A Chapter By Mariette

"If this buldger hits Albus, he'll be out for the rest of game and Gryffindor will be- What's this? It looks like Flint is trying to get in between the buldger and Albus! She's trying to take the hit for their star Seeker!"

It was happening all too fast. I listened to Siobhan Finnegan's voice with horror as the speeding buldger chased after Albus Potter. Rosalie was flying towards him with equal speed and then a disgusting crack rang out. My sister plummeted towards the ground, the bloody already visible as she crashed onto the turf, her body broken.

Standing with terror, I looked over the side of the stands, jumping from my seat and down towards the ground. "Get out of my way!" I snarled at a second year, rushing onto the field and to my unconscious sister's side.

When I saw all of the blood, the awkwardly bent limbs, and the ribs sticking out, I couldn't help it. My breakfast came up and I puked all over the ground. Someone led me away, and I couldn't resist.

She looked so fragile and hurt, but nothing I could do would help her. In my peripheral vision, I saw James Potter carrying her towards the infirmary, and all I could feel was gratitude.

She walked into the room with her arm in Matthias', wearing an absolutely dazzling dress. She was beautiful beyond belief, in her crimson attire.

But, of course, I would never admit this to her face.

Rosalie didn't look happy, though. There was a dead spark in her eyes, and a frown on her plump lips. She gazed around the room, like she was looking for an escape. She seemed trapped.

I didn't know what to do. She was with her hunky boyfriend, and she was gorgeous. What was there to be unhappy about? I didn't pay much attention to her after her entrance, only when she became the star of a commotion.

James Potter and Matthias Avery, facing off in an inconspicuous manner. Rosalie looked distraught, uneasy, as she tried to force James away from Matthias. All I could do was observe as they broke into a heated conversation.

And then Rosalie was being stolen by Molly Weasley, and left a fuming Matthias alone in the middle of a party.

What was going on? What had my sister gotten herself involved in?

"How was the train ride?" Father's cold voice rang out, his dark eyes meeting mine, and then Rosalie's.

I responded quietly, saying, "It was fine. Not one problem."

"That's nice to hear."

Silence ensued for a brief, awkward moment. All that could be heard was the clinking over silverware against plates. Then, Father inquired, "How have your Prefect duties been coming along?"

I know he's talking to Rosalie, because I had been rejected. But perfect Rosalie, of course, was a Prefect. Of course she would be.

"Perfectly fine," she replied.

"Wonderful."

"How about your Quidditch team?" Marcus asked, taking a bite of his food.

As they conversed about her Prefect duties and her Quidditch team, I became enraged. I had nothing to offer them as they praised Rosalie and her accomplishments. Was I a failure in their eyes? Surely they were interested in something I'd done! I was a straight O student, wasn't that enough?

Mother brings up Matthias, and I am tempted to tell her about the rumors at school. Surely they would destroy my sister, annihilate her right then and there. Maybe then I would be their perfect daughter.

But as enticing as it sounded, I refrained from spilling. Because getting caught in her affairs would surely burn me, too. So I took a bite of food, keeping my mouth busy as my opportunity passed.

We were kissing. It was forbidden, but we were kissing. And for once, I felt truly happy.

Until the bliss was broken by the sound of my sister's alarmed voice.

"Um, I'd hate to break up the love fest, but can I ask what's going on here?"

Before I could say anything, Sophie was speaking to Rosalie. "So, you're the famous Rosalie Flint, huh? My name is Sophie Goulding."

"You know who I am," Rosalie hissed, and I winced at the harshness in her voice. "And I know who you are. And like I said before, what the hell is going on here? How long has this been going on?"

"Since sixth year," I replied, honest.

"Okay." She paused, obviously conflicted. Finally, she admitted, "I don't really know what to do."

"Please, don't tell Mother and Father." I was grovelling, and I was pathetic. But I didn't really care; my life would end if Mother and Father ever found out.

"I'm not that low!" she snapped. "I just don't know how to react. I don't know how to feel."

"Be happy for me," I requested quietly. "For us."

"And when have you ever been happy for me, Mariette?"

Her tone was cold, and it sent shivers down my spine. Her words were true. I was always jealous, envious, angry, upset, indifferent... but never happy for my sister. I looked down at my hands, slightly pink with shame.

"This stays a secret. At least, for now it does. But you'd be a fool if you began to think I would just forget."

And then she was gone, back into the shadows of our home, and I was left alone with Sophie again, who's watching me like a bomb that's about to explode.

"So, are you saying that you agreed to testify against Dolohov? In court?" Father bellowed angrily at my younger sister.

"Of course I did!" she retorted bravely, her voice rising.

She's deplorable for her actions, but I can't help and feel jealous of her. Why does she get all of the attention?

"He was using the Cruciatus Curse on Lily Potter, and he's a wanted criminal! He needs to be locked up in Azkaban!" she finished.

"You should've consulted with your mother and I first!" Father scowled.

Rosalie sniffed, "You would have said no." She crossed her arms defiantly.

Wrapping myself in my blanket tighter, I tucked my feet into the love seat's cushions. I watched as Marcus tried to calm Father down, but he couldn't control him, and Father started yelling at Rosalie again.

"You should have let Dolohov finish her off."

Even I was shocked by Father's comment. Lily was a Potter, but she didn't deserve a death brought by the Cruciatus Curse.

"What?" she shouted. "Lily Potter did not deserve to die by his filthy hand! I would have never let that happened!"

"Do not talk back! Your foolish acts make this family a target!"

She yelled, "No; they make me a target! It's not like any of you care anyway!"

"The Potters are notorious blood traitors!" he said angrily. "You've tainted the family's name!"

"You're just afraid that you'll be ridiculed by your pathetic, pure-blooded maniac friends and are trying to save your sorry asses-"

And then there was a loud slap. Father's hand connected with Rosalie's cheek and she was thrown to the floor by the impact. Immediately, her cheek began bleeding and turned red. She brought her fingers to her face, and touched the trickling blood, wiping it away.

"I'm leaving. I can't stand you dimwitted, insolent fools," she told them irately. "I'm going to walk out that door and I'm not going to come back for a long time. I'm going to testify against Antonin Dolohov. And you are not going to stop me."

"If you walk out of that door, Rosalie, we will not allow you back in! We will disowned you!" Father barked.

"See if I care."

And then she was gone. Disowned, no longer my family.

All of my jealous and envious thoughts vanished with her, and I began to feel sad. We had our differences, but hard-working Rosalie didn't deserve to be excommunicated, just for doing what was right.

I sat in my room for hours, considering standing up to Father, too. But I couldn't, and I didn't, and I hated myself for it.

"Rosalie! Rosalie! Rose-!"

"I heard you the bleeding first time, Mariette," she screeched angrily at me, and she had every right. After watching her lose her concentration and then fall into a pile of mud, it was hard to misunderstand her.

"We need to talk," I said, approaching her carefully.

"About what?"

"About what you saw, last week."

"Lily Potter?"

"No, me and Sophie." I caught myself hissing at her in frustration, and I tried to tone down my bitterness just a bit.

She scoffed, "You've got to be bloody kidding me! Well?"

"I want you to swear that you won't tell anyone." My reputation was on the line, and it couldn't be risked. I liked Sophie a lot, but I couldn't lose everything over one silly mistake, and it would be humiliating if everyone found out from my disowned sister.

"I can't believe this," she said. "After everything that I've been through: witnessing a little girl under the Cruciatus Curse, being responsible for the arrest of a wanted Death Eater, being disowned by my own family and sent to live on the streets... and you come to me so you can save your own bloody arse?"

Impatiently, I started, "I'm sorry about what happened to you-."

"No you're not!"

Her scream echoed within the pitch, and I took a step back in alarm, shocked by the anger and loudness of her voice.

"I don't understand it. You were my older sister, my big sister. You were supposed to protect me from the evils of the world, but instead you grew up hating me, your little sister. When I was young, I wanted to be just like you, Mariette, until I realized what a cruel, selfish bitch you were. But I guess, in a way, I ended up just the same anyhow."

My stomach began to twist as I listened to her, once my baby sister, fall apart in front of me. She wanted to be like me, and then she became exactly like me. And she hated it. She hated me, and she hated herself.

"How do you feel?" she continued. "Seeing me like this. Are you satisfied now? I'm broken into a billion pieces, cast away from the family, hated by everyone; are you finally happy? Are your miseries gone? Gone with me?"

"Don't be like this," I said, for a lack of better words to say. I tried to reach out and touch her shoulder, but she recoiled away from me. It stung like a slap on the face.

"You think that your secret is horrible? Well, get a fat load of this: Matthias fucking hit me. And then he tried to rape me."

It left her mouth quickly, and I had a hard time comprehending it. And then it hit me, like a freight train going at full speed, and I felt like doubling over. Rape? He tried to rape her? And I didn't know, I didn't do anything. How could I have? I didn't know! But the guilt, and the shame of being so utterly selfish, settled onto my shoulders like two ton boulders.

"That's right," she said poisonously. "He hit me, he bit me, he touched me, and he finally tried to rape me. I wanted to tell someone, but I couldn't. I was afraid that... gods, I can't even say it! That Mother and Father would drop me like that. Disown me for being a disgrace. But I'm not afraid anymore! And now you know the truth. And you know who was there for me, when you weren't?" I said, watching her eyes grow sadder and her frown deeper. "James fucking Potter. My supposed arch-rival."

She was crying, and she thought I didn't see her tears. But I did. And now I was crying, too, and it was uncontrollable. As she ranted, pain tweaked inside of me with each blow she delivered. It was horrid and excruciating and I couldn't stop it.

"I didn't know," was all I could manage.

"Of course you didn't know! You never gave a shit about me!"

She was right. What she said was true. I had never cared about her, just like the rest of my family. And it would be my biggest regret for the rest of my life.

"I'm sorry." I tried to pack as much emotion as I could into those two words.

"Sorry will never be enough for the pain you and your family caused me. And remember this, Mariette: You secret will never be safe with me. I will never forget it and if you try to talk to me again, you will be the first person to hear me shout it to the world."

She left me alone with my tears and my torn, shredded heart. I ached for her. And I hated myself for being so cruel to my own flesh and bood.

I couldn't see their faces, but I knew who they were. I mean, just because she changed the color of the dress, did she think that nobody would recognize it?

Then I realized that she probably didn't have enough money to purchase a dress, and the snide remark was lost to me.

Yes, my sister - or ex-sister - was snogging James Potter.

I should have been disgusted, enraged, and upset. But instead, I felt indifferent. I mean, what had she done when she found me with Sophie? No, she hadn't been happy, but she hadn't told.

But by this point, she wouldn't have cared if I told Mother or Father. She might have even felt smug. She was totally snubbing their life style, and I felt jealous of her courage. She had the ability to do what I could never do, no matter how I felt about my life.

Rosalie was always to brave one, no doubt about that. She was stubborn, strong-willed, and loyal to her heart. It took her a while to figure it out, but she did, in the end.

In the shadows, they would never see me. But I felt invasive, so I turned around and let them be.

It was the least I owed her.

Rosalie and I hadn't spoken since our argument at the Quidditch pitch. It felt like a lifetime ago, even though in reality, it had been only two months. She had changed since Christmas, even if she refused to admit it. She wasn't popular or controlling anymore, but rather an idol that couldn't be touched. She didn't see it, but I did. I saw everything, everything that was in her blind spot. The way they watched her, the way they studied her.

At first, it was actually just me and sometimes Sophie. But the rebellious Rosalie had caught the attention of every Slytherin by the end of January, and they admired her. Yes, she was refusing their way of life, but her ambition was intriguing.

Being disowned, spending time with Gryffindors, keeping her own in a world that was expensive... she was remarkable.

She used to be special and noticed, but in a different way. The way that Georgiana and Veronique were noticed, it wasn't as appealing as the new Rosalie. They new it too, and they hated her for it. She was still different from everyone else, just not like before. Rosalie was stealing the spotlight without even trying, and it infuriated Georgiana, Veronique, and especially Matthias.

That disgusting oaf. I saw him, staring at my sister, or perhaps glaring is a better word. But even that doesn't cover it. He's leveling her up, deciding where he wants to strike first. It's sickening, but I have a feeling he won't get far with her. Rosalie wasn't popular anymore, but she was powerful. And that was a whole different level.

Not only was she friends (or maybe more than friends now) with the Potters and Louis Weasley, but she had befriended two Hufflepuffs. She was big in every house, and that wasn't a feat easy to manage. No one was that big at Hogwarts, but she was.

She had it all, without having anything.

Leaving our family was the best thing she could have done. When she broke away, she claimed a power that none of us had. And everyone knew it now.

Besides her, naturally.

I found Sophie in the ballroom and grinned at her. She took my hand and held it inconspicuously, smiling back at me, and gods, she was beautiful.

"Hey, Mariette," she chirped, batting her gorgeous eyes at me.

I had it bad. Really bad. My heart was pounding painfully in my chest, but I was floating with happiness. I was also nervous, but I swallowed it and gripped her hand tightly.

"Hey, Sophie." Her name felt tangy on my tongue.

We hung out for a while, but escaped the cheesy clutches of the ball soon. She giggled as she led me away from the lights, into the darkness that the corridors offered. She pulled me into a closet, and locked the door, and then her lips were on mine.

I was snogging the most perfect girl at school, and it was amazing, and I never wanted to stop.

But in the end, I had to. Because I wasn't Rosalie, and I couldn't fight for myself and the ones I truly loved. Maybe someday, but not now.

I wanted to brave, but I was really a coward.

On Monday morning, Rosalie sat by herself at the Slytherin table, staring at the back of James Potter's head. Obviously, they weren't on good terms, like they were Saturday evening. The worst thing is that I knew he was aware of Rosalie's eyes, but he wouldn't acknowledge her.

She looked lost and grim, but even then I couldn't picture her as vulnerable. She was such a strong character, and after knowing her all of my life, she would never be just a lovesick teenage girl.

In the corner of my eyes, I saw Blake Zabini, and he was watching Rosalie. He would do that frequently. Watch her from a distance. I think, in the end, he really did care about her. He just wasn't ready to risk it for everything. Whether they would ever be friends again or not, I didn't know. That was up to them, I supposed.

Rosalie was hard and like a rock, but only with her friends. Her newer friends. She was lucky; she broke away, left her old and abusive life behind.

She left me behind.

Someday, I would make it right with her. I would thank her, for never telling my secrets. I would apologize, for being a blind fool. I would hug her, and hold her together for her sake and my sake. She deserved it, at least. My conscience was left dirty and guilty as she stood from her spot at the table, a longing look in her eyes, but I didn't know if I was ready, and she probably would never be ready.

Yes, I would do all of those things. But on top of all of it, I would tell her that I loved her. Because I was her sister, and that was what sisters did.

We had our differences. In fact, we were just different. We would never be the same, and we would never have a sturdy relationship.

I used to be jealous of Rosalie. For her beauty, for her intelligence, for her ambition and for her popularity. But now, I only envied her courage and bravery.

And when it came to it, I just admired her.

A/N: I felt like I needed to have a chapter from Mariette's point of view.

It's kind of strange, now that I look at it. I was hoping you would see how much Mariette's character has developed, alongside Rosalie's.

Tell me what you think! I spent all night working on this, because I wanted to make sure I had it up for you guys. That's how much I love you.

Thanks!