Ginny and marls
Marlene
Ginny and Marlene were sprawled out on the couch in the Burrow, flipping through a Quidditch magazine, both too restless to sit still for long.
“So, you’re definitely going to get into trouble at Hogwarts, right?” Ginny asked, not looking up.
Marlene grinned mischievously. Oh, you have no idea, she thought. “Of course. You wouldn’t expect anything less from me. I’ll probably sneak into the Forbidden Forest and have a chat with the giant squid.”
Ginny snorted. “Right. I’ll bet you ten Galleons you end up trying to fly through the Hogwarts windows on your broom. Someone’s bound to notice when you smash through the glass.”
Marlene’s smile widened. Well, maybe not through the windows, she thought. But flying into the Whomping Willow? Now that’s an idea… “I’ll just blame it on the twins,” she said out loud, with a serious expression.
Ginny raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to blame Fred and George for your destruction of school property? They’ll probably encourage it.”
Marlene chuckled, mentally adding, Honestly, I might even get them to help. “Exactly. They’re like… my role models. Except not the getting caught part.”
Ginny gave her a side-eye. I bet they’d give you a round of applause and a box of fireworks, Ginny probably thought. “I’m not taking the fall for you, you know.”
Marlene grinned. Pity. I was hoping you’d take the blame so I could just make a quick getaway. “You will when I charm your broomstick to fly off into the sunset.”
Ginny stared at her. “You’d better not. If you charm my broom to do anything, I’m setting your broom on fire.”
Wait. What? Marlene’s eyes widened for a moment, but then she smirked. She’s bluffing. She wouldn’t dare. “Why would you do that?” she gasped in mock horror. “It’s perfectly safe… if you don’t mind the smell of burning feathers.”
Okay, so maybe I would mind that, she thought with a mental wince. But that’s not the point.
Ginny shook her head. “You’re hopeless.” She sighed, though there was a smile tugging at her lips.
Marlene stuck her tongue out. I’m going to win. I’m definitely going to win. Just need to perfect that move where I zoom down and snatch the Snitch out of thin air. “I’ll beat you, just wait. When I score the winning goal in our first match, you’ll have to admit I’m the better flyer.”
Ginny raised her eyebrows. She’s serious. Oh, it’s on. “You? A Seeker?”
Marlene’s grin grew wider. Who else? “Why not?” she said with a wicked grin. “You’ll be too busy flying in circles to notice the Golden Snitch, and I’ll swoop in and—“
Actually, she’s pretty good. But I’ll be better. I’ll just need to practice… Ginny interrupted, cutting her thoughts short. “Not a chance. I was born to catch the Snitch, thank you very much.”
Marlene’s brain immediately switched to a mental image of herself zooming toward the Snitch, hair flying behind her. Flying faster than anyone—taking it from Ginny, and everyone cheering. I’ll be the hero of the match. “Well,” she said, leaning back dramatically, “I guess we’ll just have to see who’s got the better broom skills when the time comes.”
Ginny sighed with a grin. “This is going to be a disaster.”
Exactly. A glorious disaster, Marlene thought, smirking to herself. “Only for you,” she said aloud. “But I’ll let you off easy… for now.”