A/N: I was in a fluffy mood, so I made a little Marauders/Marlene friendship ficlet.
Enjoy!
Marlene Marie McKinnon was having a bad day. She left all of her various essays and question sheets on her desk, and didn't realize it until she was in Transfiguration. McGonagall fixed her with a pointed stare, and released her. Marlene thought it was because she was about to go hysterical, but it was probably because her hair was a tangled mess, and she had dark circles underneath her eyes. She made herself up as quickly as she could and gathered her homework.
She nearly set herself on fire in Potions, and got bubotuber pus on her palm in Herbology. She scowled as she left the Hospital Wing with a white bandage and a throbbing hand.
At lunch she tripped in front of everyone, and landed on her aching hand. With a hand that was now in pain, she collected what was left of her dignity and made her way to the Gryffindor table. She had a rather nice lunch after that, though. Sirius held her undamaged hand as they ate, and gave her a parting hug when she left for Ancient Runes.
In Ancient Runes she had no idea what was going on; Lily would have to tell her everything tonight, and help her with the homework. In Charms she and Lily giggled for the entire period. It was nice, but Flitwick admonished them for their lack of focus.
She got to the common room, and suddenly felt very sad. She trudged up to her bed, and put on her pajamas; one of James's Puddlemere United t-shirts that was several sizes too big, and a pair of flannel bottoms.
She trudged back down, and saw her very favorite Marauders sitting expectantly on the bottom of the stairwell. They followed her to a couch, where they sat in silence.
"I had a bad day," Marlene finally said.
"Ah. What happened, Marley?" James asked softly.
Marlene recounted her bad day, and the boys grimaced appropriately.
"And now I'm tired and grumpy," she finished with a pout.
"Do you need a hug?" Peter questioned sympathetically.
Marlene didn't respond, but continued to frown and flung her arms out. Sirius was the first to snuggle into Marlene. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and nuzzled her face into her arms. James, Remus, and Peter all managed to envelope themselves around the distraught blonde. After awhile Sirius shooed them away and picked her up. He carried het up to their dorms quietly.
Remus's bed was the cleanest currently, so they set her on his bed gently. When the warmth of Sirius's arms disappeared, Marlene made a sleepy noise of protest. They all stifled an unmanly, "awww!" Clearing their throats simultaneously, they left the room.
Around an hour later, James was back in the dorm to check up on Marlene. She had kicked all the blankets off, and was curled into a ball on the bed. James smiled affectionately at his 'sister' and went over to his bed. He grabbed his favorite blanket; it was light blue fleece, with golden snitches, black bludgers, and scarlet quaffles zooming about on it. He arranged it around her and, after a brotherly hair ruffle, left her to her nap.
Sirius was up next. Marlene had a tendency to snuggle into her blankets, effectively leaving her pillows at the headboard, and then kicking them off. She had been tucked into James's favorite blanket, and her fingers played with the fringe as she slept. Her head was starting to loll in an uncomfortable looking position, so he grabbed his fluffiest pillow and tenderly slid it underneath her head. She cuddled into the smooth surface and smiled in her slumber.
Peter crept up to the dorms a few minutes later. Marlene smiled in her sleep, but there was a vacant spot in the bed. He set the teddy bed occupying the trunk at the foot of his bed next to her. Her left arm immediately curled around the worn bear.
Remus returned to the dorm last, bearing a thermos of chicken noodle soup and warm chocolate chip cookies nicked from the kitchens. He placed it on his nightstand alongside her favorite book, which he had obtained from Lily. He pecked her forehead in a paternal fashion and left her to her snooze.
Marlene woke at nine-thirty. She inhaled the coffee scent of what must have been Sirius's pillow. She smiled at the familiar Quidditch-themed blanket, and giggled at what was definitely Peter's old teddy bear. She knew it was Remus who had brought her dinner and her limited edition copy of Quidditch Though the Ages. It was very rare because it had been charmed to update the rosters of the teams, included tips and tricks for every position, and contained colored diagrams and detailed statistics.
The Marauders went up to bed to find Marlene flipping through the pages of her book, and munching contentedly on the last of her cookies. Immediately flocking to her, they arrayed themselves comfortably on Remus's bed, now charmed to a king size. They chatted for a while, and then settled into an easy silence.
"D'you feel better now, Marley?" Remus questioned cautiously.
Marlene smiled and said, "Yeah," before yawning widely.
"Tired, Mar?" Sirius asked.
She rubbed her eyes. "Yeah."
Sirius scooped her into his arms once again, and carried her effortlessly down the stairs. He set her down in front of her set of stairs. She rubbed her eyes, and shuffled forward to give each boy a hug.
"Night, Remmie, love you," she mumbled. "Night Jamie, love you."
"Love you, Petey." she murmured. "Night, Siri. Love you."
"Love you, too, Marley," they chorused.
She dragged herself up the stairs, and away from her brothers. They grinned fondly, and walked back to their own dorm.
Because sleepy Marley would totally revoke Marauder man licenses. Should I make more of these? Tell me, and I'll get you the special edition of Quidditch Through the Ages.
Soph