Author's Note: This one-shot is for everyone who asked for more Blackinnon over at A Magical Garden. While writing Chapter 19, I was suddenly struck with the idea for the story you are about to read. It takes place during the beginning of Chapter 19, when James and Lily are having their Valentine's Day date. It will also fill in a small hole in MG19, where it is mentioned that Sirius and Marlene disappeared for a while. I also wanted to put the kiss from MG17 into Marlene's point of view.

The characters and settings from the world of Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling. The situations are all mine.

Thank you for all your reviews, this one is for you! Enjoy some Blackinnon fun!

A Magical Garden: Curiosity Blooms

Marlene McKinnon absently pushed her long, pale blonde hair back from her face, allowing to fall where it will as she sauntered down Hogmeade's High Street, hardly noticing the shops she passed by. Boredom clouded her dark blue eyes and she wished beyond wished that she could go back to the castle.

Granted, she would be just as bored at the castle, but she could at least take a nap to pass her Saturday away before frantically finishing Monday's homework. She was exhausted from the extra Quidditch practices on top of her already overwhelming pre-N.E.W.T. workload. From the look of things, Gryffindor was going to be playing Ravenclaw in the Interhouse Quidditch Cup, and James Potter was adding practices whenever he could. Depending on how Ravenclaw fared against Slytherin the following Saturday, there was a lot of pressure on the team, and specifically on her as Seeker.

Marlene sighed and looked at her watch again, wincing at how little time had passed. She started to regret agreeing with her best friend, Dorcas Meadowes, when she asked if Marlene wanted to go shopping as the weather grew milder. She really did not need anything, but she liked to pick out clothes for her darkly beautiful and exotic comrade. They were joined by Emmeline Vance, and Marlene distracted herself by thinking about what she could get the mildly prudish bookworm to try on. Emma was without a doubt the prettiest girl in their year with her dark hair and eyes and perfect skin, and Marlene and Dorcas saw it as incredibly tragic that she preferred to bury her nose in a book than even think about the opposite sex.

Her thoughts were interrupted by raucous laughter, bringing her back to reality. Their other companions were the three remaining (and unattached) Marauders: Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black.

Sirius Black. The object of her curiosity since the previous summer, when she and Dorcas joined James and Sirius for a beach weekend in Devon. He lived with the Potters after a huge falling out with his blood-status-crazed family the summer he turned sixteen, but he did not ever talk about it. She only knew that the Potters were surrogate parents to him. She had been friends with James since they were children, but it was not until that weekend that she got close to Sirius. Or, at least close enough to call him "friend," instead of "James's friend who is a decent enough bloke as long as you aren't on the receiving end of a prank."

A definite upgrade. Shorter, as well.

While the Marauders were known as an attractive bunch (even Peter in his own reserved way, although the other three guys overshadowed him several times over), Sirius was something else. His hair was blue-black, like a starless night, and hung to his shoulders. His eyes were smoky grey and completely mesmerizing. When he was angry, those eyes were like molten steel. He was taller, taller than Marlene's five-foot-eight frame, but not as tall as James, who towered over their classmates (and his five-foot-five girlfriend). He was muscular, but not too big, and he just radiated strength and self-assurance.

If anyone was to ask Marlene if she had a crush on Sirius, she would honestly be able to answer in the negative. She was simply curious.

Yes, she was aware of what curiosity did to some cat of long ago, but she could not help it.

Sirius Black was fascinating.

Earlier in the school year, Dorcas, who has always had a good and friendly relationship with Sirius, confessed to having shagged him during that beach weekend. For sport. She had said that she just "wanted to see what the hype was all about."

That's Dorcas. She was a total slag, but Marlene still loved her. She wasn't afraid to dive right into something. If it ended badly, she turned it into a learning experience. As for sex with Sirius, she only said that the hype was "totally deserved," before switching gears to tease Lily about James and his own reputation in the bedroom.

Totally deserved? Marlene's curiosity had soared to new heights. Then, of course, in true Dorcas fashion, she never elaborated.

Over Christmas, during a silly game of spin the bottle, Marlene was able to get a little taste of the hype when she had to kiss Sirius. It only whet her appetite, and took her curiosity even farther.

Then, one night, to relieve some school-driven stress, the girls and the Marauders sneaked into the Hogwarts kitchens for ice cream, and Sirius had put ice cream on Marlene's nose. He had licked it off before she could acquire a napkin, and Marlene had seized an opportunity.

"Oh, Black, you'll have to do better than that."

She did not wait for him to register her words before she pounced. Sirius was stunned, not realizing she was kissing him for perhaps no more than a second. Then it could not be denied that he was kissing her back. Something sparked inside Marlene, something she recognized as desire. Pure, unadulterated desire. She drank him in like a fine wine. His hair was softer than she had imagined, and she weaved her fingers through it, both clinging and pulling him closer. In the back of her mind, she was aware of her friends watching them, awestruck, but she did not care. She had to have more. Sirius nipped at the corner of her mouth, and she allowed him more access. Heat curled in the pit of her stomach and she could not stop, and it did not seem that Sirius was going to, either. Somewhere, as though from miles away, she heard James say something. His voice was like diving into cold water. Her ardor calmed, her heart rate steadied, and she broke the kiss. Feigning nonchalance, she picked up her ice cream spoon and pretended nothing had happened. She could see that Sirius did not move, and his eyes were wide and nearly black with passion.

"Duty noted," he murmured, and Marlene felt the corner of her mouth twitch into a half-smile.

That kiss, that incredibly passionate kiss, did nothing to soothe her curiosity. Marlene heard one of her brother's voice in her head, saying, "Be careful, Marley. If you play with fire, you will get burned."

As the youngest of five, and the only girl, Marlene was heavily protected by her band of blond brothers. It caused her to act out. She was not the innocent little angel they wanted her to be, but she was careful. They had once said that Dorcas was a bad influence on their baby sister. Of course, they were right, but that did not stop Marlene. The two of them were quite the pair. Respectable and wicked, all at the same time.

Bring on the matches.

She felt Sirius's arm brush her own while they browsed through the aisles of Honeydukes, but not really seeing the sweets that lined the shelves. Peter, Remus, Emma, and Dorcas were nearer to the back of the shop. Every so often, she could hear Dorcas's infectious laughter ring out over the din.

"You look as though you are on another planet, McKinnon," he whispered.

She blinked a few times to clear her thoughts and focus again on the present. "I am nearly bored to tears."

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Marlene aimed an enigmatic smile at him, thinking about where her thoughts had been heading. "Oh, you would need more than a penny to hear those, Black." She turned with the intent to join Dorcas, Emma, and the remaining Marauders.

Sirius stepped in front of her, halting her progress. "I have recently come into quite the inheritance, so I have a few pennies to spare."

Marlene raised one eyebrow. Ah, so that was his game. Flirting?

Clumsy flirting, sure, with talk of his fortune (he knew money did not matter to her, as her family had plenty of their own), but he was successful in a way that only Sirius could be.

Well, two could play that game, and she was a more than worthy opponent. She crossed her arms, knowing what the motion did to her chest, as well as to the neckline of her blouse. "How do you know you want to hear my thoughts? Perhaps you would run screaming to Remus?"

Sirius rolled his shoulders back. "I am not afraid of anything, McKinnon."

"Aren't you?" she replied with a half smile.

He flashed her a bright smile, and she could see how other girls would normally swoon at the sight. But, Marlene McKinnon was not "other girls," and she was not attracted to Sirius. She was curious.

Okay, so she was a little attracted to Sirius. He was gorgeous and incredibly virile. And she was only human.

"I sense a wager coming on," he said.

"Do you, now?" Marlene queried. She lowered her voice and leaned toward him. "Do you think to frighten me?"

His eyes sparkled. "Why do I have the feeling you are not afraid of much, Marlene McKinnon?"

"I have four older brothers. The men I speak to have more to fear than I ever would."

He let out a bark of laughter that was so typically Sirius. "Why don't we see how brave you are at the Shrieking Shack?"

"Oh, the 'most haunted place in Britain' that no one had ever heard of until about, what, fifteen years ago?"

"Something like that." Sirius turned and pushed open the door, a secretive smile on his too-handsome face. "What do you say?"

Marlene hesitated. She heard the stories about the Shack. She had even heard the screams firsthand (she had sneaked out with Dorcas one night of their fourth year). She would be lying if she said that she had no fear of that place. But, possessing four older brothers, she could never back down from a challenge. This was what caused her to give a pointed look at Sirius and cross the threshold into the street.

"What are the terms?" she asked.

"Terms?" Somehow she knew that Sirius knew exactly what she was talking about, but was being deliberately obtuse.

"You mentioned a wager."

"I did, didn't I?" He was silent. "How about this. If you make it into the house, I have to give you whatever you want."

"Whatever I want?" Intriguing.

"Whatever you want."

"And if I don't make it farther than the front garden? Which is incredibly unlikely, I may add."

Sirius shrugged her off. "You get me whatever I want."

"It's a fair cop." They shook hands and walked briskly to the outskirts of the village, where the old shack sat on a hill. The trees and grass surrounding it were dead and decayed, even when summer was in full swing. Hogwarts castle decorated the horizon behind it. It was strange. The sun was high in the sky, and there was only a thin layer of cloud cover, yet everything seemed to grow darker as they approached the end of the lane.

There was a tattered, broken down fence surrounding the lot, and Sirius swept the gate open with a flourish. Marlene laughed and passed him, leading the way toward the creaking set of stairs that led to a front door that was barely hanging on its hinges. She did not even check to see if Sirius was behind her before stepping inside.

It was surprisingly silent inside except for the sound of the wind coming through the broken windowpanes. The furniture was mostly broken, and there were odd scratches on many of the walls. A thin layer of dust laid on most surfaces, but only in sections on the floor, as though something had been dragged across it. A shiver traveled down Marlene's spine.

"I must say I am impressed."

Marlene started. She did not even hear Sirius come up behind her. Spinning around, she was surprised to see him mere inches from her. She could feel the heat coming off of him, smell his cologne.

Her curiosity spiked.

Expertly pacing her breathing to sound as normal as possible, Marlene looked up at him through her lashes. He was just looking down at her with the slightest trace of a smile on his lips. She allowed her eyes to appraise his form, noting the unsteady rate of his breathing and the racing pulse in his throat. He was trying rather valiantly to feign unaffected. His hands were flexing, as though restraining from grabbing hold of something, and she was aware of other physical reactions that brought the faintest trace of color to her cheeks. She raised her eyes and blue eyes boldly met grey.

"For the record, I did not plan this," Sirius said, sounding vaguely haggard, and within moments, she was in his arms and his lips came down to meet hers.

The kiss was not gentle or romantic. It was frantic. It was a kiss of desperation. It was as though if he did not kiss her at that moment, his whole world would fall apart.

And she was curious, and she was feeding off his passion, so she kissed him back with everything she had. When his tongue traced the line of her lower lip, she allowed him entry, and she tasted him in return. He broke away, and trailed kisses down her long neck and into the hollow at the base of her throat. She heard him whisper her name, felt his breath on her skin, and she was undone.

Curiosity be damned, this was primal.

She allowed herself to be guided into another room and to be pressed back onto a table. The surface was not as dusty as many other surfaces in the room, as though it was recently used, but she forgot the oddity as Sirius worked his magic.

Suddenly, the February chill was gone from the air. She was hot, and getting hotter. She started tearing at their clothing, letting her instincts take over. There was a part of her mind that wanted, no, needed to feel his skin against hers.

Sirius paused and grabbed her hands to top them in their quest to undo the buttons of his shirt and gave her a questioning glance.

"Anything I wanted, right?" she reminded him. His response was only to kiss her again as their clothes rained onto the floor.

Their breaths mingled, and their hearts beat as one. They were one. Marlene gasped his name and Sirius began to move against her. She wrapped her long legs around his and pulled his face to hers, taking his mouth again in another fiery kiss.

It felt like an eternity to Marlene. An infinite sweetness where reality did not matter, only feelings and that everlasting moment. Her skin was on fire, and the feel of Sirius's muscular back beneath her fingers was like a drug. She felt as though she was soaring into the heavens, approaching a sort of precipice. All she could see was Sirius. With their gazes locked, sapphire blue to silvery grey, their worlds exploded at once into a thousand stars, their cries blending.

For some time, could have been a minute or an hour, neither could tell, they lied there, Sirius wrapped in Marlene's arms. After a while, a breeze blew through the Shack and she shivered, bringing them both back to reality. Sirius planted a soft kiss on the tip of her nose, got to his feet, and started to walk about the room, collecting the various articles of clothing that were scattered about. Marlene stared unabashedly.

She was curious, after all.

Sirius was an amazing model of the human form, in Marlene's opinion (or in the opinion of the entire female population, and likely much of the male, of the student body of Hogwarts). Muscular and slender, he had just enough scars to add a bit of danger to him. He also had a few tattoos, that Marlene mentally catalogued for later as Dorcas would take nothing less when she relayed this tale. Absently, as she reclined on the tabletop completely at ease with herself and her nudity, she wondered why he never joined the house Quidditch team. He was clearly an athlete, anyone could see that (even with his clothes on), yet he never showed any interest in the popular sport. Could it have had something to do with Regulus? Maybe to allow his brother to take all the Quidditch-related attention, or perhaps to not have to interact with him on the Pitch. He avoided the younger Black as much as he could, already. She was curious, as she usually was where Sirius was concerned, but not enough to ask.

This was not the time, at any rate.

After passing her clothing to her, he began to dress, and she followed suit. When they were nearly finished, Sirius broke the silence.

"Well, that was interesting."

Marlene laughed good-naturedly. "We are both known for being rather impulsive."

"Do you think this changes things?"

She paused in tying her trainers and thought about that. Did it change things? Well, of course it did. People did not just do what they did without anything changing. But, she did not think it changed things in the way he was probably asking. She smiled at him in a comfortable way, as though the world at that moment made perfect sense. "No. I don't think so. I mean, we aren't going to be running off into a broom cupboard at every opportunity, and I know neither of us are interested in anything serious right now."

"Very true."

"Things are different now, yes, but not very. It is like with you and Dorcas-"

Sirius sighed and looked heavenward, "Why am I not surprised you know about that?"

Marlene smirked at him, "Well, you shouldn't be. The four of us tell each other everything."

"So Em and Lily know, too?"

Her smile widened. "Yes, but that is not the point. The point is, you two shagged and are still friends. I don't that being an issue with us. We've known each other since we were kids."

He smiled brightly, in total agreement. Things were not going to be strained between them, despite what happened. If anything, they were closer than ever. "We should probably get back to the castle and meet the others there. They've probably noticed we've gone."

While they walked back to the castle, Sirius had his hands in his pockets, and his stance was completely relaxed. Marlene could not remember feeling better, either. She was completely free of her previous stress. They walked in companionable silence to the tall iron gates. They were just about to climb the stairs leading from the Entrance Hall when he spoke again.

"So, Marles, are you going to tell the girls?"

She turned to him and flashed her most dazzling smile. "You're damned right I am going to tell them!"

Sirius could only laugh.

Author's Note #2: There you are! I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading and reviewing A Magical Garden, and I will be adding more one-shots to it. Love you, all!