tree knots and eris
Marlene Mckinnon was so fucking done with everyone. She felt as though she was the only one at this table that was palatable to everyone, which was new, and she was so done. Done with Lily being ignored by Mary. Lily being ignored by Peter. Lily being ignored by Remus. Lily being ignored by James. James being ignored by Sirius. Sirius being ignored by Remus. Remus being ignored by Sirius. Peter being ignored by Sirius. Sirius being ignored by Peter. It seemed that it was Lily and James who were the problem at the moment which was a scenario so unprecedented to all of them they weren’t quite sure how to go about it. It was all too much and from across the room she caught the eye of Dorcas who seemed to be unashamedly staring at her again. That was far more preferable to the icy atmosphere of her form and with that she left her silently bickering friends in favour of a more interesting companion.
She was suddenly astutely aware of everything wrong with her outfit, wrong was not necessarily the correct wording but as she walked past the teachers table she didn't want to define it as anything else. Her skirt was too high. Her tights were too transparent. Her t-shirt was too informal. Her docs were two inches too tall and donned the fact she hated cops which she doubted her private school teachers would enjoy. Her jacket with a few too many interesting pins. Her eyes with a tad too much eyeliner. Her hair was too much of a contrast to her natural colour since she’d bleached it. It was all potentially detention worthy which she really couldn’t be bothered with.
But having made it across the great hall without the sting of a scolding she moved her slightly wary gaze away from the ground and onto Dorcas. Her and her friends were at the far end of the great hall and as she walked past the other slytherins she was once again astutely aware of the eyes on her. Dorcas’s too. In a mental plea to herself to not forget how to walk normally she kept her gaze on Dorcas. As she got closer she was able to notice all of Dorcas’s qualities that plagued her mind before she drifted off to sleep, and quite often in that too.
The way her braids were decorated with small rings and crystals that glittered in the morning sun that was filtering in through the expansive window at the end of the hall. The way her collarbone seemed to almost gleam with a golden sheen as it jutted slightly out from her linen shirt. The way her dark eyes soaked up the sun to produce a deep, golden chestnut that was usually so hard to find. The way these eyes met Marlenes own.
Marlene wasnt often one to fawn over people but in dry spells of their ‘rivalry’ she often regarded Dorcas as someone worthy of such fawning. The other girl was simply too gorgeous not to be admired.
“Get me out of here.”.
“Hello to you too Mckinnon, bad day?”
“More like term, they’re driving me insane,”
“Am i getting terfed out of my job here?”
“You dont drive me insane.”
“And to be told im terrible at it too, this is awful.”
“Har-di-har-har now you coming or not?”
“Coming where?”
“Literally anywhere, anywhere that isnt here, i cant deal with them any longer.”, she said as she gestured aggressively at her form.
“What is going on there anyway?”
“They all hate eachother.”
“All of them?”, Evan asked from across the table, Marlene hadn’t really noticed any of Dorcas’s friends but now they had piped in she became aware of all of them listening in. Great.
“Yeh pretty much?”
“Even Potter and Black?”, asked Barty
“Especially them, which is a bit disconcerting actually,”
“Please sit Mckinnon. We have questions,”, Barty commanded nudging Evan as he did so.
“Not right now, Meadowes can we go?”
“Why should I?”
“I could always go with someone else, I don't know who yet, maybe that 7th Year Ravenclaw talking to Xeno? She looks the part, wouldn't you say Meadowes?”
Dorcas’ eyes narrowed in reply before leaving the table with a huff and an articulated hair flip so that her braids hit Marlene in the face.
Marlene soon found herself pushed against the cold stone of a supply room with Dorcas’s hand pressing her hip against it. Her other hand pulled Marlene towards her in order to whisper threateningly against her cheek,
“You so nearly got us caught there Mckinnon.”
“Only because you wouldn’t shut up,”, Marlene replied breathlessly as Dorcas moved her attention to her neck.
“No because you wouldn’t stop pushing,”, Dorcas mumbled.
“I didn’t push,”
“No, that's true but the 7th Year card was just cruel,”Dorcas's hand began to slide under her shirt and trace the curve of her waist as she kissed the shadows of Marlene's neck.
“Maybe but it was worth it,”, Marlene replied as her head was pushed up.
“Dickhead.”, Dorcas replied as she pulled away which Marlene used to push Dorcas against the wall and press their lips together finally.
The morning bell rang five minutes later and they sprang apart and parted ways looking slightly less respectable than before.
“I'm gonna do it.”
Remus didn’t process any speech leaving Mary’s mouth as he gazed out at the stars decorating the night sky and it wasnt until Peter nudged him that he noticed.
“Yeah, what?”
“I'm gonna forgive her.”
“Really?”
“Yeah she didn’t mean to hurt me she was just caught up in it all and panicked, she’s served her time.”
“Shit Mare, that's real mature. You sure you're ready?”
“Like 98% yeah, I just want Lily back, none of these strings, none of these ‘will we won’t we’s, none of it, I want it like it was before and I want Marls back too, I miss them.”
“Do you wanna talk about it Mary?”, asked Peter as he leaned precariously over the wooden fence separating them and the steep fall over the forest. Such potential idiocy caused Remus to reach over and grab a fistful of his jumper, just in case, and as Peter’s converse tapped against his elbow he was glad he did so.
“Nah, just help me set this up and we should be good to see it- honestly guys im not you, i’d tell you,”
“Yeah, okay, so what are we looking for again?”
“Well according to ‘Astronomers Monthly’ we should be able to see Saturn with the most clarity ever, well not ever, but with our current technology you know, the Georgians didn’t have the technology to fully appreciate their view like we do. But it won’t happen till around 2:30 so we have a few hours which im gonna use to chart tonights stars, its not very important but its so much fun trying to work out which star is which, you know i reckon we can see Eris as well tonight.”, by the end of her little speech Mary was slightly breathless but smiling so brightly nonetheless, Remus was so glad she didn't hide what she loved anymore.
Three hours passed and Peter and Remus were dozing against each other, propped up by an old, groaning oak. Mary felt no need to wake them and enjoyed her time alone with the stars and her thoughts and so she was quite shaken when a voice spoke behind her.
“I didn't know you stargazed.”
“Jesus fucking christ. You- Holy- Sirius.”
“That I am.”
“You pillock you scared my shitless.”
“Watch your mouth Mary, you've got a dozen guys worshipping every word that leaves it, don't want to let them down,”
“Oh shut up Sirius. Like you haven't got the equivalent in teenage girls.”
“Yes but i don't go around calling my friends Pillocks now do I.”
“You called me a silly pillock about four hours ago.”
“Slander.”
“Why are you here?”
“This is our spot.”
“What?”
“Remus told you about it huh?”
“Yeah sure,”
“Yeah. Did he mention anything about it?”
“Nah not really. Why what happened?”
“Nothing important, just where we’d hang out, I didnt think hed bring anyone else here if im honest, it was our place, you know?”
“Yeah yeah, sorry Sirius,”
“No, no, don't apologise, it's not like i own it, please don't stop coming on my account,”
“If it helps he hasn’t brought Evie here,”Sirius's head snapped up at this, his eyes wide and scared.
“What? Why would that help? Whats the difference? Mary? Why would- “, such a commotion woke Remus from his place against the tree whose knots were digging into his back and causing short stinging pains to shoot up it. As he massaged it gently he heard them continue talking and settled himself back, against Peter this time, in order to listen in a more covert manner.
“I’m not blind you know,”
“Mary I don't know what you're getting at.”
“You and Remus. Sorry, ignore me, it's not my place,”
“How did you know?”
“It's not that obvious I promise you, I just analyse you guys too much,”
“Please, that's not reassuring at all,”
“Fine, I saw you here,”
“What?”
“I saw you two here in Year 11,”
“What?”, Sirius’s head shot around towards her from where he’d been staring at the stars.
“Yeah I found this place in Year 9,”
“But-“
“Yeah I lied before,”
“Jesus did you see us, you know, maki-“
“Yeah yeah, I didn’t stay and watch or anything, don't worry, I cleared off, but yeah I saw you,”
“Jesus- wait did he ever mention it before, to you, I mean,”
“No, sorry,”
“Y’know i had to come out to him.”
“What?”
“Like I had to actually tell him I was gay, like a week ago, he didn’t realise, and then he wanted me to explain why I thought he was gay, yeah I kinda slipped up, but still, and then, and then when we were back in the dorms I heard him whisper to himself ‘why me’. Why him?! What? Has he been severely concussed over the summer?”
“He is right there you know?”
“Jesus! No I did not thanks a lot Macdonald, shit I think he’s waking up, oh god does Petey drool? Delightful. Must be going then, see ya Mary.”, and with that he practically sprinted away.
An hour or so later they made their way back and as the full moon shone down upon them Remus thought back to the last full moon when he genuinely believed that Mary and Sirius could have ever been a thing, he couldn’t bring himself to analyse what else he’d found out. Tomorrow he could spiral. Today he needed to sleep.