January 2nd, 1977
"What is this?" Remus asked quietly, staring at the box Mia had placed in his hands just as everyone else was doing.
"Open it," Mia rolled her eyes.
"Christmas was last week, kitten," Sirius winked, opening the box. He paused, staring at the ring in it. "Proposing? I don't think Reg would like that much."
"Shut up," Mia sighed through her nose. "If I'm proposing to you, I'm proposing to everyone else in this room, including Regulus."
With that, the others swiftly opened their own boxes, their rings shining in the sunlight of the day room.
"They're goblin made," she explained nervously. "I've put some spells in them and they'll last for about seventy years. I put a paper in the bottom of the boxes with the spells I used. They should shield you and protect against some dark magic. I also added one that will erase your scent to make you untraceable by werewolves and vampires and the like. There's a small spell in there that… it doesn't make you invisible, but when you tap the ring with your wand, it makes it so no one wants to look at you, or even acknowledge that you're there."
"That's brilliant," Avery gasped, looking at his silver, green, and blue ring. He slipped it on, and it resized immediately, fitting perfectly to his finger.
"It's also a portkey," she smiled. "If you say Portus, it'll take you to Hogsmeade. But if you say Portus Potter, it'll take you to a Potter villa that Dorea and Charlus put in my… trust," she shifted uncomfortably. She was grateful, but it was something to get used to.
"These must've cost a fortune," Remus commented, though she smiled as he slipped his on as well. She ignored his words and watched everyone inspect their own rings before putting them on. She'd been wearing her own since she'd finished spelling them, and she felt calmer now that they had a little more protection.
"Thank you, Mia," Fred smiled softly, pulling her into a hug. She squeezed him briefly before pulling back and looking at her friends - her family.
"I just feel better knowing you're safer."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
The large group used their rings to take them back to Hogwarts much later that day, preferring to skip the train. It was safer, ultimately. Mia went with Regulus, Severus, and Avery earlier, the Marauders following them an hour later.
After the feast, Mia managed to pull Fred aside, dragging him into a small classroom nearby. She only had a moment before Regulus would notice her missing, so she had to make it quick.
"I figured out how to do it. How to modify their memories without erasing them."
"What?" Fred's eyes widened. "How?"
"Occlumency, Legilimancy, and a Notice-Me-Not charm," she shook her head. "It's complicated. I'll need Severus's help, but I can do it."
"Okay," he nodded. "And the spell?"
She shifted uncomfortably. "It's taking a while. It's doing something to me, but we spoke to Charlus - he's an Unspeakable, remember? - and he said I'm safe. We just have to go a little slower than we first thought. It- it reminds me of the way a horcrux affects a person over a period of time." She sighed. "I have to go. I'll let you know when we've got any more progress, okay?"
"Sounds good to me," he agreed, opening the door for her. She slipped out of the room and slammed straight into Regulus, who had his back to the door.
"Reg?"
"Are you finished?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She blushed slightly and nodded, making her way through the halls with an exasperated boyfriend behind her.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
January 3rd, 1977
"Severus," Mia said slowly. "I've got to tell you something."
"Mm?" he responded, distracted. He was twisting his wand about a book, testing it for any dark magic.
"Please pay attention," she said sternly, channeling Mrs. Weasley. He looked up at her in shock, but he put the book down and his wand away, waving her ahead.
"Well, you see, I'm not exactly from here," she said slowly. She'd agreed with Regulus that they would ask him sooner rather than later so that they could get to work and practice.
Regulus snorted from under Mia, still reading a random book he'd picked up on the way into the Room. "Try to be blunt, love, or this will take you as long as it took to tell me."
"That's not fair, Reg, you had a fucking wand to me," she huffed. "You wanted everything. That takes a while."
"Yes, I seem to recall it does."
"Shut up," Mia replied lamely.
Severus looked between the bickering couple with growing nerves. They were keeping something, and he knew Regulus was on guard and not simply relaxing with a book. He had a feeling that if he so much as reached for his wand, his friend would have him on the floor before he could blink. "What are you two trying to say?"
"She's from the future," Regulus informed him shortly. Severus frowned, waiting for the rest of the joke. When it didn't come, he blinked.
"Come again?"
"I'm… from the future."
"The future, as in… the future."
"Yes, the future, moron," Regulus snapped, tense. "As in not this time." Severus could see him force his shoulders to relax as he placed a possessive arm around Mia's waist, holding her tight against him.
"Care to elaborate?" he wondered, speaking carefully.
"Well, I was born September 19th, 1979," Mia began slowly, poking Regulus when he moved to interrupt. The other boy's lips thinned, but he stayed silent for the moment. "I went to Hogwarts for my first six years. After the sixth, something happened and I had to go on the run with my friends. We were taking a break, staying with some friends as we all… healed," she bit out, uncomfortable. "When there was an accident, and I was sent back twenty years with Fred."
He could see her uncomfortable shifting and knew there was more to it, but Regulus's stiff posture dissuaded him from asking. "And why should I believe you? This seems… unlikely."
Mia sighed, readjusting herself until she was leaning forward and made eye contact, something she hadn't ever done. He raised an eyebrow and she nodded silently, and he slipped into her mind.
Images flashed past.
A familiar Malfoy Manor. Dumbledore lying on the ground, dead. Something else came, and he saw a boy that looked far too much like James Potter, but he felt a spell hit his chest and was thrown from her mind.
Mia shot to her feet, having been deposited on the chair Regulus had previously occupied. "Regulus Black!"
"No!" He yelled back, rounding on her now. "I will not let what happened last time happen again!"
"You were chasing a specific memory," she argued heatedly. "He was only looking at what I showed him!"
"He could do whatever the hell he wants while he's in there," Regulus spat. Mia stared at him hard, her eyes flashing angrily and her hair sparking.
"I would not look at something she did not want me to see," Severus insisted immediately, hurt.
"This is not your choice," Mia snapped, her eyes beginning to glow golden, something that startled Severus. "This is not your mind - it's mine. And I trust him."
"No, Mia," Regulus shook his head angrily. "I will not risk it. If he can't trust you-,"
"Petrificus Totalus!" Mia screamed, waving her hand at her boyfriend. Severus cringed as the boy's body snapped together and Mia lowered him carefully to the floor. "I'm sorry, yell at me when we're done, but this is my mind. You don't decide who can look inside of it."
Mia turned to Severus. "I trust you." Her tone was a warning, but there was something else there, like she really just needed him to know. He nodded shakily and pointed his wand at her this time.
"Legillimens," he hissed, and he was sucked into a new memory, slower this time as he watched it play out.
Hermione was standing next to Remus Lupin, wand in hand, with tears streaming down her face. She heard someone sobbing behind her and turned to help them, but found her legs giving out instead. Remus grabbed her before she could hit the grass and pulled her into his chest as she let the sob that had built in her chest release.
They were outside, on the grounds, and Severus watched as she turned in Lupin's arms until he was holding her still but now her back to his chest. She looked across the grass at Dumbledore's body and found a boy, the boy who looked like James Potter, next to the old man's body.
Xx
They were in a small living room. Hermione was shaking as she was sat into a chair.
"I don't know if you should," a redhead looked down at her in worry. "We don't know how long Bellatrix really had you for. At least six hours, Mione. We can't do the physical therapy. Perhaps you should just stay in bed."
"I'm going crazy up there, Bill," she sighed, her eyes begging him. He nodded reluctantly and let her sit next to another redhead - Fred. Hermione pulled an object out of her shirt and ran her fingers over it, using it the way one would use worry beads. There was a miniscule crack in it, and he was certain she hadn't seen it.
Suddenly, there was a small explosion. Fred grabbed her arm, trying to dive out of the way, and the explosion hit the glass of the object right at the wrong spot. The object blew open, and the glass was pelted into her chest.
Xx
A bright light was fading. There was some hurried speaking.
"The forbidden forest…. We could be captured anytime," Hermione said, looking panicked.
The memory sped up during her panic, flying through something about sands of time and her injuries.
And then he heard James Potter's voice. Following that was Remus Lupin, and then Sirius Black as they all walked into view.
Everything skipped ahead a little, and he saw as she introduced herself as Mia and agreed with Dumbledore to come to school and join a family - the Potters. To her own immense surprise, she was sorted into Slytherin, and she thought firmly of her first sorting, where she'd found herself in Gryffindor.
And then he fell out of her mind. And stared at her. "You're… from the future," Severus said weakly. Mia rolled her eyes and nodded.
"And I've found a way back, but I need your help to make sure no one remembers I was here to begin with."
"How?"
"Occlumency," she shrugged. "And Legillimency, and a Notice-Me-Not charm."
"Of course I'll help, Sano," he bowed his head in amazement. "How long do you have before you leave?"
"I'm… not certain," she sighed. "The spell we're using has some side effects that are hard to manage, so we have to go slow. At least six months."
"That'll be enough time," he nodded. "I'll be glad to help." She smiled and kissed his cheek lightly.
"Thanks, love. Now you might wanna get out of here before I unbind him. He's going to be furious." Severus rolled his eyes at their argument and left, leaving Mia alone with her frozen boyfriend.
"Regulus, before I let you go, do remember that you love me," she begged, walking across the room and pointing her wand at him. "Finite."
Regulus was up in an instant, his eyes glowing with fury as he stalked across the room to her, looking genuinely intimidating. His mouth was set and he was silent for the moment it took to reach her. He stared down at her, the height difference helping him to look more dangerous, and she saw the family instability in him, startling her.
"Hermione," he started. She suppressed a shiver at the sound of her name on his furious, quiet tongue. "That was a very bad idea." He was burning holes in her head with his gaze, and she snapped, looking away, but he slipped his fingers under her chin and made her look at him again, holding her firmly.
"He was getting anxious. I trust him."
"So do I, Mia. With my life. Not yours," he snapped, glaring at her. As much as she knew that because of their soul bond, he was unable to purposely hurt her, she would admit to being a little afraid in that moment. She knew he'd go to great lengths to protect her, but she wondered what he'd do if he thought she was putting herself in danger. The look in his eyes made her worry, as illogical as it was, that he would hurt her. "If something had happened - if he'd been polyjuiced and replaced - and he attacked you, I couldn't have helped. And what if he found something out about himself that he didn't like? Did it ever fucking occur to you that he could've hurt you on accident?" Regulus demanded, his typically bright silver eyes clouded now in his furious anger.
"But he didn't! Nothing happened," Mia protested, becoming more and more uncomfortable with looking at the growing instability in his eyes, though he would not release her and let her look away.
"But he could have!" He screamed, ignoring her flinch. His grip on her was tight and she tried to twist out of it, wincing when his grip only tightened. "He could very well have lost control and sent you back to something you don't want to remember. What if he'd seen Bellatrix? Or Sirius's death? Or Dolohov?" He breathed heavily, his face inches from hers and his eyes wide. "He could have hurt you, Mia! You don't seem to understand why that is such a terrifying idea to me!" He grabbed her shoulders roughly, finally releasing her face, and interrupting any response she had started. "If I am going to die, I will spend every fucking second of the rest of my life protecting you, Mia Potter. And I swear that on my bloody fucking magic and wand." He snapped it at her, his fingers digging into her shoulders. Mia felt a magical string tug at her core as Regulus continued on, to her horror. "I swear my wand and my magic to you, Mia, because as long as I live, I will not let anyone harm you if I can help it."
And then a soft, magical buzz enveloped them as their magical cores tugged tightly, and it took Mia a second to understand. When she did, she pulled her arms up and shoved his hands off of her shoulders hard and suddenly, not caring as he accidentally scratched her arms hard on the way, drawing a couple drops of blood, and hit his chest as hard as she could.
"You're such a fucking idiot!" She yelled, stepping back. "You just swore fealty to me on your bloody magic! You can't take that back!" She screeched at him as he gave a small, smug smile. His mood had flipped so quickly she thought she had whiplash.
"I know I did, Little Lion."
"You will die if you break that oath, you idiot!" She cried, slapping his chest again. He grabbed her wrists firmly to stop her.
"Mmhm," he responded cheekily.
"You're such a fucking idiot!"
"Actually, I think that's the best resolution to this situation, and I'm pretty happy with it," he smirked. Mia wondered if that smirk was something you were forced to learn as a pureblood child. She hated it.
"You're so stupid," Mia stated, still seething.
"Whatever you say, Little Lion." He tightened his grip on her wrists as she struggled to hit him again and pulled her close to kiss her nose. "But I'm your stupid."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Mia stormed into the Gryffindor common room after Avery dropped her off - she was still angry with Regulus and refused to let him, so they'd called Avery and she'd informed both of them she'd be sleeping in Gryffindor Tower.
If she was being honest with herself, which she wasn't, she would admit that the entire encounter had scared her. She'd never seen him so angry and especially not with her. The fact that he'd refused to let her look away from his fury had scared her as well. But as she wanted to ignore that, she focused on her anger with him and his ridiculous oath.
She huffed her way over to a couch and slammed herself down into James's side. Lily and James gave her a look, and she shook her head. She didn't want to talk about it until Sirius had come back from whatever date he had lined up for the night.
"James Potter, you've got N.E.W.T.S. to take and you should be studying!" She heard Lily scold while James shrugged lightly and flip through a handwritten Quidditch book that Mia suspected was his playbook.
"We have this argument every night, Lils, and it always ends with us kissing. Can we just skip straight to that?" James asked, giving his girlfriend a cheeky wink. Lily sighed, exasperated, and turned to Mia.
"How was that thing with Regulus and Severus?" she asked, her tone odd. She was supportive of Mia, though she was still hesitant about her old friend.
"Severus was lovely. I asked him for a favor and he offered his help immediately," she paused to scowl darkly. "Mister Black, however, was a complete and utter prat."
"I'm a what now?" She heard Sirius ask from the portrait hole. She rolled her eyes and stood to face him.
"Not you," she waved him over quietly. "Your dumb brother."
Lily watched them and stood, yawning a bit. "I'll let you three talk. I need to get some actual rest tonight." She gave her boyfriend a quick kiss goodnight and left the room, apparently too tired to remember her books. Mia absently levitated them after her friend with a flick of her hand.
"What'd he do?" Sirius asked, his voice carefully calm. "Did he hurt you?"
Mia thought back to the way he'd looked at her, the way he'd stalked over and grabbed her so tight, but she shook her head, unwilling to tell Sirius, of all people, about it. "No. But he's going to get himself killed." She offered as an afterthought. Sirius just frowned and waved for her to continue, and James was listening quietly on the floor as he flipped through his Quidditch plays.
"We got into an argument," she sighed. "A large one, a scary one. And then his mood shifted so suddenly, and he was swearing fealty to me… the binding kind. I couldn't stop him."
James's head snapped up and Sirius's jaw dropped. They both knew how serious such a thing was, and it was an incredibly rare occurrence in the current political landscape.
"He- he did what?" Sirius sounded alarmed, and Mia knew it was because he knew more than any of the Marauders about the constant danger she was in.
"He was just telling me how I was being reckless - I was not, so don't get worried - and complained about taking care of me. Then he made the oath before I could stop him… though he threw in a couple of colorful words for emphasis." She said angrily, her eyes flashing gold. He was going to get himself killed, and she was beyond furious for it.
"Mia, I… I think this is a good thing," James said quietly. Her head snapped to him, her eyes flashing brightly, and he continued on carefully. "I mean, we all know he'd die for you anyways. It's just now he's got no choice but to protect you, and while I know you don't need it… well, it makes us all feel better knowing you have backup."
"He should never get hurt for me, Jamie," Mia snapped. "That's just stupid."
"No, I- I think he's right," Sirius agreed, surprising Mia.
"Excuse me?"
"Prongs has a point. And I think it would be good if we all swore fealty as well-,"
"If you ever suggest that again," Mia said in the most frightening voice Sirius had ever heard. "I will remove myself from your lives. Permanently."
She would've just told him that one day, at the DOM, he'd watch her be hurt and instead run to protect Harry, and that he wouldn't remember her, but no one aside from Fred, Mia, Regulus, and Severus knew her plans to make everyone forget.
"Right then. No fealty," James said weakly, breaking the silence.
Mia nodded sharply and turned on her heel. "Goodnight," she said with what she hoped wasn't a sneer, and ran up to the girls' dorms, where she'd be sleeping.
The last thing they heard her say - or rather, yell - that night was "Boys are fucking stupid!" and they turned to each other, both slightly bewildered by her frustration.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
It was nearly two in the morning when Remus woke up and snuck down to the common room. His insomnia was getting worse as the full moon grew closer, and he wanted to at least use the time to do his Charms essay.
When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he spotted Mia and Fred huddled together, talking. Before he could move to sit with them, he heard them talking quietly.
"-had a thought," Mia said, sounding upset. She sounded like she'd had a nightmare, and his gut twisted as the wolf inside him begged to comfort his pack.
"Hmm?" Fred responded, petting her hair absently as he stared at the fire. They were cuddled up together, Mia resting against his chest carefully, her legs up on the table in front of them.
"We should tell Remus about the DOM," she whispered.
"What?" Fred said loudly, straightening up and almost elbowing her in the face. "Are you insane? He'll go crazy!"
"Yes, I know, but he held Harry back, Fred. He saved his life. Harry would've died, too."
Who else died?
"But if he knows, won't he just try to stop it?" Fred questioned, quieter now as he considered it for the sake of Harry.
"Not if we make him take an Unbreakable Vow," Mia countered, her voice tired and dark. Remus bit his lip, wondering what could be so important.
"It's your call, Mione," Fred sighed, pulling her back into his arms as he settled again. "I don't like the idea, but I can't stop you."
"Remus, will you come here?" He froze, eyes wide. He was caught.
Remus walked slowly to them and sat next to Mia. "How'd you know I was there?"
"Those stairs creak, and I heard your breath hitch when we said your name." She considered him. "You should work on breathing quieter. It'll help during the war."
"Okay…"
"So, will you take the vow?"
Remus hesitated. He knew whatever she wanted to say had to be important if she was willing to put him in this danger.
"Yes."
Mia nodded her head at Fred, who just sighed and pulled out his wand as Mia and Remus held each other's forearms.
"Will you, Remus Jacob Lupin, keep our secrets tonight?"
"I will."
"Will you promise not to try to change the future?"
"I will."
"And will you protect Harry James Potter when we request you protect him?"
"I- I will."
Fred lowered his wand as the tendrils of flame settled into their arms and magical cores. Mia bit her lip hard and looked between her friends for a moment before throwing herself at Remus and hugging him tightly. He hugged her back instantly, worried.
"Mia?"
"I'm so sorry," she mumbled into his chest. "I'm going to fix it - I'm going to save him."
"Mia, who died?"
"S-Sirius," she squeezed him tighter, but Remus felt his entire body go cold and numb very quickly.
"No."
"Remus, I promise you, I'm going to bring him back." She raised her wrist to show him the tattoo like black line drawn across it that matched Sirius's own. "That's why I did this. So I can… so we can have him back. But Remus, we have to ask you a favor."
"What?"
"The night Sirius dies, we're… there. You, me, Harry, the Order, and some other students. I was… Dolohov had a tight hold of me, no one noticed me, and I couldn't do anything. But when Sirius dies, he falls into the Veil. Harry… tries to go after him. To- to save him or join him, I've never been sure. But you held him back, which I always thought was odd. Sirius was your best friend… I figured you'd be overcome with grief. But I think, and now know, that you knew. So… Remus, we need you to do exactly that. We just need you to save him. Please."
Remus nodded dumbly and glanced back at the dorms. "Sirius…" They'd all known the battle was one of the darkest nights of Mia's life, rivalled only by something that Sirius wouldn't explain but said had happened just before she'd met them. Still, Remus now knew why the battle of the DOM hurt her so badly. He knew, and he didn't blame her one bit.
"I know, love," she squeezed him and rubbed his back gently as Fred went back to bed, leaving them alone with a supportive smile to Mia.
They spent that night like they always did when neither could sleep. Mia lied across Remus as he read to her in a shaky voice. Every once in a while, she'd take the book from him and read to him instead. They stayed up all night like that, and James found them cuddling with a book in the common room, looking like a pair of kicked dogs.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
January 7th, 1977
"Sano, you've got to speak to him sometime," Severus tried. Mia had been avoiding Regulus for days now, and Severus was tired of the pouting both of his friends were doing.
Mia tilted her head up and crossed her arms. "No. Not until he admits he's an idiot and finds a way to take it back."
"You know as well as I do that he couldn't take it back, even if he wanted to. And he definitely doesn't want to."
"It was stupid!" Mia snapped. "I'm trying to keep him from dying, not to get him to die for me!"
"Would you rather he die for the Dark Lord?" Severus responded calmly. Mia winced, thinking about how he was supposed to do just that before scowling at him.
"That's not the point."
"Then what is?"
"I don't want anyone to die for me," she said quietly. "Especially not him, Sev. He's… we have a soul bond."
Severus stared at her for a moment, processing the new information. Thinking on it now, their actions toward each other made perfect sense now. "Mia, this is war. People die for people. It's just a part of life. But he's in love with you. He wants a reason to die, should it happen, that he doesn't loathe. You give that to him, and it makes him… happy."
"I just… Sev, I don't want him to die at all," she spoke quietly, letting her fear tinge her voice.
"Is he going to die, Mia?" Severus asked slowly.
"Yes," she looked away, biting her lip hard. "But I've found a way to save him."
"Then what's the problem?" he questioned gently.
She stared at her friend for a long second and glanced at his eyes, nodding once more. He frowned a little, but cast the spell and slipped into her mind.
Hermione was on the floor, writhing in pain and screaming. There were tears streaking through the dirt on her face and falling to the cold stone floor beneath her. She could see Bellatrix above her pull her wand down, and almost missed the excruciating pain. A dagger slipped from the woman's sleeve and fell into her hand. She pushed down hard, using the cursed blade to carve into Hermione's skin a horrible word. Even so, when she was done, she stood up and cursed her again, laughing maniacally at her screams.
Mia shook as she shoved him out of her mind. "That was a week before I came to this time. When we get back, when he's there with me, we're in war. I'm one of the three most wanted people in the war. I'm in danger, Severus. He can't keep me safe from that."
Severus took a moment to calm down, feeling sick from the sight he'd witnessed. It was horrible, and something inside of him churned uncomfortably at the thought of her being tortured. When he'd gained some semblance of calm, he looked at her again. "Swearing fealty does not mean protecting you from every threat without fail. It just means doing everything you can to keep someone safe. He already does that. As long as he continues, magic will view his job as complete and leave him alone."
Mia paused. "It won't… kill him if I get hurt?"
"No. Not as long as he tries to protect you. Furthermore, if he's unaware of the original threat, then he would have had no chance to protect you, and so he will be free from harm once more."
"Oh."
"As a matter of fact," Severus tilted his head to the side. "I, Severus Snape, do swear my wand and magic to protect you, Mia Potter."
Mia's eyes widened as he spoke and she stood abruptly, angry. "Severus!"
"It won't hurt me as long as I do what I already plan on doing," he reminded her, looking almost amused.
"That was still extremely reckless! You don't even know your place in my life in the future!"
Severus paused, as if the thought had not occurred to him. "Sano, who am I to you?"
She stiffened. "It is unimportant."
"But I've seen you be injured?"
Mia thought back to the night Dumbledore died. She was fighting on the grounds as Snape and Harry dueled shortly. Yes, he had run past her as a hex hit her. "Yes."
"And I did nothing?"
She balled up her fists. "Yes."
He stared at her for a long moment. "Who was I to you?"
She ran her fingers through her hair, considering her options. She knew that even if she told him, he'd forget. It wasn't that dangerous, was it?
"You were my potions professor," she sighed, crossing her legs as she turned to face him completely.
"You said your potions professor called you an insufferable know it all," he stared. She looked away. "I called you an insufferable know it all?"
Mia tapped her leg anxiously. "It wasn't a big deal."
"You also said your potions professor was cruel to you over your entire schooling," he continued, staring at her uncomfortably. "Mia, look at me."
She did as he said but spoke before he could. "This is… one side of the story. There's a possibility I gave you some reason to hate me so much."
He stared at her and tapped her leg lightly, signalling the need for eye contact. She allowed it, though he didn't go into her mind. "I am so sorry."
"Stop," she shifted, pulling away. "Please, Severus, just… stop. It's over. It wasn't a big deal. I've got bigger issues in my life than your hatred of me and my friends."
He sighed, setting his books on the table and turning to her again. "I am serious, Sano. Nothing you, an eleven year old, could've done could explain or excuse my treatment of you."
Mia thought about how Snape cared for Lily and her upcoming death. "Maybe not, but it's genuinely never been the biggest problem in my life."
"Do I even want to know?" He asked, frowning.
"Let's just say… petrification by way of basilisk sleeping under the school," she said, smiling at his shock. "I've always had bigger problems. And if it really upset me that bad, do you think I would've befriended you here?"
He conceded her point. "I suppose not."
"What do you want to do with your life, Severus?" she asked quietly after a few moments.
"Well, I suppose I become a teacher."
"Yes," she agreed. "But I've always gotten the impression that you hate teaching. You dislike the children. So, what do you want to do?"
He considered it. "If I could choose, if I weren't a Death Eater?" She nodded. "I think I'd be an Auror."
"Really?" She asked, shocked. He nodded.
"I've always been passionate about defense. Potions might be what I'm best at, but defense is… different."
She nodded, smiling. "Thanks for telling me."
They fell into a contemplative silence for a moment before he gave her a small smile. "Please speak with Regulus. His whining is going to get him punched."
Mia laughed, throwing her head back. "By me, maybe." She nodded slowly. "I'll speak with him."
"Thank you," Severus breathed a sigh of relief. "He's like a lost dog. He's turned into Black."
Mia burst into laughter as she left the room to find her boyfriend and make up.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
January 13th, 1977
"You got it!" Fabian yelled excitedly. He was grinning ear to ear as Mia finished the spell and put her wand down carefully. She paused, feeling suspiciously light and… happy?
"I do!" She yelled, turning to kiss Regulus hard on the lips. He'd taken to waiting directly behind her, just in case.
"It'll take more practice to get it perfect," Fabian reminded her. "It might take a while, but you've done it." He pushed himself around the table and picked her up in a spinning hug, squeezing her tight. "I'm so proud of you, pet."
"Oh, Fab, thank you so much. I couldn't have done this without you. I'm so excited!" She laughed. "Maybe I can start making the rings soon." She grinned up at him as she thought of Harry and Ginny and Sirius.
"How many rings are you making again?"
"Seven."
"Merlin, Mia, seven rings?"
She nodded a little. "I've got people to save."
"Who… who are they going to?" He asked.
She frowned, looking between the two. "You each get one, as well as Gideon," she started, surprising them. "And… James. Avery as well. Then Fred and I."
"We get one?" Regulus asked carefully. She looked between them.
"I- I've thought for a long time about what is too much to share," she admitted. "And I've got a way to solve the memory issue so you won't avoid these catalysts. Your… deaths," she sucked in a breath. "Served as a reason I wanted to save you. That's why you have to wait to use the rings until the last moment. So that everyone thinks that you did, in fact, die."
Regulus was silent but Fabian spoke. "How did I… die?"
She turned to him. "You and Gideon fought Death Eaters in your home. Five of them, I believe. It took five Death Eaters to take you out. No bodies were found. They assumed they'd destroyed you."
"I see," he sighed, nodding a little. "A hell of a way to go out."
"But I don't think you actually died," she shook her head. "I think it was my rings."
"And me?"
Mia turned, biting her lip. She pulled him over to a seat and sat down. "You know those Horcruxes?"
Regulus nodded hesitantly.
"Voldemort gave one to you, as well as one to Lucius Malfoy and one to Bellatrix, I think. He gave it to you, and you figured out what it was. You got a copy of the object and placed it where Voldemort sent you."
"How do you… know that?" he frowned at her.
"Well, I know about Fab and Gid because their niece - who hasn't been born yet - told me. I know about you because Harry and Dumbledore went to retrieve the item and found the fake. It had a note from you in it that was meant for Voldemort, and it was signed with your initials. R.A.B." She shook her head. "We only figured out that it was you who stole the lock- the item when we went to Grimmauld Place to hide, someone had stolen it. Kreacher told us who, then he pointed us to who had it after him, and… we broke into the ministry, stole it back, kept it on us for months and then finally destroyed it." She shrugged. "It was destroyed a week before we came here."
Regulus stared. "That's why you trusted me more than everyone else. You knew I was trustworthy, or would be."
She looked away. "I wasn't trying to manipulate you," she promised. "I also trusted you because you didn't look like you fit in among the hatred and bigotry."
The group shifted uncomfortably as they processed the information. "Thank you, Mia."
She looked up and blinked at Fabian, who was giving her a small smile. "Thank you. It was actually your deaths, and a fight with Fred over saving you, that inspired me to find this in the first place. Without you, no one would be saved, and we'd be stuck here forever."
"Let's go," Regulus whispered, settling his hand on her arm. She glanced at him and nodded, following him out of the room with a soft "goodnight" to her friend.
When they reached the Room of Requirement instead of their dorms, Mia fiddled nervously with her wand as Regulus paced. She watched him turn and, instead of turning on his heel again, push himself over to her and grab her face in his hands, pressing his lips hard against hers. She gasped, her eyes closing as shock wore off and kissed him back deeply.
He kissed her soundly for a long time before he pulled away and pressed their foreheads together. "You can't just let us die, can you?"
"No," she growled, shaking her head a little, though not enough to stop touching heads. "I need you. I refuse to lose you."
"I love you."
"I love you, too, Reg."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
January 18th, 1977
Mia rolled out of bed, rubbing her eyes hard. It was the middle of the day, and she'd requested time off of her classes from Dumbledore, and he'd agreed after she'd showed him her eyes, which now glowed constantly. She had finished two rings, Regulus and James, but the spell had suddenly stopped working, frustrating her to no end.
She pulled on the handmade robes Dorea had given her and put on the things she always wore - her ring that she'd charmed, the ring Regulus gave her, Potter bracelet, Fabian's locket, and the time turner. It was way more than she usually wore, but it was all much too important not to keep on her. Once she tamed her hair, she pulled it into a tight, high ponytail and made her way to Hogsmeade with Avery at her side.
She pushed her hand out in front of him and he held on as she sent them to the house she'd been using. They appeared in the small den and Mia shrugged off her jacket, placing it carefully on the coat rack.
There were elves there, she knew, that were already preparing tea and sandwiches for the meeting. She silently found her way to the office nearby and sat down, Avery at her side.
"What does he need?" Avery asked, speaking for the first time aside from polite conversation.
"I'm not sure," Mia admitted, setting both of her wands on the desk. "Perhaps just to talk more. We didn't have much time at the ball."
"Lord Lestrange has arrived," a house elf announced, leading Rodolphus into the room. Mia smiled kindly at the elf and thanked her, letting her leave before she stood to greet the man in front of her.
"Rodolphus," she smiled. "It's nice to see you."
"And you," he smiled back, looking tired. Mia waved for him to sit and he did, nodding thankfully as she did the same.
"Has Bellatrix managed to Imperius you again?" Mia wondered, looking him over in concern. He shook his head.
"No, I've fended her off and convinced her I finally agree with her beliefs."
"Good."
"Yes," he agreed, sighing. "But I've come with some bad news."
"Oh?"
"They're watching you."
Mia paused. Would she never be safe from him? "How long?"
"Since you disappeared before the raid in Diagon Alley," he answered, glancing at Avery.
"That could be seen as a friend warning an ally," she tried weakly. She was too tired to run again, not when she was supposed to be safe, at least from Voldemort specifically.
"That is what I suggested," he agreed. "But the Dark Lord wants you watched more carefully. He assigned me to you, but that means that whoever is overseeing me will also oversee you."
"I see. Thank you for the warning."
He nodded.
"I assume you'd like to know more about what's happening here?" she changed the subject as the elf, Trisky, brought in the tea and sandwiches before leaving again.
"I'd appreciate that," Rodolphus said slowly.
"Well, you know I've got power within the light," she began. "You know I'm helping my boys, but not how." He nodded. "Avery, please remove your shirt."
Avery started, staring down at her. "Regulus's patience is astounding, Sano." She winked at him as he pulled his shirt up, revealing the paw print. She stood and did the same, pushing her bra up just a little to show the same mark on her ribs. Rodolphus blushed slightly and she rolled her eyes. "Relax, I'm not stripping. These marks are my mark," she explained. "Dumbledore has released the information to the Order that if a Death Eater has one, they're mine, and they're good. They completely erase any doubt of alliances, and it should help greatly in restoring your social standing after the war is over."
"That's… brilliant," he breathed. "But how do you know someone can't just get a tattoo of a paw print?"
She grinned and poked Avery with her wand, signalling the need for his shirt to be removed again. He rolled his eyes and did as she asked, and she pressed her wand to it. "It's a special rune, and I made it by twisting other runes together. It lights up when someone in the Order touches their wand to it. Someone of the light. It's also connected to my magical core, and I have a theory that if I'm in danger or hurt, it'll start glowing and possibly burning you, but… we'll get to that when we come to it," she shrugged as Avery lowered his shirt again, looking distinctly annoyed with his leader.
"Anything else I need to know?"
"Um," she frowned. "Oh. If you ever see Regulus, Severus, or Avery go to dramatic lengths and possibly out themselves to protect me, it's because they're fucking idiots."
"...what?"
Avery rolled his eyes. "We swore fealty to her. She's still mad at us."
"Of course I'm mad at you!" She turned on him. "It was bad enough that Reg did it in the middle of a fight, and then Severus did it when trying to convince me to talk to Reg after the fight, and then you, the most sensible of all of them, do it when I tried to complain to you!"
Rodolphus stared at Avery. "You're really that loyal to the light?"
"No," Avery shook his head firmly. "We're that loyal to Mia."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
"I fucking hate Slytherins," Mia growled, stomping into the Gryffindor boys' dorm. James and Fred looked up and glanced at each other before looking back at her.
"Mia, love," Fred said slowly. "You are aware that you are a Slytherin, right?"
"I'm a Gryffindor at heart," she snapped angrily. James stood from his bed and moved over to her, wrapping an arm around her and leading her back over to his bed until she sat. Fred made his way over and sat on her other side, looking at her.
"What happened?" James asked carefully. There were only two people in the world he was truly afraid of, and he loved them both dearly. Mia and Lily.
"I went to see Rodolphus," she sighed. "And I was explaining that if my boys did anything stupid to save me and accidentally outed themselves as mine, it was because they'd been fucking idiots and swore fealty to me, right?" They both nodded slowly. "Well of course that prompted this bloody idiot to do it as well!" James, despite his best efforts, snickered. Mia rounded on him, eyes golden and hair sparking. "James?"
"Sorry," he coughed, trying to maintain a straight face.
Mia fell silent as she looked at her feet. "I just don't understand why everyone wants to risk their lives for me." She wondered briefly if this was how Harry felt and felt a pang of empathy.
"Because you are the very definition of what is worth fighting for," Fred answered softly. "And they want to show you that."
"Well, I think that's fucking stupid."
"I know."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
January 22nd, 1977
"It's just the bookstore, Sirius," Mia rolled her eyes. "Calm down. Do you really want to spend two hours in here, bored out of your mind?" She reasoned, eyebrow raised. "Besides, the Quidditch supply store is right next door. If I need you, I'll yell."
Sirius frowned at her in frustration, but gave in anyway. "Fine. But if anything seems off at all, you call for me."
Mia nodded and gave him a mock salute as he kissed her cheek and walked into the Quidditch store. She opened the door and took a deep breath, smelling in the scent of books. It was one of her favorite smells, and she loved coming in the old book store. They had a selection of rare muggle books that nobody paid much attention to, but she spent her time picking at it.
Mia wandered to the back to the auto-biographies, waving a quiet hello to the owner. She spent a good fifteen minutes back there, shifting through the gentle copies. Every once in a while, she'd pick up something and read the back before putting it down again and moving on. She had no clue what she wanted, but that was always the fun of it, really. It was also why she chose to spend so long in there, as it usually took her a while to find anything worthwhile.
She'd been in the store for about a half hour when she heard the jingle from the door opening and closing again. She was hidden behind some bookcases, but she could clearly see a familiar bush of black hair. Her heart rate picked up at the sight, and she went on red alert as she looked for a way out that was anything but the front door.
"Have you got what I asked for?" Bellatrix asked in a shrill voice.
"Not yet, ma'am. It won't be in for another week," the owner replied nervously.
"I told you I need it today!" She yelled angrily.
"P-please, I couldn't get it yet! It doesn't work like that!"
"I don't care what it works like!" Bellatrix shrieked. Mia saw her throw spells at the door and the windows went black. She was certain the doors had been locked and the store silenced. "Crucio!"
Mia's heart skipped several beats. She refused to let this happen. She pulled her wand out and stepped out from behind the bookshelf. She would've been able to possibly disarm or stun the woman, but she tripped over a stack of hidden books, and Bellatrix turned, disarming her immediately.
She sucked in a breath as Bellatrix caught the wand, and trained both wands on her. She glanced at the owner, who was crawling toward the back. "That's illegal, you know," she said, distracting Bellatrix long enough for the man to finish slipping away.
"And what do you care, girl?" she snarled.
"That's an innocent man you were torturing!" Mia yelled back.
"He failed to do what I told him!"
"It doesn't matt-,"
"Crucio!" Bellatrix yelled harshly.
Mia's breath was sucked from her as the familiar pain dropped her to the ground hard. Her head hit on the bookshelf next to her, and she felt her body shaking in as her pain potion buckled under the stress. Every bit of her shook, desperate for relief. It was all too familiar, and she heard Bellatrix laughing cruelly again. She pulled herself into a tight ball as tears began to fall and her throat went raw. It went on for what felt like forever, her previous exposure being no help now, but rather making it worse as she old pains were awoken by the same pains. She felt it stop for a second and hated it, knowing it would only come again.
"Filthy blood traitor!" Bellatrix shrieked at her, sending another crucio. Mia had found early on that she couldn't scream, and she thought that was incredibly cruel. After what felt like days but she would later realize was an hour and a half, Mia finally passed out from the pain. The last thing she saw was the door to the shop opening, and familiar black pants running toward Bellatrix.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Sirius sighed impatiently as he tapped his foot. James rolled his eyes at his best friend.
"Why don't you just go get her if you're so anxious? It's been two hours by now." James suggested. Sirius sighed again and nodded shortly, walking out of the store and leaving James alone to look at the new gloves he wanted on his own.
Sirius turned the corner and felt his stomach knot when the door to the bookstore was locked. He pulled out his wand and muttered a rushed "alohomora" and stormed in to see his deranged cousin torturing his best friend. He froze for a minute in absolute horror before he silently disarmed Bellatrix. She whirled around to face him and sneered.
"You dare take my wand?!" She screamed, moving closer to him.
"Stupefy!" He yelled immediately. He knew she could torture without her wand and didn't feel like dealing with that. "Petrificus Totalus!" He added, just to be safe. When she was out of the way, he moved quickly to Mia, who he noticed had fallen unconscious at some point. The terror in his heart dissipated very slightly when he felt for a pulse and, however faint, found one, though it was still fading.
"James!" Sirius screamed. "It's okay, it's okay Mia. You're okay." He muttered quietly, picking her up to hold her in his shaking arms. "You'll be okay."
James came storming in and the door slammed against the wall with how hard he yanked it open. His eyes searched the store for only a moment before landing on his best friend holding Mia. He threw himself across the room next to them.
"What the fuck happened, Padfoot?"
"Bellatrix," Sirius choked out, painfully holding back tears. "Get Auror Prewett to arrest her."
"N-no…" They heard a small voice say. The brothers looked down at a violently shaking Mia in wonder.
"Did you say no?" Sirius demanded.
"She… still has a role to play…" She said weakly, her voice soft and cracking as she shook. "Get me to the Room and get… please get Reg." Her breathing was unsteady, and her pulse was still weak. The boys exchanged looks before nodding. Sirius stood as carefully as he could, but Mia still groaned in pain. She pointed weakly to something, and James spotted her wand on the floor next to Bellatrix. He grabbed it and frowned more before pointing his own wand at Sirius and Mia, disillusioning them and silencing them.
OoOoOoOoOoOo