This is an Alice/Marlene drabble written for Hogwarts Online's Ravenclaw Homework.

Word count: 369

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She loves Marlene. She loves their sweet, forbidden kisses, and the way that Marlene knows instinctively when to hold her hand. Even though the outside world – the real world – is full of danger, and the fact that she could die any day, when she and Marlene are wrapped around one another under the covers, Alice knows that she has never felt so safe in her life.

Marlene is braver than she is.

When Alice bites her fingernails, terrified of their next mission, Marlene tosses her dark red curls and smirks as though to say 'it can't be that bad'. And when they get back and Alice wants nothing more than to hide from it all, Marlene takes care to include her in the bold smile that she gives to the group and draw her into their laughter.

It works.

It makes Alice happy.

But she knows that she can't keep Marlene, because she isn't fearless enough to claim her.

If they're all going to die, which may very well happen, Alice doesn't want to take other people's disgust to her grave. She just wants to be the good student and skilled auror – done so much good for others, rather than done one, nasty little secret and all the snide remarks to go with it.

The more people die, the more Alice panics. The more she hates herself for being weak, for not being good enough for Marlene. She knows, has known all along, what the alternative is; slow, steady Frank. His eyes didn't sparkle like Marlene's, and he didn't make her feel warm or safe. There will be no more of their perfect passion. The idea of leaving Marlene behind scares her so much that she can't hide it.

So when Marlene rolls over and asks, half-teasing and completely worried, "Are you looking for another girl?", Alice has to look away.

The ache in her heart doesn't fade. Not even when Marlene dies. In fact, it intensifies, because nothing so perfect will ever be a part of her world again. And when they come for her, Alice gives in to the pain because it's the only thing that obliterated everything she had done wrongly, and right, with Marlene.

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