A Marauder's Guide to Falling Apart

Chapter Nine

When Marlene opened her eyes it took her a moment to adjust to her surroundings. It was evident by the darkness of the room that it was still the dead of night. She groaned and rolled over, crashing into Sirius's body. "Sorry," she grumbled sleepily. She wasn't used to sharing a bed with someone else.

He was already awake, staring up at the ceiling with a crease in his brows. "Did you hear that?" he ignored her statement.

"Hear what -?" and then the unmistakable sound of something swooshing through the air broke the silence in the room. Marlene let out an involuntary shriek as a lustrous form of energy rushed up the stairs and illuminated the top few steps before galloping into the loft with animated force.

"It's a patronus," Sirius shot upwards into a sitting position. The motion pulled the covers off Marlene and allowed a cool breeze to pass over her body. She shivered, and not just from the cold. She knew what this meant.

"Sirius," it was James' voice. His patronus took form of a stag, much like his animagus counterpart that Sirius had spoken of. "There's been an attack. We're in Northern Watford. Hurry."

And then it dissolved and the loft was quiet once again for only mere seconds before Sirius scrambled out of the bed and rushed to throw on his clothes. Marlene could feel the panic rise in her chest and she pulled the covers back up around her and held them close to her body as she watched him in his haste.

"I – " she faltered. She had been afraid of this moment going on weeks now. She hadn't received her own patronus inviting her into the battle but it seemed cowardly of her to hide away in Sirius's bedroom as he and her friends risked their own lives.

"You're not coming," Sirius frowned at her as if he realized the struggle that was taking place in her mind.

She shook her head quickly, realizing that she was being foolish before throwing the covers off again and dashing for the clothes that lay strewn at the foot of the bed. "Yes. Of course I am."

"Marlene," he said in a rush, tugging a dark sweater over his head. "I don't have time to argue with you about this. You're not ready. Just stay here and I'll be back when I can." He moved quickly towards her, watching her with concern.

"Sirius – "

"I love you," he said sharply, not willing to allow her the chance to finish her sentence. He reached his hand out to run his thumb along her jaw line before leaning in for a chaste kiss. And then with a quick turn of his heel and a sharp pop, he was gone.

Marlene stood motionless in the dark room staring at the blank wall in front of her. She could feel her body trembling and her hands shake nervously as she clenched them around her wand. Sirius had promised long ago that he wouldn't treat her differently after the attack in Hogsmeade. She knew that she was scared as hell at what was waiting in Watford but she was even more terrified of what sort of Witch she would become if she sat waiting for Sirius to return instead of doing her part to help him.

She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Northern Watford," she whispered to nobody, "Northern Watford."

As she turned on her heel the sickening feeling of disapparating washed over Marlene and she could feel the motion pull her body from the apartment. There was a slight tug on her midsection before the rest of her body followed and the dark room disappeared in a flurry.

She landed clumsily on pavement, her ankle giving way beneath her body and causing her to fall to the gravel below. She reached out her hands to brace her fall and could feel the fresh scrape against her skin begin to burn almost instantly. A red flash of light shot over her head; had she not fallen, it would have surely hit her.