Disclaimer: Larka of Britain says – "NO!"

It's from a World War I poster saying: Women of Britain say – "GO!"

God. I don't even own my disclaimer.

Chapter 7: The Talk


Previously: He leaned in, and kissed her. He could taste the salt in her tears that had coursed past her mouth, but mostly all he could taste was her – a strange, unique taste that he couldn't relate to any food, but it was the right taste, he always felt. She was kissing him back, now, and they, suddenly unbalanced, fell down onto the bed, oh, and she was moving her hands lower, and they were unbuttoning his shirt, he was moving his hands in response, and they slid up her side, making her inhale deeply, and still their hands were moving, and still they were kissing, until suddenly she was on top of him, straddling his waist, holding him possessively and kissing him intensely.


'And then she told me I'd be a cocktail!'

Lily laughed with Sarah, and passed her the plate of brownies.

'I like your mum,' commented Sarah, taking one. 'Apart from anything, she's a great cook.'

Lily smiled, and lay back to stretch out on her bed.

'So, did you tell him?' asked Sarah.

Lily nodded.

'He laughed.' She sighed contentedly and sat up. 'You know, it's nice, this.'

'What?'

'Just spending time hanging out, just us two. We used to do that all the time, but… we don't anymore.'

'No, you're right, we don't,' said Sarah thoughtfully. 'Lots of stuff has changed since Hogwarts.'

'Yeah… still, it's good that we're doing this. I mean, I love Caroline and Suzie, but sometimes I want to hang out with just you.'

There was suddenly a loud pop and Caroline appeared in the room.

'Hello, guys. What are you doing?'

Sarah and Lily exchanged a look and both had to bite down a laugh. Caroline looked from one to the other, shrugged, and bent down for a brownie.

'Where's Suzie?' she asked.

Lily looked at her watch. 'Late. But she's never very late; she'll be here in a minute.'

'Good. I have something I want… need… want to tell you.'

Sarah let out a quiet squeak and Lily grinned.

'You shouldn't have said that. Sarah will burst now.'

'I won't,' said Sarah, blushing, but within in a minute she was staring at Caroline with such intensity it seemed that she was trying to force the secret out of her by willpower alone.

Caroline, uncharacteristically, didn't seem to notice, or at least didn't make a comment about it. She took another brownie and sat down, staring distractedly out of Lily's window onto the streets of London, her back to Sarah. Lily and Sarah looked at each other helplessly.

'Caroline?' said Lily tentatively.

This simple word was enough to make Caroline crack. She sighed, and her friends watched her warily.

'It's…it's…' she said. Finally, she took a deep breath, and still not facing them, finished, 'I slept with Sirius.'

There was silence. Caroline turned around. Lily was staring at her, a look of dismay on her face, and Sarah simply looked thoughtful.

'Well say something!' said Caroline.

'Oh, sorry, I was just surprised,' said Sarah.

'Surprised? Why?'

'I don't know really, I just –'

She was about to continue when there was a pop and Suzie appeared in the room, grinning and fiddling with her left braid.

'Sorry I'm late,' she said, giggling. 'Peter wouldn't let me leave.' She sat down and then noticed the tense looks on everyone's faces. 'Hey, what did I miss?'

'I just told the girls that I slept with Sirius.'

Suzie's grin widened.

'Oh, that's great!' she exclaimed. 'So how was it? Was he any good? Did it hurt? Oh! Was it your first time?'

All three swivelled their heads round to stare at her. Lily's look of dismay had been upgraded to a look of utter horror, and Sarah laughed at this, albeit feeling slightly confused. Caroline seemed grateful that Suzie had managed to break the awkward moment of before.

'It was…it was good, he was, it did, and yes, it was. But, Suzie…have you…'

Suzie looked down, her tongue between her teeth, suddenly seeming shy.

'Mmm…'

Caroline grinned, Sarah made a noise of interest, and Lily looked as if she was about to have a cardiac arrest, or had just had one, and fell down flat on her back.

'You and Peter?' said Sarah.

'No, me and Remus,' replied Suzie, rolling her eyes. 'Yes, me and Peter!'

'How long's this been going on?' asked Caroline.

'Well,' Suzie sighed, smiling, and launched into a monologue, 'it was a couple of weeks before the N.E.W.T.s,' Lily's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything, 'you know, when Lily was being a revision Nazi. I can't remember exactly what day it was, but we'd been revising all day, and we hadn't had a proper break in ages, but Lily didn't seem to notice. I think she'd given up on Sirius, James, and you, Caroline, but she and Remus and Sarah were still at it, even if Remus and Sarah were really just flirting over their textbooks–'

Sarah flushed, and Caroline said, 'Back to the point, Suzie.'

'Oh, right,' said Suzie, taking her turn to flush. 'Well, anyway, Peter and I had given up, and we were making out on the sofa, but Lily kept interrupting us to waft Potions notes at us, and so we decided to get away from her. But it was after curfew, so we had to go up to the dorm. One thing led to another, and, well…we decided we were ready, and did it.'

'And we never knew! Why didn't you tell us?' asked Sarah.

'It's always the quiet ones,' commented Caroline, grinning. Suzie laughed.

'Well, I just never got around to it. Didn't know how you'd react, anyway. Pass me a brownie?'

Sarah did so, and then Lily, who hadn't spoken since Caroline had told them her news, squeaked, 'In the dorm?'

'It's not like we did it on your bed,' said Suzie.

'Yes, but...' Lily grimaced. 'And you have braids.'

Suzie turned an uncharacteristically sharp look on Lily.

'You can have braids and sex, Lily. The two aren't mutually exclusive.'

'Oh, God,' groaned Lily, and she rolled onto her stomach to bury her face in her pillow.

'Anyway, I think it's great. I'm happy for you guys,' said Sarah. Suzie beamed at her.

'But what were you saying before Suzie arrived?' said Caroline. 'You know, about being surprised…'

'Oh, that,' shrugged Sarah. 'I just thought… you know… I mean, since you live together and all… that you would have already…'

'Bonked? Banged? Got it on?' said Suzie, grinning purposefully at Lily, who moaned.

'Yeah, that,' said Sarah laughing.

Caroline looked down. 'We just… didn't.'

'Really? You?'

The small smile fell from Caroline's face. She paused, looking a bit affronted. She looked up at Sarah again.

'What's that supposed to mean?' she asked, and Sarah instantly knew she had said the wrong thing.

'"Really? You?",' Caroline repeated. 'What about me?'

'I didn't mean anything, Caroline, really.'

'Funny,' she said in a voice that told everyone that she didn't really find it funny at all. 'I would have sworn that you did.'

'I… well… I just meant that you seem like the type of person who wouldn't want to wait.'

'Oh. Like a slut, you mean?'

'No, that's not-'

'No, it was what you were implying, wasn't it? "Caroline's so goofy all the time, she couldn't possibly want to wait a while before jumping in bed. She couldn't possibly feel insecure about having sex for the first time, not Caroline".'

'That's not what I meant!' said Sarah, getting angry herself now.

'I won't sit here and let you judge me like that! You're supposed to be one of my best friends, but you obviously know bugger all about me! And you,' she rounded on Lily, 'sitting there blushing like a sunset, thinking your frigid little thoughts. I've had it with all your bloody prudery, Lily! One day, you're going to have to accept that you will eventually lose your virginity. You're going to get married! You love him! But you won't even touch him. How do you think that makes him feel? I hate this attitude that you have, that sex is something wrong, something to be ashamed of, and that good girls shouldn't have any. And you are a good girl, aren't you Lily? You think you are, you think you're so mature, but really, you've not grown up at all!'

'Caroline,' said Suzie evenly. 'Stop it now; you've made your point. I happen to agree with you, but there's such a thing as taking it too far. Calm down before you start an enormous row.'

'And if I think I should start an enormous row?' Caroline asked, though the anger had drained out of her voice somewhat.

'Calm down anyway. You've made your point.'

Caroline opened her mouth, and seemed about to say something, but closed it again, and took another brownie off the plate.

'Caroline,' said Sarah, taking advantage of Caroline's mouth being too full for her to speak, 'I didn't mean anything like that, honest.' Caroline's eyebrows rose, 'I'm sorry – I know it might have come out like that, but that's really not what I meant. It was just a thought, I don't know what I really meant, Caroline, I just…'

Caroline had finished her mouthful and was looking at Sarah, her eyebrows still raised. She let them fall and smiled at her friend. 'It's alright, Sarah. I suppose I'm still a little insecure about it myself. But you touched a nerve, and there was a point I wanted to make. I'm sorry too.'

Suzie looked over to the bed, where Lily was still lying on her stomach, her face in the pillow.

'Lily?' she asked, gently.

Lily shook her head, but didn't turn over. Caroline started to frown.

'Don't think I'm going to apologise, Lily, because I still meant what I said. I might not still be angry, but that doesn't make my point any less valid.'

At this, Lily turned over and sat up to face Caroline. Her eyes looked just a touch red, but if she had been crying, she certainly wasn't any more.

'I don't think you're bad, Caroline, and I don't think I'm a good 'girl'. God, d'you know how puerile that sounds? I know that was your point. Caroline, I don't try to blush. It's not a conscious decision. And I don't think that you are wrong for, for having sex, Caroline.' She could feel the blush creeping up her cheeks and hated herself for it. 'I don't think you're wrong! It was just a shock to me; I didn't think any of you would have yet!'

Suzie laughed. 'So there's Sarah thinking that Caroline and Sirius would have already shagged, and there's you thinking that she's going to be chaste till her early forties. Takes all sorts to make a world.'

Sarah started to grin at Suzie. Lily and Caroline, both their mouths open, about to speak, closed them, and turned to their friend too. Suzie smiled.

'Brownie, anyone?'


I admit, most of this chapter was written by Hepsa and Lamia, rather than the normal Gammaing and Betaing. This is because I am a complete prude. Just look at Lily – that's me. Apparently I actually blushed while reading the chapter. Just goes to show, really. But I am getting help. I go to PA (Prudes Anonymous) every Thursday, and it's really starting to get through.

Review replies:

Beatles.and.HP.obsesser – I'm glad you liked the chapter. The book's alright, really, I don't mind it, but an incredibly long and annoying essay on it… just a little too much.

moony07 – I'm glad you liked it. I liked Sirius' speech too, it was sort of a ramble that I wanted to get down on paper, and I was really surprised it came out so coherent! I hope this chapter doesn't break the PG-13-ness of the fic. I just think, well, they're all 18, out of school, Suzie's nearly 19, Caroline and Sirius do live together, and so it's inevitable. Never mind.

Prongs76 – I'm glad you liked that bit. It was quite like some arguments I have with my mum – I wanted to make it sound realistic without my own brattishness, seeing as she's quite a few years older than me, and I also wanted to avoid CAPSLOCK!LILY. I'm not sure how well I succeeded, but I did try. The wedding won't be for a while, I'm sorry –there's a lot that happens in-between, but read our bio to find out the alternative title of the fic, and remember that you might not have to wait too long for a girl in a meringue.

S4lty1n3g4r – I'm glad you liked it. I'm glad you liked the other chapters and JIG too - I've been reading your reviews with delight. Thanks – here's the update!

Paddie's Girl – I posted as soon as I could – here it is! I can understand why you wouldn't like Lily's part, but I think that there has been a lot of tension between Lily and her mum – she needed to be reassured about Lily and James' relationship. Lily went off to Hogwarts at the age of 11, and now, as soon as she's out, she's getting married. It's hard for Beatrice.

Super Cara – I'm sorry your computer was having issues, and I'm glad you liked JIG. Here's the chapter, I hope you like it!

Review topic: Towels. Sometimes they can be really fluffy, and sometimes they can be all worn, and they always get worn most around the edges. And they're fluffiest the first time you ever use them, and never quite that fluffy again. Why is this? Discuss.

Larka :)