A Marauder's Guide to Falling Forever

Chapter Forty Two

As hard as the decision was, the four of them had agreed it was safer for Sirius and Marlene to keep their distance. At least physically anyways, because Marlene had had a sudden stroke of genius a few nights after the Potters had gone into hiding. She and Sirius dropped off one sister of the twin mirrors that she and Sirius had stuffed away in their upstairs bureau. No longer needing it themselves, she offered it to Lily as a way for them to stay in touch.

Life afterwards felt more bleak than it ever had. The news of the Potters' disappearance spread quickly, and Marlene had to fight off questions more often than she liked. Emmeline had drilled her more than once about it, fearing that something drastic must have happened to them and not believing Marlene when she delivered the same story each time. It was extremely difficult for her to lie to Emmeline, but even harder to lie to Remus. He looked absolutely crushed when Marlene delivered the news. Sirius had refused to go with her, not even bothering to offer up a lame excuse as to why he didn't want to visit his friend. He didn't care that Marlene was a horrible liar, or that Marlene feared Remus would see straight through her story. He was too stubborn, and Marlene eventually conceded that he'd likely make the whole situation worse even if she had been able to convince him to go.

And she was right. As she departed Remus's home they both caught sight of a large, shaggy black dog a few houses down the street. Sirius wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was sticking closeby to keep watch on Marlene, displaying just how little trust he had for Remus. She watched as Remus's face fell as he too put the pieces together.

"I thought you didn't want to come?" she snapped on Sirius later.

"I didn't, but I don't trust him alone with you either."

"Do you have any idea how insulting that is to Remus? He knew that was you watching us," she scolded him. But Sirius didn't care about that either.

The one thing that kept Marlene going was Tom's rapid recovery. She kept herself busy by visiting him more frequently, and as his health improved she found it much easier to be within his presence. Eventually the good news she had been long awaiting for was delivered on a particularly hot summer afternoon.

"Today is the day!" Tom said cheerfully when she entered his room. The drapes were open and the sunlight filled the space making the small room much more welcoming than usual.

"What day is that?" Marlene surveyed Tom who was dressed in his regular clothing and looking positively jubilant. She couldn't recall him looking that way since after she had moved in with him nearly three years prior. For a moment she was transported back to her childhood Christmases when goofy Uncle Tom, the life of the party, would come for dinner and perform his cheesy muggle magic tricks for the unknowing muggle side of her family.

"The day I go home," he said, smiling.

"Really?" she asked, "You're not pulling my leg are you? Because that's not funny."

"Really," he insisted. "Martha told me this morning."

Marlene hurriedly crossed the room and threw her arms around Tom. They hadn't had an affectionate relationship before, likely a result of both of them uncertain how to navigate the circumstance they had found themselves in together. But he hugged her back fondly, and for the first time since her parents had died she felt the familiar feel of parental love and affection, something she hadn't realized how desperately she needed until his arms closed around her.

"There's something we need to discuss though," he said when they had pulled apart. Marlene wiped at the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes and analyzed the way his softened features began to pinch together with concern. "But first, why on earth are you crying?"