Status: new story...tell me what you think!
After All This Time
12.
Mary MacDonald was walking around the greenhouses; she’d had a hard time understanding one of the essays and she’d just been asking her professor some last minute questions. In a while, she was due to meet Sirius for a date. He was going to take her to Hogsmeade at night; apparently, he knew a way to sneak out the castle. Mary was always a notorious rule follower, but something in Sirius Black made her want to break rules.
Carrying a pot with some dirt in it to repot the flowers she was growing on her bedside table, she saw a shadow pass the greenhouse.
“Hello?” she called out. “Is anyone there?”
Suddenly, three boys appeared. She knew them, but not by name. They were four Slytherins that she often saw around Severus Snape when Mary followed Lily around. From what she knew, they weren’t good news.
“Who are you?” she asked, trying to keep confident.
One of them chuckled. “You’re Mary, aren’t you…Sirius’s girlfriend?”
She nodded bravely. “Yes, and you are?”
The shortest of the boys poked up. “I’m his brother.” He said snootily.
The biggest shoved him. “Shut it, Reg. Anyway, your boyfriend got our friend into a little rut. He’s in the hospital wing now.” He snarled. The boys ganged up on her.
“He didn’t mean to.” Mary said sharply. “They saved him, didn’t they?”
The biggest chuckled again. “Try again, blondie.”
As they cornered in within the greenhouses, she opened her mouth to scream. Maybe her teacher would hear her-
“What do you think you’re doing?!” she yelled. There was a flash of green and blue and she dropped her pot.
*~*~*~*
Sirius was sitting with James, Peter, a non-werewolf Remus, Marlene, Lily, Alice, and Frank Longbottom. Since Alice and Frank were together, Frank was making an effort to get to know Alice’s friends. He often sat with them at dinner now, and the marauders approved of him.
“She ditched me.” Sirius said, banging his head against the table. He didn’t want to eat; Mary had ditched him. She was supposed to meet him in the common room an hour earlier to go out, but she never showed.
“She would never ditch you, Sirius, she loves you.” Lily argued. “I’m sure she has a valid reason for not being here.”
“You should have a valid reason for not being here last week.” Marlene said angrily to Remus. She was still upset at his disappearance last week; when he simply gave her the answer that he went home, she smacked him repeatedly.
Suddenly, Helen Townsend, a Hufflepuff fifth year, came running to them. “Did you all hear?” she asked excitedly.
“Hear what?” Alice asked, cocking her head.
“Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout found Mary Macdonald’s body outside the greenhouse!” she claimed loudly. Everyone’s heads turned. “She was hexed! They found her, unconscious, in the bushes!”
Sirius stood up, his face red. “Who the hell did it to her?” he yelled. “Who dared to touch my Mary?” he bellowed.
“Mr. Black, you should sit down.” Said a voice.
Everyone’s heads turned to see Professor Dumbledore standing there. Lily’s jaw dropped; he didn’t usually interact with the students.
“Erm, I’m sorry Headmaster.” Sirius said quietly.
Professor Dumbledore nodded. “I’m sure that you want to see lovely Miss Macdonald right now; she’s requesting you and Miss Evans and Miss McKinnon.”
Lily, Marlene, and Sirius got up to go to the hospital wing.
“Oi! Lily!” a voice called.
Lily whipped around to see James. “What?” she asked.
James shot her a weak face. “Tell us how she is.”
*~*~*~*
Lily, Sirius, and Marlene ran into the hospital wing; Madam Pomfrey was walking away with potion bottles and bandages. Lily gasped at the sight of Mary; her skin was burned and bubbling; her face bruised and lip cut.
“Don’t look at me.” Mary said miserably. “I look like a monster. They made me look like a monster.”
Sirius went to her side and brushed a lock of her hair. “You’re never a monster, Mary…you’re always beautiful.” He said. “Who did this to you?”
Mary sniffed. “I didn’t see them…they were Slytherins. They said if I told, they’d hurt me even more.” She whimpered.
“Who, love?” Sirius asked.
Mary burst into tears. “Avery, Nott, Mulciber…and Regulus, Sirius.”
Sirius stared at her, blinking. “Regulus…as in my Regulus? My idiot brother?”
Mary nodded and winced as her skin boiled again.
Sirius clenched a fist. “I will never forgive him.”
Carrying a pot with some dirt in it to repot the flowers she was growing on her bedside table, she saw a shadow pass the greenhouse.
“Hello?” she called out. “Is anyone there?”
Suddenly, three boys appeared. She knew them, but not by name. They were four Slytherins that she often saw around Severus Snape when Mary followed Lily around. From what she knew, they weren’t good news.
“Who are you?” she asked, trying to keep confident.
One of them chuckled. “You’re Mary, aren’t you…Sirius’s girlfriend?”
She nodded bravely. “Yes, and you are?”
The shortest of the boys poked up. “I’m his brother.” He said snootily.
The biggest shoved him. “Shut it, Reg. Anyway, your boyfriend got our friend into a little rut. He’s in the hospital wing now.” He snarled. The boys ganged up on her.
“He didn’t mean to.” Mary said sharply. “They saved him, didn’t they?”
The biggest chuckled again. “Try again, blondie.”
As they cornered in within the greenhouses, she opened her mouth to scream. Maybe her teacher would hear her-
“What do you think you’re doing?!” she yelled. There was a flash of green and blue and she dropped her pot.
*~*~*~*
Sirius was sitting with James, Peter, a non-werewolf Remus, Marlene, Lily, Alice, and Frank Longbottom. Since Alice and Frank were together, Frank was making an effort to get to know Alice’s friends. He often sat with them at dinner now, and the marauders approved of him.
“She ditched me.” Sirius said, banging his head against the table. He didn’t want to eat; Mary had ditched him. She was supposed to meet him in the common room an hour earlier to go out, but she never showed.
“She would never ditch you, Sirius, she loves you.” Lily argued. “I’m sure she has a valid reason for not being here.”
“You should have a valid reason for not being here last week.” Marlene said angrily to Remus. She was still upset at his disappearance last week; when he simply gave her the answer that he went home, she smacked him repeatedly.
Suddenly, Helen Townsend, a Hufflepuff fifth year, came running to them. “Did you all hear?” she asked excitedly.
“Hear what?” Alice asked, cocking her head.
“Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout found Mary Macdonald’s body outside the greenhouse!” she claimed loudly. Everyone’s heads turned. “She was hexed! They found her, unconscious, in the bushes!”
Sirius stood up, his face red. “Who the hell did it to her?” he yelled. “Who dared to touch my Mary?” he bellowed.
“Mr. Black, you should sit down.” Said a voice.
Everyone’s heads turned to see Professor Dumbledore standing there. Lily’s jaw dropped; he didn’t usually interact with the students.
“Erm, I’m sorry Headmaster.” Sirius said quietly.
Professor Dumbledore nodded. “I’m sure that you want to see lovely Miss Macdonald right now; she’s requesting you and Miss Evans and Miss McKinnon.”
Lily, Marlene, and Sirius got up to go to the hospital wing.
“Oi! Lily!” a voice called.
Lily whipped around to see James. “What?” she asked.
James shot her a weak face. “Tell us how she is.”
*~*~*~*
Lily, Sirius, and Marlene ran into the hospital wing; Madam Pomfrey was walking away with potion bottles and bandages. Lily gasped at the sight of Mary; her skin was burned and bubbling; her face bruised and lip cut.
“Don’t look at me.” Mary said miserably. “I look like a monster. They made me look like a monster.”
Sirius went to her side and brushed a lock of her hair. “You’re never a monster, Mary…you’re always beautiful.” He said. “Who did this to you?”
Mary sniffed. “I didn’t see them…they were Slytherins. They said if I told, they’d hurt me even more.” She whimpered.
“Who, love?” Sirius asked.
Mary burst into tears. “Avery, Nott, Mulciber…and Regulus, Sirius.”
Sirius stared at her, blinking. “Regulus…as in my Regulus? My idiot brother?”
Mary nodded and winced as her skin boiled again.
Sirius clenched a fist. “I will never forgive him.”