𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐲 , marlene mckinnon

𝐱𝐱𝐢. Homesick

" i miss you like a little kid "

   It's finally 1980 yet things has only gotten terrible at the Wizarding world. For the unspeakable truth of you know who casting a daughter as his sole weapon at expertise, people are frightened when they shouldn't be. Charlotte Adler was harmless to people who don't hurt her. They were absolutely no way of risk but that was until the Minister allowed Aurors to attempt to capture her for questioning.

Real intentions was for them to have Charlotte as leverage over Voldemort himself. The word came out that she was on the run and not protected at all times. For someone as powerful as her, she didn't need a hundred Death eaters at her command to shield herself. She's already powerful enough as it is.

"It is better for Charlotte to keep moving. The Ministry can never ever even get to see her in person or that would be the end of her freedom at once. I've tried to talk to the Minister myself but I can't get through. The only option we have is to keep Charlotte safe and trust that she can make the right calls on her own."

"And what if she needs help?" James asks, weighing out his voice. "She can get hurt out there."

"James, we all in this room know how stubborn Charlotte can be." said Dumbledore with a stoic face. "If it ever comes down to it, I assume it was given that her safety and health will always come first. No matter if the Order looses its ties with the Ministry for good, we do not turn on each other for the sake of it."

It made no sense that Marlene misses someone she's barely hung around with. That was in her mind everyday when she wakes up, and when she falls asleep. For she really does love Charlotte too much that being away and not in contact was insufferable enough for one second more.

"Lupin, Mckinnon, you're with me." Alastor Moody claims as the room dispersed to its own accord like every ending of a meeting. The two follows him from behind with no questions asked. "There are protests all over tonight and we need to make sure to be ready once Death eaters treat it as their play pen." He drawls menacingly.

"How do we know Death eaters would attack?" Remus questions, pulling out his own wand from his coat and now coating with fallen snow.

"Why wouldn't they? It'll be convenient for them to have so many people in one setting." Marlene replies instead, her tone stoic and harsh, even for someone like her.

"That's what we're all afraid of."

It was a harsh world to live in where people would believe a much louder voice. Charlotte wants to redeem herself but she feels as if people will be busy pointing wands at her other than to listen to what she has to say. If Voldemort was trying to coax her into joining him now more than ever, he's failing because it only made Charlotte hate him even more.

Now that her whole name is out, her mother could be danger. Charlotte pleaded with Dumbledore to safekeep Evelyn and Alura until everything dies down. She didn't need to ask for Dumbledore was already one step ahead of her on that.

Albeit being completely alone, now more than ever unlike before, Charlotte convinced herself that it was for the better. Especially now that Lily and James has a child on the way, they eventually got questioned by an auror like anybody else did. And as discussed within the Order, they all denied any sort of connection with Charlotte, even if they do before, they sure as hell did not now.

Though that was a lie to most people.

Charlotte had direct contact with Albus Dumbledore through a simple produce of a patronus charm. Not by owls or discreet meetings in order not to take a limb just for the sake of it.

And by utter discretion, it was time for Peter Pettigrew to what he was told.

Only that it isn't wasn't in an act of bravery for the Order, an act of cowardice to serve the Dark lord.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

In order to retain the secret from those who are not part of the Order, Aubrey vowed to not tell a single soul of that she ever made contact with Charlotte and that Sirius promised to not keep a secret from her again. That included Mary Macdonald who was utterly in disposed of the news, went straight to her roommate to confront her if it's true. Marlene definitely knew as she fancied Charlotte too much and they were both part of the Order.

Having to pretend your friends don't know you, Charlotte felt terribly ill. As if she even made an effort to hang around with then which she did not. It's not something she's proud of either.

Marlene sat on the ledge of the rooftop, her legs dangling off the air and eyes on the street right below her where muggles walk. The snow was lighter now but air was still very cold for anyone to stay out without a coat or scarf. It's what she wore today in patrol near the Ministry of Magic in London.

As much as she hates protecting a place that casted Charlotte as a villain, Marlene still had her role in the Order of the Phoenix incase Death eaters attack.

There were posters of Charlotte's face on the walls each time Marlene passed that it made her upset enough to want to rip it to shreds. Though she'd cause trouble, what does paper being torn apart matter to the Minister?

"I was thinking of hosting a dinner tonight with you and the others. What do you think?" Lily asks, standing behind Marlene as the two of them were guarding the streets like Aurors. It felt like that nowadays.

"Sounds lovely." No, it didn't sound lovely. "But I have to take an extra shift in Saint Mungo's tonight. They are out of staff since some of the healers bailed when they saw how much people gets injured everyday because of the war." Marlene explains nonchalantly, now looking up and to the rows of buildings.

How she wished Charlotte must be close.

"That's a shame." Lily didn't buy it but she did play along, sitting down besides her best friend and nudging her side.

"Yeah, it is." Marlene shrugs weakly. "Would've loved some mashed potatoes though... And some wine."

"You're not fooling anyone."

"What gave it away?" Marlene didn't bother hiding it as well, scoffing lightly in amusement. Which she lacked nowadays, missing someone who she shouldn't be but is.

"Do I really have to say?"

It was clearly noticeable. How fast Marlene succumbed to every person's worst fear of ever missing someone so badly they forget to keep themselves together. Yes, it's just like any other day but knowing that Charlotte was somewhere in hiding and in possible danger all the time messes with Marlene's head. Not just her, the others as well.

"Yeah well, it's only been a month yet nothing's changed." In fact, something has changed and it's only become worse of Charlotte Adler being Undesirable number one. "The Ministry's full of crap." She adds unnecessarily and yet here she was, helping to protect them.

"They just don't know who Charlotte really is." Lily says fairly that even Marlene couldn't argue with. "Trust me, someday they would. They just rather believe what they've heard first."

Marlene frowns, looking down on her hands holding her precious wand. "I couldn't say it to her. Not when I drank a bit of Vodka, she'd never believe me."