The start of the end

17. First date

                        MARLENE'S POV

Yesterday Zoe and Sirius made up to eachother and they've spent almost all night talking in the common room while Julia and I were sleeping. I can't believe they have so much to say to each other after only three days.  Now it's five in the morning and I am laying in bed. I made the same nightmare. It's scary, it really. No. Not scary. It's terrifying. I don't know what I would do without her. Without Dorcas. If anything happened to her, I would lose my mind. I hope we can see each other during Christmas break.

I can't go back to sleep, so instead I imagine how it will be next time we meet. What we're going to do,...

I end up rewatching our first day in my mind. It was three years ago, during my fourth year at Hogwarts.

I am super nervous. I am pacing in my dorm, walking in circles. Zoe and Julia are both sitting on my bed their brows frowning. I stop in my pacing, looking at them.

" Do I look alright ? ", I quak.

" For the fiftyth time in five minutes, you look astonishingly stunning Marly. " , replies Zoe.

" Jaw-droppingly hot Marls. " , adds Julia.

I go back to my pacing.

" Oh Merlin, I am sweating. I am gonna stink for my first date !! " I exclaim shaking my  hands.

Zoe is about to say something but I interrupt her.

" I am coming back, I am going to the bathroom. "

And without any other warning, I leave to refresh myself.

I put a bit of perfume and rearrange my make-up as well as my hair. I look at myself in the mirror. They decided to give me a short  white ruffle dress with little black flowers printed. From far I look pretty, I must admit. I lean my face closer to the mirror now. What if she wants to kiss me ? She'll lean in and see my face super close. She'll probably see all my imperfections, and the pimples on my forehead. Oh Merlin I am panicking and sweating again.

When I come back, the girls are standing up.

" What ? "
" Time for your date, honey. " Answers Zoe.
" It seems more like her death if you want my opinion. "

Then Julia comes to me to wrap me in a hug and whispers to my ear that I'll do perfect.

When we walk down the stairs, the girls behind me, I freeze in place seeing Dorcas sitting on a couch of the common room, chatting with Lily, Mary and Alice who helped her getting ready. She doesn't need a lot tho.
She's wearing a beautiful light emerald skirt, the colour of her house, with a white shirt . She looks bewitchingly glamorous. I can sense my cheeks flushing a bright shade of red. I feel Zoe pushing me lightly with her hand so I can move and not stand there like an idiot. When I walk to her, she stands up and looks up and down at me, giving me a wide grin.

" You look absolutely stunning, McKinnon. ", she remarks.

" Thank- Thank you. So do you. " I stutter.

" Come on ", she says taking my hand, " Let's do something. I have a pretty good idea. "

As she drags me by the hand I turn to give another look to the girls. Zoe is giving me thumb up. 

We walk down the stairs, and we head outside. Dorcas seems pretty excited and not nervous at all. I can see she knows exactly where to go, so we don't talk as we run. Hair our whipped by the wind made with all the running. When she stops suddenly, I do as well. We're both gasping for air and she giggles.