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Lily's Brothers


Hours went by without a single movement in the reflection of the mirror and eventually James fell asleep. He didn’t mean to - he’d tried very, very hard to stay awake, stammering to attention each time Sirius nudged him, murmuring incohesive sentences (“...but mum says the Giant Squid doesn’t like caramel nougat…”). Finally, Sirius just let him drift off and sat on the end of James’s bed, his knees holding up the mirror, staring at the darkness, whispering pleas for Remus to turn it over.

Midway through the night, when Sirius had finally begun to give up hope that Remus would be coming back that night, he pulled Lily Evans’ postcard from his pocket and looked down at the elephant, holding high it’s little red feather. He hadn’t noticed there were words at the bottom of the card. I believe you can fly, it said.

Sirius turned it over and looked at the very tiny, very cramped handwriting that spiraled and looped and just barely fit in the space on the card.

Dear Sirius, You know I don’t usually bother you with things like this but except that one time but I knew you would understand… I’m at the Happiest Place on Earth, they call it, and yet I can’t truly, fully enjoy it because my sister Tuney hates me so much. Sometimes just the way she looks at me is too much to stand, as though there’s something wrong with me, as though I disgust her. She refuses to speak to me; we’re sharing a room! I don’t mean to bring you down, but you’re the only one I know who has sibling problems like I do. Do you ever have hope of possibly reuniting with Regulus? Do you ever wish that perhaps he would change and understand you? How do you push past it? How do you forget someone that you’ve spent all of your life as best friends with? Who am I without Tuney? Sorry to be so dramatic. Out of room. Miss you. Say hi to Remus. Lily.

Sirius stared at the words - the last several sentences so tightly packed that they were very nearly all one word.

Sirius sighed. He was very glad he hadn’t shared this all with James. James would’ve got angry at Lily’s sister all over again and it wouldn’t have helped at all and probably Lily wouldn’t have trusted Sirius again in the future. He sighed and leaned back against the footboard of the bed, then raised an eyebrow and looked at the mirror.

“I’m not the person to be asking advice from, Evans,” Sirius whispered, shaking his head.

But if Lily Evans needed somebody -- and she’d chosen Sirius Black to talk to about it for whatever insane reason -- farbeit from him to deny her.

Sirius rolled out of the bed and he grabbed some parchment from James’s desk and propped the mirror up against a globe he had sitting on the corner of the desk. He took a deep breath and took up a quill, dipping it in a bit of ink.

Oi Evans if you only knew…
First off, Regulus and Petunia both ought to meet and hang out sometime and exchange notes. Sounds like they’d be right perfect for one another. I shall start calling you Sissy in Law now in preparation… If nothing else they would bond over their mutual hatred for their siblings. (You and I, meanwhile could form an alliance against them…)
There’s no getting over it, I’m afraid. It doesn’t get easier to come to terms with it. At least you’ve got your mum and dad and they love you, yeah? And you’ve always got the four of us - you’re the fifth Marauder, Evans, and I’m sorry to tell you that you haven’t got a single choice about it. We’re family, the lot of us (even you and Potter, I regret to inform you).
You see, you might’ve lost a sister when you came to Hogwarts, but you’ve gained four brothers.
Now, enough about you, let’s talk about me (ha ha … no really let’s talk about me):
I’ve done the most daft thing in all the world, Evans. I’ve hurt Remus Lupin and I feel real shoddy about it right now. There isn’t a bloody thing to be done. He’s put the mirror down and no matter how hard I shout and cry into the reflection, he won’t return. I even made Prongs try at it and Moony’s still refused to come ‘round to speak to me. Evans, what am I to do???
It’d be one thing if I’d just said something stupid and it wasn’t a big deal and he’d just forget about it eventually and all would be well but it’s not like that. I said the worst thing I possibly could’ve done.
I called him a Monster.
I didn’t mean it.
How do I tell him I don’t mean it, Evans?
Help a brother out.
Love,
Sirius



Sirius stared at the parchment, then went to Bubo’s perch and, afraid she might peck him, he tapped her wing. Bubo opened one yellow eye and turned it to him beadily before she started to fall asleep again… “Wait, Bubo, I need you to do a real important assignment… I need you to either bring this to Lily Evans in Floreeka - that’s in the United States, or else give it to someone who can.”

Bubo fluffed herself importantly, stick out her leg, and hopped out the window.




Petunia waved a fan before her face, sweating as she stood in the sunlight outside. “Why does it have to be so bloody hot in Florida?” she demanded, “It’s got to be near to thirty-five out here!” she complained.

They were all miserably hot - Lily couldn’t imagine being one of the workers there, who had to dress up as costumes and wander about the park being nice to people like Petunia all day. She would quit if that was her job, she thought. But it was fun going on the rides - especially the roller coasters, which made the air run through their hair and cooled them down a bit. There were ice lollies shaped like Mickey Mouse, too, and the WEDway and hotel had air conditioning, so they weren’t hot all of the time… Really, there was far more things to be excited about than there were things to be upset over, so Lily tried very hard to ignore Petunia’s whining.

They got back to the hotel in the evening, and Petunia threw herself onto her bed, groaning as her cheeks hit the cool pillow cases, her paper fan still clutched in her fist. Lily kicked off her shoes and worked at undoing the braiding in her hair that she’d done to keep her ginger locks from her neck… That was when she heard the clicking and she’d looked up, surprised. It was coming from the glass door by the balcony. Lily got up, pushing open the curtain on the door, and found an owl sitting on the balcony rail, a letter tied to his leg. Lily flung open the doors to get it from him.

“Close the blasted doors! You’re letting all the heat in!” Petunia cried angrily.

“I’ve got a letter,” Lily explained, and she tucked a couple American coins into the bird’s pouch, hoping that it was enough for a tip. She wasn’t sure what each of the coins stood for but she’d given him some of the biggest ones she had.

Petunia turned her nose up at the owl as it flew off from the balcony and Lily came back in carrying an envelope. “Mail by owl,” she sniffed haughtily, “Really.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

Lily tried to ignore her, settling onto her own bed as she looked over Sirius Black’s handwriting as she opened it up. The envelope fell to the floor as she shook the letter out, sliding from her lap. In spite of herself, Petunia turned to read the words written on the envelope.

Lily Evans
The Bed Furthest From The Window
The Hotel
Disney World
Floreeka, United States


Petunia said, “That’s the most ridiculous addressing job I’ve ever seen. How did that freak owl even know how to get it to you?”

“They just know,” Lily murmured.

“But it isn’t even an address on it,” Tuney complained.

Lily suddenly let out a gasp.

“What?” Petunia asked. “Just realize what a freak you are?”

“Sirius and Remus… they can’t break up!” Lily shook her head, “Oh no, no, no.”

“Sirius and Remus?” Petunia wrinkled her nose, “What is that? Tell me those aren’t names of people you know...”

“They’re two of my dearest friends and they’re boyfriends and they’ve had a spat and - no, no, no.”

Petunia’s eyes widened, “You know gay wizards? With names like Sirius and Remus? No wonder they’re gay. With names like those!”

Lily looked up at Tuney, “Will you shut up?” she snapped.

Petunia scowled.




On her last day at Disney, it rained. The rain drops were wet and warm and they hurried about the Park under an umbrella painted to look like Minny Mouse’s skirt - red with white polka dots. Lily was distracted, even before the rain, though, her mind stuck on Sirius Black’s letter and the situation between him and Remus. She’d waited so long for the fairytale ending for Remus… It felt like Cinderella not getting the Prince, or Snow White never waking up from the poisonous apple. It felt like Bambi’s forest burning up, or Dumbo’s feather not working to fly. It felt like dreams would never come true and all of the Disney magic was a lie.

Finally, she sort of understood Petunia’s sour mood.

Before they left, though, Lily went back into the gift shop. She had realized that she’d forgotten to get anything for Severus Snape. She felt awful for having forgotten Severus, and she quickly collected a pair of mouse ears and a keychain shaped like Mickey Mouse and a postcard.

She also purchased herself a set of stationery so she could work on writing Sirius Black a letter on the aeroplane ride home.




The week following the Monster Incident, James and Sirius both tried to get some reaction from Remus through the mirror, but none came. There was no sign of Remus at all, and Sirius slowly got more and more depressed until he was hard to pry from his bedroom and he spent as much time as he could turned into Snuffles, curled up on the carpet at the bottom of the closet in his bedroom, in a tight little knot, tucking his nose into his fur.

James sat on Sirius’s bed and aimed the mirror at the black shaggy dog. “C’mon Rey, if you’re in there… Just have a look at him... he’s really sorry.”

But there was still no sign of Remus.




The letter came from Lily to Sirius on a rainy Saturday. James untied it from Bubo’s leg and saw Lily’s handwriting scrawling out Sirius’s name and the bulk of the envelope and he felt a pang of jealousy go through him.

Don’t be a dunderhead, he told himself, carrying the letter to Sirius’s room, Sirius is gay, it isn’t like that..

And even if it is, you don’t care… Evans isn’t your girlfriend, Maryrose is your girlfriend.

Blimey, I should write to Maryrose.

James pushed Sirius’s bedroom door opened gently and found him laying on the floor in a position that it was clear he’d fallen asleep as Snuffles and turned back at some point as he slept, the mirror beside him…

“Sirius,” James said, sitting beside him on the carpet. “Sirius, wake up. You’ve got a letter from Evans.”

Sirius groaned.

“Wake up, Pads,” James said, shaking his shoulder.

Sirius shook his head no.

James sighed and dropped the letter down beside the mirror. “Well. There you have it if you change your mind,” he said. He got up and left the room, closing the door tight behind him.

Sirius stayed there, his eyes now open, staring at the fibers of the carpet. The letter from Lily Evans lay there by the mirror, which still reflected only darkness. Slowly, he sat up, feeling almost numb, and he reached for the letter and turned it over, sliding his thumb beneath the edge of the envelope. The letter was written on stationery with a mouse with red shorts on all over it. He pulled out the multiple-page letter and shook it out,

Dear Sirius,
You’re so sweet, saying all those things about you four being my brothers. I’ve always wanted brothers and I’ve managed to end up with the lot of you… it’s enough to make a girl take back her wishes! Just kidding. I’m honoured that you think of me that way after how awful I’ve been to you lot before.
So the rest of the Disney trip went alright. Tuney still wouldn’t talk to me, but I did my best to enjoy everything just the same myself. There’s so much culture and different foods and drinks to try in Florida. I’ll miss all that. Especially right now, stuck on an aeroplane. They give you drinks on the aeroplane - but it’s mostly flat ginger ale they offer. I miss the butterbeer and pumpkin juice at Hogwarts. Being from a muggle family means not having that stuff ‘til I get back to the school!
Have you heard if they’re going to reopen the school on 1 September like usual? I’ll go mad if they don’t fix all that the Minister broke about Hogwarts (Dumbledore, you, etc).
Speaking of things that are broken that I’ll go mad if they aren’t fixed…
You and Remus aren’t
broken up right?? I don’t know if my heart could handle that, Sirius! Please tell me it isn’t so.

Sirius felt a catch in his throat and he shook his head and put the letter down, squeezing his eyes shut a moment, counting to ten to regain his breath. “Dunno if my heart can handle it, either, Evans,” he murmured and he shot a fleeting glance at the mirror. Still dark.

Then it was back to the letter.

I think you need to see Remus face-to-face. You need to find out where he is and go to him and give him a hug. I think this is the sort of thing that he’ll need to feel your love wrapped around him before he’ll know you didn’t mean it. I mean talking on a telephone is very different than face to face, you know? Actually, you probably don’t know about the telephone, but trust me, it’s not the same when it’s just words. Sometimes you just need the warmth of skin.

Sirius felt something welling up inside him.

Of course, he thought.

Not finishing reading the letter (he still had another two pages to go!), Sirius tossed it onto the bed along with the mirror… He ran a comb through his messy hair and grabbed his leather jacket from the back of the desk chair, swinging it over his shoulders. He ducked out of his bedroom and into James’s down the hall.

James looked up, surprise to see him, then, seeing the wild look in Sirius’s eyes, he said, “Uhoh.”

“I need to find Remus,” Sirius announced. “And I’ll do bloody anything to get to him. Are you coming with me or are you staying here? I have a plan.”

James, who had been organizing his chocolate frog card collection, pulled himself to his feet from the floor and stepped ‘round the cards carefully. “Let’s go,” he said.