A tiny ray of sunlight had escaped the thick maroon curtains that surrounded his bed and hit his face, dancing right above his nose playfully; as if they were a reminder he needed to wake up. He ignored them and turned to his right side from left, trying to fall asleep again.
A few minutes had passed when he came to the conclusion that not even he could sleep that much.
Sirius Black stretched, yawned and stood up in his Gryffindor dormitory room. It was a warm saturday in april, and everyone had left the dormitory. He slowly headed towards the bathroom; still having trouble feeling completely awake, his eyes half closed.
Taking advantage of being the only one left to use the bathroom, the seventeen year old boy took a long, cold shower; using half of his best friend James' blueberry-mint body gel. Ahh, he thought to himself, as the cold water hit his body, making a contrast to the weather out, A genious scent.
He got out of the shower completely awake and alert. His eyes were shining ever so vigorously. He brushed his teeth and got out of the bathroom to get dressed.
As he reached his side of the dormitory, he bent down to open an old, wooden, deep red trunk. They were allowed to wear Muggle clothing on weekends, so he put on a pair of worn out jeans and a black tee with a deep v-neck. But he couldn't find the most important thing for today. Having trouble reaching the bottom of the trunk, Sirius sat down on the laminate flooring in order to find his masterpiece. His eyes widened as his hand reached it. A grin had appeared on the young boy's face as he took it out.
A maroon Muggle cap was what he had been looking for. He had charmed it to roar and cast golden sparks a few feet high every time Gryffindor scored in a Quidditch game.
He flashed a smile to the mirror and said 'How do I manage to be so handsome at all costs?' out loud.
'How do you manage to be so cocky at all costs?' replied the enchanted mirror.
Sirius let out a lively laugh and with that, left the dormitory to get something to eat.
Being completely positive that he had missed yet another saturday breakfast; instead of taking the route he took on weekdays, he took a sudden left and went two floors downstairs.
When he reached a completely empty yet well-lighted corridor with no windows whatsoever, Sirius made his way towards a painting. Without any hesitation, he tickled the painted pear and took a few steps back as the painting swung open to reveal the kitchen.
The moment he stepped inside, rather joyful house elves surrounded him.
'Good morning, Master Sirius!' squeaked one of them. This was a noticably tiny house elf, with big eyes, a little nose and hands too large for her body.
'Good morning, Tobbly.' grinned Sirius as he walked towards the back of the kitchen; towering up over the house elves that were running around in every direction.
He found a stool and carried it next to one of the counters. 'What have you got for me today?'
Tobbly the House Elf rushed over to Sirius carrying a silver tray full of food. 'Tobbly had guessed Master Sirius would come! Tobbly made breakfast for Master Sirius special for saturday!' she screamed.
Sirius' eyes widened as he looked at the rich food variety: pork pie, at least four different types of cheese, sausages, bacon and eggs, honey, jam and so on...
'Tobbly,' the boy said in a low voice, 'Have I ever told you that I loved you?' The house elf seemed to have blushed; it was hard to tell with her dark green skin.
Sirius ate up all of the food, cheering up the workaholic house elves. He let out a loud burp as he finished his delightful breakfast. The empty tray got collected by a plump house elf at once.
'Thank you, Tobbly -and everyone else.' said Sirius, standing up slowly. 'I wish we had you as a house elf rather than that grumpy, no-good-for-nothing Kreacher.'
Tobbly seemed to blush once more. She looked to the beige marbel flooring and murmured a 'Thank you.'
Sirius left the kitchen and rushed up the stairs, minding the trapped staircase. He made his way to the Quidditch pitch, which was behind the castle and a few minutes far by foot.
Most people were present for the big Ravenclaw-Gryffindor game. There was a lot of pressure since Gryffindor losing meant falling behind Hufflepuff and having no chance to win the cup this year.
Remus and Peter had saved him a seat between them. It wad a good place, quite high where the Quidditch pitch was in fine sight. He thanked his friends lazily. His crooked smile was present, as always. He knew that James had a lot of pressure on him. It will be quite the game, the boy thought to himself.
Gryffindor players were entering the pitch, brooms on their shoulders. He saw James with a huge smile on his face, waving to the Gryffindors. I know that smile, he grinned, ahh, you are so nervous, aren't you, Prongs?
Sirius looked at his friends and saw that Remus was thinking the same thing as he did. Peter, on the other hand, appeared to be quite clueless.
There was a huge outburst as the Ravenclaw players entered the pitch: Hufflepuff's were supporting them since they were bitter still that they had lost last weekend's game to Gryffindor, and the few Slytherins watching the game also wanted Ravenclaws to win out of sheer spite.
Ravenclaw's team captain was a Seeker and quite good at it. She was very determined. A little too determined, Sirius thought. It was known that she got hostile every time she lost -wether it be a Quidditch game or a simple History of Magic test. Her and Remus were quite the frenemies.
The game started with a loud whistle. The Quaffle was in Gryffindor's hands. A quick goal came as the Gryffindors cheered.
'Tedkins from Ravenclaw has the Quaffle now! Passes to Grant! Passes to Noah! And -ten points! Both teams have ten points five minutes into the game!' was heard from the downside of the Quidditch pitch. Jonah Stuartson from Slytherin was talking them through the game.
Sirius' eyes caught Marlene McKinnon. She was high above the area where the game was being played, looking for the tiny golden ball. Her dirty blonde hair had been put into a high, messy ponytail. She looked like she hadn't brushed her hair in two weeks. She was sitting straight on her old broom. She takes this a wee bit too seriously, thought the boy.
Just then, he saw something in Marlene's eyes. Her posture had changed completely. She gave a quick gaze towards Gryffindor's seeker. He was a thirteen-year-old who had joined the team this year. He stands no chance. Sirius thought to himself with worry. She had been playing this position for Ravenclaw since second grade.
Stuartson had seen what Sirius saw, too. 'McKinnon seems to have seen something that Gryffindor's seeker Will Tolliati hasn't!' he shouted. Marlene was clearly angry with this declaration -she didn't want Will on her back.
She was flying faster than Sirius had ever seen in a school Quidditch game, as Will Tolliati tried desperately to reach the Snitch.
'Ravenclaw wins the game in seven minutes! Gryffindor has lost their chance with the cup this year!' Stuartson announced as Marlene landed on the ground. Her face had brightened with a victorious smile as she held the Golden Snitch up high. She was screaming with joy.
Wow, thought Sirius to himself. She loves to win. Quite impressive, actually. Finding joy in being the centre of attention for all the right reasons. Something I can never accomplish. His crooked smile got wider as he realised that he loved attention like her and was determined to get it as much as she was. She is quite pretty, too.
'Sirius? Are you coming?' Remus and Peter were leaving the bleachers, just like everyone else. Remus seemed to be quite neutral but Peter was absolutely devastated. 'Sure.' he replied.
They walked down to the ground of the pitch. Ravenclaws were celebrating and congratulating their team, as Gryffindors were either bitterly leaving the stadium or comforting the team members. James was heading to take a shower but changed his direction as his eyes met with Sirius'.
'No worries, Prongs.' he sad in a low voice as Peter and Remus put their hands on James' shoulders on both sides, 'You did your best. What she did was unexpected.'
'Yeah. I know. I'll head to the showers. See you guys in the common room.' he said in a cracked voice and with that, he left.
'Let's leave him alone for a while. He needs time.' Remus spoke. Peter and Sirius shook their heads as they made their way towards the castle.
'That McKinnon girl was quite impressive there, don't you agree, Padfoot?' said Remus in a low voice. His eyes were questioning.
'Sure.' was all that Sirius said.
The castle was full of Ravenclaws celebrating and Gryffindors desperately trying to ignore them. Marlene McKinnon was not only the star of her team but also the star of everyone who had even the slightest interest in Quidditch. As days passed by, Gryffindor students had started to accept that they had lost and they also spoke of Marlene's great achievement. Even Professor McGonagall congratulated her. It was cold and firm; but still, it came from Minerva McGonagall.
By the end of the week, James had to accept that there was nothing in his power to prevent their loss. 'I am only responsible of the Quaffle! No other ball!' he had said. 'And Will is quite young and coy. It is more of his failure than Marlene's victory.'
They all knew that that was not the truth; since she was flying better than everyone at the pitch and fast like a professional player. She was good. Yet, they pretended to agree with James.
Sirius had caught himself looking over at Marlene McKinnon that week more than a simple few times. Her hair was always messy; it looked like no amunt of Lady Roussie's Detangling Potion could help. It was the messiest straight hair he had encountered. Sometimes she would put her hair in a braid; but by the end of the day, it would become as wild as it is.
Padfoot had always thought that she had an odd love of learning. However, now he had realised that she had more of a love of being the best. She chose her battles wisely and came first in everything she knew she could. And for the things she had doubts, she clearly never had laid her hands on. Sirius had seen her frown upon Wizard's Chess a few times. Now he was quite sure she would be beaten easily in that particular game and she did not like it for she knew it.
By the end of that week, people had mostly calmed down. At least there were no huge crowds discussing the game.
Sirius had a Transfiguration class at the end of that Friday. James had decided not to attend, since he was not ready to face Marlene. That was not the way he had put it out, ofcourse. 'I cannot sit for an hour while old McGonagall is questioning my ability to turn a piglet into a leaf! It's too fine of a Friday for that kind of torture.' were his choises of words.
Remus and Sirius left for class. Peter did not attend the NEWT class of Transfiguration, so he stayed with James instead.
They made the classroom just in time, taking their seats; Sirius sitting on a desk for two by himself and Remus next to Mary McDonald.
Marlene was sitting to Sirius' left with Lily Evans, James' girlfriend.
'Where's James?' the girl with flame-like hair whispered towards Sirius.
'He, umm...' muttered the boy as he did not want to lie to Lily, but also did not want Marlene to hear. 'He was not feeling fine.' It is true after all, he thought to himself.
'I don't understand. We attended Potions and DADA just before lunch!' the girl replied with a frown. Then, she glanced quickly at Marlene and understood why her boyfriend was not feeling fine. 'Must be something he ate.' she finished.
'Yeah, must be.' Sirius said, nodding.
Professor McGonagall entered the classroom and all voices got shut immidately. She was walking rather fast towards her dest. She waved her wand and fifteen piglets came flying from the door; one for each student. They slowly landed on the desks. Poor animals looked too shocked to make any noise.
'Hey, um, Sirius?' Lily called him in an unsure tone. 'May we switch seats just for this class?' she looked a little off.
'Sure.' Sirius replied, with a surprised look on his face. 'Why?'
'I need to talk to Remus.' the girl said, with more of a confident voice.
'Sure.' repeated Sirius as he stood up.
'Mister Black,' called McGonagall's voice from her desk. 'May I ask, what are you doing? Has your partner in crime's absence confused you on what to do and what not to do in my class?' The tall woman's eyes were glowing and Sirius was happy that for once, he was not doing anything at all.
He had just opened his mouth when Lily spoke. 'I asked Black to switch seats with me. I have trouble with transfigurating my piglet and I believe Remus' help will do good.'
'Alright then,' said McGonagall, clearly caught off guard, 'Do continue.' She did look, however, over at Marlene who could've perfectly helped Lily, but she did not question her motives.
'I believe everyone has already said this,' Sirius grinned as he was getting comfortable in his temporary place, 'But congrats on your game last week. You sure fly pretty good.'
Marlene flashed him an effortless, small smile. 'Thank you, Black.' she thought for a second, then added, 'You can tell your friend, he is free to face me. He was good. And he is not the Seeker anyway.'
Sirius' crooked smile had appeared on his handsome face, 'I'll make sure to tell him.'
'Good. Now for the real deal. Lily told me you could not keep your eyes off of me all week. That's why I asked her to switch seats with you.'
Sirius could expect anything but that. He had liked people before but he was not the kind to have feelings or anything. Everyone he dated had been more of a phase. They came and went. Sure, his heart had been broken before; but it was more of a pride issue.
Before he could say anything, the girl continued. 'I like the idea of you looking at me. And I like that you are obviously trying to make up a lie to cover for yourself.' She waved her hand in the air as if to say 'Don't even bother.' Sirius could feel his face turning red.
'Miss McKinnon?' raised McGonagall's voice.
'I am talking Black through the steps. He has forgotten his notes.' replied Marlene. She had lied so easily, so quickly. She didn't even need any time to think. This is the coolest girl that has ever entered Hogwarts, Sirius thought in awe.
'Fine, please hurry.' said McGonagall with a tone of suspicion. Marlene simply smiled at her innocently.
'Now, as I was saying,' she continued, pulling her hair away her face, 'Do not deny anything, I am not stupid. I am quite smart, actually; as you may have noticed.'
Sirius rolled his eyes. 'How obnoxious are you?' he said. Now that he had had time to process this surprise, he had found the strenght to reply.
'Quite a lot.' she said as she turned to her piglet. Her eyes were fixed on the animal, her wand was held up high. 'Retamyg Inwato' she said and her piglet transformed. She raised her hand and McGonagall announced that she was the first to transform her animal.
'How did you do that?' said Sirius; part because he was impressed and partially because he wanted to change the subject.
'I broke into McGonagall's office when she had three classes in a row and practised.' the girl replied. Her tone was so calm, it could've been one to be used describing a warm summer morning.
'Now I am even more impressed.' Sirius said, smiling.
'Right, back to the subject. You might want to work on your piglet while you are listening to me.'
'Sure.' Sirius replied, trying to keep cool.
'Now, as I have stated, you seem to have a crush on me. Therefore - oh, for Merlin's sake, Black! That is not a way to wave a wand!' Marlene grabbed his hand and showed him how to wave his wand for this particular spell. Her hands were cold and a little bit sweaty; but Sirius did not mind. He liked the feel a bit, actually.
Sirius copied her way of waving his wand and whispered the charm. It worked on his third try.
'Mister Black!' called out McGonagall, 'Sitting next to Miss Marlene has helped you a great deal! Maybe it should be permanent.'
Neither of them replied.
'Now, that we are done with that, I can finally continue.'
'What? Trying to humiliate me?' Sirius raised his voice angrily.
Marlene looked surprised. 'Why would I do that? I was trying to ask you out!' she said, turning slightly pink.
Sirius had not seen that coming. 'What kind of way is that to ask someone out?' he questioned; but his voice had lowered and sounded slightly softer.
'I wanted to make sure you liked me. And I like to brag.' Marlene smiled an apologetic smile gently.
'Well, I cannot blame you on that. I myself am quite the bragger.' grinned Sirius. He could feel something warm up inside his chest.
'Well? What do you say?' the girl asked, 'Would you like to join me in tomorrow's last visit to Hogsmeade?' Marlene appeared to be nervous for the first time since they had started talking. 'If you want to spend your last time visiting Hogsmeade with your friends, I'll completely understand!' she quickly added.
Sirius smiled at the girl. 'I would love to join you tomorrow.'
Now she had completely blushed. Her eyes were shining with joy. 'Great!' she said in a high voice.
'Excuse me, Miss McKinnon, but since both you and your friend have finished your assignment, I do believe you are not talking him through the steps anymore?' McGonagall was clearly mad at one of her best students talking all through the class.
'Oh, no, Professor,' Marlene said quite comfortably, 'I just asked Mister Black out.'
Sirius was rather surprised at her action. She was blushing like a twelve year old just now! he thought to himself.
And the bell rang.
*
Sirius woke up earlier than usual the next morning. It was a bright Saturday and for the first time in seven years, he was the first one to get out of bed.
He took a long shower and even brushed his black, shoulder-lenght hair. He put on a little bit fragrance and dressed himself in black skinny jeans and a bright black shirt. He kept the top three buttons unbuttoned.
'Aww, Padfoot. How cute are you?' said a voice just before they let out a huge laugh.
'Shut up Prongs,' replied Sirius, trying to look angry. 'I remember your first date with Evans.' But he couldn't help himself and smiled.
He looked at himself in the enchanted mirror and whispered, 'Wish me luck.'
'Go get her!' screamed the mirror.
Sirius left the castle without having breakfast to meet up with Marlene. She had firmly said they were to eat together.
He saw her with a basket hanging from her left arm. Picnic? Sure... why not? the boy thought.
'Good morning, pretty girl.' he smiled.
Marlene's hair was straight, to Sirius' surprise. The girl caught his eyes on her hair and laughed. 'The breeze will destroy it in fifteen minutes. And good morning to you, too. You look lovely.'
Sirius took a second to look at her. She was wearing Muggle clothes, too. Her mother is a Muggleborn, remembered Sirius. This was something he had heard years ago.
She had a sky blue tee on her that was completed with a long, white skirt. She was wearing sandals.
'I never realised that you were so short.' Sirius stated with a grin.
'Oh, yeah. I am tiny and adorable.' She let out another laugh. 'I am taking you to eat sweets.'
Sirius looked over at the basket. 'Sweets?'
'Sure!' she smiled. 'You see, I love sweet anything. So, in this basket, there are only sweet things. Jams, marmalades, honey... The only exceptions are bread and bacon. A certain House Elf has informed me that you have an undying passion for it.' She winked at Sirius.
'How about you? Don't you like bacon?'
She crumpled her face. 'Nope. Not a fan.'
They walked the way to the little village together. Sixth and seventh years were free to leave off to Hogsmeade after six without Filch escorting them. So it was quite empty once they got to the village.
'No, no! You are wrong!' Marlene cried, as Sirius was laughing. 'That is not a way to use a sock!' She was laughing too.
They told their stories all along the way and during breakfast. Sirius was feeling surprisingly comfortable with her. After the first half hour, he stopped posing to impress her and just let it be. And it was working out quite fine.
They ate their breakfast up on a little hill that saw the village perfectly. There was a cave a few feet behind them.
Sirius found himself staring at Marlene. She was right about the breeze; her hair was all tangled up again. She had a huge apetite and she was constantly stuffing her mouth with a few sweets at a time. It was rather funny to see her wipe the honey off of her chin with two fingers and the suck it off.
'When did you start eating like this?' laughed Sirius.
Marlene was all serious now. 'Do you want to hear something that is not very funny?' she asked. She appeared to be upset and a little unsure wether or not to share this with Sirius.
Confused, Sirius nodded.
'A few years ago, I was bulimic. Perhaps you remember, I used to suck on the broom in fifth year. Anyways, I battled with that mental illness for three years. It got severe over the course. I would refuse to eat. I went to both magical and Muggle healers. They all did their best. And I slowly recovered. Both from bulimia and anxiety. A few months ago, I was having lunch with Jeremiah -my friend from Hufflepuff- and he pointed out that that was the first time he had seen me eating with such apetite. And that's when I realised that I hadn't been eating without hating myself for three years. And since then, I do my best to enjoy every bite. I am making sure it counts.' She looked at Sirius nervously as she finished. 'A little too much for the first date?' she whispered.
'No, not at all.' replied Sirius firmly. 'In fact, I am glad we have talked about this. I want you to know that you can count on me with everything and what better time there is to make sure you can trust me than the first date?'
Marlene had tears in her eyes. 'Thank you.' she said in a trembling voice.
'For what?'
'I don't know. Just... thanks.'
Sirius nodded understandingly. 'Would you like to talk further on the issue?'
'No, not right now.' the girl said as she wiped her eyes. 'Just know that I am not completely healed from anxiety and there will be times that I have a knot in my stomach. Times when I can't make myself go to class because I feel too ugly, too stupid, too useless. I don't have social anxiety; I can talk and play Quidditch and everything. I have generalised axiety. My worries come out of nowhere and do not leave me for days at a time sometimes. There are times where it takes away all of my characteristic traits. I am not bubbly or funny or smart when it hits. I might wake up from a nightmare and be completely convinced that you are dying somewhere. Or I can have those days where I am feeling completely empty. Useless, pointless... Like everyone's looking at me, pointing at me and whispering how ugly and stupid I am. Like I will fail at everything. And then I start crying sometimes. Those are the slightly better attacks, to be honest; since sometimes I can't even cry. And it takes quite some time to get rid of that knot in my stomach and the one in my chest. And my hands and feet get ice cold and I get all dizzy. Sometimes I can't even stand up. I do not know where I am. There have been times when I have had seizure-like experiences. I would shake and shiver. I wouldn't know how long it had lasted. It is like... It is like knowing for sure that you are about to get kissed by a Dementor but the Dementor not being in sight. And no one else seeing or feeling it; therefore no one believing in your fear.' She finished her words and gulped. Her trembling voice had turned into a whisper. 'Do you think I am crazy?'
Sirius got closer to Marlene and held her hands. They were ice-cold. 'No, not at all. I just hope that you get as better as you can. If there is anything I can do to help, please inform me.'
She smiled gratefully. 'Thank you.'
'Now,' Sirius said, gently rubbing Marlene's cold hands, 'My turn.
'I have the worst family ever. My entire family is obsessed with blood purity and being in Slytherin for generations. It has been seven years and they are still mad at me. My father, even though he is proud to have a wand, is quite fond of using his hands for punishment. He never hits too hard -doesn't want anyone to notice. I hate him.' That last sentence was quite hateful indeed. He took a deep breath and continued. 'My mother is better than him, although I will never forgive her for not stepping in when my father came onto me. And I have a little brother. He is quite the creep. My parents are rather fond of him. He is in Slytherin and almost as obsessed with blood purity as my parents.
'But I love him. More than anything. My entire life, I took the blame on anything and everything. I made sure our father never hit him. Ever. Because I remember the first time he hit me. Even if he had not raised his hand again, not even once, it would've left a scar on my soul. I don't want Regulus to live with such a thing.'
Marlene was all quiet. She looked at him understandingly and never interrupted him as he talked about his childhood, how he had always been a rebel and how his parents finally gave up on him after he was sorted into Gryffindor.
'I live with the Potters now.' he finished. 'It is hard getting used to live with people that see you as family rather than responsibility.'
The girl slowly nodded. 'Sirius,' she said with a harsh tone, 'I have to inform you that I have some news. It is up to you to decide wether or not they are good or bad. Are you ready?'
Sirius was completely lost but he nodded.
'You are one of a kind and I see myself falling in love with you. You are handsome, kind, funny, loyal and deep. And I have decided that I want you to be my family. I take great pleasure in informing you that I can clearly see us as an old married couple since I had never wanted to hold someone's hand and never let go before. And I always get what I want. Furthermore, I am rather convinced that Lily and James would really like all this.'
Her voice was trembling but she was somehow keeping it cool.
And all Sirius could think was she is the one that can make me genuinely happy and peaceful.