A/N PLEASE READ This is an idea that's been playing on my mind for a while now. I was going to at least finish part one of Will It Ever End before I posted this but there's only 10 more chapters left of that story so I thought I'd get a head start on the next one.

Basically, I've played around with the relationships a bit; this fic will be longer and slightly darker than my others which is why I've upped the rating. It wont be too explicit but its better to be safe than sorry. I WILL WARN WHEN A CHAPTER HAS SLIGHTLY TORTUROUS SCENES IN IT so just keep an eye out for that announcement. Other than that, I don't think there's anything else other than "Don't worry, I love blackinnon." Just remember to keep that in mind.

Disclaimer - THIS IS NOT MINE! EXCEPT MAYBE PARTS OF THE PLOT... AND THE ODD CHARACTER...BUT APART FROM THAT IT'S ALL JO'S Xx

Song Lyrics: Broken Glass - Jack Savoretti

Broken Glass

Chapter One: 27th August 1976

"Broken glass on the floor by my bed,

Lying next to books

I've never even read."

Lily sat in Marlene's back garden, breathing in the smell of freshly cut grass and cooking food in the evening warmth. The sun was beginning to dip lower towards the horizon but the air was humid, just the occasional breeze to cool the five girls all hanging around the smoking BBQ.

Lily's long red hair hung down over the back of her chair and the book she had been reading was lying on her lap, her fingers lodged between the pages marking her progress.

"I've got burgers, sausages and bread," Marlene stood over the barbeque wielding a long pronged fork dangerously. Her blonde curls were pulled back from her freckled face in a ponytail and she wore a light blue checked shirt which matched her blue eyes perfectly. She grinned at them all, showing the dimples in her cheeks and waved the threatening instrument in the air happily. "Ladies, would you place your orders?"

"Shotgun the burger," Dorcas Meadowes said instantly. She sat up straight as Marlene handed her a paper plate and pulled her brown hair over one shoulder before turning and adding "pass the bread, Al."

Alice Prewett, the smallest member of their group with a pixie face and short, spiky hair chucked a bun at her friend with surprisingly good aim. It hit Dorcas in the face and everyone except Lily snorted with laughter.

Mary McDonald, tall and sarcastic, with cropped, wavy strawberry blonde hair looked up at Marlene. "I'll take the sausage," she said with just the tiniest hint of suggestiveness to her voice. "With extra sauce," she added, waggling her eyebrows.

Marlene laughed and squirted way too much sauce over the two sausages. "You can always go back for seconds," she told Mary who winked back. Marlene then spun to face Lily, "what do you fancy Red?"

"Burger would be nice thank you," Lily said quietly.

Marlene sent her an encouraging smile as she handed her the plate. Lily was grateful for the kindness Marlene had shown her these past few weeks because she still didn't feel completely at ease with the other Gryffindor sixth year girls. This was mainly due to the fact that she'd always devoted all her time to hanging out with Severus before now. It had been nearly two months since their last conversation outside the Fat Lady's portrait in June and Lily had found herself faced with the task of having to form stronger bonds with the girls or risk spending the last two years of Hogwarts alone. Not that she was reluctant to do so; it was refreshing to have some female company and it was much more fun than hanging out with Severus had been but it was daunting still, even after spending the majority of the holidays with them, to enter on this group of fully formed friendships so late in the game because she'd never made the effort before. Before her, the dynamics had been obvious to everyone; Marlene and Mary were as close as sisters and did nearly everything together – they even dated the Prewett twins Fabian and Gideon. Dorcas and Alice were the other pair; they were the complete opposite of each other but seemed to click. Lily was plainly the outsider but they had accepted her graciously with Marlene's encouraging.

"You know, I'm actually looking forward to going back to school," Marlene mused as she finished off her food and chucked the paper plate onto the table. "If anything, just to go back to eating that amazing food those legendary house-elves cook up."

"I was under the impression it was so you could see that hot boyfriend of yours," Dorcas said bluntly. "When did they get back from Brazil?"

At the mention of Fabian, Marlene shifted uncomfortably in her seat but her face remained easy as she said, "they get back tomorrow."

Dorcas sighed wistfully and shook her head, not seeming to have noticed the change in Marlene's demeanour. "I don't know how you two snapped them up so quickly; they're nearly on the same level as Black."

Lily definitely noticed Marlene's lips thin this time. "Sirius Black is arrogant, which instantly makes him lower down than Fabian."

Dorcas blinked and raised her hands in surrender, "okay, okay, I was just making a point."

"Have you heard from James at all this summer?" Alice said, quickly changing the subject.

Marlene paused, still frowning. "A bit," she said finally. "He's been quite quiet this summer, although he's written loads to Red, hasn't he?"

Lily sighed in exasperation. True enough, she'd received many letters from her unwanted admirer. She had even replied to a couple, hoping he might be satisfied and grow bored but no, of course that had only fuelled him in his conquest. Out loud, she just said "Potter doesn't seem to understand the meaning of 'leave well alone'."

"Of course he doesn't!" Mary laughed. "He always seems to get exactly what he wants...well, except you, that is." She shot a look at Lily who shrugged, grimacing.

"I bet he's Quidditch Captain this year," Alice stated confidently.

"He is," both Marlene and Lily said at the same time.

Everyone except Marlene looked at Lily with raised eyebrows, obviously inquiring to know how Lily had heard this information.

Lily shrugged uncomfortably, "It was in one of his letters to me – I don't know, the information must have stuck somehow."

"What other revelation do you have for us?" Dorcas asked curiously but Lily could tell she was being mocked slightly.

"Nothing –"

"Tell them Lily," Marlene said seriously, actually using her proper name other than 'Red' – which was what she'd been calling Lily all summer.

Lily sighed heavily and looked at everyone's intrigued faces. "I'm going to try to be nice to Potter this year."

Now all the stares turned incredulous.

"James Potter?" Alice asked slowly as if trying to affirm it. "You're going to be nice to James Potter?"

Lily nodded, trying to look more confident than she actually felt. She didn't want to tell them the real reason she'd decided this. The girls often hung around with the marauders – they were in the same year, same house. Marlene and Potter had known each other practically all their lives and considered each other family and Lily had also heard that Dorcas had been corresponding with Remus Lupin, one of the four. In order to fit in properly, Lily needed to make an attempt to not get irritated by their ringleader. She hoped this would be a slightly easier feat considering she was no longer friends with Severus, but she still expected it to be a challenge.

"Alright," Dorcas said, exchanging a look with Alice. "If you're sure about it, what harm comes from trying, right?"

"Exactly," Marlene said encouragingly. "I think it's really good that you're going to try and be the bigger person in this...little feud."

"I don't think it's ever been 'little', Mars," Mary said humorously.

"I was paraphrasing!" Marlene shot back, sending her friend a look that clearly said she wasn't being helpful.

That was when their party was crashed by two unwelcome visitors.

"Wide awake in this mess that I've made

Everything I've taken,

You're the one who paid."

James could honestly say he had no intention of crashing Marlene's evening barbeque party until Sirius had nagged him into it. The thought of what Marlene might do to him if she was unhappy with their arrival kept him arguing his point for a good twenty minutes but eventually he gave in, knowing that Sirius was never going to back down and that his best mate was in need of constant distractions after he'd turned up on James's doorstep at the beginning of summer, beaten and bruised. He'd already bought a motorbike and had disappeared for days on end and James was not keen to repeat that phase. A distraction in the form of Marlene McKinnon's endless bickering was what Sirius appeared to need, so that's how he found himself outside Marlene's front door.

"Maybe we shouldn't, Pads," he said cautiously, stopping Sirius from knocking on the door.

Sirius snorted and pulled his arm from James's grip. "Don't be such a pussy, Prongs – McKinnon will love it. Plus a little birdie told me Evans is in there." He reached up and rapped his knuckles against the red-painted wood before James could protest.

The door opened and Nathaniel McKinnon stood on the threshold, looking down at them with his usual disapproving face that James knew was directed mostly at Sirius. Marlene's older brother was a year above them in Ravenclaw. He was very similar to Marlene in looks, less so in character. Both had golden curls and shockingly blue eyes with round faces covered in freckles. However, based on personality, James knew Marlene would always top Nathan. She was bubbly and open whereas Nathan was the ideal Ravenclaw; studious and not very witty.

"Black, Potter," he greeted them cautiously. "Marlene's got friends over so –"

"Yes, that'll be us," Sirius interrupted, sidestepping Nathan into the house, ignoring the older boy's protests and heading for the glass doors that led to the back garden.

Unwilling to be left alone with an angry Nath who was grinding his teeth so hard, James could actually hear them, he sent him an apologetic look and hurried after Sirius, towards the smell of burgers.

"For fuck's sake!" Marlene was already annoyed by the time he got there. She was standing in front of Sirius and brandishing a large and dangerous looking utensil inches from his face although he looked not the least bit intimidated and was smirking at her. "Why are you two here?"

James shot her a sheepish grin, "surprise!" he said weakly.

Marlene huffed loudly and turned away, gesturing towards the leftover food. "I guess you're hungry," she said grudgingly. "Help yourselves, we're done eating."

Sirius grinned triumphantly and sprang towards the food, exclaiming happily "and that is why I love you McKinnon!"

Marlene shot him a scowl, "whatever Black."

"Don't let her boyfriend hear you say that," Mary added quietly.

James, who hadn't thought much of this comment, was surprised to see Sirius shoot a glare in Mary's direction and even more when Marlene shuffled her feet uncomfortably, almost like she was finding the situation very awkward. James pursed his lips and said nothing. Whatever problems Marlene and Fabian were having, James was staying far out of it. He just hoped Sirius had the same sense to do so as well. Relationships could get real messy when a third party got involved.

In the meantime however, James got slightly side-tracked as he caught sight of a flash of fiery-red hair that he knew instantly belonged to Lily Evans. Without a second glance, he left Sirius to go and throw himself into what appeared to be Marlene's empty chair (located conveniently close to Lily's). "Evening Evans," he started. There, that was polite enough. Hostilities this early in the game were rare so he wasn't surprised when she glanced up at him and nodded. He was shocked however, when she folded down the corner of her page, closed her book and said pleasantly, "hello Potter."

James gaped in astonishment for so long that Lily actually giggled. She giggled... at him? James tried to ground his mind slightly by listening to Sirius who had started up a debate with Dorcas about the possibility that Dumbledore wore socks and sandals under his robes or just walked around barefoot. Sirius was convinced that their headmaster was secretly part of the hippie "flower power" movement that was gripping the Wizarding world.

"You know, that comes from Muggles," Lily mused. Apparently she'd also been listening. "That fashion died out in the early 70s. Wizards have only just caught on."

James wasn't sure why, but that statement made him laugh. When Lily frowned at him, obviously thinking that he was laughing at her, he shook his head. "We always think ourselves so superior to Muggles and yet, Muggles can think up things like that – it's hilarious."

Lily smiled. It was a very small smile and it was still wary but James could see that she was starting to relax. It was like June had never happened. James smiled back, satisfied that she seemed to be warming up to him now that Snivellus was out of her life. He settled down in his seat to watch Sirius who was fighting a losing battle with Dorcas and Alice. Marlene was chatting with Mary, occasionally sending distracted glances towards her arguing friends. Lily had returned to her book in silence which James found very comfortable. He wished that Remus and Pete were here as well but Pete was on a family holiday in Australia and Remus had been dragged into visiting his aunt with his mother.

Sirius, he was pleased to see, had found a distraction in the form of Dumbledore's socks (or lack of).

"What's the bet that he'll be wearing a flowery hat at the feast?" Sirius asked, leaning back on his hands and surveying Dorcas from his spot on the grass, daring her to rise to the challenge.

He needn't have worried; Dorcas was a true Gryffindor and jumped to take the bet instantly. "I bet you five Galleons he isn't," she said without hesitation.

They shook hands, much to James's amusement. He thought it would be hilarious if Dumbledore turned up to the feast in a complete flower getup. He also had an idea that his headmaster was coming to his house in a few days to see his father. James's mind was already whirring with possible ideas of how he might intercept Dumbledore and ask him a favour.

"Forget what I have done,

Sometimes I've lost you,

Sometimes I've won."

Marlene made her way into the parlour for some Butterbeer. They had decided to have a small party since they were there and it was the end of the holidays.

She was rummaging around in the cupboard, searching for the stash of Butterbeer bottles there, also hoping she might come across a bottle of Firewhiskey while she was at it when arms snaked around her waist and lips were pressed to the pressure point in the side of her neck.

Marlene instantly knew who it was from the smell of cigarette smoke and aftershave. Fabian didn't smoke. She spun around and gave Sirius a light shove backwards that didn't do much to push him away.

"What the hell are you thinking?" she hissed at him, eyes darting around the room nervously but there was no one there that she could see.

Sirius shrugged, a mischievous look entering his eyes that Marlene didn't like at all. "I wasn't really," he grinned and moved towards her, too fast for her to stop him and captured her lips with his.

Marlene shoved him again, harder this time and glared at him. "You need to stop doing this Black – we need to stop."

A frown creased Sirius's forehead. "Why?"

"I have a boyfriend!" Marlene hissed loudly, "a boyfriend who is coming back from holiday tomorrow! We need to stop this –" she indicated the small space between them, "– whatever this is, it's not fair on anyone; me, you and especially not Fabian."

Sirius narrowed his eyes, apparently cottoning on to where the conversation was going. "You keep saying that Marlene, and this keeps happening. There's obviously more problems with your relationship than you want to admit."

"Stop talking!" Marlene snapped, raising a hand. "Mary is already suspicious and if she says anything to Gideon then it'll be me that's dragged through the dirt Sirius, not you." She looked down at the floor and added quietly, "and besides, I don't want to hurt him."

"You do that all the time Marlene!" Sirius snapped, cutting her off and looking angry. "You've been doing it all summer, even if he doesn't know it – it doesn't matter, the damage is already done. If you really don't want to hurt him, end it now –"

"Don't you dare presume to tell me anything about relationships Sirius, it's not like you're an expert on the subject."

There was a stunned silence where Marlene looked up at Sirius, suddenly wondering if she'd crossed some sort of line. Then, as she watched, something in his eyes switched and pushed her against the wall, none too gently, and crashed his lips down on hers.

Marlene could've said she tried to push him away but that would've been a lie. In truth she did give him one feeble push, momentarily worried that someone might walk in and see them. Sirius however bit down on her bottom lip, making her gasp in shock and allow his tongue entry to her mouth. In an instant, she'd forgotten about Fabian and the disgrace kissing Sirius Black could bring down on her and she let herself get swallowed up in the fire and passion and the raw need of him.

In the end, it was him that eventually broke the kiss and moved a step away. He caught her chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes as he said firmly, "look at me Marlene, and tell me he makes you feel like that."

Marlene stared at him for a long moment as reality came crashing back and with it, her reasons for staying away from Sirius. She couldn't tell him the truth and risk whatever might come of her saying the words out loud. So she lied. "He does," she said quietly, trying to sound confident.

Sirius's hand dropped to his side instantly but he looked down at her and smiled and there was no trace of surrender in his face, if anything, he looked more determined. "You're lying," he said confidently. The words would've sounded childish except for the basic fact that she knew he was right. Of course, Marlene couldn't tell him that, so she just watched him leave.

After he'd gone, Marlene slid down the wall to sit on the floor and try to pull herself together but her mind was whirling out of control.

Fabian was her boyfriend; he was kind and gentle and a place she could to when everything was getting her down but he wasn't perfect – she didn't expect him to be either.

Sirius on the other hand was damaged goods; he was fire and ice, full of fight and passion and he made her knees feel weak. Could someone love more than one person? Marlene shook her head to clear that absurd thought; she didn't love Sirius, he just made her feel alive. But he also made her feel alone. She wasn't sure if she loved Fabian either – he was comfort and safety but a part of her strived for the wildness of Sirius Black. Marlene just didn't know how strong that side was.

The doorbell rang and Marlene was faced with the prospect of having to go and answer it. Especially after Nathan yelled down the stairs, "I'm not getting that!"

Marlene glared towards the top of the staircase where she could just make out her brother's shadow on the landing. Realising he wasn't going to budge on the matter of who answered the door, she made a rude hand gesture towards his general direction. It might have been childish but it made her feel better.

Sliding back the latch, Marlene pulled the door wide and stared in shock at the two people standing on her doorstep.

"Surprise!" Fabian and Gideon said in unison.

Marlene gaped, "what are you doing here?"

"Jeeze, don't look so pleased to see us!" Gideon scoffed, "is Mary out back – cool, I'll see you in a bit." He disappeared, leaving Marlene with her boyfriend.

"So when did you get back?" Marlene started cautiously.

Fabian ignored the wariness of her tone and pulled her into a hug, "This morning, we thought we'd come and surprise you."

"Well consider me surprised!" Marlene laughed and relaxed into the hug. She hadn't realised how much she'd missed Fabian over the summer. He'd been in South America all holidays and she hadn't seen him in a month. "I've missed you," she said quietly into his shoulder.

Fabian grinned and kissed her briefly but affectionately. "And I missed you Marley," he said. "You'll have to catch me up on everything that's happened."

Marlene didn't answer this. There was so much that had changed since she'd last seen him, she didn't know if she would know where to start. "Well," she started slowly as they started walking towards the back entrance to the garden. "Dad left..."

Fabian paused to shoot her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry," he said. "That sucks, but maybe it's for the best."

Marlene was silent. He really didn't know anything.

"Just let me do

Everything I can

Cause everything I do is for you."

The day really wasn't shaping out the way he wanted, Sirius pondered as he sat and brooded in his chair. Not only had the twins arrived a day early, they had come straight here. Sirius had assumed he'd get one more day, one more day of breaking the rules he'd set up for himself. Top of that list had always been; don't have any romantic attachments to any of the Gryffindor girls, it will only get awkward later on. Looks like that hadn't lasted particularly long but Sirius found that he didn't care anymore. Marlene was lying to him, she was lying to herself and that frustrated him more than he'd ever care to admit. He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when he'd started to notice Marlene more but he could name the exact moment when they'd started their little fling – after his parents had thrown him out, he'd turned up at James's house and Marlene had been staying there for a few days to get away from her parents who were going through a fairly violent divorce. Fabian had been away on holiday and Marlene, it seemed, had needed someone just as much as Sirius had.

It was now over a month later and Sirius couldn't help finding excuses to bump into her again and again. Nothing she said seemed to sway him, in fact, it did the opposite. The more she insisted they needed to stay away from each other, the more they seemed to run into each other and it always ended the same way.

In need of a distraction, Sirius decided to tease Dorcas, who was currently staring at Mary and Gideon who were engaging in a very affectionate reunion.

"Missing Remus are we, Meadowes?" he jibbed lightly, trying to get a reaction out of her.

She just shot him a dirty look as Alice chuckled. Dorcas was way too superior to let Sirius see anything beside the turn of her lip in disgust. Sirius was perfectly comfortable in their mutual mistrust and dislike of each other. She put up with him because she had to and he put up with her because she was a Gryffindor and that made her worthy in the eyes of the marauders. He didn't have to like her. Remus on the other hand seemed to like her, based on the fact that he'd been in constant correspondence with her all summer. They had only found out who the endless stream of letters was to because Peter had stolen one before Remus could post it and had promptly dropped it in shock upon seeing who it was addressed to. Sirius sighed. He wished the other two marauders were here, it wouldn't feel like such a couple's fest if they were. Even if Remus paired off with Dorcas (the traitor) Sirius would still have Pete.

To take his mind of yet another thing – the idea of couples was depressing – Sirius turned to Alice, the only person here whose other half wasn't with them. He liked Alice, respected her even. She was small but ferocious enough that she'd managed to keep the marauders on their toes for a long time. She was also the Prewett twin's cousin and that afforded her a status in Hogwarts that Sirius could sympathize with. He hated the feeling of having to live up to other people's expectations but Alice had done pretty well for herself. "So Prewett, is Meadowes secretly dating our friend Moony?"

Alice laughed. "I wouldn't tell you even if I knew."

"That just means yes," Sirius said triumphantly. "I never thought he'd be your type Dorky, he's a bit too... you know, sensitive?"

Dorcas snorted in an unattractive way. "I wouldn't expect you to get it Black; it's not exactly your strong point is it?"

Sirius threw his hands up in the air, "and here it is again! Sirius doesn't know two things about relationships so he won't understand!"

"You said it, not me," Dorcas smirked, appearing satisfied that shed ousted him. However, Sirius was not one to back own without a fight.

"I might not know much about relationships Meadowes, but I know quite a bit about our dear friend Moony."

Dorcas pursed her lips and Sirius knew he'd won as soon as she muttered "stuff you, Black." Once insults were exchanged, it was usually the end of the argument with her.

"That wasn't nice," Alice muttered to him as Dorcas shot one last glare in Sirius's direction before going to join Marlene, who to Sirius's delight was looking a bit miffed at being left alone with Fabian.

Sirius glanced back at her before shrugging. He'd never cared to save Dorcas's feelings before, he didn't know why he should now. She was tough. Tougher than most girls he knew.

"She does actually like him, you know," Alice said quietly. "So don't be too harsh. It's a bit of a touchy subject at the moment."

"Why?" Sirius frowned, puzzled. Last time he'd seen Remus; his friend had been pretty pleased with how things were going.

Alice looked around and lowered her voice even more. "Well it was all going well as far as I heard, the last week they met up and he was all funny with her. That sort of thing can be really upsetting and it's got to her."

Sirius grimaced. He should've guessed this would happen at some point. Remus would get cold feet and guilty about his many secrets he was keeping and things would go downhill from there, it was a familiar pattern that Sirius had seen his friend go through more than once.

Alice seemed to sense that he knew more than he was letting on but she just pursed her lips and said warningly. "If you say anything to anyone, I'll personally hunt you down, you got me?"

Despite her height, Alice was intimidating. Sirius nodded, agreeing not to breathe a word of their conversation to anyone, especially not Remus. Sirius thought he might mention something to his mate though, just to push him in the right direction. After all, this was Dorcas Meadowes they were talking about here and while she might not be Sirius's type, she was probably more than Remus would ever dream of getting.

So yeah, I will be doing a 5 review before next chapter thing but I thought I'd get the first couple up before I got serious about that. I hope you've all enjoyed and if you do review, know they'll be up significantly faster! :)