((A/N: So, I'm gonna explain why they call each other the marauders soon. Not the next chapter, but the one after that probably.))
Blue expanse as far as the eye could see. Fog blocked the castle from view as three solemn figures sat on the dock, their legs dangling toward the water below. Everything seemed so surreal. To think… they were leaving a place that they had spent a good seven years living.
Kathryn leaned back to rest her weight on her hands. "We'll keep in touch, right?"
"Of course." Meridith, the shortest, grinned at her friend. "We're the marauders, aren't we?"
Kathryn watched Marlo pull her hair back into a loose bun and fix it to her head with a stray ribbon she pulled from her pocket. Their dresses moved in the wind as the distant toll of a bell lulled them into silence. Meridith's black pumps rested next to her, the heels shining in the moonlight.
This was right.
Everything about this night was right. Except the feeling that the next morning was coming. Kathryn hated it. These two meant a lot to her. Over the past seven years they had found their way together and kept it that way. Things were about to change drastically for them.
None of them moved for a long time. The chilly air embraced them as a silence crept in.
Finally Marlo got up. "I'm tired. I'll see you guys in the morning."
With that, she left. Her bare feet making no noise on the grass below her. Kathryn watched her go. Meridith stared into the distance before speaking slow, measured words. "So… You think she'll be okay?"
"It's Mar. When hasn't she rebounded?" Kat stood as well, and the other girl followed her lead.
"True, but it seems like she's just a bit more upset this time." Meridith shrugged. "In any case, I'm beat. Let's go back to the dorm. Tomorrow is gonna be hectic."
Kathryn nodded and trudged behind her for a while. Neither of them spoke. It didn't seem there was much to be said. Both seemed to be lavishing in the moment. As they made their way to the main entrance, where they would part, Meridith turned to Kat. "Stop worrying. You worry too much."
Kat nodded, and moved silently up the stairs toward the Gryffindor Tower. She left Meridith to watch her from the entrance hall as she disappeared around the corner. She shook her head and slunk down into the dungeons.