Grow

Chapter 9: Secrets

"Bye."

What on earth was that?

Marlene POV:

I sit in the common room, in my usual armchair with a book, trying to get my head around another potions theory thingy. Where's Lily when you need her?

The clocktower chimes midnight. I really need to get to bed. I'm is about to stand up, when... I hear footsteps, and voices, coming from the boy's dormitory. Here we go again,. If it's not Potter and the others I will eat my potions essay.

"Ok, Wormy has been there for a while now..." well that's Potter.

"Have you got the cloak?" And that's Black.

"Of course. Are you sure we want to go without Moony?" Moony? What kind of name is that?

"Yes. Let's go." Ok, not going to happen.

"Go where, exactly?" I stand up and am faced with Sirius and James, holding well something... A flash of golden yellow-brown, and James whispers something but-

"Mind your own business McKinnon!" Sirius speaks at the same time, covering James's speech. Ugh.

"It's nothing Marlene, seriously, shouldn't you be in bed?" James says, now stuffing his hands, and the something, into the front pocket of his jumper.

"Shouldn't you be too? And it's obviously not nothing. What is in your pocket, Potter?"

"What?"

"You stuffed something in your pocket. Don't pretend you don't know it's obvious."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh really? Turn out your pockets."

"You can't make him-" Sirius interjects

"If there is nothing to hide, then why is James so against proving his innocence? Turn out your pockets, Potter."

"Oh, fine." James sighs and shows me, "See Marlene? My wand, my hands and that's it."

Does he really think he can get away with that?

"James, the last thing." I'm trying to keep a straight face.

He reluctantly pulls out a sheet of plain parchment.

"What's that?" I ask.

"It's just a..." James leans back against the wall, acting casual, but his darting eyes tell me otherwise, "Just a... spare bit of parchment." James shrugs. This boy can't lie to save his life.

"Oh really?"

"Yep."

"Can I have a look?"

"No!" James quickly stands upright, holding the parchment closer to his chest.

"Why not?"

"Because..." James's eyes dart around again, but Sirius interrupts.

"Don't you have something else to do, McKinnon? Studying or something? Instead of snooping through people's pockets?"

"If it is just a 'spare bit of parchment' then why is James so protective of it?"

"Maybe you could go away!" Sirius replies

"Maybe, you could tell me what's going on!" I glare at Sirius

"Maybe, you could mind your own business!" His voice rises.

"Maybe you could all just stop arguing and let the rest of the castle sleep?" Alice walks down stairs wearing her dressing gown and a tired frown.

"Fawley!" James says.

"What's going on, Marlene?"

"Look, it's nothing." James replies before I can say anything, "It's late, we should all be upstairs." He puts the parchment and his wand back in his pocket.

I'm still scowling at Sirius, neither of us breaking.

"Sirius?" James says, tugging at his friend's arm.

"Fine..." Sirius looks away but at the last second shoots a rather rude hand gesture at me.

You dirty excuse of a- I go to my wand, but Alice stops me. "Please," she says, "not more duelling."

"Ugh. Fine." I shoot a finger towards the stairs as we leave.

Lily's POV:

I hear Alice coming back upstairs with, presumably, Marlene.

"Look Alice, they're up to something." Marlene says, she's clearly fired up about something.

"They always are..." Alice replies.

"Wait who are up to what? Actually no, let me guess. Potter and Black?"

"Well we've managed to learn something in however many years we've been here." Marlene flings herself back on her bed.

"Marlene thinks they were going somewhere."

"I don't think anything I heard them!"

As much as I hate those boys I want to know what's going on. "Where we're they going?"

"I don't know. I stood up and tried to get them to tell me and they just told me to mind my own business."

"And did you?"

"No she did not, couldn't you hear her?" Alice asks, rolling her eyes.

"Those boys always think they are above everyone else!" Marlene retorts

"Tell me about it..." I sigh.

"Anyway, you know that parchment Potter was holding?" Marlene turns towards Alice.

"Yeah."

"Well, the two of them were desperate to not let me find out what it really it, and I bet you all the sweets in Honeydukes that it isn't 'just a plain piece of parchment'. No matter what Potter said."

I lie back, "I swear to Merlin, if our house points are any lower in the morning..."

"Those boys are going to go too far one day." Marlene pulls her covers, maybe a bit more aggressively that usual.

"Haven't they already?" Alice climbs into bed.

"Well yes..." Marlene says, "But they have always managed to get away with it so far. They aren't always going to..."

"Well, the sooner they learn, the better I say."

Hi, I really hope you are enjoying the story so far. I can't really believe that I've kept on going this far with it, it's been really interesting for me to be able to write and publish things. Still a lot of things to come! Remember to vote, comment and follow!

- NJCG