Title: Truth
Author: ReticentSurprise
Rating: PG-13 for foul language from Lily
Pairings: Lily/James, Remus/Sirius, others alluded to
Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue.
A/N: To prove that I can. (Nadia pointed out my aversion to writing happy endings. I attempted to correct it, and while it's not happy, it's also not sad. Less angst, more fluff. Refers to "A Push and a Pull" briefly. Idea for the end bit indirectly from Lise and Glockgal. And just to clarify, the end isn't really part of the story. It's more of their commentary on the ending.)

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"Truth or dare?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

"Truth it is, then." Pause. "When did you first figure it out?"

"What, that you were a werewolf?"

"Yeah."

"About the second year."

"Not bad. Before the boys, then."

"Of course! Not that I was going to say anything to them, mind you."

"Liked having something to lord over Prongs?"

"You bet. Even if he didn't know it. Although it was equalled out by the mystery of where their nicknames came from."

"So the next question becomes, when did you figure out about them?"

"That took some time. It wasn't until halfway through sixth year, when I found dog hair all over James's shirt, that I realized something more was up."

"What were you doing with a shirt of James's in the sixth year, Miss Prefect?"

"Oh. Well . . . "

"Hah. We all knew you liked him."

"Okay, fine, I did. Happy?"

"Sure, darling. Whatever you want. It's your special day, after all."

Pause.

"Okay, so when did /you/ find out?"

"That they were Animagi?"

"Yeah."

"It was . . . hmm. I guess it was a week before the January full moon, fifth year. That's when they told me what they'd been up to, and that they'd finished it. Two and a half years, they kept it a secret. Can you believe that?"

"Knowing them? Of course I can!"

"Oh, I was furious when I found out."

"The prefect in you, thinking of all the rules they shattered?"

"Hardly. I thought they were mocking me, making light of it. You see, they can change anytime they want, and they have full conscious control over their actions. I have neither of those qualities."

"So what happened?"

"I didn't talk to any of them for that whole week. Then the full moon came, and suddenly a pack appeared in the Shrieking Shack. Unbelievable. A full pack, in my territory! But they smelled like family: they were /my/ pack. The wolf couldn't believe it."

"And you?"

"The next morning I woke up with hardly a scratch. Madam Pomfrey didn't know what to think!"

"I can imagine."

"They all received apologies, of course. And, clearly, we're friends to this day."

"Except for seventh -- "

"Lil, not now. Not here. Just let it lie."

Pause.

"Are you happy with how things turned out?"

"What's there to be upset about?"

"I mean . . . that we didn't end up together longer."

"I . . . that's a tough one, Lil. I guess it's just always been you and James. We all knew it was you and James."

"And we all knew it was you and Sirius."

"Which is what made that whole ordeal all the stranger, I suppose."

Pause.

"Here you two are! What are you nutzos doing, sitting out here all alone?"

"It's a beautiful night. We're enjoying the stars and reminiscing."

"Well let me tell you something, Mrs. Potter, you /should/ be inside playing nice with all those people who showed up today to see you lawfully wedded to a poor ungulate in there who can't find you."

"Oh, Siri, you're such a party-pooper!"

"Me? Party pooper? Hah! Get thee gone, wench!"

"Only if you two'll promise me one thing . . . "

"Anything at all, lovely lady."

"What, Lil?"

"Be mindful of the roses as you pups fuck each other senseless."

"LILY EVANS POTTER!"

"Get inside, woman!"

Pause.

"Pretty wedding."

"Prettier bride."

"Nothing against Lil, but I think /you/'d make a prettier bride, Siri."

"Excuse me! I believe /I/ wear the pants in this relationship!"

"And I believe we both wear robes."

"Point to Mr. Moony."

Pause.

"You know what this is, Paddy?"

"Do tell, lover."

"This, my dear, is a happy ending."

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"Have you lost it, Re-re? This isn't an ending, it's a beginning! It's a wedding, not a funeral."

"Paddy dearest, you're spoiling the moment."

"Screw the moment."

"But I wanted a happy ending!"

"Can you settle for just a happy place-where-the-story-stops?"

Pause.

"That, I think, I can handle."

"Good. 'Cause that's all that you're going to get."

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