Tuesday, October 4, 1977
I'm going out with Lily Evans. It was James's first conscious thought before he even opened his eyes the next day. The same thought echoed through his mind throughout his morning run and as he showered and dressed for breakfast. He glanced in the mirror and found himself beaming, a smile impossibly wide and bright for so early on an average Tuesday. As an experiment he tried wiping the smile from his face, but he found he just couldn't do it, and he had a feeling he would be smiling like this for the foreseeable future.
When he stepped into the common room and saw Lily standing by the fire with Mary, he froze for a moment, unsure how to handle their first greeting after they'd spent a good amount of the previous evening snogging. Should he hug her? Go in for a kiss? Settle for a nod and an "All right, Evans?" He stood there, weighing his options, but then she looked over at him and her face broke into a smile, and he gave up on logical thought and let his instincts take over. Sirius whistled and Mary catcalled as he pulled Lily into a hug, but he ignored both of them as he kissed her, and it was even better than he remembered.
"All right, Evans?" he murmured as he released her and grinned, his hand still resting on her waist.
"Good morning," she said, and she looked as deliriously happy as he felt. How are we going to actually learn anything in our classes today, or get any homework done, or do anything other than smile at each other like bloody idiots? But that seemed like a minor, unimportant detail, and he put it out of his head as he took her hand and set off for the Great Hall, glancing over at her every so often and experiencing a burst of pleasure when he saw her hand in his.
He was so engrossed in Lily that he had trouble focusing on his breakfast: he buttered a piece of toast but forgot about it after only a few bites, then tried to take a drink from his goblet only to discover he hadn't filled it with anything, before giving up to watch Lily frown down at The Daily Prophet. The little crease that formed between her eyebrows as she glared at a photo of Harold Minchum was so adorable that James found himself staring and had to force himself to look away before anyone (especially Lily) noticed and thought he had gone mad.
When they had finished breakfast and headed across the Great Hall for Herbology, Lily reached for James's hand and smiled.
"You look surprisingly happy for someone who just spent her entire breakfast reading about Harold Minchum's latest debacle," he observed.
"Nothing can ruin my good mood today, even that fucking tosser," Lily said.
"Evans, what are your views on Harold Minchum?" Sirius asked, frowning in confusion. "Are they generally positive, would you say, or…?"
Lily grinned and shook her head. "Nice try, but you can't wind me up today, Sirius."
They were almost to the door when McGonagall called out and they drew to a stop, causing a bit of a commotion as several first years were forced to go around them.
"Potter, Evans, I just wanted to make sure you reminded all the prefects to make sure the third years know the expectations for the first Hogsmeade visit on Saturday," she said, her tone brisk. "I'm sure you mentioned it at your monthly meeting, but I just wanted to be sure, because I'd rather not answer the same question ten times if I can help it."
"Er," James began, glancing at Lily. "Well, we would have, except we had to postpone the meeting due to, er, unforeseen circumstances." He looked at Lily again and grinned. "But it's been switched to tonight instead."
McGonagall frowned and pursed her lips, then shrugged. "Well, in any case, be sure to remind them tonight, because-" She broke off in mid-sentence when she noticed them holding hands, and her frown was replaced by a tiny smile.
Sirius nodded at her and raised his eyebrows. "About time, don't you think, Minnie?"
James and Lily both stifled laughter, but McGonagall was so astonished that she didn't even scold Sirius for using the forbidden nickname. Instead, she inclined her head and looked from James to Lily, her smile widening.
"About time indeed," she said before bustling away, leaving a surprised silence in her wake.
"Bloody hell, did you see how happy for you she was?" Sirius shook his head in amazement.
"So happy for you that she didn't even tell Padfoot off for calling her Minnie," Remus observed. "Usually that's worth at least five points from Gryffindor."
"Ten if he's being particularly obnoxious," Peter added.
"I bet she's running off now to tell Flitwick and Dumbledore," Mary said, standing on tiptoe to see if she could spot McGonagall. "They probably had a wager going about when you'd finally end up together."
"That seems unlikely." Lily glanced sideways at James. "Although she did seem happy for us, didn't she?"
"How could she not be?" James grinned at Lily, then stole another glance at her hand clasped in his, and realized the sight no longer caused him a little pang of surprise and disbelief. He was getting used to the idea of them being together, and far from feeling that the novelty was wearing off, he was thrilled. I'm actually going out with Lily Evans. Bloody fucking hell.
The rest of the day passed in a blur, but a happy, dazed blur rather than the haze of exhaustion and anxiety he had stumbled through yesterday. The chilly drizzle did nothing to dampen their spirits, and Lily giggled when he insisted on giving her a piggyback ride to the greenhouses so her shoes wouldn't get wet. Slughorn beamed and clapped James on the back when he spotted the two of them walking into class hand-in-hand, and he was so pleased he didn't even seem to mind when James forgot to tend to his potion because he was so busy watching Lily. Seven stopped James at lunch to confirm their Wednesday morning practice, and when she noticed him eating one-handed because he and Lily could not bear to stop holding hands, she leaned in and whispered an enthusiastic congratulations before hurrying over to return a borrowed book to Remus. On the way back to the common room after dinner, no fewer than three people stopped to tell them what a cute couple they made. James just smiled and nodded, unsure if they were technically a couple but unwilling to ask Lily for clarification on this matter.
The walk to the prefects' meeting was the first time they had been alone all day, since Remus had stopped off at the library and was planning to meet them there, and they both took their time, in no hurry to get to the Head office and start the meeting that neither of them were that keen on to begin with. As they stepped through the portrait hole and out into the corridor, James reached for her hand, and he smiled as he noted how it had already become a habit. As cliche as it sounded, even in his head, their hands fit together perfectly, and walking together without holding hands already felt strange.
"Do we need to go over anything at this meeting besides the Hogsmeade trip?" Lily asked. "I feel like a terrible Head Girl. I don't even know what we're meant to be discussing."
"No idea. I figure I'll just wing it. Pull something out of my arse, you know?" James grinned at her and shrugged. "I'm good at that. You're not a bad Head Girl, though. Maybe just a bit irresponsible."
"Oh no, what if they can somehow tell we snogged in the office?" She turned to him, her eyes wide with panic.
He laughed and shook his head. "How would they know? Besides, even if they can tell, I don't see why that's a problem. I don't mind if people know. I'm proud of it."
"Well, it's not that I'm ashamed or anything, it's just, you know, that's not what the Head Office is meant to be for."
"What is it meant for? Shagging? Because that can be arranged."
"James!" She shoved him and shook her head in exasperation.
"What? I didn't mean now, just, you know, sometime in the future. But if the Head Office isn't your preferred shagging spot, that's all right, because Sirius has a list of the top ten shagging spots in the school. I'm not joking, there is an actual list." He ran a hand through his hair and glanced sideways at her to gauge her reaction.
"That doesn't surprise me a bit," she said, but her expression was hard to read.
"Unless I very much misinterpreted things last night and there is no shagging in our future, in which case Sirius's list will not be necessary." He watched her face and thought he detected a hint of a smile, but he was unable to analyze further as he had to turn sharply to avoid walking into the wall.
"Come here, you prat," Lily said, laughing and pulling him in for a kiss. They stayed that way for a few minutes, and although this meant they would be late for the meeting, James didn't mind in the slightest, because the pressure of her lips and her roving hands was a clear answer to his question.
"Now don't talk to me about shagging for a bit," she said when she pulled away, tugging her shirt back into place and pushing her hair out of her face. "It'll put me in the wrong state of mind for a prefects' meeting, and I'm already in entirely the wrong state of mind as it is."
When they walked into the meeting, several minutes late and still holding hands, the other prefects were already clustered in little groups, chatting with each other or standing around looking bored. James cleared his throat, then waited as the conversation faded away.
"Right," he began. "So we're supposed to remind you-"
"Bloody hell, are you two dating now?" a Hufflepuff prefect interrupted.
"Obviously," Stacy said, rolling her eyes. "Didn't you see them holding hands at lunch?"
"Why didn't you tell us, Lupin?" demanded Fawley, a fifth year Gryffindor prefect.
Remus chuckled and shrugged. "You didn't ask?"
"Merlin, you're cute together," someone else added. "I always thought you'd make a great couple."
James chuckled and exchanged an amused glance with Lily. "Er, thanks, but we're supposed to talk about the Hogsmeade trip on Saturday. You'll need to make sure the third years know that they're supposed to-"
"Yes, yes, we know all that," Stacy said, waving her hand in a gesture of impatience. "We want to know about you and Evans."
Bertram Aubrey scowled. "Speak for yourself, Tremblay."
"Funny, I don't remember asking for your opinion, Aubrey," she snapped.
"It doesn't really matter either way," James said, raising his voice to try to regain control of the situation, "because we're just meant to talk about the rules for the Hogsmeade trip."
"I heard you asked her out with fireworks," Donald Fawcett said. "I definitely heard fireworks last night."
"Me too!" a Hufflepuff girl named Abby squealed. "Except I heard he put a trail of rose petals up to her dormitory and had 'Will you go out with me?' spelled out on her bed."
"Nah, I think that was last year that he did that," Stacy said. "She said no."
"How could you say no?" Abby demanded. "That's so romantic."
Lily laughed and shook her head. "No it wasn't. It was completely cheesy." She put a hand on James's shoulder when she saw his expression. "No offense or anything."
James sighed and shook his head. "Does anyone have any actual questions about the expectations for the Hogsmeade trip?"
"No, we already told you," Stacy said. "Do you have anything else important on the agenda?"
Lily nudged James and made a flapping motion, and he grinned at her reference to his decision to "wing it."
"Nothing that can't wait," he said, trying to keep a straight face. "All right, here's what we're going to do. You lot are going to make sure the third years are all set for Hogsmeade on Saturday, and Evans and I are going to answer your questions, but only if you promise not to bother us about this again."
"Ooh, yay," Abby said, and most of the other prefects nodded their agreement.
"If some of us don't give a toss about your romantic life, are we free to go?" Bertram Aubrey asked, shooting James a disdainful look.
"Pretty sure it's only you who doesn't care," Stacy said.
Aubrey cleared his throat and nodded in Snape's direction, and James noticed he was glaring down at his feet as though furious to be in such a ridiculous situation.
"Sorry, Berty, this is an official prefects meeting, so you'll have to stay," James said, grinning and clapping him on the back. "Can't have you missing important information."
Bertram Aubrey shrugged away from James's hand, scowling and looking as though he might hex the next person to call him Berty, but he made no move to leave. Snape made no indication that he had heard James's words, but kept his gaze fixed on the floor.
"All right, now that Aubrey's done being a tosser, tell us how he asked you," Stacy said, looking at Lily with her eyes wide with interest.
"And give us all the details," Abby added. "Don't leave anything out."
James slung an arm around Lily and watched her face light up as she began to describe the events of the previous evening. Her fear of public speaking seemed not to apply to describing James's antics, because her face was happy and relaxed without a trace of nervousness or hesitation. When she finished, the girls had dreamy expressions on their faces, while most of the boys looked impressed, although Snape and Aubrey wore identical expressions of disdain, and Remus looked amused.
"Is he a good kisser, Evans?" Abby asked eagerly, smirking at her before eying James with a thoughtful expression.
"Yes, is he?" Remus asked, grinning.
James rolled his eyes and laughed. "Sod off, Moony."
"What? I'm curious," Remus said, adopting an innocent expression.
"Evans, you don't have to answer that," James said, interested to hear the answer but not eager for it to be announced to the entire group. "They can take my word for it that I'm excellent."
Lily glanced sideways at him and grinned. "That's all right, I don't mind answering." She looked at Abby and Remus and nodded. "He's right. He is excellent."
James felt a huge grin spread across his face and he knew how idiotic he must look, but Lily's words were echoing in his head and making it impossible for him to feel self-conscious.
"Don't think I can't see that arrogant toerag grin on your face," Lily said, giggling. "I didn't say that so you'd get all full of yourself."
"But I've always been full of myself," he argued. "That's one of the defining James Potter characteristics."
"You're going to spend all your patrols snogging, aren't you?" Fawcett asked.
"Of course not," Lily said with a straight face.
"We take our duty to the school far too seriously to do something that irresponsible," James added. "Even though it's very tempting for Evans because I'm such an excellent kisser."
"Rubbish," Stacy said. "Of course they're going to spend their patrols snogging. I would."
"Of course you would," Bertram Aubrey muttered.
Stacy glared at him but didn't reply. Instead, she turned her attention back to Lily and James.
"Have you been secretly dating for a while?" She glanced at Remus. "Have they, Lupin? It's all right, you can tell us."
Lily laughed and shook her head. "Why would we secretly date?"
"Yeah, why would she want to hide the fact that she's dating someone so handsome and athletic and good at kissing?" James added.
"And modest," Remus said, smirking.
After several more questions, the conversation had become mostly giggling and suggestive comments, so James ended the meeting and set off down the corridor with Remus and Lily.
"Well that was unexpected," Lily remarked. "I had no idea people were so interested in my love life."
"Probably the most entertaining prefects' meeting I've ever been to," Remus said. "Half the time I have to concentrate on not falling asleep." He glanced at his watch. "Are you just going to head straight to patrols from here?"
James checked his own watch and shrugged. "Yeah, might as well. Although I probably should have grabbed the map."
"Oh, that's all right, I have it," Remus said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the Marauder's Map. "I, er, needed to check something earlier."
"What a pal, Moony." James grinned and tucked the map into his pocket, his mind already racing ahead to a night spent with Lily, tucked away in a hidden alcove or a broom cupboard or behind the closed door of the Head office.
"Make sure you check the map once in a while, so nobody can accuse you of shirking your duties," Remus said with a smirk before waving and setting off.
"Bye, Remus," Lily called, waving before turning back to James. "You know, maybe we should actually patrol tonight, in case anyone gets suspicious."
"Are you kidding?" James waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal. "Everyone thinks we're adorable together. Nobody's going to rat us out, and as long as we check the map once in a while and go bust anyone we think is up to no good, the professors won't notice anything's out of the ordinary." He reached for her hand and raised his eyebrows at her. "Did you mean what you said earlier? About me being a good kisser?"
She laughed softly and smirked at him. "Of course I did. Why do you think it was so hard for me to leave the broom cupboard last night? You're a very good kisser."
He felt his grin widen as he ran a hand through his hair. "Well, thanks, Evans."
"Aren't you going to tell me if I'm any good?" Her tone was light, teasing, yet he could sense the same desire for affirmation that must have been present in his own voice. The idea that he would have anything negative to say about her kissing skills was absurd, because he was so thrilled to be kissing her at all that he would not utter a word of complaint about even the most subpar snogging. Her snogging, however, was anything but subpar, and he grinned as his mind drifted back to their desperate fumbling in the broom cupboard the night before, as well as the unexpected snogging in the Head office on Saturday night.
"I want to say you're also excellent, but I'm having trouble remembering properly since we haven't kissed in a bit. I think I need a good snog to jog my memory." He moved a bit closer to her and grinned.
"You're ridiculous, you know that?" She laughed and shook her head. "Fine, but we need to check the map first." She set off down the corridor, tugging James along with her, and as he looked down at their clasped hands and looked forward to what was turning out to be a promising evening, he couldn't help but marvel at how things were turning out. I can't believe I get to snog Lily Evans. Merlin, I'm the luckiest bloke in the entire bloody school.
Remus strode off in the direction of the portrait hole, then reversed direction when Lily and James were out of sight. His heart raced as he approached the tapestry that hid Seven's secret reading spot, and for a moment he considered turning around and returning to the common room. The sudden pang of uncertainty and guilt stopped him in his tracks, but the memory of his brief but memorable meetup with Seven in the library before the prefects meeting banished his doubt and gave him the courage to pull back the tapestry and step through into the little room behind it.
"Hi," Seven said, looking up from her book to beam at him. She was curled up underneath a blanket on the pile of pillows that covered most of the floor, and she patted the space beside her. "Come and join me, if you have time. I brought you a book."
"Thanks, you're the best," Remus said as he crossed the room and sat down next to her. "I probably shouldn't stay too long, but I can maybe get away with a half hour."
"Your meeting didn't take very long." She laced her fingers through his and pulled him down to lay next to her. "Not a lot of important prefect business to discuss?"
Remus chuckled as he settled in beside her and pulled the blanket over his legs. "Not at all. We spent most of the meeting interrogating James and Lily. James is an excellent kisser, in case you were wondering."
She giggled. "I wasn't, but thanks for the information." She fell silent for a moment, and he savored the feeling of her hand in his and the warmth of her leg pressed against his as they lay next to each other. "I'm really happy for them," she said, turning to face him. "Merlin, he's wanted this for ages. Ever since I joined the team, maybe longer."
"I know. Say what you want about James, but he doesn't give up, and I respect the hell out of him for it," Remus said as he thought back to all the times James had shrugged off Lily's rejection and continued to hope that the next time would yield a different outcome.
"Me too. I've learned a lot from him, about Quidditch and other things as well." She hesitated for a moment as a thoughtful smile spread across her face. "He's the one who convinced me to give it another go with you."
Remus grinned. "Of course he is."
"Not that I needed much convincing," she said. "Just a push in the right direction, and then the firewhisky did the rest."
"Well, as much as it drives me mad when he meddles like that, I'm glad he did this time," Remus said.
"Me too." She leaned forward and kissed him, then reached for her book and handed a second one to him. "Feel free to nap instead if you don't like the book I picked for you. Or you can have mine, and I'll just lay here and try not to stare at you, because I don't think I'm in a napping mood."
He accepted the book and rolled onto his stomach so he could read in a comfortable position without having to let go of her hand. "The book is perfect."
"Oh, good." She rolled over and propped her own book open in front of her before reaching for his hand again. "I think this is my new favorite way to read." She kissed him again, letting her lips linger on his a bit longer this time before returning her attention to the book. "Will you remind me a few minutes before you actually have to leave?"
He frowned. "What for?"
"So we'll have time for a proper goodbye."
"Does a proper goodbye mean snogging?" he asked, glancing sideways at her with a hopeful expression on his face.
She glanced over at him and grinned. "It does. Do you mind if I pull the blanket up a bit more? It's cold in here. And you could probably move a little closer, if you want. That would help, too."
He obliged, and she let out a soft sigh of contentment as she snuggled closer to him and began to read. Several moments passed as she settled into her book, and he enjoyed observing the small, insignificant motions that nobody else would pay attention to: the way her eyes widened when she came to an interesting passage, the light tapping of her finger against the side of the book, the way her breathing became rhythmic and slow. Then he remembered that he was meant to be reading his own book instead of watching her, and he turned his attention to the page in front of him, letting his mind sink into the familiar relaxed state he always achieved when reading.
Wednesday, October 5, 1977
"Prongs, Evans, do you want to play Exploding Snap with us?" Peter asked as he rolled up his completed essay and shoved it into his bag.
James and Lily sat curled into each other on James's usual armchair, ostensibly sharing a Potions textbook, although neither of them had turned the page in several minutes and they had spent more time gazing at each other than actually focusing on the book. When neither of them replied, Peter repeated his question, and James snapped his head up to look at him.
"Sorry, what?" he said, then shook his head when he saw the pack of cards in Peter's hand. "Oh, no thanks. I think we'll just try to finish the Potions homework, because I'll be at practice later and won't have time to do it."
"I'm not sure if gazing longingly into each others' eyes is going to help you write Slughorn's essay," Sirius pointed out. "But then again, what the fuck do I know."
"Sod off," Lily said, flashing him a mischievous grin and moving even closer to James.
Sirius widened his eyes in dismay and shook his head. "That's the sort of thanks I get for my excellent study tips. You know, when I'm the only one who manages a decent score on the Potions N.E.W.T, I'll have no sympathy for either of you."
"Yeah, I'm sure Evans is really worried about failing Potions," James said, rolling his eyes. "Top of our bloody year and reads dreadfully boring potions books for fun, but you're right. If she ignores your advice, Padfoot, she'll get a T for sure."
"Potions books aren't dreadfully boring," Lily protested.
He grinned and shrugged. "I mean, I might try reading them if I need help falling asleep at night, but it's adorable how much you enjoy them."
Her face lit up, and she leaned over to kiss his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder. James brushed a piece of hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ear, and she responded by giggling and running her hand through his hair, further diverting their attention away from the Potions textbook.
Sirius rolled his eyes and turned to Remus. "Do you want to play, Moony, seeing as those two are too busy being obsessed with each other?"
"No thanks, I'm reading," Remus said without looking up from his book. "But you can hand me the chocolate bar that's in my bag."
"I would if I hadn't eaten it," Sirius said, then grinned when he saw Remus's scowl. "Only joking, I saved you half." He shifted through the various books and pieces of crumpled parchment that surrounded his spot on the floor until he found the half-eaten chocolate bar and tossed it in Remus's direction. "And before you tell me off, I know I owe you about a galleon's worth of chocolate bars, and I'm going to treat you to a bloody shopping spree at Honeydukes on Saturday."
"Cheers," Remus said, reaching for the chocolate bar that had landed on top of his blanket and breaking himself off a piece.
"Do you and Macdonald want to play chess, then, since it's only the three of us?" Peter asked. "You can team up like last time. I can go easy on you, if you like."
"Yeah, all right, but you don't need to patronize us by going easy. We want your best effort," Sirius said as he scooted closer to the table and leaned back against Mary's legs. "We can handle it."
Mary laughed. "Speak for yourself. I wouldn't mind him going a bit easy on us. We didn't stand a chance last time."
"You weren't that bad," Peter said, smirking as he Summoned his chess board and set it up on the table. "You just need, you know, a bit more of a cohesive strategy."
"For all you know, Pete, we've been spending all our spare time working on our chess strategy," Sirius said as he began to set up the black chess pieces. "All those times we're up in the dormitory and you assume we're shagging, we're actually plotting how to wipe that smug smile off your face."
Remus snorted with laughter but kept his gaze fixed on his book.
"Why's that funny, Moony?" Sirius asked.
"Because we don't just assume you're shagging. You announce it." Remus adjusted his blanket so only his hands were uncovered. "The other day you told us what positions you planned to do."
"Well, pardon me for sharing details about my life with my best mates. Next time I won't bother," Sirius said in an affronted tone, turning back to the chessboard to finish setting up his pieces.
"Somehow I doubt that," Remus said, grinning and turning a page.
Ten minutes into the chess game, the expression Sirius had described as a "smug smile" had returned to Peter's face. Sirius and Mary spent a full minute conferring in urgent whispers before sending their castle to capture Peter's bishop, then both swore when they lost their castle to Peter's queen.
"I like the new chess strategy," Peter said, nodding as he studied the board in front of him. "Definitely a much better use of time than shagging,"
"Oh, shut up," Sirius snapped as he scowled down at the diminished number of black pieces still dotting the board. "Don't gloat, Pete, it doesn't suit you."
"I still think we should have let him go easy on us," Mary said as she tilted Sirius's head back and pulled his hair into a tight braid.
Sirius reached up to examine the braid, but Mary slapped his hand away. "Why are you braiding my hair?"
"It helps me think. Now quit moving or it'll come out bumpy."
The three of them heard a soft giggle and glanced over to see Lily and James with their heads bent close together, laughing over some private joke. Peter watched James lean in and whisper something in her ear before bending in to kiss her. The moment was so intimate that Peter looked away, blushing.
"Don't get me wrong, they're adorable together and I'm happy for them, but watching them also sort of makes me want to vomit," Mary said under her breath.
Sirius grinned. "I was just thinking the same thing. See, that's why we get along so well, Macdonald." He tried to turn to look at her but she gave his hair a gentle yank.
"I told you, Black, quit moving!"
He scowled and tried to wriggle free. "There's no need to pull my hair. It bloody hurts!"
"It wouldn't hurt if you stopped trying to move." She smirked and leaned closer to his ear. "Besides, you usually don't mind a bit of hair pulling."
A thoughtful smile spread over Peter's face as he observed the exchange and compared it to the interactions between James and Lily. The expression on Sirius's face when he had said "That's why we get along so well" struck him as significant, and he recalled the many previous times Sirius had repeated the phrase. He only says that to people he's really fond of, Peter mused. That might be the closest Sirius Black ever comes to saying "I love you" without the help of firewhisky.
"Why are you looking at us like that, Peter?" Mary said, frowning. "Was the hair pulling comment too much?"
Peter chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, that's not even close to the worst thing you two have shared." He gestured down at the board. "It's your move, right? Maybe you can still salvage the game, if you really focus on strategy and don't just use your usual 'Fuck it' method."
Thursday, October 6, 1977
"Have you ever seen Slughorn look so smug in his life?" Sirius asked as he strode into the potions classroom with James and Lily.
"I dunno, he's kind of a smug bloke," James said before setting down his bag and sitting down at the table he now shared with Lily.
"No, you're right, Sirius, he's practically gloating," Lily said. "He obviously thinks this is all his doing and he's bloody pleased with himself." She sat down and reached for James's hand, smiling to herself.
Sirius sat down and tipped back in his chair, chuckling at the look of pure glee on Slughorn's face as he watched James and Lily holding hands. They were so enamored with each other that they ignored the attention and began setting out their potions materials, although the process was slow because they had to do everything one-handed.
"Do you want me to see if Slughorn will chop your ingredients for you so you don't have to stop holding hands?" Sirius asked, smirking.
James used his free hand to give Sirius a rude hand gesture and continued talking to Lily. The sound of her laughter drifted back to Sirius and he watched them for another moment, unable to keep a smile from spreading across his face, because an almost palpable sense of happiness emanated from the couple.
Sirius felt a tap on his shoulder and looked over at Stacy Tremblay, his new seatmate since James had relocated.
"How long d'you think they'll last?" she whispered, eying James and Lily. Sirius raised his eyebrows at her, and she shrugged. "I mean, I know they're head over heels now, but how long do you think it'll be before the novelty wears off and they get tired of each other?"
Sirius gaped at her for a moment, struggling to envision the situation she had just described, then grinned and shook his head. "They're not going to get tired of each other. Look at them, for fuck's sake." He gestured at James and Lily; James's hand rested on Lily's shoulder as he listened with rapt attention to her description of the potion they had been assigned to brew. "They're actual bloody soul mates."
His words hung in the air for a moment before Stacy laughed and raised her eyebrows. "Wow, Black. I didn't realize you were the sort of person to believe in soulmates. I was under the impression you thought all of that was a load of rubbish."
"I do think it's all a load of rubbish," Sirius said as he opened his book and examined the list of ingredients he would need. "I don't believe in soulmates, not really. But James and Evans are the exception. They're perfect for each other."
"I don't know," she said, smirking. "I think you've become a romantic."
"Fuck that," he said, making a face. "Don't worry. I'm the same cynical arsehole you know and love." He stood up and took a step towards the supply cupboard, but Stacy put a hand on his arm.
"You sure you haven't fallen for someone yourself?" Her voice was casual and teasing, but he detected a current of jealousy underneath the light, flirty tone. "I heard Macdonald's been spending a lot of nights in your dormitory."
Sirius froze for a fraction of a second, then laughed and shook his head. "Tremblay, just because I'm shagging her doesn't mean I've fallen for her. We're friends, and we both like shagging, and we're in the same house, so it's just convenient."
"I dunno, Black," she said, shrugging. "You haven't met me in the prefects' bathroom all year."
"Oh, for fuck's sake." Sirius rolled his eyes and leaned closer. "I've been busy. And, unless I'm mistaken, you haven't asked me to meet up once since the school year started. Ask me whenever you're in the mood, and I'll be there, if I'm also in the mood, which, let's be honest, is highly likely."
She smirked. "All right. Well, do you think you'll be in the mood tonight?"
Sirius flashed her an apologetic grin. "Most likely. I can't meet tonight, though. I promised I'd do the homework I've been putting off all week."
"Did you promise Macdonald you'd do homework with her?" she asked pointedly.
"No. Peter, actually, and I don't appreciate your tone, Tremblay. Maybe ask me tomorrow, and if nothing comes up we can use those pink bubbles you like and have a nice shag. Now, stop interrogating me about my non-existent feelings for Macdonald so we can get going on our potions. What do you say I get all the ingredients we need and you muddle my beetle eyes, yeah?" He grimaced. "I fucking hate the way they squish."
Without waiting for a response he strode across the room to retrieve the ingredients, trying to ignore the nagging feeling that he had been somehow exposed. You sure you haven't fallen for someone yourself? Frowning, he glanced back at James and Lily, and somehow seeing their expressions of mutual adoration drove Stacy's words from his mind. He took a deep breath to clear his head, then began to gather the ingredients he needed, focusing on the task ahead.
Friday, October 7, 1977
The crackling of the fire and the sounds of students enjoying a Friday night washed over Mary as she sighed and sank deeper into her armchair. She had spent the past hour lounging by the fire listening to Sirius strum the ukulele while Peter and Remus played chess and Lily and James made kissy faces at each other, and she was enjoying the cozy aimlessness of the evening. The warmth of the fire was making her sleepy, and she felt her eyes start to drift shut when Sirius leaned his head back into her lap and roused her.
"Will you play with my hair?" He set down the ukulele and glanced back at her.
"You always complain when I play with your hair."
"No, I complain when you braid my hair because you always yank on it," he said, grinning. "But I don't mind when you just sort of play with it. It's actually quite soothing."
She laughed and began running her fingers through his hair. "All right, if it keeps you from playing the ukulele."
"Don't lie, Macdonald, you love when I play the ukulele." He sighed and smiled with satisfaction, then stretched his legs out in front of him and closed his eyes. "I could fall asleep right here."
"If you do, I'm going to draw a penis on your face," Mary said, gathering all his hair in her fist before letting it fall around his face.
"No chance. Moony won't let you. He can't allow such a profane image to be seen by first years."
"I'm playing chess," Remus said without looking up from the board. "I'll be too focused on the game to notice."
"Some prefect you are," Sirius said, sticking out his tongue.
"Hey, did Stacy Tremblay find you?" Peter asked. "Sorry, I just remembered she was looking for you earlier, and I was meant to tell you, but I forgot."
"Yeah, I know. Prongs told me." Sirius's eyes remained shut as he adjusted his position, moving his legs closer to the fire.
"Oh, good," Peter said, looking relieved. "So you talked to her, then?"
"Nah. Didn't feel like it."
"That was a bit rude," Mary said, and her hands faltered as she frowned at him.
"No it wasn't," Sirius said, opening his eyes to glance back at her over his shoulder. "I assume she wanted to meet up, and I didn't feel like it. I'm busy." He gestured at their group gathered around the fire. "This is my preferred way to spend Friday night." His eyes closed again and he returned his head to her lap. "Now keep doing what you were doing. It feels excellent."
Mary mulled this over for a moment, watching the firelight illuminate the expression of complete relaxation on his face. She felt a sudden upwelling of joy that was unrelated to the previous sense of contentment, but she shoved this thought aside, unwilling to examine it too closely. Instead she let her gaze drift to James and Lily, snuggled together on James's usual armchair. He had his arm around her and her hand rested on his leg, and they laughed and muttered to each other as they watched Remus and Peter play chess. Seeing them together while Remus and Peter frowned down at the chessboard and Sirius lounged on the floor gave Mary a sense of rightness, and she sighed and savored the comfortable, homey feeling.
"Oi!" Sirius bumped his head against Mary's hand. "Don't leave me hanging, Macdonald."
"Merlin, you're needy," Mary said, sighing as she returned to stroking Sirius's hair.
Sirius laughed. "How long have you known me, and you're just figuring this out? Now make sure you don't stop again, or I'll just annoy you until you start again."
"You remind me of my dog," Lily said. She was now curled against James's chest, but she glanced over at Sirius to roll her eyes at him. "If you stop petting him for even a second, he pushes his head against your hand until you start petting him again. He's cute, but pretty much demands your attention and whines if you stop paying attention to him."
James and Sirius looked at each other and burst into laughter.
"That does sound a lot like Black," Mary said.
"Does your dog also piss on rugs, Evans?" James asked, smirking.
"Sod you, that wasn't me!"
James held up a hand. "I didn't say it was, mate. Just asking Evans about her dog." He ran a hand through his hair and leaned forward. "Are you all set for tomorrow?"
Sirius sighed. "Prongs, we've gone through the plan at least three times. It's all set."
"What plan?" Lily asked, smiling as James leaned back against the chair and she settled back against him.
"The plan for our date tomorrow," James said, raising his eyebrows as though this should have been obvious.
Lily giggled. "You have a plan? Aren't we just going to, I dunno, stop into Honeydukes and then end up at the Three Broomsticks?"
"Of course I have a plan, Evans. You think I'd go on our first ever date without a plan?" He glanced over at Sirius and rolled his eyes.
"But I don't suppose you're going to share said plan with me."
"Absolutely not. It's a surprise. All I'll say is, it's an excellent plan." He kissed the top of her head as though this somehow proved his point.
She laughed. "Of course it is. Well, either way, I'm excited."
Mary closed her eyes and slouched down in her chair, making sure to keep her hands in motion so Sirius wouldn't complain. The fire warmed her face and the familiar weight of Sirius's body against her legs made her feel secure. The conversation around her faded into the background, and her last thought before she dozed off was concern that she would not be able to continue playing with Sirius's hair, but as he had also fallen asleep, he didn't seem to mind.
When Mary opened her eyes again, her legs were filled with pins and needles from staying in the same cramped position, and she lifted Sirius's head so she could stretch out.
"Told you I was going to fall asleep," he murmured, turning to flash her a sleepy smile. "Did you?"
She nodded. "I kept playing with your bloody hair as long as I could, though."
"Yeah, I noticed." He yawned and rested a hand on her knee. "You're a real pal, Macdonald."
She reached for his hand to glance at his watch. "Do you want to go up to your dormitory? It's getting late, so I figure we'd better go now, before everyone's ready to go to bed and gets angry at us for monopolizing the room." She realized she was still holding onto his hand and released it, feeling foolish. "Unless you're too tired, obviously."
Sirius laughed. "Don't be stupid, I'm never too tired. Hey, Moony, are you going to bed soon, or do Macdonald and I have time for a quick shag? Or not so quick, if possible, but obviously we'll take what we can get." He glanced over at Remus and Peter, then frowned. "Where'd Moony go?"
Peter's eyes widened, but then he grinned and looked down at the chessboard. "He went to the loo after I, er, well, after the game ended."
"You mean after you beat him," Sirius said, grinning.
Peter chuckled and nodded. "Well, yeah, but I was trying to be humble. Anyway, I think he said something about heading to the library to grab a book afterwards. And I'm not going to bed for a while, and I doubt Prongs is going to move any time soon, so you have time to, er, take your time."
"Cheers," Sirius said, getting to his feet and stretching before offering Mary a hand up.
She followed him across the room to the staircase, glancing back over her shoulder to get one last glimpse of James and Lily. She watched Lily tilt her head up to kiss James, then turned and hurried up the stairs after Sirius, looking forward to her preferred way to spend Friday night.