SHIPS INCLUDED: Dorlene
WORD COUNT: 1108
YEAR SET: 5th
PLOT SUMMARY: Marlene is trying out for the Quidditch team, but there's only one thing in the way
I tried to take some of your advice but I would appreciate even more. After all, this is kind of just practise for writing :)
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"Marlene Mckinnon was rarely spoken of. She seemed to have slipped out of many people's minds, which was ironic, because she was the most memorable of the lot."
"Maybe don't start it like that, Marls," Lily rolled her eyes, writing stuff down with her quill, "You need her to want to get you on the team, not make her think your ego is bigger than it is."
"Most people don't even have to do a resume to McGonagall to get on the quidditch team," Marlene rolled her eyes, putting her feet up on the sofa arm. She had a cigarette in one hand and a glass of water in the other, dangling them both over the edge.
"Most people weren't banned from flying in the first year from stealing a bunch of brooms and hexing them to fly backwards. Be grateful she's even giving you a second chance."
"It'll all be worth it when I wipe that smug smirk of Meadowes' face." She grinned. Ever since 3rd year when the popular Dorcas Meadowes sat by her in transfiguration and had made her life hell, Marlene had vowed to beat her in any way she could. Their one common interest? Quidditch.
Lily simply nodded, knowing she was getting nowhere with this, and put the quill down. She had memorised James' timetable and knew that he was about to have his free period, so she believed it best to leave as quickly as possible.
"I'll see you later, Marls. Say hi to Mary for me."
"Bye, Lily," Marlene smirked and immediately kicked off her Doc Martens when she had left the room. "And hello Quidditch Team."
Marlene had given in her application form to Professor McGonagall and decided she couldn't be bothered to wait for her to approve it, so she went down to the quidditch pitch. It was a breezy spring afternoon, perfect conditions to practice. Just as she was picking up a spare broom, Marlene heard a cough from above her.
"Uh, excuse me. Its not Gryffindor practice time," The voice drawled. As Marlene looked up to see who it was, she felt a pit of dread. Dorcas.
"Yeah? Well I'm not even on the team, so beat that."
"I can beat anything," Dorcas chuckled, picking up a bludger and a bat, "Move along, people who are actually on the quidditch team need to practice."
A swarm of Slytherin players, ranging from 2nd to 7th year, followed Dorcas onto the pitch, picking up the items needed to play on their way. Marlene was shoved to one side, furious as she tied her hair into a short ponytail and sat on the broom. She flew up to the group of Slytherins and smiled.
"Mind if I join?"
One of the Slytherins (who only looked about 12) glanced up at Dorcas as she nodded. "Yeah, come play with us, Gryffindor loser."
"Perfect. Thanks, love," Marlene called up to Dorcas, winking at her. Dorcas went red, but Marlene could not tell if that was embarrassment or rage. She hoped it was both.
The practice lasted a good few hours, and both Marlene and Dorcas had gone for each other's throats throughout the whole thing. At the end, they shook hands, albeit incredibly firmly, and walked back to their common rooms.
~~
It had come to the day of the Gryffindor VS Slytherin quidditch match, and Marlene had been placed on the team as a substitute. Thankfully, as James had some kind of weird business with Remus and Sirius- something about 'ultimate betrayal' and 'broken hearts' (she had heard all this relayed from Lily), she was the honorary chaser for the game.
Dorcas looked utterly shocked when she saw Marlene enter with the Gryffindor team, if anything, slightly flustered. But she would never admit that, or even dream of doing so.
"Don't break your neck," Marlene whispered as she walked past, laughing.
"Don't fall," Dorcas smirked back, "You're not a proper team member, anyways."
"Yeah yeah, Meadowes."
"Goodluck, McKinnon, you'll need it."
The referee blew the whistle and the game started, a flurry of green and red flying through the sky as they each battled for victory. As the game went on and on, it seemed evident that Slytherin was going to win, giving Dorcas an ego boost to the max. She started doing loops and nosedives to the ground, all whilst effortlessly hitting away bludgers. Marlene was - and she hates to think it - utterly in awe of her.
"Watch out, McKinnon!" Dorcas yelled, laughing as a bludger came flying. Narrowly dodging it, Marlene threw the quaffle to one of her other teammates, some random 3rd year she didn't know the name of, and flew away.
Turning her back, big mistake.
Dorcas sent another bludger flying, this one hitting Marlene directly in the centre of her spine and sending her flying, causing a roar of applause from the green-decked house in the corner, and a spitfire of boos from the other 3. Marlene was subsequently rushed to the Hospital Wing, having been knocked unconscious.
~~
"Marls..?" Marlene heard a faint voice as she opened her eyes, "Marls. Wake up!"
It was Lily, wearing golden banners with red paint on her face, "We won!"
"Really?" She shot upright but instantly crumpled back down again, "Merlin, how hard did that bludger hit?"
"Pretty hard. But hey, someone else is here to see you," Lily's face darkened, and Marlene knew that could only mean 1 of 2 things. Either James was here...Or Dorcas was. And, as she hadn't heard any incessant asking-outs to Lily, she assumed it to be the latter.
"Its fine, let her in."
"If you wish," Lily shrugged and skipped away, half her hair dyed gold. Marlene hoped it wasn't permanent, it looked awful.
"Evening, McKinnon," Dorcas came closer, sitting at the edge of the bed, "How's your back?"
"It would be much better if you hadn't hit it with the bludger."
Dorcas looked like she felt bad. Marlene had never seen that look before. She had pulled the green ribbons out of her bun and had let her hair go free, if anything it looked nicer like that.
"Sorry about that. But, a game's a game, and you probably would've done the same."
No argument there.
"Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me and Pandora to The Three Broomsticks on our Hogsmeade weekends," Dorcas looked at the get well soon card that Lily and Mary had left her, "Unless you have other plans."
"No, I'd..love to," Marlene smiled, going pink.
"It's a date." Dorcas stood up, leaving an assortment of green and red flowers on the end of the bed, "Sleep tight, McKinnon."
Just like that, she was gone. And Marlene was happy again.
