Hello my darlings!
Okay, so to clear up some stuff after a few...interesting reviews that I received, I decided to add the fact that there is Remione in this fic in the summary, so people will understand what exactly they're getting themselves into. Again, I reiterate, Remione is going to be a major pairing in this fic, and Draco/Marlene is also going to be a major pairing. Just so everything is clear. The Dramione is an eventual thing, and this would technically fall under a slow burn I suppose you could say.
Sidenote, completely unrelated my good friend hogwartsaheadcanon posted the first chapter of her amazing, AMAZING time travel fic. It's called The Phoenix in the Cuckoo Clock and again, it's magnificent.
Please leave me a review and let me know what you think ;)
My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.
The seasons once more changed as time wore on, as May began the Spring melted away slowly into Summer. Warmer, more humid days were ahead. Gone were the thick layers of clothing that accompanied Winter time and early Spring.
As the seasons changed, as did many other things.
Two students were tucked away from prying eyes, laughing silently to themselves, sitting on the stone ground, their book bags abandoned to the side and their shirts untucked and ties loosened around their necks; silver and green, red and gold.
"You're such an idiot," Marlene laughed happily as Draco pulled her backwards into him, wrapping his arms around her middle-her back hitting his chest.
"You're the one dating this idiot," Draco snorted, nuzzling her neck.
Marlene twisted slightly to look at him properly, deep blue eyes staring into his grey ones, "I know Snape and the rest of them have been pulling nastier pranks on you lot recently since they don't think we should be together."
Draco sighed heavily through his nostrils, head falling back against the wall-they were in an alcove on the fourth floor, on the side of the castle that most didn't visit. Marlene reached up to cradle his cheek in her palm.
"I can handle Snape and his little friends," Draco said after a few moments, leaning forward to kiss her forehead when the corners of her lips turned down in worry. "Plus I don't give a shit what they think, the only people in this relationship are sitting right here, and we'll decide whether we want to be together or not."
"You Gryffindors are always so stubborn," Marlene rolled her eyes.
Draco smiled wryly, leaning back once more, Marlene twisted around to properly face him, kneeling on the ground in between his bent legs and she grasped the sides of his neck, and Draco easily slipped his hands onto her waist.
"You are a perplexing person, Potter," Marlene murmured then, and Draco couldn't help the broad grin that broke out onto his face.
If only you knew, Marlene, if only you knew, Draco told himself, but to her he said, "Am I now, McKinnon?"
Marlene pursed her lips, sitting back on her haunches, "I wish you would let me in."
"Why?" Draco asked before he could stop himself, the Slytherin side of him that lay dormant a great deal of the time these days awoke with a start, uncoiling and slithering around, hissing in his ear. Never let anyone in...they can use it against you later. You fool, it hissed.
"You can't keep it all bottled up all the time, Draco," Marlene said seriously, her face inching closer, she brushed her nose against his.
"Worried about me?" Draco teased lightly, but Marlene's brow only furrowed deeper.
She looked like she was battling with something inside of her, weighing her options and pondering what the repercussions for whatever she was about to say or do would be.
"Of course I am you git," Marlene scowled, and Draco felt a warmth burst in his heart. Marlene wasn't one to express her feelings easily, it was like pulling teeth. The only person he had seen her openly show affection for without hesitation was Mary-and the Hufflepuff's energy and happiness was infectious; you warmed to her almost immediately.
"Good," Draco murmured tenderly, and his pulse jumped when she closed the rest of the distance between them. Firmly planting her lips on his.
She was so soft, jasmine and honey clung to her and before he knew it his hands were buried in her honey blonde curls.
It was their first kiss, and Draco wouldn't have had it be any other way.
Minutes later Marlene's head was on his shoulder, her eyelashes brushing across his neck as she blinked, their fingers laced together.
"What do you want to know, Marly?" Draco asked then, after inhaling deeply.
"You don't talk about when you were little...ever...we could start there?"
"I grew up with two parents who loved me dearly, who would do anything for me...they doted on me incessantly," Draco said wistfully, feeling nostalgic.
"The Potters do seem like ones to dote," Marlene responded.
"My Mum is the one who taught me how to fly, after she scolded Dad for getting me a broom at such a young age," Draco added.
"Someone's feeling chatty," Marlene smirking, turning her face and placing a kiss on his collarbone.
"Someone's feeling very affectionate," Draco shot back, kissing the top of her head.
"Be happy whilst it lasts, tomorrow you'll be back to kissing my feet and begging to hold my hand," Marlene said in a stern tone, but he could hear the mirth, the teasing inflection clear in her voice.
"What you're describing is grovelling, Ma-" Draco clamped his mouth shut, something he had had drilled into his head was about to slip from his lips-and that just wouldn't do. Malfoys never grovel, Draco. Never. Chin up, never let them see you break. Never.
"What?"
"Marlene," Draco said, recovering smoothly.
"Get used to it, Potter," Marlene said softly, Draco grinned to himself.
"For you my dear...I may, may kneel," Draco said sardonically.
"Git,"
"Princess,"
"Precious Flower,"
"Harpy."
"Wanker-" Marlene started before Draco pressed his lips to hers once more, silencing the witch.
Marlene was warm in her own way, and she just seemed to understand him. She made him happy, she made him feel alive.
Marlene McKinnon was certainly something, a storm that raged, rough waves that crashed upon the rocks, smashing and swallowing everything in its path.
Friday, May 9th, 1975
Gryffindor Tower
Fourth Year Boy's Dormitories
Exams were starting in a few days so the boy's hadn't been causing as much mischief as they normally did, nor had they picked as many fights with Snape and his friends. Though Draco did hex Snape after he called Marlene a "cheap slag." Marlene wasn't upset, not in the slightest-rather, she was quite amused, and she had asked Snape in a bored tone if he couldn't do better.
Currently they had been holed up in their dorm since after dinner, studying and quizzing each other. At some point they had all stripped down to their boxers and Frank, Peter and Remus had on thin, cotton shirts. It was a hot night, stifling even and they were dressed to suit.
Sirius groaned loudly sometime after ten, rolling away from his thick textbook and staring at the ceiling.
Draco dropped his textbook that he had been resting upright on his chest as he read it, letting it lay flat on his abdomen as he turned to look at Sirius.
"Dray!" Sirius yelled.
"Tired of studying, Sirius?" Draco asked in amusement. They had been at it for hours, plus the school day had been arduous and exhausting; with teachers cramming the last bits of tuition that they could in the final days they had left to them.
Sirius started singing nonsensical noises and swung himself into a sitting position. Draco quirked an eyebrow, and shifted onto his elbows.
"Have you kissed her yet?" Sirius asked then, on his stomach, holding himself up on his forearms.
His roommates were all in the process of moving to crowd the foot of his bed, and James was sitting cross-legged on top of Draco's trunk.
"Who?" Draco asked innocently, blinking up at the other boys.
"You know who!" Sirius exclaimed, rolling off his bed and landing on his feet. A few bounds, a quick step or two and then he leaped onto the trunk in the space left beside James-then he pushed himself off of it, landing on Draco's bed, and collided head on with him. Knocking Draco onto his back, robbing him of the air he had tried to breathe in.
"You're a real prat...you know that?" Draco wheezed, attempting to push off the boy who had thrown his leg over Draco, and was now snuggling into his side.
"Oh, Dray, but I'm your prat," Sirius chuckled.
"Idiot, that's what you are, an idiot," Draco scowled, still trying to shove the other boy off of him, and Sirius-laughing brightly-finally released him and sat on the edge of Sirius's bed.
"So, have you kissed her yet?" Frank piped up, chewing on the end of a liquorice whip, leaning on the bedpost on Draco's left.
"Why do you all want to know anyway?" Draco asked, leaning back and lacing his fingers behind his head.
"I've never seen you do anything more than hold her hand," Sirius declared.
"Nah, he kissed her hand, remember?" James added with a crooked grin.
"That's cause I've got class, and because I have respect for my girlfriend," Draco said lazily, looking at his friends with half lidded eyelids.
"Class he says," Remus snorts, folding his arms over his chest.
"Fuck off, Moony," Draco laughed.
Remus then turned to Sirius, and turned the attention onto him, "well we know you've been snogging Dorcas anytime you can."
Sirius shrugged, it made no use denying it, "she's pretty and she likes Quidditch."
Draco caught a glance at James in his peripherals, and the frown that was now firmly pressing down on his eyebrows and residing on his face. He knew that Lily was still shooting down any advances James made. At least she had only hexed him a few times-a handful at best.
"Don't think you've gotten off by the way," Sirius said suddenly, turning back to Draco with a rather serious expression.
"Don't know why it's such a big deal," Draco groaned in frustration, sitting upright, ruffling a hand through his raven locks-causing it stick up unevenly.
"Moony told us when he kissed Hermione!" Peter exclaimed suddenly, grinning.
"Oi, you lot slipped Veritaserum into my pumpkin juice that morning, and you know it," Remus grumbled adamantly in his defense, a scowl marring his face. "Still don't know where you got it from Sirius."
"Told you, I borrowed it," Sirius smirked.
"Borrowed implies you returned it when you were finished with it," Remus scoffed, putting his hands on his hips.
"Okay, focus everyone-" James interjected, trying to steer the conversation back in its original direction.
Draco scrunched up his nose then, he had hoped they would get distracted, but they were being persistent and relentless. Fuck it.
"Yes, I've kissed her, now would you all sod off?" Draco raised an eyebrow, "I'm not going to elaborate or tell you how it was or any of that soppy nonsense. I'm going to go back to my textbook, and after that I'm off to bed." Draco paused and then nodded curtly, retrieving his book from where it had fallen next to him when he sat up, and flopped back. Ignoring the grumbling and muttered protests, getting lost in his advanced Ancient Runes textbook-it was one he had never read before and none of the other boys had noticed that it was something a Seventh year would read if they wanted to get in some extra reading. The current chapter was on the subtle differences in strokes in the characters and symbols that could possibly change it from one word to another; synonyms so to speak in the paragraph he was racing through.
Soon the other boys all went to sleep one by one, until it was only Draco left awake, trails of candle wax having rolled down the once tall candle-which was now stooping quite low-the wick black from having burnt for hours.
I should get to bed too, Draco thought wearily as his eyes started to burn slightly. Minutes later his book was neatly put on his bedside table and he swiftly blew out his candle. Engulfed in darkness. He hadn't noticed how fatigued he was until his head hit the pillow and he found his eyelids heavy and he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
Love you,
Indieblue xxx
P.S. Note from the day after I posted this chapter, it seems I had mixed up two docs when I was fixing something a little while back. So chapter 33 was really a duplicate of chapter 34. If you just read through this fic, or just found it, then I fixed it, and chapter 33 is not what it should have been. Which was a bit of a Veritaserum game and bit of fun. Sorry about that.