The Marauders: Year Six Part 2 #Wattys2017

A B C, it's as easy as 1 2 3

He grinned, "Good girl."

"I try."

"My point is that it gets back to him when you do that, you know. He thinks you don't like him like that, so why add to the rumour of it?" Sirius nudged her shoulder. "We all know already anyway. Everyone but James himself has known for a bloody long time, Lilith Marie."

"Not my name, Sirius Oppenheimer."

"Lilian Katherine."

"Sirius Oregano."

He grinned. "Oregano. Original."

Lily's eyes twinkled. Then she sighed, "Bloody hell, why can't it be as easy to talk to him as it is to talk to you?"

"Isn't it, though?" Sirius asked.

Lily shook her head and, uncomfortable, she sat up and hugged her knees. "It's not at all the same thing. I talk to you and it's easy, it's like you're the same as talking to Frank or Remus or Ali or Marlene MacKinnon. Even our professors are easier to talk to most of the time - McGonagall, Urquart, Flitwick... even Slughorn."

"Bloody hell. Why would you ever talk to Slughorn for?" Sirius asked.

"He's actually a very nice person, if you give him a chance," Lily said. "Mostly, anyway. Bit selfish, and a total peacock, but --"

"Sorry, did you just call him a cock?"

"SIRIUS!" Lily pushed Sirius's shoulder and tipped him over, laughing, "You're filthy." He was laughing far too hard to stop and she pushed him again even as he sat up. "And no I did not - I called him a peacock. As in he's very proud and arrogant." Lily shook her head.

Sirius righted himself, still laughing. "So, what's different when you talk to Prongs, then?"

Lily hesitated. "Well. It's like I can't breathe right and that makes me sort of dizzy and then I don't really think straight and I say things that are just ridiculous, or else I say whatever rubbish thing crosses my mind and I very much hate that my disposition is preset to being mean to James Potter, but it seems as though it often is. I don't particularly mean to be nasty to him, but it's like my mouth just takes over, like the stupidest part of me imperiuses the intelligent part and I just -- say -- the -- stupidest -- things." Lily shook her hands to emphasize her words.

Sirius nodded, "Sounds about right, that does."

"Sounds about right?" Lily raised an eyebrow, "What sort of response is that?"

"The sort that comes from a bloke who's been there and done that." Sirius put his arm around Lily's shoulders. "You're not the first who's said stupid, rubbish things to a boy you like."

Lily said, "What stupid, rubbish things did you say to Remus?"

"Oh loads," Sirius said, nodding. "LOADS AND LOADS AND LOADS, Evans. Once I told him he was the least gay bloke I knew. And it turned out he's the most gay bloke I knew. Aside from myself, of course."

"Of course."

"You ought to practice."

"Practice?"

"Sure. Practice makes perfect, doesn't it?"

Lily rolled her eyes, "You're ridiculous."

"Me?" he snorted. "I'm not the ridiculous one. Trust me. I've heard far more ridiculous things than practicing talking."

"Like what? What's the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard?"

Sirius thought about it.

"See? You can't even think of a single thing," Lily said, laughing.