This was it, this was their last year at school. Marlene strode confidently through the platform. She thought about her first time there, she'd been so excited, oblivious to the war that was brewing around her and that now was in full swing. She turned to her mother and smiled, she had the sad smile on her face that Marlene hated. "Bye mom, take care, be careful" she said giving her mother a tight hug. She moved so her sister could hug their mother goodbye.

"you two stay out of trouble, ok?" her mother said taking Marlene's little sister's face between her hands. She gave the two girls a smile and then went over to their father who just gave them a nod from where he was standing as goodbye.

"come on Blair" Alastair Mckinnon said as he guided her wife out of the platform leaving his daughters there. Marlene took a deep breath and gave her sister a smile which she didn't return. She sighed and went into the train behind her sister. They used to be close but over the last few years her sister had grown apart from her, barely acknowledging Marlene in the hallways.

Marlene set off to find Scott, the boy she'd been seeing and writing to during the summer, he was really nice and always made her feel much better. They'd had some pretty good times during the summer but on the last weeks he'd been talking about wanting to get more serious with her and Marlene was not ok with that. She knew she had to talk to him about it, tell him that she didn't want to continue whatever it was that they had, but in all honesty she needed him right now, their conversation could wait. She found him on an empty compartment almost at the end of the train. "fancy meeting you here" she purred as she leaned on the frame of the door. His eyes lit up as he saw her. She was very aware of how she looked on her high-waisted dark blue skirt and her favorite white t-shirt, it had a nice cleavage and she loved the way it made her look. He got up and wrapped her in his arms, giving her a firm kiss. "you look ravishing" he said grinning.

"I know" she said playfully, smiling.

"I missed you so much Mar"

She stayed silent for a moment a forced small smile on her face. "don't..call me Mar" she said giving him a quick kiss to try to keep him from asking about her demand. He pulled away quickly.

"why not?" his eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't know, I don't like it, come here" she gave him a flirty smile and tried to kiss him again, he gave a step back.

"Potter and Black call you that" she knew he was not going to let it go now.

"Yeah but I've known them forever... I don't know, are we really fighting about a nickname?" she offered him a smile. Actually she didn't mind being called Mar, but she only allowed her closest friends and family to do it. Scott sighed and pulled her back into his arms.

"no, we are not" he said forcing a smile. He kissed her again and she smiled into his lips. After a moment the train started moving and they fell back into the seat, bumping their heads. Marlene laughed as she rubbed the top of her forehead, the part of her body that had bumped into his.

"well that was kind of ridiculous" she said laughing.

"indeed" he chuckled, pulling her closer to him by the waist now that she was sitting on his lap. She was about to tell him they needed to talk when they were interrupted by Scott's Hufflepuf friends.

"I hope we don't interrupt anything" one of them mocked as they all entered.

"I better get going" Marlene said giving her a small smile. "Alice is waiting for me to go to her compartment." she lied.

"do you really have to go?" Scott said holding her hand.

"come on, let her go, she doesn't want to be here" another said with an amused look to his friend.

"bye" Was the only thing Marlene said before going out the door without another word. She didn't really like his friends and they didn't like her. They were from hufflepuf's quidditch team and they didn't like her because she'd made them look ridiculous in a game the past year.

"What's a pretty little thing like doing you all alone in this train?" Sirius Black's voice said from behind her. Marlene turned around with a smirk on her face. "Wow black, you are not only quite a sight but you also know how to make a lady feel special" she teased, sarcasm clear in her voice.

"That's just who I am" he shrugged, a mirrored smirk on his face.

"Come here you dork" she said throwing her arms around him and hugging him. He hugged her back, lacing his arms around her waist so tightly that the was lifted a few inches.

"Let me down" she laughed, when he wouldn't let go.

"What if i don't want to?" He wiggled his eyebrows and she rolled her eyes. "Come on, or I'm going to kick you where the sun doesn't shine"

"Fine" he said letting her down. She entered the compartment where James and Sirius were sitting and threw herself over James.

"Hey Marls, miss me much?" James asked with a smile on his face.

"Of course you bloody idiot, but not as much as you missed me" she said letting go of her tight hug with a little smirk on her red lips.

"we didn't miss you much really, we were pretty good on our own, weren't we sirius?" The other boy shrugged and nodded. "Yeah pretty much, it wasn't that big of a difference from when you are there." She scoffed.

"yeah right, you dorks probably slept until noon and then spent the afternoon eating and playing quidditch."

"Almost correct Marls" Remus' voice came from the entrance of the compartment. "you are just missing the part where they laid on James' backyard and.."

"Oh for Merlin's sake, are you ever going to get over that moony? it was ONE time" Sirius groaned.

"they were tanning" Remus explained to Marlene with a smirk, she burst out laughing.

"no way, no way you two were tanning. You spent last summer teasing me about that and now you go and do it?"

"We were just resting under the sun" James said, his ego clearly hurt.

"you were tanning, don't go changing the story just because you are embarrassed by it prongs" Peter said sitting with them inside the compartment.

"I am not having this conversation again" Sirius said looking out the window annoyed.

"fine then. Tell us about that muggle girl you met over the summer instead" Remus said with a small smirk. Sirius turned to face them, his signature smirk back on his face.

"Her name is Lisa. It's over now, it was only a summer thing but you should've met her, she was fire." he chuckled.

"She was annoying, always coming home while my parents were out, to be up on your room with you, or dragging us to the lake to swim." James said rolling his eyes.

"you are just jealous Jamesie dear" Sirius teased.

"Is this the girl you mentioned on your letter? The blonde one?" Marlene asked, crossing her legs.

"No… that was just a hook up. This one was a brunette." Sirius have her a wink.

"you are such a man-whore Black" Marlene rolled her eyes. "you mentioned at least two girls in your letters" she chuckled. "But I don't remember any Lisas."

"it didn't last much" James commented. "She caught him kissing another girl in a bar nearby and ended things." Sirius was about to make an annoyed comment when James interrupted him, turning to marlene.

"what about you Marls? You mentioned Scott and some romantic stuff and then lately you've been avoiding the topic" Now it was time for Marlene's signature smirk to make an appearance.

"well… his grandmother leaves near my aunt. We spent the summer doing things together…"

"what kind of things Marls?" Sirius teased.

"all kinds of things" She purred, not missing a beat. "I need to talk to him though, I… I don't know, I don't really want to continue whatever it is we have."

"Poor guy, he'll be all heart-brokened" Sirius teased. "and then I'm the bad one. My hook ups know it's just a one night's thing"

Marlene rolled her eyes.

"Sirius breaking a heart implies that you have to get the other person to care deeply for you. Something you've been unable to do in your… multiple relationships." Now it was her time to tease him. Sirius scoffed.

"I've had serious relationships, and the woman I've been with care deeply about me."

"oh come on, I bet I could really break more hearts than you this year."

"wanna bet for real?"Sirius challenged.

"woah woah woah. Are you two hearing what you are saying?" James said his eyes widened. "you two are not betting on who breaks more hearts." They both ignored James.

"being sad because a fling ended does not count as a broken heart. You'd have to actually work in the relationships Sirius"

"guys stop this" Now it was Remus speaking, they ignored him again.

"what, scared of loosing Mckinnon?" Sirius asked smirking.

"you wish" she gave him an innocent smile.

"fine, lets do this then" Sirius extended his hand and she shook it, ignoring their friend's protests.

"This has to be the stupidest idea you two have had. It's even worse than the idea of trapping a bee and then making it bigger"

"come on James, don't be silly. it's just sane competition" Sirius chuckled.

Remus shook his head knowing there was no arguing when Marlene and Sirius got together, Peter just watched the exchange.

Years later, when people talked about Sirius and Marlene they always mentioned how she was ice and he was fire. How he melted her and she cooled him down. That kind of thinking couldn't be farthest from the truth. This is the story of how they, and all the people realised how wrong they were about each other and about themselves. That last trip to the castle, that trip James and Remus spent telling Sirius and Marlene what a stupid competition they'd gotten themselves into, that trip was the start of their lives.

"you know Sirius, I'm gonna be a good adversary and give you a little tip on heart-breaking." She joked as she spotted Scott getting out of the train. "Rule number one, have fun" she winked at him before she went over to Scott, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her before going over to a carriage with her. Sirius shook his head and got on a carriage with his fellow Marauders, thinking about the promising year ahead of him.