Chapter Text
Mary McDonald didn’t know what she was doing here. Well, she knew in theory what she was doing here. She was here to learn magic. A statement which would’ve been completely absurd only three months ago.
The letter had come just days after her last term in primary school ended. She had been packing for a trip to the beach with her parents, trying to decide between swimsuits, when there was a knock at the door. Her mom answered the door and called Mary from her room. A strange man wearing purple robes was standing in the entry hall to the small flat the McDonald’s had in West London.
“Ah, Miss McDonald,” the man said, addressing Mary directly. Mary remembers standing up a bit straighter, she had never been addressed so formally before. She figured it must have been something important.
“I have something to discuss with you and your parents,” he had continued, “may we move this to the living room?”
Mary had sat down on the couch a slightly bewildered 10 year old, and stood back up several hours later with the entire course of her life altered.
The rest of her summer had gone by in a bit of a blur. It’s hard to pay attention to the sun on your face and the sand between your toes when you’ve been told that in a few months you’ll be packing up and moving to Scotland to study magic. Because Mary McDonald, as she learned from the man in purple, was a witch.
…
The day she left for Hogwarts, a funny sounding name for a school in her opinion, Mary cried alone on the train. When the train pulled into the station of a small town called Hogsmeade, she quickly examined her reflection in the window, making sure her eyes weren’t too swollen before taking a deep breath, holding her chin up, and exiting the train. She was resolved that her classmates would never see a tear from Mary McDonald. Not if she could help it.
The rest of the evening went by quickly.
She gawked at the castle as she rode across the lake. She sat up straight, making eye contact with nobody as the talking hat cried “GRYFFINDOR”, and ate in silence, listening to other peoples’ conversations at the table, making note of them. Some bloke named James was going on and on about something called quidditch. A topic which quickly devolved into an argument between him and someone else with black hair and blue eyes. A girl with blonde hair, who was sorted into Gryffindor right after Mary, quickly joined in the argument against James. On the other side of the table, some more first years were listening intently as an upper year named Frank explained class schedules.
When they finally got to Gryffindor tower and were shown to their room, Mary was ready to collapse into bed.
“I’m Marlene McKinnon, what’s your name?” The blonde girl asked from behind. The bed would have to wait.
“I’m Mary.” Mary replied.
Marlene stuck out her hand towards Mary. “Nice to meet you! I’m in your year in Gryffindor too!”
Mary rolled her eyes at the obvious statement, “Yeah, I know.” She said, shaking Marlene’s hand. Marlene smiled with all her teeth, revealing dimples, before turning around and marching over to the other side of the room where the other girl, a redhead, sat on her bed. Marlene offered her hand to the girl and went through the same pleasantries she’d extended towards Mary.
“I’m Lily–Lily Evans.” The girl said, grasping Marlene’s hand with equal measures of enthusiasm.
“So, I’d understand if you both wanted to sleep some,” Marlene began, “but I brought sweets if you want.” Mary had to admit, that sounded good. Her mom always joked she had a sweet tooth bigger than her own stomach, and the desserts provided in the great hall did little to staunch it. She made eye contact with Marlene, who was holding out some sweets in her hands, and couldn’t help but smile. You want to know the way to Mary McDonald’s heart? Offer something sweet.
“Yeah, I’d like some.” Mary said plopping down on the ground next to Marlene. Marlene spread out the selection of sweets on the floor and Mary did a double take.
“Jelly Slugs?” She asked, holding up a box with disturbingly anatomically correct slugs of different colors on the front.
“Yes?” Marlene said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Mary looked up at her and her eyes widened a bit. “Oh. Are your parents muggles?”
Mary felt her face heat up. “What’s that got to do with anything?” She heard herself say more aggressively than she meant to. Lily looked up from her bed, concerned.
Great, only night one and I’ve made a bad impression. Mary thought, feeling herself shrink a bit.
“Nothing, nothing.” Marlene said, putting up her hands defensively, smiling at Mary. “Just–here let me explain the different candies.” Marlene said, looking down and picking up the jelly slugs. “So, yeah. These are jelly slugs, and they look real but that's just because of the molds they use, though they might also be enchanted.” Mary was a bit taken aback. Marlene just said the candy might be enchanted as if it were the most natural thing ever. “But,” Marlene continued, “they’re just, you know, jellies. My favorite one is the green one,” She said, opening the package and popping one into her mouth. “Tastes like apples.”
While Marlene was busy chewing, Lily crept out of bed and came and sat next to Mary on the floor.
“My parents are muggles too,” Lily said. Mary looked up at Lily to see that she was looking at the candies. Mary redirected her attention back to the pile on the ground as Marlene swallowed and offered the box over to them. Mary picked out a red one and Lily declined. “I don’t like them very much,” she explained. Marlene just shrugged but Mary looked back up at her.
“Wait, but if your parents are both muggles how do you know about the candies?” Mary asked.
“My friend from home is a wizard. He’s in our year actually. He told me about this stuff a while ago.” Lily said.
“Our year?” Marlene looked up interested. “Is he that idiot from the Great Hall who thought that the Cannons were better than the Harpies?”
“The what?” Lily and Mary asked at the same time.
“Quidditch teams.” Marlene said dismissively, clearly more interested in whether or not Lily was buddy buddy with a Cannons supporter.
Lily seemed appeased with this answer although Mary was still lost. “No, he’s not in Gryffindor with us.”
“Oh,” Marlene said with a scowl on her face. “Which house, then?”
“He’s in Slytherin.” Lily said softly before picking up a box of sweets.
“Why are you friends with him?” Marlene asked boldly. Mary cringed at her bluntness.
“What?” Lily snapped looking up at Marlene.
“Wait, no. Sorry, that came out wrong.” Marlene scrambled explaining. “It’s just. Isn’t Slytherin bad? That’s what my parents have said: that bad people go to Slytherin.”
“No.” Lily said her voice low. “Severus isn’t bad. He’s my best friend.”
“Ok, ok, sorry. I take it back. I’m sure he’s fine.” Marlene said, putting her hands back up in defense for the second time tonight.
They sat in awkward silence for a little bit. Lily was scowling and Marlene just looked uncomfortable. Mary figured it would probably be best to just let it be. But curiosity got the better of her.
“What’s Quidditch?” Mary asked. And Marlene’s face immediately lit up.
“Oh my gosh Mary, am I about to introduce you to the world of quidditch?” Marlene said in an octave higher than Mary thought possible. Lily gave a small chuckle, and Mary’s shoulders relaxed.
“Ok.” Marlene said in an authoritative voice, standing up. “Quidditch is the sport of the wizarding world, and–”.
Marlene McKinnon, Mary realized in those following 30 minutes, when asked about Quidditch, could talk. What began as an instructional presentation on the rules and parameters to the game of quidditch quickly turned into a rant regarding the superiority of the Holyhead Harpies. As Marlene reached reason number 8 as for why the Chudley Cannons weren’t even close to being as good as the Harpies Mary felt her attention shifting back towards the candies. Sugar quills. Fizzing Whizzbees. Mary scrunched her nose at the cockroach clusters, and picked up a box of Bertie Bott’s every flavor beans. She turned the box around and tried to read the fine print on the back listing the different flavors. She had to squint in the dim light of the room. It really did seem like every flavor possible was listed on the back.
“Oh, be careful with those.” Lily warned, side-eyeing the box, a sugar quill in her hand. “Sev and I got toenail flavored ones one time.” She said, popping the tip of the quill into her mouth. Mary carefully put the box back down.
“How did you meet your friend? Severus.” Mary asked tentatively. Only slightly jealous that Lily, another muggle born like herself, already had a head-start on this world of magic.
Lily smiled softly. Mary noticed a dimple briefly appear on Lily’s right cheek as the redhead thought back to her friend.
“We met in a park. I had been playing with some flowers, trying to make flower crowns, when he came up and introduced himself. I guess he could tell I was a witch, even though I didn’t even entirely understand what I was.” Lily said.
“Did he tell you about all this, then?” Mary asked.
“All this– like magic and hogwarts?” Lily asked. Mary nodded, clarifying.
“Yeah, mostly.” Lily said, nodding. Mary felt a pang of jealousy settle in her stomach. She felt so behind. The only one of three girls in the dorm who didn’t know a thing about what was going on and where she was and who she was supposed to be.
Mary had always been a self-assured, confident girl. That’s what her parents told her. And she’d believed them. She had believed them up until that man in purple robes pulled the floor out from under her. Her confidence lied in a sense of belonging. Of knowing herself. She wasn’t sure about either of those things right now.
She would have to find her confidence again if she wanted to survive here.
The concern and resolve must have registered in Mary’s face in some way, because when she snapped back out of it both Lily and Marlene were looking at her. She looked between the two, embarrassed and was just about to excuse herself to bed when Marlene thrust something at her.
“Wait, here, try this. It’s just chocolate.” Marlene said grinning. Mary took the package Marlene had handed her and read the name of the candy.
“Chocolate… frogs.” Mary read aloud, wrinkling her nose. “It’s not actually a chocolate covered frog is it?” She asked warily.
“Oh, no no!” Marlene reassured her. Mary sighed with relief and began opening the box. “Just looks and moves like one.”
“I’m sorry, mov–,” Mary began before the box sprang open and the frog leapt out, landing squarely on the top of Lily’s head. She squealed and swatted it off.
“CATCH IT!” Marlene yelped.
The chocolate frog landed in the pile of candy on the floor. Mary and Marlene dove for it, banging their heads against each other as the frog easily maneuvered between their hands. Mary fell back laughing. Really laughing.
“It’s getting under the bed!” Lily squealed.
“No!” Marlene yelled, diving under the bed, her legs flailing. Mary just kept laughing.
That night, Mary went to sleep content. With a small bump forming on her head from her collision with Marlene, she knew she would be alright. Maybe she had a long way to go before she felt truly at home in the castle. But she could start small. Start with just this dorm. Just these girls. Within these walls, Mary knew she belonged.