Gossip
Friday September 10, 1971
Marlene and Mary were leaning on the wall outside of the Ravenclaw common room, chatting away boredly. They were waiting for Emmeline. After more than a week at Hogwarts, Marlene had created and adapted to a new daily routine.
She would wake up early enough to get ready for classes, wrestling to wake up Mary. The girl could sleep through anything, Marlene was sure of it. Then they’d join Emmeline for breakfast; they would invite Lily, but she always accompanied Severus Snape at the end of the Slytherin table during breakfast and lunch. Marlene didn’t like Snape too much; he had long, black hair, a large nose, and lips that were always curled up in a sneer whenever he saw Marlene.
After breakfast, Marlene and Mary would attend the first few classes, then walk Emmeline to the Ravenclaw common room at around noon for her second prayer, Dhuhr. Emmeline was Muslim, which was revealed the third day they’d known each other. Marlene had needed a bit of clarification on exactly what that was, having grown up around a lack of God, and Emmeline had explained it to her happily and understandably. Marlene quite enjoyed learning about the religion; it was so interesting, and it was nice learning about something that helped define one of her close friends.
So, they would wait for Marlene to finish praying Dhuhr in private, eat lunch, and then go and attend the rest of the classes for the day. After the classes, Emmeline went and prayed Asr, the third prayer, and went into the courtyard to complete homework and gossip. The rest of the day included dinner and sleep.
But Marlene hadn’t expected classes to be so tiring. There was so much reading and research, and Marlene, Mary, and Emmeline had all found it equally as exhausting. However, it was clear Emmeline was the smartest and quickest learner of the trio, and that she didn’t dread the classes and hate the concept of school nearly as much as the other two girls did.
While Emmeline was talented, Lily Evans was at the top of their year currently, and was picking up on all of the subjects better than anyone in their year combined. She was brilliant- no one could doubt it.
Charms was easily the most interesting class compared to the others. It was fun and exciting and Marlene was thrilled to learn new spells, no matter how difficult or useless they were. Marlene enjoyed practicing the charms with Mary after class, who was just as bad at casting them as Marlene.
History of Magic was incredibly boring, and Mary would fall asleep nearly ten minutes after the class started. It was just reading and memorisation, which Marlene could do, but didn’t fancy it.
Transfiguration was most definitely the hardest class, and Marlene couldn’t wrap her head around how Mary was so good at it. Every time Mary would cast a spell correctly, Professor McGonagall would congratulate the girl, and Mary would turn to smirk and tease Marlene. She never took it to heart, though.
And Potions, the class Marlene and Mary were headed to after lunch, was nothing how she imagined. She thought she’d be making cures for blindness or love potions, but instead it was just a load of reading and rubbish potions that were good for practically nothing.
After around ten minutes, Emmeline exited the common room and stood beside Mary, who was in between the two girls, as they walked to the Great Hall.
“Did you guys know that Remus Lupin grew up in a children’s home?” Mary asked the group eagerly. Her favorite hobby seemed to be gossiping, and Marlene’s favorite hobby was listening to everything Mary had to say about others- and playing Quidditch, too, of course. “And he’s in a gang there. He’s said to be super violent.”
“How do you know?” Marlene asked mindlessly, her thoughts drifting towards lunch.
“Everyone’s talking about it,” Mary said, shrugging. Emmeline sent her a suspicious look. “And I know almost everything about his friends, too.”
“Like what?” Emmeline queried, raising an eyebrow, a small smirk playing at her lips.
“James Potter and Sirius Black are crazy rich, like, loaded. They’re both Pureblood,” Mary said quickly, obviously happy somebody asked. “Sirius Black’s family is insane, though. I heard they nearly disowned him just because he wasn’t Slytherin.”
“Maybe that’s why his sisters stopped cheering and booed.” Marlene said, her stomach rumbling a bit after she said so.
“Those aren’t his sisters,” Mary stated. “They’re his first cousins. It’s Narcissa and Bellatrix Black. I heard they’re just as strict as his parents. And he has a younger brother, he’ll be attending next year. Peter Pettigrew has an older sister, but Lupin and Potter are both the only children.”
Emmeline pursed her lips, before voicing her next thought. “What else? You’ve got me curious.”
Mary grinned. “Sirius and James are geniuses. Since they have a lot of money, they were enrolled in many classes when they were younger to be able to write well, learn proper English, learn more about magic, all of that stuff. But Remus is nearly failing all of his classes! It’s probably because he grew up in a children’s home. And all of those scars on his face? They’re from fights. He got in so many they would have to lock him in the basement for days.”
“No way!” Emmeline exclaimed, eyes wide. Marlene knew Sirius and James were stuck-up fancy rich kids; she'd made that assumption on her own. The way they spoke in class, their perfect posture and raised chin, their neat cursive on the board, it was plain and obvious they had grown up privileged. It was also clear in the way the professors practically fell to their knees when they heard the boys’ surnames. “But they don’t look like they’re from punches or hits. Someone must’ve cut him!”
Now, Marlene couldn’t really believe what Mary had said about Remus. Yes, the scars that contrasted his dark skin were suspicious, and yes, she knew he wasn’t doing too good in his classes, but there had been no visible proof that he was a violent individual. He had seemed quiet enough, keeping to himself and occasionally growling under his breath at his classmates or teachers. But Professor McGonagall had pulled him early from dinner the first day they had arrived at Hogwarts. Perhaps that was to warn him that violence wasn’t permitted here? Marlene wouldn’t think too much of it, but she would proceed to be wary around him. She would play nice, she decided, and try not to get on his bad side. He wouldn’t hurt a girl, would he?
“…and his head is shaved because that was their punishment at the group home, whenever the kids acted up,” Mary continued. “Oh! And Sirius and James can speak multiple languages fluently!”
“Like what?” Marlene asked, turning her head to peer at Mary as they entered the Great Hall. Her stomach rumbled even louder.
“James can speak English and Urdu fluently,” Mary declared, her lips peeking up. “And Sirius can speak English, Latin, Greek, and Arabic!”
“Sirius can speak Arabic?!” Emmeline nearly shouted from excitement, both Marlene and Mary hushing her as they sat at the Gryffindor table. Emmeline was Palestinian; she lived in Palestine- which was located in Western Asia, or the Middle East- the first nine years of her life, then moved to Britain when she was just about to turn ten. She spoke fluent Arabic, and her Palestinian accent was evident whenever she spoke. “Where’s he from?”
“He’s fully Lebanese,” Mary told her, making herself a peanut butter and banana sandwich. “But he speaks Latin and Greek because they’re rich and fancy and wanted their kids to know another language. Isn’t that so extra?”
“Yeah, but it’s cool,” Marlene said, mouth already full of chips. “And it’s nice that he’s also Arab, Emmeline. I wonder if he’s Muslim?”
“No, he isn’t religious,” Mary said knowledgeably. “He’s Pureblood, so he doesn’t believe in God, I don’t think. But he is connected to his culture. I heard he visits Lebanon every summer.”
“What about his cousins?” Emmeline probed. “Do they speak Arabic, too?”
“Yeah, but they’re only half Lebanese,” Mary said. She took a small sip of her pumpkin juice, and Marlene scrunched her nose up in disgust. She hated pumpkin juice. Mary sent her a small smirk before continuing. “Their mum is Greek, I think. That’s probably another reason why Sirius’s parents taught him Greek.”
“What about Lupin and Pettigrew?” Marlene inquired. “Do they speak other languages?”
“Well, I know Lupin is Haitian, but since he grew up in a children’s home, I doubt he knows the language,” Mary said, twisting her lips to the side. It was a little tick Marlene noticed the girl had, along with grabbing a singular coil from her hair and twisting it in her fingers repeatedly. Marlene admired it. “But Peter doesn’t speak another language. I’m pretty sure he’s well off, too, because he’s James’s neighbor.”
“Who’s James's neighbor?” A voice from behind them asked, plopping themselves in the seat across from Marlene and Mary and next to Emmeline. It was Lily, her red hair flowing elegantly down her back and over her shoulders. “What are you three gossiping about?”
“Our classmates,” Marlene admitted, earning a jab on her side from Mary. The girl sent her a glare. “Sorry, but she asked!”
“I wish I didn’t. I don’t really favor partaking in gossip,” Lily stated, starting to serve herself food. The rest of the girls stared at each other awkwardly, and before Lily started to eat, she licked her lips and said, “But I will partake just this once. What’s up?”
Mary repeated everything the girls had talked about before, the same excitement sharpening her words. Lily listened intently, and it looked as though she shared the same thoughts about the Remus Lupin topic that Marlene did. Lily was the person to avoid making predetermined judgements about people, and was also the type of person to make an attempt to be kind to everyone and make sure everyone was included. Marlene respected the redhead greatly for that; Mary, however, had no issue hearing rumours and believing them. Actually, she was the one to hear the rumour and proceed to spread it. Marlene honestly didn’t care, at least she would hear everything from Mary first.
“Hey, Lily,” Marlene said suddenly, grasping the girls’ attention, “why aren’t you sitting with Snape?”
“Yeah, why aren’t you sitting with your boyfriend?” Mary teased, and Marlene pinched the girl's arm, earning an ‘ow!’ as Lily rolled her eyes.
“He’s hanging out with Mulciber, and Mulciber is, you know…” Lily sighed, “one of those Purebloods.”
Marlene shot Lily a look from behind Mary’s back, signalling for her to shut up. Mary was still utterly oblivious to the prejudice against muggle blood, and Marlene preferred to keep it that way. She knew Mary was destined to find out sooner or later, but for now, she hoped to maintain her ignorance to the topic. It was better that way. She didn’t want Mary realising that Marlene lied to her, too. She thought the dirty looks sent their way in the corridors from Slytherins was simply just because they were Gryffindors. She still believed the reason behind the Slytherins' hatred was the rivalry between the two houses. That was partially true, but mostly a lie.
Lily seemed to have understood what she was saying, the genius she was, and swiftly changed the topic to something much less important. Before the four girls knew it, it was time for their lessons to continue. The Gryffindor girls bid their goodbyes to Emmeline, the tan girl parting ways as the other three walked to the Potions class cheerfully.
As they walked in, Lily immediately spotted Severus Snape, skipping over to him gleefully. Marlene fought back the urge to roll her eyes as she and Mary went off to find a seat of their own. Once class officially started, Slughorn began to take attendance.
“Black, Sirius – aha, there you are! Quite surprised at the sorting, my boy, quite surprised! I’ve had every one of the Blacks in my house since I started teaching! Shan’t take it personally, young Sirius, but I shall be expecting great things!”
Mary turned her head to the side, giving Marlene an I told you so look, and she just shook her head.
“I’m a gossip,” Mary whispered to Marlene, her breath tickling Marlene’s neck, “but I’m not a liar. I could see you were doubting me.”
Marlene let out a short, quiet giggle, and Mary smiled as she pulled away. Slughorn continued to call out names, stopping at certain names and making comments about their parents. Luckily, Marlene and Mary had avoided being catcalled by their professor.
Soon, they were ordered to split up into groups of four. Marlene stayed by Mary’s side, and two Slytherin girls named Eleanor Parkinson and Isla Bulstrode joined them.
Parkinson was sent off to retrieve the ingredients from the shelves, and Bulstrode sat in her chair, picking at her nails harshly. Marlene studied the rest of the class as Mary opened the book and started to prepare the cauldron. James, Sirius, and Peter, were sitting at a table together, as expected, accompanied by another Slytherin boy. Remus was absent from their group, and Marlene looked over to see him working with Lily, Snape, and Mulciber. Marlene then turned her attention to Eleanor when she put the ingredients down. Mary started to speak.
“We need the snail eye stems,” she instructed, picking up the jar of them. “A quarter ounce, it says. Would you like to do that, Bulstrode?”
The girl scowled up at Mary, her thin pink lips curling upwards. Her face was pale and round, body plump, and her hair was pulled back in a wavy ponytail. Marlene knew she was Pureblood beforehand, but was now sure she was one of those Purebloods. But she did what Mary asked of her, anyways, pouring them roughly into the cauldron. Marlene ticked, but bit her tongue.
“Would you like to stir, Parkinson?” Mary asked the other Slytherin, and her reaction was the exact same as her friend’s. Her hair was just up to her shoulders, an ombré of black and brown. Her face was pale and her nose resembled that of a pug. Her lips were pursed, and her brown eyes were glaring furiously at Mary. Her pale skin was nearly red. But she complied and stirred, and Mary held a satisfied look on her face.
Marlene took the next step, Mary completing the one afterwards, then it was back to Bulstrode. Before the girl could even start the fifth step, a loud ruckus erupted from the other side of the class. Everyone at the table halted their actions, standing on their tiptoes to get a look at what had happened.
The distraction occurred at Lily’s table; Remus Lupin had climbed over the desk and was continuously punching Snape’s figure, mostly his face. Mulciber quickly reached out and grabbed Remus’s collar, throwing a punch of his own at the boy’s cheek. His head swung back, and he fell flat on the floor. Marlene gasped, and Mary clutched Marlene’s arm tightly, an entertained grin on her face as she watched the scene unfold, almost as if it were a movie.
“Stop!” Slughorn shouted loudly. The cheers and hoots had immediately been silenced by the professor’s outburst. He stormed over to Lily’s table and ordered for Snape and Remus to stand up. Snape’s hair was tousled and blood gushed from his nose. Remus didn’t have nearly as much damage done to him, just a slight bruise beginning to form on his chin, and his clothes were disheveled. But he looked fine, unlike Snape. Lily was crying, though, and Marlene felt the urge to go up to her and comfort the girl. But Slughorn looked quite angry, and Marlene didn’t feel like risking the professor shouting her way.
“Explain yourselves!” He demanded, the two boys quickly looking down at the ground as Mulciber grinned. “Very well, detention for both of you, two weeks. Ten points from Gryffindor and ten from Slytherin.”
“That’s not fair!” James Potter exclaimed from his spot in the back. Marlene raised an eyebrow and shot a look to Mary, who wore the same expression. “Should be twice as many from Slytherin, it was two against one!”
“From where I was standing it was Mr Lupin who started it,” Slughorn stated, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Still, you are quite right – Mulciber, five points for punching Remus. Violence does not solve violence, you know, as I’ve told your eldest brother on a number of occasions. Miss Evans, please take Mr. Snape to the hospital wing. Lupin, you can clean up the mess you’ve made.”
Lily escorted Snape out of the room, her quiet sobs being heard as she passed by and his whimpers making Marlene bite her lip to suppress a laugh. Class was dismissed, and Marlene and Mary rushed outside.
“Told you Lupin was violent!” Mary grinned as they exited the class, a pleased look on her face. “The way he punched Snape was as though he had experience before!”
“And then he got punched by Mulciber,” Marlene added, shaking her head, “which I don’t think would’ve happened if he had experience-“
“Wait- shh!” Mary hushed, putting a finger over Marlene’s lips. The blonde raised a brow, and Mary turned her head to the side. Marlene then knew she was eavesdropping, and she turned her head to look at the crowd of her peers huddled outside of the Potions class. “Mulciber is talking about it, come on!”
“…and the idiot wasn’t doing the next step, and Snape was trying to get him to hurry up, but he just stood there like a moron! Evans was defending him, but when he still wasn’t doing anything, Severus asked him if he could read, if they even taught it at muggle school, and he got so angry he punched him. I guess muggles aren’t just idiots, they’re-“
Marlene hurriedly pulled Mary away from the conversation, heart pounding in her chest. She hoped Mary wouldn’t ponder too much on the last sentence.
“I can’t believe Snape said that!” Mary said, her mouth agape. “Why is Lily friends with him, then? If he’s rude enough to pester Lupin like that?”
“I don’t know what Lily sees in him,” Marlene muttered, sighing. “But, see, Lupin isn’t a violent person. He was provoked. I would’ve been mad if someone said that about me, too.”
“All because we’re Gryffindors?” Mary asked quietly, shaking her head. “That’s excessive. You don’t see us going and making crude comments about them, do we?”
“Let’s just let it go for now, yeah?” Marlene felt the guilt of her lie creeping up on her, peering over her shoulder and taunting in her ear. She felt so horrible for lying to Mary, especially for something that directly affected her. “We can’t have it ruin the rest of our day. Let’s go meet up with Emmeline.”
They met up with Emmeline, and Mary started to recall the events from the day to the girl, but she had already heard the news from the whispers that carried in the corridors. Finally, Mary dropped it, and when they reunited with Lily at the end of the day, Marlene couldn’t help but wonder why she proceeded to defend Snape after it was so clear he hated people exactly like her. Clearly, she knew about blood prejudice, and she wasn’t naive whatsoever, so how come she kept him close? Marlene didn’t feel like pondering on it too much, and let her sleep drift her thoughts away.