BETTY, sirius black

that's the thing about illicit affairs

022. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
that's the thing about illicit affairs

"S-SO you're not scared of me?" Remus asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You don't like . . . hate me or anything?"

          It was well past midnight where the practically hungover Marauders plus two sat on dingy, old couches who had been there for Merlin knows how long. Saiorse's lipstick was slightly smudged as she laid her legs across her sister's lap, who's head had been leaned over James Potter's shoulder. The girl laughed incredulously, sighing as she caught her breath at the ridiculous question the half-blood boy had asked.

          "Of course I don't hate you, Remus." She grinned, shaking her head as the lycan gave her a half smile. "Truly, I think it's ridiculous to be prejudice to something like your condition, especially if it wasn't your fault, you know?"

          Remus smiled. It was a sort of rare Lupin smile that sporadically appeared on his face from time to time, triggered by something he couldn't really quite place. Sirius let his eyes flicker back and forth between the two, his chin lowering, his nose sharply inhaling.

          He couldn't place what he didn't like about his two friends' exchange, but all he knew was that he didn't like it. At all. It could be the tension between them, could be the eye contact, but all he knew was that he wanted it to stop immediately. His nose twitched as he stood from his spot on the dusty old couch, stretching the joints throughout his spine. "Well, gee whiz, I am a tired bitch. Boys? To bed? Now?" He asked with a big smile.

          James nodded, pressing a sleepy kiss to Lily's forehead as he stood to gather a snoring Peter from the carpet beneath them. Saiorse grabbed Lily by the hand, dragging her out of the door to wait for the other four boys to finish with whatever irrelevant activity they had decided was more important than actually leaving the secret room and getting a good night's rest.

          Sirius looked to Remus who had been rubbing his eyes tiredly, yawning as he gathered the empty cups and bottles that sat on the coffee table beneath him. He pulled the taller boy aside, crossing his arms as he furrowed his eyebrows. "Do you . . . do you have a crush on Saiorse, Moony?" Sirius asked in a quiet whisper, making sure neither of the other two Marauders could hear.

          Remus tried his best to bite back a smile, letting a chuckle slip from his throat. It quickly disappeared as he shook his head towards Sirius. "Mate." He whispered. "I'm gay. I thought we went over this yesterday when you asked me the same exact question."

          Sirius nodded slowly with pursed lips and squinted eyes, wagging his finger at the lycan. "The male mind is a feeble thing, Remmykins. I am simply the revealer of truths, dear friend."

          "SAIORSE, I just don't know what to do!"

          Lily Evans had her head in her sister's lap as they were strewn about the courtyard the late Tuesday afternoon after the two girls' birthday, the first fore-mentioned wailing in the other's lap, the latter reading another treatise by none other than Newt Scamander. "You still haven't told me exactly what you're whining about Lily." Saiorse sighed, turning another page as she blew a strand of auburn hair out of her face that had fallen from the bun that sat at the base of her neck.

          Lily buried her face into her sister's skirt, sighing out her confession in a mumble. Saiorse furrowed her eyebrows, setting her book down as she turned the girl around. "What?"