One week. That was how long it had been since the girls were rescued from the manor they had been held in. Lily, Alice, and Marlene had been given the week off from classes to recover. They all three came to find their free time a prison sentence rather than a blessing. Marlene, for her part, had taken the opportunity to catch up on all of the homework she had been neglecting - that seemed to happen when one was kidnapped.

Somewhere in the middle of an article that she was meant to be reading for her Transfiguration essay, Marlene fell asleep. Sleep didn't come easy these days. Not when the dark brought on memories of her hours in isolation. The damp, confined space of the closet. She fell asleep and suddenly she was there again - trapped in darkness, the air ripe, she could hear his footsteps outside the door, approaching, louder, he was going to hurt her again…

Marlene woke, screaming, James leaning over her, his face pale with horror. "It's me, Mar, it's James" he kept saying, "it's just me." Marlene wiped the tears that spilt from the corners of her eyes, sitting up. She was lying across the couch in the Gryffindor Common Room - thankfully alone (sans James) due to the time of day.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize." James settled on the couch beside her, exhaling deeply. It took a few seconds for the pair of them to settle, both rattled, neither sure what to say, but after a while, Marlene rested her head against James' shoulder and his arm came to wrap around her. It had only been five days, only five days ago, Marlene had been locked inside that closet, choking on the smell of her own vomit. No one had realized how different it would be, the girls least of all, once they returned.

"Have your nightmares been bad?" James asked her delicately. "Lily's seem to be…"

"They're not as bad as being there was." Marlene trembled at just the memory. Her first three days back had been spent in bed, mostly sleeping, rarely facing the truth of what had happened and the reality that awaited her. The whole ordeal was enough to make her want nothing to do with the whole bloody war. She could have happily run away, far from the daily missing person counts and the murders, somewhere she could find a happier life for herself...that was unlikely though.

"I'm so sorry," James sighed, near tears. "It was my fault." Marlene sat up so that she could look him in the eye. "You would have never been in Hogsmeade had it not been for me…"

"Don't say that." Marlene hated to imagine James kicking himself over what had happened - as if he could ever force her to do anything. "Don't even believe it. We went, all three of us, by our own choice." She held James' hands tightly in her own as if she could squeeze the belief into him. "You have to know that James, truly. No one blames you."

"You're so brave. All of you."

"I'm not," Marlene scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"You have more courage in your pinky than I have in my whole body." she punched James in the shoulder playfully.

"You're full of shit." Suddenly the two of them were chuckling, the tears dried up, and for a moment, they could almost pretend nothing had changed - they were still only kids, teenagers skipping class for the afternoon, how typical?

"So, how goes it with Henry Fawley?"

Marlene was caught off by the question. The truth was, the only man she'd been spending much time with since returning to Hogwarts was Sirius. He was the only one who seemed to understand, who would sneak out at night for a cigarette with her and spend hours trapped in conversation. Sometimes, Marlene told him what it had been like - stuck alone in the dark for hours on end. How she had thought she might never be found, that her life would end in a damp, dark pit. One time they snuck into the boathouse and shagged in one of the rowboats - one of their more creative locations. I never want to leave, Sirius had confessed afterwards when they lay cuddled together beneath a pile of blankets at the bottom of the boat. Marlene hadn't either.

"I haven't seen Henry since the rescue," Marlene confessed. "There's nothing going on there…" Not that I would protest if something happened…

"Mum said he's infatuated."

"She did not."

"She did! Apparently, he insisted on being the one to find you. Even dad was surprised. You've got him wrapped around your finger, Mar," James smirked as he said it.

"Don't be daft."

"Is it so surprising that a man would be attracted to you?"

"If that man is Henry Fawley, yes."

James chuckled. "I never got your obsession with that guy."

"You've never understood my obsession with any guy," Marlene reminded her friend.

"I like Henry," James shrugged. "He seems...nice."

"Say that word with more contempt," Marlene laughed. Lily joined them soon after, stepping through the portrait hole with Alice and Remus in tow.

"Given up on the library?" James asked them, he and Marlene pulling apart.

"Lily finished all of her work," Remus announced, settling into one of the two plush, orange armchairs at either end of the couch. "Apparently, she needs more." Even Remus couldn't keep a straight face when he said it.

"More?" Marlene and James rang out in disbelief.

"What else is there to do?" Lily dropped onto the couch beside James, slouching in defeat.

"There's plenty to do without class," James assured her, his arm wrapping around her shoulder now.

"I wouldn't mind getting smashed," Alice confessed. She had taken the chair opposite Remus, her feet tucked beneath her. Alice, Lily, and Marlene shared a kinship suddenly - trauma which none of the others could understand. The bags beneath their eyes from scattered sleep and terrible dreams were matching - each looking as rough as the next.

"I'll join you," Marlene agreed, the thought of getting drunk rather appealing in light of current events. She needed to forget about her circumstances, to let loose before she exploded with all of the tension welling up inside of her.

"Me too," Lily concurred, shocking the room. It took only seconds for the wheels to start turning in James' head.

"We should have a party," he suggested, the girls giggling along.

"You'll find any excuse to throw a party," Remus laughed, brushing the hair from his eyes. "Screw it, if the girls are in so am I."

The girls were in, most definitely. Marlene already knew what she was going to wear (it was the right outfit which would truly make or break the night). The whole thing was good fun, everyone pitching in ideas, with no idea what was to come.


Alice rarely managed to get more than a few hours of sleep a night. If she wasn't woken by a nightmare she would find herself stirring to a dream about Everett, touching her, putting his hand where it didn't belong as she moaned with pleasure…needless to say, sleeping had become difficult for Alice. Mostly, she lay awake, waiting for the morning, hoping against all hope sometimes that she might close her eyes and never rise to see another sunset. I would deserve it, I deserve worse.

Alice's vast amount of free time was spent mostly wallowing in self-pity, dreading the secret she'd soon be forced to spill and yet, was too craven to confess to. If Frank only knew who it was he claimed to want to spend "forever" with. The worst part was, Alice too wanted forever with him. She wanted to wake every morning to Frank's bedhead, his soft snores, the feeling of his warm skin after they'd shagged.

They spent most days together, whenever Frank wasn't in class, napping in his cramped, twin bed, going for walks along the lake, having sex. Their friends all knew about the engagement, though, with all the other distractions surrounding them, no one had said much about it. Alice was okay with that.

"How are you feeling?" It was late afternoon, Frank's free period, and they were spending it at the top of the astronomy tower (Alice's request) where they had spent much of their time in the early days of their relationship. Alice had brought a blanket (one her mother had knitted for her when she was a little girl) and they sat near the edge of the tower, warm beneath it.

"Fine." Like the worst person alive.

"How have your headaches been?"

"Manageable, I'm alive, that's enough I suppose."

"It's going to take a while to feel normal again," Frank reminded her. She was sitting between his legs, his arms around her, the blanket wrapped about them both. "You will though, I promise." He kissed the top of her head. "I won't let anything happen to you, not ever again."

"Sometimes I think you care more about me than I do." Alice thought of her father, who had sent only a one-line note after news of her rescue: glad you're okay. That was all he could give her, his only child.

"It breaks my heart when you say things like that, Al." Frank held her tighter.

Alice closed her eyes and braced herself, ready to open the floodgates and confess to her sins, but the moment was lost. Before she'd even had a chance to open her mouth, a pair of Ravenclaws came rushing up the stairs, clearly in desperate need of a quiet place to be alone. Alice and Frank decided to give up the space for them.

They descended the twisting metal staircase that ran down the tower's centre, Frank pausing when they reached the bottom.

"Let's get married," he said, a sparkle in his eyes.

"Haven't we already agreed on that?"

"I mean now." Frank wrapped his arms around Alice. "What if we did it during the holidays? We could go to The Ministry, just us, maybe our parents."

"How long have you had this idea for?"

"I got it in my head at the top of the stairwell, decided on it by the time I reached that bottom step." Frank was grinning. How could she tell him the truth when he spent his time thinking of ways to be with her? Frank loved her better than anyone else ever would and Alice had blown it, she knew that deep down, it was what kept her from gathering up the courage to confess to the truth.

"I do love you, Frank." I'm just a terrible fucking person and you deserve a wife much better than I.

"I know," he replied sealing it all with a kiss.

X

Frank went off to his final class - Potions - while Alice returned to her dorm (at least, she tried to.) Rather, she ended up wandering the castle, its corridors vacant during class hours. Nevertheless, Alice made sure to take the hidden passageways and lesser-known staircases the castle had to offer.

You have to tell him. It's wrong, Alice, it's cowardly. She'd promised herself - while trapped in that musty basement - that she would be honest with Frank if she ever made it out alive. She hadn't been though. Days had passed, nearly a week, and still Alice hesitated. It was only once. One terrible, miscalculated and selfish mistake. Alice felt sick to her stomach every time she played out the conversation in her head, imagining Frank's reaction.

When she wasn't worrying about Frank hating her, she was stressing about her father. He hadn't even come to see her. To hear Mary tell it, he'd been invited to join the other parents at Hogwarts, to discuss rescue efforts, but had never replied. Nor had he answered when Alec and Caroline Potter went over to the house to try and speak to him. He might as well have died with momma. The thought brought tears to Alice's eyes, though what didn't these days?

"Griffith?" Alice was sitting in a windowsill, knees drawn up to her chest, her forehead numb where it rested against the chilled windowpane. The spot was located along a rarely used sixth-floor corridor - its lack of love evident in the dust and moth holes in the carpets and tapestries.

Alice expected to look up and see Frank but it wasn't him staring at her from down the hall. Everett strode towards her, Alice's heart in her throat. This was just her luck…

"I've been meaning to talk to you," he said once he stood before her. He ran a hand through his blonde hair, eyes cast to the ground. Did he look almost...humbled? "How are you? I haven't seen you around in forever, I was starting to worry."

"I'm fine," Alice snapped. The last thing she wanted was to tell Everett the truth, the reality that she was not okay and her relationship with him was a part of that.

"You don't look fine."

"What do you want?" Alice swung her legs over the ledge and leapt down to face him, standing a few inches shorter.

"I wanted to cut class," he confessed. "I figured no one would come down here." The hallway didn't connect to much, a bit of a dead-end used to store a collection of armour, gargoyles, and old tapestries. Alice didn't think anyone had thought much of it in decades.

"I want nothing from you, Alice. I just...well," he sighed, tucking his hands into the pockets of his robe, "I suppose I'm just happy to see you alive and well."

"Everett, I'm with Frank, and even if I wasn't I...we could never…" she didn't mean to hurt him, not even if he was a cocky bastard sometimes. Alice would never be that person.

"I know," he shrugged, a smile tugging at his lips. "Look, I'm glad I ran into is all, okay? My lips are sealed where you're concerned."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I like you," he admitted. "Maybe one day you'll see that. I never meant to fuck up your life Alice, honestly."He ran his fingers through the ends of his golden hair, his gaze cast down. He looked up at her, his lips upturned just slightly, eyes sparkling and suddenly Alice was kissing him, their lips meeting. It was all a blur - who kissed who - but Alice knew it was nothing more than a goodbye.

Alice opened her eyes, finding a second of peace before a familiar cackle filled the air. She looked up and there was Peeves, the castle poltergeist, floating nearby.

"Oh don't let me stop you!" He circled around the two of them, Alice's stomach dropping anxiously. "Alice Griffith chose to kisseth the boy with the floppy hair," Peeves chuckled to himself. He continued to make up a number of taunting rhymes, all of which made fun of the fact that he had caught Alice and Everett locking lips. He floated through one of the walls eventually, cackling to himself, certain to return later and wreak havoc.


James decided to skip the rest of his classes and spend the day with Lily instead. It was a Friday and he could suffer a few detentions for his girlfriend's sake. Besides, James knew that Lily was in dire need of entertainment when he learnt that she was planning to ask Professor McGonagall for more work to do before Monday. No, instead of homework, James convinced Lily to spend the afternoon with him, the two doing nothing more than lazing about in his dorm, cuddling, snogging, and teasing one another frequently.

"Who is Rikard Baberty?" Lily asked. She was studying James bookshelf, pulling one from the row.

"Who is Richard Baberty…?" James choked on the question. "Only the greatest author of all time!"

"Never even heard of him," Lily shrugged, flipping open the book. James couldn't help but laugh when she shrieked, not expecting the book to be filled with animated pages.

"It's the tale of an immortal dragon. He lives for all of eternity, watching over the witches and wizards who live and die, trying to help counsel those in power. It's a famous series, one of the most read."

"Will you read it to me?" Lily asked. James had begun to recognize her faces - the one she made when in desperate need of caffeine, or, in this case, the one she wore when trying to persuade James.

"You want me to read The Tale of Arthymus to you?" James' eyebrows rose. "It's huge."

"I expect I'll be spending lots of time with you in time future." James liked to hear her say that.

So it began, their first tradition, reading to one another from the Tales of Arthymus the Great, the wisest dragon there ever was. Lily fell asleep, lying against James' chest, only thirty pages in. James placed the book aside, removed his glasses, and wrapped his arms around Lily, his entire body relaxing in the embrace. James had feared her returning to him broken, that she might be angry or blame him for what had happened. That wasn't Lily though, she was built of better stuff than that, better stuff than him for certain.

When they woke up an hour later, both groggy and hungry, James was filled with inspiration.

"The Room of Requirements," he announced without explanation.

"What?" Lily yawned.

"We should throw the party there."

"You still want to throw a party?"

"I always want to throw a party."

"I suppose you can get Henry to bring in the alcohol, if he'll agree," Lily shrugged, "it'd give Marlene an excuse to see him again."

"Do you think she's really into him?" They were both just getting up, sitting on the bed, their faces still creased from their pillows.

"I think I've heard her talk about him more than any other guy she's seen." Marlene never seemed interested in forming serious relationships with the men she saw, perhaps Henry could be different.

"See, it'll be great. You guys can let off some steam, Sirius and I can do what we do best and perhaps Marlene can have a nice night out with Henry."

"Come here." Lily was sitting crossed legged on the end of the bed, James leaning up against the pile of pillows at the top. He crawled over, stretching out to press a kiss onto Lily's lips. Part of him still felt like he was dreaming, her arms looped around the back of his neck. She smelt like a garden in full bloom, her skin sweet, her breath minty as she exhaled against his skin.

"I want you," Lily whispered in his ear. James had imagined Lily whispering those words into his ear a thousand times, mostly in the midst of dreams or when he fantasized about the two of them dating, but now, now it was real. She was his. She wanted him.

"James?" Sirius pounded on the door. "Open up, I heard there's a party."

"Not now mate!"

"Yes now, or I'll break the damn door down."

"For christ's sake," Lily sighed, pulling away. James was lucky she found Sirius more enduring than she did annoying, most of the time, at least. James rose, running a hand through his thick head of black hair, and unlocked the door.

"You're a bloody wanker you know that?"

Sirius was smirking until he stepped into the bedroom and saw Lily sitting there on the edge of the bed, frowning.

Sirius was grinning, right until he stepped into the room and spotted Lily sitting there on the end of the bed. Her arms crossed, lips, turned down.

"You sure know how to spoil a good time."

"You never said you were with a lady," Sirius muttered to James.

"You didn't really ask."

Sirius didn't leave of course. He used his wand to draw over the armchair James had in the corner instead and joined the conversation. "What's the plan?" he wasted no time.

"The Room of Requirements," James told him.

"Perfect."

"I was thinking I might owl Henry, see if he's still cool."

Sirius snorted. "Doesn't seem like it does it?" James hadn't missed Sirius' attitude towards Henry, his contempt - awkwardness almost. He was always quiet when James brought the subject of Henry and Marlene up, never chirping in with his two cents.

"Clearly Marlene begs to differ." James retorted.

"That's because she wants to shag him." Sirius put an end to the conversation, turning to Lily. "You're up for all of this?"

"I think a party might do us all some good," Lily nodded. James could never be so sure what she was really thinking these days. She reassured him constantly that she was fine but she hadn't been able to spend a night alone since returning and her nightmares...well, James didn't remember her screaming in her sleep before the abduction.

"We should do it tomorrow night, spread the word at dinner tonight," Sirius suggested.

"It's a plan." If there was one thing that James and Sirius always saw eye to eye on, it was the art of throwing a truly epic party. They were known throughout the castle for it, students from all houses showing up to join in the drinking, dancing and food.

Sirius left, to inform Remus and Peter of their plan, leaving James and Lily alone again. She turned to face James, wrapping her legs around his hips.

"Everything will go back to normal after this," Lily promised, as though looking into the future.

Unless this is what our normal will be…


Sirius made his way down to the Great Hall, where dinner had just begun, knowing he would surely find Remus and Peter. Remus liked to eat early and spend most of his evenings studying - a concept entirely foreign to Sirius. He found the pair of them seated on the same side of the bench near the centre of the table. Sirius joined them on the other side.

"Evening boys."

"Uh-oh," Remus sighed.

"The party is on."

"Do you really think now is the time for…" Peter stopped himself once he caught a glimpse of Sirius' glare. "Nevermind."

"I need you two to help spread the word. Oh, and Remus, I need you to put in a special word down in the kitchen…"

"I'll see if Tanny can do anything."

"Do you need me to do anything else?" Peter asked, ever eager to please.

"Help Remus with the house-elves, they love you."

"That's because I'm polite."

"I'm polite!" Sirius gasped, his friends both staring across the table at him, wildly amused.

"You're many things, Sirius, just maybe not polite," came a teasing voice from behind. When Sirius looked over his shoulder there was Marlene. She was wearing an oversized powder blue sweater, her hair loose, hanging down her back in soft waves. She stepped forward and slid onto the bench beside him.

He had an urge to ask how she was doing, he nearly began filling her plate with food himself, forgetting that such a tender gesture would shock both of his friends. Remus and Peter had no clue where Sirius' hand rested under the table or what subliminal messages were hidden under the words shared between him and Marlene.

"Are you talking about the party?" Marlene asked, dropping a pile of buttery green beans onto her plate.

"Yes. It's tomorrow night, Room of Requirements, spread the word."

"How're you planning on procuring booze?" She wasn't looking at him, swirling around the mashed potatoes she'd slopped onto her plate in warm, brown gravy. Her portions were small - her appetite had not returned since being rescued - and she never managed to finish most of her food anyway.

"James is writing to Henry," Sirius coughed out. Marlene looked up at him, her face changed.

"Is he?"

"Well, I'll leave you lot to your dinner then," Sirius said, clapping his hands together. "I'm going to have a cigarette."

He couldn't stomach it, the look on her face when she thought about Henry coming to the party. She wanted him, that much was clear, and Sirius was no idiot - he saw the appeal. Henry was handsome and even better - mature. Marlene loved to throw that word around. Sirius was the antithesis of everything Henry was in Marlene's head and there was nothing he could do to change that. Not without exposing the secret he had kept from her, the promise he'd made…

He was at the doors to the courtyard when he heard her rushing up behind him.

"What's up with you?" She asked.

"I want a cigarette, that's all." He continued forward, pushing the door open but Marlene followed. The air was sharp, the first snowfall likely to come any day now. Sirius drew his jean jacket tighter around his torso.

"You got all weird the moment Henry's name came up," she pressed, joining him on the bench. "What's up with that?"

"Maybe I don't like the guy," Sirius shrugged, reaching for the cigarette he'd rolled and then shoved in his pocket early. He found it slightly crumpled but still more than smokeable.

"I wish you'd just say what you really meant," Marlene said, folding her arms against her chest. "If you don't want me to see him just say it," she urged him. This is your moment, Sirius told himself, this is the time to tell her the truth if any, and then she'll understand why it can never be…

"You're the only person who's truly been there for me these past few days, Sirius, can't you at least look at me? Don't I deserve that at the very least?"

He faced her, though it was hard with all the guilt bearing down on him. "I'm sorry," he apologized.

"Will, you at least offer me a drag?" She said, eyes flickering to the cigarette Sirius held between his thumb and index finger. He exchanged it with Marlene. "If you want to stop this then you can say that too," she told him, exhaling white clouds into the brisk evening air. "I won't be angry with you." She was the one not looking at him now, facing forward so that Sirius could not make out her expression.

Was she waiting for him to break? To confess that it was nought but a game? That was what she thought of him, how deep she believed his affection for her to run. Sirius didn't even know how goddamn deep his affection ran, only that it was like nothing he'd ever felt before. It wasn't possible to stop it, to pull away even though he knew carrying on would only lead to heartbreak.

"No," he shook his head. "That's not what I want." Marlene's hand rested between them on the bench and Sirius placed his own on top of it, his fingers looping through hers. He could hardly feel his bloody fingers the air was so cold but he didn't move. Not an inch.