Chapter 2:
Sirius walked into the Three Broomsticks to find three very smug looking young men sitting at a table to his left. He ambled over to them and fell into the seat next to James.
Looking across at Peter, he said, "How the hell did you come up with that?"
Peter fidgeted uncomfortably under the glare and then pointed at Remus.
Sirius' eyes moved across and settled on his friend.
"This is to get me back for winning the bet, isn't it?"
"Of course," Remus grinned, "I'll take a Butterbeer, thanks."
Sirius broke into a grin. One of the young barmaids came over to their table.
"How can I help you tonight, boys?"
"Four Butterbeers and might I say that you are looking particularly dazzling tonight, Madam Rosmerta."
"Oh, you boys," she said, "You always know how to make me laugh. But don't think that by complimenting me you won't still have to pay!"
"Rosie, are you accusing us of flattery?"
"Never in my life, Mr. Potter. What's got you in such a cheeky mood?"
"You mean more than usual?" asked Sirius.
"I just had a baby!" Cried James.
"A baby? You? And here I was thinking it was dear Lily who had the bun in the oven," she joked. "Congratulations, James. I never thought I'd live to see the day when Lily Evans and James Potter had their first child."
"I told you all I'd win her over eventually."
"So what's its name? Does it look like you? Does it have your hair?"
"He does have my hair, as a matter of fact. His name is Harry and he looks more like me than Lily. I'll bring him in for you one day."
"James, you can't bring a baby into a bar! What would your wife say?"
"Yeah, you're probably right."
"Yes, I probably am. I'll be over with your drinks in a tick, dears."
As she walked back to the bar, Sirius turned to Peter.
"Still too shy to say anything to her?" he said.
"Well at least he doesn't drool anymore," James muttered.
"I never drooled!"
"You did."
"Didn't."
"Did."
"Didn't."
"Di–"
"Guys! How old are you? Shut up!"
"Sorry, Remus," said Peter, "Ok, I admit that I may have had a slight crush at one stage, but that was a long, long time ago. Now I think only of Mary."
"But you still used to drool," James added quietly as Madam Rosmerta came holding a tray of five glasses. She put one in front of each of the boys, and slid onto the bench next to Sirius with her own.
"On break," she said, "I have to be back in ten."
"And what perfect timing," Sirius said, and draped his arm around her, "Peter was just telling us about how–"
Remus and James both kicked him under the table. He yelped.
"–about how he's, uhh, getting married!"
Peter exhaled a breath of relief. He was beaming.
"Well congratulations!" Rosmerta said, "You were dating that MacDonald girl, weren't you?"
"Yes. Mary. The wedding is in September. You're welcome to come if you like."
"How sweet of you, I'll see what I can do."
"Well I don't have a date yet," Sirius said.
"You? Sirius Black? Dateless? Well I never. But I'm a bit too old for you."
"Only a couple of years. Which is completely made up for by your stunning beauty."
Rosmerta rolled her eyes. "Peter, who have you got serving drinks?"
Peter was taken aback. "No one," he said.
"No one? Won't there be anything to drink at this wedding?"
"No, we decided no alcohol."
"Well then. Sorry Sirius, but it looks like I've got myself a job."
"No, Rosmerta, it's fine," Peter said, and mumbled something about being short of money.
"Nonsense. Consider my services a wedding present. These three," she motioned around the table, "would be more than happy to chip in and give me a hand."
"That we would," agreed James, and raised his drink in a toast. Everyone else held their glasses up too.
"To Harry," he said.
"To Mary," said Peter.
"To James and Peter," said Remus.
"To Rosmerta," said Sirius.
"To my bar, and my drinks, and you damn boys for always knowing how to make me laugh."
Later that night, when it was starting to get dark, the four decided to call it a night. James wanted to go and see how Lily and Harry were doing, and Peter was supposed to be cooking dinner.
Sirius pulled out a handful of coins from his pocket and put them on the table.
"That's my share," he said.
"Not so fast," Remus replied, "It was your shout, remember?"
Sirius moaned, "Remind me why I agreed to this."
"You didn't," Peter said.
With an exaggerated sigh, he pulled himself off the bench. "But don't go thinking this will happen every day."
"Ok, it'll just have to be every other day," James said, as he grabbed his coat and headed for the door. "Remus, you're headed back to Godric's Hollow, aren't you? I need to pick up some stuff for Lily."
"Yeah, wait up! I'll come with you, but I'm only going as far as the supermarket."
"Goodnight Sirius! Thanks for the drinks," Peter said and followed the others out the door.
Sirius grabbed his jacket off the bench and sauntered over to the bar. He dumped a pile of coins on the wooden tabletop and started to count them.
"Four by four… by four sickles… sixty four… three galleons and… thirteen sickles."
"Leaving already?" Madam Rosmerta asked as she came over to collect the money.
"Afraid so," Sirius said, and handed over the correct coins.
She looked at the large pile with disdain.
"How about we say three galleons, and you can keep all these sickles? I don't need any more of those filling up my register."
Sirius chuckled, "So the flattery worked, did it?"
"Don't you go pressing your luck," she scorned, "and tell Peter to drop by in a couple of weeks with the details for the wedding and I'll get him all sorted."
"Cheers, Rosie. Have a nice evening."
She smiled and then walked away, hips swinging, leaving Sirius filled with longing, and alone at the bar.
James reached St. Mungo's and was greeted by a night-healer.
"I'm afraid visiting hours are over, sir," he said.
"But I'm here to see my wife. She just gave birth this afternoon," he said, "and look! I brought her a blanket, and a coat, some clothes for Harry, a bit of proper food – I hear the stuff they feed you here is just absolutely horrid – and I even brought her a few–"
"It's very thoughtful of you, sir, and I understand that you may be a bit concerned, but I assure you that your wife is being looked after by our most highly trained staff. Visiting hours start at ten o'clock in the morning; I suggest you come back then."
A frown spread across James' face.
"Well what time do visiting hours finish?" he asked.
"At 1900 hours, sir."
"Seven?" James checked his watch, "But that was less than five minutes ago!"
"Rules are rules. Nothing I can do about it."
James was positively fuming.
"Ok, fine. I'm going. But I'll be back!" he said and stormed out of the hospital.
"Honey, I'm home," Peter called and shut the door behind him.
"Hello darling," said Mary and kissed him affectionately on the cheek. "You've been out drinking, haven't you?"
Peter laughed at the frown creeping across her face.
"Well we had a good excuse. Lily gave birth today."
"Oh, wonderful! Is it a boy or a girl? I must go and see her tomorrow and congratulate her!"
"It's a boy. His name is Harry and, from what I hear, he's a splitting image of James," Peter explained.
"Oh this is wonderful news. I wish I'd have known; I could have put on a roast."
"Nonsense! It's my turn to cook tonight."
Peter walked into the kitchen and pulled open the pantry. He took out a packet of pasta and got to work straight away.
Mary looked on in approval, a broad smile covering her round face. She pulled her curly black hair up into a messy bun and rolled up her sleeves.
"I'll help you with that," she said.
"Oh, no you won't. It's my turn!"
When she wouldn't take no for an answer, Peter picked up her slight frame and carried her into the lounge room. He put her down on the couch and placed a book in her hand.
"Read," he commanded. She laughed and slapped him playfully on the arm.
"You'd better now do anything wrong. I'm hungry tonight!"
"Ok, just calm down. I'm not that bad!" he said and pecked her on the lips before going back to the kitchen to finish the cooking.
Remus walked out of the supermarket carrying two bulging bags that held next week's food. The walk from the store to his town house was a fairly short one. Two streets down, one across. He walked at a slow pace, enjoying the quiet serenity of the evening. Summer would be over soon and he was determined to enjoy every last minute of warmth the sun offered.
Though he lived only a few minutes away from Lily and James, they lived in a much nicer area than him. He had been surprised to find a place so cheap in Godric's Hollow and it was all that he could afford. He lived on the ground floor of his building, directly under Mrs. Henderson, his landlord. She was a cranky old muggle woman who didn't care for reasons as to why his rent was late, and threatened to kick him out at least once a month.
He took a left and turned down a small, narrow street. He walked for another few minutes before reaching his house. He transferred the bags to one hand and fished around in his pocket with the other, searching for his keys. He lost balance and one of the bags fell to the ground, a bottle of milk smashing and spilling its contents all over the sidewalk.
Remus swore loudly and scooped up the rest of the bag.
Above him, a window opened and a white-haired lady stuck her head out.
"Who are you?" she screeched.
"Hello Mrs. Henderson. It's Remus."
The lady squinted. "So it is! Why are you making such a racket? You woke me up from my nap. I've warned you time and time again. Keep down that racket. Always making noise, always keeping me from sleep. Always taking, never giving."
She retreated back into her room, muttering about him the whole time. Even once the window was firmly secure, he could still hear her.
He grabbed his keys and unlocked the door. He shut it behind him and switched on the light.
The room was small, a kitchenette and a bathroom leading off to the side. A double bed lay against one wall, the sheets pooled at the bottom, and an old muggle television set was against the opposite one.
Remus pulled open the fridge and put away everything he'd bought at the supermarket. He would need to get some more milk tomorrow. Making himself a cup of black coffee, he sat down on the edge of his bed and read the paper.
The fluorescent streetlamps had turned on and were illuminating the room with an eerie glow. He really needed to buy some new curtains. They constantly buzzed and hummed, usually keeping Remus awake until unearthly hours of the morning.
He finished his coffee and gave up trying to read. He switched on the TV and put the volume up to try and drown out the sound of the streetlamps.
Sirius Black knew he couldn't stay at the Three Broomsticks forever. After a couple more drinks alone, he left the tavern and apparated back to London. He wandered up and down the busy streets for hours, just watching the other people enjoying their night. He knew he should be happy. His best friend had just had a baby and he was the godfather! Another one of his best friends was getting married shortly.
He constantly wondered whether it was time for him to settle down. He couldn't imagine himself as a husband, as a father, but he didn't want to imagine himself alone forever.
Was he afraid of commitment? Had he just never met the right woman? He couldn't answer the questions. Things were just easier this way. If you don't have expectations in life, you can never be disappointed. That was the rule he lived by.
"Why, hello there," called a girl as she stumbled past.
"Good evening," Sirius said with a smirk.
"Why are you out all alone?"
"Could ask you the same thing."
"You look like you need some company."
"Tell me about it."
The girl had moved closer to Sirius and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Can we go back to yours?" she whispered in his ear.
It was then that Sirius smelt the alcohol on her breath and got a better look at her. She was gorgeous, but couldn't have been more than sixteen or seventeen.
He took her arms from around his neck. "I don't think so, love. Who are you out with tonight? Your boyfriend? Family?"
"My boyfriend?" she giggled. "I don't have a boyfriend."
"Ok, how about we find your friends for you?" Sirius asked, but she just continued giggling.
"Elissa?" a worried voice called from down the street.
"What's your name?" Sirius asked the girl.
"El-Elissa," she slurred.
"Good," he muttered, and began walking towards the woman.
"Elissa! What are you doing down here?" she yelled, "Who is this?"
"Hello mum. I don't know his name but he was going to take me back to his place," she laughed.
The woman turned to face Sirius, disgust written all over her features.
"You pervert. Can't you see that she is intoxicated? How dare you try and take advantage of her?" she yelled.
"Me? Take advantage of her?" he asked in bewilderment.
"You should be ashamed of yourself," she said, "Come on Elissa, we're going home."
Sirius was bewildered. He stared as the mother and daughter walked away. Elissa turned around once and waved.
He stood still for a moment before he continued walking up the street. He tried to disregard what had just happened. But truth be told, it had really scared him. If the mother hadn't have come out, would he have taken her home?
The thought shook him as he walked home to his apartment. It was late by the time he got there, and he collapsed onto his bed, the embodiment of exhaustion, and resolved to take his life, girls especially, more seriously.
