A Marauder's Guide to Falling in Love

Chapter Two

The Great Hall erupted into applause as the Sorting hat finished its traditional song and placed all of the first year students into their appropriate houses. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, stood to address the hall and the room fell silent almost immediately. He reached his arms out almost as if to embrace the crowd. "Eat up!" he said loudly. Quite suddenly, the four elongated oak tables were filled with mountains of food and drink.

The welcome back feast was brilliant like always and included all the usual favorites: lamb chops, roast beef, shepherd's pie, yorkshire pudding, boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes and about a dozen other dishes that seemed immaculately satisfying even to the ghosts of Hogwarts who, as it were, unable to actually enjoy such delights. As the last bits of food were being consumed Marlene looked up at the great ceiling cast above the massive hall. Above the hundreds of floating candles existed an enchanted replica of the outside sky and she noted that it was quite fiercely grey as though a storm was brewing.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Dumbledore stood once more. The chatter of the Great Hall came to a dull murmur before stopping completely.

"Welcome back students," he said merrily. "I trust that you are all well fed and quite ready to retire for the evening. A few notices before I send you off, however. It has been brought to my attention that notorious rule breaking and practical jokes are at an ever increasing rise at Hogwarts," his eyes were definitely twinkling and Marlene could have sworn his eyes passed over the Gryffindor table before he continued. "Mr. Filch would like me to take the time to remind you that anyone caught outside after hours or imposing upon these serious misdemeanors will find themselves subject to the consequences."

He was definitely looking at the Marauders now. He seemed very amused as all four boys looked back at him innocently; a fact that probably made Filch completely agitated and Marlene noted that he was quick to leave the hall at the conclusion of Dumbledore's speech.

As students began embarking for their common rooms, Lily once again removed herself from her friends to help guide all the first year students to their dormitories, leaving Mary and Marlene to follow behind the rest of their Gryffindor classmates. At the base of Gryffindor tower on the seventh floor of the castle, the usual portrait of the fat lady greeted them warmly as someone at the front of the group announced the new password "Acromantula."

The portrait swung open to reveal a circular opening that led into the warm and comforting common room that Marlene had missed deeply over the past two months. Most students headed straight up the flight of stairs to their corresponding dormitories but Marlene and Mary grabbed two squashy armchairs near the fireplace to wait for Lily to finish her tour.

"My mum's a bit worried," Mary said quietly while staring into the flickering amber flames across from her. Her eyes shone with the reflection of the fire and she looked somber as she continued. "This whole he-who-must-not-be-named business has her and dad worried sick about our safety here. She almost didn't let me come."

"You know Dumbledore though," Marlene offered sympathetically.

"I know," she sighed, "and my parents know and that's the argument that I kept offering whenever the subject came up."

"If there's anywhere to be safe it's right here," Marlene added. She gazed at Mary's deep contemplation and couldn't help but feel like her friend was keeping something from her. She didn't push the subject and Mary didn't offer any more input on the matter.

"Well," Lily interrupted the two girls thoughts. She had a pretty fierce scowl that did nothing to emphasize her features. "I'm pretty sure that I've convinced those poor first year boys that Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew are, in fact, full of it and they will not wake up tomorrow orange as pumpkins after having drank the pumpkin juice at the feast. Although, the same can't be said for those poor first years on the train this afternoon. One of them has sprouted a unicorn's horn and has to spend her first night in the hospital wing."