Chapter 14

Marlene sat comfortably on Sirius's bed. However, she could not stop twiddling her thumbs whilst glancing around the room to avoid his eye contact. Sirius was slouched on his bed next to Marlene taking lazy sips of his butter beer. From across the room, Lily's eyes met Marlene's. Lily nodded her head towards Sirius, her eyes wide.

"Marls?"

Marlene abruptly turned to Sirius. "Sorry what?"

His forehead furrowed, "Have you heard anything I said?"

"Sorry my head is just up in the clouds right now." She let out an awkward chuckle.

Sirius roughly kissed her neck, "I was saying I went to a muggle motorcycle shop with James the other day?"

"Ooh did you buy one?"

"Not yet. But I've got my eye on one. And it matches your jacket." Sirius mumbled into Marlene's neck. His fingers drawing light circles on her thighs.

Marlene shuddered, "Sirius there are people around."

"I wish they weren't." He nipped at her earlobe. Marlene pinched his hand and glared at him. "Which reminds me at the next Hogsmeade weekend..."

The next Hogsmeade weekend. Her date with Jordan. How the hell was she going to get out of this one? Without hurting Jordan. Poor guy did not ask to be involved in her mess.

"Marlene?" Sirius' snappy voice caught her attention.

"Sorry! Sorry babe." She kissed his cheek quickly.

"No what's wrong? You've been spaced out all day."

"Nothing don't worry."

"Marlene come on tell me."

"Just leave it Sirius its fine."

"No I want you to tell me."

"Sirius."

"Marlene just tell me."

"I'm going on a date with Jordan Davies!"

Sirius turned to look at her, "You're what?" He managed to muster. Marlene opened her mouth but Sirius was not finished. "What the hell Marlene!" Mary dropped her glass of butter beer from across the room at the sound. The whole room was silent. "Why on Merlin's earth are you going on a date with Jordan Davies? Of all people?"

"He asked, and-"

"If I asked you to swim in the Black Lake in the middle of winter would you? I can't believe that prick asked you on a date."

Marlene grit her teeth, "I don't appreciate your tone."

"I don't appreciate you going on a date with Jordan fucking Davies!" Sirius had gotten off the bed and was now standing. His shirt was messy, the buttons half undone and his eyes wide with madness. "Why didn't you say no?"

"I was going to! But-"

"But you didn't did you?"

"It's not as bad as it sounds Sirius!"

"I haven't bloody looked at another bird since I've been with you!"

Marlene had gotten off the bed too and was shaking. "Been with me? Sirius all we ever said this was, was a snog to pass the time! If you didn't want Jordan to ask me on a date then YOU should have asked me on a date!"

"I didn't bloody think I had to!"

"Stop getting so worked up, it's not as bad as it sounds."

"Not as bad as it sounds? What the hell Marlene? You're making me look like a bloody sod. And I'm getting worked up because I'm a jealous fucker whose bird is going on a date with JORDAN DAVIES."

"No one even knows about us! And there is no us. You have no fucking control over who I go on dates with because I'm not your bird!"

Her hands were clenched in fists so tight, her nails were starting to hurt her palm. She wasn't sure if she wanted to keep yelling or slap him.

Sirius was silent, his eyes glints on his face and he looked murderous. His open shirt that once made him look very sexy, now made him look rather intimidating. "Well fine. If you want to hear that you're right, then you're right. Congratulations, hope you enjoy your date with Davies."

Marlene looked at him. At his hard jaw, his cold eyes and his pursed lips. "You're such a piece of shit." She pushed past him and made her way to the door.

"And you're such a bitch."

She slammed the door.

A brief, awkward moment passed before Sirius sat down on the bed and buried his head in his hands. The room was still reeling from the argument. No one dared say anything.

After a moment, Lily's soft and delicate voice spoke, "Sirius?"

"What?" He whirled, facing her.

"Are you alright?"

He turned to look at the door. "I'm fine." He quickly got up and walked out.

He shut the door quietly behind him.

"That could not have gone worse." Peter muttered.

"I can't believe Marlene even said yes to a date with Jordan, she doesn't even fancy him." Remus said.

"Um," Lily looked around sheepishly.

James' eyes widened, "Lily what did you do?"

"I may have accepted that date on Marlene's behalf."

"Oh my sweet Merlin." Remus looked derailed.

"At least I did something! Maybe now Sirius will finally face that he actually has feelings for Marlene!"

Everyone was silent. Peter began to seem very interested in the thread in the bed sheets. Whilst Dorcas and Mary began to concentrate on their nails. Lily huffed.

"Alright fine if I agree with you will you let it go?" James pleaded.

"We can't just let it go! We have to fix this!"

"Fix this? Lily you did this! And now you want to fix it!"

"Well if you look at Sirius and Marlene, they're a bit like a roller coaster, it goes down but it'll come back up?"

James looked at Lily in wonder of where she got half of her ideas from. For the smartest witch in the year, she was surely very hair brained sometimes.

"Lily, sweetheart," A light blush formed on Lily's cheeks, "Right now Sirius and Marlene aren't even down as a roller coaster. They're so far apart, they're different amusement park rides."

"Hello you right gits!" Remus had piped up, "Just go talk to the two of them for Merlin's sake."

Mary nodded. "The two of you could talk for bloody England. Just go and fix this Lily!"

Sirius pushed through people to get out of the common room.

"Oooh in such a rush boy!" The fat lady whined.

He ignored her and fell out of the portrait, his fists clenched by his side. If he didn't keep walking he might have punched the wall. He needed to keep himself occupied.

"Sirius!" He heard his best friend's voice calling after him but he kept walking. "Sirius mate." James had caught up and put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

Sirius whirled around, "What?" His eyes flaming in anger.

James backed away slightly, "Hey come on I get that you're mad but just calm down a little bit."

"Calm down Prongs? You want me to calm down?" Sirius' voice was getting increasingly higher, "She's going on a date with Jordan fucking Davies and I need to calm the fuck down?"

"I get that you're upset but it's freezing." James was right. The biting cold January air infiltrated the castle like the mist from a dementor and even Sirius' laboured breathing was coming out in breaths of cold air. "And Filch will be around in a minute it's way pass lights out. I haven't got the map."

Sirius mutely nodded. James pulled him into an empty class room where the temperature felt significantly warmer.

"Are you…are you alright?" James asked carefully.

"No I'm not fucking alright. What in Godric's name is she thinking?"

"Maybe there's more to the story than you know?"

Sirius shook his head, "I don't want to hear whatever the hell she has to say. Bloody bint."

"Hey come on now." James said, rather miffed he was referring to Marlene so rudely.

"What? It's true? Thought she could just use me and leave me there to rot."

"What? Can't take it once it's done to you?" James fired back.

Sirius whirled around, "What's that supposed to mean?" His eyes slit into anger.

"Come on mate. Isn't this how you normally treat birds? And the one time another girl does it to you, you're a right mess? And maybe you should be asking yourself why you're in such a state?"

Sirius' expression softened as did his shoulders. "Look all I'm saying, is Marlene is not some passing fancy. She's a good friend."

The stagnant pause in the air was like hanging over an edge. Unaware of how anything would go.

"She's just a friend. And just a bird." Sirius said. He walked out, slamming the door shut.

"Marley?"

She did not answer her friend. Lily moved tentatively toward her. "Marls? I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."

Marlene sat up from underneath the covers in bed. "It's not your fault."

Lily took a seat next to her, "I feel like it is." She said in a small voice.

Marlene shook her head and grabbed Lily's hand, "That prat should have let me explain. He isn't worth if it if he couldn't even give me the time to. Asshole."

"Come on Marlene we can fix this." Lily said.

She shook her head. "I don't want to fix anything with him. He can do whatever the hell he wants, I don't care."

"You don't mean that."

"I do," Marlene threw the covers off her and got out of bed. "He can't just expect that I'm going to be here whenever he needs. No if he really wanted to be with me, he would've let me explain or ask me on a date rather than just expect me to always stick around."

"Marls please-"

"Thank you Lily, but he can go to hell."

"Sirius may be the most stubborn person ever."

"Well if anyone's going to give him a run for his money it's Marlene."

James and Lily were sat on a couch in the Gryffindor common room. James has his head buried in his hands. His tie strewn on the floor and his shirt unbuttoned.

Lily blushed looking at his slightly open shirt, "James bloody hell what are we going to do about these two?"

"Lily, I mean this in the nicest way possible but maybe you shouldn't have accepted that date on behalf of Marlene."

She huffed, "Yes I know and I feel terrible."

James ran a hand through her hair comfortingly, "Okay don't stress too much we'll figure out how to get them to stop being such plonkers."

"Do you reckon Sirius will lose it if Marlene really goes on the date with Jordan?"

"Did you not see that whole debacle about an hour ago?"

Lily grinned.

James' eyes widened, "You can't seriously think that she should still go?"

Lily twiddled her thumbs, and looked sheepishly up at James, "If she doesn't go Sirius may never do something about how he feels. And I'm not quite sure she can get out of a date with Jordan. He's too nice and may crumble if she turns him down."

"Sirius can't even admit he has feelings for Marlene."

"Everyone can tell he does, except Marlene." Lily huffed.

"Sounds like someone else I know." James was looking directly at Lily in the soft dim of the common room. Lily hoped that the dark lighting hid her blush. She hurriedly got up off the couch.

"I, uh, I'm feeling really tired. I better go to bed. Good night James." Lily said quickly. With haste and a small smile and red face, she gave James a soft kiss on his cheek before running up the girl's dormitory stairs.

James smiled in awe before touching a hand to his cheek.