I'll Be Your Soldier

A Hard Day's Night

Marlene's POV
Black hasn't been able to look at me since what happened on Halloween night, not like it bothers me or anything. He doesn't want me to say anything about what I know and it's difficult. What his mother propositioned him... it wasn't so much of a proposition as it was an ultimatum. For as long as I have known Black, he and his family have been on thin ice. I knew it had to be getting worse this summer when he didn't reply to anyone's letters. His reason on the train for why he didn't reply to any letters is completely different from the real reason. Apparently over the summer his mother had started to look for someone for him to marry, since this is the age that you would start looking. Black didn't like that, since he hates the idea of marriage and I can't say I disagree. Basically, either he agrees to marry Alecto Carrow (Sixth Year) once they're both 21 or stuff is gonna go down. I don't know how long he has to decide, but his mom sounds pretty pissed so I assume not very long. The full moon is tonight, which leaves me with the girls and Frank. It's probably better this way since if I'm around Black I'll want to know more about the situation.
"Marls, come over here." Lily called when I entered the common room.
"Yes?" I asked.
"So Em and I have been talking and we've decided that it has been too long since we've had a girls' night in. Now, I don't care or want to know how you do it, but after dinner get some food from the kitchen and come up to the dorm. I already gave jobs to the other girls. Sound like fun?" I thought about my other alternatives, which is stare out the window all night with Frank.
"Sure."
"Great." I left Lily to her studies and went up to the guys' dorm, where everyone should still be. Dumbledore normally takes Remus right before the sun goes down so he has like 20 minutes. The guys go after dinner. I climbed the stairs and finally arrived at their dorm where, as I suspected, all the guys were. I knocked, not wanting to open the door and see something gross.
"Who is it?" Peter asked through the closed door.
"Marlene." I replied.
"Can you prove it?" James asked.
"Yes. When James and I were seven years old we went to a Muggle amusement park and James got so scared while on one of those roller coaster things that he peed his pants." I could hear snickering on the other side of the door and it eventually swung open.
"You could have told any story, but you go with that one?"
"Yup."
"What do you need?" The other four heads turned to look at me.
"I was wondering if you guys were using the cloak tonight?" I asked. James dug through his trunk until he removed the cloak.
"No, Peeves owes us a favor so he'll be distracting all the teachers so we can get out." James handed me the cloak.
"Why do you need it?" Remus asked.
"Do you really want to know, Prefect?" I asked.
"Nope."
"Thank you." I quickly put the cloak inside my robe pocket and rushed down to dinner. Alice, Em, and Mary had beat me there and we were shortly joined by Lily, Peter, Frank, James and Black. Everyone ate quickly, which is good since the girls were so focused on eating quickly that they didn't have time to wonder why the boys were eating and running as well. Getting the food from the kitchen was easy. The house elves love me down there. I discovered the kitchens a long time ago with James and Black. I got the essentials. Candy, ice cream, popcorn, and more baked goods. I smuggled it all the way to Gryffindor common room and up to the dorm where all the other girls were waiting. Em had some Butterbeer, Mary had some magazines and other gossipy things, Alice had makeup and hair stuff (fun), and Lily had a notebook where I bet she had written the plan for the night.
"Okay, so, before we start everyone needs to change into their best pair of pajamas and then we can all decide whose are the best." Lily said and we all went along with it. Lily may be a little crazy with her planning, but her parties are always really fun if you just go with the guidelines she has, so all the girls know not to whine or anything. I don't really have "fun pajamas". I normally just sleep in sweatpants and a big T-shirt. I went through my trunk and finally decided on my Queen T-shirt and my gold and red striped pajama pants. I opened my curtain to see Em in pink footed pajamas which she had personalized to say Emmeline in gold glitter on the back and Alice in neon green knee socks, blue shorts, blue T-shirt, and a polka dot bathrobe. Lily was done next and was wearing a fall patterned set of pajamas with turkeys and leaves on it. Mary was finally done changing and was wearing purple pajama pants, purple buttoned pajama shirt, and bunny slippers. It was close, but we decided Lily's pajamas with Mary's slippers and Alice's robe would be the all-time winner. I handed out the ice cream and we began to gossip.
Peter's POV
The full moons pretty much have a set routine at this point.
1. Dumbledore comes for Moony.
2. Frank puts some Charms on us to help us withstand the long night ahead of us.
3. We sneak out to the Whomping Willow.
4. I turn into a rat and stop the tree so Prongs and Padfoot can get through the tunnel.
5. I follow them through the tunnel and we meet Moony on the other side who, depending on what time we get there, is normally on the verge of transforming.
6. Padfoot and Prongs tire him out for an hour or two while I watch from under a cabinet.
7. We sleep.
Tonight was basically the same as always. Moony hadn't changed yet when we arrived, but a few minutes later he was a werewolf. Padfoot kept him busy first, he always does. It's always dumbfounded me since if I were him I would want Moony when he's tired out and not as vicious and violent. I guess someone has to do it though. Prongs took over half an hour later and within the next hour Moony was out cold. When Moony is asleep we normally risk transforming back to human form. It was Prongs' idea since he can't be awake and not talk.
"So, Padfoot, the proposition?" Prongs whispered. Prongs has been asking Padfoot about this "proposition" thing ever since Halloween. Moony and I have no idea what the heck he's talking about, but Padfoot always gets pissed off when he brings it up.
"How many times do I have to tell you that it is none of your business?" Padfoot spat.
"You can tell me that a billion times but it won't stop me from asking. Marls gets to know, she's not even your best friend."
"McKinnon is only on a need to know basis and that's just because Regulus told her in the first place and I didn't want her blabbing."
"This isn't fair."
"Life isn't fair."
"Padfoot, we can help you. Whatever it is, remember, we're your best friends. Right Wormtail?"
"Right Prongs." I replied.
"It's not something I want to talk about." Padfoot said.
"That doesn't mean you shouldn't talk about it."
"It does to me."
Lily's POV
After reviewing all the gossip that has been circulating lately, we moved onto the possible gossip in the room. Starting with Marlene.
"So Marls, what exactly were you and the guys talking about after the party?" I asked and all eyes went on the suspiciously quiet blonde.
"Nothing important. Black just wanted to know what happened with the Slytherins." Marlene replied.
"I wonder why." Alice teased.
"Probably because I'm his friend and so are you, Alice, and he cared enough to make sure neither of us were violated."
"Yeah, that could be it. Hey, you know that new gossip about Black and that girl he hooked up with?" Em asked and I watched Marlene, who seemed to flinch at the question.
"No."
"That's because there isn't any new gossip about Black and a girl. That's the point. That dude was all about hookups last year and now all of the sudden he's an honest man."
"I assume you're trying to pin his behavior on me?"
"Well duh, the timelines overlap. Ever since the beginning of the year he's been single and slightly protective of you."
"Wow, Black went two months without laying a chick. Impressive."
"Okay then, explain what happened in Hogsmeade."
"For the fiftieth time, the Slytherins were being assholes like always and he hexed the female Carrow. He always hexes one of them."
"Yeah, when he's involved in the discussion. He was at a completely different table than you and the Slytherins and he still managed to hear everything you guys said." I mentioned.
"So? We're friends. All of the sudden being protective of a friend means you fancy them?"
"So you admit he's protective!!" Em exclaimed.
"Listen, all of you, because I am only saying this once and then it's over and done with. Black and I are friends. Just friends. Do you realize how stupid you guys sound while trying to tell me that Hogwarts' most eligible bachelor fancies me? Someone he knows James would kill him for screwing let alone dating. Even if he does fancy me, which he doesn't, who even says I fancy him back? You're all trying to tell me that he likes me, well what if I don't like him? Hmm? Did any of you think about that?"
"I have a hard time believing any girl wouldn't fancy Sirius Black..." Em trailed off as Marlene glared at her. I cleared my throat and turned the attention towards Mary.
"So, Mary? You and Remus?" I asked.
Sirius's POV
"If you want to talk about something so much, why don't we use this time to think of a plan to help Mary and Moony?" I offered, hoping Prongs would just go with it so we could stop talking about my mother's stupid "proposition".
"Marlene isn't here though." Wormtail reminded.
"Good observation, Wormtail. You deserve a medal for that one."
"You know what, I'm sure Marls won't mind if we get a head start on it." Prongs said and began to list a bunch of ideas he has, using Wormtail as a sounding board. I zoned out, knowing Prongs could go on for a while. My thoughts drifted to Marlene McKinnon almost immediately. Of all the people at that party that Regulus could have stopped, he chose her. The one person I would really not like to know that I either have to agree to marry the female Carrow or be disowned. The universe must hate me or something. Dear Mum must have heard about me hexing the Carrow and gone ballistic. I'm surprised I didn't get a Howler from her. It's just so hilarious how I go my whole life not giving a damn about girls in general, unless I wanted to get them into bed, and then the moment I realize I have feelings for freakin' McKinnon, my parents decide it's time to betroth me to any Slytherin female that moves. It doesn't help that McKinnon was against dating right up until this summer where she dates Gideon Prewett, a guy I can't hate since he's practically Prongs.
"Padfoot, care to contribute?" Prongs asked.
"I don't really have any ideas." I replied.
"It is sorta of a tough situation. We should probably figure out if telling Mary about Moony is even a good idea, since we know he'll want to tell her."
"The only people we have to compare her possible reaction to are Evans and McKinnon."
"Marls and Evans both figured it out though, they weren't told. None of us were, not really." Moony stirred behind us, causing the three of us to quickly change into our Animagi. Moony awoke from his slumber and spotted us, growling. I shared a look with Prongs and decided to go first. I warily approached Moony as he sized me up. Volunteering to be attacked by a werewolf sounds insane, but I'm much more accustomed to pain than Wormtail and Prongs, so it really only makes sense that I let Moony go at me first. Moony finally got tired of watching me and dove towards me. I darted out of the way, slightly grimacing when a shot of pain went through my stomach. Magical remedies may be much more technologically advanced than Muggle ones, but nothing can get rid of the pain of an old wound. Madam Pomfrey was very upset when she saw me with such a deep gash in my stomach, she being the only adult who knows Prongs, Wormtail, and I are illegal Animagi. It kinda became hard to explain why we had cuts and bruises every full moon, so we swore her to secrecy. Her only demand was that if one of us ever got seriously hurt then she could tell. She almost did the first moon we had this year. Moony moved to attack me again and this time one of his claws cut my paw as I leaped out of the way. I whirled around and prepared myself for another attack, my paw stinging from where the dirt was mixing in with the gash's blood. Moony let out a growl and lunged for me, this time connecting with the side of my body as I tried to dart away again. The wind was knocked out of me as I hit the ground with a THUMP. I wheezed as Moony got in one good swipe before Prongs distracted him and Moony began to chase the prancing stag. I groaned as I managed to stand up, ignoring the pain in my foot, and hobbled over to where Wormtail was hiding. I caught my breath again as Prongs kept Moony at bay. The moment I felt better I ran back into the fight and blocked Prongs from a nasty swipe of Moony's claw. I, unfortunately, was caught again and suffered a blow to my paw again, this time I could hear a sickening rrrrrrip noise as the original gash grew much bigger. I couldn't walk on it after that. I stayed in the shadows as Prongs single-handedly tired Moony out again. Moony was curling up on the ground when I started to feel dizzy, no doubt from the blood loss I must be suffering. The last thing I saw was Prongs transforming back into his human form and then everything became pitch black and deadly quiet. It could have been hours of silence and darkness, it probably was, but it felt like ages. I've suffered these types of injuries before, so has Prongs. It just comes with the job. That doesn't stop Moony from flipping out every time someone gets hurt. I kinda feel bad about that, this will be the second moon this year that has caused me to end up in a hospital bed and that can't make him feel good. When I open my eyes and see the normal curtains that surround the beds in the Hospital Wing, it doesn't strike me as the slightest bit surprising.
"Madam Malkin opens up about her Quidditch playing lover?! Scandal!!" I heard a voice exclaim. I turned my head and saw McKinnon sitting in a chair next to my head, reading Witch Weekly.
"What?" I muttered quietly, my voice a little raspy. McKinnon didn't look up from her magazine, her voice completely calm as she continued to speak as if I hadn't even said a word.
"You know, it would be nice if you could manage to stay in top form just once. Do it for the team. If Gideon knew you were in here, again, he would probably throw himself off the Astronomy Tower."
"How did you-"
"Don't even get me started on the suspicion that could start to arise because of this. Lucky for you the only people who know you're here are me, the other Marauders, Madam Pomfrey, and Frank. Otherwise I'm sure one of the nosier Ravenclaws would be on your case. Or maybe those Slytherins would use this to their advantage somehow."
"McKinnon?"
"Yeah, Black?"
"What the hell is going on here?" McKinnon finally looked up and put her magazine down.
"You got hurt, again. Your foot was pretty nasty looking. Between Remus, who was dead tired, and you, James and Peter couldn't physically bring you guys back to the castle without something going wrong. James then went to the common room and waited for the first girl to come downstairs. Some poor Second Year had to find my dorm room at 5 in the morning and then wake me up. Long story short, between me, James, Peter, and the cloak, we got you both up here and Madam Pomfrey took care of you. Your foot was practically ripped open. I think I even saw bone. It was both awesome and disgusting. Anyway, James and Peter needed sleep after school so Frank is doing damage control with the other girls and I'm here. If anyone asks, you were missing all day because of a killer hangover. McGonagall is kinda pissed, but otherwise you're off the hook."
"What time is it?"
"4 in the afternoon. Madam Pomfrey watched over you two while we all had school, she said neither of you woke up once. I knew you guys could sleep, but that's just unnatural." I groaned as the curtains were ripped open and in came Madam Pomfrey.
"Miss McKinnon, it was quite fine when you were just sitting here reading, but Mr. Black needs sleep. He can't rest if you're talking to him." Madam Pomfrey said sternly. She turned her attention to me and frowned.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I really hate seeing you all the time." Madam Pomfrey stated.
"Black's used to getting that from girls." McKinnon commented, causing Madam Pomfrey to look at her with a look that clearly stated, it's time for you to go.
"Okay, okay, I can take a hint. Take it easy, Black." McKinnon said as she left. I watched her go, her long blonde hair swinging away in its ponytail as she closed the door behind her. I removed my eyes from the exit and turned my head to where Madam Pomfrey was pouring water into a cup with a knowing smile on her face.
"Miss McKinnon is a nice girl. A little loud for my tastes, but perfect for someone like you." Madam Pomfrey stated.
"She is something." I muttered. Madam Pomfrey gave me the cup of water and a pill. I took them and felt the effect immediately. As sleep pulled me under, I watched Madam Pomfrey open the curtains to another bed which Moony was laying in, eating a piece of chocolate.