CW: Homophobia and bullying

"We can't just have queers walking around the school!"

"I don't want a lesbian to have a crush on me!"

"They like each other, they're not going to like you!"

"For all I know, my best friend could be a lesbian!"

"She probably has a crush on you!"

"Ew!"

"I can't believe this..."

"SILENCE!"

When Dumbledore shouted across the Great Hall, everyone was quiet and looked up to the head table to where he stood, ready to address the manner.

"It has come to my attention that there has been the sighting of same-sex romantic affection in the Astronomy tower last night," said Dumbledore. "And you all want the two girls to be expelled. But that will not be happening. It may not be the young love you are all used to, but it is still young love. I now ask you all to sit down, finish your breakfast, and get on with your lives. Thank you."

So, they haven't been expelled, I thought, letting out a long breath of relief. I stood up, grabbed two plates of bacon and eggs, then walked back to the common room. Once I was there, I faced the girls' dormitory staircase.

"Marlene? Dorcas? Are you guys up there?" I called out. "It's Remus! There's no one else down here."

It took a minute, but then Dorcas poked her head out, and then she was coming down the stairs, followed by Marlene. They were both in their pyjamas.

"D'you guys know what happened?" I asked.

"'Course we know what happened," said Dorcas, as I handed them a plate each. "The moment we saw the message on the noticeboard we went back to the dormitory."

"So... you're hiding?" I asked.

"Yeah," said Marlene, sighing. "Pathetic, I know. God, we're so stupid, though... didn't think anyone would come to the Astronomy tower! I don't even know who it was!"

There was a pause, where they both picked at their food, before Dorcas asked, "Are people saying things?"

"Yeah," I said. "But Dumbledore gave them a talking-to. Said they need to get over it, and you guys aren't going to get expelled."

"Being expelled doesn't seem that bad right now," said Dorcas glumly. "We're going to go through hell."

"Yeah..." I said, because I wasn't sure what else to say.

"As long as I'm not off the Quidditch team, it'll be OK," said Marlene.

"Potter's the captain, isn't he?" asked Dorcas, and Marlene nodded. "Is he the sort of person to kick you off for something like that?"

"He won't kick you off," I said.

"Yeah, I guess..." said Marlene, but her voice sounded doubtful. "Thanks for bringing breakfast, by the way. I suppose class is going to start soon..."

The two of them exchanged a look.

"It'll be alright," I said. "If people give you shit, then just... I dunno... piss them off."

"Alright," said Dorcas. "We got this. You ready, Marls?"

Marlene gave a short, firm nod. "Yes. Yes, I'm ready."

By the weekend, Marlene and Dorcas were the top gossip of the school. They couldn't even walk through the halls without being yelled at, or something being thrown at them.

Mary Macdonald had begun a club that was all about defending them, which Alice Fortescue and Frank Longbottom had joined, and so had Lily, James, Sirius, and I. Peter was a little more reluctant.

"It is weird, don't you think?" he said.

"Perhaps it is weird, but they don't deserve to be harassed wherever they go," said James.

"I guess..." said Peter, who tended to agree with whatever James thought.

Dorcas and Marlene were taking to keeping their head high and trying to ignore what everyone was saying, and in my opinion, they were doing a bloody good job. I probably would have left the school if I was in their position.

On Sunday morning, a young woman with curly blonde hair came into the Great Hall, a notepad and a quill floating behind her.

She approached another blonde girl, probably her younger sister, who was a seventh year in Ravenclaw.

"Where are they, Brenda?" the woman asked.

"Gryffindor table," said Brenda, pointing to where Sirius, James, Peter, Marlene, Dorcas, Mary, Alice, Frank, and I were sitting.

The blonde woman grinned, then strode over to us, and asked, "Which of you lot are Marlene McKinnon and Dorcas Meadowes?"

Marlene and Dorcas exchanged a look, then looked up at her.

"Yeah, who are you?" Dorcas asked.

"My name is Rita Skeeter," said the woman. "I'm a reporter for the Daily Prophet."

"Oh, fuck no," said Marlene, and she and Dorcas stood up together and walked briskly out of the Great Hall, leaving Rita Skeeter standing there stupidly.

"Well, that didn't go well, did it?" she said, frowning, before following Marlene and Dorcas. James and Sirius exchanged a look.

On Monday, a Daily Prophet article came out about Marlene and Dorcas, and the student body spoke of nothing but it.

"I can't count on my fingers how many times we told her 'no'," said Marlene that morning at breakfast, wiping angry tears from her eyes and looking down at the paper. " 'Dirty', 'Disgusting'... andshe's used slurs, too... this has gone too far."

"My... my parents read the Daily Prophet," said Dorcas faintly.

"I think mine will be OK with it," said Marlene. "You can stay with me in summer if you need to."

"Thanks..." said Dorcas, smiling faintly.

On Tuesday morning, letters began arriving from parents who were not happy about their children being in the same school as Dorcas and Marlene. Alice's parents were furious and were demanding for Dorcas and Marlene move away to a different dormitory.

"No way," said Alice angrily when she read the letter. "You guys are my best friends, and I'm not missing out on our midnight gossip sessions."

Marlene and Dorcas both received letters from their own families, and Dorcas just threw hers away, but Marlene read hers and let out a long sigh of relief when she was finished reading it.

"It's OK," she said. "They were very shocked and a bit disappointed, but it's OK."

"That's good, then," said Dorcas.

On Wednesday, the news of Marlene and Dorcas had almost completely died, because Alice, who was an absolute legend, had shaved her head, and all the bad attention in the school had turned to her.

"Oh my god, Alice, you didn't have to..." said Dorcas, at breakfast when Alice had turned up late with her new hairdo. It had barely been a minute since she'd come down, and everyone was talking about it.

"My hair will grow back," Alice shrugged. "And it worked."

"Alice, you're a legend but also, I can't believe you did that," said Marlene.

"Anything for Dorcas and Marls," said Alice. "Plus, it's not that bad. It's a lot lighter, and summer's approaching."

"You're stunning with any hair," said Frank, running his hand over Alice's centimetre of hair that remained on her head.

"God, I can't wait to see my parents' reaction to this," Alice laughed. "They'll think I've gone insane."

"Oh my god, Alice..." said Dorcas again, running her hands through her own long hair, as if not doing so would make it all disappear.

The big gossip about Dorcas and Marlene, then Alice, had settled down by the next weekend, and the other marauders and I were still sitting with those three, as well as Mary, Lily, and Frank. We'd become a sort of massive group, which made Snape furious that Lily was hanging out with us.

"The queers of the school, along with Potter and his crew, that maniac girl who has no hair and her stupid boyfriend, and the mudblood Mary Macdonald!" we overheard him saying that Saturday when we'd bumped into him at the Three Broomsticks.

"Since when are you using that word?!" Lily cried. "I'm muggle-born too, you know!"

"But you're my friend, I wouldn't..." Snape started.

"Well, they're my friends," said Lily. "I'd prefer it if you were nicer to them."

Snape sighed. "Well, d'you want to at least have lunch? Like we used to last year?"

"I just had lunch, sorry," said Lily, "I'm full up."

"Well, how about we go to Honeydukes?" Snape asked.

"No, I'm fine, thanks," said Lily, turning around.

"Lily," said Snape, grabbing her wrist before she could turn away from him. "What is wrong with you?"

"Let go of me, Severus," said Lily, tugging her arm back, but Snape gripped her other arm, causing our entire group to stand up from where we'd been sitting with our butterbeer. Snape noticed this, then let go of Lily's arm, and quickly left the Three Broomsticks like a coward.

"He's not going to get away with that," said James, drawing his wand.

"Potter, no," said Lily.

"Potter, yes," said James, running out of the Three Broomsticks, followed closely by Sirius.

"Guys..." I started. Peter was gasping now and following James and Sirius so he could see what was about to go down. Groaning to myself, I followed too, and so did the others.

There was already a big, crowded circle of students formed, with Snape, facing James and Sirius, in the middle. All three of them had their wand drawn, and the crowd of students was shouting, "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

James struck the first hex. He caused boils to appear all over Snape's face, which made everyone in the circle laugh, and Snape pointed his wand at James, but Sirius quickly disarmed him.

"Wingardium Leviosa," said James, and Snape was levitated... five feet, six feet, seven feet... he just kept going up and up. "Déjà vu, Snivellus? Like, around a certain barbed wire fence?"

Snape was a good twenty feet above the ground before Lily finally drew her own wand, disarmed James, and lowered Snape softly to the ground. When she spun around to face James, her face looked like it was on fire.

"And I was beginning to think you were OK!" she cried. "You're just as much of an arrogant toerag as I thought you were, Potter! And Black, you're not much better!"

"Evans..." James started, but Lily just shoved his wand back into his hand.

"Piss off, Potter," said Lily, then marched off, followed closely by Snape.

"After he touched her when she told him not to, she takes his side!?" James cried.

"Maybe you shouldn't have lifted him that high..." I said. "If you'd dropped him, he could've died."

"I wasn't going to drop him!" James cried. "I just wanted to scare him into thinking I was going to drop him!"

I sighed. "He deserved it, but I don't think you should've done that."

"Maybe..." said James. "But he definitely deserved it."

"I guess..." I said, unsure of how to feel. Maybe I should have stepped in, whether to back up my friends or to do the morally right thing, which was to lower Snape to the ground myself.