#b-blackinnon

“Where are you off to now?” he asked.

“Home,” she answered. “I’ve got a mission tomorrow and I want to spend some time with my new niece before I go.”

“And where exactly will that mission take you?” he inquired.

“Just west of London,” she answered. “I’m going to be spying on a possible Death Eater. Nothing too fancy. I’m to call the Order if I see anything that needs to be dealt with.”

Sirius nodded and sat up. His lips found her shoulder in a gentle caress. He hated it when she left for missions. There was always a possibility she wouldn’t come back, and that thought scared the shit out of him.

“Marley, be careful, yeah?”

“I will, Sirius. I promise. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“I’m always going to worry about. This is war, you know. I want you to come home at the end of the day.”

“I will.”

She spun around on the bed to face him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Then she was climbing out of bed and pulling her clothes on. She was gone before Sirius could even blink.

It was night time at Grimmauld Place, and every guest was properly settled down on one of the chairs that were displayed beside the long wooden table. Mrs. Weasley had prepared the most generous Christmas dinner that Sirius has seen since he had been locked up on that repugnant prison. He could not stop staring at his surroundings; the people, the food, the smell of ginger bread that reminded him so much of Mrs. Potter who loved to cook those. He caught Harry’s eyes for an instant and the boy smiled at him and, Merlin’s beard, he looked so much like James – Sirius could almost feel his old friend presence when he was by Harry’s side.

One person was missing, though. Remus had left late in the afternoon saying he had stuff to do and hadn’t come back since then; nobody seemed worried but Sirius and he thought that maybe he was overreacting – it would not be the first time since he had ran away.

Suddenly, the pleasant and calm environment that had been created by all of them was brutally interrupted by the horrible, splitting, blood-curdling scream of Sirius’ mum echoing against the house’s walls and silencing every single one of them.

“SCUM! FILTH! HOW DARE YOU TO BEFOUL THIS HOUSE…!” Walburga Black’s portrait started to say before someone silenced her with a spell and closed its curtains, stopping it up.

“She’s always been the sweetest mother-in-law, hasn’t she?” A female voice came to Sirius’ ears and, immediately, his heart started racing fast against his chest.

“Shush, he’s going to hear you.” Remus said shortly after.

A few footsteps’ sounds later, the pair appeared on the dinner room’s door. Remus was standing next to a tall, blonde woman with short hair and freckled cheeks. She had a smirk up on her pretty face and unhidden tears on her blue, dazzling eyes. Her arms were crossed in front of chest and her hands, closed in fists – she was trying her best not to run to his arms before he said something.

Unconsciously, Sirius had stood up with widened eyes and a chocked expression; his mouth was dry, his heart was beating insanely and his mind was as blank as a new parchment would be.

“Marlene.” He breathed.

“The one and only, sweetie.” She murmured with mischief in her tone and ran into his arms.

As soon as her arms wrapped around his neck and his hands found their way to her back, they felt like the world had stopped spinning; everything could be sum up by the two of them and there was nothing else but her floral perfume and his strong cologne; nothing but her soft, curly hair tickling his fingers and his slim, fit figure towering over her.

 After what seemed to be hours – but still, it was not time enough – they broke apart and Sirius cupped his hands around Marlene’s face, his thumb washing off the tears that streamed down her flushed cheeks.

“What happened to you?” He muttered.

She shook her head. “It’s a long story.”

“I have plenty time to listen to it.” He said, smiling softly.

“You better introduce me to everyone else before that.” She stated, chuckling and letting go of him.

Her tiny hand grasped his as she turned to face the small crowd who watched the pair of them with confused expressions – expect for Molly, who washed tears off her face as she smiled at them, Arthur Weasley, Tonks and Remus, of course. Before she could open her mouth to speak, though, she noticed a black-haired boy who was sitting a few centimetres from her, and felt her knees losing their strength.

“Why are you staring at me like this?” Harry Potter asked her with furrowed eyebrows.

“You look like him. Like James.” She mumbled, almost hypnotized by the boy who assemble her long lost brother. “Holy crap”  

“You knew him?” He inquired, suspiciously.

 “Of course I knew him.” She grinned. “We grew up together, James was my closest brother.”

“But who are you?” A brunette girl with curled hair asked, abruptly.

“I’m Marlene McKinnon.”

“Black.” Sirius corrected her with a smirk. “We got married in case you’ve forgotten.”

“Of course I didn’t forget, Sirius.” She rolled her eyes. “I was just trying to think of a better way to tell Harry I’m his godmother, but you screw it up. Thank you, by the way.”

“You didn’t tell me I had a godmother.” Harry stated to Sirius, accusingly.

Sirius cleaned his throat. “I thought she was dead, Harry. I didn’t want you to feel like you’ve lost somebody else.”

“Sweet of you, but I feel quite offended as I’m not dead. Clearly.” She said.

Molly, who had been crying silently on her seat, holding Arthur’s hand tightly, spoke for the first time since she had entered the room. “What happened to you, Marlene, dear?”

  “Oh, it’s an incredibly long story, full of misunderstandings.” She sighed and pulled a chair to sit, taking Sirius with her – never letting go of his hand. “In the night the Death Eaters came to my family’s house I already had a plan. Lily helped me to make it all up and I was ready to tell you, Sirius, about it when they attacked us. By the time they got there I wasn’t able to do anything I’ve had in mind and I just ran away. I apparated before they got to my bedroom, and I stayed each day in a different city for the following three months.”

“But why?” Sirius snapped. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier what you were–?”

“I was pregnant, Sirius.” She snapped back. “And I didn’t want to be like Lily, worried by her baby for every fucking second. I didn’t want to fight anymore and I acted selfishly like I always do. I wasn’t supposed to be on my own, you ought to be with me.”

“I wouldn’t have left James.” He mumbled.

“I know, but I couldn’t stay.”  She whispered. “I’m sorry, but I simply couldn’t.”

“What happened to the baby?” Tonks asked surprising Marlene who hadn’t noticed before that moment.

“He’s at school in Paris right now, actually, and he isn’t a baby anymore unfortunately.” The corners of her mouth rose a bit. “He takes after you.” She told Sirius.

“I’m a father.” He stated and Marlene nodded. “What’s his name?”

“Merlin,” he grumbled, his glasses slipping off his nose as he struggled to carry her stuff up the stairs to where his mother was waiting, “Marls, how much stuff do you need for two weeks?”

“Hey, I need a lot to stay looking this fabulous,” she giggled, winking at Sirius.

He just snorted to himself and lugged her third suitcase up the stairs.

“It’s a good thing we love you, Marls, Merlin,” James complained once he reached the guest room Marlene took over every summer for two weeks.

She had followed the boys up and was surveying the room now, hands on her hips, “I know, love you too Jamesy – that one goes over by the bathroom!”

He rolled his hazel eyes and left, giving her the finger before Dorea entered.

“Now, we’ve got a few hours before dinner,” James’ mother said happily, resting a hand on her shoulder, “So you can unpack and then we can eat. Sound good?”

“That sounds amazing, Dory, thanks,” Marlene grinned.

She left to start cooking their dinner, leaving Sirius and Marlene alone, Sirius flopped across her bed lazily.

“Black, that’s my bed,” she pointed out, shutting the door with a sigh, “I asked for help with my bags, not warming my bed up, thanks.”

Sirius just winked, “I can warm your bed up alright.”

“I’m not even going to reply to that…”

“Aw, you know you want me,” he smirked.

“And you know that I know I want you,” Marlene replied, bending down to start unpacking with a smirk, “But we are not shagging now.”

Sirius huffed.

“But if you want my company so much, you can help me put my clothes away,” she added slyly, “Then I’ll think about sex.”

He groaned loudly, “That’s practically bribery!”

“Are you really complaining, Black?”

Dorea called for dinner just before Sirius could mention anything other than clothes and Marlene just grinned when he huffed again.

James had purposely avoided her room for the few hours after she arrived, and looked relieved when they both turned up for dinner looking put together and not like they’d spent the time shagging – he knew they did it a hell of a lot but that didn’t mean he wanted to know about it. His surrogate sister and brother shagging? No thanks.

“We’ve got lasagne, is that okay?” Dorea checked, despite knowing exactly what foods all four of the other people in the house did and didn’t like.

James and Sirius both rolled their eyes. “Yes, Mum,” they said simultaneously and she beamed.

“Anything you cook it awesome, Dory,” Marlene added, slipping into the seat in between James and Sirius where she always sat.

Mrs. Potter smiled fondly at all three of them and her husband who had sat down as soon as he had smelled the amazing food. Serving up the massive dish of lasagne to everyone, she sat down herself and every started enthusiastically.

James was shovelling the meal in as fast as was humanely possible, ignoring the disgusted looks from Marlene next to him, Sirius was half heartedly eating with one hand and Marlene was actually eating like a human being.

Then she felt a hand on her bare leg from her left: Sirius.

She rolled her eyes and kept eating.

His hand moved a little higher, a little more, even further and she took a sharp breath in when she realised what he was doing.

Harold looked up with a small frown. “Are you alright, Marley?”

“Y-yes, sorry, it’s just hot,” she said quickly closing her eyes and taking a breath.

Sirius smirked into his own dish and took a bite carefully.

His fingers reached her knickers and Marlene’s mouth dropped open slightly as she clutched her fork tightly; what on earth was he thinking?

“Sirius…” she said through clenched teeth.

“Yeah, Lene, would you like the salt? Sure!” he said innocently, passing her the salt grinder with a small smile.

“No, I-“ she said, interrupting herself to gasp again as he slipped one finger carefully under the band of her knickers.

“Marlene, are you sure you’re okay?” James said with amusement.

“I’m fine,” Marlene insisted, glaring at Sirius again.

Dorea looked between the smirking Sirius and the unamused Marlene and smothered a smile. Giving Sirius her best mother face, she pointed a finger. “Now at the table, Sirius, do that in your spare time, please, for Merlin’s sake!”

James caught on and choked on a mouthful of lasagne. “Mum, no, he’s not –“

Harold too realised what his wife was lecturing Sirius on and snorted into his dinner. “That’s my boy, Sirius.”

“Don’t encourage him!” Dorea said, despite smiling. “Marlene, dear, would you like to move around to here?”

Once again, Marlene was choking, this time from laughter. “You – you just got called out on… on that! By your mother!”

Sirius was flushing ever so slightly. “Shut up.”

Eventually, with James patting her back to stop her choking, Marlene recovered and dinner continued calmly, Sirius fingers staying firmly on his knife and fork.

Sirius shut the door very quickly that night, lips not leaving her neck for a moment as she pulled him back towards her bed, a few remaining clothes still strewn all over it haphazardly.

“Sirius,” she breathed.

He smirked slightly and took his lips from her skin to look at her, eyes clouded with lust.

“I have been impatient all day, Lene, keeping my hands off you was fucking hard,” he pleaded.

“As proven at dinner,” Marlene said, smirking back, “Tut tut. You couldn’t even wait another hour?”

“Not when you’re wearing this damn dress…”

“Ah, yes, this dress,” she said, looking down at the blue sundress she was wearing, one she knew Sirius liked. “I don’t think I really need it any more, do you?”

He didn’t reply, just grabbed the hem and pulled it over her head as fast as he could, pushing her down on her bed and kissing her roughly.

Grinning to herself, Marlene did the same with his t-shirt, dumping it on top of her dress on the floor and wrapping her legs around his waist; dresses were easier to get off than trousers and she was struggling with his belt, mainly because the fact that he was kissing every part of her shoulder possible but partly because her hands were shaking ever so slightly.

“Sirius-“ she started but gave up when he kissed her mouth again making her gasp.

With one hand, he slipped off his belt and started to pull down his trousers with a little help from Marlene and added them to the growing pile of clothes.

She slid her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her to kiss along his rather lovely jaw as Sirius rested a hand on her hip, the other one unashamedly on her bum.

“Boxers off now,” she demanded, tugging on his hair in the way she knew would drive him wild.

Very happy to comply, Sirius laughed breathily and  moved his hands to the waistband of his boxers when-

“NO, NO, I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS AT SCHOOL, FOR MERLIN’S SAKE KEEP YOUR HANDS AND – AND – PARTS TO YOURSELVES!” James yelled, slamming the door firmly before he had even opened it properly.

Marlene groaned and hit her head against the pillows. “JAMES!”

“Prongs, really? Why the hell would you even open the door?” Sirius pointed, “I think we made it fairly obvious what we were doing!”

“Mum made me get you, Marlene, she wanted to check with you our plans for tomorrow,” James protested, calling through the crack in the door.

“Tell her I’ll come later,” she sighed, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, well, I’m not coming in there to get you what ever happens,” James muttered, rubbing his eyes, “You’ve re-scarred me for life.”

Sirius sniggered to himself as James hurried back down the stairs to report to his mother.

“Damn, I think he has a little sensor for whenever we’re like this,” Marlene pouted as Sirius gave up, mood destroyed, and lay next to her on the bed.

“I think he secretly likes to watch and imagine it’s him and Lily,” Sirius smirked, putting his arm around Marlene’s shoulders as she rested her head on his bare chest.

Still trying to catch her breath, Marlene laughed and slapped him lightly, “That’s creepy. Anyway they’re friends now.”

“What are me and you?” he said quietly, “Because I don’t think shagging regularly counts as friends.”

She thought for a moment, rolling onto her stomach s she could look at him properly. “We’re Sirius and Marlene,” she told him with a small smile. “That good enough for you?”

He ducked his head and chuckled, “You’re more than enough for me, Lene.”