Chapter Twenty, December 1976

"Good tidings we bring, to you and your kin. We wish you a merry Christmas and a Happy Happy Happy New Year. One more time, Tonky. WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR."

Marlene pulled on a pair of slippers and a knitted jumper and padded down the stairs to find her brother. She stood at the door to the living room, watching him dancing around the Christmas tree with Tonky the house elf. Tonky had tinsel wrapped around her large ears, and Jack was spinning her round and forcing her to sing with him.

Tonky had always been Jack's favourite house elf. She would give him extra pudding when he was little, and always got rid of the damage he did to his clothes before their parents would see it. She was old now. The wrinkles in her skin had deepened, and she moved slowly, but Jack had refused to let their parents replace her.

"Let Tonky go, Jack. She doesn't want to dance with you."

"Sure she does. It's Christmas Day. She's going to sing and dance and decorate the tree with us and then we're going to make mince pies and have Christmas dinner together. You're excited, aren't you Tonky?"

"Yes, Master Jack," Tonky said, hanging a silver bauble onto the already ladened tree.

"You sound like you've been doing a lot of planning," Marlene said, stooping to pick up more decorations and starting to hang them on the tree.

"Of course I have. It's my favourite day of the year. We need to get it right."

"Mmhmm. Where are Mum and Dad? Shall we go and wake them up?"

Jack didn't say anything. Marlene put down the glittery lion bauble she was holding and looked at him. He chewed his lip and exchanged a glance with Tonky, who muttered something about hot chocolate and left the room.

"Jack? Are they still in bed?"

"Um, no," Jack said with a sigh. "They're not here, Mars. They said they had to work."

"But it's Christmas."

"I know."

They both stayed quiet, considering Jack's words. Marlene sighed and sat down on the sofa, fiddling with her hair. Jack stayed still for a moment before sitting down beside her.

"Well, this is a new low," Marlene said with a shaky laugh.

"They're trying, Mar. They're just not doing very well. They've spent so long focussing on being good pure bloods that they've forgotten how to be good parents."

"They've forgotten how to be good people, Jack," Marlene said, her breath catching in her throat as she spoke. "It's fine. It doesn't matter. We should probably have expected this."

"Nah, if there's one thing they're good at it's failing even to meet our very low expectations. Come on, get up. Let's open presents and drink hot chocolate with Tonky. We don't need them. We can enjoy today by ourselves. Plus this means we don't have to wear dress robes. We can have dinner in our pyjamas."

Marlene laughed but didn't really find anything funny. She threw Jack a present from under the tree and rummaged through the small pile to find something with her own name on it.

"Eat," Jack said, pretending to glare at Marlene until she put a roast potato in her mouth. He had insisted on pulling crackers and sitting in the Dining Room to eat the meal the house elves had prepared, even though it didn't really feel like Christmas at all.

"I've had enough," Marlene said once she had swallowed the potato. Her plate was still more than half full, and Jack sighed.

"Don't do this. You know it upsets me," Jack said. He put down his own cutlery to watch Marlene.

"I'm not doing anything. I'm just not hungry."

"You need to eat. Please. You're worrying me."

"Jack, it's one meal. Just leave it."

"What's going on? Are you still upset about Mum and Dad?"

"I'm fine."

"Is it something else? I saw you didn't get a present from Sirius."

"Stop it. Nothing's wrong. I'm going to go and sleep for a bit. I have a headache," Marlene said, standing up abruptly and leaving the room.

She felt guilty for snapping at Jack but didn't want to talk about Sirius. Usually, she wouldn't have minded so much about him forgetting to send her a Christmas present. She knew that he cared about her and didn't need to be given something to prove it, but she had allowed herself to feel hopeful that Sirius would be able to make up for her parents' absence. Jack had tried his best to make the day enjoyable, and she was grateful for his company, but it didn't eradicate the sting of her parents' rejection. She needed to know that somebody wanted her, and not hearing anything from Sirius had made it easy to doubt herself.

The door creaked open and Marlene wiped away the tears that had been gathering in her eyes. She managed a watery smile at Tonky, who had tiptoed through the door and placed a tray full of food next to where she sat on the bed.

"Missus Marlene? Mister Jack was telling Tonky to bring you a mince pie, Miss."

Tonky looked nervous and Marlene felt guilty for not making her feel more comfortable. She wished she could be like Jack, and make everyone around her relax in her presence. She tried to smile warmly, but doubted that Tonky had noticed. The elf continued to look at the floor, standing still and waiting to be dismissed.

"Thankyou, Tonky. That's kind of you. Your mince pies are the best I've ever tasted. I wish the elves at Hogwarts could cook as well as you," Marlene said, trying to keep her voice friendly.

"That's very kind, Miss. Is there anything else that Tonky can get for you?"

"No. I'm fine," Marlene said, hesitating before recognizing the coldness in her voice. "Thankyou. Why don't you go and see if Jack needs anything?"

Tonky looked relieved, and slowly backed out of the room as if waiting for Marlene to change her mind. Marlene smiled, feelings satisfied that she had managed to show kindness to the elf. She may not be as likable as her brother, but she didn't want to be like her parents.

She picked up the plate Tonky had brought in, and sat down on her bed with it next to her. She felt sick, and still didn't want to eat, but she knew that Jack had good reason for worrying. Whenever she had been upset in the past she had almost unconsciously stopped eating until she needed to be reminded to turn up to meals. Jack had always frowned at her and made sure she didn't make herself ill, but after her stay in the Hospital Wing at the beginning of the term she knew she needed to work harder to convince him that she could look after herself. Food didn't need to be a problem. The things that hurt her weren't related to the things she ate, and if she was going to stop letting her emotions affect her health she needed to start by stopping them from affecting her eating habits. She reached out and picked some pastry from the edge of the mince pie, placing it on her tongue and closing her mouth around it, trying to enjoy the flavor.

It took her at least twenty minutes to finish the pie, but by the time she had she felt more calm. She leaned back against her pillows and closed her eyes, wishing that the day had gone better.

Marlene didn't know how much time had passed, or when she had fallen asleep, but she woke up to a loud crash from outside her window. She stood up and opened the window, leaning out to see what had caused the noise.

"Sirius! What are you doing?" Marlene hissed out the window, her voice carrying down to where Sirius lay on the floor below. He was coated in leaves, and seemed to have torn down the vine that had previously been growing up the wall outside. Sirius looked up at her with a pitiful expression, feebly lifting one of his arms to demonstrate that he was too tangled up in the vine to move. Marlene rolled her eyes, closed the window and hurried down the stairs to reach him.

"You're so silly. Did you try to climb up to my window?" Marlene carefully unknotting the vines from around Sirius' arms and ribs. He reached out to stroke her cheek when his arm was free and she kissed the palm of his hand.

"I wanted to see you. I have a surprise for you," Sirius said, tucking his hand into Marlene's hair and stroking her neck with his thumb.

"Mmhmm," Marlene said, finishing unwrapping the vines from Sirius and letting him sit up and kiss her forehead. "And what was wrong with knocking on the door?"

"Your family would have heard. I thought your parents might not let me take you out. It's Christmas."

"That wouldn't have been a problem. Jack's the only one in the house anyway. He won't mind us going out."

"Well, now I feel like an idiot," Sirius said with a lazy grin. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her down into the grass to lie beside him.

"You should. You're ridiculous."

"But you like me anyway?"

"Hmm, I think you have potential."

Sirius made an indignant noise and pushed Marlene so that she rolled over. She giggled and he curled up behind her, his front against her back. He put one arm around her waist and let her lean on his other arm.

"Take it back," Sirius said, mumbling into her shoulder.

"Why should I?"

"Because otherwise you'll have to go without a Christmas present."

"That's mean," Marlene said, turning around again and pressing her forehead against Sirius'. "I want a present. I tried really hard with yours."

"I know you did. I love it. Thankyou," Sirius said. He kissed her nose and reached out to stroke her hair again.

"Sirius? Is that you? I thought I heard voices," Jack called from the front door. Marlene watched him put boots on and waited for him to join them in the garden. "Good to see you've cheered up, Mars. What are you two doing?"

"I was hoping I could take Marly out," Sirius said, easing his arm out from under Marlene's shoulders and sitting back up to look at Jack. He looked nervous, which surprised Marlene. Sirius and Jack had always been on good terms, and it was unusual to see Sirius looking nervous around anyone.

"Go for it," Jack said. "I'm going to meet Gideon and Fabian at the Leaky Cauldron anyway. Don't stay out too late. I'll see you later?"

"Of course," Marlene said. She took Sirius' hand and allowed him to help her up. "See you later, Jack. Sorry for upsetting you. It's been a lovely Christmas."

"You don't need to lie to me, Mar. I know it's been shitty, but hopefully Sirius can get it to finish on a good note."

Jack ruffled Marlene's hair and turned to go back to the house. Marlene looked up at Sirius with a questioning glance. She didn't know where he wanted to go, but she was glad to get away from the house.

"Come on," Sirius said, squeezing Marlene's hand. "It's not far."

Marlene followed Sirius to the end of the garden. She hesitated for a moment before entering the forest behind her house, but Sirius tugged at her hand so she continued to walk with him. She hadn't put shoes on before leaving her room and wished she had thought to go back and change. It was freezing and she didn't know how much longer she'd be able to walk.

"Nearly there," Sirius said. Marlene suppressed her shivers and rushed to keep up with him. They walked for another minute, and then Sirius stopped abruptly. He put his hands on her shoulders, letting her look ahead of them both.

"It's beautiful," Marlene said, forgetting about the cold and staring at the clearing they had stopped at. A huge white tent was set up in the middle of the clearing, bathed in golden light with a wide opening allowing her to see inside to the silver plates heaped with different types of food, and the silk cushions surrounding them. The clearing was filled with flickering, tiny lights, and after a few moments she realised that they were real fairies, flitting around between the trees, apparently not feeling the winter chill on their tiny wings. Music was playing from somewhere, and she leant back into Sirius, allowing the tinkling piano notes to seep under her skin.

"Do you like it?" Sirius whispered into her ear.

"Of course I do," Marlene said, turning around and giving him a quick kiss. "Thankyou. You have no idea how much I needed this."

"Let's go inside. You're shivering," Sirius said. He looked concerned, and shrugged off his jacket to place it around her shoulders. Marlene smiled as she stepped into the tent and felt the warm air surround her. She didn't know what spells Sirius had found to get the temperature right, but she was grateful for it.

"How long did you spend on this?" Marlene sat down on a cushion on the other side of the tent to Sirius, gratefully taking the mug of hot chocolate he passed her.

"Long enough. I'm sorry I didn't send you anything earlier on. I thought I'd be ready to come and get you sooner, but Christmas dinner at the Potter's goes on forever. Happy Christmas," Sirius said. He reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a small box which he passed her.

"You didn't have to. This is more than enough without anything extra."

"I wanted to get you something you can keep. Open it."

Marlene slid the lid from the box and lifted up the tissue paper inside. A tiny clock lay nestled in the middle of the paper, hanging on a thin golden chain. She took the clock out of the box and brought it close to her face to look at it. Often, magical clocks did more than simply tell the time, but the beauty of this one was that it was a simple clock. It had two golden hands and tiny, hand painted roman numerals around the edges. It looked like it didn't need to be wound up, which was common for wizarding watches, and the golden casing was intricately decorated.

"Is it okay?" Sirius' forehead was creased and he looked unsure. "James thought I should get you something more showy, but this made me think of you."

"It's gorgeous. Thankyou," Marlene breathed, shuffling closer to Sirius in the tent. Sirius reached out, lifting the clock from her hands and placing the chain around her neck. It hung down low, with the clock landing just above her belly button, and she tucked it under her shirt.

"It's unbreakable. You can use it forever...or, well, for as long as you want to," Sirius said. Marlene smiled and tilted her head upwards to kiss him. He tightened his arms around her waist, placing his hands on the small of her back under her jumper. She moved so that she was sitting on his lap, and wrapped her legs around his waist with her arms around his neck as he kissed her.

"Where have you been? Don't stand there looking at the floor. Answer me."

Marlene's parents had been waiting for her when she finally returned to the house. Jack wasn't home yet, and they had been furious to find the house empty. She looked up at her Mother and glared.

"I was out," Marlene said, going to push past her Mother to go upstairs. Her Mother grabbed her arm, her fingers digging into Marlene's elbow, and she stopped walking.

"Out where? Where could you possibly go? It's Christmas Day. You should have been here with your family."

"What? You and Dad weren't here."

"Well, when we returned we expected to see you."

The door opened and Jack stumbled in, supported by a laughing Gideon Prewett.

"Hey, Marly," Gideon said. "He had a bit more than one too many firewhiskys I'm afraid. He's been missing Dorcas. He thought drowning his sorrows was the appropriate way to deal with..." He stopped speaking when he saw Mrs McKinnon's glare, and quickly passed Jack to Marlene, who slumped a little under his weight. "Well, I'll just be going. Nice to see you, briefly. Happy Christmas." He sent Marlene an apologetic look before closing the front door behind him.

There was silence, as Marlene tried her hardest not to show how difficult Jack was finding standing straight, and their Mother looked at them both with intense disapproval. Something about the situation made Marlene want to laugh, but she held it in, not wanting to anger their Mother further. Her Father had shaken his head at her and gone straight upstairs to his office. It was always left to their Mother to deal with their misdemeanors, and there was no point making the situation worse than it already was.

"Wass goin' on," Jack slurred. Marlene winced at her Mother's expression, and adjusted her shoulders to balance Jack's weight more evenly.

"It's Christmas Day. I'm sure you understand the disappointment your Father and I felt when we arrived at what was clearly an empty house. The two of you have responsibilities towards your parents. We didn't raise you to behave like this." Their Mother moved the hem of her dress robes away from Jack, as if worried that he was going to damage them. Marlene watched him carefully and decided that it probably wasn't a bad idea. He looked pale and had a green tinge to his face, although his giddy smile was still in place.

"Well, Mother mine," Jack said, swaying slightly on the spot. "Tha's a very interesting ob..ob..wait." He swallowed. "Tha's a very interesting observation. Maybe...maybe we'd be different...if we hadn't spen' the day with a...hic...house elf instead of our...hic...parents."

"How dare you. Your Father and I have given everything to make sure the two of you live the kinds of lives we think you deserve. How dare you imply that your behaviour is our fault."

"I wasn't trying to imply anything. I was trying to tell you for..hic..a...hic...fact that it's your...hic...fault. If you weren't...such a terrible Mother I spec we'd be more like the children you wish you had."

Marlene watched as the colour drained from their Mother's face. She pressed one hand to her chest and stared in shock at her children, and then turned and slammed the living room door behind her.

"You didn't exactly go easy on her, Jack," Marlene said, looking reproachfully at her brother and then leaning her head on his shoulder.

"She didn' 'serve it. I lovoo, Mars," Jack said. He planted a sloppy kiss on the edge of Marlene's forehead.

"I love you too. Come on, let's get you to bed."

A/N: I love writing Jack. Leave me a review to tell me what you think. If you have any questions that you want answers for, drop them in a review and I'll reply in a private message. Hope you're still enjoying it xx