Part Eleven:
When I got a promotion at the Ministry (I was Junior Assistant Executive at the Department of Games and Sports, a really fun job), my "manwhorisms", as Lily delicatly put it, got worse. I was drunk almost every weekend, going to the wizard bars and spending nights with so many witches in pub rooms that it made my head spin. I couldn't stop.
One Saturday night, I decided to go to a Muggle pub, just for fun. I was sitting at the bar, and everything had gone blurry: I had just downed five shots of tequila, and it was beginning to take over. I topped it off with a beer and sat back to watch all the Muggles, playing pool and smoking.
Suddenly, I spotted a girl sitting in a chair by the corner, watching the pool players. She was wearing a very short skirt, and when she crossed her legs I could see some of her lacy underwear. She caught my eye as she sipped her rum and Coke, and winked at me. I got up, unsteadily, and swaggered (I'd been working on this walk in front of my mirror, sort of a drunken strut) over to her.
She put her drink down when I came over, raising her eyebrows with interest. "Well, hello there," she said in a breathy voice. That's really all I remember...
Until I woke up in a pub bed, hours later. I was yanked from the bed by the front of my shirt with two rough hands, and slammed against the wall. I could hear a woman screaming hysterically, and felt a blow to the face before I came to my senses.
"Come on, stand up and fight like a man!" I felt another punch, hitting me right in the eye.
"Let him go! Nothing happened!"
"Shut up, slut! Shut the fuck up!"
Oh, shit. The woman had a boyfriend. And he was kicking my ass.
I got to my feet, nearly falling over again. "I'll teach you to mess with my bitch!" the big, burly man said, knocking me to the ground again. I moaned. Everything was so blurry.
"Just leave him alone! He didn't do anything!"
"I said SHUT UP!" I heard the sound of a slap and a scream. He hit her.
I struggled to my feet and pulled my wand out of my pocket. I held it to his face, and he laughed. "What're you gonna do, beat me with your twig?"
"Expellimarus," I slurred. But it worked: since he wasn't armed with anything, he was thrown to the back wall, looking dazed and stunned. The woman, sitting on the floor and clutching her cheek, gave me a horrified look. "I-"
"RUN!" she screamed, and I took off out of the room, down the stairs of the pub. I could vaguely hear the owner screaming at me to come back, but I ran outside. I found my motorcycle parked on the side of the building, and sped away. When I was out of sight, I took off into the sky.
The wind in my face helped wake me up from my daze. I rode through the sky, going where I always went when I was in trouble.
Lily and James's house.
I flew my bike into the front yard. The front door opened before I even cut the engine, and I saw the form of a six-month pregnaut Lily Potter standing there, with her hands on her hips.
"Sirius Black!" she yelled angrily. "What do you think you're doing?" I went over to the doorstep, and when I stepped into the light, she gasped. "Oh, my God! Get in here!" She grabbed my arm and pulled me inside. "What happened?" she asked in a soft voice, touching my face with a gentle hand.
I chuckled. "A fight."
"Oh, Sirius," she sighed. She motioned to a chair. "Go sit, I'll be back."
"Lil, don't." She didn't need to walk around so much, not when she was pregnaut.
"SIT!" She was getting the mother act down. I sat down obediantly, and she went into the kitchen. She came back with a goblet of red liquid. "It's from the batch I brewed, um, the last time."
As I drank the potion, I felt a stab of guilt. Lately, I'd been coming to the Potters after my drunken escapades. I'd mostly find Lily alone, since James was doing a lot of night time work for the Order of the Phoneix.
Lily sank into a chair opposite mine, sighing heavily. "Sirius, what did you get yourself into now?" When I started to speak, she held up a hand, looking tired. "No, wait. I don't want to know."
I tried to laugh. "Lil, it's not a big deal. I just got into a fight, nothing I can take care of." She scoffed: I wasn't exactly tough when it came to hand-to-hand combat. Now, I could handle duels. "It was just a Muggle," I said timidly.
She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "What did you do to him?"
"Just fought him off."
The other eyebrow went up. "With what?"
"My...my wand," I said timidly.
"SIRIUS!"
"Lil, don't-"
"A MUGGLE! For goodness sake, why can't you think sometimes?" She sighed. "Look, this can't keep going on, Sirius."
"Lil-"
"Just LISTEN," she snapped. Then she sighed again. "Look, times are changing fast. We have to be careful. Voldemort is gaining more and more support by the day. We don't know whose watching us, and who we can trust. It's this carelessness that'll get innocent people killed!"
I felt so horrible. More horrible then I'd ever felt in my life. Lily looked so disapointed in me, and the last thing I wanted to do was disapoint her. "I'm sorry, Lil," was all I could say.
"Me, too, Sirius. Because James and I have been talking. And..." she looked like she was almost going to cry, "...we decided that if you keep going on like this, getting drunk and having...um, being careless, that..." she took a deep breath, "...you wouldn't be the godfather of the baby."
"WHAT?!"
"It's for your own good, Sirius." Her voice was firmer now. "We're thinking about everyone here. Our child doesn't need a godfather whose-"
"So who'll be the godfather then, eh? The werewolf?" I immediatly regretted saying that, and Lily gasped. Then she glared at me and got to her feet. "Lil, I'm sorry!" I cried, scrambling after her. She was heading to the kitchen. "I didn't mean to say it, it was stupid. Remus is one of my best-" But I stopped short when I saw her standing in the middle of the kitchen, a hand against her pregnaut belly and a look of shock on her face. "Lil! What's wrong? Is the baby alright?"
She nodded slowly. "Oh...oh, Sirius! The baby just kicked!" Her voice was breathy, like the girl's at the pub, but this was different. She beckoned to me. "Come here and feel it!"
I went to her side and she siezed my hand, placing it on her belly. "Just wait, it'll...DID YOU FEEL THAT?"
I did. I felt the baby kick against my hand. I backed up, laughing. "You got a fighter in there, Lil." She looked so radiant. And I knew that I would move heaven and hell for her and the baby. "Lil, I'll change. I'll do it." For you, I didn't add.
"Oh, Sirius!" She wrapped her arms around me in an embrace. It was me, her and the baby.
I spent the night on the Potters couch, but woke up the next morning when my best friend threw a pillow at me, laughing. "Morning, Sunshine!" James trilled.
"Urg," I moaned. "Why the hell are you so damn chipper?"
"It's called coffee, my friend." He shoved a mug at me, and I sat up and drank. I spotted the "Daily Prophet" on the coffee table.
"Where's Lil?" I asked, looking around.
"Resting. Lord knows the woman has enough to worry about." He gave me a sharp look, making me feel guilty all over again.
"Yeah, I know I don't help much."
"Did she tell you?" I nodded, and he smiled again. "So, I heard that my baby kicked."
"A sharp one."
"First time, too. I haven't felt it kick yet." I felt another stab of guilt: if I had been doing the Order business, James could've been home with his wife and kid. Even though I was in love with Lily, had been for years, I knew that she loved James.
"Listen, Prongs. I can take your Order position for you...since I won't be, you know, doing stuff anymore." I gave him a weak smile, and he returned it.
"Thanks."
I finally felt good about myself. My "manwhorisms" were dead, and I was helping the people that meant the most to me. And when Harry James Potter was born, I was appointed his godfather.
But unfortunatly, things changed too quickly after that...
When I got a promotion at the Ministry (I was Junior Assistant Executive at the Department of Games and Sports, a really fun job), my "manwhorisms", as Lily delicatly put it, got worse. I was drunk almost every weekend, going to the wizard bars and spending nights with so many witches in pub rooms that it made my head spin. I couldn't stop.
One Saturday night, I decided to go to a Muggle pub, just for fun. I was sitting at the bar, and everything had gone blurry: I had just downed five shots of tequila, and it was beginning to take over. I topped it off with a beer and sat back to watch all the Muggles, playing pool and smoking.
Suddenly, I spotted a girl sitting in a chair by the corner, watching the pool players. She was wearing a very short skirt, and when she crossed her legs I could see some of her lacy underwear. She caught my eye as she sipped her rum and Coke, and winked at me. I got up, unsteadily, and swaggered (I'd been working on this walk in front of my mirror, sort of a drunken strut) over to her.
She put her drink down when I came over, raising her eyebrows with interest. "Well, hello there," she said in a breathy voice. That's really all I remember...
Until I woke up in a pub bed, hours later. I was yanked from the bed by the front of my shirt with two rough hands, and slammed against the wall. I could hear a woman screaming hysterically, and felt a blow to the face before I came to my senses.
"Come on, stand up and fight like a man!" I felt another punch, hitting me right in the eye.
"Let him go! Nothing happened!"
"Shut up, slut! Shut the fuck up!"
Oh, shit. The woman had a boyfriend. And he was kicking my ass.
I got to my feet, nearly falling over again. "I'll teach you to mess with my bitch!" the big, burly man said, knocking me to the ground again. I moaned. Everything was so blurry.
"Just leave him alone! He didn't do anything!"
"I said SHUT UP!" I heard the sound of a slap and a scream. He hit her.
I struggled to my feet and pulled my wand out of my pocket. I held it to his face, and he laughed. "What're you gonna do, beat me with your twig?"
"Expellimarus," I slurred. But it worked: since he wasn't armed with anything, he was thrown to the back wall, looking dazed and stunned. The woman, sitting on the floor and clutching her cheek, gave me a horrified look. "I-"
"RUN!" she screamed, and I took off out of the room, down the stairs of the pub. I could vaguely hear the owner screaming at me to come back, but I ran outside. I found my motorcycle parked on the side of the building, and sped away. When I was out of sight, I took off into the sky.
The wind in my face helped wake me up from my daze. I rode through the sky, going where I always went when I was in trouble.
Lily and James's house.
I flew my bike into the front yard. The front door opened before I even cut the engine, and I saw the form of a six-month pregnaut Lily Potter standing there, with her hands on her hips.
"Sirius Black!" she yelled angrily. "What do you think you're doing?" I went over to the doorstep, and when I stepped into the light, she gasped. "Oh, my God! Get in here!" She grabbed my arm and pulled me inside. "What happened?" she asked in a soft voice, touching my face with a gentle hand.
I chuckled. "A fight."
"Oh, Sirius," she sighed. She motioned to a chair. "Go sit, I'll be back."
"Lil, don't." She didn't need to walk around so much, not when she was pregnaut.
"SIT!" She was getting the mother act down. I sat down obediantly, and she went into the kitchen. She came back with a goblet of red liquid. "It's from the batch I brewed, um, the last time."
As I drank the potion, I felt a stab of guilt. Lately, I'd been coming to the Potters after my drunken escapades. I'd mostly find Lily alone, since James was doing a lot of night time work for the Order of the Phoneix.
Lily sank into a chair opposite mine, sighing heavily. "Sirius, what did you get yourself into now?" When I started to speak, she held up a hand, looking tired. "No, wait. I don't want to know."
I tried to laugh. "Lil, it's not a big deal. I just got into a fight, nothing I can take care of." She scoffed: I wasn't exactly tough when it came to hand-to-hand combat. Now, I could handle duels. "It was just a Muggle," I said timidly.
She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "What did you do to him?"
"Just fought him off."
The other eyebrow went up. "With what?"
"My...my wand," I said timidly.
"SIRIUS!"
"Lil, don't-"
"A MUGGLE! For goodness sake, why can't you think sometimes?" She sighed. "Look, this can't keep going on, Sirius."
"Lil-"
"Just LISTEN," she snapped. Then she sighed again. "Look, times are changing fast. We have to be careful. Voldemort is gaining more and more support by the day. We don't know whose watching us, and who we can trust. It's this carelessness that'll get innocent people killed!"
I felt so horrible. More horrible then I'd ever felt in my life. Lily looked so disapointed in me, and the last thing I wanted to do was disapoint her. "I'm sorry, Lil," was all I could say.
"Me, too, Sirius. Because James and I have been talking. And..." she looked like she was almost going to cry, "...we decided that if you keep going on like this, getting drunk and having...um, being careless, that..." she took a deep breath, "...you wouldn't be the godfather of the baby."
"WHAT?!"
"It's for your own good, Sirius." Her voice was firmer now. "We're thinking about everyone here. Our child doesn't need a godfather whose-"
"So who'll be the godfather then, eh? The werewolf?" I immediatly regretted saying that, and Lily gasped. Then she glared at me and got to her feet. "Lil, I'm sorry!" I cried, scrambling after her. She was heading to the kitchen. "I didn't mean to say it, it was stupid. Remus is one of my best-" But I stopped short when I saw her standing in the middle of the kitchen, a hand against her pregnaut belly and a look of shock on her face. "Lil! What's wrong? Is the baby alright?"
She nodded slowly. "Oh...oh, Sirius! The baby just kicked!" Her voice was breathy, like the girl's at the pub, but this was different. She beckoned to me. "Come here and feel it!"
I went to her side and she siezed my hand, placing it on her belly. "Just wait, it'll...DID YOU FEEL THAT?"
I did. I felt the baby kick against my hand. I backed up, laughing. "You got a fighter in there, Lil." She looked so radiant. And I knew that I would move heaven and hell for her and the baby. "Lil, I'll change. I'll do it." For you, I didn't add.
"Oh, Sirius!" She wrapped her arms around me in an embrace. It was me, her and the baby.
I spent the night on the Potters couch, but woke up the next morning when my best friend threw a pillow at me, laughing. "Morning, Sunshine!" James trilled.
"Urg," I moaned. "Why the hell are you so damn chipper?"
"It's called coffee, my friend." He shoved a mug at me, and I sat up and drank. I spotted the "Daily Prophet" on the coffee table.
"Where's Lil?" I asked, looking around.
"Resting. Lord knows the woman has enough to worry about." He gave me a sharp look, making me feel guilty all over again.
"Yeah, I know I don't help much."
"Did she tell you?" I nodded, and he smiled again. "So, I heard that my baby kicked."
"A sharp one."
"First time, too. I haven't felt it kick yet." I felt another stab of guilt: if I had been doing the Order business, James could've been home with his wife and kid. Even though I was in love with Lily, had been for years, I knew that she loved James.
"Listen, Prongs. I can take your Order position for you...since I won't be, you know, doing stuff anymore." I gave him a weak smile, and he returned it.
"Thanks."
I finally felt good about myself. My "manwhorisms" were dead, and I was helping the people that meant the most to me. And when Harry James Potter was born, I was appointed his godfather.
But unfortunatly, things changed too quickly after that...
