Marlene McKinnon had caught the attention of rebellious Sirius Black during their fifth year of Hogwarts. The two Gryffindors couldn't be more different and yet every time Sirius saw Marlene in the corridors or the classrooms, he could not get himself to tear his eyes from the beautiful blonde.
Sirius sighed dreamingly as he remembered the first time the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, caught his attention.
He had his arm draped around James's shoulder lazily as they were walking to the courtyard after Professor Slughorn's class.
James frozen, his eyes fixed in a distance, making Sirius follow his gaze. It took only a second for Sirius to realise that his best friend was looking at a certain redhead, whom his best friend called the love of his life.
"Go, talk to her," Sirius pushed James lightly, making James stumble forward.
James confidently walked over to Lily who was talking to her roommates.
As James began running his fingers through his hair, Sirius rolled his eyes.
The conversation – like always was one sided, with James making some joke and Lily shooting him a disgusted glare before she walked away with her friend.
"Hello Evans," Sirius smirked as Lily walked past him quickly.
"Sod off Black," Lily mumbled, making Sirius snort.
With a thud something hit Sirius's foot and he immediately looked down, it was a black leather bound notebook.
He reached down and picked it before another hand reached down for it. As soon as he looked up and caught the eyes of the owner of the notebook, his breath was caught in his throat.
Sirius hadn't realised that it was the sound of his own heart beating in his head. It shouldn't be beating as fast as it did, as if it was doing a tango. He wanted to place a hand over it to calm it down.But he remained glued to the ground.
A pair of big ocean blue eyes met his own grey orbs. The beautiful blonde straightened up before Sirius and bit her lower lip nervously.
Sirius could not tear his eyes from her's and it was only when she looked away that he realised he must be making her uncomfortable. Without a word, Sirius extended the notebook towards her.
"Thank you," Marlene let out a sigh of relief, taking the notebook from Sirius. She walked to her friends who were waiting for her just a few steps away.
She knew Sirius was watching her. She didn't understand why she turned around to look at him! She looked over her shoulder as she walked away with her friends.
Her long curls were softly lifted by the wind as she looked behind and met Sirius's eyes once again. She was looking from under her lashes and quickly dropped her gaze. It wouldn't have been more than a second or two but for Sirius, it will always be engraved in his mind. He didn't understand why but it felt good.
They never had any chance to interact. Even though Sirius's best friend was always around Marlene's best friend. Sirius was contended with just looking at Marlene from afar and kept mum about how she made him feel. He did not even share the feelings with his best friends. Partly because he did not understand how to describe it.
Sirius would always look out for Marlene, especially with things going around at Hogwarts for Muggle borns and Half bloods. Marlene being the latter was also someone who was often picked on, adding to that her easily trusting and docile nature, she was often silently saved by Sirius.
Using nonverbal spells, Sirius would frequently help Marlene out when a bunch of wannabe death eaters tried to harm her.
Later he would return the favour with pranks with the rest of the Marauders. Of course, no one had any idea that the reason why Marlene was always saved was because of Sirius who was quite literally her guardian angel.
Sirius wanted to tell his best friends about Marlene and what he felt for her but not in the way it came out.
Sirius was unable to look out for Marlene due to their exams. With him spending most of the time in his dorm room with the other three boys. It made him uneasy but what could he do? Marlene was spending all her time in her dorm studying too.
"I am hungry," Sirius whined during one of their late-night study sessions.
"Go, find something to eat in the kitchen," Remus mumbled without looking up from the book he was reading.
Sirius shut the book with a loud thud and rolled over to get out of the bed. "Prongs?" Sirius looked over at his usual partner-in-crime.
"Just take the cloak and map," James was scribbling something on a parchment and pointed towards the cloak resting on the edge of his bed.
"For Merlin's sake, I'll have to find new friends," Sirius rolled his eyes, picking up the cloak and the map from his best friend's bed. He looked at Peter, but he was already asleep, making Sirius sigh loudly.
As Sirius was coming back from the kitchen, he heard muffled noises from the corridor on the left that led to the Slytherin dorms. At first, he thought of to go check what the noise was. But when he almost dropped the food he was carrying, he paused and rushed back to his dorm, dismissing it as maybe a couple snogging.
"Can I have some?" James made his way to Sirius's bed.
Sirius had spread out the snacks he had raided from the kitchen. He slapped away James's hand and making him wince in pain.
James's brows creased at the center as he shot a glare in Sirius's direction.
"No, you did not accompany to the kitchen, I am not sharing," Sirius huffed.
"Padfoot, just give some to Prongs," Remus at last looked up from his book.
"No," Sirius scooped up the snacks he had bought. He placed them on his lap, admiring them as if those were his first born.
"You know what," he started when he saw James's frown, "you can have whatever you want," he offered his best friend everything. After all, Sirius loved James like his younger brother and could not see James frowning.
"I heard something in the corridor leading to the Slytherin dorms," Sirius told James and Remus as the three of them sat on Sirius's bed sharing late night snacks.
"What did you hear?" Remus asked, taking a bite of his cake.
"Sounded like a couple snogging," Sirius narrowed his eyes, trying to remember the noises. "But I am not sure."
"Didn't you see?" James asked him.
"I do have some class Prongs, I don't enjoy watching couples snog," Sirius rolled his eyes.
"But you just said you aren't sure," Remus pointed out, taking another bite of the cake.
As much as Sirius hated to admit it, he was uneasy because he didn't know what was going on and he could not shake off the feeling.
The next morning on Sunday, what Sirius feared came true.
When the Marauders made way to the great hall for breakfast, both James and Sirius were upset to find that Lily, Marlene, Mary and Alice were all missing.
"Why isn't Evans here?" James was more vocal about his disappointment. As he kept scanning the Great Hall.
Sirius could just sigh and try to keep the uneasy feeling in his stomach to himself.
Soon after breakfast a bunch of whispers started spreading across Hogwarts. No one was being vocal about it. Probably because for most students it was just a rumour and nothing was confirmed yet.
When the name Lily Evans came up, James decided to find out what the whispers were about at once.
"What are you talking about?" James stopped a second year Gryffindor when he heard Lily's name again. The poor lad looked petrified as James towered over him.
"No – nothing, just a – rumour," he stammered.
"And what is this rumour?" James bent down to look at the student at an eye level, placing his hand on his shoulder.
"Students are saying – that – that – a Slytherin students harassed two female Gryffindor students last night."
The Marauders exchanged quick glances before Remus stepped in.
"Who was harassed?" he asked, his voice was more calm and collected.
Sirius could see James clenching his jaw as he turned away from the second-year student. Sirius placed an assuring hand on James's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.
"I swear to Merlin, if he had touched one hair on Evans's head – I will end him," James spoke from between his teeth as he closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath.
"And I will help you," Sirius assured James.
"Gryffindor Prefect, Lily Evans's roommates," the student confirmed, as he shrunk back.
Sirius's eyes were as wide as they could stretch. His mind stuttered for a moment and he felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach.
"Which roommates?" he asked as calmly as he could. 'Not Marlene!' Sirius repeatedly chanted in his head. His clenched fists were shaking.
"Mary MacDonald was the main target. And Marlene McKinnon was harmed when she tried to save her friend – that is what everyone is saying," the second-year student stumbled over his words before rushing off.
Sirius could feel his nails digging in his palm, gritted teeth from an effort to remain as quiet as possible. And even though his face remained expressionless, his eyes were burning with rage. The noises he had heard were of Marlene and her friend getting hurt. If he had just stepped in then!
While his friends talked amongst themselves, he excused himself without saying a word. He could hear them calling out for him in what seemed like a distant background but he did not bother to turn around and respond.
Finding an easy Slytherin target, Sirius found out that it had been Mulciber who had indeed harmed Marlene and Mary last night. He held the third-year student by his collar and dragged him to the Slytherin dormitories. Forcing him to say the password to get access to where Mulciber hiding.
"Do you think you will come out of here unharmed?" the third-year student looked at Sirius.
"Shut that hole in your face and say the password already," hissed Sirius. He tightened his grip around the boy's neck and forced the boy to look at the entrance.
The entrance to the common room was located behind a bare stretch of stone wall in the dungeons of Hogwarts Castle. As soon as the third-year student spoke the password the entrance opened. Sirius shoved the third-year student to one side as he darted down the stone steps to find himself standing in the room he had often heard about at a place he once called home.
He let out a humourless chuckle. 'I never imagined I would be standing here one day,' he thought to himself. The few Slytherin students sitting on the carved chairs got up, gasping at the sight of a Gryffindor standing in their common room.
"Where is Mulciber?" Sirius asked no one in particular. He was fuming with rage when all that the students did was move to one side of the common room and looked at Sirius as if he was a lunatic. "Mulciber!" yelled Sirius. "Come out you Knob head!" he yelled, louder this time.
He turned his head to the right when he heard footsteps approaching him. Sirius grew angrier when he saw Mulciber and the stupid smirk tugging on his ugly face.
"Come here you twat!" Sirius spat as motioned Mulciber with his index finger to come closer.
"You are just as stupid as you look Black," Mulciber pulled out his wand as he walked closer to Sirius.
Without any warning, Sirius landed a strong punch on Mulciber's nose, making Mulciber's eyes water.
Mulciber held his nose, dropping the wand on the floor.
Anger boiled in Sirius's system as hot as lava. It was hungry for destruction and it was too much for Sirius to handle.
Sirius held Mulciber by his collar and slammed his fist into his face until he saw blood pooling in Mulciber's mouth. His knuckles too were stained with blood. He did not know whose blood it was, Mulciber or his own?
Mulciber was on the ground, struggling under Sirius's grip. But he managed to land one punch on his face. Bruising Sirius's left cheekbone, where it stung.
"Is that all you got Black?" Mulciber smirked, "Are you here because of those girls?" he continued speaking. "Is it the black haired one? Or the blonde? They had it coming and you will get what you deserve too."
"Let's see how much can you talk with a broken jaw," said Sirius from between his teeth. He was about to slam his fist to Mulciber's jaw as Mulciber covered his face. But was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Sirius!" Regulus's voice made Sirius turned around. Regulus's gaze was filled with disgust, not for Mulciber but for his own brother.
"Get out," Regulus said in a low threatening voice, pulling out his wand.
Sirius was on his feet at once. Hecould feel a lump forming at the back of his throat as he watched his brother avert his eyes that once looked up to him.
Did he consider Sirius less human? Did he stop loving his brother? Sirius wanted to reach out to his brother. But when he looked at Sirius with the same burning, hateful gaze as their mother, Sirius walked out without looking back as everyone made way for him to get out.
Sirius wiped the back of his hand on his trouser and scrutinized the bruises and cuts on his knuckles.
He wasn't watching where he was going, too preoccupied by the thoughts of Regulus and what he was going to tell his friends. He jumped back as he turned around the corridor and almost collided into someone.
Marlene's eyes widened as she looked at the large bruise on Sirius's cheekbone and the blood on his white shirt.
"Are you okay?" breathed Sirius, his eyes now filled with warmth. He studied her face with a small smile tugging on his lips.
"What happened to you?" asked Marlene, as her brows creased. She caught Sirius shoving his hands in the pockets of his trouser.
"Nothing, are you okay?" Sirius repeated his question, as he shook his head.
Little did Marlene know that the grey eyes that watched her closely, even when she did not know, were softened only after they found her. And though right now he was hurting, it was long forgotten as his heart pounded against his chest and his mouth went dry.
Marlene looked from under her lashes as she tucked a lock behind her ear, she had absolutely no idea what effect she had on Sirius.
A/N: Hey Readers,
I wrote this story as a sort of one shot, but I am open to making it into a whole novel if the story line interests anyone, do let me know. I hope you enjoy reading this. Leave your reviews and don't forget to hit the follow and favourite button.
Thanks!
-JT