𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐧 𝐒𝐤𝐲

00

October 5th, 1977

    "Sirius, I need to talk with you."

    Marlene Anne McKinnon's golden blonde curls bounced as she slid into the seat next to said seventh-year Gryffindor, bright blue eyes imploring him to listen to her and get up from the bloody table already.

    "Bloody hell, warn a bloke next time you appear out of thin air, will you, Marls?!" The nearly eighteen year old exclaimed, hand thrown dramatically over his chest. His other arm wrapped around her shoulders casually.

    James Potter leaned over the Gryffindor table, hazel eyes glinting excitedly from behind his glasses. "Oh-Marlene, there's Quidditch tryouts to find a Beater and Chaser to replace the Prewett twins. I'm having the whole team there to help me decide the best men or women for the job. Saturday eight AM."

    Marlene winced, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. "Yeah... about that... you might need to find another Seeker."

    "What, are you transferring to that school in France? Beauxbatons or whatever?" Sirius snorted, taking a bite of cottage pie. He added on, drawling, "Or Durmstrang? Wouldn't recommend it, it's cold as fuck and both my parents approved so... automatic dislike."

    "No, flying's just bad for the baby," Marlene deadpanned.

    The reactions were instantaneous.

    Sirius Orion Black choked on his food. James dropped his fork, splattering the remnants of his dinner into Peter's face, whose jaw had dropped so widely that he accidentally caught some of the food in his mouth. Remus closed his book, shutting it with a snap as his head jolted up fast enough where his neck cracked.

    "WHAT?!" The four young men's voices blended together in shocked unison.

    The blonde young woman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Did I stutter? That's why I said that I needed to talk to you. Less people around to spread gossip or whatever. The soap opera Skeeter reporter graduated Hogwarts before we came, but I wouldn't be bloody surprised if she had ears at Hogwarts."

    "I-you-what?" Sirius blurted, grey eyes wide as he stared at... well, they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend. It was weird. They were in this limbo of sorts.

    "Oh Merlin kill me," Marlene mumbled. "June. Potter Manor. Six bottles of Firewhiskey in all split between you four, Lils, Alice, Frank, Mary, Dorcas, and me. Need I go on?"

    Remus' honey-brown eyes flicked from Marlene to Sirius and back again. "...This was not what I was expecting when you said you needed to talk with Sirius. And I'm really not happy about it because I was very excited to win ten galleons from Wormy."

Sirius blinked. "Wait... what the bloody hell do you mean winning ten galleons?!"

"Can we focus for one second on how the hell two teenagers are going to raise a baby while still attending school themselves?!" Marlene snapped, folding her arms over her chest frustratedly.

"Oh dammit Pads, I'm gonna have to find a Seeker," James moaned, banging his head on the table.

"Somehow I think that's the least of our group's worries," Lily Evans murmured dryly, sitting next to Marlene. "You told him?"

The blonde raised an eyebrow, gesturing at Sirius. "What else would make him look like he's been hit by a strong Confundus Charm? Or smacked upside the head with a Bludger?"

"...holy fucking Merlin," Sirius whispered under his breath, a small smile slowly stretching across his face.

Lily snorted, twisting a strand of her fiery red hair around her index and middle fingers. "There's your answer, Marls. We told you he'd be elated."