Chapter 37 - The Chance.

On Tuesday, Once again Maxine and Stefan were in potions - this time attemptibg to cuncoct a hugely troublesome brew named 'Vidorus Immunate'. Even Stefan was sweating over it. He was usually calm and collected during any class, but the O.W.L. Potion was an important but incredibly difficult feature in the exams. And, to get it right, he had to concentrate so hard he didn't notice Maxine's doleful sighs beside him as she struggled with the task. Her potion was pink at the edges, an undesired colour that drove her into a frenzy. Her mind had been elsewhere as she'd completed step seven and she suspected she had done something wrong to the finnicky liquid in her cauldron. 

She'd been thinking about Theon. Eversince the incident the day before the boy had been on her mind. With Stefan again, however, she had found herself feeling surprisingly not guilty about the chance she had promised him. Instead, Stefan had unintentionally made her more rebellious by commenting in the boy with unsavoury manners.

But as she thought about Stefan she did feel confusion. Mot guilt, but a puzzlement as she regarded his recent moods. Normally Stefan would have been happy to give someone a chance. She knew that Theon was close to Avery and Ava, yes, but she'd thought Stefan would have been a little less harsh on Theon. But he seemed dead against the boy. Perhaps she could change that. Hopefully.

"Would you step away from your Cauldons, please." Professor Batayeva called, walking up between the desks to inspect the various potions. Maxine turned off e heat of her burner and stood back, exchanging glances with Stefan as they did so. Hers was now violet at the frothing edges and pale blue as a bulk with silver steam rising off it. Stefan's, however, was a transparent blue with white steam, and Maxine was sure she'd failed. Still, she didn't seem to have done as badly as other people had - Fauna's had exploded every early on and giving her silver eyelashes that she had to go and have fixed by Madam Pomfrey; Dickon, a ginger boy in her year, had produced a potion that smelled like rotting vegetables; and James, to Maxine's satisfaction, was groaned at by Professor Batyaeva as she discovered his had the texture of cement and instead of clearing your gave you umpteen moles upon touch. Stefan's, however, did the trick, acting as the beutifying potion it was meant to be and clearing James' now mole-covered hand (he had been his own guineapig) completely and making it soft to the touch. 

It was after Baty had nodded at Stefan and smiled her wide smile that she approached Maxine's, furrowing her brow as she examined the brew. After a few seconds, the Professor turned to Maxine with a questioning look. 

"Miss Lestrange, do you think you made a mistake?" 

Maxine nodded. "Yes, Professor."

"And why do you think you made it?" Baty continued - not unpleasant, only stern.

Maxine blushed slightly, and Stefan, who had worked out roughly what she had been thinking about, sighed. Maxine admitted honestly, however. "I wasn't concentrating, Professor."

"That and another thing." Answered Batyaeva. "You also didn't clean out the cauldron from the last potion you brewed in here. And the heat was to high." 

Maxine cringed inwardly and also noticed that half of the classroom were staring at her. But Professor Batyaeva wasn't    Insensentive and quickly moved on, knowing she couldn't speak with Maxine about the matters that needed discussing at that moment.

"Just remember to clean it out this time." Baty said before moving to inspect Dickon's in front of her. Maxine sighed, glad it was over, and began to gather up her things. She was to absent-minded in class at the moment, thinking about all the matters in her currently complicated life, and Stefan, forgetting about the other matters, comforted her as they poured their potions into phials.

"Don't worry Max." He assured her. "You just have to concentrate more, there's nothing wrong with your knowledge or technique."

Maxine smiled, glad of his support. That was the old Stefan again. "Thanks Stefan. But this means my grade'll drop, and it's dangerously low already."

"You're still on an O, though?" He asked with concern. 

"Only just." She said dubiously, placing the lid on her phial. "I don't understand on how you're on 100%." She gave him a shove and grinned, shifting the attention of herself. "How on earth have you done everything so perfectly?"

Stefan blushed. "It's only because I've read every book I can on potion making." He said with a laugh. "I've been as nerdy as possible."

"And what's wrong with nerdy?" Maxine answered with a grin. "Besides, if you've achieved your grade that way I'll follow in your footsteps. After this I'm off to the library."

"You're gonna miss duelling?" Stefan asked. 

"Yeah." She said with a sigh. "I need to catch up on my work. If I'm gonna up my grade I'll need to work as hard as possible. Plus with everyone at duelling the library won't be busy and I can get my work done in peace."

"I'll miss you there." He answered, swinging his bag onto his shoulder. "In fact it'll be quite strange."

Maxine laughed as he did. "What, strange me not kicking James' arse once again?" 

Stefan grinned but their conversation was breifly interrupted as James himself walked by and glared at them. Maxine reraliated by glaring back at her brother ten speaking again. "I hope I can trust you to do it for me."

"I'll do my best." Stefan answered with a grin as Professor Batyaeva called; "Class dismissed!" And they headed for the door. Once outside, he waved as they went their separate ways, saying with a smile; "Good luck with the studying! I'll probably head over there in ten minutes or so - it'll be dull without you."

Maxine answered with a smile. "Ok, I'll see you soon!" And, with a strange feeling inside her, walked away down the corridor. The strangeness was no doubt because she lacked the familiar feeling of Stefan at her side, which felt extremely strange. But, ploughing on through a crowd of third years with the determination to study, she headed to the library nonetheless.

As expected, it was almost completely empty when she arrived there, most of the school at Friday clubs or watching the duels in the great hall. Pleased at the peace and quiet, Maxine headed for the potions section and found a large index on brewing techniques and settled down on a window seat to read through it. A few minutes in, however, she looked up as the soft clacking of high heels nearing and saw Professor  Batyaeva approaching her. At once she sat up, worried that she was going to be reprimanded for her lack of concentration in the class. But the Professor simply smiled as she stopped in front of her and spoke pleasantly as she eyed the book in Maxine's hands.

"Doing some extra studying?" Baty asked in a friendly manner. 

Maxine nodded. "I though it might help me in class."

Batyaeva paused, then looked at her honestly. "Look, Lestrange, it's not your knowledge that's the problem. Your grade was fine before. It's your concentration and technique that's affecting your work - and your grade."

"Has it fallen?" Maxine asked worriedly. "If so, is there any way to get it back up again?"

Professor Batyaeva shook her head. "No, your grade hasn't fallen. Not yet, anyway." 

Maxine heaved a sigh of relief, but the Professor went on; "But if you continue to loose concentration in class, it will. Now, you know you need an O in the O.W.L. to go onto healing, don't you?"

"Yes." Maxine answered, her heart quaking. Ever since She had looked into healing she'd had her heart set on following that career. It had strong ties to herbology and she felt it would suit her entirely. Stefan had been the one to suggest it, and he knew her better than anyone else.

"I must tell you I am very pleased you are heading down that path, Lestrange, but what I must warn you is that you are near to dropping your grade to an E. Now this may not affect the exam, but you're going to have to work on your concentration and a little on your technique, okay?" Batyaeva said solemnly.

"I'll try." Maxine answered, feeling a little hopeless. It was exactly as she feared...and she had no idea how she was going to improve either her technique or her concentration without help. 

Batyaeva sighed. "I would offer you tutoring, but our spaces are filled with other students." She looked back at Maxine. "But try, Lestrange. You can do it." On her last seton, Batyavea rose and walk away after smiling and waving at Maxine. Maxine didn't smile back, however, she was still disheartened and hopeless as the Professor's words sunk in. 'Basically', she thought, 'if I don't improve, I won't be able to follow a career I have dreamed of having ever since I found out about it'.

Brooding in silence, Maxine let her self pity flow. But once again she was interrupted, for as soon as Professor Batyavea was out of sight, another voice call from one of the shelves and Maxine looked up to see Theon.

"Look, I - er - couldn't help overhearing and I wondered if I could give you a hand." Theon approached her shyly but politely, brown eyes wide with innocence. Maxine looked up and for once didnt try and take her temper out on him and instead answered in surprisingly unguarded tones.

"It's nice of you to offer, Theon, but how could you?" She said hopelessly, glad she had someone to talk to.

"Well, actually, I'm quite a whiz with potions, if I do say so myself." He answered, taking a steo closer. "Perhaps I could help you get the technique and concentrate?"

conveniently fogetting that Theon was the cause of her bad concentration, Maxine looked up at him and smiled. "You would do that for me?"

"Of course...if you'd give me the chance." He said, looking at her directly. "I want to prove myself to you Maxine."

"Then this is your chance." Maxine smiled at him. "And I must thank you. But also, how can I repay you? There must be some thing you want to work at that I can help with. And eye for an eye."

Theon smiled shyly. "Well, actually, now that you mention it - my duelling's atrocious....could you help with that?"

"Of course!" Maxine didn't realise how friendly she seemed, or how pleased Theon was inside. Or that she was still smiling. "When and where shall we meet?" She felt pleased that she was finally able to help the boy - to increase his self esteem and protect him from bullying. Like she had Stefan. Surprisingly stupid, Maxine did not see the pattern, only a boy in need.

"Well there's this old potions dungeon near the usual classroom. I've used it a few times and it has all the necessary equipment." Theon answered, smiling at Maxine with eyes full of innocent pleasure.

"Yes, that sounds good." Maxine answered, still smiling at him. "Shall we say like four-ish tomorrow and then arrange it from there?"

Theon grinned and opened his mouth, but at that point their conversation was yet again interrupted by Stefan as he approached his friend. "Max?"

Theon turned quickly to Maxine and smiled. "Well, I'll see you around." And with that, walked away, avoiding an angry and suspicious Stefan, moving away with his back turned and a smile on his face. Stefan, however, was not smiling, and sat down next to Maxine with a thump, feeling furious for more than one reason as he saw her watch the streaming Theon with a smile on her face.

"Max, why were you talking to Theon?" He questioned, guarding his tone and trying not to let his fury show. Maxine didn't seem to notice anyway, and answerd smilingly.

"Oh, he's going to help me with my potions, that's all." And with underlying pleasure, Maxine sat back and picked up her book once more, unaware that Stefan, once again, was left with ultimate fury in his heart.