Chapter 35 – Situation.

“Petrificus Totalus!” Stefan cried, lunging at the seemingly surprised Golden Twins with his
wand pointed towards Avery. His target then locked still as a statue, a savage
look on his face as he fell. Ava, however, was quicker, plunging her hand into
the pocket of her robe and producing her wand, with which she fired a bat-bogey
hex at Stefan. Stefan, however, ducked, quickly recovering and disarming her.

“Expelliarmus!”
Two wands flew from her hand and landed on the boggy patch of grass behind her
and Ava, spinning round in a flash, leapt towards them. But Stefan still had
his wand out and swiftly halted her with the same spell that had her brother
frozen on the floor with his hands raised like a frightened kangaroo. Ava
stopped in mid jump and fell flat into the mud, her pretty face covered in dirt
as she lay face-flat on the ground. Stefan noted her transformation before
grimly walking forward to pick the two wands off the ground, chucking Ava’s to
land near her hand and retrieving Theon’s and looking for Maxine. She was bent
over the boy, who was wobbling uncontrollably from a jelly-legs jinx and
covered in long black hair, the effects of another hex. His nose also seemed affected - swollen at the tip and sporting a pus-filled boil. Stefan grimaced as he neared them but Maxine didn't seem bothered - she was more worried about the boy's unconsciousness. 

"Stefan, I think he's been stunned." She said to her friend, looking up at him as he neared her clutching Theon's wand.

"So what?" Stefan's tone surprised her. "He'll come round in a bit."

"I think he's been stunned multiple times." She pushed on. "When I went to protect him he'd already been hit by two and Avery would have hit him with another one if I hadn't shielded it." She looked up at her friend with concern. "He could be really hurt."

"Look, Max, this isn't our problem. To be honest I have no idea what you thought you were doing, racing out to confront the Golden Twins."

Maxine felt red-hot anger surface. What was up with him? She knew that he didn't trust Theon but they couldn't just leave the boy where he was. In retaliation, she snapped back at him. "Actually, Stefan, you were the one who went ahead and jinxed the Golden Twins with a curse that needs a counter." She said angrily. " Thanks to you we've got that to deal with as well."

Maxine watched as Stefan's cold face showed a slight trace of anger, but he remained there clutching Theon's wand, turning his head ever so slightly to look at the boy. "Well how're we going to haul him all the way back to the castle? We can't do it between the two of us."

Maxine realised that Stefan was right. They couldn't get out of the mess that she now cursed herself for getting into. She looked around for inspiration but none came, and she turned back to Stefan with hopelessness. "God, I don't know...I don't know what to do..."

She looked up, expecting Stefan to rub it in her face in his bad mood. But, to her surprise, he bent down and looked over Theon, putting on the expression he usually wore when he was trying to work something out. Her heart leapt as he came to her aid, looking up at her and speaking calmly, clever Stefan and her friend returned after a minor lapse. 

"Look, I tell you what we'll do.Together we could just about drag him into the bushes, and you can stay with him. Then I'll go off and fast as I can unlock Avery and Ava then head towards the castle at top speed. Rose and Fauna'll help get him to the hospitable wing." She nodded as he spoke, glad of his back up, bur Stefan was still wary and not altogether sure. "Still, Max, we're gonna have to explain to Madame Pomfrey....and that means...."

"I'll do the explaining." She said resolutely. "I got us into this mess." She looked up at him and gave a bitter laugh. "God, I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me."

Stefan looked at Theon and swallowed, trying to follow Maxine's apologetic example. "No, Max. You did the right thing....I mean, he could be hurt." Maxine smiled at him he looked at her and then moved to stand up as Stefan also walked round.

"Ok, you take one of his legs, I'll take the other." She said, picking up one of Theon's legs and waiting until Stefan had also done so before beginning to drag the boy off. She laughed as they panted to pull Theon into the scrub, finding it a bizarre situation. "It's like we're dealing with a dead body and don't want to be caught." She said, grinning at her friend beside her. Stefan laughed in answer and sounded more genuine as they finally got Theon into the right place, concealed in the thick bushes near the edge of flat. Stefan made sure they were hidden well enough before quickly rising.

"Ok, I'll go now. Just make sure he's alright." The last sentence didn't sound bad to Maxine but Stefan choked on it slightly as he looked at a boy whom he did not trust in the slightest. "Hopefully he's not been hit by to many stuns."

Maxine nodded and looked up at Stefan as he turned to go. "Oh and Stefan? Thanks." She said to her friend, pleased that he seemed to be himself once more. The past few weeks Stefan had been acting strangely - unlike the friend she knew...but now - he seemed to have returned.

He smiled at her. "I'm your friend Maxine, and even if I disagree with what you think, I'll always be there for you." And, with the last sentence, Stefan made his way through the trees and let out a sigh that could have meant a lot of things.