Prompt: Lily teaches James to dance.
It started with a party, didn't all great things start like that? With a little fun and a wild imagination? At least James thought so, because all his great ideas happened in the middle of the night, accompanied with his friends, and with his mind busy with simple things. However this wasn't one of James' great ideas.
It was just dumb luck.
There was a party at the Gryffindor Tower; some loud, not totally legal, fun and over the top, party that had become packed with people that sneaked through Filch's ironclad curfew and a few young Gryffindors that ought to be in bed, and James and his friends couldn't be more at ease.
The four friends were talking about their next trip to Hogsmeade when music changed, it was some upbeat music and everyone in the room that wasn't attached to someone's lips was on the impromptu dance floor. Lyrics being thrown left to right but clueless teens that only had a night off worries and test and to be themselves.
A flash of red hair caught the eye of one of the Marauders.
Sirius knew Lily was, almost, too easy to spot. She wasn't exactly the only redhead in Gryffindor but she had a way of catching anyone's eye. She was beautiful; not in the way James always talked about, she was objectively attractive; and she was funny. Snarky comments he overheard when she wasn't looking at them, thinking that the four friends were nothing but idiots, always made him snort. And she was utterly crushing on his best mate.
People always thought Sirius was daft, and he might be, he was bold, and he cared little about conventions since all he wanted was to throw rules out of the window and just be free, but when it came to James he saw much more than people thought. James was Sirius' everything, especially after leaving home. James was there, he was the one that brought Sirius to half a decent human being.
So in return Sirius tried to protect his best mate, his brother, at all cost. He always did, but after he owed everything he was to James he got even more protective. He looked out for people that might want to brawl with James as well as other possible threats; and Lily Evans seemed the biggest one. He watched her closely, more to see if this girl was actually giving James the time of the day or not, and Black started noticing things.
Lily always tried to play it cool when she was around James, like she was still mad about some stupid prank they played sometime to a second year when they were in third, like she was still friends with Snape and shared the git's point of view. However as soon as she thought no one was looking she would steal glances towards James' direction; brushing any time she almost got caught.
The Quidditch stands never missed her when Gryffindor was playing, and she always screamed the loudest when James scored a point. And finally, but not less important, she would absolutely deny she fancied James on any level, which sounded strained and not true at all.
That's how Sirius knew that Lily was crushing so hard on James that it was a mystery how Potter couldn't see it himself. Maybe he was blind in more ways than the obvious thick glasses.
His mind quickly came up with a plan, he smirked to himself and then smiled widely to his friends. "I feel a dare coming!" he shouted before laughing.
"It can't be worse than trying to steal Snivellius' pants." Peter shrugged, taking a drink from his glass.
Sirius laughed and wrapped an arm around Peter, "I don't feel like seeing the git's face today, but I feel we need to make boring Prongs here dance." he pointed, earning a "That's hardly a dare, Padfoot" from Remus.
"Oh but dear Moony, the dare is that his proper trained ass needs to go there, make utter ridicule of himself for all the Common Room to see." Sirius smiled as Peter looked from Sirius to the dance floor, it didn't seem like a proper dare, usually someone was dangling from the chandeliers or naked this was too simple. However as he looked at the people dancing he understood Sirius' machinations.
"Of course!" he replied with a smile matching Sirius'.
Which made James laugh. "What's up with you two?" He asked, drinking and looked at Remus who shrugged. He really had no clue what his friend was up to but last time they ended up on the tables singing Bohemian Rhapsody was one for the ages, so he complied.
Potter didn't bother to look back as he moved backwards to the dancefloor, making weird movements with his arms, hunching in a weird way and laughing all the way, "I accept your dare, Black, but you have to be my dance partner!"
Sirius laughed and untangled himself from Peter, "Yes, deer!" he screamed starting a weirdly timed dance off that made people stop, stare and laugh as they moved through the room. Sirius managed to be graceful, even in the weirdness of the movements. He looked more like a professional dancer doing a modern piece than a drunk fucker trying to play his mate.
James was so transfixed on the stupid movements, waiting to make Sirius mess up and trip from laugher, that he didn't notice the green eyes tracing his every movement.
"I don't know how you manage our Quidditch team with that horrible rhythm, Potter. It looks like you'd fall off a broom if you ever try to fly and throw a ball at the same time." someone spoke, more teasing than malice in their voice. James knew the voice, he wasn't sure why she was teasing him, usually they bicker more than get along.
"Evans," he smiled politely, turning to her and making more weird movements to see if that made her laugh, "You mean this? Don't you like it?" he joked as well.
Lily chuckled softly, "Please, think of the kids. They are young and impressionable." she joked again, or maybe she was flirting? Neither of them knew the answer to that question.
"Nah, the wee lads are going to be fine." He said through his thickest Scottish accent, that always came back after a couple of drinks, "And I can't leave me lovely dance partner alone." James motioned to Sirius who was doing some sort of complicated spin giving James a blowing kiss as he turned back to his best mate.
"You should ask him to teach you some moves." Lily joked, motioning to Sirius once more as he made another graceful movement.
"Plonker." he muttered under his breath as he ran a hand through his hair, messing it up. "Maybe I will, if he ever stops spinning." he added loud enough so Sirius stopped and blinked at the couple.
"Me? Teaching you how to dance? Never." He added seriously, fixing his longish hair, "You are too stiff for me, you need someone with more patience." He said sincerely, moving to rest his arm on James' shoulder as his best mate moved to fix his glasses. "What about you, Evans?" Sirius offered instead.
"What?!" both of them said at the same time, James couldn't believe what came out of Sirius' lips, and Lily wouldn't ever think Sirius would talk to her in that tone, almost friendly and familiar. They barely spoke out of social gatherings.
"He needs to learn how to dance, you are a good dancer, as far as we know. I'm far too busy for the git and I would kill him in the hour if I started teaching him. I love him too much to kill him. You tutor younger students, you are actually patient. So, what do you say, Evans? Would you help a bloke out?" Sirius finished with a smile.
James was staring at Sirius like he grew two heads, he was mental, why on earth he was talking about dancing lessons? This was a silly dare, right? James didn't need dancing lessons, and he certainly didn't need Lily mad at him again. They were finally friends, he didn't want to go back to always bicker and name calling.
A faint blush tinted Lily's cheek as Sirius talked to her, she wasn't sure if that was a proper question or if he was sort of teasing her, but she wanted to know, she wanted to spend enough time with James to see if what she thought was right. If he wasn't such an idiot anymore and if they could talk to each other without being tainted by other's opinions of themselves.
"Sure, I'll do it, but you owe me some of Honeydukes finest chocolate." she replied to Sirius with a smirk, "After all I'm doing you this big favour and I'm not a cheap tutor." she smiled half joking surprising Sirius and James with the reply.
"Of course!" Sirius laughed, "I'll set the payment for the lesson!"