Hi everyone! Guess what? Book six if now officially FINISHED! Wohoo! I think I speak for many readers when I say it's about time, haha!
My gosh, this one feels like it took forever and a day to get done. Half-Blood Prince was always my least favorite book, so it was particularly difficult to get through this story. The last two chapters especially, I was struggling to write out the final events of the sixth book with my own usual flare. So much went on in those final chapters, and there wasn't too much (if anything at all) that could be changed just because of my OC. I'm sorry if these last couple of chapters in this story isn't the best and seems a bit rushed. I was so excited and eager to wrap this up and get started on the last installment that I couldn't get my creative juices going like usual. Nonetheless, I think I still managed to do a decent job.
I do want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you who have continued to read my works and stuck with me even after all this time. There were times when I wouldn't update for a very long time (even a full year) and yet when I did get around to posting a new chapter or update, you guys were all there with your kind words and amazing support. You came along for the ride on Mia's journey with me through this wonderful, magical world, and one big reason my stories have grown so much over the years is because of YOU. That means so much to me, and I hope that all my beautiful readers will continue this journey through all the way to the end.
Well, here it is, the last chapter of "You Were Always There: Part Six." Just a heads up for everyone, I am going to get started with typing out the last story over the weekend, but I will not be posting anything until I have at least a few chapters all written out and ready to go. I want to give you all a good amount to read and so I cannot guarantee exactly when the seventh installment will be uploaded.
I truly hope that you guys will find the ending to this satisfactory, please leave me a review to tell me your thoughts. Love you all, and I will see you in the next book! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter are NOT mine!
Chapter Twenty-Flour: Now and Always
MiaPOV
"C'mere, Harry…"
"No."
"Yeh can' stay here, Harry…come on, now…"
"No."
Mia wasn't sure when exactly Hagrid had moved forward to stand next to Harry. She had been so focused on the sight of her old headmaster's body lying lifeless on the ground, somehow appearing as though he were napping after a particularly tiring day. Her eyes were fixed on the aged, pale face, and her body was close to convulsing from the shock that was still taking hold of her. Professor Dumbledore couldn't be dead…he just couldn't be! Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard in the entire world, cannot be gone. The idea alone seemed so illogical, unreasonable, and basically impossible, even if the man was quite old in age. Yet there he was, unmoving, with several of his staff and students shouting, crying, and shaking. As the seconds ticked by, the shock was beginning to make room for a horrible sadness that leaked right into Mia's very core, and she could feel the tears in her eyes begin to form. Sniffling softly and wiping them away before they had the chance to fall, she walked forward and leaned down to place her hand in Harry's hand.
"Come on, Harry," she murmured. "Let's go."
With gentle urging, Mia was able to get Harry to stand to his feet and then led him away from Dumbledore's body, making their way past the crowd to head back inside. She felt Harry grip her hand as though it was the only thing keeping him upright, and she gave his a squeeze, trying to offer what little comfort she could. It was silent for a little while as they walked, slowly up the grand staircase and through the near complete darkness of the castle.
"Where are we going?" Harry eventually asked her.
"To the hospital wing," Mia replied. "McGonagall's orders. Everyone else is already up there, getting looked after."
"Mia, who…who else is dead?"
"Don't worry, it's none of us, we're okay. Neville, Professor Flitwick and Sirius got hurt, but they'll be all right, it's nothing that Madame Pomfrey can't fix. But…"
Mia's voice trailed off a bit at this, swallowing before continuing.
"Bill's hurt, very badly," she told him. "He was attacked, by Greyback. The damage was severe by the time any of us could get that monster off him. None of us are sure what the side effects will be, seeing as Greyback wasn't transformed when he..."
Mia trailed off, closing her eyes for a moment to try and get the image of Bill being mauled by Greyback out of her mind. If Remus and Tonks hadn't jumped in when they did, she was sure that Bill would have been killed.
"I really think you saved us, Harry," Mia admitted, opening her eyes to look over at him. "If you hadn't have given us the Felix Felicis, we all probably would have been in the hospital beds ourselves, or worse. Everything just seemed to miss us, and we were able to get out of a bunch of close shaves."
"Are you sure that you're all right?" he said, bringing them to a stop by tugging lightly on her hand. "When I saw the mark, I panicked. I started thinking of all of you, being out in the corridors because of me, and I just—I couldn't—"
"I promise, we're all okay," Mia answered, with the smallest of smiles. "And by the way, thank you for saving my life, Harry. I would have been a goner if it wasn't for you."
"I wasn't about to lose you again," Harry said. "I don't think I could have survived it."
Mia raised their entwined hands so that she could kiss the back of his, and then they continued on with their walk, having no urge to deliver to horrible news to their friends any faster. When they finally reached the hospital wing, Mia gave her boyfriend's hand another squeeze before she opened the door to step inside, where almost everyone else had already gathered. Neville and Professor Flitwick were each sleeping in beds closer to the door, and further up towards the other end of the wing, Sirius—who looked as if he already had his fractured knee haled by Madame Pomfrey—was standing around another bed, along with Remus, Tonks, Ron, Hermione, Luna and Ginny. At the sound of the door opening, everyone looked up and Hermione wasted no time in rushing over to give both Mia and Harry a hug. As they came closer to the bed, Sirius came over to wrap his arms around Harry in a brief, yet loving embrace, his shoulders visibly sagging in relief.
"Thank Merlin, you're okay," Mia heard him mutter to his godson before he released him. "We were worried, when Mia ran off to find you…"
"I'm all right," Harry reassured him. "How's Bill doing?"
Nobody answered him, and Mia saw Harry look over towards the bed where Bill was sleeping, his face so badly slashed, ripped and bloody he looked positively grotesque. Greyback had truly showed no mercy, and Mia wouldn't be surprised if there were more wounds just as severe over the rest of Bill's body. Madame Pomfrey was dabbing at his face with a green ointment, but Mia knew that while it may help with any swelling from the cuts, he will never be rid of the scars. Harry asked the matron if there was a charm she could use that would help, but Madame Pomfrey sadly said that she had tried everything, but she wouldn't be able to cure werewolf bites.
"But he wasn't bitten during the full moon," Ron spoke up, moving his gaze away from his older brother to look at Remus uncertainly. "Greyback hadn't transformed, so surely Bill wouldn't…wouldn't be a real—"
"No, I do not believe that Bill will be a real werewolf," Remus said slowly, his brow furrowed in thought. "Unfortunately, that doesn't mean there won't be contamination. After all, those are cursed wounds from someone with Lycanthropy, and whether Greyback was in his wolf form or not, there is a big possibility that Bill may develop some wolfish tendencies or characteristics. There no way to see exactly what they may be until they happen, and that could take until close to the next full moon."
"Dumbledore might know something that would work, though," Ron suggested. "Bill was fighting those Death Eaters on his orders, Dumbledore owes him—"
"Ron," Mia cut in, doing her best to keep her voice steady as she prepped herself. "Dumbledore is dead."
"No!" Remus exclaimed, looking back and forth between her and Harry with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"What are you talking about?" Sirius demanded, aghast.
"He's gone," Mia said.
"But how?" Tonks whispered.
"Snape killed him," Harry answered, and Mia whipped her head around to star at him, her mouth falling open. "I was there, I saw it. We arrived back on the Astronomy Tower because that's where the Mark was. Dumbledore was very ill and weak, and I think he realized that it was a tap when we heard footsteps on the staircase. He immobilized me, I couldn't do anything to help him, and I was under the Invisibility Cloak. Malfoy came, he disarmed Dumbledore. After that more Death Eaters eventually arrived, and then Snape—Snape did it. The Avada Kedavra, and Dumbledore was blasted off the tower."
Mia was too stunned to speak, and she just couldn't believe what she was hearing. Malfoy was helping the Death Eaters, he disarmed Dumbledore when he was vulnerable, then stood by and watch Snape kill him. Harry was right about him all along. While Harry was speaking, there was a strange sound on the air that was coming from somewhere outside. It was like a tragic, grief-stricken lament that was also filled with such beauty it was enough to sooth the gut wrenching feeling a little. After listening to it a bit more, Mia recognized the sound as a phoenix song and she realized that Fawkes must be singing for his beloved owner. Everyone stopped for a moment to simply listen, with Hermione and Madame Pomfrey crying silently.
Soon enough, the door to the wing opened again and this time it was Professor McGonagall who entered, informing them all that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were on their way. Then, she asked Harry about Dumbledore, and Harry told her what Snape had done. The Transfiguration teacher stared at him for a long moment before she began to sway, and Madame Pomfrey was able to conjure a chair for her before she fell. McGonagall's face turned at least a couple of shades whiter, and Mia could see her eyes start to well with tears, although the older witch didn't let them fall.
"Dumbledore always swore that he was on our side," Tonks said. "I figured he must have had his reasons, that maybe he knew something about Snape that we didn't, and it was enough to earn his trust."
"He did know something," Harry nearly spat out, his green eyes enflamed for a moment. "Snape passed Voldemort the information that made Voldemort hunt down my mum and dad. Then Snape told Dumbledore he hadn't realized what he was doing, he was really sorry he'd done it, sorry that they were dead—"
"HE DID WHAT?!" Sirius roared, startling them and making them all jump. His grey eyes, like Harry's were ablaze with fury and his face twisted into something very unpleasant. "HE GAVE VOLDEMORT THE INFORMATION?!"
"Sirius—" Tonks said.
"He's the reason Voldemort went after James, Lily and Harry in the first place?!" Sirius snarled. "That's it, he's dead! I'm going to find him and strangle the life out of him!"
"How could Dumbledore possibly believe that?" Remus asked incredulously, not even bothering to try and calm Sirius down, letting his friend rant angrily. "Snape hated James."
"I can't believe this! No matter what happened between us, he went far enough to send Voldemort after them? Out of pure spite?!"
"Sirius, please, calm down."
"I won't, Tonks! That vile snake and that rat are the reason—they handed them over—they—"
"He fooled us," Mia stated, her shock coating her words as shame filled her insides. "He fooled us all."
Her words seemed to reverberate through the room, and it brought another brief period of horrified silence. After some time had passed. They talked about what had happened after Harry and Dumbledore had left that led to the fight in the castle, and Harry told them all how Malfoy was able to sneak into the school through the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement. No one had expected Snape to be involved with the Death Eaters, when he arrived after being fetched by Professor Flitwick, he went right up the tower and they all thought he was going to stop the Death Eaters that were already up there. And when he came back down, with Malfoy, they just…let him go. Mia had never before been so angry and frustrated with herself in her life. She should have done something, anything! Before anyone could say anything else, the doors burst open and then Mia looked over to see Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Fleur hurrying towards them, every one of their faces panic-stricken. Professor McGonagall stood up to greet them but Mrs. Weasley only had eyes for her oldest son as she darted towards him. Madame Pomfrey quickly got out of her way as the Weasley matriarch bent down over Bill, her brown eyes instantly filling with devastated tears. For a minute she seemed speechless, letting out incomprehensible noises until she leaned down to kiss Bill's forehead.
"My boy," she whispered. "Oh, my poor boy…"
Fleur was standing close by Mrs. Weasley, gazing at her fiancé with a frozen expression on her face, her blonde hair a little unkempt. Professor McGonagall and Remus were speaking to Mr. Weasley about Bill's condition and what difficulties he may face in the future, and at one point Mrs. Weasley took over the duty of dabbing the ointment on the wounds.
"Of course, it doesn't matter how he looks," she cried. "It's not r-really important. But he was a very handsome little boy…always very handsome…and he was g-going to be married!"
"And what do you mean by zat?" Fleur suddenly demanded. "What do you mean, ''he was going to be married?'"
"Well—only that—"
"You theenk Bill will not wish to marry me anymore? You theenk, because of these bites, he will not love me?!"
"No, that's not what I—"
"Because 'e will!" Fleur stated angrily, standing up tall and proud, her silvery blue eyes flashing. "It would take more zan a werewolf to stop Bill loving me! Did you theenk that I would not weesh to marry him? Or per'aps you hoped? What do I care how he looks? I am good looking enough for both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave! And I shall do zat!"
With that being said, Fleur snatched the ointment out of Mrs. Weasley's hands and then took her place beside Bill, carefully applying it to his face, her face set. For a moment, everyone held their breaths and Mia stood still with baited breath, anxious to see what would happen next. But to her surprise, Mrs. Weasley merely said that her great aunt had a goblin made tiara that she would like Fleur to wear for the wedding, as her aunt had always been very fond of Bill and it was sure to look lovely with Fleur's hair. Mia felt herself deflate at this as the two women suddenly broke down crying in each other's arms, finally establishing peace between them, even if it was only temporary.
"You see!" Tonks suddenly declared, whipping around to glare heatedly at Remus. "She still wants to marry him even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care, she still loves him! She still wants to be with him!"
"Oh boy," Sirius sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "And they're back in the ring…"
"It's different," Remus said firmly, avoiding her gaze. "Bill will never be a true werewolf, the circumstances are not the same, and you know that."
"So what?! I've told you a million times before, it doesn't matter to me—"
"And I've told you a million times, I am too old for you, too poor—"
"And I've been hearing this same ridiculous argument a million times for far too long," Sirius interjected. "Remus, I'm sorry, but I'm still with Tonks on this one. When are you going to get it into your head that there are people who care for you despite your furry little problem? James and I knew what we were getting into when we found out, and I'm sure my cousin does too."
Mia mouth dropped open as this conversation was going on, and a lot of little pieces to the puzzle of Tonks and her melancholic behavior suddenly made so much sense now. How long has Remus been rejecting the idea of him and Tonks together due to his utter fear of himself?
"You know damn well there's a difference between wanting to be friends with a monster and wanting to be with one, Sirius!" Remus said, throwing his friend a sharp, irritated look.
"So help me, Moony, if you call yourself a monster one more time I'm going to take your hysterical paranoia and shove it right up your—"
"Sirius Black, don't you dare finish that sentence!" Mrs. Weasley warned, lifting her tear stained face enough to pierce him with a steely gaze.
"This is not the time to talk about this," Remus said. "Dumbledore is dead…"
"Dumbledore would be thrilled to know that there was a little more love in the world to hold onto, Remus," Mia said to him. "Take it from me. If you and Tonks want to be together, then seize the moment and make it count. With the way things are right now, we need to find every ounce of happiness possible."
"Well said, Mia," Mr. Weasley praised, just as the doors opened again and Hagrid came inside. His eyes were still very puffy and red, and his entire form was shaking. He cleared his throat before informing Professor McGonagall that he had moved Dumbledore's body to a safe place for the time being, and that the students were all back in bed, and the ministry had been alerted as to what had happened. Sniffing once, McGonagall thanked Hagrid as she stood to her full height, wiping the last of her tears away from her eyes and seeing to draw up some kind of inner strength that reverberated around her. She asked Hagrid to call the Heads of Houses to her office for a meeting to discuss some serious matters before she had to meet with the Ministry officials once they arrived. As Hagrid shuffled out of the ward, McGonagall asked Harry to speak with her, and Mia had a feeling that Harry might be questioned as to what happened with him and Dumbledore. Harry nodded his head, and then he gave Mia a peck on the cheek, and muttered "See you later" to her, Ron and Hermione before he started following McGonagall out of the hospital wing. Once they were gone, Mia sat down on the edge of the closest bed and sighed tiredly.
"Harry said he was with Dumbledore tonight, before the school was invaded," Sirius said, looking over at Mia while he spoke. "That Dumbledore was weakened and couldn't fight. Do you know why?"
Mia had to force herself not to glance over at Ron or Hermione because she knew that would give away the fact that they all knew just what Harry and Dumbledore had been up to tonight. The information about Voldemort and his Horcruxes were crucial, and Dumbledore had explicitly told Harry that the only people he was allowed to let in on the secret was her, Ron and Hermione. So, it was very likely that Dumbledore kept the knowledge of the Horcruxes to himself, and not divulged it to anyone in the Order, not even to the people Mia was sure he trusted wholeheartedly.
But then again, he trusted Snape too. Mia knew that she couldn't place this secret on anyone else—the more people who knew, the worse it would potentially get. She took in a breath and stared back at Sirius with apologetic eyes.
"Not exactly," she replied truthfully. "I don't know how Dumbledore became weak."
"But you do know why he and Harry were together," Sirius stated rather than asked.
"Yes," Mia answered. "Please, Sirius, don't ask me. I can't tell you."
"Why?"
"All I can say is that it was something very important," Mia explained. "I only know because Dumbledore said it was all right, but otherwise, he wanted it kept on the down low."
"Mia, given the circumstances—" Mr. Weasley said.
"Please, no one ask me," Mia repeated, and everyone fell silent at the desperate begging in her voice. "I can't."
Hermione, who was standing behind almost everyone else, looked as if she were about to say something to come to Mia's aid, but Ron put a hand on her arm, shaking his head.
"What do you think they're talking about in McGonagall's office?" Tonks asked.
"Most likely whether or not the school should remain open," Remus replied.
"But surely it must!" Mrs. Weasley gasped, as though the mere thought of it was atrocious.
"It might not, dear," Mr. Weasley argued sadly. "Without Dumbledore…a lot of parents won't want to send their children here. Especially since Death Eaters were able to slip past our security when it was supposed to be impossible. They may think it's safer to keep them at home."
"When it comes down to it, it'll be up to the school board governors to decide," Sirius added.
"This castle has always been a symbol of hope," Tonks whispered. "If they take it away, what do we have?"
"Each other," Mia answered firmly. "We'll stick together and support one another, no matter what…just like Dumbledore always said."
=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=
The next couple of days were undoubtedly filled with fear and mourning. The news of Albus Dumbledore's passing seemed to have spread throughout the entire country, creating tremendous shockwaves. On the following morning after the attack on Hogwarts, many parents of students were either arriving at the school to whisk their children away or sending for them to come straight home. Parvati and Padma Patil were gone in less than twelve hours, and Lucy was practically dragged out by her mother. Rachel's parents had come for her and Leah, but both girls told them they wanted to stay behind so that way they could attend Dumbledore's funeral.
It had been decided that Professor Dumbledore would be buried right at Hogwarts, as the man dedicated half his life to the school and the students he taught there. I Like so many others who felt the same, Hogwarts was his home, and no one disagreed that it was a properly final resting place for the great wizard. All lessons and examinations were henceforth canceled, and it was heard that any available bed and room in Hogsmeade was being rented out by herds of witches and wizards who wanted to pay their final respects. This included several Ministry delegates, and also Madame Maxine, who had come in the gigantic carriage drawn by many winged horses. Neville's grandmother was lucky enough to book a room in the Three Broomsticks, and she had been granted special permission to visit Neville while he was in the hospital wing before he was discharged by Madame Pomfrey. Mia, who had been visiting Bill with Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny at the time, walked past the drawn curtains around Neville's bed and could heard the hushed conversation between the two Longbottoms.
"…more like your father everyday…I am so proud of you, my boy…"
Having only met Mrs. Longbottom once or twice, Mia had a very good impression of what the woman was like, and therefore knew just how much this moment of open affection and sentiment meant for both her and her grandson. Therefore, Mia just smiled to herself and kept on walking over towards the bed where Bill was gently and playfully swatting at Fleur's fretting hands as she did her best to make him more comfortable.
During all of this time, Mia, Harry, Ron, Hermione spent all of their time together. They would usually be found sitting underneath their Willow tree, trying to enjoy the ironically beautiful weather the past couple days have brought. Despite everything that had happened, Mia had found some comfort in those times, when she and her friends could simply stare out at the lake for a while, and let their thoughts wander. So many wonderful and fun memories were spent in their favorite spot on the school grounds, and it seemed like each of them were trying to relieve it all together. It was also there that Harry told them about the locket he and Dumbledore had found when they went out to the cave that night…the fake locket.
After Dumbledore died, Harry had opened the locket to see that there was a folded note tucked away inside of it. He showed the note to them all, and they each took turns reading it. The note explained that the Horcrux was a fake, and that whoever wrote the note had the real one. The unknow author—R.A.B— vowed to destroy the Horcrux as soon as they could and hoped that Voldemort would meet his end as what he feared most—a mortal man. Harry, of course, felt disheartened that he and Dumbledore went through all of that for nothing. Dumbledore lost his ability to defend himself for a hoax, and now they had no idea where the real Horcrux is, or who could possibly have it. Harry also told them what he had discovered when he had chased both Snape and Malfoy across the school grounds.
Severus Snape was the Half-Blood Prince. He was the owner of the old potions book, and the one who had been helping Harry so much over the past year. After some serious digging around in the library, Hermione found out that Snape mother was a witch named Eileen Prince, and that she had married a Muggle man named Tobias Snape when she was very young, giving birth to Snape not too long afterwards. Therefore, the name made sense, and after spending some time thinking about it, Mia wasn't very surprised that someone who was invested so much in the Dark Arts as snape was could have created such a horrible curse like Sectumsempra. Mia knew that there wasn't much she could do to make Harry feel better about it, so she just sat there in silence, leaning her head against his chest, right over his heart, while tracing lines in his palm in a soothing pattern.
On the morning of Dumbledore's funeral, Mia had woken up earlier than normal to pack her things. The Hogwarts Express would be waiting in Hogsmeade to take any remaining students back to London an hour after the funeral ends, so they had to make sure all of their belongings were stowed away beforehand. Thankfully, Sirius was able to bring her the black dress she had worn to her parents funeral, and she intended to wear it underneath her best black dress robes. Once she and Hermione were dressed, they met up with the boys in the common room before heading on down to the Great Hall. Even though breakfast was placed before them, no one felt like eating very much. Mia herself couldn't find it to eat a single bite, mostly just playing with the eggs on her plate and taking no more than two sips of her pumpkin juice. The hall was mostly quiet, with scattered whispered here and there, and the thronelike chair at the head of the teacher's table was left empty. Since she had been formerly deputy headmistress, it only made sense that Professor McGonagall would succeed Dumbledore, but Mia could understand why she couldn't sit in it. Not today, at least. After breakfast was over, the Heads of Houses all led their students through the Entrance Hall and out into the beautiful sunshine, with the light summer breeze gently billowing their robes. Mia and Harry held each other's hands the whole way across the grounds and down to the lake, where hundreds upon hundreds of chairs had been lined up in front of a white marble table, with one gaping aisle going directly down the middle.
Mia and the others took their seats at the end of a row quite a ways away from the table, but not far enough to not risk trouble hearing anything that would be said. Everyone was quiet as more and more people turned up as the minutes ticked on by. Witches and wizards of all kinds, young and old, big and small. There were several of them that Mia did not know, but plenty that she did. Mainly members of the Order, along with the Weasleys, some shop owners from Diagon Alley, the landlady from the Leaky Cauldron, and even Mrs. Figg, her neighbor from Privet Drive. There were also some select people that she was not happy at all to see, especially one particular witch Mia caught sight of out of the corner of her eye. She could almost feel the scars on the back of her hand burn at the sight of Delores Umbridge making her way through the rows to an empty seat, an unconvincing expression of grief on her face, and a black velvet bow atop her head. Her hand subconsciously tightened its grip on Harry's and when he looked over to see what Mia was looking at, his eyes hardened and a look of pure anger took hold of him. Not putting it past him to get up and curse the woman, Mia squeezed his hand and turned her face towards him, her gazing imploringly into his. At her silent request, Harry seemed to force himself to calm down and he raised their hands so he could kiss the back of hers, directly over her scars.
It took some time, but eventually all of the seats were filled, and those who were not able to find one stood at the very back. Mia was also surprised to see that several creatures had made their appearance as well in order to pay their respects, mostly Centaurs just beyond the trees of the forest, and the Mermaids of the lake, floating just below the water's surface. When it was time for the funeral to start, Mia heard the mermaids begin to sing from beneath the water, their voices beautifully mesmerizing, and after a short time, she realized that there was someone walking slowly down the aisle leading up to the marble table at the front. Turning her head fully, she saw that it was Hagrid, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw that he was carrying a large, loose lump wrapped in purple velvet with glittering golden stars. Tears instantly came to Mia's eyes when she realized it was Dumbledore's body, and seeing Hagrid desperately trying to hold himself together was heartbreaking. Dumbledore had given Hagrid a chance when nobody else did, and she knew the groundskeeper loved the old man dearly. Soon enough, Hagrid finally made it to the front and ever so carefully placed Dumbledore's body on the table, giving it a tender pat before rushing back down the aisle, blowing his nose into his handkerchief.
Then, a small, white haired wizard got to his feet, wearing simple black robes, and Mia guessed that he must have been an equivalent to a Muggle priest, for he began talking about Dumbledore. How they were all hear to celebrate the life of a truly wonderful man, and powerful wizard who accomplished so much in his long life. As he spoke, using pleasing scripted lines such as "Nobility of spirit" and "greatness of heart", Mia continued to cry silently, wishing that she had more time to get to know her dear headmaster. Obviously, Harry knew him much better than she did, but she tried to remember the privileged times she got to spend with Dumbledore, no matter how minimal or brief they may have been. She remembered in her very first year, when Dumbledore had come to visit her when she was in the hospital wing, having been hurt after she confronted Quirrell and Voldemort with Harry. He was so kind to her, and so wise, explaining how Harry's mother gave him a special kind of protection that ultimately destroyed Quirrell's attempts to harm the boy. That was the first time that Mia experienced the effect Dumbledore seemed to have on many people—the feeling of being understood, listened to, protected, and cared for by a man who seemed to be able to fix almost anything.
Now, that man was gone, and everything good he emitted appeared to have gone with him on this day. Never again would he give his welcome speeches on the first and last day of ever school year, or smile happily at the show Professor Flitwick and his choir students would put on, nor come to the rescue when he was needed the most. It was a hard reality to face, and Mia knew that this would be an extremely hard blow to get back up from. The wizard up front talked for some time, going on and on about Dumbledore's great aspects of his life, and then he was finally done, taking his seat afterwards. For a moment, Mia wondered if anyone else would get up to make a speech, but within seconds, she gasped loudly along with several others as white flames suddenly burst out from underneath the table holding up Dumbledore's body and engulfed it entirely. The flames rose higher and higher into the air, and then they were quickly extinguished, revealing a white marble tomb in its place, where Dumbledore's body lay at rest. All of the gusts appeared to hang their heads in unison for a minute in silent tribute to the beloved wizard, and once the moment was over, the funeral was declared over.
There were subdued murmuring and crying from many of the guests as people started to rise from their seats and either make their way back up to the castle, or down to the gates back towards Hogsmeade. Mia glanced over to see that Hermione was still crying as well, resting her head on Ron's shoulder. The redhead was staring blankly at the white tomb but was also patting Hermione's hand. Wiping at her eyes, Mia turned to look over at Harry, whose eyes were fixed on the ground before him, his expression unreadable. She nudged his shoulder to get his attention and asked him if he wanted to go for a walk. He nodded his head in response and then the two of them stood up together, walking away from the lingering crowd and taking some time for themselves, slowly moving around the bank of the lake. For a while, neither one of them said anything, just enjoying each other's company and the comfort it brought them.
"Do you really think that the board will close the school?" Mia asked after a long period of silence.
"Dunno," Harry replied with a small shrug. "I know that McGonagall wants to keep it open. She figured it's probably what Dumbledore would have wanted."
"I think she's right," Mia agreed with a smile. "She cares for all of us just as much as Dumbledore did. I have no doubt that while she will uphold a lot of his teachings and morals, she is going to be an incredible Headmistress and take Hogwarts by storm."
Harry managed a light chuckle at this as they kept on walking. A few minutes later he turned so that he was facing her and based off of his body language and hesitant look, she had a feeling that he wanted to tell her something but couldn't really find the right way to say it.
"Mia, we have to talk about something," he said. His tone alone made Mia stop dead in her tracks and she stared at him, an unpleasant feeling brewing in the very pit of her stomach. Something in the back of her mind told her that Harry was about to say something that would make her very sad or angry. Or possibly even both. She suppressed the growing anxiety inside of her and forced herself to keep calm for the moment.
"About what?" she asked him, somehow keeping her voice even.
"About us," Harry replied, sending her heart into an uncomfortable overdrive. "There's something that I need to do, and I…"
Harry visibly swallowed, his hand beginning to shake slightly, and appearing as though every word he spoke was borderline torture.
"I'm scared this will put you in danger. That I will put you in danger. It's best if we–"
"Harry!"
The new voice shouting his name made both Mia and Harry turn around to see Rufus Scrimgeour coming their way, leaning on his walking stick as he approached them. Harry's face instantly fell at seeing the Minister, clearly annoyed at having their serious conversation interrupted. The same went for Mia, because the little voice in her head wanted to rip her boyfriend a new one for what she was pretty sure he was trying to do. Although, she knew it probably wasn't the best idea to do it in front of Scrimgeour. When the man reached them, his breathing was a tad labored but nonetheless, he greeted them politely.
"You must be Miss Thatcher," Scrimgeour said, nodding his head at Mia. "I've heard some impressive things about you, my dear. It is truly a pleasure to meet you."
"It is nice to meet you as well, Minister," Mia replied, putting on her best smile despite her raging emotions churning inside. Scrimgeour smiled briefly at her before turning to Harry, asking if he could have a word with him. Even though Mia knew that this was the last thing he wanted, Harry still agreed and then, after reassuring her this wouldn't take long, started to walk on further ahead so that way he and Scimegour could talk in private. As she watched them go, Mia took a moment to collect herself. She knew exactly what Harry was up to and what he was about to say before Scrimegour made his presence known, and it made her want to smack him upside the head as well as give him a good shake.
I'm in love with a complete idiot. If he thinks he can get rid of me that easily, he's got another thing coming!
Mia kept on watching Harry and Scrimegour's forms as they talked, not being able to hear what they were saying but keeping an eye on them just in case. The sound of footsteps reached her ears and she was soon joined by Ron and Hermione, each of them staring at Scrimegour's back with disdain.
"What the bloody hell does he want?" Ron sneered.
"He's probably trying to rope Harry into another one of the Ministry's poster-boy schemes again," Mia told them. "You'd think by now he'd learn that Harry isn't going to parade around for them, pretending that everything is on the up and up."
"They really are relentless," Hermione noted.
"And so is Harry," Mia added with a light smirk. The three of them looked on for just a few minutes longer, and eventually, Harry and Scrimegour came to a halt. From what she could see of their faces, Scrimegour was highly affronted and growing angry, and Harry was cool and indifferent towards him. Even though she couldn't hear them, Mia was positive that Harry was laying it into the Minister the best way he knew how and she felt an intense wave of pride for him. At some point, Scrimegour fixed Harry with such a withering glare it was enough to make steam come out of his ears, and after his lips pulled back into a distasteful leer, he swerved around to start limping back the way he came. Taking that as their cue, Mia, Ron, and Hermione all hurried forward in order to catch up with Harry further along the lake. Passing by Scrimegour, Mia quickly peeked over her shoulder to see the Minister head back over to where his delegates were anxiously waiting for him. To her surprise, she saw Percy Weasley among them, and she briefly wondered whether he had even stopped to say hello to any of his family members. It took them less than a minute to catch up with Harry and Hermione immediately asked what it was that Scrimegour wanted.
"Just the usual," Harry replied. "Wanting me to be the new poster boy and give any information I have about Dumbledore."
"Not going to lie, I was sort of hoping he would do something stupid so I would have a reason to chuck him into the lake," Mia admitted with a heavy sigh.
"Those bloody maggots," Ron snarled, looking back over his shoulder and then turning to Hermione. "Look, let me go back and hit Percy!"
"No," Hermione said sternly as she grabbed hold of his robes.
"But it'll make me feel better!" Ron whined.
"Me too. Come on Hermione, we supported you when you smacked Malfoy," Mia reminded her friend. "We're in dire need of a laugh right now!"
"Will you two ever act your age?" Hermione groaned in exasperation, although Mia could see her lips twitching.
"I would never lie to you, Mione–so most likely, no," Mia answered. That was enough to get a tiny smile out of the bushy haired brunette and Harry laughed.
"I really can't bear the thought that we might never get to come back here," Hermione said, looking up at the beautiful castle ahead of them, it's turrets and towers standing majestically against the backdrop of blue skies.
"The school might not close," Ron said hopefully. "We're not in any more danger here then we are anywhere else. Although, Hogwarts may be safer with more wizards here to protect it. What do you reckon, Harry?"
"I'm not coming back, even if the school does stay open," Harry replied after a moment of silence. Ron openly gaped at this news while Mia closed her eyes, her suspicions confirmed.
"Not coming back?" Ron repeated.
"I had a feeling you were going to say that," Hermione sighed sadly. "But where will you go? What will you do?"
"I'll go back to the Dursley's once more, because Dumbledore wanted me to," Harry explained to them. "But it'll only be for a short visit, I'm not staying long at all before I'll be leaving there for good. Once I turn seventeen the charm that protects me while I'm there will be broken anyway."
"Where will you go if you don't come back to school?" Ron pressed.
"I was actually thinking about visiting Godric's Hollow," Harry said thoughtfully. "For me, it all started there, and I would like to see my parent's graves. After that, I have to find the rest of the Horcruxes, and finish what Dumbledore started. If he was right–and I'm sure he was–there are still four of them left, out there somewhere. I've got to find them, and destroy them, that way only Voldemort will be left and he won't have a backup escape plan to weasel his way out of it this time. I'm going to be the one to finish it, finish him, once and for all. I can only hope that I will run into Snape along the way, because he'll pay for what he's done. This is something that I have to do."
There was a long silence after Harry spoke, all four of them looking out across the water to see Dumbledore's tomb reflected on the other side. Mia was quiet, contemplating what Harry just told them, and as much as she wanted to argue with him, she knew deep down that he was right. Dumbledore taught Harry all about Voldemort's past, told him about the Horcruxes and what they might be, so that Harry could complete his destiny. The prophecy had said that only one of them could live in the end, and so Dumbledore provided the tools and weapons to help the odds be in Harry's favor. Mia could only hope that they would be enough. Nothing was said between any of them for a while, until Ron finally spoke up.
"We'll be there, Harry."
"What?"
"At your aunt and uncle's house," Ron empathized. "And then we'll go with you wherever you're going."
"What–no!" Harry stuttered. "I have to do this on my own!"
"And here he goes," Ron said with an eye roll. "You might want to try a new tactic, mate."
"You told us once before, that we could turn back if we wanted to," Hermione whispered. "Well, we've certainly had time, haven't we? Years, in fact."
"This is different though–it's too dangerous, you can't–"
"We can, and we will," Mia interrupted him sharply, her blue eyes fierce as they practically stabbed into him. Without giving him the chance to say anything else, she grabbed hold of his arm and dragged him away further along the bank of the lake, telling Ron and Hermione to head back up to the castle with everyone else, that they would catch up soon. Ignoring their startled expressions, Mia led Harry over to a nearby beech tree, where she pushed him up against the trunk none too gently.
"Mia, what–?"
"I know what you were trying to do before Scrimegour came over to talk to you," Mia said, her eyes narrowed into slits. "And you better listen to me right now, and listen good–I am not leaving you."
"Mia, listen to me, we can't keep this up!" Harry argued. "I can't be involved with you, it's too risky. We have to stop seeing each other."
"No," Mia said, shaking her head. "We are not ending it this way, you're not taking the easy way out. This whole thing where you sacrifice anything you have good in your life for the benefit or safety of others is not going to work, not this time. You're a git if you believe you can just toss me aside!"
"I'm not tossing you aside!" Harry protested, almost sounding angry with her. "You think I want to put an end to what we have? Break off the one thing that makes me unbelievably happy? I hate it, I can't even stand the thought of it."
"Then why even suggested it?!" Mia demanded.
"Because I'll end up getting you killed!" Harry shouted, taking hold of Mia's shoulders in a vice-like grip. "Don't you understand? I love you Mia, and Voldemort knows it! All of his followers know it, they know how much you mean to me and they will do everything in their power to take advantage of that! Voldemort set a Basilisk on you, Crouch tried to kidnap you, Umbridge tortured you, and that was all before we even got together! That was just because you were my best friend, so what lengths do you think they will take now? How do you think I would feel if this was your funeral? If it was you who died, and it would be all my fault? I meant what I said the other night–I couldn't survive it if I lost you. I'd rather you hate me and stay far away from me then love me and keep putting your life at risk. There's only one thing that can truly break me, Mia, and I…I'm not strong enough. I'm not."
By the time he finished his rant, Harry's eyes were very bright and fiery in his passionate urgency to make her understand why he felt the need to end things between them. He adverted his gaze to the ground, but not before Mia saw the utter fear and concern in those beautiful green orbs she had fallen in love with. Her anger and irritation with him faded and she could feel her heart break a little in her chest. He was willing to let her go because he wanted to protect her…but can't he realize that she wanted to protect him? What makes him think that she could ever live with herself if something happened to him and she wasn't there to help? After a minute of being lost in her thoughts, Mia used her hands to cup Harry's face and lifted his head back up so that she was staring at him directly. With no hesitation, she leaned up to give him a soft, lingering, and gentle kiss, pouring all her love into it. She used her thumbs to trace his cheeks, and it didn't take long for Harry to respond. His grip on her shoulders loosened a great deal, and he pulled her closer until she was flush against him. They continued kissing for who knows how long, and when they separated, Mia kept her hands on his face, leaning her forehead against his.
"I understand, Harry, I really do," she whispered tenderly. "I'm sure that if our roles were reversed, I would feel the same way. But there's something you need to understand. We made a pact years ago to always have each other's backs, remember? To always be there for each other, no matter what happened. I know going up against various monsters and dark wizards were not what we had in mind at the time, but that still doesn't change anything. I have every intention of honoring my end of the bargain, because I wouldn't be able to bear it if I lost you. I'm going to make sure that you're the one coming out of this alive in the end."
"Mia…"
"I love you too, Harry, with every damn fiber of my being. So if you think for a second that I'm going to just walk away from you when you need me the most, you are horribly mistaken. I get that you want to keep me safe, but you must realize that you can't do this mission all alone. Yes, there are many people who know that we are together, but that's just how it is. I would be no safer out there in hiding then off to who knows where with you, Ron, and Hermione. At least I'll be with friends that I trust to keep me out of harm's way, just as I would do for them in a heartbeat. Even if you try to end our relationship, that will not stop me from going along with you. You'll just have to put up with a very angry ex-girlfriend the whole time, and you'll have only yourself to blame."
That last comment managed to get a light chuckle out of Harry, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her in even closer to him.
"There's really no stopping you, is there?" he whispered. "No matter what I say, or do?"
"You know me enough by now to know the answer to that," she murmured. "You're stuck with me, Potter."
"I really don't know whether to be annoyed or greatly relieved by that," Harry huffed.
"I think for your own sake, you should consider with the latter," Mia advised.
"But you can be annoying, love," Harry stated with a small, playful grin.
"That's just part of the charm, I made it explicitly clear early on."
"Well, no one ever said I was the brightest."
"I'll say," Mia scoffed with a frown. "Trying to break up with me and tell me I can't go on our traditional crazy adventure with you right after a funeral, playing with my emotions like that. What's the matter with you?"
Harry laughed some more at this and Mia couldn't find it in herself to keep frowning. Her face broke out into a smile and she kissed his forehead. She knew the road before them was going to be a long one with many bumps, twists and turns, and she had no idea what the future held in store for them or where they would even begin with the inevitable Horcrux hunt. But Mia knew that as long as they stayed together, somehow everything would work out all right. It had to.
"Now and always," she said, the promise falling past her lips just as easily as it did eight years ago.
"Forever and ever."
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Keep an eye out for "You Were Always There: Part Seven." See you guys soon!