A/N: Now that exams are over, I have had time to reread my work so far, and I've decided to pull off, edit (ie re-write) and re-post the story. I've also decided, since slowly starting to rewrite this fic, to keep it to four parts and an epilogue (instead of 7 parts and an epilogue as I had originally planned) Hope you enjoy and please review! RBS
Disclaimer- Characters belong to J K Rowling
How It Came To Be
Sirius Black
My best mate James, from the first moment he met her, was convinced that he loved Lily Evans. And being the best mate I was, I encouraged him to do what he thought was best. But, six years on, I regret saying that. All his thoughts since then in spare moment he wasn't doing his homework, playing Quidditch, planning pranks, learning how to become Animagus and other Marauders business, was devoted to catching Lily Evans' heart.
I never understood his infatuation with her. She had been friends with Snivellus, and had the gall to defend him when his little friends thought it would be funny to use dark magic on Mrs Norris (Yes, even I have to draw the line there in regards to that cat). The Potions power couple, though, had broke up at the end of fifth year, much to the relief of three quarters of the school, and particularly, James. Inter-house relations in Hogwarts usually didn't include the Slytherins, who were all evil and inevitably going to join Voldemort, including my idiotic and oh-so-perfect brother, who could do no wrong in my parents' eyes and too ambitious to hear my pleas while we were still on semi-speaking terms (i.e. before I moved out of Grimmauld Place. I decided I couldn't live in a home where the only way I can redeem myself for being sorted into Gryffindor is by becoming a Death Eater.).
The Potter's, though, were the parents I never had. They took me in after I had run away and realised I had no where to stay in the middle of summer last year. Many people, especially hardened muggle-borns, were mistaken with a small detail in Magical politics. If you think it's all about Purebloods associating with Purebloods and all Purebloods being safe, it's actually more than that. It's about what type of pureblood you are. My adopted family is against the whole "purification of blood" and other such nonsense, but we're a minority. And it's not all about money either, although influence in the magical world is to a large extent about money, much like the Muggle world as I was told in Muggle Studies. Suffice to say, the Potter's aren't in too much trouble with the purebloods yet, but they knew it'd be harder for us than it was for them.
However, I am sidetracking- back to the Lily/James' situation.
James' idiocy in the past was only prevalent whenever she was in the general vicinity (i.e. within her eyesight). He had a way with words that could insult a brick.
But this year, this year was different.
On the train to Hogwarts in September, Moony told me of his resolution not to ask Lily out this year. And I scoffed, thinking he'd break his resolve by the time the next Hogsmeade weekend was called.
Needless to say, I lost a few pretty Galleons to Moony.
And I'm sure I'm not the only person in Hogwarts with their panties in a twist over their bets that James and Lily would get together this year.
For some unseeable reason, Dumbledore made Prongs Head Boy this year. No doubt he was clever, and at times even mature, but it was a sign of growing up, I suppose. Moony had always been more mature than the rest of us, but that was probably caused by his furry little problem as James has christened it (most people thought Remus had a wild rabbit as a pet).
And, being ever being the optimist, I thought he'd take advantage of it and finally get the girl (thereby making my pockets that little bit heavier). The only explanation for Prong's odd behaviour would either be that he's fallen out of love with Lily (but I knew that wasn't the case… LP is still being scrawled all over his notes like in fifth year) or he had an epiphany and discovered that there was more important things in life than being with your soul mate (what can I say, I'm a natural at Divination… it's in the stars… no, that's Astronomy… but you get my drift, don't you?)
The drivel I have had to put up with in the past few years, his laments, the bad poetry, the fussing over his hair every morning as he fought with a comb, the bad mood after a particular stinging rejection, but always optimistic about their future (to which I'd reply "Am I your pet puppy to be forgotten after Christmas?"), and now it's as if my best friend has lost his spirit. Yes, he was still going well in class, Gryffindor hadn't lost a game of Quidditch (well, I must admit I'm a pretty good beater myself) , still planning magnificent pranks, hadn't missed a full moon, and he was following his Head Boy duties to the T, but he had lost his passion, his heart… and I blame Lily Evans.
The pathetic mess of a guy, reduced to what everyone expects him to be, and not doing what he wanted to do…
In fourth year, I remember James buying a rather nice eagle feather quill for Lily, with her name engraved in it, which was thrown at him at breakfast and was now kept in a box in his cupboard at home.
In fifth year, he had bought her a book entitled "Pondering Potions for Present Problems", which was duly directed at his head, and now rested in his makeshift bookshelf that held all his text books.
In sixth year, last year, he bought Lily an emerald pendant on a long gold chain that had cost him the opportunity for the new Nimbus 1000 broom. He didn't have the motivation to give it to her, and merely sent her a Christmas card, afraid of her rejection again. It now sat on his bureau at home, next to a picture of Lily sitting under the beech tree, during sunset near the lake, which he had taken without her knowing last year. She was reading, and the picture of Lily showed her occasionally turning a page or gazing at the reflection in the lake and the occasional appearance of the Giant Squid's tentacles.
This year, I know he bought her the matching set of earrings for the necklace. And I knew he wouldn't have the guts to give it to her again. The box was wrapped up, but being Sirius Black, I knew what it was, after seeing him eye the piece longingly at the jewellers in Hogsmeade during the legitimate excursions and an extended absence in the afternoon. The box sat neatly in his trunk (in my defence, I was looking for clean socks) amongst old copies of Transfiguration Today which he quoted in his essays and a battered, blank, little black book. A diary, perhaps? Charmed like the map, I suppose.
I knew I could guess what the password was, but I didn't really want to understand or know what was in Prongs' mind.
And I decided to be active, and had owled Mrs Potter, telling her of James' current wretchedness, and asking her to send the necklace. She knew of James' infatuation with Evans since his first letter home in first year, and had since seen it develop into unrequited love. She couldn't quite understand why someone didn't like her dearest Jamsie.
And now it sat in Lily's little bundle of presents at the bottom of her bed. Being the skilled Marauder I am (and with the assistance from Moony) we were able to forge a message in the card for Lily that, we thought, aptly matched James' current frame of mind.
Lily,
Merry Christmas
James
Notice the minimal message, the lack of depth in emotion in the sparing words and the minimum required content.
That was what James had become. A shell of my best friend. It was all her fault, but I would do anything I could to get them together. Because I knew what it would mean to him, despite his protests this year. His endeavour to not ask her out and pretend she was the unwilling owner of his heart.
Surely she had noticed the change in Prongs. His manner around us, his closest friends; his attentiveness in class; and the fact he was taking his Head Boy duties seriously (he took points off a poor Gryffindor first year for using magic in the corridors after he had been pushed around by some burly fifth year Slytherins) could not have been evidence to anyone that he hadn't changed. Even if she really did hate him, she couldn't be oblivious to it.
When I did try to bring it up, Prongs merely looked at me and say in his deadpan voice "I've given up on her Padfoot, can't you see? I've come to terms with the fact that she doesn't like me. Why should I deny such an obvious fact?" before turning back to his Potions homework.
After that enlightening conversation, I decided to observe Lily. The glances when she walked into class as if looking for someone, the furious blushes when I knew Mary MacDonald (our partner in crime for Operation Lily and James for the past few years) brought up the topic of James, the nervous pacing just before James met her for rounds once a week, the curious glances when he failed to rise to the challenge of witty or provocative conversation… I knew she wasn't entirely indifferent to him.
During a prefects meeting, I caught up with Mary regarding the ongoing Operation L&J, I asked her for an assessment on Lily's feelings towards James. Just in case my conclusion from observation was wrong.
After hearing Mary whinge about Lily's lack of focus in her studies (she'd only got "Exceeding Expectations" in her last Potions essay… which I swear I saw an 'O' on James' when Slughorn was handing them back out the other day… I wasn't certain because he shoved the parchment rather roughly in his bag before getting on with the days task) as well as the continual denial of her feelings for James (it had progressed from 'Potter') every time she was caught out staring at him, I was convinced that Lily, finally, liked James.
And hence my brilliant plan of sending Lily James's present from last year.
Breakfast on Christmas day at Hogwarts was probably the best breakfast out of all the days of the year. The house elves had seriously outdone themselves this year, with mince pies, Christmas pudding, scones and jam, treacle tarts… my only problem was where to begin…
Just as I was pouring myself a cup of hot chocolate, I noticed Lily hesitantly making her way towards Prongs with an unwrapped package in her hands.
My first reaction was to duck (as from past experience), but knowing Lily had good aim, she would have already thrown it at him…
She nervously tapped James on the shoulder, before shyly smiling and—was she thanking James for the present?! What was the world coming to?
She sat next to James with her back towards him, her hair bunched to one side with a hand as Prongs clumsily fastened the ends of the necklace with a goofy smile on his face…
There was the Prongs I knew!
James cornered me after breakfast, thanking me for giving Lily the present.
"How did you know?" I asked, dumbfounded. He couldn't possibly know Legilimency... could he?
"Yes, Padfoot, I know Legilimency" he said with a smirk. "I know what your handwriting looks like when you try and forge my handwriting. I'm your best mate, what about you don't I know about" he challenged.
"By the way, she's agreed to accompany me to the Three Broomsticks on New Years Eve… you know, as friends," he said happily, although from the expression in his eyes, he wanted to be more that "just friends" with Lily Evans.
But if being friends with Lily meant James got over being a moping mess, I'd be happy for him.
