Hogwarts: A History [Harry Potter Fanfiction]

Chapter 29 - Fay

Check out the image to the right to see how I picture Sirius :)

“So they’re together then?”

Sirius was with James and Lily in the common room. There were a mass of parchment and books in front of them and according to Lily, they were studying, though Sirius’s mind was everywhere but on the notes in front of him.

“I suppose,” he muttered, tossing a piece of parchment into the hearth; he watched as it caught on fire, and quickly shriveled into a charcoaled bundle, “They certainly seemed together.”

“You’re not happy for her?” Lily asked, though judging from her expression, she already knew the answer.

Sirius raised his eyebrows to her, saying matter-of-factly “He’s a wanker.”

She just shrugged, slouching back down into her armchair and flipping a page in her Potions book.

“He had his hands all over her,” he continued to James, who grimaced, “It was inappropriate.”

“Sounds disgusting,” James replied with repugnance.

“You know,” Sirius persisted, picking up his quill, but putting it down again almost immediately, “It’s not even the fact that she was snogging him, it’s the fact that he couldn’t take her someplace nicer to do it.”

Lily rolled her eyes from behind her book.

“You’d think if he was so keen on her, then he’d at least...” he trailed off, “at least...”

“Ask her out when he had the chance?” Lily questioned.

He glared at her, saying curtly, “Yeah, I know, I’m an idiot.”

But this made him quiet down and he returned his gaze to the fire for a while, settling for the occasional twisting of discomfort from within his chair. After a moment, Lily’s head appeared once again from behind her book and she turned to Sirius, saying in a stern voice, “I’ll take points from my own house, if you don’t relax.”

Sirius shuffled once more and tossed another paper into the fire.

“I’m gonna tell her how I feel.”

And suddenly, Lily was as straight as a board in her seat. “No!” she said sternly, slamming her book shut at once, “No. Don’t you dare, Sirius Black. She’s finally found someone that is making her happy.” She handed her book to James, “You already had your chance. You will not confuse her by telling her that.”

A vein pulsed in his neck and he said through gritted teeth, “I’m just trying to look out for her.”

“You’re just trying to look out for her?” Lily gawked, “Look out for her when she’s getting bullied by Gretchen Roberts. Look out for her when she puts flobberworm mucus instead of valerian root into her Draught of Living Death potion. Look out for her when she gets caught up in the vanishing step. This isn’t about her needing to be looked after; it’s about you being selfish. You’re just being a poor sport because you wanted to have your cake and eat it too. Well you can’t have either now and you’re just going to have to get used to it.”

He shuffled in his seat, but did not respond and James looked wearily between the two of them, not wanting to get involved. Lily took her book back from James and then stood up, collecting her things. She rested her hands on James’s shoulder, addressing Sirius. 

“If you really do care about her, then leave them alone.” She kissed the top of James’s head and excused herself for bed. Once she was gone, James twisted back to Sirius.