Beauty Therapy, task 2, foundation: Write about trying to blend in

Note: Voldemort wins!au, with obvious differences to the timeline (like Marlene living)

Marlene saw them before Sirius did. She swallowed dryly, heartbeat quickening. Though she was known for her clever little Ravenclaw mind, she struggled with strategy now. The Death Eaters moved closer, posture tense and eyes narrowing as they passed through the crowd.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she turned to Sirius, resting a slender hand on his shoulder. "Don't ask questions." She took a deep breath and stepped closer, standing on her tiptoes so that she could reach him better. "I need you to kiss me."

His dark brows raised and his lips quirked. Of course he would have something to say about it. Ordinarily, she might entertain whatever smartass thing he had to say. Today, however, they were in dangerous territory. If they stood out, they would be spotted, and their cover would be blown. The whole mission would be ruined, all because they failed to blend in.

Before Sirius could ask or comment, she leaned in, holding him close as her lips met his. As their lips met, she could understand why so many girls liked to watch him and smile longingly. His lips were soft, and even though she caught him by surprise, he still melted into the kiss.

Despite it all, she forced herself to stay focus. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the Death Eaters pass; they pointedly kept their heads turned, refusing to look at the snogging couple. Marlene waited and counted to ten in her head before pulling away.

"People hate public affection," she told him, pushing a hand through her dark curls. She offered him a grin. "They didn't even want to look at us."

For the first time in the years that she knew him, Sirius was silent. He stared at her with a slack jaw, grey eyes narrowing. Several seconds passed before he seemed to find his voice. "Not that I'm complaining, but what the hell was that?"

Marlene began to walk again. They lost precious seconds with the distraction, seconds they would never get back. "We needed to blend in with the crowd." She gestured vaguely at the sea of witches and wizards that surrounded them. "It isn't exactly safe for us to be out in the open."

And they normally wouldn't be. After the Dark Lord's victory in Godric's Hollow two months earlier, the Order of the Phoenix moved underground. Most of their missions were carried out under the cover of night. Daytime was far too dangerous for Britain's most wanted fugitives.

Today, they had to break their rules and go out. In the end, the tip was bad, and she and Sirius had ended up on a wild goose chase. At least it was easy, though. The trip back was proving to be more difficult. Their faces were plastered on wanted signs all over Diagon Alley. They relied heavily on camouflage, on looking so ordinary that no one spared them a second glance; although it was mostly successful, there were still those who looked at them with confusion in their eyes, seemingly trying to place them.

"If you wanted to kiss me," Sirius said, slipping his hand into hers, "all you had to do was ask."

She turned, fully prepared to tell him to stop being an idiot, but the words stuck in her throat. There was something about those mischievous eyes and that crooked grin that made her heart skip a beat. Marlene cleared her throat, cheeks burning. It wasn't fair that anyone could make her feel like this. Shouldn't she be immune to it by now?

"I don't want to kiss you," she managed, her voice small and strained.

She wished she could mean it, but it was a lie. Marlene wanted nothing more than to pull him close and feel his lips against hers once again.

"I was just trying to make sure no one noticed us." Her explanation sounded forced, and she wondered if Sirius could hear the hesitation there.

"I don't mind, you know." Sirius leaned in close enough that she could smell the mint and tobacco on his warm breath. "I can hardly blame you if you can't control yourself around me."

Merlin! She didn't know if she wanted to kiss him or punch him. Sirius was just as arrogant as he was handsome.

Her blush only darkened until it felt like her cheeks might burst into flames. She did want to kiss him; she just hated him for teasing her about it.

"There are too many people around," she muttered, turning away from him. "If we spend the day just snogging in the middle of the street, someone is bound to notice us, and that will defeat the purpose."

The triumphant smirk on his face was maddening. With a huff, Marlene rolled her eyes and quickened her pace. She and Sirius have been dancing this dance since their fourth year at Hogwarts. Everyone always watched them with knowing smiles, taking bets on when they would finally get together. She put it off for so long, trying to convince herself that it wasn't a good idea to begin a relationship in the middle of a war.

Sirius caught up to her easily enough. His hand rested on her shoulder as he slowed down, matching her pace. "You didn't sound opposed to snogging me all day." She could hear the smirk in his voice, and she didn't hate it. "C'mon, Marlene. How long are you going to keep blowing me off?"

One day, she would give in; there was no doubt about that in her mind. For now, though, they had a rebellion to to orchestrate and a war to win. Everything else could wait.