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 "What It Is To Burn" is by Finch and I do not, in any way, own it.
Desperado
Chapter Eight: What It Is To Burn
So tell me
What's the price to pay for glory?
"Bloody hell, Rem," Marly complained, throwing an annoyed expression at Remus as she gingerly massaged her foot. "Is there a reason you had to step on my foot every other beat?"
"I was only doing it in retaliation as you couldn't keep the steps straight," Remus shot back, his arms crossed in a dignified manner, although the whole look was wasted on the fact he had Marly's purse slung over his shoulder.
"Well, if you hadn't stepped on my foot so many times, I wouldn't have gotten confused," Marly rolled her eyes, slipping into her heels.
"Oh yeah? Maybe if - "
"Vhat is this?" Brigitte interrupted Remus, who instantly pursed his lips to stop himself from saying anything he might regret. "Do I detect a lovers' quarrel?"
Instantly, Remus's face turned beet red, which made Marly more annoyed than Brigitte's remark. They were used to getting such statements directed toward them, but ever since the incident a few weeks prior, they couldn't hear one without Remus morphing into a lobster.
"You know we aren't lovers, Brigitte," Marly replied in a playful voice.
"Oh, yes, of course," Brigitte nodded, a smile on her face. "Nonetheless, I that is not vhy I came over here." She paused, as though waiting for them to jump up and own excitedly. When they didn't, she continued, "Do you remember vhen you promised me you vould come to that club I told you about?"
Remus and Marly exchanged a look. They had rather hoped she'd forgotten the incident, especially with Lily and James's wedding coming up on top of their jobs and Order business. However, Remus gave Brigitte a nod so she knew that they did recall.
"Good, vell, how is this veekend for you two?"
"Oh, that's no good for me," Remus spoke up, going temporarily green in the face, knowing that he wouldn't be up to it as there was a full moon the upcoming Friday night. "I'll be, err, out of town on business."
"Vell, vhat about next Thursday after class, then?" Brigitte tried again, looking hopeful. "Vill you be back by then?"
Remus and Marly glanced at each other once again, obviously unable to get out of this any time soon.
Marly cleared her throat and said, "That's a lovely time for me, Brigitte. How about you, Remus? Anything going on?"
"It looks as though I'll be free," Remus nodded, making the instructor beam.
"Wunderbar!" Brigitte exclaimed, causing some of the other couples, who were filing out of the studio, to give them a questioning look. "I vill see you then!"
Marly and Remus joined the queue that was leaving the classroom, deciding not to mention how horrible the class had gone for the two of them anymore. Once onto the street, Remus started down the street as they normally did, but Marly stopped him.
"Aren't we going for dinner?" Remus asked, confused.
"I can't tonight," Marly replied, pulling her purse off Remus's shoulder and slinging it over her own.
"What?" Remus asked, looking shocked. "Why?"
"It's a secret," Marly replied, giving him a very pointed look.
Remus continued to look confused, but then his face flooded with recognition. "Oh – all right."
"I'm sorry," Marly apologized right away, biting her look. "I know it's tradition and all, but you know how last minute we can find out about these things."
"No, it's all right," Remus nodded. Then, not bothering to mask a contemptuous look, added, "Tell Sirius I say hello."
Marly's face grew tight as an exasperated noise escaped from her throat. "You know what, Remus, that's it." She looked over her shoulder and called out, "Hey, Caroline, what time is it?"
"Quarter to nine!" Caroline called back with a jovial wave at the both of them, Adam trying to catch Marly's eye from next to her.
"I have fifteen minutes and can Apparate," Marly commented after waving back at Caroline. "We're going to settle this now."
"Settle what?" Remus asked, though his face was obviously recognizing just what "what" was.
Seizing Remus from the upper arm of his pale green shirt, Marly pulled him into an alley – not after making sure it was free of axe murderers and pickpockets. She fought back the urge to push him up against the wall like people always did in the Muggle movies her dad would make her watch, but settled for a very annoyed expression and crossing her arms.
"Is there a problem?" Remus asked, pursing his lips together in true McGonagall fashion.
"In the name of Merlin, Remus, yes, there is a big problem!" Marly replied shrewdly, staring him down. "I don't appreciate you making me feel like some sort of vixen whenever I pursue a new relationship."
"Well, if you weren't pursuing new bloody relationships every time I turn around - "
"Is that really what this is about?" Marly asked in disbelief. "I haven't given a bloke a second glance for nearly six months on top of the fact Sirius and I aren't actually together - "
"Yet you're pursuing a relationship?" Remus asked pointedly. "Do you even know anything about Sirius?"
Marly blinked a few times, not wanting to have this conversation. She had an inclining feeling as to where it was going to end up and she did not want to go there.
When she didn't respond, Remus saw fit to fill the silence. "Sirius isn't any good for you. You're going to end up hurt - again - and I'm going to have to pick you up - again - and feel my heart break - again - as I watch you try to get past him."
"If he's so horrible, why is he one of your best mates?" Marly asked, narrowing her eyes.
"My friendship with Sirius goes a lot deeper than how he treats girls," Remus said simply. "But don't you understand? You're doing it again! You're falling for a bloke that would abandon you at any given moment. He's done it before, Marly - how come you're so convinced you're different?" Marly started to defend herself, but Remus interrupted her. "Don't even say anything about Lily trying to set you up. Unless I'm mistaken, I'm pretty sure she was the one who set you up with Gerald."
Marly breathed deeply, taking a moment to relinquish her sanity. She didn't know when or how it happened, but it seemed that her usually level-headed, fun to be with, always understanding best friend had turned into just another bloke.
"Please, be square with me," Marly pleaded, taking a step toward Remus, who took a step backward on instinct. "Are you jealous?"
"What?" Remus asked, his eyes wide in shock. Then, far too quickly, he exclaimed, "No!"
Marly bit her lip as her heart fell to her feet. It dawned on her that she must have broken cardinal rule number two of best friendship: don't fall for one of your best friend's other best mates - especially when your best friend has hidden feelings for you. With a sigh, Marly pressed her fingertips against her temples. She didn't need this sort of drama right before she went on a mission that had great potential to turn violent. However, as Marly gazed across the alley at the man who she had grown up with, confided in, learned to trust more than anyone in the world, she felt as though after twenty-one years of life, she found out that the sky that she had always seen as a brilliant blue is, in fact, rather green.
"Remus," Marly started, extending a hand to touch his arm, but he jerked out of the way before she could. She slowly brought her hand back to her body, placing her fist on her chest. "Please don't - "
"Don't you have to meet Sirius?" Remus asked rather stiffly, as though he was working hard to keep the emotion he was really feeling out of his voice.
Marly clamped her jaw tight, keeping herself quiet with a seemingly infinite amount of willpower. She wanted more than anything to hex the living daylights out of him, but for some reason she didn't think that would be wise. He may be turning into a prat of a best mate, but he was still her best mate.
"Marly!" Remus scolded suddenly, a look of fright in his eye, bringing Marly back to earth.
"What?"
The answer was nearly instantaneous as the large dumpster next to Remus fell back to the ground with a loud crash. Marly's eyes widened as the top came apart from its rusty hinge and clattered to the ground. There was a shout from one of the apartments above from where they were standing.
"Let's go," Marly advised and Remus didn't even try to argue.
The two hurried down the block, not wanting an angry proprietor to come down and discover two well-dressed twenty-somethings messing with his property. They came to a stop at another alley. Marly almost considered taking him in there to sort their problems out, but she knew that she wouldn't have the time.
With a sigh, she asked, "Can we finish this later?"
Remus's mouth twitched in annoyance, but he nodded. "It's fine."
"Any other circumstances - "
"I said it's fine, Marly."
Marly hesitated, desperately wanting to spare a glance at his watch, but knowing that Remus wouldn't appreciate it at all. Finally, she nodded in agreement. As he began to retreat into the shadows of the alley to Apparate, Marly took a few steps toward him, her heart torn.
"Remus, wait," Marly said breathlessly, knowing that Sirius was going to have her hide if she was too late. "I don't k now what's going to happen tonight and, you know, if things don't go as well as Sirius and I hope, I just want you - "
Remus held up a finger to stop her from talking. Any passer-by would have taken the conversation in a much different context than it was intended, they both knew, but it didn't matter what a passer-by would think.
"You'll be fine," Remus insisted earnestly, wanting to ease her mind despite how upset he was with her. "Padfoot won't let anything happen to you."
Marly swallowed hard, knowing that Sirius wouldn't intentionally let anything happen, but she was still worried. She couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore may have been a bit overambitious when it came to her first field mission.
Not knowing what to say, Marly settled with a jerk of the head that was meant to be a nod and, "Okay."
"But, honestly," Remus looked down at his watch, biting his lip, obviously having an internal battle over whether or not he wanted there to be tension between the two of them when there was the potential for one of them to not come home. "You should be going. Despite his blatant disregard for it, Padfoot has a thing with punctuality."
Marly managed a small smile, which seemed to make Remus make up his mind. He closed the gap between the two of them and wrapped her in a hug. With a sigh, Marly realized that Remus's hugs could probably cure someone of a Dementor's Kiss, they were so heart-warming and intimate.
However, the good feelings were short lived when he pushed her away. Their eyes met, Remus's more serious than they had been at his mum's funeral when they were in Hogwarts.
"You'll be fine, all right?" Remus assured her once again with great earnest, but Marly couldn't tell if it was for her sake or his own.
"All right," Marly nodded once, still looking uncertain.
"I'll see you when you get back," Remus nodded to her before retreating into the shadows again.
Marly gave him a feeble wave before walking away. She could hardly hear the pop of him Apparating as she rushed down the sidewalk. She was glad that the streets were nearly empty, therefore didn't have to apologize to too many people for nearly trampling them. She knew that she should probably Apparate, but she had far too much on her mind and didn't want a splinching accident to ruin such an already stellar evening. Sure, she had been able to Apparate since she was thirteen, but that didn't mean she wasn't human.
As Marly walked, she crossed her arms, unable to feel as though she was stringing Remus along. While she had told him that her feelings for him were purely platonic - there was a reason they made that pact back in the fourth year, after all - she knew that the look in his eye when she caught him looking at her from across the flat wasn't just platonic. However, she couldn't help but think that it was a bit unfair that he was putting her in such a position. They were best mates for Merlin's sake! While Marly didn't want to make Remus upset, she knew that the only way he would be truly happy is if she managed to find feelings for him that just didn't exist within her.
Waiting with a small group of people for the streetlight to change colours, Marly thought back to something Anna had told her ages ago while they were still in Hogwarts. While they weren't particularly close, they still regarded their bond as sisters as something sacred, thus kept each other posted on the juicy gossip in their lives. This particular time, Marly was a bit down because Benjy Fenwick, who had been a Hufflepuff seventh year then, hadn't reacted to her hints at asking her to a Hogsmeade weekend. Thinking back now it was quite laughable, as they had become fairly good friends through the Order. However, Anna, being full of great ideas, had thought that the best idea was for Marly to see if Remus wanted to go with her.
"What?" Marly had asked, scrunching up her nose in mock distaste. "Don't make me retch."
"Oh, come on," Anna rolled her eyes, looking quite annoyed as they came to a stop under a significantly large beech tree as they strolled around the lake. "He's basically a readymade date."
"And that's just what I'm looking for," Marly replied, forcing the look off her face. "He's my best mate, Anna."
"Look, Marly, I know you hate it when I give you advice since I'm only fourteen and you're sixteen, therefore so much wiser and smarter than me - "
"Who here was sorted into Ravenclaw? Oh, yes, I believe that would be me."
" - however, that has never stopped me before," Anna ignored her. "A girl and a bloke can never be best friends. It's just impossible."
Marly let out a long sigh, obviously not wanting to hear what her sister had to say. "And why might that be?"
"At one point or another, they are going to end up wanting each other in a way that definitely crosses the line between best mates," Anna explained seriously, either pretending Marly was interested or not noticing her waning interest. "More often than not, it'll be at the wrong time - when one or both of them has a significant other. While there's a slim chance that it'll be right…" Anna only shook her head in disbelief. "It's too bloody complicated."
"Well, you're wrong, Anna," Marly had shook her head defiantly, refusing to agree with her sister. "Remus and I are different."
'Perhaps we aren't as different as I'd originally thought,' Marly though wryly, running her fingers down the brick of the storefronts as she neared her final destination. As she thought back over their fifteen year long friendship, her mind raced through the things that had kept them together. They both loved to learn, yearned to be accepted, and always had something snide to say to one another. However, if she was down she could always count on him for a good piece of advice, kind words, but always the truth, as he refused to sugar-coat. Then there were his to-die-for hugs, which even Lily agreed were heaven sent, his smile, and how easy it was for them to laugh together. Finally, Marly realized that she had fallen in love with something - their friendship.
All the while, something Remus had said stuck out in her mind. Yes, Marly had fallen for quite a few blokes who fit Sirius's reputation, but she felt something so different about him. She didn't know why, but she trusted him in a way she hadn't with the other men. However, Remus was right - how did she know she was different? She wasn't any different for any of the other girls, was she?
Marly exhaled deeply as she reached the pub. She didn't even bother to look through the windows to see if Sirius was impatiently waiting for her. Rather, she tried to brush off any thoughts of Remus, as she had quite a night ahead of her.
"Just in time!" Marly was greeted as she pushed the door open. "Well, you're late, but Penny was running late and - what's wrong?"
"Why do you have to be so bloody thoughtful?" Marly managed as Sirius steered her out of the pub and back onto the street.
"Well, I'm sorry," Sirius smirked, amused by her moodiness as they started in the opposite direction Marly came in. "I'll be more careful to be a git next time."
"Good," Marly huffed.
"Want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Is there a reason you're wearing a dress on a mission?"
'Oh, hell.' Marly looked down at her white dress and realized that she had completely forgotten to change. "I have my robes in my purse. I shrunk them."
"Where were you that required such a dress code?"
"I had dinner with Remus," Marly shrugged.
"So, Moony has something to do with the lovely mood you've found yourself in?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow. "Should I have a word with him?"
"Somehow I don't think that'd be a good idea," Marly said darkly. "Look, just," she stopped in front of an alley, not loving how often she had to use one this night, "could you guard the entrance so I can change real quickly?"
"Couldn't you just clap your hands once or something?"
"Sirius, be..." She gave him a thoughtful look.
"Yes, I've heard the joke before - more than once."
Marly couldn't help but smirk. "Guard the entrance without complaining and I won't mention it again."
"Fine, fine," Sirius gave her a coy grin as she hurried into the shadows. "Anyways, what's Moony gone and done to leave you so delightfully chuffed?"
Marly couldn't help but roll her eyes as she glanced back at Sirius, who was standing with his back to her, his arms crossed like a body guard or bouncer might. His robes were a bit tight fitting, hugging at his muscles. Marly thought for a moment how she wouldn't mind ditching this mission and his robes, but shook herself mentally before she was too carried away.
"We had a bit of a row."
"Oh," Sirius said, obviously contemplating exactly what to say next. "About me?"
"Naturally," Marly sighed, looking up warily as she undressed, hoping that there weren't any peeping Toms in the windows above.
"I figured this would happen," Sirius admitted. "He's been quite frosty toward me lately."
"You know," Marly swallowed hard, fastening her robes in a frenzy, "I don't want to get between your friendship. You two have been best mates - "
"For not nearly as long as you two have," Sirius interrupted her. "I've been thinking the same thing."
Marly swallowed as she quickly shrunk her dress and purse so that they were both able to fit in the pocket of her robes without being too much of a nuisance. Stowing her wand in her front pocket, she began to walk back toward Sirius.
"Now may not be the time for this," she gave him a wane look, not at all enjoying that she was leaving two rather important conversations unfinished.
Sirius nodded in agreement. However, as their eyes met, Marly couldn't help but think she saw a flash of the exact same desire she had experienced only moments before.
'Since when did my life become so damn bloody dramatic?'
"There he is," Sirius whispered to Marly in a strange language that sounded like a mixture between Elvish and Greek as they nonchalantly crossed a road.
"Where?" Marly asked in the same language, still in awe of the spell that Sirius had placed on them both. While she didn't speak a word of the language, she was able to understand everything Sirius said and was fluent. She was disappointed to have heard that it would wear off in about eight hours or so.
"The git."
"Thanks, Sirius."
"Walking past the Apothecary," Sirius said out of the side of his mouth as he turned away from Regulus. While they were both quite out of his line of vision, they didn't want to make their presence any more obvious than need be.
Marly glanced over her shoulder, squinting through the darkness. After nearly five hours of wandering London, they had eventually gotten an updated minute owl from Dumbledore telling them that Regulus had been spotted at the Leaky Cauldron. While she didn't want to admit it, the whole mission seemed a bit dodgy to her - as though they didn't have much direction. However, Sirius had told her that Regulus seemed to have noticed that he had been tailed recently, but part of it was his own fault.
"It was that 'mission,' I told you about," Sirius said guiltily. "I went to my parents' home and tried to talk some sense in them." His face turned angry, but he seemed to be trying to control his emotions. "It was quite a mistake."
Now, though, as Marly took in the appearance of Sirius's younger brother, she couldn't help but let out a bit of a gasp.
"He's nearly identical to you." She couldn't help but smirk, though, at this remark seeing as they were both disguised as an elderly couple - something Marly had been able to contribute with a good batch of charms.
"Unfortunate for me, don't you think?" Sirius replied darkly. "He has brown eyes, though - it's the only main difference. Well, besides our personalities, obviously."
"I see," Marly nodded, grasping onto Sirius's arm as though she needed the help to walk across the road. She had been glad to see that her charms had worked perfectly. They only changed their appearance, therefore leaving their reflexes and whatnot as sharp as a bunch of twenty-year-olds.
"Let's see where he's going," Sirius said quietly as they trailed behind Regulus with a city block or so between them.
At first, it seemed as though Regulus was only out on a late night walk, but, before long, he gave a glance over his shoulder. Sirius and Marly pretended to be deep in conversation about Quidditch scores, but Regulus was unable to understand word they were saying. After deciding that they were no threat and not thinking twice about the fact that an elderly couple was out far past midnight in the middle of Diagon Alley, he shirked off down another road.
Once he was out of sight, Sirius and Marly hurried into the shadows, where Marly quickly ran her hands over Sirius's face, changing him from an old man to a young man, curly blonde hair falling into his face. As she did the same to herself, Sirius checked himself out in the reflection of a window and gave her a lopsided grin.
"Let's go," Marly said seriously, glancing down at her fiery red hair that went far past her elbows.
Sirius nodded and, with their newly transformed bodies, hurried down the road that Regulus had disappeared within. Marly blinked a few times, realizing that they were heading toward Knockturn Alley. Giving Sirius a furtive glance, she noticed that he was beginning to think the same thing. This couldn't be good.
As they walked hand-in-hand down Knockturn Alley, Marly couldn't help but think how daft they were not to figure that this was where he was headed. Their first plan - to pose as several different couples, this being the newlywed edition - seemed a bit flawed. Why, exactly, would a couple of newlyweds be perusing the storefronts down Knockturn Alley?
Suddenly, Sirius stopped walking and jerked his head toward Regulus. He had stopped in front of Borgin and Burkes as though he was waiting for someone or something. Marly opened her mouth to say something to Sirius, but he held up a hand to stop her as three or four people came out of the store, although the shadows weren't allowing her to make out their faces. Before Marly knew what he was doing, Sirius backed Marly into an alley. She really wasn't very good at this sort of thing and she hoped that Sirius wasn't rethinking having her for a partner in this endeavour.
As they watched from their hiding spot, Marly realized that the reason she couldn't make out their faces were because they were covered with masks and they all had hoods drawn up around them. However, as she squinted her now brown eyes, she could tell that one of them was female - there was no way a man would be that curvaceous. Sparing a glance at Sirius, she noticed how narrow his eyes were. While she looked nothing like himself, Marly still felt her heart flop as he drew a protective arm around her waist.
'Damn it, Marly!' she scolded herself silent, looking back at the group, who were talking quietly. 'This definitely is not the time for that.'
"What d'you think they're doing?" Marly whispered in a barely audible voice, but they were so close together it hardly mattered. She couldn't help thinking that he could probably hear her very thoughts.
"I'm not sure," Sirius replied, his breath warm against her neck. "I think it might be some sort of initiation."
"Maybe," Marly agreed, remembering that at their last meeting with Dumbledore, they had been told that Regulus was not yet a full-fledged member of Voldemort's Death Eaters.
Suddenly, the group began to turn and head back in the direction toward Diagon Alley. Marly began to panic as they pressed themselves against the alley. She knew they were going to be spotted. Thinking quickly, Marly drew her wand and pointed it at Sirius, who instantly blended into the shadows and brick. She then did the Disillusionment Charm to herself and pressed against the wall just in time for the Death Eaters to pass by.
Hardly breathing, Marly noticed that all five of them were now wearing the masks. However, it was quite easy to pick out Regulus, as he, like Sirius, seemed to tower over everyone else.
After taking a few bated breaths, Marly saw Sirius's outline move toward the entrance to the alley. He paused for a moment, then turned back to Marly.
"Let's go," Sirius whispered.
"Hang on," Marly stopped him, lifting the charm.
"Maybe we should - "
"We need to be able to see each other," Marly explained, feeling the prickles as she lifted the charm off herself as well.
Sirius looked like he wanted to argue, but given the circumstances and how quickly they needed to hurry, relented. With a nod, he grasped her hand instinctively, pulling her down Knockturn Alley.
Before they made it to the end, there was a scream and crash. Instantly, the two broke into a run, skidding to a halt in the middle of Diagon Alley. They were greeted with the sight of the Apothecary - Marly chastised herself silently, realizing how obvious it had been as Regulus had spent quite some time loitering there before taking to Knockturn Alley - bursting into flames. Suddenly, a woman rushed out of the front entrance in a nightgown, ushering her two young children with her. Behind her was her husband, the shopkeeper, who was looking at the flames in disbelief.
"Bloody hell!" he swore loudly, then, realizing why his family was frozen in front of them, drew his wand out of his dressing gown. "Leave us alone! We did nothing to you!"
"Morsmordre!" the woman shouted, filling the sky with the sparkling green Dark Mark that filled Marly with a sense of dread.
The tallest Death Eater, better known as Regulus, hardly even twitched his wand before the family was in the air. Marly remembered the mother from Hogwarts - her name had been Andrea Turner at the time, was a few years older than Marly, and was Muggle-born. From what she could recall, she had married Will - or was his name Bill? - Wickersham, who was also a Muggle-born.
Marly began to tell Sirius that they should somehow alert other members of the Order - they were only supposed to be following Regulus, not stopping an attack - but he had taken off toward them, yelling in gibberish the entire way.
One of the Death Eaters noticed Sirius and shouted, "Crucio!"
Before the curse could hit Sirius, though, he yelled, "Protego!"
As the curse bounced off of the shield and disappeared into the air, Marly was silently relieved to see that the Sirius had been smart enough for the charm he had made to not work on spell names. He was much more clever than she would have ever suspected.
Taking a deep breath, Marly took off after Sirius, hoping that one of the other witches and wizards living on Diagon Alley would see fit to alert the Ministry.
"Stupefy!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"Impedimenta!"
"Protego!"
Marly hardly knew what spells she was yelling and what were coming her way. She kept shouting jinxes and hexes, praying that they were meeting their mark. It felt as though the Death Eaters had multiplied, which was more than likely the case. Where were the Ministry? Surely, some Aurors had to be on their way, right?
Suddenly, a curse was shouted that made Marly feel as though her entire insides were frozen.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Marly whipped around, searching for Sirius's blonde hair in the darkness. 'Oh, Merlin, no.'
Suddenly, the eldest child began to fall from where she had been floating with the rest of her family. Blinking a few times, Marly recognized Sirius underneath her, catching her lifeless body in midair. Andrea let out a wail as she realized what had happened.
Unable to feel quite more than a bit relieved that Sirius was fine, Marly turned back to send out a hex. However, before her mouth could even open, she was filled with excruciating pain - pain she had never felt before. She couldn't stop it, couldn't do anything. As her knees fell to the ground, she brought herself into the foetal position, willing the pain to go away. 'Just kill me already!' she thought, not able to feel the streams of tears running down her face or hear the screams that were emitting from her mouth.
Then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped. Marly blinked a few times and barely recognized James running over her, jets of light flying out of his wand. She couldn't even hear Lily's soothing voice above her, telling her she'd be fine.
Rather, everything was numb. And, slowly, Marly gave into the numbness as everything went black.
Author's Note: This chapter took a long time to write. I kept rewriting things and was unhappy with many things, but I actually really like it now. A lot happens, but you'll have that. I like the cliffhanger as well, by the way. I think they're a way of life, really. She isn't dead, by the way, so I better not get any upset reviews regarding that...I'm sure I'll get a few about Remus, but, I say again - you'll just have to stick around to see what's going to happen. (-:
I just want to take a quick moment to explain that Marly is very powerful, although I think that I might have made that much clear in past chapters. In the first Harry Potter book, Hagrid himself commented that Marlene McKinnon was one of the strongest witches of her time. It was mainly because of that statement that I chose to use her for this fic, rather than one of the other Order members that fought in the first war. When writing, I'm kind of afraid that I'm making her a lot like Jean Grey from X-men, but that's also sort of my intention. They are both very strong, but don't realize just how strong they are. But, Marly definitely isn't going to turn into the Phoenix any time soon. (-: So, because Marly had such strong emotions surging through her while arguing with Remus, she unconsciously moved the dumpster. Also, while normally a strong character would instantly make someone a hardcore Mary-Sue, I'm striving to keep Marly away from that title. I'm hoping that I'm doing that and if you would let me know if it gets too bad, I would love it if you'd let me know.
So! That's that! Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think.