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"Ok, so he told you he wanted you to be his girlfriend again, and you said no?" James asked me. We were sitting side by side on the astronomy power. It was two hours past curfew, and James' invisibility cloak laid on the ground behind us.

"Yeah, that's what happened," I sighed. He groaned.

"Why would you do that Marley? I've been listening to both of you pine after each other for months, why would you turn him down?"

"We were fighting, James. That's not how I want us to start again, and it shouldn't be how he wants it either."

"He doesn't care how you guys get back together. He just wants you back. We're at war Marley. This is a stupid time to be wasting your time."

"James..." I said, looking over Hogsmeade from our elevated position.

"No, I'm being serious Marley! You—" I cut him off, pointing at the green mark in the sky.

"No, James. Look!"

"Shit. Marley, that's the—"

"The dark mark. I know." I stood up and threw the cloak at James. "No point in putting it on but don't forget it here." Without a word of where we were going, we both started running to McGonagall's office. We got there in record time and started pounding on her door. She opened it, in a tartan dressing gown and her hair down for the first time that I had ever seen it. I stopped for a moment, realizing how beautiful she was.

"What on earth are you two doing pounding on my door? Curfew was two hours ago, do I need to start handing out detentions?" We were both gasping for air and struggling to get the words out.

"Professor... the dark mark is...over...Hogsmeade," I eventually panted out went pale.

"Come with me you two. We're going to go tell professor Dumbledore what you saw."

After we told Dumbledore what had happened, he left the school immediately to alert the ministry and go to Hogsmeade. He told professor McGonagall to take us back to our common room and alert the other heads of house.

"Professor?" I spoke up as we walked in silence back to the dorm.

"Yes, Miss McKinnon?"

"You'll tell us right? If it's someone we know?" She stopped for a moment to look me over. There was a softness in her eyes I had never seen before.

"Of course. You will be the first one I alert. They'd a promise." I let out a shaky breath and thanked her. When we got to the Fat Lady, she turned to James and I.

"I'm assuming neither of you will be sleeping tonight?" She asked. James looked at me before answering.

"No ma'am. I think it's safe to say that we aren't." She nodded grimly.

"Well, wake your friends up. I don't want you waiting around for news on your own. And heaven forbid something happens, you are the best duellers in this school." We all grimaced.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that professor," James said, trying and failing to match his usual boyish charm. She hesitated.

"Yes Potter. Let's." She ushered us through the portrait hole, not leaving until the doors were closed.

When the door was closed, James and I turned to each other. I fell into his arms and he stroked my hair to calm me down. He whispered words of comfort in my ear.

"It won't be anyone we know Marley. They might have just put it up there to scare us. It might not even mean anything. We'll get news first thing in the morning, I'm sure."

We broke apart and I looked towards the dormitories.

"Should we wake them up?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"Can't disobey an order from McGonagall. That woman always knows." I nodded and we each walked towards our dormitory.

When I got into our room, I shook each of the girls awake and told them what happened.

"The boys are meeting us downstairs. McGonagall didn't want James and I waiting around for news by ourselves."

"Don't worry, Mar. The odds of it being someone we know are astronomical. Besides, they might have just put it up to scare us. It could be nothing." I shot her a sly, tired smile.

"That's funny. James said the exact same thing." She blushed furiously.

When we got down into the common room, I saw a sleepy Sirius standing my the couch. I made a beeline for him and almost knocked him over with the force of my hug.

"McKinnon? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine now," I whispered into his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around me and kissed my head.

"You'll always be ok. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." He whispered into my hair.

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