Cursive Conundrums

lxvi

Gryffindor common room was rarely ever this bleak. But after a lose to Slytherin, nobody was really feeling up to a party.

"Are you sure you want to be here and not celebrating with your house?" Marlene sighed, propping her chin up on Dorcas's chest.

They laid sprawled out on one of the sofas in front of the cracking fire.

"I'd much rather be with you," Dorcas said, trailing her fingertips soothingly up Marlene's spine.

"I can't believe we lost." Marlene groaned, hiding her face, "I'm actually mortified."

"You played a good match Baby," Dorcas laughed lightly, "don't be hard on yourself."

"Mm, I know—it's hard," Marlene whispered.

"It's over and done, give the space in your mind to something more worthwhile."

"Oh! That reminds me, did Regulus Black get glasses?" Marlene asked.

"Reg?" Dorcas shook her head, "no. He's always going on and on about how he's got perfect eyesight. He's all smug about it because his partner is as blind as a bat."

"Odd, I could've sworn he had glasses on his head earlier today," Marlene shook her head, "he's dating someone?"

Dorcas nodded and flipped the page of her magazine, "he is—but don't ask me who it is. I can't tell you."

"Dorcas!" Marlene pouted, "are you really not going to tell me?"

"No," Dorcas mused, "sorry. What's the sudden interest in Reg for?"

"No reason really," Marlene said, "although he did come over to speak to James earlier which was odd."

"Oh?" Dorcas asked.

"Yeah, strange right?" Marlene shrugged, "James said it was about some prefect thing."

"They are patrol partners," Dorcas said.

"Are they?" Marlene yawned.

Dorcas nodded, "why don't you take a nap Marls? You look exhausted."

"Maybe," Marlene mumbled as her eyes were already fluttering closed.

When her breath fell even,  Dorcas propped her book up on Marlene's shoulder, using her free hand to flip the page.

The peace didn't last however.

There was a bang nearly an hour later that jolted Marlene awake.

"The fuck?" She grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"I don't know," Dorcas said.

"Oi!" James's head appeared at the top of the staircase, "has anyone seen my glasses? I must've left them somewhere. I can hardly see with these old ones—just walked into the buggering wall."

Marlene felt Dorcas tense under her.

"You've lost your glasses—" she could feel her brain making a connection but it wasn't quite there yet.

"Yeah," James leapt down the rest of the stairs, "don't bloody know how, I had them this morning."

"You've lost your glasses!" Marlene's eyes widened and she shot to her feet, nearly knocking her head into Dorcas's chin. "Merlin's balls! You lost your glasses."

"Uhm, yeah?" James looked at her strangely, "what's going on?"

Marlene whipped her head around to stare at her girlfriend in utter disbelief, "he has perfect eyesight and his partner is as blind as a bat."