Starman

29th of June 1972

“Exams are finally over!” James shouted excitedly, flinging his arms wide to the sky, his grin almost too big for his face. “And tomorrow, summer begins! No more school for two months, two months of bliss—no more classes, no more homework, no more getting up early!” He sighed dramatically, already basking in the glory of freedom.

“Well, except for the summer homework,” Lily said, her voice cutting through his excitement like a cold breeze.

James's smile faltered. “Why would you remind me of that?” he groaned, slouching his shoulders in exaggerated defeat.

“Because if I didn’t, you wouldn’t do any of it,” Lily replied, her head held high as though she were a professor giving a stern lecture.

James and Lily had an odd relationship, one that Amalia could never quite figure out. They weren’t exactly friends—Lily, ever loyal to Snape, wasn’t about to be chummy with James. But they weren’t exactly enemies either. They seemed to get caught in a strange tug-of-war between snarky comments and reluctant camaraderie, as though they couldn’t help but be drawn into each other’s orbit.

Amalia had her own odd dynamic with Sirius, one that was equally confusing. Since the incident on the Astronomy Tower, neither of them had said a word to each other. They both avoided eye contact and any mention of what happened that morning, as if pretending it hadn’t occurred would somehow make it go away. The awkwardness hung between them, unnoticed by most, but it was painfully obvious to Amalia.

She was pulled from her thoughts as Lily's voice rang out, sharp and furious. “Don’t you dare call him that!” she shouted, her face flushed with anger. “What has he ever done to you?”

Amalia looked around and noticed that the others—Marlene, Mary, Sirius and even Peter—seemed just as uncomfortable as she felt. It was as if they were witnessing a storm brewing between two forces they couldn’t control. Lily stormed off.

James, on the other hand, looked momentarily stunned before his expression hardened into a scowl. “Why is she always so serious? It’s just a joke, for Merlin’s sake. Besides, Snivellus is horrible. He’s slimy and an absolute git, all-around.”

Amalia sighed, running a hand through her hair. She knew exactly what had happened. James had called Severus Snivellus in front of Lily again, and it had set her off. James's jokes about Severus were the cause of most of the arguments between him and Lily. It was like a loop they couldn’t escape, each one feeding the other’s frustration.

“I’ll go after her,” Amalia said quietly, getting up and brushing off the grass from her robes. She didn’t want to leave things like this, not when it felt like everything between her friends was unraveling.

•••

Lily was walking briskly towards the castle, her face set in a tight frown. Amalia caught up to her just as she reached the entrance hall, pausing for a moment before speaking.

“He doesn’t mean to be—” Amalia started, but Lily cut her off, her voice sharp as a knife.

“What? An entitled arse, an absolute prick?” Lily’s tone was bitter, her eyes blazing with frustration. “He’s so annoying! He can’t seem to understand that maybe, just maybe, Severus isn’t nice to him because he’s horrible to Severus. He’s a bully, and the worst part is, everyone loves him. They think he’s funny, they think he’s charming, but he’s just a git. I can’t stand him!”

Amalia had never seen Lily so angry before. Her voice shook with emotion as she continued. “Poor Severus. He’s always telling me about the horrible things that—” Lily searched for the strongest word she could find, “—that git says to him. I swear, I just want to scream at him.”

“Well, kind of you just did,” Amalia pointed out gently.

Lily huffed, crossing her arms. “It wasn’t enough.”

Amalia, feeling the weight of her friend's anger, stepped forward and pulled her into a tight hug. Lily stiffened at first, but after a moment, she relaxed slightly.

“I can talk to him,” Amalia said softly, her voice full of hesitation. “Maybe he’ll listen if I tell him how much it’s hurting you.”

Lily pulled away from her, scowling. “You can talk to him all you want. He won’t change.”

Amalia’s heart sank. She hated seeing her two closest friends at odds like this. The tension between James and Lily was palpable, and now, it seemed as if she was caught in the middle of it.

•••

That evening, the Leaving Feast wasn’t what Amalia had expected. She had hoped the end of the school year would bring them all together—celebrating the friendships they had made and the hard work they’d put in—but instead, it felt like a chasm had opened between them.

Lily and the girls sat far away from the boys. It was like there was a wall between them, and James’s attempts at conversation were met with Lily’s icy stares. The meal felt strained, and Lily spent the entire time ranting to Amalia about how unbelievably angry she was with James, throwing him pointed glares whenever he tried to catch her eye.

It was as if all the frustration and anger that had been building up between them had finally burst, flooding the room with a tension that couldn’t be ignored. And now, there was no way to close the gates.

That night, as Amalia lay in her bed, she found sleep elusive. She kept thinking about how everything had shifted. From now on, she would have to choose between a boy she’d always considered a second brother and a girl she considered her best friend. How could she possibly choose?

Unable to stand it anymore, Amalia threw off her covers and pulled on her red jumper and her shoes. She needed space—air to think.

•••

The Astronomy Tower was quiet, the stars twinkling above her as she made her way up the spiraling staircase. She didn’t expect anyone to be up there, and honestly, if anyone was, she didn’t care. She needed time alone to figure everything out.

When she reached the top, she walked straight to the railing, leaning on it as her tears finally fell. The floodgates had opened, and she couldn’t stop them. She felt horrible because, no matter what, she couldn’t hate James. Even after everything that had happened between him and Lily, she could still picture his hurt expression when she walked away from him at dinner. She could still see the confusion and disappointment in his eyes.

But she also couldn’t bear what Lily was feeling—how angry she was at James, how much she despised the way he treated Severus. Amalia’s heart ached as she thought of them both.

A hand suddenly rested on her shoulder, and Amalia jumped, pulling away. She spun around to find Sirius standing behind her, his hand still outstretched, concern written all over his face.

“Are you alright?” he asked softly.

Amalia wiped her eyes, trying to regain control. “Yeah, I—actually, no. I’m not.” She took a shaky breath, her voice breaking. “I don’t want to hurt them. I don’t want to choose. I don’t want to hurt James by choosing Lily, even though I’m angry at him too. If he would just shut up for once, this wouldn’t be happening. But I’m also angry at Lily for constantly talking about how much she hates someone who’s like a brother to me. She won’t even let me stick up for him. It’s too much.”

Sirius didn’t say anything at first. Then, without warning, he pulled her into a hug. It was so sudden, so unexpected, that Amalia didn’t know how to react at first. But then, she melted into it, her body relaxing against his as she sobbed, the tears coming freely now.

She didn’t feel embarrassed—she thought she would, but this felt... right. The warmth of his arms around her, the comfort in the way he stroked her back with his thumbs, made her feel safe, even as the storm inside her raged.

After a while, she pulled away, her tears finally beginning to slow. Sirius was looking at her, his eyes full of understanding, his expression soft. They didn’t speak for a long time. It was as if they both understood what the other needed without words.

And there, on the rooftop of the Astronomy Tower, in the quiet of the night, two lost children found comfort in each other’s presence.