"YOUR ONLY VALUE to them is that you're dating the infamous James Potter. When you two break up, they'll just pretend you never existed."

Diana wakes with a start, her heart hammering out of her chest. She places a hand over her heart in an attempt to calm herself down. She tiptoes from her room, carefully and quietly as not to wake her roommates, and makes her way to the bathroom.

She splashes cold water on her face, blinking back a few times. She stares at herself in the mirror, but she's unsure as to who exactly is looking back. Tufts of her blonde hair escaped the already messy bun atop her head, the bags under her eyes were dark and deep, her skin much paler than it had been when the term began. Diana sighs, Carson's words had kept replaying in her head since their conversation a couple of days prior. She lets out a groan in frustration, holding her hand back from pulling all her hair out.

Diana makes her way back to her room, grabbing her blanket and wrapping it around her shoulders. She sits up on her bed and closes her eyes, trying her best to get some sleep before classes are set to begin in a few hours. Unfortunately, her thoughts keep her from doing so. Her ex-boyfriend's voice ringing in her ears.

She walks the halls with a dazed expression, nearly bumping into multiple other students. She had lost count the number of times she had mumbled the word "sorry," and it wasn't even noon yet. They brushed her off with a smile though, saying that it wasn't a problem. That didn't stop Diana from feeling bad, wishing that Carson's words hadn't affected her so much. She hated that he still had such an effect on her despite everything he had put her through.

Arabella noticed that something was wrong immediately. Seeing Diana sway as she walked to her classes, with large bags on her eyes, and yawning ever so often in the few classes that they shared, sent alarm bells going off in Arabella's mind. So once she saw Diana bumping into another student in the halls, she immediately made her way over.

"Hey Diana!" She greeted, her smile warm and welcoming.

"Oh, hello Ara." Diana smiled back, though it didn't reach her eyes like it normally does.

"Are you feeling okay?" Arabella asked,"Did you get enough sleep last night? Don't take this the wrong way, but you seem kind of out of it."

"Oh, I am. Don't worry about it." Diana replied, but refused to meet Arabella's eyes.

"I don't buy that for one minute."

"It's nothing." Diana shook her head.

"Is it about James? What did he do? I swear if I find out he did anything that hurt—" Arabella asked, her eyes widening and fists balling up at the possibility that he could have caused this to happen to Diana, especially keeping in mind the conversation she had with the other Marauders about him and Lily.

"No!" Diana said, cutting her off, "It's not James, it's someone else, I—"

Arabella's eyes and stance soften as she notices Diana tearing up, "Hey, I have free period next. Do you want to go somewhere to just sit and talk, maybe?"

Diana could only nod as she let Arabella lead her to a secluded part of the library. They sat across each other, watching snow fall from the window. The library was already relatively deserted as students were buzzing in excitement for winter break. It was only them and a few other students quietly reading, hoping that the library's warmth would help them alleviate the chill of the December air.

"What's wrong, Diana?" Arabella asked, reaching her hand across the table to hold Diana's. She hesitates and Arabella senses this. "I know we haven't known each other for long, but believe me when I tell you that I consider you to be a very dear friend. Whatever it is that's bothering you, I'll try to help as best as I can."

Diana looks up at Arabella giving her an encouraging nod, her face held a look of genuine concern; the kind that made Diana feel safe as she lets Arabella hold her hand in comfort.

"Are you only really friends with me because of James?"

Arabella was visibly taken aback by the question, but answered nonetheless. "I mean we met because of James, but I'm friends with you because I think you're cool."

"You do?"

"Of course I do. You sell yourself short sometimes, Diana." Arabella smiled, shaking her head. "Besides, do you think we accept just about anyone who dates one of us into the friend group?"

Diana shook her head at Arabella's question, "No?"

"For example, Sirius has dated quite a bit before we got together. There was this one girl, Vanessa," Arabella said, rolling her eyes at Vanessa's name, the tone in her voice slightly bitter.

"Oh, I've heard of her. Didn't she get expelled?" She replied, recalling a story she had heard in the grape vine during their fifth year about a Peverell getting expelled.

"Yes. Anyway, when Sirius dated her, we weren't exactly the closest of friends." Arabella, continued, letting out a sigh at the memory. "Point is, we consider you a friend not because you're dating James. But because we genuinely like you. I guess I can't speak for the others, but I know I do."

"So in a hypothetical situation, if me and James broke up, we'd still be friends?"

"Break up? Diana, where is this coming from?" Arabella asked, nervous. "Did James say anything?"

"No, it's not him. Someone else."

"Who?" Arabella leaned forward towards Diana, even more nervous, wondering if Lily went against her advice and told James how she felt.

"Um, Carson."

Arabella let out a sigh of relief, but couldn't help but wonder, "I'm sorry, but who is that?"

"Carson Peters, my ex-boyfriend." Diana clarified, her tone soft and disheartened.

"Oh. What exactly did he say?"

"Just that you guys were only friends with me because of James and that once we broke up you guys will just forget about me."

"What."

"Not only that, he said I was too boring for him. Didn't even bother breaking up with me in person."

Arabella lets out a low whistle, "What a twat."

"Yeah, he is."

So this is what's bothering her, Arabella thought. Now she understood why Diana had been a little distracted, one could visibly see how affected she was by her ex-boyfriend's statement. "Listen, Diana. Please don't pay any attention to what he says. He has a lot of nerve going around and telling you how we feel about you when we don't even know of his existence."

"He has a point though," Diana sadly whispered, just loud enough for Arabella to hear. "How long will me and James even last? Our entire relationship is founded on a lie for Merlin's sake, just so he could make Lily Evans jealous. He's loved her for years, he's known me for months."

Arabella's heart sank further with every word that escaped Diana's lips, her thumb rubbing soothing circles on the back of Diana's hand as she spoke. "Look, I can't really speak for James' emotions. But I trust him. Don't you?"

"I do, but-"

"Then trust him and what he feels for you. If he does break your heart, I'll never let him live it down. That I can promise you." Arabella replied with a smile. "Okay?"

"Okay." Diana replied with a small smile back, her mind a little more at ease.

"Good. You're one of the best people I know, Diana. You shouldn't be crying over some silly boy." Arabella said, reaching into her coat pocket for her handkerchief and handing it to Diana.

"I'm sorry." Diana laughed as she wiped her tears away.

"Don't be. I just hope that one day you see how amazing you are Diana James. Because I certainly do."

"Thank you, Ara. I needed that."

"Hey, what are friends for."