InsaneJournal

Marlene doesn't smile very often, giving the impression to many that she is aloof, when the truth is she often feels unsure in large groups of people and becomes self conscious easily. Her sense of humour tends to be more quiet than brash and she is generally happy to blend into the background and let others be the centre of attention while keeping herself private.

To those who know her, however, she is a fiercely loyal friend with a sharp and often sarcastic wit when she chooses to use it. She has a finely tuned sense of honour and integrity and despises betrayals in all its forms. Once hurt, she takes a long time, if ever, to be able to forgive. For the people she loves there is nothing she isn't prepared to do, from offering financial help if it is needed to emotional support and even putting herself in danger to protect those she cares for.

She is known for being impatient and not a fan of faffing around waiting to act, though mostly she has managed to refrain from outright recklessness. Rather than being hot tempered, she is prone to cooler rages and is easily provoked into them. She is a gifted witch and very aware of her own abilities (and her limitations) and knows how far she can push herself. Over the years she's learned to trust her instincts and can often be found at the front line of any fight. While she was never at the top of her classes, she was reasonably successful at school, leaving Hogwarts with several OWLs and NEWTs at impressive grades.

She gets on equally well with men and women, though tends to have limited tolerance with the incredibly 'girly' types; while this may be mistaken for arrogance, it is in fact more because she simply does not understand the fascination with dating and appearances that those types often have. First and foremost she sees men as her friends, rarely as potential partners. Her flirting style is more casual and friendly, than blatant.

The McKinnon family were described by Hagrid as one of the most powerful wizarding families of the time, a pureblood family for as many generations back as anyone could tell. Originally from Scotland, they gradually moved south, until Marlene herself was born in London in 1957.

A few generations ago, the McKinnons had moved in similar circles as families such as the Malfoys and the Blacks, sharing much of their wealth and success. However, the McKinnons did not share the attitude that those of Muggle heritage were somehow less than they were, accepting that eventually it would be inevitable that their own family may end up marrying Muggle borns and the idea of maintaining 'blood purity' was impracticable as well as pointless. It was this attitude of tolerance that Marlene was brought up in.

When she was 11, in 1968, Marlene started at Hogwarts and was sorted into Gryffindor, with the Sorting Hat noting her combination of courage and loyalty. While Marlene was never the most popular or outgoing girl, she did have a few close friends and was competent in many of her subjects. Her teachers generally liked her, especially Slughorn, although this was mostly due to her family background, something that Marlene herself never really understood. Her favourite subject was Defense Against the Dark Arts, followed by Transfiguration. While she could fly a broom, she never became too involved with Quidditch, preferring watching over taking part.

In 1970, Voldemort formed the Death Eaters, and there were even some who assumed that the McKinnons might join them, something Marlene found personally very insulting. Her friends and classmates included Muggle borns and the idea of turning against them was repulsive to the young girl. She was so against the concept of Voldemort that as soon as she graduated from Hogwarts in 1975 she joined the Order of the Phoenix, as well as training to be an Auror.

It was with the Order that Marlene made her closest friends, people she considered family. While the rest of the McKinnons did not go as far as join the Order themselves, they supported Marlene and made their opinions well known in the wizarding world. Marlene became known as a skilled duelist, and was part of several attacks on Death Eaters, working well with the fellow members of the Order.

Her reputation drew the attention of Voldemort, who sent Travers to kill her and her entire family in July 1981, mere days after Marlene turned 24. Arriving in the middle of the night, Travers surprised the McKinnons, eliminating them with the Killing Curse in their sleep. Marlene woke up moments before, but was unable to reach her wand in time to defend herself. Travers was sent to Azkaban for this crime.