A/N: Here's Christmas for you!
Thanks to Azzurrolunali and Miggie for your nice reviews, also thanks to my friends on tumblr who helped me fangirl over James in this chapter and, as always, my wonderful beta-reader Alisa (aka Marauderina) without who I wouldn't be able to publish as great material as I do (and also whose coments make me smile and laugh)
Well, I'll let you get onto it, here's the very (very) long chapter 11
Her arms were itching. The duvet, that she'd always loved, seemed too heavy and the shadows on the wall were terrifying monsters. She hadn't been able to sleep for days, lying awake until the early hours when she, maybe, could get an hour or two of sleep.
The memories of the house haunted her. She thought she heard her mum's footsteps outside her bedroom as she got home from work. Imagined she'd open the door at any moment to make sure she was asleep. Every time she closed her eyes it felt like the darkness was pressing onto her. Now, as the moon rose in the sky and she knew it was at least past midnight, she got out of bed and wrapped her robe around her. Careful not to wake Will or Mickey in the next rooms, she went over to the window and unlocked it. There was a small roof right below her window, she could easily get down from there. She and James used to do it for a laugh all the time when they were little.
Her barefoot feet touched at the dewy grass and the moonlight created a clear enough light for her to see where she was going. Across the stone path under the oak trees, until the large house came into view.
"Marlene…you must be freezing!" Mrs. Potter opened the door and ushered her in as quickly as possible, calling for Mr. Potter to get her a blanket.
"What are you doing here?" Mr. Potter asked as he came out of the sitting room. He wasn't judgemental, just worried. "It's so late. Is everything alright?"
"Yes, everyone's…fine." Mrs. Potter swept a blanket around her shoulders. "I just…needed to get out of the house. I didn't know where to go."
"Of course." Euphemia nodded. "I know it's hard."
"Do you need something to eat? I could call on Tippy to whip something up."
"It's okay, thank you, Mr. Potter."
She saw him flinch at the use of his last name. He didn't like being addressed formally, Marlene knew that. When they were little, he'd told them very firmly that even though other grown-ups called him Mr. Potter, they should always call him Mr. Bear. It wasn't a bad nickname, she had to admit, because with his heavy build, and beard, he did resemble a teddy bear. Now, however, he asked everyone to call him Monty, despising the name Fleamont so much he wished it would die before he did.
"Come on, sweetie." Mrs. Potter put a hand on her back. "You can sleep in the guest room tonight."
"Thanks." Marlene wrapped the blanket around her. They were still standing in the Potter's large entrance hall and cold air was sneaking in from under the door.
"Mia." Marlene was tucked into the large double bed in the first floor guest room and already feeling more at ease than she'd done in weeks.
"Yes?" Mrs. Potter stopped in the doorway.
"Will you not tell my dad I'm here? He has enough to deal with without worrying about me."
"Don't you think he'll notice when you're gone?" She came back and sat down at her bedside.
"I'll sneak back home tomorrow before they wake up. It's fine."
"Okay, sweetie, if you say so." Mrs. Potter kissed her forehead and turned off the lights. "Sleep
tight."
When she'd stepped inside the door, she felt like a kid again. The whole house smelled like Christmas, from the cookies in the oven to the tree in the living room corner, everything was just as it used to be. Then Petunia came out of the living room. Lily hadn't expected a warm welcome, but what'd happened was more than she'd expected, even after the years of abuse and insults.
"Didn't you get my letter?" she sneered.
"No."
"Petunia…" her mum begged.
"I told you not to come. We don't need you here."
. Petunia's words still echoed in her mind as she rushed out of the house.
She walked down the street towards the lake, putting her hands in the pockets of the jacket she'd thrown on in her rush to get out. There was something hard in one of them. She pulled it out to discover it was a cigarette pack. The brand her mum smoked. Searching through the other pocket, she found the lighter. She'd seen her mum light up cigarettes every day since before she could remember. In the car, while cooking, when watching TV, but it'd never occurred to her to use them herself. Now it seemed very tempting. One time, when she was seven or eight, she'd asked her mum why she smoked, because they'd been told in school it was bad for you.
"It's relaxing," her mum had answered. "Makes all the bad thoughts go 'poof'."
Lily needed all the bad thoughts to go poof. Slowly opening the pack and pulling out a cigarette,
she rolled it between her fingers and bit her lip in concentration as she lit it.
She breathed out, smoke forming and drifting away in the chill night air.
Her mum was right, it was calming. It gave her something else to think about.
In
…
Out
…
In
…
Out
…
"Lily. There you are."
Quickly, Lily threw the cigarette on the ground and put it out with her foot, hoping her mum wouldn't notice. Of course, her mum had smoked since she was sixteen, so she knew all too well every movement that went into it.
"I'm sorry. I stopped her from sending it." Her mum sat down next to her on the bench. "I never imagined she'd come at you like that."
"What does it matter. You can't stop her from hating me."
"I wish I could honey. I wish you'd be as close as you used to be."
"That just won't happen though." Lily looked down at her feet, at the mashed cigarette next to her left shoe.
"Is that my coat?" Her mum touched at it.
"Sorry, I didn't see whose it was when I grabbed it."
"It's okay." Her eyes fell on the lighter still in her hand.
"Did you smoke?"
Lily looked at the ground.
"Lily?"
"Sorry."
"I'm…"
"Disappointed, angry, wanting to throw me out of the house."
Her mum chuckled. "No…I'm…I can't blame you."
"What?"
"I was smoking in the delivery room the day you were born. You've grown up around smoking.
When you were little I never thought it might affect you, or your sister."
"I just…I found it in your coat pocket. I wanted to make the bad thoughts go poof."
She laughed again, but stopped quickly, as if she wasn't supposed to do it. "I shouldn't have told
you that."
Lily chuckled.
"Are you hungry?"
"A little."
"I think the hot dog stand is still open."
"But mum…you've cooked."
"I told Petunia and dad to go ahead and start without me."
"Okay."
Lily stood up and buried her head in her mum's chest as they walked back down the street
towards the town square.
"So tell me, what's wrong with this James Potter."
Lily sighed. "He's a bigot."
"Is that so?" Her mum laughed. "You know, I thought your dad was a bit of a bigot too when I
first met him."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Stop it."
"What?"
"I'm not marrying James bloody Potter."
Her mum laughed so loudly Lily thought she must've disturbed multiple neighbours.
"I love you, Lily."
"I love you too, mum."
Sirius stood in front of the family tree tapestry, following the golden threads binding together his so-called family. Andromeda had been burnt off, obviously, her daughter wasn't even on there.
There was a time, in what seemed like a different life, that Sirius had believed this to be the truth. When he believed this really was his family. He'd asked his mum about the burn marks when he was 6. His mum had told him they were because of people who had been mean to them. When he was 10, Andromeda ran away, and Sirius thought maybe his mum wasn't right. He knew Andromeda had betrayed his family, but she'd never been anything but nice to him and his brother. Now, he knew she wasn't right, and he knew that someday he'd be burnt off that tree too.
Then something caught his eye; he hadn't noticed it before. It'd been a while since he'd looked at the tapestry though, usually it just made him feel sick. A small burn mark. Celine Black. He remembered the photo in the prefects' office. Celine Black and Thomas Myers. Their smiles. All that was left of her on the tree was a name.
"Thinking about rejoining the family?" Regulus remarked dryly.
"Never." Sirius turned. Regulus was almost as tall as him now, with the same piercing grey eyes and black hair. They could have been twins.
"Then what're you doing?"
"You don't know of a Celine Black, do you?"
Regulus wrinkled his nose. "Have you found another Muggle loving friend?"
"No. She's old now," Sirius said, ignoring his brother's sneer. "She's been burnt off the tree." He
didn't mention the photo.
"Then she probably did something to deserve it."
Sirius huffed. "Maybe mother will know."
"Don't ask her." He thought there was almost something begging about the way Regulus said it.
"She's in a good mood."
"When has she ever been in a good mood?"
"Seriously, Sirius, I heard her singing." Regulus leaned in as if he was sharing a secret. They way he used to when they were little and he'd found there were leftover biscuits in a cupboard.
"No way." Sirius almost smiled. He couldn't remember smiling in this house since he started Hogwarts.
"It's dinner, mother told me to come get you."
"Eat up." His father urged. Sirius picked at his food. It was delicious, of course, that bloody house elf could at least do that right. He still couldn't get Celine out of his mind, but he'd promised Regulus to not bring it up.
"I'm going to bed." He tried standing up, but his mother grabbed at his sleeve.
"You'll stay until we dismiss you."
Sirius sat back down again. He closed his fists hard and his nails dug into his palms. Still, it wasn't enough to stop him blurting it out.
"Who was Celine?"
There was a clutter as his mum dropped her goblet and the wine spilled from it. Regulus had stopped, his fork on the way to his mouth.
"She was the first traitor," his mum said quickly. "Ran off and married a Muggleborn."
"Thomas Myers." Sirius filled in. He knew he shouldn't have, but once the floodgates had opened, there was no turning back.
He thought his mum was going to curse him. Then she stood up, slowly, towering over him.
"Get out." She grabbed him around the neck. "I don't care where you go. As long as you disappear. You've been a failure since day one, everyone knows it. I should have let Bella finish you off years ago."
She pushed him out of the dining room and stood still in the door frame.
"Get away." She waved her away from him as if he was something that smelled really bad.
Sirius turned around, he thought he'd stumbled over his own feet, until he felt the glowing pain in his cheek. His mother straightened up again, looking very pleased. Sirius turned and started down the hallway as fast as he could.
"I was up in your room." Her voice was calm and collected now. "You knew behaviour like that would get you thrown out. You were trying to ruin Christmas."
Sirius didn't turn, and he couldn't help but smirk at the thought of his mum's reaction to the new posters he'd put up in his bedroom. She'd never been thrilled about the half-naked girls, but the Gryffindor banner had been the last straw.
He threw the door shut behind him and stepped onto the square. A thin layer of snow was on the ground already and more was falling from the sky in large flakes. He looked down at his hands; his fingernails had drilled so hard into the palm it had drawn blood, which was now falling onto the snowy ground.
He felt lightheaded thinking about what he'd just done. He was on his own now, he'd dreamed about this moment for years, but now that he was faced with it, his legs threatened to fold under him. He stretched out his hand and within seconds he had to falter out of the way for the purple bus.
"Mr. Black. We're here." The conductor led him off the bus in front of the large stone house.
He walked slowly up towards the entrance. Step by step, his legs still shaking. He saw the Potters through the sitting room window, and sped up his pace.
"Sirius, what happened?" The front door slammed open before he'd reached it. James was standing in the opening.
"I ran." Sirius hurried his steps up the stairs to the entrance and James threw his arms around him. Sirius buried his face in James' shoulder, not knowing if he was laughing or crying.
Mr. and Mrs. Potter had come out in the hall too; Mrs. Potter was smiling, and Mr. Potter's forehead was creased in worry. And behind them, standing right in the door frame between the sitting room and the hall, was Marlene.
"Hi," Sirius said as he broke free from James' hug.
Mrs. Potter hurried towards him, tears in her eyes.
"Oh Sirius. I knew I shouldn't have let you go." She held him in a tight embrace. "I had a bad
feeling about it, but your mother…oh god what did she do?"
"I'm okay." Sirius mumbled into her hair. "She slapped me, but that's it."
"Oh wait until I get my hands on her," james muttered from behind him.
"No. James." His mum locked eyes with him. "No one's getting revenge for this. The important
thing is that Sirius is all right. You are all right, right? Are you hungry?"
"Some hot chocolate would be good," Sirius admitted.
"Of course. Go sit down and I'll whip some up." Mrs. Potter went towards the kitchen. "I'm so
glad to see you, Sirius."
"Sirius is staying here, right?" James watched as his mum mixed milk and cocoa together in a pot.
"Of course." She poured it out in five cups. "What else can we do? It would be a nice tale for the ministry if we sent him to an inn." She scowled. "Where they could go at him with all they had."
"Thank you, mum. I promise, we won't make any trouble."
"I'll believe that when I see it." His mum laughed.
"I'll do my best."
His mum hugged him tightly and kissed his hair. "You're the best son a mother could ask for," she whispered.
"I know," he whispered back.
"And you've certainly got your dad's self assurance." She chuckled, waving her wand and making the cups float in front of her as she walked towards the sitting room.
Sirius and Marlene were on one of the couches, his dad on the other.
"It'll be good if you keep a low profile for a while," his dad told Sirius as they entered. "I'm not saying you're at risk but -"
"- but my family has been known to teach people a lesson if they don't agree with them."
"Precisely."
"Thank you." Sirius took one of the cups Mrs. Potter set down on the table.
"You'll stay here, Sirius, we'll put together a room for you as soon as possible." His mum sipped on her cup of chocolate.
"Thank you, Mia."
"Come to think of it, I'll go make sure Tippy puts a bed in order." She stood up.
"I'll owl Dumbledore, he likes to be updated on where his students are." His dad stood up too.
"So what happened?" James straightened up on the sofa.
"We were having dinner, and I asked about Celine, from that portrait."
"Sirius…" James shook his head slowly.
"But I guess the Gryffindor banner I put up in my room didn't help either."
Marlene and James gasped.
"Well I needed to do something. I couldn't just tread water in that house forever."
"I mean…I'm glad, but Sirius, that was a really stupid thing to do."
"James is right," Marlene said. "You know they'll want revenge, because you got away so easily."
"I won't do anything stupid," Sirius promised.
Neither Marlene, nor James, looked like they believed him.
"Keep a close eye on him, James. He's gonna do something stupid." Marlene smirked.
"Hey shut up." Sirius smiled at her.
"Oh yes he's definitely gonna do something stupid." James agreed, he too smiling.
"You guys are so mean." Sirius pouted.
"James, stop being mean to your friends." Mrs. Potter entered the room again, smiling. "Sirius,
you'll be sleeping in the bedroom next to James'."
"Thank you, Mia. James was teasing me horrendously."
"I was not."
"You were too."
"Monty and I are off to bed, but call us if you need anything. I think Tippy is still up, she'll
make more chocolate if you want it."
"Thanks, Mia."
"Mum." James stood up. "I need to talk to you."
"Of course, darling."
"Whatever is wrong?" His mum asked as he pulled her up the stairs towards their bedroom.
"Am I the only one who thinks they ought to be more…torn up?"
"Marlene?"
"And Sirius. He just lost his family for Merlin's sake and he's acting like it's any Friday night. And Marlene, I thought she'd break down by now, but she hasn't. Her mum was killed, I
don't…if you…I wouldn't be able to get out of bed."
"James, darling, calm down." His mum put a hand on his shoulder. "Marlene's breaking down more than you think. Otherwise she wouldn't be sleeping here. But everything takes time, and I think she's still trying to deny it. I know I am."
James had almost forgot his mum had lost one of her best friends. He'd been so caught up trying to grasp the reality of it himself that he hadn't noticed his mum's grief. Even though he knew Mrs. McKinnon was gone, he hadn't accepted it yet. He kept expecting them to go to the McKinnon's house on Boxing day and everything would be like it'd always been. Sitting around the fire in the living room, half of them propped up on the sofas' armrests because there were never enough seats for all of them, talking late into the night. Then, once everyone else had gone to bed, James and Marlene would be the only ones still in the living room. Mrs. McKinnon would tell them to turn off the lights before they went to bed (which they never remembered to do) and they'd sit and talk, finishing off the snacks on the coffee table.
Except they wouldn't.
Instead, on Boxing day's night, Marlene would show up on their doorstep in her night gown after another day of pretending she was fine, so that her siblings could stop pretending they were.
"And Sirius…it really just happened. And they haven't been his family for years, he's been prepared for this for a long time."
"But - "
"But you know what the biggest difference is." His mum kissed the top of his head. "They're not
as sensitive as you are." She held him close to her. "And I love that you're sensitive. That's why you're going to make some girl - "
"Lily Evans."
"Right, that's why you're going to make Lily Evans very happy some day."
James smiled, burrowing his head in her shoulder.
The chocolate cups were empty, spread across the sitting room table. The fire in the fireplace was still sparkling and the snow had started falling outside the window again.
"You know," Sirius said. "You would almost believe we're in a Christmas movie."
Marlene looked questioningly at him.
"You know, those that Muggles watch. We're in the place just before Father Christmas flies past on a sleigh and the credits roll."
Marlene chuckled. "So, what's happened up until now?"
"Oh, family drama, Christmas being cancelled, probably a failed marriage or two."
"Sounds pretty accurate."
"It does, doesn't it." He leaned back on the couch, crossing his arms. "Aren't you going home?
Your dad will be worried."
"As long as I'm back before they get up…"
Sirius frowned at her.
"I've been sleeping here, for a few days. They haven't noticed yet."
"Wha…why?"
"I just…couldn't sleep at home." She pressed her lips together, doing her best not to well up.
"Are you alright?" Sirius put his hand on hers.
She shook her head, almost unnoticeable. From the corner of her eye she could see him looking at her. She couldn't look back, kept her gaze steadily on the snowflakes falling outside the window.
"Sorry," she croaked out, blinking the tears from her eyes.
"No…" He put his hand on hers. "It's fine."
"You know…" Marlene turned to him. His eyes met hers, how had she never noticed his eyes before. She was caught off guard when he lifted his hand and stroked a tear from her cheek. A tear she hadn't even noticed falling.
She put her head on his shoulder, tears falling rapidly down on her jumper. She snuggled up on the couch, folding her arms around her knees and watched as, one after one, tears fell, each one leaving a small, dark stain on her jeans. Then she looked up, her eyes meeting Sirius' again; her vision was blurry with tears, but she still recognised the smirk on his lips. It was normal, and that felt nice. Everything had been so upside down lately that it was nice to know some things hadn't changed.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd cried. When Mary had gone to Hogsmeade with Cody, she'd acted like all she wanted to do was cry, but she'd never shed a tear over it. She was glad, looking back at it, that she hadn't. That wasn't worth crying over. She might have cried, with the knowledge Mary had won the game, had Sirius not come to her rescue. Sirius. Without ever saying anything about it, he'd always been there for her. That night, at the Quidditch pitch, after her very first practise with the team. It'd started raining, and she'd convinced him to come stand in the rain with her. He'd done it, of course. Then - she hadn't allowed her mind to wander there in so long, to what almost happened.
She looked up at him, imagined what it would feel like if he leaned down and kissed her, then she lowered her gaze again. She was being silly, of course she knew that. That'd been months
ago. Still, she couldn't help imagine.
"We should probably go up to bed," Sirius suggested.
"Mhm." Marlene was pulled from her thoughts.
He grabbed her hand and helped her off the sofa.
"Hey, you ok now?" He asked, pulling a strand of hair from her face.
She nodded.
"Good." He put his arm around her waist and led her up the stairs.
"Thanks," she whispered. "For everything."
She was sure he didn't understand.
It wasn't until she'd changed into her pyjamas that she realised. When she'd let go of him to open her bedroom door, he'd lingered.
The house was packed, like every Christmas day. Peter thought it'd started once his dad had passed away. His mum had said it was because his dad had never liked crowds much, especially not when there were wizards involved. Apparently they were 'noisy'. Right now Peter couldn't disagree. Every inch of the house was filled with people he didn't know how he related to, all of them wanting to talk to him. About school, his mum, his friends, their job, his dad. Peter didn't feel much like talking at all.
He'd thought maybe he'd be able to find Patrick somewhere in the crowds, but so far he'd been unsuccessful. In fact, the only other person under the age of forty seemed to be his cousin's newborn baby girl. He didn't even know if Patrick was supposed to be there, it was just as much a shot in the dark as it'd be to wait at the entrance to Diagon Alley in the hope he might show up. So he did what he'd done every year since his mum stopped keeping too close an eye on him.
He went out through the back door.
The garden wasn't as packed as the inside, most of the guests knew they wanted to stay away
from it by now.
"Peter!" One of the uncles raised his bottle of Firewhiskey as Peter approached the mouldered picnic table at the back of the garden.
"Hi."
Peter didn't know how old the men were, but they had to be over sixty. One of them hugged him, his breath smelling of cigarettes and alcohol.
"You want some?" Another offered, holding up a, yet to be opened, bottle of Firewhiskey.
He didn't know if he'd accepted, but he must've because suddenly he was sitting on top of the table with a bottle in his hand. As he swallowed down the first gulp his throat burnt like it'd been set on fire, but the feeling softened and was replaced by a sensation that he could manage anything his heart desired. He wished Patrick were there right now, he might dare to ask him what he was playing at. He took another gulp. In fact, he wished all of Hogwarts could see him. Right now, he was in his element. He wasn't just some silly bloke that trailed after the popular gang. He was the popular gang. He put the bottle to his mouth again and swallowed down a few more gulps.
"I'm gonna do a cartwheel!" he announced to the group of men, standing up.
He hadn't expected he'd be so shaky on his legs when he felt so confident, but he fell over in the grass. He was struggling to stand up. Somewhere, someone was laughing. He thought it was one of the men. Maybe.
Actually, it seemed to come from the other end of the garden.
"BENNET!" That was his mum. Oh god, that was his mum.
Peter tried again to stand up.
"Did you let him drink it?" She grabbed Peter by the arm and pulled him up.
"Calm down, Coleen, he's grown up."
"HE'S FIFTEEN."
"I was drinking when I was fifteen."
Peter felt his legs shaking underneath him.
"God, Peter." His mum half carried, half dragged him towards the house. He thought she stopped
to yell something else at the men, but he wasn't sure.
The next thing he knew, he was lying in his bedroom. There was something cool on his forehead and his mum was rummaging his closet.
"Put these on. You can't show yourself like that, you're all muddy." She turned to him, holding out a set of clothes. "How're you feeling?"
"Dizzy," Peter admitted.
"I'll be right back. I'll just go beat up uncle Bennet."
At that moment, Peter couldn't remember if 'uncle' Bennet was his mum's brother, or her uncle, of if he was even related to them in the first place. He did know that uncle Bennet would think over his decisions very closely in the future. His mother was short and plump, but she was stronger than she looked.
Peter knew that, because he'd been present for many of his mother's 'corrections' as she'd called them when he was little to try and shield him. Nowadays she said she'd beat them up, believing he was old enough to face the truth. But not old enough to drink, apparently. He didn't enjoy the spinning sensation or the shaky legs, he had to admit, but he'd enjoyed the carelessness and bravery that'd come with it. He'd felt like a true Gryffindor.
Her mum appeared in the crowd of people hurrying left and right to pick up luggage.
"Dorcas, darling." Dropping her suitcase, she pulled Dorcas into a hug.
When her mum had owled her two weeks before Christmas to say she had a gap in the calendar and was able to come home over the holiday weekend, Dorcas had to go to Professor McGonagall's office and explain that she wouldn't stay for the Holidays after all. When she was younger, she'd been angry when her mum couldn't get time off work so she could go home for Christmas or Easter. Now she knew her mum valued her career just as high, if not higher, than she did her daughter and instead she cherished the times her mum did come home. Her job was a 24/7 one, she hadn't had a proper holiday since long before Dorcas could remember. When she was really little, her mum had shipped her off to her father and his new wife every summer, thinking she'd enjoy staying in their cabin by the beach. It became clear that didn't work when Dorcas turned 5, and since then she'd seen countless nannies and babysitters, the occasional aunt, and a lot of time spent alone.
"Do you have your things?"
Dorcas nodded towards the luggage cart.
"Where are we staying?"
It had been years since her mum had cancelled the lease on their apartment; since then they'd been living in hotels every time her mum was in town.
"The Bentley." Her mum had let go of her and searched the hall for the chauffeur Dorcas knew
was there to pick them up. "I stayed in their hotel in New York in September. Beautiful place." She waved at a man in a black suit.
"Ms. Meadows?"
"Yes."
"Come this way, please."
"So…how's school?" They'd had Christmas pudding sent up to their room. Dorcas was sitting propped up on the bed with the silk bedding that probably cost a lot more than was reasonable and her mum on the chair by the desk.
"It's good."
"Is Ivy still hanging around with…"
"Louise? Yeah."
Her mum nodded. "That's too bad." Dorcas didn't know if that was because it meant she needed to find somewhere for Dorcas to spend the summer or because she genuinely cared. "She was such a sweet girl."
Dorcas agreed. Ivy was a sweet girl, and she tried to still see that part of her, but it seemed to get smaller each day that went by.
"We have a new DADA teacher." Dorcas changed the subject.
"Seems like there's a new one every year."
Dorcas nodded and put a forkful of pudding in her mouth.
"Have you heard anything from your father lately?"
Dorcas knew she was just trying to make conversation, and that it wasn't her fault her father wanted nothing to do with her, but the reminder still stung.
"You know I haven't." It came out sharper that she'd intended it.
"Right." Her mum looked down at her hands.
The last time she'd talked to her father had been when she was twelve. Just returning from her first year at Hogwarts, she excitedly started telling her father and his family about all the fun things she'd been doing. His new wife, never a fan of Dorcas' magic to begin with, went white and attempted to cover her son's ears. When her mother came to pick her up, they'd all gone into the living room, leaving Dorcas outside in the hall. Her mum had told her it had been decided she shouldn't see her father for a while.
Weeks had turned to months that turned to years. Now, Dorcas had accepted that her dad wasn't in her life anymore.
Her dad was still excitedly observing the charmed Christmas display she'd given him. Father Christmas rocking from side to side, hands on his big belly, and the elves hurrying around beneath him, collecting gifts and feeding the reindeers, and snow falling from just above making the landscape look as if it was being sprinkled with icing sugar.
Petunia was still scowling, sitting in the corner of the couch as far from the display as she could, and chewing at the edge of a piece of Christmas fudge.
"This is magnificent, honey." Her mum looked at her. "Did you do this?"
"I had some help from Mr. Flitwick."
"Mr. Flitwick." Petunia snorted. "What kind of name is that."
Lily bit her lip trying to refrain herself from spitting back, knowing her mum hated their bickering.
"Okay." Her mum leaned over and grabbed another gift from under the tree. "This one is to Petunia, from aunt Carol."
Petunia grabbed the gift and opened it without much enthusiasm.
"That's nice, isn't it honey?" Her mum enthused at the sight of the pearl bracelet. She sounded
like she was talking up a questionable gift to a four year old so they'd say thank you. Petunia nodded, lips pressed together. "It goes very nice with your necklace."
Petunia looked up and proudly showed off her neck. She'd spent all day enthusing about the nice presents Vernon had got her before he left to see his family for Christmas.
"Why don't you just marry him." Lily muttered under her breath.
"If you must know." Petunia sat up straighter with a pointed look at Lily. "We have spoken of it."
Lily masked her laughter at Petunia's unnaturally formal presentation of the subject with a coughing fit.
"I was going to wait until it was official to tell you, but since Lily brought it up. I'm moving to London."
"But…why?" Her mum had stopped midair in getting another present from under the tree.
"There is nothing left for me to do here. In London I'll be closer to Vernon and there's a job as a secretary at his firm, so don't worry about that."
"Petunia, you're so young," her dad tried.
"I'm no younger than you were when you left to sell tea." Lily saw the determination in her eyes. Petunia hadn't ever been as stubborn as Lily, but she had her moments. Lily knew she had set her
mind on this.
"I thought you said you'd wait until you were married." Her mum had gone very white.
"Plans change." Lily had never heard her sister be so free with change of plans.
"Can't you at least wait until the summer?"
Petunia bit her lip. "I have an apartment. I'm not going to pay rent if I'm not living there."
"You have an apartment?" Lily thought her dad might pass out.
In her nightgown, Lily walked down the stairs, hoping she didn't wake her parents.
She shouldn't have worried. The kitchen light was on and the door ajar. Through it, Lily could hear her parents' hushed voices.
"She's my baby, Henry. I'm losing my baby."
Lily peaked in through the crack in the door. Her mum was sitting at the kitchen table, a glass of sherry in front of her, while her dad stood by the sink washing the dishes. Normally, her mum wouldn't trust her dad even to cut up a slice of bread.
"I know, Susan," her dad replied. "I know."
"I wish she'd talk to us. She always used to." She lifted the sherry glass and took a drink.
"She's growing up."
"Remember when she used to come home from school? She'd come running in the door,
bursting to tell us about everything she'd done. When did it all go wrong?"
"You know that as well as I do, Susan."
Lily did too. It was the day McGonagall had showed up on their doorstep. Of course, Lily already knew everything about Hogwarts, but McGonagall told her it was still standard procedure. Petunia had taken one look at the witch in the doorstep, screamed and run to her room. She had refused to come down until late that night, after Lily had already went to sleep. That, Lily realised later, was the moment she'd lost her sister. It didn't matter where she lived or who her boyfriend was, in Petunia's mind they hadn't been sisters since Lily was eleven.
"Sometimes, I wonder…"
"I know…I do too."
Lily didn't want to stay and listen anymore. Nothing they could say would make her feel better.
She noticed the small white and red box on the hallway table. She leaned over quickly and grabbed it. She flipped the lid open and let one of the cigarettes fall into her hand. Really, her mum hadn't told her not to smoke. She'd just said she was sorry about the example she'd set.
She creaked the front door open just enough to slip out, hoping her parents were too preoccupied to notice.
Petunia's bedroom window was dark. It felt unfair that she was sleeping soundly while their parent's world was falling apart.
Lily knew Petunia would want her to feel it was Lily's fault. That she was moving away to distance herself from her world. But Lily was just angry.
In.
She was angry Petunia was still holding onto her grudge.
...
Out
...
She was angry she had made their parents this upset. In. She was angry Petunia tried to blame it all on Lily.
...
Out
...
She was angry she hadn't had a sister in years, without realising.
...
Out
...
It wasn't until she'd put out the cigarette and kicked it into the bushes so no one would find it that she noticed the goosebumps on her arms and how stiff her hands had become in the cold. She folded her arms across her chest, considering going back inside. She hoped her parents would've gone up to sleep now, she didn't want to see them right now.
"Lily?"
She stopped on the spot and felt like a deer in headlights. Her dad was standing in the
kitchen door frame, looking at her. "What're you doing?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd get some air."
"Lily, I know you and Petunia haven't been getting along too well lately." Lily thought that was the understatement of the year. "But this must be very upsetting for you anyways, her deciding to move away."
"She's eighteen." Lily shrugged. "She can do whatever she wants."
"I can see you're hurting, honey. I just wish you'd talk to us, instead of sneaking out in the
middle of the night."
"I didn't sneak out. I stepped outside the door for some air."
Her dad smiled tiredly. "Still, you must need to talk about this."
"Really, dad, it's okay." Lily made a move to go upstairs but her dad pulled her into a hug.
"Dad, what're you doing?" Lily giggled as he tickled her neck.
"I just don't wanna lose you."
Alice found herself alone in the kitchen with her mum on Boxing day morning once her dad had rushed off to work. It was like it used to be when she was little: Her mum at the sink doing last night's dishes, Alice at the kitchen table.
"Mum." She looked up from her breakfast cereal. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course." Her mum continued to rinse the pot under the running water. Alice had never known why she always did the dishes the Muggle way.
"Why did you marry dad?"
Her mum turned to her, turning the tap off. "Why do you ask?"
"Just…wondering." Alice stirred the cereal with her spoon. "It just seems like he's always deciding what you should do, like you couldn't do that for yourself."
"Oh, I don't know." Her mother sighed and sat down opposite Alice at the table. "It was just the
easy choice, I guess. Remember, Alice, I was nineteen. All my friends were getting married left
and right, I wanted to fit in, and my parents…well, you know how your grandmother is; they
wanted me to have the stability."
"But why him?"
"It wasn't a big town, he was a family friend and he seemed nice enough."
"Did you love him?" Alice bit her lip, not knowing what answer she wanted.
"I think that I thought I did. Then…" Her cheeks blushed. "Then I met Stanley. Now, Alice, this isn't something I encourage, but Merlin. Stanley, he was everything your dad wasn't. He was adventurous, spontaneous, fun; he sent my head spinning in a way your dad never did."
"Why did you still marry dad then?"
"It was just the right thing to do at the time. I thought I needed someone stable and reliable, Stanley was none of that." Her mum looked almost embarrassed. "So I settled for your dad, the way everything was planned out."
"Did you? Need someone stable."
"I would've gotten by without it," her mum admitted. "But if I had, I wouldn't have you." She
took Alice's hands in hers. "And I love you so much."
"What about working?" Alice blurted out. "I mean, I overheard you talking about it with your
friends. About how you wanted to work at the Ministry when you grew up, but that dad didn't
like the idea of his wife working, so you chose to just be a wife."
"Alice, can I ask you about something now?"
"Yeah."
"Why the sudden interest in this?"
Alice looked down at the cereal swimming in the milk.
"Is there someone…"
Alice bit her lip. "Do you know the Longbottoms?"
"Of course. Very nice family." Her mum nodded knowingly, a smile dancing on her lips.
"Well…their son, Frank, is my class."
She looked up at her mum, who was smiling widely.
"That's so nice."
"I really like him," Alice admitted
"So what's the problem?"
"I'm scared."
"What do you have to be scared of?" her mum asked.
"What if I end up like you?" Alice knew it sounded rude, but her mum didn't seem to take any
offence by it.
"You're a lot stronger than me, Alice." Her mum looked regretful. "You would never allow anyone to take you away from yourself the way I did. Besides, times are changing. When I was young it wasn't as normal for women to be working after they got married."
Alice didn't know if that fact made her feel calmer.
"I know your father is a little…traditional in his views, Alice, but he loves you. Really. He just wants you to be happy."
Alice doubted it. She knew she really didn't need her father's permission to do anything but was it wrong to want him to support her in her decisions, whatever they were? Everyone else's dads seemed to.
"Now, do you like Frank?"
Alice nodded.
"Then don't worry about all this now. You're sixteen, you should be worrying about how to
sneak past your father and me that you're smuggling Firewhiskey from our storage. That wouldn't work though, so don't even try," she added as a side note, eyeing her. "You shouldn't be worrying about marriage, that shouldn't even be on your mind right now."
"Apparently dad thinks it needs to be."
"That's because." Her mum leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "He hasn't seen nearly
enough of you to know what a capable young lady you are. He thinks you need saving the same way your poor, old mother did."
"You're not old."
"That's very nice of you to say." Her mum chuckled. "You know, your dad won't be
home until late, why don't you go look in the library if you find something you'd like reading. I expect you've finished the ones you got for your birthday already."
Alice smiled. "Was that you?"
"I might have pulled some strings." Her mum smiled, stroking Alice's hair.
"Mum." Alice stood up but stopped in the door.
"Yes?"
"You won't tell dad any of this, will you?"
"Not until you're ready," her mum promised, still seated at the table.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" His mum touched his shoulder affectionately.
"I'll be fine, mum, I'm fifteen."
"But it's so close to the full moon."
"Don't worry about it."
He knew his mum never stopped worrying, the ageing lines around her eyes revealed it.
"I just don't think you should be alone, it's Christmas."
Remus didn't point out that, really, Christmas had been two days ago, because he knew
Christmas was hard for his mum. She hadn't been able to spend it with her family since Remus had been bitten, they claiming it was all because she married a wizard.
"I'll see if Peter wants to come over," Remus promised.
"Well…then." His mum looked around as his dad put a hand on her arm. "There's food in the
fridge, you just need to heat it up. We'll be home by midnight." She kissed his forehead.
"Sorry you had to come over." Remus played with his food, looking up at Peter. "Mum didn't want me to be alone."
"No, it's fine. Didn't mind getting a break in 'the lecture of all things that go wrong when you act irresponsibly'."
"Merlin, that sounds more like something Prongs would get. What did you do?"
Peter bit his lip, smiling slightly. "I drank Firewhiskey."
"Really?"
He nodded.
"How was it?"
"It felt so good. I felt like…like I could do anything. Then mum came, and it all went to hell." Peter rolled his eyes.
Remus laughed. "I don't doubt it."
"Do you think your parents would mind?"
"The drinking? I don't think they'd notice."
"How couldn't they?"
"I mean, they notice everything. But everything will also be written off as having to do with the
transformation."
"Mhm." Peter shuffled a piece of chicken into his mouth.
"I mean, I love them, but I think they love me too much."
"How could they love you…too much?"
"I don't know…I've just, ruined their whole lives. Mum can't even see her family anymore because of me. Dad can't work like he used to because of the moves. Honestly, they should've just put me out in the woods as soon as I was bitten."
"Moony!" Peter looked at him. "Don't say that."
"Why not? It's true."
"But, then we wouldn't be friends. Who would keep us the least bit healthy?"
Remus scoffed, letting out a short laugh. "You need me to be healthy?"
"Okay…out of detention then." Peter laughed. "You done?" He nodded at Remus' plate.
Remus nodded.
"Wanna play chess?"
The sound of the front door flying open echoed through the house into the dining room.
"What was that?" His dad put down his fork.
"Maybe it was the wind." His mum's eyes flickered towards the hall.
"Didn't sound like it."
"It was probably just Sirius coming home." James stood up, going towards the hall.
It was Sirius, but not the same Sirius that had left to stock up on potions ingredients. He was still
standing in the doorway, blood dripping from his face.
"God, Sirius." He hurried forward. "MUM! - what happened?"
"Ran - into - some - family." His lip was bleeding heavily.
"MUM!" James called again, just as both his parents appeared in the doorway. His mum gasped
and put her hand over her mouth.
"Oh god, Sirius."
"Something's wrong!" James whimpered.
"Nothing's wrong." Sirius coughed up some blood. "They just beat me up."
His mum was beside him now, grabbing at Sirius' arms.
"Come on, sweetie. We'll get you cleaned up." She started leading him up the stairs, James
trailing behind. He'd never been good around Sirius when he was hurt, even if it was just a black
Eye. He couldn't stand the thought that one time he might not make it through. Generally he kept
his head clear in crisis, but Sirius touched a raw nerve.
In the bathroom, Sirius was sitting on a stool, his mum dabbing at his eye. He held an icepack to
his lip. It appeared to have stopped bleeding. James went over and sat down on the tub edge.
"What happened, mate?"
"I told you - " He winced as the wet towel touched at his eye. " - I was going out of the apothecary, and Bella and Wilkes showed up, they must've been waiting for me."
"They just jumped on you?"
"Well…no."
"Sirius?" His mum looked up from the warm water bowl.
"I couldn't not fight. I'm not a coward!" Sirius clenched his fists.
"It's not cowardly to not get yourself killed." His mum looked straight at him. "You can't throw
yourself into stupidity."
Sirius looked at the floor, like a child that was being told off. "I won't."
James didn't believe it. He loved his best friend but Sirius had a serious lack of impulse control.
"James?" The bedroom door creaked open, Sirius' silhouette appearing in the crack. "Are you sleeping?"
"N - " James yawned. "Okay, yeah. You woke me."
"Well you're awake now then." Sirius strutted into the room, his comforter wrapped around him.
He climbed onto James' bed, leaning against one of the bedposts.
James laughed. "What do you want?"
"I couldn't sleep." Sirius admitted, folding his arms across his chest.
"I think there are some painkiller potions in the cupboard downstairs." James made a move to get
out of the bed.
"No, it doesn't hurt…"
James sat up.
"Could I just…stay here? I don't want to be alone."
"Of course, Sirius." James swallowed the lump in his throat at seeing his brother so vulnerable.
Sirius lay down on the bed, his face turned towards the window. In the moonlight shining through James thought he saw a wet tear rolling down Sirius' cheek, but when he didn't say anything, James ignored it.
"Hey?" James was almost about to fall asleep again when Sirius spoke. "Is Marls here?"
"I think so…" James couldn't remember her coming into the house, but he was sure she had.
"Maybe she just went in without us noticing."
"Mhm…" Sirius' mumble was quiet, as if he was just about to fall asleep.
The large stone mansion came into view at the end of the stone laid path. There were a few other guests coming up the path, but they were mostly friends of Mr. and Mrs. Potter; Alice thought most guests she'd want anything to do with would arrive once dinner was over.
The large entrance hall was lit up and a large fountain had been placed in the middle of the room. Tall glasses were danced around it, filling one after another as the guests passed by. A house elf took their coats and instructed them to continue up the stairs to the first floor.
"Alice." Marlene came up to her, her long hair pulled back into a low ponytail. "Hi."
"This is…something."
"We've gone all out." Marlene laughed. "Come on, the others are in here." She grabbed Alice's arm and pulled her towards a room off the side. Alice turned, looking at her mum, who smiled at her before slipping her hand into her fathers' and going into the large party hall.
"What's happening? Where're we going?"
"To the fun." Marlene smiled, pushing a door open with her elbow.
The room was huge. The large four poster bed merely seemed like a small decorative piece in relation to the size of the room and a group of sofas and armchairs were standing on the large carpet in the middle of the room.
"Fortescue!" James raised a glass.
"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Sirius was sprawled on one of the sofas, leaving no room for anyone else.
"Too much testosterone in here." Marlene gestured, going over and pushing Sirius' legs off the sofa and sat down.
"You've practically been living here for two weeks. Now all of a sudden we're too manly for you?" Sirius frowned at her.
"You're not too manly." Marlene rolled her eyes at him.
"I am too."
"Yesterday you cried to 'It's A Wonderful Life'."
"I had something in my eye." He glared at her.
Marlene huffed, laughing.
"Have you heard from Lily?" James looked at Marlene.
"Have I told you that I've heard from her?" Marlene took another sip of her drink.
"No…"
"Then I haven't heard from her. Have you, Al?"
"I think she said she'd be with Snape." Alice tried not to pull a face, but she must've failed.
"See, even Fortescue thinks he's a tosser." James gesticulated wildly at Alice.
"I don't think he's a tosser. He's just…bad at making decisions."
"No, I'm bad at making decisions." Sirius pointed to himself. "Snivellus is just plain bad."
"You know who's good at making decisions though? Lily. If she's friends with him, it's because
she's getting something out of it. There must be a side of him that we don't see," alice said.
"That's rubbish." Sirius huffed, crossing his arms.
"Oh so you're not different here than you are at school?" Marlene challenged.
Biting his lip, Sirius' eyes lost their confident glow and he lowered his arms.
After being ushered out of the room by Mrs. Potter for dinner, most of which Alice spent next to one Mr. Shafiq who wouldn't shut up about his opinions on Muggleborns' admission to Hogwarts, James led them across the hall into the ballroom. Three large crystal crowns were hanging from the high ceiling and through the windows along the walls you could see the last of the December sun disappear behind the horizon.
More guests were filling the space rapidly, Alice seeing more than one Hogwarts student in the mix. There were loud cheers from James and Sirius as Peter and Remus came through the door, and glasses were placed in their hands. Alice had been given a glass too, of something that most likely wasn't butterbeer. An orchestra in the corner of the room was playing a jazzy tune and it made the whole room appear to dance. Alice stayed close by Marlene, not feeling confident enough to roam the room on her own. She nodded politely at the relatives, friends and acquaintances Marlene was chatting with at an increasingly rapid pace as the evening passed.
"Marlene? Are you okay?" Alice grabbed at Marlene's arm and dragged her to the side once
she'd said a very high-pitched goodbye to an aunt.
"Why wouldn't I be?" She was still talking very quickly. Her hair was falling into her face and her forehead shining with sweat. "I mean…this is fun, right? Everyone's very nice, wanting to know how we're getting on, but really they just want me to say we're good." Her voice was rising in pitch.
"Come on, let's go get some air." Alice felt like she was half carrying, half dragging Marlene out of the room.
She ended up standing outside the ballroom, not knowing where to go next. She could take her outside, but it was pitch black and freezing, it didn't seem like a good idea.
"Alright, Fortescue?" Alice didn't think she'd ever been so happy to see Sirius.
"I…Marls needs some air. I'm not sure…"
"Well I think the patio is still lit." Sirius walked up and put his arm around Marlene's waist, helping support her as they started down the stairs.
Alice was so focused on getting Marlene away from the party that she didn't notice him coming up the stairs until she tripped on the end of his robe, sending her tripping and stumbling down a
few steps.
"Sorr - " She looked up, and couldn't help laughing.
"Hi." Frank smiled at her.
"Hi." She stopped laughing, looking at him.
"Are you going somewhere?"
"Er…yeah. I'm taking Marls out for some air."
"Oh."
"I'm fiiine," Marlene said from behind her.
"I - " She turned to look at Marlene, who was leaning towards Sirius' shoulder for support.
" - really need to take care of this."
She thought he looked disappointed.
"I'll be back, just need to make sure she doesn't…fall over." Alice helped Sirius straighten Marlene up.
"Okay, that's fine."
"Did you have to be wearing heels?" Alice muttered as Marlene stumbled down the stairs.
"You're 5'9''."
"You're just bitter you didn't get to go with Frank." Marlene giggled.
"Shut up."
"You luuuv him."
Alice bit her lip.
"Ladies. You're about to enter the magical place that is the Potters' back garden. Are you ready?" Sirius had his hand on the back door handle.
"I've been here before, tosser." Marlene pushed the door open.
Stepping outside was cold, but not as cold as Alice had expected. Rather than the bitter cold of a mid-winter night, it felt like a mild breeze. Bubbles of soft yellow light were floating just above their heads, lighting up the stone laid patio. The jazzy music from the ballroom was floating out through a window standing ajar and echoed through the night.
"Wow." Marlene fell into a patio chair.
"Now, you stay here. I'll go get you a glass of water. Alright, McKinnon?"
Marlene leaned back, smiling.
"I'm sitting down, I'm getting air. You go get your man." Marlene turned to Alice once Sirius
had disappeared into the house again.
Alice smiled. "You sure I can leave you here with Black?"
"Positive." She leaned back in her chair so far the front legs lifted from the ground. Alice caught
her just as she was about to fall over.
"Maybe I should stay until Sirius get back," she suggested.
"Maybe."
It was closing up on midnight by the time Alice was walking towards the ballroom again. She hadn't wanted to leave Marlene until she knew she wouldn't be a danger to herself. She trusted Sirius, sure, but not enough to leave Marlene fully in his hands.
The jazz music was still playing, but the room was more still. The dancing was slower, the music softer, the voices lower. The whole room was already counting down to midnight. She saw Frank before he saw her, getting a drink over by the bar.
"Hi." She tapped lightly at his shoulder.
"I was starting to think you'd left."
"Never." She smiled. "Just took a bit longer than planned."
The band stopped playing in the background before taking up again, playing a Muggle song Alice remembered Lily's dad listening to in the car once.
"Let's dance." She grabbed hold of Frank's hand and dragged him with her, barely giving him time to put down his glass.
There were other couples spinning around the dance floor too, Alice could hear the sound of heels tapping at the floor, but all she really saw was Frank. He spun her around and caught her with his hand when she stumbled and almost fell. She laughed, resting her head on his chest.
"You're a good dancer," she whispered.
"You too."
"You're lying."
"That's true."
Alice giggled.
She didn't know what happened, but they were flying over the dance floor, Alice wasn't even sure her feet ever touched the floor. Frank's hand was on her back, leading her steps.
The song ended and Mrs. Potter came onto the floor, announcing a countdown to twelve o'
clock.
Ten.
All other sounds died down, everyone turning towards Mrs. Potter and counting in tune.
Nine.
Alice looked at Frank, his brown eyes met hers.
Eight.
What was she supposed to do?
Seven.
She couldn't kiss him, could she?
Six.
They were standing like they were about to kiss.
Five.
She wanted to kiss him.
Four.
Oh god she was gonna kiss him.
Three.
She was smiling; he was smiling too.
Two.
Her gaze slipped from his, to her father. God, her father.
One.
She couldn't kiss him in front of her father.
The room exploded in cheers, balloons were falling from the ceiling.
"Happy New Year."
She didn't know what to do. God she couldn't just stand here. She hugged him. Who hugged someone on New Year's Eve? This was just pathetic.
"Happy New Year darling." Her mum hugged her, planting a kiss on her cheek.
"Happy New Year, mum."
"Hi er…"
"Frank." He seemed to straighten up. "Longbottom."
"Well of course." Her mum turned to her for a split second, smiling. "I know your mother."
Frank nodded.
"Darling, we'll be leaving soon, your father and me. If you wanna stay, I'm sure you could Floo
home later."
"No, I'll come with you." She hadn't even noticed her hand was still in Frank's until she let go to follow her mum.
They heard the cheers from the ballroom as the clock hit midnight.
"Happy new year." He turned to her. They were leaning against the patio wall; he had a bottle beside him on the stone.
"Happy new year." She smiled. "Glad it's over."
"Yeah, 1975 hasn't been kind to us, has it?"
"Really…really not."
"What about 1976? Any predictions?"
"Hoping Lils will come around seems a bit…"
"Premature?"
"Exactly."
"She'll come around eventually though, won't she."
"James needs to come around too though, stop acting like a jerk."
"I'm acting like a jerk, you still like me."
"Maybe I don't have any standards."
Sirius smiled.
"What?"
"You said you liked me."
"Yeah?" Marlene frowned.
"Do you like me?" Sirius knew the question was vague, but he wasn't even sure himself what he
was trying to say.
"Do you like me?"
"You do." He grinned.
"You do too."
"Maybe." He leaned in.
"Why does this only happen when we're emotional or bloody drunk?" Marlene leaned in too.
"Maybe that's just…us."
Their lips crashed together, Sirius didn't know who had initiated it, he didn't know anything anymore. All he was aware of was his hands on her back, turning away from the wall and pressing her closer to him. Her hands ran through his hair. His heart was pounding in his chest, it felt like he'd ran a mile.
"Wow." Marlene was panting slightly.
"Good wow?"
"Nah." She grinned.
Sirius smacked her thigh. "Do you wanna go back in? I think most guests will be leaving."
"Can we just wait a while? I don't feel like talking to anyone yet."
"Fine." Sirius leaned back against the wall. Marlene rested her head on his shoulder.
Sirius bit his lip.
"What…I mean, do we tell anyone?"
"About this?" Marlene gestured between the two of them.
"Are we a this?"
"I don't know, are we?"
"I don't think so."
"Then we don't need to tell anyone, right?"
"Complete silence?"
"Lock it and throw away the key."
"It was just a kiss."
"Maybe."
They were quiet for a while longer before Marlene spoke.
"I - I think 1976 is gonna be good."
Sirius smiled, looking at her. Her hair glowed under the light of the shining bubbles, her lip gloss had smudged, Sirius thought he must have some on his lips, and even in the cold her skin was warm against his. He was warm too, sweating almost, his mind was spinning. Quickly, though not as quickly as normal, he pushed the thoughts away. He did not have feelings for Marlene. She was a friend, a very good friend, who sent butterflies up his throat.
"There you are, bloody hell." James stepped out through the patio doors.
"Sorry mate." Sirius looked up at him, happy for the distraction. "Marls needed to get away for a while."
James nodded, sitting down next to him. "Where did you get that?" James nodded towards the bottle beside Sirius. "Mum and dad took any alcohol right off me."
"Turns out they weren't as observant at 11:50." Sirius shrugged.
Marlene giggled.
"How drunk are you?"
"Less than her."
James grabbed the bottle and took a sip from it.
"What resolutions do you have?" James asked.
"What?"
"You know. Things you wanna change this year."
"Oh…" Sirius bit his lip.
"I wanna eat vegetarian!" Marlene announced.
"Good luck." James rolled his eyes.
"No, it looks like fun."
"Vegetarianism 'looks like fun'?" James furrowed his brows.
"Yeah, I'm gonna be a vegetarian," she stated.
James and Sirius chuckled.
"What about you, Prongsie?"
"You know what he's gonna say." Marlene mumbled.
"People can change, McKinnon."
"People can." Sirius laughed. "Prongsie can't."
"I can too! And, for the record, I think she might be coming around."
