Twenty-Five Facts About Marlene McKinnon

1. Marlene was never really known by her own name until her third year in Hogwarts. Before hand, she'd just been known as the McKinnon girl - the only sister to her many brothers. She finally got her own identity when she and Dorcas Meadowes started going to duelling club. As duelling partners, they were unbeatable. When they beat the reigning Slytherin champions, Marlene and Dorcas were lifted on the shoulders of what seemed like the whole Gryffindor house, and they held an all-night party to rival the celebrations after a Quidditch match.

2. Marlene has always been a gifted witch, she just never seemed like it next to Dorcas.

3. She and Dorcas became best friends on the train. Of course, Lily and Mary were their best friends too.

4. She has always been infatuated with Gideon Prewett - and she doesn't know why, because he and Fabian are practically the same person. Gid and Fab Prewett were in the same year as one of her brothers, so she knew the Prewett family from a young age. She likes Molly - but is also slightly scared of her.

5. She tried out for Quidditch every year - for whatever position was going. She only got into the team in the fifth year though - and slightly resented Dorcas for this. Of course, she should have resented Lily, but she always thought it was just Potter trying to get into her pants by putting her on the team. She became a beater when Gid and Fab left.

6. She adored messing around. It was, in fact, her genius that allowed the whole "turn-snape-into-a-rampant-flamingo-for-the-whole-of-charms" thing to be pulled off spectacuarly. Professor Flitwick had no idea what to do for half an hour - and that was saying something. The Marauders took the credit of course, but she didn't care. It was hilarious, and she didn't get a detention. Plus Lily would have killed her.

7. It's not that Marlene didn't like Snape in particular, it's just he was a Slytherin and she was a Gryffindor. That's how it worked. And anyway, even though Lily always stood up for him, Marlene was pretty sure that Snape was as prejudiced as the rest of them.

8. She's been in the hospital wing twice - once from a rouge bludger breaking her leg in Qudditch in her sixth year, but the first time was when Avery fired a paticuarly nasty curse at her from behind in their second year. No one could prove it was him, but she knows it was because Dorcas beat him in a Duel they were paired up for in DADA. Dorcas visited her bed every day, very guilty. She and Dorcas jinxed Avery's pumpkin juice the day she got out of the wing. He never bothered them again.

9. She visited Lily and Mary a lot in the holidays because she thought it was hilarious. Muggles, honestly. The things they came up with.

10. Dorcas started dating Remus Lupin in their third year, and started bugging Marlene to get with Sirius Black (so they could double, she insisted). Marlene doesn't understand how she can be so insensitive at times - Sirius and Remus had some big fight that the girls aren't allowed to know about, and now Sirius spends most of his time looking depressed.

11. Really, she wanted to be in Ravenclaw. The sorting hat wanted to put Dorcas in Ravenclaw. She's always felt a little bitter about that.

12. Some of her brothers were in Ravenclaw too. She wonders sometimes if her Mother prefers them because of this.

13. She hates pumpkin more than anything in the world. When Gideon found out about this, he showed her the way to the kitchens, so she could get something other than pumpkin juice to drink. Sometimes she'd catch him in the kitchen by himself, and she'd savour all of these moments.

14. Dorcas really started on at her about dating in their fifth year. Apparently it was time to stop wishing Gideon would notice her when he obviously didn't like her that way - and also he had left if Marlene hadn't noticed, so he's never going to look for a school kid girl-friend. Maybe Marlene hated Dorcas a little bit when she said that.

15. Marlene's never been frightened - not of death. That's why the Death Eaters don't frighten her. So she joins the Order when she's asked without hesitation.

16. When she leaves school, she moves in with Dorcas and Mary. They miss Lily. Marlene goes to see her a lot, and one day, the Prewetts are there. She's so excited to see them. Gideon kisses her goodbye. It was probably the best day of her life.

17. Dorcas frightens her slightly when they go off on assaignments. They go together - an immortal team. Dorcas is amazing at the duelling. Marlene is good, but Dorcas was born to fight. At the end of confrontations, there will be blood and lots of dead death-eaters, and Marlene will look like a mess, and Dorcas will pat her hair back into place, and smile, looking the same as she did when they came in. Marlene thinks Dorcas must be invincible.

18. She moved in with Gideon after three months of seeing him at the Potters. Why should they wait? She's loved him all her life. And really, although no one says it, everyone is rushing into things these days. War makes people uncertain.

19. She's scared of leaving her friends, because she worries about Mary. She can't see Mary as a grown-up, clever, strong woman. She sees her as the eleven year old who cried herself to sleep after being spat at by some Slytherin pricks on her first day at Hogwarts.

20. Gideon and Fabian are amazing partners when it comes to duelling, just as she and Dorcas are. That never stopped her worrying.

21. She found out she was pregnant after two months of living with Gideon. Her forbade her to go on any more missions. He told her he loved her. Once this mess is done, he promised, they'd get married.

didn't think she'd ever be happy again, when he died three weeks later, torn to pieces by the scum of the earth. Dorcas and Mary have to take Marlene by side-along apparition back to their flat. She couldn't speak for the first hour after they picked her up, just cried silently. Then came screaming denial, fury and horror. She managed to destroy just about every piece of furniture her friends owned. She collapsed onto the floor after a while, her throat raw, her eyes burning red and sore.

23. The baby kept her going. It was a piece of Gideon - the last piece of him left. Mary and Dorcas swore to find and kill bastards that did it. They were gone a lot. Marlene spends her time staring into space, one hand on her growing belly.

24. She was the first McKinnon to die. Her brothers, having recieved a tip off, found her body. The death eaters hadn't yet left. There were a lot of them - they must have though Dorcas would be there with her. Her brothers were all slaughtered.

25. Marlene didn't fight. She accepted her death. Sitting straight backed in her chair, she faced her murderers defiantly. They tortured her, but she never screamed once, instead she laughed. She'd already faced the worst pain in the world. And when death rushed towards her in the final flash of brightest green, her last thought was of Gideon's infectious and delicious smile.