Chapter Two: Hogwarts Express
Sirius sat by himself in a compartment of the Hogwarts express. He had his legs spread out across the seats and stared blankly out the window. "No more expeditions for the rest of the holidays then? Kept it fairly tame?" Marlene asked announcing her presence to him. She stood in the doorway already dressed in her Hogwarts robes.
"Nope" He replied popping the 'p', his gaze remained fixed on the window pane, only seeing Marlene's frame reflected against the moving country side.
"Where are the others?" She continued, not allowing his sombre temper to discourage her from why she had come here in the first place.
"Pete's gone to find the food trolley since he missed breakfast. James is walking Remus to the prefect meeting." Sirius gruffed.
"Why?" She asked puzzled. She couldn't imagine why James would bother to walk Remus there when the prefect meeting was being held only a few carriages down.
"Evans is a prefect remember?" He replied as though the answer were obvious from the start, which it should have been if Marlene were honest with herself.
"Still hasn't given up on her yet then?" She smiled, knowing full well that Lily probably wouldn't appreciate the boy's intrusion already.
"Apparently not. Her not hanging up the telephone on him the moment she found out it was him seems to have given him a sense of false hope." He scoffed. "If you ask me it's because he used Remus's phone."
"You never know. She might actually give him a chance this year now that Snape is finally out of the picture for good. She seems to be awful lonesome without him. I mean I know she and Remus get along pretty well and sure she talks to Alice and me more now but it's still a big loss for her. This is Alice's last year and she's head girl so she won't have much free time on her hands. Then it'll just be me and her pretty much" Marlene confessed.
"Snivellus in the picture or not I highly doubt it. Evans is a red-head. That makes her fiery and passionate as fuck, but she's still too stubborn for her own good. That girl has her wand stuck so high up her..." Sirius didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence before she interrupted him.
"She'll lighten up. If he matures a little more this year. She's already noticing the difference from the attempts he made toward the end of last year after the incident by the lake." She told Sirius.
"If you say so." He rolled his eyes at her.
"You could help him out in that department you know" She laughed leaning against the door frame. How was it she was so dam jovial? Couldn't this bloody get the message he wasn't in the mood to be pestered right now? She should just shove off already.
"How so? Giving him sex advice on how to handle passionate and fiery red-heads?" He raised an eye brow finally turning his attention to her face.
"No. Being nicer to her for starters." She began.
"Fuck off" He barked back "Me being 'nice' to Evans isn't going to change fuck all"
"It might" She huffed arms folded. "You know Sirius for someone who seems to be so intent on the whole 'oh woe is me' thing you don't have a lot of sympathy for other people. Lily doesn't make an attempt to be friendly with you anymore because you won't do the same. You're lucky she even chooses to be civil with you. You don't know the first thing about her other than the fact she is...was...friends with Snape. You can't judge."
"Oh yeah and how is me being nice to her going to help James?" Sirius asked her sarcasm dripping on his words.
"Well maybe if she didn't feel so put out by his friends then she'd make an effort to be friends with him" She suggested as though this were simple, which it entirely was.
"Remus is cosy enough with her." He replied.
"Remus isn't only one person and don't you even start on Peter because he and I had words at the beginning of the summer and he barely speaks a word to her in the first place. All I'm saying is play nice this year Sirius." She said and walked away. Sliding shut the compartment door behind her. Mission accomplished he thought, she'd finally gone and bugger off, about bloody time. Little did he know that she had said what she had been there to say and that was the end of that.
"Women" Sirius tutted to himself turning his attention back to the window. They're never satisfied by anyone or anything. What does Evans matter to me anyway?
"Hey Padfoot" James called re-entering the compartment.
"How'd it go with Evans?" He asked noticing the broad smile on his friends face in the reflection of the window pane. That was new. He didn't even look like he'd been hexed or jinxed. Hell Evan's hadn't even given him a black eye the old fashioned muggle way.
"Alright actually, I didn't ask her out once! No threats, hexes or anything. Just plain civil conversation" He grinned.
"That's it?" Sirius replied finally taking his focus off the window.
"What do you mean that's it? This is progress Pads! If I came just keep it up this year, less pranking, no picking on Snivellus I might be in for a chance!" He said excitedly.
"Less pranking?! But we're the marauders! It's what we're known for!" Sirius grumbled.
"I'm not saying we can't Pads. We just have to tone it down a bit."
"All this for a bloody bird" Sirius complained.
"She's not just a bird to me Sirius" He replied slightly dis-heartened.
"Come on Prongs this is Evans we're talking about. Oh no sorry I forgot you don't know who we're talking about unless we call you 'toe-rag' or 'useless prick' or 'bullying toad' or..."
"Alright! I get it already Sirius" James growled. "I get it she isn't the nicest sometimes but fuck we bring it on ourselves sometimes! We're sixth years this year for crying out loud. It's time to start taking some more responsibility. We're in the middle of a war and we are about to become a big part of it after we graduate. I don't want to go into that with me and Evans being anything other than at least friends. So sorry for wanting something so bad I'm willing to put the effort into it. I thought you'd be happy for me being my best mate"
"I never said I wasn't!" Sirius yelled back.
"Well you've got a funny way of showing it!" James bellowed back.
"Hey guys found the trolley who wants chocolate frogs?" Peter asked coming into the compartment. "Oh sorry..." He said realising he'd walked into an argument.
"Its fine Pete, the topic's been dropped. But no thanks" James smiled at his friend.
"I never said it was dropped" Sirius started.
"But I did. I don't want to argue Pads. The topic is dropped as far as I'm concerned so leave it. I'm going to try get on good terms with Evans. I'm going to start pranking less and take more responsibility. I'm quidditch captain this year and that's huge for me. Whether you like it or not I'm doing this for myself Padfoot so grow up already"
For a change Sirius sulked and sat quietly through the entire sorting ceremony. He didn't even react when a girl by the name of Ashley Dick got sorted into Hufflepuff. No sexual innuendo joke, not so much a scoff or a scaving remark. This for him was extremely unusual and it was safe to say that his strange demeanour did not go unnoticed by the people around him. "Are you ill?" Lily Evans asked as the feast began, the great hall was filled with the excited chatter of students catching up after a summer apart.
"What?" Sirius replied gruffly.
"I said are you ill Black?" She sighed "You haven't spoken a word. That's not like you. Not even a whistle" She commented.
"Sorry, didn't realise my world revolved around you. You don't know me Evans. So don't attempt to pretend you do"
"I was just trying to be nice Sirius. You were awfully quiet which is completely out of character for you so I presumed something was wrong. Sorry for caring" She replied defensively.
"Save it for Prongs, Evans. At least he gives a shit." Sirius snarled, his upper lip curling.
Lily opened her mouth as if to retaliate but surprisingly very unlike the Lily he knew she closed it swiftly and returned to the food on her plate. Not even giving Sirius the satisfaction of a second glance. Sirius received a sharp kick in the shins beneath the table. He winced and looked for the person responsible. Marlene was sending him death glares across the turkey. The other marauders were shaking their heads at him, James looking ropable.
"What?" He mouthed.
"That wasn't very nice Padfoot." Remus said next to him.
"Merlin's sake what is this? Everyone against Sirius day today?"
Remus frowned "No one is against you Sirius. Except perhaps the Slytherin's but after all they're against all of us. I was just saying that wasn't a very nice way to talk to Lily. It's not her fault you're in a crabby mood" He told his friend.
"I'm not in a crabby mood!" Sirius huffed.
"You have a funny way of showing it." He replied eye brows raised. "If anything count yourself lucky she even cared. She had a loss in the family over the holidays." He whispered leaning in so Lily would not over hear him discussing her personal matters.
"And that's my problem how?" Sirius asked him.
"I never said it was. You are in a shirty mood" He replied stonily, playing with his peas.
Sirius made an effort not to talk to anyone for the rest of the feast. Which was easy as no one made much of an effort to talk to him either with the mood that he was in. Not even Peter who would usually jump at the prospects of being included in a conversation. It wasn't until they were vacating the great hall for the dormitories that anyone addressed him at all. "You, me, third floor, broom cupboard. You know the place. Be there in an hour" Marlene hissed in his ear. She then proceeded to storm off out of the great hall on the heels of Alice and Lily. Sirius shrugged his shoulders and left with the other marauders. That bloody bird was mad as a hatter these days. He'd have to go see what she wanted though or he'd never hear the end of it. When they arrive back at Gryffindor tower his trunk was at the foot of his bed in the dorm, same as every other year. Sirius changed out of his school robes and into some more casual muggle-type wear.
"Prongs? Can I borrow the cloak?" He asked his friend who was quite happily sat on his own bed with a quidditch magazine.
"Back for a couple of hours and you've already got a skirt" Peter laughed.
"Now that explains your foul mood at dinner. Sexual frustration and hormones is it Pads?" Remus chuckled and Sirius threw a pillow at him.
"Alright, you can borrow the cloak... on one condition..." James added
"Which is?" Sirius sighed.
"You have to be civil with Evans. For a whole week" He replied smugly.
"A week?!" Sirius objected.
"Do you want the cloak or not?" He asked.
"Fine I'll be civil with Evans." Sirius hissed impatiently.
"Top of my trunk" James replied happily. "That means you have to call her Lily not Evans"
"You call her Evans!" He whined.
"Yeah but if I call her Lily she thinks I'm flirting, you however it's being polite."
"Fine! Fine! I'm off!" He grumbled.
Sirius arrived outside the broom cupboard Marlene had suggested with ten minutes to spare. He then realised that Marlene wouldn't be able to see him when she approached and pulled the cloak off and over his head. Only to find himself being pulled into the cupboard roughly by the scruff of his collar as soon as he did so. He tripped haphazardly over a mop bucket. "Bloody hell!" He yelped as the door slammed shut behind him.
"SHHHHH! Do you want to be caught!?" Marlene asked.
"No... But I don't appreciate being pulled into cupboards by witches unless I'm about to snog or shag them" He replied begrudgingly, rubbing at his neck where the collar had caught against his skin.
"Who says you're not?" She asked smartly. It was too dark within the shadow of the cupboard for Sirius to get a good read of the look on her face.
"Am I?" He asked quizzically. Maybe the bird wasn't as mad as he thought after all.
"We'll see. Talking first. Then we can make arrangements." She supplied "Now. First off I thought I told you to play nice and help James out? Two stop being a git when people try and be nice to you. Three Lily's mum passed away so show some sympathy. Any questions?"
"Blunt much?" He huffed.
"Well blunt seems the only way to get through to you. Unless you have something to gain. Thus my proposal" She bit back harshly at him, vainly attempting to keep her cool.
"Proposal?" His eyebrows raised questioningly. Now his interest was certainly intrigued.
"You be nice to Lily and I mean nice! Then we can snog, touch and whatever to your heart's content. If you can be nice enough to her to convince her to actually give James a chance at dating... I'll shag you" She stated bluntly.
"And what do you get out of this?" Sirius asked.
"Satisfaction with the fact that two of my friends are blissfully happy with one another. Now do we have a deal?"
"I suppose" Sirius replied.
"You suppose?"
"How do I know you'll keep your word?" He pushed. That was the question that Marlene had been waiting for. "I never break my word Sirius Black" She replied aggressively.
Then as unexpectedly as she'd dragged him into the cupboard she assaulted his lips with her own. Sirius was shocked but not enough to not have the sense to not kiss her back. She slammed him against the wall of the cupboard. Hard. Sirius was in heaven, no girl had even taken control over him like this while snogging and he liked it. It was tense, passionate, everything he could want... and she pulled away. "That's the deal sealed. This arrangement is between you and me only in the strictest of confidence. One word to anyone one and this arrangement is terminated. Understood?" Sirius could only nod dumbly. "Good. Good night, see you tomorrow" She finished. Leaving him alone and breathing heavily.
What in the name of Merlin's pants?! Never before had a girl left him being the one wanting more. Feeling unsatisfied. This was a weird feeling and worst of all it was because of Marlene McKinnon. A girl he'd only ever seen as a friend since first year. One of the ones that was strictly off limits. It was a bad idea to have relations with someone from your own house the way he did with other girls around Hogwarts. When shit went the wrong way it wasn't like he was going to get accosted in his own common room if the girls he messed with were from other houses. Sirius had a feeling that this...arrangement with Marlene however, was going to work well in his favour. This was being done on her own terms so she couldn't turn around and complain afterward. He could play nice right? Sirius was welcomed back into Gryffindor tower a faint sobbing after his meeting with Marlene. Coming through the portrait hole he saw that the sound was coming from the lone person in the common room. Lily was curled up in one of the chairs by the fire, a tissue pressed to her lips muffling her crying. He groaned he hadn't expected to come face to face with her just yet. Play nice he repeated to himself.
"Alright there Evans?" He asked running his hands through his hair uncomfortably as he approached her. It was hardly like he could avoid her; he'd be walking directly into her line of sight on the way to the boy's staircase.
"Fine thanks Black" She sniffed regaining her composure realising she was no longer alone, wiping the final tears away from her stained face. "Why out so late?"
"I had a skirt to attend to" He replied bluntly.
"Ah I see. Good for you" She told him, her voice still wavered.
"That's it?" He said.
"What's it Black?" Lily sighed, clearly just wanting to escape the situation.
"'Good for you' that's all you have to say? Not 'You were out past curfew Black! Where do you think you've been Black? You're lucky I don't give you a detention Black'" He mimicked all her usual prefect style come backs.
"I'm going to bed Sirius. I suggest you try get some sleep yourself. Good night" She said quietly standing to go to bed. That was really not like the usual Lily Evans behaviour.
"Look I'm sorry about dinner okay? I was being a cock. I'm sorry about your mum too." He admitted. She turned and looked back at him surprised by his outburst. "Its fine, thanks Sirius. Good Night." She replied continuing up to her dormitory. See this whole being nice thing wasn't so hard. He'd have her and Prongs shacked up by the end of the year.
"You were in late last night Sirius" Remus smirked over breakfast.
"Hey a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do" He replied back with a grin.
"What man? Where?" James mocked. Sirius whacked him over the back of the head with the daily prophet. "I was just kidding!" He laughed.
"I suggest you mind your manners Prongs or I won't keep up being nice to Evans." Sirius wiggled his finger suggestively at his friend suggestively. Unrolling the prophet, he took one look at the leading headline and tossed it to one side again. Missing Aurors Found Dead.
"So you're actually going to try be nice?" Peter mumbled through a mouthful of eggs.
"Swallow first" Remus scolded turning his nose up at both Peter and the prophet.
"That's what he said" Marlene's voice joined the conversation as she slipped into place beside Sirius.
"Marls that's disgusting" Lily added sitting beside her. Marlene shrugged her shoulders and piled bacon and various other breakfast foods onto her plate.
"Sleep well girls?" James asked, though it was obvious he was directing his question at Lily.
"Fine thanks James" She responded with a smile. Peter started to choke on what was left in his mouth and Sirius took the opportunity to imitate a heart attack. This was too golden an opportunity to miss. "Oh no, she said James... It's the end of the world...air...I need air... Oh light glorious light I'm going" Sirius projected. Which Lily responded to by laughing and throwing her toast at him.
"So maybe Potter wasn't the only one who had to grow up a bit over the summer. I was wrong I admit it." Once again the group looked in a state of shock, Lily Evans admitting to partial blame? It was unheard of.
"I suddenly feel quite faint" Sirius continued his act throwing his arm over his face dramatically. He stopped however when he noticed Marlene subtly running her hand over his thigh under the table.
"So what do you all have first?" Lily asked choosing to ignore the theatrics. The rest of the marauders began to spout out their day's timetable but Marlene had Sirius's full and undivided attention.
Friday she traced over his leg with her fingers. Tapestry. 5th floor. 8pm. Then as if nothing had happened she moved her hand and jumped into the group conversation. Sirius could still feel the heat on his leg where her hand had been and although he wouldn't admit it; even to himself. He liked it.
"See there are rewards for being a gentleman" Marlene hissed in his ear.
Sirius barely heard her over his own laboured breathing. They'd been snogging frantically behind the tapestry for close to an hour, but he just couldn't get enough of her lips on his own. No matter how breath taking it was. Marlene moved her mouth to his neck and began to suck softly, forcing him harder into the wall. He groaned.
"So long as she keeps playing nice I will" He growled from deep in his throat. Marlene pulled away, readjusting her wrinkled clothes. "Same time next week? If you behave. But it'll have to be a different location."
"I quite like this one" He said, trying to pull her in for another kiss but she pushed him away roughly.
"We can't use the same place in a short space of time. It risks being caught. Give it a few weeks then we can come back here. You pick the next location."
He tried to pull her in again as she tried to leave. He wasn't used to this. Usually the girl would be begging him to stay. 'Five more minutes Sirius baby?' they would coo. But by then he'd usually had his fill. He didn't like to get attached. Those kind of relations were the kind that required future efforts to be made on his part. That wasn't his style, no matter how many women had tried to be the one to change it. "Next week." She said roughly and left him. He hit his head back against the wall. Forcing the air in his lungs to leave out his nose. Since when I become the puppet? He thought.
That was how it continued for the rest of September. Sirius would be polite and get on with Evans, then at the end of the week, in a different location every time; he and Marlene would snog each other senseless. However, it was always her that initiated and it was always her that finished it. Every time Sirius left unsatisfied, getting more and more wound up and sexually frustrated and he couldn't tell whether he liked it or not. It was a new kind of thrill. Sirius's newly changed attitude hadn't gone unnoticed by the other marauders. James was over the moon, as was Remus. Tension levels within the group had dropped considerably. Though Peter had not been taking much interest, instead his focus on the baffling amount of work they had been slumped with in preparation for their NEWTS the following year. Of course Sirius was still a long way off from getting James and Lily 'shacked up' together, but they had made steady progress on the friendship side of things. As a matter of fact, there hadn't been a single famous Potter and Evans scream off and it was putting some of the Gryffindor's on edge. Especially as there hadn't even been a welcome back Marauder prank. People believed it was only a matter of time before someone snapped.