Chapter Fifteen: Between Friends

While all of this was transpiring, back at Remus's house, he and Sirius were having a late night chat. Peter had fallen asleep long ago while they were watching a quidditch game.

"I think," Remus said, sighing, "that we should back off."

"Back off?" Sirius said. "On what?"

"On James," Remus sighed again. "We haven't been real friends to him lately. I mean, even if he's wrong, we shouldn't take sides with Lily. That's like adding insult to injury."

Sirius nodded. "I suppose you're right," Sirius said. "But we like Lily, don't we? I mean, isn't she our friend too?"

"She is," Remus agreed, "But we have been James's friend longer. We can still be friends with Lily, but just not so… prominently. You know? Like maybe around James we shouldn't make it so glaringly obvious."

"Yeah," Sirius sighed. "I just don't understand James though. I mean, he doesn't like Cheri and Cheri certainly doesn't like him. Why is he doing this?"

"I think he wants to prove to Lily that he's fine without her, and he doesn't want to admit that he and Cheri are completely wrong for each other," Remus replied thoughtfully.

"You're a wise man, Moony," Sirius shook his head. "Despite being a you-know-what, you have the least amount of shit in your life out of all of us. Well, except Peter." They chuckled at that, thinking of uncomplicated, unassuming Peter.

"Whaddya mean?" Remus frowned. "What's so bad about your life?"

"Well, I mean, my parents aren't in my life anymore, but I still miss them," Sirius sighed. He had moved in with James just the summer before—he couldn't take his parents' unethical and tyrannical ways anymore. "I miss my cousins as well. I mean, I see Narcissa and Bellatrix and…" Sirius trailed off, sighing. "They're gone, Moony. They've succumbed."

"What about Andromeda?"

"Andy's doing fine with Ted, last I heard. We still keep in touch, and I'm glad for her—I am. I hope I meet someone I love as much as she loves Ted. In her last letter she confided that she suspected she was pregnant, although she wasn't quite sure how she should tell Ted. She said that I was the only Black who knew. And I feel bad when I know that I'm the only Black who will."

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Back at Hogwarts, James laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. To think, she was only a couple rooms away… he only had to walk down those stairs and across the common and room and…

Stop thinking about her, he told himself sternly. It's no use to. You have Cheri.

James suspected that that was what Lily was thinking when she apologized and ran off. He hadn't seen her since.

He lay there for what seemed like a few more hours, and drifted off into a light and uneasy sleep.

Down the stairs… across the room… to the portrait door….

"Where are you going?" A clear, sweet voice that he so loved called from behind him.

"I was just looking for you," he turned and went to her, sitting at the couch, waiting for him.

"For me? But I've been here all along," she giggled as he slid his arms around her waist from behind and kissed the side of her neck.

"I'm sorry," he said, the sound muffled as he talked against the column of her neck.

"Mmm, don't be," she said, her voice deeper, throatier.

James grinned as he kissed his way up her throat and to her ear. He let his lips glide over her cheek and hovered right above her mouth. He looked at her half-lidded eyes for a moment, fascinated with the way her shamrock green eyes were darkening. For him… or rather, because of him.

"What are you waiting for?" She grinned back at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Just savoring the moment," he murmured. "You're so beautiful, you know that, don't you? I'm sorry if I sound cheesy or overrated… but it's true."

She flushed a little as she heard the admiration in his voice, as she saw the affection and tenderness in his eyes. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Anytime, love," he whispered before kissing her. "Anytime."

It started out slow and sweet, as kisses usually do, but it escaladed into passion and excitement, with her fingers in his hair, and him bringing her as close as they could get. Their tongues pushed up against the other and their breathing was ragged and hot. The fireplace helped push the temperature higher and higher until it became like a sauna.

It was she who pulled away from his lips and now did what he did to her earlier by kissing down his throat and lightly sucking on where his neck and his shoulder met.

"Oh gods, Lily," he breathed.

She stopped, grinning up mischievously. The site of her, with her flushed cheeks, glassy eyes, and mused hair set James's heart aflutter. He knew then; this was the girl he wanted; this was the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his days with.

And upon that thought, he woke up.

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Author's Note: That last line, was both literally and figuratively speaking, whichever way you wanna look at it.

In italics, that was a dream. I felt it was only fair to give it to you, due to the long wait… and the fact that in "real life" in my story, they're not gonna be snogging like that for a very long time… sorry.

Originally, this was just to be a filler chapter, to explain any questions you had due to Sirius and Remus's loyalty towards James, but then it only came up to be like a page, so I added James and his dream sequence. Just pure fluff that will hopefully tie you over.

I wanted to go in a little bit of detail on Sirius's life as well, and his severed family ties. And his cousin Andy's pregnant with our favorite Tonks. Yay, go Tonks! LOL. (Hmmmm… how do you like the idea of Tonks and Remus in the books? I haven't formed an opinion on them yet.)

I have the whole story planned out, have for a while, I just need to get the individual chapters written out, which may take a while. I've hit a roadblock in that sense, so please be patient.

Moving on, I've finally gotten 100 reviews! Thank you all, this is much more than what I ever expected.

So 'til next time…