"Oi, Marley, get up! James is on his last toe waiting for you."
The sound of Doe's amused and slightly annoyed voice woke Marlene up on a Sunday morning she'd been hoping to have a lie in. But perhaps her friend's stirring was a blessing in disguise because again, Marlene had been having a horrible nightmare. It was the same dreams of course, in alternation. The first night it was her baby being born into a war and getting caught up in it. The second would be the shame and disownment from her own family, and then the third was probably in the minds of many around her – the murder of friends and family by cruel dark wizards. She'd heard that they were following an even darker wizard known as Lord Voldemort – and called themselves Death Eaters.
Sitting up with a small gasp, Marlene wiped a bead of sweat away from her forehead. Luckily summer was nearly upon them, and the days were getting warmer. Not noticing anything unusual, Dorcas began gulping large quantities of water. She'd just come back from a long run – always the fit and healthy one in the group. She was slightly puffing as she wiped her mouth and noticed Marlene still seated and lost in her own thoughts.
"Go!"
With a start Marlene jumped up. "Shit" she muttered before rushing to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth furiously while charming her hair into a ponytail with her free hand. Hurriedly changing into her Quidditch uniform Marlene grabbed her Silver Arrow 360 and ran down the staircases. James when he was in Quidditch mode was a force to reckon with.
"Finally! It's nearly dawn. I want to get an early start before the final match." James said sternly to Marlene and two other team members who had just made their way down from the boys dormitories. One of them was a sub who was to play in Sirius' place. Since his untimely suspension from the game and the final in 3 weeks, James was tensed out. Before Sean Collins was one of the beaters, the team were unstoppable – perhaps this was why James had so rarely set practises this term. The team members basically knew each other's mind whilst playing and had been unbeaten since sixth year.
Shaking her head at her Captain's enthusiasm, Marlene walked out with James – who was animatedly discussing ways to teach Sean the 'way they worked'. The beater in question trailed behind with fellow beater Richie Kurtis with a worried expression on his baby-like blond face.
Within a few minutes, the four Gryffindors found themselves in the confines of the change rooms. As per usual, Henry Weasley, their Keeper, was sitting not too far away with a book in his hands. To Marlene's surprise, she found Sirius seated, fully dressed and chatting amicably with two of the chasers – brown haired green eyed twins in fourth year by the names Timothy and Sophia Cunningham.
"What are you doing here Sirius?" Marlene asked, raising her eyebrows.
It was well before 7:00am and Sirius was the kind of guy who didn't sleep a wink during the night but would gladly spend his days under his sheets. This would be the time Sirius went to sleep on weekends.
"Oh, you know – James running around in the dorms with his knickers in a knot creating a racket. Thought I'd join my fellow team members on this fine morning. Besides, I didn't want to miss my favourite girl playing my favourite sport." He winked, with an overly sweet voice.
Marlene rolled her eyes, seeing through him easily. She didn't worry though – whatever reason Sirius had, to avoid telling her the truth wasn't her concern. James was barking orders at Sean while the others either tried going to sleep or sent sympathetic looks at the fifth year. Sirius slid in next to Marlene with a smirk and nibbled on her ear, until she turned to him with a chuckle, kissing him playfully.
"Hey hey, I don't want any of that on my grounds" James barked loudly at the two from the door, while Sophia giggled softly and Timothy rolled his eyes at her.
"Not yours, Prongs," Sirius muttered with a smile but pulled away to help his fellow Marauder with the trunk containing the various balls for Quidditch.
Marlene hung back with Sophia, who had propped up her foot on the bench to tie up her shoelaces. She looked up wistfully at the older girl.
"I wish I had someone who loved me like that," Sophia said, her jade eyes sparkling. She resembled a Greek goddess, with the brown flowing hair and regal features. Marlene was sure that she would have received many suitors, but with her brother's over-protection coupled with Soph's shy personality, she had only had fleetingly short relationships.
"Yeah sure, if you want a man who has the mindset of both a ten year old and a thirty year old," Marlene scoffed fondly.
"Maybe so, but his exterior is rather dashing," Sophia giggled. Marlene laughed widely at the blushing younger girl, and linked arms with her as they skipped onto the grass. Mounting on their brooms, they kicked off hard and joined their fellow teammates in the air who were chit-chatting.
Marlene noticed however, that James and Sirius were still on the ground, performing the simple task of removing the balls rather slowly. She noticed that they were having a conversation that seemed more important than idle pleasantries. Sirius was beseeching James, but James was waving his arms around, avoiding submission. Marlene looked on curiously, but suddenly both boys glanced up at her. She averted her gaze casually, but now Marlene's wonderment inclined. Were they discussing her? She didn't have much time to ponder though, because James was calling them all back to the ground.
"Alright, Soph, Tim and Henry wait up at forward – go over normal drills and I'll be up soon. Sean, Sirius will help you and Richie get the plays memorised down at the other end. Marls, you know what to do." Marlene was resident seeker on the team – a position she was exceptionally proud of.
Allowing the snitch to evade her for ten minutes, Marlene hung back, observing her team members. James was systematically handling his half, directing the plays efficiently as per usual. Sirius on the other hand, was playing bait for the bludger and looked to be ten times more stressed – very unusual. He seemed to be yelling at Sean and also Richie occasionally whenever one pulled the wrong move or failed to protect him. Marlene winced every time the black ball came close to Sirius' arms or legs. She wondered why he was getting so worked up about Quidditch. On closer inspection, Sirius looked to be getting increasingly anxious.
Not caring if her ten minutes were up, Marlene took off, flying cautiously towards Sirius.
"Everything okay?" She asked, shouting to be heard over Sirius' yelling. Sirius snapped his head towards, his expression becoming alarmed.
"Lena? Why are you here? Aren't you trying to find the snitch?" He asked – trying to be casual about it. Marlene frowned and crossed her arms.
Sirius looked desperately at her before glancing at something behind her with alarm.
"LENA! Look out!" Sirius yelled as he sped towards her. Marlene had barely any time to react before she felt his strong arms pull her away. Confused, Marlene turned around – but then the unmistakable sound of bones cracking diverted her attention to Sirius' arm, which was twisted at an odd angle. Marlene gasped and reached out to him, but he continued pulling her to the ground.
James was also rushing to them, and he yanked a beater's bat off Richie and belted the bludger as hard as he could away from them. Throwing it back to Richie, he raced back to grounds, searching for the snitch. If Sirius had allowed Marlene some form of movement, she would have spotted him doing a spectacular dive – at least 50 feet – to retrieve the small golden ball, before rushing to place it into the trunk. Richie and Sean trapped the bludger and hooked it back into place, while Henry Weasley placed the Quaffle back into place.
"Wait, what's going on? I'm fine!" Marlene exclaimed as she half fell off her broom. Sirius growled.
"No you aren't. That was way too close."
Marlene's eyes widened. Sirius was right: the bludger had been dangerously close to her stomach. She moved to place her hand on her stomach lightly, and gulped. Sirius pulled her back into the change rooms and sat down. He was shaking – and Marlene realised what he had been so scared of the whole morning. He thought Marlene playing Quidditch was too risky for the baby. Marlene felt her face fall. She had been looking forward to the game.
"Maybe if I was just more care –"
"No" Sirius barked, his yes hardening. Marlene felt her face heat up – how dare he order her around? She placed her hands on her hips and glared at her boyfriend.
"Don't tell me what to do Sirius! I will play if I want to."
Sirius stood up and was about to retort, a furious look in his grey eyes. James however, walked in (followed by the other Gryffindors) and interrupted him.
"We can look up some protective spells. I'm sure Lily – "
"Fuck that!" Sirius barked at James, and then turned back to Marlene "You won't play. It's my kid too, I have a say."
"So it's true, then?" Timothy questioned, "You really have a bun in the oven!" Apart from a sharp jab from his sister, he was ignored by James, Sirius and Marlene. Sean, Henry and Richie simply looked uncomfortable.
"It's my body, and I don't appreciate you commanding me!"
"Fine then; don't play, please"
"That doesn't count! You're just commanding me politely."
James had been watching the two arguing, helplessly. Deciding that now was a good time to stop Sirius saying something he'd surely regret later, James stepped between the two and held his arms up.
"Marly, Padfoot – let's discuss this in the common room." He said. Before muttering "When we're older than five,"
Marlene and Sirius continued to glare at each other before snapping to either side of James and walking silently back to the common room. The other team members were following them, now having their own conversations, making the air a little less uncomfortable. Unfortunately for James, with two fuming best friends on either side, he felt like a small creature trapped on the edge of an active volcano.
The only positive outcome was that by the time the group had walked to the great hall, up seven staircases and through various secret passageways, both Sirius and Marlene had had some time to calm down, and were breathing at a much more normal rate. James inwardly sighed in relief – he dealt with an angry Sirius often enough, he didn't know if he could handle Marlene too.
Marlene climbed through the portrait hole first, followed by James – and then Sirius. They made their way to the stairs leading to the dormitories where Remus, Dorcas, Lily and Alice were saying their good mornings. One look from any of them, and they sensed that something was wrong. Perhaps they already could from the early arrival – James' practices often went for at least two hours.
Lily raised her eyebrows curiously. James looked back desperately, pleading for help and rushed to her side. Dorcas, the ever tactful one, spoke up first.
"Why the long faces? I thought Quidditch was your splif?"
Sirius scowled deeply at her, which she returned with an equally intimidating glare.
"Why don't we go down for breakfast? I'm feeling like pancakes today." Remus said quickly, trying to diffuse the tension.
"What's so bloody special about pancakes?" Scoffed Doe. Remus just looked at her as though he felt the answer was obvious.
"They are circular mounds of fluff which can be eaten with practically anything – especially chocolate syrup." Remus got a glazed look about him, and Dorcas shook her head in amusement. Dorcas and Remus were polar opposites – and their breakfast choices were no exception. While Remus liked to give his day a kick start with a load of chocolate and fruit, Dorcas preferred the healthier option, going for omelettes and milk.
As they entered, the group found themselves at the Entrance hall and Frank Longbottom could be seen arriving from his Common Rooms. Alice blushed and went forward to greet him. Meanwhile, Lily and James were getting on rather well, discussing the war.
"I've been reading up on a lot of protective enchantments, and I've found some excellent ones that I'm sure will keep mum, dad and Petunia safe. I can't wait to go home and try them out, especially now that I'm of age," She was saying briskly. James was hanging onto every word, nodding at every two.
Observing the scene, both Marlene and Sirius simultaneously started snickering. However, when one saw the other, both abruptly stopped and looked determinedly away. Dorcas rolled her eyes at them.
"Okay you guys have gone a total of ten minutes without disappearing into your own world. What's wrong?" She asked frankly.
"Doe, leave it," Marlene sighed, already tired of it. Her pride however, wasn't.
"No she's right," Lily said sternly, but kindly. "I've never seen Sirius look so murderous." Sirius' scowl deepened, if that was possible and glared daggers at Lily. Lily shivered in response, and James protectively pulled Lily away from him.
Marlene bit her lip, wondering what to say – she was trying not to be childish in her retelling. "We were just on the field, and a bludger came close to me. That's all," Lily gasped audibly.
"What happened?" She whispered, as they sat in their seats. They're 'seating arrangements' meant everybody already sat down where they usually sat, leaving an empty spot next to Marlene. Sirius grudgingly sat down next to her, but looked pointedly at Lily instead.
"It was dangerous. I only pulled her out of the way in the nick of time." He stated. Marlene was just about to say he was exaggerating, but then she recalled exactly what had happened.
"Sirius!" She half-shouted, alarmed.
"What?"
"Your arm – It's broken!" She only realised that he had been holding it rather stiffly. Sirius looked down at his right arm – the one which had collided with the bludger and cleared his throat.
"Oh yeah, probably should get that to Pomfrey" He muttered, almost chuckling.
"Why are you laughing?" Marlene said confusedly. "I heard your bones practically shatter – you should be writhing in pain!" Dorcas raised her eyebrow – as though trying to imagine Sirius wailing in agony – and smirked.
Sirius finally looked at her properly and glowered at her once more "Well it's good you know then, how much damage a bludger can cause." He hissed before walking out the Great Hall in his usual swagger – only this time it was a little less aloof.
"Where are you going?" Lily asked him. Sirius just ignored her, so James answered instead.
"Hospital Wing."
Now that Sirius was completely out of the room, Marlene let her guard fall and promptly burst into tears. Dorcas immediately got up from her spot beside Lily and Remus and sat in Sirius' spot, putting her arm around Marlene bracingly.
"Don't let him get to you Marley. Actually – what did he do?" She asked, trying to be consoling. For the first time, Dorcas couldn't seem to pinpoint an error with Sirius. Marlene shook her head, trying to stop the stream of tears that she blamed hormones for.
"No, he's right. I'm being stupid and hormonal. I shouldn't play – it's too risky."
James looked up from his plate of sausages, pouting. "We don't have any reserve Seekers though – we'd have to pull out from our final match" His face was beginning to look horror struck. Remus kicked him under the stands.
"Hate to be the one to break it to you Prongs, but I think Marley's child takes priority over a game of Quidditch."
James squirmed "What if there was a protective enchantment? "
"It's illegal to use any sort of extra protection James," Lily quipped. The others looked at her, surprised. Lily shrugged muttering "I do read, even about Quidditch" James smiled fondly at her now pink cheeks, but then looked dejected again. Dorcas snorted.
"Who cares?" she said, drawling her voice. "This is a special case – no one needs to know," She smirked.
Lily looked shocked, as if anybody would dare break the law. She shook her head stubbornly "I will not condone this,"
Dorcas rolled her eyes. "Fine, since Lily is being the model student once more – by the way darling, I don't know where she vacationed to when I saw you come out of the boys dormitories in the early hours last week – " Lily suddenly went beetroot red and James began choking on his food. Dorcas smirked; she'd been waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it to blackmail Lily.
"Alright, alright, I'll help" Lily muttered, determinedly looking at her plate of waffles. Dorcas grinned and clapped her friend on the back.
"Nice to see you've joined the dark side, mate" She jested. Looking at the others, she found Remus looking appreciatively at her. Dorcas winked at him, causing him to blush and drop his fork. James snickered at him.
Finally getting control over her tears, Marlene cleared her throat.
"I'm going to go see Sirius. He's right. Thanks for offering to help Lily, but I don't think we'll need it." She smiled sincerely at her friend and ignored James' spluttering as she made her way to hospital wing.
As she passed the tables, Marlene of course noticed the various stares that were directed to her. When she travelled in groups with her fellow Gryffindor seventh years, she never seemed to take much notice. But when walking by herself, the looks were unavoidable. She also noticed the routine glance to her stomach, which to them still looked relatively smooth. Marlene though, knew that under the cloak, and sweatshirt which was the Quidditch uniform – there was a slight bulge. Refraining from instinctively placing her hand to cover it from the invading eyes, Marlene looked straight ahead and walked out, holding her head high.
She passed her brother however, and he stopped in his tracks. Niklaus McKinnon was in fifth year and a Ravenclaw like her other siblings (except for her oldest brother. Nathaniel was a Gryffindor in his time). Marlene gulped nervously.
"Marley," he smiled carefully. She noticed that it wasn't too comforting. "I haven't seen you in a while. We should catch up soon. How're things?" He asked – slightly more formal than usual.
So basically "Are you really pregnant?" Marlene thought. Trembling with fear, she plastered a smile on her face and responded with an enthusiastic nod.
"I'm great! I've been quite busy, what with NEWTs and Quidditch. I hope I'll see you at the game – we'll surely thrash you," Marlene said smugly. Nick was the Ravenclaw seeker, and those games were often a competition between the two siblings.
"We'll see about that. So I take it you will be playing?" He asked slowly. Marlene felt her heart stop and the words that came out of her next were completely out of her control.
"Of – of course I will be. Why shouldn't I?" She replied, her voice high pitched, and smile uneasy.
Nick looked pleased. "Good, I'll invite Nathan along. He'll want to watch your last match. Perhaps he can convince Mother and Father too." He smiled widely before setting off again.
Marlene stood rooted to the ground, unable to move. Blinking furiously, she registered what was happening. Nate, her oldest brother was definitely strict. The only person who was worse was her father. She shuddered at the thought. Looking back down to her stomach, she hoped against all hopes that her bump would still be able to be concealed in three weeks' time. Her mother would be so disappointed. Marlene felt the waterworks emerge again and kept walking. Turning the corner, she found Sirius making his way back from the hospital wings, inspecting his arm.
Marlene made an incoherent noise and Sirius looked up to find Marlene with a distraught expression and on the verge of tears. He scrunched up his eyebrows and walked faster. Marlene in turn almost ran into Sirius' open arms, sobbing.
"I'm sorry Lena," He whispered, ignoring funny looks from the first few people who had finished their breakfast. "I should've listened more." He said rubbing her back. Marlene shook her head.
"No, it's not that. You're right I shouldn't play. I saw my brother on the way." Marlene felt Sirius stiffen, but he continued his comforting gesture and nodded, motioning her to continue. "He's going to get Nate and my parents to come to the match. And they expect me to play. If I don't they'll know!" She looked up at Sirius, fear etched into her magnificent blue eyes. Sirius kissed her mouth lightly.
"You're going to have to tell them some time Lena," He said softly. Again, Marlene shook her head.
"No, not yet. It's too stressful now." Marlene sniffed and pulled away, suddenly feeling like a cry baby. Blasted hormones! Making their way back to the common room, they found it to be pleasantly empty. The couple made their way to a corner or the room to a single armchair. Sirius flopped on it and pulled Marlene on him. He hugged her tightly as she sat, but his hand began wandering. While one was casually resting on her waist, the other slowly moved down her thigh – the one furthest away from him. Marlene noticed that her Quidditch pants were actually rather snug – and evidently Sirius was using it to his advantage as he moved his hand up the inside of her other thigh. As it was edging dangerously high, he pulled Marlene into a kiss.
They sat that way for a while – at least fifteen minutes (though neither were counting) – and each second they could feel it getting more heated. Sirius would move his hand a fraction of an inch higher, causing Marlene to be spurred on. Eventually she turned around completely so each of her legs was on either side of his. Both of Sirius hands were under her clothes – except one was traveling to her upper body as the other South. Marlene moaned into his mouth and moved her hips rhythmically into his – while his lips left hers and instead travelled to her neck where he bit down hard. Marlene was about to let out another guttural moan when she saw the Gryffindor seventh years walking in.
Hurriedly nudging Sirius, she tried changing her position. Sirius caught on quickly, but not quick enough for them to miss it. James grimaced and feigned vomiting, while Remus and Alice both looked away uncomfortably. Peter simply stared and Dorcas coughed loudly with a laugh.
"Looks like you two made up," She snickered. Sirius rolled his eyes – but this time good naturedly. Marlene had shifted her position so she was seated in a 90 degree angle to Sirius (as they had previously been) and her legs were propped up on the arm of the chair. The others sat around them.
Immediately Lily brought out an Ancient Runes textbook and began reading – but before she could, James had promptly snatched it out of her grip. They had a good laugh as Lily chased James around the common room. But when Lily got desperate she began chucking anything she could get her hands on at his head, until eventually he handed it back. Lily was puffing for a good while but because of Quidditch, James still looked well rested. While Peter, Dorcas and Alice were distracted with James, Remus – who was sitting closest to Marlene and Sirius – leaned in.
"If you still want those protection spells, I think I know a few."
Marlene raised her eyebrows and looked at Sirius, who seemed to be having an internal battle. After a few twitches in his face and a slight shrug, he sighed and nodded. Her eyebrows rose even higher and Sirius whispered in her ear "Whatever you want, babe"
Marlene smiled at him – Sirius looked like he was having a hard time coming in terms with his decision. She tried to stop herself laughing at his expression and turned back to Remus, nodding gratefully.
"Please," she agreed.
Remus brought out a thick leather-bound book from the bag he carried and opened it to a page he'd bookmarked.
"Do you and Evans always carry books around?" Sirius scoffed. Remus ignored him and pointed to a paragraph. Marlene lightly chuckled at Sirius before taking the book and placing it on her lap.
Protection spells for unborn children is often overlooked. There is a simple yet effective spell that is able to shield a foetus from any physical form of attack for a short duration. The spell will create a magical barrier between the baby and its mother and can absorb shock far better than the embryonic sac. However, it should be duly noted that should the mother be harmed during the enchantment, the spell will likely wear off, therefore all caution should be taken while the unborn child is protected.
The spell is Tutamen Fetus (pronounced: TOOT-a-men Fet-ES). Wand must be pointed to the belly of the mother and movement limited to forming an 'S' with tip.
Sirius looked up at Marlene who had a hopeful look in her eyes.
"This could work!" She exclaimed excitedly.
"But what about the part where it says the mother shouldn't be harmed?" He said carefully – not wanting to upset Marlene again. She seemed very fragile lately.
She frowned, trying to think of an option. "If I get hurt, I'll make sure I get off the pitch." She began nodding to herself, as the idea started making more sense. "Yes, I'll just refuse to play again," Sirius nodded – he liked that alternative.
"What will you say to your family if you stop playing?" He asked worriedly.
"The truth." Lily whispered, coming to sit down on the pouffe in front of them. Marlene started violently shaking her head – the thought felt like poison running through her veins.
Before she could say anything, Lily tried to reason with her. "Look Marley, the best place to get it over with is here at Hogwarts – under Dumbledore's protection. They can't hurt you or the baby in any way here – and I'm not saying they will –" Marlene scoffed at this "but they can't. And we'll be here for you, don't forget. If it comes to the worst, you'll still have a home here,"
"Live with me after we graduate," Sirius said quietly. "We can be a proper family,"
Marlene smiled at that thought, no matter how optimistic it seemed during a war and nodded. She clasped Remus' hand tightly, and thanked him with teary eyes. She was never as close to him as she was with her own friends and James and Sirius, but now she felt like they'd reached a new level in their friendship.
"Can you do the spell?" She asked him quietly.
Remus nodded hesitantly. "I can – but it would be more potent if somebody closer to you performed it," Marlene looked at Sirius, but he shook his head.
"Protective charms aren't my thing, Lena. Lily's the best at that and she's your closest friend."
Lily nodded her head. "I'll do it," she spoke.
"Are you sure? Nobody can find out, or there'd be consequences" Marlene asked. Lily nodded.
"You'd do the same for me," She smiled. Marlene grinned and bounced up to hug her.
They squealed together, at the small moment of victory. James looked up with interest, causing the others to as well.
"Group hug?" He asked excitedly. Marlene squealed again and jumped on James, who nearly fell back from the momentum. Sirius roared with laughter as Dorcas joined in, completely toppling James to the floor.
Lily came up to his chair and sat on the arm.
"How're you?" She asked sincerely. She had been a great support for him recently – ever since their 'talk'. He had thought that James would be the best person for it, but observing him and Marlene, he realised they were too much like siblings for it to be totally comfortable.
"Still scared shitless, of course." Sirius stated casually. Lily chuckled and put her arm around him.
"I never thought I'd say this, but I know you'll be a great dad." She said kindly. "Although, god forbid he or she will be as troublesome as you." Sirius shook with laughter.
"Lena isn't much of angel, you know" He said, a sparkle in his eye. "The kid could be worse than the both of us! If that's the case, you'll be our number one baby sitter."
Lily groaned playfully and pouted. "I'll just get James to look after the bub." She said.
"Oh really?" Sirius asked with sarcastic surprise. "He'll just be hanging around you all the time will he?"
Lily blushed and turned away, pulling her arm away. Sirius just shifted across the generous armchair and pulled her down so she was seated snugly next to him. She was small enough for both to fit on one armchair. "What's going on with you and Prongs, little lady?" He asked.
Lily squirmed, but then looked up to his eyes sternly. "Don't tell him okay?"
Sirius rolled his eyes and just motioned her to continue.
"I like him … a lot" She muttered. Again, Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Lilybean, a blind wizard can see that," He snickered. Lily looked up in panic.
"Do you think James knows? He sits up with me at night sometimes, because I can't sleep well anymore, but I think he sees us as just friends," She said dejectedly.
"Clearly not," Sirius frowned. James used to analyse every moment he had with Lily, and many would end with 'So lads, she's obviously in love with me,' Apparently, James had stopped coming to the conclusion. With realisation, Sirius started laughing. Lily looked at him, waiting for an explanation. Sirius just shook his head. James was in love with Lily. He'd had a major crush on her the past few years, but somewhere in the middle of last year, James had stopped constantly pestering Lily. Sirius had never paid enough attention – he'd just been glad that the over analysing of Lily was over.
Sirius pushed Lily off the armchair and nudged her forward towards James, who was watching Marlene and Alice playing exploding snap. "Go tell him how you feel," He said. Lily looked back in alarm.
"What, now?!" She whispered. Sirius nodded and gave her one final push. Lily paled and went forward. She stopped behind James and took a deep breathe. Sirius leaned forward with anticipation. Lily tapped James lightly on the shoulder and he swiftly turned around. The wide smile that spread across his face confirmed Sirius' theory and he sat back smugly. He saw Lily mutter something that he couldn't decipher – and evidently, James couldn't either, because he could make him out saying 'What?' with confusion.
What came next was completely unexpected. Lily grabbed James, pulled his face down and kissed his with force on her toes. For a moment, James simply looked shocked – as did those surrounding them – but eventually he wrapped his arms around her and they proceeded to go all out. Dorcas catcalled, closely followed by Marlene's cheering.
"This calls for celebration!" Doe yelled loudly. There weren't many others inside – it was simply too good a day to be spending indoors for many. There were a few fifth years who had chosen to spend the day studying. They sat far enough to be able to ignore the seventh years though. She ran up to her dorm and brought a large bottle of the Three Broomsticks best firewhiskey and a smaller bottle of Honeydukes' finest chocolate milk.
Marlene beamed at her and conjured up eight glasses. Remus waved his arm and seven of those glasses filled with Firewhiskey while the other with chocolate milk. Lily and James were blushing but had their arms wrapped around each other time. About time, Marlene thought.
Sirius raised his glass, with a wide grin "To Lily and James, who I hope know how to use the silencio charm properly!" Lily threw spare pieces of parchment at his head, while the others laughed.
Marlene spoke up, "And to Remus – we can't thank you enough" She and Sirius raised their glasses to Remus in gratitude, and he smiled in return. Clinking their glasses, the seventh years drank up, enjoying a rare happy ending to a day.