It All Fell Down | A Marauder's Story

One

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good." - J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban    

     A fluttering of pages could be heard as a book sailed across the third compartment of the seventh train car in the Hogwarts Express. It collided with a thud against the pale face of a sixth year Gryffindor. A look of shock flashed across his grey eyes, and his nose scrunched into a look of disgust, contorting his normally handsome face into a rather ugly expression.

     "What the fuck, McKinnon?" Sirius Black demanded, rocking his head to the side with a narrow of his eyes.

     "Women aren't objects, Black," Marlene responded dryly. She flicked her blonde, curly hair out of her eyes and crossed her ankles as she placed them against the wall of the compartment. The blonde was laid across the seated bench, taking up the entire side of the compartment. 

     "Accio," she muttered with a lazy wave of her wand, and the book came right back to her fingertips.

     "I never said they were," Sirius shot back, leaning against his hands placed on the edge of his seat.

     Marlene rolled her head lazily to the side, exposing her golden locket tucked beneath her grey shirt. "Might as well have."

     Sirius ground his teeth. It had always been like this with her. He could never quite get to Marlene McKinnon. He could push her buttons, hex her, tease her, and she never gave. She was too smart and level headed. He liked a fight, and she just never quite allowed him to engage in one completely; and it drove Sirius Black insane.

     "I did not," he stood his ground. "And, I'm offended you would think that of me."

     "Marlene," Peter cut in with a small voice. "Could you, maybe, share that side of the compartment?"

     She cut her blue eyes at him, and he silenced, going back to sorting through his chocolate frogs. James muffled a laugh with the cigarette clamped between his teeth from where he sat sandwiched between Sirius and Peter. Sirius nudged James wordlessly, who pulled another cigarette from the the pack in his pocket. 

     "What's your body count, Black?" She asked, as if Peter had never spoken.

     Sirius quirked a dark eyebrow as he lit the cigarette on the end of his wand. "Why should someone be defined by the number of people they've had sex with, McKinnon?"

     Marlene gnawed the inside of her cheek, as she realized her mistaken words, but she would never back down, not against Sirius Black. She opened her mouth to respond, but the compartment door slid to the side. A redhead walked through the door and smiled as she saw her friends.

     "Lily!" Marlene exclaimed and launched herself from her awkward position to jump into Lily's arms.

     A good-natured laugh left the redhead's throat as she embraced her best friend. Marlene placed her chin on the top of Lily's head to remind her how much shorter she was than herself, knowing she hated it; Lily nudged her with her elbow and moved to take a seat.

     "Sup, Lilyflower," Sirius grinned as he leaned his head back against the seat blowing a cloud of smoke above him, the argument forgotten.

     "Hey, Paddy," she smirked back. They each despised those nicknames, but they didn't mind them so much from each other.

     James kept his eyes to the ground and his greetings to himself. Fifth year had ended in a rather rocky way between Lily and himself, and even though he had apologized for what he had done to Severus Snape as their O.W.L.S. finished, he still felt the shame burn his cheeks when she entered the compartment.