a song for the girls with fire coursing through their veins // marlene mckinnon

i. marlene // marlene has the mckinnon fire licking through her veins, filling her up from the inside out. she has gotten better at controlling her temper over the years—though she is by no means perfect—but the fire drives her to excellence, to fight, to make quips and comments, and she is marlene mckinnon and she will not go down without a fight.

ii. tiger // the tiger is marlene’s patronus, and she is extremely pleased by this fact. the tiger is strong and fierce, wild and a hunter, but also takes care of its own and is both a social and solitary animal. tigers are majestic and massive, and she’s not sure if she would consider herself intimidating, but her patronus, the reflection of her soul, is intimidating, and some part of that reflects her too, and she draws strength from this.

iii. ursa major // the great bear is one of the constellations that fits marlene best—not only is it linked to artemis, but the idea of a bear fits marlene: tough, fearsome when angered, and protective, these are all traits that can be linked to marlene. she is protective of her own, much like a bear, and is unafraid to fight for them. her anger is terrifying, and she has what it takes to fight the good fight.

iv. artemis // the reason i chose artemis as my tag for marlene is that i think she’s a good counterpart and she represents her very well. the huntress, artemis is the goddess of the night and the wilderness, and she both protects creatures and hunts the dangerous ones: marlene is most at home at night, and she loves the outdoors, and she fights death eaters to protect her loved ones, the innocent, and the cause.

v. amortentia // marlene has always loved flowers—the scent of them, the feel of their petals to the touch, the fact that something so beautiful can still be dangerous and take care of itself, be it through hidden thorns or unexpected properties. she thinks there is something inspiring to be found in the flowers: one does not have to be simply beautiful or fierce or lovely or dangerous or symbolic of new life or bring about death—one can be all of these, because human beings are complicated and faceted and strong, and she is reminded of this every time she sees a flower.

vi. night // the night is marlene’s favourite time of the day. it reminds her of her grandfather, but also potential—night air, to her, is brimming with potential, and smells like unpredictability, excitement, and the wild. you never know what might happen, and she is in her element in hours like this, when she can have fun and rely on her instincts.

vii. books // marlene loves to read, and it was through the wonders of literature that she fell in love with the muggle world. she lives in a now that is fraught with danger, but if novels have taught her anything, it is about the indomitable spirit of humanity: we will survive this. you can throw the entire world at us, your whole arsenal of demons, and we will weather it, because we always have done. we might not all survive, but as long as someone is still hoping, still fighting, still living—then we all survive, because this is what it is to be human. marlene loves people, and a lot of this was gained from books; just as she fell in love with the muggle world, she fell in love with the idea of love, and wanderlust, and people, because they were so gloriously complex but without fail, they all had something to offer, one last inch of themselves that they would refuse to give up, even at the end, that could never be taken from them, and marlene draws courage from that.

viii. friends // marlene seems serious and work-oriented, and to an extent, she is? she’s driven, and training to be an auror is important to her, and she can totally be serious, but at the same time, deep in her bones—she is fun. she loves life and her closest friends and family, and when she is with them, she cherishes them and lives in the now and has the most fun in the world because fighting is so important, but so is having something to fight for, and with her loved ones around, she makes sure she will never forget it. for their part, her friends adore her too, for her wit and wry smirks, and her quips and ideas, her protective and fierce nature, the loyalty and fire in her bones, and the fact that she will always have their back and never let them go in alone, be it to have some fun or to save them in a knife fight.

MARLENE MCKINNON MOODBOARD 002.

marlene + themes // carpe diem; intelligent blonde; not backing down; quips; bibliophilia

scuhllay:

People of the Marauder’s era | Marlene McKinnon

Marlene was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and was murdered along with her family by death-eaters in the first wizarding war. A friend of Lily Evans, she was a possible member of Gryffindor house. In her letter to Sirius, Lily says she cried all night when she heard the news. Hagrid regarded her as one of the most brilliant witches of her age. 

marlenemckinnonwrites:

moodboard iv. ❧ marlene mckinnon + being drunk [happy/cute/ridiculous edition]

Marlene really likes writing letters and nobody else really gets it. Sure, they all write them, but not like Marlene. Most people write them over the summer or break to keep in touch—Marls writes them all the time, sometimes little notes and sometimes fifteen page essays, and does it on a whim.

She writes to tell people she appreciates them, or to demand that one of her best mates brings her sugar quills please, or just to check in and see how you’re going. Marlene adores words—thus the endless quips and love of reading—and letters are just a logical progression from that.

Marlene has never been stupid. She knows that this is a war that they deserve to win, but also that war victories aren’t decided by worthiness, but usually by who has the least to lose and less moral qualms. Unfortunately for the Order, that definitely classifies as the Death Eaters.

It’s not as if Marlene wants to be fighting for a lost cause—one, if it was a lost cause, she doesn’t think some of the Order would still be here, but two, she would fight even if it was—but she looks at it as this: everything is stacked up against them, except for the strength of their belief and the fact that they are right. It is not an impossible war; it is possible, simply challenging. However, that is no reason not to fight. In Marlene’s eyes, it’s more reason to fight: how can the odds ever be in their favour if there’s no-one to sway them towards them? It’s smart to know your odds and weaknesses, as well as your strengths and luck, because it helps you prepare for the coming onslaught much better.

Marls may be kind of addicted to love, but that doesn’t mean she needs a man. Not at all. Marlene has always been fierce and independent; even with her friends, she adores them beyond measure and she owes them so much and she knows she can lean on them in the darkest of times, but she can also stand on her own two feet if she has to, and that’s not something she will ever give up.

The concept of someone offering her the world is laughable, really, because Marlene isn’t the kind of girl who simply gets offered something like that; if there is anything worth having, she will earn it and fight for it and throw herself into it with the kind of determination that made the hat consider Gryffindor for a moment. Marlene McKinnon believes in herself, and she is an infinite challenge to herself.

Marlene has this really irrepressible love for flowers? It’s kind of weird because gardening is one of the most menial tasks she can imagine—other than Herbology, but when you deal with murderous sentient vines, you can’t really think Herbology would ever be menial—but she loves the feel of their petals against her skin and inhaling all the different scents, and then dancing in a whirl of them all mingled together when in a garden. Roses and marigolds, specifically, can be smelt in her Amortentia.

Any of Marlene’s friends could tell you—Marlene is in love with love.

It’s not that she’d be bad with love if she ever experienced it; she just thinks love is something amazing and awe-inspiring and terrifying in a good way, and it is something she thinks she could get addicted to, if she ever took a hit.

As it is, though, her top love is a collective group of people: her loved ones. She is a friend for life. Once you’re in her wolf pack, she will protect you fiercely and be there for you, because she always has your back and is always on your team. A friend comes first, and even if she arrives at a stage where she is in love with someone who does not return her feelings, she will still be their friend, even at risk of causing herself pain, because she loves them too much not to be that for them. Her love and loyalty is non-refundable.