Rings
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastics, Warner Bros., etc.
Summary: Muggle bar AU
The stench of tobacco lingered in a hazy invisible fog over the patrons of the pub. Poor Paul's Tavern, as it were, tucked in the corner of a cozy street in London. It was one of Lily's favorite places to go, one of the places she frequented as a student at University, and she couldn't help but fall for the nostalgia of it even being four years removed from school. Her best friends, Marlene and Mary, who had roomed with her since their school days, shared in her sentiment but not as strongly. Poor Paul's was, in a way, one of her second homes, not because she habitually drank the older burly patrons under the table (though she had tried once, with little success) but because it was a comfortable atmosphere, where all the bar-keeps were kind – it felt safe.
On this particular night, a Saturday in early November, the pub was as busy as she had ever seen it, and when she and her friends arrived, they luckily found three barstools unoccupied and seized them with the same fervor they once did in their youth. Two rounds in, the girls were feeling very good, swaying slightly back and forth to the music coming from the juke box in the center of the bar. In her distraction, it took Lily a little longer than it typically would have for her to notice a set of eyes watching her. She swiveled around on the stool to look over her right shoulder.
The man was sitting at one of the coveted booths in the pub, long enough to seat eight or nine people, but was currently only being used by four men. They lounged back, taking casual drinks from their frosted mugs, and the one at the end – the one who had been looking at her – turned immediately back toward his friends when her eyes fell to him. His hair was long and dark, even under the pale glow emitting from the low-hanging bar lights. It reached to about his shoulder, with an elegance that none of his friends seemed capable of. She gave the rest of the lot a dispassionate look-over before turning back around in her seat.
"What was that?" Marlene asked her, and Lily realized there was a slight edge to her voice.
"Nothing. I thought that bloke was looking over at me, is all."
"He was looking over at you," Marlene informed her, as if she were an idiot. "Not really your type though, is he?"
"Not typically," Lily agreed, nodding. "Don't look!" she added hastily as Mary, who was sitting to her left, looked toward him.
"He's looking again," Mary told her, a laugh in her voice.
This time both Marlene and Lily turned in their seats to cast looks toward the man, who again turned away once Lily caught his eye. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling before repositioning herself facing the bar, and then noticed Marlene's haughty look.
"You've been eyeing him, haven't you?" Lily asked casually.
Marlene shrugged, "Doesn't seem to matter, does it? He's got eyes for you apparently."
"Now don't be like that, Mar—"
"Like what—?"
"He's coming over here!" Mary informed them in a hurried whisper.
Lily and Marlene dropped their argument quickly, but didn't bother turning around. Though they didn't need to because a moment later, the man was behind them, standing between Marlene and Lily. He tapped Lily softly on the shoulder.
"'Scuse me," he said, his voice pleasantly deep. "D'you mind?"
"Mind what?" Marlene asked despite herself, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder as she swung around to look at the man. He was startling handsome, Lily thought, although certainly not her type. And certainly Marlene's type, she realized now once she got a proper look at him.
The man raised a questioning eyebrow at her, his lips twitching upward as though he was about to smirk. "As the bar is packed and they aren't frequenting the tables, I was hoping you'd let me get my order in over here."
Lily eyed the man as Marlene nearly exhaled in relief, "So that's why you were looking over here, was it?"
"Yeah, of course," the man answered, still casual. When Marlene moved her stool over a few inches, he stepped in between her and Lily and leaned across the bar.
The girls remained silent in the few minutes it took the man to get the bartenders attention and order his drinks. When the bartender came back with four large mugs of lager, the man threw a look over his shoulder, "Oy, James!"
Though not particularly interested in the man or his friends, Lily found herself looking to where the man had yelled. Another man, a few inches taller than the first perhaps, disentangled himself from the booth he was sitting in and came over to his friend. James, as it were, had a mop of similarly dark hair, but it sat in a happy disarray above his head, with a few long strands covering the frame of his glasses near his ears. He gave the first man a quick smirk before he reached them.
"I've already told you, it's your turn to get the round, Sirius."
"Yeah, yeah. Just give a hand with the glasses, all right? I'd hate to spill them over these lovely ladies."
"Ah, of course. Always the perfect gentleman."
"One of us has to be, yeah?" the first man said smugly to his friend, as he handed two of the glasses over. Procuring the other two, and turning on his heel, he sent a last comment to the girls. "I thank you for your hospitality."
"No problem," Marlene answered quickly, sending Sirius a small smirk of her own in response. His eyes lingered on her for a moment before he headed back to his own table. Marlene forced herself to not watch him go, despite her obvious desire to do so, and turned back to Lily. "So he's not interested in you."
"No, evidently, he is not," Lily agreed, smirking behind her own raised glass.
"Nor does he seem interested in you," Mary added helpfully, prompting Lily to laugh and Marlene to scowl. "Oh come off it, he gave you a nice look over when you weren't paying attention, Mar."
"Did he?" Marlene asked, trying to appear casual and utterly failing. "Well, it makes no difference. He didn't even talk to us."
"I wouldn't worry about it," Mary said, wisely. "He knows where to find you. Or better yet, you know where to find him."
"I do not chase blokes," Marlene told her, defiantly raising her nose in the air as she did. Mary and Lily both laughed, finishing up their drinks and looking around eagerly for the bartender to come back to their side of the bar. "What's that?"
Lily looked around at Marlene's sudden question. Her eyes followed Marlene's point toward the bar, where a set of keys were sitting. Lily picked them up gingerly, holding them aloft for both Mary and Marlene to see.
"Those aren't yours, are they?"
"No," Lily answered, inspecting them further. "Looks like a set of apartment keys and…and… oh bother."
"What?"
Lily's face split into a grin as she looked at Marlene. "Motorbike keys."
Marlene sighed heavily, her head drooping down as she groaned. "He has a motorbike?!"
Lily and Mary laughed heartily, to the point where Mary was clutching her side by the end. Lily herself was in near stitches when Marlene looked up at them horrified.
"Why don't you go give them do him?" Lily offered. "Have a nice chat about the bike."
"No, I couldn't. You go."
"Me?"
"Yes, please, Lily. He's the best looking bloke I have ever seen and he has a motorbike."
"Yes, yes, we get it," Mary placated, through her continuing laughter. "You may as well go, Lily, not going to sway her, I don't think."
"All right," Lily agreed begrudgingly, swinging around on her stool before hopping off. She suddenly felt light-headed as the alcohol took effect. Luckily she was only tipsy, and she steadied herself quickly before walking over to the booth where the men still were.
They were laughing loudly as she arrived, and the first to spot her was the one with glasses – James – and his laughter died instantly at her approach.
"Hello," she said, drawing the attention of the other boys now. "Sirius, was it?"
"That's me," Sirius answered before throwing a startled look over to James. Lily wasn't sober enough to wonder why Sirius and James were staring determinedly at each other, and, as it were, she didn't much care.
"You don't happen to drive a motorbike, do you?"
"Err…yes, I do actually," Sirius said in a strained voice. James might have been burning him with his glare, but Lily didn't notice.
"Then these'll be yours then," Lily said kindly, holding the keys in front of her – from the height difference of her standing position and his seated one, the keys dangled in front of his face. His grey eyes softened instantly. "You left them at the bar."
"Brilliant," Sirius breathed, as she dropped the keys into his hand. "Thank you very much, err..."
"Lily."
"Thanks, Lily," Sirius reiterated, a genuine smile now. "Why don't you join us? We have plenty of room, don't we, lads?"
Lily finally looked around at the other boys with him – a sandy haired one, and a chubbier mousy haired one, before her eyes went back to the one sitting directly next to him. He was smiling tentatively at her, and she found she rather liked it.
"Me and my mates, you mean?"
"Of course. Think I'd let you over here if you didn't bring that leggy blonde with you?" Sirius asked coyly, his eyes going past her to look at Marlene, successfully swaying Lily's decision. Marlene would absolutely kill her if she didn't accept the offer.
"All right, I'll send them 'round while I go get us some more drinks," Lily said, pivoting back toward the bar.
Marlene's reaction to the invitation did not disappoint, and she didn't even wait for Lily to order the new drinks before she pulled Mary to the booth. Lily sighed, propping herself back on the stool as she waited for the bartender to come around. Then abruptly, the messy-haired James slipped onto the stool to her left.
"Hello," he said casually, his smile lopsided. "We didn't properly meet. I'm James."
He extended a hand out to her which she graciously accepted.
"It's Lily. You didn't have to go out of your way for introductions, you know? I'll be along to the table—"
"Oh," James said lamely, his hand shooting up to his messy hair. He ruffled his hand through it three times before clearing his throat. "Yeah, of course. I just thought I'd give you a hand with the drinks if you needed one."
"Oh? And here I thought Sirius was the gentleman of the group."
"He likes to pretend, yeah," James told her seriously, causing her to laugh. "We go along with it so he feels important."
Lily laughed even harder. "That's very kind of you. I think."
"It is," James confirmed, letting out a laugh himself. "So Lily—"
"Wait, before you go on," Lily interrupted, the liquid courage bubbling in her stomach. "Was Sirius looking over at us for a reason? The truth, if you would, kind gentleman."
James exhaled, brushing his hand into his hair again – a nervous tick? Lily wondered – as if deciding on something.
"The truth?" Lily nodded, giving what she hoped would be an encouraging smile. "The truth is, yeah. Sirius was looking at you lot."
"At Marlene? The leggy blonde?" she clarified.
"Not exactly, though I doubt he minded seeing her."
"What then? Marlene thought he was looking at me, actually."
"That's because he was," James told her, apparently against his better judgment. "He's my best mate, you know?"
Lily looked at him in confusion for a moment, the beer fogging up her brain to the point where his comment hardly made sense. So what if they were best mates? What do best mates do anyway—oh, oh. Lily felt her cheeks flush as realization hit her.
"Oh," was all her brilliant mind could think of saying. James' face deflated at her lack of response. "So you…? At me, then?"
"Yes… I think?" James responded uncertainly.
"So then you came over here to by me a drink?" Lily asked, with sudden confidence, a coy smile on her face. "Being a gentleman and all?"
"Certainly," James agreed, his face transformed from the frown to a broad smile now. A rather handsome smile, directed pointedly at her.
"All right, I'll let you buy me a drink on one condition."
"You get to make a condition for me spending money on you?"
"Certainly," Lily mimicked, causing James to shake his head through his laughter.
"Go on then, what's the condition?"
"What was the real reason Sirius came over to the bar? They regularly go 'round to the booths asking for orders, but he said he needed to order from here." James watched her with a blank face as she recounted her findings to him. "I'm going to need a few more drinks before something like that goes unnoticed. So what was it? What'd he come over for?"
"Ah," he said quietly in response, looking around the bar for the bartender as if hoping for a distraction. Lily enjoyed watching him squirm uncomfortably, and her laugh brought his eyes back to hers. In the deadlock, she realized how bright the green was surrounded by the brown. Hazel eyes were her weakness, and apparently emerald ones were his. "Rings," he said suddenly, as if compelled by their stares.
"Rings?" she asked, her brow now furrowed in confusion.
"He was looking for a ring," he told her again, nodding toward her left hand that was resting near his right on the bar-top.
She paused as these words sunk in. When he began looking at her apprehensively, she couldn't help but smile. "I see. Well…you've since come to realize that there is no ring, have you?" she asked teasingly, waggling her left hand in his direction.
"Indeed, no bloody ring," he affirmed, his grin matching her own. "How about that drink, then? You know, in celebration of me being a gentleman and you being ring-less."
Lily laughed, "Yeah, all right. We might as well celebrate me being ring-less, because my mother certainly doesn't."
James barely stopped laughing in time to give the amused bartender their order. After catching his eye, Lily's permanently smiling face casted a happy look around the bar as she swayed again to the music. Poor Paul's Tavern really was one of her favorite places.