EPIC EXCHANGE: For accioweasleys. Sirius/Marlene

Entry for "History of Magic" at "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments)"

Task: I would like you to write about a character visiting Hogsmeade, focusing on a holiday. Min 600 words. Prompt: Honeydukes

Entry for the "Sims 3 Progression Challenge"

Athletic Skills Level 2, Prompt: (feeling) Determined

Normally, Marlene McKinnon loved the Hogsmeade weekends – having a butterbeer with her friends after wandering the streets of the small village, looking through the shops... laughing together, examine the newest sweets at Honeydukes after dropping in at whatever shop sold the school supplies they needed...

But this positive feeling had vanished on this Valentine's Day. She had asked her best friend if they would go and have a nice afternoon, but she had denied, declaring that she had a date. Just as seemingly every other girl she was friends with.

Therewhile, nobody had bothered to ask her, Marlene, if she wanted to spend the afternoon with someone.

Of course she felt a little bit left out and unwanted, really, and it was making her feel uncomfortable to be literally the only one walking down to Hogsmeade without someone next to her.

It was as if she was sticking out of the mass of students like a peacock in a herd of crows.

However, she was determined not to let the fact that she was alone ruin her Hogsmeade afternoon. She did not need a date for Valentine's Day! One could have a date on every other day in the year, why was this day supposed to count more, why did everyone call it a special day?! It was just another saturday, really. A cold, slightly rainy February saturday.

Hoping to be able to escape all the snogging pairs that seemed to sprout out of the soil like weed, she entered Honeydukes, her favourite shop in the village.

But she had to realise that it was impossible to escape all the giggling and flirting couples and their spirits – Honeydukes was decorated with red and pink hearts hanging from the ceiling, roses were entwining itself up the shelves and the boxes with heart-shaped chocolates were on sale, just like the "Love Toffees" and other nonsense.

Marlene sighed inwardly and rolled her eyes as she squeezed herself past a pair of Ravenclaw students who were obviously trying to check each others tonsils. How disgusting...

Luckily, the space between the rear shelves were empty, and Marlene decided to stay there for a bit. She pressed her lips together, trying to calm herself down so she would not appear too annoyed by the whole situation in case somebody would come.

Examining the sweets that were displayed back here, she asked herself if she would ever be asked out by somebody. Or, why was nobody interested in her, at least not enough to want to have a date with her? It made her feel ugly sometimes, no matter how many times her parents or her friends told her that she was beautiful and that she was a wonderful girl. Obviously she had enough flaws to be unattractive for the male population of Hogwarts.

And no matter how much she told herself that she was not bothered, that she thought that Valentine's Day was rubbish anyway and that she did not wanted to be a part of one of these couples that really could be an embarrassement for everyone standing around... somewhere deep inside, she still cared a little bit too much about being lonely while everyone else was having someone to spend the day with.

"Hey, McKinnon, why are you sulking back here?"

Marlene whipped around, surprised to see Sirius Black leaning against one of the shelves, a sheepish grin on his face, looking handsome as ever.

"Mind your own business, Black. Shouldn't you have at least three girls clinging to your leather jacket?" Marlene replied, being absolutely not in the mood to take his teases as lightly as she normally did.

"You really think I would have a several girls at once? Wow, my image as a womanizer seems to be better developed than I thought."

Sirius came closer, and Marlene tried to appear as self-conscious as she could, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"So, why are you alone, Black? The girls come snapping at you and you received like a dozen love letters this morning during breakfast, but still you are wandering around Honeydukes on your own, without a date. What happened? Are you ill?"

"I should be concerned about the fact that I cannot go to Hogsmeade on my own without everyone thinking that something is wrong with me," Sirius sighed and Marlene started to grin now, suspecting something.

"Ooh, you were turned down, right?"

"No...," Sirius answered stiffly, and Marlene relished in seeing Sirius Black uncomfortable. It really was something new. "No girl in her right mind would reject me, you know that, McKinnon."

"Well, Black, if you think so, why are you still alone here, then?" Marlene grinned, and Sirius sighed again, taking another step forwards so that he stood right in front of her, looking down at her, his breath brushing warmly over her skin.

"If you really want to know the truth, I had my eye on a girl, a really beautiful and funny one, but I did not have the courage to ask her out."

Marlene snorted in sarcasm, answering:"You are kidding. Sirius Black, not able to ask a girl out."

He shrugged his shoulders and declared:"Well, McKinnon, you are really making it difficult for me."

And then he leaned down and pressed a kiss onto her lips, before she could react at all.