"to the leader, the pariah, the victor, the messiah
this is war"

The moment her feet were back in contact with the ground, that sensation. She swallowed hard to avoid the bile that rose to her throat, and covered her eyes with her hand at the large amount of light that was hitting her eyes.

It smelled of the sea. She hadn't been to the beach many times, but she was able to recognize the salty smell that penetrated her nostrils, the handful of sand that was blown into her mouth by the sea breeze. She heard seagulls, too. She had no idea where she was —or whose was the house a few feet away from where they were— but she felt a peace she had never felt before.

"Fuck me," she heard a whisper from beside her. She was about to turn to scold Ronald, but found only a pair of wide blue eyes watching her. "You're bleeding."

So she was. She was aware of the wound on her shoulder, which at first hadn't seemed anything serious —despite being a curse from a Death Eater's wand— but she hadn't noticed the huge red stain that spread across her beige sweater, or the small drops of the same color on her chest. Bringing her hands to her face, she discovered that it was her own blood, spilling through her parted lips.

"My top is ruined," was the only thing that left her lips. A dagger in her stomach foresaw it. She spat the blood from her mouth to the side, the sand taking on a reddish tinge, and she brought her hands to her side. "What do I do?"

Her voice was reminiscent of a little girl, scared and helpless, who seemed to have lost track of her parents and who was now lost. She was shaking, almost as much as her hands, so much so that it seemed her knees couldn't take her weight anymore at any moment.

"We have to take you inside," Ron said, steady. "Bill and Fleur will know what to do." The redhead wrapped one arm behind her knees and the other around her back with effort. "What the hell are you waiting for?"

Harry reacted as quickly as his friend's words reached his ears. He helped Ron carry Maia backwards, trying not to trip over anything that would make him fall. Hermione was sobbing behind them, her hands traveling up to her cheeks every two seconds to wipe the tears away. No one knew if she was crying from the stress and panic she had suffered —and continued to experience— or whether it was genuine concern for Maia's health.

She herself seemed to keep calm in Ron's arms, who was desperately shouting the names of his brother and sister-in-law in a call for help. Everything passed very quickly before Maia's eyes: Bill made a great deal of expletive when she was in front of her, and Fleur put her hands to her forehead in despair. Then something silver came out of Bill's wand and was lost among the sand dunes of that place.

"I'm fine," the Slytherin repeated over and over. "I'm fine."

"I've sent a patronus to mum and dad, and to Remus and Tonks," said Bill. "Mum has experience in dealing with wounds, and maybe Tonks can help, too. After all, she's an auror."

"Merlin, if this is gonna be a funeral, I didn't ask for that many people!" Growled Maia, the pain in her abdomen growing as she talked.

"Your humor is horrible, Malfoy," spat Ron, leaving her body in Bill and Fleur's bed with as much care as he could. "Not even Fred and George would've laughed at that."

"We have to wait for them all to come before attempting to take out the knife. Whose is it, by the way?"

"I figure it's my aunt's," Maia trailed off. "Always so lovely, isn't she?"

"Do you reckon it's got dark magic?" Fleur asked, her French accent becoming less noticeable.

"It probably does?" Whimpered the Slytherin girl, her hands still trembling. "Stop crying so much, Granger, it was a joke."

Hermione nodded quickly, trying to stay calm for the sake of the girl, who seemed a lot more appeased on the outside than what was going on in her mind. She took off her jacket and wrapped it around the girl's torso and left arm. "Lift your arm," ordered the muggleborn. "It's meant to stop the bleeding from your shoulder. It's going to hurt a bit."

"Wha—"

Her voice was interrupted by her own cry of pain, which chilled the blood in Hermione's veins, and she instantly closed her eyes again, feeling guilty for Malfoy's misfortune.

"You could've warned me, at least!"

"You wouldn't have let me do it!" Hermione bit back, her voice as nervous as her.

"Stop bickering!" Harry's voice rose above the girls. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

Bill spoke up. "Tell us what happened. We have to keep her awake and with us, or she'll lose conscience."

"I was at home when Dobby appeared in my room. He said something about Dumbledore wanting my help if something happened, and then said Harry Potter and his friends were downstairs. I didn't understand a word," Maia spoke lowly through her teeth. "Then my aunt called me down, said Potter and company were captured by our snatchers, and that if we were the ones to deliver them to the Dark Lord, we'd be highly rewarded."

"She knew it was us, I saw it on her face. The moment she saw us, she knew," followed Ron, gulping and immediately recreating the scene in his head. "She didn't turn us in, though. Neither did Malfoy —the other one— and he also recognized us."

"My brother is not bad. He just didn't have a choice. And now he probably hates me. He knows I'm on your side. God, you're so stupid! I nearly got fucking everything and you've ruined it all!"

Her voice broke into a pain-filled sob. The Gryffindor trio shared a look that no one else could decipher, but could probably translate into guilt and anguish. The Malfoy, who lay before them completely covered in blood, had risked everything that the three of them could escape from the Manor. She was right: now Bellatrix, Narcissa and Draco Malfoy would know that she was working with the Order of the Phoenix and that she was therefore a traitor.

And Maia knew what happened to traitors. They were disinherited, they were no longer anchored to the family —they were erased from the Black tapestry, if they belonged to that lineage. They were put aside, they were hated, they were followed until they had finished with every reason to live. And that was the fate that awaited the young Malfoy —should she get out of it alive.

"Potter," Maia called Harry's attention. "You don't have the sword, do you? Because it's not anywhere. It appears only to a true Gryffindor. Let Bellatrix think she has the original one, when in reality she doesn't, because who put the fake in her vault must know the powers of the true sword. Then, if she's not guarding the real sword, she might have something we need."

"Hufflepuff's cup," Harry ventured in a whisper. "It's the only thing that's on our list that can be captured and kept safely away from him." Although he was not afraid of his name, he did not dare to repeat it because of the consequences it had brought the first time.

"And then were we can find everything else?" Ron butted in.

"I already told Potter a few days ago," Maia answered, her face pale as never before. "The ring, the diary, Ravenclaw's diadem, Slytherin's locket, they're all gone. I reckon it's Nagini, his snake. There where you find the Dark Lord, you'll find the damn snake. But it's Hufflepuff's cup you're going to find sooner—"

"We," Harry interrupted, his eyes fierce.

"—Whatever you say, scarhead," Her face kept paling as if she were transforming into a ghost. Then, she took a look at her wound, the bloody stain expanding on her shirt. "Look, if I don't make it tonight—"

"You are!"

"—Listen to me, Potter!" The girl took him by the collar of his neck. "Write to Eden Whitaker. He knows everything that needs to be done—"

"—Dumbledore said he only trusted us!"

"You trusted Granger and Weasley, didn't you?" Harry shut his mouth. "That's what I thought. Now, is ANYONE interested in taking this fucking thing out?!"

As if by magic, there was a knock on the door. Maia stared up at the ceiling, exasperated but relieved that reinforcements had finally arrived. It turned out to be Remus and Tonks, who entered the room with unusual speed —Maia was glad to see them, but she would have preferred the Weasley matriarch and her famous healing gifts.

"My goodness," Tonks breathed, putting her hands to her head. "This isn't what I had in mind when you said emergency! Why has no one helped her?"

She quickly came to the aid of her cousin. She took her hand and squeezed as if it were the Malfoy whose water would break shortly and not hers. Remus also approached the table, admiring in horror the scene starring the little girl he had taken so much affection for years before. "Don't sweat it, Maia, you will be in good hands."

"What is taking Molly so long?!" Tonks wanted to know, who seemed to be beside herself. She was her cousin, after all —the only normal of the Blacks still alive. "How are you feeling, dear?"

Maia whimpered in a whisper once again. "This thing is killing me, Tonks. I don't know how much time more I will resist the pain."

"Goddammit, has a notoriously pregnant woman got to do all the work?" The young woman rose from her seat and rummaged through the bookshelves in the room, approaching Maia as soon as she found what she was looking for. "Drink this. It'll numb the pain until Molly arrives."

Maia seemed to lose hope at times. She drank from the potion Tonks had given her —and it was true that the wound seemed to hurt less— but detected what appeared to be side effects. Her vision had become somewhat blurry, she was not hearing as well as before and everything seemed to develop at a slower speed than usual. A thin layer of sweat had begun to grow on her forehead and the back of her neck, and she had begun to become more aware of the injuries she had.

The inside of her mouth still tasted like that metallic taste that characterized blood. She looked at her arm slowly, where the blood that had traveled through it before Hermione had made the tourniquet had reached her wrist. She wiped the blood from her face with her other hand, but this only managed to spread it across her cheeks.

"We're here, we're here!" Molly Weasley announced after having overcome the fidelio enchantment that kept her son's house. "What's the matter, wh— good lord." she whispered.

"How can we help, mum?" Asked Fred —or George, Maia wasn't in her very best condition to tell them apart.

"Stay with the children —Harry, Ron, Hermione, please be calm outside with Luna and Ginny."

"Sweet Jesus," whistled Maia. "Ginny is here? Don't let her see me like this!" Slurred the girl, the potion already affecting her.

"Why?" Wanted to know the other twin, his arms crossed on his chest but a slight smirk on his lips.

"Because I'm big, bad Malfoy! I'm supposed to be tough and cold, not Swiss cheese!"

No one had the body to laugh at the joke of one —clearly— gone Maia, but the twins recognized that it was something they could use from now on.

"Let us stay, Molly," interfered Hermione, appalled by the joke. "We can keep her awake."

Molly shared a look with Fleur and Tonks, who also looked at each other. "Okay, you can stay. Try to entertain her while we try."

The Gryffindor trio approached the side of the bed where the Malfoy's healthy joints were, who opened her mouth to breathe more comfortably. "Granger, you watch tv, don't you? I recently discovered a tv show called Friends and I never got the chance to finish the first season. Do you reckon it's worth it?"

Hermione opened her mouth doubtfully. "Well, I've only seen a couple of chapters, but I think it's fun."

"It is, isn't it? I've got a big crush on Rachel. She's so dreamy."

"Do you really want to talk to us about a muggle tv show?" Ron said, his nose wrinkled.

"You're right, Ronald. I'd rather not waste my last words on—"

A piercing screech came from the girl's lips as Fleur tugged at the metal that was sinking into the girl's flesh. Blood began to gush from the wound, and despite the number of cloths Molly covered the wound with, nothing could stop the crimson flow. The potion seemed to have stopped working, because the Slytherin was crying like a child and the tears were streaming down her cheeks without stopping.

This caused a hard blow back to reality for Hermione and Ron, but especially Harry, whose breath hitched when he saw the white sheets of the bed dyed that hateful red. Tonks brushed her hair away from her cousin's face, who hadn't quite recovered from the pain the extraction had caused her. Fleur continued to apologize constantly, knowing that it was she who had caused such pain, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Please, stop her moving," ordered Molly, her voice as steady as she could. "I need to take care of the wound and then sew it. If she doesn't stop, she'll bleed out."

Maia's world began to spin. She didn't even feel strong enough to keep moving, so she stopped. She looked up, the lamp just above her blurred, or seemed to move, or whatever, for Maia was never sure. She felt warm, too warm, like she had a fever, or like a certain redhead was next to her.

"Hey, hey," Tonks said, slapping her cheeks really close to her face. "She has a fever. Boys, get something wet and cold, will you? How's the work, Molly?"

The Weasley matriarch bit her lip. "Blood keeps coming out, Tonks. She's losing a lot of it. We just need a bit of luck."

"You have to stay awake, cousin."

"Tell me something I don't know." The girl muttered, her stare blank.

"Well, I hate to break the news to you this way, but soon you'll be a godmother. If you say yes, of course. "

Maia looked at her intently, her eyes fluttering open, her voice barely a whisper. "What the hell?"

"Remus and I were thinking, well— that you'd be Teddy's godmother."

"The baby needs someone who can take care of them. And I wasn't even able to take care of myself, was I?" Maia let out a humorless laugh. "I'm not good for the baby."

Tonks pursed her lips. "You're brave, Maia, and loyal. And the hope of the family. Just what I want him to be. Be yourself and Teddy will be in good hands."

"Okay," the girl whispered, her eyes almost gone. "I'm not changing diapers, though."

The whole room share a much needed laugh. It had to go well, Maia had to survive ...

"You IDIOTS!" Shouted a voice from the door. Ginny Weasley walked into the room, the tips of her ears red like her hair. "Why did not one tell me it was her?!"

"Oh, how I missed your calming voice, Gin..."

"Calm down, Ginny—"

"She's my bloody girlfriend, you git!" Ginny snapped towards her brother, whose jaw touched the floor.

"Oh, shit, you didn't," Maia's voice sounded weak. "Don't talk like that to your family..."

"And you," the redheaded girl pointed to her girlfriend. "What were you thinking? Getting yourself killed? How DARE you? Don't you dare leaving me all alone."

"I'm doing no such thing, Ginny," Maia pointed to her face, shoulder, and stomach. "I'm fine. By the way, did you know I'm going to be a godmother?" Her face lit up a bit as she said that.

Ginny managed a slight smile through her tears. "That's great. You can take Teddy to an exotic beach, then."

Maia let out a laugh. "Or to the funfair."

Ginny couldn't help the kiss she placed on Maia's lips, who, despite everything, tried to kiss back. Molly and Tonks looked at each other for a few seconds, their hearts melting at the image. "You're the warmest you've ever been."

"That's because you're here, darling."

Ginny didn't have time to reply the compliment, her cheeks lighting up, because her mother spoke for her. "Her stomach is all done. We have to work on her shoulder now —good job there, Hermione, dear." The aforementioned smiled a little and nodded. "Maia, can you listen to me, sweetheart? Your shoulder is dislocated, so Tonks and I will set it up for you. It's going to hurt a lot, but it will only take a moment, so take Ginny's hand and squeeze as hard as you want, okay?"

"I'm sorry if I break your hand, Gin."

Ginny sniffled and her voice broke. "It's okay as long as you don't break my heart."

Indeed, it hurt. Maia's face twisted into a terrible grimace of pain, as reflected by a new alarming cry. Maia squeezed her hand, conveying all the pain she was feeling, but nothing hurt Ginny more than the scene before her. She had seen Maia Malfoy vulnerable dozens of nights, she had seen her eyes narrow in sadness, she had seen the redness on her cheeks, she had felt the coldness of the girl's skin —yet nothing had touched her heart more than the most wounded facet of the young woman. She could never forget how tears of pain rolled down her cheeks, matching her own.

Suddenly she stopped moving. Tonks and Molly took advantage of those moments to place the sling on her shoulder, but something inside them ignited when they saw the girl's closed eyes. Ginny realized what was happening, and quickly patted her girlfriend's cheeks —again cold —. "Hey, hey! Don't close your eyes, do you hear me? Maia, MAIA—"

Ron grabbed his sister by the waist, pulling her away from the bed. "Ginny, calm down!"

"Please, no, no! Put me down, let me hold her! Please, no..." Ginny cried out loud.

"Listen to me, darling," her mother took her by the cheeks, Maia's blood staining them. "She's lost a lot of blood, we will do everything we can, alright?"

"I love you, don't leave me, please." The redhead sobbed.

Harry left the room, feeling more defeated than ever. He felt confused, dizzy, lost, guilty. Too many emotions that mixed in his head and that did not give him a second of rest. He didn't dare to look one last time at the girl who could end up giving her life for him, he didn't feel strong enough to do so.

He sat down on the couch, covering his face with his bloody hands. Ron sat next to her, as sad as he was. "I know, mate. This is going to end us all."

"It will be okay, Harry," Hermione tried to establish a stare. "I understand how you must be feeling, let's just hope for the best."

"Not! You don't understand anything!" The boy shouted. "You've seen how vicious the Death Eaters, especially Bellatrix, are, you've experienced it. And it's me who's put her in this position, it's me who decided to say his name and I've screwed up. Of course I'm worried, because I care! Only she can understand what happens to me."

Remus looked at the members of the Order before speaking. "What do you mean, Harry?"

The Gryffindor gulped, defeated. "I don't know how this can make sense, but we're connected. Days before we were captured, we saw each other. She was at Hogwarts, I was in the forest, outside the tent, but we communicated. I could hear her whisper near me, as if she was... You-Know-Who. All those times she was in the Hospital Wing —it can't be a coincidence, right? She can speak Parseltongue. She has to be connected to You-Know-Who, too."

"But she doesn't have a scar like you do, Harry." Explained Hermione.

"She does, actually," said Fleur, her face falling. "She has a scar in her chest, I saw when we were stitching her stomach."

"Why would the Dark Lord try to kill her?"

"I don't know, maybe some punishment to the Malfoys?" Ron ventured, shrugging.

"And she hasn't been marked as a Death Eater, either," followed Tonks. "Maybe he's trying to protect her?"

"No," Ginny said suddenly appearing, her nose red, her eyes puffy. "She told me. You-Know-Who was trying to make her his right hand, someone who he could trust to help him carry out his goal: becoming immortal. But something went wrong, he killed someone when he was giving part of his powers to her, and she's been a part of him ever since. She suffers from nightmares, headaches, she fainted in front of me when I destroyed the horcrux."

Remus sighed deeply. "You know what that means, right?"

Harry nodded. "When the time comes, it's me and her who can destroy him."

It was past midnight when Maia opened her eyes. The window had been open since she'd entered the room, and the familiar gentle breeze that had welcomed her that very morning. She listened to the waves of the sea in the background, and she had to remind herself that a large part of her body was bandaged and she had to lie down.

She closed her eyes as she settled into bed and got used to having one arm immobilized. Despite her lethargy, she felt more awake than ever. It sounded stupid, but she felt like she had just been reborn, adrenaline rushing through her veins, as if nothing could stop her now. She opened her eyes again and saw Bellatrix's black ones, her mother's blue ones, her brother's grey ones, calling out to her. And now it was all over —or now it was all beginning— they already knew that Maia was on the side of the Order of the Phoenix and there was no going back.

Little did she care about the betrayal that this could mean for Lucius or Bellatrix, she cared more about the opinions of her mother and Draco. Had they tried to protect her from the Death Eaters, or had they joined them in their tireless fight to find out where she was and end her? Would they feel betrayed, confused, sad...? Did they know the damage Bellatrix had caused her?

However, she had no regrets. Harry Potter was still alive and that was the top target on her list at the time. She was repeating Dumbledore's words in her head: Potter and she had to stay alive until the end, otherwise Voldemort would seize power and reign in the wizarding world.

Oh, but Maia knew very well what their fates were. She knew that Voldemort would want to protect her at all costs and would want to kill the boy, but that she could not allow. Because Voldemort knew of the powers that were in her body, but he didn't know of the scar that was on her chest, competing with Harry's. What Voldemort didn't know was that not only was she his equal, but that, thanks to his longing, she was now a part of him, and that when it was destroyed, Lord Voldemort would no longer exist.

"You're awake," Fleur greeted her from the doorway, her mouth forming an 'O'. "We didn't know for sure if you were going to survive."

"Well, here I am." Laughed Maia a bit, flinching after.

"Don't hurt yourself. We were taking turns to see if you needed anything. I really need to change your bandages before the wound gets infected."

Maia nodded and pulled the sheet off her. She wrinkled her nose when she saw the cloth covering most of her abdomen, with a little blood, although nothing comparable to what was initially. She sighed as Fleur removed the old bandage and brushed her skin.

"Oh, how fourteen-year-old me would have enjoyed this," Maia laughed nervously. Fleur looked at her. "I'm kidding. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomf—"

"—It's okay."

"You've done a great job. I don't feel as much pain as before. Thank you, really."

Fleur smirked a bit. "I couldn't save you on the second task, could I? I might as well do it right this time."

Maia laughed genuinely this time. "You are a talented witch nonetheless. You know, all my life I've been surrounded by boys. But when you came to Hogwarts you turned out to be a really good company. Not only was I one of your many admirers, but I felt like you were a friend, too. I liked being with you."

Fleur shook her head. "You haven't changed one bit since. I liked you, you know? You just were too young, I couldn't bring myself to be with you. If you had been older, we would've been a power couple," Both girls laughed again. "All done here."

"We're both happy now, so I don't regret it. Congratulations on your wedding, by the way. I never got the chance to tell you."

"Thanks, Maia. I didn't invite you, well, I didn't think you would be able to come. Viktor came. He asked about you. Of course, he didn't know anything about us. He just said he hoped you were well with all the situation you would probably be living." Fleur was thoughtful as she looked at the shelves in the room. "I think I can show you some pictures."

"I'd love that," flipped through the photo album, dozens of people posing for the camera, their dresses moving, people dancing everywhere. Her gaze especially caught one of the photos. Ginny was in front of the photographer, still not deciding what pose she wanted, but she was grinning widely when Ron came up behind her and lifted her off the ground. "D'you think I can keep this one?"

"Sure."

"Maia," said a soft sigh behind Fleur. Ginny was staring at her with her mouth ajar. "You're okay."

Fleur winked at the young Slytherin before leaving the room, while she kept the photo covertly to herself. "It hurts you even doubted me," Maia tried to shake things off, but the Gryffindor's eyes got wet once more. "Hey, come here. Don't cry."

"They— they said you might not make it. I haven't been able to sleep one bit." Ginny hiccuped.

"I'm as tough as you are, love. There, don't cry. I'm fine," Maia reached out to brush the hair back from Ginny's forehead, who leaned into the Slytherin's touch. "How are you?"

"Scared. Worried. Tired. I don't want this to be a dream, I want to make sure this is real," the redhead whispered, her eyes closed. "Can I kiss you?"

"Please do."

Ginny was quick to lean down and bring her lips together. She didn't want to hurt the young Slytherin, but she had been so preoccupied with her life that she couldn't settle for simply brushing her lips with hers: she needed more, needed to make sure she was okay. That's why, when Maia parted her mouth to emit a soft moan, the redhead slipped her tongue inside her.

This caught Maia by surprise, who nonetheless decided to play along. She forgot about all her troubles for a moment to give herself body and soul to Ginny, who kept demanding from her a rhythm that Maia was willing to satisfy. It certainly wasn't the first time the Weasley had been bolder than she expected —after all, she had seen absolutely every corner of her body— but she wasn't used to it being so publicly —at least now, that anyone could enter the room.

"I'm sorry about what happened back at Hogwarts," Ginny started once their lips parted, much to Maia's dislike. "I shouldn't have reacted that way, much less doubt your commitment to me. I hope no one gave you a hard time about it."

"Nothing I can't handle. What I did was reckless from me, but I wanted to prove myself. I hope you're now reassured enough."

Ginny smiled sheepishly against her lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Now, come lay with me. There's room for the both of us."

The redhead obeyed with a smile on her lips. She lay down beside her, always careful not to harm the Slytherin. She rested her head on her chest, Maia's hand protecting her back. The younger girl sighed.

"Night, Gin. I'll be here when you wake up." Nowhere else to go, really, have I?