"Hey, Mars, how are you doing?"
Marlene McKinnon turned around in the hallway on her way to class to see none other than Sirius Black standing there, leaning against the wall and wearing his trademark crooked smile. She almost went up to him – but stopped herself. He wasn't worth it.
"Why haven't you talked to me in the past three days?" Marlene said in a clipped voice. It may have been her imagination, but she saw a guilty look pass over Sirius's face. However, it was immediately replaced by one of nonchalance.
"We got busted for making out in the classroom on the third floor – I've been in detention with McGonagall," Sirius pointed out.
"I've called out to you in the halls plenty of times," Marlene said, fear growing. "And you only have detention at night."
"Well I guess I just didn't hear you," Sirius shrugged. Marlene no longer felt fear, but anger.
"I waited for you this morning – in the common room," she snapped. "I saw you, and I'm sure you looked over at me before leaving with James." She bit out Sirius's best friend's name angrily.
"No, I didn't see you," Sirius said, voice indifferent. His eyes were a different story, though – they were wide with apprehension.
"What about the Graduation Ball, Sirius?" Marlene said, finally putting it out into the open.
Sirius looked down at his hands. "Look, Mars, I'm having a bad day – can we talk about this later?"
"No," she snapped. "What about the Graduation Ball?"
"Mars, why don't we just meet after class to talk about it?" Sirius said, smiling again, and moved closer to her, maybe hoping to put his arm around her shoulder as he had done many times before.
Marlene almost relented to him – but then remembered her purpose. "No, what about the Ball, Sirius?" She fought to keep her head held high.
"Mars, come on," Sirius sighed. "It's okay – we'll talk about it later."
"Say it," Marlene said, fighting the tears threatening to burst forth from her eyes. "Just say it."
"What do you mean?" But Marlene knew that Sirius knew what she meant – his eyes grew wide and he was slowly inching away from her.
"I want to hear you say it," Marlene said, looking at him directly.
Sirius sighed, and looked back down at his hands. "A month ago, I asked somebody else and I forgot." He gave a half-glance back up at her.
Marlene felt her anger at him boiling, and reached a point where it could no longer be held inside.
"You liar!" She shoved Sirius against the wall. Passerby turned and stared at them, unsure what was going on. Sirius, caught off guard, was defenseless.
"Mars, listen to me!" He yelled. "I can explain!"
"You're a filthy, bloody, no good liar!" Marlene growled, tears threatening to pour out. "You don't have the guts to tell me the truth – so just say it!"
"I'm not lying," Sirius yelled. "Honestly, I'm not!"
"Tell me!" Marlene half-screamed at him, much to the dismay of those watching the fight.
Sirius finally lost his temper as well. "What? What do you want to hear from me?" He yelled.
"You-you're ashamed to be seen with me," Marlene choked out.
Sirius's eyes widened – "I'm not, Marlene, I swear I'm not," he said, taking a hold of one of her hands that was pushing his shoulder against the cold stone wall.
"You're afraid," Marlene said, tears finally pouring down her cheeks in a rainstorm of broken dreams. "You're afraid that you're damn pureblood friends won't approve!"
"You don't understand that," Sirius said, his former begging eyes turned cold. "It has nothing to do with you."
"But it does," Marlene said, and stormed away from him – She couldn't let him see her cry any more.