Chapter 19 ~ The Last Hope.

---

Maxine didn't write the message she sent Stefan, but she knew it would have an affect on him. For, spread out in front of her ready for it's delivery to the Fifth-Year Ravenclaw boy's dormitory, lay a worn, dry piece of parchment, written upon in german and the detailed ink picture depicting a monster that only a Grimm or Wesen would understand. 

The portrait was of a blutbad, the creature Nick's friend Monroe was, a kind of wolf who ate animal meat - sometimes human. Maxine smiled as she remembered her reaction when Monroe had answered that she was correct, blutbads did eat humans - but not him. 

She sighed. Those moments seemed blissful to her, now she looked back on them. The one connection she had ever really had with the world of Grimms and Wesen - apart from her book. The book she had now torn a page out of so she could present Stefan with some evidence, to try and make him see sense.

It would be deciding moment, though Maxine wouldn't be around to see it. Either Stefan would destroy the parchment and keep on hiding, or he would present himself to Maxine and resume their friendship. Of course, Maxine hoped it would be the latter, but there was no telling. She desperately wanted to believe in Fauna's words from the day before, proclaiming that she and Stefan were "Natural Friends", their lives being bound up together and all that. But there was doubt in Maxine's heart and she needed to know the truth.

Still, it was brilliant having Fauna and Rose to help. Rose had been just as welcoming, and she too had revealed a caring, more individual side to her. The previous night all had done their homework together in the common room, and to Maxine's surprise all she had received was a glare from the Golden Twins as they had passed, instead of the promised attack after she'd bugged Avery the other day. It was like Rose and Fauna acted as a shield. 

Maxine took the battered parchment up in her hands and surveyed the page, wondering if she'd ever see it again. The fate of her treasure depended on Stefan's reaction, and since she had no idea what he would do with it, she read it ''one last time'' incase it was destroyed by him. Sighing as she finished, Maxine slid it into her pocket and glanced around the common room. 

All was peaceful on the late Autumn afternoon, and apart from a group of chattering first-years in the mini-library and a spectacled boy who looked to be about sixteen who was reading by the fire, she was alone. Most were in the library, she was certain, as it was Madam Pince's day off and you could get away with most things when it was the sheepish Professor Vale trying to keep order in her Absence. Outside the weather was not great, the sky laden and threatening showers whilst a biting west wind blew, so no quidditch practice claimed attention of the students and few braved a walk in the howling gale.

Making sure the studying sixth-year did not notice her, Maxine slipped down the passage marked "Boy's Dormitories" and found the one for fifth years. She slid an extendable ear under the gap, but no sound came through, so she marked it as the all-clear and opened the door, creeping silent as a shadow towards Stefan's bed. Six boys slept in the narrow room but it didn't take long to identify Stefan's place. His area was completely bereft of belongings, looking forlornly plain compared to the gleaming posters surrounding the Ravenclaw seeker's bed, and the gold-framed photographs covering Avery's bed side table. 

Trying to ignore the simpering Avery watching her from the pictures, Maxine lay the blutbad description on Stefan's pillow and turned round to exit the dormitory one more. However, her attempts at ignoring the photos by the Golden Boy's bed had failed, and she found herself walking towards them to view the vile portraits. From each one smiled a disgustingly arrogant Avery, with one of his many girlfriends, with his sister, two golden children side by side at the age of ten, with his family. Maxine bent down and picked up the photograph of the Bredowan family, the bright-haired twins posing with their two equally blond parents, each pulling the same phoney smile to reveal perfect white teeth. The temptation to smash the sickening portrait was just gathering in her body when a different occurrence made her destroy it anyway. A loud voice from the door startled Maxine to a point where she dropped the offending article onto the smooth but equally hard wooden floor.

"What are you - oh my god!"

Avery ran forward in an attempt to catch the photo, but he was two late as it fell to the ground and the glass gave a sickening crack, creating a line that destroyed the beaming smile of Mrs. Drusilla Bredowan, Avery's attractive Mother.

For a moment there was silence whilst Maxine gasped in shock and tried to register what had just happened and Avery picked up the photograph, surveying it with sorrow that soon turned to anger. Dropping the picture, he advanced towards Maxine with a terrifying look of fury darkening his usually handsome face.

"YOU! First you - you taunt my sister, then you attack me, and now, you violate my property!"

Maxine gasped, looking from the portrait to Avery's face in an unusually terrified manner. Usually she was defiant, rebellious, but now she had actually broken the rules and faced not only the wrath of The Golden Club but also the Hogwarts Staff. "I-I... I'm sorry." She mumbled in shock.

Avery took no notice, continuing to advance. "I should have known you'd do this, you thieving cow! Stealing my property."

"What!" Maxine's shock and dismay ascended to a higher level. "I wasn't stealing, I-"

"You're a liar, like all Estranges, your a thief and a liar and a criminal, just like your grandmother was!" Avery shouted like a spoilt child.

Maxine's shock disappeared at that instant as she saw the look in Avery's eyes, reminding her of a fat little boy who didn't have enough presents on his birthday and was throwing a tantrum. Leaving him no time to fire more insults, she retorted.

"For your information, Avery, my grandmother was not a thief."

"Defending her now, are we! Ooh, what a good little death-eater I have here."

Maxine inhaled in shock as she heard Avery's word. The situation had suddenly got extremely out of hand. 

"I am not my Grandmother, and I do not steal." She said coldly, lowering her voice to a more suitable volume.

"Do you take me for a fool? That frame is solid gold, anyone would want to steal it. I should have guessed it would have been you!" Avery answered, still in a high voice, eyes gleaming alarmingly.

Maxine watched him with an icy stare, realising that this was just an excuse for him to attack her. The golden twins, though flawless on the outside, had terrible tempers and most likely anger problems.

But her patronising looks infuriated the boy even more, and now he whipped out his wand. "I think it's time you learnt the meaning of the law."

Maxine let out a chuckle, trying not to look bothered when she was terrified of what the insane mania would do next. Now she wouldn't be surprised if the Golden Twins were physcos. "What law?"

Avery smiled and with a quick movement, pinned her against the wall and held his wand alarmingly close to Maxine's throat. "My Law."

"Avery?"

A voice from the doorway made both gazes lift upwards and Avery turned his head, letting Maxine see the dreaded owner of the voice. No wonder she had recognised it.

Stefan, face pale, tired and currently confused, stood at the entrance to the dormitory watching the two of them grapple as Maxine tried to get out of Avery's grasp. But now all had frozen and Maxine's face had become wary and watchful, Avery's evermore jeering, and Stefan's filled with unmistakable anger as he registered Maxine's presence. For a minute Maxine thought she glimpsed something else there too, a flicker of care, but now Stefan's glare seemed to burn her, and the millisecond of hope she had experienced was swamped with disappointment and her own anger. But before she could get a word in edgeways, Avery was speaking.

"Ah, look, a little friend for miss Lestrange here," Avery jeered, "A little mad man for a little mad woman."

With all her might, Maxine wrenched free of Avery's painful grip just as Stefan unmistakably took out his wand and pointed at the two of them. Maxine wasted no time, she ran for it, out of the room and then corridor and into the common room before finally reaching her own dormitory. But the image was still there, locked in her mind.

And all she could see was the look of both anger and concern on Stefan's face as he pointed the wand at Avery Bredowan.