Chapter 50 ~ Arrival.

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"Here we are." Maxine announced as they approached a tall set of Victorian terraced houses. They were walking now, but had been dropped off a street down by some muggle taxis, taking the journey there by themselves as Harry and Ginny Potter had been unable to make it from the ministry. They were going to be there for their arrival, though, and Maxine grinned almost nervously at her friends as they approached the house, James having gone through the correct motions to reveal the building. Stefan was slightly pale as well, and Rose twitchy, making the trio a very unconfident bunch. However, Maxine, entering the warm, familiar home, soon felt at ease, nerves falling away completely as Ginny appeared and started greeting her children and their friends. Reaching Maxine, Ginny embraced her tightly, as if the was something different about her - which, of course, there was. But there was also more care in the hug and Ginny's look after all confirmed her inner feelings. Reports from Hogwarts and their siblings had told of some of Maxine's problems in her first month and as her foster mother, Ginny was obviously concerned. However, looking at the merry twinkle in Maxine's eyes and the warmth in her voice as she greeted her mother, Ginny was soon appeased.

"Hey Mum." Maxine said as she pulled out of the hug. "It's so nice to see you again."

Ginny surveyed her daughter and smiled. "And you, Minx. It's been so strange without you." There was a pause as Ginny looked behind at Stefan and Rose, then Maxine realised and turned to introduce her friends.

"Mum, this is Stefan Burkhardt." She pushed Stefan forward and he shook her mothers hand, smiling his most charming smile.

"Hi, Stefan. I'm Ginny Potter, Maxine's foster mother. I've heard a lot about you through her letters." Ginny said to the boy, laughing as he looked at Maxine and raising at eyebrow in reaction to the last sentence. "Don't worry, it's all been good." 

Stefan grinned, turning back to Ginny. "Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Potter."

Maxine, quick to follow up, then brought Rose forward, who introduced herself politely. "Rose Carter." Rose held out a hand. "Thanks so much for letting Maxine invite me to stay."

Ginny smiled, shaking Rose's hand. "It's my pleasure." She said warmly, then addressed all three of the, looking at Maxine. "Dinner's already started so just go on to the dining room. You can leave your trunks here." She stood aside to let the, through. "I'll be there in a second."

"Ok Mum." Maxine replied with a smile, leading the way down the hall and towards the dining room, Stefan and Rose following her. She grinned as she pulled down on the handle to open the door, hearing great amounts of noise and realising there was another guest present as well. And, sure enough, as she meters the dining room she was greeted by the image of Teddy Lupin displaying his array of noses for Lily, Albus and their friends. She advanced at once, dropping her bag and throwing herself at the young man to arm face him as he stood.

"Teddy!" She squealed as they hugged. She'd spent a lot of her lonely childhood with him and regarded him as an older brother. "I wasn't told you were gonna be here!"

He grinned as they pulled out of the hug. "I didn't really know myself, just decided to pop in and then all of you arrived to disturb the peace."

She laughed, then is inspected his appearance. His eyes were green now, though usually dark, and his hair a dark shade of scarlet. "I see you've gone with a Christmas theme." She teased.

Teddy laughed. "Yup. I feel a bit of a fool, but Lily assures me it looks brilliant."

"Yes I do!" Proclaimed Lily proudly before jumping from the arm chair she was standing on and locking her arms around his neck.

He shook Lily off with good grace and Maxine remembered Rose and Stefan, turning back to introduce her friends once more as Teddy turned his bright green eyes onto them. "Oh yes - Teddy, this is Stefan Burkhardt, Stefan, this is a Teddy Lupin." She began, both guys grinning at each other in acknowledgment before she introduced Rose. "And this is Rose Carter - Rose, Teddy Lupin."

Rose smiled shyly at Teddy before Lily's friend Nina joined in the physical assault of their climbing frame and Teddy was distracted by the need to remove the two eleven year olds from his shoulders. Maxine then turned to Stefan and Rose, gesturing at the table and smiling with joy. "You wanna sit down, guys? The food looks good."

Indeed it did - hot, steaming pies, roasts potatoes, chicken, an array of roast vegetables and more covered the long pal table in an impressive spread, the look and smell of it making Stefan and Rose find seats in a matter of seconds. Maxine, however, paused to greet her father, Harry standing up to hug her and kissing her on the cheek.

"Hey Max! Great to see you again. How was the journey?"

"Great thanks." She answered, smile even wider. She turned to survey the food. "I take it the food is delicious?"

"You bet." Harry grinned. "You'd better get eating, otherwise there won't be any left?" 

"I will." She answered with a laugh before returning to the other end of the table, taking a seat next to Stefan and helping herself to pie and potatoes. She heard Harry questioning Teddy about Myra, his girlfriend who cretainly had history and was a most unusual woman, having lost her memory for a spell and pulled Teddy into an investigation when she was very young. However, she didn't manage to join in the conversation as she sensed Stefan's mood just from where he sat beside her. There was a pause as she relissed both of them were silent and tension sparing between them once more. Maxine turned to him, their eyes meeting, and new instantly from the look in his eyes what the silence was about. She put down her fork, knowing there was enough noise coming from Rose, Teddy, Lily and Nina on the other side of the table, and spoke bluntly. The matter had to be dealt with.

"Stefan, just say it." 

He sighed. "Max, I don't want this to come between us. Please understand me." He looked at her. "Theon....when he said goodbye..."

"What about him?" She demanded.

Stefan looked at her, trying to find the right words. "He seemed....well, to friendly. Has anything gone on between you that I don't know about?"

"Stefan, he was just being nice." Said Maxine in a hard voice. She seemed to have no control over her reactions at the moment and didn't see how much her steely, aggressive tones affected him. "We've become good friends and there's nothing wrong with that."

"Max, we can't trust him!" Stefan burst out, luckily drowned out by Lily's squealing. "You heard what Nick said!"

"I do trust him." The words tumbled out of her mouth all at once but in a flash Stefan was looking at her in disbelief. The boy who had been with the golden twins...the people who had always attacked her, who she could never trust. The boy he had a bad feeling about, the boy who glared at him out of her sight. He opened his mouth, then closed it, sighing to himself. There was nothing he could say, he knew, to change her feelings now. Either he was right or she was, and the outcome was the only thing that would solve the feud.

Maxine saw this as well, but, stubborn as always, didn't look for a way round. Instead,mashed simply spoke after the pause and gave a solution that was a bad idea. "Look, let's just agree to disagree. Forget about Theon and not talk about him again." She looked at her friend. "It seems to be the only way."

Stefan saw the flaws in the idea. But there was nothing else for it. Maxine wasn't going to give in and neither was he. "Alright." He agreed, voice slightly stiff. He looked at her. "Theon is dead to me."

Maxine looked at her friend uneasily, then blanked his last words, turning to get more involved in the conversation about the table. Perhaps the solution would work. Because she want sure about it either. But there was no other way out of it.

Before Maxine could actually join in the dinner table conversation, however, her Mother was speaking to Stefan and she turned her attention back to him with interest.

"So how is Christmas in the Burkhardt household?" Ginny asked Stefan warmly. 

Stefan smiled at Ginny politely. "We don't do much, to be honest. My aunt and uncle are very conservative. Though when I lived with my foster parents we used to have a very German Christmas." Maxine remembered how Stefan had accounted his last Christmas to her and saw the hints in his first two sentences and understood why he then changed the subject with a question. "What do the Potters do for Christmas?"

"Oh, we're very traditional - stockings, Christmas trees, turkey-"

"-and the ball!" Maxine, Ginny and Stefan turned their heads to look at Lily, who had interrupted with the interesting Leicester of information. She smiled at Stefan and Rose cheekily. "That's what happens on Boxing Day."

Maxine took over with the explanation. "Basically all the cousins and uncles and aunts and extended family meet up, along with friends, and we have this ball at our Uncle Percy's manor." She told them. "We go with each other as friends or so on and generally have a good time." She grinned at them. "Of course, you guy'll come."

"It sounds awesome!" Rose's eyes had lit up. "I can't wait."

Stefan turned to Maxine. "Neither me."

Maxine grinned excitedly at both. "Well you don't have long to wait." She reached forward and took a piece of bread. "Tomorrow it's Christmas Eve."

"Gosh, it is as well! Only two days!" Rose exclaimed, wriggling slightly in excitement. "I'm gonna get so hyped up tomorrow."

Maxine laughed. "Same here." She tore a piece of bread off the slice and put it in her mouth. "By the way, Rose, we could invite Jack to the ball."

Rose's eyes lit up. "Really?" Maxine nodded, grinning. "It'll be awesome! Thanks so much, Maxie."

"No problem." Maxine answered with amusement. "We're meant to have dates, anyway."

Maxine didn't understand why Rose snuck a look at her after she had said the last sentence and then joined in a conversation with Albus and Teddy. Neither did she understand why Stefan kept staring at her with a thoughtful and solemn face all evening. The ball was not something big in her mind.

If only she could have entered the mind of the dark-haired, grey-eyed individual sitting next to her. Then she would have seen the explosion it had caused.