Summer Went Away
Marlene's blonde hair floated in wisps around her face, strands obscuring her vision. She groaned and swept it out of the way. She really should cut it one of these days. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and she sat dangerously close to the precipice of a cliff. The sound of footsteps and crunching dry leaves were heard faintly behind her. She sighed and rested her chin on her legs, not bothering to turn around.
"Hello, Regulus,"
The young boy sat down beside her, turning his piercing gray eyes to her dull blue ones. "I thought I might find you here."
"I'm always here." she pointed out, making him shrug.
The two sat in silence again, not bothering to talk or move.
Marlene didn't mind Regulus, she really didn't. In fact, he was the only person in Britain she might consider her friend. Thankfully, her illustrious family history allowed her to maintain their friendship. Her father, Atticus McKinnon, was the pureblood son of a well-renowned Magical Historian, whose works were read across all of Europe. With a legacy such as this, it made sense that he had fallen in love with Apolline DuBois, a French pure-blood family that fell second only to the Lestranges.
Marlene herself had grown up in France and attended Beaxbatons Academy when she turned eleven. Much to her mother's disappointment, however, she had been sorted into Papillionlisse rather than Ombrelune. Her own father had been happy regardless of what House she was in, not knowing much about Beaxbatons. He went to Hogwarts and had belonged to Ravenclaw House.
Due to her prestigious lineage, much of her childhood had been spent flitting to and from social gatherings and parties. It had only become worse when her brother, Alexandre, had won the Triwizard Champion two years ago.
It was during the marriage of Bellatrix Black and Rodolphus Lestrange that the McKinnons had become acquainted with the Blacks. Regulus and her, who were in the same year, had formed a tentative sort of friendship, which had culminated in their mothers allowing them to spend most of their summers together. It was better than having to visit the Lestranges every couple weeks, she supposed.
He had a brother too- Sirius Black. She rarely ever saw him, because he was barely ever home. Regulus was bitter about it, even if he never admitted it, that much she could tell. He preferred to spend most of the summer with "his boisterous Gryffindor friends" as Regulus put it. Marlene didn't care much for him, although she wouldn't deny that she had fancied him at some point.
"I'm worried," Regulus said suddenly, "Sirius, he's-"
That caught her attention. Regulus worried about Sirius, that much she knew. However, he would rather kiss a goblin than admit it out loud! What had happened?
She noticed he was shivering slightly, so little that it was barely noticeable, but it was so uncharacteristic for him that she couldn't help but take note of it.
"He's what?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Her blood-red lips had curved downwards into a frown.
"He's growing distant," he said, making Marlene perplexed. Didn't he always act like that? Seeing her confusion, he added, "And less rebellious. He doesn't talk back to Mother as much and he rarely denies Father. I... I think he's planning something."
Marlene gently rested her hand on his arm, making him stiffen. Still, it stopped the tremble that ran throughout his body.
"Don't worry too much about him," she said gently, "He'll be okay. I promise."
He looked at her, a look she had seen so often on her mother's face. He was unconvinced and uncertain, but he wasn't going to bother to argue.
That was the last time Regulus and Marlene spoke that summer as she headed back to France the next day. That should have been her first clue that this year would not be like the ones that preceded it. But after all, who could ever predict the actions of Sirius Black?