In a world ravaged by good and evil, those toeing the line find solace in nothing. Blood runs thicker than water, but is risking your life and livelihood for a war you never wanted a part in worth it? Is becoming a monster in the eyes of some, and a...
The compartment was uncomfortably silent. Theo's eyes were empty as he stared out of the window, Daphne just looked shocked, Pansy was paying more attention to her nails than one possibly could, and Blaise's normally smug face was pinched.
Maeve glanced up at the door to the compartment just in time to see Harry Potter himself walk past with his two best friends. He didn't look in, and Maeve hadn't expected him to, but she saw him in a different light, after what had happened at the Ministry.
Potter had always come across as a bit of an oblivious fool with extraordinary luck, but something had changed. There was a dangerous edge to the boy she'd taken part in tormenting throughout the years.
Then, she shook her head to clear it. She had no intention of falling into the masses of those who hailed Saint Potter as ... well ... a Saint.
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Maeve awoke with the taste of lightning in her mouth. Something was wrong. She jumped to her feet and took in the clamour in the dormitory. Millicent and Pansy were throwing on clothes and Daphne had sat up, her head swivelling in confusion.
"Hogwarts was infiltrated," Pansy said with pinched lips, "we're evacuating to the courtyard."
Everything was a flurry of motion. Students pushed against each other, some cried, some wore pale numb expressions.
Through a brief glance at a passing window, Maeve caught sight of two wizards duelling near the grounds keeper's hut which was burning with raging flames. She took a shuddering breath and continued following the flow of worried students. She caught sight of a blonde head and lurched forward, catching hold of Anthony's hand.
They shared a grim look that said everything that needed to be said. Maeve turned to Daphne who was to her left and held out her hand to her friend. Daphne didn't hesitate in accepting her hand. Something about the connection to her friends in the time of terrifying uncertainty made Maeve feel a little fuller inside.
But everything changed when they reached the courtyard. Like ocean waves lapping onto the sand, the tide of students lurched back when they caught sight of the broken body lying in the grass.
The world lost its sound as the horrible truth rippled through the crowd. No one spoke, no one cried out, and no one moved.
Harry Potter was suddenly there, walking through a crowd that parted with no hesitance. Every eye was on him as he fell to his knees beside the body of Albus Dumbledore.
Minerva McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house, looked shattered. But she lifted her wand to the sky, pointing her wand tip towards the dancing Dark Mark that twisted in the sky. One by one, students and staff alike followed suit.
Luna Lovegood raised her wand and Maeve followed suit. House didn't matter, everyone was grieving for the loss of one of the greatest wizards of their time.
The searing light from their wands lit the courtyard as the darkness made way to the light. But the moment was heavy as everyone felt another part of the Wizarding World fall to darkness.
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The train ride back to King's Cross was eerie. There was no faint hum of voices or the sound of the trolly's squeaking wheels.
"I don't think I want to come back," Maeve said with a hoarse voice. The end of the year had passed in a liquid blur, but the change in Hogwarts was already palpable.
"You have to come back," Daphne's face, sickly pale, was leaning against the seat and she didn't bother lifting her gaze as she spoke, " they'll make you."
That was the worst part. Maeve knew just as well as her friends that, there was no way she wouldn't be attending her seventh year of Hogwarts. But the fear that struck her accompanying that knowledge affected her more than she ever could've imagined.
Anthony hadn't joined them in their compartment. Maeve hadn't seen much of him since everything had happened. A small part of her worried he'd blame her for everything. Sometimes the green colours she wore looked like a direct label.
But she was indirectly responsible.
"I - I'll be right back," Maeve jumped to her feet and stumbled through the train car towards the dining car that had a restroom. She knocked into a student but she stumbled away with a muttered apology.
She barely made it to the toilet before she retched.
The events of her summer clicked together in her mind. The Death Eaters had been planning something big, so big she'd been sworn to secrecy for overhearing a few muttered words. She wondered if the death of Dumbledore had been what they were planning.
Her stomach roiled again and she coughed. She was sure. Deep inside her stomach, she felt cold with certainty. Her eyes darted to hands that were clutching at the seat.
Her parents had known. They'd known, and they had made her complicit without her knowledge. She was just as responsible as they were, no matter how small her part was in the larger play.
She'd been an accessory in taking down one of the only wizards powerful enough to stop the Dark Lord.
Maeve stood and flushed the toilet. She washed her hands, wiped the angry tears from her face, and smoothed her hair. In a daze, she made her way back to her friend's compartment. Her feet felt too light for her bones being so heavy.
"All right, Maeve?" Theo mumbled absently trailing his thin fingers over the seats. He looked as hollow as she felt. So did Daphne.
"No."
They stayed silent for the rest of the train ride after that.
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