Based off a photo set by sirius-black-is-my-homeboy on tumblr.

Sirius watched helplessly as Dumbledore delivered the news to Marlene. Dorcas Meadowes, Marlene's best friend, was dead.

He watched from a distance as her beautiful smile slipped off her face, changing first to worried confusion and then Sirius watched her face turn cold. She wouldn't cry in front of Dumbledore, Sirius knew she was too proud for that. Marlene would never let her cracks show. She'd be as put together as possible until she was alone. It had taken Sirius years to break down her walls enough so she would tell him when something was wrong. He'd only seen her cry twice in the four years he'd known her.

Dumbledore finally left, with one last pitying glance at Marlene. She wasn't doing anything, which made Sirius more scared than the time she threw a mirror at him. Not reacting meant that the hurt cut so deep that her body shut it out to protect her. That usually led to anger.

Sirius stayed, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Going to her in her current 'it didn't happen' state would do nothing but cause more harm. He needed her to face it.

"Marley."

She turned to face him, her face impassive. "She's not dead, Sirius. Stop pitying me."

Sirius raised an eyebrow, knowing sympathy would get him no where. It broke his heart, but playing nice never got him anywhere.

"What, so, Dumbledore just decided to come round to our flat, to tell you that Doe's dead, just for a laugh, then?"

Marlene glared coldly at him. "Why can't you just let me enjoy a few blissful moments of being happy before you go and ruin it?"

Sirius shook his head. "I gave you your space when Emma died, and it did nothing but drive you mad. You threw yourself into order missions, you stopped speaking to people. Hell, you stopped talking to me. You need to grieve, Mar, so then you can move on. It's a war, it's not fair, and it hurts. Pretending it didn't happen won't make the pain go away."

Sirius looked at her sadly for a while, until Marlene's shoulders eventually sagged.

"Why her?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why Doe? Why not a Death Eater? Why not Voldemort? Why Doe?

Sirius pushed off the wall as Marlene came closer. Without another word she closed the distance between them, and buried her head in Sirius's chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and kissed the top of her head as the tears began to well in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry," he choked. "I'm so so sorry."

Marlene's shoulders began to shake, she hated herself for crying but she couldn't stop. She couldn't help the tears, but something about the way Sirius was holding her, the way his hand was running through her hair, and his other arm protectively curled around her made her feel safe. The pain was sharp, it pierced through her like an ice cold knife, but as she cried she knew one day she would be okay as long as Sirius was here with her.

"Don't ever leave," she leaned up, so she could see his face. Sirius smiled a little, and rested his forehead on hers.

"I'm not going anywhere, love. Promise me something?"

She looked at him curiously, vision blurred slightly through her tears. "Anything."

Sirius smiled again. "When this war is over, you'll marry me. I don't want to lose you, to the war, another man, to anything. Promise you'll stay with me forever?"

This time Marlene smiled back. "Forever it is."

A/N

(This bloody broke my heart to write because later Marlene dies and Sirius goes to Azkaban and why JKR why)

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