The Marauders: Year Six Part 2 #Wattys2017

He Didn't Mean It

Happy Belated Birthday Amy @cocopuffer123 

Lily caught Sirius's arm by the elbow in the hallway outside the Gryffindor common room one evening, pulling him back from the flow of students pouring in after dinner. She did it so quickly that the other Marauders didn't even notice him gone at first (it took Remus realizing that it had gotten noticably quieter before they looked about for their notoriously noisy friend). He nearly tripped over the stone steps as Lily pulled him a couple up the curling staircase that led up to the very tip top of Gryffindor tower. She leaned back to peek out into the corridor to be sure the other Marauders had gone on into the common room, then spun to face him.

"James's birthday is in two days," she informed him.

Sirius was rubbing his elbow as though she'd had some sort of vice grip upon him (she hadn't) and acting quite put off. He eyed her. "No kidding? I didn't know," his voice was gooey with sarcasm.

"So, what are we doing for it?" she asked.

"We?" Sirius asked pointedly, raising an eyebrow. "What are we doing for it? You and I we or me and the Marauders we?"

"All of us, we."

Sirius sat himself down on the stairs and sprawled out his arms regally behind him, leaning back, a grin playing on his face as he gained the upper ground. "I didn't know you wanted to do anything for it."

"Of course I do," Lily said.

"Why?" Sirius asked.

Lily flushed.

He was smirking.

"Stop that," Lily said, burning hotter by the moment, "You know perfectly well why." She shifted her weight foot to foot when he continued to stare at her with his stupid smirking grin. "Stop it Sirius." 

Sirius cleared his throat, deciding to let it go -- for now -- and said, "Well, what did you have in mind for us to do? Clearly you've some sort of idea if you've been thinking on it enough to stop me in the bleedin' hall like this."

Lily said, "I don't know. I just... I want to see James being happy again so that he and I can... can have a talk."

Sirius raised his eyebrow, "Have a talk, you say?"

"Yes."

"Is that anything at all like... like having a snog?"

"Shut it," Lily said and she gripped her wand. But Sirius only laughed. "No, it is not at all like having a snog, you filthy thing. Everything's about snogging and sex to you."

"Not everything."

"Name one thing!"

"Anything female!" Sirius replied, "I've snogged my last of the females. I wasn't very impressed. No offense to Marlene McKinnon, of course, I'm sure she's spiffing to the right guy. I'm just not that guy."

Lily rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot."

Sirius said, "Well, why would you want to hang out with an idiot on an adventure! I reckon this conversations rather a circular thing," he said, waving his finger about in the air. "Either I'm an idiot or else I'm the only one who can help you with... whatever it is you have to ask me."

Lily pursed her lips.

"Which is it love?"

"Fine, you'renotanidiot," she said all in a great gust of breath, and before Sirius could make her say it slower (the smirk on his face made her think he might suggest something of the sort), she said, "Does he want anything? You know, like... a present? Has he mentioned anything?"