#marlene mckinnon centric

[maraudersmary]

Why do i have to write the inbetween bits in a fic why can't I just write the big plot points and the fall out of them!!! I'm here to make my characters suffer... that's the fun stuff to write (IMO). This is why I need to stick to one or two shots.

Anyway go check out forwards beckon rebound (pinned on my page)

[hyperfocuscentre]

Lily Evans is..

strawberry themed picnics under the sun, a light breeze brushing through auburn curls.

autumn walks in the park, swaddled in scarves, hats and gloves. Picking conkers up from the grass and shoving them into already bulging pockets.

reading under dim lights, manicured fingers tracing the pages of books and knitted blankets piled over shoulders.

cuddles with cats, soft fur tickling the palms of your hands.

[yantao-enthusiast]

dorlene will always be famous to me because just think about it!!!! imagine this tiny firecracker punk butch and this absolute slytherin GODDESS of a woman who dresses like a model and a deadly rbf like WHAT IF THEY KISSED WHAT IF THEY KISSED IDK IDK

[ziggystrdust]

HERE!

*throws secret relationship dorlene, enemies to lovers jegulus, hookup (with bad intentions) to lovers wolfstar, friends to lovers marylily and healing rosekiller at you very fast and then runs away*

[teaforthotxxx]

NEW LILY EVANS FANFIC CHAPTER

Rewritten on Lily Petals (2082 words) by CheshiresOtherPhone Chapters: 2/? Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Lily Evans Potter/Original Female Character(s), Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Regulus Black/James Potter, James Potter & Lily Evans Potter, Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes Characters: Lily Evans Potter, Peter Pettigrew, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadowes, Albus Dumbledore, Alice Longbottom, Frank Longbottom, Barty Crouch Jr., Evan Rosier, Severus Snape, Pandora Lovegood, Mary Macdonald (Harry Potter), Mulciber Jr. | Severus Snape's Schoolmate, Original Zabini Characters (Harry Potter) Additional Tags: Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Lily Evans Potter Lives, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, POV Sirius Black, POV Lily Evans Potter, POV Remus Lupin, POV Regulus Black, Trans Regulus Black, Hogwarts, LGBTQ Themes, LGBTQ Character, Everyone Is Gay, Asexual Peter Pettigrew, Abusive Walburga Black, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black Summary: Lily Potter. The chosen one’s beloved mother. The woman who vanquished the Dark Lord to protect her young son. “He had her eyes.” But, who was Lily Evans? And, more importantly, who could she become outside of James Potter. A singular change during their first week at Hogwarts may let her find out. The story is set throughout their Hogwarts years. It will include Dorlene, Wolfstar and Jegulus. It also contains Marauders, Slytherin skittles shenanigans and asexual Peter Pettigrew. If you recognise the main love interest’s name, you may expect another ship.

[aghastlymoony]

another fanfic related thing, but i’m not gonna reveal the plot just yet bc i don’t have it all figured out, which is what this post is for!! there’s probably gonna be a couple of these bc i can’t decide on some things. so like, ignoring the fact that the marauders storyline is canonically taking place in the 1970s, what decade could you guys see the marauders era characters being in? by the way, when i say what decade they belong to, i mean like, if james was born in the 40s and was a 17/18 year old in the 50s, that sort of thing. a timeline swap, if you will, but same age, just different year.

starting with james

[moutainrusing]

could you give me some dorlene fic recs where they're the main pairing? if you could find one where dorcas isn't a part of the death eaters but still supports the rest of her friends it would be great! or honestly any dorcas/the slytherin skittles centric fic because honestly i feel they're kind of underrated and overshadowed

also, thoughts on dorlily?? especially as academic rivals

dorlene-centric fic recs (read the tags for more in depth)

The Hand That Feeds (235586 words) by Rollercoasterwords

Every Lover's Game (166133 words) by greensenne

ever the loved (105081 words) by mytinyoceans

No Strings Attached (53729 words) by allthedeadgays

marlene mckinnon is not a coward. (6102 words) by AllThisAndLoveTooWillRuinUs

Hey Dorcas (13952 words) by moonymoment

our house on fire (22434 words) by vaindumbass

The Gryffindor “End of Bloody Sixth Year” Party (2668 words) by aryastark_valarmorghulis

seasons in desire (12159 words) by dykesiriusblack

Invisible String (138766 words) by a1phab3ts0up

The legacy of Marlene and her chipped tooth (2601 words) by riddenthestars

she wears short skirts (5289 words) by thelizbian

i was born for this (18697 words) by toulouser

snow and mistletoe (10363 words) by answerstobefound

Harry gets Decent Parental Figures™ in two chaotic lesbians who are willing to fight God and Albus Dumbledore (1575 words) by Phoebe_M_FB

Separate in death (11971 words) by EllaJernberg

wish upon a star (make it shine, make it true) (1436 words) by the_crownless_queen

Dancing With Our Hands Tied (67969 words) by lesbian4marlene

—

I’ve never read dorlily but that’s a shout, they’d be awesome academic rivals, they’ve both got the brains, they’re both competitive… woah I ship dorlily as academic rivals now, thanks :)

[crescenthistory]

hello miss Carina! I'm not very well versed in the marauders fandom (but I love your works) and was wondering what are the valkeryies?

hello my lovely!! i am SO HAPPY you asked

crescenthistory's introduction to the valkyries

since you said you're not well-versed in the fandom at all, i'm over-explaining to be on the safe side, sorry if you already knew all of this 🙏

"the valkyries" is a group name in the same way as the marauders (james, sirius, remus, peter) and the slytherin skittles (barty, evan, regulus, dorcas, pandora) are

unlike the marauders (who are named explicitly in the hp books through the marauders map), the skittles and the valkyries are fandom names for the different friendgroups at hogwarts

(nb, the skittles are sometimes called the emeralds by people who think that name is too silly lmao, and pandora is traditionally thought of as ravenclaw, despite the name being slytherin-centred)

these friendgroups, of course, often over-lap in fan interpretations as we love to have them all as one vast giant family

in OG fanon lore, the valkyries consist of the three gryffindor girls: lily evans, marlene mckinnon and mary macdonald

lily we know a "lot" about from the books; she is studious, fiery, kind/nurturing, stands up for what is right and loves her friends fiercly

mary is only named as a member of the order who did not die and is mentioned by lily in a flashback where she says mary was a victim of a muggleborn hatecrime

thus we as a fandom have concluded that she is muggleborn and kind. from there, interpretations of her vary, but i characterise her as sassy, down to earth, a bit flirtatious yet shy, kind of cottagecore-y

when we talk about the marauders era in a canon compliant way, most people believe that mary survived the first wizarding war and obliviated herself of any knowledge of magic afterwards because she couldn't live with the trauma. she went on to live the rest as a "muggle"

marlene is mentioned only once in the books and is said to have been a member of the order who was killed alongside her entire family

she is generally characterised by the fandom as being incredibly loyal and family-centric (blood and found family), outspoken/brazen, confident, passionate and kind

most people hc her as an avid quidditch fanatic (wants to be a professional player when she grows up, becomes either that or a healer)

these three shared a dorm at hogwarts and made up the foundation of the friendship between the marauders era girls

(either peter or remus is often hc-ed as being brought in as an "honourary girlie" in some of their hangouts because of their quietness and respect)

they are called the valkyries specifically because valkyries in norse mythology are beautiful female warriors who bring fallen soldiers to valhalla ("heaven") -> a poetic take on who they are

they are close friends with the marauders, depending on your hcs

i for one believe that marlene and james are childhood besties (because wizard families and quidditch) and lily and remus instantly connect (because of similar personalities and views), so the friendgroups are kind of merged immediatley

it also makes sense that the two gryffindor groups are connected to some degree -- i don't like the idea of them splitting up into "genders" so divisively, i view the different friendgroups as originating from their dorms and then mixing from there

where and how the slytherin skittles come in, usually depends on your hcs or the fic (as in, you go with what suits your story)

the obvious connection is regulus and sirius as brothers, so in fics where they are close, it makes sense that the friendgroups merge

other than that, the friendgroups usually merge through different ships: james/regulus, marlene/dorcas, lily/james, lily/pandora, remus/regulus, etc.

most people nowadays (ESPECIALLY ME) consider dorcas and (sometimes) pandora as either parts of the valkyries or at least good enough friends with them that they are together a lot

while i see dorcas and pandora as slytherin skittles/emeralds first and foremost, i will usually also include them in chats about the valkyries and will list poly!dorlene and poly!pandalily under the valkyries tag in my masterlist

they become integrated with the three valkyries at some point during their time at hogwarts; the original trio expands

i usually consider the shift to have happened around fifth year, but it's flexible

(if you want to know more about dorcas and pandora, i have a lot of headcanons about them under the slytherin skittles part of my masterlist)

i personally am an avid dorlene (dorcas/marlene) shipper and don't really entertain other pairings for either party, though i know some people are fond of marlene/mary

marylily is a huge other ship within the valkyries and is often considered "complementary" to dorlene

pandalily (pandora/lily) is also growing in popularity from what i've seen

if you want any headcanons for any of these ships (either on their own or poly x reader), i am more than willing 🥸

there are also wider friendgroups and other characters around at hogwarts that are sometimes mentioned or integrated into fics, either to serve a purpose or just for the vibes

some of these that i occasionally use are: the black sisters (reg&sirius' cousins andormeda, bellatrix and narcissa), amelia bones (hufflepuff), emmeline vance (ravenclaw), alice fortescue & frank longbottom, rita skeeter, ted tonks, the Bad Guys in slytherin lol (severus snape, rabastan lestrange, lucius malfoy, mulciber, avery, etc.)

i hope this gave you a better idea of who they are bubs! let me know if you want any more details or to chat about them<33

since any lore is essentially entirely based in fanon, it is very much up to everyone's personal preference and is even subject to change from fic to fic, but all in all the valkyries are lily, marlene and mary + other potential girlies(gn) they drag with them along the way 🤍

[murderoushag]

you ever step back and realize you're in a weird, semi-niche corner of the marauders fandom that's obsessed with jegulus and the slytherin skittles only to step back again and realize you're part of the larger marauders fandom which is also a weird semi-niche corner of the wider harry potter fandom...

cuz i do

like i'm already taken aback when i find a typical marauders fan account - like just gryffindor-centric, mostly jily and wolfstar content

and then i'm like,,, forget evan rosier there are people who don't even know who marlene mckinnon is- there are people who call remus "lupin" like, always - there are people who don't even know what "the marauders" means

fandom culture is so weird. if you see this you're probably in the first semi-niche corner i mentioned and i love us <3

(also just a note obviously this isn't meant to hate on or diminish anybody else this is just a silly little thing i think about sometimes. like the harry potter fandom is so chaotic and split up into a million subsections what is this)

[evavertun]

never not thinking about dead witches from the 70s | eva, 21, she/they.

fledgling marauders fic writer

currently experiencing writers' blocks

chronic fandom hopper (arcane atm)

so please send me meta asks / requests for one-shots!

★₊˚⊹✧˖°.

very interested in canon / fanon analysis, 1970s subculture; interested in writing fluff, humour (but probably better at) hurt/comfort + angst

preference for character-centric > ship-centric requests, though naturally the two overlap!

anything centring: lily evans (current fixation) the core four (naturally) marlene mckinnon, mary macdonald, dorcas meadowes, alice fortescue, andromeda black, narcissa black, bellatrix black... (a non-exhaustive list. just because a character isn't mentioned here doesn't mean i have no interest in writing about them! so it's always worth asking).

ao3 account of the same username to come!

[midnightstargazer]

I'm super excited for the @ladiesofhpfest, and I can't wait to share with what I've been working on with y'all! Here are some sneak peeks at what I've got planned for each theme:

Mothers and Daughters

There will hopefully be two fics, a (mostly) fluffy one about Astoria raising Scorpius and a very angsty one about Barty Crouch Jr.'s mother and her decision to take his place in Azkaban. The Mrs. Crouch one is still a WIP - I only got the idea a few days ago - but hopefully it will be ready in time.

Senior Sweethearts

Come join me in an AU where a few things go differently in DH and, as a result, Andromeda gets to grow old surrounded by her loved ones. Also featuring a very sweet friendship between Andromeda and Astoria.

Out and Proud

For last year's fest I broke Emmeline Vance's heart in a fic titled Midnight Rain. This year, she meets Hestia Jones and gets another chance at love and happiness.

Women of the House of Black

For this theme, I'm exploring one of my favorite headcanons: that Iola Black, who was disowned for marrying a Muggle several generations ago, was never forgotten by the women of the family, and her story was passed down as a cautionary tale.

Character Chic

A character sketch of Marietta Edgecombe. What sort of person is she? Why did she betray the D.A.? How does she move on with her life with broken trust, gaps in her memory, and a mistake she made at sixteen permanently scarred onto her face?

Marauders Era Misses

I've been promising an Emmeline-centric first war fic for a while, and it's finally on its way! Despite being a very background character in canon, she's someone I have a lot of headcanons about - and here, I'll be delving into aspects of her story that I've alluded to but didn't fully explore in other fics, especially Midnight Rain and To Have Loved and Lost.

Women of Color

An eighth year fic starring Padma Patil, who returns to Hogwarts after the battle to finish her education and figure out what comes next. How do you go back to your ordinary life after a year like the one she and her peers have just been through?

Rebels and Renegades

The fic version of this Tumblr post: Dorcas Meadowes and Marlene McKinnon as Riddle Era women who remember Voldemort from their school days and are among the first to join the Order of the Phoenix. This is still very much a WIP and will probably be the longest fic I write for the fest - but luckily, the theme isn't until August, so I've still got plenty of time!

Next Gen Girlies

This was actually the first one I wrote for this summer's fest, featuring Molly and Lucy Weasley. The two sisters are very different people, but they love and support each other nevertheless. It's also yet another excuse for me to delve into the topic of squibs, which apparently I just can't stay away from.

[just--vi]

2023 in fanfic!!

i wrote my first full fanfic in 2023 after coming back to fandom after a long hiatus. in all i've written over 240,000 words which is just nuts. it made me some incredible friends and incredible mutuals who i hope to turn into friends. i started with the loves of my life (wolfstar!!) and discovered some new loves (jegulus has the key to my heart) and came up with a million future fic ideas

goals for 2024 include: write something that isn't a muggle au, convince everyone to ship moonchaser (jk... or am i), write more smutty one shots, read more!!! (gimme your best recs)

if you'd like to see what i've written, click below...

love by the seaside - april 23 / august 23

Remus is an artist who, after a particularly messy breakup, finds himself drawn to the Cornish coast. His fresh start is disrupted, however, when he meets someone who reminds him an awful lot of his ex-boyfriend. (multi-chapter, complete, 42,126 words, wolfstar with background jily)

you're losing me - may 23

Although they're desperate not to, Remus and Sirius just can't quite keep from falling apart. (one-shot | 3,898 | wolfstar | canon compliant)

young blood - may 23 / november 23

After Regulus spends a difficult year alone with their parents, Sirius convinces him to spend his last summer before college on a road trip with him and his closest friends. The very last thing he's expecting is for his feelings for Sirius' best friend to resurface with a vengeance (and he certainly isn't expecting them to be returned). As it turns out, he and James aren't the only ones dealing with complicated emotions. Sirius has just returned from a year long trip abroad and Remus is having a difficult reconciling with just how much he's missed him. Or, a coming of age road trip AU full of angst, fluff, healing family trauma and navigating old feelings. (multi-chapter | complete | 71,029 words)

a weekend at crystal lake - october 23 / october 23

A group of recent college graduates set off to a cabin in the woods for one last hurrah before going their separate ways. As the weekend goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that they aren't alone out there. This is horror-themed AU featuring our favourite Marauders where (almost) everyone dies. This is a fic written for Halloween, with scheduled weekly (sometimes twice weekly) updates until October 31st. Enjoy! It's basically angst and smut with a little bit of fluff as a treat. (multi-chapter | complete | 24,166 words)

under the glow of neon lights - november 23

Pure smut. Regulus, Remus, and James fuck in a dingy club bathroom (and then carry on fucking at home xo). (one-shot | 4,429 words | remus x regulus x james)

the weather outside is frightful - december 23 / december 23

James takes it upon himself to drag Regulus home for Christmas and an unexpected snow storm rolls in, stranding them together over the holiday with no lights, no power, and no heat. (multi-chapter | 15,726 | jegulus )

for the love of ducks - september 23 / present

Remus Lupin has always been sick, and he'd just like to feel normal for once. Sirius Black seems like the perfect man with a perfect, exciting life. (multi-chapter | ongoing | wolfstar with background jily)

where the light gets in - july 23 / present

Remus Lupin splits from the Marauders after a bitter feud with frontman Sirius Black; Famous brothers Sirius and Regulus Black haven't set foot in the same room in seven years; Marlene McKinnon and Dorcas Meadowes enter a rivalry for the ages… at least, that’s the media’s side of the story. Scandal, heartbreak, and bitter rivalries. But how much truth is there to the rumours? (multi-chapter | ongoing | wolfstar, jegulus, dorlene centric)

the little blue house on main street - november 23 / present

A coming of age university AU in which Regulus Black struggles to navigate his feelings for his brother's best friend, Sirius Black struggles to navigate his sexuality, and the whole lot of them struggle to navigate growing up. (multi-chapter | ongoing | wolfstar, jegulus, pandalily/marylily)

[dhr-ao3]

Cracks in Time

Cracks in Time https://ift.tt/oxhMpXy by BurningChandeliers Loosing the Battle of Hogwarts, a combination of spells, apparition, and a cracked time turner send Hermione, Harry, Draco and Pansy back in time to 1979 where the conveniently interrupt Order meeting. A story of found family, love, redemption, all while trying to stop the first war before all is lost. Words: 949, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Dramione - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Pansy Parkinson, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, James Potter, Lily Evans Potter, Severus Snape, Dorea Black Potter, Charlus Potter, Mary Macdonald (Harry Potter), Marlene McKinnon, Fabian Prewett, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Black Malfoy, Regulus Black, Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, Minerva McGonagall, Alice Longbottom, Frank Longbottom, Albus Dumbledore Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson/Harry Potter, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter Additional Tags: Protective Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger-centric, Minor Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Werewolves, Soul Bond, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Torture, Time Travel Fix-It, Horcruxes, Peter Pettigrew Redemption, Loss via AO3 works tagged 'Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy' https://ift.tt/UVRfkAE November 25, 2024 at 07:31PM

[resident-gay-bitch]

🌚 Fem Fridays 🌚

Girls Play Quidditch Too (Marlene centric)

Marlene is sick and tired of this shit. Always second best to every man, boy, wanker, just because she’s a girl. 

Growing up at home with three older brothers was never easy. Everything’s always a competition, she’s always trying to prove herself, to be recognised as something wonderful just like them. 

Every time she does anything remotely cool, everyone always coos at her and suspects she’s just trying to be like her older brothers. And it’s not fair. Nothings fucking fair. Everything they do will always be better because they’re boys. Men always have a leg up in this stupid world, and Marlene thinks that’s utter cow-shit. 

Here she is, age thirteen, teeth bared, and hungry for blood. 

Quidditch try outs. 

Last year she didn’t make the team because her stupid fucking brother was captain and “didn’t think she has what it takes”. And he had the “evidence” to back that up, because he stuck her on goal keep. She was twelve and tiny and he stuck her on goal keep when she was trying out to be a beater, because he didn’t want his little sister on the team. She hates her stupid brother. 

But Nick isn’t on the team anymore, he’s finished school now, and the captain is just some random Gryffindor. She doesn’t really care where she gets put on the team, so long as she gets on it, even though she’d prefer beater. She’s nasty with that bat. 

All she has to do is beat one of the other beaters on the team and it’s all smooth sailing from there out. Her competition today is a second year named Thomas Yates who looks like he might shit his pants the next time someone talks too loud, that stupid wanker Sirius Black who keeps flirting with Mary, and Marcus; her fifteen year old brother. 

She can’t wait to take him down. 

Marlene looks around the pitch, assessing the team so far. A bunch of boys aren’t even taking this seriously, but they’re all already on the team, so she suspects that’s why. 

There’s one thing she notices though, one thing she doesn't like at all. 

She’s the only girl. 

“Are you lost?” Fredrick, the new captain, said, looking down at her over his clipboard. He’s very tall, and very skinny, and Marlene already doesn’t like him. He has a stupid mustache that he clearly can’t grow any thicker. 

“Nope.” She said, glaring at him. 

Fredrick laughed, “Sweetie, this isn’t makeup club.” 

Marlene smeared at him, “Obviously. I’m here to try for beater.”

“Beater?” Fredrick asked, and he, and all his mates behind him began to snicker and laugh, “Not worth it. You’ll never make the team, look at yourself, you’re tiny. Besides, we don’t want a stupid little girl on the team.”

“I’m not a stupid little girl, you wanker!” She spat, stomping down on his foot, making him cry out in pain before storming off over to the pack of younger boys. With her approach, they all went quiet. She glared at them all. 

With a quirk of her eyebrow and a stupid, smug smirk, Sirius spoke in his posh little accent, “McKinnon… trying out?”

“Yeah.” She shrugged, twisting her broom beside her, “I’m going for beater.”

Sirius laughed, “Ooh, against me and your brother?” He shook his head, “I reckon Yates’ got a better chance than you.”

“You sure about that, Black?”

Sirius shrugged, up on his high horse, “Well… yeah. Look at you.” 

“Willing to bet on it?” She asked, raising an eyebrow in challenge. 

With a snicker, Sirius nodded, “Why not. If you make the team, I’ll give you ten galleons, if you don’t make it, you give me twenty.” 

What. A. Prick. 

“Deal.” Marlene said, sticking her hand out to shake. Sirius shook it, his hand so much bigger than her own. But that didn’t deter her, boys have such stupid ideals about what makes you good at things. They think they’re better beaters than her because they’re bigger, stronger, better simply because they’re men. But Marlene’s more agile, she’s ridiculously fast and her aim is near perfect already. She puts in the work, training whenever the pitch is free. She’s determined to prove herself. To prove them all wrong. 

They all take to the sky, broken up into teams of red versus yellow. Marlene’s playing red, saddled up beside Black, which is perfect. This way she can prove she’s better than him by hitting more bludgers, and she can go ham on her brother on the opposite team. She can’t wait to beat him, honestly. She can already feel the victory. 

Fredrick blew the whistle, sitting off to the side on his broom to watch and take notes. And Marlene thanks Mary for tying this great big red bow into her braid this morning, it’s sure to keep his attention. 

They were off, zipping around the pitch and playing. Marlene hit the bludger hard, managing to stop it from flying right into Potter's head and straight towards her brother. He barely dodged it in time. 

“Fuck!” He screeched, gripping onto his broom for dear life, looking at her all the way on the other side of the pitch. 

“Watch out, Marcus, bludgers are dangerous! Are you sure you’re equipped for this?”

“Bloody hell.” She heard Potter snicker from behind, “I reckon you’re out ten galleons, Sirius.”

“Shit.” 

Marlene laughed and was off again, diving for a bludger as it shot straight towards the seekers head.  

The game went on and Marlene played ruthlessly, sending bludger after bludger straight at her brother, keeping him on his toes. It only serves him right after all these years he’s spent picking on Marlene for being so small. And he always gets away with it, their mum just says “oh, boys will be boys, Marlene, it’s only in their nature.”. Sometimes she wants to stomp on her mum's foot too, but she knows she’ll get in big trouble if she does that. 

Black is pretty fast, and pretty strong, so his hits fly faster, are harder. But he doesn’t have her agility, and certainly not her aim. She reckons, out of all her options, Black would be the best teammate. Poor Thomas hasn’t gotten very involved at all, shies away from bludgers when they shoot his way, so Marlene knows he won’t make the team. Honestly, he’d probably prefer that outcome by the looks of things. 

Her brother, on the other hand, is playing pretty tough too. He’s clearly a little shocked by Marlene’s abilities and is determined to be better than her. Marlene is not a very cocky person, but she’s certain she’s doing better than her brother. She’s definitely getting on the team. 

Back on the ground, Potter was giving her shoulder a good jostle, keen to keep playing beside her. James is a very quidditch focused lad, she’s come to notice. It’s pretty much all he talks about, besides Lily Evans, so she knows he’s thinking strategically more than anything else. He wants her on the team because having her there will bump up their chances for a win. Marlene is pretty chuffed with that. 

Black seems to be dreading handing over his ten galleons. 

“Right, now the beaters.” Fredrick says, announcing who has, and hasn’t made the team this year, reading from his clipboard, “Black, you’re safe, McKinnon- Marcus, you’re safe… And welcome to the team Yates!”

Marlene’s smile dropped. 

“Right, that’s that. See all of you who made it at training tomorrow, the rest of you, see ya!”

She didn’t… No, no this can’t be right. There must be some mistake. She can’t have this, it’s…

She storms over to Fredrick, stopping him in his tracks, “Oi, what about me?”

“What about you?” He asked, glaring down at her. 

“I’m on the team, right?”

“Did you hear me call your name? Don’t think so, sorry. Better luck next time.”

Marlene is furious. “Why? Why aren’t I on the team?”

Fredrick looked around and leant down to whisper, “No one wants a stupid girl on their team, do they? Now fuck off.”

♢♤♡♧

Marlene practically busted down McGonagall's door with how aggressively she was knocking on it. Her fist slammed into the wood, over and over and over until the door swung open and she was met with the professor's scowl. “Miss McKinnon, what can I do for you that is so urgent that you feel the need to break down my door?”  

“They won’t let me on the team cause I’m a girl.”

“Now, that’s a rather heavy accusation to throw-“

“It’s true Miss.” Mary backed up, “We watched the whole thing.”

“Yeah, she was better than half those blokes!” Lily agreed. 

“It’s sexist.” Mary nodded. 

“Really misogynistic, Professor.”

“It’s fucking stupid.” Marlene added. 

“Miss McKinnon, watch your language.”

“It happened last year, my brother didn’t let me on the team. I told you how he set it all up and everything. But Fredrick didn’t get clever about this, I proved I was good. Ask anyone… except maybe my brother. Ask Yates!”

“Yeah, he made the team and he was proper useless.” Mary said.

“Miss McDonald.” McGonagall tutted before taking a heavy sigh, “Yes, well, there hasn’t been a female on the Gryffindor team in nearly twelve years. I’m not surprised to say the least, however Fredrick is the captain and has the overall say. Unless there is evidence that he has malicious intent I can not intervene.” 

“But Miss!”

“Now, now, Marlene. I’m sorry, but I really cannot get involved, I haven’t the jurisdiction. I can’t tell you that all you’ll need to fight this would be a simple petition signed by majority of the team requesting your recruitment. I’m simply not allowed to get involved.” She said with a little smile, “Now, I have essays to mark, good day, Marlene.” She said and shut the door. 

“Brilliant!” Marlene grinned, and the girls set off on their mission. 

Mary drew up the petition, used nice colours and everything. Real proper looking, and everything. They headed straight for the Great Hall, since it was lunchtime now and the quidditch players surely would be eating their fill. Marlene was quite hungry herself after all that, but she had priorities. 

Her first stop was Potter and Black. 

“Oi, McKinnon, shit luck.” Sirius grinned. 

“Hey, leave it. She did good, I think it’s bollocks you didn’t make the team.” Potter said.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Black nodded, “Honestly, I’m willing to call off the bet, you should have made it.”

“If you really think so,” Marlene grinned, slamming the petition down between them, “Sign this. I swear I’ll keep the bludgers as far away from you as possible, Potter, secure your path straight to the goals.” 

“What’s this?” He asked, peering over the page.

“A petition to get me on the team. Imagine it, Black, we played so well together. I’m better than my stupid brother and you know it.”

“A lot faster, that’s for sure.” Sirius nodded.

“It’d be nice to have a girl on the team, new perspective and all.” James shrugged, “Plus, we’re the only team without one, we’d be able to even out the competition, it’s not really fair, otherwise. Girls are a lot smarter than us, no wonder we never win.”

“No, we never win because you’re always trying to show off.” Sirius retorted with a snicker. 

“Just sign it, will you?” Marlene sighed. 

James shrugged, taking the quill to write his name, ”How many do you need?”

“Most of the team.” She said, "A few of you will be easy, it’s the older ones I’ll have a problem with.”

“I reckon Yates will sign it, easy.” Sirius said, taking the quill from James to sign it himself, “I don’t think he actually wanted to make the team, he was just trying out because his dads crazy about quidditch.” 

“The older ones will be harder to persuade, they’re all friends with your brother and he chats a lot of shit about you, I mean, some of the stuff he said after practice today was really rude-“

“Shut up, James.” Sirius hissed, “Don’t hurt her feelings.”

Marlene rolled her eyes, “Oh, ease up, I know he hates me because I’m better than him. He’s so insecure.” 

“Sorry.” James winced. 

“Maybe you could help?” Mary suggested, and Marlene was about to butt in and shut her up, she’s capable of doing this herself. She wants to do this herself. Mary lent down, right into Sirius’ space and locked eyes with him, “Come on, Black, help her out. Get the other blokes to sign it and let her on the team, and if she makes it, I’ll give you a snog.”

“Mary!” Lily gasped.

“Oh, it’s just one snog, no big deal.“ Mary grinned. “I’ll probably give him one eventually anyway.”

Maybe their help wouldn’t be the worst, Marlene thought. Boys did tend to listen to boys more, and if she gets on the team, she can prove to them that she’s totally worth it. That girls are worth it. Maybe, if she makes the team, other girls will want to join too. That would be pretty cool, Marlene thinks. 

“Yeah, come on, I heard you talking about your dumb snogging competition today, you’ll win.” Marlene said. 

Sirius was quick to agree, “Absolutely, I’m in!”

“No!” James gasped, “Lily, snog me, it’s an emergency!”

“Absolutely not.” Lily shook her head, “But it would be cool of you if you helped. It would be so nice of you…” She said, strategically curling her hair around a finger. 

James went bright red, nodding his head, “Y-yeah, absolutely. Yes, I’m- of course. I just wanna help Marlene, you know, she deserves a spot on the team, I totally agree. Definitely.” He said, trying to act all heroic and nonchalant. 

Marlene rolled her eyes. Honestly, boys are so daft. 

“Wow, that’s so cool of you, James.” Lily continued.

“Yeah…” James replied, shrugging, clearly trying to hide how bashful he was, “That’s me, you know? Cool, I’m cool. So cool, just… cool and-“

“I think they get it, James.” Sirius said, monotonous, “Wanna tell them how cool you are again, cool boy?”

“Shove off.” James mumbled, a little embarrassed. 

“Go on.” Mary said, literally shooing them away, “You have things to do. Go do them.” 

James and Sirius scrambled to do as they were told, both eager to impress the girls and inflate their egos a little more. Marlene will never underhand boys, she thinks. They’re all so dimwitted and girl crazy. 

Over the rest of the afternoon, Marlene managed to rack up enough signatures, thanks to the help of James and Sirius convincing a handful of the older boys to sign. Merlin knows how they managed that, but Marlene suspects foul play, James and Sirius are known to get up to no good. 

This doesn’t bother Marlene though, she’s just chaffed she’s got enough signatures. Mary, Lily and herself managed to nab the majority of them, wandering the castle and hunting down the younger, nicer, more alone and easier to intimidate Gryffindor players, so she’s rather proud she's done most of it herself. She did think it was very smart of Mary and Lily to use the boys' crushes on them to their advantage. Marlene wonders how easy it would be to make boys do anything if you promised them a snog or something. Though, Marlene doesn’t think she’ll ever put that to the test. Even if some boy finds himself attracted to her, rather than repulsed by how boyish she is, she would never promise them a snog. 

She really doesn’t understand Mary’s desire to put her mouth anywhere near one of those things. Marlene suspects it’s because she doesn’t have any brothers. 

The three of them marched their way back to McGonagall's office, declaring the petition with a wide grin. Fixing the little specs on her face, Minerva reads it over before giving Marlene a rather proud smile. 

“Give me one moment, girls.” She says before shutting the door in their faces. 

They wait in anticipation, Marlene’s nerves radiating off her like some nuclear fuse, spreading onto Mary and Lily, who are now buzzing with anxieties of their own. When their Professor steps back out, she requests Marlene’s follow behind, so the three of them race right after her. They approach Fredrick in the courtyard, and Marlene puffs out her chest proudly. 

“Mr. Fredrick,” McGonagall says, handing the petition over to him, “If you have any further issues, you may take them up privately with me, in my office. If you have such a severe issue with Miss McKinnon here being on the team, perhaps we should have a chat about finding a new captain for the season. You know where to find me, good day.” She said, and off she went. 

Marcus snatched the petition from Fredrick, snarling down at his little sister. 

Proudly, Marlene stuck her hands on her hips and grinned, “What’s the problem, Marc? Are you and your mates here intimidated by a little girl?” And with that, she turned to walk away, “See you at practice tomorrow.”

Marlene felt pretty fucking good when one year later, five whole girls came to try out for the team. She couldn’t wait to make captain one day, that’ll really show them. 

[mayhem-ensues]

Nothing says more about how male-focused fandom is then the fact that one of just six f/f ships that appear in the Ao3 Top 100 for 2023, is a 'ship' between two women that only appear for one line each in a seven-book series written by the world's most notorious terf, who only exist as a "ship" so people have a token they can wave around to say "look, I don't hate women, look at this lesbian relationship that I wrote about for twenty whole lines in my 100k word slow burn."

And you can't say I'm lying about them only existing as a token side ship for the actual pairings that people care about, because this f/f "ship" is literally tagged in more m/m fics than f/f.

Like, I feel like a f/f ship not even most commonly appearing in f/f fanfic should say enough. But just in case anyone still needs more proof at this point, I would like to point out that if you sort this ship by "otp: true," the number of fics they appear in drops from 7,526 down to less than 500.

Sorry but Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, is not a ship that people actually care about on any single level. They exist as nothing more than a token "here's some women, no I won't characterize them or focus on them at all" ship in male centric fanfic. And like, I know that people have been complaining about the token "here's some women, no I won't characterize them or focus on them at all" ships for a while now, but like, it's pretty fucking galling when that kind of ship is apparently the third most common f/f ship on Ao3 in a given year, beating out multiple well-developed, well-written f/f relationships that don't get any attention because fandom does not care about women.

Also, this part should really go without saying, but anyone who is STILL actively in the Harry fucking Potter fandom in 2023 is an absolute clown, and the fact that Harry Potter ships are still up and down the most written ships list for the year is both deeply embarrassing, and proof that fandom is not as progressive as y'all like to pretend it is.

[midnightpink]

may these memories break our fall

read it here on ao3

When Harry destroys Voldemort, Regulus’ soul is finally freed from the cave and allowed to move on. Slowly, he makes his way home.

by: softcinnamonroll

Words: 45,171, Chapters: 7/7, Language: English

Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death

Categories: F/F, M/M

Characters: Regulus Black, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Pandora Lovegood, Barty Crouch Jr., Evan Rosier, Lily Evans Potter, Mary Macdonald (Harry Potter), Dorcas Meadowes, Marlene McKinnon, Alphard Black, Euphemia Potter, Fleamont Potter

Relationship: Regulus Black/James Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Mary Macdonald/Lily Evans Potter, Barty Crouch Jr./Evan Rosier, Regulus Black & Sirius Black, Regulus Black & Pandora Lovegood, Regulus Black & Barty Crouch Jr., Regulus Black & Evan Rosier, Regulus Black & Dorcas Meadowes, Past James Potter/Lily Evans Potter - Relationship

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Afterlife, Fluff and Angst, Moving On, Healing, Love Confessions, Family Reunions, Hurt/Comfort, Sirius still moved on after he fell through the veil, Reunions, Discussions of death, No beta we die like regulus, Reggie was trapped as an inferi, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Regulus Black-centric, Regulus Black Deserves Better, Child Abuse, Violence