Quick AN: Are you guys liking this Sirius/Marlene

As the seventh year Gryffindors made their way down to their next class, it was awkward. The usual seven friends had no split into two groups of three and four. Three girls; Marlene, Jane and Lily walking in front of the four boys; Peter, Remus, James and Sirius. They were divided enough to have separate conversations, but the other group would hear every word of the conversation.

You could see how this made things awkward.

"So er, Jane." Lily started. The four boys tried to make conversation to show that they weren't hanging on to every word of the girl's conversation, but it didn't really work.

"Remus," James started.

"Did you give in your two pages of parchment on Hinkypunks?" Lily asked.

"Have you finished that Charms essay yet?" James asked Remus.

"No, I'm still working on it." Remus and Jane said at the exact same time. Jane looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. Remus winked back, fighting a grin.

Sirius felt a cool sensation pierce through his chest at their display of care, and he looked instantly over to Marlene. She was walking with her head down, every so often looking up to smile at her friends.

He saw through every one of those fake smiles. He knew what she was doing, because he was doing the exact same thing. They both didn't want their friends to know they were down, so they hid it behind a smile, showing them that nothing was wrong when in reality, everything was wrong.

"So James," Sirius started loudly. Lily looked back at Sirius strangely, and Sirius smiled confidently back. Lily rolled her eyes. "Who's coming over this year for Christmas?"

James frowned. "Er, the usual crowd I think. Obviously you guys, right?" He turned to Peter and Remus.

Remus nodded but Peter sighed. "Mum says I can't. Last Christmas before I'm a legal adult, I think she thinks I'll skive off when she doesn't have full custody over me." He frowned and shrugged. "But I might be able to come for a day or two."

James frowned sympathetically, then straightened up. He smiled.

"Hey Lil," He called. She turned around, looking like she was trying to seem like she hadn't heard what they were already talking about. "Wanna come over to my house for Christmas?" He asked. She smiled.

"I would love to." She looked at Jane and Marlene and then frowned. "But… I promised Jane and Marlene I would spend it with them."

"So you ladies are invited too!" James said, ignoring the violent headshakes Sirius was giving him. "The more the merrier!" He grinned.

As the three girls continued walking down to D.A.D.A, Sirius hauled his friends over to the side of the corridors. He waited until the girls were out of earshot, then widened his eyes.

"Prongs! What the hell?" He hissed.

"What? I want Lily to come!" James said back.

"But I don't want Marlene to come! That's going to be so awkward!"

James considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But I can't just un-invite her now. Why don't you just try to patch things up with her?"

Sirius looked like he was about to say something, then closed his mouth. He thought about it. "Well… I suppose I can try. Highly unlikely though, don't you think?"

"No. Not highly unlikely. Bloody highly unlikely." Remus said. Sirius fixed him with a look. "What? I didn't want you to get your hopes up!" Remus said defensively.

"Well I don't think it's that unlikely. I mean, you guys became best friends in days! Remember? Right after that Quidditch match in September, you two always hung out!" Peter said.

"Yeah, but she didn't think of me as a dirty cheater back then."

At this, James and Peter raised their eyebrows at him. Sirius sighed. "Prongs, I promised you I'd tell you about it later. You too Wormtail."

They nodded, but there was now a thick layer of discomfort in the air. Nobody seemed to want to break it.

"Oh for the love of Merlin! Fine! You want to know what really happened?" Sirius exclaimed. James nodded, as did Peter.

"I've heard it all, so I'll go to D.A.D.A. You guys can copy off me later." Remus sighed, and continued walking down the hall, slightly faster now because he was late. Sirius pulled his friends into the first empty classroom he could find, and they all sat down at the desks.

James looked around, and was hit with a wave of nostalgia.

"Whoa. This was where we saved Lily from the Boggart." James said quietly. Sirius did a double take, and realized James was right. Sirius and James stood there for a moment in silence, reminiscing on September. Peter sat quietly, letting them ponder their thoughts in silence.

"Can you believe that was only three months ago?" Sirius murmured. James shook his head in disbelief. He felt so much… older now. Like he had matured greatly in the three months that he had been a seventh year.

"Padfoot. Why did you do this?" James finally asked.

"I don't know. But it was the biggest mistake I've ever made. I felt a jolt of… I don't even know what when I say Brittany that night in the halls. She flirted with me, and the rest just came without thinking about it. I literally was not thinking, and now I'm paying for it." He sighed. "She'll never forgive me. I don't blame her."

"Who's Brittany?" Peter asked.

"I don't know." He said, then smacked his hand on a desk, making his friends jump in surprise. "Damnit! You see? I'm a bloody, conceited bastard! Look at me! She was just a random slag looking for a snog, and I gave in to her! I didn't even know the damn girl!"

"I thought you loved Marlene." James said seriously.

"I did. I do still now, and I probably always will. She was a perfect girl… And I lost her." He shut his eyes.

"Well, have you apologized?" Peter said. Sirius thought for a moment.

"You've got to be bloody joking! You want her to forgive you, and you haven't even apologized?" James exclaimed. Sirius looked at the cupboard and shook his head.

"You git! Go apologize!" Peter shouted at him laughing, awe-struck at his friend's stupidity. And everyone said he was the dumbest Marauder.

"Well, it's not like I've really seen her much since it happened! The first time I saw her since it happened was this morning, and she wouldn't even make eye contact with me! How am I supposed to apologize to her?" Sirius said, frustrated.

"'Hey Marlene, can I talk to you for a second?'" James said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not that hard."

"Oh right, so that's why you apologized to Lilyafter her coma?" Sirius said sarcastically. James froze, and turned to look at Sirius slowly. Sirius knew he had hit a nerve, but he wasn't taking it back.

"I did." James said quietly.

"Yeah, after she did! And then you still didn't say it to her face! You wrote it in… oh my Merlin that's genius!"

James and Peter looked at each other, then to their best friend curiously. James understood before Peter.

"Oh no. No, no, no, no-"

"Prongs, we made the notebooks together! They're just as much yours as mine!"

James sighed. He opened up his book bag and shoved the notebook at Sirius.

"Fine. Whatever. Just let Lily know it's you before you say anything else."

Sirius promised he would, and then took out a quill. He sat at one of the deserted desks, opened the notebook to a random page, and began writing.

Lily, it's Sirius. Pass the notebook to Marlene.

Marlene jumped as words started writing by themselves on Lily's notebook. She tilted the notebook towards it—Lily wasn't using it anyways, she always just kept it on her desk in case James wanted to talk—and read.

Her eyes widened, then narrowed.

She doesn't want to say anything to you Black. She wrote, pretending she was Lily. She wondered what Sirius might say about her if he didn't know it was she he was talking to. Marlene looked at Lily; good she was paying attention to the lesson.

She waited.

Black? Is that what I am to you now?

She rolled her eyes, ready to write, then something else came on her notebook.

I thought we were more than that Marlene.

She actually had to read what he wrote twice. How in the hell did he know…?

You think after 3 months of being friends I wouldn't know your handwriting?

We were more than just friends. She wrote stiffly.

Marlene, I'm sorry. I know you're probably thinking 'Wow Sirius is such a coward to have to say sorry over notes' but I couldn't think of any other way. I didn't want anyone else to be there, and you wouldn't even talk to me anyways. So I'm sorry.

She stared at that page long and hard.

You're still a coward. She wrote stubbornly.

I'm glad you haven't changed. He wrote. She could practically hear him chuckling.

What, you thought I would? You thought you were such a big impact on my life that this whole thing would've changed me completely? Please.

She was aware she was being a bit rude, but she didn't care.

Marlene… can you meet me? In the Room, tonight? Please?

Her lips tightened and she took a deep breath through her nose. She exhaled slowly, then wrote.

I'm not promising you anything, but I'll see. She wrote, then closed the book quickly, not wanting to read his reply. Mostly, because she had to calm herself from saying 'Yes!' because in all honesty, she really did want to see him. A lot.

And that's when she realized it.

I'm still in love with Sirius Black.

AN: wait, what? :$ Hehe get used to everyday updates again! Please review and tell me what you're thinking about how this is all going, because it lets me know you're all enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing this! And don't worry, James and Lil parts are not gone, they are still here. In my mind they would all just be a little off about their best friends fighting, don't you think? ;) Thanks for reading and review it if you care :*

-Taylor :)