The rest of the holiday flew by. Remus, dad and I spent New Year's Eve together, as per tradition. It was a quiet evening but dad made his famous maple-glazed goose. Luna and her father also stopped by, since Mr. Lovegood was the one to provide the goose, which was a nice opportunity to visit with the younger girl. I showed Luna my book on Herbology while she brought along her newest book on The Unknown Magical Creatures of Morocco. It had been our past time to share our books and I always found Luna had the most interesting and most obscure collection.

After New Year's everything was quiet and before long my father was escorting me back to King's Cross. It was only a few moments after entering the platform we heard the sounds of a woman calling out to us. We turned around to see Mrs. Weasley leading her children towards us with a beaming smile on her face. I could see Ginny holding on to her mother's arm as they approached with Ron on her other side. The twins were also following closely behind with matching grins on their faces.

"Oh Marnie dear, I hope you had a good Christmas!" Mrs. Weasley beamed at me. "I just wanted to make sure I saw you off before you got on the train," she added, bringing me in for a hug.

"Oo Mum, look at her pretty necklace," I heard Ginny say and saw her pointing to my mother's pendant hanging around my neck.

"Don't point Ginevra, it's rude," Mrs. Weasley scolded her daughter before turning back to me.

"That is a beautiful necklace Marnie," Mrs. Weasley said kindly. "I remember your mother always wearing it everywhere she went. A beautiful piece of magic."

I gaped at her response.

I had already deduced that Mrs. Weasley had probably known my mother since she seemed to know my father from the war. But it was startling to hear a comment like that from someone I still hardly knew. Of course, my father and Remus mentioned mum all the time, but it was always hard imagining other people knowing her before she was tortured. Especially when many of those people had either been tortured themselves, imprisoned, or had died.

My thoughts were interrupted by the screech of the warning whistle. I hugged my dad fiercely, holding back a sudden string of tears before he kissed me and nudged me off towards the train; it was still difficult to leave my father behind. But the twins looped their arms through mine and guided me towards the steam engine to find a compartment with our friends. We were lucky enough to find a vacant one with a view facing the platform where I could see my father talking with Mrs. Weasley. It looked as if they were old friends catching up which made me hopeful yet again that my dad would branch out of his comfort zone to rekindle an old friendship.

Lee and the girls soon found us as the train set off for Hogwarts. We all talked about our Christmases and the presents we received. No one was quite as enthusiastic about my book as Luna had been and I was slightly jealous of the homemade sweaters the twins were sporting. Fred's was blue which I found brought out his bright eyes whereas George's was green. They also had large letters on the front to signify their first names. I felt most people would find this helpful to depict each one from their identical nature, but I didn't need sweaters.

Before long we arrived back at Hogwarts and gorged ourselves at the Return Feast. Soon after, we each declared that we were all pretty exhausted and decided to head to bed, especially since we had already caught up on the train. Up in our dorm the girls quickly got into their beds and fell asleep moments later while I laid there for a while thinking about my dad back home and feeling guilty for what felt like me abandoning him and my mother. I knew she probably wouldn't even notice my absence but my dad and I often visited her in the hospital; at least once a week all throughout my childhood. It had been straining on both of us to have my mother the way she was when I was growing up. Dad was raising me on his own, and the reality of a sick wife had turned my father into a recluse.

I held my pendant which almost seemed to be glowing red in my palm as I drifted off into a fitful sleep. After a while I started to dream of my mother wearing the yellow pendant while screaming out to me as I tried to get to her. But before I could there was a flash of green and the pendant turned red.

The next morning I headed down the stairs earlier than usual since I had been plagued with unsettling dreams. I was surprised to see the twins already up, huddled together by the fire. When I went to approach them George turned around with a smile having sensed my presence.

"Hey Marnie," he said as I sat down.

"Good morning Hare," Fred added with a smile.

"We need to give you your Christmas present," George added which caused me to look at him wide-eyed.

"But I didn't get you guys anything, I thought we decided that!" I exclaimed, remembering the discussion the seven of us had had at the beginning of December.

"Don't fret little Hare," Fred cooed provokingly.

I leaned over to swat him.

"It's nothing we paid for, it's just our deepest, most prized secret," George explained mysteriously.

I was already privy to most of their secrets but I had no idea what they were talking about.

"We've had it since your birthday actually, but it took us a few months to figure it out," Fred said before taking out a large piece of parchment.

"Yea, and we haven't really had a good opportunity to show you without the rest of the gang," George continued as I looked at both of them eagerly.

"Well, come out with it then, what is it?" I asked, already intrigued and growing impatient with the twins explanation.

Fred obligingly laid the piece of parchment between the three of us and brought his wand to it. I noticed George inch towards the paper as if creating a closer barrier away from potentially prying eyes. I followed suit, leaning in to see what was so special about this blank piece of parchment.

Fred tapped his wand before speaking an unusual incantation.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

This immediately caused ink to appear. I didn't get a chance to read the title though as Fred unfolded the parchment to reveal a map. Before I could ask what the map was for I saw three familiar names scrawled together in what looked like the Gryffindor common room.

Marnie O'Hara

Fred Weasley

George Weasley

The names were in a circular formation much like how the three of us were sitting.

"Bloody hell!" I swore which caused George to chuckle and Fred to look at me aghast. I usually didn't swear, and I'm pretty sure I had never sworn in front of the twins.

"Pretty cool huh?" George asked.

"It shows the entire castle and everyone in it. It also shows when people are moving which is how we will be more successful in our future nighttime adventures," Fred explained with a sly grin.

"Brilliant!" I exclaimed, my eyes hovering over the map.

I could see the girls moving about in the dorm as well as a stagnant Lee who was obviously still sleeping. I could also see Professor McGonagall heading out of the staff room with the school healer Madam Pomfrey. Further on there were some Slytherins walking around the entrance of the Hufflepuff common room who were obviously up to no good.

"Yea, so we can use this anytime we want and will never get caught. It's fool proof!" Fred exclaimed excitedly.

"The only thing you have to remember once you're finished is to tap your wand over the parchment and say 'mischief managed' or else anyone can read it," George added demonstratively.

George waved his wand over the parchment and I saw the black ink disappear, leaving the map blank again.

"That's unbelievable! Where'd you get a thing like that? Another family heirloom?" I asked thinking back to how the twins knew of the entrance to the kitchens.

"No, when Filch took us to his office after getting caught on your birthday we noticed a filing cabinet that was labelled 'Confiscated Items' and nicked it when you and Filch left the office first," George explained as I gazed at him in amazement.

"Well, better put this away for safe keeping," Fred said returning the secret map to the pocket in his robes. "Happy Christmas Hare!" he continued.

I gave them both a hug in return just as the girls started filing down for breakfast. George went up to wake Lee so we could all head down to the Great Hall together.

XXX

The start of term ended up being pretty uneventful except for the use of the map which the three of us had used a few times to either head to the kitchens for a midnight snack or to explore the castle. We also noticed on the map that there were seemingly a few hidden passageways leading out of the castle. I thought it was a little irresponsible for whoever had created them when the castle was being built, but the twins thought it was brilliant. Accordingly we decided to check each of them out over the course of the next couple weeks to avoid suspicion.

One night in late January, we waited in the common room for everyone to vacate, including our friends. As much as we trusted them, we wanted to save this for just us. So once Charlie and his mates left the common room, we were the only ones remaining.

"Shall we?" Fred asked with a gleam in his eyes.

Nodding, we all stood up and headed for the portrait door.

"Heading out again young Weasleys?" the fat lady asked disapprovingly as we exited into the corridor. "I don't think I've seen a duo as mischievous as you two since Potter and Black," she added causing me to wheel around to look at her.

"You remember James and Sirius?" I asked in disbelief.

I knew most of my parents' friends had been in Gryffindor but that had been before the war, which seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Of course, and you also remind me of their friend who always tried to reel them in but never was any good at it. He always ended up joining them in most of their troublemaking," she added with disdain in her voice.

"Remus," I answered with a small smile.

"Yes that was his name; quiet, lanky child who never ate enough," she added as Fred nudged me in the arm.

"Sorry to break up the reminiscing but Filch is headed this way," Fred added irritably.

George pulled my arm in the opposite direction before I could ask the portrait lady anything else.

The three of us then headed towards the statue of the one-eyed witch. We came to the Defense Against the Dark Arts hallway, led by George, and went behind the statue.

"You never told us you were friends a mass murderer?!" Fred said incredulously.

"What?" I asked not having the slightest clue of what he was talking about.

"Sirius Black, don't tell me your family consorts with that lunatic!" he continued in an almost angry voice.

I stared at him for a moment feeling myself getting angry at the insinuation.

"My family does not consort with him!" I shouted at Fred. "Yes, my parents were friends with him before the war, but we have had absolutely nothing to do with him since. I'm happy he's rotting in Azkaban! My family lost too much at the likes of him!" I continued glaring at Fred in anger.

I couldn't believe that he had automatically jumped to this conclusion. It was because of Sirius that Remus was so depressed, that I didn't remember Lily and James and that my mother was the way she was. My mother had found Alice and Frank tortured and had gone to try and warn Lily and James. But she couldn't find them and it was only after she had been tortured that we found out Sirius had been responsible for their deaths.

George was looking thoughtfully between Fred and me, probably trying to figure out the best way to end the escalating conversation between his twin and his best friend. I could also see a tinge of regret in Fred's eyes which I knew meant that he was internally battling between maintaining his ego and admitting to making a mistake. But this had been a huge mistake. And although we had only known each other for less than a year and there was bound to be some lingering secrets, my mother for example, I couldn't believe that Fred would believe this of me and my family. He called me his best friend, so he must find me trustworthy. But this was too far, too painful.

All of a sudden my thoughts were plagued by the ongoing nightmares I frequently had about green lights, screams, and my mother's crumpled body. My father knew I had nightmares since I would wake up screaming throughout the night when I was younger. Ange had also woken me up a couple times for murmuring and whimpering in my sleep. But I hardly ever divulged the content of my nightmares. I had always known it would upset my father greatly and I still hadn't divulged any details about my mother to my friends. It felt too vulnerable.

And now my best friend was threatening me with associating with the murderous bastard ultimately responsible for not having a true mother.

Through all of the confusion and my slew of thoughts, I turned on my heel and ran out of the entrance. The tears I was trying so hard to keep back were flooding down my face. I quickly reached the fat lady's portrait and gave her the password before running through the opening. I was thankful that the girls had already fallen asleep which enabled me to fall onto my bed and pull back the curtains undisturbed. I fell asleep hours later after silently crying myself to sleep.

The nightmares that night were about an unfamiliar sounding man, screaming in what sounded like anguish and my mother's own cries. I woke up only a few hours later to see that the sun had not yet risen. The girls were still sleeping as I quickly got dressed and headed out of the dormitory. Today was thankfully Saturday so I could easily avoid everyone for the day without having to disclose what had happened or admit to any of my secrets or feelings.

When I got to the bottom of the stairs I noticed Fred and George asleep on the couches near the fire. I assumed they had planned to intercept me when I came down but were too deep in sleep to hear me quietly slip out the portrait hole. I headed down to the kitchens where Posy obligingly gave me a few muffins and crumpets to sustain me until dinner. I then headed out of the castle in time to see that the sun had started to rise. It reminded me of home which made me wish I could see my dad or even escape to the meadows around my house. I missed my dad terribly and had never been hurt like this by anyone before.

I didn't want to stay anywhere too obvious since I knew my friends would come looking for me when they realized I was gone. So I wandered down the hill, away from the lake, having no real destination in mind. At the bottom of the hill, close to the edge of the forest, I saw a make-shift pen holding funny looking animals that looked like a half breed between a frog and a monkey. I approached the pen slowly and looked at the creatures with webbed feet and hairless bodies before I heard a familiar booming voice from behind me.

"Yer wan ter be careful there, clabberts hav razor teeth an' aren't afrai' ter use 'em," the giant man whom I knew to be called Hagrid said as I turned around to look at him.

"Blimey, if 's not Marnie O'Hara!" Hagrid beamed with a smile.

I had only known Hagrid to be the gamekeeper at Hogwarts and obviously he had also been the one to rescue me at Hogsmeade Station.

"I though' tha' was yeh in Hogsmeade in Septmeber! Yer were a wee feller las' time I seen yeh," Hagrid continued while I looked at him in surprise.

I had never known of any connection that Hagrid had to my family.

'I knew yer mum," he continued a little more softly.

With the mention of my mum combined with my lack of sleep and argument with Fred, I broke down into tears. I was also slightly surprised that I still had the ability to cry after last night.

Having alarmed Hagrid by my outburst, he guided me to his nearby hut and started the kettle. He didn't ask me what was wrong or even spoke to me until he set down a cup of tea in front of me along with something that looked like it was supposed to be cake.

"I see yeh've gotter necklace," Hagrid said pointing to my red pendant while breaking the silence.

I smiled and took the pendant in my hand.

"You knew her during the war," I said, not really having to ask it as a question.

"Yer mum wuz a 'ero Marnie, yeh never ferget tha'," he continued.

I spent the rest of the day with Hagrid and ended up confiding in him about what had happened with Fred. Hagrid in return told me how he had also been friends with not only my parents but with Remus, James, and Sirius as well. I then talked about Remus being like my uncle, which Hagrid didn't seem surprised by.

"Marnie, I'll give yeh some advice 'ere," Hagrid started once it was coming close to dinner. "Yer jus' like yer mum, yeh 'ave a good 'eart and yeh've made some good friends. The war was a bad time, lef' people no' 'rusting. People are still afraid, of You Know Who an' 'is followers" Hagrid continued solemnly.

Although Fred had said horrible things and I was still mad at him, I knew there were better ways to handle our fight than to freeze him out.

Soon after, Hagrid offered to escort me up to the Great Hall for dinner. When we reached the castle I gave him a hug before looking over to the Gryffindor table where I spotted two redheads sitting beside each other.

"Thanks Hagrid," I said as the half giant turned to walk away. "Oh, erm Hagrid," I paused as he looked back at me, "Could I possibly stop by some time to hear more about my mother?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"O' course! Yeh take care Marnie," he beamed and started to retreat again.

I smiled before turning around to approach my friends.

"Marnie, where the bloody hell have you been?" George and Lee asked simultaneously while Ange stood up and gave me a crushing hug.

"We looked everywhere for you," Katie added while Alicia nodded fervently beside her.

"We were really worried Marnie," Angelina said, bending down closer to my ear, "and George filled us in on the basics of what happened. We are all pretty upset with Fred for assuming your dad was friends with a mass murderer," Angelina continued.

I smiled at how my friends obviously had my back.

"I was with Hagrid," I answered simply and took a seat between Ange and Alicia.

The boys were opposite of us, with Fred directly across from me. I tried to look him straight in the eye but he avoided my gaze by looking down at his plate.

"Fred, you are not the one to be sulking right now," I told him sternly.

George was elbowing him in the arm to get him to focus.

"I have taken the day to think and get some distance, you know?" I said still maintaining eye contact. "I talked it over with Hagrid, who also knew my parents and their friends, including Sirius Black," I added before pausing.

I waited to watch Fred's reaction to my comment but he remained silent while only raising his eyebrows in slight surprise as an indication of him listening to me.

I continued.

"You were a foul git for assuming anything that horrible about me or my family. And you have no idea how hurtful your words actually were. My family suffered terribly because of that man, and I should not have to sit here and justify my family's character or situation," I stopped to give a moment for my words to sink in.

Fred looked at me with remorse in his eyes. Hagrid was right, Fred deeply regretted his words, and I was willing to accept that remorse, but not without a few conditions.

"Fred, talking with Hagrid today allowed me to process everything and has led to the consideration of forgiving you," I said, seeing Fred's eyes perk up slightly. "However, I am never having a conversation like this again. I understand that each family has their own scars and vulnerabilities leftover from the war, mine is far from exempt, however that is not an excuse for taking it out on others or attacking your friends without providing them the opportunity to explain themselves. I am your best friend Fred, and that ought to mean something, even when there is doubt." I finished, waiting for him to respond.

Fred remained quiet for several moments while I noticed the rest of our friends awkwardly waiting with bated breath. They were all looking into their respective plates as if their dinner was extremely interesting.

"You actually forgive me?" Fred finally asked in surprise. "Marnie, I more than agree with everything you said, but how can you forgive me? I mean, I've always been defensive at the talk of Death Eaters. Like you said, every family has their baggage from the war, same as ours. But I hurt you Marnie, more than that stupid Flint, more than anything I swore to protect you from. I failed, and yet here you are forgiving me?" Fred asked incredulously.

"Yes, I am Fred Weasley. With the condition that we are never in this situation again and that you make up for our shortened adventure…" I paused thinking about any last minute add-ons. "Oh, and you have to pull off a prank on Marcus Flint that dyes his hair red and yellow before the end of term," I smirked.

"I solemnly swear," Fred answered with a large grin before extending his hand towards mine.

I accepted his hand and shook on the agreement. I saw the rest of our friends silently sigh in relief as we all fell into light conversation. I felt bad for how worried everyone had been about me, but this morning I had felt like I couldn't handle the world. The state of my mother had inevitably shrunk my own world to include just me and my father with few exceptions. Interacting with friends and solving issues was almost foreign to me, but I felt like space, and of course the help from Hagrid, had assisted me to solve the issue effectively. I looked over at Fred and smiled, causing him to grin back. The issue itself had been inexcusable, but the person whom it had come from was forgivable. He's my best friend, and in time I am sure we will learn each other's histories. But for now, we just have to trust that each other is worth the leap of faith.