mind the thorns

[stilinski-ortiz-dolan]

[calamityofagirl-archive]

@shameless-siriusly

[calamityofagirl-archive]

Marlene stood outside the animal shelter, double-checking her bag. Her wallet, phone & identification were all there. She looked at Sirius, barely containing the grin on her face. They’d moved into their new home only a couple weeks ago, and now that they’d felt “settled in”, had agreed it was more than time to adopt another dog. “Remember, we’re adopting one dog today Sirius. We can’t bring a whole pack home.” she teased lightly, as she opened the door.

@shameless-siriusly​

[calamityofagirl-archive]

goldinthesebones​:

Working with magical creatures for a living, Edgar was sometimes a walking magnet to animals in the park. When a large dog came up to him, he instinctively put his hand out slowly for him to sniff. He was a handsome dog, and clearly had some semblance of training to be off his leash and not running off. Hearing a fairly familiar voice, he smiled, “Thanks for the warning,” he replied, before continuing with a smile, “I try not to pet other people’s pets without their permission anyways. He seems well trained though,” he mused. “How are you, Marlene?” he asked her kindly. Edgar knew things had been difficult in her realm lately, and he knew she had other people to talk to, but he still wanted to give her something akin to support. 

Marlene looked up at the familiar voice, and the half-smile stayed as she recognised Edgar. “Well, he seems to like you anyway.” she said, as Cerberus wagged his tail and looked at Edgar expectantly. Cerberus was a good guard dog, but she’d found he was pretty good at reading people, and knew (correctly) that Edgar was no threat to him. “I’m doing good actually, better now that not everyone in the Order is looking at me like a suspect.” she answered. There was a slight edge to her voice, but she shrugged. She was mostly over it. “What about you?”

[calamityofagirl-archive]

mssr-moony-esq​:

~~~~~~

Remus hummed softly under his breath and took the drink, a small smile on his lips.  "But to be fair, I drink in the cheapest of swill, but the lack of proper funds can’t really be helped.“  He smirked and took a sip of the drink, and nodded.  "But this is better than most.”  Remus often found the only way to get by these days with with heaping doses of self-depreciation, because if he didn’t find a way to laugh at himself, he’d probably spend far too much time crying.

“I’ve seen quite a bit, but nothing quite so suspicious as what we’re looking for,” Remus said, dropping his voice just a little more, curling inward and pursing his lips.  "But of course, if you’re as paranoid as I tend to be, everything starts being suspicious.“  He sighed.  "And then there’s the fact that I’m not exactly sure what I’m supposed to be looking for.”  Remus was really more suited to book work than spy work, even if he’d done a fine job infiltrating various werewolf packs.  But he felt as if that was where his skill set ended.  

Marlene herself seemed much more adept at the whole thing, in a way that almost made Remus envious.  This was the cause that James had died for, that they had all signed up to die for, and Remus hardly felt like he was pulling his weight with the whole thing.  "How about you?  Any leads at all?  As fun as it is, I hope we can do more than just sit here an have moderately good drinks all night.“

“Well if we combine your paranoia with my cynicism, I’m sure we’ll find something.” Marlene teased lightly with a half-smirk, sipping her drink as she glanced to the side. It was a seedy bar, which attracted seedy individuals, but no one stood out just yet. “Lily got a tip off that some Death Eater supporters might be linking up here” she said, lowering her voice slightly.

She snorted at his remark and shook her head “No I haven’t seen anything yet but I figure...” she trailed off as a man entered the bar and sat at a table near the back. He looked familiar, and her gut told her he was a wizard, and possibly someone of interest. “Hang on, might have something.” she took a sip of her drink, watching as the man anxiously checked his watch. “In the corner of the bar behind you, the brunette in the grey duster, what do you think?”

[calamityofagirl-archive]

The McKinnons

FATHER: Alejandro Roberto McKinnon Garcia (FC: Demián Bichir)
 MOTHER: Verónica Patricia Castillo Rodriguez de McKinnon (FC: Ana De La Reguera)
 ELDER BROTHER: Alexander Roberto McKinnon Castillo (FC: Michael Trevino)
 YOUNGER BROTHER: Sebastian Eduardo McKinnon Castillo (FC: Tyler Posey)
 MUSE: María Elena Alessandra McKinnon Castillo (FC: Emeraude Toubia)

@alexandermckxnnon

[calamityofagirl-archive]

Marlene was in an unusually good mood, so when Cerberus trotted up to someone on the path, she didn’t immediately call for him to continue walking. “Careful. I’d say his bark is worse than his bite, but that wouldn’t be quite true.” she said dryly with a small half-smile “But he’s generally well behaved.” she added, as she looked up.

[calamityofagirl-archive]

ambitchious​:

Silence filled the air as Rita watched Marlene rummage through the fridge. She grabbed her Quick-Quotes Quill out of her bag as well as her notepad. As soon as she set her quill down, it jumped alive waiting for one of them to speak next.

Rita crooked an eyebrow at the witch on the other side of the island. She took a drink of her coffee sitting in front of her before she spoke,

“Right,” she coughed and cleared her throat. “Marlene, obviously you know why I’m here. It’s no secret really - is it not? Suspicion of your name being involved with the murder of James Potter. You’re okay with me using a Quick-Quotes Quill, yes?”

Rita took another sip of her coffee and waved off her question. She looked down at the counter to find her notes. She could easily tell that Marlene wanted nothing to do with Rita being there, and in full honesty Rita didn’t want to be there either. This was not how she wanted her week to start. Rita didn’t hate Marlene, she was just…envious of her. Rita didn’t understand what Sirius saw in her - she was mean and he wasn’t. They were opposites. Rita sighed softly looking at Marlene with questionable eyes.

“Do you think your name was said because of the attack you held against the Pettigrew boy?” She raised her eyebrows again.

Marlene opened the fridge, rummaging through to find a can of beer, rolling her eyes as Rita spoke. “You’re already using it.” she stated as she glanced over her shoulder, shrugging. She opened the can and stood up, closing the fridge door and leaning back on it. “As long as Lily approves what you print, I don’t really care.” she said, drinking from the can.

“They didn’t say my name. They said ‘McKinnon’. Wouldn’t really make a whole lot of sense for them to try and pin it on me after Pettigrew? If I’m on their side why the fuck would I go after him?” she asked “What’s the purpose of this interview again?”

[calamityofagirl-archive]

ambitchious​:

Monday’s were never really Rita’s thing, she was always preferred Wednesday. Even though it was close to 9 A.M., she was still half asleep and in obvious need of more caffeine. She set her bags on the ground next to her as she fumbled with her keys to unlock the doors to the Phoenix. She shoved her keys back in her pocket and picked up her bags and shoved her way through the doors.

It never really phased her that she walked into the building in the dark. Sybill was usually at the phoenix way earlier than Rita, she always had coffee or tea made and had Rita’s notes organized in a particular way. Rita walked right into her office not noticing anything out of the ordinary. Rita sat down in her chair and turned toward her desk. Her eye twitched as she picked up one of the notes from Sybill:

“Miss Skeeter, I’m taking Monday off in celebration of my cat. It’s her birthday and she’s turning 10! I am sorry for the late notice, although I will be back on Tuesday. Have a great day! Sybill :)”

She sighed and laid the note down slowly. Getting up from her desk she went and turned all the lights on, she made herself some coffee and organized her notes.

9:20 A.M. Rita thought to herself, I’ve only been here for twenty minutes? This is going to be a day.

Rita picked up a dart from her desk and turned and threw it at her dart board, holding a picture of Sirius Black. The dart pierced the picture in Sirius’s right shoulder. It wasn’t that Rita hated Sirius, she loved him with her entire being. He was the first man that she let close to her. After her father left, Rita knew men couldn’t be trusted; however, when she met Sirius back at Hogwarts, she knew he was a good man. But that kinda changed when he left her and now he is with Marlene. She threw another dart at the thought of the two of them together. It missed his picture but it didn’t matter - it somehow made her feel better.

Rita turned around from throwing the second dart to look at the second note from Sybill:

“Miss Skeeter, I was suppose to meet with Marlene Mckinnon today ( Mon. 1st of June ) in follow up for a statement about the new findings in the Potter murder case. Because I’m not able to be in at work, Miss Skeeter, you’ll have to do it. I’m sorry! Sybill :(“

She crumpled the note and let of a scream. Of course, this was how her Monday was going to go. She looked over at the clock hanging above her door. It was five minutes til ten o’clock. Rita made sure she was composed before she stood up from her desk and went around to collect all the items that she uses during an interview. As soon as she collected all of her items she was out the door to find Marlene.

Rita found herself standing in front of the Order’s meeting place. She looked the old creekity building up and down as if it was someone she wasn’t planning on meeting. Rita had been to this place many times since becoming a member of the Order. Although, the building never pleased her. She sighed looking down at her perfectly untouched black stiletto heels. With coffee in hand, her bags on her arm she walked into the building.

“Marlene? Miss Mckinnon, are you here?” Rita was quiet with her words as she didn’t want to disrupt anything that was happening in the building. She peaked into the rooms as she walked around the building to find her. As she reached the kitchen she set her bags down on the counter. She sat down on one of the bar stool, waiting for Marlene.

It was a little past 10:30 A.M., when Rita heard footsteps approaching. She straightened her posture and swallowed hard keeping her entire being Professional.

“Hello Marlene.” Rita said with a soft smile. “How are you doing?”

[ @calamityofagirl ]

Marlene might have been cleared of suspicion now that Kingsley & Molly had interrogated her, but that didn’t mean everyone had. Nor did it mean Marlene was over being accused in the first place. And when Sybil had approached her asking for an interview about the situation, she’d had a few choice words for the witch.

And she thought that was that,

But when her phone buzzed earlier that morning, a text from Sybill telling her that she was unable to catch up with her today, and that Rita Skeeter would interview her instead, Marlene groaned in frustration. Damn fucking reporters. Who let them join the Order anyway?

Heading to the kitchen, she’d almost completely forgot about it, when she saw Rita. She rolled her eyes, considering just walking back out.

Marlene had never really interacted with Rita much, mostly because of her disregard for the media. She knew that Sirius and her had some kind of on/off friends with benefits fling for a couple years before moving in with Marlene. And in all honestly, Marlene didn’t care all that much. It was years in the past now, and she didn’t see Rita as a threat - because she wasn’t. Marlene was confident in her relationship with Sirius and had no real ill-will towards Rita, with the exception of her being a reporter.

“Hello Rita” she said, a sigh in her voice as she moved towards the fridge, looking for some kind of alcohol. “I’m fine. What do you want?” she asked directly, in no mood for beating around the bush.

[calamityofagirl-archive]

shameless-siriusly​:

calamityofagirl​:

Marlene rolled her head back on the wall and gave a heavy sigh as she listened to both of them speak. She hated to admit it, but they were right. This could have further reaching consequences than just spending a night in a cell. And while Peter was a coward, Bellatrix certainly wasn’t.

“Look if I could go back, I wouldn’t do it publicly. I just… in the heat of the moment all I wanted was to make him suffer for selling James out. I didn’t mean for it look bad on the Order.” she said, exasperated, looking to Lily, and then to Sirius. “Whatever happens, I can handle it.”

@shameless-siriusly​ @fierylily-evans​

“First of all, McKinnon, you should know better than anyone that you can’t just do whatever the fuck you want because of the heat of the moment,” he said stepping up to her, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration. “Stop acting like a rebellious child, you’re not only a Ministry worker but also part of the Order, so get your shit together. I don’t give a fuck why you did it, or that it was justified, or this or that. Do this sort of crap again, and you’ll be in probation inside the order for not being able to control your goddammed emotions. This isn’t Hogwarts anymore, this is War, so grow up.” “It’s not if you can handle it, it’s a we—Like it or not, what you do affects us, all of us. So stop acting so selfish, we all lost James. You don’t get a free pass,” he hissed at her. “We’ll think of a plan, but we’ve got enough shit to also clean up your messes, Marlene.”

@calamityofagirl​ @fierylily-evans​

Marlene had thought she was calming down. At least somewhat. But as soon as Sirius advanced on her, that feeling of anger combined with shame returned. She knew he was right, but gods she hated the feeling. The worst part of any of this wasn’t the possibility of being suspended, it was the fact that she’d disappointed Sirius. And if James were alive, well, she knew he’d be disappointed too. 

She waited for him to finish, and while every instinct told her to defend herself and her actions, she made herself take a deep breath before looking at him “I’m sorry, alright? I fucked up.” she said, a heavy sigh leaving her. “I’m sorry.” 

@shameless-siriusly @fierylily-evans

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Marlene shivered slightly as he spoke, whacking his arm playfully. “An absolute menace.” she teased, shaking her head. She raised an eyebrow, smirking at him “Well, I know how much you enjoy to do those things publicly.” she added, placing a hand on his thigh “We should probably go inside, before we get distracted.”

[calamityofagirl-archive]

mssr-moony-esq​:

Remus Lupin liked to think he’d gotten over being a coward in most ways.  He hadn’t ever really meant to be of course, and it was just the one general failing that he’d protect his friends at any cost, even when he knew they were being ridiculously awful prats.  He’d been so desperate not to lose them, he’d let other people get hurt.  It was one of those burdens he got to carry, along with all that mess of potentially killing everyone he cared for if he wasn’t incredibly careful.  

But.

There was always a but, wasn’t there?  But he was, or at least could be, a little bit of a coward about Marlene.  It wasn’t that he meant to be, but it just happened.  It was hard to really get all that close to someone when you had years and years of repressed feeling hanging over your head.  It wasn’t necessarily resentment either, though Remus supposed it could turn into that, if he let it.  But it was just a general kind of discomfort, like he was forced to wear shoes that were a half size too small.  

Remus could repress and deny with the best of them, but he figured it had probably occurred to Marlene that he was completely and unfailingly infatuated with Sirius and had been for a considerable amount of time. It had never and would never amount to anything, of course, and it wasn’t that Remus even wanted that especially.  It just added a layer of awkwardness to their whole relationship.  And it was probably just wholly on Remus too, which was just depressing.

At least that was depressing in a way that was slightly more palatable than all the other ways his life was depressing.

And it was never an issue in group settings where there were other people to take the pressure off, but of course at the moment he and Marlene were meeting for Order business alone, and that was on the whole a bit more nerve wracking than the possibility that they could both die.  Funny that.

Still.

Remus gave her a smile that was not in the least bit pained when he saw her across the room of the darkened bar they were meeting in, lifting his hand in a half wave.  "I believe I’m just the person that you came to this dive to meet, Miss McKinnon.  Too bad not for happier reasons.“

(@calamityofagirl) 

Out of all the Marauders, Marlene had been least close with Remus and Peter. She’d never really liked Peter, but she did actually get along with Remus. But they never seemed to grow close, it always just seemed... awkward. Marlene wasn’t the type to chase a friendship, so she was content with trading witty bants and playful barbs. 

And with time she’d realised a potential source of the awkwardness - Remus had a crush on Sirius, an unfading one, it seemed. Marlene couldn’t really blame him: Sirius was a catch. It didn’t make things less awkward though it seemed, and she learned to just roll with it.

It was a passing thought as she made her way to the bar to meet Remus now. They’d been assigned a mission together and despite the awkwardness of the two of them being alone, she would assume they could both work together for the sake of the Order. She nodded her head up in greeting as she saw him, eyes scanning the area as she approached. “True, at least the drinks aren’t half-bad though.” she said, as she lifted her own drink and his, passing it to him. “Seen anything?”

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fierylily-evans‌:

shameless-siriusly‌:

Sirius was still seething, leaning on a wall as Marlene changed, willing himself not to look anywhere but her face. He heard Lily talk and Marlene answer, huffing a humorless chuckle from his nose.  “You forget you have a record, and it doesn’t look good for you in a professional sense nor with the Order,” he said, his tone calmer but just as harsh and stern. “Peter might be a coward, but he’s with Bellatrix and with Severus both which have their claws in the Ministry. Azkaban might not be what they push for, but a restraining order and suspension from work are all possibilities if they do push for anything. You’re better than this, better than being volatile and attacking publicly.”

@fierylily-evans​ @calamityofagirl​

A heavy sigh escaped her at Marlene’s answer, and if Lily could facepalm she would. With a flick of her wrist, she got the kettle boiling, knowing that everyone could use a cup of tea eventually here. “I would agree with you, if he wasn’t under the protection of Bellatrix and Andromeda. They have connections too, Marls. It’s unlikely, but it could happen,” she answered calmly. 

“We don’t have to worry about Severus. If I need to, I’ll talk with him,” she murmured, knowing that she and Severus could likely come to a different agreement. “There’s also that. Bellatrix could come for your professional career, a restraining order, and add it to your record,” she agreed. It looked bad for the Order and for her professional career as well. Lily gave a tired sigh as she got up to get mugs down and started pouring the water, setting her own tea to seep. “I get why you did it. Would have been better if it hadn’t been publicly, but I get it,” she replied.

Marlene rolled her head back on the wall and gave a heavy sigh as she listened to both of them speak. She hated to admit it, but they were right. This could have further reaching consequences than just spending a night in a cell. And while Peter was a coward, Bellatrix certainly wasn’t.

“Look if I could go back, I wouldn’t do it publicly. I just... in the heat of the moment all I wanted was to make him suffer for selling James out. I didn’t mean for it look bad on the Order.” she said, exasperated, looking to Lily, and then to Sirius. “Whatever happens, I can handle it.”

@shameless-siriusly​ @fierylily-evans​

[juliawvicker]

[calamityofagirl-archive]

@mssr-moony-esq

[juliawvicker]

[calamityofagirl-archive]

@mary-mxcdonxld

[calamityofagirl-archive]

fierylily-evans‌:

“I can’t believe I bought an entire house. I don’t regret it, but I did that today,” she mused, clearly letting some of the tequila talk for her. “Yes. There’s a fair amount of property with it, and I for one want to see more of it than just the yard,” she agreed, because that had been part of the reason she’d bought it. The property was big enough that if Remus wanted to transform there he could - it would be somewhere Peter didn’t know about, and isolated enough that no one would be at risk. “Brilliant. I think that’s exactly what we need,” she agreed, outstretching her arm so that they could apparate together.

“I can’t believe you did it sober.” Marlene teased with a grin. Well, at least she thought she did. If memory served her correctly they’d started drinking after Lily had finalised her purchase, but she could have been wrong. She took Lily’s hand and they apparated in a flash, appearing in front of the cottage. “Why don’t you give me the tour?”

[calamityofagirl-archive]

mary-mxcdonxld‌:

Mary smiled, taking another swig of her own beer in imitation of Marlene. It was nice to be able to have a conversation that didn’t include biting one another’s heads off, and Mary knew that Lily and Sirius would be delighted if they could see this progress. “Not enemies,” Mary repeated, matching Marlene’s semi-smile. “Sounds like a deal.” 

Mary laughed and stood up from her chair, taking her beer with her. “Well, I wouldn’t want to push our luck, so I’ll just go collect Lily from work myself rather than wait here for her.” Besides, Marlene had wanted to enjoy her time to herself, and Mary could respect that. “Enjoy the quiet time while you can.” 

Marlene nodded slowly, the half-smile still on her face. She didn’t want to push their luck either and she really did want some quiet time to herself. “Thanks, Mary.” she said, and it might have been the first time possibly ever that Marlene had thanked the other woman. At least genuinely any way. “I’ll see you later then.”

[calamityofagirl-archive]

alexandermckxnnon‌:

Alexander saw the brief flicker of doubt in his sister’s eyes, and he was suddenly glad that she was still wearing the mask so that he wouldn’t have to see the expression mirrored on her whole face. It was reminiscent of so many times before, when they were kids, when Marlene would look at him with that doubt and insecurity, practically begging him with her eyes to step up and treat her differently than their parents did. 

He felt a twinge of guilt, and he knew that it wasn’t her fault, not really. He was the coward that was too focused on gaining their father’s approval to bother with the two people in the world who could only look to him for affection and protection. 

Her words only reaffirmed what he already felt, and he took a step back, stung. He knew that he deserved it, but that didn’t mean it was pleasant. Alexander felt like he was looking at Marlene with new eyes – for so long, he had been naive enough to pretend. To pretend that things weren’t past the point of repair, that Marlene would get over her grudges and eventually they would all be family again. 

But he saw now that his naiveté was wrong. Marlene was gone, their relationship beyond the point of repair. He had stood back and let her be abused and neglected by their parents for too long, and she didn’t need him anymore. She didn’t consider herself a McKinnon, and he was still to cowardly to stand up to their parents and change that. 

But that didn’t mean that he didn’t love her. 

“Just–be careful, okay?” He said, his voice defeated. “Don’t get yourself burned along with this place.” There was nothing more to say, really, but he did want her to be safe. 

Marlene stared at him for what seemed like an eternity in seconds. Things could have been so different between them, if he’d only just given her a chance when they were children. If their parents had been kinder to them both. They’d lost so many years, and there was still too much pain to reconcile. Alexander was still playing puppet to their parents, and Marlene couldn’t forgive and forget.

All the same, she nodded at his words and almost turned around silently before adding “You too.”

Because despite her rage which still had not simmered in the years since she’d left her family home, Marlene didn’t actively wish him harm. There were times when she wanted to punch his arrogant face, sure. But she didn’t want him dead. And while love was always a complicated emotion for her, she did in some small way, still care about him.

She looked at him for a few more seconds, before turning and disappearing down a hallway.