The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix Part Three

Sean Buckner

Marlene McKinnon was smoking outside the pub - both literally and metaphorically. The poor bloke beside her on the pavement had nearly fallen over as he leaped into action when she'd asked if anybody around her had a fag and a light she could bum. He'd tripped over the sidewalk, elbowing two other guys out of the way to be the one to offer up his pack and set the cigarette alight.

"Thanks handsome," Marlene said, breathing out the smoke through her nose with a practiced flair. She and Sirius Black had once sat out under the tree on the grounds of Hogwarts and literally practiced it - smoking and cool ways to blow the smoke out that made them look Sophisticated with a capital S. The results had been cool, but looking back at what losers they were to actually practice such a thing made Marlene cringe. Only Sirius Black would ever know she'd once been such a pathetic loser, and only because he'd been right there with her in the trenches.

Her strappy heels clicked on the pavement as she half-danced to the echo of the music reverberating from inside, killing time outside the pub. She glanced at her wrist watch to see she was precisely on time, which, being her, meant that was ten minutes too early for when she wanted to arrive. So she decided to let the poor bugger her sister had set her up with sweat it out for a few minutes more.

He'd be well rewarded for his wait, Marlene thought.

Her jeans tight in the bum and thighs but flared at the knees. Her halter top was skin-toned, covered with tiny embroidered flowers in just the right places to keep everything decent, and short enough in the front so that her belly button showed beneath. Marlene's curly shag hair bounced as she moved.

It was third-date energy she was throwing out there. Not because she wanted the night to go the places that were notorious third-date milestones, but because she needed that confidence boost to make it through the evening.

After all, it had been a year and a half since she'd dated anybody that wasn't Emmaline Vance, and over two since she'd dated a man.

Her stomach knotted itself up as she thought of this.

"Thanks for the cigarette darling," she said, and she dropped the butt and stepped on it with the toe of her heel, patted the guy's cheek, and went inside.

The pub was busy, juke box music playing loud, and there were people dancing. Marlene squished her way through to the bar, where she slid up onto an empty stool, crossing her legs and leaning back against the bar so she was looking over the crowd.

"I'd like a slow screw," she told the bartender with a wink and he laughed and nodded.

"Right away, Miss."

When he returned, she pouted and asked for a cherry garnish, and he gave her two, each speared with more cherries than would normally go on a drink, and she laughed and said, "You're so sweet," which made him blush and made her feel powerful and she turned 'round to watch the room as she ate the cherries from their plastic swizzle sticks.

"What are you doing here?" a voice at her elbow said.

Marlene looked and found herself face to face with Emmaline Vance.

"Em?" she nearly choked on the cherry in her mouth. "I think I'm the one that ought to be asking you that, darling, it's way weirder that YOU are in a place like this than me." She laughed and bit the next cherry off the stick, trying to keep cool even while her heart was shrieking.

For a split second, she entertained the wild idea that Annalee had somehow reached out and coerced Emma into coming 'round to her senses, there was no Sean whatever-name-was from the Ministry. Annalee had fabricated a prospect to get Marlene here to meet up with Emma and then kismet would run it's course and --