Hello everyone! Well, here it is, chapter two, and at this point in time I have half of chapter three typed up so I think that it is good enough for me to start posting chapters. Once I put the finishing touches on the notes on this chapter I'll go ahead and post the first one, and I hope you guys liked it enough to continue reading on to this one. Just as a heads up, this chapter is short, much shorter than what I usually post and I know the beginning drags out a little but more good stuff starts towards the middle-ish so don't worry. There are parts in this chapter that I really like and others I don't necessarily like but I hope you guys find it enjoyable all the same.
Anyway, please leave a review to tell me what you think, and message me if there are any questions or concerns. Hopefully I can finish chapter three soon and will be able to post it next week. Love you all so much! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter are not mine!
Chapter Two: Never Again
MiaPOV
"Really? Fred and George have their joke shop set up already?" Mia asked with a bright smile.
"Yeah, it's brilliant, Mum says we're going to visit when we go to Diagon Alley for our school stuff," Ron replied as leaned back in his chair. "From what I hear, they're doing huge business already, and they've only been open for a few weeks."
"Considering the stuff they were selling at school, that isn't surprising," Mia said. "I can't wait to get out of here so I can check it myself. Is it true that Fudge was replaced?"
"Yes, there were a lot of people who demanded his resignation after last month," Hermione answered from her spot by the window. "Although, that's really no surprise."
"But this new Minister—Scrimgeour, right?—I've never heard of him."
"Dad says he was the former Head of the Auror Department at the Ministry," Ron stated with a shrug of his shoulders. "Hopefully he'll be better than Fudge."
"I think anything will be better at this point," Harry added in as he flicked through the pages of the Prophet. "But it's not going off on a good start, though. There was a supposed hurricane near a Muggle town, and a bridge not far away from London collapsed."
"Death Eaters?" said Mia with a frown.
"Yeah," Harry confirmed with a sigh as he folded the paper up and placed it to the side with all the other ones. "And the Ministry officially lost control of the dementors too. Muggles are being attacked left and right, and Ministry officers are in over their heads with having to do so many Obliviations."
"I suppose Voldemort's done with being subtle now that everyone knows he's back," Mia noted as she lay back against her pillows, flinching a little.
"Are you okay, Mia?" Hermione asked instantly.
"I'm fine, Mione, just sore," Mia said, reassuring her friend for the hundredth time with a fond smile. Her friends have been so fussy over her lately, but she really couldn't blame them. After all that has happened, she understood why they were so worried about her. Although being in their company for the past couple of days certainly kept her mind off of any pain and made her so very happy, especially on days like this when it was just the four of them, talking and joking around as always. Catherine and Brian were there earlier before they had to go back home for a bit, but Ben was coming by straighter after work, and Mia was really looking forward to seeing her father. The walls surrounding Mia's hospital bed were slowly becoming filled with pictures Brian had drawn for her, and Harry would usually bring her some sort of treat. If anything, just spending time with Harry made her feel stronger and he always stayed with her for as long as he could, usually arriving early in the morning and going home with Ben or Catherine at night. Neville, ever so sweet, had brought Mia some flowers for her bedside table and would always drop by to check on her if he was visiting his parents. One time his grandmother, Augusta Longbottom, came along with him to see her and it was definitely a peculiar experience. The elder woman wore dark green robes that looked as though the material was made for a carpet, with a red handbag and her usual stuffed vulture hat on top of her head. She had wanted to personally thank Mia for standing with her grandson at the Ministry and bravely fighting off the Death Eaters. Then, to Mia's surprise, she presented her with a small tin of chocolate that tasted as though it had been kept in the cupboard for too long.
Mia was happy because only earlier that day, Healer Bloom decided it was time for her to try and walk around to test out the muscles in her leg as well as her mid-section. While the experience was a little painful and tiring, with Harry and Catherine there to assist her she was able to walk around her room for a few minutes in segments. Healer Bloom was pleased with this, and he said that with the growing progress of her recovery, a couple more days of these exercises and she can more than likely go home. While this idea made Mia happy, it also made her sad too, because that would mean she would be going home as early as August 1st, the day after Harry's birthday.
"Don't worry about it, love," Harry had said to her when she brought this up. "We can always do something next week."
"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Mia had put in stubbornly. "I don't like missing your birthdays."
"I know, but we'll do something nice together, I promise," Harry told her with a sweet kiss to her cheek, right over the faint, pale scar. "Besides, I think Sirius has something planned anyway."
"Really? What?" Mia asked curiously.
"I don't know but he's overly excited about it, so I don't know whether to be nervous or not," Harry admitted. Mia had laughed at that, knowing what Harry meant. Ever since Sirius had been freed he was taking it in stride as only he could. After Sirius and the others came to visit Mia when she woke up, he had gone down to Gringotts to resubmit paperwork on his claim to his family's fortune and had all his assets put in order. The next time Mia had seen him, she was blown away by how different he looked. He wore smooth, velvet black robes with his hair black cut so it just reached his shoulders in waves, looking very much like an aristocrat. Apparently the Ministry had offered him a huge sum as their way of an apology for locking him up for so many years unfairly. Sirius had refused it, not wanting to buy into their bribes, saying that he can get by without their groveling. He had bought lunch for them all just yesterday, and the last Mia had heard, he was already looking into buying a new house and she had already consulted with him about possible birthday gifts for Harry. She knew above all else, Sirius wanted to make up for time lost with Harry and Remus, so she wouldn't be surprised if Sirius went big for Harry's birthday.
"I just can't wait to be out of here," Mia said.
"I bet you can't," Ron said. "Mum said she'll make you a full meal once you're home, she doesn't trust hospital food."
"It's not so bad, just a bit repetitive," Mia defended. "I actually got to eat some eggs with toast today without feeling sick at all, so Matron Sienna is going to let me have some chicken tonight more than likely."
"Still, I'll see if I can smuggle you in some mince pies," Ron told her.
"Cheers, Ron," Mia replied. "I knew you were my favorite Weasley."
"Thanks for that," Ron chuckled while Hermione smiled. Mia just smiled at them both before looking back over at Harry, about to ask him something when she stopped short. He had grabbed another edition of the Prophet that had come from this morning and he was currently gazing down at it with wide yet frustrated eyes, his mouth pulled into a deep frown.
"Harry?" Mia asked. "Harry, what's wrong?"
Harry pulled his head up quickly, as though he just remembered she was there and he tried folding the paper up underneath his hands, his expression morphing into indifference.
"It's nothing, just rubbish," he answered. "Just another stupid story."
"Harry, what are you hiding?" Mia said, furrowing her eyebrows. "What's in the Prophet this time?"
Harry seemed reluctant to tell her what it was that he was attempting to hide and he looked torn for a moment before he gave a defeated sigh and handed the paper over to her. Mia wordlessly unfolded it to see a picture of Harry on the front page in what appeared to be the Atrium at the Ministry. She knew instantly that this was the night at the Department of Mysteries, because along with the Atrium being close to shambles in the background, Harry was also standing with a sweaty, numb look, with a cut on his lip and a small bruise on his face. How in the world was this picture even taken? There was a hand that reached over to take Harry by the shoulder and lead him away out of the frame and Mia's attention was soon drawn to the bold caption that was printed above the picture.
"'Harry Potter: The Chosen One?'" she read out loud, glancing over at Harry who sighed and turned over to Ron and Hermione.
"Would you two mind giving us a few minutes?" Harry asked.
"Of course," Hermione replied straight away as she tugged on Ron's shirt. "Come on Ron."
Ron only looked too happy to agree, and though he was wanting avoiding a very awkward conversation. The two of them left the room quietly, leaving Mia starting to be very concerned at what was going on. Harry looked back at her and gestured for her to keep reading. Confused, Mia looked back at the article and started reading to herself.
HARRY POTTER: THE CHOSEN ONE?
Rumors continue to fly about the mysterious recent disturbance at the Ministry of Magic, during which He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was sighted once more.
"We're not allowed to talk about it, don't ask me anything," said one agitated Obliviator, who refused to give his name as he left the Ministry last night.
Nevertheless, highly placed sources within the Ministry have confirmed that the disturbance centered on the fabled Hall of Prophecy. Though Ministry spokeswizards hitherto refuse even to confirm the existence of such a place, a growing number of the wizarding community believe that the Death Eaters now serving sentences for trespass and attempted theft were attempting to steal a prophecy. The nature of that prophecy is unknown, although speculation is rife that it concerns Harry Potter, the only person ever known to have survived the Killing Curse, and who is also known to have been at the Ministry on the night in question. Some are going so far as to call Potter the "Chosen One," believing that the prophecy names him as the only one who will be able to rid us of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The current whereabouts of the prophecy, if it exists, are unknown, although (ctd. Page 2, column 5).
"Harry, what is this?" Mia asked, placing the paper down to look at him. "Is—is this true? Is that what the prophecy said?"
"Yes," Harry confirmed softly with a nod of his head. "A couple weeks ago Dumbledore came to talk to me while I was here visiting you and he told me exactly what the prophecy said, and why this—why—everything—has happened."
"What do you mean?" Mia asked him, not liking the tone that he was using, making it seem as though he was about to tell her terrible news. "Harry…what did the prophecy say?"
Harry looked around the room, as though to make sure that they were truly alone before he sighed and started speaking quietly, leaning more towards her.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies."
When Harry was finished speaking, Mia was frozen where she sat on the bed, staring at him with a blank face but the emotions inside here were going into hyper drive, making her heart beat a bit faster as she took in everything he has just said to her. The more logical part of her brain was digesting and making sense of the first half of the prophecy, understanding why it would seem to pertain to Harry specifically. Harry was born at the very end of July, and since his parents were in the original Order of the Phoenix, it wouldn't be surprising if they had outright defied Voldemort three times in their fight to defeat him. She wasn't exactly sure what it meant by having power Voldemort knows nothing about, but the part near the very end was what had her insides curling unpleasantly and the more she repeated it over in her head, the more the denial was eating away at her.
"Mia," Harry said, reaching over and taking her hand in his when she didn't answer him. "Come on love, say something."
"That can't be," Mia said slowly, shaking her head. "The prophecy can't be about you."
"It is," Harry said.
"No, it's not," Mia stated firmly, putting as much force into her words as she could. "Harry that prophecy could have been about anyone, you're not the only person who was born at the end of July."
"It was made the winter before I was born," Harry told her. "That year there was only me and one other person who met the qualifications the prophecy called for—and it was Neville."
"Neville?" Mia repeated in shock.
"His birthday is the day before mine, and his parents defied Voldemort as well."
"But Harry, that doesn't mean that it has to be you! It has to be wrong!"
"It's not, Mia," Harry tried to tell her. "Dumbledore said that Voldemort saw me as the bigger threat to him, so that is why he went after me all those years ago."
"Wait, he heard the prophecy?" Mia said. "I thought…"
"He only knew the first half of it," Harry explained. "One of his spies listened in as Dumbledore heard the prophecy but was caught before he could get the rest. When Voldemort was told about it, he found out there were two people who would be born around that time, and he chose to go after me. The night my parents died he 'marked me as his equal' when he tried to kill me and gave me this scar, connecting us. Dumbledore reckons that after he came back last year he wanted to make sure that he did whatever it took to hear the entire thing, and that's why he was so obsessed with finding it. That's the weapon the Order was talking about—the information on how to destroy him. I have to be the one to finish it."
"No," Mia said fiercely. "No you don't."
"Mia, you know it's true. If it wasn't I wouldn't have been able to take it off of the shelf in the Department of Mysteries."
"I can't believe that! I won't!" Mia exclaimed. "Because that means if you can't defeat him you will end up dying! 'Neither can live while the other survives.' That's what it means doesn't it? That one of you will have to end up killing the other in the end? You can't ask me to just accept the fact that there's a chance he will end up killing you after all we've done, all you've been through. Don't ask me to accept that eventually I'm—I'm going to lose you…"
Mia could feel the tears threatening to well in her eyes and she turned her face away from Harry, wiping at them angrily and cursing herself for let her emotions get the best of her. Anger and disbelief were swirling inside of her and she couldn't stand out outrageously unfair it all was. After all the Harry had put up with so far, there's the possibility that it would all have been for nothing? That there is a chance he will indeed die by Voldemort's hand just as the Dark Lord had meant to happen almost sixteen years ago? The mere thought of losing him, knowing he could be killed and he would be taken away from her was unbearable and she could feel her heart start to beat painfully in her chest, making the tears come even more strongly. If this was even a taste of what Harry was feeling when he thought she was dead, she didn't think she could survive it. Harry was everything to her…she couldn't lose him. She couldn't. Mia felt the space next to her shift and she knew that Harry had sat down beside her on the bed, just as he had taken to doing for the past couple of days. She felt him take her face gently into his hand and move it so she could be facing him again, but she avoided his eyes.
"Mia, look at me," he said. "Please."
Mia raised her eyes to meet his, her stubbornness surely showing behind her glossy eyes. Harry just smiled tenderly at her, tucking a stray curl behind her ear and tracing her cheek.
"You'll never lose me," he muttered, repeating the words she had spoken to him only days ago. "I know this is hard to understand and accept but we'll get through it, I promise. We'll get through it the way we get through everything—together. Come on love, give me a smile? I've missed your smile so much, I don't want to be the one to ruin it."
Despite how awful and upset she felt, Mia couldn't help but give in to his request, managing a small smile as she placed a hand over top of the one that was against her cheek.
"I'm scared, Harry," she admitted.
"I am too, but we'll figure this out," Harry assured her. "Because no matter how bad this may seem, it's easier to handle it knowing I have you to back me up."
"And don't expect me to take this easily, either. I'm not giving you up without a fight."
"And there's the feisty girl I've missed," Harry chuckled . "By the way, I have something for you."
Mia looked at him curiously as he reached into the pocket of his jumper and then her face lit up into a bright smile as he pulled out the gold chain that had her locket swinging from it.
"My locket!" she said happily as he placed it into her palm, beaming at the little oval shape. "I thought it was lost."
"It came off of you at the Ministry," Harry explained. "I had to beg Moody and Kingsley to have someone go back and look for it once I saw it wasn't on you. It took a while but someone found it wedged into a crack in one of the stone benches. I'm so sorry Mia, but there's no sign of the horse charm I gave you. I think it was blown off of the chain that night, and I know how much you loved it…"
"It's okay Harry, really. I am a little sad that it's gone, I know you saved up forever to get it for me, but I'm just glad the thing I care for the most came out okay," she said, smiling as she placed her hand on top of his. Harry smiled back at her before leaning over to give her a gentle kiss on the lips. As they parted, there was a knock on the door and in the next second Ben Thatcher poked his head in before entering the room, still wearing his work clothes.
"Dad," Mia said, a bright smile lighting up her face at the sight of her father. "What are you doing here so early? I thought you were stopping by later on."
"I couldn't wait that long to visit my princess, and Boyd said he'd cover for me," Ben replied, as he walked over and placed a kiss on top of Mia's head. "And why am I not surprised to see you here, Harry?"
"Hello, Mr. Thatcher," Harry greeted.
"I passed by Hermione and Ron as well on the way up here," Ben noted as he took a seat on Mia's other side. "They were arguing about something involving a toadstool, firework and a pot of ink?"
"Don't ask," Harry said when Mia threw him a questioning look. "Mrs. Weasley still loses her head if you mention it."
"Point taken," Mia said. When she looked over at her father, she saw that he was sort of downcast and he had a more firm posture, as if he were suddenly very businesslike, and something was off about him.
"Dad, are you okay?" Mia asked him.
"Yes sweetheart, I'm fine. Hey Harry, would you mind giving Mia and I a minute, please?" Ben asked. "I just need to speak with her about something."
"Okay," Harry said, removing his arm from around Mia and standing to his feet. "I better make sure Hermione doesn't end up putting Ron in one of these beds. I'll be back soon, love."
Mia nodded as Harry left the room, closing the door behind him quietly. When she turned back to Ben, she was mildly surprised to see that he had taken on a more serious look and bent over so that his back was slightly hunched and his elbows were resting on his knees, his hands clasped together. That was a posture Mia knew all too well—Ben would take this position whenever he was going to have Mia or Brian sit down for a good reprimanding.
"Mia, we need to have a serious talk about what had happened in June," Ben started, his mouth forming a deep frown. "I don't need to tell you just how reckless and dangerous your actions were that night. You're mother and I were terrified beyond belief."
"I know, Dad, I didn't mean to make anyone worry," Mia said.
"But you did. Can you imagine what it was like, seeing you laid out on a bed, barely breathing, with Healers saying there was a chance they couldn't save you, even with magic? How could you have acted so carelessly? Don't you understand how we would've felt if we lost you?"
"I didn't mean for that to happen Dad, I was just trying to help—"
"I understand you were helping Harry save his godfather," Ben cut in, putting up a hand to stop her from finishing. "Arthur told me all about it. While your intentions were good and noble, you didn't stop to think of the outcome. You didn't stop to think what would happen once you got there, who you would go up against, and didn't wait for an adult to take care of things. You and the others just went rushing off into danger with no thought that your very life could be in jeopardy!"
"We had to, there was no one else to tell," Mia argued in defense. "Harry's dream was so real, if we hadn't gone or waited until someone believed us he could have died."
"The dream wasn't real, Mia," Ben said in a hard voice, his blue eyes like steel. "You were led on a wild goose chase and look where it's got you—on a hospital bed for weeks, with everyone scared that you were going to die from your injuries. I am not going to tolerate this any longer. First you and Harry are attacked by a madman controlling a human being like a puppet, then you are turned to stone by a monster that no one could stop, you are poisoned by a lunatic who, according to your headmaster, used Harry to resurrect a dark wizard who had every intention to kill and torture you. And on top of all of that you went almost an entire year with a supposed teacher cutting open your hand every night and you didn't say a word to anyone!"
"What?" Mia gasped, hiding her hand underneath the sheets out of instinct. "How—how do you—"
"When Healer Bloom diagnosed you he used a charm that exposed all magical injuries on your body," Ben practically growled, his face turning dark at the mere memory of it. "That's when we found the scars. We nearly had to force Harry, Ron and Hermione into a corner to tell us what had happened, and believe me, they all got an earful from every one of us. It seems that almost every year your mother and I are expecting a letter from your school telling us that you were in danger once again and had gotten hurt as a result of it. I am not going to stand for this anymore, do you understand? Hogwarts is supposed to keep you safe, not nearly send you home to us in a bloody coffin!"
"Dad, I know, I'm so sorry!" Mia said, trying to make him see how truly sorry she was. "I know what I did was stupid, I never meant to hurt you and Mum like that. I know I keep doing these dangerous things but I didn't have a choice! I can't just sit around and hope a teacher or older wizard will come to the rescue whenever my friends are threatened or hurt. And I can't just let Harry be hunted down by a madman who wants him dead—"
"And that's another issue right there," Ben stated angrily. "I know you care for Harry but that doesn't mean you throw yourself into the fire for him every time there's trouble."
"He means more to me than anything," Mia said, her hands clenching into fists as she glared at her father. "You can't expect me to stop caring for him."
"There's a difference with that Mia, and you know it," Ben said, running a hand over his face. "This is becoming too much. I'm not going to stand by and watch you keep putting yourself in life-threatening situations. I'm going to make sure this doesn't happen again. Ever."
"Dad, please just listen—"
"I'm done, Mia," Ben stated sharply. "You are not going back to Hogwarts, ever again."
CatherinePOV
Catherine hummed to herself as she washed the dishes that were in the sink and placed them on the drying rack off to the right, keeping an ear out to make sure Brian was still asleep upstairs and not riding around on the new toy train Ben had gotten him for his birthday. It was quickly becoming one of his favorites, and he loves nothing more than the pull on the little whistle that gives her a headache and ride around nosily in his room. A small smile came to her face every time she thought of it, knowing how much he loves that train, and the fact that his father gave it to him. He was so excited to show Mia once she was home from school, but he hasn't gotten the chance. Catherine's movements slowed as she rinsed off one of the plates, her mind drifting to more cloudy thoughts. Every time she thought about her little girl in the hospital her heart ached and she had to keep reminding herself that she was alive and well. God knows how she would act if things had turned out differently.
Shaking her head of these troubling thoughts, Catherine started rinsing again, trying to keep her mind on more pleasant thoughts. This upcoming weekend would be the first weekend of August, and she honestly couldn't wait to see the look on Harry's face. She had officially met Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, only yesterday after he had been meeting with Professor Dumbledore at the hospital. Needless to say, he was quite handsome and very charming, instantly winning her over as she remembered the deep concern he had for her daughter. Mr. Black had given her a brief rundown of how he and Mia met, and how she had been there for him countless times. She remembered the day after he had been declared innocent of his charges, he had sent in so many flowers to Mia's room and as she passed him and his friend—Remus Lupin—talking in the hallway, she heard them speak of adding an official guest room for Mia to come over and visit during the summer with Harry. According to Sirius, Mia was the reason he was free, and they were currently in a debate about him handling all of her hospital bills. Catherine was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts as she heard the front door open and close, and she smiled, knowing that Ben was finally home. Soon enough she heard approaching footsteps and she turned her head around to smile at her husband.
"Hey, you," she greeted warmly before seeing the look on his face, making her smile drop instantly. "Ben, what is it? Is Mia all right?"
"Yes, she's fine, love," Ben said grumpily as he pulled out a chair and slumped down into it, a scowl on his face as he loosened up his tie. "Not very happy with me at the moment, but fine."
"What do you mean? Why isn't she happy with you?" Catherine asked. Ben didn't answer, taking his tie off and throwing it on the kitchen table. His silence made Catherine furrow her eyebrows in suspicion and she turned off the water to the sink, setting the plate down and wiping her hands on her legs as she turned around to fully face him.
"What happened?" she said. His silence was her confirmation and she placed her hands on her hips, glaring.
"Ben, you didn't," she said.
"I did what I had to," he muttered.
"Oh Ben, how could you do that? We said we'd talk this over before we said anything to Mia!"
"No, you said we'd talk, but I never agreed," Ben reminded her. "And this isn't up for discussion anyway. My daughter was almost killed Cat, and I'm not going to let there be an opportunity for it to happen again."
"Our daughter was almost killed Ben, and I am perfectly aware of that fact," Catherine stated sharply with narrowed eyes. "You think I'm not upset by this as well? You know that Mia and her friends never would have left the castle had they known it was a trap."
"That's just it, they didn't think, they didn't stop to make sure—"
"They did and you know it. You heard what Harry, Ron and Hermione said, the girls forced Harry to make sure that Sirius was home, and you know they were tricked into thinking he wasn't."
"They still could have taken an adult with them though," Ben insisted.
"That may be so Ben, but as much as you and I hate it, there are bad people in their world just as there are in ours," Catherine said. "We can't be foolish enough to believe that the wizarding world is any safer than the world we live in."
"If anything it is more dangerous and life threatening," Ben argued as he stood to his feet and started to pace, his breathing a little more heavy and his hands shoved deep into his pockets, his frustrated expression so like their daughter's it was uncanny. "Magic spells that can set you on fire, blow you up from the inside, it's—it's madness! And Mia is thrust into the middle of it all because some lunatic is after Harry. That's just another issue right there. If they weren't so close, if she wasn't with him…"
"Don't even think along those lines Benjamin Thatcher," Catherine warned. "Don't even try to put any blame on Harry. I thought you cared for him?"
"I see him as my son," Ben told her. "Of course I care, I care a hell of a lot more than his own relatives. I know that he didn't ask for any of this, and I know that he never would put Mia in any danger on purpose, but the fact is as long as she's with him she will be in constant danger."
"She still would be even if she wasn't with him," Catherine tried to reason with him with a sigh. "You remember the stories Molly and Arthur would talk to us about, especially after last year? This man—Voldemort, whoever he is—is lethal, and from what I've heard he would go out of his way to harm others to get what he wants. Do you really think that Mia is the type of person to sit back and watch others suffer when she would have the chance to help?"
"That's why I want her away from Hogwarts! If not this Dark Lord, every year it's something else! I don't want her getting hurt anymore!"
"Neither do I but we can't protect her from reality forever!" Catherine exclaimed, throwing her hands up helplessly, feeling terrible at the thought of her words. "We can't dwell on what-ifs, because right now Mia and Harry are together, and there are chances that one of them or both of them will be hurt at some point. We cannot shield them forever Ben, and I know you don't mean it when you say you wish they weren't together. If that was true you never would have sent Harry that letter after he asked her out."
"I know that," Ben grumbled, running a hand through his hair. "And I know that if the roles were reversed he would have done the exact same thing to save her. Why do they have to be this way with each other, it's going to wind up giving me heart failure."
"You know the answer to that, dear," Catherine said with a tiny smirk. "They're in love."
"For God's sake Cat, they're only sixteen years old! They don't know what that kind of love is yet," Ben groaned.
"If remember correctly, that's exactly what our parents told us when we were sixteen," Catherine mused.
"This is different," Ben said stubbornly.
"How? I think we know fairly well our feelings for each other at that point in time, and look to where that has led us now," Catherine said as she walked over to stand in front of Ben to stop him from pacing. She gently cupped his face in her hands and ran her thumbs across his cheeks, trying her best to sooth him as she gazed into the beautiful blue eyes that had captured her heart so long ago.
"I see that every time I see Harry and Mia together," she continued softly. "Ben, no matter what dangers are out there, in this world or theirs, I have some comfort knowing that they are willing to face it together through it all. Harry would go to the ends of the earth for her, just as I know you would do for me. As much as magic can be a threat, it can also protect. Hogwarts right now is the safest place for all of the children to be, where they can be away from the reality of what's to come for just a little bit longer and prepare themselves for when it does come. Mia has a life there, friends that love her, and a future that we can't be cruel enough to take away from her, no matter how much I want to lock her away in her room to make sure she's protected. Because if some supernatural force comes for her, we won't be able to save her. But Harry and the others can."
"But what if they can't?" Ben whispered, seeming drained from the arguing and his eyes looking very glossy. "What if she doesn't make it next time? I can't lose her, Cat. Not my baby."
"We need to have hope, Ben. Hope and love is our own kind of magic that we can give to her, and she can use it to make it through. I just know it."
I know, I know, I can't stand the fact this is so short! The next chapter will be better and longer, I promise! Please review, I'll see you guys in chapter three!