𝙰 𝙳𝚘𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙰 𝙳𝚘𝚟𝚎 - 𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘

Chapter 29

"Lia," Lily said softly, as she and Aurelia wrote down what their muggle studies professor had written up on the blackboard.

"Lily."

"You know how James and I have been really close the past month or so?"

Aurelia hummed, dipping her quill back into her ink pot. "I do, Lily. I've caught the scandalous glances between you two. If my father had caught sight of you, he'd have sent you off to a girl's chastity school in two seconds."

"Yes, well besides that, did you know that James hasn't actually asked me to be his girlfriend yet?"

Aurelia gasped, quite audibly, causing Wendy in the seat before her to look around, her brow furrowed in a quizzical manner. "Is something the matter, Lia?" she asked quietly, leaning back against her desk.

"Everything is the matter right now, Wendy my darling. Bambi hasn't asked our Lily here to be his girlfriend."

It was Wendy's turn to gasp audibly. "Oh, I am actually going to kill him, I mean it!"

"Wendy darling, you're too kind for that," Lily murmured, resting her chin on her hands. "Besides, I don't want you to kill the boy I happen to like very much. Just a minor graze will suffice if that."

"Lily, your standards are dropping," Aurelia remarked, patting Lily's hand in a sympathetic manner. "Old Lily would've thrown a book at least. And besides, why wait for him to ask you?"

☽ ☼ ☾

Sirius raised a quizzical eyebrow towards his girlfriend as she skipped into the Great Hall with a content smile upon her face, followed by Wendy, who could not look any of the Marauder's in the eye without a smile breaking out onto her face. As she sat beside Peter, who immediately shared his lunch with her, Aurelia opted for the spot in between Sirius and James, wrapping her arms around James free one.

The boy looked down to her, echoing Sirius' face, before offering her a part of his sandwich.

"You want some, Dove?" he asked with a polite grin, earning a shake of her head from Aurelia.

"No thank you Bambi darling, I've a boyfriend to steal food off of," she hummed, earning a grunt from Sirius. "Besides, you really might want to finish all of that off now."

"Shit, what have I done now?" James groaned, stuffing more of his sandwich into his mouth. Wendy averted her eyes from the sight, trying to digest her own food, as Remus turned his nose up in disgust, bringing his book up higher to shield his eyes.

"Oh, it's what you haven't done, darling," Aurelia quipped, sliding towards Sirius, who immediately tucked her under his arm. He and James shared an equally confused look, as a lean figure entered the Great Hall, a determined look set under a pair of bright, green eyes.

Lily Evans had a goal.

And Lily always achieved her goals.

"James Fleamont Potter," Sirius murmured under his breath, tugging both him and Aurelia further down the bench they sat on. "I believe you are what muggles call 'a dead man'."

James braced for impact as Lily came closer and closer to him, their interaction now gaining attention from other students, who were vaguely intrigued as to what was happening. Even Peter had stopped eating, a gentle hand resting on Wendy's knee as they both leaned towards James with grins, his face expressing that Wendy had let Lily's plan slip.

"Lilyflower, whatever I've done, I'm sorry for and I-"

James' apology was cut off by Lily slamming her lips rather aggressively against his, and when she pulled away after a few short seconds, his jaw hung open, his brain unable to comprehend what the usually quiet girl had just done.

"Shut up," she ordered, looking to Aurelia for support. The girl raised two thumbs, with an encouraging smile on her face, and Lily blushed momentarily, before looking back down at the boy trapped under her spell.

"Lilyflower, I-"

"What did I say James?"

James' silence brought a content hum out of Lily, as she stood beside him, taking his hands in hers. Both carried callouses of different kinds – Lily's were from the countless hours of writing and reading she had undertaken over her short life, whilst James were from his many quidditch practices – and James gripped at Lily's hands tighter as she slightly trembled from her nerves, an encouraging smile gracing his features.

"Now, if you would ever so kindly follow me to the hallway outside, I would be most grateful," Lily cooed, her fingers freeing themselves from the boy's grasp to trail along the back of his shoulders, before one finger curled towards herself in a beckoning motion to the boy, forcing James to stand, his eyes never leaving Lily's.

With a flick of her wrist, Lily's hair was brushed away from her shoulder, flying out behind her as she strode towards the hallway, followed by James who stumbled more than once as he found himself unable to stray from Lily's side. Remus' eyes widened at the sight, as Peter blushed and Sirius' jaw hung, all in both shock and awe at the quiet Gryffindor who'd established her connection with James in mere seconds. James looked as if he'd do anything for her, as if Lily were a higher power who could only be served, and not tamed, and Sirius found his eyes wandering down to his Aurelia, who he knew could command him to do anything she desired without objection.

Two girls, both born of muggles, had two wizards from the most respected pure-blooded families wrapped around their little fingers.

"Do that to me one day," Sirius murmured in Aurelia's ear, his breath causing it to tickle. "I don't care where, or how, but by Godric, Lia, do that to me one day."

"Darling, it would be my pleasure," Aurelia responded, causing Sirius to grin and gently grab her chin, tilting it up so that he could capture her lips in a desperate kiss. A few of the younger students around them retched, running from the Great Hall, as older ones awed at the display, some immediately becoming jealous at the open bond of love between the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.

From where he was sat, with his Slytherin friends, Severus could not help but stare at both the loved-up display between Lily and James, and now the clear adoration that his cousin and Sirius held for each other. His heart lurched at the looks of sheer happiness that adorned each of their faces, but the consequences to his actions were unforgiveable.

Aurelia and Lily would not forgive him, especially if his Dark Lord rose to the power he desired.

"It hurts, doesn't it? Seeing those you love no longer look at you the way they once did," Regulus hummed, sliding into the seat beside Severus. The older boy sneered, trying to turn his face away, but Regulus tugged on Severus' ear lobe, effectively snapping his head back to look at his cousin and Sirius.

"It's for your own good that you remember I made an Unbreakable Vow for that girl right there, to protect her and guard her whenever you couldn't be around to do so. That protection now extends to my brother, who, so Salazar help me, will come to no harm from you, especially out of spite for the kindness of his heart. If I see any kind of spell, or jinx to hurt either of them, I will kill you. Do I make myself clear, Severus?"

Never before, had Severus seen this side of the young Black.

It seemed, somewhere in Regulus' heart, he too, cared deeply for Aurelia.

And it wasn't just because of his Unbreakable Vow.

"Clear as day, Black."

Regulus nodded once, before his eyes cast over to his brother and Aurelia, a small smile bringing up the corners of his lips. If they were happy, he was happy, he decided, before he strode out of the Great Hall, robes billowing behind him in a majestic manner.

Severus only then, began to breathe once more.