Marlene sighed and turned over the next page. It was the first page of the Hogwarts section. Marlene and Oliver were standing in front of the Hogwarts Express in the picture. Her Dad had clicked that one. She still remembered how proud and happy he had been on that day.
Then there was a picture with Mary.
Mary MacDonald, her first girl friend at Hogwarts. She was shorter than her name but when she opened her mouth, none of that mattered. She was the most talkative person Marlene had ever known and that was saying something because she knew James Potter.
There was one picture of Marlene, Mary and Oliver, whose attention was on Mary rather than the camera. They were in their fourth year at that time. Later Mary and Oliver had dated too but they broke up just after graduation. Marlene still didn't know the reason because they didn't want to burden her with even more problems. Idiots. But after that Mary had disconnected herself from Marlene and rest of their friends too. Marlene had tried talking to her but Mary was just too stubborn. Even bigger idiot.
As she moved forward, she saw a picture of her with her first boyfriend, Regulus Black. They had started dating at the beginning of their fourth year. This picture was from their first Hogsmead date. Instead of going to the crowded restaurants, Regulus had suggested going up the hill at the end of the village to spend some time away from the people with just each other as company. She had suspected it to be Sirius' idea which Regulus had confirmed later. The view from the top was so beautiful that Marlene couldn't help but click pictures and that was where Marlene had had her first real kiss. That was the time when Sirius and Regulus were really close. They had their issues at times but they stood by each other whenever in need. Sirius had fully supported their relationship even when Ollie hadn't. Oliver and Regulus did not like each other ever since their first year at Hogwarts, which had surprised everyone seeing their brothers were best friends. But Oliver Potter and Regulus Black hated each other and it was Marlene Mckinnon who suffered the most between them.
Then there was Walburga Black who was not happy at all with her favourite son dating a blood traitor's daughter. Marlene liked Regulus but there were just a lot of problems. They dated for a few months before Marlene broke up with him a few months before their exams as the stress of the relationship was affecting her studies. Regulus was not happy with the decision and tried to do everything so that Marlene would get back with him. She tried to make him understand but was shocked when he tried to force himself on her. Before she could react, Sirius and James came out of nowhere. James fought with Regulus while Sirius seemed tooangry and disappointed to move. She never saw the brothers talking after that and Sirius moved in with the Potters next summer.
She smiled as she turned over the next page. There they were, the four Marauders sitting at a booth in The Three Broomsticks and grinning (and winking in case of Sirius Black)at her. She remembered that day very clearly. It was the end of her fourth year and their fifth. James had won them the quidditch cup in his very first year as a captain. Needless to say, he was on cloud nine. After the party at the Gryffindor common room had died down, Sirius was still unsatisfied. So he had suggested sneaking out to go to the Three Broomsticks and celebrate. Oliver and Mary had denied but Marlene was intrigued. That was the first time she had sneaked out from the school, but surely not the last.
There were pictures of Marlene with them individually too.
The first one was with Peter, clicked in her fifth year in the common room by the fire.
Peter Pettigrew, or little fatty Wormtail, was the cutest of all the Marauders. Everyone thought that he was a weak marauder, but only few people knew that there was more to Wormtail than he showed the world. He wasn't as athletic as James or as intelligent as Remus. Neither was he as handsome and popular as Sirius. But Peter was the one who kept the other three together. Whenever Sirius or James had an argument, or Remus was angry with them, it was Peter who made them sit down and talk it out. Marlene knew very well that if it wasn't for Peter, the Marauders wouldn't be what they were today. And Peter Pettigrew loved food, not just eating it but he liked sharing it too. So whenever Marlene's chocolate stash was finished and Remus Lupin was being a selfish bastard, it was Peter who shared his chocolates.
Next was with Remus, on his sixteenth birthday at the Shrieking shack. Remus Lupin, or Moony was the quietest of them. He was also her bestest friend. She had known him since before the night Greyback had decided to bite him as a payback to Mr.Lupin. His father Lyall Lupin worked with Marlene's uncle Simon McKinnon at the Ministry. After Remus was bitten, Lyall wanted to move to a place, that was somewhere near a forest and away from people so that Remus could transform without harming others. That's when Marlene's uncle Simon had come and given him one of their family cottage that was situated at the end of the village near the forest. Marlene and Remus' friendship had grown over the years. Until Remus went to Hogwarts, she, Oliver and Remus spent all their time together. He shared her love for chocolate and books and was the first person Marlene went to if she needed any boy related advice.
Then there was with Sirius Orion Black aka Padfoot aka heartthrob of Hogwarts earlier and the Order now.
They were sitting by an enchanted window at the kitchen and looking out at the full moon. It was the next full moon after the Snape Accident. The others, especially Remus had not forgiven Sirius yet and he had not been allowed to join Remus that night.
Marlene would be lying, if she said that she was never attracted by Sirius' aristocratic looks and his stormy grey eyes and those ebony black hair that every girl wanted to run her hands through; (even though he never let anyone touch them). She was in fact very much attracted to him during her third year. He was her first crush. But he was also an arrogant, utterly heroic, self obsessed, foolishly brave and undeniably handsome bastard who was never interested in her because "I don't date Marls. I just snog bitches and you are way too good to be either of them." At least that's what he had told her years ago. Things had changed between them after Hogwarts but she didn't know if she was even ready to acknowledge it. But one of the best things about Sirius Black (which was probably the worst thing too) was that he could do anything for the people he cared about. After leaving his home at sixteen, he had become as much a part of the Potter and McKinnon clan as was any of them.
And then there was the one with James Potter or Prongs or Jamie for Marlene. They were sitting by the lake just after he had finished his OWLs and were talking. Lily wasn't even looking at him at that time and he was terribly crushed.
James and Meghan used to live at the Potter's Cottage at Godrics Hollow with their parents.
Before Hogwarts, even though Marlene was not as close to James as she was with Oliver and Meghan, he had always had an important part in her life, in her heart. When they were small kids, Euphemia and Grace used to talk about getting James and her married. Marlene would never say it aloud but those talks had not meant as little to her as she pretended. Even as she grew up and started dating others, some little part of her always compared the guy with James; always hoped that James would be 'the one' for her. Maybe that was the reason that she never as close to Lily as Mary was during their Hogwarts days.
But that summer evening, sitting by the lake, beside him, listening to him talk about life, watching him as he ran his hands through his hair and making them even more of a disaster, Marlene had realised for the first time that James Potter meant much more to her than she had ever expected.