Violent Overnight Rush

A week later found Dorcas and her friends hiding away in the back of the library. They were supposed to be doing Charms homework, but they’d ended up doing more chatting than writing. 

“I’m just saying,” Evan was, in fact, saying, “it sounds dumb but the muggles seem like they have fun with it.” They were talking about muggle movies. Dorcas thought the idea was fascinating–like the moving portraits, but telling a story. The group was split on the concept, Evan agreed with her, but Barty and Regulus thought that sitting for an hour to watch a moving picture was dumb. Pandora was the only one of them who had ever been to see a muggle movie, and she said it was fun.

“But what’s the point? I wouldn’t sit and watch the Fat Lady for an hour. That’s boring.”

“But it’s not like watching one of the portraits here!” Pandora argues. “Movies have a storyline. A beginning, a middle, and a finish. It’s not like watching a portrait do whatever they fancy.”

“Reg, you like reading, it sounds like it's like that, except you can see what’s happening in front of you instead of picturing it in your head. If you would spend hours reading a book, why not watching a movie?” Regulus does not have anything to say to that.

“Oh Merlin, he’s speechless. Dorcas, you made him speechless.”

“Shut it, Barty,” he mumbles.

“That’s it. Soon as we can, we’re all going to see a movie. You can’t decide if it’s worth it or not until you’ve given it a go,” Pandora announces, firmly. There’s no arguing with that. If she says they’re going, they’re going. She’s usually very easy-going, soft smiles and light teasing, but she can also have a very commanding personality at times.

They all fall into silence, focusing on the Charms homework for a bit. It’s surprisingly complicated. Dorcas wasn’t expecting it to be this hard, but she has to get it. She saw McKinnon practicing the Charm with ease in class, and she’ll be damned if she lets Marlene McKinnon be better than her. And there she goes, thinking about Marlene again. That girl has a way of getting under her skin, even though they rarely speak. It’s quite frustrating.

Eventually the homework focus fades, Regulus is reading another book, and Pandora has busied herself drawing a snake spiraling down Barty’s arm. Evan is asleep, drooling onto his parchment a bit. Dorcas is just watching them fondly. She truly loves her friends. She met Pandora first, which may seem surprising since they’re in different houses, but they’re also both a year older than the boys. They met on the train in first year. Pandora had been sitting alone in their usual carriage, drawing the train on her thigh. Even at 11 years old, she’d had marvelous artistic skill. Pandora had happily let Dorcas sit with her, and they’d been friends ever since. Pandora had spent most of the train ride drawing—this time in a sketchbook—and as they pulled into the station she’d shyly shown Dorcas the drawing, which was of her. She’d ripped it out and let Dorcas keep it. It was still hanging up in her dorm. Pandora had filled tons of sketchbooks since then, and many of the drawings were of her friends. 

Right now though, she has a lily drawn on her arm.

“Hey Pandora,” Dorcas starts, grinning.

“Hmm?”

“What’s that on your arm?”

“What?”

“The drawing. What kind of a flower is it?” Dorcas asks, innocently.

Pandora pauses, she looks at the drawing. “It's just a flower,” she says, flicking her hand dismissively.

Barty has caught on now. “Oh no it’s not. That’s a lily.”

“No it’s not!” Pandora has a furious blush on her pale skin. “What would you know about flowers?”

“He might not know anything, but I do.” Dorcas smirks. “That’s definitely a lily.”

“And I don’t actually need to know,” says Barty, thoughtfully. “You never, ever draw ‘just’ anything. It’s always specific. Your denial just confirms everything I need to know.”

“Oh shut up!” 

“Or what?”

“Or this!” Pandora dips her finger in Evan’s abandoned inkwell and smears it on Barty’s nose.

“Hey!”

“You deserved that.” 

“You’re not even paying attention,” Dorcas frowns at Regulus, who hasn’t looked up from his book once.

“I have ears. I don’t need to be watching to know that he deserved that.”

“No I didn’t.”

“You deserved that,” says Evan sleepily, he also hasn’t looked up although he has apparently woken up.

“Well hello, sleeping beauty!” Dorcas exclaims cheerfully.

“Shuddup.” Evan buries his head further into his arms.

“Alright don’t do that. Let’s get you up to the dorm.” Barty starts gathering Evan’s stuff, much of which is scattered beneath his head.

“I don’t wanna get up,” Evan mutters, “‘S comfortable here.”

“Liar. You’ll be more comfortable in your bed.”

“Ughhhh.”

“You’ll have to go eventually. It’s either now or when Madam Pince chases you out,” Regulus states matter-of-factly. 

“Fine.” Evan begins dragging himself up while Barty pulls the papers out from underneath him as soon as Evan’s head is far enough off the table.

Pandora and Dorcas start to gather their things too, and they all leave the library together.

Dorcas froze. She’d recognize that sound anywhere.

She had been just about to turn the corner, on her way to the owlery, when she heard it. A laugh, but not just any laugh. It was Marlene McKinnon’s cursed, evil laugh. Sure enough, when Dorcas finally forced her legs to move forward, she saw Marlene standing there with Potter and Black. She was leaning casually against the wall. They had all clearly come from Quidditch practice, they were all still in their Quidditch robes and Dorcas could see the sweat still glimmering on Marlene’s forehead. Not that she was looking specifically at Marlene. She was just at a better angle for Dorcas to see her than Potter or Black. Obviously.

“Stop hitting on my mom!” James exclaims, rather loudly. 

Marlene laughs again, “Stop having a hot mom!” James throws his hands up in anguish and Sirius snickers.

“Stop letting her get to you, mate,” he says. “Oi! Meadowes!”

Very reluctantly, Dorcas turns around. She had been so close to victory, but stupid Sirius Black had to ruin it before she could get away. “What do you want, Black?” she says, a little more viciously than she meant.

“Woah! Calm down, just saying hi! A friend of my brother’s is a friend of mine.” 

“No,” she replies dryly. 

Marlene snickers. Curse her and her cute laugh. “Hear that, Black? She doesn’t want to be your friend!”

Sirius looks absolutely scandalized. “What! Everyone wants to be my friend! Who doesn’t want to be my friend? Prongs, I’m friendly, aren’t I?”

“‘Course you are, mate,” James dutifully replies. “You’re very likable.”

“Exactly! Aw, Meadowes, we’ll have to fix this. Can’t let you go around not wanting to be my friend.”

“Oh please. Surely you can handle oneperson not liking you.” Dorcas cannot believe this conversation. Apparently dramatics and blowing things out of proportion are family traits.

“Afraid not. I’ll make a friend of you yet,” Sirius says seriously. “Oh shit, Prongs we’ve got to go.”

“What? Why?”

“The thing.”

“Oh! Right. The thing.” They walk away together, whispering, leaving behind a very confused and annoyed Dorcas, and Marlene who is shaking her head.

“Probably planning a prank,” she says, rolling her eyes.

“Probably.” Dorcas tries to make a getaway, but no luck. Marlene follows.

“Where are you headed?” she asks conversationally. Dorcas does not want to have a conversation with her.

“Owlery.”

“Oh! Fancy some company?”

“You’re already following me, aren’t you?”

“Oh, suppose I am. Who’s the letter for?”

“None of your business, McKinnon.” And here Dorcas thought Marlene couldn’t be any more annoying. Evidently she was wrong.

“Sorry, I’m not trying to bother you. All my friends are busy, so I thought I’d talk to you.”

“I’m busy, too.”

“Right, of course you are. Sorry, I’ll leave you alone now.” She starts to leave, but Dorcas feels an unexpected pang of guilt.

“Wait. You’re already halfway up the stairs, may as well come the rest of the way.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Marlene hurries to catch up with her and they continue up the stairs together. “So, you’re telling me that with all those friends you have, not a single one is free right now?”

“Yeah. You just saw James and Sirius go, and they’re no doubt with Remus and Pete. Lily’s doing some prefect duty and Mary’s in the library.”

“You have friends besides them, don’t you?”

“Well, yeah. But no one I’m particularly close to. I probably could go find someone, but you were right there.”

“We’re not friends, though.”

“Believe me, I know. Friends don't stare each other down from across the room.”

Oh shit. She’s bringing that up. “Yeah, why do you do that, McKinnon?”

“Me?” she asks, incredulous, “You’re always staring first!”

Was she really? Shit, shit, shit. 

“You’re imagining things.”

“Am I?”

“Yes!” Dorcas very much regrets not letting Marlene leave. Curse you, feelings of guilt.

“Hmm.”

“What does that mean?”

“Just that I don’t believe you.”

“Fine!” Dorcas quite literally throws her hands in the air. “Don’t believe me.”

“I won’t.” 

This bitch. 

“I don’t mind you know,” she whispers.

“What?” Yeah, what? 

“I don’t mind,” Marlene says louder, “I just don’t get why.”

Dorcas is speechless. What is she supposed to say to that? Marlene doesn’t mind? Dorcas feels a bit like she’s going to explode.

Marlene gives her a funny look and then swiftly changes the subject. “Which owl are you going to use?” 

“Umm,” she responds stupidly. This conversation change has given her whiplash. “Uh. That one.” She points lamely at an owl perched by the window.

“That one?” Marlene repeats, holding out her arm to the owl, who lands on it. Of course she’s good with animals.

“Uh, yeah. That one’s up for a trip to France, right?”

“France? Yeah, she should be good for France.”

“Great.” She ties the letter to the owl’s leg, and it takes off.

“So, who do you know in France?” Marlene asks on their way back down the stairs.

“Just a friend. Met her over the summer.”

“Cool. France is nice. Went with my family on holiday once.”

“Cool.”