The dimly lit hallways of Madison's home were musty, as she entered through the front door late that evening, after several long hours working in her office at Hogwarts. Between her office and the Order, there just seemed to be little reason for Madison to come home often, and though everything was well organized and put away from lack of use, she could see a thin layer of dust on the wooden surfaces of her living room when she went to turn on a light. She slowly withdrew her wand, tired from today's activities, and with a lazy flick, the dust seemed to wipe itself away, and some of the furniture straightened itself up before she sat down on the couch.
After the incident with John several weeks ago, she had visited the Order less and less, and through her need for a change of scenery, she decided to come home for a change, rather than risk seeing John at the Order's hideout, where she would normally go to replace school work with other work, as though she couldn't bear to relax. But even if she overlooked what had happened between her and John, and how much of a stranger he had become, the Order was still growing less and less appealing. There just didn't seem to be much she could do to help such a lost cause, with its leader unaccounted for, and only a handful of members remaining. They had little influence on the war against Death Eaters, and the corruption of the Ministry. The Order had become too small and insignificant to do anything, and there didn't seem to be anyone left who was willing to take ownership and lead the small group. It certainly wouldn't be Madison, that was for sure, and John; well, she didn't think she knew anything about him anymore.
It must have been sheer stubbornness for her to have stuck it out as long as she had, even after surviving the Ministry. Perhaps she just didn't want to admit how broken she had become- didn't want anyone to see her vulnerable. Her time away from the Order had allowed her a lot of time to think, however, and she now she could see it for the lost cause that it was. And now, after all the time and effort she had poured into it, somehow it seemed easy now to just peel away like everyone else had.
Madison brushed a strand of hair out of her face and with her wand, she accio'd a book off the shelf across the room, and looked it over, before opening it up to the first page. It was a book on Egyptian artifacts, one she distinctively remembered buying but must not have had the time to read it until now.
Home 
