FORTY-THREE

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"i've never met a strong person with an easy past

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"i've never met a strong person with an easy past."


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Lily sat perched on the bottom of her bed, the dormitory only lit by a single lamp. Next to her sat Kriss, who snuck into Gryffindor Tower with the girls when she heard Eva had gone missing. Both tried to distract themselves with books, but neither could drift into the words properly.

Marlene, on the other hand, couldn't sit still for a single minute. She sank into her bed, then sprung up, then paced around, then sat on the floor, then a table, then Eva's bed, then Lily's, then the windowsill.

A whispered conference with a very concerned James told them the basics of what had happened, but even his story contained massive gaps. All he knew was that Eva was hurt, but Remus would take care of her. Peter looked lost as James recounted the confrontation in the classroom. And as for Sirius... Lily had never seen him like that before. Paler than snow, quivering with anger. They departed for their own dormitory after the quick explanation, leaving the girls alone once again.

"Marlene, pick a spot!" Lily finally exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "You're driving me mad!"

"You're not the only one who's worried," the blonde retorted angrily, but she still listened and chose to move to her bed. Even then, she couldn't remain stationary, fiddling with her hands and bouncing one of her legs up and down.

Kriss sighed and began to redo her ponytail for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes. "I don't think negativity is helpful right now."

Both Gryffindor girls blushed at her gentle reprimand. Marlene opened her mouth to say something snippy, but the door opened and the argument fell to the wayside as soon as they saw Eva.

Marlene immediately threw her arms around Eva, pulling the girl into a bone-crushing hug. Eva hesitated, but she really needed it. Lily joined in, then Kriss, all surrounding her in a warm embrace.

"Hi, guys," Eva whispered, mustering a small smile for them. Lily took her hand and led her over to one of the beds, and all four of them piled on top of it. "Kriss, you shouldn't be here. You could get in trouble."

Kriss shook her head, astonished that she was thinking about that of all things. "I don't care."

After a moment of silence, Eva spoke again. Her voice sounded rather small, almost like she was whispering in a hallway. "I suppose you're all wondering what happened."

Marlene draped a blanket over her friend's shoulders. "Eva, you don't have to tell us tonight-"

"No, it's okay. You guys should know." She took a deep breath and told them everything. Through it, the girls kept her surrounded by support. Lily brushed her tangled curls out of her tear-filled eyes and braided it away from her face. Marlene nodded encouragingly every time Eva felt like she couldn't continue, and Kriss never let go of her hand.

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