Hi there everyone! Well, here it is, chapter sixteen, and I'm sorry but took long to post, but I am trying my best to make sure I don't go over a month without updating, so I thank you all for your outstanding patience with me. I won't say too much now, only because I'm technically working, and I don't have much free time right now. Enjoy, leave a review and tell me what you think, and please ignore any spelling mistakes here, I kind of had to finish off this chapter in a hurry.
Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter are absolutely NOT mine!
Chapter Sixteen: Warm and Cold
MiaPOV
"So all in all, it hasn't been one of Ron's better birthdays, has it?"
"Fred..."
"Right, probably not the best time. Sorry, Mia darling."
It was now very late at night, and Mia was sitting quietly in the hospital wing along with Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George, all of them gathered around one of the beds, where Ron was sleeping soundly. His face was pale and sickly-looking, but according to Harry, it was much better than how he was before, when he had first swallowed the poison that very nearly took his life. Mia's stomach clenched at the thought, not wanting to think about the fact that one of her best friends had almost died, if it hadn't been for Harry's quick thinking.
After Luna had come to tell Mia, Hermione and Ginny that something may have happened to run, the girls didn't need to hear anything else before they all jumped to their feet and flew out of the Great Hall, surprisingly with Hermione in the lead. By the time they reached the hospital wing, Harry was already pacing outside of the closed doors, having taken Ron inside and then was ushered to wait out in the corridor until Madame Pomfrey was through with treating him. Mia and Ginny had gone right up to Harry, asking him what had happened, while Hermione-pale faced and terror stricken-stood helplessly in front of the doors to the ward, as though they would somehow open based on her sheer desperation to go inside. It took only minutes for Harry to explain that Ron had accidentally eaten a large number of cauldron cakes that were spiked with a love potion, meant for Harry by Romilda Vane, and Harry decided to take Ron down to Professor Slughorn to get him fixed with the proper antidote. After Slughorn provided it to Ron, and the young Weasley boy had come to his senses, Slughorn decided to treat them all to a glass of wine. Ron started drinking his before Harry and Slughorn could even bring their glasses to their lips, and then, in mere seconds he was crashing to the floor, seizing up, gasping for air, with a thin layer of foam around his lips. Harry, thinking fast, had grabbed a Bezoar from Slughorn's cabinet and shoved it down Ron's throat just in time.
Once Harry was done telling the story, Mia was frozen where she stood, her eyes wide and many different emotions coursing through her body, one right after the other. there was brief anger at Romilda Vane for having the audacity to try and reel in Harry with a love potion, but mostly there was disbelief and shock that something like this happened to her friend, and she was so very worried about him. As stubborn and annoying as Ron could be, she didn't think she would have been able to handle it if Harry hadn't acted so fast. She had been friends with Ron ever since she was eleven, it's always been the four of them together, and the idea that that number was so very close to being horribly cut down to three was too much. While Harry and Ginny had started talking about how a bottle of poisoned wine could have made it to Ron's hands, Mia did all she could to comfort Hermione, who continued staring at the door in a numb sort of state, wringing her hands together and always looking on the verge of tears, but never allowing any to fall. By the time that it was half past ten at night, Madame Pomfrey had finally allowed them all to enter the ward to see Ron, who was passed out on the bed, seeming fatigued, but otherwise okay. Fred and George had come in not too long after that, having been wanting to meet up with them in Hogsmeade, but decided to come up to the castle to visit Ron for his birthday once they realized that no students were allowed in Hogsmeade.
Now, they were all just sitting, mostly in silence, as they watched Ron sleep. Mia was on his left hand side, trying to keep all the negative thoughts and "what if's" out of her mind. Ron was all right, Harry saved him, and he wasn't going anywhere. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had been informed right away, and they were able to see Ron for a moment before they followed Dumbledore to his office so they could speak more about what had happened. Harry and the twins spoke some more about who could have possibly poisoned the drink, throwing out the idea that Slughorn might have done so, but that idea was quickly shot down, none of them really seeing the old professor doing something like that, especially to his favorite student. Ginny reminded them that Harry had mentioned Slughorn say he was planning on giving the wine to Professor Dumbledore as a gift originally, and so the headmaster might have been the target.
"Well, if that's the case, the poisoner doesn't know Slughorn very well at all," Hermione said, her voice low and sounding as though she had a cold. "A drink that tasty and fancy, Slughorn was sure to keep it for himself."
"Eer-my-nee," Ron mumbled in his sleep. They all fell silent, watching Ron anxiously before he turn ed his head to the side and then started snoring. Despite the serious situation, Mia couldn't help but shake her head at the redhead, her lips twitching slightly in amusement. Just then, the doors to the hospital wing burst open and Mia looked over to see Hagrid striding towards them, raidrops caught in his beard and his crossbow in his hand, leaving a muddy foot trail behind him.
"Bin in the forest all day," he panted when he reached them. "Aragog's worse, I bin readin' to him-didn' get up ter dinner till jus' now an' then Professor Sprout told me about Ron! How is he?"
"Not bad," Harry replied. "They say he'll be okay."
"I don' believe this," Hagrid muttered, running a hand through his wild hair. "Jus' don' believe it. Look at 'im, jus' lying' there...who'd want ter hurt him, eh?"
"We were just talking about that," Mia muttered sadly. "We don't know."
"Anyone tryin' ter sabatoge the Gryffindor team?" Hagrid asked. "Firs' Katie an' now Ron..."
"I can't see anyone trying to bump off a Quidditch team, though," George said.
"Wood might've done the Slytherins, if he couldn't gotten away with it," George reminded.
"I don't think that this has anything to do with Quidditch, but there is a connection between the two incidents," Hermione said.
"How?" Ginny asked.
"Well, think about it-both should have been fatal but they were not, due to luck and Harry's quick thinking. But that just means whoever is behind them is very dangerous, showing that they don't care how may people end up being hurt until they reach their intended victim. If there are any more attempts in the future, we can only assume that it's going to be worse, and they may just go to any lengths to make sure that they will not fail again."
While everyone took a moment to ponder over Hermione's words, the doors to the wing opened yet again and then Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came inside, moving hastily towards the bed where they were all gathered together. Mrs. Weasley ended up going straight for Harry, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug, her face wet with tears.
"Dumbledore's told us how you saved him with the Bezoar," she said, her voice thick. "Oh Harry, how could we ever repay you for all you've done? You saved Ginny, and Arthur, and now Ron."
"Don't be...I didn't..." Harry muttered awkwardly, although he still placed his arms around Mrs. Weasley to return the hug.
"Half of our family owes their life to you, now that I think about it," Mr. Weasley commented. "Well, all I can say is that it was a lucky day for the Weasleys when Ron decided to sit with you and Mia in your compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Harry."
Harry seemed embarrassed by this and was silent. Mia knew him well enough to know what he was feeling and she reached over to take his hand in hers and give it a gentle squeeze, giving him a smile. Just then, Madame Pomfrey came over, telling them all that only six people maximum were allowed to visit patients, and so Mia, Harry, Hermione and Hagrid decided to leave so Ron's family could stay with him. Before they left, Mia saw Hermione pat Ron on the shoulder in a gentle manner, and she also swiftly brushed his hair away from his forehead. She smiled at this, but chose not to say anything, knowing that was kore of a private matter, even though she felt a flicker of excitement swell in her stomach. When they left the hospital wing, Hagrid decided to walk them back up to the common room, his expression worried.
"It's terrible," Hagrid muttered. "All this security an' kids are still gettin' hurt. Dumbledore's worried sick, although he won' come out an' say it."
"Does he have any ideas, Hagrid?" Mia asked as they walked.
"Spect he's got lots of 'em," Hagrid replied. "But if he knew who it was, they'd be caught. Wha' I'm worried about is the scchool shuttin' down for good, if kids keep gettin' attacked like this. The board o' directors are already talkin' about it, I reckon."
"Surely they wouldn't?" Hermione said.
"Gotta see it from thier point o' view," Hagrid told her. "I mean, it's always been a risk sendin' kids to Hogwarts to learn, yeh expect accidents with all the magic goin' about here, in class an' out. But attempted murder, tha's completely differen'. S'no wonder that Dumbledore is so angry with Sn-"
Hagrid suddenly stopped in his tracks his dark eyes twinkling with guilt and looking frustrated with himself.
"Snape?" Mia asked in surpruse. "Dumbledore is angry with Snape?"
"I never said tha'!" Hagrid backtracked quickly. "Look at the time, it's gettin' on midnight, I need ter-"
"Hagrid, why is Dumbledore angry with Snape?" Harry cut in loudly.
"Shhh!" Hagrid hissed, lookign around to make sure that no one was around to hear them. "Don' shout stuff like tha' Harry, do yeh wan' me ter lose me job?"
"Hagrid," Harry stressed, giving a look and Hagrid groaned. "What's Snape done?"
"Ter tell yeh the truth Harry, I really don' know..."
Hagrid went on to explain to them quietly that while he was walking out of the forest the other night he had accidentally over heard Snape and Dumbledore having a heated argument over something. Snape had said that Dumbledore took too much for granted, and that he didn't want to do this anymore, whatever "this" was. Dumbledore proceeded to tell Snape that he agreed to do it, and that was all there was to it. Mia listened to all of this with a keen ear, especially when Hagrid explained how Dumbledore and Snape mentioned interrogations within Slytherin house. Dumbledore was usually so calm, collected and at peace most times, so hearing about him getting into a bad argument with someone was strange, even though she knew she had to be realistic. Dumbledore was a human being, and it's normal that he would express anger sometimes, just like everyone else. The four of them talked only for a little while longer before their cpnversation was interrupted by Filch, who was scurrying along the corridor with his faithful cat, Mrs. Norris, at his heels.
"Oho!" he wheezed, his gaze fixed on Mia, Harry and Hermione. "Out of bed so late, this will mean detention for the three of you!"
"No, it won't, Filch," Hagrid retorted shortly, with narrowed eyes. "They're with me, ain't they?"
"And what difference does that make?" Filch sneered.
"I'm a ruddy teacher, aren't I, yeh sneakin' squib!" Hagrid snapped.
"We should go," Mia muttered to the others. They didn't seem to need much further encouragement, and then they carefully made their way around Hagrid and Flich, who were now arguing loudly in the corridor, and their voices thankfully faded out the farther away the sixth years went. They were able to make it up to Gryffindor tower in record time, quickly giving the sleepy Fat Lady the password and scurrying inside to the common room.
"Is it very bad that I'm hoping Hagrid will lift Filch to hang along with one of the nearby torches and he would have to wait until morning to be let down?" Mia asked, unable to keep the grin off of her face.
"You're horrible," Hermione sighed, but it was with a smile of her own, the first one she's had all day.
"Considering all that he threatens to do to us for detentions, that's a walk in the park," Mia stated, glancing over to see that Harry was taking a seta in front of the fireplace. "Are you going on up to bed, Mione?"
"Yes, I want to make sure I get some rest, so I can go and visit Ron after breakfast," Hermione replied, her body seeming to sag with the weight of all that had happened during the day. "Goodnight, Mia. Night, Harry."
Both Mia and Harry bid goodnight, and once Hermione has disappeared up the stairs, Mia went over to take a seat next to Harry on the loveseat, slipping her hand into one of his and resting her head on his shoulder, taking in his furrowed eyebrows and slight frown, indicating he was in deep thought. Wanting to sooth his mind, she traced the back of his hand with her thumb and gave him a sweet peck on the cheek.
"Ron will be all right, Harry," she murmured to him. "Madame Pomfrey is the best there is, I don't see her holding him for very long to recover."
"I know," Harry said slowly. "I know he'll be okay. If Madame Pomfrey can regrow bones, I'm sure she can do anything."
"Then what's got you so deep inside your head?" Mia asked.
"I was just thinking," harry started. "Dumbledore's told me so many times in the past that he trusts Snape, without question. Kind of odd that the two of them would be arguing, huh?"
"Not really," Mia answered. "You and I argue sometimes, and I trust you completely. You, me, Ron and Hermione have had our fights before, but we always worked it out. There was never a question about our trust in each other."
"Well, what about Snape not doing a proper job interrogating his students?" Harry reminded. "Or really, one particular student?"
"Harry," Mia groaned. "That could have been anything."
"What makes you think that?" Harry said impatiently, his frustration clear. "With everything I heard Snape and Malfoy say, the way Malfoy's been sneaking off like he has-"
"Hagrid could have started listening in at any point of that conversation and missed out on some key factors. That alone makes a difference, you know that," Mia cut in, scowling at him. "I'm not going against you here, Harry, I'm on your side-"
"You have a great way of showing it," Harry snapped.
The silence that passed between them was sudden and tense, with anger flaring in Mia's chest briefly before she took in a breath, removing her hand from Harry's. His features immediately softened and guilt was shining in his eyes.
"Mia, I-"
"Goodnight, Harry."
Ignoring his plea to stay, Mia strode over towards the door that would lead up to the girl's dorm and didn't bother shutting it gently behind her. After she stomped her way up the staircase, she entered the sixth years dorm (much more carefully, so as not to wake the other girls), and then got changed into her night clothes before lying down to settle in. She spent a little time staring up at the canopy of her bed, her arms crossed and her mind troubled, the shadow of the anger she felt earlier still lingering. How could Harry say that? From the very start she has never outright called his assumptions about Malfoy barmey, or ridiculous, even though the idea of Malfoy being a Death Eater seemed a bit hard to believe. The Slytherin boy was a spoiled, arrogant brat who had a distaste for Muggleborns, there was no denying that, but going as so far to be placed in Voldermort's ranks...that was serious. And extremely dangerous. She remembered Sirius telling them about what happened to Death Eaters who even considered leaving and breaking out, his brother being a prime example, and Sirius doesn't even know what had happened to him. Also, she just couldn't see Voldemort recruiting someone so young, who was still in many ways, a child.
But that's the brilliance of it, isn't it? No one would expect it.
A voice that sounded suspiciously like Harry's creeped up on her and she groaned quietly, running her hands over her face. She really didn't know how to feel about this. Draco Malfoy could very well be a Death Eater, but then again, it could be something else entirely. Either way, she was beyond annoyed that Harry would claim she doesn't support him. The last time she checked, she was the only one who would listen to his theories about Malfoy, and even Snape, without rolling her eyes or scoffing at the thought. The longer Mia laid there thinking to herself the more confused and worried she felt. However, the worry she felt, to her tremendous shock, was pointed more towards Malfoy. Malfoy had made it his goal to downsize, bully, and be the bane of her existence ever since they had met on their very first train ride to Hogwarts. He had called her and Hermione such awful names, had to issues with jinxing her friends without remorse, and thrived in every opportunity to make her and her friends miserable, whether with words or actions.
But she just couldn't see him as a killer. Associated with those monsters in masks, following a mad dark wizard blindly...that was path no one could come back from even if they wanted to. If he really was a Death Eater, that will take away any part of him and leave something sinister in it's place.
I guess that's why I don't want to fully believe it.
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"Really? I...I can have one?"
"Of course, Neville," Mia replied with a kind smile. "I know how much Trevor meant to you, and I thought maybe you'd like to have a kitten, as long as your grandmother allows it."
"Well, I know she liked cats more than toads, at least," Neville said as he watched all of the kittens playing or napping on the floor of the boy's dormitories. The tiny felines were now fully waned and were ready to go out into the world with new owners of their own, and now that she had some time to breathe without school work and since she had already went to visit Ron for most of the day, she was finally able to come forward to Neville to give one of Sapphire's kittens.
"So, any of them catch your eye?" Mia said. "You can have any one you'd like, except for that one with the ball of yarn. That's Caesar, I'm keeping him."
Neville was thoughtful as he looked over all the little creatures as they had the time with their lives, playing with each other or any loose strings they happened to find on the rug they were on top of. She watched as his eyes gazed over each of them until they landed on Whiskers. The spunky young kitten had the same coloring as his father, but was short-haired like his mother, and also has Sapphire's dazzling blue eyes. He was currently spinning around and around in a fast circle, chasing his tail like a dog, and after a minute he stopped, very dizzy as she staggered sideway and tripped over himself. Neville reached out and gingerly picked up Whiskers, cupping him in his hands before holding him close.
"What's his name?" Neville asked.
"Whiskers," Mia answered. "He's very curious, and an excellent snuggle partner."
"Hmm," Neville murmured before raising Whiskers up so that he was eye level with him. Whiskers still looked a little dizzy from his spinning, but he looked at Neville with a curious stare, his head tilted and reminding Mia very much of when she first saw Sapphire. After another minute, Whiskers stuck out the tip of his tongue in the most adorable expression Mia had ever seen, and apparently that was a deal breaker for Neville, because the boy beamed at the kitten.
"I choose him," he decided. "Thank you so much, Mia."
"You're welcome," Mia said, feeling happy that Neville was excited for his new pet. "I know he's in excellent hands."
"Who are you going to give the rest away to?" Neville inquired.
"Well, I was going to ask Ginny and Luna, and maybe Claudia," Mia replied thoughtfully as she started to gather the rest of the kittens and place them in the box she had brought along with her, so she could take them back to Sapphire in her own dorm. "I'm sure that Claudia would like to have one, she's been feeling so lonely lately. Let me just take these little guys back to my dorm, and then I'll bring you something that we can make into a small bed that Whiskers can sleep in until he feels comfortable sharing your bed. And I have some extra food you can have as well until you can put in your own order for some from the shop in Hogsmeade."
"That sounds great, thank you," said Neville as they both stood to their feet, with Mia holding the box of kittens carefully in her hands. It only took her five minutes to take the babies back to their mother and after she gave Neville some basic supplies to help out with Whiskers, she wandered back down to the common room just as the Ginny and the rest of the Quidditch team came in through the portrait hole. The majority of them looked disgruntled and very irritated, and Mia had a feeling she knew who the culprit was.
"Good job at practice, tonight, everyone," Cormac McLaggen praised as he hurried in after everyone. "Although, Beaters should definitely try to work on their maneuvering skills, and Demelza, you need to be more-"
"Last time I checked, McLaggen, Harry was the Captain, not you," Ginny cut in shortly, her voice firm.
"Well, considering he's not here right now, I can-"
Ginny whipped around to face him, her flaming hair falling out of its braid and Mia didn't have to see it to know what kind of expression she was giving McLaggen. It was most effective, seeing as McLaggen shut up right away and scampered off to the other side of the common room, making Mia grin. Ginny was so much like her mother sometimes it was downright scary, however incredibly amusing when her anger was directed towards someone else. The youngest Weasley huffed loudly before she took a seta at the same corner table as Mia, sinking down into it and sagging slightly.
"Tough practice?" Mia asked her.
"Physically, no," Ginny sighed. "But sweet Merlin, McLaggen is driving everyone completely mad! He's too arrogant in his own skills, and he keeps on flyign over to other members of the team to give them pointers on how to do their part better. I swear, he's the Captain in his own head, always trying to override Harry's instructions, and he was so busy complaining about my technique that he missed three goals."
"There's definitely some damage in the attic if he think you of all people need any improving," Mia stated. "You've been throwing a Quaffle around since you could walk. I'm pretty sure you've got this covered."
"Thanks Mia, but don't inflate my head too much," Ginny said with a grateful smile. "I'd hate to end up like the hot shot over there."
"Trust me, you would be hearing it from me and Harry if you ever got like that," Mia reassured her with a light laugh. "As a matter of fact, where is he?"
"He went off to wash off in the Prefect's bathroom before dinner started," Ginny replied.
"Really?" Mia said in surprise.
"Yeah, he seemed a bit distracted a couple times during practice. You guys have an argument?"
"What makes you think that?"
"Because along with looking frustrated at McLaggen, his mind seemed to be somewhere else, and sometimes I would catch him looking back towards the castle, looking like a sap. I'm pretty sure only you can make him do that."
"Come off it," Mia muttered, although she shifted a bit in her seat. "He did say something that made me a little upset last night, though. He was kind of a jerk."
"All boys are jerks, Mia," Ginny pointed out. "But I'm sure that Harry understands he upset you and feels bad about it. He looked glum when we left the locker rooms, I'd say he's probably soaking away his troubles and thinking about how he's going to approach you to apologize. Just, give him some slack, okay? With having to deal with managing the team, all his NEWT classes, this whole 'Chosen One' thing, and whatever he's got going on with Dumbledore, it looks to me like he's getting, well..."
"Tired," Mia finished with a sigh. "I think you may be right."
HarryPOV
Harry couldn't be more grateful that, just as it was on fourth year, the Prefect's bathroom was completely empty when he arrived. There was no person or ghost in sight, which was exactly what he needed. He really didn't want to be bothered while trying to clear his head. Therefore, he went to work with turning on the taps for the huge bathtub, seeing the different color bubbles begin to form the moment the soap combined with the warm water, rising up to the high ceiling. The stained glass mermaid in the window watched from her perch, running her hands through her golden hair, perched upon her rock on the middle of soothing waves of water. When the water was good to go, Harry rid himself of his clothes and then he proceeded to dip his feet inside, then his legs, and then he gently pushed himself off of the edge of the pool and made a noise of content as he submerged himself up to his neck, his tense muscles instantly relaxing.
It seemed as though everything had started piling up on him all throughout the day, making him feel much more stressed out and overwhelmed than necessary. This morning, he had slept longer than he intended, and so he had missed meeting Mia in the common room before breakfast, and by the time he made it down to the Great Hall, she was already eating her meal, along with Hermione, and the two of them were talking with Rachel. He quickly piled some food on his plate, and was mostly quiet throughout the meal, sneaking a glance at Mia every now and then, wondering just how and when he could bring up last night, and apologize for snapping at her the way he had. As annoyed as he was that no one seemed to completely believe him, Mia didn't deserve to be on the brunt end of his frustration. He never did really have a chance to apologize to her, since the two of them and Hermione all made their way up to the hospital wing to visit Ron after they ate breakfast, and he didn't want to bring it up in front of Hermione. Ron was actually awake when they went to see him, and it lifted their spirits to see that he was already looking so much better than he was before. Harry briefed him about exactly what had happened and Ron seemed horror struck at the fact that he nearly died from the poison. He thanked Harry profusely, to which Harry only said that he was happy Ron was going to be okay.
They had spent all morning with Ron, keeping him company because Madame Pomfrey said more than likely he will end up staying in the ward for most of the week until she gave him the okay to leave. The flour of them talked together and laughed together, all the way up until lunch time. Once that was over, Harry had to get ready with the rest of the team for Quidditch practice, and he missed his opportunity to speak with Mia when she had been unwillingly kidnapped by Lucy and Jenna to get some studying done in the library. Even during practice, Harry found his mind drifting so much it was beginning to give him a headache. His thoughts shifted from Mia, to Malfoy, to Dumbledore, to being the 'Chosen One,' to arguing with McLaggen, and at one point he had cursed to himself, feeling quite agitated that with everything going on, he forgot he was supposed to be trying harder to get Slughorn to give up the memory Dumbledore asked him to retrieve. By the time everyone had left the locker rooms to head up to the castle, Harry felt so very drained physically and emotionally that he needed some time to himself to clear his head before it exploded. So, he muttered a quick goodbye to Ginny once they reached the fifth floor, and snuck into the Prefect's Bathroom, thankful that Ron gave him the password only a few days prior, much to Hermione's chargin.
Harry moved through the pool until he was at the deeper end, and his toes barely touched the bottom. Taking a breath, he went under and started swimming all the way to the other end, the muffled noise of the water surrounding him soothing to his ears. He broke through the surface, feeling refreshed, and then started to alternate between swimming laps and simply floating there. The room was still filled with many floating bubbles, and time passed on by at a comfortable pace. Even if someone were to come in, there were enough thick clouds of bubbles on the surface to hide anything he didn't want seen. He only hoped the Moaning Myrtle wouldn't make an unexpected appearance again. After dunking his head under the water for the tenth time, Harry began making his way over towards the knobs close to the faucets that would dispense soap for his body and hair, rubbing at his eyes, when he suddenly a sudden voice made him jump.
"Looks like those lessons we took as kids paid off, huh?"
Harry turned around to see Mia crouching along the side of the pool, her arms folded over her knees and giving him a lovely smile.
"Mia," Harry said, his heart taking on a more rhythmic beat at the sight of her and her smile, swimming over to where she was. "What are you doing here?"
"Ginny told me where you were," she explained. There was a adoring, but sympathetic look in her eyes as she stared at him and she moved one of her hands to trace her fingers over his face, no doubt taking note of the circles under his eyes from lack of sleep the past couple of nights.
"You look so tired, sweetheart," she murmured softly. "Would you mind if I join you?"
The fefaceg of her warm hand on his cheek was wonderful, and he shook his head, telling her he wouldn't mind at all. Therefore, Mia straightened up and began to undress, placing her clothes a safe distance away from the pool, and the she carefully sat down on the edge before hopping off into the water, going under for only a brief moment. She resurfaced, wiping the water from her eyes and pushing her hair back, and in that moment she looked so beautiful that Harry took a minute to simply gaze at her. Her fair skin seemed to glow in the moonlight that shined through the windows, her dak hair floating and fanning around her in the water, and her eyes seemed so bright, even from where he was. She gave him a smile, a smile that was so very Mia, that he could feel his heart stutter at the sight of it. Mia swam over to him and they just stared at one another.
"Mia, I'm sorry," Harry murmured.
"It's okay," she said. "I just don't want you to think that I believe you're bonkers."
"I know you don't. You've been wiling to hear me out about everything from the start. I know that I keep wanting to find out what Malfoy's up to, I just-"
"No," Mia cut in gently, placing her fingers on Harry's lips to make him fall silent. "No more of that. Right now I'm only concerned about you, and me. No Malfoy, no Quidditch, no friends, no Dumbledore. Just us."
Harry couldn't deny that he really liked the sound of that. So, once Mia withdrew her fingers she came up to him and placed a sweet, yet tantalizing kiss on his lops and he sighed in content. Feeling the need to hold her, Harry encircled his arms around her wait, pulling her against him while Mia wrapped her arms around his neck, neither one of them breaking their kiss. Having Mia there will him, embracing her like this, with her soft skin against his, feeling her lips and her loving presence was enough to drive away all other thoughts and nonsense that just didn't seem to matter at that point. All he could see, feel, hear and taste was her, as well as the love he felt for Her. And right now, in that moment, it was all he needed.
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The morning of the Quidditch match against Gryffindor and Hufflepuff seemed to be a very nice one, with light winds and a clear sky, although there was still a chill in the air, the last remnants of winter desperately holding on with its fingertips before spring made its full appearance. Harry and the other team members were in the locker rooms, changing into their uniforms, and he made sure to give them all a good prep talk before they had to go out onto the field. He could hear the cheers and shouts from the audience already, their voices rising high up to the clouds, creating that familiar flurry of excitement within Harry that could only come from preparing for a game. When the time finally came, he led everyone out onto the pitch, where there was a sea of colors and the cheers only increased when the two teams met each other in the center where Madame Hooch was waiting for them. Harry and the Hufflepuff captain shook hands before everyone mounted their brooms and shot up into the air. The seconds before Madame Hooch blew the whistle were nerve-wracking, but once she did, the Quaffle was tossed high into the air, and Harry couldn't help the burst of pride he felt when Ginny, as fast as a bullet, went shooting towards the ball and had it secured under her arm before anyone could blink.
It didn't take long for her to score, and the Gryffindors below all went wild while Harry took off in search of the Snitch. Only a short amount of tiem passed before his ears picked up the beginning commentary, but what surprised him was that he recognized the voice immediately.
"And that's Smith of Hufflepuff with the Quaffle," Luna's dreamlike tone filtered through the stands. "He did the commentary last time, of course, and Ginny Weasley flew into him, I think on purpose, it looked like it. Smith was being quite rude about Gryffindor, I expect he regrets that now he's playing them-oh, look, he's lost the Quaffle, Ginny took it from him, I do like her, she's very nice..."
No way. Even from where he sat on his broom, there was no mistaking the long, blonde hair that could only belong to Luna, and from what he could see, Professor McGonagall was next to her, looking as though she already regretted giving the assignment of game commentary to Luna. Harry briefly thought of Mia, and how she was sure to find this very amusing, before he shook his head and took off flying again, trying to keep his focus on finding the Snitch as soon as possible. However, that was proving to be difficult, considering that McLaggen was so busy criticizing the other team members that he already allowed Hufflepuff to score twice because he wasn't paying attention.
"McLaggen!" Harry hollered as he spun around to face him. "Stop telling everyone else what to do and focus!"
"You're not setting the best example!" McLaggen bellowed back, his face red. Harry growled before moving away, knowing if he stayed there and kept arguing with McLaggen he would end up punching him. Never before had he missed Ron during a game as much as this. Time passed on, with the Chasers weaving their way through the air, scoring, stealing the Quaffle back from opposing players, and the Beaters going around to slow the other team down as much as possible. With the exception of McLaggen, Harry was feeling quite proud of how well the team was doing so far, and he made sure to glance by every so often and keep an ear on the score while he searched high and low for the tiny golden ball that was his responsibility. Luna, not overly interested in the score, kept commenting on idle things, like the shape of the clouds that had moved in to block some of the sun's rays, and more than once mispronounced players' names.
"Oh, look!" Luna eventually said. "The Gryffindor Keeper's got hold of one of the Beater's bats!"
You've got to be kidding me!
Harry spun around to see that, once again, McLaggen left the goal posts completely open. He had flown over to Peakes and seemed to have taken his bat off of him to demonstrate how to aim a Bludger towards one of the oncoming Hufflepuff Chasers. His insides burning in fury, Harry zoomed over towards them.
"MCLAGGEN!" he roared. "Give Peakes his bat and get back-"
Just then, McLaggen took aim at a fast approaching Bludger, but mishit it, and it then came pelting right towards Harry. There was a blinding, sickening pain that started off in his head and then spread throughout the rest of his body in an instant. Harry thought he could hear the sound of distant screams ringing in his ear before he suddenly felt the strange sensation of falling through the air. Then, to his immense relief, the pain vanished and everything went black as he lost conciousness.
When Harry started coming out of the darkness, and his senses were beginning to turn themselves back on, he realized that he was no longer up in the air, but laid out on a comfortable, warm bed. His eyes still felt heavy, but he forced them open nonetheless, slowly, and blinking a few times to get them adjusted to the surrounding area he was in. There was a lamp beside him that cast a golden glow on the high ceiling, and he gazed up at it for a few seconds before he heard his name being called. Moving carefully, he turned his aching head over towards the voice, and he saw that Ron was lying in a bed next to him grinning.
"It's about time you woke up," he said. "How are you feeling?"
"Peachy," Harry mumbled straightening up just a little against the pillows. Of course, he was in the hospital wing. As he moved, a slight throbbing pain went through his head and he winced, raising a hand and feeling thick bandages wrapped around his forehead. A brief glance out the window told him it was probably just past sunset, so the match had to have finished hours ago at this point.
"What happened?" Harry asked.
"Cracked skull," Ron replied. "Madame Pomfry was able to fix you up and mend it right away once they got you up here, but she's going to keep you overnight. Says she doesn't want you overexerting yourself."
"I don't want to stay here," Harry snarled. "I want to find McLaggen and kill him."
"I'm pretty sure that counts as overexertion, mate," Ron told him before he snickered. "Besides, I think Mia has already taken care of that for you. I swear, by the time she made it up to the ward she looked like a dragon, I thought she was going to start breathing fire at one point. Ginny told me she and Hermione had to hold her back while Sirius and McGonagall brought you up here on a stretcher, but that was only after she got a couple hexes and a few good kicks in. I think she was cursing at him too, but only in French, since McGonagall was still within hearing range."
Despite himself, Harry had to give a snort and shake his head gently. That definitely sounded like something that Mia would do.
"She stayed here with you for a long time after that, even convinced Madame Pomfrey to let her stay five more minutes past visiting hours," Ron continued. "You know, I could hear Luna's commentary all the way up here, I haven't laughed so hard in ages, it was brilliant."
"Do you know how much we lost by?" Harry asked.
"Yeah," Ron answered, looking put out. "Three hundred and twenty to sixty."
"Brilliant," Harry groaned, falling back against the pillows, glaring up at the ceiling and cursing McLaggen in his mind viciously. "Just brilliant."
"Come on, don't beat yourself up over it," Ron said. "I'll be out of here tomorrow with you, and then we can toss him into the lake, I'm sure Mia would have no objections helping out with that. By the way, Ginny also told me that you were late going down to the Quidditch pitch after seeing me this morning. How come? You left in plenty of time."
"Oh," Harry muttered, remembering all too well the distraction he had come upon on his way down to the game. "I ran into Malfoy on the way down. He was sneaking off with these two girls, they didn't look too thrilled to be with him, and i remembered that it wasn't the first time he snuck away when the rest of the school was down to watch the quidditch game. I wish that I followed by gut and went after him..."
"Don't be stupid," Ron said with a scowl. "You'd really rather miss out on a match to follow that prat around? Aren't you getting tired of that?"
"I'm tired of not knowing what he's up to," Harry argued with a huff. "And don't tell me it's all in my head, not after what I heard him and Snape say-"
"I'm not saying it's all in your head," Ron cut in. "But there's no rule saying that only one person at a time can be plotting anything in this place! You're getting too obsessed over this Harry, if you keep this up something bad is going to happen and besides, it's not as though you can follow him around all day every day. Not that you haven't tried anyway-"
"Wait!" Harry exclaimed, an idea popping into his head. "That's it!"
"What is?"
"There is a way, I can't believe that I didn't think of it before."
Ignoring Ron's confused look,. Harry glanced around the ward to make sure that no one else was around, and that Madame Pomfry was in her quarters, more than likely getting ready for bed. When he was sure they were alone, he spoke out, softly into the stillness.
"Kreacher?"
At that moment there was a very loud crack, and then the sounds of rough scuffle could be heard, along with muffled shouts as not one, but two elves appeared out of thin air, rolling around on the ground with their tiny fists and feet hitting each other. Thinking fast, Harry took out his wand and pointed it towards Madame Pomfrey's door, muttering a quick "Muffliato!" After making sure that the school matron wouldn't come out running, he scrambled to the edge of the bed to take a look at what was going on, and he was stunned to see thet Kreacher was in a wrestling match with none other than Dobby, whose hat had come off during the struggle. Harry shared a bewlidered look with Ron before the two of them leapt put of their beds and went in to break the two elves apart.
"Kreacher will not insult Harry Potter in front of Dobby, no he won't!" the little elf yelled in a high pitch tone.
"Kreacher will say what he likes about his master, oh yes, and what a master he is, filthy friend of Mudbloods, oh, what would Kreacher's poor mistress say-"
Dobby made a cry of anger and tried to make a go at Kreacher again, but Ron was successful in holding him up in the sir to make sure he didn't go anywhere, while Harry held Kreacher back by his arms.
"Enough!" Harry ordered. "I forbid you both to fight each other! Well, Kreacher, you are forbidden to fight Dobby. Dobby, I know I'm not allowed to give you orders..."
"Dobby is a free elf, and can obey anyone he likes!" Dobby said as he finally calmed down a little. "Dobby is happy to do whatever Harry Potter wants him to do!"
"All right then," Harry muttered, and then both he and Ron set the elves down on the floor, where they continued to glare daggers at each other, but ceased fighting. Kreacher soon turned his attention to Harry, bowing low but giving him a look that was clear he wished nothing more than for him to die a slow, painful death.
"Master called for Kreacher?" he croaked.
"Yes, I did," Harry replied. "I've got a job for you to do."
"Kreacher will do whatever Master wishes," Kreacher grumbled lowly. "Because Kreacher has no choice, but Kreacher is so ashamed to have such a master, yes-"
"Dobby will do it, Harry Potter!" Dobby piped up eagerly, raising his hand as though he were in class, his green eyes suddenly alight with eagerness and glee at the thought of being helpful to Harry. "Dobby would be very much honored, indeed!"
"Actually, it would be best to have you both do this," Harry said thoughtfully before fixing both elves with a serious expression. "Okay then...I want you to tail Draco Malfoy."
MiaPOV
"Very good, Mia. Now, try again, and remember to watch my feet as well as my arms."
Mia nodded and focused her attention on watching every small movement Sirius' body made as they circled around each other in the empty classroom, her eyes sharp and her hand gripping her wand tightly. It was quiet for a minute or two as they watched each other and then, moving fast, Sirius raised his arm in a sweeping motion as he launched forward, a thin whip of flame erupting from his wand, but this time, Mia was ready. She easily side stepped the flame and without saying the incantation out loud, shot a stream of blue light towards the man, watching him deflect it with Portego, and then moving his wand again to make the surrounding desks and tables rise up and head straight for her. Mia spun around and, using the special technique he recently taught her, she created a barrier of her own and sent them flying back in all directions before disarmign him with a well cast Expelliarmus!
"Excellent, Mia," Sirius praised her with a grin, "You're getting better and better each time. How did you know I would start off with the fire?"
"I know you well enough to know when you're subtly trying to help me conquer my fears," Mia replied with a smile. "That's why you attacked when I was on this side of the room, right? To make sure that I had plenty of room to duck in case I couldn't face it?"
"You know, you could be a fantastic Auror if you wanted," he pointed out. "i think even Mad Eye would be impressed."
"Trust me, anything I can do is thanks to Harry, along with you and Remus as well. We really do appreciate these extra lessons whenever you come by."
"It's not a problem. I want to make sure that you are all properly prepared for when you leave here, and I doubt Snape is doing the job right," Sirius said, his lips briefly twisting into a frown at the mention of the former Potions master. "How about we stop here for the day? It's actually Remus' birthday, and I promised him that I would come over to his home and kidnap him to force him to socialize a bit."
"I'm sure he's looking forward to that," Mia giggled, helping Sirius to repair and replace the furniture they had used. "Tell him that I said Happy Birthday."
"I will. By the way, I heard that the kid who knocked Harry out during the game somehow got a black eye, and a very nasty hex that he was too embarrassed to go to the hospital wing for," Sirius commented with a raised eyebrow. "You wouldn't happen to know who did that, do you?"
"Can't say that I do," Mia replied with a shrug, doing her best to make her face as nonchalant as possible. "He probably deserved it, though."
Sirius hummed at that, but the gleam in his eyes made Mia think he could see right through her, and she tried her best to keep herself from smiling guiltily as they left the classroom and started making their way down the corridor. Mia had some free time to herself before lunch that day, while the others were in class, and so she decided to take advantage by accepting Sirius' offer to teach her some more defense moves, since he had just ended his patrol around the school grounds anyway. The two of them made small chatter as they walked, and Sirius asked her if she was excited about her upcoming birthday. Mia honestly was, because this year would be the year that she finally turns seventeen, and becomes of age. The idea was crazy, but at the same time, very much anticipated. She knew that her parents were a little upset that they couldn't be at Hogwarts to celebrate with her, but she confided with Sirius that even though she didn't want it, her friends were sure to come up with something. Sirius' only response to that was that this was a very big occasion for any witch or wizard, that she should expect it to be a wonderful one, and he said it so casually that it made a spark of suspicion ignite in her.
"Did you hear about the attack on the bridge in Townsend?" Mia asked him as they reached the second floor.
"Yeah, I saw it in the Prophet yesterday morning," Sirius sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Such a same. The Death Eaters are growing more and more bold with each attack, security be damned. The Muggle authorities are still baffled of course, the bridge wasn't that old, and according to them, should have lasted for at least another hundred years or so. Those poor people, it took forever to get everything cleared up."
"It's awful," Mia muttered sadly. "And they're not going to stop."
"Unfortunately not," Sirius agreed. "But don't worry Mia, we'll keep on fighting no matter what-"
Sirius was cut of from his sentence because at that moment, a bright, white light came shooting in through the nearest window, landing directly in front of them. Almost out of pure instinct, Sirius pushed Mia behind him and drew his wand, ready to act if needed, but after a few seconds, they realized there was no need, because they saw that the bright figure in front of them was a patronus, a transparant, glowing animal in the form of a huge wolf, staring at them with pericing eyes.
"Meet outside in the courtyard outside the Entrance Hall," Remus' hushed tone came from the mouth of the wolf. "It's urgent. Hurry."
With that being said, the wolf turned to start running down the corridor, fading away from sight as it did so. The light, pleasant atmosphere quickly dropped and Sirius turned to Mia, his expression hardening immediately and his eyes apologetic.
"It's okay, I understand," Mia reassured him quickly. "Go on."
Sirius thanked her before he hastily made his way down the corridor and started taking the steps two at a time, wanting to get to Remus as quickly as possible, considering he couldn't just Apparate there. By the time Mia reached the staircase herself, Sirius was long gone, and she honestly wouldn't be surprised if he decided to change into his animagus form to save some time. Mia could recognize the grave urgency in Remus' tone when he spoke through his patronus, and she hoped that everything was okay, because she didn't like his voice in that message at all. Mia made her way down to the Great Hall with some time to spare, and she saw that Claudia was making her way there too.
"Claudia!" Mia called, causing the girl to stop in her tracks.
"Hello, Mia," Claudia greeted, a small smile on her face as Mia approached her. "How was your free period?"
"It was nice, definitely got some practice in with my Defense magic," Mia replied.
"So you're just waiting for the other members of your barbershop quartet?"
"Yes, they're all coming from the west wing of the castle, so they'll be a few minutes, at the very least," Mia answered with a giggle. "And how do you know what a barbershop quartet is?"
"You would be amazed at the facts that I learn when I'm bored enough," Claudia answered with a shrug. "Plus, when I would visit Swansea, I would walk past an old fashions barber shop and the men there would break out into song more often than not."
"You have the strangest stories to tell about when you go there," Mia said as the two of them entered the hall together.
"It's a rather strange place, believe me, but charming as well," Claudia stated. "Care to walk to Defense after lunch is over?"
"Of course, I'll meet up with you, then."
The two girls split up, each one heading to their own house table just as the food for lunch magically appeared on the surface, all fresh and steaming, the scent making Mia's stomach rumble with hunger. She took a seat next to Colin Creevy, who had also turned up for lunch a bit early, and he offered her an overly excited greeting that she returned with a kind smile, and she listened to him babble on about the recent pictures he had taken with his brand new camera that his parents bought for him over the holidays. Mia listened while piling the delicious food made by the eleves in the kitchen onto her plate, hoping the others wouldn't mind that she started without them.
"So, how are your NEWT classes going?" Colin asked her at one point when he had finally taken a breath.
"They're hard, but manageable," Mia answered him before taking a bite out of her mango. "And how is you OWL preparations?"
"Really good, and I have my meeting with Professor McGonagall on Friday to discuss my career options, I was first thinking about going for a reporter's job, but not with the daily Prophet though, not with all the rubbish they've been-whoa!"
Colin and Mia were startled when a large, black owl with gray spots suddenly swopped down over them, screeching loudly as it did a lap over their heads before landing directly in front og Mia, looking expectantly at her.
"You didn't get your mail this morning?" Colin asked.
"I did," Mia replied, puzzled. "I already got my letters from my family."
Feeling curious, Mia carefully untied the letter that was attached to the owl's leg, and after giving it a bit of her food in thanks, the owl took off into the air, soaring high up until it left through one of the open windows. Mia stared at the envelope in her hands-it wasn't heavy at all, so she figured there was only one piece of parchment inside, and it was addressed to her in handwriting that she didn't recognize. She flipped the envelope over to see who had sent it, and she paused in her movements, her hands going still as she read the return address, something squirming unpleasantly in her stomach.
"Mia?" Colin asked. "Who's it from?"
"The Ministry," Mia muttered, licking her lips that for some reason felt very dry as she stared down at the official seal. "But I don't...I don't know what I did..."
She had to have done something, right? The ministry sent Harry warmings and letters of expulsion before when he did underage magic. But she was at Hogwarts, for crying out loud! What did she do that was enough to earn a warning from the Ministry of Magic? This couldn't possibly have anything to do with McLaggen, did it? All different kinds of thoughts were going through Mia's mind as she opened the envelope and unfolded the piece of parchment that was inside, reading it through carefully. However, by the time she reached the third line of the letter, something happened.
A small ball of ice dropped itself into her stomach and with each passing second afterwards, it swelled and grew, turning her blood cold and unless she was imagining it, she could feel her heartbeat in her ears, loud and clear, kicking its rhythem up a notch to a point where she felt the throbbing pulse throughout her body. Her heartbeat was all that she could hear, and the words scrawled upon the letter were all she could see, even though they were starting to become blurry for some reason. The world almost seemed to disappear around her, while a strong, overpowering emotions started to bloom painfully in her chest, and in some part of her brain, she tried to push it down, stamp it out, because she knew what would happen if she let it loose.
There was a muffled voice from beside her but she couldn't really understand who it was, ot what they were saying. Then, another one joined soon after, this one having a distinct feminine tone and Mia felt a soft hand place itself on her shoulder. But she couldn't respond to the touch, couldn't take her eyes away from the parchment in her hands, which was shaking. How long she was in this frozen, cold, and quiet state, she honestly couldn't say, but eventually, she felt a more firm hand grasp her shoulder and shake it with enough force to bring her back to the surface. Ever so slowly, Mia turned her head to the left to see Professor McGonagall standing at her side, her usual stern and firm face unnaturally worried as she gazed upon her. Mia thought that McGonagall was saying something to her, possibly her name, but she couldn't be sure. Then, McGonagall was looking down at the letter in her hands-when had Mia dropped it?-and her lips pressed together while reading it, but not in an angry way. Mia blinked a few times to try and clear out her blurred vision a bit better, and with each blink, the more sound started coming back to her.
"Professor..."
"...afriad not, Mr. Creevy..."
"What happened..."
"Miss Nessen...if you could please go fetch Potter, Granger and Weasley, and ask them to come to my office straight away."
"Yes, Professor."
"Come on now, Thatcher," McGonagall's voice instructed softly. "Up you get."
As if her body was on auto-pilot, Mia got to her feet and stepped away from the table with ease, even though her muscles felt oddly tense. McGonagall placed a gentle hand on Mia's shoulder, guiding her out into the Entrance Hall, where Mia heard yet another familiar voice call out to them.
"Minnie," Sirius panted, as though he had just run a mile. "I just heard...did she-"
"She just got the letter minutes ago," McGonagall said.
"Sirius," Mia mumbled. "I...I don't feel so good."
"We should get her to my office, now," McGonagall suggested. Sirius must have agreed, because they were walking again, and somehow Mia was able to make it up the grand staircase leading to the upper floors. Her mind was still on the letter, the letter that McGonagall was still holding in her hand, the letter that somehow managed to forcefully remove Mia from a bright, happy afternoon to an empty, dark void that seemed to compress her on all sides. As she moved, she couldn't help but recite the first few lines over and over on her head, each time causing her heart to beat even more painfully. Even though she had only read through it once, each word was plastered in front of her eyes, the black ink standing out so profusely.
"Dear Miss Thatcher...we regret to inform...attack on Townsend Bridge, orchestrated...your parents, Benjamin and Catherine Thatcher...deepest condolences..."
The next thing Mia knew, she was sitting in a chair across from McGonagall, who sat at her desk, that damned letter in front of her. The Transfiguration professor had her hands folded and she gazed at Mia with a soft, sympathetic stare that was so unlike her it made Mia want to flinch away from it. Sirius was seated in the chair next to her, a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him. At either of them. All she could do was stare at the letter, her body shivering slightly from the cold, even though McGonagall had a small fire going to bring some warmth to the room. After a minute of silence, McGonagall spoke quietly.
"Miss Thatcher? Mia?"
At hearing her name, Mia finally lifted her gaze towards McGonagall, a couple tears slipping out of her eyes to run down her face.
"My parents are dead."
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Please leave a review! I love you all, see you in the next chapter!