Summary: Andrew Knight knew that things were going to change his Sixth Year at Hogwarts. With his friends and the Marauders on his side, he knew it would be full of fun adventures and even some romance along the way. However, it seems a darker path was awaiting them as they reached their Seventh Year . . .

Pairing: Sirius Black/Male OC

Changes to Character(s): N/A

Spoilers To: Harry Potter

Type of Story: Chapter-Filled

Book(s)/Movie(s) Belongs To: JK Rowling

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A/N: Hey, everyone! Sorry for the delayed chapter! Unfortunately, work had taken a lot from me last week, and I didn't have a lot of energy to write. It was also my birthday last Saturday! I'm a year older, and my back knows it. I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Andrew's first thought when meeting Marlene was that she was beautiful.

Their first real encounter was many years ago, and the second-year Veela had been reading a book under a tree located near the Black Lake. James had run off with the rest of the Marauders to prank some innocent students earlier that afternoon, leaving him alone in the process.

At the time, the Ravenclaw struggled to make many friends—being too shy to speak outside of class group activities—and preferred to stay with what was familiar. James was the only person he ever felt comfortable talking to, and without him, he was stuck filling his days reading books and studying.

However, the troublemaker found others like him and naturally joined them in their adventures.

Andrew set the book down, not truly interested in its contents.

The boy stared out at the lake where a group of his fellow students had gathered to play in its dark waters. He noticed two familiar figures laughing among them: Lily Evans and Dorcas Meadowes. They were splashing water at each other without a care in the world, taking full advantage of the sunny day.

Andrew wished he had the confidence to talk to them. The few times he had spoken to Lily were in class, and he had seen Dorcas spending her time in the common room—occasionally telling him jokes while he did his schoolwork. They were great people to be around, and he genuinely enjoyed their company.

Unfortunately, his shyness was too much for him.

He sighed. Where's James?

Before he considered doing anything else, a dark shape began to overshadow him as someone approached him from behind, their shadow growing smaller and smaller, until it stopped. He turned around to see a young girl with blonde, braided hair staring back at him. For a moment, he felt mesmerized by her light, green eyes.

It was Marlene McKinnon.

He had heard a lot about the Gryffindor witch.

Everyone said she was a sweet and kind girl. Their professors would say that her potential was always present, believing she would grow in any field or job involved with the Ministry, in every aspect of her schoolwork; however, they would also say it was wasted on her passion for art.

The Gryffindor's creative outlet was always vibrant and ever present. She could be seen drawing on any scrap of paper she could put her hands on—creating masterpieces every time she did. Sometimes, she would do them in the middle of class, much to her educator's disbelief.

She was the golden girl.

Perfect, pure, and pristine.

That was until you inquired into her daily activities.

Although she may look innocent, Marlene had been rumored to have helped the Marauders carry out their various pranks. It was even said that she had convinced Filch to release them from detention. However, her greatest achievement was winning a duel against two seventh year students—shocking everyone in the process.

He must've been staring for a good minute because the young Gryffindor cleared her throat before she spoke, a slight playfulness in her tone.

"Hello, creeper."

The Veela stuttered. "I-I wasn't—"

"I'm just kidding," she said, laughing at his reaction. She sat down next to him and grabbed the thick book from his lap. "What's this?"

"It's just my divination book," he answered. He became nervous when she began to flip through the pages, seeing the scribbles he wrote on its edges. "It's nothing."

"Who does schoolwork on a Saturday?"

He shifted uncomfortably, pulling at some grass. "Me, I guess."

"You're James' friend, right?" she asked, stopping to inspect one of his awful drawings. She pursed her lips at it. "Where is he at?"

That was the question wasn't it.

He looked across the field and hoped to see the Gryffindor running towards him. James told the Veela he wouldn't be long and that he would meet him right here. It's already been thirty minutes since the stated time, and it made the boy nervous.

It was a consequence of the Ravenclaw's move from the English neighborhood—James' sudden closeness with his fellow pranksters. Drew's father oversaw their house's finances, his job as a dragonologist paid enough for them to afford its monthly rent, but his death had left them behind with only so much. After grueling months of living off scraps, they had to leave their home and their small cottage all together.

They were lucky his grand-mère had enough empathy to let them use one of their old family homes, her grudge on his father seeming to dissipate at the time of his death. Having no other choice, they accepted the offer and moved in as quickly as they could. The summer had been a hassle as they tried to settle in, finding ways to support themselves, and handle a new dynamic between the two.

He barely had time to send a letter to his best friend that summer.

"He'll be here soon," Andrew muttered.

Marlene looked up from the book and must've seen the unsure look on his face because she made a sound of contemplation. After some consideration, she stood up and stretched her hand out. "Come join us. I don't think Lily and Dorcas would mind."

"I really shou—"

"Come on," the fiery girl said, giving him a light kick. "We are losing sunlight, and I need a tan. Plus, I doubt Potter would miss a chance to be with Lily."

She motioned with her hand once more.

"I don't really need a tan," he muttered, gesturing at his bronze skin. However, with some reluctance, he took her hand and pulled himself up. "I'll stay at the water's edge. Just until he gets here."

Arriving an hour after he said he would, James received a scolding from the blonde that day.

Their first interaction returned to him as he watched now sixteen-year-old Marlene enter the kitchen, her beige skin appearing warmer with her gown.

Her dress was a dusty lavender—the chiffon material wrapping around her body in a complementing manner, tying itself around her waist. The frock's loose, short sleeves waving around in the air as she approached them

She stopped, looking around at the different events going on at the moment, before setting her sights on Dorcas—who was cleaned up and dressed in a sleek, black suit with a white button-down shirt.

The Ravenclaw girl wasn't normally one for dressing up, preferring casual clothing more, but she insisted on borrowing Andrew's suit for the occasion. She tugged at her tie as she waited for the McKinnon girl to speak.

"Dory?" Marlene asked again, surprise in her voice. "What's going on?"

Dorcas stayed silent, slowly inspecting her. Her eyes darkened as she took in the curves and edges that made up the Gryffindor. She cleared her throat before gesturing at the table. "Hey, uh, would you like to take a seat?"

One of the five tables had been set by Remus, decorated with a white linen cloth with a lit candle on its center. The enchanted wax gave off a sweet scent of roses, an inconspicuous method to relax everyone. Two golden plates were placed in front of one another with empty wine glasses standing next to them.

Lily glared at Sirius as brought out a glass bottle from the cool box, smirking at her as he did. Dorcas had told Andrew that the Gryffindor prefect had made it clear there shouldn't be any alcohol involved with the dinner, wanting to have an innocent night.

Sirius, however, didn't seem to care for her wrath.

The Gryffindor Beater chuckled. "Had to spice up the night."

"Ladies," Peter said, signaling them to the table. He guided the girls to their seats, each looking nervous as they settled themselves.

Three of the boys gathered in the kitchen and collected some of the appetizers that were prepped before they arrived. Andrew moved around the kitchen and began to plate the main courses, handing them to James once he finished. The Gryffindor Chaser winked at him as he spun around and set the dishes on a nearby stand.

At the main table, Marlene leaned in to get a closer look at the shortbread in front of her. "Are those pecans?"

"Yes?" Dorcas said, confused at the question. "D-do you not like pecans?"

"I'm actually allergic," McKinnon answered, a regretful smile on her face. "I don't think I ever mentioned it. I appreciate the thought though."

Lily gave Remus a nudge, indicating him to take away the plate. Remus rushed to the table, apologizing before he grabbed the plate. Rapidly, Andrew accepted the dish and prepared a new plate—strawberries covered in cheesecake with a blueberry top—to swap it with.

The Veela looked up, seeing Dorcas' hand shaking slightly as she grabbed the small fruit, and wished he could send her some encouragement.

He had never seen her this nervous. She had always been confident in her actions, no matter how embarrassed she may feel afterwards.

You can do this, Dorc.

"Dorcas," Marlene began as Sirius poured some wine into their glasses, "as sweet as it is, what's all this about?"

"I wanted to do something nice for us," Meadowes said, taking a nervous sip from her glass. "I can't afford anything fancy, but I thought it would be great if I made you something."

"And everyone was in on it?"

"I didn't think I could do it on my own."

The blonde nodded. "That would explain why my clothes transfigured into this dress when I put them on. You always had trouble with transfiguration spells. I'm guessing the Peeves part was also planned?"

"No! I mean—yes. The itching bomb wasn't supposed to happen. You were just meant to change before you got here."

"I'm not mad," the other girl assured her. "It was sudden is all, and I actually like midi dresses."

Lily spoke up, noticing that Dorcas needed a second to recollect. "They'll turn back in a couple of hours!"

With the help of the Marauders, Andrew began to carry plates of food from the stand to the main table—nearly burning himself in the process. Lily brought out a vinyl player the boys had hid earlier in the day from one of the cabinets and played Dorcas' selected song.

After dimming the lights, the candles in the table's center were the only thing left to illuminate the large room. Dorcas seemed to relax as Celestina Warbeck's song "You Charmed the Heart Right Out of Me" filled the air.

Marlene peered at the dishes in front of her, smiling as she realized what they were.

"Mince and tatties," she inspected, looking curiously at the Ravenclaw girl, "rumbledethumps, clapshots, and . . . Did you murder someone? My mother gave me this whenever she had something big to tell me."

Dorcas chuckled nervously. "I do have news."

"Okay."

"I-I—" Meadowes stuttered. She took a deep breath before looking into the other girl's eyes. "I like you."

"I would be afraid if you didn't," Marls joked, crossing her arms nervously. "All those wasted time in closets for nothing."

"Yeah," Dorcas chuckled, timidly. "You know I've never been good with relationships. I was either too much, or I gave too little. I worried whenever I should've been proud. My past relationships weren't perfect. It was hard to ever be myself around anyone I've been with—"

Marlene sat back, worry on her face. "Are you wanting to end this?"

"No!" the Ravenclaw exclaimed, grabbing the girl's hands. "That is the opposite of what I want. I want to make this official. Marlene, you make me happy. You give me a fresh breath of air. You make me want to wake up in the morning and see the sunrise. I never wanted anything more than this. Marls, would you like to be my girlfriend?"

Before they could even blink, Marlene had stood up and tugged at the front of Dorcas' shirt—kissing her over the candle flames. Without hesitation, Dorcas placed her hands around the Gryffindor's face as if she was trying to bring them closer.

For a moment, they remained like that—a modern day fairytale. A picture-perfect moment that you would only see raving in the newspapers.

Peter cleared his throat; most likely afraid they would continue further.

The girls separated at the noise, but their faces remained close regardless. They let out a little laugh before looking at each other once more.

"I think that answers your question, mo chridhe," Marlene uttered, pulling away. She looked around the room and gave them a smile. "I appreciate the work you all put into this. It's great, and the food smells delicious. However, I have you to ask you all to leave the room. Dorcas and I need some time together."

The group laughed and began to make their way towards the door, making suggestive jokes as they did. Andrew was about to pass James when he spoke—stopping the Ravenclaw boy in his path.

The Veela gave him a questioning look.

"Are you sure, Marls?" James asked the couple mischievously. He wrapped his arms around the Veela and placed his chin on top of his head. "Drew and I were thinking about doing a double date."

"James," Knight hissed, looking behind him.

A sinking feeling went through him as a current of thoughts flurried through his mind. Sirius had an impassive look on his face as James snuggled closer to the Veela—making Andrew recall his earlier thought.

You fancy him.

Stop it.

He looked away from the Gryffindor Beater, hoping it would make the butterflies in his stomach still. He tried to place his mind back into his conversation with James. He glanced back up and saw Dorcas and Marlene rolling their eyes.

It's their day. Concentrate on them.

"Come on, Harpy," the Gryffindor Chaser said, trying to urge him to join in with his teasing. "You know you can't resist me."

Reluctantly, Andrew turned around and enclosed his arms around his neck. The boy was going to owe him for this. "We shouldn't, Jamie. They clearly want some alone time. We can have our own fun in your dorm room."

Marlene laughed. "It seems lover boy has moved on, Lils."

"Good," Lily answered, smiling at the scene. She seemed at ease, probably appreciating Potter's decision for the romantic partner role. It was the first time he hadn't chosen her. "I always thought these two would always make a cute couple."

"Nah."

Everyone turned around to look at Sirius.

He had already opened the door leading back out into the school's halls. The Beater leaned against the door frame, smirking at them as he did. Andrew saw that his tie was already undone and his evening shirt was slightly unbuttoned to reveal his collarbone, making him unusually attractive. "Harpy can do a lot better than Prongs."

James scoffed. "Who would be better than me, Padfoot?"

"A shelliferous drogodflikerous."

"Those tiny things?"

"They're a lot bigger than your—"

"Okay!" the Veela interrupted the boy's innuendo. Andrew slipped away from Potter's arms and motioned for everyone to head to the door. "Okay, everyone, we must go. Dorc and Marls need to meet their daily snogging quota."

Dorcas groaned. "I hate you all!"

The group chuckled as they trickled out of the room.

As Andrew began to go through the door, he felt someone touch his arm. He jumped at the unexpected contact and turned around to see Sirius beside him. The Gryffindor had a look on his face, like he wanted to tell him something.

The Veela waited, but the boy didn't give any signs of continuing.

The Ravenclaw inspected his face for a clue, wanting to know what the matter was. Sirius appeared to be distracted—his eyes looking away to avoid any direct contact. His breathing was slow yet ragged as he tried to form words with only bits of breath to fill their space. His grip seemed to tighten around Andrew's arm, making the Ravenclaw feel uncomfortable.

Sirius was nervous.

No.

He was afraid . . . but of what?

Andrew decided to break the silence, pulling at the boy's hand as he did. "Sir? Are you okay?"

"Of course," the Black boy said as he shook his head. "Nevermind. I'll see you in the morning."

Andrew watched as he walked down the passageway and climbed up the stairway. A weird feeling entered his heart for what felt like the millionth time that day as the last of the boy disappeared.