I hadn't written to anyone over the summer except for Sirius. I wrote Padfoot on the letters just in case Hedwig got intercepted. Sirius had always been there for me. He understood me like Harry did. I could always tell him anything, and he wouldn't judge me for it. I even told him a few things that even Harry didn't know about. I planned to tell him later, though. Maybe.

I wrote to him the same day I kept on hearing voices.

Dear Padfoot,

Sorry if I keep writing to you late. I haven't been able to sleep for the past few weeks. Lucius is really getting on me for it. He's making me do more work than ever. Also, I've been hearing things. The other night, I thought I saw Cedric. I've tried looking for him since that night, but nothing so far. One morning, I heard a voice whispering in my ear. I got scared. I also just wanted to punch something whenever I got the chance. I don't know why, but I just do, and I don't think it's right for me to feel this way. Help me, Padfoot.

Max

A week later, I sent him another letter.

Dear Padfoot,

I got in trouble again. I accidentally spilled coffee all over Narcissa. It was because I heard those voices again. And now, they come in my dreams. I've been having nightmares almost every night now. I haven't told Harry any of this yet. He hasn't written to me ever since summer started. Neither have Ron and Hermione. I should write to them, but I don't know what to say to them about all of this.

Max

I sent him another letter three days later.

Dear Padfoot,

I'm going crazy. I know I am. I can't sleep. I can't think. It's like these voices are trying to take over my mind. What's wrong with me? I'm not supposed to feel this way. I don't want to feel this way. I want to be happy again. But I think we both know that's not going to happen right away. I miss Cedric. I miss you. Please write back soon.

Max

I didn't have anything else to say to him. I was sure I told him everything there was to tell. It was almost midnight when I sent my last letter to him. I crept down to the kitchen and decided to eat some pie that Narcissa made. I started something new here at Malfoy Manor. After everyone had gone to bed, I would sneak down to the kitchen and eat food. All of the food that I could find. That had been going on for weeks now. So far, no one had noticed that the food kept decreasing.

Good. Because I was tired of starving to death, and the food they had was too good not to eat.

The next morning, I wrote another quick letter to Sirius.

Dear Padfoot,

I've started this new thing at Malfoy Manor. Every night, after everyone has gone to bed, I would sneak down to the kitchen and just eat everything I could find. I know it's wrong, and I shouldn't do it, but I've been stressed out lately. Life is getting hard. I have no one but you to turn to. Harry still hasn't sent me any letters, but I haven't, either, still. Does that make me a bad sister? I feel like I'm being one. I feel like he's being a bad brother. You don't think we're turning against each other, do you? I don't want that to happen. We have a good relationship. I don't want our relationship to strain apart.

Max

Over the next few weeks, Sirius had really been a great help. He really calmed me down, even though he wasn't here to do it. I saw it through his handwriting, his words. His letters were a sense of comfort now that I didn't have Cedric. Because he was dead, and it was all my fault.

When Cedric came back to my thoughts, I wrote another letter to him about a week later.

Dear Padfoot,

When I think about Cedric, I practically cry myself to sleep. It's not the fact that I loved him and he's dead, but the fact that it's my fault that he's dead. Because of me, I can't be happy with him anymore. I can't be happy in general. I guess I think that having a boyfriend is important to me now. But how do I know that Voldemort won't kill the next one as well? I still haven't seen or heard Cedric. But I have been hearing those voices again and having nightmares about Cedric dying. I try not to think about it, but what else is there to think about?

Draco has noticed my strange behavior. I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing. He hasn't given me much of a hard time since I've been here. In fact, he's been helping me a lot. If it wasn't for him, I would have more bruises and scars on me than I have now.

Overall, I'm in pain. I can't help but feel hurt.

Max

After sending that last letter, I decided to go and take a shower. The worst thing about Malfoy and I was that we both liked to shower at night, so we basically had to race to get to the best shower in the manor first before the other one did. Malfoy was not a patient person, obviously, which always made me take my time while I was in there.

As I was in the shower, washing my hair, I heard them again. Voices. His voice.

Maxine...no one loves you...if they do, the price is death.

I grabbed my hair fiercely. I wanted him to go away.

Maxine Potter...look at yourself...

I screamed again and fell in the shower. I reached up to turn off the water and just stayed there on the floor, wet, naked, and in pain.

"Potterette!" I heard Malfoy yell as he banged on the door. "What's taking you so long?!"

"I'll be out in a second!" I yelled back. I quickly got out of the shower and dried myself off. I threw on my pajamas and got out of the bathroom. Malfoy was standing there, looking at me funny. "What?"

"Are you okay? You were screaming in the bathroom just now."

"I'm fine."

"If you say so." He shrugged and went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

I totally lied. I was not okay.

~~~~~~~

A/N: Woahhhhh. Max is getting crazyyy. Lol.

So here's the next chapter. Hope it's okay!

Comment, vote, you know, the usual. Bye!

-A