𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝗜 ━━ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧
046. chaos by the whomping willow

          𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗨𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗪𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗜𝗡, and some students only groaned when the four of them entered the Great Hall together, knowing the pranks would be back again. It had almost been another week since they were back together, and every day had been more and more colourful, quite literally.

      They were changing people's hair colour almost every single day, dropping bombs filled with colours which made Hogwarts look more like a circus than it already was.

      Scarlet was following Everest and Marlene as the pair chattered and the Slytherin-blonde rolled her eyes with annoyance, suddenly feeling left behind. She was not going to interrupt them and test Everest's patience though.

"Then Narcissa decided to yell at the boy so loudly, he started crying!" Everest told Marlene enthusiastically about when their Head Girl screamed at a third-year Hufflepuff boy for stealing muffins from the kitchen.

Their giggling was broken when they heard laughing and cheering in the direction of the Whomping Willow. The three girls shared a look and jogged over to check out the scene.

Sirius laughed so hard at something James said, he almost lost composure and placed his palms on his knees. Under the tree was Severus Snape with leaves and twigs stuck in his robes and hair, unable to move as though put down by invisible robes.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Everest scoffed, turning to the three Marauders standing side by side as they pulled this ill act. She spared Remus a glance who sat a little far away with a book in his hands, watching the scene unfolding.

However, at the sight of Severus' cheeks turning pale pink as he stumbled over his words, "You—wait! Just—wait!" Without thinking and fearing the worst, he took his wand and almost shot, "Sectum—!"

Knowing the outcome of the spell, Scarlet worked quickly and disarmed him with, "Expelliarmus!" His wand flew out of his hand, landing on the grass. Lips parted, heart picking up its pace, she shot him a look of disbelief.

The Marauders were confused, in fact, they were prepared to take on any spell Severus casts upon them—not knowing what it does exactly. And seeing Scarlet 'defending' them, their ego only went higher.

"That nose of yours gets bigger every day, does it not, Snivellus?" James roared out a laughter.

Marlene let out the smallest giggles, finding his appearance funny.

Everest whipped her head towards the blonde in disappointment, shaking her head. "Marls."

"It is a little funny," Marlene chuckled, pushing a strand of her blonde locks behind her ear. A crowd of people surrounded them, snickering at the scene.

"Cheer up, Chasseur," James calmly agreed, turning to a crestfallen Everest. "Now the git finally has to take a shower, the Slytherins should be thanking me."

"Get lost, will you?" Eve shouted back.

Snape begins to throw useless hexes at James who then casts in return, "Scourgify!" to fill his mouth with pink soap bubbles, gagging him.

To say Scarlet was enraged would be an understatement. She glared at the group venomously.

"Do you think any of this is funny?" asked Scarlet, shaking her head.

"Well, you are seeing us all laughing," Sirius mockingly said, making Peter and James burst out into a peal of laughter. Remus followed their acts with a small chuckle—although it sounded forced.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Another feminine, enraged voice called. "This is absurd! He did nothing to you!"

"Lighten up, Evans," Peter mustered a laugh, eyes fixated on Severus as they all ignored Lily's enraged figure screaming loudly.

"He's done nothing to you, stop this!"

When James put out the curse, Everest used her wand to put a cleansing spell on Severus after approaching him slowly.

James was distracted by the appearance of Lily, and before Everest could stop him, Snape used his wand to shoot a green flash towards James, resulting in a bloodied injury on the side of his face, crimson liquid dropping onto his clean robes.

Scarlet gasped, turning back around to Severus. As an act of revenge, James hung Severus upside down by the tree, revealing his underwear and his thin, bare legs. The Marauders and others at the scene started to let out loud snickers and laughter.

"Nice one, James!" Sirius complimented, sharing a proud look.

Lily shouted at the top of her lungs. "I said leave him alone! Let him down!"

Scarlet should have done something earlier. However, her uttermost attention was not on the situation, but rather on an upset Everest who could not peer her eyes away from a laughing Marlene. Her heart cracked at the sight, the sight of Eve practically begging the blonde with her eyes to not be so foul.

The blonde turned to the marauders with a pleading look. "That's quite enough, Potter, stop this!"

Firmly, she pointed her wand at them as soon as she neared them, the tip of it directed right at James' throat. Before she could mutter a spell to make him lose control, a figure came behind her and slyly pulled the wood out of her hand.

      This was one sight—the intense sight of Sirius snatching away Scarlet's wand that caused the crowd to fall silent, mostly from intimidation. Alice clutched onto her book tighter, giving Marlene a look.

"Pads, no, don't do that—" Remus chimed in, stepping forward.

Sirius eyed the wand carefully, running a finger over the perfectly structured piece of a crow head. "Suits me brilliantly, does it not? Maybe I should keep it."

Scarlet hated being the unarmed one. She hated the idea of not having the protection in the shape of her wand in her hand when everybody else did.

The last time she witnessed something like this was when her father disarmed her mother, leaving her perfectly vulnerable. Attacked her mother.

The feeling of lack of security tugged at Scarlet's heartstrings. "Give it back," she spoke quietly. She no longer felt safe. Not without that wooden piece.

"What the fuck? How dare you snatch that off her!" Everest screamed over the distance, defending the blonde quickly.

Lily shouted as loudly as the Slytherin, "STOP THAT RIGHT NOW, POTTER!" She kept an eye on Severus, watching him float. "You arrogant, bullying toerag! Leave him alone!"

Remus stood back, watching practical chaos taking place.

Lily was screaming and pleading at James who kept his composure while bullying Severus.

Scarlet lunged forward at Sirius, trying to take her wand back when he put it in the air, raising his hand with a large grin. Sirius held a few inches above Scarlet, and her hand aggressively clutched onto his collar as she tip-toed, trying to reach it.

"I said give it back!"

The next series of events happened too fast.

"You're no fun," Peter huffed like a child at Lily.

James coldly replied, "All right, I'll put him down." With a laugh, he dropped him. Before Severus could hit the ground with a painful thud, Eve used her wand to make him land safely and helped him to his feet.

"All right everybody, the show is over!" Remus disrespectfully shouted over the expanse of the audience that formed, watching them walk away with irritated looks on their faces.

"You're just lucky Evans was here."

Severus attempted to save the little dignity he had left after such harassment. "I don't need help from a filthy Mudblood like her!"

Scarlet eyes shot right to the Slytherin, finding the words used unreasonably hurtful. She could finally focus on matters at hand rather than only—selfishly—thinking about her best friend's feelings and her bloody wand.

Lily's eyes welled with tears, and Marlene made her way over to the redhead to hold her closely.

"No, no," he instantly regretted it.

"Apologise, now!" James yelled.

"Shut your fat, filthy mouth for once, will you?" Scarlet scoffed. "What in the name of Salazar is wrong with you?"

"Of course, you're on his side." Sirius chimes in from the back. Scarlet turned to share a look of disbelief with Everest, watching her approach.

Lily looked between Sirius and Scarlet, finding it unbelievable that he would speak and behave with his girlfriend that way—"The two of you are no better!" She shouted at Sirius and James, defending both Scarlet and Severus.

Sirius blurted out a laugh, still holding Scarlet's wand high up in the air.

      And the next moment, Everest stomped over to Sirius Black and punched him right in the jaw. A mixture of shocked gasp and pained groan left his throat, and he lost balance of Scarlet's wand in his hand, making him drop it. Everest didn't waste a second to pick it up and hand it to Scarlet before walking away along with Severus, side-by-side.

      The pang in her heart intensified when Marlene did not cast her a single look when she turned around multiple times, hoping and hoping that one thing would change, and all that they have built together would not drown. Her hope crashed and rippled as she strayed away from the scene.

Lily was still screaming at James, "YOU MAKE ME SICK! DON'T EVER SPEAK TO ME AGAIN, YOU FILTHY GIT!" Marlene had to pull her away from the scene before she cut James' head off—the Potter was examining Sirius' bruising jaw thoroughly.

"Just because your life is so miserable doesn't give you the right to agonise others!" She coldly spat at the Marauders.

"SCARLET, COME!" Everest called for her, holding Severus' arm as he desperately tried to make his way back to Lily. However, the Slytherin girl knew better than to allow Severus and Lily in the same room at the moment.

The Black's eyes squinted, and a sigh of annoyance left his lips as Scarlet walked away from him.

      EVEREST SAT WITH A CRESTFALLEN SEVERUS in the Slytherin common room and the two of them braced for effect as soon as Scarlet burst through the doors, sizzling in undying anger.

"Have you completely lost it?" She directed her question at Severus. "That was insensible and foul, you've hurt her a lot!"

"I didn't mean to!" Severus cried back, eyes pleading. "I really did not, she's my friend, it was... a heat of the moment."

Scarlet blinked blankly. "Heat of the—what? Does your ego really matter more than a friendship?" She asked a guilty Severus who held his head low, not protesting. "She's the sweetest girl we've ever met, and don't you dare disrespect anyone like that again because I know you—" She cut herself off, glancing at a confused Everest and a panicking Snape.

"Don't talk about it," it hit him in the heart. "You're not being fair either."

"What's not fair is calling your friend a slur!" She retorted.

"I didn't see you doing much at all, you were busy chasing after your wand whilst all that happened."

"Yes, to help you, idiot!" She hissed. "Maybe you're not worth it—her kindness."

"Scarlet, please don't do this," Severus started to plead again. "Will you speak to Lily? She'll listen to you."

"What makes you think Scarlet can convince Evans to forgive you," Everest chimed in from the back. "It was pretty extreme."

"I'm going to go find her," he frantically spoke, grabbing his robes and exiting the emerald room.

With a loud sigh, Scarlet fell onto the couch, sitting beside her friend. "That was a long day."

"Tell me about it," Eve muttered quietly. Scarlet instantly turned to her, a plethora of emotions circling her solemn, emerald eyes as she looked down at her own fingers.

"I'm really sorry, about..." Scarlet did not utter her name because even before she did, Everest flinched slightly.

"I thought I might have been an exception, you know, to Gryffindor's hate-all-Slytherins rule," she spoke in a deflated manner, shoulders slumping. "She didn't even care."

Scarlet gulped down with difficulty, she had never seen her in such a state and it sent a pang through her heart.

"Don't get me wrong, S," Everest nervously started. "You're smart, you're gorgeous and you have the perfect reputation... you walk into a class and everyone stares like you're a dazzling star..." she went quieter and quieter as she spoke, and Scarlet grew increasingly concerned. "I know I sound terribly jealous but I care,"

"Eve..." Scarlet whispered.

Everest squeezed her hands in hers, making sure she did not blurt out the wrong thing. "I care about the way you dress, the stars in your hair and that perfume you wear... and caring about such a thing is the sweetest form of torture — I loathe myself for it!"

      "Most of our friends only spoke to me near the start because you came along with me as a package deal," she chuckled lightly at the small hint of a joke, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "And although they really adore me now and they've been great friends, Marlene was..."

"Different?" Scarlet finished, and the brunette nodded softly.

"She liked me for me, it did not matter if she liked or hated my friends, she only saw me," her tone of voice dropped to a mere whisper. "For a moment, I wasn't just some girl standing behind someone that shines as bright as you, I was worth something on my own... but maybe I'm not worth it—"

"Don't ever say that, Miss Chasseur," Scarlet raised a brow, she shifted to turn her fully, taking her hands in hers. "You're the most gorgeous woman I've had the pleasure to spend time with, if someone refuses to care about how enchanting you are, that's their loss."

Everest smiled sadly, now starting to fiddle with the blonde's fingers. "I'm really glad to have you." There was that smile, the smile carved from the moon. The smile that gave an entire world full of darkness a glimmer. 

"And feeling's mutual," Scarlet winked playfully, her back hitting the green sofa in a relaxing mania. "Thank you for defending me today, even though it was quite extreme—"

"He deserved it," she quickly told her. "I saw the look on your face and I couldn't stop myself, who does he think he is?"

Scarlet cast her a downhearted look. Sirius was obnoxious and revolting that afternoon—and he has never shown such loathsome behaviour as he did twice in the past week. She hated what he did. And she hated herself more because even after all that, she couldn't let go of him.

𝑪𝑨𝑹𝑨 𝑺𝑷𝑬𝑨𝑲𝑺

i was playing 'lacy'
by olivia during
S&E's convo, and it was
the best experience 
EVER!!