A Marauder's Guide to Falling Forever
PART FOUR
Written by alliegrl
Chapter Thirteen
Working at the Ministry was a lot different than working at St. Mungos. For starters, the pressure of learning the job was basically nonexistent. While she needed to work extra hard to learn different potions and processes, the administrative tasks came much more naturally. But that could have been due to the fact that Peter's assessment had been correct; the department wasn't that busy, and that made Marlene feel confused as to why Rose wanted to bring her on.
"This isn't some sick way to get Patrick and you closer together, is it?" Sirius had been very bitter when Marlene had filled him in on the details.
"No. I don't think so. The first signs that that's the case then I'm out, okay? You need to trust me on this."
He had sighed, then smiled. "I trust you, Mar. I do."
She was shifted around from department to department, assisting in support wherever the extra help was needed. Her favorite part about the actual job, when she was working and not thinking up ways to get herself into the Department of Mysteries, was memo deliveries. It turns out that those little paper airplanes that fly around, called interdepartmental memos, required someone to actually cast the charm and navigate them to their intended destination. Peter told her that it was the easiest way to get information about any potential spies working in the Ministry. Technically they weren't supposed to read the memos, but they did it anyways.
She hadn't found anything yet, but Nancy in Department of International Magical Cooperation was having a pretty steamy affair with Cornelius in Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. They weren't particularly subtle about it either.
Rose had kept her word that Patrick wouldn't interfere with her position at the Ministry, and after a month of unanswered owls, he seemed to give up. She had felt guilty in the aftermath, having put such an abrupt end to their friendship. But she knew that it had been the right move, the smart move. And then she never looked back.
In the months that followed, Tom continued to evade Marlene's attempts to visit him. He was never home when she stopped by and visitors to the Department of Mysteries was prohibited. She had tried. Numerous times. Cassandra's house continued to appear unoccupied, and the door continuously went unanswered during the frequent trips Marlene made back to Germany.
Despite her optimism that the job would lead an easy path to unraveling the importance of the Department of Mysteries, and Cassandra's cryptic information regarding prophecies, she continued to hit dead end after dead end.
When she wasn't working, she spent the rest of her time with Lily and Alice, attempting to patch up the fragments of their broken relationship. At one time in her life she had felt the pang of sadness that she was not sharing the same experiences as her friends. Both girls were blissfully married and had babies that they adored. But only after she had time apart from Sirius did she realize that she wasn't ready for that life yet. Not while the dark cloud of death and destruction continued to loom over their heads as Voldemort continued to rise in strength and numbers.
Of course she still missed Sirius, but the time apart while she had been away made the days and weeks separated from him much more bearable than they had when they were in a relationship. They didn't see each other much except for in passing at Order meetings, or when he would stop by to see James and she was over visiting Lily.
It could have been easy to pick back up where they left off. She knew that if she stopped by Sirius's flat and told him that she was ready to get back together that they would somehow make it work. But he didn't pressure her into making any sort of decision, and seemed genuinely happy to spend whatever time they had with one another without insinuating that it wasn't enough.
Overall Marlene was happy. As happy as one could be given the circumstances. She wasn't quite on the life path she had once foreseen herself taking, but day by day the pieces of her that were once broken began to mend.
It was late into winter when everything changed.
The snow was blowing fiercely the night of the Order meeting. She and Emmeline had arrived to Elphias Doge's home located in the countryside outside of London. She had never been before and the storm of snowflakes littering the darkened sky made it difficult to navigate the street.
Mid-calf high in snow they trudged along the narrow street looking for the location of his home. Emmeline's teeth were audibly chattering next to her and Marlene drew her coat around her closer to avoid doing the same.
"I think that's it." Emmeline pointed a shaky finger ahead. The figure of two other bodies hurrying through the blizzard towards a house near the end of the cul-de-sac indicated that she might be right. As they neared closer the house number painted on the mail post at the edge of the pathway confirmed that it was the right house.
The door opened before they had the chance to knock. "Ladies!" Elphias welcomed them merrily and moved aside to allow them entrance. "I can take your coats."
Marlene shrugged out of her thick jacket and thanked him before moving further into the house where half of the other members were scattered. She admired the regal style of his home; it was filled with old artefacts, the wall hung with tapestries that appeared to be dated well into a previous century. The interior reminded her much of Hogwarts, and it spoke of a historical wizarding family.
"What are all of these things?" she asked Emmeline as she admired some of the artefacts. Many of the objects in the room were noticeably old, likely being from centuries prior. None that she had ever learned about in school or read about in books.
Emmeline shrugged, "No clue. But they're obviously old and I'm afraid if I sneeze I might break something."
They walked past an old wardrobe and Marlene stopped abruptly. Something about it looked familiar. "Hey I think I've seen this thing before," she mused aloud. Emmeline turned to assess it.
"It's sort of any eyesore in my opinion. What do you even put in something like that? Clothes? Sort of a strange thing to have in your living room."
Marlene laughed but quickly became distracted by another familiar face. Sirius. Even though her thoughts were frequently on him, she hadn't actually seen him in over a month and her heart seemed to palpitate quicker at the sight of him. He had cleaned himself up; freshly shaven and a haircut made him look much more like the teenage version of Sirius Black. She admired the way his face lit up with a jubilant smile when he caught a glimpse of her entering into the room.
Her heart fluttered. And she knew that she had been fighting a losing battle. She'd only been wasting time being apart from him.
"Hello beautiful," he whispered into her ear as he drew her into his arms for a hug. It was more intimate than their usual interactions, and Marlene blushed into his chest. When she pulled away he admired the rosy glow to her cheeks and she watched as the corner of his lips pulled upwards into a glorious smirk.
"You seem to be in high spirits tonight," she replied pointedly, not bothering to greet him.
"It's been a good day," he said, still smiling.
Marlene looked at him inquisitively. "Has it?"
"You're here." His hand reached down to clasp hers and she did not pull away. "It's always a good day when I get to see you."
She hadn't yet recovered from the chill of the winter storm and his hand was warm against her frozen fingertips. She instinctively squeezed his tighter and leaned in to rest her head against his shoulder. It felt like the natural thing to do.
"You're so cheesy," she teased him. "What have you done with the real Sirius?"
"He's been into the Firewhiskey," James said. He had been the one Sirius was talking with upon her arrival. He didn't seem phased by the display of affection omitting between his two friends, likely used to the idea that they were still together, even while they were not.
"Have you really?" She pulled her head away from him to look him in the eyes. The mischievous twinkle that belonged only to him greeted her back. "You didn't save me any?"
Sirius laughed and the faint traces of alcohol originating from his breath reached her nostrils. She grinned at him and squeezed his hand tighter.
"Only a glass." He shot James a look. "And it was his idea."
"Of course it was," she said. Marlene watched as James shrugged guiltily yet unashamed that he had been the instigator. She caught site of the bottle in his hands before he quickly tucked it away into his pocket.
"How's Lily? Harry?" she asked.
"Oh they're doing good. Harry's starting to sleep through the night now. I know that Lily has been feeling better since..."
Marlene stopped listening. Her eyes caught sight of something behind James that pulled her focus away from the conversation. The large room was decorated formally with antique furniture that screamed nineteenth century European royalty. But tucked away in the back corner of the room was a large rectangular wooden cabinet that seemed to blend in effortlessly with its surroundings. In fact, it was so normal in comparison to the rest of the décor that she doubted anyone would think there was anything peculiar about it.
It was the same cabinet she and Emmeline had been looking at not even ten minutes ago. But suddenly somehow it looked different.
"What's wrong?" Sirius was in her ear. She hadn't realized she had given off any sort of reaction but his question brought the realization that her body had stiffened. Her eyes were still trained on the cabinet; the shape of two crescent moons pulled a long forgotten memory from within.
"What time is it?" She felt a sharp twinge of anxiousness unexpectedly wash over her. Then the same unwelcome sensation as though she were apparating transported her into a conscious awareness. Adrenaline coursed through her like a bursting damn, and she pulled away from Sirius's hand. She turned her attention to them, awaiting an answer.
"About seven," James replied with confusion in his tone. Like Sirius, he had a concerned look directed her way.
"Where's Remus?" She heard the frantic edge in her tone grow more prominent. She ignored the apathetic look that crossed Sirius's face at the mention of Remus's name. He still hadn't given up on his suspicion that Remus was untrustworthy. But that didn't matter right now. She needed to know.
"It's a full-moon tonight," Sirius replied, then he reached out towards her, trying to bring her back into his side. "What's going on Marlene? Why do you have that look on your face?"
Marlene turned away from them and bolted for the door. She didn't bother to grab her coat before flinging it open and running a few feet out into the high bank of snow. The soft powder engulfed her legs as she trudged deeper down the pathway towards the street. The blowing snow had only subsided slightly, but the obvious glow of the moon cast over the street like a bad omen.
It was blue.
When the blue moon rises high at the seventh hour you will know what to do. Cassandra's enigmatic words from so long ago drifted into her thoughts.
"It's a phenomenal sight, isn't it?" Dumbledore had only just arrived and was staring up towards the sky where her attention was diverted. Marlene pulled her eyes reluctantly away from the moon to look back at him.
"Albus," she said quickly. "I need to go."
"You're not going anywhere without a coat!" Sirius was behind her, his own jacket nowhere to be seen. "Come back inside and tell me what in Merlin's name is going on."
"I can't." Marlene looked to him with wide eyes, both pleading and apologetic. "I can't tell you. I need to go."
"I'm coming with you then," he said sternly; it wasn't a question so much as a command.
"You can't – I can't –" she sounded ridiculous even to her own ears, but her adrenaline was soaring at astronomical levels and she wasn't thinking clearly. She knew what she needed to do.
"Your presences will be missed this evening." Albus gave a nod of his head, conveying his approval for Sirius to join her. "Please keep me updated when you both return."
"Your coat Marlene," Sirius said wearily. He motioned for the two of them to return to the house where a dazed James stood staring out at them from the entrance.
She shook her hear vigorously, "There's no time for that. It's almost seven."
"You're not making any sense, Marlene," he said with high levels of irritation.
"Take my hand Sirius." She reached out to clasp his and the warmth his had held earlier was long lost amidst the frozen air surrounding them. She closed her eyes and hoped with everything in her that she would not splinch them both. And then they disappeared, freshly fallen flakes beginning to fill the space in the snow where their feet had been seconds prior.
