the_debt_of_time

"Of course it was. Lily was gorgeous as always. James was nervous as we expected.
We kept him well plied with firewhisky just to get him down the aisle." He laughed at the
memory, absentmindedly fingering a small silver chain that hung around his neck.
Hermione's eyes widened. "He had to be drunk to get married? That's awful!"
"No, he had to be drunk to be convinced that Lily wasn't going to change her mind."
Sirius chuckled, recalling his best friend's ridiculous pre-wedding panic. "Spent the whole
night at our―" He paused in frustration before correcting himself. "—my flat pacing back
and forth going over a list of reasons why Lily would bolt at the last second."
Hermione put her elbows on the table, resting her head in her hands and smiling at
the story. "But she didn't."
"Absolutely not. By that point, the two of them were so besotted with one another
that it was hard to be around them." Sirius smiled brightly at the memory for just a moment
before it faded into a melancholic frown. "And then they got married, had a wonderful
honeymoon, came home, and life turned to shit."
"They had Harry," Hermione argued. "Perhaps not everything was 'shit,' as you call
it."
"Harry was... a very good thing in a really bad time," Sirius agreed. "After James
and Lily got married, we... I.. ." He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose in
frustration.
"I'm sorry," Hermione said, frowning. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. I
actually came over here to cheer you up."
"It's all right, kitten." Sirius reached for her hand, giving it a light squeeze before
letting go. "That's what you do. You try to fix everyone. Just remember that you're not
always going to make everyone happy. It's not your job to fix the world. I.. ." He paused,
looking down at his glass. Making a decision, he tossed the firewhisky back as he stood,
holding his hand out to her. "Come on."
"Come where?" she asked, pulling away from him.
He reached for her hand again, undeterred. "Here. You, come dance."
Hermione laughed, shaking her head. "Absolutely not."
"You're adorable. You thought that was a request." He snatched her hand, yanked
her to her feet, and dragged her out onto the dance floor.