Lily pulled open the door, her frown relaxing into an exasperated smile when she saw Sirius's lazy grin. He swayed, listing to the right until Lily reached out to steady him.

"James, there's a strange drunk ruffian at our door," she said, chuckling as she turned to speak over her shoulder.

"Sod you, I'm not drunk." He tried to brush past her and tripped over the front step.

"For God's sake, Padfoot. You smell like you bathed in Ogden's, but sure. You're not drunk." She took his arm and guided him into the house, then eased him down into a chair at the kitchen table.

"Padfoot!" James set aside his Quidditch magazine and stood to clap him on the back. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

Sirius shrugged. "Dunno, really. I left the pub and meant to Apparate to my flat, but I have no fucking food at my flat, and you always have food here, and I suppose that's what I was thinking about, so I ended up here instead."

Lily imagined his flat: dark and empty, overflowing ashtrays and takeaway boxes littering every surface, nothing in the refrigerator but expired condiments and a few cans of beer. The thought made her chest ache with sadness.

"Is your way of asking me to make you something to eat?" she asked, heaving a sigh.

He tipped back in his chair; James had to jump sideways to avoid being knocked over. "Could you? You're the best, Evans – I don't care what Prongs says about you."

"Yeah, yeah. But keep your voice down. If you wake up Harry, you can go hungry."

A few minutes later the three of them sat around the table while Sirius happily munched a sandwich.

"You're lucky you didn't splinch yourself, Apparating in this state," Lily said, watching as he littered the floor with crumbs.

He gave another unconcerned shrug, and a tiny piece of cheese slid from his sandwich to land beside his shoe.

"Didn't want that bit, then?" James gestured at the cheese, grinning.

"I'll get it." Lily pointed her wand at the mess, but Sirius waved her hand away.

"Nah, don't. I did that on purpose. It's a snack for Minnie."

As if on cue, the cat slunk around the corner and wove in between Sirius's feet to snap up the piece of cheese.

"See?" Sirius leaned down to stroke her head. She licked her lips, then leapt onto his lap and curled into a ball. "That's why she likes me best."

Lily sighed. "I can't believe you named her that."

Sirius plucked a piece of meat from his sandwich and fed it to the cat. "Why? She looks just like Minnie."

James chuckled. "Although I don't think Minnie Sr. ever does that thing where she lifts her leg in the air and licks herself."

"I wouldn't rule it out," Sirius said, raising his eyebrows. "Don't underestimate the weird shit people do in the privacy of their own homes."

After Sirius devoured the rest of the sandwich, James helped him to bed while Lily Vanished the remaining crumbs. When she made her way into the living room, she found Sirius sprawled on the couch while James pried off his boots.

"You don't want to sleep in the guest room?" she asked, setting a glass on the coffee table.

Sirius's eyes were already closed, and his words were blurred by alcohol and weariness. "Too many stairs." He pushed himself up to grab a blanket draped over the back of the sofa.

"Quit moving," James grumbled. "I'm trying to untie your bloody – no, not that blanket, Pads." He plucked the blanket from Sirius's grasp and tossed it onto the armchair. "Evs will be furious if you puke on it."

Lily flashed James an affectionate smile. That blanket was her favorite – Peter had knitted it from the softest yarn she had ever felt, and the pale green shade reminded her of new spring leaves.

"I'm not going to puke," Sirius muttered. "The sandwich soaked it all up."

"I hope you're right." Lily tucked a faded patchwork quilt around Sirius, then poked his cheek until his eyes fluttered open. "Hey. Drink that, alright?" She pointed to the glass on the coffee table.

His eyebrows narrowed. "If it's water, you can fuck right off – I'm not drinking it."

She rolled her eyes. "Relax. It's pumpkin juice – I know you."

He grinned and reached for it. A few droplets of juice spattered onto the quilt as he took a sip. His eyes closed again as soon as he set the glass back on the coffee table.

"When did we adopt your best friend?" Lily murmured, nodding at Sirius's sleeping form.

James snaked his arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head. "We did say we wanted more kids."

Minnie jumped down from the armchair and eyed Sirius for a moment. He didn't stir when she sprang up and settled on his chest, her purrs mingling with his steady breathing.

"Thanks, Evs."

Lily looked up at James, puzzled. "For what?"

He gestured at Sirius. "For not batting an eye when he stumbles in here, drunk and demanding a sandwich."

Her face split into a grin. "I don't mind. He's your brother – he's my brother, too, and I love him. Even if he does drop crumbs all over the floor and our own cat likes him better than she likes me."

"Cats play favorites – everyone knows that." He grabbed her favorite blanket from the back of the armchair and placed it around her shoulders. "Come on, let's go to bed."

Lily flicked her wand to plunge the room into darkness, then reconsidered and turned on the hall light so Sirius wouldn't break his neck if he had to use the bathroom. He shifted in his sleep, but Minnie so much as twitch her whiskers. Bloody unfair, Lily thought, shaking her head as she followed James up to bed and left Sirius and the cat to doze together in the hushed silence.