“Are you sure I look good?” Marlene asked for the fifth time in the last fifteen minutes. She was wearing a long sleeve V-neck black dress, along with her black Converses and a pearl necklace. She was getting ready for her Valentine’s date with Dorcas.
“Yeah, Marls, you look good,” Lily reassured her friend.
“But isn’t it too simple? It’s a date, shouldn't I be wearing something more… elegant?”
“For the last time, Marlene,” Mary complained. “You look absolutely gorgeous, and Dorcas so in love with you, that you could literally wear a sack of potatoes and she would still think you’re pretty”
“And if you don’t hurry up, you’re gonna be late” Lily reminded her.
“Mierda!” Marlene picked up her things, and walked to the door. “Love you, wish me luck!!”
“Good luck!” Mary and Lily answered in unison even though she didn’t need it. Marlene and Dorcas have been dating for the past five months, after they decided to leave their Quidditch rivalry behind and clarify their feelings.
After Marlene was gone, Mary let out an exasperated sigh and fell down in her bed. She had been in a bad mood all day.
“What got you so grumpy today?” Lily asked.
“I’m not grumpy”
“Yeah, because not grumpy people pick heart-shaped balloons all day long”
“First of all, it was one balloon,” Mary tried to defend herself. “and second of all, it got in my way, it’s not my fault everyone is so damn excited for Valentine’s Day that have to fill every corner of este maldito castillo with balloons”
“You still haven't given me a reason why you're the Valentine's Day grinch.”
“Is it obvious that I don't like the day?”
“Well, i can’t actually blame you, Valentine's day kinda sucks”
“It shouldn’t suck” Mary said. “It should be a good day where you go on a date with someone special or you bake things and organise a Galentines party, but it isn’t”
“Because all the boys that asked me out were literal idiots and all our friends are basically dating each others so i can’t have a good Valentine’s day, and i have to stick to the losers version”
“Which is?”
“Watch movies and complain about how my love life sucks”
Lily knew that Mary’s love life wasn’t actually that bad, and that not all the guys that asked her out were idiots, so that weren’t the reasons why she was being so grumpy about Valentine’s Day, but she also knew that if Mary wasn’t telling her something she shouldn’t push her, she should wait until she could talk about it.
And Lily also knew the perfect way to cheer her up.
“Well, let’s change that, shall we?” said Lily, getting up. “Put on some nice clothes and wait for me in the common room for me, please”
“Where are you going?” Mary asked. “And how exactly are we going to change that?”
“I can’t tell you, i’d ruin the surprise”
When Lily was back, Mary was in some kind of discussion with the Fat Lady’s portrait. She really took the Valentine's Day Grinch role seriously.
“I thought i told you to wait in the common room”
“Yeah, well you were taking too long, so I decided it was better to wait outside so I could see you coming” Mary turned around, and suddenly everything seemed to stop. She looked so pretty in her short red dress that if someone told Lily that Mary was prettier than Aphrodite she’d agree. Even if the goddess will descend from Olympus itself, to punish her for saying such a thing.
“You look beautiful,”
“You told me to put on some nice clothes, so I did,” Mary said, smiling. “Shall we go?”
“Yes” Lily let out, regaining composure. “Follow me”
They made their way through the castle, out to the garden and to the lake. Before they arrived at their destination Lily told Mary to close her eyes, then took her hand and started walking again being careful to not make Mary fall.
“Is that Taylor Swift?” Mary asked as they started to get close.
“Maybe” Lily answered as they keep going
“And are we near the lake?”
“Maybe”
Just a few more steps…
“And is chocolate what i’m smelling?”
“Why don’t you open your eyes and find out?”
When Mary did she was left speechless. Lily had spread a blanket in the grass in a place between two big rocks and the forbidden forest with a view to the lake. There’s a basket with a cake, a few of Mary’s favorite chocolate and butter beer. There are little lights floating above the picnic and music it’s playing from a muggle speaker.
“I know it’s not much, if i had a little more time i’d have done something better…” Mary cut her off, putting her hands in both sides of Lily’s face and bringing their lips together. Suddenly everything that was worrying Lily didn’t matter anymore, because Mary was kissing her. And kissing her. And kissing her. And Lily was kissing her back.
She had kissed people before, she had a few girlfriends in the past, but none of them, none of their kisses, felt the way Mary kissing her was making her feel.
When Lily’s hands catched Mary’s waist to pull her closer, she had the odd thought that their bodies were made to fit with each other. Even though it was an odd thought, kissing Mary didn’t feel weird or new, it felt like something they should have been doing a long time ago. Like something they did before, in another timeline, another life. Like soon or later they will end up doing it, because they’re meant to.
It felt like coming home. And home has been waiting for her for a really long time.
“You know, all the reasons I told you about why I was grumpy today were true,” Mary said once they broke apart, foreheads resting against each other. “But mostly it was because I wanted to spend it with you.”
“Well, now you can”
“Hopefully this will not be the only time”
It wasn’t.