Marlene beamed at him, and started laughing when he said he didnât twinkle. âSirius,â she said, still giggling, âI hate to break it to you, slick, but youâre definitely a twinkler.â It was quite ironic that she was saying this, seeing as her eyes were probably dancing with amusement right now, but she couldnât help it. âItâs okay,â she said in a hushed tone, leaning slightly closer to give the air of secrecy. âI donât think the rest of them have worked out that you twinkleâIâll keep your secret,â she finished, sealing the deal with a wink.
Marlene laughed when he concurred about being the brightest star in the sky, and absent-mindedly furrowed her head into his hand, making it easier for him to play with her hair. She was pretty sure he was a little tipsy, but that was okayâSirius Black was good at making her smile, no matter his sobriety, which was kind of surprising, given how hard his life was. She mused on that when he made his comment about starsâhis family was full of stars. They were all dark stars, though, and she had no doubt that on some level, being surrounded by dark stars would only make the brightest seem brighter, but she worried, sometimes, about how hard it must be for a bright star to try shine when it was alone amidst the dark ones. She brushed that off right now; he seemed happy, right now, and she didnât want to take that from him. Usually, she would push the blunt option if she thought it was best to confront, but she didnât want to do that to Sirius. Not when seeing him just content wasnât such a common thing. âOh yeah?â she asked, in response to his comment about being surrounded by stars. âYou reckon some of us could be your stars?â she asked, small smile playing at her lips as she faced him.
Marlene shifted as he did, to get more comfortable, so now most of her body was nestled beside his, instead of perpendicular to it. She listened intently as he talked. âIt sounds hard,â she said simply, looking at him intently. âIâmy mother hasnât spoken to her family since she married Dad,â she told him. âAnd that was just because, you know, she was a Rickett, a Slytherin legacy, and she married a McKinnon. She left so she could be with dad, but youâyou left because you believe something different. And what Mum did was hard,â she said steadily, because it was, âbut what you did is even harder, and more important. And Iâm so proud of you,â she finally said. Marlene practically lived at Jamesâ in the summerâor at least, she and James alternated between their homesâso she had known Sirius had moved in literally within a day of him having done so, and ever since he had walked out, she had felt so unbearably proud of him, but she wasnât sure if sheâd ever told him. She wasnât much for talking about her feelingsâeven though they ruled her every action; she kind of reserved those talks for when she felt like a friend needed it, but she found herself genuinely wanting to tell Sirius how proud of him she was, even if this was slightly out of the realm of her general conversations. Then again, Sirius wasnât just anybody. "Iâm glad you have them," she informed him, referring to his uncle and cousin, "and us. And youâre totally rightâthe world isnât black and white, and these people asking everyone to choose a side arenât being fair, because sometimes you canât pick.â Marlene looked him in the eyes, and said, laying her hand over the one of his that was holding her, âbut the world is full of impossible choices, and we canât avoid them all. What we can do, though, is make sure we donât have to go through them alone. And I wonât let you,â she said, and her tone was fond, but also fierce, because she meant it with all her heart. âI have no intention of leaving you on your own to make that choice.â She would always have his back, though she wasnât entirely sure that it was that particular friendly instinct that had inspired her words.
Marlene gave him a startled smile. âWell,â she responded, âIâm glad Iâm here too, if I can.â She shot him a wicked grin. âI guess you kind of make me feel better too, Sirius Black,â she returned, her tone slightly teasing but her words completely sincere.
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