Written for Sylvia for week two of the year of gift giving, where I'll be writing someone a fic, every week for this whole year. I still have plenty of unclaimed weeks, so feel free to shoot me a pm including pairings you like (fandoms I'll write for are on my profile), as well as the week you'd like to claim and possibly a few prompts if you'd like a fic written for you.

She remembered walking into a party like this with Lily for the first time, how nervous she had been about people noticing that she didn't belong, that she was just a seamstress's daughter, not rich like all of them. But Lily had assured her that nobody would notice, that her anxiety was pointless, and true to her word, no one had noticed.

Now when she walked into a party, a silky dress that Lily had produced from her closet swirling round her feet, she smiled widely, laughing with Lily when someone said something funny, conversing in small talk with others nearby, without a shred of doubt that somebody would realize who she really was.

This time the dress she adorned was emerald, and she stood in a corner, a glass of champagne in hand, watching as Lily twirled round the dance floor with a boy slightly taller than her, with tanned skin and messy black hair. She smiled to herself in amusement, remembering a time not so long ago when Lily had pointed him out and proclaimed him an 'arrogant prick with an oversized ego'.

It was almost funny, Marlene thought, that Lily liked him now after disliking him for such a long time.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice anybody approaching her until a voice spoke from beside her, making her jump in surprise.

"He was always convinced that she'd come around in the end." The voice belonged to a teenage boy who Marlene had seen with James many times. His shaggy black hair fell into his dark eyes, and he loomed over her small figure. "I didn't think she would, but James never has cared for what others think."

"I didn't think she would cave either." She spoke quietly, unsure of what she was expected to say to a stranger at a party. "She's always been to stubborn for her own good."

The corner of the boy's lip twitched up as though this amused him, though Marlene wasn't sure what he could find amusing about it, and after another minute of watching Lily and James swaying in time to the music, the boy spoke again. "Would you care to dance?"

In the back of her mind, a small part of her protested that she wasn't like him, wasn't wealthy or important, and that she shouldn't blur the line between the rich and the poor. But the boy's tanned hand was stretched toward her, and she found herself reaching for it and smiling up at the boy, whose name she still didn't know.

A soft, slow song was playing, one that Lily would know how to dance to, but Marlene did not. So she settled by letting the decidedly handsome boy lead, swaying slightly, and doing her best to copy how Lily had been dancing earlier. Her shoes caught in the fabric of her dress numerous times, and she was sure she'd have to apologize to Lily later that night for the rips her heels had torn in it.

Luckily she didn't have to focus much on conversation, as the boy did more than enough talking for the two of them, so she focused on the movement of her feet in time with the music, occasionally making a retort to something the boy had said. On numerous times, when she responded to something said, she could feel the boy's chest vibrate lightly as he chuckled to himself.

In all honestly she didn't find herself funny, but she certainly wasn't about to complain about another finding her so.

The end of the party came quicker than Marlene would have liked. As the music quieted and people began to make their way out, she turned to look for Lily before she could begin to wonder where her friend had gone, only to be twirled back around by the boy, who had tightened his grip on her hand.

Their eyes met for a few seconds, and she noticed that his were the colour of mahogany, burned to black around the edges, and then he looked away and she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. Nervously combing the fingers of her free hand through her silky hair, she raised her eyebrows in her best 'what now' expression.

The boy smiled, flashing straight white teeth, and loosened his grip on her slightly. "You never told me your name."

Smiling back at him, she met his gaze head on with a sudden burst of confidence. "You never asked."

He blinked in surprise, and fumbled for words which, considering how he'd seemed to be able to talk forever earlier, amused her slightly. Deciding to spare him from his obvious struggle for something to say, she smiled wider and told him her name.

"Well, it has been a delight to make your acquaintance Marlene. It's not often you meet someone as interesting as you at a party such as this." Usually she would have thought he were mocking her, but his expression seemed sincere.

"Believe me, the feeling is reciprocated." She spoke, mimicking his tone. "And since you now know my name, I think it only fair that you tell me yours."

"Sirius. Sirius Black." He announced, chuckling slightly. Marlene vaguely registered that the room was now empty, with the exception of them and a couple others.

"Well it was a pleasure to meet you, Sirius, Sirius Black." She could hear Lily calling her from across the room, and knew that she would ask about Sirius later that night until she was satisfied with what she'd been told. "But I believe I must be going."

Before she could turn to go, Sirius stepped forward, closing the small distance between them. He bent down slightly, his breath tickling her ear. "By the way, you look stunning tonight, Marlene."

And then he was striding across the room to where James leaned against the wall, Marlene staring after him, the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.

Sylvia, I hope you enjoyed this and that I justified Sirius and Marlene.

Also, I don't particularly want to end the fic here, so this may turn into a collection.