SECOND YEAR
"Don't be nervous, you'll be fine. Seriously, I have no doubt that you will be an international star by the time you're 17. Personally I thought it was going to be because you'd be the lead singer in a crazy punk band featuring your lovely self and of course my instrumental genius, but hey; even I can be wrong on the details."
Marlene did not look convinced, so Alice shook her a little for good measure.
"Lena! You've been flying around with Potter all your life! You can do this."
"Right," Lena nodded firmly and marched down to the quidditch pitch, where trials for this year's Gryffindor team were about to take place.
James and Sirius were of course already there, looking supremely unconcerned with the impending proceedings.
"Potter! Black! Have you seen Remus anywhere? He promised to be the base of the pyramid in my two person cheer squad for you three! I brought pom poms!"
Alice launched into a vigorous rendition of her original chant: "Potter and Black! On the attack! Once they beat you, you won't come back! Woooo!" to prove her dedication.
"Sorry Alice," Sirius smiled in amusement, "Lupin is in the hospital wing, he's come down with what Madam Pomfrey thinks is dragon flu...but I think she's just in love with him and wants an excuse to keep him locked up there with her."
"Oh. Should I rescue him? Or perhaps I should come up with a get-well-Remus cheer!" and she skipped off, chanting happily about dragons sneezing.
"So, Lena darling!" James winked, "ready to show up the competition?"
"If by 'the competition' you mean yourself... then yes, I've been doing that for years," she grinned.
He tackled her in mock fury, and Sirius stood by rolling his eyes as the two wrestled on the grass.
"Attention, everyone!" a loud voice called.
James and Lena froze in a tangle of limbs.
"Line up in front of me! And get off her please; we are not here to assault each other..."
James saluted the captain and jumped to his feet, gallantly offering Marlene a hand.
"I am Jacob Thessley, the captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team. A fair amount of our players graduated last year, so lucky for you lot we have several positions up for taking. We need...two new chasers, a beater and a keeper. Of course we are still holding try outs for all positions, so if you can beat out our returning members from last year... you're in. Good luck to you all! Keepers, you're up first!"
Marlene hung back, tuning out the world until the call for chasers broke through her concentration.
She ignored the noise from the stands, the catcalls from the other contenders and the pressure to impress, and played like she had been playing all her life.
Her eyes narrowed as she took aim, angling the quaffle just out of reach of the keeper and allowed herself a small smile as it soared through the ring and she sped back into the fray.
Loud cheers resounded above the noise of the thumping music in the Gryffindor common room that night. James and Sirius decided that, as both they and Marlene had made it on to the quidditch team, a celebration was in order.
They had somehow procured enough snacks and drinks to satisfy an army, and left the decorations and music to Alice's fancy.
Needless to say, no one in Gryffindor was studying or sleeping.
"Let's dance, milady!" Alice yelled, and they climbed up onto a coffee table to demonstrate the lamest dance moves they knew.
"Ooh, stir the cauldron!" Alice giggled.
"The swish and flick!" cried Marlene.
"LENAAAA" a voice bellowed, interrupting Alice's mimed dancing of a pixie.
James' messy head popped up and dragged Lena off the table.
"You dare steal my dance partner?" Alice challenged mock menacingly.
"Only temporarily, I swear. But someone needs to get Mr. Brooding Grey Eyes onto the dance floor, and with your infectious energy and...force, I think you are the perfect candidate for the job!"
An evil smile spread across Alice's face.
"This will be fun..."
"I hope you realise that you will be fixing any craters or black holes created by the certain battle you just initiated," Marlene smiled.
"Oh Sirius loves to dance, he just doesn't know it yet. Now come on!"
He lead her across the improvised dance floor in a sprightly jig that threatened to wipe out half the members of Gryffindor and earned them cheers from the other half.
"Why James, I'd no idea you could dance with such finesse," Lena laughed breathlessly as he twirled her around.
"Yes, I hid this particular skill from you for years, just so I could bow out and watch you dance with Snot-Hand-Lawrence!"
"The guy who stopped dancing every five minutes to blow his nose into his hands? You made me dance with him on purpose all this time? James Potter I will kill you!"
At this point their jig degraded into a common wrestling match, which was equally cheered on by the surrounding students.
As the music switched to a slow romantic song one of the other Gryffindor second year girls, Mary MacDonald, strutted over.
"May I cut in," she glared at Marlene, somehow managing to smile simperingly at James at the same time.
Lena didn't bother to respond, leaving James to turn his charm on the willing Mary as she made her escape from the dance floor.
Or attempted to, as a hand pulled her back just as she was about to slip away in the crowd.
"Leaving already, McKinnon?" Sirius Black drawled.
"Ah yes, I have to go collect some sea water and burn niffler hair at the stroke of midnight for a potion I'm making for a friend..."
"Liar," he challenged, and swept her up into a slow dance regardless of her protesting.
"Alice is forcing me to dance and you're less likely to trample my feet than she is, so stop struggling please?"
"What is this? Sirius Black, pleading for something?" she gasped.
"Don't get used to it," he grinned, and the spark in his grey eyes returned as he swept her off her feet gracefully.
"Admit it, my dancing is impressing you," he smirked.
Marlene was saved from thinking of a witty insult by a large owl flying into her head.
The owl persistently hovered in her face until she took its letter and excused herself from the party.
When she reached relative quiet, Lena opened the envelope which was marked 'URGENT'.
Dear Marlene,
I wanted to tell you this in person, but your father thought it best that you find out as soon as possible. Your grandfather has been diagnosed with a degenerative magical disease, and they say there is nothing they can do to help him. We will come fetch you in a few weeks so you can visit him, and also so you can be present at the celebration for your Uncle Reginald who has been unofficially named as the new head of the McKinnon family.
We're very sorry, and hope you're okay darling.
Mother and Father.
"Oh." Marlene said to herself sadly, and sank to the floor.
