Author's Note: final part of the Disowned trilogy

August 16th 2023, (VII: Chapter 1)

Maximus reappeared in Hogsmeade with his sister outside of Kyle's flat with a loud crack, her face blanched and she staggered away from him. He coughed, his lungs still aching from his father's spell but before he could ask if she was alright, she was on all fours throwing up onto the cobblestones. He winced guiltily, maybe it had been a little rough but it was his first time doing side-along apparation and it was under less than ideal circumstances, his heart was still pounding and he swore he'd felt a spell whizz by his ear. He looked around for any passersby but it seemed to be too late for the small village as they were alone besides the cool night air, also worryingly he didn't see any lights on in Kyle's place.

"Sorry," Maximus coughed again, turning back to attend to his sister who was already trying to get back to her feet. He helped her up and waved his wand effortlessly to clean up the vomit, something he was all too familiar with doing thanks to his work at St Mungo's, "You alright?"

"Yeah, I was already feeling pretty bad before this," Olivia offered shakily, she was still very pale, "I don't know why they call it 'morning' sickness."

"Well thankfully anti-emetic potions are usually quite effective at handling it," Maximus pointed out and started leading her towards the flat, "Come on."

"Is he even in?" Olivia asked worriedly, clearly also noticing the lack of lights.

Maximus didn't answer, instead continued to climb to the door to find out. He hadn't really thought of the possibility that Kyle wouldn't be home though he knew he probably should have, he knew both that Kyle had a mysterious girlfriend and that working for the paper sometimes kept him working late hours. He knocked loudly on the door, hoping Kyle had just gone to bed early but no longer feeling optimistic. No response. He knocked again, louder this time and strained his ears for any inkling of life from inside. Still nothing. He sighed, instantly regretting it as it caught his scorched lungs and caused him to cough again. He still couldn't believe his father had dueled him.

"I don't think he's in," Olivia pointed out the obvious from behind him, he abandoned his knocking and went back to her, she had her arms wrapped around herself against the cold and was biting her lip with concern, "What do we do now? Do we wait?"

"No," Maximus said firmly, resisting the urge to sigh again and also rubbing his arms against the chill in the air. He let his gaze drift to the street beyond her, unfortunately he knew exactly where they could go, "We don't know when he'll be back or if he'll even be back tonight, we can't just stand out here."

"Then what do we do?" Olivia asked helplessly and he tore his eyes back to his sister, his pregnant sister who really shouldn't be freezing out here in the cold while he worked on trying to swallow his pride and shame in one mouthful. It was pretty much his fault they were in this situation in the first place, he just had to freeze up like a fucking moron. He was so mad at himself.

"Kenelm lives in Hogsmeade," Maximus heard himself saying, keeping his internal rage off his face, "He'll let us stay the night, we can try Kyle again tomorrow and go from there. It'll be alright."

"You really think he'd let us stay the night?"

Maximus merely nodded, already leading the way. It wasn't that far and unlike Kyle, there shouldn't be any reason for Kenelm to not be home with his brother right now, though he probably was asleep because Kenelm was one of those people early to bed and early to rise. They meandered through the cobbled streets, their footsteps echoing in the silence and all too soon he found himself standing on the doorstep to his friend's house. His gaze drifted pointlessly as if hoping to magically see Kyle and prevent him having to do this but of course there was nothing so he sighed, stupidly because it just triggered him to cough again.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine," Maximus growled, hating the attention being on himself and knowing full well he would be fine.

He knocked before he could let himself procrastinate any further. This time in response he heard a thud from inside the bungalow, followed by a muffled curse and then the frantic scrabbling of footsteps that only grew closer until suddenly his friend was standing before him.

Kenelm had clearly just rolled out of bed, he was in plaid pajama bottoms and still pulling a gray t-shirt- backwards, Maximus could see the label- over his head as he opened the door. His muddy brown hair was all tousled messily, his mouth agape in a yawn and his eyes full of sleep before snapping wide awake when they caught sight of him.

"Maxie?!" Kenelm blurted out in surprise, starting to rub his eyes though Maximus couldn't bring himself to look at him anymore so averted his gaze to their feet, where he saw Kenelm had a slipper on his left foot but not his right.

"Our father kicked us out and Kyle isn't home right now," Maximus blurted out bluntly, trying to force himself to raise his head to gauge Kenelm's reaction, he saw his eyes had bulged for a second time, "We can get things sorted tomorrow but we just need a place to stay for the night, I was wondering if you'd-"

"Yes, yes, of course," Kenelm agreed hastily before Maximus could even finish asking, stepping aside and gesturing for them to enter, "Come in, come in, make yourselves at home."

"Thank you," Olivia offered gratefully, her voice heavy with relief as they entered into the Knight household and the lights flickered on. Maximus folded his arms and moved forward into the kitchen, hearing the door closing behind as the two Slytherins conversed, "You really have no idea how much this means."

"It's no problem, really, anytime."

"Do you have a bathroom I could use by any chance?"

"Sure, it's just down the hall and to the right."

Maximus heard her footsteps retreating up the corridor while his own eyes traced the familiar kitchen, it was small but had a cozy feel to it with the bright orange walls and all the wooden countertops that matched the table, utensils he didn't know the name of were hanging from a rack overhead- the Knights didn't have a house-elf so Kenelm actually had to do all the cooking himself, Maximus couldn't even imagine. He had been to his place before, had even helped him move and paint the place in fact, but he wasn't sure exactly where Kenelm kept the medical potions.

"She's pregnant, you know," Maximus offered in explanation as he heard Kenelm's footsteps follow him into the kitchen, out of the corner of his eye he saw his friend startle, "Father wasn't pleased."

"Blood hell," Kenelm muttered, moving further into the kitchen and Maximus noted he was definitely looking awake now, "Vern's, I presume?"

Maximus nodded, averting his eyes again and heard his friend gasp.

"Maxie, your face!"

"What about my face?" Maximus grumbled, half-lifting his head and wishing he had thought to try hiding his injuries sooner.

"You're bleeding!"

Maximus blinked in surprise and moved his hand to the deep welt on the still stinging cheek that he'd been doing a good job of ignoring up until now, he winced at the spike in pain from even a gentle touch. Sure enough, he felt wetness oozing from the crack and when he moved his hand away he saw crimson staining the tips of his fingers. He didn't think his father had ever made him bleed before.

"We dueled a little," Maximus admitted by way of explanation, noting Kenelm's expression had darkened considerably as he started bustling about in the kitchen.

"Are you going to report it?"

"I won the duel," Maximus insisted as Kenelm prepared a disinfectant solution, "I can do that, you know."

"I know but you're my guest," Kenelm pointed out before his sister rejoined them, "Do you want a drink or anything, Olivia? Tea, coffee, water, pumpkin juice? Or something to eat? We have some gingersnaps."

"No thanks, I'm good," Olivia brushed it off, folding her arms and leaning against the doorframe, "I'd just like to go to bed, if you don't mind, I'm pretty tired."

"Yeah that's fine," Kenelm agreed, placing a cloth into the bowl of antiseptic solution he'd been preparing, "You can have my bed, Maxie and I can bunk in the living room."

"Are you sure? I don't mind sleeping on the couch."

"Wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me to let a lady sleep on the couch, would it?" Kenelm joked lightheartedly, flashing her a smile that she returned weakly, "Come on, let's get you set up."

"Sleep well, we'll figure everything out in the morning," Maximus offered to her as she made to follow Kenelm out of the kitchen, she nodded in understanding.

"Goodnight, Maxie," she said and gave him a quick hug before going after Kenelm, he heard their muffled conversation vanishing up the hall.

He resisted the urge sigh again as he went over to the antiseptic solution that Kenelm had prepared, unable to help but notice how young she sounded, it was hard to believe in less than a year his little sister would be a mother. He rifled in the still-open potions drawer and took something to ease the burning in his lungs, then took the bowl and went to go sit down at the kitchen table. He wrung out the cloth before holding it against the bleeding welt on his cheek, it seared for a minute before numbing. That was unfortunate, he felt like he deserved the searing.

He was still mad at himself, he didn't know why he'd been so stupid. How hard would it have been to just say 'no' and laugh it off? His father hadn't even meant it seriously until he'd reacted so strongly, he felt like his brain had just been vanished and it had taken him far too long to recover, and then to stutter… he hated himself. Fucking stupid worthless piece of shit. His sister could be safe and sound in her own bed if he hadn't fucked everything up, Kenelm shouldn't have to put himself out for them. A small, logical part of his mind pointed out his father could still very well have reacted like that and disowned her anyway when she inevitably revealed the pregnancy but he still felt like it might've gone better if he hadn't also been furious at him too, at the very least they could've been more prepared.

"Okay, your sister's all set," Kenelm announced more cheerily as he returned, dragging Maximus away from his bitter tirade against himself, "And I got some blankets ready for us for when we're ready to turn in, some of my pajamas for you to borrow too if you'd like. Do you want anything to drink?"

"No," Maximus answered distantly, continuing to tend to his injured cheek.

"Well I'm going to make myself some coffee, I'm definitely awake now."

Maximus didn't think it was a good idea to have coffee so late but he definitely wasn't going to tell him that, Kenelm liked coffee, always had. Ever since first year when Maximus had actually bullied the already energized and hyperactive boy over it, he'd been such a fucking asshole back in first year. Not that Kenelm had ever cared, he was never bothered by what the other Slytherins thought of him- he was never bothered by what anyone thought of him, he always exactly who he was and if anyone didn't like it then that was their problem. Maximus had always admired that about him, that confidence, even back when he'd hated him for it. You're just an awful person, aren't you? His brain sneered at him.

"How's your face?" Kenelm asked as he sat down opposite him, plonking a steaming mug of coffee onto the table. Maximus rubbed his eyes with his free hand, he must've zoned out. He was pretty tired, he'd had a long and hectic day at St Mungo's before all this, it felt like so long ago now.

"It'll heal," Maximus answered, again averting his gaze to avoid meeting Kenelm's eyes. He cleared his throat, "Thank you. You know, for all of this."

"It's nothing," Kenelm brushed it aside though considering the fact he was an orphan responsible for his crippled brother, Maximus wasn't so sure, "Stay as long as you need, it's not that long until we're back to Hogwarts anyway. And if you want I can owl Kendra, our Ministry caseworker, you remember I told you about her? She should be able to help with all this, she knows her stuff and is a fellow Montrose Magpies fan."

"That might be a good idea actually, first I need to see what Kyle says though."

"Right, right, of course," Kenelm said and Maximus could see his head bobbing out of the corner of his eye, he heard him take a big slurp of his coffee, "Do you think he'll help? He's not as into that pureblood stuff like your dad is."

"I think he'll probably help her," Maximus admitted and steeled himself, lowering his voice and moving his eyes as far right as he could without actually having to move his head, "Dad knows about me too."

"Really?" Kenelm asked, his tone one of surprise and Maximus could still see him startle from the edge of his vision, "How'd he take it?"

"How'd you think?" Maximus couldn't stop himself from spitting out bitterly, he moved the bloodied cloth away from his cheek for a second for emphasis.

"I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter," Maximus lied even though he knew Kenelm could see through it, he put the rag back to the wound which gave a last painful pang in remembrance, "I always knew he'd take it that way, especially coming from me. I always was his least favorite, Kyle's his firstborn golden boy, Olivia's his only daughter, Aloysius is still his precious little baby and I'm just… I'm just the spare."

"I'm still sorry," Kenelm offered solemnly and Maximus risked giving him a glance, half-surprised he wasn't trying to argue against him.

"Anyway, the important thing is that Olivia's safe, pregnancy can be tough especially on a teenager."

"That's still so wild to think about, she's even younger than we are and we're barely adults as it is," Kenelm mused and Maximus heard the sudden smile in his voice, "Bet you didn't expect to be an uncle this soon, huh?"

"No," Maximus gave a derisive snort, "Not by Olivia anyway, Kyle maybe."

"Better her than Aloysius, I suppose."

"Please, I'm pretty sure Aloysius still thinks babies are delivered by storks."

"Is that really a thing parents tell their kids? Mine always just told me it was magic."

"Magic? How does that explain muggles or animals?"

"I'm not sure, I guess my parents got lucky it just never really occurred to me that muggles or animals reproduced. Man, was I a dumb kid."

Kenelm laughed at himself, slurping up his coffee again and despite himself, Maximus couldn't help but smile. Kenelm was one of those people whose laughter was just infectious, his optimism in general could be contagious. Maximus lost his smile, that wasn't always a good thing, better to never have hope then to have it only to lose it. Their conversation lulled for several minutes, the loud ticking of a clock hanging somewhere in the room being the only thing snapping through the silence.

"I'm glad you're talking to me again," Kenelm said finally, this time his tone more serious, "Despite the less than ideal circumstances."

Maximus could only grunt in response, continuing to keep his gaze averted. He didn't know what else to say, Kenelm tried again though.

"You know, just because I don't… I don't feel the same way about you that you do about me… It doesn't mean that I don't still care about you, you're still my closest friend."

"I know," Maximus hissed and shrank more in on himself, not particularly wanting to have this conversation, "We don't have to discuss the matter further."

"Don't we?" Kenelm wondered dubiously, "Maxie, you won't even look at me."

Just to prove him wrong (even though he was right) Maximus abandoned the bloody cloth back into the bowl and forced his head back to the left, then slowly picked it up and raised his eyes to rest on his friend's concerned face. He still couldn't quite bring himself to meet his eyes however.

"That looked difficult," Kenelm pointed out and Maximus' gaze shot away again in irritation, Kenelm sighed, "I can't help that I'm not-"

"I know," Maximus insisted again, "We can stop talking about it now."

"But you're still mad at me," Kenelm said and Maximus' eyes bounced back in surprise, finally and genuinely meeting his friend's eyes. Why on Earth would he think that?

"I'm not mad at you."

"Really?" Kenelm wondered doubtfully, leaning back in his chair, "Because you seem pretty mad at me, this is the first time you've spoken to me in-"

"I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at myself," Maximus admitted quietly, slumping into his chair as his gaze skittered away hopelessly and he knew the shame was showing on his face, "It was foolish, to say anything- to think anything, it was… I was so stupid…"

"It wasn't stupid," Kenelm offered after a slight pause, his tone so painfully gentle. Maximus clenched and unclenched his fists several times on his lap, trying to ease the tension wound through him, "It's not anything to be ashamed of. There's nothing wrong with taking a chance, nothing wrong with being gay-"

"I know!" Maximus snarled again, digging his fists into his knees and biting back the urge to point out that knowing something and actually feeling something were two different things. Instead he sighed, "I just needed some time, okay? You know I don't… process emotions easily."

"Okay, I understand," Kenelm sighed even though Maximus was quite sure he didn't understand, Kenelm had never been rejected and he'd learned it hurt no matter how gently you were let down. He heard Kenelm slurping his coffee again and started to unfurl his fingers, the knot of tension easing as the difficult conversation topic seemed to be coming to a close, "We're still friends though, right? When you've had enough time?"

"Of course," Maximus reassured him and managed to look back to him, this time finding it didn't quite hurt so much.

"I'm glad," Kenelm smiled weakly, though he too seemed relieved to be through the conversation as his tone took on a more light-hearted edge, "Because it's pretty slim pickings trying to find a new best friend in our year, if I have to listen to Edwick Grundle tell me about how much he loved History of Magic one more time I think I was going to scream."

"God forbid someone like a class other than Defense Against the Dark Arts," Maximus teased good-naturedly, the corners of his lips dancing with the idea of smiling.

"Hey, Ashain is objectively the best teacher we've got!"

"You're worse than his daughter, honestly."

Kenelm laughed.