mary macdonald .

“Windows. Right. Easy.” Marlene sloshed after Mary, water dragging heavy at her boots as it climbed higher. She jabbed her wand at the glass. “Reducto!” The spell cracked against the pane but fizzled away like it had hit solid stone. Another blast did the same, the window gleaming smugly back at her. “Of course. Because why wouldn’t bloody glass be indestructible?” she muttered through clenched teeth, hair dripping into her eyes.

"Obviously. We're only talking the most important event of the year here." She rolled her eyes. It is why she had hired Agatha, only the best would suffice for her wedding and both her parents and Malcolm were not planning to spare any expense. Looks mattered, reputation mattered. "Of course I have. I will not have my wedding dress be a rush job. Quality takes time. I do not plan on revealing the colors or the cut of my bridesmaids dresses before the event. I have too many people who could copy me and try to pass it off as their idea."

Mary had to press her lips together to not rise to her dry retort. She was the kind of pureblood witch that she would make fun of with Marlene, but her friend was not there. Mary nodded incorrigibly and flipped her notes over to a fresh page. "Will you be importing the design from overseas? Possibly France? Italy? I've heard they have some of the best seamstresses," she baited. "Oh, I don't plan to reveal anything you don't want me to reveal. It can be completely off the record. What about colors in general? Since it is winter, are you leaning more towards purple or blue. Green?"

"Ah, there we go. Now we're really fighting." He said, his grin vicious and delighted all at once. How glorious this felt. This was almost as good as the first time he kissed Matt. The joy of it sang in his blood.

Mary could hear the fearful thrum of her pulse in her chest that vibrated through to her neck, her head. She had been training for something like this, but the person who had been training her was trying to hurt her. Mary tried to slow the reality down to a miniscule detail, but she couldn't understand why Nick was doing this.

Mary regarded the wizard with a particular smile that she used during most interviews that made her only blink in response. She nodded at the easy answer and knew that it would make a good addition to her article. Her quill hovered over her parchment before she glanced back up at him. "And what are your thoughts of the school remaining open during a war? I know some have expressed their grievances that it should close. Times are unprecedented surely. Do you think the school should open for the term even if that means putting students in harms way or do you think Hogwarts is still a safe place for all wixens to attend?"

Peter gave a small, tired laugh, brushing a hand over the back of his neck. “Yeah… it’s been one of those weeks,” he admitted, letting the words hang for just a moment. “Nothing catastrophic, just… you know, life catching up with me. But being here... it’s nice. Makes things feel lighter, even if it’s only for a bit.”

Agatha folded her hands neatly over her lap, offering Mary a bright smile as though this were nothing more than a pleasant social call. “The Parkinson wedding will be quite the spectacle, I imagine. They’re rather intent on making a statement.” She leaned forward, lowering her voice conspiratorially, as though sharing a secret between friends. “But what interests me more, Mary, is… perspective. You see details others might miss, don’t you? The kind of things that slip unnoticed until someone like you writes them down.”

"Sweet, gullible Mary." He said, genuine care in his voice. It was almost a shame to bring it all to an end. How on earth would he ever find another toy quite like her? She was a special breed of Mudblood, and he was fairly certain she'd developed a bit of a crush on him somewhere along the way. Adorable. She may have stood a chance if she wasn't born to the wrong stock.

It felt like the world she built around Nick and herself was crashing down around her. Mary's mind ran with theories that punched through walls of what she thought of Nick before this. Nick had been trustworthy, helpful even. He had been someone Mary turned to in regards to her thoughts on the war and some of her friends. Mary lifted her wand to deflect whatever he would send back. When nothing came, she feared she was being tested. This time, it was not practice. Mary threw another spell, one that could slice through his skin like a papercut. "I trusted you," she said through a voice that shook harshly. "You were my friend. Why are you doing this?"

Peter shifted slightly, trying to shake off the heaviness in his chest. “You know…” He offered his arm, a small, tentative smile tugging at his lips, “we should probably get ourselves some butterbeers. Make this day feel even better than it already does.” His tone was light, but there was an underlying effort in it, a conscious choice to keep things easy and friendly.

Mary was willing to accept Peter's arm as a form of an olive branch, considering that this meant taking a step forward to refresh their friendship. "Well, butterbeer would make any day feel better, of course," she says in agreement as they walk. "And it is about time I take a break from asking all of my questions. I think I've asked nearly everyone here."

He commanded his features into a polite smirk that did not match his mood at all. "Right, the festival, of course." The blonde agreed with her, raising his brows with feigned excitement before the question landed. He would keep the act a bit longer, see if he could have his own fun at the festival. "First time, yes." He answered quickly with a swift nod of his head. "Is chaos a terrible answer? Calm is not fun for a festival, don't you agree?"

Mary assessed the man with a quiet smile, jotting soemthing down in her notes. She knew that Evan Rosier had his reputation and ran in the same circle as Nick. Mary didn't know if that was a good point or something to grow more concern. Her friends didn't take to Nick as much as she did, but her trust only went so far. It didn't extend to friends of Nick or friends of friends of his. "Chaos?" she questioned, her brow perking up. "I would argue calm is hopefully what festivals are. Especially one geared towards children and Hogwarts. Are you saying you don't agree with that?"

Mirroring Mary's smile, Rabastan took another sip and watched as she retrieved her quill. He was willing to speak with her. All in all, he was having a decent evening. Everyone needed time off every once in a while, even over-diligent zealots. He took a moment to consider his answers, then proceeded precisely. "I am most excited to see our community unified while celebrating our magical culture. So far, I think its done much for morale. I've been pleased to see there's something here for everyone, all people of all ages and backgrounds. I hope Hogwarts teaches its students the importance of integrity."

Mary regarded the wizard with a particular smile that she used during most interviews that made her only blink in response. She nodded at the easy answer and knew that it would make a good addition to her article. Her quill hovered over her parchment before she glanced back up at him. "And what are your thoughts of the school remaining open during a war? I know some have expressed their grievances that it should close. Times are unprecedented surely. Do you think the school should open for the term even if that means putting students in harms way or do you think Hogwarts is still a safe place for all wixens to attend?"

where: selwyn townhouse who: @its-marymac

Mary was thrilled to get Agatha's invitation. She had made a request to interview her, but even as she stared blankly at the letter, she had a growing sense of discomfort. It was a feeling that followed her ever since she and Marlene trespassed on the Selwyn property when they were on their honeymoon. "Of course," she smiled, hoping that it looked real enough. She tried to ignore that she had been inside the manor before, insisting her gaze only stare ahead at Agatha and not venture anywhere else. "Oh, yes, of course," Mary said and fetched her notebook from her bag. "So, where would you like to start? Tell me more about yourself and how you're planning the Parkinson wedding."

"Oh the food here is not good enough, it is entirely too fatty and oily, I would never eat that, especially so close to my wedding. I need to look my best." Not that she didn't think she always looked great, but for the wedding she wanted perfection. "I have tried some bulgarian wine that was quite nice."

"Oh, yes. Your wedding!" she exclaimed with some feigned excitement. Serra Borgin was one of the most socialite witches and it would be good to have a direct quote from her. "I interviewed the new Miss Selwyn not too long ago to talk about her plans for your wedding. It is set to be one of the biggest events before the year ends. Have you decided on a dress or colors?"

Her quill in hand, Freya had just finished jotting down a quote from one of her interviewees when she heard an all too familiar voice nearby. Mary Macdonald, a fellow reporter from The Daily Prophet. A furrow formed in Freya's brow as she approached.

Mary finished her last interview with a smile and barely had time to look down at her notes and collect herself before Freya stepped towards her. She gave the other reporter a cool look, her smile flickering to something more benign. Mary had measured herself and therefore been competitive with Freya since she joined the Prophet. They were both good which meant some stories Mary wanted to write were given to the other witch. This conversation came as no surprise. "I suppose more reporters means more coverage and angles, which is what the editor could use. I've mostly stayed over here if we want to talk about boundaries."

"The letter was mostly for fun, I'll admit. If I'd asked you outright I'm sure that you would've shown up." But where was the fun in that? He liked the reveal of it, the thought that she'd expected someone else and gotten him instead. The last time he'd done something like this with her, he'd asked her in person. Now he'd gotten a different side of the experience. "Let's have a fight shall we, little dove? You win, you get to go home now and find something new to write about for your paper. I win..." Nick shrugged. "Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there."

"I don't understand," she said with apprehension, taking a step back. Nick had been her friend for many years and she couldn't think of a reason why he would be acting this strange. Mary felt a cold instinct crawl up her neck and like her heart was taking an icy run down to her stomach. She didn't even know where they were and she could feel the wind blow through an open window. There was some height to the building and Mary didn't feel safe. The two had been holding practice duels and she could easily excuse this as being an elaborate rouse for more action, but her gut told her this was something different, something more sinister. Nick was a skilled fighter, the one who had taught Mary most of the spells she could throw now. "Why are you doing this? I don't want to fight you," she managed to say as she pointed her wand at him. The first spell Mary sent was a disarming spell, taking a strong stance before she threw Stupefy.

Evan had lost his date for a moment, she'd gone to buy something or greet someone, he'd honestly not paid attention to the detail. He was waiting for her, though, nursing a drink that was definitely not as cold as he liked it. A frown creased his brows as he thought the fayre was getting rather boring when the witch approached him, his furrowed brows turning into a questioning expression. "A couple of questions? What exactly about?" He wondered, suddenly acknowledging the opportunity to make his afternoon more enjoyable.

"Well, the festival of course!" she smiled awkwardly at his weird question. Mary understood that maybe answering questions wasn't everyone's cup of tea these days, especially for the Prophet but this event seemed less threatening than anything else these days. Mary stood with her quill poised over her parchment, ready to write. "Is this your first time coming here and what do you hope to see today?"

By this point, Rabastan had to admit it wasn't completely intolerable. Noisy gatherings were never ideal, but this one was at least richly abundant in magical excess. Therefore, he deemed it valuable - and he'd certainly attended more tedious events hosted by his own social circle. So Mary caught him in a good mood, poised beside a stall selling craft beer while his children were being entertained by a puppet enactment of The Tale of Three Brothers.

Mary's smile continued to stay in place on her face even as the wizard gave her a defensive answer. It was a festival where there were children running around, magical face painting somewhere, and music. "It's just a question, I promise," she laughed and then took out her quill and paper. "What are you most excited about seeing today and what do you think so far? What do you hope Hogwarts teaches its students this term?"

It seemed as though nothing was working out for Peter lately, screwing up almost every encounter with his friends. While there were some he couldn't do anything about, he couldn't overlook the one chance to make things better with Mary, she was all too important to him. "Yeah, us," he agreed with a slow nod of his head, noticing her cheeks turning pink and feeling his face heating up as well. "You're one of my closest friends Mare, nothing's changing that," he admitted honestly, nudging her shoulder before sitting beside her. "Not so much, think I shouldn't have come. What about you, though? You look happy."

Mary had to admit that she took her friend's rejection much more personally than she wished she had, but it wasn't the manner in which it happened but that it happened at all. The last thing Mary needed was another reason to believe she wasn't the shiny person she believed herself to be. "Right, of course," she smiled, not thinking about the radio silence that would say otherwise. "Well, I'm glad you're here. Really. It's a great day isn't it? Why would I not be happy? I love these kind of events. It puts everyone in good spirits."