Oct. 1: On Your Side: Mick, Mary, Lily

[Dorcas Meadowes]

▶︎ life isn't pretty,
we all get a little wrecked sometimes...

"I don't know if we can rank them fairly, can you really compare back-to-school parties with victory ones? It was solid, Mary - gold. Your reputation remains intact," Dorcas smiled around the rolled-up banner over her shoulder, tugging their dormitory door open for the others as they reached their landing. Their new prefect - as if being passed over for the position once wasn't enough - You were over that. - had taken it upon herself to play an active role in House events, and as Dorcas could hardly stand for their common area to remain a mess, she didn't much mind helping to clean up. And recruiting others to help. Wouldn't be right for just a few of them to be stuck with the task when the whole House, and many others, had enjoyed themselves! But that made these late nights even later, and the thrill of their team's victory - adrenaline matched with a wicked firewhisky punch - had faded for her. While she hadn't been in the match herself - there weren't enough Galleons in the world - Dorcas's energy was nonetheless spent, and she would have contentedly dropped into bed...if she didn't have a nagging question.

It wasn't uncommon for her thoughts to keep her awake, even when her body begged for sleep, and tonight would be no different if she didn't ask. Marlene had been in her thoughts too much lately for someone who was hung up on an ex, and maybe that's why she'd noticed the Beater's absence during the party. Hers was a conspicuous absence, though, she'd keenly argue if pressed - but Dorcas couldn't recall a time when Marlene had left a night like this. The players could be counted on to eat up the well-earned attention, only the rarest few shying away from it, and for someone to avoid it altogether? Someone who had helped them win the first match of their final year? Directly against her ex. Seeing Marlene and Bridget bat-to-bat now was even stranger than when they'd been together, and Dorcas didn't know how to bring it up with her without saying more than she wanted to say. Her nagging question was propelled by a nagging feeling, and while she usually enjoyed figuring out life's little mysteries - she didn't want to be right, not tonight. Sure, Mick had returned to the party in lower spirits, so whatever she'd gone to do probably hadn't gone to perfect plan. But if she'd left with the purpose of seeing someone, that still meant something - didn't it?

She deposited her armful of supplies onto Mary's trunk, and made a face as she siphoned wayward glitter from her shirt with her wand, before heading to her quadrant. There was much to dissect from tonight - had she truly seen, with her very own eyes, not only Lily dancing with James but Remus chatting with a sixth year? - and Mary was still chatting happily away. But she eyed Mick as she started readying for bed, words leaving her with more challenge than intended. "Going to tell us where you disappeared to? You missed James's speech. One of them, anyway, but the most sentimental by far." 

[Marlene McKinnon]

She should have been riding the high of tonight, the thrill of winning the first game of the season against Hufflepuff. A well-earned victory, and she had been in the mood to celebrate after the game. Facing Bridget on the pitch was nothing new, and she’d loved every second of the game. When her feet had hit the ground after the match ended, and she’d been swept up in hugs from teammates, everything had been absolutely perfect. It was a good year, and things were looking up, and if she could just find the time to talk to Bridget, then things would be perfect. But there had been dinner, and then the party, and she couldn’t just not show up. She’d stayed long enough to have a couple of drinks - mostly to calm her nerves - and then she’d slipped out of the party to make her way down to the Hufflepuff common room. She had figured that she would have to hang around the portrait for a bit before a Hufflepuff came along and let her in, but she hadn’t been waiting long when Hestia showed up, heading to Gryffindor tower. According to her, Bridget had left for a walk with one of her roommates.

That had led her out to the grounds, out to the spot where Bridget and Mo were kissing. Talk about a hole in her plans, because she’d never really stopped to consider that her and Bridget wouldn’t be getting back together this year. And yeah, it was her fault they’d split in the first place because she’d been freaked out about commitment and that had bit her in the ass. She wasn’t entirely sure what conversation they’d even had, because it was all foggy in her mind. It hadn’t seemed right to go back to the party when she’d just had her heart shattered, because merlin knew she wasn’t going to be able to keep it together. So she’d found a secluded spot, and smoked enough grass to stop having feelings, and then she’d made her way back to Gryffindor tower. The party had been in full swing, and it seemed no one had noticed her disappearance. All she’d had to do at that point was drink, and make polite conversation.

Done and handled. Cleaning up after the party with her friends? Also fine, she didn’t really have to do much in the way of talking, mostly just listened to the gossip she had missed in her time away from the party. Now climbing the stairs to bed, her high had worn off - but she’d had enough to drink that she was tipsy and just ready to sleep. She dropped the supplies in her arms on her trunk, too over the day to try and sort everything and put it away tonight. She was pulling her shirt over her head, back to her roommates, when Dorcas spoke to her. And Mick knew it was to her, without even looking, because she knew Mary and Lily hadn’t left the party. Sighing, she pulled a jumper over her head, before turning to look at Dorcas. It wasn’t a nice question, there was a hint irritation in it, and Marlene wondered if there was a way out of this conversation.

“Well, I’m sure I’ll get to hear more sentimental speeches, we’ve still got two games left this year,” she answered with a shrug of her shoulders, kicking her shoes off. Obviously, she was going to have to tell them what had happened. That Bridget and Mo were apparently a thing, or something, and that she’d gone to try and talk to Bridget and that had not gone well at all. Looking to her roommates though, it was clear that this conversation was happening now, even if she didn’t want to. “Went to talk to Bee, see where we stood on the whole being together thing. Don’t worry though, she was quite busy kissing Morgan so I’ve got my answer.”

[Mary Macdonald]

"Well thank goodness for that," Mary laughed, happy that if nothing else, she would leave behind a working party-planning structure for next year's eldest students to take the helm of. Truth be told, however, she never planned for anything other than a celebratory event. If Gryffindor had lost today, well - banners could be adjusted on the fly with a charm, the House would rally together to pump their team up for the next match, and they'd need the same music and drinks as they would at a victory party. It was reassuring to hear anyway that Dorcas thought it had gone well - while Mary did her best to scan the common room and keep tabs on the various stations, she couldn't claim to have a full handle on everything at all times. Ruff was always a big help with getting enough food ahead of time, even the morning of a match, and the girls didn't complain about staying behind to pick up with her. And during? As long as they didn't run out of food - which Rufus would never allow them to, bless him - and drink and no fights broke out...Mary would take it as a win, more so if anyone noticed a new decoration or came out of the night with a new story, friend, or snogging partner.

She slipped inside and dropped her basket of decor by her trunk with a satisfying thunk, ready to collect the rest and shrink the lot until they were needed next. "Are your toes all right? That boy can fly, but all bets are off when he hits the ground," she teased her fellow redhead, grinning knowingly as she completed her charm and maneuvered the lot into the waiting space in her trunk. While romance was not within her own grasp these days, Mary was loving the evolution of their Head Students - she wanted to push them both to just ask the other out already, surely one would listen and take the chance, they weren't in Gryffindor for nothing. But if they weren't yet ready to admit how they felt - well, admit it again on James's side, the dismissal at the lake had left little room for argument - then rushing towards the end would do nothing. Hints won't hurt though, hmm?

She sat at the end of her bed to brush out her hair - late night or no, she'd never skimp on her nighttime regimen - and raised her brows at the tone coming from the other end of the room. And what's wrong tonight, Dorcas? Mary loved her roommates, she really did, they were her sisters - but being together through all of their varying highs and lows was a lot, especially when one of them refused to admit what was setting them off. She'd gotten it out of the other girl that no, it wasn't Mary's unwanted "promotion," that things were fine between the two of them. Which was grand, sure, but she was no closer to prying out the reason for the girl's shift in energy. Mary exchanged a look with Lily and returned her attention to the other two, a gasp leaving her as Mick spoke.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry," she sighed, heart going out to the other girl, brush dropped in her lap. "Did you talk at all? What can we do?" Bee was a sweet girl, and she'd loved having her around so much over the years - it had even made her fling with Benny that much more fun, as she was already close with one of the twins. The Hufflepuff had been good for Mick, as much as Mary could tell, and she did not envy the feelings Mick had to be battling. Sometimes a change in circumstance was inevitable, which she understood all too well from her first heartbreak, but she'd assumed that this break would end as the other short-lived ones had. With the two finding each other again, mending what needed mending, and moving forward together. How did I miss this tonight?! 

[Lily Potter]

Lily trailed along behind Mary and Doe, only half listening to their chatter. The night was still fresh and lively in her mind and she was basking there. A smile tugged at her lips and without reason, she glanced down the steps behind her, half expecting James to be there. Or maybe just wanting him to be there because she wasn’t ready for their night to end. It had truly been one to remember. Over the last month of working together, her and James had really become a team, friends even. Combined with all the good times had with her other friends...Why had she been avoiding her house parties all these years again?

Inside the dorm Lily was the last to divest herself of decorations, admiring Mary’s wand work a little too intently. At the other girl's words, she giggled, blushing as she turned away to sit on her own truck and pulled off her boots and socks. Stretching out her legs, she wiggled her toes experimentally. “Nothing seems broken. Check on me in the morning.” she joked, thinking back to the clumsy way James moved his legs, and the many mishaps they had had on the dance floor that always ended in laughs. It barely passed for dancing really, but Lily couldn’t recall the last time she had had so much fun. So what if they knocked knees a few times. Or if that once she took an elbow straight to the face. It was a blast. Coming back around to paying better attention to the room, her brow furrowed, the redhead sensing she had missed a key shift in mood. Lily looked to Dorcas, what had she just said?

Belatedly her brain caught up to the conversation and the crease in her forehead deepened as she pulled her jumper over her head - she was unbearably hot suddenly. At the moment Lily couldn’t remember if she had noticed Marlene being gone from the party for any length of time. Doe seemed suspicious of the absence though and that made Lily curious. Where had their spritely roommate gone off to? It felt wrong that she missed something like this. Perhaps that third cup of punch was a bad idea. She exchanged a glance with Mary, but quickly her attention was drawn to Mick, where she sat on her bed looking…well, she wasn't quite sure how she looked just yet, but the tone of her next words confirmed her suspicion. Marlene was truly upset. The head girl joined in the collective gasp of her roommates, shocked at this turn of events. MickBee had been such a constant on again and off again that it was strange thinking of them as any other way. And her friend looked so taken aback by it that Lily felt her eyes pricking with emotion. Yes, a two cup limit at parties from now on. “I can’t believe it.” That about sums it up.

[Dorcas Meadowes]

Dorcas almost regretted her query as soon as she asked. Almost. The sigh from Mick, that dejected look in her eyes when she turned, the slump of her shoulders - she could have phrased things differently, Dorcas could have. Or been more chipper, teasing. Or waited til morning. Or kept it to herself until they were alone. She didn't want to make her friend feel worse than she already did, but the news...the news! She found herself uncharacteristically tongue-tied, and quickly hid her face from the others under the guise of finding her pajamas as they spoke up. Because what she wanted to do, what she wanted to share, simply couldn't happen here and now. She couldn't look pleased with this change of events, the news that the on-again-off-again romance was most assuredly off, no matter how much it made her want to grin. The sorrowful notes of surprise from Mary and Lily, that's what she should be echoing, instead of contemplating assuring Mick that while this surely stung, the best was yet to come, if she'd give her a shot.

Narcissist. You should feel worse about this.

    Look at her, just look! She's miserable, poor thing.

This doesn't mean you have any more of a chance now than you did this morning. Get it together.

    But they're over - they really are over.

This was the opening she'd waited for. The one she'd been hoping for since last term, that the next time Mick and Bee broke up, that they'd stay broken up. They weren't right for each other in the long run, they just weren't, as their ups and downs made clear to everyone paying attention - right? But she couldn't - she couldn't just pounce. This was hitting Mick hard tonight, this realization that the relationship really was over, and Dorcas could wait. Help her friend through the realities of the breakup. Be there for her, make sure she didn't feel alone. There would be time for declarations later - hopefully not too much later.

"I'm sorry." For prying, for your hurt. If Mick hadn't been spotted, though...maybe this wasn't all the way over. Was this Bee's first kiss with Morgan, or had this been going on? Would she want to tell Mick, to put the stamp on things, or allow her to find out by seeing them around school? Dorcas shook her head and turned back to the group, pajamas held tight to her chest. "You shouldn't have had to find out like that. They didn't see you?" 

[Marlene McKinnon]

Telling the girls in her dorm the news would change the atmosphere, and Mick hated herself for it. She and Bee hadn’t been together the entire summer, and things had been fine. She’d hung with her friends, she’d flirted with girls when out - harmless flirting, nothing that meant anything of course - and here she was killing the mood of a successful Quidditch victory. They should be living on the high of winning the first game of the season or gossiping about how James and Lily had spent the night dancing together. If you could call some of the awkward movements between the two dancing. Those were interesting things to talk about, things that weren’t sad and upsetting. But Dorcas had asked, and as easy as it could have been to brush it aside, Mick had the feeling that the news about Bridget and Morgan would come out sooner rather than later, even if she wasn’t the one to say something about it. People took notice of who was together and who wasn’t, and Mick was sure she wasn’t the only person on the grounds tonight who had witnessed the two of them canoodling. Maybe it was better to have their sympathy tonight, to get the conversation over with before she had to face the truth of it all in front of the school tomorrow at breakfast.

Concern and questions were shot in her direction as she sat at the end of her bed, legs crossed and eyes looking anywhere but directly at her roommates. Wasn’t the knowledge that her on and off again girlfriend was not going to be her girlfriend again enough? Of course, it wasn’t, and Mick knew better. She knew details needed to be shared, and maybe talking about it with her friends would help heal the wound she was currently feeling. Mary was offering her sympathies and wanted to know how they could help. Lily was shocked, which was understandable. While things had been rocky in Mick’s relationship with Bee, they had always managed to come back together. And Dorcas sent her apologies as well, although Mick did have to wonder if they were genuine. Not that she didn’t think Dorcas was being truthful, but she had been the one to pry so openly instead of approaching her directly about it later.

“If I hadn’t opened my big mouth, I probably could have pretended I didn’t catch them,” she admitted looking up to her roommates. “But I sort of questioned them in my surprise. It….it didn’t go well. Obviously. Bee made it pretty clear that even if she wasn’t snogging Mo, things were over between us. Permanently.” Which maybe Mick could have accepted if Morgan hadn’t been smiling so smugly behind Bridget while they were talking. And honestly, Marlene couldn’t even be angry about it - because Morgan was attractive and fun. Hell, there had been plenty of times in the past when she herself had flirted with Mo. The number of girls who were willing to date other girls in the school was so slim, that Mick was pretty sure she’d flirted with every single one of them. Including Dorcas, once she’d opened up and dated Emmeline in their fifth year. But her heart had always belonged to Bridget, and now she truly didn’t know what to do. “It’s fine, I mean we weren’t together all summer yeah? I don’t own Bridget, she’s allowed to date who she wants.”

[Mary Macdonald]

Mary's nose crinkled as she broadly grinned in delight at their Head Girl wiggling her toes. While she was sure that the other seventh year Gryffindors were still up and discussing the match - Ruff and James would be up til the morning reenacting and scheming for their next match unless the other boys knocked them out - she knew just as well that James was getting hell from them. Groans and moans, certainly, as he gushed all lovelorn and they realized they were in for another term of what they probably thought was unrequited feelings. But teases, the teases, he'd never hear the end of it - and if they weren't in the next tower teaching him how to dance without stepping on his partner's feet, while still trying to discuss the match, she didn't know them at all. It was comforting to think, really, that they were all sharing in the blossom of this newness together, even though they were apart. When Lily and James decided to go for it, it'd be with the support of their mates, and she looked forward to endless nights with the lot...

Their late night chatter took a sharp turn, and Mary felt her heart drop for their dear Mickey. She wished that no one she loved had to go through heartbreak, but it was something they were all doomed to suffer through sometime, wasn't it? Her own heart hadn't felt the same since Roddy - it had glowed when they were together, burst when they parted. Its pieces had knit together again, but it - she - was forever changed. And thank Merlin she'd never seen him with another girl, even though she knew, realistically, that there were dozens of beautiful Healers who could be vying for his attention at all times. Seeing it would solidify the fear she still had, and she hated that Mick had seen what she'd seen with no warning. While Mick and Bee hadn't been an item for some time, the open-endedness had still been there. But now? The window was shut, the story was written. There was an end, a real end, a final end, and now their Mick had to move on. She was glad at least that Dorcas sounded remorseful - for bringing it up, for what Mick was going through? - and she knew, without question, that they'd all be there for Mick as time went on. Mick knew it too, she must have, but she looked so forlorn all alone at the end of her bed, and Mary couldn't bear it any longer.

"It was still a surprise, Mickey, you have every right to be bothered," she said, and maneuvered around trunks and the heater and discarded shoes to wrap her arms around her friend. Mary gave the girl a tight squeeze and whispered loudly, only half-teasing, as she sat beside her, "If they ever come to the shop I'll put belch powder in their tea, I promise."

[Lily Potter]

All the lightness from the night, the smiles left over from the party, and her and Mary’s teasing seemed to evaporate like smoke in the wind. They were all suddenly plunged into upset over Marlene and the absolutely horrid thing she had experienced tonight. Lily felt guilty for having such a good time at the party, meanwhile, someone so dear to her heart had suffered a nasty shock all on her own. Again she was frustrated with herself for not even having noticed that Marlene had gone absent from the celebration. She had been so caught up in the fun of it all, she had been fully distracted by, well, James. “Merlin’s hairy balls.” Lily swore uncharacteristically under her breath, anxiously rubbing her hands together in her lap and looking to Marlene and Mary embracing with such sadness in her heart for her friend. A part of her wanted to get up and join them but no matter how much she wanted to offer comfort, sitting down was maybe not the best idea because now the idea of getting up made her feel slightly green around the gills, as Madam Pomfry would say.

Lily swallowed thickly, looking to Dorcas and hearing her own remorse echoed back to her. None of them liked seeing their friend this way, none of them wanted the pain in her voice to exist. “That is so rude. They deserve belch powder brew.” she finally got out, having more trouble than usual working out her emotions and putting them into words. She felt so bad for Marls but she was also a little angry, honestly! From the way her roommate looked and the tone of her words, the exchange between her and her now ex was none too kind. Usually, her head-girl status kept her from such bias and outright unpleasantness. “She could have maybe let you know, I don’t know before you came across her mid-well you know what happened. That things were…permanent I mean, even if you hadn’t talked all summer. It was rude. So rude. I’m so sorry love.”

The thought of stumbling across James in such a situation was a sobering thought, she didn’t like it one bit. And it was a possible scenario for sure. A girl could catch his eye, and they would sparkle in the way they do when he’s really pleased, or he could rekindle an old flame, Ana was still a striking catch and had only gotten more formidable in the last couple of years. Wait. This wasn’t about her, this was about Marlene. Lily focused on herself, ending the beginning of an endless spiral of thoughts that would ultimately land her nowhere. She forced herself off of her trunk, wobbling a little before regaining her balance, and determinedly making her way to Marlene to place a -steadying- comforting hand on her back. “It’s not your fault, like Mary said, you were surprised. Anyone would have been. She was wrong to let you find out this way.”

[Dorcas Meadowes]

She wrung the clothes in her hands and watched, listening intently, as Mick shared. Her roommate's discomfort was palpable - but who would be at ease in the situation? - and while Dorcas was still heartened by what this all could mean...the more that Mick shared, the more conflicted she became as the reality of her friend's situation settled in. From the sound of things, there had been some kind of confrontation, and things were over. To Dorcas's knowledge, their break-ups - while full of emotion, of course - hadn't ever involved someone else. Bridget was the only person Mick had been with - sure, the girl could be a flirt, but her serious feelings had forever been reserved for the Hufflepuff - and now Bridget was moving on. Had moved on. 

She could only imagine the way that had to feel. That the person you were on the way to the future with, whatever temporary obstacles came, was now on a path there with another person. Alone, dismissed, trodden over, shocked...Thinking they were over was different from knowing, from seeing, and it had to be a hard pill to swallow. Publicly.

That part is on you, smart arse.

    It would have come out! Tomorrow, probably, end of week at the latest -

Doesn't make it right.

Mick was brushing it off, the girls were rushing over - well, poor Lily was wobbling, doing her very best - and Dorcas didn't know if she'd make things better or worse by joining in. She agreed wholeheartedly with them about holding a grudge, thinking that their feelings would come across with a twist on tea at the very least, and nodded as Lily continued. She'd never known Bridget to be like this, and couldn't quite make sense of it. Was she pushing Mick away this hard so that the lioness wouldn't ever want to return? So that her hope would leave? So that she'd give up on them, once and for all? Whatever the reasoning, or lack of - the whole thing was harsh, and she hoped Bee felt like sh*te.

Dorcas exhaled and dropped her things, perching on the trunk at the end of Mick's bed, knees knocking with the other girl's as her hands held each other in her lap. "They're right. And I'm sorry for being such a prat, you should've been able to come to us about this when you wanted," she said, earnest as she met the hurting girl's eye. "But you know we've got you, okay? No matter what."

[Marlene McKinnon]

Marlene had thought she knew what heartbreak was like. The hollow pit in the stomach, the ache in the chest. The missing the other person so much, eventually, you reached out. And tried to mend things, that’s what she had always done. But it had never been permanent before, not like this. Things may have ended more than once between her and Bridget, but they’d always found their way back to each other. Mick had been hurt when they’d split at the end of last year, but she’d thought a summer apart would mend things. They had exchanged letters, although the subject of them hadn’t been a topic of conversation. Mick had just assumed that when school started this year, they’d find their way back to each other as they always did. Perhaps the worst part of it - the part she didn’t want to tell her roommates - was that this was entirely her fault. Mick was the one who flirted with others but reserved her love for Bee. The idea of a deep commitment had always scared her. She knew it was possible to love someone forever, she certainly was feeling that way right now,

The thing that held her back, and still was, was the fact they were young. They still had their whole lives outside of this castle. Some of them were barely adults, with others only coming of age this school year. Not to mention - the ideals of a long-term relationship weren’t really available to people like her. There wasn’t a soul in the muggle or wizarding world that would allow her to marry another girl, even though that has always been what she’d dreamed of. While there was acceptance inside of the castle walls - Mick knew the same level of acceptance wasn’t widely found outside of the safety of their school. This was a bubble, and she didn’t want to be pessimistic, but she didn’t want to be ignorant of their very real world either. And while this wasn’t something Mick had truly wanted to talk about tonight, she did appreciate the concern and love of her friends.

Marlene wanted to believe that Mary was right, that she had a right to be bothered by it all. She held back a laugh at her friend's next words, although she wasn’t opposed to the idea of belch powder in Bee and Mo’s tea should they choose to frequent the tea shop. Mick hugged Mary back tightly, trying to ignore the feeling of tears starting to burn in her eyes. Looking at Lily as the other girl hobbled over, Mick nodded to her words. A note sent to her, or a conversation at breakfast - anything would have been better than just finding the two of them. Mick had thought that Bee still had feelings for her, that they were on the same page. Only to find out they had entirely different expectations for this year. Still, even with Lily’s reassurance that she had a right to be surprised, Mick was feeling like she should have known. Dorcas came to join them, and Mick looked at her as she spoke. “You’re not a prat,” Marlene said quietly, reaching out to take Dorcas’ hands in hers, “Just utterly too observant sometimes.” Mick was teasing, of course, she adored how aware of things her friends could be. “Besides, probably wouldn’t have even made it to breakfast tomorrow before I told you all about it. Merlin knows they’ll be together tomorrow morning, maybe we could skip breakfast in the hall?”

[Mary Macdonald]

Mick held on to her as fiercely as Mary was, and the redhead dipped her head onto the other's shoulder after they parted, staying close and warm. Their world had cheats for so many things, but there were always lessons to be learned from myths and histories about those who went too far to avoid their problems. Nothing would be solved by a love potion snuck into Bee's porridge, removing the memory of tonight's encounter from Mick's mind...As awful as she sensed Mick felt, and as much as she wished they could magic the pain away or bring things back to the way they'd been - the only real way out was through. They'd be by her side, sharing the weight, but Mary worried. This was different than prior splits, and she didn't know how to help her friend forwards from here. Her usual proclamations about how many fish there were in the sea, how much better off she was without her ex, felt horribly weak in the face of this truly broken heart.

For tonight - they were together, they would hold each other together, and they would face tomorrow together too. Lily affirmed her sentiments, and Mary watched in concern as their Head Girl staggered over, ready to jump up if needed, and breathed with some relief when she'd made it to the four-poster. Their fourth was struggling too, but...with some hidden preoccupation rather than being sloshed? Mary had never had the easiest read on the other girl, but it was rare for Dorcas to be...careful all of a sudden. She joined them, eventually, with affirmation and apology, and Mary couldn't help a smile as Mick reached for her hands...and Dorcas let them be held. She typically wasn't fond of such things, but, well - this night had surprise after surprise in store for them, and perhaps Mary had better simply just accept it.

"The kitchens can be ours, absolutely," Mary began, hesitating before she continued. "But, if you'd like...we can all go together to the hall, with the team too. We'll keep them away - and between us and the rest of your rabid fans, there'll be no room for either of them to come close. But we'll do whatever you feel, okay? Sleep on it?" She sent a sympathetic smile and tucked Mick's hair behind an ear before getting to her feet, listening and chiming in as the others spoke, while she tended to another concern. Lily's wobbly way over had her a bit worried - how much had her friend had to drink? she'd been so glad to see Lily present and enjoying herself...what else had she missed tonight? - and she laid out glasses for them all, filling with water from a decanter, the clever thing refilling itself as she emptied it. Mary's hand trailed across a small collection of vials, marked with scripts owned by the four of them, tapping on Dreamless Sleep before pulling a restorative potion. Mick looked tired enough to sleep, even with the news...but it would be there if it was needed. And if she did decide they should dine in the hall tomorrow, Mary would make sure she left their room looking her very best. A few drops of the restorative potion into each glass, faint whiffs of ginger in the air, and she handed them out. "Drink up, girls."

[Lily Potter]

Maybe it was the drink or the high of the night still lingering on but Lily felt something in her gut at Doe’s reaction. She couldn’t quite say what, only that whatever it was made her think she was missing something. It seemed somehow important so, she just watched their interaction, refraining from interfering in their moment to shoot down Dorcas’ worry that she had done anything wrong. If Lily had half the mind to be paying attention, she would have been curious about their roommate's absence as well. It wasn’t a bad thing to worry about your friends…She needn’t bother though, Marls said just as much to her as well as reassuring her the truth would have out in due time anyway, even without her query. Then she posed a request she knew none of them could deny. Personally, she felt like she would want to get out there and show a brave face but she also thought that maybe in that situation she wouldn’t. The Head Girl liked to think she would march into that hall with such fierce confidence as to make her ex sorry for ever slighting her surrounded by her friends and supporters she imaged she would be unstoppable. But maybe, maybe she would feel just like Marlene, maybe she would want to hole away for a while and nurse her sore heart. If that’s what she needed, Lily would hole away with her.

Reaching out her free hand, the one that wasn’t holding her up against the bedpost, she ran it through Mick’s hair. “Mary’s right, we can make quite the show if we wanted.” Momentarily she was distracted by the thought of James heading up their cortege, with that intimidating look he sometimes got when in what she liked to call ‘protector mode’; she quickly brought herself back to reality. “But we’ll do whatever you feel.” she echoed Mary’s words, giving her a supportive smile and another run of fingers through her hair. Merlin, this was just rotten!

“Oh thank you Mary,” she said gratefully as their fourth joined them once more, this time baring cups of refreshment. The usual kind and the magical mixed and Lily was so comforted by the thought of having her full facilities back she could have sung. It was nice to let go and enjoy the night but right now Marlene needed them and she was not at the top of her game. She drank her draught in a steady drain, giving a sigh as the potion began to work its way through her system and pushing off from the bed. A deep breath through her nose, a crack of her neck, a stretch of her arms, and she felt nearly back to normal, invigorated almost, but definitely not gravity challenged anymore. Lily clapped her hands together, an idea coming to her suddenly; the redhead reflected that she probably would never have been able to come up with it if she was still completely inebriated. “Alright, we need…snacks. All this talk of breakfast made me hungry. Dumpy!”

[Dorcas Meadowes]

With Mick's assurance, Dorcas started to feel slightly less like an arse, and even broke out into a toothy grin at the tease tossed her way. Although this shift in affect may have been influenced, admittedly, by Mick taking up her hands. Her friend's hands were strong and sure even in this gentle hold, and ridges of callouses across the palms tracked her years with the Beater's bat, and her fingernails were uneven from biting and light marks made patchworks here and there, leavings of training with bow and arrow and falcon. They were hands with stories and Dorcas knew some of them and wanted to know more, and laugh with Mick about the dangers of paper cuts she herself faced in the library on the daily, thank you very much. She gripped them back reflexively, perhaps too observant in the scant moments she knew she had to hold them - but those were the moments she knew that she had.

As Mick continued, suggesting a change to their usual breakfast routine, the girls were fast to chime in. They weren't wrong - they could absolutely muster a force from Gryffindor Tower - but Dorcas was quick to give Mick a nod. While she was heartened to feel Mick had forgiven her for her lapse, and that they likely would have all known the news in the morning, it didn't take away from her messing this up for her friend in the first place. The least she could do was back her up, no questions asked. "Kitchens, or up here. And it's just Sunday, yeah?" She grinned and gave Mick's hands a short squeeze as she squared her shoulders, eyes darting around the other three. Sure, Sundays on match weekends were typically reserved for coursework, and they all had things they should do. But the days of eating Honeydukes candy in blanket forts weren't completely behind them, were they? "I move," she began, picturing herself at the head table lectern, "that we make a day of it. Stay in our pajamas, play cards, and - and fill out every quiz in that archive of Witch Weeklys." "Oi!" "We're far past an idle collection, Mac, you know my thoughts. The point is, we make it a day just for us. Who's in?"

Mary returned and Dorcas took the gifted glass with a smile, having a little chuckle to herself as always - their hostess making sure the alcohol flowed and that no one ended up sick - before sipping away at it. She shot Lily a grin as the redhead became more of her daytime self, and at the call, an elf they were utterly fond of appeared with a crack. The plight of the elves was still a difficult thing to swallow, even after assurances from the beings themselves that Hogwarts was a good home for them, but Dorcas was grateful that it appeared this particular elf was just as fond of the four of them. "Thanks for popping up, lovely. Any chance we could trouble you for something to eat?"

[Marlene McKinnon]

While Mick hadn’t wanted to have this conversation tonight, she was starting to feel better now that she had. Because these girls always had her back, and she loved them for that. They could have spoken of how it was her indecisiveness that led to her and Bee being an on-again, off-again couple over the years. They could have reminded her that she was the one to break things off before the summer. But instead, they comforted her, reassuring her that she had every right to feel the things she was feeling. Mick was beating herself up enough for her past mistakes, and it was nice to have her friends that loved her so much by her side. Her heart was broken, but she could feel it healing just a little bit as Mary rested her head on Mick’s shoulder, and Lily and Dorcas were there to join them. Her request to skip breakfast in the hall was heard, and she appreciated Mary’s take. They could make quite a scene, and Mick knew that James and the rest of the Marauders would have her back if she asked.

She leaned into Lily’s hand as her friend ran her hand through Marlene’s hair, so glad that she had admitted the truth to them tonight instead of struggling to sleep as she mused over what had happened. Dorcas’ hands were in her own, her friend nodding to her suggestion. Mick really couldn’t ask for better friends. They understood her in a way that many didn’t. She remembered how terrified she had been to tell them she liked girls, and how they hadn’t shunned her. Instead, they’d asked questions and had done their best to understand. Even when she was in the wrong, she could count on them. Mary was busy preparing them all rejuvenating drinks, and she squeezed Dorcas’ hands before she let go to take up the cup offered to her. Dorcas’ suggestion to make a whole day of it was tempting, and they really did need to get through their pile of Witch Weekly.

Lily called for a house elf, and one arrived shortly. Their request for snacks was heard, and Mick sipped her drink quietly as she contemplated her options. Facing Bee right now would be hard, even with all her friends around her. She needed a day to hide away from it all, and she knew the girls would understand. The elf was shortly back with snacks, and she got up to take the tray, setting it down on her bed before climbing back onto her trunk. “I will sleep on it, but I think we should make a day of it tomorrow. Pajamas, snacks, maybe a bit of fire whiskey, and Witch Weekly. And then Monday, that’s when we gather the troops and make a grand entrance. How does that sound?”

[Mary Macdonald]

As they comforted Mick and made a plan for the following day, the love in their little room was palpable, the air so warm with it, that Mary was hit with the thought that packing up for the final time in June would be one of the most difficult things she'd had to do. Where would any of them be without each other, if they hadn't had this group to confide in and grow with for all these years? How would it be to not come home to each other every day? When would they be all together again, once they had scattered? There were big dreams in this group, and they seemed so much bigger than what she was planning on in Hogsmeade, and she had no doubt that the others would reach their goals. They knew that they would always have a home with her if they needed it, didn't they?

Even as she was called out, gently, for her many additions to their pile of magazines, Mary couldn't be truly bothered, not when the moment was becoming painfully nostalgic. She contentedly handed out the restoratives and drank hers, while decisions for tomorrow were made, the girls looked a bit brighter, and Dumpy brought them a tray of snacks. "Perfect - it's decided," she declared at Mick's word. The plan was a sound one - one full day to cocoon was more than fair, and she was glad that Mick was up for company - and, hoping to give the girl a break from being in the hot seat, she sent her a wink before hopping onto the bed, a cheeky grin on her face as she eyed her favorite redhead.

"Why don't you and I give the boys a heads up about the plan tomorrow, Lily? Unless you have more to talk about with James tonight?" Still grinning, she nabbed a biscuit from the tray, hoping Lily wouldn't be too upset with her for probing. It was wonderful to see the pair getting on, at long last, and not just because the school was running more smoothly because of it - hardly. Lily seemed lighter, happier, faster to laugh, than Mary recalled her being in quite some time. And the question of whether this was due in part to the new amity, or more, with James seemed to have been solved at the party. For Mary, at least, because while friends could have danced like the two had tonight...only someone with more in their heart would think the boy's follies so amusing, and stick with him, when she could have had her pick of partners.