The Ice Queen [s.b.]

Love Confessions and Dirty Little Secrets - 46

A/N Fair warning! This will be a long one! (6,621 words!)

TW: Mentions of suicide, nothing graphic. If you are wrestling with suicidal thoughts, you should probably skip through October 25th (I'll provide a quick summary of what happened in the end). This is a super important chapter, so make sure to read the summary in the end if you feel like you could be triggered.

Text "EMM" to 741741 to text confidentially with a trained crisis counselor or 800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. I would say to PM me, but I am in no way qualified to help you. However, I can say that you matter. You would be missed greatly and the world would be worse off. I believe in you and want you to know that I care about you.

On to the story!

October 15th; 15 days until the Halloween Ball.

"Oh, the bane of my existence!" Ginger whimpers dramatically, draping herself across Marlene.

Marlene shoves her off with innocent eyes, "Don't be ridiculous, Ginger. They're not that bad."

"That's just because you're dancing with fucking Alice! She's a literal angel sent from the Heavens, Marls. Don't be ridonk. I'm stuck with godforsaken Lupin, for the love of God!" Ginger cries, falling to the floor with her head in her hands.

Lily approaches behind Marlene, looking upon them curiously, "Did you just say ridonk?"

"Oh," Ginger says slyly, looking up from her pitiful position for a minute, "it happened. And it was incredible."

"I beg to differ," Dorcas drawls, putting her arm around Marlene's shoulders. Marlene nods in fervent agreement.

"Plus," Lily points out, "Dorcas is stuck with Black."

"You don't get to sympathize!" Dorcas exclaims. "You're with Annie!"

"True. And Lee's been dancing since she could walk," Lily grins, not bothering to hide her smugness. "But really, the dance lessons aren't that bad. We all get to watch Potter dance with Professor McGonagall for the thirty minutes."

They all share a laugh.

October 16th; 14 days until the Halloween Ball.

"Line up your hands like this!" McGonagall declares, lacing her fingers with James'. The class sniggers as his face falls.

"But, Minnie," he whines, stamping his foot, "I don't want to! And feminism, right? We don't have to let anyone else touch us when we feel uncomfortable!"

Minerva looks aghast, and opens her mouth to scold him on the blatant misuse and disregard, but Lily beats her to it.

"How dare you, Potter!" Lily exclaims, marching to the center of the room, where James is looking like he's very much regretting his life choices (as we all would be). "Centuries of women have fought to give such core rights as equal pay, equal job opportunities, it's still legal to rape your wife in England, and it hasn't even been a century since it was made legal for women to divorce their bloody husbands if they hit them! And all of those are still a struggle. Their are wage gaps, perceived wrongs on the side of women, flimsy rape laws across the world, and places where hitting your wife is still legal. How could you possibly use feminism as an excuse to not let your professor - a woman who was in school with your mother, and probably will be reporting back to her and I will too, for that matter - touch your hand! If you couldn't walk outside at night anywhere or feel safe in your own skin, that'd be on thing. But this... this is not okay. I understand that some people feel uncomfortable with physical contact, but you've been harassing me for years, trying to get me to go out with you! Detention next week, filing cases of rapes in Hogwarts. After your detention with Filch writing lines because you took it upon yourself to curse a fellow student. I hope you stay up all night haunted by the accounts of the brave women who managed to come forward."