When Madeline reached the Great Hall for dinner, she knew that Lily and the Marauders would probably fill her with questions. Indeed, as she approached the Gryffindor table, several pairs of curious, yet relieved, eyes settled on her.
"Mads! For Merlin's sake, where were you?" Exclaimed James while she sat between him and Remus, "We were so worried… Why didn't you show up at the Three Broomsticks?" he added, and his hazel eyes studied her with apprehension.
The girl only shrugged, while serving herself a large serving of smashed potatoes. She was starving. After all, Severus and she had spent a particularly intense hour together.
"Oh, I just... Felt a bit tired, so I came back to the Castle. Rathbone and I had talked more about... Everything, and that had shaken me a bit..."
Sirius observed her keenly with his grey eyes as she talked; Madeline could read it on his face that he wanted to know more about her conversation with Rathbone, but he said nothing.
Remus nodded, "Yeah, we thought that'd be the reason... The man was... Weird."
Peter snorted, "Damn weird." He confirmed.
Madeline swallowed before saying, "Yeah, well... He admitted to me that he had gone through a quite difficult Summer...".
James threw her a questioning look, "Did he give you details?"
She sighed, "No, no he did not. He only tried to make sure that we really are convinced to fight... He feels a bit responsible because we want to join his side..."
Sirius shook his head, "Bollocks... Did you tell him that we would fight even if he wasn't here?"
Madeline nodded, "Yeah, of course I did... Listen, guys, Rathbone has changed. You saw that. I don't really know what to tell you... but at least he promised that he will write again to give us more information..."
They all nodded, and Lily knitted her brows, appearing lost in thoughts, while sipping on her pumpkin juice.
The blonde girl continued eating, feeling relieved when they changed the subject of the conversation and started talking about Remus's date.
"Dorcas is cool" said Sirius after a while, "She finished her Butterbeer in, what? Less than two minutes? I bet she can drink more Firewhiskey than Prongsie without being sick."
Everybody laughed as James rolled his eyes, "I can hold my liquor just fine..."
Madeline knitted her brows, "Well, Jamie... You actually can't." She said, while patting his shoulder. Remus was looking at them in amusement.
"Yeah, she's cool..." He muttered, then, "I'm glad you like her."
Sirius raised his eyebrows at him, "But what about you, Moony? You like the girl?"
Remus blushed at that, while playing with the food in his plate. "Guess so..." He muttered, and they all cheered loudly at that, seizing the attention of students from other tables.
"My dear Moons is in love..." Said James with a fake, moved tone of voice, while pretending to wipe away tears from his eyes.
"Oh, dear, I thought he loved me and now he tells such things… Men really deserve no rights" joked Sirius with the same tone, while dramatically putting a hand against his chest.
Lily shook her head as they did so, but she was smiling. "That's amazing, Remus" she told the boy, who was keeping his head low, appearing embarrassed.
"Mmm... Thanks Lily..." He replied, before looking between the Marauders. "It's not like we're engaged, you know that, right? It was only a date..."
James shrugged, "Well, Dorcas has been dining with us for some time now... And it's totally clear she adores you… By the way, why is she sitting with the snakes?" He asked, throwing a glance at the Slytherin table.
Dorcas was indeed there, talking to a girl from her year that Madeline didn't know. Not far from her, she spotted Regulus, Severus, Crouch, Mulciber and Avery talking in low voices.
Remus sighed, "She told me that she had to discuss a Transfiguration project with her mate Theresa."
James nodded, "Ah... I see. Guess she'll sit with us tomorrow night, then..."
Madeline threw Remus a sweet smile, before nudging his shoulder with her own, "I'm really happy it's working, Rem."
He giggled, "Yeah, well, for now it is... She doesn't know everything, though."
The blonde girl nodded, "I know. But Dorcas is great. If you'll ever decide to trust her enough to tell her... That… I'm sure she'll-"
Remus shook his head, "Please, let's not talk about that. Not as long as we're still... Knowing each other, you know?"
Madeline understood, and grinned, "Yeah... Okay, Moony"
He gave her a thankful smile, before joining the other boys' discussion about Quidditch. The first match of the year, Ravenclaw versus Slytherin, would take place ten days later.
"Who do you think will win?" Asked Peter to James.
The boy sighed, "Ravenclaw. But the Slytherins have a pretty good team. Regulus' a great seeker."
Sirius snorted, "The little dick... He is indeed" he said, sounding bittersweet.
Lily looked at Sirius with knowing eyes; though she didn't know him very well, everybody was aware of the fact that the Black brothers didn't get along with each other. Lily and Padfoot weren't close, so they had never really talked about that. Nevertheless, Madeline could read it in her forest green eyes that his relationship with Regulus made her think about hers with Petunia.
Lily and Sirius were more similar than they knew. Some day, they would find that out.
"I've chatted with him today" said Madeline, then, looking at Sirius, "Reg, I mean..."
The dark-haired boy raised an eyebrow at that piece of news, looking dumbfounded, "Have you? Why? What did he tell you?"
She swallowed some more potatoes before answering, while thinking about the right words to use. "I met him outside the Castle and we walked in together... We discussed Dagon's classes and Slughorn's Halloween Party... We're both in the Slug Club, you know..."
Sirius nodded, as Lily giggled at her mention of the party, "Oh, yeah... Professor Slughorn reminded me of it lately... I don't know if I'm attending, though..."
Remus's amber eyes widened, "Really? That's shocking, Lils… you're his favourite student!"
The redhead shrugged, "Yeah but... Those parties are boring" she explained, before sighing, "I only attend because I'm fond of Slughorn... But we have so many homework lately and I don't want to lose precious time..."
Madeline nodded, "I get it. I attend his parties very rarely, they're really… Ew…" she explained to the others, "But... Yeah, I think I'll go to this one. It's our last year here, right? Let's enjoy it to the fullest."
Lily seemed to think about that, then, "Mm, maybe you're right... And if you'll be there I may actually not get bored for once..."
Madeline nodded, while laughing, "Yeah, Regulus said the same."
Sirius snorted, "How kind of him..." He commented, but Madeline knew that hearing some news about his brother was actually important for him. Despite everything, he cared. He cared so much.
"Well, Evans, if you need company for the night, I may offer myself. I think I could be able to ease your pain" exclaimed James, then, giving Lily a toothy smile.
The redhead giggled, not appearing annoyed in the least.
Now, that was an improvement.
"I'll... Think about that, Potter" she said, and the boy's eyes shone with fondness when she smiled again.
"So... He's fine" muttered Sirius, looking at the blonde girl again, while cutting a sausage with his knife. Madeline knew he was looking for a confirmation, "Yes, he's okay" she answered, while the others kept chatting.
Sirius nodded once, then gave her a sad smile. "I'm glad" he simply stated, before he started mocking Peter about his poor flying skills.
Madeline entered the Slytherin Common Room with a smile on her face, and she was quick in reaching the Seventh-Year boys' Dormitory.
She really missed Severus, even if only ten days had gone by since they had last been together.
In that time, they had seen each other in class, and exchanged way too many subtle glances.
Madeline had observed Kathleen Nott trying hard to get a reaction from the boy in Potions, but Severus had completely ignored her, and that had warmed Madeline's heart.
That same afternoon, he had sent the Gryffindor girl a note, asking her if she would attend the Ravenclaw vs Slytherin Quidditch match. She had immediately understood what he had on his mind.
They had managed to organise an encounter, then; Severus had given her his Common Room's password, and Madeline had told the Marauders that she wouldn't go to the match because she had a bad headache.
Sirius had knitted his brows at that, "But... it's the first match of the year!" He had exclaimed.
James had nodded, "Yeah, Mads, come on... you have to come! So we can look at the other teams' strategies and develop a better one for our own!"
But she had been irremovable, "That's your job, Captain, not mine" she had said, while crossing her arms, "Sorry, guys... If Gryffindor was playing, I'd come, but..."
Peter's pale blue eyes had widened, "But the whole school will be there! It's the beginning of this year's tournament! It's… Important!"
Madeline had rolled her eyes at that; the fact that the whole school would be at the Quidditch Pitch was exactly the reason why she wasn't going. But they couldn't imagine it.
Well, maybe Remus could, but he hadn't commented on her choice.
Lily had told James to let her be, then; she, too, didn't care that much about the game. The blonde girl had sent the redhead a thankful smile.
"Sorry, guys... you'll tell me about it later, alright?"
Sirius had snorted, "Fine! But this is the last match you miss, okay? I get bored without you making jokes about players" he had exclaimed, before adding, "Quitter..."
They had laughed, then, and started talking about the Ravenclaw team's possible formation.
When they had left Gryffindor Tower to go to the match, later in the afternoon, Madeline had put a Disillusionment charm on herself, and she had gone to the Dungeons.
She was only sorry that she couldn't support Regulus, but she thought that the boy would understand Severus and she for getting advantage of everything's absence from the school.
And now she was standing in Severus' dormitory for the first time in her life.
It was decorated as the rest of the Common Room, and the dark, wooden beds were large and welcoming. The greenish light of the Black Lake gave a mysterious and gothic air to the room.
"You're really provoking me lately, kitten" stated Severus, when Madeline went to straddle him on his bed. He was sitting there, leaning against the wooden back, and his legs were stretched out in front of him. She laughed as she put her arms around his neck and leaned her face against his one, so that their cheeks were pressed together.
"Mm" she confirmed, as he dropped his book and hugged her back, letting his arms wrap around her waist, "Because we barely see each other alone... And when we do, you always study and ignore me" she muttered, while adjusting on his lap.
He giggled, "Not true... And even if it was, this is our NEWTs year" he defensively said.
"Yeah, I know..." She smiled, and drew back a little to show him the thing she had brought with her to his room. "Anyway, I've got this Muggle magazine last Summer. I found it in my trunk yesterday and I wanted to read to you what the horoscope says about us... It's quite interesting" she explained, sounding amused.
He rolled his eyes at that, "The horoscope? Really? You don't even attend Divination"
She laughed at that, and nodded, "Yeah, but I do believe that the stars define who we are!" She said, and shrugged, while opening the magazine. She roamed through it for a bit before finding what she was searching, "Ok! Here it is. Ready? I warn you... this is absolutely us."
He snorted, "I don't believe in such silly things..."
"Well, I'll read mine and then yours, so you can see what I mean... You're a Capricorn, right?"
He nodded, "I guess I am"
She giggled, "Okay, grumpy, so: Leo is a fixed fire sign; the Leo woman is a born leader and commands the attention of everyone in the room. The fiery lioness is bold and brash. She loves the spotlight. When she knows what she wants, there is no way to change her mind. Nonetheless, her big, warm, beating heart wouldn't let down someone she loves. Her love is warm and passionate, she will want to fight, make up, make love and be in someone's embrace all day long, for as long as her personal liberty isn't endangered." Madeline smiled at this, and nodded, "So what do you say, love?"
Severus rolled his eyes, "Mmm, it's pretty accurate..."
She giggled, "Let's see what it says about you... Capricorn is a cardinal earth sign. The Capricorn man is an observer, he is cautious and grounded. He never takes anything lightly, and he refuses to be superficial, which makes his emotions profound and real when they finally surface. When a Capricorn falls in love, the first thing he will do is start acting strange. He is not familiar with emotion," Madeline raised an eyebrow, before going on "but he is trustworthy, loyal, confident, reliable; he likes to control every little thing, sometimes thinking he can avoid his own irresponsible actions. He can appear to be cold and distant, way too rational and critic, but he is actually afraid of failure, strict toward himself and always trying to remain in control. This makes him focused on himself and his practical goals. When you get to know him and see his soft side behind these walls, you will never want to be without him again." She finished reading, "That last thing is very true" she commented, leaning towards him to leave a kiss on his jaw.
He sighed, "Well..." he said, and raised a hand to snap the magazine from her fingers and pull her back against him, "I was... wrong. The horoscope's not that bad, nor imprecise."
Madeline giggled, and turned her head to kiss his cheek.
"I know, baby. That's us."
"Yeah... I think so."
"It is, I know you, and you're like that. We kind of... Complete each other? That's why you're my boyfriend" she simply stated, while one of her hands went to thread with his hair.
He bent his head and, after putting some hair behind her ear, he kissed her neck, "Am I?"
"Yes"
"So, you're my girlfriend?"
She rolled her eyes at that, "You tell me."
He let out another low laugh, "Yes" he replied, then. "You're definitely my girl"
She hid her face in the crook of his neck, enjoying his warmth and protection. She relaxed so much when she was in his arms. "Sounds sexy" she murmured, as his long bony fingers scratched her head. "When you say so with that deep, velvety tone..."
He shook his head, appearing amused, "Will you ever stop teasing me?"
"Never" she promised him, before finally kissing him on the mouth. Their tongues touched, and she smiled against his mouth, as the contact grew more heated and their breaths quickened. She bit his bottom lip, as his hands played with her black sweater.
He moaned as she started biting and sucking on his neck, "You invent charms, don't you?" she whispered against his pale skin, "Why don't you think about one to render hickeys invisible?" she asked, as her teeth teased his jugular, before her mouth went to his ear. She licked the shell, and then she nibbled his lobe. "That'd be useful"
He let out a low laugh, "Do you think it would make me famous?" he sarcastically said.
Madeline giggled, and pecked his lips once more. "No, but I'd let you cover me in marks without complaining"
He smirked, "I can cover you in marks where others can't see them" he retorted.
She grinned, and nodded, "That's also true, baby" she said, as his lips claimed hers once more.
A loud cheer coming from the Quidditch pitch made them jump after some seconds. When they understood where it came from, they laughed.
"Fuck" she exclaimed, "I hope that was Ravenclaw scoring" she teased him.
He raised an eyebrow at that, "Excuse me?"
"Yeah, I mean, I'd be sorry for Reg, but I wouldn't mind Slytherin getting beaten by the Ravens."
Severus let his left hand slid under her skirt, then, up towards her knickers, "Take that back" he threatened.
"Never" she whispered against his lips, "You were never a Quidditch fan"
He shook his head, "I'm not a Quidditch fan. I am a Slytherin fan."
She rolled her eyes, "Of course you are" she giggled, before assaulting his mouth again. When his index touched her there, though, she drew back, "Well, now, Severus… You're being the tease."
He smirked again, "I won't deny you that I've… Always thought… About taking you here, in my bed, in my Dormitory, in my Common Room" he hissed, as his lips tortured her neck and his finger started moving against her cotton knickers.
"Naughty" she whispered back, "I like it"
He let out a low laugh, "I know you do" he said, before quickly kissing her again, and doing just what he had always imagined.
