Mediocris

Sometimes living feels like going for a swim. Venus is a excellent swimmer. Always have been. The water is calm, and warm. Not too much, just enough to continue. Sometimes, yes, it is that way.

But every other moments, it is nigh. Absolute night that crawls inside her and won't let go, even if she cries, or begs. Her mother is that way too. She never stops, or have pity, even when Venus cries and begs. Yet it's what she does most days, when she is in that house, like a prisonner. Cries and begs. 

At least before, once she was back at Hogwart, life would be swimming again. It used to be easy. But now, even in the castle, far away from the rest, it all stays the same. It is night for ever, and she doesn't know how to get back to the day. 

----------  

"So, who would you marry ?"

It's a game, like there are thousands. But Kingsley is particularly fond of this one. So, she indulges, like the great friend she is. 

"With Avery, Dumbledore and... Er, Fabian Prewett." she sugests 

"Are you kidding me ?" Kingsley literally shouts. "It is so easy, have you seen Prewett ? This man is a god, and I would marry him right now if he asked me."

Venus rolls her eyes while Xenophilius gently scoffs on her right.

Fabian Prewett is good looking. There is no way to deny it. Must be all the quidditch. But in a very unbiased and honest way, Venus can't help but see him as the equivalence of bread. Bread is good, bread is necessary. But bread is not cake, or pie or a beautiful mango. A mango would be Alice. No one else will ever be a mango again, not the way Alice is. That's the immensity of her feelings, Fabian is bread, and Alice is mango. Nothing else to say. 

"Okay" She sights, "So you marry him. Then who do you eliminate, and who do you keep as a second choice ?"

Kingsley takes a few seconds to think. He's seriously debating while they approach the dungeons.

"Dumbledore" He replies.

Venus's eyes widen. "You chose the fossil ?!"

"I don't know, he was sort of pretty when he was young. I saw some interesting pictures"

She just stays dumbfounded for a few minutes, walking silently with the mental image of Albus Dumbledore getting naked.

When they finally arrive, the temperature becomes relatively colder and she quivers. Not far, she spots Pandora waiting in front of the classroom entrance with a group of slytherins. Regulus Black is standing by her side, a hand gently resting on her shoulder. He doesn't seem really interested in whatever discussion the group is having, but every now and then, when Pandora says something, he shots her a small smile.

The blond finally notices the three ravenclaw after few minutes, and she politely makes her way out of the group before walking to them. Regulus glares in their direction as she leaves. He doesn't seem very happy but he doesn't say anything. Venus rolls her eyes, before smiling at Pandora.

"Hey Xen" The slytherin greets affectionately.

She turns her head. "Venus, Kingsley, everything's good?"

"Sure Lestrange" Kingsley nods before resting his back against the wall, yawning. Venus continues to smile like an idiot. She really likes having Pandora around, even if she still passes most of her time with her fellow slytherin.

"Yeah fine" She replies. "You ?"

"Really fine. Listen Venus, I saw that you were sitting alone during potion last week. I was thinking, maybe, we could sit together today ?"

Venus's brows rise, taken by surprise. She looks at Pandora with parted lips. She really was sitting alone last Monday. But to be completely honest, she's so terrible at potion that everybody is still wondering how she managed to pass her O.W.L and be accepted in class one more year. Slughorn won't say it but Venus knows that he thinks she managed to cheat somehow. She is so bad that Kingsley and Xenophilius literally refuse to be her partner, not even once in a while. During all her time at Hogwarts, it was a new victim every year that was forced to be sat next to her and suffer her talent for catastrophe. But this year, when they had their first potion class, there was an odd number of students. And all of them rushed to chose someone who wasn't her. She didn't even mind to be honest, at least now, she could avoid nasty remarks from people who were usually forced to sit with her.

But Pandora seems very genuine as she asks Venus. And she wait patiently for an answer.

"But" Finally Venus speaks again "You're sure ? You do know that I am- "

"A menace to the safety of this castle ? Interrupts Kingsley. "Yeah we know Ve"

Venus shots him a cold glare.

"Shut up"

Pandora just grins, amused, and shake her head.

"Don't worry" she assures. "I'm not very good myself, but at least we can try to have fun together".

Venus's brows are still up. She wouldn't really call potion class a place to have fun, but she quickly nods, still quite choked.

"Well in this case, sure" she agrees. "thanks, really."

Pandora just smiles back, then reports her attention to Xen who seems to be shyly waiting for her to talk with him.

"But" Venus can help but stay surprised. "Don't you usually sit with Black? I really don't want to have him on by back because of that"

Not again.

"I think he'll survive" the blond stats, glancing at her best friend "He is a big boy."

This how Pandora Lestrange and Venus Selwyn end up sitting side by side in the dungeon. Slughorn seems quite surprised that the ravenclaw has finally found someone willing to team up with her but he still nods to them like everything is fine.

After he finishes explaining today's work, Pandora leaves to get the ingredients needed. Venus tries really hard not to look in Regulus direction, but ends up doing it anyway. Not that she minds stealing his best friend, but still... To her surprise he is already staring. A stone cold stare. Their eyes cross for a second then he turns back to his new partner, who is no one else than Evan Rosier. Rosier is a blond and stupid boy whose main hobby is to intentionally misdirect the first years in the castle when they are lost.  

"I think Black is going to murder me" She says when Pandora comes back.

The blond witch sights, looking back at the slytherin prefect.

"Okay I'm gonna tell you something but don't be mad at me please, because I did not agree at all."

Venus raises a brow. "What is it ?"

Pandora takes a sit. She seems nervous.

"Listen, Regulus can be a little annoying sometimes, I get it. But over all, he is a good person"

What the bloody hell is happening ?

"He asked me to sit with you in potion this morning. He wanted me to question you about books or something ?" She confesses. "Don't worry, I refused, of course. But I still wanted to sit with you. Not because of him. Just because, well, I really like being you're friend and I thought it could be nice. Brings us a closer or somehting. You know... I don't have that many friends, and pratically none that are girls, so... I find you very cool"

Venus just stays immobile for a few seconds, staring at Pandora with the most confused look. She then slowly turns to Regulus again. He is working in silence, but if look could kill, if would be dead this instant without even noticing.

She is furious. He really tried to get Pandora to spy on her, just because of some stupid books ? What is wrong with him ?

"So you really like being my friend ?" It's all that comes out of her mouth as she turns her gaze back to her potion partner.

The slytherin nods, trying a weak smile.

"I really do Venus" She admits " Well, what do you think ?"

Venus immediately nods back.

Take that Black, your best friend likes being my friend.

"I do Pandora, I'm so glad we're friends."

And she is, glad, because until now, she didn't even know if she had the right to call Pandora Lestrange her friend. And she really wanted to.

----------

The two hours slowly come to an end, and Venus realises that Pandora did in fact not lie when she said that she wasn't really good at brewing potions. Of course it's not half bad as the ravenclaw, but still, the two girls are quite the double disaster together. Venus begins to think that she must really regret not staying with Regulus now, seeing how the boy has already finished his perfect potion, and is causally reading, waiting for the class to end.

The liquid inside their caldron has just changed from a nasty green to a disgusting yellow, when it should have, in fact, been pale blue.

"Okay" She finally mutters. "there is nothing left to lose, I'm gonna try something"

Pandora doesn't seem so sure about letting her messing with their already disastrous potion, but she says nothing. Venus slowly raises her wand and after a deep breath, she start waving it a bit randomly above the caldron. She doesn't even know what she is doing but certainly it cannot become worse than it already is, right ?

Of course not. 

The explosion is so loud it resonnates in every part of her body. It's by far one of the worse result she ever got And after years of disaster, the list is long. 

The group of students in front of the two girls starts shouting when the potion is projected right on them. Luckily for Venus and Pandora, it seems that they are safe from their own disaster. Venus does feel a little bad, when Rose Parkinson has to be evacuated urgently, direction the hospital wing. But it's not like she is not used to that kind of thing. Her potions have the bad tendency to all end up that way.

Professor Slughorn is really exceeded this time. He usually tries to stay kind, but there is a limit to what the poor man can take. Venus knows it, she doesn't blame him. He is glaring at her, probably wondering what he did to merlin to have Selwyn in his class.

She spots Kingsley and Xen, two table away from her. Her friends are absolutely loosing it, laughing like there is no tomorrow.

Stupid bastards.

"Miss Selwyn" Slughorn speaks at last, a hand on his forehead, utterly disappointed.

Why is he even disappointed ? It's not even a surprise, he has been teaching me for six years now, he knows I'm shit.

"I can't let you continue like that my poor girl. And I don't think Miss Lestrange was the wisest choice to help you"

He's reflecting really hard, internally debating. His big face is almost turning red. Venus is waiting for her sentence. Maybe this time, he will find a way to exclude her from his class definitly.

If it's the case, father will probably go mental, once again.

"Fine" the professor exclaims. "Here what's we're going to do. Miss Selwyn, you will be sitting with Mister Black for the rest of the year. Maybe, by some miracle, he will hand you down some of his wonderful talent. At least he will keep you from more catastrophes. I hope"

Venus freezes. Slughorn appears to be very proud of his little idea. In front of him, Regulus tenses, but then, slowly nods. The bastard really looks like a statue.

"Of course professor, if that's what you want" He agrees.

----------

The view of the Black Lake is nice in the late afternoon. Venus is lying on the grass, reading some new books on fairies. Again. It's always the same things, stuffs that everyone already knows by heart. Nothing new or world-changing.

She groans in desperation. Kingsley is in the water, swimming as if there were no giant squid in the fucking lake. Xenophilius is lying on her left, singing some weird melody that no one knows but him.

"Why is the lake even named the Black Lake ?" She suddenly complains out of nothing. "Does the Blacks think they own everything ? We're literally at Hogwarts, let us breathe, blood suprematists !

Xenophilius sights loudly, straightening up.

"Venus"

"What ?"

"The Black Lake is black. That's why it's named like that. And your family are literally the biggest blood suprematists ?"

She rolls her eyes, before going back to her book. She's not in a really good mood to be honest. First this thing with Regulus Black being her new potion partner. Then, just a few minutes ago, as she was simply trying to relax with her friends, she had to witness Alice and Longbottom walking by the lake, holding hands, smiling like idiots, kissing.

Xenophilius is just the opposite right now, he is only joy and happiness. For him everything is fine. Pandora even asked him on a date to Hogsmeade this weekend.

"Selwyn ! Lovegood !"

Venus barely has time to put down her book when someone is already in front of them. It is a tall, beautiful girl, with a glowing dark skin and long braids, cascading down her back. She has a wild grin on the face, her slytherin uniform is chaotically worn and she literally throws herself on the grass next to the ravenclaws.

The dramatic Dorcas Meadowes, seven year slytherin. Venus knows her quite well, they used to go to the same magical summer camp when they were kids.

"What is happening, what are you doing ?! " She narrows her eyes as Meadowes catches her breath.

"It's Mckinnon, she wants me dead me. Hid me please, just for a few minutes !"

"What ?!"

Dorcas lays on the ground, making sure that Venus and Xenophilius stay right in front of her. She sights, putting her hands on her face. To say that Marlene Mckinnon doesn't like Dorcas Meadowes is a euphemism, she basically despises the girl. Everyone at Hogwarts knows it. Marlene is a gryffindor, Dorcas a slytherin. Marlene is a beater for her quidditch team, Dorcas is a chaser for slytherin. Marlene is easily offended, Dorcas likes to make fun of her. Nothing in the world could change that.

"What happened this time ?" Xen curiously asks.

Dorcas stares at them for a second, hesitant. "We had a pair work to do for transfiguration. I don't know why on earth McGonagall thought it would be a good idea to put us together but she did... Anyway, she was being so annoying, as usual, and I just lost patience. I turned her hair green and silver. Then I run away, and now she is chasing me"

Venus and Xenophilius share a quick look, before bursting into laughter.

"Well, I hoped you enjoyed this short second of fun, because she must be ready to end you now" Venus stats bluntly.

Dorcas rolls her eyes, her head on the grass, then look at the sky.

"She is just so easy to mess with, I can't help it sometimes" She confesses. "And merlin she is so annoying, I don't know how I even developed this bloody crush in the first place"

With this revelation, Xenophilius's eyes widened bigger than ever and he lets out a strange scoff of surprise. But Venus on the other hand, just keeps the same unimpressed expression, because she already knew. Yes, Marlene Mckinnon and Dorcas Meadowes are always fighting, but almost no one knows that the slytherin witch is in fact, very much hopelessly in love with her nemesis.

"MEADOWES"

The sound of Mckinnon voice echoes so loud that even Kingsley in the lake hears it and tries to see what is happening. The gryffindor is furiously walking to them, her shouts making the birds fly away, and her usually blond hair, now tainted in the brightest shade of green ever.

"It was nice knowing you" Venus gently pats Dorcas on the shoulder.

"Merlin" grumbles the slytherin "You know what ? Fuck it, I'm gonna do what I have to do."

And with that, the girl gets up and stands where she is, waiting for Marlene to arrive in front of her. Marlene Mckinnon is quite pretty if you ask Venus. And of course Dorcas is amazing. They would be a bloody good looking couple in her opinion. To bad it's never going to happen.

"You fucking moron !" Marlene shouts as she raises her wands in front of her "I'm going to erase you from earth  !"

Dorcas smirks. "Why are you so obsess with me Mckinnon?" She asks, nonchalant "You're literally always trying to hex me. Anytime you see me you try to argue with me. Yes I turned you hair green, but at this point I'm only defending myself from your irritating personality. You're always around me somehow."

Venus raises her brows, Xen on her side. They are trying to be discreet but they simply have to listen. This is too good.

"I- I... you're the worst person ever !" Marlene spats. "I hate you so much, you're so annoying ! You bloody slytherin, I could make a list with hundreds of reasons that explain how irritating you fucking are !"

There is a short silence. Everybody is holding their breath. Venus finds her wand in her pocket, in case she has to protect herself if a fight irrupts, which is mostly expected. Even Kingsley has came back from the lake to witness the scene, he stands behind his two friends, half naked.

Then, Dorcas just smirks again. That kinda of smirk that only slytherins are able to make.

"Well if you have so much to say about me" She finally declares. "Come to Hogsmeade with me this week-end. Saturday, in front of Honeydukes, at nine."

The next silence is quite loud. In all the things in the world, that Dorcas could have said, never, never in any situation, Venus would have though of that. Of course Meadowes likes Mckinnon, but still... Saying that now, to the girl that probably hates her the most in the whole world.

Mckinnon seems a thousand of world away now. she just doesn't move, and doesn't say anything. Venus shakes her head. Poor girl, maybe she is having a heart attack.

Probably satisfied, Dorcas begins to walk away like nothing ever happens. But as she begins to make her way back to the castle, she turns around one last time. "Oh, and Mckinnon ?" She shouts

Marlene turns her head in her direction. Still completely silent and frozen.

"It's a date, don't be late." And without any other words, she leaves.

None of the three ravenclaws dare to say anything as Marlene continues to stay immobile, staring in front of her with her lips parted. Then, she finally looks at them, and speaks.

"What the fuck just happened ?"

"I don't know, but I need a nap"

"Shut up Kingsley"