worse than nicotine.

Marlene wanted to believe that he was right. She wanted to believe that their futures could really look that bright, but she didn't. Of course, she knew a lot more about what was going on outside of Hogwarts than she liked to let on and maybe that was why. Though this future that Sirius wanted for them seemed nice, so Marlene decided in that moment to just go with it. This was her last year at Hogwarts, her last year with all her friends, and for all she knew her last year to actually enjoy life before it all went to hell thanks to the war brewing. She might as well make the most of it and enjoy life while she could. So Marlene smiled back at him and leaned in for a kiss.

Whatever happened after they were done with Hogwarts could wait until after they left Hogwarts. For now she was just going to kiss him and enjoy it. Nothing else mattered.

---

"And you believe that your cousin could be persuaded to join us?" Tom asked Bella wanting to make sure she really thought this was the best idea. And if she really did well she'd never let him down before and honestly, he trusted her a great deal more than he did anyone else. "Is there a plan you have to persuade him? Will it require a lot of time or work? If you really believe Bella that this young man might be good for us I need to ensure we make it happen. And I need to know everything you know to make sure it happens." He added knowing that she was right about the Black family being loyal to him. Yes, he knew that there were few members of the family who had actually pledged to follow him but that didn't change that he also knew they were great supporters of his ways.

@ Sirius Black..
Sirius wrapped his hands around Marlene's face, letting his calloced hands caress her smooth cheeks. He kissed her forcefully, almost like he was counting the time he had left with her. He moved her against a wall, maintaining contact with her lips at every point. For a moment he wondered if he'd need to throw the invisibility cloak back over them, but decided not to break the monotony of the moment.

He was aware of the world crumbling around them, but knew that Hogwarts would keep him safe and prepared for whatever was thrown at them. He broke their kiss finally, let their breath mingle in the cold air. "We should get you back to bed," he whispered.

---

Bella felt flustered, wondering if she had spoken too soon. "Sir," she said, almost stuttering. "I think that my cousin, well, he's a little off, you see," she twisted her fingers in the black lace of her dress. She didn't know how to explain, she didn't have a plan or any idea what exactly she had just stumbled into. She looked around, hoping to find an answer somewhere.

"I think, I have an idea," she said, her big eyes finally settling on his. "Sirius, he's a disappointment with a temper. If I can bother him just right, he might give a name of someone more inclined to help us. That's the best I can do," she said, nervous butterflies flying in her stomach. She had just received so much praise and now she had shattered it with her quick tongue.

Marlene wanted to stay in that moment for as long as possible. Kissing Sirius took her mind off everything that was bothering her moments before. But she knew it couldn't last forever, and when the kiss was finally broken all Marlene could do was try and catch her breath. She leaned forward to rest her forehead against his and just smiled. The world around them wasn't important right then, and it could wait. All Marlene wanted was to enjoy the feeling of not worrying about anything for as long as possible, because soon enough she'd come back to reality. Soon enough everything would be back to how it was. She'd be worried about everything and the world would continue to crumble. Though maybe she could try and worry a little less while she was actually still at Hogwarts. After all it was supposed to be one of the safest places they could be.

"You're probably right," Marlene whispered back. As much fun as it would've been to stay up there longer with Sirius, she was sure if they didn't head back soon they'd get caught. And well the last thing that Marlene wanted was to get detention on the first night back at school. "Wouldn't wanna get caught out of bed after hours on our first night back after all,"

---

"Then I'd suggest bothering him until he tells you want you want," Tom said finding it no way excusable for this cousin of her's to not give them what they want eventually. After all if Bella was sure that twisting his arm the right way would do the trick then that's just what they'd do. "I'd like to hear this idea you have. Maybe I can even help make sure your idea works out for us," he told her. Tom knew quite a bit about her family actually, The Blacks were a noble family after all. And while not all of them had joined his army most of them had and well the lot of them supported him even if they didn't fight with him that much he knew.

What he wanted most from this though was for it to work. He needed to have someone on the inside finally so maybe he could so far ahead there was no way anyone would ever stop him. Even if he was already a few steps ahead that wasn't enough. Dumbledore, though Tom hated to admit it, was a great wizard. One who'd do anything and sacrifice anyone for the supposed greater good. Or at least Tom was sure he would, therefore, to make sure that Dumbledore didn't get in his way anymore Tom needed to be so far ahead no one would ever catch up. Which was why he'd do whatever it took to make sure Bella's idea worked out.

[ I'm so sorry I've taken so long to reply! I would've replied last night but well I worked all weekend, and then after Game of Thrones I was a little too upset to reply. And I was just kind of in a sad funk over GOT's today to really do anything but I have finally posted and hopefully won't take forever to reply next time! ]

Sirius chuckled, grabbing the invisibility cloak from his pocket and using his other hand to hold hers. Before they left, he pecked her one more time and smirked. "Hey before we go, maybe we can just not tell anyone just yet. I want to keep snogging you in private," he said, chuckling. He ruffled his hair with nerves, though he tried to play it off as cool as he could. He wanted to keep her to himself for now and hoped that she would feel the same, not take it negatively. It truly wasn't that he was embarrassed, Marlene was the only catch he wanted, but he wasn't ready for all the pestering he'd get from his mates. Besides, they had so much coming up that it would be nice to have a place to come with her that was just a secret.

Waiting for her response was agony, and he was starting to lose that cool demeanor he held onto like a cloak. It was getting late and he knew that, if anything, he had to get Marlene back to bed before he did. He was thankful that the Fat Lady never did tattle about the late night excursions of any students; maybe she too was a Romantic.

---

Bella nodded to herself, licking her upper lip in nerves. "Yes, I can talk to him, My Lord," she muttered. She would need time, of course, she had not seen Sirius in a very long time considering he removed himself from the honorable house of Black last year and was blasted off the family tree. She'd have to find out some information from her Aunt, though bring up Sirius in itself to her was a danger. "I will work on it, My Lord. I must first talk to my Aunt and then to Regulus, my younger cousin, in order to find him. I believe he will be swayed by family loyalty," she said, with a half-hearted smile.

She twisted the lace of her gown once more, not yet to depart and wondering why they were still so alone. She sighed, still feeling the effects of the Killing Curse coursing through her veins and almost needing to do more. She looked down upon the two bodies in front of her smiled, this time brightly and had to resist a small cackle. "My Lord," she commented, tentatively, "I know you've been working for some time on an army of Inferi and was wondering if you'd allow me to create two more before we release them," she said, gesturing to their newly fallen opponents. She was almost giddy.

Marlene let out a sigh of relief when Sirius mentioned not telling anyone. "I couldn't agree more," she replied glad they felt the same way about that. And she didn't want to keep it secret because she had some weird thing and was ashamed to be seen with Sirius or anything crazy. After all everyone already knew they were friends, it was more she didn't want to have to deal with everyone's opinion about it. She really just didn't want to get pestered about it, besides why did it matter if people knew anyways? The relationship wasn't everyone else's it was her and Sirius' and honestly she figured they should be able to just have something that was just theirs and they didn't have to share with everything.

As they walked back to the common room Marlene rested her head on Sirius' shoulder just needing to soak up the moment a little bit longer. Honestly, all she wanted was for their last year to be perfect and to leave Hogwarts not totally afraid of what was going to happen in their future. She wasn't entirely sure that that'd happen given everything going on, or the fact that all she could think about really was all the bad going on. But not having to worry about where her and Sirius stood, and not having to worry about if he hated her or not took a lot off of her chest. So maybe their last year wouldn't be so bad.

---

"Good," Tom said pleased that Bellatrix was taking such initiative especially when it came to her training. He felt as though the rest of his followers all seemed to lack something that Bella clearly did not. And he liked that about her. He liked that he didn't have to tell her to do something she just did it, he liked that she also did a good job and didn't let him down. There were some of the others and he worried they weren't where they needed to be to actually be good at supporting him. Of course, he needed all the people he could get on his side right now, which was why he was trying to train as many people as possible. So he'd know for sure that if something did happen that there were people who could fulfill what he needed. He needed to know that there were enough of his army to keep things going no matter what happened.

"I don't see why not," he told her knowing that was something else he could always use more of. Inferi. "I at least know you won't mess them up like some others," he said shaking his head. Honestly, he didn't understand how some of the people he'd recruited could even look themselves in the mirror they were so useless. Nonetheless, he kept them around thinking that they'd come in handy eventually. "We can always use more Inferi, especially if we plan to take down Dumbledore and his silly attempt at stopping us," he said still hopeful that no one knew about the army he was building yet. After all he was trying to keep his Inferi army quite until he was ready to let them be known. Just so nothing was screwed up to early.

@ Sirius Black..
Sirius felt them lingering in the common room, but knew that they were both sharing a need to remain just a little bit longer, even if they didn't speak. There was pressure on both of them and the constant loom of danger that surrounded the Wizarding World of late and it seemed that for just a moment they could ignore it. He almost wanted to laugh at the complete 180 they had taken since arriving on the train today, but he can't say that he was angry about it.

No, instead he simply slipped the cloak off of both of them (gently since it was James') and smiling. He used his free hand to cup her cheek and slide his hand down to her chin with a smile. He could take her in her features for hours, especially how the light from the dimming fire flickered and distorted them. He gave her one small kiss before uttering a good night. When she turned around and began walking, Sirius couldn't resist himself and had his true parting be a swift slap on the ass before he bolted up his own staircase, fearing her retaliation. "Until the morning," he called as he ran.

---

Bella's fingers twitched with excitement and her cruel smile widened with the praise that slide so seductively from the Dark Lord's mouth. She knew that he was one of the few dark wizards to create Inferi and that, in a sense, the spell was uniquely his (or so it would become), she thought. She listened carefully to his instructions and followed his example to the best of her abilities.

Bella was certainly not a humble witch and felt quite confident that her one Inferi would rise next to the other that Dark Lord created as an example. With the two Undeads staring back at them, waiting for direction, Bella felt uncontrolled pride and the seeping electricity in her veins she often felt after using this kind of dark magic. "What now, My Lord? How does Dumbledore get knowledge of your growing army?" She asked, against almost jumping with a twisted sort of joy. While she was honored to be his most trusted servant, she had to be careful not to include herself in his genius as she had almost muttered 'their army' and what an insult that would have been. While she felt a deep longing connection to the Dark Lord, it was clearly one-sided and she knew how to stay alive, if she knew anything at all.

[ So I thought I'd be on before now! But I've just had a super busy day! ]

Marlene couldn't help but roll her eyes at Sirius and how ridiculous he could be at times. Though she didn't mind. After all, it was Sirius and well even if they were going to keep this whole thing a secret it was still Sirius. And he was just the guy she'd had the strongest feelings for forever. Plus for whatever reason it almost put her at ease because she knew that's just how he was. She knew a lot of other things about him that most girls didn't know though really. And even though she never believed it unless he confirmed it himself, there were always girls going around spreading stories about how Sirius was, or what he liked, or how many times they'd been with him. So for whatever reason having Sirius just be himself around her was nice, neither of them had to put on some show to impress the other one.

"You two were out late," Marlene heard Dorcas say softly as she made her way to her bed quietly.

"I know, but we just had a lot to talk about, Lil isn't mad I wasn't back before she went to bed is she?" Marlene asked quietly while she slipped into bed.

Dorcas turned over to look at Marlene and yawned. "She's just upset that you two decided to sneak out rather, but she wasn't even on duty tonight, so I'm sure she'll get over it. And yea given you didn't talk all summer I'd say you did. But you're all good now right? No more fighting?" She asked Marlene clearly sounding hopeful.

Of course, that's what would upset Lily, that girl sure was a girl for the rules. "Yea we're good, so no more fighting," she said laughing softly, "well I'm tired so I'll talk to you in the morning Doe,"

---

Tom watched Bella follow his instructions entirely and he had to admit he was quite proud to have someone like her on his side. He knew that she would accomplish great things on his side and if there were ever someone he should give responsibility to it would be her. Yes, he knew it was probably because she craved his praise, attention, and his approval. But at the same time he didn't see anything wrong with that given it drove her to do what he wanted without question.

"That's our next step," Tom told her letting his best sick smile show. "We still need to create another handful of Inferi just so we have enough for the what I have in store," he told her knowing it was safe to tell her his plan they were also in a secure place where he could talk freely especially now that their hostages were dead. "And once we have enough we're going to use them to attack Dumbledore's silly little headquarters. Which from there hopefully the old fool is smart enough to know he needs to back down, and if not well then all the deaths that will follow will be on him. Something I'm sure he'd never be able to live with." He told her not doubting his plan even the slightest.

@ Sirius Black..
The next morning Sirius woke up with the regular nervous flutter that came with the first day of school. He, like all of his friends, were excited by the prospects of being Aurors or Hit Wizards, he sought to become a professor at Hogwarts. While it seemed unlikely for someone who was so charismatic and drawn to adventure, he knew Hogwarts was the only place he was safe. Therefore, he had to take school especially serious this year. While he usually tried hard to play it cool, he knew that he and his friends had finally realized that their sanctuary at Hogwarts was about to come to an end. Sirius was definitely intrigued by the other jobs, but knew that his previous performances in school weren't very good:

He only had 2 Os in Transfiguration (as did all of his friends) and in Defense Against the Dark Arts and had only 3 other Es: Charms, Care of Magical Creatures and Potions. It seemed his schedule would not be too packed, though he had to wait for breakfast to compare with all his friends. He looked around, noting that James and Lupin were no longer in their beds and he huffed at their ignorance as friends.

He changed quickly, ruffling his bed head and running to catch breakfast (and most importantly) his schedule. He found James and Lupin alone so he seemed he wasn't as late as he thought. "Morning, mates," he said with a smile.

---

Bella nodded as if his plan made perfect sense, but she doubted quite seriously that they'd be able to attack Hogwarts. She felt that since they were both students, the Dark Lord should know the very intense security measure Hogwarts had and she felt a nervous flutter in stomach. No matter the number of Inferi, they could not take Hogwarts that way.

"My Lord," she said, "I humbly must ask, and perhaps I just can't understand, how we will successful attack Hogwarts. It is impenetrable," she said, almost shrinking away from him. "Or are we trying to make a statement?" She asked, again her voice was as small as she was trying to be.

Marlene woke early the following morning, and like every year before she could feel the first-day nerves. Though it was a little bit different this year. This was her last first day of classes ever and while she was nervous about her classes she was also a little sad. She had to take this year super serious though, especially if she wanted to become an Auror. After all, she'd have to get at least an Exceeds Expectations again this year, plus on her N.E.W.T.S. and as far as her classes went she was sure she'd have Potions and DADA, but she was also planning to take Charms, Transfiguration. And she knew if she'd listened to her mother and followed in her footsteps to become a healer it'd be a lot easier it would also probably be safer. Plus since her mum was a healer she could help her out if she needed it but that wasn't what Marlene wanted. She'd wanted to be an Auror since she was little and that wasn't changing.

So after finally rolling out of bed and fixing herself up Marlene headed towards the common room to meet up with everyone. "Morning Lils," she said walking over to the red head knowing fully well that Lily would want some full report about why she'd been out so late last night. They'd also of course have to sit together at breakfast and compare their classes. Though with Lily still on the fence about what she wanted to do and Marlene 150% sure she wanted to become an Auror who knew what classes they'd have together.

---

"I know that Hogwarts is impenetrable, or at least that's what everyone says but nothing is actually that secure. I'd say everyone only says that because no one has ever penetrated the damn place. However, that's not where I plan to attack. I plan to make a statement and attack the secret location Dumbledore has outside of Hogwarts. Where those two came from." Tom told her motioning towards the two newest editions to their Inferi army.

"After all we need to make a more public statement so the old man know he can't hide behind the wall at Hogwarts. Something that will send everyone into a panic, and make them realise that he can't keep them safe from me. We need something that everyone hears about, even the muggles." He told her planning to make sure their attack didn't fail at what he wanted. Which even if all their Inferi were destroyed as long as everyone knew he wasn't messing around and that by not joining him they were signing their death sentences, what he wanted to accomplish will have been complete.

@ honeysucklelips

@ Sirius Black..

Sirius smiled as McGonagall handed him his schedule and was even more relieved to realize that she had removed Care of Magical Creatures from his classes. He had lots of free periods, seeing as he only had 4 classes, but he as nonetheless very satisfied. He compared schedules with his friends until he smelt a very familiar perfume and he completely lost focus.

“Good morning, Lily and Marlene,” he said, tilting his head casually towards them both. There was a strange desire to grab her and plop her firmly on his lap, but he (of course) resisted. While he could steal her away to the astronomy tower right away, he knew that one, there was about to be classes there and two, they had decided to remain private about their relationship. Instead, he smiled and exchanged morning pleasantries with everyone and waited patiently for the first bell to ring.

“I’ve got a break first,” he said, leaning back and plopping his shoes on the table. “Who else then?” He knew that everyone was exceptionally better off than he was in school and assumed that he would be alone. Unlike James, he didn’t have Quidditch to distract himself nor was he head boy, so he wondered what exactly he would do with all this free time. Studying was, of course, not one of his answers.

---

Bella nodded again, as if she understood everything the Dark Lord was saying, but she didn’t. She was humble enough to admit that he was far greater than she though she did understand their need to make a statement. So far, they had been getting by with the murdering of muggles, but nothing else. They had failed at infiltration of the Ministry and Dumbledore seemed to be celebrating his success.

“Yes, my Lord,” she said with a smile, or perhaps more of a sneer. “What can I do?” She asked, almost begged for a purpose and for a way to defend herself as the most loyal servant. There truly was no one else and until the day the Dark Lord saw her as more (and decided that her marriage was a farce) she would be content with this high praise.

"Morning Sirius," Marlene said as she and Lily took their seats at the table and started to make plates of breakfast; while also looking over their classes. "I'd love to say that I had a free period this early I don't," she said sighing a little while her eyes scanned over the classes again. She had double Transfiguration, potions, then a block of charms, DADA, and then of course Quidditch all in one day. And she'd have to go over everything with James given she'd probably be his co-captain this year.

"Honestly I hardly have any free time at all this year," she added biting her lip. Sure she was only taking four classes, but two of them were a double. Which, of course, the two that were double's were the ones she'd need the most practice in. She was ready for this, though, after all if this was what it took to become an Auror then so be it.

"What classes do you have anyways?" She asked Sirius wondering if maybe they had at least one class together. Though if they did she'd just have to work that much harder to keep herself focused, thinking about classes though made her realize that she had no idea what Sirius wanted to do after Hogwarts. She didn't know his plans and he probably didn't know hers, and even if things had just gotten good again they'd surely have to talk about it all eventually. Especially since their schedules were so different.

---

"The best thing you can do for me is to continue to work on making Inferi. I have a bit more planning to do before we can just go and set my plan into motion." He told her knowing that everything really did have to be perfect. The last thing he wanted was for something to mess up. After all he was trying to make it known to Dumbledore that he wasn't backing down, that he had an army ready to fight with him to the death if need be, and that the best thing Dumbledore could do was bow down to him.

Though he knew that wasn't likely. The old man was a fool and would likely come up with some insane plan to try and stop him. Which would put him right where Tom wanted him. Tom wanted the old man to prepare an attack. He wanted the old man worried and not at his best, because if he wasn't at his best he'd make a mistake. So as long as Bella kept making Inferi or found a way to get someone else to mass produce them the plan would be set into motion in no time.

@ Sirius Black..
Sirius beamed at her, wondering what classes they might have together. "Break, double transfiguration, charms, lunch, double DADA and finish it all up with some lovely potions. He beamed, accepting his break almost proudly. He felt a little embarrassed, but knew that some people had less classes than he and so, he must just be proud in what he has accomplished. "Of course, that's only today. Can't say I get why the shuffle the classes around all the time, but I don't run the place," he muttered with a shrug. He grabbed a muffin from the table, peeling off the wrapper and attempting to remain completely casual with Marlene and everyone. Though this wasn't unusual, a few Ravenclaws walked past Sirius and gave him sultry waves which he ignored as always. He wondered, suddenly, if that was a problem for Marlene. Did it even matter at all? Why would it? He clearly did not have any intentions. He almost punched himself for being so concerned; why was he so nervous lately?

He glanced down at his watch, noticing the bell would chime any minute now. James and Lily, of course, had a full schedule along with their other duties as did Remus and Peter was more of a joke than Sirius. He needed to know where he stood with Marlene in regards to classes. Would he get to stare at her pretty little face all through charms or enjoy the way her hair tumbled down her back in DADA, he didn't know, but he surely needed to.

---

Bella nodded, "Of course, my Lord. I will get started right away. Shall it be Muggles?" She asked, almost sneering. Muggles, the word made her skin crawl almost as much as Mudblood. The wizarding world deserved more than this, this saturation of their holy blood. She took extreme pride in the blood coursing through her veins, unpolluted by humanity; a pureblood through and through.

She wondered if the longer she followed his orders, the longer she could put off her god forsaken marriage. Did he not see how well they worked together and that they shared such a similar mind? Did he not see in her his great companion and is that not love? She felt a twinge in her stomach, guilt and shame at her feelings, but they were there nonetheless. She wondered if he'd ever figured out her weakness, being her undying devotion to him. He was a master at reading people, surely he has read her and so, he must surely know the extent to which she will go for him. She knew that, if anything, she and Rudolphus shared a deep appreciation for the Dark Lord and a need to follow him. She wondered what she must do to get her Dark Mark finally, she glanced down at her wrist and wanted to grumble. Of course, the answer was to get married.

[ I am so sorry I'm so slow at replying! ]

"Well I've got double Transfiguration, potions, then a block of charms, and DADA, and then of course Quidditch but quidditch won't be every day. Which as long as I do well enough this year then I'll have all the grades I need to take the auror exam, which hopefully I'll pass. If I even get to take it." She told him. Though she was keeping her fingers crossed, after all it was a big deal for her. Honestly, she felt like she was the only one from the group who without a doubt knew exactly what she wanted. Which that wasn't uncommon, after all they were all still young and had plenty of time to figure everything out.

"You ready Marls? The last thing I want is to be late on the first day," Doe said standing up and looking down at Marlene. They'd both pretty much already knew they'd be in most of their classes together. After all Doe was headed down the same path, she just wasn't nearly as sure as Marlene was. Either way though with everything they were taking she'd surely be qualified for something with the ministry once it was all done, even if she didn't become an auror. "Yea," Marlene replied before smiling in Sirius' direction quickly before turning on her heels to walk with her friend to Transfiguration. She wished her and Sirius could have more classes together, but well they didn't probably because their career paths weren't going in the same direction. Though this could be a blessing in disguise. Maybe if he wasn't in the class to distract her it'd be easier for her to focus on the class.

---

"The less muggles there are in the world, the better off it will be," Tom told her glad she understood how disgusting it was to have to share a world with them. "So, please use all the muggles you need to make me an army," he told her knowing fully well that he wouldn't mind in the slightest having an army made entirely of dead muggles. Yea he hated them probably more than most, but there was something about having an army of dead muggles that made him feel powerful. Not like they had a chance against him anyways.

"I have other things to take care of, so I much head out. But I trust that I can trust you to handle the inferi. If you do a good job with the ones to come as you have with the one already I'm sure nothing will go wrong. And if it all works out then I'll make sure you're greatly rewarded." Told said knowing that every once in a while he needed to make sure Bella knew how much her hard work really meant. Not because he enjoyed praising people, or because he felt she wouldn't do a good job otherwise. But because he felt it would keep her devotion to him, and the stronger she was devoted the more he knew this would all workout.

Sirius smiled, looking forward to having at least one class with Marlene especially seeing as it was the class that he shone the brightest in. Defense Against the Dark Arts was probably the class that Sirius was both most interested in and most skilled in. These two facts were something that he did not keep quiet in the least and his friends trickled off to class, he started regretting the way he handled school for the beginning of his educational career. Perhaps there was more out there for him, but Hogwarts was the only home he felt he truly knew and teaching here (as well as living here) was the best case scenario. As he walked around campus, trying to find the best way to occupy his free period, he felt the pressure of the real world overwhelming him. When the area started to fill with students, Sirius felt extreme relief for at least he had class to distract him.

Class was, as usual, long and somewhat tedious. This was the year that would be so full and busy of studying that Sirius almost marveled at how Marlene could do all of this and play quidditch. He smirked, she was the only woman that really could impress Sirius. Though Sirius was good at Transfiguration and charms was enjoyable since he had, at least, had the class with his best mates, he still felt himself praying for lunch. When it was finally time for lunch, the boys walked incredibly fast and for once, Sirius didn't feel like being the jokesters they are so well known to be. Instead, his need to see Marlene was fairly strong, but as they headed towards the Great Hall, Severus Snape walked by. "Oh, James. Really. Not today," Sirius said, he had more important things on his mind.

---

"Of course, my Lord," she said, feeling the power and praise he offered her coursing through her veins. She waited for him to leave before letting herself sink back into a far more comfortable posture and wrinkling the lace between her fingers. "Kill the muggles," she muttered to herself before Apparating back home. Home was a relief, but only because it was empty of her soon-to-be husband and she rolled her eyes. Their marriage would never be centered on love, but rather servitude to the Dark Lord and that was perfectly okay with her. The marriage itself was both service to the Dark Lord and to her family, it was in the name of pureblood magic.

@ honeysucklelips

Marlene couldn't have been happier when lunch finally rolled around later in the day. It was only the first day of classes and she was already feeling a little overwhelmed. She knew though that this was what she'd chosen, and that she couldn't let get to her. Yes it was a lot to take in, and there were going to be times when it was stressful but she had to think about the bigger picture. And the bigger picture here was that as long as she didn't lose focus and did her very best she'd get the grades she needed and could take the exam to become an Auror, which was the only thing she'd wanted to become for as long as she could remember. And even though she wasn't following the path of either of her parents, she knew that her grandfather had been an Auror back when he was younger so she was following in his path. The point was this was that she wanted and she wasn't going to let anything stand in her way.

"So Mar I doubt you noticed given you were like really into taking notes this morning, but Fabian Prewett was totally checking you out. I bet he totally wants you back," Doe said nudging Marlene in the arm as they walked into the great hall for lunch. "That's great Doe, but we broke up for a reason. Plus that was like forever ago, and I mean what about Emmeline? Point is there's no way I'm getting back with him." She said shrugging her shoulders. Though really she wasn't getting back with him because of Sirius, but well agreeing not to tell anyone about their relationship kind of kept her from telling that to Doe. "Let's just get some lunch,"

---

Tom needed to make sure that everything was in place for when they were actually ready for their attack. Which as long as everything went according to plan would be soon. Honestly, he found it thrilling to have such a solid plan to put things into action. People might've said that he didn't have emotions or didn't care about anything, but that was just untrue. He just didn't care what most people cared about he also didn't let emotions have any control over him. Things like letting your emotions control you or caring about things that could easily be taken away make a person weak, and if there one thing that Tom Riddle wasn't it was weak. And soon enough he'd show everyone just what he was made of, and if anyone questioned him afterwards they wouldn't like the outcome.

[ sorry I took so long to reply! ]

@ Sirius Black..
Sirius watched James take out his wand, smirk and let a huge gust of wind omit from his wand, blowing Snape's robes and scrolls everywhere. Usually, Sirius would have at least smirked, but he just really wanted to get to lunch and see Marlene. His fingers itched to touch, although that would never happen. James laughed to himself and Remus just looked at his shoes in disdain, but Sirius just continued walking. Sometimes it was exhausting watching James torment Severus out of sheer jealousy and he did it so secretly to maintain his relationship with Lily, that Sirius wondered why do it at all? If Lily ever found out, their relationship would end so quickly even if her and Severus were no longer friends. Sirius, if anything, believed in the bonds of friendship (even the friendships that have ended). Remus was the first to catch up to him and Sirius heard James trucking along though he chose not to stop and entertain his foolishness this once.

When they entered the Great Hall, the wafting scent of steak and potatoes hit Sirius like a wall and he felt his stomach growl. He had been so preoccupied with today that he hadn’t noticed how hungry he was. He made a beeline for Lily and Marlene, plopping down dramatically across from them both with Remus politely taking his seat. “James’ll be along in a minute, Lily,” Sirius muttered, piling his plate with food. She was going to ask, it was written all over her face and Sirius flashed a smile to Marlene, as if it was just ‘nice to see her.’

---

Bella twiddled her fingers, pondering just what it was that Tom wanted her to do. She certainly couldn’t wait around here like some sort of fool, but it was merely mid-day and their lesson had been short but informative. She glanced around her home, portraits of her husbands’ adorning all the walls and she huffed. What a sham of a life she would live in this marriage, lest the only condolence be their continued work for Lord Voldemort. She decided the most immediate action she needed to take was finding a way to contact her cousin and she knew he wouldn’t be exactly excited to see her, but she must see him. His mother had once mentioned his affection for the astronomy tower and so she decided, it’d be best to head to Hogwarts now. At this rate, she’d make it by nightfall and then, she simply wait.

Marlene directed her smiled to Sirius, when he took a seat across from her and Lily, before tuning back into the conversation she'd been having while eating lunch with her friends. "You guys are hopeless, did you know that?" She asked shaking her head and sighing. She really couldn't believe that they still weren't able to drop the whole thing with her and Fabian. But then again she supposed it was the least she could expect from them since no one other than Sirius even knew how she felt about him really. Or at least she assumed no one knew because they never brought it up, and well everyone brought up how James felt about Lily all the time. Hell, they even talked about how Lily surely had feelings for him too, but never anything about her and Sirius.

"Well, Marly when you won't even tell us why you and Fabian broke up we get curious. And it clearly couldn't have been a mutual thing if he's totally still pining after you. So we again are just curious. Do you think you'll give him another chance? Will we ever know what really happened? All things we, as your friends just want to know." Doe said before Marlene pushed her fingers through her hair and sighed again. "No I don't plan on giving him another chance, and as for why we broke up maybe someone should ask Emmeline because I'm sure she could explain really welly. Oh and to address him pining after me, it won't do him any good. He broke my heart and I spent what felt like forever repairing it. So he can pine all he wants but we're not getting back together."

---

There was so much to be done in order to ensure that everything he had planned went according to plan. And with everything in order thus far he could check in on Bellatrix to make sure everything was going the way it was supposed to on her end. After all their plan would only work if Bella was able to find a way to get an inside source so they'd know all the on goings of Hogwarts. Which was important because he needed to always have an eye on Dumbledore so he's have the upper hand on the old man. After all somehow the man was in charge of the Order and the more Tom knew about the Order the quicker he could take the whole thing out.

@ honeysucklelips