𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐀 // Remus Lupin

(𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝟖) birthdays

"You skip lessons all the time" Marlene replied simply.

"Ok sure" Athena shrugged beginning to worry that Marlene wasn't ok, she didn't usually make a habit of skiving.

"Fortuna major" Marlene told the portrait of Elizabeth who swung aside to let the girls in.

The common room was practically empty. Sixth and seventh year students were allowed a lot of free periods meaning there were a few of them scattered around, some were revising while others were playing cards of wizard chess.

"Up here" Marlene announced as she began climbing the wooden steps up to the girls dormitories.

"Marls what's going on?" Athena asked as the blonde girl began pacing the room,

"Sorry I didn't mean to drag you away from your lesson but... well we're never alone"

"No I guess not" Athena shrugged as she perched on the end of a bed she presumed to be Lily's due to how tidy it was. "Usually with the others"

"I've been going back and forward in my mind about whether I'm ready to tell someone this but... I think I am"

"Tell someone what?" Rena frowned in confusion,

"Look I trust you" Marlene sat on the bed next to her, "I trust Lily and Dorcas too but... well I don't know telling you feels right"

"Telling me what?" Athena continued,

"You have to promise not to tell anyone" the blonde girl pleaded, "this is big stuff Rena like big stuff"

"Marls" Rena laughed, "of course I won't tell anyone"

"I'm a lesbian" she blurted out before proceeding to bury her face into her hands, "just don't say anything for a moment I want to let it settle in that I actually told someone" she continued in a muffled voice.

Athena's eyes a widened slightly but something told her not to be surprised. Maybe it was because she'd known for a while that Dorcas had feelings for Marlene which had led her to assume that Marlene was gay however it seemed that Dorcas wasn't even aware of this.

"Ok you can say something now" Marlene looked up her face red from being squashed against her hands,

"I'm so proud of you!" Athena cheered as she pulled her friend into a hug,

"Proud?" Marlene smiled in confusion.

"That you told someone... that can't have been easy"

"No actually it wasn't" she sighed happily, "I decided I was going to tell you in March I think and now it's..."

"November" Athena completed her sentence.

"I've known since second year I think... that's when I began to realise... well when the girls were all talking about boys and I just didn't get it"

Athena listened carefully while Marlene took to fidgeting with one of the larger rings lacing her fingers.

"At the time I thought it was just because I was young but then the next year... well I had a crush on this Slytherin girl a few years above us, I think she was a few years older anyway... called Narcissa"

"I think I remember her... blonde hair?"

"Yeah" Marlene smiled, "and I thought I was weird because I had a crush on her... I didn't understand what that meant because my parents always told me that men should be with women, women should be with men"

"That's society for you" Athena grimaced,

"Last year I read about it in a book... not like a factual book, a story book about two girls falling in love and I wondered... why there wasn't more books like that"