Notes aren't my favorite things, but I need to write one just to address possibly the kindest review I've ever gotten.

So, this chapter and what happens at the end is dedicated to k. kuehn. translations. Thank you so much for your kind words. And I'm glad you enjoyed Adelaide Snape! I've had such fun with both of these stories. Fun fact, I didn't have a firm grasp on the difference between each of the mains of my fics until I wrote a multiverse fic and I realized that Mia and Adelaide aren't actually as alike as I thought they were. Also, oddly, Avery is very different.

Also, a note to anyone that might've read the original version of this, A Marauder Hopeful And His Most Logical Friend- I have finally found and posted the 35th chapter of that, which is the last that will ever go up. It's the last that has been written, and I wrote it two years ago. I'm done with that now, and will be continuing on with Trouble Is A Friend with renewed excitement.

Side note, though- reading old writing can be so cringey, man. I cannot handle it. It's incredible to me that I've gone from AMH to this. Even some of this one is bad, honestly.

Another side note, because as I write this, I'm looking through reviews- to Don't Mind Me Just Reading. This fic is not a Doctor Who crossover. There will be one at some point in the future, but it's not necessary to read to follow this fic. I don't even know if I'll post it until this is finished. It'll likely be a crossover with my one and only Doctor Who fic, the Wolf and the Flower. But, like, an AU. I dunno man, I gotta bug my beta about it for a while and flesh out those details. I've only recently started on my first draft of it, which is super rough and will likely be completely rewritten. It's a whole Thing.

Anyway, I'll stop now and let you read. Enjoy, and please review and let me know what you think!

May 3rd, 1998

Ministry - Records

After leaving Hogwarts, Mia's plan had been to head straight for the ministry. The only issue with that was that there was one other person who hadn't gone there yet to update their statues as living - Regulus. So, they stopped by Potter Manor to grab him. While there, Severus had separated from them when Narcissa requested his help with something at Malfoy Manor, which left Mia and Regulus there to go alone.

The place was much emptier than the last time they'd been there. It gave Mia chills just to see how many ministry workers had truly been Death Eaters. The records office was three floors up, and inside was a very familiar face sitting at a desk and looking ready to hex someone.

"Emmaline!" Mia exclaimed, her eyes lighting up excitedly. Her friend looked up in surprise.

"Oh, Mia, thank fuck," Emmaline breathed out. She got to her feet and ran over to wrap her up in a hug. "Fuck. They said you were going to die or something, Mia. You know how pissed I was? You can't just not be dead and then be dead!"

Mia laughed and pulled out of the hug, letting Regulus wrap his arm around her again. "I'm good. Why're you here? I didn't think you worked in records."

"Well, I didn't," she huffed. "I worked in the CRS, but I got fired for trying to remove the Nott kid from his home two years ago. Since the ministry is fucked, Kingsley asked me to take over here for a couple months, and then I can have my job back. With a good pay raise, mind you."

"What's CRS?" Mia wondered, looking around in wonder. It was a rather dark, gloomy office filled with filing cabinets. The entire office went so far back that she couldn't truly tell how big it was.

"Child relocation service," Emmaline explained. "It's what Marlene wanted to do, so I decided to do it for her."

Mia's smile dimmed slightly. "Well, we're here to declare ourselves alive. Also, combine myself with Hermione Granger."

"Luckily for you, I have that first part down," Emmaline told them, waving her wand. A few files and some official documents flew down onto her desk. "The issue might come in merging your identities. It's never been done before. I looked into it while you were, er- unavailable."

"I was in a coma, Em," Mia rolled her eyes. She and Regulus sat down in the chairs in front of her desk together. "I know it might be difficult, but McGonagall said I have to work things out here before she can combine Hermione Granger's file with mine. I'd really like to have my real file, because I missed so much class while I was there. I really don't want that to be the only record of me up to here."

Emmaline tapped her finger on the desk, thinking back. "Are there any assets belonging to Hermione Granger that you want to retain?"

Mia thought about it for a moment. "There's a few things in my vaults that belonged to my muggle parents. Aside from that, not really."

"Ah, well, Gringott's isn't an issue," her friend waved her off. "They identify you based on your wand, so as long as you've got that, you'll be fine. You're sure that's all you need? No properties or anything?"

"Emmaline, I was muggleborn," Mia reminded her. "The most I have is my parents' house, which is muggle paperwork."

"In that case, I think I know what we can do for you," Emmaline said with a grin. "See, some sneaky cunt installed a time-turner driven delivery system down here to avoid waiting for paperwork to be approved. My money's on Umbridge, honestly. She used to work down here."

"Of course she did."

"How will that help us?" Regulus wondered, eyeing the woman.

"Well, it was one of the experimental time turners," Emmaline explained excitedly. "I haven't had a use for it before today. It can send objects back up to about twenty years. So, my idea is that we send for a name change to be approved back then, with a note to stick it under some old file that won't be touched. That way, legally, you've always been Mia Potter!"

Mia processed the idea slowly, trying to understand. "That'll change my name, sure, but will it be enough for McGonagall?"

"Oh, sure," Emmaline waved her off. "My guess is that her only issue is your different names. Student files are finicky like that."

"How exactly would you know that?" Regulus questioned her.

"Oh, right. The reason Kingsley asked me to do this shit is because I spent the first two years after I graduated reorganizing Dumbledore's filing system, which was super fucked. But he paid well and it kept me safe since I was staying in the castle. I got pretty well acquainted with the way student's files are put together."

"So you're sure that just changing my name will be enough to ensure that she can merge my files?"

"Yep! Technically, she'd have to change the name on Hermione Granger's file to Mia Potter, since it's been incorrect since before you got to school, but that's an easy fix. I've seen that sort of thing changed before."

"Wait, but then… why can't she merge the files?"

"Well, she's probably not actually going to merge them," the woman shrugged, filing out the forms in front of her after grabbing another one. "She'll probably just use the Hermione file."

"I am so confused," Mia admitted. "But if you think it'll work, then okay."

Emmaline nodded firmly and glanced up at her. "Birth date?"

"September 19th, 1979," she offered. The woman scribbled it down.

"Full name? Hermione's, that is."

"Hermione Jean Granger."

"Jean," Regulus commented with a smirk. Mia eyed him and the evil look in his eye that promised some sort of teasing later.

Emmaline hummed and scratched out a few lines, piquing Mia's interest. "What's that?"

"Huh?" Emmaline glanced at what Mia was looking at. "Oh, it's questions about your- Hermione's parents and what House she belongs to. Since you were muggleborn, it doesn't apply to you, especially since you belong to one now."

"Two," Regulus spoke up, gaining both of their attention. At Mia's confusion, he frowned slightly and paused before speaking. "Mia, you bonded yourself to Sirius. That binds you to our House as well. Did he not tell you that?"

"Uh… no?" she shrugged slightly, filing the information away. "He just sort of warned me that I'd be bonded to Jamie too, but I already was, so I didn't care."

Regulus's lips thinned. "My brother is an idiot."

"Ah, there we go," Emmaline said as the paper lit up brightly. When the light faded, everything she'd written was gone and some of the questions had changed. "Right, what's your full name now?"

"Mia Dorea Potter," she offered, gaining another surprised look from her boyfriend. "Mum said I needed a middle name at Christmas, so she changed it."

"What I'll have to do is grab your file from the seventies and put it inside this new one, probably with a note explaining everything," Emmaline told her as she continued to fill out her birthdate. "Right. Parents Dorea and Charlus Potter, of course. You're only a part of the Potter and Black Houses, right?"

Mia blinked, trying to think. "I assume so. I don't remember doing any other sort of rituals."

"Just checking," she chuckled. She paused, eyeing the birthdate again. "Mia, how old are you actually?"

Mia paused to consider this. "I was eighteen when I went to the past, and then I spent ten months there- nineteen, I guess."

Emmaline hummed, eyeing the birthdate. She put a small asterisk next to it and then, at the bottom of the page, noted the difference in her age. "Man, you're the most interesting thing that's walked through these doors in the last month."

"I strive to be confusing," Mia commented with a sigh. Her friend shot her a smile as she continued to fill it out. When that was finished, she tapped the seal of the ministry that sat on the top of the page, and the entire thing took on a slight glow - not bright at all, but enough to tell anyone working there that it needed to be approved and filed. Next, the woman scrawled out a quick note requesting the approved paperwork be stuck to the side of the 'P' drawer. With that done, she grabbed everything and got to her feet.

"Wanna see?" she asked, eyes bright with excitement. She led them over to an otherwise innocent seeming drawer of a cabinet and opened it. Inside sat a time turner, hooked into a machine with a counter. She adjusted it until it was set at eighteen years and then set the paper inside and closed the drawer. A bright, familiar golden light flashed and when she opened it once more, the paper was gone.

"I had no clue there were still any time turners aside from the one I had," Mia shook her head, amazed. Emmaline raised an eyebrow at her as the three made their way back to the desk.

"And whose fault is that, exactly?"

Mia blushed. "Well I didn't shoot the curse in there! Why does everyone blame us? There were Death Eaters there that night, you know."

Regulus raised an eyebrow at her. Mia made a face, but Emmaline was more than willing to fill him in.

"She didn't tell you?" she let out a small laugh and ignored the look Mia shot her. "Well, in '96, this one and her friends decided to storm the DOM in the middle of the night. There was this huge fight, and they got in a lot of the rooms, I guess. Best part is that someone shot a Bombarda at the time room and destroyed every single time turner. Except from this one and the one Mia had, of course."

"There are actual Death Eaters to blame!" Mia huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "We were just trying to keep them from killing us. Excuse me if we broke some shit."

"It's probably good that they've been destroyed," Regulus commented thoughtfully. At their confusion, he waved to Mia's eyes. "Now that an unfortunate amount of people know this is possible, it's likely that someone would try to do the same."

"Mm, good thought," Mia agreed. Emmaline smiled at them and grabbed a file sitting in front of her. She pulled something out and lit it on fire. It burned away, and she nodded at Regulus.

"That's you done, then. I'll just add a note that you were… outside of time, I guess, for however long so that they don't come after you for not paying taxes or whatever stupid shit they come up with."

"And my name change?" Mia wondered. Her friend waved her wand, and a file came flying into her hand. It looked somewhat old, and when she opened it, she showed them the aged confirmation of a name change. "That's incredible, Em."

"Yep! I'll just put the note in yours and his and you'll be good," she explained, setting it down. "You're free to leave this purgatory, if you'd like. All I ask is that you visit me again before I lose my damn mind."

Mia let out a laugh and got to her feet, this time with a bit of difficulty. It had been nearly four hours since her potions, which meant she needed to take them again. Regulus took her arm, which she appreciated greatly. "How about I come for lunch tomorrow?"

"Blessing," Emmaline told her seriously. "You are a blessing, Mia Potter."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

It was later that night when Severus returned to Potter Manor to find most everyone asleep. That was true for Mia as well, and he found her asleep on the couch in front of the floo with a book in her hand. He shook his head at her and grabbed a blanket from the chair next to her and draped it carefully over her. Then he reached for her book and pulled it carefully from her hand.

"No, my page," she said in a sleepy voice, her eyes shooting open. Serveus's lips twitched slightly, but he marked the page and set the book down.

"What are you doing, Sano? It's late. You should be asleep."

"Mm, wanted to talk to you," she said, pulling herself into a sitting position with a hard wince. He watched her adjust slowly until she was comfortable again and pulled the blanket up to her chest. He took a seat in the chair he'd pulled the blanket from and looked her over carefully. She was shaking, but she didn't look like she was in too much pain otherwise.

"You've been taking your potions?"

Mia nodded a bit. "I forgot a single potion, not even one for pain, and I had six people remind me. I don't think I can get away with not taking them, Sev."

"Good," he nodded firmly. She was frowning at him now, her brow creased deeply. He knew neither of them wanted to begin the conversation, despite how much they both wanted to have it. And, like the Slytherins they were, they waited for the other to begin it.

As for Mia, she was willing to put it off in the hopes that he'd say something on his own.

"Kingsley called an Order meeting tomorrow," she informed him. "It'll be at the Burrow for lunch. He told me to invite the DA as well."

"I assumed there would be no more."

"So did I, actually. I assumed you guys had held some while I was in the coma."

Severus shook his head. "No. He met with us a couple of times, but only those at Potter Manor, and only to update us on the situation with the Ministry or the captured or killed Death Eaters."

Mia froze, a thought occurring to her that hadn't yet. She paled slightly. "Severus, what did- what happened to Dodd's body?"

Severus put his hand on hers. "We buried him. Dorea offered to do it here. She put up a small memorial for him, if you'd like to go look at it."

She nodded a little and, using his arm to help her, got to her feet. She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and then took his arm. Severus guided her through the ballroom and out the french doors into the yard. It was large, but Mia spotted the new, large yew tree immediately. There was a bench and flowers next to it, as well, so he led her over to sit on the bench, where she read the plaque.

"'Loyal to the end, Samson Dodd.'" Mia breathed, brushing her fingers over it. She felt tears prickle at her eyes. "I didn't want anyone to die for me. He shouldn't have come."

"You'd have gone for him," Severus reminded her gently. She shot him a glare, one that he fully expected. "Mia, you didn't make the decision for him. He could have stayed, but he didn't. You are not responsible for his death."

Mia set her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I can think of one moment that would've prevented his death. If I just hadn't listened to Leon, if I'd ignored him and not bothered to find Dodd in the first place, he'd be alive. Hell, he'd be alive and Voldemort never would've gotten into his head."

"You can't change the past."

"I've done it once before," she muttered. He turned to look down at her.

"Sano, you don't still have that time turner, do you?"

"Even if I did, I couldn't," she told him, unwilling to tell anyone that she had it and planned to keep it. "I saw his body, Sev. I know he's dead. It's different from the twins, or Jamie, or Reg, or Avery. His life… is over. That's my fault."

Severus looked at her in frustration. "You might be the brightest witch of your age, Mia, but you're… thick."

Mia scooted back and looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"Are you going to blame yourself for all of the other deaths in that battle?" When she looked like she was going to say yes, he shook his head at her in shock. "I'm sure you've heard of survivor's guilt, Mia."

"It's not- it's not just that," she defended hotly, quickly getting irritated. "I brought us to Hogwarts, did you know that?"

"I was aware that Harry certainly could not have done it as… quietly as you did, yes."

"That means I brought Voldemort there, too," she told him like he was stupid. "I asked all of those students to fight! It's my fault we were where they were."

"Mia, you were severely outnumbered. You could not have held them off for as long as you did without that group."

"You don't understand," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Severus's eyes flashed brightly.

"You forget that I lost people as well," he snapped. That alone shocked her into meeting his eyes again. "I made my fair share of mistakes. Who do you think told Voldemort about the prophecy?"

Mia's mouth fell open. It just… made so much sense. She'd never thought to wonder how the man had gotten it, aside from assuming he'd had a spy in Hogwarts. And… he had. As she stared at the man next to her, she understood the bitterness he'd held in him, that he still held, to an extent. "Lily…"

He nodded sharply. "I understand the guilt you're feeling better than you think."

"But… that's different," she tried. "You trusted the wrong person. I-,"

"Trusted the wrong person."

"It's not trusting him that was wrong, it was just…" she frowned. But it was, wasn't it? It wasn't that Dodd hadn't been trustworthy, it was just that trusting him put them both in danger, in the long run. She had to admit he was right- their mistakes were similar, at the very least. "He shouldn't be dead, Severus."

"Neither should Lily."

Mia glanced back at the small plaque and then at her friend once more. "Maybe you're right."

Severus let out a short breath. "That is not the only piece of my life I feel I should explain to you, Sano. Do you remember the first memory you showed me when you told me you were from the future?"

Mia thought for a moment. When she did remember, she understood. "Dumbledore."

"Yes."

"Listen, I couldn't care less that you killed him," she said bluntly. "He deserved it, and I have no doubt that you had to, for one reason or another."

"I Vowed to," he told her, despite the fact that she didn't care. "I Vowed to Albus, and I Vowed to Narcissa that I would step in before Draco could."

Mia nodded firmly. "I trust you. I didn't need an explanation. I mean, the Order might, but-,"

"I have already spoken with Kingsley," he interrupted. She offered him a small smile.

"So it's fine."

They fell silent. Severus couldn't help but feel like she was holding back, which he figured was fair because he wasn't exactly speaking his mind, either. He didn't think she'd speak up first, which wasn't that surprising considering the determination with which she could avoid people.

Which left it to him.

"About your time as Hermione Granger," he began, surprising her. She looked at him and waited nervously, but he found himself stuck. What was he supposed to say? 'I'm sorry for bullying you relentlessly for six years'? That didn't seem right, but what else was there to say? It wasn't as if she'd given him the task without knowing what would happen. "I was… cruel to you quite often. While annoyingly enthusiastic, you did not deserve the treatment you received."

Mia scoffed at him, slightly offended. "Excuse me for going twelve years without magic and then being thrown into it all at once."

Severus grimaced. "In hindsight, I can understand that enthusiasm. I suppose I'd never encountered anyone as immediately excited as you before."

"Hmph," she scrunched up her face. "If I wasn't as enthusiastic as I was, Harry and Ron would've died ten times over."

"I do not doubt that."

Mia narrowed her eyes. "I can't tell if you're agreeing with me or insulting them."

"Both, I believe."

"They are idiots," she said lovingly. They lapsed into silence again before he broke it once more, still uncomfortable.

"Mia, I would understand if you held some sort of… resentment toward me," he told her. She seemed to consider his words and, after a moment, sighed.

"It's difficult," she admitted. "I wasn't lying back then when I told you that you were never one of my biggest concerns. Being petrified and keeping Harry from dying in the Tri-Wizard Tournament took up most of that energy. The issue is… I do hold some resentment." Severus couldn't help but feel disappointed at that, but he had brought it up, and he knew it was reasonable. Mia put a hand up. "Not toward you. Toward… that fake you. The one that's an asshole. I know you never would've said or done any of that if I hadn't twisted your memories the way I had. I tried to make you bitter and angry, because that's how I remembered you. So… I don't resent you, Severus. I resent… Snape, I guess."

"We are the same person, Mia. I did and said those things."

Mia scoffed. "Tell me right now that I'm an insufferable know-it-all. Tell me that my cursed teeth look exactly the same." Severus winced, and she waved at him. "You can't, can you?"

"You may be a know-it-all, but you are not insufferable."

Mia snorted. "Thank you for your kind, healing words, Severus. I'd always hoped you'd call me a plain know-it-all."

"You're welcome."

"And you may be a bit rude and at times annoying, but so am I. You're not… what I made you. And… I would understand if you were pissed at me for doing that. You might've agreed, but twenty years is a long time to be angry and bitter and it's my fault you were."

"Wizards live long lives, Mia," he told her. "I won't pretend I don't wish I hadn't lost those years, but I'd do it again under the assurance that we'd still be here in the end."

"Ah, look at you," she laughed, nudging him with her arm. "You're a sentimental old man, huh?"

Severus repressed an eye roll. "Or perhaps I wouldn't."

"Well it's a good thing no one is asking," she chuckled, resting her head on his shoulder again. "It's nice to have you back. For me, I was only without you for a few days, but it was awful. I wasn't sure when it'd be safe to get you, and I wasn't sure how long it'd take to make you remember."

"It was, possibly, the longest few minutes of my life," he told her softly. "I remembered you right away, but I couldn't… move. There were more memories. I could hear you screaming and I wanted to help, but-,"

"You did," she reminded him, poking his hand. "And I'm here, and I'm fine."

The memory of that attack darkened his mood significantly. He'd taken so long to get to her, and when he had, he'd been so distracted that he hadn't even bothered to kill Dolohov. Sirius blamed him for the fact that Dolohov was still free, and he agreed. It was why he'd offered to help spend the summer tracking Dolohov down.

"Sev?" she whispered. "What is it?"

"Will you ever stop being in danger, Mia?"

The question surprised her, but she had a pretty certain answer immediately. "Probably not, no."

He had to appreciate her honesty, at least.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

May 4th, 1998

Burrow

Just about everyone that had fought in the final battle was there. The only exceptions were Fleur's family or Viktor's friends, though the man himself had come. It was an overwhelming sight, and the yard and house were filled to the brim.

Just outside of the wards was a small pond, and that was where most of the teenagers decided to gather. All in all, it was Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, Mia, Regulus, Avery, Draco, Theo, Blaise, Daphne, Astoria, Kat, and Jess. They were sitting either on the grass or in front of the water. As for Blaise, he was levitating himself just over the water itself, which seemed to be a very unsteady way of being on the water without touching it. Every once in a while when he lost focus, his leg or arm would dip toward the water and Theo would roll his eyes and wave his wand at his friend to save him.

Mia was in a sundress, and she lay on the grass with her head in Ginny's lap and her feet in Avery's. Her red-headed friend was playing with her hair absently as she eyed Blaise. Avery had been pulled into conversation with Fred about some idea for the prank shop, and Avery actually seemed interested in it.

"So when will you two begin formally courting?"

Mia continued to stare up at the sky, smiling softly at the clouds above them. It was a beautiful day, and it felt like it had been too long since she'd be able to appreciate the world in that way. It was when Ginny threw a piece of her own hair in her face that she blinked. "Huh?"

"I asked when you and Regulus plan to formally court," Daphne laughed. Mia blinked a few times.

"What?"

"Mia and I have yet to look at the contract our parents drew up," Regulus said, taking the question for her. When he mentioned the contract, understanding passed through her.

"We don't actually have to do the whole courting thing, do we? I mean, we've been dating for ten months- er, essentially ten months, anyway. Plus, we've already got a sealed bond, so does it really matter?"

"You have a sealed bond?" Astoria asked, her eyes widening dramatically. "Shit. How'd that happen?"

"Well, it was that or let me be brain dead, so," Mia shrugged carelessly. After everything she'd been through, it was hard to care about the day Bellatrix had tortured her in the bookstore. A few people grimaced at her words, so she moved on. "I understand bonds are typically sealed with marriage, but we're not technically married."

"It would accelerate a normal contract, though," Draco cut in. She looked at him curiously, so he continued. It would take some time to get used to being friendly - or even friends - and in the meantime, they were both carefully polite. She'd tested his patience the day before, but to his surprise, neither of them had cared after their argument at breakfast. Bigger fish, he supposed.

"Why?" she asked, sitting up. She put her hands out to steady herself and did her best to hide the pained grimace. Her best was not great, and just about everyone noticed it, but no one said anything.

"Well, in magical terms, you… are married," he explained, eyeing them. Mia's eyes shot to Regulus, who didn't look surprised at all, but rather annoyed with Draco. The blonde man began to get the impression he'd stumbled on a conversation he didn't want to be a part of.

"Regulus, what is he talking about?"

"Maybe now isn't the best time to-,"

"Draco?" her eyes shot to his, and he saw a silent threat in them. Regulus was annoyed, but Mia was dangerous. Draco certainly hadn't forgotten how hard she could hit, and he likely never would, so he answered her.

"Magic itself would consider you married, bound for life. There is no taking it back. Ever."

"Hermione!" Mia screeched. Her magic appeared next to her.

"Mia, look-,"

"You had us get married and you didn't even tell me!"

Both Hermione and Regulus winced at the volume and tone.

"Is this, like, normal?" Kat asked Jess, who was staring at them.

"You expect me to know?"

"Would you rather be married or brain dead, Mia?" Hermione tried. Mia narrowed her eyes dangerously, as if threatening her own magic.

"I'd rather you have told me!"

"Legally, we're not married," Regulus told her cautiously. "Magically, but not legally. There is a difference."

"So when you said I'm a part of the House of Black because of my bond with Sirius-,"

"Partly true," he admitted. "If you didn't have your bond with him, however, you would be because…"

"Because we're married."

"Yes."

Mia got to her feet and grabbed him by his robes. He hurried to get up and followed her toward the house, leaving everyone behind.

"...chances he doesn't take this out on me?" Draco wondered. Blaise snorted from his spot over the pond.

"Slim to none. You're the idiot that told her."

Draco narrowed his eyes and flicked his wand at the man. Blaise let out a screech as he was thrown into the cold water, splashing Theo, Jess, and Kat in the process.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Mia tapped her foot impatiently, her arms crossed over her chest. She hadn't said anything since pulling Regulus through the house and over to Grimmauld Place, which was truthfully just the first place she thought of. After five tense minutes, the floo lit up and Sirius walked through. The man stopped short at the sight of them.

"Uh…" he coughed awkwardly. "If you're fighting, don't put me in the middle of it."

"Oh, no, you belong in the middle of this one," Mia hissed. Sirius's eyes widened with panic, and he looked to Regulus, who just shook his head slightly. The floo lit up again, and out came Dorea and then Charlus.

"Oh, dear," Dorea hummed. "Did something happen?"

"We're married?" she yelled, pointing to herself and Regulus. Sirius and Charlus seemed to understand immediately, which only confirmed her theory. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Sirius put his hands up immediately. "Regulus made me swear not to until you got back to the future."

"It didn't seem right with everything going on, dear," Charlus told her. Dorea looked at her husband and son. She seemed calm, but Mia caught sight of the anger filling her eyes.

"Are you boys telling me that all three of you knew Mia has been married for months, and none of you said anything to her?"

"Well, I had to do the binding for them," Sirius admitted. "And then she was still so sick, and by the time I could tell her, Regulus already made me promise."

"And you?" Dorea stared at her husband, who shifted uncomfortably. She was a Slytherin, but he definitely was not. Like most Gryffindors, he had trouble hiding his discomfort.

"I was made aware of the binding as the Lord of the House," he explained, mostly to Mia, who was still glaring daggers at everyone - everyone except for Dorea, that is, who seemed appropriately angry for her. "I decided to set up a contract with Orion before I said anything to protect them both in the future. We were still fleshing out the details up until she was taken at the raid, so I never got around to it."

Mia rounded on her boyfriend and raised an eyebrow. "What is your excuse then?"

Regulus glanced at her family hesitantly. "Mia, I'd rather-,"

"Regulus," she said, her voice low. "This isn't something you get to keep from me. I get that you think I'm… incompetent or whatever, but this isn't something you get to decide for me."

"Mia, I don't- I don't think you're incompetent," he grimaced, running his fingers through his hair. "But that's… not a conversation for now. The reason I didn't tell you is that… I didn't want you to know, just in case I… didn't make it."

Mia's anger froze in her chest and was quickly replaced with an overwhelming sadness. He didn't want her to know that they were magically married because, should he have died, she'd have to mourn that. It was logic she understood, despite disagreeing with it. She let out a breath. "God, you're so stupid."

"We'll go," Dorea told her, patting her shoulder. "But be sure to be back before the meeting, dear."

Mia took Regulus's hand and led him out of the room and up the stairs to what she knew was his bedroom. She hadn't been in there, no one really had, but she felt it was the right place to go. They sat on the bed together, and she took a moment to look him over. She finally saw what he'd apparently been hiding - his complete fear of his supposed death. Even having survived it, it haunted him. "I'm sorry. I didn't even consider… I didn't consider it."

"I told you I didn't want to talk about it," he reminded her softly. "And I didn't. But I would've been a fool not to admit there was a chance something would go wrong, or that the potion would make me forget the ring. I couldn't help that we're bonded, and I wouldn't take that away for anything. If you knew that magic considers us married-,"

"Your potential death would've been that much harder," she nodded her agreement. "I understand. I just want to know when you planned to tell me, I guess."

"Soon," he said slowly. She frowned at him, not understanding his reluctance to continue.

"When?"

"Mia-," he let out a breath, frustrated. "You don't make anything easy, do you?"

"I try not to," she joked. He looked back at her and into her impossible golden eyes.

"On your terms, then."

"My terms?" she frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Regulus took in a deep breath and got to his feet. "Mia. The first time I felt the spark of our soul bond, I was terrified. You were just another thing that my family could take away from me - something else the war could take. And then, you did this terrifying and wonderful thing and you made me feel worthy of standing with you. You made me feel like I didn't have to spend my life as another worthless sycophant. You made me worthy."

"I didn't do that," she began, but he shook his head at her.

"Your terms, my speech," he informed her. She shut her mouth, suspicion sneaking up on her. "You're a fucking terrifying person to be with, you know that? You're the most jeopardy friendly person I have ever met, Little Lion. Somehow, you make it out of it alive in the end. I don't know how you do it, but I don't care as long as you keep doing it.

"Our lives are going to be filled with danger. You're a Legendary, which means Voldemort isn't the last dark wizard you'll fight. It's taken me so long to come to terms with that. The entire time between you leaving and my leaving, I spent trying to come to come to terms with what our lives will be.

"Until I met you, I never thought that I'd find someone I want to spend my life with. I knew that anyone I cared for could only be too light for the dark life set for me. And then you did what you always do, and you took control and told me that you'd stand with me and hold my hand and fight with me.

"Mia, I didn't tell you that magic considers us married because I didn't want you to feel that heartbreak, but I also didn't want to tell you until I could do this."

Mia already had tears in her eyes, and she swiped at them hard as he got down on his knee. She did her best not to begin crying already, considering he hadn't actually done anything yet.

"Mia Dorea Potter," he began, managing to wink at her when he said her middle name. She let out a short laugh that was a bit more of a sob. "I propose that we ignore anything that contract says. No courting, no long wait- I propose we make our own decision about our life together and when it begins. I don't know about you, but I'd like it to begin sooner rather than later. Will you marry me?"

Relieved that he was finally finished - she did love his speech, but Merlin, it was hard not to say or do anything while he gave it - Mia threw herself into his arms and nodded rapidly. If she wasn't crying before, she definitely was now. She pulled back and pressed her lips to his, unable to find the words.

After a few minutes of kissing and crying, Regulus finally managed to pull back and grab a box from his pocket. He opened it and Mia's mouth dropped open. "It's beautiful."

"I talked to James," he admitted softly. "It was Lily's. He wanted you to have it."

Despite the tears having just ended, Mia felt them begin again. She swiped them away and held her hand out to him. He took it and gently put the ring on her hand. It resized magically to fit her, and she stared at it. "You really want to Jamie?"

Regulus hummed. "I wanted to ask someone in your family, but I didn't want to bring it up to Charlus since he was a part of making the contract. When I told James, he took me to Gringott's and got the ring for me."

"When the hell did this happen?" she asked, laughing even as she wiped away more tears. "You've been around me almost constantly, Reg."

"While you and Severus met with McGonagall," he smiled. He pulled her closer and pressed a kiss on her forehead, then her cheek, then her nose, and then her lips. "I love you, Mia."

"God, I fucking love you too, Regulus," she said, holding him tightly. "I love you too."

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