The sun shone blazingly – the winter was well and truly over in Britain. The brightness had arrived far too early for Marlene's liking. It woke her up, and the glare refused to be blocked out. With an irritated sigh, she climbed out of bed, eyes still aching from staying up all night finishing off the defence essay. Checking the vintage clock on her bedside table, Marlene internally groaned. Six thirty. Great. Breakfast wasn't till another hour, and she was never one for spending much time on her appearance in the mornings. Usually she'd wake up with 10 minutes to spare – and even that would be plenty.
As if a daily routine, Marlene walked to her mirror behind the wardrobe door. She was lucky that when it was opened, it blocked her from her dorm mates' view. She stared at her reflection for a few seconds with a crease forming between her eyebrows. Ducking around her door to make sure Lily-the-morning-bird wasn't awake yet, Marlene whipped back to her reflection and slowly lifted her oversized t-shirt above her stomach. She analysed herself for a moment, turning around to her sides every now and then. She didn't seem to look any different from yesterday, and it calmed her down marginally – enough for her to go on with her day with a somewhat strained smile. Marlene wasn't sure what she was expecting, if it was a sudden bulge that grew overnight or even just a little extra fat – anything that would slap her into reality. Being pregnant was still feeling very surreal to her. She hadn't had any symptoms, no one had noticed anything different about her (other than maybe a little paler) and the only thing going for the baby were the 53 sticks with positive pluses.
Nodding her head and absentmindedly massaging her abdomen, Marlene decided to go have a shower. Normally she preferred the night baths – all the other girls had their showers in the mornings which allowed her to spend as much time as she wanted in the midst of soothing bath salts. Recently, Marlene had been spending hours in the water which offered her relaxation like nothing else. The stress of the future was mounting heavily and even though she had Sirius to talk to, he couldn't guarantee that everything would turn out okay.
Stepping out of the shower, Marlene wrapped a bathrobe securely around her and brushed her teeth. For some unexplainable reason, Marlene had been fascinated with mirrors. Four weeks ago, days would go by where she wouldn't even glance at a mirror even once and now she found herself brushing a little slower, just to be able to look at her face longer. There was nothing vain in the action – Marlene knew that. She was looking for something else – a sign she supposed, or maybe something that would reveal her secret. Perhaps that was what she was most worried about, Marlene reasoned – people finding out.
She didn't have much time to dwell on the subject though, because Lily soon started knocking loudly. Lily was a creature of habit – and evidently, Marlene was eating up her shower time. Smiling at her friend fondly, Marlene rinsed her mouth and walked out the door with a "My apologies, your majesty" at a bemused Lily. Pulling on her uniform and dabbing some light lavender scented perfume, Marlene glanced back at the clock. She still had half an hour. Deciding to put some effort into her appearance for a change, she French plaited her long blonde hair around the crown of her head, pulling strands in and out, leaving an intricate braid that framed her face nicely. She even pulled out the age old mascara and applied two light coats. Inspecting her self-makeover, Marlene pulled out her favourite coral coloured lipstick and carefully traced her full lips. With a satisfied nod, she walked out the dorm with a new spring in her step. She had almost forgotten the confidence getting dressed up felt like. She hadn't put this much effort on a school morning since fifth year, when she'd wanted to impress Amos Diggory. Snorting at her foolish past self, Marlene made her way down the stairs, arriving at the relatively full common room. She found her friends, Lily, Dorcas and Alice waiting for her.
Upon seeing her walking towards them, Dorcas wolf whistled loudly and winked, causing the others to turn to her as well.
"Marlene, you look great!" Exclaimed Lily, beaming widely. "What's the occasion?"
"Just feeling good, is all," Marlene smiled. She knew that they had only made such a fuss because they had noticed her recent lack of zest. As if her eyes were on autopilot, Marlene's eyes glanced around the room.
"Sirius already went down with the other Marauders," Alice supplied with a small smirk. Marlene nudged her arm playfully before linking them with hers and walking out the portrait hole, closely followed by Dorcas and Lily who were animatedly discussing James Potter's behind.
As they climbed down staircases and walked along hallways, Marlene noticed a number of appreciative smiles from the male student body directed at her. She smiled back amusedly. Who knew dressing up a little would bring so much attention? For a second she wondered if Sirius would notice, but shook herself out of the daydream. As much as Sirius loved her (she was pretty sure of this, even though they hadn't actually said the words out yet), he was never one for following the dating rules – and noticing new hair dos was number one.
Walking into the Great Hall, she found that it was about half filled, mostly with eager Ravenclaws who were generally the first to rise. She didn't bother to be subtle this time and instead craned her head around bustling individuals, trying to find her boyfriend. It was still weird calling him that – even in her own mind – but the father of her child wasn't the safest alternative.
She saw the brunette Hufflepuff sixth year first though. She was leaning towards Sirius with a sultry smile, not bothering to be delicate about displaying her cleavage. Sirius wasn't facing Marlene, his back was – so the only way he'd see her there was if he turned around. The girl was laughing about something loudly before looking up and meeting Marlene's glare. Taking it as a challenge, the girl leaned even closer, whispering something in Sirius's ear. Marlene saw Sirius turn his head towards the brunette before standing up abruptly, causing his chair to fall back with a small crash. At the sound, people seated and standing around the two turned to look at them curiously. The Hufflepuff's smile faltered, and she tried to maintain her composure.
Marlene stumbled clumsily forward, thanks to Alice, the force allowing her locomotion. They saw Sirius bite out something under his breath that they couldn't quite catch. The brunette however, did.
"What?" She said snootily, her voice an annoying high soprano "It's pretty obvious." The girl now turned towards Marlene with the sneer back in place. "Honey, you really should hold back on those Sugar Quills – I've heard Black here doesn't go for fat birds," she said much louder than was necessary.
Marlene's throat went dry, and Sirius whipped around to find her shocked and hurt face.
"Johnson, Lena will always be ten times the woman you could ever hope to be. Stay the fuck away from me and her or I swear to god I'll make you regret it." Sirius snarled – shocking everybody surrounding them. The Hufflepuff, Johnson, stalked away with an ugly expression on her caked up face. Sirius's fist was clenched tightly and he slowly picked up his chair and sat back down. Marlene tried to contort her expression into a neutral if not amused smile and took her seat next to Sirius.
She looked up at her friends to find them all glancing confusedly at each other. It was a common occurrence for Marlene to be targeted by jealous and hateful girls. She was always considered very pretty – with the golden locks and royal blue eyes that seemed to sparkle endlessly. Her long legs were the envy of many girls and the objects of desire for even more boys, - not to mention Sirius in particular was always very vocal in his appreciation of Marlene's traits. The pair would often flirt very publicly and crudely in front of their friends for kicks, but ever since people noticed them getting serious – well it was certainly not the first time Marlene was called fat.
It was however, the first time anyone responded so ferociously. Normally Marlene would laugh it off, easily quipping a nifty comeback that would drive them away. Her friends, especially Lily looked at her in concern. Marlene smiled and rolled her eyes, trying to brush off their questioning eyes, but the way Sirius was tearing his pancakes into many small pieces wasn't helping her efforts.
She placed her hand on his leg comfortingly under the table and it seemed to have the desired calming effect. He brought his left hand down and squeezed hers. Marlene kept her eyes downcast on her plate, trying to not let Johnson's words affect her.
"Marly-boo bear, don't you want any breakfast?" Dorcas asked with a sing-song voice, trying to clear the tension in the air. Remus raised his eyebrows at her while Lily kicked her hard. James continued to look questioningly at Sirius who shrugged noncommittally and began shovelling his food down.
"'Course Dorky-dolly," Marlene replied in the same tone with a large smile. Her chirpy response successfully diverted any attention on her, and they continued with their own conversations. Relieved, she dropped the smile and began to reach for the waffles – her favourite. Midway between the large dish though, Johnson's voice rang loud and clear through her head "I've heard Black here doesn't go for fat birds,". It was petty but she suddenly stopped reaching for the carb and calorie filled plate and instead diverted her arm to the one filled with eggs. She knew that gaining a whole lot of weight would be unavoidable, but Marlene wanted to delay it as much as possible – at least to after Graduation. Sirius had been her backbone in the past weeks and she didn't know how she could take on the school's judging looks and pity smiles if anybody found out. His presence made it that much easier for her to smile and joke and anything else she used to do.
She didn't really believe that he would desert her once she started gaining the weight, but a particularly irrational part of her was winning the battle today – and had been for the past fortnight, actually.
Eggs weren't her favourite – she would only eat it before games for strength, but today its stench was on the borderline of revolting. Scrunching up her nose slightly, Marlene spooned scrambled eggs onto her plate. She decided that if she ate it quick enough, she'd probably be able to taste it less, and so began eating in large portions. Somewhere after the third spoonful though, she decided that she actually liked scrambled eggs after all.
"Does anybody know the correct wand movements for the Patronus Charm?" Lily asked the group.
"An anticlockwise wave, finishing with an upward flick. It is also not uncommon for left handers to clockwise, though." Remus smiled. Lily beamed, and quickly noted the new piece of information.
"When's this due again?" Peter asked with disinterest.
"After Lunch," Alice promptly replied, going back to spreading butter on her third slice of toast.
Peter spit out his pumpkin juice, spraying it all over the table. Unfortunately, he was sitting diagonally to Marlene, and a few drops landed in her plate.
As the others either grimaced in disgust or tried to console Peter on his forgetfulness, Marlene swirled her eggs around her plate. They suddenly didn't look so appealing anymore. In fact – the yellow colour of the eggs reminded her of Doxy droppings, and she pushed the half eaten plate away, closing her eyes.
"You're looking a little pale there Marls," Alice voiced quietly from beside her, but Marlene just furrowed her brows. Sirius, who was discussing the new beater for the Chudley Canons with James, flicked his eyes towards her. He noticed her breathing was louder and she was shaking slightly.
"Lena?" He asked slowly. "Is everything okay?"
Marlene tried to nod weakly, but when she felt her stomach dangerously gurgling, she bolted out of the hall. She heard her friends call her name out loudly, but payed them no attention, pushing past the annoyed Slytherin fourth years. Luckily, the closest loo was only on the next corridor, and she reached the first cubicle in the nick of time. Spewing her entire breakfast was not pretty. The sight of vomit further catalysed another round of belches, until there was nothing left. Flushing the toilet with a grimace, Marlene shut the toilet and sat on the seat, head in her hands.
As she was trying to get her vision to stop spinning, Marlene heard footsteps run into the bathroom. They were heavy footsteps, and the owner was breathing loudly.
"Lena?" Asked a surprisingly gentle voice. Sirius was the only person who called her by the name – also the only person she knew who had such a deep and loud voice but was still able to use it so softly. Marlene got up and unlocked the door, wiping her mouth and performing a quick cleaning and refreshing spell.
"I'm fine, don't worry. I knew I shouldn't have eaten so much," Marlene went to the sink, where Sirius was standing with an anxious frown.
"Are you sure? Nothing's wrong is it? Do you want to go to the hospital wing?" He asked.
"What, and get told that I'm pregnant? I'd rather the matron not find out. It's fine Sirius, but I think I'll skip morning classes." She smiled at his concern. It was odd seeing Sirius worried. He walked over to Marlene, and lifted her chin, inspecting her face for any signs of illness. He placed the back of his hand on the base of her throat, looking for extra heat. The smoothness of his skin against her neck caused a little shiver to run through her – even after all this time she wasn't used to his touch.
Sirius smirked, satisfied with his inspection. He snaked his arm around her and pulled her close, skimming the tip of his nose along her forehead. His rustic scent of cigarette and expensive cologne soothed her quicker than any pepperup potion could.
"Sirius … " Marlene began slowly – still not sure whether she should bring it up. She did know though, that if she couldn't get this cleared up, it would continue to eat her up.
"Mmm," Sirius hummed, his right hand tracing her collarbone while his other was still securely around her waist. Marlene hesitated for a minute, biting her lip. Sirius stopped his carefree observations of her, and instead tried looking into her eyes, which were determinedly eyeing her hands.
"Yes, Lena?" He asked a little louder.
"Do you think I've become fatter?" Marlene asked in the quietest possible voice she could muster. Sirius raised his eyebrows disbelievingly before looking angry. He brought both hands to her face now, and crouched slightly so they were on the same eye level.
"Marlene," He spoke quietly. The use of her full name surprised her, and she looked up quickly. "Bethany Johnson is a lying jealous cow. Don't listen to anything she says – I'm not going to leave you. Not now, not in five months, not ever. Okay?" Sirius said loudly and almost desperately.
"She's hurt you, I knew it. That scheming bitch better be ready for complete and utter humiliation. No one is allowed to upset people I care about and get away with it." He hissed, venom laced in his voice.
Marlene nodded but she didn't look appeased. "You didn't answer my question,"
Sirius paused for a moment. "No," He stated. "But if you ask me again next month I'll probably say yes, and you know what, I couldn't care less. You do realise that you're carrying my fucking child right? That means a lot to me, Lena. The only thing a few extra pounds can do is make you even sexier, which shouldn't be humanely possible." Sirius smirked, sliding a hand up her shirt and tracing patterns on the skin of her stomach sending tingles to the pits of her soul. He leaned down and kissed her enthusiastically to emphasise his point. Marlene smiled widely into his mouth, responding with just as much energy.
"I'm going to get so fucking fat, Black" Marlene pointed out teasingly. Sirius chuckled and backed her up against the wall, kissing down her neck.
"If that means I can start looking forward to midnight expeditions of chocolate frog hunts, then bring it on babe,"
Marlene pushed him away playfully. "Hey!" She laughed. "I'm the one who has to eat for two, not you. Therefore, I claim rights to all things sweet!" Sirius barked out a laugh and started tickling Marlene, going straight for the back of her neck where she was most sensitive. She shrieked out and tried wiggling away, but he trapped her between his legs, held both of her hands above her head and blew in her ear causing another shriek of laughter. Sirius decided he rather liked that sound as he let her loose and leaned on one side, crossing is arms with the ever present smirk.
"Aren't you late for class? Poor old Sluggy will miss his biggest trouble maker," Marlene grinned.
"Well if you aren't going to endure double potions, I don't see why I have to either. Want me to make you feel better?" Sirius asked with a gleam in his eyes. They both knew she wasn't anywhere near being sick – but their friends didn't need to know. Marlene snickered.
"Steady on. You'd better keep those hormones in check after bub arrives."
"All the more reason then, to get it on now while we still have all the freedom to." He winked saucily before picking her up via piggy back and sprinting into a hidden room that no one but the Marauders knew about. This one was behind a portrait of Queen Guinevere and King Arthur and it wasn't anywhere near as grand as the room of requirement, but it was filled with cushions and even had a large window overlooking the forbidden forest. It had soon become her and Sirius' 'spot' and they would spend much of their time in there – whether it was the occasional sex or special dates (which would often end up with the two naked and tangled in each other's limbs anyway).
He dropped her unceremoniously, and Marlene landed on a large pile of cushions – wriggling to get comfortable. She giggled softly as Sirius eagerly climbed up on top of her and kissed wherever he could find exposed skin.
Marlene looked into Sirius darkened eyes as he lay beneath her. The way he'd scream Marlene and his constant teasing was like ecstasy to her. She couldn't get enough of him – not just the way he'd make her feel like a million galleons without even saying anything, but also how good of a man he was.
Growing up in a horrific family and not letting them corrupt his mind.
Protecting his friends with such ferocity that he often end up in detention of in the hospital wings.
Standing by Marlene with such promise even when he knew how much his life would change – for choosing a pregnant girl over a thousand nights of partying and getting drunk. For any other man, perhaps it was expected – but for Sirius it was literally sacrificing everything he once strongly believed in, and Marlene loved him to no end for it.