Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.
Prompt (Prompt of the Day — The Golden Snitch): (feeling) butterflies in the stomach
Prompt (Year-Long Scavenger Hunt — Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges): Write about romance in the most unusual way possible
Word count (not including title and author's notes): 1487
Once Upon a Time…
"Daddy! Daddy! Dad-dy!"
Sirius laughed as he picked up his daughter and spun her in a circle. Little Lyra giggled furiously, which caused Sirius' own grin to widen.
"What do ya need, Lyra?" Sirius asked, upon setting her back down on the ground.
Lyra suddenly grew focused and stared thoughtfully at him. She appeared to be thinking very intently and didn't say anything right away. Sirius started wondering what was going on in her five-year-old mind, and whether or not he should be concerned, when she suddenly appeared to work out her question.
"Daddy," she asked seriously, "how did you and Mummy meet?"
Sirius grinned. This was a question he could easily handle.
"You want to know how we met?" he confirmed.
"We both do."
Sirius looked up to see his oldest child, ten-year-old Alexandria, standing in the doorway. He smiled at her. He plopped down on the nearby couch and motioned for both of them to sit down. At the open invitation, the two girls hardly wasted any time in jumping onto the couch and snuggling next to their father.
"Well, you asked for a good story today," he said, while summoning a bucket of popcorn. "It's quite funny, actually. See, we both knew each because we were in the same House at Hogwarts. But I didn't ask her out until our sixth year."
Sirius looked down at his daughters, who stared right back at him with absolute focus. It seemed he had an attentive audience.
"It really all began when I told her I needed help finding my heart…"
"Is your father telling tales again?"
Sirius and the two girls looked up to see Lily standing in the doorway. Her stern tone was made ineffective by her smile and twinkling eyes.
"Mummy!" Lyra shouted, bouncing up and down. "Daddy said he would tell us how you met!"
"Did he now?" she asked, eyebrow raised. At Alexandria's confirming nod, she continued, "Well, do you mind if I sit with you and listen?"
"Would you like to tell them the story, dear?" Sirius said, making room next to him on the couch.
"Well," Lily said, her eyes lighting up in mischief, "I would probably stay more on track than you…"
"Hey!" Sirius retorted, stuffing a handful of popcorn in his mouth. "I'm wrate uh elling sorries."
"Chew your food, before you speak," Lily reprimanded, while the two girls giggled.
Sirius quickly swallowed his food.
"Yes, dear," he said contritely, before sneaking a wink at his daughters. "Please continue telling the story."
Lily sighed and leaned into the couch.
"Your father was right. Everything started when he asked me for help finding his heart. But there was a bit more to it than that, obviously…"
.oOo.
"What do you think you're doing, Black?" Lily snapped.
It had been a long day and all she wanted to do was curl up in bed. But instead, she was stuck on a patrol — by herself because Lupin was 'sick' again — and she had just ran into the most annoying person possible.
Well, second most annoying. James Potter still existed.
Lily waited for Black to respond. But he never did. Instead, he remained sitting against the wall, tucked away in the Charms corridor, and continued to stare at a letter in his hands.
"Black," Lily said, impatience growing by the second, "you have to go to your dorm. You're out-of-bounds right now. Black!"
The prankster startled and looked up, clearly seeing her for the first time.
"Lily— I, uh … I'm sorry," the normally suave Gryffindor stuttered through what Lily was sure to be an outlandish excuse for being out past curfew. "I didn't realize that the time— I'll be going now."
Lily watched in concern as Black pushed himself unsteadily to his feet, letter still tightly held in his hand. He stumbled forward and Lily caught him.
"Sirius, just how long have you been sitting here?" she asked, her arm around his waist.
"Since— Hey! Did you just call me Sirius?"
Lily rolled her eyes. "Just answer the question," she said.
"Since lunch," he said, his voice growing dull. "I couldn't go to class. Not after…" Sirius waved the letter in the air and everything clicked into place.
"I'm so sorry, Sirius," Lily said, genuinely meaning it. The news had spread like wildfire that the senior Potters had been killed in an attack. Nobody had seen James since lunch and Sirius was practically their family.
He had essentially just lost his parents.
"Their owl arrived," Sirius choked out. "I thought it must have been a mistake, ya know. That they were still alive. But they're not. This is the last letter mum wrote. And she is — was — helping me solve something so dumb."
Sirius looked at Lily in tears. "It's dumb right?" he continued when she didn't say anything. "I mean Voldemort killed them and a bunch of Muggles — there's a goddamn war going on — and mum was helping me with a bully. In the scheme of things, it's not that important, right?"
In that moment, Lily could clearly see the young man standing before her. He was hurting in a way she couldn't understand. But she had to do something, say something.
"It's not dumb."
"What?" Sirius asked.
"It's not dumb. I never met your mum," Lily explained, using his preferred title for the late Mrs. Potter, "but I know she loved you. Nothing would matter more to her, than helping her son. You're important, Sirius."
"I was called heartless," Sirius said, in a way of explanation, "by some scummy Slytherin. That's what I had written to her about. That a Slytherin said something cruel. It normally wouldn't bother me, but that day … it just did. And on top of that there's you and—"
Sirius quickly shut up, but Lily had caught his slip.
"What do you mean, there's me?" she asked breathlessly, butterflies nervously fluttering in her stomach.
Sirius winced and Lily raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know if anyone has ever told you, Lily, but you're beautiful," he said, no longer making eye contact. "And not in the way James always tells you. Sure, you always look great, but that's putting it mildly. You're like the stars, lighting up my darkest days. You're more brilliant than the sun, more breathtaking than a hundred-foot dive for the Snitch in a game of Quidditch."
Lily stared numbly at Sirius. He really thought that? Of her?
"And I would treat you right," Sirius continued, growing more confident. "You would always come first. No matter what. And our kids would be spoiled rotten and deeply loved."
Did he just say kids?! Lily thought. The thought of kids would normally terrify her, but when Sirius said it … well, it was just different.
"Lily," Sirius said, suddenly sounding afraid, "you're crying. Why are you crying? Stupid question, Sirius. I'm sorry. I'm a prat. I was thinking without speaking. I mean, speaking without thinking. I'm— I'm sorry!"
Sirius gently brushed away a tear and Lily's eyes fluttered shut.
What was going on?!
"What did your mum say, Sirius?" Lily asked quietly. She opened her eyes to find Sirius looking at her curiously. "What did she say about the bully?"
"That he was an idiot," Sirius responded, his eyes never leaving her own. "That I couldn't possibly be heartless since I had already, unintentionally, lost my heart to an incredibly beautiful woman. She said that I wouldn't have the capability of loving, if I didn't have a heart to begin with."
"Sirius, I—"
"I'm not proposing," Sirius interrupted, appearing to grow more confident by the second. "At least, not right now." Lily rolled her eyes at his cocky attitude. There was the Gryffindor she knew.
"I am, however, asking for us to have a chance. Will you help me find my heart?"
"What if I don't want to give it back?" Lily asked daringly.
"Then I would not I ask for it back. I don't think I could. I will just have to hold out hope that you will eventually offer me your heart, in exchange for mine."
.oOo.
"Eww! You said that Daddy?" Lyra gasped.
Lily and Sirius looked at each other and started laughing.
"Yes, baby," Lily said, eyes watering from mirth. "He sure did."
"I think it's romantic," Alexandria responded dreamily. At this proclamation, Sirius looked at Lily. At Lily's equally mischievous expression, he grinned.
"What do you think, Lily? Should we tell them about our kiss after I said that?" Sirius asked cheekily.
"Eww!" both of the girls shouted, jumping off the couch.
"I thought you said it was romantic, Alexandria," Lily giggled.
"Yes, we would love to tell you about it," Sirius continued through laughter.
"No, no, no!" Both of the girls ran out of the room, shrieking and giggling.
Lily reached over and held Sirius' hand.
"I love you, Sirius Black," she whispered.
"I love you, too, Lily Black," Sirius responded happily.
A/N — Kind of a rough ending, but I still like it. Thank you for reading! I'm coming up on my two-year FFN anniversary and I just want to say that I appreciate every reader and reviewer that has visited my stories. You guys are a big reason that makes this worth while. If you are waiting for an update to "Tides of Fate," know that your patience will soon be rewarded. Thank you again!