"Hugo!" Hermione shouted and grabbed the collar of his jacket to yank him backwards. "What were you thinking?! Hurting James' friend like that... it's just so unlike you!"

Caleb made a show of nursing his cheek. "Ouch," he muttered. "He was accusing Maddie of turning on us, mum! How was I not supposed to slap him?!" Maddie almost giggled at his response, but stopped herself.

Hermione let go of her son and focused on the ground. "Caleb. Maddie has no intentions of betraying us." Harry spoke up. "Boys, why don't you guys and Caleb go and do something in your room?"

Caleb, Dough, Albus and James went off to the brother's room. "Rosie, you can bunk with Sara now if you'd like." Rose smiled. "Thanks, mum. We'll go get settled."

After that, the adults were only waiting for Claire and Lily to leave the room. Ginny gave Lily a look. "Oh... Claire, wanna go play a game?" "Sure." Claire replied as the two walked out.

Awkward silence filled the room. "Thanks, Hugo." Maddie said, breaking it. He nodded. "Sorry 'bout your sister, Maddie." Ron's tone was apologetic and sincere, which made Maddie want to cry a little. When all the adults and Hugo had similar apologies, that made her really want to cry. But, she was Maddie. Maddie was different. She was considered a disgrace by her family. And Maddie learned she couldn't cry. She's done a lot of crying since she arrived at Hogwarts, but now she decided she couldn't cry.

"It's not your fault," she mumbled. "I just can't believe my family would do this to me. I don't even think I can call them that." Maddie quickly shut her mouth. She didn't have any idea why she was okay and open up her heart and just spill out her feelings in front of these people.

Hermione quickly made her way to Maddie and embraced her. The little girl was caught by surprise but then hugged her back. Hermione slowly pulled away and looked her in the eyes. Hermione's eyes were slowly filling up with tears. "Maddie, you listen to me." She began. "You are amazing. You are such a wonderful, talented little girl. You're braver than I could have ever imagined. And, one more thing. You are so loved. By us. We adore you, and I know it's hard to see now, but also by your sister and parents. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Hermione was blinking back her tears as she whispered praise, but Maddie didn't bother. Even if she wasn't supposed to cry, she felt her cheeks wet, and just let tears roll down them like a hill.

"Thank you." Maddie wiped her eyes, but that didn't help. She plastered a grin on her damp cheeks and made it look like all was well. Looks can be deceiving, however.

Maddie stepped away from Hermione and kept her gaze on the floor as she hurried to her room. After carefully shutting the door behind her, and locking it, she sunk down to the floor in a silent parade of tears. Her twin sister was really gone. She was hear with people who actually thought she was something. She reminded herself that she believed she was nothing, and buried her face into her hands. The hands that held a carved stick when it should have held a universe, a wand. She couldn't understand why Hugo Weasley would want to hold her non-magical hand when he could hold any girl in their year's. Or why she had let her hands tie a red and yellow tie when they should have been tying the laces of her Converse to go to muggle school everyday.

Maddie Chan recalled what Mrs. Weasley had whispered to her in the kitchen. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Maddie regarded it as a lie. It's not like she was allowing for herself to feel such inferior feelings. That's when in struck her. She was.

And it was going to stop.
---
ONE MONTH LATER

Maddie was sitting on the front steps of the safe house, her dark hair in a long braid down her shoulder, dressed in a navy knit sweater with white lace dangling from the bottom, and gray jeans. It felt like old times, before Hogwarts. It was like something she'd wear normally, too. But this war far from old times. She was a completely different person.

The door opened and Sara, Claire, and Rose stepped outside into the crisp air of early December. The three had really become great friends, as the only Ravenclaws. Rosey's face lit up. "Maddie! There you are. I have something I need to talk to you about." She crouched down beside her and reached in the pocket of her leather coat to reveal an old page from a book folded into fourths. Her fingers quickly unfolded it and she held it against her chest to smooth it out. "What's this?" Maddie raised her eyebrows as the parchment was passed to her. She skimmed the page. "This looks like a description of Hufflepuff house. So?" Rose dragged her fingers over the first sentence. Maddie went back and read in murmurs. "'Hufflepuff is a most inclusive house, the house of those who are honest, hard working, kind-hearted, along with squibs and-". Along with squibs?!

Maddie cast a sideways glance towards Rose, who's facial expressions mirrored those of hers: disbelieving. "Then how come-" Maddie began. "You're a Gryffindor?" Rose finished. "You tell me."

Maddie set down the paper and stood up. Thoughts swirled inside her mind. "No one," her voice was barely more than a whisper, but loud enough for the three girls to hear, "can make you feel inferior without your consent." She turned around to find them staring at her as if she'd gone mad. "If all my life, I've never truly accepted me being a squib, then I never gave my consent. If I don't give my consent, then I can't be a squib, right?" Nobody answered at first. "Right?" Maddie said a little louder. Rose had the most perplexed look on her face as she nodded slowly.

Maddie looked up at the cloudy sky. "So it's settled, then. I don't think I'm a squib."