October 15th, 1976
"Stop that," James cringed, poking Mia's side. She ignored him, staying where she was. "You guys are disgusting."
"I'm literally just sitting on his lap," she argued, opening her eyes to meet his gaze. "If you have a problem with it, go plan your stupid pranks somewhere else."
"But someone in Gryffindor has been telling McGonagall," Fred told her, sounding annoyed. "It's not safe there."
"Then maybe, I don't know, don't plan pranks?" She suggested, raising an eyebrow. She felt Regulus chuckle underneath her and sighed - she knew it was a lost cause. "At least get better at being quiet about it. Don't you know how to silence an area?"
The boys looked at her blankly.
And that was how she ended up slowly kicking everyone out of the room and asking it to transform into something else - the room they'd used for the DA. The group, consisting of all of the Marauders along with Mia and Regulus, filed back inside, looking around in wonder.
"Did you just recreate this from memory?" Fred asked, incredulous. It was perfect, down to every detail, including, to their surprise, the pictures on the mirror. She moved swiftly over as Fred caught the attention of the Marauders, Regulus behind her, and plucked them down. On top was the picture of the Order that Sirius had given Harry, and she smiled softly at the image of her friends. Promising herself to go through them later, having seen new ones that she hadn't seen before, she stuffed them in her bag, Regulus covering the motion.
She made her way back over with a melancholy smile, looking between James, Sirius, and Remus. Peter was there, too, and she'd been trying as hard as possible to ignore that fact. She pulled out her wand, waving it over Fred. "Muffliato."
The boy tried to speak, and grinned when no words came out. Cancelling the spell, she turned to the others, a serious look on her face. "That spell can be extremely useful when dueling. If you cast it at your opponent, they won't be able to speak and since most wizards actually can't cast silently, they'll be harmless, for the most part."
"That's brilliant," Remus laughed. "How did I not think of that?"
"Too focused on this stupid prank," she winked. "Really, I don't know how you expect to get the entire school dosed."
"Oh, that's simple," Sirius grinned mischievously. "We put it in the drinks."
She stared at him. "You really think the house elves will let you?"
"They've done it before, Little Lion," Regulus sighed, his hands resting softly on her hips. They'd come to stay by each others sides as often as possible, typically only separating for classes and sleep, if that. While no other attacks had come from Dolohov, Regulus was still cautious. He thought that perhaps seeing her with another Death Eater had slightly deterred the boy, but he knew it wouldn't last. "The Invisible School of 1974. Everyone was completely invisible, save for their clothes, for two days. It was generally chaos. They weren't the only ones to get detention - some other kids got naked and ran around the school doing… well, I'm not sure what, but it sounded extremely unpleasant… at least for whoever caught them."
Mia wrinkled her nose. "Please keep me out of it. I've got a lot to do."
None of them replied except for a promising wink from Sirius, which only made her sigh.
"I can show you some more of the advanced spells I know," she offered, looking at the room nostalgically. It had been a light in a dark time, guiding the way for the even harder times ahead. Time that she knew weren't over yet. When the group expressed their excitement, including Regulus, she gave herself a small smile. She was happy to do anything to prepare them for the upcoming war.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
In the end, she'd only taught them the muggle repelling charm that day. It had been simple but crucial during her journeys, and she was sure they'd find use for it, too, especially if they ended up fighting in a muggle area as aurors often did in the war.
Once she'd finished up there, she and Regulus had fled the room, leaving the Marauders - plus Fred, the honorary Marauder - to their own devices, a very dangerous thing in and of itself.
She'd settled into a comfortable pattern in the castle. She spent very little time in the Gryffindor common room unless she wanted to see Lily, rather spending it in Slytherin with Regulus and Severus, or in the Room with her boys and Regulus. She'd also begun bringing Regulus to her sessions with Fabian, finding his influence extremely calming, something that she needed when handling the volatile spell and the volatile sands. Still, he couldn't always come, and often left her alone with the man.
It wasn't until moments like right then, as Fabian put out a large fire in the dark, empty room, that she really saw his age. He was barely three years older than her, and she knew that he wasn't technically much more experienced than her - possibly less - but he had a relaxing presence that put her at ease, and he was always willing to help however he could. Besides, he had authority that she often needed, like right then as Professor McGonagall ran into the office in her nightgown looking rather harried.
"Miss Potter! Mister Prewett!" She gasped, pulling out her own wand to help them finish extinguishing Mia's frustrating mistake. "What is going on here?"
Mia slammed herself into the chair nearby angrily, completely ignoring her old head of house. The spell was odd in the way that it had the specific ability to incite strong negative emotions. She was certain it was the spell version of a horcrux and, thankfully, less deadly. So far.
"Minnie," Fabian gasped, unable to say much more. Mia gathered her wits enough to tuck the time turner under her neck as the woman surveyed the situation. Fabian took a few deep breaths and gathered himself, the young girl to his side obviously unable and unwilling to do anything. "There was an accident. Miss Potter and I were handling it."
"Well," the woman gasped, looking between them, confused. "Are either of you injured?"
Both of them shook their heads tiredly. "We've got it under control," Fabian promised.
"What is Miss Potter doing out of bed after curfew?"
"Professor Dumbledore," Mia spoke up stiffly. "Gave me a private project. I cannot disclose the details."
McGonagall glanced at Fabian, who nodded firmly. "There may be a few disturbances for a while as we work on it, but we've got it under control."
"I will speak with Professor Dumbledore," she nodded, glancing between them. "I suggest you clean yourselves up and escort her to her common room."
With that, she left, and Fabian pushed himself over to Mia's side, kneeling to look at her. "Are you okay, pet?"
Her lips thinned as she resisted the urge to snap at him. She knew he had done nothing but help her, but she was so angry that it was hard. After taking a few deep breaths, she nodded silently. It was worse that time than the others, she realized. She'd known that the heightened emotions had gotten worse every time she attempted the spell, but it had spiked heavily during this session. When her emotions began to run rampant, the fire had started, flying everywhere in the room wildly.
It was only when her hair stopped sparking thirty minutes later that Fabian gently settled a hand on her shoulder. She pulled herself out of the chair and let him lead her gently through the castle. It was only when they reached the entrance to Slytherin that he slowed down and pulled her into a hug, having placed an arm around her shoulders immediately when they left.
"Are you okay?" He asked again. He felt her shrug lightly and pulled back. "Maybe we shouldn't do this again without Regulus."
Mia sighed, frustrated. "He's just not able to do this as often as I want to work on it."
"So," Fabian said slowly. "Maybe it takes a little longer. But this option, you won't kill yourself in the process."
"I'll think about it." The reply was short and tired, but she meant it. She'd bring the suggestion to Fred before Regulus, though. It was his time there, too, and she wanted to get him back as soon as possible. Fabian nodded his acceptance and kissed the top of her head, releasing her from his hold. "I'll see you tomorrow, Fabian."
"Oh," he said, blinking. "Actually, you won't."
"Huh?"
"Gideon and I have an important family matter," he smiled gently. "I'll just be gone tomorrow and Sunday. Back for class Monday."
Nodding curtly, Mia turned and gave the password, slipping into her common room. While she wasn't as red hot angry as before, she was still easily irritated, and his plans somehow frustrated her. Quietly, she slipped into her dorms, relaxing only as she let herself fall slowly to sleep.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
"Sirius?" Mia blinked, her eyes straining in the low light of the Gryffindor common room. "What are you doing up?" He was on the couch, twirling his wand between his fingers loosely.
"Can't sleep, kitten. Are you alright?" He waved her over, looking concerned. She knew it was because she didn't often visit them there, and she hadn't slept there since the night she'd arrived. Still, when the nightmares hit, it was the only place she wanted to go. She placed herself next to him and relaxed into his side as he wrapped an arm around her.
"Nightmares," was all she said. It was plenty.
"What was it about?" He wondered, rubbing her shoulder absently with his thumb. She felt a short burst of happiness at the act - she knew, had heard, that he was never this intimate with anyone else. It made her happy as it reminded her of her time in Grimmauld Place the summer before fifth year.
"Just… the battle of the DOM," she shook her head a little, willing the images out of her mind. They stayed right where they were, taunting her with her pain. "It was one of the worst nights of my life, Sirius. If I could… change anything, I really think it'd be that night."
"You wouldn't change Bellatrix? Or coming back here?" He asked gently. She heard the insecurity in his second question, and she shook her head slowly, thinking.
"Bellatrix… was important, in a way. Of course I wish it hadn't happened, but we had to go there, to do that, to find out that one of the things we needed was in her vaults," she frowned. "I still need to think of a way to get in there. But as for coming here, I wouldn't change it for anything in the world."
He nodded his understanding before turning back to the cause of her nightmare. "What happened that night? What happened to you that you'd change it?"
"Not… not to me, exactly," she shook her head, a confused frown on her face. It hadn't been to her. She hadn't died, and she hadn't lost the last family she had. But still, she had lost someone that had grown important to her, and she'd counted on having him in her life. It had been uncomfortably startling to find him taken and to realize how upset she was, aside from Harry's loss. "Someone died that night… someone important to Harry. Important to me, too. It's just that… I don't know. Harry needed him more, I guess. He always had.
"But," she bit her lip, thinking of the times she'd sat quietly with Sirius in the library of Grimmauld Place, speaking softly about something or listening as he explained some obscure but important magical thing that she hadn't managed to find yet because it had more to do with families than community. "He was always there, you know, when I needed him. He was extremely kind to me. He knew when I needed privacy, or when I just needed, you know, passive company. Someone to be there with me that wasn't my boys.
"And he had the biggest heart. He loved Harry fiercely, and Merlin knows he would've…" her breath caught. "He did die for Harry." She set her piercing gaze on Sirius and spoke in the most determined voice he'd ever heard. "I will bring him back, Sirius. I promise. I will find a way to save him."
Sirius pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. "I believe you, kitten. But you have to remember, you can't save everyone."
She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I can try."
He sighed, knowing she wouldn't change her mind after that nightmare. Instead of arguing, he nodded and shushed her to sleep. He fell asleep listening to her breathing quietly, and he imagined the determined dreams she would have of saving the entire world.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
October 17th, 1976
"Potter," a voice called. It took Mia a few seconds before she realized James was nowhere around and that whoever spoke was speaking to her. She turned on her heel to find Frederick Avery standing across the empty potions classroom.
"Avery," she greeted, turning back to her scalamander tail and dropping it into the potion, watching the entire thing turn a hot pink.
"You've been spending a lot of time with Black and Snape," he commented. Mia rolled her eyes.
"That would be because they're my friends." She shrugged. "Besides, Regulus is my partner in potions and Severus helps me when I need it."
"It certainly doesn't look like you need it," he raised an eyebrow, watching her expertely dice the powdered roots of asphodel, protective spells already cast.
"What can I say?" She smiled as she plucked the roots up and dropped them in a container to dry out for two days before she could use them. "They're good teachers."
She was still hesitant about Avery, but both of her Slytherin boys had vouched for him completely, and she trusted them.
"Snape said you're… helping them," he spoke slowly, waving his wand silently around them.
"What do you want, Avery?"
"I want proof you can help, Potter," he stared her down in what she was sure would be an intimidating way to just about anyone else. Still, she'd fought too many Death Eaters to be afraid of this one. "And then we'll see."
"We'll see?" She quirked an eyebrow curiously as she cast another stasis charm on her cauldron, watching it still completely, vapors and all.
"We'll see if you can help me, too."
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes but nodded. "Come with me."
"Where are we going?"
She turned to look at him, sighing. "Can you trust me for long enough to retrieve something from my dorm and then return to an empty and warded classroom to speak?" The look on his face told her that no, he couldn't. "Okay, fine. I'll speak and then I'll show you proof."
"What is it, Potter?"
"It's about Voldemort," she rolled her eyes as he winced. "Fear of a name only increases fear of a thing itself, Avery. Work on that. Anyway, it's about where he comes from."
"His lineage?" The boy in front of her frowned in confusion as she nodded firmly.
"Yes. You see, his mother was a witch named Merope Gaunt. She had a brother and a father as far as I can tell. And the thing is, the Gaunts were the last of the Slytherin line. So that means that Voldemort is the heir of Slytherin," she rolled her eyes at a distinct memory of her second year. "But anyway. She lived in a town near some muggles. She fell in love with one, you see, but he had absolutely no interest in her. So, she dosed him with a love potion every day until he married her and got her pregnant. At that point, she stopped, thinking he'd truly fallen in love with her."
"That's ridiculous," Avery muttered, and Mia nodded.
"Yes, she was disappointed. He ran off, leaving her pregnant and alone. I think her family turned her away, if I remember correctly. She found an orphanage and gave birth there to Tom Marvolo Riddle. She died while giving birth. He was left there until he was eleven. He used his accidental magic to torture the other kids. I think he pushed one off of a cliff or something, but I'm not very clear on those details. Dumbledore found him and told him about Hogwarts. He came and learned. He was charismatic - all of his teachers loved him, and the students did, too.
"There was an… incident," she winced. "He was the heir of Slytherin, and he was a parselmouth. He used those to open the chamber of secrets - yes, it's real, it's in a bloody girl's restroom - and use Slytherin's sleeping monster to attack muggleborns. He knew, however, that Hagrid had an acromentula at school and was hiding him, raising him. A girl died in a bathroom - Moaning Myrtle - and he told Dippet that it was Hagrid with the acromentula. Hagrid was expelled, and he got away with it.
"He approached Slughorn for some extremely dark magic, stuff that no one should ever touch, and Slughorn gave it to him, stupid man. He graduated, disappeared, and then came back calling himself Lord Voldemort. Anyone that knew his name and where he came from was promptly… silenced, in one way or another."
Avery stared at her. "And you have proof of all of this?"
She shrugged lightly. "Not all of it, but I can show you his family tree, and I can show you what magic he was looking at."
"If you can't prove all of it-,"
"Avery," Mia cut him off. "I have secrets. Important ones. Severus understands that and he trusts me. If you want my help, you need to trust me, too. You cannot dig around - verbally or in my mind - for the truth. It'd be the end of not just me, but also the wizarding world entirely. I am not exaggerating."
The two stared at each other for a long, tense moment, before Avery nodded firmly. "Okay. Where is this proof?"
She smiled softly. "I'll be right back - I left my bag in my dorm."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
October 20th, 1976
"Mia, love, if you keep pacing I will put you in a full body bind until he gets here," Regulus warned Mia. She glared at him darkly and continued to pace.
"Are you sure we should trust him?"
"I've told you a million times, it's a good idea."
"Do you not remember the last time you said that to me?" She stared at him incredulously. "Does your birthday ring a bell?"
Regulus grinned darkly and grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward him until she stood between his legs, him sitting on the back of a couch, and wrapped his arms around her waist. She stared at him. Being around 5'4", she wasn't the shortest of people, but she certainly wasn't tall, either. Still, Regulus was a shocking 6'2" that often surprised her when she looked up at him or, at times like these, when she should've needed to look down but they were actually at the perfect height to touch their lips. "I do, as a matter of fact, remember that." He kissed her nose, making her smile sweetly. "And the outcome was something you seem to like, Mia love. So no complaining."
She grinned and pressed her lips to his as he pulled her further against him. She relished in the feeling of his cool body against hers, his sweet lips settled against hers. The same uncomfortably warm feeling rose in her stomach, and she pulled back just very sightly, using the space to bite his lip gently, something they'd both come to love.
All Mia could think about, feeling his body against hers, his hands moving to her hair to thread his fingers into it, was how very alive he was at that very moment.
Someone cleared their throat and Mia jumped with a squeak, making Regulus chuckle in a way that certainly should not have been sexy. Staying close to his side but putting more polite distance between them, Mia turned.
"He's your potions partner, huh, Potter?"
"Best damn partner I've ever had, too," she winked before turning to look at Severus. "You're late."
He stepped forward, bowing his head at her a little. "My fault, Sano. We ran into Potter, and he didn't like the idea of just letting me pass in the hall." Mia scowled darkly, pulling herself away from her boyfriend and swiftly over to their friend, looking him over closely.
"What did he do?"
"Nothing I couldn't handle, Sano."
"Do not brush me off, Severus Snape. What did he do?" She asked him sharply, her jaw set hard. Severus sighed and shrugged, something he'd never do in a room with more than just his friends.
"Sent some hexes my way, but I did as you asked and didn't hex back. He missed me, anyway."
Mia's eyes flashed angrily as she mumbled something under her breath. She looked him over two more times before she accepted that he was okay and turned back to Avery. "So, are you a Death Eater yet?"
He gave her a sharp look, probably for speaking of it as easily as if asking him if he were coming over for dinner, but he lifted his sleeve to reveal the dark and hideous scar. She nodded curtly.
"You know Occlumency, yes?"
"Every pureblood knows Occlumency, Potter."
Mia huffed at him and tilted her head. "So, why do you want my help?"
"Because I don't agree with anything they're saying. And the… violence, it's too much. No one deserves the things he does or has us do except maybe for him." He shook his head a little. "I only joined because they threatened my mother, and now she's dead. I'd rather not stay."
Mia smiled softly at him. He'd let her poke around in his head gently to simply fact check, and she believed him. "Okay."
He gave her a soft but genuine smile. "Thank you, Sano."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
"James Charlus Potter!" Mia screeched, storming into Gryffindor tower, her hair sparking angrily. The common room was full again, bustling with Saturday life, but everyone fell silent at her screams. Mia had no qualms making a scene to prove a point. Everyone in the room turned to her, including the man in question.
"Uh, Mia?" James asked uncertainly, looking like he was considering the merits of just running for it. She stalked over, placing herself firmly in front of him and glowered at him.
"I understand that you've got some sort of issue with Severus," she began. "I don't care if it's a house rivalry, or some stupid fucking fight over a girl that does not belong to you, or a ridiculous personal vendetta, but you will not under any circumstances accost and hex him in the bloody fucking hallways! Especially when he's walking by you like a normal fucking person!" Mia spat, her eyes wide with anger. She'd controlled herself when she'd been with her Slytherins, but they'd seen her snap, she was sure of it. Still, none of them had tried to stop her, so she didn't care.
James stood up looking a mixture of confused and defensive. "Mia, I don't know what he's said-,"
"James, do not lie to me," she growled. "And don't even try to deny it. It's not as if this is some sort of new thing! I know you've been doing it since first year, but it ends now! It is absolutely unacceptable. I've told you before, if you can't interact with him, then you'd better bloody well avoid him. I want this to stop right now, James Potter, or I swear to Merlin, Morgana, Circe, Godric, Helga, Rowena, and bloody Salazar Slytherin that I will write Dorea and tell her everything I know." Mia huffed and ran out, leaving behind a confused and slightly terrified James who was wondering, above all things, how on earth she knew his middle name. Just as he thought she was gone, she stepped back inside and waved her hand angrily at him, and he found himself with a growing head once more.
When she walked out of the portrait hole for the second time, Mia took a deep breath and went to the library to calm down. She ducked into a dark corridor, thankful no one had followed her. She was still seething. How Harry's father could be so… so mean was completely beyond Mia, but she intended to change it.
She got to the library quickly and, luckily, slipped in without Madame Pince noticing her. She was walking back to her usual table when she saw a group of Slytherins gathered around Mary MacDonald, Lily's roommate, who looked… afraid?
"Come on, MacDonald, where's that Gryffindor courage? Aren't you going to do something? Don't you want to play?" The hair on her neck tingled. It was Dolohov, that much she was sure of, but there was something else to it. Some memory at the surface of her mind that she just couldn't quite reach.
Mary didn't say anything, but panic was evident on her face. The two Slytherins - Dolohov and Rabastan Lestrange, she thought - were stalking closer as if they were predators ready to pounce on their prey.
Mia knew one of them had touched her when she winced hard and Mia heard a whimper, which made the boys laugh loudly. Mia's blood was boiling, and she lifted her hand, waving it angrily at them.
"Stupefy!" She yelled, taking both boys down at once but expertly avoiding Mary. When they were down, she ran closer, hitting them both with a harsh stinging jinx for good measure. "Merlin, Mary, are you okay?" Mia frowned at the girl, looking her over to make sure they hadn't done anything.
"I-I'm fine," Mary stuttered. "Will you just… take me back to my dorm, please? I don't wanna be alone." She nodded at the girl and wrapped her arm around her.
"Expecto Patronum!" She cast her Patronus, gasping as it came out in the form of a red fox. She stared for a few seconds before she spoke, the girl beside her more important than her changed Patronus. "To Lily. Dolohov and Lestrange tried to attack Mary. I stopped them, but I'm bringing her there. Please clear out the common room and come to get her - there's something I have to do immediately." The fox ran from the room and she stared after it before casting the spell again. "To Regulus. Get to the Room immediately." She ordered, and this fox bounced from the room as well. She tucked Mary into her side and escorted her quietly to Gryffindor Tower, rubbing her arm gently the entire time.
When they got there, the only people there were, thankfully, Lily and Alice. They took the shaken girl from Mia and led her upstairs to comfort her. Mia took a moment to disillusion herself, unwilling to be stopped on her way there, and ran out, sprinting to the Room, fury driving her. She slowed down considerably when she got close, but apparently not enough as she barreled into Regulus and they both fell over.
"What the-," he paused. "Mia?"
She groaned painfully, rolling over and off of her wrist. It felt sprained at the very least, but she didn't care, not right then. "Please remove the spell," she requested. "I think I've sprained my wrist."
Regulus obliged and pulled her gently to her feet, leading her into the Room where she immediately turned to him. "Can you heal this?" She motioned to her wrist. He nodded slowly, confused by her enthusiasm. He did as she asked and was not surprised in the least when she then took out her wand and began throwing spells at the walls. He let her go for a few minutes before saying her name softly and coming up behind her, gently pushing her wand arm down to her side. She was sweating and looked angry, and he pulled her over to a chair and sat down, pulling her into his lap. She let him, looking slightly defeated. "What's wrong?"
"They fucking attacked her!" She yelled, wincing at her own volume. Quieter, she continued. "Merlin knows what they wanted to do to her! I don't even think she had her wand on her. She was in the library for fucks sake!"
"Slow down, Mia love. Who tried to attack whom?" Regulus asked softly, gently petting her hair.
"I went to the library and I found Dolohov and Lestrange hovering over Mary MacDonald. They were going to attack her. When they touched her, I stunned them and put a nasty stinging hex on them," she huffed. Regulus stiffened, staring at her. "And something weird happened… when Dolohov spoke to Mary, there was this memory at the top of my mind, but just out of reach. And she's safe. I took her to Lily and came straight here and… what's wrong?" She blinked, noticing Regulus's state. He stared at her, and she was shocked to see he looked angry. "Regulus?"
"You attacked him?" He spoke slowly, his lips thinned into a tight line.
"No!" She stared at him, her eyes flashing. "He attacked Mary! I couldn't very well let him."
"Mia!" Regulus snapped, his hand coming to rest on her arm, squeezing it a little. "Don't you care?" He took a deep breath. "I don't think you understand what you've done."
"I saved Mary!" She yelled, leaping out of his lap, her angry slowly rising to meet his. "I will not be sorry for that!"
Regulus pinched the bridge of his nose. "But in the end, you still attacked him, regardless of intentions, Mia. He won't forget that. He's already angry enough at you."
Mia fumed silently, locking eyes with her boyfriend. "Would you rather I let him attack her? Attack me? Do Merlin knows what?" She glared darkly. "Would you rather I let him attack me once and suffer through that than defend myself, my friend, and piss him off?" She shook her head as he went to speak. "He's going to do it either way, Regulus. I will not sit idly by. He won't touch me and he won't touch my friends. Do you understand?"
Regulus stared at her for a long moment, his silver eyes dulled to an angry grey. "I don't want you in more danger than you already are."
"Yeah?" she raised an eyebrow. "Are you talking about the horcrux that hung off my neck for months, being constantly hunted down and tortured, or the threat of Voldemort finding out what I know and torturing and killing me?"
He stared at her darkly, not replying.
"Because I've been in danger since I set bloody foot in the wizarding world," she told him. "I think I know how to handle myself."
They were silent for a long moment before Regulus spoke. "Why don't we try Occlumency?"
Mia blinked, immediately confused. "What?"
"You said there was a memory you couldn't quite reach. Let's try Occlumency."
She stared at him, more confused. "Weren't we fighting?"
"We don't agree," he told her quietly. "And it seems that we won't. So I'd rather not dwell on the subject while we are both so worked up."
She nodded slowly. "Occlumency would work, I think."
Regulus nodded quietly and grabbed her hand, pulling her back over to the chair they'd been in. He sat down first and she followed after, putting a leg on either side of his lap, straddling him so he could more easily look in her eyes the way he needed to if he wanted to look at specific memories.
"Focus on him, and on that feeling," he instructed. She nodded and thought back to the niggling feeling of the memory escaping her. Regulus placed his hands gently on her face, less out of necessity and more out of desire, and quietly spoke the spell as he stared into her deep brown eyes.
They immediately fell into a very familiar memory.
Her arms were pinned behind her tightly, pulling her body awkwardly against someone else as they held her painfully. She watched her best friend fight next to Sirius, a desperate look in his eyes. She couldn't move, and it was driving her crazy. She itched to be free of the man holding her back and join the fight. Every fiber of her wanted to fight Bellatrix so Sirius wouldn't take the risk with the insane witch, so he'd go be with Harry. She'd been pulled away farther when the Order members had arrived, and the man had cast a spell around them and she felt a sob build in her when she realized no one could see her or the man holding her. Her friends had been released and had gone to work, helping to fight, and she felt hot tears prickle at her eyes as she was kept back.
She wanted to be free of this, to fight and help and ensure that no one died, but she couldn't. There was a man, a Death Eater, holding her back and hiding her from everyone else, forcing her to watch as her friends put their lives on the line because she hadn't stopped Harry from running off and being impulsive again.
She heard a low, throaty chuckle from behind her, and she felt his chest rumble with the laugh. It was the sort of sound that would haunt your dreams and wake you up at night. She twisted in his arms, but he just tightened his painful hold on her.
"Do you like watching your friends die? I'm sure we can fit you in, after a game or two. Don't you want to play? It's been so long, after all." Her skin crawled at the words.
"I've never met you before," she choked out.
"Oh, you don't know me?" He laughed again, trailing his fingers up her arm. She shivered violently and twisted again, desperate to be free. She was distracted as she heard Harry scream.
Her eyes darted to the middle of the room where she saw the reason her best friend had cried out in agony.
She watched as the spell - which she recognized as a stunner - hit Sirius's chest. And while that alone wasn't the biggest problem, she saw the Veil of Death behind him and watched, helpless, as he fell in, reaching out for Harry even as he died. He slowly disappeared, floating away into the Veil, leaving behind a heartbroken Harry who was held back by a shocked and utterly destroyed Remus. Harry struggled, just as Hermione did, to be free of the hold, though he tried his best to run after Sirius, though she wasn't sure if he wanted to save him or join him.
The man behind her giggled in glee and twisted her around, this time surely breaking her arm as she heard a pop, and leaned close to say something.
"I look forward to breaking you," he whispered, his breath ghosting along her ear, tickling her as her hair moved slightly.
She watched, wide eyed, as he backed up. She realized with a shock that he was actually quite beautiful. He had the sharp aristocratic features she had learned to associate with purebloods. His hair was a dark, curly black that hung loosely around his face. He was slim, but more in an unpronounced strength sort of way than sickly.
He trailed his finger across her jaw and dipped down to kiss her lips roughly before he brought down his spells and disappeared in a wisp of black smoke. She could feel arms wrapped around her, gentler this time, and hear someone speaking to her, though she didn't know what.
"Mia! Mia! Please, Mia, look at me!"
She could feel hot tears burning tracks down her cheeks and was vaguely aware of the sting in her throat. Had she been yelling? She looked around in a frightened daze, expecting to see Dolohov nearby, ready to hurt her, or maybe Sirius falling through the Veil. Instead, she turned and found Regulus's panicked face directly in front of her. She felt herself shaking violently as he rubbed her arms and spoke to her, though his words were lost on her.
"Sirius..." she whimpered, a sob escaping once more. She saw Regulus pull something from his robes and say something, but she still couldn't hear him. She wasn't sure how long they stayed there, Regulus rubbing her arms and whispering to her, holding her tight against him and begging her to calm down.
Eventually, she felt him remove his arms as they were replaced with another pair that was lifting her from her place on Regulus's lap and forcing her to stand as she was wrapped in a warm hug. She took a deep breath in, breathing in the smell of whoever was with her now.
"Sirius," she moaned again, still shaking. Her mind had not left the memory and it was all she could do not to release the sob building in her chest. "I can't-," she hiccuped, her body trembling. "Can't let him die again." She hiccuped again. The arms holding her pulled back gently, and she found herself face to face with a young Sirius, who was looking at her with terrified eyes.
"Kitten, I'm right here," he assured her. She wasn't sure what it was that pulled her out of the painful daze. It might have been his face and words mixed with his smell, but she wasn't sure. She blinked a few times before stumbling back, stealing herself away from him.
"Sirius… N-no…"
Regulus caught her as she tripped over the rug, and he wrapped his arm around her waist gently, holding her close.
"It's okay, Mia love. He's right here. He's right here, and he isn't going anywhere," he shot Sirius a dark look and his brother nodded sharply, looking as if he'd kill before leaving her. Sirius nodded toward the couch and Regulus gently guided Mia over, pushing her down carefully in the middle. Sirius sat to her right and Regulus to her left.
"D-do you think that was the right memory?" she asked, trying to gain enough composure to speak. "I've been having so many nightmares about it, it might not be the right one…"
Regulus's eyes darkened. "I'm certain. And I am extremely fucking pissed at what he said and did, too." Sirius frowned at his little brother.
"What are you talking about?"
"Dolohov attacked Mary MacDonald in the library, and Mia had a lost memory jiggling around," he shook his head angrily. "I went into her memories - don't give me that look, I only did it after she agreed - and it would seem he was there the night… you died."
"What did he say to her?" Sirius demanded. Regulus felt sick at the memory.
"He held her in place," he began. Mia looked like she'd zoned out, but she looked calm enough that Regulus wasn't too worried. "And threatened to… play with her. He said he'd done it before. He touched her and kissed her and said he'd enjoy breaking her. He also…." Regulus turned to look at his girlfriend, unable to watch his brother. "Made her watch you die."
Sirius let out a long string of curse words, a bout of accidental magic lighting the rug on fire. Regulus flicked his wand at it, annoyed. "Calm down. We focus on her first."
He, too, wanted to rant and rave. It had been horrible watching him scare her so bad, and the way she'd flinched in his arms when he'd kissed her had nearly broken him. He'd tried not to look as his brother died, but he was just grateful that he'd died in a somewhat peaceful way rather than torture and horrible dark curses.
The three of them spent that night, and the following one, in the Room. They hadn't contacted anyone, and they'd made sure no one would find the Room or be able to get in. Regulus would sit there and stroke her hair, peppering kisses along her face while Sirius held her hand and told her stories of when he was younger and lived at home with his little brother. He made up most of them, but they had the same effect of making her smile a little bit, which made it worth it.
Mia knew that this little haven wouldn't last forever, but she didn't care. They stayed there in that room and didn't bother going to classes, and Mia felt at peace, even for a little bit.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
October 23rd, 1976
Sirius grabbed Fred aggressively and pulled him into a spare classroom, locking the door behind him and putting up a silencing charm. Fred pulled his arm away from Sirius, annoyed.
"I died," Sirius stated, his heart dropping when he saw Fred flinch.
"How-,"
"Mia had a panic attack so bad that my brother had to ask me to come help. Apparently she watched me die again and that's why." He paused, running his fingers through his hair and keeping them there, a sure sign of stress. "Mia was forced to watch me die?"
Fred nodded slowly, not able to look at his friend. "You and the rest of the Order went after Harry at the DOM. Bellatrix shot a stunner at you and you fell into the Veil of Death. She says it changed Harry that night, seeing you die, but I don't think she realizes how much it changed her, too." He sighed, leaning against a desk. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you. I think she's finding a way, though, to bring you back. I've found a few… darker books in her things lately when I was trying to help her pick up. She's also avoiding me, I think. I'm a reminder of the future where you're not there, and it hurts her."
"I'm sorry," Sirius said, not sure what else he could say.
"Why? I would rather she avoid me than be in constant pain. I feel the same, sort of, because of my brother. Besides, she's got Regulus, hasn't she?"
Sirius frowned but nodded. She did have him, and they seemed great for each other. There was something there that made them seem unbreakable, which while he'd never admit it, it made him feel better about the entire situation. She brought out a lighter, more playful part in his brother that he didn't think existed, while he showed her that not everything was her responsibility and made her let him help with whatever burdens he could. They were both happy, and had fun, and he was certain they already loved each other, though they hadn't said it yet. "Yeah. She does."
OoOoOoOoOoOo