Serendipity (S. Black)

SEVENTEEN

"behind the smile is a story you'll never understand"

*

"Sirius, mate, you are what we call screwed."

A voice came from nowhere. "Yeah, I know."

James rolled his hazel eyes and threw more mismatched socks into his trunk.  "You've been under that cloak for an hour now. Man up and get out. You still have to finish packing."

"I don't want anyone to find me. Especially Marlene."

"Come on, you're a Gryffindor!" Peter said bracingly. "You can do this. Trust us!"

"What, just walk down to breakfast? Those girls have looks that could kill, I swear!"

"Sirius, mate, you're being a dramatic little twat," James informed him. "Were you aware of that?"

"You don't get it! I hurt her. I had a chance and I blew it. This was my one chance! I might not get another one! This isn't like you badgering Evans over and over again to go out with you! This is real! Don't you understand? She went to that party alone because I didn't do the mature thing and tell her that I couldn't make it. That was my fault. I did that."

Sirius had been up all night. After the boys traipsed in at around four in the morning after their time at the Shrieking Shack, he couldn't shut his mind off. He kept replaying the moment he'd seen her cry, watching that single tear slide down her cheek in the firelight. He didn't want to imagine her standing alone at Slughorn's party, but that's all he could see.

A knock startled the three boys, and a random thud informed the other two that Sirius had fallen off of the bed. Peter jumped forward and got on his tiptoes to see through the peephole they drilled through the door their third year.

"It's not Marlene," he informed the group. "It's Lily."

He unlocked the door and let a very furious-looking redhead in. James immediately backed out of the way.

"Morning, Lily," Peter squeaked.

"I know he's in here."

"Evans, darling, how lovely of you to call," said the invisible Sirius. "Consulting hours are every third Wednesday from three to five. Please come again."

"Sirius Orion Black, get out from under that chameleon blanket and come talk to me."

Sirius begrudgingly poked his head out from under the Invisibility Cloak, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion, hair still messy, and a long scrape down the side of his face. "If you've come to tell me that I messed up, Evans, save your breath. I know."

"Well, you did, but that's not why I came." She sat down on the bed next to him. "You're going to have to do some massive cleanup if you want her to forgive you. What are you going to do about it?"

"I was thinking about giving her some space," he said, looking down at his hands. "Let her cool down, talk to her after the holidays."

She whacked him on the head with a pillow. "That is the worst thing you could do."

"Oi! Easy with the pillow!"

"Why? Sounds like a plan to me!" James said, sticking up for his friend. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Because then she'll spend all of the holidays hating you! You don't want that. She's angry, Sirius, but she's mostly just hurt. She doesn't understand why you weren't there. I don't either, but my opinion doesn't matter now." Lily pulled the pillow closer and hugged it to herself. "That was a pretty crappy thing to do, by the way."