Chapter Sixteen
Mary sat on the edge of a bed in the Hospital Wing, wistfully staring out the window. On the next bed was Marlene, sleeping peacefully. She had suffered a concussion as well as a couple of fractured limbs in her fall, but nothing Madam Pomfrey hadn't been able to fix. A little way up the rows of beds lay a Slytherin player who had been knocked out in the stampede of people rushing towards Marlene. Other than that the room was empty and silent. The other players had long since left to go to dinner. Mary had refused the invitation to the party, despite much persuading on Lily and Alice's part. She felt it was the least she could do, after all she had said to Marlene about her disappearances. As soon as Marlene woke up, she would apologise for everything. Marlene deserved her privacy. Lily was right; Marlene would tell them when she was ready.
Mary's train of thought was interrupted by one of the Slytherin players walking in. He was still clad in his mud-stained Quidditch robes and had several cuts on his face. Mary stiffened. It was Barry Mulciber, part of the group who supported He Who Must Not Be Named's actions. She hated them all - Sirius' cousin Bellatrix and his bother Regulus, Wilkes, Snape, Rosier and Lestrange. They called her Mudblood in the corridors and made sneering jokes at her. Lily could cope well with it, she had a new-found strength ever since Severus Snape had turned on her, but Mary...She couldn't help it, she was weak, and was terrified when she saw Mulciber appear at the door. They were alone.
To her relief and slight puzzlement, he only cast her a wary glance as he made his way up the central aisle to the only other patient. Mary returned her attention to Marlene who was moaning slightly, suddenly restless. Mary stood and walked to her, concerned, and took her hands in an attempt to calm her.
"Shh, Marlene," she soothed softly.
"Is she alright?" A voice behind caused Mary to jump. Mulciber had appeared at Marlene's bedside.
"Buzz off Mulciber, leave her alone or I'll call Madam Pomfrey."
"I was only asking if she was alright. What happened to her anyway?" Mulciber's voice didn't sound as casual as Mary had expected.
"One of your idiot team-mates crashed into her after we won. Luckily, she bashed into the hoops on her way down so Frank got to her before she fell. Didn't you see?" Mary shuddered to think what would have happened had Frank not intercepted her.
"No, I only saw her fall. God - I, I can't believe that happened. Who was it? Who crashed into her?" Mulciber demanded roughly.
"I don't know!" Mary cried. "What's it to you anyway? Shouldn't you go find whoever it was and congratulate them?"
Mulciber's face fell, then he furrowed his brow, bewildered. He opened his mouth to say something, but just at that moment Marlene woke up.
"Mary? Where - Barry!"
Both Mary and Mulciber whipped around. Marlene was trying unsuccessfully to sit up. To Mary's astonishment, Mulciber was already at her side, helping to prop her up with more pillows. Mary's jaw dropped and she began to back away. Marlene saw called out, "Mary, wait! I need to tell you something!"
Mary just shook her head, a single tear running down her cheek. "How could you?" she whispered, anger mounting inside of her.
"Don't go jumping to conclusions Mary, you must understand - "
"How could you?!" Mary shouted this time, fuming with rage. "Don't you know what they've done? After all the insults they've thrown at me and Lily. Don't you remember what they nearly did last year?"
"But Mary-" Marlene protested.
"But what? Marlene, he tried to use Dark Magic on me! Just because I'm a Muggle-born. And you're going out with one of them. Don't you hear what they call us - your best friends? They call us Mudbloods Marlene, or had you forgotten that? You know all their parent support You Know Who! And you know that they do too! Why Marlene? How could you do this?" Mary paused to take a gulping breath; a large lump had formed in her throat and her eyes stung.
"Mary just listen to me!"
"Marlene has your mind gone blank? You've seen what they have done to me! Don't you know what it's like - to be told you don't belong? That you don't deserve to be here? But of course you don't, because you do belong. Lily might take it, but I can't! They hurt me Marlene, and now you have too." Mary ended almost inaudibly before striding purposefully out of the Hospital Wing.
She could here Madam Pomfrey's exclamations in the distance. "For heaven's sake! What's all this noise? My patients need to rest - Out Mulciber! Out!"
Mary returned to the Common Room where celebrations were just getting into full swing. She jostled her way through the throng of people, avoiding the Marauders and Lily. She needed to be alone, to think. Mary eventually made it to the dormitory and flopped onto her bed, sobbing. It was there that Lily and Alice, after the party, later found her in a restless sleep. They decided not to disturb her. Questions could be left till the morning.
Author's Note: Yes, I completely made up Mulciber's first name. But for the most part he will be Mulciber so it won't matter too much.