April 19th, 1998
Mia landed in St. Mungo's spell damage floor with Sirius on her arm. Regulus had stayed behind to take more potions and be properly looked over by Tonks, who had gotten some bare bones mediwitch training in her Auror training.
The pair entered a room and stopped at the sight of a man and a woman sitting together, holding hands and watching a picture move peacefully. Upon closer inspection, Mia realized that the picture was of Neville and his gran.
She took a step closer while Sirius set up some wards and gained their attention by standing in front of them. "Hello. I don't know if you remember me. I stopped by with Neville and a couple of friends a couple years ago. We didn't stay long, unfortunately…" the pair looked as clueless as ever, and Mia sucked in a deep breath. "I just wanted to say… I'm so sorry I couldn't do more for you. You deserved better than this."
"Mia, what are we doing here?" he asked her quietly.
"I convinced them to make… basically a backup drive of their minds through Occlumency," she explained quietly. "Just… watch."
He did just that as she kneeled down in front of Frank and Alice, taking one of each of their hands in her own. "Sano."
She watched as both Frank and Alice stilled. She could see their eyes jumping all over the room, and touched their arms gently. "Guys?"
After a long, agonizing minute, Alice looked in her eyes. "Mia?"
"Oh, thank god," she breathed out in relief. "Thank god. I was terrified that wouldn't work."
"What… happened?" Frank asked her. "Are we in St. Mungo's?"
"Yes, we are," she confirmed. "And we should probably leave soon or I'll get arrested and killed."
It sounded like a joke but the sincerity in her eyes got her friends moving, and within two minutes, she popped them back home.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
The living room was full and very loud with people reuniting and waiting for explanations to be given. A few others had come over from Shell cottage, including Ron, Fabian, Gideon, and Remus. Since the house hadn't been used at all since 1977, it was likely the safest place in the entire war.
It took a few hectic moments for everyone to sit down, and when they finally did, Mia stood at the front of the room alone. "I know there's a lot going on. I appreciate everyone's patience. I've been a little busy since I got back. After introducing Reg, Avery, Jamie, and the twins to the future, Regulus and I went to the ministry. I'm sure you all know about my bond with Sirius some way or another."
"I still don't understand it," Ron cut in. "What exactly is your bond? You said it brought you back to life, but no magic can do that."
"No light magic," Fabian corrected, reminding the boy of what she'd already told everyone. "Mia didn't care how dark the magic is, Ron."
"He's right," she agreed, her voice hard. "I didn't and don't give a shit what I had to do. So Orion got me some books and I found a blood ritual to bind Sirius and I together… it did have the side effect of binding Jamie and I together as well, but since I was adopted, I was already his sister."
"I luckily didn't get the ugly tattoo you both did," James added. Ron and Harry stared at him in shock.
"She got a tattoo?" Harry asked in wonder, looking between his best friend and his dad. "Hermione got a tattoo?"
"No, Mia did," Remus corrected before pausing. "It isn't really a tattoo, though. I never asked what it is."
Mia shifted, glancing at Regulus. It was one of the darkest blood bonds there were and while the black band wasn't immediately indicative of that fact, describing the bond would be. "Right, um… so the bond is… a little bit of my core attached to his own and a little bit of his core attached to mine. It's… when one of us dies, that piece of our core survives in the other person until the day they die. Which means that we're tied together until both of us are dead."
"Mia," Gideon spoke up in surprise. "That's incredibly dangerous. You're not supposed to survive slicing off a part of yourself like that. You could've killed the both of you in the ritual alone."
"And I didn't," she told him sharply. "I'm fine."
"And the person that bound you?" he asked with an eyebrow raised. She hesitated.
"Mia did it," Avery spoke up for her. "She didn't need anyone else. She said she just had a headache afterwards."
"Holy shit."
"The point is, we all know how I brought him back," she shook her head. "When we were in the past, I realized something. I'd become good friends with Alice and Frank Longbottom, mostly because of my boys here."
"Which ones?" Harry joked. Mia pinned him with a heatless glare before she moved on.
"Anyway. I've always wished I could do something for them. Neville and I talked, actually, after we found him at St Mungo's. He told me about them. Just what he'd heard from his gran, but he loved them so much. So I got to know them, you know, just so I could at least put the memories in a pensieve for him someday, but… I had this idea. And I knew a master Legilimens, so I asked him about it, and he said he'd help me. We had the pair of them create copies of their memories and told them to do it every day…. And they did. We went to the hospital and they're… fine."
Ron blinked at her. "Fine? Mione, they were… not fine."
She waved him off. "Yeah, I know. Now they are. Guys."
The pair stepped out and took in the small crowd in front of them. Mia felt bad. She knew they just wanted to see Neville, but that was impossible at the moment. Similarly, she had no way to safely get into contact with Lady Longbottom. Still, Remus got up and hugged them both happily with James following right behind him. Once they'd settled down, they sat, leaving Mia up front with Regulus and Avery.
"Okay," she said loudly, getting their distracted attention once more. "So, look. The thing is that we all know the end of this war, good or bad, is upon us. And I welcome that. But there are a few things I'd like to do beforehand, and I'll need some help."
"Whatever you need," James told her. She gave him a smile. He was being so strong. Her heart hurt for him, and she knew he'd mourn the second he was able, and she'd be there for him. He deserved that. She hadn't been lying when she'd said Lily had a ring that would take her to the future. But she also knew the girl, and she knew that Lily was a selfless person that loved with everything she had, including her life. And she'd given that for her son, something even James couldn't regret.
"Great, because I need your blood," she told him, letting out a laugh at his startled look. "And Harry's, actually. Much quicker with both of you… oh, I suppose I can help, too. And Sirius."
"Are you talking about Potter Manor, kitten?" Sirius asked her with a hopeful look. She grinned back.
"Of course I am. It's even safer than this place and with four blood bound children of the house alive, the Ministry can't ever take it… oh, shit…" she looked at James's hands and frowned. "Jamie, did dad ever name you as his heir?"
"He did," he confirmed. "The ring was left in Potter Manor, though."
"Right," she breathed out in relief. "Okay, well, you'll need to take over as Lord Potter and name an heir, okay? Speaking of…" she turned to Sirius, who took a step back and put his hands up.
"Don't you dare-,"
"Sirius-,"
"Mia, I will throw myself back in that Veil before I do it."
"Sirius!" Regulus snapped. Sirius winced.
"Sorry. I mean it though, I won't do it. I can't, anyway. Isn't Regulus-,"
"No, actually," Mia shook her head, surprising both boys.
"What the hell are they talking about?" Harry asked Remus, who was laughing openly at his friends.
"Mia wants Sirius to become Lord Black," he explained before addressing Mia. "But Sirius was disowned at Christmas, remember?"
Mia shot him with a glare, the smell of Sirius's blood permanently burned into her brain. "Yes, I remember Christmas. But Orion and I talked a few times and he left some… important papers in his personal safe as well as Sirius's trust and his heir ring. It was never Regulus's. Walburga might've burned him off the tree, but only Arcturus can officially disown a family member, and he never did, apparently."
Both Black boys stared at her in disbelief.
"Mother always told me…" Regulus shook his head. "He never told her?"
"Your mother was fucking insane," Mia scoffed. "Of course he never told her. I'll need to get in the safe eventually anyways, and as heir, only Sirius can do that."
"I'm not stepping foot in that house again," he told her seriously. "Not for anything."
"Please, Sirius," she stared at him with wide eyes. "It's important."
"Nothing is important enough for that," he disagreed.
"Yes, it is."
"Nothing."
"Sirius-,"
"I said no, Mia!"
"It's our betrothal contract!" She yelled, and he stopped short, looking frantically between her and Regulus.
"I didn't- there wasn't- they wrote one?" he asked her with comically wide eyes. "Holy shit, Mia. I thought you were lying!"
"Dad and Orion met and wrote one up. It's dependent on our agreement, but it's there, and I need it."
Sirius looked to Regulus, who gave him a small, pleading look for barely a moment, just long enough for Sirius to see. "Fuck. Fine. Okay, fine. I'll do it."
"We can take everything to Black Manor," she suggested. "Do the ritual for you and your heir there."
"I never said-,"
"Sirius this is important," she insisted. "When the war is over, there's going to be a power struggle. It's incredibly important to have you and Jamie on the Wizengamot to fight new laws and remove old ones. Particularly old ones made by Umbridge against werewolves."
The slightly manipulative sentence dug at Sirius and he sighed. "Fine. But you're my heir."
She screwed up her face. "No. I'm not a Black."
Sirius raised an eyebrow and she could tell he was laughing at her now. Without words, he raised his arm and pulled down his sleeve. Her eyes fell on his wrist.
"Fuck," she muttered, blinking at the black band around his wrist. "Stop laughing at me."
"Nope."
"Do they always argue like that?" Harry asked James, having moved away from the loud pair when they started yelling. James rolled his eyes.
"Not always. They're actually very sweet. Usually it's Mia and Regulus bickering. Sometimes, like now, Mia and Sirius just clash. It's always funny."
"Betrothal," Harry muttered. "I know that word. What does it mean?"
"They're engaged," a very pale Ron said. He looked confused and slightly dizzy. Most of the room had begun talking amongst themselves when Mia had brought up lords and heirs, but Ron had watched in wonder the entire time.
"They're not engaged," Gideon rolled his eyes at his nephew. "The contract was written up and likely signed but never confirmed by the pair of them. When it is, whatever the contract says will be put into place."
"That could mean two years of dating, one year, or immediate engagement. But knowing Charlus Potter, it was probably more dependant on her and Regulus and what they want," Fabian finished for his brother. "It's mainly to protect any assets involved, like a muggle prenup."
"We'll discuss that later," Mia finally snapped at Sirius, who was openly laughing at her now. "Can we please move on?"
"She's going to hex you," Regulus warned Sirius. "Remember when you insulted me and her both?"
Sirius winced a little, remembering the incident very clearly. "Fine."
"Okay. So first thing, I'd like to go to Potter Manor and handle all of that since it'll take awhile to lower the death fidelius and then we can take care of lord and heir. After that, we'll head to… Grimmauld Place…" she trailed off, her eyes landing on her boyfriend. "Oh, boy."
"What?" he asked, suddenly very confused.
"Kreacher."
He paled, the memory coming back to him. He'd told Kreacher to take the real locket and destroy it. He'd forgotten, of course he'd forgotten, that Kreacher would be unable to. He'd already drank the potion and his mind had been a mess. The moment his elf had left, he'd used his ring. "It's been years."
"He was nicer to us after we promised to destroy it," she admitted. "But Walburga really twisted that poor elf."
"Destroy what?" Sirius asked. "Kreacher isn't a poor elf. He's evil. He called you a mudblood every day for a full summer, Mia."
She fixed him with a very Hermione glare, one he'd gotten every time he mistreated the elf. "He was twisted by your deranged mother. He loves Regulus. Luckily for you, you're not his master anymore."
"Thank fuck."
"Right, so… we take care of both families and then we can move on. I have someone I need to find-,"
"It's not worth it," Regulus spoke up. "We don't need him."
"We might, and even so, I'd like to make sure he's okay."
"He's the reason-,"
"He is not," she snapped at him harshly. "His mind was invaded by Riddle. It was my fault for going to the raid to begin with, now can we drop it? I'm going to find him."
"What are they talking about?" Ron asked James in a whisper.
"Mia collected Death Eaters," he explained while the couple argued. "She had one named Samson Dodd. You-Know-Who used Legillimency to find out Mia was from the future and then when he captured her, he told her that Dodd had willingly told him about her. Sirius was there when she confronted him. It was nasty, but in the end, it wasn't his fault. Regulus just wants someone to blame."
"I don't want someone to blame because I know it's his fault," Regulus shot back at James, who shrugged in response.
"Anyways!" Mia got everyone's attention again. "I'm going to pass out Galleons to everyone. Get them to as many Order members and people of the Light as possible. That includes recent graduates like Lee Jordan and Angelina and Katie Bell. Get them to whoever you can."
"Why?" Remus asked her, flipping his Galleon in his hands.
"Because I'll be sending information I get from my Death Eaters to you. And sometime soon, I'll send a time and place and that will be it. It'll be on our terms, where and when we say so."
"The end?" Harry asked her with wide eyes. She nodded once.
"I'll give a short list of people that I absolutely want to get one of these. Ron, do you think you and the twins - sorry, Fred and George - can get these out to the recent graduates and anyone that skipped school this year?"
"We can do that."
"Remus," she hummed. "Andromeda and Ted Tonks and anyone they can think of… Sirius, is Alphard still-,"
"No," he interrupted. "He died a couple years after you left."
Her face fell. She knew he was the only one Sirius had connected with, aside from Regulus. "I'm sorry."
"It was a long time ago."
"Um…" she bit her lip and turned to Harry. "Aberforth Dumbledore. He runs the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade. Do you think you can find a way to get into contact with him?"
"Probably not," Ron spoke up. "Mum said that Hogsmeade is filled to the brim with Death Eaters and traps."
"I'll have a friend do it, then," she decided tiredly. She truthfully didn't want to ask Draco to do anything, and Blaise was too absent minded to trust with something so important, which left her with Theo if she were to decide on one of the three. "Right. I'll get to Bulgaria and ask Viktor if he and his friends can help, and I'll head over and see if Fleur can ask her friends and family to help, too."
"You're trying to build an army," Remus realized suddenly. She looked at him with a small smile.
"He already has his. I'm just playing catch up."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
April 20th, 1998
Potter Manor
The next morning after a small breakfast provided by Mia's loving elves, they set out. James, Sirius, Harry, and Mia all apparated to the edge of Potter Manor's wards. They were immediately confused.
"I don't understand," James stared at the very visible house ahead of them. "Mum and Dad set a death fidelius."
"Harry," Mia looked at her friend. "You didn't know your grandparents, did you?"
"Aunt Petunia always said they died shortly after mum and dad," he shrugged.
Curious, Mia put her hand up and cautiously pressed it forward. She felt magic warp around it, allowing her in. She gasped and took a step forward, disappearing behind the wards.
"Mione?" Harry asked in surprise.
"It's okay, pup," Sirius put a hand on his shoulder. "It's the wards. They let her in. We can't see her but she can see us."
"Oh, like the ones she put up around the tent," he relaxed. "But you said-,"
"I don't know," James shook his head before stepping through the wards as well and coming to a stop at Mia's side. He took her hand, staring with wide eyes at the large house in front of them. "What happened to them?"
"I don't know," she shook her head, leaning it against his shoulder. "Harry never told me anything. The extent of his knowledge was about you and Lily."
"Something is wrong," Sirius said as he pulled himself and Harry through the wards. "It shouldn't be like this."
Mia and James exchanged a look before the four of them walked across the lawn. The door was large and oak, and beautiful. James waved his hand over the door handle and, accepting his magic as family magic, it opened and let them inside.
Mia felt sick as she stepped in. It was perfect. It looked like nothing had changed. She fingered her Potter bracelet on her wrist, pain in her heart. Such a large part of her wished she'd never left. This was her home. Her parents had lived here, her brothers had lived here. There were memories in the place, and it was overwhelming to be back.
"Something is wrong," James said just as Sirius had.
"Let's just… look for the rings," she suggested shakily. The three men with her agreed, and they made their way up the stairs together to go to James's old room where he'd left the ring. When he opened the door, Mia looked around in disbelief. "It hasn't changed at all."
"Mum and Dad said they wanted to leave it in case I wanted to come stay," he told her, running his fingers along some books. Harry was turning in circles looking around the room when he stopped short.
"Is that blood?" he asked, pointing at the headboard on the bed. The three turned to look at it, and Mia and James shared a look.
"It is," James nodded. "Bad day."
"Whose blood?"
"Sirius's," Mia told him with a frown.
"Harry," Sirius called, his voice serious. The boy turned to look at his godfather, confused. "I told you about the day that my cousin tried to torture me into becoming a Death Eater?"
"Yes, but not much. What happened?"
"Mia saved me," he told him firmly. Mia shook her head, and he spoke again before she could interrupt. "She gave me a portkey straight to Potter Manor. Gave one to Reg, too. She knew what was going to happen, so she saved my life."
"I was there when he got here," she said in a soft voice, remembering the feeling in her gut when she'd caught sight of Sirius near dead on the floor. "I held him until Dad took him to St Mungo's."
"Mum sent us to bed after that," James continued. "Mia didn't change clothes, so she got blood in my bed."
"She sent you to bed… together?"
Mia scoffed. "Sorry, you see your best friend, your brother cut in half and shaking from torture and try sleeping alone."
Harry threw his hands in the air. "Sorry."
"Like I said. Bad day," James told his son as he moved to the bedside table and opened a drawer, picking up a silver and red ring. "Got it. Now we just have to find Dad's."
They split up for the project. Charlus didn't wear the ring every day, just when there was a Wizengamot meeting or when he was at home. He didn't like to wear it out. He'd said that he saw no point in wearing a stuffy old ring everywhere.
James and Harry took the first floor while Sirius and Mia went down to the basement. It was a large, open room with family artifacts and heirlooms. It was generally a giant mess and was overwhelming to look at.
"Accio Potter Lord ring," Sirius tried, pouting when nothing happened. Mia laughed quietly at him as she looked around the tables surrounding her. Most things were bigger, and she moved across the room to where she spotted some boxes, one of which was a silver jewelry box. There were a few necklaces and two pairs of earrings inside, but no rings. She sighed in annoyance. It was going to take a good while.
"Mia!" Sirius yelled in panic. She pushed off of the table she was leaning against and ran over to him, stopping short when she saw what he was looking at.
"Oh my god," she whispered, her hands flying to her mouth at the sight in front of them. "Oh my god."
Sirius put his shaking hand out in front of him and used his borrowed wand to run diagnostic spells while Mia kneeled down.
In front of her were the bodies of Dorea and Charlus Potter, looking almost exactly the same as when she'd last seen them. Untouched and uninjured.
"It's a- holy shit," he breathed. "It's just the stasis spell."
"You can't- can you put those on people?"
Sirius shook his head, unsure. "I've only seen it done on injuries, not an entire person."
Mia pressed her hand to Charlus's chest, her shoulders shaking as she fought back tears. Very carefully, she lifted the spell, holding her breath and waiting.
And she waited.
And waited.
And then he opened his eyes.
"Oh my god," she let out a cry, grabbing him in a tight hug before he could even tell what was going on. Beside her, she felt Sirius drop to his knees frantically and removed the spell from Dorea.
"Mia," Charlus greeted, gently pushing her away so he could sit up and hug her back. "You're back."
She pulled out of the hug again and waved her hand, a fox appearing in front of her. "Jamie and Harry. Get to the basement now. It's Mum and Dad."
She watched the fox run away and stood, holding her hand out to Charlus, who accepted it gratefully. Sirius had already gotten Dorea on her feet and the pair stood in front of their parents with wide eyes and tears.
"I don't… understand," Sirius breathed, looking between his parents. "You're alive."
"Mia?" James called as he got to the bottom of the stairs. "Mia!"
"Over here," she yelled back, her voice shaking. He rushed over with Harry hot on his heels, confused. James stopped short as his parents came into view, and Harry nearly slammed into him.
"Mum? Dad?"
"Oh, my children," Dorea shook her head, looking between them and noting that Fred was missing. "I'm so very sorry."
"What happened?" Sirius asked her, his voice tight. Mia understood. He was confused and probably angry.
"Why don't we get upstairs and talk," Charlus suggested lightly.
"No," Sirius glared at him. "Now."
"Sirius Orion, you do not talk to your father like that," Dorea looked at her son in surprise. "We will go upstairs and rest and then we will catch up."
"Harry," James turned around to look at his son. "Send a Patronus to Remus. Tell him to come to Potter Manor immediately… Fred and Regulus too, while you're at it."
"Is that…"
"Your grandparents," Mia confirmed without looking back at him. "I just don't understand how."
"Harry James," Dorea whispered, stepping aside to look at him. "Oh, Mia has told us so much about you."
"She- what?" Harry blinked, looking to Mia. "You did?"
She just nodded numbly. Two more losses that she'd expected to mourn and they were just… there.
"Everyone upstairs," Charlus ordered. "I'll have Tilly get us some lunch. I don't know about you, but I'm famished."
Mia stared in shock and felt laughter bubble up. He was hungry.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Thirty minutes later and they'd had a quiet lunch of sandwiches before Remus, Fred, and Regulus had arrived together. The group sat in a circle of couches and chairs, waiting for the older couple to explain.
"So," Dorea began, glancing at her daughter. "It started when you died, Mia. Vold-,"
"No!" Sirius, James, Remus, Fred, Regulus, Harry, and Mia yelled together.
"You can't say his name," Mia told her desperately.
"You always encouraged the use of his name," Charlus looked at her in confusion.
"But it's cursed now," Harry explained. "You say it and the Snatchers will show up and kill us."
"Oh, my," Dorea shook her head sadly. "Well, in that case, Riddle knew you were from the future and he had you killed."
"Yes, I remember," she said with as little anger as possible. It wasn't as if she'd forgotten, and she was getting impatient.
"He moved onto your friends and family," she explained. "He assumed, rightly so, that you'd told others about the future."
"She's right," Regulus spoke up with a frown. "He dug through my mind for three days trying to make sure I didn't know anything. He didn't get anything from me."
"Lucius tried to do the same with me," Sirius added.
"Yes," Dorea nodded. "Which is how we knew he'd be coming for us. Well, we stayed home as long as we could, but one day, shortly after… James, we received news that Riddle wanted us killed as well. So, we had the elves stop our hearts and start them again just as a stasis charm was being placed, so it seemed as if we'd died before they got here for us."
"And they just left you there?" James gaped.
"No, no," Charlus shook his head. "That was our idea. We had no clue when it'd be safe again, so we ordered the elves to care for the house and keep us safe but to leave us otherwise until someone came and found us."
"I was in Azkaban for twelve years," Sirius told them with a low voice. "I thought you hated me."
Charlus shared a horrified look with Dorea. "We had a meeting with Dumbledore before any of this and gave him proof that you were innocent. The ritual you and James used means you can never betray one another. He didn't-,"
Mia stood abruptly, shoving her chair back, and walked peacefully out of the room and up the stairs to her bedroom, where she began throwing curses and hexes at everything in sight, yelling some rather disgusting curse words while she was at it.
Regulus followed her, ducking to avoid a bombarda that hit the vanity sitting against the wall. He grabbed her from behind, gently but firmly pushing her arms to her sides. "He's dead, love. He's dead and he can't hurt anyone anymore."
"I want to kill him. I want to go back in time and kill him," she growled angrily.
"I know," he soothed, rubbing her arms as he led her out of her destroyed bedroom and back down to the living room, where Harry looked at her in shock.
"I don't understand. Dumbledore could've-,"
"Harry," Mia said harshly. "Dumbledore could've proven Sirius didn't do it, he could've pardoned him while he was in Azkaban, he could've pardoned him while he was in the tower at Hogwarts, and he could've done it any fucking time after that. He wanted to keep your godfather away from you so you'd have to stay with the Dursley's and uphold the blood wards, which weren't fucking the strongest thing that could've protected you! Potter Manor and Black Manor, not to mention Grimmauld Place, all have much stronger wards than your fucking muggle aunt and uncle."
"Mia," Dorea called. When she looked at her mum, she saw the same furious and deadly fire in the older woman's eyes, and it calmed her for some reason she didn't understand. "What's done is done."
"I suppose it is," she said, although she didn't sound any less furious. She took her seat once more and waited.
"So," Charlus looked between them. "What about you?"
"What do you want to know?" Remus asked when no one else spoke.
"Well, since my kids don't feel like telling me, what happened with James?" Dorea asked. "Let's start there."
"Mia," James said, like it was obvious. "After you took Sirius to the hospital, you sent us to bed and we talked. She told me I was going to die and made me swear on my magic that I'd save myself."
"That's our girl," Charlus winked at Mia.
"And Harry went to Petunia," Dorea made a face of disgust.
"I did," he confirmed slowly. Everyone seemed extremely angry for him and what happened in his childhood, and it was an odd feeling, especially now that he knew he was never supposed to go to his aunt and uncle under any circumstances.
"Remus," Charlus looked to the werewolf. "What happened to you?"
"I got married," he told him proudly.
"Before that, Moony," Sirius laughed shortly. "You had a life before Mini Tonks."
"Tonks?" Dorea blinked at Remus. "Andromeda's girl?"
"That's the one," Remus winced. "I know there's an age gap, but-,"
"No, no," Dorea shook her head. "I think it's wonderful. She's your mate?"
"Of course."
"Mia, my dear," Charlus called, gaining her attention once more. "Tell us about the war."
She sucked in a deep breath, squeezing Sirius's hand within her own. Fred seemed jittery and she didn't blame him - he was happy to have them back, but he clearly missed his twin, who he had only just returned to. Mia didn't blame him for being unable or unwilling to participate in the conversation. "Okay, well… I suppose everyone in this room might as well know what we're looking for, because fuck Dumbledore."
"Mia," Dorea scolded lightly, though she didn't truly mean it. She agreed wholeheartedly.
"Riddle made horcruxes," she told them, watching as Remus, James, Charlus, and Dorea looked at her in horror. Sirius, however, just nodded quietly, much to her confusion. "Sirius?"
"I knew."
"How?"
"The first day of class with you," he reminded her, nodding at her beaded bag. "Dark Artifacts of the Soul. I slipped it into my bag and read the pages you'd marked. It was my first hint that something was very off - it had come from my mother's library."
"Because you gave it to me," she agreed. "That's how you knew to give it to me?"
"Someone had to and there was no one else there to do it."
"Right," she shook her head, surprised that he'd known for so long. "Okay. Well, we've gotten rid of some of them, and I have one more in my possession ready to be destroyed. The remaining ones are his snake, Nagini, and something of Ravenclaw's. I think it's her diadem, but no one has seen it in years."
"So how many are there total?" Remus asked her.
"Seven," she said, looking to a nervous Harry. "Harry is one of them."
"Fuck," Sirius hissed. "At the meeting, you said-,"
"And I swear he'll be okay," she repeated. "Riddle has to kill him and then he'll come back. Severus and I did research on this."
"So you have to destroy these horcruxes before he can die," Dorea hummed. "How have you gone about that so far?"
Mia looked to Harry, a horrible thought slipping into her mind. "The sword of Gryffindor, but Bellatrix took it when she- when we saw her."
"How are we going to destroy it?" he asked her. "We can't go back for it. Riddle knows you're alive."
"I don't suppose anyone here is able to control Fiendfyre?" she asked, sighing. It was an incredibly difficult spell to control and often killed the user before they could handle it.
"I can," Regulus told her. Her head shot up and she looked at him with wide eyes.
"You can?"
"Mum tried to teach both of us," Sirius explained. "She stopped teaching me when I burned down our home in Norway."
"But I mastered it," Regulus confirmed. "All we need it a clear space and the cup."
"We can do it today, then," Mia breathed out gratefully. "Good."
"And what about the Order?" Charlus questioned. "Dumbledore is dead. Who leads it now?"
"Kingsley Shacklebolt," Remus answered him. "The Order has gone down in size somewhat since it's been targeted by Death Eaters, but Mia is working on fixing that."
"It'll end soon," she explained. "In a few days, maybe less. I'm trying to get things in order. When it does happen, Riddle will still want to kill Harry, but he'll want to fight me in the end. He knows what I am and he knows I'm alive, which means I'm his biggest threat right now."
"And you're going to do it?"
She shrugged. "Avery told me that the ritual he performed to come back was never completed. His desperate need to be the one to kill Harry got in the way of a full resurrection. As soon as we destroy the Horcruxes, he'll be relatively easy to kill. Nothing aside from his weak physical body and the Horcruxes is keeping him alive."
Charlus frowned at her, scratching his beard. "I don't like this. Neither of you should face him. Let someone more prepared do it."
"Dad, I'm sorry, but truthfully, Harry and I are more prepared than anyone else. I have more raw power and he has more experience. It has to be us."
"Can we go back to the thing about Harry dying real quick," James requested, frowning deeply now that he knew why he had to die.
"He really will come back," she promised.
"How?"
"Who here has done in depth research on the killing curse?" Mia asked. Only Charlus and Dorea signalled that they had. "What exactly does it do?"
"It separates the magical core and soul from the body instantly," Dorea told her.
"Without the two, you'd die. That's why there's no fixing it or defending yourself - you can't get those things back."
"So tell me what would happen if there was a secondary core and a secondary soul inside of someone."
Both of her parents hesitated.
"I'd imagine the one that isn't meant to be there would die and the other would remain safe." Charlus spoke slowly. "I see your point."
"'Neither can live while the other survives,'" Mia quoted calmly. "You can't live because you've got his soul inside of you. He can't kill you because of the same reason, because it would help to kill him. The only solution is to kill that part of his core, his soul."
"And you're sure he'd come back?" Remus asked, his voice tight. Mia nodded sharply.
"I only stumbled upon the research," she admitted. "I didn't desire to learn more about the unforgivables after Crouch Jr, not to mention… everything else, but while looking for a book to help Sirius, I found one. It made me more curious about Harry, so Severus and I researched Horcruxes as well because nothing else made sense. There's no proof, but I'm certain. He'll come back."
Everyone was silent for a long minute before Dorea frowned. "Crouch Jr? As in Barty's son?"
"Yes," Harry scowled.
"What did he do?"
As they launched into describing their fourth year, Mia found everyone listening. Fred had been there, so he helped give his point of view, which mostly consisted of pranking the disguised Death Eater. Remus and Sirius knew, of course, but it was one thing to know about it and another to be told the whole story. James and their parents were rightfully livid, only calming down on the assurances that he'd been promptly sent back to Azkaban.
"Well, what else is there to do?" James asked Mia. "Maybe we can help."
She considered the question, listing things off in her mind. "We need to destroy the cup, first. Then, I'd like to find Dodd if there's time. I won't pull him back into the war, but I'd like him to know that I'm back. If he's in America, it's likely he didn't get my Patronus. I have to check in with my Death Eaters, all of them if possible, and get an update on immediate threats aside from Riddle himself. We also need to do the Lord and heir rituals and retrieve the papers from the safe. I have to get to Aberforth, I'd like to get into Hogwarts ahead of time and help evacuate as many students as possible that will go. I imagine I'll have to explain everything to the DA as well… am I missing anything?"
"That's enough for now," Sirius shook his head at her in disbelief. "Let's destroy the cup first."
"Okay. Let's destroy the cup."
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April 19th, 1998
Malfoy Manor
"My Lord," Narcissa greeted Voldemort, her gut churning with anxiety. She'd been dreading the day for years. For awhile, she hadn't thought it would come, but she'd always known. She'd been told that when it ended, it wouldn't truly be over. And it was true. He'd come back, and they were once more stuck in the same position. She'd always blamed her father, though a small part of her knew it was her own fault for the position she was in. On dark days, like the day Hermione Granger had been tortured, she'd wished that she'd followed Andromeda away from their family and found someone she truly loved. Still, she knew that if she'd done that, she wouldn't have Draco. He was the only reason she kept hanging on. She needed him, and apparently, so did the war. So, she'd stayed where she was at, miserable, but with a sliver of hope.
"Narcissa," Voldemort looked to her. He was in a meeting with Bella, of course. It was happening more and more, and it made her suspicious. There were a few underlings scattered around the room, most of them Narcissa didn't know. "I hope this is important enough to interrupt me."
"It is, my lord," she promised, bowing her head to avoid eye contact as she always did. "I've heard a rumor that… I'm very sorry, but there is a rumor that Mia Potter is back."
There was silence, even from Bellatrix. Narcissa wanted to throw up. She knew Voldemort liked to shoot the messenger.
In the softest voice she'd ever heard, Voldemort whispered to her. "Bring me Dolohov."
She nodded once and rushed out of the room, gasping for breath. So far, she'd made it. If she was lucky, he'd take out his frustrations on Dolohov. She despised the man. He was disgusting. He did horrible things to anyone Voldemort wanted to truly hurt. She ducked into a the room she'd last seen him and choked slightly on the thick smell of blood. "Dolohov, the dark lord would like to see you."
Dolohov said nothing, but he did follow her back to the large room that used to be the ballroom where Voldemort waited. It was a short walk, and she closed the doors behind them as they entered.
"Crucio!" Voldemort screamed. Dolohov slammed to the ground, though he took the punishment silently. It was hard to punish him as he often enjoyed the pain. Still, Voldemort seemed to really mean it. Narcissa almost wondered what exactly he'd found in Mia's mind that scared him so much, even now. When he lifted the curse, Dolohov was kneeling on the floor in front of him.
"Thank you, my lord."
"Mia Potter," Voldemort spat angrily. Dolohov's head shot up, his eyes wide with excitement. The sight made Narcissa sick. It had been no secret how he'd been obsessed with her, nor what he'd done to her. He'd once gotten ahold of Hermione Granger, according to Bella, and she certainly didn't want to know what he'd done to the young girl then. "She is alive. I was under the impression that you killed her. I told you to kill her!"
"I did, my lord," Dolohov promised hurriedly. "I couldn't say how she survived. Would you like me to kill her again?"
Voldemort's lips thinned. He was obviously furious with Dolohov, but it seemed he was angrier with Mia. "I'd like you to find her and torture her until I tell you to stop."
"Of course, my lord."
"My lord," Bella interrupted. "Can I be of service?"
He seemed to consider her question, which was obviously a request. "Yes. Both of you look for her. Both of you will work on her."
"Thank you, my lord," Bella smiled gratefully.
Narcissa backed out of the room silently, wondering if Mia knew exactly what she'd gotten herself into. Still, it wasn't her problem. So she backed into the shadows once more, hiding from the spotlight and staying out of trouble the way she had been for twenty years now.
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