And Sirius Makes Three
A/N: This fic was written for the lovely Sophy (The Crownless Queen) for winning the golden snitch on The Golden Snitch forum. Well done to you and Beuxbatons!
Thank you to everyone who reads this, and whilst it is currently in the process of being beta'd, if you do find something amiss, please let me know via PM or a review (preferablyof the non-flame variety). Have a great March!
Sirius whistled as he and James walked down the footpath, his hands in his pockets. He was becoming accustomed to the Muggle 'jeans'—or at least that's what he thought they were called—that he had been forced to wear, not quite used to the denim material but liking them better than the stiff trousers he usually wore. Looking around, he noticed that the houses along the road were almost all identical, their some brightly-coloured gardens the only thing making each house stand apart from the one next to it.
When they got to a property about halfway down the road, James walked forward and unlocked the little gate. Ushering Sirius past, he shut it before walking up the short path to the front door.
"Behave yourself," James whispered, extending a hand and rapping his knuckles on the door.
Sirius rolled his eyes. When James gave him a sideways warning glance, Sirius simply grinned. James didn't have any time to say anything more as the door knob turned.
"I've told you, James, you can just use the doorbell. It won't bite," Lily said, opening the door and smiling at James. She leant forward to give him a kiss before her eyes turned to Sirius and her smile fell. "Oh, I see you brought your dog with you."
"Nice to see you too, Evans," Sirius said. He gave her the biggest smile he could manage and was pleased to see her frown.
James chuckled. "Now, now, behave."
Lily sighed and stood aside, allowing Sirius to cross the fresh-hold and walk inside. When he passed her, Sirius saluted her.
"James, I thought this was a date?"
"I know, but, well, I didn't want to leave him alone… Lily, I'm sorry, it will be alright…"
Sirius pretended not to hear the ensuing argument, and instead looked around the small house. A narrow staircase lead up to an upstairs floor, presumably where all the bedrooms were. Sirius had once asked James if he had ever been in Lily's bedroom, but James' reply had just been a punch to the shoulder. Sirius allowed his gaze to travel around the entryway, taking in more of the Evans household. Pictures lined the walls and small tables, and a door to the right led into a quaint living room.
The house was nothing like Grimmauld place, and for that reason alone, Sirius decided he liked the place.
Striding over to a small table beside the living room door, Sirius picked up one of the photographs there. He had seen Muggle photographs before, yet it was still a bit of a surprise to see that the people pictured were not moving. Lily was standing there smiling at the camera, standing in front of a van of sorts. Behind her stood an older man and woman—her parents, perhaps—and to her left a taller girl that looked rather like a horse. Sirius supposed the girl could have been pretty if she was capable of smiling, yet the scowl on her face only worsened her features. He assumed this was Lily's sister, Petunia, and from what James told him about the girl, it was probably a good thing she was out with her parents.
"Don't touch anything," Lily said, shutting the door behind her.
James walked past, clapping Sirius on the shoulder before walking into the living room.
Sirius winked at Lily. "Your sister is pretty fit."
"Don't think about it. Just go and sit with James," Lily said, snatching the frame and placing it gently down onto the table.
Sirius shrugged and walked into the room. Taking a look around, it wasn't too different to any parlour he'd been in, save for the warm, comfortable air it gave off. White lounges were placed around the room, with long, cream curtains hanging by the windows. The only thing that was not familiar was the black box sitting on a table by the wall that the lounges were facing.
Lily came into the room a few minutes later, having first gone elsewhere to fetch some food. She brought in a large, green bowl of white stuff and a couple of what looked like chocolate bars.
"Popcorn and chocolate," she said, placing them on the low coffee table in front of the lounge where James sat.
When Sirius reached forward to try some of the 'popcorn,' however, Lily batted his hand away. Fixing him with her bright green eyes, she said, "Uh, uh. First, you must promise me you will not get this all over the floor. Or on the furniture."
"Why, you say that as though I eat like a pig," Sirius said.
Lily smiled at him. "I would have said warthog."
James chuckled again. "Alright, let's start this movie. It looks interesting."
Lily rolled her eyes but turned a warmer smile to James. Walking over to the black box, she pressed a button and fiddled with a smaller, rectangular-shaped box underneath it. The black box flickered on, and a moving picture came on. The word 'Grease' flickered across the screen, and music began to play.
"So, Muggles do know how to make pictures move," Sirius sniggered.
Lily ignored him and strode over to the lounge. Sitting down next to James, she giggled when he put his arm around her shoulder. Sirius huffed, already sick of their displays of affection before they had begun, and crossed the room. He nudged Lily with his knee, and with a grunt, settled himself between Lily and James. He placed his arms over both Lily and James' shoulders, turning his attention to the screen.
Lily sighed and pushed his arm off. James echoed her sigh and crossed his knees. When Sirius glanced at him, however, the boy gave him a quick smile.
The movie itself was quite boring, Sirius thought. None of the plot seemed to make any sense, and there was too much singing. Every two minutes some Muggle would start singing, and everyone else would join in.
Lily and James, however, seemed to be enjoying themselves. As Sirius tried to figure out why the boys were brushing their hair and singing around a car, James stretched behind him and grabbed a hold of Lily's hand. He noticed only when Lily giggled, and he knew even she wouldn't find the movie scene laugh-worthy.
It irked him more than he could explain why. Stretching back himself, he effectively unlinked their hands. Lily scowled, crossing her arms in front of her. James, too, seemed to roll his eyes, but Sirius pretended not to notice.
"Why are they singing?" Sirius asked.
"Because it's a musical. Just listen to it," Lily said.
"Yeah, but what's with the combs? They look like they're trying to be pretty boys like my dear brother."
"Shhh. Just watch it."
Sirius huffed and turned to James. His best friend was focused on the screen, his lips pressed together. Huffing again, he looked around the room. Anything but the movie had to be more interesting, yet as his eyes passed over the dozens of photos, doilies and other Muggle items, he found picking at a loose thread on his shirt was the best bet.
After a few more moments of silence, save for more obnoxious songs, Sirius noticed that he wasn't the only one not paying attention to the movie. Lily and James were shooting each other sneaky glances. Lily's cheeks were red, and when he turned to James, he saw the boy wiggling his eyebrows at her.
Taking a deep breath, Sirius let it all out in a big puff. "Why do Muggle's have such a boring building to go to school in? Hogwarts is boring, but at least we have ghosts floating aro—"
"Padfoot, can I maybe see you in the kitchen?" James interrupted. When Sirius looked at him, he jerked his head towards the hallway.
Sirius sighed but stood up. He walked out of the room, but not before seeing James pat Lily's hand.
James did not speak until the entered a smaller room with black and white tiles covering the floor. Sirius didn't have time to look around or take in all the objects inside for James turned to him, his hazel eyes narrowed.
"You're killing me, Padfoot! What is with you?" James said. He lifted a hand to his dark hair and ran his head through it. "Lily and I were supposed to be on a date."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Sirius said.
"So? Could you maybe, you know, give me and Lily some space?"
"You want me to leave then?"
"No… Just, well…" James looked at him, pleading for him to understand. "C'mon, help a mate out here."
Sirius looked away, focusing instead on a fruit bowl on the kitchen counter. He didn't know why he was acting the way he was. Lily was very annoying, of course, but he didn't mind her as a girlfriend for James, not when compared to the other girls who were also after the boy. He was also used to James and Lily's public displays of affection, having caught them snogging around the school a few times more than he would have cared to. Today, however, just felt odd… almost wrong.
When James cleared his throat, he shook his head and turned back to him. It was probably because he didn't have a date of his own to fool around with, especially on Valentine's Day.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. You kids go enjoy yourself," Sirius said and grinned at James. With a wink, he added, "Just not too much, alright? I'll meet your future daughter or son when they're born, not when they're made."
James returned his grin, punching him in the arm again. "Sod off," he said.
Sirius stuck his tongue out. Together, they walked back down the hallway and to the living room. Sirius paused at the door, watching as James went and sat next to Lily, the latter resting her head on the boy's shoulder. The lights from the black box flickered across their faces as the movie continued, Lily's perfect smile growing as James whispered something in her ear.
They looked natural together, happy. Why was it that he was intent on ruining their date?
"Padfoot, are you coming back? You're missing the best parts!"
Shaking his head again, Sirius smirked and walked back into the room. "Let me guess, there's another song?"