My little cousin gave me these oh-so-cute little paper-cutouts of animals and flowers the other day and I've been obsessing over using them to decorate everything recently. That's my excuse for not updating. What's yours?

What can I say? At least they did their homework. But I had forgotten about how terrible their stealth skills were.

"Get your freaking elbow out of my stomach," Orin hissed to Jay.

"Get your freaking stomach out of my elbow," groaned Orin. I sighed pitifully.

"It'll be a miracle if we can make it there and back without getting caught," I muttered. Dylan stoked my hair soothingly.

"Think of it this way. It's the day before Valentine's day. Just smile. It's going to be so much fun tomorrow." I smiled to myself against my will. Dylan could always make me smile, no matter what. It was just another thing I loved about him.

"Aw, you two are just so cute!" Nudge squealed quietly. I threw her a questioning look. "Angel told me."

"Again with the mental stuff, Angel?" I asked with a sigh. She shrugged, unashamed.

"It's an awesome skill," she said simply. "There's not a single living creature within twenty feet of us. Unless you count the ivy growing on the walls. Let's go." We slid near-silently across the dark corridor, Jaq preferring the pale moonlight that shone through the windows. Come to think of it, he was probably already at the greenhouses, gathering whatever he was supposed to gather. With this many people, I tend to forget.

"Hey, who's getting the Mimbulus Mimbletonia again?" asked Luce. "Because I'm sure not getting it."

"Poke it a few times," Bella retorted. "See what happens."

"I just so happen to have picked up a few things from Sev," Luce retorted shrewdly. "And I don't feel like being covered in pus that smells like, ah, rancid manure."

"Not in front of the children!" gasped Cissy.

"And you're how old, Narcissa? Thirteen? Fourteen perhaps?"

"Shut up, Selwyn."

"He holds a valid point," the twins said pleasantly. "We're all still children ourselves, you know."

"I didn't ask you!" hissed my little sister. "Besides, Angel's only six."

"And you're only thirteen," said Willy, smirking. A pair of straight, white teeth grinned but a body was yet to be seen. Suddenly, a hand whipped out and smacked the mouth.

"Good Merlin, stop moving around so much!" hissed CaraLena. "If you think it's so easy to hide this many people then you can give it a go!"

"Don't make me drench you in water," snarled Zohra.

"What do you mean, I'm only thirteen?" Cissy growled at Willy.

"Laurence and I are legal adults now," Willy said primly. Laurence's head nodded rapidly until CaraLena's hand whacked his head.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"I think you know, my friend," his little cousin snapped back.

"Humph."

"We're here," I whispered, slinking into the dark, moonlit, glass room. "Everyone knows what they're doing, right? Okay. Works of advice. Do NOT attempt to explode a Mimbulus Mimbletonia. Do NOT kick a Snargaluff just to see what will happen to your face. Do NOT …hey, where did they all go?"

"Away from you."

"Oh, hi Jaq. Finished yet?" He nodded. "Great. Want to go help everyone else or something?" He shrugged. I sighed and went to work gathering my portion. It wasn't a whole lot. Bubotuber…bubotuber pus…more bubotuber…gillyweed…dirigible plum…yum…

"Done!"

"Done!"

"Done!"

"Dun dun dun! Quick! Que the dramatic music!" said Selwyn. We all laughed.

"Ooh, I'd love a dun horse," murmured Cissy.

"I'd love a dun centaur, if you ask me," said her sister with a wink. The twins scoffed at her but otherwise said nothing.

"Hey, we better go to sleep," whispered Nudge, who was leading a sleepy Angel and a blind Iggy into the main greenhouse. "It's Valentine's day tomorrow." I smiled to myself when I saw the eagerness in her eyes. There was nothing quite like getting a Valentine from your secret admirer when you're a little kid.

"Okay. Let's go. Angel, you lead the way." The little girl tiredly rubbed her eyes and led us back up. We all crawled into bed and blissfully went to sleep. Well, at least we all went to sleep. Blissfully? Um…


"It's Valentine's day tomorrow," said a soft and familiar voice. Even though I couldn't see her face, I knew who it was. The long wolf tail, the fuzzy black wings, the flowing black locks, the soft, silent barefooted steps on the forest floor; Tarlyn. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, the shadows retracted, revealing her innocent, smiling face.

"Why did you leave Jaq?" I blurted.

"Oh, reasons." She laughed like she thought it funny. "But we're not talking about me. We're here to talk about my dear brother."

"Selwyn?"

"Fang."

"You came all the way here to talk to me about your lying, cheating, man-whore of a brother?" I nearly shrieked. She was the reason why her freaking boyfriend had nearly killed himself and she was here to talk about my ex? This girl seriously needed to get her priorities in order.

"Max, you can only get what you deserve, you know that. You're Voldemort's daughter, after all." I slumped down, irritated. Remember what I said about her priorities?

"Tarlyn, you've gone through all this just to contact me. I'm honored; really, I am. But, sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not ready to talk about Fang yet. So. Let's talk about you. Where are you?"

"Not where you are."

"I kind of figured as much."

"I can't give you any more information than that; sorry."

"Why did you leave?"

"Didn't I already tell you? I didn't belong."

"Jaq…"

"He's suffering, I know. But they'll keep him alive. I know it."

"Who?"

"CaraLena and Zohra, obviously."

"Hmm. What's it like where you are?"

"Wonderful," she said, her face beaming. "There, there are people who are stranger than I am. There's not a single person who is completely human. It's wonderful, no, it's beyond wonderful. Everyone there is so nice and…it's where I belong. They trust me here. And…they don't know my past." She looked away as she said that.

"Your past?"

"That's a story for another time, Max." She smiled tightly.

"Okay. Jaq's been beating himself up. He's been in a serious depression. What have you got to say to that?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. But…give him this." She held out several flowers in her hand. A blue forget-me-not. A single blooming dogwood. And something I had never seen before. To me it didn't have a name. Nonetheless, I took the small bouquet of flowers.

"So…"

"Are you ready to talk about him now?"

"No."

"Max, my time is running short."

"Let's talk about something else."

"Max," she urged. "You have to know that you will get only what you deserve. When you wake…there will be something important from someone else important. It's a black rose, Max. And it's from my brother, Fang. Think about it. Why would he leave a black rose for you?"

"Because he's being emo."

"Black roses aren't very easy to come by…" Her soft voice held some of the rhetorical sarcasm she used to spew out.

"So? I bet he got Lisa a ruby red rose," I said bitterly. "Should I care?"

"No, you shouldn't. But I can feel it. You do care. More than you should."

"I don't," I insisted.

"You say that now. But…when you wake…really think about it. Max, it's Valentine's day. Give Jaq the bouquet, give Zohra, Adrian and CaraLena these, and for goodness sakes, use your head. Goodbye, Max." She dissolved back into the darkness of the forest, leaving me standing there all alone with three blood roses and a small bouquet.

"Tarlyn?"

"She's not here anymore." A boy's soft voice echoed through. I spun around. I didn't know this person but for whatever reason, I knew it was someone I could trust.

"Where is she then?"

"Where we are. I can't tell you a whole lot more than that. She'd probably kill me." He smirked. "But you should wake up now, friend of Tarlyn."

"Yeah," said a girl, probably a new friend of Tarlyn's said. "It's Valentine's day. And everyone loves Valentine's day! Right?"

"I don't want to wake up," I cried. "I want to see Tarlyn!"

"Too bad," said the boy. He put his hand on my shoulder and gripped it tightly. "Wake."


"Ow!" I clutched my throbbing head as I jerked awake.

"Max?" Bella looked at me, thoroughly concerned.

"Hangover, hangover," I muttered over and over again.

"Aieee!" shrieked Halo while Contessa laughed.

"No liquor, I swear, Halo!"

"Stop scaring me like this!" whined the blond girl.

"It's your turn to use the bathroom first this time," said Bella. "If you don't hurry up, we'll inhabit the bathroom."

"Go ahead," I muttered groggily. I hadn't felt pain like this since the beginning of the school year.

"Yes!" All three of them dashed towards the bathroom. I groaned and nearly flopped down onto the pillow and fell asleep again, but something caught my eye. Three blood roses, a black rose, and a small bouquet. Oh. My. God. Tarlyn. I first picked up the black rose. She said it was from Fang. A black rose. But why…?

Suddenly, my hangover was forgotten and I scrambled out of bed. Taking only the time to check my reflection in the mirror and to change into decent clothes, I rushed over to Tarlyn's old dorm where her three best friends were sleeping.

"CaraLena! Adrian! Zohra!" I rapped on the door loudly. "You guys!"

"Whuzzgoinon?" muttered a sleep deprived CaraLena as she flung open the door. Behind her, Zohra was chiding her.

"I don't understand how you could possibly stay awake so late, I mean, I, I go to sleep early and wake up early so I don't have to deal with this."

"Shuttup."

"CaraLena, how could you tell us to shut up?" asked Zohra in fake shock. Adrian laughed a little too.

"You guys, I saw Tarlyn."

"WHAT?" Zohra ambushed me, kind of like how she ambushed Nudge once. Only that time, she was after Nutella. That girl would probably buy a Gringotts vault worth of Nutella when she grew up.

"Zohra, let go of her!" squeaked Adrian.

"You saw Tarlyn?" asked CaraLena. Her eyes narrowed at me. "Prove it."

"Well, I didn't really see her. She came to me in a dream. I didn't think it was real until…well…" I held up the roses, hoping that it would cover up my lack of explanation.

"Blood roses," Zohra murmured, her long fingers wrapping elegantly around the stem. "Of course." The blood roses were a brilliant sight. They were mostly a pale white with a web of a rich bloody red wrapping it. It was darker at the base and as the bloody web moved up, it lessened until there was no web of blood at all.

"Yeah, I know," I said. "Is that proof or…?"

"Yes, it's proof," Adrian said quietly, sounding more serious than I had ever seen her. "She gave these to us whenever we broke up with someone we had loved dearly."

"Max…we shouldn't tell you this…but the blood in these roses…is probably Tarlyn's blood."

"Seriously?" I asked CaraLena. She nodded.

"It's Valentine's day," said Zohra at last. "Let's go and see what we've got for today." They bounded out of bed, looking rushed but unenthusiastic, and left me in their dark dorm room where I couldn't quite wrap my mind around things.


"Ohh…" I smiled to myself as the hot water flowed over me. It felt so good…I needed that. Smiling still, I got out of the showers and walked over to my bed wrapped in nothing but a towel. I really wanted to go back to sleep again (it was a Sunday) but there were things left to do this Valentine's day. I sighed, changed back into decent clothing, and grabbed all of the stuff Tarlyn gave me. But there was a small, cream-colored card that I hadn't seen before. I picked it up and opened it, of course. Inside it was elegant, flawless writing.

'A black rose for a black heart.'

"A black heart?" I said to myself. I frowned but went down where I was sure either Dylan or Jaq would be. Turns out, Jaq was there and Dylan was still knocked out because he had drunk the wrong potion from Sev. Oops. This was just lovely, as usual.

"Jaq?"

"Yes?" He looked in pain. Of course. Valentine's Day was a day for those who were in love.

"Tarlyn asked me to give you these." I handed him the bouquet and his eyes widened ever so slightly that if I were not a genetic abnormality, I might have not seen it.

"I see."

"What are they for?"

He sighed. "I suppose you can guess the meaning behind the forget-me-not," he said, chuckling humorlessly. "And the dogwood is sort of making fun of her own canine mutation. And this…" He softly touched the white lacey flowers which almost seemed to glow. "They are moonlaces. And the moon is for werewolves."

"Why would she…?"

"Tarlyn's mind works in a strange way, I'll admit. It's what made her run away, or so her brother has told me." He sighed. Jaq, being who he was, could have probably suffered a whole lot more than he had already, but he just wasn't letting himself. But then again, a new thought occurred to me, one completely irrelevant to the thought before. Jaq was Tarlyn's boyfriend and Tarlyn was Fang's twin sister. Hmm.

"Do the words, 'A black rose for a black heart' mean anything to you?"

"Yes, actually, they do," he said amused. "That was her first gift to me along with a black rose." No need to ask who 'her' was.

"Huh?"

"We were mortal enemies back then."

"Wow…"

"Yes, I've noticed. We hated each other. I think I might have tried to kill her at some point. No matter, she later explained to me what it really meant. You see, those who are cold and unforgiving have black hearts, cruel hearts. They can't truly love because…they just can't. They can't see past their hate to see the truth. And…because of this….they get what they deserve on Valentine's Day. A black rose for their black heart because only something as lovely and as evil as that could balance their heart out."


A black rose from Fang for a black heart of mine. Insanity. I couldn't think about anything but that black rose that entire day. Even when Dylan had ambushed me and given me his gift of my favorite chocolate.

"You seem distant," he said, ruffling my hair. I nodded, not really paying attention. "What's on your mind?"

"Oh, nothing," I said, coming back into reality.

"If you insist," he said, sounding uncertain. I nodded vigorously, handing him a red rose. Not bloody; just a simple, almost bloomed red rose. "Oh…it's so pretty." He smiled slightly and I blushed. "Thanks Max. Do you want to go to Hogsmeade?"

"Sure." I linked hands with him and we headed towards the cozy little village. On the way, I saw Fang and Lisa making out. 'A black rose for a black heart' He was at fault, not me.

'Your turn!' The little girl voice echoed in my head. My turn. To do what exactly? Make up with Fang? How could this not be his fault? He screwed her over. He cheated on me. His fault. Not mine.

"Max?" Dylan looked at me, concerned. "Are you sure you're okay? We could always postpone…"

"Yeah, I'm fine." We passed other utterly adorable couples along the way. Zohra and Dave. CaraLena and Matt. Luce and Cissy. Even Laurence and Willy. Of course; it was Valentine's day. Who would have expected anything else?

"Hey, do you want to go to Madam Puddifoot's or the Three Broomsticks?" asked Dylan, shaking me out of my thoughts.

"The Three Broomsticks, defiantly. Madam Puddifoot's looks as if Cupid threw up in there." My boyfriend scrunched up his nose and made an 'ew' face. I giggled.

"You've got a weird perspective, Max."

"It's the way I roll. Besides, you know it's true. A restaurant filled to the brim with Cupid puke. I'm sure as Hell avoiding that." He laughed.

"Well, in that case, to the Three Broomsticks we go. Come on! Before it's coated in Cupid puke!" And it was a good thing it wasn't. I didn't think I could stand all of that…pinkness. It was nice and warm in there and the swirling scent of sweet Butterbeer wafted through the air. Sharp spots of Firewhiskey and the like also hit my nose and I wrinkled it. Dylan, being a mutant, winced at the sharp scent too. Bits of chocolate smells also drifted through. I closed my eyes and smiled.

"Smells so good," I murmured incoherently.

"I know," I murmured back. We drifted dreamily towards a nice little booth by the window and ordered a Butterbeer to share and some caramel chocolate, something we both loved. That and chocolate chip cookies. Love chocolate chip cookies. Other than Dylan, chocolate chip cookies are my world. I blame my Aunt Valencia Martinez and my cousin Ella.

"You know," said Dylan. "This really is a very untraditional Valentine's day."

"I do in fact know. It's Valentine's day and we're staying so far away from our friends…it really is a strange day after all."

"I don't mind," he whispered into my ear and kissed me softly on the neck and then on my mouth, making me smile. And of course, we all knew this good moment wouldn't last for long. After all, being the dark lord's daughter does have a few downsides.

"Death Eaters!" screamed some people outside. Dylan and I, knowing that we wouldn't get intentionally killed, rushed out to see what was happening. Death Eaters were everywhere. Some of the Slytherins, namely the ones in the Ranks of the Death Eaters, tried looking utterly terrified but were trying instead to hide a smirk. This…it wasn't exactly good nor bad. It was good for us, our side, I mean, but at what cost? People would be killed.

"We better make a run for the castle," Dylan whispered to me. I nodded and we ran. On the way, we passed dead bodies, some of which we knew. Like Ashley Freak-out-a-unicorn. And a bunch of stupid Gryffindor. And a Ravenclaw or two. You'd think they'd be smarter than to get killed so idiotically like this. But of course, they managed to get themselves dead so apparently not. Hmm.

The castle was quiet except for the birds chirping outside. At least, for now. But seeing as it was practically empty, we might as well do something. It was so quiet…so peaceful…

"This must be the most chaotic Valentine's day ever," said Dylan. I simply smiled in agreement. This was the most chaotic Valentine's day ever. This was the best Valentine's day ever.


"Another complication," Luce said gloomily at dinner. "With thirteen people killed, Dumbledore won't let us go into Hogsmeade village for the rest of the school year."

"And I was going to get something from Honeyduke's as soon as I got my allowance!" complained Bella.

"So?" I asked, totally unconcerned. "We could always manipulate someone to get us outta here and into there."

"I'm sure Andre would be willing to help without much manipulation," Nudge assured us.

"But what if we get caught?" asked the twins, sounding flustered. I nearly snorted.

"You guys managed to sneak into the greenhouse and steel things in the middle of the night and you're worried about getting caught visiting the nearby village?" I whispered to them. "You guys are beyond insane."

"Won't we get into more trouble for going to the village without permission?" asked the two of them innocently. Apparently they didn't get it.

"Yes, of course," said Jay sarcastically. "They'll be fuming mad. They'll take away your honor student status." Halo paled and Contessa was whispering, "You're kidding, right?"

"Halo, Contessa, the consequences would have been worse if we had been caught last night, especially, seeing as we would have no reasonable alibi," said Orin lazily. A blur of blond hair flittered and was soon by my side. Some of my friends wrinkled their noses in disgust. Others looked on in scorn. I ignored them all.

"Yes, Sicily?"

"Can I talk to you, Max?" she asked, looking around as if afraid that someone would see her here. "Alone?" I nodded.

"Of course." My friends looked annoyed; Jaq showed no emotion as usual. Nonetheless, I followed her out of the Great hall.

"The Death Eaters," she blurted. "The school is in a total mayhem. They don't think it's your fault; I know it's not. But you're his daughter. And…they killed Ashley." She looked sort of sad. "She was one of my followers." Ah. "Otherwise, they think that someone from the inside is giving the Dark Lord information; how else would he know that today was a Hogsmeade weekend?"

"Maybe because there's always a Hogsmeade trip on Valentine's day? Just a guess."

"I guess. There's some boy in Hufflepuff who wants to marry you. Just saying."

"Ew."

"I know. A girl in Ravenclaw thinks you're the Dark Lord's daughter, but she's ironically very dumb; led her sister into the Death Eaters. I don't think anyone will believe her but be careful just in case." I nodded.

"Thanks, Sicily." We returned back to our respective tables; me to Slyhterin, her to Gryffindor. CaraLena made a face at me.

"Why do you even talk to that slut?" she asked in disgust.

"She's not a slut," I said firmly. "Don't make me manipulate you."

"Then why does she act like one?" asked Zohra.

"She just wants boyfriend."

"She won't get one looking like that," she retorted, gesturing to the utterly ludicrous outfit Sicily was wearing. I had to admit, it was a bit slutty looking. She was wearing a super short, super tight daisy dukes, a revealing, tight sparkly red half top shirt with a sort of skin-colored satin billowing down from the hem to her waist. It was sort of cute, in a disturbing, prostitute, and you-can't-pay-me-enough-freaking-Galleons-to-wear sort of way. You know, just saying.

"It is a bit…weird, you have to admit," said Dave.

"You wouldn't mind if you saw it on Megan Fox," I shot back. (A/N Yes, I know she wasn't alive back then. It's just that it wasn't easy finding the hottest girl of 1976, okay?) He got this dreamy look on his eyes and Zohra whacked him. Why do all my guy friends, not including Mr. Emotionless, drool whenever I say Megan Fox?

"Megan Fox, Megan Fox, Megan Fox, Megan Fox," said CaraLena, taunting Dave.

"You're going to drown in your own saliva," muttered Jaq.

"Hey, what's that guy doing?" asked Luce who was craning his neck to see. Apparently, some guy was having an argument about the square root of negative one with the Arithmancy professor. Hey, isn't that…?

"Oh, no," groaned Dave. "It's Eron."

"The square root of negative one has an answer! Everything in the maths (A/N They call it maths in England) world has an answer! You taught me that! Just replace the 'i' with some other number and then you have a real answer!"

"You'd imagine that one of these days he'd understand that Professor Vector doesn't deal with imaginary numbers since she says that because of magic, nothing is imaginary," said Iggy. Dave snorted.

"I've know him better than anyone; he won't stop arguing."

"…there's always an answer!"

"I want to throw a freaking breadstick at him," muttered Sev, clutching his head in despair. If this was a manga, you would see his veins throbbing. "He's Russian, isn't he?"

"…and then there's where…!"

WHACK!

"I HAVE THE WORST FLIPPING HEADACHE AND I'D APPRECIATE IT IF YOU SHUT UP!" yelled Sev.

"DETENTION!"


After Sev's ironic detention (you would imagine that Eron would be the one getting the detention but no…) we had played a few rounds of Exploding Snap before going to bed or whatever some people did during the night. (I won't go into specifics.) And that's when I knew I'd have another hangover in the morning. Happens during every dream that's not quite right.

"Please forgive me." A little boy was begging a small dirty-blonde girl. She shook her head and turned away.

"I can't. You were a big meanie." She walked away from him. And he ran to catch up with her. "What?"

"This."

"What's this?"

"A black rose. You…you're too stubborn to forgive. You can't forgive. You've shown me that. So, until you prove me otherwise, you can have this black rose. It matches your black heart."

"Huh?" I asked. Suddenly, out of nowhere, it was like someone had pressed the 'pause' button on this confusing scene and Tarlyn popped up.

"How hard is this?" she exclaimed. "Maximum Ride, it's not that hard!"

"Tarlyn? What are you doing here?"

"Qui est-ce que vous pense que vous est?" asked a boy, the same one with orange, flaming haired boy as I had seen in the dream before. "Who do you think you are?"

"I can speak French, thank you very much," I snapped at him. The blond girl I had also seen before rolled her eyes at me and remained otherwise immobile.

"You know, Max, if you don't start understanding this, I will shove this into your mind tomorrow and you'll get the world's worst hangover," threatened Tarlyn.

"Can't you just tell me and save me a lot of pain?"

"Pain is just a message," she said pleasantly. "As your father's daughter, you of all people should know that."

"So, what's with all this black rose, black heart business?"

"Tarlyn, I can't hold the magic much longer," whined the blond girl. "Can't you just shove it in her head now?"

"You will stay quiet, Lavina. You're holding the magic because Athens' too tired from studying to stay on honor roll and I'm doing the questioning," Tarlyn snapped at her. Lavina pouted but stayed silent. "Now, think Max. I know you've had a dream before about two little kids. And they're right, sad to say. It is your turn." I gawked. How the Hell did she know? But, of course, she see's secrets. That's just so la-di-da great.

"I still need to study…" The guy looked at Tarlyn uncertainly.

"It's a dream, Athens. You can conjure whatever you need." And she tossed him a large textbook and fell back to land in a chair the defiantly wasn't there before. "Now, we're all going to stay until Lavina's magic runs out or it's morning. Whichever comes first."


"Max! We have class today!" whined the twins, bouncing up and down on my bed. I groaned.

"Worst…freaking…hangover…"

"No alcohol, right?" Halo had learned.

"Nope."

"You seem to be getting hung over a lot, Max," said Bella, concerned. "Are you sure this isn't something you should consult a Healer about?"

"They'll need my parents to be present since I'm not seventeen yet and who here can envision my dad entering the place without causing a commotion?" None of them said a word. "I thought so too."

"Do you want aspirin or something?" suggested Nudge who must have come into the room at some point.

"I'm fine. Just give me some space."

"If you insist." They all left uncertainly.

"Wait!" Bella ran into the room. "Are you coming to any classes, Max?"

"Probably not."

"Oh, okay." She left, this time much more quietly. That's when thoughts started rushing into my head faster than I had ever experienced.

'You have a black heart…'

'You can't forgive…'

'It's perfect; matches your heart.'

'A black heart because you can't really love.'

'You've never felt love.'

'Forgive…'

'Forgive…'

'Forgive…'

"Are you okay, Max?" I nearly flipped out of bed. A stony faced Jaq stood in the doorway.

"How…how did you get up here?"

"The staircase cannot detect males that can't be seen."

"Obviously," I said, clutching my throbbing heart. "Make some noise when you move, dammit. And stop giving me heart attacks!"

"I'm sorry. But I came to give you this." He held out a small package.

"What's…?"

"She's my girl…ex-girlfriend. I know how she works. You'll need this to get over your hangover."

"Since when was Tarlyn you ex?" I asked, opening the package and popping open a small vial. I downed it in one gulp.

"I…I can't keep hurting like this. She's gone and never coming back."

"Who said that?"

"It's obvious. She's gone. What's the point? It's like she's dead."

"Hmm." I closed my eyes. The thoughts were still here, but they were calm and collected. Forgiveness. I had to…hear Fang out. Wait, wha?

"You might want one of the sugar cubes; it takes away the funny flavor." Only then did I notice the taste of it. It was like burnt poison and some other stuff and it was just bleach… I popped one of the little squares into my mouth. Much better.

"I have to go take care of something," I muttered.

"What was it about?"

"Huh?"

"The dream. Tarlyn can send dreams, don't you know? Most of us can. So, what was it about?"

"The black rose and black heart thing. I've finally really figured it out. Apparently, according to her, it took me way too long so she got really pissed."

"Ah. Well, go do whatever you need to do." He looked genuinely sad. "Goodbye, Max."

"Bye, Jaq." It wasn't until I left did I realize how strangely serious he had sounded when he said goodbye. I ignored it for the time being. Stupid mistake. Just saying.


I found Fang, who was surprisingly without Lisa, at the walled garden. He was toying with a flower in his hands. A bird of paradise. But more importantly, a bird. And it was beautiful and strange; it wasn't the typical bird of paradise. Rather, it was simpler and duller in color. A yellowy cream color held the base and streaks of brown and more brown surrounded it. I tried moving silently but that was a total, epic FAIL. He saw me before I even completely left the shadows.

"Max?" he asked in surprise.

"Um, hi Fang. Can we talk?"

"Of course." I slowly edged out of the shadows and into the sunlight, closer and closer to the gazebo. Eventually, I got there.

"Ditching class?"

"I don't know why you sound so against it. You're apparently ditching too."

"Yeah. I, um, needed to talk to you."

"You already said that," he said, amused.

"Yeah. I…I'm sorry."

"For…?"

"For freaking out on you that day. When you and Lisa…"

"Okay. Can I talk to you now?"

"Yes…of course."

"I didn't mean to. I didn't want to. But…she…Lisa…she said that she was going to torture you if I didn't cooperate with her. Hurt you. She said that she was the Dark Lord's daughter and she would make sure that you would be killed. And then yesterday…I nearly believed it. The Death Eaters were swarming through Hogsmeade and you were nowhere to be seen. Do you know just how scared I was?"

"You were scared?"

"Of course. Your life was at stake."

"You care?"

"Why wouldn't I?" He smirked.

"Then…what was with all the black rose business?"

"Huh? What black rose?" He looked genuinely surprised. I quirked my head to the side for a moment. If he didn't send it, then…oh, wait.

"Tarlyn!"

"What about her?"

"She sent it! The black rose! I can't believe I fell for it!"

"Yeah, I can't believe you fell for it either. Yes, I sent the black rose."

"Seriously?"

"You wouldn't forgive me so I had to do something. It's something I've learned from my sister. Tarlyn's got me totally convinced that she's my sister and all in a few dreams and splitting hangovers."

"You get hangovers from weird dreams too? Same."

"Wow. Anyways, she's all like 'give her a black rose and tell her this' and stuff. She said it'd work. And it looks like it did."

"So it really was you who sent it."

"Yes."

"Oh, really? They what did the parchment say?"

"Why?"

"Just making sure."

"'A black rose for a black heart.' And it wasn't parchment; it was a cream colored card. I…you wouldn't forgive me. That was the blackest part of your heart to me and so I did something about it. Looks like you came back in the end."

"I guess. Apology accepted?"

"Accepted. And I have to apologize for not telling you the truth earlier. I could have saved us months of trouble."

"But I wouldn't let you," I said, smirking and remembering the angry little girl who wouldn't stop yelling long enough to listen to the boy.

"I guess. This doesn't mean that maybe you hopefully want to get back together?" I shook my head.

"Sorry, Fang. My heart belongs to Dylan now." And I left him all alone.


Remember how I said that I had made a mistake in ignoring how serious Jaq had been? This was what happened:

Jaq, poor Jaq, had been going crazy inside his head due to his lack of wanting to converse with the world and the fact that Tarlyn wasn't there. He was on the brink of insanity and nothing could help him. So, while being trapped inside his own head, he was slowly going insane while the rest of us just thought he was being the stony, quiescent Albino we had grown to love. And then he had said what he thought would be his final goodbye. Why do I mean by that?

Jaq had tried to commit suicide.

Shortest chapter ever, I swear. I've been sick with who knows what and my life gets more and more chaotic. (Ben and Michael's fault, I promise you.) Of course, life goes on. Well, happy super-de-duper Thanksgiving if I don't post up another chapter before then. GOOD NIGHT. (And good riddance)