Hi everyone! Even though this update came out a bit later than I wanted, at least it wasn;t over a year this time, right? I do hope that you guys like this chapter, even though I'm trying my best to add in my own personal flare along with all the canon events. The sixth book had proved to be the most difficult for me to write, but I will push on as best as I can for you! Please leave a review to tell me your thoughts, whether you liked it or not, and I will get the next chapter out as soon as I can. Love you guys so much, thanks to all who have followed me so far with this series, it means a lot. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter are NOT mine!
Chapter Fifteen: Anniversaries, Birthdays and Horcruxes
MiaPOV
The Christmas holidays went about much better after the incident with Brian almost damaging Mia's books beyond repair. Sure, he had ended up being grounded for a week, but both he and Mia made sure to make every second count together. Being banned from playing outside, watching tv and playing any kind of computer games, Mia tried to make up with reading some of the holiday books that Brian had in his room, and they finally did get around to making the gingerbread houses together, making a complete mess of the kitchen table with gum drops, icing, marshmallows, and licorice. She even went as far as to helping Brian build a massive blanket fort in his bedroom, to which only the two of them were allowed entrance. There were late nights spent making shadow puppets on the walls, and sneaking snacks up from the kitchen pantry when their parents were asleep. Even though Brian could be very annoying and always preferred to stick to her side like glue, Mia couldn't deny that she really enjoyed spending some quality time with him.
By the time Christmas day came, Mia and her family spent a great morning opening their gifts, and Catherine made them all a spectacular breakfast spread that included pancakes, eggs, and delicious sausage. In favor of the holidays, Catherine and Ben lifted Brian's ban on not watching television for the day, so that way they could all watch "A Miracle on 34th Street" together, and once it was over, they spent another couple of hours at home before getting ready to go over to the Burrow. Mr. Weasley had arranged for the Burrow's fireplace to be connected to the one in the Thatcher's home for the day, and Mia could hardly contain her excitement when she bounced down the staircase fully dressed and carrying bags filled with gifts with her.
When she came spinning out of the fireplace in a whirl of green flames, she was thankfully caught by George, who happened to be in the kitchen at the moment, and laughed himself silly at Mia's near face-plant into the hearth, to which she punched his shoulder with one hand and wiped any soot off of her clothes with the other. Hugs and greetings were exchanged when Mia and her family met up with everyone in the living room, were the furniture had been rearranged to accommodate everyone, as Remus had come over for dinner as well, with Sirius of course. Presents had been exchanged, in which Mia received another hand knitted sweater from Mrs. Weasley, this one a deep plum color with a golden flower on the front, and Mia put in on almost the very second after she unwrapped it from its box. Harry and Ron had pulled her to the side at one point to tell her all about the unexpected visit from the Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, and, shockingly, Percy.
The third eldest Weasley child hadn't seen or spoken with his family since the previous year, when he had sided with the Ministry while they were tarnishing Harry and Dumbledore's names. While Mia was surprised at this, she soon became sad when the boys informed her that Percy was really just an excuse for the Minister to come to the Burrow so he could try and speak with Harry alone. She was irked to learn how the Minister wanted Harry to appear as though he were working for the Ministry and agreed with all of their actions in regards to Voldemort's uprising, but she was glad to hear that Harry outright rejected the proposition of being the Ministry of Magic's poster boy after all they had put him through and the fact that they're so desperate to be seen to be doing something against all these Death Eater attacks that they've started throwing people in prison left and right, not bothering to do a thorough investigation as to whether they were innocent or not. Harry admitted to them that Sirius in particular was very angry about this, considering that was exactly what had happened to him when he was framed of murder by Peter Pettigrew. Sirius had mentioned that Luna's father had offered to interview Sirius about his thoughts on the matter as well as the current proceedings at the Ministry, but he hadn't given an answer yet. But in the case of the Minister, he didn't bother sticking around after Harry's refusal to cooperate with him, and Percy had trailed along right after him, with mashed parsnips on his glasses and in his hair, curtesy of the twins and Ginny.
After a most delicious Christmas dinner with friends and family (in which it took Mr. Weasley, Remus and Sirius together to expand the dining room to fit everyone), the night ended with several mugs of hot chocolate being passed around, and the traditional snowball fight between, Mia, Harry, and the Weasleys, which Sirius gladly joined in on, allowing Brian to ride on his back while in his Animagus form as they weaved in and out between the flying snowballs. Right before Mia, Brian and her parents left to head on home, she playfully yanked Harry underneath enchanted mistletoe, which would refuse to let him go until they kissed, not that he seemed to mind anyway. The following day, Hermione had arrived stumbling into Mia's own fireplace early in the morning, and Mia had rushed forward to meet her best girl friend, feeling overjoyed to see her after a long time apart. The two girls spent the remaining of the holidays together, doing similar activities that Mai and Claudia did while she had been over, only this time, she made sure that Brian felt more welcome and involved than before whenever he came wandering into the room.
All too soon, it was time for Mia and Hermione to be heading back to school, only a few days after the New Year had begun. Instead of taking the Hogwarts Express back to school, all students were going to return to the castle by the Floo Network, which made Mia especially happy since that meant they didn't have to get up very early and there was no rush to go back, as long as they returned by dinner time. Hermione had taken it upon herself to make sure they were both packed and ready to go the night before, and once it was nearing the afternoon, both she and Mia stood in front of the fireplace, their school trunks in hand, and saying goodbye to Mia's parents. Catherine gathered Mia up in a tight hug, kissing the side of her head and giving her a loving smile once they separated.
"We'll miss you, sweetheart," she said. "You be good, and have a good second term, all right? And don't forget to write telling us how your first week back has been."
"I know, Mum," Mia said, rolling her eyes playfully. Catherine just gave her another kiss on the forehead before Ben came over and hugged her as well.
"We love you, princess," he murmured to her before he ruffled her hair, making her giggle. "You keep up with your school work, and please be safe. We'll write to you soon, and we'll see you when you lot come back home for the summer."
"Okay, Dad," Mia said, giving him an extra squeeze around the waist. "I love you, too."
When all of the goodbyes were said, and Mia peppered a squirming Brian's face with kisses and reassured him she would send him some sweets from Honeydukes, she followed Hermione through the emerald green flames. She spun around and around, catching blurred glimpses of other wizarding hearts and sitting rooms before she arrived at her destination, falling right out into Professor McGonagall's office, where the Transfiguration teacher was writing at her desk, not even glancing up from her work and Mia got back to her feet, with Hermione laughing off to the side.
"Do be more careful, Miss Thatcher," McGonagall greeted briskly. "And welcome back. I hope you ladies had a nice holiday."
"We did, thank you, and you as well, Professor," Mia coughed, but still managing a smile as she and Hermione left the office together to head on up to Gryffindor tower.
"You really are hopeless," Hermione giggled. "I hope you're better at Apperation."
"You and me both," Mia agreed with a chuckle as they both descended the staircase together and giving the new password to the Fat Lady. The girls offered a greeting to anyone they knew who was back early from the holiday break, and then they made their way up to the girl's dormitory. As they entered, Mia heard the sound of soft mewling and she smiled brightly when she caught sight of Sapphire giving her kittens a bath in the cubby, licking their faces while Crookshanks was stretched out on Mia's bed, but keeping an eye on his little family. Mia set her things down on her bed next to the ginger colored cat before kneeling down in front of the cubby reaching out to stroke Sapphire's head with her finger, the content feline purring instantly.
"Hello, girl," Mia cooed. "How is motherhood treating you so far?"
"Well, she appears to still be sane," Hermione noted as she set her own stuff down before picking up her beloved pet. "Is everyone accounted for?"
"Yes. We have Whiskers, Belle, Jasper, Tux, Yin, Yang, and Caesar," Mia replied, looking over all the tiny kittens who were either playing with one of their siblings or trying to climb out of the cubby over towards her. Mia reached in to gently pick up Caesar, cradling him against her chest, and the kitten mewled as she traced a finger over his head, and scratched his ears.
"We're going to have to give them away soon," Hermione reminded as she sat down on the edge of the bed, still holding Crookshanks. "They'll be fully waned next week."
"I know," Mia sighed, kissing Caesars head. "Do you know which one you want to keep?"
"I think I'd like to take Belle," Hermione answered. "What about you?"
"I was thinking maybe Caesar," Mia admitted, cuddling the kitten closer to her. "I'm getting rather attached to him."
"Well, I did hear that Neville's toad passed away right before the holidays," Hermione noted sadly. "Do you think maybe he will want one?"
"I don't see why not, as long as neither he nor his grandmother are allergic," Mia replied thoughtfully. "We can let him have first pick."
"I think he would really like that," Hermione agreed. After the girls made sure that the family of felines were doing all right, they decided to go out onto the grounds to see how Hagrid and Buckbeak were doing. Thankfully, the weather wasn't too bad as they made their way out to Hagrid's house, there was only a bit of a chilly wind that turned their noses pink, and they left a trail of footprints in their wake in the lovely white snow. The lovable half-giant beamed upon seeing them, ushering them inside where the roaring fire made the inside so very nice and warm. Buckbeak was sitting in his usual corner, chomping on something that was making a sickening crunching sound, but nonetheless, Mia was the first to bow low to the magnificent beast, and once he bowed his head in return, she eagerly hurried forward and began petting his next, stroking her fingers lightly over the smooth feathers. Buckbeak seemed to thoroughly enjoy the attention, as he paused in his eating long enough to close his eyes and lean into her touch. He playfully nudged his beak against her cheek and she laughed softly.
"Ye've grown on 'im a lot, Mia," Hagrid said from over by the kettle, where he was starting to prep a few mugs for tea. "Looks forward to ye comin' ev'ry day, he does."
"I suppose he's grown on me too, a bit," Mia said, while Hermione came forward to pet him as well once he accepted her bow of respect. "How were your holidays, Hagrid?"
Mia and Hermione spent well over an hour catching up with Hagrid, talking about their holidays and any interesting things that have happened while they were away from school. Hagrid himself spent Christmas day split between being at home with Buckbeak for most of the day, and of course, enjoying the fabulous dinner prepared up at the castle and making most of the festivities with his fellow coworkers. He made both of the girls huge mugs of tea and also some tasty cakes that Dumbledore had given him. Eventually the sun was beginning to get closer and closer to setting completely, and it was time to head back up to the castle to wait for the arrival of everyone else. After a quick trip back across the grounds, Mia and Hermione hurried through the Entrance Hall but just as they were about to go up the marble staircase, the two of them were called to a stop by none other than Professor Dumbledore, who was striding out of the Great Hall with twinkling blue robes with silver stars.
"Miss Granger, Miss Thatcher," he greeted warmly as they approached, a kind smile on his face. "How were your Christmas holidays?"
"Very well sir, thank you," Mia answered. "and yours?"
"Delightful, if I do say so myself," Dumbeldore replied cheerfully. "I was hoping if you ladies would mind doing me a favor?"
"Of course, Professor," Hermione said.
"Could you please deliver this to Mr. Potter when you see him," Dumbledore asked as he reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a scroll of parchment, handing it over to Hermione.
"Yes, sir," Mia and Hermione answered together.
"Thank you," Dumbledore said gratefully with a nod. After bidding their headmaster goodbye, Mia and Hermione dashed up the marble staircase, shaking the snow off of their shoulders and cloaks. When they reached the corridor of the Fat Lady, Mia smiled brightly when she saw that Harry, Ron and Ginny were standing outside of the portrait, more than likely stumped to hear the password had changed.
"Harry! Ginny!" Hermione called out, catching their attention as she and Mia jogged over to them. "There you are. Mia and I got back a couple of hours ago, we've just been down to visit Hagrid and Buc-I mean Witherwings. Did you have a nice holiday?"
"Yeah," Ron piped up at once, "It was pretty eventful, Rufus Scrim-"
"We have something for you, Harry," Hermione cut in, not even acknowledging that Ron had spoken. "Oh wait, the password-Abstinence."
"Correct," the Fat Lady said in a feeble voice as she allowed them entrance, the portrait swinging open.
"Someone's enjoyed themselves over the break," Mia giggled.
"It seems like it," Hermione agreed as she handed Harry the parchment scroll. "Mia told me all about the Minister coming to see you, Harry-"
At that moment, there was an almighty squeal of "Won-Won!" and the next thing any of them knew, Lavender came flying out of nowhere and right into Ron, nearly knocking him over, and giggling before attacking him with kisses. Several onlookers sniggered, and Ginny made a face of absolute disgust before she excused herself to go look for Dean. Leaving the obnoxious love birds to themselves, Mia, Hermione and Harry went to take a seat at a table as far away as possible.
"Mia told me about the Minister coming to the Burrow for a visit," Hermione told Harry as they all sat down together. "It's outrageous, how they suddenly want to play nice and pretend nothing ever happened last year."
"They want to be seen as actually doing something, although I don't know what made then think they could go to Harry for cooperation," Mia put in, casting a bit of a smirk in said boy's direction. "He's head is way too thick for that, on any given day."
"It's great to know I have such a caring girlfriend," said Harry with a roll of his eyes.
"You could've had worse," Mia pointed out. "You could have been in Won-Won's situation. At least I only call you Hawwy-bear on occasion."
"Mia," Harry hissed, looking around desperately to make sure no one overheard while Hermione let out an uncharacteristic snort, quickly hiding it behind her hand. "I take it back-you're horrid."
"Love you too," Mia countered with a wink. Harry frowned at her, but Mia could see the corners of his mouth twitch, and she knew he was fighting a smile. The three of them continued talking for a little while about the audacity of Srimgeour and the Ministry altogether, and Mia was amused to hear the retelling of just how Harry politely dismissed him without batting an eyelid. Some time later during their conversation, Harry had pulled out the scoll of parchment from Dumbledore and unrolled it to read through it quickly. However, when he did, his face fell and his body deflated like a balloon.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Mia asked him. "Is everything all right?"
"My next lesson with Dumbledore," Harry said, looking over at Mia with severe apologetic eyes. "It's tomorrow night."
Suddenly understanding his change in mood, Mia could feel her own face fall a bit, the disappointment taking hold of her. She had been looking forward to tomorrow with excitement, but this news put a bit of a damper on things.
"What's wrong with-" Hermione started, but after a couple seconds her eyes widened in realization. "Oh! Your one year! I'm sorry, I forgot. Maybe, Professor Dumbledore wouldn't mind rescheduling..."
"No," Mia said, shaking her head. "These lessons are too important to put off."
"But Mia, you're important to me, too," Harry argued.
"I know Harry, and it means a great deal to hear you say that, really," Mia told him with a loving smile, taking his hand in hers in the table. "But we can always do something together later on this week. I don't mind waiting. These lessons will probably help you figure out how to defeat Voldemort, or at least figure out a weakness, and Dumbledore wouldn't have arranged these lessons with you if it wasn't for a reason, something bigger than a one-year anniversary. Besides, Sirius said he'll be patrolling around the grounds tomorrow, he may come to give us another Defense lesson when he's done."
Harry didn't seem very convinced but after a minute he sighed and nodded reluctantly before kissing the back of her hand.
"I'll make it up to you, love, I promise," he stated.
"You'd better," she said with a grin.
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Term officially began the following morning, and there was also a bit of welcome news for the sixth years. Posted in the common room, there was a notice announcing that to those who were seventeen or would be turning seventeen before August 31st, they would be eligible to take a twelve week Apparition course from an appointed ministry representative to prepare for when they have to take the official test. The news made Mia particularly excited, since her birthday was in May and she would definitely be eligible to take the lessons. Throughout the course of the day, whenever there was a spare moment during classes, or while in the Great hall for lunch, nearly everyone in her year was talking about the Apparition lessons with eager faces. Even though Mia remembered all too well the general discomfort of it, she figured it had to be a better turnout then taking the Floo Powder. Once Ron had mentioned to others that she and Harry had done side-along Apparition before, they were pelted with several questions from their classmates, and Mia subtly kicked Ron in the shin for drawing attention to them.
Still, being as it was her and Harry's one year anniversary, she found it endearing that he was trying to make the best of it whenever they had a moment to themselves. Whether it was sitting next to each other in class, walking hand in hand through the corridors, or the sweet kisses they shared when they had to separate, it was little things like that which made her heart melt. When they had finished with their last class of the day, she and Harry took a walk together around the grounds, which were covered with snow, but thankfully the wind wasn't too bad, only gently blowing their way every now and then. They stopped by underneath the Willow where they would spend most afternoons with Ron and Hermione on warm, sunny days, and the dangling branches were covered with glittering ice crystals, giving it a very enchanting, beautiful look. The two of them shared a kiss or two under the tree, talking about everything and nothing, and Mia couldn't help but wonder just how lucky she was.
"What's going on in your head, love?" Harry asked her.
"I'm thinking of how lucky I am, to be here with you," she answered honestly. "It kind of ironic, though. Did you ever think that we'd be together like this six years ago?"
"No," Harry admitted with a shake of the head. "But I'm grateful that we are. I don't know what I would ever do without you."
"You would have to deal with Hermione and Ron all by yourself," Mia reminded him with a laugh.
"That is a scary concept," Harry said with a shudder, making her laugh even more. "But seriously though, I think i'm the lucky one, here. If you hadn't come into my life when we were little...I'm not sure I want to think about it."
"Things may have been pretty much the same," Mia said softly, raising her gloved hand to cup his cheek. "I just wouldn't have a stubborn, thick-headed danger magnet of a boyfriend to give me early grays. And to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Even after the dementors?"
"You bet."
"Giant serpents?"
"Uh-huh."
"Getting kidnapped my mermaids?"
"Absolutely, that was my favorite part."
"You're mental," Harry chuckled. "But in the best way."
"And that's why you love me, right?" Mia asked.
"That's one of many, many reasons," Harry replied in a low voice, leaning in to give her a tender kiss to the lips. "If I had to go over them all, we'd be here long after graduation."
"You certainly know how to charm a girl, don't you?" Mia giggled, although she felt very flattered. Harry smirked at her, his eyes taking on a more wicked gleam before he moved in to plant soft, slow kisses long the visible parts of her neck, his hot breath feeling incredible against her neck, and Mia's eye fluttered closed for a moment, her mouth forming a small "o" when she felt Harry nip and suckle at her sweet spot.
"If it wasn't for the lesson tonight, I'd charm my way under the blankets with you to celebrate our anniversary properly," he murmured in a husky tone.
"Harry," Mia sighed, not even bothering to sound firm, or even remotely reprimanding. The truth was, she loved it when he spoke like that, seeing a more dominant side of him that he only showed to her, especially when they were alone and their desire for each other was mounting. His obvious need for her was enough to ignite her entire body, and it sent shivers of pleasure through her, right to her very core. Ever since their first night together in the Room of Requirement, they had stolen private moments together whenever they could, learning more about each other in such intimate ways, exploring each other through touch and taste, slowly moving from hesitant, awkward ammeters to more experienced players in the field. Harry's newfound confidence and skill in pleasing her was most definitely sensational, knowing just what to do and say to make her surrender with just a simple touch, or kiss.
"Sorry, love," he breathed, not sounding sorry in the least. "You always seem to bring out this side of me."
"On the contrary, I happen to like this side of you," Mia countered with a light purr, turning her head so her lips were close to his ear while her hand trailed down over his chest. "I find it very attractive and alluring. Especially when you start using your hands."
To emphasize her point, Mia briefly slid her hand through Harry's winter cloak and traced her hand over the bulge of his pants, gently pressing and hearing him hiss quietly before she brought her hand back up to his chest, triumph swelling inside of her. It was good to know she had the same effect on him as he did on her.
"Mia," he practically growled. "Not fair."
"Sorry sweetheart," she said, batting her eyelashes and sounding just as apologetic as he did a minute ago. "But it's nearly time for dinner, and snow or no snow, if we don't head back now Sirius will lead the search party, and then you'll have to experience 'the talk' again."
Harry groaned and Mia couldn't help but snicker a little. Apparently Harry had received "birds and the bees" talk with not only Sirius, but Remus too, not long after he arrived in Carriage to stay for the rest of the summer holidays. The old Marauders were a bit uncomfortable, especially Sirius, and Harry very nearly died of embarrassment. Both he and Sirius ended up stuttering, red-faced, through most of it, with his godfather trying to explain to not be like him when he was Harry's age at all, but also not to forsake Mia and keep her unsatisfied. Remus then cut in at Sirius' terrible way of explaining safe sex with Harry, giving him the same speech Mia's mother had basically given to her when Mia and Harry started dating. By the time it was all over, Harry and Sirius couldn't look each other in the face for a couple days, and Mia had been very close to falling out of her chair laughing when Harry told her about it.
After they had gone back up to the castle to meet the others for dinner, Mia, Harry and Hermione spent some time studying in the library while Lavender dragged Ron off for some more snogging somewhere, and Mia felt accomplished when she was able to get done her assignments from both McGonagall and Snape so she wouldn't have to worry about them until later. Once they left the library, it was time for Harry to head off to his lessons with Dumbledore. Offering to take his things back up to the common room with her, Mia took his bag and the two of them shared a lingering kiss before he whispered a tender "I love you," before walking off in the opposite direction. With a goofy smile on her face, Mia turned to see Hermione staring at her with a smile of her own.
"What?" Mia asked, her cheeks going a bit pink.
"Nothing," Hermione replied, shaking her head with her smile still on her face as the two girls made their way up to Gryffindor tower. Upon entering the common room, they found Neville sitting with Rachel at one table, playing a game of Exploding Snaps, and they invited Mia and Hermione to join them. The girls eagerly accepted and when Mia had gone up to the dormitory to place her things as well as Harry's down on her bed, she was surprised to see a single rose lying on the pillow, along with a brightly wrapped parcel and a scroll of parchment. Knowing exactly who it was from, Mia set her things down and picked up the scroll, unrolling it to read the short message inscribed there, her lips turning up into a smile.
Happy Anniversary, Mia.
Thank you for making the past year an amazing one.
I love you, now and always, forever and ever.
-Harry
Mia had the biggest smile on her face as she read the note, her heart feeling warm and completely full. Setting the note down, she picked up the parcel and quickly unwrapped it, wondering what could be inside. The paper tore away to reveal a plain white box, but when she opened it, she gasped softly as she reached in and pulled out a lovely silver and white snow globe. It was polished down to a spectacular shine, with intricate floral designs along the sides, and their motto was engraved inside a small oval on the front, while a pretty silver horse stood inside, amidst the sparkling snow flakes that swirled around it when Mia gave it a little shake. She marveled at the sheer beauty of the gift, and she spent a few minutes gazing lovingly at it, astounded at the thoughtfulness of her boyfriend. Despite having more than enough to live by at Gringotts, thanks to the money left to him by his parents, Harry rarely ever dipped into his funds for personal purchases. Knowing he did so for her, it meant a lot, and she traced over the engraved words before setting the globe down right next to her pillow on top of her bedside dresser, within view for when she would lay down to sleep. Feeling eager, Mia bent down to the ground to pull out the large, rectangular box from underneath her bed. Inside were customized, professional Quidditch robes that were made of the finest material, with his name on the back and tucked inside the folds was a slightly worn Beater club that had been signed by the Irish Quidditch players Mullet and Moran, the very same one that had been used when they all went to see the World Cup two years ago. If there was one beneficial thing about going to Slughorn's parties, it was gaining a favor by putting in a request that started with Gwenog Jones and reached Ireland's Quidditch team in record time. Through several correspondence via letters, Mia was able to finally get her hands on the club with the famous Beaters' signatures. And after dipping a little into her own funds, she was able to get the robes custom made for him, and she hoped that he would enjoy his gifts.
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"Sooo...you basically blew it. Big time."
"In so many words, yes."
"Is it a bad time to say I told you so?"
"Definitely."
"I'll make a note to rub it in at a later date, then."
"I'd appreciate that, thanks."
Mia gave Harry a smile that was half amused, and half sympathetic as she continued weaving her fingers through Harry's hair while he was lying down in her lap, his eyes closed and his face scrunched up in frustration. The previous day, he had attempted to do a task set by Dumbledore, and it didn't go very well at all. During the most recent lesson together, the headmaster had shown Harry a memory that belonged to Slughorn, from nay, many years ago, so long that the memory involved a sixteen year old Tom Riddle. In the memory, Riddle had stayed behind after a Slug Club meeting and had asked to speak with Slughorn privately about something. What it was exactly, Harry and Dumbledore couldn't tell, because the memory had been tampered with, apparently by Slughorn himself. The man had changed it to make him appear in a batter life, and Dumbledore had a hunch it was because the potions professor was ashamed of what had really happened that day. After showing Harry the memory, Dumbeldore asked Harry to find a way to get the true memory from Slughorn, believing that he would be the only one capable of doing so.
However, Harry's attempt had failed when he had gone to Slughorn about it. Despite Mia's suggestion to approach the matter more delicately, Harry outright asked Slughorn about the topic Riddle had asked him about. Needless to say, Slughorn didn't take well to Harry's upright tactic, and he basically hollered for him to leave the dungeon.
"You may have to wait a while until he feels more calm about it, and find a more elusive way of asking him," Mia said, pressing her fingers into his scalp and hearing him groan in appreciation.
"I know," he sighed. "Whatever it is he's trying to hide, it must be something really important, or dangerous."
"Or both," Mia added. "What was it that Voldemort asked him about? You never said."
"Horcruxes," Harry answered. "I've never heard of them before, and Dumbledore didn't really explain it to me. It must have really gotten under Slughorn's skin, because I-Mia?"
Mia had fallen silent, her fingers ceasing their movements in Harry's hair and her eyes widened in shock as the night she ran into Dumbledore in the library suddenly came to the very front of her mind. She remembered finding that one book in the restricted section, how it had the very same words printed inside, and her puzzlement over why it sounded so familiar to her before the old wizard took it off of her hands.
"Mia, what is it?" Harry asked. He had opened his eyes at this point and sat upright to face her once he saw her expression.
"I've heard of them, before," Mia murmured, her eyebrows furrowing in deep thought. "Horcruxes."
"You have?"
"Yes. One night last term, I was returning a book to the Restricted Section of the library-I was using it for Snape's assignment-and there was this one book..."
Mia went on to explain how she found the book that had a broken lock on the cover, and how it seemed to open of its own accord to a section that spoke of Horcruxes. She told Harry how the term seemed familiar to her, and just as she was reading about it, Dumbledore had showed up and requested she leave it be, before taking it off of her so he could place it with others that Madame Pince was gathering to remove from the shelves, on his orders.
"So, Dumbledore was looking into Horcruxes even then," Harry mused to himself after she had finished.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he had started research from the very moment he first acquired Slughorn's memory," Mia put in. "I suppose this must be concerned with darker forces than we think, otherwise he wouldn't have removed the book from the library. It's possible the other books he removed had some sort of mention of Horcruxes as well. I only wish I had a chance to read more of it before he caught me."
"There's nothing else that you can remember about it?" Harry asked her.
"Not much, I gave it a very brief glance over before I tried reading the first paragraph," Mia answered with a shrug. "I thought I might have seen something about human souls, but I can't be sure, and it's not much to go on anyway."
"If it's something involving Voldemort, I can only imagine what it must be about if he was curious enough to go asking a professor for advice about it," Harry said with a frown. "Maybe the next time he comes by, I can mention it to Sirius, see if he may have heard of them-"
"Sirius!" Mia exclaimed, realization slamming into her with enough force to make her jump on the bed, her m outh dropping open and a gleam of excitement in her eyes. "That's it! That's where I've heard it before!"
"What?"
"Harry, you remember last summer when I fell through the mirror in Grimmauld Place and was trapped in that hidden room?"
"How can I forget, you scared the living daylights out of me."
"I found books that belonged to Sirius' brother when he was still alive, and Regulus had written his own notes in some of them. One of the things he wrote, and emphasized on, was Horcruxes! I remember now, because it sounded so strange to me, but I didn't bother to look further into it to see if he wrote anything else because I was more focused on trying to get out of there. But Regulus, he knew about them, it looked as though he were researching about them as well."
"But why?" Harry inquired. "Why would he be looking up Horcruxes too?"
"Sirius told us that his brother ended up being a follower of Voldemort after he was done school. It's possible that Voldemort wanted further research done about the subject, and assigned Regulus to the job," Mia suggested.
"But that would imply that Voldemort would trust him enough with secret information," Harry countered. "It's clear that he never had any friends, or people he could trust completely with his secrets. We don't know how far along the rank of Death Eaters Regulus was, and if this was something Voledemort wanted kept between him and Slighorn without anyone else snooping, I doubt he would have told Regulus."
"Why else would Regulus be looking into them, though?" Mia muttered. "What was he trying to do?"
"I really don't know," Harry sighed.
"Do you think that we should tell Sirius?" Mia said. Harry was quiet for a minute, contemplating with himself before he eventually shook his head.
"Not until I learn more with Dumbledore about this," he decided. "We don't even know what Horcruxes are yet, and I don't want to get Sirius worked up over something without reason. His brother has always been a bit of a sensitive subject for him, anyway."
"I guess you're right," Mia agreed slowly. "It will be better to try and learn as much as we can first."
Only a few days after Mia had her revelation about the Horcruxes, it was time for the sith year students to take their very first Apparition lesson. Mia was torn about the lesson-she knew it was a skillful thing to learn, but based on how uncomfortable it was for side-along, she wasn't looking forward to it as much as others were. They all had gathered in the Great hall, which was temporarily lifted from the spells keeping people from doing Apparition so that way the Ministry Instructor, Wilkie Twycross, could teach them properly, with the Heads of House keeping a close eye on things. Twycross had them all lined up with an empty space of five feet in front of them, and with a wave of his wand, he conjured old fashioned wooden hoops to be placed in front of every one of them. He went on to explain the three D's when it came to Apparition-Destination, Determination, and Deliberation. They all had to focus hard on where it was they wanted to go, fuel up on the determination to transport themselves there, and then feel their way into nothingness as they move to disappear in one place, and end up in another. Twycross gave them a minute to themselves to think about their destination, and while Mia tried her best to concentrate, her mind couldn't help but go back to Harry, who had taken advantage of the situation by going near the back to stand behind Malfoy, who had been whispering to Crabbe at the beginning of the lesson and moved so they could talk more privately. His desperate need to find out what Malfoy was up to got the better of him yet again and he immediately took off, more than likely to see if he could eavesdrop on their conversation and Mia had sighed, shaking her head and really starting to grow concerned of Harry's growing obsession with Malfoy.
When the time came for them all to try, everyone turned on the spot, but nothing happened. No one was successful for the first few attempts at Apparition, but on the fifth try, Susan Bones, who was only standing a couple spaces over from where Mia was standing, finally managed to do it. However, while the majority of her body was able to find its way into the hoop, everyone was horrified to see that her left leg had remained outside of it, where she had been standing before she disappeared. She had screamed shrilly, staggering as she started to fall off balance, but the Professor Sprout Sprung into action to help her, waving her wand so that there was a loud crack, a puff of purple smoke, and when it cleared, Susan was found on the ground, still crying, but thankfully with her legs in tact again. Twycross explained to them that what Susan had gone through was Spliching, when body parts were left behind during the process of Apparition, if done incorrectly. Suddenly, everyone wasn't as keen as before to try Apparition, and while there was no other Splinching incidents, no one was successfully able to do the task, and Twycross ended the session with reminders to focus on the three D's, and they would get the hang of it in no time. Mia herself had to admit at one point she thought she felt a strange sensation in her body on one of her last attempts, but, remembering what had happened with Susan, she panicked and fell through in the end.
"I think I'd much rather prefer using the Floo System rather than worry about leaving parts of my body in different places around the country," Hermione fretted as they walked out of the Great Hall together.
"I agree. Either that, or use a Portkey. It may make you dizzy, but at least your entire being will remain in tact," Mia said, before smiling at catching sight of Harry hurrying in their direction with Ron at his side. "Hey Harry, how about we go down to the kitchens? We can sneak some desserts up to the common room, and I'm sure Dobby would be happy to see you-"
"I'm sorry love, I can't, there's something I need to check on," Harry uttered quickly, slowing down enough to give Mia a chaste kiss on the cheek before rushing forward with Ron, who was following behind with a confused look on his face.
"But Harry-"
"I'll see you later!" Harry called back as the two boys raced through the crowds towards the grand staircase, soon falling out of sight.
"Where's he off to in such a rush?" Hermione asked.
"Knowing him, it's probably something to do with Malfoy again," Mia mumbled with a frown, hoisting the strap of her bag further up on her shoulder. "I really wish he would stop doing that."
"Come on Mia, you know how thick he is, and when he gets an idea in his head, it would take a beater's club to knock it out."
"This isn't the first time he's done this, though. The other day he was so determined to figure out where Malfoy was lurking to he skipped out on our study date, and during Slughorn's Christmas party he took off to eavesdrop on Malfoy and Snape when they were talking in that empty classroom. And if wasn't for the fact that he needed to eat, he'd have tried to follow Malfoy to wherever he was headed off to earlier this week if i hadn't practically yanked him back down in his seat by his ear. He's so determined to find proof that Malfoy is a Death Eater, it's all he ever thinks about."
Hermione sighed softly, but she really didn't have an argument for that. Whether it was productive work, or time spent with Mia and friends, Harry's habit of stalking Malfoy was slowly starting to pull Harry away and Mia wasn't quite sure what to do about it. She didn't want to come off as thinking that Harry was off his rocker like Hermione and Ron had before, but she also was worried just how far this obsession was going to go, and she feared it would reach a terrible boiling point. Especially if, heaven forbid, all of Harry's assumptions were true and Malfoy realized he was being tailed.
"Now he's off again," Mia muttered once they reached the second floor. "And we're supposed to be finalizing Ron's birthday plans. It's bad enough the Hogsmeade trip was canceled, I was really hoping to convince Madame Rosemerta to let us rent out of corner of the pub."
"I doubt she would have gone for that," Hermione giggled. "But I'm sure Ron would have appreciated the thought."
"Oh well, there's always Plan B," Mia said, making Hermione furrow her eyebrows.
"What's Plan B?" she asked, the suspicion clear in her voice.
"Never you mind, Mione," Mia replied, a rather wicked smirk stretching across her lips.
"Mia..."
"Don't worry, I promise, I won't harm a hair on his head."
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"HAPPY BIRTHDAY RON!"
Mia would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy watching every single boy in the sixth year's dormitory either fall out of their bed with a shriek, or jerk backwards with enough force they knocked into their bedside tables, all of their eyes wide with shock and surprise when they took in to burst of confetti that Mia had erupted into the room, along with the red and gold sparks that burst froth from her wand, dancing around in the air and giving the room a very festive atmosphere. She grinned widely as she rushed over to said birthday boy, who was trying to untangle himself from his blankets, and she sat down so suddenly and forcefully it lifted him a couple inches off the mattress.
"Bloody hell, Mia!" Ron exclaimed. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"
"Hey, due to unforeseen circumstances, my original plan had to be put on hold, so I improvised," Mia said, not sounding the least bit apologetic.
"You'd think we would have learned by now," she heard Seamus grumble sleepily from his spot on the floor.
"You're mental," Harry sighed, pocketing his wand that he had probably reached for when she burst in, now groggily grabbing his glasses.
"I know, but that's beside the point," Mia waved off, holding out to Ron a small chocolate cake with numbered candles saying "17" lit on top. "Happy Seventeenth, Ron!"
Despite the fact that he was annoyed with her for the rude entry, Ron still smiled and blew out the candles before gratefully accepting the cake and her nearly bone-crushing hug. Then, Mia made herself comfortable sitting on Harry's bed across from the youngest Weasley boy as he began shifting through the small pile of presents at the foot of his bed, while Seamus Dean and Neville started to get ready for the day, with Mia asking the latter to meet her in the common room after breakfast, thinking excitedly of how surprised Neville will be when she told him he could have a kitten. While Ron started ripping through the brightly colored wrappings, Harry reached down into his trunk and rummaged through it, tossing out several things onto the floor before he pulled out a familiar blank piece of parchment that Mia knew all too well.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he muttered softly so only she could hear.
"What are you doing?" she whispered to him as he sat down next to her, with the Marauder's Map materializing in front of him.
"I just want to check something," he whispered back.
"Harry," Mia murmured, trying to be as patient as possible even though she knew exactly who he was looking for. "Come on, it's Ron's birthday. Why don't you give it a break for today?"
Harry didn't answer, so focused on a section of the map that she assumed the Slytherin common room would be, and she sighed. She slid back on the bed a bit and moved until she was seated behind him. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she rested her chin on his left shoulder, turned her head so she could place a kiss along his jawline.
"Earth to Harry?" she said. "Your best friend and your girlfriend would like you to come down from the clouds, now."
"Mmhm," Harry hummed, still not taking his eyes off the map, scanning around for Malfoy and Mia rolled her eyes. Ron was happily opening all his gifts, thanking Harry profusely for the new Quidditch gloves he got him, and staring in awe at the heavy gold watch he received from his parents. Mia smiled at him when he opened her gifts, which consisted of a broomstick servicing kit, much like the one Harry had but this one orange and black with Ron's initials stamped across in golden letters, a group photograph of the Chudley Cannons, all with their own signatures, and a box full of different kinds of baked treats sent from home by Catherine, at Mia's request. Once he had opened them all, Mia stood to her feet to head back to her own dorm so she could get dressed. Giving Ron a playful punch to the shoulder, she wished him a happy birthday again before leaving the two boys to themselves.
Fifteen minutes later, Mia and Hermione were making their way down to the Great Hall together, seeing as the bushy-haired girl was still very much bitter and resentful towards Ron at the moment and refused to be in his presence for longer than absolutely necessary. But Mia could tell that Hermione still cared and missed him, if the wrapped present underneath her bed was any indication, and also the way Hermione would glance over in his direction when she thought no one else was looking. When they entered the hall, Mia took a seat across from Ginny and made small talk while piling scrambled eggs, sausage and toast onto her plate, spreading her favorite marmalade over it. The minutes ticked on as the girls ate their meal, and every once in a while, Mia would look over towards the doors leading into the hall, wondering what was keeping the boys so long. It wasn't too much longer before breakfast would be over, and then they all had apparition lesson soon after.
"Where could they be?" Mia voiced out loud after a while.
"Perhaps Won-Won and Lavender are celebrating his seventeenth in an empty classroom somewhere," Hermione grumbled, biting into her toast with much more force than necessary. Before Mia could respond to that, they were suddenly approached by Luna Lovegood, who was walking briskly down the isle to meet them. A warm smile lit up Mia's face at the sight of the sweet Ravenclaw, but soon it fell when she saw that instead of Luna's dreamy, faraway look, an urgent and worried expression took it's place.
"Hello Mia," Luna greeted when she reached them. "Hermione, Ginny. I'm terribly sorry to interrupt your breakfast, but Professor McGonagall asked me to come and get you, and bring you to the hospital wing."
"The hospital wing?" Hermione repeated.
"Why?" Ginny asked quickly.
"I ran into her on my way down here," Luna explained, looking distressed for the first time that Mia had known her. "She was with Harry and Professor Slughorn, they were carrying Ron up there. I think...I think something bad has happened to him."
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I hope you guys liked this chapter, I'll see you in the next one!