Unlikely Allies

Chapter 8

Marlene was one of the first students out when Divinations class was over. She was eager to meet Kreacher and Regulus at the lake. She had so many things swirling through her head that she needed to talk to them about. As a result, she nearly forgot to tell her friends where she was going.

"Hey, wait up," Dorcas called. "Where you going?"

Marlene stopped in her tracks, turning to look at Dorcas over her shoulder. "I have to meet Regulus about the vision."

"OOH, are you sure that's all you have to meet him about? He's a little young, but I know a few Hufflepuffs who enjoy playing on the edge by dating a Slytherin or Ravenclaw."

Marlene snorted. "Dating a Ravenclaw is not playing on the edge!"

"Could be," Dorcas disagreed mildly. "Anyway,..."

"No I am not interested in dating Regulus Black... for so many reasons," Marlene groaned. "It's strictly business. I'll see you in afternoon classes." Giving Dorcas a little wave, she continued on her earlier tearing hurry to the lake.

Kreacher and Regulus were already there, and Severus was with them. Marlene wasn't so sure how she felt about that. She didn't know Snape well, but he wasn't easy to know or to like. "I told you I didn't see you dying," she told him.

"I'm not here for me. I'm here to help them," Severus replied, jerking his thin chin at Regulus and Kreacher.

"The ghosts of your parents are going to be so angry if you end up screwing everything up," Marlene said, directing her attention to Regulus. "Your Mum is wrathful that all the men left her out of the loop for her protection. So don't do that. She is smarter than all of you and has better ideas of how to handle it that probably won't get you all killed. Your dad had to hear her bitching for years in the spirit realm, and he actually told her to shut up."

Kreacher's eyes flew wide and Regulus choked. Severus snickered.

"So Marlene had another vision," the elf said, making the comment a statement rather than a question.

Marlene shrugged. "There was another Divination class today."

"What else did you see," Regulus asked.

"Nothing else about your parents," Marlene said regretfully. "Which is too bad as they were just getting interesting." She couldn't help smiling at the memory. "I get why people can find them scary, but I think they're entertaining."

"They are very sweet," Regulus said.

Severus made an incredulous sound.

"If they like you," Regulus amended meaningfully.

"Have you met them," Marlene asked Severus who shook his head.

"I'm too terrified," he quipped dryly.

"So what's up with the elf slavery thing," Marlene asked, turning back to Regulus and Kreacher. "I don't mean to be nosy, but it is common knowledge, and I need to understand it." She was going down her mental check list of things she wanted to bring up to them in order to clear her mind for the reading attempt to come. She really did want to understand, but also the more she knew, the more she would be able to put the pieces together of what she was seeing in the crystal ball.

"Marlene's family has no elf then," Kreacher wondered, mildly polite disdain stamped all over his face.

"No, and why does that make any difference," Marlene demanded.

"It's a pureblood status symbol, though not all pureblood families have elves," Regulus explained.

The mild hesitation in his tone made it clear to Marlene that he didn't fully understand the way it worked, even though his family was in this circle of status holding families. "My family is pureblood, and we're not in the club," Marlene said of the McKinnons.