This tiny one shot (which may or may not be continued at some point, so let me know if you'd like it to!) was inspired by an aesthetic prompt in the Facebook group, "Quills and Parchment", that was created by the loveliest PierreJ92! So THANK YOU lovely!

Trigger warning: there is mention of sexual abuse to a child.

All characters were created by the loveliest writer, J.K. Rowling and they belong to her. I do not write for profit.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

The house was dark and dank, but she ran from room to room opening window after window, bringing life back into the home he had long ago learned to hate. Her chocolate brown hair danced against the gold that decorated the walls - Only the best for the pur tujours.

"Come on, Sirius! Your house is amazing!" Her laughter chimed through the halls at him as he chased after her. She was a miracle made just for him. She was making him enjoy this place, a feat he previously believed to be impossible. He caught her around her waist as she found his bedroom.

"Now that I caught you, what's my prize?" he growled through Marlene's hair, igniting a cascade of giggles as she fought herself free of his arms. She pranced into his room with only a brief glance back at him, before stripping her shirt and dropping it on the floor like she owned the place. Sirius stood against the door frame and allowed himself to be mesmerized by the sway of her hips and the allure of her supple skin, pale where her quidditch gear kept it hidden from the sun.

"KREACHER!"

"What's that?" Marlene spun on the spot to look at him, her question a vague fear in her eyes. She'd heard the stories, she knew why he hated this place. And now she'd have to face the culprit.

"That unpleasantness," he breathed darkly, "is Walburga Black."

He threw Marlene's shirt to her and began to pack his final bag as quickly as possible. As his mother continued screeching for the house-elf to return the building to its lifeless state, he knew this was the last time he'd be here. He'd been offered a permanent room at the Potter Mansion before, fuck he practically had one already, and now it was time to take them up on it. Marlene barely had her shirt on properly when he yanked his bag shut, took her hand and marched for the exit.

He exchanged few words with his mother, she wasn't worth the breath, before slamming the door on her while pulling Marlene behind him. His only cause for pause came four steps outside the front door, when a golden ring glinting in the sun caught his attention. It was the ring he bought his brother the previous Christmas, something to remind Reg of their brotherhood even after they went their separate ways. Sirius clapped a hand to his brother's shoulder and met his matching steel eyes at the same time Regulus returned the gesture. For a moment they stood, sharing a sorrow for all that could have been, before parting ways. And in a twist, Marlene and Sirius were by the shore.

Marlene watched the tears in his eyes, and understood. Of course, her home life was nowhere near as bad as his, but she had deatheaters in her family too. And unlike Sirius, she never had her blood status as a protection against them. She murmured soothing words to him and conjured a bottle of Ogden's finest. He shook off her arm and refused the bottle though, instead opting to release his emotions in a rage.

"I don't need your fucking pity, Marlene. This is nothing new."

"Oh fucking shut it, Black," she spat before he could even begin. If he thought that something had actually happened worthy of a rage there, he was sorely mistaken. "Everyone knows your family fucking sucks, but at least your cousin never made you suck him in exchange for your brother's life! At least you didn't have to protect your family by giving yourself away! That crap we just left? Yea, it's fucking bullshit, but it's nothing to get pissed about."

She glared at him for a moment, before realising what she had just admitted and turning to speak to the sea instead. "That's right, I don't deserve a love story. Not anymore. Love stories aren't written for girls who've been broken."

Sirius let her stand in silence for a minute before joining her.

"Well, fuck McKinnon. I knew you were messed up, but I never thought I'd find a girlfriend as fucked up as me." His rough, quidditch-worn fingers threaded through her own, unnerving Marlene almost as much as him calling her his girlfriend.

Someone still wanted her after knowing her truth. More importantly, Sirius still wanted her after hearing that. There'd be more confessions later, of course, but he still called her his girlfriend after that. Maybe Marlene could find love after all. Maybe she could be one of those smiley, sunshine girls, like Lily.

Marlene finally blinked up at Sirius, and there wasn't any doubt or fear in his eyes. She kissed him. It was the simplest, most innocent kiss Marlene had ever laid on anyone's lips, yet it felt like the most dangerous and intimate one to have ever existed. In that moment, she made a decision: Marlene McKinnon would be one of those happy girls from this day forward.