And They Call This Tragedy
Disclaimer :: Everything you love about this story isn't mine… but I'm going to keep writing anyway in hopes that you'll like the tales I weave as much as the characters that make them.
Author's Note :: Yeah… embarrassing how long it's taken me to post an update. I hope this chapter satisfies anyone still reading. Let me know what you think about the direction that I'm taking – your feedback, as always, helps direct the course of this story. Further, some of you might be happy to read that I'm already hard at work on the next chapter. You can expect something else to post before the end of this weekend. Love you!
Nervously running a hand through wavy blonde hair, expectant blue eyes met emerald green and the slender young woman bit her lower lip. It was evident she was considering whether or not she out to vocalize her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, Alice smoothed the modest skirt over her sun-tanned thighs and crossed, then uncrossed, her ankles under the table.
"You're fidgeting," Lily's voice was soft, that any of the young witches or wizards occupying nearby booths might not hear. Noting the way her comment prompted her best friend to place both of her delicate hands on the table in front of her, palms down, Lily smiled. Her eyes, her voice; it was soothing and instilled a sense of confidence at the same time. The auburn-haired beauty put a hand on top of her best friend's. "Don't be nervous. Frank will be here any moment. And then you'll have a lovely time. And he'll fall in love with you. And you'll get married-"
"Lily Evans!" Alice exclaimed, redness rushing to her high cheekbones. But she smiled and the pair of best friends laughed, reduced to giggles, hands clasped tightly together in the middle of the table. Biting her lower lip to stave her laughter, Alice feigned disapproval, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves!"
Smiling warmly, Lily brushed a tendril of her golden hair behind her ear, the very picture of happiness as she retorted in the most matter of fact nature she could manage, "If it should ring true, I expect to be invited to toast the pair of you at your wedding. And I rather fancy the idea of being Godmum to your first born."
"But of course, Lily! Of course," Alice answered, beaming over the slight flush that was yet to completely fade from her cheeks. "You'll absolutely be the first on my list should I find myself in need of either service."
The bell rang merrily from the entrance to signal that a new patron had entered the establishment and both witches snapped to attention. Lily's eyes traveled quickly to the threshold, noting that it was Frank Longbottom, devilishly handsome in new black robes absolutely befitting of an Auror. He'd gone to work for the Ministry directly following graduation from Hogwarts. A definite honor. Being a year older than both Lily and Alice, Frank was already finished with his final year at the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry but had somehow managed to find enough time to sneak away from his training to meet Alice for ice cream in Diagon Alley. It had been a most convenient break as she made a final trip to shop for the schoolbooks she needed for her final year.
Frank noticed the pair of familiar faces in the back of the store and smiled his recognition, waving his right hand in a friendly manner to the girls. Alice and Lily shared one final glance, Alice all nerves and Lily completely collected, encouraging her blonde friend with a smile. Offering Alice one last, gentle squeeze of her hand for reassurance, Lily gracefully slid out of the booth.
"Won't you stay to join us, Lily?" Frank asked politely.
"Oh, I couldn't possibly! I've got just a few supplies left on my list. Thank you, though," she smiled, waving at Alice and offering, "Meet you outside of Gringott's at half-past six?"
The blonde nodded, smiling at Frank as he slid into Lily's place in the booth. Making her way back to the entrance, Lily was sure neither Alice not Frank had turned to see her leave. She was happy for them both. They'd been dancing around the subject of actually going on a date for months. Lily had known that, eventually, something would work out.
Taking a moment to look around and gather her bearings, Lily set her sights on the nearest bookstore and made to cross the street. Managing her way to the doorway, her small hand was on the knob when she heard an oh-so-familiar, "Oi! Evans!"
Feeling a flush rise to her cheeks, Lily took a deep breath before turning to answer. Her expression was neutral, masking any emotion that could have been contrived from her standard response, "Potter."
He'd run the final few steps to be standing next to her and the two of them stood there, evaluating one another, and the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley seemed to stand still around them. Bringing a nervous hand to the back of his head, James ruffled his dark brown hair and offered her a weak smile, "Did you have–err… how was your summer holiday?"
James mentally kicked himself and Lily could tell by the way his hazel eyes clouded over that he'd acted on impulse, calling out to her as he had. He'd no sooner jogged up to speak to her than their eyes had met and he'd been rendered a bloody-blubbering fool. He'd not been able to mask his emotions quickly enough. Keeping her composure, Lily smiled kindly, her eyes shone hopeful that her reaction might be able to salvage the moment, dispel some of the tension that had settled between them. She'd understood immediately that he'd not meant the question as it had come out.
"Wonderful, thank you; I stayed with Alice," she held her hands behind her back, almost as though she had been overcome with shyness as a result of their interaction. They stared at one another for a few moments more before she smiled, adding, "How was yours?"
He ignored her question, blurting out, "I wanted to write you, Lily; honest I did. I thought about you all summer." Deep brown eyes shined something Lily couldn't quite identify. Longing, perhaps? Sadness?
The emotion was powerful, coercing Lily to look at the ground, awkwardly fidgeting. Eventually, the red head settled into a position where her right hand held her left bicep and her left arm hung lump at her side.
"About the lake…" he trailed off, his eyes begging her to understand thoughts, feelings, emotions he couldn't begin to rationalize to himself, let alone verbalize to her.
But he was cut off almost immediately by a soft, shrill voice, "Oh, there you are, James!" I've been waiting forever for you to come back!" The slender brunette wrapped her arms around his waist, kissed his cheek, smiled up at him. James, in response, looked absolutely deflated; his eyes a whirlwind of a thousand different emotions. And she'd have seen them all clear as day, just as they were written so plan for all to see across his heart.
If Lily would have looked up. If only she could have seen.
Reaching out to Lily, the brunette smiled politely, warmly. It was a beautiful smile and it absolutely killed the lovely young red head to admit it, "You must be one of James' friends from Hogwarts! My name is Amelia. It's an absolute pleasure to meet you."
"Lily," the red head smiled back, but none of that smile carried through to her voice. "A friend of James'. It's a pleasure – but really, I must be going; a few more books to buy, you know!" Half-heartedly she chuckled, holding up what remained of her school supply list.
"The pleasure is mine," she heard over her shoulder. But Lily had already turned around, weaving her way through the crowd. Her eyes were trained to the ground and she mentally cursed herself that she'd turned away from the bookstore. More surprising, of course, was the feeling of another figure purposely brushing against her shoulder. When she looked up, there were tears welling in her eyes, and she inwardly sighed.
It just had to be Sirius Black.
Biting her lower lip, she hesitated for only a moment before she brushed past him and ran.
"Evans! Wait up!" he cried, pausing for only a moment to turn to James, his brother in all but blood. Deep brown eyes met hazel, Sirius' silent way of assuring his best mate that it would be alright; that he'd clean up this mess. And Sirius was gone in that same instant, catching Lily by the forearm and pulling her small frame backwards so that her left hip pressed against his right. He quickly wrapped an arm around her in what could only be described as a caring, peaceful gesture. And as their figures continued to fade away along the path, it probably looked to Amelia like Sirius was the one Lily was most interested in where her boyfriend and his best mate were concerned.
Lily, on the other hand, wasn't sure if it was shock and revulsion or appreciation and gratitude that kept her from jumping out of Sirius' grasp. Cursing at him, hexing him straight into Sunday… any reaction at all would have been more in her character, expected from her in that instant. But she leaned into his embrace, almost like she welcomed it, while her fists remained at her sides. She'd been so taken aback by the situation that she acted on impulse and accepted whatever small comfort Sirius Black could provide her.
For Amelia and anyone else that might have seen the pair, it may as well have been the most natural thing in the world for Sirius Black to be taking Lily Evans for a stroll through Diagon Alley. As the two figures disappeared from James' sight, he frowned, knowing exactly what Sirius was playing at. For as far as Amelia was concerned, it seemed to have done the trick but James felt an overwhelming wave of jealousy wash over him, seeing his best mate's arm around the very object of his deepest desires… and she hadn't pulled away. Hadn't seemed even the slightest bit upset.
Sirius, by contrast, hadn't thought much further ahead than simply catching her before she got away. Lily was still locked in what was becoming a most desperate struggle to keep her emotions in check.
"A-about Prongs," he began, surprised to hear himself stutter.
At the mention of James Potter, emerald eyes blazed up at Sirius, afire with a new emotion that the cunning raven-haired Marauder could honestly say that he had yet, before this day, had the pleasure of eliciting from her: fear. It was enough to catch Sirius off guard, making him stagger one step behind the pace that Lily was subconsciously setting for the pair.
"It's nothing," she responded levelly. "You've really got nothing you need to explain, Sirius."
And she was Lily Evans once more.
No indication of the vulnerability Sirius had sensed – had bloody-well seen in her only moments before remained. She was the very picture of composure, a collected young woman strolling through Diagon Alley with her head held high. And Sirius Black could hardly believe the transformation he'd just witnessed from her.
"He told me everything," he whispered, wondering if those words alone would be enough to elicit a further bought of emotion from her. "About the lake, your parents. Evans, I think you really ought to know-"
"Sirius," she stopped him by turning abruptly and holding a hand up so her delicate fingertips barely brushed against the stiff fabric of his robes. He came to a stop, facing her, and their eyes locked. He could sense the pain shining through her emerald eyes, hard as she might have tried to mask it, and Sirius felt a sorrow wash over him so heavy he wasn't sure he could still breathe for the weight of it against his chest. Offering him a weak half-smile, "It's really alright. I understand. I was there with him at the lake. I felt it, too… I know what you're going to say and, trust me, I understand it. I waited too long to say those things he needed to hear me say."
"But about Ame-"
"Mmm!" she closed her eyes, sharply drawing her chin down against her chest.
And Sirius was silent, accepting that this wasn't a subject she cared to address further. He reached out and placed a hand on her delicate shoulder, having been overcome with the need to touch her, to make sure she was real and that this moment shared between them had actually occurred. It was a comforting gesture. His lips parted, as though he were about to try and speak again, but he stopped himself, instead drawing a deep, thoughtful breath.
"You'll understand, Sirius, this conversation is best kept between us?" her voice barely above a whisper. But the pleading tone hadn't gone unheard by the charming raven-haired Marauder.
He nodded, beginning to understand, perhaps for the first time, just what it was his best mate found so infuriatingly attractive in the young woman who stood before him. She was exasperatingly difficult to reason with, impossible to resist with that frustratingly logical sense of self- preservation; it was maddening, addicting. Sirius Black understood that if he loved James in any capacity at all that he would honor this request she had made of him. He'd protect her honest vulnerability, her blind trust that his motives in chasing after had been pure. He would keep this secret for her.
Sirius knew that he could never share this moment with James Potter.
Brushing a strand of auburn hair like liquid fire behind her ear, the raven-haired boy smiled sadly down at the girl before him, feeling electricity in his fingertips as a result of the tension that settled between them. His voice was soft, "Your secret is safe with me, Lily Evans. I give you my word."
She nodded, turning away from him in one swift movement. The faintest "thank you" fell behind her on the breeze.
He watched her retreat, bleeding into the crowd. His heart was racing as he pushed his hands into the pockets of his trousers. He wasn't able to shake the sense of urgency, knowing he was about to lose her.
"Oi! Evans!" he called after her, just before she had gone completely from his sight. "He deserves to hear it from you. You owe him as much."
She paused, looking at him over her shoulder through her peripheral vision. Lily lowered her chin in a silent acknowledgement before she turned and disappeared from sight.
Sirius turned back in the direction from which he had come, hands still in his pockets and his eyes trained to his feet.