gravity's centered.

Humming as she worked, she quickly flicked a page of the binder, circling the cake that she’d liked the best when they went last year to the taste test. There was so much time between then, and now, though that she wasn’t even sure if the strawberry buttercream was still available. 

Feeling the table move, Lily glanced up at the person who had sat down in front of her. “Unless you know something about baking cakes, I don’t know if you want to be around me right now,” she said. “I wouldn’t call myself bridezilla quite yet, but I’m sure I’m getting there.”

She had always wanted nothing but good for her friends, and James and Lily’s wedding was because of this a great source of warm feelings for Mary. She was incredibly thrilled for the both of them, and while they were stuck in the midst of a war and it was most likely not the most convenient time for a wedding, it was, in her eyes, nothing but wonderful that they were doing this now.

“I know approximately nothing about baking cakes, but I know everything about eating them,” she said, teasing slightly. “But my ma is the best at ‘em, so if you need any help, she’ll just be a phone call away.” Mary paused, eyes falling on the binder for a moment. “How’s the planning going, nearly-bridezilla?”

And, it seemed that the first hurdle would be to pick a proper bow tie. He’d always thought that he looked quite dapper in a bow tie; he could look dapper, he supposed, and the rest would come from there. Twilfitt and Tatting’s, however, was rather overwhelming in their selection, and he’d spent the better part of the afternoon strangling himself with tie after tie, one of a more ridiculous pattern than the one before. 

“Come on – give me something, here,” he sighed, discarding what felt to be the hundredth bow tie he’d gone through that afternoon, hands lax and malcontent at his sides, “Polka dots? Hearts? The one with the little pineapples?” James looked to his commandeered partner in crime and gave a dramatic flop onto the adjacent chaise lounge. “Who knew bow ties could be so bloody complicated?”

It felt surreal, the fact that he and Lily were getting married. Sure, they’d been engaged for a long time now and she had known it was coming, but it still felt odd to be planning a wedding for friends her own age. Mary didn’t mind, though; she was immensely happy for both her friends and was going to be there every step of the ( stressful ) way to the wedding. 

At his question, she let out a laugh. She shrugged a shoulder, very much clueless as to which bowtie would be better. “Uh, hearts?,” she offered. “Fits the whole theme, y’know ----- love ‘n stuff.” She got up from her seat and scanned the other options, eyebrows furrowed in thought; Mary took this very seriously, after all. “But maybe something else entirely? All of those remind me of patterns you’d find on socks, y’know, and I’m not sure if that’s the look you want to go for here.” She let her fingers glide over the fabrics for a moment before picking one with tartan print. “McGonagall would like this one ... She is coming, I hope?”

lilyevanssx:

A smile fell upon her lips as Alice showed her thanks for the subtle healing. There was nothing Lily Evans wouldn’t do to keep her friends safe. Even after they’d been through a terrible fight, she would sit with them on the floor of the broken Ministry and make sure that their scratches and cuts were all taken care of. Lily would patch up their gashes with her own love and make them whole again. 

As she listened to Mary’s story, her stomach rolled around as she thought about what her friend must’ve gone through. However, her heart leapt as she realized that they could start a case. “Allie,” she whispered, grabbing her hand and giving it a tight squeeze. “I think Mary’s right. We could put her in Azkaban. Or, at the very least, have her face on a most wanted picture… This is good.”

The thought of being able to have justice for something that had haunted her, had her up at night with nightmares which tore her soul apart. James had heard her waking up screaming Alice’s name multiple times the month after the attack. If only she had been there sooner. If only she had shown up for her friend when she needed it. “It’s really good,” she said, finally, nodding. 

At Mary’s next question, the question that she knew was coming, Lily couldn’t help but hesitate. There was a part of her that thought she had dreamed the last part of her day. Alice had been there, though, and her hip was proof that she was not okay. That it had happened. She had been face to face with Voldemort and had made it out alive. 

“We saw…” she paused, unable to even say the name they were allowed to say. “Well, not saw. We battled You-Know-Who. A-and he was… blimey. I don’t even know how to explain it. But he was incredibly strong… and you know he doesn’t really have a nose?” 

She immediately closed her eyes– she wanted to hide any reaction she had at the thought of Mary up against that monster; she was worried her anger and fear would be misconstrued, because it was never a question of her capabilities.  If she didn’t think her friend was capable she never would have whole-heartedly supported her place as her replacement while she was out with the baby.  Mary was the only one she trusted, nearly as much as she trusted herself, to look after Frank.  But it was much more closely tied to genuine fear over what she knew the woman to be capable of– she never wanted to think of any of the people that she loved standing on the wrong end of Bellatrix’s wand.

But all the same, Mary was still standing.  She looked okay.  “I–” she began, but she was too choked up to continue.  This shouldn’t be about her.  This should be about her brilliant and beautiful best friend, strong enough to stand up to one that had managed to best Alice herself so devastatingly.  “She– did she…” she trailed off, not even sure what she was asking.  Somehow the thought of Mary against Bellatrix had her nearly as frightened as Voldemort himself had.  “A-are you okay?  She d-didn’t…”

A cough was all she could manage at Lily’s words.  “A nose?  Lily!”  She was laughing now through the tears.  “That’s what you took away from all of that?”

Mary knew it was true: there was something good about her run in with Bellatrix, and especially now that she was an Auror trainee again, her story would make a strong case against the witch. It was odd, the way this bad thing could lead to a good thing, but Mary felt nothing but determination to use this to her advantage. Alice deserved some kind of closure, and seeing Bellatrix behind bars might help her get some. “I --- I’m going to report her as soon as possible and I’m sure Frank and I could even start working on a case or something ... we could lock her up, Al.” 

At her friend’s question, Mary could only nod. She was somewhat shaken, sure, but she had a goal and she was breathing, only suffering a few minor injuries that she could deal with later. Alice and Lily were more important in that moment. “I’m fine, yeah. No worries,” she said, offering Alice a small smile. “Really.” She hoped her friend wasn’t thinking of the attack too much, as Mary did not want to bring up any memories. There had been enough bad memories made that day and she didn’t wish it upon Alice to think back to the night of her attack.

At Lily’s answer, Mary’s stomach sunk immediately. The two of them having faced the entire reason of this war, the person who so many rumours were whispered about, the person Mary feared so very deeply. And while she had nothing but faith in her friends, she was still immensely impressed that they had come out with only a few minor injuries, as well as relieved. Mostly just very relieved. “I’m so glad you’re ... that you’re okay,” she whispered, somewhat choked up. “And he may be strong but you two are stronger, yeah?” Mary let out a soft laugh, a few tears slipping past her eyes as she did. “Oh god, he must be one ugly bloke, then.”

YOU’RE JUST KIDS !!  the order

oh my friends, my friends, don’t ask me

what     your     SACRIFICE     was     for

empty    c h a i r s    at    empty    tables

But she immediately struck down those thoughts as selfish–because Mary was incredible in every single way; and she was so happy that Bellatrix hadn’t been able to hurt her.  She was happy that she hadn’t been forced to experience the same agony she had.  Mary was safe, and that was all that mattered.

She craned her neck, looking for her somewhere in the big room, smiling as she spotted her in the corner.  She tightened her grip on the package in her hands and joined her in the booth, sliding in across from her.

“So don’t yell at me– I know I already sent you presents, but I saw this yesterday when I was shopping with Neville and it begged me to buy it for you– I swear to Merlin, Mar I literally heard its little begging voice.”

@macdvnald

She was looking forward to seeing Alice again, as Mary was somewhat worried about her. She had no doubt her friend had had the most lovely Christmas, too, but she’d come face to face with the reason of this entire war, and she was sure she was coping with some stress. Besides that, she had missed Alice --- she had grown so used to her company that a few days without Alice just felt wrong.

When Alice sat down across from her, a bright smile appeared on her face immediately, and it only grew when she saw she had brought Neville, too. “More presents? Do I need to knit you something else, now, too? Because I will ----- a nice jumper to go with the scarf, or maybe a hat,” she said at the sight of the gift.

Fingers reached over the table to ruffle Neville’s hair, “Hey there, kiddo.” She chuckled softly, before taking the gift and unwrapping it, finding a stuffed lion inside the gift. “Oh my, this is adorable. Your son has got good taste.” Mary placed the animal on the table next to her, looking at it for a moment with a smile before turning to Alice. “How’ve you been?”

She leaned against the wall, between two portraits, the subject of which she hadn’t the foggiest clue, arms crossed in a display of utter nonchalance and wand rolling lackadaisically between her fingers. Shrouded in darkness, she could watch the familiar figure emerge from the end of the hall, lips pulled over her teeth in a horrifying grin, which would have appeared to be more of a grimace than anything remotely pleasant. It was easy to recognize, even in the darkness, the chocolate hair, the slight shoulders, the petite build of the mudblood whose audacious mouth had solidified her place directly atop the list of people with whom Bellatrix had scores to settle. 

And there was no better place to settle a score than admidst chaos. 

“Remember me?” she purred, taking a languid step forward, almost as if she were approaching a lover, rather than a sworn enemy, “It’s been only a little while since you and I spoke; I do hope you’ve not forgotten me – or the promise I made you. I’m not in the habit of breaking promises.” Lithe fingers trailed along the faded wallpaper as she walked, her veritable wingspan taking up the width of the whole hallway – there would be no darting past, no easy escape. She’d promised the dear little mudblood a chance to play, and so play she would. 

It was all the better that her dear friend Alice was nearby. Perhaps a reunion was in order after she dispatched her precious mudblood. 

Her wand hung at her side as she came to a stop in the center of the hall, eyes aglow with madness and spine curled like a hungry cat ready to pounce. “Didn’t your mummy ever tell you not to speak to strangers?” her tone, mocking and pitched, stood in strange contrast to her posture, eyes remaining locked upon the dark figure, barely illuminated, at the end of the hall. “And I’m never alone, dear – certainly not now. I’ve brought my master to play along, but he was gracious enough to let me have a turn with you first. He does know how gravely I wished to see you again. After spotting you in the atrium this morning, with little Longbottom and Evans, I could hardly resist.” The feeling of the Dark Lord, creating chaos in the same space as she, was an exhilarating one; she flexed her forearm, her Mark dancing upon pale skin. The Dark Lord would follow her here to find the ruins of what once was a mudblood – no doubt. 

The only trouble would be taking care not to get dirty blood on his shoes. 

The boom of the mudblood’s voice gave her away; with a cackle, Bellatrix threw up a shield, watching as the hex ricocheted off the thin barrier, bouncing from wall to wall like a deadly pinball. “You learn that in Dueling Club, little girl?” Bellatrix hissed, all pretense lost as she stepped forth in a deadly dance, wand thrust forward in a shower of red sparks, “Playing with the big girls now – filthy mud.” Indiscriminate, wordless, she filled the space between them with sparks, pausing only to glance past at the open door where Alice surely hid.

There was only one thing on Mary’s mind: whatever happened, she would not let Bellatrix get to her friends. Alice was still dealing with the aftermath of the attack on her, and Mary would not let all the hard work her friend had put into her recovery be thrown out of the window by another confrontation with Bellatrix. She would do whatever it took to get herself and Bellatrix as far away from Lily and Alice as possible, would do anything to make sure her friends got out alive and well, even if it were to cost her her own life.

Perhaps that was why she wasn’t afraid for herself: it wasn’t like she wanted to die, but Mary had never minded the idea of dying in battle, of giving her life to make sure others were safe. And for Alice and Lily, she would do anything.

She didn’t waste her breath on a reply, in stead calculated ways to get away from the Aurors department and to someplace else. In stead, Mary listened, jaws tight and tense as she remembered the Christmas party and the promise Bellatrix had made. She noticed her finger still drumming against her side, her entire body still restless as her mind was calm --- this was what she had been build for, not because she had wanted to, but because the world had shaped and beaten her into the person she was now: someone who didn’t back down, someone who always got up, someone who raised their wand at the sight of danger and looked it straight in the eye.

And then Bellatrix said she’d brought her master along, and Mary could feel her breath get caught in her throat. Still, it didn’t make her freeze up with fear, to her own surprise. If anything, it made her more determined to get away, while her mind raced to figure out what this meant. He wouldn’t be here for no reason, after all: Mary knew the Death Eaters weren’t foolish ( stupid, however, they were; but only because they stuck to an ideology that made no sense ) and wouldn’t risk bringing Voldemort into the Ministry if it wasn’t for a good reason. “That makes you even stupider, don’t you think?,” she said sharply. “Having your master crawl around a building filled with capable wizards who want to see him dead doesn’t seem like a brilliant plan to me, after all.” Mary knew her words would have little to know effect, knew the Ministry was filled with people who backed the Death Eaters, but she didn’t want to not say anything. Staying silent had never been her forte.

Dear Mary ( @macdvnald ),

Mary MacDonald, you are the single most amazing person that I have ever met in my life.  You are strong, brave, beautiful, and, maybe the most astounding thing is, although you’ve been through so much, you are still the kindest person that I know.  I love you so much.  You’ve been a rock for me throughout this crazy year; after being attacked… I didn’t know if I’d ever get back to normal.  I didn’t know if I’d ever have the strength to move on from what she did to me– but you showed me that I could.  You should me that it was possible to overcome adversity and come out the other end stronger than ever.  You’re an inspiration.  I wish you had never had to go through anything hard.  I wish you had had the perfect life that you deserved– but you took what others meant for evil, and you made it so good.

I am so proud of you.

So your presents– chocolate cupcakes because duh.  I hope you love them, I tried a few kinds.  The necklace… I gave one part to Lily and kept the third.  You two are a part of me.  My heart wouldn’t be whole without you.  The plaque because it’s something I want you to always remember.  When it feels like the walls are caving in I want you to remember you are so brave and so beautiful and capable of accomplishing anything and everything.  And that you are so incredibly loved.  And the teddy bear because I want you to have someone to cuddle with ;) ;).

I love you more than I have words for.

Mary ( @macdvnald ),

I know I promised you these a few weeks back– and what better time to deliver than than Christmas?  Top box tickets for you and a few mates.  They’re bloody brilliant seats, so I hope that you enjoy them.  Do stick around after the match, yeah?  I can introduce you to some friends.

Mary (haha do people do that a lot?) Christmas!

Merry Christmas, my sweetest Mary,

You know how I feel about the holiday season and you know how I feel about you. I really don’t need to say it, but you are honestly the greatest person in the whole world and you deserve the world. I hope that you are having a wonderful holiday and that you come see me later! James and I made biscuits and cinnamon rolls for Harry and we made way too many (as per usual; he’s the most spoiled toddler in the world, I swear). 

I honestly don’t now how I would survive the holiday season, or life in general, without you here. You are strong, beautiful, and on top of that you embody everything that is a holiday. You work for what you want, and you get it. You don’t give up, even when you feel like the world is crashing around you. You are a princess, and Christmas queen, if you will, and I love you to the ends of the world and back. 

Now, to explain your presents. The ring is something I made myself, which I hope you’ll like! You’ll notice a special surprise. See the PS. The teacups are a cute set I saw, and I know your last one was getting a little old. The jacket just reminded me of you, and I thought you could use the notebook to plan your next event. You should, plan one, I mean. You’re brilliant at it.

I love you to the ends of the Earth and back. I hope you like everything.

Have a very, Merry Christmas,

Lily 

PS. Try taking your ring out in the sun. You might see something pretty happen in the gemstones. :)

If only I’d lived beyond regret I wouldn’t feel guilt for what I take Is it human to ask for more? Is it human to adore life?

Everything about the conversation should be pushing Mary away, should be ringing alarm bells in her head that this was not worth it, that this would do more harm than good, but how could she? How could she stand there and let this woman use words that lit a whole different anger in her stomach, how could she let the other sound bored when she was uttering such despicable things? Mary had never been a pacifist, had never been able to let things slide, and especially in her drunken state and with the aftermath of her event still playing in the back of her mind, she had a hard time letting these things go by.

“I, frankly, have no clue who I’m speaking to and I’m not really interested in finding out,” said Mary — or, actually: lied Mary. Of course she wished to know, but this was not something she’d show; she figured the other was an important person among pureblood circles ( something she’d carefully distanced herself from during her years at Hogwarts ), maybe even a high-ranking Death Eater. She wouldn’t be surprised if she was, with such a twisted mind filled with dark ideals. And while on most days Death Eaters delivered a whole lot of rational fear, as well as anger, there was no trace of it to be found as she looked at the other. “See, I try to distance myself from people like you —– people with fucked views of the world. So really, I couldn’t care less for who you are.” 

Another sip of her beer was taken and a voice in the back of her mind told her to just walk away, but the outrage flowing through her veins was much louder. “Discrimination has never won and it never will. Believe what you wish, though — it’ll only make it so much better when you lose. And you will.” And this Mary believed; she might not live to see the day, but she knew that one day victory would be on their side. She had to believe this, or else there was no reason to continue the fight she was fighting. “You know what? You’re … you’re bloody pathetic, sitting at a Christmas party and spewing things like that. Call me what you want, threaten to cut my tongue out for all I care —– I can take it. But next time people are tryin’ to have a good time in the midst of this mess, just stay home, yeah?”

As the girl before her spoke, Bellatrix reached within her robes and pulled forth a pack of cigarettes. Fingers acting of their own accord, it seemed, as her eyes remained locked on the fiery mudblood’s crimson flush, she patted a cigarette from the carton and rolled it a few times between her fingers. Gaze narrowing, as if she were listening to something utterly fascinating, scholarly, worthwhile, Bellatrix gave a thoughtful nod, tipping the cigarette between her fingers; of course, she hadn’t the foggiest care in the world what the girl was saying – she was listening, of course, for she would need to remember this for when she scalped the mudblood later, but she felt that perhaps a veneer of comprehension was all she required. 

Reaching once more into her robes for a lighter – ironic, perhaps, that she used a muggle lighter every now and then; but that was the fun of it all – Bellatrix lit the cigarette and blew a generous cloud into the poor girl’s face. “Fascinating,” she nodded a second time, with lips clasped on the edge of the cigarette, “Truly, truly fascinating – tell me, does your tongue ever grow tired of all that babbling you do? Truly inspiring babbling, of course, but I must say –” she shook her head, tutted once, then took another drag. Amidst the exhale, Bellatrix leaned forward over the table, all pretense of sitting down abandoned, for she’d just seen Rodolphus enter from across the room. She leaned across the table until she was nearly sat upon it, the dangling tip of her cigarette just inches from the girl’s face. 

“I know your face,” she muttered; to anyone listening, it could have been no more than an observation – something told her that the mudblood knew better, “I remember your face – and I’ll certainly remember it after this.” A pointed exhale, and the smoke blew into her face once again. “This really is a lovely party, and you really are lovely company, but I’ve grown bored, you see. You’ve bored me. All this talk of… winning and losing; it’s grown tedious. It’s quite like listening to a child list off all the things it wants for Christmas when, in reality, Santa Claus doesn’t really exist, and your parents really don’t care to suspend disbelief. It’s sad. I feel sad for you, darling.” Another drag, another puff, “You can hope and hope all you’d like – you can preach, and pray, and ask mummy and daddy for every little thing on your list, but I’m afraid it’s all just tedium. Buying time. Time, mummy and daddy can give you. But not much. And once it’s all run out – we’ll see each other again. And then we’ll see how tired your tongue is of talking.”

She straightened, took the cigarette between her fingers. “Merry Christmas, dear,” she painted a smile upon her face, tapping a bit of ash into the girl’s drink, “Enjoy the party.”