AN:I am so sorry It has been so long since I've updated. I started a new job over the last two months and I still don't have a laptop so its hard to find time to write. I love you all though and promise never to give up on this story! Thank you so much for your loyalty and reviews!

Also I wanted to say thank you to all of my new readers over the last two months who found my story and reviewed. You guys rock!

Props go to Voided and Jocasta Silver for knowing that Keladry the owl was a name shout out to Kel from the Protector of the Small books written by Tamora Pierce. She is one of my favorite authors (even though I don't actually like Kel that much.) seriously though, If you have never read her series "Song of the Lioness" I really recommend it. Her series "The Immortals" is my all time favorite.

Anyways! Enough about that. Enjoy the next chapter! there is a BIG moment at the end there ;)

I am not JKRowling. Or Tamora Pierce.

Updated 6/18/16

CHAPTER 26

The last few weeks of summer went by very slowly at first for Mia. When Gabe's package full of potion ingredients arrived Mia was unbelievably thankful for it. She spent two weeks brewing the potions that she had ingredients for. She changed one of the potions that was supposed to make your hair grow super fast and made it to focus only on the hair on the upper lip producing a full mustache in under three seconds. Mia packaged the potion into two candies and sent them to Fred and George with a note reading let me know if you can think up any charms to change the style. She didn't want to tell them what the candies would do when they ate them, she wanted to see if they would actually eat a random sweet that was sent to them in the mail, but she also wanted to see if they could think up any charms that when added to the sweet could produce different styles of mustaches.

Mia was out of potion ingredients and she still had a month of summer to go with nothing to do. So at lunchtime Mia went to Professor McGonagall as she was chatting with Professor Sprout to see if she would be willing to take Mia for a shopping trip. "Professor? I know I'm not allowed to leave the castle, but I still need to get my school books."

"Ah yes Amelia, I went out this morning and got your books and supplies that you will need for next year. If you come by my office tonight at tea time I can give them to you."

Mia's face fell as she realized there was no chance of her breaking free of the castle. Professor Snape chose that moment to come and sit at the table for his lunch. "Thank you Professor, I really appreciate it." Mia made to leave then stopped. "Did you by chance just order the required potion ingredients or did you get any extra?"

Professor McGonagall smiled warmly at Mia. "If you would like to go retrieve the bags now, the password to my office is catnip." Mia smiled and scampered off to McGonagall's office. The professor just shook her head at the young girl as she ran off. "That girl and her love of potions." She elbowed Snape in the ribs. "What are you going to do about it?"

Mia retrieved her bags from her teacher's office and was happy to see a load of potion ingredients piled into one of the bags. Mia started on her way up to the Gryffindor tower thinking about what she could brew next. As she turned the corner onto the third floor landing she came face to face with Professor Snape. "Professor, good afternoon." She stepped around her professor and passed him as she walked down the hallway. Over the summer holidays Snape usually kept to himself, coming out of his dungeon for the occasional meal, but Mia never saw him anywhere else.

She walked away from the professor but froze when he spoke out. "Miss Black, do you plan on brewing little tongue and cheek potions for the rest of your life or do you have any interest in real potions work?"

Mia didn't know what to say, hell yeah? of course? "Um yes Professor, I do."

"Well then, follow me." Professor Snape took off at a fast walk up the castle. Mia followed after him jogging a little to keep up, but the heavy bags were making it difficult. Mia focused all her attention on following the professor up the stair cases and was so relieved when the professor stopped that it took her a moment to realize where they were. Mia looked up as Madam Pomfrey walked past. "Severus? What can I help you with?" She spotted Mia. "Not another dementor attack?"

"Poppy, I was hoping your potions lab was available for use."

Madam Pomfrey let out a snort. "You know I haven't used that lab in ages. Not since you took over full responsibility for stocking my potions cabinet."

Professor Snape nodded. "I am expecting some extra potion orders from St. Mungo's this season so I have recruited Miss Black to help with some of the schools potion stock." Mia was surprised by Professor Snape's words. He wanted her help? The dark teacher lead Mia over to a door off to the side of the room. He opened the door to a small sanitary room with rows of shelves filled with potion ingredients and supplies. There was a high table set up on one of the walls catty corner to a steel sink. Professor Snape walked over to one of the shelves and pulled down a thick and dusty leather bound book. He flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for, then he set down the open book on the table. "Pepper Up Potion. We will need five dozen doses ready for the first term. When you finish the first batch bring a sample to my office so I can check your quality." He walked back to the shelf that held potion ingredients and looked them over. "Some of these ingredients are expired. When you have time, go through and sort the stock. You should have enough for the Pepper Up, but give a list of what is running low to Madam Pomfrey to order."

Professor Snape walked to the door clearly finished with his instructions. Then he paused. "Does that sound reasonable Miss Black?"

"Yes sir," Mia said while trying to hold back a smile. The Professor left and Mia looked around herself with excitement. She couldn't believe the opportunity she was getting. Finally she would be getting the opportunity to brew potions that would really help people. Maybe if she did an excellent job with the Pepper Up she would get to work on even harder potions. Mia knew the Pepper Up was a pretty basic potion in relative terms to most medical potions. It was something no one under a fifth year would be expected to be able to brew. Compared to the animagus potion it was very simple.

Mia walked over to the table and looked at the book. The one thing she did notice about the potion recipes in this book compared to her school books was that this book was proportioned to produce large batches. A potion of this quantity required a much larger cauldron than she had ever used before. Mia looked around the room and spotted a large cabinet in one corner that held different size cauldrons. There was a huge black cauldron in the very bottom that came up to Mia's thigh. She found a large burner on a top shelf and set it up, then she levitated the cauldron onto the burner.

Mia looked back at the directions and started pulling ingredients off the shelf. She sniffed the mistletoe berries. Professor Snape was right, many of these ingredients would need to be thrown out. Mia made a mental note to bring back some parchment to take notes with when she got to the stage of the potion that needed to stew for twelve hours. Mia got to work on the schools potions stalk, thoughts of inappropriate child labor never once crossing her mind.

Snape left the hospital wing feeling smug about himself. The girl was lonely being locked up in the castle, Minerva had made that clear enough to him at lunch, and a part of Severus understood what she was going through. He had grown up having a father that was rather less than satisfactory and Severus knew all too well that Amelia Black's father had been a horrible excuse for a human long before he had ever killed any muggles. When the girl had first shown up at the school, he had treated her with the same disdain and disgust he reserved for the Potter boy. Both of them had fathers he couldn't stand so it made sense. But over the last few years it became clear that Potter truly was just as prideful, arrogant, and dimwitted as his father, Black on the other hand was different from her father. She actually had a mind for potions and acted more respectful to him and her teachers than he would ever expect from a Black. She still seemed to have an appetite for pranks like her father had, but she seemed to only use them on her friends in good conscience. Not to mention her prank on the excuse of a teacher Lockhart. That had almost made him feel a small affection for the girl, but no. Severus would never allow himself to feel anything less than a light despise for the daughter of Sirius Black.

Severus had been at a loss as to what to do with this student after seeing her intelligence and desire to learn with the potion she had created and brought to him for help, so he had decided to settle on ignoring her. But after Minerva had prodded him so uncomfortably over his lunch, Severus had come up with a much better plan of action. He would teach the girl, and help her become a great potions maker 'taking her under his wing' as Minerva had suggested. Severus winced to himself at the thought of this. It sounded uncomfortable. But in the end knowing that he was teaching the daughter of his worst enemy, and being there for the girl when her own father couldn't? Well if Sirius Black ever found out it would be a new horror he could dwell on as the dementors haunted him. To think that the girl would look to him for guidance and look to her own father with fear or disgust, it put a smile on his face and gave Severus an excuse to allow himself to help girl.

Over the next week Mia was overjoyed as she brewed potions. Professor Snape had told her that her Pepper Up potion was adequate and had let her go on to brewing Skellow Grow and even a Strengthening potion. The Strengthening potion was a much more volatile potion so Professor Snape had monitored her closely and often questioned her on why she would do one thing and not another. "Why, if it is a commonly known trick to crush a sopophorous bean instead of cutting it to release its juice, did you struggle with cutting the bean and not just simply crush the bean for this potion?"

Mia knew he knew the answer so she responded as if answering a question in class. "When crushing the sopophorous bean trace amounts of the acidic skin are released into the juice. Cutting the bean, although extremely difficult, does not have this effect. Crushing the bean is usually just fine for most potions but because the Strengthening potion also calls for a runespoor egg, these two ingredients would have an explosive reaction. And that is why it is always wise to read through a potions ingredients list completely before attempting to stray from the exact directions even slightly." Snape never praised her for her work or her correct answers. He only reprimanded her strongly or blatantly insult her intelligence when she made the slightest mistake. But Mia didn't care. She knew that his silence was all the affirmation she needed, and she was thankful when he corrected her because it meant she was learning to be better. He never bothered teaching the students in his class who he thought were hopeless, and in class the only times Mia ever made mistakes was when Neville messed up their group potions.

Friday morning Mia awoke to an owl tapping at her window. Mia's eyes sprang open and she raced to the window flinging it open as she noticed not one, but two owls waiting for her. The first owl was just delivering her Daily Prophet, but the second owl was a beautiful tawny with a small box in brown wrapping. Mia asked the bird who the box was from but was told by the very snobby owl that she was simply a delivery owl and could not be bothered with silly questions. Then she promptly flew out the window. Mia took her birthday present back to her bed and sat down. Mia's heart raced as she slowly opened the package. This wasn't from Gabe and Hermione usually didn't send Mia birthday presents, so she knew deep down that this was from RJL. Mia unwrapped the small box and slowly took off the lid. Inside was the most beautiful pendant Mia had ever seen. it was a very fine and delicate silver pendant in the shape of a silver wolf. The wolf was sitting up as if howling at a moon in the form of a small blue jewel. There was a small scrap of parchment under the necklace that read Happy birthday my dear Mia Bell - Love RJL. Mia was filled with joy at the note. She wondered once again who RJL was and if she would ever get to meet them. Did they know her father had escaped and that she was now a prisoner in the castle? Mia didn't care anymore, the only thing that mattered was that today was her thirteenth birthday and RJL still cared enough to send her a present.

Mia spent the morning wandering the castle lost in thought, then after a quick lunch with Professor McGonagall who presented her with a small pumpkin birthday cake, Mia made her way up to the hospital wing to work on the next potion on her list Snape had given her. Mia entered the small lab after waving a good morning to Madam Pomfrey and started dragging out her needed potion ingredients. Mia Jumped when Professor Snape entered the room. "Taking an easy morning are you? Need I remind you that a Bruise Removal paste can be ruined quite easily if your full attention is not given to it during the cooling phase."

Mia nodded, "Yes Professor, I will be careful." Mia was trying to assure the professor, but she was just so happy with it being her birthday and that she was wearing the most beautiful necklace in the whole world, she couldn't help but smile wide while she addressed Snape.

Snape didn't seem too confident in Mia's ability to focus. "Please do tell what you find so amusing Miss Black, and please remember that my time is precious. I could have easily completed this paste myself in the time it has taken you to pull out that cauldron grinning away like an idiot."

Mia tried to adopt a serious face as she responded. "I apologize Professor. I don't find anything amusing, I am simply in a good mood today, but I promise not to let my joy affect my potion making." Mia gave the professor the most business like face she could muster to hide her sarcasm.

Snape seemed set on breaking Mia's spirit that morning. "So they must have caught your father then? I hadn't heard, but that must be what has made you so happy. Do tell, did they administer the dementor's kiss immediately or are they planning on waiting to make it a holiday?"

Mia's face fell at her teacher's words. She had read what a dementor's kiss really did and couldn't believe anyone would ever be deserving of such a fate. She knew Snape had hated her since their first class together, and Mia had puzzled it had something to do with her father, but she had thought she had earned some place of respect as his student over the last two years. Mia just couldn't believe her teacher could say something so cruel to her about her father. Mia knew Sirius Black was a horrible person, but didn't people understand that Mia was half of him? When they spoke bad of him Mia couldn't help but feel those insults were meant for her as well.

Snape grew silent as he realized the effect his words seemed to have on his usually thick skinned student. Mia started to leave the room but was quickly blocked by Madam Pomfrey who entered carrying a package. "Oh Miss Black! A package has come for you. I didn't know it was your birthday, happy birthday dear!" Mia took the package and saw that it was clearly from Gabe. The oddly book shaped present was wrapped in white paper with the words 'Happy Birthday!' scrawled over the paper over and over again in every color imaginable.

Mia took the package and looked up at Professor Snape with anger flashing icy through her eyes. "Excuse me professor, but I am afraid I am not quite focused enough for potions work today." And with that Mia left the hospital wing and headed up to her dorm leaving a slightly guilty feeling Snape behind.

Mia lay on her bed and tried to push thoughts of her teacher out of her head. Today is your birthday, be happy. Mia looked down at the pendant around her neck and she remembered the people in the world who cared for her as comfort filled her heart. Finally feeling calm again Mia tore into her present from Gabe and held the thick leather bound book in her hands. She tried to open the book but the pages seemed stuck together, then she noticed a scrap of parchment that had fallen out. Place your hand on the cover for a moment so you can imprint on the charms - Gabe. Mia did as the note said and placed her right hand on the cover of the book. Mia had heard about charms that a person could imprint on to, making it so that only the person recognized by the spell on the object could use it, but this spell work was extremely advanced. Mia felt a slight tingling in her hand where she touched the book so she lifted her hand. She tried the pages again and the book easily opened to her touch.

She opened to the first page and saw Gabes neat scrawl on the front page:

Mia? If you are reading this, take out a quill and write something under my words hear, then wait a moment. Trust me.

Mia was a bit confused but decided to do it anyways. She grabbed her quill and ink and wrote in big letters under Gabe's writing.

Something.

Then Mia waited. But nothing happened. She sighed and thought maybe this was a joke on Gabe's part. But then, just as she was about to close the book she saw movement under her writing and words began to write across the page right before her eyes.

Ha ha very funny. I didn't mean to literally write 'Something.' So what do you think of your present?

Mia was confused, this was Gabe's handwriting, but was it a curse like the diary Ron's little sister had fallen for last year? Hermione had told Mia all about it, and she in turn had told Gabe. The writing had paused as if waiting for her but then it started back up again.

Mia, all you have to do to respond is write under my words and whatever you write I will be able to see in my book.

This made sense to Mia so she tried it, dipping her quill back into the ink.

So you aren't the evil spirit of You know Who?

Mia paused and Gabe started writing almost instantly.

Hahahahahaha Oh my gosh Mia! Bloody Hell of course it's me! Don't run off to get any basilisk fangs on me! Though I will admit, I actually came up with the idea after what happened last year with that Diary, But don't worry, I'm not an evil being stuck in a book. I'm just Gabe, sitting here in my living room eating my mom's chocolate chip cookies and writing in a book!

Mia knew this probably wasn't an evil book but she just had to check.

Prove it.

Prove what?

Prove you are Gabe.

There was a long pause.

Your favorite sweet are Pumpkin Pasties.

Really? That's the best convincing you can do?

There was another long pause.

Last year I followed you into the Forbidden Forest where you go sometimes to talk to the wolves who have sort of adopted you. Then I was attacked by a huge pack of ferocious wolves, but luckily I was saved by a beautiful white tiger that came out of nowhere to protect me from the wolves.

This convinced Mia, no one else could have ever known this.

For the last time, they were NOT attacking you! They were just playing a game. honestly, if I am ever allowed outside of this castle ever again I will have to introduce you to them.

So you believe it's really me then?

I guess I do. For now at least. Now tell me how you made this?

Mia couldn't believe the amount of work Gabe had put into her present. He had gotten one book and had performed a sort of super complex splitting spell on it to make two. That way the two new books were connected to each other by essence so that when one book was written in it was as if both were written in. This way they could transfer messages back and forth from any distance. The charm that Mia had imprinted on made it so that no one would be able to open the book other than her. He also built in a charm that made it so that if there was a new message written, the book would humm very quietly until it was opened. Gabe had even gotten special permission from Professor Flitwick to perform the spell work. Gabe hoped to show him the books once term started in the hopes of getting extra credit.

Mia loved the present and it made her feel less lonely. They stayed up late writing back and forth through the evening. Mia told Gabe all about her potion work with Snape, but she didn't tell him about the cruel words he had said to her earlier. Gabe had enough reasons to hate Snape, and Mia knew the teacher wasn't all bad. Gabe told her all about the time he had spent with his brother and the things they had done together, but Mia noticed he didn't mention the potion his brothers owl had told her he was making. When it was so late that Gabe was beginning to make major spelling mistakes the two students said goodnight and closed their books.

Many miles away from the castle, Gabe sat up on his bed thinking. He had moved to his room after his mother had banished him to bed, but he had just lit candles and laid on his bed with two of his favorite cats while he continued to write Mia. The hour had grown late as they wrote and it was now very early the next morning when they had said their goodbyes. Gabe stretched his back and arms growing restless just as one of the cats on his bed took off in pursuit of nighttime wanderings. It was wonderful being able to write to Mia as if having a conversation and it almost made it feel like she was in the room with him.

He stroked the remaining cat on his bed getting him to purr with joy. Thinking about Mia again Gabe rose from his bed and went over to his dresser. He opened the top drawer and pulled out one of the clear vials of potion he had hidden under his socks. Gabe still couldn't believe it, but the animagus potion had turned out perfectly. Even with his strenuous efforts, he hadn't believed it would be a success. He wasn't the best potions brewer but had followed the directions and Mia's tips exactly. A part of him, he realized, had hoped the potion would fail so he wouldn't be tempted to take it, but as the steam cleared Gabe was shocked to see a perfectly clear potion.

After brewing it he had thought several times about taking the potion, but each time Gabe had put the small bottle back down and closed the drawer. It would be foolish and irrational to take it. He would be back at Hogwarts in just two weeks then he could ask Mia about it. Mia. Gabe thought again to her eyes. Then he remembered the eyes of that beautiful tiger. He knew she was that tiger he just knew it. To be able to change into an animal must be so amazing. Gabe couldn't even imagine how freeing it would be to run through the Forbidden Forest unafraid of anything living there, Mia in tiger form running at his side.

Gabe held the bottle with both hands. It was completely irrational. He had thought this out several times and it just wasn't the Ravenclaw thing to do. Logic told him it was dangerous, illegal and foolish. His left hand wrapped around the bottle. Taking the potion was a very Gryffindor thing to do. Mia had definitely taken it. She was so brave and foolish and fearless, and she didn't always think before she jumped. His right hand gripped the cork stopper. He shouldn't do it. It was a horrible idea. He would put the bottle back into the drawer. Gabe closed his eyes and imagined running through the forest again on all fours with the beautiful tiger by his side. He focused on that feeling of knowing she was by his side blocking out all other rational thought and allowing the temptation to sink deep into his skin. Then in a wave of shortsighted desire, Gabe pulled the stopper, put the vial to his lips and did the most irrational and unthought-out action of his life.

He drank.

AN:! Gabe drank it! What do you think? What will happen to him? What will he become? I promise to update soon. Review with your thoughts and feelings!