After weeks of sticking close to Remus, Stevie Wonder is once again by Guinevere's side.
The traitorous tabby is currently weaving between her legs while she tries to eat her dinner. He meows loudly under the table in the hopes that she'll give him some of her chicken. Of course, she's only good to him when she has food. She glares down at him.
"Bugger off."
Across from the table, Remus gives her a curious look.
"Are you telling your own feet to bugger off?" he asks.
Guinevere sputters in protest and points down at the cat that Remus can't see from his seat.
"No I… he was… my…"
Sirius snorts from his spot on Remus's left.
"Finally gone mad, have you Gwen-Of-Air?"
She shoots Sirius a glare and shoves a piece of chicken in her mouth, effectively ending the conversation. Let them think she's gone mad. She already feels as though she has these days.
For the past few weeks, she and Lily have been eating dinner with the Marauders. In that time, Guinevere and Sirius have largely fallen back into their old routine; he pokes fun at her, she fires back at him, and the cycle repeats until Lily snaps at one or both of them to start acting their age. But unlike before, their banter now doesn't seem to leave Guinevere stewing in anger for hours to come. She views it as a harmless annoyance now. One might even call the two of them "friendly".
She wouldn't go that far, though.
"Peter, can you pass the rolls please?" she asks.
The mousy boy hands her the platter with a small smile, but no words. She smiles back and takes it from him.
Peter still doesn't really speak to her, but at least he no longer cowers from her like a rat cowers from a barn cat.
Guinevere shoves a roll in her mouth, hyper-aware of the idle chatter going on around her. Sirius is giving Peter a pep-talk to encourage him to pursue a Hufflepuff girl he's fancied for quite some time. Remus is listening intently to an animated story Alice is telling about her first encounter with the muggle entertainment device called the "television". Lily and James are deep into an intense, but friendly debate on the ethics of utilizing house elves to make the food in Hogwarts. Everyone is occupied.
Which gives Guinevere the opportunity to turn her head and spy on Regulus Black at the Slytherin table.
The younger boy is immersed in conversation with the usual suspects; Mulciber, Avery, and Snape. They're all leaning in closely to the center of the table, no doubt trying to keep the conversation as private as possible. Guinevere has been closely monitoring their conversations for weeks now, following them down corridors and eavesdropping through bookcases, and the only useful piece of information she has gleaned is that "it" will be happening tonight.
What "it" is, Guinevere has no idea. She just knows that whatever it is, Regulus doesn't seem all too thrilled about it.
Lily's sharp elbow jabbing into her side brings her back to reality.
Guinevere turns to look at Lily, but her friend is looking further down the Gryffindor table. When she looks around, she sees that all her other friends are looking in the same direction with varying degrees of concern on their faces.
They're looking at Maggie Chambers, a 5th year muggleborn student. Though Guinevere's interactions with her are limited, she knows that Maggie is a generally kind and reserved girl with a knack for charms. Professor McGonagall is standing over her with a hand on her shoulder to beckon her out of the room. From the professor's pitying expression, Maggie knows what's about to happen. And so does Guinevere and her friends.
Maggie bites down on her lower lip in a valiant effort not to burst into tears in front of the entire student body. She gets to her feet and follows McGonagall out of the Great Hall. The seven friends finally tear their eyes away from the scene and look around at each other, all thinking the same thing.
In only the past few months, there has been an alarming spike in muggleborn students, and even some half-bloods, losing their loved ones in mysterious circumstances. At least one student is escorted out of the Great Hall by their Head of House every week. They always come back to their common room sobbing, and they're never quite the same afterwards.
Everybody knows what's causing the deaths, or rather, who is causing the deaths. That dark wizard who calls himself "Voldemort" has built up a substantial following in the past year. Attitudes towards anyone not of pureblood status has gone from bad to worse. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened to those muggles.
It's devastating to lose a loved one. Each one of them has experienced loss in some form in their lives. The sympathy they all feel for Maggie is palpable.
But however bad they feel for Maggie, Lily, Remus, and Guinevere all exchange a look. It's one that says, 'Thank God it wasn't me this time'.
"She has four little sisters," James says, looking stricken. "I walked her back to the common room on one of my patrols. She gushed about them the entire way."
No one responds. Guinevere doesn't know what words could possibly be said to make this situation any better. This week, it's Maggie. Next week, it will be someone else. It could be Lily. Or Remus. Or Dorcas. Or Emmeline.
Or herself.
She thinks of her Mam and Dad, who live blissfully unaware of the danger they're in just by having her as a daughter.
Her stomach turns violently.
"Things are bound to get better eventually," Peter insists. His tone reeks of nervousness and fear. It's as though he doesn't believe in his own words and just wants somebody to give him some hope to hold onto.
Sirius claps him on the shoulder.
"Things aren't going to get better for a long while, Pete. Right now, they're just bound to get worse. But we've got each other's backs no matter what, right mates?"
James and Remus enthusiastically declare their agreement and all slap each other's backs in a way that is so distinctly "teenage boy" to Guinevere. She tries to keep the bitterness from creeping in while watching them, but she can't help but think it's easy for Sirius to say that. He's a pureblood, after all.
What's he got to lose?
"I should go check the owlery," Guinevere proclaims, standing up. "My parents said they were going to send their owl my way this week. I'll see you guys around."
Before she can leave, Lily grips her arm and gives her a look that says, 'We're talking later.'
Guinevere gives her a curt nod and Lily lets go of her arm, letting her escape the Great Hall.
She doesn't know what that talk will be about, but she has some ideas.
The owlery is relatively abandoned at this time of the afternoon. Most people tend to their owls earlier in the day, which is why Guinevere prefers going later.
She finds the family owl, Rhea, in her designated spot. The tawny owl fluffs her wings and hoots in excitement when she sees one of her masters.
It took Guinevere months to convince her parents to invest in an owl. As muggles, they were a little apprehensive about wizarding post and how to use it. But when they realized there was no other way to communicate with their daughter while she was off at school, they readily agreed and purchased Rhea in Diagon Alley. Now she's as spoiled as Stevie Wonder.
Guinevere steps forward and scratches Rhea on the head lightly, just the way she likes. The owl coos at her and pushes her head further into Guinevere's hand.
It takes Guinevere a few seconds to notice the letter attached to the ribbon around Rhea's neck.
She grabs it and clicks her tongue.
"You couldn't deliver this to me this morning like you were supposed to?"
Rhea shrinks back, knowing she's being scolded.
Guinevere sighs and tears the envelope open, her eyes scanning the page:
Guinny,
Congratulations on making the Quidditch team this year! I knew you could do it, sweetheart. You've always had a knack for sports. Your dad is complaining that he has no one to play rugby with anymore. I think he just misses your company more than he lets on.
All is well on our front, thank you for asking. Dare I say, it's even a little bit boring! The Macmillans got a rooster and the blasted thing keeps waking us up early in the morning. Your dad swears he's going to shoot it one day and cook it for dinner. Other than that, there's nothing to report.
We can't wait until you come back for Christmas! Be good until then. Your dad sends his love.
Love always,
Mam
She smiles and folds the paper up, stuffing it in her pocket. She'll definitely be putting it on her nightstand later so she can read it over and over again. It'll be good for days where she can do nothing but fear for her parents' lives. The note will remind her that they're safe at home in Ireland.
After reading her note and feeding Rhea, Guinevere leaves for the Gryffindor dorms, where she knows she'll find Lily waiting for her. Alice, Dorcas, and Marlene all have plans for the evening. Guinevere does as well, though no one knows about them. She'd like to keep it that way.
When she enters her room, Lily is sitting on her bed with her legs crossed, waiting for her. Guinevere feels oddly like a kid again, coming home from grade school after getting in trouble and just waiting to be reprimanded by her mother. Like she did when she was a child, she has an excuse already ready.
"Okay, I know I left the feast in a hurry, but you know I worry about my parents and I know you do too and seeing Maggie-,"
Lily holds a hand up, a sign for Guinevere to stop talking.
"Why were you staring at the Slytherin table?"
Whatever response Guinevere was preparing, it dies in her throat.
She hadn't counted on Lily noticing her watching Regulus. Of course Lily noticed. Her best friend is observant, wicked smart, and more often than not, worried about what her friends are up to. Guinevere curses herself for not being more discrete.
"I… uh… had some suspicions," she murmurs. Lily raises an eyebrow.
"Suspicions? About what? Or who?"
Guinevere has an internal battle; should she tell Lily? Or should she keep it to herself?
If she looks at it logically, she's backed into a corner. Lily has already caught on to the fact that she's hiding something. Guinevere is an awful liar; she's not sure how good of an excuse she could fabricate on the spot.
Besides, Lily is her best friend. There's no secrets between the two of them.
She makes up her mind, sitting down next to Lily.
"If I tell you this, you have to promise it will stay between us. You swear?"
Lily nods solemnly.
Guinevere proceeds to tell her everything; how she witnessed a strange meeting between Regulus Black and some other Slytherins, how she knew something sinister was happening, how she's been spying on them for the past few weeks, and finally, how she plans to find out exactly what it is they're up to.
"They're planning to meet again tonight," she insists. "I have a feeling that all their secret meetings have been building up to this moment. I could get the answers I want tonight."
From the deep frown etched in Lily's features, Guinevere can tell she disapproves. She prepares herself for an argument, thinking about what points she'll make in advance in order to convince her best friend to let her go without a fuss.
"Guin, why do you always poke your nose around where you don't belong?" Lily asks in exasperation. There's no bite to her words, only exhaustion, as if she's a long suffering parent.
Guinevere grins.
"Your life would be boring otherwise."
Lily rolls her eyes, grinning herself. Guinevere can sense that she's still not thrilled with the idea of her chasing down rogue Slytherins, but she's starting to lighten up just slightly.
"I'm not talking you out of this, am I?" she asks, probably knowing full well the answer.
Guinevere shakes her head and Lily sighs again.
"Okay then. I'm coming with you."
Guinevere stands up off the bed in shock.
"You're what?"
This is the absolute last thing that she expected. Lily is Head Girl. Not only is she supposed to follow the rules to a tee, but she's supposed to enforce them. She stands to lose even more than Guinevere if she's caught sneaking around after hours. Of course, Guinevere can't allow that to happen.
"No no no, absolutely not. You're not coming with me."
Lily stands up with her, folding her arms across her chest. There's a fighting spark in her emerald eyes, one that usually means she's about to get her way. Arguments with Lily Evans are notoriously hard to win.
"You think I'm letting you do this by yourself? So you can get yourself caught? By a professor or by someone like Mulciber or Avery? Not a chance, Guin."
Suddenly, her body relaxes and she drops her folded hands back to her side. A sweet smile spreads across her face. It's a complete 180 degree shift in demeanor that leaves Guinevere baffled, and just a bit scared.
"If you don't let me go along, I could just send Mrs. Norris your way while I'm on my patrol."
Guinevere gapes at the redhead.
"You wouldn't," she hisses.
Lily raises an eyebrow.
"Oh, I wouldn't?" she asks rhetorically. "I'd rather see you in trouble than see you hurt. If you're doing this, then so am I. The matter is settled."
Guinevere flushes with guilt. She hadn't considered the danger she was thrusting herself into, too blinded by her hunger for the truth. If Lily was the one who came up with this plan, Guinevere would insist on accompanying her as well.
Both of them stand to lose so much already. Losing each other would be unbearable.
"Fine," she acquiesces. "We'll leave together around the time you're set for a patrol around the castle. I have a feeling I know where they're gonna go."
Lily smiles and flings her arms around Guinevere in a grateful hug.
"I love you, Guin!"
She can't fight the grin spreading across her face as she hugs Lily back. She may have had a bad reaction to his words at the time, but looking back on it now, maybe Sirius had a point. These are dark times they're living in, but as long as Guinevere has Lily and the rest of her friends, she's not completely without hope.
She still has something left to fight for.