Chapter 30 ~ Theon's Tale.

Maxine, who had been staring into space as she robotically strode towards the greenhouses, turned back to see her friend rummaging through his bad whilst jogging to catch up with her. 

''I wasn't going that fast, was I?'' She asked with a slight grin, stopping to wait for her friend.

''No - I'm just trying to find something - oh dammit.'' One of Stefan's pieces of parchment slipped out of his bag.

Maxine walked swiftly forward and rescued the fallen papers from the mud. ''Lost something?''

''Yes - oh shit.'' Stefan looked up from his frantic rummaging and sighed after cursing under his breath.

''What did you lose?''

''That damned essay on Fanged Geraniums. I can't remember where I put it.'' He answered, pushing his dark hair back from a furrowed brow.

''It's probably in the common room.'' Maxine answered. ''You were writing it last night and you fell asleep, remember?''

Stefan nodded and did up the catch of his bag. ''Look, I've gotta go back for it - can you make up an excuse for me?''

Maxine, who was not known for her spontaneity, hesitated before answering. ''Er - yeah - I'll do my best.''

''Thanks.'' Stefan smiled at her quickly before striding back down the path and towards the school, passing Rose and Fauna, who both approached Maxine with puzzled faces.

''Why's Stefan sprinting off as if his life is gonna end?" Rose asked, smiling in a bemused fashion.

Maxine grinned humorously and looked back at her friend running towards the castle. "He forgot his essay for herbology."

Fauna laughed. "That would explain it, then." She gestured her head towards the greenhouse. "Come on, let's go in."

Maxine nodded. "Are we with the Slytherins?"

"Yeah." Rose answered, walking towards the door and following the flow of students, Maxine and Fauna following. They had no problem with the Slytherins, as most were intelligent and picked about in class far less than the Gryffindors. 

Both lots of students filed in quickly, eager to enter the greenhouse, it being considerably warmer than the chilly atmosphere outside. Maxine left Fauna and Rose talking as they took places at the long, rough wooden tables and she advanced towards the nearest wood burner. The shivering among them stopped and Maxine rubbed her hands together, smiling as she held them over one of the many hot stoves that heated the greenhouse for chilled students in winter - one of Professor Tudor's best ideas. It was as Maxine thawed out her somewhat frozen fingers that she felt the prescence of someone beside her. Looking up, she saw a tall, tanned boy, with a clefted chin and dark, slanting eyes. Quite handsome, actually. But Maxine didn't notice that element of his appearance; she squinted her eyes and cocked her head to one side, trying to indetify him. However, he noticed this and smiled as he turned to meet her stare.

"Theon Hallow."

Maxine blushed and unlocked her gaze. "Sorry - er - what?" She spluttered. 

He held out a hand. "I'm Theon Hallow."

''Oh - erm - hello..." She ignored the outstretched hand and looked round at Rose and Fauna, who were still in deep conversation. There was a place on the other side of them to work and Maxine picked up her bag and readied to make for it. Whatever happened, she wanted to avoid conversing with Theon Hallow. 

But as she moved away, another Slytherin took the place, and that's when Rose and Fauna noticed her dissolute situation. There had been a space between Maxine and them for Stefan, but Theon had taken it. Rose raised her eyebrows and beckoned, but Maxine could hear Fauna say "There's no room."

Theon, of course, had sensed the awkwardness by now and the fact he was in the wrong place to the trio of Ravenclaws. He spoke darkly and with a hint of hurt in his voice, turning away.

"I take it you're following the examples of Ava and Avery, then."

Maxine's head turned at once. "No way!" She said in denial, Fauna and Rose both face palming behind her. 

"I'll move." Theon turned to pick up his bag but for some reason Maxine found herself reaching out to grab the outstretched arm and stop the boy. 

"No - stay where you are." She looked down the table and couldn't help sighing slightly. "There are no more seats anyway."

Theon followed her gaze before looking back and raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Because you certainly seem to have a problem with me." He started off very lightly sneering, though Maxine didn't notice. This fault, however, was soon corrected.

Maxine bit her lip. "Look, you were with the Golden Twins-"

"And you're Maxine Lestrange, ultimately bullied by the Golden Club." Theon finished. "So you think I was one of the ones who bullied you?"

Maxine had no idea what to say and looked at Rose and Fauna for help, but at that moment another Ravenclaw filled the place between Theon and her friends and they were unable to communicate. Theon, after following her gaze, turned round again and said in a hurt voice.

"You can't even speak to me because you think I bullied you?" His face was riddled with pathetic hurt. "Oh well, I suppose like the rest of the school you'll just have to avoid me."

"No, Theon - it's not like that." Maxine said desperately, trying not to insult him further. He reminded her of someone - someone she'd forgotten in the heat of the moment and needed to find an excuse for.

"So you think you can trust me?" He said quietly. "Is that it?"

"You were with the Golden Twins, who hate every bone in my body and want to destroy me. Then suddenly, they kick you out for some unknown reason. But how do I know you aren't trying to get back in with them?" Maxine spat out all of a sudden. She felt herself blush at 

Theon's face darkened. "I got kicked out because i tried to stop them from going to far." He looked at her with what she thought was genuine resentment. "They were planning something big...involving you."

"What?" Maxine was shocked. Theon was not the kind of person she imagined sticking up for her. And he'd been friends with the Golden Twins for years. "But Theon - you're Avery and Ava's best friend!"

"I was their slave." He answered. "They were once at first, then began to drag me through more and more shit. Why'd you think they never get found out? 'Cause they always blame it on me."

His hurt and resentment was so genuine that Maxine felt sorry for him. Alarmingly pity was flooding in. Then Ava's words from the day before came back to her. About Theon and Stefan. And then it clicked.

Theon, now, was exactly like Stefan had been when he'd first met Maxine. Bullied. Hated by many. Unconfident. But now, Stefan was...different. Most definitely. So could Theon change again?

Maxine shook her head to herself wildly. No, no, she couldn't do this. Couldn't prove Ava right. Couldn't trust Theon. Stefan was her friend and a grimm, but Theon...Theon was like an alien to her. She knew nothing about him.

It was whilst she was thinking this that Professor Tudor strode in and announced the beginning of the lesson. Should she help Theon? She wanted to throw it in the face of Ava and completely hate on the boy - but is that what Ava wanted? First she had to know his story. See if he was telling the truth.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Theon nudged her hard and she looked up to see the Professor addressing her.

"Miss Lestrange! Miss Lestrange." Maxine clicked into gear and hurriedly answered.

"Er yes - sorry - pardon?"

"Where is your friend Mr Burkhardt? He is not currently present and this is a required lesson. He can't skive."

"Yes - yeah - I know - he's...he's er..." 

Maxine was not known for her spontaneity. In fact she was awful at making up information on the spot - the reason she would despair a second later for what Stefan's excuse was.

"He has er - bowel problems." She stuttered. "He - erm - needed to go to the toilet."

"That urgently?" Professor Tudor enquired with a hint of humour in her voice.

"Yes - yeah - it's really bad." Said Maxine as sincerely as possible, mentally cursing as Rose and Fauna experienced silent hysterics along the table.

Professor Tudor raised an eyebrow but made no comment and spoke with eyes holding a glint of merriment. "Ah, well, let us hope that Mr. Burkhardt recovers from this condition. Now, let us continue." The Professor, rolling up her sleeves, reached for her dragon-hide gloves. "Ok, you'll be needing your gloves for this. Today we're going to be pruning a plant often known as Mistletoe's Cousin, in honour of this winter season and the predicted snow. Can anyone tell me what the techniqual name of this plant is?"

Maxine, after sighing with relief and mentally face palming again, tried to ignore Theon Hallow and reject the guilt on  Stefan's excuse and put up her hand in an instant. Having been intimate friends with Neville Longbottom and secretly cultivating the plant in her out-of-bonds greenhouse in Grimmauld Place, she was very familiar with the species.

Professor Tudor, seeing eager eyes, pointed with her wand towards Maxine. "Miss Lestrange?"

"The technical name for the plant is Mirranglass, on account of it's berries turning transparent before disappearing, rather than rotting like normal mistletoe berries." Maxine said, eyeing the plant with a slight smile. When she'd been about three, Neville Longbottom had given the Potters some Mirranglass plants to use as Christmas decorations. Unfortunately baby Albus had decided to eat one of the berries and suffer the strange side-effects of the healing plant. Even though it had been twelve years before, she could still remember the amusing moment.

Professor Tudor bestowed a smile upon Maxine and the bowel incident became more faint. "Good, Miss Lestrange. Five points to Ravenclaw." The Herbology teacher turned back to her class. "And can anyone tell me what the berries of Mirranglass can be used for?"

Maxine's hand went up again, and Professor Tudors eyes strayed that way. Unfortunately the Professor chose to unwittingly remind Maxine of the awkwardness that would follow during the lesson. "Mr. Hallow?"

Maxine stared straight ahead as Theon answered, wishing to convince herself he wasn't there. Theon noticed this, however, and she saw from the corner of her eye the hurt on his face.

"Mirranglass berries, when boiled over and processed in a mixture of Valerian and Lilies, can be made into an ointment that numbs skin upon touch. However if ingested raw, the berries cause extreme nausea and various parts of the body becoming transparent until the victim is treated."

Professor Tudor nodded and teached forward to point at the berries on the shrub that lay in front of her. "Correct, Hallow, ten points to Slytherin. So yes, no eating the berries whilst attending these plants, although I do not expect any students to be foolish enough to do so." There were a few nudges and joking whispers but Professor Tudor simply continued. "Now, today we will be pruning these shrubs until they are shaped nicely to act as Christmas decorations when the time comes. As you can see, although Mirranglass has roughly the same appearance as Mistletoe, it grows as a shrub and does not need oak to survive, making them slightly more suitable natural decor for the festive season."

There was a derisive snort from a fair-haired boy down the table and Professpr Tudor smiled wryly. "You may think Christmas is far off, Stevens, but these plants are going to be a pain to prune, I'll tell you that now. For the next month or so the practical part of your Herbology classes will be spent trimming your Mirranglass plant to a desirable shape and tis is nor an easy task. You cannot touch the berries of the plant otherwise your dragonhide gloves will be damaged by the toxins in the berries and leather gloves will do the same. however you need your gloves to avoid the skin irritating leaves of the plant. The stems are also very thick and the trimmers hard to navigate whilst wearing your gloves, so this is quite a tricky task. However, Mirranglass is featured in O.W.L and N.E.W.T herbology as it is a complex plant and you will need your pruning skills for the practical exams." It seemed Professor Tudor couldn't help but grin ever so slightly. "Now, let's begin. Use the trimmers by your plants and try to achieve a christmas tree look. In Transfiguration I believe you will be conjuring baubles nearer the festive occasion and decorating them. However, be warned, Mirranglass plants grow extremely fast and you may return one day to find it out of shape. It is your task to keep it relatively the same despite new growths. I will demonstrate the technique for careful trimming and you will need to follow closely. Once you've got the hang of it, questions will follow. I also expect an essay on your first trimming experiences by the end of this lesson."

This flow of daunting information silenced all and made students present review the plant with distaste, eagerness, and nerves. Maxine was smiling again, however, unlike most of her fellow Ravenclaws. She'd dealt with it before, and though had found it challenging, felt pleased that she'd have more experience than her classmates. Herbology was her favourite subject, unlikely but true. Growing up with frequent visits to Neville Longbottom and her own secret greenhouse had caused her to find herself loving the subject and dissing those who sniffed at it. For the past couple of months she'd been to preoccupied with Grimm matters and tackling the Golden Twins, but without Stefan here to remind her, she began to relax. 

However, she relaxed to soon. Because there was not so much of a cause to watch the Professor display the trimming technique, Maxine suddenly found herself aware of Theon again as she looked the wrong way and saw he too was going his own way with attending to the plant. She couldn't help but stare slightly and once again, Theon noticed, looking up warily before eyeing her plant.

"You already know how to do this, then?"

Maxine nodded dumbly and quickly turned away. "Erm, yes."

"You like Herbology, I take it?" Once again Theon was attempting to start a conversation and Maxine found herself panicking. How the hell could she avoid conversing with this boy? The only trouble is, she was sure to start feeling sorry for him.

"Yes." Her flat answer kept the conversation brief.

"What d'you think of the task, then - difficult?" He kept going, still chopping away at his plant and desperately trying to start a conversation. 

"It's not to bad." Maxine said quietly, trying to halt the talk. Why on earth did he have to keep speaking. It was if he was luring her to comfort him, to come over to his aid. With all her heart Maxine suddenly found herself longing for Stefan.

"The only problem are the these bloody gloves." He joked slightly but very desperately, as if he had to smile. "They cost a fortune but now I'd love to be rid of them." On the mention of money, Maxine saw the flicker of another emotion counter Theon's current feelings, but he turned it away quickly.

"Yeah." She agreed without heart. When would he stop speaking?

"Still, I suppose it's better to struggle with these damn trimmers rather than destroy my equipment." He snipped off a large piece of twig with effort as he spoke. "And I've done it before, so this time it should be easier." Surprisingly, Maxine saw a proud glint in his eye, the kind of feeling she'd experienced when she'd thought of her head start on the rest of the class.

"Good for you." Maxine found herself inflicting malicious tones now. She wanted to turn this boy away but he seemed to desperate to do so. She found herself wanting to hate him. Just to prove Ava wrong. Just to make sure the Golden Girl couldn't use another thing against her. But again she found herself wondering what Ava's intentions were in firing Maxine up about Stefan. What was intended to happen. God it was messed up.

"I hope I can make a good presentation. I'd like to get an 'O' for my O.W.L. herbology is possible." He continued, as if trying to wave away her spite and just keep on talking as much as he could for fear he never would again.

"Great." Alarming sympathy stirred in Maxine's heart which she attempted to bury. She wanted to scream at him to stop talking but unwittingly found herself listening.

"I've always loved Herbology, Most people think it's boring but I think that's because they just don't understand it." Theon carried on, obvious hurt in his eyes that he didn't want to show. 

"Really?" Maxine said it as if she wasn't bothered, surprising herself with her seemingly true bored and spiteful tones, but it did surprise her. She'd always thought she was one in a million to enjoy the class genuinely. But here was this boy she was trying desperately to hate saying he shared an interest with her. Alarm bells went off in head but she shook them off. She was being pathetic. He was only a guy, after all. She looked at his face properly and saw it to be disappointed, shrouding hurt with interest for his Mirranglass plant. He looked up as she turned her gaze to the left and looked at Ava, who was smiling at her slyly. Maxine was shrewd and she knew what the girl was thinking. Ava had specifically flared up Maxine to get her hating on Theon. But turning back, Maxine had decided to go forth and defy her enemy with relish. She was also greeted by Theon, about to open his mouth, but she cut in.

"Look, Theon, I can't have a proper conversation with you until you tell me what happened."

A dark look occupied his face as soon as her sentence had finished. "You mean between me and the 'Golden' twins?"

"Yes." Said Maxine quickly. She knew that Rose and Fauna were looking at her now, mouthing to stop and wearing expressions of panic. But Maxine had rebelled against Ava because of temptation, unwittingly pleasing her enemies, and wasn't going back now.

Theon sighed, but began after a pause. "Before I'd swear you to secrecy and make sure you didn't tell anyone, but now...." He took a deep breath and looked at Maxine. "Ava and Avery and broke." His voice was slightly low. "Their Dad's lost a load of money on account of embezzling money at Gringotts. And you know how much they love to spend..."

Maxine remembered Rose and Jack's tale of the incident at the shop and saw the pieces coming together. She looked at Theon. "Go on."

"As a result, they kept cadging money off me. Well, not exactly 'cadging', just using it when they felt like it and saying they'd pay it back. Telling me not to worry even when my levels got really low." He said with bitterness. Maxine looked at him and raised an eyebrow, still slightly guarded.

"Why not tell them 'no', Theon? Couldn't you have retaliated sooner?"

He looked at her sourly, but the feeling wasn't for Maxine. "You don't know what it's like, being locked in a friendship with the golden twins. It's...daunting. Scary, you could say." He laughed bitterly. "They're like psychos and the system keeps you in place. The damned school system of packs and cliques where an outsider is punished for being a loner." He looked her up and down. "You felt it for a bit, I reckon. But now you've got your friends Fauna and Rose, and of course, Stefan, you're fine. You've got your own little group. But me...now I'm on the outside I'm in for a rough time."

Maxine bit her tongue to stop herself inviting him to join her circle of friends. This is Theon Hallow, she told herself. For all you know, he could still be in with the Golden Twins. Don't allow yourself to be convinced. This is a test. But already alarming feelings were building and Maxine pressed them down with difficulty.

"But you're right, Lestrange-"

"Maxine." She corrected, then cringed. Surprisingly Theon smiled slightly and Maxine once again began to fall. All the Stefan feelings were coming back to her.

"-But you're right, Maxine - I should have stopped them taking my money after the firs few times. But instead, cowardly me waited until Halloween." Theon continued. Maxine almost found herself saying 'you're not cowardly'. 

"And when I did rebel, the Golden Twins threw a massive strop. Ava smashed a load of potions at my feet and made me pay a fine, Avery's down to spreading the rumours.." He looked up at her and sighed. "I'm pathetic, aren't I? But there you go. That's it. The truth you wanted. Not a big story - I apologise, but the truth, Maxine."

Maxine let herself go. She was beginning the biggest mother hen and suddenly realised she didn't care. So maybe Ava was right. And if she was? Damn Ava.

"You're not pathe-"

"Max?"

Maxine was interrupted as a flicker of hope crossed Theon's face. Stefan was standing there, looking at Theon in his usual place at her side and wearing a slightly alarmed expression as he registered she'd been conversion with the boy. 

Maxine felt relief and then insecurity. The sight of Stefan had reminded her that she shouldn't have been talking to Theon. Unsure, the closed her mouth and Stefan raised an eyebrow. Before she could answer, however, Professor Tudor intervened.

"Ah, Mr. Burkhardt. I trust you are feeling better?"

Stefan looked at Maxine in bemusement and she changed her expression to that of an apologetic demeanour. He sighed, though there was slight humour there, and turned back to the Professor.

"Yes - yes, I'm fine."

Professor Tudor smiled. "No chance you'll need to go rushing to the toilet or anything? Are you in the clear?"

Maxine stifled a laugh as Stefan became even more confused and felt both guilt and humour rush through as she shook her head in dismay. Stefan glanced at her again.

"No, I'm - er - better now. Madam Pomfrey, erm - sorted me out..."

"Good." Was Professor Tudor's reply, accompanied by another humorous smile. "Well, let's get on. Miss Lestrange, I entrust you to explain to your friend what we've been doing here."

Maxine nodded, still trying to to smile, and as soon as Professor Tudor away let out a snort of laughter. Stefan grinned but still tried to look slightly angry.

"What did you tell her?"

Maxine looked up sheepishly. "That you - er - had - erm - bowel problems..."

Stefan lost his hint of anger and laughed as quietly as possible, drawing looks from around the table as it wasn't actually that quiet. In fact it was more like an explosion...

"Max, you really need to work on your excuses." He chuckled again and then looked along the table. "Anyway, can we move down so I can find a place?"

Maxine nodded, realising that Stefan simply wanted to ignore Theon. To tell you the truth, she wanted to do the same. But, of course, it was impossible.

"Er, Stefan, there's a place there if you want it." Theon gestured to a space on the other side of another Ravenclaw student, who was deeply involved in his work and didn't seem to notice any of the conversation that was going on. Stefan looked at Maxine, who nodded after having looked down the table. There were no other spaces, so Maxine was still stuck with Theon and Stefan would have to brave is Mirranglass pruning alone. Begrudgingly, he looked hard at Theon, not missing the slight triumphant look that Maxine failed to notice as she turned back to her work. 

The rest of the lesson was silence for the three, for even though Rose and Fauna tried to involve Stefan in their own conversation, he just kept watching Maxine try and put off Theon and fail. After ten minutes of awkward, short sentence conversation with the boy, Maxine gave in and started talking to him once more, discussing plants, methods of pruning, and alarmingly, the Golden Twins. Maxine found herself talking to him of closer matters, drawn in by Theon's quiet pathetic air that had half made her befriend Stefan when he had been the same. Stefan, on the other hand, became even more alarmed as the lesson went on, listening in on their conversation. It seemed that halfway through Maxine forget that Theon had been in with her greatest enemies and suddenly began pouring out her troubles and confronting him by turns.

Stefan had never been more glad when the lesson ended.