Chapter Three: Telling My Best Friend That I Kissed His Girl

July came and went by the time Sirius decided to pull up for air. He had spent the last week dating Lily and loving every minute he spent with her. He wasn't expected to be cool Sirius Black or funny Sirius Black. He wasn't expected to be anything at all except himself. This was something he had only had with his closest friends and never a girl.

The only time he thought about James was at night when he had time to dwell on his best friend. He missed him terribly but did not relish the overwhelming guilt he knew he would experience after being reunited with him. And it was August. They would be back any day now.

The Marauders weren't really big on correspondence unless it was absolutely necessary. Being the lazy boys that they were, they simply preferred talking rather than actually going through the trouble of writing down their thoughts to each other. (Except for Remus but the rest of the boys had a bad influence on him) The Marauders believed that written correspondence should be saved for when it was absolutely necessary and there was nothing better to do, like during class; more specifically, during History of Magic. So it was safe to say that none of the Marauders knew about Sirius' friendship or courtship of Lily Evans. It would be up to him to tell them in person. He wasn't very thrilled.

He rang the doorbell to Peter's home in the country where he lived with his mother. His father died when he was very young and his mother worked a full time job so the boys would have the house to themselves most of the time.

'I hope James isn't here yet,' Sirius thought nervously. 'I really want to talk to Moony first.' He had just completed this last thought when none other than James Potter opened the door with twinkling eyes behind his wire-rimmed glasses and a huge, silly smile on his face.

"Padfoot!" Sirius had just enough time to wince as James wrapped him in a big hug around his waist and twirled him around like he was a doll.

Peter and Remus ran into the room, the former with chocolate on his mouth and the latter with a happy grin on his, watching James set a dizzy Sirius back down on the ground and ruffle his hair.

"I thought I was supposed to be the hyper one," Sirius grumbled while straightening his hair.

"I think we gave him too many brownies." Remus said with an eyebrow lifted and a weary look on his face.

"Hello Moony!" Sirius copied James' actions and twirled Remus around the room (he was having an easier time with it seeing as Remus was rather light) and James laughed, closing the door behind him.

"Sirius! Padfoot put me down!" Obeying the disgruntled commands of his werewolf friend, he tossed Remus on the couch and turned his eyes on Peter.

"Wormy!"

Peter held up his hands defensively but seeing that Sirius wasn't going to back down, he ran behind James and wailed, "I get motion sickness! Help me Prongs!"

James laughed again and said, "Guess what, Sirius! Peter has a television and some movies we can watch! Doesn't that sound fun?"

Sirius' eyes widened and he smiled brightly. "Yay! Fellytission!"

Remus slapped his hand against his forehead and groaned. "It's amazing I'm even still sane."

The boys would be staying the weekend.

Sirius arrived on Friday and they spent the entire night watching The Wizard of Oz at Sirius' insistence until they had the whole movie memorized, dialogue and lyrics.

It was three in the morning when they finally turned the "fellytission" off and went to sleep after watching the movie six times.

"That should be a bloody record," Remus mumbled as his head hit the pillow.

"Yeah." James agreed. "Oh, by the way, that was a nice try with the remote control. I think you almost got it down his throat the second time.

Peter. Snore.

Sirius. Toilet flush.

"Thanks," Remus replied sleepily.

Sirius walked back into the room and lay down on his cot. He listened silently as James began his nightly ritual.

In a home life as utterly beautiful as James, Sirius expected no less than the traditional family stereotypes. James didn't have the perfect home by any means, but Sirius wasn't surprise when, right before goodnights in his home, James' mother and father reminded him to "say his prayers."

At ten years old, Sirius teased him to no end but found that over the years, James' nightly prayer was a comfort.

At Hogwarts, and at any other school, people were always careful about not forcing their religion on anyone. Peter surprised the boys by being an atheist. Sirius admitted to only practicing religion when he was in trouble.

Remus surprised the boys by being Catholic.

Nevertheless, James never forced the others to pray but always said his prayers out loud to which his friends would mutter an 'amen' or a 'hallelujah' where the timing was right. Sometimes Sirius would throw in an "I hear ya, reverend." But prayer was a time to send their fears and wishes to someone else so they didn't have to worry about them on their own.

"Dear Heavenly Father," this opening sometimes changed. For example, if James was having a particularly hard day, he would say, "Dear You Cynical Tyrant," or something along those lines. This would often cause Remus to make an odd sound in the back of his throat but would usually go unquestioned. "Dear Heavenly Father," James began, "I want to thank you for enabling all of us to be here together. I also would like to thank you, on behalf of my friend, Sirius, for ruby red slippers and flying monkeys."

"Amen, Reverend!" Sirius chipped in.

"I would also like to pray for a good school year, even though we haven't gone back to school yet, and for all our hopes and dreams to be granted. Particularly those that have to do with a beautiful red haired angel with green eyes."

Sirius, having totally forgotten about his previous dilemma, was rudely thrown back into reality and nervousness. He choked on his saliva and ended up falling off of his cot and sputtering on the floor.

All the boys sat up (except for Peter. Snore.) and James asked, "Are you alright, Padfoot?"

"Yeah." Sirius rasped, getting back on his cot with a final cough and clearing his throat. "Continue."

James gave him a weird look before finishing, "And I hope that Sirius, especially, finds a happy future seeing as his childhood was less than perfect."

Sirius swallowed his groan of guilt at that last thought and muttered an 'amen.'

This was either going to be a very long weekend or a very short one.

"Moony?"

"Yes, Padfoot?"

"I have something to confess."

"Sirius, you would make a great Catholic seeing as you find confessing your sins so enlightening."

"Haha. Can you help me or what?"

"What's your confession about?"

"Betrayal."

Pause.

"Alright. I'm all ears."

"I made friends with Lily Evans over the summer in Diagon Alley."

"Well that's not bad Padfoot. I'm friends with her too."

"No, you don't get it. I made friends with her but now I'm kind of dating her."

Pause.

"Are you going to break her heart, Sirius?"

"That wouldn't be too bad. James would be her rebound."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I fell in love with her."

Pause.

"Are you sure?"

"I've never felt this way about anyone in my entire life."

Pause.

"What are you going to do?"

"Well I have to tell James, don't I? But I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"That I'll break his heart."

"Oh."

"Is that all you can say!"

"Describe it."

"Describe what?"

"Your love for her."

"Um…she makes me…feel…different?"

Cough.

"Is that all?"

"No! I just can't think right now! Who are you, the Spanish Inquisition?"

"I'm just trying to help."

Sigh.

"I know."

Pause.

"I'm going to tell him, Moony."

"Okay."

"Will you be there with me."

"Sure."

"Hey, Moony?"

"Yes Sirius?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

He punched him!

In the nose!

On his perfect, (well, once perfect), nose!

Remus was holding back James as he tried, in vain, to get back at Sirius. They had forgotten how strong Remus was despite his appearance and now his werewolf strength was coming in handy as he kept a firm hold on his friend.

James was red in the face and his glasses were askew on his nose. There were angry tears filling his hazel eyes and his fist was cut from hitting Sirius so hard.

Peter was holding up a tissue to Sirius' nose so he wouldn't get blood on his mom's carpet while Sirius' head was still spinning.

'This wasn't supposed to go this way.'

"What the hell do you think you're doing Potter!" He yelled at his friend in a nasally voice as he tried not to choke on the blood dripping down his throat.

"I'm trying to kill you, you fucking bastard!"

Everything went quiet and James seemed to know exactly what he had said.

He was a bastard in a sense but nobody brought it up, least of all James.

James stopped struggling and the tears were behind Sirius' eyes instead.

"How could you, Sirius. You betrayed me."

"Go to hell, Potter." Sirius practically whispered.

James became angry again and shouted, "I hate you, Sirius Black! You ruined my life!" He stormed out of the house, the door banging against the wall, and took off down the lane. Remus gave Sirius a sympathetic look and took off after James while Peter stayed to help Sirius clean up.

Peter stayed inside to fix up the mess in the living room and make lunch while Sirius went outside to be alone. He was sitting under the same willow tree for an hour before he decided to go inside.

His nose hurt and his head hurt and the back of his throat tasted like blood no matter how many times he gargled. Most of all, his heart hurt.

He had just opened the door to the kitchen a crack when he heard voices.

"…because he did come out and tell you. I think he really likes her, Jamie, and she seems to like him back if they're going out."

"It's just not fair, Remus! I…" James paused, unsure of what he wanted to say.

"James," Remus said, rather sternly. "Do you really love Lily or are you angry because you wanted her first?"

Sirius heard glass shatter against a wall and was about to charge in and make sure James hadn't killed Moony when he heard a chair scrape in floor and someone plop down heavily.

"Of course I love her, Moony!"

"I was just making sure, Prongs." Remus said with a placating tone.

James sighed. "She's the one. You just know when this is the one you'll never get over. That you could leave and never see her for twenty years and then come back and know you are still in love with her and everything else is meaningless. I've known since fourth year and I know nothing is going to change that."

"What about Sirius?" Remus asked in a low voice.

"I'm not ready to deal with him, yet. I don't know if I ever will be."

"But he's your best friend." Peter finally put in.

"No." James said, shakily. "I thought he was."

That was it. Sirius couldn't take it anymore. He had to leave.

He went around the house to the front door where he snuck in through the living room and upstairs to get his things. He wrote a quick note to Remus telling him that he was going to stay in Diagon Alley for the remainder of the summer and would see them on the Hogwarts Express.

He snuck back out of the front door and walked a mile down the lane before sticking his wand out and waiting for the Knight Bus.

TBC…

A/N: I'm beginning to work on a new story called, "Juliet", which will be a Romeo and Juliet story starring the Marauders. It will be different from the story line but I promise it will be interesting. I'll begin posting it once I get a few chapters ahead. Keep reading this story, though, and review! Just two more chapters.