Fall quickly faded into Winter, and the snow was falling as it always did. Mariana Rosewood had been exceptionally busy with all of her classes, especially Potions, and hadn't found any time for herself.

So, when Hogsmeade time swung around, Mariana was delighted to know that she would finally be getting a break from her every day routine. The brunette was chatting with Ron and Hermione as they made the long trudge down to the quaint town when she felt someone tug her hair.

"Braids today? I'll have to give it to you sister, they're very cute." Genevieve Rosewood sarcastically commented.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Mariana asked, looking over at Ron and Hermione and feigning confusion. "Oh wait, now I remember, you're my sister! I seemed to have forgotten since you've became too cool to hang out with me."

"I'm older than you, I was practically born cooler. That's how it works, little one." Genevieve shot back, throwing an arm around her sister.

The Ravenclaw groaned in annoyance and shook the intrusive arm off. "Then go be cool somewhere else."

"I see you've started hanging out with Gryffindor's finest trio. Hermione, Ron, how are you?" Genevieve asked, ignoring her sister's dismissal.

"Not good. I wish Harry was here." Ron grumbled, "I'm stuck hanging out with girls, no offense."

"Always the complainer." Mariana mutters as she rolls her brown eyes at Ron. He disregarded her with a scoff and averted his attention back to Genevieve.

"Oh, don't pout. Maybe you're just not hanging out with the right girls. I could set you up with a cute little Hufflepuff if you wanted." Genevieve suggested.

Ron's eyes gleamed with terror and he was about to shake his head when Hermione spat, "That won't be necessary."

Genevieve smirked deliberately and leaned down and whispered something in Hermione's ear that made her gasp. And then, with a salute to her little sister which was returned with much annoyance, Genevieve Rosewood strutted off.
-
"It's meant to be the most haunted building in Britain. Did I mention that?" Hermione queried peacefully, studying the Shrieking Shack with interest.

"Twice." Ron forced out nervously.

"Do you want to move a bit closer?" Hermione asked.

"Huh?"

"To the Shrieking Shack."

"Well, actually, I'm fine here." Ron answered.

During their interaction, Mariana was leaned up against a nearby tree, scribbling in her journal. It was a common thing to see the brunette's head buried in the raggedy little book. It was her outlet, her escape, and she appreciated the comfort of it more than anything. Mariana was enjoying her alone time when a familiar, obnoxious voice rang in her ears.

"Well, well, look who's here. You two shopping for your new dream home? Bit grand for you, isn't it, Weasel-Bee? Don't your family sleep in, uh, one room?" Draco Malfoy arrogantly strode towards them, flanked by Crabbe and another Slytherin boy Mariana didn't recognize.

"Shut your mouth, Malfoy." Ron demanded uneasily, his eyes glued to the ground. Mariana could tell more than anything he wished Harry was there.

"Ouu, not very friendly. Boys, I think it's time to teach Weasel-Bee how to respect his superiors." Draco adjusted his coat.

Seeing how quickly the situation had escalated, Mariana stuffed her journal in her coat pocket and joined Hermione and Ron. When Draco spotted her, guilt filled his eyes.

"Hope you don't mean yourself." Hermione shot back.

Draco's nose scrunched furiously as he said, "How dare you talk to me, filthy little Mudblood!"

At the same time, a snowball hit Draco on the side of his face. The students heads whipped in the direction it came from when Draco shouted, "Who's there?"

Another snowball flew his way, and another, and another. "Don't stand there, do something!"

"What?!" Crabbe yelled as his pants were yanked down. Then, he was kicked over and onto the ground. Mariana covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing.

The other Slytherin boy was grabbed by his scarf and swung around until he hit the ground. When Mariana thought it was over, Draco fell over and began being dragged towards the Shrieking Shack. His screams of terror filled the air, only causing Mariana to laugh even more. He was her friend, but he deserved it more than anyone.

Once released by the invisible force, Malfoy shot up and scurried through the snow, pausing for a few seconds to spare a glance at Mariana, his eyes practically saying, "Sorry."

The Ravenclaw stopped laughing and kept her eyes hard and cold. He'd have to work a little harder to earn her forgiveness, especially after he'd called her best friend a Mudblood, and she was almost sure it wasn't the first time.

Mariana's double braids levitated in the air and she giggled, knowing who the culprit was. Ron's was terrified as the tassels on his hat were tugged.

"Harry!" Hermione squealed and finally, he pulled the cloak off of him to reveal himself.

"That was not funny." Ron gulped. The four laughed together until they were gasping for breath.

"Let's head back to the town. I'd like to see why Hogsmeade is such a big deal to everyone." Harry announced when they had a grasp on their composure.

Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement but Mariana hesitated. "I think I'll stay here for a while."

Mariana found a solitude in the area that she couldn't explain. The Ravenclaw could sit in the patch of snow for hours on end, writing her worries away.

Harry could admit he was a bit disappointed that she didn't want to tag along but he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

"Well, what about the Shrieking Shack? They say it's-" Ron stammered before Mariana held up an authoritative finger to silence him.

"The Most Haunted Building in London? Thanks for the concern but I'll be fine. Besides, ghosts have always seemed to fancy me." The brunette said, gazing at the Shrieking Shack. From her view, there was nothing to fear.

With a few more minutes of protest, the Golden trio trudged up the hill and back towards Hogsmeade, leaving Mariana alone. And that was exactly how she liked it.
-
The wind whistled in Mariana's ears as she untidily wrote in her journal, pouring out every intrusive thought that had unwelcomely invaded her mind.

She had them often.

I could have done something. She was right in front of my eyes but I didn't do anything. I didn't try to save her. I just screamed and cried. Screamed and cried. Why did I just cry? Was that all I was good for? Is that all I'm good for?

The Ravenclaw shook her head furiously and ripped out the piece of paper from her notebook, throwing it off into the woods. She slammed her journal shut and let her head fall back against the stone she was lounging on.

She shouldn't of been thinking those things. She shouldn't have let them in. If she did, she'd fall apart all over again. And...she couldn't. She wasn't going to allow herself to break again.

It was in those moments of frustration that Mariana heard distraught sobbing somewhere near her. Putting her journal away, Mariana stood up and inched closer to the stone.

The closer she got, the more familiar the voice was. Harry. Finally, the brunette arrived at the stone and kneeled down, slowly pulling the invisibility cloak off of him.

"Harry? What happened?" Mariana asked, grabbing his hand for emotional support.

He looked at her, and suddenly yanked her in for a hug, crying in her arms. The Ravenclaw instantly returned the embrace. They seemed to be hugging a lot lately.

Moments later, Hermione and Ron arrived and Mariana released her hold on Harry. Alas, he spoke. "He was their friend, and he betrayed them. He was their friend!"

In that moment, the Rosewood girl wanted nothing more than to erase that terrible knowledge from Harry's brain. She knew he was talking about Sirius Black because he had been the only person of significance the entire year.

"I hope he finds me. Because when he does, I'm gonna be ready. When he does, I'm gonna kill him!" Harry shouted, his eyebrows furrowed in anger.

As bad as Mariana wanted to comfort him, there was nothing she could say or do to mend the situation. The best remedy was her silence. As the four Hogwarts students sat in the depths of tranquility, Mariana could only wonder how long it would be until Sirius Black really did find Harry.