Pure-blood parties were always monotonous, utterly lacking entertainment and excitement. They were always held in a different Manor, every prestigious Pure-blood aching for the chance to show off what they had.

Mariana always thought there was truly nothing too remarkable about manors. Most of them were the same. Cold, empty, and lacking joy and liveliness. There was simply just too much open space. And, in the Ravenclaw's opinion, the large, shiny chandeliers that always hung from the ceilings were getting a bit predictable.

And, if not the boring architecture, then it was the obnoxious (and usually offensive) chatter that bounced off the walls. She was ashamed to say that her father was one of the main culprits of such talk.

Mariana snorted at the irony from her corner of the room, a glass of champagne (but really apple juice) dangled from her petite hand. Her shoulders were pushed back and her back curved into a delicate arc. The Rosewood girl was known for her excellent posture. She held herself well, like she knew she belonged at respectable gatherings.

Genevieve, on the other hand, was slouched forward, leaning against the wall with a scowl on her face. That Rosewood was known for...well she was known for being everything a Rosewood shouldn't be. Mariana grinned at her sister. She loved that about her. Genevieve knew damn well people were talking shit, and she still continued to be confident in how she was. She was brave. Yeah, she was definitely sorted correctly.

"Look at Pansy, acting all high and mighty. You know, I really wish someone would beat the shit out of her arrogant ass." Genevieve spat, rolling her eyes.

Mariana's eyes found Pansy. She was across the room, putting her hand on Blaise Zabini's shoulder to steady herself as she cackled away at something. The Ravenclaw cocked her head. Pansy had always been cool and honestly didn't really give a damn about anything. Including blood status. Pansy was just Pansy. And Pansy was hot, even Mariana couldn't deny that.

"She's not arrogant, Eve. She's just confident." Mariana finally said, drawing her eyes away from the scene.

Genevieve scoffed. "I don't see what she has to be confident about."

Mariana almost spat out her drink at her sister's absurd statement. Keeping her composure, Mariana swallowed before saying, "Are you blind? That girl is absolutely ravishing."

Genevieve grunted in disapproval.

Mariana turned to look at her sister in surprise. "What? You don't agree?"

Genevieve's cheeks flushed, red swarming her face at Mariana's question. When the Ravenclaw noticed what was happening, she almost spat out her drink...again.

"Merlin, you do think she's attractive. I bet fifty galleons that you wanna snog her." Mariana teased, rocking back and forth on her heels. She couldn't believe her sister had a thing for Pansy Parkinson, but she wasn't upset in the slightest. In fact, she was quite excited to play match-maker.

"Would you quiet down, you imbecile! I-I don't wanna snog her. That would be ridiculous." As the words left her lips, Genevieve's cheeks turned a darker shade of red.

Mariana snickered into her hand, her perfect composure completely crumbling. She placed her drink down on a table and held out her hand towards her older sister.

"What?" Genevieve practically barked. She always got aggressive when she was embarrassed.

"Take my hand!" Mariana giggled. Reluctantly, the Gryffindor grabbed her hand and let herself be dragged off in the direction of—Merlin, in the direction of Pansy!

Genevieve tried to yank her hand back when she realized where they were going but Mariana had a death grip. "What are you doing, Mari? Let go!"

"Nope. You're the bold one, remember?"

Genevieve planned to shoot back an insult—probably a very violent sentence involving every curse word you could think of—but before she could even open her mouth, they were standing right in front of Pansy, Blaise, and Draco.

Mariana smiled and greeted Draco, engulfing him in a warm hug. She politely nodded at Blaise and Pansy as well, who both shot back smiles. They'd never tell, but Slytherin's finest trio had a soft spot for the Ravenclaw.

"Finally, you decide to speak, Rosie. I was about to drag you over here." Draco said, smiling all the while. Mariana laughed gracefully (annoyingly, in Genevieve's opinion), and gestured to her sister.

"Hope you don't mind I brought Eve." Mariana announced, an angelic smile still plastered to her face but a warning buried in her eyes. Blaise shook his head dismissively, expressing that he didn't mind in the slightest. Draco chose not react, fearing what Mariana would do if he did seeing as him and Genevieve never seemed to be able to find common ground. And, Pansy, well she was the most welcoming of all.

The Slytherin girl smirked. "I don't mind pretty girls."

Genevieve's cheeks flushed immediately, her eyes going wide. Her heart was beating erratically in her chest. She had never felt so helpless and timid. Everyone knew Genevieve Rosewood's presence was similar to that of a lion; loud, bold, and sometimes hostile. But, never ever had she been described as shy.

Mariana pinched her sister's shoulder discreetly, bringing her back to reality. Genevieve zoned back in and muttered a meek thank you.

Draco gagged. "Pansy, do you have to flirt with everything that has two legs?"

"As long as they're pretty legs." Pansy replied, eyeing Genevieve up and down. The Slytherin girl had never truly noticed the Gryffindor before but she was certainly noticing her then. Her hair was a dark brown, her eyes an even darker shade of brown and filled with fire, her lips were full and plump, and her cheeks were perfectly rosy. She was a sight.

Mariana laughed at Pansy's obvious flirting and began talking with Draco about his summer. Blaise soon joined in the conversation, only commenting with clipped, short words and nods of his head. He had always been quiet, mysterious. But, never in an intimidating way. The Zabini boy always could make someone feel heard and understood. Mariana envied that.

Pansy and Genevieve were left standing across from each other, the only two not in an active conversation. The Gryffindor couldn't believe she was being affected so heavily by Pansy's comments. She probably said those sort of things to everyone. Regaining her composure, Genevieve cocked her head at the Slytherin, her eyes alight with a challenge. "I didn't know you liked people other than yourself, Pansy."

Pansy snickered deviously. "By the gods, I certainly don't."

Genevieve cracked a smile at Pansy's remark. She was funny.

Pansy smirked. "I didn't know you laughed at
jokes made by Slytherin's, Genevieve."

Genevieve raised a brow. "By the gods, I certainly don't." 

And, with that sentence, the two girls chortled and kept telling jokes the rest of the evening. Mariana couldn't help but feel a little boastful at the friendship she had created.
-
Genevieve stumbled out of the fireplace, almost tripping over the side of the couch. Before she fell, she grabbed onto a nearby table to steady herself, causing a lamp to come crashing down to the floor.

"A-HAH, I ALMOST FELL BUT I SAVED MYSELF! THAT RHYMES, MARI!" Genevieve boomed through the manor, twirling around and giggling. Mariana was too nice to point out that it in fact, didn't rhyme.

Mariana grabbed her sister by the waist and helped her walk. Apparently, Genevieve didn't get apple juice in her glass at the gathering. Once Octavius realized she was absolutely, about-to-pass-out drunk, he ushered them home immediately. Octavius watched his eldest daughter in absolute embarrassment and disappointment as she staggered aimlessly around the manor.

He didn't know what he did to deserve a daughter like her. There was nothing redeemable about her. He spent years searching for something that could possibly give her some sort of redemption but he knew his attempts were completely futile. She'd never be the daughter he wanted.

Mariana noticed her father's intent gaze on Genevieve. "What are you looking at?"

Octavius's eyes shifted to his youngest daughter. Ah, Mariana. She was the perfect daughter; agreeable, talented, and wise in all her ways. He liked to think of her as the universe making up for his absolute mistake of a first daughter. "Nothing, dear. Just help your sister get to bed."

Mariana nodded respectfully. "Goodnight, Father."

"Goodnight, Mariana."

When she exited the room, Genevieve in tow, Octavius had already made his decision. Without hesitation, he hurried to his study and  ransacked drawers, searching. When he found no luck in his drawers, he checked cabinets. Nothing.

"Where did I put the damn thing?" Octavius muttered, shuffling through a stack of papers. Moving one aside, his eyes were set upon the missing item. Relief flooded Octavius.

He read it's contents once more.

Dear Mr. Rosewood,

We couldn't help but notice how much of an accomplished witch your daughter has become. At such a young age, her skills are very impressive along with her wit. Those valuable attributes can only improve over time. We, with much heavy thought, have decided that we would like her to join our program of under-age wizardry. Only a select few are chosen and please understand that this is an honor only extended to pure-blood witches such as herself. And, before you ask, yes. She can still continue her schooling at Hogwarts if she chooses to participate. Please send back a letter of correspondence by July 31st to confirm her involvement.

Sincerely,
Diana Regíne

Octavius sighed. Mariana would want to make the choice for herself, but he simply couldn't allow that at the slight chance she may refuse the opportunity. She simply didn't know where her capabilities lie with proper training. He was going to show her, he decided as he scribbled his response back and sent his owl off.

Octavius hoped she would finally unveil the power that lived in her necklace. She seemed unaware of its power and that was only because her judgement was clouded, too caught up in friends and school activities. He thought summer would be a great opening for the power to develop, her mind being idle with nothing to trouble it. He was wrong, it seemed.

Maybe, maybe she just wasn't strong enough to activate it. That's precisely why she needed to join the program and grow into the witch she was meant to become.

Even if she what she was meant to become was the opposite of what she truly wanted.
-