#blackinnonweek2020

"So was Andromeda Tonks, and she married a Muggle-born."

"Do your parents know? What would they say? I know you think I'm being a prick but I'm worried about you. Our families have known each other for years, Marlene. And with Voldemort gaining power and sway we should be looking out for each other."

Sirius heard a book slam shut.

"Yeah, bigoted people who make assumptions about someone before getting to know them are definitely people I'm steering clear from."

Sirius didn't stick around. He'd known that people had hated him based on his last name on both sides; one side was mad he had changed; the other side didn't believe he could change. But he didn't think about the fact that people would try and turn those he trusted against him. It was panic-inducing.

What if these people succeeded? What if they turned Marlene against him, or James, or Mia and Monty, or Remus, or Peter? What if they managed to turn everyone against him? He wondered how far his bike could go. Maybe he could make it to Morocco, at the very least he was sure it would be able to fly over the Channel and to France. Maybe he'd leave before everyone could turn on him.

"You're going to miss dinner."

Sirius turned and looked up at Marlene. The thought of her abandoning him was distressing when she wasn't in front of him, but looking at her while that thought ran rampant through his brain was overwhelming. Maybe it would be better if he let her leave. Then she couldn't hurt him. Then she couldn't crush him at her will.

"You give up a lot for me." Sirius turned back to the lake.

"I gain a lot too. It's a fair trade." Marlene sat down next to him on the bank.

"Yeah, right," Sirius scoffed.

"I do," She shrugged. "You make fun of everyone with me. You keep me laughing. You keep me entertained."

"So as long as you aren't bored, you'll stick around, good to know."

He'd meant the comment to be off-handed but Marlene's hand shot out to grip his arm.

"Look at me."

Sirius huffed and turned to look at her, "What?"

"I'm not going anywhere. Even if we decided that messing around wasn't worth it anymore, I'm your friend Sirius. I'm always going to be your friend. I'm not going anywhere." Her blue eyes bore into his and she gripped his arm tightly enough that the strength behind her small hand was surprising.

"Me either," were the words that slipped out as he stared down at her.

"Good," she pulled his arm around her shoulders. "You were in the library, weren't you?"

Sirius chuckled, "You already know the answer."

Marlene rested her head against his chest and instinctively he pulled her closer.

"I'm not listening to people like that."

"It's more distressing that those people exist, Marls." Sirius shook his head. "I'm already hated by the pureblood maniacs, what happens if everyone on our side turns against me too? What then?"

"If everyone turned against you, we'd go someplace else and start over." Marlene pulled her knees into her chest. "You speak French, we could go to France, or we could go to Belgium or Morocco, or we could go see what all the hype about the States is, or we could really go hide and run away to Australia or New Zealand."

"Wait, we?"

"Of course, we," Marlene looked back up at him. "You didn't really think I'd let you run away by yourself, did you?"

Sirius chuckled as he looked down at the determination in her eyes. "No, I suppose you wouldn't."

They sat there on the lake shore watching the sun sink below the horizon and Sirius tried to believe that Marlene would be true to her word. He chose to believe she'd stay, that she wouldn't abandon him and that if everyone else turned against him, she'd run with him. He chose to believe that she meant what she said.

Sirius chose to trust her.

"Let's go to the kitchens," he kissed the top of her head. "See what the elves are willing to throw together for us."

"You sure?" She looked up at him.

"Enough for right now, yeah." Sirius smiled before kissing her gently.

"Good," Marlene ran her black nails against his scalp and deepened their kiss.

The first few compartments they came across were either full, or occupied by older students who would have no doubt told them there wasn’t enough room even though there obviously was. Perhaps they would have been nice and offered them a seat, but after sharing a quick glance neither Marlene or James thought it was worth the hassle.

Finally they came across an empty one. Pushing open the door cautiously, James made a show of sticking his head in and taking a big sniff.

“Nope, doesn’t stink!” he grinned, earning a playful shove from Marlene as she rolled her eyes and slipped past him into the compartment, immediately taking a seat next to the window. James had just taken the seat opposite when the compartment door slid open again, turning both of their heads to the newcomer. He seemed somewhat nervous as he stood there, almost as if he was expecting them to judge him for the rather scruffy nature of his clothes. Of course, whilst some might have done that, Marlene and James didn’t even consider it.

“Hi!” Marlene smiled welcomingly, glad when she saw him seem to relax a little. “Are you looking for somewhere to sit?” The boy nodded and took a small, hesitant step forwards.

“Well don’t just stand there letting all the cold air in then, mate!” James joked, far less soft than Marlene had been in her approach though equally as effective in making the boy feel comfortable. “Come in and take a seat!”

“Thanks,” the boy smiled gratefully, pulling the door closed behind him and sitting down next to James. “I’m Remus Lupin.”

Further introductions were exchanged before the compartment door slid open again. Marlene turned, ready to welcome in someone else as nervous as Remus. That was not the case. The boy standing there this time seemed to have confidence to rival James’, and she found herself momentarily rendered speechless as she stared at him.

“Any room for another in here?” he asked, to which either James or Remus must have nodded and waved him in because the next thing Marlene knew he was taking a seat beside her. He grinned at her as he sat down, a charming grin that practically had her mesmerised until James gave her foot a kick. She turned, narrowing her eyes at him, but his only response was to arch a brow and smirk before turning his attention back to the new boy.

“Name’s James. This is Remus and Marlene.”

“Sirius.”

“As in Black?” James asked, eyes widening a little in surprise.

“Yeah. As in that mad family.” Sirius’ grin faded as he nodded grimly. “Glad to see their reputation precedes me.” Though despite his almost jokey tone, it was clear he was anything but glad about that. Really, Marlene couldn’t blame him. The Black family was somewhat notorious, particularly for their rather elitist views. Somehow though, she knew that Sirius didn’t agree with them.

“Well, I’m sorry about that,” James chuckled, either oblivious to the slight awkwardness in the air or choosing to ignore it. Knowing him, it could be either.

“It is what it is,” Sirius shrugged, grin returning to his face. “Honestly, I can’t stand most of them. I’d actually love to get sorted into Gryffindor just to piss them off.” James reached out to give him a high-five at that, causing the four of them to laugh. “What about you guys?”

“Definitely Gryffindor, mate,” James grinned. He was so sure of himself getting sorted into the house his parents had been in, and with good reason. Though she’d of course teased him over the years about maybe being a Hufflepuff or even a Slytherin, Marlene couldn’t imagine her friend in any other House.

“I don’t really know,” Remus shrugged, his demeanour a stark contrast to James’. “Honestly, I’m just glad to be coming to Hogwarts.” There seemed to be something of a story there, and three gazes fixed upon him for a moment, all curious but unwilling to press him for information when they were still little more than strangers.

“I’m hoping for Gryffindor, too,” Marlene admitted, breaking the awkward silence. “Either that or Ravenclaw, but… Gryffindor is definitely the first choice.” It was the House her parents had been in, and while she didn’t believe that meant she had to be in it too, it still felt like it was where she was meant to be.

“She just can’t bear the idea of being away from me,” James joked, the grin on his face even as Marlene rolled her eyes at him.

…

“Maw, I’m not going away forever,” Marlene grumbled as Elspeth smoothed her curls back from her head for the umpteenth time. “I’ll be home at Christmas. It’s only a few months away-”

“Ach, I know that, but you’re still my little bairn. I can’t believe it, my youngest going off to Hogwarts already,” Elspeth sighed. 

Mark, Marlene’s eldest brother, smirked a little at her behind their mother’s back. Elijah and Thomas weren’t as subtle, making faces at her in front of their father. Angus raised an eyebrow at them. “Don’t terrorize your sister boys.”

“We’re not Da!”

Marlene smirked and stuck her tongue out at them quickly while their mother fussed with Mark’s hair. It made the boys stick their tongues out as well and Angus conveniently only saw them doing it, leaving Marlene scot free as they got a talking to.

“I thought Hogwarts was only for British wizards, not those people.”

Marlene felt her blood boil, spinning around to search for who uttered the words. She glared daggers at the woman with the curly black hair and sharp features who kept side-eyeing them as she continued insulting them. How dare that woman talk about her family like that? Who did she think she was? It was hard enough already amongst the Muggles in Scotland. Call her foolish, but she hoped that Hogwarts would be different, that people would get to know her instead of judging her based on how she looked.

The wand in her pocket was heavy, a reminder that she could take revenge, but Marlene didn’t attempt to reach for it. Elspeth would scold her before she had the chance to mumble a spell. Besides that woman, Bella, was much older and certainly knew more spells than Marlene. Not to mention it would cause a scene and she didn’t want to cause trouble for her parents.

Mark was furious too. Marlene could tell by the way he straightened himself. It almost looked as though he recognized the woman, the way he was watching her. Maybe she had been in school during his earlier years at Hogwarts. Unlike Marlene though, he kept his stance casual to those that didn’t know him well, hands in his pockets. Elijah was mumbling something to Thomas, keeping the woman and her family in their sights. Elspeth stood straight, chin up defiantly. The family was no stranger to white folks talking shite. 

Angus put a hand on his eldest son’s shoulder, squeezing it a little before turning his attention to his only daughter. Marlene always took things to heart, just like his own mother. There was not a single wrong in the world that Marlene didn’t try her hardest to make right and though she was slow to anger, this was something that got her blood boiling.

He kneeled down to focus Marlene’s brown eyes on him, brushing back some of her curls. “Lene-”

“How can she talk about us like that Da? How can we let her-”

“‘Lene, breathe sweetheart.” Angus paused as Marlene took a couple breaths. He took her hands, turning them over and soothing her palms where her nails dug into the flesh. “We’ve talked about this. Pay them no mind. We determine our worth. What they say about us is a reflection on them, not us. Okay?”

Marlene grumbled at that, but mumbled “okay.” 

“Good. I love you bairn.”

“Love you too Da.”

She looked back to the woman and her family, noticing the boy was now looking at her. Glaring until he looked away, Marlene decided that she wanted nothing to do with him. He looked to be her age and she hoped that they wouldn’t be in the same House. She would already be dealing with enough blood purity bullshit and racism without someone from a family like that being in all her classes. 

...

Marlene and Sirius wouldn’t actually speak to each other until the dead of night, hours after the incident on the platform. 

Marlene couldn’t sleep and after much tossing and turning, decided that sitting by the fire might do her some good. She could go and try to find Mark’s dorm since he was a Gryffindor too, but she didn’t fancy stumbling into random boys’ dorms, or the teasing she was sure to endure from her brother. So curling up by the fire it was. It was only when she was at the bottom of the girl’s staircase that she noticed that someone else had the same idea. 

It was that boy with the stupid name and the stupider cousin.

He hadn’t noticed her yet. She could just go back up the stairs and not have to deal with him at all. But that was cowardly, and Marlene Elspeth McKinnon was not going to be a coward because of some boy. So she marched herself to the couch in front of the fire and sat down as far as she could from him. Her gaze was fixed on the fire, but out of the corner of her eye it looked like he’d been...crying? Maybe he was homesick?

“Are you alright?”

Sirius clenched his jaw and swiped at his eyes. He couldn’t show weakness-- the Black family didn’t show weakness, let alone their heir. “Shut up.” Why was he being so rude? She was just asking if he was okay. It wasn’t like she had anyone that would run off and tell his parents he was upset.

Marlene scoffed. “I was just concerned you arse-”

“I don’t need your concern you-”

“You better stop right there you pompous prick,” she warned, her fists curling. “You’re just like that rotten cousin of yours, I can’t believe I tried to be nice. You’re just like those bloody arses-”

And then Sirius started crying again. It took Marlene a second to realize that since he didn’t make a sound. Marlene was no coward, but she also wasn’t cruel. It would be horrible to leave him here in distress, even if he was a prick. Besides, it wasn’t like he said anything about her family, right? He could be different. Besides, she would be the biggest arse in the world if she left after making him cry.

Hesitating for a moment, she moved closer and put a hand on his shoulder. “Um-”

“‘M sorry,” he mumbled thickly. “I- it was horrible of me- you were just- mother and father- they’re gonna kill me-”

“Hey, slow down. It’s gonna be okay,” she murmured, rubbing his back. He had to be exaggerating, right? No parents could actually be horrible enough to do something like that to their child, right? Marlene brushed the thought away, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. He leaned into her touch, taking a shuddering breath and wiping his face.

“Bella was horrible to say all that on the platform,” Sirius said after he pulled himself together. “I- I swear I’m not like them. I’m sorry.”

Marlene watched him for a moment. If he was actually sorry, he would prove it during the year. Elspeth had always told her that first impressions didn’t matter, it was what people did after that proved who they were.

She’d find out if she was wrong about Sirius soon enough.

“Why did you say they’re gonna kill you?”

He shook his head a little, keeping his gaze fixed on the fire. Before he knew it, he was spilling his guts to this girl, words tumbling from his lips without any sign of stopping. “I’m supposed to be in Slytherin with my family and that lot but- but they can be so horrible! I didn’t want to be like them, but Gryffindor? It would be fine if I was in Ravenclaw, but Mother and Father will never forgive me for this.”

“Fuck them then.”

Sirius laughed at how quickly she said that. “It’s not that easy-”

“My mum always says ‘tak tent o time ere time taks tent of thee.’ It means to take care of how you spend your time before you eventually die,” Marlene said, looking at him. “You get to decide how you live. If you don’t want to be like them, don’t. You’ll mess up sometimes, but what matters is that you learn and do better.”

He looked at her then, properly. She was something he’d never encountered before. No one he had ever met would speak like that. He came from a world where your family was more important than anything else, that the bloodline was something to be proud of and that they could never dishonor it in any way. Everyone lived according to their traditions and those who strayed did not belong. But this girl, she was telling him to throw that all away.

That he was not his family’s puppet, but a person of his own. 

Sirius, ever being the one uncomfortable with emotions and confronting his future, blurted out “you have a funny accent,” before blushing at how stupid that sounded. She was going to punch him, he was sure of it.

But a smile broke out on her face and Marlene laughed. It was a nice laugh. Warm. “You have a funny one too.”

Marlene’s second impression of Sirius was that maybe he wasn’t as bad as the rest of his family.