mischief managed.

Purebloods in the wizarding community often found themselves superior to those that weren’t, this proved to be the case within the McKinnon family. The parents, Horace and Nicolette McKinnon a picturesque sight like no other, beautiful and poised as they made their name known amongst their peers. They were certain to mingle with the best, and nothing less. When their first was born, a beautiful son by the name of Carson, nothing changed aside from them having yet another beautiful face to show off to the rest of the world. He was the perfect child, obeyed as requested and did nothing but what they asked. He spoke like a well-mannered child, charmed the socks off every little girl that he was told to befriend. Then some years later, another was born, this time a beautiful baby girl and the two parents couldn’t be more than thrilled. Nicolette had always spoken of wanting a little girl, and once presented with one, they gave her the same love and attention they did Carson, however the attention Carson was so used to receiving started to drift away from him and focus solely on Marlene. She was the new light of their lives, treated like the little princess they believed her to be but while they weren’t around Carson took it upon himself to punish her for taking his parents away. With each punishment, Marlene started to find herself despising not only Carson, but her parents and their views along with. She wanted nothing more to distance herself, so upon being introduced to her first of pureblood parties, Marlene found herself drawn to another boy that seemed equally as disinterested about being there. Befriending him instantly, she suddenly found herself with a new state of mind, a new outlook on everything around her and more. because he, unlike the rest of the pureblood boys was not cruel, at least not in the traditional sense, he was more along the lines of the comedic cruel which she found herself enjoying. So, quickly she found herself fighting back against her brother with pranks and jokes alike. Her parents despising what was happening, warned her to keep her distance from he but she didn’t listen.

Eventually this resulted in Marlene remaining at home while the rest of them went to parties, Carson once again becoming her parent’s favorites while she was given lessons. The lessons were what they hoped would help turn her into their definition of a proper lady, but eventually just made her worse. Marlene continued to act out, sneak out during the nights they were away and even the nights they were own, all tucked away in their beds. Sometimes Marlene would find herself in the heart of wizarding towns, meeting new and friendly faces, ones that she knew her parents would be highly against.

Finally, like every other wizard and witch in the United Kingdom, the young girl received her Hogwarts letter and attended. Starting off fresh, she found herself seated happily on the train next to the pureblood from the party, among others the two had never encountered. But then, everything came tumbling down the moment she took her place on the stool in the Great Hall, an instant look of uncertainty as the hat roared the house she would spend the next seven years of her life in to everyone. How of all things did Marlene find herself in Slytherin, it was the last thing she expected it but surely her family and brother would be pleased, her brother even more so considering his toy was now unable to escape him by going to another common room.

Marlene however, did not let this change who she was shaping into and found herself spending more time outside of the common room. In the Great Hall she would rebel further by sitting at the table she wanted to, typically the Gryffindor table but that sometimes varied as she found herself growing close to people from other houses as well. She didn’t care if it led to mockery or worse in the common room, she’d deal with that, but while she was out she loved having her freedom away from them.

Years into Hogwarts, Marlene became known as the Slytherin that defied all the norms and rules. It wasn’t until the summer before her 6th year however that everything changed, she’d snuck away from home like she had so many times before, but this time she found herself in a darker place in town and a few drinks too many. A man, a much, much older man found her in her vulnerable state and took advantage of her and with no one around to help, she ended up waking up in the bed in one of the rooms at Hogs Head. That’s when everything changed for the worse, Marlene snuck out more and found herself developing more of a drinking habit and eventually smoking. The girl slept around with people despite knowing it was wrong and it wasn’t until her brother Carson discovered the truth while out one night that she was caught. Disgusted, her parents found only one way to solve the problem and that was to find her an immediate solution, a betrothed. Not speaking of her indiscretions, it was easy for Marlene’s parents to find someone quickly. After all, the girl had an appeal to her that not all purebloods had, she was in the very least stunning and would produce a healthy, beautiful looking heir and that was most important to the families at the time. Marlene thought she hated her parents before, but now the hatred grew into a downright loathing, the boy they had chosen for her being someone despicable in her eyes. Marlene hated it, he was cruel beyond imaginable, treated her nearly like he would scum, like her brother often treated her but there was very little she could do while still at Hogwarts.

Now years prior to her time at Hogwarts, Marlene is still fighting for their freedom, but the amount they have is still far more than what they once had from their parents and brother’s tyranny, along with her to be betrothed. They’ve managed to keep themselves alive, but fears that any day will result in their death.

FLASHBACK TO THE UPRISING OF WAR: Headcanon 01

As far back as Marlene could remember, the war was a topic of discussion in the McKinnon household, members of the family all in agreement of where they stand, everyone but them. Marlene hated the ideals they spat out, the idea that someone’s blood, something that couldn’t be changed was a defining factor of whether they deserved to study magic, or in some cases live at all. what made a pure blooded wizard better than a muggle born?

but now, the war, the sides were becoming more and more predominant both in and outside the castle, the tensions were rising, and constant fights seemed to break out among their peers. Marlene, while they’d never admit it, feared the war and not for themselves, though a traitor to their family and pure bloods alike, Marlene’s biggest concern was and will always be their sister. if a squib were to be discovered by the wrong person, someone more cruel than even their parents, who’s to say what would happen to Marisol? would she make it out alive? would anyone they’d grown to care about?

restless sleeps quickly became sleepless nights, finding it impossible to find peace while sharing a room with those that would’ve ended their sister without question, those that Marlene viewed as their enemy, those like their brother. Marlene knows they need to take action before it’s too late, but who and what they’ll be able to do from Hogwarts is impossible to map out, so instead they’d began mapping out ideas, trying to figure out an escape, a way out of the castle without a trace.

so, now their sleepless nights turned into endless hours at the astronomy tower and places few professors and prefects would care to look for students out after hours, working away on developing a plan to slip out and somehow free their sister from the terrors she’s facing back home.

MOTIVATION & BEHAVIOR – HEADCANON 02

Marlene is a very set and stubborn individual, rarely will they listen to what others suggest she does if it goes against what they want. There’s no such thing as what Marlene thinks they want, if they want something, they will stop at absolutely nothing to ensure it’s theirs, though there is one thing they’ve failed time and time again. That is, true freedom. Regardless of where they are now, there’s still a vast part of Marlene that knows they’re stuck in the reign of their family, a part that will never let them push away them completely until Marisol is safe and with them. But they tread cautiously, knowing a life is at risk. So, occasionally, they abide to the requests of their parents, hating it as they do so. After all, Marisol’s life is far more precious than Marlene’s own and the young wixen would do just about anything for their sibling and both their freedoms. Time and time again, Marlene has sat to themselves, sketching out a plan, always improving on it, believing the only true way to freedom is by MURDERING their family, parents and brother included and then some. But, again, cautiousness comes into play as Marlene can’t be caught for the crime and sent to Azkaban. So, everything and absolutely everything must be perfect. On a side note, very few, if any know of Marlene’s sister, Marisol as they trust next to no one, so, most missions rely solely on themselves, and little on anyone else. This adds to the extremity of how careful Marlene must be. If they were to find someone they trusted completely, they’d turned to them, but until then, it remains a solo mission.

AN EMBARASSING STORY – HEADCANON 03

there are very few times where i, marlene mckinnon will ever admit to being embarrassed as i find that to be a complete waste of emotions. shit happens, it’s apart of life, we laugh about it and move on. at least, that’s always been my motto but there is one time in particular that does stand out. everyone has that moment from being an awkward tween, so, now i just laugh it off but at the time…whew i was embarrassed for WEEKS, friends would have to drag me out of my dorm…well, what few i had in the slytherin common room….now it’s not to say it was the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to me, but at 13, it felt life ruining. so, i was stoked, i’d finally made the quidditch team, and i thought, hey it was my chance to be apart of something and maybe find a way to connect with people in my house that weren’t assholes ( i was very wrong, but hey, i loved to swing that bat…so ).. anyway i was running late on my second day of practice, bad idea in itself, but with zero time to spare, i snatched up the first pants i could find for practice and made a sprint for it, changing as i walked down to the pitch….which surprisingly wasn’t embarrassing to me, because hey, no one was around, right? anyway, finally on the pitch, i started to notice i may have chosen a less than comfy pair of pants, so i tried to stretch myself out a bit, get used to the feel and fit, all while listening to an already grumpy captain…and everything was dandy until we mounted our brooms, and mid kick off is when i heard it, a LOUD rip that echoed against the field catching everyone’s attention. i’d managed to rip my pants, from my butt crack down to my ankles…and no one offered me a spare pair, so i was made to do the entire practice in my underwear…because ripped pants were just too uncomfortable…and let’s just say, having everyone find out i was wearing pink panties is not the way to start out a season….and i didn’t hear the end of

LOVE – HEADCANON 04

Marlene didn’t believe in the concept of being in love, of finding a single person to pledge your forever to…or more so, Marlene didn’t believe in love for themselves. Marlene knew they were attractive, they knew how to use their body to their advantage, but they didn’t believe in the possibility of them being anything more than a warm body. So, on lonely nights, they’d often drink away the pain in a crowded club, waiting for a stranger to sweep them away, whisking away the thoughts and ideas of a true romance with shots of tequila. Allowing themselves to develop a terrible habit of finding comfort in the unknown, in the people that treated them terribly because if they treated them awfully, it was impossible for romance to ever start, it was impossible for them to ever develop a close bond with someone that’d grow tire of them within a few weeks, or days even. After all, as ingrained in their mind from a young age, after their first acting out, Marlene was assured they were nothing special beyond their looks, that the only reason anyone would marry or pursue them was for their name, their blood, the status, never for the person buried deep inside. So, alas, aside from the few close friendships and their sister, Marlene refuses to let people see anything beyond the reckless party girl. After all, where’s the fun in constant heartbreak?

THE FIGG FAMILY - HEADCANON 05 

In the woods, just beyond their families’ garden, there was a quaint cottage that very few knew about. Certainly not Marlene’s parents, fortunately, but Marlene having always been the curious child that they were, had found it at quite a young age. Upon first discovery, Marlene learned the cottage was owned by a wonderful, elderly woman named Edith Figg. She rarely had company, so Marlene made a habit out of visiting her at least once a week, more so before Hogwarts started up. At age thirteen, Marlene was introduced to a new face at the Figg Cottage, Arabella Figg. The parents didn’t want anything to do with her once it was discovered she was a squib, but Edith refused to allow her granddaughter to be sent away and instead took on the task, despite her age. Marlene started visiting more often while they were able to, bringing along different toys and dresses they’d received, having absolutely no interest in them, themselves, they were happy they brought joy to Arabella. Throughout the years, the bond between the three grew, even more so when Edith fell ill and eventually died. Marlene promised Edith on her death bed that they’d watch over Arabella and keep her safe, and until this day, Marlene hasn’t broken that promise. Marlene has helped move them to a safer part of London, terrified of what might happen if their parents were to discover Arabella’s location and through taking on endless summer jobs, no matter how horrid they were, Marlene managed to save up the money for a tiny but decent enough apartment for the two, one that Marlene would often sneak away to when they were home from Hogwarts. Unfortunately with school, visiting isn’t as often, but they keep in contact through Marlene’s owl, and meet up whenever possible. Marlene has been trying to convince Dumbledore that Hogwarts is a the safest of places, desperately hoping that he’d consider taking Arabella in as an assistant to the librarian, to keep them closer.

iii. other info :

marlene is very much the rebellious type, spending as little time in the slytherin dorm as possible. of course, they do have a couple people they consider to be a friend, marlene prefers the people in other houses. though the one time marlene will show house pride is when riding on a broom on the quidditch team as the team’s BEATER. as for clubs, marlene isn’t a fan of most school organized activities but they can’t help but love DUELING CLUB & MAGICAL CREATURES CLUB.

boggart. the sight of them being dragged by their mother down the aisle, in a very frilly white wedding dress, a symbol of their last ounce of freedom being ripped from them. wand. Elm wood with a phoenix feather core, 10 ¾" and brittle flexibility patronus.  The Black Stallion amortentia:

Crowded Concerts - think sweat, cigarettes, bodies pressed together, liquor filling everyone’s nostrils, this was something that brought a rare peace to Marlene McKinnon, closing her eyes and enjoying the bliss of loud music roaring around her and each and every scent that came along with, that was something that she loved.

New Leather - Something about the scent of a new jacket, a new car, you can’t go wrong with. Maybe it was because wearing leather, being surrounded by it was such a sin in her families’ eyes that she was drawn to the scent.

Campfires - Summers by the lake, lost in the sounds of birds chirping and roaring fires, what was better than that? Nothing, absolutely nothing.

additional headcanons.

marlene is without a doubt a jealous individual, not always in the romantic / sexual sense, but  with friendships, they can be very possessive, and protective and doesn’t like the idea of anyone else calling their best friend, their best friend.

marlene’s dream job was always to become a dragonologist and they want to travel the world. place # 1 on their list being jamaica.

Lignum Vitae, it’s the national flower of Jamaica, and Marlene’s absolute favorite flower. They’re not a romantic, but if someone showed up at their doorstep with one, they’d feel inclined to accept whatever offer they have ( within reason ofc, they're not a complete idiot )

They have both ears double pierced, and a healing belly button piercing. As for tattoos, they have a tiny heart just above her right butt cheek, though they plan on getting more once they don't have to worry so much about their parents.

Marlene has a scar on their inner thigh that has never faded, even with the help of magic.

Marlene’s boggart takes the shape of themselves in a wedding dress being dragged down the aisle by their mother, forced to marry someone they despise and losing their freedom once and for all.

THE CHARACTER CONNECTIONS —

childhood friend / partner in crime - a friend that Marlene made at a young age whom is also a pureblood, the gender can be any, of course. They clicked instantly and got into loads of trouble and would be the person mentioned in Marlene’s bio.

betrothed - due to their families’ hold over marlene, they’ve found it impossible to escape them entirely, and are therefore promised to marry someone who is also pureblood. it’d be preferred if they held more of the pureblood ideals as I reckon the McKinnons would want to push someone like themselves onto their child. TAKEN BY AMYCUS CARROW

someone they look up to - this character can not be a death eater and would preferably be a member of the order and someone that’s helping them in seeing the right path and will guide them eventually into becoming an order member, but right now, marlene’s status as being neutral and a family member to death eaters is of use for the order, and this person will see that.