Work Text:
September 1971
“Marlene! Marlene come back when I’m talking to you!” Jeremy shouted from the other end of the carriage. Marlene turned to face him and gave a wide, exaggerated yawn. Jeremy might think that he could pretend to be her parent but he had no authority over her. Just because she was away from their parents, it didn’t mean that she suddenly had to start doing what he told her to. She returned the compartment she’d found with James and slid the door back open, but James was now joined by another boy who was lounging across two seats.
Marlene felt a ripple of jealousy. She’d teased him yesterday about how she’d find better friends as soon as she could, but she hadn’t meant it. Jamie was her friend, her best-friend. Marlene smiled politely at the boy and sat down beside him. He was rather nice looking, with dark hair and a handsome face set in a bored expression…but it didn’t matter how nice he looked, she absolutely refused to let this boy replace her. James didn’t need to be friends with boys anyway, she was better than any boy.
“Did you get lost?” James asked. “You’ve been gone ages.”
Marlene turned her attention back to James, he’d absolutely love this…he also knew that Jeremy was a complete prat. “No, Jeremy started giving me a lecture on what he doesn’t want me doing…don’t leave my common room after dark, don’t answer teachers back, don’t go in to the forest…oh don’t worry,” she reassured James when he rolled his eyes, “I’ll be doing all of those things.” He couldn’t have really thought she’d listen to Jeremy. Marlene looked expectantly between James and this new boy.
“Marlene, Sirius. Sirius, Marlene.” James introduced. Marlene smiled at Sirius and tried not laugh. He’d half bolted up in this seat, straightening his back and taking his legs off of the second chair. He looked quickly out of the window and Marlene was sure that his cheeks had gone a little pink. She also realised that it was the first time he’d looked away from her since she’d entered, and she brushed her hair to side self-consciously, trying to hide her face a little.
“Do you know if people usually get sorted into the same houses as their parents?” Sirius asked suddenly, there was an air of forced casualness to his voice that Marlene wasn’t sure that she particularly bought…as though he was trying very hard to maintain his carefree air.
“Well Jeremy’s in Gryffindor, same as Mum was. But Dad was in Slytherin.” Marlene said, thinking aloud.
“I always forget Mr McKinnon was in Slytherin.” James grinned. “You know, ‘cause he’s nice.” Marlene poked her tongue out at James. Her dad was nice; she had the best dad in the world. She could get anything she wanted if she used a well placed ‘But Daddy…’ to butter him up. He was such a soft touch compared to her mum, her mum never let her get away with anything. “Maybe if your parents were in different houses, you end up in one of the two?”
“Maybe.” Sirius said, sounding worried. The door slid open again and they were joined by a pretty girl with her shiny black hair braided into a long plait.
“Do you mind if I sit in here?” She asked, her eyes were red as though she’d been crying.
James smiled and patted the seat beside him. “Sure. I’m James, and this is Sirius and Marlene.”
“Mary.” She said, looked relieved to have found a friendly compartment.
“What houses were your parents in?” James asked her curiously. “If they went to Hogwarts, that is.”
“My Mum went to a wizarding school in Singapore, but my dad was in Hufflepuff.” Mary said. Marlene cocked her head in interest, she knew of a couple of people who had gone to other wizarding schools, people her parents and the Potters knew, but she’d never met any of them. “After Dad finished Hogwarts he left for Singapore to look after my Grandmother and that’s where my parents met. We moved to Canterbury when I was two. They had a huge fight about which school to send me to…what house do you think you’ll be in?” Mary asked her.
“She’ll be in Gryffindor.” James said firmly before she could even answer. “If I’m a Gryffindor then Marley’s definitely a Gryffindor. And I’m bound to be in Gryffindor.” He stood up and swung an imaginary sword. Marlene caught his eye and they grinned at each other. He was such an idiot but he was her idiot. She looked back at Sirius but he’d taken to staring out of the window again. She couldn’t understand why he looked so miserable. They were on their way to Hogwarts, it was going to be amazing. She’d be able to pay Jeremy back for when he jinxed her after she’d teased him about the girl he fancied. Last week she’d spent a whole day with her ears twitching...until her parents had got home and put her right. Sure, Jeremy had gotten a hiding but she wanted her own revenge.
“Anything to eat?” Asked an old lady pushing a trolley. Marlene bought a Pumpkin Pasty and noticed that Sirius did too. She grinned at him before she could stop herself, completely forgetting that she was supposed to be wary of people that Jamie might ditch her for.
“I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn’t be so bad.” Marlene mused. But even as she said it, it felt wrong. Gryffindor just felt like the right fit for her…she wasn’t even at Hogwarts yet but it was as thought the house was calling to her soul. “But it’s just not the same.” Sirius caught her eye, and for a moment she was sure that she recognised that same draw to it in his expression.
“I wouldn’t worry, Marley, not sure Ravenclaw would have you.” James teased.
“Oh shut up, James.” She muttered. She was definitely clever enough for Ravenclaw.
“So did your families all go to Hogwarts?” Mary asked.
“Yeah, I think all the Blacks did, every last one of them in Slytherin.” Sirius muttered darkly.
“You’re a Black?” Mary asked. “Aren’t they a little—”
“Mad?” Marlene smirked before she could stop herself, at the same time James asked ‘up themselves?’
“I’d have said strikingly attractive.” Sirius laughed — Marlene rather thought he had a point. “But yeah, I guess those apply too.” Sirius seemed to relax into the seat again, though without taking up quite as much room as he had done when she’d entered the compartment.