Disclaimer: Everything is the wonderful J.K. Rowling's. (Except Max. She's mine.) I am merely meddling in her amazing creation.
AN: HAPPY CHRISTMAS! To show my appreciation for all of your wonderful support, I give you, THE SUPER CHAPTER! Dude, this thing is lo~ng! Sorry it took so long to upload, but here it is! Just in time to bring more Holiday joy. Hope ya'll like it! Enjoy!
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"Nn. Stup'd light. G'way," I moaned as I turned my face into my pillow. I was finally getting some sleep. No way was I going to let something as trivial as morning ruin my peace. "Ohhh, but now I can't breathe." Ugh. I turned my head to the side and once again light streamed through my eyelids. "Darn it," I mumbled as I pulled my arms under me and pushed my upper body away from the oh-so-comfortable mattress. For a split second, the green-and-white-striped sheets below me turned to stone. I blanched, but a blink later and they were merely sheets again. Soft wonderful sheets that the morning was making me leave. Curse you sun. I lifted my head up to look over my shoulder at the windows allowing nature to interrupt my sleep, but I couldn't see through the hair that had fallen in my face. I really need a haircut.
I turned over and sat on my bed, resting my elbows on my raised knees still covered by those soft sheets. I watched the sun rise higher in the sky beyond the windows, most of my view obscured by the unruly hair I was too lazy to fix. I sighed, remembering how wonderful the outdoor air was. My thoughts were soon disrupted by a huge jaw-splitting yawn that brought tears to my eyes and pain to my lungs. Once it passed I hung my head between my knees. That was the largest breath I'd taken in months. I was finally carefree enough to sleep, to dream, to close my eyes and breathe. A small smile spread across my face and I lost myself in memories of summer thunderstorms and fall breezes, spring showers and winter snowflakes. Just as I was remembering my last game of Quidditch in the clearing near the Burrow the sound of my name shattered my reverie.
"Max! Max, you're up! Oh, thank Merlin!" I brought my head up and looked through my hair to see Percy running down the ward towards me, a grin splitting his face.
"Perce?" My voice cracked as I said his name - remnants of an actual full night's sleep. He reached my bedside and enveloped me in a hug. I started raising my arms to hug him back but he pulled away before I could reach him. Slow movements – also probably from sleeping. I never was much of a morning person.
"Max, oh, you look a mess. Mum's been pitching such a fit over your hair when she isn't worrying or fussing over your figure. Merlin, girl, you're practically a twig!" Perce was talking a mile a minute and alternating between brushing the hair out of my eyes and hugging me some more.
"Mum's here?" I asked once my brain caught up to Percy's words. "And you're here. How'd you get here so fast? It's only been a few hours." I looked at Perce with what I'm sure was a severely puzzled look. His hands loosened their grip on my shoulders and his excited expression faded to one near pity.
"Max, you've been sleeping for three days now. Everyone rushed over after Fawkes showed up with Dumbledore's letter. We've been here waiting for you to wake up." As he spoke his hands slid off my shoulders, one going to my wrist while the other went to the top of my head. Perce had a habit of placing his hand on my head. When I was little he'd done that when he was explaining unhappy things to me, or trying to comfort me. He'd never outgrown it.
Once more my slow, sleep muddled mind had to catch up with Perce. "Three days? I've been out for three days?" My voice cracked again. My hand caught Percy's wrist with what I thought was a firm grip, but my fingers barely creased the fabric of his white long sleeve shirt.
"Yeah," he chuckled. "You've been asleep for three days. Madame Pomfrey said it was most likely because you were physically exhausted if not mentally drained as well. According to what Dumbledore told us, you've basically been on high alert for over a year." His brown eyes, exactly like Ginny's, were warm and comforting as he spoke. Perce was always the one to explain things to me in the least stressful way.
I sighed and looked down at the sheets. "Well, that's basically right," I mumbled. Perce finally let go of me and I heard the sounds of a chair being moved.
"So it's true then. You were You-Know-Who's prisoner?" Perce's voice had changed from comforting to sad. I looked up from my sheets. He was slumped in the chair right next to my bed, his elbow resting on the night table and his head leaning on his hand. He was looking at me with sad eyes that projected his worry, pity, sorrow, and fear. I sighed and returned to studying my covers.
"Yeah, Perce. It's true." I returned my arms to their previous position, my elbows resting on my knees. I stared down at my hands. They hung limply from my wrists and dangled above the bed. We both stayed quiet and still for a while. Neither of us moved or spoke. Then I heard the chair creak and Percy's arms were once again around me.
"You're safe now, Max," he whispered in my ear. I raised my hands up and rested them on his arms.
"I know," I said. And then I started chuckling. "That's why I'm so bloody tired." Perce started laughing a little, too. He released me and leaned back in his chair, a smile in his eyes now.
"Glad to see they didn't break your sense of humor at least," he said. I looked away from my brother and at the sky outside the windows again. The hair Perce had brushed out of my eyes returned to partially blocking my sight.
After a few moments of silence I said quietly, "They broke a lot of things, Perce, but I never let them break me - who I am." I heard Perce let out a breath as he took in what I'd said. "The only weapon I had to use against them was an unbreakable spirit. So long as I never gave in to Tom's demands, never showed him weakness, never let him know my fears or worries, I couldn't lose. I'd survive so long as I was strong and unbroken." We lapsed into silence again, and I continued to watch the clouds cross the sky outside the windows. At least until Pomfrey came tearing into the ward.
"Oh, good, you're up!" she exclaimed as she hustled towards my cot, her shoes clacking loudly on the stone floor. "How are your ribs feeling, dear? I re-taped them while you were out. Severus mentioned something about it."
"They feel a lot better actually," I replied remembering how Percy's hugs hadn't made me wince.
"I tried to treat your injuries magically but nothing worked. Were these the results of curses or other strong magic?" she questioned as she began changing a bandage on my left arm.
"An unchanged werewolf," I said grimly. Pomfrey's hands froze on my arm and Perce nearly fell out of his chair. "Fenrir Greyback did most of this. Bellatrix Lestrange helped out, too. Magic won't work on these wounds. I expected this."
"Greyback?" Perce spluttered in shock, regaining his seat.
"Oh dear," Pomfrey said quietly. She quickly recovered from the shock though, and continued changing my bandage. "You're sure he was unchanged?" she questioned, only a hint of her worry showing in her voice.
"Yeah, still human. Well, at least in appearance," I replied, bitterness creeping into my tone. The bandages were finally removed and I looked down at the healing gashes that lined my forearm. They were healing slowly, just as Bella wanted.
"Did he ever bite you? Even in human form? Scratch you?" Pomfrey continued her interrogation and I knew she was merely being cautious.
"Just scratches. Tom wouldn't risk me being turned," I said coldly.
"Why do you call him Tom?" asked Perce. His voice held a note of wariness in it. I turned to look at my brother and his face was curious, but suspicious as well. Anger flared in me as I realized my brother was questioning my loyalty, even if only slightly.
"Because that's his name, Perce, and it annoys the hell out of him. Calling him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named shows we fear him. Calling him the Dark Lord shows we respect him, or obey him. Calling him Voldemort – oh don't flinch, it's just a name! Calling him Voldemort shows defiance and courage, but it's still the name he chose for himself, which means it also shows we acknowledge him as a threat. Tom is the name his mother gave him, the name of his Muggle father, and the name he hates more than anything. Calling him Tom shows that I see him as nothing more than another wizard. I won't give him the satisfaction of using a name he chose for himself, of showing him fear or respect. He is Tom, a wizard, and nothing more." At some point during my tirade, both Pomfrey and Perce had frozen, their eyes on me with shock and awe written in their expressions. I looked away from my brother and back down at the bed sheets. I then noticed my hands balled into the sheets and clenched tightly into fists. I could only guess that my face mirrored the tension in my hands. The unbreakable spirit I'd relied on was surfacing again, and only at the reasoning behind Tom's names. I softened my hands and felt my face do the same. "Ha," I laughed under my breath. "Perhaps they got into my head more than I'd thought, huh?" I put on a small smile and lifted my face.
Pomfrey quickly shook herself out of her shock again and continued treating my arm. Perce relaxed back into his chair a bit but continued to stare at me, this time with pure worry. He was no longer suspicious.
"This'll sting a bit dear," Pomfrey stated, shaking the silence. I winced as she rubbed salve into the gashes and then began wrapping fresh bandages around the wound.
"Don't worry so much, Perce. Mum does enough of that for all nine of us," I stated semi-cheerily. Perce let out a soft chuckle as he leaned forward in his chair and ruffled my unruly hair.
"That she does, I suppose," he said with a small smile on his face.
"Alright, time for your ribs. Sorry, Mr. Weasley, but you'll have to excuse yourself from the immediate area," Pomfrey huffed as she made Perce scoot back and pulled a divider between my bed and the rest of the room. "Arms up, Max. I do hope these set right." She turned my back to her and then drew my night shirt over my head. "Lean forward just a tad – there. Stay there." I sat with my elbows braced on my knees, legs crossed and head bent forward. Pomfrey began unwinding the bandages around my pitifully thin torso. Once they were gone she checked my right side, running her hands down my ribcage. "I don't feel any loose ribs, which is good. I think the fractures have begun healing too. I'm guessing this was Greyback's work?" she asked as she gently rubbed a salve into my side and began rewrapping my ribs.
"Yeah. The man's got a nasty left hook. Slammed it right into my side." Pomfrey handed me a fresh change of clothes once she was done with the bandages.
"You go ahead and change now. You need to get up and move a bit, I think." Pomfrey gathered up her medical supplies and turned back to look at me before she went back to her office. "You're a very brave girl, Maxine. The state you were in when you showed up – Merlin, I was shocked you weren't dead. Please take it easy for a while, alright? Your body's been pushed far enough by those people without you pushing it too. Understand?" She gave me a very pointed stare as she waited for my answer.
"Y-yeah, I got it. Don't get too crazy. I'm not better yet." I tilted my head to the right a bit and gave her a big, sweet smile – the picture of innocence.
"You're incorrigible," she huffed as she stepped out from behind the divider. I slid my feet off the bed and shivered as they hit the cold stone floor. I picked up the shirt Pomfrey had given me and realized it was my own. Mum must have brought it from home. I glanced at the small, black t-shirt and then down at my body. The shirt wasn't big, but it was going to look massive on my new, emaciated frame. I threw the t-shirt over my head and picked up the pants. Oh, thank Merlin, Mum brought sweats with an elastic waistband! Hopefully these won't fall of my skinny hips. Once the pants were on and my hair was messily tied up with the hair band Pomfrey had left, I stepped out from behind the divider only to meet with badly suppressed laughter. I looked up at Perce who was covering his mouth with his hand, desperately trying not to burst into hysterics.
"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't laugh," he said through his hand, "but you look like a drowned cat." And with that, he collapsed into fits of laughter. I glared at my brother as he sat in his chair finding humor in my misfortune. I walked up beside him and kicked the side of his chair. Usually, such an action would have resulted in a tipped chair and a silenced Percy, but I had very little strength after my captivity and the chair merely tilted for a moment before settling on all four legs again. This sent Perce into a renewed fit of laughter, so I settled for smacking his shoulder.
"Where is everyone?" I asked, allowing my voice to be tinged with grumpiness. Perce finally stopped laughing and looked up at me with a smile.
"They're all eating breakfast down in the Great Hall," he said as he began getting up from his chair.
"Hey, Madame Pomfrey!" I said, turning towards her office. She poked her head out of her office door. "Do you have anything to help me wake up? I'm a bit groggy and I'd like to get all the way down to breakfast under my own power."
"Got just the thing for you, dear," she said with a grin. She disappeared into her office and soon came marching out with a small vile in her hand. She uncorked it when she reached me and said, "Sniff." So I did.
"Ohgoodness, what is that stuff!" I exclaimed as I stumbled backwards. The strong, bitter scent of whatever was in that vile sent me reeling. "I feel like my nose might've singed off!" I rubbed my nose in hopes of making the burning sensation disappear.
"This," said Pomfrey as she re-corked the vile, "is my own concoction. Slow mornings, feints, hangovers – it cures them all." She shot a mischievous grin at me before turning on her heel and walking back to her office.
"I'll say it does. Jeez, that's one heck of a stench." I glared at the office door and rubbed my abused nose one last time.
"You look quite a bit livelier now," Perce stated with a smile.
"You enjoy my pain, don't you," I huffed, still glaring at the office door.
"Only the fun, harmless kind," Perce chuckled. "Now why don't we go see Mum so she can stop panicking?" He placed his arm around my shoulders and we started walking towards the door at the end of the Hospital Wing. And then a fun idea popped into my head.
"Race you!" I shouted as I sprinted out of Percy's grasp and dashed out the door and down the hall.
"Pomfrey said don't overdo it!" I heard Perce yell, but his echoes soon faded as I sped through stone hallways and down staircases. Yeah, I wasn't in the best shape, and yeah, I shouldn't be pushing myself like this, but I missed being able to run - to move when I wanted and cover distance. My skeletal legs carried me down a flight of stairs and into the main entry hall. I dashed across the large floor towards the two open, towering doors at the entry to the Great Hall. Skidding to a halt in the doorway, I scanned the Gryffindor table. Sure enough, there was a huge clump of red-heads right in the middle of the table. I sprinted down the aisle towards the family I hadn't seen in over two years.
Ron must've heard me coming because his head snapped up and he rushed to stand as I crashed into him and subjected him to a bone-crushing hug. At least, it would be bone-crushing if I had my strength.
"Well, look who it is!" cried two identical voices. Ron set me down and I spun around only to be lifted off the ground again and enveloped in two sets of arms.
"My, my girl! You've lost some weight!" said Fred, smiling as he held me.
"Good on ya, but we prefer a girl with a bit more meat on her bones," quipped George as he poked my thin arm.
"Don't make fun of the human skeleton," I chided through my smile as I wrapped an arm around each of their necks and hugged them as tight as I could. I felt their arms tighten around me as they hugged me back.
"Missed you," they mumbled into my shoulders.
"Missed you too," I said as I kissed both of their cheeks. Fred and George had always been my best friends and never failed to brighten any situation. As a kid, I always knew that if I needed a laugh or was feeling a bit mischievous, I only had to seek out my twin brothers and the world would be bright and full of fun again. I leaned back in their arms so I could see their identical grins and show them my own.
"Well don't be a sister hog you two! She's got a handful of other people to hug over here." Ginny's voice was full of laughter as she scolded Fred and George and as I turned my head around to look at her, I could see the wide smile she'd spoken through. As soon as Fred and George set me down I leapt at my little sister and hugged her tight.
"You've already seen her, Gin. Hand her over." No way. I let go of Ginny and turned to face my second oldest brother.
"No way! Charlie, you're here?" I exclaimed more than questioned as I ran into his arms.
"Of course I'm here. I've gotta make sure my little sis is alright," he said with a grin as he stepped back and took a look at me. "Aside from being alive though, you aren't looking so good. What on earth were you doing in that dungeon? Wrestling Golems?" Charlie had always been the one to lighten a serious situation. It's not that he doesn't comprehend the gravity of such situations, he just didn't want people to drown themselves in the seriousness of it all. Thus, the signs of my torment became heroic battle scars.
"I wish," I replied. I flexed my right arm and poked at it with a skinny finger. "Then maybe I'd have a bit more muscle on these super strong arms of mine." We both broke into giggles.
"Glad to see you can laugh at what happened." Bill came up behind Charlie and clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder, a small smile on his face. His statement wasn't meant to chastise, but to point out resiliency.
"What good is a long, life-threatening captivity if you can't get a laugh out of it?" I asked him. Both Charlie and Bill chuckled as Bill took his turn hugging me. I was beginning to imagine what the rest of the students in the Great Hall were seeing: a massive red-heads only hug-fest.
"So when does your father get a turn?" I looked around Bill and saw my Dad standing with a false dejected look on his face.
"Aw, Dad, don't pout," I said as I walked over and gave him his hug.
"Look at you," he said. He placed his hand under my chin and tilted my head up so he could clearly see my face. Everyone in my family, with the exception of me and Mum, was tall. Even Ginny had a good three inches on me. "You're an utter mess. Have you been near a mirror yet?"
"Of course she hasn't," came Mum's voice from behind me. I turned around and saw that she had her "where's your brain at, Arthur" look on. "But your father's right dear. You are an absolute mess." She walked up and took a clump of my bedraggled hair between her fingers. "Look at your hair! Oh, putting you back to normal is going to be such a chore. There's no meat on you whatsoever! You're skin and bones!" she said as she picked up one of my thin wrists. I took hold of her hand and she stopped blabbering. She could fuss over my physical condition later. All I wanted now was to hug my Mother. So I did.
"I missed you Mum," I whispered into her hair.
"Maxine, I was so worried!" she said, clutching me tight in her famous Molly Weasley Bear Hug. "In the hands of Death Eaters for more than a year! I thought I'd never see you again." She stepped back and wiped the tears from her eyes before anyone would notice. "And then Percy popped out of nowhere and started jabbering on about you and You-Know-Who, and Fawkes was at our window with a note from Dumbledore and-"
"Mum," I said quietly. She dropped off her flustered rant and looked at me. "I'm here, now. I'm alive, I'm fine, and I'm here now." Tears welled up in her eyes again and she quickly pulled me into another hug.
"I know, dear. I know. I'm so glad. I'm so glad you're here." We held each other for a while, but my stomach decided to ruin the touching family moment. "Oh, how silly of me, of course you're hungry! Look at you! There's no way you couldn't be hungry in such a condition." Mum released me and wiped her teary eyes once more before taking my hand and planting me on the bench at the table. "Eat, dear, eat. We need to get you healthy again." The rest of the family sat down with smiles on their faces, a couple chuckles sounding in response to Mum's sudden return to fussing. Ron sat to my right, Fred and George to my left. I reached for a slice of toast from the basket on the table and noticed for the first time who was sitting across from me.
"Oh, hey, Harry!" I said with a hint of surprise in my voice. I flashed a smile at Ron's best friend before stuffing my toast into my mouth. I really had missed toast.
"Hello," he replied a little hesitantly.
"I'm glad you're finally up, Max. The whole family's been having conniptions since you turned up," Ron stated as he grabbed a whole handful of toast and plopped the slices on my plate. He knew me too well.
"Where's Hermione at?" I managed to mumble through my toast. Ron's face turned a bit grim and I heard chuckles from the twins. I stopped chewing and looked from Fred to Ron in confusion. I turned back to Fred and asked, "What's so funny?"
"Hermione's a bit miffed with Ron at the moment," Harry answered. I turned to look at him and swallowed my toast. Ron started picking at his breakfast, pushing things around on his plate. His grim expression suddenly changed and he stabbed at his pancakes with his fork, perhaps a little harder than needed.
"Don't see why she's so mad. Not like I did anything wrong," he grumbled as he shoved the pancake into his mouth.
"You see, Max, ickle Ronikins has himself a girlfriend," George whispered loudly to me from the other side of Fred.
"What!" I nearly pulled a muscle twisting my neck around to look back at Ron who was now flushing a brilliant shade of crimson. "You've finally managed to appeal to the opposite sex?" Harry choked on the cereal he'd just spooned into his mouth and the twins burst out in loud guffaws that echoed throughout the Great Hall. Ron's blush darkened as he turned what he thought was a poisonous glare in my direction.
"It's not that funny," he grumbled, turning back to angrily pick at the food on his plate. I grabbed another slice of toast and began devouring it with a snarky grin on my face.
"So who is she?" I asked through my mouthful of toast. Ron mumbled an answer to his plate. "Um, who?"
"Speak up Ronikins!" said Fred.
"We can't hear you!" George added. Ron looked up at Harry a pleading look on his face.
"I'm not part of this," Harry murmured before returning determinedly to his cereal. Ron's pleading expression turned to irritation. He looked back down at his plate and violently speared a piece of sausage.
"Lavender Brown," he growled as he shoved the sausage into his mouth and began to chew as if the piece of meat had personally offended him. Fred and George were chuckling to each other, but I didn't know what was so funny anymore.
"Who's Lavender Brown?" I asked, taking another bite of toast. I think this might be my fourth or fifth piece. I really love toast.
"Only the biggest airhead in the Gryffindor dorm," quipped George.
"Well, in the girls' side at least," corrected Fred.
"Oh, yeah. We have to account for poor Neville, don't we?"
"Don't be rude you two," Ginny chided. "Neville is very kind and you know it. And Lavender's not quite an airhead. She's more of a general annoyance." My eyes widened at hearing these words come from my little sister's mouth. She wasn't a very judgmental person, so this Lavender must've really ticked her off somehow.
"The dorm's resident priss," said Fred.
"Damn right!" agreed George.
"Shut up, guys. It's not true," Ron snarled. Harry finished his cereal and immediately began to pile his plate with food, determined not to become part of this conversation.
"So, you're dating a high-strung princess?" I asked.
"A clingy high-strung princess," Ginny corrected. I turned my eyes from my sister back to my twin brother. His ears were as bright a red as I'd ever seen them and his shoulders hunched forward as if he were trying to protect himself from our words.
"You guys just don't know her," he mumbled, but his voice was slightly resigned making me think that somewhere in our teasing there was a measure of truth. I wonder which part hit the bull's-eye.
"Won-Won!" came a high-pitched shout from down the Gryffindor table.
"Speak of the devil." That was Harry's first comment on Lavender Brown and he seemed to have accidentally spoken his thoughts out loud, for he immediately glanced nervously at Ron and then ducked his head and focused once more on his breakfast. I hadn't thought Ron's face could get any redder, but he flushed as bright as his hair as he leaned back on the bench to wave to a pretty, petite brunette who was smiling and waving frantically back at him.
"So that's Lavender? …Won-Won?" I giggled through my eighth slice of toast.
"Shut up," Ron sniped, thoroughly embarrassed. I leaned back on the bench to get a better look at the girl. She was sitting with a small group of pretty girls chatting animatedly, smiling and laughing together.
"She's pretty," I observed as I sat back up. "And she seems nice enough." Ron's blush began to fade as he mumbled a small thanks into his food.
"Maxine!" Uh-oh. A hand landed on my shoulder and I turned around, a slice of toast hanging out of my mouth, to see Percy glaring amusedly down at me. "What happened to 'not pushing yourself'?"
"Ehe," I chuckled, grinning around my toast. "Shawy. Too mush fum." Percy grinned down at me letting go of his false anger.
"Just take it easy, okay? You need to work up to being your usual energetic self," he said, giving my shoulder a pat before going to sit down by Charlie. Five pairs of eyes were questioning me when I turned back to the toast basket.
"I ran down here from the Hospital Wing," I said with a shrug as I a picked up yet another piece of toast.
"Max!" Ron and Ginny were slightly shocked and clearly not pleased, and the twins were chuckling away behind their hands. Harry just looked amazed.
"I felt like running! I haven't been able to run in a long time," I said. I took a big bite out of my toast and gave my brother and sister a look that dared them to chastise me. But neither Ron nor Ginny opened their mouths to do so. Instead, I heard a pleasant, feminine voice scolding me.
"You really shouldn't have done that." I turned around and saw Hermione standing in the aisle, books in hand and looking as if she were just passing by on her way to class. "Your body needs rest now, even if you'd rather not." Her expression clearly said that I should listen to her advice or I'd regret it, but her smile was kind. She looked up across the table. "See you later, Harry. Ginny, keep your sister in check? You two as well," she added towards the twins before she walked up the table a bit to exchange greetings with the rest of the family and walking out of the Great Hall.
"Wow," I said as I turned to Ron with wide eyes. "She must really be ticked at you!" Hermione had made it a point to talk to every Weasley at the table, plus Harry, but completely exclude Ron. "What on earth did you do?"
"You mean besides pick up Lavender Brown?" Fred whispered, quite loudly from my left.
"Hush up, you prick," Ron sniped. I smiled as Ron turned red again and Harry let out a sigh. As I was about to take a bite out of my new slice of toast, a paper swallow gently glided down to land on the table in front of me. I set down my toast and looked across the Great Hall through the faces of hundreds of students to the blonde head sitting at the far table watching me with shock in his pale grey eyes.
"I've got to go," I said cheerily, picking up the swallow and stashing it in the pocket of my sweat pants. I grabbed another handful of toast and an apple then stood up to leave.
"What? Where are you going?" Everyone was looking at me with the same questions in their eyes.
"What was that bird-thing?" the twins asked.
"Nothing. Just a message from a friend. I'll see you guys later, okay?" I quickly stepped out from behind the bench and smiled at my siblings as I raced towards the door.
"Would you please stop running, Max?" I heard Percy shout after me. I lifted my hand holding the apple and shot a peace sign over my shoulder to show him I'd heard and slowed to a jog. I turned to the right after leaving the Great Hall and headed down the corridor that led towards the dungeons. Stopping at a small staircase, I sat down on the bottom step and fished the swallow out of my pocket, then reached for my magic.
Dang. I really didn't have much at all. I guess I was a lot weaker than I felt. Good thing I only needed a spark for this. I held the paper swallow in my hands and let a small spark of my magic leap up from my palms to light it. My magic always manifested itself as black flames so my small spark quickly spread over the entirety of the paper figure, yet, as usual, the object didn't burn like it would if the flames were real fire. Black fire that didn't burn. Unless, of course, I willed it to. I threw the little flaming bird into the air and it glided off down the corridor to find the friend who'd sent it. As I waited, I continued eating my breakfast. By the time I heard footsteps coming down the corridor, I was on my last piece of toast.
Draco Malfoy paused at the corner and leaned against the wall, the little paper swallow in his open hand, black flames still flickering across its form. His expression looked even less happy than usual.
"Why do you look so glum?" I asked, waving my slice of toast in his general direction. "Aren't you glad to see me? I got out! Ta-da!" I gave him what I hoped was a pleasant grin. He narrowed his glare and turned his cold grey gaze to the burning bird in his hand.
"Why didn't you tell me you were one of them?" he questioned, his voice low and hard to hide the hurt that just barely showed through. He threw the little bird back towards me and it glided softly into my lap. I held up the bright red apple I had in my hand and tossed it to him.
"You didn't need to know," I stated calmly as he caught the apple. His eyes widened and caught mine before narrowing again, any trace of shock gone from them. "Don't take it so personally," I chided before he could state the unfairness of my statement. "One of the Wizarding World's best Ligilimens is hiding out in your home, Draco. I don't think I need to explain my reasoning further." I kept my voice kind and level to avoid adding insult to injury. Draco looked down at the apple he was currently fidgeting with as a slight pink crept across his cheeks. Hadn't thought of that, had you? Silly, self-centered boy. The pink receded and he turned yet again to me. This time he allowed the hurt to infiltrate his gaze and his grey eyes looked less like stone and more like snow clouds, soft and full of an impending downfall.
"You're a Weasley." It was a statement that, for someone raised in his situation meant a lot more than it ever should.
"Yes. And I always have been. The only thing that has changed between then and now, Draco, is that you know." I began finishing my last slice of toast as I watched him, a kind and neutral expression on my face.
"But-"
"No, no 'but's. Nothing that matters has changed. What I find sad is that you know this but are still letting other peoples' bigoted beliefs control your reasoning." I drained the kindness from my voice and expression to let him know what I thought of such beliefs and the people who lived by them. Draco was about to allow the term "blood traitor" ruin the only real friendship he had. Like hell I was gonna let him.
"I don't get on with those people and you know it," he sniped, pushing himself off the wall.
"I am one of those people, and you get on fine with me."
"You're different."
"How?"
"You… You're not like them!"
"In demeanor, belief, even looks, I am exactly like my family, Draco. You just don't know them well enough to see that yet."
"They hate me!"
"I doubt you could call it hate. Perhaps a general dislike of where your family's loyalties lie."
"Loyalties? Who says we're-"
"Stop!" I glared at the boy before me whose face was now red with frustration. "You do not want to finish that sentence. Nor do you want to dwell on such thoughts, Draco. I said it before. One of the Wizarding World's greatest Ligilimens resides in your home right now." He understood immediately the reasoning behind my warning. His face returned to its normal color and the floor seemed to gain his undivided attention. "Your Occlumency lessons with Bellatrix are going well, right? Keep up the good work," I sighed as I leaned back on the stairs.
"How do you know that," he mumbled, still staring at his shoes.
"Word gets around when no one thinks you're listening," I said. "Hey. Look up, silly." He meekly obeyed. "Why are you so determined to fight with me?" I could feel exhaustion creeping through my body now. Perhaps I really had pushed myself a bit too hard.
"I don't know," he said.
"Yes you do. Why do you need to fight with me over my last name? I'm still the same girl who sat in a cell in your basement for over a year. Same girl you came to visit. Same girl you talked with, laughed with, shared troubles and worries with. I'm still me, Draco, so why the hell does my last name matter so much? It changes nothing." I'm positive my eyes displayed my exasperation with this situation clearly. He looked back down at his feet and kicked at the stone for a second before walking over and sitting on the stairs beside me.
"It doesn't matter," he mumbled after a pause. He was looking at the apple in his hands as he said it. He raised the fruit up to his eye level and inspected it for a second. "It doesn't matter at all." This time his voice was firmer. He took a bite of the apple and reached out towards me with his left arm. I sat up and leaned my head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
"Good to hear," I sighed. I closed my eyes and listened to the crunch of the apple as Draco proceeded to eat it. We sat like that for a few minutes, content in the silence. There were times during my incarceration when we'd lean up against the bars back-to-back and just enjoy each other's presence. Not every moment needed sound. Sometimes silence was just as effective for conveying feeling.
"How'd you get out?" I heard a dull thud as Draco threw his apple core against the far wall. I opened my eyes and saw it lying on the ground across the corridor.
"Don't liter," I grumbled. I snapped my fingers and the core burst into black flame which eventually faded to fire's usual reddish-orange and began burning the core to ash. I covered up a small yawn before answering Draco's question. "I tricked the 'omnipotent Dark Lord'."
"You did what?" I could feel Draco's head turn to look at my face, but I merely continued to watch the small fire.
"I tricked him."
"I got that," he growled. "But how?" Shock was thoroughly infused in Draco's tone. Was it so hard to believe Tom was merely human, and thus just as fallible? Another small yawn postponed my response.
"Somehow he found out who I was," I mumbled. "He had Percy dragged in. It was absolutely terrifying. He used the Cruciatus and I pretended I wanted to torture my own brother. Luckily, I had enough power to teleport us both." The fire began to fade and the little apple core was now a small pile of ash. We sat quietly and watched the last embers flicker out.
"He really believed you? He believed someone like you would be willing to torture their own brother?" Draco's voice was soft and still filled with shock.
"He'd been trying to crack me for over a year, Draco. I think he was just overjoyed that I showed any inkling of dark thoughts at all. I'm sure Perce and I trading insults helped though." I closed my eyes again with a sigh.
"Insults?"
"Yeah. I had my family stick to a script incase I was ever captured. We were to act as if we absolutely loathed each other. The idea was that acting as if the family didn't matter to me would protect them."
"That didn't really work, did it." Draco's voice held a note of smugness in it.
"No," I growled, nudging him in the side for enjoying the thought of my family's pain. "But it did offer me the opening I needed to get away. That's something, anyway." My last sentence was barely more than a soft sigh. I could feel myself falling asleep. "Agh. Darn Pomfrey was right," I growled under my breath.
"What do you mean Pomfrey was right?" Drat. He'd heard me.
"She told me not to push myself too hard. It really sucks that my body can't keep up with me." I let out a small, slightly bitter laugh at my own weakened state.
"It's understandable though. Anyone would be exhausted after what you went through." There was bitterness in Draco's voice as well, but his spite was directed towards my past situation instead of my present. He began to stand so I sat up again and looked at his face as he turned back to me, his hand outstretched.
"Come on," he said twitching his fingers a bit. "Let's get you back up to the Hospital Wing before you pass out in the corridor." There was a small smile upon his pale face as I took his hand and he pulled me up. I gave him back my biggest smile. Draco didn't smile often, and when he did, most of his smiles were sad. This one was small, but not sad.
"Why thank you, kind sir," I said brightly. "Such a gentleman to walk a lady to her door." We both giggled at my joking.
"My lady." Draco offered his arm, a laughing grin splitting his face. Seeing him smile was a joy.
"Oh, such a kind boy!" I looped by arm through his and we walked back up the hallway laughing like children.
As Draco and I got closer to the entry hall, the sounds of breakfast time chatter grew louder. We paused at the end of the corridor and listened as Albus's voice rang out through the Great Hall and the noise grew quiet.
"Morning announcements," Draco muttered.
"Well, best get going then!" I chirped brightly. "Don't want to get caught in the morning rush. And we don't want you late for class." I gave him a light tap on the arm as we turned and headed up the main staircase. We walked along in a comfortable silence, accompanied by the sound of footsteps echoing off the walls. When we entered the Hospital Wing it was quiet and empty.
"Pomfrey must still be down at breakfast. Not often she gets an empty ward," I said as I disengaged from Draco and went to sit down on my bed. I pulled my legs up onto the mattress and drew the sheet over them. I expected Draco to say a short "see you later" and head off to class, but instead, he came and sat down by my bed in the same chair Perce had occupied earlier that morning.
"Max, there's… There's something I want to tell you." He was fidgeting with his hands and not quite looking me in the eyes. For such a cocky boy, this was a bit unusual. I watched him and waited for him to expand upon his sudden statement. He glanced up and saw I was waiting for him to speak. A light blush overtook his pale face as he glanced back down at his hands.
…Oh dear. This is going to be something he's not confident about. Something he feels vulnerable about. Well, he didn't need to do this with two eavesdroppers lurking a couple cots away. But, exposing them would only cause a fight…
"Draco." He looked up at me still blushing. "If you don't have your words together, then we can talk some other time. It's alright." Despite flashing him a kind smile, his blush disappeared and a look of resolve replaced his nervousness. He regained the confident glint in his grey eyes and sat up straighter in the chair.
"No, my words are together," he said firmly. His grey eyes locked on my blue ones and he steadied himself with a deep breath. "Max, I…" He looked as if the words were caught in his throat. His confidence slowly disappeared again and he slumped a bit in his chair. His eyes left mine and focused again on the ground. "I.."
Well, I guess I know where this is going. Most of my meager magic supply shot through the floor to where the eavesdroppers stood and formed an immovable sound barrier underneath the Cloak. They wanted to see? Fine. They'd see. But they would by no means interfere.
"I…think I …Agh." Draco finally gave up trying to be brave. His fingers twined together and he hung his head before mumbling his statement to the floor. "I love you."
After a small pause, he looked back up at me, vulnerability written in every line of his body. His grey eyes were like thin clouds. Everything represented in them could be blown away by the smallest wind, or solidified by what could change in this moment.
"Oh, Draco," I whispered. I shut my eyes for a moment to steady myself. It's not like I never saw this coming, but I had hoped it wouldn't. I was going to hurt him, and that was the last thing I wanted to do. I opened my eyes again and found his. "I love you, too, just…Not the way you want me to." His eyes widened for a moment before wavering and searching again for the ground. His entire structure seemed to sink.
After a short silence he whispered, "Why?" Oh dear… "Why not? Am I not good enough for the little mage?"
"Draco-" He looked up at me, hurt turning his eyes a stormy grey and filling them with tears he was desperately trying not to shed.
"You just spewed all that crap about how last names didn't matter, but that's what's behind this, isn't it? Your family wouldn't approve of you-"
"Draco." I said his name as a sharp whisper. He stopped ranting immediately and just glared at me, his body showing in every line that he wanted to leave, to escape this hurtful situation.
"Forget this," he mumbled angrily. He suddenly lowered his head and moved to get up.
"Draco." This time there was a pleading note to my tone. I placed my left hand on his knee to keep him from getting up. "Draco, don't do this. Hey." I ran my right hand through his white-blonde hair and brought it down underneath his chin. He didn't fight me as I tilted his face up so I could look him in the eyes. I was surprised that his gaze willingly met mine.
"Why," he stated firmly this time. "I want to know why, Max." There was still plenty of pain in his eyes, but they also displayed a determined resolve. I let out a small sigh and looked down at my lap.
"I don't have a why," I said softly. He turned his head to the side and away from me at those words. "Draco." I moved my right hand back under his chin and turned his face to me again. This time he did not meet my eyes. "Draco, I don't have a why. But I do know that in this world there is someone for you somewhere. Everyone's got someone who will love them back the same way you love them." He hesitated for a second and then finally looked me in the eye again. I gave him a small smile and moved my right hand to his cheek. My left hand trailed through his hair, brushing it out of his eyes. "You'll find the girl who's meant for you, Draco. That girl's just not me, though." He sighed, closed his eyes and leaned into my hand. His left hand came up to hold my hand to his cheek.
"It's just not you, huh," he mumbled. He opened his eyes and looked down at my left hand which had returned to his knee. He covered that hand with his own as well. "This sucks, you know?" he said with a small, bitter laugh.
"Yeah, I do," I replied. We sat in silence for a few moments, Draco watching our intertwined hands, and I watching him. Suddenly he looked up at me, a light blush on his cheeks. His eyes were more sad then hurt now.
"Can I at least have a kiss, then? Just so I know…what…what I need to look for…" He looked me straight in the eyes as he quietly asked this, lying straight to my face. I was slightly shocked, and I could feel the fury coming from the trapped and silenced eavesdroppers. My surprise must have shown on my face. "That was too bold," he said quickly, looking down again and starting to get up. I leaned down on his knee to keep him in place.
"No, it's alright," I said quietly. He froze.
…Is he breathing? Why is he just-
Suddenly he whipped his head around his eyes wide and pale grey, the color of thin ice. "What did you say?" He whispered. I took a breath.
"It's alright." No it isn't. It's not alright at all. This will only hurt him more. Provide him with a memory that will only torture him. But…If I can give him something – anything – to make him feel better. Something he wants. "It's alright." Maybe he'd consider it a thank you for being there for me. But he won't. And I know that. This is purely his selfishness.
His eyes began to soften and the shock left his face, slowly being replaced by understanding. He knew even better than I did why I was allowing this. I dropped both of my hands back into my lap as Draco reached up with his right hand to gently cup my face. He didn't say anything, just kept searching my eyes. And then he started moving closer. Automatically, my eyes began to shut.
His lips pressed softly against mine. The kiss was gentle and chaste, with no hint of the hurt and anger he'd shown. But I could feel the sadness in him as well as some other feeling. Like a – He pulled back and ended the kiss, but left his forehead on mine for a moment.
"Goodbye, Max."
And then he was gone. I stared, eyes wide, and filling with tears as he rushed out of the Hospital Wing, never once looking back, the shaking in his frame only barely visible.
I stared at the empty doorway until the tears began spilling over. I looked down at my lap and watched patters appear on my sheet as teardrops fell and splattered there. In the back of my mind, I felt the barrier around the eavesdroppers dissipate.
"WHAT THE HELL!" Ron thundered out from under the Invisibility Cloak. He threw it off so violently that Harry had to reach down and pick it up off the ground. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL, MAX! Draco Malfoy! What the hell are you doing with Draco MALFOY!" He stomped his way down the aisle to my bed, his face bright red and contorted in fury.
"Not now, Ron," I whispered, tears still falling into my lap.
"And you kissed him. KISSED him!"
"Ron, not now."
"He's the enemy! What are you doing – "
"He's my best friend!" My head shot up in anger as I shouted back at my brother. "He's my best friend and his heart is… Is smashed into fifty-billion little pieces…" My hands went through the motions of shredding thin air and my face contorted in pain and anger. "…and it's all my fault. And HARRY JAMES POTTER!" I practically screeched his name as I sent a massive gust of wind down the aisle to slam the Hospital Wing doors shut and send the Invisibility Cloak spiraling onto a far off bed. "If you dare follow him right now I will ring your neck!" Harry turned back to face me shock overwhelming his features.
"Are you crazy?" Ron leaned down towards me, bracing his hands on either side of me, his face inches from mine. "Threatening my best mate? Over a Death Eater? Are you crazy?" he spat the last question through clenched teeth.
"Get out of my face now, before I make you, Ronald," I snarled. I saw the small spark of surprise in Ron's eyes as he slowly straightened himself. Even Harry, on the other side of the room collecting his Cloak, froze for a moment.
I must've looked quite intimidating with rage and hurt twisting my features and tears streaming down my cheeks.
"What the hell are you doing, Max," Ron asked quietly. Harry slowly walked up the aisle, tucking his Cloak into his bag and stopping just before reaching my bed.
"I'm baking cookies, Ron. What do you think I'm doing?" I sniped, wiping away tears with the heel of my hand.
"He's Draco MALFOY, Max!"
"Yeah, and you're Ron Weasley, he's Harry Potter, and I'm the girl who just crushed her best friend."
"Best friend? How can you be friends with him! He's a jerk!"
"Pot calling the kettle black," I mumbled.
"Did you just call me a jerk? Compared to hi-"
"Well you're the one shouting at a crying girl!" I glared at Ron, tears streaming freely down my face now. My brother was silenced by shock for a moment.
"She's got you there," Harry suddenly and quietly stated. Ron spun on Harry, his anger redirected, but Harry just raised his hand in my general direction as if silently saying, "Mate. Just look at her." Ron paused and turned to me again, but this time, he seemed to take in what his anger had blinded him to.
"Aw, shit, Max. What the hell are you doing." His face softened and his words were quieter this time. He stepped forward and sat beside me on the bed before pulling me into a hug. "What the hell are you doing, crying over him?" I turned my face into his chest and mumbled back.
"He's my friend, Ron. And I hurt him really bad." Ron didn't respond except to pull me closer and try to comfort me. I felt the bed sink a little on my other side as Harry sat down as well. After a little while my tears began to slow, and Ron finally spoke.
"Don't think you're off the hook, though, Max. We will talk about this Malfoy thing." His voice was calm again, but his frustration was only barely held in check. This will be such a fun conversation. I pulled away and sat up, wiping the remaining tears from my face.
"'Malfoy thing'," I repeated quietly. "You guys really don't get along, do you?" I'd meant the question to be rhetorical, but I got two firm "Hell no"'s in response. I gave a little snort then looked from Ron to Harry before I busted out laughing. Simultaneous identical answers. "Ron. Man, even we don't do that!" I managed through my laughter. Harry glanced over at Ron as his own bout of laughter started.
"Yeah, we – We… No, we don't." And then Ron was laughing, too. We carried on like that until our sides hurt and we were gasping for breath.
"You guys are gonna be late for class," I said once I calmed down enough to form a coherent sentence.
"Shoot, she's right," Ron said.
"Well if you're so worried, you go," Harry replied. "I got a question for you." His second statement was pointed towards me.
"Well, we may as well get detention together," Ron huffed good-naturedly.
"A question for me?" I asked Harry feigning shock. I figured Ron's friends would interrogate me sooner or later. One thing I've noticed about people and secrets is that they always needed to uncover everything that had been withheld.
"Yeah," he said. He shifted his body around, pulling his right leg up onto the mattress so he could face me. "You cry for others and laugh easy, and it seems that you're able to make friends with folks most people don't like. Plus, you've got to have a strong will if you've been around Voldemort for as long as you were and aren't dead or twisted."
"There's no question there, mate," Ron chuckled.
"I'm getting there." Harry shot a small glare at Ron before continuing. "You remind me of someone I went to primary school with."
"Primary school?" I asked. Dang, I went to far too many primary schools. "Which one?"
"He lives in Little Winging, Max," Ron said.
"Oh, really? Well I've been there! In…um….Let's see…Third grade?"
"In the fall?" Harry asked.
"Um…Maybe. I went to a lot of primary schools," I replied uncertainly.
"Did you ever travel under a false name?"
"All the time," Ron said before I could respond. "She's got about fifty aliases."
"Did you ever go by Abigail?" Harry's posture showed how anxious he was for a yes. Let's see. Third grade in Little Winging… What happened then? Was that when…
"You were the boy on the roof!" I exclaimed.
"Yeah! And you tried to help me get down!"
"By going up. We sat on that roof for twenty minutes before the teachers found a ladder!"
"Wait, wait, wait. You guys know each other? From primary school?" Ron had a severely confused look on his face.
"Apparently," I said with a grin.
"She's the only kid who's ever been able to beat up Dudley. He still hasn't gotten over that you know. Kept asking around for 'that stupid, scrawny leprechaun' for weeks. He still tries to kill me if I bring up how he got creamed by a girl," Harry chuckled.
"He called me a leprechaun? Oh, I owe him another fist in the gut for that one," I huffed.
"You beat up his cousin?" Ron asked, slightly awed.
"Yup."
"High-five for that one, sis. I've been begging Harry to let me curse him for years."
"I knew I recognized those eyes," I said.
"How on earth did you not know he was Harry Potter though?" Ron asked.
"He introduced himself as Harry and I knew he was related to that prick, Dudley, so I just figured he was Harry Dursley." I replied.
"Ew," Harry said. He even wrinkled his nose the idea disgusted him so. "No way in hell will that ever be my name." We were all laughing again. When we calmed down, Harry said, "You know, you were the only friend I ever made in that town. And to think that you're Ron's sister…"
"Quite a coincidence," Ron mused. I nodded in agreement. "It's the weirdest thing. Damn! And I've been thinking all this time I was the first Weasley he ever met!" Ron gave me a small, playful shove that set me off balance and falling onto Harry's lap. The boys let loose laughing at me as Harry helped me back up. And soon we were all laughing and carrying on.
"Well what is this!" Pomfrey's shrill question came from the front doors. "Mr. Potter! Mr. Weasley! You're horribly late for class you know! Out! Get on with you!" She stomped down the aisle waving her arms around trying to shoo the boys out. We were all still laughing hysterically. Ron was doubled over clutching his stomach, I had my hands over my mouth trying hard to calm down, and Harry was leaning back on his hands, face tilted to the ceiling and laughing without a care. "Out! Now, Mr. Weasley! Off you go! You can see your sister later. Preferably when you're not supposed to be in class! Go!" Pomfrey had made it to my bed now and was pulling and pushing the boys up on to their feet and up the aisle.
"See ya!" I managed to shout. Both boys were still laughing too much to do anything but raise their hands in goodbye as Pomfrey shoved them out the door. After a few moments, I managed to calm down enough to speak.
"Well, seems you're having a good time," Pomfrey said, trying to sound stern and reproving, but she really couldn't hide her smile. She walked down the aisle again and ducked into her office.
"Yeah. Oh~ It's good to be back," I said as I shifted to lean back on my hands. Pomfrey popped out of her office carrying her basket of wraps and salves and came to sit in the chair by my bed.
"Let's have a look, dear," she said as she turned the chair to face me.
"But you just changed them all a couple hours ago!" I protested. She merely pointed to the bandage on my left forearm. When I looked, there was a small blood stain slowly seeping through the wrap. "Well darn."
"Yup. Give it here," Pomfrey said, holding out her hand. I plopped my arm into her palm and she set to work. When she finished with my arm, she checked my ribs, but they were fine. "Get some sleep girl. Sleep and food. That's all you need right now, and you'll be right as rain within a few months or so," she said as she packed her things and stood to go back to her office. "Actually-" She paused just before her office door. "Knowing you, you'll make sure you're back to perfect in no time, won't you." She gave me a laughing, yet still disapproving look over her shoulder.
"You know me all too well, Madam Pomfrey," I chuckled. She did as well and then walked into her office to leave me to my rest. I lay back down on my pillow and looked up at the vaulted ceiling. Food, rest, and exercise. I'd be back to perfect by the end of next month. Maybe still too thin, but perfect concerning reflexes, stamina, and muscle control. We'd work on the weight thing later. I needed to get strong again first. I turned onto my side and fell asleep while mulling over training schedules.
End Ch 3
AN: Well, was the super chapter super, or no? Please review! I love, love, love to hear from ya'll! Bad or good, no matter. ^-^ I broke my own rules and posted this before Ch4 was done being written, so hopefully this monster will tide you over for a while. Need to go back and read HBP, get my timeline down, and then I'll start on Ch4. Get ready for an unfortunately long wait, I'm afraid. I'll try and make it as short as I can. Please review! And Thank You SO MUCH!