Man is a gaming animal. He must always be trying to get the better in something or other.

~ Charles Lamb, Essays of Elia, 1823


Chapter 5: The wager

As punishment for injuring another student, Sirius Black was not allowed visitors for the rest of his stay in the hospital wing.

His stay in the sick bay was also extended to include the whole weekend. He also got two week's worth of detentions from Professor McGonagall.

Peter Pettigrew only got a dented nose from the ordeal. Madame Pomfrey was no plastic surgeon when it came to facial injuries. He also got a few bruised friendships.

Sirius refused to talk to him and despite the fact that James and Remus helped him with his broken nose, the dynamic between the other Marauders has changed.

James and Remus did not like how he treated Devery's shortcomings as a mute. Neither did Lily.

The Head Girl managed to magically tie Peter's shoelaces together before he stood up to leave class a few times. No one but Devery suspected a thing but even then she pretended to not notice. Peter Pettigrew was not her favorite person at that point of time either. She had to blame somebody for not being able to visit Sirius in the hospital wing.

But the ban that did not stop James and Remus from visiting their old friend in the dead of night. They separately used James's invisibility cloak and their trusty Marauder's map.

School continued for the rest of the week and the first weekend at Hogwarts rolled around. With the exception of sharing headship duties with James, everything at Hogwarts felt relatively the same as last year for Lily. She enjoyed her new space in the Head tower, sat in classes with Devery; she ate meals with her old dorm mates and studied with her friends. Besides headship meetings, James left her alone and Lily started to feel okay with that over the weekend. James's aversion towards her was bearable. She had her trusty best friend by her side and all was well.

Hogwarts was Hogwarts. Sure, her best friend might be dating Sirius Black now but Hogwarts was still Hogwarts with its usual predictability at the beginning of the year.

But when Monday rolled around, Lily Evans learned that even predictability had its end when Sirius was finally released from the hospital wing.


Sirius was beyond restless by the time Monday rolled around and he was out of the door as soon as Madame Pomfrey said he was fit to leave.

But he did take care of his appearance before he left. He needed to look good enough, like he belonged on Devery Leafwood's arm.

Sirius made sure he looked nice and presentable in his school uniform. He also doubled checked if he smelt good and that he was clean-shaven. His hair was also tied back neatly.

All of this was a genuine first and Madame Pomfrey noticed with a fond look in her aging eyes. Love manipulated the young in mysterious ways.

It was still quite early when Sirius walked out of the hospital wing so he made a beeline for the Gryffindor common room. Today was going to be a good day. Remus loaned him a introductory book to BSL the other day and Sirius consumed its content with a mad enthusiasm. He did not want a translator hanging around them all the time.

Sirius was itching to see Devery and surprisingly she was too it seemed. As soon as he walked into the Gryffindor common room, he saw Devery walk down the stairs to the girl's dormitories. She looked like her usual radiant and beautiful self in her neat school assembles. Sirius paused to admire her visually.

Her long black curls were tied back into a ponytail today and she wore a different necklace. Devery wore a green jewel on a short black cord today with matching green studs in her ears.

Devery's face lit up when she noticed him and she ran to give him a hug. No words needed to be spoken in that moment and he could've said the sappiest of words in that moment. They were the only people in the common room. Sirius strangely felt how much Devery missed him and how glad she was to have him back in that hug. He hoped he returned such wordless communication with his hug and he squeezed her extra tightly to make sure.

Devery then moved back a little to see his face properly and she mouthed out, 'hey,' with a smile. Sirius returned her smile with a wink. He put up a brave front to mask his sudden nerves at what he was about to do. He quickly took a step back and raised his hands.

"Good morning," he signed awkwardly and Devery gave him a warm look.

"Good morning," she signed back.

"Thank Merlin I got that right," Sirius breathed out in relief and Devery gave him an extra hug for his effort.

"I'll be a professional in no time," Sirius beamed enthusiastically.

"Let's go to lunch?" He signed but Devery knew he meant to say breakfast.

"This is breakfast," she gently corrected. 'Oh,' Sirius mouthed and looked sheepish.

"What did I sign then?"

Devery then spelled out the word 'lunch' and Sirius understood with a nod.

"Well… do you want to have lunch and dinner with me as well today?" Sirius bit his lower lip in anticipation and Devery nodded.

"Sweet!" Sirius cheered. "Can we sit together in classes too?" He bit his lower lip again and Devery smiled. She found his sudden displays of self-consciousness adorable.

"Yes," she signed and Sirius grinned. He knew what that sign meant with no extra troubles.

"I really want to get to know you better, Devery," Sirius said and Devery mouthed, 'me too.'

"Ask me as many questions as you like, love and I promise to answer them to the best of my ability," Sirius promised and he reached into his school bag to pull out two identical black notebooks. He handed one to Devery to take and she opened it curiously.

On the first page it read in Sirius's neat cursive, 'The adventures of Deveral Leafwood and Sirius Black, Volume: 1.' The rest of the pages were blank.

"They are magically connected so we can write to each other, anytime we want. The book will turn red when one of us leaves an unread message. I also charmed it to go blank if someone besides us tries to read them. These books are only for us, Devery," Sirius explained and Devery, overwhelmed with excitement and joy at the gift, quickly went to dish out a pen from her school bag.

"This is amazing Sirius! I love it so much! Thank you! I think you're an amazingly talented wizard and I look forward to having more adventures with you!" Devery wrote in her notebook and she watched in awe how Sirius's notebook turned red. Sirius wiggled his eyebrows when he noticed this.

"My my, I wonder what she wrote," he opened his notebook and he quickly grew tongue tied at what he read. He found Devery's words quite touching.

"Ah… you're welcome, love," he mumbled and closed his notebook. A strange sensation then washed over Devery in that moment and she felt like skipping and she did. She took a few skips to reach Sirius's side and she stood on her tippy toes to kiss his smooth cheek.

"I really like how you do that, Devery," Sirius confessed in a low whisper and Devery reached up to kiss his cheek again.

"Can I please kiss you now, Deveral Leafwood?" His dark grey eyes searched her hazel ones and Devery gave her permission by kissing the corner of his mouth. Sirius latched onto her lips immediately and he cradled her soft cheeks. Devery quickly kissed him back. He kept the kiss light and sweet and he strangely felt satiated by that. He usually needed more than one kiss.

"This might sound corny but I really could get used to starting my day like this," Sirius whispered with a smile and Devery reached to hold his hand. She laced their fingers together and noticed Sirius taking a moment. His grey eyes happily danced along their joined hands. The action simply amazed her mind. She thought she would be the one that ogled the most and she started to tug Sirius out of the common room. He surprisingly let her take the lead and he calmly followed.

As they started to walk down to the Great Hall, Devery started to play a game with Sirius. She squeezed his hand and he squeezed hers back. They took it in turns and Sirius laughed when Devery started to gently squeeze his hand in a pattern.

Her playfulness really took him off guard so he amped up the game with some foot tapping. He squeezed her hand twice and stamped his foot once. Devery then raised their hands in the air and twirled while they walked. A few other students shot them odd looks when Devery did that but she didn't seem to care so neither did Sirius. They were in a world of their own. He twirled a few times too. Devery looked like she was giggling when he started to awkwardly move his hips.

"I make a killer salsa dancer too, just to let you know," Sirius winked and Devery covered her laughing mouth. He did not look seductive at all when he shook his hips from side to side. He looked like a clown trying to tap dance but that was who he was, Devery realised. Sirius Black was the life of the party and the ultimate class clown.

In that moment, Sirius couldn't help but wonder what Devery's laugh sounded like. Was it a light girlish giggle? Or, a deep belly laugh that carried?

He only knew that the deeper Devery laughed, the more red her cheeks grew and her eyes watered. He thought it was adorable.

Sirius then gently weaved Devery's arm through his and he started to march with high knees.

"Come on, Devery, show me what you got," Sirius's grey eyes challenged and Devery shook her head at him but she played along.

She started to do the can-can by kicking up her heels and Sirius mimicked her movements until they reached the Great Hall and let go of each other to catch their breath.

Their walk down took a lot longer than Devery thought. Most of the students were already there.

Lily stood up with a happy wave when she spotted her at the entrance and Devery started to walk towards her with a wave. Lily was already eating breakfast with Lucy, Mary, Alice and her boyfriend, Frank Longbottom. Lily lost her smile and quickly retook her seat when Devery neared and she wondered why.

"Dude, I could eat a whole Pegasus!" Sirius suddenly exclaimed to her right and Devery got her answer.

"Dig in, Black!" Frank beaconed by patting the spare seat between him and Lily but Sirius surprised the whole table by not moving. He usually pounced on food with an enthusiasm that rivaled James Potter. Instead, he looked down at Devery and waited for her next move.

"Ladies first, love," he quirked up with a smile and Devery calmly took a seat next to Lily. Sirius squeezed in between her and Frank. He wrapped an arm around Devery's shoulders and started to ask what she wanted for breakfast. Their friends watched this all unfold with quiet but interested faces.

"Just point at what you'd like to eat, love," Sirius prompted and Devery happily pointed out what she would like to eat. It wasn't everyday she had a cute boy pampering her like a queen so she was going to enjoy it. Sirius served her some earl grey tea, fruit toast with jam and fruit.

"Is that it?" He asked with serious eyes and Devery confirmed with a gentle nod. 'Thank you,' she mouthed and Sirius quickly kissed her forehead before he grabbed his own breakfast. The spell broke when he started to wolf down his food. With a mouth full of food, he looked at everyone in alarm.

"Do I have something on my face?" He pointed at his face and Frank couldn't help but laugh to break the tension.

"Is this real or am I still dreaming?" Lucy finally blurted.

"No, Lucy," Mary shook her head. "This is real life."

"Indeed it is," Alice confirmed further and Lily rolled her eyes at all of them.

"Yes, they are going out now!" Lily scowled.

"Black likes my best friend and she likes him back, though I have no idea why!" She stressed with her hands and Devery gently patted her shoulder to calm her down.

She knew this wasn't easy for Lily to wrap her mind around but she knew she would do her best. Sirius threw Lily an annoyed look and he opened his mouth to bark something back but the sudden glare Devery threw him in warning, made him shut his gob.

"Crazy redheads," he grumbled under his breath and Devery pretended that she didn't hear him. She went back to eating and she let Sirius wrap an arm around her waist.

"Well… I wish you two all the best," Alice politely congratulated the couple.

"Thanks, Alice," Sirius said on their behalf and Devery threw a smile her way. Frank went to high-five Sirius and Sirius high-fived him back.

"Welcome to the boyfriend pack, Black!" He grinned and Alice giggled at her boyfriend.

"Yeah," Lucy agreed. "No more bachelor days for you, Black," she smirked.

"I think I just heard the sound of every single girl's heart just break," Mary giggled and Devery shook her head at her dorm mates, she knew they were joking.

"Not mine," Lily muttered.

"That's because yours belong to Potter," Lucy teased and she shared a giggle with Mary. Sirius looked over at Lily with much interest then.

"Over my dead body," Lily frowned.

"Oh, I would never say never Evans! I mean… Leafwood and I are going out now… anything can happen!" Sirius gave her a cheeky look and Devery pinched his leg to knock it off.

"Idiot," Lily grumbled under her breath and Sirius pouted at Devery. 'Be nice,' she mouthed and tapped him on the nose affectionately. Sirius grinned when she forgave him.

"Nawww… you two are so cute," Alice gushed and Sirius cleared his throat, awkwardly. He nearly forgot they were being watched.

"Don't make me throw up, Alice," Lily muttered and Sirius threw her a frown. He didn't move to say anything and Devery smiled at him gratefully. Everyone went back to his or her breakfast then.

"Are you two going to be stuck together now?" Lily looked at Devery with raised eyebrows.

"Pretty much," Devery replied telepathically and Lily sighed dramatically.

"What just happened?" Sirius analyzed the two girls closely and Mary answered for the group.

"Oh that's just them having a telepathic conversation, Black. You'll get used to it," Mary waved it off and Sirius raised his eyebrows at Devery. He didn't know she could do that.

"It's actually quite hard to do, we all gave up trying after a few sessions with Dumbledore, a few years ago," Lucy explained further. Devery and Alice backed that up with a nod.

"The girls couldn't push past the migraines," Frank joined the conversation. "Lily and Devery are troopers for acing that magic."

"I want to give it a go," Sirius blurted in all seriousness and Devery looked up at him in wonder.

'Really?' She mouthed.

"I'll do whatever it takes, Devery," Sirius promised and Lily scoffed on her drink.

"Telepathy takes great focus and discipline. Two traits you definitely lack, Black," Lily muttered in a sarcastic tone and Sirius glared at her in challenge.

"Oh, yeah? Do you want to make a wager on that?" He challenged and Devery looked at them both, feeling incredibly divided. The girls and Frank made interested noises.

"I give you three months of lessons, Black," Lily narrowed her green eyes on him and Devery looked at her alarm.

"Telepathy took you and Severus two years to master!" Devery reminded her and Lily wriggled her eyebrows. She knew that but Sirius didn't know that.

"You got yourself a deal, Evans!" Sirius banged his palm on the table in agreement and he was excited to get started. Lily Evans always underestimated him over the years and now was his opportunity to shove her off that golden pedestal she liked to sit on.

"If I win, you can't sit with Devery at meals or in class," Lily wagered and Devery rubbed her eyes in sudden distress. This was going too far.

"Done deal Evans! And if I win, you have to go to Hogsmeade with my best mate, James Potter, on a date" Sirius deadpanned and the girls gasped at the ultimatum. Lily glared at Sirius with dark green eyes. This was definitely going too far now.

"Dude… that's crazy," Frank breathed.

"Lils… you don't have to do this," Devery shot her way but Lily didn't listen. She shot up to her feet and so did Sirius. She stretched out her hand and Sirius sealed the wager with a firm handshake.

"Holy shit," Lucy said in disbelief.

"I never back out of a challenge, Black but if you do, you have to jump into the giant lake and kiss the giant squid," Lily shook his hand back hard.

"The same goes for you Evans, do we have a deal?"

"Deal," Lily scowled and she roughly released Sirius's hand.

"Both of you are mental," Devery signed.


"You did what?!"

James Potter's voice carried throughout the classroom later that morning. They were about to start their Transfiguration class and Professor McGonagall had yet to join them.

"Your welcome, prongs," Sirius grinned while he continued to rest on the hind legs of his chair and Devery flicked her fingers to straighten his chair again with her wandless magic. She thought it was dangerous.

"It's okay, love," Sirius reassured with a quick pat on her arm before he leaned back on his chair again.

"I have great balance," he said and Devery rolled her eyes at his reckless ways.

"I so do," he implored her and James clapped his hands in front of Sirius's face to get his attention again.

"Focus padfoot," he stressed, feeling out of sorts.

Devery was sitting in his usual desk beside Sirius and though he didn't mind sitting somewhere else, the change went against his routine. Sirius didn't usually request to sit with his girlfriends in class. James also noticed Lily experiencing the same unease when Devery didn't go to sit with her near the front of class. This was something they both had to get used too.

"Seriously James, I don't understand what the problem is. You have been trying to get a date with Evans for years and I simply grasped the opportunity for you to finally accomplish that," Sirius folded his arms behind his head and James pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"No offence Sirius but Devery agreeing to be your girlfriend is a complete bloody miracle," he pointed at Devery and Sirius sat on his chair properly.

"Don't say that in front of my girlfriend, prongs. You're giving her the wrong idea," Sirius frowned and Devery tried to suppress her amusement at the two boys.

"You are a complete basket case, padfoot," James grumbled.

"So are you, prongs," Sirius fired back and James threw his head back with a heavy sigh.

"I feel a migraine coming along," he rubbed his forehead.

"Hey, mate. Use that basket caseness to your advantage. It is a genuine gift of disguise. I got the girl of my dreams, didn't I?" Sirius winked at Devery and she poked her tongue at him.

"Devery is nothing like Evans," James stressed.

"Thank Merlin," Sirius breathed out gratefully and Devery arched an eyebrow.

"I mean… not that I don't think Evans isn't great. She is," Sirius quickly said to save face and Devery raised her other eyebrow.

"Evans is a really smart witch, wears her shoes polished and everything. Evans is awesome," he forced out but deep inside he felt like throwing up. Evans was a nightmare in his opinion but he will play it nice for Devery's sake. Devery gave him a pleased look and returned to leaf through her textbook.

"Damn you, padfoot," James scowled and he went to find another desk to sit at.

"Again, you are welcome prongs!" Sirius yelled at his back with a laugh and Devery lightly pinched his middle.

"Ay, what was that for?" Sirius demanded and Devery opened their notebook.

"Such a troublemaker!" She scolded with extra exclamation points and Sirius grinned at her wickedly.

"I am a Marauder," he simply said and Devery shook her head at him.

"You love that your boyfriend is a Marauder," he winked at her with both eyes.

"It keeps things interesting, I suppose," Devery replied.

"That's my girl," Sirius cheered and Devery nudged his knee with hers playfully. Sirius quickly stole a kiss and when they broke apart, he saw an angry redhead glaring him down.

"Hey, Evans," Sirius greeted.

"I refused to sit next to Potter so move it Black," Lily forced out through clenched teeth.

"Not gonna happen, Evans," Sirius wrapped an arm across Devery's chair and grinned.

"Why, you –

"Lily," Devery spoke softly to her mind and Lily stamped her foot in frustration.

"Devery promised me, Sirius Black, her boyfriend that she will sit beside me from now on," Sirius spelled out with his fingers.

"Seriously?" Lily stressed.

"I am dead Sirius," Sirius grinned and Devery laughed quietly at the pun.

"Shut it, Black. I was talking to Devery Leafwood, my best friend for the last seven years," Lily spelled out with her fingers too.

"Not all the time, Lils, I'm sure we'll want a break from each other eventually," Devery said and Lily hummed.

"Are you doing the telepathy thing again?" Sirius prompted and Devery told him to keep quiet. Sirius pouted and he grinned when Devery pecked him on the cheek. He was happy to keep quiet if it meant kisses on the cheek from his girlfriend.

"This is not taking things slowly, Devery," Lily said and Devery folded her arms.

"You're just saying that because you don't want to sit next to Potter."

Lily didn't look pleased one bit.

"Come on, Lily. Be that terrific sport, I know and love. Treat it as an opportunity to see James in a different light. He is Head Boy to your Head Girl."

Lily chewed on her lower lip in deep thought. She could see the logic in her best friend's words and she couldn't damn her for it.

"Damn you, Leafwood," she grumbled and she went back to her desk beside Potter. Devery smiled at her with a wave.

"Them two are so similar sometimes it scares me," Sirius whispered because he just saw Professor McGonagall enter the classroom.

"Ditto," Devery wrote with a knowing look.


The adventures of Deveral Leafwood and Sirius Black: Volume 1, Chapter 1

S: Hey J

D: Hey hey J

S: What are you doing?

D: The same as you. Listening and taking notes from Professor McGonagall.

S: I think you have a cool looking nose.

D: You have already told me that :P

S: I think you have a cool looking chin.

D: You are such a nerd.

S: Only if I can be your nerd :D

D: Unfortunately, you already are.

S: Ouch.

D: Do you need me to kiss it better?

S: Yes, ma'am but much later ;)

S: What's your favourite colour?

D: You're not going to let me learn anything new today, are you?

S: I get Os in transfiguration. I'll make sure you'll get them too. I'll tutor you, love.

D: Such a know-it-all.

S: You love it.

D: Guilty as charged J

S: What's your favourite colour?

D: Midnight blue and sometimes grey. What's yours?

S: Hazel green.

D: Professor McGonagall is looking at us funny.

S: Don't worry about it, love. It looks like we are concentrating really hard on our notes :P

D: Notes, I really need to take. I'm sorry, Sirius but I really need to concentrate. I'm not naturally smart like you.

S: Okay L can I hold your hand, at least?

D: Okay J

S: I'm sorry for distracting you.

D: It's okay. I just really need to get good marks so I can get into this neat program at the Department of Mysteries, next year.

S: That's really cool. Can you please tell me more about this program after class? I want to be an Auror myself and the program is hard to get into so I understand the stress.

D: We can support each other J

S: Yeah J J


Sirius, James's friends and Devery's dorm mates thought it would be funny to see Lily and James continue to sit together in class for the rest of the day. So they all went out of their way to pair them together. Lily and James just knew the whole thing was being orchestrated.

Mary bewitched Lily's school bag to land somewhere else so she could claim the seat next to Lucy in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Remus physically shoved James out of the seat next to Peter in Ancient Runes. Care of Magical Creatures and Potions was the same sort of deal.

But when they had Astronomy later that night after dinner, Lily and James had it. James stuck to his word all day and did not annoy Lily Evans in the slightest and Lily in return, continued to ignore his existence but when they lined up outside the attic in the Astronomy tower, their resolves broke.

"I can't do this anymore, Potter," Lily looked at James, miserably.

"You and me both, Evans," James grumbled.

"What should we do?" Lily prompted and James felt genuinely shocked that she asked him that. Lily usually didn't care what he thought and did her own thing.

"Um… tag team, maybe? You corner Devery and I'll take on Sirius," James delegated and Lily nodded.

"We need to separate them. Being this close all the time can't be good for their mental health. Couples need to remember their individuality too," she muttered and James glanced at said couple nearby.

Sirius looked quite relaxed where he was leaning up against the stonewall. He had an arm, casually resting around Devery's shoulders and she looked happy to stay there while she wrote in a black notebook. Sirius laughed at something she wrote and kissed Devery's forehead.

Sirius looked happy. Really happy and content. The last time, James saw his old friend this happy was when he ran away from his home in fifth year and moved into his parent's house permanently.

"But they look so happy," James indicated and Lily rolled her eyes.

"And what about us, huh?" She folded her arms and James looked down at her with curious eyes. Lily only reached his shoulders.

"What about us?" He repeated her question.

"We are both miserable, Potter, we haven't talked to anyone besides lunch all day," Lily stressed.

"You have yourself to blame for that, Evans," James folded his arms and Lily frowned a little.

"What do you mean by that?" She snapped.

"Well… if someone got off their high horse and apologized to a certain someone for putting them in the hospital wing, I would feel more obliged to chat with them," James deadpanned.

"Are you still holding a bloody grudge over that?" Lily huffed and James gave her a duh stare.

"By Merlin, you are the most insufferable person I have ever met Potter!" Lily scowled but she wasn't going to admit that she kind of liked seeing James stand his ground so strongly. She strangely admired him for that.

"Likewise, Evans," James saluted to her sarcastically.

"Right," she muttered to herself more than anything. This fiasco needed to end and end now. She was done with it.

"Follow me, Potter."


The adventures of Deveral Leafwood and Sirius Black: Volume 1, Chapter 2

D: You are named after a star?

S: The brightest one in the sky.

D: Wow!

S: Do I depict some awe in that wow, Devery?

D: Maybe :P

S: Well, enough about me. I want to learn more about you. Does your name mean anything?


Lily's index finger then appeared out of nowhere on the notebook and Devery looked at her best friend in alarm. James was also there.

"Evans… prongs! Having a great day so far?" Sirius smirked and he helped Devery close their notebook before anything could be read. He wanted to keep that private.

"There is no way you are letting Devery sit next to me in Astronomy, right?" Lily asked with furrowed eyebrows and Sirius pretended to think about it. Devery giggled at the funny face he pulled. Sirius squinted his eyes and pretended to stroke a long beard on his chin.

"You're right on that one, Evans. Ten points to Gryffindor," Sirius wriggled his eyebrows and Lily grimaced.

"I cannot believe it has come to this," she grumbled.

"Is something wrong, Lily?" Devery asked in concern but Lily ignored her while she continued to glare Sirius down.

"Black… I- apologise for hexing you and putting you in the hospital wing," she forced out and James cheered with a clap of his hands. Meanwhile, Sirius and Devery shared a confused look.

"See? That wasn't so hard, Lily. I am proud of you," James grinned and Lily frowned.

"Pop a sock in it Potter," she huffed.

"If you go out with me then I will gladly hand you one of my socks to do that," James winked and much to Devery and Sirius's surprise, Lily didn't tell him off for that comment.

"It's good to have you back, James." The edge of her mouth quirked up into a half smile and James looked down at her dumb folded. Lily then happily walked away into the classroom. Class was starting.

"What just happened?" Sirius blurted.

"I have no bloody idea, padfoot."

Then the two boys looked to Devery for answers and she simply shrugged her shoulders before following Lily into class. Beats her what was going on in Lily Evan's mind.