A Marauder's Guide to Falling Forever

Chapter Twenty Nine

Emmeline took the news rather well. Or at least as well as Marlene could have hoped for.

"I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised," she huffed as she helped stuff some more of Marlene's things into one of the boxes sitting upright and open on her bed. "You haven't even really lived here in the last year. I've sort of gotten used to living on my own."

"Do you think you're going to find another roommate?" Marlene tried to suppress the feeling of jealously that flared up inside her at the thought. Though she and Emmeline hadn't spent a great deal of time together in the last while, she still felt sad to think that she might replace her.

"Nah," she said, smiling. "I don't think I could give up this new found freedom. Plus, I'm making more at the hospital now anyways so I don't really need the extra rent money. I'll hold on to the room in case you decide to change your mind. Maybe you'll only last a week and decide that his boy place stinks too much to bear."

Though Marlene laughed she replied, "I don't think so Em. I think this time is it."

"Is there a ring that you're hiding from me?" Her eyes narrowed and dropped down to look at Marlene's very bare finger.

"No." She flushed. She and Sirius had not had any conversation leading her to believe that his offer to move in together had any intention to lead elsewhere. She was content to leave well enough alone. She had spent enough time convincing herself that if they never did get married, that she would be okay with that so long as she got to spend her life with him. But they were young, and as Sirius had pointed out 'things change.'

"I want to be the first to know when he asks," she said pointedly. "The first. Got it? Don't go pulling the Lily card on me either, you owe me one."

Marlene didn't argue. Instead they continued to pack her things in silence and only when they finished did Emmeline burst into a fit of tears. But the emotions didn't last for long because they were interrupted by a patronus in the shape of an eagle. Marlene recognized it instantly to belong to Frank.

'Emergency meeting at our house right now.'

She and Emmeline exchanged a look. Emmeline wiped vigorously at the tears cascading down her cheek and straightened her chest. "Sounds important, what do you think it is?"

"I don't know," she gushed. Things had been awfully quite on the battle front. "Guess we're about to find out."

They apparated together and were first to arrive. Alice greeted them at the door, baby Neville – who was not quite such a baby anymore – bounced on her hip, laughing. Despite the good spirits of her son, Alice did not seem quite as happy.

"What's wrong Alice?" Marlene asked quickly, sliding past her and into the house.

"I don't know yet," Alice said gravely. "Frank isn't home yet. I only just got the message that everyone will be arriving here."

"What's going on?" Sirius was next through the door, trailed by James. He gave Marlene a quick kiss on her forehead and reached for her hand. She squeezed it nervously, already beginning to feel the clammy sweat of anxiety within her palms.

Emmeline saved Alice the trouble of answering, "Just waiting on the others."

Most of the other members arrived quickly; Dumbledore, Gideon Prewitt, Dedalus Diggle, Arabella Figg, who was a squib and the newest member of the team, accompanied Mundungus Fletcher, followed by Edgar Bones and Sturgis Podmore.

Finally Frank walked through the door accompanied by Peter, Remus, Fabian, Mad eye, and to Marlene's complete surprise, Tom. It was immediately obvious that something was terribly wrong. Bloody gashes covered their bodies, with the exception of Peter who seemed relatively unharmed apart from his sickly white appearance.

"What's going on?" Marlene was first to ask. Tom had been cooperative, but she hadn't expected him to attend meetings, let alone show up to one looking like a Manticore had clawed his arm to shreds.

"We found Hephias," Mad Eye said gruffly. The Order members were in on the necessity of tracking down Hephias, but apart from Dumbledore, Tom, James and Lily, Frank and Alice, and Marlene and Sirius, nobody knew why.

Then after a moment of grim silence he informed the room, "But he's dead."

Dead. She felt the blood draining from her face and body grow weak. Sirius's hand squeezed hers even tighter but her body had become so numb that she hardly felt it.

"He was alive when we found him," Remus added. "Said they were coming for him."

"Who's they?" Alice's voice was shaky.

"Death Eaters. They arrived minutes after us," Mad Eye grunted. "Killed him instantly. Never had a chance."

"It's like they knew we were there," Fabien said. "I don't understand."

Marlene felt Sirius's grip tighten further and she cried out in pain. Whipping her head to look at him she noticed how his gaze was fiercely trained on Remus, who seemed completely oblivious to the fire burning into him.

"Stop it," she hissed at him under her breath. "Sirius. Please don't."

"There's a spy in here," Sirius spat loudly, ignoring Marlene's plea to keep quiet. Everyone turned to look at him and Marlene noted that James looked particularly pale. Sirius hadn't admitted it to her, but she suspected that he had also confided in James his suspicions about Remus.

"What are you talking about, Black?" Mad Eye grumbled.

"That's a pretty bold accusation to make," Gideon added.

"Hephias was on the run. Isn't it a bit too coincidental that we obtain his location just at the same time as Voldemort? Hasn't anyone else noticed that lately they seem to be one step ahead of us? Someone is leaking information." His gaze was trained firmly on Remus who seemed abashed by the glare Sirius was directing his way. However, he remained silent.

"Sirius we've talked about this," James said, stepping out from the side and confirming Marlene's suspicions that he knew.

"I don't care. I'm tired of sitting around pretending like everything is okay here when it's not. It's not like we're playing a game of chess and someone is cheating. Lives are on the line here. Someone is playing with our lives and we're all going to end up dead if we don't do something about it."

The room grew quiet and uncomfortable. Marlene fidgeted nervously at his side, eyes cast downward and unable to look at Remus to gauge his reaction. Or anyone else's for that matter.

Sirius had set loose a young kaleidoscope of electric blue pixies, unleashing them on the Order and setting up a cascade of chaos and doubt. Marlene could only hope that he was wrong.