Indefatigable
Marlene held the ice pack to her eye and held back the groan that came from feeling the shocking cold against the burning of her skin.
"Why didn't you use your wand?" Lily fussed over her.
"Because he pissed me off and my fist felt like the better option." Marlene hissed against the pain.
"Oh, Marly," Lily huffed and dabbed a damp towel against the cut on Marlene's lip.
Marlene went to retort but there was a banging on their dormitory door.
"McKinnon!"
"Did you tell them?" Marlene didn't manage to keep the groan out of her voice.
"Of course I told them!" Lily opened the door and Marlene deliberately turned away from the door and hid her face behind her hair, not willing to see the Marauders and the rest of her friends. "You took it to blows with Rockwood, did you really think I was going to keep that to myself?"
"Are you alright, Marly?" James came to sit on the edge of her bed as the one person Marlene really didn't want to see her in this state came to sit directly in front of her.
"McKinnon?"
"Black," She didn't look up at him.
"Marlene," Sirius' hand reached out to gently cup her chin and lift her face.
With a growl, she raised her face and pulled the ice pack from her eye to face him. He might as well see it all now and get it over with. She was a wreck. She got two solid blows on Rockwood before he realized what had happened and while his wand was knocked far enough away that he couldn't fight back with magic, the bastard got a good few blows on her too.
Sirius met her challenging stare with a smirk on his face and concern in his eyes. "You're a badass."
"Damn straight."
"Rockwood looks worse?"
"Of course."
His voice lowered and he moved closer to her. "You alright?"
Marlene shrugged, keeping herself from wincing at the pain.
"I'll be right back." He pressed a light kiss to the cut on her lip and slipped out the door. It wasn't until he slipped out that Marlene forced herself to face everyone that had come in. Her entire friend group was crowded in the small dorm.
"What in Merlin's name were you thinking, Marlene?" Remus shook his head.
"That I wasn't going to listen to someone threaten my little sister." Marlene bit back.
"He was trying to get a rise out of you, I'm sure."
"Yeah, well, he got one, and a good blow to the face, stomach, and balls too."
"She's alright, Remus," Dorcas soothed. "Even if she did let Rockwood get the best of her emotions."
"Gee, thanks, Doe," Marlene closed her eyes, hoping her well-meaning friends would stop insinuating that her choices that day were stupid.
"He threatened Catherine?" James' voice was heated. "He's lucky that you got to him before I did."
Marlene didn't respond and tried to block out the chatter that was making her head throb harder. She had refused Lily's urging to go to the hospital wing because she was certain that she'd be punished for throwing the first punch, regardless of what the bastard had said he'd do if he ever got his hands on Catherine. Hence she had a Muggle ice pack against her eye that Lily had frozen for her when they'd managed to make it back to their dorm.
"Drink this," Sirius' voice was low and close to her ear.
Marlene blinked open her eyes and Sirius pressed a bottle into her hands.
"What's this?"
"Pain potion I nicked from Pomfrey."
"You're a savior," Marlene brought the bottle to her lips like she was dying of thirst and sighed happily as her eyes fluttered shut again with the pain finally easing away.
"You're still a badass," Sirius whispered close to her ear.
"Geeze, Sirius, lay off for five seconds will you?" James snapped at him.
Marlene laughed and reached out her hand till it grabbed hold of Sirius' shirt and she pulled him into her. She wasn't in pain anymore, and she could use the comfort of a man who thought she was a badass for beating up Rockwood with her bare hands.