A/N: I have no idea what possessed me to write this story, but I did. So I hope you guys like it.
Match Made in Heaven
Marlene McKinnon was a girl like no other. With her long, raven hair, the haughty smile that always seemed to adorn her luscious pink lips, her regal cheekbones, and piercing blue eyes, she was without a doubt an attractive young woman. She had a quiet, kind air around her, although the people who knew her know she was anything but.
Being the youngest of five brothers had caused her to toughen up pretty quickly. She seldom cried and if she did, she did it in the dead of the night, when she was sure no one would hear her. She had a quick temper and a mischievous way about her. Mix the two together and well, she was someone other people knew better than to cross. Her friends always told her she was the male-equivalent of Sirius Black, but she would just smile that haughty little smile of hers.
Sirius Black was the typical image of a bad boy. His unruly black hair, mischievous grey eyes, and a smirk that seemed to always adorn his handsome face made him the most sought out boy at school. He was the kind of boy girls wanted to date and boys wanted to be like. Being part of the exclusive group—the Marauders, as they called themselves—seemed to make him all the more desirable to the female population. He was a typical heart breaker if you will, that seemed to go through girls faster than Lily Evans seemed to go through books.
In a way, Marlene was very much like Sirius. Her beauty, her mocking smile, her elegant demeanour, her sarcastic tone, her mysterious aura were all things that seemed to drive the boys mad. She always had her fair share of boys that wanted to date her, yet she hardly ever dated. On the rare occasion that she did, she usually broke things off before they became too serious.
The only boy who had ever caught her attention was Sirius, something he knew all too well, yet she seemed unrelenting. Which caused him to want her even more. Her best friend, Lily, would say it was because she loved the chase, enjoyed torturing Sirius. Although that may be true, there was another reason. One she had never told anyone.
You see, when she was just seven years of age, she suffered a great loss, one that caused her much pain. Her aunt, whom she had been very close to, had come home one day and announced her marriage to a young, penniless muggle. Although her family disapproved, they supported her nevertheless. On the eve of her wedding, she had confessed to her soon-to-be-husband that she was a witch. Enraged, he had killed her, leaving young Marlene devastated. From that day, she had vowed never to marry, never to love a man.
She had managed just fine until that fateful day in fourth-year, when she had realised she loved Sirius Black. They had been in Potions class, discussing the best way to place a Dungbomb under old Slughorn's chair, without him noticing. She had whispered something to Sirius and he had thrown his head back, barking out in laughter. It was then that she knew she was in love with this boy. How it happened she did not know; all she knew was that she was hopelessly in love.
It had been one cold autumn night when she had finally confessed her feelings to him.
They are in the Common Room, celebrating yet another Gryffindor victory against Slytherin, a bottle of Firewhiskey passing between them.
"I love you, Sirius Black," she slurs , her lips grazing against his neck.
He looks at her, surprised at first and then his grin is becoming wider. He turns to her, their faces mere inches from each other and he takes her in, his grey eyes looking at her earnestly. He looks as if he is about to tell her something, but what it is Marlene never finds out, because at that moment, she passes out.
From that day on, the chase was on. Sirius would flirt with her relentlessly whenever he caught a glimpse of her. Although Marlene enjoyed his advances, she willed herself to stay strong and not fall for the many charms of Sirius Black. After five years of knowing the boy, Marlene already knew his dating game. For him it was all about charming the girl, getting the girl, using her then dumping her and forgetting about her entirely, like if nothing had happened between them. She vowed never to fall for him. But alas, she was only human.
It had been during their Seventh Year when the two had shared their first kiss. It had been Lily and James' doing—they thought everyone deserved a happy relationship, like the one they had. The thought of it was enough to make Marlene want to gag.
Lily had dragged Marlene to the library, with the pretence of wanting to work on their project for Defence. Instead, she had been dumped into an empty classroom with none other than Sirius Black. Although secretly pleased, Marlene had acted as if she'd rather be anywhere else than stuck with him.
"Just one kiss, McKinnon. Come on. You know you want to," says Sirius, offering her his winning smile, the same that makes women fall to his feet. She blinks at him, trying to seem uninterested, trying to ignore the volcano that seems to be erupting inside of her.
"I'd rather kiss the Giant Squid, Black," Marlene replies haughtily, taking a page out of Lily's A Thousand Different Ways to Say No to James Sodding Potter book—it was an actual book, one they had written back in second-year, during a rather boring, rainy Saturday.
"I see the way you look at me, Mars," Sirius murmured, his face inches from hers.
She blushes slightly at the mention of the nickname he had given her when they had dated for a few weeks during their first year, but she remains silent. She raises her eyebrow quizzically, piercing him with her fiery, blue eyes.
"I know you fancy me, Mars," he presses on, brushing a strand of raven hair out of her tanned, pretty face.
She shudders at his touch, but like always, she pushes any emotions out of her face.
"Keep on dreaming, Sirius."
He chuckles lightly, his grey eyes never leaving her blue ones.
"We both want this. You know it."
Her breathing becomes faster, her chest is heaving as her heart threatens to burst out of her chest as he closes the gap between them. He grazes her lips, taunting her. And so, Marlene, the girl who is afraid to love, pushes her lips to him, kissing him hungrily. It was everything she dreamt of and more.
He presses his lips to her, passionately, exploring her mouth with his. With each kiss, she feels like she is giving a piece of herself away and receiving a piece of him in return. They gasp for air and Sirius whispers to her the words she always wanted to her: "I love you Marlene."
And against her better judgement, she believes him.
From that day on, the two become inseparable. His friends congratulate her on having been the only girl capable of taming the untameable Sirius Black. With each passing day, Marlene finds herself falling deeper in love with Sirius. She's never been happier in her life. Their love grows to equal that of Lily Evans and James Potter.
Even with the war brewing on the outsides of the castle, they hold on strong to each other. After graduation, the young couple joins the Order without a second thought. Together they are undefeatable. Together they take on every adversity that comes their way. Nothing matters to them, nothing can hurt them as long as they're together.
Sirius is standing in the little room of the flat they both share. She's sitting on the bed, watching him, trying to hide the sadness in her eyes. She feels queasy, battling with something that's been on her mind. He turns to her and smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. It's never easy for either of them when Sirius gets called away on a mission for the Order.
They Disapparate together, to the house of her parents, like she always does whenever he leaves her. She eyes him wearily, trying to determine whether or not she should tell him. She's not sure how he'll react. He turns to her and kisses her lips.
"I'll be back soon, Mars. I promise," he whispers to her.
She nods and looks at him. There is so much love in his eyes that she knows what she must do next.
"Sirius, I'm pregnant."
He looks at her, surprise evident in his eyes. Slowly but surely a grin spreads across his handsome face and he lifts her up, spinning her around the pavement and she throws her head back and laughs.
"A father! I'm going to be a father," he says, laughing gleefully. He kisses her once more, making her heart stop like it always does when they kiss.
He seems reluctant to go, but she tells him he must. After all, it is his duty.
"I love you, Mars," he says, kissing her forehead.
"I love you, too, Sirius," she says smiling up at him.
He kisses her once more, not knowing that it is the last time he'll see her alive. Had he known, he would have kissed her much more passionately, perhaps never parted, never left her there. Perhaps she would have lived. That is something he later tells himself repeatedly.
She is sitting in her parents kitchen, playing a game of Wizard Chess with Calvin, her older brother, and Emma, her favourite niece sitting on her lap. Her family's laughter and chatter fills the house. They continue to congratulate her for the wonderful news. For that one moment, everything seems perfect. But that moment ends soon enough.
A sudden crash rings through the house and everyone falls silent. Then a piercing scream breaks through the night and Marlene instinctively reaches for her wand. The Death Eaters surround them and Marlene knows the do not have a chance against them. But she fights. She fights for herself, for her mum and dad, her brothers, her nieces and nephews, for her friends, for her unborn child, for Sirius, her one true love.
One by one she sees as her loved ones fall, their lifeless bodies adorning the ground. It isn't until she is the last one left that they finally grab her. A coldness like no other sweeps across the room as Voldemort finally makes his appearance.
"A talented witch like yourself doesn't deserve to die. Join me now and your life shall be spared," he says in his cold, cruel voice.
She spits in his face, rage and grief consuming her. Perhaps this is what gives her the courage to say, "Fuck you, Voldemort."
He sneers at her as he points his wand at her. She closes her eyes and prepares herself to die, for she now knows that that is what will happen. They say that your life flashes before your eyes when you are close to death, but the only image that comes to her mind is that of a handsome, young man with stunning grey eyes and an everlasting smirk.
"Sirius," she whispers, as a green light flashes before her and she is no more.
She lies on the cold ground, expecting pain. But the pain never comes. Slowly she opens her eyes and finds herself in a white room. A pale mist seems to meet her eyes wherever she turns. She stands up slowly and looks down at her hands. They are no longer scarred from her many duels since she left the school.
She looks around her again and watches as the mist seems to lift, revealing a forest. The very same forest in which Marlene and Sirius had finally consummated their love. She hears a stream nearby and the trees seem to move slowly, although there is no breeze.
Then quite suddenly, a picture plays before her, like one of the muggle movies Sirius had taken her to see. Everywhere she turns she finds them. It's like a movie of her life is playing out before her. She moves in closer to one and stretches her arm out. It seems to swallow her whole and she lands the kitchen of the Order's Headquarters.
Marlene walks around the homely kitchen, the smell of roast and baked beans filling the air. Dorcas Meadowes is bent over the stove, stirring a pot of stew. She notices Fabian and Gideon in a far corner, entertaining Harry Potter, Lily and James' son. She smiles as Gideon transfigures Fabian's head into a large tentacle, much to Harry's amusement.
She watches as Lily, Alice, and herself set the table, lost in the usual chatter. James is standing behind Lily, trying desperately to grab a plate of food from her. She raises it tauntingly out of his reach. He kisses her and takes it away from her. She laughs her tinkling laughter before snatching it back.
Frank walks in with Neville on his hip and Alice coos at her son, before kissing her husband. Edgar Bones walks in, accompanied by his wife Alexia and their two children. Remus and Hagrid walk in after them, the latter holding out a bottle of Firewhiskey, which causes everyone to hoot approvingly.
Sirius walks up behind her, placing an arm around her waist, drawing her close to him. He whispers something in her ear and she blushes, slapping him lightly on the arm. She watches as Sirius throws his head back, his barking laughter filling the air. She allows herself to replay this moment of her life, over and over again, never wanting the moment to end.
She watches him from heaven now, the once unruly young boy with the curly black hair and mystic grey eyes. Her Sirius. The only man she has ever loved.
He blames himself for her death, for the death of their unborn child. Every night he prays for her forgiveness. He doesn't seem to know that there is nothing to forgive, that she has never left him, that she guards his dreams and protects him wherever he goes.
She's with him when they take him to Azkaban. She casts herself as a shield between him and the Dementors, protecting him. It is all she can do to keep him from going insane. She's there when he escapes, there when he confronts the bloody traitor. There to protect him when the Dementors attack him and the Boy-Who-Lived.
She watches as he becomes a defeated man, a shell of his former self. She knows he misses her and it pains her to see how defeated he seems. She watches as he drinks his life away, crying for the past he's lost, for the future they never had. She watches as he manages to pull himself together, for the sake of his godson. She watches him as he fights the Death Eaters, becoming once more the man she's loved.
And she's there to receive him when he dies, along with James and Lily. His appearance no longer resembles that of the defeated man he had become. His face in once again handsome and cheerful, full of life. He walks tentatively towards them, sheer joy in his eyes. But his appearance becomes crestfallen as soon as he reaches her.
"I'm sorry," he whispers.
Marlene throws her head back and laughs.
"Oh, Sirius," she whispers back before reaching up to his handsome face. She presses her lips lightly against his, and she can feel a smile creeping on his face.
"Welcome, home, Sirius. We've missed you."