Second Year, Crushes and Explosions
Tuesday September 5th 1972
After a long first weekend back at Hogwarts, spent mostly out in the late summer sun and catching up with their summer reading, school was once again in full session. Marlene hadn`t minded doing her reading all that much. The three of them had lugged their books out to the lake and taken their radio with them, lounging in the shade of the trees that stood swaying on the bank.
Mary had complained a great deal, nagging on about how she didn`t understand why they had been set homework for the summer holidays in the first place, saying that summer was to be used for rest and relaxation, not reading. Which, to be fair, Marlene slightly agreed with.
Yet, at the end of the weekend, thanks to their own perseverance and also to Lily`s stern looks when they tried to cast their books away, all three of them had completed the work that had been set for the summer.
Monday, their first day of classes had been fine. Mostly introductory classes anyway. They would start on magical objects in Charms. Hence, the classes would be a lot more theoratical based, which was a relieve to Marlene, who didn`t like the practical work all that much.
Their first lesson of Tuesday was Herbology. The greenhouses were still sweltering hot from the sun that had been pelting down on them for the last couple of weeks. Marlene could feel a small trickle of sweat run down her spine underneath her robes. She tugged at her tie, trying to loosen it up a bit.
`As you might have noticed,` Professor Sprout said. `You have all been supplied with a packet of seeds, a bag of soil and all the other tools you will need to start your first growing experiment. That`s right; this year we`ll be getting our hands dirty!`
Mary groaned and whispered, `Oh, no.`
Marlene shot her a bemused glance. She didn`t mind getting her hands dirty, she helped her mother in the garden all the time at home.
`The herb we will be growing is, as you already might have guessed,` she pointed at the planters on the workbenches. `The dandelion, or the Taraxacum maginale. Dandelion coming from the French dent-de-lion, meaning lions teeth.`
For behind, Marlene heard Sirius make a roaring sound, followed by a low snicker from the other three boys. Lily, Mary and Marlene had a bet going on when the boys would get their first detention of the year. Professor Pomfrey shot the boys and annoyed look.
The Herbology Professor explained some properties of the little yellow herb, as some of them were being passed along by the students to examine up close. Lily was already feverishly scribbling down notes.
`Now, let`s get to the magical properties of the Dandelion. And thus, why we will be studying them.` Professor Sprout continued. `Dandelions are namely recognised for their ability to grant wishes.`
Some Slytherin students started sniggering and a boy named Mulciber, one of Snape`s friends, coughed loudly.
`Care to explain to us what`s so funny, Mr Mulciber?` Professor Sprout asked deliberately.
Mulciber bared his teeth in a forced smile, `But that is just some muggle rubbish. I though we were here to learn magic.` The boy sniggered again, some other students joining in. Lily shot Marlene an anxious look.
Professor Sprout swallowed, `Well yes, why it is a common muggle myth, there is also some truth in there. Which I was getting to, if you`d have cared to let me finish.` she shot Mulciber a stern look. `Namely; whereas muggles believe that the blowing away of the seeds will be sufficient to grant a wish, it is actually the correct planting of the seeds that will do so.`
For the remainder of the class, Professor Sprout continued to explain to them step by step how one was supposed to plant a dandelion seed to have the desired effects. All of them were sent back to their dorms with the supplies to plant the herb on their own and the instructions to hold a precise log of the development of the plant.
Marlene really liked the assignment, not only because it was something different for a change, but also because she felt like she already had sufficient knowledge of tending a garden to be able to bring this assignment to fruition.
Sunday September 10th 1972
On the morning of her thirteenth birthday, Marlene was once again roused by Mary and Lily singing a rather rowdy rendition of happy birthday, holding a large birthday cake, just like last year. Her mum had sent her a book on mer-people Marlene had had her eye on since she had seen it in Diagon Alley. To Marlene`s request, they spent the entire morning snuggled up in her fourposter bed, listening to the radio, pouring over the pictures in the book and telling eachother which mermaids each of them was. Marlene felt her cheeks turn hot when Mary told her she looked like a particularly beautiful mermaid that was illustrated on one of the pages. Her mum had also sent her a copy of the Witch Weekly, that was quickly being passed along to Mary, who knew better how to appreciate it.
Lily and Mary gifted her some muggle posters of a couple of music artists Marlene liked, Dusty Springfield being one of them, as well as Joni Mitchell and the Carpenters. It ever so slightly freaked Marlene out that the posters weren`t moving, but she liked them none the less. She pinned them up between the photographs that had already been hung on their walls.
Thursday September 14th 1972
Classes hadn`t even started yet, when Marlene already headed back up to the Gryffindor tower, an early morning flying session behind her. The quidditch pitch had been swarmed with students training for the upcoming try-outs for the house teams. She had also spotted James and Sirius, both practicing their feints, Peter sitting in the stands, cheering them on, Remus nowhere to be seen. Sometimes, Lily would sit in the stands with her homework, whereas Mary couldn`t be hauled out of bed that early in the morning with all the force in the world.
The hallways were still empty, the aquatic sunlight dappling though the high windows onto the floor. It was thus even more concerning when Marlene heard an anxious and high pitched yelp around the corner, as if coming from a small wounded animal. Marlene picked up her pace and when she turned the corner she saw two Slytherin fifth years towering over a small girl, wands raised.
She quickly grabbed her own wand out of her pocket and pointed it at the two boys, shooting a bat-boogey hex at the both of them. The boys yelped out in pain as giant bats started to leave their nostrils, both clutching at their noses with fumbling hands.
`Piss off then!` Marlene hollered at them.
`Filthy muggle-borns, should ban the lot of them.` one of them quietly muttered as they ran away.
Gingerly Marlene approached the girl, who had her hands clasped to her face and was crying silently. She hadn`t seen the girl before and she could be nothing other than a first year.
`Shh.` Marlene tried to console the girl. `It`s okay. Let me see.`
The girl whimpered and pulled her hands away from her face, showing Marlene a pretty nasty stinging jinx.
`Aye, ok.` Marlene inhaled sharply. `Oh dear, come.` she pulled the girl up by her arms. `Let`s take you to Madam Pomfrey, ok?`
The girl nodded and wiped her runny nose on her sleeve. Marlene marveled at how small the girl was, had she been this small a year ago?
It was evident that muggle-born students had become an ever bigger target for the blood purists to pester. It worried her deeply.
***
Wednesday September 27th 1972
`Ok,` Mary spoke up. `If you`d had to choose, between Potter and Black, who would you pick?`
`For what?` Marlene looked up confused from watering her dandelion seeds with the rainwater she had carefully collected.
`Just in general?` Mary asked, twirling her hair.
`Erm,` Marlene faltered. `I mean- Merlin, Mary, I don`t know. I don`t understand your question.` she returned to watering her plants.
While there were certainly more important things to be focusing on, the thing on the forefront of Mary`s mind for the past couple of weeks, had been to decide which one of the Gryffindor boys would be the object of her affections. She supposed, that now she was a teenager, it was only appropriate to start fancying someone.
Peter was ruled out purely by the fact that Mary was taller than him and she could hardly fancy someone who was shorter than she was. Besides, she didn`t think Peter was all that interesting anyway. Then there was Remus, while Remus was certainly interesting and had that mysterious allure around him, Mary had never seen him not angry. That, in combination with the fact that his hair was once again shorn close to his scalp, and Mary was a sucker for hair, took him out of the running.
Now, it came down to either Sirius or James. James surely had that tousled floppy, sad dog quality to him that a lot of girls seemed to like and you could hardly call him bad looking. And, he was good on a broom. But, then there was Sirius, who was undeniably the best looking boy from their year. He had high cheekbones, full lips, sleek raven hair and a grin that made Mary feel all fluttery. He certainly seemed to have that rouged rockstar look that her sister, Gabi, always swooned over. So maybe it wasn`t all that hard and she would fancy Sirius.
`I think I`d choose Sirius.` Mary spoke slowly, pondering.
`I still don`t know what we are talking about.` Marlene sighed and sat down on her bed.
`I fancy Sirius.` Mary announced proudly.
`Why?` Marlene looked repulsed.
`Oh come on,` she rolled her eyes. `He is dreamy.`
Marlene furrowed her brow, `I suppose so. Never really thought about it.`
Mary flicked open her copy of Witch Weekly and started pouring over an article about beautification charms.
`You should also fancy someone.` Mary said, not looking up from her magazine. `Just not Sirius.` she giggled. `He`s mine.`
`Erm, aye,` Marlene replied, brow furrowing. `Then I guess I`ll fancy James? He plays quidditch after all.`
Mary grinned at Marlene, feeling happy that she could share her new project with her friend.
The bathroom door creaked open and Lily stepped out, hair up in a towel and carrying a cloud of steam with her.
`Me and Marlene have decided which boys to fancy.` Mary grinned at her.
`Ok?` Lily looked at them, bemused.
`I fancy Sirius and Marlene has chosen James.` Mary beamed and Marlene nodded along shyly.
Lily snorted. `Good luck with that.`
`What?` Mary called out indignantly. `Just because they are arrogant pricks, doesn`t mean we can`t fancy them.`
`I`m not laughing at you.` Lily responded, the corners of her mouth twitching. `I just feel sorry for you.`
`Oi!` Mary exclaimed and threw her magazine at Lily, who dodged it nimbly.
`Oh, by the way,` Lily said, unraveling her hair from her towel and drying it with her wand. `You two still owe me a dare for me having won the bet when those boys would get detention.`
Mary groaned. On their first day back they had made a bet on when the Gryffindor boys would get their first detention. Whereas Marlene had put her bet on the third day and Mary on the second Monday, Lily had placed her bet on their first Transfiguration class. Which, of course, had been the case.
They had been made to transform beetles into buttons and instead of transforming theirs, James and Sirius had started shooting them at the Slytherins. Secretly Mary had thought it was at least a little bit funny, however, Professor McGonagall hadn`t been able to see the fun in it and had given them detention.
Mary sauntered into the steam filled bathroom to make herself ready for a full day of classes, already in her school uniform, but the rest of her still undone. Carefully she started wiping the mirror clean and peered at her reflection smiling back at her. Slowly she began raking her long-toothed comb through her hair, refreshing and teasing her curls.
When she leaned in closer to apply some mascara to her lashes, Mary suddenly gasped.
`What`s wrong?` Lily called back out of their dorm room, sounding concerned.
`Why did neither one of you tell me I`ve got a massive zit on my forehead!` Mary cried, feeling utterly appalled and betrayed by her friends.
Lily came running into the bathroom, already a book in her hand. `Where?` she asked, peering at Mary, brow furrowed.
`Here!` Mary pointed a trembling finger at her forehead. `It`s the size of Britain.`
Lily squinted at Mary`s forehead. `Oh, yeah now I see it.`
`This is horrible!` Mary cried and sank down on the bathroom tiles. `I can`t go to class like this.`
`Mary!` Lily gasped. `It`s only a pimple!`
`I look horrible.` Mary hid her head in her hands, feeling like the world might just come crashing down on her. There were enough things about her that people teased her about, this needn`t be another one. Besides, what if Sirius would see her in this state.
`You don`t look horrible.` Lily responded, sounding exasperated.
`But what if Sirius sees me like this?` Mary wailed. There was hardly anything worse she could imagined having happened to her at that moment.
`There is a chance. I mean he is in our class.`
`Lily! Not helping!`
`Mary seriously. That boy is way too busy paying attention to himself to even notice you.` Lily replied, rubbing her own forehead.
`You mean he doesn`t notice me!?` Mary yelped. She knew it had been a silly idea to pick the handsomest boy in her year to fancy. He would never notice her.
`No,` Lily groaned. `That is not-` she faltered and crouched down to Mary`s level. `Look,` she said, taking Mary`s hands. `You are the most beautiful girl in our year. And everyone who`d say something else is just plain ridiculous.`
Mary wiped her nose with her hand and looked up at Lily, teary eyed. Did Lily really think she was the most beautiful girl in her year? Was she considered beautiful at Hogwarts?
`All I`m saying is that Black is too vain for his own good. Nobody will notice that pimple on your forehead, trust me.` Lily continued softly.
`You really think so?` Mary asked.
`I really do.`
Then, there was a crash out of the dorm room followed by a yelp and another crash.
`Mary!` Marlene hollered. `Cat is in my bedcurtains again!`
Quickly Mary sprang up from the bathroom tiles and sprinted into their bedroom to see her black and white spotted kitten hanging in the red velvet drapes. It had grown quite a lot over the last couple of weeks and seemed to have more energy than ever. She still hadn`t given it a proper name, hence the three girls just kept calling it cat. The odds were very likely that it would just end up being dubbed cat.
With some help from Lily, Mary was able to gingerly peel the tiny claws out of the thick fabric and set her cat down on their rug, stroking its fur as it started circling around her legs.
Straightening her back, Mary picked her bookbag from her bed and took a deep breath before following Marlene and Lily down to attend their first lesson of the day. She wouldn`t let one measly setback get in her way.
***
Friday October 6th 1972
Lily had been concocting a plan. A devious plan. Also a little bit of a petty plan, but she really could care less if she was being a little bit petty. After all, Severus had also been petty and annoyingly so at that.
Last week, Severus had been showing off his Potion abilities. Bragging about them like he was better than everybody else, it had irked her immensely. So, during Slug club, she had been tinkering with making something with which she could ruin Severus` potion with a wandering of her hand. However, the next day, he had come to her with the news that his mother had sent him a letter writing him that she was seriously considering leaving his dad. He had been incredibly upset about it. After that, Lily had felt too sorry for her friend to punish him for showing off and decided not to use what she had made.
Yet, she had shoved the little grey pills in her robe pocket before Potions that day. Better save then sorry, is what her mother always told her.
They would start brewing pleasant dream potions. It was a potion that the students would need to check up on in the evenings. Part of their grade would be based on whether or not they were persistent and attentive.
The classroom erupted in a flurry of chatter as everybody hastily tried to find a partner. Lily already saw Severus seek her eye and she tried to duck behind a burly Hufflepuff in the hope he wouldn`t see her. She was really not looking forward to having to work with Severus in Potions again, she`d rather be paired up with Marlene or Mary and she tried to look for them in the commotion.
At that moment, Professor Slughorn boomed, `No, no, I`ve learnt my lesson. You may not choose the same partners you had last year.` Lily exhaled relieved, but saw Severus` face fall.
`In fact,` the Potions master went on. `I think I shall assign the partners.`
Lily watched as Marlene and Mary were pulled apart, as well as the second year Gryffindor boys. Lily would be fine to be paired with either of them, as long as she would be allowed to take the lead.
`I want Sirius!` Mary squealed and she and Marlene dissolved into a fit of giggles. Lily groaned inwardly, over the last couple of weeks Mary had been able to develop a complete obsession with the boy and it was the only thing she talked about. Sirius` hair this, Sirius` grin that.
Professor Slughorn paired Lily with Remus. A knot formed in her stomach as she looked for him across the classroom and saw the look of dislike on his face. He surely must remember how she had been mean about Potter and Black last year. It was rather evident to Lily now that it wasn`t only those two, but that Remus, as well as Peter, was just as much a part of the pranks. She felt rather guilty for having acted the way she had.
`Hi Remus, are you feeling better?` she asked, gingerly, trying to break the ice. Remus had been ill again, he seemed to be ill a lot.
Remus only grunted and shrugged his shoulders. Oh, this would be a great collaboration, Lily thought.
Suddenly she heard Severus hiss something at her from behind her back, `Better keep well back, Lily. Loony Lupin might be contagious.` She looked around to see him glaring at them from the desk that he was sharing with another Slytherin second year.
`Shut it, Snivellus.` Remus muttered.
`Yes, please be quiet, Sev.` Lily said pointedly to her friend. She didn`t understand why Severus was already picking on Remus. It was annoying the way he kept having an unexplained aversion for certain people. Even if it was a mutual aversion.
`Only trying to help. We don`t want anyone else coming down with Lupin`s mysterious ailment, do we?` Severus drawled. `Let me know if you need anything, Lily.`
Lily felt the urge to roll her eyes at him. `Remus and I are quite capable of completing the assignment ourselves, thank you.` she spat at him before flicking her hair over her shoulder and slamming her textbook open.
Remus looked at her with big eyes. His hair was once again shaven close to his scalp and Lily wondered if they did that to him at the children’s home, or if it was a look he choose himself.
`We need eight rats tails, finely diced. Do you want to do that, or shall I?` she asked primly.
`Erm, I`ll do it.` Remus muttered.
`Good.` Lily replied satisfied, now they were getting somewhere. `I`ll shall start weighing the rosemary leaves, then.`
The two of them grew silent, weighing and measuring off ingredients. Only the cutting of the knife audible above the bubbling of their cauldron. Behind their back, Lily heard the low hissing murmur of Severus and his partner.
`Of course Loony Lupin is quite apt. Because he is really utterly mad – I`ve seen him, wandering around the castle on his own, lurking in dark corners. You may recall he actually attacked me last year. He`s clearly dangerous. I don`t know why Dumbledore allows it.` Severus whispered to the girl he was working with.
`Say one more word.` Remus growled. Lily could see this taking a dark turn and she quickly pulled on his sleeve.
`Just ignore him. He`s having a bad time at home and blames it on everyone, that`s all.` she whispered to him. She knew it was just an explanation, not an excuse.
`Fine.` Remus replied.
After a while, they had prepared all their ingredients and the potion was simmering quietly on a low flame. In the process, Remus seemed to have actually warmed to Lily quite a bit and he appeared to relax in her presence. He even offered to stir the potion and rolled up his sleeves to do so. Lily heart dropped to her stomach when she saw Remus` arms.
Precisely at that moment Severus decided to rear his head again. `Eurgh! Look at him! What sort of disease does that.` Severus said, sounding disgusted. Quickly Remus jerked down his sleaves again and looked at the floor.
`Shut up, Severus!` Lily barked at him, anger boiling in her veins. She had seen scars like those on Petunia. Though her sister had tried to hide them, she knew they were there and she knew they weren`t something to be bloody laughed about.
`Lily, just look!`
`Mind your own business.`
Lily wanted to punch Severus, luckily she didn`t need to, since she felt the secure weight of her back-up plan in her pocket. James started to interfere in the conundrum, taking a jab at Severus, but Lily told him to stay out of it, she could deal with this one herself.
`I`m sorry Remus,` she said quietly. `He`s such a…oh, I don`t know!` Then she pulled the tempered with beetle husks out of her pocket. `Look, I`ve got these.`
`What?` Remus asked absentmindedly and sounding disinterested.
`He was annoying me last week, showing off how good he is at potions…I know it`s petty of me, but I wanted to teach him a lesson, so I made these. Then he had this thing with his mum and I felt sorry for him, so I didn`t use them. But now…` Lily was stalling, mostly because she felt a bit embarrassed to share this with Remus.
`Evans,` Remus sighed, obviously wanting her to get to the point. `What are they?`
Lily grinned shyly, `Just something I`ve been playing around with in Slug club. They’ll react with his potion. It`ll be really good.` She felt the familiar fizzy feeling of excitement bubble up in her stomach.
Remus grinned, his smile ripening like his face might just burst open from glee.
`But you`re such a…` Remus faltered, gesturing vaguely in the air with his hands.
`Teachers pet? Swot? Goody-goody?` Lily grinned and cocked an amused eyebrow. `Some of us know how not to get caught, Mr Marauder.` The boys from the Gryffindor tower had started calling themselves marauders, Lily did applaud them for their dramatic flair.
Up until now, she, Mary and Marlene had been really careful not to get caught, something they prided themselves immensely on.
Remus shook his head in amazement.
`Here.` she thrust the small grey pills into Remus` hands. `You do it. Toss them in when he`s not looking.` Lily quickly looked around, trying to come up with a distraction. `Oi, Potter!` she shouted across the classroom. That would do the trick.
James` head shot up, his glasses comically fogged up by the steam coming off his potion, `Huh?`
`Oh, nothing.` Lily cooed, twirling a strand of curls around her finger. James stared at her in confusing, as well as Severus, who was now paying avid attention to both Lily and James.
Evidently, Remus had been able to toss the pills into Severus` cauldron, as she heard the tell-tale sizzling begin and she yanked Remus back by his sleeve so they would be out of range from the exploding cauldron.
A billowing cloud of purple foam gushed over the brim of Severus` cauldron, covering him, as well as his partner, in the vile muck. The classroom burst out in peels of laughter and Lily tried to keep her face as innocent as possible, Remus grinning widely at her.
`Oh dear!` their Potions master quickly ran over to the exploding cauldron. `A bit overeager with the beetle husks, eh Severus?` he laughed jovially.
`It wasn`t me! He did something!` Severus pointed an angry finger at Remus, steam practically coming out of his ears. `He must have!`
Momentarily Lily was scared Remus would get the blame of their petty prank and she made herself ready to take the blame.
`Did you see Mr Lupin tamper with your potion?` Slughorn asked.
`No, but…`
`Come now boy. We all make mistakes – even you!` he clapped Severus on his back, making his knees buckle.
Severus turned even whiter than usual and his face contorted into a pained grimace. Lily bit the inside of her cheeks to stop herself from laughing. Slyly she looked sideways at Remus and the boy smirked back at her. Mission accomplished.
Lily liked to think that that Potions lesson was the moment she became friends with Remus Lupin.
///