Running in the dark

Chapter 73

Dorcas received her letter a day after hearing of Regulus' death and to say her heart shattered was an understatement.

Dear Dorcas,

I am sorry for leaving and not explaining. You were always there for me, ever since you punched that boy for harassing me.

I am working against Voldemort but if you reading this I am dead, I have left others to make sure my plan is completed.

I hope you stay your glorious self and make sure no one tells you you can't be good because of your bloodline.

I had fun pining over egotistical Gryffindors with you.

R.A.B

...

"James, open the door or I'll open it myself," Remus said pounding on it again. It was hard it was really hard losing Regulus. Sirius was a mess and Remus did his best to comfort him but when Sirius would fall asleep for a nap Remus would go straight to James. Peter had heard the news but they had not seen him, he was too busy with his ministry job so Remus was left making sure the two were properly fed and slept enough.

James did not come to the door so Remus unlocked it with his wand. He went inside and found James lying in bed.

"I bought some groceries," Remus told him and held up the bag in his arms before walking to the kitchen to place them down. He let out a sigh, it was stressful it really was, the most amount of sleep he got now seemed to be from blinking but he was always prepared to make sacrifices for his friends.

"It's been two weeks James, you've got to try, you're going to feel like shit for a while but you just need to keep trying," Remus told him.

"I can't," James mumbled back.

"You can," Remus shot.

"You just don't know what it's like," James replied.

"Losing someone you love and having a feeling that you could have done something to stop it, no of course I haven't," Remus deadpanned.

James sat up a look of sadness coming across his face. "Oh shit Remus I'm sorry, your mother," James began.

"It's fine James, what I'm trying to say is that I do understand and by understanding, I know that you've got to learn to move forward, it's what he wanted," Remus said.

"I really loved him," James whispered.

"I know James and he loved you too," Remus replied.

...

Four months passed and September came, they had cried and mourned and bickered but grew.

Letters soon arrived to Peter, James, Sirius, Remus, Mary and Lily from Marlene and Dorcas who were inviting them over to their home and asking them to bring alcohol.

"Remus," Marlene squealed hugging him close.

"I'm here to Marlz," Sirius muttered.

"Yes but I like Remus, I only tolerate you for his sake," Marlene snapped back.

"Well that's eight years of friendship gone down the drain and I was going to let you have some of this," Sirius said showing a bottle of wine in his hand which Marlene snatched before walking with a grin on her face.

They were all there all their friends laughing and drinking and it was joy many of them hadn't felt in a long time.

"As much as I like alcohol is there a bigger reason we're here," James asked. He was practically glowing in a way that wasn't describable it was that joy that he had in him every day just shining, but it was a bit dimmer not the complete same but still bright.

"Well we actually have an announcement," Dorcas smiled and she and Marlene looked at each other.

"We're engaged!" Marlene yelled.

There were outbursts of joy and shock, Peter choked on a glass of wine and James began to cry with joy.

"Is- is that legal?" Mary asked.

"Since when did you think Marlene would care about if things are legal, she just proposed and said we will marry illegally," Dorcas chuckled and she flashed them all a ring on her finger and they were all annoyed that they hadn't noticed it.

The night grew on and they drank and laughed more, they grew and they were happy, they were so happy.

Happiness is a joyous thing that they all treasured, some more than others but it was what the group thrived on, so the engagement was the best news they had had in a while.

...

Another four months passed bringing them to January, it has been a whole year since Remus had first left to go undercover.

"We're having a spring wedding," Marlene said to Mary as they began to all walk into another room.

"What are we doing?" Peter asked.

"Dumbledore just said he wants us to take a picture, to show who the Order is," James told him.

They all stood together clustered and the camera flashed taking a moving photo of them all.

Of the Order of the Phoenix.

...

Dorcas was practically smiling all the time, she had gotten the girl, the girl of her dreams. Marlene had gone away to her family for the weekend and was planning to tell them the news, she had never been open about her relationship with women before to her family but she was now more than positive that they would be accepting.

Now Dorcas was here to come and get her, she came to the McKinnon's door and she felt it instantly, the air was knocked from her lungs as soon as she saw the door wide open.

She was inside in seconds and horror hit her at every corner. Cold lifeless bodies lay across the house, from an old lady to two children not even old enough for Hogwarts yet. But then she found her. Marlene was in the kitchen, her wand still in her grasp laying on the floor, pale, lifeless.

Dorcas screamed, she screamed for help, for it not to be real, for Marlene to wake up but Marlene just looked back at her, her eyes cold until Dorcas closed them.

Marlene McKinnon was dead.