The Slytherin Transfer

29: "Go punch a wall or something."

Snape and Lily have a massive falling out, and she instead immerses herself in planning the Spring Ball, which has been decidedly turned into a Summer Ball (since Marlene wants no exam stress to ruin it) and which I've been dragged into against my will.

"We have to raise money to get a band," Marlene says at one of our 'meetings', which is actually them finding me in the library, taking away my homework, and forcing me to talk about the dance. Apparently when Dorcas explains how she doesn't want to be a part of it, they don't second guess her, but when I do it, they won't accept no for an answer.

"We should get the Weird Sisters," says Alice eagerly, her notebook open in front of her and her tiny, lopsided writing scattering the pages.

"How on earth are we supposed to get the Weird Sisters?" says Mary, "They're the most popular band ever."

"I can do it," says Marlene, writing something down in her own notebook and earning strange looks from everyone.

"What do you mean you can do it?" Asks Lily suspiciously.

"I have my ways."

We all look at each other.

"Marlene," I start slowly, "we don't need to use prostitution to get a band for a dumb school dance."

"It's not prostitution! Is that what you all thought?" She asks in shock, looking at us as we all glance at one another again, "Oh my god you guys are the worst. Do you really think so low of me? Don't answer that!" She says to Mary as she opens her mouth, and it clamps shut.

"Okay," Marlene says, shaking her head, "I'll get the Weird Sisters in a perfectly legal way, but we need to decide on a theme."

"I still like the Paris idea," Alice says dreamily as she watches a boy enter the library, clutching a stack of books and tripping slightly on the hem of his robes. I wave a hand in front of her face.

"What happened to you and Remus?" I ask, and she looks embarrassed.

"We just didn't work out . . ." She mumbles, drawing small flowers on the corner of her paper, "he said we'd be better as friends."

I look at Lily, and she shakes her head slightly, so I nod at the boy in an attempt to change the subject.

"Well, what about him? He's cute," I say, watching as the boy now drops half his stack on the floor and dives to retrieve it, hitting his head on the table when he rises back up. Alice seems oblivious to his clumsiness, just blushing furiously.

"Yeah, but he's in his sixth year," she says, "and he's a prefect. He'd never go for me."

"Well, that's no attitude!" Exclaims Mary, watching with a slightly uncertain look on her face as the boy spills his ink all over the table.

"Who are we talking about?" Marlene looks up from her notes like a dog that's caught a whiff of roadkill. The topic of boys distracts her like no other, and she finds the guy in question quickly, crinkling her nose, "Frank Longbottom? But he's so —"

She sees all our warning looks, narrows her eyes at how Alice smiles at Frank, and changes the direction of her sentence half way.

"—adorable. A real peach," she says flatly, turning back to her notes.

"Isn't he just?" Alice sighs, and I move her paper from underneath her.

"Watch it. You're gushing all over our notes," I say, and Lily snickers as Alice once again blushes a deep scarlet, pulling her book back towards her. She writes the word 'theme', underlines it, then stops, looking back over at Frank.