Disclaimer: I own nothing.
In A Heartbeat
By LilyxJames4ever
Chapter 25 – The McKinnon's, Returns, and Cooties
Lily wakes up the next morning to the sound of retching. She does not know where the sound is coming from but then it all comes back and hits her in a wave.
Easter ball…the Potter Manor…James…Marlene being pregnant…Margaret almost dying…
The last one especially feels like a smack across the face. She had been willing for it all to be one really bad nightmare or a joke, albeit a sick one.
She gets up and walks to the bathroom to see Marlene throwing up into the toilet, her hair dangling dangerously close to the toilet bowl. She pulls it back into a ponytail for her, much to Marlene's surprise (she jumps).
"Are you okay, Marlene?" asks Lily concerned.
Marlene looks up at her and Lily notes she looks as pale as a sheet. She has dark circles under her eyes too, which does not surprise Lily since she did not hear her usual heavy breathing last night. She must have been up all night thinking about the baby.
Marlene shrugs. "Just morning sickness. Other than that I'm perfectly fine."
Lily knows she is not only to fool her (Lily) but herself as well. Lily decides not to dwell on it though since she does not want to upset Marlene.
Marlene stands up and stares at Lily.
"I'm going to visit my mother today before term starts," she says quietly. "I need to tell her about the baby."
"Are you sure you're up to doing it today?" asks Lily. "Even though this baby is a gift, you also need time to get in the mindset and you don't need your mum trying to force one on you."
Marlene shakes her head. "I don't have time to dwell on it right now. I need to tell –"
"It's not healthy to hold your emotions in, Marlene," says Lily.
"I'm fine." Without another word, Marlene walks out of the bathroom and begins dressing in some of her more roomy dress robes. It will not do to show up in something more formfitting since it is beginning to be obvious that she is pregnant.
"How are you going to arrive at your mum's house?" asks Lily.
"You're going to your mum's today?" asks Alice, hearing voices from her bed. "Shouldn't you be -?" Lily shakes her head discreetly and Alice falls silent. Marlene pretends like she did not hear Alice.
"I'm going to ask Professor Dumbledore if I can travel by Floo Powder," explains Marlene. "Besides the fact that you can't Disapparate within Hogwarts, they say it's risky to Apparate when pregnant." Lily and Alice nod. They heard a groan then and turn to the other side of the room. A pair of legs appear and they look up to see the face of Dorcas.
"Agh, you all are back?" she groans.
"Nice to see you too," says Marlene, firing up at once. Lily puts a hand on her shoulder to convey she needs to calm down. She cannot risk getting overexcited and having a miscarriage.
"You didn't go home for the holiday?" asks Lily, trying to keep the conversation somewhat friendly. She knows it is only a matter of time before Margaret comes up.
"My parents went to the Caribbean and I chose to hang back with Mary," replies Dorcas coolly. She looks around the room. "Isn't there another one of you? Where's Smith?" She sneers the last word.
"None of your business," says Alice.
"How dare you?" growls Marlene. Lily squeezes Marlene's shoulder that had tensed up at the mention of Margaret. It relaxes but she can still feel Marlene shaking in anger.
"What? What did I do?" asks Dorcas confused.
"Margaret nearly died this holiday," says Lily, trying to keep the anger out of her voice. "She's in St. Mungos and it's a miracle that she's alive. So I guess you're disappointed that Remus is not a free agent."
The shadow that had passed over her face at the mention of Margaret nearly dying intensifies at the insinuation.
"Are you barking mad? Do you honestly think me that selfish and shallow to go after someone who just lost their girlfriend? Don't look at me surprised, I know that he cheated on me with her. I've known for a while."
Marlene is seething. "And now all that matters is revenge, right? You can try and spin your web around Remus once more as much as you want but he'll never come crawling back to you. He's one of the smartest blokes I know and he wouldn't sink that low."
Dorcas' eyes narrow. "I still love Remus –"
"Love is a strong emotion," intercedes Lily. Dorcas ignores her.
" – But you're right. I saw the way he looked at Margaret and unfortunately I know too well that he'll never look at me that way. That being said, you can save your breath about berating me." She gets up and storms into the bathroom and slams the door.
All three girls exchange a look.
"Do you believe her for a minute?" asks Marlene disbelievingly.
"Nope," says the other two girls.
"Me either. I have a bad feeling hell is going freeze over real soon and all of us are going to feel the heat."
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After getting permission from Professor Dumbledore, the Marauders, Lily, and Alice go to St. Mungos to visit Remus and Margaret. They will be released later that day. The hospital only wanted them to stay overnight, however, to make sure they are fully rested, no longer sick, and ready for school again tomorrow.
"Hey mate," says Sirius as they walk into the room. He draws the curtain so them and the girls are separated. This way they can have private conversations. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine," replies Remus. He is reading a book that looks about the size of a young killer whale. He seems to be enjoying it though.
"We brought you some butterbeer and Honeydukes since the food here can't be too good," says Peter, handing him a package.
Remus grins and accepts the bag. "Whose idea was it to steal it?"
"Mine, of course," says Sirius, as if insulted that Remus did not know this automatically.
"I tried to stop him," says James jokingly. Remus rolls his eyes, which basically say; 'Yeah, right.' "Okay…so maybe I helped a little…but I left some money and in my defense I was outnumbered."
Remus snorts. "No offense, but it was really a one-on-one match when you think about it." James and Sirius smirk and Peter looks at all three friends in mild confusion, clear at the least that he is missing some joke.
James conjures them each a chair and they sit down next to Remus' bed.
"So, what's going on at the 'all so thrilling' Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" asks Remus, genuinely curious.
James thinks for a moment. "I heard a slam of one of the girls' dormitory doors this morning, and then later saw Meadows storming down the stairs and out of the common room?"
Remus' mouth thins at the mention of Dorcas.
"Did you find out why she was angry?" asks Remus.
"Padfoot said she was muttering to herself," supplies Peter.
"Yeah, something like…'still in love…not that low'," says Sirius, shaking his head. "Looks like someone still has the hots for Mooony."
Remus throws his one of several pillows at Sirius.
"Don't even talk to me about that," he mutters, "because I'll tell you right now, I'd never crawl back to Dorcas. I care about Margaret."
"Well good, at least you have some of your priorities straight," says James, somewhat cheerfully. Peter snickers and Sirius lets out a bark of laughter. Remus even manages to crack a half-ass smile, and then looks out the window.
"You're sure you heard 'still in love'?" he asks absentmindedly.
"Positive." Remus says nothing and continues to look out the window at the sky.
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"Hey Maggie," whispers Lily. Margaret looks up at their entrance, clearly glad that she has company, but grimaces at the name.
"You're lucky that I love you or I'd murder you for using that name." The other girls wince and she looks at them apologetically. "Too soon?"
"A bit." They all sit down around her bed, Alice and Marlene in their own seat and Lily on the edge of Margaret's cot.
"How are you feeling?" asks Marlene.
"Alive and grateful for it," Margaret replies. She looks at Marlene seriously. "You're the one I'm worried about though. How's the baby?"
Marlene shrugs nonchalantly and touches her abdomen.
"Growing as we speak," she smiles. "I just hope to Merlin that he or she does not resemble either Sirius or my parents."
The other girls laugh but Alice's is a bit more forced and Margaret picks up on this. She looks at her friend sadly.
"You're mad at me, aren't you?" she says. "You have every right to be."
"Well I'm glad I got your seal of approval." Margaret winces at the tone of her voice, clearly stung by this. It is a rarity that Alice is rude to anyone.
"She's just a tad sore that you never told us about your relationship with Remus and that we only found out because you nearly…" Lily trails off, biting her lip.
"Died," finishes Margaret bluntly. She turns to address Alice. "You by no means have to approve of our relationship but I hope you will grow to accept it one day. Remus and I care deeply about each other –"
"Was this before or after he nearly knocked you up?"
Lily and Marlene's eyes widen and Margaret looks like she has just been slapped across the face, similar to how she looked after Dorcas did just that. It hurts more now though because it is one of her close friends saying this.
"Before," Margaret says coolly. "Look, I'm not expecting to win any popularity contests right now, Merlin knows if I were holding out for universal popularity I would be waiting for a long time. However, I am not going to ignore my feelings for Remus. It is his choice whether or not he wants to continue our relationship and that is that. If you don't have anything nice to say you would do good to keep your mouth shut."
Not wanting to hear anymore, Alice storms out of the room and down the corridor so that she can return to the castle.
The curtain is drawn back and the guys are there staring at Lily, Marlene, and Margaret.
"You heard that entire thing, didn't you?" sighs Lily. James nods and the others look very uncomfortable.
"She'll come around, she doesn't hold grudges for long," comforts Marlene, and Lily nods. "It isn't in her. She'll usually forget by the morning the reason she is mad."
"I just hope she doesn't do anything rash," mutters Remus. Lily raises her eyebrows.
"Alice isn't one for sabotage or 'revenge' if that's what you mean. She'll come around, she just needs some time to come to terms with everything and repair her relationship with Frank."
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Easter was worse than Severus had expected. Why could Lily not have listened to his two warnings? He had told her that something would happen at the party and she got angry with him. Well, probably calling Potter a Bloodtraitor was not the best way to handle it with her around but it just came out. Besides, he was just telling the truth and Merlin knows Potter will hurt her, if not now then very soon. He cannot just sit back and watch the girl he loves and who has loathed James Potter for five and a half years start falling head first for him and is running the high risk of drowning. Merlin knows Potter has run to her already feeding her some cock-and-bull story about his place at the ball making him out to be a bad guy.
There has to be a way to get Lily out of liking Potter. There just has to be…
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"I can't believe everything that's happened these past few days," says Sirius, taking a swig of butterbeer. The Marauders are now back in their dormitory alone.
"I can't believe that son-of-a-bitch Snape continued in helping Voldemort when he wants Lily back so much," growls James. "He's not getting Lily back in any way, shape, or form if I can help it." A light bulb goes off in Sirius' head.
Me thinks I have a plan… he thinks, grinning.
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Marlene arrives at her mother's Manor around noon that day. She had told the girls she wanted to go alone to deal with her mum. They had only met Mrs. McKinnon on that one occasion, she was sure of that, because clearly her mother does not approve of Lily being a Muggleborn, no matter how smart or kind she is. The only one she had somewhat known about was Alice because she is a Pureblood and the Prewitts and McKinnons are longtime friends. All her mum knows though is that they associate.
Mrs. McKinnon does not know much about her daughter or her late son, Marlene's brother Joseph whom was killed by Death Eaters back in Marlene's fourth year. She spends most of her time either out at social gatherings or hooking up with the latest bachelor. Marlene is disgusted by how quickly her mother goes through men but Mrs. McKinnon will not hear that. No, she is convinced that children should be seen at the least and never heard. Marlene does not even know who her true father is and knows for a fact – her mum had told her – that she and her brother were both accidents.
Marlene learned not to let it bother her though. Her mum can spend her life however the hell she pleases and Marlene no longer gives a damn. If she wants to have random, drunken hookups, fine, but Marlene also knows what she wanted. Marlene wants a true family. One with a kid (whom she is now carrying) who knows who his or her father is and has a stable environment, unlike what Marlene and Joseph ever had.
Marlene often thinks that it was her mother who got Joseph killed, and that he had died long before Voldemort had gotten to him. Her brother and her mum never got on well, both having nastily short tempers and they would often get in screaming matches before her years at Hogwarts.
Then one day when Marlene was nine her brother left. He had left a note for her, explaining that no matter what, he still loves her and he would try and see her as often as he could. That never happened though. Marlene never saw her brother after that and only found out that he was murdered because it was in the Daily Prophet. Marlene has long expected anyone to stick around for too long and is not one to believe people when they promise things. In her mind, promises are inevitably meant to be broken.
Her mother never shows any recognition that she had once had a son and Marlene knows better than to bring it up. Whenever she had her mother would walk out of the room and disappear for several hours, leaving Marlene to fend for herself in any way she could.
Anyway, as she approaches her mother's home she cannot help but think about the baby growing inside of her. What will her mother say? She knows her mother will faint when she finds out she will be a grandmother so young and will immediately go for a facelift. She also knows that her mother will in no way help her raise the baby but Marlene is not complaining. She does not want this child to be like his or her grandmother. And besides, she had barely raised Marlene so why would she try to raise another child?
A thought crosses Marlene's mind that scares the hell out of her. What if her mother tries to convince her to have an abortion? She will never do it, of course, but her mother has her ways. She will be furious when she finds out the father too. Sirius is lucky; he has no family to tell. Well, she guesses it would not be classified as "lucky" but easier.
She walks up the steps carefully and rings the bell.
"Jonathon! Go fetch the door!" comes a female voice from somewhere in the house.
Marlene rolls her eyes. Of course her mother feels too important and cannot be bothered to answer the door.
The door opens to reveal Jonathon. Unlike most Wizarding families, the McKinnon's had butlers instead of house elves because Mrs. McKinnon did not want "slimy, ugly little creatures" in her "high-priced, gorgeous house".
"Ah, Miss McKinnon, a pleasure as always," says Jonathon kindly, a slight crease between his eyebrows. "I am not sure now is the best time. Your mother is in one of her moods."
"Hi John," smiles Marlene, hugging him. "It won't take too long I just need to talk to my mum about something important."
Jonathon has been their butler since Marlene was an infant. He is the one who taught her everything she knows, magical and non-magical. He potty-trained her and would sit by her in his free time whenever her mother had upset her. He was also there for her when her brother had left and she only recovered with him for help. He is probably the most important man in her life and always will be.
Jonathon looks hesitant about letting her in but consents eventually and steps aside so she can walk in.
The house looks the same as it has all of Marlene's life. The reason for that is that her mother only lives here during the year and over the summer she will travel so she feels no need to redecorate. What pisses Marlene off is that her mother will complain about how outdated everything is and when Marlene suggests re-furnishing it; she will say that it is a stupid idea and sends her off.
"What are you doing here?" asks Mrs. McKinnon, walking sideways down the stairs. She thinks that it is unladylike to walk forward because apparently it makes a lady look clumsy.
Marlene bites her tongue. "What are you doing here" is her mother's way of addressing her whenever she is not expecting her. Never a "hello, dear" or "how are you?". Always just a question with a harsh back tone to it.
"I want – need – to speak to you," says Marlene, trying to keep her temper in check.
"Stand up straight," Mrs. McKinnon criticizes. "I swear, Marlene, you are becoming more of a boy with each passing day. Look at those robes! They are far too big and baggy!"
I didn't know you knew my name, thinks Marlene darkly.
"And do not stare off into space. What are you doing here?" she repeats.
Marlene swallows a smart retort. "I've come because I have some news and I don't think you're going to like it."
"Speak properly when you are addressing your superiors," says Mrs. McKinnon. She sits down on one of her dated sofas and looks down at it. "I despise this sofa, it is far too old and outdated."
"Then why don't you get a new one?" asks Marlene frustrated. This conversation is going nowhere.
"I thought I told you to speak properly," says Mrs. McKinnon irritably. She waves it off and motions Marlene to sit down. "Sit. Now what is this bad news you wish to tell me?"
Marlene sits down and clears her throat.
"You should not clear your throat in such an unbecoming manner," she castigates. "My goodness, no wonder you cannot hold down a boyfriend!"
Oh, then you'll love what I have to say next thinks Marlene dryly.
"Mum, I'm pregnant," says Marlene bluntly.
Mrs. McKinnon shows no emotion whatsoever. She just stares at her daughter as if she has never seen her properly before.
"Jonathon, fetch me a large brandy and my daughter one too," says Mrs. McKinnon carelessly.
"I can't drink," says Marlene incredulously. Was her mother this careless when she was pregnant?
Mrs. McKinnon ignores her and accepts the brandy for herself but waves the other one off.
"Who is the young man that knocked you up?" she asks after a sip.
Marlene cringes at the choice of words. "Sirius Black," she replies warily.
Mrs. McKinnon ignores the fact that she is not speaking "properly" this time and just looks at her strangely.
"So he is your boyfriend."
"I would have thought that is obvious," says Marlene dryly. Mrs. McKinnon ignores her comment.
"You lied to me at the Potter Manor."
"No, I don't believe I did. I never responded."
"How long have you been together?"
"…Since the beginning of the year."
"Well, I never knew you had it in you," says Mrs. McKinnon after a long moment. "Of course, I have always looked forward to being a grandmother, albeit I did not expect it so soon…"
"Oh," is all Marlene can say in her surprise. She is afraid if she says anything else, it will be something she will regret. After all, how would it feel to know your mother looked forward more to her grandchild than her own child?
"But of course, I will be raising the child as my own," she continues.
"WHAT? No!" cries Marlene, jumping up. Jonathon peeks his head in.
"Is everything all right in here?" he asks.
"Yes, of course," says Mrs. McKinnon briskly. "Off you go Jonathon." He chances a glance at Marlene who is still breathing heavily and leaves the room. "Sit down," she tells Marlene coolly. "You do not want to risk yours and the baby's health."
"Oh, please," snorts Marlene. "You don't care about my health. All you want is this baby so you can make it to be like the daughter or son you've always wanted."
"Do not talk to me in that tone –"
"No, I will talk to you in 'that tone' because it's the truth! So answer me this, why would you want another baby so late in your life when you barely took care of the kids that were yours?"
"Perhaps I want to make up for the poor job I did at raising you," says Mrs. McKinnon.
Of course she doesn't mention Joseph thinks Marlene angrily. "Don't try and fool me. I know you only want this baby so you can breed him or her and have a 'proper' heir. Well, guess what? You're not taking my baby away from me and Sirius."
Not giving her mother a chance to say anything else, she runs out of the room and down the stairs, then outside in fury. She walks back to the abandoned house where she had come through the fireplace.
"Hogwarts," she says. She is engulfed in the green flames and is whisked back to the Headmaster's office.
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Earlier that same day…
Dorcas slams the door to her dormitory and storms down the staircase.
"How dare they?" she grumbles. "How dare they assume I'd try jumping into Remus' bed after Margaret nearly dies? I mean yes, I'm still in love but I'm not that low."
She barely notices that she almost has a near, head-on collision with Sirius and keeps walking once out of the portrait hole. She had received another note once she had gotten out of the shower this morning. It told her to come to the same old abandoned classroom for a meeting. She had been a bit reluctant to go; worried that one of the others had seen the note, but decided it would be just as unwise not to go.
She makes her way down the corridors and looks both ways before opening the door to the desired classroom. Dorcas walks in to find it barely lit, as it had been last time. She sighs, irritated, and takes a step further in, closing the door behind her.
"Ah, you came," says the mysterious voice. She does not seem surprised but Dorcas had not expect her to be. She has always been a pushover. She has wondered numerous times why she had been sorted into Gryffindor and not Hufflepuff.
"What do you need to see me about?" asks Dorcas.
"It's time we put our plan into action," replies the voice.
"What plan?"
"The plan to take down Smith and Lupin and their friends!"
"Margaret nearly died this past weekend," says Dorcas shrilly.
There is silence. Dorcas can feel the air get tenser and knows what is coming.
"We're still going through with the plan," the voice remarks.
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"N-O. As in no, I'm not going through with the plan. I'm not going to destroy Remus' and his friends' relationships just because you want me to. You won't even reveal to me who you are!"
"I told you, all in good time."
"Time's passed and I've waited long enough. You want to go through with your plan to ruin one of the strongest friendships that you're obviously jealous of, go on ahead. Just don't make me a part of it. You make me sick."
Dorcas turns on her heel and flounces out of the room and slams the door shut. The yet to be revealed "clicker" drums her piercingly, red nails on the desk.
"Who needs her? By the time I'm done with Evans and the rest, Jamsiepoo will be all mine."
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Once Remus and Margaret have their release papers signed by their respective Healer, they are permitted to leave the hospital and the four Marauders head back via Floo Powder to Hogwarts.
Professor Dumbledore, who is used to his office being like a railroad track, greets them jovially without even looking up.
Once they get back to the Gryffindor Tower, they supply the Fat Lady with the password (Mimble wimble) and step in, only to find the girls waiting there with some more butterbeer.
"Welcome back, guys!" says Lily, running over to hug them both. The other two hug them as well.
"Wow, I guess we should leave for two days more often," Remus grins.
"You still look pale," Lily observes Remus worriedly. "Is the full moon coming up?"
Remus nods. "On Saturday, five days from now." Margaret wraps her arm around his waist and he smiles down at her and plants a kiss on her head. Alice looks at the two of them in annoyance.
"Do you want me to take notes for you in Transfiguration, History of Magic, and Charms on Thursday and Friday?" asks Lily.
Remus nods gratefully. "We all know that you're the only one who will actually take notes," he says, staring pointedly at his friends.
"I don't need to take notes in Transfiguration, Charms is boring, and I sleep in History of Magic," says James shrugging. Remus turns to look at Peter.
"My notes suck," he says simply.
"No arguing that," grins Remus. He turns and glares at Sirius who looks back at him defensively.
"I've taken notes in each of those classes!"
Remus snorts. "I don't think rating girls on their hair, legs, backsides, and chests classifies as taking notes." The girls gasp and each in turn smack him, Marlene's probably the hardest but she grins at him.
"I'd better be on that list with high ratings!"
He smirks and wraps his arm around her, finally able to show his true feelings in front of his friends.
"Of course you're on the list babe," he says cheekily. "You're off the charts."
"Excuse me, did you just call me babe?" James snorts and is interested in seeing how Sirius talks his way out of this one.
Sirius looks like a deer in headlights, but that is just how Marlene affects him. He looks at James for help and he decides to take pity on him.
"So Marlene, how did talking to your mum go?" asks James. Marlene grimaces and then turns to give Sirius a look. "That good, huh? Has anything changed since the first time I met her?"
Marlene shakes her head and Lily looks surprised.
"James met your mother but we never got to until the ball?" she asks.
Marlene makes another face and moves out of Sirius' grip to sit down on the couch.
"You know now why I never wanted you to meet her," says Marlene. "I'm surprised you lot don't need psychiatric help."
James nods. "Mrs. McKinnon isn't exactly the most…pleasant person you'll ever meet."
"Don't be nice James, Salazar Slytherin would hardly be more pleasant than her. But then that's not saying much since she was in Slytherin, herself…"
"Wait, your mum was in Slytherin?" says Alice surprised. "Then where was the rest of your family?"
"I don't know who my dad is," admits Marlene. "And –"
"You never told us that!" cries Lily. "Marlene, why didn't you ever tell us about your family?"
"Because I hate them! The only people related in some way to me that I like is my mum's butler Jonathon and my brother Joseph but he ran away when I was nine and then was murdered."
"Your mum has a butler?" says Sirius.
Marlene nods. "The one who accompanied her to the Easter ball."
"Why not a house-elf?"
"They're too 'dirty'," she says dramatically. "'They'll soil the house! They're lazy!' They're this and that and whatever other rubbish she comes up with." Everyone is silent and Lily, Alice, and Sirius try to take it all in.
Lily, Margaret, and Alice are surprised and hurt that their best friend has never thought it prudent to share with them her personal life. After all, they thought that they told each other everything. Although Alice's family is known to them because they had gone to school for four years with her cousins, Alice had told them all about her home life. Lily did the same even though topics like Petunia are painful and Margaret has also told them about her family. It is a slap in the face to realize they hardly know anything about Marlene's family.
Sirius, on the other hand, is not all that upset. After all, a majority of his and Marlene's relationship has been physical and this, if anything, will bring them closer together in more of an emotional way. He does not care about how her mother acts just as much as she does not care about his parents and, if anything, he is relieved that they have this similarity. If they are going to be in a relationship of some sort he wants everything to be out in the open. He knows this sounds cliché but he has never felt these feelings before and it is not another one-night stand scenario. He has true feelings for Marlene and he will not sabotage it in any way and he needs her to know that.
"So what exactly happened with your mum?" asks Peter, breaking the silence.
Marlene scowls at her hands. "She wanted me to hand over the baby to her and let her raise it. 'Like hell' I said…well not in those words, she would have had my head."
"She wanted you to give her the baby?" says Sirius shocked.
Marlene nods. "I – I would never hand over my – our child to someone who couldn't even be bothered to raise her own kids properly. Don't get me wrong, I'm in many ways glad that I'm nothing like her but I would never want to be responsible for another child's life being crazy because I let them live with her."
Sirius nods and falls silent. It is incomprehensible; the pain Marlene must feel all the time, especially knowing that she is really and truly the only one left. He has felt it many times himself but it is different on a certain level. She has had someone [her brother] who she loves and loved her in return and they are gone. She really only has a butler at home who probably acts more the role of a parent than her actual maternal one.
"Now that I'm of age, however," continues Marlene, "I think I'm going to get a flat once the year ends. I just can't go back to that house. Too many memories of Joseph are there and although I'll miss Jonathon, well, I'm sure he'll try and visit on occasion."
"We should all get a flat together," suggests Lily. "The four of us," she elaborates. "Now that the war is coming full fledge it'd be best to stick together. You lot should get one too."
Marlene looks hesitant though at planting this idea in the other's heads. "Most of you still have families!"
"Unless you count a sister that hates me and her whale of a husband, no, not quite," says Lily dryly.
"Don't look at me either, I'm disowned," laughs Sirius bitterly.
"I seldom talk to my mum," says Peter quietly.
"My dad left and my mum is afraid of me," says Remus, also quietly.
"No one," Margaret chokes, and Remus squeezes her shoulders.
"I'm sure my parents would understand if I wanted to move in with friends," says Alice.
"And my parents have been dying to get me out since I received my first broomstick," grins James. "Once I crashed it into my mum's priceless vase that sealed the deal."
Marlene smiles at all of her friends. She cannot believe how lucky she was to have found them and hopes she will never lose them to the war.
"Thanks guys," is all she can manage.
"Group hug!" squeals Sirius. Everyone laughs, Marlene the loudest, and gathers together in one group hug, several lifting one arm so they will not spill their drink.
Lily is squeezed in between Alice and James. She looks to her upper right where he is and noticed him grinning at her. She blushes and smiles back at him, this not being the first time that she is glad she gave him a chance.
"I think I'm going to go to bed now," says Remus, disentangling himself from the group. "I feel tired and with classes tomorrow…and next Saturday…well I'm going to need all the sleep I can get."
The others nod and the girls go to their respective dormitory, as do the guys, most of them with thoughts of the opposite sex in their head and everything that has happened recently. As they all get undressed into their nightclothes, most thought about how easy everything used to be, back when they thought the opposite gender had cooties.
Oh, the good old days.
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A/N: Please review!