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Hogsmeade weekends were always a favourite of Marlene’s ever since the first trip down in third year. Whilst she and her friends found plenty of things to do for fun around school, not all of it strictly allowed by the rules, there was something she loved about being somewhere else for a bit. The change of scene, the fact that they didn’t constantly feel like they could be spotted doing something they shouldn’t... yes, Marlene loved going down to Hogsmeade, and had never passed up an opportunity to visit.
That is, until the first Hogsmeade weekend of their sixth year.
With Halloween on the horizon, and Gryffindor House planning a party which the professors probably knew about but had opted to feign ignorance to, Marlene and her friends had been planning out their costumes for weeks. Finally they had the opportunity to go and buy everything they needed, as well as their share of the party supplies, and so it’s safe to say that excitement was in the air in the sixth year girls dormitory that morning.
Once they were all ready they made their way downstairs, still chatting among themselves about the day ahead. Of course the Halloween shopping was their priority, but what was a trip to Hogsmeade without stopping in The Three Broomsticks for lunch? And, unsurprisingly, Lily was keen to stop by Tomes and Scrolls for a new book to read.
“Looking good, Lily!” James grinned as the girls entered the common room. The redhead rolled her eyes as Marlene bit back a laugh. It was a well known fact by now that James had a thing for Lily and, whilst she fiercely denied feeling anything for him and rebuked his advances, Marlene suspected that her best friend wasn’t quite as indifferent as she seemed.
“I didn’t expect you lot to still be here,” Mary commented. “Sirius keeping you all waiting while he fixes his hair, is he?” she joked, earning laughter from both the girls and the boys.
“He’s already gone,” Remus shrugged. “Got himself a date.”
“A date?” Marlene blinked, surprise evident on her face. While she knew Sirius’s reputation, nothing had ever seemed that serious. He’d kissed quite a few girls by this point, and certainly felt one or two of them up. Whether he’d actually slept with anyone yet depended on who you asked, some were convinced he was still a virgin whilst others claimed to be his first, but either way he had a reputation. What he didn’t have a reputation for was dating. Everything had always been casual, no strings attached. Hogsmeade weekends were reserved for his friends, just as Marlene’s were spent with hers. Yet now he’d left them behind to take some girl on a date? It was weird. Even weirder though was the way the thought made Marlene feel. Why should she care if Sirius was out on a date with someone? It wasn’t as though there had ever been anything between them, except for that one brief kiss in their fourth year. Sure, they were friends and would hang out together at times, Marlene had always had fun with him and yes some of the times they joked around could maybe be considered flirty but nothing had ever happened. So why did she feel so weird about him going on a date? Unless...
“Marlene? Are you alright?” She blinked at the sound of Lily’s voice interrupting her thoughts, suddenly realising that the others had still been talking and were now making their way towards the portrait.
“Uh, I’m actually not feeling so good,” she mumbled. “You guys go on ahead.”
She forced a smile, but didn’t wait for a response. Instead she simply turned and made her way back up to the dormitory, all excitement gone as one realisation way through her head:
I like Sirius Black.