Chapter 3
Marlene's finger gently traced the smoky skull's image on the cover of the Daily Prophet. The skull floated above a smoldering heap, which according to the caption had been a Muggle church. She shook her head and pulled back her finger. Get it together, Mar. She scolded herself; it's only a picture.
She glanced over her shoulder, which to her felt like the hundredth time, but her father was still exactly where she had left in the travel section before going off to find her schoolbooks. Marlene sighed, gathering up her large pile of books, and walked over to the window. She could wait fifteen more minutes. Let the man dream a little. He's had a rough go. She dropped her books on a table covered in magazines situated right next to the front window. She picked up the latest version of Witch's Weekly, but began to watch the people scurrying about outside instead of looking at the colorful pages.
Mothers hustled their children about, and some fathers carried their littlest children. There were some students she recognized from school, but none that she had any desire to speak to. She sighed again and glanced down at the magazine; however she quickly became annoyed with the attention seeking colors and tossed it aside. When she looked out the window again, she saw a rush of red and straightened her back. She strode towards the door and stepped out onto the street.
The red flashed again, the curls flying through the air as the girl who wore them spun around quickly, her arm caught in a large man's close hand. Marlene hesitated for a moment, but then quickened her pace.
"—and I'm not taking no for an answer!" he roared as he tugged on her arm.
"Hey Lily!" She called as she neared the two. "Everything alright here?" Marlene sent her nastiest glare to the red faced man and tried to hide her grimace when he bared his rotten teeth at her.
"Just having a conversation," he grunted.
Even from four feet away Marlene could smell the whisky on his breath. She gripped her wand in her hand and took another step forward.
"No, you were having a conversation. It's over now." She glanced around at the crowded alley and smiled for the first time that day. "Wouldn't want to make a scene now would we?
He showed his yellow and browning teeth again; however he no longer intimidated Marlene. She merely raised an eyebrow expectantly. He dropped Lily's arm and before stalking off mumbled: "We'll talk again, Ginger."
Lily rubbed her arm as she watched his massive figure slowly disappear into the crowd.
"Lily, are you okay?" She took Lily's hand, waking her out of her stupor, and tilted her head as if to better examine the girl she had just saved.
Lily's head snapped towards Marlene and then nodded. "Yah, I'm fine," she said quietly.
"What the hell was that?"
Lily shrugged, unsure of what to say. "Who knows? Just some drunk I guess, but um thanks for well… "
"Of course," Marlene dropped her hand and stepped back slightly. "How are you?"
"Fine. You?"
Marlene shrugged. "I've been better."
Lily's blank expression faded into a look of concern. "Are you alright?"
She nodded. "Yah I'm fine, just stressed I guess with it being our last year and all. The real world's just coming faster than I expected." She laughed due to nerves, so Lily gave her a smile.
"Yah, it sure is." She had no idea what to chat about with Marlene. Clearly since Marlene wasn't running off she wanted to chat, but Lily couldn't fathom why. She had nothing against the girl. They had always been cordial, and Marlene had been friendlier to her than other girls but Marlene was also one of 'the girls.' She had the perfect blonde hair, the perfectly straight eyeliner, and the perfect laugh. She was widely popular at school with even a few friends in Slytherin. Lily glanced around the alley hoping to gain some inspiration from the people socializing around them. "You here alone?"
Marlene shook her head no. "My dad's in the bookshop. I just saw you out the window so I thought I'd just… Who are you here with? Are you parents here?" She began to look about the alley as well.
Lily's hand instinctively began to rub the back of her neck. "Uh no they're out of town."
Marlene's face dropped, but she fought the urge to take Lily's hand again. "So soon before you go away for school?"
Lily shrugged, but refused to look her in the eye. "It couldn't really be avoided."
"Well if you're here alone you should shop with my dad and I—"
She snapped her head towards Marlene as her hands flew up into the air. "Oh no! I don't want to intrude on your time together—"
"Are you crazy? He'll be staring at books for ages. I was going to hit a few stores on my own anyways."
"Oh well I'm not actually here alone—"
Suddenly, over the hubbub of the crowded street, two voices could be heard calling out Lily's name. Marlene tilted her head again as she listened to the voices.
"Are you here with Potter and Black?"
Lily rolled her eyes. It really couldn't be avoided.
"Found her!" Remus squeezed between two wizards and appeared between the girls. "Lily, where the hell did you run off to? Oh hello Marlene."
"Hi, Remus," Marlene smiled politely.
"Thank Merlin!" exclaimed James as he came running up to them.
"James," nodded Marlene.
He ran his hand through his messy hair. "Oh hey Marlene, funny seeing you here, eh?"
"Very funny," she agreed as she glanced over at Lily. "Especially with Lily here too…"
"I told you we should have put her on a leash," grumbled Sirius as he leaned on Lily's shoulder.
"Hey!" Lily pushed him off of her in protest.
"It was my fault." Suddenly eight eyes were on Marlene. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment. "I was just asking her about some of the things on our list." holds up list w letter
Remus raised an eyebrow doubtfully. "What kind of things?"
"Uh…"
"Gloves for Herbology," Lily stepped forward and took the list from Marlene. "We were just looking for some."
James pointed at the window display behind the two girls. "They're some right there."
"Well you interrupted us," she said through clenched teeth.
"You ran off!" He exclaimed in defense.
"I'm not five years old!" She retorted haughtily.
"You sure about that?" Interjected Sirius, "Because your behavior is saying otherwise…"
"Okay what the hell is going on here?" demanded Marlene as she looked between the faces in the group before finally resting on her friend's. "Lily, have they kidnapped you or something?"
"I…"
Sirius wrapped his arm around Lily's shoulders, "lost a bet. Hey are you coming to our little shindig this year?"
"What shindig?" asked Lily as she shrugged him off of her.
Marlene straightened her posture. "I'm thinking about it."
"What do you mean thinking about it?" Sirius whined as he turned his full attention to the pretty blonde.
"I mean I am considering going!" She laughed.
"You have to come!"
"Says who?"
"Says me!"
Marlene smiled at him, and Sirius slowly began to smile back. Remus, bored of the show, interjected.
"Well I've got to get some things…"
"Me too," said Lily as she looked between Marlene and Sirius.
"Me three!" exclaimed James happily as he stepped closer to Lily. "So let's go! We'll see you at the shindig, Marnlene?"
Marlene turned her head, breaking her eye contact with Sirius, and smiled. "I'll think about it, but I might need some convincing."
She glanced back at Sirius. He wrapped his arm around Lily and winked. "Well Lily here will be there!"
"What shindig!" exclaimed Lily, finally allowing her annoyance to be shown.
Marlene smiled. "Well then she'll definitely need some protecting for the likes of you three." A short, grey-haired man stepped out of Flourish and Blotts and called her name. She waved at him before returning her attention to the group. "Well I'd better get going. See you later!" She ran towards the older man and followed him back into the bookshop.
Lily looked between the boys. "What—"
"We throw a big end of the summer party every year." He explained, "I always mail you an invitation."
Lily shrugged Sirius's arm off, again, and started to walk down the alley. "Never got one."
"You never got an invitation?" He asked walking after her. "Not a single one?"
She shook her head. "Did you send me things often?"
James stopped walking. "You're kidding, right?"
Lily sighed and began to walk backwards to look at the boys. "I thought the whole idea of not taking Sirius to the hospital was to be inconspicuous."
"If I knew what that meant I would disagree with you," replied Sirius nonchalant.
Lily rolled her eyes as he walked past her into the quill shop. Remus stepped next to her. "It would be conspicuous to not throw our annual summer party."
"You never got any of my letters?" James asked as he caught up to them.
"No," she said as the bell above the door rang as she entered the shop. "How many did you send me?"
"A few…"
Sirius barked with laughter. "Hundred!"
James quickly strode over to him and smacked him upside the head. The two began bickering, and Lily walked over to the counter.
"You really didn't get any of his letters?" asked Remus as he stepped next to her.
"I never got any mail from anyone."
"You didn't get mine either?"
She turned to him questioningly. "How many unknown pen pals do I have?"
"How did you not get any of our letters?"
She shrugged and looked down at the quills under the display case. "Owls never came to the house."
"What about your Hogwarts letter?"
"Always came through the post."
Remus nodded, but didn't ask anything further. He doubted she give him the answers he wanted.
Lily picked a quill discarded on the counter top and used it to tickle her nose. "Remus?"
"Hm?"
"How many letters did you write me?"
"Just a few. After I never got any responses I gave up."
She kept her eyes focused on the quill, examining its vane, so that she could avoid meeting his gaze. "And James?"
Remus smiled down at her. "He never gave up."
She glanced up at him and sighed. "He really should."
"Oy, Moony!" called Sirius from across the shop. "Come look at this!"
