A Marauder's Guide to Falling in Love

Chapter Fifteen

Sunday morning came far too quickly for Marlene. She couldn't remember what time she had finally fallen asleep but she had awoken at quarter to five in the morning when the portrait hole opened and the boys returned rather loudly from whatever they had been up to.

"A bit late to be getting in don't you think?" she said sleepily with slight agitation from her uncomfortable position in the chair she had awoken in.

"Says the girl who's still awake," James said simply.

"You woke me up," she huffed as she gathered up her book and made for the girls staircase. She was too tired to properly register the conversation and when she awoke a few hours later in the comfort of her bed it had become a foggy memory.

"I'm going to sleep a bit longer," she mumbled to Lily and Mary when they had pestered her into rolling out of bed. "I didn't sleep well last night."

Luckily Lily must have understood and did not continue to press the matter in her usual fashion. Mary was famous for sleeping in through breakfast so she was happy to oblige and return the favor.

"Don't sleep in too much or you'll miss lunch too," Lily said with humor. Marlene resisted throwing her pillow at their retreating figures out the door.

When she awoke later the clock registered that it was ten in the morning and she had indeed missed breakfast. She didn't feel hungry so she wasn't panicked by this fact. She lay in bed for an additional twenty minutes or so before finally dragging herself out to shower.

Lily and Mary were not in the common room when she sauntered down. She wasn't surprised to see that there were only a handful of students in the chairs; most of them were seventh years most likely studying extra hours in preparation for their upcoming N.E.W.T.s. A notice on the billboard caught her eye and she casually walked over to it for a better look.

It was a Hogsmeade notice for Valentine's Day. Marlene's stomach sank a bit as she realized what this meant for her. Bert was due to be discharged from the hospital wing, if he hadn't already, and she was not going to be able to avoid the situation forever. Would she want to go with him? She really didn't feel like she had much time to figure things out.

After she realized that she still had a bit of time before lunch she decided to head to the library in search of her friends. The library was fairly empty so it made it quite easy for Marlene to determine that the girls had not opted for an extra study session and she was left puzzled as to where they might have disappeared to.

Marlene began wandering the nearly empty corridors in contemplative silence. She rather enjoyed the peaceful walk; it allowed her to continue piecing together what exactly her next move ought to be. She passed through a corridor with magnificent windows that overlooked the courtyard and for the first time of the day she was actually drawn to admire the weather outside.

The sun was shining brightly and even though there was a thin blanket of snow on the ground, many of the students that were enjoying the warm day were only wearing thin sweaters. There were many students lounging by the great lake, some were out for a walk and a few even seemed engaged in the muggle tradition of building a snowman. Of course, upon closer inspection, the snowman began coming to life and Marlene watched in amusement as two of them began dueling with the tree branches they had been provided.

Lily's red hair was not hard to miss. Marlene found them rather easily as they had taken up a spot under a large oak tree by the great lake. It had become a favorite spot for the girls last spring and quite often they had spent their afternoon and evenings studying and reading under its shade.

"I saved you a muffin," Mary offered a blueberry muffin from her book bag when Marlene had joined them. Marlene politely thanked her for her kindness but still didn't feel all that hungry. She picked at the muffin top a bit, taking a few bites before giving up completely and tossing the remnants into her pocket.