Chapter 31

March 21st, 1977

The flame in the fireplace crackled softly on Monday evening as a storm brewed outside. The wind slammed against the windows, and few cracks of thunder made students jump in the Gryffindor common room. However, James Potter sat perfectly still in an armchair; his focus was on the fire. He had been sitting there for about forty-five minutes, ignoring his Transfiguration textbook and instead worrying about his best mate.

Yesterday afternoon, Sirius Black stormed into the dorm and began packing a bag. James spoke only a handful of words to him since he found out about the Black-McKinnon bet. James admitted that he made a nasty remark about Sirius failing at dating life when Sirius entered the room. When the spectacled friend was met with quiet, James immediately asked what was wrong. Sirius didn't reply until he was finally done with his bag packing. He said simply, "Alphard died. I'll be back Tuesday," and left without another word.

Now, James felt like bullocks for several reasons. He felt guilty for treating Sirius like a vermin. He felt sad because he actually liked Alphard Black (the only truly decent Black besides Sirius). And, he felt irritated that Dumbledore wouldn't let James join Sirius. It was quite the range of emotions to deal with, and let's just say honestly, that James Potter was not used to experiencing such feelings all at once.

"Hey."

James didn't welcome the distraction. He was sorting his feelings that took the utmost concentration, so he did not reply to the feminine "hey."

"James?"

He glared up at the ginger standing beside him, but stopped when he saw the delicate expression on Lily Evan's face. She genuinely seemed concerned. But, James couldn't concentrate on her now. He needed to focus on sorting.

"Hi, Lily," he said softly, gazing back to the fireplace.

"What's wrong?" She asked. "You don't seem like yourself."

James ruffled his hair, not sure quite how to put his feelings into words: normal adolescent issues. As he configured his wording, Lily sat down on the arm of his cushioned chair and leaned back. She waited for him as if she had nothing better to do than listen to his complaints.

"Sirius' uncle died," James sighed.

"Oh, right," she murmured quietly. She looked down at her hands and added, "Marlene mentioned that. His uncle was the only decent one in his family I reckon?"

James nodded, "The rest of his family are full of blood supremacists and inbred ignoramuses. He's left with no one." His head dropped. "I should've been there for him. I should've snuck out this morning with the cloak and went with him to the funeral."

"Sirius wouldn't expect you to sneak out of Hogwarts for him."

"No, he wouldn't. But, I should've," he countered sourly. "He has no one left."

Lily smiled gently and put a firm hand on James' shoulders. The strength of her grip surprised James and made him turn to face her emerald green eyes. "He has you, James. And even though you may be an arrogant prick-"

"Thank you, Evans."

"- You are also one of the most loyal people I've ever encountered," Lily added with a smirk. She shocked him when she bent down and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

James must've been dreaming, or on some strange psycadelics, because there was no way in Hell that Lily Evans would show him any affection in public. Merlin, he was just getting used to the idea of snogging her in private. But, then his senses kicked in. He noticed that no students were in the Common Room except for a fast-asleep second year with a textbook over his face, sitting in the corner. Sometimes, chance works in your favor.

"And you, Lily Evans, are quite the charmer," James said as he slipped an arm around her waist. He pulled down from the arm and into his lap, causing her to giggle softly. She fell into his lap a bit awkwardly but no one cared, especially since he was holding her princess style.

"Oh, Potter, don't I know?" She teased before he leaned down and pressed a warm kiss to her lips. It was perhaps their most tender kiss yet. They took their time exploring each other's mouths and unique flavors. He loved the way she squirmed, and she loved the way he would groan as a result.

James took the initiative to take things further this time. A hand slid down from her back and over her waist. She let out a tiny shiver when his calloused fingertips brushed against her exposed skin. But, she moaned when his hand went past the waistband of her skirt.

Recently, Lily had imagined a scenario close to this repeatedly. Of all the places to get felt up, she did not expect it to be in the middle of her common room. But hey, the best surprises are unexpected.

James pushed the flimsy material out of the way and slowly skimmed his fingers up her thighs. He relished the quiet whimper before he reached the fabric of her knickers. Bloody Hell, she was already wet. It was hard not to groan at that.

As he rubbed her core in firm circles, Lily tried not to wiggle in response. It just felt too good. But, a rational part in her brain kept reminding her that she was in the Common Room. Anyone could walk in: Marlene, Remus, Peter! Or, better yet, McGonagall. All options seemed rather mortifying.

But, another rationale popped into her mind. It reminded her that she was still a virgin. If Lily had any self respect for herself, she wouldn't let herself do such a thing in the middle of common room with a thirteen year old sleeping only meters away.

So, Lily had to do the responsible thing. She had to make him stop.

James' hand slid up to the waist band of her panties, and although it felt like heaven, Lily grabbed it in response. The two froze there for a moment: eyes closed, breathing heavy, and lips parted. It took a few seconds for one of them to speak; it was James.

"Sorry, Love," he panted softly, pulling his hand away. "Got a little carried away," he murmured, still holding her close.

"I-it's okay," Lily reassured. "Same here. It's just that we're, er, out in the open, y'know?" She didn't want to mention the other part, not quite yet.

"Agreed," James said clearly.

"Agreed."

"So…"

"So?"

"Back to snogging, I'spose?"

"You make it sound like such a terrible thing."

"I'm sorry, Evans, but do you suffer from Blue Balls?"

"… No, no I don't."

"Then, I don't want to hear it."

"We could stop snogging if that makes it better, Potter."

"Okay, just shut up."

And they did.

March 22nd, 1977

Sirius Black returned to Hogwarts castle early in the morning. It was just before six-thirty, so students were probably still waking up and getting ready for breakfast. So, the young man took his time walking into the school's courtyard. He just finished up a smoke and tossed it before entering through the front entrance.

The boy felt drained. He had barely slept a wink in the past thirty-six hours. He had to deal with lawyers and gravemen, none of whom were particularly fascinating. Most of the people he interacted with treated him like he was a barely toilet-trained toddler.

It also didn't help that Sirius had to bury his only kind relative. He had to do it alone too. Being banished from the Black Family wall was a big deal to his relatives. If they wanted to keep the peace with Walburga, then they wouldn't show face. But, Sirius hadn't cared about his mother's opinion for a couple of years now. It only stung now because there was no one to mourn with.

"Sirius."

Sirius looked up from the ground – he hadn't realized that he was focusing on tiling. He was met with a tall, lean, and gorgeous Scotswoman with curly blond hair and glowing blue eyes. She had on a conservative smile and was already in her school uniform. He had known Marlene McKinnon for five years now, and she was never the early bird type.

"Marlene McKinnon, did your narcacisstic nightmares wake you early today?" Yes, Sirius was in this kind of mood this morning. He had every right in his opinion.

Marlene took it surprisingly well. She shrugged, "I knew you were coming back early this morning."

"Stalker Marlene," he said mockingly. "New."

"I wanted to show you something actually, if that's all right. Unless you're too tired."

Sirius narrowed his dark eyes at her. There was a sense of calmness in Marlene's voice that he was definitely not accustomed to, but he decided to give her a chance. Once he took the first step forward, Marlene turned her back on him and walked up the Great Hall. They moved together in silence, with him lingering a few steps behind her. The halls were silent with nothing but a slight breeze howling through the halls of the second floor.

Marlene looked back at him once they reached a classroom. She gave him another slight smile, which made Sirius' skin crawl.

"What?" He asked harshly. "Are you going to give me a lecture?"

"No, I leave that to my brother," she said as she pushed the door open to the music classroom.

The room was empty with chairs and music stands still stacked. Yesterday's music lesson was still on the chalkboard, and the music students must've been learning about Jazz Theory. Or, so Sirius could tell. He hadn't taken a proper music class since he had been living with his parents.

"Are you going to sing me an eulogy, McKinnon?" Sirius asked, bored. He plopped down in a lone chair and crossed his legs. He let out a long yawn, adding a bit of vibrato at the end.

"Not quite," Marlene shrugged as she lifted a cover. She unveiled a large cherry wood piano. It was a bit worn but it had a classic charm. She slowly sat down on the matching bench and looked over her shoulder. "Want to sit next to me?"

In an alternate reality, not to far from this one, Sirius Black would've been panting at the chance.

"I'm fine here," Sirius mumbled, skeptically. His uncle warned him about Scotswomen once.

Marlene scoffed, "Suit yourself, aye?" She cleared her throat and cracked her neck. If Sirius weren't so tired, he'd have an erection.

"Sometimes in our lives we all have pain," Marlene sang.

Sirius' heart may have stopped beating.

"We all have sorrow."

Her voice was nothing like he had ever heard. To be perfectly honest, he always thought Marlene had a rather pitchy voice. He blamed it on her accent. But, right now, her voice sounded like honey: deep and smooth. It was a rich warm tone, making Sirius think of sunset.

"But if we are wise.

We know that there's always tomorrow."

Sirius couldn't even help but chuckle. "Lean On Me" was one of his favorites, and he'd play it all the time on the James' muggle record-player back at the Potter estate. He wiped a hand over his face and just watched Marlene McKinnon play effortlessly.

"Lean on me,

when you're not strong."

It was as if her voice lifted his concerns away. He literally felt a weight off. The relief made his eyes wet, but he was definitely not crying. Sirius got up and exhaled deeply before walking over. Marlene was just getting to the chorus, her voice getting livelier. Her eyes smiled at him, making it nearly impossible not to get closer to those glowing orbs of sapphire.

Sirius sat beside Marlene and let her finish the first chorus. Her fade-out ended gently with her fingers dancing at the keys, maybe even bowing. Refusing the encore, Marlene smiled.

"You know I can't give you the entire show," she said quickly, "just a solid sample-"

Sirius quieted Marlene with a long and hard kiss. Even if he could control himself, Sirius probably would've done it either way. But right now, his emotions, thoughts and hormones were in a bloody tizzy. He just needed her to do what he did before by singing: make the feelings go away.

Fuck a bet.

…

But Sirius couldn't. He pulled back from Marlene and furrowed his brow. It took him a moment to say, "Sorry." He was halfway sure that Marlene was going to make some half-arsed attempt at a joke about winning the bet due to her 'femme fatale' nature. Instead, she said something he would never expect, and it was just two words:

"Don't be."

Marlene grabbed him by the face and pulled him for another kiss, shorter but still passionate. When she backed up, she said, "As long as that's what you want… right now."

Sirius didn't think twice before pulling her back in, grabbing her close as if Marlene's breath suddenly became oxygen. It didn't take him long for his adrenaline to kick in, and Marlene felt the same. Their hands grabbed for each other, every part of each other.

A few thoughts of worry and backing-out crossed both of their minds. Both mentally wondered if they were using each other, but it seems like neither one minded being used.

Sirius slammed down the piano cover and somehow maneuvered his arms so that he could lift Marlene onto the piano ledge. Marlene moaned as Sirius slid a hand down to her waist and began kissing her neck. He even bit her a few times and soothed the marks with his tongue. The hand reaching for her waist moved down to the bare creamy skin of her leg. Marlene shivered as his hand moved up and didn't hesitate to pull down her thin knickers. He threw them into some darkened corner of the room before sliding further down to press kisses against her throat, her collarbone, and the tops of her breasts. With the help of Marlene, Sirius undid his trousers and finally released his length. It all became too much for Marlene, so she lolled her head back just Sirius Black spread her legs a part, positioned himself and finally took her all in.

Severus Snape took in Lily Evan's appearance, practically swallowed it in and then choked on it. She had this glow about her as she chatted with James Potter happily. It seems like what he said was pretty bloody funny because she was laughing her arse off. It was a real laugh too – shite, he could hear it all the way across the room as she ate her rice pudding.

Merlin, it made him want to fucking hurl.

Rumors were just that at Hogwarts, rumors. But, recently, in the past twelve hours, there was some news going around that Lily Evans and James Potter were snogging in the common room.

Now, Lily may have changed a lot in the past year. She's gotten soft, developed a poor sense of humor and men, and has learned not to forgive. But it was just bullocks if she were snogging the so-called 'giant squid.'

The bitch must've developed a love for ink, slime, or tentacle porn because there she was now, squirming around him like all the other birds would when concerning James Potter. Now, she was just like the rest. And if she was, she'd be heart-broken like the rest.

And, Severus Snape definitely did not care about Lily Evans. There was no part of Lily Evans he remotely cared about: not her, not her twat of a boyfriend, and none of her so-called friends. None of them: not Marlene McKinnon, not any of the damn Marauders, and not even his own housemate Dorcas Meadowes.

Severus Snape was done.

A/N - I hope you enjoyed! Let me know your thoughts or your feels in the reviews, follows, or favorites! Thanks!

Rose