Marlene was born of passion, and it ran through her veins.

She had an opinion about everything, from the food being served at dinner, to Muggle elections in Argentina. She couldn't really help it, because her parents were the exact same way. Her house was never quiet, with the radio broadcasting news, and her family arguing. But it wasn't the type of fighting that broke families apart. They argued about politics, often getting into the nuances of issues on the left of the political spectrum. They argued about things like whether or not they thought it should be legal to use creatures as horrible as dementors in Azkaban, even for the worst wizards and witches. They didn't shield things from Marlene, but instead, tried to give her as much agency as possible.

Both of her parents were Black Panthers. They grew up in the United States, and Marlene was born in Alabama in 1960, at the start of the Civil Rights Movement. Although they kept Marlene well out of harm's way, her parents never tried to keep her from hearing the news, or seeing them after they came back from a protest. So, Marlene saw and remembered nearly everything. She remembered hearing about the church bombings. She remembered seeing her dad carry her mom in one night because a tear gas grenade had exploded in front of her face. She remembered helping with her dad's burns after the Freedom Rides.

Seeing all of that as a child, Marlene couldn't help but be revolutionized. Even besides what she saw, her parents walked a fine line between indoctrination and wanting to let Marlene think for herself. They weren't always perfect. Her mom was always worried about what other kids were saying at school, always worried that they would spout the unchecked sexism and racism of their parents. She constantly reminded Marlene about the myths that the world inundated her with, never wanting her to believe that being a black girl made her any less than anybody else – but in fact, could be the source of her strength.

Unsurprisingly, Marlene didn't have many friends in school. She was precocious, and her peers thought she was odd. She dressed in boy's clothes and talked about current events. One time, some of the kids tried to make fun of her for her hair. She'd responded that they only thought it was strange because they were accustomed to white, Eurocentric beauty standards. They stopped bullying her after that, mostly because it was boring to listen to her talk, and they could never seem to get a reaction from her anyways. She was her parents' daughter, and she was exceedingly bright, with a natural perception for psychology and human society.

After just a couple years in school, Marlene remembered moving to England. She later learned that Dumbledore had personally asked her parents to move, promising her a full ride to Hogwarts. Her parents wouldn't have to pay a dime, not even for her books or robes. Dumbledore had kept up with the American Daily Prophet, and deeply admired their work to desegregate magical schools in the late 1950s. He needed their experience to help guide the anti-rebellion, convincing them that Voldemort would only grow in power.

Her parents agreed, initially for Marlene's education. It was only later that they realized Dumbledore was right, because in 1970, Voldemort openly declared war. He proclaimed himself the Dark Lord, announcing to the world that he would topple the Ministry of Magic to create a new world order. A world order with Muggles in chains, where witches and wizards would no longer have to live in hiding.

With that, the Dark Rebellion began.

Marlene began to see witches and wizards constantly in and out of their home, eyebrows crinkled, looking worried. She could see her parents start to worry about her in a way that they hadn't before. Things were different this time, because all the meetings were happening in their own home. Her parents went to great lengths to keep sensitive information away from Marlene, worried that she could be tortured for it, and they seemed grateful when she finally went off to Hogwarts.

She knew school was just a stepping stone for her. She knew that she would join her parents the day that she graduated, because there was nothing for her in the world besides joining the fight. Most people had some realization or experience that radicalized them, but for Marlene, it was ingrained within her. She had already been fighting every single day, often in smaller ways than bigger ones. She stood up for hate at every turn, never once letting it slide because she felt uncomfortable "making things political again." Her sense of identity and purpose had been formed around the ideas of social justice and liberation.

At school, Marlene's teachers found her bright and well-informed. She not only excelled at magic, but also was able to grasp complex issues for an eleven year old, like blood purism. She became friends with Lily and Mary, who often turned to her to have the right answers on social issues. Her confidence grew, and she became more sure of herself than ever. In fact, she became so accustomed to always having the right answers, especially about social issues, that she didn't handle being wrong well. And once she made up her mind about something or someone, it was nearly impossible to change it.

Marlene was incredibly harsh on people. She didn't like any Slytherins. She didn't like centrists or apologist liberals. She never liked a single candidate that ran for public office. And she held a deep grudge against anybody who did not actively want to join the antirebels to fight Voldemort after graduation. It was incomprehensible to Marlene that there could be anything more important than to take down Voldemort, who was actively taking Muggle lives. Sure, her friends weren't perfect, but Marlene could overlook a lot in the people that she loved, and she considered Lily and Mary family.

She loved them dearly because they also connected with her on social issues. Lily had always had an unwavering moral compass, and she had grown up rather progressive for a British Muggle because she was Irish, and her father was fiercely anti-imperialist because of it. Plus, Lily had her own issues that made her passionate about mental illness, and by extension, ableism. Mary was the granddaughter of Palestinian refugees, an immigrant whose Muggle mother hardly spoke English, growing up poorer than poor. Those were traits that Marlene had to share with the people she loved, because she felt like without those lived experiences, they could never fully understand what her own life was like.

They had jokingly been referred to as the golden trio, but it wasn't really a joke. They were the brightest contrast to the Slytherins' darkness. All three of them had grown into young witches who were unwaveringly loyal to the antirebel cause, true radicals through and through.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Mary said. "At the Marauders' party – "

"Please tell me you're not using that dumb nickname they gave themselves," Lily said, giving Mary a withering look.

"Plus, the fact that they gave themselves a name makes them part of some exclusive group that they want everybody else to be jealous of. You can't dignify that by using it," Marlene added.

"Huh," Mary said thoughtfully. "I'd never thought of it that way. You know, I genuinely forgot what it was one day, I think I called them the 'bandits' or something. You should've seen the look on their faces. They got so offended."

"I would've paid money to see that," Lily said, chuckling.

"Anyways," Mary continued, "Sirius Black cornered me to ask me about the Order."

"What?" Marlene said sharply, whipping her head around to stare daggers at Marlene. "What did you say to him?"

"Told him everything," Mary said seriously.

Marlene threw a book at her. "Don't scare me like that."

Mary caught the book and easily tossed it back to her, a faint smile on her face. "He was being a brat, asking me for information," she said. "Said he and his friends want to help, that they're taking it seriously. Then, kind of condescending, said that we must need all the help we can get."

"Typical," Marlene grumbled. "Their entire group just seems a bit too… privileged to want to join. Like what do they have to lose? It doesn't make any sense to me."

"That's pretty much what I was thinking," Mary said. "He kept talking, so I just told him to keep doing whatever he's doing."

Lily snorted. "Keep doing what he's doing? Putting laxatives in the Slytherins' food is just a little bit different from fighting Death Eaters."

"I can talk to my parents. It's a strategy we haven't tried," Marlene said, and then rolled her eyes. "I could see them joining for a couple months and then ditching once they realize how real it is."

"Is that what you told them?" Lily asked Mary.

"Yeah," Mary said. "But Black actually had a decent counter argument. He said he gave up everything because his parents were blood purists, that this means something to him."

"He made sure everybody knew that he ran away from home," Marlene said distastefully. "Which I honestly applaud him for, but Black and the rest of his friends like being in the spotlight a little too much. What if they want to go around telling everybody they're putting their lives on the line to fight Voldemort?"

"Well, maybe I see Black wanting to be involved," Lily said. But even as she said it, she looked like she was working out a difficult math problem, as though she wasn't quite convinced that her answer was correct. "And maybe Lupin, too, because… well, you know."

They exchanged a look. Snape had come to Lily several times with his theory about Lupin being a werewolf, and she had shared it with her friends, knowing that they wouldn't tell anybody else. Once they'd checked the lunar calendar, they knew that Snape had been right. However, they almost never talked about it. There was nothing to say about a secret they weren't supposed to know, and couldn't possibly hold against Remus.

"I don't see it for Potter or Pettigrew. Joining because their friends join isn't a good enough reason," Mary said. "Anyways, I told him I wasn't the gatekeeper, but I kind of got to thinking… who is?"

Marlene shrugged. "My parents host the meetings. Dumbledore is kind of in charge, but so are they. Like all good movements, it should be mostly leaderless."

"I don't get that," Lily said, shaking her head. "I need more order than that."

"I mean, it's resistance to power, right? Resistance to authority and the status quo," Marlene said. "A lot of people who get involved inherently distrust power. Plus, having one person in charge makes it more dangerous for that person, makes the entire thing likely to fall apart if that person falls. It only works in this case because Voldemort is so afraid of Dumbledore."

"But he's afraid of your parents, too," Mary said. Marlene shrugged, and Mary added, "What? He has to be! I mean, your parents have been nothing but kind to me, but they're intense. I can't even imagine what they'd be like when they're in action."

"How do you think we would've joined?" Lily wondered aloud. "Like, if we weren't friends with Marls."

"Well, I would've yelled at her about it at a party," Mary said derisively. "While I was high, and getting drunk."

"No, really," Lily said. She turned to Marlene, whose eyes had widened.

"What?" Lily asked. "Are you okay?"

"Oh my god," Marlene breathed. "The gatekeeper. I knew I recognized him." She scrambled to her feet, looking around wildly, but they were surrounded by open fields. Not a student was within earshot, but Marlene pulled out her wand, casting a protective Silencing Charm around the three of them.

"The new Defense teacher!" Marlene said excitedly. "Podmore!"

"Oh, him," Mary said, a faint smile coming to her face. "God, he's hot."

Lily shot her a warning glance. "Keep your distance, Mary."

"No can do, Lil," Mary said in a singsong voice. Marlene and Lily exchanged a wary glance, knowing that Mary wasn't joking. However, Marlene was on a roll.

"I've seen him before," Marlene breathed, and she seemed barely able to contain her excitement at this revelation. "He's in the Order."

"It took you this long to realize you've seen him before?" Mary asked incredulously. "You really are gay."

"Are you going to keep interrupting so you can fangirl about him?" Marlene demanded. Without waiting for a response, she continued. "Remember how he said he's doing career counseling, too? Especially for people interested in Ministry work? Like Aurors?"

"So you think he's the gatekeeper?" Lily asked slowly.

"I don't know, but I think he's going to provide intel for Dumbledore. See who he thinks is talented and passionate enough to be in the Order," Marlene said. "It makes sense. I know they need more people. He's almost like a secret recruiter."

"So you think he's going to give them his stamp of approval? Black, Potter, Lupin, and Pettigrew?" Lily asked.

"I don't know," Marlene said, tilting her head to the side. "They're good enough at DADA. But they're not exactly going to drop by his office hours for the hell of it."

"Who else, you think?"

"Vance," Marlene said. "Her friend Benjy Fenwick. Maybe Caradoc Dearborn too."

"You think Amelia and Charity will join?" Lily asked Mary.

"Maybe," Mary said thoughtfully. "They haven't tried to ask me about it. Although Amelia's more of an incremental change kind of person. She wants to be a lawyer. And as much as Charity loves those Muggle romance movies, I don't know that she'd want to join the Order."

Marlene snorted. "Fuck incremental change. This is war. Death Eaters don't care if it's illegal to kill Muggles for sport." However, the conversation stilled as they saw two Slytherins walking in their direction. As they got closer, the girls recognized the two as Rosier and Mulciber.

Marlene's hand immediately went to her wand, and she undid the Silencing Charm. She stood up, as Lily and Mary quickly followed her lead.

"That's about far enough," Mary called out to them, her wand raised. "What do you want?"

"Oh, just welcoming you all to school again," Rosier said silkily. "Better enjoy the freedom here while you can."

"Is that a threat?" Marlene demanded, knuckles almost white with how tightly she was gripping her wand.

"This is," Mary said, her voice lowered, and her gaze icy. "I hope you two enjoy the protections of Hogwarts. Because I swear to god, I'm going to send you and all of your friends to Azkaban."

Mulciber laughed humorlessly. "Go ahead and try, Macdonald. Let's see what happens to you this time."

Mary inhaled sharply at the reminder, but Rosier cut across before any of the golden trio could say anything.

"Some Head Girl," Rosier added, looking at them with dislike. "You gonna let your friend get away with that threat, Evans?"

"Keep walking," Lily said, in a warning tone. She looked away, glancing at the group of Ravenclaws that was coming back from tryouts. "You think they'll take our side over yours?" Lily asked casually.

Rosier and Mulciber looked over at the group of approaching students, and put down their wands. With a scoff, Mulciber turned around to walk away.

"Consider yourself lucky this time," Rosier said, as he turned around to follow Mulciber back to the castle.