AN: The murder happens near the end of season 4, somewhere after Wizard of the Year (S04E16), but before Justin's Back In (S04E19).

This fic consists of Prologue, four chapters and an Epilogue. Roughly 10,000 words in total. Will post a new chapter every day or every couple of days.

Warnings: murder, temporary character death, implied physical abuse, dubious morality, mention of cutting and depression.

Max will say later that dying didn't hurt.

(the fact that it was his sister that did it did, though. He never says.)

He had looked up when he heard her say the spell. The smile she had was her usual up-to-nothing-good smile. The beam that flew out of her wand was purple. Before it him him he had known it would kill him. He doesn't know how he knew, but he did. He didn't have time for fear or hurt or anything else. He didn't have time to move. He didn't have time.

(Max usually doesn't go for melodramatics, but he died, so feels entitled to some melodrama.)

He reenacts the story, running around, playing all the parts; doing the voices, getting all the expressions right-he will make a fine actor one day, the best, no magic used, but making magic all the same-

He smiles when he finishes the story, the death-can't-harm-me-I'm-fearless smile, but it is a brittle thing, and you can almost hear it grind with the rest of his face. It doesn't belong there; He stretches his mouth to form it and it hurts in a way he can't explain.