Hogwarts. I'm a snake. woot woot

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April Auction: Dark!au - Coins gained: 8

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Warnings: Character death and war

Rating: T

Word count (excluding a/n): 396

A Choice to Make

Marlene stared at the the remains of her home, something boiling inside of her—what is was, she wasn't sure. It might have been fear, or sadness. But, she suspected, it was anger.

At what, she had absolutely no idea. Herself, for going out with her girlfriend and leaving her parents alone. Dorcas, for not being there for her parents either. Dumbledore, for not doing his part to protect the innocents in this war. Voldemort, for being the bastard that actually ordered this to be done.

She stared at the remains of her home for minutes… hours… nearly half a day… before she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She wanted to throw it off, but she didn't. Instead, she turned around to glance at Dorcas.

Her girlfriend was clearly concerned, but Marlene didn't care. Why should she?

"Come on, Lena," Dorcas whispered, pulling Marlene into her arms. Normally, Marlene would melt into the caring embrace of her girlfriend, but things weren't normal anymore.

So she pushed Dorcas away, a snarl on her lips. "Get away from me," she said, her voice dangerously low.

"Love, let's go, yeah? We can go to my home, get you cleaned up." Dorcas's voice was soft and calming, and she almost convinced Marlene to let go—to give in.

But she wouldn't.

"Go away," she growled. Her eyes were flashing as she reached for her wand, actually prepared to use it. "You have done nothing but keep me from protecting my family."

Marlene watched as confusion flitted over Dorcas's features, and she watched as Dorcas attempted to come up with a response to her accusation, but then she could watch no longer.

"You have a choice, Dorcas," Marlene said, taking a step towards the girl, wand held in a level grip. "Join me in seeking vengeance against Voldemort, or become a part of fulfilling it."

There was genuine fear in Dorcas's eyes. Marlene watched as a delicate bead of sweat ran down the side of her neck. "This isn't like you, Lena," Dorcas whispered. She would have continued, had even opened her mouth to do so, but Marlene was merciless.

As Dorcas fell to the pavement, Marlene held back something that was fighting to bubble out of her chest. She wasn't sure if it was a laugh or a sob, but it didn't matter.

All that mattered was avenging her parents.