Unlikely Allies

Chapter 15

As Marlene followed Mrs. Black into the Parlor, her eyes lit first upon Regulus. He wore dark green dress robes and sat on a small sofa at Kreacher's side. Marlene's stomach dropped a little at Black's nervous smile. Though his reason for being nervous was perfectly understandable, it made her concerned for how things could go if his family did not take them seriously. Contrary to popular belief, there were several directions in which a thing could go south. What if they had her locked up in St. Mungos for being completely mad, for example? A young thin man with short dark hair sat across from Regulus in an arm chair. To his right sat a couple casually holding hands. The man was huskily built with a strong jaw and blank hard looking eyes. The woman leaning into his shoulder was tall and willowy with long black hair and features much like those of Regulus and his parents. All three wore black gothic attire, posh but not at all in the spirit of the holidays. These were the ones Voldemort would eventually bend to his will. Marlene found herself staring at them, thinking that currently their minds were their own. Granted they believed their precious dark lord to be the bees knees or whatever but they believed so of their own choosing. When they changed their minds, their minds would be bent by said dark psycho to his own will and ends. These people would be able to do nothing about it. They would not even be able to lift a hand against him, because they wouldn't have time and nor did they have the power to do so. His Horcrux would see to that.

"Marlene, this is Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange," Regulus said, nodding first to the couple, then to the thin young man seated across from him. "And this is Marlene McKinnon, a very talented associate of mine."

"Hi there!" Rabastan smiled, giving Marlene a wink. She nodded back, choosing not to wink in return, mostly because winking was far more difficult than blinking. She often ended up blinking, which did not send the same message at all. "So Regi thinks it's important that we meet you," Bellatrix said abruptly. Marlene made a noncommittal sound as she suddenly felt her panic rise once again. Weren't they going to wait until after dinner? It felt like the right way to handle it, getting everyone full and satisfied before dropping disturbing news, after all. People could be angry when hungry, or so Marlene had heard. With that in mind, doing this before dinner hardly seemed wise. "So," Bellatrix prompted.

"I...need some air. Please excuse me just for a moment," Marlene said, and before she knew it she was fleeing back the way Mrs. Black had led her. Rather than going outside, though, she just huddled in the front hall with her forehead pressed to the cool wood of the front door. She shivered, gaze going up to study the Christmas wreath which hung above her head in all its festive glory. The sight of it was soothing, and therefore should've soothed her, but she was too panicked to tolerate soothing. She struggled to breath while unwanted images of skeptical looks of disbelief on the faces of Regulus's hungry family as she imparted to them what she'd seen in her crystal ball assaulted her mind. Really they should wait and have the conversation after dinner! When a voice spoke behind her, she started.

"Ur...Everything alright?"

She turned to see the big muscular Lestrange with the hard blank eyes, though at present those eyes were more confused than blank.

"I..." Suddenly Marlene found it difficult to speak, perhaps because it was difficult to breathe. "What if you don't believe me," she burst out. "And I need my dad to go home! He can't hear this!"

"Hear... What? I was just on the way to the library to bring he and uncle Orion out at Walburga's behest. It is nearly time for dinner."

Nearly time for... How long had she stood here in the Black's front hall with her forehead pressed to their front door having a bloody panic attack?

"I don't think I can do this," she said. The words combined with the suddenly kind look in the man's eyes at her upset served to unleash something in her and tears began to spill down her face. She couldn't decide if this was better or worse. It was probably neither, just different.