Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
Beta: Cookies and Cream1234567
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"Professor, you wanted to see us?" James asked as he guided Lily into Dumbledore's office.
"Yes, I hope I didn't wake you," Albus noted, taking in Lily's sleepy eyes. She chuckled, thinking of the night before.
"Not at all, Albus," she spoke smoothly, trying to hold the yawn that was rising in her throat. He smiled, but it was short lived.
"I know you're probably wondering why I called you hear," he said with a tired voice.
"We trust that whatever you have to tell us is important, sir," James nodded. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.
"If only the you were just as polite during your Hogwarts days, Mr. Potter. Surely it would have saved Minerva years of troublemaking." James grinned at the comment, knowing that Dumbledore was correct. "Before we get to the more…serious matters, I have to ask, how have you been feeling, Lily?"
"Fine…a bit lopsided at some moments, but otherwise brilliant," she grinned.
"I trust Harry is doing well?"
"Wonderfully," she spoke without second thought. Dumbledore smiled again.
"Remind me, when is he due?" Lily placed her hand on her stomach.
"July 28 of this year, right in the middle of the summer," she said shaking her head. "What a fun time to be in labor," she chuckled. It was the only thing about Harry's arrival that she wasn't looking forward to. A crease appeared in Albus' forehead at her words and she frowned.
"The end of July," Dumbledore commented, seeming to be speaking more to himself than to James and Lily.
"Is there something wrong?" James asked him, beginning to look worried. Albus Dumbledore was acting strangely, which was saying something. The man was brilliant and it was difficult to feel the need to question the things he said.
"I came to you, James, about a prophecy I heard, you remember?" Dumbledore asked him, blue eyes suddenly weary. James nodded, clasping Lily's hand in his own. "I've thought about it and consulted several…professionals on the matter and have come to the decision that you two should know what was said to me."
"A prophecy?" Lily asked doubtfully.
"How accurate is something like that going to be?" James started. Dumbledore nodded, understanding the worry.
"I have heard very few prophecies in my time, Mr. Potter. I realize how obscure it may sound, but I believe that what was told to me is true."
"And it's about us?" Lily confirmed. Dumbledore nodded.
"Perhaps it would be best if I simply told it to you?" he asked.
James glanced at Lily, gaging what she whished for. She appeared nervous, her eyes darting from himself to Dumbledore and back. He saw her knee shaking slightly and placed his hand upon it. She looked up at him, red locks framing her face and green eyes wide. Her freckles became more and more prominent as the days got warmer. She finally gave the slightest of nods. She wanted to know what Albus had to say, and so did he.
James looked back up at Dumbledore who seemed to have been observing their interactions. The aging man had always been fascinated by the way the two had communicated with each other, even while they had been at school. There was so much they could say with just a simple look. He suddenly wished he had someone to share something like that with. More important things were at hand, however, as James nodded, confirming that they wanted to hear what Ms. Trelawney had prophesied.
Albus took a deep breath and spoke all.
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"Marlene?" Sirius called, sticking his head in the door. All was quiet so he hesitantly stepped inside.
Ever since Marlene had moved in with him the flat had been much tidier. The shelves were dusted, the tables swiped clean, and the carpet clean nicely. He suspected it was because she was a closet clean freak and couldn't stand living in the mess that had been there previously.
At the moment, it was just the two of them living there, something he wasn't quite sure of. He loved her, with all of his heart, but sharing a home together seemed to be taking a rather large step. The only reason she had been staying in the flat with the boys in the first place was because she offered the flat she and Alice had previously shared to be Frank and Alice's place until they found a decent house.
Since Marlene had moved in Peter seemed to avoid the flat and had finally moved into a nice little place of his own with some money he had saved up. Sirius was rather proud of his mousy friend; it had been some time since he had seen Peter do anything for himself. Last he had heard, Peter was even thinking of getting some type of pet, an owl maybe, he had said. The two still chatted and had lunch together every Thursday. Often James would join them and it was almost like being back at Hogwarts.
Remus, however, had left for several weeks to 'see the world'. The only reason he was able to get a sum of money to do this was from James and Lily. The Potters had insisted on giving Remus an amount of coin that would let him relax and take a break from the harsh realities that Lord Voldemort had been pressing upon them all. He had only agreed to go once Lily assured him that traveling would look good on his resume. He finally gave in, deciding that he'd finally take the time to discover more about the dark creatures he had always been so interested in.
All being said, Sirius' home was no longer a bachelor pad. He actually ate something besides take out every night and was growing accustomed to the smell of perfume in the air. He was wondering if that was how James felt, having married and moved in with Lily. Sirius appreciated all that Marlene was doing; yet sometimes he couldn't help but screw up.
Accidently spilling Firewhiskey on the couch was what had drove him to the Potter's the night before. Marlene absolutely despised the scent of the burning liquid. He still couldn't believe he let her have the power to kick him out of his own house though. He was, as James would say, whipped. Having realized that himself, he understood how obvious it must really be to everyone else. For some reason, however, he didn't really care. As long as Marlene was there for him to hold and love he'd be happy. As cliché as it sounds, Sirius never thought he'd ever feel that way about someone.
"Marls?" he called out her name once again. He quieted once he realized that she was probably still asleep.
With quiet steps he made his way through the kitchen and down the hallway, which led to all of the rooms. His was the one at the end and Marlene's was the one at the beginning, simply by coincidence. She had taken over Frank's room and it was barely recognizable.
The walls were charmed a blue the color of the sky and the carpet was a plush, pure white. It was a carpet color he'd never be able to pull off due to the fact that every little mark showed up on it. Somehow, however, Marlene was always able to keep it clean. Dozens of pillows were scattered everywhere and even more pictures lined the right wall, reminding him of his room back at Grimmauld Place. The left wall, however, was taken up by a giant whiteboard. All kinds of drawings covered its surface in numerous different colors. Smack in the center of the room was Marlene's bed, her resting form in the middle of it.
Sirius shuffled over and kneeled down beside it; Marlene made quite the amusing facial expressions while she slept. He poked her a bit, just in the shoulder with the very tip of his finger. She shifted underneath her sheets, but her eyes stayed closed.
"Maaaarrrrllleeeennnneeee," he whispered in a singsong voice.
He saw her brows furrow and knew she was awake and ignoring him. His hand crept to where he assumed her ribcage was and began tickling her mercilessly. Her eyes finally shot open. She seemed amused and annoyed at the same time, trying to hold in her giggles. Before long it was too much for her to handle and the sound of her laughter filled the room.
"Sirius!" she pleaded as he tickled her. "Stop! Stop! Stop!" she laughed loudly. "Please! Mercy, mercy! I give in!" she ended up calling. He grinned, pleased with his efforts, and withdrew his hand.
"Have you forgiven me yet?" he asked her with a smirk, sitting down cross-legged on her floor. She examined him with a weary eye before finally cracking the smallest of smiles.
"Fine," she breathed. "I forgive you. No more Firewhiskey in the house though," she added.
"But Marlene!" Sirius pouted.
"But nothing, Mister," she responded easily, swinging her legs out of bed and standing up to stretch.
"Where am I supposed to have my Firewhiskey then? If I can't have it here because you're too worried about me spilling it, and I can't have it at James' because the smell makes Lily throw up, and I can't have it at Peter's because he gets drunk too easy, then where am I supposed to have it?"
"Here's an idea!" Marlene exclaimed, face brightening. "How about you don't! Alcohol is bad for you Sirius, drink some orange juice or something,"
He followed her out of her room and into the kitchen where she proceeded to tie her hair atop her head with a band around her wrist. Her curls had been growing quite long and several stray tendrils fell into her face. She blew them away before grabbing a glass from the cupboard.
"Orange juice?" he spoke as if it were an abomination. "Orange juice, Marlene? Who do you think I am?"
"Sirius Black, the man who would do anything to make sure I was happy. If not, I guess I could just…leave?" she said teasingly. She got some water from the fridge and filled her glass up high.
"Marlene! I'm actually starting to like the house being clean and smelling like coconut lime perfume all the time!"
"Guess you'll just have to find a way to get me to stay," she sung, taking a sip before placing the clear glass onto the island in the middle of the kitchen.
"Bacon? You like bacon, yeah? Everyone likes bacon, that'll get you to stay," he begged, even starting to move towards the fridge.
"Oh calm down," Marlene laughed. "I'm not leaving you Sirius," she turned to him and took his face in her hands, standing on her tiptoes slightly. His cheeks were rough and silver eyes trusting. He knew she had been joking; she'd never leave him. "That bacon would be nice though," she smiled cheekily before pecking him on the lips and moving to go use the restroom.
"Gosh Marlene," he muttered after her, shaking his head.
He knew she was telling him the truth. He trusted her and her warm brown eyes. She was the sincerest person he had ever met. Her laugh held no secrets and her smile told him all; her words were gentle and sweet, it was his new favorite kind of music. Of course, he hadn't told her this. He was afraid. She hadn't said those three special words yet either though, and he knew that she was waiting until he said them first. She was clever; it would be good for him really, to say them himself without any poking or prodding.
He knew that he loved Marlene McKinnon for a long time. He knew that Lily knew he did as well. He had told her, searching for her advice. It was just after that that Voldemort had rounded up the muggle-born parents and Sirius' brother had died. Time escaped him, though he never forgot about it. How could he? It ran through his mind every second he was with her. He was surprised it hadn't slipped out yet.
Suddenly, Sirius wondered why he didn't just let it. He could just say the words. It really didn't have to be anything special or grand, it just had to be honest. She would be able to tell that he meant his words and it had been long enough that he was sure of them.
Sirius watched as she came into the kitchen, still in her pajamas with her hair up. She grabbed some things for breakfast from the fridge, placing them besides the bacon he had gotten out once she had left. Marlene looked so beautiful just then, so natural and serene. So he said it.
"Marlene, I love you."
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James and Lily were sitting on the brown couch in their front room. The window was open letting in the warming air and light smell of roses and lavender. He had his arm around her and her head was resting softly on his shoulder. Her eyes were red rimmed and the green in them was intensified. James' glasses sat crookedly on his nose and his hair was sticking up further than usual.
They simply sat there and there was nothing else to it. Silence surrounded them and it was nice. It was easy. It was the only thing that kept them from sobbing. James' thumb was rubbing circles on Lily's leg and her hand was resting on her stomach, feeling Harry's feeble kicking.
It would be okay, they had convinced themselves. Dumbledore had told them of a prophecy that could have easily been concerning their family, but they had hope. It could be a number of other families as well…it was a big world. Even if the prophecy was speaking of them, Voldemort didn't know about it. They'd just have to hope that he never would.
With that the two fell into a long awaited asleep on that brown couch. It would be okay.
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Chapter 9 :). Sorry for the wait all! I had some request for more Marlene and Sirius, so I hope it met up to everyone's expectations. Please review and tell me what you think!
-Sweets5236