Disclaimer: I own nothing from JK Rowling's Potterverse.
R&R: The more you rate and review, the quicker I edit the later chapters.

Enjoy,
Dee.


It was the hottest day of summer. It was the end of summer; it was the end of a lot of things.

There was an air of silence in the old forest green ford consul. The car's engine clanked and rattled faithfully as the family of three rocked against its rough motion. The drive was nearly ten hours from Port Erin on the Isle of Man to London, the drive the blonde headed family had taken the day before still wore heavily against the father and his two children. Thick cigar smoke waved and swirled toward the open window while Alaric drove through the London streets, thoughtfully chewing on the end of his cigar, he occasionally tapped its edge to the window disposing of its large ashes. The middle aged man's eyes were covered with a pair of dark mirroring sunglasses, hiding his anticipation of having left his rural isle setting for the bustling old city of London. Alaric Mckinnon was the widowed father of two, a young man of nineteen and a daughter of seventeen. Today was the last day he would be sending a child off for their first day at Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was easy to blame his anxiety on the heavy traffic of old London, easier than the gut wrenching nostalgia that twisted deep in his belly realizing both of his children were rounding in on adulthood.

"The Ministry is at it again." Finn Mckinnon didn't look up from the paper he rustled about in the passenger seat of the clunking car. Alaric cleared his throat and gave a grunting response to his son while turning onto a road leading towards the infamous King's Cross Station. He didn't pretend to be uneducated in the world his two children and deceased wife had belonged to. In fact, had it not been for his family of in-laws, Alaric would have been another lost Muggle parent in the streets of Diagon Alley; trying to get into his wife's bank vault, figure out which stores to go into for his children's school supplies, and what in the world the significance of a Gryffindor was.

Finn glanced at his father and his mouth twisted into a tight line. He was excused from his auror training at the ill spoken of Ministry of Magic to accompany his father to see his younger sister off to her last year of Hogwarts. Their matching blue eyes locked in the side mirror of the car, before he cleared his own throat and rustled the paper. Finn knew all too well their father despised the idea of politics, namely given the looming promise of war which headlined the papers. Alaric didn't understand the Wizarding World, and even more so he didn't like the idea of his children belonging to a world plagued by dark times that he couldn't comprehend. Finn's brooding expression matched his father's, the two were nearly identical apart from Finn's sandy blond hair cropped at his shoulders. His tanned features were sculpted sharply and angled in ways that most of the opposite sex found desirable. Since his graduation the year before, his younger sister had looked forward to not being the pawn in every girl's plan to snag Finn Mckinnon's heart. He was tall, as his father, both sitting almost uncomfortably with their impressive height in the green ford.

"Last year, Marlene." Alaric finally glanced toward the rearview mirror at his daughter who sat with her feet out the window a book opened on her lap that held none of her attention as she stared upward in the back window at the towering buildings and pale blue cloudless sky through a pair of large sunglasses. The blonde teenage girl was a vision of her era, high waisted widely flared jeans and a form fitting red and white crop t-shirt that exposed a strip of skin. Her brown leather sandals were kicked off near the floor of the back seat. Marlene had spent the morning in front of the mirror willing her chaotic thick hair to be manageable before leaving the golden mane to win the battle. Strands of waved and unstyled hair were twisted into a thick braid which hung over her shoulder, stray locks slipping to frame her face. She was an attractive girl with a spark of femininity in her red painted toe nails, large and gawdy rings and bracelets and thick black lined eyeliner – but the rest of her belonged to the uncaring nature of a teenage girl who cared less about appearance and more about the world around her. She was a fickle creature, Marlene Mckinnon.

She didn't break her eye contact with the cloudless sky, nor did she share her thoughts and ponders toward her upcoming final year or of the atrocities of the rising war and rebellions. Marlene had settled on wanting to be a teenage girl for one more year, one more year where she didn't have to worry about fighting in a war that her father couldn't begin to agree with because he wasn't part of her world. One more year where didn't have to twist the arms of a clock and force herself to grow up faster than any of her peers should have to. They all would, they knew it – they all chose to hold on to one more year. There was a comfort in worrying over the petty issue of running into Dirk Cresswell, rather than the bold headlines of missing persons in the Daily Prophet. Being scared of confronting her ex-boyfriend was far easier to deal with then fearing tomorrow.

The old car's engine quieted as her father pulled into a parking space in the crowded lot. It was as though she had been waiting for the forest green old ford to park, a pair of hands yanked on the feet hanging from the window. The brunette forced her head into the window and bared her teeth in a large grin as she pulled at her friend's toes who tiredly yanked her feet away.

"Not all of us live in London, Mary." The blonde girl grumbled and searched for her shoes in the floorboard.

"Morning!" Mary MacDonald nodded toward both Alaric and Finn who had turned in their seats to regard their intruder warmly. While Marlene continued to groan, Mary had yanked open the door of the Ford open and bounced to sit half in the Ford. Her brown curls were pushed back with a headband, exposing her mousy face: her small button nose, her lightly freckled features, and warm brown eyes. Mary MacDonald was for all rhymes and reasons, one of Marlene's two best friends. Mary had a lot of friends, it was hard to believe there was a soul in the world who didn't like Mary – though their previous year at Hogwarts proved that her unsavory Muggle heritage made her a target for Hogwarts bullies and future death eaters.

"I've been looking for Lily all morning." Mary leaned to help Marlene with the process of putting on her shoes by buckling the strap against her right ankle. Marlene let out a small snort and hid her rolling eyes under a pair of sunglasses. It had always been the three of them; Marlene, Mary and Lily. Marlene couldn't think of loving one over the other, but after her spat with Lily Evans over the summer – she hadn't been in a large rush to face her bossy and feral best friend.

"You guys still not talking?" Mary quirked up a perfect brow before hoping out of the car and offering a hand to her tall friend.

"Not not talking." Marlene hopped out of the backseat of the car and slammed it's heavy door shut behind her.

"Remind me again why she's mad at you?" Mary leaned against the car while it rocked against the pressure of her heavy trunk relieving it's weight from the back end.

"James Potter."

"Of course." Mary let her toothy grin fill her face before rolling her own eyes to the simple response Marlene had given, "And what did you say?"

Marlene lifted a foot and reached to readjust a strap from her leather sandals, "She'll get over it."

Mary linked an arm with her taller friend who stood just a hands width above her and beamed brightly toward the bustling King's Cross, "Last year."

"That's what I told her." Finn rounded the back of the car with his sister's trunk in hand while his father slammed the back of the car shut, "She doesn't seem that excited."

"Talked to Dirk?" Mary glanced over her shoulder as her parents rounded in on Alaric Mckinnon to greet and regard him like an old friend.

"Don't bother." Finn snorted, "I've been trying that all summer. She still hasn't told me why she broke the poor bloke's heart."

"I didn't break his heart." Marlene muttered more to herself, trying to hide the shame in her face. That was a topic she didn't want to discuss with her overprotective big brother. It had taken Finn a year to warm up to the idea of Dirk Cresswell. Just as the two had begun to be friends, Marlene had gone and done something stupid. If Finn had a problem with her dating Dirk, Marlene could only imagine what he would think of -

"You did." Mary chimed in to interrupt her thoughts, "He was so sad last year on the train ride home."

"Can we not?" Marlene put her hands up defensively, open palms toward Mary who meekly shrugged her shoulders and exchanged some kind of knowing look with Finn. Marlene looked back and forth between the two before rolling her eyes under her sunglasses. A strong hand clapped on her shoulder, pulling her into a hug. She was enveloped in her father's scent, his warm embrace, and smiled into his chest as he pushed a kiss into her hair. Since she was eight she had grown up without a mother, she was raised by a father who treated her like a precious jewel and looked after by a brother who regarded her a fragile glass doll. It was easy to say she was sheltered, that she was spoiled, but most who knew the blonde teenage girl, knew she was as wild and free as the birds she was always watching fly through the sky. She was spoiled with the warmth and love of family, most assumed there would be a day that Marlene would disappear having sprouted a pair of wings of her own. Wild things always take to the sky and fly away.

The wheels of the cart squeaked under the weight of the trunk and Marlene's thin gangly body as she sat cross legged atop her belongings. A couple of notable peers bustled through the crowds, parents hugged their children goodbye and the whistle of the Hogwarts express sounded as warning it was time to board. Marlene felt a pang of nostalgia, looking over her shoulder at Finn pushing her cart. Despite her brother's shadow that had loomed over her the last six years, she would miss the protection she felt of having her older brother around. He was off to do better things, whirling away through long hours of auror training. A proud smile crept onto Marlene's face, admiring the man her brother was becoming day by day.

Marlene allowed herself to be picked off her luggage by her father who swung her around onto her feet as if she were just a child. His large arms wrapped around her affectionately and she inhaled the scent her father had always produced. He smelled of thick cigar smoke, the ocean, and a heavy scent of soap. His cap sat crooked on his head as he pulled her an arm's length away after kissing her hair.

"Your mother would be so proud of you, Len." He smiled fondly looking as though his bright hazel eyes might brim with tears. Alaric Mckinnon didn't understand the Wizarding World fully, he had been a simple fisherman who had fallen in love with an extraordinary woman. The spirit of his deceased wife lived on through his children, and looking at Marlene was like looking at his beloved Isolde who had passed nearly ten years ago. He admired both Finn and Marlene, he treasured them knowing all too well that they were what was left of his wife. Marlene's mouth twisted into a shy smile and she pulled her father back into a tight hug. He tightened his hold on her and placed another kiss on the crown of her head before whispering into her crown, "I'm so proud of you."


"Have you seen her?" Mary craned her neck in her seat, lifting herself in her seat to search the crowd of old and new faces.

"Not since this summer." Marlene pulled her messy ponytail to tighten it, letting the blonde waves fall over her shoulder. She reached for one of the warmed biscuits in front of her and placed it almost strategically on her plate as she set out in her usual eating traditions. The goal was to build something. It was as though no one had ever taught the girl it was rude to play with your food.

"The whole James-Potter-Fiasco?" Mary slumped into her seat across from Marlene waggling her fingers in the air for dramatics.

"Mmn." Marlene nodded not looking up from her project.

"You really need to work on the whole foot in mouth problem you have, Marls." Mary pointed a fork at the blonde.

"My father taught me to not tell lies." Marlene's blue eyes flickered up, lightened with a playful gleam before she looked back down at her food, breaking the bread in half to create two mounds on her plate.

"I'm not suggesting lie, necessarily." The curly brunette swung her fork in the air, "Just omit the truth."

"We both have been waiting for this moment." Marlene stopped before reaching for a spoon resting among steamed carrots, "Lily Evans is like a little girl on the playground, pushing down the boy she likes and refusing to admit to it."

"I know that." Mary laughed out loud, "But Lily is—"

"Right behind you." Marlene hushed quietly before putting the biggest grin on her face to greet their red headed friend, "Heeeey, Lils."

Mary whipped in her seat and grinned up at the clearly flustered girl who collapsed into a seat beside her, "Where you been?"

"You aren't even going to believe the day that I've had." Lily nearly growled the words as she pushed her perfect locks of red hair over her shoulder and pulled the sleeves of her robes to her elbows. With fork and knife in hand, she rested her balled fists on the long wooden table before looking upward at the Gryffindor banners muttering something to herself. Marlene rested her chin against her hand holding the serving spoon and a subtle smirk began spreading across her features while she took in her friend. The beautiful girl's face was twisted in anguish, she was not her usual composed self, ready to take on anything the world had to throw at her. And yet, from the breast of her black Hogwarts Robes, a winking golden badge announced her news without saying.

"Congratulations." Marlene started pointing at the golden badge, causing Mary to also inspect the radiant badge that Lily Evans had been talking about since becoming a prefect in her fifth year. Head Girl was boldly written on the badge that Lily quickly covered with her hand. She feigned a smile and leaned forward as if to tell a secret.

"Yeah, it would great if—"

"So, I've been thinking." The teenage boy wormed his way beside a first year and Lily, despite their barely being a comfortable space between the two to begin with, "We should start a study group…"

Lily buried her face in her hands as the boy started off to explain his idea. His array of black hair laid calmly around his face, similar to that of many of his peers in his age group. It was shaggy, overgrown and he was constantly pushing a hand to his face to move it from the space between his brows and glasses. He finally settled for pushing his spectacles onto of his head, pushing his long fringe from his face. Marlene had noted the trend among the boys the following year, that James Potter's usual dishelved style of hair which he constantly riled was getting too long to run a hand through to capture the perfect just off the broomstick look. It now perfectly framed his handsome features, a light stubble decorating his chin. This is what Marlene and Lily's spat had been over, Marlene had noted Lily's notice in James appearance. It was as if over just a couple months he began to look more like a young man rather than the mischievous boyish imp who pestered her constantly. There was something more mature about him, and yet – the light in his eyes was still enough to make even the young boy who didn't know his reputation to make as much room for the seventh year as he desired. It was funny how people fell in toe to hand out James Potter the respect he expected without hesitation, without considering his maraudering behavior. It was his name, it was his demeanor, it was James – people just liked him.

"Potter, can you just give the ideas a break for five minutes." Lily gave a sarcastic smile over her shoulder at the boy who had come to sit beside her, "My ears are still burning from all ninety seven of them you had on the train."

Well, most people.

"I don't think it was that many." James rolled his eyes upward as if to recant.

"Hogwarts has enough study groups." Lily turned away from him and seemed to have an inner battle with herself, refusing to allow herself to cast so much as a glance in his direction.

"Not for History of Magic." He reached over Lily's arm to grab a warmed biscuit for himself, chewing on it, mouth open, while he spoke, "Class is bloody boring."

"That's Lily's favorite class." Marlene snorted a laugh as she began building a circle of orange carrots around the rim of her plate.

"Yeah…. it's alright." James had struggled with his words, looking quickly to Lily to see if she had taken offense, swallowing his mouthful of bread hard, "I mean not everyone shares my enthusiasm for History-"

"You snored through the entire class last year." Lily continued to stare upward at the Gryffindor banners.

"History's boring." One body slid beside Marlene causing her to retreat only to be corned by a second who landed to her left with a loud squeak against the bench, "No good ever came from dwelling from the past, mate."

"But it's important for the future?" The questioning tone of James' statement caused Marlene to glance toward the boy who looked for help to the boy who now sat across from him to Marlene's right. She could feel his shoulders shrug as he began to loosen the tie around his neck.

"Stop, please." Lily had taken to leaning over her empty plate, rubbing her temples, "You're going to hurt yourself."

Marlene considered James for a moment longer, noticing the matching winking golden badge on the breast pocket of his white shirt emphasizing the gold in his own Gryffindor tie. Head Boy. Marlene tucked her chin to look at her lap and told herself if she laughed out loud that Lily Evans would reach across the table and stab her right in the throat. While staring at her lap, Marlene watched the hand emerge boldly to hold the ball of her knee. She decided to take a play from Lily's book and refused to look anywhere to her right. She focused on the large hand and willed it away from her knee, to burst into flames, anything.

"Earth to Mars?"

The hand snapped in front of her face and Marlene raised her chin to look at Lily who was leaning over the table, attempting at small talk with anyone but the boy who sat to her right. She gave a dumbfounded look before sitting back in her seat, "Have you seen Dirk yet?"

"What?" Marlene almost didn't register the words.

"Dirk Cresswell?" Lily raised her eyebrows.

"Light of your life?" Mary joined leaning her head innocently against Lily's shoulder, "The poor guy who's heart you ripped out of his chest and fed to the giant squid in the lake."

"Would you stop with that?" Marlene frowned into her unfinished food construction and reached under the table to quickly shove the hand off her knee, hit with a wall of guilt.

"I still don't understand why you broke up with him." Lily shook her head while wiping her mouth with a napkin, "You guys were such a cute couple."

"Speaking of cute couples." the low voice from her right pipped in with amusement. Marlene dared a glance in his direction to see the fork he pointed with his left hand from James to Lily. His body jolted from a sharp kick under the table, a loud barking laugh erupting from deep in his belly. Marlene tried to inconspicuously gaze on at the boy to her right. He hide a smirk against his knuckles, looking directly across the table at a glaring James. His dark waving hair was pushed behind his ears, the deep unintentional part created a fringe over his thick brows. The brows that raised and fell in amusement over heavy hooded eyes. He must have felt her eyes on him, he broke his stare with James to cast his grey eyes in her direction. His wide lips moved to purse into a smirk before tearing his gaze from her as quickly as he had given it to her. His eyes seemed to dance in a silent conversation with James, leaving Marlene to wonder at his profile. The sharp and haughty features that cut across his face with high angled cheekbones, hollow cheeks, a strong jawline. It was no wonder he had a reputation. He didn't even have to try.

"Oh, hooray." Lily feigned excitement, "I get to be the first girl to tell you to sod off this year, Black."

"Congratulations, Evans!" the boy met her equally feigned excitement, grabbing a carrot from Marlene's plate to toss at the redhead, "You're the first girl ever to say that."

Lily let out a loud feral noise and threw the carrot to the floor, glaring at the boy who received another swift kick under the table from James, "Don't you lot have somewhere to be?"

"Nope." Sirius emphasized the word's last syllable, popping his lips loudly.

"We can go." James shrugged, his willingness to leave Lily in peace actually earned him a surprised look from the said red head.

"I just started eating." the lump of a boy to Marlene's left whined through a mouthful of food. She considered Peter Pettigrew through a quick side glance before reaching to her plate to begin her own eating. Marlene had a feeling Lily was going to be quick to force them all out of their seats so she could whine more about the fact that James Potter was wearing a matching badge to her own – a fact that Marlene had still not braved to point out.

The warm feeling returned to her knee, Marlene cast a glance to the hand wearing a single wide silver band over his middle finger. Heaving a sigh of her own, she rolled her eyes upward to the Gryffindor banners. Great, she thought, now I'm really playing Lily's game. The rough pads of his fingers moved across the fabric of her trousers. She dared a glance in his direction, watching him pick at his plate with his left hand not so much as even casting a sly glance toward her. His haughty features were pensive, amused – amused. Marlene gritted her teeth and pushed Sirius' hand off her knee for the final time before standing.

"I'm feeling claustrophobic."

"Me too." Lily said thankfully, jumping to her feet in follow. Mary looked at the two with a slightly open mouth as she was about to take another bite of her dinner. She sighed annoyed, throwing her napkin onto her plate before getting to her own feet. Lily and Mary struggled to mirror their taller friends gait as she moved down the length of the long feasting table. By the time she had reached the doors, Lily was already exploding about the problematic James Potter and the fact that he had become her peer as Head Boy. She swallowed hard, her hand lingering on the tall wooden door of the Great Hall, opening it for her friends. The inner battle lost to her as she glanced back to where they had been sitting.

James was talking lively, placing a hand over his heart, laughing along with Peter. Sirius had taken his chin to rest on his balled fists, his grey eyes alit in amusement meeting her own. Her lips twisted into a tight line and watched as he lifted his face from his hands, his amusement spreading to his lips. Just as Lily and Mary brushed past her, she caught a subtle wink from the boy before he turned his attention toward his friends. Marlene exhaled heavily, and followed suit behind her two friends.

Shit.


She had hoped he'd been struck with amnesia.

"Funny." Mary interrupted her thoughts as Marlene had paused in folding her days Hogwarts robes and was staring out the window. A hot fog pressed against the window panes and clouded the outside world under the humidity and condensation. She turned to look at Mary who was hopping into her bed with moon and star pajamas on.

"What is?" Marlene began to unbutton her white blouse raising an eyebrow at the girl. Among friends there was never an ounce of modesty with Marlene Mckinnon. She was often receiving a swift smack to her knicker covered bottom in the morning when she found herself splayed over her bedding. Usually it was from Lily reminding her she only had fifteen minutes to get to breakfast.

"You and Lily." Mary chimed wrestling with her covers.

The blonde cocked her head as she slipped out of her shirt and pulled the large Holyhead Harpies shirt over her skinny body, "I don't follow."

"Lily is going to flip." Mary turned to rest her head on her elbow.

"Still in the dark here, Mac." Marlene rolled her eyes and climbed into her own bed.

"I'm just debating which one I should go for if I want to be part of the club: Remus or Peter." Mary's lips turned up into a smirk as Marlene's crystalline blue eyes avoided hers. She knew, Marlene didn't know how much Mary thought she knew or what she actually knew but the point was Mary was smoking her out because she knew something. Marlene couldn't bring herself to face the disappointment from her friends the following year when the whole, episode, had happened. It was really her fault, though she'd never admit it aloud. It was her own guilt that caused her to break things off with Dirk. Marlene never thought herself a cheater, and being interlocked in Sirius Black's arms in a dark broom closet, tongues dancing in mouths was enough to make her die of shame, and guilt. Let's not forget the guilt, you trollop. Marlene pushed her subconscious out of her head and forced her eyes shut as she leaned against her headboard.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She opened her eyes and straightened her own covers over her lap.

"Mhmn." Her smirk widened.

Lily came out of the bathroom, drying her damp hair with a towel. She had calmed down exponentially since leaving the Great Hall. Her delicate features were scrubbed clean, an array of freckles sprawled over her face, the red and black plaid pajamas vibrating the color of her wet hair. She smiled to both of her friends as she packed away her toiletries into the trunk at the foot of her bed between her that of Mary and Marlene on either side of her.

"I have alchemy in the morning." She started with a bright smile, nothing like school work to brighten Lily Evans' day.

"Potions." The other two chimed in unison, glancing at one another. Mary caught Marlene's eye and gave a wide smile knowing she would be able to pester her blond leggy friend more in the morning. Marlene found herself hardly looking forward to the start of the school year.

"And then—" Lily climbed into her own bed, gathering her covers, "we all have defense, Mary and I have charms while you have care, we'll meet again for history of magic, you two have herbology which I'm still upset we don't have together, we meet for transfiguration after lunch—"

"You're a walking talking day planner, Lils." Marlene said with closed eyes only to receive a quick pelt with a pillow in her face.

"I can't believe it's our last year." Lily whined nostalgically as she caught the pillow Marlene tossed back at her, "It's a bit sad, yeah?"

The three fell into silence, neither one of them looking at one another. Mary bit at her fingernails, Lily picked at the feathers escaping her pillow and Marlene stared upward at the ceiling. Marlene's chest filled with nostalgia and a sharp pang of fear of the unknown. They didn't talk about it much, the war. They all considered it in the back of their minds and willed it away to enjoy their last year of childhood. Of course they weren't children anymore, none of them could deny that but it didn't change the desire for the simplicity of life they led in the halls of Hogwarts. Tucked away in their magical school, they were safe and sheltered from the cruelties and atrocities of Lord Voldemort and his rise of followers.

"I want this to be our best year ever." Lily smiled looking between the two girls. Marlene turned her head to look at the red head who seemed to have forgotten their spat over the summer immediately when the two came to contact. She couldn't disagree, something deep inside her craved something to hold onto knowing darkness was filling their world day by day. Lily curled into her covers first, Marlene and Mary followed her actions. Each of the three girls blowing out their bedside lamps.