Pyrrhic Victory

sixty six.

Year Four
sixty six. Maggie's Gut

It was the approaching the end of June. The third and final task was upon them. Magnolia and Lucille were upset that Everett was going to be gone, but they all promised they would visit on Holidays.

The Ophidians were sitting in the Slytherin common room doing some last minute studying. Draco couldn't seem to stand one more minute reading about Divination. He glanced up to the Hufflepuff who was sitting across from him. Lucille was tracing her finger along the parchment she was reading. Draco noticed the features of the girl that he hadn't noticed before. How her freckles were placed perfectly around the bridge of her nose and cheeks. How her blonde hair fell nicely past her shoulders. Draco snapped out of his trance. He can't. He can't like Lucille, she's a halfblood, his parents would never approve.

Draco then remembered his conversation with Magnolia a couple months prior. 'Do what makes you happy' replayed in his head. He thought back to their first kiss, how giddily he felt after, even though he brushed it off. He remembered how awful it felt when Lucille had been banned from talking to him. Memories flashed through his mind from the Yule Ball, the date, all the times they hung out as a group. Draco Malfoy fancied Lucille Vagabonde.

It scared him, scared him more than he has ever been scared before. 

"Draco?" A voice came from beside him. It was Theo, who was eyeing him suspiciously. "Mate, you okay? You seem very pale?" Everyone else sitting in their corner of the common room looked up. 

"Yes, I'm fine, stop looking at me Nott." Draco fires back which made Theo put his hands up in defense. Draco looked back down at his Divination homework. He didn't know who to tell about this. He couldn't tell Magnolia, she'd run straight to Lucille. His parents? Also a no. Blaise and Theo? Blaise would be a little awkward since she was his ex-girlfriend, and Theo's like Magnolia... can't keep their mouths shut. 

Draco wasn't sure what he was going to do, but luckily the summer was coming, and he had time to figure it out.

---

"Maggie! Did you get mum's letter?" Claudius Malvorseve came up to his little sister during breakfast with a letter in his hand. She shook her head, waiting for him to continue with the news their mum gave him. "Mum and father, they're coming to watch the third task! We will go home with them afterwards."

"Oh, great." Magnolia gave him a half smile but Claudius knew his little sister, and he immediately knew something was up with her. 

"Mags, would you come speak with me?" Claudius asked but it wasn't a question, more of a demand. Magnolia looked around at her Slytherin friends as she proceeded to get up and follow her brother out of the Great Hall. 

"What's wrong with you? I figured you'd be more happy to see mum and dad, considering we have not seen them since the fall... Is it Weasley? Did he upset you because if he did,-" Magnolia quickly cut Claudius off. 

"No, Fred did not do anything." She reassures her brother who sighs. She knew he did not like her dating a Gryffindor, let alone Fred Weasley. "I just I don't know, I have a feeling."

"A feeling?" Claudius repeated what she said and Magnolia nodded. She looked around the empty corridor they were in to make sure there was no one around before she continued to speak to her older brother. 

"Since the beginning of the year, there's been this gut-feeling I have, and it's only grown stronger." Magnolia tells him. "Something bad is happening here, Claud."

"Is it your Legilimency? Maggie nothing bad is happening," Claudius laughs it off but stops as he realize his sister's serious look. 

"I think you-know-who-" Magnolia didn't even get to finish her sentence before her brother was shushing her and looking around the corridor like a crazy wizard. "Don't finish that sentence, it is not possible. He is not back." 

"Okay..." Magnolia quietly responded as she turned to leave her brother. Claudius Malvorseve grabbed Magnolia's hand as she looked up at him. His eyes were filled with fear and uncertainty. 

"We better hope you're not right. You know what that means if he is, for dad? For us?" Magnolia shuddered at her brother's words. Xayne Malvorseve was never a death eater, but his parents were. They lost their lives in the war. It was not a topic that was talked about in the Malvorseve household, but while Xayne was never a follower during the war, he was still a silent believer like his parents raised him.

Claudius then left his sister, presumably heading back to the Great Hall to finish his meal. Magnolia couldn't though, her stomach felt sick like she was about to hurl. She headed back to the common room of Slytherin and upstairs to her dorm. The second she got up there all her food came pouring out of her mouth. She coughed a couple of times as she started to tear up. 

"Maggie? Is that you?" A soft voice spoke. Magnolia lifted her face up to be met with her cousin, Daphne. Daphne immediately rushed to the ground next to her as she saw the state she was in. "Oh Maggie! Are you ill? Do you need to see Madam Pomfrey?" 

"No, I'm fine Daphne." Magnolia stood up as she as she walked to the sink to wash her hands. Daphne still stood there watching her, a worried expression still plastered on her face. "Just probably ate some bad chicken is all." 

"Ew it reeks in here!" Pansy screeches as she enters their dorm. She turns to see Daphne and Magnolia in the bathroom. Pansy is holding her nose as she stared at the two blonde girls. "Gross, Maggie, clean it up." 

"Sorry." Magnolia muttered as she grabbed her wand and cleaned the mess. She slipped into bed, but she couldn't sleep. Pansy's snores filled the room, but Magnolia could only think of the conversation with her brother earlier. If he came back, there's no doubt her father would join him. Her mum? Who knows? The Greengrasses weren't involved in the war. She though about how her friends would be in jeopardy. The Weasleys were blood traitors, Lucille's mum was one of the Aurors who prosecuted most of the death eaters.

Magnolia hoped that her gut feeling was wrong, but deep down inside, she knew something was coming. Something was coming very soon.