Chapter 3
“Dorcas! Get your horse under control” Hooch, the riding instructor called.
Marlene was standing against the wall of the riding hall, watching as Dorcas rode the horse.
She was watching, because of the fact that Marlene’s family wasn’t well off financially, so Marlene couldn’t get her own horse, therefore watching would just have to do. And if she was lucky, she would get to ride a horse, well not just a horse, she would get to ride Dorcas’ horse. She had a deal with Dorcas, that if she helped out with the chores that comes with being a horse owner, Dorcas would let her ride. Marlene, without question, had agreed. She would do anything to ride.
She was still watching Dorcas, who wasn’t able to get her horse under control, when Hooch again spoke. “Marlene, go over and help Dorcas with Tabitha”
Tabitha, the name of Dorcas’ horse. Why it was named Tabitha, had always been a bit of a mystery for Marlene. If she was asked to guess what kind of animal had the name Tabitha, she would definitely not say horse. Maybe she should ask Dorcas why Tabitha was her choice of name, Marlene thought to herself. Or maybe she shouldn’t ask, and just go over and help, the poor girl was almost falling off the horse.
So Marlene walked over to the horse slowly approaching, to not scare her.
“Shh, good girl” she began whispering to the horse, when she got close.
She did a combination of whispering calmly and slowly stroking the forehead and cheek area, and after a minute, the horse was calm enough, that Dorcas could get off.
“Thanks” Dorcas said looking a little irritated, and sounding the same.
“Can I ride her?” Marlene asked, but she didn’t say it as confident as she normally would have.
“I guess” Dorcas answered, again irritated.
And because it wasn’t very often Marlene had the chance to ride, she took the answer as a yes, and started mounting the horse.
—
Marlene was done with riding for the day, and had taken Tabitha out of the hall, to where she would be groomed.
Marlene had just started the grooming when she heard a voice say, “You know, I am perfectly capable of that myself” It was Dorcas, walking towards Marlene and her horse.
“No worries, I love doing it. It’s like bonding time with Tabitha for me” Marlene said, and once again she contemplated asking about the name.
“Just give me the brush Marlene” Dorcas said, kind of aggressive.
Marlene handed over the brush to Dorcas, who promptly started to brush.
“Should I, like, pick out the hooves?” Marlene asked awkwardly, she was so bad at talking with Dorcas, especially when they were alone, she couldn’t tell you why, it was just like whenever Dorcas would enter the room, all her words disappeared. Marlene hated it, she was always so good at talking, and keeping things from getting awkward.
“After like 15 minutes in the hall?” Dorcas asked, and because Marlene was a girl who needed very direct instructions, she decided to just start cleaning out the hooves.
“What are you doing, I just said you shouldn’t do that” Dorcas said. She was really irritated today huh?
“Well actually you didn’t say no, you just said Tabitha had been in the hall for 15 minutes”
“Exactly” Dorcas answered and Marlene couldn’t really see the obvious about her statement.
“I’m sorry but I don’t really see how that equals to a no” Marlene said, it sounded weak, and Marlene hated that, she wasn’t weak! Why did she always have to act so different around Dorcas?
“How ca-“ Whatever Dorcas was about to say to Marlene was interrupted when Mason, Marlene’s brother, walked in.
“You ready to go home Marlene?” He asked.
Marlene looked over to Dorcas, “just go, I’ll do the rest” she said.
“I can help you if you need, you know. Just say the word” Marlene offered.
“Oh my god, just fuck off” Dorcas said, very rudely, not looking even remotely sorry.
And so Marlene started walking towards her brother, who looked irritated at Dorcas. “She’s not worth it” Marlene whispered to him “just cmon”
They walked out of the riding hall, and started their walk toward the bus, they needed to go home. After about five minutes of silence Mason spoke up.
“You shouldn’t let her talk to you like that, just because she has money doesn’t make her superior to you Marls”
Marlene sighed before answering “ I let her speak to me like that, because I can ride her horse Mason. I don’t care if she calls me poor or an idiot, as long as I get to ride, I’m fine”
“Marls I’m just looking out for you okay, I don’t want you to be treated like shit, okay?”
“I get that you want to help me Mason, but I’m not a little girl anymore, I can handle myself.”
“Just promise to come to me if anything happens, I’m always there to help”
“Yes, I promise” Marlene says rolling her eyes.
—
“Mason! Mitch! Matt! Max! Marlene! Dinner!”
Their mother yelled at them, Marlene could hear some different yells of ‘coming, mum’ from her brothers.
Soon everyone was seated at the dinner table, propping food on their plates or in their mouths.
“Matt, that’s disgusting, eat normally” Marlene said, as her brother chewed loudly and open mouthed on his food.
“You want me to stop doing this?” Matt said with food in his mouth, and starting to chew even louder.
“Matt listen to your sister, stop that” their mum scolded.
Everyone ate, and had begun chatting about their day to one another, when Marlene’s mother began talking to her “So, how’s the stable? Any sweet girls, to be friends with?”
Marlene loved her mum, she really did, but it bothered Marlene, that she always assumed things like only girls could like horses, or only guys played football, and the thing that bothered Marlene the most, girls could only be friends with girls, not more. Marlene was a lesbian, she wasn’t in denial, never had been, she was proud to be, but she still wasn’t out, and that was solely because of the way her mum acted.
“Mum, it’s not only girls, there’s plenty of boys there as well” Marlene paused, not really wanting to admit the next part “and no, there’s no new friends” Marlene looked down at her plate while saying this.
Her mum didn’t respond, just kept eating, it went on like that for some time, before Marlene remember that she needed new riding gear. She hated to ask for it, cause she knew how expensive it could be.
“Uhm, mum?” She started, sounding a little unsure, as she was indeed unsure.
“Yes honey?”
“I- it’s just, I need new riding gear”
“But didn’t you just get some?”
Marlene had gotten some gear about three months ago, but it was the cheap stuff, so I didn’t last that long.
“I got some three months ago, but with the cheaper stuff, it lasts for a shorter time”
Suddenly everyone was quiet, everybody knew that the family had money problems, and therefore, the topic of needing something, was always awkward.
“Marlene, you know about the money situation, and with the school tuition, we don’t have money for that kind of expenses. I’m sorry” her mum told her in a soothing voice, Marlene of course, already knew this, but she thought giving it a shot wouldn’t hurt.
“I know, I’m sorry mum, I’ll find a solution”
Everyone was quiet for a couple of minutes afterwards, but at some point the conversations started again, and it was a normal and nice family dinner again.
—————————————————————
Regulus was on his way to dinner. Here at this school, they all ate together in a dinning hall.
Earlier that day, Sirius and James had showed him around. There wasn’t really anything special about hogwarts, but it had been nice to find out where the different rooms were.
He could hear chatter coming from the dinning hall, and when he walked in, all the students were standing behind a chair.
Bellatrix was standing behind a chair in the front, chatting with a boy, Snape if he remembered right.
“Hey Bella, can I sit here?” Regulus asked, he didn’t know why he asked her, he didn’t really want to sit with her, but she was the closest person he could see that he knew.
“Sorry Reg, the first years have to sit down there” she said pointing at the other end of the table.
He didn’t answer her, and just walked to where she had pointed. When he got there, he saw Sirius, who was pointing to a seat beside him, and the boy he had been introduced to, the day prior, Barty crouch. Sirius was motioning for him to take that chair, and so he did, standing behind it.
“How does dinners work here?” He asked, he didn’t know if he was asking Barty, or his brother.
“Right now we are waiting for our head of house, McGonagall, and when she’s here, everyone will sit down and greet her,” it was Barty who answered him, and he apparently wasn’t done, as he continued “then, the third years will start with taking food, then your brother and the second years, and then finally we will take food”
“Well that doesn’t sound fair” Regulus huffed.
“Get used to it Reggie, here nothing is fair” Sirius had chosen to join their conversation.
Before Regulus could answer, and older lady walked in, Regulus assumed it was their head of house, McGonagall. She walked up to the chair, that was sitting at the far end of the table, she stood behind it for a moment before she spoke “good evening”
“Good evening Mrs. McGonagall” everyone responded.
McGonagall sat down, everyone following her lead, except the third years, who took their plates and started walking to where the food was placed.
“So Regulus, can I call you Reg? I’m gonna call you Reg,” Barty started talking to him, and Regulus was about to tell him, that he couldn’t call him Reg, but Barty just continued to talk, ignoring Regulus’ attempt to stop him. “Reg, I heard you got your own room, I’m jealous, how did you manage that, it’s normally only some of the third years who get a single room”
“I guess it’s because I’m a prince” Regulus said, voice monotone, free of emotions, as he had been taught.
“Oh, you’re a serious kind of person, huh?”
A laugh escaped his brother, and before Sirius could make the joke, that he was no doubt going to make, Regulus cut in, “Sirius I swear to all that’s holy, if you make that joke, I will cut your balls of and feed them to the school horses”
Sirius only started laughing harder, “Reggie you kill me” he choked out in a laughter.
“Wait, why is he laughing like that?” Barty asked.
“Because he’s an idiot,” he said looking at Sirius, before turning toward Barty, to explain the mistake he had made putting the word serious in a sentence near his brother.
“You said that I was ‘a serious kind of person.’ And because of the fact that my idiot brothers name is Sirius, he thinks it’s hilarious”
Barty blinked, looking at Regulus, before quickly joining Sirius in his fit of laughter.
“Oh I like this kid” Sirius said still laughing.
“Shut up, both of you” Regulus said, a little smile on his face, but it was quickly wiped away, replaced with a frown.