Chapter 16 ~ Denial.

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Stefan stumbled as Maxine hauled him towards the stairs and he tried to regain his footing. His mind was a whirl of confusion, fear and surprise, but he knew one thing for certain; that he had to explain everything now that his dark, hidden secret was out to his best friend. 

She puzzled him, though. The moment he had heard the words slip out of Brandon's mouth he had thought of Maxine, how she would react. Her face had been shocked, yes, but then a grim determination, and a sort of electricity had surrounded the girl. She wasn't distraught, she wasn't angry, she wasn't disgusted. No, watching her try and drag him up the first step of the rough stone stairs, she was none of those things.

Stefan finally managed to stop, getting some grip on the stairs and halting Maxine in her firm march. Unfortunately his pause was a little too abrupt, Maxine nearly toppling down in the sudden stop. Then she turned on him, just as he was about to speak. Stefan got as far as opening his mouth before she issued her eagerly puzzling order.

''Come on! We need to get up to the tower before the crowds start flooding out!'' Maxine could hear the noise from the duelling club in the hall, having continued after the incident. Professor. Silvers must have realised that Stefan wanted some time alone. Nevertheless, the duelling club session would soon end and the jeering crowd would appear.

Stefan gaped at her, still paused on the second stair. He shut his mouth and swallowed quickly. ''Max - er - can you just hold on a second?'' He sputtered, sitting down on the stair. ''I need to explain.''

Maxine sighed. She knew that Stefan had the right to do this. But she needed to correct him. To show him that he wasn't mad, that he was just different. Like her. 

''Look, Stefan, I can explain your condition better than anything at the moment. Just come up to the common room and I can show you, I can prove that you aren't a lunatic-''

''Max!'' Stefan raised his voice, cutting off his friends words. ''I'm not mad, okay? I have absolutely no idea how you wish to prove that I'm not - but the fact is - I'm not a lunatic!''

Maxine sat down next to him seriously, feeling her heart sink. ''So - was Brandon making it all up then?'' Had she got it all wrong? But from Stefan's expression in reply to her question, even before he started speaking she knew that it had all been true. Energy flowed through her again and the determination returned.

Stefan shook his head in reply, though his face said the answer was false. ''No, it's true I did spend six months in St. Mungo's.'' He paused, watching Maxine. Again puzzlement riddled his mind. Why on earth did she look excited? She turned to him, watching his face, and he hurriedly continued.

''But I wasn't mad. My symptoms of insanity were just childish imaginations, confusion. I was having a hard time at home in those days, worse than now; my foster family hated me, my cousins hated me. To be honest,they were more than glad to dump me in hospital and send me grapes now and again.''

Maxine opened her mouth, trying to cut in, but Stefan went on with such determination that she didn't have time to speak. The boy hardly took a breath before continuing;

''I know I should of told you.'' He sighed, turning to face her sincerely. ''But I was scared, Max. I've never had a friend before, never known anyone who I can actually trust. I was afraid that you'd end the friendship once I told you about the whole St. Mungo's thing.'' His face darkened. ''And Brandon knew my fears. He just loved having a hold of me like that. Blackmailing me whenever I tried to make a stand. But I couldn't, you see. I didn't want our friendship to end." He let out a stiff laugh. ''The trouble is, Max, I don't know what you think. You're reacting so strangely, I-''

Maxine sprung forward and took his hands, pulling the boy upwards. ''Stefan, you aren't mad, you're just different.'' She cut in. ''That's why I am so eager, so excited. Because you're like me!''

Stefan pulled his hands away in confusion. ''Look, I know we share the famously evil relatives and all that, but that doesn't make me insane, Max.''

Maxine shook her head, a slight smile playing on her lips. ''No, that's not what I meant.''

''Then what do you-''

''Stefan, what kind of things do you see? Did you see?'' Maxine cut across him again, trying to get to the point.

Stefan looked both confused and shocked, but Maxine could see he was hiding something. Fear, perhaps?

''Maxie, they were just childish imaginations, confusions. I didn't see anything, they weren't real.'' He stated again.

''They!'' Maxine pounced. ''You saw them, didn't you? Muggles changing in the blink of an eye into animalistic creatures of both horror and fascination. And you didn't just see them then, you kept seeing them, you-''

''MAXINE!'' Stefan yelled, stopping her mid-sentence. ''I dii not know what you are talking about, but please, just stop!''

''Stefan, just admit it! You don't have to hide now, because I'm here to explain. You aren't mad, you aren't a lunatic, you're just different, like me!'' Maxine, unfazed by his protest, started on at him again.

''Maxie, please.'' Stefan was shrinking back now, shoulders slumped, as if the fight had gone out of him. ''Just leave me alone. I understand if you don't want to be friends with me any more because I'm some sort of lunatic, or was some sort of lunatic, just go.''

''Look, Stefan, I know you aren't mad. And, oh god, I'm so glad. I've always wanted someone to sympathise with me, someone I could talk to about these things.'' Maxine's selfish streak burst fourth as she imaged it, oblivious to the fact that Stefan was uncomfortable and ultimately denying her accusations. 

''How many times do I have to tell you, Max! I don't see these things, I imagined them. I made them up, they-''

''No!'' Maxine held up a hand to halt the boy, finally seeing where Stefan's denial was going.. ''Stefan, stop hiding and come int the light. Here I am, like you, trying to help you, and you just keep on saying you imagined them. Seriously, how could you imagine them? I can help you, Stefan, I was like you once; afraid of them, unsure of myself. But then someone explained, someone helped me, like I want to help you.''

Stefan was standing up straighter now, weakness and fear in his eyes. But his face was set in stubbornness, refusal. ''I've told you, ''they'' aren't real. Now go, leave me be. For it seems you are mad, not I.''

And that's when Maxine saw red.  She was trying to help him and all he could do was push her off in denial. Well, he could find his own way throughout it, then. In a fit of anger and exasperation for the cowardly Stefan, her temper burst through and with a neat, hard reflex, Maxine punched Stefan squarely in the face, Stefan himself toppling down the stairs to land in the crowd below whilst Maxine raced away.