The Insanity With Dating Padfoot and Prongs

Lily Evans rubbed her tired eyes. It had been another long day of cleaning and although the use of magic helped, she still was worn out from all the chores. It wouldn't have been so bad today if her sister Petunia and her new boyfriend, Vernon Dursley (a large young man Petunia met at an office she works at) hadn't decided to leave a huge mess in the kitchen and living room before leaving for a four-day weekend at the beach.

Mrs. Evans, who was more than pleased her eldest daughter had found a stable young man, rushed them out the door with word that Petunia needn't worry about the mess. She and Lily would take care of it.

Lily's mother wasn't a hateful or wicked woman as the previous statements suggested. She was a joyous, slightly plump woman who was a little dense at times, but her heart was always in the right place. So while her youngest daughter was resting, Mrs. Evans was cooking up a lasagna as par Lily's request.

The young redhead breathed deep as the scent of tomatoes and herbs wafted through the cozy home. The girl was serene as thoughts of Hogwarts drifted through her mind. She thought back on the year and smiled when she realized that although Severus wasn't a part of her life anymore, she was still able to have fun and let loose.

Lily was excited for her final year, even though the thought of what came next startled her a bit. Danger loomed around every corner for Muggle-Borns as Voldemort's power and influences grew, but Lily's heart and spirit were ready to fight. The thought of many of her friends being willing as well brought her comfort.

It was with this thought that a boy with messy black hair and round-rimmed glasses entered her mind. The words he spoke to her that night in the Gryffindor common room still graced her ears: I will die in this war if that's what it takes to keep Voldemort from winning. As long as I live, you won't have to worry about a thing.

If there was one thing Lily was sure of, it was that James Potter cared enough about her to stand against the world's new foe just to make sure she has a happy long life. In fact, there were many things that James would do, and have done, to make Lily smile. The more she thought about it, the more she questioned her stubborn decision to not date James.

During her internal debate, she heard a knock at her bedroom door.

"I'm decent!" Lily yells out. However it wasn't her mother like she expected, but Lyra Sumner.
"Oh! Hello Lyra! What brings you here?"

"Hey, Lily!" said Lyra as she stepped into Lily's room, "Sirius and I had plans today, but he had to cancel. Something to do with James. I'm actually kind of worried.. I stopped by today and James was there already, and he looked really upset. Do you know what happened?"

"Oh... No, I haven't heard anything," said Lily feeling a little worried herself. "I hope it's not anything too serious. Actually, knowing James, it could just be that his favorite Qudditch team lost a game."

"You raise a fair point," said Lyra, "I don't know.. Sirius looked in shock though.. I don't know what's going on. I hope it's nothing too bad."

"What did Sirius say when he cancelled?"

"Just that he was sorry, and he needed some time with James. He didn't tell me why."

"Oh," Lily thought for a second. "Well, I don't know what it could've been. I'm sure they'll tell us tomorrow when we meet up at Sirius'. Would you like to stay for dinner since you're here? Maybe we can catch a movie afterwards. Have you been to a Muggle cinema before?"

"Sure, thank you!" Lyra sat down on Lily's bed, "That'd be nice. I haven't been to a cinema before."

"Brilliant! I'll check the paper after dinner," Lily said. "So... you and Sirius..."

"Yes.. me and Sirius.." said Lyra, not sure where Lily was going with this.

Lily sighed, "You two have been dating for a while now... and he's been talking about christening his flat..."

Lyra laughed and blushed deeply, "Yeah, he has, hasn't he? I think he just likes to make everyone feel uncomfortable."

"So the two of you... you know."

"Oh! No, no, we haven't yet," Lyra shook her head, "One thing I've learned about Sirius over this last year is that he's mostly talk when it comes to things like that. As I said, I think he just does it to make everyone feel awkward. And it boosts his ego."

"Basically, he's all bark no bite?" Lily giggled as she spoke.

Lyra cracked up, "Yes, you could say that!"

"Oh Merlin! I can't believe I actually asked about that!" said Lily.

"It's perfectly alright," Lyra giggled, "It's not that I don't want to, you know, but I guess I'm just nervous. I'm surprised he's put up with it this long, actually."

"Must really like you then," concluded Lily. "You should be lucky, not many girls our age can find someone to be as loyal to them as Sirius is to you."

"He's such a Gryffindor that way," she smiled, "I think I'll keep him."

Lily laughed, "As good of a guy he is, better you than me."

"He can be a bit of a handful sometimes, but I love him anyway," she shrugged, still smiling. "So, how are things with James? You two seem to be getting along well again."

Lily shrugged, "We're friends again. Not much else to it. Well other than that bet we made."

"Which of you do you think will win? And be honest," said Lyra, leaning forward with interest.
Lily gave it unneeded thought, before sighing in defeat, "James. James will probably win. I just don't know what to do after he does."

"That's a tough one. Do you still have feelings for him? And don't deny you did."

Lily bit her lip. On one hand, she didn't want to admit anything to anyone. Yet, she could honestly say, Lyra was pretty much her best friend now since she didn't have Severus anymore.

"Fine. I admit it. I may have feelings for James Potter," Lily spoke the half-truth. "But he is also arrogant and irritating and immature! I can't stand him half the time, and the other half ends up with his lips on mine as of late."

"I know what you mean. But, his faults aside, James does love you. That has to count for something."

Lily shrugged, not really sure of what to say. Finally after a minute, she asked, "If you were in my position, what would you do?"

"Well, speaking as someone who knows what it's like dating a so-called Marauder, dealing with their pranking and all-around bullshit is like a full-time job. But it's worth it. If I was you, I would give James a chance. The worst that can happen is that it doesn't work out and he gets you out of his system, right?"

"I suppose you're right," Lily smiled, now excited about the up coming date with James.

"I always am!" Lyra laughed, "and Lily, I really hope things work out for the two of you. If you got married and had kids, they'd be so cute!"

"Please, I don't even want to think about having kids with James," Lily said, shaking her head. "I won't only have to worry about James getting into trouble, but my kids as well."

"I see your point," said Lyra, "but just picture them! I doubt there'd be kids any cuter."

"Oh yeah? What about a grey-eyed, dark-haired little monster that will get whatever they want with the bat of an eye," Lily countered. "I'm sure my kids couldn't compare with the kids you and Sirius produce."

"Oh god, you're right," Lyra suddenly went pale, "Our kids are gonna be monsters."

Lily began to giggle, "It's gonna be worse because you'll probably have James as the godfather. And James and Sirius together equal trouble, so you might have to bust your kid, his dad, and his godfather out of a Muggle jail one day."

"Let's hope my kids inherit some of my sense then!"

"Yes! Lets hope!" suddenly, Lily's mother called from down the stairs. "Well, that would be the dinner bell. Do you like lasagna?"

"Anything Italian is delicious," said Lyra.

"My thoughts exactly," Lily removed herself from her bed and motioned for Lyra to follow. Lyra all but forgot about why she was with Lily tonight, as opposed to her boyfriend. Instead, she let lose and had a night out with Lily, letting her worries go until tomorrow.

After they saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show at a local cinema, Lily and Lyra wandered the streets talking about it. They laughed about the fantastic absurdity of it and how they wished it ended differently.

"I should watch Muggle movies more often, that was really good!" said Lyra, "Hey, do you want to go visit Sirius at his flat for a little while? It's not too late."

"Honestly, it could be two in the morning and it still won't be too late for those boys," Lily giggled. "Sure, I would love to see his new flat."

"It looks a lot better since it's got some furniture in it. I still need to finish decorating the place, it needs new wallpaper and some accents, but it's looking good," Lyra smiled proudly, and took Lily's hand as they slipped into an alley. "Ready?"

"You know, some may think us to be lesbians, slipping in allyways- Oh Merlin! James is rubbing off on me!" Lily laughed.

"Gods help you!" Lyra giggled, "Let's go," she said and the pair Apparated to Sirius' front door. She didn't want to pop in unannounced. She knocked on the wooden surface a few times and waited patiently for the door to open. She was smiling still from Lily's realization, but it fell from her face as soon as the door opened.

All it took was one look for Lyra to tell that Sirius had been crying. His normally clear grey eyes were now red and puffy, and his hair was more disheveled than usual. It looked like he had been pulling roughly at it. It was a look she hadn't seen on him before and one she cared not to see again.

"Hey," he said, his voice hoarse. He looked downward as if he felt uncomfortable.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Lyra stepped forward, putting her hand on his cheek to make him look at her. Looking at her concern seemed to bring on a fresh wave of emotion, his eyes brimming with tears. He cleared his throat and gestured for them to move past him.

"Come in," he said.

"It's not Remus, is it?" Lily asked, but to her and Lyra's relief, he shook his head no. "Sirius, is James here?" she then asked, remembering her earlier conversation with Lyra. Sirius nodded and pointed to the living room were James was sitting with his face buried in his hands. Lily gave a small smile to the grey-eyed boy, rubbing his arm for comfort before moving to his best friend sitting on the couch.

Sirius and Lyra moved to his bedroom. She held his hand as they walked, and he gripped it harder than usual. Lyra's mind was racing, trying to riddle out what had happened. Sirius sank down on the edge of his mattress and Lyra joined him. He kept his gaze on the floor in front of them.

"Sirius.." Lyra moved some of his hair out of his eyes with her free hand. He still wouldn't look at her. She could see tears rolling down his cheeks. "Sirius, []please..." she whispered, "look at me.. You're scaring me."

Instead of complying to her request, Sirius pulled the young girl into his arms and began to sob again. Lyra rubbed his back until he was calm enough.

"It's James' dad," Sirius said, pulling away a bit. "H-he was sicker than we thought. He passed away last night. He was more of a father to me than my own."

Lyra's hand went to her mouth in shock. She didn't know what to say. Was there anything she could say? Instead, she pulled Sirius back into her arms and held him tightly, "I'm so sorry," she whispered in his ear before kissing the side of his head.

"Can you stay here with me tonight?" Sirius asked as he pulled away.

"Of course I will," said Lyra, "You thought I'd leave you at a time like this?"

Sirius shrugged, "I say in about five minutes we go check on James. He needs all the support he can get right now."

Once Lyra and Sirius had moved out of earshot, Lily knelled down in front of James and moved his hands from his face, causing his glasses to fall to the end of his nose. Lily gingerly removed them from his face and placed them on an end table.

The redhead brushed the stray tears off of James' cheeks before grabbing his hands again and asking, "James, what happened?"

"M-my dad," James' tears started running again. "D-dad... Dad pa-assed away... last n-night."

Lily gasped, "Oh, James!" she pulled herself up onto the couch and pulled the boy to her. Much like Lyra in the other room, Lily couldn't think of anything to say, so she contented herself with whispering encouragements to him until he calmed down.

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" Lily asked.

"Could you?" Lily nodded. "Thanks Lily."

Lyra and Sirius emerged soon after with a multitude of blankets and pillows.

"I guess we're having a sleep over, then?" James spoke with a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Of course," replied Lily.

She helped Sirius and Lyra lay the thick blankets on the floor and scattered the pillows around. Soon, the four of them were lying down together, just staring at the ceiling. Sirius had his head on Lyra's chest while she stroked his hair, and Lily and James lay side by side, hand in hand. Sirius had made a pot of tea and they were waiting for it to cool enough to drink. Lily decided to try and lift everyone's spirits, and get their minds off the tragedy, so she brought up the first thing that came to mind.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" she asked.

"Hmm?" asked James absently, his tears long since gone. He found himself incapable of crying any longer, his body in a state on numbness. The only thing that made anything feel real was the way Lily's hand felt in his.

"I always wondered... what does it feel like?" she asked. "You know, to turn into an animal?"

"It's.. like nothing I've ever felt before," said James. "It's freeing in a way. Animal thoughts are simpler than human ones, and though we keep our minds when we change, it's easier to just... relax. You see the world in a new way, and.. really, it's beautiful. And being able to be there for Remus when he changes is a relief. Wouldn't you agree, Sirius?"

"Hmm, what?" Sirius jolted from near-sleep.

"Shh, just go back to sleep," said Lyra, running her fingers through his hair.

"Well, like I said, it's pretty impossible to accurately describe," said James.

Lily nodded and yawned, before speaking, "You know, even though I worry, I'm glad you are there for Remus."

"Sleepy?" Lily nodded again. James just pulled the redhead to his frame and held her close. "I hope this is okay with you. I would have ended up cuddling with you after I fall asleep, but I don't want you to freak out when you wake up."

"It's fine, James," she replied. "You're quite comfortable. G'night, James."

"Night Lily."

As James and Lily fell asleep in each others arms, Lyra laid close by, stroking her boyfriend's hair, and smiling at the thought that soon two of her best friend will finally be together.