Marlene Mckinnon woke up extra early on Monday morning. This was most peculiar as everyone who was anyone knew that Marlene McKinnon loved her sleep and would never, ever sacrifice it for anything. But Lily wasn't anything. Lily was her best friend and Marlene woke up to do Lily's morning head girl duties for her because she reckoned her best friend was too tired and worn out after last night to do anything right now. She peered over at the four poster bed with crimson drapes that was positioned by the arch dormitory window.

Lily lay in her bed, a bundle of red hair covering her pillow as her small pale face peeped from under the covers, revealing a snoring, helpless girl. Marlene sighed, Lily looked drained. It was only yesterday that her father had owled her explaining that Petunia was engaged to that hideous toad looking muggle boy Vernon. Although Lily didn't show it, it was clear that she felt broken.

There was a time where her and Petunia were best friends and now the last bits of hope she had of rekindling their relationship as sisters was shattered. Another thing that caused Lily Evans to be down in the dumps was because of Potter. Yesterday 'that stupid leech!' As Lily screeched when she found out what he'd done, had cursed all of her shampoo's in her bathroom cupboards resulting in her hair turning a ghastly shade of temporary jade green for the rest of the day.

Not only mortified at the fact that she had to sit through Charms and Divination with her mop of seaweed coloured hair, but Lily's hate for James Potter and the stupid marauders had increased. Marlene got out her wand and flicked it at the large grandfather clock adjacent to Lily's bed, instantly stopping it from working.

Every night Lily would put a charm on the large, old ticking machine so it would wake her up precisely at 6.30 am. Not today though...'Marlene pondered to herself silently, ...Lily needs her rest, she's over working herself. Marlene climbed down the stairs of the girls dormitory and walked into the Gryffindor common room. As she was about to make her way to the exit, she stopped and saw a shadow of a body sitting down on the large red couch in front of the fire place. Who the hell would be awake this early? Its only Lily in the whole of Gryffindor house who ever wakes up at this ungodly hour, and she's upstairs in her bed. Not even Remus Lupin, the head boy of Gryffindor had enough motivation to get through the morning head duties.

She walked closer and closer until the person suddenly looked up. She met two glazed, honey brown eyes staring back at her. What the hell was this idiot doing here? She asked herself as she realised who it was.

'Sirius?' She whispered with annoyance. But then her tone softened as she took a proper look at him.

'Mar..?' He asked as she walked closer so her face could be seen in the dim fire light.

He looked tired and his eyes were red. His short, wavy dark hair wasn't as smooth and messy-in-a-good-way as it usually was. The usual flirtatious smile plastered on his face that he always used to greet Marlene with was non-existent and in its place was a set of pale lips in the centre of a unkept stubble. He generally looked upset.

Now that she thought about it, Sirius hadn't come to Hogwarts from the summer holidays yesterday. He wasn't on the train journey with everyone, she remembers this because it was the least chaotic journey to Hogwarts ever as Potter didn't have his equally mental sidekick Black with him.

'When did you get here? Are you alright?' She asked quickly, not realising the tone of concern in her voice.

'An hour ago, Dumbledore brought me, and yeah I'm fine' he lied This was awkward. Sirius and Marlene hadn't talked properly since they last played quiditch together which was two months ago back in 5th year. She sat down on the couch next to him, cross legged with a 'who are you fooling?' look on her face.

'Sirius Black, you are one of the schools most famous pranksters who always has a good clever lie to get you out of shit, you know all the right lies to say to a bloody nerdy Ravenclaw to get in her pants, yet here you are pathetically failing at one small lie to me?' She said matter-of-factly. It may have been just a trick of the candle light, but Marlene could've sworn she saw the flicker of a smile on his ghost like appearance for a split second.

'Its complicated' he finally said.

'I've got time' Marlene said, giving him all her attention, 'I've still got half an hour before I start on some of Lily's head girl work' she said, smiling sympathetically. Sirius sighed.

'My parents swore that I wasn't going to return to Hogwarts this year...' He started, '...they said that I'm somehow turning 'soft' and that I'm better off getting taught the traditional wizard teachings at home by a pureblood relative' Marlene carried on listening.

Nothing weird so far. Sirius' family had always disapproved of Hogwarts and its mixture with muggle borns and the fact that Sirius was placed into Gryffindor and not the family house of Slytherin. Becoming the first lion out of the generation of snakes before him. They were one of the many proud pureblood families that put blood status before anything.

'I refused, they locked me up in my room for days, I knew I missed the train, I tried sending a patronus to James to get me out but they put a charm on my room that wouldn't let me use magic' He looked straight at Marlene then,

' I didn't eat or nothing, I just wanted to come to Hogwarts, see James, Lupin, Peter, you girls - just everyone, I needed to escape. I got into a fight with my dad when thet finally let me out, he hexed me - hard' Sirius pulled up his t-shirt a little way up and revealed onto his light tanned skin was a most cruel and painful mark clearly caused by a hex of dark magic. Marlene winced at it.

'Oh Sirius...I'm so sorry, that looks so...unbearably painful, was it- was it the cruciatus curse?' She asked in a low whisper.

'No, but for a second I thought he'd use that on me, it might as well of been bloody crucio, it kills!' He said as he traced his hand over the mark.

'One minute' Marlene said, putting her finger up, and rushing over to the staircase of the girls dorms.

'Accio dittiny' she gestured, and in no time a bottle flew out from the room above and landed into Marlene's hand with a firm grasp.

'What are you doing?, what's that?' Sirius asked looking over as Marlene sat beside him unscrewing the lid. 'It'll help it heal better' she laughed as she looked at his scared face,

'it won't hurt, here pull your shirt up'

'Yeah, you'd love me to pull it up wouldn't you Mckinnon' Sirius smirked at her.

Marlene rolled her eyes at him. A tleast the old Sirius was slowly returning.

'Shutup Black, here do it yourself then' she said putting the cotton pad and bottle of dittiny on his lap.

'No-no, I was kidding Doctor Mckinnon haha, please put some dittiny on Sirry's tummy' he said, sticking his bottom lip out.

'Yak, never speak like that ever again' Marlene said with a chuckle.

As she finished healing his wound, Sirius stared at her till she looked up to face him.

'What is it?' She asked, 'have I got something on my face?'

'No, there's nothing on your face...' He said, 'I just want to say thanks and erm Marlene?'

'Yeah?' She asked.

'You won't tell this to anyone right? You know the whole thing with my parents and-'

Marlene put up her hand to shush him. 'You've got nothing to worry about' she reassured him. ...

Lily Evans had never had such a good nights sleep. She rolled over lazily and stared at the large clock next to her wall. Her eyes were obviously deceiving her as the clock's hands were completely still. Lily stood up and faced the clock again, rubbing her eyes a little. Nope, the hands on the clock were definitely jammed. But how could they be? Dumbledore specifically transfigured this grandfather clock in the girls' dorm near Lily's bed so she was always on top to complete her morning work load. If Dumbledore gave it to her, how can it break? She gave the clock a good kick but instantly regretted it as shooting pains danced around in her foot. 'Calm down Evans, I know you've missed me, but please don't take it out on the innocent furniture' she heard a voice mock. She turned around and saw Sirius standing at the doorway with a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth and his top missing. Usually, Lily would scowl at him and levitate his shirt from his dorm and tell him to put it on. But she was so overwhelmed with the fact that he was finally here that she forgot and didn't care about the fact he was half naked, Lily ran to the door and gave Sirius a massive hug.

'Sirius! Oh you moron what has happened to your bloody arm look at the bruises! Typical Marauder!' She said tutting as she let go of him. She reached down her pajama pocket and grabbed her wand. She tapped his arms, muttered a few words and voila the bruises disappeared.

'Bloody hell Evans, why is it that you girls always know how to heal everything? First Marlene, then you...-'

'Marlene's awake?' Lily asked. 'Yeah she woke up an hour ago, said something about doing your head girl stuff, and how you needed a rest blah blah...' Lily grinned from ear to ear and shone a light shade of pink. Marlene chose her over sleep? Marlene did her work?

'Okay, I'm gonna go and catch her in the hall right now, I'll see you later Black, and I want full explanation of those bruises on your arms' Lily said sternly. Lily gave him a quick hug and turned around to walk off and catch Marlene, however with her luck she bumped straight into James round the corner.

'Nice Pj's' he said jokingly.

'Shutup potter' Lily said in a serious voice.

'Who were you hugging anyway? Why don't I get a hug?' James said, pulling a puppy dog face.

'I was hugging Sirius, you just missed him, he's gone upstairs to look for you'

'Sirius is here?!' James said suddenly, his face suddenly grew into a bright grin, 'brilliant'.

'So, how come Sirius gets a hug and I don't then?' James carried on, not dropping the subject.

'Because, Potter, I am friends with Sirius, whereas you and I are not friends' she said simply.

'Ouch Evans, way to put a man down' he said, but was still smirking his signature smile.

Lily rolled her eyes and proceeded to walk towards the girls' bathrooms pushing James out of the way.

'Fiesty, Evans!' He called after her, 'oh and is that a strand of green I see in your hair or are my eyes deceiving me?' He chuckled at her response of 'get lost potter I'll get you back for that you watch!' And quickly ran to the dorms taking two steps at a time up the stairs to tackle down his best friend Sirius in a marauders-style welcome.