marlene andreya mckinnon

Willow shrugged. “He’d rather be a healer or something and I’d rather take over the family business. Except that’s not allowed.” She hated talking about how her parents thought it was too dangerous a profession for her. Lowering the wand, Willow began to turn it over in her hands again, her fingers tracing the sides to see if the maker had left any knots or nicks in the wood. “Every core has a different sound. Dragon heartstring sounds a bit thicker, like a small thud when you flick the wand. Unicorn tail hair sounds like a small whisper. Hippogriff feather, like a small whooshing sound and although it’s a bit rare, phoenix tail feather like a small string being plucked. That’s only one of two ways you can figure it out though, while still leaving the wand intact. The other way…” she trailed off, pointing the wand at the ground. Giving it a small flick, she noticed white sparks trailing out of the tip. “Is to see what color it sparks in the wrong hands.” Satisfied with her analysis, she handed the wand back to the girl. “Not a single knob or nick in that one. I’m assuming it’s an Ollivander creation then and not a Gregorovitch.”

"So, wait. I don't get it then. If your brother doesn't want to take over the family business, then why aren't you allowed to? I mean, it's still keeping it in the family, right? It doesn't make sense." Marlene pressed her lips together in a line as she watched Willow checking over her wand, almost fascinated by the way that she was able to tell the core inside of it by just listening to it. "huh. I didn't know that. The things you learn, eh?" She then took her wand back into her hand and raised it up to her ear, just wondering if she were able to hear anything, but she couldn't. "Think it's only you Ollivander's who can hear this wand stuff." She smiled, before then giving a small nod. "Yup, it came from your family shop, I wouldn't have gone anywhere else. Use McKinnons have always gotten our wands from Ollivander's."

"Marls, my hope for you is ever lasting, you can’t blame me for having some shred of faith that perhaps this year you’d taken it upon yourself to be more responsible. Not that I mind your irresponsibility, you’re perfect just the way you are." Lily laughed and stood just as Marlene did, gathering her books and smiling. "Trust your love of food to distract you from your work, I can’t complain today. I’ll help you later if you’d like?"

"But that's no fun, Lily. Studying and being responsible is your job, and perhaps Doe's. Mine is to be the fun one of the group who distracts you all and sways you away from studying into drinking and staying up all night with me." Marlene laughed, swinging her bag over her shoulder before heading over to the door. "Come on then, the chocolate cake is a-waiting!"

"You definitely look like you could be studious if you wanted to be." She murmured dryly, sticking her tongue out at Marlene. Scanning over the assignment, she let out a soft ‘ah’, shaking her head. "It’s an easy essay, you know. You’re lucky I’ve already done mine and can give you some pointers." She suggested with a smirk, "Only if you want them, of course."

"Oh Merlin, don't even just about that, Andie." Marlene scoffed, rolling her eyes at the girl's accusation that she of all people could be a studious girl. "It's not easy at all - how is writing about the progression of magic in muggleborn witches and wizards easy?" She then looked back up at Andie with a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Sure, that would be great. Thanks."

"I’d just rather know why this subject is so dry. It’s like my weekly nap time," Willow stretched back, cracking her back. Taking the wand from Marlene, she turned it over in her hands, studying it. "Oh, that would be my dad, as per usual. Well at least until Garrick takes over.” She seemed to spit her brother’s name out like it was acid, answering the blonde without even looking up. Holding the wand up to her forearm, she measured it. “9 and half inches, looks to be ash, and is that…?” She gently  flicked the wand with her fingers, holding it up to her ear to listen to the sound. “…  hippogriff feather core?” 

"I suppose that's the one good thing about History of Magic, it's the one lesson you can fall asleep in and not have to worry about missing anything important." Marlene shrugged her shoulders as she spoke, able to even muster up enthusiasm for the lesson when she was just talking about it. "Garrick's taking over? You don't sound too pleased with that." She wondered why Willow seemed to be so upset with the idea of her brother being in charge of the shop, but she got distracted instead by the way that the brunette started to figure out her wand. "Yeah, you're right. Can you,... hear the core?"

"Listen Mar, I know you don’t have much affection towards this glorious sport, but no need to shit on my already shatted on parade."

"Oh come on Fab, really? It's pissing down with  rain, looks like it may turn into a storm and you still wanted to practice?"

"So, hypothetically speaking, if were to do a kitchen heist after curfew, would you be in?" Sirius raised one eyebrow, smiling mischievously. "Hypothetically, I mean."

"Well Black, that would depend." Marlene mused, pursing her lips together as she thought it over. "Would you be willing to take it a step further, and nick one of  the chocolate cakes that the elves keep in the back of the fridge for special occasions?"

"Sorry man. Sucks." She looked up sympathetically at the other girl. "Personally, I just write the paragraphs backwards and get full credit." Brightening at the mention of wands, Willow beamed at the blonde. "What kind of wand do you have? Do you mind if I look at it?" You could say the girl was obsessed with wands, but she couldn’t help it. It ran in the family.

"Ugh, it does. Why does this bloody subject have to be so hard?" Marlene complicated, wondering how she was ever going to finish this essay and stop Binns from hating her for the next year." Seeing the girl next to her beam at the idea of wands, she shrugged and picked her wand up off of the table and handed it to her. "Who's running your family shop at the moment?"

"The class is bullshit anyway. Might as well bullshit the essays too. Although, for a ghost, Binns seems to have an awful good sense of when you’re just plagiarizing the history books. Caught me once because I used the same phrasing as some book and I got an earful, let me tell you." She shrugged, pulling out a bottle of ink and a quill. "It’s not my thing either. That’s why I didn’t do it yet. I’m more of a Charms girl myself. I like knowing more about the philosophy and the reasoning and precision that goes into magic then the actual spells themselves."

"Really?" Marlene cast her eyes back over the book that she had basically been copying from and then slammed it shut, huffing out a breath in frustration. "Well I guess that idea has gone out the window then." She groaned, dropping her head into her palm. "I just like casting spells and charms and curses, using my wand to it's full potential. I can't stand sitting here and writing about useless things that happened in the past."

"Ah, I had a feeling it was too good to be true. Good thing I love you just the way you are, if you were anything but your procrastinating self it just wouldn’t be natural." She laughed and set her wand down, turning to her with a soft smile. "As soon as you’re done let’s go to the great hall, I’m feeling a bit     peckish and I can’t wait for dinner."

"Lils, please. You know me far better than that to think I was actually willingly doing work when classes have barely started." Marlene beamed up to the girl before slamming her book shut at the mention of food, picking her parchment up and stuffing it into her bag with no care. "Essays can wait. I'm starving."

"Sarcasm? Me? Never.” As a mischievious grin ghosted her lips she squinted her eyes in order to get a better look at what exactly the blonde was scrawling out. “Now that sounds far more believable,” she stated, her fingertips tapping against the hard top of the table. “What class?” Though it was an infinitesimal chance Narcissa would know anything related to the class topic she had decided to ask anyway, intent on delaying her walk to class by as many minutes as possible. 

Pressing her lips together in a tight line, Marlene looked up at Narcissa, almost surprised that the Slytherin girl was talking to her in such a way that made them seem as if they had been friendly all their schooling lives. "History of Magic." She murmured, keeping her eyes on the girl that was standing there, wondering if she was up to anything in particular, other than delaying getting to class on time. 

"No, of course not. It’s a welcome surprise." Andromeda retorted, sliding in beside her to glance down at what she was working on. "You had all break to do this and you waited till now?" She shifted her gaze to look up at the blonde, shaking her head slowly, "You could have saved yourself so much trouble if you would have finished it beforehand, you know."

Marlene turned to look at Andromeda with an incredulous look. "Did you really think that I was the sort of person to get things done over the holiday?" She then turned back to look at the parchment, and let out a loud sigh. "Yeah I know, but holidays are for holidaying and not for sitting in my room working on a bloody History essay."

Willow grinned. “I know what you mean. What class is that one for?” She grabbed a book off the shelf, blowing the dust off the top of it.  ”I’ve still got a page of my Transfiguration essay left to go.”

"History of Magic." Marlene pursed her lips together as she picked up the book in front of her that she had been copying notes from. "I don't get half of this but as long as he gets his essay, Binns can't complain." She then lookedu p to se Willow grabbing a book, squinintg her eyes to see what it was for exactly. "Transfiguration? Never been a big fan. I prefer Charms, Dueling, active lessons, y'know?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN QUIDDITCH IS CANCELED."

"Oh... that's so sad."

"Oh I’m not too shocked," Willow tossed a strand of hair over her shoulder, shrugging. "Boggs is a difficult professor. Get behind in his class, even if it’s for a day, and you can kiss those good grades goodbye. That is your paper for History of Magic, right?"

"Actually," Marlene spoke, finishing her sentence before turning to look up at the Ollivander girl. "It's a summer assignment that I couldn't find time to do when we were off. I mean, summer isn't for school work."