Hearth II James Potter

Chapter 7- Curfew for Five

"So, how was potions for you two?" Asked Marlene, piling on roasted potatoes onto her plate. They were currently at dinner, completely famished and tired from the long day they had at school. During study hall students were not exactly allowed to talk too much; they were supposed to focus on their work and come with questions to the teachers that would be present in the Great Hall at the moment. Today it was only Professor Flitwick and Professor Fernsby, the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Y/N shrugged, "T'was all right. Mulciber is a bit of a git." Y/N said before grabbing a few drumsticks from a nearby plate.

"Sev likes him," Lily said. "Can't be that bad."

"Yeah, but Severus isn't exactly a nice bloke either," Dorcas rebutted absentmindedly, more focused on eating her fill than the conversation.

"Oh, he's not that bad! He's just..."

"Specific?" supplied Y/N.

Lily flashed her a grateful smile, "Exactly."

Mary, who stayed silent for most of the conversation, looked a little annoyed. "Lizzie, you know, the girl from Ravenclaw in the second year, said that his family wasn't exactly known for being kind."

"Not exactly groundbreaking analysis, love," Dorcas said. "He's a pureblood, probably just a snob. My family visits them often for dinner and all, I never go though, not my crowd."

Marlene perked up, "I heard his family and the Blacks have been trying to unite their families for the longest time."

"Doubt it'll happen. I can't see the Black sisters being okay with that arrangement," Dorcas replied. Mary, Lily and Y/N just sat there in silence, taking in the information from their friends.

"Sirius 'as sisters?" Y/N asked.

"Cousins," Dorcas corrected, before pointing at the Slytherin table, where a pretty girl with blonde hair was sitting next to that boy from the train, Lucius Malfoy. "That one's Narcissa, the youngest of the three sisters. Then there's Andromeda who graduated last year and Bellatrix, the oldest."

"Try not to look too long unless you're planning on getting hexed," Marlene joked, seemingly uninterested in the explanation. She must have already been familiar in this family.

Mary turned to Y/N, "But what did Mulciber do?"

"Nothin' much. Was jus' tryin' to pass 'im a bit of porcupine quills. He didn't 'ave any,'' Y/N answered. "Wouldn't take 'em though 'cause m'hands were dirty." Dorcas and Marlene paled and shared a look between themselves.

Lily clicked her tongue in annoyance, "It was just flobberworm mucus! He could've wiped it off!"

"I wiped it off."

"What a wanker," Mary commented, glaring at the Slytherin table.

Dorcas stared at Y/N and Marlene was doing her best not to meet Lily's gaze. "Stop looking," Marlene said urgently.

"I knew that they were slimy, no good, prejudiced roaches, but to do it here in school! Surely not in front of a professor!" Dorcas muttered to herself before stealing a look at the Slytherin table. "Y/N, during your free period we're going to McGonagall."

"That's a bit dramatic, innit?"

"It's not," Dorcas said with finality. "He could rot in Azkaban for all I care."

Lily sighed, "Y/N is meeting with Remus to work on her essay."

"He can wait a few minutes," Marlene said. "Lily, I'm warning you: if Snape is friends with Mulciber, he's not a good friend to begin with."