chapter 1
"Hey, love."
A familiar voice sneaks up behind you.
"Shut up, Black," you say, rolling your eyes. You know that voice all too well.
"Aww! Go out with me, Potter," Sirius whines dramatically.
You've heard this sentence a million times before.
"In your dreams, Black. Now leave me alone!" you snap.
He only grins, brushing past you and nudging your shoulder as he walks away. You retaliate by smacking his arm, and his grin widens. Huffing, you roll your eyes and stalk off to find your best friend, Lily Evans.
…
On the way, you run into your twin brother.
"Y/N!" James exclaims happily, practically bouncing on his feet.
"Now what have you been up to?" you ask, already suspicious of his extra jumpiness.
"Asking Lily out," he replies smugly. "And after asking her 1,115 times, she finally said yes!"
That explains his excitement. You let out a low whistle.
"A salute to your hard work," you say, dramatically raising a hand to your forehead. "Now, where is she?"
"The library," James answers before dashing off.
"Probably to tell Sirius," you think.
…
You find Lily sitting in a secluded corner, her nose buried in a book. Her cheeks are slightly pink, and you smirk.
"So, I hear you're now my brother’s official girlfriend?" you tease, dropping your book bag onto the seat beside her.
Lily immediately turns red.
"Er—yeah," she mumbles. "He asked me out again, and I just... I kissed him."
Your smirk widens.
"Never thought I'd see the day."
Lily groans, hiding her face behind her book. You just chuckle, plopping down beside her.
…
After about half an hour, you and Lily head back to the Gryffindor common room. As soon as you step inside, Remus waves you over to where he, James, and Sirius are sitting.
Peter had gone home for a family function.
James immediately pulls Lily down beside him, and to no one's surprise, she doesn't protest. You and Sirius exchange smirks.
With no armchairs left, you settle onto the floor, leaning against Sirius’s legs without thinking much of it. Remus is already engrossed in his book, while James and Lily whisper to each other, completely lost in their own world.
"I'm going for a walk," you announce, stretching your arms.
"I'm coming too," Sirius says, standing up before you can object. "These two lovebirds are no fun, and our bookworm isn't going to leave his book anytime soon."
Remus rolls his eyes, but James and Lily are too absorbed in their conversation to notice.
You and Sirius head for the grounds, walking in comfortable silence until you reach your usual tree by the Black Lake.
Sirius plops down on the grass, and you follow.
"D'you wanna play something?" he asks after a moment.
You hum in thought. "How about Two Truths and a Lie?"
"Alright, I’ll go first," Sirius says, smirking. "I used to support the Wimbourne Wasps. I’m in love with you. I never met my cousin Lyra until I came to Hogwarts."
Your heart stumbles for a second, but you mask it with an eye roll.
"As much as I’d love to say the lie is the one about loving me, you never supported the Wimbourne Wasps," you say confidently.
Sirius grins. "Right, Potter! Your turn."
You swallow, suddenly feeling a little nervous.
"Alright," you say, keeping your voice steady. "A Muggle boy has been obsessed with me for the past year. I would like to go out with you. I once set an entire room on fire in our house."
Sirius snorts. "That’s so damn easy. The lie is that you would like to go out with me."
You raise an eyebrow.
"Wrong, Black," you say smugly. "I never set a whole room on fire—only a dresser. Dad put it out before it caused any real damage."
Sirius stares at you, processing your words. His usual playful grin falters.
"You—you want—" He clears his throat, his voice momentarily stuck. Then, before you can react, he leans in and presses his lips against yours.
And instead of pulling away, you kiss him back.
...
Hand in hand, you and Sirius enter the common room, heading toward the others.
"So, you two are a thing now too, huh?" James asks, smirking.
"We saw you kiss from the window," Lily explains apologetically.
You immediately go red and hide your face in Sirius’s shoulder. He’s considerably taller than you, making it easy.
Sirius, on the other hand, smiles and nods, squeezing your hand gently.
"Finally!" Remus exclaims. "Y/N and Lily, you two have come to your senses."
Lily raises her wand warningly.
"PLEASE don’t hex me," Remus adds quickly.
"Don’t worry, Rey! They aren’t going to," Sirius says, throwing an arm around you.
And with that, the night continues, filled with teasing, laughter, and the comforting warmth of being exactly where you belong.
***
You smile as four-year-old Harry wraps himself around your legs while you’re cooking. A minute later, Sirius enters the kitchen and scoops him up into his arms.
“Gotcha!” he says, grinning.
Harry squeals with laughter. “Again!”
“No, that’s quite enough from both of you. Sit down,” you say firmly.
“It’s never wise to disobey your mum, kiddo,” Sirius teases, settling Harry into one of the kitchen chairs before plopping down in another.
A whoosh from the fireplace signals new arrivals, and Tonks steps out, closely followed by Remus. She helps him up and presses a quick kiss to his cheek.
“You two finally came to your senses, then?” Sirius asks, smirking as you exchange knowing glances.
“Thank Merlin!” you add, feigning a relieved sigh.
Both Remus and Tonks flush red.
“Sit down,” you say, grinning. “I made your favorite—chicken pie. Sirius and Harry’s too.”
Their faces light up instantly.
After dinner, the five of you gather in the living room. Sirius and Tonks play with Harry while you and Remus watch, smiling at the chaos.
“What if someone had told your Hogwarts self that you’d end up marrying Sirius?” Remus asks mischievously.
You chuckle. “I would’ve hexed them so badly they’d have to spend the night in the hospital wing.”
Sirius, overhearing the conversation, looks over and winks. You shake your head in amusement as Tonks and Harry launch a full-scale tickle attack on him.
“Alright, that’s enough. Leave him alone,” you say after five minutes of relentless laughter.
Sirius shoots you a grateful look, and you roll your eyes.
“Do you remember that time Sirius took a Bludger for you and carried you all the way to the hospital wing?” Remus asks casually.
You smile fondly at the memory.
***
Sirius and James were holding Quidditch trials at seven in the morning. You didn’t exactly fancy waking up at six-thirty, but Remus and Lily dragged you along anyway. As you looked around, you realized that the three of you were the only ones there besides the players trying out. Watching them fly around, you let out a yawn.
“This is boring,” you muttered.
Unfortunately, Sirius overheard. He turned, grinned, and blew you a kiss.
“Oh, I am so going to kill that git,” you said, going red. (You and Sirius weren’t dating yet, and you still maintained your rivalry with him.)
Remus laughed. You turned to tell him off, but in a fraction of a second, his expression shifted from amused to alarmed—right before something slammed into your shoulder with full force. The last thing you saw before blacking out was Sirius’s grim and worried face.
You stirred, trying to sit up, but pain shot through your shoulder. Slowly, you opened your eyes to find James sitting beside your bed, looking grim. At the foot of your bed stood Lily and Remus, their faces tight with concern.
A gentle hand massaged your head.
“You’re awake! Finally! How do you feel?” Lily asked, sounding relieved.
“Should I call Pomfrey?” James asked.
“No, please don’t. She’ll have my head,” you groaned. “What happened, anyway?”
Sirius, who had been beside you, drew back and sat on a chair. His eyes were swollen and puffy, but his face showed evident relief.
“Keep doing that,” you murmured, missing the comforting touch.
Sirius hesitated for only a second before moving back beside you, resuming his soft strokes through your hair. The others exchanged glances.
Before anyone could speak, Madam Pomfrey swept through the curtains.
“Ah, Miss Potter, I see you’re finally awake. Drink this.”
She handed you a potion, and you swallowed it without protest.
“So, what happened?” you asked again, looking at James.
“Well,” he began, “Collins, the bloke trying out for Beater, hit the Bludger too hard, and it came pelting toward you. Hit you full force in the shoulder, knocked you out. Sirius carried you all the way to the hospital wing.”
You frowned. “I assume he got on the team with that amazing shot?”
“Ain’t no way he’s getting on the team now,” James huffed. “I think he did it on purpose. And what if he hurts someone in the audience during a match? I saw him smirking after the Bludger hit you!”
James’s protective older-brother instincts had fully kicked in. You laughed.
Madam Pomfrey returned with a sharp look.
“Miss Potter, you’ll be staying overnight. The rest of you, out. She needs rest.”
You begged her to let at least one person stay, but she was unmoved.
“I’ll be bored to death!” you protested.
“You need rest, Miss Potter,” she said with finality.
Grumbling, you gave up. As Sirius left, he slipped a napkin into your hand. Curious, you unfolded it to find your favorite chicken sandwich and a pastry. Smiling, you ate before drifting into sleep.
You woke suddenly to darkness.
A familiar hand was running gently through your hair, massaging your scalp.
“Who’s there?” you whispered, slightly nervous.
“It’s me, idiot,” Sirius’s voice murmured.
Relieved, you sighed. “Oh. Help me sit up.”
He carefully helped you lean against the headboard.
“Thanks,” you said, picking up your wand and casting Lumos.
The soft glow illuminated Sirius’s warm gray eyes and pale face.
“You sneaked back,” you noted.
He smirked. “Thought you’d be bored, so I brought you a book.” He gestured to the bedside table.
“Oh. Right. Erm—thanks.”
Sirius plopped into the chair beside your bed but immediately winced, clutching his side.
Your eyes narrowed. “What happened?”
“It’s nothing,” he said, avoiding your gaze.
“Sirius, I’m not a fool,” you snapped.
He hesitated before sighing. “Fine. When the Bludger came back for a second shot at you, I didn’t have time to hit it—I’d already flung my bat aside when I landed in the stands to check on you. So I stepped in front of it.”
Your stomach dropped.
“It hit me,” he continued nonchalantly. “Might’ve broken a rib or two.”
Your dread deepened. “Did you tell Pomfrey?”
He hesitated again.
“Sirius,” you said, voice dangerously low.
“…No. I needed her to focus on you.”
You sucked in a sharp breath.
“SIRIUS ORION BLACK, YOU TOOK A BLUDGER FOR ME, THEN CARRIED ME UP HERE WITH BROKEN RIBS? ARE YOU MAD?” you whisper-shouted.
“Er… no?” Sirius replied, looking genuinely confused.
You found him infuriating. And adorable.
“Pull up your shirt,” you ordered, flicking your wand so the glowing orb detached and floated in the air.
“Uh… what?” he asked, bewildered.
“I said, pull up your shirt. I’m going to fix your ribs.”
“Oh. Alright. As long as it’s not a stinging hex,” he muttered, lifting his shirt.
Your breath hitched for a moment. His toned torso was covered in yellow and blue bruises from where the Bludger had struck.
You cast a diagnostic charm and winced. “Three broken ribs,” you muttered.
“It did hurt a lot,” Sirius admitted, not sounding the least bit concerned.
Rolling your eyes, you cast a mending charm, followed by a healing charm for the bruises.
Sirius let out a small sigh of relief. “Thanks, that feels a lot better.” He dropped his shirt.
You tried not to look disappointed.
***
You snap out of the memory as Harry lets out a big yawn.
"Bedtime, love," you say, undeceived by his attempt to stifle it.
"Aww, five more minutes, Mum?" he pleads, giving you his best puppy-dog eyes.
"No," you reply firmly.
Harry’s face falls.
"Come on, kiddo, we can play tomorrow, alright?" Sirius says in a soothing voice.
"Fine!" Harry huffs, getting up grumpily.
Remus, Sirius, and Tonks chuckle, and you smile.
"That’s a good boy," you say approvingly, leading Harry upstairs to tuck him in and read him a bedtime story.
When you return downstairs, you find Remus and Sirius laughing uncontrollably while Tonks glares daggers at them.
"What’s so funny?" you ask, plopping down beside Sirius.
"Th—that time when Tonks crashed into our wedding cake and fell headfirst into it!" Sirius manages between fits of laughter. "She had so much cream and sponge on her face!"
Still breathless with laughter, he slings an arm around your shoulders.
You can’t help but smile at the memory.
"It’s not funny!" Tonks huffs. "If you two don’t stop laughing, I’ll turn you both green!"
That shuts them up immediately.
"No, thank you," Sirius says indignantly, running a hand through his hair. "I’m perfectly happy with my lovely locks."
The gesture reminds you of James.
Your smile fades slightly. "You still haven’t found a trace of them, have you?" you ask Sirius softly.
His face falls. "No," he admits.
Without thinking, you bury your head in his shoulder.
"It’s going to be alright, Y/N. We’ll find them one day," he murmurs, rubbing soothing circles on your back.
You sniffle and nod, keeping your head on his shoulder.
"Has anyone told you two how cute you look together?" Tonks asks with a teasing smile.
"Lily did once, back in our seventh year, before she and James started dating," Remus recalls with a smirk. "Y/N didn’t speak to her for two whole weeks."
You chuckle lightly at the memory.
Standing up, you head to the kitchen, the others following behind. As they settle at the table, you move toward the sink.
"Sirius, help me with the dishes," you say.
Sirius groans dramatically. "I hate doing the dishes."
"Do I look like I care?" you retort.
He sighs in defeat. "Oh, fine."