Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter are not mine!
Chapter Eight: Beautiful Scars and Forgotten Valentines
HarryPOV
Harry had to admit that he was fairly pleased with his schedule this year. He, along with Ron, had the same free periods as well as the same classes together. They had a free period right away after breakfast before their first class, then another one after break and a final one after lunch. While he knew they would soon have to fill those periods with study time, it would be a nice time to enjoy for today since they haven't received any homework left. Also, to his surprise, he found that he was actually able to take Potions now. Professor McGonagall informed him that while Snape required an "Outstanding" in order to take the class, Professor Slughorn was perfectly happy to accept students with "Exceeds Expectations," which was exactly what Harry had received in his O.W.L's. Therefore, his hopes of becoming an Auror were once again ignited as Professor McGonagall set it up so he would have Potions with the other sixth years who were continuing on with the subject.
After they were done eating, Harry and Ron went to enjoy some time in the common room along with a small handful of seventh years, one of them being Katie Bell, who called out to Harry in greeting and told him to let her know when he set a time for the trials for the new Quidditch season. Harry was almost positive that Katie would have no trouble at the trials, having seen her fly ever since his first year, but he knew it was a good idea to keep an open mind out in the pitch when the time came. He and Ron spent the next hour sitting next to the large window that looked out over the grounds, with Ron snacked on some Chocolate Frogs and played with a couple gadgets he got from Fred and George's shop while Harry was watching in amusement while stroking Sapphire's back, as the feline had made a beeline for him the second he and Ron walked into the common room. As he scratched the back of her ears, Harry wondered just how he would be able to get Mia to lift her ban on kissing him, not sure if he could go a full day without any from her. They were intoxicating, and his heart always exhilarated inside his chest when their lips met. All too soon, their free period was over and they started making their way down to their first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. Harry was feeling more bitter about this than normal, only because with Snape teaching them, he was sure this was going to be a very long and tedious year. When he and Ron finally reached the classroom door, they saw that Mia and Hermione were already standing outside of it along with their other classmates, both of them looking a bit put out as they clutched heavy books in their arms.
"We've got so much work from Ancient Runes!" Hermione said anxiously as they approached. "A fifteen-inch essay, two translations, and we've got to read this by Wednesday!"
"Shame," Ron sad through a yawn.
"Just you wait, Snape's going to end up giving us loads," Mia sighed, adjusting the book in her arms. Harry, seeing an opportunity, stepped forward and took the book out of her hands, along with her Charms book so she wouldn't be as burdened, seeing as her schoolbag was already bulging. Mia seemed slightly surprised by this but she gave him a grateful smile all the same.
"Thanks Harry," she said. "You're being awfully charming today."
"What kind of a boyfriend would I be if I didn't carry your books for you?" Harry said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Although, I think such a gentlemanly act deserves a reward of gratitude."
"Oh, bloody hell," Ron groaned while Mia raised her eyebrows.
"Oh really?" she said with a knowing smirk. "And what kind of reward are you talking about, Mr. Potter?"
"And here they go," Hermione muttered in half exasperation, half amusement.
"What do you have that I might want?" Harry asked with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
"Hmm, how about some Honeyduke's Chocolate?" Mia suggested.
"I'm not really feeling sweets," Harry replied easily.
"How about a box of autographed Puddlemore United merchandise?"
"I can get that easily from Wood."
"A walk along the lake after dinner, just us?"
"Very tempting, but I was thinking of something that would hold me off until then."
"Mia, if you don't give in I'm going to find jinxed mistletoe to shove you two under," Hermione cut in while Ron nodded his head in support and agreement. Mia pretended to sigh in compliance but Harry could see right through her as her smile grew and her blue eyes seemed to sparkle. He smiled at her as well and just as he moved closer so he could lean in towards her, the door to the classroom opened and their moment was interrupted by the arrival of the Dungeon Bat himself. Snape stood there with his dark eyes glaring at them all, his face framed by his greasy hair and with a simple look, he managed to get everyone to head straight into the classroom without a word. Harry looked around the room, somehow not surprised that Snape already put his own personal touch to it. The curtains had been drawn over the windows so the room was bathed with the light of many candles, and there were pictures on the walls of the more gruesome kind, with people either writhing in pain or badly disfigured by curses. There were also many dark-looking trinkets on the shelves hat stood along the walls of the room, enough for Harry to feel a small shiver go down his spine. He found a seat at a table with Mia, Ron and Hermione, who had taken out her book, but once Snape closed the classroom door after the last couple of students staggered inside, he snapped that they would not be using their books today. He strode over towards his desk which was situated at the front of the room and then turned so he was facing them, his arms across his chest and his black eyes even more demeaning in the partial darkness.
"You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe," Snape drawled. "Naturally, these teachers will have had their own methods and priorities. Given this confusion, I am surprised so many of you scraped an O.W.L in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with the N.E.W.T work, which will much more advanced."
There was a very brief silence after he spoke, in which he started to walk around the edges of the room, his voice low as every craned their necks to keep sight of him.
"The Dark Arts," said Snape. "Are many, varied, ever changing and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible. Your defenses must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo. These pictures on the wall give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse, feel the Dementor's Kiss, or provoke the aggression of an Inferius."
"Has an Inferius been seen, then? "Is it definite, is he using them?" Parvati asked in a high, terrified voice.
"The Dark Lord has used Inferi in the past," Snape replied. "Which means you would be well-advised to assume he may use them again."
Harry scowled a bit at Snape while he talked, a very unnerved feeling starting to churn inside his stomach. It's one thing for someone to talk about having to defend against the Dark Arts, but the way Snape was speaking, it was as though he had a deep hidden love and appreciation for the Dark Arts. He spoke as if it was something to be admired and with such a gentle caress in his tone that made Harry think something just wasn't right about it. Snape continued on to ask them if they were familiar with the practice of non-verbal spells, to which everyone nodded their heads mutely. He then asked if anyone could tell him what the advantage was of being able to cast non-verbal spells, to which Mia and Hermione were the only ones to raise their hands. The former Potions teacher reluctantly chose Hermione, who answered perfectly that by using non-verbal spells, your opponent would have no way of knowing what kind of magic you're about to use or attack with. It gives the element of surprise, especially in a duel. Snape seemed to accept this answer, going on to explain that not everyone can do non-verbal spells, as it required a great deal of concentration and power of the mind. For a moment Snape's eyes lingered on Harry as he said this and Harry glared at him in return, no doubt thinking Snape was referring to the chaotic lessons they had together when he was trying to teach Harry Occlumency. It was perfectly clear just from the look on his face that he didn't believe Harry would be up for the task.
After his inspiring opening speech, Snape ordered them all to divide into pairs, with one person attempting to jinx their partner while the other attempted to block the attack, all without speaking. Harry paired up with Ron while Mia and Hermione took a spot not far away from them. Once everyone was paired up a sudden silence had fallen upon the class as everyone tried their best to cast and deflect the spells without saying a word. There were some who resorted to cheating, whispering the incantations under their breaths to cast the jinx. As they practiced, Snape hovered around as usual, casting judging looks over each pair and more than likely checking to see who he can catch cheating. Harry took a moment to glance over towards where Mia and Hermione were standing. Hermione was the one who was trying to cast a spell at Mia, her face set in determination as she tried not to speak. However, the expression on Mia's face took Harry slightly by surprise, because while she seemed as though she were preparing herself for whatever Hermione may throw at her, Harry knew her too well to see there was a bit of fear in her eyes that she was doing her best to conceal, and there was something off about her stance, as though she wasn't quite ready to go through whatever Hermione was planning to do. Her odd behavior caused him to furrow his eyebrows but he couldn't ponder over it at the moment as he had to focus on deflecting what Ron was trying to jinx him with, reminding himself to ask her about it later. Ron was standing mere feet away from him, his face scrunched up and his cheeks turning red from the effort he was making to keep his lips pressed tightly together so he wouldn't utter a sound. Eventually Snape came over towards them and his lips curled in distaste at the lack of progress they were showing.
"Pathetic, Weasley," Snape said. "Here—let me show you—"
As quick as a flash, Snape turned his own wand on Harry and in that instant, all thoughts of nonverbal spells forgotten, Harry yelled "Protego!" The result of his Shield Charm ended up with Snape being knocked back until he hit a nearby desk, and Harry was surprised by how much force was behind the spell. Snape himself didn't look pleased at all as he straightened himself up, glaring at Harry angrily.
"Do you remember me telling you we are practicing nonverbal spells, Potter?" Snape hissed.
"Yes," Harry replied stiffly, not in the slightest sorry for the greasy bat taking the brunt of his defense.
"Yes, sir."
"There's no need to call me 'sir,'Professor," Harry retorted back without thinking, his own anger getting the best of him. A couple of his classmates gasped at this, and through the corner of his eye he could see Mia face-palm herself while Ron and Seamus were giving him grins. Snape's glare seemed to intensify and he easily responded to Harry's cheek by giving him detention Saturday night in his office, but at that moment Harry couldn't find it in himself to care. There was no way he was going to give Snape any reason to attack him, not even during class. After everything he put Harry through last year with those Occlumency lessons, he wasn't about to leave himself so vulnerable again. The class continued on after that in its regular fashion, and by the end of it, Hermione was the only one who successfully performed her magic without speaking a word. She had knocked Mia back with a Tickling Hex and Harry couldn't help but smirk, seeing his girlfriend rolling on the ground, giggling madly. When they left the classroom to head on to their first break, Mia still had tears of laughter in her eyes as they walked along the corridor, her cheeks flushed as she wiped them away.
"You know you really shouldn't have said that to Snape, Harry," Hermione reprimanded. "What made you do it?"
"You mean besides the fact that he was about to attack me?" Harry asked. "I've had enough of that from last year, thanks. I just don't get why Dumbledore appointed him. You heard how he was going on about the Dark Arts in there? He talked as though he loves them, like he admires them."
"I don't know, Harry, I thought he may have sounded a little like you," Hermione pointed out with a shrug. "You know, when you were telling us what it's like to face Voldemort. You said it wasn't just memorizing a bunch of spells, that it was just your brains and your gut. In a way Snape was saying that as well, that it really comes down to being brave and quick-thinking in life-threatening situations. You both may have said it differently, but you're still making the same point."
Before Harry could even say anything in response to that, he heard the sound of his name being called and he turned around to see Jack Sloper, one of the Beaters on the Gryffindor team from last year, hurrying up to him with a small roll of parchment in his hand. He slowed down to a halt when he reached Harry and told him that he was instructed to give the parchment to him, which Harry took appreciatively.
"Listen, I heard you're the new Qudditch team captain," he said. "When are you holding trials?"
"I'm not sure yet," Harry replied. "But I'll let everyone know soon."
"Oh, right. I was just hoping it's be this weekend…"
"You should probably think of when to do the trials soon," Mia suggested as Sloper hurried off and they started walking down the corridor again. "A couple potential players came up to me and Hermione during Ancient Runes to ask if we knew when you were planning on holding them."
"I will," Harry said as he unrolled the parchment. "Hey, it's from Dumbledore!"
"Really?" Ron said in surprise. "What's it say?"
"He says he wants to start our private lessons on Saturday," Harry answered as he read the familiar loopy handwriting that belonged to the headmaster. "He wants me to come to his office at eight o'clock…and he likes Acid Pops."
"A bit random, isn't it?" Mia asked in confusion.
"That must be the password to get past the stone gargoyle in front of the entrance to his office," Harry said, with a smile on his face as he came to a realization. "This means I won't have to do Snape's detention that night!"
"I bet the Dungeon Bat's not going to be very happy about that," Mia said, a smile of her own coming onto her face. "Guess he'll have to clean out all the cauldrons on his own."
Happy to have avoided serving a detention with his least favorite teacher, Harry's mood was considerably lighter as they all enjoyed their first break of the day. Once it was over, Hermione went off to her Arithmancy lesson with Professor Sinstra while Mia dashed off to her first Art lesson with Professor Frendell. He and Ron spent the rest of their morning working on their homework assignment from Snape which, of course, was a lot more strenuous then they could have imagined. They worked on it all the way up to lunch and even their after-lunch free period, with some assistance from Hermione as Mia had gone down to her first Care of Magical Creatures lessons with Hagrid. By the time they all headed down to their double-potions class, the last one for the day, Harry was already feeling a bit tired just from Snape's assignments alone and he couldn't imagine what it would be like having to juggle everything else once he starts receiving work from his other classes as well. But, he supposed if he could survive the work required for their O.W.L exams last year he could make it through this year. As they reached the corridor in the dungeons outside of class, he saw that Mia was already there waiting for them, along with their fellow classmates. Harry was surprised to see that Mia was in a complete messy disarray, with dried mud on the sleeves of her robes and on the knees of her stockings and there was dried paint on her fingers and even a couple splotches on her cheeks and nose. Her hair was a bit windswept, some loose strands falling out of her ponytail, but her eyes were just as bright as ever.
"What the bloody hell happened to you?" Ron asked as they approached her.
"Gee, thanks Ron," Mia said with a small laugh. "Obviously, the paint is from my Art class, it was great! Professor Frendell just gave us each a canvas and told us to go at it with whatever supplies was available. He wanted to see what kind of artists we are, from whatever we decided to draw or paint, and the colors we used. I suppose it was his way of breaking the ice, because when time was up he asked us to present what we created and why we chose to do it."
"Where did the mud come from?" Harry said.
"Hagrid's class, and it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. He showed us the Aethonans today, and their foals!" Mia gushed in excitement. "We had to go into a field to dig up the wildflowers they like to eat and feed them the oats as well, but it was wonderful. They're such beautiful creates, Hagrid said he wanted it to be a surprise because he knew how much I liked them."
"Did he say anything about us not being there?" Hermione asked tentatively.
"Um, well, not much, really," Mia answered, her smile slipping off of her face. "I tried to keep him distracted by asking a lot of questions about the Aethonans, but I don't think it really worked."
Harry could feel a ball of guilt drop unpleasantly into his stomach at this, and he felt worse about not telling Hagrid they didn't sign up for his classes this year. He just hoped that Hagrid would come to understand and not be too mad at them. Ron and Hermione were looking just as bad as he felt, but they didn't get the chance to say much more on the subject because at that moment the door to the classroom opened and Professor Slughorn's protruding stomach greeted them as he stepped outside, greeting them all with a kind, jolly smile that seemed to reach his eyes. He gestured for them all to come in and Harry was surprised at how different the classroom looked. It seemed much brighter than in the past when Snape had taught Potions, with candles and torches casting brilliant light along the walls and from the ceiling and providing a certain warmth that was never present before. There were still shelves full of jars containing ingredients but not the sort that would leave the room appearing more like a haunted house, but rather a fascinating exhibit. There were also bubbling cauldrons around the room, each one filled with a different aroma that clashed together and created an assortment of new, interesting smells throughout the room. Harry, Mia, Ron and Hermione shared a table together, which was close to a golden cauldron that was filled with the most enticing and seductive smells Harry had ever experienced. He inhaled deeply, the scents filling his entire body with a strange yet satisfying mixture of polished wood, treacle tart, and something he was all too familiar with—a wonderful fusion of some kind of berry mixed together with a touch of something floral. Mia's perfume.
"Now then, now then," Slughorn said, clapping his hands together as he continued to smile around at them all. "Scales out everyone, and potion kits, and don't forget your copies of Advanced Potion Making."
"Um, sir?" Harry said as he raised his hand. "I haven't got a book, or scales, or anything, and neither does Ron. We didn't realize we could take Potions with Exceeds Expectations…"
"Oh, not to worry, Harry m'boy, not to worry," Slughorn reassured him. "You both can borrow some supplies from the cupboards until you are able to write Flourish and Blotts and the Apothecary."
Harry thanked him before he and Ron walked over towards the cupboard to grab themselves each a scale, some ingredients they would need for the day, as well as a copy of Advanced Potion Making from the small stack of books that were off to the side on the middle shelf. Once they had everything they needed, they brought it back to the table they were sharing with the girls as Slughorn started the lesson.
"Now then, I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest, you now," he told them all. "These are the kind of thing you ought to be making after completing your N.E.W.T examinations. You ought to have heard of them, even if you haven't made 'em yet. Can anyone tell me what this one is?"
He pointed over towards a cauldron that looked as though it had plain water boiling inside of it. Not surprisingly, Mia's hand shot into the air along with Hermione. Slughorn smiled as he pointed at Hermione, who went on to explain that the potion was Veritaserum, the most powerful truth-telling potion in existence. Harry recognized this as the potion that was used during Sirius' trial this past summer, forcing him as well as Pettigrew the truth of what had happened all those years ago. Slughorn happily confirmed Hermione's answer before going on to ask what was in the next cauldron, which was closest to the Ravenclaw table. Harry recognized it immediately—the thick, muddy texture of the potion was almost impossible to forget, and he raised his hand as well along with Mia and Hermione.
"Yes, Harry?" Slughorn said.
"That's Polyjuice Potion," Harry answered.
"Correct!" Slughorn said in delight. "Very popular and well known, Polyjuice Potion, but not the most pleasant experience to go through when having to drink it. Now, who can tell me what this potion over here can be?"
Slughorn motioned to the cauldron that was next to their table and this time, he pointed to Mia to answer the question.
"It's Amorentia, sir," she said. "The most powerful love potion in the world."
"Very well done my dear, although I should not be surprised," Slughorn praised with a beaming smile. "Did you recognize it by the mother-of-pearl sheen?"
"Yes sir, as well as the steam rising in characteristic spirals," Mia added and she leaned a little closer to the cauldron to get a good whiff of it. "Amorentia smells different to each person depending on what attracts them the most. For example, I can smell the musty scent of pages from an old book, sea salt, and…and something similar to rich earth, mixed with rain."
Even though it was for just a quick second, Harry saw Mia's gaze glance over in his direction and a small smile graced her lips. He smiled at her in return, feeling his cheeks turn just a little pink from her observation. Slughorn was very impressed and awarded Mia with five points, along with Harry and Hermione before going on to explain that Amorentia doesn't create real love of course, but rather a powerful case of obsession or infatuation with someone. It could be dangerous at the best of times, especially if taken in larger amounts. Finally, the last cauldron Slughorn pointed to was a black one that held a constantly swishing potion that moved around rather fast inside, although not a single drop spilled over the edge. The potion itself was liquid gold and Slughorn told them all that this was in fact, Felix Felicis. As it turned out, this was the most interesting potion in the room, because—as Hermione described it when called upon—it was also called liquid luck, and made the drinker very lucky for a certain amount of time. Slughorn explained how this potion was also dangerous to take in large quantities, as it can make the drinker reckless and too confident in some cases. But in small doses on a rare occasion, the drinker finds himself lucky in all endeavors.
The Potions professor suddenly made their class more challenging and entertaining by proposing a little contest between them all. The potion he was assigning them today was the Draught of Living Death, a highly complex potion that can be difficult to make, especially when making it for the first time. Professor Slughorn told them he wasn't expecting a perfect potion from anyone, however the one who does the best will receive a tiny vial of Felix Felicis as a prize. It was enough for the effects to last a full twelve hours, but to be used on a regular day only. Now more excited at the prospect of winning liquid luck, everyone got straight to work on trying their best to create the Draught of Living Death. The classroom quickly became silent as everyone was so focused on their own cauldron, with nothing but the sound of flipped pages, the slicing of roots, and swooshing of the stirred potions. Within the first fifteen minutes the room was filled with fumes from every cauldron, but Harry was having difficulty with the textbook he had gotten from the cupboard. It was very old, tattered, and the previous owner had written in so many side notes and alternative instructions that the margins were almost black. Harry had to peer down closely to make sense of what was written in the book just so he could make out the original instructions. When it came time to cut up the sopophorous bean to extract the juices from it, Harry saw more notes from the previous owner, written so small he almost couldn't make it out.
Crush with flat side of silver dagger, releases juice better than cutting.
Harry furrowed his eyebrows at this, wondering what made the previous owner thinking crushing it would be better. However, after a long while of trying to cut the bean, he was starting to forget about his doubts. From what he could see, everyone else was having a hard time cutting up their bean as well, even Mia, who was biting at her lip in concentration as she tried to keep her bean still so the dagger would cut through properly. After a moment of thinking, Harry took his silver dagger and then did as the alternative notes instructed and crushed the bean, to his amazement, the juices started spilling out rapidly and easily, to a point where Harry didn't have the time to be shocked at this discovery. He quickly took the bean and emptied the juices into his cauldron, which instantly turned the light shade of lilac it was supposed to be.
"How did you do that?" Mia asked him in astonishment. "I still can cut through my bean."
"Don't cut it," Harry told her. "Use the flat side of the dagger to crush it and squeeze out the juices."
"No, the instructions specifically say to cut," Hermione said impatiently, never removing her eyes from her own cauldron. Her hair was becoming even more wild and bushy from the fumes of her potions, which was a dark, deep purple instead of lilac, causing her to frown in frustration.
"What made you think to crush it, Harry?" Mia said, a little sweat on her forehead.
"Just a lucky guess," Harry said with a glance at Malfoy, who was within hearing range and glaring at Harry for getting ahead of him. "It works, trust me."
Mia stared at him for a minute, contemplating what he was saying and then, with a resolved look in her eyes, she did as he suggested and crushed her bean with her dagger instead of cutting it. She let out a breath of relief and delight as her bean produced the juices and she smiled gratefully at him while adding it in to her cauldron. For the rest of the class, Harry followed the instructions laid out by the previous owner of his textbook, and he was shocked to see that they were right every time. While the book said to turn the potion counterclockwise until the potion became clearer, the owner wrote to add in a clockwise turn every seven counterclockwise stir. As he hoped, the potion indeed start to become clearer every time he did that, so when time was up, he felt confident in his work. Professor Slughorn came around to each table to check their potions, taking a moment to stir or sniff each one. When he came to their own table, he smiled ruefully at Ron's back liquid, gave Hermione a very impressed nod of the head and smiled in pure delight when he saw Mia's lilac potion. When he reached Harry's, his eyes went wide and he positively beamed.
"The clear winner!" he exclaimed. "Excellent, excellent, Harry! Good lord, it's clear you've inherited your mother's talent, she was marvelous at potions herself. Here you are then, m'boy, one vial of Felix Felicis, use it well!"
Harry happily took the prize offered by Slughorn and slipped it into the pocket of his robes, trying to stop himself from chuckling at the angry glare Malfoy was sure to be throwing his way. Slughorn gave them all an assignment to write a short essay on the origins of the Draught of Living Death and the adjustments made to it over the recent years before dismissing them all, and as everyone packed up their things to head up to the Great Hall for dinner, Harry simply couldn't believe his luck at being able to make such a difficult potion. He looked over at Mia and instantly felt guilty at seeing the disappointed expression on her face.
"Come on love, please don't be sad," Harry said, wrapping an arm around her waist as they walked. "You still did brilliant in there, and yours was almost perfect."
"'Almost' isn't good enough," Mia said with a tiny smile. "I've tried making the Draught of Living Death before, but it just never works out. I'm really glad you were able to get it though, Harry, I think it's the first time you were able to beat me in making a potion first."
"Yeah, how were you able to do it?" Ron asked as they walked up the staircase. Harry first checked to make sure they were out of hearing range before he had them all lean in closer so he could tell them about the notes he had followed in his used textbook.
"So you mean to tell me it wasn't your own work?" Hermione said with a disapproving frown.
"It was, but I just did the instructions differently," Harry countered. "It was still the same potion."
"You better not talk about this in front of Ginny," Mia told him.
"Why?" Ron asked.
"Because Harry was taking orders from someone who wrote something in a book," Mia replied with a worried look at Harry's bag, like she was expecting the book to come jumping out and lash at them all. "Just like how Riddle's diary was. Harry, are you sure that thing is safe?"
"I'm positive it is, I swear I only followed the added notes about the potion in the margins," Harry answered.
"Still, it sounds very suspicious to me, I want to have a look at it when we get in the Great Hall," Hermione said, also staring at Harry's bag. Harry just rolled his eyes, not seeing what the big deal was with him following notes that helped him actually pass his potion making for once. He gave Mia's waist a squeeze, smiling at her concerned expression.
"Don't worry so much love, if there's anything fishy going on with it, I promise I'll get rid of it," he said. "You know, I think that I might know of a way to make you feel better about this."
"What's—"
Harry didn't give Mia a chance to finish her sentence because at that moment he drew her close to him, pulling her forward so he could land a firm kiss against her lips, making her squeal in surprise, but smile nonetheless.
"Will you two please get a room somewhere?!" Ron groaned.
…
That night, Harry found himself sitting on the loveseat in Gryffindor tower after hours of going through all of the homework that was assigned to him that day, Thankfully, by working together with Ron, Mia and Hermione, they were able to get most of, if not everything, finished. Ron had let out a dramatic sigh of relief as he flopped against the armchair he had been resting in, cracking his stiff muscles while Hermione rubbed at her tired eyes while closing her thick Arithmancy book. They spent a little while just relaxing, even playing a couple rounds with Mia's Muggle playing cards, betting on treats such as chocolate frogs and jelly slugs. By the time they were done, a lot of people had already gone up to bed, and it wasn't long before Ron and Hermione went up as well. Harry and Mia, wanting to spend just a little time together before going to bed, decided to sit for a while next to the large glass paned window where they could see clear across the school grounds, right to where Hagrid's cabin sat on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Mia currently had her head on his shoulder, tracing her fingers over his palm that was laid out over his stomach while Harry absentmindedly played with one of her curls, smiling as he caught a whiff of the vanilla scented shampoo she had used for her hair when she had taken a shower after they arrived in the common room. It was a comfortable and peaceful silence, just the two of them enjoying each other's company.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked her after a while.
"How warm you are," she replied truthfully with a smile. "Honestly, I could fall asleep right here."
"I wouldn't mind that," Harry agreed, leaving her curl alone so he could pull her a little closer.
"Imagine the scandal that would come in the morning," Mia chuckled. "Harry Potter and his girlfriend, falling asleep together on the loveseat. Merlin help us if Colin was able to take a picture."
Harry just shook his head at the idea, and then he suddenly remembered something he had thought of earlier on that day.
"Mia?"
"Hmm?"
"Can I ask you something? You don't have to answer if you don't want to, I was just curious about something…"
"You can ask my anything, Harry," Mia said to him, adjusting her head so she was looking right at him.
"Well, I noticed today during Defense you were acting a little different," Harry said, trying to find a good way to word his question. "You seemed really tense, and almost scared when practicing nonverbal magic with Hermione. I guess what I mean is, is everything okay?"
Harry could see that while he had been talking, Mia took on a more solemn expression and she sighed softly, looking close to defeated.
"I might have frozen up during class today," Mia muttered, and Harry thought he could detect a bit of shame in her voice. "I know it was only Hermione, but when we were paired up and she was trying to jinx me, all of a sudden I just-I remembered Bellatrix Lestrange, and the night at the Ministry."
All at once Harry immediately understood. Mia was acting off because she was thinking of the last time she had to defend herself from someone who was trying to attack her. Harry could only imagine what she must have been feeling in that moment, trying to tell herself it wasn't real while still remembering that night. He felt instant sympathy for her and used both of his arms to hold her tenderly against him.
"I'm sorry, love," he murmured into her hair.
"There's nothing to be sorry for," Mia said to him gently, placing her head on his chest. "It's just something I wish I could get over, but it's really hard for me to forget. I have dreams about it sometimes, and it scares me so much I wake up crying…"
"What? Mia, why didn't you tell me this?" Harry asked her, feeling even worse.
"I didn't want anyone to worry, and it doesn't happen as much as it did before," Mia replied. "and I guess in a way I feel ashamed. I'm glad I was able to help Sirius, but I was stupid to think that I could have faced off against a ruthless Death Eater like her. I couldn't even properly defend myself, and even though I'm handling it better now, I'll always have the scars to remind me."
Mia's tone sounded so sad, and it nearly crushed Harry's heart hearing this. He adjusted them so that he could use his hand to cup her chin, making her look up so that she was looking at him.
"Mia, listen to me, you're anything but stupid," Harry said to her, willing her to believe him. "I just wish you had told me about the dreams. You don't have to handle this alone, you know that don't you?
"I know, I'm sorry," Mia said, and she truly looked it. "I know how scared you were that night, I didn't want to remind you of it."
"No matter what, we'll always be reminded of it," Harry said. "I almost lost you, and that's a feeling I never want to go through again. But you're much stronger than you give yourself credit for. You fought your way back, and you've done your best not to let it loom over you. I know you're still healing from what happened, but I want you to know that I'm here for you, and so are Ron, Hermione, and everyone else. And as far as your scars go, I happen to think they're beautiful."
"Oh, come off it, Harry…"
"I'm being serious," Harry said to her, using his thumb to trace the thin scar on her cheek before placing a soft kiss on it. "This one here is rather cute, especially when you blush. And then there's this one here."
Harry moved his lips from her cheek down to the one on her shoulder, using his finger to shift her shirt over a little so he could move his mouth lovingly across her skin. He heard Mia hum in content.
"Always a charmer," she said. Harry responded simply by moving his lips up to hers, trying to put in as much sincerity and tender passion into the kiss as he could. When he drew back he fixed her with his gaze.
"You're scars show how brave you are, and it's one of the many things I love about you," he said. "If you ever need help, whether it's with getting comfortable in Defense again, or with the nightmares, please tell me. Okay?"
"Okay," Mia promised with a nod and a grateful smile. "I love you, Harry."
"I love you too."
MiaPOV
Somehow for Mia, the first week of school went by fast and yet so slow. With all of her classes combined, she was surprised she didn't pull all-nighter's just to make sure she was caught up on everything. She took full advantage of her free periods during the day to get her work done so that way she didn't have as much to do in the evening. That way, she could still have some time to spend with her friends and not commit herself to only her assignments. Eventually she managed to create a routine that worked out pretty well for her, and she was glad to be settling back into the swing of things at Hogwarts. By the time Friday came around, Mia was really looking forward to the weekend, seeing as she did enough the previous day to make sure she wouldn't stay cooped up in the common room for the next couple of days studying. During lunch, she had written a letter to her parents, letting them know how the first week of school was going, and she left the Great Hall a little earlier than normal so she could hurry up to the Owlery to send off the letter before she had to hurry down to her Care of Magical Creatures lesson with Hagrid. Even though she still had plenty of time, Mia still hurried along the corridors, making sure to check her watch every now and again. When she reached the Owlery, she walked up the steps and just as she was turning in to go through the doorway, she almost walked head-on into someone who was making their way outside. Mia managed to stop herself before they ended up crashing into each other and Mia realized that the person she almost ran into was Alex.
"Oh Alex, I'm sorry," Mia apologized. "I didn't mean to almost knock you over."
"Don't worry, it's okay, Mia," Alex reassured her with a smile. "I should have been paying attention. How are you doing? We haven't really had the opportunity to talk much in class."
"I know, it all feels so overwhelming, and it's only the first week," Mia agreed. "But I'm doing very well, how are you?"
"I'm good, I'm actually about to head off to the library, trying to make use of my free period," he said. "Are we still good for meeting up with Lucy and Jenna for our study group tomorrow?"
"Absolutely," Mia confirmed with a smile. "Maybe afterwards we can head down to the lake for a little while and watch the giant squid, we'll have to take advantage of all the free time we have."
"Yeah, I suppose," Alex said, his smile becoming more fond-like. "It's good that you take all of this in stride Mia. We could have piles of work as high as mountains but you still manage to smile and climb over it. I've always admired that about you, you know what you want or what needs to be done and go for it."
"Oh, thanks Alex," Mia said, surprised and flattered at his words. "That's kind of you to say. I just know that once it's all done and over with, the rewards will be worth it."
"That's a good attitude to have," Alex admitted. "I'm just glad that with everything that's happened last year, you're still upbeat, it's contagious. You're smile really is brighter than the suns of May."
"Trust me, it's not that—wait, what?" Mia said, Alex's words setting of a bell in her head. "What did you say?"
"Nothing, nothing," Alex said, looking as though he only just realized what he had said and his face beginning to turn red. "I just mean—well, you're a good influence, and—um, I should probably get to the library. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
Without even waiting for an answer, Alex rushed out of the Owlery and hastily rushed down the steps, his robes trailing behind him. Mia watched him go, the letter still clutched in her hand and a memory slowly making its way back to her. A memory involving a dwarf dressed as cupid, reading off a short poem to her back in second year.
Her voice is as soft as a rose's petal
Her smile brighter than the suns of May
Don't ever be blue, be happy being you
And have a happy Valentine's Day
It was nearly impossible for Mia to forget that poem, as Ron still teases her about it every once in a while after all this time, despite the many warnings she has given him. If she remembered right, she received that Valentine in a class her house shared with Ravenclaw, so Alex couldn't have been in the room when it was read out loud. But how did he know the words? Does that mean…was he the one…
"Oh, Alex," Mia whispered softly.
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