The letter felt heavy in her hands, whatever it was and wherever it had come from, it was definitely not a good thing. Someone had been in her flat, had been going through her personal things. She began to feel angry as she stared down at the letter. Someone had invaded her privacy with their stupid, scripty handwriting. Taking a deep breathe, she turned the thick parchment over in her hands and began to pry the letter open. She pulled out a folded piece of parchment and read aloud what it said.
"You can't hide forever."
Dropping the letter to the ground, she stared at the letters. They were written in that same, beautiful script. Suddenly, Marlene couldn't breathe. The walls were closing in and it felt as if the whole room was filled with smoke. Was it? Was that purplish smoke actually leaking out of the envelope? Everything was fading. A door opened. The only thing she heard before blacking out was a faint meow.
Some time later, Marlene awoke to the smell of chocolate and hushed voices. Her head was killing her, and when she ran a hand along her face, she could feel that she had been sweating in her sleep.
"James! She's awake."
Marlene was still very confused. Where was she? What had happened to the letter, and where had all the smoke come from. She tried to sit up, but felt a hand on her chest. "Stay back, Marlene, you are very sick."
"What the hell happened to me?" She said, her voice weak but still demanding.
"You were poisoned." The man said. She opened her eyes a bit wider and realized that it was Remus sitting in the chair next to her bed. Bringing her hand up to meet her eyes, Marlene sighed heavily.
"Did you find the letter?"
"What letter?"
Marlene sat up angrily, only to be met with a horrible dizzying sensation. Remus laid a hand on her chest, pushing her back down. "The letter that poisoned me! It said," She put up her hands to quote the air. "You can't hide forever." Remus stared at her with a mix of compassion and fear.
"What do you think that means?" He asked.
"I don't know. I'm next on the list. Who the hell knows, if it was the death eaters, we all know they like to talk with damn riddles."
The two sat in silence for a moment, each contemplating what to do next. Remus shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked at his feet, avoiding Marlene's eye.
"What?"
"I don't think you should tell Sirius. Wait," He said quickly, when she opened her mouth to speak. "He has enough on his plate right now, he doesn't need to know that you're in grave danger. He won't be able to focus on anything else. You know how he feels about revenge."
Marlene sighed, sinking into the bed. He was right and she knew it. But for some reason, she felt like she needed to tell Sirius, like he was the only one who could protect her. "I guess you're right." She changed the subject, feeling no further need to discuss Sirius. "What time is it?"
"Almost noon, I think." Her eyelids felt heavy. She opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out. "Marlene? Stay awake. Lily!"
She observed the red head enter the room and kneel beside her bead, laying a hand on her head Lily sighed. "Remus, her fever is rising again. Do you think you could call Molly?"
She didn't see if Remus nodded or not, because black consumed her once again.
She awoke hours later in a different room, she could hear yelling outside the door. Her ears perked up slightly, trying to decipher the voices.
"Is Marlene in there? Remus, let me through or so help me god! How could you have not called me, what the hell happened to her..."
"We, uh, we don't know."
"Where did you find her?"
"At her old place on Diagon Alley."
"Who found her?"
"I did."
"And yet you know nothing." He said, and she saw the light spill into the room from the open door, and squinted her eyes against it. She felt much better, still very weak, but not on the edge of death like she had. "Marlene, are you awake?"
"Yes." She said slowly, sitting up.
"What happened?" He asked her, and she peered past him into Remus' wide eyes. He was telling her not to tell him, but she just couldn't do that. She must have stared a second to long because Sirius looked behind him into Remus' face. "What the hell is going on here, what are you two hiding from me?"
"I was poisoned, Sirius. And I think I know who did it."
She heard Remus stomp away down the hall, and she saw the fury rise in Sirius' eyes. "Who?" He said, his voice low and acidic and his face taking on that gaunt vampiric look it did when his friends were threatened.
"Travers. You know, the small mousy one that is always following Bellatrix."
"I'll kill him, Marlene. I'll find him, and I will kill him, you have my word."
"I know I do, but please, do not focus on this. Everything will fall apart if all we focus on is revenge, and I can't have us falling apart." She said, smiling and placing a hand on Sirius cheek. His expression relaxed and she was thankful for it.
"I guess I should just be satisfied with the fact that you are alright." He wasn't speaking the truth, and they both knew it, but Marlene figured it was the best she was going to get.
"Where the hell am I?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Albus' summer house. Lily said it was the best and closest option. Molly came as soon as she could, and her and Lily brewed an antidote. Thank god. But I have a question."
She nodded.
"Why did you go back to your house? You knew it wasn't safe."
"I had to get something." She avoided his eye at this point, embarrassed by her slip up.
"What?" He said.
"Just some pictures and things. Dorcas dying really.. well... it just..." Oh No. She could feel the slight stinging of tears beginning to well up, the ball rising in her throat.
"Oh, Marly, Come here." He held out his arm and she leaned into it, sniffing loudly. "Do you want to go home?" She nodded. "Okay."
She pushed the blanket back, standing up and slipping a pair of slippers that lay next to the bed on her cold, bare feet.
She was weak, and cold, and completely annoyed by Sirius' stupid motorcycle by the time they reached His flat. He attempted to pick her up, but she shoved him off and walked towards the stairs and up to the door. Leaning on the wall beside it, she waited for him to open the door. "You know, Marlene, we should really stop scaring each other with these near death experiences."
"I do agree. However, with the current circumstances, I really don't see that coming true." Sirius chuckled slightly, and she reluctantly swooned inside.
He successfully unlocked the door and walked in, Marlene in tail. Sirius held up his wand, and pointed it at a few candles on the other side, which illuminated. Nothing had changed since she left, two days ago. With the exception of a few dirty dishes and some laundry that had built it. She took a deep breath and collapsed on the couch. She was safe her, and she knew that for a fact.
"Marlene?"
"What?" She said softly, staring up in Sirius face which had suddenly become very dark.
"What do you remember about your attack?"
"It wasn't quite an attack, so much as it was a huge mistake on my part. I found a letter at the bottom of my picture box, it was big, purple, and said my name on it. I opened it, the room filled with purple smoke, and then I blacked out." She paused, Sirius was sitting next to her now. "I remember waking up a few times, hearing Alice crying, and Remus talking about some poison..."
"PuniceusNex."
"The purple death?" She said, and he nodded. "Sirius, we can't take this to heavily. Nearly everyone in the order has had an assassination attempt."
"Yes, however..."
"What? What makes me different?"
"I love you."
"Sirius, you want to love me. You care about me- you don't love me."
"Are we going to have this conversation again?" He said, standing up.
"Again?"
"You seventeenth birthday. I told you I might love you, and you told me that I didn't know what love was. Well, I'm eighteen now, and Im sleeping with you and your beautiful, and you make me laugh, and you dangerous and stupid... and I love you."
"Can't we just have sex, it's so much easier then talking about our feelings."
"Why?"
"Because in a time like this, when we could die at any moment, words mean nothing. Show me how much you love me, I want to feel it."
He grabbed her shoulder roughly and slammed his lips into hers, he was nipping at her lips as he kissed her and her hands were moving up his back, only to race back down using her nails. He broke the kiss only to gasp, and then to smirk, continuing the ferocious kiss. After nearly ten minutes, he pulled away, wiping his mouth sloppily and looking down at her.
She laughed quietly. "You're such a dog, Sirius."
He nodded, smiling a little crookedly and holding out his hand. "Let's go to bed, shall we?"
She took it, standing up. "We shall. But, I swear, if there is eve a hint of another woman's perfume on your sheets, I will curse you."
"Not a chance, darling. Not a fucking chance."
A/N: I do apologize for the sheer shit of this chapter. As most of you know, It's been a while since I posted anything for this story. BUT HAVE NO FEAR. I shall return, and I shall finish it, even if it takes me another year. So, stick with me, don't give up on Sirius and Marlene. Any suggestions for the last couple of chapters? Lord knows Im Open to it.
Review? Thanks.