emergency.

ϟ.  → priscilla quintana : cis female : she/her : hit witch : hardline by julien baker ϟ  did you see MARLENE MCKINNON ? you know ,  26 year old PUREBLOOD who was formally in gryffindor . some say marlene can be quite sincere but are known to be hedonistic. they are aligned with the order.  maybe that’s why they remind me of club lights and cigarette smoke; bitten lips, bruises, bloodstains that won’t wash out, bare feet on hardwood floors.

                                    about marlene 

—

Andromeda really hoped that Marlene didn’t have that much to say to her. She had a pile of work she needed to get through. Things were just piling up, and it was dreadful. She had come into this job to defend people, and she hated all the paperwork that came with it. Of course, it was all part of the job, but it was annoying. So, she really didn’t want to have to deal with Marlene and any of her cases on top of things. Andromeda was a defence lawyer for a reason. She liked to defend people, and most of the hit wixen and aurors didn’t appreciate that.

She noted the cool tone that the woman had. She supposed she had the same with her. Andy really didn’t get what the appeal was with the woman in front of her. “Depends how long your second is” Because if she wanted to talk about a case it was going to be longer than a second. “I’m in court this afternoon.” Not that Marlene would care about that, but she just wanted the other woman to know she had a busy day.

“My office is just down here.” She murmured, motioning for Marlene to follow her. Without waiting to see if she was, she headed to her office, pushing the door open. She waved her wand, setting her coffee brewing, before dumping her things onto her desk.

...

Andromeda turned her back to Marlene and stepped into the office which provided Marlene a brief second of relief to roll her eyes. Dismissive, rude. No wonder Amycus isn’t giving this engagement thing a real try. The thought surprised her in its bitterness and was followed by a wave of guilt. Marlene wasn’t competing with the other witch for his affections was she? If he ended it tomorrow, she’d be fine with that. It would be for the best. No, she reassured herself, there was no jealousy there. Andromeda simply shared her cousin’s talent for getting under her skin.

“Fine, not a second. Not all morning either.” Marlene remained standing. “It’s a heads up, and a request. We’d like to bring Portchester in to make a statement at this point in the investigation. We’ll be issuing that request by the end of this week. Obviously, he’ll seek your advice. We want the truth and as always, would appreciate everyone involved cooperating.” Marlene did her best to maintain open channels with legal counsel. She wanted the truth, and good relationships across the bench were key. In the past, it was rare for a Hit Wix to be involved in this type of investigation but the war had brought untidy incidents across their desks, and Marlene had found herself co-leading investigations with the Auror department right up to the court room.

—

Alice was grateful that the conversation had taken a turn from the recent tragic events. She hadn’t really thought about her own wedding. And even if she had been in a serious relationship, she really wouldn’t want to get married during a war. There were more important things to be spending her time on. “That is implying that Sirius will be the groom….” Alice mused with a little shrug. The pair had been dancing around each other ever since they had broken up. “Between you and me? Whilst I’d love to see Walburga and Bellatrix’s faces at him marrying someone so unworthy as me….. I don’t think it’ll happen.”

...

At twenty-five, Marlene’s own parents had had careers, success, wedding rings. They had a chubby little baby boy, a flat all to themselves. At twenty-five, Marlene had two roommates and a pretty decent sex life. A job she hated. What did her parents think about how she lived her life now? They were probably just happy that she was alive at all, after Matthew. “Ooh do you have someone else in mind?” She teased, though she knew how volatile Alice’s relationship with Sirius was. “I’m sure the Black’s wouldn’t show on the day anyway.”

A HEAVY SMELL OF INCENSE HUNG IN THE AIR OF THE POTION SHOP. It stung Marlene’s nose, though she supposed she should be grateful that it covered the putrid smell that she knew to emanate off more than a few of these ingredients: voodoo lilies, vampire bile, goat’s hooves. The walls were crowded with shelves upon shelves but Marlene’s interests were fairly mundane; ingredients for a few cosmetic potions and a couple of healing draughts. She made her way slowly through the shop; grabbing bitter root and a jar of African sea salt. Dittany, dittany. Not sorted alphabetically. What sort of system did the shop use to organize its supplies? Brow furrowed, she glanced down a cramped aisle of shelves that she had already searched and found herself frowning at a familiar face. “Oh, Severus. Fancy meeting you here.”

THE RECEPTION AT ST. MUNGOS WAS BUSTLING, AS ALWAYS. There was a frizzy-haired witch yelling at the receptionist, a baby wailing, a boy of about four sitting with his thumb in his mouth looking red faced and in shock. Marlene could remember her first time here, after breaking her wrist. She had been eight years old, and Mungo’s was three times the size of the other hospitals she had been in before. It had been overwhelming. They had waited two hours to be seen. These days, Marlene was too regular a customer to wait for long. Instead, she slipped up a staircase with enough confidence to pass nurses and healers by unquestioned; to the third floor exam room where Ted usually worked. Each step, each breath was painful as her lungs expanded to meet her ribs. Fighting with Fenrir had been a mistake – they were probably broken. It was a relief to reach Ted’s door, to lean her weight against the wall outside as she knocked. “Hello?” She called, “VIP patient incoming!”

CASPER HATED THAT HE NEEDED HER SERVICES. Had she not humiliated him enough? He had hardly spoken to her since the proposal had been rejected -- though it wasn’t as if they had spoken much before, either. Yet here he was, with a near priceless cursed vase covered in some unknown magical plant in front of the door of the best Herbologist he knew. It was a shame she wouldn’t marry him. Advanced skills in herbology would have come in useful at the shop. He stepped into her workshop, determined to keep his manner polite, formal, charming though he felt quite angry when he though of her. “Celeste?” He called out. “It’s Casper Burke. Would you have some time to help me with a... little problem?” Cas glanced down at the bag in his hand, careful of the two inch spikes protruding from the top. 

xxxxxxxx

“good, because that would be terrible mistake to make.” specially since fenrir is the type to bite the hand that feeds - literally.  marlene’s sing song voice dances through his head, leaving a trail of stardust in its wake. he’s always enjoyed the stimulation of a conversation with a beautiful woman and she’s captivating in her introverted but curious manner. he also knows from experience that she is not as delicate as she looks, but carries a powerful punch. of course, she’s no match for someone with his abilities but the last time they found themselves inside the ring she was able to hold her own. he likes that she never cowered in front of him like most usually do. getting bit changed everything and it wasn’t always in obvious ways. becoming a werewolf was in many ways dying and being reborn a completely new person. fenrir had completely cleansed himself of his human life upon dying and became a legendary mass murderer. he has brief moments of feeling almost human, but he’s still long dead. being reborn  gave him some power. 

he takes another drink and chuckles at her words. fenrir looks at him, seizing her up. “serves you well for challenging me.” there’s teasing behind his tone but also some truth. what chance could a witch ever have against him? “is this your way of asking for a rematch? honestly marlene, you’re too pretty to be this suicidal.”

...

“It’s good that you know that I’m pretty,” Body image had never really been an issue for Marlene, nor had romantic self-confidence. She could probably flirt with a brick wall, if she tried, “but it won’t stop me from beating you.” The physical mismatch was laughable. Greyback had height, weight, reach, strength on his side. And a vicious nature besides, but Marlene was stronger than she liked, she knew how to throw a punch and she was quick on her feet. In muggle boxing, they didn’t allow men and women to compete together. She doubted they’d approve of a werewolf and a woman. Yet here they were, in this shitty old warehouse sharing banter to a background soundtrack of grunting, vague taunts and skin hitting skin. She couldn’t bring herself to address the second half of his comment.  

Was that what she was doing? Chasing death, as though it weren’t coming fast enough for her already? A memory came to her: her parents at her brother’s funeral and her mother angry like Marlene had never seen her angry before, cursing that Matthew’s bravery had gotten him killed. Matt had died honorably, in service to this awful war but Marlene, how would she go? What would her mother say if she it was the drugs that killed her? Or she died fighting for fun? Yet Marlene didn’t know how to stop. She didn’t know another way to live. She could hardly imagine a future for herself without pain at the center.

“I guess I am asking for a rematch, if you’re up for it.” Fenrir seemed the sort who couldn’t back down from a challenge. 

THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A VAMPIRE NEST.  Nasty business. London had miles of tunnels -- mostly old sewers, some of which were still in use. Marlene had used a neat little charm to clear a path through the sludge but it was not pleasant work. She had been itching to get back into the field again after a week of near constant administration. Typically, she preferred Order work anyway. It was more relaxed, more informal. There was no careful escalation, trying to prevent violence. Marlene would not have to justify any decision she made in the heat of the moment. She liked working with Edgar too. He made her feel safer, even down here. “Ugh.” She groaned, shining the light on the tip of her wand down on her old boots. “I’m going to have to throw these out after this, aren’t I? And that smell...”

Working in the Department of Law Enforcement was fun and all. But there were some unsavoury people that she would have much preferred to see six feet under, than at work. Marlene Mckinnon was one of those people. Andy didn’t know why, but she just didn’t like the other woman. Of course, that was the case with most people. Andy have grown up, keeping people at arms length, and not letting them in. To be honest, she probably wouldn’t have wanted to be friends with Marlene anyway. 

She tended to try to avoid the other woman in work. In reality, she tried to avoid most people she didn’t. It was a little difficult considering she as a barrister though, so they did have to have some interaction. She was just heading to her office when she saw that Marlene was walking the opposite way.

“Good morning” She murmured, with a nod. She might not like the woman, but she could at least be nice. @passicnateyet​

...

Marlene made a habit of avoiding most of the Blacks. They had a reputation as dark as their name and even Sirius, with his strong moral compass, could rile her up with little effort. Usually, it wasn’t hard. She did not move in the same circles as the Black sisters, or Regulus. Andromeda passed by her in the Department regularly, but they only rarely had reason to interact -- and more than ever lately, Marlene didn’t want to. She’d been procrastinating asking Andromeda about a case she was working for a week.

This was a new level of avoidance for Marlene: active, rather than passive. She knew, intellectually, that she wasn’t doing anything wrong. That Amycus and Andromeda were a purely political match. It didn’t stop her stomach from lurching with guilt when she saw her.

Still, she had to take the opportunity. “Morning, Andromeda. Do you mind if I grab you for a second?” Marlene kept her tone cool, professional - though the words came out a little too fast. “It’s uh- about the Portchester case.” That’s it, that’s all. “We could speak about in my office or yours?”

Amycus couldn’t stop himself as he turned his head and looked at her with a smirk. He should get up and walk away. Every time things started getting this far that thought crossed his mind. And yet he remained where he was as his eyes drifted down to her lips for just a second before he leaned in towards her, dropping his voice as he spoke. “If you think I won’t demand everyone leave right now to do just that then you are very much mistaken.” He said quietly. “Or maybe you would like it if people watched.”

...

The tension between them was palpable, exciting. Dangerous. Marlene could believe that Amycus would follow through on his threat (or was it a promise?) and she could believe that the everyone in this bar would walk out if he told them to - though she wasn’t quite sure what that said about his reputation. She wasn’t going to win this game. She wasn’t going to lose either. Marlene closed the gap between them until her nose brushed his. “Maybe I would.” She pressed her lips against his, brief and hard before pulling away. “We should go, take the bottle with us.” 

—–

     THE BAR WAS GROWING QUIET, BUT MARLOWE BARELY REALIZED. She was caught up in her own story; in her world that had once been reality. Lowe knew that she wanted to go back, could feel it even as she spoke about the adventures she’d once had. Still, these days she knew it was impossible. There was more she could be doing; more people she could be helping here. And, beyond all that, she couldn’t leave her family. Not now. Maybe not ever again. While she loved her dragons, there were a few aspects of life that had always been more important to her. 

     “Oh, if y’just saw em’ right after they’re hatched,” Lowe giggled, shaking her head. “The poor little guys still don’t know how to walk. Got those little wobbly legs and everything. I wish they’d stay that small.” Then again, that would be another creature entirely, wouldn’t it? A dragon that could remain in your hand. 

    At Mar’s question, Lowe couldn’t help but smile softly. “I don’t know,” she said, honestly. “I hope so. I know I’ll have to go at least to Peru soon. Got a problem with a little guy out there. That one wouldn’t be a whole lot of fun for an outsider, though. Might actually get a little burned.” Lowe laughed a little and then leaned back in her seat, shaking her head. “Oh, y’know how it is. Gideon would have my head if I stayed away for much longer. I think he was getting annoyed with all my stories at Christmas. They were much better than his, in my humble opinion.”

...

It was difficult to picture a dragon that could fit in the size of your hand. Marlene had seen the babies in a textbook - and once, in real life, from the safe distance of half a mile away. That had been in Mexico, near a dig site. She had felt terror and awe at a creature almost too large to be real. It was incredible to think that Marlowe had worked next to them everyday. “I wonder will they ever do that. Bet someone out there could magically breed them small. A pet dragon would definitely be cooler than a cat. And cuddlier than my cat, I’d bet.” It would not take much to be cuddlier than Corinth. 

Marlene laughed softly. “A little guy. Sure.” She shook her head at Lowe’s casual attitude. “I’ll give Peru a miss anyway. As helpful as my Spanish might be, I don’t like to think of myself as crispy.” She took the last sip of her drink and grinned. “Gideon just can’t tell you any of our best stories. They’re super classified. And uh, not what you want to hear while you’re eating your Christmas dinner.”

She looked around the pub and back to her friend. It was easy, with Marlowe’s warm energy and big personality, to feel as if there was still an atmosphere - but it was probably time to call it. “Will we go? I can walk you home. Or I have a bottle of wine at home?” Marlene had no fears about walking through Muggle London in the dark, with her wand always in reach. 

——

     A PART OF THEM FELT BADLY WHEN MARLENE REPLACED TWIN WITH CLONE. They knew how hard it had been; how the light had wen out of her eyes for a little while. Kings couldn’t imagine that pain, and still, to this day, found themself tensing over the memory of Marlene after the news had hit. They tried to bring themself back to the present, but all they could think about were the folks who lost their families today; the folks who had, just like Marlene, had their very souls ripped from their chests. 

    Still, he was glad, for now, to see her joking, even if it was a bit awkward still. They didn’t know if it would last, but Kings would hold onto it, while they still could. “Oh, the clone is productive too? Blimey, where can I find her?” They were teasing, looking over their shoulder, trying their best to keep this thread. It was weak, though, because the anxiety was still living in his stomach like acid. “Nah, there’s no one better than you, McKinnon.”

    The honesty made them pause, and for a second they wondered if they’d gone too far. Still, she didn’t seem to want to run back into her office, so they nodded their head for her to follow him. “There’s a couple of guard-houses around the lot. We can’t go on; I think Moody would have my head. But, I just want to interview them. Need someone to be there in case we’re questioned, and… in case I get…” They waved their hand, knowing she would know what he meant. Sometimes, he couldn’t stop himself from saying exactly what was on their mind. 

...

“I dunno, but if you do let me know. I’d like to train her to go to work for me. Do some of the other boring jobs too - I don’t know when the last time I mopped was.” Marlene allowed herself, just for a moment, to relax into the familiar rhythm of joking with Kingsley. 

Until he cut through it bruising sincerity. The silence that followed was just a beat too long while Marlene scrambled for a response. There’s no one better than you, McKinnon. It echoed in her head. Was that still how he felt? She wondered how much of her they would recognize now. They saw her in work, and at Order meetings. They had only hung out once in the last year, after Matt’s death, when it was acceptable for Marlene to be falling apart. She couldn’t help but think that they would be ashamed of her now. “We’ll see about that.” Marlene settled for a weak response and a poor attempt at keeping her tone light and jovial.

Kingsley redirected the conversation to the work at hand, a much needed distraction. Probably for the both of them. “The buddy system, I know.” Marlene cut in quickly this time. Death was always present in the office. She did not like to acknowledge it. Both Aurors and hit wixes worked in pairs, and the Order avoided solo missions too. She had been glad of that more than once. “Shall we apparate?”

who: marlene mckinnon ( @passicnateyet​ ) where: cafe in diagon alley

Celeste must have read the news article at least a dozen times but now. Yet she couldn’t shake the horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. These were the people she had promised her loyalty too. But she still couldn’t wrap her head around being one of them. Was she capable of something like that? Absolutely she wasn’t. But that didn’t mean she hasn’t done horrible things. So was she any better? She wasn’t sure. She liked to think she was but she wasn’t so sure anymore.

Glancing up, she quickly folded the paper up and shoved it into her bag when she saw Marlene walking towards her table. Those thoughts were for another time. “You’re late.” She said in way of greeting, her tone as cold as usual. But there was a hint of a smile on her face that showed she wasn’t really annoyed. “What kept you?”

...

The time had gotten away from her. She had fed the cat and put on some laundry and showered... and somewhere along the way the morning had completely gotten away from her. Her work in the Ministry, and in the Order - often time sensitive in nature - had forced her to improve her punctuality, but it did not seem to extend to her social life. Honestly, she was just glad to see Celeste still waiting for her.

Marlene countered her friend’s cold tone with a warm smile and a breathless greeting as she took the chair across from her. “Oh you know, think I might need a new clock.” She glanced down at the folded newspaper poking out of Celeste’s handbag. “Hard to believe, isn’t it?” Marlene gestured vaguely. “What happened, I mean. Work’s been crazy.” 

—

Alice just sighed, but was glad of her friends presence. At least it would distract her from her report for a little while. Alice detested paperwork, and she would much rather be out in the field. But she understood why she needed to be doing paperwork. It didn’t mean that she had to enjoy it though. “Too many.” She murmured, a frown on her face. “I can count at least 4 from Sirius’ family alone.” And sure, she might not be fully sure that Sirius’ family were among the death eaters, but she would been more shocked if they weren’t. “Not even mine?” She murmured, waggling her eyebrows. “But I feel you….. I don’t really want to go to any big events right now….”

...

Alice’s mention of Sirius’s family forced Marlene to reckon briefly with a thought she usually avoided: how many of the people she saw every day or passed on Diagon Alley believed in the Death Eater’s cause? The minority, she still tried to believe, though it got harder with each month and year. Marlene grimaced. “That’s not even worth thinking about.” She was glad of the mention of their non-existent weddings, a chance for some light-hearted teasing. “I don’t know that Sirius will let you invite me to your wedding, Alice.”

      “—I sort of have to be . “ She chuckled . “ I have another sibling and a grandfather I visit often and both of them can’t cook or know what to shop for if their life depended on it . “ Diana lightly laughed but she didn’t mind it . She loved doing those things for them . One thing she had over their heads while they had magic . “ Nice to meet you too . “ She agreed . “ Not really ? I mean , I help out in the Beast division . I work a lot along side creatures .” She smiled .” Newt Scamander personally mentored me .” Meaning despite being a muggle , she had the credentials .

...

The McKinnons were a similarly disorganized bunch. Her mother was the most organized of the lot of them, but too taken by her work to focus on the domestic. Her father could cook - but usually resorted to improvising with what ingredients he had on hand or could get a short notice. She missed the chaos of family meals. “They’re lucky to have you. My family hardly has one level head between five of us.” Four, she reminded herself. Four now. “Newt Scamander? Merlin. I work in magical law enforcement.” Marlene returned Diana’s smile. “With a different kind of beast.”

Almost instantly Sirius was regretting his decision to try and ask Marlene for help. He had to suppress the sigh that was threatening to leave him. If he wanted her help then he needed to at least try to be nice. Even if there was a multitude of retorts running around his head right now. But he felt like this might be important. So he would push past the urge to just roll his eyes and walk away.

“I just need someone to look over these.” He said and held up the stack of files he had in his hands. He had spent hours reading them over and over. At this point he had probably memorised them all. But, he’d looked at them too much. And he wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about them until someone else could say if it was worth his time or not. “I think these attacks were caused by the same person. But I’ve looked at it for so long I’m not sure if I’m imagining it or not. So if you had the time to look them over I’d owe you a favour.” That last part he said reluctantly. Owing Marlene a favour wasn’t exactly something he wanted but he was desperate at this point.

...

It was serious, Marlene knew, if Sirius wasn’t biting back. It was probably unfair to keep at him, though he made it so easy. It was like scratching an itch, viscerally satisfying to get under Sirius’s skin. She looked at the stack of files - thick and full of misery. “Okay,” she conceded. “But I’m gonna hang on to that favour.” No wonder Sirius half-hated her. 

“The same person...” Marlene mused, taking one file off of him. She sat down at the empty desk next to Sirius’s - Kingsley’s, she knew instantly. “I suppose if we could establish a particular pattern it would get us closer to figuring out who... although it’s complicated because we don’t know how many there are. How many people does it take to kill fifty?” Marlene allowed her thoughts to stream out as she read through the file. “What did you see?”