chapter
↳ nine
moodboard
↳ millie & red

-

The Great Hall seemed at least ten times louder than usual to Millie. Perhaps that was because her mind was still sleeping, in protest to the fact that Lucinda had kept Millie up far past dawn. She was so tired she hadn't even done her makeup, which sucked, because there was a Hogsmeade trip scheduled that day.

Millie was considering skipping lunch just to go back and perfect her face, which was void of everything but mascara. On the other hand, she planned to buy makeup at Hogsmeade, and it might be nice to try on her new products with a bare face. It was proper annoying however, since she wasn't used to walking around without makeup. With only two weeks until Halloween, her classmates might think she'd turned into the late pal of the Bloody Barron.

Since she'd promptly agreed to help get Benji and Demetria together, she went to the usual breakfast setting, which was she and Demetria giving up their house tables to join the Gryffindors.

As much as Millie desperately wanted her brother and best friend to get together, she would've preferred sitting with Regulus. At least she would get to go around Hogsmeade with him. That was more ideal than seeing what Sirius and his pals got up to without adult supervision. This whole matchmaking business was far too theatrical for her. Perhaps that's how Gryffindors did it: went the long way around to get to the person they liked. Millie preferred the Slytherin way of simply walking up to your crush and asking them out. Demetria wouldn't do that in one thousand years, and Benji wouldn't do it in two, so both of those options were null and void.

Millie sat down beside Lily and smiled when a mug of black coffee appeared in front of her, along with a bowl of sugar and a pitcher of cream. "Praise," she muttered to no one in particular as she began to pour sugar into her coffee.

"Why do you look so tired?" Lily questioned. Her green eyes were abnormally bright for it being just shy of eight o'clock, and Millie peaked under he table to see that the redhead was wearing the fishnets she had been lended.

"They look good with your skin tone," she avoided the question with one of her own.

Lily grinned confidently, "Thanks! I'm thinking of getting a pair of my own if Hogsmeade has some."

"They should. Especially with Halloween coming up; people might want to use them in costumes."

"Speaking of, what are you going to be for Halloween? For the party that the sixth and seventh years are throwing in the Great Hall?"

Millie crinkled her nose. "Do I have to be anything? I supposed I haven't looked into it."

"You could be a witch!"

Millie deadpanned, "I'm already a witch."

"No," Lily rolled her eyes, "One of the storybook witches with green skin and giant warts!"

"No thanks," Millie declined, "If I'm gonna dress up I'm going to look good doing it."

"Well you better decide before we go. Our next trip to Hogsmeade won't be until December."

Millie nodded pensively and sipped her coffee, hoping the caffeine would kick in soon and give her some energy, or at the least, some idea about a costume. While her thoughts consumed her, the rest of the group filed in, and Sirius sat on the empty spot beside her. He picked up another mug the house elves had conjured up for him. He took it black, and sipped it hot, not waiting for it to cool. "How are you?" his murmur was low, directed at Millie.

She started, turning her head to examine Sirius. He was always yelling; what was up? "What do you mean? Why are we whispering?"

Sirius held his mug close to him, perhaps to conceal the warmth. "I'm whispering because I didn't think you'd want anyone to know about... you know... but I don't know why you're suddenly whispering."

Millie glared at him and hissed, "I have no idea what you're talking about—you started whispering first!"

"I'm whispering because I don't know if you want people to know that you're on your period and I didn't want to make a scene asking about it," Sirius said.

"Oh. Oh,"Millie's whisper turned back into her normal voice as she held in the urge to laugh at herself. She couldn't believe she had forgotten her alibi to Sirius. The thought that he remembered actually made her feel bad. "Right. No, I'm fine. I-It's over, actually! Yesterday must've been my last day!"

"That's good," Sirius then bent his head down towards Millie, "So can I stop whispering or..."

"Yes. Oh my goodness, yes. Just stop," Millie chuckled in spite of herself. Despite his annoying attributes, Sirius was surprisingly good at cheering someone up. Perhaps it was the morning person inside of him.

Sirius laughed and shrugged, as if he hadn't known any better, but the twinkle in his eyes suggested differently. "Did you hear today's plan?"

"No. Lily and I were talking about shopping for costumes."

"Well, that's a part of the plan, I suppose." Sirius grabbed a piece of toast a took a bite before continuing, "We're going to each pair off and look for stuff for costumes. We'll tell Demetria and Benji to go as a pair, and then reserve a table at The Three Broomsticks for all of us. Then, when none of us show up, they'll be forced on a date!"

"That sounds pretty foolproof," Millie agreed, "I can't wait to hear if you guys pulled it off or not."

Sirius' expression faltered slightly as he cocked his head to the side. "You aren't coming with us?"

"Didn't anyone tell you? Regulus and I are going on a date."

Sirius worried his bottom lip for a moment, seemingly lost between saying something and holding his tongue. Eventually he opted for the first, "Right. Well good luck, don't get involved in anything spooky, you know, the usual."

Millie returned his gentle smile with one of her own. "I won't."

-

Education ruled out over beauty, and Millie only had a brief five minutes to grab her coat, hat, and scarf. She hurried to the Clock Tower Courtyard, where everyone was prepared to go over to Hogsmeade. Millie's heart felt warm as she thought spending the whole day with Regulus. She didn't even think butterbeer could make her feel as good as she did when she thought about him.

"Regulus!" she called upon seeing her boyfriend.

The tall boy turned around, seemingly startled at her voice. He spoke a few words to his friends before trotting over to Millie. "What's up?"

Millie gave him a quick kiss on the lips and smiled. "Are you ready to go?"

Regulus winced, "Oh... I forgot. Mulciber and I were going to head to the library and try to knick some restricted material."

Millie really wished she had makeup on right now. That would surely hide how she felt much better than the embarrassed flush in her cheeks and the steady blinking of her eyes. "That's alright!" she said a bit over-enthusiastically, "I need to catch up with Benji anyway."

"Great!" Regulus said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Then we're both busy. I'll make it up to you, I promise. We can go out for a date later this week, alright?"

"Maybe at the Halloween party?" Millie hoped.

"Actually," Regulus gave her a sheepish smile, "Me and the group are going to have a meeting during the party."

Millie crossed her arms over her chest, "You mean you and the other future death-eaters in the school?"

Confusion passed over Regulus' face for a moment, "Are you mad? You knew I was one of them."

"Yeah, right," Millie breathed out, willing herself to calm down. She ran a hand through her dark locks and chuckled, "I shouldn't have overreacted." Still, she could feel hurt couldn't she? She'd be just as sad if he blew her off to do homework as she was right now.

Feeling out of place and just plain stupid, Millie stalked over to her brother. The idiot was wearing little clothes, despite the harsh wind. Only a simply maroon sweater covered his torso, causing James to fuss over him and force his beanie onto Benji's head. "You can't get a cold," he was saying, "then you wouldn't be able to go to the party."

Only Demetria noticed Millie, and that was only after the smaller girl slipped her arm through her best friend's. "Can I join you guys today?"

She spoke quietly, not quite wishing to make herself heard. Maybe she could sneak off and get makeup by herself. Unfortunately, Remus had heard her, and his kind brown eyes brightened at her voice. "Oh, Millie! Great! Now everyone has a partner!" Before he could protest, he grabbed her arm and gently pushed her away from Demetria's warmth, towards Sirius.
"We can head out now!"

Sirius took one look at Millie's disgruntled face and let out a chuckle, shaking his head in glee. "You look like you'd rather have a dung bomb in your face than hang out with us."

Millie simply shrugged him off. She didn't really feel like talking to anyone. "Where are we going first? I assume you want to head to Zonko's?"

-

Sirius studied Millie's figure for a moment before shaking his head. He wondered what made her change or mind, or rather, if Regulus stood her up. The thought made him dissapointed in his brother, who albeit was a git, usually didn't break promises.

Millie's eyes were narrowed ahead, her arms protectively across her torso as he walked, boots crunching in the snow. Every once in awhile her lip would tremble, and she would look away from Sirius' view for a few moments.

Biting his lip, Sirius racked his brain to try and remember something — anything, really — about Millie that might be able to cheer her up. He thought back to their first meeting, where she had complained about makeup. Benji seemed to mention her love for beauty products often, now that Sirius thought about it. At least he used to until he came clean about his crush on Demetria, whose name was now always at the tip of his tongue.

"Let's head to the beauty shop, yeah?" he suggested, not waiting for an answer before he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the entrance of Hogsmeade. It was windy, and the stone buildings did nothing but trap the cold inside of the village, causing freezing students to huddle up inside doorways. Millie eyed the sign above her and Sirius. Giant metal scissors hung above the doorway. Although it was primarily a salon, it also sold many beauty supplies and similar things. Just the thought of all their new collections as opposed to earlier this year made Millie's eyes light up. She nearly forgot who she was with.

"Why did you suggest this place? Do you need a haircut?" she motioned to his hair, which was curling around his collar. The top half of it was drawn up in a bun, so that he could see properly. Or maybe it was just to look cool.

He scoffed, "Are you mad? It takes me months to grow out my gorgeous locks after Mrs. Potter so harshly chops them off for the summer. There's no way I would even get the slightest trim." He realized he would still need an excuse, unless he wanted Millie to think he had been thinking about her. Which wasn't that bad of a scenario, but things could get messy if Regulus found out. "I need makeup for my Halloween costume. You can help me look."

"You're on your own," Millie said. "I've got my own makeup to look for."

"Well at least direct me to the aisle," Sirius bargained. Although, he genuinely had no idea what he would do once he got there, considering he didn't need makeup for his costume.

His solution was to follow Millie to the lipstick and copy her motions, pretending to find his perfect shade. So far it was working, since Millie had lost herself in endless shades of the lightest pinks to the darkest purples. She picked up some black lipstick and showed it to Sirius, "Wouldn't this look nice on a vampire?"

Sirius shook his head. "Black lipstick and black hair? Where's the red?"

"I'll do red eye makeup," Millie said, gesturing down the aisle, where a feature eye makeup palette named Blood of The Rose was displayed. "That would look good, right? I don't want to do the classic red lip and smoky eye like everyone else."

Sirius quirked an eyebrow and tapped his chin in thought. "Perhaps, if you'd like to stand out, you should color your hair instead."

"My hair?"

Sirius watched her twirl her hair. The pout on her lips made him confused. "Don't tell me you've never thought of coloring your hair before."

Millie bit her lip. "Have you done it before?"

Sirius didn't answer her. Instead, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down the small aisle, stopping when he got to the hairdresser. "She'd like some waves and a dye, please," he told the man.

"What are you doing?" Millie hissed as the hairdresser eased her into a chair. "You're such an imbecile. I hate you."

Sirius laughed, "Just get out of the chair if you don't want to do it." When she huffed and stayed in her spot, Sirius nodded in satisfaction, "Now have faith in me, love. You'll be the coolest vampire at the party. Unless there are actual vampires there. In that case, you might end up overlooked."

-

Millie placed a blush palette in her bag, on top of every other beauty product she intended to buy. She refused to acknowledge her new hair color, thinking it felt strange. Sirius had chosen a rosy color, and while it looked good, Millie definitely wasn't used to it yet. "I should've went with Peter or Lily," she mumbled under her breath while approaching the cashier.

Sirius helped her place all of her items on the counter and chuckled. "Please, like you would've had as much fun with them as you did with me."

"You turned my hair red," Millie protested. "On another note, why didn't I get to pair up with Lily? You would've went with James, right?"

Sirius looked around, checking to see if anyone was around before he leaned close to Millie. His breath tickled her ear as he answered, "Don't tell anyone, but the boys and I are trying to get James and Lily together as well. In fact, that's the excuse we told Benji when he asked why we were all hanging out."

Millie's lips parted. "So Benji thinks this is a plan to match up James and Lily, but it's actually to match up him and Demetria?"

"And, in turn, Lily and James think this is all for Benji and Demetria but it's actually for them as well. Aren't I a genius?"

Millie handed over her money and thanked the cashier. She didn't answer Sirius until they arrived outside again, the wind blowing their hair back and forth. "Perhaps. Or maybe you're just a persuasive prick who won't take no for an answer."

"You agreed to the hair dye!" Sirius defended himself. He grabbed a strand of her hair and tugged it gently, earning himself a glare from the Slytherin. "You look cute, too."

Millie's hands flew to the top of her head, patting down her hair as she asked in a vulnerable whisper, "Do you think Regulus will think so too?"

Sirius' smile dropped, but only momentarily. He wondered if there would ever be anyone — besides the marauders, of course — who thought his opinion was more important than his brother's? Or, at the least, the same? "He'll think you look as nice as you always do, just with red hair."

Millie seemed to take this answer with little to no comfort. She glanced at her wristwatch. "It's time to head to the Three Broomsticks now. Ugh, Benji is going to kill me when he sees this."

"Why does he care if you dye your hair?"

Millie opened the door to the pub, hearings the wooden wind chimes clang and clatter as the door hit them. "Because," she mumbled, "he would've wanted to get his hair dyed too."

After ordering their butterbeers, the pair looked around for Benji and Demetria. Sirius was the first to spot them. They had taken a large corner booth, seemingly saved for their friends. However, since it was only the two of them, they were enjoying each other's company with chatter and loud laughter. Millie noticed them soon after and sighed, "I almost don't want to bug them."

"We could get our own booth," Sirius suggested.

Millie looked up, ready to chide him for the flirtatious lilt in his voice. Fortunately for Sirius, the doorbell rang and Remus, Peter, James, and Lily all piled in, hugging themselves from the cold.

"Whoa," Peter commented first, noticing the bright new hue of Millie's hair. "Your hair looks pretty."

"Almost as nice as Lily's," James complimented, dodging Lily's light swat at his arm.

"Well, it's a different shade," Millie mentioned. "It was called raspberry dream or something else equally cringe-worthy."

The group piled into the booth with Benji and Demetria, claiming that they had scheduled to meet up at this time, and the clueless pair had been the early ones. Millie sat beside Benji, ignoring his gaze on her head. "I cannot believe you dyed your hair without me!"

Demetria frowned, "Or me! I've been wanting highlights for months now."

Millie shrugged, her eyes meeting Lily's across the table in a coy gaze. "I guess the two of you can go get them done together some time."

Benji's smile widened as he looked at Demetria. "We really should get our hair done after this."

"Okay," Demetria agreed, almost shyly.

Everyone shared looks across the table. Millie was the first to excuse herself. "I'm going to head back to the castle soon. I've still got to piece my costume together and stuff."

Remus, who hadn't spoken this whole time, leaned his head against Sirius' shoulder. Sirius held his friend's arm. "Yeah, and Remus must've ... caught something so we should probably get going as well."

"Maybe it's what Marlene has," Lily mentioned. "She was upset that she couldn't come today. I think Alice kept her company."

"Who's Alice?" Millie asked.

"Alice Prewett," Benji said. "She's dating Frank Longbottom, I believe."

"They've been dating for so long, I kind of forgot what it was like when they weren't," Peter said.

Sirius, who seemed most worried about Remus and his attempt to fall asleep in the middle of the Three Broomsticks, downed the rest of his butterbeer and shuffled out of the booth. "Well, we'll get going now. See you guys later."

They left, and Lily tapped her nails against the table, "Millie would you like to go shopping with me? I've still got a few things to buy."

Once the pair were outside, Millie voiced her concern about Remus. "Is he okay? Why did he look so faint?"

Lily shook her head. "I don't know. Remus has a pretty weak immune system, or at least that's what Peter told me. Apparently he gets sick at least once a month."

"That's got to be horrible," Millie shuddered, thinking how miserable the boy must've felt.

Lily opened the door to a clothing store, "It definitely isn't ideal."

-

a/n

this chapter is 3.2k+ words so i hope that makes up for my small absence

let me know what you like and don't like, and also what you'd like to see in future chapters!