"Oh! Oh, Sirius..." Her mouth was by his ear and her breath was warm on his sweat-dampened skin. She was squeezing him with exquisite tension; her body trembled beneath him and he felt a warm rush flow over him. He slowed to almost a stop while she lay limp for a moment, panting to catch her breath and when she opened her eyes to look up at him, she flashed a blinding smile and began to cover him with kisses. She giggled and sighed every so often but with her hands on his hips, encouraged him to continue.
He quickly found his rhythm again, slow and steady with just the right amount of distraction. After months of sharing a bed with Sirius, Marlene knew every shift of his weight, every measured breath, every heated touch. An evil smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she could tell with the building tension in the body above her that he was holding on by a thread. She ran her tongue over his earlobe and whispered silkily, "I want you to feel as good as you just made me feel."
She could feel him falter as his concentration derailed. Marlene's actions became more confident and she began running her hands all over his body, searching, exploring. He gasped as she took a playful bite at his ear and he fought to get back his calm frame of mind, but she was determined to drive him over the edge. She was succeeding.
Her mouth hungrily found his, their tongues tangling frantically. Marlene swallowed his desperate moan, his rhythm becoming more chaotic as he throbbed inside her. It seemed as if everything was swirling around them; all the noises and touches, tastes and smells blurring into one insane moment until she couldn't pick one out from the rest. She knew his mind must be swimming with every sensation because he couldn't even kiss her anymore; his overloaded brain just gave up and shut down. He was panting against her neck, his own body betraying him and not following any direction he tried to give it. His hips jerked wildly against her again and again, faster and faster, the friction building until she was sure he would explode or go mad.
In a split second, everything became clear and all the insanity in her head came to a screeching halt with one small sound.
"Yes," the voice called out. Marlene realised that Sirius was the one the gratified moan came from as he released into her. Repeatedly, as his body shook with violent spasms, he choked out, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
After a moment of catching their breath, Sirius rolled onto his back. Marlene sniggered at his seemingly frozen grin. She took his hand in hers and entwined their fingers. He played with a lock of her hair as she trailed soft kisses across his chest.
"Hell's teeth, McKinnon! I'd still like to know just what kinds of things you learned in Hufflepuff, because it certainly wasn't anything the Gryffindors were offered!" He laughed, trailing his fingertips up and down her arm. The man was impossible!
She couldn't believe that she was in bed with Sirius Black, even after all this time. When they parted ways after Ireland, she had been sure that things would go back to how they were before. For the most part, they had. She and Sirius hadn't seen each other, so she was taken off guard when she finally did see him and it hurt so badly. She was never foolish enough to believe she could have any kind of relationship with him. Yet here she was, as she was most nights, tucked under his arms in his bed.
He tugged her across his chest and kissed her lightly. "Marlene..." he sighed. "You're absolutely daft for getting involved with me, you know. You... you're brilliant and patient and beautiful..." His tongue prodded her mouth open and willingly she took it. "I can't blame your parents for being less than thrilled with me as your boyfriend."
Marlene absently let her hands explore his body as she lost herself in his kiss. His lips were softer than she ever imagined they'd be and the taste of his mouth melted her bones. She couldn't imagine anyone who would be better suited for her.
"Well, I think it had more to do with them coming home and finding us in bed together!" she giggled against his cheek.
"I'm just happy your father couldn't hex my balls off!" he returned. "I'm getting off easy compared to how my family will react to me pairing up with you. If they don't already know by now, that is." Sirius' whole demeanour changed. A crease formed in his brow and he wrapped his arms tightly around her protectively, as if his family were in the room with them. "I can't believe I was so foolish not to protect you from them! Marlene, I don't know what I would do if - "
The rest of his words were lost in her mouth, as she silenced him the only way she could. She couldn't have him worry about her so unnecessarily. They were both in the Order and faced the possibility of death every day. She wouldn't allow him to take on more responsibility than was his. Her hand slid down his torso until she felt the trail of soft hair that ran from his navel. There was more than one way to get him to forget his family. Her fingers dipped lower until she felt his breath catch. He took her face between his hands and kissed her fiercely.
Sirius was about to roll her over to her back when a bright, fiery light lit the room. Fawkes hovered just above them for a moment and then was gone again. A letter fell softly to the bed. Sirius took it up and read it, the frown back on his face.
"Dumbledore says he needs to speak with me straight away. He says here I may be gone for the next day or so," he said apologetically. Marlene waved away the look of regret in his eyes.
"S'alright. I should be sneaking back home before my father wakes up, anyway," she giggled.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marlene twisted with a faint pop onto the street where she lived. No one was up and about yet as early as it was, so she took the time to continue her morning in bed with Sirius in her mind. She walked along hugging herself and smiling stupidly until she came upon her house.
She blinked and stared and blinked again. Her head was suddenly thick and she couldn't shake her mind of the haze that filled it. Surely her house hadn't looked this odd before. Marlene stood in the chilly street staring up at the sky; stars were twinkling around the green serpent that undulated out of the large green skull just above her home. She knew she'd seen this before, knew she should be doing something other than staring. Her body continued to slowly approach the house as her mind furtively tried to make sense of what she was seeing. Skull. Death. Serpent. Voldemort. Death. Home. Death.
A bloodcurdling scream broke her trance and she realised it was coming from her. She clamped her hands over her mouth and she continued to wail, sobs racking her body. She stumbled to the front door which looked pristinely unharmed, but when her fingertips brushed the polished wood, it slowly creaked open. Fear gripped her and she tremulously drew her wand. Desperately she tried to choke back her whimpering cries. She had got as far as the lounge when she saw the shadow of her father's body in the hallway. Images of her parents, of her younger brother and sister, screamed through her mind. Her knees buckled and she sank to the floor, one hand still clamped over her gaping mouth.
Marlene willed herself to hold on to the pictures of her family. She pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes in order to stop the flow of tears until she saw stars. She focused on her mother and choked out, "Expecto Patronum."
A faint wisp of silvery smoke appeared. She tried harder. Her mother was baking biscuits for Christmas, her brother and sister fighting over the bowl to lick; her father telling her how proud he was that they had a witch in the family; Sirius smiling down at her whilst he held her hand and they told their friends about them...
"Expecto Patronum !" Her voice was louder, stronger, as she held on to the image of Sirius. The wisp solidified into the form of a large hare. It hopped in front of her and sat on its hindquarters, evaluating her and then, with a nod of encouragement from her, raced out of the open front door.
Ice filled the pit of her stomach as a grisly cackle came from somewhere in the shadows of the house. Marlene spun around to see a haunted looking woman step into the dim light that poured in through the windows. Bellatrix Lestrange grinned sickeningly down at her. Two more forms came out of the darkness and Marlene let out a strangled scream. She watched Sirius stop at Bellatrix's side and peer down at her curiously as if she were some attraction on display. Her heart squeezed, but as he came further into the light, Marlene could make out the slight differences between this boy and Sirius. He was younger and shorter by at least three inches. This had to have been his Death Eater brother, Regulus. As for the third figure, Marlene recognised his silhouette before he reached the light.
"There she is the good little mouse." He swallowed her up quickly, like a wraith in the night. "Now," he oozed, and Marlene could see his mouth watering, "let's find out how that blood-traitor, Black, makes you squeak so, shall we?"
