Disclaimer: I own nothing from JK Rowling's Potterverse.
R&R: As always the more you rate and review, the quicker. Though I do have one more chapter to post tonight. Just as a side note, it's always been a head canon of mine that there was a friendship between Hagrid and Marlene. So you can expect a small subplot into that exploration as seen in the last chapter (:

Enjoy,
Dee.


"I am going to melt." Mary slammed her open palms on the table, the librarian quickly hushed her and she lowered her voice to a whisper, "Literally. When you all ask 'Where's Mary?' just look for the puddle."

"You'll be fine," Lily didn't look up from her writing.

"No I won't," she hissed over the table grabbing Lily's quill, "I'm going to die before I get the chance to get out of Hogwarts."

"So you're going to be the next Moaning Myrtle?" Lily sighed in disbelief and raised a brow at her friend.

"Meddlesome Mary." Marlene quipped from her own.

Mary stilled at leaned forward with a sinister grin, she caught the jab, "Tempestuous Marlene."

Marlene paused and glanced under her lashes at Mary, "Look at you. Big word, Mary."

"Wait, no-" Lily looked at Mary, "it has to fit tradition. You can't go from Moaning Myrtle and Meddlesome Mary and then go to Tempestuous Marlene."

Mary shrugged her shoulders and flicked a wicked glance towards her friend, "Miserable Marlene."

Marlene dropped her hand and raised her head to look Mary. She snorted on a laugh and placed a hand over her mouth to hide her growing grin. Lily glanced towards Marlene quickly, "Since she is going from tempestuous to misery, I'm assuming your regretting your decision about Dirk?"

"No," Marlene rolled her eyes and picked her hand back up to start writing again, "Mary's off her trolly."

"Well that's good," Mary tightened her lips into a line before looking back down to her own homework a sly smile over her soft features as she glanced toward the familiar quartet of Gryffindor boys.

Marlene shrugged her shoulders lightly, not looking up from her homework despite the looks she could feel from both Mary and Lily. Lily had jumped aboard the Dirk Cresswell express and was quick to assume Marlene had made a mistake. She didn't know. Mary, was quickly piecing together stolen glances and overheard conversations enough to know that she had a 'thing', as Mary had so eloquently put. It doesn't matter, her conscience quipped from her shoulder, you wouldn't give Dirk a chance in hell anyways. Marlene cleared her throat, hoping to wordlessly suggest her friends to resume their homework as she had been attempting to do. The scratching of quills on parchment began quickly on que and a wave of relief fell over Marlene. They weren't going to push it. They were too different anyways, she and Dirk, even he had to realize that they were doomed from the start.

You can't cage a bird, Marlene told her conscience who layered a monologue of guilt over her.

A chair screeched to her left. Marlene hesitated before glancing in the direction of the owner of the body taking up the seat. His plump cheeks were flushed and he looked clearly uncomfortable. She tried to smile awkwardly at her old childhood friend. Mrs. Pettigrew had been a close friend of her mother's and so Marlene had seen a lot of Peter when she was a child. But when her mother died, the Pettigrews stopped coming. Even the Rowles stopped coming, and they were Marlene's first cousins. No one wanted to visit the widowed muggle who's magical wife died or the children she left behind. Marlene's Aunt Isolde visited, but the rest of her family had vanished. Her childhood friend vanished. Peter made attempts to talk to Marlene during their first year only to be quickly shut out. She fingered the hippogriff pendent around her neck. There was a reason she liked hippogriffs so much – she rarely forgot when she was disrespected or done wrong. Somewhere between their first year and their third year, Marlene had warmed enough to Peter to speak to him casually. His incessant dependency on Sirius Black and James Potter, however, was unflattering.

"How've you been?" Peter started awkwardly, running a hand through his hair at first in James Potter fashion to mess it up and again like Sirius Black to sweep it out of his face. He too had fallen the group of boys' in growing out his hair. It was a look that was flattering to James, Sirius and Remus, but not so much to Peter.

Marlene debated mouthing the words out loud in a sort of confusion as to what he was even doing there before answering slowly, "Fine. And you? How's your mum?"

"Good and good." Peter said quickly before digging in the pocket of his robe, looking past Marlene and shaking his head quickly. She was about to move to turn her head when Peter spoke again, "Finn's an auror now, right?"

"Yes," Marlene stated slowly her head still half turned to look in the direction he was looking in.

"This is awkward," he blurted out.

"No kidding." Lily raised her eyebrows, she was watching the lump of a boy, as he was so often described, curiously as he dropped his shoulders with a big sigh.

"Here," he shoved a folded piece of parchment toward Marlene's hands, causing her to draw a line over the edge of her parchment. Marlene raised an eyebrow suspiciously and looked at the square, to Peter, and back. She had begun to unfold the parchment and stopped as Peter leaned to look inside. Suspecting he hadn't wrote it, Marlene looked at him, her eyebrow not lowering from her forehead.

"I'm supposed to wait for you to say yes." Peter explained before leaning back to give Marlene space. Lily and Mary exchanged glances.

"Uh-huh," Marlene shook her head lightly and continued to unfold the square. Both girls on other side of the table inched forward as Peter had done to try to catch a glimpse of what they quickly deduced as a note. Marlene pulled it into her lap and glanced toward the two, mostly at Mary who was turning her head to look in the direction Peter kept glancing toward. Marlene turned her head over her shoulder to look behind her. Sirius quickly shifted his eyes from Peter to Marlene, rolling his quill between his palms to make the feather spin round and round towards the table. He watched her for a moment under his heavy hooded gaze before looking back to James who was grinning wildly, looking between the two while he whispered something vicariously towards him. She slowed her eyes from Sirius back to the note in her hands.

M.
You look nice today.
Hogsmeade?
S.

Marlene stared at the four worded note, her lip curling and eyebrows hiked up on her forehead in disbelief. She folded it and looked over her shoulder once again catching James laughing loudly, the two were reaching across the table at one another. Marlene caught James loud whisper: I don't care how smooth you are mate, Mckinnon would never. She couldn't hide the thoroughly confused look on her face when she moved to turn back around. She stopped, mid-turn, doe in the headlights under the equally confused Lily Evans and beaming Mary MacDonald. Marlene quickly shifted her eyes and crumbled the note in her hand, clearing her throat.

"I can't leave unless you say yes." Peter reiterated his mission.

"Well you're going to have to go back empty handed." Marlene left the ball crumbled in her hand and stared down at her assignment willing herself to write something, anything, but – what the bloody hell was that? She looked over her shoulder again and caught Sirius laughing, rubbing his own head when James quickly received an equally hard thump from the librarian. His wild grin still filled his face when he glanced toward her. He lifted his chin, dimple indenting unshaven face.

"I can't," Peter shifted uncomfortably.

"Why not?" Marlene turned to look at him annoyed, "Is the world going to end if you don't do what they say?"

"I just can't," he twisted his face uncomfortably before glancing back toward Sirius and James, waving a hand as if to say he was working on it.

"How am I supposed to respond to that?" Marlene dropped her hand holding her quill, her annoyance was rising.

"I don't know," he shrugged his shoulders loosely, "Yes, Sirius, I'd love to go to Hogsmeade with you?"

Mary snorted.

Lily was nothing but a face of big eyes and a wide open mouth in disbelief.

"No," Marlene snapped and looked back down at her unfinished essay, still holding the note in her hand.

"Don't make me, Marlene." Peter looked upward and groaned loudly. Marlene casted him a side glance before shaking her sleeve down her arm, completely avoided Mary and Lily's looks, and put her quill to the paper. Peter heaved a giant sigh. It started as a hum. Marlene lifted her head wide eyed when it got louder. He began mumbling the words and her head snapped toward him.

"What," Marlene started, speaking over Peter's song, her eyes widening, "the bloody hell are you doing?"

"Red and gold! Red and gold! He said it would get your attention. This is not the first time you've been told! This is battle, this is war, raise your flag for Gryffindor. And not to stop singing unless you said yes. Let me hear your lion roar," Peter sang the song out of tune, his voice squeaking and cracking under his whispering song. Marlene jolted to turn to look back at Sirius. His grin looked as though it might split his face in half, he waggled his brows in amusement. James was face down in his open book. His shoulders shook with laughter as he folded his hands over the top of his head.

"No," Marlene hissed loudly interrupting Peter's singing.

"Marlene—"

"No, Peter. You don't have to do whatever they say. Just go back over there and tell him I said no," Marlene placed her hands upward as if the solution was simple.

"He's doing me a favor," Peter defended.

"Right, what a good mate you got there," Lily scoffed in disbelief and kicked Marlene forcefully under the table. The blonde winced and glared toward the redhead as she forcefully cocked her head in demand of an explanation.

"If I get you to say yes, then..." Peter trailed off and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I'm not going to say yes. So continue singing. You'll only embarrass yourself," Marlene didn't know if it was her pride or the shame under Lily's leering glare that was making her say no so quickly. Since they had returned to Hogwarts, Marlene couldn't deny that Sirius Black had constantly caught her eye. How could he not after what had unfolded the previous year? She tried glimpsing, fleeting glances, but he always caught her staring. She caught him staring.

Peter opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it. Marlene raised her eyebrows as he quickly scurried from his seat. Her head turned as he quickened his walk past her to return to where he was beckoned to. Pausing to watch him as he sat at the table, Sirius wrapped an arm around his shoulder to bring him closer. His grey eyes flickered to meet Marlene's before pulling back and grinning wildly at his friend. James was still nose centered in his book, shaking his head when he finally perked up and pushed his glasses to the top of his head before throwing his hands up to sit back in his chair, shoulders shaking with a silent laughter.

"What in the hell," Lily hissed over the table, leering at Marlene, "was that all about?"

"I don't know," Marlene ignored Mary's laugh guised with a cough, "Guess he has a crush on me or something."

"Suddenly tempestuous and miserable make sense." Lily shifted in her chair looking accusingly toward Mary, "Did you know about this?"

Mary lifted her hands on either side of her before dropping them to fold in front of her, "I had an inclination."

Marlene narrowed her eyes at Mary who shrugged while stifling her own laughter and amusement. Lily cocked her head again, and pounded her fists on the table, "We're best friends, you're supposed to tell me everything."

"I do tell you everything," Marlene picked up her quill again to try to focus on her homework, still clutching the note in her hand.

"What'd it say?" she lifted her chin toward the note.

"Nothing."

"Then throw it away," Mary bared a daring toothy grin.

"Right now?" Marlene arched a brow.

"Yes." Lily quickly snapped in a harsh whisper, "If you don't care."

"I thought you wanted to see it?" Marlene turned it over in her hand.

"Let me see it, then throw it away," Lily and Mary exchanged nods of agreement. They both immediately gaped upward, Mary covering the fighting smile on her face with her hand, when a shadow fell over their table. The chair to her left screeched again it creaked under the spread legs of Sirius Black as he leaned forward, folding his arms over it's back and rested his chin over his arms. He bit his lips together and popped them loudly. Marlene slowly turned to face him and narrowed her eyes when his lips turned up into a smile.

"Hogsmeade?" Sirius moved his chin over his wrist bone, opening his mouth and moving his jaw side to side before chomping shut quickly. His one word invitation sent a flutter through her stomach she refused to admit to.

"She's not interested," Lily quickly interrupted, unable to contain herself, "she said no."

Sirius shot a hand out, palm facing Lily and let out a loud hushing noise, "Quiet elf. It is not your turn to speak." Lily opened her mouth widely to protest only to have a hand clasped over it by Mary. The kinky haired brunette leaned forward in her seat, curious to see how the scene in front of her would fold out. She dropped her hand when Lily clawed it off and glared toward the brunette.

"So?"

"So what?" Marlene gave up on her homework completely, dropping her quill with her free hand and turning the note over and over in her other. It was a conversation she did not want to have in front of Lily. Willing him to forget clearly hadn't been working. Now he was taking a bolder approach.

"So, what do you say?" he dropped a hand in front of the chair he straddled and twisted a lock of her blonde hair before dropping his arm to hang idly.

"No." Marlene looked at him for a long moment, shifting her hair to her other shoulder, before starting to pack her things. Lily and Mary quickly took note and began packing their things, not taking their eyes off the pair. Lily couldn't hide the thoroughly pleased look on her face when Marlene declined.

"Why not?" the chair creaked as he gripped the back of the chair and leaned backward.

"You have a girlfriend," she quickly imagined Greta drowning her in the Black Lake.

"I don't."

"I have a boyfriend."

"You had a boyfriend," he corrected.

"I don't like you," Marlene said flatly while she turned in her chair after placing the last book in her bag. Liar, her conscience sneered.

"Huh," Sirius leaned forward again, resting his palms on his knees on either side of his straddled position, "Guess I got the signals mixed."

"Guess you did," Marlene quipped and swallowed the rising lump in her throat.

"I'm trying to figure out when, though," he pursed his lips, tilting into a smirk.

"Don't know what gave you the idea," Marlene got to her feet. All she had to do was make it out of the library, some insane notion suggested she might be able to avoid him for the rest of the year.

He quickly met her stand, standing with splayed legs on either side of the chair, "Probably last year."

Marlene zipped her bag forcefully and glared down warningly at Sirius, he continued anyway, "You snogged the daylights out of me. I was seein' stars for days, love."

Lily literally choked.

"But hey," Sirius put his hands up before lifting himself to his full height. He feigned defense with open palms towards her and took a few steps back, "it was probably just good ol' team Gryffindor spirit."

Sirius kept his hands in front of him as he backed away from Marlene. She thought her eyes might fall out of her head. She blinked several times before snatching her bag from the table. Lily was saying something in her ear, Marlene brushed past the two girls and slammed her book in front of Madam Pince in her leave from the library. The brunette and redhead struggled to quicken their gait to an appropriate walk to keep up with their long legged friend.


"Is that where you were last night?" Lily couldn't drop it. She tapped her lips lightly with her spoon, peering over the table at her friend.

Marlene noticeably ignored the redhead and continued pushing the pears around in the middle of her place with her fork, stabbing at the lump of meat while she imagined it was Sirius Black. She licked it's back side before clearing her throat and side glanced the redhead who was leaning across the table. Maybe she should have named her conscience Lily.

"Why would you say no?" Mary leaned her cheek against her hand as she bit the top of asparagus stick, recalling the library's proposition.

"Why wouldn't she say no?" Lily looked appalled at Mary, "Let's recant on all the reasons why Sirius Black is a horrible human being."

"One," she raised a finger to start counting on her hand, "Every girl who has ever showed any interest in him is usually seduced into a broom closet, abandoned classroom, or wherever he takes them, and doesn't have enough time to pull their knickers up before he's out the door."

Marlene glanced at her.

"Two," Lily raised another finger, "Said girls usually fall into self-loathing and deep hatred of men only to become miserable crazy cat ladies. I wouldn't push that one Marlene, you're already a little too friendly with Napoleon."

Marlene dropped her hand and opened her mouth to protest.

"Three!" Lily squeaked as she rose another finger, "I'm not saying Sirius Black is killing muggleborns evil, but the boy is fifty shades darker then the color Black. He's a bull in a china shop and destroys everything he touches."

"Oi!" a body fell beside Lily, "That's my mate, Evans. You're cute, but you're not that cute."

"Did you know about this?" Lily spun in her seat to face James.

"Not really," James shrugged shooting Marlene an amused look, he did know, "I think Paddy has just run out of girls who don't want to smack him in the face." The look on his face said otherwise, Marlene glanced to James and he grinned wickedly over his cup before taking a drink. Her cheeks burned hot only imagining what Sirius had told his best friend.

"Four!" Lily spun back towards Marlene, "He probably has gout of the downstairs."

"Gross, I'm eating." Marlene protested, a disgusted look filling her face.

"Yeahhh, I'm with Mckinnon." James started slowly inching away from Lily, "And for the record, I don't think that's a thing, Evans. The fact your mind went there is a little creepy."

"I want her to fully realize all the reasons why your mate is a terrible potential boyfriend," Lily shifted in her seat and ducked her chin as if to say 'there' to Marlene as she choked and sputtered.

James snorted, "Boyfriend."

"Besides," Lily glanced at James, "Let's face it, Sirius Black doesn't date and he doesn't have girlfriends. There are only three people that boy cares about and their names are Peter, Remus and James." She hiked a thumb up pointing in James' direction.

He nodded, "It's true. Mate's kind of a sociopath. He's oddly attached to me. Might be in love."

"Okay, one-, " she raised a finger to mock Lily, the redhead quickly scrunched her nose and curled a lip at the mockery, "I was with Hagrid yesterday. Because the only male I'm even remotely interested in has four legs, squawks and likes it when I ruffle his feathers."

"How about if I get on all fours and bark like a dog?" Sirius plopped beside her. Marlene shifted as he leaned forward and snarled a little too well. James snorted after taking a sip of pumpkin juice and immediately covered his nose, the orange liquid pouring from his hands. Lily gave him a somewhat fleeting look of empathy and handed him a napkin.

"That would be the one dog I wouldn't invite to my bed." Marlene quickly swatted his hand away when it reached for her leg.

"He has a pretty sweet disposition as a dog," James covered his mouth laughing into the napkin. The two boys exchanged grins and James pointed a finger at Marlene after cleaning his face, "He might grow on you."

"Look," Marlene turned to face Sirius who immediately straightened his face, their friends all leaned forward one by one to catch what was said, "I'm sorry-"

"-I'm not."

"Last year didn't mean anything," Marlene slowed, swallowing the hot lump in her throat, "I was having a moment."

"It was a memorable moment."

"It could have been anyone."

"I'm bloody hell glad it was me."

"But it happened, it's done, I 'took advantage', as you say, and that's it. Okay?" Marlene cocked her head to try to get an agreement from Sirius. She could feel the eyes of their friends on them, watching the pair as intently as they would at a cinema.

He rested his chin over his hand and pursed his lips, considering her for a moment before shaking his head, "No."

"No?" Marlene raised her hands, dropping them tiredly.

Sirius mouthed the word no again before lifting his chin from his hand amused, "I've been wanking to the image of you shoving me into a broom closet all summer, and the memory just isn't doing it anymore. So no."

"Marlene!" Lily exclaimed gaped at her in shock.

Mary laughed and covered her mouth to stifle her loud laughter.

"Oh, c'mon, mate." James had laughed into his cup of pumpkin juice, this time before he took a drink, though still making another mess.

Marlene stared at him for a long moment and he slowly raised a hand to make a back and forth jerking motion. She wasn't shy to ways of men. Her brother had been a Sirius Black, and her father often caught himself following with a swear when he got caught up in an act of testosterone around his daughter. Still, Marlene felt the rising heat in her cheeks. The pinkish color spread over her face and she quickly turned from vulgarity. It was as though once it started it couldn't be stopped, the testosterone began to flow and the levies broke.

"I'm just waiting for the day when you call out Marlene's name while you're shagging Greta." James laughed and raised himself enough to grip the table shaking it lightly. Lily immediately was overfilled with disgust and inched closer towards Mary while he dropped into his seat with a fit of laughter. Both of the boys amused in their obscene and obnoxious behavior.

"That happened last year," Sirius pointed a fork toward James laughing, "I think I called her Bertha. Tightened up like a fist, mate." He slammed his closed fist on the table and loud barking laugh following it.

"Oh god," Lily stood up abruptly, "I think I'm going to be sick."

A sudden realization filled James' face and he threw a piece of bread at Sirius, shooting him a look of anxiety before looking up at Lily, "C'mon, Evans, finish your dinner. I'm sorry, we're sorry—"

"I'm not," Sirius laughed and wiped his face where the bread had hit him.

"We'll stop. Sometimes we just get caught up—"

"Why are you saying we mate?" Sirius looked at him amused, without a single care as to who he unsettled at the table.

James gave her a pleading and apologetic look and Lily who put a hand up, "I appreciate the gesture, Potter. Honestly, I really do. But I don't think I can take any more of all this. Marlene? Coming?"

Marlene paused mid spoonful into her mouth, her stomach growled and grumbled. If she refused to follow, Marlene was afraid Lily would jump to the wrong conclusion. She begrudgingly dropped her spoon despite her hunger and sighed. Getting to her feet, the teenage girl pulled on the belt loops of her pants before dropping her hands to her side, "Alright, mother, alright." Lily shot her a warning look which may have served it's purpose if Sirius hadn't given a playful tug to her pant leg out of view of Lily's prying eyes. He cast a pair of playful grey eyes upward and Marlene swiftly smacked the back of his head.


Lily was going to murder her if she didn't get back to the common room with her list of required books for their homework. No, Marlene thought, Lily is going to murder me if I don't get back to the common room before nine. She knew Lily was timing her, she was watching the clock and if Marlene took a minute longer than what the redhead deemed necessary she would start assuming. She didn't have the patience to listen to Lily Evans' incessant overprotective and longwinded speech on why Sirius Black was rotten. Marlene slipped into the library waving a polite hello to the librarian, pulling the list of books from her pocket.

Marlene quickened her step toward the stacks, repeating the list of books on the piece of parchment Lily had scrawled over it's surface. Lily had been on her way when Marlene insisted she'd go, she needed a break after the actions of the course of the day. She had been allowed to leave their trio's study session to retrieve the books with a quick reminder to be back by nine. As she continued muttering the names of the books as she rounded the first aisle. James Potter sat with his legs spread, back facing her as he flipped through the pages of several books. Marlene eyed him and nearly tip toed to where she knew the first book on her list to be. He muttered under his breath while he read, she plucked the book from the shelf and made haste to escape unseen before James turned to see who was shuffling behind him.

She was avoiding, she was avoiding everyone. Especially Lily. Lily who didn't help lessen the guilt she already felt or help to untwist the knots and ties in her stomach whenever she felt Sirius Black. She clenched so tightly when he entered the room while Lily was sitting next to her, it just made everything worse. She didn't blame her. Lily was moral perfection, she was the kindest person Marlene had ever met – but she was the archetype that came into life a hundred times better and was selfless enough to sacrifice everything for the happiness of her loves ones. There was a degree of judgement that came with that territory, whether Lily knew she did it or not.

Marlene struggled to hold the pile of books while repeating the last title of the book she needed. She was, as noted, completely limited for time. Of course the only person she was avoiding more than Lily was Sirius. She halted at the opening of the aisle and stared at Sirius in a slight horror at her luck. He was hunched over, searching the rows of books. He was like a drink of hot tea on a horribly hot day, she felt herself begin to sweat immediately. Her veins heated under her skin and her cheeks began to flush. She should have been furious after what inconveniences he's caused, what he pulled in the earlier hours of the day. He had made her like exponentially more difficult. Why couldn't he have just kept a secret?

Marlene swallowed hard and something drew his attention despite her silence to turn and look at her. His lips curled into a wicked smirk and he nodded in acknowledgment before turning his attention to his search. His eyes scoured the words over the books spine and glanced in her direction. His hooded eyes sought a second glance as he shifted to tuck a book under his shoulder. Marlene cleared her throat and swallowed the lump in her throat. Double shit, Marlene bit her bottom lip and rolled her eyes up toward the tops of the stacks.

"Libraries should be our thing, Mckinnon," Sirius broke the silence and glanced again to her, eying her up and down. A cheshire grin flashed over his handsome features before turning his back to her. Marlene hugged her armful of books and cleared her throat loudly as she stepped beside him to peer at the row of books. She debated turning and returning later, but Binns had already assigned her first monstrosity of the year and Quidditch season hadn't even started yet. Lily was expecting the books she had in her arms for their study session that evening. Her blue eyes soaked in his profile, his pursed lips and light ticking of the tongue as he moved slightly toward her while he scavenged the titles of the books. He side glanced her, his lips pulled into a smirk of amusement as he turned his head.

Marlene paused, her eyes lingering on the back of his shaggy head of dark waves. He continued ticking his tongue muttering under his breath. He paused, and again side glanced her with the same wide smirk. She could hardly stop the words from coming out of her mouth, "I'm not going out with you. So don't-"

"Did I ask you to go out with me?" Sirius turned his head over his shoulder to glance at her amused, he laughed and turned his head back away from her. His finger paused on a book and he cocked his head lightly, "Do you want to go out with me?"

"I'm not dating you," Marlene argued as she hugged her books to her and turned to examine the row of books, "And I'm definitely not snogging you again, it was wrong."

"Right. Wrong," Sirius flashed a grin over his shoulder, "I didn't know you were so moral, Mckinnon."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me."

"I can only imagine," he waggled his brows before turning toward the rows of books once again.

"You're sexually harassing me," Marlene argued quickly, turning to lean her shoulder against the stacks to face him. He didn't stop in his search, but his growing amusement was visible from his provided profile.

"I'm in the library," Sirius barked out a laugh, not bothering to look at her, as he trailed a long finger over the spines of several books stopping to pull one from its slot, "checking out books for my homework. Just like you."

"Look I'm drawing a line," Marlene sighed, her voice wavering, even she didn't believe it, "The line is drawn, there is a big line."

"So this line?" Sirius paused as he tucked the book under his arm and slowed in his turn toward her. He hovered over her, a smirk widening over his features while watching her down the bridge of his nose, "Is it imaginary or do I need to get you a paintbrush?"

Sirius leaned his shoulder against the shelves of books, mirroring her position. She held her books tighter, his eyes lingering on her lips. For some inexplicable reason, no doubt from the proximity between the two, the atmosphere erupted between the two. It changed, charged with an electric and exhilarating anticipation. She recognized the feeling, she'd felt it once before. Marlene clamped her teeth over her bottom lip ti hide her altering breath and shut out her heartbeat pounding in her ears. His eyes, a darkening slate gray lower, and his lips twitch in their smirk.

Her books landed on the floor with a loud thud and Marlene lunged at him. He expected it, as though he were waiting for her to snap. Like a beast stalking an animal in the high grass, waiting for his succulent meal to leap. And as soon as Marlene leapt, his hands jumped to her waist forcing her into him. The atmosphere charged with electricity, desire warming and thickening in the deepest part of her belly. The books rumbled against the shelves as his body hit it. Marlene pressed her lips into his before she could register what she was even doing. Her hands found his shoulders for balance, lifting herself on her toes before wrapping her arms around his neck. Sirius stumbled forward, his mouth crashing into hers, nudging her lips open with his. She moaned into his mouth and he took full advantage. Marlene stumbled backwards as he pushed her for control, slamming her body against the opposite stack, his hips pinning her to the shelves of dusty books. His lips were demanding and molded against Marlene's. A low growl emits from his throat and his hands found their way to rest firmly on either side of her waist.

"I knew it!" a loud laugh exclaimed

Marlene turned her head frantically toward the owner of the voice and nearly cringed at the sight of James Potter. The teenage boy was wide eyed, holding an armful of books of his own. Shit, Marlene shoved Sirius away from her quickly, how could she forget James had been lingering just rows away? She'd waved hello as she passed him. Sirius raised his arms to fence her in, his hands hanging off the lips of the shelves. He was staring down at her, she could feel his piercing amused slate stare. He panted lightly, his hair hanging around his face as he turned to peer darkly over his bicep at his friend who was grinning from ear to ear.

No one said anything.

Marlene ducked under one of Sirius' enclosing arms. She felt both boys watching her. The later pushed himself from the stacks and jerked his head back to move his hair from his face. Marlene quickly stooped to gather the books she'd dropped in her lunge toward Sirius. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment while she got to her feet and shuffled past James.

"We'll talk later, Mckinnon?" Sirius called after her over James' roaring laughter.