I can see Hogwarts nearing, so I purposefully find the compartment where James and the rest of his friends are sitting. If I end up with them, I'll have a high chance of ending up beside Remus or Sirius on the carriages. I slide open their door and find Marlene sleeping, her head on Sirius's shoulder.
Her auburn hair falls down her face like a curtain and her lips are parted slightly.
"We're almost there. I can see Hogwarts already. Let's go first so that we can get good seats in the Great Hall," I suggest nonchalantly.
Translation: Let's go early so that Marlene will have to wake up and get off Sirius's shoulder so that I can sit beside either him or Remus.
My plan did not go as I hoped.
"I dunno, Marlene's sleeping. You all can go ahead. We'll catch up."
For fuck's sake, is he really choosing her over his best friends ever?
"Come on, Maia. Let's go," says Remus softly, tugging at my hand. I take one last look at Marlene's peaceful face and leave with Remus.
===
Our dormitory looks the same as it did two months ago. Our names are still carved into the ceiling.
M.R
M.M
E.V
L.E
D.M
How we managed to do that in our first year, I'm not sure. As a tradition, we push our beds together to form one big rectangle. On our first day of school, these fifth-years were telling horror stories of Hogwarts in the Gryffindor Common Room that were apparently true. We were frightened out of our minds and had what was my favourite sleepover ever.
"Have you seen Malfoy's hair? It's almost past his shoulders now," snickers Em.
"It's more luscious than Cissy Black's hair already. What does she do, burn it?" Marlene snorts.
Our dormitory erupts into laughter. We do enjoy gossiping about Slytherins who think they're better than us.
"Yesterday when we ended up in Mank's Tale by accident, I saw dear old Dellie and Dolson," I say excitedly, nudging Marlene.
Em makes a mock pouty face as she cries, "Oh no, our favourite Travers twins?"
"Yeah, those absolute freaks. I reckon it was only them because they don't have any other friends besides themselves," I say with a false sympathetic sigh.
Lily giggles especially loudly at this because their marks challenge hers, so she has a grudge against them.
"Okay, you know Millie, right? Mitch's girlfriend?" smirks Marlene.
Millie's in Marlene's other friend group, but they have some sort of unspoken rivalry because Millie's the type of perfect popular girl with a sweet personality and cheery face while Marlene's the wild one with a hotheaded personality and smug face.
Millie's likeable, but boring. As for Marlene, you either love or hate her.
Anyway, back to Marlene's story.
"Okay, so Mitch told Emily who told Dorcas who told me that he'd sit with someone he actually fancies before hiding because he saw Millie. Any ideas who?"
No way.
Nope.
Not possible.
"No idea. I reckon it's someone in your friend group, Marls," I shrug.
"Don't be daft. They were all sitting in the same compartment. That's how I know. Although, there were a few people missing. Elizabeth, Jane, Emily C, Emily T, and Bertha," says Dorcas ticking off each name on her fingers.
"Couldn't have been any of them. I was with them," says Em with furrowed eyebrows.
I think I'm about to be busted.
"Well, wasn't me. I was with Black and crew. By the way, have you all noticed his glow-up? Wow!" exclaimed Marlene, pretending to wipe off sweat.
Em stole a sideways glance from me, a smile tugging slightly at the corner of her lips. This was the Marlene that I currently hated. It's obvious she fancies him.
"Marls, let's be honest here. Black didn't get a glow-up in two months. Besides, we've seen them throughout the summer. He and the Marauders look the exact same," scoffs Lily.
The what now?
"The what now?" inquires Em, raising an eyebrow.
Lily rolls her eyes. "They came up with that stupid name, Marauders, to call their group. I'd bet good money that it was Potter's idea. And Marls, you know that one with the glow-up you mentioned, Black? And his best mate that? That arse?" Lily laughs sarcastically.
Uh oh. She's mad.
"They stormed into my compartment, giggling like mad pigs, and threw a bottle of shampoo at Severus."
Oh. That's not so bad.
Apparently, Marlene thinks so too, because she lets out a little snort behind her hand, which covers her mouth. However, Lily's face is getting redder by the second. Double uh oh. She's not done yet.
"AND IT BURST OPEN WITH OIL AND GREASE," Lily screams.
Ah. That's why.
"AND WHEN I TRIED TO USE SCOURGIFY, THE COMPARTMENT JUST GOT FILLED WITH BUBBLES."
She's not done yet, huh. Never seen her this angry.
"SO IF JAMES POTTER THINKS HE'S SO COOL, WHY DOESN'T HE JUST NOT ATTEND SCHOOL ALTOGETHER? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!"
At this point, Lily's just screaming for anybody to hear, pacing around the room like a very very very scary, crazed leopard, and Em is so absolutely terrified she doesn't try to defend her boyfriend.
The rest of us exchange confounded looks. This can't possibly get Lily so mad. James has done worse things just to get her attention and look cool.
Dorcas, being the... least aggressive, says tentatively, "Lily, how's it going at home? With Petunia?"
Lily stops shouting and turns to Dorcas slowly. For a second, I think Dorcas is about to die, but suddenly, Lily's lip starts quivering and in no time, she's crying her eyes out.
"Tuney h-hates me. She won't even t-t-talk to me, and-and she threw away m-my birthday present for-for-for her," Lily sobbed, burying her face into her pillow. That's what it was. No wonder Lily's been so quiet throughout the summer.
We listen to Lily talk about Petunia for a while, shocked with what she had to tell us. To me, it seemed as if Petunia was jealous. I mean, if I was a Squib but Benjy was still a wizard, I would be too. But I wouldn't hate Benjy for it. He's been there for me for a long, long time when mum couldn't. I wish I could whack some sense into Petunia.
"And I know you all don't like Sev. Think that he's creepy. And everybody talks about it, and I know that, okay?"
We pass guilty glances to one another.
"But he helps me. He's the first friend I had before Hogwarts. And whenever Tuney's being mean or whatnot, he comforts me. Can't you all understand that?"
Major guilt-trip.
===
The first class of the year: Potions.
It's fine, I suppose, but I don't believe that I learn much. Don't get me wrong, I am no Potions prodigy. Sometimes, mine turn out okay, but I also have a knack of fucking up spectacularly.
Professor Slughorn is nice enough, but you don't want to be partners with anybody except Lily or Snape, and of course Lily is more preferable. Except, Lily and Snape are always together.
Third choice: Sirius and James. They may be pricks, but they're bloody brilliant at just about anything. However, they're together all the time too.
Most preferable choice, though: Remus. And probably easiest to snag. He'd be with Pettigrew, except Pettigrew is clumsier than a flobberworm on drugs. He's even worse than me.
As I walk into Potions, the smell of Sirius' cologne fills my nose immediately. Merlin's Beard, did he bathe in it last night?
I see Remus sitting in the seats in front of James and Sirius. I head straight towards him before I find a hand pushing onto my shoulder roughly. I crash into a table, wincing painfully as the sharp edge jabs my waist.
"Graceful much, Rose? I must admit, your last name is much prettier than your actions," drawls Marina Moriarty.
Oh, Merlin. Groaning, I look up at Marina. Here she is again, with her slender body and hateful brown eyes. Marina bends down to me and smiles innocently, flicking her never-ending black hair over her shoulder. "How was your summer, Rose? Hurt any more people?" she snarls.
"You're not even in this class. You're a Ravenclaw. What are you doing here?" I snap, shoving her over so that I can stand up.
"Professor Slughorn has personally asked to see me before class begins. I am one of his favourite students, after all," she simpers, batting her eyelashes in an almost sarcastic manner. I hate her guts and she hates mine after what happened last year.
I dust off my skirt as I glare at her. "Go on then. I'll be on my merry way."
With one last contemptuous look, she turns away.
"Bitch," I mutter under my breath.
I look to the seat I was about to sit in just to find Marlene sitting there. Really? First Sirius, now Remus? Jealousy surges through me, but it's not as if I can get her to move. So I scan the room for options and I'm left with Pettigrew, Jorkins, and Millie. Not great options.
However, Jorkins is right behind James and Sirius (purposely, I assume) so I smile and sit beside her. "Hey, Maia!" she chirps, squeezing me into a bone-crushing hug. How is she so cheery all the time?
"Hullo, Bertha. Did you have a nice summer?"
"Oh, it was splendid! My family..."
I nod and laugh along to the stories of her summer, although my ears tune out her voice completely. Thankfully, Slughorn starts talking. Her yapping does not cease, but I choose to ignore it again.
"Welcome back, students! Now that you're all in your fifth year at Hogwarts, there will be a great leap in the curriculum for some subjects. Potions is one of them. Seeing how difficult this may become in preparation for the O.W.Ls, you will all have partners. Now, I hope you chose wisely because the person sitting beside you now will be your partner for the month."
You have got to be joking. Bertha Jorkins as my partner for a month? She's as dim as a black hole but can babble on for hours.
I could've had Remus for my partner, but nooo, Marlene just had to sit beside him. Damnit, Marlene. Em, who's sitting beside Dorcas, sends a look of sympathy. I pretend to point my wand to my head as she giggles behind her hand.
Slughorn scans the room, and he shakes his head automatically when he sees a very pleased James and Sirius sitting beside one another.
"Black, Potter, I'm not sure you two can behave with each other. Potter, switch with Rose."
James huffs but winks and smirks at me as we swap seats. Bless Merlin's soul, I'm with Sirius now. Em wiggles her eyebrows from where she's seating, pretending to make kissing lips. Oh, make it more obvious, please, Em.
"Are you any good at Potions?" Sirius whispers, leaning closer to me. He's joking, right?
"Sirius, I was the one that made the poison antidote solid last year," I snort, rolling my eyes at myself being good at Potions.
A small smile crosses Sirius' lips at the memory. "Right, right. That was quite ridiculous. Although, I believe it was unfair of Slughorn to take away house points when James and I tried to use it as a Quaffle for Quidditch. But weren't you also the one that tutored Millie until she was decent and not just terrible?"
"Okay, alright, maybe, but that wasn't actually doing Potions. That was just the essay part," I say defensively. Why am I even trying to prove that I'm bad at Potions? I must have a problem, but I believe I've already established that earlier on.
Sirius' smile grows wider. "Exactly. That's perfect. I'll do the actual part, then you'll write amazing essays for both of us."
Not a bad plan. I nod to show that I agree.
"Now, usually, you're supposed to learn about this next year, but seeing how we have exceptionally bright students in our class," - Professor Slughorn beams at Lily at these words - "I think we can get started. So, does anybody know what this potion is?"
Everybody stands up and crowds around the potion.
"Here's a hint - take a whiff, and you might know!" Slughorn says, waggling his eyebrows.
I cautiously lean forward and sniff.
It smells like fresh parchment, smoke, the forest, and Sirius' stupid cologne-
Merlin's bloody pink socks.
I smell nothing of Remus, however. I suppose I don't fancy him after all. Very interesting. He's more of my best friend, then. I really do learn something in Potions.
Sirius looks at me quizzically.
"I don't smell anything."
"Black."
"What?"
"This is Amortentia, and that is incredibly sad."
Sirius shrugs, but I reckon he's not feeling so indifferent about that.
===
Potions passed by quite uneventfully. The only remotely exciting thing was when Sirius slipped an extra flobberworm into the Travers twins' potions. They may be into the dark arts, but that doesn't mean they're particularly tough. They are, however, very smart, and they study a lot.
It was fun to watch them go completely mad in search of what on earth turned their potion from a calm, grassy green to an angry, bubbling magenta.
It was even funnier when the cauldron began to crack and the potion began to spill everywhere.
Actually, now that I come to think of it, Potions was hilarious thanks to Sirius.
===
The second period is Charms with Ravenclaw, which means Marina Moriarty. I can't wait.
Lily, Dorcas, Em, and Marlene all stand by my side protectively as we enter the Charms class. Dorcas and Marlene don't exactly know what happened, but they have an idea, and they defend me anyway.
We take a seat in the second row, and we sit in our usual order. Lily, Marlene, me, Em, and Dorcas.
Marina then enters the room with friends of her own, all from Ravenclaw. Why do they all look like models? There's Nicole Perez, her girlfriend, Samuel Edgecomb, her best mate, and three more people that are either Marina or Samuel's friends.
Marina eyes the third row and she smirks as she and her group of friends settle down behind us. That's just amazing.
Seconds later, the Marauders, as they call themselves, saunter into the room. James takes one look at Marina's spot and shakes his head.
"Out, Moriarty," he orders, unafraid of the venomous energy her group is giving.
"Or what? There's no real reason for you to kick us out," Marina scoffs.
It's James' turn to scoff. "That's hilarious, Moriarty. Everybody knows there's something going on between you and Maia. You have no real reason to sit there except to make her life hell."
Marina stands up angrily and draws out her wand, which is extremely stupid. It's well-known that the Marauders are skilled at duelling. I'm worried, though. This is all happening because of me.
"She deserves it. You don't even know what happened, so don't try to defend her, Potter. You're on the wrong side," she hisses.
Nicole Perez stands beside her as well and pulls out her own wand. Oh no. Not her as well.
Of course, Sirius, Remus and Peter are all already standing alongside James, pointing their wands. Mitch stands at the other side of her, and his gang follows.
Sirius laughs heartily. "You know that if you make a single move, it'll be a lost cause. Give up."
With the weight of the entire class' eyes staring at her, Marina eventually sulks away, hate radiating off of her.
I smile gratefully at Mitch and he shrugs and sits in his own seat.
James and Sirius' eyes still trail after Marina.
"Padfoot, are you thinking what I'm thinking mate?" James grins.
"You already know, Prongs," Sirius smirks.
They slide into the row behind us and already begin pulling out these special notebooks.
"Hey, um, thanks. For defending me," I say quietly, mainly at James.
"She had it coming for her. Now, Padfoot, bring out those papers for plan #67. I think that's the one that she deserves."
Uh oh. I tilt my chair back so that I'm close enough to Remus and say, "Please make sure they don't do anything stupid. You know they will."
I know Remus is a prefect now, but sometimes, he doesn't stop James and Sirius from doing the ridiculous.
"Yeah, yeah. I will."
===
Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins. That's hilarious. Most Slytherins become the Dark Arts. They're really just being taught to know how their enemies think when they fight against them.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not prejudiced, although I may sound like it. However, if you look at it statistically, you'll literally see that 95% of dark wizards are Slytherins.
That isn't to say that all Slytherins are terrible, but those who aren't are too afraid to show that they are. I assume that's where the trend began, so there are almost no half-bloods and definitely no muggle-borns in Slytherin.
Professor Sylvia Nicklestein teaches it, and she's an extremely talented, yet miserable, young woman. She's only in her 20s, but I know she's one of the best and youngest Aurors in the Ministry. However, her husband, who she'd married quite early, had died a month after their marriage. It was all over the news about three years ago. Ever since that, she's been depressed and intense in class.
"Hello, all. Welcome to your fifth year of Hogwarts. As you all know, you will have to take the O.W.Ls this year, which means the classes will be more intense. It is not my job to make sure how well you listen in class. It's yours. But I strongly advise doing so, because when you get to the real world, you have no protective walls of Hogwarts anymore. You have Death Eaters. Witches and wizards who've fallen into the trap of the Dark Arts."
At the mention of that, everybody knows she's talking about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Professor Nicklestein paces around the class as she continues talking, and I can't help but think of how I may end up like her or her husband because of how dangerous the world is becoming.
We begin to learn Stupefy. Lily pairs up with Snape, which I think is an idiotic choice because Snape has known these curses and spells since his second year, and one hit from him can send anyone spiralling. I end up with Em, and we practice on each other. My attempts are feeble, and Em is only pushed back a little.
"You're brilliant at this, aren't you Maia?" Remus laughs as he blasts Pettigrew into the mats.
"Oh, shut up, will you?" I groan, trying desperately to do the spell properly. I'm insanely jealous of Remus' ability to do so many spells effortlessly, along with Sirius and James. They're all so talented, it really doesn't make any sense.
By the end of class, I'm still unable to do it, and I'm just about ready to give up. Oh well.