Sirius was a stubborn bastard, even he would admit to that. What he wouldn't admit to was the part of him that was darker than his carefree grin. Sirius had often wondered if it could be something in his blood, some horrible shadow that followed the Blacks. But there was something, something, that reared its ugly head every once in a while. Sirius had long since gotten good at controlling it, but little unbidden images would flash behind his eyelids at night and twist the corner of his mouth in something akin to a smile.

And it was all her fault, the bitch. She was ice. Too good for everyone, up so far on her pedestal that not even her own housemates were worthy. She looked at them with distaste. That, Sirius could relate to. As far as he was concerned, a well-placed fire in the Slytherin dungeons could only help. But then perfect McKinnon would probably just step out of the room after all the turmoil with her condescending little smile and dark glances.

The McKinnons were purebloods. They were regarded among some of the most powerful, and Sirius knew that Marlene enjoyed that a bit too much. He had seen it the first fucking day on the Hogwarts expressed when she had bumped into him and then gave him such a look of superiority (how had an eleven year old even managed that), that he had felt his blood boiling?

Well, this was the last straw. It wasn't enough that she could sit so much higher than everyone else at school. The horrid Ice Queen had the audacity to join the Order. As if she belonged there. Sirius would be damned before any blood purist joined up. He didn't know what her end was, but the Order was the means, obviously.

He was going to tear her off the pedestal kicking and screaming, if he had to. He'd wipe that small, superior smile off of her face one way or the other. Marlene was a good outlet for the darker part of him. It was so easy to hate her. Well, he'd drag her down. He'd win their little silent, seven-year, standoff.

Marlene could feel it from across the Transfiguration classroom. She could feel his overwhelming hatred. She inhaled deeply. Black always smelt like...lightning. She could almost taste the sparks on the tip of her tongue. It was intoxicating, and she wasn't surprised to find a smirk pulling at her lips. The one that makes the air crackle around him. He has always hated her. And, Merlin, she wouldn't have it any other way.

He called her Ice Queen, Unfeeling Bitch, and a slew of other things. She preferred when he lashed out with Bitch Queen of Slytherin. That one had a nice ring to it. Of course, he never said them to her face. Hell, they had hardly ever spoken, but word got around, and she overheard the way he talked with his friends when he thought she wasn't listening.

Marlene had honestly not meant to start their seven-year pissing match. He had surprised her. When they had bumped shoulders, at eleven, she could feel his magic. No, she didn't feel sparks between them. It had been strange, like all of the sudden she could see a faint glowing around him. She'd been confused. He had taken it as some sort of insult, she supposed. But Merlin, he got so fantastic when he was angry. His magic flared. Good, he was coming closer.

Now, Sirius wasn't particularly special. Marlene could sort of feel magic everywhere. It wasn't much help. In fact, it was damn near befuddling, but Sirius had the most fascinating magic of anyone at Hogwarts, and she'd do just about anything to see it get so close to out of control.

"Yes, Black?" she asked quietly as she felt him coming closer until she could actually see the shadow he cast, looming over her in a most distracting way. She had been expecting this confrontation. He'd jump to conclusions about why she was joining the Order, of course. In some ways he was unceasingly dull. "Go ahead. I can't wait to hear it."

Sirius grit his teeth. "You should know that you give any indication you're trying to dick over the people I care about, and I'll kill you without blinking," he promised. "I don't buy you just joining."

"I haven't joined yet," Marlene noted. "Neither have you, for that matter. If you want to get technical about it." Her voice was quiet enough that he had to get a little closer to hear it. "And, Sirius, I don't really care what you 'buy' or not. I have my own life. If you question Dumbledore's decision to admit me, I encourage you to take it up with him. He might be more helpful."

Sirius clenched his teeth together, trying not to fly off the handle at her. It wasn't rational. "Don't sound like such a condescending bitch."

"I'll be sure to file that away into the 'constructive criticism' file, Black." Marlene grinned at the way anger flashed across his face. Sirius hated this. She was always in fucking control while his anger swerved out of control. He hated being out of control. He needed a way to fix this far before they started working for the Order in a few short months. No, he would not let Marlene have the upper hand.

She looked up at him, finally making eye contact. "Want to know what I think?" she challenged.

"No, but I bet you're going to tell me anyway."

"You don't have it in you. You couldn't kill me or anyone else," she said, giving him a pout. "Because you're just so good and righteous, aren't you?" she taunted, patting his shoulder with a haughty laugh. Sirius caught her wrist in the motion and squeezed her enough to make her squirm.

"For you, I might make an exception," he snapped. "I wouldn't test your theory."

"Keep talking sweet like that, Sirius, and you'll get me all randy," she warned. And, just like that, she was in charge of the conversation again. He hadn't expected her to go there, certainly. She pulled her wrist out of his grip and smiled. "Oh, don't worry," she rolled her eyes, "I'm not serious. You don't quite do it for me. You can go now." She nodded off in the direction he had come from.

Unbelievable. She was dismissing him as if-

Sirius didn't know what to do or think. He just walked away. He sat down at his desk, hands balled into fists and he closed his eyes. Now he remembered why he avoided actual confrontation with her. She was good at it. He had to figure out the right way to get under her skin, to control her. Because she was up to no good, and he knew it. If no one was going to listen to him, then he was going to have to take matters into his own hands.

MaraudMyHeart

Fair warning: This fic is set to contain sexual content, possible BDSM, and probably other things that might offend people. Just...shut up. I'm having fun with my OTP. My other stories will update soon, but I needed to get this out.