A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed! I'm very excited that you guys stuck it through Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. Here is Chapter 3. I'm very excited where this story could be heading and hope you enjoy it as well. Reviews make me happy and make me feel motivated! So let me know what you think if you like!

Chapter 3

April 25th, 1978

The dusty classroom was quiet with the ever so often scratching of quill tips against parchment. The sun was shining through the large windowpanes and casting its light on the variation of complex number charts a sea of students seemed to be bustling over quietly.

"How is it that I keep getting two as my standard deviation?" Remus Lupin groaned putting down his quill, straightening up and flexing his writing hand with a tired look on his pale face. He frowned down at his number chart again and back to his messy workings on his scrap.

"Nope," he muttered defeated and wiped down his tired face with his hands, "Still can't manage to see where I could have possibly gone wrong."

"Well, to be fair, Lupin, if you can't see a mistake in such a large number as your standard deviation I don't think you belong in an N.E.W.T. Arithmancy class." The girl sitting next to Remus mumbled with as much disinterest as her tone could muster. Her nose was almost touching her own number chart and her quill coming up briefly to scratch the top of her head where her dark hair had been tossed into a messy bun. She then too dropped her quill to sit up straight and turn to look at Remus.

Marlene McKinnon rolled her eyes at him, "I'm joking. See, I'm can try to be normal and do the joking thing too."

Remus' mouth was covered by his scarred hand as he propped himself up by his elbow, "Right. Needs a bit of work, if you ask me." His blue eyes playfully searched her face for a reaction but she merely turned her gaze down to his chart and pursed her lips.

"Your chart needs a bit of work if you ask me." Marlene fought off the smile that tried so hard to tug at her lips. Remus groaned and closed his eyes as he tried to fight off the reminder that his chart had turned into a muddled mess.

"I'm trying, I am." He said looking down to his working and decided that it was useless; it was like looking into Peter's trunk—pointless if you were looking for anything useful.

Marlene said nothing as she bit down on her tongue before making a far too sarcastic comment. Instead Marlene focused her energy in analysing Remus' number chart and deciphering where his numbers and results had originated from.

"Remus, you've made a right mess of this." Marlene said before she could stop herself. Remus replied by groaning and placing his forehead against the table.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so tired. I was up late last night trying to catch up on History of Magic readings—and I'll have you know I'm unimpressed and disappointed at the outcome of that very organized revolt." Remus mumbled into the desk as Marlene had fetched a new piece of parchment and started reworking from scratch.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you even further but you probably wouldn't even be sitting here if that revolt had gone as planned by the goblins. You know, seeing as—they wanted to, unquestionably, supress wizards." Marlene added and stopped to eye a column.

Remus managed to chuckle, "Right, I tend to get carried away."

"Lupin, what's this number right here?" Marlene asked pointing to an indecipherable number she had been straining at, "Is that a zero or a six, it's too round to tell."

Remus lifted his head from the table and turned to focus on what Marlene was struggling with. He moved the chart back to his side of the table and a sudden pink tinge began making its way to his pale cheeks. He cleared his throat, picked up his quill and extended the tiny hair of a line the six was missing.

Marlene turned to look at him with a look of disbelief but said nothing because she was fairly certain the embarrassment of such a simple mistake was enough to make Remus want to revert to his dorm for the rest of the week with his Arithmancy textbooks as punishment.

"Right…"Remus began, "Thanks." He said in a small voice before resuming the recalculate his result.

"Right." Marlene shook her head, "Do you want to go over the History of Magic reading tonight?" Remus had begun occupying himself by rewriting his chart neatly.

"Alright, shall we meet in the Common Room after dinner?"

Marlene turned to look at Remus as if he were mad to which he seemed oblivious to.

"I'd prefer not to."

"But we worked on our Transfiguration essay there last week; we got so much more done!"

"Yes, and the children you babysit that you call your friends were also especially noisy that evening. You may be immune to it at this point, but even after seven years I struggle with blocking out their monologues." Marlene muttered crumpling up a scrap piece of parchment with much aggravation.

Remus tried not to smile because he knew it would only fuel Marlene's anger even more. Instead he took in a deep breath and turned to Marlene with a genuine look.

"It can't be that bad."

"Remus, they were competing to see who could levitate a first year the longest. Aside from the cheering and the large thumps, they were rather distracting."

"Right." Remus said before biting his lower lip to suppress a smile, but said no more.

Soon enough the class was packing its belongings and handing in the progress of their number charts to Professor before forming a large sea of Ravenclaws and few Gryffindors out the door.

"We can go over History of Magic tomorrow afternoon in the free block." Marlene said shifting the books in her arms to accommodate the scrolls of charts. Remus reached out to help her but in the midst of his action—

"Oi Remus!"

Remus turned his head to see Sirius and James leaning against the opposite wall of the corridor waiting for him. Marlene had undoubtedly tensed on instinct and her lips setting in a hard straight line. She tried hard not to roll her eyes and make her annoyance far more obvious than it already was. She could feel her fingers numbing as they gripped the edges of her books tightly.

Remus had stopped walking and so had Marlene. She tried her hardest not to make eye contact with either troublemaker who waited with smirks and coy smiles on their faces.

Marlene adjusted her grip on her books and hastily mumbled to Remus out of the corner of her mouth, "See you 'round." Before walking away and passing James and Sirius.

"Wotcher McKinnon." Sirius had leaned in slightly with a large smirk playing on his face and it was far too hard not to roll her eyes. Marlene picked up her pace because the boiling heat in her neck signalled her patience was reaching its peak and she had quite a few sarcastic bitter remarks she would enjoy to see wipe off Sirius' smirk. She rolled her eyes but not before hearing Remus testily warn.

"Padfoot."

November 25th, 1978

TAP! TAP!

Marlene jolted from her thoughts harshly as she realized she was back in her apartment and not walking angrily down a Hogwarts corridor. She stared down at the file Cuffe had trusted her with, its contents were scattered all over her desk with her own notes sticking to certain pieces. Marlene was unsure how long she had been staring down at the pieces before zoning out to one of the many memories that had been replaying in her mind. Her mind had unwillingly decided to archive and venture through every memory involving her and Black. She would pick apart and overanalyse every comment or gesture that had been made. It reached a point where she was having difficulty differentiating what had actually happened and over-antagonizing Black.

She growled as she realized this was all Black's fault that she was sitting double thinking herself. It was supposed to be over. After graduation Sirius Black was supposed to be a faint, distant, and pathetic excuse for a memory—yet here he was once again tormenting her with his childish antics. Or was she the pathetic one for even letting him affect her?

TAP! TAP!

Marlene jerked her head up at the familiar sound and realized there was a very aggravated looking owl tapping at her window—Benjy Fenwick's owl. So she hadn't imagined the sound after all.

She reached over her desk to open her window and allowed the tawny owl to enter. It shook its feathers and dropped the letter down on her cluttered desk. The owl pecked at her hand harshly and she hissed in protest.

"Ow! Alright, alright." She reached in her drawer to hand the very rude owl a few treats. Marlene glared at him before cautiously reaching for the letter.

Dearest Most Loveable Marlene,

This is the usual monthly letter reminding my busy and oh, so hectic friend who hardly sees beyond her desk and the walkway to the Daily Prophet that she has plans for drinks this evening with her oldest and most dear Ravenclaw alumni friend, Benjy Fenwick. See you at the Three Broomsticks 7o'clock sharp.

Your most handsome and wisest friend of them all,

Benjy Fenwick.

P.S.: Do remember to brush your hair.

Marlene leaned back on her chair to peek at herself in the full length mirror and met her tired reflection and completely tussled hair in what used to be a bun. She groaned and rolled her eyes at the letter before smiling.

"Smart arse."

At seven o'clock sharp Marlene found herself entering the Three Broomsticks and shrugging off her brown trench coat. The warmth of the place flooded her with instant relief from the chilling breeze outside. The smell of Butterbeer and Rosmerta's fresh Yorkshire pudding filled her immediately and the memory of Hogsmeade trips greeted her like an old friend.

She scanned the pub once over before landing on the mop off black hair that was Benjy Fenwick hunched over a Butterbeer.

"Early, are you?" Marlene started before pulling out the seat across from the startled Ravenclaw.

Benjy Fenwick was a square jawed fellow, chin and jaw lined with stubble. His mop of black hair fell into his blue eyes that seemed to light up even if mentally absent, and when he smiled, he smiled so wide you could see his two front teeth overlap slightly. Benjy was the definition of a kind face that could cause Marlene to smile, which was already rare occurrence.

"Marly, Marly, glad to see you pulled away from that typewriter to see a familiar face—or any face at all."

"Already starting with the work jokes are we?" Marlene gave a half smile as his grin grew even further, "Tell me, how's the unemployed life?"

"Ouch, below the belt. I should know better than to tease you." Benjy chuckled and reached out to squeeze her hand briefly before reaching for his Butterbeer and taking a sip.

Marlene shook her head, "You know, for a Ravenclaw, you'd think you'd be employed by now with your qualifications—and I'm not being sarcastic." She added quickly.

Benjy gave a mere shrug, "Haven't found anything I like."

"Nothing intellectually challenging enough?"

"There all boring desk jobs, Marlene." Benjy looked at her seriously, "No offense, but I find myself wasting away if I were to take up that job at Gringotts."

"My job isn't boring." She said with finality and stiffly, "I finally have an outlet that appreciates my filtered, but important none the less, concerns."

"I know," Benjy teased, "Your job fits you well, and I am happy for you regardless of all the mean jokes I make—old habits die hard. You're bold, Marlene, it's a good thing, especially because you've always cared—in… your own… way."

Marlene rolled her eyes briefly before allowing herself to smile.

"Then you wonder why you were sorted into Gryffindor. I don't have half the dragon eggs to get out there and hound on Ministry officials." Benjy chuckled as he saw her cheeks flush at his metaphor.

"I still believe I was wrongly sorted." Marlene grumbled propping her elbow on the table and leaning on her palm staring at the back of the pub.

"It's been over seven years, Marlene." Benjy said with an edge of annoyance, "I hardly doubt your parents care anymore."

Marlene waved her hand dismissing the thought as if it were a pestering fly, "Let's not. Not tonight." She shuddered at the thought of the lovely McKinnons. Benjy couldn't help but chuckle.

"Shall I order you a Butterbeer?"

Marlene sighed deeply and nodded with a small smile, "But do tell, what have you been up to with all your free time?" Benjy had lifted up his Butterbeer and signalled to a nearby waitress for another.

"Oh no, no, no." Benjy had a sly grin creep his face as he accepted the Butterbeer from the waitress, "I want to hear all about this Black drama. You can't believe how on edge I've been all week to hear about it. Come on, spill—I'm excited what Marlene McKinnon has to say about working with her absolute favourite person." He then erupted into chuckles and Marlene narrowed her eyes but found it far too difficult to actually feel angry.

"I see unemployment gives you a lot of free time to think about others' work miseries."

"Aside from these things called 'soaps' on the telly that my Nan watches, there's actually nothing exciting happening the rest of the day. Now, stop stalling—talk!" Benjy watched eagerly as Marlene took a drink from her Butterbeer. The joy that was Benjy Fenwick was his inability to be fazed by any and all bitter and sarcastic comments that managed to occasionally slip Marlene.

"It's horrible—"

"You've had one meeting—"

"Are you going to let me talk?"

Benjy smirked behind his Butterbeer but remained quiet nonetheless. Marlene took another deep breath before shooting Benjy a warning look.

"It's horrible because even though it's been one meeting, I got absolutely nothing done. I underestimated how difficult this was going to be." Marlene groaned, "He wouldn't answer a single question and if he did it was completely irrelevant. He would try everything in his power to make my job a nightmare—more than it already was."

"Hmm…"

"What's the 'hmm' for, you don't usually 'hmm' unless you have something to say and you don't know how to tell me." Marlene eyes him cautiously.

Benjy tried as hard as possible to restrain the impending smirk on his face.

"Weeeell…" He dragged out swirling the remaining contents in his bottle.

Marlene felt her stomach flop and she swallowed harshly. There had only been a handful of people in Marlene's life who could make her feel apprehensive and Benjy Fenwick was one of them.

"Well what…?" Marlene began softly, refusing to make eye contact and finding her bottle suddenly extremely fascinating. She could feel the heat of embarrassment and unease rising up her neck.

"Remember in our fifth year when you started joining me and the Prewett twins on Hogsmeade trips?" Benjy began cautiously and regardless of Marlene's tensing she managed to smile at the memory, "Gideon made a comment that your attitude was…erm… what was the example he used? Oh! Your attitude wasn't exactly honey to attract bees."

Marlene rolled her eyes, tensing less, "Yes, and do you remember what I told him? 'It's strange because I thought bees were attracted to nectar.'" And she took a long drink from her bottle.

"And he then proceeded to pull out your hair elastic in response—that's not the point," Benjy waved his hand dismissing the memory, "what I'm trying to say, Marlene, is that I understand Sirius Black can be a difficult (Marlene made a noise of indignation) but I think you're also aware you can be quite difficult."

"What are you trying to say?" Marlene frowned. Of course she had an idea of what Benjy might be getting at but it was a lot harder to come to terms with when hearing it from someone else asking her to share the blame between herself and someone she couldn't tolerate.

Benjy gave her a soft smile, "I'm just asking, Marly, if you haven't considered it a two-way street. He's only going to give back what you give to him, this is going to be just as tough on him, even though he's well aware he's an intern—he knows he's good enough to be doing more than some PR work."

Marlene sat silently chewing back a very well thought out rebuttal and finally groaned defeated.

"Why do you have to be right? You know I hate it when you do that."

Benjy let out a howl of laughter and the atmosphere between them seemed to thin out, "Because then you would have had your hands full taking care of both Gideon and Fabian."

"Yes, we must have looked a right wonky pack." Marlene mumbled at the memory of the four of them. Benjy Fenwick, completely ordinary, kind faced Ravenclaw sharing his time with the two rowdy Prewett twins, and both willingly associating and seeking out the quiet, simple and sarcastic Marlene McKinnon. There was an immense difference between the rowdiness the Prewett twins exhibited and the obnoxious, borderline fame-seeking and mean spirited, rowdiness Marlene had witnessed on behalf of James and Sirius. She'd come to terms at the end of their time at Hogwarts that James had matured a bit and it had been his task to tone down Sirius who seemed to remain just as reckless and thoughtless as the day Marlene had first met him.

The Prewett twins were annoying at most to Marlene— that was until they were able to warm up to her. They managed to tag team against her in simple harassing manners where their victories consisted of forcing a smile out of her.

"It's just so difficult." She broke from the memory, "He hasn't changed a bit."

"That's not true, he's not that bad anymore."

Marlene eyed him cautiously, "How would you know?"

Benjy's demeanour changed instantly and he averted his eyes away before speaking clearly, "Sometimes when the twins and I go out for drinks at the Leaky Cauldron and he's there with James having drinks."

Marlene rolled her eyes dismissing the detail entirely, "Right, well, I'll believe you as soon as I see it for myself."

"Oh come on, Marly, how bad—"

"Benjy, he was splashing his soup everywhere." She hissed with finality tapping her nails on her Butterbeer impatiently. She would not be challenged or swayed on the topic—not out of her experience with the man-child antics Sirius had pulled off.

Benjy could only let out a howl of laughter before composing himself immediately when Marlene shot him a dirty look.

"Look, whatever it is you're trying to get out of him—which I know! I know! I can't know since it's your first cover story, big secret etcetera etcetera— but that attack last week at the Coliseum was a blow to the Ministry, I could only imagine how much backlash the Auror Department must be getting." Benjy had shifted in his seat and for the first time that evening the kindness was leaving his face—all the humour in it replaced by a solemn look. The tensions thickened and both sat quietly for a while, revelling in the unnamed limbo of the war.

"I don't know if you know, Marlene. But Sirius was gravely hurt during that attack." Benjy continued seriously and as softly as he could. The clattering in the kitchen of the Three Broomsticks was the clearest sound throughout the pub, the rowdiness of a few drunken wizards across the room, and the giggling of Madame Rosmerta with a handsome wizard at the bar.

A sad expression had taken over Benjy's usually unnaturally kind face and tried to meet eyes with Marlene. She could feel the heat rising to her neck; her mind was speeding trying to organize her thoughts, and her breath coming in unevenly. How could she have so easily dismissed that Black had been midst of the wreckage not more than two weeks ago, she had been the one to see the story on the front page the next morning. Her stomach sank and her eyes stayed trained on the groves of the grubby table, far too embarrassed to meet Benjy's eyes.

Marlene could remember the front page and headline so clearly like the back of her hand—as if she had covered it herself, as if they had been her own words sprawled across the Daily Prophet. There were photographs of the wreckage, flashes of Auror Black's name and the battle injuries he and a few others sustained. There had been a side clipping, a column on the situation at St. Mungo's after. There were dozens of witches and wizards bringing in their muggle family members, families of the Auror and—James Potter. There was a picture of James and a story a horrid, fresh-out-the-intern-block reporter had managed to squeeze in. James was pining up a healer by the front of his robes demanding to go in and see his friend.

She was immediately shaken out of her thoughts as Benjy had reached out for her hand.

Of course.

"Black fought against his own family that night hadn't he?" Marlene spoke softly, it was more of a statement that a question.

Benjy's brow knitted at the sudden question and stared at her confused, "Yes, but I don't' see—"

"And I saw in the paper James went to see Sirius that night in St. Mungo's."

"That's normal, Sirius was an Auror onsite—he was harmed."

"Right, and the fight he had against his family put him in St. Mungo's. Which explains his injuries, but I'm curious as to why in that photograph of James holding up the healer… why was James battered looking…?" Marlene turned to look up slowly, her heart hammering in her chest—could it be that simple? Could this be what Cuffe had wanted her to see all along? Or… or could this just be a similar moment of faux epiphany that drove Cuffe to mad-knotted thoughts?

Benjy tensed and stared at Marlene with his jaw tightly set. He seemed to be holding his breath, but Marlene finally met his gaze. He looked at her sternly but remained silent as if mulling over his thoughts before deciding the right words. Marlene felt his hand tense on top of hers and felt herself holding her breath. She searched his face for any answer or reaction that he may think she might be onto something.

Then he spoke, but it had not been what she was expecting.

"Marlene…"Benjy began quietly, sternly and with a shaky breath. His blue eyes were overcome with an unyielding quiet plea, "Please… be careful. Trying to uncover secrets in a time of war—especially when they're all people have in dark times like these— isn't the smartest thing. It's dangerous. Whatever this story is asking you to investigate… just— I know you're used to playing it smart, but Marlene—this isn't a grade you're going after… these are dangerous games… and you should be playing it safe."

Marlene sat slightly stunned at Benjy's warning and watched his uneasy demeanour. He looked positively frightened and stern, as if Marlene had already been in a danger he had feared. Benjy's tense grip had found itself wrapping pleadingly around Marlene's own clammy hands.

Slowly she withdrew her hand from underneath Benjy's and frowned deeply shaking her head.

"I'm sorry…but that's impossible."