November 1st, 1976
Marlene McKinnon's Birthday
Mia dropped the vial of Veritiserum on the table and sat in Regulus's lap, next to a smirking Sirius.
"And how, pray tell, did you acquire that, Miss Potter?"
Mia scowled at him. "I brewed it."
Sirius quirked an eyebrow. "I thought you were bad at potions."
Regulus leaned forward and kissed Mia's neck softly, discreetly letting his tongue flick over her pulse point, making her shiver. "She brewed it, but I showed her how." He grinned at his brother who screwed up his face in disgust.
"Oi, get your mouth away from that area. Don't take her innocence."
"My what?" Mia's eyes widened dangerously, pinning them on the boy to her left. "What business do you have worrying about this fabricated innocence of mine?"
"I agree with Padfoot, Mia," James announced from across the room, frowning at the couple.
Regulus nuzzled into her neck, his breath touching her skin gently and making the small hairs stand on end. "I don't think they like me touching you, Sano."
"They can bloody well get over it, or I will make them," Mia threatened. There was a cough from the other side of the room where Lily, Mary MacDonald, Alice Brown, Emmaline Vance, and Marlene McKinnon were stifling giggles. She'd become rather close with all of the girls after Lily had trapped her into a girls day, and she'd found they were all smart, driven women that were extremely intriguing.
It was Marlene's birthday, and the Marauders, Fred, Mia, Regulus, and the girls had all gathered in the Room of Requirement to celebrate. Mia had placed herself on one side of the table on Regulus's lap in their usual chair, while Sirius sat on the floor next to them. There weren't enough seats for people, but there were pillows and blankets scattered all over the place and no one really minded. The rest of the Marauders - now including Fred - were across the room distracting the girls while Sirius got the firewhiskey ready and laced it with the correct amount of Veritiserum. Fred had been stuck in detention all day after he was caught providing Peeves with balloons filled with the same sticking goo that Mia had charmed onto James when he'd attacked Severus. It was something he was immensely proud of, and it had given him his first detention since they'd gotten there - only avoiding them because he'd skipped all of his classes without reprimand, something they were sure Dumbledore had done - and so the teachers didn't recognize him and paid less attention to him when screaming at the Marauders. He hadn't minded it, but detention was like a pat on the back for a job well done, and she was happy to see him get one after nearly two months.
Sirius sniffed the vial and, satisfied, poured about a quarter of it into a full bottle of firewhiskey. He swirled the liquid in the bottle for a few minutes before calling off the Marauders. When everyone was seated, he told them the rules.
"Veritiserum or Dare, everyone." Lily groaned and Alice rolled her eyes, but Sirius waved them off impatiently. "Yes, I know, not the most original. But it's fun, and it's perfect for Marls."
It was true. Marlene was grinning ear to ear as she stared at the bottle. "Have I ever told you I love you, Sirius Black?"
"I'd be stuck in a fairytale if you did, Marls," he winked at her before turning to everyone else again. "So, who wants to go first?"
"I'll go," Regulus said, pulling his face away from Mia finally.
"Fine with me, if it gets your face away from her bloody neck," Sirius muttered. "Veritiserum or dare?"
"Veritiserum," Regulus said smoothly, kissing Mia's jaw before reaching out and pouring himself a shot, a system designed so that they'd only answer one question and not every single one that was asked of them. He downed it quickly, waiting for Sirius's question.
"Why do you and Snivellus," Mia hit his arm, hard. "Call Mia Sano?"
Mia took in a sharp breath and squeezed her boyfriend's hand tightly. "Because she's healing us," he said slowly, glaring at his brother. Mia let out her breath slowly as Regulus smiled sweetly at her, something that calmed her easily. Sirius frowned at the couple.
"What do you mean, healing you?"
"That's not how the game works, brother. My turn." Regulus turned to Mia, grinning evilly. "Veritiserum or dare, Mia love?" She glared at him. She knew he'd asked her something moderately horrible.
"Dare."
"Hmm." He tapped his chin thoughtfully, though she was sure he knew exactly what he wanted out of her. "Oh, I know. I dare you to wear my jersey for the next two weeks." He smirked as she opened her mouth before closing it again. She knew that it was actually a really sweet thing he was asking of her. She grinned brightly and leaned forward to kiss him.
"If I must, Reg," she teased lightly. She let herself relax into him again as she turned to Lily.
"Lily. Veritiserum or dare?"
The redhead eyed Mia carefully before she answered by grabbing one of the shots that Sirius had been pouring out into the numerous cups and placing on the table. She threw it back and grimaced immediately at the burn in her throat, but Mia wasted no time to ask her question.
"Do you have romantic feelings for Jamie?"
"Y-yes," Lily stuttered out, obviously trying to resist.
James's eyes widened as he stared at the girl. He looked at Mia and then back at Lily, like he wasn't sure he'd heard correctly. "Lily?" She ignored him, leaning forward to pick up another shot and passing it over to him. If he were even slightly hesitant, it didn't show. He downed it quickly, looking at her expectantly.
"Why do you always ask me out in such public and embarrassing ways?"
"Because I want you to know that I l-love you, and that I'd do anything, even embarrass myself a million times, just to get a single date with you. I want you to know just how much you mean to me."
Lily's eyes widened and she seemed to consider him for a moment before she stood, placing the shot glass back on the table for Sirius to fill again before walking over to James and grabbing his hand, pulling him up off the floor. "If you'll excuse us," she said quietly to her friends, leading James through a door that had appeared when the need arose.
"Well," Remus grinned. "Tonight is shaping up to be a great night."
"It's been long enough," Marlene sighed. "Now, Alice, Veritiserum or dare?"
The small girl rolled her eyes and poured herself a shot, downing it easily.
"When did you and Frank last see each other and why?" Marlene asked, a peculiar and very Slytherin look in her eye. Everyone knew that Alice and Frank were a couple, but the two never got to see each other. They were both extremely busy, and their respective friends took up much of their time.
"Last week. He p-p-proposed," she answered through clenched teeth. There were loud shrieks and Mia fumbled to pick herself up, managing to shove Regulus's face hard as she threw herself across the room to hug a sheepish Alice.
Regulus groaned and rubbed his face as his brother laughed not so discreetly at him. He watched his girlfriend beg for details and realized that it was the girliest he'd ever seen her. She looked happy, but also overwhelmed, like she was uncomfortable being around so many screaming girls but couldn't pull herself away.
About fifteen minutes later, the squealing was interrupted by James and Lily walking back, looking somewhat disheveled, but holding hands all the same. Lily frowned at the girls who had all huddled together in her absence. "What did I miss?"
"Alice is engaged," Sirius informed her, grinning at his best friend. James smirked in response, a look that was rare on him but that looked good.
Another ten minutes later and the squealing had ended, well and truly this time. Mia was sat on the floor in front of Sirius with James to her left and Lily next to him. She leaned her head against James's shoulder, smiling softly.
"Alice, it's your turn to ask someone," Marlene reminded her.
"Okay, um… Remus, Veritiserum or dare?"
Remus sighed. "Veritiserum." He tipped the shot back and waited for the question.
"Why do you and the boys, your friends and her Slytherins, act Mia's bodyguards? There's one of you near her almost all the time."
Mia realized suddenly that their closeness could very possibly be suspicious to more than just her.
"Mia is reckless," Remus answered slowly. She wondered vaguely if his werewolf metabolism even let the truth potion effect him. "And she runs into trouble to protect herself and the people she cares about. She has a very large heart, and she needs to be reminded, sometimes, that she needs to be careful." He paused. "And I suppose she's become family, even if she's only been here a little while. We love her. She's like a sister to all of us."
Mia felt herself blush under the criticism, but her eyes widened under the declaration of love. "Oh, Remus," she whispered, standing up to hug him. "I love you, too. What would I do without my boys?" He hugged her back, his cheeks flushing brightly under the attention.
"Probably get hurt," Sirius muttered in response. She pulled out of her hug and sat down again, squeezing James until the boy tapped her arm, signaling her to let go. Lily was snickering next to him at the sight. Finally, Mia turned to Sirius, who looked like a deer in headlights. "You love me," she teased, grinning as he squirmed a little. She'd known he did, and he didn't hesitate to show his affections, but saying the words, especially in front of a lot of people, was something that made him uncomfortable, simply because he was so bad at telling people he loved them. "You love me, Sirius Black, and you can't deny it." She could feel Regulus trying not to laugh as he watched his brother squirm.
"Yeah," Sirius said in defeat, though he offered her a soft smile. "Yeah, I do, kitten. Dunno how I could survive without you, honestly."
Mia smiled gently and hugged him before settling down between him and Regulus.
They all played for a few more hours, and it was pure fun. Everyone was properly drunk by the time the bottle was empty, and there'd been a few interesting dares, too. Mia had ended up shirtless and wearing the Black heir ring - surprising everyone as it let her put it on instead of refusing - Regulus had gotten an impromptu haircut that Mia insisted she'd later fix and had also taken his shirt off, making Sirius and James uncomfortable as the couple stayed close. Remus had kissed Mary to her immense pleasure, and Marlene had fallen asleep watching all of her friends happy faces. In the end, she couldn't have asked for a better birthday.
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November 6th, 1976
"Mia," Regulus said slowly as she walked into the room. She looked up, glancing between him and… Sirius?
"What's happening?"
"Do you remember that night you showed me your scar?" Sirius asked quietly. "I told you I might be able to help you hide it."
"Yes…"
"Well, I spoke with Reg, and we think we can do it," he smiled softly. "It isn't permanent - it'll wear off within a year and you can't apply it again, but it's there for you to use until we find a more permanent solution."
Her eyes widened in shock, looking from Sirius to Regulus before her eyes fell on the small bottle sitting on the table in front of him. "How… I don't…"
Regulus stood, the bottle in his hand, and gently tugged her over to him. She let him, settling down onto his lap. He opened the small bottle and spelled out some of it, dropping it down onto the middle of her horrible scar. She let out a sob as it disappeared into pale, blemish free skin. By the time Regulus was finished, tears were falling freely from her face.
"Thank you."
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November 15th, 1976
"I can't!" Mia screamed, her eyes flashing with an angry golden color that had begun when she started using the spell. Wandless after Regulus taking it from her in her rage, she twisted her arm, snapping her fingers shut and threw a bright ball of fire at the brick wall in front of her, scorching it.
She felt someone move behind her and froze as arms wound around her waist, holding her tight. She turned, tilting her head up to find Regulus's concerned eyes staring down at her golden ones.
The change in her eyes had been extremely startling, and they'd demanded she stop while they looked into it. In the end, it had been Charlus that had gotten in touch with her. Being an Unspeakable, he had access to what she needed. While he absolutely was not able to reveal any true reason for the change in her eyes when she felt any sort of intense emotion, he'd promised that she was safe, if not a little more powerful, though he hadn't expanded on that, either.
"Mia," he whispered, his voice soft. She fought the frustration as she calmed down - she didn't want to calm down! - and stared into his eyes, using them to ground herself. She stayed there for a long moment but breathed out slowly when she felt truly calm again. He stroked her cheek gently with the back of his hand, staring down at her. "You're worrying me. What is it doing to you?"
"I… don't know," she shook her head sadly. "I don't know, Reg."
"Aren't you scared?"
"I'm terrified."
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November 16th, 1976
Mia stared at the sight in front of her, flabbergasted. She felt Regulus, Severus, and Avery stopped short as they too saw what she was seeing. All four of them were utterly speechless.
They'd found their way to the great hall late, planning to grab a quick breakfast before going to the library - Mia had asked for all of their help in researching something, and none had been able to say no once they saw such deep desperation in her eyes.
Still, they found themselves stuck at the doors, staring at five boys surrounded by a large group of… ducks.
Mia breathed out slowly, closing her eyes and trying to pretend they weren't there. When she opened them again, she was disappointed to find they hadn't disappeared despite her wishes. "James."
The boy turned, his grin brightening at the sight of her. "Mia! Oh, don't worry. You can come in. It was in the drinks."
Hesitantly, Mia took a step forward, grateful when nothing happened. Confident in her ability to enter the room and survey the situation, she moved quickly now, stopping only when she'd gotten uncomfortably close to James. "Jamie. While I understand that you've somehow turned the entire school into ducks, I only have one question for you."
"Yeah?" He raised an eyebrow, looking at her in confusion when she seemed to laugh at him.
"Did you perhaps forget to warn Lily?" She saw his eyes widen dramatically and she laughed out loud, turning to look at the mingling animals around her. "Do you even know which one she is?"
"I'm a failure," he claimed, shoving his fingers into his hair in stress. "I can't even pick out my girlfriend in a group of people!"
"She's a duck," Regulus pointed out, amused.
"You couldn't have warned her," Sirius complained. "She'd have told McGonagall and it would've been ruined."
James looked more stressed than Mia had ever seen him, and she patted his shoulder sympathetically. "You'll figure it out, Jamie." She watched over his shoulder as two ducks bit each other and winced. "How long will they be like this?"
"An hour," Remus answered with a shrug. She nodded and raised her wand, pointing to the doors. She cast a few spells silently before turning back to them.
"Now they won't leave," she explained before doing the same to the doors the teachers used.
"But that was half the fun," Fred complained lightly. She rolled her eyes.
"I think we'll be going to the kitchens for our breakfast," she nodded toward her Slytherin boys. "But let me know when the school is human again, yeah?"
"Sure," Remus smiled kindly. "I'll come find you."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
"Potter," a voice drawled, bringing Mia back to reality. She was with her boys in the library, though she'd wandered off toward the restricted section to find the darker books she needed. Dumbledore had given her full access when she claimed she didn't have access to Hogwarts in the future and told him it was for the war effort. It was partially true - she hoped to find a better way to get into Bellatrix's vault. But that wasn't the real reason she'd wanted to search through the section.
She stiffened as she recognized the voice and cursed herself for separating from everyone completely. She was sure that, if it came to it, she could scream and they'd be there right away, but she didn't want it to come to that.
"Dolohov," she replied smoothly, turning to face him. He had Rabastan Lestrange with him, and she felt her nerves pick up.
"What would you need in the restricted section?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow at her. He was much too relaxed, too comfortable in the situation. She felt out of control, and she hated it.
"Special project," she replied shortly. "What do you want?"
"Well," he began, stepping closer. There was still a table between them, but she knew it didn't matter. "I thought I'd look for some advanced defense spells. You see, Lestrange and I were in the library the other day, and we were just attacked! We were simply speaking to a friend."
Mia grated her teeth, glaring. "You were not," she spat. "You were going to attack Mary and you know that. Don't pretend like you're so innocent."
"How dare you speak to me that way?" He demanded, his voice louder but not loud enough to attract attention. "Don't you know not to be rude to your superiors?"
"I haven't seen any superiors around, but I'll be sure to watch my attitude if I do," she remarked. He moved closer, stepping around the table until he was uncomfortably close to her. Her heart rate picked up at his angry, insane look.
"How dare you speak to me like that?" He spat. She was frozen in place as he lifted his wand, slanting it down as it swished through the air. "Sectumsempra!"
She gasped as she felt the curse split her skin open, slashing through her robes and cutting her chest, both arms, and her stomach deeply as the curse arched down and back up again in a U shape.
"Perhaps that will teach you to respect me," he growled. "Or I'll give you a more in depth lesson next time." She wasn't sure when it had happened, but she'd fallen to the ground. He leaned down and pulled her head up by her hair before slamming her head into the hard stone beneath her. She heard him laughing as he walked away and twisted her body in pain.
She wasn't sure how long it had been by the time someone found her. Not as long as she'd expected, but she'd lost a lot of blood, since Sectumsempra split you open and then pulled the blood to the wound quickly. She blacked out slowly as she saw shoes approaching hurriedly, wishing only to stay awake.
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"Why does she need this?" Avery wondered as he joined Severus and Regulus at a table with his own pile of books. He set them down carefully and pulled off the top one - Spirits and Souls and How to Connect Them - and opened it slowly.
"It's complicated," Regulus sighed, running his fingers through his freshly cut hair. Mia had, in fact, fixed the poor job Alice had done. It was down to his ears now, and had Mia grinned when she saw he was unable to put it up. It was wavy, something that his girlfriend seemed to love, so he didn't mind losing the hair he'd spent years growing out. "It's to save a life."
"Bring someone back, you mean," Severus corrected, flipping through his own large book. Regulus shrugged and looked at his own. It had come from the library at Grimmauld Place. He'd written his father and asked for some books and they'd been sent, no questions asked. He was grateful for that fact, because he was unsure how he'd explain the odd category he was looking into.
"Someone died," he agreed. "She's decided that's unacceptable."
Severus laughed softly. "Of course she did."
They read in silence for nearly a half hour before Regulus winced as his wrist burned. He lifted it up and shoved his sleeve away, his stomach dropping as he saw Mia's bracelet glowing a bright and dangerous gold.
"Fuck!" He yelled, standing and shoving his chair away. He flipped the pendant over and saw her location - the restricted section. Where she'd said she'd be. His friends stood now, too, staring at him curiously. He ignored them and took off, running through the bookshelves until he came to a stop outside the locked doors. He fidgeted anxiously as he looked for his wand in his pockets and then pulled it out, throwing a barely contained Bombarda at the doors, blasting them off their hinges. He sped into the section, looking around furiously until he found a pool of blood coming from around the corner. He felt his breath leave him even as he took off in that direction, vaguely aware of his friends hurrying behind him.
He stopped short at the sight in front of him, unprepared. Mia was lying on the ground, unconscious and covered in blood that was pouring from her at an alarming rate. There was a deep cut along her entire torso, and her head was at a weird angle, prompting him to look at the wall behind her, only to find more blood there.
"Merlin," a voice said behind him, sounding panicked and jolting him out of his stillness. He dropped to the floor, picking her up in his arms and holding her close.
He pointed his wand at her and muttered a few spells, but none did anything to touch her extensive injuries. "Nothing is happening," he told them, horrified.
Severus fell to his knees next to them and pulled out his own wand silently. He waved it gently over Mia, whispering. "Vulnera Sanetur," over and over, his voice almost too soft to hear. He watched as her skin slowly moved back together and the bleeding slowed, eyes wide. Nearly ten minutes later, he was done, and looked up at him. "She needs to go to the infirmary. She's lost too much blood - she's nearly dead."
Regulus was already well aware of that fact, his wrist still burning brightly. Still, he stood with her in his arms and made his way to the infirmary, certain that they were following him still. He reached it quickly, thanking every god that existed that the library and infirmary were on the same floor. Rushing in, he found an empty bed for her while Avery found Madame Pomfrey.
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Mia threw her head to the side, whimpering as she felt it throb. She felt a hand in both of hers and knew that she was in the infirmary, if the uncomfortable bed underneath her was any clue.
"Mmrph?" She mumbled, her mouth not quite working yet. She opened her eyes slowly, wincing at the bright light around her. To her right and holding one of her hands was… Severus? She blinked, wondering if she'd seen right. She knew he cared for her, but… what happened? "Sev?"
"Mia," he breathed, looking incredibly guilty. "You're awake."
"What… happened?" she managed, frowning. She remembered very little.
"Someone attacked you," he replied quietly. "They used a… a curse that I invented, it rips you open and works like a magnet for blood, pulling it out quicker. It almost killed you. They also hit your head pretty hard, and Madame Pomfrey said there'd probably be a little bit of memory loss, just for a bit."
"Do you know who it was?" she asked, trying to shove down the panic that was rising within her.
"Dolohov," Regulus growled. Her head shot over and her eyes fell on her boyfriend, who looked furious and also devastated. Still, as he said the name, a memory slipped into place.
"How dare you speak to me like that?"
She nodded numbly, looking down at their hands. "He and Lestrange cornered me in the library. He used Sectumsempra and… I don't really remember what else, but there was a threat in there," she told them as she shook.
"I'm sorry, Sano," Severus told her softly, gathering her attention again. "I had no choice but to give them the spell."
"It's okay," she shrugged a little. "I know you didn't mean for this." She thought back to what Harry had told her of the curse. It had cut Malfoy deep and had bled him badly. Snape had refused to take him to the infirmary, instead using the counter curse right there, and Mia had a feeling Madame Pomfrey wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. Draco would've died, had Snape not shown up. She cursed Harry inwardly for how stupid he'd been to use that book. A book which she'd seen Severus carrying around. Part of her itched to burn it, but she resisted. It had to be there for Harry, for better or for worse.
"Your bracelet works," Regulus commented quietly after a moment. She frowned in confusion before she understood, her eyes widening.
"That's how you…?"
He nodded. "It burnt my arm. I think it's because you were so close to death."
"It's likely," she thought about it. "It's connected to my core, so the brighter it is, the darker my core is. I wonder if it noticed the threat before I got hurt or after."
"I'd say after, but it took us so long to get there that I can't be sure," he sighed irritably.
"Hey, I'm okay," she promised. "How long have I been out?"
"Two hours," Avery answered as he entered the large room and made his way over to them. "I just let your Gryffindors know and told them not to come until later."
She nodded gratefully. She knew they'd be worried, but she couldn't handle their excitable energy. She appreciated the calm company of her Slytherins. With very little convincing, she closed her eyes again, this time comforted by the fact that she was certain Regulus at least wouldn't leave her side.
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November 19th, 1976
"Where have you been?" Fabian wondered, looking Mia over. She no longer looked worse for wear, though she still felt it. Regulus had been bugging her for the details of what exactly happened and while she'd remembered the second time she woke up, she was unwilling to share until he'd calmed down more.
"Nowhere," she lied. "I was just busy. There was an… incident, and I had to take care of it."
"She's lying," Regulus scowled, moving to her side as he entered the room. She swore silently as he looked at the man in front of them. "Dolohov attacked her. She nearly died."
"I don't think it was that bad," she argued weakly. Regulus pinned her with a dark stare, and she fell silent. He'd been incredibly intense since she'd been hurt, and she was starting to worry for him.
"Yes, Mia, you did," he told her firmly before looking back to Fabian, who had moved closer to look at Mia more critically, now looking incredibly concerned. "Dolohov nearly cut her in half and gave her a concussion so bad that she either can't remember what happened, or she refuses to tell me."
Both boys stared at her, and she huffed. "If we're not going to work, then why am I here?"
"I already told you," Regulus spoke slowly with the tone of someone who was quickly losing their patience. "I don't think you should do this today."
"It doesn't affect me physically," she gave the same argument she'd been giving all day, suddenly understanding his plan. He knew that if Fabian knew what happened, he'd refuse to help her. She'd woken up with the time turner missing and while Regulus had promised her it was safe, he'd refused to give it back.
"You shouldn't be out of bed!" He snapped. He paused to take a deep breath, allowing his anger to fade just a little. And he was certainly angry. He was angry for how she had refused protection. He was angry that she hadn't called for help when she'd been cornered. He was angry that she refused to stop pissing off the most dangerous person in the school. And he was angry that, after all of that, she still didn't give a shit about her health or her safety.
"We're not doing this today," Fabian agreed, looking firm. Regulus sagged slightly in relief even as Mia ranted.
"I can't put everything on hold just because I got a little cut," she hissed, glaring at both of them. "This is important
"Well," he said slowly. "Regardless, you are not working today. You have to rest. In fact, I won't see you about this for another two weeks."
Mia's eyes widened. "Two weeks?"
"Yes," Regulus nodded. "Dumbledore excused you from classes for that long, anyway."
"He did what?"
Regulus shrugged. "Avery told him exactly what happened. Dumbledore seemed to think you'd need time to rest, and I agree. Everyone does. So please, Mia love, please rest."
She paused as he begged her to rest. It was a sight she didn't like, and she gave in reluctantly. "Fine. No class, no spell."
"Thank you," both of them said. She looked between them and, despite herself, felt a surge of affection. She loved both of them for caring so much.
She froze.
She loved both of them.
She loved both of them?
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