oh, I see now!” Lily exclaimed after it suddenly dawned on her why Sirius had four dates with Tamara. “It’s a shame, really. You two would have been so cute together,” she remarked.
“And what about us?” Sirius asked, trying to sound nonchalant, but Remus noticed that his eyes betrayed his insecurity.
“We’re cool together,” Lily imparted. “I’m Head of the Charms Club and you are an unregistered Animagus,” she whispered to him so that only Remus and Sirius heard her words.
Sirius choked on his food and Remus held his breath back. What would she do with that information? He knew that Lily was by no means a nark, but this was something big. She could go to McGonagall with it. Meanwhile, Lily patted Sirius' back, almost knocking the air out of his lungs.
“There, there,” she said and watched Sirius’ face going red from purple.
“How did you…” Remus trailed off, eying her suspiciously.
“Find out?” Lily ended his sentence. “On our last date when he,” she said, pointing at Sirius, “brought me to the Shrieking Shack. Peter was there, too, or I should say the rat,” she corrected herself.
“What happened?” Remus asked Sirius.
“He spied on us!” Sirius shouted, and some heads turned towards them.
“He changed and chased Peter away,” Lily summarised the events of that day.
“That sneaky little rat! I’ll hex him into oblivion next time,” Sirius swore.
“Well, he was lonely, and...” Remus started, but was interrupted by Sirius.
“Don’t protect him! Have you forgotten why he was alone?”
“No, of course not,” Remus said and touched the skin under his eyes. He still had to apply a special ointment for his wound there.
“He has to learn that he is our friend, but when we don’t want him around, he has to stay put,” Sirius told Remus.
“You’re right,” Remus agreed and then turned to Lily. “And you know about me, too?”
“Since our fifth year, so that wasn’t big news, Moony,” she added his nickname in a whisper.
“The Defense O.W.L., yes?” he asked, with a painful smile.
“Yes, that's when I realized why you've disappeared every month.”
On the following Saturday, Remus woke up early and decided not to wake up his friends but rather go alone for breakfast. On his way there, he met two Ravenclaws, both fifth year prefects.
“And why did she suddenly postpone a Charms Club meeting?” the girl asked.
“I asked her the same,” the boy replied.
“And what did she say?” the girl queried.
“Well, she said she had her reasons. She told me we should show the Quidditch teams our support.”
“I was never interested in Quidditch,” the girl complained. “What will you do today?” she asked Nita, a Gryffindor sixth year.
Remus was awaiting the answer curiously. He knew that the Gryffindor sixth year girls were a close group of friends and that they would go to any lengths for Lily.
“Well, I’ll do what I should have done really a long time ago,” Nita replied. “I am going down to the Quidditch pitch today, and I will show Gryffindor House my support. And watch out for me because I will support my team with a bang.”
Remus accompanied Nita into the Great Hall, and they were chatting about the day's odds when Lily and Tamara joined them at the Gryffindor table.
“Lily, why was it so important to wake up so early?” Tamara whined. “You know I will be intolerable all day,” she said after stifling a yawn.
“Eat! We have so much to do before the match! Hi, Remus!” she finally greeted the indulgently smiling boy.
“So early?” Remus asked her, pouring himself another cup of tea.
“See? Even he thinks it’s too early,” Tamara said. “Let me go back to the dormitory, Lily,” she begged her. “I am awfully tired,” she added with a yawn.
“You can’t be tired; you went to bed so early! Besides, you have to help me.”
“I don’t want to...” Tamara started to protest, but Lily shoved a toast into her mouth.
“Eat!” she ordered her and then turned to Remus, a frown appearing on her face. “Where’s your pal?”
“Which one?” Remus asked, amused; he saw that Lily was not in her best mood.
“Sirius. He told me he would meet me in the Common Room at half past seven, and it’s almost eight o’clock!” she exclaimed, and Remus saw that she was getting really angry.
“I don’t know, he was still asleep when I left for breakfast,” he told her.
Lily sighed tiredly and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she found Remus staring at her.
“Oy, Tamara, it’s beginning to work,” she told her friend and laughed at Remus.
“So that’s intended?” Remus asked her, slightly worried.
“Yes, it is. I’ve cooked up the potion. My eyes and Nita’s will be golden, Tamara’s, Valerie’s and Celia’s red.”
“Now, that’s what I call Gryffindor pride!” someone called out, and after turning around, Remus spotted Sirius standing next to Lily. He didn’t see him coming, but didn’t dare to ask himself why.
“You should see Nita’s banner, too,” Lily told Sirius.
“What is it doing?” Sirius asked after sitting down.
“It’s red and it roars and blinks,” Tamara informed them; she was finally awake enough to participate in the conversation.
“There are seven numbers painted on it, and whenever she taps one of the numbers, the player’s name will blink,” Lily went on.
“And a lion roars whenever Gryffindor scores a goal,” Celia added as she and Valerie sat down next to Sirius. “And I don’t know whether she managed the other thing.”
“She and Lily did,” Tamara informed them.
“What?” Remus asked her.
“Well, it shows a Snitch every five minutes, and then Aurora’s name blinks in gold.”
“It was all Nita’s idea,” Lily informed them.
“And the ‘Go, Gryffindor!’ yells every fifteen minutes?” Celia asked curiously.
“Okay, that was my idea,” Lily admitted with a mischievous smile.
“And who recorded McGonagall’s voice for that?” Celia pressed on.
“That was for fun and I did that almost a year ago!” Lily defended her actions.
“What?” Sirius and Remus asked in unison after they digested the information.
“She didn’t say ‘Go, Gryffindor!’ of course. She said those two words separately,” Lily hurried to explain.
“Well, this will be the most interesting match in the history of Hogwarts,” Remus predicted, when two hours later the Gryffindor sixth years made their way to the pitch.
“Well, at least they will have something to talk about in the Staff Room,” Lily chuckled.
“I’ve always thought that they speak of us four,” Sirius admitted jokingly to Remus and Peter, loud enough for Lily to catch, who then let out a snort.
“Who will commentate today?” Celia asked, not noticing the conspiratorial looks exchanged between the three Marauders and Lily.
“I don’t know,” Sirius said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I’ve told McGonagall that I won’t be able to do it.”
“You commentate?” Lily asked, surprised.
“Usually,” Sirius said with a nod and then added, “but not today.”
“I see. Although it would have been interesting to hear you, but then you could hardly call it a date, could you?” she said.
“You know what?” Sirius asked, after contemplating it for a moment. “If you really wanted, I could ask McGonagall to let me do it.”
“But she surely found someone―” Lily started to say, but Sirius interrupted her.
“I’ll bribe him… or her,” he added hesitantly. “And afterwards we can do something together. Agreed?”
“Okay,” Lily approved his plan.
Lily went with Remus and Peter while Sirius headed towards the teachers’ stands. Remus watched his friend talking to McGonagall agitatedly until the old professor agreed with a nod. Sirius then disappeared again, but Remus soon spotted him running towards the Gryffindor stands. The players left the changing rooms and now walked onto the pitch. Sirius arrived slightly out of breath.
“McGonagall gave her permission; you can come with me,” he told Lily and waited for her answer impatiently. Lily looked at the surrounding sixth years questioningly, and both Tamara and Celia nodded their approval.
“Sure, go on! That’s a once in a lifetime chance,” Nita said.
Lily hurried away with Sirius and Remus saw that they arrived back at the stands just in time. Sirius drew his wand and performed a spell so that his words would be heard in the whole stadium.
“And that’s the signal,” Remus heard Sirius’ voice. “And there is Gryffindor Captain Kendrick Shaw with the Quaffle! Ravenclaw’s Keeper Shacklebolt dodges a Bludger sent towards Shaw by Gilbert Linton. Shaw passes the Quaffle to Potter and Potter scores!” Sirius’ voice rang through the masses. “It’s ten to zero for Gryffindor!”
A lion’s roar accompanied Sirius’s announcement, and several heads turned towards Nita’s banner. After the short interlude, the match continued and soon Sirius could announce a second score for Gryffindor. Remus was borrowing Peter’s Omnioculars to watch what Seeker Aurora Foster was doing when Sirius’ comments suddenly stopped. A slight frown appeared on Remus’ face because the match was just getting interesting. Ravenclaw’s Seeker Felicity Greenleaf caught glimpse of the Snitch and she dived for it. Remus directed his binoculars at Sirius and saw him stealing a glance at his watch. A crooked smile formed on Remus’ lips, and he didn’t switch his view back to the pitch.
“Go, Gryffindor!” McGonagall’s yell came then.
It was as if time stood still. There was a collective intake of breath, and everybody’s eyes turned from Nita’s banner to McGonagall’s face. Remus watched her, pressing her lips together until they were a barely visible line. And then she let out a laugh. Lily was relieved, as Remus could see, and he finally averted his gaze from the teachers’ stand. Felicity didn't catch the Snitch, he ascertained while a furious Bludger rushed through his field of vision. He watched James scoring another goal, and that’s why he didn’t see that furious Bludger hit Sirius square in the face.
Fifteen minutes later, Remus watched as Sirius was coming to in the Hospital Wing.
“Hey, Sleepyhead,” Lily greeted him cheerfully. “Are you okay?”
“Well, it would be better to see only one of you, dear, no matter how beautiful you are,” he joked.
“He’s okay,” Lily said, turning to Remus, hiding her relief behind her radiant smile.
“Are they still playing?” Sirius asked them.
“Yes,” Remus said with a nod.
“And who's commentating?"
“Peter is doing it,” Lily told him.
“Good, good,” Sirius said, his eyelids fluttering.
Twenty minutes later, he joined Remus and Lily again and asked if they were still playing.
“Yes,” the same answer came again.
“And what are you doing here?” he asked, looking at them questioningly. “Go and support our team!” he ordered them. “Wait!” he said then, seeing that Lily really wanted to leave.
“Yes?” Lily asked.
“This was our third date…” he said, with no intention to end the sentence.
“Oh, yes,” Lily said with an unfathomable smile.
“So you don't think that this was meant to be, either??” Sirius asked her.
Lily’s face lit up and her eyes showed her relief. Remus looked at Sirius and saw sadness distorting his handsome features, but only for a moment.
“Listen, I have to confess something,” Lily started.
“Yes?” Sirius asked back tentatively.
“I only consented to go on that first date with you to anger James, to make him jealous. I know that it wasn’t one of my brightest or nicest ideas, but I was desperate. I’m sorry.”
“I understand,” Sirius said with a nod.
“I never thought it would be so much fun with you,” Lily said with one of her special smiles. “I had a very good time with you, and I’d like to thank you.”
“Me too,” Sirius said, barely audible.
“Okay,” Lily said with a nod. “Can I leave you with Remus, or….”
“No, you go. You have to show your Gryffindor pride,” Sirius told her.
“Okay, thanks,” Lily said and then bent down to kiss him a last time.
She left and Remus sat there silently, not wanting to embarrass his friend.
“Okay, shoot!” Sirius told him some minutes later.
“You lied to her. But why?”
“I knew about her intentions. I’ve noticed things; I’m not that blind. This last date…” he trailed off.
“You dragged her to a Quidditch match so she'd see James’ triumph?”
“Yes, she needed that last push,” Sirius said with a nod.
“You are very noble, my friend,” Remus said with admiration in his voice.
“Well, I’m an idiot. But let me assure you, Remus, if it wasn’t for James, I would have fought for her.”
“I know, I know,” Remus said with a sad smile.
“You, too, mate?” Sirius asked him compassionately.
They sat there in silence until Madam Pouch threw Remus out.
Epilogue
James stepped into the Hospital Room and went to Sirius’s bed. His friend was reading something and didn’t notice him.
“Hi, Padfoot!” he greeted Sirius.
“Prongs! Congratulations!” he said and stretched out his hand.
“Thanks. Are you okay?” he asked then, slightly worried.
“I’m okay, I guess. I don’t know why Pouch is keeping me here. How was the match?”
“I thought Peter told you about it,” James said, pulling a chair to Sirius’ bed.
“He did, but I wanted to hear it from you. Have you noticed anything that went on outside the field?” he asked with a mischievous smile.
“You mean the girls and their banner?”
“For example,” Sirius said with a nod.
“Yep, I noticed. How could I not? I asked Nita to give me the banner, and she did.”
“Have you seen Lily?” Sirius asked him, deciding that they should come to the topic.
“Yes, she said her congratulations. Her eyes were golden,” James said with a sigh.
“I know,” Sirius said with another nod. “Listen, James…” he wanted to say, but James interrupted him.
“Are you pretty sure that she isn’t your soulmate?” he asked Sirius.
“We weren’t meant for each other. But there are other girls at Hogwarts,” Sirius said, trying to sound cheerful.
James looked at him intently and decided not to say anything. First, he didn’t know what to say; second, he didn’t want to call his friend liar.
“Thank you,” he said, trying to sound casual. They locked eyes and James saw the sadness in Sirius’.
“You’re welcome,” Sirius said after tearing his gaze away. “Are we okay?” he asked then.
“Yes, we're okay,” James said and decided not to ask Lily out anymore. He didn’t want to cause pain to Sirius. He knew his friend gave up on Lily for him, and he thought it would be only fair if he did the same. No matter how he liked Lily, Sirius was his best friend. And this friendship meant a lot for him.
Of course, he didn’t know what their seventh year would bring. How persuasive Lily could be when she wanted to. How his friend would start dating Tamara again, just to make sure that James accepted Lily’s invitations. And how his heart would take control over his mind, after seeing Lily crying, when he turned her down one last time.
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