chapter twenty two
Marigold snuck back into her room close to breakfast time, ready to report her recon results as they all got ready. They each sat at their respective vanities, passing mascara and lip tint when requested, and giggling over the gossip Marigold had to share.
“Lily, I think you’ll find that if you ask James to lay off Severus, he will. Those bloody Mauradurs are concocting plans to make Bellatrix Lestrange miserable instead,” Marigold tied her hair up in a messy pony tail for the quidditch off season conditioning James had scheduled after classes.
“Really? That’s great news, maybe we will be able to stop sneaking around sooner than I thought!” Lily hummed fondly, brushing her red hair and dreaming of James.
“He’s so devoted, I swear he’d do the impossible for you! You’re so lucky!” Dorcas complimented.
“Did Peter say anything about me, ms under cover spy?” Marlene asked, fixing her eye liner.
“Oh yes he did, he admitted he wanted to be your boyfriend, but he’s scared because he thinks you’re out of his league,”
“He’s really insecure, poor guy, please tell us you’ll help his confidence?” Lily frowned.
“I’m trying, you girls don’t even know how sad it really is, he thinks every compliment is a joke even from the other Marauders!” Marlene fretted.
“At least you know he’s a sensitive guy? That’s better than the cold and stoic blokes you’ve dealt with before!” Dorcas pointed out, spraying a little extra of her perfume knowing she and Mary had plans in her dormitory later.
“That’s true, he is a big sweet heart! And how are your lads, Marigold? Just as horny as ever?” Marlene winked.
“Actually, I don’t want to make a big deal out of it, but Remus and I messed around without Sirius for the first time!” She smiled to herself at the memroy.
“Oh my god! And? That’s seriously not all you have to say, is it?” Lily turned, eyes wide and jaw dropped.
“Great, wonderful even, and I’m so thankful it didn’t feel like we were betraying him or going behind his back!” She sighed contently, finished getting ready despite the bags evident under her eyes from staying up so late.
“You gonna try the same thing with Mr. Black too?” Marlene stood, putting on her shoes.
“Maybe…” Marigold replied coyly, making her fiends giggle.
“All I’m gonna say is this weekend, the three of us will be out for a couple of hours Saturday!” Dorcas teased as the headed to breakfast.
That night as the girls studied or read in bed, trying to tuck in early before their undoubtedly busy weekends of dates, there sounded a knock on the door. All four looked between the two confused as to who the guest could be, but before any of them could cross to open the door, it opened.
In flew Alexander and William on his quidditch broom, dropping to the floor with giddy smiles on their faces.
“Hey you two, how the hell did you get up here? I thought the stairway was charmed to prevent the opposite gender from getting up?” Marigold stood, hugging them both and offering them seats on her gold patterned bed.
“Hence my broom, turns out there’s no jinx on the door handle itself, you just can’t step a foot on the stairs!” Alexander explained.
“That’s very useful information, can Peter borrow that broom sometime?” Marlene joked, sitting up straighter to talk with the guests.
“Yeah sure,” Alexander laughed, his eyes crinkling and his smile broadening. William next to him seemed to squirm with excitement.
“To what do we owe the pleasure, gentlemen?” Lily stood, standing next to Marigold now.
“Well…” William started, looking at Alexander for permission before taking his hand. “We’re going around and letting select people people know we’re a couple, we thought you girls should be some of the first on our list!”
Dorcas squealed as the others congratulated them on being so brave and so in love. Dorcas and Marigold especially, this meant a lot to.
“Well Dorcas, you and Mary really inspired us!” Alexander gave, a proud smile on his face.
“I’m so glad, is it alright if I tell her what you’ve said?” She got up to hug them both.
“That’s more thank okay with us!” He returned. “Also, I’ve written our grandmother and grandfather in Greece and they seemed pleased with the news!”
“Oh that’s lovely, I knew they’d be supportive!” Marigold beamed. “And your family knows, I presume, William?”
“Oh yes, my mum’s an ally through and through,” The boy’s dark eyes shown bright as he assured.
“We won’t tell the Marauders unless you want us too, otherwise, your secrets safe with us!” Lily told them affectionatly.
“Oh it’s alright, things would be easier if they knew anyway!” William agreed.
“I um, I wrote mum and dad too, Marigold…” Alexander’s mood shifted slightly, his voice wavered. “Mum owled back very dryly, she only said to be careful, and that dad didn’t even say anything when he read my letter,”
“Oh they're just jealous because their love and passion dried up as soon as I was born, regardless of what those miserable middle-aged hags have to say about it,” Marigold comforted, taking Alexander’s head in both her hands like she used to do when he cried. “You and William deserve nothing less than joy and celebration!”
“Thank you,” He hummed, closing his eyes briefly to collect himself. “William’s coming to Greece with me the first week of summer break, but then grandmother says you can invite anyone you’d like. I didn’t tell any of our family your activities,”
“Oh I’ll write to mum and dad alright, and I hope they’re really disappointed in the fact that their only daughter grew up to be a slut,” She cackled. “I’ll write to grandmother as well, but I’ll keep things much more PG for her sake.”
And so Marigold did just that, writing smugly to her parents in London about how she’s passed between two best friends, neither of which are recognized as her boyfriend, and that she didn’t care if they disapproved or thought her too young. She knew it would give her parents something to bitch about when she eventually came home, but at least it would prevent them from solely focusing on their gay son with their nagging and insults.
She decided she’d spend the summer in Greece anyway since Alexander wasn’t going home to London either. He’d be spending the rest of the summer’s break at the Berkley’s where he wouldn’t feel guilty or judged for being in love with his boyfriend.
She would write to her grandparents and confirm that eight teenagers in the house and the garden wouldn’t be too much for a couple of nights. She’d also let everyone know soon, that they were formally invited to the little hilly coastal town on the Mediterranean.
But for now, it was Saturday morning and the Gryffindor group sat at breakfast, a mood of excitement and anticipation evident in almost everyone. Marigold kept catching Sirius’ eye contact, sending flirty winks and silent smiles towards him, begging that he’d be free to join her up in her dorm soon.
“Alright well I’ve got to be off, Professor Slughorn wants to talk to me about something important he says,” Remus stood abruptly, arguably the most academically driven out of the eight.
“I’m meeting Mary soon to go to Hogsmeade, we’re going on a double date in the tea shop with Alexander and William!” Dorcas said in a hushed voice, glancing down the table at her girlfriend, who was already watching with a smile.
“Peter, fancy taking me to the three broomsticks at least?” Marlene sighed, preparing herself for a gentle rejection and an alternative to the suggested date.
“How about we go for a picnic near the black lake instead?” He asked nervously, whipping his hands on his pant legs.
“Really?” Her eyes lit up and she beamed at him.
“Yeah, I’ve had it planned for a couple of days actually, come on!” He announced giddily as she took his hand in hers.
“Well Jamie and I are going to the library, he’s not going to pass end-of-year exams unless I force him to read his textbooks!” Lily explained.
“Yeah, sure, that’s what you’re doing in the empty library on a Saturday,” Sirius rolled his eyes, knowing James wasn’t going to be reading anything unless it was written on Lily’s neck and chest.
“Sod off mate, you’ve got your own,’ James pushed him playfully, alluding to Goldie who watched the group trickle away slowly, confident that at least half of the excuses were planned so that she had the dorm unoccupied.
“Want to go back to mine now?” She offered as soon as she was certain James and his secret girlfriend were out of earshot.
He didn’t say anything for a moment, just blinking at her innocently as he chewed her toast and thought over her words. As soon as he understood what her lowered chin and husky whisper alluded to, however, he was nodding eagerly, dropping the rest of his breakfast and leading the way to the Gryffindor tower.
She had stashed her broom behind a curtain the night before, hoping she’d get the chance to test Alexander’s theory for herself. Sure enough, flying with Sirius behind her, his arms wrapped around her and lips attached to her collarbones, they made it successfully into her dorm.
“We’ve got the place to ourselves for a couple of hours at least!” She mumbled, setting down the broom on their cobblestone floor and attaching herself to Sirius’ front.
“Well fuck, let’s not waste it,” He assured, launching them onto her bed.
Two hours later, much sooner than either of them expected, Lily and Dorcas opened the dorm’s door, Marlene just behind them. Marigold looked up at them sheepishly, still undressed with the man beside her.
“Whoa, all three of your dates were seriously that short?” Sirius asked, his arms folded behind his head on the pillows, not embarrassed at all for his state of undress.
“Well, James and I got thrown out of the library when some first years saw us kissing in the restricted section and tattled,” Lily groaned, falling on her bed next to Marigolds.
“And Narcissa and Malfoy were on a date at the table next to us so we left early,” Dorcas flopped next to Lily.
“Peter planned a picnic on one of the rainiest days of this spring, I came back to fix to my makeup before we hang out some more,” Marlene drew attention to her soaked clothes and running makeup. Sure enough, the rain beat on the glass behind their beds, although the couple had hardly noticed it till now.
“The other three boys are wrestling in the common room, if you want to get dressed and join them,” Dorcas giggled, not going to let Sirius get away without pointing out his being naked in their friend's bed.
“Nah, sounds boring, and I’m almost certain it’ll smell like testosterone,” He scrunched up his nose.
“Well can I steal Marigold to help me with my ruined hair, at least?” Marlene asked hopefully.
“Of course, I’ll watch!” He submitted joyfully.
Marigold’s friends tugged her up from the warm bed, and she wrapped a thin white sheet around her form, standing behind Marlene as she sat in her vanity. Sirius picked up his pants from the edge of the footboard, watching intently as he put them on under the covers.
Then, he sat on Marigold’s trunk and watched in interest as the three girls bustled about Marlene, pampering her by gently removing her ruined makeup, and placing it all back on perfectly.
They giggled amongst themselves as they did, a wonder to the only boy in the room. How lovely it must be for the girls, to have such close friendships and so many fancy items to play with on their appearance.
Marigold, although the most tomboy of the four, sometimes adorned her hair in beautiful waves or her eyes lined with sharp colors, sometimes there was glitter in the tear ducts and often a dark substance on her lashes to keep them curled. He had never really wondered before how those things happened, too lost in his world of boyhood. Now he watched with unadulterated fascination, and Marigold caught his stare in the mirror as she twisted Marlene’s long blonde hair into two matching fishtail braids.
“Siri, have you ever had your hair done?” She asked, smiling.
“Yes, oh please!” Dorcas lit up.
“You could do so much with all that on your head!” Marlene encouraged.
“Please Sirius, let us?” Lily pleaded.
“Alright, I’m game,” He chuckled, shrugging.
Marlene’s look was perfected shortly after, and having three friends to help out greatly sped up the process. Marigold tugged on a silk robe, too excited to get fully dressed before placing Sirius at her vanity.
He recognized it as hers, even though he’d never been in the room before, because of the neroli perfume he’d seen her receive from her grandmother who made it. It also had the moving image of her laying between Sirius and Remus last year in the common room when she was sick, placed between the glass mirror and the wood frame.
Sirius felt like a doll, the four of them fussing over his hair and paying him no mind as they gossiped about famine woes and drama with their peers. The four worked on combing, smoothing, braiding, tightening, and everything else imaginable as Sirius watched in the mirror.
When they finished, all four girls admired their work, a shirtless Sirius sat before them, his long and dark hair pulled into a very bohemian look of scattered small braids around his head. His once masculine features appeared so desperately babygirl in this new look. He flirted with himself in the mirror, making them laugh.
“Can I learn how to braid?” Sirius looked up at Marigold in the mirror.
“Yes, of course, I can teach you a couple of ways!” She nodded.
“I better run, Mary will wonder where I’ve gone off to, and my hair's too short anyways!” Dorcas sang as she exited, a gift she’d forgotten earlier for her girlfriend now tucked safely under her arm.
“Me too, Peter’s probably thinking I’m avoiding him at this point!” Marlene sighed, grabbing her purse on her way out.
“Want to go make all three remaining boys learn to braid?” Marigold posed to Lily, not wanting to make her third wheel.
“Brilliant!” Lily agreed, fetching spare hair ties and a couple of combs.
Sirius watched the reflection of Marigold dressing behind him, tossing the brown silk robe so accidentally elegantly onto her bed to deal with later. He admired how lovely she was, even when she was struggling to pull a turtle neck over her head or dance herself into some skin-tight bell bottoms.
She caught his eyes glancing up to inspect her outfit. She smirked knowingly, but he didn’t try to provide an excuse or look away. He just adored her. He hugged her close as they rode down on her broom, Lily hopping down the steps just in front of them.
The five of them left the common room in favor of their dorm, to give Peter and Marlene privacy in their makeshift date. James put on a slow and lazy record, the Saturday turning into that of a perfectly relaxing one.
Marigold used Lily as a model for four types of braids, the perfect person for the job as she had the longest hair out of their friends and likely the healthiest as well. James took over for her, struggling through a French braid but not giving up.
Next, she showed Remus with Sirius’ hair, loving the way his warm fingers shadowed her own. He was a great learner, mastering the braid quickly. She watched in admiration as his nibble fingers worked, and leaned a cheek on his shoulder to watch his talent.
“Is there anything you can’t do, mate?” James laughed, looking between Remus’ perfect braid and his own, very messy and loose one.
“Hm, let’s see, I can’t not be a monster!” Remus joked, but Marigold didn’t find it very funny.
“You’re nothing of the sort, stop it,” She frowned, picking her head up to gaze at him in the eye, pushing his own hair out of his beautiful hazel eyes with her palm.
He didn’t reply, only looking back at her with those half-lidded eyes, full of affection. He stole a quick kiss and offered a small smile afterward. She took it, knocking their foreheads together, hoping he would understand her message without words.
“Since you’re so good at it, Mooney, want to show me how?” Sirius asked, stretching his back from sitting as a good model.
“Yeah sure, sit on the floor, Gold, don’t hurt your back.” Remus submitted.
Marigold sat on the rug beneath Sirius’ bed, her back against the side, her layered hair taken onto the mattress by Remus. The tips of his fingers traced across her neck, a perfect mix of ticklish and comforting.
Then, Sirius's hands were at her scalp massaging, in the ends of her hair toying around, and everywhere in between as he clumsily tried to make to fishtail braids from Remus’ couching. She wished they would play with her hair every time she was upset or tired, as it lulled her into a serene hum all over her body. Her eyes fell closed, and her face relaxed entirely.
Lily had already fallen asleep, and James curled up next to her, perched on an elbow so he could look at his friends and talk. When Marigold fell close to the edge of sleep herself, Sirius didn’t stop playing with her hair, finding the task a great way to keep himself from fidgeting with all his extra energy. Remus played on his stomach, tracing shapes onto the girl’s shoulder blade beneath him.