Hey everyone. This is another story for The Return of The Chocolate Frog Card Club at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments). This one was for (Bronze) Uris Oapley: and the challenge was to write about receiving punishment from a Gryffindor Head of House. This is how I took the challenge to mean. Also this is my first time writing for the character of Marlene McKinnon. I hope I didn't get her out of character. Or too out of character. So without further ado here is Trouble. I hope you all enjoy.

If someone would have told me that joining the Marauders shenanigans would land me in trouble with my head of house I would have run the other way as soon as they even approached me. I wouldn't have even waited until they got near enough to talk to me. I would have run before James Potter and Sirius Black stepped foot in the room.

That is what I should have done, I thought as we were all marched toward Professor McGonagall's office. I looked over to see James Potter and Sirius Black whispering furiously between each other as they followed behind Professor Sprout, Remus, Peter, and I.

How I got into the position I'm in now is totally explainable. I, Marlene McKinnon, am totally under the spell of one Sirius Black. He could tell me to steal the wand from right out of Professor Dumbledore's hand and I would probably do it too. Which is why it was no surprise that they would come to me to help them out with their little.

"McKinnon," came Sirius' voice from behind me as I sat eating my breakfast at the Gryffindor table, "we need you to help us out a bit with something. Are you game?"

I almost choked on the piece of bacon I was chewing on when I heard Sirius say that they needed my help. They always acted like they didn't need any help. That group. The Marauders. I looked up at him swallowing my bacon before he could say anything else to make me choke. "Why do you need my help?" I asked looking up innocently.

Sirius looked at James and Remus and Peter. The other three nodded as though to say "tell her you idiot".

Sirius sighed. "We know Professor McGonagall would not punish us if you or Lily was with us," he admitted in a low tone.

I raised an eyebrow. "What was that, Black?" I asked pretending I hadn't heard exactly what he had said. I knew it would kill him to repeat the words he knew all to well. "I don't believe I heard you."

Another long drawn out sigh escaped his lips. Not that I was paying attention to his lips or anything. "I said," Sirius sighed, "Professor McGonagall would not punish us if you or Lily was with us."

"So you want me to come with you and your friends because McGonagall won't punish you if I was with you?" I asked looking up at him with sly smirk on my face. "Is that what you want me to believe?"

"Exactly," exclaimed James clapping a hand on Sirius' shoulder as though he had just explained a terribly difficult potion that I was having trouble brewing on my own. "So are you in?"

I looked over at my best friend Lily, who was rolling her eyes at hearing James and Sirius asking for my help, to see what she thought about the idea. I should have been able to tell from the look on her face that the answer should have been no. But I made the mistake of looking over at Sirius's hopeful face. I could still see Lily shaking her head no from the corner of my eye.

"Can you gentlemen give me a moment?" I asked looking over to Lily. "I just need to have a conversation with my friend before I give you my answer. Ok?"

"Sure," said Sirius quickly.

I could see James give his friend a weird look as I lead Lily down to the other end of the Great Hall so that the boys couldn't hear what we were talking about.

"It's a bad idea helping them," said Lily.

"They haven't gotten into to much trouble for a while," I told Lily. "Plus I think if we can prove to McGonagall that the Marauders have grown up a little she might loosen up on them."

"This is such a bad idea, Marlene."

"What's the worse that could happen, Lils?"

"You could get in detention just like them. Or worse you could get expelled from school. That would ruin your dream of becoming an Auror."

I shook my head at Lily. "I won't get expelled," I told her. "I'll try not to get caught."

"Then you've made up your mind already?" she asked looking at you with a raised eyebrow.

I nodded.

"I hope you don't end up regretting this," she called after me as I walked back towards the boys.

Sirius looked up hopefully as I walked back towards the Marauders and my abandoned breakfast. I plopped back down into my vacated seat and began to continue eating my breakfast. I looked up at them with a raised eyebrow. "You do have a plan for whatever your attempting to do? Right?"

James and Sirius sat down on either side of me as Remus and Peter sat down across from us. James nodded his head. "We do have a plan," he told me with a blush.

I looked over at Sirius who was rolling his eyes at James' behavior. I couldn't help but to join him.

"So what is the plan?" I asked fearing what was about to come out of either one of their mouths.

"James wants to gain Lily's attention," Sirius told me with a smirk, "as you well know. And we were planning on helping him ask her out."

I nodded as he paused to for affect or whatever he felt like he was pausing for. "Couldn't he have just done that when she was sitting here a few minutes ago?" I asked

"He wants it be memorable," Sirius explained as though he was talking to a little child. "We have a few fireworks we are going to set off right underneath of the Girl's Dormitory in Gryffindor. But like I said earlier we'd probably get expelled for that. But not with you there."

My eyes grew to the size fo grapefruits hearing what Sirius had just said. I should have run as soon as I saw them coming my way. I really should have. I looked up at him and then over at the other three. "If we get caught," I say, "I'm going to get all four of you back. Do you hear me?"

"We promise that if we get caught you do whatever form of revenge you want to us," said James as he watched Lily read her book while eating some toast. "It'd be well worth it."

So that is how I found myself being pulled towards the Black Lake by Sirius Black and James Potter, our fireworks display still going off in the background, in the pitch dark of night. I stumbled as they let go of my hands finally steadying myself. I panted for breathe as looked up at them as Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew joined us.

"That was awesome!" exclaimed Peter watching the fireworks going off.

I could still see the look of disapproval on Lily's face as the fireworks began with the words "Lily please go out with me, Love James". She hadn't answered him that would probably wait until tomorrow.

"We should get back into the castle before we get..."

"Caught," came Professor McGonagall's voice from behind me, "is that what you mean Miss McKinnon?"

I gulped and turned towards Professor McGonagall. I really should have ran as soon as the Marauders entered the room was the only thought that went through my head as I was lead towards McGonagall's office. I could still hear James and Sirius arguing behind us as we neared the office. Fear clenched my guts. Was I about to get expelled because I couldn't say no to Sirius and James and that group?

"In," was the only thing Professor McGonagall said as she opened her office door.

I walked into the office with my head hung low knowing this would be the end of my career path that I had wanted. I sat down in the chair nearest the door hoping to just leave as soon as the verdict was read.

It surprised me the most when both Sirius and James spoke up at the same time to defend me. "She didn't want to join us," they both said at the same time. "We made her do it."

I looked over at them both as shocked as anyone. I looked up at Professor McGonagall to see how she would react to this. She seemed to be thinking about it.

"I think this time I will go easy on you boys," Professor McGonagall said, "and Miss McKinnon. You will have detention with me for two months cleaning the awards room."

The boys began to celebrate getting off easy for once in their lives.

Professor McGonagall raised her hand and turned towards me with a knowing smile. "You should have run as soon as you saw them coming your way, Miss McKinnon," she told me. "Remember that next time." She motioned us all towards door. "Now off to bed with all of you."

We made our way out the door but before James could close the door we heard the Professor call out, "I do hope you get the result you want, Mr. Potter."

"Me too, Professor," I heard James tell her.

I smiled knowing I would know the answer before any of them all.

There you have it Trouble. I hope everyone enjoyed. I have never written for Marlene McKinnon before. So I hope I did her justice and that I didn't get her too off character.