Chapter 21
None of the Professors gave Remus any flack for his robes, or lack thereof, though McGonagall did give him a pointed look as the Marauders and co. filed into the Transfiguration classroom.
“Is there a problem, Professor?” Remus asked innocently.
McGonagall pursed her lips but seemed to deflate after only a few moments. “At least you’re wearing your tie, Mr. Lupin,” she sighed to herself. He would have ditched the robes sooner if he knew he would get away with it so easily.
Their first Transfiguration lesson, along with all of their other lessons for the day, consisted of the Professor hammering on about the importance of OWLs and how they would determine the trajectory of their lives after school.
Or something like that, Remus wasn’t sure. He checked out early into each lesson, resting his head lazily on his hand, and tried to drone out the lecture by singing David Bowie songs in his head. He knew no matter how well he did on his OWLs, it wouldn’t secure him a good job after school. There weren’t a lot of options for people like him. Werewolves. That had become abundantly clear after being fired on the spot from his dishwashing job over the summer. And that was just a bottom-of-the-barrel kind of job.
All day he had the feeling like he was back in church with his mother, being pointlessly preached at. Don’t do that or you’ll go to hell. Do this or you’ll be doomed to walk through life penniless and destitute. It was all the same and he was sick of hearing it.
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t try in his classes, though— didn’t mean that he wouldn’t do his best on his exams. There was something in him that wouldn’t let himself give up entirely. Whether it was his pride, or the fear that Dumbledore would rescind his decision to let Remus attend Hogwarts, or his anxiety about the political climate and the war that seemed more and more inevitable each day, Remus didn’t know. He would try, but he could do without the constant reminder that he was different than the other students in class.
He was beyond ready for a nap by the time Ancient Runes rolled around. Remus and Sirius had left the other two after lunch and resented the fact that they both had a free period to do whatever they wanted. The classroom was small and on a more secluded floor of the castle. There were half as many students in there as in their other classes and they were mostly Ravenclaws. And mostly fifth years, Remus noticed regretfully and resigned himself to yet another hour-long spiel about his future as he settled in next to Sirius in the back of the class.
So, he was pleasantly surprised when Professor Dromgoole dove straight into teaching. “I won’t bore you with the same drivel you’ve heard all day,” she said, her voice deeper and graver than Remus expected. “I expect most of you won’t bother taking the OWL and even less of you will pass.” She waved her wand, which was made of a pale wood and almost as long as her forearm, and symbols began to appear on the chalkboard at the front of the classroom.
Remus was only half listening, his arms were crossed, and his legs were kicked out in front of him until he realized Sirius was furiously scratching away at a roll of parchment with his quill. Remus stole a look over his shoulder. He figured he was working on the prank that they had never gotten around to the night before or maybe some new quidditch play to share with James, but he supposed it would be more interesting than paying attention to Dromgoole go over the basics of Ancient Runes and translations of common words.
He was surprised to see Sirius scribbling down the runes that Professor Dromgoole had written on the board and even some that weren’t. He was used to Sirius coasting by in lessons. He knew Sirius was top of their class in several subjects, but he had never seen him actually put in effort in anything besides transfiguration, and that wasn’t until they had started the process of becoming animagi. He figured everything just came naturally to him as a pureblood wizard, as if magic was his native language.
He noticed, as he watched him, that every time the professor asked a question he would write down the correct answer before anyone else had a chance to raise their hand. He never raised his hand, though, and the professor alternated between calling on the same swotty Ravenclaws that kept their hands raised for the whole period.
He seemed to be working something out in his head when he wasn’t taking notes on Dromgoole’s lecture. Drawing symbols, then scratching them out and drawing something else just slightly different. It was…interesting, Remus decided, to see Sirius so focused.
Sirius must have sensed him looking, because a second later, Sirius was looking right at him, the excitement twinkling in his eyes. “Isn’t this cool, Moony?” he whispered, then placed a warm hand on Remus’ shoulder, leaning in, and in an even quieter voice: “It can be like our own secret language.”
Remus felt a shudder through his spine, and by the look of Sirius’ smirk, Remus would say he noticed. He cleared his throat. “Yeah,” was all he managed to say.
Our own secret language, he thought to himself and forced himself to focus on the lesson. He found that he actually liked the class, though Sirius probably had a lot to do with that. Dromgoole’s voice was monotonous and harsh, but her words were sharp and witty. She had cropped hair, wire-framed glasses, and robes that looked like they had been dyed with tea leaves. Remus decided that he liked her.
Later when the hour had ended and they were walking back to the dorms, Remus asked him how he knew so much about Ancient Runes already.
“I read the book over the summer,” he answered.
“The textbook? All of it?”
“Yeah, there was nothing else to do,” he shrugged.
“Oh,” Remus said, remembering that Sirius was stuck inside all summer, stuck inside his bedroom from what James told him. He already knew, but it made him sad to think about— to confine someone like Sirius within four walls seemed…not right.
“Don’t give me that look.” Remus saw him straighten up and tilt his head back, so his nose was high in the air. A posture fit for the aristocrat he was. The rest of the walk back was silent, and Remus shuffled along awkwardly next to him, but by the time they walked through the portrait hole, his mood had changed again. Vanished was the put-upon air of superiority that was no doubt a coping mechanism.
Remus didn’t say anything about it and reminded himself that Sirius was still adjusting. It was just a bit jarring how the moods came on so quickly, though. He was happy one moment and brooding the next. He let Sirius run over to James and watched as he pounced on the sofa next to him. Remus sighed and started up the stairs toward the dorm for a much-needed nap.
Peter dropped Astronomy by the end of the first week. It was nearing curfew and Remus, Sirius, and Marlene were sitting in the common room when James and Peter came in through the portrait hole.
“I can’t believe you’re abandoning me,” James said, throwing his bookbag on the ground before squeezing in between the two of them on the sofa.
“Who’s abandoning who?” Marlene asked from the armchair. She had her legs thrown over the armrest and was twirling a strand of blonde hair around her wand. She had her necktie fastened around her head, so it sat like a headband behind her bangs
“Wormtail is dropping Astronomy,” James huffed.
“I said I’m thinking about it,” Peter mumbled, though he sounded like his mind was already made up. “Is there room in Divination with you guys?” he asked Remus and Marlene. He seemed to have forgotten all about the previous year’s unfortunate incident or was at least making an effort to look past it. By the looks of it, it seemed like Marlene had also gotten over it. It probably helped that Peter was now dating Susanna Nettle, and no one remembered him asking out Marlene on that fateful day.
“I thought you said it was a bunch of hooey,” Remus smirked.
“Oh, there’s room,” Marlene threw her head back and laughed.
“Don’t encourage him, McKinnon,” James complained.
Marlene ignored James. “You have to see Lupin sitting at those tiny ass tables,” she laughed again. “He looks like a baby moose.”
Sirius snickered. “I’d like to see that.” He had been doing much better with each day that passed, though he still had moments of moodiness, like his mind was back in that house. He would go quiet during a conversation or disappear from the dorm at odd hours. It was all part of the process, Remus reminded himself, but even after five years, it was hard to stomach.
“Yeah, yeah,” Remus mumbled. He flipped a page of the book that was on his lap. “Laugh it up. At least I made it to 6’”
“Hey,” Sirius protested. “I’m still growing.”
“Yeah, Moony, we’ll catch up to you someday,” James offered.
Marlene looked around to all of them, her eyes lingering on Peter who was the shortest of the bunch. “Some of you will,” she said, and Peter turned an ugly shade of scarlet. Maybe she wasn’t completely over what had happened, Remus second-guessed.
James changed the subject, reaching over Sirius’ legs to clutch at Peter’s. “Wormy, don’t leave me,” he cried. “There’s Slytherins in that class,” he added in an exaggerated whisper.
“Well, maybe if someone helped me,” Peter said, looking towards Sirius.
Sirius let out a humorless laugh and Remus noticed the storm that was quickly starting to cloud his eyes. “Join divination, Pete,” Remus said before Sirius lost it on him. “I’ll even help you catch up,” he said. He shot James a stern look and hoped that he would drop it.
He did, noticing that Sirius was on the precipice of one of his moods. It didn’t stop him from sighing though and slumping against the back of the couch.
“Alright,” Peter said, his mind made up. “I’ll go talk to Professor Gambara tomorrow and see about switching. Think she’ll let me in?” he asked nervously. It made Remus wonder what had happened in Astronomy to make him want to transfer so badly, but knowing Peter, he probably thought they were just going to sit around and read each other’s horoscopes.
“She will if you take Lupin with you,” Marlene scoffed. “She’s obsessed with him.”
Remus groaned.
“Is she, now?” Sirius asked, that mischievous twinkle back in his eye.
“Of course, she is,” James said. “Who wouldn’t be obsessed with Moony?”
“She’s not obsessed with me,” Remus argued, but it had fallen on deaf ears. Marlene was already out of her seat and imitating the way Professor Gambara had gripped his arm earlier that day, her eyes rolling back into her head and her voice possessed like she was talking in tongues. “Mr. Lupin,” Marlene croaked. “Someone you love will betray your trust with an unthinkable act.”
She was paraphrasing, but Marlene got the gist of what Professor Gambara had said to him as he entered the Divination classroom that morning. It had been embarrassing for Remus, especially since after she let go of his arm, the professor seemed oblivious to what had happened. He had planned on keeping it to himself and trying to forget it had ever happened, but he supposed that was too much to ask for when Marlene and Mary had witnessed the whole thing. It was only a matter of time before either of them brought it up.
“Woah, I wonder what that means?” James said.
“Who knows? It’s all a bunch of hooey anyway,” Remus huffed, repeating Peter’s words from the Great Hall. It seemed to be enough of an answer for the group, though Sirius’ brow was furrowed, and his lips were drawn down in a frown.
He needed something (anything!) to wipe that look off of Sirius’ face. He would do anything to see him smile. Remus wracked his brain, pushing Gambara’s foreboding words further from his mind. “Let’s go set off some dungbombs in the dungeon,” he said, and watched each of their faces light up at the idea.
Marlene let out a boisterous roar. “You’ve got to be the only prefect in the history of Hogwarts to set off dungbombs in the castle!”
…
Days later, Remus and Lily were on duty, making the rounds to make sure there were no students in the halls passed curfew. Remus didn’t mind it; he had forgotten he was supposed to look for elopers and had settled into a leisurely pace beside his friend. He had spent many late nights walking the same halls and knew they likely weren’t going to bust anyone, especially not on the upper levels of the castle— students were more likely to be sneaking near the kitchens if anything.
It was their first real opportunity to catch up. Remus’ mind had been caught up in the whirlwind that was Sirius Black, and he had been neglecting his other friends. He was recounting his summer, leaving out all the bits that would cause concern, which was almost everything besides the mundanity of the first few weeks washing dishes and the two afternoons he spent at the Potter’s, when Lily stopped him with a question that came out of nowhere. “Is your leg okay?
“What do you mean?”
“You just seem to be struggling a bit with the stairs,”
“’M not,” he said, defensively, but Lily looked at him with an indignant expression. Don’t lie to me, Lupin, is what that look said. “I dislocated my knee.”
“I remember, but that was months ago now, shouldn’t it be healed already?”
Remus just shrugged. “Dunno,” he said. He didn’t want to remind her that he had to transform into a werewolf every month and bones were bound to get misplaced, especially when they weren’t given the proper time to heal all the way.
“Ya know, I’ve been thinking about coming up with a potion formula that should help with,” she paused, seemingly thinking of the right word, “growing pains. Slughorn said I can use the potions classroom whenever I want.” She was talking about his transformations, Remus gathered. She continued explaining but Remus stopped listening. There was no potion that would help.
He was busy feeling sorry for himself when he felt a brush of air on the back of his neck. He turned around to see what had caused it, but there was nothing there besides an empty hallway and he chalked it up to the drafty corridors of the castle.
Lily was still going on about something or other when he felt it again. This time it was unmistakably the brush of a fingertip on the shell of his ear. He slowed his steps to a deliberate crawl and Lily continued on without noticing,
He strained his ears. The first thing that popped into his head was that it was Peeves trying to play a prank on him, targeting him due to his new prefect status like some sort of initiation ritual and he wasn’t about to let that amateur trickster get the better of him. It was then that he heard it. His name. It was just a breath.
“Hey Lils?” He called to her, and she turned around, having just noticed that she was several paces ahead of him. “I’ll check this last floor. You go ahead and head back to the tower.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I got it covered,” he said. “And besides, I’ve got to use the lou,” he added when Lily didn’t budge.
“Alright, see you at breakfast tomorrow?”
“Yeah, see you,” Remus said, absentmindedly. He waited until she was out of sight before booking it to the closest restroom. He shut the door behind him with a click and rounded on the bathroom sink where, with his werewolf enhanced senses, he could hear the rise and fall of someone breathing.
He heard him before he saw him. Sirius’ signature laugh, then he was pulling the hood of the invisibility cloak off so that just his floating head was visible. His back was to him, but their eyes met in the mirror. Remus approached so he was only a few paces behind him.
“Did I scare you, Moons?”
“Oh, is that what you were trying to do?” Remus asked his reflection and pulled the cloak the rest of the way off of his shoulders. The map was hanging out of his back pocket, even though James had called dibs on it earlier that day, which explained how he was able to find him on such a random floor of the castle.
“Nah, just wanted to see you,” he said, then smirked at the way Remus’ cheeks turned pink. “Care for a smoke break?” he asked, turning to face him and holding up a cigarette he had probably pilfered from Remus’ stash.
“I have one better for ya.” Remus pulled out a sloppily rolled joint from the pocket of his shirt. He had planned on sharing it with all of the Marauders when he got back, but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be alone with Sirius.
Sirius let out a laugh. “You’re always so prepared,” he said and hopped up onto the sink, legs dangling off the edge.
Something about Sirius seeking him out that night had Remus feeling bolder than usual. He saddled up between Sirius’ legs and placed the joint between Sirius’ lips, feeling the sides of his fingers brush against his mouth for a millisecond. “Inhale,” Remus instructed. He lit the joint with the gold-cased lighter Sirius had given him for his birthday and his view of Sirius was momentarily obstructed when a billow of smoke came between them as Sirius exhaled.
The smoke cleared and Sirius gave him a challenging look. He held the joint to Remus’ lips and didn’t let go, feeling Remus’ lips like a kiss against his fingers. They were playing a game, Remus recognized. A game of chicken. Who would break first? It was a touch here, a look there. They had been playing it since the first night back when Remus let that damned moan escape from his throat.
Remus rested a hand on each of Sirius’ legs, just above the knee. He leaned in close to Sirius to take another hit while he still held it between his fingers. The joint was dwindling in Sirius’ hand as he alternated between holding it to his own lips and then to Remus’. It was probably a little too much for just the two of them— Remus had intended it for four, he realized a bit too late. The air was thick from the smoke and the tension between them. Sirius looked at him with reddened eyes and held his gaze. He licked his lips, they glinted, shimmering and pink, in the sterile light of the bathroom.
Remus was so close now that he could rest his head on Sirius’ shoulder or trail the tip of his nose along his jawbone, and as he felt the effects of the weed, he found himself doing the latter without even thinking about it. There was the faintest bit of stubble on his face, and he wondered briefly when Sirius had started shaving, though the thought was quickly forgotten when he heard the thump of Sirius’ heartbeat speed up. Remus let himself get carried away and let his hands trail higher on his thighs until Sirius let out a nervous laugh and stopped him with a hand over his knuckles.
“Moony—"
“Erm, right. Sorry—” Remus muttered, taking a step back. Get your head out of the gutter, Lupin, he told himself. He was officially very high then, and from the look of it, Sirius was too. His brain felt cloudy as he grappled with his near loss of control.
Remus was still trying to catch his breath when the door was pushed open, and they both turned with wide eyes to see who had come in. A dark tabby cat stood in the doorway, not quite a kitten yet not full grown either. The cat purred and rubbed its body against the open door before making its way over to nudge up against their legs.
“Someone’s let their cat out,” Remus frowned. He couldn’t put his finger on it but something about the cat seemed off. It wasn’t hissing at him, for one thing, like cats often did.
“That’s Mrs. Norris,” Sirius informed him. He seemed to have recovered quickly, even though Remus was still reeling. With a thread of disappointment, he wondered if Sirius had been anywhere as affected as he was.
“Since when does Filch have a kitten?”
“Since some 7th year left it behind at the end of term. I heard they are in love.”
“Filch and the 7th year?”
“No, Filch and the cat,” Sirius said.
The cat started yowling and Remus cursed, hearing fumbling, uneven footsteps coming down the corridor. “Fuck, Filch is coming.” He stubbed the butt out in the sink and tossed the remaining roach down the drain. He threw the cloak over them and pulled Sirius into the closest stall.
The cat followed them, squeezing under the door and swatting at the hem of the cloak that barely scraped the floor even when Remus hunched as much as he could. “Get out of here,” he hissed at the cat, shooing her away.
Filch was getting closer; Remus could hear him just outside the door. He wrapped his arm around Sirius’ waist, covered his mouth when a surprised sound came from behind his lips, and hauled him up so they were both standing on the seat of the toilet, where Mrs. Norris wouldn’t be able to bat at the cloak and expose them.
Filch pushed the lavatory door open even further and sniffed at the smoky room. They were invisible, but he knew Filch had a special knack for sensing when students were breaking the rules.
“Childrens smoking in the shitter,” he grumbled. “Who’s in ‘ere?” he yelled louder. He hobbled to the stalls and kicked each of them open. The doors slammed against the side of the stalls and echoed against the tiled flooring. Remus was glad he had the foresight to climb up onto the toilet. As Filch got closer, Remus’ grip on Sirius’ waist tightened and he pressed his hand against his mouth even harder. He felt him gulp against his palm.
When he got to the stall they were hiding in, Filch let out an evil sounding chuckle. “This must be the one.” Remus held his breath and didn’t dare move a muscle. The door slammed open with a bang.
“Mrs. Norrisss,” Filch cried when he saw the tabby. He picked her up and cradled her against the scruff of his cheek. “Who’s a good girl?” he cooed at her.
Remus felt Sirius’ face cringe beneath his palm. Remus didn’t let himself think about how pathetic the scene was, or he would undoubtedly crack up and give them away. They waited until they heard Filch’s steps fade away and then they waited some more.
“Is he gone?” Sirius whispered.
“I think so.”
A moment passed and then Sirius snorted, falling into a fit of heaving laughter. “Merlin, he’s a nut.”
Remus shook his head. “I can’t believe we got away with that.” It took him a second for his inebriated brain to catch up with what had happened and then he realized that he was still pressing Sirius hard against his own body.
“That was—” Sirius started to speak but Remus let go of him abruptly and dropped his arm awkwardly at his side. Sirius lost his balance at the sudden change and his foot went careening into the toilet bowl. He let out a curse and held onto Remus’ shoulder as he tried to pull it out.
“Fuck Pads, I’m sorry.” Remus cringed and realized he was probably too high to be standing on top of the toilet. He stepped off of the seat clumsily but that only made Sirius nearly topple to the ground, his foot still stuck in the drain. “Fuck, sorry,” he said again. Remus helped him out of the toilet until he was steady on his feet. “Let me help you dry off,” he offered.
Sirius covered his eyes, his shoulders shaking, and for a moment, Remus thought he had started to sob.
“Hey, hey, I’m sorry,” Remus said, trying to remove his hands from his face. “Are you alright?” he asked but when Sirius moved his hands he saw that, while he had a few stray tears in the corners of his eyes, his face had been taken over by a large grin.
“I can’t believe this,” Sirius wheezed. “This has to be the funniest thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Remus chuckled too; glad the Sirius wasn’t too upset with him for making him fall in the toilet. “Here,” he offered, and cast a quick-drying charm on Sirius’ socks and shoes. “There, good as new. Now let's get out of here before Filch comes back.”
“Where were you guys?” Peter asked when they entered the dorm.
“In the bathroom.” “Got lost.” They said at the same time.
“I thought you said you were going down to the kitchens, Pads?”
“Yeah, and weren’t you just on rounds, Moony? Lily came back like half an hour ago.”
Sirius snorted. “What’s with the 3rd degree?”
James eyed them up and down, taking in their blown-out pupils and their mussed-up hair. “Oh Merlin, you guys are high aren’t you?”
“Without us?”
Remus and Sirius took one look at each other and were no longer able to hold in their laughter, the events of the night catching up with them. They clutched their bellies and wiped the tears from their eyes as they came.
“I think they’ve gone mental,” Peter said to James, and Remus couldn’t agree more. He was finally able to calm down and went to his bed and plopped down on it, unceremoniously. He leaned back and folded his arms behind his head while Sirius put an album on the record player.
Pete told them all about his evening with Susanna (they snogged in a broom closet) and James talked about how excited he was for quidditch tryouts. All felt right in the world and Remus contemplated going to the girls’ dorm to borrow Mary’s camera to document just how right things were, but he was too comfortable just lying on his bed. He closed his eyes and hummed along to the music. The weed had relaxed his muscles, and sleep was pulling at every fiber of his being.
“Lads,” came James' panicked voice from somewhere in the room. There was a shuffling of papers on his desk and the sound of objects being tossed carelessly around. “I think I’ve lost the map.”
The last thing Remus heard before his brain shut off for the night, was the sound of Sirius laughing.
…
Marlene’s birthday fell on the same day as quidditch tryouts. They were looking for two new players to replace the 7th years from the year before and for some reason, the new captain wanted the whole team to be there. Something about wanting to see how the recruits played with the team. She rolled out of bed before either of her roommates and dressed in her quidditch kit with her eyes half closed.
It wasn’t until she was on the pitch when Sirius flew over to her, grabbed onto the handle of her broomstick, and pulled her in for a hug that she remembered that she was finally 15.
“Happy birthday, McKinnon,” James said, chipper despite the early morning. It figured that he wouldn’t be flying too far from Sirius.
“Thanks, Potty,” she said, causing James to make a face at the unflattering nickname.
When he flew away, Sirius turned back to her. “So, anything new? Perhaps a new marking somewhere on your body that wasn’t there last night?”
Marlene snorted at his tactlessness. “Haven’t looked yet,” she told him.
“What do you mean you haven’t looked yet?”
“It must have slipped my mind when I woke up at the butt crack of dawn this morning.” She let out a full-mouthed yawn to emphasize her point.
Sirius looked like he wanted to say more, but Marlene was saved by the sound of the captain’s whistle. She took off to take her position near the goalposts and snickered at the way Sirius had to catch his balance.
The wind on her face made her forget all about her mark during practice. She was also focused on the newbies; the potential new players to see who was decent and who was absolute garbage. There was no way they were going to lose the cup again this year, not if she had a say in it.
So, she was grateful that there were only a few girls on the team and each of them got their own row to change in privacy because when she took off her sweaty gear, her soul mark was staring her right in the face. Like a snowflake, it was one of a kind and unlike any other mark she had seen on anyone else. It was also right on the fleshy underside of her bicep. Guess I can’t wear tank tops anymore, she thought to herself.
She thought it would feel different— seeing her soul mark for the first time, but, as she studied its ridges and curves, she realized it wasn’t any different than looking at the mole that adorned her collarbone. Maybe it would feel different when she found her mate, she thought hopefully.
She dressed quickly, thanked the founders for making them wear long-sleeved shirts, and, once it was covered, tried to push it out of her mind.
“Looks like you have a fan, McKinnon,” the captain said to her as they walked out of the girl’s locker room.
It was Lily. She was wearing a long skirt like the kind that was popular with muggle women and was leaning against the bottom of the stands. She looked out of place amongst the players who were now dragging their way to breakfast. Marlene jogged over to her.
“Happy birthday, Marls.”
“Thanks. What are you doing out here? You missed tryouts if you were trying to go out for the team.”
“Just wanted to wish you a happy birthday,”
Marlene lifted an eyebrow at her. She could have told her a breakfast, but something told her Lily had something else on her mind. “And?”
“And…” Lily bit her lip, knowing she had been caught. “I wanted to talk.”
“Alright, shoot.”
“Well,” she started slowly. “Didyougetasoulmark?” She bit out as fast as possible.
Marlene crossed her arms over her chest. “Is Lily Evans really asking me about my soul mark? Did curiosity finally get the cat?”
“Trust me,” she sighed. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t have a good reason.”
“Hell yeah, I got a soul mark. You wanna see it,” she said, starting to unbutton the top of her shirt, knowing that Lily would stop her.
“Marlene! Stop that!”
“Okay, so what was all this about, Lils?”
“I just came down here to say maybe you shouldn’t tell anyone.” She looked down at her trainers. “That you got a soul mark.”
“Why? It’s not as taboo as it used to be. You know that.”
“It’s just…Mary,” she explained. “I don’t want her to feel left out for not getting one.”
“She seemed fine about it,” Marlene said. She had even said so herself, so what was Lily worried about?
“For now, but what if she and Billy break up?”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” She thought of how bad she felt on the morning of Mary’s birthday after bringing it up. That really had been a faux pas on her part. “Yeah, don’t worry. Mums the word.”
Later that day, when a group of Gryffindors had congregated on a grassy part of the grounds upon picnic blankets surrounded by food, drinks, and a cake just for her, Mary asked her the same question. She had already blown out her candles and opened her gifts when she turned to her. “So, birthday girl, where’s your mark?”
Marlene hummed, happy and full of cake and butterbeer. She felt many eyes on her as she answered. “I think I’m gonna keep that info to myself, thanks. At least for now,” she said and sent a subtle wink towards Lily when she knew Mary wasn’t looking.
Mary groaned. “Lily got to you didn’t she?”
“Perhaps,” she laughed, but that was all she would say. They stayed out there for hours, enjoying the remnants of summer before autumn hit full force in the next few weeks, until the sky turned orange and then dark blue. Marlene was 15 and she would have a soul mate someday, but for now, she was content just to hang out with her friends.