This one will be a two to three part. 

Dang it it's hard to make these short.

Also thank you for 500 reads!

Comment ships if you would like.

Marlene walked down the gravel path of the courtyard, seeing Lily speaking with James Potter on the bench. She rolled her eyes when she spotted Mary and Donna standing behind the bushes, whispering to each other as they peered around the plants to spy on their roomate. 

"Do you guys know what 'I'm going alone' means?" Marlene asked, making them both jump. Donna almost fell over in her heals as she glared at Marlene for scaring both of them. 

"We do... we were just...worried, you'know, about Snape," Mary said, her eyes wondering over to a nearby doorway leading into one of the open corridors. It was dark, but Marlene could faintly make out a figure standing just around the doorframe, his piercing dark eyes staring at the scene going on with his best friends and his bully. 

"How long has he been over there for?" Marlene asked them. Mary shrugged. 

"He was here before us," Donna said. When Marlene turned back to see what Severus was doing, his dark figure was gone. "I think you scared him away."

But Marlene's eyes wandered into the courtyard where a black dog trotted across the gravel path. Marlene narrowed her eyebrows as she watched the dog walk into  one of the corridors across from them. 

"Well, I hope you all don't feel guilty for spying when Lily finds out," Marlene told them, taking a slow step back. 

"She won't find out,"both girls said in unison, going back to peering over each others heads to look out at the James and Lily who were sitting on a bench near the corridor the dog had walked into. 

Marlene then quickly ducked away, going into the open corridor next to them and speed walking past Lily and James and into an enclosed hallway where she saw the dog duck away around the corner, only its tail being spotted by her. SHe quickly ran up to it, the corridor continuing in front of her and into the next half of the courtyard. But she quickly turned left, seeing the dog trotting farther down the darkening corridor. As Marlene quickly ran down the hallway, she turned only to see Sirius Black leaning against the wall. He was wearing his normal black leather jacket though with no undershirt this time. He wore loose black sweatpants but with no shoes. 

"Sirius, what are you doing out here?" Marlene asked, narrowing her eyebrows at his tangled black locks. He jumped at her voice, turning to her with a paranoid look in his eyes. 

"McKitten? I could ask you the same thing," he told her. Marlene crossed her arms and watched as his quickly rising and falling chest slowly started to rest back to its normal speed.

"What were you doing?" she asked him, raising her eyebrows. Sirius turned to her, a smirk on his face. 

"What do you ever mean, McKitten, I've been a good boy I promise," he told her with a playful grin on his lips. 

"Your chest is rising to fast for you to be completely innocent," Marlene told him with a smirk of her own. Sirius's grin faltered a bit, but a grin back to his lips as he settled back to his feet, pushing off the wall. But Marlene watched in confusion as he stumbled forward, depending on Marlene to hold him up. 

"Sirius, what-"

"Don't talk," he mumbled to her, pushing on her shoulders to stand up straight. "I'm fine," he told her, a smirk coming back to his lips. 

"Do you ever frown?" Marlene asked him. She reached over to his arm and pinched him as hard as she could to get some sort of emotion from him which wasn't flirtatious. "Show some real emotion, Sirius, your friends want it, too," she told him, a wrinkle coming between her eyebrows. He flinched at her fingers against his neck and the pinch made him let out a squeak of pain.

"Nice to see you too McKitten," Sirius told her, his smile coming back to his lip. But his bottom lip was quivering and the normal joy in his deep dark eyes wasn't there. 

"Sirius-" Marlene began, but he had already turned around, stumbled away from her and down the corridor the way she had come. 

Marlene could only watch, not sure if anything she said could make him come back. 

Marlene didn't feel like staying with her friends that night. They were gathering with James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, and they had even invited Marlene, but she wasn't feeling up to. She didn't feel like seeing Sirius, but she wasn't afraid of an apology, she was scared of what his reaction would be to just seeing her again. 

She had never seen his lip quiver like that. 

It made her choke up everytime she remembered his face.

The sound of the Gryffindor common room opening made her snap out of her daze. James, Remus, and Peter all walked into the room. Donna and Mary had already gotten the snacks and board games, dressed their 'cute' pajamas. 

Yet two people were missing.

Lily was one, not seeming to be in sight in neither the girls nor the boys group. 

And Sirius. 

He wasn't there either.

And none of the boys looked alarmed by it. 

Before any of them could see her, she quickly ducked up the staires and hid in the dorms, deciding she didn't want to play a game even if Sirius wasn't there. So, she changed into her pajamas, a black tank top with black pants patterned with white polka dots. Then, she sat by the barred window beside the long line of beds. The girls dormitory peered out over the courtyard and gave them a good look at the sun while it was setting. But something else caught her eye. 

A black German shepherd. 

It trotted over the courtyard once again and she watched as it sat down, its eyes turning to her. 

Her eyes narrowed on the dog and she locked eyes with its deep chocolate eyes. Its tail immediately begun to wag and Marlene couldn't help but softly smile when the dogs long tail swept leaves around on the stone courtyard. 

She looked over to the door at the sound of the group laughing and looked back for the dog. 

But it was gone.

She quickly gotto her feet, grabbing a black sweatshirt and throwing it over her arms. Then, she quickly opened the girls dormitory door, running down the steps and slipping on a pair of sandals. No one batted an eyelash as she jogged past them, throwing open the Gryffindor common room door and racing out.

"Hey, hey!" James suddenly shouted from the doorway. Marlene stopped quickly, turning around to see James holding a sort of beautifully designed blanket. 

His invisible cloak. 

"You forgetting something?" he asked, holding the cloak out to her. Marlene raised an eyebrow, but walked up the steps, slowly grabbing the cloak. 

"What did you do?" she asked. James grinned. 

"I have no idea what your talking about."

Marlene could slip through the doors which lead into the courtyard easy as pie with the cloak. She found the dog in the same dark corridor as she had seen SIrius in. Removing the cloak, the dog quickly tired to face her, its long tongue hanging out of its mouth. 

"Aw, come here buddy," she said, kneeling down and onto the brick floor. The dog trotted over to her, letting her stroke behind its ears. "What are you playing at, bud? Are you trying to tell me something?"

As if the dog could understand, it ran its tongue over her cheek and she giggled. 

She giggled. 

It's been a while since a true giggle had escaped her lips. 

The dog licked her again, over the nose and over her eyes. She smiled, running her hands over the dogs long, midnight black fur.  

"You like kisses, don't you, pup?" she whispered, quickly touching his nose with her finger, smiling when he sneezed. She smiled as the dog licked her hand and neck. She sat down on her bottom, legs open wide so the dog could get closer.

"James let me borrow his cloak, it was weird, like everyone knew something I didn't," Marlene said to him. She watched as the dog sat down in between her legs, its head sitting upon her thigh. 

"I wonder who you belong to," she begun, changing the subject and reaching towards the dogs neck. There wasn't a collar, nor any sign of human possession. "You must have just wondered into the gates, Professor Flitwick was always a sucker for puppies," she said, scratching behind his ear.

Marlene stayed outside a bit longer with the puppy, though it eventually got cold enough to make her shiver. The wind was harsh on her neck and the dog huddled close to her as well.

"You can't stay out here," she mumbled, not believing her own words. The dog looked up at her, its tongue lazily lying outside its mouth. Her eyes wandered down to the invisible cloak and she bit her lip. 

Marlene never thought she would be caring a dog in her arms while holding the James's invisible cloak over both of them while making the trip back to her dorms, trying to be as quiet as she could be to not get caught by Filch. 

But it ended up working. 

She made it back to the dorms safe and sound. All there was left was to sneak into the girls dorm and hide the dog. 

Oh boy.

She was able to sneak past her friends, only bumping into a table which Remus put off as 'the wind.' But walking up the stairs with a fifty pound dog in your arms while trying to keep a smooth blanket over your head was something else. 

Yet, she was able to do it. 

The dog didn't squirm in her arms nor make a sound, which she was thankful for. 

"Okay, listen pup, you need to stay under the bed until I tell you to come out, alright?" she told him, finally setting the dog down and removing the blanket. 

Unfortunately, the dog immediately jumped onto the bed, lying down. 

He did not look like he wanted to move.

"Come on, pup," she pleaded to him. "I can't let anyone see you," Marlene told him. The dog laid its head in between its paws, not moving. 

"Please-"

"Marlene! You didn't tell us you got a dog!" Mary suddenly said from the door. Marlene scrambled to sit on the bed, blocking the dog from the girls view. But they had already seen, and to her surprise, they didn't look mad at all. 

"Aw, look how cute he is!" Mary said with a smirk headed in DOnna's direction. Marlene was shoved out of the way and the two girls quickly begun petting the German shepherd. The dog seemed to like the attention, though he once again didn't move. 

"You guys don't mind?" Marlene asked. Donn opened her mouth, but Mary elbowed her. 

"Not at all, he's adorable," Mary said. Marlene sighed in relief, patting the dogs bed. 

"Then I guess you do get the bed tonight, Buddy."