Selenophile // Marauders

|96| The Break Up, Seventh Year

Ralph kept calling Riley, but she walked away.

She had tears in her eyes, her heart was pounding. She walked fast, trying to get away from there with minimum attention.

"Woah —" said a voice. Riley looked up and sniffed. It was Lily, along with James. "What happened?"

Riley didn't know what to say, she looked away, not making any eye contact with them whatsoever. She could sense Lily giving her that look with concern, James giving that look of his with pure confusion.

"Crim —" said James.

"I'm fine. Just leave me alone," said Riley and walked away. She knew exactly where she was going, a place where no one would find or intrude. A place where most people avoided.

The second floor girl's bathroom.

She opened the door and closed it with a bang right after her.

"Oh, it's Riley Spade again," said Moaning Myrtle's squeaky voice.

"Shut up," said Riley weakly and locked the door of the stall.

"Right! Because Myrtle is useless! Myrtle shouldn't speak!" cried Myrtle.

"Shut up!"

"And I did get killed in that very stall — beware."

"You've told me this million times, just shut the fuck up, Myrtle!"

Riley ignored the rest of the things the ghost mumbled and cried. She just sat on the floor staring into the grey wall.

She felt as if someone had betrayed her, as if someone had broken a promise. And someone had broken a promise, someone had broken a heart greatly.

Through time, people had called her slurs and curses. They had hurt her physically and emotionally. They had scarred her. They had taken almost everything away from her. But she didn't let it define who she was. Unfortunately, this time wasn't like the other times. Because this time someone had betrayed her.

There were evil people out there, searching for vengeance and the desire to cause pain. At first, she would've thought that those devils would be the one to cause the greatest pain, and they had caused the biggest one yet. However, she didn't feel pain this time. She just felt emptiness, she felt worthless, because she thought he genuinely loved her, she thought he'd be one of the last people to break her. But she was wrong.

She didn't shed many tears after all. Because the worst part was that she was used to people calling her a mudblood.

She left the bathroom, walking back to the Great Hall. She knew people had heard them fight, it was quite loud.

"What happened there?" asked Peter.

"Er — well — we had a fight."

"Why what happened?" asked Sirius. Riley noticed James and Lily were also there along with Remus.

"He did call me a — y'know — so it's over," said Riley quietly. She didn't look up, she just sat down. "He's a piece of shit is why." Her voice was shaky, nobody said a word.

"Oh — oh my god —" stuttered Remus.

"I'm pretty sure his father's a death eater too, he was the one who told him to stay away from muggle-borns. It was a mistake from the start," said Riley. "I should've known."

"It's not your fault that he decided to be a fucking racist," said James. "Don't blame yourself."

***

Riley heard the dormitory's door open and turned around, seeing the same girl from earlier. Lena Thatcher.

"Well, well..." she said. "I've been hearing rumors on Ralph Sherman and you breaking up and I really hope it's true."

"Aren't you supposed to be in your own dormitory?"

"Yeah, but who cares?"

"I do. Go back." Riley turned around once more and sat on the bed. She huffed.

"Look, I'm sorry," said Lena softly. "I know it isn't easy to see someone you love betray you all of a sudden. I didn't know my dad was a death eater until a few months ago. I didn't even know about the death eaters in the first place. But it will get better eventually, and think about it this way, you just got away from a potential death eater!"

"You're way too optimistic, Thatcher."

"I'm telling the truth! I know him calling you a — you know what — isn't very nice of him. And I really think he's a damn bastard. But I'm happy you are not with him anymore," said Lena. "His father kills people, you know, right?"

"I know," said Riley quietly. "I've been called — that  — many times but it was just hard to hear it from him..." she said.

"You're right," said Lena. "And have you though about—"

"That's all you care about isn't it?" said Riley angrily. "That bloody plan of yours... I'm starting to actually talk to you like a friend but you're just using me to save your own arse!"

"I'm not trying to save my own ass by using you!" said Lena. "I'm trying to make you understand by showing how important it is! Don't you see? There are people like Sherman all around and you need to help stop them!"

Riley didn't speak. She swallowed hard, and then sat up.

"I actually have thought about it," she said.

"And?"

"And I'll help you..."

———

A/N:

I want seventh year to end so it can be June 1978😫 Omg ahhhhh I'm excited for the next chapters.