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[Chapter Fourteen: Wristbands]

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               Telling Dumbledore her final decision was surprisingly easy. A few days after he told them to think over what they wanted to choose, they all went back to his office together as a group to tell their headmaster what they chose. Dumbledore looked relieved when he heard what the girl chose, while everyone else seemed surprised—besides Sirius, who was proud of himself for keeping her secret for so long.

She chose the Order, they all chose the Ordwe. They were actually thrilled with her decision, that meant they'd be able to work together. Sirius was ecstatic with her decision. Yes, he already knew what she was going to choose but actually being able to witness her tell it to Dumbledore made him feel relieved.

She didn't second-guess herself!

Aspen was ecstatic, she didn't feel like she thought she would've felt. She assumed that if she said yes to the Order, she'd feel guilty, but instead, she felt pure delight. More like excitement for her first mission, Dumbledore said he'd start sending the group on their missions around the beginning of classes of the next year after Christmas break. They were all excited, their happiness radiating on Hogwarts population. The Marauders were more active with their pranks, causing the school's population to laugh and be in good moods despite the troubles the world faced outside of school. Aspen was even hanging around her friends more, volunteering to get out of bed rather than being forced out by douses of ice water.

With Aspen's slight personality change came other changes as well. Wendy and Aspen were inseparable from the hip, Evelyn, on the other hand, isolated herself like how Aspen would before her life-changing decision. She was also spacey and sent glares at Aspen when she wasn't looking. Wendy noticed those glares, Aspen did not. Wendy didn't want to say anything because as of this moment, everything was peaceful for their normally troubleminded friend.

Of course, the two girls knew of Aspen's new job, and they had been sworn to secrecy by Dumbledore only a few days before. Same with everyone who joined the Order, including Peter Pettigrew, who the rest of the Marauders had made join as well. In Aspen's opinion, she believed Peter to not be reliable with such a job. Yes, he was a magnificent student and a really kind boy, but that was the problem. Kindness can make you weak in some aspects, just the other day she watched him get slapped about three times by a Slytherin girl. Aspen may have been mentally incapable of almost everything, but she'd never allow a Slytherin to hit her—especially not three times.

He didn't do anything, didn't hex her, nothing. He only apologized for nothing and the girl scoffed as she strutted away. If the other boys were with him, that girl would've surely had bat bogeys flying out of her nose. The only reason why Aspen didn't intervene was that she wanted to see how the boy would handle it.

Aspen hadn't heard anything from Jay, she was beginning to regret her decision of telling him because a day later she saw him talking to Severus Snape. Severus Snape, a Slytherin, known to be into dark magic—rumored to be a death eater. He used to be friends with Lily Evans until he called her the 'm' word. If the rumors of Snape actually being a part of Voldemort's army were true, talking to Jay who now knew of a vigilante group against Voldemort and his propaganda was highly concerning. Or maybe Jay just decided he'd rather become an Auror? Either or, Aspen was skittish around the boy, she told him something very important. She told too many people already, she wasn't even supposed to tell Wendy or Evelyn. Well, technically she didn't tell Evelyn, Evelyn supposedly overheard the two talking about it when Evelyn was coming to ask them a question.

Aspen hadn't talked to any of the Marauders since the whole Order of the Phoenix decision the week before. Actually, that was a lie, she had been hanging out with Sirius a lot—plus she had to speak to him seeing as she's his potions partner. She actually enjoyed his company a lot, his company made her happy. Wendy was supportive, she liked seeing her friend happy. Evelyn was not, she never said anything though, and Aspen never noticed the girl's anger.

Once again, Aspen was oblivious to her best friend's behavior while Wendy saw all of it. Why was Evelyn acting like she just swallowed sand whenever she was in the presence of Aspen? Wendy never straightforwardly asked her friend, not until now. "Evelyn." Whispered Wendy, hiding behind a bookshelf as Evelyn studied at a table full of Ravenclaws. Aspen's whereabouts were currently unknown to Wendy, but she guessed that Aspen was with her ghost friend.

Evelyn didn't hear her at first, so Wendy whispered again, only slightly louder. "Evelyn!"

About three people looked toward Wendy's direction, including Evelyn. Wendy quickly hid behind the shelf again, not wanting to be seen by the people, but of course, they still saw her. Evelyn shook her head and walked over to Wendy. Once she was in front of her friend, she sassily placed a hand on her hip and asked, "What?"

"Shhhh!" Wendy hissed, looking over to the librarian and back to Evelyn. "I'm not supposed to be here. I was banned like two years ago."

"Then what are you doing here?" Asked Evelyn. She remembered the incident that got her friend banned, Wendy decided to do some potion experiments in the library and blew up a table. Wendy never listened to the rule though, returning almost everyday and studying in small corners where the librarian couldn't see her.

"I need to ask you something," Informed Wendy. The librarian looked over to their direction, she only saw Evelyn's back. Out of paranoia, Wendy pulled her friend farther away from sight.

"Okay?" Evelyn responded, her expression telling Wendy to ask her question. Wendy looked around, to make sure the coast was clear. She took a deep breath and bluntly asked, "Why do you always look like you hit your boob on a doorknob whenever you're around Aspen?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you—" Wendy pointed directly at Evelyn's face." always look like you hit your boob—" She then poked her boob, "on a doorknob whenever you're around Aspen?"

"I don't look like that." Scoffed Evelyn. She knew exactly what expression her friend was asking about, she was just too stubborn to admit why she made that expression around Aspen.

"You do!" Yelled Wendy, not believing her friend one bit. She immediately covered her mouth after the outburst, no one seemed to mind as no one looked toward the direction of where the yell came from.

"I don't!" Evelyn denied.

"Yes, you do." Wendy said, "You've been acting like this for weeks! Did Aspen do something I'm unaware of?"

"Technically, you're unaware of many things Aspen does." Said Evelyn, attempting to drift away from the topic. "Right now she's doing things you're unaware of."

"Don't try to change the subject, Eve." Wendy sternly told. She was quite familiar with that from Evelyn, Aspen, and just any child she used to tutor who wanted nothing with what they were being tutored on. "What did Aspen do to you?"

"S-she didn't do anything to me." Stuttered Evelyn, growing nervous under the stern gaze of her shorter friend.

"You're lying," Stated Wendy. Though, when she stated that Evelyn was lying, Evelyn made a face. So Aspen did do something, unless . . . "She did do something, didn't she? Just not intentionally?"

"Oh, it was intentional." Scoffed Evelyn. Seconds later she facepalmed herself at . . . herself. She didn't mean to say that, how did Wendy get it out of her so easily?

She could be an interrogator for the Ministry.

"What did she do?" Wendy asked, stepping closer to her friend. "What did our best friend innocent ol' Aspen Lee do?"

"S-She kissed Sirius!" Whisper-yelled Evelyn.

"Eve, she only did that because the bottle landed in her direction."

"She knew how I felt about Sirius!" Evelyn yelled. "She could've said no! Kissing is not mandatory!"

"Okay, one, you're the one who pretty much forced her to come and play the game. Two, are you sure you still have feelings for Sirius?"

"What does that mean?!"

"Recently I've been seeing you giving a certain blonde girl some looks—"

Evelyn gasped. "I-I don't give Marlene looks! I like Sirius, a boy! Like how it should be!"

"Like how it should be?" Wendy asked with a disbelieving laugh. "How intercourse should be? The boy plus girl thing?"

"Of course!" Evelyn stated, she looked back at her mother's motto from when she was a child; "Liking girls isn't right. It was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve!"

"Okay, I'm just going to ignore that statement because I know you don't mean it," Wendy said, rubbing her temples.

"Don't assume things that aren't true!" Fumed Evelyn. She was letting out all her anger for Aspen on Wendy. She knew it wasn't right, but she couldn't stop, even with the untrue things she knew she was saying.

"I'm not assuming, I know." Wendy sighed. "I never said Marlene's name nor did I say you liked her. I only said I saw you giving her some looks."

"Looks as in liking, also known as, crushing!" Evelyn yelled. She quickly quieted her voice and continued, "Plus, what other girl would you be talking about? I had to kiss Marlene for Merlin's sake. It's pretty clear you were trying to get somewhere with that."

As of that moment, Evelyn was lying so good that Wendy was almost falling for it. She was about to apologize for her mistake before she realized; Evelyn didn't want to believe there was the slightest possibility she was different—that she wasn't anything but straight. She didn't want to believe she actually liked a girl after years of obsessing over boys.

"Evelyn, I'm your best friend," Wendy said with her voice lowering into a kind tone. "You can tell me anything. I would never judge you for who you like or love."

Evelyn was very close to admitting her feelings, but if she did that then she'd be considered a freak in her own eyes. She didn't want that, maybe she still does like Sirius. She still got angry whenever Aspen and Sirius were together, so maybe she liked both Marlene and Sirius? Whatever it was, she still stayed on the side of her liking Sirius rather than a girl. "Wendy, I do not like girls. I am offended that you would ever think I do, that you would ever even consider me a freak."

"I'm not considering you a freak!" She placed her hand on Evelyn's arm. "I'm considering you confused. Confused about your sexuality. That's why you're leaning against the fake jealousy side, I can help you, Eve! Aspen doesn't deserve you acting so mean toward her."

"Great!" Laughed Evelyn. "Once again, the topic is Aspen, like always! Is she the only one in your head, are you the one confused about their sexuality?"

"What? N—"

"Oh, shut up!" Interrupted Evelyn with an angered laugh. "You can think about that later. Right now you have a new thing to think of. Either you choose me, your best friend since we met on the Hogwarts Express in first year. The one who has always been there for you, no matter what. Or Aspen, the boy stealing wench who does nothing for you, or I, but whine about her student problems and marvelous achievements."

"Eve, you can't make me choose!" Said Wendy in disbelief.

"It seems you already have." Evelyn simply stated. "I hope you have a good time with your only best friend Wendy. I'll be elsewhere."

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AUTHORS NOTE:

This was oh-so clearly written by a thirteen year old.

posted: February 9, 2018
word count: 2,023