Anything But Ordinary
Chapter 7-Beautiful
According to Mary, a familiar blonde that Kelsey recognized as Sirius' former play toy, the staff had no idea of the parties held over the weekend. The students were extremely discreet, using the Room of Requirement as a location. Apparently, the Marauders had discovered the 'Come and Go' room the previous year and it had served it's purpose ever since.
Kelsey was fed all of this information extremely fast as she was entering the room. Sirius walked behind the two girls, talking with James, Peter, and Remus, a bottle of fire whiskey in his hand.
"Oh, Kelsey, I hope there are no hard feelings about Sirius," Mary told her, just as they walked through the door. Kelsey set her cloak down and smiled apprehensively.
"No, of course not," she assured the girl, her brown eyes wide in amazement. The entire seventh year class, as well as many sixth and fifth years, seemed to be occupying the extremely spacious room. The air was filled with smoke and music throbbed from her ears to her temple.
She felt a hand snake around her waist and lips press into her neck. She grinned and felt Sirius press his face into her hair.
"You sure you want to go through with this?" he asked her, his gray eyes closed, as if they hadn't even arrived.
"Of course I do, silly," she told him. "Now, introduce me to your friends."
Sirius nodded, leading her over carefully to where his fellow Marauders and the rest of their crowd settled. James was leaning back carefully, his messy hair falling into his eyes. Something about his smirk seemed to send out a message. She hoped to know why exactly James was so happy.
Remus and Peter seemed far more reserved, drinking slowly from half empty bottles.
"Marauders, meet Meadowes," Sirius told them smugly. "Kels, meet James, Peter, and Remus."
"So, you're the bird that's got Padfoot's heart in a twist," James teased, standing to shake her hand. "Nice to officially meet you, Kelsey dearest."
"Yes, whatever Sirius has told you about us is all lies," Remus insisted, his worn blue eyes full of laughter, despite his frail predicament.
"Honestly," Peter agreed, taking a chug of his drink and holding out a pudgy hand.
"Well, you've met Mary…," Sirius muttered under his breath, looking at the heads seated in the secluded area. "So, that leaves Diggory, Davies, Martha, Fiona, Frank, Jena, and of course, Lily."
Kelsey's head perked up at the mention of Lily's name. She turned to see the dainty redhead sliding onto James' lap and taking a swig from his drink.
"I know Kelsey," Lily assured Sirius. "We're in the same dorm, remember?"
She rolled her eyes and laughed, seemingly carefree and laid back. If Kelsey looked confused, no one caught on. The Marauders seemed entirely at ease with James and Lily, as if they were somehow used to it.
As the boys started playing a drinking game, Lily stood up, kissing James on the cheek and jumping abruptly off of his lap.
"If you boys are just going to sit here and get wasted, we're going to go and freshen up," she said, signaling for the girls in the room to follow. Sirius nudged Kelsey affectionately, knowing she just needed a little confidence.
"You coming, Kelsey?" Jena asked as Mary slipped her arm around Kelsey's, leading her off into the bathroom.
As Sirius watched Kelsey follow the girls, he shook his head uneasily. He knew about some of the girls in his crowd and well, they weren't pixies. They could be vicious and cruel, both of which Kelsey wasn't used to nor did she deserve.
"Padfoot, don't worry," James assured his friend. "They're just girls. Plus, Lily'll take care of her."
"If you say so," Sirius muttered, shaking his head and pulling out a deck of cards. He no longer had any desire to drink. He no longer had any desire to shame himself or Kelsey. He had a girlfriend now, a girl he actually cared for, and the least he could do was respect her. And that he did.
.X.
Inside of the bathroom, Kelsey crossed her arms nervously around her chest, observing the others. There were the girls she had come in with and then, there were the girls that had been staring daggers at her from across the room. Even now she felt their glares upon her; Mary being one of them.
As the blonde Hufflepuff applied more lip gloss to her lips, her blue eyes averted to Kelsey, who was still standing awkwardly near the entrance.
"Must be tough being Sirius' new side dish," Mary commented dryly, her tone no longer bubbly and excited. Something had obviously changed the moment they had stepped inside of the bathroom. "I mean, so much competition. Not much reassurance. Sirius isn't really the commitment type, is he?"
"You tell me," Kelsey responded lamely. She brushed a stray stand of straight brown hair behind her ear. She had done all she could to look her best that night. She had performed a charm that would temporarily take the waves from her hair, leaving it straight and sleek. Her makeup had been applied modestly and looked appropriate. She had even spritzed a small dab of perfume behind her ear, a lavender scent trailing behind her with each step she took.
Mary wasn't the only girl sizing her up, yet she seemed to be the only one willing to confront Kelsey.
"Of course he isn't," Mary insisted, grabbing her purse and walking slowly towards Kelsey. "You don't honestly think he's going to stay with you when he could have anyone he wants. You're just the flavor of the week, the test drive, whatever you wish to call yourself."
"I was under the impression that I was his girlfriend," she told Mary, trying to sound as cool as possible. She felt Lily's emerald eyes bare onto her as the redhead washed her hands at the sink silently.
"Well, of course you are. Right now, that is," Mary told her. "But, don't even think for a minute that we'll all forget about you then. You have the chance to become one of us, regardless of whether Sirius decides to keep you around or not. You do want that, don't you?"
More than anything…
Mary seemed to read her mind and nodded, her toothy smile gleaming. "So, it's settled. Come along with us and we'll show you where the real party is."
Helplessly, Kelsey allowed Mary and three other girls to drag her out of the room. Uncertain of what exactly she was supposed to do, Lily walked back to the Marauders, Jena by her side. Something told her Sirius deserved to know where Kelsey was.
.X.
Kelsey felt herself being shaken up, her ears filled with loud shouting and equally loud music. She couldn't bare to open her eyes, knowing the light would most likely momentarily blind her. She could hear the voices, could feel the touch of someone's arm on hers, but she couldn't find the will to wake up.
Her head was throbbing and she couldn't remember a thing. All she wanted to do was sleep. She needed to sleep. And so she did.
.X.
"Kels!" Dorcas shouted, having seen a few girls drag Kelsey outside and into the hall. The girls hadn't left, only watched, snickering a bit in the distance. Dorcas looked up at them, her fierce brown eyes furious and distraught.
"Who the hell do you think you are, Mary?" she asked the blonde, not bearing to step away from her sister, who was still breathing. "What did you do to her?"
"We didn't do a thing," the girl insisted, her voice filled with cruel laughter. "I mean, we didn't force her to drink three bottles of fire whiskey."
"Do you think this is a joke?" Dorcas inquired. "Because, really, it's not too funny if you ask me. You knew she'd never been to a party like this. You knew she'd never drank fire whiskey in her life. And yet, you still let her drink three bottles?"
"Sorry, Dorcas, but do any of us even look like her mother? Or should I say your mother?" Mary asked, her blue eyes sinister and cold.
"Why don't you go back to the party?" Dorcas asked coldly, hearing the door open and several pairs of footsteps following. She turned to see Sirius, James, Lily, Remus, and Peter exiting, all gazing down at Kelsey.
"What's wrong with her?" Sirius asked immediately, crouching down to hold Kelsey's head in his lap.
Dorcas couldn't even believe he'd asked such a question. "You," she said, her voice low and assertive. "You don't deserve her. You don't deserve her at all."
And with those parting words, Dorcas Meadowes, one of the tiniest sixth years in the school, slapped Sirius Black, leaving a red handprint across his normally perfect cheek. With tears in her eyes, she left her sister with Sirius, which was even worst than an 'I told you so'.