Marlene

39- The End

Marlene clutched Venus to her chest as she charged through the house. She could hear the sounds of duelling between her family and the intruders, but she was fully focused on the task at hand.

If the worst were to happen if her parents, her sister and herself were to fall. Her daughter would survive.

But where could Marlene hide her infant child, that the Death Eaters would not find her? Venus was silent in her mother's arms, looking curiously up and the expression on her mother's face, but she may not remain silent forever, if she were to cry out, she would be found.

Marlene found herself barrelling into her old bedroom, which had a travel cot erected in the corner. A flash of green light filled the corridor, coming from down the stairs. Then there were footfalls on the stairs.

She looked about herself wildly, looking for somewhere-anywhere to hide Venus. She slammed the bedroom door behind her, as she heard footsteps getting closer.

"Alohamora!" She pointed her wand at the door- locking it. She hurried to place Venus in the cot, knowing that she had no other option. She placed herself between the cot and the door, raising her wand and standing ready to fight whoever came through the door.

The footsteps stopped outside the door, and then it was pushed open.

The person that stood there was wearing all black. But he had lost his cloak and mask. Which meant that Marlene could see his face. Black soulless eyes stared back at her, full of the hatred that she had always known he held against her. He had sallow skin and greasy black hair. He was a few years older than when she had last seen him. But there was no mistaking who it was. Severus Snape advanced into the room.

"GET BACK!" Marlene cried, her wand, not faltering, pointed right at his face, "DON'T YOU DARE COME ANY CLOSER SNIVELLOUS."

"Expelliarmus," Snape said carelessly. Marlene's wand flew from her hand and clattered to the floor. Marlene couldn't dive for it without leaving Venus exposed, and she was not going to let Snape near her daughter.

The two adults stared at each other. Their glares both full of the hatred that they bore each other at school.

At that moment Marlene knew what was going to happen. Snape was here to kill her. To settle their grudge once and for all, to get back at her for 'turning Lily against him' as he had always accused her of doing.

"She will never forgive you," Marlene said. Her voice did not waver, despite how terrified she was, standing there, wandless, unable to protect herself or her daughter. "Lily will never forgive you."

"I don't care what you think!" Snape hissed, he hesitated for a moment, holding his wand aloft in a trembling hand, "Avada Kedavra!"

********

Sirius was running late. He knew that Marlene would kill him, so he hurriedly bade Peter goodbye, before disapparating to Marlene's childhood home.

He knew something was wrong the second he arrived. The door had been bashed down, and overhead hovered the Dark Mark.

Wordlessly Sirius charged into the house. He was met with a horrible sight. Chairs and tables were strewn everywhere, a sure sign that a wizarding duel had taken place. The worst of all was the three bodies that lay in the room.

All three of the McKinnon's bodies bore no signs of the spell that had killed them. If not for the horrified expressions on their faces, and their eyes that were wide with fear, Erica, Sarah and David might've just been asleep.

Sirius hardly breathed. A lump had formed in his throat. He was frozen in horror at the scene.

Then, the only thing that could shake him out of his stupor happened. He heard a cry coming from up the stairs. He shook himself and tore his eyes away from the bodies of the people who had always been so kind to him and hurried through the room towards where the noise was coming from.

He thundered up the stairs. Just before he entered Marlene's bedroom, there was a loud crack, the sound of someone disapparating. He sprinted into the room and was met with the sight that he had been hoping beyond hope that he wouldn't see.

Marlene's wand lay on the other side of the room, clearly having been blasted from her hand. This room held no signs of duelling, but in the very centre, between the door and the crib lay Marlene.

Unlike her family, her face was not frozen in horror. But a look of determination was across all of her features.

"Marlene?" Sirius demanded, not wanting to believe what he was seeing. He fell to his knees beside her body, "Marlene!" He said again.

He pulled her head into his lap, "no!" He shouted tears began to roll down his cheeks, "no! Marlene! Come back!"

His cries made the child in the crib cry louder, Sirius ripped his eyes away from his wife, and looked to his daughter.

Venus was wrapped in her pink blanket, that Marlene had insisted upon making herself, with the little girl's initials sewn into one corner. Sirius tore himself away from Marlene, tears still rolling down his face.

He made his way over to Venus and pulled her into his arms. Her face was screwed up and she was crying loudly, but she fixed her brown eyes on her father's face.

Sirius held her tightly to his chest and buried his face in her blanket. And just as Venus cried, Sirius cried as well.

********

Sirius never knew that Snape had been the one to kill Marlene. He had sworn to himself that if he ever found out who killed her, that he would kill them, so perhaps it was better that Sirius never found out, for Marlene would never have wanted him to become a killer.

For twelve years, Sirius was forced, by the dementors, to relieve the moment that he discovered Marlene, the moment that he found Lily and James.

The moment that he left Venus, was a common memory that emerged into his mind. He had thought he would be gone mere moments, but that turned into hours, weeks, months and then years.

During his time in Azkaban, he often wondered what kind of person his daughter was growing to become. This was not a happy thought so the dementors could not take it from him. He spent his days visualising what she would look like, what she would sound like, how she would act and what she thought of her criminal father if she even knew about him.

When he saw the picture on the front of the daily prophet of the Weasley family in Egypt, he thought that he had seen a ghost. Because there was Marlene, staring up at him, smiling widely, with her arms around another smiling girl. But it wasn't Marlene, it was her daughter, Venus.

When he escaped Azkaban, he knew that he had to see her for himself, be sure that she was real, not just a figment of his imagination. That some part of Marlene McKinnon had survived.

It had. In the years that followed, Sirius saw Marlene in everything that Venus did, from her laugh to her stubborn nature. Marlene McKinnon had died, but thanks to her, Sirius' daughter was alive.

It did send a pang through his heart, every time that he saw Venus and Ginny together, they reminded him so much of Marlene and Lily, laughing together, carefree.

But over the years, with the help of his daughter. Sirius' heart healed, and he found himself able to love again, something that he had been deprived of for much of his life.

And all of this was because of Marlene.

*sniffs* I'm not crying. No way!
I can't believe that both Venus and Marlene are over.
Make sure that you check out Halley and keep your eyes peeled for Ophelia, which is coming soon!
Remember to vote, comment and be amazing!
~Em xx