XII —— songbird

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          THE MARAUDERS ARE TOLD TO leave after the game by McGonagall — otherwise Fianna thinks they would've stayed for Gryffindor's afterparty, which started immediately following Gryffindor's win. The students walked back up to the school, and before the final student returned back to the castle, someone in Gryffindor Tower had already turned on the gramophone.

Fianna, Georgia, and the rest of the team disappear briefly to shower, before making their entrance into the common room as the triumphant team of that day's game. Fianna changed into a black mini skirt with her Quidditch cable knit jumper on top, quickly shoving her heeled Mary Janes onto her feet. Georgia was wearing the same thing except with Doc Martens, the two holding hands as they entered the common room.

"Here's our Captain!" says Prewett, putting his arms around Georgia. Fianna lets go of Georgia's hand, smelling the Firewhiskey radiating from Prewett. Someone hands her a glass of what seems to be Buck's Fizz — a staple of Gryffindor common room parties, since people thought the orange juice would convince McGonagall (if she ever stepped foot in the common room after they won a Quidditch match, which she rarely did) they weren't drinking alcohol.

Georgia's ushered away from Fianna, as people start chanting "Potter!" Fianna thinks, it was kind-of me that helped win the game... but it makes her happy, seeing Georgia celebrated like this, that she doesn't mention it. Instead, she leans against the wall, taking a sip of her drink — more prosecco than orange juice, she'd add.

Prewett spins Georgia around for a moment, as a wizard rock song plays. Fianna thinks the song's a rip-off of Heart of Glass, but whatever. She watches Georgia laughing and singing along, the centre of attention. Fianna, as out-of-place as she feels, enjoys seeing her best friend this happy.

She wonders if she'd be dancing along with them, if this year hadn't transformed into what it is. Maybe if Fianna hadn't helped cover for Regulus back on the train, she wouldn't know that Voldemort was using a Horcrux, that Death Eaters were rampant and wanting to target the school — or that one of them didn't want to be a Death Eater, but had no way out. Maybe if Fianna's year was meant to be what she planned — being head girl, running Duelling Club, planning the Yule Ball, and giving Hogwarts a reason to smile amidst the chaos — she wouldn't feel so excluded, like a ghost to her previous life.

Fianna knows it's only been a month, but everything feels different. Of course she's been worrying about Death Eaters ever since she learnt about them, however now, she knows a way to put this to an end. If her and Regulus can find this Horcrux and destroy it, Voldemort will no longer be invincible. Someone will be able to kill him and that'll put an end to all of this. Before, she knew about the threat, but not the complexities, the dark side of this war's moon. Now, she's had to pretend to be on the Death Eater's side, she's lied to all of her loved ones, she'd created a mirage of star-crossed lovers with the most unlikely of people, Regulus Black...

"Fee."

Prewett stands in front of her, and reaches his hand out.

Fianna smiles awkwardly. "Sorry, I'm just not really in the mood..."

"C'mon," says Prewett. "We could be dead this time next year."

"... I'm sorry, I don't feel like it," she says again, shaking her head.

Prewett sighs but shrugs, and returns to the centre of the common room, where Gryffindors had pushed the sofas out of the way to create a makeshift dance floor. Fianna takes a swig of her drink, frowning.

Maybe Prewett has a point. None of them know how this is going to pan out, do they? Fianna, Georgia, Prewett, and Regulus could all be dead by 1980 — not just that, but this is her last year of school, maybe she should make more of an effort to enjoy herself again. Maybe if she pretends long enough, she'll go back to her old self, happy and optimistic and not obsessing over a Slytherin boy or Horcruxes.

So Fianna finishes her drink, weaving through her house-mates and finding Georgia and Prewett, just as Dancing Queen begins to play. Fianna presumes one of the muggleborns have hijacked the record player, and her brain immediately shifts to, shit, you're not meant to know this music, what if it gets back to the Death Eaters, what if it's bad for Reg? But Georgia must've noticed, because she holds onto Fianna's hands, and starts to spin her around.

Fianna's worries disappear for a little while. She laughs whilst Georgia's picked up by a couple of their Quidditch teammates, and people start singing some of the Quidditch chants from earlier that day. Sunny by Boney M begins to play, as a shot is placed in her hand by Prewett, who cheers it with the one in his hand.

She does, and she grimaces, the painful sting of tequila hitting the back of her throat. Prewett does the same, but shakes his head like a dog, sticking his tongue out. "Merlin! Weasley says he stole this from his big brother Arthur," says Prewett. "That's the only good thing about Molly going out with one of them, you know... I still can't believe I'm an uncle..."

"See, I don't think I'll have to worry about that with Remus," says Fianna, who's having to lean in closer to Prewett, so they can hear each other over the noise. "I think I'll be married before that boy."

Prewett leans closer to her, his mouth next to her ear. "I mean, don't get me wrong — I think marrying young and eloping sounds sweet, but kids right away... That's fucking terrifying," he says.

Fianna laughs, putting her hand on his arm to steady herself. Prewett pauses for a moment; he straightens up slightly, enough so he can look at her face. She looks up at him, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the closeness between the two.

He puts his hand on her arm. "You know, it's a shame you're with Black, because I'd really like to kiss you," he tells her.

Fianna's heart stops.

She looks across at Georgia, who hasn't even noticed Prewett — the boy she fancies — making a move on her best friend.

Fianna starts to panic. This whole idea of pretending to be normal — it wasn't going to work, was it? Because Fianna's life is no longer normal. She stole a banned book from a Death Eater's house last weekend, she's pretending to date a Death Eater, she's involved in a plot to find and destroy a Horcrux...

"Well, tough," says Fianna, stepping away from Prewett.

He tries to say something else, but Fianna slips past him and finds Georgia. "Hey," says Fianna, as Georgia stops dancing for a second. "I'm going to get some fresh air — but I'll be alright, you don't need to check up on me."

Georgia frowns. "Are you sure? What's wrong?"

Fianna weighs her answers for a second. Either she spills about everything with Regulus (which she can't do because that might get them all killed) or she tells the truth about Prewett. And although it'll be a shitty thing for Georgia to hear, Fianna would have to tell her eventually. But Georgia looks so happy right now, Fianna doesn't want to kill her spirits...

"It's fine, really. We can talk about it tomorrow?"

Georgia nods, and hugs Fianna tightly.

"Sounds good. I love you, Fee."

"I love you too," says Fianna.

Fianna quickly disappears from Gryffindor Tower, her Animagus' knack of swiftly moving through the water possessing her again. She takes in a deep breath as she steps out of the tower, and her feet start walking. She doesn't know where, but her mind is so all over the place, she lets her feet lead the way, wandering around the castle, trying to clear her mind...

... Until she reaches the Astronomy Tower.

Her brows furrow for a second. She feels weird coming here, when she isn't supposed to be meeting with Regulus... But it's not as if he'll be here, will he? They didn't agree to meet here tonight. If anything, it's a quiet area with fresh air, exactly what Fianna needs.

So she steps inside, climbing up the staircase towards the observation deck, where she and Regulus would sit and decipher Secrets of the Darkest Art. But, as she reaches the top step, she notices Regulus leaning against the railing, looking out at the stars.

"Oh," she says. "Hey."

Regulus turns around. "I thought there was a party?"

"There is," says Fianna. "I felt weird about it, though... so I left."

He frowns. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know," she says, sighing. She walks closer to him, her side leaning against the railing. "All of this just seems so trivial at the minute, you know? Like, people are dying and everything with the Horcrux and—"

"I know," he says. "But I didn't mean for you to get so involved you turned into the same thing as me... I'm sorry, Fee, I didn't mean for this to happen..."

Fianna frowns. "Well, I'd rather feel like this, than you be on your own."

Regulus looks down at her, the same way Prewett had done earlier. Uncomfortable, Fianna looks away, up above at the stars and the moon.

"Prewett said he wanted to kiss me," says Fianna.

There's a pause, before Regulus weakly goes, "What?"

"Yeah, he said it was a shame we were together, because he wanted to kiss me," says Fianna. She rolls her eyes, her eyes feeling watery. Maybe the tequila shot was a poor choice. "But now I feel shitty, because Georgia told me she fancied him, and I'm going to have to tell her tomorrow that he wanted to kiss me, because it wouldn't be fair on her if I let her go on fancying him and him flirting with her because he likes to flirt with everyone because if something happens between them and I didn't tell her about this—"

"Would you have kissed him?" says Regulus.

"What?" she says.

"If he didn't think we were together," says Regulus. "Would you have let him kiss you?"

Fianna frowns, turning back to him. "Um... no," she says, and quickly adds, "Why?"

"I just wondered," he says. "I don't like him, but I can understand why people might like him..."

"I'm really not interested in him," says Fianna. "If anything, I'm glad he thought we were together, because that stopped him from doing anything. It's an easier way to say no than just, I'm not interested. Because that would make the head girl stuff so awkward for a while..." She sighs. "Sorry, I think I'm a little pissed so I'm rambling."

Regulus snorts. "It's fine."

"To make matters worse, I left before they started playing Fleetwood Mac," says Fianna, crossing her arms.

Regulus is quiet for a minute. Fianna's waiting for him to make a comment about shitty muggle music, and for her to have to defend Stevie Nicks until her last breath, but instead, he doesn't say anything. Instead, he stands beside her in silence, looking away.

"You know, there's a record player up here," he says.

Fianna frowns. "I doubt they'll have Fleetwood Mac—"

Before she can finish her sentence, Regulus mutters some spell, the record player quietly coming to life, music drifting out from the speakers without a record spinning underneath the needle. Fianna frowns at him, as the beginning of Fleetwood Mac's Songbird begins to play.

"Well," says Fianna, shifting her balance on her feet. "It's not as if we're going to dance..."

"Why not?" says Regulus.

Fianna looks at him oddly. "You want to dance with me?"

"I don't see why not," he says, and he steps back into the room. He reaches his hand out for her to take it. "I'm not going to kill you, I promise."

Apprehensively, Fianna steps towards him, one of her hands holding his, and the other resting on his shoulder. They sway from side to side, Fianna feeling his spare hand resting on her back.

"For you, there'll be no more crying,

For you, the sun will be shining..."

"This is nice," Fianna says, softly.

"Yeah," says Regulus. "It is...?"

Fianna raises an eyebrow. "Why the confusion, Black? You suggested this."

"I can still be surprised," says Regulus.

"... 'Cause I feel that when I'm with you,

It's alright, I know it's right..."

She looks up at him, feeling strangely overwhelmed. She lets go of his hand, her arms wrapping around his neck, her head resting against his chest. His hands rest on her lower back; she could've sworn they weren't that low before, but it feels nice, so she doesn't necessarily mind.

"... And the songbirds are singing,"

Like they know the score..."

She thinks about their brothers, how horrified they'd be to see this. Better yet, she thinks about herself from two months ago, and how she would be horrified to see this. Her, slow-dancing with Regulus Black, and enjoying it? She doesn't know what's happening to her, this nice closeness between the two of them, the way that she trusts him, the familiarity with his touch, the way her insides melt when he's near...

"... And I love you, I love you, I love you,

Like never before..."

This is so weird, she thinks.

🦢

          FIANNA TIPTOES INTO THE common room long after the party's ended, so luckily she avoids everyone on her trail back to her dorm room. She quietly closes the door as to not wake up Georgia, quickly changing into her pyjamas behind their screen (a hand-me-down from Lily two summers ago) and crawling into bed. By the time she wakes up, Songbird has flown away from her thoughts, her focus returning to speaking Dumbledore about the Duelling Club.

She sits upright in her bed, and notices that Georgia's bed is empty. Fianna frowns. Maybe Georgia slept in someone else's dorm? She knows the sixth year Chaser has a cushion fort in her dorm room, maybe Georgia was so pissed last night she crashed there? How weird, Fianna thinks, but she brushes it off as she gets ready. Georgia's a grown girl anyway, Fianna doesn't need to be keeping an eye on her like that...

Fianna gets dressed into a black mini skirt and an oversized burgundy jumper, an outfit similar to her one for the party, only a little less patriotic for her house. She makes her way downstairs, and sits herself down in the Great Hall. Prewett said he was going to meet her at ten so they could speak to Dumbledore together, but considering last night, Fianna's fine if he's so hungover he cancels. It's my idea anyway, she thinks, stirring brown sugar into her porridge and coffee.

It's quarter to ten when Georgia sits down opposite Fianna, remnants of red glitter still glistening in her hair. Fianna's finished her porridge but halfway through her coffee; she looks up from her cup, and smirks.

"Have a nice night, Gi?" she says.

Georgia blushes. "You'll never guess what happened."

"... What?" says Fianna.

"I had sex last night," says Georgia.

Fianna blinks. "How... did that happen?"

Georgia grins, grabbing some toast from the middle of the table. "I don't really know — it was a little while after you left, I guess... We just started talking, and before I knew it, we went off to the prefect's bathroom for a bit. And it was really nice... I think he's going to ask me out."

Nervousness festers in Fianna's stomach, having a sinking feeling who Georgia was on about. She feels like she's in a horror film, as she prays Georgia isn't going to say the name Fianna's thinking of, whilst she asks, "So... who's the boy?"

Prewett sits down, next to Georgia, planting a big kiss on her lips.

Fianna stares at them in disbelief.

"Oh, hey, Lupin," he says. "I didn't see you there."

He smiles at Fianna, before tucking into his own breakfast. Fianna watches him in horror as he pours himself a cup of tea, happily (obnoxiously) talking about the party to Georgia. I can't say anything, Fianna thinks, panicking. If she says anything now, that'll crush Georgia... but it doesn't feel right, not saying anything about this...

... But, then, maybe he didn't mean this maliciously. Maybe he does like Georgia, and the timeline isn't as fucked as Fianna thinks it is. It's perfectly normal, Fianna tries to convince herself, even though the triumphant sneer on his face is making her think otherwise.

"What are you doing after this, George?" says Prewett, to Georgia.

George? Fianna thinks in disbelief. What kind of stupid nickname is that? Georgia's Gi, or Gigi, because I'm Fee, or Fifi. Our nicknames are the same because we come in a pair! This isn't right, he's done this on purpose! Not to mention we WERE MEANT TO SEE DUMBLEDORE NOW.

"Um..." Fianna clears her throat. "I thought we were going to speak to Dumbledore?"

"Oh, I was meaning to speak to you about this." Prewett pauses the buttering of his toast, pointing the knife at Fianna. "I just don't feel comfortable about your idea for the club. Like, I understand where you're coming from, by making Slytherins feel included... But I just don't agree in teaching possible Death Eaters defensive skills. And Salome Lestrange being involved? I know you're friends with her, and I'm sure she's nice to you, but she's a Death Eater. Go without me..." He pauses, before he waves the knife again, as if he's just had a thought. "Oh! How about you ask Black to tag along? Then you've got the voice of a Slytherin there for the whole process."

Fianna blinks in disbelief. "The entirety of Slytherin are not Death Eaters..."

"Yeah, but if a few apples are mouldy, you'd be nervous about the whole box, right?"

Fianna looks at Georgia, as if to say, do you hear what he's saying?

"I think that's a bit harsh," says Georgia. "But, he does have a point, Fee."

"Yeah, Fee," Prewett echoes, giving Fianna a nasty look, one Georgia can't see since they're sitting next to each other.

Fianna goes quiet for a minute, trying to process this. Georgia's apparently dating Prewett — who's weirdly out for Fianna's blood, now that she's rejected him. Rejected him because I apparently have a boyfriend! she thinks, feeling pissed off. She thinks about how kind and friendly Prewett has been to her since they became Head Boy and Head Girl, and she wonders if all of that was because he wanted to get with her.

"OK, I don't know if Reg is available but I can speak to Dumbledore on my own," says Fianna. "Do you still want to go through the Yule Ball planning later?"

"Erm, I was going to ask Georgia if she wanted to nip down to Hogsmeade for a bit," says Prewett. "I'm sorry, I normally won't do this I promise... But you know how special George is. I hope that's OK?"

Well, I'd be a dickhead if I said no, she thinks.

"Oh, no, that's fine..." says Fianna, quietly, trying to hide how angry she feels.

"Cheers, Lupin," says Prewett.

Fianna can't even muster a fake smile; instead, she stands up and mumbles that she needs to leave, walking in stunned silence towards the hallway. Regulus is about to enter as she leaves; she almost misses him, so caught up in the shock of Prewett and Georgia dating that she doesn't notice her surroundings.

"Uh, Fianna?" he says, grabbing hold of her hand to get her attention.

She turns around, and looks at him, still stunned.

"Are you OK?" he asks, as his friends walk ahead to the Slytherin table.

"Prewett's dating Georgia," she blurts out.

Regulus' eyes widen. "Since when?"

"Last night."

"But I thought—?"

"Yep." Fianna nods. "And now I can't say anything, because she's really happy about it but he's been really weird to be since he sat down and I think he's only been nice to me this year because he fancied me and now that I've rejected him he's refusing to help out with any of his Head Boy duties and he says that all Slytherins are evil and he's decided to date my best friend as a fuck-you to me and—"

"You said last night you were going to speak to Dumbledore, right?" says Regulus.

"Yeah, why?"

"I'll walk you there," he says.

He holds onto her hand still, and they walk out into the corridor, as Fianna vents her frustration.

"I just don't understand! What, did he think I would cheat last night? I've never liked him like that, I've never treated him in any way that should have made him think that. I don't understand! And to sleep with Georgia? It's fucking horrid of him, but I can't tell her any of this, because what if this makes her upset and I've made her upset when really it's all his fault—"

"She's not stupid," he says. "She'll realise eventually... But you could tell her now? It's only the early days, and it's going to sting for her, but surely it's better you explain things to her now than in six months, when she's truly invested?"

"I guess..." says Fianna, uncomfortably.

They reach the entrance to Dumbledore's office, a big gargoyle that swings around, revealing a spiral staircase that leads upstairs to the room. Regulus looks ahead at it, then back at Fianna.

"I can't go in there," says Regulus. "But what are you doing later?"

"Planning a whole Yule Ball on my own, apparently," says Fianna, with a scoff. "Prewett's binned that off, too."

"OK... I'll meet you at the library later, then," he says.

Fianna frowns. "How do you know we meet there?"

"I remember Prewett gloating about it a couple of weeks ago," says Regulus.

She's surprised he remembers a detail like that.

"You don't have to," she says.

"Yeah, but I want to," says Regulus. "Someone has to keep you safe from all of these evil Slytherins."

Fianna smiles. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," he says. "I'll see you later."

Fianna tries not to deep that — nor them slow-dancing the night before, underneath the moonlight to Songbird by Fleetwood Mac — as she walks up the stairs into Dumbledore's office. He's sitting at his desk, drinking a cup of tea, the faint smell of liquorice drifting around the room.

"What a pleasant surprise," says Dumbledore. "Don't tell me the school has collapsed?"

Fianna looks at him oddly. "... No."

"Ah, what a shame," he says. "I could do with a holiday."

She smiles. "Um... I was going to speak to you about the Duelling Club?"

Dumbledore nods; he gets to his feet, pouring himself another cup of tea. He offers her one, but she shakes her head. She thinks liquorice tea smells — and tastes — gross.

"Professor Fawley spoke to me about it," he says. "I understand he feels uncomfortable with supervising, due to the... impression it could give to certain witches and wizards."

Fianna nods. "Yeah, so I was wondering — does the supervisor need to be a teacher?"

"I don't think Filch would be very effective," says Dumbledore with a chortle.

"I meant my brother," she says. "But I was speaking about it to my, uh, friend Regulus, and him and his friends said they wouldn't want to go, because as Slytherins would feel naturally excluded... So I wondered, maybe we could have two alumni supervising? Remus, because he's good at Defence and he would be a good teacher...?"

"And...?"

"And Salome Lestrange," says Fianna. Dumbledore doesn't say anything for a moment, and Fianna fills the silence. "I know it may seem... risky, but I want to start a Duelling Club so everyone can learn defensive magic. And if incorporating someone like her will encourage Slytherins to attend, to feel welcome... Surely that's better than letting an entire house go without practice in defensive magic? I know some Slytherins aren't the best, but not all of them are like that, and even saying that, it isn't fair to only teach defensive magic to people I think are moral. That's just as bad as blood puritism, right?"

"You do understand you're asking permission to invite a Death Eater into Hogwarts, on a regular basis," says Dumbledore. "Yes?"

Fianna goes quiet. "Well... she might not be one..."

"Miss Lupin," he says. "Don't act foolish with me. You know my involvement with the Order of the Phoenix, same as your brother. I know Lestrange's loyalties, because I hear the reports about her." Fianna feels her stomach churn, as she asks herself, what reports? "But, I think you have a point. Plus, it may be beneficial for us to keep a close eye on her... I'll write to both her and your brother, and we can arrange a starting date for the Duelling Club once everyone's agreed."

"Really?" says Fianna, surprised.

Dumbledore nods. "I don't know what you're doing with the Black boy, but I can appreciate you wanting to help as many young wizards as possible. We can discuss this further later next week." Quickly, the seriousness in his energy dissipates, and he smiles pleasantly. "Shortbread biscuit for the road? Sprout made them fresh this morning."

"Uh, yes please," she says.

"Take one for Mr Prewett, too," says Dumbledore.

Fianna nods, and takes another, covering them up with a napkin.

She feels accomplished for the rest of the morning, and as she sets herself up in the library, finishing off any homework before Regulus arrives, she thinks about what Dumbledore said. I hear the reports about her. What kind of things has Salome been up to? Does Fianna even want to know? She frowns to herself, finalising her Divination homework when Regulus appears.

"I've got you a shortbread," she says, sliding the wrapped biscuits across the table.

"You haven't poisoned them, have you?" he says.

Fianna frowns. "If you think I've got time to make poisoned shortbread biscuits, arguably the most fiddly of biscuits to bake, you're living in wonderland, sunshine."

Regulus rolls his eyes. "What did Dumbledore say?"

"He's on-board for the idea," she says. "Somehow."

"Really?" says Regulus. "Even Salome—?"

"Even Salome," Fianna nods.

Regulus opens his mouth to continue, but Fianna shakes her head.

"Nope. If you're acting as my stand-in Head Boy, you need to adhere by the schedule," she tells him, giving him a serious look. "We can have a break later, but I had a load of things to run by Prewett. I wanted him to sign off on the final theme ideas for the ball, but since he isn't here, you'll just have to say yes or no."

"Yes, ma'am," says Regulus.

Fianna gives him a dirty look. "Now is not time for tomfoolery."

She opens her notebook dedicated to Yule Ball planning, and slides it over to him.

"So. The final choices for the Yule Ball theme — before we send ballots around the common rooms next week for the school to vote and decide — are between these four..."

i might keep the yule ball theme a secret from you guys as well🤔🤔

but i hope you enjoyed!! lmk what you thought, how much you dislike prewett, the usual! thank u for reading<3333