Chapter 18 ~ Apologies.

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By the time Maxine had reached Potions, her last class for the day, her spirits were not high. How the whole school had heard about the meeting with James and the fall out with Stefan was unknown, but one thing for sure was Maxine was now even more talked of than usual. Not that anyone wanted to be the centre of a conversation involving disastrous friendships, innocent brothers and tortured minds.

Maxine rubbed her head and sat down at the desk with a thump. When would it stop? For once she was seriously considering running off, regardless of what Nick had said. She was safe here, was she? Hidden from the people who wanted to kill her but not from the people who could do a lot worse. Did the students of this school realise how like muggles they had become? Maybe cyber bullying wasn't a case, but public ridicule, gossip and the whole outcast thing were certainly trending right now.

These dark but honest thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a bang that made Professor Batyaeva jump incredibly high and skid her chalk, with which she had been writing brewing instructions upon the blackboard, across the board and slash a white streak across her neatly written recipe. All heads then turned to see a sheepish, blushing Stefan make his way up the aisle.

Maxine tensed as she caught sight of him, frozen as she watched his face for any signs of acceptance. But his eyes stayed well clear of her gaze, and his face, once the blush had faded and he was seated across the aisle from her, was pale and awash. Not even the anger from earlier remained, he wouldn't glare, he wouldn't even turn his head, even with her intense staring, which went on through the first part of Professor Batyaeva's speech on the properties of Exploding Ginger Eyelashes. It was only after half a minute of Stefan twitching and desperately trying to ignore Maxine whilst she unconsciously scoured his face for any acknowledgement that a sharp poke in the back halted these procedures. Maxine spun her head and torso round in a sudden movement to almost impale her classmate in the eye with the quill in her hand. Fauna squealed slightly and almost fell off her chair, claiming the attention of the Professor and most definitely the rest of the class.

"Maxine, kindly do not attack your classmates whilst you are meant to be working.'' The prettily broken but equally stern english of Professor Batyaeva infuriated Maxine and she opened her mouth to explain. However, someone got there first.

"Does that mean we're allowed to attack them when we're out of class, just not when we're in it?'' Called a voice from the back in stupidly innocent tones.

Professor Batyaeva's cold gaze flickered off Maxine and strayed to survey the caller. "No, Michelle, I do not advise that, unless you are taking part in the duelling club or dealing with a six-foot beater." A laugh erupted from the class and the Professor showed hints of a smile. "Yes, I thought you'd agree. Now, let us get back to our potions." 

And once again she launched into the definitions of a perfect mid-heat for your cauldron, and once again Maxine turned her head back to Stefan, or tried to, but a whisper came in her ear when she did, air tickling it as Fauna apologised:

"Sorry I made such a fuss. I would have explained had Michelle not piped up." 

Maxine turned her head again to be surprised by the warm expression on another former friend, one of those who had not done anything to back Stefan up and had infuriated her into calling them "Absolute Tossers". 

"Oh-er-mmm. Yes - Thanks..." She mumbled, trying to think of a less awkward reply and failing. 

 Fauna looked startled and Maxine spluttered a quiet laugh at her expression, but this simply made the girl's manner even more hilarious, especially when Fauna remarked in a concerned voice.

"You aren't suffering from a  tongue-tying jinx, are you, Maxine?"

"No." Maxine smothered a silent chuckle and tried to straighten her face, feeling strange as she realised that was the first time she'd laughed in  four days. "No, I'm fine."

"Oh. Sorry, I just thought with James and the Golden Twins..."

Maxine's expression became sober once more. "Yes, I suppose that could happen some time, with the enemies I've made." James and half of Griffindoor House, Brandon and his idiots, The Golden Club...I've never had so many before, Maxine thought to herself. She looked up at Fauna, who was still twiddling with her fingers and trying not to look awkward, and smiled slightly. "Let's hope you'll have a counter-jinx waiting for me if it does."

Fauna smiled back, and there was a pause before Maxine enquired;

"Where's RoseUsually you two are desk partners."

Fauna nodded. "Yes, usually we are, but we both thought it would be better too split up and save you from a lesson beside Stefan."

Maxine smiled, the tense feeling gone. "I am extremely grateful for your movement." She glanced across at her former friend where he was copying notes down in his small handwriting. "It truly would have been a disaster for me if you hadn't."

Fauna looked across at Stefan and creased her brow, but simply continued. "Look, me and Rose, we're really sorry and all. We should have stuck up for Stefan but we were cowardly in that way. We just want to make peace."

Maxine nodded, after determining what Fauna had said, as she'd spoken very fast and very quietly. "I'm sorry, too, Fauna, I was a bit blunt and now I know that you guys were right about Stefan." She glanced across at him, pausing slightly as she watched him write feverishly. "I never saw it coming but you tried to warn me."

"Maxine - No!" Fauna looked aghast, surprising Maxine hugely with her expression. "Look, the whole point is, I wanted to say sorry for the whole thing about Stefan. We completely misjudged him, you had it right."

"Wait, what?" Maxine whispered incredulously. "Even I hate him now, and all those things you said, they were right, they-"

"No." Said Fauna with surprising passion. "I know something private went on with you and Stefan, but-"

"Private! Oh god.." Maxine raised her hand to her forehead. She and Stefan hadn't been going out or anything, they'd just been friends! And now here was Fauna presuming-

"No, I don't mean that, Maxine." Fauna whispered audibly, luckily drowned out by a loud question from Lorcan Scamander. "What I meant is that you had a private argument, about something you can't or won't tell anyone. But, the point is, he isn't actually bad, he isn't insane. And you, you are lying."

Maxine stared at Fauna. "Excuse me?"

"You're lying. About Stefan. Of course you still care about him, your natural friends and you always will be. You stand in the great hall today showed it and so did-"

Fauna broke off and leaned forward to look past Maxine and glance at Stefan. Maxine watched Fauna's face with impatience and surprise. "What? What did he do that showed his friendship with me?"

Fauna sighed, leaning back and pausing before answering in a low voice. "Stefan came up to Me and Rose this morning, just before Charms. Asked us to keep an eye on you, not to let James or Ava and  Avery attack you again. Not to let anyone push you around."

Maxine couldn't help gaping at this, feeling shock buzz through her body with force. What? That didn't sound like something the glaring by from the great hall this morning would say. That look this morning had been so full of hatred. But then again, so had Maxine when she'd punched him down the stairs.

She could feel Fauna's eyes flickering over her face, expecting an answer, so Maxine sat up slightly and murmured a less direct reply. "And did you agree?"

Fauna smiled. "Of course. You may have called us tossers and fired numerous insults at us, but you are a friend, and we know we were wrong."

The warmth in Fauna's face filled Maxine's body with joy. This morning she'd contemplated running away, but now, having someone who didn't think she was a physco had added energy back into her veins. She could have hugged Fauna, though it was an impossible thing to do without attracting the attention of Professor Batyaeva, so instead she bestowed her warmest smile upon her "friend."

"You have no idea how much that means to me." She said in a low but joyful voice.

Fauna looked surprised but touched, smiling back with equal warmth, but then changed the subject with a determined look, an unusual expression for Fauna, intriguing Maxine until she heard what the girl had to say.

"And, as your friend, I think you need do something about Stefan."

Maxine sighed. "Look, Fauna, if you knew what our "private" conversation had been about, then you wouldn't be saying that. Even if Stefan had a word with you about protecting me, which is something that I don't need as much as he may think, that doesn't prove that he wants to resume our friendship."

Fauna shook her head. "You weren't there, Maxine, you didn't see his face. It was so sincere, so concerned. He genuinely wanted to keep you safe."

"Keep me safe!" Maxine exclaimed, almost caught out by Professor Batyaeva because of her volume levels. "I assure you, Fauna, I have no problem dealing with a few school bullies."

"Maxine, you've seen what Brandon Kaine can do. If you think you're life is bad at the moment, then if you keep heading the way you are, it's going to become hell." Whispered Fauna seriously. "You've made to many enemies and now you need some friends."

"Well, I've got you and Rose." Maxine answered in a low voice, though her tone was doubtful. She knew what was coming next.

"Yes, you've got me and Rose, but you need more than just us. Stefan may be an outcast, but he's another person to defend you, and he's used to dealing with this sort of thing." Fauna insisted, still watching Maxine carefully.

"Look, if you and any idea what the 'private' conversation between me and Stefan was about, you wouldn't be saying that. Besides, I don't see how Stefan could help." Maxine retorted, feeling her temper rise for no apparent reason.

"You need as many friends as you can get, Maxine, and Stefan is a valuable one. This quarrel will blow over soon enough, and you should speed that process up."

Maxine tried to swallow her alarming anger and whispered; "Look, much respect and all, Fauna, but you don't understand."

"I may not know the private part of your argument, but I can see that it is you and Stefan's foolish pride in the way." Fauna answered in a low voice.

Maxine regarded her new-found friend in amazement. Before she'd thought that Rose and Fauna, though pleasant, were simply empty-headed teenagers fond of gossip and butter beer. However, now Fauna seemed to be showing new emotions, deeper and sincere motives. Maxine swallowed her retort and looked at her friend with a new-found respect. But she did have a question.

"Fauna, why do you feel so strongly about this? One minute you wanted nothing to do with Stefan and warned me of him, the next you are urging me to rebuild a friendship. I mean, I know he went to you and asked you to keep me safe and all, but really, that can't have changed your opinion that much."

"No, you're wrong. It was that visit that made my feelings towards your friendship change, and the guilt of my shallowness about it rush into my brain. But it wasn't really the fact he simply asked us to protect you from mindless bullies, but the warmth and total sincerity in his face. He really meant it, Maxine." Fauna answered quietly.

Maxine sighed. "I just don't think we're natural friends."

"What! Of course you're natural friends." Fauna's whisper held an incredulous tone. "Why, you're about the two most natural friends existing on this planet."

Maxine raised her eyebrows, but Fauna continued;

"Look, when I first came here, aged eleven and full of promises to expand my circle of friends as much as possible so as to match it with my former number of companions at Muggle Primary school, I was all set to be one of the crowd, to copy the others and make up a large cushion of colleagues to shelter me. But by the time a five-minute conversation with Rose had ended, I had given up on that idea. Sure, I won't go out of the ordinary, and I'll try my best to fit in, but I don't want a massive group of so-called friends watching my every move. The point is, as soon as I'd simply conversed with Rose, even if it was for a couple of minutes, I knew that she was my friend, and she would be my best friend till the end of time. Some times you just know, and that's what happened with you and Stefan. Your lives are bond up together in a totally natural friendship. Believe me, I'm no fan of Divination, but that theory is true, even if it does come from the minds of muggles."

Maxine was silent as she listened to Fauna's speech, for even if it was done in whispers within the earshot of two cheeky hufflepuff fifth-year boys and at the back of a humid, dark class room, it had great effect on her. There was a pause as Maxine thought and Fauna turned away awkwardly to scribble down some notes, anxious she may have gone too far. But Maxine soon questioned in a low voice;

"What should I do, then? It should really be him to make it up with me."

Fauna stopped smiling in relief that Maxine had replied and said sternly (well, as sternly as you can in a whisper):

"There's that pride again! No, you apologise, Maxine, after all, it was you who turned things physical."

Maxine remembered the punch with guilt and replied; 

"But what should I do, Fauna? How can I make it up with him? I could never manage it face to face, all that would happen is he would glare and I would probably slap him after a temper storm."

Fauna sighed and sat back. "Write a note, then. Apologise and then request a meeting or something. Share a joke or a story. Just a private thing between the two of you."

Maxine frowned, thinking, but soon her brow cleared. "I know just the thing."