A/N: This chapter is kind of crack-y, but it gets more sirius later on.

Sorry, I had to do it.

Everything had started on Friday. Perhaps not exactly on Friday, but on Friday Sirius Black was quiet, and Marlene McKinnon didn't understand the significance of his actions. Friday was odd, and oddness leads to things both wonderful and unknown.

It was Friday, and Marlene McKinnon was happy. She had no homework, no detentions, and no plans. Looking around her glow dimmed just a bit. Dorcas and Lily were working on homework, Alice was snuggling with Frank, and Mary was probably off shagging a faceless Hufflepuff. She saw Remus and Peter playing Wizard's Chess, and James and Sirius playing Exploding Snap. In no particular mood to play Exploding Snap or Wizard's Chess, she got up to find a book to read. Or she tried to. Out of nowhere, Sirius had made a flying leap over to her couch. He was on his knees and had his arms wrapped around her waist.

"McKinnon, don't go! It's Friday night and you can't leave the party!" He looked up at her with huge eyes, and a snoring fourth year could be heard faintly in the background.

Giggling, she rolled her eyes and said, "Don't be such a drama queen, Black! I'm just going to get a book!"

"Even worse!" Clutching his heart he fell to the ground and pretended to die. Marlene decided to play along, and poked his face.

"No, he was so young! Dead at only seventeen, such a tragedy! OI JAMES! D'YOU THINK I COULD HAVE HIS BROOM?" Marlene yelled.

James laughed appreciatively and loped over to their spot.

"I dunno, but I'd reckon he'd let you have his candy stash."

"That'd be pretty good, too, but I think Remus' is better."

"Yeah, but Sirius has more Sugar Quills."

"True. Those are my favorite."

"Bertie Bott's are mine."

"Eurrgh! Those are disgusting! Chocolate Frogs are much better." Remus had suddenly appeared in their conversation with Peter by his side.

"I l-like Jelly S-slugs." Peter stuttered.

Sirius sat up. "What the blood-"

"Shut up, we're having a discussion, Black!"

"Bu-"

"NO!"

Sirius harrumphed and silenced himself, albeit somewhat childishly. Stopping their discussion the Marauders turned to look at Marlene with gaping mouths. They had never seen anybody make Sirius Orion Black silence himself. Sirius decided whether he was going to be quiet or not, and unless an incredibly brave student cast a Silenco! at him, everyone else just had to deal with it. A hush came over the common room, which had been watching the boys argue bemusedly. Murmurs of,

"Blimey. . ."

And

"Bloody hell!"

buzzed across the common room. Marlene, who didn't quite understand the feat she had accomplished, crossed her arms.

"What?"

James was the first to come out of his stupor. "Mar, you've just done the impossible!"

"And that would be?"

James just shook his head in disbelief. Marlene turned to the normally witty Remus and was disappointed. The amber-eyed boy's eyebrows were drawn together, as if he was calculating a complex formula for Arthimancy. She then turned to Peter. Peter just gawked at her. Sirius, who had turned a remarkable shade of red for a boy renowned for being smooth under any circumstances, ran up to the boys' dormitory upon eye contact. Even Lily, intelligent, sarcastic, Lily, was at a loss. The snoring fourth year said in his sleep , "But, Mummy, my sausage isn't ready!"

It was Dorcas who finally answered Marlene's confusion.

"Mar, nobody has ever made Black be quiet." she had said in that soft way of hers.

"That's ridiculous, Doe!" Marlene had been doubtful to say the least.

"Think about it." And then she stood up and went up the stairs in a float-y sort of way.

So Marlene thought. She thought about Transfiguration. Surely McGonagall had been able to hush the rowdy young man. She was, after all, a very strict teacher. But the more she thought, the more she realized: After Sirius cheekily talked back to their Professor, she told him in her firmest tone to quiet down. Then he leaned back in his chair, wearing one of his graceful, victorious smirks that infuriated everyone to no end. (Sirius had several different kinds of smirks of course; his normal I'm-Sirius-Black-and-better-than-you smirk, his hey-you-aren't-half-bad smirk, his aren't-you-just-adorable smirk, the list goes on and on.) Sure Sirius had been quieter, but he had done because he had succeeded in distracting everyone from the lesson and making them laugh. She thought about Dumbledore. Dumbledore could make anyone hush up, but she decided he didn't really count because everybody was intimidated by Dumbledore.

As Marlene thought in circles, the object of her attentions was facing extreme interrogation in the boys' dormitory.

"Mate, what the bloody hell is going on with you?" James's piercing stare would have caused anybody to crumble. Luckily for Sirius, Sirius was not anybody.

"What're you talking about? Nothing's going on!" he answered smoothly and cheerfully.

Remus snorted. "Oh please, spare us. We all know something's up. You don't disappear at night to do whatever we know you do. You spend even more time on your hair, which we thought was impossible, you-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. That doesn't mean tha-"

"Sirius, I know what's going on." The words came rushed out of Peter's mouth. So rushed they were, not even a trace of the stutter girls cooed at was detectable. Though history warped Peter into a tag-a-long, he was actually the most observant and the boys relied on him to find information, or guess because Peter's guesses were normally quite good. James and Remus looked eagerly towards Peter, but Peter's eyes remained trained on Sirius. "Would you like to tell them, or you would you rather I?"

Sirius gave a heavy sigh. "Fiiiiiiine, I'll do it."

They settled down on the floor, legs crossed Indian style, in a circle. "It started last Tuesday. . ."

It was Tuesday. A boring, very unremarkable Tuesday. It wasn't a beautiful, perfect day, nor a dreary, gray day, nor was it stormy and filled with anger. It was a simple Tuesday with a cool temperature and a blue sky marred by sparse clouds. And on this boring, unremarkable Tuesday, Sirius Black realized he was in love. He looked across the table and Marlene was entering the Great Hall. Her skirt wasn't short, her hips weren't swinging, but they didn't need to be. Her hair was in a loose bun, with blonde curls already falling elegantly into her face. At least to Sirius. Lily looked up and saw her best friend, with her hair already springing wildly into her face. But Sirius had always found a sort of elegance in wildness. Marlene walked carelessly as she always did, and still Sirius's heart raced curiously. She plopped in the seat right in front of him, and helped herself to some toast. She spread strawberry jam across it, and smiled at him. It was a normal smile. That same Marlene smile that made his stomach do a flip-flop. Sirius smiled politely back and excused himself. Stomach flip-flops? Wild, but elegant? Sirius scoffed. He was Sirius Black. He was a player. Players don't fall in love, and definitely don't get stomach flip-flops. Shaking his head, his smirked to himself, coffee must've given me the jitters.

Later in Potions, Marlene made a particularly cheeky remark to Slughorn and the class howled (even Slughorn gave a loud, belly laugh). Sirius, not as uproariously because he was speculating Marlene. Her smile was dimpled, and her eyes sparkled mischievously. She saw him staring and smirked as the class settled down. It was a graceful, victorious, Sirius smirk and he liked her wearing it.

In Charms, Marlene's wand moved just as fluidly as Lily's. Her face held sereneness he had only ever seen her wear while doing Charms. On the train, she had fallen asleep, but her nose twitched adorably while she slept and she was restless. She smiled. An angelic, peaceful, Dorcas smile and he liked her wearing it.

In Transfiguration, Marlene concentrated intently. NEWT level Transfiguration was a highly advanced subject, and though she was a natural in Transfig., (as she diligently classified her homework on parchment) her concentration level was nearly as high as Lily's, who didn't have quite as much luck in the class. Sirius made the mistake of poking her as she took notes, and she glared. A murderous, adrenaline-pumping, Lily Evans glare. He liked her wearing it.

Lunch was not when Sirius noticed he was in love. Sirius did not notice, or at least he tried not to notice, the way Marlene giggled at Lily and James, or made faces at the Huffleslut and Gryffinwhore, Cassandra and Stacy, who threw themselves at Sirius.

Free period was not when Sirius noticed he was in love. Sirius watched her graceful script swirl across essay after essay. Sirius watched golden curls fall into her face, and watched when she got ink smeared across her forehead as she pushed them away.

Dinner was when Sirius found out he was in love. Marlene refused to eat anything 'boring' colored and screeched when Lily offered her roast. Lily looked extremely confused as Marlene continued to shriek and shriek. Sirius, being the gallant hero, offered Marlene a roll charmed electric blue. Marlene threw herself at Sirius and landed in his lap. "OH THANK YOU, SIRIUS, YOU WONDERFUL WIZARD YOU." She batted her eyelashes ridiculously. "But really, thank you. I was starting to get hungry, but all the food colors were boring."

"Aw, Marley you make me blush."

Ignoring his witty comment, Marlene continued. "And don't heroes usually get rewards? Yes, they do. So you get a reward. My hero." She leaned up and pecked his cheek. As Sirius attempted to control the blush threatening his reputation, Marlene scooted off of his lap and started charming various foods bright colors. Sirius shook his head with a smile and thought, Merlin, I love that woman. All of a sudden, the ever clever Mr. Black's eyebrows furrowed. Merlin, I love that woman. I love that woman, Not quite believing he had just thought that, Sirius made eye contact with Marlene. With a mouthful of fuchsia potatoes, she waved energetically at him. His stomach flopped.

"Well, I'm going to go take a walk. See you lot later."

"Alright. Bye Sirius!" Marlene said, cheerfully flicking peas at James. God, he felt sick.

Sirius walked in the golden hour of twilight circling the lake and thinking of Marlene.