Given the tumultuous trip everyone had, the sight of the grandiose castle was nothing short of a relief. Hogwarts looked more delightful than ever.
"You fainted, Potter?" A familiar voice came from behind them as they stepped out of their carriage. "Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually fainted?"
Maribella stumbled to the side as someone pushed past her, and she glared at the boy with pale blond hair and gray eyes, who was currently blocking the door and looking at them as if Christmas had come early. Maribella knew she would run into her least favorite person at some point, but she had hoped it wouldn't be so soon into her first day.
"Shove off, Malfoy," Ron snapped.
"Did you faint as well, Weasley?" Malfoy was raising his voice now as if he wanted everyone around to hear, "Did the scary old dementor frighten you too?"
"If you actually had a soul, you would have been affected by the dementors too, Malfoy," Maribella shot back, definitely not in the mood to engage with the most despicable human being in the entirety of Hogwarts. She took Harry by the arm and dragged him up the marble staircase, trying to block out the sound of Malfoy's sarcastic laughter and taunts.
"Bet he was eavesdropping," Maribella said furiously, "like the little worm he is."
They had barely stepped through the great oak doors to enter the castle when they were once again stopped. This time, however, the interruption came in the form of one of their most respectable teachers, Professor McGonagall, Head of the Gryffindor House and Transfiguration master.
"Potter, Piccinni, Granger!" She called, her voice travelling through the crowd in a way no one else's did. "I want to see you three," she commanded.
She stood at the head of a staircase and beckoned them over, her eyes as sharp as ever. Maribella, Harry, and Hermione shared a look but went nonetheless despite their nerves. The last thing they needed was to get in trouble after everything that had already happened.
"There's no need to look so worried, I just want a word in my office. Move along, Weasley."
"We'll catch up later, Ron." Harry whispered to their friend, as the professor ushered them away from the chattering crowd and into her office. Maribella entered the office first while Harry and Hermione waited outside..
The room was simultaneously very professional, with a work desk centering the small room, and homely, warmed by a large fireplace that crackled merrily. McGonagall settled behind the desk and gestured for Maribella to take the chair in front of her. A sense of deja vu rose up inside her. She had been called by McGonagall precisely two years ago in a similar manner to discuss her lycanthropy.
"Good evening, Professor," Maribella said, aiming to be polite.
"Miss Piccinni," Professor McGonagall said, getting right to the point. "I need not remind you how distinct your arrangement here at Hogwarts is, I assume?"
Maribella didn't like the sound of that. She shook her head with fervor."No, Professor, never."
Had she ever given the impression she wasn't taking her circumstance seriously? Maribella quickly tried to remember any instance where she might have been reckless with her condition but couldn't recall any.
"And am I right to assume you've kept it undisclosed from your classmates?"
"I—" Maribella hesitated. Her closest friends, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all knew. Was she not supposed to have told them? And would McGonagall be able to tell if she lied about it? The teacher still stared at her severely, and Maribella squirmed under her gaze.
"That would not be correct, Professor, no," Maribella finally admitted. "But it's only Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and they would never ever tell on me. In fact, they—"
"Calm yourself, Miss Piccinni," the Professor interjected, raising a palm to silence her before Maribella could launch into her rant. "Who you tell or don't tell is of your choosing. However, there is an exception this year. Now, what I'm about to tell you is, frankly, not a concern of students, but due to your condition, you must know. It is of utmost secrecy, Miss Piccinni, and I need to be assured this will not be leaving this room. Are we clear on that?"
"Er- crystal, Professor."
"Very well then," said McGonagall, looking very serious. "I understand you've acquainted yourself with Professor Lupin?" Maribella nodded, thoughts briefly going to the worn-out Professor Remus J. Lupin.
"On the train, but we barely talked. What's he…" Maribella trailed off.
"Miss Piccinni, you and Professor Lupin share a very... peculiar trait. Yes, he too became a victim of lycanthropy when he was very young, and—"
"Professor Lupin is a werewolf?" Maribella blurted out, unable to contain herself. Her heart was beating fast and she could feel her hands start to sweat.
She couldn't believe it. Her first year had revolved almost entirely— if you took Nicolas Flamel and Quirrell out of the equation— around finding the other werewolf that had attended Hogwarts. She remembered having spent eons in the library going through student records, and now— it was Professor Remus J. Lupin all along! Somebody else like her, and he was a teacher! She couldn't wait to tell Hermione.
"...And, of course, the same requirements from your previous years will still be necessary, as I'm sure you've expected," Professor McGonagall was saying. "You will still be able to roam the grounds as you please, as Professor Lupin has decided to transform inside his quarters."
"Oh, Professor!" Maribella said, beaming. "This is wonderful!"
"Miss Piccinni, must I remind you of the severity of the situation?" McGonagall reprimanded, but it didn't have the same intensity as her other tell-offs. "You need to be subtle about all of this. We can't have any damage to Professor Lupin's reputation, or yours, can we?"
"Definitely not," Maribella agreed. "My lips are sealed."
"Now, run along," McGonagall said, a shadow of a smile on her face. "I hear tonight's Sorting is of utmost importance to you."
"Anna!" Maribella remembered with a gasp. She shot up from the chair, and without a second glance, sprinted out of the office.
"Piccinni, please ask Ms. Granger to come in on your way out," McGonagall called after her.
Madam Pomfrey was attending to Harry out in the hall. Maribella told Hermione her presence was requested, waved Harry and Madam Pomfrey goodbye, and made it to the Hall just in time, taking a seat beside Ron.
"What did Professor McGonagall want?" He whispered to her.
"Shhh!"
The first years had just arrived at the Hall. Maribella could see her sister standing among the sea of eleven year-olds, looking older and more mature, but, curiously, more frightened than most. Maybe the dementors had affected the young girl more than Maribella had realized.
Maribella waited impatiently as the Sorting Hat sang its song about the four houses: Gryffindor, where dwelled the brave at heart; Ravenclaw, for the clever and mindful; Hufflepuff, the residence of the just and loyal; and, of course, Slytherin, for the slimy. The Hat didn't quite use those words, but Maribella was sure that was the song's underlying meaning. Then the sorting started, and soon Piccinni, Giovanna was called. Maribella waited with bated breath, pushing herself up slightly to get a better look. Where would her sister go? Gryffindor, hopefully. But, of course, Maribella wouldn't mind Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, as long as it wasn't—
"SLYTHERIN," the Sorting Hat screamed.
No.
Maribella fell back to her seat with a depressing thud. Even though she could see people around her clapping politely, she could not hear them. Maybe it was just her mind, though, crumbling with the thought of a Slytherin sister. Anna looked at her apologetically before joining the Slytherin table. From a distance, Maribella could see Draco Malfoy's leechy arse doubling over with laughter. He pushed Crabbe— or maybe Goyle, they were pretty much the same— away, to make space for her sister to sit. She saw him clap her gleefully on the back, before looking over at Maribella and smirking.
Maribella fumed. Harry and Hermione slipped into the hall a while later, but Maribella was still stuck in her disappointment. Dumbledore stood up to give out the usual beginning-of-the-year announcements, but Maribella barely heard. She couldn't get the image of her sister, robes suddenly green, smiling up at Draco Malfoy, out of her head. Not even the news of Hagrid's appointment as the new Care of Magical Creatures professor could bring her out of the stunned stupor.
At the end of the feast, as all students scrambled to go to their respective houses, Maribella spotted Draco Malfoy chatting with her sister, and decided that enough was enough.
"Mari—" Hermione shot her a warning glance. Two years together and Hermione already knew her better than anyone. But it was too late, for Maribella had already broken off from her friend group, and was running toward the Slytherins.
"Malfoy!" She snarled, brandishing her wand and pointing it straight at Malfoy's chin. "Get away from my sister!" From the corner of her eyes, she could see a few other Slytherins taking out their own wands.
"Maribella!" Anna screeched, horrified. "Stop! What are you doing?" She tugged on Maribella's arm until the girl finally let it fall to her side.
"He's only talking to you to get to me, Anna," Maribella said, glaring at Malfoy. "He's—"
"He's being friendly," Anna cut her off. "Which is more than I can say about you right now."
A few of the Slytherins around them laughed and 'oooooed', like the immature jerks they were.
"You don't know him like I do, Giovanna," Maribella said, nostrils flaring. "I'm telling you, he—"
"Merlin!" Anna cried, exasperated. "The world doesn't revolve around you, Maribella! Just let me have this, alright?"
Maribella opened her mouth, but nothing came out. From over Anna's shoulder, Malfoy gave her a triumphant sneer.
"Fine." She said drily, turning around and walking toward her friends, who were standing further away with worried expressions on their faces.
"Maribella, we—" Hermione started, but Maribella rushed past her before she could finish her sentence.
Tears blurred her vision, and she didn't want to give the Slytherins the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She joined a wave of older Gryffindors who were streaming up the staircase and reached the portrait in record time. Unlike the other years, she spent no time savoring the comfort of the Common Room. Instead, she climbed up the spiral staircase, reached her dormitory, and, at last, collapsed into her bed. It was only then that she let herself cry, weeping quieter still as the other girls entered the room, chatting animatedly.
She hadn't had such a ruddy day in a while. First the dementors, and now Anna… Maribella was sure the likes of Draco Malfoy would do everything in their power to corrupt her sister… Her sweet sister, who deserved better than cruddy, prejudiced Slytherin; who had the brains of a Ravenclaw and the loyalty rivaling that of the rawest of Hufflepuffs, but still had ended up in stinking Slytherin. Of course, with Anna's high hopes of someday curing lycanthropy, she was the most ambitious person Maribella knew. But still. That didn't make her a Slytherin, did it? Apparently, yes, it did.
"Mari?" A voice whispered from the end of her bed.
Maribella swallowed a sob. Her bed deepened with the additional weight as Hermione sat at the end of it.
"I'm just tired," Maribella said, laying on her back and staring up at the ceiling. Tears were streaming down her face freely. "I don't know why I got so emotional."
"I guess we all just had a hard day," Hermione whispered back.
They were silent for a few seconds.
"You know," Hermione said softly, "just because she's in another House doesn't mean you can't still interact."
"It's Slytherin, Hermione," Maribella sniffled. It obviously would have been different if Anna was in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. But to be in Slytherin was practically disgraceful.
"What difference does it make?" Hermione asked.
Maribella blinked.
"Slytherins are our biggest enemies," Maribella said.
"No. Malfoy and his friends are our biggest enemy. The rest of them are generally harmless."
"Fine, but Slytherin's still our biggest rival!" Maribella said, sitting up triumphantly. Check mate, she thought as her tears dried.
"Oh, Maribella, don't let some good-naturedly rivalry get in between you and your sister," said Hermione irritably. "She seems like such a nice girl."
"She is," Maribella responded softly. "Sometimes."
Maribella's nightgown had slid down to expose the entirety of her shoulder blade and neck. She touched her scars self-consciously, but it was too dark for them to be seen.
"I might invite her to eat breakfast with us tomorrow," Maribella said, leaning back on the headboard.
"Yes, you should," Hermione said. Maribella noticed her voice dragged as she talked, a testament to how tired she was.
It was time to go to bed.
A.N.: Hey, hey. This was a shorter chapter, but a lot happened. Hope you enjoyed the sprinkled in family drama. I think it'll spice up ther dynamic and I'm excited to explore this new dynamic in their relationship with all of you. As always, I'd like to thank my beta reader for their wonderful work and for being patient with me; I'd also like to thank you for reading my story. If you'd like, please leave a review, they make my day.
~MJP