a whole new world.

Madalyn nodded in response, Rian was totally right that it was better to know these things even if you never had to use them than to get stuck trying to defend yourself and not knowing how. She was glad that he'd decide to go out on a limb and trust her enough to share something like this with her. "Yea maybe we'll get paired up again, which is just so horrible." She joked with him smiling at him as she stood up realizing that everything was coming to an end so people were going to be leaving soon to head out for their common rooms.

"I'm not really sure what I'm going to tell the rest of my housemates I've been doing since dinner ended since I'm sure a few of them will probably notice I never showed up in the common room but I'll come up with something," she told him wondering how she was going to hide this from everyone but she would. Madalyn knew how important it was that no one finds out what she was going to. People couldn't know about this, they couldn't know that she was friends with someone from Gryffindor or that they were hosting a secret meeting for students to learn and practice defensive spells so they could defend themselves in the upcoming war. People also couldn't know which side she was putting herself on when everything started. At least not now, not if she wanted to keep herself and probably also Rian safe.

When the timing was right however people would know that she and Rian were friends, she'd make sure of it. Just like she would make sure that the important people knew whose side she was on, and what she was fighting for. But the timing needed to be right, which it wasn't, not yet anyway.

{skipping ahead. i'm just running with this, if you want me to change anything just let me know!}

Rian was sitting with a few of his housemates as they ate dinner, discussing a particularly hard problem that they had been given on their history homework. He huffed, deciding to turn away from that particular conversation because he didn't want to think about it anymore. It was starting to hurt his head. Grumbling to himself, Rian opened his mouth to say something to the person on his other side when one of the Great Hall's window broke. Everyones' eyes snapped upward and watched with horror as Death Eaters entered, dropping to the ground with their masks' concealing their faces.

Pandemonium erupted, the younger students rushing toward the door while Rian raised to his feet. Many of the older students did, the ones that had been in Dumbledore's Army. Rian started shouting orders at the younger students, urging them back toward the door. Panic had settled in the pit of his stomach but Rian couldn't focus on that right now. He needed to stand and fight because if he didn't, then he was as good as the Slytherins that stood back with wide eyes.

Rian spun around, sending off a spell to protect himself when one came hurtling toward him. His back stiffened as he fought the man, not stopping until he had crumbled into dust. Rian didn't like the feeling, having known that he had killed someone but if it wasn't the Death Eater who died, it would have been him. Rian knew that, right down to his core.

Madalyn.

Her name rushed through his mind and renewed his focus, needing to find her. "Madalyn!" Rian shouted, hoping he could find her. He spun this way and that, breathing a slight sigh of relief when he spotted her. He started toward her, only to cry out as a spell hit him. Rian's eyes screwed shut as the Death Eater stalked forward, glaring at Rian's form.

"That was my brother," he hissed, smirking at the obvious pain that Rian felt. An unforgivable curse was nothing to a Death Eater, watching Rian writher around in pain was a welcome sight. Rian wheezed, a sneer on his face despite himself. He couldn't speak but he was sure his anger and disgust was evident.

Madalyn was having the worst day. She’d gotten a letter that morning at breakfast from her parents, who typically never sent her things. The letter had stated that when the time was right they hoped she wouldn’t be a total disgrace to them. It hadn’t given many details about what that meant but she was sure she’d know soon enough. Her parents had also gone on about how they’d heard through the grapevine that she wasn’t hanging around Theo but had been seen fraternizing with a group of Hufflepuffs, and worse a group of Gryffindor students who all had some affiliation with Harry Potter or his friends. Her parents had hope that it was a mistake, but they were doubtful. And they were rather upset with her choices because she should know better, she knew after all what happened to people who took the path she seemed to be heading down.

She had known a day like this was bound to come, she had simply hoped it would come much later. Knowing that they probably had people spying on her had been eating her alive all day. She didn’t understand why they even cared really. It wasn’t like they ever acted like they cared about her. They only wanted to marry her off to make themselves look better and if it was that important to her they should’ve just had another child so they could’ve had better chances. There was also a pit forming in her stomach all day thinking about what they could’ve meant about not disgracing them when they taken came.

When Madalyn heard the breaking glass in the great hall she watched in shock as the great hall was flooded with death eaters and she knew. They were here to do The Dark Lords dirty work. They were going to try and kill Harry Potter most likely, but they wouldn’t hesitate to kill people who stood in their way. These people didn’t have hearts. They’re was no way they could actually have beating hearts and break into a school to kill children.

It didn’t take very long at all for Madalyn to jump out of her seat and pull out her wand ready for battle. She looked over to her housemates then out at everyone else. “Do you guys really not care that these people are doing this?” She asked them not that shocked really. “Those people are our parents. And we’re not going to fight them. But you go right ahead and be a blood traitor if you want,”

Madalyn shook her head. “Gladly,” she told them before she walked away baffled that they even had parents like this. “Fumos” she whispered swirling her wand around to hide herself in a cloud of smoke as she made her way through the great hall towards the Gryffindors. She took out a couple of death eaters trying not to get caught before her spell wore off, and just in time to see one of the death eaters attack Rian.

“Hey toerag leave him alone!” She yelled “Confringo” She cast which sent him flying across the room before she rushed over to Rian and bent down to him. “Are you okay?” She asked knowing they didn’t exactly have time to discuss what was happening.

Rian hadn't even realized his utter panic when they attacked; his need to find Madalyn and make sure she was safe was the only thing on his mind until Toerang hit him with the Cruciatus Curse. His mind shifted in that moment as his body was hit with an insurmountable amount of pain; his body twisting and contorting as his mind drifted. He couldn't so much as form a solid thought as the Death Eater approached him. He was sure that he would be dead if looks could kill and for a moment, Rian wished for death. The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Like anything he would ever feel again. He didn't even think about Harry's safety at all; his thoughts only of what would happen to Madalyn.

As far as he knew, he was the only one who did everything that he could to help her grow. Rian knew that it was a terrifying process but it was something that needed to be done. It would be hard, sure, but he didn't think Madalyn would ever be able to live a happy life under her family's influence. It was an awful thought but sometimes, people needed to live for themselves and not so much for others.

Just as suddenly as the pain had began, it ended. Rian collapsed in a heap, dragging in a few, ragged breaths. He groaned, looking up when Madalyn rushed to his side. He looked up, blinking slowly. He gave a small nod of his head, reaching out to squeeze her hand with a shaking one of his own. "Mads," he breathed, brushing his thumb over her skin. "You're okay?" He asked, his eyes roaming over her features for a moment. When he decided that she was, in fact, okay, Rian pushed to his feet.

Rian swallowed, his eyes locking on hers for a moment longer. There were so many things that he wanted to say to her but he couldn't figure out what to say to her. There was nothing that could be said at the moment, there was a war raging around them that they had no choice but to partake in.

Rian squeezed her arm, giving her a firm nod of his head. "It's just like we practiced, okay? Just like in the room of requirements. Just like that. It's just real targets now," he offered, hoping that he could help to calm the nerves that he was sure Madalyn was feeling. It was all that he had ever really cared about and he was beginning to realize it, even if he had no time at all to confront it. "Stay with me. I'll keep you safe. I promise," he added. Rian gave her a half hearted smile before he spun, his back straightened as he raised his wand to cast yet another spell.

Madalyn wasn’t exactly sure how to express the relief she felt in knowing that Rian was safe, at least for the time being. Honestly, making sure that he made it out of the great hall alive was a top priority for her. It wasn’t that she didn’t care what happened to everyone else because she did, and Madalyn would do whatever she needed to to help her new found friends out. However, she felt a much stronger attachment to Rian and didn’t want to take a chance of losing him before she had a chance to tell him how she felt.

She was quick to nod her head when he mentioned taking the death eaters on like they had in the room of requirements only on actual target rather than boggarts or each other in practice. And knowing that he was right behind her and within an arms reach if she needed to help him made it a little easier for her to turn back to the fight going on around her.

“We need to start evacuating the great hall somehow,” she called to him over her shoulder as she look around at the chaos unfolding around her. There were huddles if you get students who had know idea what was happening trying to hide behind people fighting. There were spells being thrown in every which direction, and there was no way there weren’t going to be casualties. It didn’t change the fact though that some kids in the area were barely old enough to even be attending Hogwarts and this was the last place they needed to be.

“I’m going to take them somewhere safe. Rian if you happen to gather anyone too scared to fight, or to young to be here send them to me and I’m going to get them somewhere safe,” she told Rian before hiding herself in a cloud of smoke again so she could move around the great hall easier and collect students to safely remove them from the battle.

Rian's heart burst when Madalyn seemed to focus on the need to keep the young ones safe. He wanted so badly to stand here and tell her how much he appreciated her efforts and that he cared for her far more than perhaps he should. Rian cleared his throat, nodding as he glanced toward the entrance of the Great Hall. He knew that things were never going to be the same after today but frankly, Rian couldn't think that far ahead at the moment. He had to focus solely on the fight laid out in front of them.

"Stay safe, Mads. I'll see you when all of this is settled," Rian promised. He reached out, squeezing her hand gently. He gave her a wide smile before he turned, rushing back into the battle in front of them. Rian was just relieved that Madalyn was safe and it seemed like they had a chance at getting through this because some of the Death Eaters started to fly back through the broken window. They hadn't expected such a fight to be put up by the students.

Spinning around, Rian started to move through the injured. He paused and helped where he could before ultimately realizing that there was only one place that he really wanted to be at the moment. Rian paused by the door, looking up to Hermione with a small frown. She gave him a knowing smirk and nodded. "Go on. We have it here."

Rian said nothing else, rushing out of the Great Hall. He was in search of one thing and one thing only.

When Rian spotted Madalyn finally, his feet carried him toward her, practically running. He skidded to a halt, reaching out to spin her around. Rian wasn't sure of many things at the moment but he knew he needed to show Madalyn how much he cared for her. He didn't know if she would be taken from him in the coming days. Rian hesitated for a moment before leaning forward, capturing her lips in a careful kiss. His hand cupped her cheek, though he was careful not to press too much, wanting to give her the option to pull away if she wanted to.

Madalyn has successfully gotten a handful of younger students out of the great hall and in a hopefully safe area before she was being spun around and kissed. Honestly, she was caught slightly off guard by Rian and his actions considering everything that was going on in the great hall and the fact that for months now she’d been convinced that Rian fancied some Gryffindor girl he was just to scared to admit his feelings for. Hell Madalyn was even convinced that the girl was Hermione Granger. After all, Madalyn saw how much time the two of them spent together, and Hermione was best friends with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley which could make things weird. And so it all had made sense in her mind. But clearly she’d been very wrong. She welcomed the kiss however as she found herself wrapping an arm around his neck.

She wasn’t sure how long they stood there in the middle of the hallway lip locked, but she finally pulled away for breath and because of the louder commotion going on around them. “I’m happy to see you too,” she said softly before she looked towards the great hall to see a flood of students leaving. And they looked exhausted which was understandable.

“What’s going on?” She called to a couple of students walking near them.

“The death eaters all retreated, we won this battle, but they vowed to return and finish things off,” he told them, which did not make her feel better at all.

Madalyn quickly turned back to Rian and couldn’t help but throw herself at him so she could burry her face into his neck. She felt a sense of peace when she was around him, and knowing that the death eaters had made a vow to finish what they started, knowing that she had made it clear who’s side she was taking in front of them all, it didn’t put her to ease. Rather it made her nervous and left her confused about what to do next.

Rian let out a small groan as Madalyn returned the kiss. He had been half expecting her to shove him away and tell him off because she didn't like him like that. He wouldn't have blamed her but he also knew that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he lost Madalyn without ever even being able to tell her how he really felt. The thought had sent panic shooting through him, in the middle of the battle, when she was separated from him. Even now, the thought was enough to turn his stomach. His arm tightened around her waist, holding her to his chest even after they had separated. Rian couldn't help but laugh at her words, leaning his forehead against hers. He exhaled slowly, still holding her cheek.

Rian only looked up when Madalyn called out to the students passing by them.

"You can stay in our tower tonight," Rian paused, looking up with a slight frown. "McGonagell might want us all together... until Aurors arrive. To keep us safe. More safety in numbers, right?" Rian murmured. He held back a sigh, knowing full well that they would need a whole slew of Aurors here to protect the school.

Rian had no clue what the ramifications of the attack were going to be but he knew that he had to keep Madalyn safe. She had drawn a line in the sand with her family the moment that she had decided to defend him against a death eater. She couldn't simply return to her family. Rian didn't know what they would do to her or if they would even allow her to return home. Either way, no option would be overly pleasant.

Rian took a step back, instead lacing his fingers through Madalyn's. He gave her hand a small squeeze before glancing around again. "We'll figure everything out. I promise, okay? I'll be by your side the whole time."

[ good heavens I have not stopped going this month so far! It's been absolute insanity! ]

Madalyn nodded at Rian trying to keep herself calm. The only way she was getting through any of this was to play everything close to the chest and smart. After all, she had all but spat in her parents faces tonight when she decided to not only to duel a death eater, but in the process defend a Gryffindor. There was no coming back from that for her and she had an awful feeling her stomach that this would not end well. But she supposed she'd try and take things one day at a time.

"I hope she'll let me, because I don't think I'm exactly welcome into the dungeons with the rest of my house currently," she said not sure what she was going to do about the fact that she was still in Slytherin, that would always be her house and she would always take pride in being in Slytherin but right now they didn't exactly want her. After all, none of them fought against anyone tonight. They were all cowards, and they stood back and let the death eaters attack Hogwarts as if that was normal.

"I honestly don't know what I would do without you," she finally told Rian smiling down at their hands when he laced his fingers with hers. This was nice, probably one of the nicest things she'd ever experienced, and she didn't want it to end or to lose that. She had no idea what Rian could possibly see in her to make him want to even be near her. But he had been by her side for a while now, he was her best friend, and honestly Madalyn knew without any doubts that she would not be on this better path currently had he not walked into her life that one day they were partnered together. "We should probably find McGonagall honestly, see if she needs our help, or what she needs us to do even. Maybe she'll even have an idea that can help me figure out what to do about being a Slytherin who's also seen as a traitor to all the other Slytherins,"

If there was any teacher in the school that Madalyn would trust not only with her life, but with her secrets, and everything really it was McGonagall. Maybe because she had always gone out of her way to help every student regardless of the house they were in, and she always took their education seriously which was after all, why they were even attending Hogwarts, to learn how to be better witches and wizards so they could go out into the wizarding world and make a difference. And Madalyn just really admired her, but she didn't know many people who didn't honestly.

{FUCKING SAME THO. this semester has been so damn brutal}

Rian gave Madalyn a lopsided grin as he shrugged his shoulders. "Even if McGonagall doesn't let you into Gryffindor's common room, I'll stay with you. I'm not going to leave you alone. Not on a night like tonight," he declared calmly. It was simple to him because he wasn't about to walk away from Madalyn. Not when she was so vulnerable. Just the thought of leaving her completely alone turned his stomach in a way that he wasn't prepared for. Clearing his throat as they turned onto the hallway that led to the stairs where the portrait of the Fat Lady sat.

"I have to thank you for what you did. I know that it was... hard for you. That it is going to change a lot of things for you. And I just want you to know that I'm always going to be with you. Regardless of what ends up coming out of today, you won't be alone. You still have me and you still have... the people that joined us. Right? if anyone was still skeptical of you," Rian paused, glancing toward her. "They won't be after tonight. They might not know everything about you but they know you come from the Kost family. To defend a Gryffindor against a death eater... it speaks volumes," Rian was hoping he was offering her the right words of comfort.

Rian paused as they came up to the portrait of the Fat Lady. She seemed confused, bristling at Madalyn's presence. "You will not be getting into this room, after what your house has done to thi-" she started to ramble, clearly upset over the night's events when Rian scowled at the woman.

"Lay off. She saved my life. You should know what that means!" Rian argued and the woman still seemed skeptical, looking between Rian and Madalyn before finally letting out a dramatic sigh before the door flung open. Rian grinned as he motioned Madalyn forward. "Come on."