"Knut for your thoughts?"

Rose looked up to see Sirius Black smirking down at her, grey eyes narrowed mischievously. She flushed, suddenly aware of the fact that for the past hour, she'd been glued to her seat, sipping from a stolen flute of champagne and alternating between gazing at a yet-untouched slice of cake and the first page of the book she'd brought.

"Hi," Rose stammered, studiously avoiding eye contact with Sirius' glimmering orbs. "Nothing – just – I'm having a good time." She gestured vaguely at the plate of cake in front of her while trying to inconspicuously edge the nearly-empty glass of champagne farther down the table. "I've got cake, so … yeah."

Rose flushed deeper, frustrated that something wittier hadn't come to mind. Risking a glance up at Sirius again, she was startled to see that he was no longer standing, having pulled out and sat down in the chair next to hers.

Sirius looked at her, his eyes softening to hold something more like kindness. If he'd noticed the underage drinking, he at least hadn't mentioned it. "It's your sister's wedding. You shouldn't be hiding out on the fringes with nothing but cake and some old book for company. There's music playing, merriment to be had. Go on, have a bit of fun."

Rose stammered again. "I am – I mean, I'm not hiding." She paused. "You know who I am?"

At this, Sirius threw back his head and laughed, instantly transforming his face from a mere aristocratic handsomeness to something warmer and infinitely more appealing. "Of course I know who you are! Don't be silly." He winked at her, making her suddenly feel as though the two of them were in on some kind of shared joke. "I'd be a piss poor best man if I didn't know about the sister of the bride."

"Plus," Sirius continued, leaning back in his chair a bit, "We all went to Hogwarts together. With James as obsessed with your sister as he was, we all received regular updates on Lily's life, and that includes you."

Sirius was still smiling, and though his good looks were slightly unnerving, Rose found his relaxed manner putting her progressively more at ease. She smiled timidly. "I guess that was a silly question."

Sirius shrugged, still cheerful. Emboldened by his easy charm, Rose ventured a question of her own. "What are you doing over here then? Shouldn't the best man be more at the center of things?"

"Ah, but as the best man, it's my job to make sure everything and everyone is in tip top shape. I couldn't just leave the sister of the bride on her own to look so quiet and mysterious."

It was Rose's turn to shrug, not having much of a response but privately scoffing at him thinking her mysterious. The two fell into silence. On Rose's end, it was intensely uncomfortable. She couldn't help but imagine what Sirius might be thinking, how he might be judging little Rose Evans who was so awkward that she'd exiled herself to the most remote table at her own sister's wedding. Rose hadn't meant to hide away, really she hadn't. Upon arriving at the wedding, though, she was instantly overwhelmed.

A whole three and a half years apart, Rose and Lily didn't have very many mutual friends. Lily had been kind, of course, placing a pretty flower in her sister's hair and including her in the bridal party. Lily had beamed as she'd presented her sister to each of the other bridesmaids, most of them from Lily's own year at Hogwarts.

After the marriage vows, however, as Lily and James had celebrated with their dearest school friends, Rose had begun to feel like more and more of an outsider. She was the only representative of the Evans family in attendance, and it was made that much more obvious as James had stood, surrounded by his parents and Sirius Black, who was as good as a brother.

Next to her sister, too, Rose had felt gangly and uncomfortable, standing nearly half a foot taller than Lily with long, awkward limbs to match. So Rose had waited until James and Lily were sufficiently distracted, laughing at something Sirius had said, and had stolen away, snatching a plate of cake from the dessert display and plopping herself down at a table as far away as possible from the other guests.

Grasping for anything to break the silence, Rose turned to Sirius again. She was shocked to find him already looking at her, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Where's the other Evans girl? Your eldest sister?"

At the mention of Petunia, Rose couldn't help but purse her lips. "She couldn't make it. Vacation."

"You live together, though, don't you? Didn't want to take you along for family fun times?"

There was an awkward pause. "I snuck out. She doesn't know I'm here," Rose admitted.

Sirius' eyebrows shot up. "You're quite the rule breaker, aren't you? Never knew you had it in you." Though he was surely joking, something about Sirius' tone held real weight, as though he was considering Rose in a new light. It was this note of sincerity that caused Rose to blanch, suddenly remembering that she'd confessed her rule-breaking to someone she barely knew, someone closer to her sister and brother-in-law than to her.

"Don't tell Lily and James," she begged quietly. Lily had no idea that Rose had disobeyed Petunia's mandate to avoid that wedding at all costs. It would only hurt her middle sister to know the truth.

In fact, there was no vacation at all. At that exact moment, Petunia was most likely sticking her long, bony neck over the hedge of Number 4 Privet Drive, all the better to spy on the neighbors. As far as she was concerned, Rose would be spending the day at a school training. All Rose had had to do was to mention anything related to Hogwarts for Petunia to ignore her, shaking her head and muttering under her breath about unnaturalness.

Sirius considered her for a moment, still so solemn and contemplating. "Don't worry, Rosie. I won't tell big sister what you've been up to."

Rose crinkled her nose, momentarily forgetting her shyness. "My name's Rose, you know," she said sharply, or as sharply as she could manage anyway. "Only my family calls me Rosie."

This only got Sirius laughing again. "Well, good thing we're as good as family now, isn't it? I'm as close to a brother as James'll ever have, you know," he confided as though this was a secret, as though all of Hogwarts was ignorant of the infamously close bond between the Marauders, as they liked to call themselves. Rose just hummed, glancing at the champagne on the edge of her vision, desperate for any kind of distraction. As nice as it was to gaze at Sirius Black's handsome features up close, this conversation unnerved her. Rose still wasn't sure why he'd approached, and from what she knew of Sirius Black, she didn't trust his motivations in the slightest.

Rose cleared her throat, trying for her best approximation of Petunia's most authoritative tone. "Well, thank you for checking on me, Sirius, but you don't have to bother anymore. As you can see, I'm having a good time here with my book and my cake."

"And your champagne?" Sirius finished for her, and any attempt at assertiveness flew out the window as Rose grimaced.

"You won't tell Lily, will you?" she pleaded.

"I've already told you I've got your back," Sirius replied, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. He studied her again. "Come on now, Rosie, you'd really go to all the trouble of keeping secrets from those near and dear just to sit at a table with a book? Live a little."

Lacking a rebuttal, she shrugged meekly. "I like books."

Sirius chuckled to himself, and Rose frowned, sure she was being mocked. "What's so funny about that?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing, nothing. I just got the feeling I'd had this conversation before, with someone else."

He stood then, extending a hand. "Dance with me," he offered, and accompanied the request with that charming smile of his. Rose was quite positive now that he knew what he was doing with those smiles and winks. She considered his hand for a moment. The idea of dancing with Sirius Black, sure to draw the attention of everyone in the room, made her nauseated, but she couldn't deny that she enjoyed the attention a bit. The way Sirius had looked into her eyes and smiled made her feel as though he knew her, in a much deeper sense than just Lily Potter's baby sister.

"I-," Rose began, still unsure of how to answer. Scanning the room for a polite out, her eyes caught sight of a familiar figure. "Is that Remus Lupin?"

Sirius followed her gaze, nodding when he spotted the other man as well. "Yep, though he's late, the berk."

Rose felt a hot, uncomfortable blush crawl up her skin, beginning at her neck this time. If Sirius noticed, he was polite enough not to mention it.

He did, however, wave wildly to his friend. "Remus! Oi! Over here!"

As Remus Lupin turned to make his way over to them, Rose did her best to control her facial muscles, not looking at his features any more than necessary. She hadn't seen Remus Lupin since he'd graduated Hogwarts, yet somehow in only a year, he'd aged. His often-lively blue eyes were tired, weary-looking, and Rose could just barely spot faint circles underneath. In spite of those changes, though, Lupin had largely retained his easy good-looks, and had even filled out in a way that enhanced them. Lupin had always been tall, significantly more so than James and Sirius, and Rose couldn't help but notice that he now had shoulders to match. Rather than giving him a look like Vernon Dursley, she noted with satisfaction, they drew attention to the fact that Lupin was occupying manhood, strong and grown in a way that he hadn't looked as a boy at Hogwarts.

Unfortunately, Rose's reaction to him had not changed so much as Remus' looks, and she felt her stomach swoop familiarly as her heart began to pound. As Remus got closer, she averted her eyes to avoid being caught staring.

Sirius grinned. "You certainly took your time, Moony. Although I have to say," he continued, considering, "you might've again proved yourself the smartest of all of us avoiding all the boring ceremony nonsense."

Rose looked up to see Remus roll his eyes good naturedly. "Only you would strategically skip a ceremony just to make it to the reception, Pads. I would've gotten here sooner, but-" He paused, as though for the first time noticing Rose's presence. "Work had me quite preoccupied, unfortunately."

Rose was surprised to see Sirius' expression darken at that, but his tone remained light. "Nothing you couldn't handle, I'm sure."

Remus swallowed and shrugged. "It's boring, truly. We can talk later if you feel you must know."

Turning to Rose, he smiled warmly. "Hello. Rose, right? I remember seeing you with Lily sometimes, while we were still at Hogwarts. I'm Remus Lupin. Your sister's mentioned me before, maybe." Rose just stared, shocked that Remus Lupin of the Marauders felt the need to introduce himself to her. Remembering herself, she just barely managed a small nod. If she'd opened her mouth she might have revealed that she'd have known Remus without Lily even having had to mention him once.

Remus continued smiling, now making a show of admiring her dress. "That's a very pretty dress." He gestured at his own, shabbier and unembellished robes. "You're making me feel underdressed. Has Lily made you a bridesmaid, then?"

Blushing yet pleased with what she knew was a courtesy compliment, Rose mumbled out a quiet, "Yes."

Sirius looked as though he might laugh, but Rose couldn't spit out any more than that one word. She was still in shock that he knew her name, though she supposed Sirius did say that James had mentioned her a fair amount while they were at school.

Remus was kind, though, and he smiled warmly at her. "Well, I hope you're enjoying the party. I'm sure it means a lot to Lily that you could make it, especially since Petunia can't be here."

"Yes. I am." There, two words now. Rose glanced down at her shoes, examining a scuff mark on one of the perfectly shiny, pale blue patent heels.

Sirius, finally taking pity on her inability to converse properly, jumped back into the conversation. "We were just talking about how much Rosie likes to read, Moony. She's even brought a book to a wedding reception." Sirius shook his head, as though saying, Can you believe how odd this duck is?

Remus grinned, going from polite kindness to genuine interest. "Don't let him make fun of you, Rose. Sirius could stand to crack a book every once in a while. I'm sure his few remaining brain cells would thank him for the stimulation."

"Oh very funny you old bookworm. I might even be hurt if it weren't common knowledge what a genius I am. More of a genius, if anything, for being so smart without needing to stuff my nose in a book all the time," Sirius sniffed, but the gleam of humour in his eyes made it clear that this type of banter was welcome and entirely familiar.

Remus chuckled, turning back to Rose. "What are you reading?"

"Me?" she squeaked, not having expected the conversation to turn to her once more. "It's not very interesting." She paused, considering how the boys might react. "It's a muggle book, actually."

Rose instantly felt foolish for expecting any kind of negative reaction, as Remus just nodded encouragingly. "I find it hard to believe a not very interesting book could distract you from your sister's wedding. Which one is it?"

Rose held up the cover, revealing the title of the book in faded yellow lettering.

"The Catcher in the Rye! I think I read that when I must've been around your age," Remus exclaimed. "Mind you, I don't think it was half so shocking hearing about what that boy got up to given my choice in friends."

Rose smiled, and it suddenly felt as though she and Remus were two old schoolmates, joking about past memories. Books, too, were something she could talk about. They were familiar and straightforward and didn't require any personal admissions thank the lord.

"I actually haven't started. I'd just heard all the commotion about it, figured it'd be worth a read."

"It's good," Remus stated matter-of-factly, "but it's not exactly an uplifting book. Probably not the best reading material to have at a wedding."

"I needed something new." Rose blushed sheepishly. "I'd been re-reading my favorite for far too long."

"Go on then," Remus encouraged, sitting down in the seat next to her. It seemed that books were the way to his heart. "What's your favorite?"

"Jane Eyre. I must've read it ten times by now." Rose had loved the first time she'd opened the book to find a heroine as quiet and unassuming as herself. Jane too felt like an outsider, someone who'd never attract attention. It gave Rose a quiet rush of satisfaction to be able to commiserate with the fictional governess. Plus, the romance didn't hurt.

Remus grinned. "That's one of my mum's favorites. I've read it, of course, to appease her, but it ended up being quite good, actually. Still," his smile turned cheeky, "a bit of a bummer as well. You've started me thinking that you're quite dark, Rose Evans."

Rose flushed just to hear him say her name and risked a smile as well. It took only a few seconds staring into Remus' kind blue eyes, however, before she blurted out, as a distraction, "Do you have a favorite? Muggle novel, I mean."

Remus mused for a few seconds, stroking his nose in contemplation. "It's not one book, but I quite like Shakespeare. Macbeth is brilliant. Have you read him?"

Rose shook her head, still a bit overwhelmed by having Remus Lupin directly next to her. Their arms were inches apart, easily close enough to touch.

"Well, you'll have to get started on him next. Once you're done with that one there," he gestured to the forgotten book lying on the table, "I'd be happy to chat about it with you. It's a rare day when I can get my friends to appreciate a good book, let alone a muggle one."

Sirius took this as his cue to jump into the conversation, huffing out good naturedly, "Oh shove off Moony. Besides, you should probably go over and make nice with Prongs. It's his wedding you're late to, after all."

"Excellent advice, Pads." Lupin stood, clasping Rose's shoulder gently. She swore her skin heated and blistered at his touch. "It was good to meet you, Rose. Always happy to meet another fan of books."

Rose couldn't be sure, but she thought she nodded, as Lupin turned around and began making his way toward the happy couple. When she finally looked away, she noticed that Sirius was watching her intently.

"What?" She hissed self-consciously. After having faced Remus Lupin, Rose found the prospect of conversation with Sirius Black infinitely less daunting.

"Do you," Sirius began slowly, looking from her to Lupin's back. "Do you like Remus?"

"No," Rose choked out, feeling her throat tighten and prickle with embarrassment. Sirius' eyebrows were raised, though, and he eyed her expectantly, entirely disbelieving.

"Sirius, no. I don't- I mean, of course I admire Remus. I mean, I admire you too. And James. You're all admirable young men. I don't-" she cut herself off, taking a deep breath.

"I'm not sure if you've noticed," she began slowly, "but I'm not the best at speaking full stop. I get nervous and I'm quiet and the words don't come out the way that I mean for them to." In fact, Rose realized, this was probably the longest sentence she'd spoken all night.

To her relief, Sirius nodded, probably remembering her awful attempts at conversation earlier. "Okay Rosie," he murmured. "I believe you."

She wasn't sure what it was, but looking into his clear grey eyes, Rose started to feel at ease for the first time that night. Maybe it was because he hadn't mocked her, as Petunia might've, or because he hadn't treated her like a child, as Lily certainly would have.

Or maybe it was because he'd just deftly maneuvered her glass of her champagne back in front of her.

"Padfoot! Get over here!" They both turned to see James Potter waving to them, one arm slung around Remus Lupin's shoulders, the other playfully pulling a shorter, mousy looking man in for a hug. In one smooth movement, Sirius was standing again, looking down on her thoughtfully.

"Well, I guess I should be going." As he began approaching the groom, Sirius turned back briefly. "Don't be a stranger, Rosie," he called out, but it wasn't the kind of farewell that required a response, so Rose quirked her lips instead.

Shooting back the rest of her champagne, she found that her conversation with Sirius had given her a burst of confidence, or maybe that was the alcohol. She stood, wincing when her legs groused achily from lack of use, and made her way to Lily, who had migrated to a spot off the dance floor, seemingly content to watch her husband and his friends enjoy themselves for a while.

When she spied Rose, Lily's face broke into a smile, instantly putting the younger girl at ease. They may not have spoken as much anymore, but this beautiful woman in front of her was still her sister, was still the Lily who'd run about and played with her as a child.

"You look beautiful, Lily," Rose said quietly, pleased that her words came forth easily and smoothly now.

Lily tucked a piece of Rose's hair behind her ear. "So do you, Rosie. You look so grown-up in your dress, I hardly recognize you."

It was an intimate gesture, leaving Rose uncomfortable and twitchy. She grasped for a subject change. "I'm sorry Tuney couldn't be here. I mean, she was sorry too. She told me." Lily knew Petunia well enough to suspect this to be untrue, but she didn't protest and instead offered Rose a small, sad smile.

"Well, aren't I lucky that I could have my best little sister here to make up for it."

"I'm your only little sister," Rose scoffed, and Lily grinned impishly in a very James Potter-like fashion.

The two girls stood there for a few moments, Rose having run out tidbits to fill the silence with. In front of her, she could see that the boys had paired up, James and Remus spinning about the floor in a waltz, Sirius dragging a clumsy Peter across the room for what appeared to be a tango. Rose couldn't help but admire the way Remus' shoulder length hair shone in the light and how handsome his face was as he laughed. As his blue eyes crinkled pleasantly, the circles under them became almost invisible. Remus turned and met her eyes, then, offering a warmer smile just for her, and Rose quickly glanced away, embarrassed to have been caught staring. Lily was watching too, it seemed, with a much fonder expression than she'd ever held for them in school.

"I saw you and Sirius chatting before." Of course her sister was the first to break the silence, always so good at placating and peace-making.

Rose shrugged. "Yeah. He just came over, said he wanted to chat. He seems nice."

Lily smiled. "I have to say, I never thought I'd be saying this, but he's a good man. They all are," she continued, gesturing to the Marauders, whose dancing had begun to look dangerously close to wrestling by now. "They're James' family. He's lucky to have them. I am too."

She paused, and if Rose didn't know her beautiful, confident sister any better, she'd think Lily was nervous. "They can be your family too, you know. Of course, I'm your family. But if you should ever need us, any of us, at all." Lily reached out to pat Rose's cheek. "We're here for you."

She cleared her throat and said the next part quickly, as though to get it over with. "James and I have a really nice flat, with plenty of rooms. Remus already stays there sometimes, and Sirius is just round the corner. You're welcome to stay with us anytime. When you're not at school, anyway."

Rose puckered her lips, uncomfortable with what Lily was suggesting. "I appreciate it, Lils, but you know I have to live with Petunia till I'm of age. I have a home."

Lily blushed, and Rose was struck with how strange it was to see confident Lily Potter so awkward, for once. "I know that. Of course I know that. I just thought-" she cut herself off, searching for the right words. "Are Petunia and Vernon treating you well?"

Rose bristled at the abrupt change of subject. "I'm fine. Obviously I'm fine. I think I would've said, if there were a problem."

"Of course you're fine," Lily soothed, reaching out to catch Rose's arm, but Rose took a step back, out of her reach. "I just worry, is all. You've been so quiet, Rosie, and then you come here and you sit all by yourself for hours. I just want to make sure you know that you have people in your corner. I just want to make sure you're alright."

"Well, thanks, but I don't need to be mothered actually," Rose huffed. "I don't know why you're choosing now of all times to take any interest anyway." The bitterness in her own words shocked her and seemed to shock Lily as well.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lily's green eyes were filled with hurt, and Rose sighed, arranging her features into their usual meek, unreadable mask.

"Nothing. I'm sorry. I'm just a bit tired, I think."

Lily nodded, brow still furrowed with concern. Forcing a smile, Rose patted the top of her sister's hand. "You should go have fun. It's your special day, and I'm so happy for you."

Lily nodded again, still seeming slightly shaken, but she made her way to the dance floor, where James and Sirius grabbed her and began to spin her around the room in a circle.

She was happy for her sister, Rose thought. She certainly didn't despise Lily, the way Petunia surely did. But as she made her way back to her seat, which she would occupy for the rest of the night, she still couldn't fully banish the small squalling creature inside of her that was awakened by her sister's words.

A/N: There are some things in this chapter that will make more sense as the story continues, but please let me know what you think of it as it is now.