The thing was the conversation Marlene had been dreading, never had to happen. There was enough going on in the Great Hall, that the fight went to the back of Lily's mind and Marlene was spared having to explain why her and Sirius were mad at each other.

Marlene told Lily everything, but the problem about telling her about Sirius was that Marlene didn't know what the problem was herself.

Remus was at lunch though and everybody spent most of their lunch pestering him for answers about his adventures with the redheaded veela Anabelle. Sirius and James weren't at lunch, probably because Sirius was trying to avoid Marlene. Instead Dorcas Meadowes and Mary MacDonald pestered Remus, while Peter shoved food into his mouth and Lily listened curiously.

By the time Lily turned to ask Marlene about Sirius, Marlene had already stuffed her face and was standing up. "I gotta go. Want to get to transfiguration as soon as possible." She gave Lily a smile then left before she could say anything else. Marlene was trying to avoid conflict as best as she could. The last thing she wanted to do was dive into her feelings and figure out why her and Sirius were fighting. Why he seemed to make her mad so quickly. Why he got under her skin so easily.

The day flew by, probably because Marlene was dreading detention. Usually when she dreaded something, time seemed to pass unfortunately quicker. It was 7:30 too soon, the time they were supposed to meet Professor Kinali in her classroom.

Marlene was a few minutes early because she was trying to avoid Lily. Sirius showed up a minute late but Professor Kinali didn't seem to care. "Listen you two....." She sighed as she looked between the blonde female and dark haired male who had made a point to keep a good amount of distance between each other. "I was sitting in my classroom today during your argument and sensed—" She paused for dramatic effect, "Unhappiness." She said the word in such a dramatic tone that you'd think it was the equivalent to death.

Marlene had always thought Professor Kinali was a little crazy, very sweet, but there was something off about her. So? That was all Marlene could think of. What was Professor Kinali trying to say? Because all Marlene wanted to do was get the detention over with, so she could get out of Sirius' presence.

Sirius seemed to be thinking along the same lines because at Professor Kinali's dramatic words, he just raised an eyebrow. "And?" He prodded her with the question, waiting for her point.

"And?" Professor Kinali gasped her eccentric blue eyes wide, then quickly shook her head. The heat must've really gotten to her today. "Unhappiness. Why are two of my students unhappy when they could have all the happiness in the world? The tragedy...the tragedy." She muttered the last words to herself, shaking her head again.

Marlene glanced at Sirius to see what his thoughts were on all this but he was making a point not to look at her. So Marlene looked back to Professor Kinali and forced a smile. "Sorry?" She offered, unsure exactly what Professor Kinali wanted her to say. It didn't make any sense what the divination professor was saying. Yeah they were unhappy, but how could they have all the happiness in the world? Besides, them simply being unhappy was far from being a tragedy. Kinali was just overly dramatic.

"Yeah really sorry." Sirius spoke and for some reason Marlene found her heart soaring. He was mad but agreeing with her. Why was she so happy over that?

Professor Kinali clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "No matter." She sighed disappointed that neither one of her students seemed to understand her. "However, I do hope you guys remember. Relinquishing control is key." She gave them both a wide smile then strode across the room to the large cabinet in the back. She opened the doors then spoke again. "Your job is to clean up this cabinet. You are to put everything back on the appropriate shelf, fix any broken tea cups, but broken glass balls are irreparable so toss those. The herbs must go on the top shelf. You can leave when you're done. If you do an unsatisfactory job, I'll have you back tomorrow night and you'll reclean it, then do even more work. Any questions?" She glanced between the two for about two seconds then smiled, turned away and headed to the little door in the floor that led down and out of her classroom. "Enjoy yourselves." Then she was gone.

Let alone in the classroom with Sirius, it was hard to ignore the thick tension between. She knew he wasn't going to apologize, he was one of the most stubborn people she knew when it came to admitting he was wrong. Unfortunately, she was the same way.

Marlene didn't want to be the first to apologize. But she knew if they kept being their typical stubborn selves, they'd end up working here in silence for the entirety of the detention.

Neither of them had made a move towards the large cabinet that sat waiting with its doors wide open, as if welcoming them to clean it out.

Marlene's eyes which had been focused on the cabinet, waiting for Sirius to make a move towards it first, glanced to him as the silence stretched on. She was shocked to find his eyes on her and her eyes widened a little. She quickly tore her blue eyes away from him and cleared her throat, "Well um...we should probably get started."

Sirius rather than giving her any answer just stared at her. Marlene tried her best to decipher the emotions his face was displaying but she wasn't sure. She assumed he was still mad, but he didn't really look mad.

Deciding to be the bigger person so they could get this detention over with, Marlene angled her body towards him. The silence was stretching on too long, they couldn't stand here all day. She crossed her arms over her chest and then spoke with the intention of clearing the air between then. "Look, I'm sorry alright? I'm not really sure what you're mad about. But I'm sorry for yelling at you in class and saying all those things. I didn't mean any of it." She glanced away from him and to the cabinet, running a hand through her blonde hair as she looked back to him. "I'm also sorry for whatever I did last night that pissed you off so much. I was drunk which is never an excuse, but I honestly don't know what I did. So if you could tell me I'd really appreciate it. And then we can talk it out."

Marlene finished talking, eyes focused intently on Sirius. He was looking right at her but he'd yet to speak. Again it felt like the silence stretched on for minutes when realistically it probably wasn't that long. She was already starting to feel stupid and regretful though.

"Let's just work." Sirius finally spoke, his grey eyes leaving her and traveling to the cabinet. Without another word he walked over to the piece of furniture and picked up a jar of herbs which had tipped over putting it on the top shelf of the cabinet.

Confused Marlene watched him for a moment. She was angry, angry that she'd apologized and poured her heart out for him and then he'd responded with that. Okay maybe she hadn't poured her heart out but she might as well had. She'd opened up and apologized, even offered to talk things through and that's all he'd had to say?

"No." The blonde said firmly, her feet already moving carrying her over to the raven haired male. She placed a hand on his shoulder, her grip rather tight. "Don't brush me off just like that. I want to talk. I want to know why the hell you're mad."

Sirius shook her hand off, glancing back at her in annoyance. "I'm not mad. Okay?"

Marlene rolled her eyes, holding back a snide laugh at that comment of his. "You're not mad? Really?" She asked doubtfully, giving her head a small shake. "Just tell me what I did."

"Why don't you go ask McLaggen? The prat had no problem telling all of us this morning. He was quite proud to get you in bed last night." Sirius sneered, shoving another jar quite forcefully back on the shelf.

"That's what you're mad about? Me sleeping with somebody? Hypocrite, you do it all the time. Hell, you did it last night!"

"Yeah but not with McLaggen!"

"So what?!"

"McLaggen he's- he's foul. And off limits." Sirius protested his back still to her as he placed more of the jars on the shelf. "That goes for any of my friends, not just you. Dorcas and Mary and Lily too."

Marlene laughed, shaking her head as if he were insane. "That's bullshit Black. Be a fucking man and tell me the truth." She told him sternly.

Sirius slammed the glass jar on the shelf, then turned around abruptly, their bodies mere inches from each other. "Look I don't want you getting hurt. Okay?"

Marlene flinched as he slammed the glass down, though it surprisingly did not shatter. She managed to keep her ground though as he turned, and she straightened up trying to show she wasn't intimidated. He was actually being honest though which surprised her...or at least she thought so. "Sirius." She laughed despite how serious he looked. "I'm a big girl. I can make my own decisions. I appreciate that you care. But seeing as you choose whoever you sleep with, I feel like I'm entitled to make my own choices as well. Okay? And next time, if you have such a problem. Just tell me. You don't have to act like an ass all day."

Sirius stared at her for a moment, the wheels in his head turning, then finally he grinned. "Okay. Deal." He said then reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter.

Marlene had more to say but lost her focus when he pulled out the cigarette. "Oh shit. I thought Lily confiscated all of yours already."

Sirius grinned placing the thin roll in between his tenth. "She tried to." He spoke, his words a little hard to decipher around it. "But I hid them somewhere she'll never find them."

The dark haired boy inhaled then pulled the cigarette out of his mouth, exhaling smoke into the air. He looked a lot more relaxed which Marlene was glad to see.

"And where would that be?" Marlene asked, plucking the cigarette from his hand and taking a drag from it, before exhaling the smoke into the air.

Sirius looked a little caught off guard by her taking it from him but also rather impressed at her smoking. Everybody knew Marlene McKinnon was hot but she was also kind of a badass and for some reason Sirius had never really noticed just how pretty she was up close.

"Hello?" Marlene asked, snapping Sirius out of his thoughts.

A sheepish grin appeared on Sirius' face and he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, giving a slight shake of his head. "It's a secret Mar. I can't tell you." He laughed, then reached for the cigarette. "Now give it back."

The blonde gryffindor allowed him to take it from her, feeling her heart warm a little at the nickname. It was crazy to think they'd just been fighting but they were both rather short tempered so it also made sense.

Marlene decided to start working despite Sirius smoking and seemingly taking a break. She threw away a couple of broken orbs, then stood up on her toes to set the herbs onto the top shelf.

Sirius chuckled as she rose up onto her toes. He pushed off the desk he was leaning against and took a few steps towards her so he was right behind her. "Can't reach McKinnon?" He teased placing his hand on top of hers and easing the herbs out of her hand. Sirius placed them on the top shelf and pushed them all the way to the back.

Marlene's heart was pounding in her chest feeling the heat from his body radiating off him. They were so close and then Sirius took a step back. She didn't look back at him and instead crouched down grabbing a new item to put back up on the shelf.

"Did Remus say anything about Annabelle?" Marlene suddenly spoke, gaze ahead as she tossed some of the broken glass balls into the trash can.

"Annabelle?" Sirius had leaned back against the desk again and gone back to smoking, but spoke up after she asked her question.

Marlene slowly looked back at him, confusion written clear as day across her face. "The new girl. You know, red hair, part veela, ravenclaw....that Annabelle."

It seemed to click for Sirius because he nodded his head slowly. "Oh yeah. Sorry, I didn't know her name."

Marlene rolled her eyes, not surprised the dark hair gryffindor hadn't paid enough attention to know the name one of his best mates was quite obviously into. "Anyways-" She spoke, trying to get him to elaborate on her.

"Not really. I think they're going to Hogsmeade or something next weekend."

The blonde's eyes widened and she perked up. "Wait, really?" She exclaimed excitedly, to which Sirius nodded his head. "Aw, I'm so happy for Remus."

Sirius shook his head, "I mean me too, but do we actually have to uphold our side of the deal?"

"Of course that's what you're concerned about Sirius." She rolled her eyes, going back to organizing the cabinet. "Listen, all we agreed to do was try to find a relationship. We just got to put effort in and try. Why don't we both ask to go to Hogsmeade with someone next weekend too?"

She didn't get an answer right away as Sirius was taking a long drag of his cigarette behind her. Finally he exhaled and pulled out his wand, putting the cigarette out and using it to throw the cigarette in the trash bin beside Marlene. "Fine. I'll try. Who do I ask though?"

Marlene laughed, giving her shoulders a shrug. "I don't know. Somebody you like being around."

He pushed off the desk and walked back up to her, starting to help put the things away too. "So not you?" Sirius teased poking her in the side.

Marlene shoved his hand away playfully, a soft laugh leaving her lips. "Shut up. I know you love me."

"How about I choose someone for you to take and you can choose someone for me?" Sirius suddenly offered, his grey eyes meeting hers, "That way you don't end up going with some douche like Lucas McLaggen.

It wasn't a terrible idea and Marlene didn't really see the harm in it, so after a moment she nodded her head. "Deal. I'll find the perfect date for you. Don't even begin to think you'll find someone better for me."

"Oh it's on." Sirius smirked cockily, placing more jars up on the top shelf. "Just you wait."