Golden Years

Marlene and Dorcas

“So, drinks?” Dorcas asked as Marlene tugged her forwards. She tried not to blush as she looked at Marlene’s hand clutching her own.

“Drinks,” Marlene said decisively. “If I’m gonna deal with Lily and James dancing around talking about their feelings all night, there’s no way I’m staying sober.”

Dorcas laughed and allowed herself to be led through the throngs of people. She wasn’t sure if Marlene noticed, but all the eyes seemed to be on them. Well, not on them, but on Marlene. As she passed by, it seemed nobody could stop themselves from looking at her appreciatively. Dorcas didn’t like this in the slightest, slowing her pace as she glared.

“Cas?” Marlene asked when Dorcas slowed. “You ok?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Dorcas stammered. She was hoping Marlene wouldn’t notice her sudden shift of mood. “Actually, my hand kinda hurts,” she chuckled, wringing her hand when Marlene let go of it.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, it’s just so crowded and I didn’t want to lose you. Here, come on, the drinks are in the next room, we just have to make it through this crowd.”

This time, as the girls set off, Marlene placed a guiding hand on Dorcas’s lower back, keeping her close to her side. This time, whenever someone began to look at Marlene, they looked away as soon as they noticed Dorcas beside her.

‘Good,’ Dorcas thought triumphantly. ‘Now they know she’s mine.’ Dorcas startled herself at the thought. She knew Marlene wasn’t hers, and her own possessive behavior scared her a bit.

‘Marlene belongs to herself. Cut that shit out, Meadowes,’ she berated herself.

“Cas? What’s up? You seem a little preoccupied,” Marlene said.

“Oh, I’m just… thinking about what Lily told us,” Dorcas replied, unwilling to even hint at her true thoughts, which remained on the girl beside her.

“Hey, don’t worry about that.” Marlene pulled Dorcas closer. “We’re at a party, it’s Christmas, and we have a while until school and all the stress it brings. Tonight belongs to us, Cas.”

“Yeah,” Dorcas answered, thinking it over. “Yeah, you’re right, Marls.”

“Of course I am, darling, it’s me we’re talking about,” Marlene smirked. “Now let’s get in line for drinks.”

As they entered the line, Dorcas retreated back into her thoughts. It was something she did often, hiding inside her mind. It made things easier. Dorcas didn’t have a bad life, not at all. Her parents may be a bit absent, but who could blame them? They had demanding jobs. Her friends all seemed to have people that they cared about a little more than her, but that was alright. She had never been anyone’s favorite, she didn’t need to be. She could handle being the second choice. And yeah, maybe she was hopelessly in love with a girl who was wildly out of her league and would never love her back. But hey, that’s life, right? She chuckled humorlessly to herself.

Finally they were at the front of the line for drinks. Marlene grabbed two cups and filled them both with punch. The bowl refilled itself as they walked away.

“So, we need a plan,” Marlene stated, eyes twinkling.

“For what exactly?”

“Setting up Lily and James, obviously.”

“Oh right,” Dorcas said, blushing slightly. No matter what she did, she couldn’t seem to keep her thoughts off Marlene. “So, what do you think we should do?”

“Hmm. Well, obviously we want to get them together sooner rather than later. Oh wait. Wait. Oh my god I’ve totally got it,” Marlene exclaimed, bouncing adorably on her heels.

“What?” Dorcas asked. “What’s the plan?”

“We get them under the mistletoe! Can’t believe I didn’t think of that before, it’s so obvious.”

“There’s mistletoe?”

“Dorcas, it’s a Christmas party, of course there’ll be mistletoe. All we have to do is get James and Lily under it!” Marlene replied. “But how?”

“I can grab James and tell him I need him for something, and you can grab Lily, and we can both bring them towards the mistletoe?” Dorcas suggested. Heat flared in her stomach when Marlene bit her lip, seemingly thinking it over.

“Yeah, that could work. Wait, do you know where the mistletoe is?” Marlene asked.

“Uh, no, but I’ll find it,” Dorcas stuttered slightly, cursing herself in her head for her awkwardness.

“Come on, I’ll show you so you know for sure,” Marlene responded, grabbing Dorcas’s hand again to pull her through the room.

Dorcas couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. The music in the ballroom was classical, but it was loud as well. Everyone was talking loudly and laughing, and the sounds and the movement around Dorcas began to seem too loud, beating on her mind as she tried to shake it off. The noise built and built until it roared in her ears, a cacophony of cheerful sounds that seemed more like thunder.

Marlene looked over her shoulder. Dorcas’s face seemed to be set in a permanent grimace. She stopped walking. “Cas, are you alright?”

Dorcas nodded, trying to smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine.” The music went into a crescendo and Dorcas winced noticeably.

“The music is too loud, isn’t it?” Marlene guessed. Dorcas looked ashamed but she nodded slightly. Marlene grabbed her and steered her out of the ballroom and into a closet down the hall.

Dorcas leaned against the wall, hiding her face with her hands. Her face was red and she was curling in on herself, embarrassed and shaking slightly. Marlene couldn’t stand to see Dorcas so upset.

“Cas? Can you look at me, darling?” She whispered. Dorcas shook her head. “Ok, that’s alright. Just listen to my voice, ok? Don’t listen to anything else, just my voice. It’s alright. You’re ok. I know it sucks to have the world feel entirely too big for a minute. It’s not your fault though. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s ok. You’re alright.” Marlene soothed her friend gently. Dorcas took her head out of her hands slowly. Marlene hadn’t realized how close their faces were until there were only a few inches between them.

“I’m ok,” Dorcas whispered. “I’m alright.”

“Of course you are,” Marlene replied gently.

“Yeah. Sorry I freaked out.”

“Don’t apologize. It’s ok, it wasn’t your fault. I get like that too sometimes, you know? Everything is just too loud, or too quiet, and suddenly the world is way too big for you to handle.”

“Yeah. It sucks,” Dorcas laughed weakly. Marlene smiled in response. She gazed into Dorcas’s eyes. She never noticed the way they captured light, turning the smallest of beams into flecks of gold surrounded by gleaming chestnut. She leaned in subconsciously.

Dorcas felt her face heating up as Marlene looked at her and got even closer. It was practically the beginning of all of her dreams, but Marlene didn’t want that. She didn’t want Dorcas. And it was unfair to let her get so close when she didn’t know about how Dorcas felt. It felt too much like taking advantage of her.

“So, uh, should we rejoin the party?” Dorcas asked awkwardly, hoping to at least get Marlene a few inches away from her. She wasn’t sure how long she could control herself with Marlene so close.

“Hmmm?” Marlene said, pulled out of her trance, moving away slightly. Dorcas was glad she had moved, and simultaneously disappointed. “Oh yeah, sure.”

“Ok good, because I…. Wait, do you smell something?”

“What do you mean?”

“It smells like smoke.”

——————————————————————————————

Frank and Alice

“So, you wanna find the dance floor?” Frank grinned.

“I guess,” Alice replied with a smile. “I could use some relaxation.”

“Hey, my mum wasn’t that stressful to be around!”

“No, she was nice, she was just.. intense, you know?” Alice said. “She has a lot of high expectations, which is good, but also kind of crazy?”

“Yeah, I get it,” Frank responded, rubbing the back of his neck. “She’s always been like that.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She means well, she just wants me to succeed, but…”

“It’s stressful?”

“Yeah,” Frank chuckled. “That about sums it up. I mean, she just wants me to have a good life, but it has to be a good life by traditional standards. I have to get a good job, marry the love of my life, have two kids and settle down in the suburbs in a two-story house with a white picket fence. And I know that even if I don’t do all of that Mum’ll still be proud of me, but I still feel like not being the best by her standards means letting her down.”

“Well, hey, you’re pretty fantastic, you know? Without even trying,” Alice said. “You’re clever, you’re smart, you’re handsome-“

“Alice, hey, you don’t have to do this,” Frank responded. “We can just go dance.”

“I know, but I want to tell you this. I like complimenting you. You get stuck in your own head so often, you know? And you really are brilliant Frank. Believe me. You’ll be an Auror, and so will I, and we’ll be a kickass duo. You don’t have to be perfect to be something extraordinary.” Alice said. “You and me? We’re gonna do amazing things, Frank.”

“Thanks, beautiful. You’re right as always. I needed that. And also, we may be a kickass duo, but I know my place. I’ll be the muscle while you call the shots,” Frank grinned.

“Oh, of course. Now come on, it’s time to dance!”

“Lead the way, princess,” Frank replied, offerings hand to Alice. She took it and began to lead him towards the ballroom.

“Hey, I think we took a wrong turn,” Frank said as the went down a hallway. “I think the ballroom was to the right of the front door.”

“Really? I was sure it was this way. Wasn’t Lily headed this way?”

“No, she was going to find wherever the drinks were, and those would probably be near the ballroom, wouldn’t they?”

“I guess they might be. We can turn back and- holy shit!”

Alice jumped back. The room that they had just passed was ablaze, the curtains consumed by flames that were steadily rising. The walls began to crack and crumble as the flames hissed and spat their embers as far as could be reached.

“Aguamenti! Aguamenti!” Alice heard Frank shout behind her. She took out her wand and began to do the same. The spells were useless, only seeming to encourage the fire into burning its opposition.

“Run. Run!” Alice cried, turning around just as Frank reached the same conclusion. She grabbed his hand and started sprinting. Behind her, she heard a scream. Then more, and crashing sounds and the hiss of the flames she was trying to escape that only seemed to get louder as she ran towards the front door.

She didn’t look back.

She would regret that later.

——————————————————————————————

Sirius and Remus

“You look hot as hell,” Sirius said, admiring his boyfriend as Remus walked ahead of him.

“Thanks. You’re passable, I suppose,” Remus smirked.

“Just passable? I’m gorgeous, bitch.”

“Meh. I don’t really see the appeal.”

“Is that why you’re taking me to the courtyard, where it’s secluded, dark, and there’s less of a chance of getting caught performing… unsavoury activities? Because you’re not attracted to me in any way?” Sirius drawled, raising an eyebrow. Remus blushed slightly.

“Perhaps unsavory activity in the courtyard should be skipped if you’re going to be so mouthy,” he responded.

“You usually like it when I’m mouthy,” Sirius flirted.

“Sirius.”

“Remus.”

Remus broke character and smiled. “You wanna just go to the kitchen and relax, get some food?”

“Oh god yes, I’ve missed Georgie. And hey, we should see if Micks and Cassie want to join us on our trip to town. I think they’d like the record store. And the diner,” Sirius said. James’s house was pretty far removed from everything, but there was a small town nearby. It wasn’t much, a few neighborhoods, some shops, and a school, but it was fun to visit when they got bored.

“That’s not a bad idea. We’ll bring along Lily too,” Remus replied. “We can make a day of it.”

“That would be fun,” Sirius said as they wandered into the kitchen. “Georgie? Are you here, mate?”

Georgie appeared by Sirius’s side, clad in a red pillowcase. “Hello Master Sirius. What can I get for you?”

“Georgie, please just call me Sirius. And can we get some chocolate and butterbeer please?”

“Of course, Mast- Sirius. Of course, Sirius,” Georgie replied, stumbling over his words to correct himself. He then disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.

“I love that elf,” Remus said, hopping up to sit on the kitchen counter. Sirius walked over, coming to stand between Remus’s legs, arms wrapped around his waist and face buried in his neck.

“Not that I’m not enjoying this, but what’s with the cuddling? Are you ok, Siri?” Remus asked gently, brushing Sirius’s hair away from his face and combing his fingers through the soft, dark locks.

“I’m good. I just missed being close to you,” Sirius mumbled into his neck.

“Mm, me too. I love James and Peter, but living with them in the dorm makes privacy a myth.”

“Yeah. Speaking of privacy, it would appear that no one else is in here…” Sirius trailed off, choosing to kiss Remus’s neck instead of continuing his sentence. Remus let out a soft moan, curling into Sirius as he bit and sucked at right where Remus’s neck met his shoulder.

“Here is your chocolate and butterbeer, sirs,” A voice rang out. Sirius jumped away from Remus to find Georgie holding their food.

“Uh, thanks Georgie,” Sirius said, taking the drinks and chocolate from him. Georgie saluted smartly and disappeared again.

“So, as happy as I am to have chocolate, I would like to go back to what we were doing,” Remus said. Sirius turned around to see Remus with his hair mussed up, a small grin, and a light hickey forming on his neck. Sirius smirked and went back to Remus, eager to continue as well.

——————————————————————————————

James

“Hey, Georgie, do you remember which doorway Mum hung the- Oh Merlin!”

James turned around to face the door almost as quickly as he had walked into the kitchen. He was used to Remus and Sirius being affectionate, but he really didn’t need to walk in on Sirius shirtless and Remus grinding against him like his life depended on it.

“Sorry mate,” Sirius said, snickering as James still refused to turn around.

“I’ll believe you’re sorry if I turn around and your shirt is back on,” James retorted.

“We’re decent,” Remus replied. James turned around cautiously and saw that Remus wasn’t lying.

“A miracle, to be sure. Have either of you seen Evans?” He asked, hoping to move on quickly.

“Uh, no. Why are you looking for her?” Remus asked.

“Well, we have a plan to get Cas and Marlene under the mistletoe.”

“Are you sure that would work?” Sirius asked. “I mean, sure, a quick snog is nice, but it won’t get them to admit their feelings.”

“Probably not, but at least they’d be aware of the fact that the other isn’t repulsed by them,” James replied.

“Alright, let’s see if we can find-“ Remus was interrupted by a scream and a crash. The three boys looked at each other.

“Why exactly-“

“Would someone-“

“Be screaming?”

James looked at the other two as he finished the sentence. In unison they all began to hurry towards the party.

It was chaos. There were shouts and screams. People were crashing into each other and furniture and decorations to get out. And through it all, smoke weaved a blindfold, blanketing the room, making it hard to see and harder to breathe.

“What the hell is happening?” James shouted, grabbing a man who was scurrying towards the door.

“There’s a fire!” The man cried out, trying to get James to let go. “Someone started a fire!”

“Who?”

“I don’t know! Let me go!” The man cried. James released him and he ran for the door. James turned around to look at Sirius and Remus.

“Get out of here. If you see any of the others, stay with them, make sure they get out alright,” he ordered, hoping that they would follow his lead.

“Where are you going?” Sirius asked.

“I’ve got to find Lily!”

“James, I swear to god, if you die I’ll kill you, mate,” Remus said. “But go. Make sure she’s alright. Stay safe, we love you.”

“Fuck shit up but don’t die,” Sirius said. “Love you, Prongs.”

“I love you guys too,” James responded. He dashed away, not looking back.

He barreled into the ballroom, coughing as he inhaled smoke and ash. The ballroom had almost succumbed to the fire, the curtains burning and the walls and ceiling crumbling.

“Lily!” James shouted hoarsely. “Lily, are you here? Where are you?”

Seeing nothing, James ran out of the ballroom. He began to head towards the other wing of the house, shouting the whole time for Lily.

He ran past the bedrooms, horrified as his home crumbled around him. He could barely see through all the smoke. He couldn’t see, he couldn’t breathe, he could barely hear over the roar of the fire. His lungs were burning, his mind was melting, he couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, couldn’t-

Breathe.

James gasped in a breath. There, in the parlor, lying on the ground, was Lily, lying on the ground. The fire was all around her, but it hadn’t gotten to her yet.

“Aguamenti! Aguamenti!” James screamed. He couldn’t put out the fire, but he managed to clear a small path. He ran across the room, shielding his head with his arms as he crossed the dancing fire.

When James made it to Lily, he knelt by her side. He shook her, trying to wake her. She didn’t wake up. James couldn’t tell if she was breathing. The door he had come through collapsed behind him.

“Lily. Lily, wake up. Please wake up. Rennervate. Rennervate!” James cried desperately, trying to revive her. Fora few moments, nothing happened.

Then Lily coughed.

James laughed in disbelief. Lily was alive. She was alive. And now it was up to him to get them out.

——————————————————————————————

Peter and Mary

“What the bloody hell is going on?” Peter cried out. He and Mary had only just arrived for the party, and everyone was leaving?

“Pete! Peter, Mary, thank god you’re here,” Peter heard. He turned to see Alice and Frank running towards him and Mary.

“Hey. What’s happening?” Mary asked, a bit surprised when Alice swept her into a hug.

“There was a fire. James’s house is on fire,” Frank responded.

“On fire? Is everyone out? Are they ok?” Peter asked, mind racing. Where were the other Marauders? And Lily, Marlene, and Dorcas?

“I think everyone got out. Marlene and Dorcas are over there. I haven’t seen the others yet,” Alice answered. Marlene and Dorcas wandered up to the group.

“Peter, Mary, thank Merlin you’re ok,” Dorcas said, pulling both of them into a hug.

“Hey guys. Has anyone seen Sirius and Remus? Or James and Lily?” Peter asked.

“I haven’t seen any of them since the party started,” Marlene replied.

“We only just got here. I saw Lily in the parlor though, so she probably got out in time,” Alice responded.

“Of course she did. They all got out. They had to,” Dorcas said weakly. Peter noted that she looked on the verge of panic until Marlene pulled her closer and wrapped her arms around her. That seemed to pull Dorcas back from the edge.

Peter didn’t have many talents, but he could read people. He knew that everyone was more scared than they were letting on. Dorcas wasn’t the only one panicking. Alice’s eyes kept darting around, searching the crowd around them. Frank kept looking back towards the fire. Marlene seemed to be focusing on Dorcas to prevent herself from panicking. Mary was in shock beside Peter. He draped his jacket over her and wrapped an arm around her, hoping to ground her.

“Guys, hey, listen. It’ll be alright. Sirius may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he knows that getting set on fire is bad. And Remus would make sure they were safe. And do you think Lily would let a fire kill James? No, nothing gets to kill James but her. They’ll all be fine,” Peter said, trying to reassure everyone. A few of them huffed out a laugh.

“Yeah, c’mon, guys, listen to Peter. You really think fire can do anything about all this fabulousness?” A voice said from behind Peter.

“Sirius!” Marlene cried, leaving Dorcas’s side for a moment to hug him. Sirius laughed into her shoulder.

“Damn, Micks, someone might think you actually cared about me.”

“Don’t be a dick. Hey guys. Everyone alright?” Remus piped up from beside Sirius.

“Yeah, we’re good. Have you seen James and Lily?” Alice asked.

“James ran off to find Lily. I don’t know where he is,” Remus responded.

“Is he still-“

“He’s still inside,” Sirius confirmed.

A silence fell over the group. In unison, they looked towards the house, crumbling in the flames.

“Oh god,” Frank said, paler than Peter had ever seen him. “Oh god, what if-“

“No what ifs!” Peter cut in. “James will get Lily and they’ll get out alright. That’s it.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Peter is right. They’ll be ok,” Dorcas said, finding her voice. Marlene left Sirius to go and wrap her in a hug again. Dorcas melted into her side. Peter made a note of that. Lily and James would be interested in it when they made it out.

For a while, the group just watched the fire before them. Aurors and other trained wizards had arrived, trying to get the fire under control, but their attempts were barely making headway. Peter began to worry. James was one of the smartest people he knew, but what if he didn’t make it out in time? What if he was trapped inside?

“Ok, I can’t handle this,” Alice said after a few moments. “This is driving me insane. They’re not out here, we know that much. Maybe they’re close to the door in the house, and someone can go get them out?”

“Alice is right. Someone’s got to make sue they’re ok. I’m gonna go in, just a bit, and see if I can find them. If I do, I’ll bring them out, and if not, well, I’ll do what I can,” Sirius responded.

“Sirius Orion Black if you go anywhere near that fire I’ll dump you so fast,” Remus threatened.

“Babe, someone has to get to them. Look, Euphemia and Fleamont are over there, talking with those Aurors. You wanna be the one to tell them that their son didn’t make it out? You wanna tell them that James is gone?”

“Don’t,” Remus replied in a low voice. “Don’t you dare use them as an excuse to put yourself in danger.”

“Look, someone has to go. And James is my brother.”

“And Lily’s my sister,” Marlene said. “I’m going with you.”

Peter looked between the two of them. They held the same resolution in their eyes, and the same resignation. There was no stopping them, not when they knew the consequences but didn’t care.

“Uh, like hell you are, Marls,” Dorcas said. “No. No way in hell you go anywhere near that.”

“Dorcas,” Peter found himself saying thickly. “Dorcas, there’s no way we can stop them. Look at them. They’re doing this.”

Dorcas stared at Marlene. In the light of the fire, the tears in her eyes became more apparent, and so did the determination in Marlene’s.

“No,” Dorcas whispered. “Please don’t.”

Marlene began to move as if to go to Dorcas, but stopped herself and stood her ground. “I have to.”

“Have to what exactly?” A voice asked from behind Peter. He turned around.

And there was James, holding Lily carefully in his arms, alive and safe.

“James!” Sirius shouted running over to him, the rest of the group hot on his heels. James carefully handed Lily off to Marlene before engulfing Sirius in a hug. Remus and Peter joined in, gripping their friend tightly.

“James? Is Lily ok?” Alice asked. She, Marlene, Dorcas, Mary and Frank were gathered around. Marlene was holding onto Lily’s wrist. Peter guessed she was checking her pulse, but she wasn’t letting go. A comforting habit? He’d have to ask later.

“She’s alright. I couldn’t wake her up, but she’s breathing pretty steadily. She should be fine,” James replied. Marlene breathed out a sigh of relief, but she didn’t let go of Lily’s wrist. Dorcas kneeled behind her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“So everyone’s alright?” James asked, looking around the group for confirmation. He got various murmurs of assent in response. “Ok. Good. That’s good. Does anyone know what happened?”

“No. I’m sorry, James, but this is insane. Who would want to set your house on fire?” Frank asked.

“Death Eaters,” Dorcas answered gravely. “The Potters are very pro-muggle, and the Death Eaters hate ‘blood traitors’ or whatever the hell they call pureblood who aren’t on their side.”

“Shit,” James said, the blood draining from his face. “Fucking hell, Cas, you think?”

“It would make sense,” Mary piped up. “They would want to wipe out the peaceful opposers first. And what better time to do Ethan when everyone’s guard is down?”

Before anyone could reply, Lily stirred. James hurried to her side next to Marlene.

“Evans? You alright?”

Lily opened her eyes. James laughed in relief. Marlene exhaled shakily, smiling for the first time since they escaped the fire. She turned to bury her face in Dorcas’s neck, seeking comfort.

“Potter? What…. What happened?” Lily asked groggily.

“Don’t worry, Evans, everyone is ok.” James said, looking around. His parents were safe, talking to Aurors. Frank and Alice were watching as the other guests moved around and spoke with other partygoers. Sirius and Remus were holding hands as they watched the fire. Marlene and Dorcas were right next to Lily, unwilling to leave their friend’s side.

Then James’s eyes met Peter’s. And whatever he was looking for, he seemed to find in them, because he turned back to Lily with a smile on his face.

“Everyone is ok.”