Well, it certainly looks like I have some explaining to do, don't I? First off, I just want to offer the biggest apology in the world for this being the first chapter that I've updated in over a year and a half. I never thought that there would be any situation that would cause that, but unfortunately so much has happened during that time, most of them bad, and I really do not want to go into it here. All I can say is that I'm very, very sorry to all of my readers and followers (if you guys are still miraculously here), and I tried to make it up to you all my posting not one, not two, but THREE new chapters to read. This is the first time I'm doing it, so hopefully this will make up for my absence just a little.
I do apologize if the next few chapters are not as good, or very much like the books, but I've been off of my game for a long while now with this story, and I'm trying to get back into the groove of things, so to say. I'm going to post these three chapters today and get started on the following chapter probably on Friday night, due to having a fairly busy next couple of days. If you have read my stories before and have waited forever for me to update, welcome back! Thank you SO much for sticking with me and putting up with me for so long, it means a lot, you have no idea!And if you are new here, welcome, welcome to my "You Were Always There" series! If there are any mistakes that you guys notice (besides grammar, because there's bound to be plenty since these were written mostly on my phone), please let me know, and feel free to leave a review with your thoughts! I hope you guys enjoy this, and I just have to say, it really feels good to be back.
Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter are NOT mine! They belong to the wonderful J.K Rowling!
Chapter Twelve: Tensions and Accusations
HarryPOV
On the day of the first Hogsmeade trip of the year, Harry found himself feeling very relieved as he walked down towards the village, despite the harsh, bitter wind biting at his face and the sleet beneath his feet. He walked with Mia close to his side, Ron and Hermione behind them and none of them saying much as they moved, eager to go into one of the shops to get warm and out of the terrible weather. At first they had all been eager to go down to Hogsmeade, but when they finally made it, they were discouraged to see that quite a few shops were boarded up, even Zonko's, so it wasn't looking to be as good of a visit as they thought. However, Honeyduke's was thankfully still open and from the moment they stepped inside, all four of them sighed in content as the heat instantly warmed up their insides and the scent of toffee filled their noses. It was a bit crowded, but it wasn't too bad, since they were still able to maneuver around. Ron and Hermione went over to check out the Peppermint Imps and Jelly Slugs while Harry took Mia over to another section of the store, where there was a wall completely devoted to Honeyduke's best chocolate.
They each had a bag to fill with all the tasty treats they wanted, and after a certain point Harry looked over at Mia, taking a moment to watch her. Her scarf was bundled up around her neck, her eyes bright as she filled up her own bag with sweets, and her cheeks red from the freezing winds. He suddenly remembered when her face had been flushed like this that night in the room of requirement, when she had stared up at him with nothing but trust shining in her eyes. The memory of her beneath him made something tighten in his stomach and he had to keep himself from groaning. Ever since that night he found himself wanting—no, needing—to be close with her again, to feel her soft skin and hear her beautiful voice whisper in his ear as he worshiped her body. Sometimes he couldn't believe that she had allowed him to be her first, and even though he knew there was no avoiding it, he still felt bad for hurting her. But, she had said that practice makes perfect, and the idea that she wanted to be with him in that way again made him happy and was enough to reignite his desire for her.
"Harry?" Mia said, snapping him out of his revere. "Are you okay? You spaced out on me."
"Sorry, love," Harry said.
"What were you thinking about?" she asked. Harry let his eyes travel over her before he gave her a smirk.
"You," he replied honestly. "And wishing we had some alone time."
Harry immediately got the reaction he wanted—Mia's face turned at least two shades darker, her eyes widened ever so slightly and she absentmindedly bit her lip in embarrassment, which really wasn't helping his case right now. She reached over and smacked his arm, avoiding his gaze.
"You're terrible," she muttered, but Harry could see the corners of her mouth twitch slightly. Knowing she really wasn't angry with him, and—feeling bold—Harry walked up next to her and placed an arm around her waist, pulling her close and using his hand to gently caress her side, intentionally inching closer towards her chest with each stroke. He leaned over and placed a kiss on her neck, trailing his lips along her skin and hearing her sharp intake of breath.
"Harry, not here," she hissed in a whisper.
"I'm not doing anything," he argued playfully.
"My arse, you're not doing anything," she said, turning her head to give him a half-hearted glare. "You're not as slick as you think you are, Mr. Potter."
"It's not my fault that my girlfriend is so lovely and irresistible," Harry stated.
"I look like a puffed-up marshmallow with all these layers on."
"But no less lovely," Harry said, giving her side a squeeze. Mia smiled at him just as Ron and Hermione came back over to them, their hands full of delicious sweets. As they made their way around the sweet shop, Harry heard a sudden voice call out his name and he wasn't thrilled to see that the voice belonged to Professor Slughorn, who was wearing a huge furry hat on his head, along with a dark overcoat, beaming at the sight of them all. He immediately asked Harry if he would be free on Monday since Harry has always had Quidditch practice on the days when Sulghorn would have his dinner parties for members of the club. Harry, of course, would purposely schedule practice on these days to avoid going to the parties, which really worked out in his favor since it would make sure that Ron would not feel left out about not being invited, and they would sometimes have a laugh with Ginny about Hermione and Mia being stuck with the likes of McLaggen, Malfoy and Zabini. He knew that Mia only went to these gatherings so Hermione wouldn't be alone, and it was always amusing to hear her rant about it when they returned.
Thankfully, Harry had a true excuse to miss out on this invitation. As it happened, he finally received a message from Dumbledore and their next lesson was to take place on Monday night. Slughorn seemed a little put out when Harry told him this but nonetheless he remained cheery and confident that Harry would make it sometime, stating he couldn't avoid him forever. With a wave, the potions professor walked out of the store, hunched against the bitter cold wind that awaited him outside.
"I can't believe that you managed to wriggle your way out of another one," Hermione grumbled. "They're not that bad, you know."
"Says you," Mia put in with a raised eyebrow. "It's just Slughorn kissing up to students and vice versa, introducing us to different people he's taught in the past that have made a name for themselves in some way. At least we know Neville, and have someone we can talk to."
"But at least you two get to go," Ron mumbled, a gloomy look on his face.
"If you want, we can switch," Mia offered. "I'll take risking getting clobbered by a Quaffle and Bludgers any day than keep going to these parties."
The comment made Harry and Hermione laugh, and managed to get a small smile of amusement out of Ron, knowing how dissatisfied she was. Once they were all done, Harry suggested that they go to the Three Broomsticks, which was met with eager responses. And so they again ventured out into the cold winds, huddled together with their scarfs covering their faces and making their way along the path that would lead them to the pub. Due to the unpleasant weather there were not many people out at all and the few that were didn't bother to stop for chatting, determined to get to their destinations as quick as possible. As they neared the inn, Harry could see two men standing outside of the pub. One of them, a very tall, thin elder man, Harry recognized as the owner of the other pub in Hogsmeade, the Hog's Head. When they got closer, the barman gave a curt nod to the second man before he turned and walked away back towards his own pub, his cloak billowing out behind him and his gray hair dancing around his face. The second man who was speaking with him had a suitcase in his hands and when he turned around, Harry caught sight of long, straggly ginger hair, and knew instantly who it was.
"Mundungus!" he called out, causing the man to yelp and drop the suitcase to the ground, its contents falling out in a great heap of junk.
"Oh, 'ello 'Arry," he greeted with an anxious smile as he fidgeted with his clothes before stooping down to gather the things he dropped. "Well, don't let me keep ya."
"Are you selling all this stuff?" Mia asked him curiously.
"Oh, well, gotta scrape a living," Mundungus answered before he saw Ron pick up something silver from the ground. "Hey, gimmie that!"
"Wait a minute," Mia said with narrowed eyes as she took the goblet out of Ron's hands, inspecting it. "This is Sirius'! It has the Black Family Crest on it! You stole it from his house!"
"Did not!" Mundungus countered, making a grab for the goblet.
"I highly doubt that Sirius said you could specifically have it," Mia said as she held it out of his reach, placing the goblet behind her back. "Anything he didn't want was thrown out last summer when we were cleaning. I think maybe I should hold onto it for now."
"That's not yours to keep, girl," Mundungus said with a scowl.
"It's not yours either," Harry pointed out with a frown, not liking the idea of this man stealing from his godfather, whether Sirius wanted the object or not. Mundungus looked as though he was going to reply but a sudden familiar voice stopped him before he could.
"You might as well get a move on, Mundungus."
Harry and the others looked over to see Tonks appearing at Hermione's side, her mousy brown hair wet from the falling sleet and her face downcast as she gave Mundungus a sharp look, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Just take the rest of your stolen goods and go, or I'll tell Dumbledore and Mad-Eye you've been snooping around and stealing from headquarters again," she said. Mundungus glared at her for a moment, muttering under his breath before he shoved everything else that had fallen on the ground into his suitcase and then Disapperated into thin air with a loud crack. Tonks merely shook her head at the spot where he vanished and turned to face Harry and the others, a half-hearted smile on her face.
"Hello, you lot," she greeted quietly.
"Hi Tonks," Hermione said. "Thanks for stepping in."
"Think nothing of it. May I see that goblet, Mia?" Tonks asked. Mia handed over to object and Tonks took a few seconds to look it over, her expression indifferent.
"I doubt that Sirius will want to keep it, but you never know with him," she stated with a shrug. "Thanks for getting it out of Mundungus' slimy hands at least. I'll give this back to Sirius the next time I see him."
"Thank you, Tonks," Mia said gratefully.
"We were about to head in for some butterbeers, care to join us?" Harry said.
"No no, you all have fun, I have to get back to my post," Tonks declined. After they said their goodbyes, Harry, Mia, Ron and Hermione scurried inside of the Three Broomsticks, feeling instant relief as they were met with the warm, lively atmosphere of the inn. They were able to find a table for the four of them towards one end of the pub and Hermione went up to the bar to get their drinks while the others worked on warming themselves up. They were all grateful to receive their drinks when Hermione returned and Harry couldn't help but sigh in content as he gulped down the sweet substance, a comfortable silence falling between them all. At least, until Ron looked over Hermione's shoulder and hastily swallowed his butterbeer, beginning to squirm around in his seat.
"Oh, bloody hell," he muttered.
"What is it?" Harry said. He, Mia and Hermione followed his gaze to see that in one of the corner booth's Ginny was sitting next to Dean, the two of them quite close and she was smiling at whatever Dean was whispering to her, their hands resting together on the top of their table.
"Little git," Ron mumbled.
"Honestly Ron, they're just holding hands," Hermione reprimanded. However, in the next moment, Ginny leaned in towards Dean for a kiss and Harry, not wanting to intrude, quickly looked away.
"And snogging," Mia added in with a smirk.
"I'd like to leave now," Ron said, obviously uncomfortable.
"What? You can't be serious," Hermione said.
"That happens to be my sister," Ron stated.
"Yes, your fifteen year old sister who is spending time with her boyfriend," Mia reminded him, taking a sip of her butterbeer. "You keep treating her like she's a little kid, Ron, and that is why she usually gets frustrated with you. What if she were to look over and saw you and Hermione snogging? Would you expect her to get up and leave?"
"What?!" Ron and Hermione gasped while Harry nearly choked on his own drink.
"What make you think—I mean, we—"
"Snog her? Are you thick?"
"And what's that supposed to mean?!"
"Will you guys relax?" Mia giggled, holding up her hands in a defensive position. "I'm just making a point here."
Needless to say the next few minutes were a little awkward but Harry didn't miss the way that Ron and Hermione would occasionally glance at one another when the other wasn't looking. He raised his eyebrow at Mia, who mere shrugged innocently and continued enjoying her beverage. When they had all finished their butterbeers, it was decided that they would head back up to the castle, since the weather was becoming worse the longer they stayed. They left the Three Broomsicks together and started along the road that would take them back up to the school. As they moved, the wind and sleet seemed to pick up its intensity, pelting away at them from all sides, and Harry didn't protest when Mia tucked herself into his side, her hair flying about. Glancing over at her, Harry was surprised to see that she had burrowed her hands into her pockets and he could see a sliver of bare skin exposed to the wind.
"Love, where are your gloves?" he said, having to speak loudly due to the wind.
"I left them in the dormitories, and I didn't realize it until we were already out of the castle," Mia answered back, her voice a little muffled from her scarf. "Don't worry, I'll be all right until we get back."
Just as Harry was about to make Mia take his own gloves, he heard the sound of raised voices coming from up ahead. Through his sleet-covered glasses, he could see only two other people on the High Street, Katie Bell and what must have been a friend of hers, walking together back up to the school as well. After some time walking, Harry realized that the two girls seemed to be arguing about something, namely whatever it was that Katie appeared to be holding in her hands.
"It's nothing to do with you, Leanne!" Harry heard her yell. Their arguing continued on for a couple more minutes before Harry saw Leanne make a grab for some sort of package that Katie was holding, and as Katie yanked it back towards her, it fell on the ground.
What happened next came as a great shock—Katie suddenly rose up gracefully into the air, with her arms outstretched at her sides and causing Harry and the others to stop in their tracks. Despite the heavy winds and cold sleet around her, Katie had an emotionless expression on her face, as though unaware of her surroundings. Then, her eyes snapped open and she started to scream in anguish, her voice being carried on by the wind. In the next second, Harry, Mia, Ron and Hermione all rushed forward to help Leanne, who was clutching Katie's leg and desperately trying to get her back down to the ground. Once they reached her, they all grabbed her legs and tugged down, causing Katie to fall on top of them. While he and Ron managed to cath her, they had to quickly lower her down to the ground, as she was thrashing around wildly, still screaming in pain.
"What happened?!" Mia said, trying to calm Katie down.
"I don't know!" Leanne wailed, tears streaming down her face.
"Stay here, I'm going to get help!" Harry exclaimed before he took off down the street and up towards the castle, going as fast as his legs would take him. His mind was racing at what had just happened, wondering what it was that caused Katie to act in such a way. Was there something in the package that did this to her? Just as Harry rounded a bend in the street, he instantly collided with something huge and furry, making him tumble down onto his rear. Shaking his head and wiping the sleet away from his glasses, Harry saw that he had actually run into Hagrid, who was wearing his big beaver skin coat, the sleet sticking to his wild hair.
"Harry!" he greeted cheerfully. "Jus' been visitn' Gwarp, he's comin' on so well yeh wouldn'—"
"Hagrid, someone's been cursed!" Harry shouted so Hagrid would be able to hear him.
"Cursed?" Hgarid said, furrowing his eyebrows. "What do yeh mean? Not Ron or Hermione? Mia?"
"No, it's not them, it's Katie Bell! This way!"
In no time at all, Harry led Hagrid back over to where he left the others, where were still watching over Katie. The poor girl was still writing on the ground and screaming, with Ron, Hermione and Leanna trying to sooth her and Mia holding her head in her hands. Hagrid only had to take one look at her before he scooped down and gathered Katie in his arms, hurriedly running back up to the school with her. Once they were gone, Hermione asked Leanne what exactly happened, and Leanne told them Katie started acting weird when the package she was carrying tore open, leading them all to look at a rectangular parcel with the paper torn off, and a sparkling opal necklace peeking out of it. Harry recognized the object right away—he had seen it before years ago when he was hiding in Borgin and Burkes to avoid the Malfoys, remembering how the sign beneath it said it was cursed. After telling the others not to touch it, Harry took off his scarf and carefully wrapped it around the necklace before picking it up. The five of them then started to walk back up to the school together, with Leanne explaining how she was arguing with Katie over where she got the necklace, seeing as how she suddenly appeared with it when she came back from the bathroom. Katie seemingly appeared very weird and out of it when she told Leanne it was a surprise for someone at Hogwarts and she had to deliver it to them. When Leanne tried to take the package away from her, it tore open, and she figured Katie must have accidentally touched it. Leanne was in tears the entire way up to the castle, fearing that Katie may have been Imperiused without her knowledge and was being comforted by Hermione and Mia as they entered the grounds of the school.
"Malfoy knows about this necklace," Harry said to Ron as they let the girls walk on ahead, thinking furiously to himself over what may have caused this. "It was in a case at Borgin and Burkes four years ago, I saw him having a good look at it while I was hiding from him and his dad. This is what he was buying that day when we followed him! He remembered and went back for it!"
"I—I don't know, Harry," Ron said. "Loads of people go to Borgin and Burkes, and didn't that girl say Katie got it in the girl's bathroom?"
"She said she came back from the bathroom with it, she didn't necessarily get it from the bathroom itself," Harry stated. However, before Harry could say anything else, he saw Professor McGonagall coming down the steps of the Entrance Hall to meet them, a frantic look on her face.
"Hagrid says you five saw what happened to Katie Bell," she said. "Upstairs to my office at once, please! What's that you're holding Potter?"
When Harry explained he had the cursed necklace that Katie touched, McGonagall took the item carefully into her hands before calling out to Filch, who was scurrying towards them from the Great Hall. McGonagall instructed to take the necklace down to Professor Snape to look it over and then she gestured for everyone else to follow her inside and up the grand staircase to her office. No one spoke as they moved, following the deputy headmistress swiftly until they finally reached her office which was located on the only one floor above her Transfiguration classroom, and she ushered them all inside before closing the door and moving around her desk so she could face them all. She looked over a sobbing Leanne and sighed as she stared over Harry, Ron, Hermione and Mia.
"Why is it when something happens, it is always you four?" she asked.
"Believe me Professor, I've been asking myself the same question for the last six years," Ron replied quietly. McGongall didn't seem too impressed with this but she let it go in favor of asking Leanne what had happened. Sniffling, Leanne explained what she had told Harry and the others about Katie somehow acquiring the necklace and then becoming cursed when she accidentally touched it. At this point Leanne was overcome by her tears and Professor McGonagall allowed her to leave to go up to the hospital wing so she could check on Katie and have Madame Pomfrey give her something for the shock. When Katie left, Harry immediately asked if he could go to see Professor Dumbledore, wanting to tell him his theory of Malfoy being the one the slip Katie the necklace. But his hopes were dashed when Professor McGonagall told him that Dumbledore was away, and that anything he wanted to say to the headmaster about this, he should be able to tell her. After a brief moment of hesitation, Harry complied, knowing that this was possibly Katie's life on the line.
"I think Draco Malfoy gave Katie the necklace in Hogsmeade, Professor," Harry said, causing Ron to groan in embarrassment, Hermione to shuffle her feet and Mia to look over at him in slight surprise. Harry proceeded to tell McGonagall about his suspicions of Malfoy, starting back from before term even began, and the head of Gryffindor house listened to him with furrowed eyebrows as Harry went on to tell her about the mysterious interaction between Malfoy and the shop owner at Borgin and Burkes. To Harry's frustration, McGonagall asked him if he ever saw Malfoy leaving the shop with any sort of package, needing proof that he actually had possession of the necklace, since this was a serious accusation Harry was making. What was worse was the fact that Ron and Hermione were not making things much better, stating that Hermione had even inquired about the necklace when she went into the shop after Malfoy, and anyone could have purchased it since then. With no solid evidence and only Harry's gut feeling to go on, McGonagall ended the debate by saying that Malfoy wasn't even in Hogsmeade that day.
"He wasn't?" Harry asked, stunned by this news. "How do you know, Professor?"
"He was serving detention with me today, as he has failed to complete his homework twice," McGonagall replied, looking over them all quite sternly. "Thank you for informing me of your suspicions, Potter, but I must—Thatcher, what on Earth has happened to your hands?"
Startled at this, Harry looked over her Mia, who was holding her hands up against her chest and he was shocked to see that her pale knuckles were bruised and covered in scratched that were starting to bleed slightly. Mia's face flushed a little at having the attention suddenly drawn to her, and she ducked her head, pushing her shivering hands back into the sleeves of her coat.
"Katie was thrashing around so much on the ground, she started banging her head against it," Mia muttered. "I didn't want her to hurt herself, so I placed my hands underneath her head until Harry came back with Hagrid."
At that moment Harry felt very ashamed of himself, and incredibly guilty. Had he been so determined to prove his theory about Malfoy was right that he didn't even realize Mia was hurt?
"You should get them looked at by Madame Pomfry," McGonagall said, her tone softening.
"I'll be fine, Professor, I have something back in the common room that can help," Mia insisted. "Besides, Katie needs Madame Pomfrey more than I do right now."
"Very well," McGonagall said after a minute, staring at Mia as though to make sure she wasn't lying about needing medical assistance. "I must go to check on Miss Bell in the hospital wing, and I suggest you all head back to Gryffindor Tower."
There was no argument from any of them as they all made their way out of McGonagall's office, the four of them heading up the staircase back towards the common room. As they walked along the seventh floor corridor towards the Fat Lady's portrait, Harry gently took hold of one of Mia's hands in his, his face turning sad and he looked over the bruised skin, the guilt becoming worse when she flinched.
"I'm sorry, Mia," he said.
"For what? It's not as though you bruised my hands."
"But I should have noticed them sooner, I would have taken you right up to the hospital wing. I was just so focused on Malfoy, I didn't realize…"
"It's okay Harry," Mia said, giving him a reassuring smile. "I'm all right, really, this is nothing. My balm will help clear the scratches and null any pain from the bruises on my knuckles. I'll be good as new in the morning. I just hope that Katie will be all right."
"Me too, that necklace was cursed with terrible dark magic," Hermione commented, her eyebrows creased in worry. "It may take more than Madame Pomfry to help her get better."
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Hermione's prediction turned out to be true because the very next day, Katie had been transferred to St. Mungo's for further treatment. By that time, the news had spread throughout the school and while there were many rumors and gossips going around about what had really happened, only Harry, Mia, Ron, Hermione and Leanne seemed to know that Katie had not been the intended target. Harry himself was positive that Malfoy was still being it, and thought he must have had some sort of accomplice help him out if he was serving detention with Professor McGonagall at the time. He had mentioned this to the others, but Ron and Hermione were mostly silent, seemingly not wanting to argue about it with him anymore, and while Mia was still somewhat doubtful without solid evidence, at least she wasn't brushing him off completely. On the night Katie had been cursed, he focused more on helping Mia heal her hands, rubbing her balm over them in the common room and he was happy to see that she was fully healed as of the next morning, just as she said she would be.
When Monday night finally came around, Harry found himself outside of Professor Dumbledore's office, eager to begin their next scheduled lesson the headmaster informed him of. When he entered the room, he found Dumbledore sitting at his desk, looking unusually tired as he stared down into the silver Pensieve , where there were swirling wisps of memories floating around inside. His injured hand seemed even worse in the faint lighting, but nonetheless, the older wizard smiled at Harry as he entered, greeting him softly and gesturing for him to take a seat.
"You have had a busy time while I was away," Dumbledore stated. "I believe you witnessed Katie's accident."
"Yes, sir. How is she?" Harry asked.
"Still very unwell, although she is relatively lucky. She appears to have brushed the necklace with the smallest amount possible of skin. There was a tiny hole in her glove. Had she put it on, had she even held it in her ungloved hand, she would have died, perhaps instantly. Luckily Professor Snape was able to do enough to prevent a rapid spread of the curse—"
"Why him?" Harry said quickly. "Why not Madame Pomfrey?"
"Impertinent," huffed out a voice from behind him, and looked around to see Sirius' great-great-grandfather, Phineas Nigellus Black, narrowing his eyes at him. "I would not have permitted a student to question the way Hogwarts operated in my day."
"Yes, thank you Phineas," Dumbledore said quellingly. "Professor Snape knows much more about the Dark Arts than Madame Pomfrey, Harry. Anyway, the St. Mungo's staff are sending me hourly reports, and I am hopeful that Katie will make a full recovery in time."
"Where were you this weekend, sir?" Harry asked, ignoring the feeling that he was pushing his luck with this question, and he also ignored the way Phineas hissed at him softly, muttering under his breath about insolence.
"I would rather not say just now," answered Dumbledore. "However, I shall tell you in due course."
"You will?" said Harry, completely startled by this news.
"Yes, I expect so," Dumbledore confirmed as he withdrew a small vial filled with more silver memories floating around inside of it from his robes. After a brief pause and moment of hesitation, Harry inquired if Dumbledore knew about Harry's suspicion of Draco Malfoy being the one who had given Katie the cursed necklace. Dumbledore admitted that Professor McGonagall had informed him, and he assured Harry that he would be taking proper steps of investigation to anyone that may have been involved with what happened with Katie.
With that being said, Dumbledore insisted that they being their lesson, pouring the memories once again into the Pensieve as he did before, and took a moment to explain to Harry some important pieces of information before they were to travel into the Pensieve. He reminded Harry of how Merope Riddle, nee Gaunt, was abandoned by her husband once the enchantment he was under had been lifted, and she was left alone, penniless and homeless in London, with a child on the way. Dumbledore briefly showed Harry a short memory where the headmaster had learned from Caractacus Burke, a founder of Borgin and Burke's in Knockturn Alley, that he had encountered Merope when she was very near to giving birth. She had claimed to have a golden locket that belonged to Salazar Slytherin himself, the same family heirloom Harry had seen in the previous memory in the last lesson. Once it was proven true, Burke took advantage of the struggling, desperate woman and only gave her ten galleons for the locket when it was clearly worth much more. Then, Harry and Dumbledore stood tot heir feet to place their faces into the silvery waters of the Pensieve and then they were sucked once more into the world of memory.
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"Seriously? She didn't even use her magic to try and stay alive for her son?"
"No. By that point her body and her mind was too weak, she had suffered for too long, and she died not long after naming him. He spent the rest of his life in that orphanage, and when Dumbledore met him to give him his Hogwarts acceptance letter, you could tell he was already...well..."
"Sadistic?"
"Kind of, yeah."
Harry was in the middle of telling Mia, Ron and Hermione about what he had witnessed in the Pensieve the previous night with Dumbledore. He spoke of how Tom Riddle seemed as a young boy, how he was already similar to his adult self. Apparently, he had grasped certain control over his magic at a very young age and for the most part could use it to his will by the time he was eleven. But the way he used it was troubling, taking advantage of it buy bulling the other children at the orphanage in cruel ways, such as harming their pets, stealing their belongings, inflicting a deep sense of fear in them from the very sight of him, and even possibly going as far as to hurt the children themselves, although it was never proven. These nasty incidents were heavily reprimanded by Dumbledore upon him and Voldemort's first meeting, making it explicitly clear that such actions would not be tolerated at Hogwarts when he came. It was strange to know that the young boy in the memory-already on the path of using magic to create fear and dominance-would grow up to be the most terrifying dark wizard in history. After they left the memory, Dumbledore gave Harry key points to remember before sending him off: Voldemort couldn't stand anything that made him seem ordinary or like everyone else, he always preferred to go at things alone, never making any friends, and he always seemed to like keeping trophies from his unfortunate victims when he was young, keeping them tucked away.
In the end, Harry wondered why all this information about Voldemort's life was so important for him to learn, and why it would help him survive, but all he could do now was try to be patient, as Dumbledore said this would all make sense at a future time. His friends and girlfriend was just as troubled and curious about this as he was as they made their way through the misty school grounds on their way to their Herbology class in one of the greenhouses.
"Maybe this will all be helpful in the future, to figure out if Voldemort has some kind of weakness?" Mia suggested thoughtfully as they finally reached the correct greenhouse where their classmates were already getting set up for the day's lesson. "Everyone has one."
"Well if so, then he will have it kept under lock and key," Hermione stated as the four of them placed their books and bags off in the cubbies, grabbing goggles. "Despite how many Death Eaters may claim they are close to him, he will not trust such information to anyone."
"I have no trouble believing that," said Harry as he pulled on his protective gloves and inserting a gum shield around the gnarled Snargaluff stump that they were supposed extract a pod from. "So, how was SlugHorn's latest party?"
"Oh it was actually quite fun, really," Hermione answered. "I mean, he drones on about ex-pupils who are famous, and he absolutely fawns over McLaggen because he's so well connected, but he gave us some really nice food and he introduced us to Gwenog Jones."
Harry could see Mia whipping her head around to Hermione and shaking it fiercely, giving her a look, while Ron's eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open.
"Gwenog Jones?" he gaped. "The Gwenog Jones? Captain of the Holyhead Harpies?"
"Yes," Hermione said, a tad sheepish as Mia face-palmed behind Ron's back. "Personally, I thought she was a bit full of herself, but-"
Their conversation was interrupted by Professor Sprout, coming over to reprimand them sternly for chatting too much, as over half of their class has already removed their pods from their stumps to proceed further to the next step, even Neville, who was covered in scratches and a faint bruise on the cheek, but still smiling as he admired the glowing green pod in his hands. With an apprehensive look at each other, Harry and the others dived at the stump in front of them and it immediately sprang to life, attacking them with long, tentacle-like branches. Harry, Mia and Ron did their best to ward off the branches with grunts of frustration as they struggled against them. Hermione quickly dove her hand into the hole in the center of the stump to grab the pod, and the stump closed around her arm in protest. However, after some creative maneuvering, Mia managed to make the stump release Hermione and once she withdrew the slimy, pulsating pod, the stump lost its will to fight and the branches receded back. When the time came for them to place the pod in a bowl to try and squish out the juices inside, Hermione went on to mention that Slughorn was going to be hosting a Christmas party that year and unfortunately Harry wasn't going to be able to get out of it this time-the professor had asked Hermione specifically when Harry's free evenings would be so that way he could schedule the party on a night that Harry could attend.
"It won't be so bad, Harry," Mia said encouragingly when Harry groaned. "At least it won't be as nerve-racking as the Yule Ball, right? You won't need to have to learn a dance for the opening number."
"Well, last time it wasn't so bad because I was dancing with you," Harry told her honestly. "You put up with me even when I stepped on your feet three times."
"You were just so cute when you looked flustered, sputtering out apologies like I was going to punch you for it," Mia said with a smile. "Once I got you loosened up, you were fine."
"And I supposed this is just another party for Slughorn's favorites only, right?" Ron asked begrudgingly as he wrestled with the pod to squeeze out the juices.
"It's just for the Slug Club, yes," Mia sighed. "But Ron-"
At that moment the pod flew from Ron's hands while he was squeezing and it rebounded off the greenhouse window, hitting the back of Professor Sprout's head and rolling away on the floor. Harry went after it, scrambling down on his knees to pick it up and by the time he came back, Ron and Hermione, unsurprisingly, were going at it.
"Look, I didn't make up the name 'Slug Club'-"
"Slug Club," Ron sneered. "It's bloody pathetic, that's what it is. Well, I hope you enjoy your party. Why don't you try hooking up with McLaggen, then Slughorn can make you King and Queen Slug-"
"Ron!" Mia snapped with narrowed eyes. "Stop being an arse!"
"We're allowed to bring guests with us," Hermione added heatedly, her face bright red. "And I was going to ask you to come, but now I don't think I'll bother!"
"You...you were going to ask me?" Ron said, his anger completely gone.
"Yes, I was, but since you'd rather that I hook up with McLaggen, you can just forget it, then," Hermione snipped, and Harry could detect a bit of hurt in her voice as she spoke.
"No, I-I don't want you too," Ron backtracked quietly as Hermione came over and forcefully took the pod from Harry's hands to put it back into the bowl and started prodding it aggressively with a trowel to extract the juices.
"You are such a prat," Harry heard Mia hiss sharply to Ron before she huffed and turned away from the redhead to face him.
"Well, this is going to be a little awkward after all of that," Mia said, her features softening as a somewhat shy expression took hold. "But since the man is going to back you into a corner anyway-Harry, would you like to go to Slughorn's party with me? I promise, only once dance, fifteen minutes of chitchat maximum, and then we can sneak away with pocketful's of pastries."
Harry couldn't help but chuckle at her, a smile spreading over his face. How could he possibly deny her when she was looking at him with those bright eyes and that colorful pink blush on her face?
"Of course," he said. "I'd love to."
Mia responded with a happy smile that went straight to Harry's heart, making it soar. The rest of the lesson was kind of tense due to Hermione's anger at Ron and his obvious regret of his poor choice of words. Out of the corner of his eyes, Harry could see Mia subtly urging Ron over in Hermione's direction, her expression firm and insisting. When there was only ten minutes left of class, Ron finally muttered out a quiet, but sincere apology to Hermione, and while the bushy-haired girl didn't say much on the matter, her tone was considerably softer when she asked Ron to pass her the shears. After that, the two were a little more polite towards each other than normal, and Harry gave Mia a gentle nudge with his shoulder when they were on their way back up to the castle, giving her a smirk which she returned back easily, a slight skip in her step.
Later on that night, Harry found himself seated with Ron and Hermione in the common room, finishing up the last of his homework for Transfiguration. Ron was building a house out of Exploding Snap cards and Hermione had a book propped open in her lap. Mia had gone up to the dormitory to check on Sapphire and the kittens, and Harry had to keep himself from snorting at the memory of the pure misery Ron had to go through the first week after the kittens had been born, Besides the fact that they were making squeaky mewling noises all night if a silencing charm wasn't cast, they had bene clawing at Ron's old sheets and since Mia insisted that she wanted to wait at least a week before moving any of the felines, Ron had resorted to sleeping on a conjured cot on the floor for the time, grumbling constantly. Obviously feeling bad about it, Mia had ordered a complete new Chudley Cannons themed bed sheet set that quickly made him feel better, especially since the pillow cases had the permanent signature of the Keeper on the team. Now, the kitten and their mother were settled in a small makeshift cubby Mia had created right next to her bed, and she made a point to check on them at least twice a day. She had said they needed to stay with Sapphire for at least four weeks, although they wouldn't be fully weaned until roughly eight to ten weeks. There were seven kittens in total, and he knew for a fact that Mia and Hermione had already given them all names.
It was only a short time later that Mia came back down from the dormitories, a smile on her face as she came over to take her usual seat next to Harry.
"They've opened their eyes," she told them excitedly.
"Really?" Hermione asked with a smile of her own.
"Yes, and they're already trying to find their way out of the cubby," Mia informed with a light giggle. "But I won't have to worry much if they somehow get out of the dorm."
"Why?" Harry asked.
"Because if they're anything like their mother, they will go straight for you," Mia answered with an amused look. Harry's expression made her laugh and when he looked over to Ron, he shook his head vigorously.
"Don't look at me," Ron said instantly. "Those furry mutants were born in my bed. I'm still having a hard time getting complete rest at night. If they ever get into our dormitory, I will not hesitate to offer you as tribute."
Ron's promise made Harry scowl and Mia burst out laughing, holding her stomach, and she kept going even after Harry playfully shoved her off of the loveseat and onto the floor. As the night wore on, more and more of their housemates went upstairs to call it a night, even Ron and Hermione. Eventually, Harry and Mia were the last ones in the common room, and they took up the seats in front of the fireplace, which still had some life left in it, with the flames flickering over the logs. It wasn't very often that they had some time alone together, what with Harry managing the Quidditch practices and their somewhat conflicting schedules. Mia was curled up into his side, with his arm around her waist, and hers around his, her head on his chest. These moments felt too few and Harry always made sure to savor them when he could.
"You ready to head up, yet?" Harry asked her after a long while of sitting and enjoying each other's company.
"Just a little longer? Please?" Mia said. Harry smiled and, using his wand, he made a nearby throw blanket float over and drape itself over them comfortably. Mia hummed in appreciation and snuggled closer to him.
"Thanks," she murmured softly.
"You're welcome," he murmured back, kissing the top of her head.
"How are the practices going with the team?" she inquired after a few minutes.
"Good overall, but Ron's starting to slip back into the habit of loosing his self-confidence again," Harry replied.
"I swear, that boy is never going to realize just how talented he is," Mia sighed. "He needs to stop being so nervous."
"I tell him that all the time, but he's too thick-headed," Harry said. "He's got more than he thinks he does, I'm sure with a confidence boost he'll do brilliant in our first game."
"Me too. Ron really is a great player," Mia mumbled, a bit sadly. "I wish he would see it."
"He will," Harry said, hoping he was right. "Hey, how about we do something together this weekend? Just the two of us?"
"Really?" Mia said, sitting up straighter so she could look at him. "I thought you were holding practice Saturday and Sunday?"
"I can end it a little early on Sunday so we can enjoy the rest of the weekend," Harry suggested. "We can have lunch down by the boathouse on the lake, as long as it doesn't rain. Hardly anyone goes down there, and maybe we can even take one of the boats for a spin on the water.
"Sounds great to me," Mia agreed eagerly, her whole face lighting up. "It's a date!"
Harry grinned at this and then drew Mia in for a loving kiss, marveling at how warm and sweet her lips tasted. He could feel her smile against his mouth and they melted into each other, with Mia moving her hand to cup his cheek. She parted her lips and Harry took advantage of the moment to deepen their kiss, exploring her mouth hungrily as the kiss became more passionate, and he could feel his body start to heat up. As the seconds passed, Harry was almost too distracted to notice how Mia's hand left his face and slowly trailed down south, running a smooth path over under the blanket, and down his chest and stomach.
"Mia," he gasped as a shiver of anticipation and surprise ran through him. "Wha...what are..."
"We don't have as much alone time as we'd like," she breathed while leaving tantalizing kisses along his neck. "So why not take advantage of the situation?"
"But-what if s-someone catches us-"
Harry cut himself off with another sharp gasp, shortly followed by a quiet moan as Mia's hand began groping over the hardening bulge in his pants, her movements deliberate and slow.
"Practice makes perfect, remember?" she reminded. "We're both still new to this, and I want to take every opportunity I can to learn what makes you feel good, Harry. Think of it as something to hold you off until Sunday. And as for someone catching us...just try to be quiet."
The only response Harry could give her was another moan and while he tried his best to keep it down, the feeling her Mia's hand on him, working its own incredible magic, was making it rather difficult. Her palm was creating such wonderful friction that Harry couldn't help but buck his hips a little and the hot kisses she left on his skin, along with the occasional nip of her teeth, was overwhelming. Mia continued her ministrations for a while longer until she paused, pulling away from Harry's neck a little, seeming to hesitate just for a moment before she undid the button and zipper of his pants.
"Mia," Harry said, licking his lips. "Y-you don't have to...you know..."
"I just, um, I want to touch you," she admitted quietly, her cheeks going red. "Like you did with me, last time. Is that okay?"
"Yeah," Harry croaked out, his heartbeat feeling out of control in his chest at the thought. The last time they were together like this, Harry had been the one to do all the touching, trying to prepare Mia for what was to happen and make sure she was comfortable. Now, having her do the same thing to him was more than he could have imagined and he did his best to mentally prepare himself. However, once Mia slid her hand beneath his pants and underwear and gripped him, his hips nearly bucked off of the love seat and his back started to arch, a soft hiss leaving his mouth while his head fell back against the love seat.
"Am I hurting you?" Mia asked, concern clear on her face.
"No!" Harry said, shaking his head. "This is amazing. Just-just start off slow."
Mia nodded her head and then she adjusted her grip on him so that it wasn't too firm and then she began stroking him. The sensation was utterly fantastic, and Harry closed his eyes as the pleasurable feeling only intensified with every stroke of her hand. There were times when her grip would shift or she would experiment with the pace of her hand, and it drove Harry absolutely wild. He knew she was testing to see what effected him and made him feel good the most, and it didn't take long at all for him to be at full mast. Against his will, his moans increased in volume when Mia started to quicken the pace and she placed her mouth over his, shushing him with a kiss. His hips were bucking into her hand and during the times they would briefly break their kiss for air, he managed to get his voice working well enough to plead with her not to stop. Encouraged by his words and moans of pleasure, Mia kept at it, tightening her hold on him ever so slightly and then, Harry was done for. The lustful pleasure that had been building up shattered and he released himself in his pants, his body jerking forward a little as he was nearly overpowered by the strength of his orgasm. It took a couple of minutes for Harry to get his thoughts together, his mind coming out of the euphoric fog and his body relaxing back into the love seat, feeling more like puddy. Mia gave him a gentle kiss to the cheek before she let go of him, removing her hand from his pants and smiling shyly at him while she placed her head on his shoulder.
"So, that was all right?" she asked him.
"All right?" Harry repeated. "That was bloody fantastic, love. I may need a few more minutes before I'm able to move, though."
Mia laughed lightly at this and then the two of them fell into peaceful silence for a little while. When the flames in the fireplace before them was beginning to die down, Mia shifted next to him and then started to sit up, pulling the blankets away from them.
"We should probably head on up to bed," she said, checking the time on her watch. "It's getting pretty late."
Oh, I don't think so. A sudden powerful urge came over Harry, the creature in his chest purring as the need to make Mia come undone just as she did for him was pushing away any thoughts of going to bed. No, he wanted to make her squirm, feel every ounce of what she made him feel, and he wanted to hear her beg for more. In mere seconds, he reached out for her when she tried to get up from the loveseat, yanking her back down next to him and before she could even voice her surprise, he crushed his lips against hers, swallowing her squeak of surprise and hovering himself over her. He wasted no time, instantly going for the zipper of her jeans and pulling it down, eager to get his hands on her.
"Harry?" Mia gasped when he trailed his lips over her heaving chest, smirking.
"I'm not quite ready for bed just yet, love," he breathed huskily against her skin. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't return the favor?"