A Marauder's Guide to Falling Forever

Chapter Thirty Nine

The clock indicated it was nearing two in the morning when she awoke cold, drenched in sweat and quivering. Though she were physically lying in her bed, Sirius passed out and unaware in his usual spot beside her, she knew that the dream had been anything but a strange coincidence, let alone merely a bad dream.

"Sirius," she hissed, her hand reaching forward to grab hold of his muscular shoulder and give him a firm shake. He let out an unruly grunt and rolled away from her, settling onto his opposite side. "Sirius!" She grabbed hold of him again and shoved him vigorously until he yelled out in protest.

"Marlene!" he groaned, a clear hint of agitation in his exclamation, "What – "

"I need to see Dumbledore," she interrupted him with urgency. "Right now."

It didn't take more than that for the irritated look on his face to melt away, replaced immediately with that of a mixture of concern and curiosity. Marlene was already scrambling around the bedroom and shoving her legs into a pair of jeans when he pulled out his wand to send off a quick warning to their former headmaster of their impending arrival.

"I don't suppose you're going to fill me in first, are you?" he questioned, throwing a sweater over his head and causing the last segment of his question to become muffled.

Marlene didn't bother answering him before grabbing her wand from the stand beside the bed and uttering "Hogshead tavern?" to him before a loud crack filled the room and she disappeared.

Hogsmeade was quiet and peaceful in slumber. No lights omitted from behind the curtain drawn windows of either lower or upper floors of any buildings occupying the long, deserted street. The lantern above the tavern entrance was extinguished, slowly rocking freely in the wind that whistled quietly in her ear as she hurried forward towards the large wooden door of her destination. The only other sound was that of her hurried breathing, and the soft rustling of her pants that brushed together as she walked.

Sirius caught up to her, reaching out to grasp the door handle before she could even raise her arm. "Ladies first," he whispered politely into her ear right before the heavy scent of rotting wood filled her nostrils and the doors protests filled the quiet air.

Unsurprisingly, the hogs head tavern was empty when they entered. Not even Aberforth, Dumbledore's brother, was to be seen despite the fact that the door had been unlocked prior to their arrival. The place still smelled damp and musky, just the same as it had on her last visit. Despite the darkened exterior, the inside room was lit dimly by candles, their flames erect due to the absence of movement or wind within the walls.

No other sounds or movements greeted them.

Marlene clasped Sirius's hand tightly, and unconsciously pushed herself closer into him. She didn't like the ominous feel that engulfed the small pub. Sirius squeezed her hand in response but he remained silent. His eyes were shifting around, other hand firmly grasped hold of his wand while alert for any impending danger.

But they weren't alone for long; Dumbledore emerged from the cellar alone. Marlene tried to look behind him to see if his brother was following, but the door closed quickly behind his body. She noticed immediately that the elderly man looked tense, and that worried Marlene greatly. He had only ever been the picture of calm or direct before, possibly grave at times, but never had she seen such an expression rest upon his face in the many years she had known him.

"Sirius, Marlene," he said, nodding curtly in acknowledgement. "It is good to see you."

"It's Harry," she blurted out with little composure. In her head she had pictured the conversation going quite differently, but her news was urgent and she was unable to care much about her delivery. "He's decided that it's Harry."