Chapter 15
“Hey, did you guys know that there’s a place in Spain where, instead of Santa Claus, they have a literal log?” Lily asked, keeping her eyes on the book she was reading.
“Yeah, like the one they eat, right? I think they do that in France or something.” Mary said, wrapping her arms around Lily to (supposedly) get a good look at the book.
Sometimes, Marlene got the very strong urge to scream at Mary’s face that she was absolutely in love with Lily, and to open her fucking eyes. Each day, it got harder and harder to suppress it.
“No, Mary, I mean an actual log cut from a tree.” Lily clarified, pointing at a picture in the volume. “Like, it has a face and everything. The book says children give it, erm, fruit peels to feed it and, on Christmas Eve, it’s meant to shit presents.” Lily said, frowning.
“I’m sorry, it shits the presents?” Marlene questions, befuddled. “How the hell does that happen?”
“Well, I suppose the log’s stomach would be quite full of fruit peels by the 24th, so when they hit it-” Lily began explaining.
“They hit it? What kind of values are they teaching Spanish people nowadays?” Mary exclaimed, equally amused and bemused.
“Yeah, with sticks. Didn’t I mention that already?” Lily confirmed.
“That’s like… Like if I cut off your head and then hit you with a person’s hand.” Marlene compared, a bit scandalised, mostly just incredulous.
“Wow, thanks for that mental image, McKinnon.” Lily rolled her eyes. “The book says that they may also hit them with rolled-up newspapers, actually.”
“Much better.” Marlene said sarcastically.
“Why are you even reading about this?” Mary asked, resting her chin on Lily’s head. Seriously, Marlene’s patience was running thin.
“Oh, I found it in the library the other day. It’s about debunking and rationalising the magic Muggle children grow up with. It’s quite interesting, actually. It covers beliefs from all over the world, too, not just Europe.” Lily said excitedly. “You guys wouldn’t believe how they got the idea for the Tooth Fairy!”
“Well, as interesting as that sounds, I’ve got to go practice for the match tomorrow.” Marlene stated, gathering her stuff and leaving the library to get changed.
Tomorrow was Saturday. The Gryffindor versus Slytherin match. It would decide whether they had a chance of winning the Quidditch Cup this year or not. They’d already lost one time, so it was utterly important to be prepared. To win.
James had robbed them of all their free time for the sake of practising and, for once, Marlene wasn’t complaining. She wanted to win more than anything. Winning equalled bragging. Marlene couldn’t wait to absolutely destroy not one, but two of Dorcas’ friends and getting to rub it in her face.
***
They were losing. Sure, it was a bit early to determine that, seeing as only half an hour had passed since the start of the match, but the score spoke for itself.
60-20.
Not only were they losing, but they were letting the Slytherins, of all people, be the ones to beat them. Catastrophic.
As a beater, Marlene was trying really hard to not send the bludgers flying right at her opponents’ smug faces. The urge was strong.
As Marlene redirected yet another maliciously-aimed bludger, courtesy of Barty Crouch Jr., she noticed James making his way to the Slytherin goalposts, quaffle under his arm.
“Yes!” She whispered excitedly, grin on her face.
James got ready to score, green-robed players rounding up on him quickly. He had to act fast.
“Hey, James!” Regulus. Upon hearing his voice, James got distracted for a split second, trying to find Regulus in the air. A second was all it took for the quaffle to end up, once again, in the hands of a Slytherin player. Just great.
Marlene groaned, annoyed. If James wanted to have a stupid little crush on someone during his own time, Marlene had no problem with that. But, when that interfered with his performance in Quidditch… Well, that was another thing altogether.
And Regulus! Now that Marlene was actually starting to like him a bit, and he had to go ahead and muck it all up. She had to admit, though, it was a smart move. Strategic. That didn’t mean Marlene liked it. They were still losing.
Ten more minutes, and James was asking for a time-out. They were losing 70-20. The sky was overcast. Their energy had been dulled by their impending defeat.
“Alright, I know things may seem dark right now, or like all hope is lost, but we’ve barely started.” James said, trying to lift their spirits up. “Yes, we might be losing, but only by 50. That’s five goals. We can do that in no time. Even better, we can catch the snitch and win. The point is, we’ve got options. We’ve got a chance. More than one. We’ve got chances. So, I say we go out there and show them who they’re really dealing with.” He concluded, dramatic as ever.
Marlene was used to these sorts of speeches, so their effect on her had worn out a bit, but she appreciated the effort. James could’ve said anything, really, because Marlene knew that she was going to go out there and do anything to win. She didn’t need a motivational pep talk to do so.
“Okay, let’s go back out, people!” James urged them, grinning.
“Oi, Potter,” Marlene called him as the other players made their way back to the pitch.
“What’s up?” He asked, cleaning his glasses with his robes.
“Don’t get distracted. We have to win, whatever it takes.” She stated firmly. “Chase the fucking quaffle, not a boy.” She demanded, crossing her arms and going back to the game. To win.
***
“Oh, fucking hell,” Marlene cursed under her breath, feeling little droplets falling on her face. Just great, now it was raining. Marlene looked up at the sky. It looked like things would only get worse.
At least they’d managed to even the score. 80-80. Maybe it was James finally concentrating solely on the game. Maybe it was his encouraging words. Maybe it was them finally realising that they had to actually work to get what they wanted. Maybe it was just dumb luck.
Whatever it was, it seemed to be working. Hopes were high, the stakes were higher. The Slytherins were getting restless. All their nonchalance had been replaced by this all-consuming desire to win. If there was one thing they had in common with their adversaries, it was their hunger for victory. Marlene knew all about that. She wasn’t a stranger to the feeling. She wanted to satiate her grumbling stomach. She would.
With that in mind, Marlene became at least ten times deadlier. Her objective wasn’t just changing the course of the bludgers so they wouldn’t attack her teammates anymore, but actively sending the balls flying towards the opposing team to hinder their job. She was even getting physical, shoving chasers so they wouldn’t get to the goalposts and pretending she just hadn’t seen them when she flew in their direction.
That earned her a warning from Madam Hooch. Instead of listening to her, she just did it more discreetly.
Every time the score seemed to rise in favour of one of the teams, the other one scored again, getting the numbers even once more. The rain was getting more persistent, the clouds darker.
Thunder rumbled. Marlene hadn’t even seen the lightning strike that preceded it. The score was 120 to 130. Slytherin was winning. Marlene was furious. She was hitting bludgers left and right, her rain-soaked bat almost slipping from her fingers.
As she dodged an ill-intentioned ball, courtesy of a Slytherin beater, she heard cheers erupt from the crowd. She looked at the scoreboard, hoping to see Gryffindor as the culprit of the goal.
120-140.
Fuck.
Marlene furrowed her brows. The game hadn’t ended. It hadn’t even paused, so there was no time to lose. She stole a quick glance at booth seekers. The Gryffindor one was hovering over the goalposts, looking down at the game as if the snitch would suddenly appear right next to the quaffle his eyes were so avidly following. Regulus, on the other hand, stood on the sidelines, close to the clouds, his eyes never steady. He was a treasure hunter looking for gold.
Her robes heavy with water, Marlene flew next to him after warning the other beater. Every treasure hunt needs a pirate.
“Hello, Regulus,” Marlene greeted, standing in front of him to block his vision.
“McKinnon,” he responded, effortlessly rising a few inches to be able to see everything again.
“Oh, so it’s “McKinnon” now, is it?” Marlene wondered, chuckling lightly.
“It’s what I said,” Regulus said distantly, not even bothering to look at her. Marlene had to admire his determination.
“James looks quite fit in his uniform, don’t you think?” Marlene started, winking at Regulus and rising to his level again, making him sigh as he repositioned himself.
“Aren’t you meant to be hitting bludgers down there?” Regulus asked, completely ignoring Marlene’s comment.
“They can manage without me,” she shrugged. “And, either way, Hooch’s got her eye on me, so I’ve gotta be careful.”
“And your definition of being careful is… bothering me?” He asked, arching an eyebrow.
“I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.”
“Right,” Regulus drawled. “Have fun,” he said flatly, leaving at a vertiginous speed to free himself from Marlene.
Okay, so maybe that wasn’t her best plan but, in her defence, Regulus was tricky. Next stop: Gryffindor seeker (he’d only started at the beginning of the school year, and Marlene wasn’t sure what his name was).
Pausing for a few seconds to get all the wet hair out of her face, she flew to him.
“Hey, you,” she started. Not the best opening line, admittedly, but she didn’t have time to worry about that. She’d learn his name another time.
“What’s up?” asked the fourth year amicably, turning to look at her rather than the game below.
“Err, listen…” Marlene paused. She really needed to start learning people’s names.
“Fawley,” the boy completed, smiling politely.
“Okay, listen, Fawley, I know the game can be interesting and everything, but if you wanted to watch, you could’ve stayed on the bleachers,” she said bluntly. “If you’re here, it means you’re here to play, right?” No response. “Right?” Marlene repeated, more sharply this time. Fawley nodded uncertainly. “Alright. Then start playing, look for the snitch, and win us the fucking game.”
The seeker nodded again, swallowing. Marlene had never considered herself a scary person, but if it got her what she wanted, so be it. Marlene didn’t need everyone to like her.
With a quick nod to Fawley, polite and just the tiniest bit threatening, Marlene went back to her usual position, bat in hands, muttering a quick “thanks” to the other beater for holding the fort.
After about an hour, the score was even. 150-150. Everyone was tired. Morale was down. It was pouring. And where the hell was the snitch?
Marlene huffed, annoyed. She loved playing quidditch, truly, but her arms were sore, she was cold, and she just wanted to sit on something more than a few centimetres wide with her feet on solid ground.
She kept checking on both seekers, hoping to see them following a golden little ball, with no luck. Every time she gazed at Regulus for more than a second, a bludger came flying dangerously close to her. Barty was behind that, obviously. Marlene rolled her eyes and showed him her middle finger every time, but even that was getting a bit boring and repetitive.
Even the crowd was getting tired, and Marlene could swear she saw a couple of people actually sleeping on the bleachers.
“Alright, Marlene?” she heard James behind her. His grin was noticeable just by his voice. How did he manage to do it? Honestly, sometimes it annoyed Marlene a bit. Not because of him, obviously, but because some situations are just shitty, because no one can possibly be that happy all the time. Still, Marlene appreciated his enthusiasm and relentlessness, especially in a situation like this.
“Can’t we just ask for another recess?” she complained. “Just five minutes to get off this broom.”
“Don’t worry, Marls, I’m sure the game is coming to an end. I can feel it,” James assured, and his conviction made it hard for anyone not to trust him completely.
“If you’re sure…” Marlene shrugged.
James nodded energetically, his hair still moving wildly even while wet. “Give it 15 minutes, at most. I’ll give you a galleon if I’m wrong,” he smiled, taking off again to try and intercept the quaffle.
***
It didn’t even take 5 minutes for the game to come to an end.
In the blink of an eye, the score had gone up to 180-150, in favour of Gryffindor. Regulus Black had seen the snitch, and Fawley, who was following Marlene’s advice, noticed almost immediately.
Marlene wasn’t stupid. She knew that Regulus was a better seeker. His reflexes and focus were unmatched. His broom was faster. Ambition drove him. Fawley was lucky.
As he flew after the snitch, from the opposite direction Regulus was moving, the snitch flew after him. A child could’ve caught it at that distance. Still, when the Gryffindor captured it in his hands, shoving his fist up in the air triumphantly, she cheered as though he’d just made the catch of the century.
They’d won.
Marlene wasted no time landing on the muddy ground, grinning from ear to ear, relishing on the feeling of standing once again.
She was immediately tackled into a hug by Lily and Mary, who had apparently run down from their place in the bleachers to congratulate her as soon as possible.
“You won!” Mary screamed at her, shaking her by the shoulders as if Marlene wasn’t aware of the fact.
“I know!” Marlene screamed back, just as enthusiastically. Lily just grinned at them. She wasn’t one to make a scene, really, but she always told them that, inside, she was acting just as excited as the other two. Lily kept them grounded. A kite needed someone to hold its string so it wouldn’t fly away. Marlene just wished that, sometimes, Lily would just tie it to a pole or something and fly with them. Maybe she did, in her way.
“You know what this means, right?” Mary asked, almost whispering.
Oh, Marlene knew. Of course she did. She was already grinning at the prospect.
***
“Another party?” Lily complained, rummaging in her trunk, unfolding and refolding mountains of clothes, trying to find an outfit for the night. “Haven’t we had, like, a million of those already?”
“C’mon, Lils, we haven’t partied properly in ages!” Mary countered, holding up two different dresses in front of her, one in each hand.
“Plus, we have to celebrate our victory,” Marlene added, muttering a spell to dry her fresh-out-of-the-shower hair.
“So it’s strictly a Gryffindor party, then, right?” Lily arched an eyebrow, already sceptical.
“Well…” Mary started, trailing off. The truth was, they’d obviously spread the word, and even the losing team would be coming (if just to drown their tears with alcohol and loud music).
“We just have so many fans!” Marlene added, chuckling even as she said it. Lily rolled her eyes at them, clearly exasperated, but kept looking for an outfit nonetheless.
Marlene looked at her own clothing options. She really didn’t want to wear a dress. Just the thought of it made her uncomfortable tonight, so she settled for some fancy black trousers and a half-buttoned red shirt. House pride, and all that. To go with the theme, she picked out a few golden rings (which she might or might not have stolen from Mary) and asked Lily, who had finally decided on a blue velvet dress, to paint her nails.
“Do you think Regulus and his crew are gonna be there?” asked Lily, dipping the nail brush into the pot.
“‘Crew’?” Mary repeated, amused. “What are they, pirates?”
“Shut up,” Lily said, her cheek reddening. “You know what I meant.”
“Hopefully not with Meadowes.” Marlene muttered, admiring her left-hand nails, which were already done.
“Seriously, Marls, you’ve got like an unhealthy obsession with them,” Mary said for the billionth time. Marlene didn’t want to hear it.
“I just don’t like her, that’s all,” she answered, mildly annoyed. Having the same conversation over and over again was getting kind of boring.
“Sure…” Mary and Lily, synchronized, replied sarcastically, exploding into giggles once they realised.
“I hate you both so much right now.” Marlene hisses, shaking her head.
“I’m sorry, Marlene, but Mary does sort of have a point. You’re constantly talking about them and how you supposedly “hate” her. We’re bound to make assumptions, and your actions really don’t do much to disprove them.”
“Seriously, Lily?” Marlene feigned offence. “I mean, I expected this from Mary, but I thought you’d be more sensible.”
“Hey!” Mary complained, kicking Marlene’s shin. “Also, if even Lily is saying it, don’t you think we might actually be right?”
“Not at all,” Marlene said, furrowing her brows. “I think that, if I actually liked her, I would be the first to know, wouldn’t I?”
“I guess…” Mary shrugged, unsure but seeing her point.
“Hell no,” Lily disagreed, shaking her head. “I mean, just take Sirius, for example. How many years did he spend pining over Remus without even realising it?”
“Exactly!” Mary said, happy to have the upper hand once again in the debate. “Can’t argue with that infallible logic, can you?” she smiled. Marlene sighed, exasperated with her once again.
“Not the case, I assure you,” Marlene stated firmly.
“How would you know?” Lily smirked, clearly enjoying bothering Marlene.
“Don’t entertain her, Lily. She’s very clearly just delusional and in need of some action in her own life, so she starts snooping on everyone else’s.”
“Borde,” Mary muttered in Spanish. Marlene could only assume it was some sort of insult, so she stuck her tongue out at her.
Mary ignored her pointedly, going back to doing her makeup, mirror in one hand, brush in the other. She’d gone for a hot-pink look to go with her mini-skirt, as well as some drawn-on sparkles, white like her top. Much to Marlene’s amusement, Lily literally couldn’t take her eyes off her. Mary, as always, seemed totally oblivious to that, but Marlene had hope that she was actually just one of the cases Lily had talked about, who didn’t realise they liked someone for a long time.
Marlene wasn’t, though. That was for sure.
***
The common room was filled with bustling crowds of students already when Mary, Lily, and Marlene went down.
They were immediately greeted by loud cheers, which Mary attributed to Marlene’s performance on the pitch earlier that day. She really had been brilliant. She and Lily had been watching her the entire time, not quite understanding everything that was going on (Quidditch was never really their forte) but still cheering for her repeatedly.
Now, as they made their way down the stairs, dodging, as they could, the people stationed on them (who’d clearly had a bit too much to drink already), they quickly reunited with the boys next to the drinks table.
Helping themselves to a beverage to get their blood pumping, they closed off in a circle, talking about nothing in particular. How Marlene’s birthday was coming soon, how they absolutely demolished the Slytherins at the game, how they were going to get totally plastered tonight… The usual nonsense.
That was, of course, until the music abruptly stopped, the multicoloured lights suddenly turning green and dark. There was a cold breeze in the room, and a slithering sound could be heard all around them. Snakes. Dozens of snakes, terrorizing students left and right.
And there, at the entrance, the source.
Mary should’ve guessed it would be them. There stood Regulus, Barty, Dorcas, Evan, and Pandora, all dressed in varying shades of green and gray, wands in hand, laughing to themselves as they observed.
Mary thought the snakes were a bit much, to be honest (she’d slowly been retreating to the stairs, in case she needed to flee), but she had to admit, that was quite an entrance. Over the top, dramatic, completely unnecessary and unprompted. Very Slytherin-esque. She couldn’t have done it better herself.
Mary looked back at her friends to see their reactions. Sirius, rolling his eyes exasperatedly. James, looking so in awe staring at Regulus actually pulling a prank as if he was witnessing a divine intervention. Marlene, pulling a disgusted face, glaring at Dorcas in the distance.
Of course, Mary wasn’t fooled. She could almost smell the attraction in the air. Soon enough, Marlene would realise all her hatred was just misdirected want. Mary just hoped she herself would find someone like that by the time that happened.
“I bet they don’t even bite,” Marlene complained, looking at the snakes on the floor, moving slowly but surely through the common room.
“See, this is what I’m talking about,” Mary exclaimed, pointing her hands at Marlene.
“Seriously, Mary, shut up,” Marlene shook her head, annoyed.
“Did someone say-”
“Shut up, Sirius,” both Mary and Marlene answered back, rolling their eyes. He pouted. Mary ignored him.
To her right, she heard Lily sighing soundly before waving her wand and bringing everything back to normal. She even managed to put on an ABBA song instead of the one that had been playing previously, which Mary had to admire.
“So, they’re definitely here,” Lily declared, putting her wand back into her sleeve. She really did look phenomenal, Mary thought. The blue dress accentuated her figure nicely, and the necklace Mary had gifted her sitting just below her collarbones. Lily was shining with her own light right then. It wasn’t just the shimmery makeup look, or the metallic butterfly clips in her hair that glimmered when they hit the light a certain way. It was her. She had this… aura around her, pulling everyone in. Mary was not immune to it, as it seemed.
She found herself staring at the way Lily’s glossed lips moved when she spoke, the way her eyelashes batted, the way her eyes changed shade every time she looked at Mary, like an enchanted forest. Mary could see herself wandering through the woods and never getting out of them. Lily’s eyes were a place to get lost in.
By the time half an hour passed, Mary still stood close to Lily, absolutely mesmerised by her. She must’ve put on some sort of magical perfume those magazines always advertised, Mary concluded. That was the only possible explanation.
Still, she forced herself to come out of that dazing spell and into the real world again, excusing herself to go get a drink. She was way too sober for this sort of party.
At the drinks table, Mary paused. After a second of hesitation, she decided to grab one for Lily, too. She needed to let loose a bit. A light like hers shouldn’t be lost behind the shadow of an eclipse.
Smiling to herself for being so thoughtful, Mary went back to where her friends were, a cup in each hand.
Apparently, the Slytherins (and Pandora, of course), had finally joined them. In fact, Pandora was dangerously close to Lily, which made it hard for Mary to return to her spot next to her. For some reason, that irritated her quite a bit.
It wasn’t that Lily couldn’t have other friends, of course not, but Mary felt a strange tug at her stomach. She felt sick.
“Hey!” she said energetically, trying to ignore that gnawing sensation. She wasn’t toxic. She wasn’t controlling or possessive, so why did she feel like this?
“Hi,” Lily smiled, making space for Mary on her other side. Still keeping close to Pandora, Mary noted bitterly.
“I brought you a drink,” Mary smiled, handing her the cup.
“Thank you,” Lily answered, a single dimple visible when she smiled. “Wait, let me just finish this first,” she said, chugging the remains of an almost-empty cup that hadn’t been there when Mary had left.
“Where’d you get that?” Mary asked, her nose furrowing against her will. She knew exactly where she’d got it from, or, rather, who she’d got it from.
“Oh, Pandora gave it to me when they all came here,” Lily explained.
“Right,” Mary nodded, seething on the inside. She wasn’t even sure why she was acting that way. She was fairly certain that, had it been Marlene, she wouldn’t have minded one bit, and they were as close as her and Lily. It simply didn’t make any sense. Mary hated it.
“Hey, Mary,” Marlene shouted across her, trying to make herself heard over the loud music. “I think I left something in the dorm, would you mind coming with me to grab it?” she asked.
Mary would mind, thank you very much.
“Err… I’m sort of busy right now…” she answered, shrugging. It was clear that she wasn’t actually doing anything, but Mary needed to stay there to-
To do what, exactly?, she asked herself. To keep an eye on Lily, as if she was some kind of toddler? What on earth was going on with Mary?
“Please?” Marlene insisted. With a sigh, Mary huffed a “fine” and went up the stairs with her, arms crossed.
“What could possibly be so important that you have to leave a party because of it?” Mary grumbled, opening the door to their dorm.
“Well, originally, I just wanted to come up here to avoid Dorcas for a while, and you were the least busy of all of us,” Marlene said, clearly irritated with her. So be it. “But, now, I’m here to ask you what the fuck is wrong with you.”
“Nothing!” Mary exclaimed in a tone that clearly suggested the opposite.
Marlene arched an eyebrow.
“Okay, fine,” Mary gave up, lifting his hands up in way of surrender. “So maybe I’m not thrilled with the idea that Lily and Pandora seem to get along,” she admitted. “I know, I’m a bad friend, and Lily’s obviously got the right to hang out with whoever she likes, but… Well, I don’t know, it just feels wrong.”
“You’re not a bad friend,” Marlene said. “Maybe you got a bit possessive. That doesn’t make you a terrible person or anything.”
Before continuing, Marlene paused for a second, her eyes sparkling with an idea, unbeknownst to Mary.
“And, if it makes you feel any better, I’m like eighty-five percent sure Pandora’s not trying to steal your spot as Lily’s friend or anything, she just fancies her.” Marlene declared, shrugging as if that hadn’t, for some reason, made matters much worse.
“What?” Mary asked, surprised. Pandora and Lily?It couldn’t be. Just the thought of it made Mary uncomfortable. They just didn’t fit. Not like Lily and Mary did. They were tal para cual, Mary’d always thought. Made for each other. What did Pandora have that Mary lacked?
However, Mary could see, even as she was doing it, that dwelling on it was utterly stupid. She should want Lily to get out there, start dating, maybe find a nice girlfriend. Pandora was nice enough. She should want that. She didn’t. Either way, Pandora wasn’t good enough for Lily. Not by a long shot.
Pandora didn’t smell like oranges or marshmallows. She probably didn’t even like Halloween! Lily couldn’t be with someone like that.
“Yeah, I mean, have you seen the way she looks at her? It can’t get more obvious than that,” Marlene commented, unaware of the full-blown whirlwind of emotions and thoughts inside Mary’s mind.
“They can’t be together,” Mary declared firmly, as if she was anyone to say what they could or couldn’t do.
“Why would that be?” Marlene asked, fixing her eye makeup in the bathroom mirror.
“They just… can’t. It’s not right.”
“Because they’re two girls?” Marlene asked, although Mary was fairly sure she was taking the piss.
“No!” she replied, offended. “Because it’s Lily. She deserves someone more… More.”
“More what?”
“Well, I don’t know,” Mary said helplessly. She truly didn’t have a clue. She just knew that Pandora wasn’t it for Lily. How could she be?
“Do you think it’s bad that I don’t want them together?” Mary asked softly. She knew it was. She still wanted Marlene to tell her it wasn’t. To make her feel better.
“Not necessarily,” she answered. “Maybe your mind’s just having an intuitive reaction, without you actually knowing what triggered it exactly. I suppose you’ll find out soon enough, though.”
“You’re… strangely wise today, Marls.”
“Err… Thanks?” Marlene said, unsure. “And, if I were you, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I doubt anything will come of it, really. It doesn’t seem like Lily’s specially interested.”
“Really?” Mary asked, hopeful. So maybe she was a bit of a bad person. Isn’t everyone?
“Uh-huh,” Marlene nodded, putting her makeup back inside her trunk. “Alright, I think I’m ready to go back out now.”
“Had to go get all dolled up for Dorcas, hadn’t you?” Mary teased, earning a light shove from Marlene.
“Piss off.”
***
“Where’d Lily and Pandora go?” Mary asked, as nonchalantly as she could, when they got back.
The two of them were nowhere to be seen, and Mary’s brain was already making several conjectures about it.
“I think they went dancing,” Remus said, taking a sip out of his and Sirius’ cup (because, apparently, being boyfriends meant you had to share absolutely everything, in their case).
“They’re probably snogging by now,” Barty added with a smirk. Mary had the sudden urge to punch him. Luckily, Evan stepped on his feet, giving Mary an apologetic smile on his behalf.
“Well, I’m gonna get a drink,” Mary said, hoping that excuse would be enough for her to leave without making it too obvious that she was going to try to find Lily.
As she approached the drinks' table, in case anyone was watching her, she felt a hand wrap around her wrist.
“Hey!” she complained, turning around to find Dorcas staring at her, unimpressed.
“What are you doing, MacDonald?” They asked, sighing. Mary felt as though she was being scorned.
“Are you blind, or something? I’m obviously going to get a drink,” Mary replied, annoyed.
“Do you seriously think I’m that dumb?” Dorcas said, shaking her head.
“Why do you care, anyway?” Mary crossed her arms.
“Pandora’s my friend, y’know?” They explained. “And you are, too,” they added after a pause. “I think.”
“Yeah, but…” Mary started, looking at the floor. “Well, Lily’s my friend, and I care about her-”
“Shouldn’t you be happy that she might be getting some action, then?” Dorcas countered, arching an eyebrow.
“Yes…?”
“But you’re not,” Dorcas declared. Mary nodded. “And, why is that?” she asked.
If only she knew. Mary had absolutely no clue what was happening to her. She didn’t like it. She shrugged.
“Okay, I’m almost positive I know what’s happening, but you need to find out on your own. However, as your friend…” Dorcas said, pausing to make sure that they actually were friends. Mary nodded. She sighed internally. She hated when people withheld information from her, because she was meant to acquire it herself, or something. “Okay, as your friend, I’ll tell you that Pandora likes Lily, and she’s just trying to shoot her shot. If you want my opinion, though, you’ve got nothing to worry about, because Lily doesn’t seem to feel the same. I wouldn’t worry. Things have a way of working out.”
“I’m not so sure,” Mary muttered, looking at her nails. “Why won’t you tell me what the hell’s wrong with me?”
“I told you, that’s something you need to discover on your own time. Ask someone else, if anything, but I don’t think you should. If it’s meant to happen, it will.”
“C’mon, Dorcas, please?” Mary pressed, not giving up yet. Dorcas shook their head. Mary deflated.
“Let’s make a deal, alright?” Dorcas proposed. Mary straightened up, listening. “If you haven’t figured it out by the last day before the holidays, I’ll tell you.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” Dorcas nodded, “but you have to promise to let things run their course.”
“What the fuck does that even mean?” Mary frowned. Right when she thought she’d actually made a decent deal.
“It means,” Dorcas explained, “that you won’t get in the way. Let Pandora flirt with Lily, if she wants to. Let Lily flirt back. Whatever. Things have a way of working out.”
Mary contemplated that for a second. She wasn’t thrilled with the condition but, really, what could she do? She didn’t want to ruin anything for Lily, as much as it would sting that she started dating Pandora or something.
In the end, she’d be doing essentially the same thing but, with Dorcas, she actually got something out of it at the end of the road.
“Fine,” she accepted, shaking hands with Dorcas to seal the deal.
***
“You’re gonna burn holes in the back of their heads, by the way you’re staring at them,” said Marlene in a hushed voice.
“I’m just looking at the dance floor,” Mary lied, crossing her arms. “It’s not my fault they’re there,” she complained, gesturing at Lily and Pandora, dancing in a sea of people. Or, rather, Pandora was dancing, while Lily stood there, chuckling at Pandora’s stupid moves. “What’s so endearing about her, anyway? I don’t get it.”
“She’s Pandora,” Dorcas said, as if that explained everything. “You’re just blinded by jealousy, or whatever this is,” they added.
“I thought you knew what it is,” Mary accused, never taking her eyes off the couple.
“Of course I do,” she replied, “but I’m not going to slip up so easily.”
“Mary,” came Marlene’s voice from Mary’s other side. “What are they talking about?” she asked sharply, clearly not happy about the fact that she was “fraternising with the enemy” or whatever.
“Nothing,” Mary answered easily, shrugging as Marlene scoffed.
“Traitor,” she mouthed. Mary rolled her eyes at her. That was a tad bit dramatic, wasn’t it?
She was about to say as much, turning to fully face Marlene, when she noticed Lily and Pandora were suddenly standing much, much closer. Too close.
They’d stopped dancing altogether, choosing instead to talk (or rather whisper, as Mary was seeing it) to each other. What were they saying? A few weeks ago, they barely knew each other, and now they were sharing secrets? Mary would not stand for it. She didn’t really have many other options, though.
What could she do? Theoretically, she could storm to where they were and… what? Try to separate them by force? That would definitely put a strain on her relationship with Lily, not to mention the fact that she would never know why she was even feeling that way. The best she could do was wait. That didn’t mean she was happy about it, though. Quite the opposite, in fact.
So she just stared. Stared and wished a lightning bolt would make them spring apart.
She stared, fiddling with her spider necklace, biting the inside of her cheek, wondering how to make that feeling stop.
“Nothing’s gonna happen,” Marlene said, trying to calm her down. “Lily doesn’t like her.”
“You don’t know that,” Mary shook her head. Why, why, why did it matter? Why did Mary care so much? How could she stop?
“I do. If I’m wrong, I’ll give you permission to punch me,” Marlene shrugged.
“As much as I would love to see you punch McKinnon, I have to agree with her on this one. Lily doesn’t like Pandora,” Dorcas declared.
“Those are just suppositions. You don’t know anything for sure,” Mary said to both of them. How could they seem so sure of it? Mary thought that, as Lily’s best friend, she’d notice if there was something so clear that made her unable to like Pandora. If it was so clear that even Dorcas had noticed it, why hadn’t Mary? She knew Lily. She’d known her for years. How could she be so blind to whatever that was?
When she turned back to look at Lily, she saw her with reddened cheeks, shaking her head with an embarrassed smile, as if she was… apologising? Maybe she’d turned Pandora down, Mary thought hopefully. Pandora was nice, and Mary knew it wasn’t fair, the way she relished in her defeat, but she couldn’t help it.
She watched as Pandora whispered something in Lily’s ear, which made her blush even more and nod her head a bit. Mary would give anything to know what they were talking about.
Even without hearing it, though, it was clear that Lily wasn’t interested like that. As relieved as Mary was, she couldn’t help but wonder why that was. Maybe she just wasn’t ready for a relationship. Maybe she simply didn’t like Pandora. Maybe she wasn’t her type.
Maybe she liked someone else, Mary thought, and immediately wanted to erase that option. Because, surely, if Lily liked someone, she would tell Mary, right? They were best friends. They told each other everything.
Maybe Lily was just being careful, though. Seeing how Mary had behaved tonight, perhaps Lily wasn’t thrilled about the idea of telling her who she liked. Honestly, Mary couldn’t blame her. She wasn’t sure she’d react much better, to be fair.
If that was the case, though, if Lily really liked someone, Mary felt hurt she didn’t know. She would definitely tell Lily if she started fancying someone.
It couldn’t be that, then, Mary decided. Because Lily wouldn’t do that.