Lily watches Sirius Black from across the busy common room.
He's sitting in an armchair, dark hair, as usual, obscuring one charcoal eye. He has one leg bent hugged up to his chest, his black t-shirt stretched across his back as he leans forward to rest his chin on his knee.
Cool, that's the only way to describe him, so easy to him. Unconscious grace and unearthly good looks.
His face is closed, guarded, as he contemplates whatever it is he's contemplating.
Mary Haccing passes by, pausing to say something. She is cheerful the smile on her face genuine as she peers at him. He replies with a small nod jerking his head back towards the common room entrance. Every move he makes effortlessly elegant. She thanks him and he smiles.
That smile. Maybe it's not obvious that the last thing he feels like doing is smiling, he's very good at it. Best actor Lily has ever seen. But she can tell, from her position, fifteen feet away, her head tilted to the side as she observes him.
His face closes again. Shut. Lock down. Every handsome alabaster plain of his face, cold and emotionless.
Its seems to lily, nothing can lighten him.
Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew come up to sit by him. He doesn't even make the effort to smile for them as he did for Mary. Perhaps that's their reward for being his friends, no false smiles or overly bright greetings.
Then the last of their group joins them.
James Potter folds his colt like frame onto the sofa beside Black.
James greets Remus and Peter and turns to Black, as he hears no response. James looks at him and Lily gets the impression that James, Like no one else can see through Black's mask. Through to the boy behind it.
James says something, quiet, and soft meant for Black's ears only. A wry grin tugs at James' lips as he attempts to hold a straight face.
For a moment Black just looks at him. Then his mask cracks.
Light suddenly pours into his face, he laughs. Lily can see then why James has been heard to refer to him as 'fire-child'.
Everything about him is bright and alive. His laugh flickers merrily, burning red and gold, causing everyone else in the room to smile against their will. He is just a boy and there is nothing unearthly about him. But when they hear that laugh, feel that tug at their lips forcing them to smile, they all think to themselves:
Sirius is smiling.