The Note
"I don't think I can read."
Lily turned to Marlene with a frown, "I think you can read, I think you would just rather be tearing up the pages of the book and squashing them into little paper balls to then see how far across the library you can throw them."
Marlene stared at the pages of the charms textbook in front of her, resisting the urge to to exactly what Lily had said.
"Yeah", Marlene sighed, flopping her head onto the table, "But I still don't understand it anyway... You know you're so smart, Lily. And you can concentrate so well, and get all your work done days ahead of time and you really understand all the concepts and theories, especially in charms, and you'd be able to explain it all so well."
Lily glanced up from her own work, "Do you want me to help you?"
Marlene grinned, passing her textbook to Lily.
Lily skimmed through the page Marlene was already on, jotting down key points onto a piece of paper before turning the page and pausing, eyes stuck on the bottom right corner.
Marlene leaned over, "What's wrong?"
"Is this your textbook?"
"Course it is- what did I spill pumpkin juice on it again or something? I totally ruined my potions book last term and my parents made me buy another one with my pocket money but I had spent all my money on that new guitar like a day beforehand and so I stole Meadowes' book and she found out and pushed me in the lake. But I didn't really mind, other than the fact I had my defence homework in my pocket and it got totally soaked, because the water made my shirt see-through and Meadowes fucking blushed and ran away and it was like the best day ever."
Lily slowly looked up, "What are on about? No- look, someone's wrote something in it for you."
"Really?" Marlene snorted, climbing over the table to see.
Marlene read the small, scratchy writing.
You're the most irritating person I have ever met and I'm definitely in love with you
"Well, shit."
Lily smiled, clutching Lily's shoulders, "Someone likes you!"
"Yeah, well", Marlene huffed, sliding back into her seat, "Maybe I don't like them."
"I wonder who it is?" Lily hummed, glancing around the room in thought.
Marlene folded her arms, "I mean they called me irritating, what sort of love confession includes insults!"
"It's in your charms notebook so it'll be someone from our class", Lily ignored Marlene, "A Gryffindor or Slytherin in our year then."
"And- And they vandalised my property!" Marlene continued, ignoring Lily in turn.
Lily tapped the table in thought, "It's not one of the boys or Mary or Em, I know all of their handwriting. Which means it's got to be a Slytherin, excluding Severus it's not his handwriting either."
"And what do they even mean by 'definitely', you can't be definitely sure about anything! I mean I'm pretty sure I'm a witch named Marlene but you know what? I'm not definite. I could be wrong, I don't know!"
"I don't think it's a boy, I mean you're pretty out as a lesbian so they should know they don't have a chance, and you've never really talked to any of them for them to know that you're irritating or to be in love with you."
"And why can't they just say that to my face? I mean it's not that hard, you just open your mouth and talk, I do it constantly!"
"But it's the same with the slytherin girls really, you don't really talk to any of them. I mean other than-"
"Whoever this person is, they're probably such an arsehole-"
Lily and Marlene both glanced at each other, realisation clear on their faces.
"Dorcas Meadowes."