t w e n t y _ f o u r

"Bye Cho! Bye Nigel!" Maeve hugged the three as they got on to the Hogsmeade Train Station. 

"Bye, Maeve." Cho grinned, hugging her back as Nigel joined in. "I just hope I can figure out the Patronus Charm over the holidays." 

"Please." Nigel scoffed. "If Neville could cast Expelliarmus, you can definitely produce a Patronus." 

"I've got to agree with him." Maeve chuckled before she glanced behind Cho's shoulder. "I'll see you both after break, yeah?" 

"Yepp! Bye May!" Nigel grinned before walking off with Cho. 

"Merry Christmas!" Maeve called as they disappeared into the crowd. 

"I didn't know you were friends with Cho and that Gryffindor." Pansy blinked confusedly and Maeve's eyes widened. 

"Uh, yeah. Cho and I have been pretty close recently and Nigel just joined the frog choir..." 

Pansy gave her a skeptical look before shrugging it off. "Where are Blaise, Daph and Theo anyway? We're supposed to be riding together." 

"I don't know but let's go find them." Maeve grinned, grabbing her hand and leading Pansy to the train. She had only taken about two steps when Pansy suddenly left her hand. "What's wrong?" the brunette asked, slightly hurt by Pansy's embarrassed expression. 

"Nothing. It's just that we're in public. Holding hands doesn't seem like the best idea..." Pansy  trailed off, looking at her feet. 

"Right." Maeve said, her lips forming a line before she saw Theodore and Daphne waving at them through one of the compartment windows. "Well I see them. Come on then, we don't want to be late." she said quietly before lugging her bags ahead. 

It was almost sunset. They were ten minutes away from King's Cross Station. Theodore and Daphne had fallen asleep on each other and Blaise was in Draco's compartment next door, discussing Quidditch strategies. 

Maeve had been pretty much silent the entire ride, pretending to be invested in reading her Potions Textbook. But her min was too focused on Pansy's words at Hogsmeade to even think about Wiggenweld Potion. 

"You're upset with me." Pansy sighed and Maeve looked up from her book at the girl's voice. 

"No I'm not." she shrugged simply. 

"It wasn't a question, Prissy." 

Maeve sat silently, choosing not to say anything. 

"I'm breaking up with him the second we come back from Christmas Break, you know."

"And you still won't want to hold my hand in public." Maeve frowned, looking away. 

Before Pansy could think of an actual response, Cedell burst through the door. "There you are! Come on, we get off in five minutes." 

"Someone's excited to meet mum and dad." Pansy chuckled, trying to ease the tension between her and Maeve. 

"I wouldn't blame him. He's seeing his parents for the first time after moving to a whole new continent." Maeve stood up, tucking her book into her satchel. "You go on, Ced. We'll meet you by the nearest exit." she said calmly, shaking Theodore and Daphne. 

The two woke up with a start. 

"Wake up, sleepyheads. We're here." Pansy mocked. 

"Yeah, Cedell is really excited to see his parents. We've got to leave early." Maeve frowned. 

"Wait, huh?" Daphne asked, still a little disoriented as she stood up. "Okay then. Goodbye." she hugged Maeve and Pansy before collapsing onto her seat and snoring softly. 

"Wasn't that something." Maeve said with an amused expression. 

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she gets off safely." Theodore laughed, hugging the two. "Goodbye, then. Merry Christmas." 

Cedell was already five steps ahead of them; walking fast for the exit. The fast walk became a full on sprint as he spotted his parents in the distance. 

"Hey Clint. Hi Cynthia." Maeve grinned, coming to a stop in front of them with Pansy by her side. 

"Took you long enough, kid." Clint laughed, wrapping her into a bear hug. 

"Who's this?" Cynthia asked, looking at Pansy. 

"I'm Pansy Parkinson. Maeve's girlfriend. Nice to meet you." she smiled politely, extending her hand towards Cynthia. Maeve's eyes widened as she looked at Pansy who gave her a nervous smile. She couldn't help but smile back. 

"Woah wait a second. You two are dating?" Cedell asked, incredulously.

"Ced, that's not very polite." Cynthia frowned, shaking Pansy's hand. "Nice to meet you, Pansy. I'm Cynthia, Maeve's step-mother." 

"Yeah, she's told me a lot about you guys." Pansy answered, looking between her and Clint. "It's nice to finally see you." 

"Likewise, Pansy. Well let's get going then. Julia will have our heads if we're late." he clapped his hands enthusiastically and everyone got into the car. 

Maeve was the first to rush out of the vehicle, sprinting up the stairs all the while trying to fish out her house keys. Fumbling a little, she unlocked the door, running inside the apartment; ecstatic at the thought of meeting her godmother after so long. 

The Hufflepuff headed straight for the study, stopping abruptly as she heard voices inside. 

"Please don't do this. I didn't tell anyone anything. I'm loyal, I swear." Julia's voice trembled and Maeve froze. 

"Mhmm. I'm not really one for talking. Traitors like you deserve no easy death. You thought I'd simply end you with the Killing Curse?" a male voice scoffed. 

"Please. It's been hours. Ple-"

"Crucio." 

Maeve screamed, throwing open the door, just as she saw Julia screaming and writhing on the floor, her arms tied behind her back. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as she saw Julia turn to her just in time, the woman's eyes widening a mere second before Maeve heard her scream louder. 

"Just kill me!" Julia yelled. Maeve saw that there were not one but three wizards on the other end of the study. 

Maeve felt as if someone had just punched her in the stomach. There was no mistaking it. The person who'd shot the spell was no other than Cassius Parkinson. And beside him were Rose Parkinson and Bellatrix Lestrange. The Death Eaters' eyes widened as soon as they saw the girl and they furled into smoke before floating out through the open window. 

"Maeve, wha-" Clint asked worriedly before his eyes went to Julia and his words stopped in his mouth. 

"Get back here!" Maeve yelled in blind rage as she pulled out her wand, more than ready to jump out of the window. She would've done it too if Clint hadn't held her back. "Let me go!" she screamed, kicking in the man's grasp, "Come back here you filthy bastard!" she yelled. "I said let me fucking go, Clint." she struggled, her voice cracking. "Let me go." her voice suddenly decreased to a whimper as Clint wrapped his arms around her, hushing her in comfort as she broke down, taking her to Julia. 

"Clint, why is May shouting?" Cynthia asked, running up before a gasp left her. 

Two pairs of footsteps followed, signaling Pansy and Cedell had arrived as well. 

_____

"So walk us through it. You came back home from Hogwarts for Christmas." a female Auror asked calmly as Maeve sat on one of the armchairs in the living room, her fingers clasped tightly. 

"I was the first to leave the car. Julia is... was my godmother. I was excited to see her. So I left everyone behind." she mumbled and the Auror nodded for her to continue. 

"She's usually in her study at this time, so that's where I headed. I heard a few voices outside the door..."

"Do you remember what they said?" 

Maeve nodded. "The first voice I heard was Julia's. She said something along the lines of... 'Please don't do this. I didn't say anything."

"Then the other man said, 'Mhmm, I'm not really one or talking. I won't kill you simply by the Killing Curse.'" she shut her eyes, remembering the sentence word for word. "Jules begged for him to stop. And then he cast the Cruciatus Curse." she opened her eyes again. "I burst open the door. And Julia was lying there with cuts all over her body, bleeding into the red carpet. Then the Death Eaters saw me and left through the window."

"Do you think you could identify any of them?" the Auror asked. 

"One of them was Fenrir Greyback. I'm sure of it." Maeve replied solemnly. 

"And the other two?" 

Maeve looked behind the Auror's shoulder, where Pansy was helping Cynthia make some tea for the girl. As if sensing that Maeve was staring at her, Pansy looked up at her and gave her a reassuring smile. 

Maeve gulped, looking away as she shook her head. "No. I didn't know the names of any of them." 

"Do you think you could identify them if I showed you photos of them?" the Auror asked, turning to her file and pulling out about seven photos. 

Maeve was able to identify six of those photos. Rose and Cassius were there amongst Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, along with Igor Karkaroff who she remembered from the Triwizard Tournament. And then there was Sirius Black. Maeve remebered him, Ron and Hermione explaining to the D.A. that Sirius was Harry's godfather. 

"These are all dark wizards who sided with You-Know-Who during the first wizarding war." the Auror explained. "Do the faces ring any bells?" 

Maeve shook her head no. "They don't, sorry." 

The Auror nodded, putting the photos away, no doubt a little disappointed, before getting up and walking to Clint. They talked for a few seconds, glancing at Maeve and then walked into Julia's bedroom. 

Maeve looked at the other interrogator who was now speaking to Cynthia. She immediately went to her bag, ripping open some wrapping paper from the gift she'd bought for Cedell. Extendable Ears. They would be perfect. Once again, making sure the others were busy, Maeve put one of the ears by the doorknob and went into her room, which was right next to Julia's. And then she sat quietly and listened. 

"Are you sure?" Clint's voice asked worriedly. 

"Yes. I'm sure. What Ms. Kingston heard further proves my point." 

"I don't buy it. Julia was best friends with Raine, Maeve's mother-" Clint protested in frustration, "- who was also killed by a Death Eater. They were friends ever since their school years. Julia would never betray Raine like that." 

"Sir," the Auror stated firmly, "With all due respect, from the conversation it is obvious the Death Eaters didn't just march in and decide to torture the witch. I ask you, what possible business might a Ministry Worker have had with Bellatrix Lestrange?" 

There was silence. 

"From what your daughter has informed me, I have concluded that the Death Eaters came because they thought Julia had snitched. And while we did get a tip about Mr. Goyle a few days ago, it was from a known associate of mine. He's in Azkaban at the moment. This means Julia had no intentions of being a spy for the Ministry. Futhermore, we have received some witness statements from the muggle police about a witch matching her description, along with Gartier Goyle and Fenrir Greyback." 

"What you're saying makes sense. It's just a really tough pill to swallow." Clint sighed. "What are you going to do with her?" 

"Well, as soon as she's discharged from St. Mungo's, she'll be taken to Azkaban."

"Maeve wouldn't be able to handle the truth. Is it okay to tell her that Julia passed away at the Hospital? She loved her so much - she would break if she knew Julia was a Death Eater." 

The ear fell from Maeve's hands as her face went pale. She knew exactly what she had to do.

_____

Maeve slowly crept out of bed, careful not to wake Pansy. She put her shoes on quietly, placing a soft kiss on Pansy's forehead before leaving for St. Mungo's. The Auror had followed through with what Clint had told her, informing everyone that Julia had in fact, passed away. But Maeve knew better.

She crept into the quiet hospital, making sure her robe was covering her face. It was easy to spot the room Julia was in – because there were two Aurors standing guard outside it. As inexperienced as she was compared to them, she was sure they were just trying to keep Julia from leaving. They weren't on the lookout for someone who wanted to go inside.

Peeking behind a corner, she aimed her wand carefully at the two wizards.

"Expelliarmus." she flicked her wands and the wands flew out of their robes and a good ten feet from them.

"Huh?" one of the guards jerked up, shaking the other awake. "What just happened? Kurt, wake up."

Maeve took a silent breath, aiming at a spot on the conscious Auror's neck. 'The carotid artery', Madame Pomfrey had told her when a Quaffle had hit Cedric once, 'One hit there and that would be enough to knock someone unconscious. No permanent damage, he'll be up in a few hours, don't worry Ms. Kingston'. "Depulso."

The second the spell hit him there, he fell down with a thud. The other guard stirred awake from the sound. "What the-"

"Depulso." Maeve shot another spell, knocking the other guard out as well.

"I'm sorry." she cringed, looking down at the two men and pulling them into the room, and closing the door behind her.

"May?"

Maeve sharply turned her head towards Julia and smiled. "Hi, Jules."

"Wh-What are you doing here?" the woman gasped, sitting up.

"Rescuing you of course." Maeve grinned, before taking her hand in the woman's. "They said you're a Death Eater. They're going to put you in Azkaban as soon are you're in good condition. Probably this afternoon." she explained. "Obviously, I don't believe them. There's no way you'd be one. You wouldn't." Maeve said confidently.

Julia's mouth dropped, still trying to figure out the workings of the moment.

"But we can't take you back home – or anywhere in London, really, and we don't have much time before they wake up." she explained quickly, looking behind at the two guards.

"May did you-"

"They're fine. Just unconscious. No lasting consequences." the Hufflepuff waved her hand absentmindedly.

"As I said. Not much time. It's already 4:30 A.M."

"What are you planning?" Julia asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Can you apparate us to Hogsmeade? It'll buy us some time and I'll explain my plan once we reach."

"You have a plan?" Julia asked, shocked.

"I'm not as daft as I look Jules." Maeve scoffed. "So can you or not?"

Julia gulped and stood up. "Okay. Give me your hand."

Maeve shut her eyes tight. She had never apparated with someone before. The experience wasn't half as exciting as the concept of it. The next thing she knew, she was doubling over, almost ready to throw up in front of Madame Pudifoot's Teashop.

Once she'd recovered, she started walking to Hogwarts.

"So what exactly is this plan of yours?" Julia asked, keeping up with her as they walked along the snowy path.

"We're going to Hogwarts." Maeve explained.

"Obviously. But you're not going to hide me in your dorm, are you?"

"Of course not. There's this place on the seventh-floor, called the Room of Requirement. We can keep you hidden there for now." she explained as the approached the castle.

"It's been a while since I've been here. Brings up a lot of memories with your mom." Julia sighed, looking around.

"Really? Did you guys spend a lot of time together?"

"Yes. Inseparable, we were." Julia laughed lightly.

Trudging up all the seven flights of stairs, just before they were about to turn the corner, Maeve thought hard about what she wanted.

And when she turned, her lips spread into a smile as a door appeared.

She ran to it, stepping inside before beckoning Julia. "Come in before anyone spots us."

"Didn't think this is how I would be spending Christmas Eve this year. This place is wonderful." Julia chuckled, walking in as Maeve closed the door behind her. The room was bright and airy. "

"Neither did I." Maeve admitted, walking to Julia.

She had to make sure for herself.

"Maeve what are you-" So, a little conflicted, she pulled Julia's sleeve up to her elbow. And she saw the mark. It was quite noticeable. She took a deep breath, lowering the sleeve before looking out the window sadly. This was the same woman she had considered her closest family. Hell, she even looked up to Julia. She had known the woman longer than she had known her own mother.

She stepped away immediately, putting a good distance between them. "How long?"

"Maeve, I can explain-" Julia said hurriedly, but Maeve cut her short.

"How long have you been a Death Eater?" she asked calmly.

Silence.

"Twenty years." Julia replied, looking away.

"So when my mom was killed..."

"I knew." Julia answered, this time, looking straight into Maeve's eyes. They had a look of a murdered in them, a look Maeve had never seen in her life. "I planned it, even, to prove my loyalty to them."

"Why?" Maeve asked, a stubborn tear escaping through her eyes. "Why would you do this to her? To me?"

"Because your mother, wasn't an actual wizard. She was a phony. You're lucky you're a half-blood." Julia almost spit out. "But this doesn't explain why you brought me here. Why not let the Ministry have me?"

Maeve hardened her exterior, knowing full well she wasn't going to regret things. "Because the Ministry is the law. I want justice." she scowled.

"What are you going to do? Kill me? You don't have what it takes." Julia scoffed as if it was the funniest thing ever.

"You're right, I don't." Maeve agreed as the room started growing dark. She opened the door behind her. "But they are." the brunette grinned, looking at something behind Julia.

The Death Eater turned around, gasping as she came face to face with three Dementors looming around her.

"I told you, I'm not as daft as I fucking look, Julia." Maeve turned. "Merry Christmas." 

"No, May, we can talk about this. Wait!" Julia shrieked running towards her as the Hufflepuff closed the door behind her, locking it.

Maeve walked down the hallway silently, ignoring Julia's cries for help as the sound of the gramophone in the Great Hall playing 'Silent Night' sounded in the background. 

Word Count: 3007