"Marlene," Sirius's eyes looked at her up and down and hurriedly pulled her inside, "What are you doing here?"
He shut the door, and turned towards Marlene who was still shivering like a dry leaf hanging for its dear life on a branch.
"All your clothes are wet," Sirius frowned, his brows knitted together. He tucked his index finger under her chin and lifted her face to meet her eyes when she stayed silent for uncomfortably long.
"Come with me, I will get you a pair of dry clothes, is that alright?" he asked, and Marlene nodded, still shivering just as violently.
Sirius led her up the narrow wooden staircase, and opened one of the two doors on the first floor of the small cottage. The bedroom was dimly lit and warm. The wooden furniture and cosy blanket looked inviting. Sirius opened the closet door and looked at Marlene from over his shoulder.
She had still not spoken a word, and it bothered him. But he decided to let her change into something warm, make her a cup of tea before asking her any more questions.
"Take anything from here – anything – warm," he paused in front of her and when she nodded, he walked towards the bedroom door, "I'll make you a cup of tea."
Shutting the door behind himself, he jogged down the staircase, but froze in an instant. The sudden realisation that his girlfriend was upstairs, for the first time the two of them alone, made his head spin. Clearing his throat, Sirius tried to keep his train of thoughts straight. He took a deep breath and walked to the kitchen.
Just as the tea was ready, Sirius heard a shuffle of footsteps in the living room. He stuck his head out of the kitchen and his eyes widened to the size of a saucer when he saw Marlene in his oversized jumper that covered her hands till her fingertips and a pair of pyjama trousers that she had folded to prevent herself from falling, she was barefoot and still shivering. The teapot whistle made Sirius jump, and he immediately turned his attention back to the tea.
Taking two mugs filled with tea to the living room, he placed them on the wooden table near the couch. "Come sit down, I will get a blanket," he looked at Marlene.
As Marlene made her way to the couch, Sirius dashed upstairs to his bedroom. He picked up the white knit wool blanket lying on his bed and bought it closer to his face to sniff. It smelt alright to him, so he gathered it in his arms in a swift motion and walked back downstairs.
From the looks of it, Marlene hadn't even touched the tea. "I made that for you to drink," Sirius dumped the blanket on the long couch where Marlene was sitting. Pulling the longer end behind Marlene, he covered her with the warm blanket and laid the rest on her feet to warm her up. "You must be freezing," Sirius sighed, wrapping the blanket closer to her tiny body.
He picked up one cup and handed it to Marlene. "Drink," he said in a stern voice, looking into her eyes, before turning towards the fireplace. He pulled out his wand from the pocket of his trouser and with a simple non-verbal spell started the fire.
Keeping the wand on the table, he picked up the mug and sat down besides Marlene. His eyes studying the way fire danced on her sombre expressions. "You haven't spoken a word since you came here, say something love," he pleaded in a whisper.
"I am sorry," Marlene choked out, and averted her eyes to the mug in her hands. Sirius could see the tears rolling down her white cheeks that have lost their colour in the harsh cold.
He extended his free hand and with his index finger wiped her tears away. Scooting closer to her, he spoke softly, "Why?"
"My parents humiliated you," her voice was wobbly and it made Sirius's heart clench.
A frown formed on his lips, "No, like I told you before, they have their suspicions because of the war," he told her. "Drink," he flicked his head in the direction of the tea. Both Marlene and Sirius took a sip at the same time, it warmed their bodies immediately.
"But – there is no excuse for their behaviour, it was terrible, I am sorry," Marlene spoke in a low voice. She finally looked at Sirius, and he gave her a tight smile.
"It's alright, I assure you, they will understand I am not like my family and I am not the wrong choice for you," Sirius assured her.
"I don't care," Marlene spoke from between her teeth, taking another sip.
"Do they know you are here?" Sirius asked her, taking another sip himself.
"Of course, I ran away, where else would I go?" Marlene questioned back, and Sirius's eyes grew twice their size.
"Ran away?" he asked, he frozen in his place, unable to process what she had said.
"Don't worry, I won't stay here for long, I will go to Lily's or Alice's," Marlene replied to him.
"No!" he exclaimed, "Staying is not the problem, why would you run away?" he asked.
"I needed my space, and I needed to apologize to you," Marlene answered, she couldn't stop herself from taking another sip of the warm tea.
"You don't have to apologize to me, and if you needed space, you could've gone to your bedroom?" Sirius raised his brows and shrugged.
"I also had to know – if you were going to go – away," Marlene stammered, shaking her head lightly.
"What? From you?" Sirius chuckle; he was surprised, "Do you not understand yet what effect you have on me?" he asked her.
"But – what they said, surely it could've changed your feelings," Marlene's voice was barely a whisper. When she looked up again, the fire melted in her blue eyes, and it made Sirius's heart skip a beat.
"For what words are worth, I promise you, my feelings for you will never change," his heart was already in his mouth.
"Even after what my parents said?" Marlene asked, taking the last sip of her tea and keeping the empty mug on the table.
"Never."
"That's a relief then, because if they had, I wouldn't know what to do," Marlene chuckled, looking away, and Sirius wanted to ask her to look at him again.
"That's one thing you'd never have to worry about," Sirius managed to choke out. He placed his mug on the table and his hands immediately cupped Marlene's cheeks.
She gasped, and their eyes met, Sirius's heart melted as drew small circled on her cheek, "I love you," he told her earnestly.
Marlene moved in closer, the blanket dropped from her shoulders and her hands held Sirius's wrists. "I love you too," she spoke in an urgency, and Sirius felt his heart swell with love and without wasting a second, they pressed their lips together and closed their eyes, savouring the moment.
Sirius felt Marlene's body loosen under his touch and move closer to him. He wrapped his right hand around her waist and pulled her onto his lap in an effortless manner. When they pulled apart, they rested their foreheads against each other, their breaths ragged and eyes still closed.
Marlene lifted her head first, and pulled back a little to look at Sirius's face. They stare deep into each other's eyes, both full of excitement and love. It only took them a moment before they pull each other back into a fiery and passionate kiss.
Marlene's hands work their way around his body, tracing each line of his perfect physique and it sent an excited shiver down Sirius's spine. His left hand still cupped her cheek and his right hand pulled her closer, until there wasn't any more space left between them.
"We should stop now," he spoke between his laboured breath, the excitement growing in the pit of his stomach with every passing second.
"No," Marlene whispered in his ear, leaving butterfly kisses down his jawline.
Sirius's hands tighten around her waist, feeling the curves under his touch, he barely had enough self-control to hold himself back before; now it was taking more self-control than what he knew he possessed.
"No," a small moan escaped from between his lips as Marlene's lips worked their way on his neck, "we ought to stop now."
"Why?" Marlene asked, looking at him. His brows were furrowed together and his eyes closed. Resting her hands on his shoulders, she waited for him to respond.
He opened his eyes slowly and spoke, "You know there is no one else in this house, right? What do you think would happen if this goes on?"
"Whatever we want," she replied nonchalantly.
"And you'll be okay with that?" Sirius's eyes stretched as wide as they could, and Marlene had to hold back a chuckle.
"Yes, wouldn't you be?" she asked, hoping she wasn't rushing him into anything he didn't want to happen.
"You're asking the wrong question love, I – don't want you to feel –" Sirius trailed off.
"No, I am not," Marlene assured him with a smile. Her heart sped up once again when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss, it was slower and more delicate, until the passion returned and their hands traced each other's form.
They had no idea how, but they made their way to the bedroom on the first floor. It was colder than the drawing room, but neither of them could care less. Lying on the bed, Sirius watched as Marlene's hands unbuttoned his shirt in an urgency.
For a moment, he forgot why he had always kept his torso hidden, even from his friends, but watching Marlene's lips turn in a frown when her eyes landed on his scars; Sirius had abruptly tucked at his shirt, to cover his torso.
"Wait," Marlene held his hands in their place. Her eyes travelled over his scars and landed on his distressed face. Leaning over, she pressed a loving kiss on his lips, until his hands relaxed.
"Do they hurt?" she asked, putting her hand on his bare chest, her eyes never leaving his eyes.
"No," he whispered, he was curious why she didn't find him disgusting. "Don't they bother you?"
"Only how you got them," Marlene replied, pushing Sirius's hair away from his face.
Sirius couldn't understand what he was feeling – it was overwhelming – in a good way, and he could feel a lump forming at the back of his throat. It often kept him up, what everyone who saw his scars thought of them, but Marlene didn't seem to care one bit.
Sirius's hands lingered on the hem of the jumper Marlene was wearing. "Are you sure?" he whispered.
"You might have the patience of a monk, I don't," Marlene replied, rolling her eyes and it made Sirius chuckle.
Did an hour pass or two? Neither of them seemed to care as they laid comfortably under the warm blanket in each other's embrace. It had to be the most contented they had ever been. Their legs intertwined and Marlene's arm dangled over Sirius's stomach, his hand wrapped around her shoulder.
"Sirius?" Marlene said, looking up from under her lashes, Sirius replied with a hum.
Turning on her stomach, she held herself up with the support of her elbows, getting a better view of Sirius's face. Sirius groaned at the sudden loss of warmth.
"Can I ask you something?" she asked, hoping for a yes.
"Sure," he looked at her curiously.
"How did you get these scars?" she inquired, and Sirius immediately got tensed. Marlene wondered if she had been too straightforward.
"My parents gave them to me – but mostly just my mother," Sirius replied hesitantly.
Marlene's brows creased together and her nose scrunched up, her heart dropped to her stomach. "Why?" she asked before she could stop herself.
"If I ever did something that didn't please them – and I think you've noticed, I tend to do a lot of things that don't please people –" Sirius chuckled, "I got punished, sometimes it was a painful hex that didn't leave a scar, other times, I would earn one of these," he pointed towards his torso.
"That's horrible!" Marlene exclaimed; a frown settled on her face.
"I never thought it was wrong, after all my parents told me that's how every rebellious kid got punished, but during the summer holidays before 2nd year, I went over to James's and I saw how his family was, and that's when I started questioning the actions of my parents," Sirius confessed, his eyes looking at Marlene but his mind was clearly miles away.
"Is that why you left home?" Marlene mumbled; her fingertips brushed on Sirius's palm.
"Yes, and I got these as a punishment," Sirius pointed towards three scars on his stomach.
"This is deranging!" Marlene felt the anger boiling in the pit of her stomach. How could a parent do that to their child? Her heart broke to think what horrors had Sirius endured in his house? And even though he was out of there now, those horrors still continue, when people treat him differently for being a part of his family.
"That was my family," Sirius replied nonchalantly.
He turned to his side, and pushed Marlene's hair behind her ear. Studying her angry features carefully, he smiled. "Now I want to ask you something," he said, pulling her closer, to make her lay on her back.
"What?" Marlene questioned, scooting closer to Sirius, allowing him to wrap his hands around her tiny body, as she put her head against his chest.
"Would you like to come with me to visit my parents?" Marlene jerked her head back at the question. Her brows furrowed together as she gave Sirius 'Are you joking?' look.
"What?" Sirius asked, he grinned.
"Why would we go there?" Marlene questioned back, was this some joke to Sirius?
"No – not them," Sirius laughed, "I consider Mr and Mrs Potter my parents, and mum – Mrs Potter truly wants to meet you," Sirius told her.
Marlene let out a sigh of relief, and it made Sirius laugh louder.
"Of course, I would love to meet them," Marlene grinned, nothing would make her happier than to meet the people who gave Sirius shelter and love when he needed it the most.
"I'll be going there tomorrow morning and stay over for a few days, you can think and let me know when do you want to come over for a visit," Sirius told her.
"Can I come with you tomorrow?" Marlene mumbled; she didn't want to go home, not yet.
"But tomorrow is Christmas, and your family would miss you," Sirius replied, pushing out his lower lip in a small pout.
"Would it be inconvenient for Mr and Mrs Potter – and of course for James?" Marlene asked.
"No, they would be thrilled!" Sirius exclaimed.
"Then, I want to come with you tomorrow," Marlene looked at Sirius with her big doe eyes.
"What about Christmas with your family?" Sirius asked, he didn't want them to worry about their daughter and he especially didn't like how Marlene ran away.
"I'll go back afterwards – if they wanted me to stay, they shouldn't have done what they did," Marlene answered in a stern voice.
"Like I said, they are worried about your safety," Sirius replied in a matter-of-fact voice.
"It was still unacceptable," Marlene shook her head.
"Alright, I will write Mum a letter, let her know you are coming over tomorrow with me," Sirius placed a kiss on Marlene's forehead, and reluctantly got out of the bed. Picking up the trousers lying on the floor near the foot of the bed, he pulled them up and walked over to the little table near the window.
Marlene covered her bare self with the blanket and sat up in the bed. "Is there a phone in this house?" she asked him, she didn't want to show up on her friends' doorstep unannounced like she did with Sirius.
"No, why?" Sirius asked absentmindedly, as he began writing on the parchment in his messy handwriting.
"I wanted to ask Lily or Mary if I could come over for the night," Marlene answered, playing with one end of the blanket.
Sirius turned his head sharply, "Why would you go to Evans's or Mary's house?" he asked.
"I am not going home," Marlene huffed, shaking her head.
"I never said anything about going home," Sirius put the quill back and walked over to Marlene, standing on the foot of the bed.
Marlene blinked rapidly, and then it hit her and the thought immediately made her blush a bright shade of red. "I don't want to be an inconvenience to you."
"You aren't, I would be happy with some company – especially yours," Sirius grinned mischievously, as he climbed the bed on all fours, stopping a few inches away from Marlene. "Unless you are scared, I'd be indecent," he jested.
Marlene snorted, raising her eyebrows, she spoke, "Oh, I don't think you can be more indecent than you already are."
"Is that so?" Sirius wrapped his arm around Marlene's waist and pulled her down, under himself.
"I meant – more than you had been a few minutes ago," Marlene giggled, making Sirius laugh.
"Stay over – if you aren't going home," Sirius pleaded, placing a soft kiss on Marlene's cheek.
"Okay, but you better send that letter," she jerked her head in the direction of the desk.
Sirius straightened up, walking back to the desk to pick up the letter. "I'll send this and make us some dinner," he said.
"Let me come help you," Marlene threw away the blanket, preparing to get out of the bed. She couldn't let Sirius cook dinner, while she remained in bed.
"If you actually want us to eat, please put on some clothes," Sirius said, eyeing Marlene up and down.
It made heat raise up to her whole face, throwing a pillow at Sirius, she exclaimed, "Sirius!"
"What? I am merely pointing out that you look incredibly beautiful and it is hard to resist you," Sirius defended himself, catching the pillow before it hit him.
"Cover your eyes and leave, I'll be there in a few minutes," Marlene pulled the blanket back, covering herself.
"I don't think it's any good covering now," Sirius jested, putting the pillow back on bed.
"I swear to Merlin!" Marlene tried to keep the shy smile away but failed miserably.
"Fine, I am leaving," Sirius assured her, opening the bedroom door and stepping out.
Once he had sent the owl to the Potters, Sirius made his way to the kitchen. The house was dimly lit but warm. He turned on the radio to play some music, while he pulled out vegetables and chicken from the refrigerator.
Hearing Marlene's footsteps in the living room, he stood in the doorway of the kitchen.
"Love?" he spoke, and Marlene looked at him curiously. "Can you bring my wand? It's on the coffee table."
Marlene quickly walked to the coffee table and picked up the wand, bringing it to Sirius. She handed it to him and he smiled before saying, "Thank you."
A few non-verbal spells, and the cutlery and dishes started dancing around the kitchen with vegetables and meat. The food was preparing itself and Marlene watched in an awe how effortlessly Sirius managed to do it, all the while humming the song on the radio.
Putting the wand in the pocket of his trouser, Sirius took Marlene's hand and pulled her closer, wrapping one arm around her waist and putting her hand on his shoulder, the two swayed to the rhythm of the music in the kitchen, filling it with their happy giggles.
The small dining table had two candles lit, and a single red rose placed in the centre in a clear vase, the dishes placed themselves neatly. Sirius turned off the lights and turned towards Marlene.
"I've hardly taken you out on dates, and never on a dinner date, so please consider this one," he spoke, pulling out the chair for her.
Marlene grinned, sitting on the chair he pulled out for her. "This is beautiful," she replied, watching Sirius take his seat in front of her.
Much to Marlene's disappointment, Sirius had prepared the second bedroom for her to sleep in for her comfort. She watched the ceiling, lying in the bed alone and huffed loudly. It wasn't like Sirius and she couldn't share a bed, why did he had to be such a gentleman all the time?
Getting up from the bed, she walked out of the room and opened the door of Sirius's bedroom, peeping inside. "Sirius are you asleep?" she whispered.
"No, what happened?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows.
Marlene quietly made her way inside, shutting the door behind herself and getting under the blanket beside Sirius, as he watched her in amusement.
"I don't want to sleep there alone," she mumbled.
The moonlight in the room, made it easier for her to see Sirius's face, who was chuckling, as he laid back down.
"I thought I should let you have your space and privacy," he said, opening his arms for Marlene, who gladly scooted closer.
"I don't want any of those things," she placed her head on his chest, draping her arm over his stomach and inhaling his calming scent as she closed her eyes, listening to the loud thumping of his heart.
"Alright then – Good night love," Sirius placed a light kiss on the crown of her head.
"Good night," Marlene replied, her eyelids already getting heavier.