Victim. Mudblood. Mary

So many other names, but never the ones that matter most.

Victim

Everyone think she doesn't notice.

The not so subtle pointing in the corridors.

The sickening sweet words of comfort from fellow students she doesn't even know.

The smirks of Slytherins and the the distance they make sure to keep from her.

And the looming presence of the Hospital Wing that she always takes pains to avoid, but is never far enough.

She's no longer Mary MacDonald, the moderate gossiper, the dirty-mouthed Gryffindor, or the famous starter of the April 1st Hogwarts Food Fight.

Damn it, all it took was an Imperio and Mulciber for everything to come crashing down.

Frail mary, Delicate mary, "Keep an eye on her but don't let her notice and worry her little head" mary.

It's as if nothing else matters anymore. Even her name, Mary, seems to wilt and shrivel.

victim...Victim That is all she is.

Mudblood

mudblood...Mudblood, they whisper from every corner.

"Mudblood," the apothercarist hisses at her when she hands over the sickles to pay for the beetles' eyes, refusing to touch her hands.

"Mudblood," the goblin's eyes seem to say to her as he looks over her Gringotts application, eyes lingering over the Blood Status section.

"Mudblood," her mind screams at her as she is rejected from her fifth job opportunity, furious and tired of herself.

The voices start again.

"mudblood," the voices give a final disheartened chant as she glides up the aisle in a white dress.

But the voices also end.

You-Know-Who is gone, and Reg Cattermole waits for her.

Mary

Frail mary, Delicate mary, Mary.

Mary can be strong and frail. Delicate and Sturdy. In other words, she is Mary.

Nothing and Everything.

She is Mary.

victim.

mudblood.

MARY.

She won't lose herself again.

Author's Note:

In this case, Mary MacDonald and Mary Cattermole are the same people. The logical ending would be that Mary finds her strength in her husband and mostly by protecting her children, as many other female characters are written, but I wanted to try something out where Mary was just Mary, and not anybody else's strength. As you can see, the main theme is that one should be able to find their own strength in themselves, as people can be strong and delicate at the same time. In addition, in some parts the word "mary" wasn't capitalized. However, it was on purpose to note that her name wasn't signifiant anymore, and it hardly mattered anymore in comparison to the word "Delicate" which is capitalized, making it seem more important that her own name.

Written for Hogwarts School of Challenges and Assignments

Assignment 1:

Mythology Task 8: Write about a frail and delicate character

Word Count:300