Word Count: 1076

Prompts at the end

Squib!Sirius

I.

Sirius is certain that Dumbledore means well, but he suspects the old man is out of his bloody mind to leave Sirius in Arabella Figg's care. Sure, she's a Squib too, and she'll know how to help him navigate the Muggle world and learn his place, but she's strange. Aside from that, she has too damn many cats; Sirius wonders if she would consider getting a dog.

"Just starting lunch, dear," Mrs. Figg says warmly. "Soup and sandwiches."

"I'm not hungry. May I go explore?"

"Be back before sundown."

He's grateful to get away from that stuffy little house and the constant smell of cats. It makes him feel a little guilty. Mrs. Figg is a nice enough woman, and Sirius wouldn't actually mind getting to know her. He supposes he has all the time in the world for that. As a Squib, he won't be going to Hogwarts. He'll be stuck in this city, forever a disgrace to his family.

"Ouch!"

He's so lost in thought that he doesn't even notice the girl with auburn hair and emerald eyes until he nearly knocks her over. His cheeks burn with color. "Sorry!" he gasps as she dusts herself off. "I, well… I wasn't actually paying attention to where I was going."

The girl offers him a dazzling, bright smile. "So I noticed. I'm Lily," she says. "Lily Evans."

"Sirius Black."

"Funny name."

He scowls. He has a good name, a strong name. If anything is funny, it's naming a child after a stupid flower. Before he can yell at her, though, she giggles.

"Good sort of funny. I like it," Lily assures him.

"Lily!" a blonde girl jogs up, red in the face and gasping for air. "I asked you to wait!"

Lily rolls her eyes. "Petunia, this is Sirius. Sirius, my sister Petunia."

The older girl rolls her eyes. "What sort of name is that?" she sneers, and her tone tells him that she doesn't find his name as endearing as Lily seems to. "Come on, Lily. You aren't supposed to talk to strangers."

"He isn't a stranger! He's my friend!"

And that word makes him feel less alone. Sirius smiles for the first time in what feels like forever.

…

Sirius tries to be happy for Lily when she tells him about her Hogwarts letter, but the disappointment feels heavy in his chest. He had been so sure that he'd found a nice Muggle to befriend. How could his luck be this rotten?

"I'll write you!" she promises him. "Don't worry about that."

And he would never admit it, but it had worried him.

II.

Sirius grins, placing a top hat on his head and twirling around. "What do you think?" he asks.

Over the past three summers, this has become their tradition. Dress up in whatever silly outfits they can find, venture out into the world.

Lily offers him a smile, and he doesn't understand why it makes his heart flutter. "Very dashing. Quite the gentleman," she says, tying the laces of a pair of glittery gold shoes. "Much more of a gentleman than Potter."

He's grown to despise that name without even meeting the bloke. Every summer and holiday, Lily comes back with a new reason to hate him. "What's he done now?"

"Potter likes to play twisted games with people," Lily answers, tugging her grey and pink checkered socks up so that they visibly clash with her shoes, "and one of his favorites is making girls fall in love with him. He's gotten Alice Fortescue and Dorcas Meadowes. It seems like I'm his next conquest."

"Bastard." Sirius pulls on a neon green t-shirt, admiring himself in the mirror for a moment.

"He wouldn't be so bad if his ego didn't get in the way," Lily sighs. "Come on. Our date awaits."

Date.

Somehow that word makes him feel like an awkward mess. All he can do is laugh nervously and follow her out.

…

The night before she leaves for Hogwarts again, Sirius finally understands. He lays in bed, staring at the ceiling, his eyes wide and sleepless.

He has fallen in love with his best friend.

His attention shifts toward the window. He wonders if there's any power in the stars, if he can wish away the feelings. The thought makes him laugh. At least he knows there's no way a coward like him could ever be in Gryffindor.

III.

Snow crunches beneath his boots as he and Lily walk along the blanketed park. Snowflakes cling to her red hair, and Sirius feels an ache in his chest. How is it possible for her to be so beautiful?

"You said you wanted to tell me something," Lily says as they continue through the winter wonderland.

He swallows dryly. It's been months since his great epiphany. He should know how to say this by now. Mrs. Figg had offered him advice and encouragement, but he still feels so lost.

"What we have is beyond friendship," he manages. "Beyond being best friends, even."

She tips her head curiously to the side, but she doesn't say anything. Sirius wishes she'd at least provide some sort of denial or confirmation before he makes a complete fool of himself.

Tugging nervously at his dark hair, he continues, hating the way his heart races. He's supposed to be cool and confident. Now, he feels like he's going to crash. "I… I didn't realize it until this past summer," he says. "But I fancy you."

When she does respond, Sirius leans in, pressing a kiss to her cheek, careful to respect her boundaries. Lily touches her fingers to where his lips had been, a smile brightening her face. "Did you really do that?"

He laughs. "Oh my God…. I think I really did," be confirms. "Blimey…"

Lily wraps her arms around him, standing on her tiptoes, pressing her lips against his. "The feeling is mutual."

…

They lay together on the couch, snuggling together. Two steaming mugs of hot cocoa rest on the table in front of them.

Sirius sighs, content and happy. It still feels like a dream, and he worries that it's all going to come crashing down, that he has somehow overlooked some crucial detail.

But Lily snuggles closer, and his worries seem to fade. Mrs. Figg will be home soon, and they'll have to keep a safe distance and play pretend. In the meantime, though, he has Lily, and nothing else matters.

Balloons: SiriusLily

Gobstones, Gold Stone (first love): Squib!au, "Did you really do that?", snuggling

Faeries, winter: snowflake, wonderland

Film Festival: "What we have is beyond friendship."

Character Appreciation: sneer

Book Club, Master Legend: top hat, "[Name] likes to play twisted games with people, and one of his favorites is making girls fall in love with him.", wish

Showtime, Charlie's Soliloquy: shoes

Buttons: encouragement

Lowdown, Christina Chapel: overlooked