After the vows had been said, the party began. Most of their wizarding friends had made the party, but Petunia and Vernon had done a no show, and Marlene knew that Lily was more upset about it than she was letting on.
James and Lily were walking around, speaking to guests drinking their way through the champagne, laughing, smiling, being well and truely in love. Marlene envied them, as she stood sober by the bar, dying for a drink.
Emmeline wandered over, "I invited Mary tonight." She muttered, looking almost as glum as Marlene felt at that moment.
Marlene looked at her friend. "You found her."
"So did you." Em said looking up.
"Em-"
"It's okay. She doesn't love me. I get that now."
Marlene pulled her friend into a hug. "She did once, if that helps."
"It would help if you would get pissed with me." Emmeline joked, handing Marlene a glass of champagne. Marlene raised her glass with Em, 'to James and Lily'.
Emmeline only noticed Marlene turn and spit the champagne back into the glass out of the corner of her eye.
"What are you doing?" She asked frowning, then all at once her eyes widened. She knew. "The test was yours!"
"Shhh!" Marlene said, looking around.
"I thought it was Lily's! Oh my god you're the one that's pregnant!"
"Em, be quiet!" Marlene muttered.
The girls stood in stunned silence for a moment before Em laughed.
"Em this is not funny, what could you possibly be laughing at?"
"Are you and Sirius the most fertile people in the entire world? Or really bad at using contraception? Or a combination? Are you even on the pill? Does he even own condoms?" Em was grinning now, suddenly seeing the hilarity of the situation.
Marlene grinned. "Truthfully?"
Em nodded.
"I never remember to take it. I also can't remember the last time he used a condom.." She said, pulling a face. "Now I think about it.. we probably couldn't have done much more if we were trying to have a baby.."
Em just about fell over, she was laughing so hard tears were streaming down her face, and before long Marlene was joining her, forced to see the funny side. The girls were holding their sides in complete states when Lily came wandering over, after more champagne.
"What on earth is so funny?" She asked, half laughing at the sound of her friends laughs.
"Oh you do not want to know Lils." Em replied.
"I do." Sirus said, announcing himself. "Drinks everyone?" He said, grabbing four glasses and pouring fire whiskey for everyone, Em and Marlene's smiled faded. Em glanced at Marlene, who had paled. He handed the glasses out, and made a toast to 'Prongs achieving his dream'. When their glasses clinked three of the four drank fire whiskey, while Marlene held it in her mouth.
Sirius glared at her suspiciously. "So, Marlene are you enjoying yourself?"
Marlene nodded. Em realised what was going on and burst out laughing before she composed herself quickly. Lily was confused, for maybe the first time she was out of the loop.
"Marlene where is Dora? I havent seen her in a while."
Marlene pointed to the treehouse, where Dora could clearly be seen hanging out of the window waving.
"Marlene what time is it?"
Sirius had her this time and he knew it. She looked at him with one eyebrow raised, then lifted her glass up off the table and spouted her drink out of her mouth and back into the glass for the second time that evening.
Emmeline nearly died laughing, Lily frowned and asked Marlene where her manners had gone and Sirius froze.
"It's about 8:30pm Sirius." She replied.
"Marlene why didn't you drink it?" Lily asked.
"Yes Marlene, why didn't you drink it?" Sirius asked, his voice hollow.
"Sirius-"
"How long have you known?" He asked.
Marlene shifted. "Not as long as last time."
"Last time? I've never been married before?" Lily questioned, so far behind in the conversation she might have well not been there.
"But you knew."
"Well yes Sirius."
"GOD DAMN IT MARLENE." He shouted slamming his glass onto the table.
The three girls were stood, being watched now, by most of the guests. Lily murmered under her breath, "Has someone died?"
"No." Em replied.
"Do I need to know right now?"
The girls on either side of Lily conferred silently for a moment. They both shrugged.
"Go on. What is it?" Lily asked, as everyone started to return to their conversations.
Marlene looked at Emmeline, desperate for help. "Lily, do you take the pill?"
"Yes." She replied frowning. "Do you?"
"The thing about being gay is, its very difficult to get pregnant.." She said laughing. "Does James always use a condom Lily?"
"Yes, apart from one time. How is this relevent?"
"Turns out one of us three doesn't really use any contraception." Emmeline added.
"Well I do, you just said you don't.. so Marls?" Lily said frowning.
"Merlin Lily, how much have you had to drink?" Marlene asked.
"Way too much." Lily smiled. "Why don't you use contraception Marls?"
"I forget." She muttered.
"Well thats silly no wonder you-" Lily looked at Marlene, then at where Sirius had stormed off to, then at the full glass in Marlene's hand. "You're not.."
Emmeline grinned, "And there we have it everyone, Lily Potter solves the riddle!"
"and wins the award for the slowest time in history." Marlene commented.
"For real?" Lily asked, the excitment clear. "Did you take a test? I have one upstairs come on lets do it!"
"I already did it." Marlene replied.
Lily's jaw nearly hit the floor. "How far along are you?"
"Well I don't know." Marlene admitted.
"When was your last period?" Lily asked, ready to work it out.
Marlene mumbled something, but the girls couldn't hear.
"Speak up!" Em urged her.
"Hogwarts." She said looking anywhere but Lily or Emmeline's faces.
And Emmeline was gone again, and it was only when she finally composed herself again that she clarified things with Marlene.
"Let me get this straight, your last period was at the beginning of June, and you didn't notice?"
"Time flies.." Marlene replied rather sarcastically.
"You don't use contraception, but don't want a child?"
"I told you I forget!"
"You've been drinking and smoking all Summer Marls!" Lily suddenly exclaimed, and before the girls knew it they were being dragged upstairs in the Potter Manor, Lily leading the way. Sirius was storming about in the kicthen, and when the girls ran past he followed. "McKinnon talk to me!"
"Come on Black, I've got questions." Emmeline said, dragging him along.
They were soon in the largest of the bathrooms, where Lily had locked the door and sat Marlene down on the edge of the bath.
"Okay, honesty is key right now, or this won't work."
Marlene nodded nervously while Lily started to pull ingredients out of the bathroom cupboard, along with a cauldron.
"Were you serious, no periods since June?"
"I didn't get one in June.."
"So you miscarried in April, had a period in May, and missed them since?"
"Yeah I guess."
"So you could be 3 months pregnant again." Emmeline deduced.
Sirius remained silence, stunned in the corner.
"How many cigarettes have you been smoking on average a day?"
"A pack or less."
"More than?"
"Only a couple of times."
"Alchocol?"
"Lots of it."
"I can vouch for that one." Sirius muttered.
"Did you really not use any contraception? At all?"
Marlene looked at Sirius, "When was the last time we used a condom?" Sirius shifted.
"Well.. realistically?"
Lily nodded.
"Can you remember Marls?" Sirius asked Marlene, but she shook her head.
"I could maybe guess December? But it would have been James' and it would have been a rare occasion.." Sirius confessed.
Lily's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"Marls, same with the pill.."
"Lily, I don't even know where the packet is."
"There is a packet a month.." Lily added, exaperated.
"A month?!" Marlene gasped.
"Jesus Christ." Emmeline laughed."You're so stupid."
"I thought Marlene did the pill thing!" Sirius said defending himself.
"Hey now Mister." Marlene said pointing at him. "My egg didn't fertilise itself!"
Lily was silent for a while after that, plucking a hair from Marlene's head every nown and again.
Marlene and Sirius were sat together in the empty bath, giving them some privacy to finally talk, a bubble had been placed around them, so that Em and Lily couldn't hear.
"Marls?"
"Mhm.."
"Are we going to keep it?"
Marlenes blue eyes looked up at Sirius, searching his face for the answer he wanted to hear.
"What- what if I.." Marlene stumbled over her own words. "What if I can't Sirius. I failed last time-"
Sirius cut her off, and leaned closer.
"You listen to me right now. It took the both of us to make that baby, we both knew what we were doing, and it is not your fault, okay? No matter what you think, just please make sure you know, that this isn't solely your fault. If you miscarry maybe it isn't meant to be, but if you don't.. I would really love that child McKinnon. Theres no doubt it would be the most stubborn, angry child in the world, but I would give it my everything. I promise you that much. I know we aren't great at this stuff, in fact we are exceptionally bad at it, relationships were never going to be my forte, but I know you better than anyone. And you know me better than anyone, you make me laugh harder than anyone, you make me so goddamn angry, but god nobody turns me on like you do. Nobody compares Marls, sometimes I look at you and I get frustrated, frustrated because you're so fucking beautiful and I'm not sure you realise, you know you're hot, but you are flawless, I adore every single part of you. And that's not changing anytime soon, believe me, I tried to make these feelings go away, but they just won't. I think.. I think.."
"Sirius not here, I don't want to hear it here..not like this.."
"I think I love you McKinnon."
Sirius kissed Marlene then, oblivious to Lily, who was crying watching them, or to Emmeline who was in shock. He kissed her like he was about to lose everything. She pulled back slightly, their foreheads still touching.
"I.. Sirius you know..I.."
"Shh, it's okay."
He held her for a while then, while she leant back onto his chest, his arms protectively around her. It felt like a lifetime, but it was only a short time before Lily was passing a potion over to Marlene, and apologising in advance, because if it worked she was about to be in pain, and throwning up.
"I'm going to leave you two, but if you need me.. or Em, we will be with everyone." Lily said quietly, leaving Marlene and Sirius.
AN: The gif below is how I imagine Marlene reacting when she spits out the champagne..