3rd of August, 1980
Breathless, Marlene doesn’t wait for more than a second after they’ve apparated to safety to rush to her girlfriend, who is bent over with her hands on her knees, dry heaving into the bushes beside them.
“Dorcas? Are you ok babe?”
“I’m-“ Her girlfriend’s voice fails her for a second and she lifts a finger in a ‘give me a second’ gesture. Dorcas coughs, harsh, before straightening to grimace in Marlene’s direction. “I mean, I’ve got all my body parts. Which is always a plus after apparating.”
Marlene chuckles softly before flinging herself on her girlfriend, feeling the telltale prickling of tears in the back of her throat. She’s gotten all too accustomed to the feeling lately. “I really- I really thought-“ She chokes and Dorcas hums, rubbing Marlene’s back as she shudders into her girlfriend’s chest.
“I know honey. I know. But we’re ok. See. I’m ok. You’re ok. We’re fine.”
“But they- they- Serafina…“ Marlene chokes and then she’s fully sobbing into Dorcas’ chest, adrenaline finally dissolving entirely, leaving only the terror of the ambush behind.
Marlene, Dorcas, and Serafina Wilken, a senior Order member, had been sent to escort a supposed group of potential allies from the border to a safe house. It had taken a blinding curse hitting a surprised Serafina’s chest before she fell, already dead, to the ground to realise they had been set up. With curses flying every direction, it had only been Marlene’s lightning quick beater reflexes that had snatched her girlfriend to her chest and apparated them both as far away as she could manage.
“I know,” Dorcas is mumbling into Marlene’s head where she places kiss after frantic kiss, as though to assure herself that Marlene is there, and safe. “You were so brave Marls. You saved us.”
That only makes Marlene cry louder. She saved them. But she couldn’t save Serafina.
“We know this is the risk, honey. We know this when we sign up. It’s not your fault. Life is being stolen too fast. It’s war. People aren’t going to be able to live their long lives unless we fight for them,” Dorcas keeps trying and as much as the words don’t help, they do stele Marlene’s nerves enough to take a shuddering breath and pull away from her girlfriend, furiously swiping the tears from her eyes. She puts her hands on Dorcas’ shoulders and looks her dead in the eyes. Dorcas eyes widen a little at the contact, but she dutifully holds it, waiting for Marlene to speak.
She does, barely hesitating. “Dorcas. I want to marry you.”
“I- what?” Dorcas mumbles, brows flying to her hairline. She folds her arms nervously and Marlene has to take a deep breath before she can speak again.
“We are also people. Who’s to say we can’t live our lives whilst trying to save everyone else’s?” Marlene demands, lifting her chin. “You said it yourself: life is being stolen too fast. So why don’t we steal a bit of it back? I want to marry you, Dorcas. I have wanted to marry you since I was eleven years old. Whether we do it now, tomorrow, after the war- none of it matters. As long as you agree to make me happy once this war has ended and we can live our long lives, married." She stumbles, tears rimming her lids but barrels on, determined to finish. "I know it’s not the time for any sort of proposal. I don't even have a ring. And I know we just lost a friend. But it’s happening every day. Forgive me if I want to be with the one I love for the rest of my life, for however much of it I have left.”
“Don’t talk like that,” Dorcas mutters, eyes swiftly filling with tears. “Don’t talk like you could die right now.”
“I could,” Marlene replies bluntly. “We can. You know that.” She swiftly backtracks. “But if you don’t want to- I- I know we’re only 18, so it might be too much, but I just thought-“
And then Dorcas is kissing her, hard and quick, like she’s trying to imprint her own lips on Marlene’s. Marlene melts. This is how they have always been, unapologetically harsh and taking but also gentle and kind when they need to be. When Dorcas pulls away, Marlene waits, fingers twitching by her side as she waits for her girlfriend’s answer.
“I don’t want to get married in the middle of a war…” Dorcas starts slowly, and Marlene’s heart begins to sink, even as it clings desperately to the hesitancy in Dorcas’ voice. “But I do want to marry you, Marlene. I’ve loved you ever since I’ve known it was allowed, and I suspect a lot before that too. How about we promise to survive this war, and then we can get married afterwards?”
Marlene feels her eyes well with joyed tears this time. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Dorcas nods, red lining her own eyes. “Yes, I’m sure. I love you.”
Marlene hiccups on a sob. “I love you too.”
And then they’re holding each other, not kissing, just clinging to each other as the anxiety of the last hours mingles with the hope and the love they hold for the other washes over them.
“We have to keep moving babe,” Marlene whispers into Dorcas’ shoulder. “We can’t have them tracing the apparition and coming to find us.”
Shuddering, Dorcas pulls away to nod and hand in hand, they apparate twice more at random before finally arriving back at Potter Manor, their temporary home until they can find a more permanent solution. Effie and Monty have been nothing but welcoming to the pair, and Marlene will forever be grateful to them. The Potters had insisted that as long as they needed, Dorcas and Marlene were free to stay, saying their ‘spare rooms would be much better in use than gathering dust’.
Now they were getting married though, they may need to put more serious thought into their own apartment.
“Hey Ma, do you know where–“ James is shouting, coming down the stairs four at a time, before he spies Marlene and Dorcas holding each other by the front door. “Oh, hey girls. How was the escort?” James asks, concern beginning to cloud his eyes as he sees the state they’re in. “Are you ok?”
“We-“ Marlene tries but she chokes on the words. Her knees suddenly begin trembling so hard she can no longer support herself and she sinks slowly to the ground. Dorcas lowers herself with her, worry and pain in her eyes. It makes Marlene press on. “We- It was- they ambushed us,” She whimpers, words a whisper. “I couldn’t… I couldn’t save her, James. They killed Serafina.”
He sucks in a sharp breath at that and quickly moves to Marlene’s side as she starts weeping into Dorcas again, calling for his Ma.
Marlene doesn’t think to mention her engagement or future wedding for a long while after that.