The world was changing. As Marlene McKinnon walked briskly through the great gulf of grass that surrounded the Potter's ancestral home, she did not feel the familiar sense of happiness and anticipation that usually came with visiting her childhood friend. Gone were the days that she pined to get away from her overwhelmingly large family to the relative solitude of James Potter and his parents. Muggleborn witches and wizards were being targeted. People were dying. Marlene's family, supporting pro muggle legislation within the ministry, had been targeted as well. So, it was with quiet regret, and not the usually happy bounciness that usually accompanies her that Marlene knocked on the Potter family's door. Because this time she did not want to escape from her family, she wanted to be with them as they went into hiding. She wanted to make sure they were all safe, but she had to finish her last year of school, as such she had been told to stay with the Potter's until school began and to finish her final term at Hogwarts.

Her reverie was broken by a young man opening the door and smiling at her. James Potter was handsome in his own way, with a long nose and adorably round glasses, as well as perpetually messy hair. He smiled and hugged her.

"Hey Marls! It's good to see you." He might as well have said, "I'm glad you're still alive."

"James." She smiled too; glad to be distracted from her less than positive thoughts. James led her into the foyer, gesturing to several suitcases and a large trunk.

"You're stuff came in nice and orderly two days ago." He smiled, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Something was off, Marlene couldn't quite tell what it was, but she couldn't ignore it.

"Is everything alright James?" She asked as nonchalantly as she could, as she went over to check on her property that had been delivered previously.

"Of course," he gave a hollow smile, trying to project an air of confidence. He didn't want to scare her or bother her; he knew what she was going through.

"Then, why is it so quiet?" She asked, suddenly pinpointing what felt so strange. The Potter house, usually full with the sounds of laughter and a roaring fire was completely silent and cold. There was no fire, there we no joy in the house for what must have been the first time in decades. Then Marlene started to put the puzzle together, noticing the distinct lack of people as well.

"My parents are busy, with ministry stuff." James tried his best to avoid the truth. He was awful at lying, and Marlene instantly saw through him.

"What about Sirius?" Marlene and Sirius Black weren't the best of friends, but their mutual friendship with James meant they spent more time than would be normal with each other. But noticing his absence filled her with a strange sense of dread. He should have been with James at the door, making jokes, trying to be charming, and throwing his bark like laugh around the house. He had lived with the Potters since last summer, why was he not here?

Marlene's dread only deepened when she saw the mask of bravado fall from James's face. His head dropped and he mumbled something. Before she could ask what he had said he went to the kitchen. She followed him, asking him to repeat a question that was obviously painful, feeling slightly guilty in the process.

"What did you say?" She said, turning the corner into the kitchen. She found James sitting at the family dining room, fumbling with a golden snitch in his hands while trying to avoid her eyes.

He had to be brave, for her. "I said," he began, taking a deep breath. "Sirius left. He said there was something he had to do before we started school again. He wouldn't tell me where he was going, but I could tell something was wrong. When I woke up the next day, I found a note saying he would be back that night. That was three days ago." He choked out the last words. Marlene's chest tightened as the worst possibilities flooded into her mind.

"It's my fault, Mar," James said, as tears began to well into his eyes, "he's my best friend, I should have been there with him. And now, with the war and all…" he trailed off, not wanting to finish his thought. "Mum and Dad are out looking for him with the Aurors. I have to stay here. What if he's dead Mar?" He said, looking at her for comfort.

Marlene wasted no time. She dashed over to where he was sitting and hugged him. She was used to this. Though she was the youngest, she had always been the one to comfort her sister, Madeline, when her husband went out to find death eaters.

"He'll be fine James." She said trying to convince herself at the same time. "Now come on," she said gesturing him to get up. "It's freezing in this house, lets light a fire, start a cup of tea, and play a few rounds of exploding snap eh?"

"But, what about Sirius?" James asked. This had clearly been weighing on his mind for the last few days. Marlene couldn't make any promises that he would be fine, she felt almost sick thinking about the situation. She knew the only way to keep their sanity was to try and distract themselves.

"Well, what would Sirius want you to do right now? Worry about him, or try and beat me in a game of exploding snap?" She said, raising an eyebrow.

"He'd want me to beat you I guess." James said smiling.

"You bet he would." She said punching James in the arm. "The annoying git is probably just drunk somewhere with one of his many conquests anyway." She said, trying to cheer James up.

"Jealous of those conquests are you?" James smiled, getting his old confidence and sense of humor back. Marlene only wished his old self had not come back with such a stupid joke.

"Black doesn't date James. And if he did, I would want no part of it." She said simply, leading the way back to the living room. She sat down on the rug while lighting a fire with her wand.

"Whatever you say Mar." James laughed as he settled in front of her, preparing to win in their game. "But I've seen the looks you two have shared before. And I'm not the only one."

"Oh Merlin, it's Lily isn't it?" Marlene said pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I'm afraid so, and you know she won't quit." James said laughing at the dismay on Marlene's face.

"First you two get together, then she sets up Dorcas and Remus and now she thinks she's the official matchmaker of all Hogwarts." Marlene huffed.

"Still, he's not so bad," James began only to get cut off with a look from Marlene.

"You used to say I couldn't date anyone until I was thirty. What happened to that rule?"

"Well, Padfoot is good at breaking rules." James smiled, "and he's my best friend so he doesn't count."

"Well it's a good thing he doesn't date women, he just snogs and shags them, so I don't have to worry about him." Marlene added, suddenly feeling hot.

"That's just because he hasn't found one that doesn't bore him within an hour." James said, an amused smirk on his face at how defensive his friend had become.

"Whatever, are we going to play or not?" Marlene snapped, clearly wanting the discussion to end.

The sounds of James's laughter were soon drowned out by their heated game.

Hours later, Marlene was preparing for bed. She had packed all of her things, and had genuinely enjoyed her time with James. His mother and father came home long enough to check on them and hug Marlene with all the love they could muster. They were clearly exhausted, but when night fell they left again. This would be the third night that Sirius would be missing.

Marlene tried not to think about it as she brushed her curly blonde hair. She tried to think of anything else but her thoughts kept returning to Sirius. Her family had all stood up to Voldemort, so it was almost expected they would be targeted. But Sirius? Sure, he was vehemently anti-blood purity, but he was still only a student. He wasn't an auror or a famous muggleborn, he came from one of the most famous purblooded families in the wizarding world! Was this what the war was coming to, the abduction of students? Would Hogwarts even be safe? She briefly thought about Lily, who was muggleborn, and wondered if she was ok. She scratched out a brief letter explaining where she was and what had happened and asking if Lily was safe with her quill and parchment. After she attached it to her owl, she watched it fly off towards Lily's house. It frustrated Marlene that seemingly all she could do was send a letter. She wanted to bring her friend to a safe place.

She sighed and threw her brush onto her bed. This wasn't how life was supposed to be. This wasn't how the Potter's were supposed to be. And as she crawled into the sheets and tried to sleep, all she could think of was Sirius. She regretted not trying to get to know him better. She knew there was more behind his grey eyes than just a charming troublemaker. She had seen how loyal he was to his friends, and how eager he was to fight against blood purists and bullies. He took things too far sometimes, and he could be obnoxiously full of himself, but she had always wanted to understand him. And now, she may never get that opportunity again. She shook her head, willing away those oppressive thoughts, and tried to fall asleep.