𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄
chapter thirty-four; Just For One Day
" We're fraternal twins, not conjoined ones. "

TENSIONS STILL RAN high in the Potter-Black household, but things had quieted down significantly. Due to how each pair of siblings had been behaving, it was James and Madeline who were lucky enough to be stuck with the situation of sharing a bedroom.

One would think Euphemia and Fleamont would pick their biological children to have separate rooms, especially when considering the pair of sister and brother instead of two brothers. But, in any other situation, Madeline would've had to be given her own room, and they were the only two Euphemia or Fleamont felt comfortable forcing to live together.

So, they did.

With a lot of finagling, Madeline's spacious bedroom had turned into hell. James claimed half, instead of opting for a bed he'd requested a futon that also served as a place to collect his clothing. James wasn't exactly dirty, his half of the room just grew to be disorganized before Madeline's did, which irritated the girl beyond belief.

So, at the beginning of July, she'd begun spending her nights elsewhere.

"I'm going to Lily's," Madeline announced, hurrying down the staircase whilst trying to sling her bag over her shoulder.

"Since when are you hanging out with Lily?" James questioned almost angrily, standing from the sofa.

"Since forever," Madeline brushed off, circling into the kitchen and grabbing a muffin. "Why do you care?"

James pursed his lips, a sudden arrogance coating his exterior. Madeline grew weary as James slicked back the side of his hair, his cockiness both worrying, and irritating her.

"We went out last week."

"That's disgusting."

"Oh, you're one to talk," James said angrily, dropping his act, "Snuck out of our room recently?"

"No, but now that you mention it. . ."

James turned red in anger, Madeline half-expected steam to start pouring out of his ears. She'd tip-toed around James, avoided Sirius, and done everything to not cause waves in the house the past weeks. But nothing seemed to be enough for James, and she was sick of trying to mend something James obviously did not want to fix.

"Dad said drop it," Madeline said, losing her amusement.

"Dad did not!"

"That's basically what he said."

"Did you say you're going to Lily's?" Sirius questioned, appearing on the staircase. Madeline turned, freezing for a moment to just look at him.

She wasn't aware it was possible to miss someone when they were feet from her.

"Yeah," Madeline finally choked out.

"Can you tell her to write me back?"

"What the hell?" James questioned, throwing himself back onto the sofa.

The corners of Madeline's lips tugged up, and her smile only deepened when she realized Sirius was smiling too.

ϟ

"Lily!"

Madeline's eyes were only slightly wide, leaning backward as a girl with dark hair smacked bubblegum in her pearly white teeth. The Potter girl had no idea who she was, slightly older than herself and clearly pissed off, but this explained nothing.

"Hey, Maddie," Lily Evans greeted with a bright smile, her flaming red locks had been pulled into a ponytail resting nearly on top of her head. The darker-haired girl rolled her eyes before leaving the friends to loiter at the threshold, "Sorry about her."

"Who was that?" Madeline questioned quietly as she stepped inside.

"My sister, Petunia," Lily said with a small frown, starting up the creaky staircase. "She's home for the summer."

"She's a muggle?" Madeline questioned bluntly, furrowed brows.

"Yes," Lily's frown deepened. "Uh, how are things at your house?"

Madeline inspected Lily's face long enough for the redhead to glare pointedly. The brunette raised her hands in defense, wandering further into the bedroom Lily had pushed open.

"Not good, I suppose," Madeline finally answered, sitting on Lily's neatly made bed, "I've hardly spoken to Sirius since June— he wants you to write him back, whatever that's about— and Regulus is still. . . adjusting."

"And. . . James?"

"You should know if you're going out with him."

"I'm gonna kill him," Lily informed blankly.

"It's fine, Lils," Madeline laughed once, resting against the bare wall with a smile carved into her features, "I'll never understand what you see in him, but if you're both happy. . ."

"We're not dating."

"Yet."

"Maddie!"

"You're going to date him," Madeline laughed as Lily flushed red, "It's bloody obvious, you two are like. . . meant to be or something revolting!"

"Oh, revolting like you and Sirius?"

"No one can be as revolting as me and Sirius," Madeline boasted, "We were downright nauseating."

"I know!"

"Shut up," Madeline laughed yet again, this time Lily joined her both in the giggling and resting on the double mattress. The bubbly laughs fizzled out, leaving the girls in comfortably happy silence. "Can we go to Muggle London?"

"Sure, but why?" Lily questioned, her tone indicating an amused smile, "It's boring compared to Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade."

"Maybe to you," Madeline shrugged, "I've never seen anything in the Muggle world before."

"Really?" The redhead sat up quickly, furrowing her brows.

"No."

"James has, I just assumed. . ."

"We're fraternal twins, not conjoined ones."

Lily rolled her eyes heavily, despite being glad Madeline wasn't offended by the assumption. And it seemed in no time, Lily Evans would become the catalyst to Madeline's summer of living.

ϟ

"You're joking!"

"No, I swear!"

Madeline and Lily's laughter filled the small diner they'd chosen for dinner. It was relatively empty, patrons milling about, Madeline had found interest in small things. Like ketchup bottles and buzzing neon signs.

She liked the muggle world.

And now, she was in awe over a jukebox.

"It's got Bowie," Madeline said with a bright grin, pressing the button beside a title reading 'HEROES, DAVID BOWIE'.

"You know Bowie?"

"Have you met Sirius?" Madeline asked as the familiar chords began playing. "Of course I know Bowie."

"So, Muggle music is the extent of your knowledge?"

"Exactly!"

Lily giggled as Madeline began dancing in the open area beside the jukebox. It was messy and uncoordinated, but it looked fun. So the redhead grabbed Madeline's hands and joined the haphazard spinning and singing.

Madeline was thankful for Lily in that moment. Dancing alone only reminded her of the first time she'd heard the song, one of she and Sirius' late night rendezvous was spent in the Marauders dorm when, somehow, Sirius dodged detention.

It had come on the album that lazily spun on the Marauders' shared record player. No other Bowie song had made Sirius excited, happy enough to jump up from holding Madeline to dance. Except for Heroes.

Madeline remembered it so vividly, his horribly off-pitch singing, the beckoning gestures he made with his hands. She remembered giving in, allowing Sirius to twirl her around the empty dorm room in pale moonlight. How their laughter overtook the man's otherworldly voice, and how they played it again but sat on the ground to listen to it.

How Sirius admitted David Bowie was an idol. How she agreed after seeing the album cover.

"Mads?"

"Can we play it again?" Madeline questioned once realizing the song had ended. It was growing dark beyond the large windows, lined with an intoxicating neon hue that reflected perfectly on the teens' faces.

"Sure," Lily smiled, not hesitating to drop another coin into the jukebox.

It was then, when Madeline truly began dancing with Lily in the middle of a diner, that she realized maybe things could be okay. Because maybe it wasn't one memory replacing the other, Lily's dizzy way of dancing didn't erase Sirius' ballroom-esque style, they were both ingrained in Madeline's brain and would resurface when hearing the ethereal song.

Maybe she could be more than James' little sister. But maybe, at the same time, she could still be James' little sister.

( AUTHOR'S NOTE. )
Maddie and Lily's friendship
is the real star of this story
and no one can tell me otherwise