Trouble in Paradise
Dear Mary,
Do you remember back when Remus hated the ground that all of the lads walk on? I think about it sometimes, like a piece of our far gone history. He was a right prick to them for a while, and they found it nothing but amusing. Fella’s are funny like that. They always think they know the path for themselves, but it’s never actually true. All of those idiots were so consumed with the idea that he was their best friend, and the lad would only ever speak to us really. Simpler times.
What’s your favorite piece of something we’ve forgotten?
(P.S. I realize Remus and I have something in common now.)
(P.P.S. Pretending to hate James Potter.)
Yours in final recognition,
Lily Evans
***
Dear Lily,
He was so hell bent on never fitting in with us for a while, it was quite the sight if I remember so right. The whole lot of us have a good bit of far gone history, really. We’ve known each other, and really been friends, since age eleven! I doubt there’s many people who can say they have something like the same. What I mean to say is, I guess a lot of our history is good and far gone. There are plenty of memories I like to remember, especially regarding the lads and their very half cooked up plans for themselves. It’s good to know we won’t ever lose those memories, eh? I can’t wait to be practically ancient and unpacking our school days again with you.
One day, we’ll remember it all!
(P.S. You and Remus are mental.)
(P.P.S. I’ve got some deep suspicions for Jamesy boy.)
Yours still, with acceptance of your James-loving truth,
Mary Macdonald
Chapter 27
A week and a half after winter term began, Mary was back to being done with school and done with any aspiration she had of a wizarding career. Potions didn’t make sense, Transfiguration felt like being slowly poisoned, Charms was utter nonsense, and the rest of her classes were so boring that the only consolation was sitting three feet away from Lily for most of them.
In the moment of her deepest boredom, all of the sixth year Gryffindor’s were assembled in McGonagall’s classroom, staring each other down in deep confusion at where the Professor was.
This struck Mary with such apathy because it reminded her of all the fun they could otherwise currently be having. On an evening such as this, especially a Friday looking to the weekend, she should’ve been pissed out of her mind and halfway to falling down the dormitory stairs into Lily’s arms. Instead, she was dead sober, sitting stationary in an uncomfortable chair, able to only watch as Lily carded her fingers through her hair.
The fourth and fifth years had already been through their mystery meeting, which did nothing but annoy her even further. That lot didn’t even do anything fun yet, what business did they have getting their torture over with?
Sirius and James, to her left, were attempting to silently levitate a wadded up parchment ball back and forth and grunting loudly every time it dropped, much to MArlene and Peters arrogant amusement.
She frowned and finished the note she’d been writing to Remus, on how beginning up the cigarette trade was performing, passing it diagonally to where he brooded.
Maybe it was her unencumbered need to detect secrets in the lives of her friends, but Mary thought that he’d seemed different lately. There was always a little bit of pain to the way he carried himself, or moved. His eyes flitted perceptively from word to word, letting in on how smart he was, though he would never admit it. More than any lad she’d ever met, Remus held thoughts. Quickly, she looked away before he could catch her staring and tell her off.
McGonagall flitted into the room as a cat, scaring the wits out of the kids to the back of the room, though they all should’ve expected it.
Halfway through the corridor between each section of desks, the Professor sprung into human form. Every time it happened, the little first year inside of Mary immediately sprang to curious life. She couldn’t help but smile a bit, watching as the woman who had been a tabby cat merely seconds early strode to tell them off or something of the sort.
“Good evening, class!” she greeted them haughtily, nearly hawklike. Mary smiled at that too. There wasn’t a Gryffindor alive who didn’t like the Professor. Even the idiot lads composed themselves in her presence, dutifully setting down the parchment sphere.
“I do suspect you all have been wondering and complaining about why I’ve brought you here, but I do hope it is worth your while.” The Professor spoke with a whoosh to all of her W’s. Mary’s mother would’ve called her some awful name, or at the very least spit in the face of this properness. She did not know when to stop being bitter, instead signaling kindness as some antithesis to being poor.
“Now, I expect you all to behave properly when I deliver this news, or I shall come to regret it humbly.”
Mary frowned. This was probably going to be extra homework, or something of that lot. She glanced at Marlene, who was looking similarly put out, and then Lily, who was infuriatingly straight faced.
“Hogwarts, for the first time in fifty years, will host a Valentine’s Day Ball for students aged fourth year and up.”
It was, in fact, McGonagall’s turn to look utterly disgusted. She practically spit on the news while the sixth year Gryffindor’s burst into uncontrollable joy. Several girls in front of her almost lept from their chairs, while three out of the four boys in their little group whooped like gorillas. Even Lily’s usually indiscernible expression broke into a wide smile.
She nudged Mary in a way that made her heart flutter, taking off at the endless possibilities of what she could be saying, “You, me, Sirius, and James, how about that?”
Mary tried not to look bitter, as that was high on her list of endless possibilities. She giggled along with her best friend.
“Sounds perfect!” It didn’t hurt to say, not when it was true.
McGonagall cut off the childish cheers, “I know this is quite exciting for you all, but I expect that this will not become a behavioral problem.”
This ticked off their teenage sensors for uncoolness, the opposite of fun. The Gryffindor’s fell quiet, just staring her all the way down.
“Will it be a problem?” she repeated in the most businesslike fashion.
Finally, the sixth year Gryffindor’s furiously nodded their heads. Professor McGonagall tutted very happily, nodding her head with satisfied ease.
“Very well then! I am glad you all could be notified.”
They all stared at each other. It was not often that the students of Hogwarts were notified that they would get to do something more similar to real people than wizards and witches. This was the kind of thing in American movies! The shock of the excitement was just about enough to tranquilize an elephant, or have a similar effect of stopping a bunch of sixteen year olds in their tracks.
McGonagall, for once, wore a very pleased expression on her face. She frowned, halfway into a smile.
“You may go now.” She gestured out the door as her order was quickly obeyed.
All of Mary’s little group (she remembered how the lads had taken to calling themselves the Marauders, and refused to do the same) quickly rushed the door to get a good position in the corridor. There, they assembled a little ways down to immediately gush over McGonagall’s tidings.
“Oi, this is something!” James chuckled, immediately grabbing Lily's waist.
“Never thought they’d give us something fun to do!” Sirius had a lit up look on his face, matching with the somewhat mysterious one that Remus wore. They had a penchant for mischief, the lot of them, and a dance that put everyone together would certainly be a good place for that.
“I do not fancy finding a lad to take me,” Marlene sighed softly, making Mary shoot her a somewhat sideways glance.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take you, eh?” Remus shrugged easily, and pulled out his lighter and started up a cigarette.
Mary opened up her palm and begged one off of him, beginning to take her own puff. If only it was so easy for Sirius to ask her to the dance like that. Couples that were going steady had different rules, and it didn’t even seem that he liked her much anymore. Whatever she thought she understood about her boyfriend had been destroyed by seventh year Ravenclaw Katy Canahann and her incessant flirting. This was a subject that made her need a cigarette very badly.
“Don’t we have plans tonight, love?” Sirius asked her absentmindedly, off away from the rest of the conversation. Lily and James were talking across the circle, he whispering in her ear.
Mary frowned, took a drag of her cigarette and nodded absentmindedly, “Ay, I do think so.”
“Good, good,” Sirius took her by the hand. Maybe bad news for Katy Canahann and good news for her. “We have to talk, I think.”
They didn’t have another class after this today anyway. He led her off to whatever he had planned.
***
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” she asked, spreading her fingers over the blanket spread over his four-post bed. They hadn’t been on a date since before winter break at all, before Julien and the bar and things going so off track in her head.
“Too long, yes,” he replied hastily.
Mary rolled her eyes, half mild fear and half mild annoyance. At least the lad had the sense to bring drinks and smokes with them. She couldn’t think around him without smoking, because Sirius made her think about James and James made her think about where Lily was.
“You remember, I said we had to talk?”
“Sure I do,” she smiled, cocking an eyebrow.
“We’ve been doing this for a while, you know, love,” he ran his fingers through his hair, frowning a little bit.
“Yeah?” Mary felt her voice reaching a higher, stricken pitch. Good news for Katy Canahann, horrible news for her.
“I don’t think it’s such a good idea anymore, Mary.” He looked at the floor and she threw her head back, letting a loud sigh escape her. Of course it was now, just when she needed him most, that the damn lad was trying to escape her. Hadn’t she thought to have understood him?
“Oh Jesus, Sirius, you can’t possibly be serious about this?”
“I need a different girl than you,” he sighed.
“A different girl?” she objected quickly, loudly.
Sirius turned his head to the sky and closed his eyes. His brows knit together in frustration, like he was holding himself back from saying something awful.
“Mary- I-” he cut himself off, his mouth falling open.
“Spit it out, Sirius.”
“Do you even like me?” he demanded finally, crossing his arms.
Her jaw fell slack and all other muscles turned numb. Mary shook her head once, twice.
“Oh come off it, of course-”
“No, no, not just me, do you even like-”
Time came to an entirely screeching halt. This wasn’t happening, not to her, not ever in the whole world. She simply wouldn’t let it.
“I slept with a lad back in London.” Mary put a stop to any idea he had of speaking.
“Oh,” Sirius raised his eyebrows, rocking back to lean on his palms away from her. “Merlin’s arse.”
“So yeah, maybe it isn’t such a good idea anymore.” Mary stood up. She was a little bit pissed, slightly tilting off her axis.
“Mary, look-”
“You need a girl who isn’t me, and I have a lad who isn’t you.” She turned her back to him.
“I just wanted to talk-”
“Go flirt with Katy Canahann, eh? I’m sure she’ll be very glad to have you.”
“Stop-”
At the doorway to his room, she turned around and looked back at him. Sometimes it became very clear what kind of a boy he was, the man he turned out to be. His long hair fell into a shock over his eyes, his soft hands lazily playing at his sweater. Even though she could barely see it, she could tell he was rolling his eyes. He was kidding himself if they weren’t the only one for each other, the only good choice.
“Don’t ever accuse me like that, Sirius.”
Mary stormed out, approximately half an hour after their date had even begun. All she could think of was how the cigarette trade was going to be positively ruined.