they’re so pretty it hurts [DISCONTINUED]

Dorcas is going to wrap her stupid tie around her stupid neck and bang herself from the stupid ceiling and watch Slughorn’s stupid face as she slowly dies. But she can’t do that. Because then she won’t be able to see Marlene again.

The moment Dorcas had seen Gryffindor in bold calligraphy next to her potions class, she began her rant about how it was totally unfair for her to be tortured like this. She’d glanced at McGonagall and she was pretty sure that the Headmistress was setting her up. Dorcas paused her talking to look at Pandora and Emma who were sat across from her.

“Dorcas, you know that we can’t understand you, right?” Emma said with a slight quirk of her lips.

Dorcas rolled her eyes and shoved at Emma’s shoulder, “Oh, piss off, you’ve got Quidditch to get to.”

Emma cackled, “Love you, too!”

“Make the boys lose for us!” Pandora shouted after her.

Emma shook her head, “I will, don’t worry!”

When Emma had walked far enough away that they couldn’t see her, Pandora immediately burst into a large smile.

“Don’t make that face.”

Her smile widened, “What face? I’m not making any faces.”

Dorcas groaned, “Nothing is going to happen!”

Pandora held a galleon between her thumb and her finger, “I bet you two will be made to sit together.”

“You know I won’t bet against you. You always win! Unless it’s against Regulus. I’m honestly scared of whatever you two are.”

Pandora clutched her hand to her chest, “Aww, Dorky! That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me!”

She shoved at Pandora’s shoulder slightly before replying, “Shuddup!”

McGonagall cleared her throat and her voice echoed in the Great Hall. The two girls fell silent as they listened to her. As soon as she was done telling them o get to class, Dorcas made the mistake of looking at the Gryffindor Table. Marlene had a new haircut, the tips of her hair dyed red. Not Gryffindor red, an angry red, one that represented rage and rebellion. Marlene was laughing. Head tilted back, grin wide, laugh loud. Salazar, she was beautiful.

Dorcas watched Marlene for a bit, trying to soak her in as much as she could. Pandora had noticed that she wasn’t paying attention anymore and she had twisted in her seat to look at what or who Dorcas was drooling over. Rolling her eyes, Pandora flicked her forehead and shook her head.

“You can simp over your girlfriend in potions, come on!”

Dorcas spluttered, pumpkin juice spilling from her mouth, “Simp?! GIRLFRIEND?!”

Pandora laughed and dragged Dorcas through the crowd, delivering her to her potions class and successfully making herself late to Divination. Dorcas silently prayed as she entered the classroom, squeezing her eyes shut before looking at the seating plan drawn out on the blackboard.

Dorcas Meadowes was written in capital letters next to Marlene McKinnon. Somewhere, in the back of her head, a little voice whispered how it should say Dorcas and Marlene McKinnon. Ignoring it, she looked at the people around her. Mary McDonald and Lily Evans were sitting together, in front of where Dorcas would be sitting. James Potter and Regulus were sitting behind her and she internally laughed at the thought. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were sitting behind them and Peter was sadly sitting next to Avery.

Dorcas sighed and sat in her seat. Marlene sat down a couple of seconds later. She gave a tight smile and began to unpack all of the things she would need for potions. Regulus burst in a while later, panting slightly. He groaned when he saw the seating plan. Flopping down in his chair and tapping Dorcas on the shoulder, he began talking in French so fast, Dorcas -who was still trying to learn the language- could only pick up a couple of words.

While doing this, he was unpacking his stuff, combing a hand through his hair. Marlene had stared in shock for a minute or so before pulling at Lily’s hair lightly and making Mary and Lily turn around to talk to her. Slughorn was next in the class. He clapped his hands together loudly and chalk flew from the desk to the blackboard, writing the potions they would be making and how.

Amortentia. They were going to be making the strongest love potion in the world. Dorcas was screwed. Before anyone could dwell on the dangerous game they would be playing, four boys burst in, laughing as they went.

The Marauders had arrived. What a pretentious name. The Marauders. Why would you ever call yourself that on purpose? It didn’t make any sense to Dorcas. At all. When they looked at the new seating plan, Peter audibly groaned, Sirius screeched as Remus picked him up and threw him over his shoulder, Remus rolled his eyes and made sure Sirius actually sat down and James grin widened.

When James sat down, he looked immediately entranced by Regulus, who was still rambling about something in French. His mouth had fallen open, eyes wide slightly and he watched Regulus. Regulus had slowed down now, so Dorcas could understand him, and the only obvious option was to join him in rambling. Out of the corner of her eye, Dorcas watched as Marlene span around in her seat, mouth hanging open and eyes wider than saucers, a matching expression to James’.

James and Marlene watched Dorcas and Regulus ramble in French like it was the most interesting thing they’d ever seen. The two Gryffindors turned to look at each other, glancing at the two Slytherins. The Gryffindors nodded at each other and tried to pry their attention away from Regulus and Dorcas and instead looked at the words on the blackboard.

“Amortentia.” Sirius whispered in James’ ear, making him jump, startled.

“Merlin, Padfoot!” James yelped, slapping Sirius head away as ‘Padfoot’ giggled.

Slughorn called for silence, “We will be making Amortentia, the instructions and ingredients are on the board and in your books. You may begin.”

Regulus nudged James slightly, “I’ll get the ingredients, set up the cauldron without burning anything?”

It sounded like a question but before James could answer, he was gone getting ingredients. Dorcas told Marlene the same.

“Okay, have you got the cauldron ready?” Dorcas asked once she sat back down.

Marlene nodded, “One Ashwinder egg first.”

The two girls added the rest of the ingredients, finishing off their potion. James and Regulus had finished a few minutes before them but Regulus had been forced to grab James’ wrists and stop him from adding too much rosethorns or other ingredients multiple times. James definitely enjoyed that.

Lily and Mary finished a few seconds after they did, Peter kept purposefully messing up his potion -or maybe not on purpose- which means Avery was shouting at him and they both were going to get a failing mark. Sirius and Remus were both blushing at every brush of their skin but they finally finished their potion.

Slughorn went around to inspect their potions. He nodded and Dorcas and Marlene, he smiled at Lily and Mary, He congratulated James and Regulus, he shook his head at Remus and Sirius and sighed at Peter and Avery.

“You may smell the Amortentia and note it down but you are strictly forbidden from taking any with you.” Slughorn told them.

Marlene leaned forward slightly, a strand of her hair falling from the bun placed precariously on top of her head, nose scrunching and eyes squinting at the potion. How could she make such a simple action look so mesmerising?

“I smell. . . Some kind of spices? Um, there’s that smell after it rains. There’s something metallic in there as well, a type of metal? I can’t really smell anything else, the spices are too strong to focus on anything else.” Marlene said.

Strong spices. Dorcas loved to eat spicy food, she adored the way it stung and burned at her tongue and throat. Dorcas loved to dance in the rain, calling it a natural shower and forcing her friends to dance with her. Dorcas made her own jewellery and the thing that held the crystals and bead in place was metal. Everything in Marlene’s potion pointed to Dorcas.

But Marlene could never love Dorcas, so Dorcas decided to ignore it and leaned forward to smell it. Marlene blushed slightly. Dorcas might have blushed a little at their close proximity but not a lot.

“I smell. . . Bleach or some kind of hair dye. New eyeliner. Hmm, the freshly cut grass on the Quidditch Pitch. Fire. The fire is really strong. It’s kind of cosy but like you know it can burn you and it’s gonna hurt.”

Marlene loved to dye her hair. Marlene loved her eyeliner and even taught Sirius, Lily, Mary, Remus, James and Peter how to do it. Arlene loved Quidditch. Marlene loved fire, absolutely adored it. If Marlene figured out that Dorcas had smelt her in her Amortentia, then Dorcas would simply move countries, move continents, leave the Earth. If she found out, she was doomed.

Dorcas desperately wanted to ask Regulus what he smelt right then and there so James and Regulus could figure out their feelings for each other but Slughorn had just told them all to pack up. Dorcas tidied quickly, wanting to get away from Marlene before she realised anything.

Dorcas was out of the door and waiting at The Tree for Pandora, Barty, Evan and Regulus.

She was so screwed.