UDM: Granger Yet - Anniversary

Anniversary

"Are you drunk?"

Sirius teetered back and forth at their front door, a bottle of something in his hand while a rather large grin plastered his face. "Of course, I am! Why wouldn't I be?"

Lily glared at her husband's best friend, debating how to best follow up seeing Sirius standing there, teetering back and forth as if he were about to fall over. Her hands gripped the edge of the door frame, her eyes narrowed so he'd know he'd messed up, yet he seemed unphased for once by her glare.

"Can I come in?"

"James isn't here."

"All the better."

"Then my answer is no." Lily started to close the door, not wanting to know what Sirius had in mind to do since James wasn't there.

His hand shot out, the smile faltering from his face, panic set in. "Please. No. I'll behave. I..." He swallowed. "I need someone to talk to, someone who won't laugh at me."

His grey eyes darted to the side while Lily held the door shut. She decided to ask a question for which the answer would determine whether she let him in or not. "Laugh at you for what?"

"For being a sentimental fool over a Death Eater who died a year ago," Sirius muttered, which made her notice his eyes were read.

"What Death Eater are you talking about?" Her grip on the door softened, sympathy going out to the man in front of her who didn't trust his best friend not to make fun of him for—she honestly wasn't yet sure.

"Reggie," Sirius muttered.

Her eyes narrowed, her grip tightening, but he seemed to notice as a look of shock on his face at her reaction started to slowly set in, in his drunken state.

"Sorry. I—you're Muggleborn, so..."

"It's a bit late for you to suddenly start showing you actually cared about him, isn't it?" Lily watched his jaw drop as she opened the door, but she couldn't help but feel saddened at knowing it had been a year since that boy died; thoughts of contacting Slughorn to console him later crossed her mind. "Yet, it's better than never. Come on in."

"That—" Sirius' eyes blinked. "That wasn't the reaction I expected."

Lily ignored him. "I'll go and put a kettle on."

"I mean, Reggie was a Death Eater, and you know—well, his beliefs and all."

"Something tells me you didn't actually really know what your brother actually believed, but honestly—I blame you."

"What?"

"I said, I blame you for Regulus' death, but something tells me you do as well, that you know the way you treated him while we were at Hogwarts played a part in him going in the direction he did."

"That's harsh."

"You need to hear it from someone, and you certainly wouldn't hear it from James, who'd either coddle you telling you it wasn't your fault, or—"

"Tell me I shouldn't feel sentimental about that bastard." Sirius sat down at the table while Lily looked at him. He swallowed. "Not that Reggie was a bastard. Not like them. He was—different."

"I know."

"You know?" Sirius swallowed, their conversation having sobered him up. He leaned into his hand, a headache from how much he'd drunk likely setting in. "This is not the reaction I expected from you Lils. I mean, you're Muggleborn. Why would you care about my brother?"