The Lucky Ones (xoxo)

Chapter 3

Lily Evans

Lily met Severus Snape when she was 6 years old. Her parents had decided to buy a vacation home out in the Hamptons, and Sevy’s family had theirs next door. Every year until they were 15, they would spend the entire summer together. The summers were special. They would leave the house early, and they rarely ever returned before the sun was down. As children, they mostly played make believe, Lily being a witch and Severus an evil wizard, with magic wands they’d crafted from branches. As they got older, the exploring and games turned into reading by the water and listening to music, but Lily loved it all the same. The summers were special, because they never translated when they returned to New York, to real life. Severus never got along with any of the boys, and Marlene and Mary always claimed that they got a weird vibe from him, something that Lily never understood. So, they rarely spoke through the school year, but that made the summers all the more magical to Lily. Every June, they would fall into step once again, usually avoiding the topic of their other friends. Well, not every June. Last summer, when Lily arrived with her mom, dad and sister - Petunia- in tow, she discovered that Severus had decided to stay in New York with an uncle for the summer. Lily was hurt he didn't tell her beforehand, but then again how could he? They had never exchanged numbers. Why would they when the other was always right next door.

Lily was lonely that summer. She had never really gotten along with her sister, they were so very different. Petunia was everything Lily hated about the world: She was mean, not in an obvious way, but in a way where you could tell she thought she was better than you, because Petunia thought she was better than everyone. Better because of her wealth, better because of her status and power, yet she failed to realize that she hasn't done anything to deserve any of it. Lily had tried to explain it countless times, but her explanations fell on deaf ears. Petunia thought the world was fair, and that if she had all that she had, there was no way she didn't deserve it. Lily could never stay quiet when Petunia spouted this nonsense, and it always resulted in yelling and doors slamming. They rarely spoke now, not unless they had to.

But it was better once her friends could visit. She was no longer drowning in the tense silence. The girls, Marlene and Mary, bunked with her in her room, whispering and giggling till the wee hours of the morning. The boys, who usually came for only a few weeks at a time, slept in the spare bedroom. They spent their time similarly to how Lily had spent it with Sev, lounging around in the wet summer heat, reading and listening to whatever album Sirius had on vinyl that week. The six of them had decided to throw a party. Just for them, of course, as a way of celebrating the end of the summer. Their last few hours of freedom before the school year began again.

It was lovely, it was. But the entire time, Lily couldn’t help but wonder why Severus was gone. Why he hadn’t warned her he wouldn’t be coming back. She had meant to ask him about it when school began again, even if that meant she would be breaking their unspoken rules, but Severus wasn’t there when they arrived at Hogwarts Prep that September. Lily hadn’t seen him since, he’d simply disappeared. Until today, as Lily walked into class with her friends, the ones Severus hated so much, and spotted him sitting in none other than Sirius Black’s seat.

“Move,” Sirius said tensely as soon as they approached him. Severus didn’t respond at first. "I'm talking to you, Snape. Move!”

Severus turned his head, but he wasn’t looking at Sirius, he was looking at Lily. She had hoped she would be able to understand once she saw him. Hoped she’d be able to see why he’d simply forgotten her, hoped she’d be able to see that he had missed her. But when she looked in his eyes she saw nothing.

“It’s assigned seating, Snape. Walk your ass over to McGonagall and figure out where she put you,” James piped up, clearly as unhappy with his presence as Sirius was.

“Nice to know nothing has changed here. You two are still the same pricks you were last year,” Snape sneered at them both.

“You’re right!” Sirius exclaimed, a sickly sweet smile on his face.

“Nothing’s changed, I could still smell the fact that you were back all the way from the courtyard. Guess bad hygiene runs in the family, even your dear old uncle couldn't train that out of you.” He was still smiling but the look in his eyes was deadly. Severus didn’t care.

“You walk around like you're above us. All of you do, but your all a fucking mess, and the rest of us, we see through it. All your dirty secrets, all your lies, I mean, look at Potter, couldn’t even brush his hair this morning.” Severus droned, his face a cheap replica of the venom Sirius managed to convey. James passed a hand through his hair, something he only did when he was getting nervous and Lily was starting to get angry. This boy she had spent so much of her time defending, is essentially spitting in her face. He couldn’t even acknowledge her as she stood there, watching him rip into one of the kindest people she knew.

“At least James pulls it off.” Lily snapped, and Severus looked at her with genuine contempt. Something he’d never done before.

“I wouldn’t go around commenting on people's hair, Snape. I could wring yours and the oil would drip off.” Marlene said, her tone patronizing as her lips curled into a snarl.

That seemed to shut him right up. He gathered his notebooks and bag, but Sirius didn’t let him walk away unscathed. As he passed by, Sirius shoulder checked him. Hard. Lily knew she should have said something, but there he was, after ignoring her for months, and he hadn’t even given her a second glance.

Nothing worth mentioning happened after that. They all sat down, and listened to McGonagall drone on about the war of 1812, which Marlene was scandalized by when she found out it hadn’t even started in 1812. After class, Lily lingered, and so did Snape.

“So… how was your internship?” Lily asked, trying hard to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

“Good. It was good,” he stated, not even bothering to look up as he packed his stuff up. Lily’s eyebrows shot up.

“Is that really all you have to say to me?” she asked incredulously. Finally, Severus looked her in the eye.

“What do you want me to say, Lily? I was gone for a few months. Now, I’m back. Some of us aren’t special or rich enough to warrant a Gossip girl blast,” Snape snapped. Lily took a step back, partially because she was hurt, and partially in disbelief.

“I… I don’t even know what to say. I really wanted to prove them wrong, you know? When they told me you were a fucking ass,” she paused for a moment, thinking to herself. “But I’m the one who was wrong.” She shook her head in disbelief. Severus just stood there silently, eyes still as empty as ever.

“Just go suck Potter off or something. I have to go. I’ll see you around.” Severus replied dully, before leaving Lily standing there, frozen.

Sirius black

When Sirius walked into the Palace Hotel bar, he spotted Regulus immediately. The bar was cloaked in shadows, the dim lights casting long, ominous silhouettes across the worn wooden floor. He took a moment to look at him, really look at him. Regulus sat in a secluded corner, nursing a drink that seemed to offer little solace for the turmoil churning within him. His eyes, grey pools of resentment and hurt, scanned the room with a guarded intensity. Sirius had been too blinded by rage and alcohol last night to truly see him, see how much he’d changed. His hair was longer, loose curls falling past his ears now. His jaw was sharper, more defined. He had lost a lot of his baby fat, and he was beginning to look more and more like his older brother. As if he had sensed Sirius staring, Regulus turned and looked right at him, a small smile on his face.

A surge of anger and hurt flared within Sirius as he approached Regulus, his footsteps echoing in the bar.

"Regulus," Sirius bit out, his tone icy and distant.

"Hey... Sirius," Regulus said softly, his voice tinged with a mixture of apprehension and regret. Sirius's jaw tensed at the sound of his brother's voice. He had rehearsed a thousand biting retorts, a thousand ways to make Regulus feel the pain he had caused. But now, faced with the reality of his presence, Sirius found his resolve crumbling.

As they sat across from each other, the tension between them thickened, suffocating the air with its intensity. Regulus shifted uncomfortably, his eyes gleaming with a steely resolve that masked the vulnerability beneath. The space between them was charged with unspoken words and unresolved emotions.

"I know I left without saying anything. I should've told you," Regulus began, his voice devoid of emotion.

Sirius clenched his fists beneath the table, fighting to keep his emotions in check. The memories of their messy upbringing flooded his mind, each one a painful reminder of the trauma that had bonded them together.

"You should've, damn it," Sirius said, his words clipped. "I begged you to leave with me, to run away from that hellhole, but you always said no! So, I stayed—for you!"

Regulus flinched at the mention of their past, his eyes betraying the pain he had tried so desperately to conceal and the weight of his brother's accusation striking him like a blow to the chest.

"I know, and I'm sorry," Regulus said, his voice trembling with emotion, "but I had to get out of there, Sirius. I couldn't take it anymore."

Sirius's anger burned hot and fierce, his resentment boiling over as he struggled to comprehend Regulus's betrayal.

"You couldn't take it anymore?" Sirius scoffed, his voice dripping with scorn. "What about me, huh? Did you ever stop to think about what I was going through?"

Regulus's gaze hardened at Sirius's accusation, his mask of indifference slipping slightly to reveal the turmoil that churned beneath.

"And what would you have me do?" Regulus retorted, his voice laced with a bitter sarcasm. "Stand by and watch as you make a scene, distracting her from whatever mistake I had made? Taking beatings meant for me?"

"You think I enjoyed it?" Sirius spat, his voice dripping with venom. "You think I wanted to suffer for your sake, to bear the brunt of her rage so you could escape unscathed?"

Regulus met his gaze, his eyes flashing with a cold defiance that sent shivers down Sirius's spine.

"You were always so eager to play the hero, weren't you?" Regulus sneered
"Always willing to sacrifice yourself for the greater good."

"You have no idea what it was like," Sirius growled, as he slammed his fist on the table, voice trembling with barely contained fury. "No idea what I went through to protect you."

Regulus's lip curled in a silent sneer.

"I never asked for your protection," Regulus replied coldly, his voice as sharp as a dagger. "And I certainly didn't need it."

Sirius's fists clenched beneath the table, his nails biting into his palms as he fought to contain the tempest raging within him. Regulus's rejection cut deeper than any physical wound, leaving Sirius adrift in a sea of betrayal and resentment.

"You never asked," Sirius repeated, his voice a hoarse whisper. "But that didn't stop me from killing myself to make sure she left you unharmed."

Regulus met his gaze with a steely resolve, his eyes cold and unyielding.

"I never needed your protection, Sirius," Regulus retorted, his voice laced with disgust. "I could handle her on my own."

The words struck Sirius like a blow to the chest, a painful reminder of the vast chasm that had grown between them—a chasm forged by years of pain and resentment.

"Handle her on your own?" Sirius scoffed. "You couldn't handle her then, and you certainly can't handle her now. She still has you under her thumb. I always had to fight your battles for you, you expect me to believe you spent a year in switzerland and magically grew a backbone?"

Regulus's lip curled in a silent sneer, his mask of indifference slipping to reveal the simmering anger that smouldered beneath.

"Is that what you think?" Regulus shot back, his voice cold and steady. Dangerous. "That I'm weak? That I can't fend for myself?"

Sirius's heart paused at the sight of his brother's pain, his anger giving way to stabbing guilt.

"No, Reg," Sirius murmured,as he forced down the lump in his throat.. "That's not what I meant."

Regulus's gaze softened slightly, a flicker of vulnerability shining in his eyes—a vulnerability that Sirius had longed to see. A glimpse into Regulus that he hadn't seen in years.

"I know…” he trailed off, pausing to steady his breath. “I know you were just trying to help," Regulus admitted quietly, regret pulling at his words. "But I didn't want your help, Sirius. I didn't want to be saved."

Sirius reached out, his hand trembling slightly as it moved across the table, a silent plea for forgiveness in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Reg," Sirius whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "I'm sorry for trying to protect you when you didn't ask to be. Keeping you safe was what kept me going for years. I guess I never stoppedto consider how that was effecting you."

Regulus hesitated for a moment, his gaze locked with Sirius's own, before finally reaching out to squeeze his brother's hand just once.

"It's okay, Sirius," Regulus replied softly, his voice filled with a quiet acceptance. "I'm also sorry. I didn't know what to do. I had finally found a way out, one that didn’t feel so severe or… permanent. The downside was that you couldn’t come with me. I thought that it was worth it but it wasn't. It isn't."

Sirius's anger wavered, replaced by a profound sense of hurt—a betrayal that cut deeper than any physical wound.

"Well, you did leave me behind, didn't you?" he stated bitterly.. "And now you expect me to just forgive and forget? To pretend like none of this ever happened?"

"I know I messed up, Sirius," Regulus said softly. "But I want to make things right. I want us to move forward, together, not apart."

Sirius's heart ached at the sight of his brother's pain, his anger slowly giving way to a begrudging sense of understanding.

"I don't know if I can forgive you, Reg," Sirius admitted, his voice heavy with regret. "But maybe... maybe we can try to find a way forward."

And as they sat together in the silence that followed, the fractured bonds between them strained but unbroken.

James Potter

When James walked into the room, Sirius was laying on his bed, face down on the pillow. The bed was made, as it always was. A stark contrast to the mess that lived on James’ bedroom floor. James didn’t have to say anything. Sirius knew he was there. He simply climbed into the bed on the other side and sat against the headboard. Sirius sat up on his elbows and looked at James.

"Hey, Prongs," Sirius said, his voice heavy with the weight of the conversation he had just had with Regulus.

"Padfoot," James replied, his heart skipping a beat at the sight of his best friend's troubled expression. He reached out and ruffled Sirius's hair affectionately. He couldn't help but feel a pang of remorse as he recalled the secret he was keeping from Sirius. It was a memory that lingered in his mind, occasionally overshadowed but never really gone.

Sirius leaned into the touch, seeking solace in the familiar warmth of James's presence, unaware of the turmoil brewing beneath the surface.

"I had a talk with Regulus," Sirius began, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

James forced himself to focus, pushing aside his own problems as he turned his full attention to his best friend.

"And?" he prompted gently, his heart aching at the thought of Sirius grappling with the fractured remnants of his relationship with his brother.

Sirius took a deep breath, his troubled gaze drifting to the ceiling as he struggled to find the right words.

"He's so different now, Prongs," Sirius murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "Cold, distant... It's like I don't even know him anymore."

James clenched his jaw at the mention of Regulus, the memory of him flooding his mind with so many conflicting emotions. He couldn't help but wonder how Sirius would react if he knew the truth, if he knew about the secret they shared.

"It's tough, mate," James acknowledged, his voice a soothing balm to Sirius's wounded soul. "But people change. Sometimes, we just have to learn to accept that."

James forced a smile, his own heart heavy.

"I just wish things could go back to how they used to be," Sirius confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.

James's heart ached at the sincerity in Sirius's words, a pang of guilt gnawing at him from within. He longed to confide in his best friend, to unburden himself of the secret that weighed so heavily on him. But he couldn't bring himself to shatter them, to risk losing the one person who meant more to him than anything else in the world.

“But they can’t Pads. You’re just gonna have to make the best of what you have now. Who knows. Maybe you’ll like it better,”

"Thanks, Prongs," Sirius murmured, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

James grinned back, his eyes sparkling with mischief, even as his heart weighed heavy with the burden of his silent confession.

"Anytime, Padfoot," James replied, his voice filled with a warmth that chased away the shadows lurking in Sirius's heart.

And as they sat together in the comforting embrace of friendship, the bond between them stronger than ever, James knew that some secrets were best left unsaid.

Sirius glanced at James, a glimmer of hope flickering in his stormy eyes. "You know, I was thinking... Maybe Reg could move in with us, at the Potters’ place."

James's heart skipped a beat at the suggestion, a rush of conflicting emotions swirling within him. On one hand, he wanted the chance to spend more time with Regulus, to unravel the tangled threads of their shared past. But on the other hand, he couldn't shake the nagging sense of guilt that gnawed at him from within—the guilt of keeping their secret from Sirius, the guilt of betraying his best friend's trust.

"I tried mentioning it when he was here and he didn't seem too open to it. Though, he might be now that you two are in a better place." James replied, forcing a smile despite his heavy conscience. "I'm sure my parents would be more than happy to have him stay with us."

Sirius's smile widened, a glimmer of excitement dancing in his eyes. "Thanks, Prongs. I really appreciate it."

James nodded.."I'll talk to Regulus myself, see if I can convince him to move in with us," he offered with a quiet determination.

Sirius's gratitude shone in his eyes, a silent testament to the strength of their friendship.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," Sirius said softly, his voice filled with genuine warmth.

James forced a smile. "Anytime, Padfoot."

And as they sat together in the comforting embrace of friendship, the bond between them stronger than ever, James knew that he needed to confront his own demons—to face the truth of his past and the secrets that threatened to tear them apart.