Between Coffee And Cigarettes

-30-

As soon as she opened the door to her dorm, a pillow flew across the room and slammed right into her face. It didn't hurt, but it took Lenny by surprise and when the pillow finally disconnected with her face and fell right onto the ground, her jaw hung down in played astonishment. And even though Lenny currently felt nothing like messing around with anyone, she couldn't let herself show it.

The pillow had come from Marlene, who sat next to a scribbling Alice on her bed and was now shooting Lenny an accusing look. "Where were you?!", the blonde commanded to know while she crossed the room at an impressive speed and now stood directly in front of her friend.Lenny opened her mouth, but Marlene silenced her by waving one of her long fingers in front of Lenny's face, followed by a warning: "And don't say library! Lily went there after dinner!", said Marlene and pulled her finger away just to direct it at Lily's bed where the redhead was reading with her face stuck in a big, thick leather-bound.

"Sorry, I-", Lenny began to apologize, but her friend suddenly crushed her in a tight hug. It took her by surprise and she needed a moment to try to follow the emotional outburst. "No hug in the train, then you barely talk and then you just vanish at the next best opportunity", Marlene muffled into her shoulder before she pulled away, "Do you want to tell us anything, or are you just even worse than I at hiding that you don't like Florence", she said and groaned the name in annoyance.

Lenny's eyes widened. That was something she didn't expect coming from Marlene, who looked at her with her eyebrows pulled up, obviously waiting for an answer. Lenny could tell them the truth, could confide in them as she had done often in the past. She hadn't particularly talked with them about her own very problems, but it surely would be a start. She could start by telling them how misplaced she felt the whole time, how empty, how numb.

She could tell them about the confusion she felt most of the time, that she didn't know if she wanted to scream, sob or laugh in Remus' presence. If she wanted, she could tell them about the things that actually happened over the Christmas break and how those moments the only time were, where she and her feelings felt real. And there were so many other unsaid things that Lenny didn't even could put into words herself, but even the things she could explain, she didn't share. Maybe it was out of stupidity, stubbornness, or pride, but she just nodded with her eyes still wide.

And, taken strictly, it wasn't a lie. She really didn't like Florence, it was just not the only thing.Curiosity got the better out of her and after clearing her throat, because she didn't trust her voice enough, she asked: "Why don't you like her? Wait, do you all not like her?", Lenny asked into the round. Alice just shrugged while she stared concentrated at her sketch. She didn't know Florence yet, she wasn't with them at the train, but Lily looked up and pinned her quill behind her ear. It was a bad habit of her, she would always get stains from the ink that occasionally dropped from the end and it looked extremely silly.

"Honestly", Lily declared in a very thoughtful sounding voice, "I don't know yet. I mean she is extremely pretty and she was fun on the train, but I can't stand the way she talks with Remus. The whole 'Remmi' thing... She sometimes talks with him as if he was a pet or thick or something like that", Lily laid her head sideways. She didn't have to say 'do you know what I mean', because everybody somehow always knew.

Over the years Lily and Remus became somehow really good friends, some might even say best friends, but until this day on Lenny didn't know how that had happened. But she knew that both of them cared much about and looked out for the other; it was a beautiful kind of friendship.

Lenny turned her eyes back to the blonde standing in front of her, who currently nodded her head vigorously to show her agreement to Lily's statement. Lenny let out a small breath. She couldn't resist. Knowing that not only she had a problem with the Ravenclaw beauty, but also her friends let her feel some kind of relief. But she didn't let Remus alone on top of the Astronomy tower to now talk about Florence and him.