Wasting Time

28

"When did you two know you were in love?" Dorcas asked me and Sirius. The train was coming to take us home tomorrow, and most of our friends were in bed. It was just the three of us in the common room, and it was late.

I looked at her in surprise before shrugging. "I slept with him once and he's been obsessed with me ever since," I said simply. Sirius snorted.

"That's not true. I can tell you exactly when I fell in love with her Dorcas."

I raised an eyebrow at him. Dorcas also looked surprised but gesture at him to continue.

"Well, tell me then," she said. He looked at me.

"Do you remember when we were drunk in muggle London after you broke up with Fabian?"

"Yeah, Christmas holiday of fifth year. We were with James, Mary, Lily, and Remus. Poor Remus had to take care of all of us."

"Well you told me a lot of stuff that night. You told me that Fabian could be mean and that you didn't like your father. And when I offered you my coat, you looked at dead in the face and said 'I don't need anything from you Black. I don't need anything from anybody.' And after that, I was obsessed with you. Every time you tell me you don't need anything from me, I think about that night. And you say that a lot." He smiled at me softly and I smiled back. Eventually, Dorcas broke the silence.

"It's a good thing you fell in love with her difficult side Sirius, or you would have had a nasty shock," she said. "Marlene?"

"I can't be really place an exact moment. It was like one second he was my friend and the next he was everything," I paused. "Actually, I take that back. I take that back. It was when he punched Gilderoy Lockhart for calling me a bitch. And thus began the most dysfunctional relationship in Hogwarts history."

"Why do you ask, Doe?"

"I think I'm in love."

That peaked my interest. Ever since I had overheard that conversation, I had been hoping Dorcas would find someone. I wanted her to be happy. She deserved it, probably more than the rest of us.

"Who?" I asked.

"Sybill Trelawney," she replied dreamily. Sirius made a noise and my head snapped towards him.

"Isn't she a bit—" I kicked his shin softly to make him stop talking.

"Eccentric?"  Dorcas asked. "Yes. But she's also intelligent, and kind, and sensitive, and such a free spirit. The other day, we were out by the lake and she just stripped. I've been skinny dipping before, but never in the middle of the day on school grounds. It was amazing."

"Why haven't we ever done that?" Sirius asked me. I rolled my eyes before speaking to Dorcas.

"I'm so happy for you Doe. You deserve someone great."

Behind us, people were coming down both sets of stares. I glanced over my shoulder to see Mary and Edgar Bones walk right past us to sit in the far corner of the room.

"What's happening?" I asked Dorcas quietly.

"Edgars hitting on Mary."

"Does she like it?"

She made a face. "Hard to tell"

"I would assume she likes it since she walked right past us to go sit with him," Sirius murmured. Dorcas and I both nodded our heads and quietly agreed.

The door to the common room opened. Professor McGonagall.

"Marlene?" She spoke quietly.

"What did you do?" Sirius asked. I frowned.

"I didn't do anything."

"That's not good," Dorcas whispered to herself.

"No. No it's definitely not," I responded.

30 minutes later, I was out of McGonagall's office and back in the common room. Dorcas and Sirius had woken James and Lily but there was nothing they could do. I didn't cry this time. I was completely in shock. Max was dead. My bad feeling had been right.

"Marly, are you sure there's nothing we can do?" James asked for what felt like the hundredth time. I sat, staring at the fire. I didn't know what to do, what to feel.

"I think we should go to bed," I said vaguely. They all nodded and Sirius helped me stand. I held onto him tightly. It felt as if the world my fall out from beneath me at any moment.

"Do you want to stay in our room tonight?" He asked me. I nodded. He picked me up and carried me to bed. He wanted to help, and getting me sleeping was the best he could do.