may 20, 1975

Maggie felt how badly she was hurt before she even realized she was awake. Her ribs felt as if a troll had fallen over on them and she knew if she were to sit up, she'd have hell to pay. There was a dull yet penetrating throb coming from above her left eye and the slightest wiggle of her brow almost made her want to howl in pain.

Gingerly, she managed to crack open an eye. She noticed a blurry figure sitting on her right, holding her hand softly. She briefly wondered if it was her mother but as she took another tentative peek, the woman appeared to have blonde hair.

Marlene.

Maggie felt as though she'd fallen off of a broomstick again. It did not matter if she was hurt, it did not matter if every single bone was broken in her body. Marlene was here and she was holding her hand.

"Fi'rd you'd be ba'," Maggie attempted at a sly joke but immediately regretted it. Her throat was scorching dry and the brief grin she'd given caused her enough suffering. She guessed she had a pretty decently sized gash over her eye.

"I'm going to pretend you weren't saying something arrogant," Marlene tightened her lips, desperately trying to conceal a smile.

"Neva'," Maggie slurred again.

Marlene smiled at this which made Maggie fully open her eyes.

She was not at the hospital wing as she'd expected. With an inward groan, she realized she was at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, a place that she loathed more than detention during the Quidditch season.

"Why did you think you could manage?" Marlene asked, any sense of smile now gone from her face.

Maggie frowned, not knowing where this conversation was going.

"What do you mean?" Maggie asked a little more coherently.

"Before your game I had warned you," Marlene pressed, her voice growing more agitated now. "And you didn't pay it any regard. Why? Didn't you believe me?"

Maggie licked her lips once, trying desperately to prepare herself for an argument in her fragile state.

"Help me would you?" Maggie groaned as she gingerly began to sit up.

"You shouldn't sit up." Marlene said resolutely, removing her hand from Maggie's and making no movement to help her sit up.

"Alright then," Maggie huffed as she pushed propped herself up.

She immediately regretted it. A searing pain shot up from her ribs to the top of her head, making her almost dizzy with pain. A few stars twinkled in her peripheral vision as she bit down on her cheek to keep from yelling out in pain. The taste of blood filled her mouth.

"Again. Not listening." Marlene gritted her teeth.

Maggie ignored her as she gripped the edge of the bed, steadying herself so she would not get sick on the bed. A wave of nausea rolled over her briefly then passed just as fast as it had come.

A few moments later after some sobering deep breaths, Maggie looked at Marlene's face fully for the first time since she'd awoken. A pang of guilt spread over her chest.

Marlene's eyes were puffy and red and dark circles plagued her normally immaculately porcelain face. Her hair was disheveled and she looked as though she hadn't moved much in the past few days or however long Maggie was out for.

"Did you wait for me here?" Maggie looked down at her feet as she asked Marlene a question she already knew the answer to.

Marlene adjusted her school robes, not wanting to look Maggie in the eye either as she wiped a few tears away.

"Your mother just left," Marlene admitted thickly. "We've both been here. James and Sirius tried to be here too but Professor—your mother I mean, told them they'd better not miss a single class."

"Sounds like her," Maggie nodded, not feeling quite in the mood to joke again. "Marlene. I'm sorry."

The words came out of Maggie like honey. For the first time since she'd woken up she realized how lucky she was to be here at all. She knew professional Quidditch players who'd never lived to tell the tale of taking a fall from that high up. And here she was with Marlene, Marlene who had waited for her to wake up. No, Maggie did not care to harbor any bit of pride she had left. Marlene was here with her and she was alive.

"You're a blithering fool," Marlene rebuked shakily, the brims of her eyes now overflowing.

"I am," Maggie agreed solemnly.

"And an arrogant prat," Marlene added for good measure.

"And a jealous idiot," Maggie concluded, taking Marlene's hands in her own and kissing them gently. "I never meant to make you hurt…in any way really. I got jealous and then I got scared and you know that when I get scared, I do stupid—really stupid—things. I didn't just not listen to you, Marlene. I ignored my own intuition as well."

"What do you mean?" Marlene narrowed her eyes.

Maggie confessed about what she had heard in the showers just before the Quidditch Match, about the screaming and crying that seemingly was only audible to her ears.

"Alice swore she didn't hear it," Maggie finished. "What happened anyway? Was it really a prank by the Slytherins? How'd they manage something like that? I've never seen winds so strong before."

"It wasn't a prank, Maggie." Marlene said darkly. "It was dark magic. Dumbledore is still managing inquiries about it with the whole lot of Slytherin house. Your mother is going barking mad over it, says she doesn't care about impartiality and wants them expelled. Wants Moody to file a formal inquiry with the Aurors Department."

Maggie tried to imagine her mother not keeping her head for a moment and frowned. She must have been really upset.

"But it was Mulciber, wasn't it?" Maggie pressed now. "Tiberius said it was Mulciber when he was asking you out, right?"

It was now Marlene's turn to turn red with shame.

"Well…er…I did tell Dumbledore about that bit," Marlene stood up suddenly and began to pace. "I told Dumbledore everything and naturally he called in Tiberius for questioning. Then he called me into his office which I thought was rather odd…when I walked in, Tiberius was still there. That's when it got…interesting. Tiberius admitted that he made up that part about Mulciber because he really just wanted to ask me out…said he'd overheard some third years discussing something about a prank but decided to pin it on Mulciber so that it seemed more sinister. Turns out it probably wasn't any Slytherin at all. Current that is..."

Maggie frowned deeply.

"Then who was it?"

Marlene swallowed and took her seat again. Before she began she looked over her shoulder to make sure no one else was eavesdropping. A healer was making rounds at various beds but seemed preoccupied with an elderly man across the way.

"Remember how Alastor Moody was at the feast the night before the match?" Marlene pressed eagerly.

"How did you know that?" Maggie put her hand up to pause Marlene. "You weren't there. You never came down that night."

"How did you know I didn't come down?" Marlene countered.

"Well I was looking for you naturally," Maggie did not at all seem bothered by this but still blushed.

Marlene made a quick adoring look at Maggie before adding, "Well I came down to see how you were. But you seemed fine…talking to Alice and all. You seemed…really unaffected."

"But I was affected," Maggie argued back, "Really affected. Marlene, if I could—"

"Well let's just finish the story first then we can get to that," Marlene interjected, taking Maggie's hand firmly. "It turns out that Alastor Moody was sitting in on the match because Bellatrix Black and Rodolphus Lestrange were attending the match! Regulus plays for Slytherin as you know so it created the perfect excuse. While Rodolphus was busy knocking you off your broom, Dumbledore thinks a third Death Eater was trying to get into the castle. Little did they know that Dumbledore put up a new charm to keep out all alums of Hogwarts. They can only get in by special permission from Dumbledore. The whole thing was a setup! So it wasn't Mulciber after all. It was…real Death Eaters."

"That sounds far-fetched," was Maggie's only reply.

"It appeared so to me as well," Marlene agreed earnestly, "But I overheard—"

"You eavesdropped?" Maggie grinned.

"Oh shut up," Marlene continued, "I heard Dumbledore and your mother talking about it. It seems logical. Who else could have conjured up magic like that? Sirius has been saying how dark Bellatrix has become after marrying Rodolphus. They're supposed to be real followers of You-Know-Who."

Maggie considered this for a long time. Then she remembered something. A very brief but pivotal mention. She had forgotten that Avery was playing Seeker.

"Regulus wasn't playing Seeker," Maggie shuddered.

"What does that mean?" Marlene pressed.

"It means it's odd that Regulus missed the most intense game of the season, the very day that his cousin came to Hogwarts with her husband to watch him play."

"Regulus would never join them," Marlene scoffed. "He's too frightened. He doesn't even look Sirius in the eye in the hallways anymore. What makes you think he'd be able to join up with them?"

"For that very same reason," Maggie sighed.

Marlene eyed Maggie reverently, gently reaching to tuck some hair behind her ear.

"I know I was rather idiotic myself," Marlene began slowly. "Tiberius is a git and a liar and you were partially right. But do you think we can…go back to…or not. I just was thinking—blimey, I shouldn't even be bothering you with this now, of all times—"

Maggie cut Marlene's ramble off with an intense kiss, which made the gash above her eye burn hot with pain but she did not dare pull away. Marlene was here with her and they were back together. It did not matter who had cursed her off her broom.

"I see you're feeling up to par," Minerva tutted as she interrupted Maggie and Marlene. Minerva had appeared at some point during their kiss and was staring down at the scene in front of her from her spectacles. "I'd assume it's safe to say you are relieved now, Marlene. I believe your Charms lessons are not yet complete for the day."

"Of course, Professor!" Marlene spluttered, giving Maggie a frightened look and quickly walking back toward the exit of the ward where Maggie noticed an awaiting Dumbledore and Alastor Moody.

"I assume she filled you in on the events," Minerva sighed.

"Partially," Maggie said distractedly. "Mum, something still doesn't make sense. Before the match—"

"You need not try and figure out this mystery yourself," Minerva said firmly but softly. She gently cupped her daughter's face and sighed deeply. "You need rest for the remainder of the week before final exams. You'll be staying in my quarters until then."

"Oh, mum really!" Maggie huffed. "I'm not a child."

"You're still my child," Minerva corrected sharply and Maggie fought not to roll her eyes. "You scared me half to death. You were out for nearly three days, Maggie. Even Alastor and Albus' claims that it was strong but underdeveloped dark magic could not qualm my fears."

"I'm fine," Maggie assured her mother. She took one more look at Moody and Dumbledore who seemed intense in conversation now, Marlene long gone. "I'm really fine." Maggie said once more in a note of finality as she hugged her mother. Dumbledore caught Maggie's eye, muttered something to Moody and walked out of the ward.