I do not own Lily, James, or Sirius. Implied slash lies within, so if that bothers you, stay away.
She's sitting at one of the tables near the dance floor, sipping a glass of red wine and trying to hear her sister and mother over the sound of the music.
"He's danced with that other man more than he's danced with you," Petunia says gleefully.
Lily knows it's true; she's been counting. James danced the first with her, and three other slow songs. The rest he's danced with Sirius, the two of them jumping in time to Maybe We're Muggles and I'm a Quidditch Star. Most of the songs are fast, but two of them are slow, and they dance for those ones, too.
"Lily, dear, you should ask him to dance with you," he mother says absently. "It's your wedding night, after all."
Lily bites her tongue and shakes her head.
She's afraid he'll say no.
XXXxxxXXXxxxXXX
Sirius is over for breakfast once, and Lily is making pancakes on the skillet.
"James, could you finish this last batch while I clean up?" she asks him. He hesitates, before Sirius cuts in.
"He's afraid of skillets," Sirius says. "Remember when he got burned in sixth year?" and Sirius stares at her so contemptuously that she turns red and has to look away.
"Sorry," she says in a tiny voice. "I forgot."
Sirius and James work side by side to clean up the counter, and she can't quite miss the grateful look James aims at his best friend.
XXXxxxXXXxxxXXX
She makes reservations for them at a nice restaurant and, as a surprise, doesn't tell James.
"I'm going out with Sirius," he says.
She doesn't really want him to, but how can she say no? "Fine," she agrees. "Please be back by six."
The reservations are for seven. He walks in the door at ten to eight
"Where were you?" she asks, trying to keep her temper down. "I told you to be back at six."
He looks surprised. "It's Sirius' birthday tomorrow," he explains, "I didn't think you'd mind me being late. We were making plans."
"I had plans. We were going to go to dinner."
"Oh," he says. "Well, I didn't know."
"If you had, would you have been home on time?"
He hesitates, and that's all she needs to know.
XXXxxxXXXxxxXXX
She tells him she wants him to spend less time with Sirius and more time at home.
"I can't do that," he says.
She tries pleading. "I need you here," she says.
"What about Sirius?"
"What about me?"
In the end, he gets frustrated with her, and goes to Sirius' house.
XXXxxxXXXxxxXXX
She spends the day with just Sirius once. It's James' idea.
"So," she says. "Did he tell you about the new book he's been reading?"
Sirius smiles triumphantly. "Yes, of course," he says. "And did he ever tell you that his favorite animal is a dog? Or that he used to be afraid of goats, and that marmalade makes him sick?"
He hadn't, but she wasn't about to tell Sirius that.
XXXxxxXXXxxxXXX
When they are picking a Secret Keeper, James insists on inviting Sirius to all of the discussions.
Lily suggests inviting one of her friends, once, just to even it out a bit. James looks at her like she's insane.
"I need Sirius here," he says, like that's explanation enough.
XXXxxxXXXxxxXXX
After his parents die, he won't even sit with her at the funeral.
"Sirius loved them too," he says. "He'll need me." And unspoken, I'll need him, too.
She sees James squeezing Sirius' hand during the eulogy, and it is Sirius who James embraces when the caskets are lowered. They are crying into each other's shoulders.
Lily turns away and apparates back home.
She doesn't want to intrude.
XXXxxxXXXxxxXXX
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