Chapter 6 ~ A Whole New Approach.

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''Hello Maxine.'' Nicholas Burkhardt greeted the gasping girl gently, face softer. His friend Monroe stood beside him, looking about warily.

''How-how did you get in?'' Maxine backed away from the man as if he were a bomb. I suppose, in her case, he was. She was watching Monroe with fear, who was avoiding eye contact. Just as she had managed to get somewhere in putting the incident behind her, it had to come back to haunt. 

''You left the door unlocked when you were dealing with the delivery man.'' Nick explained. 

''And you just thought you'd let yourself in!'' Maxine backed against the door, drawing her wand from her pocket. 

Nick shook his head as if her were ashamed. ''Look, we just need to speak to you, we knew if we came knocking you wouldn't let us in.''

''Quite right I wouldn't let you in! You're mad! You could attack me, I don't know you!'' She cried. Wand in hand, she was ready.

''Maxine you have to stop hiding.'' Nick spoke solemnly. He could see her tense up. And that's when he noticed the wand. Eyeing it warily, he continued. ''We haven't come to hurt you, attack you. I'm sorry about what happened in the shop, but we can explain. We can help.''

Maxine felt her hands sweating and her wand slipping about between her fingers. She should be attacking them, getting them out of the house. But there she was, standing frozen on the spot. ''Nothing happened.'' She denied it incredulously despite the fact that the scene was playing in her mind at that very moment. ''I don't know what you're talking about.''

Nick looked at her gravely, and Maxine felt a flush come to her cheeks. Why did he have to look at her so patronisingly? He walked towards her, but she'd had enough.

''Stop right there!'' She pointed her wand at the man's chest. He looked alarmed, and his friend was beginning to advance. She flicked her wand to point at him also. ''Get out of here, or I'll have to attack.''

Nick, hands in the air, said calmly. ''Look, Maxine, we didn't get off to a good start. Just let me speak, I can help you, I know what you're going through.''

Maxine felt a spark of hope, but she shook it out of her. She couldn't let these criminals get the better of her. 

''I don't care what you have to say to me.'' She said coldly.''Get out.''

Monroe looked at Nick, who was staring at Maxine desperately. With a sigh, Monroe flexed his neck and caught Maxine's attention as his face changed into that of the monster she had glimpsed the other day.

The reaction of the girl was immediate, her face becoming white, determination leaving her eyes. She dropped her wand and fell against the door, but Nick stopped the initial blow before she hit the floor. Hauling her up, he skidded the wand out of view and stood back from her, looking into her eyes. Maxine's gaze was full of pathetic terror as she stared at Monroe. Nick turned and nodded to his friend. In an instant, the man changed, face returning to it's normal appearance. 

Maxine shrank back once more, taking her hands to her head. Then she felt hands take them away and met Nick's gaze again.

''Maxine, you're not mad. What you just saw is real, as real as real can be.'' Nick gestured at his friend, who walked towards the two of them. ''Monroe here, is Vesen.'' He told her. Maxine's face was still scared, but Nick could see a hint of curiousity and a lot of bewilderment as well.

''Vesen are a kind of human being who are animalistic in ways, often with special sets of powers of their own.'' Nick continued. ''There are many different kinds of Wesen.''

Maxine was watching Monroe, who looked slightly awkward. ''And what kind of Vesen is he?'' 

''I'm a Blutbad.'' He took another step towards the girl, who shrank back slightly. Monroe stopped warily, but went on. ''Blutbads are kind of like wolves, and most eat meat.''

Maxine looked at Monroe warily. ''Humans?''

Monroe sighed. ''Well, yes-'' Maxine looked slightly terrified. ''-But, not me.'' Monroe continued hastily. I'm a reformed Blutbad, a kind of vegetarian.''

Maxine stood up more straight, most fear leaving her eyes now, replaced by curiousity. She believed it, believed it all, and you couldn't call it a weakness. She'd seen Monroe change, she'd seen Vesen before, only she had had no idea what they were. She felt sudden relief as she relaxed. She wasn't mad, she didn't need to go to St. Mungo's. Filled with questions, she turned to Nick.

''In the shop, you said you could see them too.'' She said. ''Can all people see them, or just you and me?''

''It's a bit difficult to explain.'' He said, creasing his brow. ''An everyday person can only see Vesen in their true form  when a Vesen vogues by choice-'' Nick saw Maxine's face flicker in question to his last statement and quickly explained. ''When a Vesen vogues, it's when they change like Monroe just did.'' He told her. ''Anyway, yes, when a Vesen chooses to vogue, anyone can see them, but when a Vesen has a surge of emotion, like the surprise that Monroe felt in the shop, and they vogue, only people like you and me can see them.''

Maxine became immeditately filled with more questions. ''People like you and me? What exactly are we?''

''There are humans in this world, like you and me, called Grimms, who can catch Vesen vogueing whether they like it or not.'' Nick explained. ''Grimms usually protect humans from Vesen, or so they did in the olden days; and they have a history for killing and beheading Vesen.''

He laughed at Maxine's face. ''Don't worry, I don't do that sort of thing. I'm kind of a modern Grimm, I'm a cop you see, and I have quite a few Vesen friends, like Monroe here.''

Maxine nodded. ''So - I'm a Grimm, yes?''

Nick nodded. ''Yes.''

Maxine looked at him curiously. ''But, there must be loads of Grimms, right? You could have helped anyone of them.'' Nick looked at her, confused. Maxine could see he wasn't following her. ''What I'm trying to say is, why did you come to speak to me? You could have just left me alone. And in the shop, you said; ''It's Her!'''' She looked at the two men closely. ''Why?''

Nick stepped forward. ''Well, that's the complicated part.'' He said. Maxine raised her eyebrows. What could be more complicated than the whole Vesen thing? 

''You see, there's kind of a neverending war going on between the two forces, each containing both Vesen, Humans and Grimms, the two fighting forces being The Resistance, and The Royals.'' He looked at Maxine, who seemed to be following him. ''Long ago, in the twelfth century, there were seven knights, the ancestors of the Grimms, who worked for the seven royal families. They discovered treasure, unknown treasure, but did not hand it over to the royals, instead hiding it in a scret place and creating a map to find it, the map being imprinted into metal and cut into seven pieces, which were also keys. Each knight took a key, handing it down the family to keep it safe and away from the Royals. However, after many centuries of bloodshed and fighting, they have managed to obtain four of the keys. Myself and my team have two, one of mine and one of anther Grimm who gave  it to me. Where the seventh key resides remains a mystery.''

Maxine couldn't help gasping. She looked up at the two men, who looked slightly surprised at this reaction. They didn't know then.

She put her hand under the high collar of her top and pulled out the chain upon which the shining metal rectangle hung. The ornament was engraved with a picture, something she'd observed many a time but never understood.

It was Nick and Monroe's turn to gasp as they realized that Maxine owned the seventh key.

''Of course.'' Breathed Monroe. ''That's also why-''

A look from Nick silenced the Blutbad. The girl had enough on her plate. The best thing to do was to accomplish what they'd come here for.

''Maxine, all I can tell you to do is keep that very, very safe.'' He told her. ''And that's not the only thing you need to to take care of.''

She raised her eyebrows, dropping the key so it once again rested on her chest. Nick put his hands on her shoulders gravely.

''Look, I can't tell you the details, but one thing's for sure, you're not safe here.'' Nick watched her seriously. ''You must go to Hogwarts, enroll there, stay there over the holidays until next summer.''

Maxine looked both alarmed and indignant. ''What? I can't, I can't go to Hogwarts! And what do you mean, I'm not safe? What am I in danger from? Anyway, hardly any people know about this place.''

''Well these people do.'' Nick said bluntly. ''You are important to them. Like I said, it's all to complicated to explain, but you have something they want, Maxine. Not the key, no. The Royals want something much more valuable to them than that.'' He sighed, but went on to deliver the serious truth. ''And they will kill you once their done.''

Maxine inhaled deeply, all questions forgotten. She looked up at Nick.

''Alright.'' She decreed solemnly. ''I'll go to Hogwarts. If I can persuade my parents.''

Nick nodded, then lightened the mood slightly by smiling. Then the house began to shake, Maxine realizing despairingly that the rest she'd have to figure out on her own. She couldn't talk to them anyone, they needed to get out of here. It was either Ginny or Harry Potter at the door and it would be disastrous if they entered the strange scene. With a wild glance at the front door, she raced past Nick and Monroe, grabbing their coats and tugging.

''Come on, you need to get out of here.'' With concerned glances the men followed, Maxine pushing them out of the back door just in time. Nick smiled at her as he slipped out of the door, though his farewell was not as cheerful as Monroe's; ''Good luck with it all girl!'', instead Nick's voice was grave and serious as he said;

''Just remember; get to Hogwarts, lie low, take care of the key.'' And with a quick wave, he followed Monroe out of the door and into the back street.

Maxine slammed the door just in time before Harry Potter entered, tired but cheerful enough.

''Have a good day?''

She paused, but gave a nod and a smile, surprising but pleasing her father. He smiled after her as she excited the kitchen, making her way up to the attic and falling onto the bed as soon as she got there. Running her hand through her dark hair, Maxine counted to three, took deep breaths and went through the extraordinary information that had been revealed to her in the hurried but revealing conversation with Nicholas Burkhardt and his friend.

One: She was a Grimm - she could see Vesen, animalistic people that looked normal until they ''Vogued'' unvoluntarily or voluntarily.

Two: For some untold reason that didn't concern the valuable piece of jewelry she owned, The Royal Families were trying to kill her.

Three: She had to persuade her parents into allowing her to attend Hogwarts.

Maxine rolled over and lay her face in the pillow, feeling surprisingly joyful. She was not mad, she was just different. Of course, only she would ever know these things, except for people like her and a few others, but it still made a difference. There was a whole new world out there just waiting for her to enter it. She opened her eyes happily, but what she saw paused the pleasant thoughts momentarily, replaced with curiousity and puzzlement. Lying upon her bedside cabinet was a book, one of those ancient looking ones that fall apart. She sat up, reaching for the volume and ignoring the picture of her grandfather and a woman who looked similar to her grandmother that she had been inspecting with intrigue earlier, the strange photograph of James Potter and a random red head clutching a violin forgotten. Upon opening, she was greeted by an even stranger picture - but a sight that she had seen before. It was a Vesen, she was sure of it, with tusks and a face like a pig. Above the picture it read ''Bauerschwein'' in old, gothic style writing. The rest of the smaller writing below it seemed to be a description, but it was in German.

Turning the pages on, Maxine came across more of the drawings, and more names and descriptions for each one. Some of the descriptions were in English, but many in German, and some in other languages like Spanish and Latin. It seemed to be a record of Vesen, or ''Wesen'' as she now knew them to be called. All the names were German, though.

She shut the book, puzzled yet overjoyed. Here was something you couldn't learn at Hogwarts. Holding the book up to examine it, the first page fell open again, and Maxine noticed some more writing, this time larger and in a more modern style. She took the book down and read the sentence.

''For Maxine Lestrange, from Nicholas Burkhardt, a fellow Grimm. Use it wisely.'' 

She smiled and hugged it to her. It was almost like a birthday present. And she would definitely use it wisely. Her love for learning was strong, and she wanted to get to work straight away. Grabbing her muggle language dictionaries, Maxine got down to buisness.