CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO! ༉‧₊˚✧
━━━━ ⋆𖤐₊˚.༄ ♡ ━━━━

WHEN JAMES POTTER woke up on that crisp summer morning, the last thing he expected to hear was his best friend chatting up the love of his life.

Well, in all honesty, he was chatting with the love of his life — but the betrayal stung just the same. These intense emotions were far too much for James to handle, especially at the sight of Lily's reactions to Sirius's jokes.

"And then the snitch bounced right off his glasses, and he was all —" Sirius proceeded to poorly imitate James, using his fingers as glasses and babbling while squirming on the grass. Lily was so affected by Sirius's mockery that she had to physically cover her mouth to avoid laughing too loud.

Back in the house, James groaned to himself, dragging a hand over his face. "That's not even how I sound!"

Huffing to himself, a pajama-clad James threw the door open, charging his way out of his house and into his backyard, prepared to fight for love.

Once he was in the eyesight of the three teenagers on the hill, James slowed his pace down, acting as though he had been nonchalant the entire time. Sirius was in the middle of another animated story watching Diya and Lily stifling their giggles as James walked toward them.

"Interesting." James crossed his arms, cutting Sirius off as he stopped in front of the trio.

Sirius — closer now — tilted his head, surprising James, who was unaccustomed to seeing him without his bright red sunnies. "What is?"

"Oh nothing, just the fact that you've stolen the love of my life—"

"Definitely not." Lily interrupted, holding her hand up.

"Sorry." He turned to Lily briefly before returning to his point. "you've stolen my acquaintance. A capable, independent woman." James glanced over to Lily, who nodded, satisfied with the correction. "And you stole Diya, my best friend!"

Sirius raises an eyebrow, "First of all, I didn't steal anyone. If Lily is the capable, independent woman that you say she is, then she can certainly choose whether to sit here and listen to me ramble."

Lily tilted her head in confusion as she tried to comprehend what Sirius said, "Thank you?"

"Second, I thought I was your best friend."

James straightened his posture, "You are but—"

"Woah, hold on." Diya sat up fully, putting her hand to her heart and pouting, "I'm your best friend?"

"Yes, but not—"

"Well, when did you make this life-changing decision?" Sirius sat up fully now as well, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I didn't! I—" James began yelling over Sirius's bickering.

"God, I didn't realize that I had befriended a liar!" Sirius yelled back, uncrossing his arms and swinging them to prove his point. "What else are you lying about? Are you and Peter secretly lovers? Does Mia love you more than me?

"Are you mental?" James asked Sirius, losing his cool. "Obviously, my own mum would love me more than you!"

Sirius simply checked his nails, responding, "Well, how do we know for sure?"

James turned around swiftly, beginning to head back to the house. "I'll go owl her right now!"

Diya snapped twice as if bringing an animal's attention to herself, "Hey! No one is owling poor Euphemia. She was stressed enough dealing with the two of you. Soon, she'll be coming home to a house occupied by even more teenagers."

"I don't know, Diya." Lily shrugged. "Now, I kind of want to know who she loves more."

Diya turned to Lily incredulously, the corner of her lips curving upward. "Seriously, Lil?"

"Obviously! Personally, my money's on Sirius."

༉‧₊˚✧

As the sun continued to rise, teenagers began to crowd the Potter's kitchen, most sitting at the island. Sirius's red sunnies once again found their place perched upon his head, James's hair was slightly less unkempt, and Lily had slipped into a sundress. Diya had been dressed since she had woken up in the middle of the night, which meant she got some alone time with Sirius downstairs while James and Lily got dressed.

After James and Sirius sat on opposite sides of the counter, Lily and Diya sat next to them, the four continuing their spirited chat. With the four usual barstools taken, Remus eventually grabbed a chair from the table and carried it to the island, sitting next to Sirius and Diya. Peter followed, sitting next to James.

"God, Lilith." Sirius wrinkled his nose. "What in hell are you putting in that thing?"

"First of all," Lily swung around to face Sirius with an ornate dagger in hand. "Lily isn't short for Lilith. Second of all, I'm trying to make us all smoothies."

Remus chimed in, rubbing his eyes while sitting at the kitchen island. "Why do you need Diya's knife for that?"

"My bag is a mess, and I can't find the blender I snuck in there, so right now, I'm focusing on dicing the fruit while Diya searches for it."

He stood up from the island, looking toward Lily. "I'll help."

James threw him a menacing look, mimicking his action. "I'll help too."

As Remus walked over to the knife drawer, James tackled the tall teenager to the ground, striving to get to Lily first.

Remus was barely phased, having been in his fair share of wrestling matches with James. He quickly toppled him, pinning him to the ground as he writhed.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Sirius began to chant as Peter walked downstairs, scratching his head. As he slowly approached the scene, he started talking to Lily as she chopped fruits.

"You know, you can use a kitchen knife instead of that thing," he said, pointing to the dagger. "Who knows where Diya's used it?"

Lily put the knife on the counter momentarily, letting Peter's advice sink in. "Hmm, you're probably right."

Unbothered by James and Remus's chaotic wrestling session, Lily stepped over them, opening a drawer and retrieving a paring knife.

"Thank you, Peter." Lily smiled at the boy, who blushed in return, still shy in response to praise.

Sirius quickly found himself bored as he continued watching James try to best Remus in their fight. "When's Diya getting back with the blendy thing? I'm bored."

Right on time, Diya strolled back into the kitchen, blender in hand and a smile on her face. "Found it! It wasn't really that hard."

Lily beamed at her friend, "Great! You can just set it down next to the cutting board."

Following Lily's directions, Diya raises an eyebrow at the sight of her dagger covered in fruit juices. Before she could ask about it, though, she was interrupted by a victorious cackle.

James popped up from the floor, excitedly hopping on his heels and sporting a cut on his lip. "A-ha! I beat you!"

Remus grabbed onto the kitchen island top, popping up completely uninjured. "That was you beating me?"

"Didn't R.J. win?" Diya asked.

James's voice oozed with sarcasm as he quipped, "You're so supportive, Di. Thanks!"

"I'm just saying, only one of you has a busted lip." Diya pointed to his injury, shrugging. She walked around the island to reclaim her seat next to Sirius.

"James," Lily started, oblivious to the newfound gleam in his eyes. "Can you go ahead and wake up the girls?"

The gleam in his eyes died a bit once he realized that Lily wasn't going to compliment him, but regardless, he followed her instructions. With a mock salute, James took off, practically sprinting to the stairs.

Sirius frowned as he watched his friend bound for the stairs. Shaking his head, he turned back to Diya. She grabbed her dagger from the kitchen counter, as well as a towel, quickly beginning the cleaning process.

Sirius inhaled deeply before looking at Lily. "Remind me again why we can't have pancakes?"

Lily huffed, setting the knife down with a clatter once again, "Because I said so, Black."

Sirius put his hands up in mock surrender. "Alright, Lilith, no need for the hostility!"

Diya snickered as Remus held back a laugh, trying to stay neutral. With James gone, he remembered that he was supposed to help slice the fruits, and so quickly, he grabbed a knife and began to chop.

"So, what are our plans for the day?" Diya asks, clasping her hands together and fidgeting with them.

"James heard about our adventures in London, and now he wants to see for himself." Sirius shrugged.

Lily chimed in, talking over the noise of footsteps down the stairs. "Plus, Mark and I have been meaning to see each other again."

"Who's Mark?" Marlene wiggled her eyebrows at Lily as she approached the island in her pajamas with James right behind her.

Diya smiled politely at Marlene as she answered, "Mark is Lily's cousin. I've been running into him a lot over the summer. He works at an ice cream cart in a park."

James and Marlene suddenly had the same expression on their face, their mouths open in an o-shape and nodding their heads.

"Looks yummy, Lily!" Alice skipped toward the island, nodding toward the fruit. "And Remus, of course."

Alice pulled up two chairs, sitting to Diya's left, with Marlene to her left. She sat with a smile already on her face, her hair sitting flawlessly in place.

Marlene, whose hair was all over the place, was definitely not smiling. She groaned, looking over at Alice. "How are you always so bubbly?"

"How are you always so grumpy?" Alice booped her on the nose.

Marlene narrowed her eyes, glaring at Alice. Suddenly, a gasp came from the front of the kitchen.

Lily's placed the knife down in gentle frustration. "Hey, Potter?"

James hummed, "Yes, Lilypad?"

"Do you have any plugs in the kitchen?"

James furrowed his eyebrows, "No. Whatever for?"

Silently, Lily held up the cord for the blender, sighing and bowing her head.

"Ah, I see. That looks important." James winced.

"Well," Lily tossed the outlet back down onto the counter, "Looks like you're getting what you want, Sirius!"

Sirius pumped his fist in the air, springing up from his chair and heading over to the counter. "YES! Pancakes for eight coming up!"

༉‧₊˚✧

"WATCH OUT!" Peter bellowed before flying backward.

James and Lily were tangled up together on the floor while Diya and Sirius laughed at their friends' plight, the former in the latter's lap.

The group had elected to take the Knight Bus on their trip to Muggle London; An idea they immediately regretted once they stepped inside.

The bus's jerky movements had all eight of the teenagers practically flying through the bus. Even the few who managed to snag a seat were not safe, seeing as the seats weren't bolted down and slid around.

Sirius sat in his seat, clinging onto Diya's waist to keep her secured in his lap. He had brought along a small rope when he found out they were traveling via Knight Bus, to the other's amusement.

"Not so funny now, huh?" He called over the screams. The only response was Diya's laughter.

"How did you know the ride was gonna be this bumpy?" Diya exclaimed over the noise of the bus and their friends.

He lowered his voice, opting to speak into Diya's ear instead, "Learned my lesson the first time. I got to Potter Manor on this death trap."

Sirius was thankful that Diya didn't have any time to pity him, distracted by Lily clawing her way up to a seat.

As she looked over at Diya and Sirius, she groaned, "Ugh, how did you still manage the window seat?"

Honestly, Diya hadn't even noticed, but now that Lily pointed it out, she burst into a fit of laughter. Behind her, Sirius hid a smile, trying to remember this feeling.

Promptly snapping back into reality, Sirius shouted. "Didn't I tell you the ride would be rough? Where's my apology, Lils?"

She flipped him off in return.

Sirius held his hands up in mock surrender but quickly brought them back down when Diya nearly flew off his lap. He secured his arm around her shoulder and helped her slide into the next seat.

Suddenly, the bus jerked to a stop, and James was airborne, soaring through the air and landing directly in front of Lily, falling into her lap.

Lily shrieked, either in shock or anger, and immediately pushed the boy out of her lap, ignoring his sheepish smile.

"Sorry about that!" James called from the floor.

"Am I a magnet or something?" Lily shouted above the noise of the bus.

His face lit up in a dazzling smile, "That would explain why I'm so attracted to you."

As if that wasn't enough, the bus began to go full speed in the opposite direction, sending Diya flying off of her seat and speeding across the aisles. Remus and Alice were oblivious as they tried to hold Peter back from falling again, and all four ended up on the ground after Diya knocked into them.

Sirius continued to have a laugh, watching his friends fly around the bus until Peter hunched over and hurled into his (spilled) hot chocolate mug.

Finally, Sirius realized enough was enough, and he and James — who was still a glowing mess from having been so close to Lily — walked up to the front of the bus to chat with the driver.

"Isn't this a bit dangerous?" James asked, straightening his glasses.

The conductor was sipping nonchalantly at his hot chocolate, unfazed by the chaos occurring mere meters behind him. "Not at all. We haven't had an accident in about a week!"

Sirius and James's eyes both widen as they turn to look at each other.

"Isn't there any way to slow down? Our friend just got sick back there!" Sirius chimed in, pointing toward the back of the bus.

"What?"

The bus suddenly came to a screeching halt, the beds and seats flying toward the driver seat, an armchair occupied by an old man.

"Everyone out!" The conductor shouted, his hot chocolate discarded on the side, now.

"Out?" James looked at him in shock. "What the hell are we being kicked out for?"

Sirius tried to approach the conductor menacingly, but he responded with the raise of an eyebrow, and he cowered in shame, ignoring Lily's laughter in the background.

"I don't know if you noticed, but we run a pretty neat establishment. How are we supposed to function with vomit everywhere?"

"You call this — " Marlene clawed her way to the front of the bus, panting. The bus was in complete disarray; The beds were perpendicular to each other, the sheets untucked. Some of the seats were turned on their sides and covered in Peter's spilled hot cocoa. "— a neat establishment?!"

"Everybody out!" Insulted, the conductor lost it, opening the doors once and for all and ushering everyone out at lightning speed.

After they were out, discarded on the sidewalk in the middle of nowhere, he picked up their few scattered belongings as well, flinging them to the curb.

As Alice lifted herself off of the ground, dusting her clothes off, she began, "Am I the only one wondering how that massive chandelier stays intact through those rides?"

Lily gasped, latching onto Alice's arm, "I was wondering the exact same thing!"

"Me too!" James also gasped, falling dramatically onto Peter, mocking Lily and Alice. Lily went to glare back at James but instead hid her face in Alice's shoulder, smiling.

The conductor peeked his head out of the bus doors once again, "Don't forget this!"

As the conductor threw the trinket out of the door, Diya lunged for it, catching it just before it landed in a sewer grate. She clutched it in one extended hand and caught herself with the other before she collided with the ground. It was Lily's bracelet.

"Damn!" James shouted as Diya picked herself up with Remus's help. "Well, at least now I know who I need to go to in case we need a replacement seeker."

"I'm quite satisfied with my current position for the moment, Mr. Potter, but thank you." Diya brushed herself off, Lily's bracelet chiming in her hand. Remus's hand was still on her shoulder, assisting in keeping her steady.

Remus raises an eyebrow, "Is quidditch all that you ever think about, Prongs?"

James only scowls back at Remus, eliciting a laugh from Diya. She reached over and pitifully patted him on the arm. As she moved on, helping Peter pick up his stuff, she pocketed the bracelet, reminding herself to give it to her friend later.

Lily walked over to Diya and Peter, putting one arm around each of their shoulders. "Are you guys ready for London?"

James puffed out his chest, "The real question is if London is ready for us."

Almost simultaneously, everyone groaned.

"I cannot believe you just said that."

"Prongs, that was so cheesy."

"Why did we bring you along again?"

"Someone call the bus back, quick!"

"Hey!" James crossed his arms, offended. "What is this, Attack James Day?"

Sirius shook his head, "No, but I think we should petition to make that an official holiday."

"That's it! I've had enough!" James erupted, reaching out and trying to grab Sirius.

The crisp night air was filled with laughter as the friends watched James chase Sirius down the street and around the corner, their underlying worries floating away with them.

༉‧₊˚✧
a/n

today, september 22nd 2021, is the one year anniversary of in my life!!!!
i can't believe how far this fic has gotten in the past year and i am in shock at the fact that we have 52k reads....

the majority of this fic is now also on ao3 bc i understand some of y'all have different preferences and i hope you all enjoy reading!

i love you all and thank you so much for sticking by me for an entire year!! i'm still working through some tough times (and i have a job now on top of it all) but i promise you that diya and sirius are not forgotten!!