Things went downhill very quickly for Hogwarts. Dumbledore was nowhere to be found and Umbridge basically took over the entire school. The walls weren't filled with talking portraits of old people, and no student was allowed to be within eight inches of each other. What kind of rule was that?

So, in conclusion, Hogwarts had turned into a living hell. All the tables in the Great Hall were replaced with individual desks that only took up a quarter of the room. She would sit at the front on her throne, drinking tea and inhaling the smell of power she had finally won. Because Dumbledore's Army was now over, she put every single one of the members in detention. She was making us do lines with her special quills. I could already feel a sharp pain in my hand. I was silently crying to myself. She was making me write the same thing over again. It was not a nice line.

Max Potter is a slut. Max Potter is a slut. Max Potter is a slut. Max Potter is a slut.

When detention was over, everyone had something written on their hand. Mine was the worst, probably. Cho was the only member who wasn't in detention with us. Harry was mad at her. When we were leaving, he went past her, ignoring her completely. There was no doubt that he would never forgive her for what she said about me. I was happy about that. It showed that he cared about me more than I thought he did.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were already in the Gryffindor Common Room when I came in. They were sitting by the fire, comparing each other's hands. I sat down beside Harry and looked at this hand.

"Let me see yours." I showed him my hand and he winced at it. "Max..."

"This is illegal. She can't do this to us," Hermione told us.

"I know. But it's too late now. Dumbledore's gone and she's basically taken over Hogwarts." I sighed and looked into the fire. "There's no hope anymore."

*******

The only thing that was on our minds was how messed up Hogwarts was right now and how everything else was messed up as well. Nothing would ever be the same. Especially since Voldemort was back. And we were his main targets.

"I can't believe it," Hermione said. "She won. She's finally at power. Even Dumbledore didn't see this coming."

"Harry and Max did everything they could," Ron added. "No one could win against that old hag. If it's anyone's fault, it's ours. We talked you two into the whole Dumbledore's Army."

"But we agreed," I reminded him then sighed in frustration. "We tried so hard to help. And all it's done is make things worse. It doesn't matter anymore. I'm tired of playing. All it does is make you care too much, and the more you care, the more you have to lose. I've already lost so much. I think it's just better to..."

"To what?" Hermione asked.

"To go alone," Harry answered. Before he could say more there was Hagrid standing there.

"Hagrid?" I said.

"Shh! Follow me!" He started walking away from the castle.

Why we agreed to go with him, I had no idea. But it had to be something important. Otherwise, he wouldn't be sneaking around.

When we got to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, I stopped.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Are we really going in here? It's dangerous."

"Don't worry. I'll hold your hand if you get scared," he said in a teasing tone.

"Shut up." I hit his arm as he chuckled at me.

"You never fail to make me laugh."

"I think that's what we need these days."

"I don't disagree."

"Does anyone have any idea where he's taking us?" Ron asked.

"Hagrid, why can't you just tell us?" Hermione asked.

But Hagrid ignored her question as the sound of hoofbeats was approaching. An entire army of centaurs were running.

"I've never seen the centaurs so riled," Hagrid commented. "They're dangerous at the best of times. The Ministry restricts their territory much more they'll have a full uprisin' on their hands."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"I don' mean to be so mysterious. I wouldn' bother yeh at all with it. But yeh four were the only ones I can trus' with Dumbledore gone. It's likely I'll be gettin' sacked any day now. And I just couldn' leave without tellin' someone abou' him."

"About who?" Ron asked.

That was when the answer was right above our heads. Literally.

"Grawp! Down here, yeh great buffoon! I brought yeh some company!"

The giant looked down at us and came sprinting towards us. The four of us started running backwards and finally stopped when we realized that he was tied to a tree.

"I couldn' jus' leave him, because he's my half-brother," Hagrid informed us.

"Half-brother?" Harry and I repeated.

"He's completely harmless. Just a little high-spirited."

Suddenly, Hermione tripped and pulled on my arm so she wouldn't lose her balance. We screamed as Grawp grabbed both of us with his giant hands.

"Grawp, that is not polite!" Hagrid yelled.

"Hagrid, do something!" Ron shouted.

Hagrid was yelling up at his half-brother while Hermione and I just stared at the giant in fear. Ron tried to hit him with a big stick, but only tripped and fell.

"Grawp!" Hermione yelled, pointing her finger at him with her shaky hand. "Put us down. Now."

To our surprise, he placed us back on the ground.

"You two okay?" Ron asked us.

"We're fine. Just needs to be put in his place, is all," I replied.

"I think you've got an admirer," Harry told Hermione.

"It's about time since Ron refuses to make a move on her," I commented.

Harry and I started laughing.

"Oh, shut up, you two," he said.

"Yeh will look after him, won't you?" Hagrid asked. "I'm the only family he's got." Harry nodded.

How could we say no to that? Harry and I knew how it felt to have so little family left alive. Plus, Hagrid was our closest friend. We were the closest people he trusted when Dumbledore was gone. If he lost Grawp...he would be devastated. It would kill him to pieces. And I knew how that felt. It wasn't a good feeling at all.

"Yeh guys are the best, yeh know that?" Hagrid smiled at us.

We smiled awkwardly back and looked at the giant before us. I really hoped he was no trouble at all.

*******

"The only family he's got," Ron repeated. "Kind of sad, don't you think?"

"A little," Hermione replied. "Not having a lot of family alive is difficult."

"Wouldn't we know," I mumbled under my breath.

"We had to tell him yes," Harry said. "He would've been heartbroken if we told him no. Hagrid is our friend, and he trusts us."

Harry had a point. He always had a point. Like Hermione. Ron had his moments, but they were rare. I was sort of in between.

The trio decided to go back to the Gryffindor Tower early while I decided to go to the library. I grabbed my stuff from my bed and headed back out. I had a Defense Against the Dark Arts essay due tomorrow, and I was far from finishing it. With the new rules and nightly detentions, I wasn't able to study or finish any of my homework. The worst part was that our O.W.L.s were tomorrow and I was somewhat prepared. Luckily, Umbridge didn't ban the library or change the times we could be in there. Hermione would protest about that if they ever did that for sure.

I sat down at a back table so no one could see me and dumped all of my shit all over the table. I spread everything out and got to working on my essay. I didn't think the teachers knew what was more important. Studying for our O.W.L.s or finishing an essay in one night.

I was halfway done when I heard voices again.

Voldemort may be after something. Something he didn't have last time.

Maxine...Maxine...

Avada Kedavra!

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I broke down in the back of the library, screaming and crying. Something was wrong with me. I knew something was wrong with me. Ever since Voldemort returned, he had been doing nothing but torturing Harry and me. This, by far, was the worst year yet. It was unbearable, a nightmare. I wanted to crawl in a corner and die. It seemed as if Voldemort was consuming me and he was succeeding so far. Occlumency was something I wasn't good at. Harry wasn't good at it, either. If Voldemort was trying to take over our minds, he was doing a good job.

"Hey!" I felt someone shaking me. "It's okay! It's me!"

I stopped screaming and looked at a blond boy through my tear-stained eyes. "Draco?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Are you alright?"

"I...I don't know." I looked around, making sure I was still in the library. "Is he gone?"

"Is who gone?"

"Him."

"Who is him?"

I paused for a moment and then replied, trying to whisper, despite the fact my voice cracked. "Voldemort."

He shivered slightly at the sound of his name. "He's not here. Come on, let's get you back to the Gryffindor Tower."

So Draco escorted me back after he managed to calm me down. All my stuff was back in my bag and he also carried it for me. I was still shaking from my breakdown, fearing that he was still somewhere inside me. He was taunting me, teasing me, taking over my mind. I bet he was reading every thought I was thinking. I was going crazy. I knew that I was. Harry knew, Draco knew. And I couldn't do anything about it.

"Max, calm down," he said. "Nobody's going to hurt you."

"He's here. I can hear him."

"No one's here. It's just you and me."

My breath was getting shaky by the minute. When we arrived at the portrait, I was still shocked to even mutter the password. Before I could even say it, someone opened the portal. A wide-eyed Ron was standing there with an angry look on his face.

Before I could explain anything, he grabbed Draco and pinned him against the wall. "What the hell do you think you're doing with her, Malfoy?! She's not your little bitch! Stay away from her, you bastard!" He started punching Draco.

"Ron, stop!" I tried pulling Ron off of him but failed.

Harry and Hermione came out. "What's going on?" Harry asked.

"Harry, get Ron off of him!" Harry rushed over to Ron and pulled him off of a bloody Draco. I ran over to Draco, tearing up. "Draco..."

Don't do it, Max. Don't feel sorry for him.

No. Not again.

You know the spell, Maxine.

My body went stiff.

Do it!

I pulled out my wand and pointed it at Draco. My blood was starting to boil as I heard a voice, whispering in my ear. I snapped. I began to lift my wand and say a spell when Harry quickly covered my mouth and held onto me tightly. "Don't do it, Max! This isn't you!"

I started crying again. Evil had taken over me. While Harry was barely having nightmares every night, I was suffering. Suffering from an extremely painful nightmare. This year, I kept on dreaming about a girl who was the exact opposite of me. That girl was me and I was about to come to life.

"Harry! Harry, what's happening to me?!" I cried out to him.

"Nothing, Max. You need to calm down. This is not the loving sister I know. I want her back," his voice cracked. "Where is she? Where is the sister I love and care about, and the one that cheers me up when I'm down? Come back, Max. Please come back."

My heart was starting to hurt at his words. I didn't have an answer. I couldn't find his loving sister. She wasn't here. I didn't know where she was at. Maybe Voldemort consumed her and refused to let her go. Wherever she was, I wanted her back. As I continued to scream and cry, I heard the sound of footsteps leaving. It was Draco, who left the four of us standing there as I was still screaming.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." I kept on saying it over and over again.

"Max, it's okay. It's okay," Harry said soothingly.

"Is he gone?"

There was a pause. Then my brother replied. "Yes, Max. He's gone."

I sighed as Harry and Ron helped me inside the Gryffindor Common Room. Hermione came out and took my things and me upstairs back to the dorms. She placed my stuff under my bed and helped me change into my pajamas.

I crawled into my bed and wrapped myself up in my warm, thick blankets. Sure enough, I went to bed that night and had no nightmares.