𝙈𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙤𝙪𝙨 ✍︎︎ 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙅𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙋𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧

|𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗜𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗻𝗲|

Christmas break was over and Hogwarts had resumed school, beginning it's second semester. Mariana was quite excited that she had finally escaped the chilling depths of the Rosewood Manor, and was settled back into her true home.

However, as happy as she was, one major issue still remained. Harry James Potter. Or, in other terms, the son of James Potter. The man that murdered her Aunt, resulting in a beautiful relationship that could have been but never was.

Mariana didn't blame Harry. She knew she couldn't. But...Octavius had shown her a picture of James Potter. He was the splitting image of Harry. Now, every time Mariana looked at him, she didn't see one of her best friend's. She saw the man who murdered Clementine Rosewood.

Along with James's photograph, her father had also shown her a picture of her Aunt Clementine. She was a dazzling woman with jet black hair and eyes that were even darker. Her lips were full and pink, and her nose elegant and petite. According to her father, she made every man's heart skip a beat.

Mariana had tried her best to act as if Harry's presence didn't bother her, but she was tired of pretending. Her urge to hurt James Potter was so strong that she wished he was still alive so she could do the job of killing him herself. It was harsh, she was aware, but he had committed an unforgivable crime.

Mariana blinked and was brought back to reality. Her thoughts took over her physical body too often. In the mirror, she swore she witnessed a faint glow being emitted from the emerald stone on her necklace. It disappeared before she had a chance to think anything more about it.

---

"Beautiful day." Hermione commented, breathing in the woodsy scent surrounding the Hogwarts grounds.

"Certainly." Mariana agreed. She was walking beside Ron, the farthest spot from Harry. He had been subtly trying to inch closer to her, but she always scooted further away.

"Gorgeous...unless of course you've been ripped to pieces!" Ron sneered, shooting Hermione a nasty look.

"Ripped to pieces? What are you talking about?" Asked Harry.

"Ronald has lost his rat." Hermione was clearly annoyed.

"I haven't lost anything! Your cat killed him!"

"Rubbish." She scoffed.

"Harry, Mariana, you guys have seen the way that bloodthirsty beast of hers is always lurking about. And Scabbers is gone."

"Have you ever considered that maybe Crookshanks just doesn't like you?" Mariana piped.

"Whose side are you on, Mari? Crookshanks obviously ate Scabbers!" Mariana rolled her eyes at the notion. Crookshanks wouldn't hurt a fly. The poor cat's only interest was torturing Ron into believing she was capable of doing something terrible.

"Well, maybe you should take better care of your pets!" Hermione shrieked.

"Your cat killed him!"

"Did not."

"Did."

"Didn't."

"Hush, you two. You sound like a couple of whiney children." Mariana ordered, tired of their useless nonsense that was cranking up a headache inside of her already whirling brain.

"They are a couple of whiney children." Harry remarked.

Mariana wanted to laugh. She did. But with the idea of who his father was, she couldn't even look at him.

--

"How did it go, Hagrid? The hearing?" Hermione queried. Hagrid was standing in the lake, the murky water rising up to his knees. In his hands, he held large stones which he tossed like weightless pebbles. Mariana watched as one of them bounced effortlessly across the water before stopping and sinking down, down, down.