Sirius's grin turned into a frown when he saw Robert King talking to Marlene with a smile. He could only see the back of Marlene's head. Putting the goblet of Firewhisky against his lips, he gulped it down at once, ignoring the burning sensation in his throat, his eyes never left Marlene.
"I am sorry," Marlene mumbled to King, she watched the way his eyes light up when he looked at her and she knew that look all too well.
"It's alright," King spoke in his posh accent with a smile. "Would you like some Firewhisky?" he continued; the smile never dropped from his face.
Marlene thought about it, "I've never had it before," she replied earnestly.
"There is always a first for everything, that is if you want to try it?" King asked her again.
Her friends were busy, she was alone, what harm would one goblet of Firewhisky do? She nodded with a smile. "Please wait here," the tall boy grinned, walking past Marlene, whose eyes followed him.
Sirius watched Robert King make his way to him, and he tore his gaze from Marlene, sinking back in the couch where he was sitting. The smile from his face was gone when Robert came to stand in front of him.
"Black, can I have two more goblets of that please?" he asked; Sirius looked up to him irritably. 'Please?' Sirius scoffed, rolling his eyes. He stood up, "She is underage," he spoke from between his teeth before he could stop himself.
"Most students here are, so are you," King pointed out and Sirius wanted to hit him square in the face for making a valid point. Reluctantly, Sirius poured King two goblets of Firewhisky.
"Thank you," King smiled, picking up the goblets, he walked away. Sirius sneered and sat back down on the couch, sinking in further. He couldn't help but look at Marlene once again.
When Marlene took her first sip of Firewhisky, Sirius watched her face twist in disgust. He immediately chuckled, shaking his head. Of course, it must have been the first time she drank it.
"You don't like it?" he heard King ask her, taking the goblet from her hand. She shook her head, letting him take the goblet from her.
"It tastes horrible! Why would someone drink it?" her face was still twisted in disgust.
"Should I get you something to eat then?" King asked, but Marlene shook her head.
Marlene could feel Sirius's eyes on her back and she wondered why he was looking at her? It wasn't like she had rejected him; it was quite the opposite. Also, she could enjoy whoever's company she wanted to enjoy, he hadn't come up to talk to her even when they were in the same room, he just sat surrounded by Gryffindor students, passing around Firewhisky.
"I've noticed you a lot in common room and the Great Hall," King spoke again, drawing Marlene's attention towards him.
"Oh?" she mumbled, unsure of what to say. She knew where this conversation was headed.
"I never had the chance to talk to you," he continued, shaking his head as he smiled. Marlene looked down at her feet, she still didn't know how to respond to the sudden turn of the conversation.
"I will get us something to eat," Marlene spoke after a long pause. She finally looked up to find a confused Robert looking at her. "Is there something specific you would like?" she continued.
"I can get it for us," King offered quickly.
"You got us the drinks, I will get snacks," Marlene shrugged.
"Anything will do," King told her and she immediately turned around, making her way to the rear end of the common room where Peter was handing out snacks as he sat down with a few of his friends including Remus.
"Marlene," he greeted her with a shy smile, and Marlene smiled back, turning her gaze to the snacks in front of her.
"Can I have these?" Marlene pointed towards the Liquorice wands, earning a nod from Peter, she picked up a packet of Liquorice wands and mumbled a quick "Thank you."
She turned around to walk back to King. Her eyes searched for King in the crowd where she had left him but when a certain black-haired boy came into her view, she jumped back. Her heart almost skipped out of her ribcage, and her hands clutched the Liquorice wands tightly.
"Sirius!" she exclaimed, and her heart started slowing down.
"Hello," a mischievous smile crept on his lips, and stupidly enough it made Marlene's heart skip a beat. 'Get a grip!' Marlene thought.
"Hello," she mumbled, looking up at him from under her lashes.
"Didn't you like the Firewhisky?" he asked her curiously.
"Were you watching me?" she questioned back, raising her eyebrows.
"I suppose," Sirius nodded. She already knew that, but then why did butterflies suddenly emerged in her stomach at the confirmation. He held her gaze intently, his grey orbs were intimidating even if his eyes were smiling and Marlene couldn't get herself to look away.
"Robert is waiting for me," Marlene suddenly spoke, realising their surroundings.
"King likes you," Sirius whispered, and was that jealousy in his tone that Marlene sensed? It couldn't be.
"I know," Marlene wasn't an idiot, she knew when a boy developed a crush on her, especially someone as obvious as Robert King.
"You do?" Sirius asked in disbelief.
"Why are we having this conversation?" Marlene crossed her hands in front of her chest, her brows knitted together.
"I don't know that, but I don't want you to go back to King," Sirius didn't know if it was the liquor courage or if he had lost his mind.
"That isn't for you to decide," Marlene told him firmly.
"Marlene –" Sirius started, but Marlene didn't let him complete.
"Are you going to explain what happened at the Sundial garden?" she asked, shifting her weight from one foot to another.
Sirius was tongue-tied. He couldn't possibly explain how disappointed and disgusted he was with himself. She deserved so much better than him.
"Or why you never came around after that?" Marlene's voice was still firm but wobbly. Did she want him to come back? But he couldn't, his brother had told him that Voldemort's supporters were watching Marlene and Sirius would only draw attention towards her.
"Then there is no conversation left," Marlene felt her heart drop to her stomach at Sirius's silence. She walked past him; their shoulders brushed lightly against each other but she didn't turn around to look at him.
"Sorry it took me so long," Marlene apologized to King who was patiently waiting for Marlene where she had left him.
"Not at all," he smiled back at her.
"Do you like these?" She offered him the snacks she had bought.
"They are my new favourite now," King grinned, making Marlene chuckle.
Sirius pushed his hair behind his ear and turned to look at Marlene who was smiling with King. Apparently, he was funny enough to make her laugh. 'Good' he thought, 'She deserves someone like him, uncomplicated, who can make her smile.'
He stood in a corner alone, as far away as he could from Marlene but yet his eyes kept travelling back to her. She and King were talking and laughing together and Sirius's stomach was in knots. His grim expressions were noted by James as soon as James looked at him and following his eyes, he understood the reason why.
"Evans I will be back, will you wait for me?" he asked Lily, the two were enjoying each other's silent company. He dearly hoped that she would say yes, because even if they sat in silence, he was comfortable and happy.
Lily nodded, making James grin, "I will be back in a minute," he told her.
Getting up from the staircase where they were sitting, he walked up to his best friend and put his hand on Sirius's shoulder.
"Everything okay Padfoot?" James asked him.
"Yes, I am tired, I am going to bed," Sirius sighed, straightening up from the wall he had stumbled against.
"Padfoot –" James stopped Sirius, holding his forearm in a tight grasp.
"Go back to Evans you git," Sirius grinned, but James knew it wasn't a genuine smile. Slipping from between James's fingertips, Sirius made his way up the staircase of the boy's dormitory.
Sirius climbed in his bed in the dark, but he couldn't bring himself to close his eyes. It shouldn't bother him if Marlene was talking to another boy who evidently had a crush on her. First, it wasn't like she and Sirius were dating and second, she deserved to be happy. But it bothered Sirius! He sprang up and sat straight in his bed. He had a sudden urge to walk downstairs and punch King, ask her to stay away from Marlene.
'Stop thinking about her!' he warned himself. But the more he tried to get her out of his mind, the more she crept into his mind.
'Since when have you become so selfless? You were a selfish moron,' he asked himself. Deserve? What does that even mean? How did he conclude he didn't deserve Marlene?
'You know damn well why she is better off without you,' he concluded, lying down in his bed once again. Throwing a pillow down angrily, he turned on his stomach and pressed his face in the pillow. The lump returned to the back of his throat and he let out a muffled scream.
Marlene laid in her bed awake as well, a tornado in her mind. She knew she had to be understanding of Sirius's situation. Why didn't she kept her mouth shut? There was no need to ask any questions! She didn't even want to think if the rumours were true, if that is why he was staying away from her.
But then he should stay away! He was confusing, and yet every time they stood in the same room, all her thoughts were occupied by him and her eyes searched for him.
It was a long night for both the Gryffindors and the next morning they woke up feeling no better than last night. There were no classes, the big feast would be at night. Surely, the common room and whole Hogwarts would be decorated keeping the Hallowe'en spirit in mind.
"I am not hungry," Marlene told her friends, when they tried to drag her out for breakfast. Both Sirius and Robert will be in the Great hall and she didn't want to talk to either.
"Get out of bed Marlene," Lily pulled her out of the bed; groaning loudly, Marlene stumbled out of bed. There was no point fighting her friends, she knew they would take her for breakfast one way or another.
"What happened with Robert King last night?" Mary asked, when they were heading downstairs for breakfast.
"I bumped into him accidentally and we talked," Marlene replied nonchalantly.
"He likes you," Mary said the obvious.
"And I don't," Marlene shrugged.
"Padfoot it is an obvious you like her!" James cried, Sirius refused to get out of his bed and when James asked if it was because of Marlene and Robert, he sunk further in his bed.
"I don't like her," Sirius lied.
"Fine, you love her," Remus stood at the foot of Sirius's bed, his hands crossed in front of his chest.
"I don't – love her," Sirius mumbled, covering half his face with the blanket.
"Then why is it bothering you?" James asked, as if it was the most obvious question in the world.
"It's not bothering me," Sirius lied again.
"Do you think we are blind? You are refusing to eat; you are the first one to get up and today even Wormtail woke up before you," Remus pulled the blanket off Sirius's face.
"She likes you; you like her, I don't see the problem?" Peter tried to get Sirius to sit up in his bed, and Sirius reluctantly did.
"She likes me?" Sirius's brows raised in surprise.
"Is he a moron?" Remus turned towards James, who nodded.
"You know everyone is saying you kissed her?" Peter asked Sirius.
"That is a lie," Sirius jerked his index finger at Peter before dropping his hand.
"What happened at the Sundial garden then?" Remus asked him.
Sirius sighed loudly, "Our lips – barely touched," he mumbled.
"He tells us nothing!" James exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "I am not telling him anything either – and when I get married Padfoot – I am not telling you!"
"Oi Prongs –" Sirius wanted to laugh at his best friend's childish meltdown, but he knew better.
"No Padfoot, you cannot even confess to your friends – your brothers – that you like a girl. You know what I did when I realised, I liked Lily? I told everyone in this room!" James looked incredibly hurt, as he turned away from Sirius.
Sirius got out of his bed and walked up to James. Turning him around by placing his hands on James's shoulders, he looked at James and took a deep breath. He could feel his heart pounding when he spoke those words out loud for the first time, "I like Marlene McKinnon."
James's frown turned into a grin, and he looked at Remus and Peter who were grinning as well. "Then what's the problem you prat?" James punched him in the stomach, making Sirius's hand drop from James's shoulders, as he hunched forward, taking a step back.
Straightening up, he answered, "Being a Black."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Remus asked, his brows furrowed together.
"I ran into Regulus after the Sundial incident, he told me that Marlene has a target on her back and if I get involved with her, I am drawing more attention towards her, I am one of the few blood traitors of my family after all," Sirius told his best friends.
"She is a half-blood, she will always have a target on her back, until the war ends. You are in the order; you will always have a target on your back too. What if tomorrow the war ends and you are both safe, but she is happy with Robert or someone else? Will that be okay with you?" Remus reasoned with Sirius.
"I am a pathetic human being as well," Sirius mumbled.
"You don't feel sorry for associating with us or are we pathetic too?" Remus asked sarcastically.
"You aren't a pathetic human being, who told you that?" Sirius knew James was ready to throw hands at anyone who made him feel like that; but no one made Sirius feel that way, he felt it because of his actions.
"You have one life Padfoot, don't waste it," Peter advised Sirius with a frown.
"Now that you have me out of bed, let's go for breakfast," Sirius replied after a long silence.
Marlene kept her eyes strictly on her food in front of her. She was going to eat it as fast as she could and head back to her room. Avoiding contact with both the boys would be best in her opinion. But her plan didn't go as she wanted when she looked up to respond to her friends and her eyes instantly met Robert's, who was already looking at her.
He smiled and waved at her; Marlene forced a smile too. Her eyes travelled further down the table and saw Sirius looking at the exchange between Robert and her, before he quickly averted his eyes and Marlene did the same.
She spent the whole day sitting in her bedroom, and by nightfall the weather had started to turn for the worse. She could hear the thunder outside the Gryffindor tower. "It's going to rain hard," Alice announced, closing the window of their room.
"I wanted to go out for a walk after dinner," Mary huffed.
"We can still go, if it doesn't rain," Lily assured her.
"Will you join us Marlene?" Mary asked, but Marlene shook her head.
"Not tonight," she gave them a small smile.
"Are you still trying to avoid Robert?" Alice sat on the window pane.
"I don't even know why I led him on last night, now it is just awkward," Marlene admitted. She knew exactly why she led that poor bloke on – because of Sirius Black.
"Just tell him that you don't have anything more than friendship on your mind," Lily told her.
"He'll be out of Hogwarts in a few more months," Mary nodded.
"Yes, and are you going to spend the whole year in this room to avoid him?" Lily asked.
"You're right," Marlene agreed. She can just tell him, if the topic arises.
The only problem was, that during the Hallowe'en feast, Robert didn't come up to talk to Marlene. He only smiled briefly when she caught his attention and went back to talking to his friends. But she would occasionally find him stealing glances of her.
"It's alright, he isn't the only one looking at you, don't feel uncomfortable," Mary assured her.
"What?" Marlene asked in disbelief.
"Black cannot keep his eyes to himself either," Mary grinned, looking behind Marlene.
Marlene slowly turned around to follow Mary's gaze and found Sirius turning away just as she looked at him. She could feel the tips of her ears getting hotter.
"Black likes you," Mary spoke in a matter-of-fact voice. A shy smile crept on Marlene's lips, but she tried to keep her face neutral.
"I don't think so," Marlene mumbled, shoving a bite of chicken in her mouth, she hung her head low.
The grand feast ended with students dispersing to their common rooms or going out for a walk since it hadn't rained yet.
"Are you coming Marlene?" Lily asked Marlene; Lily, Mary, Alice and Frank were going for a walk.
"No, I will go back to the dormitory," Marlene shook her head, earning a frown from her friends.
"C'mon!" Alice whined, making Marlene chuckle.
"Tomorrow, I promise, I feel tired today," Marlene promised her friends, sending them off for their walk as she made her way to her dormitory.
In hindsight, she should have joined her friends. Staying in the dormitory alone was a terrible idea. She was jittery and couldn't settle down. Her mind kept lingering on Sirius. She tried to read a book, but gave up in 30 seconds. She tried to fall asleep, but that didn't happen either. The thunder outside made her jump. She walked to the window and saw the sky pouring down angrily.
Her friends returned drenched and shivering from their walk. Marlene had already pulled out their towels and a pair of clothes to change, before their arrival.
"Thanks Marlene, you're the best," Alice took the towel Marlene was holding for her.
The girls changed into the dry clothes and got in their beds, their teeth chattering. Unfortunately for Marlene, her friends fell asleep a lot quicker than she had expected. She could not sleep with her mind running at the speed of a machine gun and the thunder outside made it even worse.
She made her way downstairs to the common room at around midnight, but it was dark and empty, except the fireplace that was still burning bright. She sat down on the couch in front of it. Wrapping her arms around herself, she watched the flames dance in the fireplace.
She was enjoying the solitude when a pair of footsteps bought her out of her trance. She looked to her right immediately and froze.
Sirius had stopped mid-step when he noticed Marlene sitting in front of the fireplace. He was too hyperactive to fall asleep, and thought a walk around the common room would help him calm down without disturbing his friends.
Marlene stood up from the couch and proceeded towards the staircase leading up to the girl's dormitories.
"You don't have to leave," the words left Sirius's mouth before he could stop himself. Marlene stopped at his words, turning around she stood frozen like him.
"We can both sit here quietly, I won't disturb you," Sirius added, taking a step towards the couch where Marlene was sitting a few moments ago.
Marlene didn't move even when Sirius sat down on the couch. Sirius almost thought she was going to walk back upstairs but to his surprise, she walked back to the couch and settled down as far away from Sirius as the couch could allow.
"I am only sitting here because, I can't sleep and any place else is cold," Marlene explained looking straight ahead, making Sirius smile to himself.
Marlene grew hyper-vigilant of her surroundings once again. The only sound in the room was the crackling of the firewood and the sound of their breathing. From the corner of her eyes she could see Sirius stealing glances of her face and though she tried to ignore it at first, she couldn't do it anymore!
"Why do you keep looking at me?" she turned towards Sirius.
"Because I enjoy looking at you," Sirius told her with a smile, mirroring her actions.
"Do you?" Marlene chuckled, rolling her eyes.
"Just like you look at me," Sirius added, tilting his head to one side.
"I – don't – I don't look at you!" Marlene stammered; it was a sorry attempt at defending herself.
"Then how do you know I keep looking at you?" Sirius asked her curiously, raising his eyebrows. They both now sat face to face, only a few inches away. Sirius was aware of the little distance between them and his heart was pounding because of that; but Marlene didn't seem to notice the distance. Sirius was grateful for her obliviousness, and even though he tried to keep his train of thoughts straight, his eyes travelled down to her lips.
Sirius noticed how Marlene's breath hitched when she caught Sirius's piercing gaze returning back to her eyes. The only sane thing right now would be to look away from Marlene, right? But Sirius could not look away! Marlene's lips parted slightly, and she moved in closer, mirroring Sirius's action.
The fingers of his right hand gently glided through her hair, tilting her head back, Sirius gained full access of her lips. When a small and teasing smile crept on Sirius's lips, Marlene could feel her cheeks burning up and she could feel the goosebumps lining her skin under his touch when his left hand snaked around her waist.
Their heart rates were through the roof, as Sirius pulled Marlene closer and her hands landed on his chest. This time, their lips didn't brush but instead devoured each other instantly. There was no holding back, and Sirius found his hand wrap tightly around Marlene's tiny waist.
They pull apart, taking shallow and shaky breaths, their foreheads pressed against each other's, eyes still closed.
"We shouldn't," Marlene whispered in a small voice, barely getting the words out of her mouth.
"You're right," Sirius agreed, but then why did their lips find each other again? For the sake of Merlin! Sirius couldn't fight the thoughts flooding his mind! Sirius wanted to pull away before he lost control, but he couldn't get himself to when her warm lips pressed against his. His right hand cupped her cheek, and he creased her skin softly. Marlene's hands caught Sirius's wrist and he could feel the excitement pooling in the pit of his stomach. Right then, his senses were seduced and he couldn't think straight.
They both pulled back at the same time, dropping their hands to their side and standing up. The pounding hearts, soft blush on their cheeks gave them away. Their breaths were still shaky, and it took every ounce of self control in Sirius to not kiss Marlene again right there and feel her skin against his.
"Good night," Marlene whispered, turning around and dashing up to the girl's dormitory before Sirius could even react, let alone follow her. He stood in the common room stunned and breathless.