Summer of 1976
July 1976 Cornwall
The Cornish pasties were still warm to the touch, freshly out of the oven, the grease leaking through the thin paper bag onto her hands. Lily pocketed the spare change, the coins jangling merrily against eachother.
`Enjoy them, love.` The portly woman behind the counter smiled at her.
`Have a good day.` Lily replied politely as she sauntered out of the little camping shop. It was a small wooden hut with white and blue awnings, a large faux ice-cream situated at the entrance. A couple of plastic tables and chairs stood out in front, some seagulls scurrying underneath them, picking at an abandoned packet of crisps.
A man with a straw hat and a giant beard sat reading the newspaper in the lee of his tent; he nodded at Lily as she passed by, tipping his head ever so slightly. Some kids ran by, dragging a broken kite behind them over the gravel pathway; Lily had to jump aside as to avoid colliding with them.
In the distance the grey concrete coloured sea stretched out endlessly, the low waves topped with white ebbing foam. The campsite itself was a little higher up the shore; perched on a stretch of neatly managed grass.
It was still early morning; everyone was slowly emerging out of their respective tents and caravans. There was a serene atmosphere, nothing felt rushed. As she neared their own caravan, Lily spotted Petunia splayed out a towel next to their little tent; only wearing a pair of shorts and a crochet bikini top; both hands resting on her bare midriff. Their parents were busy trying to find a spot that wasn`t on a slope so they could sit at their portable table without rolling down the hill.
`Aren`t you cold?` Lily frowned as she sat down in a foldout chair, looking at the goosebumps on her sister`s arms. Even though the sun was shining, it was still relatively chilly with the strong wind coming in from the sea.
`Mind your own business.` Petunia grumbled and turned her head the other way, eyes still closed.
`I brought breakfast.` Lily offered. `Pasties. They`re still warm.`
`You can keep them.`
Lily sighed. `Tunie, can we at least talk? I hate that you won`t even talk to me.`
`Don`t call me that.`
`Fine, I won`t call you that.` Lily replied, feeling hurt.
Ostensibly, their parents had found a spot where they wouldn`t fall over with table and all. Their father was trying to get their attention, waving his hands frantically.
`Just a sec!` Lily called out as she rose from her chair, looking down at her sister, expectantly.
`You can wait all you want,` Petunia sighed. `But you can`t force me to join you. It`s bad enough that I have to sleep in the same tent.`
Lily bit the inside of her cheeks. `Then why did you even come? If you hate it all so much.`
`They didn`t give me much of a choice.` Petunia said, sitting up, stretching her pale legs. `It was this, or I could forget about going to London next year.`
`Well, you can at least try to make it fun. You`re being horrible immature.` Lily snipped back and marched away, the bag with pasties clutched in her hand.
*
`I think I need a quick breather.` Their dad sat down a big bolder on the side of the road, wiping his forehead with his hand, the remnants of sunblock still on his nose.
Their mother fanned him with her roadmap. `You girls run on ahead,` she said.
Lily looked hesitantly at Petunia. Her sister rolled her eyes and set in motion, her sandals slapping against the pavement.
They were hiking towards the nearest costal town in search of souvenirs. It was surprisingly hot for England; Lily had taken off her cardigan and secured it around her waist. Not too far ahead, they could already see the outlines of the town forming; white bricked houses with colorful shutters hanging precariously over the edge of the bay, a neat line of cars parked on the curb.
As they entered the marina, they sat down on a bench, overlooking the bay. Down at the docks, a couple of boats were tied down, bobbing gently in the shallow water. A group of boys sitting on the other side of the bay whistled at them. Petunia smirked and waved, straightening up.
`Don`t do that.` Lily pulled her sister`s arm down. `What if they come talk to us?`
`Oh, don`t be such a nun, Lily. You were the one that told me to have some fun.`
`I`m not a nun,` Lily bit back. `As a matter of fact,` she added. `I had my first kiss a couple of months ago.` She didn`t know why she felt the need to tell this.
`Don`t tell me it was with that creepy freak friend.` Petunia looked disgusted, scrunching up her pointy nose.
`No,` Lily yelped affronted. `Not with Severus!` She bit the inside her cheek. `If you must know…I`m not…erm…exactly talking to him anymore.`
`Oh?` Petunia raised her thin eyebrows, looking slightly intrigued.
`Don`t think I ever will.` Lily looked down at her hands. `Don`t think we`re even friends anymore.`
`Hm, interesting.`
Lily glanced at her sister. Petunia had a satisfied smirk on her face. `Oh, don`t look so smug!`
`I don`t. I`m not.` The corner of Petunia`s mouth twitched. `Honest to God.` She held up her hands.
They both looked out over the bay. Down, on the narrow strip of pebble beach, a small family was reposing; the kid throwing rocks at a seagull.
`So,` Petunia entertained the silence. `Tell me about it?`
`You really want to know?`
`Of course I want to know,` Petunia replied shyly. `I`m still your sister. `
Lily blinked and swallowed; reveling in this small moment of rapprochement. She scratched her temple. `It was an older boy; seventh year. I hadn`t even meant for it to happen it…just did. Didn`t even fancied him.` She wasn`t going to tell Petunia that she had been pissed.
`And?`
`And…what?`
`How was it?` Petunia pressed.
`It was…fine.`
`Fine?` Petunia cocked an eyebrow. `Tell me the truth.`
Lily sighed, putting her hands over her face. `Alright, it was horrible. It was horrendous. Happy now?`
`Horrendous?`
`Horrendous.`
Petunia snorted and smiled in a way that Lily hadn`t seen her smile in ages.
`Don`t laugh!` Lily yelped. `It was my first kiss, and- and- I blew it!`
`Oh,` Petunia squeezed her hand. `There`ll be plenty of good ones. Bad ones too.`
*
Thursday August 12th 1976
`I am going to throw up.` Lily paced back and forth in the living room, holding the envelope at arm’s length.
`Love, calm down,` her mother said gently. `I`m sure you`ve done extremely well. And we`ll be proud of you either way.`
That morning, an owl had arrived, carrying the letter containing her exam results. Lily hadn`t yet dared to open it. Her parents had still been in bed. Now, they were all gathered downstairs; her mother`s hair still in curlers; Petunia with a sour expression on her face.
`Can`t you do it?` She held the letter out to her father.
`I won`t know what any of it means, though.` he replied. `Best if you just get it over with.`
`Just open it already.` Petunia snarled from the edge of the couch.
`Alright, alright,` Lily jumped up and down a couple of times. `I can do it.` In one swift motion she tore the envelope and snatched the letter out of it.
Feverishly her eyes skittered across the paper. A breath of relieve escaped her; almost all Outstanding marks, except for one Exceeds expectations in Divination.
`I did it,` Lily smiled. `I got them all!`
`We knew you could do it.` Her parents both hugged her; Petunia watched on silently, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
After the celebration had died down, Lily started to look at her supply list for the year. To her surprise, there was a small note at the bottom of her letter, written in Professor McGonagall`s neat cursive.
Lily closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Obviously, she`d known someone had to replace Remus now he no longer wanted to be a prefect, though, she`d never anticipated this. Two words: James Potter. Lovely.
***
Early August 1976
`Y`know how I feel about this, right?`
`I know.` Mary shuffled her feet on the concrete, fingering her hoop earrings. Her bags were perched against the wall of the building.
`It`s just that you don`t know any of these people.`
`I know Sirius, and James.`
`Well, I don`t know them, and you don`t know the people they live with.` Her mother crossed her arms, pulling her wrap closer.
`They`re good people.` Mary replied, though, she`d never actually met James` parents.
`Alright.` her mother kissed her teeth, glancing over her shoulder. `I`ll leave you to it, before I change my mind.`
`Thank you mudda.` Mary hugged her tightly, smelling the slight coconutty scent of the lotion she used.
Mary could hear one of her younger brothers holler something from in the stairwell, his shrill voice reverberating against the walls. Her mother disappeared through the door into their flat, her hips swaying as she gathered speed. It had taken endless hours of coaxing and convincing her parents that it was completely safe and normal to visit her boyfriend over the summer, before they`d agreed to let her go. Mary did understand their concern.
Gingerly, she felt for her wand in her pocket, took it out, looked side to side to see if the street was truly deserted, and stuck it up into the air. Nothing happened for a couple of seconds; Mary felt incredibly silly. Sirius had written to her that this was the proper way to do it, though, she didn`t really see how this would work. Impatiently, she tapped her foot in the concrete. There wasn`t really any other way to get to the Potter`s if this failed.
Suddenly, with screeching tires, a large three tiered purple bus came to a halt right in front of her feet. Not able to help it, Mary let out a surprised yelp as she was knocked back onto the sidewalk, her hands catching her in her fall. Right, it had worked.
Before she`d even been able to recover from the shock, a beanstalk of a man started handling her bags, carrying them into the bus. Hastily, Mary sprang to her feet and clambered inside behind him. She told the greying man sitting behind the wheel where to take her; giving him eleven sickles for the fare. The bus had already set into motion again, throwing her around precariously as she hurried behind her luggage.
The Knight Bus was by far the strangest bus she`d ever been in. There were beds for seats with wizards and witches occupying them; either asleep or awake, gawking at her. Mary tried to make herself as small as possible, hoping not to attract too much attention.
She`d hoped that she would`ve been able to take in some of the scenery during the journey, but the bus drove at such an astonishing speed that the landscape looked like one vague smear. The stops were just as rushed. Not even half an hour later, the bus driver announced her stop. Before she knew it, she was standing outside again, her bags at her feet, the Potter home towering over her.
*
`And…this is my room.` Sirius concluded, finishing his tour of probably the largest house Mary had ever seen in real life; if she didn`t count Hogwarts. `This is where the magic happens.` He flung the door open with an elegant flourish.
`Where the magic happens.` Mary nodded smiling, stepping over the threshold, looking at the walls that were plastered in quidditch and David Bowie posters, Gryffindor memorabilia everywhere. There was even a canopy bed with red velvet drapes sitting in the middle of the room; not unlike the ones they had at Hogwarts.
She was glad that they had decided upon meeting here, instead of Packham. It would`ve completely paled in comparison to this titanic fixture of a house. The neighborhood was less than ideal; her flat small and crammed, always a screaming toddler within hearing distance. She`d have been embarrassed to show it to Sirius, who ostensibly had only ever lived in mansions and castles, or something at least akin to it.
`I`ll show you to the guestroom - where you`ll be sleeping.` Sirius said, already in the doorway again. `You`ll probably want to freshen up after that bus ride.`
`The guestroom?` Mary cocked an amused eyebrow. She hadn`t come here to sleep in the guestroom.
`Hey,` Sirius held up his hands apologetically, smirking impishly. `It wasn`t my idea.`
`I`m only teasing.` Mary kissed him softly on his cheek. `I`ve never had a room of my own before.`
`You haven`t?`
She instantly regretted saying so.
*
Fleamont and Euphemia Potter were as nice as people could be, that much was clear. They treated Sirius no different from James, as if he was their own son. They welcomed Mary into their home with wide open arms. Initially, Mary had dreaded having to interact with James` parents, but it turned out that Mrs. Potter was more than happy to finally have another girl around the house, and Mr. Potter seemed genuinely interested in her life in London. Aside from mealtimes, Mary rarely saw them; it was said that they were working hard on the war effort.
It was a warm summer and the Potters had a huge garden, with an even bigger green lawn that seemed to stretch on forever. James, Sirius, and Peter, who apparently lived just down the street, were flying on their brooms between the goalposts. They were bantering with eachother, laughing loudly; Mary didn`t think she`d ever seen Sirius looking this relaxed.
`There you go, dear.`
Mrs. Potter sat down next to her, levitating a tray with a pitcher of squash, a couple of glasses, and a tray of biscuits down onto the table.
`Thank you, Mrs. Potter.` Mary smiled, putting down her magazine and adjusting her sunglasses.
As if they`d been able to smell it, the tree boys descended from the air and came pelting their way.
`Cheers, mum.` James kissed his mother on her cheek, before grabbing a handful of biscuits. Another thing: James absolutely adored is parents.
`Leave some for me!` Peter yelped, as he scrambled behind the other two, his face red and sweaty.
`Easy, Wormy.` Sirius clapped him on his back. `There`s enough for all of us.` Then, addressing her, `Hello, gorgeous.`
`Hello.` Mary looked up at him, smiling broadly.
*
`That was…`
`Weird.`
`Yes, so weird, right?`
Mary giggled and flipped to her side, clutching the bedsheets around her, one hand nestled underneath the pillow. Sirius did the same, turning to face her, his dark hair splayed over the pillow like a fan.
`I`m sorry for kneeing you in the face accidentally.` Mary whispered softly, feeling her face flush in embarrassment.
Sirius grinned and pushed a curl away from her forehead, making a home for his lips on her temple. `It`ll form a nice bruise.`
They kept gazing at eachother, their breathing slowly returning to normal, the soft light of the full moon peeking in and illuminating the smooth skin of Sirius` bare shoulder. It felt so incredibly intimate, oddly enough more so than what they`d done moments before. For the first time Mary knew for certain. A warmth radiated all throughout her chest.
`Hey, Sirius I think I…` she began, but Sirius cut her off as if he hadn`t heard her.
`Do you mind if we go to sleep?` he said. `I`m rather tired.`
`Oh, yeah, sure…` Mary blinked, confused.
`You don`t have to go back to your own room.` Sirius said, already turning the other way, his outline stark in the silver light. `You can sleep here, if you want.`
*
Wednesday August 11th 1976
The next morning, Mary woke up alone in the large fourposter bed. It took her a moment to properly realise where she was. She blinked against the harsh light beating in through a gap in the curtains; there was still an imprint of Sirius` body on the opposite side of the matrass, the pillow ruffled.
There was a lot of noise coming from downstairs: raised voices, slamming doors, scurrying feet, clattering cutlery. Alarmed, Mary jumped out of bed and began gathering her clothes, hastily pulling them on. She quickly checked herself in the mirror; could be worse.
On stockinged feet she crept down the stairs, her hand sliding against the wall, her ears pricked up.
`You need to find him!` Sirius` yelled on the other side of the kitchen door. `And if you won`t I will! You know he has nothing to do with this.`
`No, we don`t know. We can`t make any rash decisions, boy,` a gruff voice Mary didn`t recognise answered.
`Alastor is right, Mr. Black.`
With feverishly beating heart, Mary opened the kitchen door and gingerly stepped over the threshold. Her eyes widened at the sight of the group of people gathered in the kitchen. Her eyes skittered between them: Sirius, the Potters, Professor Dumbledore – of all people – and a terrifying man with an eyepatch.
`Who are you?` The man raised his wand. The eye that wasn`t covered by the patch was bright blue and wiggled around in its socket, practically piercing her.
Mary puffed out her chest boldly, feeling utterly terrified. `Who are you?`
`It`s alright, Alastor.` Mrs Potter shushed him.
Before someone could explain anything, Sirius put a hand on Mary`s lower back and guided her out of the kitchen, firmly.
`Are you going to tell me what is going on?!` Mary yelped, pushing his hand away as soon as they were in the hallway.
`There`ve been attacks.` Sirius didn`t look at her, though, his face was strung with panic. `Multiple.`
`But I heard you talking about someone being missing?`
Sirius swallowed, swaying back and forth, unable to stand still. `I can`t- I can`t tell you.`
`Why can`t you tell me?!` Mary frowned, perching her hands on her hips. `I`m freaking out here.`
`Look, Mary,` Sirius rubbed his forehead. `It`s better if you go home.`
`But-` Mary opened her mouth to retaliate.
`You`ll be safer there.` Sirius pressed, already guiding her up the stairs.
Not even ten minutes later, her bags were packed and she was sat on the Knight Bus, back to London. As the bus hobbled through country sides and cities, Mary leaned her head against the window, fighting back the tears that were welling up. Her hands and clothes still smelled like the shampoo Sirius used. He`d promised to meet her in Diagon Alley on her birthday in a couple of days, so really she shouldn`t complain.
`You`re home?` her mother said stunned as Mary opened the door to their flat.
Mary`s lower lip began to tremble and she dropped her bags to the floor, feeling her whole body start to shake. There was no word to describe how incredibly wasted she felt.
`Oh, lamb.` Her mother rushed towards her, catching her before the tears began to fall.
***
Wednesday August 11th 1976
The sound of glass shattering against the wall rudely jerked Marlene out of her sleep. She jerked upright, trying to grasp at the last edges of the dream she`d been in, but it was already lost to the screaming voices downstairs.
It was still dark outside; the remainders of a full moon lingering in the sky, the soft hues of orange and pink already making a shy appearance. There was an eager wind coming in from the sea, making the shutters groan in their hinges. Marlene rubbed her eyes and pulled herself further seated, letting the duvet slide off of her. Someone slammed a cabinet in the kitchen, the sound of it making all her muscles clench.
Soundlessly she slipped out of bed, placing her bare feet on the cold wooden floor. The door screeched as she opened it, spilling a clean strip of light onto the landing.
`I wouldn`t go downstairs if I was yerself.` Danny was sitting on the top step of the stairs, his elbows propped up on his knees, fully clothed.
Marlene sat down next to him, still in her pyjama’s. `Didn`t know you were home.`
`Just got in.`
`Och.`
The silence grew thick and heavy between them, splitting the shadows of the stairwell. The shouting voices of their mother and stepfather in the kitchen continued, still Marlene couldn`t decipher a word of what was being said; someone had probably preformed a silencing charm on the door.
Danny kept fidgeting with his wand, turning and twisting it in his hands. `We`re losing, lass,` he said suddenly. `We`re losing this bleeding war.`
Marlene shook her head, grimacing. `Don`t say that.`
`We are, though.` Danny gripped his wand tightly.
Marlene swallowed, nervously ripping at her nails. `It can`t. We won`t let it happen.`
`It`s not as fecking easy as that.`
`I know that.`
`There`s people missing,` Danny shook his head. `From our side. We don`t know where they are…we don`t…we don`t even know if they`re still alive. We don`t even really know who we`re fighting.`
`How can we not know who we`re fighting?`
`That`s the whole sodding mess of it all.` Danny let out a humorless laugh, sucked his teeth, and paused for a breath or two. `There`s been an attack, again.`
`What?` Marlene felt her heart skip a couple of beats, feeling as if she was falling right through the stairs.
`Only a couple of hours ago; a family - muggle-born parents.`
`Are they…?`
`Dead? Aye.`
*
Thursday August 12th 1976
Secretively, Marlene took the letter containing her OWL results up to her bedroom. She didn`t want anyone else there when she opened it. If they were rubbish, she could always tell her brother and parents that the letter just hadn`t arrived yet.
Her fingers trembled violently as she started to tear at the seal that held the envelope together. Halfway through, she paused and looked out her bedroom window. Down in the garden, she could see her mother digging into the soil with a spade, a handkerchief tied around her neatly bound up hair, long robes billowing in the wind. There would be no way to live down the disappointment if she`d ruined her exams.
Mary`s cat snaked around her legs, brushing its soft fur against her bare calves. Marlene had taken it upon her to take care of the cat for the time being, seeing as Mary`s London flat was unfit to house a pet. The company of the animal was certainly not unwelcome, though, Marlene absolutely refused to call it by its name, which reflected Mary`s current boyfriend.
Deciding not to let herself be in agonizing anticipation any longer, Marlene ripped the letter out of the envelope and let her eyes glide over the parchment, reading her results. The sight of seeing that she`d passed all her necessary classes almost made her weep; she had to sit down on her bed, legs trembling. Some courses she`d passed by the skin of her teeth, but, she`d passed them.
Hollyhock was oddly quiet as she crossed it on her way outside; neither Danny, nor her stepfather seemed to be anywhere near. When she stepped foot into the garden, she noticed her mother sitting crouched on the ground, gazing at a spot in the distance.
`Mammy?` she asked, going to stand beside her.
`Och, I didnea hear ye coming.` her mother rose and patted the dirt of her knees. They were almost the same height now.
`Are you alright?` Marlene asked hesitantly.
`Just a wee bit tired.` Her mother shook her head and readjusted her scarf, there was a yellowing bruise on her wrist. `Nothing to worry about.`
`I…erm,` Marlene hesitated and took the letter out of the pocket of her cut-off jeans. `My…erm…my OWL results came in.` She unfolded the parchment and handed it shakily to her mother. `I know it`s not…I mean, I know they`re not the best. But, I passed. Got all the OWLs I needed.`
Her heart was beating fiercely as she anxiously watched her mother`s face, searching for disappointment, or disapproval. They weren`t the grades that Danny had gotten.
`I understand if you`re disappointed, mammy.` Marlene said softly.
`Disappointed?` Her mother looked up, a frown knitted between her brows, adding to the worry lines. `Why would I be disappointed?`
`Because…` Marlene blinked, not sure how to answer. `Because…well they`re not the best. I could`ve done better.`
`I think yer doing better than you think ye are, Marlene.` Her mother reached out a hand, as if she wanted to caress her arm, but instead she straightened the collar of Marlene`s blouse.
*
Saturday August 14th 1976
Sitting at the edge of her bed, Marlene flipped through a stack of photographs from the previous summer: when Mary and Lily had visited her. It was odd to see how much they had all changed in such a short period of time.
This summer, none of her friends had come to visit. Lily had been in Cornwall with the caravan; she`d send her a postcard that now hung above her bed. Mary had visited Sirius at the Potters`, though, Marlene had heard nothing from her except one letter after she`d just arrived. Marlene`s summer had been a rather lonesome one. Her mother and Danny were often away on business for Dumbledore, or quidditch in Danny`s case, and it was anyone`s guess where her stepdad was spending his time.
Absentmindedly and taken by nostalgia, Marlene raked her fingers through her hair; the ends were starting to split. The sun had bleached it a shade lighter and dried it out completely. There was a pair of kitchen scissors laying on her bedside table that she`d used to cut some flowers from the garden earlier. She fingered it, picked it up, and without thinking cut a big chunk out of her hair. Then another one. That felt good. Only after the fourth cut did she realize what she was doing. Marlene yelped startled, dropping the scissors.
`Mammy,` she cried, darting down the stairs. `Mammy, I`m an eejit! I did something foolish. I didn`t think.`
`What`s going on?` her mother came running in from the garden, her face full of alarm. Her hand shot to her mouth as she noticed Marlene`s butchered hair. `Och!`
`Can you fix it?` Marlene cried, her hands trembling. `Please fix it. I wasn`t- I wasn`t thinking.`
Her mother let out an unexpected snort.
`It`s not funny. Stop laughing.` Marlene stomped her foot on the tiled floor of the kitchen. `I look…` She gestured distraught at her hair.
`Sit down.` Her mother pulled up a chair. `I`ll fix it.`
Half crying still, Marlene sat down, her shoulders heaving. Her mother muttered something and Marlene heard the swish of her wand around her head. She expected to feel her hair growing out again, tumbling over her back, though surprisingly, it felt as if someone had lifted a weight off of her shoulders.
`What…` Marlene blinked bewildered, her hand darting up to her head, only to feel chin-length hairs prickling her fingers. On the floor lay a carpet of fair blonde hairs. `You made it…shorter. I though you…` She turned around in the chair to face her mother.
Her mother, smiled, tucking her wand back into her robes.
`I thought you didn`t want me to have short hair?`
`Things change.`
///