Descend - Wolfstar + Marauders

Let's Have a Dinner Party

Chapter Text

Dinner party invitations were sent out by owl a few hours later.

The next weekend James, Lily, Peter, Dorcas, and Marlene all descended on their little flat with plates of food and bottles of wine. They had all been thrilled at the idea of a get together. It was something everyone was in desperate need of.

Remus and Sirius provided desserts from a lovely little bakery down the road, having decided that it was best not to risk attempting to cook.

The night got off to a truly wonderful start. The guests all trickled in over the course of half an hour and each one arrived with a warm hug and delicious smelling food. Very quickly everyone was sat around a magically extended table with a glass of wine in hand (except Lily, who had been favoring fancy mocktails instead) and bellies full of food. There was laughter and music in the air and for a couple of hours it almost felt like there was nothing to worry about.

A rather hardy debate had broken out between Sirius and Peter about the latest match between the Holyhead Harpies and Chudley Cannons. The whole table was getting increasingly heated. Even Lily, though she was decidedly more sober and not remotely interested in Quidditch. She was mostly chiming in by just saying the opposite of whatever James said and laughing at how scandalized he looked by his wife’s embarrassing opinions.

Marlene got up from the table and headed to the terrace, tapping Remus on the shoulder as she walked past him.

“Come out for a smoke,” she instructed.

Remus got up whilst giving one final exclamation of support for whatever nonsense Lily had just entered into the conversation, then followed Marlene out. He wasn’t really a smoker, but he was also never one to say no to the offer.

“How’s school been?” he asked her, accepting a cigarette as she handed it over.

“Pretty brilliant actually. I’ve made friends with this fun group of muggles and they’re always taking me out to these great little underground places,” she said taking a drag.

When she wasn't working as a clerk at her family practice, Marlene was getting into Magical Law like her parents, which involved a couple of years of higher education through the Wizarding Division run out of a secret wing of Oxford University. The McKinnon's expertise and connections in the Magical Law community had been invaluable to the resistance. Marlene had to do a few units of muggle law as part of her studies, so she had taken the opportunity to socialize.

“It’s so strange being around them,” she said. “As far as they’re concerned, there is no war. When I’m with them I try to believe it too.”

“I know. I felt the same thing every time I went to work. Back when I last had a job, that is. These days it’s almost easy to forget that there’s this whole world out there, and they don’t even know they’re in danger. It doesn't hang over them every second of the day.”

Marlene reached into her pocket and pulled out a little plastic baggie, handing it over to Remus. He immediately knew what it was.

“One of them hooked me up with this, it’s good stuff.”

Remus and Sirius had both done cocaine a few times with Marlene and Dorcas, back when they were all living in the big share house. The others had all opted out, and Sirius and Dorcas both found they got too paranoid and agitated so gave up on it pretty quickly. Remus and Marlene, though, had both continued to use the drug on nights out ever since. It was mostly an occasional thing for him, and not at all in months now.

Well... but no, missions didn't really count, Remus figured. Drugs were rampant in the packs. Cocaine was a little pricier but still showed up on occasion. Amphetamines, on the other hand. There were other things, too, that he had yet to give in and try. He was in control, after all. Besides, it’s not like he was doing it for fun. He was undercover. Fitting in was the job. That fact it helped make the horror of those places a little more bearable really wasn’t a factor.