Chapter 26 ~ Halloween Feast.

"Awww, no bakewell tart!" Maxine sighed, sitting down at the Ravenclaw table and surveying the eatables presented for the Halloween Feast.

Stefan shoved her playfully and scoffed. "Max, stop complaining. I mean, look at this stuff!" He picked up the nearest pumpkin pie and smelt it before sighing with pleasure. "Mmmm. Smells delicious."

Maxine caught the scent of pie and smiled in agreement. "Yup. You're right there."

"Is this a mealtime custom for you two? Sniffing pies?" Jack Hiddleston had sat down with Rose across from Maxine and Stefan, laughing as the latter unwittingly smelt the pie again.

Maxine laughed and took the pie of an also laughing Stefan. "No, Jack, this is not a normal mealtime ceremony, my friend here has just decided to display a part of his weirder side."

"Hey, you agreed!" Stefan chuckled and pushed Maxine good-naturedly as she grinned back at him.

"Yeah, and so do I. This looks amazing." Jack said in a friendly manner, smiling at Stefan, earning a hand squeeze from Rose, who he then smiled at affectionately.

"Yeah, come on, let's eat." Maxine said enthusiastically, earning another laugh from the group as she pulled a pasty towards her and smelt it with relish.

There was a pause as they all chose dishes before Rose asked;

"You guys seen Fauna?"

Maxine looked up. "I think she's at the Hufflepuff table with Damian." She answered.

"Oh right." Rose turned round and sure enough, there was Fauna snogging her date across the hall. Rose grinned before turning back. "Yeah, she's there alright." There was another pause before she addressed Maxine.

"So...how did it go for you guys after we left you at The Three Broomsticks?"

Maxine shrugged. "Yeah, fine, we talked a bit then went to Honeydukes." It was the truth that time - they couldn't discuss Grimms and Wesen in the populated pub. "What about you guys?"

"The usual, basically. Saw this strange thing in Zonko's, though." This time Jack answered. "Ava - The Golden Girl - was trying to buy some stuff...and then she was arguing or something with Avery's right-hand man, Theon, and then he said something after Avery got involved, and then suddenly Avery was storming out."

"What about Ava?" Maxine asked, taking a sip of the wine-like punch in her goblet.

"She followed Avery out...after throwing her would-be purchases at his feet." Rose answered.

"Sounds like an everyday Ava attack to me." Said Maxine.

"No, but it's not usually like that, Max. You see, Theon's like, the Golden Twin's advisor. He's been their best friend for five years and was Ava's boyfriend for a couple of months." Rose told her friend with a hint of puzzlement in her voice.

Maxine shrugged. "The Golden Twins are capable of many evils. Sometimes I really do believe they are demons in human form." 

Jack let out a sudden laugh at this and nodded his head in agreement as Maxine and Rose smiled in surprise. However, Rose's smile didn't last long as she became more serious again. "Still, you'd think even those two couldn't treat their best friend like that."

"As I said, that's the Golden Twins for you. I've had to bear the brunt of their anger a few times." Maxine replied grimly.

Jack raised his eyebrows at this and added to the conversation. "Yeah, they do seem to have it in for you." He looked at Maxine with unease. "As does your brother, apparently."

Maxine shook her head after glancing over at the Gryffindor table where a laughing James was sat. "No, he's alright now. To be honest it was just the prejudice of his friend which made him act like that."

"You were bullied quite a lot, though, when you first came here." Rose put in. "Me and Fauna were arseholes not to defend you."

Maxine disliked having the attention on her in that way and subtly being remembered a victim when she first enrolled. "Stefan here's had a lot more to deal with." She said - then paused and realised that he hadn't been talking at all during the conversation, and was looking down the table. "Stefan? Are you currently on mars or something?" She shook his shoulder but was then distracted by James exiting the hall.

Stefan himself had been in another world - his mind. The mention of Avery and Ava had made him look down the table for a sulking pair, but instead his eyes had found the twins deep in conversation with  none other that Theon Hallow. Listening to Rose's information, he had become more and more puzzled as he watched the three engage in deep, concentrated conversation. However, Maxine's nudge had shaken him back to reality and he turned back round to tell her.

"Sorry Max, I was ju-"

Some unseen force had walloped him backwards and Stefan crashed against the table as the image of James heading out of the great hall flashed before his eyes. Maxine had been looking at James too, and Stefan immediately presumed he had concussion as suddenly, not only was James leaving the hall, but James was hugging Maxine with an expression of sincere affection on his face. Then all of a sudden his vision returned, and Maxine's face was hovering above him with concern as he lay on the hard stone floor.

"Stefan?!" She held out a hand and he took it, getting up partly with her help as she hauled him. "Stefan, what happened."

"I don't know." He felt his head and saw the hand he brought back from the stinging spot was spotted with blood. Maxine noticed this, too, and quickly fell to action, waving away Jack and Rose's offers of assistance and ignoring the stares from other tables. 

"Vulnera Sanetor." The cut in Stefan's head healed with a sting and Maxine proceeded to remove the small stains of blood. "Tergeo."

She looked at him concerned, but he was now rising and gave the thumbs up. "I'm fine now, thanks. Sorry about that."

She raised her eyebrows, still slightly worried, but Rose cut in; "No need to apologise, Stefan! We'd just like to know what happened."

Stefan shook his head. "I have no idea...one minute I was thinking, the next I was falling." He laughed self consciously but creased his brow. "Maybe I have a migraine coming on."

The other accepted this, and Maxine smiled at him with only a hint of concern before turning back to answer a question of Jack's that restarted the conversation. 

But all Stefan could see was the concern and the care in her face for him. And all he could think about was her immediate reaction to heal him.

All thoughts of Avery and Ava were forgotten.