One Hour to My Heart

One Hour to My Heart

“What, in Merlin’s name, are you doing here?”

Sirius felt as if James had slapped him across the face. It was Christmas break, only two days into it, actually. Normally, if he didn’t stay at school, he stayed with James or one of his other friends, but this time was different. All his friends hated him, because of what he did, and he didn’t blame them in the least.

“Don’t mind me. I was just wondering if I could use your fireplace to Floo back to Hogwarts,” Sirius said, looking James in the eye.

“Why didn’t you just do that at your house, Black?”

The angry and implied meaning to that statement was obvious. James thought him no better than the rest of his family, and to some extent, Sirius agreed.

“I would, but you know how we Blacks are. You kick one of them out of the house and disown them, you’re sure as hell not gonna let them use the Floo to leave. Nope, they have to do it the Muggle way.” The bitterness in Sirius’s voice was obvious. “And since I don’t have money for the Knight Bus, or any bus for that matter, I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if I used your Floo.

“I mean, you’re the one who lives closest to me, so I hoped you’d let me.” This explanation was met with a silence. Letting out a sigh, Sirius turned, but his head was soon looking back at James.

“I’ll take that as a no. See you around school,” Sirius said, and transformed into his Animagus form and started to walk towards the gate. A sudden gust of cold wind made the mutt shiver drastically as he walked through the path in the deep snow. James suddenly realized that Sirius hadn’t even been wearing a sweater in his human form.

()()()()()()()()()()()

After being rejected by James, Sirius ran towards the nearest house he knew belonged to a student. Once in the neighborhood, he found a quiet place to transform into his human shape and hurried to what he hoped was the right house.

After knocking nervously on the door, it was opened, revealing a girl with blonde hair and a rather unpleasant expression on her face, as if she was smelling the most disgusting thing on earth.

“Is Lily here?” The question was hesitant, not knowing what the girl’s problem was. “Oh,” she said, wrinkling her nose in disdain. “You’re one of them.” Sirius, not sure whether or not to be offended, but didn’t have much time to think about it, for at that moment he saw Lily behind the girl.

“Black? What are you doing here?” she asked. Unlike when James had said it, Lily just sounded wary, as if not sure what to expect. “Yeah, about that…” Sirius trailed off, not sure where to start.

Sighing, Lily said, “Come on in. I have a feeling I’m gonna need to be comfortable for this,” Lily said, and Sirius pushed his way by the girl, who shuddered when his t-shirt brushed against hers. “Relax Petunia, he doesn’t bite,” Lily said, leading Sirius out of the hallway to a cheery kitchen. She motioned for him to sit on a stool in front of the counter. “Tea?” the redhead asked, mug in hand.

“Yes, please.”

Throughout the last few years, Lily and Sirius had developed…not a friendship, per say, but they could stand each other’s presence, and occasionally enjoy it. “So, what’s up?” Taking a sip of his tea, Sirius began his tale.

“As you know, since September, my friends haven’t really been talking to me, and I know you know why.” Lily had been there that night and had seen and heard everything. She and Sirius still hadn’t become friends, but she would partner up with him, and he would sit with her and her friends at meals. James and the others hadn’t seemed to notice. Lily had actually learned a lot because Snape didn’t have the patience to wait for the spell to take full effect.

“Well, my parents just kicked me out this morning, not to mention they disowned me, but they wouldn’t let me use the Floo and I don’t have money for the Knight Bus. So since James lived close, I was hoping he would let me use the Floo, or if I was really lucky, his parents would be there and let me. But, James refused, insinuating something about me being just like the rest of the Blacks, so I transformed into my dog form and ran here. You’re not connected to the Floo network, are you?”

Shaking her head sadly, Lily looked at Sirius worriedly. “Is that all you have? A t-shirt and jeans?”

Nodding, Sirius confirmed it. “Okay, I’ll call my mum. Just sit here quietly for a minute, okay?” Lily walked over to what Sirius knew was a phone due to three years in Muggle Studies, and called her mother.

“Hi Mrs. Jankowski, its Lily. Is my mother busy? I need to ask her something. Thank you!” A pause. “Hey Mum… No, no, me and Petunia are fine…Well you see, my friend Sirius just got kicked out by his family…No, not for anything illegal…and he only has the clothes on his back which is only a t-shirt and jeans…Yes, Mum, that’s where I’m going with this…It’s a long story Mum, and complex…Yes, even for me…Okay, thanks so much Mum! Love you!”

Facing Sirius she said, “Come on, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”

“Wait, you’re letting me stay with you?” Shock was evident in his voice. “Yeah, I am. So come on, you’ll be staying in my brother’s old room. He’s over in America, working on a case for the Muggle government. Some of his old clothes might fit you.”

Following Lily upstairs, he found himself in a room with walls covered in album covers. Beatles, Ramones, and a dozen other Sirius had never heard of. Digging into the back off the closet, Lily pulled out a large cardboard box.

“Here, some of these might fit you.” Sirius watched Lily as she open the box, and inside he saw what looked to be girls’ jeans and mostly black hoodies and shirts. And towards the bottom, a handful of pairs black high-top Converses, one of which was his size.

“Red, I am in love with your brother’s fashion sense. I mean really, I might not give a few of these things back.”

“No problem. He hasn’t been able to fit in them for awhile. I’m sure Briar won’t mind.”

“What’s up with your family and plant names?” Sirius asked Lily.

“What’s up with yours and star names?”

“Touché Lily, touché,” Sirius said with a chuckle.

()()()()()()()()()()()

Over Christmas break, Sirius and Lily became quite close. They were the sibling the other always wanted, with the exception of Briar, though Lily almost never saw him.

It was time for them to catch the Hogwarts Express, and Sirius felt anxious. He had no hope that the others would ever forgive him, or even let him explain. Lily, on the other hand, had devised a plan, though Sirius hadn’t been informed.

Arriving with plenty of time to spare, the duo headed towards the compartment Lily always sat in. They joked around some, and talked about some funny things that had happened to them because of magic.

“Wait,” Sirius said, trying to catch his breath, “that you once blew up your cousin?” Lily, laughing just as hard as Sirius, nodded.

“I was twelve, and he kept making fun of me because I am the only one in my family to have red hair, and poof, he started filling up with air like a balloon. It was quite satisfying seeing the look on his face. My mum gave me a long lecture on it, even though it was an accident.”

“Imagine how shocked James would be if he knew you had broken the rules,” Sirius smile faltered, but he did his best to maintain the lopsided grin.

“Oh, Sirius,” Lily said sympathetically, switching over to his side of the compartment and laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. At this particular moment, though, a visitor chose to stop in.

“Hey Ev-you,” James glared at Sirius, who still had Lily’s hand on his shoulder. “Guess this explains why you never went out with me. You fancy Black. And here I thought you had better taste. But, then again, you don’t know what happened in September,” James said bitterly.

“What makes you so sure that I don’t? Because as a matter of fact, I was there when the spell was cast, and I got more answers out of Sirius then Snape did! I heard both sides of the story before deciding what to think because I took the time to listen to what my friends say! But then again, we all know it’s because I don’t refuse someone, who has no money to speak of and only the clothes on his back consisting of a t-shirt and jeans, the liberty of using my Floo. Actually, since I don’t have a Floo connection, I invite them to spend the holidays with my family, because all their supposed friends are bloody dipshits!”

Sirius was just as shocked as James was at Lily’s tirade. “Oh, and for the record, Sirius and I aren’t dating. He’s like a brother to me. Though, when I think about it, he has a better chance of me going out with him then you do. Have a nice day, Potter.”

And with that, Lily pushed James into the hallway, slammed the compartment door shut, and locked it. “Well, isn’t this year going to be fun?”

()()()()()()()()()()()

The year seemed to drag on. By the time Valentine’s Day arrived, Lily and Sirius both thought it seemed impossible so little time had passed. A good thing about everything, though, James hadn’t asked out Lily since before Christmas break and Sirius was actually crashing in the Seventh year dorm for the time being to avoid his former friends.

Bad things, though, were piling up. Sirius was worried about the supplies he’d need for next year already, knowing he had no money. Where to stay during summer was also an issue. Plus, Sirius still had every class with his old friends, and some of them Lily wasn’t in.

Then, there were the rumors. Everyone had different theories over why the Marauders weren’t talking. The two most common, though, did not make Sirius happy.

The slightly less common of the two was that it was for a prank. Fool everyone into believing they were over, then pulling the biggest prank in the history of pranks.

Some might ask why that would upset him. It was simple, really. Knowing that his friends would never speak to him again, but a large amount of people thinking it was just a joke…. Having his friend’s hate him was not a joke.

The most common of all was that Remus was gay. All three had accepted it, or, at least until Remus supposedly kissed Sirius in the dorm. It goes on to say, that Sirius, so shaken up by the event, had said something rather offensive, and the others had sided with Remus.

Every time he heard this rumor, he felt as if his heart was being torn apart. To have people think something so trivial could destroy their friendship made Sirius question how strong their friendship had been to begin with.

But Sirius tried not to dwell on that. It only made the whole thing worse. Sirius ignored the rumors, until a fourth year Gryffindor boy had started saying things about Remus to his friends.

“Man, I’m telling you, Lupin is such a pansy. He’s the biggest poof in the whole school. And I’ve known it for ages now. I have a sixth sense about these things.” Sirius, who walking by, couldn’t take it anymore. Plopping down on the seat next to the kid, he said “Hey, you wanna know something? Remus Lupin isn’t gay. I guess your ‘sixth sense’ is a bit off.”

“But that’s what everyone’s saying is the reason you guys had the falling out,” the ignorant kid defended.

“Yeah, well, that’s called a rumor. Doesn’t have a grain of truth in it. You should try sticking to facts sometime, it might increase you pathetic IQ.”

“Then what did cause it?”

“You’re pushing your luck, you little twerp. Just because they hate me doesn’t mean I hate them, so I would feel perfectly fine punching you in the face for saying things like that about Remus. But Red says I need to work on my anger, so I’m not gonna. Have fun being a prick.”

And with that, Sirius walked away, unaware of a pair of amber eyes watching him from the shadows.

()()()()()()()()()()()

“Hey Red, Happy Valentine’s Day. Would you like me to escort you to dinner tonight?” Sirius asked, doing an overly dramatic bow for Lily.

“Why, certainly, Sirius. I can’t imagine anything better.” The two laughed as they walked arm in arm to the Great Hall, discussing the stupidity of Valentine’s Day. Arriving to the Great Hall, Sirius slid his arm from Lily’s, seeing James and the others close by. “I’m about five seconds away from tearing out their entrails,” Lily muttered, anger coating her features.

The glare she was sending the three boys was quite nerve racking, and Sirius wasn’t quite sure how they could still maintain her gaze, but remembered the years of practice they’ve had.

“Lily, please don’t,” Sirius muttered as they became closer to the trio.

“I’m not gonna do anything irrational! I’ve given this a lot of thought, so I reckon it’s completely rational. Go sit down with the others, I’ll be back in a minute.”

Pushing Sirius forward, Lily stopped in front of the Marauders. “Potter, I think we need to talk. Now. Get your arse in the corridor.” James, scared by the combination of the tone she used and the glare she was sending his way, quickly followed her out of the Great Hall.

()()()()()()()()()()()

“Um, Red, do I want to know what happened out there?” Sirius asked as the girl plopped down in the empty spot next to Sirius at the table. He noted that James had yet to return, and that Remus and Peter were looking at Lily with fear.

“Well,” she started, grabbing a roll from the basket in front of her and taking a nibble. “This is what happened….”

“Oww!” James screeched after Lily whacked him unceremoniously upside the head. “What was that for?! I haven’t done anything to you!”

“No, but you’ve been a dipshit! You won’t even let him explain!”

“That’s because I don’t need to hear it! I know what happened, okay?! Nothing, I repeat, nothing can make me listen to his side of the story, which is a lie,” James said, only to receive another smack from Lily.

“I’ll go out with you, Potter, if you hear his side. I know it’s not a lie since it’s my side of the story, too, you prat. Now shut up and sit down if you’re gonna hear me out,” Lily commanded, and with the aspect of going out with Lily on the table, he followed her instructions obediently.

“Okay, now, if you interrupt me, the deal’s off. That afternoon, before what I refer to as The Incident occurred, I heard Snape cast a spell on Sirius. The incantation was ‘Arrojado Tripas’ which loosely translates to ‘spewing guts.’ It is a truth spell, one of Dark Magic, powerful and difficult to use, due to the potion that the person casting the spell must make and drink for it to work properly.Snape did just that, but didn’t wait for it to take full effect, anxious to find out what Lupin was up to.

“‘Where does Lupin go each month?’ he had asked, and Sirius, still able to fight the potion enough not to say it in a direct answer, just told him how to find out for himself. Me, being who I am, went over and got answers I’ve been dying to know for ages. About some rather illegal activities. Once those were answered, I removed the spell, which was easier then you would think. I got him to go up and tell you what he had done, but you didn’t give him time to explain what had happened fully.

“So, since that had happened, I’ve been Sirius’s only friend. Mainly because his old ones are prats. Now, our date will be the next Hogsmeade weekend, and will last for an hour. I’ll give you a day to think over what I’ve told you and for you to tell the other two. Goodbye, Potter.”

“So that’s about it,” Lily finished, Sirius and her friends staring at her with open mouths. “You have a date with Potter? Good Merlin, I think I’m dreaming,” Alice said, shaking her head.

“Shove it, Ali,” Lily joked with her friend.

All that was left, Sirius and Lily both mused silently, was for the conversation that included all of the Marauders—and possibly Lily.

()()()()()()()()()()()

“Black…can we talk to you?” James asked with Remus and Peter standing on either side of him. It was Friday, the night before Lily and James’s date, and two days after Lily had her talk with James. Before Sirius could reply, Lily did so for him. “Yeah, you can, but I’m gonna be there. No argument. Let’s go up to your dorm, then.”

Lily led the four boys to their dormitory, which Sirius hadn’t seen since before the Christmas holidays. His bed was still there, but the hangings were drawn, so he leaned against the wall, and Lily sat on the edge of Remus’s desk. The other three stood stiffly nearby.

“Look…we’re sorry we never let you explain,” Remus said, breaking the silence. “We didn’t know that Snape used a spell.”

“It’s still my fault, though! If I hadn’t pranked him all the time, he wouldn’t have been angry enough to use the spell!” Sirius said, much to the surprise of everyone but Lily.

“Sirius, we’ve talked about this! It wasn’t just you that pranked Snape, everyone did, even his fellow Slytherins! It. Is. Not. Your. Fault.” Lily put emphasis on the last sentence, moving to give Sirius a hug.

“Now, you idiots were saying?” Lily commented as she waited for the others to go on. “We should have known you wouldn’t do that to Moony willingly. I mean, it was your idea, and your research that let us become Animagi. Don’t worry Peter, Evans knows, remember?”

“Red basically knew before the whole thing anyway,” Sirius mumbled, almost incoherently. “How come you let him call you Red, Lily? You’ve never let anyone call you that before?” Remus asked, only to receive a glare from Lily.

“First off, you’re not allowed to call me Lily anymore. You lost that privilege. Secondly, it was only Potter and Sirius who ever tried. Thirdly, I can’t stand Potter, and Sirius is my friend. Understand?”

“Yes, Evans,” Remus said, holding back a sigh. “Now, can Sirius move back in without someone pranking him in his sleep, or does he have to keep crashing on the Seventh year boys’ floor?” Lily asked impatiently.

“If he wants to come back, he’s more then welcome to. We miss him.”

Lily nodded, and summoned Sirius’s stuff with a flick of her wand. “Good. Now, I have to go make sure I have all my homework done before tomorrow morning, so goodbye. And Sirius? Just remember, you have the watch.”

Lily left, leaving the four boys alone. There was an awkward silence before James broke it by asking “Do you want to play some Exploding Snap?”

Sirius nodded, and they began the game. After a few different rounds, Sirius started to talk, and there was some laughter being exchanged. It wasn’t as easy as it had been before, but it gave Sirius hope that things would one day get better.

()()()()()()()()()()()

“So, why do you care so much about Sirius?” James asked. It was Saturday, and Lily and James were wandering around Hogsmeade.

“He reminds of my brother, Briar. Not with their looks, at least. My brother has this honey blonde hair and brown eyes, and is quite short, but with their personalities. Both of them act like overgrown puppies, you know, playful, loyal, and just so sweet. When I overheard an argument between Sirius and his brother in out third year, I realized how alike they truly are. Neither was accepted by their families. Briar’s adopted, you see. When he was thirteen, twelve years ago, he came out to his birth parents, and they gave him up for adoption because of that. Two years later, my mother adopted him.”

“I never knew your brother was adopted. You don’t talk about your family much,” James said, looking at Lily, shocked she had told him so much about her family. “Nobody ever really asked. Beside, usually it’s none of their business.”

They continued to walk in silence for the next ten minutes or so, until it was time for the date to be over. “Evans?” James started quietly. “Hmm?” she replied, looking in the window of Honeyduke’s. “The hour’s over, and I know you hate spending time with me, so I figured you’d want to leave as soon as the time required was up.

Taken aback by James’s bluntness, Lily froze, but only for a second. “Oh, that’s okay. Really, we can hang out a bit longer. It’s not like I have any plans,” she said with a casual shrug of her shoulders.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I am. You wanna go into Honeyduke’s with me? Sirius’s birthday is soon, and I need to get him some chocolate, to go along with the book I got him.”

“He doesn’t read much, I hope you know that,” James said as they entered the store. “Yes, but this is a book that I think was made for him. It gives step-by-step instructions on how to do the hundred most famous pranks.”

()()()()()()()()()()()

Three hours later, the pair walked into the common room, holding hands. “You two finally dating?” Sirius called by his seat near to fireplace. James blushed, but Lily called back, “Yep, we are. You were right, too. He’s not a complete prick once you get to know him.”