Marauders - Always - Part One

CCXVI: Hufflepuff's Soggy Biscuits

Wally Grant sat in the Grindyswallow pub across the table from Dexter and Macy Cardwell. Dexter was ravenously hungry, eating like the food might escape. Wally watched with wide eyes as Dexter scarfed down his fourth slice of pizza, accompanied by his second pint, his face flushed.

"Sorry, lot, I didn't eat lunch," he muttered around a full mouth.

"Don't let him fool you, he eats like this every night," Macy said. "I keep him well fed."

"No I remember Dexter's bottomless stomach from our Hogwarts days," Wally said, "We used to joke he had hollow legs to store it all in."

"Err warsha gowwing buhh!" he grunted.

"And still growing," Macy elbowed Dexter's pudgy side with a loving smirk. Dexter, who'd been taking a big swallow of beer, snorted and then coughed as the bubbles rushed his nose and grinned at her, eyes aglow with amusement.

"Oi no bullying me," Dexter said, "If you don't like me growin' then don't be feeding me so much, wifey."

Wally smiled awkwardly as Dexter and Macy bantered the way married couples do. Happily married couples, that is. Once upon a time, he and Geri had acted like that... hadn't they? He couldn't remember. They must have been. Or else why did they ever get married?

Because of Olivia.

As though they could hear his thoughts, Macy asked, "Where is Geri tonight?"

"Home," Wally answered.

Macy glanced at Dexter. Dexter's eyes were what gave it away - he looked down at the space between them under the table's edge.

"Oi none of that sign language secret conversation rubbish you lot have always done. Out with it - if you have something to say about me, say it to me."

Dexter drew a deep breath as Macy flushed and looked down, focused entirely too completely on her plate. "She said she thought you'd made up your mind to stop jerking Geri and Ollie both around," Dexter said, "And I said that I thought you had, too, but you're you, so --" he shrugged.

Wally stared at Dexter as Macy kept her eyes down.

"You have the attention span of a gnat, sir."

"Says the whoa-boy!" Wally said, flaring with defensive tone.

"Sure, fair. But I'm not indecisive. Not in what matters." Dexter nodded at Macy.

Wally was quiet. He stared at the table, his fingers playing with the remnants of a straw wrapper, tying it into knots.

"Have you talked to Oliver since the World Cup?" Dexter asked.

Wally puffed out his cheeks. "I mean. Yeah. Some."

"....and?" Dexter pressed.

Macy was leaning forward around Dexter's shoulder, eyes just as pressing as Dexter's tone.

Wally sighed. "You know how things are with me and Ollie, Dex. How they've always been. It's great in the moment and then..."

Dexter glanced at Macy, then back to Wally. "Tell me you didn't lead him on. Please tell me you didn't."

Wally's eyes stayed very hard-focused on the straw wrapper.

"Hufflepuff's soggy biscuits, Wally!" whined Macy.

Wally flushed.

"Whoa," Dexter said, shaking his head, "Uncool, sir - uncool."

"I have Olivia to think about. I can't make choices willy-nilly, I can't walk away from things without being sure. I can't just --"

"That's right, you do have Olivia to think about," Macy said, "But loads of kids are happy in separated homes if their parents are happy. You can't hang on and be miserable, either. That will hurt her as much as two families will. And you know I say that having experienced it," she added. "When my parents broke up after all their fighting --" she shook her head. "We were so much happier when they finally split and were happy again."

Dexter squeezed Macy's knee comfortingly.

"It's just so unfair to her to stay together, unhappy. And it's unfair to Oliver, and to you, you stupid arse!" she added.

"But what if I'm in love with Geri still? What if I am happy with her when I am with her - and happy with Oliver when I'm with Oliver?" Wally whined.

"You have to make up your mind," Dexter said.

"But -"

"If you don't love either of them enough to let go of the other, then you probably don't love either of them enough to be with. You're wasting everyone's time," Dexter said rather wisely.

"Come now," Wally argued, "That's not very fair to say."

"Sure it is!" Dexter said. "It means you love the idea of them more than you love them and they both deserved to be loved completely, not half assed."

Macy nodded her agreement and patted Dexter's shoulder proudly.

Wally threw the straw wrapper down and polished off his glass of beer.

Snow was falling when Wally Grant left the Grindyswallow Pub that night. Thick white balls of flakes flew on an icy wind that tore through narrow London streets and left frost on the lions on Trafalgar. Wally meandered past them, along the road, headed toward the Theatre District and Leicester Square. He tucked his coat in closer around himself, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

He could've disapparated, or taken the floo from the Grindyswallow. Could have flagged down the Knight Bus, or a muggle cab - he had the sterling in his pocket.

But he didn't have far to go, and he had a lot to clear from his mind... so he chose to walk.

He was passing the Palace Theatre, the marquee boasting for Les Misérables, when there was a loud crack behind him.

Wally turned and looked back and through the swirling snow, he saw a figure, dark against the stark white of the snow falling all around. It was a man - skinny and of medium height, hair long and swirling about him in the snow as it flew, cyclonic around his head. He wore old fashioned robes, outdated by some great many years... But what struck Wally the most of his appearance was the blood.

Blood covered the man's hands, the man's torso, his arms, his face...

He stood before Wally for a moment, unsteady, then took a staggering step forward... and toppled to the ground.

Wally stared, dumbfounded, numb from shock and surprise. His breath rose in a cloud from his mouth.

It occurred to him no matching clouds rose from the lump on the ground.

Then his medical training kicked in.

He moved to the man quickly, grabbing onto his shoulder and turning the man over and drawing his wand, the healing spells knitting the skin and sinew.

For a wild moment, Wally thought it was Sirius Black.

But it wasn't.