December 16, 1973
In the Gryffindor common room, SIRIUS sits alone at a table, writing on a piece of parchment. MARLENE arrives through the portrait hole and approaches him.
MARLENE: Hey, stranger.
SIRIUS: (looking up) What's up?
MARLENE: Nothing. (She sets down her bag and sits across from him).
SIRIUS: Where did you just come from?
MARLENE: Flitwick. Tried to talk him into giving me a couple extra credit points on the last Charms exam. Didn't work, though. Can't charm the charmer, I suppose.
SIRIUS: Guess you can't. (He continues writing).
MARLENE: What are you working on?
SIRIUS: Just writing a letter to my cousin.
MARLENE: Andromeda?
SIRIUS: Yeah.
MARLENE: How is she doing?
SIRIUS: I mean- she's happy, she's with her husband and her new daughter, it's just-
MARLENE: Your family won't accept them?
SIRIUS: (He gazes at her for a moment) You don't understand.
MARLENE: Sirius, please. I come from a pure-blood family, too. I know the pressures.
SIRIUS: Really?
MARLENE: Of course. Muggle-borns think we have it so easy because we were born into this world, but we don't. We have even greater expectations due to our birthright.
SIRIUS: I just- I feel happy for her. I feel like she's found her place. And I want to follow her. But it's-
MARLENE: Scary?
SIRIUS: Yeah.
MARLENE: I understand.
They sit for a few moments, while SIRIUS finishes writing the letter.
MARLENE: This is too depressing. Let's talk about something fun.
SIRIUS: Like what?
MARLENE: (leaning forward and lowering her voice) Like the fact that Remus and Lily were making out here last night.
SIRIUS: What?
MARLENE: (smiling) You heard me.
SIRIUS: I- what- what?
MARLENE: (laughing) All I know is, I came down here last night, and the two of them were practically on top of one other.
SIRIUS: Wow. Wow. This is big.
MARLENE: I called it before it happened. I told Mary that the two of them were gonna get together.
SIRIUS: You realize what this means, right?
MARLENE: What?
SIRIUS: James is gonna lose his mind when he finds out! You know that he's lowkey in love with Lily. If they start dating, he's gonna go mad-
MARLENE: You're right. This could get bad.
SIRIUS: Let's just pretend that we don't know anything, all right? They didn't see you last night, did they?
MARLENE: No.
SIRIUS: Okay. Let's just act like we don't know anything for now. It'll be better that way- we might as well let things work themselves out.
MARLENE: Sounds like a plan.
YOU ARE READING
The Marauders Rise (II)
FanfictionIn 1973, the Marauders enter their third year at Hogwarts and are immediately thrown back into a world of magic and mayhem. James, Sirius, and Peter, under the guidance of Minerva, devise an unorthodox way to help Remus during his transformations, a...
