Hey guys, I've completely given up on being a regular updater, but here's Chapter 3. A bit sappy in places, but I hope you enjoy, and please review!
Ella x
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Gradually, the snow melted. The skies grew clearer every day, and students were forced to make the trek down to the Greenhouses once more. The air was still cold, still bit at the flashes of skin exposed to the world, but there was a lightness to it. Everything sparkled under the gaze of the sun, and occasional downpours made the castle rattle with sound, as the students looked contentedly out of the windows, glad to be inside.
At least, those of them who were inside did. During one of these downpours, James had dragged Marlene, Sirius and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team out to practice. He had allowed them a brief break after Christmas, but it was now March, and the final match of the year against Ravenclaw was looming in just over a month. And so it was, that on one gloomy Thursday evening, after two hours of continuous plays, drills, laps and stunts, Marlene and Sirius were elected to help James pack away the equipment while the rest of the team fled back to the castle in the rising storm. While James and Sirius chatted animatedly about their prospects in the upcoming match, having to shout a little over the roar of the rain, Marlene remained uncharacteristically pensive. Finally clipping the second Bludger into its position in the chest, and slamming it shut, she lifted her head up to the heavens and stood, letting the rain fall relentlessly onto her face, which was set with a slight smile despite her bedraggled appearance. The ponytail which her hair had been scraped back into had come loose after chasing the snitch around, and it now fell sloppily around her shoulders, the rain seeping through her curls into her already soaked Quidditch robes. She stayed in that position for a while, aware of nothing but herself and the clouds, until the boys returned from lugging the balls back into the cupboard, bringing her floating back down to reality.
'Mar?' Called James, across the pitch. She didn't reply, but cast a serene smile in their direction. 'Come on, it's almost curfew and I don't want you out here by yourself'. Memories of the attacks which had been increasing in number startled her into moving towards her teammates, knowing only too well what a gang of wannabe Death Eaters would do to 'blood traitor McKinnon' if she was caught alone, without her usual crowd of Marauders. She caught up with them as they began their ascent up the hill, noticing they had been walking at a ridiculously slow pace to wait for her. The rain continued, but they continued onwards at a dawdle, content in their companionship and clinging onto the desperate belief that Quidditch really was all that mattered, not the war or the deaths or any of it. In keeping with this wishful thinking, Sirius turned to the blonde next to him.
'So, you know what date it is today?' He asked, his lips curling up into a grin.
She smiled back at him. 'Of course, it's March the 3rd. Why do you ask?' She knew exactly why he was asking, but wanted him to admit that he'd remembered.
'I don't know, just the minor detail that it's your birthday tomorrow… You excited?' His voice was optimistic, used to the excitement and childishness that came with Marlene's birthday every year, but he was met with a less enthusiastic response than expected.
'I guess so', was her monotonous reply. When both boys turned to her, aghast, she elaborated. 'Mum and Dad always used to make a big deal out of birthdays. They'd take me out of school for a big family dinner, and it would be so much fun! And they still do it now, but it's just awkward, pretending to still be a family, when I know Dad would rather it was his girlfriend there. So I told them not to bother this year, that I was too busy with work and I'd see them at Easter.' James draped a comforting arm around his oldest friend, knowing how difficult her parents' divorce had been for the whole family, and how long it took her to finally accept they wouldn't be together again. Attempting to lighten the mood, she added, 'And who wants a birthday stuck in lessons? I 'd give anything to just be outside for the day!'
Sirius latched onto this more lighthearted train of thought. 'I'm not sure McGonagall would accept 'it's Marlene's birthday' as an excuse for the Gryffindor Sixth Years missing lessons tomorrow.'
'Perhaps not', lamented James. 'How unreasonable of her! Maybe she'd let us take them outside?' This idea elicited a giggle from Marlene, imagining Slughorn teaching Potions from a tree. She stretched up onto her tiptoes to wrap an arm around each of the boys' shoulders, as a way of showing her appreciation for cheering her up. Exchanging a look, they moved simultaneously to lift her legs up so she was sat on their shoulders instead. She shrieked, but didn't stop them, enjoying the privilege of being paraded up to the castle in such a fashion. Such was her delight that she didn't hear Sirius whisper to James across her knees.
'Petition to move Prank Three forward to tomorrow?'
'Petition granted', was the Quidditch Captain's loyal reply, a mischievous smirk appearing on both of their faces.
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As the inhabitants of Hogwarts slowly drifted to sleep that night, they were unaware of anything out of the ordinary. Lily tucked Marlene's present out of sight, ready to be presented to her tomorrow, while the friend in question curled up and tried to be excited about the day ahead. One by one, the lights were blown out as last minute homework assignments were completed, hair was plaited and curtains drawn. As far as anyone was aware, it was perfectly normal evening. But if anyone had been to visit the Marauders' dormitory, they would have found four empty beds. That in itself was not an unusual occurrence; at least once a month they would all for some reason be absent, and normally only three of them made it to breakfast the next morning. No, the unusual thing was that the night before the 4th of March, 1977, was not a full moon, so the Marauders would usually be tucked up safe and sound in their beds. Instead, they were creeping about the castle under cover of darkness, or under an invisibility cloak, casting whispered incantations before stealing away back up Gryffindor Tower.
As the castle slept, no one heard anything unusual. If they did, they dismissed the peaceful rustling as the wind blowing around the old stone walls, rather than considering for one moment that it could be leaves.
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Something was tickling Marlene's nose.
'Lily! Get off.' From across the room, characteristically dressed before any of her friends were even awake, Lily grinned.
'It's not me, Marly. It's your first birthday present! From the Marauders, I'll bet. Open your eyes!'
Filled with the warm feeling that even her broken home couldn't completely destroy when she woke up on her birthday, Marlene fluttered two eyes open, squinting at the shards of sunlight scattered through the trees. She sat up abruptly.
'Why are we in a jungle?' Looking closer, she noticed that she had not, in fact, moved. No, the girls' dormitory had simply been decorated; vines cascaded from the tops of their four-poster beds, entangling themselves in the curtains, while the floor was littered in ancient, knotted roots, which looked more like the fruits of centuries of growth than the work of one night. And in the centre of the room, surrounded by leaf-decked branches, was a great oak tree, just like the one she, James and her brothers had built a treehouse in, all those years ago. Her big blue eyes welled up with tears as she smiled to herself. She was barely awake, and her birthday was already exceeding expectations!
The girls dressed in haste, Mary struggling to retain her school skirt which had somehow made its way to the uppermost branch of the oak, while the others showered Marlene in hugs and well-wishes. Over the last six years, being a dorm full of girls, they had had their fair share of drama, including fights over boys, lost makeup brushes and Prefect positions, but time had served them well. Now they worked as a team, and the whole school knew that the sixth-year Gryffindor girls were a force to be reckoned with, unrivaled by any but their very own classmates, the legendary Marauders.
These classmates were gathered at the foot of the girls' stairs, leaning casually on tree trunks as they grinned expectantly at the birthday girl. She did not disappoint, running squealing into James' arms with cries of 'Thank you, thank you, thank you!' He grinned, patting her back fondly as he returned her feet to the ground, and released her as she hugged the rest of the Marauders in turn, offering Sirius a small smile before he whispered in her ear.
'Behold: Prank number two'. She frowned up at him.
'You're losing your game! I thought your pranks used to be about ridicule and riot? You've simply given the castle a spring clean.' The boys chuckled, and Remus stepped up to explain.
'These clutzes finally figured out that the way to a certain female's heart wasn't through torment, and they've stepped up to create a year-and-a-bit's worth of pranks which do nothing but entertain and inspire.' With that, he offered Marlene his arm, and they led the procession down to the Great Hall, Dorcas swinging on the branches as she went to the great amusement of Alice, who heckled her with shouts of 'Swing higher, Dorky! I didn't quite see your knickers that time!'
Lily held back, waiting for James, who was tying his shoelaces just outside the portrait hole. 'This was a good thing you did, Potter, I'm impressed! Not just because of the wandwork, although I must admit it's remarkable, but, well...' She looked down, blushing. 'It was actually quite thoughtful of you'.
James positively beamed. 'Someone taught me it's better to think of others than against them. But I can't take credit for this, it was all Sirius! I don't know how he knew about her thing for trees, but he was adamant that we did this for her.' Lily smiled knowingly, glancing ahead at their handsome friend, who was enchanting the leaves to sway in the breeze in the wake of an ecstatic Marlene.
'How odd', she replied, after a pause, thinking that really there was nothing odd about it at all.
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Despite the minor disruption caused by the temporary forest which had taken root all over the school, lessons went on as normal to the despair of almost all of the students. The day dragged on, brightened by presents and cards, including a new broom cleaning kit from the team and a hilarious pair of singing dragon slippers from Lily, until finally double Charms drew to an end and the sixth-years were free to enjoy the sunshine.
As they left the classroom, Marlene was stopped by a slightly disgruntled Amos Diggory.
'Happy Birthday, Marlene'. Even though he was the one supposed to be embarrassed, her cheeks flushed as she smiled coquettishly and thanked him, before whisking out of the door.
Watching, Sirius muttered to Remus, 'How can she still be into that guy? After he acted like such a prick on Valentine's Day!' Ignoring his friend's reasonable response that it was actually his own fault for making Diggory into a prick on Valentine's Day, he sauntered off, leaving Remus with a smile not unlike the one Lily had worn earlier.
The Gryffindor classmates regrouped outside by the Black Lake, draping themselves across branches in the shade, while a few of the more liberal girls (Mary and Dorcas) stripped down to their bras and shorts to tan. Watching them, Lily pulled the sleeves of her robes further down, wishing she could carelessly expose herself in the same way. James saw her fidgeting, and sat closer to her, deftly capturing her attention with his unconventional sense of humour. From an upper branch, Marlene grinned, glad to see that her friend had someone who was so clearly understanding, and able to distract her from her insecurities.
Sirius bounded gracefully up the tree and sat down next to her, knocking her with his shoulder to distract her, and handed her a small, badly wrapped parcel. With big eyes, she unwrapped it to find a packet of Sugar Quills. 'Watching you suck on them in lessons is pretty hot', he explained, ignoring her disapproving smirk. 'Happy birthday Marls, I know they're your favourite'.
'Thank you', she smiled contentedly up at him. He shrugged it off, making a noncommittal sound. 'Seriously Sirius, I know it was you.' They both chuckled at the pun, despite its overuse.
'No, it was a group effort. Besides, James is the one who knows about your weird tree thing, not me!' His fit of modesty was highly unusual, so Marlene gave him an odd look before continuing.
'Actually, I told you about it. Remember, the Potter's Christmas party last year? I told you that I hated how few trees there were in the castle, you told me that made no sense, but that you'd get me a tree for my birthday.'
'I remember literally none of that', replied Sirius. 'Did I subconsciously keep a promise? I don't even consciously keep promises!' Marlene giggled, then leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
'Whatever it was, I appreciate it. You made my day.' And before she could see Sirius turn a bright shade of crimson, she slipped down the tree to join Lily, James and Peter, who had started a premature water fight, and were shivering in the cold lake water.
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Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you thought, good or bad.
Ella x