CHERRY // marlene mckinnon

-forty two

The bottle landed on Aurora and Marlene.

Both of them were flabbergasted to say the least. They seemed to have a conversation with their eyes, and the others waited to see what they would do next.

Aurora's heart was beating very fast, and unbeknownst to her, so was Marlene's.

Dear Merlin and all of the other higher beings out there, please help me! Aurora thought to herself. Aurora might have had a stoic expression on, but she was panicking inside.

Aurora didn't know what to do. Did she want to kiss Marlene? Maybe. No, not maybe. She definitely wanted to kiss Marlene, but she blamed these urges on the weed. Seeing Mulciber made her wonder just how many other Purebloods were here. She definitely couldn't do anything with them around. Aurora didn't want to risk Marlene getting hurt over a silly little game.

Marlene on the other hand definitely knew that she wanted to kiss Aurora. And she didn't have any drugs or alcohol to blame for that. Her only problem was that she didn't know if Aurora reciprocated those feelings. She had been trying to avoid Marlene since last year after all, except for their awkward encounter over the summer. So when Aurora got up, Marlene did the same, feeling her heart skip a few beats.

But her heart dropped as Aurora took a shot glass and downed it. As Marlene was about to sit back down, Aurora put her hands on both sides of Marlene's shoulders.

Finally letting out a shaky sigh, Aurora brought her lips to Marlene's.

At first, Marlene was frozen. It all happened to quickly that she didn't have time to process it. But she soon kissed Aurora back, without any care in the world as to who was watching. Marlene cupped her cheek with one of her hands and let their lips get overcome by desire and temptation.

Marlene could taste the firewhiskey lingering on Aurora's lips and her soft aroma hit her nose. Hints of lavender, vanilla, and honey. It was comforting and made Marlene feel somewhat safe. It contrasted Marlene's chaotic blend of cherries and smoke.

To the people around them, their kiss seemed to last only a brief moment. But to Aurora and Marlene, it felt as if it was just the two of them in that room alone. No hidden feelings, no shame, and no violence. Just the two of them.

But alas, like all good moments in Aurora's life, this one had to be cut short.

"Well Avery wouldn't be too happy about that, now would he?" Mulciber taunted, earning a few chuckles from the Slytherins around him.

This made Aurora freeze. She had been dragged back into reality and the moment prior felt like it was merely a figment of her imagination. She quickly pulled away, much to Marlene's surprise.

Everyone around them seemed to be confused as to what Mulciber was referring to. Everyone except Aurora and Sirius.

"What is he talking about?" Marlene asked her, searching for some sort of an answer in her eyes. But Aurora only looked away, the words not wanting to come out of her mouth. Especially not with everyone staring. So for once in her life, Aurora decided to face her problems.

By doing what she did best; running away. But this time, with Marlene.

Aurora gently took Marlene's hand and led her out of the common room and into the hallway.

She had been carrying the weight of everything for too long, standing for too long. She just needed to let it all out and fall.

"At least you didn't run away from me this time." Marlene muttered. "So? What the hell is Mulciber talking about?"