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Lily hadn’t originally planned on coming to this party tonight, but Sirius flooded her with a barrage of texts insisting she absolutely had to be there, that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. The thought of dealing with his dramatics if she stayed home was enough to make her show up, even if she wasn’t particularly in the mood for it.
With Marlene, Mary, and Dorcas all either working or studying, she had to brave this party alone. So here she is, standing in the corner, twirling a strand of her red hair between her fingers, observing the party around her—friends and strangers chatting, drinking, and dancing as she took it all in.
“Didn’t expect to see you here,” James says, leaning casually against the wall next to her, a beer in hand. She glances over, taking in the usual mess of his dark hair and the familiar lopsided grin that never seems to leave his face.
“I didn’t expect to come either. But Sirius practically begged me. Speaking of which, have you seen him around? I dragged myself out for him, and I haven’t spotted him once since I’ve been here.”
James’ grin widens. “Last I saw, he was pulling Remus off to his bedroom. So, don’t expect either of them to be around anytime soon.”
Lily chuckles and rolls her eyes. “Of course. It took them forever to stop dancing around each other and finally get together. And now that they’re a couple, I can’t decide which is worse—watching them ignore their feelings for so long, or watching them not be able to keep their hands off each other.”
“At least they’re doing it in the privacy of a bedroom this time,” he snorts.
“True. Have you been here long?” She asks, glancing at James, only to find him completely zoned out, eyes locked on something across the room. Based on his expression, she doesn’t need to look to know exactly who has his attention.
“Nice bracelet,” Lily remarks, her gaze falling on the blue, pink, and white braided band wrapped around James’ wrist. He’s fiddling with it nervously, clearly lost in thought.
“Oh, uh, thanks. I just... I know last year was tough for Regulus. I just want him to know he’s got support, you know?”
Lily raises an eyebrow, a playful smirk curling on her lips. “You like him.”
James’ cheeks instantly flare up. “Shut up.”
“Oh come on, James.”
“Lily—”
“You’ve liked him since he first started here last year.” James’ cheeks continue to turn a deeper shade of red as it spreads to the tips of his ears. “I think he likes you too.”
His head snaps towards her, eyes widening with surprise. “You really think so? Why?”
Lily shrugs, her smile softening as she watches his gaze drift across the room to where Regulus stands, leaning against the wall with Evan and Barty, his usual scowl in place as he toys with the silver rings on his fingers. “Anyone who’s seen the two of you together would notice.” She nudges him, catching his attention with an encouraging look. “He softens around you in a way he doesn’t with other people. I think you should go for it.”
James hesitates, chewing his lip. “But what if he doesn’t feel the same?”
Lily shrugs, her smile turning more affectionate. “What if he does?”
James rolls his eyes. “Anyways, what about you? Anyone caught your eye?”
Lily scans the room, her gaze landing on someone—a woman with dark hair, blonde strands framing her face, now striding up and sitting next to Regulus. It must be the infamous cousin of Regulus and Sirius’ Lily knew was in town, though she hadn’t met her yet. Still, she had heard plenty about the woman. Most of it painted her as cold, which, given what Lily knows of Sirius and Regulus, didn’t seem all that unusual. But despite the warnings, Lily can’t help but be struck by how beautiful the woman is. An undeniable curiosity pulls at her, urging her to learn more.
“We’ll see,” Lily replies to James, her voice light. As she watches the woman rise and make her way toward the coat pile, Lily decides to follow, tossing a casual goodbye to James while, once again, urging him to take a chance with Regulus.
Lily’s not sure where this quiet confidence she suddenly feels is coming from, but she approaches, leaning casually against the wall as her eyes stay fixed on the woman. She reaches into her bag, pulling out an elegant looking bottle of wine—clearly something expensive.
“Hi, you’re Sirius and Regulus’ cousin, right?”
Lily is immediately struck by the blue of her eyes. Her gaze is calculating, sharp as it sweeps over her, appraising with an almost predatory focus. A flutter stirs in Lily's chest. "Yes," the woman says coolly, her voice like ice. "I'm Narcissa."
Narcissa.
“Like the flower?”
“It would seem so.”
Lily extends her hand, and Narcissa eyes it with a hint of curiosity before reluctantly taking it. Her skin is impossibly soft, so soft that Lily finds herself longing to feel it against her cheek, her waist, her back—everywhere.
“I’m Lily.”
Narcissa’s eyebrow arches, her voice teasing. “Like the flower?”
Lily’s cheeks flush, a warm blush spreading up her neck, and she feels a pang of embarrassment at the unmistakable display. Her pale skin betrays every emotion, the faint freckles only making her reactions more obvious.“Yeah.”
Narcissa’s lips curl into a small, amused smile.
“Smart of you to bring your own wine,” Lily continues. “All the drinks here are terrible. And honestly, I wouldn’t trust anything a group of university boys managed to mix together.”
The soft, melodic sound of Narcissa’s laugh sends a pleasant shiver through Lily, something blooming deep in her gut. She wants to hear it again.
"You know," Narcissa says with a teasing smile, "I wouldn't mind sharing the bottle. It’d save you from the torment of either staying sober at a party like this or drinking whatever monstrosity is floating around in some open bowl, probably contaminated with God knows what by now."
Lily’s gaze lingers for a moment, then she nods, her lips pulling up. “I’d like that.” She steps closer, the distance between them narrowing. Feeling more daring, she almost whispers, “And… if the party gets too much, we could always slip away somewhere quieter. Less… noisy.”
Jesus , who is Lily right now? She barely recognizes herself with how bold she’s being. Blame the single shot she took before coming to this party, an attempt at easing her nerves since she wasn’t feeling particularly social.
Narcissa’s smirk deepens, her lips curving upward. “Let’s share this bottle of wine, and see where the night takes us.”
“Deal,” Lily grins.
.❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。
The next hour passes in a haze of laughter and shared stories as Lily and Narcissa pass the bottle back and forth, their conversation flowing more freely with each sip. The more the bottle empties, the easier it becomes to talk—like the alcohol is loosening something in both of them.
"So you're in your first year of graduate school?" Lily wants to learn everything she can about Narcissa, practically grilling her with question after question.
"Unfortunately," Narcissa jokes.
"Studying?"
"Art history."
"And what do you want to do with that?"
"Ideally, work in a museum."
I could definitely see you in a museum, Lily thinks to herself.
Another few passes of the wine bottle back and forth.
“Has Regulus always been so grumpy?” Lily asks, taking a swig.
Narcissa giggles, grabbing the bottle from Lily and taking her own sip, and Lily’s heart skips each time their fingers brush. “Since he was a child.”
She can’t help but admire the flush on Narcissa’s face now, pink lips pressed into a thin line unless she’s talking, or Lily’s favorite–smiling. “I can’t believe you brought a 50 pound bottle of wine to a university party,” she teases, taking the bottle back.
“To be fair, I stole this from my parents' reserve.” She arches a brow, smirking. “But aren’t you glad I did?”
“I am, I really am,” Lily says, holding her stare, getting utterly lost in her eyes.
At some point, they end up tucked away in a quiet corner, their legs brushing together, a subtle warmth spreading across Lily’s cheeks. She can feel the alcohol working its way through her, but it’s the sight across the room that makes her laugh aloud.
“What?” Narcissa asks, following Lily’s gaze and then laughing softly herself. Lily’s eyes are fixed on James and Regulus, who are standing on the staircase by the backdoor—James at the bottom, Regulus one step higher. Their arms are wrapped around each other, and they’re kissing, and it’s not just any kiss, but one that’s... definitely not shy.
“Well look at that. Regulus has been gushing about him for over a year,” Narcissa says.
“Really?” Lily’s head whips towards her in surprise.
“Oh yeah, but when I say gushing I mean gushing in pure Regulus fashion.”
“Pretending he hates him but blushing every time he comes up in conversation?” Lily quips.
“Exactly,” Narcissa smiles. “Got a bit annoying, really. But it’s nice to see him finally do something about it.”
“James too. It was getting painful to watch them.” Lily can’t help but feel a rush of happiness for them, especially for James, considering everything they have been through together, how far they’ve come since they first met.
She remembers when they first met in secondary school, a quiet tension between them that only seemed to grow due to proximity when they both ended up at the same university. First year was a rollercoaster, marked by an on-again, off-again relationship that only complicated things between them. The next year brought its own mess—friends with benefits, no strings attached—but both of them knew deep down there was nothing romantic between them, there probably never was. They were just holding on to something familiar.
If Lily is honest with herself, she had a raging crush on a girl from her chemistry class when she was a fresher-Pandora. She ended up transferring after first year, but Lily couldn't stop thinking about her that entire semester.
Plus, when Regulus came to university in their second year, Lily could immediately sense how much James liked him. Although he tried to fight it for a long time.
Now, they’re in their third years, and after a lengthy conversation a few months ago, opening up to each other in ways they never had, they finally agreed to just be friends. No more tangled emotions, both of them understanding that this is what’s best for them. She looks at James, taking a risk with his feelings and going for it with Regulus, and Lily realizes that she, too, needs to start pursuing what she truly wants, even if it scares her.
Narcissa reaches to take the wine from her then, and when their hands brush in the transfer, Lily doesn’t let go right away. Instead, she holds it, her green eyes locking with Narcissa's blue. A small twitch of her lips betrays her nerves, and when Narcissa blushes in response, something hot rushes into Lily’s stomach.
.❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。
Another thirty minutes slip by quickly, and soon Lily and Narcissa find themselves in an empty room, the faint hum of the party drifting through the walls.
By now, there’s barely a quarter bottle of wine left, and Narcissa has tucked Lily’s red hair behind her ears more than once, each time making Lily’s breath hitch and her heart leap into her throat. In this moment, they simply look at each other, the air between them thick with something unspoken—something that makes Lily’s pulse race. She isn’t sure what it is, only that it’s unlike anything she’s ever felt before.
Something inside her, that boldness she’s felt simmering all night, pushes her to move just a little closer, to lean in that fraction of an inch and—
"Lily," Narcissa breathes, her voice barely a whisper. Her eyes flicker down to Lily’s parted lips before meeting her gaze once more.
And then, before she can stop herself, Lily is kissing her. Their lips press together, tentative at first and Lily almost pulls away, terrified that maybe she’s been reading this wrong, that Narcissa doesn't feel the same way. But when she feels the slide of Narcissa tongue along her bottom lip, Lily has to try not to smile, that fear shifting a bit into the flutter of butterflies. Hand coming up to tangle in the strands of Narcissa’s hair, so soft—softer than Lily could have imagined—she parts her lips to let the other woman in. It feels so right, so good to kiss her like this.
Narcissa’s lips taste of red wine, her perfume smelling of something bright, and Lily can’t believe this is happening. Her hands move to Lily’s waist, squeezing, and a small noise escapes Lily’s throat as long slender fingers cradle her jaw.
Lily has imagined what this might be like over the years—to kiss another woman. After convincing herself for so long that everyone has feelings like this that it doesn’t really mean anything, Lily finally voiced it to James.
At the time, they were in one of their on-again, off-again phases. The end of summer brought a sense of foreboding about the upcoming school year and uncertainty about what they were doing with each other. James had just spent a few days with Regulus and Sirius, and she could tell the feelings he’d been ignoring for a year were weighing on him. They sat in her bedroom, watching Pirates of the Caribbean , and when Lily gushed over the main actress, commenting on how fit she was—a remark she had made about women in movies and singers countless times over the years—James smiled at her.
“Lily,” she remembers him saying, his voice calm but certain. “Do you think maybe it means something? I mean the way you talk about her–” he started.
“What do you mean?” She questioned. “Everyone feels that way, no?”
“No, Lils. I don’t think everyone feels that way.”
The embarrassment had churned in her stomach at his words. She’d tried to take it back instantly, but before she could, James grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers.
“I think—that I feel the same way as you, but about boys. I think I like both, or... well, anyone really. It feels a bit complicated, but also simple?”
The rush of relief was immediate. Everything clicked into place, and for the first time, she could see herself for who she really was. A word that had floated around her mind before but she pushed away time and time again not knowing how to understand it.
Bisexual.
That night, she and James spent hours talking about it. They laughed over the signs that had always been there, looking back at their childhoods and teen years. By the end of the night, they’d both agreed to stop playing their endless back-and-forth game and just be friends.
Now, months later, here they are, at a party, both stepping into themselves more than ever.
Narcissa nips at Lily’s lower lip, and Lily can’t help the smile that tugs at her mouth. The kiss shifts into something more—teeth clashing in an almost desperate rhythm.
“Sorry,” Lily whispers against Narcissa’s lips, breathless. “I probably should have asked before just kissing you.”
“Don’t apologize,” Narcissa murmurs, her voice soft. “I—I’m glad you did. Honestly, I’ve wanted to all night. I just wasn’t sure if you—“
“Me either,” Lily interrupts, her voice low and full of relief.
There’s a pause, a beat of silence before Narcissa hesitantly asks, “Have you ever...with a woman before?”
Lily’s cheeks flush as she answers, “No. I think I’ve known I’ve wanted to for a long time, but no, I've never actually kissed another woman before.” She looks away for a moment, trying not to feel embarrassed, but when Narcissa tips her chin up, she can’t help but smile.
“Well,” Narcissa says, twirling a strand of Lily’s hair around her finger. “Happy to be your first.”
The two of them laugh, foreheads pressed together, a soft moment of shared understanding passing between them. Lily reaches between them to grab the wine again, inspecting the bottle.
“The wine’s almost gone,” she says, raising an eyebrow. “Are you planning to disappear when it runs out?”
Narcissa smiles, a playful glint in her eyes. “Guess we’ll have to finish it and find out, huh?”
Lily leans in for another kiss, and later, when the bottle is empty and the party has quieted down, Lily and Narcissa slip away together.