First Year, Little Women
Tuesday October 5th 1971
They had been at Hogwarts for over a month now and Lily was slowly starting to settle into the rhythm of the castle. Waking up in the dorm room with Mary and Marlene, taking down to breakfast in the Great Hall before classes. The moving staircases, the talking paintings, the screeching of owls in the middle of the night, the blazing hot fire in the common room, the disdainful sneers of the Slytherins, the eccentric assembly of professors, the annoying boys, the wide stretched grounds and high stone ceilings. It felt as a world on its own. Sometimes she forgot there were things outside of Hogwarts, that there was still a life she had left behind. Her parents still sent her letters regularly, only not every day anymore, like they had in the beginning. She hadn`t heard from Petunia and she didn`t expect her to reach out anymore. Sometimes there was this nagging voice at the back of her head that told her it was her fault, that she had betrayed her sister in leaving.
Lily was coming down from the owlery. They had Transfiguration as their first lesson of the day and she had wanted to send the letter to her parents first thing after breakfast. As she descended the steps from the tower, she could hear laughter echoing through the hallway, one of the voices high pitched and almost manic. Walking further down the hall, two girls came into view Lily knew to be Bellatrix and Narcissa Black, Sirius` cousins. They were cackling loudly and every so often one of them mumbled something indecipherable. Bellatrix, the taller one of the two, was supporting a humongous ring on her finger. Lily had heard that the girl had recently gotten engaged to Rodolphus Lestrange, another pureblood wizard and they were set to be married as soon as Bellatrix graduated. Marlene had explained to her that the pureblood families tried to keep their family lines clean by marrying eachother off between families. Sometimes to the extend of cousins marrying eachother. Lily thought this was utterly appalling.
To her utmost surprise, the two witches didn`t pay any attention to Lily as she passed them in the narrow hallway and just kept whispering to eachother. Lily looked back over her shoulder, watching the two sisters disappear. They looked so content and comfortable in each other’s company, same statue, same curly dark hair, same gait as they trotted alongside eachother. Lily couldn`t help but feel her heart ache slightly.
Their Transfiguration lesson of the day was focussed on the four different types of transfiguration: transformation, conjuration, vanishment and untransfiguration. Professor McGonagall explained to them at great length about the different subcategories within transformation and Lily scribbled down page upon page of notes. Mary kept sighing as Professor McGonagall kept listing new points and Marlene was bowed so deeply over her notes, Lily was afraid she would dip her pale blonde hair into her ink.
James, Sirius and Peter were trying to get Remus` attention all throughout the first section of the lesson, constantly interrupting Professor McGonagall with their urgent whispers. They were getting on her nerves and Lily wanted to turn around to tell them to be quiet. Fortunately, the Transfiguration teacher was evidently equally annoyed and set them apart. As she did so, Lily turned to look at Remus, his hair had grown a great deal since she had first met him on the train and it was a soft brown, standing on end like little bristles. The boy looked tired, he had pronounced bags underneath his eyes and he looked paler than usual. She wondered what was going on with him and why he was ignoring his friends.
As Lily was walking towards their next lesson, which was Charms, she fell silent as Mary and Marlene chatted on, both equally excited to show Professor Flitwick how much they had improved in their levitation charms. When Marlene asked her if something was wrong she smiled and told her she was just feeling a bit tired, which wasn`t a lie, even though it wasn`t telling the whole truth.
Herbology was their first lesson after lunch and they hurried over the grounds towards the greenhouses. With the onset on autumn it had gotten considerably colder and Lily had to hold onto the hood of her robes so it wouldn`t get blown off by the wind.
They were now starting to study actual plants. There were various pots standing on their work banks filled with flowers that were far from a stranger to Lily. For the reason that, the first plant they would start studying being lilies.
First, Professor Sprout explained that while a lot of flowers were called lilies, not all of them were actual lilies. For actual lilies grow from bulbs and come from the genus Lilium, not every lily complies to this notion.
`And while lilies may look pretty,` Professor Sprout said, holding up one of the white flowers between her thumb and forefinger.
James, who was standing across from Lily, caught her eye and turned bright red at this. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes Lily looked at Mary, who raised her eyebrows.
`Lilies are actually best known for their poisonous qualities. So treat them with care!` the Herbology Professor continued.
Marlene grinned at her, Mary nudged her shoulder and some snickering rose between the other students, all staring at Lily. She could feel her cheeks turn red
`Right, let`s continue to the asphodel, a sister plant of the lily!` Professor Sprout went on despite the commotion.
History of Magic was extremely uneventful. The ghostly Professor Binns kept droning on without interruption or looking up from his text. Even Lily, who was always diligent with paying attention and thought History was actually a really interesting course, had a hard time trying to concentrate on what the professor was saying. She had to keep nudging Mary to keep her eyes open as she lolled her head onto Lily`s shoulder.
The gloom that had settled down on her had remained with her all throughout the day and when she lay in bed that evening it was as if a giant brick was laying down on her chest. She lit her wand and tried to read something in the dark of the canopy of her bedcurtains. It was her third time reading Little Women and she was coming onto the part where Beth falls ill, it was simultaneously her most hated and most beloved part of the novel.
“I never wanted to go away, and the hard part now is leaving you all. I am not afraid, but it seems as if I should be homesick for you even in heaven.”
As she read on she felt her eyes began to burn and without any further warning a tear, heavy and wet, dropped down on the page, blotching the ink. The light from her wand went out and Lily lay her head down on her knees, her shoulders heaving as she sobbed into her sheets.
There was a shuffling noise outside of her curtains and when Lily lifted her head both Mary and Marlene clambered into her bed, a thin strip of moonlight falling in through the bedcurtains.
Mary put a comforting arm around her and Lily kept on silently crying, she could taste the salt on her upper lip, streaming down from her tear ducts. Quietly Marlene closed the book and put it to the side, before putting a blanket around Lily`s shoulders.
`Why-` Lily sniffled. `Why won`t Petunia talk to me.` It was as if something ever so small and at the same time the size of the entire universe burst inside her chest.
`Oh, Lily.` Mary whispered and softly stroked her hair.
***
Friday October 15th 1971
Marlene felt elated with the knowledge that Professor Flitwick had been so pleased with the fact that the entire class had masted levitation charms so early in the year, that he had let them out early. When both she and Mary had managed to levitate their object through the hoop without any problem at all, the tiny Charms Professor had clapped his hands in ecstasy and Lily had shot them a sneaky wink. Marlene had had to suppress a giggle.
It was dry outside, but the air was grey and murky and Marlene shivered as the wind billowed her robes. The trees had really started to lose their leaves now and the Whomping Willow looked barren against the fleecy clouds.
They were walking towards their Flying lesson, something Marlene was very much looking forward to. Next to Sirius and James, who couldn`t help themselves but be the most obnoxious show-offs everyone had ever seen, Marlene was by far top of the class and she was secretly really proud of this. Mary hated flying and she made it quite obvious that she did, whining all the way to and from the quidditch pitch. To nobody`s surprise, Lily was also quite good at flying and sometimes could give Marlene a run for her money if it was about speed, Marlene always kept being more agile up in the air.
Their flying coach was Madam Hooch, a willowy witch with spiky grey haired and intense yellow eyes. Marlene knew that she was born at the beginning of the century, in 1901, which made her seventy years old. The woman however, didn`t look a day over thirty and Marlene couldn`t figure out for the life of her how this was possible. Some people argued that she wasn`t entirely human, since the colour of her eyes being yellow was very uncommon to occur in pure human creatures. Either way, Marlene thought she must be one of the coolest witches she had ever seen.
Every quidditch practice Marlene sat in the stands with her homework to look at the current team. While she did so she couldn`t help but stare as Madam Hooch kept directing the players over the pitch, being equally stern and just.
At night, when she wouldn`t be able to sleep, Marlene would sit in the windowsill of their little dorm room and peer out over the Hogwarts grounds. The sky would be dark and looming, littered with tiny pinpricks of stars and if she squinted she would be able to see the faint outlines of the quidditch pitch. In those moments she would fantasize about Madam Hooch noticing her in the stands and asking her to join them. It never happened though and her mornings spent in the stands remained just that.
They entered the pitch through the dressing rooms and put their bookbags in the corner before switching their usual shoes for thick boots and their everyday school robes for scarlet coloured flying kits. Marlene couldn`t help but stare as Mary pulled of her robes and her shirt rose slightly so she was able to catch a glimpse of her dark-skinned midriff. When Mary caught her staring she shot her a smile and Marlene quickly looked away.
Lily was peering into the mirror, plaiting her thick red hair, `I swear,` she said sighing. `One day I`m going to cut it all off, so I don`t have to deal with all this anymore.`
`Tell me about it.` Mary replied, lacing up her boots.
Marlene sat on the bench, pulling her hair back into a ponytail, tightening it firmly so the skin of her forehead was being pulled back by the sheer force of it. She would be giving herself a headache with it one of these days, she thought as she smoothed down a stray hair.
The ground of the quidditch pitch was soft and full of muddy puddles as a result of the heavy downpour of rain from the night before. Marlene`s boots sloshed as she strode alongside Mary and Lily to the rest of their classmates. There were brooms already laying ready for them, since first years weren`t allowed to have brooms of their own.
James picked up the broom next to hers and while he flitted it back and forth between his hands he said to her, `You know this broom is great and all, but it doesn`t compare to the one I have at home.`
`Right.` Marlene nodded.
`You know I`ve got a top model broom at home?`
`So you`ve said.` she answered. If Potter wouldn`t stop bragging about his bloody broom she would hit him with hers.
A chilly wind roared between the stands, making a whistling sound. Marlene hopped back and forth on both her feet, eager to mount the broom and get up into the air.
`Right, mount your brooms please, ladies and gentlemen.` Madam Hooch called out. `Nice strong wind today, so I want all of you to take good care. Potter, no showing off!`
Next to her, James grinned broadly and mounted his broom before pushing off on the ground and soaring up into the air.
`I`d like five clean laps around the pitch, then a good landing back here from each of you. Mind the puddle and remember to lean into the wind where possible. Use it to your advantage. Five point for whoever`s back first.` Madam Hooch finished speaking and the shrill sound of her whistle screeched in Marlene`s ear.
She pushed off and joined the others who were already high above the muddy patch. Mary was already up in the air and looked positively queasy. Lily was still trying to get off the ground, the only other person still with her being Remus.
Marlene waited for Lily to get up to her level before the three of them soared off. She already knew James would get in first, so she didn`t even try to get back first. The grim air battered against her face as they flew laps around the pitch, her red robes billowing behind her like the sail of a ship in a storm.
`What a bunch of show-offs.` Mary muttered and she pointed at Sirius and James zooming neck to neck at the front of the group.
`Could they be any more insufferable.` Lily groaned as she leaned into the biting wind.
Marlene stared at the two dark haired boys. They were indeed obnoxious, but still she couldn`t help but envy them. Even though they were loud and annoying, somehow everyone seemed to adore them, even teachers. She knew Madam Hooch was already looking at them for future additions to the quidditch team and just for once she whished she would look at her the same way.
They soared on for a while silently, backs bent and eyes squinting. Until there was suddenly a lot of noise and Marlene turned her head to see the statues of Remus and Sirius soaring down towards the soggy grass.
She winced as they both crash-landed into a huge muddy puddle, skidding and rolling over in the mud.
`Black! Lupin!` Madam Hooch bellowed.
All of them landed around the two soaking wet boys and Marlene couldn`t help but laugh as they looked like two drowned rats in their mud caked robes. Lily and Mary were also snorting with laughter.
`What did I say about minding the puddle?` The Flying teacher raised her eyebrows, more amused than anything else. `A point each from Gryffindor.` Great, Marlene thought. `You`d better go and wash off in the showers. Off you go.` Madam Hooch swatted the two boys towards the squat stone building.
While Remus and Sirius were sent to the showers, the rest of the class mounted their brooms once again and pushed off into the air. Marlene couldn`t grasp the sheer folly of the boys.
James kept showing off, making loops around the spectator stand towers. That was until Lily challenged him to race between the goal posts.
The bespectacled boy grinned widely, thinking he could easily beat Lily. But even if Lily lacked Potter`s formal flying technique, no one could deny she was mad fast and she beat him in two out of three races.
Marlene cheered her friend on loudly as she flew loops around them, pulling ugly faces at James when he glared at her over his glasses. That would teach him bragging about his broom.
***
Saturday October 23rd 1971
`Did you hear about the hair incident?` Mary said as she plonked herself down on a chair opposite from Marlene and Lily.
They were studying in the library and Lily had been able to cast a Muffliato spell over their table, that way they could talk without getting reprimanding looks from Madam Pince, the severe looking Hogwarts librarian. And, as a bonus, they could lug Marlene`s little radio along and play music while doing there homework.
`Hm?` Lily looked up from her work, her hair held together in a bun by her wand as she moved her quill smoothly over the parchment in front of her.
`Apparently our dear housemates ate some bad sweets and started sprouting hair.` Mary giggled.
`Are we talking about Potter and company?` Marlene asked, gnawing on the end of her quill.
`The very ones.` Mary nodded and started rummaging through her books that lay in an unorderly pile on the table.
`I swear, those four have more happen to them before nine than what I get in a whole day.` Lily muttered.
`Are we jealous Evans?` Mary teased.
`No,` Lily leered back. `I`m just pointing out how incredibly insufferable they are. Potter and Black at least. The other two are ok.`
Mary could get behind that statement. It seemed like the four first year boys of the Gryffindor tower thought the world belonged to them and them only. She had heard the rumour about them sprouting hair when she had been primping her hair in the bathroom mirror of the girls loos. It was where she picked up most of her gossip.
`Do you know who did it?` Marlene asked, propping her head up on her elbows. `The hair thing I mean.`
Mary shook her head. `No, but I think we can all guess who did.` It was rather obvious that is was just a Slytherin getting them back for something or other. It seemed all they were capable of doing these days.
Lily fixed her stare on her homework and returned to scribbling feverishly away on the parchment.
`Honestly Lily, I don`t understand why you put up with that Snape.` Mary said.
`He is my friend Mary.` Lily responded, not looking at her. `He can be really nice.`
Mary sighed, she just couldn`t see what Lily saw in the greasy haired prick. All Mary had seen of Snape was his insistent bullying of the Gryffindor boys, or anyone for that matter. And the way he looked at her with so much disdain when she was with Lily, that she thought his eyes might shrivel away in their sockets from pure acidity.
`Is it because he helps you with Potions?` Mary asked, leaning back in her chair. She was desperately trying to find a reason why such a nice person as Lily could have such a horrid friend.
`Mary!` Lily sputtered indignant at this remark and furrowed her brow. `I can do Potions perfectly well on my own.`
`Yeah, I think it`s enough for now.` Marlene said, looking at Mary.
Holding up her hands up defensively, Mary obeyed and decided to drop the Snape problem. At least for now, she resolved.
She opened up her History book and tried to read the first paragraph. However, when she was at the bottom of the page, she realised she hadn`t taken anything in from what she had read. They had been sitting in the library for the entire evening and she was getting shot with it. She felt like her brain was fried. Looking at Lily and Marlene still diligently working, she couldn`t grasp how they could still have so much concentration. Tomorrow was another day, why couldn`t they resume tomorrow?
Reaching over the table she turned up the radio. Aretha Franklin`s Bridge Over Troubled Water was on, it reminded her of her mother. Every time Aretha came on while she was cooking in the little kitchen in their flat, she would crank up the music and sing along loudly, her warm voice reverberating between the pots and pans.
Marlene looked up disturbed by the sudden increase of volume.
`I`m bored.` Mary nagged, laying her head down on the table.
`Well, then do your assignment.` Lily answered, not looking up from her work.
She groaned. `I`m not that bored.`
Mary closed her eyes and kept listening to the music. It made her miss home. Even though she was barely ever alone here at Hogwarts, it was different from sharing a small London flat with two parents and six other siblings. At times she couldn`t help but feel incredibly alone.
Since none of her family was magical, they didn`t know how to work the owl postage and Mary was restricted to giving the letters she wanted to sent to Professor McGonagall, who sent them to her family by normal postage. Normally there would pass over a week before she had a response back, once again using their head of house as a middle person. She felt slightly jealous when all the other students got their mail delivered in the morning. Sometimes she whished she could just use and owl and sent it to London with her letter. However, she didn`t think it would go down a storm if there was suddenly an owl pecking on the window of the flat. She was sure her mother would have an aneurism.
`Is there a telephone at Hogwarts?` she suddenly asked, lifting her head from her book.
`A what?` Marlene looked up confused, hands in her hair.
`No.` Lily shook her head. `We don`t even have electricity.`
`Oh.` Mary replied, sighing. She suddenly had a brainwave and the idea that she would be able to telephone her family.
`A what?` Marlene asked again, looking from Lily to Mary.
`You seriously don`t know what a telephone is?` Mary asked, looking wide eyed at Marlene.
Marlene shook her head.
`Lord.` Mary laughed and shot and amused grin at Lily, who was also giggling.
Lily and Mary spent the next few minutes explaining to Marlene the concept of a telephone, who kept staring at them wide eyed as if they were telling her the most preposterous thing. They had talking paintings at Hogwarts and Marlene was surprised at the basic invention of a telephone! It marvelled Mary how ignorant the magical community could be. They revelled themselves in all sort of oddities, but turned down electricity, only because it was a muggle invention?
She often gaped at the sheer ignorance of people. At the complete lack of knowledge of things that were different than them. At the pure bigotry she saw in every corner of her life. Both her parent had been born in Jamaica and moved to the UK shortly after her eldest brother was born. So since she could remember, she had been subjected to the racist and disgusting views of the Brits. She had been the only black kid at her primary school and even though she was now surrounded by multiple ethnicities other than white, she couldn`t help but feel a minority. It wasn`t that people downright yelled slurs at her, but it was in the little things, the tiny everyday aggressions she encountered.
Here at Hogwarts there was a whole other level to the bigotry of people who felt themselves superior to others. It went deeper than the colour of your skin or your culture, but whether or not you came from magic, if your blood was pure. She knew Lily also had to deal with it and that was what made it even more surprising that she hung out with Snape, who certainly viewed himself as being superior.
The thing that she thought being the most appalling was the fact that Lily had told her that there was a whole army of house elves working in the kitchens. What house elves were exactly, she didn`t know. Mary herself hadn`t been down to the kitchens yet, but the way Lily described it, it looked a lot like downright slavery to her. A couple of days ago, she had voiced her concerns about this, but it seemed like nobody was able to see the problem. So she had remained quiet about it, if nobody wanted to listen she would let her anger simmer in silence. One of these days, she would break into the kitchens and free them, she thought.
`I do think there is a telephone just outside Hogsmeade, the little village.` Lily suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence. `Maybe we could check that out. Secretly I mean, we aren’t allowed in Hogsmeade yet.`
`Yeah, maybe.` Mary said, sunken deep in thought.
///