Author's Note: Sorry this is a day late, I honestly forgot about it yesterday. That said, my beta, Arnel, hasn't seen it, so I take responsibility for any mistakes. I know a lot of you do not like Lily right now, and she's not very likable, but there is a reason and you begin to hear about it later in this chapter. Now, the story is rated M, and the conversation at the beginning of the chapter is a bit racy. I stand by the biology, and please keep in mind that these two are 40 years old. Thanks to all who are reading, MNF

Chapter 16:

Quidditch

March 4, 2000

Junie and Sirius were up early on a Saturday morning, something which didn't usually happen. Still, today was important as it was the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Quidditch match at Hogwarts, and while Junie would do her best to be impartial, Sirius would not. They wouldn't be sitting together, as Junie would be in the Headmistresses box with the rest of the teaching staff and some other Ministry officials, and Sirius would be with their friends in the family section. He had been offered a spot sitting with Junie and Minerva, but people would have caught on to the two of them, and neither wanted to distract from the students today.

"Sirius, I think it's time we contacted the press and went public with our relationship. I hate that I can't walk in with you or have you sit with me. Minerva would love it if you were there," Junie said as they ate their breakfast in the kitchen. Junie had handled the coffee, toast, and eggs, thus allowing Minsey the early morning off. Everyone was coming for dinner tonight. Junie and Minsey had divvied up the work, making it less of production for either of them. Minsey would start the bread later this morning and then prep the vegetables that were going into the cottage pie. Junie would make the pies last, one with minced beef and one vegetarian with aubergine, zucchini, and peppers. Junie would be handling the pudding, making her neater version of an Eton mess.

"You're sure? It's liable to be a zoo for a bit of time after we do this," he said.

"I know, but we can't keep coming and going at different times when we're going to the same place. I want to take you shopping with me on Diagon Alley and go to lunch at the Leaky Cauldron if we want. I love Muggle London, and I have no qualms about our dates continuing there, but I think it's time. Plus, you need to be honest with the wizarding world since they elected you."

"I do loathe being less than honest with the wider public," Sirius agreed. "Anyone who knows me well already is aware of us. James has accused me of being unable to say more than two sentences before I mention you." Junie had stood to clear their dishes and refill their coffee cups. At hearing his dilemma with James, she sat down on his lap and ringed her arms around his neck. His immediately went to her waist.

"When James gets cheeky, you remind him of the nights you slept in the common room for him, or how you were forced to pair with Peter in Potions for him."

"Always so smart," he said before kissing her. "Last night was wonderful," he said quietly. "We're nearly there, Junie. I can't wait to make love to you."

"Me either. When it happens, it will be beautiful."

"Don't count on that, Junie," he answered, and she looked at him, confused. "Look, I've done this more than once, unfortunately, and while it will be different because we're adults and we know what the other enjoys, there is inevitable discomfort for the woman. I will do everything in my power to make it more bearable, but we undoubtedly will want to forget the first time."

"Sirius, you are a better lover than that. It usually is unsatisfactory for the young woman when the young man hasn't prepped her well enough. That is never your issue. We are not students anymore. I know the mechanics of intercourse. I should warn you that the barrier-breaking you're concerned about probably won't happen."

"What? Why?"

"Sirius, as you said, I am a woman, and any number of things can rupture the hymen along the way. The chances are that it ripped years ago. Physical activity, like riding my bicycle about the village when I'm home, and I've ridden horses many times in my life. Heck, broom ridding could probably do it too."

"Oh, I didn't know that could occur."

"Plus, there are certain medical examinations as well as other items which one can insert for pleasure. Hell, your rather long fingers could have done the deed if it still existed when we first got together."

"Well, this is the most illuminating conversation. Most of my former lovers didn't discuss such things."

"I'm sure; it's not like it's something which one generally discusses at the breakfast table. You'll find that living with me makes you privy to a whole bevy of new experiences," Junie said, and Sirius looked at her bemusedly. "You weren't tied to popping my cherry, were you?" Sirius threw his head back and laughed.

"You keep me on my toes, Junie Meadows, and that's why I love you."

"I love you for a thousand reasons too, Sirius Black."

When the coffees were finished, each went their separate ways to the school. Sirius Flooed to Remus and Marlene's, and then they were Apparating to the gates and walking to the pitch. Junie Flooed into her office and went down to the great hall to catch the last of the breakfast rush and find Rosie Potter. They'd missed last week's tea, and Junie wanted to know how her goddaughter and her beau, Miles Tolbert, had reconciled. She also hoped to remind Charlie Potter not to kill himself.

It was difficult to stay impartial on Quidditch days, as Junie used to root solely for her old house. Today she had Charlie Potter flying and the first time another nephew in John Lupin, who had made the team this year. Both Chasers would be battling each other for the Quaffle, something which might strain their relationship. Junie would be a good auntie and remain neutral.

"John," she called out to Remus and Marlene's eldest, and he jogged over to where she was standing by the door. "Have a good match today."

"Thanks, Auntie Junie. You gonna be with Uncle Sirius?" he asked in a soft tone.

"No, I'm going to sit in the teachers' box, and he's going to be with your mum and dad and Auntie Lily and Uncle James. The Pettigrews are working today. Wait until you see his jumper."

"Another Gryffindor extravaganza?" John asked, and a strained look overtook Junie.

Sirius had commissioned a series of over-the-top jumpers and hats through Peter's store over the years Harry was playing. He was happy to get some use out of them again. Harry had convinced him that wearing anything as gaudy to his professional matches would mean Harry wouldn't sit and drink with his godfather after the game. Along with James and Remus, the pair had a tradition of Firewhisky and replays if the Wimbourne Wasps won and beer and fewer repetitions if they lost. They all got drunker on beer than whisky.

"It's unlike anything you'll have ever seen," Junie said. She was more than willing to admit she'd laughed for a good five minutes.

"Uncle Sirius is awesome. I'm glad you two are together; it makes our family complete." With that, John Lupin wrapped his arms around his aunt, right there in the middle of the breakfast rush, and hugged her tightly. He then ran off to join his Quidditch team. John had always been a child who liked to be held. As a baby, he loved it when Junie would rock him, and she'd spent hours helping Marlene and Remus. Even as John had aged, he was the one child you could count on wanting to climb into your lap for a story. Even at Christmas this year, at thirteen, he sat next to his aunt, and they worked together to string popcorn for the family tree. John might be an outstanding Quidditch player, but he was a warm, sensitive child inside.

When she finally reached the head table, Professor Matthews and Professor Sprout were making a friendly bet which involved tending to some delicate and difficult to feed plants for Professor Matthews if Gryffindor lost, while Pomona would be required to de-doxy the classroom after the third years learned about them in Defence if Hufflepuff did poorly.

"You're going to let this go on?" Junie asked Minerva as she sat down next to her.

"I hear nothing," the headmistress replied. "I had a similar relationship with the professors when I was head of house. After seeing Harry fly for the first time, they made the tasks I would need to complete far more difficult than they had been before."

Junie laughed. "Well, someone of Harry's skill doesn't come along very often. Then you had Ginny come along a few years later. Was there something in the water?"

"Those two might be the most naturally gifted players I've ever known. When they have children, they will either outshine their parents or hate the sport."

"I think that's why Rosie doesn't play for her house," Junie said while sipping another cup of coffee. "She was so tired of Quidditch by the time she made it to Hogwarts; she wanted to do anything she could to distinguish herself from her brother." Minerva tutted her response before putting her hand over Junie's.

"How are you, my dear?"

"Wonderful. Classes are going well; I've been spending some of my free time working on a proposal for a magical primary school for families who are currently homeschooling their children before Hogwarts with Marlene," Junie said excitedly. "Lily's working with us too," she added less so than before. "Sirius has promised to read it, and if the proposal is sound, Remus and James will be able to present it."

"Why not you? You could be in the Hogwarts seat that day."

"I don't want it to look like Sirius' girlfriend is making waves, just because she can. Both James and Remus have established seats on the Wizengamot; the Hogwarts one is filled with whoever can have time off."

"Yes, that is true, but we are talking about the education of the children who will one day come to this school. Let me see the proposal as well; I may have information that would bolster your point. Certainly, we should insist on penmanship lessons before they arrive."

"Honestly, Minerva, I've thought we might need a short-term class which covers topics like this, for both children who grew up the Wizarding world as well as the Muggles. Things like how to write with a quill—which I still wonder why we use instead of pencils and Biros like the Muggle world, the basics of sentence structure and punctuation. The conversion of Muggle money to Wizarding gold. I can go on, especially when we add in personal charms like laundry, cleanliness, and body odours."

"I think we need to have tea one day with your friends and flesh it out. You're touching on subjects many of the professors have mentioned, and we all know about how our younger male students often look and smell. Clever idea, Junie. Before you and Sirius leave today, please chat with me." Junie nodded excitedly before the two women stood and prepared to walk to the pitch.

Junie and Minerva dressed warmly, although the box was spelled to be a comfortable temperature. Students said hello and greeted the pair warmly, which made Junie's smile even more expansive. She did catch Charlie at the last moment, running through the halls to make it to the pitch.

"Hey, mister, no running in the halls," Junie said. "Stand still for a moment, please." Charlie huffed but then stood in front of his aunt and headmistress. "I just wanted to remind you that if you do something on the pitch to John, it might change your relationship. Play fair, and there won't be any problems."

"Dad said the same thing this morning, so did Harry in a letter," Charlie said.

"Good. Friendships are more important than Quidditch." Minerva tutted at this.

"You don't get it, Auntie Junie. I promise, I'll play clean, but it's going to be a good battle between us," John said and walked briskly off. Junie was sure that when he turned the corner, he'd start running again.

"You are an excellent aunt," Minerva said.

"Thanks. For a long time, I thought that was all I would be. Now, I think about having Sirius' children, and I don't hate the idea. I loved when everyone's kids were little, but I only had them for a few hours and then gave them back. It's the full-time nature of motherhood that bothers me."

"Well, I'm told that there is a bond with your own child which compels you to care for them. Not to mention, you'd be sharing those responsibilities with Sirius, who relishes time with small children. Last year, not long before Christmas, I saw him on Diagon Alley with a cluster of wee ones gathered about him as he read a story to them. The children were captivated, and he was doing different voices for the characters. When he was done, he took down each child's name and their Christmas wish. I don't doubt every one of those wishes came true," Minerva said.

"Ah, so he's the one who drew that from the hat," Junie said in understanding. Minerva looked confused, so she continued. "We, the adults, don't give gifts to each other anymore. We don't need anything, and if we want something, we have the means to buy it. Instead, we each create a giving opportunity for someone else to do. I pulled doing something special for the children in the paediatric wing of St. Mungo's on Christmas. I made each of them stockings and filled them with hospital friendly activities. I put in the hat to read a Christmas story to children bored from shopping on Diagon Alley. Sirius must have added the gift part. When he does things like that, things no one knows about, it makes me love him more."

"I think the two of you are well matched in that regard," Minerva said as they exited the school. They climbed the stairs to the professors' box, and it didn't take a lot of work to find her friends, Sirius smack dab in the middle. "What in the world is Sirius wearing, Juniper?"

"Firstly, I had nothing to do with that. He commissioned it all on his own. It's a half Hufflepuff, half Gryffindor jumper and hat. He wanted to make the hat larger, but then I reminded him of the lion hat Luna Lovegood had made and decided he shouldn't emulate it." Sirius caught her eye and bowed to her. "He's subtle too."

"If you're attempting to keep your relationship a secret, he's not doing a particularly passable job of it," Pomona Sprout commented. The teachers all knew, as it was an essential topic of conversation at the last staff breakfast. She was the only Hogwarts professor who had dated anyone in generations.

"We are going to go public this week, so it doesn't matter that much," Junie replied.

"Are you taking sides today?" Pomona asked.

"With an honorary nephew on both teams, no way. I'm just hoping no one ends up in the Hospital Wing."

"That is something we all desire. I wish you luck in staying neutral." Pomona said before she began cheering loudly as the Hufflepuff team flew onto the field for their warmups.

The gang, minus the Pettigrews as they had to work until five, gathered at Grimmauld Place when the match was over. Junie had prepared lots of nibbles, which she just needed to reheat. There were healthy choices like hummus and veggies, which she and Marlene seemed to be the primary partakers; as well as mini pizzas made on dough Junie had made herself. There were sausage rolls, nachos made with black beans, bruschetta, scotch eggs, and vegetable samosas. Dinner wasn't for hours so that everyone could dig in. This was so much better than trying to talk over a meal at The Three Broomsticks, and the girls had agreed they never wanted to go to the Hog's Head again after an incident with a rat in the lavatory a year ago.

"I can't believe Hufflepuff won," James said that night as the nibbles were passed around.

"Gryffindor isn't the same team without Ginny or Harry, for that matter," Remus replied. It was true, they were weaker last year, but Ginny and several other players were still on the team for the days when Harry had been captain, and they held on to the Quidditch Cup. Now, only two players left who had played with Ginny as captain, who was an equally brutal taskmaster. This year they were a young team and weren't cohesive yet. However, they had future years together to get better.

"Well, I think boy boys played well," Sirius said. "I was impressed with John's speed."

"Thanks, Sirius," Marlene said like a proud mum. "He worked hard over the summer so that he'd make the team. He didn't want to tell anyone how badly he wanted it in case he didn't make it."

"He and Charlie spent enough time racing around the pitch at home," Lily added. "I'm glad they really didn't have to battle for the Quaffle much."

"No, I'm glad for that too," Junie agreed. "I reminded them both that their friendship was more important than a match. Minerva was with me, and she made a noise of disagreement when I did. That woman is crazy about Quidditch." Junie was cuddled up with Sirius, but the vertical fringe on the sleeve of his sweater was tickling her face. She was also finding it hard to place her head on his chest, as it was the Hufflepuff side, and there was a puffy felted badger on his breast, right where she'd liked to lay her head. "We're home now, and EVERYONE has seen your ridiculous jumper, so will you please take it off? I can't lay my head anywhere."

"Fine, I'll pop upstairs and put something else on," he said before literally Disapparating from the couch. Junie tipped over into the space where he'd been.

"Where did he get that jumper?" Marlene asked.

"He and Peter designed it, and then he ordered it through the store. There's also a side for Ravenclaw, should anyone ever have a child from my old house. He refused to have a Slytherin one made, on principle," Junie explained. Sirius returned wearing the same jeans but now had on a Queen tee-shirt with a red button-down open over the top. He sat back where he was, and Junie cuddled up against him. "Much better," she sighed.

"So, I heard a rumour that you're going public this week," James said.

"Where did you hear that from?" Sirius asked.

"I told Minerva," Junie admitted. "Can't tell that woman a secret." The group laughed.

"We are; I'll contact Profound for a decent reporter to come and interview us at my office in the Ministry. I want whoever it is to remember who they are talking to. No more wild accusations or false narratives," Sirius stated firmly.

"You ready, Junie?" Lily asked in a strange tone. "There's more of his past to bring to light than yours."

"Merlin, Lily, give it a rest. We don't have any secrets between us, and that includes his past dating history. I've accepted that he's slept with other women. I've moved past it. Sirius is with me now, and I intend to be the last person he's ever going to share a bed with." Junie was sick of her attitude.

"You're so naïve, Junie. He's going to break your heart," Lily persisted.

"He will, happens in every relationship at some time, and then you work through it. I am certain, though, that Sirius isn't going to shag someone else. Why are you so obsessed with this?"

"Because it hasn't been two months yet, Junie, and you're so sure of him. This is Sirius Black, Hogwarts heartbreaker we're talking about. Tell her some of the stories you told me, James. How many times did you have to help him get potions for diseases or help extricate him from somewhere he didn't want to be in the wee hours of the morning?"

Junie felt like her friend had punched her. Sirius had mentioned in passing about one scare he'd had in his early twenties when he'd met someone in a bar and ended up spending the night at her place. They'd not had sex, but they did nearly everything else. James had come to collect him since he was still drunk at six the next morning, and he was afraid he'd splinch himself. She moved herself a bit away from him while Marlene came to sit on the arm of the couch and took her hand.

"Lily, please, this isn't the time to talk about things that happened decades ago. We're in their home, come on, be nice," James whispered.

"It isn't their home; it's his home," Lily bit back. "Junie, you're giving up everything for a man who has proven time and again he can't be what the women he's with need him to be."

"Maybe that's because he was waiting for me," Junie said softly. "I know who Sirius is. I haven't spent the last thirty years of my life with blinders on, Lily. There's something about the two of us together that works. I know we moved fast; no one was more surprised by it than I was. It just feels right, like this is the thing I've been waiting for. I've lived a half-life until now.

"Do you remember when you were describing what it was like to kiss James when you two first got together? You said it was like you were soaring and burning at the same time. You needed him like you needed air. That's the bond you share. We feel the same. If it weren't that we promised you could come here today and then have supper, we would be upstairs, probably naked and enjoying ourselves."

"Junie has officially been corrupted," Marlene said with a sly smile. "Well done, Sirius."

"It's always the quiet ones you need to watch out for," Remus said, and Sirius picked up a throw pillow and tossed it at his head.

"Lily, I hope that everything you've been saying was because you're trying to be a good friend, and if it was done in that spirit, then I say thank you. However, I've made my choice, and I'm old enough to live with the consequences. I love him, Lils."

"I'm madly in love with her too," Sirius added. "There hasn't ever been a woman who made me want to settle down. Junie makes me see a different future. I might have been a cad when I was younger, but I've grown up. I hope you can see that."

"I just don't want to see you end up wondering if you've done the right thing. If you've given away your life to someone and then…" Lily trailed off.

"You know what? I need to work on some food in the kitchen. Ladies, grab your wine, and let's head down there. These three are going to rehash the match." Junie spoke up, unsure where Lily was headed, but confident enough to not want to hear it in mixed company that included her husband.

"Is she drunk?" Marlene asked as they went down the stairs. Junie just shook her head in confusion and shrugged.