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The sound of a quill scribbling across a paper scroll broke the silence in the Gryffindor tower every few brief moments in quick succession. Gentle sighs came from her every now and then followed by the sound of books being open and shut again, shuffled about across a heavy table before more scribbling ensued. Together with the fireplace lit, the flickering of the flame gave the Common Room a cozy sense of contentment. There was a pair of third years seemingly trying to invent a card game with chocolate frogs, but they were blissfully quiet about it. Same went for Penny Hawkstone, who had hidden herself behind a rampart of transformation texts. However, her little semblance of peace was brought to an end by a dark-haired, mischievous boy.
"Evans, do you have a minute?"
"What do ye want, Sirius?" Lily groaned, already feeling the onset of a headache approaching. She didn't even bother to look up at him. "You know I'm busy so this better be good."
"I need your help to prove a point."
Her quill did not stop moving over the parchment. "And why would I wanna do that?"
"Glad you asked," Sirius said with a wide grin and rubbed his hands together. With most students still at dinner in the Great Hall, they would not be overheard if she didn't like his idea. He leaned closer to her, his expression conspiratorial. "With what I got in mind, it would get James off your back for a while, and maybe even get his head out of his arse."
"I'd kiss ye if ye manage that miracle," she mumbled, her attention still on the paragraph she was trying to finish. She only needed three inches more for Professor Slughorn, and then she could enjoy a carefree evening, a rare treat for NEWT students.
"Good, that might be part of it."
Lily dropped her quill and whirled her head toward him. "What?"
"You see, James took your last rejection rather badly. As much as I like you Evans, even I get sick of you after hearing your name for the fifty-seventh time in half an hour –"
"Ye like me? What's wrong wi' you, I put ye in detention all the time!" Lily scoffed, but he was not so easily deterred.
"You've got spirit, and you aren't cowed. I can respect that, even if it means I'm polishing trophies until curfew," Sirius replied with a shrug. His face betrayed very little but his voice couldn't sound more truthful, which caught her off guard. "Anyway, James said it is impossible to court you, and I don't believe that for a moment. I told him he was just being an idiot about it, he dared me to prove him wrong, and here we are."
She sighed. "Ye want us t' pretend t' be a couple t' get one over that twonk?"
"Oh no, that wouldn't be sporting," Sirius chuckled and put an arm over her shoulders. "No, Evans, what I'm doing is asking if you'd like to go out on a date around Hogsmeade with me."
Wheels began working behind her eyes, studying his sincerity. Still doubting his words. "If this is some kind of prank…"
"No prank," he shook his head, "just showing a friend that he needs to stop being a twonk, as you so eloquently put it. Because don't get me wrong, you're hot, but you're not Morgana's gift to wizardkind. You are a witch who will go out with a decent bloke, no matter what James might say."
"Oh, so who is this gift t' Wizardkind then?" Lily wanted to know, expecting that his answer would be one of the busty heiresses whose company he seemed to favour.
"My first cousin once removed. Do you want to meet her?"
"I think I've seen enough of yer family –"
"You only met Regulus and Narcissa, but Andromeda is very unlike her sisters," Sirius promised, his face offering a toothy grin. "And you don't have to be jealous, Nymphadora is only just three."
"Nym– That was an awful pun," Lily groaned, but a smile finally tugged at her lips.
"Don't worry, I've got plenty more where that came from. So, Hogsmeade?" He looked pleased with himself but also slightly nervous.
She thought about it for a moment, weighing the benefit of getting James off her back against the risk of having to spend time with Sirius Black. In the end, it came down to one simple matter. Namely, Lily's own curiosity. Sirius had a certain reputation, almost a personal legend. And while some of it was clearly impossible, she was at the very least intrigued.
"Fine, but if this does turn out t' be a prank, then I will cut off yer bollocks wi' a dull, rusty spoon."
"Don't worry, I shall only charm your socks off."
"Prove it," Lily said and wondered if perhaps her agreement hadn't been premature. Why had she agreed to this madness? Was the prospect of getting one over James Potter really that tempting? Unfortunately, the answer to that question was a resounding yes.
The next weekend, Lily had to admit that Sirius Black truly knew how to make a charming impression. She had no idea where a pureblood scion had found an actual sheepskin flight jacket, but together with his daredevil grin, it had been enough to make Lily reconsider a great many things. When he had shown her a single rose and then expertly woven it into her hair, she could not stop herself from blushing.
Given what she'd been told about him from her classmates, she had expected him to press the attack. His smug smile showed that he knew about the effect he had, yet he merely held out his hand and led her down to the carriages.
Lily knew that he was a devil with a silver tongue, that Sirius was good at sweet talking witches out of their knickers. Catching him in broom closets often enough had provided some evidence to give credence to the gossip about him. The longer she waited, however, the more pleasantly surprised she was to find him offering great conversation instead. Honeydukes' finest drinking chocolate was a nice touch on a cold day, and the charmed hot mugs a welcome relief to frozen hands. And when his plan for the day did not involve a hidden corner at Madam Puddiefoot's, but a nice booth in a pub called The Stag, it was another welcome surprise. That establishment's name also seemed to amuse him, for some reason.
In the past, beyond scolding him for whatever scheme he and his friends had devised, or for being a general nuisance, they had barely spoken a word to one another.
He had befriended Potter, she had known Severus, and the battle lines had been drawn in the ground between. In the five and a half years they'd been at the school, they had only had one honest conversation, after their OWL exams. He had pulled her aside a couple of days after the incident with Severus, to ask if she had been alright. She had snapped at him, and had only recognised the kindness for what it was weeks later, when she had spent half the summer brooding in her room.
In all that time and in spite of their proximity in their daily lives, they were almost perfect strangers. Something Sirius was trying to change. He even suggested that they talk about anything other than Hogwarts and everything else concerning that life. She thought it was a great idea, which led them to a corner booth in a rather fancy Hogsmeade pub, discussing music.
"You don't like the Beatles? I thought all girls do."
"That is the problem, me sister loves them, and we had us first big fight about them," Lily explained, frowning as she remembered that day. It also raised the question why an heir to one of those self-righteous Sacred 28 was so well-informed about contemporary muggle music. And after a claim that he could recite the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody by heart, she had demanded proof. One off-key rendition later she had to concede that it was not just passing knowledge. Even Remus only kept up with classical music until the Victorian age, and Severus had despised everything Muggle, including their music.
"Yeah, I get that. Family can be…," he averted his eyes, "a challenge. Sorry for bringing it up."
"It's fine, ye didn't know," Lily said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "It just feels like I'm losing touch wi' everyone I know. First Tuny –" she trailed off and shook her head. "I don't even know how many times we fought since I got me Hogwarts letter. Then there are me parents, who I feel are more and more difficult t' relate to. I live in a different world, one that I can't properly talk to them about, much less show them. And then Severus –"
"He should have never called you that!" Sirius said firmly, and Lily gave his hand a grateful squeeze.
"He should not 'ave, but perhaps it is for the best. It showed me what he really thinks of people like me. He wasn't always like that, not until he started meddling wi' the Dark Arts. It's gripped him like an obsession. As if 1001 Painful Ways to Kill Someone would hold the meaning of life," she complained with a frown. "If owt, I should have seen through him earlier. He kept making excuses for his friends and trying t' justify their actions. Even after Mary –"
" He reminds me of my family. Always grasping for more, always obsessed with the Dark Arts. He'd fit right in with my folks."
"Sounds like we've both got us fair share of family troubles."
"At least yours isn't best summarised as a bunch of cunts, if you pardon the French," Sirius spat and carefully watched as amusement and disgust warred on her face. "Well, there are about three people in my family I get along with, and two of them happened to have been cast out."
Lily's eyes became thoughtful. "Andromeda, I assume?"
"Mhm," he nodded, "and her sprog. Little Nymmie is adorable, and always a joy to be around," Sirius said with a fond smile.
"She was cast out?"
Sirius let a small smile form on his face, his eyes averted their gaze, as if he was recalling a memory. "At the end of our first year, after she refused a proper betrothal and ran away with her Muggleborn boyfriend."
"I see," she muttered, "Who then is the third?"
Sirius smiled widely at the question. "James's mum. His grandmother was Dorea Black, so we are distantly related, but from separate branches of the family. I think you have to go back to the 17th century to find a common ancestor. But Auntie Euphemia still took me in when I showed up at their manor last Easter," Sirius said and rubbed his neck. "There is also an uncle, but we haven't talked since I was cast out, so I don't know what old Alphard thinks of me these days."
Lily turned contemplative, studying the tablecloth. "And I thought me family was tricky."
"It's not a competition, there's plenty of awful people around," Sirius waved her off. "You know," he began, choosing to shift the conversation, "I've been thinking."
"I hope not too hard. Ye don't want to hurt yourself."
"Your birthday was last month, right?"
"Yes, so what?" Lily nodded with sudden wariness. This was not a change of topic she had seen coming.
"That means the Trace no longer applies to you."
"And?"
"There won't be any Ministry owls when you show and tell your family about this," he circled his finger around them. "Might help you become close with them again. Fix what's broken, so to speak."
"Oh," Lily replied slowly, as if she could not believe that it had been James Potter's annoying friend who thought of it. "You are actually right."
"Ouch," he held his chest in pain, "I felt that."
"Pratt, ye know what I mean," she laughed into her hand. "I can't believe I didn't realise it first. Must 'ave been so busy minded. I can't wait for Easter holiday–"
"Why wait? It's a Hogsmeade weekend, after all."
She blinked, and then shot him a long look as if he had just grown a second head. "Ye mean now?"
"Why not?"
"Well, I don't even know how t' apparate. The earliest lessons are scheduled for April."
He looked unimpressed and leaned over the table on his elbows. "Knight Bus. I'd side-along you, but the closest I've been to your home was York," he pointed out. While the Hogwarts Express might have passed by closer, he had never paid much attention to the landscape passing by, and whatever Muggle town was nearby.
She nodded at that, seemingly annoyed that she did not think of the bus she was seemingly familiar with. "So what, I just barge in and start casting spells?"
"Well, you could also knock on the door first. It's rude to kick the door in and start casting, you know?" Sirius pointed out with the same tone as if they were discussing the weather. And he had to admit that the elbow to his side was well-earned. And her smile had been well-worth it.
Visiting the Evans Family went off without a hitch. Lily's parents were surprised by the unannounced visitors but nonetheless were quick to invite them to stay for tea. It was apparently the first time Lily had brought a boy home, and if they made assumptions about their relationship, well, Lily was quick to segue to the reason for the visit.
What began with colourful lights, floating chairs and dancing teapots quickly turned into a mock duel with jinxes that left him looking like a clown and Lily with serpents for hair and eyebrows that grew past her chin. She made a show of turning an armchair into a lemur. Sirius had to fight the urge to show off his animagus transformation, but he was not here to upstage her.
Instead, he cast a spell to have feathers grow from her skin, making her look like a transformed veela. She turned him into a peacock for a minute, which he took in good grace before duckbills, giraffe necks, zebra stripes and elephant trunks were traded for the next few minutes. Then, Lily covered the entire living room in snow and summoned a pair of ice sculptures which waltzed around her parents. Sirius ended the display demonstrating a spell which was not taught at Hogwarts. Mr Evans was quite delighted that his glass of water was replaced by an Islay whiskey, and he certainly looked in need of a good snifter. Poppy Evans on the other hand found a glass of Riesling next to her plate of shortbread. Neither was as good as what could be found in the cellars of House Black, but it went a long way to taking the edge of the unexpected display.
Ever since, Lily had been giving him a weird look. Granted, he was laying on a bit thick, but most of his etiquette lessons were surprisingly applicable when meeting Muggles. And if there ever was a time to shed the jokester facade, meeting a girl's parents was it.
Clearly, that he could behave himself was a surprise to Lily. Although to be fair, for the first five years she had been seeing him through Snape-tinted lenses. And it was no surprise that those did not make him look good.
After their duel, Lily insisted on changing, and while Sirius waited outside, she came down wearing an outfit he had not been ready for. Her plaid shirt might have been a good fit the previous summer, but come February, it was too short and too tight. She knew exactly what effect the small gap between her shirt and her black jeans had, and she seemed pleased that he struggled to keep his eyes meeting hers. High boots and a burgundy leather jacket paired with her confident grin eerily reminded him of Bellatrix for a moment, but then her mother shouted something and she ducked her head in embarrassment, her cheeks suddenly rosy. Deciding that he was better off not knowing, Sirius raised his wand to the sky.
Within seconds, the infamous blue bus appeared with a loud crack, and two gallons later, they were off to Kent.
The Knight bus was not known for its comfortable ride, and it set off before the teenagers could find seats. Sirius was thrown backwards onto an old armchair, but landing tailbone first into the front of the armrest turned out to be quite painful.
Lily, from the vantage position of his lap, seemed quite happy about her new seat. A few minutes into their wild ride, Sirius still struggled to match the young woman teasing him with the girl who tried her hardest to put him into detention. It seemed that she was trying to catch up on the rebellious phase she had missed for five years, sneaking out to visit wild concerts in pubs and at backroom stages.
It was a strange thought, that growing up had meant becoming more serious for him, while others began to pull on the chains holding back. Lily had stopped moving, and when the enchanted bus leapt across Cumberland with a jerk, she dropped back against his chest, her breath faint against his cheek. For a second, Sirius thought that she would kiss him, but then she shifted again, and her lips were almost touching his ear.
"Thank you for today. I know it doesn't seem like a lot t' you –"
"I know a thing or two about estrangement from family. It all doesn't seem like a big thing, until suddenly it is, and you cannot get past it," Sirius said gently. He had suggested visiting her parents as a joke, leaving Hogsmeade should have been the sort of rule-bending she hated. Perhaps leaving Snape behind had changed her. "Now, your case might not involve as many curses as with the Blacks but that doesn't make it hurt any less."
"I don't know if there's owt I could do to fix me relationship wi' Tuny."
"From what you said, that might be a lost cause, but I saw how you were with your parents. That's something you can mend easily."
"Being able to show them all the things I talked about was a grand help. Before that – well there were potions. But even if I could show Mam and Dad how they are made, reet few had any flashy effects, or worked on Muggles. So I disappeared for nine months each year, wi' nothing t' show for, and talking about things they could neither see nor comprehend," Lily rambled as she looked on the verge of tears. Sirius gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Truly, thank you."
"Just remember it the next time you catch me out after curfew," Sirius joked in an attempt to lighten the mood. "What would your younger self say, if she could see you now?"
That managed to draw a smile from her before Lily shook her head, her hair brushing against his cheek. "Oh, she would be appalled. This outfit might not be scandalous, but I used to think ye were just as bad as Potter, so dressing up for you never even crossed me mind."
"You did not have to go through all the effort, but it suits you" Sirius said and relished in the blush that clashed badly with her hair. She felt warm against his side, and her breath tickled his ear. It was not the most flirtatious behaviour, just like how her outfit was perfectly fine on its own. If Emily Meadows was in her place, Sirius wouldn't even raise an eyebrow. But Lily Evans was neither laid-back nor flirtatious, thus her behaviour stood out like a flare in the darkness. It also felt oddly empowering to have been the one who brought this side of her out of hiding. "You're hot, Red."
She glared at him through narrow eyebrows, but that did not cover up how her breath had hitched at the ridiculous nickname. "Not one word to yer friends. This shall remain us dirty little secret. Ye seem good at those," Lily said with an impish grin. "For all the tales about your prowess, I've never heard you brag about details."
"I don't kiss and tell," Sirius replied with the supreme confidence she knew him for, then his own grin got wider. "Also, not everything you hear about me is true. Especially not if it came from Pandora."
"What do ye mean?"
"I'm going to let you in on a secret. I've not been nearly as bad as you have heard. Quite a few witches are bragging about encounters that never happened."
"If they're lying, why aren't ye doing owt about it?"
Sirius gave her an unrepentant grin. "It's better to have a reputation than none at all."
"It meks ye look like a cad," Lily said and scrunched up her nose. "And I remember catching you quite often –"
"I'm not saying I've never been to a broom closet. But if you recall, it has almost always been with Callisto. I certainly didn't drink a pint of pepper-up potion and made my way through the Slytherin dorms."
"A pepper-up potion doesn't work like that, it meks yer – Ah, I see what you mean."
"The rumour mill is quite content to make up stories, and I don't mind because it makes me look like a cad, and thus my family look bad," Sirius replied cheerfully, echoing her previous words.
"Of course, you are otherwise the perfect gentleman."
"You're not making that easy, Evans."
"I thought ye would appreciate the challenge," she replied with a satisfied smirk.
"I appreciate the," he looked her up and down, "view."
"And I appreciate ye being me chair."
"There are plenty of empty seats around," Sirius pointed out. She was teasing him rather than trying anything more serious, but it was still strange to see her acting cocky. What was next, Professor McGonagall cracking jokes?
"Faversham, Colegates Road!"
Still, this silly date went surprisingly well. And now they had made it to another great idea of his. Or at least he hoped so.
A couple of hours later, the Three Broomsticks had been almost empty when they flooed in. Only a handful of students remained, about to settle their tabs. Sirius held the door open and Lily strode past him, her face unreadable. "That was a dirty, dirty trick, Black!" she hissed, still a step ahead of him.
"Huh?"
Lily had no intention of stopping, or even just slowing down for him to catch up. "Yer cousin should come wi' a warning label!"
"Because she is a bit clumsy?"
"No, because she teks after whoever is playing wi' her. Do ye 'ave any idea what she does t' the hormones of a girl? Emerald eyes, red hair and a dusting of freckles. It was like I was looking at me own daughter – I was this close t' jumping you in the middle of your cousin's flat," Lily pointed out and held up her hand, her thumb and finger just an inch apart.
"That would not even make it to the top of Andi's list of weird things she has seen at the dinner table," Sirius said and let out a breath. He could tell that she was joking, but also that her joke brushed too close to the truth.
"Not me point."
"Look, you mentioned that you wanted a Muggleborn perspective on life after graduation, so I took you to Ted. Anything else –"
She gave him a half-hearted glare. "I know, and that meks ye infuriating," Lily said through gritted teeth. "I went along wi' yer little ploy because I wanted t' see the funny expression on Potter's face. I didn't expect ye to be genuinely charming, and helpful when it comes to me future."
"I have a reputation."
"Yes, for getting into the knickers of pureblood girls who think you are a catch because of your breeding pedigree. As if you were a prized bull. Ye could be dull as a butter knife, thick as a plank and ruder than your aptly-named cousin, and they would still be lining up for you," Lily pointed out and drew a laugh from Sirius. "I was pleasantly surprised."
"Are you mad at me for being a good date?"
"Yes! Ye're insufferable," Lily replied before grabbing Sirius' collar and crashing her lips onto his. His surprise only lasted for a moment before a hand found its way to the small of her back as he kissed her back. He tasted custard with a hint of cheap wine, the dessert that Andromeda had whipped up for her unexpected guests. Their kiss was over as quickly as it had begun, and the two teenagers were left huddled together on a muddy path, with flushed cheeks and stupid grins. "And ye are smug about it."
"Is that a problem?"
"It is not a good look," Lily complained, but the effect was ruined by her arms still being around his neck. And the fact that their lips were almost touching. "Mek sure ye will do better next time."
"Next time?"
"I know you only did this t' get one over James, but this has genuinely been a lot more fun than I expected. So I would like to 'ave a repeat."
She did not wait for his response but turned back towards the carriages. Between a spontaneous trip to Yorkshire and then popping down to the Tonks in Faversham, the day had not gone according to plan. Yet Sirius had to admit that the improvised itinerary had been fun, and that James' obsession over Lily might have been onto something. "Next Saturday work for you?"
"Yes. I'm looking forward to talking about music again, even if yer tastes are questionable," Lily joked in the same tone she heard quite often from the pureblood students.
"There's nothing wrong with ABBA," Sirius pointed out as he caught up with her on the way to the carriages.
"They're all over the radio. I would 'ave thought that ye'd be listening to punk, or sneaking into clubs to hear a heavy metal concert by some band no one has heard of."
"You can pick a concert for our next date," Sirius offered with a grin. "Also, why would I be into that kind of music?"
She shot him a long look. "It's the dark leather, the band t-shirt, this," she gestured over his body, "ensemble. Ye don't exactly dress in a way that shouts Waterloo."
"You really do not like them, eh."
"I blame me sister. Why would ye buy ABBA, when Queen exists?" she hissed, but pressed on before Sirius could answer. "And why would ye torment your sister by playing the same record again and again? Even Mam called her out on it."
"So you picked up Queen instead?"
"At first. Over the last summer, I got quite good at sneaking into shows where the bouncers don't pay too much attention to the women trying to get in. Eve lives in Hammersmith, so that was quite convenient."
"My, my, you're a real dark horse. I didn't think you had it in you, Red. What would poor Remus say if he knew what his fellow prefect was up to," Sirius drawled, although he didn't miss the pride in Lily's voice. "So what scandalous shows were you sneaking into? The Who? Deep Purple? Or perhaps the Sex Pistols?"
"Black Sabbath, but I also like the new sound. I saw Pink Fairies in the Roadhouse and Motörhead in Leeds before Christmas, that was fun. As was Iron Maiden at the Cart and Horses on New Year."
Her voice had not been as firm as before, almost embarrassed, but Sirius couldn't keep his eyebrows from rising. He only knew one of those bands, but if they all were from the same cloth, then it seems Lily had him beat when it came to being a rebel. "Really?"
"Look, at first I was only trying t' annoy Tuny. But the more I listened to that kind of music, the more I liked it. The shows might be in smoke-filled backrooms, but the energy, the sound – I need that contrast from Cokeworth and stuffy old Hogwarts sometimes."
"Hogwarts stuffy and old? I can promise you, it can be much, much worse. Where I come from, Hogwarts is airy and pristine," Sirius laughed bitterly and was surprised when her hand caught and squeezed his. Lily said no words, but her eyes spoke of compassion. "Sorry, it's just that – well, Hogwarts meant freedom to me, away from home, from the terror of my parents. Coming from freedom, Hogwarts could be restraining."
"I don't think that the Muggle world is more or less free. Ye will probably find examples of either. But for ye, it was not a great unknown to venture into. Ye did not 'ave to discover the role expected of you here."
Now it was his turn to comfort her. "And finding out that a bunch of wankers hate you because your parents aren't part of a score of inbred families."
"I envy ye," Lily admitted freely. "I know yer family is not pleasant, but the name alone gets most tossers off yer back."
"It's not the name, it is the mayhem my cousins caused here," Sirius chuckled and opened the carriage door. "You might have met Andromeda as the nice housewife with the adorable daughter, but she almost caused a blood feud with the Rosiers when she was not receptive to their heir's advances and put him into St Mungo's. And Bellatrix was even worse, by the time she graduated, she was untouchable. Only Flitwick and Dumbledore could have taken her in a duel, and she knew it."
Lily scoffed in disbelief. "Really? Andromeda was so kind –"
"She is, but Andi is also pure steel. Pray that you will never be on the receiving end of her wand."
"Well, she gave me a standing invitation for tea," Lily chuckled as the carriage jerked into motion.
"I have to say, I didn't think you had it in you."
She looked almost offended at that. "Is it really that inconceivable that I like heavy metal?"
"If you asked me last week, I would have said yes. And even after today, I know that you aren't the goody two-shoes any more, but there is a difference between no longer caring about curfew and sneaking into Black Sabbath concerts."
"Mam finds it hilarious how Tuny and I started with reet similar tastes, but then grew into opposite directions. Dad is quite fond of the older stuff, so we listen to his records sometimes. Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, ye know," Lily trailed off wistfully and turned her head to look out of the window, avoiding Sirius' eyes. "They know what kind of records I like, but if they knew which concerts I've been to, they would ground me until graduation."
Sirius was surprised when she let her head drop onto his chest, so he wrapped an arm around Lily without hesitation. He had no idea what to say next, but his stomach fluttered when her warmth seeped through their jackets, and the vanilla scent of her shampoo drew his thoughts into a strange spiral. He hadn't connected the dots before, but Nymphadora had truly looked like Lily's daughter. Like a daughter she'd have with a Black. The image was now stuck in his mind.
The ride back up to Hogwarts was uneventful and quiet, with both teenagers basking in their new togetherness. It was new and fragile, but Sirius knew that there was one more topic he could not avoid. One he had to mention. "I will have to talk to James."
Her head snapped around, her face instantly the picture of indignation. "What's there t' talk about? Ye approached me, asked me out, I agreed. End of story. Potter doesn't own me."
"He doesn't, but he was the one who talked his parents into giving me a home. He is my best friend, the brother I always wanted. So I owe him an explanation, and a warning before he hears Chinese whispers," Sirius said with apprehension in his voice. That was not a conversation he was looking towards. "And your little display in front of the carriages wasn't exactly subtle, so there's no chance we can keep it a secret."
She actually blushed at that reminder.
Lily had been the first into the common room, and Sirius deliberately hung back, knowing that he would be interrogated as soon as he stepped through the portrait hole. That meant that he entered on his own, which led to James drawing his own conclusions.
"Ready to admit defeat?"
"How bad was it?"
His mates hounded him, wanting to know everything just as Sirius dropped down into the armchair next to the fireplace. He knew it was a sensitive matter but he couldn't resist wiping the smug expression off James' face.
"We're going out again next weekend."
James scoffed at him, not believing one word. "Yeah right, pull the other one," James chuckled, but when Sirius returned a flat look it slowly dawned on them.
Remus looked up from his Charms homework when he noticed the odd silence. "But – but next weekend isn't even a Hogsmeade weekend."
"That's never stopped us before," Sirius shrugged.
James bit his lip in slight frustration, shaking his head in disbelief, "For six bloody years I kept asking her out, and you just walk up to her this one time and she just agrees? That's bollocks."
"You tried so hard that she agreed to go out with me just to shut you up."
"You told her?" James asked, his voice cracking at the mere thought.
He nodded. "I've read enough of Bellatrix's romance novels to know that hiding something like that would blow up in my face. Figured, it's better to be straight about it." His cousin might be a blood purist of the highest order, but her choices in light reading were even more questionable, and he had been stupid enough not to pack any books when his parents dragged him to the Black Cottage near St Ouen, so it was a choice between whatever smut Bella had left in the room, or having to endure his family. "I also had nothing to lose if she shot me down."
"But she doesn't like you any better than me."
"She hated me mostly due to Snape. And as you may recall, she gave us free hand to do whatever we wanted to him," Sirius pointed out. He was not particularly proud of their actions that day, but he had seen the spell that nicked James' cheek. A few inches lower, and he would have quite literally lost his head. Therefore, he felt no remorse for what followed. Anyone else from his family… Saying that no body would have ever been found was wrong, because Snape would appear, mangled and grotesquely disfigured. A brazen warning, a threat with zero subtlety.
"And you want to go out with a girl like that? I know James is touched in the head, but I didn't know it was contagious."
"Sod off Peter, at least I have a date lined up that isn't my right hand."
"You yourself are the expert about getting hands-on –"
"He has a point," Remus interrupted the two before their argument would complete its descent into a contest of who could find the most idioms and circumscriptions for wanker. Last year before their OWLs, Peter had won after 47 rounds. "Are you sure what you are getting into? Lily can be rather vicious."
Sirius just shrugged at the question. "Mate, I've grown up in the same house as Bellatrix, and my mother was quite fond of the Cruciatus. I think I can handle vicious."
"That's messed up," Peter said thoughtfully. "Fine, you proved your point, there is no need to keep this up and possibly find us all poisoned in our sleep. Better to quit while you're ahead."
"I don't think I will. She is a kindred spirit, I feel. And her parents are nice."
"Really?" James asked with unconcealed disbelief. Remus' face asked the same question, even if he did not voice it.
"How do you know her parents?" Peter wanted to know, but then the answer dawned on him. "You didn't have to go that far to prove that James is an idiot about Evans."
"This isn't about James. Not any more at least," Sirius freely admitted. "I actually had a lot of fun today."
"Great, we lost another fool to Lily's wiles," Remus groaned, his face hidden behind his hands.
"We're just ahead of the curve, Moony. You'll get yours soon enough" James said sagely, which seemed to end the topic. Sirius, who had been expecting a lot worse from his friend, was surprised by the sudden support.
Later the same evening, after Remus went to bed and Peter chatted up Isobel Jones, James cast a spell to ensure that they were not overheard. He then kept his voice barely above a whisper for good measure.
"What did I do wrong?"
"You treated the whole thing like a joke and by extension her. You pestered her about dates since third year, and when she shot you down, you moved on and asked the nearest witch instead."
There was indignation in James' eyes at that. "I didn't kiss half the girls in Hogwarts."
"But I've never chased more than one at the same time," Sirius pointed out. He knew that it was a sore topic for his friend, and that he had to thread carefully. He even skipped the obvious name pun. "You've been chasing after Evans for years, but you have never been serious about it."
"You know that this wasn't just some joke to me," James snapped, his face marred by a deep frown. "You went on one date with Lily, and now you're acting like you're some kind of authority on her.
Sirius shook his head. "I don't know nearly as much about her as I'd like to. But I'm trying to learn, to understand her."
"I've been trying," James pointed out and dropped his head into his hands.
"You have been trying to figure out how to best woo Lily, not what her favourite band is. You want that knowledge to get her, not know because you actually care about her answer," Sirius said softly and finally braved the question that had been plaguing him the entire evening. "Will you be alright when you see us together?"
There was a pause, and a deep sigh. "It's not like I have much of a choice, do I? I'm not happy about it, but if she has to go out with someone, better you than Snivelius," James said with a chuckle, but the laughter did not reach his eyes.
"There's no need to ring the wedding bells just yet," Sirius pointed out. "In fact, that's probably why she agreed to go on a date with me. I just asked her to spend a couple of hours in Hogsmeade with me. So if I was a twat, she could just get up and leave."
"That's what I've been doing since third year!" The indignation quickly left James' voice, replaced by utter defeat. "I buggered that one up, didn't I?"
"We were trying to tell you, but you didn't listen."
James shook his head and stood up. "Guess I've got no choice now. Treat her well," he said and gathered his things.
While Sirius was happy that they wouldn't cross wands over Lily's hand, he was more than a little confused about that last phrase. "What do you mean?"
"Might as well challenge Rodolphus for Bellatrix's hand." James mumbled and was halfway to the staircase before he turned back. "And I'm calling dibs on being the best man at the wedding."