𝙱𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝙻𝚒𝚏𝚎

𝟶𝟷𝟹-𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝙷𝚘𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚜

┌────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────┐

For the next several days, Theo and Blaise kept shooting befuddled glances at Marilyn whenever they saw her, but she ignored them, pretending she had never been in the middle of the lake that day. She was bored and had no better way to entertain herself, so making two Slytherins think they were mad was good fun. 

On Tuesday at breakfast, Marilyn was sitting with her brother at the Gryffindor table again when Blaise and Theo decided just to ask her if she had been swimming lately. So, the pair of fifth-year Slytherins made their way over to the Gryffindor table where Marilyn was sitting, earning a lot of confused stares from the people in other houses.

Theo cleared his throat and Marilyn looked up from her book at the two boys while everyone who could see the two Slytherins was silent, watching the interaction curiously.

"Have you been swimming lately?" Theo asked bluntly, further confusing everyone listening.

"Swimming?" Ron muttered to Hermione, "It's the middle of winter, why would anyone be swimming?"

"Why yes, yes I have. Why?" Marilyn replied, turning around in her seat so she could properly face them. 

Blaise glanced around at the people watching the interaction between Slytherin and Ravenclaw before rolling his eyes and looking back at Marilyn.

"Because we'd like to know whether or not we're mad." He said, earning more confused looks from the onlookers.

Marilyn tilted her head, studying the pair of them intently. "Well, only you can answer that question. Are you mad?"

Both boys shook their heads firmly. "Well, there you have it. You're not mad." She told them.

Theo and Blaise exchanged a glance. "So, you were actually outside the window of the Slytherin common room? As in-in the lake?" Blaise asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Well, did you see me there?"

They both nodded.

"And are you mad?"

They both shook their heads.

"Then I think you can answer that for yourselves. Have a lovely day," she told them, face blank as ever. 

Theo and Blaise stared at her for a moment before shrugging and walking back to their table. Slowly, the conversation resumed as the Gryffindors nearest to Marilyn looked at her curiously. She had just returned to stoically reading her book.

"...you went swimming?" Ron asked after a minute of silence.

"Mhm," she hummed without looking up from the book. 

"In the middle of winter?"

"Warming charms," she answered, still not taking her eyes from the pages of her book.

Ron turned to Marvolo who was looking at his sister with a resigned look.

"Why would she go swimming in the middle of winter?" Ron asked him quietly.

"She'll go swimming anytime, anywhere." Marvolo wrinkled his nose. "She always tries to get me to join her," he shuddered, "No thank you."

Marilyn rolled her eyes, standing up and dragging Marvolo with her. 

"We've got Care of Magical Creatures." She announced before turning on her heel and tugging her brother with her out of the hall, leaving him to stare longingly at his bacon. 

He eventually turned back around so they could walk side-by-side down to Hagrid's Hut for the lesson, seeing as the friendly half-giant had returned a few days prior.