Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments)
Alchemy: Aether.
Task: A friend is like the Aether because in peoples lives they fill a huge part of their hearts. This weeks task will be to write about the importance of friendship.
There was a lull at the moment; so, Lily Evans decided to use that time wisely by organising a girls' night in. She'd invited all her closest girlfriends, but Mary was busy spending time with Reg, Alice was planning her wedding to Frank Longbottom, Hestia was visiting her younger brother. So, that left just Marlene. Lily was a little disappointed, but at the same time she could understand where they were coming from.
For the night, Lily had gotten her hands on a very mature bottle of Madam Rosemerta's mead, plus a huge slab of Honeydukes finest milk chocolate.
"Come in, Marls," said Lily happily as she answered the door to her best friend. Well, that was after going through all the preliminaries of making sure Marlene was really Marlene. Even though things were somewhat calm at the moment, didn't mean they would let their guard down.
"Ugh, I hate that we have to check that we aren't imposters," grumbled Marlene as she stepped over the threshold into Lily's nice warm flat. "Where are James and Sirius tonight?"
"They're at James' parents place tonight. As you can imagine, James grumbled about being kicked out," laughed Lily.
Marlene shook her head. She still couldn't quite believe that James and Lily were together. Oh, she knew James had had a thing for Lily for years, but she had never believed that he'd actually get her. Yet, here they were, very much in love and living together with plans on getting wed. A part of Marlene ached to have that kind of relationship, but the one person she loved didn't love her back - or at least not enough.
Marlene followed Lily to the sitting room, and sat in one of the armchairs by the fire.
"How are you, Marls?" asked Lily. To her mind, Marlene was looking a little pale, her heart-shaped face a little pinched and her clothing a little too big.
Marlene merely shrugged and let go a small sigh. "I'm okay, Lils. A little tired, but okay."
It was the same response Lily always seemed to get these days.
"Have some mead, I've warmed it a little," said Lily as she poured a generous measure for them both.
She handed Marlene a glass. It gave her a chance to study her friend better. She watched as Marlene rolled the glass between her hands, before bringing it up to her mouth and sank the contents in one go. Lily grimaced but said nothing... for the moment.
"So what have you got planned for us then?" asked Marlene quietly.
"Oh you know, the usual. Get a little bit tipsy, maybe make some cookies, and just talk," said Lily casually.
It was Marlene's turn to grimace slightly. She knew what was on Lily's mind, she wanted her to talk about what was going on in her head - to get it off her chest. But Marlene wasn't sure she could do that.
"Another drink?" asked Lily, breaking into Marlene's musings.
"I'm on to you, Miss Evans. You think if you can get me drunk enough, that I'll pour my heart out to you. Well I tell you now, it isn't going to happen!" snapped Marlene. "I don't want to talk about it."
"I have no idea what you're talking about Miss McKinnon, I was merely being a polite and courteous host offering you another drink," said Lily calmly. Though inside she was surprised that Marlene had snapped at her, she'd never done that before.
"I'm sorry Lils, I didn't mean to snap at you. Only I really don't want to talk. This is something I need to figure out on my own," said Marlene in a small voice full of contrition.
"What are you trying to figure out Marls?" asked Lily gently. Her heart turned over as her friend raised sad blue eyes to meet her own bright green ones.
"I can't, please don't keep asking, Lils," whispered Marlene sadly.
Lily drew in a deep breath, then slowly and quietly released it.
A while later, after a few glasses of mead, Lily and Marlene were in the small kitchen making peanut butter cookies. Both of them were ever so slightly buzzed, and Lily had a bad case of the giggles. Which made weighing out the ingredients harder.
"Lils, what is so funny?" asked Marlene with a grin.
"I was just thinking about that time we chucked Sirius in the black lake," laughed Lily uproariously.
Marlene grinned hugely as memories from that day came flooding into her mind.
It had been late May, and fourth year Sirius was being an annoying little berk. All day he'd been on and on at Marlene about the fact she'd accepted Benjy Fenwick's offer to go to the Quidditch match together.
"I can't believe you're going out with that stupid prat Marlene, I thought you had better taste than that," Sirius had yelled down the corridor after her.
"Just piss off, Sirius, it's none of your business," Marlene had yelled back at him.
"I'm just trying to look out for you, Marls, that's all," Sirius had shouted back.
"I don't need..."
"Enough!" Lily had said crossly, cutting Marlene off. "Black, stop interfering in stuff you have no right to, otherwise Merlin help you, I will hex you until you are black and blue."
As Lily had spoken she'd marched right up to Sirius and had pointed her wand right at his face.
"Easy there, Evans," James had said as he came up behind Sirius. He'd obviously doubled back to see where his best mate had gone to.
"Tell your boyfriend to keep his nose out of other peoples' business, Potter."
With that she'd stalked off back down the corridor, towards the Great Hall leaving both James and Sirius gaping after her.
"Lils, thanks, but in future let me fight my own battles," Marlene had grumbled.
"I'm sorry, Marls, that stupid little git just infuriates me sometimes," Lily had said looking rather cross.
"I know, he annoys the crap out of me at times too," Marlene had said, but she was smiling.
By the end of the day, Sirius still hadn't shut up about the fact that Marlene was going to the next Quidditch game with Benjy. He'd followed the girls outside as they headed to the willow tree on the shore of the lake. Mary, and Hestia had gotten so angry that they both, with one accord, had rushed Sirius and had knocked him to the ground, driving the breath from him. Next thing he had known, he had felt hands grabbing at his cloak as he had been lifted bodily from the ground, he had opened his eyes and had seen Lily, Marlene, Mary and Hestia carrying him. Splash! They'd chucked him bodily into the lake.
Sirius had scrambled on to dry land and had looked at the girls incredulously. Everywhere he had looked there had been students laughing at his expense, including his own friends who had stood on the side lines watching in amusement.
Sirius had huffed and had stalked back towards the castle, causing the girls to laugh even harder.
"Oh, oh that was so funny," gasped Lily. "Do you remember how indignant he'd looked?"
"Uh huh," was all Marlene could splutter.
Finally both girls stopped laughing and just grinned at each other. The timer for the cookies buzzed making both girls jump.
Seated side by side on the sofa, Lily poured them both another drink and proffered the plate of warm cookies. Marlene grabbed a few and sat back, seemingly lost in thought.
"Penny for 'em," said Lily after she'd finished munching on a cookie.
"What? Oh, I was just thinking about the time Hestia and Remus broke up," said Marlene slowly. "I never did get to the bottom of that in the end."
Lily gulped. She knew the truth as to why they'd broken up, but she couldn't say anything. So she changed the subject.
"So, who do you think is going to win the Quidditch league this year?" asked Lily quickly, grasping any subject she could lay her hands on.
Marlene arched her well shaped eyebrow at her best friend. Lily always seemed to clam up when the subject got around to Remus. Was there something going on there? Did those two have a love affair that she knew nothing about? Highly doubting it, she let it go for the moment.
"Personally, I think it'll be the Wasps, now Ludo has joined the team," said Marlene enthusiastically. "So, who do you think will win?"
"Personally, I think it's going to be the Tornados, they have a very strong team this year," said Lily without much confidence.
Marlene made a disparaging noise in the back of her throat, but said nothing.
"Speaking of elements, do you remember when James and Sirius froze the entrance hall?" said Marlene suddenly.
"Which year was that?" asked Lily as she furrowed her brow trying to remember.
"Fifth year, when we all stayed at school for Christmas."
"Oh yeah! Now I remember," smiled Lily. "If they hadn't made the floor so slippery, it would have looked lovely."
"Thank Merlin you were there to catch me that day. Had I gone down, I reckon I'd have broken my ankle," muttered Marlene crossly. "I tell ya, Lils, I don't know what I'd do without you."
Lily smiled softly at her best friend. "Same goes, love, same goes."
For a while both girls sat in silent repose. Each had a wealth of memories crowding their minds. But none more so than the time Marlene and Sirius had split up.
It had been the night after N.E.W.T's had finished. The seventh years had finally been able to relax, a couple more weeks and they would have been graduating from Hogwarts.
The only person who hadn't seemed to relax was Marlene. She and Sirius had been quarrelling most of the week, and Sirius had been disappearing off more often than not. As to where he had gone went, she had had no idea. They'd been going out together since the end of sixth year, and she still hadn't figured out all his hidey-holes as she had called them.
"Hey McKinnon, where's Sirius?" James had asked as he came and sat down on the sofa next to her.
Marlene had shrugged as she had watched the flames dance merrily in the grate of their common room fireplace. Lily had clambered through the portrait hole and had stumbled towards Marlene and James.
"Lils, what's the matter?" James had asked in concern.
"Marls, a word," was all Lily had said in a tone that brooked no argument.
Marlene had looked from Lily to James and back again, she had rose and moved towards Lily. James had frowned, sensing perhaps quite correctly that something was very wrong. James sighed.
"What's that inconsiderate berk done this time?" James had asked warily, taking a stab in the dark that Sirius had done something to piss Lily off.
Marlene had swung round to face James, a look of pure worry etched on her face.
"Oh I'll tell you what that cheating love rat has done..." Lily had said in a fit of temper. Because of that she hadn't thought about her choice of words. She had heard Marlene take a sharp intake of air and stumble backwards a few paces.
"Cheating love rat? I... I don't understand, Lils, who's he cheating on me with?" Marlene had asked in a painful voice. Her throat had constricted with emotion.
But she hadn't waited for an answer. Marlene took had taken off across the common room and up the stairs to the girls dormitories above.
"Keep that bastard away from me James, or I swear I will curse him into something unrecognisable," Lily had stormed as she'd moved to go after Marlene. She had known right then, that she would need her more than ever.
James had grabbed her arm as she made to move. "Who was it?"
"Only bloody Dianthe Dors!"
With that she had pulled herself free, and had legged it up to the dormitory she shared with Marlene. She had found Marlene curled up on her bed, sobbing her heart out. Lily had sat at the head of the bed, and gently had lifted her friend's head on to her lap and had started stroking her hair whilst uttering curses under her breath about the punishments she'd like to dole out to the stinking love rat.
Lily had sat like that for the longest time, and once she had been confident Marlene had drifted off to sleep she had got up and had moved. Her back and neck muscles had been tightly wound and her legs had been incredibly stiff. As she had risen, she had stumbled slightly, and had sat on the edge of her own bed and had watched her friend sleep for a few minutes before changing out of her robes and into her pyjamas and had crawled into her own bed.
The next day, Marlene had awoken feeling heavy eyed and had had a headache. It had taken her a few moments to realise why she had been feeling that way. Then, the thoughts from the previous night had started to crowd her mind. Sirius had cheated on her. She had felt her heart plummet into her stomach, and she had swallowed back the bile that had risen in her throat. Tears had threatened to overwhelm her again, so she had sucked in air and released it. Quietly, she had changed her robes and had headed down to breakfast.
In the Great Hall, Marlene had found Sirius sitting alone looking miserable. She had guessed that James must have told him that she had known what had happened. He had spotted her in the doorway, and made to move towards her. Marlene, realising at the last minute that he was on his feet, hadn't been quick enough to move away.
"Marley, wait," Sirius had begged. "I'm sorry, I was a complete moron, and I shouldn't have done it."
"Damn right you shouldn't have done it!" Marlene had yelled as tears of frustration and anger had run down her face.
As she had started to move away, Sirius grabbed her by the arm.
"Let. Go. Of. Me. Now," Marlene had said through gritted teeth as she enunciated her words coldly and clearly.
"I can't, not until you believe just how sorry I am, Marley. I was a fool, we'd been quarrelling so much and I felt... so lost and lonely. She took advantage of my vulnerability."
"I don't care! What gives you the right to go off with some other girl? Huh? What? There is absolutely no excuse for it, Sirius, none what so ever. I loved you like I have never loved anyone before in my entire life, I've told you things I've never told anyone else in my life, and this is how you repay me. Well, fuck you, Sirius Black, fuck you!"
Only then had Marlene realise that near enough the whole school was stood watching them. Her eyes roamed around the crowd gathered in the entrance hall, and she had blushed furiously. She had given Sirius a well aimed punch, which had made people laugh, and she had launched herself up the stairs and back towards Gryffindor tower.
Marlene broke off her reminiscing there and realised that her face was soaked with tears, and Lily had her arms around her, holding her tightly.
"Why Lils? Why did he do that to me?" sobbed Marlene as every bitter emotion left her body with the huge sobs that wracked her body.
But Lily had no words. She couldn't understand it herself. She really had thought that Sirius had grown up and changed, just as James had done. But she was wrong. Lily just continued to hold her friend as she let go.
Unbeknownst to either Lily or Marlene, Sirius had come home to grab his broom. Hearing crying, Sirius tiptoed to peek through the crack in the living room door. He saw Lily knelt on the floor in front of Marlene, holding her as she cried on Lily's shoulder.
Finally Marlene lifted her head and looked at Lily.
"You know, I don't know how I would have gotten through that break up with Sirius if it hadn't been for you. So thank you so much, Lily, for... well, everything."
"You're welcome darling, that's what friends are for. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you, and you know that," said Lily softly as she stood up. She bent over Marlene and gently kissed her forehead.
"You know, Lils, I never stopped loving him. I miss him so much every damn day," said Marlene as emotion cracked her voice.
Sirius moved off quietly before emotions threatened to overwhelm him, and he did something stupid like burst in on them. He was so grateful that Marlene had a friend as good and as loving as Lily to help pick up the pieces of her broken heart. The broken heart that he himself had caused by his own stupid actions.