In the end, they're both gone like the wind {the flighty, free, boundless wind} in two different ways.

Marlene is dead {cold, pale, lifeless} and it's so impossible for Alice to have believed when she first heard {because Marlene was always invincible, unbreakable, full of life - how could she of all people be dead?}. Marlene was always permanent, but so is death. She was never permanent, in reality, it was just a childish dream {lie} she told Alice so so long ago {years}.

Alice doesn't realize that Marlene is dead and death is forever and permanent - like Marlene - until she sees her funeral. She's laying in a coffin, in a dress that brings up memories of the time when Marlene kissed her that one wintery day - and Alice can't look at that dress anymore, or she may just fall to the ground and start crying. Marlene looks like she's sleeping, and Alice tries to pretend she is but her hand touches Marlene's and it's coldcoldcold {Marlene was always so warm - Alice used to joke she was her personal fireplace back in school when it just Marly & Alice & Lily } and the illusion shatters like glass. Life is never permanent - her dead best friend is the proof of this.

Her lips are in a quirky smile even in death, and it brings up millions of memories - the only thing she thinks will ever be permanent {she's wrong, but she doesn't know it yet}- of days in Hogwarts, promises and laughs and two kisses and butterbeer and spells. Alice can barely hide the cringe at the evocative smile. Her eyes are closed - fooling them all into thinking she was sleeping, but this nap is endless - and they're hiding emerald eyes - prettier than any gem, if you ask Alice. Auburn, curly hair is splayed out in a mess, silky smooth and beautiful, a huge contrast against the paleness of the now almost snow white skin, dotted with freckles that seem even darker now.

"Wake up," Alice whispers so that no one can hear. "Please..."

The ice cold girl - woman in the coffin doesn't move.

It was never permanent and they were stupid to think so.

Alice is gone within the next year.

No, she's not dead, not like Marlene - not like the ice cold woman eight feet under. But she's so far gone, maybe she should be.

She's lost her sanity, her memories {silly girl, those were never permanent}, she's recieved a fate worse than death could ever be.

She'd be better off in the endless sleep that is death, pale and freezing cold {with her}.

She giggles and laughs but the only thing she remembers is tying bows out of Droobles wrappers {she used to do that with Marlene, but she doesn't remember that part anymore - only that she knows how} and painpainpain. {She doesn't remember, but she always hated Bellatrix. She guesses this is irony, that the one she hated the most made her like this}

There's a boy who comes by, she doesn't know who he is but she knows she loves him very much. She knows she's loved two other people in a different way, but her memories are blurry and all she really recalls were feelings.

It's been years and years and years since Marlene has died {over fifty} before she dies in her sleep - peacefully. Calmly. It's permanent, this time, unlike almost everything else {memories, sanity, life - all not permanent} and finally, her memories return to her and she's almost fifty years younger in death. The first thing she remembers in Heaven is the beautiful girl with auburn hair and eyes prettier than emeralds. {Marlene - oh how lovely it is to have these memories back}.

They were both gone like the wind, forever and ever, but they were still together {eventually}.