* Back to real time *
Marlene stretched and yawned as she finished up a long stint of studying in the library after classes. Her exams were coming up and she felt the pressure to buckle down, as she had been distracted in the last week after everything that had happened. James had heard from his parents that Alastor was recovered and now had a new eye replacement for the one he had lost in battle. James had said it could see through walls but Marlene was hesitant to believe the joker. The rest of the news following the battle was a few arrests and not much else, another raid had occurred later in the week and a muggle-born family had been murdered so the news had moved quickly to that tragedy and the battle was almost forgotten.
Marlene's mind was still clouded with that night though and felt like a weight sat on her chest whenever she thought about it. After they kissed Marlene and Sirius had said very little to each other and Sirius had done his best to brush off the whole event and act like nothing had happened in the morning when James' parents had come and picked them up and reunited them with their wands. Marlene could not forget so easily though as she felt a change now between them that could not be ignored. She felt hesitant to bring it up to him again though as she feared he would either make fun of her in his usual cavalier way or he could say more than she may be ready to hear.
She sighed with frustration and threw her books into her bag and grabbed her quill, which slipped from her hand and dropped to the floor. She reached down to get it but a hand flew out and picked it up before she could.
"You really shouldn't hang around so late in the castle by yourself Mckinnon. There's a number of Slytherins who would love to catch a lonely Gryffindor." Sirius said standing up and holding the quill in his hands. Marlene stood and reached for the quill, which Sirius held up just out of her reach. She put her hands on her hips and waited for him to pass it back to her. He held onto it though and looked her straight in the eye. There was an awkward pause in the air and both just stood there looking at one another with a deep intensity. Marlene eventually raked her hands through he curly blonde hair trying to calm her nerves, which she felt now whenever Sirius was around.
"I wasn't lying today you know." He said finally, his hands playing with the quill feather trying to look nonchalant.
"Lying about what?" Marlene asked with frustration, she always felt like Sirius was playing a game and Marlene was never given the rulebook.
"When you saw Patricia slap me and I said it was because I liked another girl. It wasn't a lie." He replied. Marlene nodded but still felt frustration with how he never quite got to the point.
"And who is this mystery girl?" She asked trying to sound casual. He looked at her intently and handed her the quill but when she reached her hand out to grab it he grabbed her hand instead.
"I was talking about you Marlene." He said, his hand holding hers and pulling her towards him slightly. Her heart pounded and fluttered as soon as he said her first name.
"How am I meant to know I'm not going to be the next girl to slap you in a corridor Black? She said trying to be guarded. She felt like this whole act was going to be a joke and any minute he was going to laugh in her face.
"You know I would never mess you around like that. You're more than just some silly girl that I hook up with in a broom closet. I tried to distract myself but I can't avoid how I feel any longer." He said staring into her eyes, he hand shook a little bit, which was the only show of nerves from him. Marlene looked back but scowled into his dark brown eyes.
"So you've been trying to avoid it? Is that how you feel like I need to be fought against?" She said, her tone of anger showing clearly. Sirius' eyebrows shot up and he let go of her hands and held them up in apology.
"No that's not what I meant. I just… I knew that it would be difficult. I've totally not explained this right." He said ruffling his hair and looking frustrated that he couldn't get his words out.
"James is my brother Marlene. Plain and simple, we're grown up together, his family took me in, and I love him." Sirius said finally, Marlene was shocked to hear him say it all. She knew he cared about James but she had never heard Sirius speak of feelings.
"James and I would do anything for each other and years ago when I first started to mess around with girls and whatever James made me promise that I would never go near you as you were his sister. I agreed and ever since I've kept that promise but I can't do it anymore." He took a step towards her and she took a step back.
"Sirius how do I know that you're not just doing this because I'm the only girl you can't have?" She asked feeling more conflicted than ever.
"Do you really think I would do that with you? We've grown up together too and I care about you just as much as James does. I just want to know if you feel the same. You're the only girl who I feel like understands me and doesn't want me because I'm a bad boy, or because I'm a marauder or a ladies man or whatever other bullshit labels people give me. You always just see me for me. I see you too Marlene, you're an amazing person, loyal, caring, funny, beautiful." His hand reached up to her face and this time she didn't pull away. She couldn't look him in the eye though as his compliments made her feel uncomfortable.
"I just need to know." He finished with, he looked down on her waiting for her to speak and she didn't know what to say. She looked up finally into his eyes and felt her heart race so hard she felt faint but she couldn't look away. Instead she just leant in and kissed him gently on the mouth.
Her soft lips trembled as they touched him and he was obviously shocked by her movement as he just stood still, as if scared him moving might scare her away. He eventually relaxed though and smiled into the kiss that he had waited so long for.
…
Marlene walked down the corridor of Hogwarts, she was up to her eyeballs with exam revision and would be so happy to never see a history of magic textbook ever again in her life time. She was skimming through her notes as she walked when suddenly she felt a hand grab her and she was bundled into an alcove hidden behind a nearby tapestry. She let out a little scream as she was pressed up against the wall in the alcove but soon she relaxed and let out a huff of frustration.
"Sirius I told you to stop doing this, you almost gave me a heart attack." She said feigning annoyance as Sirius greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, which slowly moved down to her neck.
"I told you I have to study today, exams start in a week." She said, her tone of annoyance was barely holding and she let out a little giggle as his lips tickled her neck.
"Well we needed to find a new hiding spot," Sirius said between kisses, "As princess Marlene was too good for the romantic broom closet hotspot I had for us." His kisses moved back up to her face and he kissed her deeply on the lips.
"Excuse me for not wanting to be another one of Black's Broom Closet Bitches," She said running her hands through his long hair. He paused for a second.
"Is that a thing or did you just make that up?"
"I made it up, catchy right?" She said going back to kissing him as his hands roamed up and down her sides. His hands reached under her untucked shirt and stroked her waist gently and his bare hands on her skin sobered her for a second.
"When are we going to tell James about this? We've been sneaking around for a month now." She said pulling his hands down so she could concentrate, his touch was intoxicating. Sirius frowned; this was his least favourite topic.
"I want to tell him Mar', I really do. I'm just not ready to, I don't know how he's going to react and I just don't want to ruin what we have especially before exams and in our last few weeks here. Can't we wait until after we finish school? I can tell him about me moving out and about us when we're back in London." He said leaning in for another kiss. She leant away though wanting to talk more.
"Sirius, we have to tell him eventually. I hate sneaking around." She said firmly and he nodded.
"After school finishes I promise." He said and she finally succumbed to his kiss and his hands roamed under her shirt and she let out a little moan of pleasure.
….
Marlene threw her hands in the air and swayed to the music as she celebrated finishing exams and finishing Hogwarts. The 7th years had all gathered down at the lake and the marauders had a full party in motion for all the leavers. Marlene was having the best time and grabbed Lily's hand and danced around as music floated out of the lake.
"We're finished Lily this is it!" She screamed, half for the excitement and half because of the fire whisky the boys had snuck in.
"What are you going to do after school Marlene?" Lily asked her. Everyone around them was dancing and laughing so she had to speak up.
"I don't know for sure, I've applied for a junior role at the Daily Prophet so hopefully I get it. I want to travel though so I'm just waiting to see what happens." She said smiling at her friend.
"What's Sirius doing next?" Lily asked candidly giving her friend a look of knowing. Marlene's face dropped and she looked at Lily. No one knew about her and Sirius, or so she thought.
"I have no idea, why ask me?" Marlene asked trying to sound casual. Lily smiled.
"Don't panic I won't tell James. He showed me the marauders map and I spotted you two were together a broom closet and I figured it out. Don't worry I distracted James and he didn't see." Lily said quickly and Marlene calmed knowing James didn't see them.
"James showed you the map?" Marlene asked smiling, her friends had slowly become closer since the attack over the holidays and she knew it must be serious if he had shown her the map.
"He thought I would be interested in it. It's an amazing piece of magic." Lily said coyly but smiled knowing her act wasn't holding.
"I'm happy for you Lil's. He's wonderful, you're wondered, you deserve each other." Marlene said knowing the fire whisky might have something to do with her rambling.
"What about you though Mar? How long have you and Sirius been hooking up?" Lily asked. Marlene frowned as this was something that was a sore spot for her. They'd been sneaking around for about two months and were yet to declare any kind of relationship or tell James. They had agreed on after graduation but Marlene felt sick keeping such a big secret from James for so long.
"A while. Please don't tell James, we've been waiting for the right time." She said, as she spoke she looked around looking for Sirius and spotted him showing off floating himself over the lake. He had clearly had too much to drink though as his spell faltered and he plunged into the icey lake. Her heart dropped as she saw him go under but then she saw him come up for air and he called out like a wolf and everyone howled back and jumped into the lake after him.
"What an idiot." Marlene said rolling her eyes but smiling as she knew he was secretly her idiot. "So have you and James talked about what happens after school finishes?" Marlene asked turning to Lily. But she hadn't realised Lily had wandered off and was now stood with James and he had her arm around her and they talked quietly a little away from the party.
Marlene couldn't believe her eyes, James had finally done it and won Lily Evan's heart, she never thought she would see the day. She was so happy for her friends though as she knew how perfect they were for each other.
Marlene wandered through the party and saw everything getting a little wilder as people stripped off to jump in the lake. She definitely wasn't joining in on that fun, as she knew how cold the water was. As she wandered over to grab another butterbeer she heard some girls giggling about something and she overheard them saying something about someone getting over a dry spell. She ignored the gossip though and went over to the bank of the lake to make sure Sirius wasn't drowning. She couldn't spot him at first but then she saw he had someone on his shoulders and were playing a game. She realised the girl was Clary Firebarn who was a well know man eater of the school.
He seemed pretty wasted as he was stumbling all over the place and eventually he stumbled and Clary screamed and fell into the water. She grabbed Sirius though and wrapped her arms around him and pounced on him for a kiss, which Marlene watched with disgust as he leaned into the kiss.
Her heart stopped and she felt physically sick. She froze and looked away as she couldn't see anymore and she turned to walk away.
As she walked she heard her name being called and someone grabbed her arm.
"Marlene," Lily said, her face showing that she had clearly seen what happened. Marlene dragged her arm from her grip though and started to walk away quicker back to the castle and away from this situation entirely. As she sped up though she could hear the pace of someone running after her and calling her name.
She turned her head as she reached the entrance to the castle and just as Sirius caught up with her. Her hand automatically went up and slapped him across the face.
"You fucked bastard Sirius. I thought you would at least have the decency to break it off before you start shagging other girls. But in front of my face. In front of my fucking face!" She screamed, the tears couldn't help but fall from her eyes and she angrily swiped them away.
Sirius face looked absolutely distraught and he didn't know where to even begin.
"Marlene I'm so sorry, it didn't mean anything I'm just drunk and wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to do it!" He said, knowing anything he said would be pathetic at this point. She just raised her finger and pointed in his face as she spoke.
"This ends now Sirius just like any of your other pathetic relationships. With a slap to the face and your leg already over the next tramp you've got lined up. Never speak to me again." She said before she turned and stormed into the castle not turning to look back once.
Sirius stood on the steps of Hogwarts dejected, heart broken and alone watching the love of his life walk away from him.
…...
· *Five years later*
Marlene walked down a street in London feeling nostalgic and full of memories having not been in this city for over 4 years. Her job at the Daily Prophet took her all over the world now and her secret work with the order kept her busy as well. She had just arrived back from Istanbul this morning and she had a meeting in the city so she hurried along as she was running a few minutes late.
She walked down a little side street and felt the nerves in her belly rise as she got closer to her destination. Her life was very different now but she hadn't seen a lot of old faces for a long time and felt nervous to see a certain person in particular.
Marlene hadn't seen Sirius since popping into Christmas at the Potter's three years before and it hadn't gone well. She'd drank too much mulled wine and then passed out on the Potter's couch as she was so anxious about seeing him. They'd not spoken a single word to each other after the events on graduation night and never resolved anything.
Time had passed and Marlene felt less angry about the situation, they had been kids and it was silly to dwell on the past too much, especially with a war raging around them. But her stomach hadn't got the message and the nerves were bubbling inside of her, as she knew he would be at this meeting.
She entered the leaky cauldron and gave a nod to Tom as she walked straight through the bar and up towards the function room hidden away at the back. She pushed the door open and peaked in before she was suddenly yanked in and arms enveloped her.
"Marlene!" James exclaimed as he hugged his old friend. "I thought you promised you would come home last Christmas, I missed you." He said holding her tight so she could barely breathe.
"Sorry Potter, a story about vampires infiltrating the Romanian ministry took priority and I had to give it a miss." She said smiling up as her messy haired friend. He looked different, his eyes were tired behind his glasses but they also glistened with happiness too. He let her go and smiled down at her as if checking to see if she had changed too.
"So have you got any news?" He asked with a funny tone of voice.
"Nothing new with me, just the usual work work work." She said but she realised he was holding something back.
"What about you?" She asked and he looked like he was about to burst.
"I PROPOSED TO LILY AND SHE SAID YES!" He yelled so loudly and excitedly that the whole room stopped talking and heard. Everyone cheered and Lily appeared at the back of the room blushing but grinning from ear to ear as she held up the hand with a ring on it.
"James congratulations!" Marlene said hugging him as Lily walked over and then hugging her next.
"You'll be a bridesmaid right?" Lily asked as they hugged.
"Of course, I would love to! I'm so happy for you both, it only took you, what 5 years to convince her James?" Marlene said grinning, ecstatic for her friends.
"Thirteen if you count the Hogwarts unrequited love years." A voice called out and Marlene's stomach dropped. Sirius appeared by James' side and clasped his friends shoulder to congratulate him although Marlene was sure Sirius would already know the news.
"Seven years of pissing her off and she eventually gave in to my charm." James said cheekily and Lily didn't even get mad she just grinned and kissed him in response. They were so in love and happy and Marlene couldn't help but grin watching them.
"How have you been Marlene?" Sirius asked trying to sound casual. Marlene looked over at him and saw his hair was even longer and in some kind of ponytail and his leather jacket looked like it had been worn for a few hundred years.
"Good thanks," She said smiling. "It's been a while. How's life?" Her friendly tone obviously surprised him as a grin popped onto his face, which showed his relief.
"I'm good, I…" He was cut off by the order meeting starting and the group gathered to discuss the top secret plans the group were doing to battle in the on-going war.
Marlene felt at home with this group and it was good to return after such a long time away. The group finished up the meeting with assignments given and news exchanged before James called out that they were going to do a group photo before everyone left. Marlene shuffled over and somehow ended up squeezed next to Sirius.
Her heart still fluttered when he was close to her and she smelt familiar which she liked. They all smiled for the photo and cheered on the count of three. It was refreshing to do a meeting and everyone be update, it was times like this that made all the fighting worth it.
"How long are you in London for?" She heard Sirius ask her quietly. She looked over at him and felt him stare nervously at her, an emotion alien to his face usually.
"Just tonight then I'm off again tomorrow on a mission." She said quietly in response. They stared at each other for a moment then Sirius took a deep breath and asked.
"Do you fancy grabbing some dinner after this? Catching up?" He asked her looking anxious for her response. She felt like she had the upper hand so left him waiting for a moment while she pretended to mull it over.
"Yeah sure. I'll just say bye to a few people then lets go." She said smiling. She went over and hugged Lily and congratulated her again. Lily asked her where she was going and Marlene just winked at her and said out loud that she was tired and heading back to her parents even though Marlene knew her parents were out of town with business.
"Don't be a stranger Mar'." James said hugging his friend tightly. Marlene smiled promised to owl more and then headed to the exit saying a few brief goodbyes as she did.
Out in the pub Sirius waited for her and she smiled feeling like she was going on a first date, but this was Sirius and she knew him too well to feel like strangers.
"Pizza or pizza then?" She asked grinning and linking her arm through his and pulling him towards the door.
"You know me too well McKinnon." He said grinning down at her as let her drag him outside.
They found a little muggle Italian place nearby and Sirius surprised her by saying he had some muggle money with him and it was fine. They sat on a small table in the corner lit by a candle. The restaurant was surprisingly busy for a little place so they had to lean in to hear each other as they regaled each other with the last few years of adventures.
Sirius had been working as a spy for the order and also part-time working for Tom in the leaky cauldron. His connections through his family, although broken, had made him a valuable asset to the order and he'd been on some dangerous and from his description, exciting, missions.
She spoke of her travels and all the amazing places she had been. She spoke avidly of how she walked along the Great Wall of China and how she battled a pair of trolls in East Africa. Her stories enraptured Sirius and he listened to her so intently she almost felt shy to tell him anymore.
"So now I'm off again tomorrow on Order business and then I'll be back in London for a while. My travellers feet are weary and I think I'm ready to be a bit stationary for a while." She said smiling and Sirius looked happy at the prospect.
"It would be great to have you around again Mar'." He said, a shiver running down her back when he used her nickname. "It hasn't been the same without you. Lily is far too nice to really bring me back to reality when my ego takes over." The waiter brought the bill over to the table and Sirius looked a bit sad as that meant the evening was drawing to an end.
"I don't know, she seems to have done wonders with James." Marlene said laughing. Sirius nodded and laughing too.
"Yeah he's a whipped man now. I can't lie and say I'm not a bit envious." He said looking away at the table next to them which contained a couple that were holding hands over the table and having a quietly intimate conversation.
"You haven't met a lady to tame you then?" She asked feeling instant regret knowing she didn't want to know the answer to that question.
"Yeah I did, but I screwed it up." He said looking directly into her eyes and not faltering this time. She stared but was at a loss for words. She'd waited years to hear him say this and in her head had prepared a million speeches to respond with.
Instead of speaking though she just held out her hand and took his across the table. His fingers linked into hers and his face looked so hopeful it made her heart hurt.
"I will never be able to explain to you about how sorry I am that I was such an idiot back then Marlene. But I have tried to become a better person, for you and also for myself. All I want is for you to give me another shot. It's been years and I've never met another that could even hold a candle to you." He said with so much earnest that she felt her whole body quiver. She squeezed his hand as if trying to hold onto him tighter in that moment and nodded as if mulling over everything in her head.
"Marlene…" He started to say to continue his heart felt apology.
"Sirius," She said interrupting his and he looked to her waiting to see what she would say. "Let's get out of here." Then she very calmly stood up and Sirius realised she was serious so he pulled out the muggle money and left it on the table.
They walked out of the restaurant and down the street a little whilst standing close to each other as Sirius waited to hear what Marlene wanted to do, still unsure of himself. This was all in her control now and he waited patiently for whatever she wanted.
The evening air was chilly and she felt a chill run over her so she rubbed her arm to warm herself up and Sirius took his queue and shook off his jacket and put it over her shoulders. As his arms wrapped around her to secure the jacket she looked up at him and she felt 17 again. His dark brown eyes stared down at her hopefully and she smiled feeling the familiar feeling of warmth that she had missed through so many years apart.
So instead she stepped up on her tiptoes and leant in a gently kissed him straight on the mouth. She was over the waiting; she was done with making him pay for past mistakes. In that moment all she wanted to be was in Sirius' arms and for him to kiss her back and for them to be together.
He immediately responded and groaned a little in happiness and crushed his lips to hers. He put his arms firmly around her and they were crushed together in a clinch so tight Marlene felt like all the air had rushed from her. They wouldn't have moved if it wasn't for some muggles driving past to honk them in their car and sober them for a second.
"Can we get out of here?" Sirius asked her, still keeping the decision-making firmly in her court.
"Yes, let's go right now." She said with urgency needing to be close to him as soon as possible. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down a side street alley how of the view of any muggles. He then waved his wand and apparated them away with a haste Marlene was happy with. They landed softly and Marlene looked around for their surrounding and found them in a familiar little alley of Godric's Hollow.
"You still live here?" She said smiling. He looked down at her and smiled.
"I had a fond memory here and it made me kind of attached to this little place." He said smiling. He led her down the alley and unlocked the door and pulled her into the apartment and before he'd even closed the door his arms were around her and he was kissing her feverishly. He pushed her against the door to close it and she groaned as his hands reached under her bum and wrapped her legs around him.
They kissed so intensely that as soon as they both ran out of breath Sirius took that as an opportunity to carry her over to the bed and lay her gently down. He stared down at her for a second, his jacket had fallen off and her curly blonde hair, which was longer than he remembered, circled her head like a halo and she looked like what he imagined an angel to look like.
Her hands reached up and pulled his tshirt over his head and her hands when for his belt with urgency. She felt a sense of passion that she had never encountered before but it wasn't just lust, it was something more. Her heart yearned to be with him, to touch him and to be touched. He reached down and gently undressed her and then they fell into each other with a passion both of them knew that was reserved solely for the two of them.
….
Marlene awoke at dawn as the light creeped through the one window in Sirius' tiny apartment. She yawned and stretched and reached to keep the blanket covering her as it was the only thing covering her bare body. She could feel the warmth of his body next to her and she turned and found Sirius awake lying next to her.
"Watching me sleep? Creepy much?" She said grinning at him. He smiled and looked down on her as he leant on his hand, a hand reached up and stroking the curve of her hip through the blanket.
"I couldn't sleep. Although my body is pretty tired." He said grinning cheekily.
"I should hope so too." She said grinning back at him and a slight blush coming across her cheeks. He leaned in and gently kissed her on the mouth and she smiled into the kiss feeling such contentment she never thought possible.
He pulled away and Marlene looked around the room at their strewn clothes and laughed.
"This place looks like its been robbed." She said grinning proudly.
"It's nice to see it lived in. I don't get many visitors here." He said looking down at her happily.
"I'm not naïve enough to think I'm the only visitor to your home Sirius. I don't care though, I'm just glad I'm here now." She said kissing him to show him she meant it. He looked seriously at her though.
"Marlene I'm not lying when I say no other girl has ever been in this place. Only the boys, and you." He said taking her hand and caressing her palm in a very distracting manner.
"Wow… I didn't think…" She was surprised and touched to know he had really, sincerely missed her.
The light outside the curtains was bright now and the day was started and Marlene lay back on her pillow for a moment and sighed.
"I have to go." She said after a minute of lying then in bliss. Sirius looked sad but knew she meant she had to leave too.
"You'll be back soon though and then we can talk about us." Sirius said leaning in and kissing her gently on the forehead.
"I never thought I would see the day where Sirius Black was initiating a relationship conversation." He smiled and didn't rise to the bait but his hand did wrap around her and tickled her until she giggled and screamed submission. They both lay there for a moment in peace and felt like this was what true happiness felt like.
…..
Marlene had finally dragged herself from the warmth of Sirius' bed and gone quickly home to change. Her mission today meant being stealthy so she transfigured her hair brown and straight and put on some dull clothes and robes so she didn't draw attention.
She apparated to an alley between two book shops on Diagon alley and pulled the note from her pocket to check the details one more time. A contact from her travels, more specifically a vampire, was in London, and had messaged her to tell her he had information that would be of interest to her. Ludovig was a strange character but he was a good source of information from the underworld of magical creatures and he had given her information on a few leads she had followed in the past.
She didn't full trust Ludovig so she went with caution not knowing his angle at seeking her out to give her this information. Usually he asked for gold or assistance with getting slightly illegal ancient artefacts as he was an avid historian. The last time she saw him she'd helped him slip through a few locked doors in the Wizarding Historical museum in Rotterdam so he could "borrow" an Egyptian talisman. Marlene knew it had been wrong but he'd given her some key information on the Romanian vampire coup so she felt like it balanced out… slightly.
She walked down Diagon alley keeping her head down heading towards Knockturn alley where Ludovig had said he would meet her. She tried to keep an eye out for strange characters but pretty much everyone in Knockturn alley was strange so it was difficult to filter them.
She arrived at her destination and knocked three times on the door as instructed and the door opened a crack and a small, ancient house elf answered. He said nothing but ushered her into the house. She found it strange as usually house elves had particularly good manners but she looked around at the dilapidated house inside and realise this elf clearly wasn't like other elves.
She looked around and saw no sign of Ludovig so she asked the elf, who ushered her down the house towards the back. She entered what looked like an old dining room that may have once been grand but had been allowed to slip into disrepair.
She was about to ask if Ludovig was on his way but the elf had already popped off somewhere and Marlene was left alone. She looked around and felt uneasy but she knew this wasn't going to be the safest of missions. She gripped her wand tightly and inspected the room. There was a glass cabinet on the far side of the room that appeared to have a few objects in it so she walked over to see what was inside.
She gasped when she realised the contents were shrivelled up heads all in a row, all with expressions of absolute fear frozen on their shrivelled faces. Marlene shivered but shook it off as she knew a vampires residence wasn't exactly going to be Honeydukes.
She waited for what felt like forever then finally the door creaked and Ludovig appeared. He looked warn, more warn that a vampire usually did and Marlene noted his usually pristeen clothes, generally a Victorian gentleman's suit, was rumpled.
"Welcome Miss Mckinnon. A pleasure to see you again." He said, his Austrian accent clear in his husky voice.
"Ludovig, lets cut to the chase. Why did you ask me to meet you here? You wrote to me and said you had information that could benefit the resistance?" She said sternly getting straight to the point.
"Such haste. What the hurry?" He said trying to look casual but Marlene could tell he was holding something back.
"Are you ill? Why are you eyes so sunken? When was the last time you drank?" She asked knowing a vampire who was denied fresh blood would eventually desecrate like a corpse would.
"I have been… unwell. But I will be fine in time." He said cryptically which was the usual way for vampires. They were old and enjoyed riddles and games to amuse themselves. "Why don't you tell me something or interest and I'll return with mine?" He asked sitting at the head of the dining table and inspecting his long nails.
"I don't have time for games, if you're wasting my time I might as well go." She said turning to leave. He spoke out though and she turned to look at him.
"I came to London upon request, a request I did not have the power to refuse and now I await further instruction." He said raising his voice slightly as if he was signalling something. Marlene's eyes flew to the door and then back to Ludovig and her heart raced.
"Ludovig what have you done?" She said strained hearing footstep nearby.
"I stole an artefact from the wrong person and now I am… a slave of sorts I suppose." He said, his face strained but unfeeling.
Marlene darted towards the door but it flung open and she was blasted back against the table. The blow almost knocked her unconscious and she looked up to see Bellatrix Black and Rudolphus Lestrange cackling manically above her.
Marlene reached for her wand which had fallen from her hand and shot a weak stunning spell at Bellatrix which she deflected and made her laughing more crazily than before.
"Hello little Mudblood lover." She said in her sickly voice. Marlene looked around her, she could feel blood dripping down from the bump on her head and she gasped for air as fear filled her. Bellatrix raised her wand and Marlene took one final breath and whispered her last word.
"Sirius…" and then, nothing.
…
Sirius watched James take Lily's hand and lead her onto the makeshift dance floor in their new homes back garden for their first official dance as man and wife. James couldn't help but beam as his beautiful bride and she back at him as they spun around on the dance floor and everyone laughed and clapped for the happy couple.
Sirius felt joy for his friends, which was strange as he thought it might be the first time in a year that he felt it which when you put numbers to it is a long time to feel empty. He had for some time thought that happiness was no longer in his reach.
Marlene had been found dead by Aurors, specifically James' parents who had taken her to St Mungoes and then immediately summoned James who had been with Sirius at the time. They had both rushed to the hospital but by that point the hospital was just a formality. She was gone, just like that, gone from their world, from Sirius' world.
Sirius had said nothing that day, he had gone in and watched James' sob, held his friend, hugged the Potter's, consoled her parents. He had not cried at her funeral, he stood at the back letting James stand at the front with her family.
He just felt like it would cause more pain to allow the secret, which had been his greatest triumph hurt those who loved her now that she was gone. Better to keep the burden to himself and keep his time with Marlene their little secret.
Lily had been the only one who had known about the two of them and so when Sirius had spent three months drinking and avoiding everyone she was the one who dragged him out of the bar and gave him a stern talking to. That had been the first time he had cried since it happened and she held him as if he were a child and just stayed with him while he let out the built up emotions.
After that he had rejoined the fight knowing that he had to avenge her or at least play his part in ending the war. But James and Lily's wedding had halted that for a day whilst they celebrated his friends union and he say there trying to be present in the moment but knowing he had to do something.
He got up and walked over to where Alice had been sat with Frank for the wedding feast, her bridesmaid's flowers sat on the table and he swiped them and snuck out of the marquee before anyone could notice. He walked down the side of the house and out the front gate and quickly apparated to a quiet orchard on the outskirts of London.
He stumbled through the green both from the multiple fire whiskies and because it was dark. He eventually reached where he meant to be and he stopped and stood for a moment.
In front of him the head stone wrote, "Marlene McKinnon, a beloved daughter, a fierce friend and a courageous soldier. Her heart will be remembered always."
He stared at the words and wondered if she would have liked them, she wasn't the sentimental type and hated things like birthday cards. He smiled remembering the time Richard Waterfly had given her a Valentine's day card in second year and she burnt it to a crisp in front of his face as she'd just learnt the spell and had heard that he'd also given Felicity Guddle one too.
He placed the flowers down at the base of the gravestone and felt a tear slip from his eye as his hand rested on the stone and hit the ground beneath him.
"Sirius," He heard from behind him and he quickly swiped the tear away and looked behind him sharply to the unannounced person. James appeared from the shadows and looked at his friend.
"James," Sirius said confused. "Why are you here?" James looked at his friend with such a look that Sirius knew James' had worked it out about he and Marlene. A silence hung in the air whilst James look down at Marlene's gravestone.
"Did Lily tell you?" Sirius asked, not angry just asking to know.
"No I worked it out on my own after Marlene… after she was gone." James said stumbling on the right words to say. James looked as pained as Sirius felt and Sirius immediately felt panicked.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I hated keeping a secret from you. It was just, we were kids at first and I screwed it up and then we finally got out shit together out…" He babbled and then his voice finally broke.
"You should have told me," James agreed but not in a tone of annoyance. "I could have been there for you more. She died Sirius, she was your… if something happened to Lily I would…" James raked his hand through his hair and turned away, just thinking of something happening to Lily tore him apart.
"She was your sister James. I couldn't liken my pain to yours. She was your family, a best friend even before you and I. How could I add to your burden knowing that we had secretly been in love?" Sirius said, another tear had welled in his eye and this time he did nothing to fight it falling down his face. It was the first time he had ever said out loud how he had felt for Marlene, he'd never even had the chance to tell her. James turned and looked at his friend and saw the pain he had been hiding for so long.
He said nothing but walked over and grabbed him into a fierce hug. They said nothing and Sirius just grabbed him back and cried finally, unashamedly into his shoulder.
"You are my brother Sirius. My family. I am so sorry you did this alone. I feel her loss every day and I will always be there for you. Brother's till the end." James said holding his friend tight before letting go and taking a step back. Sirius looked down at the grave one more time and closed his eyes for a moment just to pull himself together.
"She would have looked so beautiful in a wedding dress." Sirius said finally. He had always secretly pictured her coming down the aisle to him, James by his side. Now he only had the daydream, which he knew could never come true.
"She would want you to continue your life Sirius. If you dwell of what could have been your life will be a waste and she would resent you for it." James said firmly. Sirius nodded knowing his friend was right.
"We should get back to your wedding." Sirius said finally touching the head stone one last time.
As they walked away to apparate Sirius took one final look back before he turned and continued on.
