"Madam Pomfrey, I'm fine," Mara told the nurse, finally having enough of the older woman's fretting.

Madam Pomfrey shot her a stern look. "I say when you're fine, Miss Potter."

Mara rolled her eyes.

'I like her,' Breena said.

Mara shot her familiar a glare as she felt Breena's amusement through the bond.

"Traitor," She muttered, crossly.

Madam Pomfrey kept running diagnostic spells over her and frankly, Mara was tired of being inside the hospital wing. Mara couldn't help but smirk when the diagnostic spell turned green, indicating there were no current injuries.

Madam Pomfrey gave her a stern look. "Fine, you can go. I don't want to see you in here for the rest of the year, understand me?"

Mara grinned, giving her a mock salute. "Aye, Aye, Captain."

"I swear, just like your father," Madam Pomfrey turned to leave, grumbling under breath.

Mara couldn't help the laugh that slipped out from her chest. She had heard so many stories about the marauder's adventures that she was pretty sure she hadn't even come close to breaking their record.

Mara got up, turning to look at Breena with a smile. "Are you going hunting?"

Breena twitched her tail, looking out the window. Mara could feel Breena's anxiety through the bond. The entire time she was in here, Breena had only left to go hunt, returning only minutes later. Other than that, she hadn't left Mara's side once.

Mara felt affection rush through her chest at the cat's loyalty.

Breena twitched her tail, probably feeling mara's emotions.

She turned to stalk out of the room. 'I will only be gone a moment. Perhaps when I come back you'll be fighting a giant and not a troll.' She paused, turning to give Mara a glare.

"Nah, it'll be a hippogriff," Mara joked, her face lit up with a smile.

Breena stalked out of the room but Mara could feel her amusement through the bond. 'At least it's easier to deal with.'

Mara grinned, skipping out of the medical wing and down the hallway. She had been in there for four days. Four days of endless tests, not able to get up and walk very much due to her leg still healing. Four days of visits of nearly everyone she knew, even those she didn't. Even the Weasley twins had come to visit her, though Madam Pomfrey was very angry when they tried to give her a toilet seat.

Neville had snuck in chocolate to give to her but only one person hadn't come in.

Mara left the hospital wing, a skip in her step. She couldn't help the laugh that was bubbling in her chest, finally free.

She walked the familiar pathway to the great hall, a smile on her lips. Her eyes lip up as a familiar face came into view.

"Sophie!" She shouted, hoping to get the girl's attention. The meek brown haired girl paused, turning in her direction. Mara jogged to catch up with the girl, giving her a bright smile. Sophie Roper stood in front of her nervously, holding a bunch of books.

"You got released today?" Sophie gave her an appraising glance, a soft smile on her lips.

Mara nodded. "Yep!" She said, popping the p. "Thanks again for helping me find Hermione, by the way."

Sophie gave her a nervous smile. "I'm not sure you should thank me, considering you got hurt."

Mara shook her head. "If you hadn't told me where she was, she would've had to face the troll alone."

Mara didn't mention the fact that if Mara hadn't pushed her out of the way, Hermione would very likely be dead.

Sophie smiled. "Well, I'm glad you're feeling better. I thought I saw your brother in the great hall, he hadn't been in a few days but I saw Hermione talk to him in the library. He seems to be doing better now."

Mara raised an eyebrow, she had no clue the shy girl was so observant. Sophie seemed to realize how she had come across, her face flushed bright red.

"I wasn't following them or anything, I swear! I just happened to be in the right place," Sophie told her, clear panic on her face.

Mara giggled. "Nice to know. I didn't think you were following them. I just thought you were really observant."

Sophie breathed a sigh in relief, giving her a smile. "I guess I am." She said.

"Well, thanks for the tip. I'll see you later, Sophie," Mara smiled, giving her a wide smile.

Sophie waved her hand, her cheeks still tinged red as Mara turned to leave. Mara headed her way to the Great hall.

She certainly did appreciate the tip about her brother, since he hadn't responded to any of the messages she wrote to him in the journal. She was pretty sure he was avoiding her. On the other hand, she was glad Hermione had managed to reach him. He was pretty insufferable when he got one of his moods.

Mara enters the great hall, her eyes immediately searching the Gryffindor table for her brother's messy hair. She grinned, spotting the emerald-eyed boy eating a piece of toast. Neville sat next to him, Ron on his other side and Hermione across from them, her nose in a book.

Mara jogged up to their table trying to ignore the whispers that started up as soon as she entered the room.

"Mara!" Neville grinned in surprise as he noticed her coming towards them. All of the heads at the table shot up as Mara stopped in front of them, sitting next to Hermione at the table. She gave them a large grin.

"I thought you weren't getting released until later?" Hermione gave her a smile but her furrowed eyebrows told Mara she was confused.

"I convinced her to release me today. She was just worrying too much, I swear," Mara rolled her eyes, grabbing a piece of toast from the spread of food. She smeared on some strawberry jelly, biting into it.

"Well, it's not easy to regrow a bone," Neville said, his lips tilted upward in amusement.

"Only partially regrow," She stated, swallowing the toast. "Still, I could've handled it if it weren't for her insane no sweets rule. I'm just glad someone was kind enough to break the rules." She winked at Neville.

His face turned bright pink as he stared at his hands. "Oh, well..I, er..we thought you could use some cheering up."

Mara smiled. "I did. Thank you, Neville. Though how did you guys sneak into the hospital wing, anyway?"

Neville gave her a smile. "Well, Ron's brothers-"

Ron cut him off with a suspicious look behind him. "Don't say their names! You'll summon them."

"Did someone say our names?" Two redheads appeared behind Ron, identical grins on their faces.

Ron groaned, his head falling onto the table with a loud thunk. "Too late." He muttered shooting them a glare. "No one ever said you're names!"

Mara laughed. "I forgot to thank you guys for the toilet seat. It certainly cheered up my day."

The twins gave a low bow. "We aim to please," Fred said, grinning.

"I still don't see why you don't like your brothers, Ron, they're hilarious," Mara told him, a grin on her face.

Ron gave her an exasperated look. "They're devils! When I was four, they tried to get rid of me by offering me to the gnomes in our garden!"

"They wouldn't take him," George said with a shrug.

"It was truly a sad day," Fred shook his head with a sigh.

Ron gave them an angry look.

"When I was three, they gave me an acid pop and told me it was candy!"

"It was candy," Fred defended himself.

"It burnt a hole through my tongue!" Ron retorted.

"You're tongues intact isn't it?" George grinned.

Ron sent him a glare.

Mara and Neville laughed. The twins sent them winks.

"Don't encourage them," Ron looked at his friends accusingly. Neville smothered his laughter, covering his mouth with a hand.

Mara gave him a smile, her giggles fading.

"Sorry, Ron," she and Neville chorused together. They sent each other an amused look causing Ron to roll his eyes, his head falling onto the table.

Hermione gave the twins a disapproving look. "I agree, you shouldn't be encouraging such behavior."

Fred and George gave her a pout. "Don't worry, we'll grow on you," George grinned.

"Like a really bad fungus," Fred laughed.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

Mara smiled before eyeing the only silent person at the table. Harry hadn't looked up, still pushing the eggs on his plate around. He gave no indication he had even heard them.

Mara frowned but knew better than to push him.

"Since you're out early, Mara, you'll come to our game, right?" Fred said, giving her a smile.

"Of course, you would support your own house against Slytherin, right?" George said, giving her an innocent look.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course, We'll all go together, right? I haven't been out of the hospital wing in four days, I need to get outside!"

Fred and George threw their arms around her shoulders. "We'll see you there, Mara!" Fred said.

"It's sure to be epic!"

They walked off.

She turned to her friends, a smile on her face. Ron opened his mouth to say something, though she cringed as his mouth was full of food.

Neville's elbow shoved into Ron's side and Ron yelped, nearly choking on his food. He coughed, trying to gain control of his lungs.

"Um, sorry, Mara, we have something to do," Hermione gave her a guilty look.

Mara gave them a surprised look. "Huh? Do what?"

She flicked her eyes between her three friends and her brother, trying to understand what was going on. Hermione gave her a guilty look, her eyes flickering between Harry and Mara uneasily. Neville gave her a smile, though Mara knew it was fake. Ron was still coughing, beating on his chest so as not to choke.

"We were going to go to study in the library," Neville laughed nervously, giving a look Mara didn't understand to Hermione.

"Um, yeah, Ron and Neville have been doing terrible in transfiguration so Harry and I offered to help them out," Hermione sent her a smile.

Mara frowned, turning to Ron, who had thankfully stopped coughing but gave them a confused look. "Study? but I wanted to go to-"

He let out a yelp as Hermione gave him a glower. He turned to Mara with a smile that looked more like a grimace. "I mean, yeah, we have to go study."

Mara frowned at them, crossing her arms across her chest. "Really? You, Ron, are going to study in the library?"

Ron flickered his eyes to Hermione's face before nodding his head, his face stuck on his fake smile.

Mara frowned. She turned to look at her brother, who was studying his plate like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Harry?" She asked, her voice coming out timider than she wanted it to be. Harry didn't look at her but simply stood up.

"We'll see you later, Mara." He walked off.

Mara's jaw opened at the blatant dismissal. Between her, she saw her three friends exchanging looks.

"Um, yeah, we'll catch up after the game," Neville laughed nervously, clearly uncomfortable. He nudged Ron who gave the two of them a deep frown.

"That was really rude, we're really just going to leave?" Ron protested, giving them a glare. Hermione and Neville both sent him a glare and he huffed.

Mara frowned at them, hoping the hurt didn't show on her face.

"I promise, we'll hang out after the game," Hermione sent her a guilty smile, hurrying after Harry.

Neville stood up, following after them hesitantly.

"Yeah, fine, right gits you all are," He muttered under his breath, grabbing a kipper and sticking it in his mouth before following after Neville. He gave a wave to Mara as Neville pushed him out of the Great hall.

Mara sat at the table in disbelief and shock. Did her friends just blow her off?

Though she knew the answer, she kept hoping someone would say no.

"It glows?" Ron said, incredulously. He stared down at Harry's revealed hand with a mixture of shock and confusion. It had taken thirty minutes since arriving at the library before Harry had gotten down to the issue he wanted to discuss.

Though Ron still felt guilty for abandoning Mara, he could certainly see why Harry hadn't told her about this yet. His hand was placed on the table, his knuckles visible to them. The injury on his hand looked as if it was torn into the shape of a weird pattern. Oddly enough, there wasn't any blood like Ron would've expected though. It was red and blotchy and he could see red from where the injury opened but nothing came out.

He would've thought it was just a cut until Hermione had pointed out how fresh it looked. It looked as if it had just been carved into his skin with a knife which was ridiculous given that Ron had been with Harry all morning.

"I think it only glows when he feels scared or stressed but I'm not entirely sure," Hermione admitted, biting her bottom lip. "I've read every book on magical injuries I could find but there was nothing like this."

Harry had a deep frown on his face, breathing slowly as if trying to calm himself. He pulled his hand back and wrapped it back up in the bandages he had.

Ron chanced a look over at Neville who sat beside him. Neville frowned deeply, staring between Harry and Hermione. Emotions were flying through his eyes but Ron couldn't identify any of them.

Ron looked over at them. They had explained mostly everything they knew about the injury, even how Aura's tears had healed it only to open again whenever it glowed.

Ron gave them a deep frown, something was unsettling about the injury but he wasn't sure what.

"you told Hermione?" Neville said, looking over at Harry. Something like hurt flashed across Neville's face, his shoulder's slumping.

Harry gave him a guilty look. "I wasn't going to tell anyone but Hermione accidentally saw it glowing and well, I couldn't exactly lie to her."

The tension from Neville's shoulders release somewhat but he still frowned at Harry. "Why weren't you going to tell us? Why won't you tell Mara?"

Harry flinched, looking down at his hands. He gave a deep sigh. "Mara attracts trouble, she always has. I was supposed to look out for her and she got injured two months into the year!" He ran a hand through his messy hair, clearly frustrated.

"If I tell her, she's only going to worry even more and then she's going to blame herself," Harry admitted with a soft sigh.

The tension drained from Neville, who heaved a sigh. "Alright. I won't tell Mara but you know she's going to find out eventually, right?" He eyed Harry warily.

Harry rolled his eyes, giving a sharp nod. "I'll tell her eventually just not right now. She just got out of the hospital after throwing herself in front of a mountain troll!" He gave a frustrated noise, rubbing a hand across his forehead.

Ron got a wince from Hermione in the corner of his eye and frowned at her.

Neville seemed to catch it as well as he shook his head. "It wasn't your fault, Hermione. I'm just surprised they haven't caught whoever let the troll in."

Harry gave a sigh. "I actually have a theory."

Hermione perked up immediately, looking over at him with an almost hungry expression. Ron shivered at the look she got on her face whenever she was about to learn something new. It was beyond creepy, that's what it was.

"Well, I thought it was suspicious," Harry gave them a frown as he said this. "How did a mountain troll get in? Hogwarts wards are supposed to be protected. The only way someone could've gotten a troll in is if someone who is already within the wards was able to bypass it."

Hermione frowned. "A student?"

Harry shook his head. "No, a student wouldn't have the skill to lure a troll in and then get them under the wards."

Neville gasped, giving Harry a scared look. "A teacher?"

"That certainly makes sense," Hermione said thoughtfully. "But one of the teachers? Why would they let a troll lose in the school? They're supposed to protect the students!"

Hermione looked particularly upset about this information as if the entire world was crumbling to the ground.

"I'm not sure," Harry gave her a worried look. "but yesterday I left one of my books in the potions classroom and went to go get it back. I overheard Snape talking to Filch."

"Why does that matter? They're both right gits they are." Ron snorted.

"Well, Snape mentioned that he was on the third-floor corridor on Halloween and that he got bit by a three-headed dog."

"A three-headed dog?" Neville repeated, nervously, his eyes wide.

Ron looked at him with his mouth open but Hermione frowned. "That's the room that's forbidden. Why would Professor Snape be up there in the first place?"

"I'm more concerned about the three-headed dog, Hermione," Neville said, panic on his face.

Harry gave her a thoughtful look. "I'm not sure but a three-headed dog could only mean it was a Cerebus. Luckily, their bites aren't poisonous but that would've hurt a lot. Snape's been limping a lot since the Halloween, incident, did you notice?"

Hermione nodded slowly. "I assumed it was a normal injury but…" Her eyes widened as she turned to Harry incredulously. "Do you really think Snape let the troll in?"

Harry nodded. "Think about it. Cerebus aren't too hard to take care of on their own, they usually don't attack unless they are instructed to guard something." He gave them a meaningful look. "If they put a cerebus on the third floor, it has to be guarding something very important. What if Snape let the troll in so he could try to get past the cerebus but ended up getting bit instead?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, indignantly. "He's a professor, Harry. Professor Dumbledore wouldn't hire someone who would be dangerous to the students." She lectured, giving him a narrowed glare.

"There's no one else who could've got past the wards and known about whatever is on the third-floor corridor. It has to be a teacher!" He protested.

Neville frowned at him. "Maybe it wasn't Professor Snape. Maybe it was another teacher or someone who snuck into the school." He offered.

"Okay, say this is true. Say there really is a cerebus. That would mean Professor Dumbledore willingly hid something so important in the school that they needed a cerebus to guard it. What could be so important to endanger the students?" Hermione narrowed her eyes at Harry here.

Harry frowned before it connected. His eyes lit up as he shot his friends a grin. "There was a break-in at Gringotts over the summer! What if whatever they were hiding was in Gringotts but they moved it before the person could steal it. The article said nothing was stolen because it had been emptied out that very same day!"

Hermione and Neville exchanged a thoughtful look.

"How does this help with your scar, Harry?" Hermione demanded, stubbornly crossing her arms across her chest.

Harry gave her a glance before looking down at his bandaged hand. "My scar only showed up on Halloween when I…" he trailed off. He shook his head. "If it showed up on Halloween and my theory is true then it's possible the troll wasn't the only thing they let into the school. It could've been cursed and I could've caught it. It would explain why it's not healing."

Even Ron frowned at him. "That's a leap." He said, disbelief on his face.

Harry gave a frustrated grown, running a hand through his hair. "It's the best I got, okay? This hasn't happened before and I have nothing else to go on! I can't even figure out what the symbol is!"

Harry suddenly hissed in pain, grabbing his hand. Ron's eyes widened as he could see a green glow coming from under the bandages though it was barely there.

Ron exchanged a glance with Hermione and Neville, who both wore concerned looks on their faces.

"Alright," Ron found himself agreeing as Harry caught his breath, still holding onto his hand. "We'll need to talk to Professor Kettleburn."

All three of his friends turned to look at him, their eyes furrowed in confusion.

Ron rolled his eyes.

"He's the professor of care of magical creatures. I've met a couple of times, he loved my brother Charlie since he shared his passion for magical creatures, specifically dragons. Mum hated him since he wrote Charlie a letter of recommendation so he could go to Albania to work with them."

Harry still looked confused. "And why do we need to talk to him?"

Ron raised an eyebrow, giving a huff. "You said you heard about cerebus being on the third floor. There are only three people who would know about that; Dumbledore, Hagrid, and Kettleburn. We can't go to Dumbledore since he'll figure it out pretty quickly what we're trying to do." Ron continued. "Hagrid is the obvious choice since he's notoriously bad at keeping a secret but we need an excuse to talk to him. If we talk to Professor Kettleburn first, it'll seem like we're just curious students and it'll make it less suspicious when we talk to Hagrid. We'll also be able to find out more if it looks like we're just curious about the creatures and not snooping."

Their eyes lit up in awe as they stared at him.

"I didn't even think of that," Hermione said, shock on her face.

Ron's ears turned pink. "Yeah, well, I'm not completely stupid."

"No," Harry shook his head, the awe still on his face. "No, you're completely brilliant, Ron."

Ron ducked his head, his face turning bright red. "Well-I-yeah. Thanks." He muttered, a smile creeping onto his face. That was the first time anyone had told him he was brilliant.

'We'll see you later, Mara.'

She ran the words through her head over and over, searching for something she is missing. Surely, it had been a mistake. She had overlooked something, she had to have. There was absolutely no way her friends and her twin brother had just dismissed her.

He hadn't even looked at her, hadn't checked to see if she was okay. There were no smirks, no fights, no complaints, no comments, nothing.

Mara had dealt with a lot from Harry. He had yelled at her, been angry at her, fought with her, but never before had he ignored her completely. An uncomfortable feeling crawled its way into her throat. Something was wrong.

There was something missing, a piece to the puzzle hidden from her prying eyes, just out of reach. Or perhaps there was none and Harry had truly crushed the piece underneath his feet as he did with her feelings.

'See you later, Mara.'

Something didn't sit right with her and she could feel a burning heat warming its way through her chest. She huffed, her eyes narrowing into a dark glare. She could taste her own anger on her tongue, bitter and dark.

"Do you have something against paintings of fruit by any chance?" An amused voice cut through her thoughts. A familiar redhead stood in front of her, a kind smile on her face and her messenger bag tucked on her side.

Mara cracked a smile when she realized she had been staring at the painting of fruit that would lead her down into the kitchens.

She had simply let her feet move her after her friends practically jumping out of their way to avoid her.

Lily smiled at her. "I do believe it's almost time for the Quidditch game. I heard you had promised to be there."

Mara raised an eyebrow. She had no clue how the girl how found that out but knowing the Weasley twins, they had probably shouted it to everyone they knew just to make sure she had extra pressure to come.

That sounds like something they would do.

"Is there something bothering you?" Lily asked, concerned.

Mara heaved a sigh. She had never been good at hiding her emotions.

"I think my brother is hiding something from me," Mara admitted. She just couldn't figure out what or why.

"I may have an idea," Lily said. Mara jumped out of the seat she had been in giving the redhead a pleading look.

"You have to tell me! Nothing has been the same since I woke up, I'm so confused. Mum and Dad were acting weird and Harry's acting weird and my friends are acting weird and everyone's acting so weird!" Mara was nearly wailing in her complains, tears of frustration building in her eyes.

Lily gave her a small smile. "It's okay. I can only give you my best guess but…" Lily gave her a sly smile, her blue eyes twinkling heavily.

Dread filled Mara's stomach but she knew she would practically do anything to find out what's been happening. An overwhelming need to fix whatever is happening had been welling up in her throat, nearly spilling over.

"What?" Mara asked, preparing for the worst. She clenched her fists.

"As long as you go to the match with me."

Mara opened her mouth to accept when she paused as the words finally registered. "Huh?" She gave Lily a dumbfounded look.

Lily giggled. "You don't have anyone to sit with right?" Lily's eyes twinkled with something like humor and hope.

"Well, no but-" Mara mumbled, unsure how to process this. Mara had been dealing with pureblood and publicity, and everyone always wanted something from her. She had been expecting something more than simply going to a quidditch match.

"That's it?" Mara asked bewildered.

Lily nodded. "I don't have any friends who are going so I would mind a little company if you don't." She gave mara a dazzling smile.

Mara found herself nodding, giving her a returning smile. "Sure."

"Yay!" Lily exclaimed, grabbing Mara's hand into hers with a huge smile. "Could I give you a hug?"

Mara blinked in surprise and opened her mouth to respond only to hesitate. Lily's eyes were bright but there was something almost sad behind the blue. Worry and fear. She didn't have long to process it before her head was nodding and she blurted out "I would love a hug."

Lily smiled brightly, showing all her teeth. She quickly threw her arms around Mara, leaning her weight against her. Mara blinked in surprise. She received hugs regularly from her family but for some reason, it felt like Lily didn't.

The awkward way she was hugging her being the first sign. One of her arms were around her neck while the other was curled around her side. It was very odd but Mara didn't complain.

It felt oddly nice, much like Lily herself.

A smile curled onto her lips. She hadn't received a hug from a friend yet, but she could get used to it.

By the time the two girls arrived at the quidditch pitch, it was already packed full with students and teachers alike.

Mara's jaw dropped as she stared at the overwhelming number of people in the seats. She knew, objectively they weren't all students since parents were welcome to attend matches as well. The stands were packed more than even the welcoming ceremony had been.

The rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor stood out truly though as one side of the stands was covered in green and silver, some blue and some yellow as well but the other side of the stands was even crazier.

It was decked in red and gold and students were waving banners, standing on the seats and screaming. She noticed one of the banners that said 'Go Go Gryffindor' quickly switched to a 'Slytherin Sucks'.

A smile came onto her face as Lily pulled her through the crowd, a hand grasped onto her wrist firmly but softly. They jogged into the stands and Mara's eyes lit up as she spotted the other girls from her dorm.

Lavender and Parvati were discussing something, their hands waving in big gestures while Sophie sat quietly beside them, a soft smile on her face as she eyed everyone around them.

The two girls eyes caught and Sophie smiled at her while Mara waved at her with a hand. Lily turned to her when Mara caught her robes and Mara pointed to them. Lily gave her a nod, smiling as they moved towards Sophie and the girls.

Mara sat on the bench beside Sophie, giving her a bright smile. Lavender and Parvati paused turning to them as Lily sat beside her.

Lavender gave her a grin. "Hi, Mara! The Weasley twins were going around telling everyone you snuck out of the hospital wing just to support Gryffindor in the match today."

Mara gave her a shocked look before giggling. "No, I got out early but I did promise to come to support them."

"I told you the twins had to be lying," Parvati said, giving a smile to them. "Mara wouldn't sneak out of the hospital wing."

Mara opened her mouth to retort that she most definitely would but closed it, thinking it wouldn't be good to have that information out in the gossip pit. Her mother warned her about Hogwarts gossip but it was honestly ridiculous how fast things got around. Kids were willing to spread rumors regardless of truth or not and somehow, it was always worse than what actually happened.

Half the school was still sure that Mara took out a whole pack of trolls who had snuck into the dungeons by simply glaring at them.

If that wasn't ridiculous, they were also rumors that Mara being in the hospital wing wasn't because she was injured but to perform a magical ceremony to bind her great powers.

Those rumors were the worst in Mara's opinion.

"Oh, looks like the games starting soon," Lily pointed out from beside her, gesturing to where Madam Hooch was walking out to the middle of the field, a broom in her hand.

Mara could barely see her from how high up in the stands they were but it was nowhere near as bad as when they went to the World Cup.

Then the two teams rushed out from opposite sides of the field, circling around Madam hooch, each one carrying a broom in their hands.

"Gryffindor's seeker doesn't look too good," Lily said from beside her, a frown on her face. Mara squinted down at the team, finally spotting a small second or third year with the seeker position on his quidditch robes.

Lily was right. The poor boy was white as a ghost and she wasn't sure but it looked like he was vibrating from where she was. Mara frowned. The poor kid wouldn't be able to do anything with how scared he looked.

"GO GRYFFINDOR!" A loud voice boomed from nearby and Mara's head shot up to look around. Dean and Seamus were only a few seats away, holding a giant sheet decked out in red and gold. A large lion in Gryffindor style had been drawn on it and Mara was impressed by how realistic it looked. 'Gryffindor Pride' was written above the lion in red paint.

The two boys had gotten a lot of attention as students were glaring at them or cheering with them now. Mara cringed as screams rang throughout the stands, support for Gryffindor and condemning Slytherin in the same sentence.

Still, she looked down at the team who were sending waves and grins towards the crowd. She caught both Fred and George giving kisses towards the crowd before bowing in a theatrical manner.

Mara grinned. She flicked her wrist as her holster deposited her wand into her hand. Aiming at Dean and Seamus's banner, she muttered a spell under her breath.

She knew it had worked when the drawn lion let out a giant roar, coming to life to pace around the sheet.

Dean dropped the sheet with a loud yelp but Seamus just let out a boisterous laugh, catching Mara's eye and giving her a two finger salute.

Mara giggled, giving him a nod. Dean grabbed the sheet again and they held up the banner even higher than before, both giving loud cheers with the lion which had caused the crowd to rile up even more.

Mara was honestly surprised the spell had worked but it wouldn't last very long. She only learned it a few days ago, bored in the hospital wing.

"That was amazing, Mara!" Lavender and Parvati practically jumped on her, their faces eager. Mara blushed, tilting her arm back and letting the wand go so it clicked back into her holster.

The two girls didn't have time to barrage her with questions as a shrill whistle cut through the crowd's cheers.

Mara's eyes sparkled in delight as she saw the fifteen students rise onto their brooms, hovering above Madam Hooch before they were off.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor - What an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too -"

"JORDAN!"

Mara laughed as Professor McGonagall scolded Lee Jordan, who was doing the commentary.

"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Woods, last year only a reserve - and back to Johnson and - no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle -"

Mara stood up on her seats, watching the match unfold before her eyes. A brilliant grin came across her face as she watched the chasers all pass around the quaffle.

Her heart kept to her throat when Flint threw the ball at the hoops but Oliver Wood did a quick maneuver, kicking it out of the way with a nice save. She winced when the ball went into Katie bell's hand, only to fumble with it when a blunger hit the back of her head.

The game went on until Angelina managed to pass her way to the goal posts and score. She screamed in time with Lavender and Parvarti but Lily and Sophie were both quiet. Sophie was giggling and Lily had a bright smile on her face.

Mara sat back on the seat, keeping an eye on the game but turning back to Lily. "So you said, you'd tell me your theory about Harry."

Lily gave her a quick smile and eyed Lavender and Parvati who had turned to them with an interesting look. Sophie was looking between them with a confused look.

"Well," Lily started. "My theory is that they're after the third-floor corridor."

Mara frowned but she heard gasps from both Lavender and Parvarti beside her.

"What's wrong with the third-floor corridor?" Mara knew the question was stupid as soon as she said it as all four girls turned their eyes on her. She suddenly remembered Dumbledore's announcement at the welcoming ceremony.

"Haven't you heard anything, Mara?" Lavender giggled into her palm. "Supposively the Weasley twins got into the door, they said it was a simple unlocking charm, I mean honestly."

Parvati shook her head with a frown. "They were telling everyone there was a three-headed dog on the floor. This was only a few days after school started!"

She could Sophie nodding her head at the information, giving Mara a tender look.

Mara frowned. Since she really only stayed close with her friends, she never bothered listening to the rumors and gossip of Hogwarts.

"It's a cerebus, all right," Lily said, her eyes showing her excitement. Mara had no clue how anyone could be excited about a cerebus. "A few seventh years Ravenclaw's went to go check out their story and confirmed it."

"What is a cerebus doing in the school?" Mara demanded, unable to believe what they were telling her.

Parvarti and Lavender looked at her uneasily.

"Well, no one really knows for sure," Lavender said, her uneasy showing in her behavior. "No one's really gotten past the cerebus to check. No one's that dumb and the teachers patrol it very often. Fred and George have gotten caught half a dozen times already.'

"They've warded it, probably," Lily said, throwing in her piece. "To tell whenever someone's opened it."

"But why not just make it more secure than an unlocking charm? That's just asking for snooping troublemakers." Parvarti huffed.

Lily looked at Mara when she said with a soft smile "Perhaps, they're waiting for the right person."

Mara couldn't help but feel a shiver run up her spine at Lily's words. She wasn't able to say anything else though before a scream came from her right.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" A loud voice screamed and Mara barely had any time before being tackled onto the right by Lily. She collapsed onto the floor of the stands as something collided with the bleachers.

At the sound of splintering wood, Mara and Lily pushed themselves to a stand to see the bludger had crashed right through where the two were sitting, leaving only a gaping hole.

Mara's mouth fell open.

"What the bloody hell-"

"Are you alright, Mara?" A familiar voice asked and Mara looked up to see Fred, no George, she thought as she spotted a small mole on his hairline. He hovered above the stands with a concerned look, but his eyes switching between her and where the blunger had crashed through the seats. In his hand was a beaters bat that looked like it had better days.

"I-um.." She couldn't make out coherent words as she realized it almost hit her. If Lily hadn't pushed her out of the way, she would've been hit full force by the thing.

She didn't have much time to ponder as they heard more splintering as the bludger burst from the hole again into the sky.

"What's going on with the bludger?" Lily nearly demanded as she stared at George.

George's face was pale as he kept his eyes on the thing. "I don't know! One minute it was flying around the field and then it just changed course by itself!" He looked at the thing worriedly, as if it would attack again.

Mara's heart jumped as she saw the blunger flying towards where she was standing. Luckily George was there as he immediately flew into the path and sent it flying away with his bat towards the field.

Fred intercepted it as well, hitting it towards one of the Slytherin's with his own bat.

Mara nearly let out a breath in relief until she saw it suddenly change course like a boomerang, coming right back at her.

Mara immediately lurched forward, moving down the stands to get out of the way. The blunger was changing it's course, still coming towards her, only confirming what Mara had suspected.

It was after her.

She could hear a few students yelling her name and paled as the blunger got too close. She flinched, expecting the impact but Fred had jumped in front of her, swinging his bat to keep it back.

"What the bloody hell does it want with you?" George asked, flying up next to his brother. Fred's mouth was in a determined frown as the bludger only switched direction, heading towards her again.

Students nearby were screaming, running out of the way.

"Get to the teacher's box!" Fred said, determinedly, his hands clutching his bat.

"We'll keep it off you!" George added, nodding to her.

Mara gave them a grateful smile before running down the stairs. As she ran, she could hear Fred and George still swinging at the bludger, attempting to keep it off her.

"Mara, look out!" She heard George scream but it was too late as the bludger slammed into the steps in front of her, demolishing them and sending her plunging onto the field with a sudden scream.

Mara winced from the fall, feeling her ankle. She hoped it was only bruised as she sat up on her knees, looking at the hole the bludger had made in the stands.

Fred and George were up too high at this point when the bludger suddenly came from the hole, shooting right towards her.

Mara let out an involuntary scream as she saw the bludger heading straight for her.

"EVANESCE!"

The bludger was only a few inches from her before a jet of light slammed into the thing and the ball simply vanished into thin air.

Mara couldn't breathe for several seconds, her brain still expecting an impact.

She could hear people screaming in the background but it was like being underwater. Without realizing it, she had suddenly turned to whoever had cast the spell.

Peyton Bell, the mysterious girl who always did good in class but never received any points for it, the girl who also never interacted with anyone else stood across from her, only a few feet but it looked as if it was a giant chasm to Mara's adrenaline induced brain.

Peyton was breathing heavily, her eyes wide as she stared at where Mara was sitting. For only a second, the world only existed for Mara and this strangely beautiful girl as their eyes met in a flurry of green and brown.

Mara flinched as a hand landed on her shoulder and the moment was gone when she realized Professor McGonagall was in front of her, kneeling down next to her. Her lips were pursed in a very unhappy way but she looked over to the brown haired girl with gratefulness in her eyes.

"Thank you, Miss Bell." Professor McGonagall nodded at the shaking girl before turning back to Mara.

"Are you hurt, Mara?" She looked down at Mara with concern, her lips thinned into a line. Mara found herself nodding, her breath still ragged from all the adrenaline.

Suddenly, she was surrounded by people. Fred and George were by her side, apologizing for some reason but Mara couldn't hear any of them. Her eyes were focused on the fading back of the girl who had very well just saved her life.