Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Maria's life story was complicated, but it was important to know all of it to understand why she was the way she was today.
Maria and Perseus Black were orphans, at least in a sense. Their mother had died months after they were born and their father was sent to Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit when they were three. To protect them, Remus Lupin had sent them to an orphanage far away to stay until they could attend Hogwarts. It was supposed to be somewhere they could stay safe and hidden from the wizarding world and those who wished for revenge.
The Black twins were considered freaks at the orphanage, for strange things always occurred around them. Objects would float whenever they were around or, if their temper got the best of them, lightbulbs would explode in the hallways. The other children at the orphanage had learned to avoid the siblings but they never stopped sneering and gossiping about them from a safe distance.
Perseus and Maria didn't really mind the other kids, as all they needed was each other. They would spend their time in the meadow or underneath the apple tree beside the orphanage. Maria would read her books under the apple tree as Perseus climbed above her, occasionally dropping an apple or two on Maria's head. Most of the time they would chase each other around the meadow until they were out of breath or it became too dark out to see. It was on one of these occasions that Maria Black eventually met her untimely end.
Something had happened when Maria died for the very first time. She hadn't gone to the other side like most ghosts and they weren't quite sure where she had gone. Even Maria couldn't remember where she had disappeared to or what had happened when she was dead. All they knew when Maria woke up was the fact that something had changed.
Maria had nightmares for weeks about people she had never seen and places she had never been to. Perseus would lay by her side throughout the night, watching his younger twin twist and turn in the night. He couldn't sleep, not after witnessing his younger sister's death so abruptly. He was still recovering from the incident but he wanted to hide it from Maria as much as possible. Perseus didn't want her to see his suffering.
It wasn't until three months after her death that Maria had seen her first death. Perseus had finally coaxed his sister to leave their dingy room at the orphanage to talk a stroll outside. Maria had been paranoid, scared she would die again, but she left because of her brother. She could see the dark circles under his eyes and noticed the lack of food he had been eating. If it was up to Maria, she would never have left their room but she had realized how much her brother needed it at the moment.
It took several encouraging words and a small push to get Maria out of the building, but Maria kept reminding herself to do it for Perseus. They had made it about twenty feet from the door when her nerves became too much and she reached out to grab his hand for comfort, unaware of the consequences it would bring.
Perseus Black's death was only the first of many Maria would witness during her lifetime, but it was the one that would haunt her the most. She let out a terrifying scream as the vision flashed before her eyes and when it was over, her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she passed out.
