May 4th, 1998
Burrow
Mia and Regulus returned to the burrow an hour later, just at the beginning of the meeting. They slipped in and stood at the back together, holding hands. Kingsley was just standing and making his way to the front of the group when they settled in. The new minister looked over the group and smiled.
"Thank you all for coming. I am grateful to gather you all in much better circumstances than the last time. I know a lot of you are confused as to why we're holding this meeting, so I think I should clear that up immediately.
"The time in which the Order of the Phoenix was not active, many unfortunate things happened. It is my belief that the Order should remain active permanently. For the past month or so, I have been putting in a great deal of work to establish the Order as a sort of governing power above the Wizengamot. This means that no matter what happens with the Wizengamot, the Order will have the power to run things if the need arises. This is, of course, to prevent what happened with the ministry happening again.
"That being said, I would ask Mia if her DA wishes to join as well - sixteen and over, but you may join."
Mia blinked in surprise as everyone began to look around for her. Charlie, who was standing behind her, shoved her forward gently. She let out a small laugh and walked forward until she was close enough to speak with Kingsley. "I believe we're interested. I'd just like to make it clear, though, that we're equal partners. We won't work under the Order."
"I learned my lesson," Kingsley chuckled. "Wonderful! Mia will be in charge of the DA, then, and I will leave Sirius in charge of the Order."
Sirius spit out the drink he was sipping. "Excuse me?"
"Now, that is the most of our official announcements," Kingsley told everyone. "Anyone that is interested in joining the Order and DA can stay after the party to go over a few important things. As for now, I'd like to thank everyone that played a role in the end of this war. We may have a long road ahead of us, but without all of you, none of us would be here. Our world is forever changed because of that day."
"Cheers to Mia!" Fabian called out with a grin. Mia didn't even bother glaring at him, because way too many people raised their glasses to her.
"What I did was nothing," Mia told them when the attention didn't immediately shift from her. "All of you fought the real battle. You risked your lives just as I did. I couldn't have killed Voldemort without the help from all of you."
"Oh my god," a voice yelled. Mia glanced around to find Ginny shoving her way out of the crowd. She grabbed Mia's hand in her own. "What the hell is that, Potter?"
Mia's eyes slipped to Regulus, who was grinning unapologetically. "Uh… right."
"Should I take this to mean you're engaged?" Kingsley asked, grinning at her. She cleared her throat.
"Regulus proposed to me just a bit ago, yes."
"Weren't you about to murder him?" Astoria wondered. Mia's smile softened.
"Clearly, we worked that out."
"Well, in that case, congratulations!" Kingsley said, raising a glass he grabbed from a table. Everyone else did the same, calling out their congratulations as well. Regulus slipped into her side and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Well, I suppose there's not much left, then. Enjoy the food and company!"
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Charlus, Dorea, James, and Harry had all been looking for the newly engaged woman separately, and they all managed to find her by the pond at the same time. James approached her first, sitting down next to her. He grabbed her left hand and smiled sadly at the ring on her finger.
"She'd be so happy for you," he told her softly. "And so glad you have it, Mi."
"Thank you for this, Jamie," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "I can't imagine a more perfect ring."
"Whose was it?" Harry wondered, approaching them with his grandparents.
"Mine," Dorea spoke up. Mia looked at her in surprise. "I gave it to James for Lily, of course. It was the ring he stole in his third year and tried to give it to her. Lily mailed it back to me with an apology and a request to get control of my… how did she word it?"
"'Infantile son,' I believe," Charlus laughed. James shook his head fondly.
"She smacked me when I tried to actually propose," he told them. "She wanted to give it back to Mum. She actually thought I'd stolen it again. It took me about two minutes to explain to her that I was given it, this time."
"Regulus told me and I started crying again," Mia told them. "I'd just stopped, too."
"I didn't think he'd do it so quickly," James admitted to her. "He didn't seem like he wanted to do it until you left school."
Mia blushed. "My terms, his speech. That's what he said. I sort of backed him into a corner with my questions when he couldn't tell me when he planned to tell me about the whole… magic marriage thing."
"I suppose we'll write up a new contract," Charlus told her. "I do wonder why he didn't come to me."
"He said he didn't want to wait for the contract," Mia smiled softly. "He went to Jamie instead, because he knew it was important to ask."
"I'd have told you guys, but he seemed pretty serious on doing it on his own terms," James told his parents. "Plus, he only got it a couple days ago."
"Merlin, you're going to get married," Harry breathed, bumping Mia with his shoulder. "Ron'll be bitter."
Mia scoffed. "I told him at the ball. He should've asked me first and not as a last resort. We all know if I'd ended up with him, it would've been a last resort situation. This way, he can find someone right for him like I did."
"How long do you two plan to stay engaged for?" Dorea wondered. Mia shrugged lightly.
"I'm not sure. I'd say as soon as possible, but I don't want to start our marriage in Hogwarts, so probably right after."
"That gives us plenty of time," Dorea assured her. "Your father will start that contract up with Sirius immediately."
"Sirius?" Mia asked, momentarily surprised. It took her a second to remember that he was officially Lord Black, and would have to handle such matters himself. "Shit. Dad, please don't let him put anything stupid in there."
"What, you trust Orion more than Padfoot with it?" James asked, amused when she nodded immediately.
"Orion was a right arse, and I'd like to hex him sideways for what he did, but he wouldn't have messed with a contract. He loved his sons too much for that."
"I thought the pair of you got on well," Charlus frowned. Mia screwed up her face.
"We did. But when we were looking for the rings and the contract, Reg found some notes from him. Apparently, he used Veritaserum to get me to tell him what Dolohov and Bellatrix have done to me and once he did that, he used Legilimens and took the memories so he could put them in vials for evidence. Then he Obliviated me and sent me home."
"She's right," James nodded. "Regulus just about lost it."
"I've got the vials," Mia said, nodding at her bag that sat on her hip. "He wants to throw them out."
Charlus and Dorea exchanged a dark glance.
"You should have someone take a look at your mind," Dorea suggested in as light of a tone as she could manage. Even being the practiced pureblooded Slytherin that she was, she couldn't hide the fury she felt. "Orion was a master legilimens, but after the damage you've gone through, he could have severely agitated injuries."
"Tomorrow," Mia waved her off. "Tonight, I'm going to pretend to be a normal, newly engaged woman and spend time with my family and fiance."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
May 19th, 1998
Hogwarts
That morning, a group of people arrived at Hogwarts.
Minerva had cleared the castle for the setting of the wards. When she came to meet them outside of the old, broken wards, she was surprised by the large group of people there to lend a hand. She rushed over to them, looking over the groups. "What is all of this?"
"Well," Mia grinned, nodding at Theo. "He had a brilliant idea about the wards. We're going to do all of the wards we planned on, connecting them to the Potter and Black Houses, of course, but what's the strongest group of magicals in the wizarding world?"
"You don't mean- there hasn't been a coven in over a century," Minerva told her, wide eyed. Mia nodded excitedly.
"In fact, there'll be two. One dedicated to the Houses, and one dedicated to the new generation entering the world - my friends and I, who put our lives in the line for the school. Something strong and symbolic for magic's sake."
"We'll make the school untouchable," Bill assured the shocked woman with a wink. He was waving his wand at the wards, and they watched as the remaining pieces of the broken wards crumbled until they were completely gone.
"Surely you don't need so many people," Minerva argued. Mia shrugged lightly.
"Since the wards take so much magical energy from the binder and I'm the binder for both, I want to focus those wards on the Chamber. Family wards and the general wards will be placed on the school itself. If anything gets past those, they won't get through to the Chamber."
"Miss Potter, that cannot be safe," Minerva argued with the determined girl, who was watching Bill as he began setting the base for the wards, something which would make them stronger. After he'd cast it a few times, she raised her hand and followed his lead. Theo was doing the same, and so was Avery. Mia had been surprised to find that Avery had spent his seventh year studying curse breaking and planned to continue in that line of work after the upcoming school year.
"Don't worry, I've done something much more draining before and only had a headache," she assured her old head of house. "It'll be fine. Have you finished everything down there?"
"Nearly, yes. We've begun Obliviating workers as they leave."
From then on, the wards took more concentration and were less and less easy to follow. When they began attaching the wards to random rocks or sticks, Mia gave up and hung back with everyone else while Bill, Theo, and Avery moved on.
It was nearly two hours before they were finished. Bill stood back and looked at the still visible wards proudly. "Well, that's just about every ward I know of. Time to let the families get to work."
For that, they'd brought along just about every member of either family. It had been difficult getting the Aurors and Hit Wizards out of work for it, but in the end, Moody had admitted that protecting Hogwarts was still just as important as protecting everyone else.
Dorea stepped forward first, hand held tight within Charlus's. "Tolle, Et Aperi Nobis." The wards lit up brighter, and the pair put their intertwined hands in a small hole that opened up. It closed on them, and a small cut formed on both of their hands. The blood that surfaced was soaked into the wards. "Suscipe Ab Unitatis Atque Praesidium." Their hands were released, and both withdrew quickly. The wards flashed red before they settled back to normal once more.
"What was that?" Bill wondered curiously. Dorea offered him a smile.
"Something of my own making. Just as Hogwarts will be blessed by blood wards from the Black House and the Potter House separately, it has been blessed by the two combined - us."
"As for the separate Houses," Sirius stepped up. He pulled his sleeve up and pointed his wand at it, cutting it until it bled. He pressed that against the wards. "Familiae Praesidio Tojours Pur." The wards brightened with the beginning of the spell.
Quickly, Andromeda stepped forward to cut her hand and press it up against the wards, which got brighter. After her, Tonks moved and did the same. Then Narcissa, and Draco, and Dorea, and Regulus, and finally, Mia. With Mia's hand on the wards and bleeding, they flashed bright enough that they had to look away and then settled once more.
"Well, that's strong as hell," Sirius grinned at Minerva. "Only someone who has intimate knowledge of Black wards or the blood of a Black family member could get through it."
"But just to be safe," Charlus commented. He repeated what Sirius had done, and was immediately followed by James. Sirius grumbled and cut his hand again, and then Mia and Harry followed along. With the completion of that family blood wards, they were just about as strong as they'd get them.
"Great!" Bill grinned excitedly. "Onto the Chamber."
It took some time to get everyone down there, and it ended up being only those that would place the wards. Minerva was insistent that everyone that didn't need to know about the Chamber would already need to be Obliviated before leaving that day. Mia and Theo were the only ones who wouldn't be, as they'd both be Emergency Coordinators.
They stood at the front of the chamber. The first group consisted of Mia, Dorea, Narcissa, Andromeda, Tonks, Ginny, and Minerva. Ginny and Minerva were both a bit of a stretch - they each had familial bonds with the House of Black and the House of Potter, but weren't sealed. Still, it was enough for the completely familial coven to be formed, which was done by each of them putting a drop of blood into a bowl and reciting an old incantation.
As for the wards, the seven of them joined hands. Mia found herself between Dorea and Tonks for the simple fact that she was closest to the two of them out of those that she was blood related to. It meant that they would strengthen her power as she cast.
The wards themselves were extremely simple - Fianto Duri and the like. When they began, the group lit up slightly with the power. Mia provided a great deal of the power for the wards, as any head of a coven would do. By the time they'd finished thirty minutes later, the group had created wards that would be nearly impossible to break through. Any random group of people casting those wards wouldn't have had the same results - covens, specifically of seven witches - were the strongest group of magicals in history. It connected the wards to not only one person, or multiple random people, but to a group of connected witches. From that, it fed on the family connection they held, a large reason why they'd decided to form two different covens.
The next one was made up of Mia, Ginny, Astoria, Daphne, Kat, Jess, and Luna. They repeated the process of a single drop of blood each to seal the coven together, and then with Mia's guidance, they spent the next half hour casting. There were new spells this time, and they connected these wards to the defensive spirit that their generation held. It was a complicated combination that Theo had come up with on his own and was mostly certain would work and not blow up in their faces.
By the time they finished with that, Mia was exhausted. She didn't have a headache like she'd had with her bond with Sirius, but she was certainly tired. Beyond that, she could feel not only the connections to her covens - which were permanent - but also to the newly placed wards. She had a feeling she'd be alerted somehow if anything were to happen to them, and that thought calmed her slightly.
Minerva paid the group in form of an early dinner in the kitchens before she set to work Obliviating most everyone and sent them on their way.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
June 6th, 1998
Potter Manor
Mia shot up in bed, heaving for air. Tears were streaming down her face, and the panic from the nightmare hadn't dispersed. After taking a short second to adjust to being awake, Mia stumbled out of her bed, pulled on a robe, and ran across the hall.
The door slamming open was what woke James, and he had his wand trained on her by the time she reached his bed. She ignored it completely and grabbed him in a hug, crying. He dropped his wand on the bed and wrapped his arms around her, confused and worried. "Mi, what is it?"
"My parents," she told him, her breathing picking up. "Jamie, something's wrong with my parents."
Truthfully, it took James a moment to remember that she'd had parents before she'd gone to the past, and when he did, the slight panic over Charlus and Dorea dissipated. "C'mon, Mi, it's a nightmare. D'you wanna sleep in here tonight?"
Mia shook her head firmly. "I mean it James, there's something wrong. I think they're in danger."
"Well, have you talked to them at all lately?" he questioned. As the sleepy fog left him, he realized he'd never asked about her parents at all, and no one had bothered to contact them after the final battle. "I'm sure they're fine."
"They're not," she insisted. "James, I have to go check on them. I have to go."
"Okay, okay," he nodded, gently pulling away from her. "I'll come. Go get dressed and I'll meet you downstairs in five minutes."
Mia hurried out of the room gratefully and went to do as he said. She shed her pajamas and put on the first things she saw - shorts and a tank top. She threw on her shoes, grabbed her bag, and rushed downstairs.
James was already there, wearing his Auror robes. When he turned, she caught sight of his pajamas underneath. In any other situation, she'd have laughed at him. "You're going to have to take us there. Are you okay to Apparate?"
Mia nodded and held out her hand. Despite being nervous because of her hysterical state, he took it and braced himself.
When they landed, it was no longer the middle of the night but rather the middle of the morning. They were stood outside of a muggle home in the middle of a large neighborhood. There were a few cars going by and some kids outside playing football.
Mia hurried ahead to the house they were in front of and knocked rapidly on the door. James came to stand at her side, vaguely aware of the aggressive shaking of his sister. She knocked again, this time harder, and tapped her foot as she waited.
Finally, the door opened. A woman that Mia had clearly gotten her looks from opened the door with a small, distracted smile. Her eyes settled on the pair of them, and she looked confused. "Hello."
Mia's eyes slid past the woman to survey the house. "Is your husband home?"
"Yes, he is," the woman confirmed, glancing back hesitantly. "Richard!"
James grabbed Mia's hand silently as her father came to the door. He was tall and wore glasses, but it was the body language he recognized as belonging to Mia.
Mia took in a deep breath and plastered on a smile. "We're from the local police. We were wondering if you've seen or heard anything strange around your house recently?"
"Oh, strange?" Richard hummed. "Not that I can recall, no. Has something happened?"
Mia glanced at James for help. That was his job and she didn't know how to handle the situation on her own. She hadn't seen them since the day she'd Obliviated them, and it hurt more than she'd expected.
"We're concerned that a group of dangerous people may be targeting you because of Mi- Hermione," James corrected. Mia looked at him and shook her head, but that did nothing to help him. He was still somewhat certain she'd just had a horrible nightmare.
"Hermione?" Helen wondered. "From A Winter's Tale? I always loved that name, but I'm afraid we don't know a Hermione. I think you might have the wrong house."
"Mr and Mrs Granger?" James frowned. At their nods of confirmation, he looked back to his sister, who didn't look surprised by the confusion. He took that to mean that this wasn't new, and to carry on. "Well, we're a bit concerned for your safety and we'd like to take you somewhere while we try to track them down."
"Well…" Richard frowned, looking back. "I suppose it is Saturday… can I bring my book?"
Mia let out a small, slightly hysterical laugh. "You can bring two."
"I'll go reschedule lunch with Cindy," Helen sighed. She turned around and made her way back into the house, and Richard waved the pair in as well.
"We'll just be a moment," he assured them. "I'm going to grab a sweater."
Once he'd left, James grabbed Mia's arm gently and led her to a chair, where she nearly collapsed. "Mia, what's going on?"
"I Obliviated them before we went on the run," she told him softly. "And sent them to Perth."
"Perth- are we in Australia?"
"Something's wrong, Jamie, I know it. I put up wards around this house, I warded it like crazy and I think that's what it is - there's something wrong with the wards. Someone's been messing with them."
"We'd have to check to be sure," James sighed, glancing around. "Mia, there's nowhere in Australia I know of that's safe. We have to Apparate them somewhere."
"Not Potter Manor," she said immediately. "Too many people there. I think Grimmauld Place would be good. The wards will protect me, and by extension, them. I'd say go to my safe house, but we haven't even done a check up on those wards."
"Grimmauld Place," James agreed. "And then we get Sirius and check it out."
"No, I need you to stay with them," she shook her head. "If there's something wrong with the wards, only I can fix it. It'll be a lot quicker diagnosing the problem myself, but I don't want to leave them alone."
"Mia, you're not an Auror," he reminded her, tense. "I am. I've been trained."
"I spent my entire life training to fight," she snapped, surprising him. "I'll be fine, James. Just promise me you'll watch them."
James frowned at her, but he nodded once in confirmation. They stayed silent for another couple of minutes before the couple made their way back toward the door.
"We're ready!"
"Let's go," James said, helping Mia up. She grimaced at the pain and reminded herself to take her potions before leaving again. The group of four made their way out of the house and then into the street, which had an Apparition point like most muggle neighborhoods.
"Where are we-,"
The telltale crack of Apparition could be heard, and Mia was barely able to get a shield up in time to stop the curse flying their way.
"Jamie, take them and go!" she shouted, trembling under the weight of the curse and the pain she already felt.
"Mia-,"
"James, go!"
James grabbed onto Helen and Richard and disapparated. They landed in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, and he let out a long curse. "Are either of you hurt?"
"Hurt- where are we?" Helen asked, tense. "What the hell happened?"
"How did we get here?"
"Are you hurt?" he asked again, this time louder. They both quickly shook their heads, so he twisted on his ankle and attempted to send himself back to the fight. Anti-apparition stones must've been put up, because there was a loud crack in the kitchen, but he didn't move. "Fuck!"
"What happened?" Richard asked him. "Where's the other one, the woman?"
"Expecto Patronum!" James cast the spell and watched the stag run out. "Go to Fabian, Gideon, and Sirius. Mia's in danger, come to Grimmauld Place." The silvery stag rushed away, and he turned around, running his fingers through his hair. When his eyes settled on the shocked couple, he cursed again. "It's magic. It's hard to explain."
"But why didn't your friend come with us?" Helen wondered. James winced.
"She made it safe for us to leave," he explained. "I can't bloody believe she was right. The witch has nightmares constantly, and this one is real? I shouldn't have let her go."
The floo lit up and out came Sirius, who was still in pajamas and with his wand in hand. He stopped short at the sight of the trio.
"Helen, Richard," he greeted, eyeing James. "Where is she?"
"Fucking Australia," James threw his hands up. "I thought it was just a nightmare, Pads. She insisted we go check on them, so we went, and everything seemed fine until we tried to take them and leave. There's anti-aparrition stones up or I'd be there."
"Fuck," Sirius cursed loudly, his stress level rising quickly to match James's. "Did you see who it was?"
"No," James shook his head. "He threw a red curse at her, but I didn't notice anything else aside from the mask. Unsurprisingly, it's a Death Eater."
The floo lit up again, and this time the twins came out, both already dressed and with their wands up.
"I'm confused," Richard interrupted. "Who is she? Why did they come to hurt us? Are they terrorists?"
"They weren't there for you, Mr Granger," James explained impatiently. "They were there for Mia, and they got her."
"Who has Mia?" Gideon asked, alarmed. "What happened?"
"She was fighting when we left, and by the time I tried to go back, anti-apparition stones were up," James summarized. "They're in bloody Perth."
"Portkey," Fabian suggested immediately. He looked around and grabbed a quill that had been left on the table. He tossed it to Helen, who barely caught it. "Hold that and think of your home."
She did as he said, thoroughly confused, and he cast the spell. "Facti Sunt Portus."
"You guys go," James nodded at them. "I told her I'd stay with them when she went back, so I'll stay. Just destroy the stones and send me a patronus if you need me."
Sirius nodded and was the last one to grab onto the quill before it sent them away. When they landed, they were on the porch of the house. In the street was four Death Eaters, all of them trying to attack Mia. She was engaged in a duel with one in particular and cursed at him with one hand while she used the other to shield her. The only sign of an injury on her was a deep cut across her upper right arm.
Fabian was the first to move, and he had his wand out. He was able to engage with the closest Death Eater, which forced Gideon and Sirius to hurry ahead as well as the others turned to look. Luckily, it left each of them to fight a single Death Eater. Mia had barely noticed the others moving, because the one in front of her was fighting so aggressively.
The fight lasted around a half hour. During that time, the four of them managed to take a second to put up muggle repelling charms. Gideon's duel ended first with him stunning the Death Eater and restraining him with magical ropes. He went from there to help Fabian, who was struggling against the particularly cruel one he was fighting. Sirius, meanwhile, was trying to fight his own Death Eater, as well as distract the one Mia was fighting with.
That was how it happened.
Mia's Death Eater, irritated with Sirius's interruptions, moved so quickly that Mia barely saw what was happening. He spun to the side, shot a curse at Sirius, and then spun back around and threw another curse at Mia. She blocked that, her eyes on Sirius and expecting him to block it. To her horror, he couldn't.
"Bombarda Maxima!" Mia screamed. The spell hit the street behind Sirius, but just before she managed to levitate the chunk in front of him, the bright green spell slammed into his chest.
Time felt like it froze. It had happened again. She'd seen him die again. The band on her arm lit up in an instance, burning into her. She watched his body fall backward onto the ground. His head bounced slightly when it hit the uneven street.
The Death Eater in front of her used her distracted state to his advantage. First, he threw an Everte Statum at her, which hit her and threw her far back. She crashed against the ground and rolled with it, groaning in pain. He stalked closer and then dug into her stomach with Diffindo, causing her to begin bleeding. When he got close enough, she waved her hand at him, turned his shirt into a portkey, and then sent him to the Indian ocean.
With him done and everyone still engaged, Mia stumbled to her feet and over to Sirius's body. She grabbed onto it and tried to send them off to the Ministry. They didn't move, suggesting that Kingsley had actually done as they'd all suggested and upped the security. With some loud cursing, she sent them instead to Grimmauld Place.
"Mia!" James yelled throwing himself to the floor. She was gripping onto Sirius's body, bleeding all over him. "Fuck- Mia, how's he hurt?"
"He's not, he's dead," she grit out. "I need to get into the Ministry, call Kingsley."
"Mi, are you hurt?" he asked, trying to pull her away from Sirius's body. She glared at him.
"I'm fine Jamie," she snapped, shoving him away. "Go call Kingsley!"
"Mia, you're not fine," he insisted. Her eyes flashed brighter, so he straightened and looked back at her parents, who were still in the room. "I need one of you to come over here and help her put pressure on her injury while I call him."
"Is that man really dead?" Helen asked, even as she hurried over. James tossed her a towel, which she pressed against Mia's stomach.
"He won't be," Mia answered. James hurried out of the room, likely to go to Kingsley in person and let him know what was happening. "He's so stupid!"
"It's alright," Helen assured her gently. "You should lie down, dear. This bleeding isn't slowing down."
"I can't leave him," she muttered, shaking her head. She did, somewhere in the back of her mind, understand that she needed to be healed. She wouldn't die, but she would be worse off.
"If he's gone, holding him won't change that," Richard told her, walking over hesitantly. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him with wide eyes. "You need to lie down. Is there a couch or a bed somewhere?"
Mia glanced between him and Sirius, who looked much too peaceful to her, and nodded. Her parents helped her to her feet and, using her directions, into the nearby sitting room. She was set on the couch, and they both sat near her.
"Would you mind if we asked… who are you really?" Helen questioned. Mia silently noted that she couldn't have expected them to believe her long-term.
"It's a long story," she said with a wince. She was holding the towel to her stomach herself now, and pressed harder. "Hard to explain. Magic and all. What did Jamie say?"
"He said you knew us," Richard offered. "I can't seem to recall you."
"That's my fault," she admitted. "I made you both forget me because it's safer."
"Clearly, it isn't," Helen disagreed firmly. "We knew you? How?"
Mia grimaced. "Really, I don't know if this is a conversation for now. You won't believe me, and I'm not… feeling great."
Her parents exchanged a glance and, thankfully, switched directions.
"These people, they were after you? Why?"
"It was a war," she answered. There was a noise in the kitchen, and she hoped it was James. "I ended it recently, and they're not happy about it. They can't get to me because I've been staying in safe places, and they're being tracked down by the government. You were their way of getting to me - they found you, found the wards I put up, and knew I'd know if they were messed with. Obviously, their plan worked."
"Wards," Richard repeated curiously.
"They're like magical walls around the property. I put them up when you moved to Australia. They're connected to my core, so when they messed with them, I was immediately aware and-,"
"Mia!" Dorea called, panicked. She slammed the door open with Charlus right behind her. "Oh, my dear." She ran over, her wand out, and pushed away Mia's hand holding the towel. "Is this dark?"
Mia shook her head. "It's just a cutting curse. I might have a concussion, though."
"Mia, love, how did this happen?" Charlus asked, deeply concerned.
"Dolohov is my bet," she muttered darkly. "I think that's who I was dueling. He killed Sirius and then did this to me, so I sent him to the Indian Ocean and got the fuck out of there."
"Oh, dear, this is deep," Dorea muttered. "How is your magic?"
"Better with all of you here," Hermione told them, appearing just behind the couch. "I can pull on you. She did weaken me when she tried to take us to the DOM immediately after being hurt."
"Mia," Dorea scolded. She glanced at Helen and Richard, who looked very startled and lost. "Are these your muggle parents, sweetheart?"
"They were in danger," Mia explained with a hiss. Dorea ignored the obvious pain and continued to clean out the injury and search for any hidden dark magic. "Jamie went to talk to Kingsley about letting us into the Ministry, and the twins are still with the Death Eaters."
"If they need to stay at Potter Manor, we certainly have the space," Dorea assured her. She began working on closing the injury up, and while she did that, Charlus grabbed Mia's bag.
"Do you still have Dittany, Mia?" At the girl's nod, Charlus reached in and searched for it. He found the bottle and passed it over to his wife, who quickly dripped some into the injury. Helen and Richard both watched in amazement as it sealed itself up, not even leaving a scar.
That didn't mean her other scars weren't in clear view with her shirt pulled up.
"Mia, we'd like to know more about what we've forgotten," Richard told her. Dorea helped her sit up and took her hand within her own for support.
"Richard," Helen scolded. She smiled at the other older people in the room. "I'm Helen Granger, and this is my husband Richard."
"Charlus Potter," Charlus reached out and shook their hands.
"And I'm Dorea," she smiled, bowing her head slightly.
"As for what I took away," Mia frowned, glancing at Dorea. "I'm not sure it can be put back ever, truthfully."
"How much did you Obliviate at once?"
"Um… I did it when I was eighteen," she shrugged lightly. Dorea tilted her head side to side in consideration.
"I would have to take a look myself, but if you were careful enough, it's possible."
"What is… Obliviate?"
Mia sighed, pulling her legs to her chest. "It means I went into your minds and removed certain memories. It's a very precarious type of magic, and while I didn't damage you at all, I'm just not sure how to fix it. Mum might, because she was raised with a lot of mind magic. I assumed it could never be fixed, even back when… I didn't think they'd be alive when I got back here, so I never even thought about asking her for help."
"And you removed…?" Helen said slowly. Mia could see a familiar look in her eyes and knew she was suspicious, which was understandable considering Dorea's telling question.
"Me," she said shortly. "Like I said, there was a war. I was already very involved, and things suddenly got much worse. I was in danger, which was fine, but you were as well. So I removed your memories of me and sent you to Australia. The war ended a month and a half ago, and I was… sort of in a coma for a bit."
"And we were in danger because you're our daughter."
Mia grimaced, but she nodded. "I understand why, but you wanted me to abandon my friends and the war to be safe, but it just wasn't a choice anymore. After my fifth year, I don't think there was any going back for me."
"Why?" Richard wondered. They both looked very conflicted, and she didn't really blame them. "What happened then?"
She glanced toward the door, thinking of Sirius lying on the floor in the kitchen. "There was a fight. I fought with my friend, who was originally the very center of the war. It started then. I was more than a mudblood, I was one of the top three wanted people."
There were a couple of cracks in the hall, and the twins sped into the room and only relaxed upon seeing them.
"Oh, thank Merlin," Fabian breathed. He pushed his way through and grabbed her in a tight hug. "You terrified us, pet. We thought he'd taken you."
"Not this time," she said, squeezing him back. "Are you guys good?"
"We're fine," Gideon confirmed, messing up her hair. "Took a couple of them to the ministry, put them in holding."
There was a loud crack and James appeared in the room next to Richard. He looked at the group, more than a little stressed. "Kingsley's heading in. He said he needs to talk to Croaker to get you access to the Veil, so it might be a little while. D'you think that'll be a problem?"
Mia rolled her eyes at him. "How long was it for me?"
"A few hours."
"And for Sirius the first time, it was two years. He'll be fine."
"Mia, dear, since we've got time, would you like me to take a look at their memories?" Dorea offered. Mia looked between all of her parents hesitantly, but her gaze settled on Helen and Richard.
"She may very well be able to help you remember, and we can keep you safe now that we know you're in danger, but… look, the mind is a very sensitive thing. It's just so easy to damage, and I trust her completely, but you need to be aware of how serious what she's offering is."
"I don't understand," Richard admitted. "What could happen, exactly?"
"She won't hurt you," she assured them. "But before letting anyone in your mind, it's important to know that if one wanted to, they could absolutely destroy you. Your deepest secrets… your biggest fears, traumas, everything that makes you vulnerable… it can be viewed and used."
"What Mia's trying to say," Fabian put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "Is that you'll be okay, but you shouldn't let anyone else touch your minds."
"I'd still like to know," Helen insisted.
"Of course," Dorea nodded. "Why don't you both come with me and I can get to work."
"I think I'll go get Regulus," Charlus said, patting Mia's hand. "And perhaps a change of clothes for you."
So they separated, leaving Mia with the twins and James to collect her thoughts and, hopefully, calm down.
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