Chapter 3
On Saturday, Lily woke up to the sound of Marlene shouting right in her ear.
She and Mary were already up, by the looks of it, certainly due to the anticipation that cursed through their veins at the moment instead of blood.
Lily had never really been one to party, but even she was feeling the excitement of their first proper party together in months.
Truth be told, Lily enjoyed more the time she spent getting ready, putting makeup on while she talked to her friends, than the party itself, but sometimes events like these had the potential to surprise her.
She liked looking in the mirror and feeling pretty, showering her mates with compliments as they did the same to her, but she could honestly skip the whole “stay up ‘til ungodly hours, dancing in a room packed with people, sweating all her makeup off” part.
Still, she was feeling quite optimistic about the night to come.
That was, of course, before she’d been interrupted from her sleep by her two best friends, and all hope was lost, perhaps forever (or maybe Lily was just not a morning person, who knows?).
“What the fuck are you guys doing?” Lily demanded to know, rubbing her eyes in hopes to take her sleep away.
“C’mon, Lily, it’s already nine!” Marlene said. “It’s not like we woke you up at the crack of dawn or something.”
“If it isn’t nine as in twenty-one hours, then I am not moving from this bed.” Lily said, crossing her arms.
“Please,” Mary scoffed. “you once made us get up at four thirty in the morning because you wanted to study for your O.W.L.s, so don’t even try it.” She said.
In Lily’s defence, her excuse was something that would very well affect their future lives, and not a “back to school” party that was still hours away.
She tried to explain as much, but her friends were just as stubborn as her, and she was outnumbered.
Finally, after many minutes of lighthearted arguing, Lily accepted defeat and got up, having already left her sleepiness behind long ago.
She showered and brushed her teeth, already putting outfits together in her head as she did so.
She should’ve probably started planning sooner, but her mind was far too full of assignments she was already behind in to occupy herself with such trifles.
And, of course, there was her whole sexuality crisis on top of that, which refused to be forgotten away in some dusty drawer of her mind.
Instead, it remained uncharted, loudly screaming incomprehensibly until it could be stored somewhere.
Lily wasn’t having much luck with that.
See, she had never given it much thought. She just assumed, like anyone would, that she would never have to worry about that, because she was…
Lily refused, even in her own private thoughts, to use the word she’d been thinking of: normal. She’d assumed she was normal, in any and all ways, and she had been proven wrong, time and time again, by whatever entity you want to believe in.
This was just another thing to add to her list.
And, honestly, her queerness shouldn’t really come as a surprise to her, because there had certainly been signs, plenty of them, if she’s honest, during her life, but she was.
She wasn’t surprised when she saw Sirius and Remus making heart-eyes at each other and blushing when they caught the other staring. She wasn’t surprised when James immediately turned into an idiotic mess (more than usual, if you can believe it) the second he saw Regulus. She wasn’t surprised when she’d found Marlene kissing a girl behind her bed curtains.
And yet.
Yet there she was, absolutely baffled at the possibility that she might also be part of the community.
But she didn’t want to think about that at the moment.
No, she just wanted to have a nice night with her friends. Just one night, free of all her anxieties. Was it really too much to ask?
After all, it was her mind, so she decided she’d better prove it.
It took all her willpower to imagine her own hand reaching down to grab the thought, which had become a file, as per usual, and forcefully shove it down the drawer, repressed until further notice.
And it felt good.
So, as she emerged from the bathroom, steam coming out of the door, she sighed contently and asked: “Do you guys think I should get dressed now or stay in my pyjamas until I have to get dressed up?” Lily said, unwrapping the towel that was previously holding her ginger hair up.
“Well, you need to at least get to the Great Hall to have breakfast, and lunch…” Mary said, looking at her with an indecipherable look on her face as Lily sat on her bed, a larger towel wrapped around her body.
“Right, clothes it is, then.” Lily said, looking for something comfortable to wear until it was time to get all dolled up in her trunk, which was still mostly full, but that wasn’t a priority of hers at the moment.
After picking out a pair of grey sweatpants and a baggy blue T-shirt to wear (muggle clothes, obviously), she closed her bed hangings for privacy, inwardly singing whatever song she could remember from ABBA’s latest album (called ABBA, how original) to avoid the mess that was her brain at the time.
“Do you think we can bully Remus into playing Bang-A-Boomerang?” Lily asked, her mind having found something to focus on for once (other from the thing that Lily was determined on ignoring).
“I think we can definitely try.” Marlene said, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“And if that doesn’t work,” Mary added, “there’s always the option to make Sirius ask him.” She joked, winking, and Lily immediately tried to forget that, though it wasn’t quite possible. Damn her photographic memory.
“Jokes aside, that could actually, like, genuinely work.” Marlene commented.
“Yeah, good luck getting Sirius to do anything to get on Remus’ nerves when it hasn’t been orchestrated by him beforehand.” Mary said.
“Oh my god, right?” Lily exclaimed, happy she could finally talk about this freely instead of sharing half-secret glances with them every time those two interacted, basically. “Like, Sirius can make him angry all he wants, they literally argue for hours at a time, but when I so much as use “the wrong tone” with him, Sirius is all up in my business.” She complained.
“Ugh, exactly!” Marlene said while Mary nodded her head in agreement.
“Honestly, if these idiots don’t figure their shit out soon, I fear we’re going to have to intervene, girls.” Mary proclaimed, a solemn expression in her face, though there was amusement behind it.
Lily was usually against meddling but, given the circumstances, she agreed wholeheartedly with Mary.
***
The Great Hall was unnaturally loud when Lily, Mary, and Marlene went down to have lunch, no doubt from the anticipation.
Obviously, the Gryffindor common room could only hold so many people at once, but Lily was sure it would spread out into quite a few dorm rooms, broom cupboards, and nearby corridors.
Still, Lily felt a bit anxious at the notion that she’d be in a pretty limited space with a large number of people. She wasn’t claustrophobic, really, but it was still a concern.
At least she was lucky enough to have her own room, where she could go if things got to be too much.
Lily sat down next to Remus, who was already eating, along with Sirius, Peter, and James, while Mary and Marlene sat in front of her.
James and Sirius seemed to be arguing about something, but Lily was sure it wasn’t anything serious, because they occasionally just cracked up, making the people surrounding them look up in annoyance.
Peter was, by the looks of it, still quite sleepy, barely managing to hold his head with his hand, his eyelids closing at snail’s pace.
Remus was loading up his plate for the second time, as far as Lily was aware, clearly in a good mood.
Most people would assume that Remus didn’t like parties, and preferred to stay in bed, reading or simply resting, but the truth was that he never missed an opportunity to get absolutely wasted.
“Hey, Remus,” Lily started as she filled her own plate, wanting to get as much energy bottled up as she could before the night came. “have you prepared a setlist already?”
Remus sighed, as if he’d heard that a million times already. “Yes, I’ve already arranged everything, Lily, but we both know that’s not what you’re really asking.”
“Okay, so…” Lily said, waiting to have her real question answered. She’d be damned if she had to find a way to dance to David Bowie’s slowest songs.
“Yes, there’s variety, and yes, you can dance to them.” Remus answered. Lily was about to question this last statement, given that she thought Remus’ notion of “danceable” didn’t really fit with how the rest of the world saw it. “Don’t even start, Lily.” He warned. “Ask James, he’ll tell you.”
James, who had been explaining something apparently vital to Sirius, using many hand movements, turned to them at the mention of his name. “Huh?”
“Are Remus’ songs actually fit for a party, or is this another “Halloween of 74’” situation?” Lily asked him as Remus groaned, glaring at Lily.
“Yes! I barely had to intervene, quite surprising, actually.”
“Will everyone please stop targeting me?” Remus said, exasperated.
“Anyways, settle this for me and James:” Sirius said, changing the subject swiftly. “If McGonagall and Dumbledore were to face each other in a duel to the death, who do you think would win?”
“Really?” Marlene said, unimpressed. “This is what you guys were talking about all this time?” James and Sirius looked at her innocently, as if to say ‘obviously’.
“Well, go on then!” James urged them. “Who d’you think would win?”
“To the death?” Remus asked, as if wanting to clarify the exact situation before forming his opinion. You’d think they were all being graded, by how hard they were thinking about it. Sirius nodded. “Alright, then it’s Dumbledore.”
“What?!” Sirius exclaimed, offended, as James gestured with his hands, saying “I told you so” to his baffled friend.
“Well, if they just had to see who would win, without actually harming one another mortally, then McGonagall would be the obvious choice.” Remus explained. “But, seeing as it’s “to the death”, then it would be Dumbledore, because I refuse to believe Minnie has it in her to kill someone without a really good reason.”
“You know what,” Mary said, “That actually makes sense. I’m with Remus on this one.”
"Are you implying that Dumbledore is a cold-hearted little bitch?" Marlene asked, amused.
"I don't know, Marlene, am I?" Remus responded, smiling enigmatically.
***
Self esteem wasn’t really something Lily practised regularly, but even she had to admit she looked absolutely stunning that night.
After spending quite literally hours crowding over their bathroom mirror with Mary, Marlene, and Sirius (who had somehow managed to get to their room despite the enchanted steps), having already put their makeup on (something simple for Lily, giving her a natural glow), Lily emptied her trunk looking for something to wear.
She hadn’t really packed many fancy clothes, so she’d have to make do with whatever she could find (and a bit of magic to top it off, obviously).
After asking for the girls’ opinions, she finally settled for a long, green dress to match her eyes, enchanting it so it had a slit going up to her thigh. It also glistened when it hit the light a certain way, and Lily thought it gave her a nice figure.
Of course, Mary was, as usual, on an entirely different level.
When Lily emerged from the bathroom she’d admittedly been hoarding, having tied the front strands of her hair behind her head, her brain immediately short-circuited the second she saw her friend.
Honestly, Lily didn’t know if she should be seething with jealousy or fucking drooling. So much for keeping her little crisis under control, right?
“So…” Mary said, spreading her arms out, showing off her glittery silver mini-dress, which clung to every single curve in her body. “How do I look?”
It took Lily a few seconds to register what she’d said, too distracted by the sight.
On a normal day, Mary was absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, but when she got all dressed up… Well, that was an entirely different thing.
She’d abandoned her braids to show off her natural hair, which was just a few centimetres from her shoulders and the spaghetti straps keeping her dress in place. She was stunningly beautiful.
“You look…” Lily started, completely awestruck. Perfect. “You look so pretty, Mary, wow!”
“Right?” She said, delighted. “Look, I even enchanted the eyeshadow to shine when I blink, like you taught me to!” She blinked excitedly, as if to prove it.
The already sparkly silver product shimmered with every bat of her eyelashes, and a few particles of glitter floated around her eyes for a few seconds, occasionally.
“What about me?” Lily asked, shyly. “What do you think?” She said, turning around until she was face to face with Mary once again.
“Absolute perfection, Lils.” She grinned, and Lily hoped she’d put enough blush on to hide the real flush of red that invaded her face when she heard that. “Actually, though…” Mary said, looking at her thoughtfully. “I’ve got something that’ll top off your look, just hang on a sec.” She said, rummaging through her stuff until she found whatever she was looking for.
“What is it, Mary?”
“Ta-da!” She exclaimed, holding a golden necklace in her hands.
Hanging from the chain was a little golden lily, which Mary must’ve thought was really fitting for Lily.
“C’mon, let me put it on.” Mary said as she got behind Lily, delicately gathering all her ginger hair, placing it on her left shoulder, before putting the jewellery around her neck, letting it fall on Lily’s pale chest, highlighting that area.
“There, now you look completely and utterly perfect.” Mary concluded, squeezing Lily’s arm lightly, a lingering touch that Lily fought really hard not to dwell on.
“D’you reckon Pandora and her Slytherin friends are actually gonna come?” Lily asked, changing the subject to anything but herself.
“Honestly, I’ve got no fucking clue.” Mary shrugged, her shoulders going up, which made the dress tighten even more around her body, something Lily was trying to avoid looking at (and failing miserably). “They might, though, and then Marlene is going to lose her shit.” Mary smirked.
“Not to mention Potter, obviously.” Lily continued, chuckling. “Seriously, seems like it was only last year he was cursing his name with Sirius without having even seen him, blindly believing all the stuff he told him.” Lily said. “Oh, wait, that’s because it was actually last year!” She said sarcastically.
“Right?” Mary agreed. “To be honest, though, I’m kind of living for it.” She added, because of course she would.
“‘Cause if anything actually happens, it’ll drive Sirius mad?” Lily completed, half-heartedly refolding her clothes and putting them back in her trunk.
“Precisely.” Mary winked (and Lily definitely didn’t think twice about that, of course not).
***
When Lily and Mary got down, the party hadn’t officially started, but most of the Gryffindors attending it were already scattered about the common room, talking with their respective friends.
James, Peter, Remus, and Sirius were already there, leaning against a wall.
“Why do guys never have personality?” Mary asked, eyeing the four of them. “Seriously, pants and a shirt? Who would’ve thought to pair those two together?” She said sarcastically. Lily snickered.
“Hey, at least I put some makeup on!” Sirius protested, fluttering his eyelashes, which were heavy with mascara, to prove his point.
“Oh, yeah, all praise Sirius for getting Marlene to put some eyeliner on his face.” Mary teased.
“Oi!” As if summoned, the blond girl appeared behind them. “Never insult my makeup skills, MacDonald.”
“Oh, I would never!” Mary assured, feigning offence as she put a hand on her chest. “I was just insulting Sirius.”
“Right, carry on, then.” Marlene smirked, sticking her tongue out at Sirius when he protested.
It didn’t take long for people from other houses to start trickling in, stopping by the table next to the entrance, which held various beverages, alcoholic and otherwise.
With a flick of his wand, Remus put a record on, giving some ambiance to the event. Lily supposed he’d put some kind of spell in it to make it play songs from various artists, not even having to turn the record around or change it when it got to the end, because the player itself lifted the needle and positioned it at the start again, letting an entirely new song flood the room.
Lily stood next to Peter, watching the party bloom and the people dance, watching couples kiss and hold each other as the calmer songs came on, wondering if she’d ever get to experience something like that.
In reality, that wasn’t something new at all. Lily had never been interested in a boy before, something that made her feel a bit isolated from other girls when they started talking about the guys they fancied.
Marlene had known she was a lesbian from a pretty young age so, when people asked her which boy she liked, she simply told people about her sexuality, as if it wasn’t a big deal at all. Because it shouldn’t be.
Lily had never even thought about it, and she really felt no desire to do so, so she simply said the name of the boy she’d been hanging out with last.
Now, though, Lily had finally thought about it, and she desperately wished she hadn’t yet, so she kept travelling back and forth from her space on the wall to the drinks table, taking whatever she thought would get her the drunkest.
“Hey, Lils,” Peter said, shouting slightly to be heard over the music. “I’m gonna go move a little on the dance floor, wanna come?” He asked, holding out his free hand, his other one grabbing a muggle beer.
“Er…” Lily said, looking at the panorama at the moment. She supposed she’d have to get up and actually party eventually, so: “Sure, why not?” She said, taking Peter’s hand.
After a few songs, Mary came over, smiling and holding two shot glasses filled with a suspicious pink drink.
“Mind if I steal her from you, Pete?” Mary said, slurring her words a bit.
“Go ahead, Mary. I’m actually gonna go and see if there’s someone in here I haven’t kissed yet.” He winked, leaving them alone.
Well, maybe alone was a bit of an overstatement, given that they were at a very crowded party at the moment, but it felt like it was just the two of them to Lily.
“Here.” Mary said, giving Lily one of the glasses. “It’s vodka!” She whispered excitedly, almost like a secret.
“Cheers!” Lily said, clinking their shots together before downing it all in one go, feeling the alcohol burn her throat, going down to her chest and belly (hey, maybe the fire will burn these annoying little butterflies, Lily thought).
“Oi, Lupin!” Mary shouted, startling Remus, who was pouring himself a glass of Firewhisky. “Put on some ABBA for my Lily!”
My Lily.
My Lily.
As the intro to Mamma Mia began playing, Lily danced with Mary, letting her friend lead her, mirroring her dance moves, though she was a bit out of it.
My Lily.
Mary had actually said that. She probably didn’t mean anything by it, but a girl could dream.
Okay, Lily thought.
She definitely had a problem now.
***
“C’mon Reggie!” Dorcas pleaded. “It’ll be fun, I promise.”
“I told you, I’m not going to that fucking party, Cas.” Regulus sighed.
“Barty and Evan are going.” Dorcas said, pointing at them with her hand. “Pandora is probably going…”
“I don’t care.”
“Guys, help me out here!” Dorcas said, looking at Evan and Barty, who were currently sprawled out on one of their beds, already dressed up (though that was kind of an overstatement, honestly, because they could’ve just removed their black robes and Slytherin tie and achieved the exact same look).
“I kind of get it, actually.” Barty said, and Dorcas scoffed.
“Oh, so now, after five fucking years, you decide to be considerate to someone’s feelings other than yours?” They joked.
“I mean, you could always go and make out with somebody in front of Sirius and James, which I’m sure neither of them would appreciate.” Evan proposed, smirking as he fidgeted with the skull ring he wore on his thumb.
“Now that’s a plan!” Regulus grinned, then turned to Dorcas. “You could’ve just led with that.”
Dorcas rolled their eyes. “So, you’ll come?” She asked nonetheless. Regulus sighed again before nodding, simply taking off his tie, unbuttoning a few buttons from his shirt and proclaiming he was ready to go.
“Okay, hang on. Which one?” Dorcas asked, signalling to the three outfits she’d previously laid out on top of Regulus’ bed, because they couldn’t decide to save their life.
“The second one.” Barty said.
“Actually, I don’t trust you at all; or Regulus, for that matter, so I’m going to let Evan decide.” Dorcas told them, holding her middle finger in front of Barty.
“So much pressure.” Evan said, sitting up to stare at the three options in front of him, then back at Dorcas. “Well, since you’re already wearing blue makeup, it should definitely be the short-sleeved blue dress.”
“Great choice, Rosier.” Dorcas said, pressing the deep blue dress to her body to get an impression of how it would look.
Satisfied, they hung it around her arm. “Well, then, if you don’t mind, I’m going to steal your bathroom, be ready when I come out.”
***
Looking at herself in the mirror, in their short dress, Dorcas tried to ignore the uneasiness growing in their chest.
They liked wearing dresses, the way it highlighted their body and made her feel pretty, but sometimes she felt like she wasn’t being androgynous enough, as if their appearance had anything to do with their identity as a non-binary person being more or less valid.
They liked wearing dresses, and she also liked wearing suits, but wearing one or the other shouldn’t condition the way she was perceived, or the way they were treated.
It really shouldn’t, but sometimes it did, whether it was coming from someone else or from within, and it made Dorcas feel like absolute shit.
Tonight, though, she really couldn’t be bothered to let that anxiety consume her, they just wanted to get drunk with their friends and complain about it the next day, when they would all be so hungover they would barely be able to function.
So she forced the ache in their chest to go away, and stepped out of the bathroom, guiding the three fifth years over the castle.
***
The party was already in full blast when the four of them stepped inside, not even bothering to close the portrait door behind them, because more people were sure to come.
They had placed a mirrorball in the ceiling, along with some colour-changing lights, which created cool patterns on the floor and on people’s bodies as they danced to the music.
Their first stop was obviously the drinks table, where they tipped back a few shots, each of them a different shade, and then filled their glasses until the liquid was overflowing a bit before moving on.
Dorcas scanned the room, looking for familiar faces. They recognised most of the people there, though she had barely talked to any of them.
She saw some of Marlene’s friends, the two girls who she’d seen in the carriage, dancing together, completely ignoring everyone else in the room, but Dorcas’ rival was nowhere to be seen.
“Looking for someone, Dorcas?” Barty smirked, no doubt sensing their intentions.
“Please,” Dorcas scoffed, “I’m simply looking for Pandora.” They lied. “Where is she, anyway?”
“Said she’d meet us here.” Regulus shrugged, taking a sip from his cup.
“I’m gonna send her a message.” Dorcas said, taking their wand (which had been stowed away in a magical pocket in her dress) and conjuring a piece of paper and a little quill.
Pandora, where R U ?? - D.M., she wrote, folding the paper into an aeroplane and enchanting it to find their friend.
“Well, in the meantime,” Barty started, “I know it’s probably pointless to ask you all, but does anyone wanna go dance?” He asked, sighing, already anticipating the unanimous answer he was probably going to get.
“You know what? Fine.” Evan said, earning three surprised stares from his friends. “Don’t make me regret this, Barty, it’s a once in a lifetime situation.” He warned, gulping down about half of his drink before grabbing Barty, whose eyebrows were still raised, by the arm and taking him to the dance floor.
Dorcas and Regulus stayed where they were, leaning over a wall, occasionally sipping on their drinks, silently observing.
“No Marlene?” Regulus joked, glancing over at them.
“No James?” Dorcas retorted, elbowing him on the ribs.
“Fair enough.”
“Why do you hate him, anyways?” Dorcas asked.
“First of all, he’s friends with my brother.” Regulus said, grimacing as he did.
Dorcas waited, but it seemed that Regulus didn’t want to continue, lost in thought, and Dorcas didn’t push him.
“What about Marlene, then?” He asked, after a while.
“I told you, Reg, she’s my rival, nothing else.” Dorcas replied, honestly getting a bit fed up with their friends’ obsession over that girl and Dorcas herself.
“Alright, alright.” Regulus said, holding his hands up. “Did you figure out if she got her invitation to the Slug Club, too?”
“Not yet.” Dorcas confessed. After getting their own invitation, her first thought was if Marlene had got it, too. They weren’t stupid, and thought that Marlene probably got it, given that she and Dorcas had similar grades, but they still wanted confirmation. “I’ll have to check with Pandora, see if she’s managed to find out.”
“I love how Pandora is the only one of us who socialises and we have to rely on her to bring us news.”
“Yeah, ‘cause everything she says is completely trustworthy, I’m so glad she’s the only one who actually knows people.” They said, sarcastically.
As much as she loved and appreciated Pandora, it had to be said that she wasn’t the most reliable person.
“Speaking of the devil.” Regulus said, pointing at a little paper aeroplane that was coming their way.
Look to your left. Xoxo, Pandora.
Dorcas and Regulus both turned their heads in that direction to see their friend waving at them, talking with a chubby boy whose name Dorcas couldn’t remember at the moment.
They quickly walked over to where she was, greeting her warmly.
“Hey, guys!” She smiled. “You look so pretty.”
“You, too.” Dorcas said, taking a moment to observe Pandora. “Is that a bedsheet?” They asked in disbelief.
“Yes! Do you like it?” She asked, twirling around for them to see.
She had wrapped said bedsheet around her body toga-style, with vines around her arms and dress (if it could even be called that). The same material had been used to make her crown, and she would’ve looked absolutely insane if she weren’t Pandora, who seemed to pull it off effortlessly.
“Oh, yeah!” Dorcas said truthfully. “Such a statement.”
Pandora winked, grinning at them. “Well, this is my friend, Peter.” She said, introducing the boy beside her. “These are Regulus and Dorcas.”
“Nice to meet you.” Regulus said, though his tone indicated quite the opposite.
He’d probably realised that Peter was also one of his brother’s friends, which meant he hated him by association.
“Likewise.” The boy said, clearly a bit too drunk already, his eyes glassy. “Wait!” He shouted, though it wasn’t really necessary, because they were all pretty close, and turned to Dorcas. “You’re Dorcas?” He asked, and they nodded. “Shit, I was meant to ask Pandora something about you…”
“Is that so?” They said, already sensing where this was going.
“Yeah, Marlene said… I can’t bloody remember, dammit!” He said, hitting his head lightly as if that would make his memory come back.
“That’s alright, Peter.” Dorcas smirked. “You can tell her that I already have, yes.” She said, talking about the invitation she’d received the day before. “I’m assuming she’s also got it by now, then?” They asked.
Peter was clearly too out of it to even remember what they were talking about, so it was Pandora who answered. “I’m afraid so, Cas, I asked him a while back.” She smiled apologetically. “And, look!” She said, holding an envelope like the one Dorcas had found on her bed on Friday. “I got one, too!” She whispered excitedly.
“Great.” Regulus said. “Then it’ll just be us three. How many do you reckon have gotten in from Marlene’s little group?” He asked, though it was clear to Dorcas that he was only asking for his brother.
“You’re talking about Slughorn’s club, right?” Peter joined the conversation, slurring his words. Pandora nodded. “Yeah, Marlene got it, and… Yeah, I think Sirius also got one. Sorry.” He told Regulus, and he really did look like he meant it.
“S’alright, Peter.” Regulus said, no poison in his voice this time. “At least we won.” After his friends’ confused stares, he added: “Two of them and three of us, that’s something. Surely you can appreciate that, Dorcas”
Dorcas shrugged. “I guess that does give me a bit of an advantage, even if it doesn’t show on paper.”
“I’m gonna go refill my drink, does anyone want anything?” Peter asked, looking at them expectantly.
“Sure,” Regulus said, a surprised note in his voice. “Just take whatever looks like it can do the most damage.” He gave Peter his cup, smiling politely. “You know, Peter, you’re not that bad, even if your taste in friends is questionable.” Regulus said, and that was a compliment of the highest standard to him.
“Cheers, mate.” Peter said, already making his way to the beverage table.
“Hey, you take that back, Reggie!” Pandora said, looking offended.
“I meant his other friends.” Regulus clarified, nodding over to where Sirius was standing, with a few of his mates.
He was standing pretty close to Remus (he was secretly Dorcas’ favourite, though she had never talked to him), with James on his other side, and Marlene McKinnon in front of him.
That was the first time Dorcas saw her, doing a double-take as they noticed her.
Her outfit was pretty similar to the ones her friends were wearing, some fancy trousers and a shirt, but she made it look a hundred times better (objectively, obviously, not that Dorcas would ever think that Marlene looked good).
The right side of her white shirt was tucked inside the grey trousers, and it was almost completely unbuttoned save for the last two buttons.
She had braided the front strands of her hair, holding a cup by the top, in a way that really shouldn’t be that attractive (again, from an objective point of view).
“A bit mesmerised, aren’t we, Dorcas?” Regulus teased, getting them to look away.
“Shut up. I am simply studying the competition.” They justified herself, though they weren’t fooling anyone.
“Sure…” Pandora said.
“Okay, fine, so she’s a bit pretty when she actually puts the effort in, so what?” They said. “I still hate her but, as a lesbian, I can also appreciate the fact that she might not be horrendous to look at.”
“Who?” Asked Peter, who had apparently returned from his trip, handing Regulus a sickly looking green drink (“a job well done”, Regulus had assured).
“No one!” Dorcas was quick to say, knowing that Peter would most likely tell Marlene if he found out (if he could even remember it, that is), and the girl would never let them live it down.
“Right, then, I’m gonna go hang out with my “questionable” group of friends, but you have fun!” Peter said, waving at them before going to join Marlene and her mates.
“No one, huh?” Regulus teased, and Dorcas had to resist the growing urge to punch him in the face.
“Once again, Black, shut it.”
“Okay and, on that note, I’m going to drag you both to the dance floor, and you’re all going to have a great time.” Pandora ordered, taking Dorcas and Regulus’ hands and bringing them to the centre of the room, where Barty and Evan had already joined the crowds.
“Pandora!” Evan smiled broadly, holding two cups instead of one, his cheeks rosy.
“Yes, and we are also here.” Regulus said as Evan and Pandora whooped and hugged each other, spilling various drinks and making people stare.
Barty rolled his eyes, “When are you not?” He said.
“I am literally going to pour this drink on your head, Barty.” Dorcas warned, glaring at him.
“Trying to get me wet, Cas?” Barty winked.
“Ew, gross!” Dorcas complained, shoving Barty. “What are you, twelve?”
“That’s being a bit generous.” Regulus chuckled, amused.
Dorcas took Regulus’ drink from his hand and tried it, something she’d gotten used to doing over the years, and Regulus had grown resigned to it by then.
They immediately grimaced as they swallowed. It tasted like rusty metal with a citrusy aftertaste and, as Dorcas took another sip, anxious to get drunk, they knew she’d regret it the next day, but she couldn’t be bothered to care.
“Disgusting, right?” Regulus asked, taking back his cup.
“So disgusting.” Dorcas agreed, and Regulus nodded as he quickly downed the rest of it.
“May I have this dance, Meadowes?” Pandora said, bowing down in front of them, holding out one hand.
“Why, yes, Pandora, yes, you can.” Dorcas grabbed her hand, putting her own cup inside Regulus’ empty one and following Pandora as she looked for a place where they’d have enough space to dance, moving their arms as they walked.
So they danced, laughing as they mimicked the movements the people around them made, each more ridiculous than the other.
As more music sounded, more people began joining in, dancing around the room, invading the dance floor until all the moves one could do were jumping up and down or punching anyone around them (Dorcas was more inclined for the second option).
Dorcas’ breathing became a bit laboured, an ache in their chest expanding with every breath of warm air.
“Hey, Cas! Dorcas!” Pandora shouted, barely audible over the chatter and the music. “Are you okay?” She asked, worried.
Dorcas could only shake their head, a growing lump in her throat preventing her from speaking.
“C’mon, let’s get out of here.” Pandora said soothingly, taking Dorcas’ hand firmly and guiding her through the masses.
As it turned out, that was easier said than done.
People kept getting in their way, clearly oblivious to the crisis that was going on inside Dorcas’ head. No amount of “excuse me”s from Pandora were able to clear a path for them to get out easily, and Dorcas was getting more desperate by the second.
“Is everything alright?” Asked someone who Dorcas couldn’t see at the moment.
“Not really.” Came Pandora’s answer, though it all sounded a bit muffled to Dorcas. “They’re having a bit of a situation, but we can’t really get through all the people.” She explained.
“Come with me.” The mysterious person said and, with a few “get out of my way”s and a bit of shoving, they were able to get out of the dance floor.
Dorcas’ mind began clearing up a bit, and she identified their helper as none other than Mary MacDonald, one of Marlene’s best friends.
She looked quite beautiful, though she was clearly worried for Dorcas.
“Thanks.” Pandora said.
“Wait, hang on, maybe they should cool down a bit?” Mary said, pointing to Dorcas. “I’m a Gryffindor, my dorm is just up these stairs.” She explained, and wasted no time in getting them to climb the steps. “Er…” She stopped at the second step, unsure. “Pandora, right?” Pandora nodded. “And… Dorcas. Will they work for you, Dorcas?” She asked, glancing nervously at the stairs.
Dorcas shrugged. “They better.”
And, with that, they climbed the first few steps. She waited a few seconds, but the stairs didn’t turn into a slide or anything.
Truth was, Dorcas had been really worried about that when she realised they were non-binary, and went to see the headmaster about it, who had simply asked her where she would prefer to sleep, given that they didn’t have a gender neutral dormitory at the moment.
Dorcas, who had become accustomed to sleeping in the girls’ dorms, decided that they’d prefer if they didn’t have to change their living arrangement, and that was that.
She didn’t know if Dumbledore had placed a spell on the stairs to let all non-men get through, or if it was always like that, but they didn’t question it.
Since they were able to climb the steps on Gryffindor tower, she supposed it must just be a spell to stop men from getting in.
“Okay, I think it’s empty.” Mary said as she opened the door, putting a silencing spell on it to prevent the sounds from downstairs from coming inside when Pandora and Dorcas had come in.
The dorm was, in fact, not empty.
As they entered, Dorcas saw that redhead, Lily Evans, get up from her bed, surprised.
She was still dressed up, probably also taking a break, but Dorcas could see her red-rimmed eyes. Some may attribute it to her drinking, but Dorcas knew better.
“Lily, what are you doing here?” Mary asked. “You disappeared on me!”
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t like you needed me there, anyways.” Lily smiled sourly.
Dorcas and Pandora looked at each other, uncomfortable, intruders on such a private conversation.
“What are you talking about?” Mary asked, confused.
“You know damn well what I’m talking about, MacDonald.”
Mary sighed, looking at Dorcas and Pandora.
“Listen, I’m gonna go outside and talk with Lily for a second, then I’ll come back, you just stay as long as you need, okay?” Mary said, smiling kindly. “That one’s my bed, you can use it, if you want. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” Dorcas nodded. “Thank you. Really.” They said, because she really was grateful.
Leave it to Marlene to have such great friends. Maybe she should learn from them a bit, Dorcas thought as she sat down on Mary’s bed, breathing deeply.