Everything was slightly foggy and blurred. He could hear a voice calling to him, telling him to open his eyes and as his mind returned to him and he realised who was leaning over him, Sirius Black decided that that was the best way to wake up. Making a mental note to request that he be woken up that same way every day, he sat up.
"Marls? Wassamatter?"
"You need to get up." Marlene McKinnon whispered urgently.
"Why? S'still dark. Whas going on?"
"Come on, just follow me, alright? I'll explain everything when we get there."
Confused, Sirius stood up and did as she said. After pulling on his dressing gown and snatching up his wand, he walked with her to the door. Resisting the desire to ask any questions – he didn't think she would appreciate James or the others waking up and tagging along to whatever it was they were doing – he followed her out to the staircase, Walter Stebbins soft snores following them as they left the room.
"What's going on Marls?" Sirius whispered as they tiptoed down to the common room.
"Not here."
"Where are we going?"
"Just trust me, ok? And keep your voice down." Holding a finger to her lips she pushed through the portrait-hole and scrambled through, waiting for Sirius on the other side.
As the portrait fell back in to place, the Fat Lady let out a snort but didn't stir and they were able to move along the corridor unnoticed. Sirius waited until they'd put some distance between themselves and the nosey guardian of their tower before he spoke again.
"Where are we going Marls?"
Marlene wouldn't answer, just kept tugging his hand, leading him along dark corridors, out from behind a tapestry, up a staircase.
"Marlene?" she glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him. "What is it? What's all this about?"
Up another flight of stairs, past a long row of windows, up yet more stairs they went, all the while Marlene remained silent, smiling faintly, at all of Sirius' whispered questions.
Finally, they reached the Astronomy tower and at the door to the classroom she stopped.
"Finally! Will you tell me now? What's gotten in to you Marls? Why are we up here?"
"There's something that I want to do, Sirius. Do you trust me?"
"Yes. Of course. But what could you possibly-"
"Do you love me?"
"You know I love you McKinnon." He told her, a slight growl in his tone. All the secrecy was frustrating, but even more so was the fact that she still had to ask. In his mind, he was certain he'd proven it to her already. "Can you please tell me-"
"Come on then, inside." She held the door open, having unlocked it with the Alohamora charm.
Narrowing his eyes at his girlfriend's antics Sirius followed her instruction, and slipped into the classroom.
"You want to know why we're here," she said, moving around the room, glancing out the large windows at the grounds below.
"Yes. That would be nice Love."
"I want to get married."
If, at seventeen, he was shocked by this announcement, Sirius didn't show it. On the contrary, he smiled, and took one of Marlene's hands in his again.
"When we leave here, we'll find a place together; I've got that money from my uncle Alphard…"
"No. Not when we leave here. Not after V-Voldemort's been defeated." Sirius couldn't help but grin at that. Marlene had never said Voldemort's name before. "Not after you've knocked sense in to Regulus, or James has become an international Quidditch champion. I don't want to wait for anything. Now. I want to get married right now. Tonight."
"Tonight? But- But how?"
"We simply have to exchange vows. And these." She fished something out of her robes and - Sirius realised that she'd had the chance to change out of her bed things - upended a small pouch into his palm.
"Where did you get… Marls how long have you been thinking about this?" He thought he knew what her answer would be, they had laid together by the lake at the end of the last school year, the day after exams had finished, and discussed their future. Six months ago they had spoken of their mutual desire to be together forever, but that lazy day in the sun it had just been an idea, something that would eventuate much later.
"Months Sirius. I've been thinking about it for months. I got the rings the last time we were in Hogsmeade. There's a tiny store there, they're goblin made. Do you like them?"
"They're perfect. I… I don't know what to say."
"Say that you'll marry me."
"I… Yes. Of course I will. But, who will be our witnesses? We need witnesses, don't we? And the entire castle is asleep."
"The stars. The stars for whom your ancestors were named. They'll witness our union, whether they like it or not." There was a hint of malevolence in her voice. She was clearly still unhappy about the fact that he'd not even had a chance to unpack his things the previous summer before moving on to the Potter's house. His mother made it impossible for him to stay in the family home any longer.
"So, all we have to do is say a few words and give each other these rings and then-"
"We'll be husband and wife. Yes."
"Well…" Sirius looked out through the large open spaces through which the night sky was observed during astronomy classes, taking in the many winking stars visible. He could name them all, and true enough many members of his family had been named for quite a few of the ones he could currently see.
The waning moon made him think with a pang of his three best mates asleep in their beds. He could have dragged them along, if he was indeed about to be married, he would have liked nothing more than to have them by his side.
Unconsciously brushing a piece of hair forward so that it covered a cut over his right eye left there by Remus three nights ago, he wondered if after this, his should tell Marlene the secret he and his friends had kept for most of their time at school. She would have noticed it of course, but as, with many injuries he received on nights of the full moon, she didn't mention anything.
Marlene, in turn was thinking of Lily and Alice, snug in their beds. She'd wanted to bring the girls along, to share this with them, but she'd talked herself out of it, deciding that this moment was to be hers and Sirius' alone.
"Are we ready now?" Sirius asked, grinning at the blonde before him.
"I am if you are."
"You know what you're going to say, I suppose? Seeing as you've had a few months more than me to prepare yourself,"
"I have an idea, yes. Would you like a few more moments?"
"No. No, I think I've got it. You'll go first?"
"If you like."
"By all means."
With a slightly nervous smile, Marlene took one of Sirius' hands in both of hers and looked into his cool grey eyes for a moment before she began to speak.
"We all know there will be difficult times ahead, no one can dispute that fact. No one can know for certain what will become of us all in the coming months and years either. But I can promise you one thing, Sirius – whatever may come, whatever awaits us, I will always love you and stand proudly by your side. I pledge myself to you, in the good times as well as the bad, forevermore, from this night forward."
There was a slightly awkward pause as Marlene shifted her grip on Sirius' hands and fumbled with the ring pouch, but then she managed to slip the simple silver band onto his finger and looked up at him, tears shining in her blue eyes, making them look brighter than ever.
"In these uncertain times there is one thing I know to be true – and that is my love for you. I firmly believe that we should all take every opportunity to tell the ones we love how important they are to us. What I feel for you on this night, will only grow in intensity as the number of years we spend together increases. With this ring, I marry you and I bind myself to you, with all that I have and all that I am."
Getting the ring on Marlene's finger was a little easier; as they were able to just drop the drawstring purse once he had extracted the second ring.
"May I now kiss my bride?" Sirius asked, grinning mischievously, in the absence of an officiator telling him to do so.
"Yes please," Marlene returned his grin and they both moved in for their first kiss.
It didn't matter in the slightest that their marriage wasn't recognised by any higher authority. Or that no one would believe them when they announced what they had done, what mattered was that they loved one another and in that moment they wanted a clear sign for all the world to be able to see that they had chosen one another.
They would of course repeat this ceremony when they were older, and there was more time to plan. When their friends were awake and her parents were present, and someone was able to preside over the entire thing, but for now, a moonlit promise was all that was necessary.