Crowded
The train was whistling in the background, telling everyone that it was leaving soon. Platform 9 3/4 was filled to the brim of students and parents saying goodbye before the students were to get on the train. Marlene McKinnon was one of those students, and she hated it.
"They said there'll be rain on the news. Do you have the jumper I got you?" Her mother, Melissa, said as she was fussing over her only daughter.
"I'll be fine, mum!" Marlene exclaimed, annoyed by her mother's fuss. "This is my sixth year, I know what I'm doing!"
Melissa sighed deeply as she looked her youngest in the eyes. They were the same as her own, blue. "Yeah, I know, I know. You're an independant woman! Just one hug and then I'll let you go." She said, opening her arms for her daughter.
Marlene couldn't help a little smile forming on her lips at that. Even though she found her annoying most of the time, she knew she'd miss her mother while she was gone. After letting go of probably the last hug that year Marlene grabbed her trunk and went off towards the train.
Once inside it was time to find her friends. Alice said she was going to keep a compartment for the four girls in the latest letter she had written Marlene. It was now Marlene's job to find it. The narrow corridor was heavily crowded, filled with eager students looking for a place to sit for the next nine hours. Mutliple people had slightly knocked into Marlene in one way or another already, and it had barely been minutes since she boarded. After a short while longer of looking, though, she finally found the awaited compartment.
She slid the door open and saw her best friends sitting there. It was her drom mates Lily Evans and Mary MacDonald, and Alice Fortescue, who was a year older than the others. Only odd thing was that they were not alone. With the girls sat the Gryffindor boys in their year, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black and James Potter. The compartment was cramped. Each compartment could contain six people in total, and they were now eight.
"Hiya bitches," Marlene said as she went inside, setting her bag on the shelf above their heads.
"Lanaguage, Marls," Lily said, grinning at her best friend, who she hadn't seen since June.
"Why are y'all here?" Marlene said, ignoring Lily and gesturing to the boys.
"We couldn't find an empty compartment, so we came here!" Sirius said enthusiastically, giving her the classic Black family grin.
Marlene nodded thrice before taking a seat next to Peter on the floor, leaning her back against Mary's legs.
"Erm, well, Remus and I should probbaly go now," Lily said, standing up and securing her prefects badge to her robe. Remus stood up as well and the pair went out of the compartment, leaving two empty seats for Peter and Marlene. Peter sat down next to Mary where Lily had just sat as Marlene sat down opposite him, next to Alice.
"Well then, how was your summers?" James asked, kicking the conversation to a start.
A few hours later Marlene was making her way through the narrow corridors of the train once more. This time she was on a mission to look for the Trolley Witch to purchase some sweets. Once she saw her, she hurried over to the plump, older witch.
"Can I get you anything, dear?" The witch asked, shooting Marlene a sweet smile.
"Yes, six chocolate frogs, two licqourice wands, three Bertie Bott's Ever Flavour beans and four pumpkin pasties." Marlene said, reading off the note she had brought. She payed for everything and made herself ready to leave, her arms full of sweets. Just then there was a sound coming from right behind her. It was Dorcas Meadowes from Slytherin, clearing her throat. Marlene turned around to face her, looking at her questionably.
"You don't seem like the kind of girl to eat that much," Dorcas said, rather smugly.
"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm getting for the entire group," Marlene snapped back. Dorcas nodded approvingly before ordering what she wanted from the Trolley Witch. Marlene walked off feeling confused. Why had Dorcas Meadowes, a fifth year Slytherin, talked to her? It wasn't even the usual sneer that most other Slytherins would shoot her. It was a chat. Meadowes had tried to chat with her! It felt weird, really weird.
Sure, Marlene wouldn't really mind talking to her. Why, she didn't know. She should mind talking to her. Dorcas Meadowes was a Slytherin, and Marlene McKinnon was a Gryffindor. Gryffindors didn't hang out with snakes, everyone knew that.
She was a bit distant as she walked back into her compartment, everyone noticed it. She wasn't loud, she didn't say anything inapropriate. She just quietly handed out the sweets and sat down again, deep in thought. James and Peter both looked at each other, both of them worried.
The two boys had been friends with Marlene since they were three. They all lived in the area and their parents had made them meet up one day at the Potters' house to play. It was a big hit, and they continued doing that until the three were old enough to meet up by themselves.
"Oi, Marls!" Mary exclaimed, waking Marlene up from her train of thought. "You alright?" Mary then added when Marlene looked at her.
Marlene nodded. "Yeh, I was just thinking." She responded truthfully. There was no point in lying to her friends.
"Did something happen out there?" James then asked, looking a little worried. Never had Marlene spent her time in deep thought before without something troubling her.
"Nothing that special, it was just a Slytherin who tried chatting with me," Marlene answered, still looking deep in thought. "And it wasn't that sneer-like thing they always do, but she was trying to be friendly!"
"That is odd..." Mary said, deep in thought.
"Who was it?" Alice asked.
"Dorcas Meadowes, from year five," Marlene said before looking up at Sirius. "The one that's friends with your brother."
"Anyone friends with my borther can't be good to hang out with," Sirius stated, taking a bite out of his chocolate frog.
"Pandora Rosier is pretty nice," Alice then said. "She's soft, and enjoys fixing others' hair."
Marlene leaned back against the wall, still deep in thought. Could it be that Meadowes was as good of a person as Pandora Rosier? Maybe she made a mistake in her first year about who to hang out with?
Once nightfall came it was finally time for the great welcome feast in the Great Hall. Every student always looked forwards to that point of the day. Delicious food and catching up with friends, what could be better? Marlene, however, barely ate. What had happened earlier was still taking up most of her brain, making her forget everything else. She was currently zoned out, unconciously staring at the Slytherin table where Dorcas was eating with her friends.
At the Slytherin table was tention beyond any other. It wasn't really visible from the other tables, but everyone at the table could sense it. Some had joined him, the Dark Lord, over the summer, and it was a type of tention no one dared explaining.
"I hope we'll get holes in our schedules this year," Barty stated with his mouth full of food, making Regulus and Dorcas give him a look of disgust.
"We've already been throught this, Barty," Regulus said, trying to ignore his friend's manners. "We won't get free periods until next year." Barty sighed deeply.
"It's unfair! We have tests coming up, we if anyone deserves a break between classes." Barty then said, shoving a new fork full of food into his mouth.
Regulus rolled his eyes at the boy sitting next to him before looking up over the hall. On the other side of the great room he saw Marlene, staring at them. Or more acurrately, Dorcas. "I don't know why, but someone's looking at you, Dorcas." He said, returning to his food. Dorcas turned around in her seat, looking back at the tables behind her. She looked around for a while until she saw Marlene, staring mindlessly at her. She felt her cheeks heat up, and she was sure she was blushing a little.
"Have you got any idea why?" Evan asked, who had also turned around to look. "She doesn't seem angry or anything."
"I have an idea..." Dorcas said before turning back towards her food again. How stupid could she be? Of course she couldn't talk to a Gryffindor without there being consequenses. What had she thought? She's hot, that was what was racing thought her mind at the time. That didn't mean she'd have to talk to her, though. Dorcas groaned as realisation over what she had done hit her.
"What's wrong?" Evan asked, looking at her expectantly.
"I kinda talked to her on the train earlier..." Dorcas answered.
"Why'd you do that?" Regulus said, frowning. Dorcas shrugged.
"I honestly don't know. I mean, she's really hot, so I guess that must be why." Dorcas answered.
"That's sick!" Evan exclaimed, looking at her as if she'd gone mad. "Forget that she's a Gryffindor. She's Half-blood, and a girl!"
Regulus and Barty made eye contact quickly, both looking a bit worried for some reason. Dorcas glared at Evan before turning towards her half empty plate. Why was she feeling guilty? It's not horrible, or discusting, if it's love! Or is it..?
Later that night Dorcas lay in bed, looking up at the dark ceiling of her four poster bed. Thought after thought raced through her mind, and they were all about the blonde haired, Gryffindor girl. Was it really that wrong, to like a girl if you are one yourself? Was Evan right? Marlene was a Half-blood, indeed. Not that that was troubling Dorcas one bit. She was still a witch, even if she had muggles in her family line.
She didn't know what to do about it. Probably ignore it, push the feelings down to her toes where they belonged.
And with that, the dark haired girl finally fell into a sleep, full of dreams about one Marlene McKinnon.