The Things That Happen In The Night - Wolfstar

Chapter Twenty-Four: Friends

Not long after I entered the dorm I shared with the boys did I hear them come in. I was sat on my bed with the curtains drawn closed. "Sirius, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to tell them." I was surprised to hear Lily's voice in the room as I continued to hide in my bed. "Padfoot? Come on out mate, we're not gonna judge you for wanting to shag Remus- Ow! Lily, stop hitting me!"

"Merlin, James! Stop being insensitive! He's clearly upset." I hadn't heard a word out of Peter yet and I was scared to know his reaction to all this. "I'm fine," I said loud enough for them to hear. They quieted down and I could faintly hear them whispering to each other but I couldn't make out a single word.

A few moments later the curtains surrounding me parted and James appeared with a small smile. "I'm sorry about what I said," James said as he sat down next to me and ran a hand through his wild hair,"but I did mean it. The part about not judging you." I nod my head as I try to think of something to say. The curtains open a second time and Peter comes through. He sits next to James at the end of my bed.

"So...,"James spoke up again in an attempt to break the awkward silence,"are you and Remus dating now?" I shake my head as try to look at anything but the boys. "Oh, well. Why not?" I sigh as I realize that this would be the best time to bring up Marlene and the baby. "Marlene," I say and look up to see James and Peter utterly confused. "What's Marlene got to do with it?" Peter asks right before James speaks up in an angry tone," she's got everything to do with it Pete! She's trying to stop Remus and Sirius from furiously snogging in a broom closet!"

I can't help but laugh at James' comment but I am stopped short by the knowledge that I need to tell the boys the truth."That's not it Prongs, she's...,"I take a deep breath before continuing,"Marlene's pregnant." James looks shocked by my comment while Peter looks confused. "I thought you and her broke up?" I nod my head at James' question. "We did, she's been keeping this a secret for a long time, she got pregnant in June." James' jaw drops as he soaks up the information," but that would make her..."James counts on his fingers before finishing his sentience,"four? Five months pregnant?" I nod my head at James as he stares at me. "Is she really? I mean, isn't she supposed to be getting fat?" I shake my head and smile a bit before explaining everything I knew.

When I had finished James sat back against a bedpost and fixed his glasses,"shit Padfoot, how do you feel about all this?" I just shrugged my shoulders. It had only been a few days that I had known and I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was going to be a father. "I really don't know." James just nodded his head. Peter had barely said a word but his presence was enough. Peter wasn't one for words on occasions like this.

"I know this isn't the best time to bring this up, but what would you say about naming the baby James Jr.?" I laughed at his comment,"how is he going to be James Jr. if his dad isn't named James?" James just smiles and shrugs,"well how about just James then?" I shake my head lightly while I roll my eyes,"I highly doubt Marlene would go for that."

"Well damn," James laughs a bit and Peter cracks a smile, probably because the conversation isn't emotional or awkward anymore. "I could make you his godfather though," I suggested jokingly. James perked up at the idea immediately,"really?" I shrugged my shoulders again and nodded,"sure? Why not?"

James, Peter and I laughed again before I asked," where's Lily?" I peered out of the curtains to find the room deserted. "She left to give us some space," Peter said quietly. " I should probably go talk to her, she might think I'm mad at her." James and Peter nodded as I got up from the bed to go find Lily.

Honestly I'm not mad at Lily, if anything, I'm grateful. If it wasn't for her I'm not sure I would have told the boys about Remus and I.  I feel like I have some of the weight off my shoulders now that the boys know.

I find Lily back in the common room where she was sitting before. "Sirius," she says as she spots me coming towards her,"is everything okay? I'm so sorry." I sit next to her and give a small smile,"yeah, we talked and everything's fine." Lily gave a relieved sigh and nodded. There was an awkward silence between us before I spoke up again. "Remus wanted me to go visit him in the hospital wing. Just me and him." I left the statement hanging as I waited for Lily to answer.

"Are you going to go?" I sat back against the couch as I thought about her question. Now that the boys know about us I think I need to let him know that. "I'm not sure yet." I answer as I stare at the fireplace.

"I know it's your choice, but I think you should." I knew that I should go to see Remus and get this cleared up but I'm not sure I wanted to face him, at least at this point. Lily was like Remus in many ways; sensible, smart, and good at giving advice were just a few of them. Maybe that's why I kept going to Lily when things went wrong. I usually go to Remus but now that my problems are partly about him, I'm able to depend on Lily.

I'm glad she found me that day in the library, I'm lucky to have a friend like her. Now that I think about it, I'm not really sure if we are friends. I now consider her one but I'm not sure how she feels.

"Hey, Lily?" I ask after a few minutes, completely ignoring her previous statement. "Yes?" She asks looking up at me. "Are we friends?" I give her an awkward smile and suddenly feel stupid for asking. "Yeah, I guess so," Lily chuckled a bit at my question,"why?"

"No reason," I answer while shrugging. After the events of today, I felt relief now knowing that I had several people to lean on. Honestly, I should have known that all along. I'm not sure where things are going with Remus or the situation with Marlene, but at least I have good friends to help along the way.