WOWZA!

Marlene felt sort of stupid for ordering butterbeer, the cold glass stung against her already frigid fingers, but when Madam Rosmerta came to their table she just blurted out the first drink that came to mind.

Gods did she need it, her mouth was strangely dry today. “So.. Did you bring the stuff for the project?”, Dorcas looked up from her wiser decision, a mug of steaming mulled cider.

Fuck. She’d forgotten it. That’s what they were even here for. To work on the project. Right. Dorcas’ eyes roamed over Marlene’s face and despite the winter chill her cheeks began to heat up.

“I—I finished it!”,

“What?!”,

“It’s, uhm, it’s done already!”,

It was an easy lie, enough to anger Dorcas but also acknowledge Marlene’s capability. She’d have to pull an all nighter today and actually finish it, then tomorrow it won’t matter so much because it’ll already be due and—

“You finished my portion? Why’d you still take me to Hogsmeade then?”.

She’d expected Dorcas to be livid. But her voice was quiet, fingers picking at the grain of the table, and eyes cast down.

“Maybe I just wanted to take you”, The words popped into her head out of thin air and escaped Marlene of their own accord. What on earth had gotten into her?

Those dark eyes lifted from the table now sporting a raised brow, “Yeah?”. An ankle hooked with Marlene’s own, climbing just slightly up her leg, vanishing all the breath in her body.

“And what for?”, Dorcas finished, the corner of her mouth hiding the shadow of a smile. A smile? At her? The window framing Dorcas’ head formed a sort of halo, and for a second her infuriating perfect teeth peeked out to bite her bottom lip.

“I must say Mckinnon, you have much less lip on you today”,

“Lip.. Wait, sorry what did you say?”.

Dorcas laughed, and Marlene noticed dimly that she had dimples. She felt sort of dizzy. Must be something wrong with the butterbeer.

After a few minutes Dorcas said her friends would be waiting for her by now, and the two of them left out into the snow-lined street.

“Uh—See you, Meadowes”,

“See you Marlene”.

She’d called her by her first name. Something about that caused Marlene to grin. Idiotically, she cradled her own warm, still grinning face, and stared at the ground for a moment.

“Looks like the date went well then”, Out of nowhere James appeared at her side, punching her shoulder before wiggling his brows knowingly, Lily running up to join him.

“It was not a date!”, The thought made Marlene’s stomach do a strange little summersault. Probably out of disgust.

“Oh, don’t tease her Potter,” Lily shook her head before taking on her own cheesy expression, “I for one think it’s cute”,

“No Pads! You can’t buy that it’s too expensive, we’re adults now!”, he burst out cackling at himself. The Welsh accent was way off, it sounded warbled because he forced his voice deeper and he couldn’t school his expression to look believable.

“Sirius? Does this jumper make me look like me Da? Be honest,” another wave of hysterics, fuck this was fun.

Then Remus’ actual voice called through the house, “Oi! I do not sound like that”, his head poked through the bedroom doorway, Sirius hadn’t even heard him get in the house.

“Quit playing dress-up with my things!”, Remus groaned, and he was standing in the exact same stance as Sirius. Pretty spot on imitation.