Wasting Time

5

It was the summer before sixth year. My parents were asleep next door, and I was reading a muggle book with my window open.  All of a sudden, I heard a loud crack. I looked up from my book, and Sirius Black, Sirius Black whom I had only been broken up with for a matter of weeks, was standing in my room. I opened my mouth to tell him to leave, before I got a proper look at him. He had tear stains down his face, but even more concerning was the blood. It had dripped down his face and seeped through his shirt. I hopped off of my bed and grabbed him, sitting him down.

"I'm so sorry Marlene. I know I shouldn't be here. I didn't know where else to go."

"Don't apologize. You're ok. What happened?"

"We got into a fight. I left Reg there. I left him Marlene." His head fell into his hands and I saw his shoulder shake. I wrapped my arms around him and he collapsed into my shoulder.

"He'll be ok Sirius. It's never him. It's always..." I trailed off.

"Always me."

"You did the right thing. Please tell me you're leaving for good." He pointed over my shoulder. I looked around to see a bag on the floor. I sighed in relief.

"I'm going to James. I don't expect you to take me in. I don't expect him to take me in either, but I know they will. I just needed to see you." I took his face in my hands and made him look at me.

"You can always come to me. Always. Potter's will take you in, they love you like their own son. But you can always come here." I pushed his hair off of his forehead and my hand came back bloody. "Wait here. I'm gonna grab a washcloth and clean you up"

I walked out the bathroom, careful not to wake my parents. I dampened the cloth and walked back to the room. Sirius almost looked by a child when I walked back into the room. He was slumped in on himself and his hair was falling back into his face. I knelt on the floor in front of him. He raised his face to look at me.

"Everything's going to be better now. I promise," I told him. I started to dab at the cut on his forehead.

"For now." I frowned slightly.

"What do you mean? You aren't going to be out on the street Sirius, you have places to go. You're gonna be ok."

"We're still at war Mar. Things are only going to ok until we leave school."

"We're going to win Sirius. The good guys always win."

"Did i win tonight?" I stopped what I was doing. I grabbed his hands.

"Yes. Because you have a family who loves you. More than one, actually. And they lost a son. A son who is the best person I've ever met in my life. You're so much better off this way." He leaned forward and kissed me. I tasted blood in my mouth. I hadn't realized that his lip was bleeding. I pulled away. "Sirius. We can't."

"Why not?"

"We just broke up. And you're not in a good place right now. It wouldn't be right." He nodded. "Stay here tonight. I don't want you going anywhere in this state."

"No I should go to James'."

"Go tomorrow."

"I can't. I owled him right before everything happened, he'll be worried. I should go."

"Let me clean you up first at least." I agreed and I finished wiping the blood off his face and stomach before casting healing spells. He stood up and grabbed his bag. "Sirius?"

"Yeah?" I stood up and kissed his cheek.

"I'll see you soon, ok?"

"Of course you will. We both now you can't stay away from me McKinnon," he smirked at me, the way he always did and a ghost of a smile crossed my face. For a moment, it was as though I didn't have to worry about him. I didn't know that before long, he'd be taking care of me, and I would also be staying at the Potter's.
Sitting in the common room crying, wrapped in Sirius' arms, the memory of that night came back to me. That was when I knew that we would always take care of each other. It didn't matter that we were broken up or that he had somewhere else to go. We loved each other and we were always going to find each other. He kissed my head and I looked up at him. My eyes dried for what felt like the first time in days, though it had only been hours.

"Do you want to go to bed? I can take you up to my room, it's empty." I nodded and he took my hand.

He had to all but carry me upstairs. I had lost my strength in McGonagall's office and it hadn't seemed to have come back yet. When we got upstairs, I turned to face him. I leaned up and kissed him, but he pulled away.

"We can't Mar." His words echoed mine mere months before.

"Why?" A shadow of a smile crossed his face at the de ja vu.

"It's not right. We don't know what's going on with us, and you're not in a good place. I'd be taking advantage of you." I nodded before crawling into his bed.

"Stay with me at least."

"I'll always stay with you." He climbed into bed next to me and wrapped me back in his arms. We fell asleep like that, and no one disturbed us the whole day. That was a first.