Sirius's hand sprawled across the bed, and he woke up in an instant, with a feeling of dread looming over him, when he found the bed empty. The bed on the side where Marlene slept was unmade – the pillow had fallen on the floor, and the bedsheet hung loosely down the bed. The bedroom door was ajar, but the lights were still off. Something felt horribly wrong about the whole setting.
Sirius's hands found his wand from under the pillow and jumped out of the bed without wasting a second. "Marlene," his voice was nothing more than a whisper. He was greeted by silence.
Walking out of the bedroom, he was startled when the hallway looked an awful lot like 12 Grimmauld Place. Nonetheless, he continued towards the staircase, walking down in the dark.
"Marlene," he spoke again, but there was no response.
Just as he turned around to face the foyer, he froze. A pair of legs came into his view, but the body was hidden behind the corner.
He could feel his heart thumping loudly, and he took quick steps towards the body. He gasped when the familiar blue orbs greeted him, but the eyes that were once filled with life, were now lifeless.
Sirius woke up with a start and his hand immediately went under his pillow. He could feel his heart thumping in his head. Looking around the room, his eyes landed on Marlene's sleeping figure. He was already out of his mind, but he watched as Marlene's chest raised and fall evenly.
'She's not dead,' he told himself. Keeping the wand back under his pillow, he laid back down. Wrapping his arm around Marlene's waist, he pulled her closer and nuzzled his nose in the crook of her neck.
He looked at the clock on the wall, it was 4:45 a.m. already, he had to be up in 45 mins. Maybe it would be better if he got some sleep, but that was a humongous challenge in itself. No matter, if he was holding Marlene in his arms, he couldn't shake off the eerie feeling of the dream.
Sirius didn't know when he had fallen asleep, but the feeling of dread returned when he felt the loss of warmth from Marlene's body. His eyes flung open, and his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach, when her side of the bed was empty.
His mind was already working in overdrive. He pulled out his wand from under his pillow at once and darted out of the room. He couldn't breathe until he knew where she was.
"Marlene," he shouted, running down the staircase. He heard shuffle from the kitchen and then a head popped out from its doorway.
"I was thirsty, I came to get water, I hope that's okay?" Marlene walked out with a glass of water in her hand.
"Merlin!" Sirius whispered under his breath. Taking long strides, he covered the distance between Marlene and himself, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest.
"Are you okay?" Marlene asked, her voice soft. Sirius looked like he had seen a ghost.
"Yes – I am fine," he assured her, but didn't let her go.
"I didn't think I should wake you up – wait, why do you have your wand?" Marlene asked, feeling the wand against her back.
"I don't know, let me just hold you," Sirius replied, pulling her closer.
It wasn't like Marlene was complaining, she wrapped her free hand around his torso and rested her head on his chest; even though she was startled to hear his heart beating frantically, she didn't speak anything of it.
Marlene was thankful for the lipstick in the pocket of her blue dress. If she was going to meet Sirius's family, she wanted to look presentable. Sirius insisted that she didn't need any makeup but Marlene shooed him away.
Standing in the corner of his bedroom, Sirius watched as Marlene carefully put the lipstick on her lips in front of the vanity. A slight hint of amusement played on Sirius's face. When Marlene caught him looking at her through the mirror, he averted his eyes.
She turned around, a shy smile on her lips. "What?" she asked.
"Nothing," Sirius shook his head, still looking at his feet.
"Do I look okay?" she asked him, self-conscious all of a sudden.
"You're perfect," Sirius replied, walking up to Marlene, tucking his index finger under her chin, he raised her head to give her a peck on her lips.
"Let's go then, we don't want to be late," Marlene intertwined their fingers, and proceeded to pull him out of the bedroom.
"You don't have a coat," Sirius complained, looking at his closet, hoping to find something for her.
"I have a charm on my clothes, I am warm enough," Marlene assured him, walking out of the bedroom.
"Wait I want to show you something," Sirius said, with a grin. He had almost forgotten about it!
"What is it?" Marlene asked, her curious eyes looked at Sirius.
Sirius took her through the kitchen to the tiny garage, jumping excitedly like a child. When he turned on the lights, and stepped out of Marlene's vision, she gasped.
Standing in its full glory was a black motorcycle. It was huge!
"It is yours?" Marlene asked, walking towards the motorcycle.
"Yes, I built it during the summer holidays, mum was scared at first, but I reminded her it's as good as a broom, but I promised her I won't ride it until I turned 17," Sirius patted his motorcycle.
"You built it?" Marlene was astonished.
"Yes," Sirius seemed proud of himself, "Took me the whole summer holidays."
"Have you taken it out for a ride yet?" Marlene asked, curious if it worked.
"A few times, with James, Remus and Peter," Sirius nodded enthusiastically.
"Wow," Marlene breathed, "This looks – amazing – no that's an understatement," she looked at the motorcycle. "How did you make it?"
"There was no magic involved, I just did it all by myself," Sirius grinned, Marlene could see how happy he was. "Would you like to take a ride on it?"
"Can I?" Marlene's face lit up like a child on Christmas.
"Of course, once we come back," Sirius answered, nodding his head.
"Oh! We'll get late," Marlene said, remembering where they had to be. Taking Sirius's hand, she pulled him out of the garage, skipping about like a child. Watching her made Sirius's heart swell up in pride. Her eyes were gleaming with child-like innocence and Sirius wanted her to stay that way forever. He wanted everything good for Marlene, because someone like her deserved nothing but happiness.
Even though Sirius assured her that Marlene didn't have to get anything for the Potters, she insisted on at least getting flowers and cookies, since she couldn't go there empty handed.
"Do I look okay?" Marlene asked as a nervous habit for a millionth time, and it only made Sirius chuckle.
"You look perfect, are you nervous?" Sirius questioned back, raising his eyebrows.
"A little," Marlene admitted, nodding her head.
"Don't be," Sirius gave Marlene's hand a light squeeze as the door opened. They were greeted by a grinning James Potter, his hair sticking out everywhere.
"Happy Christmas!" James exclaimed, looking at Marlene first and then at Sirius.
"Happy Christmas," Marlene and Sirius replied in a unison, with the same enthusiasm.
"Mum! They are here!" James announced, turning towards the drawing room, as he left the door open for Marlene and Sirius. Sirius gestured Marlene to walk in first and she did. Sirius slowly shut the door behind them.
Marlene looked at the beautifully decorated foyer and it reminded her of her home. The wonderful scent of cookies filled the whole foyer, and she knew her house would smell the same right now. If only yesterday's meeting had been as she had imagined.
"Sirius!" Mrs Potter had opened her arms wide, as she walked out of the living room towards Sirius, James and Marlene.
Sirius quickly embraced her, smiling from ear to ear. "Merry Christmas mum," he wished her, as they both dropped their hands to their sides.
"Merry Christmas," Mrs Potter patted his shoulders before turning towards Marlene.
"Hello Mrs Potter, Merry Christmas" Marlene greeted her with a small smile, her nervousness masked her features.
"Oh! Merry Christmas dear, I've heard so much about you from Sirius, it's so wonderful to meet you!" Mrs Potter exclaimed, giving Marlene a warm hug and instantly her nervousness started to melt away as she let out a chuckle.
"The pleasure is mine," Marlene grinned, she had never thought getting approval from people that Sirius loved would mean as much to her, but it did. To her it felt like she had conquered the world.
"These are for you," she extended the bouquet and cookies towards Mrs Potter.
"You didn't have to," Mrs Potter's brows creased together, as she gave Marlene a warm smile.
"I wanted to," Marlene smiled back, as Mrs Potter took the bouquet and cookies from her hands.
"Thank you dear," the elderly woman replied with a grin.
A tall grey-haired man slowly made his way to the foyer. Marlene's eyes drifted towards Sirius, who quickly moved to embrace whom Marlene assumed was Mr Potter.
"Merry Christmas dad," Sirius said enthusiastically, earning a pat on his back with a chuckle.
"Merry Christmas son," Mr Potter held Sirius by his shoulders, giving him a light squeeze before he dropped his hands to his side and fixing his spectacle, his eyes turned towards Marlene.
"You must be Marlene," he walked up to her, extending his hand towards her.
"Yes, Mr Potter, Merry Christmas," Marlene said, shaking hands with the elderly man.
"Merry Christmas dear," Mr Potter replied, dropping his hand, "Come on inside."
Mrs and Mr Potter led the way, followed by James, Sirius rested his hand on the small of Marlene's back, urging her forward towards the drawing room.
The warmly lit drawing room was more beautiful than Marlene had anticipated. A huge Christmas tree stood in the corner near the fireplace, lit by more than 3 dozen candles! Small snowflakes were falling from the ceiling, only on top of the Christmas tree, but disappeared before they could make contact with the ground.
"Mum is really good at charms," Sirius's voice bought Marlene out of her daze. She noticed Mrs Potter smiling at Marlene and Sirius.
"It looks beautiful!" Marlene exclaimed; her eyes couldn't look away from the Christmas tree.
"Oh, thank you dear," Mrs Potter chuckled, gesturing for Marlene to sit as she and her husband sat down on the couch; she placed the bouquet and cookies in her hand on the coffee table.
"You came in at a good time, it only started snowing," James spoke, looking outside the huge glass window.
"It didn't seem like we would have a white Christmas this year," Sirius remarked, turning away from the window.
"You know what would be perfect now?" James's smirk and the gleam in his eyes showed he was planning something. "We can take Marlene to the town square; it would look so beautiful now!"
"Yes!" Sirius exclaimed, turning towards Marlene as excited as a child, "You have to see it!"
"Alright," Marlene chuckled, nodding her head, her heart swelled up with love. Sirius looked genuinely happy and carefree with the Potters. It wasn't a façade, like the one he would put up at Hogwarts sometimes.
"You can take her, but afterwards," Mrs Potter interrupted them, "Why don't you two prepare the tea?"
"Alright mum," Sirius replied, getting up from the couch, followed by James.
"Should I help you?" Marlene asked in a mumble, looking up at Sirius from under her lashes.
"Oh no, don't worry, we'll manage," Sirius assured her. Clapping James's back, the two made their way to the kitchen.
"Don't burn my house down," Mrs Potter called out after the boys with a chuckle.
"Don't worry mum," the boys replied in unison, making Marlene smile.
The elderly couple turned their gaze towards Marlene, with a smile tugging on their lips. "We've heard so much about you from Sirius, it has been a while since we've been waiting to meet you," Mrs Potter said, shifting her gaze from Marlene to her husband, who nodded.
"Really?" Marlene smiled, hoping whatever Sirius told them about her made a favourable impression of her on them.
"Yes, Sirius says you are quite skilled at Potions?" Mr Potter asked, his curious eyes studying Marlene.
"I enjoy Potions, it's perhaps one of the most fascinating subjects for me, but I wouldn't say I am that skilled," Marlene replied, a faint blush creeping up on her cheeks.
"She's just being humble," James's voice came from the kitchen, followed by Sirius's laughter.
"I would say my best friend is more skilled in potions than I am," Marlene said teasingly before she could stop herself.
"Your best friend?" Mr Potter asked, tilting his head to the right.
"Lily Evans," Marlene replied with a nod.
"Is that so?" Mrs Potter asked, smiling from ear to ear, "James you never told us about that."
It made Marlene chuckle, so James talked about Lily to his parents? Marlene wondered what Lily would think of this piece of information.
"He's blushing," Sirius's words made everyone in the drawing room laugh.
"These boys – they always talk about you and Lily," Mrs Potter said, it made Marlene curious what did they talk about to their parents.
"Mum!" the boys could be heard from the kitchen.
"What? Tell me if I am lying Fleamont," Mrs Potter looked at her husband.
"No," Mr Potter shook his head, "It's almost like we've already met you two."
"Yes," Mrs Potter nodded, "We also know you've helped Sirius a lot."
Marlene remembered the incident Mrs Potter must be talking about, it still sent shivers down her spine. "It was just once, he has helped me more times than I can remember," she told Mrs Potter earnestly.
"It makes me happy that you two have each other's back, especially in times like these," Mrs Potter replied with a heavy sigh.
James and Sirius appeared with two trays from the kitchen and Marlene had a sudden urge to show Lily what James was actually like in his home – it was quite atypical from his self at Hogwarts. Maybe if Lily knew this side of James, she would finally give him a chance.
The tea again had a massive difference from the one at Marlene's home. While her parents were hostile towards Sirius; the Potters were welcoming. They asked Marlene about her likes, dislikes, her interests and told her stories about Sirius and James's shenanigans at home.
They were pleased to find any interest that matched with theirs, and it felt like they could happily talk about it with her for ages! Marlene, too, had a very relaxed time with the Potters.
During breakfast, Marlene insisted on helping Mrs Potter set up the table. As she extended her arms to put the knives, forks and spoons; she felt fingertips on her tiny waist, which made her jump.
"What are you doing?" Marlene whispered, looking around to see if anyone was in the room, but Sirius and she were alone.
"I was watching you from over there, and I thought I should come and ask you if you were okay? If you needed help?" Sirius asked, his fingertips still on her waist.
"I am okay, I don't need help," Marlene asked, slipping from between Sirius's fingertips.
"Are you sure?" Sirius whispered; his lips brushed against her ear. She could feel his breath on her neck, and it made his own breath hitch as a shiver ran down her spine.
"Sirius," she choked out, sending him a warning glare.
"What?" he asked innocently, tugging a lock of her hair behind her ear.
"Don't do that here," Marlene warned him, as he brushed his index finger on her cheek.
"Do what?" Sirius asked, a mischievous smile threatening to form on his lips.
"Tease me – don't tease me," Marlene hissed, she narrowed her eyes when Sirius closed the distance between them and wrapped his arm around her waist, kissing the side of her hairline.
"It's not my fault that I can't keep myself away from you," Sirius shrugged, placing another feather light kiss on the top of her head.
"Is that so?" Marlene asked, raising her eyebrows slightly.
"Yes, especially after –" Sirius's words were cut short by James's voice.
"Hello, love birds," he announced his presence, "What were you doing?"
"Nothing, but we would have, had you not interrupted," Sirius replied, irritated, as he turned to glare at his best friend.
Marlene lightly hit Sirius's chest and proceeded to remove his hand from her waist and going back to her work.
"Please don't, you have a home now, do all of that there," James teased Sirius, making heat raise up to Marlene's ears as she remembered the events of the previous night. She was glad neither of the boys could see the look on her face right now.
"Actually –" Sirius started, making Marlene turn towards him, her eyes as wide as saucers.
"Sirius if you complete that sentence –" Marlene threatened him.
"Well, now I am curious, say it Padfoot," James smirked.
"I am curious too, what do you say about Lily to Mr and Mrs Potter?" Marlene tried to supress her smile.
"Don't tell that to Lily, please," James's brows creased together, as he took a step towards Marlene.
"Why?" Marlene asked, giving James a lopsided smile.
"She already doesn't like me," James shrugged.
Marlene rolled her eyes, "You are blind if you think she doesn't like you."
"She cannot possibly like me," James spoke after a long pause.
"I would say otherwise, and so would Alice and Mary if you don't believe me, but I can assure you, Lily has a soft spot for you," Marlene assured James.
"Sirius! James! Help me out here," they could hear Mrs Potter's voice from the kitchen and the two boys quickly made their way to the kitchen.
After a wonderful breakfast, Marlene bid farewell to Mr and Mrs Potter, promising to visit them again soon. James accompanied them to the town square, to show Marlene how beautifully it was decorated and the splendour with which Christmas was celebrated.
"If you could have stayed for the night, you could have seen how beautiful it was during night," James had told Marlene.
"Maybe next year," Marlene smiled.
Marlene couldn't describe the feeling of sitting behind Sirius on his motorcycle as they flew over the town towards her home. The cold wind hitting her face made her press her cheek against Sirius's back as she wrapped her arms around Sirius's torso. She didn't want the ride to end, she didn't want to go back home, but Sirius had insisted that she must. She had asked him if she could come back to visit him, it seemed too cruel to her to stay away from him for the whole winter holidays. Sirius was more than happy to have her over.
They parked the motorcycle a little away from her home and even though Marlene insisted on not being walked to her house, Sirius assured her he would only leave her to her doorstep, he didn't intend on creating any trouble for her.
Kissing her goodbye on her doorstep, Sirius quickly disappeared from her sight. Marlene took a deep breath and turned around, knocking on the door, ready to face the wrath of her parents, it didn't scare her, she was ready to fight back, even though Sirius had told her not to.
A/N: Hey Readers,
Sorry for not updating sooner, I've been busy with studies, but thank you for showing your support on the story. A huge shout out to 'Little Indulgence' for the review. I hope you all enjoy the story. Leave a review and let me know. Hit the follow and favourite button if you like the story.
Thanks!
-JT