Marlene's trying not to show any fear, it's inconceivable to imagine that brave, fearless, courageous, Gryffindor Marlene could be scared. She is though. She can't remember ever feeling this scared before, not when she was clasping Sirius' hand and running through the forest, Voldemort's laughter echoing from every cell in her brain. She hadn't found that frightening, she had laughed, glorying in the exhilaration and in telling the thrilling tale at the next Order meeting.
She's not scared because she's on her own; she has been in situations that far exceed this one in danger all by herself before, numerous time. She's a member of the Order of the Pheonix for goodness sake, not a coward. This time is different though, she's dressed in black, inside a house that's far from safe and she knows that the people she holds dearest in the world are trapped. She knows that there isn't a single thing that she can do about it, either. That's when the fear starts to kick in.
She needs to think of a plan, one that involves them all getting out of here alive. Unfortunately, most of her plans usually lack what Lily called common sense. In fact she was almost sure that her best friend would be resigned to her fate already if she knew that her only hope of escape was a Marlene plan.
She screws up her face for the briefest moment at the thought of how hard and potentially painful this is going to be, she can't leave her friends to this fate.
Her heart in her throat she steps out of the shadows, knowing perfectly well that she may never step back into them again. If she dies tonight, she'll make sure that her name is remembered, not as the girl with the always ready laugh but as the most fearsome warrior since Boudicca.
She almost laughs as the first death eater comes towards her, instantly recognizing her as the one he was instructed to catch. She has the promise of death in her eyes as she catches his glare and she laughs as he makes his first fatal mistake, never be more eager to run at your enemy than your enemy is to run at you. He desperately wants to catch her, wants the glory and it kills him.
She steps over his body, laughter on her tongue, she doesn't glorify in death but she can't help but be eaten up by the savage action of battle and the desperate need to save her friends. She'll pay later, of course, when his face joins all the others that haunt her dreams of death.
She continues down the corridor, killing every death eater that crosses her path and wondering why she isn't facing more opposition. If she had of known it would be that easy she wouldn't have wasted all that emotion on fear.
She's almost delirious with happiness at this point, thinking that this will be easy, that, hell, they might even win they war.
"Drop it, Mckinnon or he dies." The voice brings back memories, it's drawl spanning years in her memory and make the hairs on the back of her neck stick up, it's never that easy. She knows without looking that Lucius Malfoy stands in front of her with his wand pointed at Sirius' heart. Without consciously thinking, the wand rolls out of her hand and clatters on the floor.
"Good girl. Regulus," She shakes her head slowly, not even bother to turn around, knowing that the sight will only torture her. She can imagine, Sirius, helpless and broken while Regulus stands beside Malfoy not even acknowledging his brother.
"I'm sorry, Marlene," Regulus' voice is soft in her ear as she feels his wand move to her throat and one of his hands clasp her upper arm. She doesn't say anything, she knows there's no point, she's already lost.
The fear kicks in big time.