The Christmas spirit at Hogwarts had been dampened this year with the presence of Delores Umbridge looming over them. The witch had attempted to boot Professor Trelawney from the school grounds and much to Umbridge's dismay and the satisfaction of Maggie, Dumbledore had hired a centaur by the name of Firenze.
It was a bitterly cold December night and Maggie found herself sitting in Fred's bed, restless and unable to sleep. Despite the wizard's loud snoring next to her, the witch couldn't shake off the nagging feeling in her gut that something terrible was about to happen. Her unease only intensified when the door burst open to reveal a frantic Professor McGonagall, who had clearly been rushing around.
"Professor?" Maggie frowns. "Is everything alright?"
"Miss McKinnon, you must go and collect Mr Malfoy," The Professor says. "Your return to Grimmauld Place is happening tonight, the password is 'Pureblood'. The situation will be explained when you get to the headmaster's office"
Maggie nods as she hastily puts on her trainers and a jumper. She sets off towards the dungeons, her footsteps echoing through the empty corridors as she quickens her pace. Her heart races, thumping against her rib cage with increasing intensity.
"Pureblood," Maggie whispers and the door creaks open.
Maggie rushes through the deserted Slytherin Common Room, her footsteps echoing against the cold stone walls. She quickly ascends the staircase leading to the boys' dormitories, her eyes darting from door to door in search of the right one. Finally, she spots a polished plaque that bears the names D. Malfoy, B. Zabini and T. Nott.
Maggie gently pushes the creaky door open, her heart racing with anticipation. She spots a sleeping Draco in the corner, softly snoring away. She tiptoes towards him and crouches down, careful not to make any noise.
Without hesitation, she shakes the boy awake, his eyes flying open in alarm. Before he can say anything, Maggie's hand swiftly clamps over his mouth, her finger coming to her lips. After a moment, Draco nods in understanding and Maggie slowly removes her hand.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know but McGonagall says we need to go now," Maggie whispers and Draco nods, grabbing his trunk.
"I've had it packed for a while,"
Maggie and Draco quickly and quietly make their way through the silent corridors of Hogwarts, avoiding any encounters with other students or teachers. The tension in the air is palpable as they navigate through the darkened castle.
As they reach the entrance hall, Maggie notices the flickering light of torches casting eerie shadows on the walls. The castle feels unusually still, as if holding its breath in anticipation. They arrive at the gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledore's office, standing just in front of it.
"Password?" the gargoyle asks.
"Shit!" Maggie hisses.
At the sound of Maggie's voice, the stone floor beneath their feet starts shifting and moving causing them to stumble slightly, a set of stairs carries them up to the door of the headmaster's office.
"What's going on?" Maggie asks, looking at Ginny's tear-stained face.
"Arthur Weasley was attacked in the Ministry,"
"Why is he here?" Ron glares at Draco.
"Be quiet Ron," Fred sighs, rubbing his temples.
"This portkey will take you to Grimmauld Place, Remus and Sirius are waiting for you to arrive,"
The students all nod solemnly, reaching out and putting their fingers on the teapot. A sharp tugging sensation fills Maggie's gut and a white light blinds her before the teenagers land in a heap on the floor.
Remus and Sirius are quick to help the teenagers untangle from one another. The two men have solemn looks on their faces as they look at the Weasley children.
"Where's mum?" Fred asks.
"Your mother is at St Mungo's to be with your father," Remus says and Ginny shoots up.
"So, we need to go to St Mungo's!" The witch exclaims. "Can we borrow some cloaks?"
"Gin, you can't all run to St Mungo's," Maggie says, placing a hand on the younger witch's shoulder.
"What do you know?" Ginny snaps. "You don't know loss!"
Maggie's sudden inhalation echoes through the room, breaking the tense silence that had settled after Ginny's harsh words. She jerks her hand away from Ginny's shoulder, as though it had been scorched by a flame.
Maggie smiles but everyone can see the bitterness and hurt in her eyes as she moves to stand next to Draco. The younger wizard grabs her hand, squeezing it which Maggie returns.
"Maggie's right," Sirius says, casting a glance at the witch who was avoiding eye contact with anyone.
"It's our fucking dad!" Fred exclaims. "Of course, we can go!"
Fred and Sirius are engaged in a heated argument, and the situation escalates quickly when Ginny, George and Ron join in, all passionately advocating to go and see their father. Meanwhile, Maggie is struggling to deal with her pounding headache, trying to ease the pain by massaging her temples, all the while hoping to block out the noise and chaos surrounding her.
"ENOUGH!" Maggie shouts.
Maggie's shout catches everyone's attention but mouths slack open when they notice the pink that had engulfed her usually green irises. Her fingertips are ablaze with a vibrant pink light that crackles like lightning.
"Just shut up all of you," Maggie grits out. "You can't go and see your dad because Dumbledore has let us out of Hogwarts early. Also, Harry saw all of this happening. How are you going to explain that, hm? What's stopping the Ministry from then keeping him locked up to spy on Voldemort? I may not know the loss of a father but I know loss. So stop fighting like children and grow up"
Maggie shakes her head in frustration as she ascends the stairs, her fingers kneading her temples in an attempt to ease the throbbing pain that's been plaguing her head for hours. With each step, the pressure inside her skull seems to intensify, as though a balloon is being inflated inside her brain.
Suddenly, she stumbles on the stairs, letting out a sharp cry of agony as she clutches her head with both hands, desperately trying to alleviate the excruciating pain.
"Maggie?"
"It hurts!" Maggie cries out as Fred pushes her hair back from her face. "Make it stop! My head is burning!"
Fred's gaze is fixed on Maggie as her head suddenly snaps back, causing her eyes to glimmer with an unusual sheen. He feels a shiver run down his spine as he looks at the group of people standing at the bottom of the stairs. Maggie's mouth begins to move, but the voice that comes out of it is nothing like her usual one, leaving everyone stunned and speechless.
"It shall be then, when ash rains from the sky, a victory shall mark the rise of unprecedented evil or a bath of pure light. For two bonded by soul will fight on opposing sides, one will live and one will die,"
Maggie's voice trails off and she slumps into Fred's arms, blinking as the pain in her head disappears as fast as it had come.
"What's going on?"
What did she just say?" Ron asks, breaking the heavy silence that follows Maggie's cryptic words.
"I'm not sure," Sirius admits, furrowing his brow. "It sounded like some sort of prophecy"
"Maggie, are you okay?" Fred asks, gently shaking her shoulders.
Maggie blinks a few times, looking disoriented. She glances around at the concerned faces surrounding her. "What happened?"
"You started saying something... about ash, unprecedented evil and a bath of light," Draco explains cautiously.
"I... I don't remember saying anything. My head was pounding, and then it just stopped."
"It looked like you needed an exorcism,"
"Ron!"