Chapter Nineteen

"But I know you…" Alice said again, something occurring to her, "You were here once…yes, I remember you now. I saw you…"

There was silence for a moment as Ron and Hermione came over by them. Mia froze; she honestly didn't know how to respond to that. When she was here, she had stumbled upon the Longbottoms amidst a horrible nightmare. She had suffered enough, she knew what it was like, and she couldn't let that happen to them…so she stopped it. She didn't know that Mrs. Longbottom would remember it.

"It…it was dark," Alice started, a faraway look in her eyes as if she were recalling the meeting. "…and I was scared…I couldn't get out…and then you were there. And the light came back from you, everything was fine…and then you were gone." She shook her head, as if clearing her thoughts. "I'm sorry, it sounds well…crazy."

"No, it's alright." Mia said, letting out a breath of relief. In the Wizarding world, connections like the one Neville's mother described did in fact happen, especially when one was not in control of their magic.

"Oh well, I guess that doesn't really matter now anyway." Alice said before Frank pulled her away to talk to some of the Medi-witches.

Suddenly Mia felt arms around her as Neville pulled her into a bone-crunching hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He repeated over and over.

Mia laughed as she returned the friendly hug, "It was nothing Neville, I just wanted to help."

"I just…can't thank you enough!" He said again, hugging her once more.

He backed away as Ron stepped forward, "So…that's why you were doing the Crucio curse? To try and reverse it?"

Neville gasped, fear in his eyes…and there was silence.

Harry wasn't surprised by this remark, Ron had said it once before, and when Harry had questioned her about it she told him the truth, that she had used it to try to help Neville's parents. He couldn't be angry with her for that.

Hermione also knew about that, she was there when it happened…but Neville…this was a shock for him. To find out that the girl who had been his friend for a good portion of the year had been using the very curse that had left him without parents for most of his life.

Neville shook his head…he…he couldn't deal with this right now…so he left.

The next thing any of the small group noticed, Neville was out the door, running down the hall.

"Ron you prat," Hermione mumbled before running after her friend. "Neville!"

"What?" Ron asked completely clueless as to what had just happened.

"Ron!" Harry said, smacking him upside the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" He asked, rubbing his sore head.

"Neville didn't know about the curse." Harry explained. "You just scarred him off!"

Ron made an O shape with his mouth as the realization dawned on him. He bowed his head, for a moment before figuring that Hermione probably caught up to him by now and was bringing him back.

He sighed deeply before turning to face Mia, the girl he had distrusted so. "Look…I know we haven't gotten off to the best start but…"

He had trailed off, but Mia hadn't noticed, she had started staring off staring at the floor to her right.

"…well, I still don't trust you completely…but if Harry does then I guess you're…okay. I guess what I'm trying to say…"

Harry's eyebrow quirked as he noticed that Mia had completely ignored Ron's attempts at apology. Her brow frowned as if she was trying to figure something out.

"What I'm trying to say is…well, I'm…I'm…"

"No…" Mia whispered, not looking up at Ron or Harry.

"What?" Ron asked. Here he was trying to apologize to this girl he didn't like or trust and she didn't want it?

Mia didn't answer, instead her head snapped up to the left a split second before a loud explosion was heard.

"NO!" She shouted, bolting out the door, running in the direction Neville and Hermione had just gone in…

That was when Ron and Harry realized that Neville and Hermione were in that area…and they too ran out following Mia's distant form…

Mia had gained some distance between herself and Harry and Ron. She needed to get to Hermione and Neville before Malae's minions attacked, and she prayed that she had enough time to do some wandless damage to them before Ron showed up. She cursed herself, why had she not trusted her instincts…she could feel the attack coming…it was the same feeling she had before her families were attacked…but she hadn't felt it in the longest time…

She stopped her thoughts as she reached the end of the destroyed wing. It was definitely Malae who attacked, the large explosion and destruction was her trademark.

Luckily, no one was too badly hurt by the blast. Mia looked around franticly, it wouldn't be too long before the minions started to attack. She finally spotted, Neville, he had fallen and Hermione was standing over him, reaching out to pull him up…it was then that he caught her eye…

There was a minion, standing a few feet away from Hermione wand pointed at her about to fire a spell.

So Mia did the only thing she could, she ran at Hermione, reaching her and pushing her roughly as the spell hit her.

Mia went flying back, hitting a wall, before getting up a little sore and running back to the minion. There were more behind him…and only a limited amount of time that she could get away with wandless magic before any one noticed.

She quickly glanced over at Hermione who had just rolled over, eyes closed as she held her left elbow in pain. Now. Mia held out her left hand and pushed her right hand just over hit palm out. The minions went flying back hitting the remaining walls.

Mia turned, glancing behind her, Harry was there watching her, wand raised ready to help in any way as Ron just ran in. He had just missed her little display of wandless magic…but he didn't miss Hermione on the ground.

"Hermione!" He called, running over to her and helping her sit up. "What happened?" he asked her.

She just shook her head, glancing fearfully at Mia. "What did you do to her?" Ron asked standing up to Mia.

"I didn't…" she started, but then she started to get angry. "I just sav…"

Ron just shook his head disgusted, turning back to help Hermione up.

That was it…Mia had it, her hands clenched into fists by her sides. She shook her head, biting her tongue in anger as she turned to the small amount of minions trying to stand. She flung out her arms, sending them all flying…the ones who could, stood and fled…

An hour later would find Medi-witches and wizards running about trying to heal all those who had been hurt in the attack. Mia sat off to the side with Harry as she watched a Medi-Witch try to heal Hermione's broken elbow.

She hung her head in guilt, she hadn't meant to push her that hard, but she had to get her out of the way. She could handle the spell that the minion cast…it had been cast on her before, but Hermione…

She shook her head, resting it in her hands as Harry put an arm around her, trying to comfort her. But there really isn't any comfort when you just hurt someone…even if you were trying to help them. She laughed bitterly to herself, she always ended up hurting people…Malae always made sure of that…

She looked up as a shadow fell over her. Ron was standing before her. "I hope you're happy." He spat at her. Harry started to get up as Mia rested a hand on his, she stood.

"No, I'm not." She said simply.

"Why, couldn't succeed in breaking more of Hermione's bones?"

Mia quickly glanced over at Hermione, who had been looking back at her. Hermione glanced away quickly in fear, as Mia bowed her head again.

"You just like hurting people don't you?" he asked, sneering at her in a perfect impersonation of Malfoy. "I should have guessed that when I saw you cast the Crucio."

"That's not fair Ron and you know it…"

"No," he said interrupting her. "What's not fair is my trying to apologize to you when you go and hurt my girlfriend. That's not fair. It's not fair that she was just trying to help Neville and you go and push her when she wasn't expecting it. It's not fair that she's over there getting her arm healed."

"But Ron I…"

"It should be you over there."

Mia couldn't respond to that. She didn't know if it was because of the sheer hatred in his words or the truth in it. It should be her over there; it was her fault that it happened to Hermione, it was her fault what happened to everyone.

"You put us all in danger…" she looked up unsure of whether Ron had said that or thought it. But judging by the look of murder in Harry's eyes, he had said it.

"It's not her fault." Harry said standing up to defend her.

"Bloody hell it isn't!" Ron shouted. "Look at everything that's happened! The Crucio, the attack today, the death eaters at Hogsmeade! They went after her Harry! I saw it! It's all her fault!"

Tears entered Mia's eyes as she recognized the truth. She shouldn't have gone to Hogwarts. Malae had figured out that she was there, why else would she attack St. Mundo's? She could sense that there were a few Hogwarts students there and figured that would be the way to get to Mia…to attack her classmates.

She glanced up at Harry before looking away; she was putting him in danger too. He was the hope of the Wizarding World, if something were to happen to him because of her…she couldn't let that happen…

She looked up, Harry had been yelling at Ron, both were arguing over her honor.

"He's right." She whispered to herself as the arguing stopped.

"Mia it's not true." Harry said, moving over to her.

She stepped back, "Yes it is." She looked down, crying now. "It's all my fault, it always is."

She started to leave, to go teleport to Hogwarts. Apparating was useless, but teleporting was possible.

"Mia!" She heard Harry call. But she couldn't stop, she had to leave. "Mia!" he called again, catching up with her. "Ron's just being a jerk, ignore him." Mia didn't respond. "What's wrong?"

Mia turned to face him, tears in her eyes that refused to spill…she had to do this. It was the only way to protect him. "Harry…" she trailed, taking a deep breath. "I don't think we should be together any more."

"What?" he asked, truly not believing what he was hearing.

"We should stay away from each other."

"Why?"

She sighed; he was just making this harder. But she couldn't talk; she just shook her head and walked away.

Harry stood motionless, unable to move as he watched Mia walk away. He cursed Ron, it was his entire fault. He made Mia feel guilty, like she had to protect him from Malae. As Mia reached the end of the hall and stepped through the exit, Harry felt as if a piece of him had died…what would he do now?

A/N – SOOOOOOO sorry for not updating this story. I had one of those ideas for two fanfics that you just have to write before you can't. But now I'm back, it's summer and I hope to update more frequently. Next chappy - Ron and Hermione learn the truth about the attack and Mia, and the strains between Harry and Mia.