How the Moon Fell In Love With a Star

Chapter 5

Word Count: 1,578

Heat sweltered from the middle of the common room where a majority of the seventh years were dancing. Someone had charmed the record player (stolen from McGonagall's office by none other than James and Sirius, of course) to play popular Muggle music. I was curled up on the couch, that had been shoved into the corner of the room, and attempting to finish an essay for Professor Binns. Not that I wanted to, but I really didn't feel like partying, especially when it meant I had to watch Sirius snog half the girls in the room.

I sighed and turned back to my essay after watching him down what was probably his fourth drink of the night. My quill had dried while I was lost in thought, so I dipped it in my pot of ink and began to scratch at my parchment again. The couch dipped next to me and someone's arm slipped around my shoulders.

My gaze flicked up to see James next to me, peering down at my essay. "Can I borrow that when you're done?" James grinned.

"No." I yanked my essay away from his greedy little fingers, rolling it up and slipping it back into my bag. "You can write your own and I will help."

James pouted. "But that's no fun!" I ruffled his hair before screwing on the lid to my ink pot.

"It's Professor Binns," I replied. "It isn't supposed to be fun." I relaxed back against the couch and wrapped my arm around James's torso. Leaning my head against his shoulder, I asked, "Is this how it should be?"

"Hm?"

"Watching him from across the room and the two of us sitting on the sidelines each pining after someone we'll never have?" James squeezed my shoulder.

"No," he replied softly. "I don't think it is." We sat in silence for a while, music and laughter strangely distant. Remus joined us on the couch. He gave me a sad look and kissed my forehead before also wrapping an arm around me.

"It hurts," I whispered. "Watching him, but knowing he'll never think the same of me."

James grinned mischievously then. "You'd be surprised." He untangled his arm then bumped my shoulder with his. "Want a drink?"

I shook my head. James shrugged, then melted into the crowd. I turned to Remus, crossing my legs on the couch cushion. "I need big brotherly advice."

Remus smiled. He pushed a strand of hair out of my face before speaking. "I think you need to tell him."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Why?" I asked. "I know he doesn't love me like that."

"You don't have to know. But this, keeping secrets from him. It's not like you. He knows something is different. Every time hetalks about some girl, you get up and leave. He notices every time," Remus said. "It might not be fact that he loves you like you love him, but I know that he does care about you more than the rest."

Remus stood and left, leaving me to think on that. I guess if I thought back on all the years Sirius had ever been with a girl, he's always come back to me. I was the only girl who knew the real Sirius Black. The Sirius who's emotional and complained about everything that required responsibility and laughed when his best friend failed at asking out the girl of his dreams and cried when his parents sent letters screaming for him to never come home and pranked his friends just to start a war and considered what he might want to be someday and comforted his two frieyafter a full moon was especially brutal. That was the Sirius I fell in love with. The real, emotional Sirius.

I sighed and turned my eyes back to where Sirius was dancing with Marlene McKinnon. He smiled drunkenly at her before spinning her under his arm. She leaned up and kissed his cheek, leaving a bright red lipstick stain on the side of his face. I sighed again and looked over to the edge of the room where the drink table was set up. James was no where to be seen, but a second later, I saw him detatch himself from the crowd and return to my corner.

He set down two drinks on the table and flopped down next to me. "I said I didn't want anything to drink," I told James.

"I know. But I thought a butterbeer might cheer you up." James grinned. "Besides, I knew you wouldn't be able to scold me for drinking if you were doing it too."

"James, butterbeer isn't illegal for underage wizards," I stated before grabbing my drink and taking a big gulp. "But thanks."

"Told you ya'd feel better," replied James. Winking, he also took a swig of his drink before grabbing my hand. "Let's dance."

"Why? I don't feel like it," I whined as James tugged on my arm.

"Lills, you need to live a little. Besides, you'll never get his drunken attention if you sit in a corner like an owl all night," James pointed out.

"I don't want his drunken attention," I retorted. I was now on my feet. I yanked my hand out of James's before stalking to the portrait hole. "I'm going for a walk," I called. I pushed through the door and climbed into the hallway. A second later, James climbed out through the hole and stumbled into me.

"Can't let you get caught, Moonbeam." James winked as he pulled his invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map out of his pocket. I rolled my eyes before taking the cloak and throwing it over our heads.

I pulled my wand from my boot and unfolded the map. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," I whispered. Slowly, ink started to bleed onto the parchment. I grinned like a child as I watched the result our magic had made over the last three years.

James and I stood for a few moments before he pointed to one of the many hidden rooms in the castle. I nodded and we slipped through the corridors. As we neared the knight that hid the entrance to the room, I put the map away and James stepped on the brick to open the door. Silently, a piece of the wall faded to reveal a dark corridor behind.

We stepped through to the darkness beyond and threw the cloak off. "Lumos," James said once the stone reappeared. I threw sparks from my wand onto the coals in the hearth. A fire sprung up, casting light and warmth through the room. James pulled some of the pillows to the middle of the room while I hauled out our chest of food.

"So," James began chewing a cauldron cake, "I had an idea that I believe would help both of our situations." I popped a chocolate frog into my mouth, glanced at the card, and threw it away before shooting a questioning look at James. He scrambled for the card and scowled. "Merlin, again."

"What's your plan this time?" I asked, taking a swig of pumpkin juice. James gestured for me to hand the flask over.

I did so, and he started to speak slowly. "I have a feeling..." He paused and tipped his head at me. "You trust me, right?" James asked out of the blue. My brows furrowed, but I nodded. "Good. Because I don't think you'll like this much."

"James Potter, this better be good or I'm stealing your chocolate frog cards," I threatened. We stared blankly at each other for a second, then burst out laughing.

"Okay, just hear me out on this," James said when we had our laughter under control. I nodded and folded my legs under me. "You want to know how Sirius feels about you, right?" I nodded uncertainly. "And I want to know how Lily feels about me. So here's my idea. We pretend to go out and see how they deal with it." I opened my mouth to protest but James stopped me. "Think about it! If they really have any feelings for us, we'll know because they won't like that we're together since we've only ever seen each other as brother and sister."

I sat for a second staring into the fire. "I...I don't know, James. I mean, would it really work?" My eyes locked with his hazel ones.

"Just think, Lillie! If it did work, we'd both get what we want. Nothing could change between us. You know that I've always loved Lily, and I know you've always loved Sirius and don't even try to deny it because I can see how you've looked at him for the past year," James paused to catch a breath, then muttered, "Besides, Remus is terrible at keeping secrets."

"James, he's your best friend. If what you think will happen actually does, don't you think he'll be mad at you?"

James waved off my protest. "No, he won't. He'll think it's hilarious that you actually agreed to my plan!" James grinned. "Please, Lillian" James crawled up to me and gave me his puppy dog eyes.

I rolled my eyes before sticking out my hand. "Fine," I replied. "But if this goes horribly wrong, I am blaming you."

"Deal," James said. "And if everything goes right, you will thank me." James took my hand and shook on it before we began to finalize our plans.