Disclaimer: I do not own this or really much, except for clothes.
A/N: More to come. Thank you for the reviews and being patient.
Of the things Marlene never indulged in, crying was at the top of the list. Frame wracking sobs slipped out of her in intervals as she tucked herself into an empty corner of the castle. It was a new kind of stress that was beyond what she could handle. She'd hardly slept or ate in days. She'd thrown herself completely into her studies at no gain; it was a futile defense against her guilt anyway. She couldn't tell anyone what had happened, so she hadn't spoken to her friends, Regulus included. She closed her eyes against a new onslaught of tears.
Sirius had tried to make up for his insensitive behavior, but a seed of mistrust had inevitably been planted in both of them. Rita Skeeter was telling anyone who listened, that Marlene McKinnon was a whore, and that she was playing the brothers against each other. Marlene had no idea how the witch had discovered her very momentary tryst with Regulus, but the news was all over the school in no time.
Sirius didn't confront her about it, but his flirting, previously lighthearted, had become purposeful. It was like months of time had vanished and they were back to making each other jealous. It was exhausting, especially when Marlene was battling feelings for him. Nothing had seemed to work in distracting her from the brooding brother either; studying only seemed to feed into her persistent anxiety. With NEWTs fast approaching it was more of an acknowledgement of the stress she was about to collapse under. When that day, Gourn had smacked another bad grade on her desk, Marlene had snapped.
Marlene took a deep shuddering breath as she pressed her face into her knees, fingers clawing into her calves while her sobs rocked through her. Of course she just had to snap in front of everyone, and at Gourn, of all people. While she'd managed to avoid the delusional Professor for a good fortnight, she'd managed within seconds a week's worth of detentions that she was sure Gourn would delight in supervising.
Lily had noticed the beginnings of the break down first, but the redhead hadn't had time to act. Ripping the paper loudly in half had quieted the entire classroom, and then everyone looking at her had been the final straw. Lighting the paper on fire was the worst idea she'd ever had, but ripping up Gourn's purposefully, poorly graded papers no longer brought her any sort of temporary relief. The fire had caught to the desk, nearly catching to Marlene's clothes if it hadn't been for Gourn dousing her and her desk in ice cold water. Dripping wet and thoroughly embarrassed, she was then shouted at. It was definitely a moment none of her peers would ever forget. Perfectly poised and pretty Marlene, completely losing whatever was left of her perfect mind.
Marlene reached at her mussed hair. Her shoulders continued to shake though she pressed her face into her knees as hard as she could. Her chest was heaving at her thighs. There was snot everywhere. She was a mess.
"That was something back there." His voice was quiet and foreign. She hated that she missed him.
"Go away," Marlene snapped between breaths. She pressed her face so hard against the bone of her knee, that she hoped she might sustain some permanent brain injury, causing her to forget the entire last year of her life.
Clothes scraped against the wall as Sirius sat down beside her. The smell of his cologne invaded her privacy as his side pressed to hers. He gently pulled a tangle of her half wet hair onto her back. She drew her elbows between her thighs and stomach, trying to discretely wipe fitfully at her hidden face. If Sirius hadn't heard her crying from ten miles away, he'd probably noticed her knee highs anyway. There was no hiding the soaked material, where along the tops she'd wiped at her wet eyes. He warmed her from where he sat against her. His hand captured her fist from her eye in seconds, wrapping wholly around it as she allowed him to take it against his drawn knee.
"Everyone's looking for you, psycho," Sirius said quietly, a smirk in his voice. Marlene had taken off at the speed of light, past her group of waiting friends, when finally she'd emerged from Gourn's classroom.
"Whatever," she said in a muffled tone against her legs. At least a minute of silence had passed between them and Marlene had wondered why Sirius, of anyone, had been the one to come get her.
"Whatever happened between you and Regulus – it's done?"
Marlene sniffled hard, her eyebrows pressed together. She realized she was still shaking when she went to answer him, she sniffled and then she said "It was nothing." She said it firmly; she lifted her head, glad when her hair fell over her shoulder to curtain her blotchy face. She stared at her knees. "Well it was a mistake."
Sirius didn't say anything, than his voice sounded quietly, "I deserved it."
"No." Marlene sniffed. She glanced at him. "I was being-"
"We're not even together, Marlene," Sirius said carefully, his grey eyes holding hers, "and then I was being a colossal prat to you."
"You were right about Reg."
"I always am," he said with a dark smile.
"I don't want to be with him, though," she said, a quiver in her voice. She wiped her face with her free hand.
"No offense, but I hardly think he'd take you this way." Sirius ducked his head grinning and said, "Look at you." He lifted her hand to wipe his knuckle under her eye. "It's just a grade, Legs."
"No," she said. Suddenly she was upset again, her tears were flowing uncontrollably. "I'm the best at that class-"
"You are-"
"–that's four T's in a row, Sirius! It's going to start affecting my grades! What about my final exam? If I don't do what she wants – if I don't start talking to her, she's going to fail me. She has issues," Marlene finished forcefully, wiping at her eyes again but with the sleeve of her free arm. "Now I won't be able to play in the final, Marc will just tell me I shouldn't have been such an idiot. He'll be hacked off with me, I know it."
"You were upset, you're lucky you didn't do any accidental magic."
"Honestly! I've no idea why I set that paper on fire," she said frantically. She glanced up briefly at Sirius and had to do a double take at his smile, "it isn't funny, Sirius."
"Come on, Marlene. You set your desk on fire – you almost set yourself on fire," he glanced at her sopping hair, drying into tight curls, "and that look on your face when she'd soaked you."
Marlene stared at him. "Well I'm glad you think it's funny," she said, though she obviously didn't.
"What if it were me?"
"You'd just laugh it off."
"What else can you do, love?"
"It isn't funny," she said as Sirius' smile widened.
"What if it had been Lily?" Sirius asked, to Marlene's sudden imagining of a soaking wet, raging red head.
Marlene's lip twitched. "Stop it." She hurriedly hid her face in her knees again.
"What if it had been Hestia Jones?"
Marlene inhaled, "I hate you." She was glad she could hide her smile against her naked knees. She hadn't noticed Sirius' rare silence as she worried over rather or not he'd seen her underwear. As she tugged her skirt back up her thighs and held it there, his palm seemed suddenly very slippery over her other hand.
"Be my girlfriend," Sirius dared without warning. Her heart clenched in her chest as she glanced up to meet the most serious stare Sirius Black could muster.
"I can't," she said once her brain had jogged back to real time.
"What have you got to lose?"
She had nothing to lose. With quidditch and Hogsmeade already restricted, her parent's could only pull her from school. They could take her out of school, but while she'd feared it for the longest time, she didn't think they would. She'd started to believe with the more trouble she got into, that it was the only empty threat Marc or her parent's had ever given her. Marlene was months away from graduation; it would be less a punishment and more a serious effort in ruining her life. They couldn't dare risk their reputation, and pulling her from school would definitely work for that. Sirius was a pure blood, she reasoned, her breath flitted down her thighs as she pressed her forehead back into her knees. He had a bad reputation but he was a pureblood. If she told Marc before he found out it might not be so bad. Marlene was getting away with herself, she took a deep breath.
"I can't," she said weakly.
"I want everyone to know you're mine." Sirius had leant over, his voice was quiet against her hair; it sent shivers down her spine. "I want them to think twice before they laugh at you – look at you – think of you." Kiss you, Marlene finished, remembering briefly the gentle manipulation of Regulus' lips.
Marlene shook her head against her knees. She had to stop thinking about both of them, because neither scenario was any but probable. She took a deep breath but instead of responsible Marlene, idiotic rash Marlene started, "this requires rules."
"Fine," Sirius said quietly, his lips pressing into the bush of her hair, just by her ear, turned up. He leant away and started to stand up. Pulling her to her feet, Sirius gave her a questioning look, still holding her balled up fist. Shoulders relaxed, she flexed her hand within his, gripping it awkwardly until he moved her fingers around and fit the right way. He grabbed her bag up for her, shouldering it with his own before leading her to their next lesson.
Only three students had seen them as they were late for class. Marlene had counted them silently, dropping Sirius' hand as they slipped into the classroom. He took her hand up again as the seventh years left for lunch. Lily glanced wide eyed at them and then to Alice, who seemed to be gathering some sense of herself again. The rest of the Marauders bypassed it to Marlene's relief, they joked back and forth with Sirius, sending ripples of laughter through the nine seventh year Gryffindors. It was no surprise that her brother would be the one to vocalize what no one else had. Max had stopped them at the doors of the great hall.
"A word," he said directly to Marlene.
"Whatever you have to say, you can say it," Marlene said coolly. She was sure she looked a proper mess instead. She was surprised Sirius even wanted to be seen with her.
"I'm telling, Marc."
Marlene smiled wickedly at him. "Fine, whatever," she half snapped as she swallowed down her nerves. She jerked Sirius' hand behind her, tugging him lower so that when she turned sideways she caught his lips in a deep surprising kiss. Sirius had the sense to end it, staring back at Marlene before his eyes flickered briefly to Max. Marlene looked over her shoulder at her brother. "Tell him about that, too," she said darkly.
"Damn, Marlene," Alice said as they sat down for lunch. "You do know Marc will be up here in like-" She checked her watch and then looked around. "I think I hear him charging the front doors."
Marlene smiled tiredly, surprised at how the day had changed, "Sirius can handle him."
"If I can't, I'm sure Marlene will be willing to play healer later," he winked at her.
"You two are together then?" Verity said from aside Emmeline. Emmeline looked a little upset; a lot upset, honestly.
"We have been for a while," Marlene said to Sirius choking on his fizzy drink.
"Oh yeah, then," Verity asked, glancing at Lily but frowning as Lily didn't seemed to be surprised. In fact Lily was more amused by James, who was folding his napkin with his tongue between his teeth.
"How long then," Emmeline snapped.
"Months." Marlene smirked and arched an eyebrow. She dropped her elbow on the table, thoroughly enjoying herself as she turned Sirius' bracelet over and over again around her wrist.
"Loose cannon," Sirius muttered beside her before biting his lifted sandwich.
"What?" Verity asked at him.
"No you haven't; Sirius snogged Mallory Farr on V day," Emmeline said pettily, smiling.
"And I snogged James," Marlene said smirking, pointing at James with her fork. James was as interested in the conversation as Lily, which seemed to upset Emmeline and Verity even more as they looked away from him.
"You're about neck deep in the hole you're digging," Sirius muttered, smirking into his half eaten sandwich. Sirius seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself as well; maybe he was enjoying her, she was never sure.
"I don't care," she said to him. She sat up and said loudly, "Tell everyone, hell - tell Max."
"Or not," Sirius said. He offered Emmeline and Verity a flash of charm they had been immune too since they'd privately decided to hate him earlier in the year.
"I think we'd better chain Marlene up somewhere for the rest of the day," Alice said, staring bewildered but amused at Marlene as she glanced up from her food.
"She's running out of body parts to swallow." Remus followed. "And I thought Sirius had a certain affinity for sticking his foot in it."
"So you two are together," Peter asked around a mouthful of food.
Everyone stared at him, even James.
Previously disliked for her looks, Marlene found dislike was not quite strong enough for the way her peers watched her as she walked, just aside Sirius, after lunch. Sirius and James were entertaining Alice and Lily by charming Verity's hair a variety of colors as she walked backwards in front of them, a willing participant, and seemingly in a better mood. Marlene would catch Sirius' eye occasionally. He was distracted as Emmeline jerked her aside however, right before their classroom.
"You're making a mistake," Emmeline hissed, folding her arms. Her long dirty blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders in waves.
Marlene gave Emmeline a skeptical look and asked, "Aren't we a bit old for this?"
"We're friends right?" And when Marlene didn't answer yes or no Emmeline sighed and pressed on by stating, "He hurt me, Marlene."
"Yeah," Marlene asked in disinterest. Emmeline was particularly gifted at overdramatizing anything and everything, and they were both about to be late to class.
Emmeline glowered at her. "You think you're so smart, but now you're in the same league as the rest of us. Don't come crying at me when he breaks up with you, because he will. He's all jokes and understanding now, but once he's bored with you, you'll be old news. Someone prettier will come along and he'll totally forget about you. Does Sirius even look at me?" When Marlene didn't answer she half snapped, "No, he doesn't. I thought we were at least friends. We got a long real well, and after the things we shared together….I gave it away to him you know?"
Marlene blinked, trying not to think about how many times Sirius had done something she was only just trying. She folded her arms and glanced away from Emmeline, hopeful that she hadn't given her momentary worries away. "Let me make my own mistakes and you worry about your own."
"Is this really worth upsetting your brothers over? I mean, I regret upsetting my friends, and things will never be the same with us again, I swear. I can't even imagine how your family will react."
"Good, because it's none of your business, anyway," Marlene answered heatedly. Her heart was thrumming in her ears. She thought about Alice's joke earlier; it wouldn't be lone before Marc showed up, no matter how over dramatic that seemed.
After class Sirius tossed an arm over her shoulder and Marlene bristled under the motion. Every pair of eyes within seeing distance snapped towards them. Sirius called out hellos to their classmates as he passed them, baiting those he didn't care for with smirks. Marlene desperately wished for Lily to fall into step beside them because there was almost an awkward silence between them as they walked.
"Ease up," Sirius muttered into her ear.
Marlene glanced at him and said accusingly, "easy for you to say. You've done this before."
Sirius smirked. "Nervous?"
"I've been called a bitch by three different students I've never even met before."
"Are you going to stand for that, Legs? Come on."
Marlene grinned humorlessly at him. "Oh you're just loving this aren't you?" She rolled her eyes and shrugged his arm off. She smiled at him as he shoved is hands into his pockets and grinned back at her. She rolled her eyes and said simply, "stop staring at me like you've won."
"I have won," his smile widened. He staggered toward her, nose brushing her hair as he muttered into her ear, "but you've won too. Of all of these girls, I've picked you, Marlene."
Marlene shoved at his side, earning a good laugh. She smirked at him. "I'll be the first girl to break up with you if you keep on like this," she warned. "And I've won, don't think that you're the only pretty boy in this school, Black, or that I couldn't have anyone myself."
"Want to bet on it?"
"You have a gambling problem."
He smirked, "anyone would have to have a gambling problem to take a gamble on you."
"I am a girl you know? I can go extremely long amounts of times without the want or need for physical interaction." Marlene hid her smile but then she appraised him while he flipped his fringe from his eyes.
Cheeks dimpling, he bumped shoulders with her again. "Do you feel better?"
Marlene glanced around the corridor, ever aware of the stares they were receiving. Sirius' took advantage of her distraction, his arm caught over her shoulder again. He tugged her into his side, his nose settling into her hair.
He inhaled briefly and then whispered, "They'll get over it."
Marc was at the school before dinner. A sixth year prefect told her that he was waiting for her in McGonagall's office. Feeling suddenly sick with nerves Marlene contemplated hiding somewhere. But then Sirius convinced her she had to face the inevitable. He walked her there, still carrying her school bag as he hummed a crude bar song at her side. She assumed he was trying to ease her nerves. Unfortunately well practiced at ignoring the Marauders, she found it didn't help. She hesitated when they reached the office doors.
"Just stand up to him, you're a Gryffindor," Sirius whispered, smiling in reassurance and pumping his fist once.
"What if he does take me from school?" She whispered back fearfully.
"I'll be waiting for you when he comes around. You'd probably drive the lot of them mad at home anyways." When Marlene didn't seem any less anxious he caught her shoulders and ducked his head to catch her eye. "We don't have to do this if you don't want, we can go back to the other way."
She caught his eye and grinned weakly, "backing out already?"
"Will it help if I meet him?" She could tell Sirius was hesitant in his offer; if anyone had done away with tradition it had been him.
"What's gotten into you?" she asked, amused.
His eyes flicked up and down the length of her body, settling on her stare last. "Come on now, wouldn't I be rather daft to pass up this opportunity? I've gotten myself enough legs to last me a life time." He finished with a winked.
Marlene lips twitched around, "what have I got to lose right?"
Sirius' smile warmed and he tried comforting her again. "They care for you, they'll settle for whatever you want."
"Right and it isn't as if I've jumped off a cliff," she said, trying to sound confident.
"They'll come around."
"I wouldn't be so sure."
"Bet on it?"
Marlene bit down her giggle. She glanced over her shoulder at the door and then back to Sirius. His grey eyes regarded her warmly. It was hard to believe that just hours before everything had gone to a seemingly permanent hell. If she was honest with herself, it was still mulling around there but in a different way. She still had to marvel at Sirius' ability to turn around a mood, even without a snog.
She reached up around his shoulders and pulled his head the distance to hers. She caught the grey of his eyes before they glanced over her shoulder and then closed; warm wetted lips pressed against her own. She melted at the relief that surged through her. Out of all their arguments and everyone's warnings, Sirius always managed to keep her together. Maybe he was extremely good at the "game" he played, but couldn't there be a possibility that at the end of it all, he really would be her friend or at least someone who gave her assurance in what she'd known all along but had never tested? Her family would accept her for the small mistakes she made, they wouldn't like her for them, but she didn't like herself otherwise. Sirius' hands caught around her waist, pulling her to him as his tongue pressed into her mouth, swirling around her anxiety into dissipating unfeeling. When he froze her eyes flickered open. His mouth drew away as he looked over her shoulder.
"I'd move if I were you," a dangerous voice ordered quietly.
Cold dread filled Marlene as she spun around, "Marc –"
He nodded for Marlene to move, "I'd like a word alone with him."
Marlene held out her arms. "No," she said hotly. "You're being a great tosser, Marc. Grow up."
Cold blue eyes flashed to hers, his wand twitched where he pointed it over her shoulder at Sirius. "Go into the office."
"No," she said, stamping her foot and folding her arms.
"I don't have patients for a tantrum."
"Go, Sirius," Marlene ordered, looking to her shoulder.
"Are you –?"
"Yes," she snapped in reassurance. She scoffed then, lunging at Marc who made a motion to hex Sirius as they'd known his back had turned. Her hands caught around his wand, jerking it down while his eyes stared in fury down at her. "How old are you again?" Marlene snapped while listening for Sirius' retreating footsteps, glad when she could no longer hear them.
"He watched me come out of that office, Marlene," Marc had never looked so out of his element. His usual calm, ever prevailing through his many stages of temper, was failing him in a show of drawn up shoulders, shaking with hostility.
"Calm down," she said. Marlene winced as he caught the upper of her arm in a vice grip.
"You promised me –"
"I know!" She winced. "You're hurting me, Marc," she said frantically.
Marc's eyes rounded, but the anger did not leave them as his grip loosened. He took a deep breath and with some restored calm, he stated, "I'm taking you home for the evening."
"I – I can't," Marlene stammered, thinking suddenly of Gourn.
"Why not?"
She swallowed hard. "I have detention."
"For the love of Merlin," he jerked her into the office. "With whom?" he asked, tossing powder into the fire.
"Gourn," Marlene muttered, avoiding his glare.
"Go on and I'll have a word with her."
"Marc –"
"You can sit in Father's office."
It hadn't taken long for Marc to work things out with her Professor. He came directly through the floo behind her. As far as Marlene knew, only a few people were allowed to use the one in her father's study. Her shoulders drew up as she prepared for shouting. She wasn't sure why, Marc had only shouted at her once or twice. One time had been when she'd hid herself for hours when she was smaller. He had been beside himself with panic when he'd found her. Now he just seemed beside himself as he paced the length of the office, blue eyes glassy as he tried to work out his anger. Normally he'd ordered her away for this part, and she found it was much more unnerving to watch then to be aware of.
When he sat down behind her father's desk, looking much older in his rage, she prepared herself for her father's anger. Marc's hands, balled up fists, came together while he cracked his knuckles. He pressed his laced fingers to his forehead as he muttered something under his breath, possibly a prayer. When his blue eyes appeared again, it was without their anger, a guarded look she didn't dare test.
"I should bring you home," he paused waiting for her usual interjection. When she lowered her head he spoke in a lower tone, "I'm not sure what to do, Marlene. I have no idea what I can do. Father will have different ideas, and as Max wrote him directly, I'm sure you'll hear of them when he arrives home shortly."
Marlene stared at her lap, trying to work out how long she could remain stoically quiet. Marc seemed to be wondering too, because he pressed on without abandon, "I cannot put into words these feelings – your insolence." Marc inhaled sharply; she looked up to catch his blue eyes, his lips thinned, his shoulders shaking with his exhale. "You will not see him again." Marlene bit on her tongue as Marc considered her. "You will come home on weekends. You will not play in the Final. You will be home for Easter break. You will not ride the Hogwarts express home at the end of the year –"
"It's my last time –"
"I wouldn't interrupt me," Marc said shortly. He paused and Marlene remained quite as he continued, "You will not see your friends in the summer, and you will not be allowed to fly."
"I'm of age," Marlene pointed out. When Marc continued to stare at her, she asked bitterly, "until when then?"
"Father can decide," Marc answered. The hallow in his cheeks jumped as he gritted his teeth and then swallowed. "You lied to me again, Marlene."
"I was going to tell you -"
"You wouldn't have told me anything – you would have asked me," he said flatly. "And I would have said no one hundred times over."
"He's nice to me –"
"He's nice to everyone, Marlene. I'm sure he's a great kid, but not a teenage boy. Sirius Black had a reputation by his third year of school. He's been playing this game for four years. He looked me in the eye before he purposefully disrespected me, and it wasn't the first time. Had you not warned him away at the solstice he would have done the same then," Marc said. His voice raised a fraction every sentence he spoke. It imprinted on her that memory; Marlene remembered the night of solstice, and she remembered Sirius glancing over her shoulder. "I try to treat you fairly, Marlene, in everything, but I have to take into account that you are a teenage girl. You think you've got a great idea at what you're doing and how to take care of yourself, but you're naivety, not unheard of for a woman your age, is misleading you. This fairytale dream you've got in mind - it isn't real, not especially where Sirius Black is involved."
"I haven't got any fairy tale dream in mind," Marlene snapped, unable to hold her tongue any longer. It felt like she'd jumped back into her own skin. "I know who he is, Marc. I know what he's done. He isn't a monster. I'm not naïve; I hardly expect much out of him. He is my friend, rather you choose to believe that or not, and you're supposed to be my brother. You're supposed to let me make my own mistakes and trust that I know what I'm doing with my life."
"I don't trust you," Marc said flatly. The lamp flickered on the desk. Marlene glanced at it as Marc continued with ferocity she'd never known. "Not for all the galleons in the world do I trust you." Marlene winced as Marc finished angrily, "you aren't my Marlene; this isn't my baby sister making all of these unintelligent decisions. She would have known better then to waste good time on a boy she's deemed expectedly below her standards. In fact, the Marlene I know wouldn't even consider wasting time on a relationship where it would disrupt a familial one. Someone so proud and determined would not go out of their way time and time again to test something they knew would only bring a poor reflection upon their self. You could not stand to fail before, Marlene. Now you care for nothing except being deliberate in breaking the rules or in failing yourself and others. I don't trust you, because I don't know who you are anymore."
The fire flared behind her while her eyes burned. Marc stood up immediately from the desk, blue eyes hardened as she knew they met her father's. Marlene bit down her cry of surprise as she was jerked upward from her chair. Marc moved around the other side the desk as he father dragged her behind it. Marlene glanced at Marc fearfully, but he only watched on as her father drew first a tattered slipper from his desk drawer.
"Father, I'm too old-," she tried to say.
As a free spirited child she'd been slapped with it several times. Several aching bottoms and knees later, she breathed relieved as he dropped it. He jerked her a little roughly as he bent low again, obviously in search of something else. Marlene's eyes rounded as he pulled out the wooden paddle he'd used only a handful of times between her four brothers.
"Father," Marc said hesitantly.
"Leave us," he said darkly.
Marc wouldn't leave, so her father continued on anyway. Marlene fought against him at first, shouting about her age, but he wouldn't have it. She miserably allowed for the punishment in the end. She knew he wouldn't stop until she cried, but she refused the needles in her eyes. Hatred swallowed her whole as he released her. She staggered, shoving at Marc when he held out his hands. It wasn't enough for him to paddle her sore, but then he had to shout as well. Marc hovered near her chair as she collapsed into, hardly listening to whatever her father was saying. With blisters blossoming beneath her skirt and panties, she walked crookedly from his office to the fire in the living area; she ignored Marc's sympathetic statements.
Embarrassed, pained, and hurting from Marc's lecture, she spun around into the grate and out of the one in Gryffindor common room. Remus and Peter sat on opposite sides of it, Remus helped her up holding her for a moment while her knees shook and she managed to balance.
"Are you okay?" Lily asked, standing up from the arm chair Sirius usually took over.
Her friends were all sitting around with breathless looks, as if they'd just been laughing and had seen a ghost. Sirius considered her from where he straddled a chair, tipped forward onto two legs. He dropped with a distracting crack, breaking the spell and creating a lapse in the noise of the common room for a moment. As conversation flared up around the room, Marlene sighed and let go of Remus, pressing her hands over her skirt and smoothing it against her backside.
"We're about to have a drink, do you want to join us?" Alice asked, folding her legs beneath herself.
The common room was thinning out with curfew so close. Marlene eyed the sofa, thinking of only laying down with her aching bottom. Emmeline and Verity took up half of it. She sat on her hip next to Verity, resting her head in Verity's lap and curling her knees into her chest as the girl allowed for it. She stroked Marlene's hair as James reached over the side of his chair, drawing several bottles of beer and to pass around the circle. Marlene caught Sirius' eye as he leaned over the back of his chair to grab his own. His eyes considered her in an apologetic way. Marlene pressed away a beer as it was offered to her; Lily did as well.
"Come on Evans, you need to loosen up," Sirius said, lowering his drink.
"I don't have to do anything I don't want to," Lily said, folding her arms.
"Leave her alone, Padfoot," James said to Lily's small smile.
"You're not having one either," Sirius said disbelievingly as James settled into his chair, beer free.
"I have Head Boy duties tonight," James shrugged. Lily ducked her head, something working across her features that Marlene could not read.
Alice stretched out across the rug, legs crossed as she lay on her back. She pulled out a roll of something that was suspiciously more alike to what they'd smoked the other night and nothing resembling a cigarette. Noticing Marlene's curiosity, Alice exhaled from a long drag, sat up, and handed it to her. Marlene's fingers paused as Lily objected.
"You shouldn't be smoking that in here, Alice, or ever, really."
"Let's go up to the dorm then," Sirius supplied, "Remus made us clean up this morning, so it's rather cleaner than normal in there." Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Where are you going?" Max of course had been watching her. She'd caught his eye when she'd come from the fire but had quickly looked away.
"I'm too tired to fight with you," Marlene said as Max blocked her path. Everyone else apart from Sirius and Remus had gone up.
Max's eyes flickered to Sirius', "If you go up there –"
"I don't care anymore," she said truthfully, a reckless sort of hopelessness taking over her. She ordered, "Move."
"I won't let you."
"Get out of the way," Sirius said darkly, stepping beside Marlene.
Max drew up his full height, taller than Sirius now. "Get away from my sister."
"Listen, kid-" Sirius edged between Marlene and Max, forcing Max up a stair. "We're together now, so the way I see it, I'll do whatever Marlene wants me to do. She wants to be around friends, so she's going to be. Move before I make you."
"Padfoot," Remus said quietly from behind them.
Max glowered at Sirius then aside him at Marlene. Her head bowed, he snapped, "haven't you gotten into enough trouble, Marlene?"
She held her breath, and then met his glare with a deep breath. "Oh fuck off," Marlene said sourly. She sidestepped Sirius and shoved past Max, lingering a step above him as he caught her arm and she spun around. Rage bubbled out of her mouth and burned through her warning, "You're two years younger than me, don't think you've got any right to treat me like you're my father."
"You're making a mistake."
"Good, now let go of me so I can do it properly."
Sirius smirked as Max obliged. Remus and Sirius moved past him, Remus ducking his head apologetically.
In the Marauder's dorm their friends had settled into a circle in its center. Verity was taking a hit when Marlene stopped beside her, hesitant to sit down. Sirius seemed to understand what was going on. He caught her wrist and loosely pulled her to their toilet. They fit tightly into the space as Sirius reached into the bag stowed beneath the sink.
"Did you get the paddle?" Sirius asked quietly.
Marlene just met Sirius' eyes from where he'd knelt. He tugged out a canister and handed it out to her. She took it with both hands, watching Sirius as he stood. Feeling completely amiss herself, she leaned into him, resting her forehead beneath his chin. She was glad when he reciprocated with a loose hug, her hands and the canister folding against him. She could have been mad at him for allowing her to kiss him earlier or even for furthering the whole thing. Instead she was relieved to have just one person on her side. It was a stubborn sort of relief, because she knew it wouldn't last. Sirius would grow tired of comforting her, she felt increasingly needy of him. To have never relied on anyone apart from herself before, and then to suddenly have something, someone holding her - Marlene exhaled. She would risk being paddled again and again.
