Work Text:
War was a bitch
Mary was isolated from all of her loved ones, the school mates she grew up with, her sisters, her mother father,
‘For their individual safety’ that's what Dumbledore had said with his knotty white beard and stupid spectacles.
Mary wasn't daft, she knew if only one of the order members were found the others weren't, and he could still have agents, so it doesn't matter if you were to die alone, depressed and scared then at least the old sack could win. Mary was usually the understanding one in situations.she would always be there to hug you til you fell asleep in her arms. Or she wou;d wait for others to calm down in an argument and help mediate for others. She always helped out and would understand where others were coming from as she knew first hand just getting angry and fighting the wrong person could be unforgivable.
Now however, she was furious, seething even, and that's all she wanted to be. She had urges to scream and shout, claw and punch. Everyone and everything was taken away from her and she couldn't even get any word out to them as ‘communication can link us too easily.’ She was busy fuming one morning in winter, locked away from the hospital for the time being as there were death eaters sighted she had to go into temporary hiding as she was a part of the order.
Currently shes pacing and muttering angrily as she waited for the kettle to boil when she hears a familiar woosh coming from the fireplace, in a fluid moment wand is in hand, she's still facing the kettle, not wanting to turn around, it was stupid but mary knew this was probably her last moment and now facing it, she was just too scared to look at it in the eye, is she really a proper Gryffindor?
Taking a shuddery breath she continues to pour the water from the kettle into her cup with shaky hands, as she hears footsteps arrive in the kitchen.soft, light she could barely hear them she wondered which prick was sent after her. All she could do was just hope for the love of god it wasn't Belatrix, that witch wouldn't just let a mudblood like her die no, of course not she was most probably be tortured first.
“Macdonald?” she hears a soft voice, immediately she flinches at the sound, but after a couple seconds she notices the tone, not exactly ‘im an evil blood purist that's about to murder you in your own home’ tone, but who was she to judge?
“Hey can you turn around, i would really hate to have freaked out some stranger, oh my god dorcas is gonna be mah-aad.”
“V-vance?”
She could practically feel a relieved smiled fill up the room, so she turned, she never really was close with Vance but she was pretty trustworthy
“You're actually here.” she whispered, someone she knew that didn't hate her guts was at her house! Probably wasn't good news but it had been almost two years, the most contact with people she had was other half baked burnt out nurses and patients on the brink of death.
“Uhh, yeah…” she replied confusedly, without thinking she barreled into vance, tears running down her cheeks, swallowing her into a hug
Emmeline noticed this and started rubbing her back comfortingly, whispering “hey its just me”s and “i'm here for yous” eventually mary gathers herself and steps away, immediately feeling embarrassed
“Oh my, im so sorry you know its just there is quite literally no one to talk to and i haven't heard anything from anyone from school in over 2 years.” she sputtered out all at once, once again Emmeline laid a hand on her arm, a sincere expression gracing her features with furrowed eyebrows and gorgeous gentle eyes (did she just think that? shit)
“Hey, i understand mary, the only personI’ive really been in contact with is dorcas and she is not fun right now.” she said with a roll of her eyes
“What?” confusion washed over her and maybe it was from severe depravity of normal conversation but immediately the gossip girl that had full control during school resurfaced
“You… and dorcas?”
“What- no!” as realisation hit she became a spluttering laughing mess
“Nononono, she would never do that to marls, gosh i miss Marls cant to to her- thats not the point no i only talk to dorcas because she's had this while plan to win this war that she cooked up in fourth year and has cooked up like an extra secret secret squad to kill the bald old rat.”
“Holy shi- you know what, lets talk about this over some tea i was actually making some before you came over and i could really do with something right now.”
“Uhh, sure I’d love some tea.” she sounded hesitant
“Unless if you need somewhere to be?”
“No of course not, I’m not as busy as I seem."
She chuckled nervously at the last bit
"So, why are you here like what's my purpose?"
"You a healer right?"
"Y-yes"
"And you have training in advanced shielding spells?"
"Yes"
"And where do the death eaters think you are?"
She paused, this was odd
"Uhh as far as I know I left the country to a muggle town as soon as I turned 18."
"Excellent so you've never come into contact with any since then no sightings-"
"UGH NO. okay, that's why I'm still in my bloody house. It’s to leave to keep my existence practically secret so they don't chase me down and I guess it helps in this regard that they all think I'm some sort of useless shallow girl that can't deal with ANY conflict!"
Mary exploded she didn't know why she didn't even feel it until it was there but suddenly she's crying again, leaning her head on Emmeline shoulder
"I, I feel so shit Emmeline, why are you asking all these questions, why why do you need me!"
She could feel Emmeline take a long breath as she drew her shoulders back then explained in a whisper
"Dumbledore doesn't know but Dorcas found out through, some let's call them birds that the lord or whatever were calling him plans on going to the potters tonight. And he's going to kill them all, including the boy, the child. Instead dorcas is planning an intercept of the strongest she can find as an ambush as far as we know he's not expecting it and whilst that shot goes down we're going to need a least expected safe house."
"Me?"
She just nodded
"So I'm housing the Potters whilst you allegedly kill what's his face, isn't there all his souvineers you've got to destroy first"
"Already taken care of, now it may take more than a night so."
"I'm in, I'll take care of them, so where are you tonight Vance or is that secret as well"
She only grimaced with a guilty nod
But until then I guess I'm just hanging out haha.” her voice cracked
Mary immediately pulled her into a hug and let her crumble into her arms, she know how hard it was she understood
Eventually after many sniffles vance uttered
“I might die tonight- i uh- god” she paused, mary could feel her warm tears against her skin
“I know- i understand that its selfish. That that i of all people are freaking out when there are countless lives already destroyed and innocent unaware civilians are paying the price, and I'm complaining. And, and dont forget the potters, fucking running for their lives trying to make as much out of this shit show as possible trying to save their 1 year old desperately because he already has a nemesis. Its just no- its not fair mary why the fuck am i feeling like this, i shouldn’t be able to feel, ive been fine im fine yet i im just” eventually mary was in the chair desperately cradling a rambling Emmeline with tears now freely streaming and practically drowning in the pain. Mary understood. She always understood, it stabbed at her watching someone laying down their line time and time again just to come to the conclusion they shouldn't even be allowed to cry. Then and there mary decided as soon as this shit was over she was going to shake dorcas by the shoulders and scream why, why does she think this, did you make her? That wouldnt do shit and deep down she knew Dorcas was only doing good and Emmeline’s thoughts were just a product of their situation. but it might make her feel more purposeful
“Hey. “ she softly began speaking as soothing as she could, slowly rocking them back and forth partially for rhythm or whatever and partially because mary had no fucking clue what to do then and later, the internal sirens were going off like mad
“Emmeline. You're doing great. I- were going to get through this shit you are going to get through this shit.”
“How-”
“EMMELINE i'm not going to let you die and if you do you're sure as hell not gonna go thinking your worthless. Youre smart, agile, loyal as fuck, youre the most amazing person ive seen on a broom, if theres no hope for you theres sure as hell not enough hope for the rest of us, lets not forget that you a literal dueling master.”
“Since when?”
“Oh please the snape incident was one of my favourite feminist moments of history, he was a real prick ill tell you. He was going on about how all he did was practise and suddenly you're across the hallway in like two strides ready to beat him to the ground and he's down within like seconds and you're so angry and i swear i could smell his piss!” she had definitely gotten ahead of herself reliving school experiences but when she looked at Emmeline her face, seeing her genuine awe of her became less bittern still doubtful and worrisome but it was a good sign
“So how's dorcas then?”
“Horrible, such a control freak.” she mumbled in reply with a weak chuckle
“Well in truth she’s not coping to well as she has basically been alone in this and has been scheming this shit show for like seven years, maybe i should get her a cake.” she said as an afterthought, it actually caused a short laugh out of mary
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, she likes red velvet, she might’ve mentioned it a couple times.”
Emmeline had left almost 24 hours ago and Mary was now sat in her cramped dining room with a confused and rather shell shocked group of potters, stoic and quiet. Not like them at all, she tried her best to help giving them lost of food and tea, playing quiet rock in the background, joking around the kid even, she wasn't even there for when lily was pregnant, she was already in ‘solitary safety’ as she sipped her tea she started to notice the potters talking quietly amongst themselves eventually they were all talking quietly catching up with mary, if felt nice but she was still very much worried. Before Emmeline had left, mary remembered basically forcing her to come back she remembered grabbing her by the arms and firmly saying
“I dont give a fuck that we arent amazing friends or whatever, all i care about is that when you leave you ar going to fucking get through this, you deserve to get through this and i expect you to come back once you get back, ive been talking to you all day and am way too invested for you to disappear. So you're going to go, help kill the dark lord then you're heading back here so we can cry over some wine later with the potters. “ that was when they had just secured the potters, she had laughed in reply and left,
It had been three days since she had left and mary was crying on the floor in the laundry, lily evans wrapping her up in her familiar squishy hugs as she sobbed openly james sitting next to them, harry clutched in one arm and mary’s in the other.
“I just. We were both really lonely and she started saying all these untrue things and i- i spoke with her and now its been three days and shes gone and she was probably still thinking she wasnt worth shit and all i want to do is go back in time and just know her for longer if her death couldnt be helped, its just not fucking fai, she noone for cryoing outloud!” she almost started wailing, it was like seeing her own future laid out in front of her.
Knock knock
Two heavy thuds were sounded outside the door and mary scrambled to the door, using spells to check it was a benevolent being and not malevolent (she will never not love mcgonagall for teaching her that spell) and eventually opened the door to dorcas meadowes.
Tattered robes, a couple deep looking scars on her arms and face, and in her arms was Emmeline, from what she could tell was that she was alive, technically. Mary’s heart almost stopped, upon seeing dorcas’ straining arms to keep Vance's form in bridal style she quickly hushed them inside, locking the doors and getting to work, ordering the potters around and getting everyone tea.
Everyone was tired and she had no fucking clue what was happening
Afterwards Emmeline was lying on the couch and everyone else too tired for the tired eating in a circle on the floor (it felt safer, she couldn't quite explain it) Dorcas broke their very sombre silence.
It started off with a slight chuckle then an unsettling rise in her voice she uttered “we won” looking at their face almost broke mary, her tired eyes, her tears, her scars, her odd smile, her broken presence
“The bitch is fucking dead. I killed him” she started cackling
“Emmeline and i fucking killed the dark lord, hahhaha” eventually she slumped down on marys shoulder
“I want to sleep” she muttered
“I, i think you deserve that to say the least.” mary replied.
When Emmeline woke up with mostly somewhat healed wounds she had some teas and mary caught up, maybe she wasn't as alone anymore.