The Quidditch Cup
“Hey, have I mentioned I hate life and literally everything in it?”
“You’re stealing my lines.”
“Our lines are interchangeable.”
“Fuck, she’s got a point,” Lily interjected from her spot reclining on the couch. The rain falling against the windowpanes and distant rolls of thunder seemed to provide just the right atmosphere for the dim common room, which was still a bit trashed from the party that had taken place earlier that night. It was 4 a.m. and they probably should be cleaning up and resting, but emotional issues seemed to take precedence.
“Yeah, Sirius, you’re no longer the only sad bitch of Gryffindor,” Marlene replied triumphantly. “So there.”
“That shouldn’t be a victory for you, you know,” Sirius replied from where he was lying on the floor next to the fire. “In fact, it’s closer to a victory for me.”
Marlene, lying across a coffee table on her back, groaned. “Just give me this win, Sirius. Please.”
“The only win you need is the Quidditch Cup.”
“You sound like James,” Lily grumbled. “The girl is emotionally tormented, lay off for a bit.”
“I don’t know if I should thank you or not,” Marlene responded, barely lifting her head off the table to look at Lily.
“You shouldn’t. Anyone who distracts you from Quidditch is an enemy,” Sirius declared. “And enemies will be punished.”
“What’re you gonna do, Black, annoy me to death?”
“Obviously. Was that not clear?”
“Oh, the pain,” Lily deadpanned.
“The Cup is in a week, Black. I’ll be fine by then,” Marlene interjected.
“Really?” Sirius asked excitedly.
“No. But I’ll be better at pretending.”
“Well that’s fucking sad.”
“Yep. Lily, got any depressing or life-changing news? That seems to be the theme tonight.”
“Err…” Lily cast about for a contribution that wouldn’t expose her newly discovered secret. “I made out with Emmeline Vance earlier?”
‘Great fucking going, Evans,’ she thought to herself. ‘That totally helps you. Fantastic idea. You’re a fucking genius. They totally won’t ask about your love life now. Brilliant.’
“You fucking what?!” Sirius bolted upright. Marlene completely fell off the table, which may have been a mercy, it certainly didn’t look comfortable to lay on.
“When?!” Marlene sputtered. “How did- when- why- why didn’t you tell us immediately?”
“Oh, I’m so sorry I didn’t walk out of a closet and interrupt the talent show party that was still going on to announce to you two that I had just finished groping a Ravenclaw prefect,” Lily answered sarcastically.
“There was groping?!” Sirius yelped.
Lily felt the blood drain from her face. “I… didn’t mean to disclose that. Fuck.”
“Tell us everything right this very goddamn second,” Marlene said. “Now.”
“Wow, you’re excited-“
“Evans, stop stalling. What happened?” Sirius pressed.
Lily sighed. “Had a bit of a fling with her in fifth year when I realized I like girls and guys, didn’t turn into much, sort of became ‘study buddies’-“
“Just to be clear, you mean that as a euphemism, right? You mean you got together every once in a while to hook up, right?”
“No, Sirius. Well, kind of. We never had sex, if that’s what you’re asking. Just long, er, make out sessions.”
“Ok, point clarified. You may continue.”
“Gee, thanks. Anyway, she started flirting with me during the talent show, and I was more ok with it than I thought-“
“That’s repressed Lily-speak for ‘it was hot and I was down with it’”, Marlene whispered loudly to Sirius.
“Do you want the story or not?”
“Ok, shutting up now.”
“So, after I realized-“ Lily cut herself off quickly, trying to think of what to say.
“We didn’t even interrupt that time!” Sirius cried out indignantly.
“No, I know, I just…. After I realized that she was a good option and it would be fun, I found her at the party, one thing led to another, and yeah.”
“And yeah?” Marlene repeated incredulously. “You can’t end it like that.”
“Why not?” Lily replied confusedly. “You know what happened.”
“Yeah but we want the details,” Sirius whined.
“Ok, fine. What do you want to know?”
“Shirts on or off?” Marlene asked immediately.
Sirius stared at her. “Ok, I wasn’t gonna get that detailed.”
“What? I’m trying to build a mental picture, alright?” Marlene defended. “Plus-“ She winked at Lily- “two hot ladies making out, you know?”
Lily grinned. “You’re a perv, you know that?”
“Spoken like my parents. Anyway, shirts on or off?”
“On. Mostly.”
“Mostly?” Sirius questioned.
“Hers was on, mine was off.” Lily tried to state it without blushing, but even though it was difficult to see in the firelight, it was obvious that she didn’t succeed.
“Does that mean she did more of the giving?” Marlene raised an eyebrow suggestively.
“She’s a bit more… aggressive, in that aspect.” Lily’s blush deepened.
“So what I’m hearing is that she’s a top,” Sirius responded.
“Sirius!”
“What? That’s what I’m getting from this!”
“Well,” Lily began awkwardly. “It’s not as though I didn’t… reciprocate-“
“Oh my god, I don’t think I even want to hear this part,” Sirius muttered.
“You asked for details!”
“I forgot how much I’m not attracted to girls!”
“Fool. Absolute moron. Girls are the absolute best thing ever created,” Marlene said.
“Have you met Remus Lupin?!”
“Yeah.”
“That’s it? ‘Yeah’?”
“Well, I mean, he’s not bad-looking, I suppose. Objectively, I guess he’s attractive…”
“Breaking news: lesbian doesn’t find a gay man’s boyfriend very attractive, gay man slaughters her in response,” Lily narrated as Sirius hit Marlene with a pillow.
“Breaking news: fuck off,” Sirius answered.
“Breaking news: we got off topic and we’re no longer making Lily vaguely uncomfortable,” Marlene replied, her voice muffled from the pillow still over her face.
“Fuck, you’re right. Back to that.”
“Or not. We could just murder Marlene,” Lily replied. “Or anything else.”
“Nope. Back to Lily’s affair,” Sirius said. “So your shirt was off, Vance is a top, and how much territory got covered, exactly?”
“What?”
“Did she feel you up or what, Red?”
“Oh my god.”
“Well, it’s a valid question,” Marlene reasoned.
“Jesus fucking christ.”
“You gonna answer or what, Evans?”
“Yes, ok?! She had one hand on my chest and the other pulling down my jeans and I gave her a hickey and the only reason we stopped is because Alice and Frank walked in on us!” Lily erupted.
Marlene and Sirius didn’t speak for the next ten minutes.
Lily regretted being born.
——————————————————————————————
Lily regretted being born even more during breakfast, when not only did she have a massive headache, but also had to contend with Marlene’s suggestive looks and Alice not quite being able to meet her eyes.
“Morning, everyone,” James said as he slid into a seat beside her.
Ah yes. The reason everything was going to shit. Wonderful.
“James! Quidditch practice starts as soon as class lets out, right?” Sirius asked.
“Yeah. Didn’t you stay up all last night? How do you have this much energy?” James questioned.
“Because he’s a fucking lunatic,” Lily muttered. James laughed.
“Early mornings getting to you, Evans?”
“Yes. Enough that I need peace and quiet,” she snarked. “I’m going to the library, see you all in class.”
“Wait, Lils-” Marlene started.
“Bye!” Lily tossed over her shoulder, already on her way out.
She walked through the halls slowly, lost in her own head. She told Emmeline she would meet her in the library, but was it really a good idea? Life was complicated enough. Hell, it was complicated enough with only the issues she acknowledged having. The ones like a jackass DADA teacher, two attacks on Hogwarts, and her friends’ emotional lives. Wasn’t that enough to deal with? Did she really need to meet up with a sort of ‘friends with benefits’ partner? Was it really worth it? Did she need this kind of drama in her life?
Despite her conflicted thoughts, her feet made the decision for her. She pulled herself out of her thoughts just in time to notice that she was already at the entrance of the library.
“Well fuckin' alright, then,” Lily said to herself. “Let’s get this shit over with.”
She walked in, trying to project more confidence than she was feeling. Looking around, she didn’t immediately see Emmeline, so she wandered in further, trying her best to look innocent under Madam Pince’s suspicious gaze.
“Lily!” She heard before a hand reached out and pulled her into an aisle.
“Emmeline?” Sure enough, the dark-haired Ravenclaw prefect stood before her, still loosely holding her wrist.
“Hey, sorry, I didn’t want you to walk right past me,” Emmeline grinned.
“Yeah, ok. Look, Emmeline, not that I don’t enjoy seeing you, but what are we doing here?” Lily questioned.
“Right. Why did we go as far as we did last night?”
“What? I thought you were ok with it, you should have told me- well, no, I should have noticed, or checked with you more, sorry-“
“No, Lily, that’s not what I meant.” Emmeline giggled. “Believe me, I was a hundred percent ok with all of it. I meant… well, you only ever want to do stuff like that when you’re upset or something.”
“Are you suggesting I use you as a coping mechanism?” Lily asked disbelievingly.
“Yes. Not that I mind-“ Emmeline flashed a smirk, making Lily blush- “but it’s probably not the healthiest thing to do.”
“I do not use you as a coping mechanism!” Lily defended.
“Let’s think about that, shall we? First time we made out, it was because you had a fight with Snape. The second time, you were upset with the Marauders. Third time, you were in an argument with one of your friends, and the last time we went anywhere close to as far as we did last night, it was because Snape called you- well, what he called you,” Emmeline said, counting off the occurrences on her fingers. “You never do this unless you need some sort of release, whether it’s physical, or mental, or whatever.”
“I don’t… fuck, is it really like that?”
“Kinda.”
“Shit, Em, I’m so sorry,” Lily groaned. “I didn’t mean to be like that-“
“No, hey, it’s all good,” Emmeline replied. “If I minded, I would’ve let you know.”
“Yeah but that’s so shitty of me. Fuck, I’m so sorry.”
“No, really, it’s all good. I didn’t ask you here to make you feel guilty, you know,” Emmeline said, pulling Lily into a hug. “Really, if I had an issue with it, I would have brought it up long before this.”
“You sure? Because I really didn’t mean to, it must have been some subconscious bullshit-“
“I know, Lily.” Emmeline laughed. “I know. It’s ok.”
“Ok, yeah, it’s ok. Right,” Lily mumbled into Emmeline’s sweater. “Does this mean you won’t mind if we do it again?”
“I’d have to be a fucking idiot to mind,” Emmeline replied. “But Lily, do want to tell me what was up last night?”
“Nope,” Lily said. “Not in the slightest, no.”
“Come on, Lily, I know something’s wrong. Please tell me.”
“No way. I haven’t even told Remus.”
“Oh shit.”
“Yep.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s like, really serious then.”
“Mhm.”
“Shit.”
“Very articulate of you, Vance,” Lily teased.
“Yeah well, I don’t know what’s going on, only that it’s a big fucking deal, apparently,” Emmeline responded. “It’s not anything to do with the attacks, right?”
“What? No, god. Although, I’ve got a theory that Rein might be related to that-“
“Lily, you can’t distract me with your crackpot conspiracy theories. What’s wrong?”
“It’s not really a conspiracy theory,” Lily grumbled.
“Lily!”
“Can’t we just make out instead?” Lily whined.
“Nope. You’re gonna tell me what’s wrong.”
“Can we make out after that?”
“Evans.”
“If I haven’t told Remus, what makes you think I’ll tell you?” Lily reasoned.
“It’s easier to tell a stranger about your issues than your friends,” Emmeline countered.
“Says who?”
“Says me.”
“You’re really not gonna let this go, huh?”
“Nope.”
“I can’t convince you?”
“Lily, for fuck’s sake, just tell me what’s going on. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but this year has been terrifying. I’m still getting up in the middle of the night because first years are having nightmares, or second years heard about a Death Eater attack near their town and don’t know if their families are ok. Third years are growing up into a place that isn’t safe for them, fourth years are trying to be brave but I know how scared they are, and this is my second year being a prefect and i’m supposed to know what to do but I don’t know how to fucking fix any of it. Hogsmeade was attacked and I couldn’t do anything, there were two murders in Hogwarts and no one knows who did it or why, and I know everyone is trying to act like it’s ok, but it’s not. You were there for all of it. Even the Potters’ house burning down, you were there. You know how fucking insane everything is. And if I can’t fix any of it, I’d really like to take my mind off the fact that one of my classmates might be a murderer. So tell me about your goddamn emotional issues like we’re two normal sixteen year olds who don’t have a bloody war hanging over our heads!”
Lily stared at Emmeline blankly as she breathed in deeply after finishing.
“Are you fucking ok, Vance?”
“Hell no. What’s up with you?” Emmeline tried to smile.
“I’ve got a massive crush on James Potter, and despite it probably being fine, it feels just as stressful and scary as everything else,” Lily answered honestly.
“Oh. Seriously?”
“What do you mean, seriously?”
“Well I figured it was some life-changing, crazy bullshit. But it’s just that you’ve finally realized you have feelings for James. Cool,” Emmeline said. “That’s much less complicated than I expected.”
“What the fuck do you mean, less complicated? This is so complicated!”
“Is it though?” Emmeline questioned. At Lily’s confused look, she sighed. “Ok Evans, lay it all out. Why is this a big deal?”
“Because I have feelings for James Potter!” Lily sputtered.
“Elaborate on that.”
“I realized I had feelings for him just before the talent show- well, I mean, I thought I might before, but I knew for sure before the talent show, and I didn’t even notice for so long, but now I know and I don’t know what to do and I realized it so suddenly and it doesn’t make sense because I shouldn’t have these feelings and it’s all bullshit-“
“Wait, back up,” Emmeline interrupted, putting a hand on Lily’s shoulder. “What do you mean you shouldn’t have feelings?”
“I’m not supposed to…. I’m just… look, I just shouldn’t be feeling like this,” Lily answered.
“Why not?”
“Because I’m me?”
“Lily, all due respect, what the fuck does that mean?”
“Look, I…” Lily sank back against the bookcase and slid the floor. Emmeline sat down beside her. “I like what we have, you know? A casual kind of thing. We’re friends but we also, you know, do what we do. And that’s it. It’s not complicated, it’s not difficult. If I was with James… it would get messy, it would mean strings attached and complicated shit.”
“Lily Evans, do you mean to tell me you have commitment issues?” Emmeline grinned. “Wow. I feel trusted and honored.”
“Shut up.”
“Nope. Can’t believe I’m getting a free look into Lily Evans’ psychology. I thought only Madam Pomfrey got that.”
“How do you know about Madam Pomfrey’s counseling?” Lily asked, surprised.
“Had to send a few nervous first years to her. She mentioned you went for a while.”
“Yeah, Madam Pomfrey’s cool. She’s trying to get me an internship at St. Mungo’s.”
“Cool. But Lily?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t change the subject,” Emmeline said. “Your issue is that you’re scared of how serious the relationship may get, right?”
“I mean, that feels like a simplification…”
“Right, ok,” Emmeline snorted. “A simplification. Lily, this is easy.”
“How?”
“Is it worth it? Are your feelings for James strong enough that a real relationship would be good?”
“How can I know for sure?” Lily questioned.
“You can’t. It’s a leap of faith.”
——————————————————————————————
Marlene was exhausted. Quidditch practice ran late, she had ten minutes to change and get to dinner, and Sirius had been talking strategy in her ear for the entire day. The Cup was in three days and she had never been more tired in her life. One more annoyance, one more vague inconvenience, and she was gonna snap-
“Miss McKinnon!” Professor McGonagall’s voice rang out from behind her.
Yep. She was done.
“Professor, can I help you? Is this about the toads in the Slytherin common room? Or the robes trying to strangle the Ravenclaws? Because personally, I think the castle may be better off with fewer students, I say we let nature take its course-“
“Actually, it’s about a Holyhead Harpies scout here to see you,” McGonagall interrupted. “Although, perhaps your time could be better spent? In detention somewhere?” She arched a brow.
“Oh. That’s uh, that’s not what I was expecting,” Marlene laughed nervously. “Just so you know, none of that is actually happening.”
“Of course not, Miss McKinnon,” McGonagall replied. “The scout is in my office, follow me.”
Marlene trudged up to the castle after McGonagall, not bothering to change out of her Quidditch gear. They walked through the halls, Marlene doing her best to ignore the curious glances of other students.
“Professor?”
“Hm?”
“This isn’t about the Quidditch Cup, is it?”
“I don’t know, I suppose you’ll have to ask her yourself.”
They continued, Marlene falling silent again. If this was about her needing to do well in the championship, Marlene wasn’t sure how to feel. She wasn’t sure of how to feel about much of anything lately. She wasn’t sure she actually felt anything at all.
“Would you like me to come in with you, or would you prefer I wait outside?” McGonagall asked when they reached the entrance to her office.
“I don’t really care either way,” Marlene answered tonelessly. She knew she should be excited, but it had been difficult to make herself excited about anything.
God, stupid fucking feelings.
“I’ll wait out here then,” McGonagall said. Marlene nodded. “Miss McKinnon?”
“Yes, Professor?”
“I’m quite proud of you.”
Oh good, Marlene could still feel shock. She stood dumbfounded, staring at McGonagall.
“Don’t make me take it back. Go inside.”
“Thanks, Professor.”
With that, Marlene went inside.
“Marlene McKinnon?” An impressively tall, broad-shouldered woman stood from where she had been sitting at McGonagall’s desk.
Not trusting her voice completely, Marlene nodded.
“Excellent! So, you’re a Gryffindor then?” The woman was cheery, clapping her hands together.
“Er, yes.”
“I was a Ravenclaw myself, but I had quite a few Gryffindor friends. Reckless buggers, the lot of them.” She squinted her eyes. “You’re not too reckless, are you?”
“Well,” Marlene said, drawing out the word. “I would say playing Quidditch means some small amount of recklessness is necessary.”
The woman grinned. “I suppose that’s fair. I’m Gwen, by the way, Gwen Pierce. I’m a back-up chaser and talent scout for the Harpies, but I guess you already knew about the talent scout thing.”
“Right. Ok.”
“I’m betting you’re not really sure why I’m here?”
“Errr….”
Gwen smiled. “Look, someone else from the team has already talked to your professor. She told you that we’ve had an eye on you, yeah?”
“Yeah, she mentioned that a while ago,” Marlene said. “Kinda feels like forever ago.”
“I’d bet. Can’t be easy, focusing on class and Quidditch when there’s so much happening.” Gwen’s eyes turned shrewd.
‘Oh, that’s what this is. This is a test,’ Marlene thought. ‘They want to know if I’ll be able to handle whatever they throw at me.’
“Yeah, but class isn’t so bad. I’ve got people helping me, my friends and I know how to work together. And Quidditch… I’ve got a good team with me, and I know how to handle a broom better than anything else,” Marlene answered.
“That’s good,” Gwen said. “Good that you know how to work with people and all. The team’s pretty tight-knit, so you gotta be good with socializing.”
“I’m pretty friendly.”
“Good. Look, McKinnon, I like you. You’re a good player, and beyond that, you seem like a good kid. A year or two of training with a professional team, you’d be someone to be feared on the pitch. But you’ve got the Quidditch Cup coming up, and I’m gonna be there on behalf of the Harpies. I’ll have to judge your performance.”
“Ok? So what is this, a warning?” Marlene asked.
“Not a warning, more of a heads-up. I’m going to be fair, obviously, but I figured you should know someone will be evaluating you. It won’t be a high pressure thing though, I’m pretty sure Captain’s already made up her mind to at least take you in for training. She heard a rumor that the Wasps were scouting you too, and she couldn’t ever stand being beaten by their idiot of a captain.”
“The Wasps are scouting me?” Marlene asked, surprised. She hadn’t heard of that.
“Well, technically they’re looking at Black, but they haven’t announced their intentions yet, and you two are a good enough duo that they wouldn’t want to split you up,” Gwen answered. “But if you want to stick with us, it’s almost entirely guaranteed there’ll be a spot for you.”
“Yeah, I’ve always been a Harpies fan,” Marlene smiled.
“Great! So, I’ll see you at the Cup. Oh, I’m supposed to send a copy of the evaluation to you, I’ll need to know your address.”
“Oh, er…” Marlene tried to think. She couldn’t cite her parents’ house, and the Potters’ were still rebuilding from the fire at Christmas. “Would it be done by the time the school year is over?”
“I’m supposed to get it reviewed by the captain, but I suppose I could send you your copy first. Gryffindor Tower, then?”
“You can just address it to the tallest tower in Hogwarts,” Marlene grinned.
“Ok, Gryffindor Tower is only a foot taller than Ravenclaw’s!”
“Still taller.”
——————————————————————————————
Marlene walked to dinner, cheered up slightly by her talk with Gwen. As long as she did well at the Cup, she could call herself a Holyhead Harpy in a few years.
‘Take that, Mom and Dad. At least someone fucking wants me,’ she thought triumphantly to herself as she entered the Great Hall.
“Hey, Micks. Why were you gone so long?” Sirius asked when she sat down.
“Oh, no reason,” Marlene replied casually. “Just an interview with a talent scout for the Holyhead Harpies.”
“No shit!” Lily exclaimed, startling Remus awake. “Fuck, Marly, that’s brilliant! What’d they say?”
“Just that they’d be evaluating me during the Cup, and that I’m almost guaranteed a spot on the team.”
“Holy shit! That’s amazing!”
“What’s amazing?” James asked as he and Dorcas walked up. Marlene averted her gaze from them, keeping her eyes firmly on Lily, sitting across from her.
“Marly’s got the Holyhead Harpies saving a spot for her, and they’re coming to watch the Quidditch Cup!” Lily crowed. “She’s gonna be a famous jock for the rest of her life!”
“Fuck, Marlene, that’s awesome,” James said. “I’m so proud of you, holy shit.”
“Thanks, man. Probably couldn’t have done it without you being team captain,” Marlene replied.
“Sure you could, you’re a fucking amazing beater.”
“He’s right,” Dorcas spoke up. “You’ve worked so hard for this, and now people are gonna have to admit how incredible you are.”
Marlene hated herself for blushing, hated that one compliment from Dorcas could affect her like this. It wasn’t fair.
“Thanks, Dorcas,” she mumbled.
“Hey, the Cup is in a few days right?” Lily exclaimed. Bless her and her unfaltering ability to derail awkward situations. “You think you’ve got a real shot at winning?”
“Of course we do, Evans, it’s us,” James answered.
“Cocky, Potter?”
“Of course, but it’s well-deserved.”
“I think you’re just biased.”
“Possibly, but who can prove it?” James shrugged. Lily giggled, making Marlene grin. She hadn’t heard Lily sound like that in a while.
Marlene startled out of her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Marlene?” Dorcas said quietly. “Can we talk?”
“Uh, sure. What’s up?”
“No, uh, not here. Somewhere else?” Dorcas asked nervously. Marlene wondered dimly why she was nervous but decided to just bite the bullet.
“Yeah, ok. Lead the way.”
She followed Dorcas out of the Great Hall and into a corridor. After looking around to check for other students, Dorcas spun to face Marlene.
“Alright, out with it. Have you been avoiding me?”
“What?” Marlene wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t Dorcas calling her out for her behavior. In truth, she didn’t think the other girl would even notice. Why would she? Shouldn’t she be busy with someone- no, something else?
“Are you avoiding me?” Dorcas repeated slowly. “You haven’t been talking to me, you’re always on the Quidditch pitch or in class, and you don’t even look at me during breakfast or dinner or anything. So, actually, let me rephrase that. Why are you avoiding me?”
Marlene stuttered. “It’s not that I’ve been avoiding you, necessarily…”
“Oh? Then what?”
“It’s just, well… the Quidditch Cup is in a few days, you know? It’s not just a game to me, it’s my future career. And on top of that, exams are soon, and everything else. Look, I haven’t tried to avoid you, Cas. It just... happened. I’m sorry,” Marlene said. She couldn't tell the truth, but she couldn't hurt Dorcas either.
“Bullshit.”
“What?”
“That's bullshit,” Dorcas replied. “And you know it.”
“I’m not lying to you.”
“Maybe, but you’ve talked to everyone else in the past few days. Hell, I saw you hold an hour long conversation with Peter about different types of cheese. This isn’t just stress, this is you not talking to me. And it fucking sucks, because you were the only person who treated me like… like I was your first choice. And now I’m not even an option.”
“That’s not true,” Marlene said.
“No? Then why?”
“I really have been busy-“
“Save it, Marlene,” Dorcas snapped. It felt like a slap in the face. “Unless you’re gonna tell me the truth, then don’t talk to me. You seem to be pretty good at that, anyway.”
With that, Dorcas turned and left, leaving Marlene in an empty corridor that felt about as hollow as she did.
——————————————————————————————
In the early morning of the Quidditch Cup, Lily woke up to Marlene settling into her bed behind her.
“Marls? What’s up?” She whispered sleepily, slurring her words slightly.
“Nothing, just had a nightmare is all. Go back to sleep,” Marlene whispered back. “I’m fine, just rest.”
“Wha- no, m’good, what was the nightmare?” Lily turned toffee Marlene. She was shocked to see tears running down her face. “Marlene, what happened?”
“It’s nothing,” Marlene replied. “It’s nothing, get some sleep.”
“No, no, tell me what happened.”
“It was just a stupid nightmare, that’s all. Just stressed about Quidditch. C’mon, we both need rest. Just sleep.”
“But-“
“Lily.” Marlene said. “I’ll be fine if you let me sleep, ok?”
“Ok,” Lily said reluctantly. “But you’re gonna be the little spoon.”
“I’m taller than you.”
“And?”
Marlene grinned. “Yeah, ok. C’mere.”
Lily wrapped her arm around Marlene’s waist and buried her face between her shoulder blades.
“Marly?”
“Yeah?”
“Love ya.”
“Love you too, Lils.”
The two drifted off to sleep, curled up together and comfortable.
——————————————————————————————
Lily’s sense of peace didn’t last long.
“Wake up, wake up, wake up!” Alice screamed in her ear. Lily flailed about in surprise, over balancing and falling out of bed.
“What the fuck, Alice?”
“Come on! We have to go to breakfast early so we can get good seats at the match!”
“Ok, ok,” Lily rubbed her head and sat up. “Where’s Marlene?”
“She already got up,” Mary replied from where she was doing her makeup. “Went to eat breakfast with the team. Said to tell you thanks for last night?”
“Oh, she had a nightmare and ended up in my bed is all.”
“Is she ok?”
“I think so. She didn’t want to talk about it.”
“Well, we can ask her about it after the Cup,” Alice responded.
“Alright. Where’s Dorcas?”
“In the bathroom!” Dorcas called. “You want face paint?”
“Sure, but nothing too flashy,” Lily replied.
“No problem,” Dorcas said, walking out with a small tubes of paint. On her own cheeks were a number five and stripes of red and gold.
“Number five, huh? Trying to catch a certain Quidditch player’s eye?” Lily teased.
Dorcas didn’t smile. In fact, she grimaced
“Figured since Marlene is our friend and all, we should be supportive.”
“Er… yeah. Ok.”
Lily flashed a confused look to the other two.Mary shrugged and Alice scowled. Lily took it to mean they didn’t know what was going on either.
“Ok, come here. You want a number and stripes too, or something else?” Dorcas asked.
“A number and stripes is good,” Lily responded. Dorcas nodded and set to work.
“We’re against Slytherin, right? Do you think they’ll try anything?” Mary asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Will they play dirty?”
“They’re Slytherins, of course they will,” Alice replied. “But Marlene and Sirius are good at what they do, they won’t let anyone get roughed up too bad.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t worry, Mary,” Lily said. “Everyone will be fine.”
“Lily, could you try not to talk for just a sec?” Dorcas asked.
“Oh, right. Sorry.”
“Hey, doesn’t Marlene have some talent scout grading her?” Alice asked. Lily wondered if the way Dorcas’ hand shook when Marlene’s name was mentioned would affect her face paint. From the frown she was displaying, Lily decided not to ask.
“Yeah, she said they’re from the Holyhead Harpies,” Mary replied. “They’ve pretty solidly said they want Marlene to play for them.”
“Damn. Sixteen years old and a fucking Quidditch team is scouting her. We should get her a cake or something.”
“She would probably prefer chocolate biscuits,” Dorcas said through a clenched jaw. She seemed to notice how tightly she was holding herself, and relaxed. “Lily, your face paint is done.”
“Thanks, Dorcas,” Lily said gently. She didn’t know what had her friend on edge, but she definitely didn’t want to make it worse.
“Yeah, sure. Come on, let’s head to breakfast.”
The walk down to the Great Hall was quiet but tense. Not tense in a bad way, except maybe for Dorcas. Lily really needed to figure out what was up with her. While the rest of the castle seemed excited and energetic, Dorcas was sullen and quiet. It wasn’t normal. Dorcas was never really energetic, but this complete absence of enthusiasm was concerning.
This thought, however, was momentarily wiped from Lily’s mind when they entered the Great Hall. The typical dull roar of all the students together had heightened to a cacophony of sound. The Slytherins were decked out in silver and green, whereas the Gryffindors were entrenched in the most obnoxiously bright display of red and gold that Lily had ever seen. The Hufflepuffs were also largely in red and gold, and the Ravenclaws seemed to be split among the middle as to which team they were rooting for.
“Red! Over here!” Sirius could barely be picked out from the sea of Gryffindors, but him standing on the table may have helped.
“This is fucking crazy,” Lily laughed when she got to him, pulling him into a hug.
“Yep,” he grinned. “Isn’t it just?”
“Love the face paint, Lils, I’m sure James will be happy about it,” Remus snickered from his place beside his boyfriend.
“Why would James be happy about it?” Lily asked in confusion. She turned to Dorcas, who was finally smiling a bit.
“I may have painted James’ number instead of Marlene’s,” she giggled.
“Dorcas!” Lily tried to be upset but she couldn’t really act offended.
“What? I thought it would be appreciated.”
“It is,” James’ voice rang out clearly. “It’s very much appreciated.”
Lily turned to face James. “I don’t like feeding your ego.”
“What a shame,” James grinned. “Actually, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Er, alright.”
James led Lily to the end of the table. “Have you noticed anything off about Dorcas?”
“Yes! She looks really upset? I don’t know what’s up or why-“
“She got in a fight with Marlene,” James said.
“What?”
“Yeah. Apparently Marlene has been avoiding her, and she’s pissed about it and confused, but she’s starting to regret it because, you know, she’s in love with her and all-“
“Marlene’s been avoiding her because she’s convinced Dorcas and Jack are together now. Like, seriously together,” Lily said. “Aren’t they?”
“What? No, Dorcas broke up with him.”
“What?”
“Yeah, at the talent show party!”
“She kissed him at the talent show party!” Lily exclaimed
“Yeah, on the cheek!” James shot back.
“That’s affectionate!”
“It was a goodbye!”
“How was Marlene supposed to know that?” Lily defended.
“She could have asked like a normal person!”
“Why are we arguing over this?”
“I don’t know!” James laughed, making Lily chuckle too. But when the situation began to sink in, she stopped smiling.
“So, the point is, Dorcas broke up with Jack, Marlene thought it was them getting serious, and now they’re upset with each other because of a misunderstanding?”
“Yep.”
“Fuckin’ Shakespearean, I tell you,” Lily grumbled. “My Maid of Honor speech at their wedding is gonna be batshit crazy.”
James grinned. ”I’m sure it will be, Evans.”
Before Lily could reply, they heard a shout.
“Hey, James! Time to get to the pitch!” Sirius’ voice rang out. A loud cheer assaulted Lily’s ears as the Gryffindor team began to file out of the Great Hall.
“Shit, I have to go,” James said. He looked at Lily and quickly looked away. “I do like my number on you, Lily. It looks good.”
“Oh, er, yeah. Thanks,” Lily stuttered out. “Um, good luck.”
“We won’t need luck,” James smiled. “This is gonna be easy.”
——————————————————————————————
‘This is not fucking easy,’ Marlene thought to herself, flying at break-neck speeds. It was maybe an hour into the game, the Snitch had only been seen twice, and Slytherin was apparently attempting to murder other players. She had been busy keeping her teammates safe from bludgers that constantly seemed to be aimed at their heads. Gryffindor was absolutely playing a defensive game at this point.
Marlene couldn’t hear much of Remus’ commentary due to the general chaos of the pitch, but it didn’t seem like Gryffindor was very far behind. She hadn’t been able to pick out Gwen in the crowd, but that didn’t matter much to her. This was about the Cup, not anything else. Nothing could be as important at the moment.
Marlene noticed a bludger headed towards Sirius, who was too busy fending off the other one to notice. She darted into action, knocking it away from him and towards a Slytherin chaser holding the quaffle. She didn’t turn to see if she had hit the mark, she could tell that she succeeded from the roar in the Gryffindor stands.
“Thanks!” Sirius shouted. “Didn’t see it coming.”
“No problem! You know the score?”
“We’re behind by twenty.”
“Alright. Got my six?”
“Always,” Sirius replied. “Get back out there, Micks.”
Marlene nodded and flew off, back to watching over the pitch to see where she was needed.
James was doing the same, clearly trying to keep an eye out for the snitch. Marlene flew over to hover next to him.
“Any sign of it?”
James shook his head grimly. “Our chasers are outmatched. If I catch it now, we can win, but-“
“Buy some time, distract their seeker, got it.”
Marlene threw up a salute that James returned and then flew off again, chasing down a bludger to aim at the Slytherins.
She caught a bit of Remus’ commentary as she flew by- “GRYFFINDOR SCORES, MAKING THEM ONLY TEN POINTS BEHIND! JAMES, IF THERE WAS EVER A TIME TO GET OFF YOUR ASS AND BE PRODUCTIVE, IT WOULD BE NOW! YOU’RE ALWAYS BRAGGING ABOUT BEING A SEEKER, AT LEAST PROVE YOU’RE A GOOD ONE!”
Marlene grinned. Remus’ commentary was certainly spirited. If only he was like that at all times, it would make life a lot more interesting. Though, she supposed the quiet bookworm image had it’s own charm.
‘It certainly worked on Sirius’, she thought as her fellow beater flew by the stands to blow his boyfriend a kiss. Marlene laughed at their antics before continuing on her constant path around the pitch. She was trying to see how to send a bludger towards the Slytherin beaters when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye, flying fast towards the hoops-
Shit fuck shit god no shit. Bludgers heading towards Frank, both of them, illegal move. This is a foul, call the foul, shit, fuck, can’t get there fast enough, can’t get there fast enough. Marlene was barely holding on to her broom as she hurtled through the air, her brain working almost as quickly as her broom was flying. She didn’t have time. She wouldn’t be able to hit them both away. She could only knock one, the other would hit Frank, it would hit him, there wasn’t even a chaser in scoring range, there was no reason for the Slytherin beaters to do this, why hadn’t Madam Hooch called the fucking foul, wasn’t she fucking watching-
Wait. Could that work? No time to figure it out, no time to assess. Angle yourself properly, be ready to hit, prepare, prepare, be ready, be brave, NOW-
Marlene darted in front of Frank, batting one bludger off to the left and hovering in front of him, letting the other one crash into her right shoulder. She screamed in pain as she felt the bone crack.
——————————————————————————————
“MARLENE!” Lily screamed, shooting to her feet. The rest of the Gryffindors stood with her, roaring in anger.
“THAT WAS A CLEAR FUCKING FOUL! YOU FUCKING ASSHOLES, CLEAR GODDAMN FOUL AGAINST GRYFFINDOR KEEPER, MARLENE YOU ABSOLUTE BEAST, I’M GIVING YOU SO MUCH FUCKING CHOCOLATE, SOMEONE GO KNOCK THE SHIT OUT OF THE SLYTHERIN BEATERS!” Remus screamed into the mic. He paid no mind to McGonagall in the booth next to him. Although, she didn’t seem to be maintaining her stance against swearing during commentary, seeing as she was too busy screaming her own comments. Lily doubted they were as tame as Remus’.
“Fuck, will she be ok?” Mary asked, watching Marlene slowly fly away from Frank.
“She’ll be fine,” Alice said. “They’ll put in a back-up and Madam Pomfrey will fix her up.”
Lily scoffed. “Are you kidding? It’s Marlene. She’s not leaving the pitch, not if the Cup is on the line.”
“She fucking better,” Dorcas spoke up. She hadn’t screamed when Marlene got hit like Lily had, but she hadn’t taken her eyes off the injured girl, and she was clutching the railing so hard that Lily feared for it’s structural integrity. “If that absolute fucking moron keeps playing…”
The girls watched as James demanded a timeout. They waited, holding their breath as he flew over to Marlene, carefully hovering next to her, talking to her quietly. Marlene nodded once. James shook his head. Marlene nodded again. James shrugged tiredly. He flew back to Madam Hooch. She blew her whistle, effectively ending the timeout.
“AND MARLENE MCKINNON HAS DECIDED TO STAY IN THE GAME, FURTHER CEMENTING MY DECISION TO NAME MY CHILD AFTER HER. SIRIUS, BABE, PLEASE KEEP HER ALIVE. SHE’S TOO DUMB TO MAKE IT ON HER OWN. WAIT, SHE’S GOT PEOPLE WATCHING THIS. MARLENE’S NOT THAT DUMB! SHE’S VERY SMART, BUT APPARENTLY SHE’LL LET A BLUDGER BREAK HER SHOULDER AND THEN CONTINUE TO PLAY, SO MAKE OF THAT WHAT YOU WILL.”
“Remus is losing his shit,” Mary laughed. Peter, who sat beside Remus in the commentator’s booth, had long since fallen off his chair from laughing too hard.
“Yep,” Lily replied. “Wonder if he’ll have all his brain cells intact at the end of this.”
“Marlene definitely won’t,” Alice said. “Not after I’m done lecturing her, for sure.”
“That moron,” Dorcas muttered, keeping her eyes glued to Marlene, who had switched her bat to her left hand and continued to fly around, scanning the other players. “She’s gonna get fucking hurt again, she’s gonna get hurt.”
“She’ll be ok.” Lily tried to reassure her. “The game will end and Madam Pomfrey will fix her up, she’ll be just fine, you’ll see. She’ll be ok.”
“And if she’s not? What if she falls off her broom, or gets hit again, or the Slytherins target her-“
“Dorcas!” Lily interrupted, putting a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “She won’t fall off her broom, see, she’s got a hand on it, although she can’t have a very good grip right now, and I doubt she’s really thinking about it much, and her arm is injured so she wouldn’t really- oh fuck what if she falls off her broom?”
“Right?”
“Shit, oh my god, what do we do?”
“Relax, idiots, I know you’re the Marlene McKinnon Protection Squad, but she’s not gonna fall. She’s an excellent Quidditch player and she’ll be just fine.”
“Easy for you to say, Alice, she took a bludger to the shoulder to protect your boyfriend,” Dorcas shot back.
“Whoa, hey, that was not Frank’s fault.”
“No, of course not, that was dumb,” Dorcas said, running a hand through her hair. “Sorry. I’m just… worried about her, is all.”
“She’ll be just fine,” Mary said. “You’ll see. She’ll be ok.”
——————————————————————————————
Marlene was not fucking ok.
She cursed as she flew around, trying to ignore the pain in her shoulder. Frank had definitely been grateful that she’d taken the hit for her, and even James knew it was better to have a damaged beater than a keeper. He still wasn’t exactly on board with her staying on the pitch, though.
“What the fuck do you mean, you’ll keep playing?” He’d said. “Your shoulder snapped like a fucking twig!”
“I’m fine!” She had replied. “Just catch the fucking snitch and win this.”
“No. No way. We’re bringing in a sub.”
“We don’t have a fucking substitute, James,” she’d answered through gritted teeth. “Just catch the damn snitch. End it, and end it quick.”
James had reluctantly agreed, although he had Sirius pretty much constantly on her tail.
“Could you fly a few feet away? I can’t think with you breathing down my neck,” Marlene snapped.
Sirius shrugged. “That’s what you get for getting your shoulder broken mid-game and refusing to leave.”
“Better I get hurt than Frank.”
“Maybe. But that doesn’t mean it’s good.”
“Of course it’s not. But you can’t be babysitting me. The team needs a defense, and I’m not as good with my left arm. Time to step up,” Marlene replied.
“I hate when you’re right.”
“Just go.”
Marlene watched Sirius fly back into action, hitting a well-aimed bludger into a Slytherin beater. Her eyes scanned the pitch. There wasn’t much she could do now, unless she decided to try being a human shield again. She wondered if that maneuver would get points taken off on Gwen’s grade for her performance. She didn’t really care, if she was being honest. It was an instinctual reaction, but she stood by it. She’d do it again to protect any keeper, and considering it was one of her friends, she’d do it as much as she had to.
She drifted towards the commentary box, trying to hear the score, or some indication that it was going well.
“JAMES GODDAMN POTTER IF YOU DON’T END THIS GAME RIGHT NOW I’LL MURDER YOU.”
At least Remus was doing well.
“I’M SERIOUS, JAMES, I’LL DO IT.”
Marlene wondered if James could hear him.
“A PILLOW OVER YOUR FACE IN THE NIGHT. I’D FRAME SIRIUS. IT’D BE SO EASY.”
How long had he been impatient with the game? What had been the final straw?
“ONE OF YOUR BEST PLAYERS IS INJURED. LOOK AT HER. SHE HAS NOTHING BETTER TO DO THAN LISTEN TO ME, WHICH IS A TRUE TRAGEDY. BY THE WAY, MARLENE, THE SCORE IS 80 TO 90 IN SLYTHERIN’S FAVOR, BUT YOU DON’T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THAT BECAUSE WE LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU AND YOU CAN TAKE A MINUTE TO CALM- MARLENE WHERE ARE YOU GOING?”
Marlene sped off. James didn’t seem to have eyes on the snitch, which meant they couldn’t allow Slytherin to score again. They couldn’t.
No matter what, she couldn’t lose.
She chased down a rogue bludger and began hitting it slowly, carefully, moving it just enough to put it in position. She watched as a chaser in a green uniform streaked down the pitch with the quaffle. She held her breath, took careful aim, and-
Her bat connected with the bludger, propelling it forward powerfully. Her aim was a little off, but the chaser dropped the quaffle as he rolled to dodge, allowing a Gryffindor chaser to recover it. Marlene smiled as a cheer went up from the Gryffindor stands.
She basked in her small victory until she caught Remus’ voice in the wind.
“DIVE! FUCKING DIVE! JAMES POTTER AND REGULUS BLACK HAVE BOTH SPOTTED THE SNITCH! BOTH SEEKERS HAVE SPOTTED THE SNITCH! THEY’RE DIVING FOR IT, THEY’RE NECK AND NECK, JAMES I’LL DISOWN YOU IF YOU FUCK THIS UP!”
Marlene turned to see James and Sirius’ brother hurtling towards the ground, each with their arm outstretched, a matching look of determination on their faces. Remus was right, they were tied at the same speed, there was no telling who would catch it.
Suddenly, James pulled up. Regulus kept going.
“JAMES FUCKING POTTER, WHAT DID YOU-“
Remus cut himself off. He seemed to need a minute to process what had happened. So did Marlene.
James was holding his clenched fist in the air. He slowly allowed his hand to fall open.
There, sitting in his palm, was a captured Golden Snitch.
A murmur began. It rose to outright screams. And then, as though everyone caught on at once, a roar began to ring out. The Gryffindors were screaming and stomping their feet, the Slytherins were screeching and hissing, their team was flying to the ground, and Marlene was flying to James. She collided with Sirius and Frank, jostling her shoulder but she barely noticed as they crashed into James, who was staring at the snitch like he couldn’t believe it was real, like he couldn’t believe any of it was real, and then one of them was crying and then all of them were crying and Madam Pomfrey was on a broom behind Madam Hooch, both some lecturing her on irresponsibility and the importance of avoiding further injury. Marlene’s jaw hurt from smiling more than her shoulder hurt, but she decided not to tell them that.
It didn’t matter anyway.
None of it did.
Because Marlene McKinnon just won the fucking Quidditch Cup.