By the time Christmas break had come to an end and Diana had returned to Hogwarts, everything in the Wizarding world had taken a darker turn. People were dying every day; Muggles, Muggle borns, and even witches or wizards who tried to stand against the Dark Lord's wishes.

     Everything had changed so drastically that Diana's problems in her personal life almost sounded silly even to herself. So what if she was being betrothed to someone she disliked? It had bern happening for centuries in her family, to all the girls that cane before her in that bloodline.

     People were being killed and tortured on a daily basis, so maybe being married to Evan Rosier wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

     But this thought only lasted a mere minute in Diana's head before the panic took over again and again, and the horror of her doomed life became a reality in her head.

     With the passing weeks, the day of her wedding drew closer and closer, and Diana couldn't care less about her N.E.W.Ts and final exams. She wasn't going to be allowed to work after marriage anyways.

     "I keep wondering what my life would look like in ten years, you know," Diana mumbled as her and Layla were making their way to the Great Hall for lunch after their Potions class. "Staying at home while Evan's off torturing Muggles, bearing him two kids, ordering around house elves and not being able to do anything else... It kills me just to think about it."

     "But maybe you could work if you wanted to," Layla tried to reason. "You're really good at Ancient Runes. Maybe you could do something with that. Maybe even teach at Hogwarts. You're really good at explaining things in simple and understandable words."

     Diana snorts. "Yeah, right. Rosier would just love the idea of me living at Hogwarts."

     "But what's wrong with that?" Layla mused as the two girls sat down at the Slytherin table, though none of them really were in the mood for eating.

     "You don't get it." Diana shook her head, sighing. "You don't know what prejudiced Pureblood families like mine are like. Mine are very different than yours."

    At her words, a sudden gloom fell upon Layla's face. She looked away from Diana, distracting herself by putting grilled chicken on her plate.

     "Oh, shoot. I'm sorry," said Diana, looking at her friend with distress. "I forgot about —"

     "It's okay," Layla cut her off with a gentle smile, though she didn't seem okay at all.

     Her father, being the editor of Daily Prophet and being a man with great influence in the Wizarding World, was wanted by the Death Eaters for years. They tried to pressure him into joint the Dark Lord, but her family went into hiding. And only weeks ago did Layla's parents fled the country.

     "Why didn't you go along with them? It's dangerous for you here," Diana lowered her voice so no one could overhear them.

     "I wanted to complete by education at Hogwarts. I'd worked hard for getting here, for working on Slughorn for the past seven years to reach my goal. Besides," Layla shrugged, taking a sip from her goblet, "I'm no coward. I don't run when things get tough. This is my life."

     "This is not bravery, it's idiocy. I would've run away with my family to a safe place if I were you."

     "Well, you're in a similar situation, Diana. And you're not running either," said Layla, more firmly this time. "Why aren't you running away, Diana, if you think that's the best solution? Why are you settling and marrying Rosier?"

     Diana fell silent. She looked at her friend, at a loss for words.

     "Because I'm the coward," Diana said. "You're brave for staying. But I'm not brave enough to run."

     Layla sighed, closing her eyes. "Can we just — talk about something else? I avoid looking at a newspaper if I can help it, just so I wouldn't see all the bad things going on. And here we are, talking about it."

     "Agreed. No more talk about our sucky lives."

     Layla raised her goblet. "Cheers to that."

     "So... any plans for tomorrow?" Diana asked her friend, taking a bite of her roasted potato. "It's your favorite holiday of the year; Valentines."

     Layla shifted uncomfortably. "Nothing special. I'm not going on a date with anybody this year."

     Diana raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really? Why not?"

     "Well, Marlene said she didn't have a date either, so I suggested that her and I could spend tomorrow's Hogsmeade trip together. You know, just to... look around the stores and have a Butterbeer. Nothing special."

     "Oh, sounds good," Diana said awkwardly, glad that Layla hadn't asked her to tag along with her and Marlene tomorrow, because Diana already had plans.

      Though she had told everyone — including Layla — that her and Remus were broken up, the truth was that they met up in secret at least twice a week. Remus knew enough secret passageways or hidden hallways for them to spend their time in, without being seen by anyone.

     He would usually sneak food out of the kitchens and Diana would bring books from the library, and the two of the would spend their evenings somewhere in the castle, away from anyone else.

     And tomorrow, for Valentines day, they were going to meet in Hogsmeade, walking around the village with then feet in between them. Remus had read about a charm that they could put on themselves, so that even though they were standing feet apart, even if they whispered something the other would hear it perfectly clear, as if they were walking right next to each other.

     It was the perfect plan.

***

As planned, Diana put on one of the sweaters that Remus had gifted her, and wore her warm, long socks under her trousers before leaving the castle.

With one of the horseless carriages, Diana went down to Hogsmeade across the snow-filled grounds of the village. In one of the letters they had sent each other, they had agreed to meet each other in Diana's favorite store, which was a place that sold weird and magical socks. Their letters were always written in Runes, so that if it fell upon the wrong hands, nobody could understand it.

     Diana was busy looking through a shelf which had fluffy socks on them that could magically keep your feet warm even if you were walking in a frozen pond, and just then the bell above the store's door rang as someone walked inside.

     Diana didn't have to turn around to know who it was. She just kept looking through the shelves, a sly smile on her face.

"Fancy seeing you here, darling," someone whispered in her ear.

When Diana looked over, she saw that Remus was standing on the other end of the store, but his voice came as if he were standing right beside her.

     "Indeed, what a coincidence," Diana said sarcastically, chuckling to herself.

     "See any socks you might like?"

     "Nope. I already have a tone for this winter."

     "Well, then what do you say to a nice Butterbeer in Three Broomsticks?"

     "Oooh, how scandalous!" Diana said cheekily on the other end of the store, standing far away from Remus. "And how do you suggest we do that?"

     "Follow me and I'll tell you," Remus said with a grin before walking out the store.

     Diana waited there a few moments longer so it wouldn't look suspicious, before following Remus out of the store and through the beautiful alleys of Hogsmeade until they reached Three Broomsticks.

     "There, I'll sit on this table, you take that one," Remus gestured at two small tables on opposite sides of the room, far away but facing each other.

     With an excited grin on her face, Diana went by the table and sat there all alone, taking off her coat and placing it behind her chair. The room was warm and cozy and loud, filled with the students' laughter.

     By the time Remus and Diana's arrived and Madam Pomfrey set them on their separate tables, the couple had began speaking, trying to move their lips as little as possible to avoid bringing attention to themselves.

     "So how's the Quidditch practice going?" Remus asked, looking down at his Butterbeer. He had his hands clasped around the class, warming his fingers.

     "It's good. The game is three days away. Ravenclaw is no match to us," she said slyly. "No one can escape Diana Greengrass bat and Bludgers."

     Remus laughed lightly. "I have no doubt."

     "And you? Did you get your Transfiguration essay done last night?"

     "Not really. Sirius wasn't in the studying mood last night so he dragged us all away for a stroll through the Dark Forest. A Hippogriff actually got in a fight with James and was so close to kicking James in the antle — in the um chest."

     Diana snorted with laughter at the thought. "You guys will never go up, will you?"

     "No, we're not planning on it just yet." He chuckled in return.

     "Well, you should defi—"

     Diana was in mid-sentence that a voice behind her suddenly cut her off.

     "Hello, love. And who exactly are you talking to?"

     Diana froze on the spot as soon as she recognized the voice. Gulping, she slowly turned her head to look back, seeing Evan Rosier standing right behind her, a dark sneer across her face.

     "What? Someone under a invisibility cloak is sitting next to you?" he demanded with a smirk. But then Diana gasped in horror as Evan suddenly kicked the chair beside her with his foot, harshly knocking it over to the floor.

      "What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Diana snapped, jumping to her feet angrily. People around them had turned their heads, watching them.

     "Funny. I was about to ask you the same thing." Evan then softly grabbed a strand of her curly hair, whispering in her ear. "Don't think I don't know what's going on."

      Diana felt a shiver run down her spine when she looked at him seeing that he didn't have his eyes on her. Following his gaze, she saw him staring at the other end of the pub, at where Remus was sitting.

    "Grab your coat, love. We're leaving," Evan said, grabbing onto her wrist harshly.

     "Leaving? Leaving where!?" Diana snarled angrily, but Evan was already dragging her outside the Three Broomsticks.

     Diana tried fighting him, to get her hand free of his grasp, but he was much stronger than her.

     "You're sick! You're a maniac!" she yelled, but there was no reply. He just kept the sneer.

     "LET GO OF HER!" someone bellowed from behind.

     Evan didn't look back immediately. Instead he smirked, slowly turning around to face Remus, standing there with his wand in hand, pointing it at him fiercely. Diana had never seen him so angry. So terrifying.

      "Aw, how adorable," Evan's mouth lifted. "It makes me want to puke. Or to kill you. Whichever I'm in the mood for."

     "I said," Remus began through gritted teeth, "Let. Her. Go."

     "As you wish." Even smirked, before letting go of her Diana's hand and pushing her harshly to the ground.

     Diana groaned in pain, glaring daggers at him as she tried to stagger up to her feet. But she tried to bring her focus back on Remus. "Let it go, Remus. Please. Just leave."

     Evan threw back his head and laugh. "Trying to protect. Oh, it's too late for that. I warned you, Diana. I warned you what would happen if you kept on seeing him from the start of the new year. Everything that is happening to his family right now is on your hands."

      Diana went pale in the face. "You're bluffing."

     "Oh, am I?" Evan looked back at Remus. "Your house was that little rat hole next to the woods, am I right?"

      "You bastard!" Remus threw a hex at him, but Evan was quick to take his own wand out, blocking it.

     "Now, now, don't get all hot and bothered." He grinned. "I suggest you go back to your little school, and stay away from my fiancé. It's not well mannered to touch someone else's property."

     "Property!?" Diana yelled out. "You pig! You monster! Just leave him alone! I'm doing what you want! I'm marrying you after I'm done with Hogwarts! What else do you want!?"

     "Oh, but there's so much more that I want from you," said Evan, before turning to look back at Remus again with a nasty snarl. "Do you even know why Diana and I are being wed?"

      When Remus didn't reply, he went on.

     "Because we're expected to keep the Pureblood running. Something a vermin like you and your family could never understand." He smirked. "She's going bear my children. My heirs."

     Remus was now breathing heavily, his knuckles turning white from the firm grasp he held on his wand.

     "And can you guess what we have to do to have those children?" Evan's smirk had widened, a laugh escaping his mouth. "Just imagine what I have to do to her."

      "SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Remus bellowed, and before Diana could tell what was happening, Remus had thrown his wand to the ground, leaping forward and knocking Rosier over.

     Remus sat on top of him, punching him in the face until his own hand was smeared in his blood. Rosier tried to fight him off, but was nowhere as strong as Remus. Nowhere as strong as a werewolf.

     Just as Diana launched forward to help, a crowd gathered around, with Hagrid and Professor Flitwick by their sides, and the shop owners nearby, trying to pull them apart.

     Rosier's face was ruined, a mess. But Remus's complexion was scarier. There was death in his eyes. He was hitting for the kill.

     Rosier snapped the hands holding him away from him angrily, spitting out the blood in his mouth to the white snow beneath his feet.

     "You'll regret this, Remus Lupin. You'll regret it all!" He snarled, and then, knowing he couldn't curse Remus with his wand with everyone there watching, he Disapperated.