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“Lily,” Sirius called, getting the redhead’s attention away from James for a moment. “Where’s Marlene?” Lily’s brow knitted together as she looked up and down the table.
“I’m not sure...” She bit her lip as she looked towards the teacher’s table. “We got woken up by a House Elf this morning asking her to go and see McGonagall about something, but...” But there was McGonagall sitting there talking with Dumbledore, with Marlene nowhere in sight. Sirius shared a glance with James, who pulled out the map and handed it over. Whispering the words to activate it, it didn’t take Sirius long to locate Marlene up in the Astronomy Tower. What had been simply curiosity about his girlfriend’s whereabouts turned into concern. It was their spot, yes, but it was also a spot they would go to when things were troubling them. Closing the map, he passed it back to his friend as he stood and made his way from the Great Hall, breaking into a run once he was out in the corridors.
The moment he arrived in the Tower his eyes landed on Marlene, sitting with her back to the railings and her arms wrapped around her knees. She didn’t even seem to notice him come in.
“Marls?” His voice was soft as he moved to sit beside her. “Marlene, what’s happened?” She was quiet for a long moment, and he was almost starting to wonder if she even knew he was there when she sniffed.
“It’s my dad.” Never had he heard her sound so small, or broken, and it made his heart ache. “They were attacked by Death Eaters last night. My mum and brothers are okay but... my dad...” Her hand went to her mouth as she shook her head, tears glistening at her eyes. No more words were needed for Sirius to understand. If Mr McKinnon was in St Mungos, Marlene would be there with him, not at school. Swallowing, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “I should have been with them. I could have helped them fight. If I hadn’t stayed here...”
“Then you could be dead, too.” He understood why she felt she should have been there. Any other year, she would have been, but this year she’d stayed at school with the rest of them. The thought of what could have happened if she had gone home was one that didn’t bear thinking about. Marlene’s head shook, lips opening as if she was about to argue, but Sirius didn’t give her a chance. “Listen to me, Marlene. Your parents are both trained Aurors. There is nothing you could have done to change what happened. It would have just meant they had one more person to try and protect.” As tough and talented as his girl was, he knew that she would have been outmatched by the bastards that had invaded her home. It seemed she knew it too, for the slight fire in her eyes finally faded and she crumpled, sobs wracking her body. Sirius’ arm tightened around her, the other one joining it as he held her close. He hated seeing her in so much pain, but he knew he couldn’t change what had happened. All he could do was be there for her, holding onto her as tight as he could as she broke down in his arms.