Chapter 1 – Sympathy

The slap echoed around Trafalgar Square and caused people to stop and stare at the scene unfolding on the steps leading up to the National Art Gallery.

"You Bitch!" the eighteen-year-old yelled at the retreating back of his now ex-girlfriend. "That's it, just walk away, you could never handle confrontation, you're just a big coward!"

The girl stopped walking and turned around, her brown eyes flashed with anger as her hand dove into her bag. Onlookers watched in anticipation at what was going to happen.

The boy clenched his fists in defence, but nothing happened. Seemingly the girl had got a grip on her anger and much to the onlookers delight, redrew her hand from her bag and dropped it to her side, empty.

"You just don't understand! You never understood!" she said, her tone of voice sent chills up peoples spines and a few birds fled from Nelson's Column. "This is for the best! I hate having to do this but... it's for the best!" and without a backward glance Marlene McKinnon turned and ran towards Charing Cross station, leaving Sirius Black alone in Trafalgar Square. A few onlookers looked toward him in sympathy, nobody liked being dumped, least of all in public, but he just shuffled his feet uncomfortably, rubbed his nose, looked suspiciously around and walked back up Charing Cross Road.

Marlene grabbed a book and some pyjamas from her room, before crossing the hall into the bathroom. That bath was already running and after she put her book and a towel in an easy to access place, she undressed and lowered herself into the tub, allowing the water to run over her and sooth her tired bones.

Training was nothing like the internship she'd had last year. Now that she could confirm that she had received the required grades to continue, the Auror department had decided to up her training, wanting her to finish and be a fully trained Auror within a year, instead of the usually three. Frank Longbottom and Alice Tearson were nearly finished and they were looking haggard, but then again they had a wedding to plan on top of training. It seemed that even the Auror department was struggling in these dark times.

Without meaning to, her mind wandered back to the argument she and Sirius'd had in the middle of Trafalgar Square. It couldn't have been more public, she winced, she was sure she saw a couple of faces from the Ministry in the crowd, they were going to be talking about it for weeks.

Sirius sighed as he climbed the steps to his flat, he couldn't stop thinking about the breakup, as soon as Marlene had run off, he had walked up Charing Cross road, meaning to head home, but ended up ducking into the Leaky Cauldron, where a few witnesses offered him drinks to cheer him up. He ended up pouring his heart and soul out to these complete strangers they just nodded sympathetically and kept ordering him more drinks.

He reached his flat, and unlocked it, using a key and a tap of his wand. The house was eerily quiet. The fire lay dead as it was meant to be in these days. Nobody lit a fire unless they wanted the Dark Lord to invite himself into your living room.

Things had certainly turned darker in the two months since they had left school, now it was September and Sirius found himself, running errands for Dumbledore and just moping around the house, at first with Marlene but now...

He headed to the kitchen and just turned the kettle on, when a noise from further into the flat made him stop. Pulling his wand out of his pocket, he tiptoed from the kitchen and into the darkened hall.

He hadn't gotten very far, when the hall was flooded with light and a figure came out of the bathroom, crossed the hall and went into his bedroom. Frowning, he followed, his wand held high and stepped into the room.

Marlene was glad she had changed in the bathroom because she didn't expect there to be someone else in the flat.

"What are you doing here?" came a voice from behind her as she bent over to towel dry her hair, standing upright, she summoned her wand with a flick of her hand and faced the owner of the voice.

"Oh," she said staring into the eyes of Sirius Black.

"Oh?" Sirius said, with raised eyebrows. "Is that all you can say? You're not even meant to be here!"

Marlene sighed and dropped her wand back onto the bed. "I know, it's just... damn it!" she exclaimed, running her fingers though her hair in a way that reminded Sirius of their friend James Potter.

"Hey," Sirius said softly, throwing his wand on the bed so it landed next to hers. "It's okay, I didn't mean it that way, it's that..."

"I know, but Alecto was there, and she was all like, 'It's for the best Marli,' as if she has the nerve to call me Marli, and Martyn was trying to be all sympathetic but inside he was silently please because he kept hinting at things, it was smothering and I needed out, and I'm sorry to even be here."

"I don't mind," said Sirius, calmly and he didn't for in the time it took him to cross the room he had gathered Marlene up in his arms and held her closely. "That was the hardest thing we've ever had to do."

"It was your idea you big lug," Marlene said playfully. "Do you think it worked?" she added after a moments pause.

"I hope so, then it might have been worth it."

"Worth calling me a bitch?" Marlene asked breaking the hug and putting her hands on her hips, a slight hint a malice to her voice.

"Ah, sorry about that," Sirius muttered, backing away tentatively.

"Sorry? You called me a bitch! It..."

"Erm, I thought the fight was fake?" came another voice from the door and both Marlene and Sirius raised their hands, forgetting their wands were on the bed.

"Oh leave them alone James, their fighting about the fight," said another voice, this time female.

"I knew it was a bad idea to just barge in here, yes the wards were down but they could have been doing much worse things than fighting," said an another and Marlene and Sirius blushed.

"The fight was fake?" squeaked a fourth. "Why did nobody tell me, I rushed straight over here with flowers and beer," he held up a six pack and a rather wilted bunch of roses.

"Well, Peter if you would keep missing important meetings, to do Merlin knows what, Merlin knows where, you would miss loads of little nuggets of treasure, just like this one." Marlene said as she gestured for their guests to turn and reconvene in the living area.

"What other nuggets of treasure have I missed?" Peter squeaked nervously as he put the flowers in an empty fishbowl.

Marlene looked at the others and they all shook their heads. "That was pretty much it," Peter looked relieved.

"So what exactly are you doing here, to anyone else that could have blown your cover, you meant to be at home, in Hogsmeade, crying your eyes out and spilling all things nasty to your house-elf, and some of the females from the dark side," the one called James asked, as he helped Sirius put mugs on a tray and carry them over from the kitchen.

Marlene sighed and flopped down on the sofa next to the other female. "I know but, there was only Alecto Carrow there and she's a right b..."

"Is that the one dating your brother?" Lily Evans asked, patting her friend sympathetically on the shoulder.

"Don't remind me, it makes me shudder to think what they do..." Marlene shuddered as she trailed off. "Can I stay here tonight?" she intoned to the room at large. It wasn't really Sirius's flat anymore. Yes he had invited her to live with him last year, but that was before the breakup and now James and Lily shared the spare room, whilst they looked for somewhere else. The flat was more used as a meeting point for the six friends rather than the safe house it was meant to be used as. Hence why the four of them successfully managed to slip in without tripping any alarms and alerting Sirius and Marlene to their presence.

"Sure, that's if you're sure it won't blow the cover," Sirius said, handing Marlene a mug of tea and sitting on the arm of the chair.

"Spoilsport," Marlene muttered she knew full well, that she had to go home tonight lest she raise suspicion, the only place her brother would expect her to go would be Regulus' and with Regulus back at Hogwarts as of last week, it would look a bit odd, if she didn't return home.

"Whilst we're on the subject, did you have to hit me hard?" Sirius asked a small smile on his lips.

"You said it'd look more convincing!" Marlene exclaimed before she realised that Sirius was joking. "Idiot," she whispered shaking her head. She was about to say more when a knock at the door.

The six friends jumped to their feet, all exchanging glances. They were all here, who were the expecting?

"And you can keep the necklace you gave me!" Marlene screamed making everyone jump. She placed her cup on the coffee table and stormed towards the door, yanking it open she stopped to look at who was blocking her entry.

"I'm not intruding am I?" Professor Albus Dumbledore asked his blue eyes twinkling.

Marlene blushed. "False alarm, folks," she said stepping aside to let the Headmaster of Hogwarts into the living area.

"That was quite a good save," Sirius approved as Marlene walked back to the couch after bringing forth another tea for Dumbledore.

"Only she's still wearing the necklace." Remus commented, he'd been completely silent since his previous comment about walking in on people.

"Ah, I had the whole thing worked out, I was going to open the door, see who it was, turn around rip of the necklace and depending on the person on the other side of the door either Disapparate or run down the stairs."

"Without, shoes, socks and with wet hair?" Remus supplied thoughtfully.

Marlene merely stuck her tongue out at their pale friend.

Dumbledore chuckled and sipped his tea.

"What are you doing here, Professor, don't you have some Head-Mastering to do?"

"I'm here to inform Sirius that the plan worked, your scene in the centre of London has caused quiet a stir, and of course what happened in the Leaky Cauldron helped as well."

"What happened in the Leaky Cauldron?" Marlene asked suspiciously.

"My version of what you're meant to be doing now," Sirius bragged and Marlene rolled her eyes.

"I tried to, then I ran away, look I'll cause a stir in Hogsmeade when I get back alright, maybe nip into the Three Broomsticks or something."

"I'm only teasing babe," Sirius said calming her down, with a soft kiss on her head.

Marlene just muttered incoherently.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I'm also doing the rounds to tell you of a new security measure we've decided to enforce, Marlene you'll probably hear about this tomorrow at work, and with everyone being here it makes my job easier. We're enforcing a security question, when somebody comes to the door, you ask them a question, that only the other person will know the answer to, for instance, my favourite type of jam is raspberry, of course if I was a Death Eater I would simply force myself to give me the answer before impersonating me, but you understand how it works."

"Questions only we know the answer to?" Lily repeated and Dumbledore nodded. "Is this to do with the Ministry finding out that the enemy could be using Polyjuice Potions?"

Marlene snorted. "I brought that to their attention last year, and they've only started to do something about it now? Gives you hope for the future of the ministry, I'm not being biased or anything but my father's replacement is a right d..."

"Ho hum," Dumbledore interrupted twiddling his thumbs and Marlene blushed.

"Sorry Professor."

"It's all right my dear, now if everyone has no questions, James is right, the school doesn't run itself. He smiled at the six young adults and stood up. "Thank you for the tea and you'd best get thinking of those questions, it's handy in case of an emergency, it's all right keeping a Death Eater on the front door step in the cold, whilst you think of a question, but loved ones won't think to kindly."

The six friends smiled and Marlene rose to show their old professor out. "I should be going too," she said returning to the centre of the room.

"Aw really?" Sirius exclaimed standing up and pulling her into a hug. "I miss you already, you be careful up there."

"Ah, none of that, you big lug," Marlene said playfully before she headed down the hall to pick up her shoes and bag. "I dumped you remember," she added returning into the living area stuffing her book and wand into her bag.

"I beg to differ," said Sirius with a smile and showing her the door. "For it was me who dumped you."

"Think again O Mangy Mutt," and with a smile to the remaining five friends and a blown kiss to Sirius she stepped over the threshold looked around and disappeared with a small POP.

A/N: Hello and if you have never read one of my fics, then welcome, to everyone who followed from Hard Times welcome back. So this allows me to expand without my story being way too long and people getting bored. I hope you enjoy and there is more to come :D