WHO: Marlene McKinnon and Dirk Cresswell WHEN: Monday evening, after classes. WHERE: Somewhere private WHAT: Marlene has…interesting…news for Dirk
It was a simple spell, really; a quick incantation and a swish-flick-tap. That’s all it would take. Three seconds and she’d know - one way or another. Easy as pie.
So why couldn’t she bring herself to do it?
Marlene had been feeling ghastly for nearly a week, and the Pepper-Up and Anti-Nausea potions she’d been taking (appropriated during volunteer hours in the infirmary) were having little effect on the situation.
It wasn’t until several hours ago, when she realized (like a punch to the gut) that she hadn’t had her period in well over a month, that she thought it could be anything other than the flu. She’d been walking around in a bit of a daze all afternoon, unable to concentrate on anything but the pieces that were slowly coming together to create a picture she wasn’t sure she wanted to see.
It all made sense, really. The nausea, the fatigue, the inexplicable mood swings. The fact that she suddenly couldn’t smell pumpkin juice without wanting to gag. The signs were all there, and now she just need to confirm what, deep down, she already knew.
She checked the door again (none of her roommates were around), took a deep breath, and performed the diagnostic charm. One...two...three... She knew what was going to happen, but it was still a blow to see those purple sparks burst from the tip of her wand. She was pregnant.
Feeling a little bit queasy (and not from the morning sickness), she sat down on the edge of her bed. Six weeks pregnant. Pregnant. A baby by the end of the summer. It was almost too much to contemplate.
After a moment, she stood up and went in search of Dirk. He was in the common room, sitting in his favourite chair before the fire. He looked so content that she almost felt bad about the bombshell she was about to drop.
"Hey," she said softly, sitting on the arm of his chair. "Can we talk? In private?"