#msmarlenemckinnon

The last party of 1977 was the loudest of the year. So many students crammed into the Gryffindor common room meant Sirius had to shout over the music and laughter to talk to Marlene. Not talk, actually, more like argue-- they were bickering over who was better, David Bowie or Freddie Mercury. Sirius leaned against the doorway that led to the stairs, shaking his head against each point Marlene brought up, while the blonde countered each of his own points.

In the midst of their heated debate came a yell that carried over the sounds of the party. James Potter, standing on a table that gave him full view of the common room, was pointing his finger at the arguing pair. “Black and McKinnon, that’s mistletoe you’re standing under!” James shouted. 

Dozens of pairs of drunken eyes turned to them. Sirius’ own eyes flickered up to catch sight of the mistletoe dangling above the doorway. “For fuck’s sake,” Sirius mumbled.

“Well?” Marlene challenged, crossing her arms. “What, are you shy now?”

Sirius snorted. “Please,” he scoffed, then in full view of the common room, kissed Marlene. They were met with rowdy cheers, but Sirius didn’t hear them. Their lips held the same secret smile, because unbeknownst to either of them they had both seen the mistletoe. They had both simply been hoping the other would point it out first in order to seal the kiss.

Gus was never one for tradition, so when he felt as though he needed to see Alecto before they walked down the isle and became man and wife in front of far too many people who’s opinions he didn’t care about, he just walked into her dressing room and waited until the women helping her get ready left the room. 

He looked up at her when they were alone and smiled. “And which dress is this?” He asked, slowly walking toward her and letting his eyes rake over her as he did. She looked completely ravishing and he couldn’t wait until this whole song and dance was over and he could take her home where he could have his way with her. More importantly though, it would go back to being just the two of them. 

“Vera Wang of course,” She shrugged, her cheeks red. She always seemed to know what he was thinking, perhaps that was one thing he couldn’t hide. “This will all be over before long,” She said, walking up and wrapping her arms around his neck. His hand found her waist and already he was feeling better. 

“I know.”

“You know you’re not supposed to see me in my dress yet either, right?” 

“You don’t seem to mind all that much.” He said, letting his head drop down so that it was resting against hers. 

“I don’t mind at all.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

“Good.” He could get through this. He could go out there and put on a show for everyone for her. It wouldn’t even be that much of a show. He cared for her a great deal. 

She reached up and cupped his cheek, brushing her thumb over his cheek. “Thank you for doing this.” She said quietly, her voice sounding more unsure now. Eventually he’d get her to stop thinking that he didn’t want to do all this for her. Eventually she’d understand that she was the only one he’d do any of this for. 

“Don’t thank me. We both needed to get married, and I can’t picture myself doing this with anyone else.” She flushed again and then buried her face into his chest. 

“Me either.” She said quietly. He kissed her hair, gently as not to mess it up and he felt his chest tighten in a way that only happened when she was around. 

MARIDEON–

Shit, Gideon thought to himself as he was falling asleep (in Marlene’s bed, for the third night in a row). I love this girl. 

He woke up before Marlene did, and as Gideon swung his legs around the side of the bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he glanced at the blonde girl sleeping on the other side of the bed. Her hair was spread across the pillow and she looked pretty damn serene, not like she could kill a man with her bare hands. Yep. He was officially in love with her. 

Gid got dressed and slipped out of her flat to go for a morning run. This was an odd feeling for him. He was completely and totally okay with this revelation. Normally when he’d been hanging out with a girl for a while and he started to realize that things were getting serious, his brain went frantically into excuse making mode. Gideon wasn’t really a commitment kind of guy. He wasn’t in a job that allowed for him to promise someone that he’d come home safe at the end of the day, and any girl who said she was okay with that was kidding herself. 

But Mar … They’d known each other a long time, and they did the same job, and things were going really well between them. He didn’t want to jinx it. And still, as Gideon ran, he circled right back around to her place, and he still didn’t feel the oncoming panic of commitment. 

Gideon entered the kitchen, panting slightly, to see Marlene fixing something quick for breakfast. She was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of short shorts. She raised an eyebrow. “Did Dorian wake you up again?” she asked. For some reason Marlene’s cat considered Gideon to be the most comfortable sleeping place, which was a little annoying at times, but for the most part he didn’t mind it. 

“Nope,” he replied. “Actually, I’ve made a discovery.” 

Marlene popped a bit of toast in her mouth. “And what’s that?”

“I love you.” He placed a quick kiss on her nose and stepped back to gauge her reaction. 

She smiled. “That’s a pretty worthwhile discovery,” she replied. “I think we should celebrate.” She pulled him back in by the fabric of his shirt and they kissed for real. Breakfast now forgotten, Gideon had never felt so anchored. 

LUCAS/OLIVIA–

Two mugs of hot chocolate rested on the table beside stacks of parchment and a few textbooks. A Monster Book of Monsters quivered in a slightly off-putting way in its own corner of the table. Snow was falling outside, fat flakes sticking to the windowsills before they melted away. Finals were upon them, but the winter holiday was fast approaching and giving all the students motivation to carry on. 

Lucas and Olivia were sitting side by side, each working on individual assignments. He had a two foot long charms essay that needed to be finished by the next morning, and Olivia was looking up practical uses of a bunch of obscure plants for Herbology and taking notes. 

They hadn’t spoken in forty minutes, both so engrossed in their tasks. Lucas took a quick break to take a sip of hot chocolate and flex his hand so it wouldn’t cramp while he continued writing. He glanced over at Olivia. He had an urge to reach out and tuck a piece of curly blonde hair back behind her ear, but he didn’t move. In the glowing, soft light of the library she looked ethereal, beautiful, amazing. He couldn’t help but stare. If he breathed too hard or moved an inch he might ruin the whole thing. He wondered if this was what love felt like. 

Olivia wrinkled her nose, like she did sometimes when she was concentrating, and when she did so, she saw him staring. “What?” she asked. “Do I have something on my face?”

Snapping out of his reverie, Lucas shook his head. “No, you’re good. I was just . . . spacing off, Charms is, uh, super boring.” 

Olivia quirked a half smile. “You got that right. I’m ready for this term to be over.” She reached for her mug and took a swig, and he could almost see the warmth flowing into her. She rolled her neck and then dove back into the assignment she was working on. 

TOUCH MEME: hug

BLACK HEIR MISSING -- PRESUMED DEAD.

His baby brother’s face blinked up at him from the black and white newspaper. People had always told Sirius how similar they looked, and for the first time in his twenty years of life, he saw it. The same resting scowl. The same eyes. If Regulus had been reckless enough, they’d have the same hair. 

Now the only thing they had in common was being dead to their family.

Sirius knew the routine. He was supposed to sit through his friends’ lectures telling him it was okay to grieve. He was supposed to sit and cry and mourn, to recall his brother fondly, think back on all their handful of good memories together. The same thing as when his father died, except everyone and their mother knew Sirius didn’t give a rat’s arse about Orion. The same could not be said about Regulus.

His friends would have been happy to see him scream, smash walls, set his flat on fire. Anything more than this numb silence. James refused to leave him alone in the flat, but he had to get back to Lily eventually, so he called up someone else, someone Sirius had been avoiding because she’d never been around him in this state: Marlene.

Sirius could hear her moving around in the kitchen. She was making tea, even if Sirius flat out told her he didn’t want any. She padded into the room minutes later, blonde hair pouring out from the bun on her head. She was wearing Sirius’ shirt. 

“Here you go,” she said, setting the cup by him. The room was thick with the smell of cigarettes-- he’d gone through two packs that day. Marlene’s nose wrinkled but she didn’t make a comment. Wordlessly, she sat next to him on the bed.

“Sirius,” she began quietly. 

“No,” he replied, watching the steam rise from the mug.

Marlene turned to him. Her eyes were so full of sadness it almost made him forget that he was supposed to be the one grieving. “Sirius,” she repeated. “It’s okay.”

Sirius remained silent. He heard the sound of his shirt rustling against her skin, and then felt her waves of hair feathering his shoulder. Her arms were around him a moment later, unable to close around him fully, but attempting nonetheless.

“Sirius,” she said, and even if it was just his name leaving her mouth it was more than that. It was everything.

“No,” he said again. She pulled him closer, moved his hair away from his face. He turned away-- he’d been using his hair to hide-- but then she gently took his face in her hands. His jaw settled in her palms, he had no choice but to look at her. 

“I don’t beg, McKinnon,” Sirius scoffed.

<3 <3 <3

Fralice:

Who likes to get really into dressing up for Halloween? Alice. She always wants to dress up in couples costumes/ group costumes when Neville comes along.

Who is more likely to drag the other to a Halloween party? Frank. Who got dragged there by Gideon and Fabian or Marlene. 

Who cooks the turkey on Thanksgiving? Frank. Alice cooks basically everything else, though. 

Who is glued to the television watching football? Frank. He tries to explain things to Alice in Quidditch terms but she never really understands. 

Who spends the whole time cleaning for the family to show up? Alice. She likes to make a good impression on the family. 

Whose family do they spend most of the holidays with? Frank’s, because Augusta doesn’t take no for an answer

Which of them likes to sing Christmas carols? Both of them, but Alice starts it. 

Who can’t stop watching A Christmas Story, on repeat, all day? Alice. She gets swept up in the cute story. 

Do they prefer an angel or star on top of their tree? Star. One year Gideon put his face on their star “Because I’m the real star”.

Do they have a fake tree or cut down a real one? Cut down a real one. Alice adores the pine scent. She’d keep the tree up year round if she could. 

Which one gets antsy about making the other open their gifts before the holiday? Frank. Alice shops up to the last minute to make sure she’s getting the best gift. 

Lucas/Olivia:

Who likes to get really into dressing up for Halloween? Olivia, by a hair. 

Who is more likely to drag the other to a Halloween party? Olivia. Lucas would rather hand out candy to the kiddies. 

Who cooks the turkey on Thanksgiving? Lucas, but he has to ask his mum for help every hour or so.

Who is glued to the television watching football? Neither of them are glued, but Olivia keeps up to date on the score throughout the day.

Who spends the whole time cleaning for the family to show up? Lucas. 

Whose family do they spend most of the holidays with? They spend the holidays as a giant clump of people, since Marlene and Emmeline are friends. Davey drinks a lot of eggnog. 

Which of them likes to sing Christmas carols? Both of them!

Who can’t stop watching A Christmas Story, on repeat, all day? Lucas. He just likes it on in the background to feel more Christmassy. Olivia always points out how depressing it is. They debate about  the merits of the story at least once a year. 

Do they prefer an angel or star on top of their tree? An angel. Lucas found one that kinda looks like her. 

Do they have a fake tree or cut down a real one? A real one. It only lasts a few days though before Lucas gets frustrated by stepping on pine needles all the time.

Which one gets antsy about making the other open their gifts before the holiday? Olivia. She’s super eager about whatever gift she gets Lucas. 

Marideon:

Who likes to get really into dressing up for Halloween? Gideon. He’s always something super elaborate and ridiculous. 

Who is more likely to drag the other to a Halloween party? Both. Sometimes they have multiple party engagements to make in an evening. 

Who cooks the turkey on Thanksgiving? Molly, tbh

Who is glued to the television watching football? Both of them. They make bets on the big games of the year. 

Who spends the whole time cleaning for the family to show up? Neither of them, really. Both of them kind of kick things under the sofa or stuff things into closets. 

Whose family do they spend most of the holidays with? It’s half and half. The Weasleys and the McKinnons are both equally important. 

Which of them likes to sing Christmas carols? Gideon, except he always changes the lyrics. 

Who can’t stop watching A Christmas Story, on repeat, all day? Marlene because she is secretly sentimental.

Do they prefer an angel or star on top of their tree? A star. It’s charmed to fly around the top. 

Do they have a fake tree or cut down a real one? A fake tree, because it is way more convenient. 

Send me a prompt if you want a drabble ya’ll

Itwas no secret from him that Alecto was not the same as she had been before he’dgone to prison. She’s changed, hardened, lost pieces of herself along the wayand now he was back, also changed, also hardened, his pieces more jagged andthey didn’t feel as though they were all in the right place. It was no wonderthat things between them had changed. There was relief at first, relief to beback within reach of one another, relief at not being alone anymore, relief becausethey’d waited so long. But relief could only get you so far and then there wasother things to deal with.

Therewas the anger- intentional or not it was there. Misdirected it could be foundthrown towards either of the two lovers. They’d been brought together by theirblood lust and now they were ripping at the seams. Both more volatile and lesswilling or less able to conceal it.