Hey everyone. This story was written for Autumn Seasonal Challenges Thread's Day's of the Year, Fortnightly Challenges Thread's Leaf Pile Challenge, and The Return of the Chocolate Frog Cards on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For Day's of the Year I used the prompt for December 13th 2018 - Ice Cream Day: Setting; Fortescue's. For Leaf Pile Challenge I used the Green (settings) Diagon Alley. For The Return of the Chocolate Frog Cards I used the (Silver) Marlene McKinnon card and the prompt was to write about Marlene McKinnon. I hope you all enjoy Memories of Marlene.
Sirius remembers one of the last dates he had with Marlene. It wasn't anything special and he didn't go hog wild on the spending like he usually did. But he was sure that she had enjoyed herself. Or at least he hoped that she had.
It had been a beautiful summer day a few days before his godson Harry had been born. He and Marlene had spent most of it at James and Lily's house knowing that Lily could have the baby at any minute. They being named the godparents didn't want to miss out on the birth of their godson. But when the baby didn't arrive by dinner time James politely, or as polite as he could, told them to go and at least get dinner.
"What do you want to do for dinner?" Sirius had asked Marlene.
Marlene stopped in thought. She had only one thing on her mind and it wasn't exactly dinner. She smirked up at Sirius as she stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek.
"You know what I could really go for right now?" she asked in a whisper.
"What's that?" Sirius chuckled.
"Floerean Fortescue's Ice cream," she murmured against his lips as she kissed him.
"Well," he held out his hand to her, "if that is what the lady wants. Then that is what the lady will get."
He spun he gently around as the two of them wondered towards the fireplace of Lily and James' house. Marlene had Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron first and Sirius had followed after pretty quickly. He found Marlene giggling like a mad woman waiting for him to arrive.
"What's got you so giggly today, Miss McKinnon?" Sirius remembers asking her.
"What a girl can't be giddy to be getting ice cream with her man?" was the prompt reply as she continued to giggle. She took his hand and lead Sirius out to alleyway that lead to Diagon Alley. Her smile that night had been the brightest he had ever seen it. It could have even out shined the sun that was in the sky.
Tapping the bricks to let them into Diagon Alley Sirius smiled back at her. An idea hit him like a ton of bricks to the head. "I've got an idea," he exclaimed excitedly. "We race. The first one to get to Fortescue's Ice Parlor picks the ice cream flavor. The loser buys for both. Deal?" He held out his hand.
"You are so on," Marlene shook his hand and ran off down the street giggling like a mad woman.
Sirius was struck dumb for a minute and realized that he would rather listen to her giggle and laugh like this than win any race. Even though he was the one to suggest the race. A few minutes of running later he caught up with but enough so that he actually won the race. Then again it wasn't like Marlene needed him to throw the race. She was pretty fast in her own right. It's what made her one of the better Aurrors in the office.
"I won," she crowed happily giggled like a small child now.
"I know," Sirius replied with a small smile. "Now what flavor ice cream are we having, babe?"
Marlene thought for a few seconds before walking up to the counter and smiling at the boy behind it.
"What can get for you, sir, ma'am?" asked the young boy who must have been one of the owners grandchildren. "Our ice cream of the day is a blue raspberry swirled with cherry."
Marlene smiled a little at Sirius and then turned to boy. "We'll have two pumpkin spice ice cream sundaes," she told him. "With whipped cream, hot fudge, cherries, and raspberries, please."
"Coming right up," the boy said also throwing out the price afterwards.
Sirius paid the boy as Marlene walked over to an open table nearby. He watched her smiling as she waited for him to join her. If he'd have known what would happen in a few months time he'd have stood there and watched her forever. Or at least he'd have tried to. But not being able to do that he walked over and joined her at the table.
They talked about everything and nothing all at once. Most of all they about being made godparents to Lily and James' son. Sirius wanted to ask her then and there to marry him. He knows that she'd have said and if she'd have said she wouldn't have been in the damn house when those Death Eaters came and killed her entire family. Marlene included.
"You alright, Padfoot?" he hears Moony ask from next to him.
Sirius shakes his head as he goes down on his knees in tears over Marlene McKinnon's grave. Sirius feels Remus pull into a hug as though he was in a fog. He doesn't pull away but he knows he doesn't want to feel right now. He doesn't want to be aware of anything but his memories of her. His Marlene.
I hope you all enjoyed Memories of Marlene.