If Maia woke up that very instant, it was because of the penetrating and blinding light that hung over her.

She opened her eyes little by little, like someone waking up from a sweet dream that they did not want to escape, but when she regained consciousness and was aware that her heart was still beating, her breathing accelerated in great levels. She looked at her hands, now clean, without a drop of blood, just like her clothes, which were not even the same ones she had worn at the time of her death. What was happening?

She got up the best she could, trying to leave behind the confusion that invaded her, but it was an impossible task. She couldn't understand anything that was happening. She was alone in the middle of a whitish wasteland, though as her eyes adjusted to the light she saw that it looked like King's Cross Station. She had so many questions and so few answers.

Something caught her attention near her; something small and reddish, barely moving and making no noise. She approached, willing to find out if that being had something to do with her sudden appearance in that place, and fell back onto her rear when she saw its appearance: it was a small representation of Lord Voldemort, or, at least, his face. It was covered in blood, almost like a newborn baby, and it protected its body with its limbs. Maia swallowed, disgusted, and felt around to find her wand, not wanting to look away from the thing.

"What the hell?" She whispered to herself.

Her face twisted into a frightened grimace when she heard a voice behind her. She knew it well, so she turned around as fast as she could. "I already told Harry this, but you can't help," when Maia didn't answer, still stunned by the events, he continued: "I want to congratulate you for understanding the meaning of love and sacrifice. Your most desired wish has come true: you are your own person. Even when people around you made things difficult for you, you achieved your objectives. You've become someone to be proud of, Maia."

"What is this? Where am I?" The girl managed to say after several attempts at uncoordinated words.

Dumbledore smiled enigmatically. "You could say this is the place where we people come to die. That body you're seeing, Maia, is the part of Voldemort that lived within you. Tom wasn't aware of the fact that a part of him was living inside of you, so when he killed you, he killed his part, too."

"Does that mean he's dead now? That he has been defeated?"

The former headmaster of Hogwarts shook his head a couple of times, surrounding an increasingly confused Maia, who seemed to find no reasonable explanation for that. "I'm afraid not yet. He's killed two of his last horcruxes without knowing, but there's still something that makes him powerful. The moment his last horcrux is killed, then we all will have a chance. Harry knows, too."

"You mentioned Harry twice. Where is he? How— How have we ended up here?"

"There's an explanation for everything, young lady. You're nowhere, but, at the same time, everywhere. When the horcrux that was you was created, the spell took another life to sacrifice. A double life was formed on you, so that the superficial life is the one that has been eliminated."

"I get it now. This is all in my head, right? I'm dead and I'm imagining things that aren't happening, because I'm dead. So is Harry, that's why you've seen him, too."

"I understand these are some difficult things to comprehend. You are not dead, nor alive. You could be whichever you decide to, Maia. You have been given a second chance thanks to the sacrifice Voldemort himself made to create you." Dumbledore spoke with a conciliatory and paternal tone of voice, but doubts were piling up in the mind of the young woman, who still did not believe what was happening. "Harry is gone."

Maia's face fell. "Gone? Where?"

"That, I can't tell you, because it is simply not in my knowledge. What I can tell you," the man continued, aware of the Slytherin's bleak expression, "is what is going to happen if you decide to stay here."

The blonde approached Dumbledore when he beckoned to her, and a slight gap appeared in the air. "Do I really have a choice?"

The silver-bearded man nodded. "You do, and you will have to choose once you see what Hogwarts is right now."

And almost instantaneously, in front of her eyes, amid the mist that characterized that place, the scene about which the former director spoke so much. To say she was shocked would be an understatement; she watched from above, as if she were watching a movie, what was happening in the Hogwarts forest. The bodies of the two students, inert, lying on the ground, physically close to each other but so far away at the same time.

The Death Eaters whispered among themselves, undecided, not knowing what the next orders to follow now would be. Bellatrix took one last look at the body of her niece, a girl who probably if she saw in the streets would not say that she had been her beautiful and cunning niece; she looked like a pale, dirty girl, stained with blood and betrayal that she herself had sought. Maia, deep down, would have liked to say that Bellatrix seemed to feel some compassion for her, but she didn't.

So she was looking for comfort in the eyes of her parents. Lucius, with a scowl on his face, was holding tightly to a devastated Narcissa, who was struggling not to fall to the ground and mourn the loss of her daughter. Her blue eyes were full of pain and hidden behind the tears that did not stop coming: they had killed her little girl, her daughter, in front of her, and Narcissa, once again, had done nothing.

"Please, Lucius, Narcissa," started Tom Riddle, "do not think I'm a monster. She had brought it upon her being a traitor. You can say goodbye to her, if you please. The war is coming to an end and I feel generous."

There was some laughter from the Death Eaters, as well as a sneer on Voldemort's lips. Lucius hesitated, knowing it might be a trap, but his wife wasted no time in coming away his grip and seeking the warmth of her daughter's body.

Maia watched from above, her face contorted and her eyes filled with tears. When Narcissa touched the hair on her physical body, the blonde put her hand to her head: she had felt that touch. She felt Narcissa's presence around her, comforting her, despite everything.

"If you may, Narcissa; do me a favour and see if Harry Potter is... dead."

The matriarch shared a fearful look with Lucius, who nodded from his position, and with a stifled sob approached Harry. Maia recoiled when she saw Harry nod to something Narcissa had told her, and gasped when Narcissa lied, saying he was dead.

"Harry is alive!" Maia shouted to Dumbledore. "How is this possible? Am I really not dead? Is this really happening?"

Dumbledore smiled wistfully. "You're just as confused as the poor boy was, do not worry. Just because you think this is happening in your head does not mean it's not real."

Maia nodded to herself, trying to understand the professor's words, but was distracted when she looked back at nothing. "What are they doing to us?"

"Voldemort has killed you, so they're taking you to Hogwarts to show the rest of them they do not stand a chance. He wants to prove the prophecy is no longer alive, see the faces of those who trusted you to defeat him, but you didn't. He's forcing Lucius to carry your body as a punishment."

"But why isn't Harry waking up? Show them he's not dead?"

"Because he's waiting for the right moment to do so. As you should."

Dumbledore motioned for her to look again. The Death Eaters had arrived at the Hogwarts courtyard, now in ruins, filled with the students and members of the school and the Order of the Phoenix who were left alive or who could stand. They all looked terribly tired, eager to get home and see that it had all been a dream, deeply desolate.

The reactions followed, when Voldemort made sure that everyone saw exactly the bodies of the boy who lived and the young woman who was able to betray his own in that way. The murmurs and cries of disbelief were not long in coming, coupled with timid sobs from people who could not believe this.

"Ginny ..."

Maia suddenly burned with the desire to get out of that dream, nightmare or whatever it was she was living in order to be with her and tell her that everything was fine, not to believe what was before her eyes. Arthur had to hold her with all his strength so that the young woman did not cross the courtyard and reach the body of the deceased Malfoy, still in the arms of her father, who did not dare even look at her. She heard her scream in pain against her father's chest, causing Maia's heart to sink even further.

"Where is Draco? I can't see him with my parents."

"That's because he's not with them. Yet."

Suddenly, blond hair, almost white, stood out from the crowd. His black suit was burned, ripped, even with a hole in his fabric. His hair was disheveled, stuck to his forehead, and his neck was covered in sweat. However, the most chilling thing were his eyes, his deep gray eyes, wide open when they glimpsed the body of his twin sister in his father's arms.

He shook the people in front of him dryly. His world was about to collapse, he almost had to regain his balance because he thought he would pass out right there.

Maia realized that Voldemort seemed satisfied with Draco's escape to his side, but really the boy just wanted to see if that was true: if his sister was really dead. His eyes filled with tears when he saw the lifeless body of what had been his soul mate.

"What have you done to her?" His voice sounded thin, weak, almost whispering, but the screams he gave to his father were not so disguised. "What did you do to her?! How could you even lay a finger on her...?"

Maia couldn't hear any more of that conversation no matter how close she got to the point of nowhere where the scene came from. Draco's figure was cracking, as if losing the connecting thread of the other world. She looked scared at Dumbledore, who was already looking back at her.

"What is happening?"

"You've already decided. The scene is fading because you're ready to be living it. In just a matter of time, you will disappear from here, and so will I."

"Wait, wait, no! Can you tell me if we're gonna make it?"

"I do not know that. That depends on you. It has been truly a pleasure, miss Malfoy."

"No! Wait!"

She needed more answers, but the figure of the old headmaster gradually disappeared into the mist, until finally only the memory remained. Maia felt a strange but comforting tingling in the palms of her hands, then her cheeks, and finally her legs. She realized then that Dumbledore was right: he had been the first to disappear, but now it was her turn; it was as if she saw herself fading, so she closed her eyes and surrendered to that tickling sensation.

Suddenly she was no longer in that limbo. Her eyes remained closed, but she felt the presences of all around her. Without her being able to see him, Draco was still watching her, his lips parted not knowing what to say, his eyes filled with tears and his hand trembling, trying to touch her face but not daring to do so. Narcissa fought not to collapse upon seeing that scene, and Lucius seemed oblivious to it all, which infuriated Draco immensely.

Everything happened very quickly. The first thing Maia heard were screams of surprise mixed with cries of disbelief.

"Potter?" Draco muttered right in front of her, and then the blonde knew it was time.

Maia jumped out of her father's arms as fast as she could, with renewed strength, almost as if she had been born again. There were more screams. This time from Voldemort: he hadn't even killed one of his targets, what had been the problem, what had gone wrong? Tom Riddle cast spells at the blonde, as Harry had escaped his attacks, and the Slytherin dodged as deftly as she could the rays of light that were thrown at her.

Once again, she didn't turn around to see her family's reactions. She had no time to lose, she couldn't just comfort them and give them an explanation, she had to hurry up and kill that damned snake for everything to end.

"Maia!" Her brother yelled behind her. She heard Draco stumble and trip over the large amount of stone on the ground, but he managed to get to his feet. "Wait!"

"Draco, come here right now," the girl heard her father's voice, once powerful, now reduced to nothing. Come here! We have to go."

The blond shot a contemptuous look at the man he had so admired years ago. "As much as I appreciate your concern, father," he spat, "I won't abandon my sister like you did."

Maia was already far from that scene, but her heart swelled with pride as she heard her brother finally rebel against their father and choose her. The girl had already disappeared inside the castle, so Draco decided to follow her, but did not see that Narcissa was also running towards the Hogwarts grounds, ready to sacrifice everything for her two children to get out of that skirmish alive.

Lucius seemed not to choose the same. He saw around him how the Death Eaters were disappearing little by little from the castle, tired of that fight that already seemed pointless, and he followed the same path as his now former companions, leaving what had been his family to their fate.

Even though the crowd had decided to take refuge inside the castle, the corridors where Maia wandered were deserted. She could still see the occasional bodies lying, leaning on the cold walls, and a chill ran through her body every time she understood the truth: she was never going to see them alive again.

She searched for Harry intensely, desperately. She knew that if she called out his name Voldemort would find her, so she chose to try to communicate with him through the connection that united them, but she finally understood that it had disappeared as soon as Tom had eliminated the horcruxes they shared. She had to find the boy as soon as possible, they had to get rid of the snake.

She hid her body behind the fallen columns, behind the rubble, but there was no way to find the Gryffindor. She feared the worst for a second, so she decided to return to the Great Hall in case Voldemort had been the first to find Harry. She dodged several couples fighting again, feeling guilty for not being able to stay and help them, until she entered the dining room. She looked around her and saw, with relief, that Draco had lost track of her: she did not want to endanger him for another minute.

"Look who we have here!" A lively voice yelled from behind her. Bellatrix was watching her carefully, that sick smile on her lips. Maia knew she couldn't run from her forever, but she tried that time, and found a spell that knocked her to the ground. "You're not going anywhere, missy. Maybe the Lord didn't kill you, but that only means I will have a chance to do so myself."

Bellatrix gave an icy laugh before cursing her niece, who managed to get to her feet before she collided with her. She defended herself as best she could, knowing that her aunt was eager to put an end to her life. Had she ever really loved her?, the girl thought, but instantly dismissed that question: she was about to kill her, she had never seen her as anything more than a companion to her cause.

She knew there were big duels taking place in the dining room, so she ran as fast as she could to lure Bellatrix away from there. Her aunt fell into her trap, noticing the young traitor before any other student, and released the rest who might have fought Bellatrix.

"NO! Leave her alone!" A female voice screeched behind them.

Ginny turned the same corner that Bellatrix and Maia had made, who was watching her from the ground, terrified.

Bellatrix laughed again. "You got yourself a little lover? And a Weasley! I thought I taught you better than this."

"You have me, Bellatrix. You can do whatever you wish to me, kill me, but let her go. She has nothing to do with this. This is between you and me."

"Oh, does little Malfoy have feelings? How sweet," Bellatrix looked Ginny up and down, who was shaking, deeply scared for the life of the girl in front of her. "I think we can have a bit of fun, can't we? Imperio."

Maia's body jerked, her head thrown back, and when they met, Maia's eyes were an even lighter shade than usual. "No! Don't do this to her, she's your niece!" Ginny screamed in a desperate attempt to appeal to feelings that didn't even exist.

As an answer, the Death Eater laughed again. Ginny watched Maia, feelings mixed between confusion and fear. The Slytherin was powerful enough to end any of their lives in the blink of an eye, what if she didn't recognize her? Maia could be about to do something that she would regret for the rest of her life when she woke up from that trance.

The Slytherin's face remained impassive, as if she was not aware of what was happening around her, as if she were a simple robot that would follow any order of its creator. She raised her wand and, with a grunt, made a red bolt slam into the wall behind Ginny. The wall collapsed and was shattered in a matter of seconds, at which the redhead screamed in dread.

"That's what I like to see," Bellatrix leaned close to Maia's ear, who was still oblivious to everything. "If only you were a bit just like me... You and me would have done great, great things."

Maia simply nodded.

"She's nothing like you and she should be proud of it. You're a monster!" Ginny cried out, her eyes watering due to helplessness. "Look what you're doing to your own family."

"Stupid girl!" Hissed Bellatrix. "You don't know what you're talking about."

As if activated by a spring, feeling Bellatrix's fury, Maia moved for the first time in a long while. Ginny didn't know what to do: if she should stay and try to get the blonde back, or if, being prudent, she should flee and save her life. She kept thinking about it until Maia raised her wand and tried to disarm her, but the redhead quickly protected herself, just as the girl who was trying to hurt her had taught her.

"Maia, please," tried the Weasley one last time. "You're so much more than this. I know you're there, please, wake up and fight it. I know you can."

But it was in vain. Maia raised her wand and headed back at the younger one, causing a joyous laugh from Bellatrix, who watched from a distance, amused. She seemed oblivious to reality, to what was happening between four other walls far from that corridor, concentrating on managing her niece at her mercy, who kept casting spells that Ginny managed to stop and deflect so as not to hurt her. However, she had no luck with the latter; it impacted her shoulder and she dropped the wand in pain.

It was then that she tried to escape, knowing herself outnumbered. But Maia prevented it: she disappeared from Bellatrix's side like lightning and reappeared at the exit of the hall, where Ginny was trying to escape. Bellatrix followed suit, following the path of disaster left by her niece.

The redhead collided with the slender body of the Slytherin, who was gazing at her from a few inches above, her arms crossed over her chest, an imperious look on her face and her lips pursed downward, where a wound lay that made them look more plump than usual. Ginny backed away once more, scared and unarmed. Her back hit the wall and Maia moved closer to her, but not in the way Ginny would have liked.

This is my end, she thought. She should have listened to her father, who had told her to stay in the Common Room, where no one could enter...

One last attempt occurred to her. It probably wouldn't work, because Maia had already heard her voice and hadn't recognized her, but it was worth a try: if she was going to die, she'd rather say goodbye to life that way.

Ginny put her hand on the back of Maia's neck and kissed her. She felt the same old tingling in her stomach, her heart racing and a gentle vibration on the blonde's lips, which seemed to be warmer than normal. "Look at me," Ginny whispered close to her mouth when she pulled away from her.

Maia seemed to obey, studying the redhead's brown eyes. The girl blinked, as if that gesture hadn't bothered her at all, but she hadn't been moved by it either, for Ginny hadn't noticed any movement against her lips as there usually was.

"Kill her." Bellatrix whispered, and Maia seemed to have felt it in her ear.

Maia brushed away a tear that rolled down Ginny's cheek almost delicately, as the redhead's chest rose and fell rapidly. "What you don't seem to understand, Bellatrix, is that it was yourself who taught me how to resist an Imperio curse." The blonde stated without taking her eyes off the Gryffindor's.

She exhaled a breath that she had been holding for a long time, and her heart skipped a beat when she felt the corners of her girlfriend's lips lift slightly. She felt a rush of energy around her: Maia had put a shield on them, knowing that Bellatrix would be enraged and want to attack them as soon as possible.

So it was. The beam of light bounced off Maia's back, who shielded the younger girl with her body. Bellatrix dodged her own spell with agility and attacked again, this time with more aggressive curses. Maia pushed them away with great skill, almost as if it were putting no strain on her even though the horcrux that lived in her and made her so powerful had disappeared.

The reality was very different from what the girl showed. She was incredibly tired, both physically and mentally. She hadn't stopped to think about it, but she didn't want to either: she had faced Eden's death at the hands of her aunt, she had given herself to Voldemort and sacrificed her life for the wellbeing of all, she had known that Remus and Tonks had died. She had had to understand Dumbledore's words, she could say, in a parallel world, and now she was fighting her own aunt to defend her girlfriend. Her strength was decreasing at times, her magic was not an unlimited source and it was beginning to show.

So, at a time when she hesitated, Bellatrix seized her opportunity: "Crucio!"

And Maia's body fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Bellatrix had taught her many things, but the pain of that unforgivable curse was not one of those. It had even been Lestrange herself who had inflicted crucios on her long ago, perhaps that was why she had never told her how to avoid the pain of those invisible daggers piercing her skin and controlling her mind as she wished.

Through her own grunts of pain she heard Ginny's affected voice, who crouched next to her, alert in case Bellatrix tried to attack, with the intention of releasing her from that pain. But neither the caresses nor the words of the redhead could avoid the tears of pure pain that descended by the cheeks of the Malfoy.

Narcissa Malfoy arrived on the scene just in time. She saw with a frightened gesture how her daughter thrashed on the ground, exploding in a scream that was music to Bellatrix's ears, as she decided to attack the already fragile body of her niece again.

"Bellatrix! It's my DAUGHTER!" Narcissa wasted no time rushing to her daughter's aid. "You will not lay a finger on any of my children. Stop this immediately."

"I cannot do that, Cissy... She's a traitor, you know that—"

Narcissa's scream reverberated down the hall. "I do not care about your stupid beliefs! It's my daughter we are talking about, and I will not let you harm my child. Ever again."

Narcissa felt rage and fury take over her being when she heard the slight sobs escaping from her daughter's lips growing weaker and weaker.

It could have been a decision she would regret that day, maybe not now, but later. Or maybe she never regretted it, but that stopped Maia's pain forever. So she raised her wand and cast a spell that she had never used before, but that made Bellatrix disappear from the face of the earth.

The pain was gradually disappearing from the body of the young Slytherin, who took a deep breath to gain the control she had lost. Narcissa approached her as if she had not just ended her own sister's life, trying to hide the shaking of her hand, which she rested on her daughter's back. Maia sat up as best she could, her face taking on a crimson hue from the mixture of sensations that were taking over her at that moment.

And Maia began to cry like a little girl, like never before.

well done, my fellow Americans 💙💙💙