Eavesdropper

Summary: Eavesdropping is never good for you, as Sirius learns. Especially if you tend to corrupt everything you hear.

"Last night was..."

"Amazing."

Sirius would have walked right past the spot, had he not heard his best friend finish the girl's sentence. He usually walked away as soon as the words 'last night' were brought up, having had no luck with last nights for quite a while. But James had not mentioned a thing about seeing another girl, and hearing him talk about last night was too curious to walk away from. Tucking himself behind a giant oak tree, Sirius continued listening to their conversation, still trying to identify the girl without peeking and risking exposure.

"All those props...I seriously wonder who designs this stuff."

"Yeah, me too. Whoever they are, they sure are creative. They have my eternal thanks."

Her voice was so familiar to Sirius. He resisted the urge to walk away from it for a bit longer, wanting to put a face to the voice before leaving the lovers alone to discuss their happy little last night. He would grill James for the information later, of course.

"You know, Evans, this is the best conversation we've had in months."

She sounded surprised. "I guess I've just realized that you're not always a prick," she replied.

Sirius gasped, remembered that he was trying to hide, and smothered the rest of his surprise. Her voice was now completely familiar to him. This was Lily Evans, James's lifelong crush and one of the biggest spoilsports in Gryffindor. Her and James...it didn't seem possible.

"Pity it was only one night, though," Sirius had zoned out of the conversation while he pondered the issues James and Lily as a couple presented. "I mean, imagine doing something like that night after night!"

"I suppose you'd get bored of it, won't you? And what if it's with people you don't like?"

"I don't know," Lily replied cautiously. "I'm still relatively new to this type of thing."

"Me too, to be honest. Just don't tell the others, okay?"

What others? thought Sirius, raising his eyebrows more than a little curiously. It didn't seem like either James or Lily to be talking about this kind of thing in public.

"Well, it was fun. You were good, for a beginner."

"You really think so?" It was hard to miss the excitement in James' voice. That guy totally had it bad for Lily. After all, who else would he seek rather than assume approval from?

"Yes, I do. I wish I could take home some sort of souvenir. I don't know, a photo or something. You know, to show my parents."

Sirius almost gagged. Were muggle parents really that strange? The type of things they seemed to be talking about was definitely not something he would be inclined to show his parents.

"Well, you weren't bad yourself. I couldn't tell at all that you hadn't done this millions of times before."

"Thanks," Sirius could hear the smile in her voice.

"And even without photos, I have some pretty sweet memories."

"Oh, James, shut it."

"Oh hey! You didn't call me Potter!"

Lily paused. "I suppose we're a little closer now. Don't take it for granted, Potter."

From his place behind the oak tree, Sirius bristled. Lily was always so cold, even after...certain intimacies. Was this what it would be like if the two ever got married?

"Well, it was nice catching up," she said now, a little awkward. "I'll see you later."

"You too," James replied. He started heading in Sirius' direction, a fact that Sirius realized far too late. Before he had a chance to escape, James was standing right in front of him.

"What are you doing?" James asked, anger flushing his cheeks. "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough," Sirius replied cheekily. "You never share news about your girlfriends anymore."

"My girl-" his cheeks reddened more. "Lily Evans is not my girlfriend, Sirius!"

"Just a one-night stand, then?" Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Chill out, Prongs. Why are you so hyped up defending her honor, anyway? There was once a time when you'd brag her your girlfriend even though we all knew she hated your guts."

James chilled a little, pondering Sirius's words. He didn't know when his attitude had changed, either. "What kind of spell are you under? Sirius, Lily and I are just friends!"

"Then what were you talking about back there?" Sirius retorted. "Props, and memories, and...gosh, James. You make me sick."

"We were talking-" It finally hit James what Sirius must have heard, from his point of view, and he burst out laughing. It took Sirius a few minutes to calm James down enough to give him an actual answer.

"We were in a play together, Padfoot. Don't let that sick mind of yours run too much astray, okay? It was just a house play."