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nicole-kaiwo · 4 years ago

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Blackinnon Week 2021 Day #4

You can also read the story on AO3 and FFN

The bet

Races, competition and bets were a constant element in their relationship. Sirius had not expected that Marlene, like him, had such a strong need to compete. But he was positively surprised by this fact.

It all started entirely innocent. One day, Marlene looked out the window and prosaically announced, "It's going to snow tomorrow."

"Snow? No chance. It snows two days a year in London, and it's still too warm for that."

" You want to bet on that?"

" Hell yeah!"

They shook hands and agreed that the loser would wash all the floors in the house.

Of course, Sirius won that bet. However, it activated a side in Marlene that he had not known before. She demanded a rematch.

They started making bets about practically everything. They could make almost any activity into a little tournament to see who of them was better. They began keeping a scoreboard pretty quickly to keep track of which one of them won more often.

They both had a very strong need to always be the first one. They raced each other on brooms, in running down stairs, in drinking an entire bottle of beer, in brushing their teeth or taking off their clothes.

Sirius was particularly proud of his victory in eating chilli peppers. They both had to eat one spicy pepper, and whoever reached for the milk first lost. Marlene didn't even last a minute.

However, she beat him in such competitions as pulling a banknote out from under a glass without touching the glass and lasted much longer than Sirius without using magic. And what impressed him most was how quickly she could eat an entire pizza by herself (how did that pizza even fit in the stomach of such a petite Marlene?).

Most of their bets were really childish and immature. For example, who would peel a hard-boiled egg faster (Sirius), who would wash the dishes faster (also Sirius, never mind that Marlene was not even trying to win this one), who would colour a colouring book faster (Marlene), who would look better in the other's clothes (Marlene, but only because when Sirius saw her putting on his shirts, he decided to give her the win so they could occupy themselves with something else).

�� But there were also bets in the adults-only category. One time while kissing, Marlene made a rather funny sound. Sirius was very turned on by it. He repeated the sound, only louder. With normal couples, it would probably end there, but not with Sirius and Marlene. They went into a competitive frenzy, and after a while, the sounds coming out of their bedroom started to resemble a nature programme or a banshee screaming.

Over the last six months, all the childish betting has gone a bit to the sidetrack. They concentrated on one particular bet. Neither of them wanted to lose that particular bet, so they would try to beat the other's score every now and then.

Like most of their bets, this one also began spontaneously.

While living together, Sirius found out that Marlene was having very painful periods. More often than not, she spent the first day of her period curled up in bed. Sirius wanted to help her somehow, so he prepared a hot-water bottle for her and then lay down next to her, gently stroking her hair. They lay like that in peace for a moment, until suddenly Marlene spoke in a soft voice, "I love you, Sirius."

"I love you too."

"Yes, but I love you more."

"No. I love you more."

"Forgive me, love," Marlene said, turning to face him, and there was a hint of competition in her voice, "but I love you more."

" You must be dreaming, McKitten. I brought you a thermophore and stroked your hair. It is obvious that I love you more."

"Pff!"

Marlene rose abruptly from the bed and disappeared somewhere behind the door. Sirius began to worry that maybe she was actually mad at him. But after a moment, she returned and, with a wide smile on her lips, handed him a bar of dark chocolate with pieces of orange peel (their favourite).

"This is for you!" she announced proudly. "You see, I love you more. Told you."

"Hmm, I don't see why chocolate would beat a thermophore."

"Sirius, do you know what chocolate this is?"

" A dark one with..."

"No, my darling. This is the last chocolate we have in the house. I'm on my period, so clearly, I need it more than you. But I am willing to give it to you to prove how much I love you."

And with that, Marlene won the first round of their bet on who could make the other person feel more loved.

Sirius loved this bet. And he couldn't lose it. He wanted to compete with Marlena in this competition until the end of the world. And that could come at any moment. Therefore he wanted to win this bet once and for all.

Currently, Marlene was taking the lead. But he already had an idea of how to beat her. Everything was ready. The little velvet box was waiting hidden between his socks. The date had also already been chosen. To say he was scared was like saying nothing. But at the same time, he was looking forward to it.

Sirius only had to wait two more months to fall to his knees in front of Marlene and show her how much he loved her. And if she did him the honour and agreed to become his wife, they would end their last bet with a beautiful draw.

#blackinnonweek2021 #blackinnon #sirius x marlene #sirius black x marlene mckinnon #marlene mckinnon #sirius black #HP #hp fanfic

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nicole-kaiwo · 4 years ago

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Blackinnon Week 2021 Day #3

You can also read the story on AO3 and FFN

Last goodbye

Exactly half an hour ago, a loud bang shattered the glass in all the windows in the McKinnon Manor. Since then, Marlene's entire family had been fighting for their lives.

The worst part was knowing that no one would come to their aid.

Or at least not until sunrise. But the chances that they would survive until then were very poor. Not to say none. There were just too many Death Eaters.

Nor could they escape. All that was left for them to do was fight and hope for a miracle.

"Marls, look out!" shouted her cousin Rosalie pulling her away at the last moment before a spell could hit her from behind.

"Two have made their way into the corridor!" yelled one of her relatives.

Not good.

Under no circumstances could the Death Eaters get into the basement.

Marlene, Rosalie and Marcus ran to stop them from doing so. They quickly caught up with Travers and Selwyn. An exchange of shots began. It was three against two, but Marlene felt no advantage.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a green light, and a second later, she heard the sound of a body hitting the ground. She looked to the side.

"MARCUS!"

Marlene dropped to her knees next to where her cousin's body lay.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Another body fell to the ground. Marlene was horrified that it had hit Rosalie this time. But when she looked at her cousin, she realised that she was the one who had cast the spell on the Death Eater who had killed Marcus.

"We have to go after them, Mars!"

At first, she didn't understand Rosalie's words. Marlene didn't want to go anywhere. And she had to stay with Marcus, she couldn't leave him like this. Besides, she was tired. She had fought continuously for so long, she was constantly on the move! Now she no longer had the strength to get up, run after Travers and Selwyn and keep fighting.

" Grandpa and the kids are in the basement! We don't have time, Mars!"

Rosalie was right. Wasting no more time, Marlene left Marcus' body and ran with her cousin towards the basement. On the way, she heard someone running after them.

"Alarte Ascendare!"

Rosalie launched Selwyn into the air, preventing him from entering the basement. But Travers was faster and was now already in there.

The girls ran in and saw their grandfather duelling with Travers. Rosalie started to help him, and Marlena went to protect the children.

Grandpa and Rosalie were doing really well, and for a moment, Marlene started to hope that maybe they could survive all this somehow.

And then it got dark.

And cold.

A strange shiver went through her whole body. As a member of the Order, she knew from experience what that meant. She knew what had happened. Who had arrived.

Then Marlene had the feeling that a hurricane was passing through their basement. She felt strong gusts of air and heard children screaming as if they had been carried away by the wind.

Then the light returned.

And before them stood Lord Voldemort.

Marlene heard the screams of her two youngest cousins. She looked behind her, but they weren't there.

She looked around the room and saw Bellatrix holding three-year-old Jezabel and Malfoy with five-year-old Ares.

The entire basement was filled with Death Eaters.

"Orpheus McKinnon," said Voldemort," you know why I am here. Give me this, and I'll spare what's left of your family."

Thus Marlene's fears that her grandfather, Rosalie, Ares and Jezbal were now the last surviving members of her family were confirmed.

Marlene knew that her grandfather would never give in. She knew that no one would come to their aid, and they had no way to escape. She knew that the children would be the first to die. She knew that she would be the last to die after seeing the last members of her family dying. She didn't have time to say goodbye to them.

She didn't have time to say goodbye to anyone.

Not even to Sirius.

Suddenly Marlene mentally shifted from that basement to a completely different time and place.

This morning. Just a few hours earlier. Their bedroom.

Sirius was still in bed. He didn't like getting up early, so she didn't want to wake him. But unfortunately, she had to leave now.

She walked over and knelt beside him, then kissed him lightly on the forehead.

He did not even stir.

Trying to be quiet, she started to leave the room.

"Are you leaving without saying goodbye?" he asked in a sleepy voice.

She smiled under her breath and approached him again.

" That' s not true. I left a kiss on your forehead."

"Really? Hm, I don't remember anything. I guess you'll have to do it again."

She knew how this was going to end, but nevertheless, she started to lower her lips towards his forehead. Only for him to pull her further down, and their lips came together.

It was a gentle yet tense kiss, after which she found it difficult to stand straight on her feet.

"Ok, now I have to go. They're waiting for me."

"I know."

"See you, Sirius!"

"I will be waiting for you."

I will be waiting for you.

Marlene went back to the basement, but she could still hear Sirius' words in her head.

She didn't tell him goodbye.

She said, 'see you later'. And he promised to wait for her.

And Marlene knew that Sirius would keep his word. Therefore, she had to do everything to keep hers so that they could see each other again.

Her brain suddenly started working at a crazy fast speed. She began to analyse all the possibilities and tried to anticipate her opponents' moves.

And suddenly, something occurred to her.

She again confirmed her assumption that there was no way she could save Ares and Jezabel. There was nothing she could do for them. There was no chance of saving her grandfather, either.

But there was still one way out for her and Rosalie.

Admittedly, the chance that her plan would succeed was about 5%. But she had to try. After all, she had promised Sirius that she would come back.

Marlene reviewed all the possibilities once more, and when she again found no better solution, she grabbed Rosalie's hand and began to pull her backwards.

Her manoeuvre took the Death Eaters by surprise, and they had no idea what she was going to do yet. This gave her at least a temporary advantage. However, with every step she took, her intentions became clearer. She knew that Rosalie had already grasped what she wanted to do. She could feel it in her body language. Marlene didn't have to drag her anymore, she just ran on her own.

"Avada..."

Apparently, Voldemort also realised what Marlene wanted to do.

It was now or never!

Marlene and Rosalie jumped up and had their goal literally at arm's length.

"...Kedavra!"

Green light.

The feeling as if she had jumped into a pool.

And then Marlene was on the other side.

#blackinnonweek2021 #blackinnon #marlene mckinnon #mckinnon #sirius x marlene #sirius black x marlene mckinnon #week of lasts

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nicole-kaiwo · 4 years ago

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Blackinnon Week 2021 Day #2

You can also read the story on AO3 and FFN

The last sandwich

They rarely cooked for one another. Due to their duties in the Order and different working hours, they usually didn't have time to eat together at all. And when they did spend time together, they were either invited to their friend's place for dinner, or they preferred to spend the time in a different way.

So one day, Sirius surprised her with a dinner for two, and her reaction was certainly worth the hours spent over pots and cookers. And he didn't have to wait long for her to return the same gesture.

Just a few days later, he returned from some mission to a house filled with beautiful smells. And in the kitchen, he found Marlene waiting for him with dinner ready. As he saw what she had cooked, Sirius felt a little ashamed that he had only made some pasta for her.

Marlene had a gift for cooking. Everything she served was just perfect. Her dishes were not only a wonderful sensation for the tongue but also for the eye. She created dishes like she created her paintings. She poured all her creativity, soul and personality into them.

Her dishes looked as if they had been prepared by a real chef. She served food that Sirius didn't even know existed. And she decorated them like little masterpieces.

Sirius' signature dishes were fish and chips, pasta with tomato sauce and mac and cheese. And Marlene served dishes such as saddle of venison on kashotto with mushrooms and kale chip, celery steak with scorzonera puree or cod fillet with burre blanc sauce and rhubarb and fennel assiette.

Most often, Sirius had no idea at all what he was putting into his mouth. But it didn't matter because he was never disappointed. Her dishes were always delicious. Whatever they were.

It was ironic that of all the dishes she prepared for him, his favourite was... a cheese sandwich.

Well, Marlene simply made the best cheese sandwich in the world! It was, obviously, a very simple dish. However, Sirius was never able to duplicate the taste of the sandwich prepared by her. He had no idea what exactly made her sandwich better than any other. There was just.... That something!

Marlene was aware of the fact that for Sirius, the cheese sandwich was her best dish. But she wasn't entirely thrilled about it. Every time she served him some new fancy meal, she would ask if it was better than the cheese sandwich. Many dishes came close to it, but none managed to beat the taste of this sandwich.

Eventually, Marlena stopped worrying that her Risotto with crawfish and mussels couldn't beat the taste of a regular sandwich. And when she knew they wouldn't be able to have a meal together, she would prepare this sandwich for Sirius so he could eat it later. Marlene often made larger portions and hid some in the fridge. She would also put a spell on the container to keep the sandwiches fresh.

When Marlene left home one day and never returned, three sandwiches were left in the fridge.

Sirius didn't believe in her death. But her absence was becoming more and more noticeable with each passing day. And as the days went by, the traces she left behind began to fade.

Lily washed the glass she had left in the sink. A few days later, James put the book she had left on the coffee table back on the shelf. And one day Sirius has thoughtlessly taken her towel and washed it along with his own. He had been very unfocused that day because he had thrown his Gryffindor red sweatshirt into the washing machine along with the two cream towels. It wasn't until he took the laundry out and saw that her towel was soiled with pink stains and not even a strand of her hair was on it that he realised what he had done.

At some point, even her room stopped smelling like her perfume.

Her absence was becoming more and more annoying.

Sirius believed she was alive and would one day walk through their front door and throw herself longingly around his neck. But nevertheless, he treated all the remains of her like relics.

The three sandwiches left in the fridge tempted him every time he opened it. He decided, however, that he would save them for a special occasion. Sirius knew very well that the spell she used on the box would keep the sandwich fresh for many, many years. However, once the box was opened, the spell would go, and there was no way to cast it again.

When he ended up in Azkaban, he would get the same slush every day, which would look like mud. Then Sirius regretted not eating those sandwiches, as he was sure he would never have the chance to taste them again.

For twelve years, he had dreamt of those sandwiches many times. When he finally escaped, he wondered if he should take a chance and go for them. One day he even went to the area around his old flat with that intention. But unfortunately, it was under constant surveillance by several Aurors.

A second chance came when the Order of the Phoenix was reactivated. During one meeting of the Order, it turned out that they needed some documents from the First War that were still in his flat. And Tonks volunteered to go and get them. As an Auror, she could enter his flat under the pretext of looking for some evidence, and it would not arouse anyone's suspicions.

Taking the opportunity, Sirius asked his baby cousin to bring him the three boxes from his fridge.

"Sirius, you do realise that these sandwiches are now definitely in the final stages of decomposition, right?"

"A freshness spell was cast on them," he explained. "Just bring them with you, okay?"

Sirius had never told Tonks about Marlena, and he didn't feel like explaining it to her then. Though he had a feeling that Tonks already knew about who she was and what Marlene McKinnon meant to him. He suspected Remus might have told her something during one of their all-night missions. (They had surprisingly many such missions together.)

On the day Tonks was due to return from her mission to his flat, Sirius couldn't concentrate on anything. He wondered what he should do with those sandwiches. Should he save them for later again? No, he had been dreaming of tasting them for far too long. He missed them almost as much as the person who made them. In the end, he decided to eat one today and leave the other two for later.

Remus decided to keep him busy with conversation while they waited for Tonks. And at some point, they heard a loud bang, followed by loud shouts from his mother's portrait.

They both knew what had happened. Tonks had tripped over the umbrella stand. Again. In no time, he and Remus ran to the ground floor to help her.

When they got there, Sirius suddenly petrified. Remus stepped around him and went over to help Tonks up from the ground. Usually, in moments like this, Sirius went to cover his mother's portrait. But this time, he was unable to move even an inch.

His gaze was fixed on the floor. Lying on it was a box and a smashed sandwich. His sandwich.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!"

Tonks looked at him with horrified eyes, but Sirius didn't give a damn. The rage that possessed him was ten times stronger than his self-control.

"Must you always be so clumsy!! Couldn't you watch where you're walking for once?!"

Sirius felt like there was a potion boiling in his veins that could boil over in a second.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"I don't care that you're sorry! Look what you've done!!"

Suddenly Sirius realised that there was only one sandwich lying on the ground.

"Where are the other two?"

"There was only this one."

"WHAT?! Of course, there were more! There were three boxes in the fridge! THREE! What about the other two?!"

"Sirius," Remus reprimanded him.

"The other two boxes were already empty. Probably one of the Aurors who searched your apartment must have eaten them."

No.

This couldn't be happening.

The rage Sirius felt was only equalled by the anger he'd felt when he'd discovered fourteen years ago that Pettigrew had tricked them all.

"Sirius, it's just a sandwich," said Tonks in a soft voice. Probably to reassure him. However, it had the opposite effect.

"Just a sandwich?! Just a SANDWICH! How dare you say that! You..."

"Sirius!"

Suddenly Remus was standing between him and his cousin. His nostrils fluttered, and his pupils changed shape slightly. His face was one big warning sign for Sirius.

At first, he felt the urge to punch Remus. But then...

He calmed down. He suddenly realised what he was actually doing. Beating up his best friend and taking it out on the only relative he had contact with wasn't going to change anything. And certainly not for the better.

Sirius looked at the sandwich lying on the ground. After a brief moment of thought, he picked it up off the ground. The floor was actually relatively clean. And it was the only Marlene sandwich that still existed. It was possible that this would be the last time he would taste it. Sirius absolutely wouldn't let it go to waste. Had it been lying on the ground for more than ten seconds? Well... Whatever!

He returned to the kitchen and placed his sandwich on the best-looking plate. Remus and Tonks hadn't joined him, and he didn't hold it against them. He bet they probably went somewhere to talk about his outburst and were analysing his mental state. Pff...

Sirius knew he should apologise to them, but he didn't feel like it at the moment.

He concentrated entirely on his sandwich. Unfortunately, he couldn't cast the freshness spell on it again and leave it for another time. He had to eat it now or never.

It tasted just as always! Sirius consumed it very carefully and slowly. He chewed each bite more often than usual, and he tried to remember the taste for as long as possible. It took him over an hour to eat it. And by the end, he couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

It was simply delicious.

***

Three days later, Tonks dragged him forcibly into the kitchen. She claimed she had a surprise for him. At first, Sirius didn't want to agree. For the last few days, he didn't feel like doing anything. He just wanted to lie in his room.

Besides, he still hadn't apologised to Tonks and Remus for his behaviour.

However, he noticed that his cousin had inherited her mother's stubbornness. So he eventually had no other choice and went down to the kitchen with her.

He found Remus and Molly already waiting for him there. Sirius was convinced that they had arranged some sort of intervention to talk about his behaviour. However, Tonks quickly explained to him the real reason for the meeting.

She made Sirius sit down at the table, and suddenly four plates were placed in front of him. On each of them was a cheese sandwich.

"Tonks, what is this?"

"Me, Mum, Remus and Molly made sandwiches for you. We tried to replicate the one I dropped. I am sure that at least one of them will be as good as that one."

What?

It took Sirius a moment to understand Tonks' words.

And then he wasn't sure what to think about it.

He felt like laughing. How would any of their sandwiches compare to Marlene's! Sirius was really close to exploding with rage again and telling them how idiotic their idea was. But then, he saw something in Tonks' face that immediately calmed his nerves.

It was only a small smile. But at the same time, it expressed a great lot.

Then he looked at the sandwich that she made.

The bread was crookedly sliced, the cheese was slightly burnt on one side, the rest of the ingredients were almost flowing outwards. This sandwich could win a contest for the world's ugliest sandwich. Marlene would never serve something like that.

Tonks wasn't a good cook. Actually, only a few months ago, she started learning how to cook from Remus. Their lessons always ended up with a terrible mess in the kitchen. And here she was, with the world's ugliest sandwich, trying to make him happy.

He realised then that Tonks just wanted to help him. She did it in one of the worst possible ways, but in the end, it's the intentions that count, right?

Finally, Sirius agreed to taste all four sandwiches. And he had to admit that they were all good.

"So, which one is the best?" Tonks asked.

Call me crazy, but yours, Tonks."

Sirius couldn't explain it to himself, but it really was so. The outside of her sandwich was genuinely awful. The taste of it, though, was fine. And if he had to be honest, there was something very close to Marlene's sandwich in it.

But it wasn't a sandwich from Marlene.

Something was missing. But Sirius couldn't tell what exactly it was.

The disappointment caused by this realisation must have reflected on his face. Tonks didn't pursue the subject of sandwiches further and just let Sirius go back to his room.

After that, she never tried to take any action related to that topic again.

***

A few months had passed since the sandwich incident, and a lot had changed since then. Or at least for the people around Sirius. He, on the other hand, was practically in the same place.

It was an ordinary day, and Sirius got up surprisingly quite early. He hadn't managed to fall asleep again, so he decided to go to the kitchen to make himself some breakfast. He absolutely didn't expect to meet someone there.

"Good morning Tonks! What are you doing here so early?"

"Hey, Sirius! I made muffins for you guys. Do you want one?"

"For us? Or for Remus?"

Her cheeks turned instantly red.

The two of them had been playing cat and mouse for a while now. Sirius was very well aware of it, probably even better than they were. But until at least one of them would admit their feelings, Sirius could do nothing. So he waited and teased them to get a confession out of them. And he was sure Tonks would crack very soon.

"For you. Both of you. So, do you want a muffin or not?"

"Yes, please."

Tonks handed him a muffin that was overflowing with chocolate. The cake was chocolate, the icing was chocolate, and Sirius was sure there would probably be liquid chocolate inside.

"Are you sure you weren't thinking of someone special while preparing those muffins?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You know, there are only two residents in this house at the moment. One, after eating a strip of chocolate, already feels over-sweetened. And the other can eat a whole bar of chocolate by himself and then sip it with hot chocolate."

"I also can eat a whole bar of chocolate on my own," she said.

"I don't doubt that. But I'll repeat the question. Did you bake these muffins with both of us in mind? Hm?"

"You're weird, you know? Sorry Sirius, but I don't have time for your weird questions. I have to go to work."

That said, she ran out of the kitchen as if she was being chased by a furious hippogriff. Sirius laughed under his breath. Well, apparently, he has to wait a little longer before Tonks finally breaks.

Sirius bit off a piece of the chocolate muffin and started chewing it very slowly.

That taste.

No, that's not possible.

Sirius took another bite and was as focused as if he was solving some puzzle.

Again.

But it was impossible!

He took another bite. And when he felt it for the third time, he could no longer deny it.

The muffin from Tonks tasted exactly like the cheese sandwich from Marlene.

Sirius grabbed his head, wondering how this was even possible. After all, these were two completely different dishes. They had practically nothing in common except...

Of course!

It looked like Tonks had cracked that day after all and didn't even know about it.

And Sirius finally found out what the secret ingredient was that made Marlene's sandwich so special.

The answer was so obvious that he laughed to himself that he hadn't thought of it before.

Because that ingredient was, of course, love.

#blackinnonweek2021 #blackinnon #remadora #food #sirius x marlene #Sirius Black #sirius black x marlene mckinnon #marlene mckinnon #week of lasts #HP #hp fanfic

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