Big for all of them happened after the Spring holidays; by now, all but June were eighteen. All of their birthdays had hardly been celebrated, and for none could June be there. She sent a present to each of them, but nothing significant. They each got gifts and were told happy birthday, but they couldn't celebrate like usual. They had to be in their dorms, and it was impossible to sneak around. But Neville had managed to make the room of requirement into a hideout for people, one with a passage right to the Hogshead. William, Max, and Sirenna evacuated there, trying to contact June and convince her to join them, too.
She didn't; she wasn't ready; it was agreed June would come just before May started, but for now, she wanted to work more with Mr Abbott. They all wanted her to go before May so they could celebrate one of their eighteenths together, and with June being born on the 3rd of May, they needed her to be there by then.
It was the 22nd of April, and three of the four were in the Room of Requirement. Those three spent as much time as they could together; this year, they had been so mentally and physically distanced from each other that it was insufferable. But now they all had more hope; they felt safe. Especially with the fact Luna was back; she only got back the day before, but she was Harry. Harry Potter and his friends saved her; she also suggested a moment of silence for the brave, free elf who sacrificed himself to ensure they all got out of Malfoy Manor safely. The group had yet to meet Dobby. William had overheard Harry and his friends talk about the house elf in the common room once or twice, but that was it. It made them all think they had to endure this, yet their names were hardly known. They could die, and most people wouldn't even know who they were or even get wind of their deaths. Just like all those who'd gone missing or died, that they won't ever remember, maybe, if they win, there will be a memorial with their name plastered on it, but they won't know them. There's a whole person behind the name that none of them will ever get to know.

Max had assumed that he had gotten the young Ravenclaw girl, Charlotte Loft, into the Room of Requirement; he truly believed nobody was safe now. Percy was there; his father did get wind of his refusal to comply with torturous acts, and he was dishonoured. It made Percy regret many of his actions; he had done so much before then, so he was safe. He was scared of his own family and felt like there was no other option, and now Perseus was in hiding because he'd ruined all he had previously built up. He didn't regret going into hiding; he regretted hurting someone over something he ended up bringing down himself, not even a year later.
Max and Percy had not talked to each other since, well before Christmas. Not that Percy stopped helping Max without him knowing; that boy was still head over heels for his ex. Not that he'd ever do anything, considering the apparent relationship between Max and Charlie.
A few times, Max had almost been caught doing something so-called rebellious that Percy had noticed, and he would use some spell or claim it was him just to save Max. Max was utterly unaware; he figured he was good at getting away with things.

Charlotte Loft did end up replying to Max a fair bit; she was scared, and most of her friends had disappeared. Besides the random fellow Ravenclaw, who mentally adopted her at the beginning of the year, she was alone. Max had taken it upon himself to teach her fundamental spells; after all, Charlotte couldn't attend classes, and now she was hiding. Midway through one of their lessons, they sat in a corner of the Room of Requirement, and she wasn't really paying attention to him but to others in the room. "What happened between Harriet and Sirenna?" She asked; it was clear to Max that only a little would be done today, so sure, why not gossip. "Sirenna got depressed, she became very distant, and they both realised it wasn't healthy, or maybe even appropriate, for them to be together during all of this." She looked over at them. Both Harriet and Sirenna were talking, but it seemed awkward. "I hope they get back together; you can tell they still care and want the other. They both plan on asking the other if things change." Max snickered to himself; it sounded right, though odd, when he thought about it. "How do you know?"
"It's what they think."
"You're a Legiliment?" He asked; she nodded before stating it was only weak but helpful. Since they weren't going to study, why not see what other gossip they could find out. Max asked her if she wouldn't mind trying to find more talk, and she was more than ready to; it was like an instinct. One thing the two of them had in common was a love for gossip. They were on that topic for a while when she turned to Percy. At that moment, he was simply cleaning; the beds had to be sorted and cleaned, and he didn't mind helping.
"He likes you a lot. But he knows he can't do anything about it cause of your boyfriend. He thinks about this often." Max saw that coming. He knew Percy felt, sometimes as bad as it was, and he wanted to feel that way too. But there was Charlie, the two of them weren't close, they probably wouldn't last. In fact, he didn't even know if Charlie was alive. But at the same time, he wasn't even sure if he still liked Percy; he cared about him, but was it the same? It was hard to tell and not fair to think about in these conditions. There was no time for love. That is one possible reason he had been waiting to hear from Charlie for so long. "Do you think you will give him a second chance?" She asked him, fully knowing the stability of Max and Charlie's relationship. "I don't think so. We broke up for a reason, and it hurt."
"But you blame yourself for part of it."
"Yeah, I do. But then maybe it won't be fair on either of us to start it up again." He wanted to believe everything he said, but deep down, Max knew that if it wasn't for Charlie, he would. He would give Percy a second chance. And that made him feel like shit.