ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴇᴇɴ | 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝓊𝓁𝓊𝓈 𝐵𝓁𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝓍 𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇

24 ✧ Exams and Marlene

1978 May __________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

All the usual examinations, excluding O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts, were to be done during the second week of May and turned on the first week of June — it was currently the first week of May (meaning that the fifth and seventh years had been doing their O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts, as they are in much higher priority). This simply meant that Y/N had no longer any time with her seventh year friends, not that she really got the opportunity to talk to them anyway, seeing as her mishap with Alexander of course.

"So, Regulus, I don't believe I've asked you what you want to do after Hogwarts." Y/N asked, fidgeting slightly in her chair, her eyes flickered across his face. His nose was wrinkled, and he appeared to be giving it a great amount of thought — almost as if he hadn't expected to do anything after their time at school.

He then looked back up at her, a small smile on his face. "I haven't a single clue, but I would like to do something with charms."

"Perhaps a professor?" Y/N spoke quickly.

"Oh, come on now, don't make me laugh." He rolled his eyes simply. "You really think I hate myself enough to teach?" He then paused, exhaling deeply as he concentrated his eyes on Y/N's face. He was simply taking in the details of it all, the curve of her cheeks and the colour of skin. All of it.

"Yes, I do think that." Y/N sneered back, not exactly being appreciative of his reaction to a small suggestion. "You hate yourself a great deal, Regulus, it's why you attend the Slug Club meetings."

"You attend those too." Regulus chuckled.

"Your point is?"

"You must hate yourself then, since we go together to those functions."

"When did I say that I never hated myself?"

"That is a fair point."

The two sat in silence, it had become more awkward the longer the two refused to label anything — everyone simply assumed they were dating when in fact Regulus called her 'dude' from time to time but also said the most heart wrenching, sappy and romantically-inclined sentiment, ones that often caused a heat to burn in Y/N's core(and inner thigh) — to break the ear splitting quietness, Remus walked past.

"Y/N, did I lend you my annotated notes?" He asked hurriedly, he hadn't bothered to look up for a moment as his eyes were tracing the words on his page. Regulus took this as a moment to get up from the table and shuffle out of the Great Hall. "I have potions tomorrow and I'm afraid I'll need them back."

"Uh, you didn't give me your potions notes, you gave me your DADA ones; but I can always give those back to you in case you need them." Y/N rummaged through the book bag she often brought with her, hoping to Merlin that she had brought Remus' book. She finally found the book, it was neatly stuffed underneath her usual school books.

She slid it across the table, Remus caught it with one of his hands and gave Y/N a wide smile. "Thank you so much!" He beamed, immediately scurrying away to the library to engage in much more thorough research.

Y/N was alone, awkwardly playing with her fingers as the Great Hall around her emptied and filled once more, a certain blonde 7th year was awkwardly standing by the table the H/C 6th year. Marlene's hands clutched her books as her eyes kept flickering towards her boyfriend's sister; she had never had a proper conversation with the very closed off slytherin — Dorcas was a much kinder Slytherin, usually at least.

Marlene fidgeted around, rubbing her shoe into the ground as she waited for courage to overcome her. Y/N's eyes wandered over to the obvious Gryffindor, it was as if Marlene had a bright neon sign above her that screamed 'GIVE ME ATTENTION' — how could she simply ignore that? With an exasperated sigh, she shuffles all her books into one pile and hoisted them onto her hip.

The blonde noticed this and quickly shuffled towards the H/C haired girl. Y/N stared into Marlene's eyes, blue eyes swelling with a certain pleading which was met with the coldness of E/C iris' — how was Marlene supposed to act natural around that?

"Y/N." Marlene smiled, a naturally crooked smile that would have usually made anyone's heart soar a bit; however it made Y/N uneasy as she believed that anything could have occurred. "I would like to talk to you."

"Don't you have NEWTs to be studying for?" Y/N quipped quite aggressively; there was no reason for her to be so intense, was there? So what if Alexander trusted Marlene, a Gryffindor, more than his own sister, who he had gone through more trials and tribulations with, the one who needed to know if he was going to accept the dark mark or not. Marlene, as far as Y/N was concerned, did not need to know as urgently as she did. 

"Yes..." She trailed off, her eyes wavering at the sudden passive girl in front of her. "Well, this won't take long, just talk to me." Marlene's usual confidence was muted by the icy cold L/N traits. "Please." She muttered. 

"Fine, you have five minutes." Y/N sighed. 

Marlene beamed at this and hurriedly took the books from Y/N's hands, dropping them onto the closest table; she forced both of them to be seated, their eyes boring into one another from across the table. 

"Alexander told me about what happened." Marlene began. "I think you're a very respectable person who has childish moments." 

"I don't care what you think of me." Y/N rolled her eyes. 

"Of course not." Marlene gnawed the inside of her left cheek with her teeth, her non-stereotypical British teeth moving in sawing motions, if she was any harder or quicker with her movements, no doubt she would have began bleeding. "Regardless, I'm sorry he didn't tell you any sooner."

"I don't care if you're sorry, he's not and quite frankly, neither am I." Y/N sighed. "He runs away every time we have the holidays, I am left alone in that house, and it is important to me that I know whether or not he is with or against me." She paused for a moment, taking in the blonde in front of her who leaned in attentively. She was very pretty, no wonder she was popular amongst both women and men. "If he were to take... you-know-what then it would change my entire life and what has been my life for the past 16 years."

"But don't you see?" Marlene interrupted. "It would be more detrimental to my life seeing as if he did take the mark, we would never see one another again, at least you would still have Alexander in your life." 

"God, so stereotypically Gryffindor of you." Y/N scoffed. "If he doesn't take the mark, I will never see my own flesh and blood again, I will be alone, I will be forced to take it, I will have to accept all the issues – if he does take it, you have zero repercussions." 

Marlene remained silent, whilst she disagreed with Y/N's last statement, she couldn't deny that the outcomes out be worse for her. "You're wrong, I am close to your brother, so by him taking the mark, no doubt to protect you, my loyalty to my friends and order would be put into judgement." 

"Whatever man, have fun with your life, I hope he doesn't take it, so I can see the look on my parents face as he's finally been the disappointment – it would do wonders to let him see my world." Y/N packed her books up once more and stormed off away from Marlene. 

Marlene was such a sweet soul, regardless of how she was treated, she forgave Y/N and blamed her sourness on familial betrayal, being a Slytherin, and a constant reality of disappointing her parents. Y/N's sourness was actually based around her distaste for her brother's choice of loyalty, he would much prefer put his all and everything into everyone but her. 

No matter the conversations Marlene and Alexander would have regarding Y/N, the damage was done and he had no longer considered her a viable reason to receive the dark mark.

 __________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐