WHAT'S YOUR NAME, AGAIN? [MARYN]

[Deleted]

The weekend had approached quickly and Alice was finding herself particularly exhausted this Friday night as she sat in front of the Hufflepuff Common Room fireplace in her pajamas. This was something Alice did not normally do, for she would usually spend her time on her four poster bed with the curtains drawn around her, avoiding any and all contact with her fellow female Hufflepuffs. She didn't dislike her fellow badgers as much as she disliked Ravenclaws, but she was just not very comfortable when it came to going out of her way to meet new people. So Alice would pretend to be asleep or she would sit behind the curtains and read until sleep finally came to her. Never would Alice hang out this late in the common room. Granted, it was quite empty tonight since it was so late. Perhaps that was really the reason why Alice found herself with her knees pulled up to her chest as she sat on the couch in front of the fire.

Alice's mind was flooding with the events of the past week. James finding the dead muggleborn, Alice telling her father about her feelings for James, receiving her Pygmy Puff - Fizzio, performing her first patronus, and flying on an Abraxan for the first time with Carcer. That memory was probably the best of the past week, for the rest had been followed by her feeling quite down on herself. James' seeing the dead muggleborn resulted in Alice feeling absolutely dreadful for the boy she loved, and upon telling her father about James, she felt awkward and embarrassed. Then when Professor Grey had called her and one of her good friends, Elodie, up to perform their patroni again, Alice couldn't do it because both Elodie and James had failed to. It was weird, for it seemed the only two good things that had happened to her in the past week - her getting Fizzio and riding Diana - had had nothing to do with James Potter whatsoever. Perhaps this was the universe's way of telling her something...

But every time Alice's mind would go anywhere near her best friend, her heart began beating fast and she felt something like butterflies in her stomach. But those butterflies also made her feel sick, for she knew James would never love her the way she loved him. It was all very confusing and practically heartbreaking to Alice as she took a deep breath and ran her hands through her hair, a look of frustration on her face as she rest her hands in her tangled dark blonde hair. She stared into the fire, imagining what it would be like if she and James were to date. Would they be as close? What would be different? While the thought was one of Alice's deepest desires, it also made her feel weird. Like this was forbidden and not allowed of her to even think of. She closed her eyes, not feeling the slightest bit sleepy. If there was one thing Alice was thankful for, it was the empty common room tonight.

@maryn

[Deleted]

The week had gone by rather quickly for Maryn. But it had also started out very badly for her. It had all started when she and her sister were on the train coming to school. They were talking about random things when the family owl flew into their compartment through the open window. It brought a letter form their mother saying that she was moving to America and that if they wanted they could come and live there instead and even go to school their as well. And then a first year muggleborn was murdered on the train. It made her really mad but also very sad that another person was killed. During the week she had trouble sleeping, and she usually roamed around the castle with her dog. Most times staying out late until she felt tired. Memories of the day her dad had been killed were still fresh in her mind. There wasn't much that she could do to get rid of them. Especially when she was helping her sister who had a few breakdowns earlier in the week.  

She had tried to go to bed earlier tonight but she hadn't been able to sleep and apparently neither had Mina, her pet German Shepard. Maryn and Mina had just come from running into Professor Grey on the first floor, who informed her that it was past curfew and sent her back to her common room. She had come to trust her defense against the dark arts teacher over the summer. He had been at the scene where her dad had been killed and had taken Maryn and her sister home. at least once or twice a week he would stop by to check up on them. Maryn really appreciated this, as it helped her get over the death of her dad. But she knew that she could always go to Professor Grey if she ever wanted to talk or if she needed anything.

Upon entering the common room she didn't really want to go back to bed yet since she still wasn't even tired. Maryn looked around at the now almost empty room. There were only a few people there but as she stepped further into the room she watched as they all headed towards their respective dorms, all except for one person sitting on a couch with her knees drawn up to her chest. Maryn looked down at Mina who was standing next to her and she said "Well girl shall we go make a new friend?" The dog barked and started towards the person on the couch. As she got closer she recognized who it was. It was Alice Longbottom, one of her dorm mates, but they really hadn't talked before, since both of them tended to keep to themselves. Maryn took a seat in one of the armchairs that was near the couch before she turned her head and looked at Alice. "Hi Alice. Can I join you?" Maryn smiled a little as she asked the question. Mina came over and put her head on Maryn's lap, and without really thinking about it Maryn started to scratch behind the dog's ears as she waited for Alice to acknowledge her.

@alice

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On the rare occasions that Alice did hang out in the common room, she didn't speak to anyone. Alice didn't mind the other badgers, for she was one after all. She wouldn't go out of her way to be rude or mean to them unless she really didn't like someone for a particular reason. And when someone came up to her to speak, they would normally say a word or two to her before realizing that Alice had no interest in speaking to them. They usually ended up offended and would walk away. Alice really didn't care about those people, though. She preferred to be alone.

Alice Longbottom had a specific group of friends that she would hang out with exclusively. James Potter and Elodie Wood were her very best friends. Alice was also close with the middle Potter child, Albus. And then Ronan Finnigan's friendship came with being so close with James and Elle. Then of course, the only fellow badger she had ever even remotely came close to befriending was Carcer Hagrid. Aside from these select few students, Alice hardly spoke to anyone. But Alice was pretty black and white; either she liked you or she didn't like you and you would most certainly be able to tell if the eldest Longbottom child did not like you.

Alice was too breathing thinking, taking deep breaths in and out, to realize that someone else had joined her in the common room. Make that two someones. Alice's eyes opened and she turned to see whom had entered when she heard the very familiar sound of paws on the ground. It was a German Sheperd, one she had seen around the common room before. She looked up then to see her dorm mate, Maryn, approaching her behind the dog. Alice really had no opinion of Maryn. She didn't dislike the girl by any means, but she also hardly knew anything about her to really like either.

"Hi Alice. Can I join you?" Maryn asked, and Alice took a second before she nodded. "Uh, sure," she said uncertainly. She didn't want to turn Maryn away, mainly because she found her dog to be cute and Alice could never say no to hanging around an animal.

@maryn

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Maryn noticed the uncertainty in Alice's voice when she had said "Uh, sure," Maryn wasn't quite sure how to proceed. She knew that they both kept to themselves and would never actively seek each other out. But tonight Maryn found it odd that Alice was out here and not hiding up in bed with the curtains drawn. Maybe they could become friends this year. She had made several friends outside of hufflepuff. But when she wasn't with her friends Maryn usually stayed by herself or was with Mina. Maryn looked down at Mina and then over to Alice who apparently had been watching the dog. "This beautiful dog, is Mina. I have had her since first year." She said as she pet Mina. 

She wasn't really sure as to where to take the conversation so she just kept petting Mina and stared at the fire that was in the fireplace. A couple of minutes went by and then she returned her attention back to Alice and asked. "So, what brings you down to the common room this late?" It was really all Maryn could think of to ask at the moment. Granted there were many things she wanted to ask but at the same time wanted to get to know Alice more with the hope of becoming friends. And so she had decided to find out first what had brought Alice out of her "cave" that was her bed. They all needed more friends and people that they could trust, which was one of the reasons why she had decided to try and get to know Alice. Dark times were upon them and Maryn knew it. She had lost her dad who was killed by death eaters, or at least that is what she had assumed. She hadn't talked to anyone about that day except for her little sister, her mom and also Professor Grey. And then not only that but apparently from what her dad had told her was that someone was killing off the Aurors one by one. Then he died, and then the girl on the train died as well. Maryn looked back to the fire thinking about everything that had happened. And there was one good thing that came out of all of it, and that was the fact that she was here at Hogwarts where she wanted to be.

@alice

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Alice looked back up at Maryn when she spoke, after she caught herself looking at her dog. Alice gave her a slightly apologetic look, feeling like she had been ignoring the girl for her dog. Alice did normally talk to animals before she would talk to people, but Maryn was a nice girl as far as she knew and she felt bad suddenly for ignoring the girl. Alice nodded slowly as Maryn spoke. "She is beautiful," she said, reaching out a hand toward the dog. "May I pet her?" She was more asking Maryn than anything, as she had always seen the dog following Maryn in the past, and figured she had a strong bond with Mina.

"So, what brings you down to the common room this late?" Alice looked at Maryn again. She shrugged, looking into the fire herself. "It's been a long week," she said. "Just thinking about everything that's happened." And it was true. Alice had just been mentally replaying images of the last few days in her mind. Many happy, many saddening. But when Maryn came over, Alice felt... relieved that she had a distraction from thinking.

The Hufflepuff turned to her fellow badger again, who she saw was also looking into the fire. "What about you?" She asked. Alice didn't normally speak to many girls that weren't Elodie, her best friend. She asked mainly because she thought it was the polite thing to do, but a part of her was also a little curious as to why Maryn had not gone up to bed with the others. With her curtains normally always drawn around her, Alice never knew what Maryn did in her free time. It wasn't hard to guess that the other Hufflepuff girls spent a lot of time complaining about classes and talking about which boy was the cutest (many times they would mention James and Alice would tense up under her covers.) But never once had Alice heard Maryn's voice as a part of those conversations.

@maryn

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"She is beautiful,...May I pet her?" Maryn smiled before patting Mina on the head letting the dog know to go over to Alice. "Of course." She finally took her gaze away from the fire as Mina wandered over to Alice. She loved her dog, a lot, they were practically best friends and inseperable. Since most times when Maryn wasn't in class or in the library, or in the Great Hall, they were always together. She had been able to draw comfort from Mina, when she was feeling down. And it always made her feel better.

Maryn nodded her head in agreement. "Yes it has been a long week. So much has happened." It was a simple statement of agreement. But in particular it had been long and she hadn't had the chance to really get any sleep. Not that she wanted to either. Cause most nights she would dream of the day that her dad had died. It was a sad day for her and her sister. Her Mom hadn't taken the news well, and had even moved to America rather than staying in England while Maryn and her sister were at school. No she had to move and then there was the first year muggleborn who got killed on the train. 


"What about you?" She looked over to Alice when she heard the question. For some reason Maryn wanted to her the whole story but she didn't want any kind of pity. "As for me well I couldn't sleep at all tonight. I have been having trouble getting any sleep at all this week, it has been rather difficult. So Mina and I went and roamed the castle like we usually do, until a little while ago, when we ran into Professor Grey. Who informed me that I should hurry and get back to the common room since it was past curfew. And so here we are." Maryn paused as the memory of seeing her dad's dead body flashed before her eyes. She closed them for a second and shook her head a little to get rid of the memory but it wanted to be stubborn and not leave. She felt a single tear roll down her cheek. 'Great here I am trying to get to know Alice better and here I am crying' was the thought that crossed her mind as she wiped the tear away with her hand. She wondered if Alice had seen, but she didn't really care, she felt that she could be herself. Like she was around the few friends that she had since she normally was a shy person. She turned towards the fire and stared into the flames once more. She had shed her fair share of tears, especially before she would fall asleep at night, she wanted to get rid of them but she wasn't sure how she could do that. Professor Grey had mentioned something about talking about it with other people. 'Maybe Alice is one of those types of people Professor grey mentioned' But she wasn't sure that she could and so not wanting to really talk about it just yet "So what's you favorite subject?" she asked hoping to not have to talk about what happened. It wasn't something that she readily told anyone. She hadn't even told Ronan, one of her best friends, who always went out of his way to help her out. 

@alice

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When Mina came over to Alice, her face lit up with a wide grin. "Hello, Mina," she said to the dog, scratching the back of her right ear enthusiastically. "You're a pretty girl, aren't you?" She said to the dog. Alice normally forgot about any human in the vaccinity when she spoke to animals, but as she continued to scratch Mina, she looked back to Maryn, a smaller smile now on her face.

Alice half chuckled at Maryn. "Professor Grey, always a stickler for the rules," she said, a little awkwardly. Alice wasn't terribly good at making small talk with new acquaintances, but she felt she was making progress. She thought that the presence of Maryn's dog was really helping her with being more comfortable with Maryn. She watched the girl as she spoke, and as she did so, Alice thought that she had seen something glimmer down Maryn's cheek, then turned her attention away from Maryn as she saw Maryn's hand move to wipe her eye. Alice was growing increasingly more awkward. "Why is she crying?" She thought to herself as she looked at the fire, her shoulders slouching awkwardly inward.

"So what's you favorite subject?" Alice let out a quiet sigh, happy for for a subject change. She turned to look at Maryn with a little smile once more. "Care of Magical Creatures, easily. And you?" She asked in return.

@maryn

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Maryn smiled as she watched Alice’s face light up when Mina went over to her. She loved her dog who was practically her best friend. "Professor Grey, always a stickler for the rules," Maryn noticed the awkwardness of how Alice said that. Perhaps her fellow badger didn’t really know Professor Grey that well. If it had been any other teacher she would have gotten detention for being out past curfew. But he just let her go after making sure she was headed towards the Hufflepuff common room. That man would show up at the most random times. But then yet again it had always been when she needed someone this summer who would listen to her. He was a really cool and laid back person who cared about everyone and their wellbeing. “Sometimes he can be a stickler for the rules but then yet again not really since he just told me that it was past curfew and that I should get back here, and didn’t give me detention or take points away.” Maryn paused for a moment and then said. “He really is a laid back person, and has helped me and my family out quite a bit this summer.” Whoa. She wasn’t sure why she had just told Alice that Professor Grey had helped her family out this summer after the death of her dad. Maryn hoped that Alice wouldn’t ask her about her summer, but then yet again it might not be a bad thing if she did.

"Care of Magical Creatures, easily. And you?" Maryn smiled, that was why Alice liked Mina so much. “It’s really cool that you like Care of Magical Creatures.” People who liked animals were generally cool people, some shy and some not. Take Carcer for an example, the guy loved any type of creature, especially the bigger ones. “I would have to say Transfiguration. It is by far what I am best at.” It was true she had the top score in their year for Transfiguration. Looking around to see if there was anyone one else in the common. Once she was sure that no one else was there, Maryn turned her hair and eyes a different color, and said “And I am also a metamorphagus. Not many people here at school know that I am one but that is okay.” She turned her hair and eyes back to their original colors. It was odd to Maryn that she had revealed to Alice so much in such a short time. She just felt comfortable talking to Alice for some reason.

@alice

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It was always a lot easier for Alice to get along with someone if they loved animals. She found that it was much easier to relate to them, even without talking. With Maryn, Alice had definitely seen her in the common room in passing before. And in the dormitory. Both places, she could always be seen with Mina so it was no question that Maryn loved her dog more than anything. Perhaps that was why Alice was keeping the conversation going, or even let it take place in the first place. By now, Alice probably would have thought up some excuse to leave if it were anyone else.

Alice watched Maryn as she spoke. Alice rarely watched acquaintances in such a way like this, looking interested in what they had to say. Alice didn't know much of Professor Grey, other than he was just a nice professor and had never been hard on her. She respected him for that. “He really is a laid back person, and has helped me and my family out quite a bit this summer," Maryn said. Alice gave her a very small smile and then looked at the fire. "That's very nice of him," she said, staring at the fire for a moment. If Maryn had been anyone else, a person that Alice really couldn't see herself getting along with, she would have left it at that. But Alice found herself wanting to actually... befriend Maryn, so she thought she would take it a step further and ask her about her summer. "What did he help out with, if you don't mind my asking?" She asked, turning back to look at Maryn.

Alice smiled at Maryn's compliment, and then let out a little laugh at the mention of Transfiguration. "Lucky you," she said. "That's not one of my best subjects. I would say you definitely have to have a certain talent for it," she looked back at the fire, recalling her past years in Transfiguration in which she had struggled quite a bit. But sometimes Alice surprised herself in the class, though it wasn't often she could conjure or change something without flaws. However, she had always noted that Maryn had always done everything near flawlessly in each of their classes since first year. While staring at the fire, Alice felt Maryn move beside her, looking around the room. She turned to face her fellow badger just in time to see her eyes and hair change a different color. Alice's mouth dropped. Alice knew what a Metamorphagus was, she had just only met one before: and that was Teddy Lupin, through the Potters. "Wow," she let out, breathlessly, as Maryn changed her hair and eyes back to their original colors.

@maryn

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"That's very nice of him,… What did he help out with, if you don't mind my asking?" Maryn wasn’t quite sure what to tell Alice or how to best answer the question that she had posed her with. She wasn’t quite ready to tell Alice exactly what had happened like she did with Cori, but she would tell her enough just so that her new friend would understand. “I ask that you not tell anyone else this, I don’t want it getting around.” Maryn began basically pleading with the other girl not to tell anyone else what Maryn was about to tell her. “You see, this summer was going great until…” Another tear rolled down her face, it never got any easier telling people what had happened. And she didn’t expect it to at least not yet, for Professor Grey had told her that when you lose someone close to you it takes a long time to be able to talk about that person without feeling a sense of being lost and sad. “Until one day when my dad, my little sister Whitney, and I took a trip to London to spend the day together. But it all ended quite abruptly when we were attacked by death eaters. By the time that the fight was over my dad lie dead on the street and it didn’t even look like anything had happened. And then some time later, I am not sure really how long it had been since everything was a blur after the fight. But Professor Grey showed up with some other people, and he took us home to our mom, who as of the beginning of the semester has moved and now lives in America.”

Maryn wiped the tears away, once more as she gave a small smile. “And then for the rest of the summer Professor Grey would come over a few times a week to check on us to see how we are coping. He has really helped us out a lot.” She was glad that she had told Alice all of this. And once she did it almost felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

There were many things that they could talk about. And when Alice told her that she was lucky to be talented at transfiguration a grin appeared on Maryn’s face. “If you ever have trouble or want help with transfiguration all you have to do is ask and I would be more than willing to help you out.” Maryn said and smiled and she almost laughed when Alice’s mouth dropped open when she had showed her that she was a metamorphagus. It was always worth showing certain people her metamorphagus ability just to see the looks on their faces.

@alice

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It had not occurred to Alice that Maryn, a fellow quiet Hufflepuff, was best friends with one of Alice's worst enemies. Coriander Pepsi and Alice clashed extremely. It was probably because they were so alike, yet so different. Coriander was everything that Alice hated in a person: just as smart as she was, a Ravenclaw, and Coriander was pretty. If Alice had made the connection between Maryn and Coriander, she probably wouldn't be speaking to Coriander. But as it were, Maryn was now proving to be nice enough that Alice would probably look past her being so close with Coriander.

“I ask that you not tell anyone else this, I don’t want it getting around.” Maryn seemed very serious, as the moment Alice sensed the urgency in her tone, Alice put on a very serious look. Being serious was never a challenge for Alice. Being friends with James Potter required some balance of seriousness with his absolute childishness. Alice's brow furrowed together, in concern and curiosity. As Maryn began to speak, Alice noticed a tear fall down her cheek. Alice had a feeling that whatever happened to Maryn must have been very hard for her, and Alice felt a pang of guilt hit her.

Alice's brow relaxed, wrinkling now in sadness for the girl. Her mouth fell agape slightly as Maryn spoke. Alice had had no idea something so horrible had happened to someone who had been in her class for years. Granted, it was very recent, it was still wierd to hear about evil people killing the parents or relatives of a fellow student. Alice stayed silent. She truly did not know what to say. She felt terrible and sad for Maryn, yes, but Alice never knew what to say in those sort of situations.

When Maryn offered up a small smile, Alice's mouth turned into a thin line. She couldn't bring herself to return the smile for some reason, and she knew that probably wouldn't help Maryn at all so she began to feel a little worse. However, as Maryn continued to speak, Alice sensed that Maryn was becoming more relaxed. Alice had always heard that talking about tragedies such as Maryn's helped with the coping process. But then again, Alice had never so much as gone through the death of a pet.

"I'm..." Alice struggled for words. "I'm sorry," she said almost inaudibly, looking away from Maryn. Alice wasn't sure she could meet her eyes. She couldn't imagine the pain Maryn and her sister must be going through. Alice, of course, spent most of the year away from her mother but to be abandoned by her all together? To have to take care of herself and her brothers alone? Alice could never do it. But as she looked up at Maryn again, it was easy to see that Maryn was strong. Strong enough to surely take care of herself and her younger sister.

Finally, Alice smiled softly at Maryn. "Thanks," she said simply, giving the brunette Hufflepuff a nod. "I'll keep that in mind." Why had Alice taken so long to warm up to fellow badgers? Until this year, she had hardly spoken to anyone aside from Elodie, Ronan, and James. Which was odd, because apparently Maryn and Ronan were also good friends. And of course Elodie and James got along with almost everyone. But already, after warming up, Alice was finding that she had a few good friends in Hufflepuff. "I hope it's not some Hufflepuff trend to be good at Transfiguration..." she began to say, a little joking tone in her voice. "Because I'm bloody awful at it," Alice looked at Maryn. "But you and Carcer are top of the class!"

@maryn

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She had to almost strain to hear the words that were almost inaudibly muttered by Alice. Maryn offered up a small smile. “Thanks for listening to me Alice it means a lot to me. There are several people that I haven’t even told yet and I am not sure that I will either.” She was definitely going to tell Ronan but not today but soon very soon.

"I hope it's not some Hufflepuff trend to be good at Transfiguration... Because I'm bloody awful at it,… But you and Carcer are top of the class!" Maryn blushed a little bit as she heard the praise from Alice about being top of the class. Regaining her composure “I don’t think that it is a Hufflepuff trend Alice, well at least not yet.” She gave the blond a wink clearly saying that she was joking. “But it really isn’t that hard. I mean come look at what you did the other day during class you conjured the items that Professor Stone asked us to. If you can do whatever it is that you did, which I might have a hunch as to what it is since I know the many secrets of Transfiguration.” She paused, to collect her thoughts about what it really was that had helped Alice the other day in class to conjur those items. “Tell me what were you feeling when you cast that spell?” It was simple because in transfiguration you had to use your imagination and feel the magic you used to transfigure objects.

Maryn couldn’t help herself she was excited all previous sadness had disappeared from her, or should I say that it was pushed aside. She took out her wand. “First things first, you must focus on what you are going to do. Secondly you must imagine what it is you are transfiguring something into, and then last but probably the most important you must feel the magic. Once you do that you then focus on the object once more and then say the incantation. Let me show you.” Maryn the closed her eyes for a minute as she focused on a book that was on the side table. Going through the other steps she pointed her wand at the book and said “in draconem!” She turned the book into a live miniature Swedish Short Snout. It was completely harmless and wouldn’t grow at all. She could turn it back but she was going to have Alice turn it back into a book. “Okay now I want you to try, just follow those three steps. Focus, imagine, and feel.” She instructed her friend.

@alice

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Alice shrugged at Maryn and she couldn't help but give her a sort of sympathetic look. "I don't blame you," she said, softly. "If you don't feel like you can or should, then you shouldn't have to. It's no one's business but your own," she said. A part of Alice wanted to put her hand on Maryn's shoulder to comfort her, but she didn't necessarily feel all that close with Maryn to do so.

Alice looked away from Maryn when reminded of the other day in Transfiguration class when Alice had conjured a chair and sleeping bag perfectly. “Tell me what were you feeling when you cast that spell?” What had Alice been feeling? That was easy. Anger. Alice had been angry that day in class because of James. James usually sat with Alice in all of their classes together, but that day... he had gone and sat next to that Lestrange girl. This had angered Alice quite a bit. She had been so angry, in fact, that she didn't even realize that she had correctly conjured the items perfectly. Luckily, Carcer had been able to cheer her up a bit.

"I was angry..." Alice said quietly, looking back at Maryn again. She didn't really want to say why, though, so she began to think of a cover story for if Maryn just so happened to ask why she had been angry.

Maryn's new mood had actually surprised Alice. Her eyes widened a bit as Maryn took out her wand and began to speak. Alice tried to concentrate on the instructions that Maryn was giving her. She watched her closely as Maryn closed her eyes, seeming to be focusing on something. Alice kept her eyes on Maryn and then they followed her gaze down to the book which she had just turned into a miniature dragon. Alice's eyes widened more as she looked from the dragon, back to Maryn. "W-wha?" She stuttered out, her right index finger raising to point meagerly at the dragon then at herself. "You want me to turn it back into a book?" She asked the brunette.

@maryn

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"I don't blame you…If you don't feel like you can or should, then you shouldn't have to. It's no one's business but your own," Maryn couldn’t help but smile at this, as well as the sympathetic look that she received from Alice. Anger is that what had fueled Alice’s magic that day during transfiguration, or was it jealousy? The reason why she thought that it might be jealousy was due to the fact was that she had seen where Alice was looking just before doing the required spell work for the day, and it just so happened to be towards James and Aurora. She wasn’t sure but she wasn’t going to push the matter right now since they were still becoming friends.

Maryn smiled and nodded her head in agreement. “Yes I would like for you to try to turn the dragon back into a book, or simply as it was once before.” Maryn answered Alice’s question in a polite tone, that was laced with patience, which she had developed due to the fact of how her mother acted towards her little sister and herself. It really was quite annoying at times that her mother never really cared enough to help them out with anything. And in essence Maryn and her sisters were definitely daddy’s girls. Snapping out of the thoughts she was having about needing to go talk to Sasha whom she knew worked up in the Hospital wing as a nurse/assistant to the matron of the hospital wing, she paid more attention to Alice whom it seemed had not even begun to try to turn the dragon back into a book yet. “Well what are you waiting for give it a try. I know you can do this.” Maryn said after sensing that her new friend needed a little bit of encouragement.

@alice

(sorry that it is short)

[Deleted]

Alice's eyes widened very obviously when Maryn spoke, confirming that she did indeed want Alice to turn the little dragon back into a book. The dragon began to blow little puffs of fire as Alice very slowly took her wand out of her robes. She blinked a few times as the dragon swung its tail back and forth, obviously thinking it was bigger than it truly was. She thought to herself the words that Maryn had said. "In draconem." Seemed easy enough. The blonde Hufflepuff let out a deep breath and she closed her eyes to gather her thoughts for a moment.

She thought back to how she felt that day in Transfiguration. Seeing James with Aurora. The hurt she felt that it wasn't her with him. The anger and jealousy that had been coursing through her veins at the very sight of James with Aurora. As if all at once, Alice could feel her face getting hot. Even now, days after the incident, she was mad about it. Of course that only made Alice's face turn red with embarrassment which in turn made her even more mad. The anger and drive she had had that day in class was slowly rising...

Finally, the eldest Longbottom opened her eyes. She pointed her wand at the dragon and said with confident anger, "In draconem!" The dragon poofed in a small puff of smoke and there was once again a book where it had sat. Alice let her wand arm fall to her side as she blinked at the spot it had been at. She glanced up at Maryn, but then back at the book. Alice had shocked herself.

@maryn