A/N: Prompts, as always, are displayed at the bottom.

to hold (and to heal)

AlwaysPadfoot

Marlene McKinnon liked to think herself fairly intelligent. She liked to think she always expected the unexpected, so when James Potter fell through her window at three in the morning, she was more pissed off she hadn't predicted it than the fact he had woken her up.

"Merlin, Potter, it's a surprise you even make it to Quidditch practice, let alone are able to fly a broom," she hissed after he hit the carpet with a thud.

Throwing her bedsheets back, she swung her feet over the side of the bed and rushed to his side. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, are you?" It was an instinctive response, only to buy himself time to think whilst he reached up to touch the wound on his head. "Oh, bollocks—"

Marlene rolled her eyes, helped him to his feet, and healed his wound when James' fingers came away sticky with blood. He griped and grumbled, but Marlene did what she'd always done when James fell through the window — she looked after him. Ever since the first time he ran away from home, from across the road, at age six, she'd looked after him.

This time it was his Mum; she was sick. Mr. Potter had taken her straight to St. Mungo's, and James was left alone with no way to find out how his mother was fairing.

Tomorrow morning, they would have to go back to Hogwarts for their fifth year, whether his parents were home or not. James looked exhausted; he looked terrified. Marlene wasn't sure what was best to do, so in the end, they lay side by side on her bed, listening to the rain against the skylights in the slanted roof. Neither of them seemed to care that James' wet clothes were causing water to slowly seep into the mattress beneath them. But at least he wasn't alone; at least Marlene could try to help.

James was a man of very little words sometimes, and she always knew that the best way to help was to turn his attention to something else.

"So I made a bet with Sirius that I could get points off McGonagall before him," Marlene said finally as she pushed herself up onto one elbow to peer at him.

James laughed. "Oh Marls, there's a reason you're not a Ravenclaw."

She punched his arm. "Shut up! I will definitely beat him."

"Sirius crushes on Minnie," James scoffed, "and he gets away with murder; there is no way in hell you will win."

"Watch me, Potter."

He shook his head and Marlene rolled her eyes as they returned to lying in silence. There was short moment where neither of them spoke and then James squeezed her hand. "Thank you, Marls."

She smiled. "That's okay, James. I'm here for you."

Word Count: 464

Comp/Challenge:

Pairing the Character Drabble Comp

Yule Ball

The 365 Prompts Challenge

Fanfiction Resolutions Challenge

The Insane House Challenge

Bath Bomb Appreciation Challenge

Dragon Appreciation Month

Prompt:

JamesMarlene

2. Entering the Yule Ball - Write about making an appearance.

Action - Listening to the rain on the window

25. Write a fic based around a character we don't get to see in the movies

Item - Bed

28. Night Fever - Set your story during the dead of night.