brave as a blizzard

[marlene edith mckinnon]

Calm.

Marlene stared at her reflection in the mirror as she casually brushed out her long, dark hair. She had woken up minutes earlier with a clear plan in her head. For the first time since the disappearance of Ollie she had direction. Ollie. Marlene tightly shut her eyes as her thoughts turned to her sister. No, she had to focus. Forcing her eyes open again, Marlene studied her reflection as she set her brush down on the vanity. She looked haggard, and not from a hangover or any sort of withdrawal. Like she hadn’t been sleeping, which was true. Her face was pale, but her eyes were bright and a little wild. Funny, she didn’t feel wild. But, Ollie was missing, and so was Alice’s little Slytherin sister. No one could find them. Marlene was sick with worry, but no one else seemed the least bit concerned. ‘Oh, she’s probably in the woods, the unicorns are breeding right now.’ ‘Emma Logan’s a nutcase anyway. She’s always doing stupid stuff.’ ‘They’ll turn up.’

But that wasn’t accurate at all. With nimble fingers, Marlene started to plait her hair. Ollie would never do that. There hadn’t been any indication that something was wrong. She would have told Marlene if she was going to see the unicorns. Marlene was the sister who disappeared without notice, who slipped up and missed meeting times, or forgot to owl. Ollie never let Marlene worry the way Marlene sometimes stupidly let Ollie worry. She would have owled. Ollie would have owled. Calmly, Marlene wrapped a red ribbon around the end of her plait. Then, she grabbed her wand, slid into her school approved black flats and slipped out of the girls’ dormitories and the Gryffindor common room.

It was early, but the Great Hall was open and first period started in half an hour. As Marlene strode confidently through the corridors she didn’t meet many fellow students. Those she did see, she didn’t acknowledge. She couldn’t acknowledge them. Marlene was a woman on a mission, and they walked the halls like nothing was wrong. When everything was wrong. ‘Don’t you care?’ she wanted to scream at a Hufflepuff seventh year. ‘My sister is missing!’ Last night she had laid awake for hours, going over every last conversation, trying to make out whether or not Ollie had been unhappy enough to leave Hogwarts. She had been evasive the last little while, not really discussing classes or anything. But Marlene had chalked it up to NEWT drama. Had she been wrong? Had something been bothering her sister? No, it had to be something more sinister.

A few hours before dawn, Marlene had finally dropped off to sleep, exhausted. She had dreamed of Ollie, Emma Logan, and the student found murdered in the Shrieking Shack. Death Eaters stomped through her thoughts, all green flashing lights and grim skulls. Marlene had woken up still exhausted, but with a plan. It was clear now. Ollie wouldn’t just disappear like that. Emma Logan would have gotten hungry by now and reappeared. The house elves at least would have spotted them. It must be a message of some sorts. The bloody Slytherins were joining the Death Eaters like flies drawn to honey, or evil drawn to a special group just for them. Marlene felt sick just thinking about what they might do to a wandless Ollie, but she resisted the urge to clutch her stomach, drop to the floor and just lay there until everything was right again. Marlene was a Gryffindor. They didn’t just sit and wait. At least, not forever. They waited, then they pounced.

Finally reaching the grand staircase, Marlene stood at the top of the steps and watched the early birds float into the Great Hall. As she stepped lightly down the stairs to the Entrance Hall, Marlene went over the list of students suspected to already be Death Eaters. Holden Avery. Bellatrix Black. The list went on and on. Surely one of them would know where Ollie was. Marlene rolled her wand through her fingers and grinned, placing herself casually by the Great Hall doors.

She was waiting. Soon, Marlene was going to pounce.

hey it’s, finished!
cause you’re awesome, Bellatrix Black, Alice Logan, AND ANYONE WHO WANTS TO WATCH A DUEL TAKE PLACE. (:
they’re all, 696
i love them, template @ + stockholm syndrome / lyrics @ the script *live like we’re dying
just letting you know, “She's pretty out of her head right now. D: Ollie come home!”

[bellatrix irma black]

MAYBE WHEN THE MOON IS EMPTY, MAYBE WHEN THE BOTTLES FULL
MAYBE WHEN I'M DONE WITH THINKING, MAYBE YOU CAN THINK ME WHOLE.
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The morning was early and cold as Bellatrix tumbled out of bed. She had only slept for a few hours, having clamored into the girls dormitory at three o'clock that morning, but the moment her head hit the pillow she was out. Bella slept like a baby. Now she stumbled to the mirror, her hair a wild mess of black curls and waves, her eyes a drowsy and blank tiredness. With what had become simple muscle memory she dipped her brush into the black almost paint like make up that danced above her already dark eyes. She smoothed pale powder over her cheek bones and under her eyes, instantly appearing to be wide awake. She looked as crazy as many people expected her to be, but if you were lucky enough to be meeting her for the first time, you'd simply think her a dark soul with at least a little potential. But, as a seventh year, and open to her alliance with the Dark Lord, not many people were liable to give her the benefit of the doubt any more.

And certainly when a Gryffindor was pissed off enough to be waiting for you, there wasn't going to be any nice words or hopeful predictions floating around. Bella left the dormitory in her school uniform, fully prepared to attend class this morning, armed with her wand and hoping for a particularly active day in Defense Against the Dark Arts. But what was waiting for her wasn't anything any professor would condone, except Slughorn if you were displaying any sort of apt for charms.

She waltzed into the great hall with the intention of enjoying a bit of breakfast before the day began, and she walked nearly right into Marlene Mckinnon. The girl looked tired and upset, not her usual tired in the mornings like most students, but the tired that only came after insomnia. Bella plastered a large grin, nothing woke her up more than playing with the annoyances of those around her. "Mckinnon! Top of the mornin' to ya."

[/color] She laughed, pitching her voice well above the low rumble of the great hall...probably better named the mess hall the way that Hogwarts was getting on lately. "Isn't that how you dirty bloods talk back home?"[/color] Was the insulting comment about the Mckinnon's fabled pure blood really necessary? Of course it wasn't, but Bellatrix didn't go by what was necessary. Her high pitched cackle started forming in her throat and she leaned her head back almost in a howl, her hair billowing over the top like a terrified black cat's tail. You could almost hear the hiss wrap around the room.

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FOUR HUNDRED & FORTY-THREE WORDS
OH NO SHE DIDN'T!

[alice josephine logan]

Alice paced back and forth. Though that night had been somewhat of a blur, she remembered. Yes, regrettably, she had remembered everything, and there was no denying what she had done. Alice had won the bet, but the price of it had caused her to regret it ever since. It had been weeks, and Alice felt sick. At first, she thought it was just from her own self-loathing over what she had done. But days turned into weeks, and it didn't stop. Constantly Alice felt the need to wretch, and often did actually vomit in the girl's lavatory. She knew what was wrong though. Of course, she didn't want to admit it, no one in her position would. She needed to tell someone. This could only pass as something common like the flu for a just a little longer before people would start to notice. She was beginning to get odd looks already as it is. She just couldn't tell Lily...she couldn't stand the thought of her best friend being so disappointed in her. Lily had never done that to Alice before ,but then again, Ali had never messes up so badly, and she was afraid. She didn't dare tell Sirius, he'd be angry...so angry.And maybe he'd have the right to be. She would have to tell him sooner or later, though not now..Not right ways. She didn't want him to hate her just yet.

She'd been avoiding him ever since their little "encounter". She had decided that she would confide in Emma. She knew that she would probably disappointed in Alice, but she was her sister, and she knew she would always love her no matter what stupid things she did. She would always be there for her. Alice had finally worked up the courage to actually go and speak with her sister, only to discover that she had gone missing. She was no where to be found. Desperate, she had sought out Severus Snape, a person of whom, normally , she would be content to ignore. But it was no use. Even the slytherin hadn't known. Emma was gone. She'd fallen to the floor pathetically, a sobbing and broken mess. Alice was sure he didn't tell anyone, and for that, she was forever grateful. She didn't want people to think she was weak.

Alice now knew there was no one she could tell. Not really. This secret was one that she must bear on her own. That and the overwhelming loss that was her sister's disappearance. She seldom ate, and when she did, she sat alone. She stopped talking to people altogether, and she was usually such a social butterfly. Alice could tell that she was worrying quite a few people. Why, even Longbottom had seemed sympathetic. Though she was sure that was her imagination. But people's sympathy didn't bring her sister back. It wouldn't stop her stomach from blowing up like a balloon. She brushed back her hair and tied it with a red ribbon, then rubbing at her eyes. Nothing could really disguise how much she'd been crying. Because of this, she made no attempt to hide it. She saw Bellatrix, and Marlene too right in front of her, and Marlene looked like she want to kill someone. She kind of stood there, not saying a word, though something made her feel like she'd soon be dragged into this herself.

[marlene edith mckinnon]

The problem with grief, Marlene was finding, was that once it burrowed its way into your heart and took hold, it completely and utterly alienated you. It whispered terrible things to your soul. Words about how no one could possibly understand what you were going through. It made you stare at your friends as they lived their lives, and it made you angry. How could they sit at breakfast and joke and laugh? How could they do their homework? How could they do anything? Olivia McKinnon was missing. Grief told her that no one could possibly understand, and Marlene believed it. And it made her an absolute beast to be around. Any form of comfort was immediately rudely shrugged off. Ludo had come round just yesterday, offering fake cheer and making jokes about how Ollie had probably decided to live with the centaurs. Marlene had almost hexed his stupid, stupid face to pieces.

But then there was Alice... Alice who looked even worse than Marlene, if that was possible. Alice who ate less. Alice who slept less. Alice who, Marlene was nearly certain, had been retching in the bathroom quite regularly. Alice who understood completely what Marlene was going through, and all Marlene could do was look down at her plate, or at her parchment, or anywhere but Alice when she was in the room. Because Marlene was selfish, she knew she was selfish, and she couldn’t comfort anyone else when she couldn’t even comfort herself. Because although she loved Alice, she loved all her housemates, Alice and Lily typically comforted each other. They were each others’ best friends. ‘Lily’s there,’ Marlene convinced herself whenever she looked away. ‘Lily will look after her...’ Lily and Alice were always there for each other. And when Marlene needed comfort, who did she turn to? Ollie. Ollie who was more than just her sister. Ollie was Marlene’s partner in crime. Ollie was Marlene’s support system. Olle was, in some ways, almost like Marlene’s parental figure while at Hogwarts. She had friends, she had best friends. She had best friends who she considered family. But she only had one Ollie.

So when Bellatrix Black waltzed into the Great Hall, and acted like herself, Marlene snapped. “I’m Scottish you gormless bitch!” Marlene was used to this sort of insult from Black and her ilk. The response was almost automatic at this point. The McKinnons had long been one of the families at the butt of purist jokes. But this time, instead of acting amused at the lack of imagination most Slytherins had, the Gryffndor got steadily louder, and more hysterical, with each word. “Where’s my sister? What have you done with her?” Some part of her brain registered Alice’s arrival, and in the first bit of acknowledgement Marlene had given Alice since their sisters’ disappearance, she gestured wildly at her fellow Gryffindor with her wand. “And Emma. Where’s Emma? Where are they?” Marlene was willing to duel for this information. In fact, some small part of her was hoping for the chance to hex Bella, or any of her friends, straight into a hospital bed. An even smaller logical bit attempted to inform her that this route would get her no information, but Marlene wasn’t willing to listen.

hey it’s, finished!
cause you’re awesome, Bellatrix Black, Alice Logan, AND ANYONE WHO WANTS TO WATCH A DUEL TAKE PLACE. (:
they’re all, 541
i love them, template @ + stockholm syndrome / lyrics @ the script *live like we’re dying
just letting you know, “I CAN'T WAIT TO DUEL!”