An Unexpected Romance

It had been precisely a month since Lily Evans and Sirius Black had become a couple. And nobody, not even James Potter, had been as surprised by the whole affair as Sirius himself.

For several years now James Potter had been pursuing the fierce, redheaded girl, and it was clear to everyone, even the teachers, that despite her apparent hatred for him, the two would become a couple at some point or another. And not just any couple—a couple whose love was so great that they would spend all the years of their life together, falling deeper and deeper in love with every passing day.

But it seemed Lily had other plans, and other interests when it came to rebellious young men.

The bond between the four Marauders—James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter—was stronger than any magic taught at Hogwarts. Their friendship was one that had been formed on the very first day and had only gotten stronger as the years had gone by—much like everybody assumed Lily and James' legendary love would have been. At least, before the most unexpected plot-twist in Hogwarts social history had occurred.

And even though the Marauders shared this friendship, James and Sirius had a bond like no other. There was never one without the other; they were closer than twins, completely inseparable. So strong was their connection that they could communicate silently—certain things did not need to be said, yet the other would understand profusely.

And one of these unspoken things was Lily Evans. That isn't to say they didn't talk about her—of course they did. James would talk nonstop about the 'redheaded fox' who had won his affections and captured his heart. He would never say it quite with those words; however, Sirius of all people knew how much James adored Lily. And he could see, more than anybody else, how these two were destined for each other.

It was no secret that Sirius was a ladies' man. He'd had his fair share of admirers and girlfriends throughout his time at Hogwarts. He'd never felt the love and loyalty James did for Lily, but he was content with his lifestyle. And as a silent vow between the two young men, Sirius never so much as even considered pursuing Lily Evans. Though she was truly one of the most beautiful girls Hogwarts had to offer, she was absolutely, completely, and utterly James' pursuit. Whilst it was true that Lily was far more stubborn than the other girls, Sirius had a way of enticing girls into his arms, and truth be told if he tried hard enough, he was sure he would be able to win Lily over if he really set his mind to it.

But Lily Evans' beauty (and also the effort that would have been required to win her over), did not in the slightest compare to the silent loyalty that Sirius shared with James. The words did not need to be said. Lily Evans was James' devotion and Sirius could never, would never, attempt in any way to lure her away from him. Sirius would rather die than betray James in such a way.

Which is exactly why he panicked when things got more complicated.

It had been precisely a month since Lily Evans had approached him in the Gryffindor Common Room one night. Sirius already felt uneasy at the fact that she seemed to be so close to him, and eyeing him in a way he'd never experienced from her before. It was unnerving. Even more so, he couldn't help but notice that her blouse seemed to have the top few buttons undone, exposing a lot more of the Head Girl than he felt comfortable observing. And was she wearing lipstick?

"Hey, Sirius," Lily purred at him, in a way he could only describe as 'seductive.' But that was impossible; there was no way in hell that Lily Evans would be trying to seduce Sirius Black.

"Hi, Lils," he replied bemusedly, all the while feeling James' eyes pierce the back of his head from across the room, surveying the interaction like a hawk.

"Did you do something with your hair?" she asked, parting her mouth slightly and leaning forwards.

Although it required a great deal of strength, Sirius kept his eyes locked firmly on Lily's startling green ones. Whatever kind of trick or prank this may very well be, James' relationship, both with him and with Lily, was far more important to him. He mustn't lose focus.

"No," Sirius replied as casually as he could, edging himself along the sofa, far away from her. "You must have me confused with James—I'm sure he did something new with his this morning," he lied, in a desperate attempt to direct her attention towards his best friend. He even pointed out James to her, sat on the other side of the room. Was James glaring at him?

Lily's eyes never moved from Sirius' face. He didn't even see her blink. What game was she playing?

"No," she said, a little irritated, "it's you. You hair just looks so… sexy today. Or maybe I'm just seeing you in a completely different light."

Sirius was not unused to girls flirting with him. In fact, he experienced it almost every day; he revelled in it. But never, never, in his seven years at Hogwarts, had Lily Evans, of all people, shown the slightest bit of romantic attraction to him. What in Merlin's name had happened to make her act like this? He'd never led her on—to do so would be a complete betrayal of James' trust. This meant that Lily was acting of her own accord. It was all just too surreal and sudden for Sirius to take in.

He flinched as she lurched forwards, intending to twine her hand into his long, ragged hair. Panicking, Sirius stood up, preparing to inform Lily that he was off to bed for an incredibly early night's sleep. She glared at him as he backed away in horror, standing up to face him immediately. What was happening?

Paralysed with fear, Sirius helplessly stood there as Lily advanced on him, grabbing his arms and leaning in so close to him that he could feel her breath on his ear. "Let's go somewhere a little less dull," she whispered in a low, flirtatious voice.

Sirius had no time to react before she was pulling on his tie and leading him towards the portrait hole. His eyes wide in shock, and taking a large gulp, Sirius allowed himself to be dragged from the room. Lily was acting odd, and she may have been confused or drugged, but he was going to set things straight.

Sirius knew James would be watching the entire time. And with James' look of betrayal and hurt swimming in his mind, Sirius knew what he must do. "Lily," he announced loudly, as soon as they were in the corridor and she'd released her grip on his tie. "Before whatever the hell it is you're planning on doing, you need to understand that I—"

"Shut up, Sirius," Lily ordered angrily, putting her hand on her hip in the stubborn way that she always did when she yelled at the Marauders. Now this was more like Lily Evans. Sirius began to relax. "You're not to say a word until I've said what I want to say, okay?"

She didn't even allow him enough time to respond before she was talking again.

"We've known each other since the very first day of Hogwarts; we've spent the past seven years in each other's company almost every day; we've shared secrets, detentions, and laughs. You can't deny that we share an incredibly close bond, and I think it's high time that you get your act together, man up, and ask me out. Who are we to deny the chemistry that we so obviously share?"

Once again, Sirius was completely shell-shocked. Whilst it was true that he and Lily were close (in the way that she was also very close with James, Remus, and even Peter), there had never been any kind of romantic chemistry between them. She despised him!

And besides, she was for James.

"You've dated nearly every girl in our year group, and countless others, yet you've never had the guts to flirt with me. Am I not good enough for you? Am I not pretty enough?"

"I—" Sirius stuttered, floundering as he took in her words. Was she demanding that he ask her out? Where had any of this come from? It was Lily and James who shared a love-hate relationship; he and Lily had more of a brother-sister one!

"And as Head Girl," Lily ploughed on furiously, "I think it's damn right disrespectful that you ignore me in such a way! It's insulting, and I won't have any more of it. One hour, Sirius Black. If you want to be with me then let me know. Just think about it. One hour."

And with that she marched straight back into the common room with a toss of her long, fiery waterfall of hair, leaving a gobsmacked Sirius stranded in the corridor, desperately trying to get his head around what had just happened.

The rest had been a confusing blur. Sirius recalled stumbling back into the common room, uneasily clutching his head. Was he dreaming or something?

Lily was nowhere to be seen, but James' face stood out clearly. James watched his best friend with a combined expression of both anger and curiosity. Sirius relayed the bizarre events to him, not missing a single detail. James listened patiently, no words leaving his lips. Sirius spoke quickly, almost in a pleading way, trying to make it absolutely clear that he, Sirius, had no idea where any of it had come from and he had never led Lily on in any way at all.

James seemed to nod in understanding, but there was a pain in his eyes that he couldn't hide. A pain that made Sirius' heart lurch with self-loathing.

"I'm going to tell her no, James. No way. I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to tell her clearly that I'm not interested—not in the slightest. I feel absolutely nothing for her," Sirius explained in despair. How could he make James understand that he wasn't into Lily at all? "I'm telling her no—I'll tell her right now, in fact," he promised, actually turning to look for Lily.

But James held out an arm to hold him back, shaking his head miserably. "No, Sirius. I know you're only doing it to protect me, and I want you to know that it doesn't matter. I always thought me and Lily had something going on, but I guess she's always been into you. I don't want you to say no just because of me. Go for it; tell her yes."

"But James, I—"

"Sirius, I know the only reason you never went after her was because of me. And I'm giving you my permission; I'm telling you that I don't mind. I'd never want to pursue her, knowing that she was in love with you. And if you're the one who makes her happy then I want you to make her happy! Don't let me hold you back. You'd be a fool to turn her down."

If Lily's actions had been unexpected then James' reaction was utterly mindboggling. "You… you mean it?" Sirius asked quietly. "Believe me when I say, if you aren't okay with this then I'll stay clear of Lily for the rest of my life, I promise you."

James shook his head again, attempting to smile at Sirius. "Don't be the idiot who said no to Lily Evans. If I'm not the one who makes her happy then I'm glad it's you. I'll be fine, trust me. But please, just don't break her heart," he told him seriously, looking straight into his eyes. "Don't ever forget what you have."

And the rest was history…

Sirius could not deny the hurt he felt as he caught glimpses of James' miserable face whenever he saw Lily and Sirius together, but dating Lily Evans was like a dream he'd never experienced. She was high-maintenance, and unlike any girl Sirius had ever dated before, but she was by far the most interesting and fun girl he'd been with. And nobody compared to her beauty. Sirius didn't think he'd ever get over the constant guilt he felt when he was around James, but James had assured him endlessly that Sirius would hurt him more by rejecting Lily.

And now the unexpected couple had been officially dating for a month. Sirius still struggled to wrap his head around everything that had happened, but one thing was for sure—Lily Evans was his girlfriend, and he loved her endlessly.

Or so he thought.

"Still not kissed her yet?" Peter piped up in the Great Hall at dinner.

Sirius scowled into his plate. "Shut up, Wormtail, being in a relationship isn't just about snogging, you know. Grow up."

But truthfully, Sirius had been asking himself the same question every day. Although he and Lily were a couple, nothing seemed to have changed. They still spent as much time together as they always had done; they still acted and talked the same. The only noticeable difference was that they now referred to themselves as a couple. They never even so much as held hands. There was absolutely no indication of the flirtatious Lily he'd experienced the night they'd gotten together.

"It just seems odd," Peter went on, much to Sirius' annoyance. "You two don't act like a couple at all. You would've thought after a month you would have kissed her."

Sirius responded by glaring at him and stabbing his food in an angry manner.

"If I were you I'd kiss her tonight," Peter continued casually.

"Yeah, well, maybe I will," Sirius mumbled.

James sat in complete silence, picking at his food throughout the whole conversation, lacking the boisterous energy he'd always had before Lily and Sirius had gone official.

"Look, I'm really not that hungry," Sirius announced, pushing his plate away and rising from the table. "I'll see you guys in the common room later.

Sirius adored Lily, but he still loathed himself for what he'd done to James, despite how many times James had assured him he was fine with it all. Sirius didn't feel comfortable discussing Lily in front of James. It felt cruel; it felt like he was dangling her in his face.

"Lily," Sirius said in surprise as he strode into the common room.

She looked up eagerly from her textbook, before noticing who it was. "Oh, it's you," she said in what Sirius was certain was a bored and uninterested tone. But that was impossible; Lily was really into him.

Wasn't she?

"I thought you were at the feast."

Lily made a non-committal noise in response and continued to browse through the book.

"Umm, happy 'one month anniversary,'" Sirius went on weakly, confused by her behaviour. He couldn't help but feel that he was more committed to this relationship than she was. And yet, she had been the one to ignite it all? It just didn't make sense. "Why won't you kiss me, Lily?" he asked, suddenly angry, marching over towards the armchair she was sat in.

Lily closed the book and looked at him in disgust. "There's no rule that says couples must kiss!" she replied. "Is that all I am to you—just another girl you can sink your teeth into?"

"No," Sirius quickly denied, backing down. "I'm sorry, Lils," he apologised, "I just—I feel like this relationship isn't really going anywhere."

It pained him to say it, but he needed to know where they were at. The only time she ever seemed interested in him was when he was with the other Marauders. Whenever they were alone she was as bored as he was in History of Magic. Her behaviour was baffling.

"Sirius," Lily sighed, "we've been dating for a month now, and I simply don't want to kiss you until I'm one-hundred percent certain that you're going to take this relationship seriously. Understand?"

Sirius nodded sheepishly. Perhaps Lily wasn't the dream girl he'd thought she had been. Since when were relationships so high-maintenance?

"On second thoughts," Lily said quickly, staring at something behind Sirius and rising from the chair.

And without warning, Lily had flung her arms around Sirius and crushed her mouth to his, so energetically and so passionately that he barely had time to react. He'd never experienced such fire from her—she kissed as fiercely as she acted.

And he hated it. It all felt wrong. Something wasn't right; it wasn't real.

Highly confused by her sudden change in attitude, Sirius pushed Lily away from him and whipped his head around to look at whatever it was that had suddenly caused her to act the way she had. His mouth dropped as the pieces clicked together in his mind. James Potter had just entered the common room and was stood there with his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide in shock.

And suddenly everything made sense.

"Lily Evans," Sirius yelled, turning back to scowl at his supposed girlfriend, "for the past month I've been nothing more than a piece in your manipulative game! And don't you dare lie to me. I can't believe how much of an idiot I've been," he cursed, raising his palm to his forehead. "You never fancied me—not in the slightest. You were just using me to make James jealous, because really, it's him who you're in love with!"

Lily looked insulted. "Sirius!" she cried. "What the hell is wrong with you? How on earth can you say that?"

More people were slowly swarming into the common room and stopping to ogle at the scene that Sirius was causing.

"Oh, how I wish I could believe you," he laughed darkly. "You're as terrible a liar as you are a kisser!"

There was a soft 'ooh' from the watching crowd, and Sirius revelled in the fact that he was finally exposing Lily's cruel game.

"You think I'm a bad liar?" she shrieked, screwing up her face in rage. "You seemed to be pretty convinced that I've been in love with you for the past month!"

Sirius scowled. She was completely right, after all. "Well, you don't have to pretend anymore, okay? It's over."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lily demanded, eyes narrowed.

Sirius took a deep breath and looked around the crowded room. There were various expressions plastered on people's faces—shock, anger, delight, disbelief—but the only one that really caught Sirius' eye was James'. He looked highly confused but sort of impressed. After all, Sirius thought, Lily had just pretty much confessed that she'd only pretended to date Sirius to make James jealous. There was an element of relief, and in some weird way, pride.

Which is why Sirius felt no shame at all in turning back to a fuming Lily, whose face was very nearly as red as her hair, looking her dead in the eye, and saying in a proud and extremely smug voice, "We. Are. Done."

Originally written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Season 1—Round 7

Team: Wigtown Wanderers
Position: Beater 1
Pairing: Lily Evans/Sirius Black
Additional Prompts: Dialogue: "Let's go somewhere a bit less dull" and Mysteriously Silent