𝙱𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝙻𝚒𝚏𝚎

𝟶𝟶𝟸-𝙶𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚙

┌────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────┐

It took a lot of convincing on Marilyn's part for Dumbledore not to send her to Number 12, Grimmauld Place where the Order of the Phoenix was reconvened. She had managed it though, she had made arguments with enough determination behind them, paired with the fact that she would be able to take care of herself before he had conceded. Unfortunately, he hadn't been so lenient with Marvolo, and he was sent there, not that he really minded. He got to spend the summer with Fred and George Weasley, his best friends.

Marilyn was perfectly content helping Aberforth keep up the Hog's Head where the three of them lived. She was about the only help he had in the old bar, not that it really mattered. They didn't get many customers anyway and the ones who did come were generally very shady. Marilyn occasionally had an actual conversation with a few of the interesting ones. 

She was currently cleaning the dusty glasses with a rag as she stood behind the bar. It was something she did often because whenever Aberforth did it, he ended up using rags that only dirtied them more.

"Ooh, Mary!" A voice sang and Marilyn felt like she was dying inside.

Sighing, she looked up from the glass in her hands to find Sebastion Turner, an eighteen-year-old man and recent graduate of Hogwarts who was a regular customer of the Hog's Head. Marilyn found him very annoying and one of his favourite things to do was irritate her. She was secretly rather fond of him though.

"Yes?" She asked, scowling at him.

His grin only widened as he took in her facial expression. He took a lot of pride in his ability to make her use a different facial expression than the emotionless one she generally wore.

"May I have a firewhiskey please, love?" He asked.

Rolling her eyes, Marilyn pulled out a dusty bottle of firewhiskey from under the bar and handed it to him. Turner sat right down on the stool in front of where Marilyn was standing and grinned at her as he drank it.

"Anything else?" She asked.

"Not to drink. So, Mary. Do you believe that Voldy fellow is back?" He asked.

Marilyn's eyes snapped to his, her face exasperated. He really shouldn't call Voldemort 'Voldy'. It would get him killed.

"Yes," she answered and Turner nodded.

"Yep, me too." He agreed and Marilyn rose an eyebrow.

"If you believe he's back, why do you still call him Voldy? That will probably get you killed." She warned and he shrugged.

"Or it could save my life." He said, taking another swig of his firewhiskey.

"And why is that?" Marilyn said, tone flat.

"It wouldn't surprise me if the death eaters eventually decide to put a taboo on the name. Calling him Voldy could save my life. You'll see." He said.

Marilyn's face returned to its normal expressionless mask and Turner beamed, pointing a finger at her face.

"See! That means you agree with me!" He exclaimed gleefully.

Marilyn scowled at him but didn't reply. She would never tell him, but his reasoning did have some merit.

"Hey, did you hear Harry Potter got himself a hearing because he was apparently attacked by two dementors in Little Whinging?" Turner asked suddenly and Marilyn's eyebrows drew together as she studied him for any signs of mistruth.

"Dementors in Little Whinging?" She asked doubtfully.

Turner shrugged.

"It's what I heard. No clue if it's true. He got off scot-free because Dumbledore showed up at his hearing and provided a witness." He informed her.