Third Year, Last Days of Term
Wednesday June 26th 1974
Revelling in the thought that after she`d leave this classroom, she wouldn`t have to attend another Transfiguration lesson for over two months, Mary jotted down her notes with a lot more vigour than usual. She put the last punctuation forcefully on the paper and sighed loudly, dropping her quill on the desk with a flamboyant swirl of her hand. Meanwhile, Lily looked at her in amusement and shook her head. Marlene wasn`t taking down any notes, instead she was staring out the window with an absentminded look in her eyes. Softly Mary nudged her in the ribs and Marlene jolted upright, blinking her eyes dazed. Their exam results would come out tomorrow evening and the anticipation and stress were almost tangible.
Mary thought she`d done well enough on her examination; enough to scrape by at least. She`d probably pass Transfiguration and Potions by the skin of her teeth, but about all the other ones she felt moderately satisfied. Either way, it wasn`t like she could do anything about them now. It was remarkably easy to let the exams glide off her as soon as they had passed; opposing to Lily and Marlene who were both anxiously awaiting their results.
The bell rang and Mary began hastily packing her bag, desperately wanting to get out of the castle; go down to the lake, get ice-cream and just lounge about for the rest of the afternoon. She was properly ready to go when she was rudely intercepted on her way to the classroom door.
`Miss Macdonald, may I have a word?` Professor McGonagall asked, looking pointedly over her glasses that were perched on her sharp nose.
`Erm…` Mary felt her spirits sink in disappointment at the news that she had to stay in this dingy classroom longer than anticipated. `Yes, of course, Professor.`
She shot a look at Lily and Marlene who were regarding her with deep furrows on their foreheads; Mary widened her eyes at them and gave an almost unnoticeable shrug.
`Miss Evans and Miss McKinnon can wait out in the hallway.` McGonagall said as she ushered both girls out of the classroom.
Mary was still clutching onto her bookbag with all her might in the hope that it wouldn`t take too long and she`d be out of there in a matter of minutes.
`Take a seat Miss Macdonald.`
The Professor conjured a chair up to her desk and gestured Mary to sit down; she herself took a seat behind her desk, folding her hands overtop eachother as she patiently waited for Mary to settle into place. Mary frowned, reluctantly dropped her bookbag to the ground and sat down, smoothing the folds out of her skirt.
A creeping anxiety that she had somehow really mucked up on her exams started to crawl up her spine, and she suddenly felt extremely sympathetic towards her fellow classmates who were already very familiar with this feeling.
`I suppose you are wondering why I asked to speak to you?` Professor McGonagall asked, peering intently at Mary.
Mary nodded, swallowing as she met the feline eyes that almost penetrated her. `Did I…did I fail my exams?` she asked.
`Oh, no,` McGonagall shook her head. `It`s nothing of the sort. I was actually pleasantly surprised by your efforts this year, Miss Macdonald - though, obviously I can`t disparage you with more information at the present moment.`
Exhaling relieved, Mary smoothed her skirt again. Although, she wasn`t exactly sure if she should be relieved. Failing an exams was something concrete, who knew what she was in for now.
`I`m sorry to say that I`ve had some complaints, Miss Macdonald.`
`Complaints?` Mary frowned, befuddled.
`Yes, complaints.` she replied gravely. `Complaints concerning your behaviour in class.`
`My behaviour?` Mary parroted back, not feeling any less confused. Professor McGonagall was surely keeping her in the dark for long. `But…I always – well almost always – turn in my assignments. And I didn`t fail my exams, as you just stated, Professor.`
`Multiple Professors have put in their report about you that you are, and I quote: A disruption in the classroom.` Professor McGonagall frowned and looked overtop the piece of parchment she`d been reading off.
Mary felt her stomach twist and she took a hold of a piece of loose skin on the inside of her top lip with her teeth. She knew this spiel all too well.
`It says that you refuse to be quiet when necessary and talk excessively. On top of that, it states that you give unsolicited critique to the teachers.` Professor McGonagall swallowed audibly.
It felt as though the ground underneath the chair was no longer solid and Mary was scared to move even an inch, afraid she might get sucked into the stone slabs.
`Now, Miss Macdonald, I personally don`t share these opinions, but when my colleagues give me back a report, I need to take it seriously.`
`Did others get a report like this?` Mary asked, looking up from her knees, which she had been staring at stonily. She hadn`t seen Professor McGonagall pull any other students aside.
`I`m afraid that is confidential.`
`Right, right.` Mary nodded. `But there are others, right? It isn`t just me?` she searched for McGonagall’s eyes; there was a sadness there in those catlike pupils.
`Miss Macdonald…`
`Ok.` Mary nodded pressing her lips together. `Who are the Professors?`
`I can`t…`
`You can`t disperse me with that information, it`s confidential, yada yada yada. Right.` Mary crossed her arms.
`Miss Macdonald, I don`t think you talking back to me is going to help your case.`
Angrily Mary bit her lip. `I`m sorry, Professor.`
`We just want to prevent you from getting a certain prejudice towards certain Professors.`
`Prejudice, huh?`
Professor McGonagall took her glasses off and put them next to her on the desk. Mary was surprised that her head of house wasn`t reprimanding her more. She certainly wasn`t on her best behaviour.
`Listen, Miss Macdonald.` she sighed. `I have been in this occupation for long enough to see injustice when it is happening. However, I have also been here long enough to know that I can`t do much about it.`
Mary scowled.
`I can`t do anything about it,` McGonagall repeated. `But what I can do is not punish you for it. That is the most I can do.`
`Right.` Mary sucked her teeth. There must be more that she could do about it. The problem was that she was probably too much of a coward to do so. This way the problem would remain with Mary.
`I think we`ve left your friends waiting for long enough.` Professor McGonagall scraped her throat and put her glasses back on her nose.
Quickly Mary arose from her chair and grappled for her discarded bookbag on the floor. Without saying anything else she left the classroom in a hurry, wanting to get out of the dejected atmosphere.
`Hey! Mary wait!` Lily called after her as Mary stalked past her and Marlene.
Marlene sprung up from the floor and Lily grabbed Mary`s elbow.
`What was that about?`
`What?`
`That with McGonagall?`
`Oh that, hmm nothing.` Mary dodged the question.
`It was obviously not nothing.` Lily frowned.
`It doesn`t matter Lil, honestly.` Mary sighed, wanting to leave the thing behind her.
They were hurrying along the deserted corridor, all of the other students probably out in the sun.
`Come on, tell us,` Lily pressed. `We could help.`
`There is nothing to be helped.` Mary bit back, more forcefully than intended. `You wouldn`t understand anyway.`
Lily looked hurt and clasped her mouth shut tightly.
`Then make us understand.` Marlene retorted, grabbing Mary`s elbow. `Obviously we won`t understand it if you won`t even talk to us. You`re clearly angry or upset.
`No, this is…look, I just don`t want to talk about this anymore.` Mary sighed, wrenching her elbow lose from Marlene.
`Aye, fine.`
`Cheer up, loves,` Mary conjured up a fake smile. `Almost summer holidays. Let`s not bring down the mood any further and instead enjoy this free time.`
`Yes, alright.` Lily replied reluctantly. `But you do now you can talk to us?`
`Yeah, yeah.` Mary swatted with her hand in the air. `Of course.`
Marlene and Lily exchanged a look and Mary pretended she didn`t see it.
They dropped their bookbags off in their dorm and went outside. The atmosphere was cheery, yet Mary couldn`t help but feel that insistent nagging pang of anger in the pit of her stomach. Oh, she did wish that she could talk to someone about this. However, Marlene and Lily would never understand this. They could try, they could understand it to an extent. But they could never properly comprehend the gravity of the situation.
***
Thursday June 27th 1974
The Gryffindor common room was a chaotic flurry of anxious students, impatiently awaiting the envelopes with their exams results. Marlene was sitting sideways in an overstuffed armchair near a window; the cool breeze from outside making the soft hairs on her arms stand erect, the skin of her forearms dotted with goosebumps. Mary was sitting on the floor, reading a copy of Witch Weekly, her head resting against Marlene`s hip; if only she knew what that slight touch was doing to Marlene.
`Who wants me to read their horoscope?` Mary asked.
`Now is not the time.` Lily said, feverishly stalking back and forth in front of them, repeatedly plaiting and unfurling her hair.
`Marls, you want me to do yours?`
`Nah, I`m alright.` Marlene shook her head. She really didn`t want to know what the future entailed for her; even if it was just some hocus out of a magazine.
`It`s like they do it on purpose.` Lily huffed. `Making us wait up for these bleeding results.`
`Lily, calm down.` Mary replied. `Take a seat.` She patted the floor in front of her and urged Lily to sit down, who did so reluctantly.
Mary started braiding Lily`s hair properly now, raking her long elegant fingers through Lily`s auburn curls. With admiration, Marlene watched how Mary`s fingers parted the hair and carefully knotted the strands together.
`Ladies.`
Sirius came to stand before them and made a bow, shirt untucked from his trousers and his tie bound around his head in a celebratory manner. Tomorrow would be their last they of term and everybody seemed to be in a particularly cheerful mood.
`Beauty parlour are we now?`
`Piss off, Black.` Lily replied, her eyes closed.
Out of nowhere James popped up next to Sirius, his tie also tied around his head, keeping his unruly mop of hair from his face.
`McKinnon, you joining in with the rest of the quidditch team for the party tomorrow?` James asked.
Gryffindor had won the quidditch cup again this year and it was customary to throw a banging party on the last day of term.
Marlene went to sit up straight, shrugging. `Don`t know yet.` She wasn`t all that sure if she would be in the mood for a party tomorrow. It heavily depended on the outcome of her results. If she`d fecked up her exams she wouldn`t really want to attend a party for a quidditch team she`d have to ditch.
`Can we come too?` Mary purred.
`Sure.` James shrugged. `Isn`t really up to me though. Need to ask the captain.`
`Oh, but we do really need the time to pack tomorrow.` Lily said, her eyes shooting open. `I haven`t even started yet.`
`Boring.` Sirius chimed and he and James skipped away to join Remus and Peter again.
Marlene wasn`t looking forward to having to pack her things tomorrow. When she thought about it, she wasn`t looking forward to the summer holidays at all. It could just as well be the last time she would be packing her belongings to go back home. After this summer it could quite possibly not be her home anymore.
She started biting her nails and was once again entranced by the way Mary carefully tucked the last strings of hair into the braid.
The portrait flung open and a prefect came bouncing in, a stack of envelope in his arms.
`They`re here!` Lily yelped and sprang up, Mary still holding onto the end of Lily`s braid, trying to get an elastic band around the little brushy end. `Ow!`
`Hold still.` Mary chided, holding Lily down by her braid. `There, all done. Run, now, run little lamb!` She patted Lily on her backside as she shooed her towards the prefect.
Marlene didn`t dare to stand up from her chair, her legs felt like they had been filled with lead and her heart was hammering violently in her throat. Logically she knew she couldn`t possibly change anything about the results anymore, still it felt like she could postpone the damnation a little longer if she just didn`t open that fecking letter.
Lily came prancing back, already ripping at the edge of her envelope as she tossed Mary and Marlene theirs.
`Come on, open it.` Lily urged.
`I don`t want to.` Marlene said, biting her nails.
`Here, I`ll do it.` Mary grabbed the envelope from Marlene`s hands and ripped it open in one swift moment.
`Och no, I can`t look.` Marlene clasped her hands over her eyes and tried to burry herself in the chair. `I`m rubbish. I`m rubbish. I`m sure I`ve failed.`
`I got first in Charms!` Lily cried triumphantly.
`Shut up, Lil.` Mary replied.
Marlene still had her hands covering her eyes and started chewing on a strand of hair. There was an awfully long silence and Marlene peeked through her fingers.
`You`re making me even more nervous!` she yelped. `Mary!`
Slowly Marlene removed her hands from her eyes and looked at Mary, who had a grave expression on her face and Marlene`s stomach sank. Alright, that was it, she`d had a good run on the quidditch team.
`Give me that.` she tried to jerk the envelope away from Mary, who wouldn`t let go.
`Marlene,` Mary sighed. `You absolute fraud!` she cried and started grinning. `You mad genius!`
`What?!` Marlene gasped, annoyed and curious.
Finally, Mary let go and Marlene let her eyes skitter across the page, scanning her results. Slowly her mouth fell open. Not only had she come top in Herbology, but she`d also came in third in Potions and second in Muggle Studies. Her eyes widened even more as she noticed that not one of her marks was below an `Exceeds Expectations`, accept for Divination, but her mammy didn`t really care about Divination anyway.
`Guess we`ll be spending even more time out in the cold next year.` Mary grinned and put an arm around Marlene, kissing the side of her head.
Marlene flushed red and sunk down deep in her chair, feeling relieved, suddenly all the tension leaving her body like someone had cut the marionet strings that had been holding her up.
`How`d you do, Mary?` Lily asked.
Mary smirked mysterious, `A lady never kisses and tells.`
`Oh, shut up,` Lily replied. `You so do.` She grabbed Mary`s results and started reading them.
Sirius was running around the common room, announcing to everyone who wanted to hear -and those who didn`t- his absurdly high marks in almost every subject. Not only was this extremely annoying and rather pretentious in Marlene`s opinion, but also highly unfair, seeing as the boy never seemed to lift as much as a finger when it came to school work. She couldn`t help but feel a wee bit bitter that she`d had to work so hard to get decent grades, while things were just handed to him. Remus sat quietly in a corner of the common room, a pleased expression on his face as he looked at the piece of parchment on his lap. Obviously he`d gotten got marks, he at least had the decency to keep them to himself and to not be a complete arse about it.
Meanwhile, Lily and Mary had gone on to discuss their marks; Lily grinning from ear to ear and Mary nodding patiently. Marlene sat next to them, slumped in her armchair, too tired to actually partake in the conversation, her friends` voices more of a soft hum in the background.
She blinked languidly, staring out the window. She had full view of the lake and the sky above it. The sun was slowly descending on the horizon, sinking behind the velvety green hills. Fervent shades of purple and orange streaked the air, small dark birds flocking in front of it, swooping down over the placid surface of the lake. When the swarm sheered over the mirror-like plane of the water it seemed as if there was another flock of birds underneath the water surface, echoing their movements.
***
Friday June 28th 1974
The long awaited day had come; the last day of term. Only a couple more hours and they truly would no longer be third years. The Hogwarts Express would depart early the next morning, heading for King`s Cross, carrying everybody back for a long and leisurely summer.
The Great Hall was already decked out in the colours of the house that had won the House Cup that year; ochre yellow banners ornately decorating the cloudy ceiling for Hufflepuff. They wouldn`t be acknowledging this victory until the feast.
Lily stirred some strawberries into her porridge, carefully ladling it into her bowl so it wouldn`t accidentally spill over the edge. They were off classes today, hence there was plenty of time to take things more slowly than she usually did. However, that was easier said than done. She was still having a hard time adjusting back from the rush she`d experienced during the revision period and the exams that had followed.
Marlene yawned loudly, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands. They`d been up late yesterday evening, listening to records to commemorate the pre-last day of term and to celebrate their grades. It was surprising that Lily didn`t feel more tired. She supposed she was still running high on adrenaline.
As she took a big sip of her coffee the post arrived and in a matter of seconds the Great Hall was filled with a flurry of screeching owls. Hers almost landed in her porridge and she was just in time to pull the bowl to the side.
Marlene`s family owl did land in a tureen of butter and the bird squawked indignantly as it shook its claw. Hastily, Marlene began to prise the letter loose from the bird, her face looking anxious. Lily`s own owl carried a letter from her parents telling her where they would await her once she`d arrived in London tomorrow evening, along with a copy of the Daily Prophet.
Mary hadn`t gotten any mail herself and was nosily trying to read along over Marlene`s shoulder, who turned away and tried to keep the letter as close to her chest as possible.
`What does it say?` Mary inquired.
`Gosh, Mary could you be any more nosy?` Lily chided and laughed. `Here, take the Prophet and leave Marls alone.`
Mary stuck out her tongue teasingly, but did accept the paper Lily shoved in her face.
Although Lily had reprimanded Mary for invading Marlene`s privacy, she couldn`t help but feel curious herself and watched slyly as Marlene`s eyes scanned across the letter.
`Mammy got my exam results.` Marlene took a sharp intake of breath and Mary dropped the paper just as quick as she`d taken it.
`And?`
Marlene exhaled. `And…she`s satisfied. Aye, I mean, she doesn`t praise me or anything. But the marks are decent enough for me to stay on the quidditch team.`
`Oooh, does this mean we`re going to the party tonight?` Mary cooed hanging onto Marlene. `I would love a party.`
`Mary,` Lily frowned. `I think that is hardly the most important thing here.`
`Right, right, I`m sorry,` Mary kissed Marlene`s cheek. `I`m proud of you, love. Here`s to more agonizing early mornings!`
Marlene seemed to startle and she grinned shyly. `Cheers.`
It took them almost the entire morning and afternoon to tidy up their dorm room. To state it lightly: it was an absolute mess. Over the year, Marlene had collected a truly impressive number of plants and was trying to move them from their respective spots without spilling soil all over the floor and rug.
In turn, Lily was trying to stash all her folders with notes and her books into her trunk, while simultaneously trying to leave enough space to bring home her other belongings. When she`d gotten everything in, she needed both Marlene and Mary to sit on it for it to close. She intended to look into engorgement charms the next term. She knew it was possible to enlarge the insides of an object without having it appear bigger from the outside. It would certainly come in useful for numerous occasions. Not only on her trunk, but probably also on her bookbag. It was a miracle she hadn`t given herself a hernia.
Next year would be the year before OWLs, so she was rather sure that the work would pile on even more. Metaphorically, as well as physically.
While their rooms would be cleaned for them by the house elves, they always took the effort to tidy up their dorm as much as they could themselves. Mary insisted on it; saying that it was their mess and hence their responsibility to clean it up. Luckily, by now they had learned a couple of cleaning spells, which made the whole ordeal a lot more manageable.
Exhausted they plonked down on their beds at the end of the afternoon. It was grey outside, the sun nowhere to be seen, but it was warm, and the humidity was pressing and stifling.
`Oh, I can`t wait to go home tomorrow.` Mary sighed as she sat up again.
Lily also sat up and wiped her damp curls from her face, smiling. `Me neither.`
`I know what I`m going to do this summer.` Mary wiggled her eyebrows meaningfully. `I`m going to sno-`
`La la la la.` Lily put her hands over her ears and buried her head underneath her pillow. `Don`t want to hear it!` She knew already far too much about the particulars of Mary`s snogging preferences.
Mary jumped on the bed and pulled the pillow off her, prying her hands from her ears. Lily wrestled herself free and hopped off the bed. It was only then that she saw that Marlene wasn`t looking as cheerful as the two of them. She had hugged her knees up to her chest and was gnawing at her nails, her eyes staring vacantly out in front.
`What`s wrong?` Lily asked, suddenly getting serious again.
Marlene blinked and shrugged. `Just not looking forward to going home.`
Lily nodded. That was understandable. She wouldn`t like it either if she knew it was possible that it could be the last time she would be returning to this home. That, and obviously her problems with her parents.
`I`m sorry Marls.` Lily went to sit next to Marlene on her bed.
`There`s nothing you can do about it. So no need to be sorry.` she shrugged.
Lily bit her lip and mulled an idea over in her head. `What if you two come stay with me for a while?`
`What?` Marlene took her head from her knees and looked surprised at Lily, there were tears glistening in her eyes.
`Yeah,` Mary joined in. `You two visited me over the summer last year. We could pull it off again.`
`You think your parents would be alright with that?` Marlene asked, brow furrowed.
`Oh, I`m sure.` Lily nodded, smiling. `They`d love to have you. And I`d love you to finally meet Tunie.`
`Aye, alright.` Marlene nodded, sniffing her nose and smiling. `I`d like that.`
`Maybe I could bring Darren!` Mary yelped excitedly.
`No!` Lily responded sternly. `No Darren. Just us girls.`
`Fine.` Mary crossed her arms defiantly. `Then also no Snivellus?`
Lily swallowed, that was something that she hadn`t thought about yet. It was rather certain that Severus wouldn`t like it at all if Mary and Marlene visited her over the summer. He had made it rather clear to her that he didn`t approve of them. `Of course.` she nodded.
The tail end of the afternoon was spend trying to cheer up Marlene. They trotted down to the quidditch pitch, all of them manned with brooms. Marlene zoomed about as Lily and Mary sheered closely over the muddy grass; Mary squealing as she did so. Lily actually wasn’t that bad of a flyer herself. In first year, when they`d still had flying lessons, she`d actually been able to give Potter a run for his money when it came to speed. Mary had always been rather squeamish when it came to flying.
After half an hour or so, Marlene challenged Lily to a race from one end of the pitch to the other. Mary was allowed to stand between them and wave a flag to set them off; the way people did in car races; she really seemed to get a kick out of it.
Obviously, Marlene won, but Lily didn`t feel bitter; seeing as Marlene was visibly more happy.
The feast at the end of the day was as extravagant as ever. Hufflepuff was loudly cheered on as they accepted the House Cup. There was an ever louder cheering as Gryffindor was celebrated for winning the quidditch cup. Marlene was grinning widely as she was to come up to the front of the hall and hold hands with the rest of her team, putting them up in the air as rightful victors. Lily and Mary were hollering at her without shame, shouting her name above everybody else.
Lily had wanted to wish Remus a good summer at the feast, but she was unable to find him among the other Gryffindors. However, this disappointment was soon forgotten, seeing as she was together with Mary and Marlene; her two favorite people in the world.
///