Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The song "Good News" is by Something Corporate and I do not own it in any way.

Desperado
Chapter Three: Good News

I wanna read good news
I wanna be innocent again
I wanna read good news
But nothing good is happening

At the early time of two in the morning, Marly awoke with a start, breathing heavily and covered in a cold sweat.

'Just a nightmare,' she assured herself, sitting up and willing her heart to slow down.

Marly struggled to remember what the dream was about, but the details were slipping away from her like sand between her fingers. She vaguely remembered Remus and Sirius, but the rest of the details were too foggy to distinguish.

With a defeated sigh, Marly fell back into her bed, listening as the rain beat against the window above her bed. She watched as lightening broke across the sky, lighting it up momentarily, and then covered her face with her blanket. She loved thunderstorms, but she had an inclination that it was only in the very wee hours of the morning and she was quite exhausted.

As Marly began to drift back to sleep, she heard someone slowly push the door of her bedroom open, rustling against a pile of clothes she had thrown in front of it. Without moving, she strained harder to listen. Everything was silent for a moment, but then she heard a foot step on her Daily Prophet that she had left lying on the floor from the day before. Someone was definitely in her room.

Barely breathing, she slowly slid her hand under her pillow where she felt the hard wood of her wand. She gripped it tightly before jerking upright.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Ouch!" Remus shouted, jumping back as the red beam of light bounced harshly off his bare arm. "Bloody hell, Marly!"

"Oh, it's you," Marly rolled her eyes. "Lumos."

The light from her wand illuminated the disaster area that was her room and Remus, who was massaging his arm gingerly. He gave her a very annoyed look before he continued to his destination - her closet.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm looking for that sweatshirt you stole from me ages ago," Remus explained, fishing through her closet quickly.

"Rem, it's three in the morning," Marly said pointedly, jerking her head toward her clock.

"Dumbledore owled me," Remus sighed, pulling the sweatshirt out of her closet and looking grave as he turned to her. "He wants me to go underground."

"That was quite last minute," Marly replied, patting her bed softly to signal for him to sit by her.

"Well, I knew it was coming so I should have been prepared with a small bag," Remus shrugged, sitting on the edge of her bed. "I've known for nearly three weeks."

"Were you going to leave without waking me?" Marly asked, her tone a bit wounded.

"Of course not," Remus insisted, giving Marly a warm smile. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"And you're going to be all right?" Marly asked earnestly.

"I kind of have to be, don't I?" Remus gave Marly a wry smile. "Although, it wouldn't be hard for me to think of quite a few other things I'd rather do than live with a whole lot of werewolves, as hypocritical as that might sound."

"I know what you mean," Marly said so seriously it was obvious she was joking. "I have to live with one. It's unbearable, I tell you."

"You can just go right on ahead and sod off," Remus replied in a snarky manner, elbowing Marly playfully in her side.

"How long are you going to be gone?" Marly asked, pulling her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"Not entirely sure," Remus admitted, allowing his eyes to wash over her.

"How is work taking that?"

"Let's just say I'll be job hunting once I get back - again."

"Well, you better be back before my birthday," Marly said sternly. "The big two-one."

Remus only smiled, and then said, "I'll try."

"Good," Marly replied, and then let out a large yawn. "Oh, wow."

"You should go back to bed," Remus said, getting to his feet.

"Wait," Marly stopped him, following him in suit and placing her hand on his arm.

The light went out as Marly dropped her wand, spread her arms wide, and wrapped them around him tightly, her head resting on his shoulder. Their height difference was perfect when it came to their dancing and hugs like this. Remus allowed his sweatshirt to fall onto her bed and returned the hug, pressing their bodies together.

"Please be careful," Marly said quietly, sighing deeply into his bare neck, which caused a shiver to go up his spine.

Swallowing hard, he replied, "I always am."

"Okay," Marly nodded once, then loosened her grip, which he mimicked. Their hands fell to their sides and gripped each others' tightly. "Because, well, I wouldn't be able to meet rent without you."

Remus let out a laugh. "I'm pretty sure that this is my flat and you came knocking at my door when that Samuel bloke broke up with you."

Marly let go of his hands and waved them in a dismissive manner. "Unimportant details." Her expression changed and her eyes turned serious. "Seriously, I want to be able to steal that sweater back from you."

"Marly, I'll be fine," Remus assured her, taking the sweatshirt once more. "I promise."

"Okay," Marly nodded, still looking unconvinced. With a heavy sigh, she managed to give him a smile. "Have fun."

"Oh, yes, loads," Remus rolled his eyes. "I'll see you soon."

As he turned to leave the room, Marly crawled back into her warm bed, preparing for another couple hours of sleep.

"I expect this room to be spotless by the time I get back," Remus said before leaving her alone, sending a toothy grin over his shoulder.

"Whatever you say, Mum," Marly replied, pulling her comforter back over her head.

Nearly twelve hours later, Marly was sitting at the dining room table that she had bought Remus for his last birthday - he had been whining about the finish on the old one - with the Daily Prophet in front of her. As she flipped through the pages, quickly scanning the headlines, she spun her finger over a cup of tea, the spoon following her finger.

She flipped the paper back to the front page and gave a disgusted sigh, seeing that the main headline was advertising the number of deaths there had been from a Death Eater attack that had taken place in Kent at nearly the exact same time Remus had left the flat.

Suddenly, there were three loud knocks at the front door, tearing Marly from her reading. Once she reached the door, she leaned forward and gazed out the peephole, only to see a giant emerald green eye staring back at her. Lily let out a loud laugh on the other side of the door.

"Did she look?" Marly heard Anna's voice, which was soon followed by loud laughter from the both of them.

Marly quickly unlocked the bolt and wrenched the door open. "Ha-ha, you're so funny."

"I know," Lily pushed past Marly and looking around the simple flat. "You two need some decorating done in here."

"Thank you for telling me that once again, Lily," Marly replied, returning to where she had been reading.

"There aren't enough pictures of me," Anna shrugged, closing the door behind her.

"There aren't any pictures period," Lily pointed out, going to the refrigerator and scoping out any potential snacks. "Where's Remus?"

"Dumbledore owled him around midnight and he had to go underground right away," Marly explained, not looking up from her newspaper. "He wasn't sure when he'd be back."

"Oh, that's bad luck," Anna said, crossing her arms as she sat down at another chair at the table. "Anyone we know die?"

Marly looked up and gave Anna an exasperated look before she said, "There was a Death Eater attack last night, but apparently only a family of Muggles died."

"Oh, James was at headquarters when it happened," Lily said, taking a pickle out of a large jar. "He went with Hagrid to sort everything out before Peter arrived with the rest of the Obliviator team."

"What did he say about it?" Anna asked.

"Apparently it was horrible," Lily made a face, and then took a bite from the pickle. Between chewing, she managed, "The house was completely gone, only a few bricks from the foundation still standing. The people were killed with Avada Kedavra, but I'm sure they were tortured first." She had a distinct look of distaste upon her face before saying, "That wouldn't be enough fun for them."

"Filthy blighters," Marly shook her head in aversion.

"Have you heard that they're talking about making it legal for Aurors to use the Unforgivables on Death Eaters now?" Anna asked.

"Mad-Eye is absolutely livid," Marly nodded. "He says that it'd make the Aurors just as bad as the Death Eaters."

"I agree with him," Lily commented, her lip still curled angrily.

"Anyways, enough with the news," Marly sighed, folding up her paper and turning to her tea, downing it quickly. "I'm quite sure that we have a mission to accomplish today."

"Yes, dresses," Lily recovered, looking at the last bit of pickle in her fingers, and then shoving it in her mouth.

"You're such a lady, Lily," Anna smirked.

"Where are we going?" Marly asked, getting to her feet.

"This shop in London my mum frequents," Lily sighed, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms. "She wanted to come, but I wouldn't have been able to stand hours of lecturing about how I've waited far too late to get the dresses and that James and I should have had a much longer engagement, and so on and so forth."

"That's what we're here for," Anna shrugged. "Honestly, Lily - only six months?"

"Thanks for your support," Lily rolled her eyes.

"Are we going incognito, then?" Marly asked, then noticing that both of the young women weren't wearing robes. "Well, that's just dandy. I'm going to take a sweatshirt from Remus's bedroom to replace the one he thought he could take this morning and then we can head out."

"Hurry up," Anna said impatiently. "I want to drink."

"Have you ever noticed that all we do is drink and shop?" Lily said as Anna pushed the door to Remus's bedroom open.

Remus's bedroom was the stark opposite of Marly's. While it was a bit messy from his quick flight, it was still loads more organized and cleaner than Marly's was. His bed was properly made, while hers was only made if Remus did it himself. The only cluttered part of the room was his desk, where he had dozens of books and papers strewn around the area because, as Marly told him on more than one occasion, he was a geek.

Marly turned to his closet, which had a spare piece of parchment taped to it. Upon further inspection, she saw that it was a note for her.

'Marly,

'While reading this note, imagine my voice being very stern and serious. You know - that tone I can never manage to accomplish when I'm actually trying to tell you off.

'Anything you take will be washed by you. In addition, yes, I did take those pants that you always want to wear - which is quite weird, even for you. If you lose anything, you will be severely punished.

'Love, Remus

'PS: I'm completely serious. Stop laughing.'

Marly grinned as she pulled the closet open, only to see the most organized closet she had ever stumbled upon. It was organized by garment and colour. Marly let out a sigh and rolled her eyes.

"We need to find you a life, Remus, darling," she mumbled under her breath, pulling on the sleeve of a dark green sweatshirt and pulled it over her head. "Or at least properly shagged."

"How about this one?"

"It's lovely, Lily," Anna sighed, her head rested against her sister's shoulder from their chairs in the bridal shop.

"Oh, come on, you guys," Lily complained. "We haven't been shopping that long."

"I beg to differ," Marly replied, her legs crossed daintily. "We've been here for four hours."

"Well, which ones did you like?" Lily crossed her arms, turning and gazing into the three-way mirror at the current dress she was wearing.

"To be honest, dear," the older shopkeeper spoke up, looking as though she only wanted the women to leave. "That one doesn't suit you."

"I agree with her," Marly nodded, pushing her sister off her and getting to her feet. She walked over to the rack of dresses Lily had tried on and, after a moment, pulled two off. One was strapless with a full A-lined skirt and beige detailing in the front that flared out through the skirt. The other had thin straps and a full skirt as well, but was detailed with silver sequins. "These two looked the best on you."

"Do you really think so?" Lily asked.

"This one," the shopkeeper said, pointing at the one with the beige detailing, "can have the colour of the detailing changed to match your bridesmaid dresses."

"Oh, that would be nice," Lily breathed. "I'm going to have to talk if over with my mum first, I think, just to see what she thinks."

"That might be a good idea," Marly nodded, glancing at the rack to where Marly and Anna had placed the gown they had picked out for the bridesmaids. Sheila and Katherine had put in their suggestions, but trusted Marly and Anna to pick as they couldn't make it to the shopping extravaganza. Marly and Anna had chosen a deep green, halter-style gown that ended just below the knee in only a half an hour.

"All right, Tracy," Lily smiled at the shopkeeper. "I'll get out of this dress and then we can get out of your hair."

As Lily retreated into the dressing room, Marly sat back down next to Anna, who was gazing longingly out the front window.

"What's up?" Marly asked her sister.

"Would you mind if we went to that pub Sirius works at again?" Anna asked. "You know, since we're dressed for it and all."

"He makes horrible drinks," Marly scrunched up her nose. "Why do you want to go there?"

"Because it's only a block away," Anna smirked. "Lily's shopping habits make me need a drink - good or bad."

"You know, I can hear you," Lily called out of the room.

"Why would I mind?" Marly asked, ignoring Lily.

"I didn't know how uncomfortable it would make you, seeing as Lily is just short of giving you a love potion so you'll fall for Sirius," Anna explained, a smile playing on her lips.

"You know, he is rather good looking," Marly mused, a far away expression on her face. "If I wasn't in this 'no men' lock down - "

"Oh, please, Marly," Anna rolled her eyes. "We don't actually expect you to not break that pact."

"Hence why I'm going to keep it," Marly replied, giving Anna a pointed look. "I can restrain myself just as well as the rest of you."

"Sure you can," Anna smirked.

"Okay, let's go," Lily burst out of the dressing room dramatically, striking a pose. When Marly and Anna only gave her a look, Lily recovered and called, "Thanks again, Tracy."

"Anytime, Lily," the shopkeeper gave her a warm smile. "Tell your mum I say hello."

"Of course," Lily nodded, following Marly and Anna out the door and down the street.

Once in the near empty pub, the three women sat themselves at the bar. Sirius was the only bartender there and was completely engrossed in the television, which was showing a commercial for a type of toothpaste. Marly cleared her throat loudly, startling him.

"Oh, hell, sorry," Sirius jumped, then, registering who it was, gave them a smirk and jerked his head toward the television. "They still astound me."

"That's right, you're pureblood," Marly nodded, who was half-Muggle.

"Ah, the noble and most ancient house of Black," Sirius replied, his expression on his face looking as though he had eaten something that tasted bad. "What can I get you ladies?"

Once he had gotten the women and himself a drink, he turned back to the three of them and opened his mouth to begin conversation. However, before he could say anything, Lily interrupted him.

"Hey, Anna, I need to talk to you about something," she said, sliding off her barstool. "Er…over there."

"That was terribly smooth, Lily," Anna shook her head in amusement, but grabbed her drink and followed Lily across the pub nonetheless.

Sirius gave Marly a questioning look, which made Marly laugh aloud.

"Lily is aiming to play a bit of a matchmaker," Marly explained, swirling her finger above her drink, causing the straw to spin, much as she had with her tea.

Sirius looked as though he was going to comment on Lily's behaviour, but then gazed down at her hand. Noticing, Marly quickly stopped, balling her hands together on her lap.

"I always forget when I'm in a Muggle place not to do little things like that," Marly flushed, explaining herself.

"No, it's not that," Sirius replied, looking impressed. "Not many people can do magic without their wands."

"Oh, yes, well," Marly flushed more, clearly quite embarrassed by the attention he was giving her. "I studied hard in Hogwarts."

"You can study as much as you want, but the only way you can actually put it to use depends on how strong your magic is," Sirius pointed out, giving her a smile. "Can you do other magic without your wand?"

Marly nodded numbly. "I don't usually advertise it, though."

"Why not?" Sirius asked, his eyes wide. "You'd probably be snatched up by the Ministry to be an Auror if they knew that."

"I know," Marly replied.

"Did you ever think about being an Auror?"

Marly nodded again. "That's what I wanted to be in Hogwarts, but I didn't get in."

"Are you serious?" Sirius's eyes widened. "I didn't get in either, but you were Head Girl!"

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too," Marly sighed. "But, I blanked on my written Defence NEWT and only got an Exceeds Expectation. It's the only one I didn't get an Outstanding on, which made me so mad."

Sirius let out a derisive snort. "That's it?"

"Shut it," Marly smiled. "I used to be quite the student."

"Obviously, if you were made Head Girl."

"James wasn't much of a student, if I remember correctly," Marly pointed out.

"It came easily for him, though," Sirius shrugged. "I'm not going to lie - it was easy for me as well." They were silent for a short moment before Sirius suggested, "I've been thinking about ditching this gig and reapplying. Why don't you reapply with me? Maybe actually mention that you are quite an extraordinary talent."

"Maybe," Marly sighed, then lowered her voice a bit. "To be honest, one of the main reasons I joined the Order was so I'd feel like an Auror fighting the Death Eaters and such."

"It's almost the same, isn't it?" Sirius agreed.

"Besides, Lily would probably kill me if I quit at St. Mungo's," Marly pointed out, taking a sip from her brandy.

"Speaking of the Healer turn matchmaker," Sirius smirked slyly, "are her efforts working on you as well as they are on me?"

"Perhaps," Marly replied nonchalantly, meeting his bright blue eyes with her own pale blue ones. "How about you?"

"You might say that."

Author's Note: I definitely wrote this in, like, a two hour time frame, haha. I love writing when I know exactly what I want to do with my characters, rather than just a vague outline. I would have had this done sooner, but I'm writing two other stories (one RLOC that is under this pen name and the other a co-written SBOC/RLOC under Kamers of Carp) so I'm trying hard to keep with all of them. I'm trying to have a new chapter up once a week for each story, but you know how these things go..lives tend to get in the way with fanfiction.

Anyways, thanks for reading and please let me know what you think!