The next morning Dad shakes me awake, "You only have twenty minutes, honey."
"Twenty minutes for what?" I groan, burying my face in my pillow.
"To get ready to for school," He says, tonelessly, "You're all packed right?" He asks
"Yes!"I snap. "Just give me five more bloody minutes!"
"Fine, but if you don't wake up in time, your still coming in twenty minutes. Even if you don't have any time to get dressed, you'll be on that train in your pajamas." He says, warily. It sounded as if his voice had lost all emotion. I felt a spark of anger at my mother.
She had already left for work. And she didn't even say goodbye.
I slowly ease myself out of bed as Dad's shuffling footsteps leave my room and travel down the hallway. Probably to wake up Kate. I wipe my eyes, my vision still blurry, before throwing my feet off my bed and standing up, mumbling.
A lot had changed about me this summer.
For one, I no longer wore baggy t-shirts and ripped jeans and sweat pants.
Secondly, I didn't wear my hair in the same messy ponytail every day.
And third, I'm proud to say for the first time in the sixteen years of my life, I wore makeup.
After I take a rushed shower, I step out, wrapped in a towel, and start to dry and curl my hair with a wand after I finished brushing my teeth and washing my face.
Technically underage witches and wizards like me weren't supposed to do magic outside of school, but I lived in an all wizard house and the ministry wouldn't be able to tell it was me doing magic. Sure, I still had the trace on me for another year but the trace only told what area was doing magic. And for all they knew I was Mum, Dad, or Johnny, who had turned seventeen this summer.
After I finished with my hair I did a charm I learned last year that applied your makeup perfectly.
I smirk at my refection. Not bad.
My dark brown hair was styled in light curls. I have big blue eyes and a small upturned button nose, and my lips are to die for. They're naturally pink and full. I'm curvy. Not fat, but I'm definitely not one of those stick figure girls with no boobs and arse.
I leave the bathroom and enter my own room. I open the closet and pull out the only outfit that isn't packed in my stuff for Hogwarts. I slide on the skinny jeans, light pink tank top and white cardigan. I run out of my room, sliding on my old trainers and lugging my suitcase.
I slowly ease my suitcase down the stairs to find Dad, Johnny, and Kate waiting for me in the kitchen. Dad takes my suitcase to load it in the car. I'm left standing in the kitchen with my siblings.
The silence was extremely awkward. I think everyone was reeling from my outburst last night. I felt emptiness in my stomach that had nothing to do with hunger. Johnny looks at me, concerned. I raise my eyebrows as if to say, "What?"
"You okay?" He asks, his brown eyes filled with worry.
"Just dandy," I snap. Johnny and I used to be close. I used to be close with everyone in my family. But I didn't talk to any of them much anymore. Except for Kate, she was my ally in the house.
I gave Johnny a sad shrug and an apologetic smile. Maybe I should try a little harder to be nice. Even if I was the 'bad child'. He returns the smile, unsure. I rack my brain, trying to think of Johnny's interests. I spot the big, shiny badge pinned on his shirt.
"Congratulations," I mutter. He blinks, eyeing his Head Boy badge, surprised.
"Thanks . . ." He trails off suspiciously. Eh. I guess I had been meaner then I thought this summer. I nod, trying unsuccessfully to keep the smirk off my face.
"Ready to go?" Dad asks quietly from the doorway. The three of us nod, and march out of the house like a troop of soldiers going to war. We climbed into the muggle car (Mum was muggleborn, so we had a car).
The car ride was immensely awkward as well. I turned to Kate, after five boring minutes of pure silence.
"I like your outfit, Kate." I say, forcing a smile. She was wearing a jean skirt, leggings, boots, and a white sweater. Her dirty blond hair was pulled up into a high straight ponytail.
"Thanks, I like yours too." She says quietly. She gives me a pointed look, than looks at Dad.
"You think we should ask him about the pregnancy?" I gasp quietly. Kate shrugs.
"Why not?" She asks. I look at her incredulously.
"Do you really think she'd tell him?" I sigh, "And it would be a really embarrassing conversation." Kate sighs, and then nods reluctantly.
"Yeah, I suppose your right. I just don't want to wait until Christmas to find out I'm right. There's a reason I'm in Ravenclaw, Marlene." She says. I shake my head at her.
"Your mad, Kate. She's not even pregnant. Why are we having this conversation?" I hiss, rolling my eyes.
When we arrive at the station Johnny, Kate, and I say goodbye to Dad and enter the platform. I took a run towards the wall in between platforms nine and ten to hear the sound of many happy people hugging and squealing at seeing their friends after the summer.
The platform was full of "You look so great!" and "I missed you so much!" I watch my brother and sister go separate ways, sighing. This morning was probably one of the only times we'd talk this year.
Before I know it I'm attacked from behind by someone. I scream as I'm lifted up from the ground. My attacker laughs, and I recognize him from his bark-like laughter.
"Sirius!" I exclaim, laughing, "Put me down!" He swings me around, and then reluctantly puts me back on the ground. I turn and look up at him. I hold back an involuntary swoon. He had grown a lot over the summer, but he was still the Sirius I knew and loved. He was still undeniably gorgeous, with his shaggy dark hair and smoldering grey eyes and muscular but lean body.
Right now he was looking at me with his sparkling eyes; he blinked suddenly his mouth twitching upwards into his annoying arrogant smirk.
"What?" I smirk back.
"You were so checking me out." His smirk turns into a cocky grin.
"I was not! If anything you were checking me out." I scoff, punching him on the shoulder, halfheartedly. He laughs again, pulling me into a tight hug. I sigh, breathing in his scent.
"Erm," Sirius says, "Don't take this the wrong way, but you look really different."
"What do you mean?" I ask, confused.
"You look different," He repeats, looking down at me, frowning.
"Do I look bad?" I glare at him, knowing fully well I looked a damn sight better than when he last saw me (in sweatpants and my ratty Chudley Cannons sweatshirt). He shook his head, curiously.
"The opposite actually."
My reply is suddenly interrupted.
"MARLEY!" Someone cries. I turn away from Sirius relieved, a bit.
"JAMESIE!" I bellow back before I'm once again hugged, this time by an excited James Potter.
I smile at him. James had messy black hair, but he constantly messed it up more and hazel eyes. He, like Sirius, was muscular and lean. Probably because they were on the house Quidditch team. James's mind centered around three things: pranks with the Marauders, Quidditch, and Lily Evans.
"I've missed you!" He yells at me, even though we were right next to each other. I grin.
"I've missed you too!" I yell back.
"NO WAY!" James peers at me, still yelling at the top of his lungs, "Are you wearing MAKEUP?" I blush furiously, shrugging.
"Marles?" A quiet voice says from behind James. I peer around James, smiling.
"Remus!" I run to him, giving him a hug.
"Nice to see you too." He hugs me back. "Good summer?" He asks. I frown.
"I'll tell you later." I sigh, shaking my head.
He nods knowingly.
Remus was the one I came to first when I had a problem. He too, was good looking, with sandy brown-blond hair and chocolate brown eyes. He wasn't as built looking as Sirius and James; actually he usually looked kind of tired and tortured. But Remus always looked like that.
"Hey guys," Peter says, excitedly, approaching us from a few feet away, dragging his suitcase like it was extremely heavy.
"PETE!" We all say in unison.
Peter Pettigrew isn't like the other boys in the Marauders. He isn't good looking, or talented. But nevertheless, he is part of them. Peter's short, a head shorter than me, actually, and I'm 5'4. He has light, blond hair and beady eyes. He's sort of chubby, but he's a nice guy.
The five of us start towards the train, laughing about the pranks we had planned for this year.
There's something you should know about me.
I had no friends who were girls.
Unless you counted Kate, but she hardly ever talked to me during the school year. But that was due to the fact she was a year bellow me, in Ravenclaw. So we didn't see each other very much.
Most of the girls in my year didn't really like me. Hell, most hated me.
Partly because I was best friends with the Marauders. I wasn't a 'marauder' myself, which I assumed was because I was a girl. But I often helped them with they're pranks and they were, indeed, my best friends. It was a blessing and a curse.
A blessing because they were funny, good looking, and they looked after me and understood me. They kind of treated me like a younger sister. A curse because most boys were afraid to ask me out because any guy who broke up with me ended up in the hospital wing.
But I loved them all the same.
We're on the train, and James and I are having a very heated discussion in our compartment.
"Please? Just invite her to hang out with you in Hogsmeade, and we can use the two way mirror and hear whatever you guys talk about." He whined, pleadingly. I groan.
"James, there's one problem with that plan. Lily Evans hates me!" I exclaim. James scowled.
"Well try being nicer to her, and then maybe the plan would work! Please Marley? I think I love her!" He says dramatically. I laugh.
"I'll try to be nice to her, James, but I can't make any promises." I say, than mutter to Sirius under my breath, "She's bloody irritating." He tries to hide a smile.
Remus had left to go to the Prefects compartment along with James's precious Evans. So that left me, James, Sirius, and Peter in a compartment. I sat next to Sirius, and across from James who was next to Peter.
Peter and Sirius were playing wizards chest and James and I were having one of our Lily discussions that came up daily. I hadn't seen them all since July at the Potter's annual mid-summer party. It was a tradition that we all came and stayed for a week at the Potter's. James's dad always tries to cook on a muggle grill without using magic, fails, and has to use magic to stop the fires.
My whole family is invited for the party, because my mum and James's mum were best friends while they were at Hogwarts, and work together at St. Mungo's.
So, therefore, the McKinnon's and the Potter's are friends. So, when Johnny, being head boy, catches me, James and the others sneaking out after hours, he kindly turns the other cheek. The benefit of having your brother as a Prefect. Even if you didn't talk to him much. Or genuinely like him that much for that matter . . .
James and I started watching the game of wizard chest, when the compartment door opened. I looked up, smiling expecting to see Remus returned from the meeting, but instead I saw Carrie Blake.
Her eyes narrowed when she saw me. She glared at me with a burning hatred.
I smirked back at her. Carrie Blake, with her fake blond hair and tight, revealing clothing. She, like many other girls, wasn't very fond of me because I was close with the Marauders, who were the most popular guys in school.
But she also was under the false pretense that I was in love with Sirius. She was part of his fan club. Yes, he had a fan club. They didn't exactly call themselves a club, but I'm pretty sure they had a shrine in the Room of Requirement dedicated to him.
James also had a fan club, but they weren't as obvious because they knew he was crazy about Lily Evans, everyone knew that.
I heard Sirius groan under his breath as Blake turned her attention towards him. "Siri-kins," She squealed, pushing me aside and sitting down next to him. I frowned, it was not very comfortable being pressed up against a wall. James and Peter looked like they were trying not to laugh at mine and Sirius's obvious discomfort. I scowled at them.
"I was just wondering, because your single and I'm single—" She began. Sirius coughed interrupting her. He wouldn't be single for long, trust me, Blake.
"Sorry, Carrie, but I have to go to—er—the bathroom." He says jumping up as her hand began to crawl up his leg. I snorted as he practically ran out of the compartment. Carrie snaps her head around to look at me, loathingly.
"What are you doing, McKinnon?" She asks. I blink, confused.
"I'm going to take over Sirius's place in the wizard chest game and kick Peter's arse." Peter smirks at me.
"Not likely." He says. I grin.
"I know. I suck at chess." I turned away from Carrie, purposely ignoring her presence. She glares at me a few more seconds.
"Well," She states, looking around at us. "I'm going to go find Sirius." She jumped out of her seat. James snickers.
"Good luck." He smirks as Carrie closes the compartment door.
"Good riddance." I mutter, continuing my game of wizard chess. When the compartment door opens again, thank Merlin its Remus.
"You guys had better change into your robes," He says, flopping down in Sirius's seat. I sigh.
"Remus will you take over this game," It had only been two minutes since I started playing and I was already very close to losing. Remus smirked at the game board.
"I'll try," He says as I get up and try to get my suitcase down. I grab my robes and exit the compartment.
As I make my way to the girl's lavatory, I run into Alice Henderson and Dorcas Meadowes, two girls in my year, and also in Gryffindor. I share a dormitory with them, Lily Evans, Carrie Blake, and Sidney Reynolds. They were best friends with Lily, and I wasn't exactly friends with them, but we didn't have any problems. In the dormitory it was pretty much Lily, Alice, and Dorcas who were friends. Then there was Carrie and Sidney who were friends. And then me, who's only friends were guys. So in the dormitory I was pretty much alone.
Alice was about my height, with light brown hair in a cute bob, and innocent brown eyes.
Dorcas had shoulder length blond hair, piercing hazel eyes, and was about a head taller than Alice and I.
Alice was the nice one of the group; she was the only one who really talked to me in the dormitory. We weren't friends, but we were friendly. Dorcas and Lily, on the other hand, weren't as nice.
"Marlene?" Alice asks, obviously surprised with my new look," Dorcas gasped. I gave her a look. She smirked, sheepishly, though her eyes were still wide with my new appearance.
"Good summer?" Alice asks me, politely. I shrug.
"It was alright," I lie. Dorcas nods at me, blinking rapidly, before pulling Alice away.
"Alice, Dory," I heard a voice from behind me; I turn around and see Lily Evans. I stop myself from rolling my eyes.
Lily Evans with her wavy auburn hair, bright green eyes, and perfect complexion. She ignores me completely and goes to catch up with her friends. I sigh; it was going to be hard to befriend her. James asks too much of me sometimes. I enter the girl's lavatory and change into my robes.
When I enter the compartment, Sirius is back, looking quite miserable. He glares at me when I enter.
"What?" I ask, innocently.
"None of you could have helped me get rid of her? I mean normally I don't mind women being all over me," He waggled his eyebrows, "But she's scary!" He exclaimed in a hushed voice, as if expecting Carrie to hear him and run into our compartment. He kept glancing at the door, nervously.
"Don't be such a drama queen," I laugh, "Who do you think she is? Voldemort?" I ignore James and Peter's gasps and Remus's flinch. Sirius gives me a look, and then a light dawned in his eyes.
"Be my girlfriend." He says, a smile gracing his lips. James, Remus, and Peter looked at him in disbelief.
"What?" I gasp.
"My fake girlfriend," He grins, as if this was the answer to all his problems.
"No way," I glare at him. "Are you mental?"
"Yes," He says simply, "But think about it," He turns to the guys, "The creepy ones are all kind of scared of Marley, right?" James smirks, Remus looks out the window with a skeptic expression. Peter nods, shooting me a look of apology.
"No Sirius!" I gasp, "They hate me, and they aren't scared of me, and think about what Carrie would do to me!" I exclaim, shuddering at the thought. Sirius sighs.
"Fine. Be selfish." He grumbles. I look at him incredulously, shaking my head. "I'll find someone else to be my girlfriend." He grins. "Anyone else would be honored."
I shake my head, frowning. Cocky git.
We make our way to the carriages, which James, being the idiot he is, purposely gets us all into one with Lily and her friends. Evans groans when she sees James enter the compartment. I roll my eyes.
"Hey Evans." James says cockily, messing up his hair. "Maybe we can hang out this weekend?" He shares a grin with Sirius. Remus sighs.
"I'd rather kiss a Flobberworm." Lily snaps at him. James grins.
"Come on Evans, you know you like me." He says, sliding his arm around her shoulders. I sigh, oh James, if only he knew.
"I hate you Potter!" Lily exclaims, throwing his arm off her. "Don't touch me."
This was pretty much what happened every time James and Lily had a conversation.
"So Remus," Dorcas says, interrupting James and Lily's argument. Remus looks up from the book he was reading. "I heard you're a Prefect?" She says, smiling.
"Yes," Remus smiles politely back, "I think Dumbledore made me a Prefect to keep all my friends in line."
Dorcas and Alice laugh. Lily was too busy yelling at James to be involved in any other conversation. I smile.
"Well you're also really smart, too." Dorcas states. Alice seems to be holding back a smile. I wonder if Dorcas likes Remus. They'd make a cute couple definitely. But I knew Remus's relationships didn't last long, I had asked him once why he never stayed with someone for long but he didn't give me a very good answer.
"Thanks," Remus replies to Dorcas, smiling. A faint blush appears on Dorcas's cheeks. I raise my eyebrows at Sirius, who isn't even paying attention. He's looking at the girls in the carriage, taking time to check them each out, probably looking for his next girlfriend. Right now he was staring at Alice, who was blushing furiously under his gaze. I flick his ear, slightly annoyed.
"Ouch," He yelped, "What the hell?" I give him a look. He glares at me. "That bloody hurt!" He whined, reaching up to touch his ear.
"Don't be a baby." I roll my eyes at him.
"Why are you so mean to me?" He exclaimed.
"All I did is flick your ear because you were obviously making Alice uncomfortable!" I exclaim. Alice blushes at this. I send her an apologetic look. I feel a stinging on my ear. He flicked me back! That tosser.
"Ouch!" I yell. Sirius gives me a smug look.
"I told you it hurt."
I punch him in the shoulder. He winces.
"I was just making it even!" He shouts.
"I don't play to get even," I yell back, "I play to win!" We had now gotten the attention of everyone in the carriage, even Lily and James. James looked very amused. I shot him a look. Sirius grumbles something.
"What was that?" I say, irritated.
"Nothing." He glares at me.
"Whatever," I roll my eyes, "Be a grump."
"The only thing I've eaten all day is a damn chocolate frog!" He snaps, "I'm a grump because I'm starving. What's your excuse?"
"I'm starving too!" James interrupts before I could reply snottily. "I wish we could hurry up and bloody get there already!" James whines.
"Shut up, Potter!" Lily exclaims, "I'm sick of your voice."
I snicker.
"Got something you want to say, McKinnon?" Evans narrows her eyes at me.
"Nope, nothing Evans." I yawn, resting my head on Sirius's shoulder. Except that it's obvious you're in love with James, deep, deep, a thousand feet deep, down.