#did I chose to include pandalily and Emmary vaugely at the end

[mydarlingdearestdead]

Charity- Dorlene microfic

"Love," Marlene drawled, "I don't know what love means to me, Pete." She laughed hollowly, without humour.

"I do." James offered, "Her name is Dorcas Meadows." Marlene threw Peter's pillow at him with surprisingly accurate aim. James simply chuckled in return, catching it deftly.

"I suppose you'd know, wouldn't you?" Mary teased, "So many nights spent with a certain Black brother can only allude to one thing." A moment later Mary squealed as a pillow hit her in the chest with enough force to knock her back a few inches.

Marlene groaned, how they always circled back to James love life escaped her completely. "Yes, Potter is spending an inappropriate amount of time with Baby Black. Now, back to me." She paused, "Please."

Peter looked at her apologetically, "Back to Mx. Meadows, right."

Marlene could've clawed his eyes out. Meanwhile Mary smirked knowingly as James smothered in a laugh in his shoulder.

Marlene had held her own hand throughout her life so often that it had become a habit, one she reverted back to more easily that she'd of liked to admit. It was easy to see her friends had never cause for this, they'd never been alone like she had.

Dorcas helped that sometimes, Dorcas gave her something to lean on. It wasn't that no one tried before, with them though it felt like charity, like a chore that almost wasn't worth doing. Dorcas never made her feel like that, and Marlene was infinitely glad.

Dorcas laughed when Marlene told her the worst things she'd done, Dorcas smiled and rubbed her back when Marlene just couldn't stop sobbing after her Christnas at home, Dorcas gave her a gift on her birthday and didn't expect anything back. Dorcas Meadows could've watched the sun fall out of the sky and comment idly while still listening to Marlene's latest crazed speech.

"Maybe I'll just have to redefine that whole love concept in light of some new developments." Marlene said slowly.

Peter rolled his eyes but he looked so fond that any intended malice was lost. James began cackling like a maniac. Mary just had a softly distant look on her face. Marlene smiled reflectively in her direction before turning a rather deathly glare on James.

When she did finally take her leave, hours later, she left many more in her wake: Regulus, Pandora, Sirius, Lily, Remus and Emmeline, had all joined the party. Marlene didn't doubt she'd be missed, but a more important light waited for her at the end of the tunnel.

That Light just happened to have chocolate brown eyes, little pendants that hung from their braids and the ability to make even a school uniform look impossibly good.