A/N: Okay, so I lied, it's gonna be third person. I decided (in my perfectionist way) that all that I had written was rubbish, so I deleted it all:P

It's gonna be from third person, and I hope you like it. I'm going to try to put more detail in than I had originally planned, so bear with.

Also, I have a few 100 word one shots, one Jily and one Blackinnon so far. If you would like one (canon or OC) just message/review and I will see what I can do!

-PIAM3

(Disclaimer - nothing that you recognise is mine, it all belongs to the Queen, okay?)

Chapter One - On the Train

Marlene waited anxiously at the edge of platform 9 3/4. Her parents and older brother were supposed to meet her there before she got on the train; she hadn't seen them all summer through a combination of Mason's Auror training and her staying at James'. The train hooted as children streamed on board to get the best seats. She was beginning to worry because she hadn't seen a single face she recognised in the sea of people around her. Then, as if fate had decided to be particularly cruel to her this year, she did recognise someone. But that someone was he person Marlene would have least liked to see: Sirius Black.

"Hey, McKinnon, had a nice summer?" he called as he sauntered over.

She still couldn't see her her parents and was becoming increasingly worried, but she blurted out a quick reply, "Yeah, okay thanks. Have you seen James anywhere?"

"Prongs is on the train, why?"

She flapped her hand at him, "Doesn't matter."

Sirius cocked one eyebrow, "And why, Miss McKinnon, would you need to see Prongs now? People have told me my good looks can be overpowering but I never expected that to happen this quickly," he smirked.

She flapped her hand again and glared.

The train blasted one final boot to signal that it was about to leave. Marlene cast one worried glance behind her before she clambered on board the Hogwarts Express; finding the girls in a carriage, she said hi and sat down next to Lily. Emmy, Hestia and Mary were very excited to hear about her summer at James, but Lily snorted and turned away, choosing to look out of the window at the blurred countryside. The girls talked and talked, Marlene bought them all stuff from the trolley and they all stuffed their faces, even Mary, who was (unnecessarily) watching her weight.

Then, the door to the compartment swung open with a flourish. Lily glared angrily as the forms of the Marauders came in and sat down.

"Get out!"

"No, Lilyflower, you know you want us here really," James said cockily.

Marlene sighed, "James... Leave her alone!" She didn't want to spend the next few hours calming an irate Lily down, thank you very much!

Remus sidled in after the others and smiled at Mary who squealed and hugged him tightly. Marlene smiled, they were really sweet together and she had hoped for ages before they got together that they would.

Sirius Black sauntered in and smirked at Marlene, she just glared at him in return.

"Your parents didn't show then?" he said as he sat opposite her, stretching his long legs across her lap. Her heart sped up a little but she mentally slapped herself and sneered at him, "Why do you care?"

He looked taken aback, but ruffled his head and smirked at her with his head to one side, "You looked worried! Sheesh!"

Leaping to her feet and shoving his legs off her, she snorted and stormed from the carriage. Her worst fears had been confirmed; her parents were in trouble, Mason, her amazing big brother was in danger right now and there was nothing she could do.

Slipping down the side of the train wall, she rested her head on her knees and sobbed. Marlene heard gentle footsteps pad along the corridor and stop next to her. The voice spoke softly, resting a hand on her messed up hair.

"Marls? What's wrong?" James said sitting next to her. Concern showed in his bright hazel eyes and he knew something was up, something big.

"It's... It's... My parents," she said sobbing into his shoulder, "They promised they would be there, and they weren't... James, they didn't get here!"

Marlene's parents were famous Aurors, and her oldest brother Mason had finished his Auror training over the Summer. That put her and her whole family in danger from Voldemort's followers and she was always worrying about them, especially Mason: he was more like a second father the amount of times he had looked after her and her younger brother when her parents were on missions. James, having never had to worry about his parents like this, wasn't really sure what to say or do: his father had a desk job in the Ministry and his mother was a Healer, they never ran around the country saving lives.

"I... Umm... It'll be okay, Marls, I'm sure they're just running late," he said unconvincingly. He put his arm awkwardly around her shoulder and she leant her head on his broad shoulder, her honey blonde hair cascading around her face and covering her tearful eyes.

The doors swung open and out of the compartment came Lily. Marlene and Lily had really not liked each other until half way through second year when Marlene had told Lily about a prank the Marauders had been planning; that information had allowed Lily to reverse the spells so the boys were the ones left with bright pink robes. The girls had been inseparable ever since.

"Marley?! What's wrong!" she squealed and rushed to sit on the other side of Marlene.

She sniffed and wiped her nose with her jumped sleeve, pulling on a loose thread, "M'parents didn't turn up at the station. S'fine though..."

Lily fling her arms around the girl, her little arms holding Marlene close. Even though Lily was a Muggleborn, she knew all about the dangers Marlene's family faced because of the fact that they were similar to her own family's problem and unlike James knew exactly what to say.

"Mason probably convinced them not to come because you'd 'be embarrassed' or something, you know how he is!"

Marlene gave the red haired girl a shaky smile and stood up brushing off her jeans, "Right as usual, Lils."

Then James stood up, "Alright, Evans?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Helping Marls! She's my friend too you know!" James protested, raking his hands through his unruly black hair.

Lily snorted and dragged Marlene angrily back to the girls compartment which the Marauders had vacated after Marlene ran off, feeling guilty for reducing the usually bubbly girl to tears.

Mary MacDonald and Emmeline Vance embraced her and patted her hair down before forcing her to forget about it all with their usual tactic: gossip.

"Have you heard, Potter is going out with this Ravenclaw girl the year below us, Leah something," Mary said excitedly, slyly glancing sideways at Lily who was trying not to look bothered by this piece of news, even though Mary knew it was a straight out lie, James would never date anyone but Lily.

"Leah Newman, she's okay I guess..." Marlene supplied - she knew extensively more about the Marauders than any other Gryffindor girl, being best friends with James, and had cottoned on to the lie when Mary sent her a wink.

Lily snorted with derision, "She's a flirt."

"So? She's really pretty, and sly too! No wonder James was caught by her," Emmy put in. She had known Leah from the town she had grown up in. They were both halfbloods but had grown apart after being sorted into different houses. Emmeline also knew that Leah would never date a Gryffindor: she thought them all completely intolerable, apart frlom Sirius, who she said was more Slytherin that a Gryffindor should be, which Emmeline agreed with.

The four of them, and Hestia from Ravenclaw, knew more than even the Marauders about the goings on in the castle: Marlene gave information about the Marauders and passage ways; Lily knew, academically, things about almost everyone; Emmy used to he friends with Leah giving them access to Ravenclaw and Hestia was a Ravenclaw herself and Mary just adored juicy gossip overall. They were an unstoppable force that even James was wary of.

The rest of the train journey passed uneventfully with the girls eating too much chocolate and applying too much lipgloss. The carriages brought them to Hogwarts with Lily insisting, like every year, that the ghost horses she could see were really there and they settled down to an excellent feast.

"AHHH, it feels so good to be back!" Marlene said sleepily. Good food always had the effect of making her exhausted, meaning she was always sleepy after dinner both at home and school where house elves cooked everything.

"I know what else would feel good," Sirius said winking at her from a few seats down. Marlene looked away disgusted and stuck her nose up, turning to Lily instead, "I bet you three galleons that James asks you out by the end of the day!"

Lily Evans sighed, her red hair fluttering, "Fine... This isn't fair, you know? You know he will!"

"Evans! Wanna come and sit with me?" James said as if on cue, "Make it a date, you know you want to..."

Lily hexed him under the table as she handed the money over to Marlene, "Tell me again why I agreed to that bet?"

"Because you love me," Marlene grinned.