The Rise And Fall Of The Stag And The Doe

hopeless wanderer

"Mar...Mar... Marlene...I don't think this is a good idea." Dorcas stammered trying to keep up with Marlene and failing.

Marlene strode forward, her eyes ablaze and her face firm. "I don't care."

"We should slow down and think about this."

"You? You are fighting me on this?!" Marlene spat, not pausing or slowing down at all. "You are supposed to be on my team about this."

Dorcas panted, "Listen, I'd follow you into war, I'd cut off someone's arm for you, I'd show up with five minutes warning and bury a body with you, no questions asked. But this is real stupid."

"He needs to know. We have wands. We'll be fine."

"My boyfriend, you know the bookworm, chocolate loving fool? Yeah well he kind of does this thing where he you know...TURNS INTO A DAMN WEREWOLF."

Marlene shook her head. "I don't care."

"How can you not care?! He will rip us apart. He chuck us across the room and take our clothes of with his bared teeth..."

"...Are you getting turned on right now?"

Dorcas let out a low whistle. "A little bit...right around this time of the month he gets all snappish...and feisty."

"I didn't need to know that."

"I'm just saying," Dorcas muttered as Marlene froze the knot on the Whomping Willow. "He's bendy."

Marlene made a gagging motion. "I'd prefer not to know that about my best friend and my ex boyfriend, shockingly enough."

"I'm just saying this is horrible, what if werewolf-Remus is just like waiting at the door."

"Then you freeze him and handle him while I go kill James." Marlene replied flatly.

Dorcas threw her hands up. "I guess there's no reasoning with you."

"Yep. I'm glad you've caught up."

"This isn't going to go well." Dorcas groaned as she dropped down the hole.

8 hours earlier....

Locking his door, James unsealed a letter quickly and swiftly. He used his spare hand to unwind the tie from his neck while he read the uneven words on the parchment. His shoulders slumped, and his expression grew dark and somber the farther down he read.

They had been back a week and it had been a bit of a slow week. James wasn't ready to get forced back into classes. He would have thought it would be a relief to have things to distract himself with, but it wasn't. It was hell waking up every day knowing it could be the day he could get the letter and knowing he'd have to be the one to tell Lily. She'd been so happy lately; she'd even taken to getting in on Dorcas and Marlene's schemes, which she usually tried to shy away from given the often use of nudity and face paint.

Sighing, James walked over to the bed re-reading the words over and over again wishing with every time that they would turn out differently. It was nearly time, Mr. Evans was going for a check up the next day and would most likely be put in the hospital and soon Lily would have to know.

Nothing could have broken his heart quicker, but he made a promise and he was nothing if not a man of his word.

His door jiggled and was followed by irritated squeaks. "Potter...what the hell...your door is never locked...dear lord are you wanking off in there?!"

"No!" James replied clumsily stuffing the letter in with the rest of them in his second desk drawer and flicking his wand to unlock the door. "Why do you always assume the worst of me Meadowes?"