You Can't See That I'm The One

Lily Evans looked up at the sparkling, scarlet train with her vibrant emerald green eyes. She couldn't stop the smile that was invading her face. She had missed Hogwarts so much.

Someone crept up behind her, covered her eyes, and whispered, "Guess who."

She chuckled. She knew that voice well. She grabbed his hand and turned around. Lily was still grasping his hands when she spoke. "Hello, Sirius."

She was blown away for a moment. Sirius had always been very good-looking, but there was simply no way to describe how he looked as they began their sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

He had already been taller than Lily, but he had grown a good five or six inches over the summer, now towering over her. He was still thin, but not scrawny. No where near scrawny... His shiny black hair had been short at the end of the previous year, but it had grown out, becoming shaggy and long, causing him to continuously flick it out of his shining blue eyes, which were filled with mirth and elation for yet another school year.

Lily, herself, was a petite five-foot-four and no longer awkward and gangly. She had filled in over the summer, becoming more of a graceful young woman and less like a clumsy teen. Her beautiful, fiery red hair was cut in shaggy layers that beautifully framed her sweet face, but was currently wrapped in a bun.

Sirius grinned his trademark, boyish grin that made all the girls wild about him to begin with. It was also the grin that got him out of trouble and broke a multitude of hearts year after year. "Hey, Lily. How are you?"

He swept her up in a friendly embrace. She smiled, hugging him back as she took him in; the soft smell of his cologne, his shampoo-scented hair brushing her cheek, her arms resting on his broad shoulders, the way that her feet didn't come close to the ground when he lifted her. Lily was a girl, after all, and every girl loved Sirius Black. She sighed, soft and happy. "I'm glad to be back. How was your summer?"

They pulled apart and he lifted her trunk before they began to climb on the train, maneuvering past a group of his fan girls. A Hufflepuff shamelessly blew him a kiss and he winked at her, igniting squeals and gasps from her and her friends. Lily scoffed and Sirius chuckled. "My summer was excellent." He lowered his voice and feigned embarrassment. "I was so bad, Lily."

She snorted. "What else is new?" He stuck out his tongue and she giggled. "How many girlfriends did you have? I know all of them were heartbroken."

Sirius hesitated. "Seven or eight? I dunno, it depends on what you consider a girlfriend."

"Two weeks or more is a girlfriend, in your case, Sirius."

"Oh! Then I only had two."

Lily lightly smacked herself in the head. Sirius grinned. "What about you?"

She smiled, almost nostalgically. "If you're referring to my summer, I only had one boyfriend."

Sirius's eyes had narrowed a little. He and Lily had become close halfway through their fifth year, after being partners in Ancient Runes (meaning that Lily tutored Sirius who had only taken the class because of a girl). They had written all summer, but somehow Lily seemed to have forgotten to mention a boy. "Who was he? You didn't mention him."

"Just a guy I met when my family when to America. It only lasted a month, that's why I didn't bring it up. Why?"

"Hey, are you still a prefect? Remus is."

Lily snickered, sidestepping Amos Diggory, who waved to the pair. She decided to let Sirius off for evading her question. "You only care because the two of us let you and your sidekicks get away with bloody murder last year."

"Pretty much, but it's really nice. You fancy sitting with us?"

She hesitated. "I dunno. Is James sitting with you?"

"You know he is!" Sirius sighed. "You cannot hate him forever, Lily."

"Wanna bet?"

"So, he didn't wanna go out with you. You can't hate a guy for that."

"Oh, but Sirius, that's not why I hate him. You forget that he turned me down in front of half the school and made me look like an idiot."

Sirius bit his lip, stopping in the corridor. "Okay. Yeah, that was pretty horrible, but that was two years ago!"

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

"Touché, but you seem to get along now..."

"I can tolerate him in small dosages, but a whole train ride? I'd rather not go to Azkaban today, Sirius."

He chuckled. "No today, anyway." Lily glared at him and he put his arm around her shoulders. "You can sit with Remus."

"He's not sitting with you?"

"Rose broke up with him," Sirius said, simply. Rosa had been Remus's Ravenclaw girlfriend for so long that many people thought they'd end up getting married. He was praised as the one Marauder that could maintain a relationship. They seemed so in love.

Lily's eyes widened. "You're kidding!"

Sirius shook his head. "True story. So, he needs an intelligent and attractive female to talk to."

Lily lightly punched Sirius in the stomach. "Now I understand why they call you the biggest flirt in school, Sirius Black."

He gave her a look that she couldn't quite place. "I was being serious for once! Besides, I don't want him to dwell on it for the entire train ride. So, keep his mind off of it."

Lily smiled as they got closer to Remus's compartment. "I'll remember that."

Sirius bent down and kissed Lily on the cheek. "You do that. And don't forget this, either: James is an idiot. If he can't see how beautiful and smart and kind and...and talented and sweet and funny and just...just completely amazing you are, then there is no way he deserves you. Any guy would be lucky to have you."

Lily smiled, feeling a little breathless. She didn't even care that a group of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor girls were eyeing her enviously. Lily had never felt the full impact of Sirius Black, but if this was it, no wonder so many girls adored him. She cleared her throat, a little overwhelmed. "Er...thank you, Sirius. I somehow doubt I'll manage to forget that."

He grinned that boyish grin again and Lily felt her heart flip. Sirius twirled the loose strands of her hair that had fallen from her bun around his fingertips. "Good."

Their faces were very close together and Sirius began leaning forward more. Lily sucked in her breath, starting to feel intoxicated by him. He stopped, his lips only inches from hers. She could feel his breath on her lips as he said, "See ya at school, Lily."

He stood up straight and she exhaled heavily (along with the group of envious girls), realizing that she had been holding her breath. She was a bit disappointed, but raised her hand in a wave. "Bye, Sirius."

He gave her hand one last squeeze before walking to an open compartment not far down. Lily smiled, fondly, and entered Remus's compartment. She sat down across from him, not talking while he surveyed a pocket calendar and marking stars on certain dates a month. Without even looking up, he said, "He really likes you, you know?"

Lily's eyes went from the window, the landscape slowly starting to move as the train began to chug away from the station, to Remus. "Come again?"

Remus's tired eyes met Lily's confused ones. He sighed and placed the calendar back into his pocket. "Sirius? He really, really adores you, Lily."

"Who adores Lily?" asked a voice from the doorway. Remus and Lily looked up and saw Juliana Abercrombie, Lily's best friend, standing in the doorway. She was absolutely beautiful inside and out and had been since they were eleven. She had dark skin and long, curly black hair. She had big, soft, expressive brown eyes and was very skinny (yet an incredible beater for the Gryffindor team with a hell of an appetite) and five-foot-six. She was the funniest, sweeties, and one of the most understanding and intelligent girls in school, everyone had to admit. She was the only one who understood why Lily was friends with Severus Snape and hoped that they would reconcile (he had called Lily a mudblood the previous year).

She had even managed to entrance Lucius Malfoy, causing him to put an end to his "Slytherin Only" rule and date Juliana for half of their fifth year. She claimed that there was a soft side to him that no one else could see, but no one cared. Their relationship ended worse than the power struggle between houses when they were together.

Remus blushed, a faint pink coloring his cheeks. "Are you going to join us, Juliana?"

Juliana plopped down next to Lily. "I think I may. Now, who adores Lily?"

"Sirius," replied Remus, simply.

"I knew it!" Juliana exclaimed, looking at Lily before rummaging through her bag.

"I think that's what stopped James from dating you, because I know he was crazy about you from the start."

Juliana stopped pulling summer homework from her bag and looked up abruptly, exchanging looks with Lily. "Wait, what?"

Remus nodded. "But apparently, he couldn't do that to Sirius. I'm not sure he even still feels that way about you. James, I mean. Juliana what are you doing?"

Juliana looked up from an open textbook and smiled sheepishly. "Last bit of summer homework. Just because I'm brilliant doesn't mean I'm not lazy."

Remus snorted. "You sound like Sirius."

Lily had leaned back, not listening to the conversation around her, taking in all of this new information. She had a hard enough time finding one boy that liked her and she had had two? Two Marauders? Girls would've killed her. "You have to be kidding," Lily murmured.

Remus brought his attention back to Lily. "I'm not at all, but do you mind if we change the subject? I'm still upset about Rosa."

"Why? What happened between you and Rose?" Juliana asked, obviously not filled in, her eyes glinting.

"They broke up," Lily said, recognizing the gleam in Juliana's eye and standing up to buy food from the cart.

Juliana's eyes widened in shock and she slid next to Remus. "Oh, dear! You two were dating for ages!"

"It would have been three years in November," Remus muttered, dejectedly.

Juliana hugged him tightly. "Oh dear, what happened?"

He shrugged. "I don't really want to talk about that right now."

"We understand," Lily said, setting down her snacks and sitting on the other side of him. "At least she's gone and graduated," she added, patting him on the back as Juliana began gently swaying him back and forth like she was comforting a child.

He nodded and rested his head on Juliana's shoulder and taking Lily's hand in his. "Thanks guys. I really appreciate it."

"Why that little..." James muttered to Sirius and Peter. They were just outside of Remus's compartment.

James and Sirius were shocked. They had gone to check up on their poor, recently-dumped friend and there he was, getting pampered by two of the best girls in school.

Peter laughed and patted the two taller, raven-haired boys on their backs, knowing their feelings for the girls comforting their friend. "He needs it. Let's leave him be."

James and Sirius exchanged looks before allowing Peter to drag them back to their compartment.