a/n: Okay so I know not many people ship Regulus/Marlene, but I saw this video: watch?v=4IO5K4-Djxk&lc=asO7ZwDR3GNGN4PrCyMY-5ZW_jvJc6EOrGrJWc0nlRU and it really inspired me. I'm not sure where this is going, but I have a good feeling about it. Also, I love Jily, so I couldn't leave them out :)

Her feet pounded on the grass in a steady rhythm and her blonde hair, scraped back into a ponytail, bounced with each stride. Focusing on keeping her breathing steady, she fixed her gaze on the trees in the distance and increased her pace. She concentrated on the feel of the cold winter air on her skin and the sound of the wind rustling through the trees. She most definitely did not allow Sirius Black to creep into her mind.

"You're a git!"

"I'm sorry, Mar – I was really drunk! I forgot that I was supposed to meet you!"

"Sirius, it's the fifth time IN A ROW that you have 'forgotten' to meet me"

"I swear I'll remember next time. It's James's fault anyway – he made me go out with him!"

"Oh well I apologise for getting angry with you, I forgot that James Potter is my boyfriend and that he said he would meet me last night – oh wait, he's not, YOU ARE"

"Mar-"

"I've been having a really bad week. I just wanted to talk to you. You know what? Forget it...I'll see you later"

Marlene forced the memory of their oh-so-familiar argument out of her head. She had been in a relationship with Sirius for around six months now and it felt like they argued every other day. She really did believe that she loved him, and they definitely had an undeniable attraction, but they both had very fiery personalities which clashed more often than not and it was getting exhausting. She had stormed out of their recent encounter and decided to go for a run to clear her head, but if anything it was only making her dwell on the situation further. She sighed and came to a halt, resting her hands on her knees and recovering her breath.

"What are you doing out here, Mckinnon?" The voice, reaching her from a few metres away, belonged to Regulus Black.

Bloody great. This was just what she needed. Regulus had taken to addressing Marlene whenever possible, purely because he knew just how much it pissed Sirius off. Marlene was a big believer in judging someone's character for herself, so she hadn't listened to most of Sirius' spiel about what a foul twat his brother was, or at least she hadn't let it colour her opinion of him. She, being relatively perceptive, could see that all his attempts to irritate Sirius were just cries for attention, and he didn't seem all that bad a person, just an impressionable guy who got in with the wrong crowd. She would never admit this to Sirius, of course. And it didn't mean that Regulus didn't annoy her a lot of the time. But she didn't exactly share his brother's opinion that he was a 'pure evil piece of shit who would sooner go on a date with a kappa than be nice to anyone'.

"I really don't need this right now, Regulus. It's quite clear I'm out here for a run, hence the running gear that I am wearing, and I just got out of a fight with your git brother so I really don't want to be pissed off by two members of the Black family within half an hour. Please fuck off and bother someone else."

Regulus raised his eyebrows at Marlene's unexpectedly aggressive reaction – usually she passed off his attempts to talk to her with resigned irritation – but deigned not to follow her request and leave.

"Well that's no news to me. My brother's always been a git. Surprised it's taken you this long to figure it out"

"Ha ha, very funny. Now please get out of my way."

"Lovers' quarrel, was it?"

"None of your business, was it?"

"Now that doesn't make any sense. Really, Mckinnon, I thought you were intelligent enough to at least string a sentence together."

Marlene sighed and reached for her wand. She didn't really want to hex him, but she was so not in the mood for this right now, there were no teachers around, and she was pretty sure that it was the only way he would leave her alone. Just as she was mentally preparing which spell to use, however, an irritatingly familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.

"OI, BACK OFF MY GIRLFRIEND YOU PRICK"

Sirius, anger clearly etched across his features, was running down the hill, wand drawn, gaze locked on his brother. He had clearly decided to follow Marlene and, possibly, attempt to apologise, but had seen her speaking to his brother and flown into a rage. Marlene internally rolled her eyes. His quick temper was one of his fatal flaws. She watched him raise his wand to jinx/hex/disarm or whatever he was planning to do to his oh-so-hated brother. Regulus was quicker than him, however, and with a casual flick of his wand he disarmed Sirius.

"Problem, sibling?"

"We are in no way related. Now get the fuck away from my girlfriend"

Regulus rolled his eyes. "Calm down, we were just-" he began, but Marlene cut him off.

"There's no need" she said to Regulus, before turning to the latter Black. "Last time I checked I wasn't your possession, and I am perfectly within my right to talk to whoever I want."

"But I wasn't-"

"Besides, Regulus is making more effort to talk to me right now than you have done all week"

"But Remus has been-"

"I know, I know, don't for one second think that I'm begrudging you the fact that you've…been there for Remus for the past few days" She glanced quickly at Regulus, but seemed satisfied that he hadn't twigged what she meant. "And I know you have Quidditch to worry about, but you made a commitment to see me and you revoked it. Twice this week, three times last week, countless times in the weeks before."

Sirius shifted uncomfortably, not enjoying the fact that his brother was witness to this argument. Marlene took a deep breath and carried on:

"Maybe we should take a break, give each other some space." She hesitated, measuring her words carefully "Obviously this relationship isn't that important to you anymore" She fixed her gaze on him, tears welling up in her eyes which she quickly brushed away.

Sirius faltered for a second, thrown, but regained his composure, and anger, very quickly. To Marlene's complete surprise, he turned to Regulus.

"This is your fault. You always bloody ruin everything! If you hadn't spoken to her in the first place-"

Typical. Bloody typical. He wouldn't even take the blame. Marlene watched Sirius retrieve his wand from the ground as his brother stood, speechless, and she saw what was going to happen before it did. She cast a protego charm over Regulus and herself, deflecting the hex which was heading towards the former, and glared at Sirius.

"I suggest" she said, through gritted teeth "That you leave"

With a mixture of guilt and betrayal adorning his features, Sirius turned, without attempting to respond, and started back up the hill towards the castle. Marlene stood, too angry to move, and tried in vain to regain her composure.

"Uh, thanks-" Regulus began, but she held up a hand to silence him.

"Don't. Just don't."

"Should I go?" He asked carefully, not wanting to provoke the silently fuming girl next to him.

She nodded slowly, trying very hard not to allow the pent up emotion inside her to release. He turned and, with one last glance back at Marlene, proceeded at a brisk walk back up the path his brother had just vacated.

She sank down into the grass, and after a while became aware that she was crying.

"Fuck"

Sirius paced from one side of his dorm to the other, running his fingers repeatedly through his hair.

"I really messed up didn't I?"

James decided not to respond to the question, pretty sure that his friend already knew the answer. Sirius continued pacing.

"Prongs? Did I screw up? I mean, it's not like I never made an effort to see her….is it?"

Again, James was pretty sure that Sirius already knew the answer to his own question, but, knowing that the interrogation probably wouldn't stop until he said what they were both thinking, replied:

"Mate, you didn't exactly put the relationship at the top of your priorities list..."

"No" He agreed at length "I guess I didn't"

Sirius once again pushed his hair out of his face, sighed in resignation and sat down on his bed. He mentally ran through all the time he had spent with Marlene in the past few weeks and came to the uncomfortable realisation that he really hadn't spent much time with her at all. And, even worse than that, the only time he could remember spending with her had been spent arguing. Not exactly an ideal relationship. He did care about her, he really did, but he found it very difficult to commit to anything, especially to a relationship. He couldn't deny that Marlene was about the only girl in the school who he'd been willing to try to be monogamous with - they sort of clicked, they really understood each other, that is when they weren't trying to rip eachothers' heads off - but he just obviously hadn't been cut out for it. Remus would say that he wasn't emotionally mature enough, whatever that meant. He turned to face James again.

"I should apologise, shouldn't I?"

"To Regulus? Yeah, I think he definitely deserves an apology…" James assumed a mock-serious expression. Sirius threw a pillow at him.

"Shut up, git, I meant to Marlene. That prick wouldn't deserve an apology if I set an angry hippogriff on him"

"I don't know, mate, I'd give it a day or so…let her cool off. Last thing we want is you ending up in the hospital wing."

Sirius thought back to the furious expression which had passed across Marlene's face when he tried to hex Regulus and decided to take James's advice.

"Mar, I'm so sorry, Remus told me what happened" Lily looked at her friend as she entered the dorm with concern in her eyes, making a mental note to have a strong word with Sirius Black later.

"I'm fine" Marlene said breezily, picking up the copy of Witch Weekly that she had left on her bed and skimming through the pages.

"Mar-" Alice Gray, their 3rd dorm mate of 5, and Marlene's best friend, began, but Marlene shook her head.

"I said I'm fine" Her expression made it clear that she didn't want to discuss the subject, so Alice and Lily, after exchanging a look, decided to drop it.

"What's going on?" Their 4th dorm mate, Amelia Bones, entered the room.

"Nothing" Marlene said quickly. Lily raised her eyebrows at Amelia, communicating silently that she would fill her in later.

"Oh, okay. Have you heard about the Marauders' latest prank? Flooded the whole downstairs corridor and charmed it so they can't clear it up. Bloody irritating, my robes are soaking and-" she trailed off mid-sentence, noticing Lily shaking her head rapidly and gesturing towards Marlene.

"Did I miss something?" Dorcas Meadowes came out of the bathroom, where she had just finished doing her make-up, and surveyed the room, which had descended into an awkward silence. "Whatever, I don't have time for this, I have to go and meet Amos Diggory, we have a study date, if you know what I mean" She winked suggestively and flounced out of the room. The remaining three girls turned to look at Marlene, who was still pretending to be absorbed in Witch Weekly.

"Oh for Merlin's sake" she exclaimed, throwing the magazine on the floor, "I am fine! And if you are going to sit here and stare at me like a bunch of weirdos, then I have somewhere else to be. See you at dinner"

The blonde stood up and walked out of the room, flicking her long hair behind her as she went.

"Will someone please explain to me what's going on?" Amelia said, still incredibly confused.

"Sirius is a git, that's what's going on" Lily sighed.

"Oh no, did they break up?"

"Well, it was rather more messy than that. But that's the gist of it, yes" Lily replied, getting up "And I'm about to go and give him an earful"

"Lily, do you really think that's a-" Alice trailed off as the dormitory door swung shut behind the determined redhead.

Lily stormed down the corridor, fuming, and didn't notice James Potter heading towards her until he bumped right into her.

"Watch where you're – Oh, Evans, hi"

James reached up and ran a hand through his hair.

Since James and Lily had become Head Boy and Head Girl, they'd been forced to spend much more time with each other than Lily would have liked. She, on principle, had hated him for a good 5 years, but it had begun, after a while, to tire her out. She'd decided, at the beginning of the year, to give him a chance (platonically - there was still no way she would go out with him) and had slowly come to realise that there was a person underneath all the idiotic pranks and the air of over-confidence which he exuded. They had almost become friendly. Almost. This didn't change the fact that he was blocking her path to the boys' dormitories, and, by extension, her path to the object of her irritation.

"Get out of my way, Potter, so I can have a go at your other half"

"By 'other half' I assume you mean Sirius, and I am afraid I am going to have to prevent you from doing that."

"And why the hell would you get in the way of a raging woman, knowing full well that she is very capable of hexing you?"

"Cmon, Lily, he feels bad enough already. Sirius does stupid shit without thinking 98% of the time, you should know that by now. But that doesn't mean he doesn't regret it afterwards"

Lily's anger abated slightly, but she still fixed James with her most aggressive gaze.

"Since when do you have any semblance of a moral compass?"

"I will have you know that I have a fully functional moral compass. I just choose to ignore it most of the time."

"Funny. Now get out of my way."

Lily attempted to shove past him, but he blocked her yet again.

"Look, it's not like I'm going to throttle him-"

James raised his eyebrows "Yes, you definitely are"

Lily groaned, but couldn't disagree.

"Look. He's planning on apologising when she's cooled off a bit, and I think we should both try and stay out of it…let them sort it out for themselves, you know?"

Lily was stunned for a second, taken aback by the maturity of his words.

"Who are you and what have you done with James Potter?"

"Oh, he's locked in a broom closet somewhere. And since I'm only a replica of James, not actually him, you can't turn me down when I ask you to help with my transfiguration homework"

Lily rolled her eyes "Potter. It's transfiguration, not a date. I'll help if I must."

"That's what you think." He winked at her "And yes, you must."

Something suddenly occurred to Lily "Hang on, you're really good at transfiguration, on what planet would you need help?"

"Darn, saw right through me"

Lily slapped him on the arm and turned to leave. She paused at the bottom of the stairs.

"Don't think I'll respect you any more because you've won this moral battle" she said over her shoulder.

"Oh, I wouldn't think that for a minute, Evans. Though I know it's secretly true."

Unable to come up with an appropriate response, Lily stuck her tongue out at him and went through the door to the girls' dormitories.

James watched her until the last glimpse of her read hair had disappeared behind the ancient oak door.

"I am in way too deep" he said to himself quietly, before returning to his dormitory to tell Sirius to be eternally grateful to him for saving him from a Lily Evans moral scathing.

Marlene wandered along the 3rd floor corridor, not really sure where she was going. She had determined that she absolutely would not think about what had just happened. It was turning out to be easier said than done. She really wasn't the sort of person to cry in public - that sort of practise was reserved for first years - but no matter how much she kept telling herself that she wasn't upset, she knew it was a lie. Although she wanted more than anything to murder Sirius at that present moment, she had a horrible feeling that the fact she had ended it didn't mean her feelings weren't still there, and they probably weren't going away any time soon. She sighed and sat on a bench outside her potions classroom, leaning her head back against the wall.

"Marlene?"

She raised her head and saw a pair of striking blue eyes and a mop of short, dark hair. Regulus Black. Great. Just the person she wanted to see. She forced a smile and met his eye.

"Hi, Regulus"

"So, you hexed my brother into oblivion yet?"

Marlene's forced smile faltered slightly. He registered the change in her expression.

"Too soon for jokes?"

"Well, considering it happened all of an hour ago, I'd be inclined to say yes, too soon."

"Sorry" He did sound genuinely sorry. Marlene suddenly felt bad.

"I didn't mean to take my irritation out on you. Everybody just keeps bloody asking me if I'm okay and I'm fine! I wish they'd leave me alone and let me get on with my Sirius Black-free life"

"Jeez, you make it sound like he's dead"

"I wish" she muttered under her breath, loud enough for Regulus to hear. He laughed.

"Well, I'd best go, said I'd meet Mulciber in the library." Marlene flinched at the reminder of the company Regulus kept. Mulciber was a foul psychopath who had repeatedly attempted to hex most of her muggleborn friends just for the fun of it. She had forgotten for a second that Regulus was in Slytherin. She should loathe him. Her friends would be shocked to see her talking to him in such a casual manner. Yet he had never done anything to make her loathe him, and, after all, she did believe in judging someone's character for herself. He certainly didn't behave like Mulciber.

He interrupted her traing of thought, adding "And it's probably best that Sirius doesn't see us together. He might have an aneurism."

"In that case, please stay" She clasped her hands together and mock-begged him not to go.

Regulus laughed "Nah, you were quick enough to block it last time, but I'm not sure I fancy my chances of dodging another hex. I think once is enough for today." He turned and jogged away down the corridor.

Strange, thought Marlene as she watched him leave, realising she was smiling. He was the only person so far who had made her feel remotely better about what had happened. That was certainly unexpected.

a/n: reviews would be greatly appreciated!