Invisible Girl and the Stunt Extraordinaire

"From an inner pocket of his robes Moody pulled a very tattered old Wizarding photograph.

"Original Order of the Phoenix," growled Moody."

"'...That's Marlene McKinnon, she was killed two weeks after this was taken, they got her whole family.'"

"'...Caradoc Dearborn, vanished six months after this, we never found his body...'"

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, page 173 & 174

Rain. It is such a simple concept. A drop falls from the sky, only to splatter on the ground, evaporate, and then begin its process once again. How contrary to the human life that has no pattern. Life could be torn away, stretched far, or cut short, depending on the luck you were to receive. Some take their life for granted because, for some, they believe themselves to be invincible.

He used to believe himself invincible, as did she. They had love, and what could severe love? He had lived his life on the edge; she had always wished for excitement. The pair brought out the best in each other, causing them both to believe that they were to live a long and happy life.

The black haired Caradoc Dearborn lived life to extreme in everything he did. While he was younger he had jumped off the roof of his house more times then anyone could count, and had broken almost every bone in his body by the time he turned nine years old. None of his risky behavior changed when he was sent off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy. He attempted to tame the giant squid, jump off the Astronomy tower, and stay a night in the Forbidden Forest within his first week of school. His intelligence had landed him in the Ravenclaw house, contrary to his courageous nature. He was smart, no doubt, he had thought out, and planned, every one of his stunts. Caradoc received all the attention he could have ever wanted from his fellow classmates, but something always seemed to be lacking in his life.

Marlene McKinnon, contrary to Caradorn, had always been incredibly shy and not very social. She read every book she could get her hands on, and she would be constantly caught drifting off into her thoughts. She, as everyone had predicted, had been sorted into Ravenclaw because of her natural thirst for knowledge. She was made prefect her fifth year, and Head Girl two years after that. But, no matter her academic success, she was never known around school. To her, life was just a simple routine. Get a job, get married, have a couple kids, grow up and die. That's how her "perfect" life was supposed to go, if life went according to plan.

The day they met was by fate, and Caradoc replayed that night over and over again in his mind.

"What are you doing down here?" Caradoc asked the brown haired, blue eyed girl who was sitting next to a tall window that overlooked the Hogwarts grounds. It was around one in the morning, and the only reason Caradoc had came down into the common room was to get a book he left on an oversized armchair. He had realized moments ago that he had forgotten about his Charms essay that was due first thing that morning.

"Why are you talking to me?" she asked him coolly, not looking at him.

"You know who I am?" Caradoc asked suspiciously, picking up his Charms book. He had never met this girl, and for all he knew she could be some lunatic who snuck into the castle.

"Who doesn't?" she asked. "Caradoc Dearborn, stunt extraordinaire,"

"What year are you in?" Caradoc asked, moving closer to the girl.

"Yours, 5th," she replied, staring at the moon.

"Er...what's your name again?" Caradoc asked. He had never remembered seeing this girl in his past five years.

"Marlene McKinnon," she replied, now adverting her gaze to him. Caradoc remembered hearing something about McKinnon, but he couldn't remember until it finally clicked...

"You're the girl prefect, aren't you?" Caradoc said.

"Don't pretend like you know who I am," snapped Marlene. "I'm invisible, I know." She turned back to look out the window. Caradoc sat down next to her, to which she gave him a questioning look.

"You're not invisible...you're just not—"

"Seen?" she finished for him. "I'm used to it, no need to feel pity for me." But it was too late, as Caradoc was already feeling sorry for Marlene, which he tried to hide.

"Well, invisible girl, I've got to finish this essay," said Caradoc, getting up. Marlene nodded her head, not looking back at him as he ascended up the stairs into his dormitory.

Invisible girl. Her nickname for life in his eyes. That's what he always called her from then on, well, up until they left school. Their relationship grew over the next two years. She'd help him finish his homework and he'd make her get outside of her comfort zone.

"One broom ride, Invisible Girl, that's all I want," Caradoc pleaded with Marlene. "You haven't lived life unless you've ridden on a broom."

"I did ride on a broom, in first year! I fell off and broke my arm!" Marlene exclaimed, as Caradoc took her hand and attempted to drag her out of the common room.

"You need to learn to have some excitement in your life," said Caradoc, now leading her through various corridors.

"Excuse me if I'm not like you and I don't risk my neck every thirty seconds!"Marlene said. But, her objections dwindled once they were out on the Quidditch pitch.

He had kissed her that night. He hadn't planned it, it just happened. Now that Caradoc sat looking back at that night, he felt a pain of regret. He should have never kissed her; he should've never gotten involved with her; he should've never seen her again after graduation.

The relationship between Caradoc and Marlene was cut short the day of graduation. Neither of them wanted to give up their dreams, which meant instead that they had to give up each other.

"I can't keep up with you, Caradoc. We'll be out in the real world, making a living for ourselves," Marlene said, on the verge of tears. "I want to get married, have kids, settle down."

"So do I," lied Caradoc. He didn't want to settle down, he wanted to continue on his adventure filled life.

"No, you don't," said Marlene, attempting to smile. "You want to live life on the edge."

"But, I want that to be with you, Invisible Girl," said Caradoc.

"We have different dreams, Caradoc. I guess we have to live out those dreams with different people."

That's where it should've ended. Marlene going her direction, and Caradoc his direction. But, then the war started, and Voldemort came to power, picking off people one by one. Caradoc couldn't turn down the chance of fighting for innocent lives. The moment he heard of the Order of the Phoenix, he was ready to give everything up to join. Now that Caradoc looked back on it, he figured one of the main reasons he had decided to join the Order was to keep his mind from thinking about Marlene. He had always thought she had forgotten about him, and continued on with her plan to a perfect life. Never, in one thousand years, would he have believed that she would join something as risky as the Order of the Phoenix. But, as it often happens, he was wrong once again.

It was a snowy night when Caradoc apparated to the home of Lily and James Potter. Caradoc was told by Dumbledore that this was where he was to meet the other members of the Order. Thankfully, Caradoc already knew James and Lily from his school days. They were a couple years below him, but they still made an indent in Hogwarts all the same.

Once Caradoc had pushed open the door and stepped inside the cozy home, he recognized a number of other people: Remus Lupin, the quiet boy that Caradoc often saw in the library when he came in search for Marlene, and Peter Pettigrew, a follower of James.

"Caradoc!" sounded a male's voice behind him. Caradoc spun around and came face to face with Sirius Black. Together they had accidentally found the Room of Requirement. James and Peter were in detention that day, and Remus was in the hospital wing. Caradoc and Sirius never were best friends but they had certainly developed a friendship because of their interest in life risking activities, despite their three year age difference.

"Sirius!" Caradoc exclaimed, shaking Sirius's hand. "How have you been?"

"Alright, I suppose," answered Sirius. "Since when have you been in the Order?"

"Since Dumbledore asked me," Caradoc replied.

"Hey, listen, you should see what I got last month," said Sirius quietly, motioning outside. Caradoc followed Sirius who led him out a backdoor. There, in the backyard, stood a glittering, jet black, motorcycle. Caradoc's jaw dropped.

"Wow," Caradoc breathed. "You charmed it, I'm sure." He ran his hand across the leather seat.

"Better believe it," said Sirius, who stood next to his motorcycle, looking proud. "You could take it for a spin later."

"That'd be great," said Caradoc. "Well, I better get back inside and see who else is here." Caradoc reluctantly shifted his gaze from the motorbike, and walked back inside, Sirius behind him.

And there she was, talking to Lily. Caradoc stopped suddenly in the doorway, a million different things running through his mind. Sirius ran into him, which caused Marlene and Lily to look over at the pair. Marlene took a sharp breath once her eyes met with Caradoc's. Sirius and Lily were looking at each other, confused.

"Marlene?" Caradoc asked quietly. This couldn't be her. Marlene wouldn't do something like this. She wouldn't risk her life like this.

"Caradoc?" she asked in the same tone. Sirus looked at the two of them, back and forth.

"You know each other?" Sirius asked. Caradoc and Marlene nodded. "Well then, Lily and I should leave you two to get reacquainted." He said, and Sirius and Lily exited the room. Silence filled the air, as Caradoc was deciding what to say.

"Why are you here?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be off with your husband and your kids?" he said, trying very hard not to sound bitter, but he was sure there was a snap in his voice. Marlene avoided his eyes by staring at the floor.

"I never got married. I never had kids. I couldn't stop thinking about..." she trailed off.

"About?" Caradoc asked.

"You," she said softly, as she looked up. Caradoc's stomach turned over, just like it did back in school. "I don't have a perfect life unless there's excitement in it. Something that you gave to me, which I didn't realize until later."

"That's why you joined the Order?"

"I guess, I thought maybe that it was just the excitement I needed to be happy," she said. "I figured you had found some girl that shared your passion for those risky activities, so tried to give up on you."

"I haven't," Caradoc said. "I haven't wanted to. I wanted you in my life, not some other girl. Before long I realized how stupid I was for giving you up."

"So now what?" asked Marlene quietly. Caradoc didn't know what was to happen between the two of them again. But, he did know the one thing he had wanted to do.

Caradoc walked over to Marlene and placed his lips on hers. She relaxed within his arms and slowly kissed him back. This was where Caradoc wanted to be, this was who he wanted to be with.

He never should have kissed her again, for it led to the revival of their relationship. Caradoc and Marlene should've known better than to start a relationship in the middle of a war. Death Eaters were picking off members of the Order of the Phoenix one by one, and no one was safe anymore. But, Caradoc and Marlene lived their life in the Order looking for excitement, taking the risky missions that put them in the heart of danger. Combined, they had brought six Death Eaters to Azkaban, even though they were always at a major disadvantage.

Caradoc and Marlene were in a rundown house that had just been destroyed by Death Eaters. Marlene and Caradoc were assigned to discover who had been killed, and why. They were surrounded by figures in dark hoods who appeared out of the shadows.

"Well, well, look who it is," said a cold voice from behind a hood. "Marlene and Caradoc."

"Why'd you kill Felicity?" asked Caradoc sharply, while slowly taking his wand out of his pocket.

"She was in the way," a Death Eater spat. "As are you."

"Sorry for the inconvenience," Marlene said icily, as she too took out her wand. "You know, I hear Azkaban serves a mean porridge on Wednesdays."

"Two less members of the Order of the Phoenix tonight!"

Caradoc and Marlene narrowly escaped that battle that night. Remus, Sirius, and James showed up just in time to help out the pair slip past death. That was how things went for the next year. Caradoc and Marlene barley escaping death, and laughing about it later.

As time went on, Caradoc soon realized that he could never live without Marlene. He wanted her in his life forever.

"Marlene, I have something I want to ask you," said Caradoc. Marlene and him were sitting in Caradoc's apartment, watching the sun set.

"Anything," Marlene replied. Caradoc took a breath, and held hold of Marlene's hand.

"Marlene, ever since you came into my life, in my fifth year, you've brightened my life and my future. I realized I could never live without you after we graduated. And, now that you've came back into my life, I don't want to lose you again. So, I was wondering..." Caradoc put one hand inside his coat pocket and pulled out a sparkling diamond ring. Marlene gasped and put a hand over her mouth.

"Marlene McKinnon, will you marry me?" Caradoc asked quietly.

"Of course," Marlene answered, her eyes filling with tears as Caradoc slipped the ring on her finger.

Caradoc and Marlene never told a soul about their marriage. It was hard for the both of them, having to keep such a big secret from their friends and family, but they agreed that it would cause too much danger in the dark times. Their rings were hidden away in Marlene's home, as was their wedding certificate.

And then, two weeks after their marriage, the attack happened that changed Caradoc's life forever.

"Caradoc, there's been an attack," Sirius told Caradoc on the night of June twenty-seventh. Caradoc could tell from Sirius's tone that this was a bad attack, the kind of attack that resulted in death.

"Who?" asked Caradoc, dreading the answer, which is what always happened when the word 'attack' came up.

"Marlene," said Sirius quietly. Caradoc froze, his breath was sucked out of his throat.

"Death Eaters ambushed her and her family last night. I'm afraid she wasn't able to escape like usual," Sirius continued, avoiding Caradoc's eyes.

"Is she...is she..." Caradoc couldn't seem to find the words. She couldn't be dead, she just couldn't be.

"She's gone, Caradoc."

Caradoc slipped into denial for a few weeks fallowing the news. Nobody knew how much Marlene meant to him. Caradoc deeply considered taking his own life away, because his life wasn't right without Marlene with him. He'd visit her grave every night, with a bouquet of flowers and a letter he'd write to her. After five months, he finally realized what he needed to do with his life.

"Caradoc?" came a voice from behind a tree. Caradoc was standing in the woods, ready to apparate to Norway, far away from where he was now. Caradoc needed to get away from everything that reminded him of Marlene; their friends, their family. It all became too much for Caradoc to bear. But, he didn't want anyone to come after him, so he was ready to leave without telling a soul.

"Hm?" Caradoc replied, turning around to see Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew standing in a clearing.

"You aren't leaving, are you?" asked Peter. Caradoc winced, he didn't want anyone to know about his plan.

"This is about Marlene McKinnon, isn't it," said Remus Lupin kindly, as though reading Caradoc's mind.

"Marlene Dearborn," Caradoc quietly corrected him. Remus and Peter exchanged glances.

"You two got married?" Peter asked. Caradoc looked down at his feet, not saying anything.

"Running away won't bring her back," said Remus, sympathetically.

"It's better than staying around here," said Caradoc. "I'm no help to the Order anymore, I don't have the will power to fight anymore. That died with her. You can't tell anyone that I'm leaving, either of you."

"Okay," said Peter slowly.

"I mean it. I don't want anyone coming to find me. I need to be alone for a while."

"A while?" Remus raised an eyebrow. "You aren't coming back at all are you?"

"Probably not," Caradoc sighed. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Anything," said Remus.

"Make the Unbreakable Vow," said Caradoc quickly.

"We said we wouldn't tell anyone," Peter protested.

"I know, but I can't have people know, and this is the only way to make sure."

"Fine, we can make the Unbreakable Vow," said Remus. Peter reluctantly nodded his head in agreement.

Caradoc never should've made Remus and Peter make the Unbreakable Vow, either. Remus would stay in contact with Caradoc, sending letters once in a while. Caradoc was informed when Voldemort was defeated, and when he returned. But, there was one letter that haunted his conscious the most.

Dear Caradoc,

I hope you are doing well. There has been some big news lately that I think you would like to know about.

Sirius is innocent. He wasn't the spy, Peter Pettigrew was. Yes, Peter is still alive, he had been living as a rat for the past twelve years he's an Animagus too, by the way. As was James, and as is Sirius. James and Lily switched secret keepers at the last minute. Because, they thought I was the spy. I think I realize now why.

After you had left, everyone was confused, as I have mentioned in previous letters. I believe now that Sirius, and most of the Order, believed I had killed you off, since I couldn't exactly say why you had disappeared to in the first place. Peter played up on that story very well, I assume.

Caradoc couldn't even read the rest. It had been his fault that Remus was the suspected spy; it had been his fault that the Potter's switched Secret Keepers; it had been his fault that Lily and James were killed, that Sirius was placed in Azkaban, and Remus lived his life alone for twelve years. That letter made Caradoc promise himself that he would never come back, in order to spare those who were hurt by him. But, what had destroyed him the most was that he was responsible for changing Marlene's outlook on life. If he hadn't changed her, maybe she'd be alive now, with her perfect life.

This is where Caradoc was at the moment. The same house he had lived in for thirteen years. Rain was pelting at his window as he slowly took a sip of tea, and sat back down his cup. He began to spin two rings on the table. One that belonged to him, the other, to Marlene. He always kept the ring with him now, never leaving it out of his sight. He wondered sometimes if she had ever realized what he had engraved in her golden ring.

Invisible Girl