"It's often just enough to be with someone. I don't need to touch them. Not even talk. A feeling passes between you both. You're not alone."

― Marilyn Monroe


Chapter 2: Maybe, I don't know

Devery did not sit with Lily for the remainder of their classes that day. This was well noticed by their fellow seventh years. Devery and Lily always sat next to each other since first year and the girls felt weird to be apart but the separation was needed.

Lily needed to collect her thoughts about what happened earlier with James and Devery at lunchtime.

Devery needed to figure out how she would go on from here. Would she admit her attraction to Sirius openly? Or would she keep quiet about it and pretend nothing happened? She wasn't sure. She needed to talk to Sirius first. So she wasn't surprised to find that her feet had led her to the hospital wing after classes finished that day.

Since it was so early in the school year, Sirius was still the first and only patient. His comatose form had the whole hospital wing to himself. Devery tried not to make a lot of noise while she walked further into the sick bay where all the beds were kept. She didn't see Madame Pompfrey in her office near the entrance of the wing and Devery wondered where the healer could be.

Sirius slept in the bed closet to the big glass windows near the far back. There were a few chairs beside his bed, and get-well gifts and some of his possessions on his bedside table, Devery assumed. She rested her school bag on one of the chairs and scoped out his bedside table.

There were a lot of get-well cards, chocolate and candy. Devery felt bad for not thinking to bring him anything. She made a mental note to make him a card for tomorrow. There was also a wizard chess set, a few books, a baseball and glove and leather bound journal. Some of Sirius's clothes were also peeking out of the bedside table's drawers. No doubt, one of the Marauders brought them and just chucked them in there.

Devery knew she shouldn't touch Sirius's things but the messiness of his clothes annoyed her and she felt like doing something nice for him. She looked down at Sirius to double check to see if he was still asleep.

He lay on his back in blue plaid pajamas with the bed sheet resting beneath his chin. His black hair fanned around his gorgeous face on the pillow and Devery couldn't help but straighten his bed sheets as well. The large bandage around his forehead did nothing to diminish his beauty to Devery. Sirius just looked more rugged and peaceful while he slept. He did not unnerve her at all in this state. The rise and fall of his chest was nice and even.

"My very own sleeping beauty," Devery thought to herself and she gently stroked the side of his face with her fingers. His face remained peaceful and unresponsive when she touched him. Devery knew she shouldn't be doing this but she couldn't help herself. She wanted to touch him.

"What am I going to do about you?" She questioned him telepathically but she knew it was fruitless. She knew Sirius couldn't hear her and she sat beside him on the bed, making sure she didn't sit on his arm. Her eyes fell on his mouth and before she could restrain herself, she was tracing his lower lip with her thumb.

Even knocked out cold, apart of her desired to kiss him again. She wanted to see if what she felt when Sirius kissed her yesterday was a one-time thing or not. Was her attraction to him just a phase? Devery felt her palms start to sweat and her heartbeat started to speed up. Was she really going to do this? Her stomach then started to do its butterfly dance and adrenaline coursed through her veins.

But she needed to know for sure and this kiss wasn't even a kiss, she rationalized. It was a test. An experiment. Devery then checked the room again to see if they were still alone and she clicked her fingers beside Sirius's ears to check again if he was still out of it.

"Okay, here goes nothing," Devery thought before she leaned right over Sirius and pressed her mouth against his still lips. They were warm, full and utterly delicious.

The hospital wing disappeared around her when she kissed Sirius. Just like how the common room disappeared yesterday and she felt like she was floating. Like she just snuck a shot of firewhiskey from her parent's alcohol cabinet with her cousins.

But in that moment, Devery did wish Sirius was awake to return her kiss. She wanted more. She suckled his lower lip a little and finally let go of him with one last peck on the mouth. Her attraction to Sirius was definitely not a one-time thing she sat back and realized. Devery felt her breathing quicken and her eyes took in her surroundings again only to notice something major had changed.

"Merlin's Beard!" Remus blurted out in genuine shock and Devery covered her red face with a silent curse. There was no way she could bluff her way out of this one. She was caught red-handed.

"You just kissed Sirius?" Remus blurted out again and he went to sit down in one of the chairs. He only came to checkup on his friend. He did not expect this turn of events. There was no doubt what he just saw and he couldn't unsee it. Devery kissed Sirius and Sirius kissed her yesterday.

"You kissed Sirius!" Remus exclaimed rather loudly and Devery quickly signed to keep it down.

"And he kissed you! Oh, Merlin! What have I done?" Remus flipped out when it finally dawned on him. He punched Sirius for nothing. Oh no, what has he and Lily done?

"Yes, I know Remus now will you shut it please before Madam Pompfrey comes back and kicks us both out. I want to refold Sirius's clothes before I leave," Devery signed and Remus stared at her with wide eyes.

"Since when are you and Sirius, together? When the hell did this happen?" Remus demanded and Devery shook her head, madly.

"We are not together," she signed.

"But you guys are snogging?"

"Yes, I know," Devery signed, now feeling quite flustered by Remus's interrogation and to keep herself occupied, she started to fold Sirius's clothes in the draw neatly.

"You like him!" Remus pointed at her and he pointed at Sirius. "And he likes you, otherwise why would he suddenly be interested in you?"

Devery then stamped her foot loudly and Remus finally stopped rambling.

"Look Remus, I have no idea what is going on here and I won't know what is going on until Sirius wakes up and I can talk to him," Devery explained and Remus shook his head.

"Oh yes, you do know what is going on here Devery. You like Sirius, admit it or I will tell the other girls it is okay to visit," Remus beaconed and Devery gaped at him for a second or two before she frowned. She did not like to be put on the spot like that and especially by Remus. He punched Sirius for kissing her and how dare he suggest letting other girls visit. Age old jealously bloomed in Devery's gut and she was signing before she knew it.

"At least I did not punch the guy I like in the face!" Devery signed angrily and Remus's face fell at that.

"I'm sorry about that. If I knew you liked him, I wouldn't have stepped in," Remus said and Devery suddenly felt like ramming her head into the nearest wall. She accidentally signed that she liked Sirius!

"So… how long have you liked this moppet friend of mine?" Remus smirked. He knew what he did; he got her to admit her crush. Manipulative wizard.

"Shut it," Devery signed and Remus's smirk grew wider. Now that he got over his initial shock, his mischievous side was coming out to play. He wasn't a Marauder for nothing.

"Deveral Leafwood, girlfriend of Sirius Black, the notorious Marauder and class clown of Hogwarts," Remus started to tease but he stopped when he saw Devery's eyes grow sad.

"What's wrong, Devery?" He asked.

"Nothing," Devery signed and she continued to fold the rest of Sirius's clothes. She was nearly done with his drawer.

"Sirius doesn't just kiss any girl, Devery. He only kisses girls he genuinely likes," Remus muttered.

"I know. It hurt every time I saw him do that last year," Devery signed. She didn't know why she was confiding in Remus. Now that she knew her crush wasn't really a one-time thing anymore, it was like a major shift just happened. She was finally letting it all out.

"Wow, since sixth year," Remus muttered in shock and Devery nodded.

"Well… you won't have any issues with me hitting Sirius again if I see him kiss you but if he acts like a jerk with you that is another story. You're like my baby sister," Remus looked at Devery with sudden shyness and Devery looked at her friend with warm eyes. She pushed the now neatly folded drawer closed and sat down beside Remus, patting his shoulder.

"Thank you," she signed and returned her gaze to Sirius, still sleeping soundly away.

"I know I am attracted to him but I still don't know how I feel about him, Remus. The past is complicated."

Remus nodded, letting Devery sign.

"Can you please not tell anyone, you know about my crush? Even Lily doesn't know yet but I think she is starting to figure it out," Devery asked with anxious eyes and Remus tried to reassure her by patting her shoulder.

"Your secret is safe with me."

"I need to talk to Sirius first."

"I think you need to talk to Lily first," Remus looked at her with serious eyes and Devery knew he was right. Lily was her best friend and this was not like them but she was scared of what Lily would say.

"Lily doesn't like Sirius," Devery signed.

"Before I came here, I thought you didn't like Sirius," Remus laughed a little and Devery felt her cheeks grow warm again.

"Besides it doesn't matter if she does or doesn't like Sirius. You do and best friends are there to support each other no matter what."

"You're right," Devery agreed with a nod.

"I think I will go talk to her now."

"Good idea," Remus agreed with a smile and reached to read one of Sirius's books on the bedside table.

"This moppet would be waking up for a couple of days," Remus indicated to Sirius and Devery went to sit beside him on his bed again. She didn't want to leave him just yet but she had to say goodbye to him.

"I will see you later, sleeping beauty," Devery told him telepathically and she stroked his whiskered cheek.

"I have to make sure Lily doesn't beat you up again," she added and the strangest thing happened. Sirius grumbled in his sleep and leaned his face into her hand. Devery backed up with a fright and Remus caught her shoulders just in case she slipped. Sirius then let out a huge snore and Remus couldn't help but chuckle at his old friend.

"Be careful around him, Devery. He can be a frightful bugger when he wants to be," Remus chuckled and Devery nudged his side in Sirius's defense. He was harmless in his coma. Devery then grabbed her school bag and with a wave to Remus, she went in search for Lily.

Devery looked in the Great Hall first and then she checked the Gryffindor tower. No sign of Lily. So she checked the library and again came up with no Lily. She would have to be in the head tower and Devery started to make her way there.

She remembered checking out where it was last year with Lily. It was like her best friend had a sixth sense, she just knew she would be Head Girl the following year. The head tower was not that far from the library and it was pure luck that she caught James leaving when she got there.

"Hey Devery," James smiled cheerily but it looked forced.

"Are you okay?" Devery quickly asked in concern.

"That obvious, huh?" James's smile fell and Devery nodded.

"I have one word for you, Leafwood. Evans and that's it," James said with slumped shoulders.

"Did you guys have a fight?"

"Don't we always?" James raised his eyebrows and Devery tried not to laugh too much. Lily and James were always fighting, bickering or both.

"Is it safe to go in there?" Devery asked and James looked down at her with sudden avid interest.

"Did we have a fight with Evans too?"

"Maybe. I don't know. Can I go in there, please James?" Devery then fiddled with her bag strap.

"Sure thing, Leafwood. I'll be stuffing my gob in the Great Hall if you need cavalry." James spoke the password to the painting behind him and the door opened.

"Thanks," Devery said and went for the door. James patted her on the back for good luck and closed the door behind her. There were some stairs to ascend and Devery found herself in a large lounge room or sorts. The room looked like the Gryffindor common room but this one had more bookshelves and statues. All four houses were represented in the large room in some way.

Devery found Lily already studying on the floor by the fireplace.

"Came back for round two, Potter?" Lily called out while she continued to read and when Devery didn't answer she looked up. Devery waved awkwardly.

"Oh sorry, Devery. I thought you were Potter," Lily closed her book and patted the cushion across from her.

"Come and join me."

Devery went and sat on the cushion and silence soon descended between them. Lily just stared and waited for her to say something. Devery took a deep breath and found that her courage suddenly left her. She fiddled with the rug beneath them, trying to find her words. Lily stayed quiet and waited patiently. The minutes dragged on by and Devery took another deep breath. For Sirius's sake she had to speak up. She didn't want him in the hospital wing anymore because of her.

To reinforce her point, Devery took off her necklace and Lily's back straightened. Her best friend only took her necklace off when she wanted to have a serious heart to heart talk. Devery cleared her throat a few times to wake up her voice box and she hummed deep to quickly work out the kinks in her voice.

"You can't hex Sirius again," she said, barely above a whisper. Since she hardly used her voice, it always took a while for it to come back and work properly. It sounded quite scratchy at the moment but the octave of it still held a penetrating pitch. Lily felt like she was swimming in the ocean whenever she heard Devery's voice. It was oddly calming.

"I know," Lily replied with an odd look in her green eyes, which unnerved Devery.

"And what do you mean by that, Lily?" She asked, feeling on guard.

Lily sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"I know, Devery. I figured it out when you left lunch the way you did earlier," Lily explained.

"Oh," Devery could only say. She didn't think she was that obvious in sixth year. She always made sure she looked at Sirius when she thought no one was looking.

"Was I that obvious?"

"It took me a while to notice you checking Sirius out but once I did, it was hard to ignore and since you didn't say anything about it, I let it go," Lily answered and Devery's brow furrowed in sudden confusion.

"If you knew I liked Sirius then why did you hex him for kissing me?"

"I wasn't sure you liked him then, Devery," Lily muttered and Devery understood that.

"I'm sorry for hexing him. If I knew how you felt for sure, I wouldn't have done what I did. I thought I was protecting my friend."

"I know," Devery sighed.

"So… are we all good?" Lily asked, feeling a little uneasy and Devery doused her worries with a quick hug and kiss on her cheek.

"We are always good, you are my best friend, Lily Evans," Devery rested her head on Lily's shoulder and Lily rested her head on top of hers.

"Are we sitting in class together tomorrow? Because without you beside me this afternoon just felt weird."

"Of course, we are and yeah it did feel weird," Devery agreed with a laugh and it was a musical laugh that carried.

"So… you like Sirius?" Lily grimaced and Devery did too with a nod.

"I think so. Maybe… argh… I don't know. Remus caught me kissing Sirius in the hospital wing earlier." Lily's eyes grew wide.

"But he's still unconscious?" She blurted and Devery nodded with a sheepish look.

"He just looked so peaceful and handsome lying there and I wanted to see if my feelings were not a one time thing. I know, I'm crazy for doing that but it was like he was my sleeping beauty." Devery stressed out in sudden embarrassment.

"Black as sleeping beauty? Only you would've thought of that," Lily chuckled and Devery shrugged her shoulders.

"I am a Siren and we love fairytales, so sue me."

Lily nudged her shoulder for that and Devery nudged her shoulder back.

"Nah, you're just a little weird. Like me," Lily smiled.

"So…"

"So…?" Lily raised her eyebrows.

"You don't like Black," Devery reminded her and Lily confirmed that with a nod.

"And I want to see where this can go. I mean, I have to talk to Sirius first when he wakes up and hear his side of the story of why he suddenly wants to kiss me," Devery said and Lily looked into the distance.

"Is this going to affect our friendship, Lily?" Devery asked her straight out and Lily quickly shook her head.

"I don't like it but I don't have to like it either Devery. I just need to be there. You are my best friend, Devery and that is not stopping anytime soon."

Overwhelmed with affection for her best friend, Devery hugged Lily tightly.

"But if he hurts one hair on your head, he is going back to the hospital wing."

"You will have to get in line then, Lily. If anyone is putting Sirius in the hospital wing it will probably be me next time," Devery told her otherwise.

"That's the quiet badass I know and love," Lily cheered and Devery smiled.

"I might have known Sirius for a long time but at the same time I feel like I hardly know the real him," Devery confessed and Lily nodded in understanding.

"He can't be that bad, can he?"

"I am probably the wrong person to answer that," Lily replied in all honesty and Devery hummed at that.

"But I do hope that it all works out, whatever happens next," Lily muttered.

"Thanks," Devery smiled.

"Do you want to go to the Great Hall for dinner?" Lily asked and Devery shook her head.

"I am not feeling that hungry," she admitted and Lily made a thinking face.

"I know some spells to make ice-cream and I have my vinyl player. I figured out how to magically play it here."

"Do you have your Queen vinyl?" Devery perked up.

Lily nodded with a grin. "And I have ABBA," she said.

"Then it is karaoke and ice-cream time!" Devery clapped her hands, excitedly.

"I will sound proof my door so Potter can't hear us and you can sleep over. I have a king sized bed now."

"No wonder you moved in here so quickly from the dorm!"