From the End to the Start
Chapter 4
"You seem tense, my girl."
Maleficent felt her uncle's arm pat her shoulder, rousing her from her ruminations. For the second time, her uncle was the one seeing her off to Hogwarts.
"He didn't reply to my last letter. I think I've upset him." Maleficent mumbled. There was no need to say who she was referring to, as she's talked to her uncle about him often enough.
"Did you try writing to him again?" He asked patiently. She shook her head in response.
They walked in silence along the platform. Stopping in front of an open train door, her uncle turned to her. "Give him time, darling. Of course he's upset- you just told him you don't want to be seen with him in school. He'll come around eventually."
Fists clenched tightly in fear, she asked, "What if he doesn't? What if he hates me now?"
"Then he wasn't the right friend to begin with."
"Uncle…"
"It's true, Maleficent. Still, one day you're going to have to be a lot braver than you are now, if you want to be happy."
Her eyebrows furrowed in befuddlement. "What does that mean?"
"You'll figure it out someday. Off you go, my darling." Uncle Balthazar ushered her towards the steps and lifted her luggage after her.
"Write to me." He said, stepping backwards when the train blew its whistle.
Maleficent heard his voice when they were trudging towards the castle. He was laughing along with a group of other Ravenclaws in their year. They were talking animatedly, probably exchanging vacation stories.
Lagging behind and observing them, Maleficent noted that Diaval wasn't in need of any more friends. He had no need of her.
Her first month back at Hogwarts proceeded in the same manner as last year- she went to her classes, did her homework, avoided Stefan as much as possible, and hid in the library. Maleficent kept writing to her uncle, but suddenly she found his encouragements lacking.
All her life Maleficent has been alone most of the time and eventually, she grew used to the solitude, but now she finds it crippling. It's a hurtful sensation, being lonely when you're surrounded by hundreds of students who pass you by everyday.
Today it hit her particularly hard, and after dinner she ran towards the library with the intention of distracting herself with schoolwork. For a while she labored over her essays efficiently, but then her thoughts got so muddled she had to stop writing. She was staring blankly at sheets of parchment when a voice- the voice she's been wanting to hear address her- snapped her out of her brooding.
"Hi." Diaval stood before her uncertainly, clutching a book to his chest.
"Hello." She replied softly.
"You said we can talk here?"
Maleficent nodded enthusiastically.
He sat across her, shoulders tensed. Slowly he put the book down on the table, and after a few minutes- or was it mere seconds?- he spoke.
"I'm sorry."
Of all the things she expected him to say, that was at the very bottom of the list.
Eyes wide in disbelief, she asked, "Whatever for?"
"For ignoring you. I should have replied to your last letter. I- I wanted to. I just didn't know what to say."
Sighing, she placated him. "It's not your fault, Diaval. You have a right to be upset."
"Maybe so, but I still shouldn't have ignored you. You didn't ask to be in the situation you're in."
"Nevertheless I shouldn't have-"
"No, Maleficent. I shouldn't have thrown a tantrum." He countered. Running a hand through his hair, he exclaimed, "I just- I really, really want to be friends, you know?"
Bemused, she queried, "Why? You already have good friends in Ravenclaw."
With a thoughtful expression, he explained, "Well yes, but I like being friends with you. You're nice and interesting, and I like talking to you."
A smile slowly bloomed on her face. "I really, really like being friends with you, too."
He flashed her a toothy grin, completely at ease now. Propping his chin up with an arm resting on the table, he leaned towards her. "So how have you been?"
They spent the rest of the night simply conversing, barely getting back to their dormitories before curfew. For the first time, Maleficent fell asleep happy.
The next few months were filled with dozens of exchanged letters and a lot of conversations held in secrecy. At first they met in the library, but one day Diaval suggested they meet in unused classrooms instead (Hogwarts had an abundance of those). It was through these tête-à-têtes that she learned of his parents' professions, his favorite food, countless embarrassing childhood memories, what it was like for him when he found out he was a wizard, and many other things.
Maleficent couldn't help but get carried away by the exhilaration of doing something so unabashedly contradictory to her parents' ideals. If she knew rebellion was this much fun, she'd have done it long ago.
They continued writing to each other all throughout the holidays. She gave him another book for Christmas, this time about magizoology, and in return she got another muggle novel. Despite having an abundance of books to occupy herself with during the hols, she found herself re-reading David Copperfield, remembering the lengthy discussions about Diaval's favorite novel.
After winter break, they went back to their routine, but it was getting more and more difficult to find the time to meet because of schoolwork. Sometimes, they would just study together and not say anything not academic-related (because in true Ravenclaw fashion, he took his studies seriously). Nevertheless, time spent studying with him was far better than leisure time spent alone, in her opinion.
They continue their correspondence throughout summer, the letters growing more frequent compared to last year. For his birthday she bought him a broomstick servicing kit (as he's managed to convince his parents to buy him a broom) and in exchange they spent an inordinate amount of time (and ink) discussing quidditch. She liked the sport, but truthfully she doesn't get the hype about it. Still, if Diaval loves it, she'll endeavor through countless conversations about it as long as it's with him.
When the new school year started, there was no hesitation on her part in carrying on the covert meetings and surreptitiously exchanged notes. Because of the light-headedness and the burst of freedom she felt when he was around, Maleficent forgot that Diaval wasn't simply a symbol of her rebellion- he was a real person with real feelings and real insecurities.
A/N: I'm only still posting this here for DancingKitKat. :) I sort of feel obligated to you, my dear, because you're still reading. Otherwise, though, this would only be a tumblr-exclusive fic because at least people there are letting me know they're still there.