marls-mckinsā:
***
Marlene was impatient, and it was almost unbearable to sit through ordering their drinks waiting to hear what Petra had to say. And there was something to say, clearly. Otherwise the other woman would have dismissed her with a quizzical look. Marleneās understanding of the situation had been that only Order members and those who helped The Order had these memories. She had assumed that Dumbledore had been responsible somehow and part of the reason she had left was his refusal to tell her anything about the situation. What reason could he have for giving Petra memories?
When they finally had a charm cast and the chance to speak Marlene leant in to listen intently.Ā āAnd the first time around, in those future twenty years, what interactions did you have with The Order of the Phoenix? Or Albus Dumbledore?ā Marlene hoped she wasnāt close to him. She needed someone right now who wasnāt part of The Order that she could trust.Ā āYour family too? How many of them? Were any of them involved with the war?ā
.
āNone. I kept my family out of the war. Professor McGonagall evacuated all the students who didnāt want to fight or who werenāt of age during the final battle, thank Merlin. They apparated home and we just hunkered down until it was over. If anything, we were unfortunately associated with the other side. My parents-in-law are Death Eaters. During the first war, they allowed them unrestricted access to the greenhouses for whatever they needed. I and my husband were...we were far too frightened when they showed up in the second war to try to deny them.ā
Petra took a slow sip of her drink and took a deep breath.Ā āI recognize that we were in an extremely privileged position, just protecting our own without worrying too much about how things turned out. We privately thought it was horrible, what the Death Eaters were doing. But neither of us are fighters. We just did what we felt we had to for our girls to be safe.ā
She finally looked back up at Marlene. She was unable to keep the guilt out of her eyes. The question had her furrowing her brow.Ā āErm. My husband, his sisters, and one of their spouses are the only ones Iāve spoken to about it. One of them fought alongside the Order in the final battle, but as far as I know that was her only association with them.ā













