She never really felt like she belonged anywhere. She was always torn between places. She was best friends with two brothers who were older than her; Gideon and Febian Prewett. She was in love with a boy her own age, Sirius Black. Life could be hard when you're trying to live in two places at once. But by her sixth year Marlene McKinnon had it down packed.
"Mar, what's up? You've been staring at that blank piece of parchment for the last twenty minutes."
Marlene looks up to see Gideon, one of her two best friends, peering at her over the top of his potions book.
"I'm trying to write a charms essay. And I have no idea where to begin." She said exasperated, throwing her quill down.
Gideon however raised his eyebrows, "that's your best subject; you tutor me in that class, and your one grade below me."
Marlene sighed, "uaghh, I know…"
"she's distracted, Gid." Marlene was cut off by the other Prewett brother, her other best friend.
"No!! I just can't concentrate." She was shooting glares at Febian, who caught her staring at a boy from a year below her.
"Just to let you know, you call it distracted when you can concentrate." Gideon laughed, at Marlene's face, which was now shooting daggers at both the brothers. Catching his brother's eye he continued, "Alright, out with it. Who is he?"
Her eyes narrowed, "there no one. I'm just not in the mood for charms." It wasn't a complete lie, she wasn't in the mood for charms, but she wasn't writing this relatively easy essay because of the black haired boy in the back of the common room laughing with his friends.
Gideon narrowed his right back at her. "don't lie, Marlene." Using her full name knowing it will get her attention better, "it's not becoming."
"God! you guys!! I'm not lying…"
"isn't obvious, Gid? It's that sixth year."
Marlene almost fell off the chair; she focused all her thoughts ways she would kill Febian, "that narrows it down, I'm in sixth year. "she said determined not to let any sort of embarrassment show on her face.
"which one?" Gideon asked Febian, completely ignoring the stone faced Marlene.
"ahh, he's a Black, uhh I cant remember his name."
"a slytherin?" Gideon was now looking at Marlene.
"no," Marlene said, giving up and letting her best friends know about her crush, her very long crush. "No, it Sirius; The only decent one in his family."
Gideon caught his brother eye, in a knowing sparkle that Marlene completely missed "Oh, he's that one that runs around with James right?"
The Prewetts and Marlene live next door to each other, being that Mrs. Potter is Marlene's mother's best friend, James used to come to the neighborhood lot. Before Febian and Gideon left for Hogwarts and then during the summers the four of them would hang out all the time. However once Gideon and Febian left it was just Marlene and James, then James met Sirius. And it became the three of them.
The four stayed friends, and still hung with each other over breaks, but at school, Marlene either hung with James and his friends or Febian and Gideon. Often finding herself torn in between, but both sides were understanding and while she hung with the brothers more, she was still excellent friends with James and them.
"yeah" she answered, "you'll be seeing him a lot more. He just moved in at the Potter's."
"well if he's a friend of James, then I'd say he's a good catch." Febian told Marlene, the two brothers always liked James.
"yes," Gideon was staring at Marlene, "though you know I still support, you and James getting together, his best mate not a bad alternative."
Marlene let out a frustrated scream, earning a few side-warded glances by the near Gryffindors, "this is why I don't tell you guys who I like. God. Now I'm never going to hear the end of it." She placed her head in her hands and shook her head.
The brothers just smiled knowing that despite what she said, she loves the fact that they tease her.
At her frustrated scream, Sirius looked up to see Marlene with her head in her hands. Her two best friends, whom he just realized he didn't know the names of, were next to her sharing a smile. Being the over confident sixth year that he was, he decided that now was the best time introduce himself to her friends.
"So," he paused, leaning over the couch between the two brothers, he recognized the two guys as not just as her best friends but as seventh years too. "What did you do to her" he asked about Marlene.
"Honestly? We were just talking, and then she freaked out." Febian smiled at his brother,
"Yeah, trying to figure out why she wasn't doing her charms essay." Gideon finished.
Marlene heard him come over, and was listening to her two best friends that were suppose to keep her secretes, come dangerously close to letting her most embarrassing one out, to the person it was about.
"Not to be rude, but who are you?" Febian asked, knowing full well that this was Sirius Black, Marlene's crush. Marlene at that moment coughed and muttered something about going over to Lily, one of her good friend. The boys ignored her.
"Sirius." He held out his hand to shake, "yours?"
"Febian Prewett." He took Sirius out stretched hand; Sirius looked over at the other brother holding his hand out still.
"Gideon, also Prewett." He said clasping hands with Sirius, "do you have a last name, Sirius?"
Sirius face went dark for a moment before answering, "Not one I'm proud of, but if you must know, it's Black."
Febian felt the change in Sirius's mood, so he quickly diverted the conversation, "so your friends with James? We've heard a lot of stories from Marlene. So you're the supposed Marauders."
Sirius was shocked, most of the sixth years had already guessed that the four of them; James, himself, Remus and Peter, were the Marauders, way back in third year. He always figured the others grades, in Gryffindor at least, knew so too. "So she's been talking about me?"
"about the four of you" he corrected.
" yeah, the fireworks were great last week," his brother added steering the conversation away from Marlene.
"Made study hall way more interesting, anyways." Febian agreed.
Sirius looked at the brothers, "thanks. Alright well, I guess it time to get down to the point of why I came over." Sirius paused.
"Yes?"
"Well, right." He continued, "If I was to ask Marlene out. How would be the best way to get her to say yes?"
"Don't ask her." Febian said causing him to get hit by Gideon.
Sirius however was now looking stressed. "Right. Well…"
Febian cut him off and continued, "take out to the lake, that her—"
"Favorite place, I know that." Sirius said, earning an impressed smile from Gideon.
"do it at night" said Gideon
"a full moon." Febian expanded on his brother's suggestion.
Sirius's face darkened, "at night I can do. Not the full moon." He said simply, hoping they won't press the issue.
"why scared of werewolves?" they teased, liking this Black kid more and more.
"Something like that." Sirius said not enjoying where this conversation was going.
"ok? well do it on a well lit night then. And ask her to dance first, no music. She always said she thought it was cute when they did that in muggle movies."
Sirius nodded, glad to be off the topic of moons, "anything else?"
"Yeah. Act yourself, don't be some one your not."
"Alright then. I guess I'll be seeing you around more often." Sirius smiled cockily as he started to walk towards Marlene but was stopped by Febian's hand.
" oh and Sirius," he said letting his brother take over
"if you hurt her or"
"try anything thing she doesn't want." Febian spoke again.
"we'll make sure"
"that you will live in pain"
"for the rest of your life."
Febian smiled brightly, "now good luck."
"yes, best of wishes, remember to dance."
With that Sirius left walking towards Marlene who was now talking feverishly to Lily.
Back at the fire place sofa, Febian and Gideon were looking pleased with themselves, this was the first time Marlene like some one, who passed their interrogation, of course, this was the first guy who went up to them first, and those were major points right from the start.
Just like they said before, a friend of James would be a good match for their Marlene. James always had good, respectable friends. Of course the brothers knew that Sirius was a good one even before he walked up. They have been watching him for the past two weeks; ever since Febian caught Marlene staring at him. But Marlene can never know that one; she would kill them if she found out how many of her old crushes got scared away because the brothers didn't find them suitable.