"Marlene, what the hell are you doing here?" The front door to my home swung open all at once, flooding the steps with light and nearly blinding Sirius and I as we stood there, hands shoved deep into our pockets and shivering from the icy air. Once I had adjusted to the new light, I was able to see the face attached to the surprised voice that had greeted us.

Bretton, my older brother, stood in the doorway, face clouded with a mixture of shock and concern. He towered over both Sirius and I, thick eyebrows furrowed as he looked us up and down.

"Can we come it? It's bloody freezing out here," I whined, exhaling a large cloud of white breath to make my point. My nose was so cold it was stinging and though Sirius hadn't said a word since we stepped onto the property, I could feel him shivering as we stood pressed shoulder to shoulder. The house loomed promisingly before us, windows lit with bright yellow light, the dark wood-paneled walls of the high ceilinged foyer sparkling with chandelier shadows and letting heat escape toward us through the open door.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" Bretton pushed on, but moved his massive frame out of the doorway and allowed the two of us to slip inside, gasping with relief when the warm air hit us.

"Why do you always assume I'm in trouble, Bret?" I moaned, wiggling out of my cloak and draping it over the banister, shooting him a playful look. Bretton had always acted tough but I knew he had a weak spot for my antics; he taught me everything I knew, after all.

"Because you usually are," he said with a slight laugh, shaking his head with amusement as he watched me hop around, trying to get warm. The smirk slipped off his face, however, as he turned to Sirius and gave him the cliche big-brother scowl and scanned him head to toe. "Who the hell are you?"

"Friend from school," Sirius said breezily, slipping off his coat and folding it over his arm. I watched him with a surge of affection; Bretton was, by any standards, a large and intimidating-looking bloke. I was never the type to bring boys home to meet the family, but having to do it in the company of someone who wasn't a stuttering mess made the whole thing less uncomfortable.

"Mom said you were staying at school for the holidays," Bretton said, easing up slightly but still regarding Sirius suspiciously out of his periphery, crossing his arms and setting his jaw.

"Change of plans," I sighed, putting on a winning smile and flashing it at him, using the best of my little-sister charm and hoping he would help cushion the blow from my parents. My mother had been insistent on me staying at the castle over the holidays, and I knew she would be upset that I'd ignored her wishes.

"Could have written and let us know," Bretton grunted, but grabbed Sirius's coat from him and tossed it over the banister along with mine, the most welcoming gesture I could have expected from him. "I'll go let Mum and Moira know to put extra places at the table."

I watched him as he disappeared down the narrow hallway that shot off the far end of the entrance hall and connected to the kitchen, waiting until I heard his heavy footsteps fade before I turned back to Sirius.

"Nice place you've got here, McKinnon," he said, raising an eyebrow as he surveyed the entrance foyer.

Of all the impressive things his eyes could have landed on, I saw that he instead stopped and admired our family portrait longest of all- a large painting that showed me enveloped in Bretton's arms, laughing, both of us flanked on either side by my mother: short hair, plump cheeks and warm eyes, and my father: proud cheekbones, strong jaw, looking more sober than I'd ever seen him in real life.

"We do alright," I said with a shrug, crossing the room and wrapping myself under one of his arms, feeling him exhale as he melted into me, pulling me close and resting his cheek on the top of my head. I'm sure that our house was nothing compared to whatever grand stone manor his family holed up in, but I could see why the warm wood and family photos would appeal to him.

"You never told me you had a brother," Sirius added after a moment of comfortable silence, pulling away from me so that he could look me properly in the eye.

"Yes, I often try not to bring my brother up when I'm in bed with someone," I laughed, sticking my tongue out at him. "I feel it would be in bad form."

"Are you just using me for my body?!" he said in a stage whisper, clapping a hand dramatically to his chest and feigning insult.

"I'm using you for your money now, remember?" I teased with an eye roll, pushing him lightly on the shoulder. "Try and keep up."

"Seriously though, give me a crash course. That guy looks like he wants to rip my head off. I've never seen him around school, have I?"

"You wouldn't have seen him," I said with a shrug, looking off to the hallway where Bretton had disappeared moments ago. "He's about eight years older; graduated by the time we started. As for wanting to rip your head off...Bretton is harmless, but he's also my biggest fan. I wouldn't cross him." I wagged my finger jokingly at him but I saw him don a concentrated look, as if he was putting this onto a mental checklist.

"And Moira is..."

"His wife," I said bluntly, wrinkling my nose. "They got married about a year ago. She's alright, I just...she's not who I would have picked for- Mum!"

My mother had appeared in the hallway, eyes wild and still clutching a dish rag from the kitchen, holding to her chest as she surveyed me for any visible trauma. She was about my height and had the same hair, but had long ago chopped it short so that it hand bluntly around her chin. She was beautiful once, but the strains that came along with being a wife and mother had taken their toll on her face and hands.

"What's going on? What are you doing here?" she gasped, taking no notice of Sirius standing nearby, swallowing a lump in her throat as she continued her hunt for injuries.

"It's good to see you too," I said, giving her an easy smile as I crossed to her. She wrapped her arms around me and I stood stiffly and allowed her to do so; it was the most affection I'd been comfortable exchanging with either her or my father since I was six. "Everything is fine, I'll explain it over dinner."

"I don't like not knowing where you are," she snapped at me, flustered, pulling back. Her entire face changed when she laid eyes on Sirius for the first time, mouth transforming into a twisted, unsure smile of surprise. "You brought a boy home!" was all she managed to choke out.

Her joy was almost insulting. The arrangement I preferred with boys in the past means she'd heard virtually nothing about them; I'm sure she thought I was living a loner's life, but her relief at seeing me in the company of someone with a penis didn't help my ego at all.

"It's not what you think," I snapped at her, clamming up instantly, starting to walk past her into the kitchen with a scowl on my face. I only stopped when I heard Sirius let out a polite laugh behind me and Sirius spoke up.

"It's exactly what you think," he barked out and I could picture the goofy grin on his face before I turned around to stare at it incredulously. "Mrs. McKinnon, it is an honor to meet you." He leaned forward to give her a respectful kiss on the cheek. "And I happen to be enchanted with your daughter."

"Oh, save me the dramatics," I said with an eye roll, but I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face. "Are you coming to eat or not?"

I turned on my heel and made my way into the kitchen, but I didn't need to look at my mother's face to guess how flustered she must be by this turn of events. Hell, I couldn't believe it myself. I loved my family with the fierceness of my whole heart, but I had never been one to share the details of my personal life with them. I wasn't the daughter my mother had been expecting, and I knew it- I didn't want to wear the dresses or catch up over coffee on rainy days, and I could see how it had put a roadblock in our relationship.

Bretton and Moira were already seated at the table, his hulking frame contrasting his five-foot-nothing petite wife dramatically when they sat side by side. Bretton and I could never be mistaken for unrelated- he had the dark hair and straight jaw we'd inherited from our father, and the warm brown eyes that my mother was so proud of. Moira, on the other hand, stuck out like a sore thumb with her wiry carrot-colored hair and translucent white skin.

In my head, I'd always pictured Bretton settling down with a young, vivacious girl who would make him laugh and take him on wild adventures around the country. Someone who would fold into our family gracefully and go out of her way to make their new home feel like an extension of my home. Maybe I was being selfish, but before Bretton married Moira I was closer to him than anyone else in my family. I had known him so well, and I had always pictured him ending up with someone who complimented him.

Maybe it was childish to dislike Moira for "stealing" him from me. I knew she apparently made him happy, but she was cold in a very different way than I was and it made it impossible to relate to her. She was older than him for starters, and mechanical. From the moment they met she controlled him: planned a wedding within months of sinking her claws into him, moved him far away from the home where we'd grown up, sat unsmiling at the dinner table while she lightly suggested they spend more "alone time" together.

Moira wasn't a bad person, but she was a prime example to add to my why-I-won't-settle-down repertoire.

"So have we found out why the Golden Girl's returned home yet?" Moira giggled as I entered the kitchen, winking at me as if we were sharing some joke (which we clearly weren't).

"That would actually be my fault," Sirius said, mocking sheepishness. I had no idea where his sudden burst of confidence came from but it was definitely helping me out tonight. "Unfortunately, I had a family funeral I needed to attend. Marlene was kind enough to accompany me."

"I told him we could stay the night here since it was too late to travel back," I mumbled quietly, sliding into my usual spot at the table and trying not to notice the starstruck way my mother was staring at Sirius. I should have been staring at him the same way- I'd never seen him employing basic manners for such a long time before. "I hope you don't mind."

"Marlene, you know we never mind!" my mother cried, smiling warmly at me in her overly trying way. "I just wish you had written first, with everything going on..." she trailed off and tutted her tongue as she pulled a chair out for Sirius and beckoned him enthusiastically to sit down. She and Moira continued to fawn over him as if he were the Second Coming, and he didn't seem to mind the attention. I could say a lot about the way people perceived Sirius, but there was nothing but truth to what they said about him knowing how to charm women. The apprehension he'd expressed to me earlier in the day seemed to be nonexistent now.

"What did you say your name was, boy?" Bretton grunted, crossing his arms after he'd piled his plate high with potatoes. Sirius's charms did not extend to the male population, it seemed. I saw straight through Bretton's tough guy act, but the fact that he was the only one keeping his head on straight during this Twilight Zone meal earned more gratitude than sarcastic comments from me today.

"Black," Sirius said, voice losing it's playful arrogance for the first time all night. I'd enjoyed seeing him squirm, but this was a sore spot I hoped to avoid approaching as long as possible. "Sirius Black."

"Oh," was all my mother had to say to this, pressing her lips into a polite line. The look that passed through her eyes as she shot me a quick glance was unmistakable. Ah, it plainly said, there's the catch. This is what I expected from you. "My husband works with your father at the Ministry, I believe. We haven't had the pleasure of meeting the rest of your family."

"If you haven't met them, you've experienced the pleasure," I scoffed, taking a bite of chicken and hoping to diffuse the tension. Both Sirius and Bretton tried not to laugh, but my mother looked furious.

"Marlene!" she put down her knife and fork to scold me, which mean she was serious. "I don't know who raised you but it certainly wasn't me, if these are the manners you have." I opened and closed my mouth mutely a few times but, fuming silently, I said nothing. Sirius, the apparent superstar of the evening, swooped in to rescue me and I couldn't help but resent him for it.

"No, she's right," he said with a gentle laugh, nervously brushing his hair out of his handsome face. "My family and I, er...don't get on very well. Different political views, I would say. I'm living with friends at the moment, but I'll be buy ing my own place as soon as I can. Tomorrow, actually, if you can spare my favorite real estate agent."

Sirius pointed at me with his fork and shot me a playful wink; my mother brightened considerably and the air around the table was instantly diffused. I sat there for the rest of the hour stewing, however, and Bretton was never won over no matter how easily the conversation ping-ponged around the table.

"So, you two got married last year?" Sirius asked at one point, leaning in towards Moira with a charismatic smirk. "From everything Marlene's said about you-"

"Marlene's never talked about us to you," Bretton said abruptly, surprising even me enough that I put down my goblet and turned my head. "You're a smooth talker, Black, you don't need to lie about my sister to make conversation, do you?"

"Oh shut up, Bretton," I snapped at him, seeing how taken aback Sirius looked; seeing him run away with his ego was something I'd gotten used to by now, but I knew how protective Bretton could get when he was in overdrive. If there was one thing I didn't want to deal with was a pissing match between the two boys I cared about the most.

"Marlene talks plenty," Sirius said casually, keeping his tone even. My mother, who had learned by now to stay out of things as far as Bretton was involved, just clicked her tongue and started clearing the table, carrying the plates over to the sink. Moira jumped up to held her, knowing that she wouldn't be appreciated on my defense and knew better than to oppose me.

"Oh, I never shut up," I said with a nervous laugh, picking at the skin on my thumb and wondering how to diffuse the awkward situation.

"I know Marlene better than anybody," Bretton said, keeping his eyes on Sirius and ignoring me completely. "And I would put a stack of galleons down on the fact that you're full of it."

"I'm always full of it," I jumped in again, half-standing and grabbing for my own empty plate and starting to clear it away.

"I'm not trying to start any trouble," Sirius said hesitantly, but in my heart I knew that was the wrong thing for him to say. Just looking at his face, it was evident. He was walking trouble. And where my mother and Moira saw his haughty smile and aristocratic cheekbones, Bretton saw right through all that.

"Bret, stand down." I sighed, walking over to the sink where my mother and Moira were pretending to not listen in. "I can take care of myself."

"I know you can," Bretton said, his voice getting warmer as he finally addressed me, giving me a small McKinnon-trademarked smirk as he too rose from the table; Sirius didn't exist to him anymore. "I made you tough. I just don't want someone thinking they're going to ride you off into the sunset and make you forget who you are."

"Trust me," I said with a throaty laugh, walking over to Sirius and wrapping my arms around him from behind, letting him know that the icy chill of the evening was passing. "I'm not looking for any sunset-rides. Everyone here is on the same page."

Sirius remained silent, but placed his hand on top of mine and gave it a small squeeze. If only I had known then that we were on completely different chapters.

It was past midnight when I padded softly down the long hallway from my childhood bedroom into the guest bedroom my mother had placed Sirius in, as far away from me as possible. I knocked softly on the door twice before pushed it open, slipping in through the cracked opening and silently closing and locking it behind me.

"Hey, you," I whispered, walking on my toes and avoiding the creaking floorboards as I made my way over to the edge of the bed where he laid, shirtless and drifting in and out of sleep.

"You're sneaking in to bed with me now, McKinnon?" he teased, his voice deep and groggy with sleep as he outstretched his arms, making a space for me between them. "I think this means we've come full circle."

"You wish," I hissed, but accepted the somersaults that my stomach now did whenever I sank into his arms. His skin was overly warm, like always, and I felt my cheek flush as I laid it in the crook between his shoulder and neck. He exhaled a soft, comfortable noise and ran his nails up and down my back a few times.

We settled into each other like pulling on a broken-in pair of jeans after a long summer of only wearing shorts; the way they just knew all you curves and hugged you close without ever holding too tight. I'd be wiry and wide awake all night trying to stay awake to see him, but the second I collapsed into his arms my eyes were fighting to fall asleep instantly. My whole body ached with exhaustion, so that all I was able to hear before I passed out clean was Sirius mumbling:

"I don't know how I ever slept before you came around."

Morning had come before I was ready for it; by the time birds in the yard announced daylight, I sat up to find myself alone in the guest room bed, with a dry mouth and heavy eyelids. I didn't know what time it was, but I crossed my fingers I wouldn't run into my mother in the hallway; Bretton and Moira had left for home after dinner and now that my Dad spent most of his time at the office or falling asleep on the bar of a local pub, she sometimes took to wandering the house on her own. Thrilled though she may have been too see me in the company of a boy, I don't think seeing me sneak out of his room in the morning was quite the amount of company she had in mind.

I moved silently along the hallway keeping my ears open for any sign of Sirius, but the sound that first greeted me was laughter floating up the stairs: his a loud barking noise, my mother's a raucous yelp. I swore in that moment, if she was whipping out her arsenal of childhood bathtub pictures, I would hex her into oblivion. I made my way down the grand staircase, long hair hanging in my face, long tshirt brushing just above my knees. When I reached the hallway connecting the foyer and kitchen I stopped, trying to gauge the conversation before I traipsed into the middle of it.

"...never liked being held, even when she was a baby," my mother was saying with a laugh caught halfway between fond and heartbroken. The distance between us had never seen so profound to me before, but I had never heard her talk about me when I wasn't present before either. "Some things never change, I expect."

"I've got my work cut out with that one. Not that I mind it," Sirius agreed, though there was nothing but affection in his tone. It made me uncomfortable, listening in on him opening up. Surely he was just laying it on thick to impress my mum...wasn't he?

"She has a big heart," my mother sighed, and I heard the familiar tinkling sounds of china that always accompanied her morning tea. "She just doesn't always know what to do with it."

"I think she's doing just fine," Sirius said quietly, and goosebumps danced down my arms. "You don't need to worry about her, Mrs. McKinnon. She takes care of herself well. Hell, she takes care of me half the time, she just doesn't know it."

"Well you certainly sound like you care for her as well," Mum sighed, and I could visualize in my mind the way the lines around her eyes crinkled when she smiled. Suddenly I missed her badly, even as she was in the next room.

"She's one of my best friends," Sirius finished, so quietly I almost didn't hear it. "She's stronger than anyone I've ever met."

I felt a lump rise in my throat that I didn't have a name for, and my feet carried me up the stairs, toes tripping and head spinning. I may not have a name for whatever I was feeling, but that didn't mean it was something I needed to face right now.