For weeks to come, Lily would marvel at that moment. If anyone had told her that James Potter would be there for her when no one else was—and, even more so, that she had let him be there for her—she would have laughed. But the fact of the matter was that he had been there, and she had trusted him. He hadn’t asked what was wrong, hadn’t pressed for details of any kind, and she hadn’t offered them. He waited until she composed herself, then gave her his cloak and let her go.
The end result was that Lily Evans and James Potter were friends now, and no one was more surprised than Sirius Black.
“I don’t get it,” Sirius said to Remus and Peter one afternoon in early February. The three of them were sitting in a corner of the common room, books spread across the table. Remus and Peter were immersed in their books, but Sirius was staring broodingly across the room, towards the fireplace where Lily and James sat in armchairs, laughing about something.
“Don’t get what?” Peter asked. Remus, knowing where this was headed, kicked him in the shin, but it was too late.
“That!” Sirius said, gesturing wildly. “I thought he wanted to kiss her, not, I don’t know, do homework with her.”
Remus, looking put-upon, set down his quill. “I think he wants to do both,” he said patiently.
Sirius snorted less patiently. “Well he’d better get a move on,” he said.
“He looks like he’s doing just fine,” Peter said, abandoning his book to peer over Sirius’s shoulder.
Sirius shook his head. “Nope. Look at that. She’s not interested. He’s firmly in the friend zone. And the poor bloke is so far gone that he’s happy she’s even paying any attention to him at all. Let’s face it, Wormtail. We’ve just about lost him.” And he crossed his arms and slumped into his seat.
Peter looked alarmed. “Lost him?” he asked.
“Apparently he’s the type who ditches his mates the second a pretty girl walks by. The fact of the matter is we just can’t compete with Lily Evans.”
Remus, who had been mostly ignoring them until now, set down his book “Padfoot,” he said firmly, “cut it out.”
Sirius swiveled around to look at him. “Cut what out?” he asked, wounded.
“The moping,” Remus said irritably. “James finally might have a fighting change with Lily, and all you feel is threatened?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sirius said haughtily. Peter looked back and forth between the two of them, his eyes wide.
Remus said. “You’re jealous,” he said simply. “And you shouldn’t be. James isn’t going to replace you. You’ve put up with each other for way too long, for one thing.”
Sirius scowled at him, but Remus just shrugged and burrowed back into his homework. After watching Lily and James chatting animatedly for another few moments, he returned to staring darkly at his own feet.
---
“I can’t believe you don’t like Quidditch!” James said to Lily, blissfully unaware that he was the topic if his friends’ nearby conversation.
“I don’t dislike it,” Lily protested. “I’ve just never really followed any sport.”
“But it’s not just a sport!” James said earnestly, leaning forward in his chair. “It’s…it’s…”
He waved his hands in the air, apparently at a loss for words. Lily laughed. “You’re doing a great job of convincing me,” she said dryly.
He made a face at her. “You know, it’s not just about the sport, really. It’s mostly about the flying. It’s amazing, really…” he trailed off, a dreamy, far-away look in his eyes.
Lily shifted uncomfortably. “To tell you the truth,” she said, “the flying is the part that terrifies me. I’m not really a big fan of heights. I haven’t even really been to that many Quidditch games. Leda always tried to get me to come and watch the matches, but I just got so nervous, watching everyone swoop around up there.”
And Severus and I used to take advantage of the near-empty castle to spend time together without being taunted, she thought, but she kept that part to herself.
But James was now looking amused. “You’re afraid of heights? You’re afraid of watching other people when they get too high?”
“Yes!” she said indignantly. “Why is that so hard to believe?”
He shrugged, still grinning. “I don’t know,” he said. “I just didn’t think you were afraid of anything.”
“I’m afraid of a lot of things,” Lily said softly.
“Like heights.”
“Yes! Like heights.” She paused. “And also snakes.”
James laughed outright, and she glared at him. “Oh, Wormtail—you know, Peter—is deathly afraid of snakes, too,” he assured her. “Although his fear comes from an admittedly awful experience—he almost got eaten by one once.”
“Eaten?” Lily said skeptically. “It must’ve been a pretty big snake.”
“Well, he also a lot, erm, smaller at the time.”
“So then, James Potter,” Lily said, leaning forward. “What is it that you’re afraid of?”
James laughed. “Oh, right!” he said. “Like I’m going to tell you that. You’d just use it against me, Evans, admit it.”
She sat back, open-mouthed. “I would not! Besides, I told you!”
He shrugged. “Hey, I didn’t force you. That was all your idea. And if you have any more interesting tidbits you’d like to share, then I’m all ears, but I’m not telling you anything.”
“Please?” she wheedled, but he shook his head.
“It’s going to take a lot more than that to persuade me,” he said.
“Just you wait until I get my hands on a boggart,” she grumbled, folding her arms. He burst out laughing again.
“Feisty redheads with a vendetta,” he said, smirking. “Now that’s something to be afraid of.”
---
James was not oblivious to Sirius’s foul mood, which persisted over the next few days. But an unhappy best friend was not something James was used to, and he spent a few days trying to figure out how to approach Sirius while simultaneously hoping that the snit he was in would blow over. But after a few days of dealing with Sirius’s almost unbearable silence—not to mention multiple meaningful looks from Remus—James finally cracked.
He entered the dormitory around midmorning on Saturday, fresh from an early Quidditch practice. Remus and Peter, it seemed, had already left for breakfast, and Sirius was sitting in the middle of the floor, putting on his socks.
“Are you going to go get breakfast?” James asked him.
“No,” Sirius said sullenly, looking out the window.
“Good,” James said briskly. “Then let’s talk.”
Sirius tried and failed to look as if this idea didn’t horrify him.
“Because you’ve been acting like a right prat,” James continued. “Really, Padfoot. It’s not like you, and it’s driving the rest of us insane.”
“I was much nicer than this to you when you were in your bad mood,” Sirius told him.
“That’s because I was reasonable upset,” James said with dignity. “You’re just being ridiculous.”
Sirius glared at him and stood up. “I don’t have to take this,” he said viciously. “If you want to abandon me for Lily Evans then that’s your prerogative. I know you’ve been waiting for it. But have the decency to leave me out of it.”
He started to storm towards the door but James leapt up and grabbed his arm. “You know perfectly well I’m not going to do that,” he said, his voice low. “You’re my best friend, and no one—not even Lily Evans—is going to change that. Besides, I’m not even dating her! We’re just hanging out.”
“I know that,” Sirius said, suddenly quiet. “I know you’re just friends right now and I guess…I just don’t understand why you need another friend. I’d get it if you were dating her, but we’re your friends. Do you really need more?”
“It’s not that at all!” James said almost violently. “First of all, I don’t just want to be Lily’s friend. But I only just got her to stop hating me, so I have to take this thing one step at a time here. Second of all, I have proof that I am not trying to replace Lily with you!”
“You do?” Sirius asked doubtfully.
“Yeah. What am I afraid of?”
Sirius raised an eyebrow. “Um,” he said, “being alone forever. Getting into some freak accident and getting so badly injured that it can’t be fixed and you can never play Quidditch or even fly again. Vampires, which I’ve never understood, since you run around with a werewolf. And you aren’t wildly fond of public speaking.”
James beamed at him.
Sirius shook his head. “How does that prove anything?” he said.
James clapped him on the back. “Just trust me this time,” he said. “You know more about me than anyone.”
Sirius eyed him dolefully. “If you say so,” he said. But he looked happier.
“I do,” James assured him.
Sirius punched him in the shoulder—perhaps harder than he would normally, but still teasingly. “So how’s that girl thing going, anyway?” he asked valiantly, and James grinned.
“It’s…a process,” he said. “And it feels different now. It’s not really about trying to impress her, or trying to con her into going out with me. It just feels more…real.”
Sirius made an impatient noise. “Honestly, Prongs, I still think you should just go for it and kiss her.”
“Yeah, you would think that,” James said, laughing.
“I’m just saying, if I were you, I would have kissed her already!” Sirius said, smirking. “Oh, wait…I have, haven’t I?”
James elbowed him. “Yes you have, you pig, and you’re supposed to never ever bring that up again.”
Sirius gasped, mock-offended. “Pig? Moi? I am a member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, and I refuse to take such slander.”
“Not anymore you’re not, or don’t you remember running away?”
And bickering playfully, they headed down to the Great Hall together.
---
Sirius’s newfound understanding was not to go untested, however. The very next weekend was the Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff Quidditch match, and Sirius, Remus, and Peter had just settled into their seats when Lily Evans slipped in beside them.
“What are you doing here?” Sirius asked, startled, as she sat down on his left.
“I’m here to watch the match,” she said, looking at him curiously. “Apparently they play Quidditch here.”
“I know that,” Sirius said, still surprised. “I just don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before.”
To his delight, she looked uncomfortable. “Yes, well, I thought it was about time I come show my support. We do have a couple of year-mates on the team you know.”
“I do know,” Sirius said, still amused. “I come to all the games. So who’re you here for, Leda or James?”
He raised his eyebrows, as she said nonchalantly, “Can’t it be both?”
Sirius had just opened his mouth to reply when Remus elbowed him in the ribs. “What are you doing, Padfoot?” he hissed.
“Oh, relax,” Sirius muttered back. “I’m just giving her a hard time.”
“I noticed that,” Remus said dryly. “Why?”
Sirius shrugged. “She wants to be one of us…she’s got to prove she can keep up.”
“Who says she wants to be one of us?” Remus asked.
“She’s here, isn’t she?” Sirius said.
“I don’t think she’s here because of us,” Remus pointed out. “She’s here because of James.”
“And the difference is?”
They studied each other for a few long moments until Remus finally looked down, laughing. “I know, I know,” he said. “If you know one of us, you know us all. But I just think you’re testing her.”
Sirius shrugged. “Maybe a little.”
“You always do like to be difficult,” Remus said affectionately.
“It’s not being difficult!” Sirius protested, lowering his voice even further. “It’s…well, look at it this way, Moony. He’s been pining over this girl for who knows how long, so maybe he can’t see things clearly right now.”
“I like Lily,” Remus said mildly.
“It’s not about whether we like her or not,” Sirius said. “It’s about whether she’s right for James! And whether or not he’ll be able to tell if she isn’t.”
“You’re over-thinking,” Remus said. “Just because she doesn’t seem to, you know, loathe him now doesn’t mean she wants to date him. She doesn’t seem more inclined than she ever was. And anyway, even if they were, is it really any of your business?”
“Maybe not,” Sirius admitted, “but it makes me feel better.”
Remus shook his head, grinning. “Have at it,” he said.
---
Lily, paying no attention to the whispered conversation beside her, stared at the Quidditch pitch with some trepidation. She hadn’t been lying to James—watching people fly did make her nervous. She still wasn’t entirely sure why she had come, and was thinking about leaving when Sirius turned his attention back to her.
“So I have a theory,” he said.
“I probably don’t want to hear this,” she responded, not looking at him.
“Probably not,” he responded cheerfully. “But as I was saying. I think you’re here for James, not Leda. Want to know why?”
“No,” Lily grumbled, but Sirius ignored her.
“Leda plays Keeper. And Keeper, while a valuable and important position, to be sure, just isn’t the most interesting to watch. Yeah, sure, they’ve been known to make some great saves, but if you really want to see an exciting game, you don’t watch the Keeper. And the Seeker will make a nice dive at the end of the game, but if you want to be entertained throughout, you keep your eyes on the Chaser. Which is what James is. And let’s be honest, Evans, he’s a very good Chaser. He really knows what he’s doing.”
“What are you, his press secretary?” Lily groused. “You’re like a dog with a bone.”
He considered this. “Not a bad analogy.”
“Whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I guess I don’t need to ask you who you’re here to see.”
“You’d be pretty thick if you did.”
“Mmm. Hey Sirius?” she tilted her head to look at him, eyes innocently wide.
“Yep?”
“Remember that time someone slipped you a love potion and you were mysteriously infatuated with James Potter?”
He raised his eyebrows at her, flushing ever so slightly. “Hard to forget.”
“Yeah. Are you sure there was an actual love potion involved? I think you might just be that way naturally.”
Sirius opened and closed his mouth a few times, not saying anything.
“It’s okay if you are,” she assured him, trying not to smile. On his Sirius’s other side, Remus shoved a fist in his mouth to keep himself from laughing.
Sirius still appeared to be at a loss for words. He blinked at her.
“I like you much better like this,” she told him.
He shifted a little in his seat, before finally turning to her and saying, not without dignity, “So you haven’t been to too many of these games. Need help following along?”
“I think I can figure it out for myself, thanks,” she said pleasantly, turning her attention to the pitch, “but thanks for the offer.”
Sirius turned slowly to face a sniggering Remus. “She can keep up just fine,” he muttered.
---
James walked onto the Quidditch pitch with the rest of his team feeling confident. Confident, he told himself, not cocky. Hufflepuff has put together a good team this year, so this is no time to get ahead of ourselves. But the way we’ve been flying lately… He grinned.
The air was crisp, and the sun hard against the few melting piles of snow that still lay on the grounds. It was the middle of February, but spring appeared to be coming early. It was cool out, but not freezing, and James beamed at the luck.
As he mounted his broom and pushed off from the ground, he took a look at the stands, scanning the Gryffindor section for his friends. He located them after a few moments—Peter bouncing excitedly in his seat, Remus leaning forward, his fingers together, Sirius lounging comfortably—and then, with a jolt, he recognized the girl beside his Sirius.
He couldn’t help the slow grin that crept over his face. Lily Evans at a Quidditch match. Something like nervousness flickered in his stomach. But that was ridiculous; he hadn’t felt nervous at a match since his first game, years ago. He did a quick loop-de-loop to calm down, and heard a loud whoop from the stands. Then he turned, facing the game as the Quaffle was released.
---
Despite her nerves, Lily had to admit that Quidditch was an interesting game to watch. But I am not, she thought irritably, going to turn into one of those girls.
Still, she did find herself watching James Potter more than she liked to say. He certainly was a good flier—even she, with her limited experience, could tell that. He leaned low on his broom, maneuvering tightly around the other players, making the flight look effortless.
Sirius glanced over at her, and grinned wickedly; he’d caught her watching James, and she scowled at him. He laughed outright, but stopped as he looked back at the game. “Oh, no,” he groaned.
“What?” Lily asked, alarmed, worried that someone had gotten hurt and she hadn’t noticed.
“James. He’s showing off,” Sirius sighed.
She looked up just as James spiraled towards the Hufflepuff Keeper, the Quaffle under his arm. He released the red ball at the last second, sending it soaring through the goalposts, then raised his arms above his head and turned a flip as the Gryffindors cheered.
“Oh,” Lily said, feeling a twinge of annoyance. Typical James Potter. Maybe he hasn’t changed that much, she thought, before asking, “Does he always do that?”
“Not lately,” Remus responded, and she leaned around Sirius to see that Remus, too, was frowning, his eyes on James. Peter Pettigrew, she noticed, wasn’t paying attention to their conversation, and was instead staring rapturously at the game.
“I thought he’d gotten over that,” Sirius said.
“He has,” Remus said. “At least usually. I guess you could say that today he’s…distracted.”
“What’s he distracted by?” Lily asked absently. When neither responded, she glanced over to see both of them staring at her. “What?” she asked, startled.
Sirius and Remus exchanged glances, Remus looking exasperated and Sirius mildly entertained. Then the crowd gasped, and all three of them looked up as James hurtled by, so close that they could almost have touched him. He hovered in the air, grinning loftily at all of them, and Lily felt her irritation level rise—apparently, he was as cocky as he ever was. But that feeling disappeared when the first Bludger hit him in the side of the head.
She could hear the crack from where she was sitting, and she gasped, involuntarily grabbing Sirius’s side. He, too, had straightened up, and was staring intently at his best friend.
James, dazed, had slipped sideways on his broom when the Bludger hit, but had managed not to fall off. He had one knee crooked over the handle, and was trying to pull himself back up, when a second Bludger hit him squarely in the face.
Lily and Sirius both leapt to their feet, Lily still clutching a handful of Sirius’s robes. James, blood streaming from his nose, fell backwards, losing purchase on his broomstick as he passed out. Lily watched horror-struck as he slid sideways, tumbling through the air, while his broom corkscrewed lazily into the stands without him.
He hit the ground hard, his glasses crooked on his face, long limbs askew. Lily, wincing, looked away at the moment of impact, noticing as she did so that Sirius, though he had placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, was staring at James’s crumpled body, all of the color drained from his face.
---
James woke by degrees. He was dimly aware of lying on the ground, and fluttered in and out of consciousness as he was transported to the hospital wing. When he came to fully, his first awareness was of someone holding his hand.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, and couldn’t suppress a grin at the sight of Lily Evans seated beside his bed.
She noticed that he was awake, and her whole body seemed to relax in relief. “See,” she said dryly, “this is what I hate about this sport.”
“I see you couldn’t stay away,” he said, tightening his fingers around the hand still slipped into his.
“Oh, please,” she said. “I just had to make sure you hadn’t killed yourself. Although it was your own fault.”
“Well, Evans,” he said, ignoring this last part, “I’m flattered you came to hold my hand.”
She snorted. “I am not holding your hand,” she said disparagingly, holding up both of hers.
Startled, he strained forward to glance down the side of the bed. Peter sat there looking worried, clasping James’s hand tightly between both of his.
“Peter!” James yelped, jerking his hand away. “What are you doing?
“Making sure you’re okay!” Peter said, looking at him earnestly.
“I’m fine,” James said, both irritably and fondly.
“Sure,” Lily interjected. “A cracked skull, a broken nose, and three splintered ribs. Just fine.”
“If I didn’t know any better,” James said, looking sideways at her, “I’d say you were worried about me, Evans.”
“Of course she should be worried!” Peter said indignantly. “This is what happens when you almost get yourself killed trying to show off!”
At that moment, Sirius poked his head inside the hospital wing. “Wormtail,” he growled, “get out here now. We have to tell you something.”
Peter got up and trotted through the door. There were the quick sounds of a scuffle and loud squeal from Peter, and then silence. Lily and James looked at each other, and then they both burst into laughter.
“Ow,” James said, still grinning, putting a hand to his side.
Lily sobered. “You know, he’s right,” she said critically.
“Peter?”
“Yeah. You got hurt because you just weren’t paying attention. As far as showing off goes, that’s not too impressive.”
James winced and looked away. “So I guess we lost, too, huh?”
“You didn’t, actually,” Lily said casually. “Your Seeker caught the Snitch right after you fell. What’s his name again?”
“He did?” James said, surprised. “He’s Mark Spinnett. He’s young, too. Only a second-year. I knew he had something special.”
“Yes, well, from what I gather, it was a pretty impressive save,” Lily said, smiling faintly. “It definitely won you the game.”
“Sure,” James grumbled. “Stupid Seekers. They get all the glory. They just have to catch one tiny little ball. Who puts in all the grunt work and the goal scoring? The Chasers. Who gets credit for the win? The Seeker.”
Lily looked as though she was restraining herself from rolling her eyes. “I don’t think you need any more glory,” she told him.
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” he said, turning his head to look at her. “Maybe I should try the quiet life for awhile.”
“It couldn’t hurt,” she said, looking amused.
Sirius stuck his head back through the door and cleared his throat loudly. Lily looked around at him. “Okay,” she said laughingly, as she stood up. “I’m going.”
“About damn time,” Sirius said, and winked. Lily punched him in the arm as she passed him.
“Are you friends now?” James asked Sirius, surprised, as soon as Lily had gone.
Sirius shrugged. “Well, watching you plummet to your near-death was a bonding experience,” he said. “She’s all right.”
James chuckled, shaking his head. “Where’s Moony?” he asked.
Sirius gestured towards the hall. “Restraining Peter,” he said. “I know you like it when he fawns over you, but really, I thought it was getting a bit excessive. Plus I didn’t think you’d mind a few minutes alone with Mademoiselle Evans.”
“You’re not wrong,” James admitted. “Thanks for that, Padfoot.”
“Honestly, Prongs, I’m a bloody saint,” Sirius said, looking at him mournfully.
“I know, I know,” James said, grinning broadly now. “I owe you my firstborn.”
“At least that,” Sirius said solemnly. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“I know you will,” James said, leaning back into his pillows and closing his eyes.
Trickster by Willow Rosenberg
Chapter Notes: There is quite a bit of Sirius in this chapter! He's a lot of fun to write.