D: I do not own HP.
AN: Sorry :(
Hogwarts was under seize; the snow was relentless as it stacked up the window ceils. A thick blanket already coated the grounds, growing gradually as the tiny flakes lit up the night. The snow storm had begun just before lunch and continued throughout dinner. The Seventh year Gryffindors sat enjoying the warmth of the hearth as Sirius and Remus passed out bottles of butter beer. They had an hour until they would leave for the dueling club Gourn had taken over at the beginning of the school year. Gryffindor common room was crowded with students passing time. Almost the entirety of the dueling club was made up of Gryffindors. Marlene could feel Max watching them from across the room, no doubt spying for Marc. Marlene had her back pressed into Sirius' knees where he sat in his arm chair opposite James.
It had been a long day. The morning prophet had detailed a long rumored reform regarding half breeds. It would go to vote in less than thirty days, and though many students hadn't been affected by the news, one in particular sat amongst friends in misery. Marlene and Lily hadn't gotten along with Verity for a while but they were still somehow friends.
"It won't go through," Alice said confidently. She sat on the back of the couch, legs on either side of Emmeline who sat between them.
Verity was tucked in between Emmeline and Lily. She sniffed, "but what will they do with us? What will happen to me?"
"Nothing's going to happen to you," Marlene said exasperatedly, "We won't let anything happen to you."
"I think you'd probably fit in Peter's trunk," Sirius joked.
Remus had pulled a chair over and was straddling the back of it, fingers hooked through the bars he promised, "The half breed registry is a mile long. They won't gain enough support from the wizarding community. Think of the amount of people willing to stand against it. It won't go anywhere, just like they're still pushing for that muggleborn reform."
"The worse that will happen is that they require you to register yearly with the ministry like they do with werewolves and vampires. They'll just want to keep tabs on you," Lily tried.
Verity inhaled, she wiped at her eye, "It'll just make it easier for you-know-who to pick us off."
"Voldemort doesn't want to pick off half breeds. He wants to use them," Marlene said pointedly.
James' fist slammed down on his chair, startling all of them. "We have to do something," he said with resolve as they all looked around at him, "we're the youth, we make up half of the wizarding community, what we say has to count for something! We should start a petition or – a boycott - something!"
Remus looked like he was trying to hide his amusement, "What would we boycott?"
"The ministry," James cried.
"I think it's a good idea, "Lily said. Her cheeks flushed as everyone gaped at her. James smiled brightly with pride, "the petition I mean," she added. "But maybe we could try boycotting too or picketing - or something."
"Not that I don't want to help," Marlene said, "but I'd really like to know when I'm supposed to be picketing. Is that before or after the part where I fail my NEWTs because I'm playing hippie in muggle London and the ministry arrests me acting a loony in front of the muggles? Free the half breeds!"
"They haven't arrested you for being a loony yet," Sirius said, nudging her arm with his knee.
"They've got their hands full of preparing the world for the likes of you."
"I'm serious about this!" James said, sitting straighter, "We have to think about Verity and her family and Hagrid too!"
"I didn't think of Hagrid," Peter said sadly. Marlene was still tried to figure out why Peter was sad at all. He'd never shown any type of affinity for Verity.
"I could research some petitions and see what we would need to stop the vote from happening," Remus offered.
"I'll help you," Lily said.
"Me too," James said. Marlene thought she saw Lily briefly smile at him.
"Thank you," Verity sniffed. Dropping her head onto Lily's shoulder she sighed, "I think what I need is a good drink."
"After dueling," Sirius promised, "we'll drink until the ninth person hits the floor."
"That's all of us, Sirius," Peter said.
"Oy! Prongs, did you know Wormtail could count?" Sirius said to Peter's chagrin.
James smirked, "To tell you the truth Padfoot, I didn't know you could."
"To be honest with all of you," Remus interjected, "I do half of their homework, so I didn't know they had any room to talk."
"Half, Moony," James said while everyone laughed, "Who do you think does the other half hmm?"
"No one," Remus said to more laughter. He smirked.
As the Gryffindors walked to the great hall Sirius fell away from his friends, flirting loudly with a group of giggling fourth years. Marlene walked half way with her friends before lying she'd left her wand behind. Unblinkingly she told Lily she knew where it was, that she could get it on her own and that she'd be right back. Marlene was still surprised at her increasing ability to lie so well. Tracing back her steps, going the opposite way of most of the students, Marlene eventually found herself alone.
"Thought you'd never catch on," Sirius muttered from very close behind her before pulling her into another corridor lined in portraits. It was dark and windowless; the torches along the wall gave it a soft glow. It cast off of Sirius' handsome features as she squinted at him in the dark.
"The point is not to be too obvious," she said as they turned down another corridor lined along the West side in windows. She pulled her hair over her shoulders. They walked quietly side by side, "Did you know your dad passed?"
Sirius paused and she stopped as well, turning to catch his guarded expression.
"Mr. Potter wrote me a while ago. How did you know?"
"Regulus told me."
Sirius' features turned brooding as his lips pressed out in a severe frown. His grey eyes leapt from hers, "what's going on between you and Regulus?"
Marlene arched an eyebrow at him, "Really? You think I'm sneaking around behind your back or something," she laughed. "I'm sorry Sirius, but that's rich coming from you."
A flicker of a smile, "you're a wild card, legs; half of the time I don't even know what you're going to do next."
Marlene touched the collar of his shirt, meeting his grey eyes as she looked up, "Regulus is my friend."
Another frown from him, "Regulus doesn't have friends."
"Don't you miss him?"
"No."
She thought she saw a flicker of something in his dark grey eyes, but sensing his slow burning temper she closed the distance between them with a kiss. Sirius must have been half way to the same idea because he backed her into a thin arch of cement between the windows. A chill bit up her back as a warmth spread where Sirius touched her. His warm hands eclipsed her face, pulling her mouth to him for so long she lost track of time.
Panting, they finally broke apart. Sirius kept his eyes closed from her and she knew suddenly he must have been bothered by something, either his father or Regulus or both. She froze, startled, as he kissed her again. His hands slipped up her waist before running down her sides.
"We have to go, we're already late," she said against his lips.
Sirius inhaled against her, his eyes fluttered open, "No."
"Are you okay?" she asked with quiet sincerity.
He pressed his forehead to hers, eyes lowering while his fingers played with the hem of her shirt, "I want you."
Marlene tried to stem the way her blood ran suddenly hot. Her heart raced, she breathed shallowly, "Sirius -
His grey eyes flicked to hers, "Just stay here with me."
"Do you need to talk about it?"
"I don't need to talk," his lips brushed hers once and then with such ferocity her head knocked back against the brick.
She pressed her hands between them. She was relieved when Sirius broke the kiss, "I have to go back."
His dark eyes regarded her, "Later?"
"Later," she promised nervously.
"Go, I'll come along in a while."
Marlene kissed him quickly then slipped away from him, heart beating. Even though she desperately wanted the toilet to collect her thoughts she did not stop on her way to the Great Hall. One long dueling platform took up the space along the center. Students gathered around it, taking in the fighting. Gourn was shouting instruction from the platform where the teacher's table usually sat. She was perched atop a tall chair she conjured at the beginning of every meeting. Marlene wove through the crowd until she saw Lily standing in between James and Alice.
"Where have you been?" Lily hissed, ever suspicious.
"I got a letter from Marc when I was up in the dorm. I wrote him a quick reply," Marlene lied.
"What did he want?" Lily whispered.
"He wrote me from earlier this week," Marlene lied. Lily knew Marlene had written him earlier in the week, but Marlene had never elaborated that it had been about her O's on all of her returned quizzes. After a row with Lily regarding why the witch had told Max that she was worried about Sirius, Marlene had eventually forgiven her if not just to talk to her about what she'd spoken with Marc about. Lily thought it was good that Marlene had chosen to entrust in him again. Marlene didn't tell Lily she had every intention to lie to Marc from that moment onward. She still felt guilty about it, but her new affinity for the boy who arrived behind her seemed to be worth it. Marlene had spent almost every day for the last week snogging him or laughing with him, both occurrences were always enjoyable. Marlene had never felt more at calm in her entire life. She'd gotten another E on her charms work and had even managed to make a joke about it to a bewildered Lily.
"Where have you been then?" James said to Sirius behind her, since Marlene had moved beside Lily.
"Where haven't I been mate? That's a better question."
Marlene hid her smile at Lily and Alice's disappointed frowns. They'd obviously been eavesdropping. More to avoid their whispering, Marlene became absorbed in the duel taking place on the platform. They only dueled out of their comfort zone and for house points once a month. Gourn would set up the long dueling table currently before them and then call up pairs to duel. Whoever won the duel would with their house ten points. At the end of the club she would call the two she thought dueled the best up and they would duel for fifty points. Marlene had only dueled in front of everyone once, there were at least one hundred students in the club, and their meetings only lasted two hours. The days they didn't compete they paired up and practiced with each other. Most students liked doing it because in any other scenario they would have been docked points or given a detention for dueling with another student. Marlene and Alice were always out for each other's blood, dedicated to their dream. Marlene was not surprised in the least when Gourn announced them; it had been a long time coming. She'd been surprised it hadn't happened sooner.
"Be nice," Lily shouted after them as they leapt onto the platform.
Marlene and Alice separated with a sharp nod at the other, stopping at opposite ends and preparing themselves as Gourn examined their stances. Alice pushed a hand through her short hair; it had grown to flop in her eyes since Christmas. Marlene smoother her school skirt out before taking a deep breath. The crowd was thick with whispering, she though she saw someone exchange gold. Rolling her eyes she raised her wand in the same moment as Alice. They locked eyes before bowing. Both had perfected a long sweeping bow, so elegant and ladylike to their normal sailor mouth tough girl attitudes.
Alice struck first. Many had told Marlene that she and Alice were closely matched, but Marlene was insistent upon pointing out that Alice truly was the better competitor. She barely had time to raise a shield as Alice's spell splintered it. It gave Marlene enough time to move out of the way from the next two spells, twirling to the left, her hair spiraling with her. Wishing she'd pulled it up, Marlene sent her first offensive spell at Alice. The hex missed her by inches; the low lunge the pixie managed was graceful and irritating all at once. Marlene blocked Alice's next spell and sent two in quick return. It always took her a moment to work into a duel, but once she'd begun it was no secret that it took everything to stop her. Marlene sent another stunner as purple and blue twisted toward her. Leaping left she had to arch her back over the first to avoid her face being struck by the second. She spun low, faking a low blow as she jerked her arm upward. Alice stumbled, struck. In the blink of an eye she retaliated. Marlene had only a second to move out the way of a blinding blue flash.
"Good!" Gourn shouted from behind Marlene.
Marlene and Alice paused, chests heaving, eyes narrowed. Alice smiled first, Marlene smiled in return. Resetting they began again. Marlene had struck Alice's shoulder, restricting Alice to spells with low sweeping wand movements. Marlene predicted nearly half of them but had a hard time of blocking them as low sweeping spells were the easiest and fastest spells to fire off. They dissolved into her shields over and over again, exhausting her until finally Alice managed a spell at her leg.
Time slipped away. The room would go in lulls of cheers and whispering. Marlene and Alice were competing for who could do the most nonverbal magic or else they'd each perfected the art perfectly. Gourn began to shout for dynamic, leering that they were prohibiting their potential.
No matter how Marlene detested her upbringing she did detest shouting in a room full of people. Alice didn't seem to mind. The nymph's spells became more dangerous with the added stability of saying them aloud, with less energy focused on a nonverbal aspect. Marlene was forced into a corner; she began to shout inevitably, only relieved when the crowd began to leer for one or the other. Marlene leapt over two twisting spells to the crowds cheer, landing swiftly in a crouch position before bursting upward to side step another spell. Her shouting sounded over Alice's as she managed to first knock the nymph backwards and next injure her wand arm. Alice had a hard time after that but she was bound and determined not to lose. Marlene recognized the dark glint in her friend's eyes, she felt it in herself. She wanted to win; she pretended Alice was a Death Eater, come to hurt Lily or her brothers. After that it was easy.
Shouting a blasting spell that knocked Alice almost off the platform, Marlene managed a silent disarming spell that had Alice's wand soaring right into her hand. She caught it with a breath, smiling as the crowd burst into applause. Marlene crossed the platform to help Alice up. Gourn leapt after them, knocking Marlene out of the way to heal Alice's injuries. When Gourn turned to Marlene Alice shook Marlene's outstretched hand.
"You might need the hospital wing for this," Gourn said, flicking an ebbing scar across Marlene's left arm.
"It doesn't hurt."
"It will later," Alice said brightly," it spells you to slow down, but you mustn't have noticed. I think I'd like you to tutor me some, Professor."
Gourn smiled at Alice, "Of course dear, just come around my office. Up," Gourn commanded to Marlene.
After reassuring her friends she would join them in the common room for that promised drink, she followed Gourn to the hospital wing. When Gourn detoured Marlene hesitated. Gourn spun around after a few feet, smiling.
"I just want a word actually," Gourn said, doubling back to Marlene. She lifting Marlene's arm and muttered something under her breath.
"How do you know so many healing spells?" Marlene asked, glancing around nervously, nervous to see that the corridor was empty. She felt her stomach flip in anxiety. When she glanced back Gourn was about an inch from her face. Marlene's breath caught.
Gourn jerked back, "Sorry," she said, laughing nervously. Marlene's heart was about to burst from her chest, her skin was crawling as Gourn added, "Distracted I suppose."
"I need to get back to my common room," Marlene said, "Marc said I'd be in trouble if I was caught out of bounds."
"Which one is that again?"
Marlene smiled, but her nerves hadn't completely subsided, "He's the oldest," she remembered something, "He would have been Head boy when you were at school."
She looked thoughtful for a moment, "Marcus," she said suddenly. "Yes, I know now," she rolled her eyes dramatically, "he was rather the show off wasn't he?"
Marlene smiled, amused, "well Michael's never put it that way."
"He was no saint either, let me tell you," Gourn surprised Marlene by draping an arm over her shoulder and dragging her along, gesticulating wildly with her free hand. "That's a Ravenclaw for you though isn't it?" she laughed, the tinkling sound carrying on forever, giving Marlene hope that Regulus was spying on her or at the very least that Sirius was somewhere. "He liked to put people in detention if they so much as breathed around him! Don't get me started about quidditch; you think James Potter has a big head about it."
"He said he put you in detention a lot," Marlene said, thinking of that conversation idly.
Gourn stopped and pulled her arm away to fold it over the other one. Her eyes met Marlene's, "Speaking of him, is he the one that won't let you play in the final?"
"How do you know about that?"
"McGonagall, "Gourn shrugged.
"Marc sort of – he's like Father's orderly. It's not really him keeping me."
"Your father gives your brothers a bit of a leash."
"Yeah well, they're sons not daughters."
Gourn smiled sweetly, "He's probably a lot more lenient than you think. You've seen a sight of trouble this year and he hasn't brought you home yet."
"I wouldn't put it past him to do it eventually."
"Not with the way he's involved with his job. He must be rather busy."
"There's that, Marc says he works constantly now. He does do well with leading by example," Marlene rolled her eyes.
"He must get out some time."
"My mother and Father go out once a month, usually toward the end. They have for as long as I've lived anyway," Marlene supplied; at least her parent's loved each other, if not they're daughter. Marlene would go months without a letter from her mother. When she did get them the one thing they would mention would be monthly dates with her father. Her mother was completely enthralled with him, she always told Marlene about the extravagant places they visited if just for a day. At Christmas her mother had told her that they had planned to take an entire weekend off in March to vacation in Ireland at a popular wizard resort. She noted absently that if she was going to get into any sort of trouble that she might do it before the week was over, so that Marc would be the only person home to deal with her.
"I'm sure he's a lot more soft then you think," Gourn was smiling unnervingly.
Marlene seemed to remember herself, "I've really got to go Professor."
"You wouldn't like to join me? We've got," she checked her watch, "Twenty minutes before curfew."
Marlene hesitated, "I'm sorry, but I promised my friends."
"Professor," Regulus' quiet voice came. She almost mistook it for Sirius, but then he spoke again as he appeared near Marlene, "I had a few questions about the dueling earlier. Well done by the way Marlene," he gave her his small smile, his grey eyes warning her away.
"See you later, Professor," Marlene said, backing away as Regulus turned to Gourn with an odd look Marlene didn't care to interpret.
Marlene burst through the portrait hole with a sigh of relief. The crowd swept her up. Obviously Sirius had decided to throw Verity a party instead of sensibly waiting for the majority of the students to go to bed. Their seventh year might have begun to rival Hufflepuff's reputation for biggest party throwers in the school.
Marlene found Lily first. The red head's cheeks were flushed red, eyes swallowed whole by her pupil. Marlene smiled in entertainment. James was talking to her, granted his slurred incoherent sentences weren't making much sense, but Lily seemed to be listening. Marlene fathomed how he could already be drunk, but then it seemed he was more love drunk then anything.
"Sirius is asking for you," Marlene said over the wireless' music to James. She wanted a word with Lily; two could play at being suspicious.
James glanced around then back to Lily, "I'll see him later, I sleep with him – I mean - we sleep together - I mean," James smiled nervously at Lily, "We sleep next to each other – in separate beds - I mean."
Lily giggled. Marlene stuffed her fist in her mouth as Lily said, "That explains a ton."
James gave her a goofy smile then reined it in as he asked, "What do you mean?"
Marlene and Lily burst into laughter.
"I need to talk to you, Miss," Marlene said, hooking Lily's arm and dragging her away. Lily and James stared after each other until Marlene pulled Lily to a secluded corner. She blinked at Devon and Alice, sitting shoulder to shoulder on the floor, backs to the wall, eyelids drooping.
Keeping hold of Lily's arm Marlene knelt down, "Are you okay?"
Alice's eyes were blood shot, so much her own eyes watered before she looked to Devon who was smiling stupidly at her.
"Try it," Alice said, holding out a cigarette like roll.
"What is it?"
"Did you want something?" Lily said impatiently, "I was talking to James!" Her sentences slurred.
"Are you all completely mental tonight," Marlene asked. She's missed the memo on getting intoxicated as quickly as possible.
Marlene stared up at Lily for a long moment when the red head didn't answer her. The brunette blinked as Alice shoved a blunt into her fingers, dangling from where she rested her arm across her knee as she knelt. She stood up, taking a hit of it before asking Lily, "since when is James Potter just James? How drunk are you?"
"Not drunk," she said, breathe fanning out over Marlene's face as Marlene choked on whatever she'd just smoked.
She eyed it and glanced back to Devon, "What is this?"
"Good isn't it?"
"Let Alice flirt with James!" Alice said, "I meant Lily," she said a beat later. Marlene stared at her.
She tried to hand the blunt back to Devon but he pushed her hand away, "Smoke it," he ordered.
"Is it herb?" Lily slurred, grabbing for it. Marlene drew her hand away from the red head.
"What's herb?" Devon asked.
"Muggle Marijuana?"
"Oh no, this stuff is grown down in the green houses, whatever the hell it is," he pulled another roll of it from his pocket, lighting it with the tip of his wand and inhaling. "My mates and me started smoking it last year on a whim," he spoke around it before pulling it away. "It's sort of like it," he smirked, "but it gives you a stronger high."
Marlene stared at Devon, her eyebrow arched. She sighed and shook her head and looked back to Lily.
"Wait a mo'," Marlene took another drag, than looked to Lily, pointing at her with the roll between her fingers, "What about Roger Wilkins then?"
"Maybe if you weren't off paling around with Black you might know I've no interest in him. He turned out to be a great prat!"
"Told you," Marlene said. Her fingers were tingling as she lifted them to brush her hair away from her face.
"James is a good guy," Lily said defensively.
"I'm not arguing that Lily, I'm just saying you're drunk, and you're going to regret this in the morning," Marlene inhaled the smoke swirling up from between her fingers.
"Give Lily some," Alice said, kicking out at Marlene's ankle.
"Lily's drunk enough without giving her whatever this shit is," Marlene considered the blunt.
"Chill out, man," Devon said, arching an eyebrow as he took another drag.
"Lily," Marlene shouted as Lily slipped away into the crowd with a giggle. Marlene sighed, "No, don't go," she said sarcastically, taking another draw from the blunt. She moved around to sit on the floor beside Alice.
"Don't you have to go fuck Sirius or something?" Alice asked slowly, rolling her head against the wall to consider Marlene with a lazy smile.
"I'm not fucking Sirius," Marlene said, blowing the smoke through her nose. It burned. Coughing, she replied, "obviously my clothes are still on and I'm still a virgin."
"Sorry, my apologies," Alice said, dropping her head on Marlene's shoulder, "Don't you want to go screw Sirius right now?"
"Where's this coming from?"
"She's smoked about a bowl, Marlene," Devon warned.
"Is that a lot?"
"It's definitely enough," he grinned, "I'm proud of her," he said to Alice's lazy grin.
Marlene coughed again, holding her blunt away, "I don't feel like it's doing anything."
"Look at me," Devon commanded.
Marlene did, smiling though she wasn't sure why. Devon snickered "it is working."
Sirius found Marlene when she was pretty far gone. The last of her joint was burning away as she stared blearily up at him. Things seemed to tilt around his handsome face as he knelt down. He prodded Alice in the forehead but she was out cold. He glanced at Devon who hadn't spoken for a while, and was staring straight ahead and sitting absolutely still until he would draw the blunt to his mouth.
"What is that?"
Marlene shrugged, smiling at him, "Mine's gone," she slurred. She struggled to sit forward, her limbs felt too heavy. Sirius caught her wrist as she reached for him, "Why aren't we having sex then?"
Devon smiled aside Alice, "That's forward for you, isn't it, mate?"
"Come on, Marlene," Sirius said, shaking his head, smiling. He tugged her to her feet, catching her as she fell into his chest.
She inhaled his cologne, "I hate you," she breathed with an exhale.
"Let's get you over to the sofa."
Marlene stumbled through the bottles and trash littering the floor; books with torn out pages, pillows from the couch, the poker from the grate. Glass crunched under her feet as Sirius guided her to an empty arm chair, his arm chair. One blurry glance around the room confirmed everyone left was indeed passed out or fast on their way. James was slumped over the chair opposite her, snoring loudly. Remus was helping Sirius walk an awakened Lily to the couch.
"I wanna –
Lily yawned. Her eyes drooped before she could finish the sentence.
Marlene leaned over the arm of her arm chair, watching Sirius and Remus as they attempted to console a wild eyed Alice. Marlene's laugh turned into a yawn. In the end they left her, Remus scratching his head while Sirius stood up looking irritated.
"Sirius," Marlene called quietly, her voice carried across the room.
Remus glanced at Sirius as Sirius replied, "Choose your words carefully, legs."
"Why? Remus knows."
"Remus knows what?" Remus asked, giving Sirius a skeptical look.
"She's high, Moony."
Marlene's eyes drooped as Remus said in a quieter voice, "Tell me you haven't been sleeping with Marlene McKinnon, Padfoot."
"No, I haven't."
Marlene's eyes were closed as Remus said, "I don't think I have to tell you how idiotic that would be."
"I'm not."
"Don't lie to him," Marlene sat up, pointing her hand in the air before dropping its dead weight with a giggle.
Remus glanced sideways at Sirius, "she has four brothers, are you barmy?"
Sirius picked Marlene up from the armchair, her head lolled off his arm. She watched Remus upside down, "No one knows though!"
"I'm taking her upstairs before she swallows her foot whole."
"Probably a good idea," Remus said tiredly.
"We're not sleeping together," Sirius said as they reached the stairs, "we're friends," he said, rehearsing what Marlene always preached.
"Wait," Remus said, following them up the stairs, "you've been sneaking around with her."
"No –
Sirius glanced over his shoulder, examining the hurt look on Remus' face. He sighed as he kicked in their bedroom door, "I promised Marlene I wouldn't tell anyone. James figured it out on his own, alright?"
"Do you ever think with that brain of yours?" Remus said, taking care to avoid the forest growing on the experimental half of their dormitory.
Sirius tipped Marlene's unconscious body onto his bed before turning to Remus, "No one's going to find out. She's anal about it."
"How can you say that?"
"Because you – the most analytical person I've ever bloody met – have failed to noticed I've been sneaking around with her since November," he smirked in that idiot way Remus hated, because he didn't understand how truly moronic he was being.
"She's a good kid, Sirius –
"Marlene can make decisions for herself."
"I know you."
Sirius frowned at him, "So what are you saying?"
"I'm saying you're being selfish. The only reason you want to date her is because no one else can."
"That's not true; her parents told her she could date."
"They told her she could date you?" when Sirius gave Remus a sheepish grin, Remus dragged his hand over his face, "So what's James say to this?"
"Nothing," Sirius shrugged.
"Of course," Remus ran a hand through his hair, "You do know this is going to blow up in your face?"
Sirius gave a noncommittal shrug, "Who knows?"
"I know," Remus said. He pointed at Marlene, "Remember when Peter used to be this lanky eleven year old and you always used to bother him about his weight and I told you – I told you that he was going to get a complex. Now he stuffs his face all the time and we both know he could stand to lose a few pounds or at the very least be a bit more confident about himself. You don't realize what you're doing to people, Sirius."
"That's completely different. Peter's a twit."
"No it isn't. I promise you that Marlene has never thought about having sex once in her life before being with you."
"We haven't had sex, and she doesn't want too."
"I don't believe you."
"On Marauder honor," Sirius said, folding his arms.
Remus considered him, "You wouldn't lie on Marauder honor."
"I'm not lying," he said, arching an eyebrow.
Remus glanced at her then to Sirius frowning, "if you've been sneaking around with her since November…
Sirius shrugged, "It's fun, mate."
Remus squinted at him, eyes widened slowly so that it unnerved Sirius until Remus finally spoke, grinning tooth to ear, "oh ho!"
"What?"
"Have you got a school girl crush on Marlene McKinnon?"
"No," Sirius said simply.
"You punched James square in his jaw the other day!"
"Yeah well –
Sirius said stupidly. He searched for an excuse until his teeth snapped together and he glowered at a smiling Remus, "Fuck off, I don't like her. I'm just trying to get a good lay out of her."
"Don't be an ass, Padfoot."
"Who's an ickle school girl now?"
Remus rolled his eyes and trudged over to his bed. He tugged his hangings back and glanced between Marlene and Sirius one last time. He snorted "only my friends," Marlene thought she heard Remus mutter as she stirred, curling into Sirius' pillow.
Sirius lay down beside her, curling an arm around her stomach to shift her over before pulling his hangings closed. He sat up to pull his shirt off before lying down again, his eyes following the contour of Marlene's hips. He squeezed his eyes shut as Marlene shifted, spooning against him. She caught his arm and draped it over her side, pulling it too her, pressing his hand over her breast as she hummed contentedly.
"Bloody hell," he muttered.