Chapter Text
Marlene McKinnon stared down at her acceptance letter to Hogwarts Academy for The Gifted, her brown eyes scanning Headmaster Albus Dumbledore's wording over and over again. This acceptance letter had been what she had been dreaming of since she was twelve and had applied. Originally, she had been rejected.
The rejection letter had crushed her, but Marlene had made it her goal to reapply before her last year of secondary schooling. She had no intention of actually getting accepted, much less being able to afford the cost of attendance and housing. Her older brother had gone to a government funded school all throughout his secondary education and turned out just fine. But Marlene had bigger plans than her rigid sibling.
Showing her parents the letter was what Marlene had been dreading the most. She did not want to see their proud but sad faces as they scanned the letter, noticing that there was no way that they could afford her dream.
That was until Headmaster Dumbledore had made a note at the end of her letter, explaining that she had won some sort of scholarship that would cover most of her cost of attendance. After reading that part, Marlene had run, more like tripped, up the stairs to her parents' bedroom, only to be met with a closed door. A closed door in the McKinnon household meant that whoever was inside wanted privacy and did not want to be disturbed.
So Marlene had sat there, excited jitters running up and down her entire body as she waited for one of her parents to open the door.
Eventually, they opened the door, but Marlene had given up hours before and retreated off to bed.
When they did hear from Marlene, she had made sure to express how long she had sat in front of their door, waiting for someone to finally be proud of her.
Months later, Marlene McKinnon and her parents were standing in front of the gigantic school. It was a cloudy day, which Marlene hoped was not an omen for how her school year was going to go. She was freshly eighteen and in the mood to escape her parents' grasp; Hogwarts Academy was going to do exactly that.
Since she was a late addition to the graduating class, she became an odd number and was given a dorm room that belonged to only her. While most students would cheer at the idea of having a room to themself, this was Marlene's worst fear. A roommate is a built-in best friend, or at least a friend. How was Marlene supposed to get to know her fellow students this way?
”Marlene, are you ready?” her father asked, placing a stern hand on her shoulder.
She sighed, looking down at the ground. Her father putting his hand on her shoulder was a nice gesture when she was younger, and shorter, than him. Now, since she stood a great deal taller than him, it seemed awkward; he was trying too hard.
At least he was trying.
Her mother was standing next to her, silent. Marlene guessed that she was taking in the surroundings of her new school. But, she was not giving her only daughter any sort of attention or support.
”Mum?” Marlene questioned softly. Her dark eyes tried, unsuccessfully, to find her mother‘s light ones.
”She’s overwhelmed, sweetheart,” her father spoke again. That’s how it seemed to be these days; her father speaking on behalf of her mother.
”Let’s just go,” Marlene said, all emotion leaving her voice.
Without looking back, she pushed through the stained glass oval doors, hoping that her parents were following her.
”We noticed that Miss McKinnon applied before entering her first year of secondary school,” Headmaster Dumbledore said.
Marlene and her parents had easily found his office. Right after the three of them had entered the golden halls of Hogwarts Academy, Marlene had looked down the long, and what she assumed the main, hallway, there was a rather large wooden door. Upon closer inspection, there was a sign that read Headmaster Dumbledore and another one directly below that read Come in, if you dare!
Marlene's parents did not seem to like the second sign, but she couldn't care less. Within an hour or two, she would be rid of her family until Christmas.
"I did," Marlene said, unknown confidence surging through her voice. "Glad I met the expectations this time around."
She could feel the wrath of her mother's eyes throwing daggers at her back.
Headmaster Dumbledore did not seem to mind her comment, though. In fact, his eyes twinkled and a grin slowly spread across his face.
"Well, Miss McKinnon, if you would care to know," he started, closing the folder of Marlene's transcripts. "Your class has been the most competitive set of students that I have ever seen. If you had applied any other year, you would have gotten in for sure. Though, I do not think that I am supposed to tell you that."
Marlene's nose twitched and she narrowed her eyes. Was what Headmaster Dumbledore said supposed to make her feel better? If it was, it did not work. It actually made her feel worse.
"Well," she started. "I'm here now."
"And that is all that matters," Headmaster Dumbledore said.
He pushed back his chair and stood up. Marlene had expected him to be taller than he was, she knew that would be taller than him by a great deal. That was not new, Marlene was taller than most people.
Her height used to be a major insecurity of hers. She had always been tall, it was never a question of whether or not she was going to stand above most. Her mother was tall, a gene that had been passed down through generations of the Weber family. Marlene's mother, Elizabeth, had two older siblings, all which stood well above six feet tall. Elizabeth stood tall at about six feet five inches while her father was only six feet tall. Marlene was a nice in-between for them, six feet and three inches.
She was used to the stares that her family would receive whenever they went out in public. A mother towering over a father was not normal, but to add on to that, a daughter taller than her father? How unheard of?
Marlene thought society was stupid.
"Well, Mr. and Mrs. McKinnon," Dumbledore started, making his way to his door. "We still have some things to discuss, but Marlene must be bored, so I have arranged for our of most successful and involved students to give her a tour."
All her parents did was give Dumbledore a slight nod as he opened the door. Standing in front of the door was a short, plump redhead wearing the biggest smile Marlene had ever seen. The girl's smile only widened as she laid eyes on Marlene, her head tilted upwards.
"Good afternoon, Headmaster Dumbledore," the girl said cheerfully.
"Good afternoon to you, Miss Evans," he responded, stepping aside to let Marlene through. "Miss McKinnon, this is Lily Evans. Miss Evans, Marlene McKinnon."
The redhead, Lily, nodded her head. Marlene had no idea what to do now, so she made a guess and took a step forward.
No one seemed to stop her, so she walked outside of Dumbledore's office; the door promptly closed behind her.
"He's so formal," Marlene found herself saying. Great first impression.
"He's just old-fashioned," Lily grinned, looking up at Marlene. "Where are you from?"
"Scotland," Marlene responded easily. "Born and raised in Edinburgh."
Lily's green eyes widened at the mention of Scotland.
"I have always wanted to travel to Scotland. I'm from Cokeworth, England," she said, her red hair falling in front of her face.
"I have family over there," Marlene smiled. Lily seemed reserved but nice enough.
"Oh really?" Lily asked. Marlene nodded her head.
"I haven't been over there in ages, but maybe I'll have a reason too now," Marlene said as she watched a slight blush creep up Lily's cheeks.
"Lily!" a voice cried, interrupting the conversation.
Marlene followed the direction of the voice, placing it on a girl that was standing a couple of feet away from Lily and her. At first glance, the girl was beautiful. She had caramel colored skin that had a slight hint of red, like she had just returned from a summer vacation from somewhere hot. Her long, dark hair was tied into two plaits that traveled down her back; tons of different colored butterfly clips placed carelessly, but it worked. She had a thin build, and her knee-length black dress hugged her body. She was taller than Lily, but shorter than Marlene. She was waving very ferociously, a small smile on her face.
"Millie!" Lily cried, forgetting about Marlene as she ran over to the other girl. The two of them embraced each other tightly, not letting go for a long time.
Marlene stood off to the side, her arms crossed. She felt awkward, but she couldn't exactly leave. Lily was her host.
Eventually, after Millie and Lily had reunited, the redhead remembered that Marlene was standing a little bit away.
"Oh! I am so sorry, Marlene," Lily said, sliding her fingers into Millie's. The two girls made their way over to Marlene, dumb smiles spread across their faces.
"This is Camille Hollingberry," Lily introduced the girl next to her. "My girlfriend."
"Hi," Marlene said, feeling shy all of a sudden. She had never met a girl that had a girlfriend before. Of course, she had her fair share of friends that were a part of the gay community, but none of them had ever had any luck with relationships. Her friends had had many adventures in terms of hooking up and experiences, but none had ever secured a significant other.
Marlene herself had never had a second thought about her sexuality. Her entire life she had only been attracted to the boys in her classes; silly, little crushes here and there. At the end of the day, she was unsure that she had ever actually been romantically interested in anyone.
"Hello!" Millie said, speaking for the first time. She had an American accent, or at least her accent was what Marlene pictured as American. "Lily flatters me by introducing me as Camille, I go by anything but that."
"Good to know," Marlene grinned. "I'm Marlene McKinnon."
Millie smiled at the mention of her name. "I love your last name!"
"It's German," she said. "Both of my parents are from Germany, but they moved to Scotland before I was born. I've been raised there my entire life."
"I'm from California," Millie said, looking from Lily to Marlene. "My parents thought it would be better for me to attend school here, as it was where they were educated."
Marlene nodded her head. It was an interesting choice to send your child halfway across the world to attend secondary school, but she did not know Millie's story. Hopefully she would soon though, she liked her.
"That's actually really cool," Marlene admitted. "How often do you go home?"
Millie shifted her body weight from one side to the other, her arms crossing. "I go home whenever everybody else does. It's just more expensive."
Oh shit, thought Marlene. I've offended her.
"As much as I want to let my girlfriend and new friend continue to talk and get to know each other, I do have to take Marlene on a tour of the school," Lily politely interrupted. "Though, if you wanted to come with, Mills, I'm sure you could."
Millie smiled, but shook her head. "I'm alright, love, but thank you for the offer. I have so much unpacking to do still, unfortunately."
Lily looked slightly dejected at Millie's rejection to join them on the tour, but recovered quickly. "Alright, that's okay. I'll see you after?"
"Of course," Millie said, bending down and kissing Lily's cheek softly. "Bye, love."
"Bye, Mills."
"She seems so sweet," Marlene said as the two of them watched Millie walk away. "How'd you meet?"
Before answering, Lily started to walk again. She signaled Marlene to follow her with a wave of her hand, which she did. For such a short girl, Lily walked fast.
"We met our first year here," Lily said, her green eyes looking slightly upwards at the thought of a specific memory. "We were in our English class. Millie was sitting a couple of desks away and when she introduced herself, I could feel myself being pulled towards her. When I came here, I wasn't aware of my sexuality, but Millie really opened my eyes, without trying to. I fell first, obviously. It took me forever to gain attention from her, and even when I got it, it was simply friendship for the first couple of years. After that, last year, there was a schoolwide party and I finally plucked up the courage and kissed her."
"Courageous," Marlene stated, looking around the hall that they were currently walking down. Every so often, the two of them would pass a classroom and Marlene would poke her head inside. Only once did she peer inside a classroom that was occupied, not by a class, but by two students who seemed very interested in peering down each other's throats.
"That's one way to describe me," Lily laughed, and for the first time, Marlene understood the appeal of women. Lily's laugh was so light and airy that it took over all Marlene's thoughts, occupying the empty space in her brain. As Lily laughed, she placed her hands on her hips, her posture altering slightly. She looked peaceful and inviting. Marlene decided right then and there that Millie was so lucky.
"Well, it got you a girlfriend," Marlene started to argue but stopped as three students rounded the corner.
"Lily!" one of them cheered, flashing the redhead a toothy smile.
"Emmeline!" Lily shouted back. "Remember the new student I was talking to you about?"
Emmeline's dark eyes scanned Marlene and only when she reached her feet, did she express any sort of friendliness to the blonde.
"Hi, Marlene," Emmeline said, walking closer to the taller girl. "I'm Emmeline Vance, you can call me Emmy or Line, whatever tickles your fancy."
Marlene couldn't help but giggle at Emmeline's phrasing.
"Hi, Marlene," one of the other students said, appearing next to Emmeline.
Marlene shifted her vision to him, noticing that he was about the same height as her. He was thinner than she was and he had curly strawberry blonde hair. His dark eyes met hers and he started to grin.
"Remus Lupin," he said, extending his hand. "Pleased to meet you."
Marlene shook his hand, thinking that it was quite weird for teenagers to be introducing themselves by shaking hands.
"Oi! Don't forget about me," said the third voice from behind Emmy and Remus.
"Oh, shut it, Potter. No one can forget about you," Emmy said. Marlene saw that she was rolling her eyes as she stepped aside to let the final student through.
Marlene was met with a shorter boy with the curliest hair she had ever seen. It was piled on top of his head, but it quite looked like he had just woken up. As she looked at him further, he had dark eyes that were protected by large, circular glasses. Marlene noticed a quite athletic build and made a mental note to ask for either his workout routine or what sport he played.
"James Potter, at your service," he said, giving Marlene a bow.
"Darn, I wish you would have curtsied," Marlene joked.
"Oh dear, don't start," Remus said, but he was too late.
"Did I offend dear princess Marlene? Oh god! What should be done with this poor, old court jester?" James exclaimed, rather dramatically. He threw his arms up, looking around.
"Take him to the dungeons!" Marlene played again, pointing down the hallway.
"Not the dungeons!" James cried, clasping his hands together in pain.
"Come on court jester Potter, we must obey the princess' wishes," Emmy spoke, grabbing ahold of James' collar. The three of them waved goodbye as they continued on their way down the hall, whispering and giggling all the way through.
"Are you friends with them?" Marlene asked out of curiosity. The only student Lily seemed to like was Emmeline.
Lily's mouth tightened into a thin line as she nodded her head. "Some more so than others."
"Uh oh, there's a story there."
"I love Remus with my whole life. We became friends on the first day here. He's so incredibly smart but is more than modest about all of his achievements. Emmeline is the sort of girl that is best friends with everyone, her positivity is never-ending. James... well, I've never been too close to him."
"That's a very boring story, Lily," Marlene said, giving the shorter girl a hard time. She poked at her ribs gently with her elbow.
"Oh shut it," Lily giggled. "James is Mr. Perfect around here. He can do no wrong, according to everyone."
Marlene believed that statement easily. James was attractive enough and he appeared to be kind.
"Well, it never hurts to be in the ins with Mr. Perfect," Marlene stated, wondering how many more of Lily's friends they were going to run into.
"He's been asking me out every year," Lily sighed, twirling one of the loose strands of her hair. "It only stopped when I told him that I was dating Millie. I think he thinks I'm a lesbian."
Marlene wanted to tiptoe around this subject very carefully.
"Well..." she trailed off.
"Well, what?" Lily asked sharply, halting. She turned around to face Marlene.
"Are you?"
Lily's face broke out into a fit of laughter.
"Oh goodness, no!" she cried, tilting her head to the side. "I do love women, but I also like everyone else. I'm pansexual."
"Oh!" Marlene exclaimed, nodding her head. "So, Mr. Perfect has a chance?"
"Marls! I have a girlfriend."
"Oh shit, yeah you're right. I am so sorry," she mumbled, running a hand through her long, white hair.
"Come on, let me show you your room!" Lily hollered, taking off running at full speed out the door.
Marlene was so caught up in trying to follow Lily that she managed to not see a person that was standing right outside of the hall. As she flew past the door, she also flew right into another human being, knocking them both off their feet.
"Hey! Watch where you're going," the voice spoke.
Marlene looked up from the ground, seeing someone sitting across the grass from her. They had books that were now sprawled everywhere around them and their expression was the most unpleased.
"I am so sorry," Marlene apologized. She gathered the books nearest to her and handed them back to the person she had knocked over.
"Whatever," the person scoffed, throwing their long braids over their shoulder. They stood up, books in hand, and walked away.
"Marlene!" Lily called, rushing over to the blonde girl's side. She kneeled down to meet Marlene where she laid.
"Who was that?" she asked, her eyes glued to the spot where the incident had just occurred.
"Dorcas Meadowes," Lily answered. "They're in our year, pretty reserved. Some people think that they're a bitch, but I think that no one has ever given them the time of day."
Marlene sighed as she pushed herself off of the ground.
"Must've been a bad day then," Marlene said, extending her hand to Lily.
Lily grabbed the helping hand, pulling herself to her feet. She flashed a small smile towards Marlene as gratitude.
"Well, let's forget about them," Lily began. "I have to show you your dorm!"
Marlene's dorm was located in the building that housed the majority of the students in her year. Lily had told Marlene that buildings used to be by gender, two buildings for the women and two buildings for the men. Obviously, there was more than one issue with that, so a couple of years ago, Hogwarts reorganized the living situation and built two more buildings. Now, the students were living mostly with their age.
"At least they were aware that there are more than two genders," Marlene had chimed in as Lily was explaining the story.
"Yeah," Lily said quickly. "Hold on, there a few more students coming and I think that they will want to be introduced."
"More?" Marlene was astonished at the sheer amount of students that liked Lily. Was she Ms. Perfect?
As soon as Marlene finished her thought, four students were running down the stairs, yelling at each other.
"I did not say that!"
"Yes, you did!"
"Macdonald, did I ever say that?"
"I'm afraid that you might have implied it."
"See! Mary agrees with me!"
"Hang on, Benjy, I do not agree with you!"
"Both of you, shut the— hi, Lily!"
The four students came to a complete stop at the bottom of the staircase, all looking sheepishly guilty.
"What did you four do?" Lily asked, an eyebrow raised. Marlene wasn't aware that eyebrows could be raised that high.
The student with long, wavy, black hair spoke first.
"Good old Benjy here thinks that I insulted his lover," he said, crossing his arms. "I didn't."
Lily's eyes widened at the mention of Benjy's so-called lover.
"Benjy? Did you finally get Caradoc to ask you out?" Lily asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. She had forgotten all about questioning the four students.
The tallest boy, Benjy, shook his head. "Dear Sirius was poking fun at him," he spat out.
"I was not!"
"Sirius, shut up," the third boy said, whacking the back of Sirius' head.
"Peter!" Sirius groaned, rubbing what was now a sore spot on his head.
The only one that hadn't spoken since arriving at the bottom of the staircase was Mary. In fact, she was staring directly at Marlene, her black eyes zeroing in on her. She thought that this girl was really pretty, her tan skin and voluminous curls that bounced as she laughed.
"Lily, dearest, you haven't introduced us to your new friend."
"Oh!" Lily exclaimed, startled. "You're right! Everyone, this is Marlene McKinnon. She's joining us this year."
Sirius' face broke out into a grin as he sauntered over to Marlene.
"Hey, Marley, I like your name!"
"No, Sirius," Mary said, rolling her eyes. "Marlene."
Sirius' eyes dropped. Actually, it was as if his whole body started to crumble.
"But I love Marley!" he cried like a toddler that was told no.
Marlene felt quite awkward at this moment.
"Oh, you can call me Marley, if you want," she offered, placing a light hand on his shoulder. He was considerably shorter than her so this action felt pretty normal.
Sirius first looked at her hand on his shoulder and then he met her gaze.
"Welcome to hell, Marley."