A Marauder's Guide to Falling Together

Chapter Twenty Two

Despite the fact that she and Tom were to attend dinner at the Potters, Sirius surprised her by showing up shortly after lunch with a small, neatly wrapped parcel.

"Happy Christmas, Mar."

"Did Mrs. Potter wrap it for you?" she teased him after admiring the precision of the paper. The corners were folded carefully with clean edges and an ornate red bow adorned the top. It didn't look anything like she imagined a teenage boy would be skilled at.

"Believe it or not, I am capable of taking care of myself, thanks."

"You used magic didn't you?"

Sirius only smiled. "Are you going to open it then?"

Marlene hastily ripped open the wrapping and lifted the lid on the parcel hidden beneath. Her hands grasped the object within and she pulled out what appeared to be a simple mirror. "Er – are you trying to hint at something?"

"Of course not, you're beautiful," Sirius frowned at her. "It's an enchanted mirror."

Marlene looked more closely at it but all she saw was her reflection looking back at her with confusion. "What exactly is it supposed to do?"

"It's a two way mirror," Sirius was smiling again. He had dropped his voice to a whisper, "I figured there had to be a way around Tom's rules at being able to see you, and James reminded me of this."

"What do you mean he 'reminded' you?"

"We've been using them since second year. Shortly after Professors starting separating us during detentions we devised a way to keep connected."

"You two really are inseparable," Marlene shook her head amidst silent laughter. "It's a great gift Sirius, just want I wanted: more of you." She leaned in to kiss him but halfway to his lips a disgruntled cough cut her off and Tom shuffled into view from the kitchen.

"Oh it's you, Sirius," he said with phony surprise. "Care to come in for some hot chocolate?"

"Actually if it was alright with you Sir, I'd like to take Marlene for a walk into the square. I promise that I'll deliver her to dinner on time and in one piece."

Her Uncle Tom was, in Marlene's opinion, a lot more ridiculous about the whole ordeal than she cared for. She was of age, after all. But Sirius didn't seem to mind too much that he needed to bend over backwards in order to get time with her even if it meant adhering to the strict rules they had been given. Sirius had brushed off Marlene's protests and assured both her and her godfather that he was more than willing to obey.

The mirror was a clever tactic though; leave it to Sirius to find some way to cause a little mischief and break the rules. She tucked the mirror back into the box and closed the lid before placing it under her arm to take upstairs. Turning herself to face Uncle Tom she looked questioningly at him for his answer.

"You two have been good," he nodded his head curtly. "I suppose that getting out of the house for awhile would be good for you, Marlene. What's in the box?"

"My Christmas present," Marlene said quickly. "Sirius got me a mirror since I broke mine at Hogwarts." The lie rolled naturally off of her tongue and she was pleasantly surprised at how honest it sounded. Although it wasn't a good skill to possess, she concluded that her lying was becoming more believable. Uncle Tom seemed to buy it and waved them off with his blessing, promising to meet them at the Potters later that evening.

"I just need to drop this off and grab my coat," Marlene jerked her head to the staircase. "I'd offer to show you my room, but you know –"

Sirius's laughter followed her up the stairs. She set the box on the wooden bureau and grabbed the gift that she had wrapped, not quite as exquisitely, for Sirius along with her coat and made her way back down the stairs. She handed him the package as they were heading out the door and called goodbye to Tom as the door clicked behind her.