Name: Courtney Kathrys

Title: Letting Lily Go

E-mail: Faeriedeath@hotmail.com

Summery: James questions Sirius on whether or not to let his dream of Lily Evans go, on a night where the truth is all that can be spoken. Sirius debates whether to wait out the night, and lie, or to tell James what he really thinks.

Notes: Written for Fiction Alley Park's "Three Things That Never Happened To..." Leap Year Challenge. The guidelines are: Must be 200 words or shorter (mine are all exactly 200); Leap Year must be the date of one event and mean something important to the Wizarding World; It must be the same character who the events are about; Must be three separate stories.

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters are by JK Rowling. I only own the plot.

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"Tell me to let her go, Sirius, and I will."

It was nearing midnight, on February 29. James and Sirius stood in the snow on the abandoned Quidditch pitch as the last remnants of Leap Year faded, taking advantage of the veritaserum in the air, a fog that seemed to settle over the wizarding world one day in every four years where you couldn't lie, and where the truth would either set you free, or condemn you.

"Tell me to let her go, Sirius, and I will."

Five minutes till midnight. Sirius weighed his options. He could hold out, lie, tell James to keep after Lily. Say what a best mate should. But Sirius knew that road led to marriage, children, and the inevitable death.

"Tell me to let her go, Sirius, and I will."

Three minutes till midnight. Sirius could tell the truth, tell him to let her go, to give her up. There was a war out there and he couldn't afford to loose his concentration for a moment, for Lily, for a family.

"Tell me to let her go, Sirius, and I will."

One minute till midnight. Sirius sighed, and made his choice.

"Let her go, mate."

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