, the date in which students who elected to come back early from their winter holidays at home were expected to arrive back at Hogwarts. As a result, the train platform was packed with students who awaited their friends' to return. The holiday spirit was far from dwindling as the promise of a new year was approaching. The students chatted amongst themselves as they huddled together in groups, holding various 'welcome back' themed paraphernalia. The faint sound of a train whistle signalled the approach of the Hogwarts Express, chugging along the tracks. The students waiting looked to the direction of the arriving train, their eyes widening in anticipation.

Four of those students were Arabella Arroway, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.

Remus and Peter held a small welcome banner between them; covered in several little gold stars, smiley face stickers, 'welcome home Diana' written in the iconic Ravenclaw-blue ink on a crisp white background. Their grins widen at the sight of the familiarly bright blonde hair that bounced its way toward them, eyes alight with excitement. She reaches them in no time, heart warming at the sight of the banner, holding a hand over her heart.

"Aw, guys, you didn't have to do this." Diana cooed, gesturing at the welcome banner that they had made her. "You didn't even have to come pick me up at the platform, I could've met you guys at the castle."

"But we wanted to though." Remus said, acting nonchalant, running a hand through his hair.

"Thank you, it means a lot." She smiled, a faint blush on her cheeks.

Arabella pulled her in for a quick side hug, an arm around Diana's shoulders, "Not a problem, Diana."

Still, Diana couldn't help but feel a very noticeable absence. Looking around, she asked, "Where's James?"

"Oh, apparently he's in a meeting with Dumbledore and Evans." Sirius explained. "Head boy and girl stuff."

Diana nods in understanding, but still she felt a small tug on her heartstrings at James not being able to be there with her and the marauders.

"No matter, I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to catch up with him later." Peter chimed in, his tone positive in an attempt to cheer up Diana when he noticed her face falling ever so slightly.

They make their way back to the castle, making small talk on the events that had transpired over holiday break.

Diana told stories of her time back in the muggle world, where her parents lived and worked, celebrating with little to no magic; in spite of how convenient it would have made most things. She liked being a half-blood, having footing in both the magical and the mundane kept her from getting used to the monotony of only being brought up in just one. Her mother was a witch, but she owned and worked at a small hole-in-the-wall bookstore in London, leaving the magical world behind. Diana often asked if she ever regretted not getting into a more magical line of work, and every time she'd shake her head with a smile. Spending the holidays with her parents made her realize that magical moments don't always come from actual magic.

Her friends coo at her stories and realization, noting how close Diana must be with her family. They then told stories of their break: the snowball fights, feasts at the hall, the gifts they received, all the hot chocolate they drank. Diana listened to their stories with a smile, hanging on to each of their words. In the process, she noticed the large of absence of someone in their stories.

"Is James okay? I just noticed he isn't in these stories a lot."

Sirius turns to her with a teasing smirk, nudging his shoulder with hers, "You really like him, don't you?"

Diana tilts her face down in an attempt to hide the forming blush on her cheeks. The marauders saw it, for Diana's sake, they pretend that they didn't.

"James is fine." Peter replied, but there's a hesitant quiver in his voice. "He's just been acting a bit weird lately and keeps to himself a lot."

Peter noticed the crestfallen look that slowly fell on Diana's features and quickly adds, "But I'm sure it's nothing!"

Diana nods, attempting to force the worry that began to build up out of her system. Soon enough, they reach the castle. Most of the holiday decorations had been taken down, except for a few wreaths and tinsel randomly thrown about. She smiled and took a deep breath, taking it all in as she's excited to be back on the grounds. However, that somewhat happy feeling didn't last very long as they ran into someone who, at the very thought of, makes Diana's blood boil.

"Diana." The man greeted, all smiles, before turning to the marauders and giving them a curt nod in greeting. "Four of the five marauders."

"Carson." Diana said, face devoid of any emotion, her voice cold.

He doesn't notice her unwelcoming tone, or pretends to not be affected by it. "What brings you over here?"

"To the castle? We study here." Diana replied, rolling her eyes, "But if you mean, what brings me here, talking to you? Then, absolutely nothing because I'd rather jinx myself that waste another word on you."

Remus and Sirius let out a quiet damn in response, Peter stood there with his mouth agape, and Arabella couldn't help the proud smirk that made its way to her face. This was very far from the Diana that they had come to know.

"Ouch." Carson replied in mock hurt, a hand clutched over where his heart should be. He shakes his head, "No matter, I'll see you around."

Carson leaves, but not before bumping into Sirius' shoulder with his own.

"Okay, who was that?" Sirius asked, brows furrowed and clearly annoyed as he turned to face Diana. "And where did he get all that audacity?"

Diana let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, clearly distressed. Arabella goes to stand next to her, rubbing comforting circles on Diana's back. "He's Diana's ex-boyfriend."

"Oh, him?" Remus asked, watching Carson's retreating figure. "Why?"

"I agree, he seems like a twat." Peter replied, agreeing.

"He is." Diana sighed, "Broke up with me through a note because he said I was too boring for him."

Sirius' brows shot straight up, blinking his eyes a few times to process the information. He bites the inside of his cheek. They hadn't pranked someone in a while, and now they had the perfect target. Sirius places a hand under his chin, thinking of ways to get back at him. His face lights up when an idea dawns on him, "Hey Diana, how do you feel about revenge?"

...

this is a good idea." Diana said, nervous and trying her best to keep her breathing even.

"It isn't a good idea, it's a great one." Sirius chimed in, buzzing with excitement at his own ideas, Arabella shaking her head beside him with a smile. He continued, "You know what you have to do, right?"

With a sigh, Diana nodded, heart beating faster with each passing moment. With a clap of his hands, a grin started spreading across his face, "Let's get going then."

The Great Hall wasn't exactly deserted, there was still a good amount of students there — some studying, some there to grab a quick snacks. A few professors also sat at the table in front of them, either keeping watch or marking a few tests and essays. It was quiet, peaceful almost. But they knew that peacefulness was about to be broken once the doors opened to reveal four of the five infamous marauders.

"Alright, according to the map he should be seated at the Ravenclaw table." Remus whispered, loud enough for just Diana to hear. "Good luck, we'll be at the Gryffindor table for a bit so he doesn't get suspicious. Then we'll go to you once we see him drink."

Diana nodded and with trembling hands, made her way over the Ravenclaw table to where Carson sat revising what looked like homework. She held an unassuming gray goblet, filled with what seemed like pumpkin juice; Carson's favorite drink.

"Hello, Carson." She greeted, forcing a smile on her face; though it looked more like a grimace than it did a smile.

He turns to the source of the very familiar voice, his head tilted to the side as he looked up at her, "Your Gryffindor posse ditch you yet?"

Diana fought the urge to roll her eyes as she turned her head towards the Gryffindor table, giving small wave in the direction of the four marauders. They wave back, with exaggerated grins and dramatically flailing arms. Diana chuckled, but Carson let out a scoff at the sight.

"Remember what I told you, Di. You're not going to be friends with them for much longer." He reminded with a soft tsk.

Despite her better judgement, she sucks in a breath before uttering, "You're right."

"Excuse me?" Carson looked up in shock.

Diana carefully sits beside him, placing the goblet on the table. She gives him a soft smile in response to his belief. "It took me a while to realize this, but I did some thinking and I agree that it doesn't make sense that James moved on so quickly from Lily Evans."

Carson smirked, "Glad you finally came to your senses. I was beginning to question why you had been sorted in Ravenclaw in the first place."

Diana gripped the edge of her seat, her knuckles turning white, in an attempt to keep her cool. Carson notices the goblet that she had placed on the table. Nodding towards it, "What's that?"

She slides the goblet towards him, "Think of it as a peace offering."

He inspects the goblet, briefly bringing it up to his nose, "Pumpkin juice. You remember my favorite drink."

Diana noted how he sounded almost impressed, as if he couldn't believe that she had the capacity to remember his favorite drink. She grips the seat's edge tighter and forces herself to smile, "Of course, I did."

Carson smirked, bringing the goblet to his lips. He downed the drink in one go, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand afterward. "Guess you still love me, huh? I don't blame you."

Unfortunately, he doesn't notice the attention that he was beginning to attract. Diana held in a laugh as she saw his golden blonde hair slowly turn into a light shade of pink. Not only that, a purple hue started to appear on his nose, slowly spreading towards the rest of his face. He didn't notice until there was not a single trace of blonde left on his body and half of his face was already a shiny purple color. He looked around to see people snickering and not-so-subtly pointing in his direction. Carson also sees Diana in front of him, a hand covering her mouth as she looked at him with wide, amused eyes.

"What's going on?" He asked, his eyes narrowing at her.

"You might want to look in a mirror, mate."

Carson heard a voice from behind him, he turns only to find the four marauders with wide smirks. Arabella hands him a small mirror, just large enough to see his face. He holds it up to his features and a high-pitched shriek leaves his lips as soon as he sees himself. His once blonde hair was now a violently bright pink and his entire face was purple. He drops the mirror and Peter moves to catch it, holding it with both hands.

"You've always been an idiot, now you look like one too." Sirius teased, towering over Carson.

Carson turns toward Diana, clearly fuming, "Did you have anything to do with this?"

Diana shrugs, standing from her seat and making her way over to the marauders, "Don't worry the effects only last about thirty minutes."

"Yeah, we hadn't quite mastered the formula yet." Peter added, jokingly eyeing Remus who held his hands up in defense.

Carson takes a step forward, like he was about to lay a hand on someone (probably Sirius), which the Marauders immediately catch. Without even fully thinking Peter yells out, "Run!"

The marauders bolt out the great hall, Remus grabbing onto Diana's arm when she made no attempts to leave her spot.

Carson flustered, turns to the professors who sat at their table, who were also watching the entire scene unfold, "Aren't any of you going to do anything about this?"

The professors shrug, a marauder prank was no longer anything of surprise, rather part of a daily routine. They all resume their work, not even paying enough attention to a panicking Carson "You heard him," McGonagall said, failing to hide her smile. "it will wear off in thirty minutes."

Diana and the marauders run down the hallways, grins on their face and tears threatening to spill from their eyes from all the laughter. They come to a halt once they were sure that they weren't being followed. Diana moves to lean on the wall, catching her breath.

"See, I told you it would be fun." Arabella said, fanning her face in an attempt to cool herself down from the running.

Diana nodded in response, but her face still showed a slight concern, "But I kind of feel bad about it."

"Ah, but the slimy git deserved it." Sirius replied, wiping the thin layer of sweat that had formed on his forehead with his sleeve.

"Anyways, thank you for the day you guys. I really had a lot of fun." Diana said, straightening up and smoothing the imaginary creases on her clothes, "But I should get going, I have some unpacking to do."

"Alright, we'll see you tomorrow."

and Remus went back to the Gryffindor common room only to find James Potter, alone and staring at the fireplace. Watching the flames dance in hues of red and orange, reflected on his glasses. There was no discernible emotion on his face.

"How was your meeting?" Sirius asked, sitting on one of the couches.

He didn't get a response.

"Diana was looking for you on the platform, you know?"

Neither did Remus.

"Have you eaten yet?"

And neither did Peter.

Arabella snapped, fed up with James' silence and hard to read attitude, "What is up with you? You have been acting weird all break and I'm tired—"

"Lily and I kissed."

James cut her off, still staring at the flames. A thick air of tension enveloped the room, nobody made the move to talk, all of them sent into a shock. They stayed there, frozen in place, replaying in their heads the words that James had uttered. As if it made them any less true.

"Trust me, I know how bad this sounds." James said, standing to face them when it was clear that no one is making any move to reply. "But I wasn't thinking straight, and she just stood there, and there was mistletoe, I—"

"Stop." Arabella said, her voice a deathly calm, as she holds a single hand up to James. "I don't want to hear you try and justify this."

It was quiet, James was unsure as to how he would reply to that. He shifts the weight in his feet, leaning side-to-side as he tried to avoid Arabella's glare.

"How did it feel?" Peter asked out of genuine curiosity, breaking the brief silence that had entrapped the five friends.

Before James could even open his mouth to speak, Arabella already beat him to it. With a roll of her eyes and a cross of her arms, she lets out a disgusted scoff. "It doesn't matter how or what he felt, what they did was wrong. They shouldn't have kissed in the first place."

"I agree! How could you, James?" Sirius chimed in, finally finding his voice, his tone loud and very clearly angry. Standing from his seat, "Diana's a sweet girl, she doesn't deserve any of this."

He made his way over to where James was standing and hit him on the back of his head. Arguably a little too hard as it was sent flying to the other side of the room. "Merlin, I expected so much better from you. You know that? I thought you really liked Diana."

"I do!" James said, rubbing the back of his head with his hand.

"Then why?" Sirius asked, exasperated, his hands held up in total frustration.

"Because, it's Lily! Okay? I don't know how else I could explain it."

"Listen, I know you loved Evans for years, but what do you really know about her? Hm?" Remus said, picking up James' glasses and handing it to him. His tone much more calm than that of Sirius or Arabella, but it still held the same amount of disappointment. "Face it, in the seven years you've known Evans, when were you able to hold an actual conversation with her for more than a minute? I mean, half of the time it was you being obsessed and the rest was Evans giving the cold shoulder."

When James couldn't reply, Remus continued, "You know Diana better than you do Evans, even though you've known the other longer. You really messed up this time, James. I'm not too sure if you can even fix it"

Without another word, Remus turns away from James and makes his way to their shared room.

"I agree with Moony, but I do think you should tell her. It's not fair to her if you don't." Peter said, before following in Remus' footsteps.

"If you don't tell her as soon as you can, I will." Arabella said, moving to James until she was only about a feet in front of him. Her eyes narrowed and her tone as sharp as knives. "And that's not a promise, it's a threat."

Sirius sighed, shaking his head at James, "You're still our best friend, but this was just wrong. On so many levels."

Not wanting to be in James' presence, they exit the common room. And so they left James, alone in the Gryffindor common room, with nothing but the guilt that ate him up.