Hey! So, I'm not entirely sure when Hermione got her wonderful beaded bag, so I'm gonna have it set for the day after Dumbles died. I can see her panicking and understanding everything can change and making sure she has anything her boys or she might need in a scrape or an emergency.
So, while some of you might know when she actually got the bag, we're going to leave it as the day after Dumbledore died.
Enjoy!
Chapter Five
Mia woke the next morning with a distinct sense of excitement, one that matched the first day of her first year. Late last night, a trunk full of things had appeared for her. It had all of her school supplies including a uniform and anything else she would need, with a note from the Potters.
Mia,
Albus told us that you didn't have any of your things from back home. He mentioned a fire? I decided you might need some of this immediately and sent Elma, one of our house elves, out to get you anything you would need. Later this week I'll be going out to get you some more personal things just to make you more comfortable, including a quick trip to our library for some books I think you might enjoy. Charlus and I wish you well and we'll see you at Christmas.
All my love, Dorea Potter.
Mia already knew that she would love Dorea, but the woman made sure to make her comfortable, and probably Fred, as well. With a small smile, she stood and pulled a crisp uniform from the trunk and walked into the bathroom. After a hot shower and a fight with her hair - which she won - she grabbed her books, stuffed them in the beaded bag she had gotten and charmed with an undetectable extension charm the day after Dumbledore died and left for the common room.
Mia sat on the couch and sighed at the empty room. After casting a Tempus she resigned to closing her eyes for a bit as it was only six and no one would be down for about an hour.
"Moony, wake up!" Sirius grinned before waving his wand and levitating the blanket away from his friend.
"Fuck off, Padfoot."
"Isn't it a little early in the month for you to have claws?" Sirius smirked at the werewolf and dodged the pillow that was thrown at him, running in the bathroom. "Wake up Wormtail, too!"
With a deep sigh and after counting to ten, Remus hopped out of bed and grabbed his blanket, which Sirius had rudely thrown on the floor. He threw a pillow at Peter, waking him up, and sent a very mild stinging hex at James and Fred, who swore at him rather loudly in response.
"Hell of a way to start the day. Was that really necessary, Remus?" Fred whined at the sandy-haired boy, who just shrugged in response. It seemed none of them, except for a smug Sirius, were very awake.
Ten minutes later and Sirius was out of the bathroom and ready for the day. He ran down the stairs, leaving behind a group of very disgruntled and slightly cranky teenage boys. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he grinned at the sight of a sleeping Mia and walked over, lifting her feet and letting them rest on his lap after he sat down.
"Morning, Kitten."
Grumble.
"Little sleepy there?"
Louder, annoyed grumble.
"You know you're about to be invaded by a horde of Marauders. Maybe you should wake up, love."
Small grumble and a slight huff.
Sirius smiled triumphantly when Mia sat up, rubbing her eyes like a kid. Her loose curls were tied back in a high ponytail and out of her face. She sighed at him before scooting over and leaning her head on his shoulder, only to close her eyes again. Wandlessly, she muttered "Tempus" and opened one eye, oblivious to Sirius staring at her with wide eyes.
"Sirius, I was trying to sleep for another hour. I still have a half hour," she whined at him quietly. When he didn't respond, she frowned and looked up at him, only to see the confused look on his face. "What?"
"Was that wandless, kitten?"
"Huh?" Mia thought back to the clock and swore under her breath. That was advanced magic, magic she learned on her own during her original sixth year. Not even Harry or Ron knew about it. "I… Um, yeah. That spell, you know, I do it in the early mornings when I can't sleep. Sometimes I can't… Er, I can't reach my wand, so I taught myself how to do it wandless." Right, like he can't see how nervous you are about it. Pull it together, woman!
"Right. Okay." Oh, he really didn't believe her.
Before she could say anything else or make any more excuses, Fred came barreling down the stairs and ran to sit next to Mia, a guilty grin on his face. "I did nothing," he whispered quietly to her. That doesn't sound good…
"FRED, GET BACK HERE AND FIX THIS!" Well, that doesn't sound good either.
"Sorry, dear, didn't catch that. Maybe be a little louder."
"Fred, what did you do? Oh, Merlin, tell me it wasn't a Puking Pastille." Fred was known to carry a decent amount of his… special treats around with him. The idea that some of them came with him to the past wasn't outrageous.
"Nothing of the sort, dear. Just a small charm." He glanced over at Sirius before continuing. "Sorry, mate. Hope you don't need anything from up there till tonight." He grinned at the other boy brightly as James came barreling down the stairs with a hairbrush stuck to his hand and his glasses lying crookedly on his face, a sock stuck halfway up his foot.
Remus was next to follow with a shoe on his hand and his toothbrush stuck in his cheek. He looked slightly amused but also annoyed with not being able to remove the brush mostly.
Then, slower than the others came a mousy haired boy. It looked like he had been sleeping when whatever happened, happened. There was a pillow stuck to the left side of his face and a blanket was draped down the front of him. The best thing, Mia thought, was the tip of his thumb stuck in his mouth.
At the sight of the three of them, Mia, Fred, and Sirius burst out laughing as Mia and Sirius turned to Fred. "That's bloody brilliant!" Sirius grinned. Mia stood and walked to James, gently pulling on the hairbrush. It didn't seem to hurt him, but it looked very stuck. She pulled out her wand and silently waved it over James before turning to Remus and finally Peter. When she was done, she grinned at Fred.
"A modified and time activated sticking charm? That's… actually brilliant." Fred's eyes widened at the praise, but he recovered quickly and nodded.
"Set to my magical signature for release, too. Pretty good, if I do say so, myself. Which I do. Pretty good, Freddie!"
Peter was silent, probably not wanting to bite his thumb very hard, but he trudged over to a couch and fell on it, apparently deciding going back to sleep, and downstairs, was best for the day.
"So, what would happen if I touched someone or… hugged someone?" James grinned evilly, eyeing Mia before he ran after her, enveloping her in a warm hug that made her heart hurt. Harry. He feels like Harry. She relaxed into him without realizing as Fred shrugged.
"Nothing. Nothing more will stick to you guys."
With a sigh of defeat, James moved to release Mia, but she pulled him back in. James gave a look to Fred, whose bright grin had turned into a sad smile upon seeing her enveloped in the hug.
"Um, Mia? You're not stuck, kitten." Sirius spoke gently, but Fred just placed his hand on his shoulder and whispered something James couldn't quite hear, and Sirius nodded and left them alone.
"Mia? Are you okay?" He spoke softly, but James was truly worried. He could feel her hesitant nod and she jerkily retreated from the hug, turning away before he could look at her face. She ran up the stairs to the girl's dorm without another word, and everyone turned to Fred, who sighed back at them, shrugging.
In all honesty, Fred did know what was wrong. He could see it, too. She missed her best friend. He knew there was nothing strange and unknown that she had gone through without him before. She probably felt at home as long as he was there, and she was alone. Well, not alone. She had him. As much as he had wished in the past few years that she would know him as Fred and not one of the twins, he never wanted it to have to happen like this.
"She… She misses someone, her best friend. You look a lot like him. She'll be okay. She's the strongest person I have ever known." Fred sighed and sat down. He'd hoped his prank would cheer her up a little, make her feel more at home. She probably felt a little too at home from that hug.
"She told me about him, a little bit. Said his name was Harry. What… What happened to him?" Sirius spoke gently, and it was obvious he truly cared.
"We… lost him to time." An easy way of suggesting he died while not lying, Fred thought. "She misses him a lot. Honestly, I do, too. He was my friend, too, though not nearly as close as them. Thick as thieves, those two. She got attacked by a troll when she was eleven and he saved her. Kinda can't not be friends after something like that. He was her family, the one that understood her muggle side and her magic side." Fred hoped that, by telling them something, they would leave her alone about it. He looked at James and gave him a small smile while Remus and Sirius seemed to consider his words.
"You remind her of him, I think not just because of how you look but also because of how you act. You're a lot like him. She understands you're not him, but she needs you," he turned his gaze to all of them now, "She needs as much family as she can get. I've never seen her scared before now. I… I need help protecting her if you would." Merlin, Fred thought, this is why I avoid the serious stuff. No one is smiling.
"Well, we are adopting you two, aren't we? What else would we do?" Sirius smiled. "Surprise. You're being adopted by the most beautiful people in school." He grinned now, looking at Remus. "Oh, and Moony and Wormtail." Fred laughed at the indignant look and Remus's face and shrugged.
"I should probably warn you not to go back upstairs for a few hours. If you do, you'll get stuck to more stuff." With a glare from Moony and Prongs, Fred smiled at Sirius and sat down, content in waiting for Mia before moving.
"Mia? Mia, are you okay?" She heard Lily through her curtains and sniffled. This was not how today was supposed to go.
"I'm fine, Lily. Just… nervous, I guess." Mia sighed and pulled back her curtain, letting Lily move to sit on her bed. "First day jitters is all."
"You sure?" Lily sounded genuinely worried. Oh, Harry. Your mother is so sweet. I wish you could meet her.
Forcing a smile, Mia stood and grabbed her bag, heading to the stairs again. "Of course. Today will be great." She wondered if Lily could hear how little Mia believed that. Mia ran down the stairs with a small wave to Lily before she could say anything more.
At the bottom of the stairs, she shot a small smile at a waiting Sirius before walking over and sitting next to Fred and leaning in to whisper. "I'm okay. I just wish… I wish he hadn't been left there. He should be here to meet them, not us. But I'll buck up. Promise." She kissed his cheek gently before standing again, completely unaware of the werewolf with such good hearing so close to the full moon, and the frown on his face.
"My first class is DADA. I want to get there early to introduce myself to the professor." She walked out of the common room, leaving three sixth year Gryffindor boys to hurry after her and Fred sitting on the couch, his cheek tingling and a confused feeling in his gut.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Hi! So I decided to post this chapter early and separate her first class and meeting the Slytherins into a different chapter, since this one is already longer than any others I've posted yet.
I wanted to address some things about Fred and Sirius both.
Fred – I know he is a very fun person, and I know he jokes a lot and makes people smile. However, he is without George in a time he's never been to with a girl he… well, that's a whole other story. Yes, he jokes and pranks people, but he's also forced to be a bit more serious with the situation. It might not be permanent, but he's more serious for now.
Sirius – He also jokes a lot, I know, but he's got a serious and broken side to him. I won't be using the broken part much, honestly, but the serious side… Well, I'll need to. He sees the pain in Hermione's eyes and he knows from what she and Fred have both said that a lot of shit has happened to her. He's going to take up a rather protective stance with her, and so will James. Remus will be a bit… cautious, but he will also be close to them. Peter… well, that'll be a bit of a surprise.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed!
