March 4th, 1977

"So, I brought you all here because there's a few useful spells and charms I really think you should learn," Mia explained slowly. She'd brought everyone, including the Marauders, her Slytherins, Lily, Mary, Alice, Frank, Emmaline, and Marlene. She'd even invited Fabian and Gideon to help her and possibly learn something, too. "As well as combinations that are unexpected, or that'll make casting easier, and make it harder for your opponent to understand what you've shot at them."

"If you're here, doing this, then why are Professor Prewett and Professor Prewett Part Two here?" Marlene asked, bemused. Mia turned to the men standing on either side of her before looking back at her friends.

"Because I might know something they don't, and they know things I don't," she explained. "They're aurors. They've got training, believe it or not."

"How despicable, training aurors," Mary laughed. "What's next, training the mediwitches? Horrible!"

Mia chuckled as Marlene bumped shoulders with her friend, laughing. "Last time I did this, it was smaller and I taught the muggle repelling charm-,"

"How do you know that?" Emmaline wondered curiously. Mia paused.

"If you ask me that for every spell I shouldn't know, you'd be here quizzing me all day, and you wouldn't get any answers," she promised. "So try and trust me that I know what I'm doing?"

"You either know what you're doing or you're absolutely insane," Lily commented with a wink. "I saw you threaten Lady Black at the Ball on New Years Eve."

Half of them stared at her like she was insane while the rest of her friends just looked exhausted by the reminder.

"She called me a blood traitor," Mia wrinkled her nose. "At my own family's party. I told her I took offense and she could either duel me, an unknown, or go home and darken her House a little more until I can clean it up."

"Because you're gonna marry Regulus," Alice grinned. Mia threw her head back.

"Are you all children?" She paused as she said it and realized that yes, they were. "We're not engaged. He is courting me. It is a betrothal piece. And I'm here to teach you to defend yourself, not gossip."

The girls shared a knowing look but quieted as Mia brought herself back to her plans.

"Right," she sighed. "So, the first thing I want to show you is one of my personal favorites. It has the advantage of being completely unexpected, so that helps immensely. The target will feel safe." She glanced at Gideon and grinned. "Shield up, please, Gid." He did as he asked, and she raised her wand. "Avis!" A small flock of birds erupted from her wand, and she smiled softly at them before glancing back at Gideon. "Oppugno!"

And then, suddenly, the birds dove aggressively at Gideon, slamming into the shield and turning into only a few feathers falling to the ground. She watched her friend take down his shield and stare at her and grinned.

"What the fuck?" James laughed, staring. The rest of her friends were doing the same, and she turned to laugh with them.

"Let's just say, I created that interesting combination when a boy made me cry," she wrinkled up her nose. She couldn't believe she'd ever cried over Ron Weasley. "Unfortunately, I missed him. He ran."

"Smart kid," Fabian chuckled. She did as well, though only because it was his nephew she'd been aiming for.

"I assume you all know Avis?" She asked. There were nods around the room and she smiled. "Let's get to work on Oppugno, then."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Two hours later and the entire group had been pelted with birds at least once, including their teachers. Mia dropped some dittany on Regulus's cheek and grinned happily. "Remind you of anything?"

"Do you mean how you forcefully healed me and then I shoved you into a wall?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, I think I remember."

She winked cheekily. "You know, I don't think I minded that shove."

His eyes turned dark as she lowered her hand, his cheek all healed. "Are you saying you'd like me to be… rougher?"

She swallowed, staring at him with wide eyes. She couldn't respond, as much as she desperately wanted to.

"I can do that," he breathed into her ear as he stood, plucking the bottle of dittany from her hands and moving away, leaving her sitting very still with very wide eyes.

"You okay there, Mia?" Alice asked, staring. She jumped, blinking.

"Yep!" She squeaked out, standing and rushing away. She found Regulus standing with Marlene and frowned, pushing herself over to him. She smiled vaguely at her friend before turning back to her boyfriend and whispering furiously. "You can't do that!"

"Do what?" he asked innocently.

"You know what you did," she said, trying not to pout. "You can't just… say things… like that, and run away!"

"Okay," Marlene laughed. "I know sexual tension when I see it. I'm gonna go be… literally anywhere else. Have fun."

Mia blushed lightly but felt her breath sucked out of her as Regulus pushed her into a dark corner of the room, cut off by the bookcases and dummies in front of it. He pushed her until her back was against the wall and she felt her breath hitch as he moved close, his face inches from hers.

"I can, in fact, do that," he whispered, his voice dark and quiet. "Is there a reason I can't?"

Mia paused, suddenly unsure. They hadn't had sex since the first time, at the ball, and that had been all desperation to be close and slow love. What she'd been feeling building since then was different. It was desperation, sure, but not to be close in the same way as before. It was itching to feel that again. And now here he was, all dark and quiet and offering her exactly what she wanted - roughness - and she had no clue how to respond.

"I like this," he informed her quietly. "I like seeing you so flushed and unsure, and I like knowing it's because of me."

"Regulus," she whispered, unable to think of anything else. She gasped as he pressed himself against her hard and felt his hands on her wrists, holding them loosely but holding them against the wall all the same.

"You like this, Little Lion," he chuckled deep in his throat and she shifted at the warmth in her stomach as it dropped lower into her. "And so do I."

Whimpering quietly, Mia lifted herself up to reach his lips, but he pulled away, stepping back from her. "I think we've got some more training to do, love."

And then, to her complete and utter frustration, he left her there, walking silently back into the room with their friends.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Remus closed his eyes tightly and willed the memory to leave his head forever. He shook his head, even slapped it a few times before Sirius grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Moony, what the fuck?"

He just made a face, groaning as the sound of Mia whimpering came back to him. "I fucking hate my hearing, I hate my smell, I wanna fucking kill myself."

"Merlin," Sirius laughed. "What happened?"

"Mia," he groaned, his nose twitching uncomfortably. "Was back there with Regulus."

Sirius burst into laughter as he understood. "Remus, are you telling me you heard them fucking?"

"No!" He paled. "They were just… I don't know. It was like foreplay, I guess. He was messing with her, and then he left."

Sirius paused. "Are you telling me he didn't stay to… please her?"

Remus winced again, horrified. "Sirius, they didn't-,"

"Regulus!" Sirius yelled. The boy turned and blinked from across the room as Mia walked out of the small room behind them. Remus shook his head at her, trying to get her to go back inside, but she just moved next to Sirius in confusion. "Why didn't you please Mia?"

Mia's eyes widened as she looked between her boyfriend and then Remus and Sirius. Her eyes turned gold - something many people in the room had never seen before - and she pulled her hand up, though Remus managed to grab it before she could hex him. She didn't care, turning still on Sirius. "Sirius!"

"Mia!" He blinked, finally realizing she was there. "Did he leave you unsatisfied?"

"Sirius Orion Black," Mia growled. "If you say another word I will hex you until you can't see!"

"Mia?" Regulus said, moving over. "Did you-,"

"No!" She glared. "Of course not. It's because Remus has bloody good hearing!"

"Actually," he winced. "It's the smell."

All color drained from Mia's face as she looked at the three boys around her and tore her hand from Remus's grip. "If I see any of you in the next two hours, I will hex you," she swore, stomping from the room, leaving behind three terrified wizards and a large group of disgusted and amused people.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"So, did you and Regulus have sex?"

"No!" Mia huffed. "Not today, at least. It's just because he was trying to tease me and Remus… overheard."

"Yeah, cause he's a werewolf," Emmaline nodded. Mia turned to look at her sharply and she rolled her eyes. "We figured it out in our third year and we haven't said anything."

"So you and Regulus didn't have sex," Marlene frowned. "Then what was that about?"

"I don't know," Mia sighed, throwing her head back onto her bed. "Remus must've said something to Sirius, and there must've been some sort of miscommunication."

"Regulus was pissed," Emmaline told her, chuckling. "You didn't hex Sirius but he sure did."

"He did?" Mia's eyes widened. Emmaline nodded and she sighed. "I'm just… upset. Reg and I haven't exactly had sex since our first time, at the ball, and he was being all… I don't know. Aggressive?"

"You like it rough," Marlene accused, laughter in her eyes. Mia shrugged.

"I don't know yet," she pouted. "But I think so, if what Reg did today was any indication."

"What did he do?"

"He shoved me into a wall, held me there, kinda teased me," Mia confided. The thought crossed her mind that she was having the same conversations with them that Parvati and Lavender always had which always annoyed her so much, but she'd come to appreciate the need to talk about boys, mostly because now she had one she cared about in that way.

"Oh, so like BDSM," Emmaline nodded.

"Like what?"

Marlene stared at her for a long moment. "You're serious, aren't you?" Mia nodded and the girls sighed.

"BDSM means a few things, and some of the letters overlap," Marlene said slowly. "Bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism."

"Okay…" Mia blinked. "So… explain all of that."

"Bondage is fairly obvious," Marlene shrugged. "Ties you up or generally restrains you. Discipline is like… well, there's lots of different kinds, and they usually overlap with your other interests so let's get back to that later. Dominance and submission is easy. Who takes control and who submits."

"Can't someone do both?" Mia frowned.

"That's called a switch," Emmaline added in. "You seem like a sub, though."

"Maybe."

"And sadism is when you like to cause pain, and masochism is when you like to feel pain," Marlene finished.

"So you think I'm a sub, and I think I agree. Reg would definitely be a dominant though."

"A dom," Marlene nodded. "Probably."

"Bondage sounds fun," Mia grinned.

"There's also other parts of the community, though some just fall under fun ways to have sex more than BDSM," Emmaline added. "I personally like sensory deprivation."

"What?" Mia frowned in confusion.

"So basically, you get tied up - hands and feet at least - and put on a blindfold and turn on loud music, or the person silences themselves. It's incredible, and everything feels so… intense."

"Merlin," Mia breathed. "There's a lot to this."

"I suggest you guys go slow," Marlene told her gently. "Start with the dom/sub thing, and then move onto bondage, or maybe both at the same time. Still, don't go too far if you're uncomfortable and always be sure to have safe words."

"Safe words?"

"A word you can use when you need to stop," Emmaline explained. "There's the green, yellow, red system that a muggleborn witch taught me."

Mia blinked, understanding the reference. "Go, slow, stop?"

"Exactly," she nodded.

"This is… a lot."

"Yep," Marlene agreed. "But take it slow and make sure to communicate what makes you uncomfortable or what you don't like. That goes for regular sex, too. Communication is the most important part."

"Thank you," Mia smiled.

"Anytime," Marlene grinned. "I love talking about sex. In fact, I'm a bit offended you never told us about your first time with Regulus."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The girls had returned to the room soon after and the mismatched group had practiced for another three hours.

"Carpe Retractum!" Lily yelled, pulling James forward. Then, as he was off balance, "Stupefy!"

Mia grinned brightly at the redhead. "Brilliant!"

"Thank you," Lily blushed, cancelling the charm and helping her boyfriend to his feet.

"That could also be extremely useful," Mia pointed out to everyone. "It doesn't have to be a stunner. What else could we use?"

"Confrigo," Sirius suggested. Mia nodded firmly, though everyone else in the room - barring the aurors and Regulus - looked horrified.

"That could kill someone," Alice whispered. Mia turned to look at the group in front of her with a frown.

"Not everyone has to fight in this war," she began, pulling away from everyone so they could look at her easier. "But knowing my friends, on one side or another, you will."

"Yes, but-,"

"And I understand that you're children," Mia emphasized darkly. "But soon you'll come to realize that this war will not be won by stunning and disarming, or even lightly hexing."

"But killing," Mary said softly. "That's…"

"Death," Mia agreed. "A death you'll have caused. But it's either that, or they hurt someone else, or multiple someones. War is not clean, and no one involved in it will be, either. I hope you all can understand that sooner rather than later."

"Don't you think you're being a little… dramatic?" Frank asked, looking worried.

"No," Sirius told his friend. "She's not. I've seen my family on the other side of this war, and she's right. They'll kill you, us, in the blink of an eye and with no regret. You have to be prepared to protect yourself and the people you love."

The room fell silent, and Mia glanced around awkwardly. "Okay… I think we'll wrap up here today, yeah? Let's come back again next week, same day, and we can work on it again if that's alright with everyone."

There were murmured agreements as most people filtered out of the room, leaving only Mia, Fabian and Gideon, Regulus, Avery, and Sirius.

Everyone gathered around Mia, talking quietly, as she reached into her bag, ignoring them to dig around. It took her awhile, but eventually she found what she was looking for. She pulled out a small pile of pictures, settling them onto her lap to look at.

"What's that, Kit?" Gideon asked, glancing over her shoulder. She picked up the one on top and showed it to him.

There were lots of people, some smiling, some not. She recognized most of them either from her time in the future or in the past, though some she didn't know at all.

"Merlin," he gasped, staring. "Is this-,"

"The future," she finished, nodding. "The Room of Requirement seems to sort of… exist outside of time. I requested the room I'd memorised from our time in fifth year, and the pictures that had been on the mirror showed up. I grabbed them before anyone could see."

"Merlin," Sirius breathed, looking over from his spot to her right. "When is this taken?"

"I'm not sure, exactly," she admitted. "You gave this to Harry before our fifth year, I think."

All in all, the picture held Fabian and Gideon, Lily and James, Pettigrew, Sirius, Remus, Frank and Alice, Marlene, Emmaline, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Dorcas Meadowes, Edgar Bones, Hestia Jones, Elphias Dodge, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Alastor Moody, and finally, Arabella Figg.

"This isn't even everyone," Fabian whispered.

"I don't imagine it would be," Mia shook her head. "Even in the future, it was extremely rare to have meetings with the entire order. Too suspicious. Do you do that often now?"

"I suppose not," he admitted. "It's not like you're there."

"Mia isn't in the Order," Regulus frowned. Fabian paused and looked at Mia, and Regulus looked down at her. "Right?"

She silently lifted her hand a little and pulled at her sleeve to reveal a small black phoenix on the inside of her wrist, tiny but visible. Regulus frowned at her.

"When did that happen?"

She shrugged. "When I had one of my talks with Dumbledore."

"One of?" He stared. "How often do you speak with him?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "A few times a week, maybe."

"Why didn't I know about this?"

Mia frowned. "It's not like I have to tell you everything about everything I do."

"I disagree," Sirius cut in. "You're in too much danger for someone not to know where you are at all times."

"If I'm ever in real danger, his bracelet will let him know."

"And it could be too late!"

"Okay!" Fabian cut in. "Let's take a deep breath, okay? Mia isn't alone, she asked me to escort her to and from the meetings. She's safe."

Regulus quieted, though he looked distinctly irritated with his girlfriend.

"Who's that?" Avery asked, staring down at a picture in Mia's lap that had been uncovered in the short argument. Mia followed his gaze and smiled softly.

"That would be Dumbledore's Army," she replied, pulling it out and setting it on top. In the picture was Herself, Harry, Ron, Fred and George, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Lee Jordan, Lavender, Dean, Seamus, Anthony Goldstein, Padma and Parvati, Cho, Hannah, Susan, Justin, Ernie, Terry, and Colin and Dennis Creevy.

"Who are they all?" Fabian wondered.

Mia pointed to herself, Ron, and Harry. "That's me with Harry and your youngest nephew, Ron." She moved her finger to Ginny, Luna, and Neville. "That's your niece, Ginny, and my friends Luna and Neville Longbottom." She waved at everyone else. "I was friendly with a few others but they were really my friends."

"That's Harry?" Sirius whispered, staring down at the picture. She nodded silently as he took it in. "He looks…"

"Just like Jamie," Mia agreed. "I know."

"How do you do it?" he asked, looking to her. "How can you do this when they're so alike?"

Mia looked away, willing the tears to stay away. She hadn't expected the question to hurt so much. "I have to."

"Neville Longbottom," Sirius said after a long minute. "He's Frank and Alice's son?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "He's a lot like Frank, but he's brave in the way Alice is. Quiet, but fierce."

"Luna looks familiar," Avery commented. Mia looked up at him in surprise. "What's her last name?"

"Lovegood, why?"

Avery nodded as if that made sense. "I know her father."

Mia tensed. "Xenophilius."

"Everything okay, pet?" Fabian asked, touching her shoulder gently. She shrugged his hand off and nodded.

"Something happened, it's not a big deal. I understand why he did it."

"What did he do?" Regulus asked, speaking for the first time since their small fight. She turned to him and barely managed not to roll her eyes.

"It's war," she shook her head, her hair bouncing around her shoulders. "People do things they're not proud of, and he's not proud of that."

"Did he hurt you?"

"No," she said before pausing. "Not really. It's-," she sighed. "We went to talk to him about the tale of three brothers," she explained slowly. "He went to make us tea before he came back and gave us some of the information we needed. He got really nervous and said our tea had gone cold, but we needed to go. He was still acting weird. We said we needed to leave, and he yelled and ran to the door to stop us. He… he told us we were his only hope.

"He has a… paper, I suppose, and he'd been writing things against Voldemort. They got angry and took Luna. He… said Voldemort's name, and the snatchers came. He wanted to trade us for his daughter. We escaped, but it was bad."

"Fuck," Regulus whispered.

"I don't blame him," Mia assured him. "It's war, and everyone just wants their loved ones safe. I'd do the same if it kept the people in my life alive and safe, Reg. I mean it."

"So would I," he sighed. "I just don't like that what he did put you in danger."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Mia pushed herself into the chair in front of her and set both of her wands - finally having remembered to keep the second wand on herself - on the desk, mostly as a warning. She barely had a moment to gather herself before a house elf knocked on the doorframe.

"Mistress Mia, Master Black is here!"

"Thank you, Pitza," Mia nodded. The odd house elf, dressed in a small suit, nodded back and vanished as Mia's guest made her way into the room. Mia stood, holding her hand out to him, which he took, kissing her knuckles before letting go. They sat after that, and she tried to keep from being too stiff.

"I got the feeling that this meeting was rather urgent," she began. "Is something wrong, Orion?"

"Not as such," he shook his head. "But some things have… come to my attention, and I thought it best we meet."

"Oh?"

His gaze drifted to her left hand and she paused, abruptly understanding. "I'm impressed that you've kept it quiet for so long, even if the entire school knew."

"So are we," she sighed. "How did Walburga take it?"

"She doesn't know," Orion stared at her like she'd lost her mind. "If she did, he'd likely get the same treatment as his brother."

Mia felt her heart squeeze as a thought occurred to her. Did she have to stay away from him? She didn't think either of them could handle that. They needed each other.

"Soul magic is strange," he told her softly. She forced herself to relax a little so she could nod. "And it typically protects those involved. I do not believe that anyone who wishes either of you harm will find out and be able to pass on the information."

Mia paused. That meant Dolohov couldn't share, right? "How did you find out?"

"Their uncle Alphard," he commented. "He knows my true alliances, and he told me to write up a contract for the pair of you, and to meet with Charlus."

Mia bit her lip to avoid groaning. "Please tell me you didn't go speak with my dad."

"I haven't," he promised. "Yet."

"Orion," Mia sighed. "I am adopted, you know this."

"Yes, of course."

"You can't write up that contract," she told him. He went to speak, but she continued. "There is much about me that you do not know, but I will say this. If any of my many secrets came to light, it would be dangerous for not just me, but everyone around me. It may be the least of my worries at the moment, but Walburga is one of them. I am muggleborn, and I believe she'd kill me before I could enter her House."

Orion stared for a long moment, thinking. "I will be seeing Charlus tomorrow, and we can draw up the contract." She went to interrupt, but he held up a hand, asking for silence. She pursed her lips but said nothing. "Once it's done, I will put it in my safe in my office."

"She can't get in there?"

"No," he shook his head. "That's where I hold all of the titles for the properties and the key to the vault with the money I set aside for Sirius."

Mia's eyes widened. "You what?"

He stared back at her. "You think I'd leave my son with a bare fraction of what he should receive? No. Walburga may have blasted him off the wallpaper, but that does not truly and legally disown him. Only Arcturus can do that, and he has not."

"He's… still a part of your House?"

"Yes."

Mia looked at the man with a new appreciation. "You're working very hard to give your sons a way to be happy, regardless of their mother."

Orion seemed to consider his words before he spoke. "Walburga is a horrible, vile woman. I'd say I wished I never married her, but then I would not have Sirius and Regulus. They are, truly, the only reason I have not escaped this poisoned world and lived among the muggles."

Mia felt her mouth open a little in surprise. "Are you serious?"

"Actually, Sirius is Sirius."

Mia felt a surprised burst of laughter bubble up inside of her. "Oh my god."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

March 7th, 1977

"Where were you last night?" Avery asked, bumping shoulders with Mia. She looked up at him in surprise.

"Who noticed I was gone?"

"Marlene," he answered. "She told-,"

"Don't say it, please."

"She told Regulus."

Mia groaned and threw her head back. "I was taking care of some business outside of school. He couldn't be with me."

"Neither could I?"

Mia paused. "It was very sudden. I didn't want to bother you."

"You wanted to escape," he accused, though he didn't look upset. "You've seemed very overwhelmed lately."

Mia shrugged lightly, relaxing into the couch and settling her head onto his shoulder. "I was never one to be protected, Avery. That's Harry. I always protected him, always. But here…"

"You're the one in more danger here," he surmised. "Did Harry feel how you're feeling now?"

She considered it. "I… don't know. Possibly. Probably, really."

"But you didn't give in because his frustration didn't change the fact that he was in danger, right?"

"Yeah."

"So you kept him safe."

"Yes."

"Interesting."

Mia shifted to glare at him. "That's… not fair."

"Yes, it is. You just don't like the position you're in, especially because you're a control freak."

"Hey!"

"He's right," Severus muttered as he sat down on Mia's other side. "What are we talking about?"

"Mia's reckless tendency to wander off," Avery informed him.

"Oh, I'd love to talk about that," Severus rolled his eyes. "Especially after listening to Regulus rant about it for an hour."

"Merlin," Mia rolled her eyes. "How angry is he?"

"He's not angry," Severus frowned at her, wondering how she had it so wrong. "He's just terrified."

"That sounds a little dramatic-,"

"It's not," Severus shook his head. "He thinks one of these days, you're going to wander off and Dolohov will find you and kill you, or you'll leave the castle without telling anyone, and it'll be Bellatrix or Voldemort. And you know it's completely possible. You've only been lucky so far."

Mia was silent as she reluctantly found herself agreeing with him. She knew she'd been lucky so far, and she'd been hoping that luck would just extend as far as she wanted it to, but that's not how it works, and she knew that. She sighed.

"Next time I need a meeting like that, I'll take one of you," she promised. "But you have to stay in another room of the house while my guest is there."

"Why?" Severus leaned forward to look at her, her head still resting on Avery's shoulder. "Who were you with?"

"No one that would hurt me," she rolled her eyes. "Everything is fine. It's either you come with but stay away from them, or I go alone."

"Fine."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"I don't understand," Alice shook her head, looking between her fiance, her friend, and Severus. "What are you doing?"

Mia exchanged a glance with Severus. She'd considered how to approach this and knew she had to be blunt. She'd been assured that the memories would be contained, so it didn't bother her. "Something really bad is going to happen to the both of you in 1981. It can't be prevented. I'm here to help you do something that can help you heal after that."

"How would you know that?" Frank asked her, both irritated and concerned. "Are you a Seer?"

"Something of the sort," she shrugged off the question. "You're both my friends. Do you trust me enough to do what I tell you to do?"

The couple exchanged a look and finally, Alice nodded. "What do we have to do?"

Mia let out a sharp breath of relief. "Severus is going to go into your minds and help to build shields. These aren't like normal Occlumency shields. They're actually going to hold copies of your memories. It's hard to explain, but your job is that once he's finished, every single night, you have to put your memories from the day behind these shields. This is very important. If you don't, you'll miss four years of very important memories. Okay? And then, we're going to put a trigger on these memories. When you hear that word, they'll be released. Okay?"

"I don't understand. What's going to happen, Mia?" Alice asked her, looking rightfully overwhelmed.

"Something bad," she shook her head regretfully. "But I'm doing my best to fix it right now, because I won't be able to help you when it happens."

"Okay," Frank agreed firmly. "Let's do this."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius rounded a corner quickly, only stopping as he ran straight into Pete. He swore loudly but reached a hand down to help his friend. "You okay there, Wormtail? We haven't seen you much lately."

"I've been busy," he muttered, looking around the empty corridor. "I gotta go."

"We have class in like ten minutes," Sirius blinked. "You're gonna get detention if you miss again. We've been covering for you, but there's only so much we can do, bud."

"I said I have to go, Sirius," Peter snapped, glaring. Sirius paused and backed off, nodding quietly. Peter scurried away, and Sirius watched him go.

His friend had been acting more and more odd lately, and Mia had gone to exhausting lengths to avoid him. She'd never been fond of him, he knew that, but she'd been downright mean to him, and excluded him from things that he really shouldn't have been.

Whatever was happening, she knew what it was. And Sirius was determined to figure it out.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

March 8th, 1977

Sirius placed himself down next to Mia and Regulus, who were in the library studying. He'd hoped to get her alone, but he knew that it was impossible short of sneaking into Slytherin sixth year girls' dorms and waking her, but that was off the table because he was certain he'd be hexed - or worse - in her startled state.

"Hey, kitten," he said, nudging her shoulder. She glanced up at him with a frown. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," she answered slowly. "What's up?"

He saw Regulus put his book down as well and knew his brother was suspicious, but he really didn't care. "It's about Pete." She stiffened, giving him all the answer he needed. "He's been acting weird lately."

"Okay… maybe ask him about it?"

"I did, or I tried. He blew me off and then skipped class."

"Why do you think I know something about this?" She asked with a frown. She looked extremely uncomfortable and he knew she had to know something.

"Because you're acting weird about him," Sirius answered. "You've been rude, downright mean to him, and you left him out of the last training we did."

"I don't like him."

"It's more than that," Sirius pressed. "What is it, Mia?"

"Sirius," Regulus growled. Mia placed a hand on his arm and turned back to Sirius, her golden eyes flashing.

"Sirius, I have nothing to say to you on this matter."

"The hell you don't!" He spat. She stiffened, backing away from him, and he felt guilt pool in his stomach. He threw up a silencing charm around them to keep their conversation private and ignored his brother's wand pointed at him. "I'm sorry, I… I'm worried."

"Sirius, I really just… can't say anything," she told him, still stiff and leaning away from him.

"But something is wrong with him?"

"Sirius, stop," Regulus snapped. "You cannot guilt her into telling you, or manipulate her into telling you. This is something that you have to live yourself."

Sirius stared at his brother before looking back at Mia. There was something else, something bugging her and it wasn't just the way he'd snapped at her. She had her arms wrapped around her chest, and she was avoiding his gaze.

Maybe he'd pushed too far.

"Okay," he said slowly, backing off. Regulus's wand was still out, and he stood quietly. "I'm sorry, I'm just… worried about my friend."

"I know," was all she said in response. He glanced at her again, worried and upset, and waved his wand to lower the ward and left the library, more confused than when he entered.

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