Under the Mistletoe

Sirius leaned against the cold, frosted glass of the bus that drove on the uneven roads in London. They had left Hogwarts, leaving one adventure to head for a completely new one that could end in disaster. Marlene McKinnon reached over and grabbed her boyfriend’s hand, gently squeezing it and reassuring that he had nothing to worry about.

He looked over at the beautiful blonde that he had the fortune of calling his for almost a year now and almost felt relaxed at the sight of her beautiful smile and her bright blue eyes shining clearly against her thick black lashes- however the one thought that couldn’t fade away the slightest was how her family would react when they found out he was Sirius Black.

His name was tainted despite from the family he came from; people usually took steps backwards and almost ran away as he introduced himself to them. He was frightened how Marlene’s parents would react when he introduced himself to them as their daughter’s boyfriend and hoped to god that they’d have the understanding that he loved their daughter and was not a bad person.

“Don’t worry; they’re going to love you.” Her soft voice spoke up and he found himself looking back into those beautiful eyes of hers.

He didn’t know how to respond, so he just gave her hand a light squeeze and a lazy smile, before once again turning his attention back to the world outside the window. Sirius was never one to care for what people thought of him, he did what he pleased whilst showing others respect but this was a completely different situation. He had never been in love with someone like Marlene, or any one at all. It scared him that he wouldn’t get the approval from the people that raised her to be the amazing person that she was.

One of Marlene’s close friends, Lily Evans had told him about her family, things that Marlene had as well but he needed a second opinion. He was clueless what to do; there was no magic that could help him with meeting Marlene’s parents. Lily had told him to act like he usually was against anyone really, he had the manners and respect for people he had met before and for the people he had just met.

According to Sirius himself, Marlene was one of the best witches he’d ever had the pleasure of meeting and befriending. She was powerful and well-read, as well as she was a very sweet yet authoritative person. She had no problems standing up for herself and defending her in very dangerous situations, especially ones around in Hogwarts that she had experienced.

He hissed out in pain as the bus hit a rather large road bump and caused him to bounce his head against the window. His hand flew up to his forehead, rubbing the spot where he could already feel a bump surfacing slowly. Great way to start the evening, he thought to himself.

Sirius turned to the blonde that was currently buried in a book about herbs used the world of magic- it was all about making potions that could make you breathe under water to turn someone into a frog.

“Dear?” He leaned into her side.

Her head flew up from the book, a smile on her lips as she looked at him expectantly and murmuring a simple ‘yes’.

Clearing his throat, he kissed her on the cheek and moved some blonde strands of hair behind her ear and whispered into it,

“Why could we have not used Floo Powder instead? It would have gone much faster.”

She looked up into his brown, chocolate orbs- sighing.

“I know, it just felt like it would be more fun to arrive like this but I’m starting to regret it,” she laughed, “it’s hard to read because the bus trembles with each minor bump it hits.”

Sirius grinned.

“My book nearly fell out of my hands before; do you know how embarrassing that would have been?” she exclaimed giggling.

“Yes, but then again your clumsiness is a part of your charm.” He leaned in and placed a kiss on her
lips before he slung an arm over her shoulder, pulling her towards him as much as the seats allowed and let her rest her head against his chest.



He couldn’t believe he was finally standing in front of the McKinnon family’s big house that was made out of big bricks that had darkened, giving the house the look of a haunted mansion. The only exception that gave the property a warming and welcoming look, was the giant pillars in front of the big entry door and the big windows that allowed you to see all the Christmas decorations and light that shone through.

Next to the door, there were two big, white windows on each side and three above. Under these two, there were perfect rose bushes that were well trimmed and well kept; the red seemed to glow from the roses even if they were topped off with a heavy layer of snow. The front garden was a clean slate, without any trees or objects just coated with snow that was in other words, spotless in Sirius’ eyes.

Suddenly the door opened and light sprang upon the couple that stood on the sidewalk, nearly blinding them as it was so dark outside.

“Come on in, you’ll freeze your socks off.” A woman that stood in the doorway ushered them in with a motherly yet firm voice, she stepped aside as Marlene ran up towards her mother.

Sirius stayed behind picking up the luggage and walked up the stone path, stepping in to the warm home.

“Come on, in dear.” The woman ushered, and placed a hand on his back, gently pushing him inside and closing the door. Before he could remove his jacket, he was enveloped in a hug.

“It is so nice to finally meet the man my daughter’s been all up in the clouds about.” The woman smiled as she pulled away.

“Sirius Black, Mrs. McKinnon,” he graciously pulled out his hand from his mitten and offered her it to shake it.

She shook her head, “Don’t you think we’re past that? Call me Sheila. No Mrs. Or Mr in this house.”

Sheila pulled him into another hug and he awkwardly arched down, the height difference was obvious and it was clear what features Marlene had inherited- besides the height.

The blonde hair, the full cheeks and lips, however her mother had hazel eyes unlike her daughters blue ones. They also shared the same gentle and soft facial expression that they had whenever they weren’t doing anything special. Her mother had it this very moment as she watched her daughter remove her coat.

“Come, you’re father’s been dying to see you again Marlene. He goes on and on about how his daughter is such a talented witch to the Evans’ family.” She clapped her hands excitedly, “Oh and you Sirius, don’t fall for the overprotective act. He just wants to know your good enough for his little girl, which I already can tell that you are!”

Sirius almost felt overwhelmed by her warm and hearty attitude towards him but nevertheless loved it, even if his nerves of meeting the father quickly settled in.



“Would you like some more ham, dear?” Sheila asked as she carved the big ham into slices.

Sirius cleared his throat, “No thank you.”

“And you, sweetheart?”

“Some more, mum.” Marlene turned to Sirius smiling after she’d given her plate to her mother, “I’ve always loved her Christmas ham.”

He stuck his fork into another sweet potato and dipping it into sauce, before he put it into his mouth; savoring the ‘yummy’ taste. The ham was glazed with a blend of mustard and honey; the ham was sweet and salty and melted as soon as it hit his tongue. It could possibly have been the best thing Sirius ever ate.

“So, Sirius,” the older man spoke up, gravelly voice louder than ten minutes ago in the livingroom. “, do you enjoy Hogwarts as much as my little girl does?”

“Dad, I’m not so little anymore,” Marlene intervened, smiling at her father.

Mr. McKinnon or Shawn as he later had introduced himself as to Sirius, after giving him a tough
questioning smiled back at his daughter, taking it to heart that his little girl had grown up into a beautiful woman.

“I can’t say anything bad about it. There’s always something new happening every day, keeps the school fun, honestly.”

Shawn made a guttural sound of approval, “That’s good. Read some things in the paper about the school but I’ve met Albus Dumbledore previously and choose to believe his words over some reporters.”

Sirius didn’t know how to respond so he simply smiled and took a sip of his coke, before going back to eating the amazing Christmas dinner Sheila had prepared. He had never spent his Christmas like this, it felt quite homey and spread a great feeling of joy. The atmosphere of the entire house was amazing, the Christmas decorations helped a lot to set the mood as there was Christmas stockings hanging above the fire place in the living-room, something he had noticed during the time Shawn had integrated him and making sure he’d never hurt his baby girl. There was even a stocking with Sirius’ name on it.

“The ham’s really good, Mrs. McKinnon” Sirius complimented.

The woman gave him a stern look, “It’s Sheila and thank you, it’s an old recipe that’s run in the family for generations.”

He smiled, “Old habits die hard.”

“It seems they do, Sirius but get my name right or I’m forced to keep dessert away from you!”
Sheila joked a little, coughing up a laugh.





Sheila had gone out to the kitchen, dishes in her hands and Shawn had followed to help, carrying the plates still containing some potatoes, ham and the boiled vegetables. There had been no dessert left over however, it had been a creamy chocolate cake.

The young pair had been left alone in the room, slowly rising from their chairs and pushing the chairs back to the table. Sirius followed Marlene as she walked out of the room only to stop at the doorframe, turning to him.

“I’m sorry if my dad was too harsh on you before.”

He smiled, “He wasn’t. He only wants to make sure his daughter’s in good hands, plus he wasn’t all that bad.”

“Good,” she breathed out and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

He kissed her forehead, putting his chin on the top of her and head, his eyes moving around the room. Eventually his eyes moved up towards the ceiling and what caught his eyes made him smile.

“Mistletoe,” he murmured softly into her hair.

She pulled away, a confused expression on her face, “huh?”

“We’re standing under the mistletoe.”

“Ah yeah,” she smiled as she noticed the red and green colored herb hanging above the two.
Marlene leaned up, inching closer to a face before she pressed a delicate kiss on his lips.

“Merry Christmas, Sirius.”