"whether you like it or not," but Sirius assumed it was heavily implied. "I will not coddle
you like the rest of the world. So you will give me a hug right this minute because it's been
a very long twenty-four hours, and I spent the first half with my nightmarish new Muggle
brother-in-law before coming here and needing to deal with you."
Sirius did not wait a single second before his long arms wrapped themselves around
the witch, pulling her tight against him. He smiled at the look of utter shock on her face
before he hugged her, as though she were half expecting that he might push her instead.
She let out a choked sob, and he found it strange that she had been sent to comfort him, and
yet, here he was, holding onto her as she cried.
An unfamiliar warmth built in his chest as he breathed in the scent of the girl in his
arms. It was not like when he held Mia—or any other girl for that matter. He held no
desires for Lily whatsoever, and yet, it felt right to hug her like this. He smiled, wondering
if this was how James felt when he hugged Mia.
"Right." Lily pulled away and wiped her tears. "Good. Now get downstairs. You
need to be with your family."
Sirius took hold of her hand and tugged her with him. "You're coming too."
"No. You need to be with―"
"Family. Like it or not, Evans—Lily," he corrected himself, smiling at the use of her
given name, "you've been one of us for a very long time."
Mia looked up as Lily and Sirius walked into the room. She sighed, trying to
communicate to them with her eyes all that they had just walked in on. Dorea, still sick and
dying, was filled with a new energy as she dictated to her family.
Everyone, with the exception of an exhausted Charlus, looked shocked and uneasy.
"And for the flowers, I don't want roses or carnations. Roses have lost all meaning
these days since they're so easy to come by, and I find carnations to be cheap. I do like
hydrangeas and orchids, or—Hello, Sirius and Lily." Dorea smiled at the sight of the two
before continuing as a stroke of genius hit her, "Oh! Lilies. I do love lilies. The pink
Japanese lilies are a particular favourite, not that I don't also like the kind that James had
tattooed on his chest," she added and then gestured toward her son who turned beet red.