WRITTEN FOR THE HOUSES COMPETITION, YEAR 7, ROUND 7

House: Ravenclaw

Class: Potions

Standard

Prompt: [Speech] "I liked my life before you came into it."

Word Count: 2313(google docs)

Thanks to wish and CK for the beta!

Note: originally posted 19/04/21. I took it down and re-uploaded it because of spam reviews.

"And when — and when," Marlene was laughing so hard she could barely breathe, holding onto Lily for support as they gave the password to the Fat Lady. "The biscuit pirouetted up! And exploded!"

Marlene threw her hands up as she recounted the Charms Club's latest attempt to animate biscuits into doing a rendition of the Moulin Rouge. Lily almost howled with laughter, remembering how the biscuit's dancing partner had looked inconsolable over its friend's crumbs.

"It was almost sad, then!" Lily said, still chuckling as Marlene doubled over and dried a tear from the corner of her eyes.

The laughter froze on Lily's lips as they walked fully into the common room.

In the early afternoon, it was almost deserted, but her attention wasn't on the empty armchairs. Not when she had to snap her mouth shut to keep from getting orally assaulted by the cloud of confetti someone released in the air when the portrait door closed behind her. A short trumpet number played in the room, and when all the glitter cleared from in front of Lily, she had a direct view of the banner. Her brain wouldn't let her read more than "LILY-FLOWER, WILL YOU—" before her self-preservation instincts forced her to avert her eyes. And all she could see were the flowers. Amaranthus, baby's breath, dahlias, and zinnias decorated the common room, and in the middle of the extravagant spectacle was James Potter, grinning from ear to ear as he passed a hand through his hair.

Lily ignored the way her heart picked up its pace at the sight, choosing to look away before something awful happened, like her stomach fluttering or her cheeks blushing. It proved futile because of course where there was one the other wasn't far.

Sirius stood only slightly to the side in his usual bad-boy pose and with a smirk on his lips. The effect was somewhat ruined by the Sedum flowers hanging from the ceiling and swaying behind him, framing his face and hair like a halo.

Lily took a deep breath to control herself, her eyes darting around the common room. The few lower-year students present were resolutely avoiding looking directly at her. Lily huffed. Everyone was too used to the Marauders' particular brand of crazy.

Lily stalked towards James and Sirius, not wanting everyone to hear the Head Girl scold the Head Boy over his nonsense. Marlene followed a few steps behind, although Lily knew she was truly more interested in the show than in being supportive.

Once she was close enough that both boys would hear her, Lily hissed, "What. Are you. Doing?" Her green eyes were almost glowing as she glared at James, who kept grinning without a care in the world.

"It's the first Hogsmeade weekend of our seventh year, Lily-Flower. I wanted to..." James shrugged as his eyes became softer. "Make it special."

Lily's pale eyebrows rose until they met her hairline and she turned to Marlene, who was of no help. Marlene giggled into her hands and backed away. Then, at a head jerk from Sirius, Marlene directed an apologetic look at Lily so fake Hagrid could have seen through it and retreated to their dormitory, leaving Lily alone to confront the two pranksters.

Lily put her hands on her hips, ignoring the way Sirius ushered everyone else out with a mixture of charm and threatening glances.

"So this is the way you ask me on a date for the hundredth time?"

James nodded eagerly, deep brown eyes fully focused on her as everyone abandoned the room, leaving her as the sole witness to the boys' madness

"I admit some of the… methods I've employed in the past haven't been the most refined—" Sirius scoffed in the background, clearly remembering James's shouted "Hogsmeade later, me you?!" back in third year just as clearly as Lily did. "But I know you love flowers! So, what do you think?" And he opened his arms, encompassing all the common room. Sirius looked on the scene almost proudly and Lily could only shake her head.

"It's ridiculously over the top, and I'm not even surprised. Everything you two touch becomes ridiculous."

James's face fell. "That's… a no?" From behind him, Sirius started frowning.

Lily slapped a hand to her face and mumbled to herself, "So ridiculous. Why?! Why me, Morgana? Why them?" It was no use, and she lowered her hand to look at Sirius and James. James appeared confused and almost worried, seeming ready to offer her a seat, while Sirius only frowned more, staring at her suspiciously.

Lily raised her eyes to the ceiling of the common room, but no divine entity answered her defeated "Why must I like them?" so she exhaled sharply and fixed the boys with her most determined look.

"I liked my life before you came into it." James looked stricken, and Sirius ready to grab his best mate and retreat. "It was simple and uncomplicated. I had a few close friends, and I knew right from wrong. You were just two big… bullies without enough sense between you to make a normal person. Then you had to grow up, and up, and become mature, and repent! I'm not so strong that I could keep from noticing."

It took a second for James to get it. Then he smiled widely and whooped, turning around to collect a high five from a grinning Sirius and grab a bunch of flowers — dahlias and chrysanthemum mostly.

Lily almost growled when Sirius started humming a wedding march as James presented her with the flowers.

"No! Stop it, both of you! I didn't want to feel like this, you've done awful things to other students and you've been better since last year, but I'm still…" she trailed off. She had no idea what she was. Infatuated, certainly. James and Sirius had really changed from the vindictive boys they had been before their sixth year, when most of their fun came at the expense of others. It was one of the reasons she hadn't minded being Head Girl with James as her counterpart.

Sirius cleared his face of the jubilant expression he had been wearing and James lowered the flowers he held, staring at her with earnest eyes.

"Lily, I'm sorry. I know we were pricks for a while there…" He passed a hand through his hair. "We changed." Sirius made a strangled sound in the back of his throat and James darted a look at him before he kept going, "We've been trying to be better. And I've never meant to… to embarrass you, I just care about you a lot and..." The hand in his hair tightened until he was tugging them in frustration. "I didn't know how else to— Bloody— Merlin."

Lily had never seen James Potter at a loss for words, and Sirius seemed to respond to his best friend's uneasiness by growing colder, ever protective. His usually mischievous grey eyes more closely resembled steel, and he crossed his arms and turned away from Lily — the cause of James's discomfort — as if in disgust.

Lily focused on James, knowing that he would be easier to cheer up. Sirius would follow.

"Shut up, James. Don't be stupid. It's too late now, anyway. You made me fall in love with you." After drinking in the sight of James's warm brown eyes sparkling, Lily turned to Sirius, who still looked closed-off. "With both of you."

For a second, it felt as if the whole world paused.

Then James laughed in unrestrained joy, raising his arms as if the only thing he'd ever wanted in his life was to hug Lily. It was enough to make a girl feel lightheaded.

"That's the most wonderful thing I've ever heard," James said, and falling into his arms would have been easier than Lily would like to admit but Sirius still held himself almost apart, eyes narrowed and mouth stubbornly pursed.

It was obvious he didn't trust her, but Lily didn't know why. Did he think she wasn't being truthful? That she would play with James's feelings? Maybe Sirius had gotten so used to the idea that he would lose James to her that he didn't believe they could all be happy together.

Lily shook her head.

"Wait," she said looking at Sirius but talking to James.

"Oh, Lily," he said, too enthusiastic to keep it in, "I'll make you the happiest witch to ever live. Where do you—"

Lily didn't know if James wanted to ask her where they should have their first proper date or where they'd marry, but it wasn't the right time, even if she was weirdly charmed. Sirius hadn't moved or changed expression, and Lily couldn't let the uncharacteristic behaviour go.

"Don't you care?" she said, and James froze, stepping to the side so he could better look at both of them. Sirius barely acknowledged her, so Lily pushed. "Well, aren't you going to say anything?"

Sirius breathed out too softly for it to be called a scoff, then focused his stormy grey eyes on Lily and spoke with as much certainty as an oracle.

"James has been half-mad on you since first year. Trying to get you to notice him."

Lily tried to ignore the heat climbing up her cheeks, reminding herself that everyone and their mother knew that.

"And he did it. I fell in love with him."

"That's great." Sirius's voice could have frozen Firewhiskey. Lily pushed on.

"But I fell in love with you too."

"That's—" Sirius bit his lip and glared at the ground, while James shifted his focus from one to the other so fast he was going to give himself a headache. Finally, James stepped forward with a hand outstretched towards Sirius, murmuring, "Padfoot…"

Sirius's head snapped up in a way that made Lily wince.

"Merlin and Mordred, Prongs," he said. "I have no idea—"

But Lily couldn't stand to watch that tortured expression on his face. It wasn't natural. She was already missing his grin, so she interrupted, exclaiming loudly, "All those ridiculous schemes to get me to notice you? I must be mad, but they worked. I noticed you, and how you changed for the better, and Sirius was always there, at your side." Both boys were staring at her at that point. "I couldn't help it any more than I could help the turning of the sun. I'm in love with both of you."

Sirius's eyes traced her features as if searching for a lie, then he turned to James, calling pleadingly, "Prongs…"

"Come on, Padfoot!" he said, "What reason have you got to look like a funeral, now? This is the best news I've gotten in two years." Then he smiled very carefully, almost cajolingly. "Maybe you've never thought about Lily in this way, but isn't this a great opportunity to… to see if you could grow to love her as I do? You two can get to know each other better and see if you—"

Sirius exploded.

"What about us?! Me and you, Prongs! Am I the only one seeing the problem here?"

James looked so utterly clueless, his flowers hanging sadly from one hand, that Lily stepped in, voice clear and strong.

"Clearly you are. And here I thought that everyone had cottoned on your epic love affair, but apparently you missed it."

Sirius shook himself off in a way that was distinctly… canine.

"You— You thought me and Prongs? While he was panting after you?"

Lily shrugged in a studied display of nonchalance.

"I'm clearly not one to judge, after I went and fell in love with two idiots."

The emotions in Sirius's eyes surged and he seemed to give a great shiver, as if he were fighting to comprehend that he was back on even ground after walking on the edge of a precipice. He turned to James with big eyes, something fragile in them.

"You mean you… don't mind? That we would, all three…?"

The purest smile bloomed on James's face. During a single conversation, Lily had seen so many of James's smiles, but she thought that one may be her favourite.

"Of course I don't, Sirius," he said. "I love you."

Sirius gave a bark of laughter.

"Merlin, James. I love you too, but we're not talking about being mates here. Not if Lily's really…" and he cut himself off. Lily shook her head. She thought she had been doing it a lot.

"I have no idea what you boys have been doing with yourselves for the past six years but, Morgana help me, if I commit to this, then we're doing it properly. A real relationship, all of us."

"And I'd love that!" James preemptively answered Sirius, almost trembling in his boots with his desire to hear his response.

Sirius hesitated, still cautious, as if he couldn't believe his ears.

When, finally, he nodded, James let out a cheer and jumped on them both, throwing his arms around their necks to reel them close.

"You're making me the happiest person in the world," he whispered against Lily's ear and Sirius's neck, and Lily huffed teasingly.

"I'm not doing this for you."

Sirius laughed in her hair, unable to believe his luck.

They all held the others close, breathing each other's air, until Sirius determined that sniffing Lily's hair wouldn't get less weird the longer he did it, and she began to wiggle.

"James, your ridiculous flowers are poking me—"

"Don't — do that! Merlin and Mordred —"

James started chortling, then Sirius lost his balance and Lily screamed and suddenly they were on the ground in a confusion of limbs and flower petals and they could only laugh.

It had been one of the weirdest and altogether best afternoons of Lily's Hogwarts years. She couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life recounting the story.