Sadistic Professors ((Mack))

[Mary Evans]

As luck would have it class was cancelled, maybe not forever, but Mary would never say no to a free period. Admittedly she had skived off homework the night before so her period wasn’t totally free, but her transfiguration work would actually get done, which was much better than she was expecting. The library was rather quiet, seeing as it was the middle of the day, but a few other fifth years were milling about, likely avoiding being shoved out into the cold of the courtyard by the sadistic professors. Mary would like to see them freeze their behinds off out there in the winter with the students, then nobody would be forced out there between periods. That wasn’t what she was supposed to be thinking of, though, she was supposed to be looking for page… for page… Mary opened up the scroll of parchment where she had scribbled down the homework, again, because she had forgotten the page she was supposed to be reading.

It was just so silly, so much work and for what? So they can pass some silly exams at the end of the year and make the professors look good? It’s not like anyone actually looked at your scores anyways. It was all about your name and how much weight it carried; as an Evans that meant Mary was set even if she failed all her exams. The parchment snapped back into it’s roll in front of Mary as she cracked open the textbook again, this time going right to page 160, where she was supposed to begin reading. “I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to read this. All my teachers can go to; give me an h, give me an e, give me an l l, that’s right they can go right to…” Mary sang in a mumble under her breath. “Mack!” she called out lifting a hand in greeting while glaring back at those who gave her looks for disturbing the peace of the library.

Well, if Mack was there it meant Mary didn’t have to work. She could always ask someone what it said later anyways, catching up with Mack was more important. It’s not like they shared a room or anything, they really did but… that was beside the point. Mary liked Mack, she had been through a lot, but then who hadn’t? And Mack was certainly worthy of her place in Slytherin, an honour worthy of respect itself. The girls had a funny relationship, though, where they respected each other a lot, shared a room, were sometimes really close friends, then would go through busy spells or stressful times where it seemed like they never got to talk anymore. If she really thought about it Mary would have realised she had little idea of what was going on in Mack’s life just then. But she didn’t, she was just glad her friend was there to distract her from the evil Transfiguration Book.

[Mackenzie Holden]

It was almost official. Mack chewed on her bottom lip as she stared at the notebook on her lap. She was supposed to be writing a new song for the album, but she couldn't even get one word out. Her mind was revolving around one thing. Dixie was almost officially leaving Hogwarts. It was something Mack had expected but never thought would actually happen. Dixie was always talking about things were never the same anymore, and Mack would always shrug that off as Dixie being Dix and complaining. But lately, ever since Dixie had met Adam and since the accident, Dixie had actually talked about leaving Hogwarts and moving to Paris early. It was unthinkable to Mack, and yet it was the only thing she could think of at the moment. She let her head drop against the back of the chair she was sitting in and closed her eyes, trying to focus on something other than her older sister leaving Hogwarts. Would Dixie be able to do it? Mack wasn't worried about missing her, it was the idea that Dixie might not be stable enough to live in the real world... not without someone she knew with her. Maybe Mack was just worrying too much, maybe Dix could really handle it. Deep down Mack knew that even with how much progress the 17 year old had made, without Adam there with her... she was nothing and she could self destruct at any given moment. The bond that Dixie and Adam seemed to share was so great, and it was really sad to think that Adam didn't remember any of it. She felt bad for Dixie and wished there was something she could do for her.

That was it. Mack could do something for her. Maybe she couldn't make her better in any way, or maybe she couldn't heal her broken heart, but Mack could definitely do something that will make Dixie remember Adam... remember what he had meant to her. Even if Dixie kept saying how much she wanted to forget, Mack knew that wasn't the case. It was the exact opposite. Mack opened her eyes and lifted her head as her hand began scribbling the pen across the notebook. The lyrics escaping from her head as if they were there the whole time. Not everything is supposed to come true. Some words are best unsaid, some love is not really love at all. I keep everything I shared with you... and that's enough. There's us. Without the music being present, Mack knew the melody, she knew the harmony, she knew what it would sound like. It was all too great for her to comprehend at once. It would take time to get it right and she only had a couple of days if Dixie was really thinking of leaving. Which Mack was pretty much sure she was. Mack hadn't done anything with her sister, they had always been at each other's throats and Mack had always held resentment toward the older Slytherin girl. Now, all Mack wanted to do was hug her and tell her everything would be alright. Sadly, she couldn't do that, so she did the thing that she knew best. Wrote a song. The words continued to flow from her and within an hour she had a full song. She rearranged the verses and figured out the chorus and in the end she had a song she was quite proud of.

Mack read over again, singing it to herself quietly, and then tucked the notebook into her shoulderbag. She dropped the bag on over her head and quickly left the Slytherin common room in search of Dixie. She didn't know what compelled her to go to the library, but that's where she ended up. One quick look around the room and Mack knew that Dix wasn't in there. As she turned on her heel to rush out and find Dixie someplace else, she heard her name being called. Mack turned back around and spotted Mary waving her hand at her. She chewed on her bottom lip a moment and then decided to go talk to Mary, who she hadn't spoken with in awhile despite the dorm they shared. She would have to find Dixie later, especially since she was fairly certain that Dix wouldn't like to be bothered. Mack slid into the seat across from Mary and let out a sigh, "I haven't even started that." Mack nodded in the direction of Mary's Transfiguration book, "I figured I could do it when I was less stressed or I think that was my reasoning for procrastinating."

[Mary Evans]

Mary shrugged when Mack said she hadn’t done the homework either. Well, at least she wasn’t going to be the only one lost in class. But then there was one less person she could get the answers from. “Less stressed? Does that really ever happen, Mack? I mean, it’s our fifth year, you would think life would lighten up on us. But I know it doesn’t for me and sometimes I see you… you look more strung than your guitar to be honest.

“That’s why I don’t use stress as my excuse to procrastinate or flat out not do things. I figure, it’s not like any of it really matters, does it? Not for Slytherins at least. They may tell the other houses they have to study to get anywhere, but that’s because they’re nowhere to begin with. I don’t really know what I want to do when I graduate but I know I won’t need grades to do it. If I want to go into the ministry my mother has enough friends with high up husbands, if I want to go into a business my father has enough people who do things for him, if I want to sit on my behind all day then like damned I would need grades to do it. I mean, naturally, I am not going to sit around all day, that’s not in me, but my point is that life will work out if I give these professors the time of day or not. Besides, it’s not like they give us any interesting courses around here. And the one course that could have been okay they have Binns teach us so… it’s not like we really get anything out of it.” Mary ranted in a quiet nonchalant tone, as though merely making small-talk about the weather.

Pushing the book aside Mary closed it with a small snap and smiled in a chipper way at Mack. “But whatever, like I said, we don’t have to do it anyways. How’s life been treating you? Not seen you around much considering how little time I have been spending in the room and when I do you always seem to busy or like you just don’t want to talk…”

[Mackenzie Holden]

Mack shrugged and looked to her right when Mary told her she looked more strung than her guitar at times. “That’s the price I pay. If I don’t have assignments do, it’s music and lyrics, if it’s not either of those things it’s the fact that I’m behind on recording. Or… that I’m never with Jack anymore.” She looked down at her nails, which were chipped from playing the guitar, that feeling back in her stomach. She missed him, but… Mack sighed and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she turned back to Mary who was talking about how she would get through life either way, with or without good marks.

She smirked, “Some people don’t have the luxury of running to Daddy Dearest.” Mack might’ve sounded bitter, but she couldn’t help it. Mary (even though she was a good Slytherin) was also the cliché of one. She could fall back on her father whenever it was needed, but Mack couldn’t. Mack wasn’t able to bounce back from some blunder, some failing mark, or anything of the sort. However, she didn’t state this aloud but she did feel it and she knew Mary wasn’t so stupid to not catch the hidden meaning behind her bitter words. “There are some classes that I don’t mind. Then again, I’m not your natural Slyth and I enjoy learning from time to time.”

Mack’s eyes followed the book Mary shoved aside while stating they didn’t have to do it anyway, and she felt her eyes flicker to the side because she knew that she had to do it even if Mary didn’t. It was just another thing to add onto her to do list and that was something that was growing longer and longer by the day. “Yeah, I’ve noticed you’ve been more on the scarce side lately. Any particular reason? Obviously, I’ve been too busy to wrap my head around, with my sister running off to Paris and my music taking a turn for the worst and all.”

[Mary Evans]

Listening as Mack explained her reasons for being high strung, assignments, music, recording, missing Jack, Mary tried a sympathetic smile to hide that she didn’t really get what all the fuss was about. Perhaps it was just that she didn’t worry about assignments too much, and certainly had no musical talent to speak of, and while she could understand missing someone… Well that one she could understand; to an extent at least. Of course, Mary was never the serious relationship type, her friendships she took quite seriously, but she still thought herself too young to be looking for a boy she really wanted to spend her life with, or even really let into her life to a great extent. Some boys… well no, no boys. Mary liked boys well enough, one in particular especially, but even he who she spent so much time daydreaming about she would never want to commit to in any serious way.

“Oh, don’t speak like that” Mary snapped when Mack made a comment about not being able to run to ‘Daddy Dearest’, “you think I have forgotten that not everyone, including you, has parents like mine? That’s not the point. You’re in Slytherin, that gives you the proper connections whether or not it’s through your parents or not. I mean, think when Pyro had all that going on with his dad and so he moved in with me for a time, that’s what it is to be in Slytherin, if we don’t look out for each other then… well we’re done. The rest of the world thinks we’re the enemy just because we know how to look out for ourselves. It’s like ‘if you’re at the top you must be bad’, it’s a bunch of bull really. Or ‘if you get something out of helping someone else it makes what you did worth less’, I mean come on. Just because we know the benefit of well placed friends…” it annoyed Mary to no end people’s perceptions of Slytherins as bad simply because they were smart. She didn’t really care what others thought, of course, it was just how they reacted and tried to keep Slytherins down, the fools, they didn’t realise when they grew up there was almost a certain chance they would end up working for a Slytherin. “And I don’t know where you have been for the past 5 years but it’s not a Slytherin thing to not like learning. True, a lot of realise that a practical education is a lot more important than a mark, but that doesn’t mean anything. I wouldn’t say I am particularly special as far as education goes but when I like something I learn a lot about it, that’s why I read so much. What happened Mack? You used to get this, did you suddenly start listening to Hufflepuffs?” Mary asked, not in a condemning tone, just rather confused. She and Mack got along well, that meant that they would have similar values, so Mack must understand all this and what it is to be Slytherin, why was she suddenly so down on it all? Sure, Mack had a lot going on in her life but Slytherin is something you are for life, and if you aren’t up on yourself who else is going to be?

Mary looked down at the table and started dragging her finger around in swirling motions. It was nice to talk to Mack again, to feel like she was making contact with her life from before she lost her head, but what had happened in that short time she was gone, absorbed in her own world? She felt rather silly, arguing as though talking to a Gryffindor to someone who was supposed to understand. Was it Mack that had changed, or her? But it must be Mack, Mary didn’t feel like she had changed… right?