Fast forward two months and it was February 14th 1974, I had told Remus all about the events that happened at my house and he seemed to find the fact that Regulus Black wanted to talk to me a very interesting find. I didn't get why, only for the fact that it was strange how he would want to talk to one of his brothers friends which he seemingly hates, actually - maybe that was why.
"Happy Valentine's day Athena, Alice," Lily said as she walked to breakfast with me and Alice. "Thank you Lily, did either of you two get or expect anything?" I asked them. Alice blushed which was a yes, it was obvious who it would be or was from, but Lily shook her head and crossed her arms.
To which she then professed dramatically, "Nobody loves me, the world is against me." I looked to her right and knew she'd spoken too soon, if there was one person in the world to pop up right now, it would be him. "What was that Lily? I object to that statement," James exclaimed passing her a Valentine's card.
She found it a lot safer to ignore the curly haired boy and his starry friend, and drag myself and Alice to the Great Hall where it would be Potter free. We sat down next to Mary and Aafiya - Marlene was elsewhere - while Lily momentarily hurried to talk to Dorcas. What I didn't expect next was Leon, Frank, Fabian and Gideon to sit next to us and start a conversation.
And when Lily came back, Leon was in the middle of a joke about croissants.
I sat down at the table and looked up at the ceiling to see the weather of today, the sky was a nice sort of blue for February, with a fair amount of clouds, it was clear with sun, but yet still cold. Like an average day in the Scottish highlands surrounded by mountains and lakes for the most part.
I was then resigned to staring around at the Great Hall, waiting for the morning owl post, but my sight was interrupted by a familiar blonde girl stepping in front of me.
"This was here for you on the floor, must have been levitated up for you Athena," Marlene said looking down at me. I grabbed the thing she was holding and saw a Valentine's card, I could tell it was for the occasion because it said so on the front. Alice leaned over the table and said to me, "What does it say? That's so cute, I wish someone got me one."
I looked at her and said, "Calm down Al, I haven't opened it yet." I then opened the envelope - in front of her for I knew she would read it anyway - and read the contents.
It was very confusing, but at the same time rather sweet with something along the lines of: Athena, there's something I need to tell you but I'm too scared to actually admit it, so here it is in an anonymous card form. I'm glad you make me smile when I am around you, and I love watching you do the things you love. Happy Valentines.
I checked the back of the letter to make sure there wasn't anything else and then I looked back up at the girls who had expectant faces. "Who's it from?" Aafiya asked.
I smiled and chuckled slightly, "Dumbledore - I'm joking, it doesn't say." The girls around the table let out a breath, and as Marlene chuckled, I was glad that someone appreciated the joke. Mary hit me on the shoulder frowning, "You had me for a second there, I was terrified. But do you recognise the handwriting? Any clues on who it could be?"
I recited the second line of the card and this elicited some reaction from the girls.
Lily was the one I was expecting a logical answer from and she said, "So, it's either one of the Marauders or one of the fourth year boys we talk to, or maybe a Slytherin which is why it's unnamed, I mean, they are around you so it must be someone you talk to."
Marlene said sarcastically, "Thank you Sherlock. I reckon it's Gideon, Leon or Peter, they all seem to have a thing for you in my opinion."
"Thank you Watson," Lily mumbled sassily. I grinned at the girl's antics, and then I spotted the Marauders all glancing in my direction and whispering, they all seemed very suspicious. I was sure it would just be another prank they were about to pull, but my insides sensed something else, and if Slughorn had taught me anything in these three years, it's that you shouldn't mix Flobberworm mucus and fangs from a Serpent above 250 degrees and, to trust your gut.
I took it upon myself to find out so, I stood up and made my way over to them, they all seemed to look confused a I made my way over. Remus coughed violently and I froze, it wasn't because he'd coughed, but because he'd hit Sirius across the face as he did so. James and Peter were hysterical and even Remus laughed after apologising, only the black haired boy didn't seem to find it funny.
I smiled as I finished my walk over to them and I inspected Sirius' forehead. "Doesn't seem so bad to me, not even a mark on your head to show," I commented.
Sirius glared at me, his eyes watering as he said, "You can't talk, didn't James hit your back that one time during Quidditch practice? Then you claimed he'd tried to paralyze you or break your spine." James whined, "That was one time and it did leave a bruise, more than you can say, you're just overreacting."
I rolled my eyes at their antics but questioned them about the card I'd got, wondering if they'd seen anybody put it there. Sirius and James froze and blinked, Remus avoided eye contact and Peter shrugged, staring down at his feet. So they do know something, interesting.
I questioned them a few more times, in various different ways, but didn't seem to come to any kind of answer, it was actually frustrating sometimes on how stubborn they are.
Natasha came over quickly to say well done on the game yesterday, when we won, and then said, "I've been watching you for a while, not creepily of course, and you won't get anything out of them, good try but come on, leave them to be weird."
They all seemed to take that last comment offensive, even though it was very true, and I walked off with Natasha to see her with some more fellows on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Niamh and Richard. After a quick congratulations, I noticed that Gideon and Fabian were sat with their usual friends and as they were my next suspects, I decided to head over there after a celebratory breakfast pumpkin juice with half of the team.
Fabian was talking to Frank quite animatedly, and Gideon and Leon were watching with intense amusement. "Hey boys, how are you doing?" I asked, without waiting for an answer I said, "Have you seen this? It's quite cute isn't it."
The boys all looked at it and Frank started to laugh, agreeing with me, Fabian's eyes darted between Leon and Gideon, Gideon's smile seemed forced and Leon's eye twitched. Why is it that all of the suspects I speak to seem suspicious? Their behaviour doesn't help me at all. Curse troublemakers.
"Miss Pattinson, can you explain to me why these boys have turned to nervous statues and why your friends you've just left are now hitting each other across the back of their heads." I turned around, it was McGonagall.
I shrugged at her, glancing at the Marauders who were laughing but still whacking each other. Peter was having a very fun time, and I could just hear him say, "You're so strange my little moonchild." I coughed, had I just heard that right?
McGonagall raised her eyebrow, waiting for an answer, and I said, "Well these idiots here are always weird, and if those idiots over there are fighting then that's their problem not mine, McGonagall, Professor, not everything that is chaos is caused by me or affiliated with me, surprisingly. It's just a normal day for everyone at Gryffindor to be quite honest, have you missed a few days or have the boys never been strange before?"
She nodded and gave me one last long look, and then walked off, occasionally glancing back at the Gryffindor table, and I noted that she was probably headed off to her classroom.
"Hey Athena Cynthia, come on girl, we have to hurry to Defence before the Professor murders us in cold blood," Mary shouted from the Great Hall door. Before I could draw any more attention to either of us, I rushed to the entrance of the Hall and we walked out towards the DADA classroom, Dorcas and Pandora tagging along behind us like little puppies.
I wondered where Evelyn Green was, but when we got there two minutes early, I saw Evelyn talking to Andre in broken French.
"Since when did that Ravenclaw speak French? You're her friend aren't you, what's her name?" Mary asked me. I answered, "It doesn't matter why or how she learns French, and how am I supposed to know? Also, her name is Evelyn Green."
I probably should have known, I was her friend for many years before I came to Hogwarts, but I guess people have their secrets, no matter how big or small, because I hid from her for years that I was a witch, and I would have never told her either.
That was one thing I hated about me, I had little trust in little people because I could never talk to anyone openly, my parents made sure of that. They'd tried getting me to make friends with the likes of Lucius Malfoy and Wulfric Mulciber, but I'd always thought they were scary and I couldn't bear to be friends with them.
So instead, I watched them make plans together and talk about horrible things, and I felt trapped. Then, I couldn't tell Evelyn about me being a witch and about my parents so, it pained me every time she asked to come around to my house for tea at times and I always had to say that my mother was very sick and couldn't cook for us and that my dad was never there, he was overseas.
I guess that's where the secrets were kept and how I learned to be such a good liar, or at least a decent one, I'd become something my mother and father had made me. Even on dreaded Valentine's day.