thunder in her bones

WHO: Lorcan D’eath and Anyone/A Plant WHEN: December 31st, 10:29 pm WHERE: Room of Requirement

“Am I a little bit high?,” Lorcan asked with a soft chuckle, unsure if he had been asked the question or if he was even talking to a person. “Umm… yeah. But the smoking corner’s right over there and for one night only all my shit is free. And I usually sell that shit for Galleons. So enjoy it while it fuckin’ lasts.” 

“Galleons,” Marlene echoed, eyebrows raised in surprise. “Merlin’s fuck, how? Cleary, I need to get in on the business of dealing. In the meantime, pass me one of those joints. I only ever hit Ludo’s shit because he loves me enough to supply mostly for free. I need a comparison before the new year is here.” 

Regulus inspected Marlene’s demeanour as she walked up to the kitchen portrait. He relaxed his shoulders, pushing himself off the wall and going back to his usual posture – slightly slouched and heavily insecure. He knew the girl was familiar with his brother, which meant that she was probably trustworthy – but he would definitely get into trouble if anyone saw him acting kind to her. His eyes searched left and right as he answered quietly, “Yeah.” 

He offered her a short smile to prove just how okay he was. “Who said we weren’t friends?” He said sarcastically. 

“Ha,” Marlene bit out a dry laugh and dropped her shoulder against the wall. “I can think of a few people who might say we’re not friends. Or at least, a few that might say we shouldn’t be.” Her eyes narrowed at the painstaking smile on Regulus’ face; he seemed antsy, though he was doing a particularly good job of acting anything but. 

Oddly enough, seeing Regulus’ unease put a strange ache in her chest. Somehow, he reminded her of Olivia, her younger sister, who, as a squib, often felt a little lost in a world steeped in magic. Marlene doubted magic was the reason for Reg’s discomfort, but she couldn’t shake the niggling suspicion that he just felt a little out of place in his own life and it hurt her beyond what she could understand. 

“Listen, Regulus,” she said, suddenly, voice fierce and quiet. She stepped towards him, shrugging off from the wall. “I know your friends think I’m a bloodtraitor. I know they think I’m a disgrace and they probably don’t want you to associate with me, but I don’t care. I don’t think you’re so bad as they believe; maybe even as you believe. If you need to talk - If you need anything, I can, I can be there for you, ok? I can help you.”

“I am surprised to see you!” Ludovic called over the noise of the music. “It’s been ages since I’ve seen you! Where have you been hiding?!” Ludovic wasn’t actually surprised to see her. It was a party, one where they were both legally able to enjoy a few drinks right in front of the Professors. Surely, she could never have resisted such a thing. She wouldn’t be such a close friend of Ludovic’s if she could. Ludovic lowered Marlene down to her feet, laughing slightly at her slight admonition, “Any moving with music in the background is dancing, McKinnon. Perhaps not good dancing, but dancing nonetheless.”

“I’ve been hiding in bed,” Marlene giggled, brushing her hair from her eyes. “All by myself, though, since someone decided to go and get themselves a girlfriend.” She was teasing and she knew Ludo knew her well enough to know it. Emmeline was easily one her favorite people at Hogwarts and she’d been thrilled when the two of them started dating. Smiling faintly, she looked up at Ludo, sure her eyes were going soft at the thought of it all. He was one her best friends and a damn good guy, he deserved to be happy and giggly and in love. 

His comment made her laugh and she shook her head, eyes twinkling. “I’ll keep that in mind, Bagman, though I’m not sure its entirely true. I mean, look at that boy over there.” She gestured to a Ravenclaw boy a few feet away, voice lowered to avoid being heard. “You can’t tell me you think that counts as dancing.” 

Emmeline’s eyes glazed over Marlene’s lips as laughter came out of her mouth – once upon a time, she would’ve loved to steal a kiss from her, but now she couldn’t even fathom the thought of hurting Ludovic. When their hips met, Emmeline returned the bump swiftly. “Thank you, Marley, you’re very sweet.” Her eyes twinkled at the compliment. She grinned at the mention of her boyfriend. “He’s probably off doing something illegal.” Emmeline twirled and grabbed Marlene’s hands, dancing to the beat of the song. “I’m surprised you’re not with him – suppose he’s with Emma, then?”

Marlene didn’t miss the way Emmeline’s eyes glossed over her lips and the motion brought a smile to her face. There had been a time when the action would have warranted a response from Marlene - when she would’ve met that gaze with a kiss, but that time had passed the moment Ludo and Emmeline began dating. She wouldn’t dare get in the way of her friends’ obvious happiness together. 

“Anytime, of course.” She meant it. Marley lived to make her friends smile. “Absolutely, he is. I’m not sure Ludo knows how to have fun otherwise. He’s gotta be breaking rule. Of course, I don’t blame him.” She stuck her bottom lip out in a faux pout. “Following the rules is dreadfully boring.” She laughed at herself, forgetting the pout and throwing herself into the dancing as Emmeline took her hands. The mention of her friends made her grin. “Most likely! I’m sure they’re around here somewhere. Too bad for them, though, that they’re not with us.They’re missing out on our fantastic dancing!”

If a child grew up the apple of their parent’s eye it would probably be rather difficult for them to come to Hogwarts. To fit in amongst the ranks must have been a challenge, the drop in prestige a hardening process. Perhaps Vik could look at her situation as a positive one, the idea that she’d never had to fall in that way. Rather she grew up buried, no pedestals for her, just an existence amongst the dirt. Though she had a striking face it wasn’t often seen looking out at the world, her icy blue eyes found books to comfort to people watch all that obviously. Vik was happier in the background, no one would judge her there. 

Vik could dance, it wasn’t that she lacked rhythm like some of the young men out ‘dancing’ she’d been growing concerned for, wondering if they were actually hearing the same music. But Vik knew how to dance formal, as with everything, while she herself was fluid, rigidity had been interwoven with everything she was. With Marlene’s attention her moves were coy, a very causal two-step as a meek offering to her dance partner’s excitable energy. “Do you consider me a helpable case?” The tall blonde asked, an apologetic smile offered for her less than impressive move set. 

Marlene watched with a small smile as Vik shuffled through something she thought was the two-step. Despite her status as a pureblood, her upbringing certainly hadn’t been as ostentatious as some of the other pureblood students she knew. She’d never had any formal dance training, which, she thought, seemed to be a hallmark of most pureblood families. Maybe Vik was doing the two-step, maybe she was doing the waltz. Were those the same thing? Marlene had no idea.

Vik’s question pulled her from her thoughts. “Absolutely, you are.” Her smile grew and she reached for the girl’s hands. “You could probably even teach me a thing or two! Did you take dance lessons as a kid?” 

Amycus would have tossed the idea of dancing with Marlene around, had she not called him what she did. It would have been a part of a game, of course. He would never dance with her for fun, but he had considered integrating it into a more sinister plot. However, Amycus was on edge for tonight and he had lots of alcohol coursing through his veins, so he was unable to stop the explosion of anger that erupted from his mouth when Marlene McKinnon dared to call him by his most sacred name, the one reserved for Alecto and Alecto only. His smile disppeared and was replaced by a nasty sneer. His voice increased in volume dramatically as he stormed ever closer to her, so close that they were almost touching. “You do not have the right to call me Amy! Do you understand me, bloodtraitor?”

Marlene had struck a nerve. Obviously. She resisted the urge to take a step back as Amycus advanced on her, face red and twisted in anger. She’d long since stopped taking offense at the word bloodtraitor; there were worse things to be called - like, for instance, a blood purist. But, she still couldn’t quell the spark of anger that ignited in her stomach at his approach. It was pure reflex, an instantaneous response ingrained in her from years spent growing up with siblings. When someone approached you in anger, you’d best get angry back; a fight was coming. 

But, this was a fight she didn’t want. Not with families and professors crawling all over the place. And certainly not during the holidays. Of course, there was a part of herself she wasn’t willing to acknowledge, a part that didn’t want a fight simply because she knew what Amycus was capable of. Especially with Alecto on his side. But that fear felt less like a warning and more like a weakness. She hated feeling weak. 

“I understand you have some anger issues,” she hissed, voice low. “I sincerely apologize for my name calling.” Her voice dripped sarcasm, anything but sincere. “But, I’d appreciate it if you got out of my face. You smell like alcohol and bigotry.”

She was still smiling up at him as he stepped forward, pulled by the grip she had on his tie. She hadn’t necessarily meant to tug so hard, but, now that he was standing so close - and smelling so good - well, she wasn’t going to complain. He offered her his hand and she took it without hesitation; he was too cute to say no to, she reasoned. “I’d love to dance. I just hope you can keep up.”

“What?” She taunted. “You’re gonna hex me here? In a room full of professors and families and Aurors? Surely, even you’re not that foolish.” She took a step forward, eyes flashing. A tiny voice in the back of her mind yelled at her to shut her mouth before she said something that might put a target on her back, but she was too impulsive and too emotional of a girl to listen to that sort of advice. Alecto was little more than a bully and Marlene wasn’t going to be cowed.“In case you hadn’t quite worked it out yet, I’m not afraid·of you. Hex me and you’ll find yourself fighting off a pretty nasty hex in return.”