A/N- enjoy part two xx
'Lily... Lily it's okay. It's just me, c'mere Lils.' Sirius' voice had never sounded so soothing. His hand gripped her wand hand, gently trying to pull her closer to him but she flinched away, too aware of who the last boy was to touch her around her wrist and what he did.
She broke down into more quiet whimpers, desperately struggling to claw back some composure. Lily wrapped her arms around herself and sunk into her armchair, bringing her legs up so she could rest her forehead on her knees.
Sirius Black, heir of the house of black, most popular, handsome confident guy at Hogwarts, knelt down on his knees and patiently waited for Lily Evans to stop crying.
He had been absently looking at the map, knowing the other three marauders were at quidditch practice and taking one of the few opportunities he had to hold it again before he noticed his newly acquired friend Lily Evans running from some Slytherins. It was obvious from her running that she was dodging spells, but after he knew they weren't following her, he calmly watched her run into the prefects lavatory by the library. 'Cherry Tree' being the password he was ready to follow her before she left and made her way into the library.
He had never even noticed the small history of magic section in the farthest corner of the library but when Lily settled finally, he carelessly threw the map on James' bed, forgetting about how he was now an ex-marauder, and started on his way to find his best friend.
When he arrived he hovered nervously outside the silencing charm, seeing the only girl he now thought of as a sister painfully break down and sob. He gathered all of his Gryffindor courage and stepped into the bubble. He cringed at the heartbreak in her raspy voice.
When she didn't respond to his voice he was concerned, but when she physically stepped away from him he knew it wasn't just about the bloody transfiguration exam like he originally thought.
Sirius wished he had stayed with her after the exam, not speed walked away from his ex friends and left her when she was blatantly upset. His cowardice had helped cause her pain and he hated that fact.
When she calmed down enough for him to see her face, his own heart broke. He forgot all about his own problems and focused entirely on helping his friend. This was a recent development in Sirius. Ever since James, Remus and Peter had abandoned him (rightly so,) he had tried to think about Lily before himself. After all this practise he had done it subconsciously.
'Lily, what happened?' Sirius gazed up at her, expertly taking in the bruises on her wrists and the fear in her eyes from his own experience with abuse.
He also caught a glance at her neck where he could see a painful hickey standing out against her porcelain skin. That had definitely not been there this morning because she had tied her hair up in the exam and the world would have noticed it. Not to mention it's redness told him that it was definitely new. His experience as a whore was actually useful.
Lily tried to stop herself from telling him, she really did. But in the end she figured that after he had told her all about himself, even the dark bits he kept locked under the charming facade, he deserved to know about the incident.
'-and I've just been cr-crying ever since.' She finished.
Sirius would not admit later on that he had cried a little bit during the tale. Now as anger tried to take over his system, as he yearned I punch the slimy git and co, he remembered the fear in Lily's emerald eyes and he let out a deep breath, imagining his violence seeped out with it.
Sirius stood up and held his hand out to Lily. She took it gingerly and was hauled to her feet. Sirius tugged her into a light embrace, trying to hurt her as little as possible. He smoothed her hair down and cradled her waist.
When Lily tensed he pulled back.
'Lily, I want you to know, that none of us will ever hurt you. Least of all me, I know what it's like to feel so powerless, but you have to remember, that you are after all, the brightest witch of your age.' He kissed her forehead and she avoided his eyes.
'It's-it's not that. I um... My boobs really hurt.' She muttered looking down.
'They... Hurt?' Sirius kept his voice even, but it sounded even more deadly that way. 'So they're bruised? You need to go to the nurse.' He started to move.
'Wait.. Let me just check, that's not a conversation I want to have unless I really need help.' She brought a hand up and began unbuttoning her blouse. Sirius averted his eyes, and waited until he heard a sharp intake of breath.
'Fuck.' Lily cursed.
Sirius' eyes darted down her top, he felt awkward, like looking at his sister but he had to see for himself the damage. The usually pale skin was marked with black blue and greenish splotches. His arms tensed around her, knowing that was some serious bruising.
Lily looked up to see Sirius' eyes teared up a little bit starring at her marked skin.
That was when James walked in.
To James, it looked like his usual slutty best friend, and the girl of his dreams, wrapped in embrace, with her top unbuttoned, him leering down at her boobs in a very isolated part of the library with a silencing charm around them.
Before they all knew it they were forced apart by a mildly painful hex which had shot out from James' apparently drawn wand.
He turned the almost glowing piece of wood to his ex best friend who was slumped into the chair where he landed looking slightly dazed. Lily had not been so lucky and had landed on the floor in a pile against a bookshelf, her back having painfully collided with the ancient wood.
'What the mother fucking hell is going on here Sirius?' He exploded, shouting at the top of his lungs. Lily let out a slight whimper.
'It is not at all what it looks like mate.' Sirius sheepishly pushed back his shoulder length silky black hair.
'DON'T YOU BLOODY WELL 'MATE' ME! THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT COUPLES SAY WHEN YOU FIND THEM IN A BLOODY BROOM CLOSET. AT LEAST THEY HAVE THE DECENCY TO GET IT ON IN A PRIVATE AREA, NOT THE MIDDLE OF THE BLOODY LIBRARY!' James shot a silent stinging hex at Sirius. 'I GO UP TO THE DORM TO FIND THE MAP OPEN WITH YOU AND THE GIRL IVE BEEN IN LOVE WITH FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS SHARING THE SAME DOT IN A SECLUDED PART OF THE LIBRARY.' Another hex was sent. 'AND THEN I COME TO FIND YOU STARING DOWN HER TOP CUDDLING! HAS OUR FRIENDSHIP MEANT ANYTHING OVER THE LAST SIX YEARS?' He tried to hex again to find his wand flying out of his hand and being caught by the girl sat on the floor behind him. He turned to face her, 'and you- you went for Sirius of all people? Do you honestly love my best friend? My brother?'
Lily was doing up her buttons and trying to stand up. James stepped towards her but she flinched back against the shelf assuming her position from when she was sobbing.
'Yes I love him, but like a brother you absolute toe rag. I'm being the friend to him that he needs in his shitty life with his shitty luck, while you prance around acting like the bigger person because he made a fucking mistake.
And here I was crying my eyes out over a stupid test, debating whether or not to just snap my wand and be done with the wizarding world, and he comes in here, how you guys found me I don't know, and he tells me that none of you would ever hurt me. Even when you won't give him the time of day he bigs you up, and defends you against anyone who says a wrong word. And you know James Potter? You don't deserve Sirius Black. You might have once but you don't anymore.' Lily's voice was quiet and even. She spoke with such admiration of Sirius that James began to think rationally.
'That doesn't explain why he was staring at your cleavage when I came in, or why you have a hickey on your neck.' James' voice shook and he pleadingly stared at Sirius.
'I had a run in with some Slytherins and th-they um... pinned me and I only just got away. I'm a bit um... Bruised. Sirius was trying to convince me to go to the hospital wing when you came in and blasted me against this shelf.' She glared at him pointedly.
Sirius made his way to Lily and held her hand, helping her to her feet.
'We should be going then Lils,' Sirius muttered avoiding James' eye contact.
'Wait.' James said quietly. His best friend and the girl of his dreams stopped in front of him. Lily wrapped her arm around Sirius' waist and he rested his on her shoulders. They were standing together, supporting one another as they faced the boy who they both deeply cared about, even though only Sirius would openly admit it.
'I'm sorry.' Awkward beat. 'For coming in and shouting at you both when I had just assumed something was going on.' Awkward beat. 'And- and if you ever um.. liked each other or wanted to be with each other.. then if it made you happy I wouldn't do anything to stop it.'
James Potter was tall and confident, his features always twisted into a confident easy going grin. He never stumbled over his words and always looked like he knew exactly what was going on. Lily liked James Potter, but she almost fell in love with this other side to him straight away.
This James Potter was slouched in defeat, and unsure. He was wearing a serious expression but his eyes showed so much love for the two in front of him. He stumbled over his words twice and didn't know how to act. He showed that he put his friends before all else. This time when he raked his hand through his thick black locks, it was because he was nervous, not because he was vain. Lily really liked James Potter.
Sirius nodded and smiled, taking in Lily's expression of admiration. 'I don't think that could ever happen, but thanks mate.' He raised an eyebrow and flicked his eyes to Lily. Before tugging at her to come.
James smirked and put his hand on Sirius' shoulder to stop him walking off.
'I miss you Sirius. And I forgive you, so does Remus. I know that you would never do anything like that again.' He clapped his hand down once before Sirius launched himself at James, both of them bouncing into shelves as they fiercely hugged one another.
'I miss you too James.' Sirius whispered. And after months of coldness between the brothers, warmth seeped into both of them as they hugged.
Lily's laugh chimed in the background and they broke apart, grinning.
'You know Lils, this means that you're going to have to hang out with both of us now? I'm not letting my prongs out of my sight.' Sirius joked, throwing one arm over both his friends. The trio made their way out of the library and towards the hospital wing.
'Maybe James can help you tutor me transfiguration. After all, you're both animagi. That's the hardest there is.' She smirked up at her friend and smiled slightly shyly across at James.
James opened his mouth in shock 'Evans, you know? And you haven't told?' His deep brown eyes wide with delight.
'I've known since third year about Remus and I figures out the rest last year. Of course I haven't told, I couldn't do that to Remus.' She grinned cheekily and hugged Sirius' side.
'Well you know Evans, you really are the brightest witch of our age.' He winked.
Sirius walked it between his friends almost jumping around in excitement. He knew something more would come of his two friends, and he found it so utterly hilariously ironic how the one thing that impressed Lily, James never bragged about. His friendship, but most importantly, his stag form.
And then he remembered their patronus forms, and his grin got a whole lot wider.
