"Once I get you up there
Where the air is rarefied
We'll just glide
Starry-eyed
Once I get you up there
I'll be holding you so near
You might hear
All the angels cheer because we're together
Weather-wise, it's such a lovely day
Just say those words and we'll feed those birds
Down to Acapulco Bay
It is perfect for a flying honeymoon, they say
Come on fly with me, we'll fly, we'll fly away, we'll fly"
Frank Sinatra- Come fly with me
Sometimes Mia talked with Hermione in her dreams.
She remembered the first time she saw her; she always looked to be the exact age Mia was at the time. She remembered seeing her first at the age of five. She saw then a small, conceited looking girl with bushy hair and big front teeth.
That dreams almost always took place in a giant library with big gothic windows. Hermione told her later that it was the Hogwarts library.
Mia decided from the beginning that she would try to be almost everything that girl wasn't.
They didn't talk much back then.
It came with time. At the beginning, Mia mostly screamed at Hermione about the nightmares, about the horrors she saw, and the sheer unfairness of the fact that she was even in this situation.
But time after time they started talking.
It turned out that they had more in common than shared memories.
They talked about school and schoolwork. Compared their lives Ilvermorny and Hogwarts.
They talked about friends from school; Hermione was jealous of Mia's girlfriend pack. Mia was jealous of Hermione's friendship with boys.
They talked about magic and shared knowledge.
They talked about their heartbreaks and fears.
They swoon over boys and men. Mia laughed at Hermione when she admitted to her crush on Gilderoy Lockheart.
They've giggled with blushing faces talking about sex and their experiences, hopes and fantasies.
Sometimes Mia had the impression that Hermione tried to shield her from nightmares.
Then came 1981.
Mia had a breakdown after returning from every single Death Eater killing escapade. The light in her eyes snuffed out by exhaustion and violence she saw and caused and was replaced by something cold and calculating.
She and Hermione didn't talk even once during her time there.
As if Hermione was ashamed that Mia had to do these things because of her.
She returned to Ilvermorny late for the beginning of the semester by one and a half month, a different girl than before the summer break.
Until the end of school, Hermione rarely appeared in her dreams.
Mia thought it was good. She preferred to deal with nightmares rather than cowards.
Then she joined the Thunderbirds.
Hermione came back. Older. About nineteen years old. And she has not aged a day since then.
They've started talking again.
Hermione cheered Mia's relationship with Mark.
She let her cry in her dreams when he died.
Hermione then stayed quiet for next couple of years.
Mia went about her day, sometimes feeling empty and sad, like some part of her was missing.
She planned for the coming years with pious meticulousness. She decided that she would end Hermione's case once and for all and finally regain total control over her life.
Then she broke up with Magnus and some of her plans crumbled. But some remained and she still wanted to proceed with them.
But Hermione still stayed away, even when Mia finally came to the UK.
Until now.
"Don't you think you overdo it a little?" Mia heard a reproachful, female voice with a prominent British accent from behind her back. She turned only to see Hermione with her wild hair, pale, freckled face and furrowed brows looking at her angrily.
"Shut up." she responded bitterly. "You wanted revenge, so you will get your revenge. Besides they're only Death Eaters."
"They're still human!" the other girl shrieked throwing her hands into the air. "We're supposed to be the good ones, remember?!"
Mia crossed arms on her chest and huffed.
"We are the good ones. But I'm not goin' to tip toe over murderers and sickos because thy princesses' moral compass is hurting. I still want to live through it, you know?"
Hermione bit her lips clearly trying not to say something harsh. They shared quite a few quirks and as it hadn't irritated her once, it was driving her crazy now. Finally, Hermione spoke:
"You should at least tell Sirius about me."
"And then what? Leave him with the impression that I'm insane? Like Magnus thinks?"
"He's different, Mia. He's and ally and you both have the same goal..."
"Here's the thing, Hermione!" Mia said mockingly accentuating her name. "You are almost right about both these things. This Sirius Black is indeed different! He's different than the one you remember! He's not the same man! He's a different person with different baggage of experience and different complexity of emotions than that man-child you memorised so fondly! This man is as ruthless as any Death Eater you've met in your life. It doesn't matter that his motivation maybe noble. He would strangle me with his bare hands if he knew what Harry will go through because I didn't stop it." Hermione flinched at this and Mia huffed a humourless laugh. "And surprise, surprise! Everyone is different! Even Harry will be different, and I guarantee to you that when I'll finally meet him, he will be someone else than I saw in your memories. This world is already different Hermione! It's filthy here!" she hissed, feeling the anger rise up in her. "It's nasty. These people you saw as 'only' Death Eaters are so much more. And don't get me wrong! I bet that they were the same when you dealt with them! But you never dealt with them you dealt with their kids which are, no offence, laughable! You've got barely the taste of what these people do for fun when that crazy bitch, sweet cousin o'mine, carved a slur into your arm! But still, the only thing you decided to do is appear after the fact and patronize me."
She spat out words quickly as if they were poison, as if the frustration she had accumulated over the past few years was a weapon that could inflict the same pain as the one that digested her from the inside. It felt as if something had been breaking inside her for a long time.
And this time again before her was the only person in the world who really understood why.
Hermione shook her head with a sad expression and tears in her eyes.
"I...I'm just worried about you. And about everyone else..."
"Don't worry about me!" Mia shouted throwing her hands into air. "Just let me do what I'm supposed to do! You had your chance to make this right! So now it's time for us to do it my way! Okay?!"
Hermione nodded still looking hurt and Mia sighed feeling like the worst bitch.
"I've got this. Just leave it to me. Please...I just...sit with me and let's talk. Help me sleep through this night, okay?"
They looked at each other in silence and without saying a word they sat at their usual table under one of the big gothic windows. There was a longer silence and finally Mia started talking about last few years; she knew Hermione saw them but she didn't care. She just wanted to talk. And Hermione wanted to listen.
For that night, it had to be enough.
•••
The next two days Mia spent almost entirely on the battlefield that was the reconstruction of the house in Yorkshire.
The goblins carrying out the order were extremely dissatisfied with her presence, but she definitely preferred their grumbling than playing hide and seek with Lord Black in the corridors of the Ministry. So, she informed Percy she will be taking care of a few personal matters outside the office.
The renovation looked good and the goblin foreman assured her that they will finish at the latest till next Saturday.
Mia, pleased with that apparated back to Diagon Alley, deciding to do something she thought about for some time already.
She smiled lightly to herself walking into the Magical Menagerie.
•••
The evening before going to Hogwarts she planned on spending in her pyjamas with a book and a glass of wine.
Okay, maybe more than one glass.
She even played some music from the vinyl player that she dragged with her from the States.
She was sitting on the couch in the living room area in her hotel suite, contemplating if she should mirror-call Charlotte to check if she was up to a drunken game of cards after putting Ariel to bed.
Crookshanks was rummaging through the suitcase she started packing for tomorrow.
She abandoned it midway through, now her clothes scattered around the floor.
The next morning she would just throw inside whatever she could find.
It was her usual style of...basically, managing most of her life outside work.
Mia smiled seeing the cat play with a loose piece of ribbon he found. The fluffy ball of red fur paced around her head since she came to UK. She wondered if anyone took him during that additional year, he spend in the Menagerie. But apparently his crooked legs and flat snoot just made him loose the fight for attention with other, more appealing cats.
But she didn't care. He was beautiful in his own way and the intelligence that shone in his yellow eyes just made her sure he was supposed to be her familiar.
A sudden knocking made her jump slightly.
She hiccupped and swore loudly.
Of course. Of. Fucking. Course.
She stood up quickly grabbing a robe that laid on the floor nearby and wrapping herself tightly. She grabbed her wand and went to the door carefully.
The knocking came again.
"Yes?" she called out standing next to the door.
"It's me, Mia."
Sirius?
She put her wand into the robes pocket and cracked the door slightly.
It was Sirius. With hair in a messy bun, a black hoodie, jeans and sneakers with a coat haphazardly thrown over his shoulders. He was pale and there was a five o'clock shadow on his jaw and cheeks.
"I said at the reception that I don't want any visitors tonight." she sighed and stepped back letting him in. "How did you get here?"
"On all fours." he responded with a raspy chuckle, but Mia had a strange feeling it wasn't a joke. "I wanted to make sure you're okay. I looked for you in the Ministry but then Marlene said she didn't saw you yesterday."
Mia crossed arms on her chest; they stood awkwardly facing each other.
"You should always talk with Percy if you can't find me."
"I've talked w ith him. I'm invited for a dinner at Weasley's next weekend." Sirius said with a pained expression making Mia chuckle.
It sounded a little drunkenly at which he crooked a brow and smirked at her.
"I see you've started your evening already." he motioned for the empty wine bottle and another freshly opened. "With a bang."
"Even if so, that's none of your business." she grumbled, took her wand and waved it making her clothes dart to the wardrobe like a floc of colourful birds. Crookshanks ran after them with an angry hiss.
"That's a cat?" Sirius asked lifting slightly his upper lip, like he wanted to growl.
"Yesss! It's Crookshanks!" Mia cooed taking the cat on hands and lifting it like a child. She nuzzled into the red, soft fur.
"Crookshanks? I feel sorry for your future children." he laughed seeing the dirty look that Mia threw him.
"You came here just to judge my way of spending a free evening and to insult my cat?"
He shook his head; a few strands of hair slipped from his updo and framed his face.
He looked tired.
"I told you. I wanted to make sure you're fine."
Dark circles under his eyes looked even deeper because of the pallor of his cheeks and the shadow of his stubble. His grey eyes had a very feverish look in them.
In spite of herself, her mind offered her the image of an emaciated, dirty man in prison robes with long black hair partially covering of his skull-like, cadaverous face, the same feverish expression in his sunken, grey eyes.
She involuntarily thought that Lord Black did not have a prison number tattooed on his neck. He had other tattoos, at least on his forearms as far as she could tell, some of which she recognized. But their overall picture was different and better suited this version.
"I was worried...with the things that happened through last two days."
"What happened?" Mia asked, feigning curiosity. Of course she knew what's been going on, more or less.
"Flint handed himself to law enforcement. And he admitted to doing some fucked up shit..." Sirius ran a hand over his face. "I spent almost entire last two days on his estate. We searched it. We found really disturbing stuff there."
"Why you searched it? Shouldn't the Aurors do it?" she frowned but Sirius only shrugged.
"I was an Auror. And I'm a quite decent curse breaker." he said flatly. "And Fabian trusts me. And he really has a handful of trusted people right now. And...there were things he needed his trusted people to secure. Just to secure the conviction. I mainly wanted to check on you because there was a second squad searching Nott's mansion. Flint sold him over. But there was nothing there. Nott was furious regardless. I was afraid he could...do something harsh. Given the strange circumstances in which the whole thing happened." he added the last sentence with and wry smile.
Mia didn't acknowledge it still stroking Crookshanks head, the cat purring loudly in her arms, but Sirius continued, involuntarily taking a step toward her.
"Flint won't leave Azkaban. But there's this one thing that bothers me, really...I just can't get it off my mind..." he said taking another step and squeezing the bridge of his nose. "The thing is...we can't find Marcus Flint. Kiefer's son. He finished Hogwarts last year. His mother is going mad because he left three days ago with his father and didn't come back home. And I wonder...I keep wondering what could have happen to that boy? Because, you see..." he took another step which made Crookshanks hiss silently. Sirius reached out his hand towards the cat, who sniffed it carefully only to crook himself to let the man pet him. "...I don't like the concept of kids paying for their father's sins. I'm really, really not a fan of this concept. I wonder what could have happened to him?"
They looked at each other silently for a while; Mia holding the damn cat, which purred like a little motorbike while Sirius scratched his head.
She really wanted to comb back the loose hair strands from his face.
Maybe let her hands linger in that black mane.
Maybe touch his face and maybe kiss his cheek again like that time when he escorted her to the hotel.
Maybe she liked the way he smelled like burned sage, and leather and wood and raspberries of all things.
Maybe she liked the way his eyes lingered while looking at her.
And the way his lips formulated words with this raspy voice of his.
And that posh accent...
Circe...
She was drunk and she looked at him in silence far too long.
She cleared her throat feeling her face burn.
"I think that the boy is safe. Maybe just on his way to a better life...maybe outside the magical community. But I would say that I think he is definitely alive." she said carefully. He nodded; the tension visible in his shoulders disappeared a little.
He smiled sadly.
"Good. Marcus Flint is a stupid kid who doesn't know any better. It's not his fault he was born in that family. Merlin knows how many of those are there."
"You broke off with your family still being the same age as that stupid kid. You did this even earlier as far as I know." Mia said glancing at him. There was a pained expression that crossed his face before he chuckled clearly willing to hide whatever bad memory her words invoked.
"Yeah...I broke off with them...How are you travelling tomorrow to Hogwarts?" he asked suddenly.
"I have a Floo to the Three Broomsticks set up. I've rented a room there. Why?"
"Well...I've promised you a tour around Hogwarts. If you're still interested of course."
She felt her lips stretch into a smile.
"Why wouldn't I? I said that it's a date."
He huffed a laugh and nodded.
"Good, that's good. That's a one ugly cat, but he's nice for a one."
"He's a half kneazle. And he's not ugly." Mia pressed the cat closer to her chest and placed a kiss on top of his fluffy hair.
"Oh, I should have known that you're a cat person! The sings where there." Sirius laughed and shook his head. He went to the door with his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
"How do you distinguish a cat person?"
Lord Black turned to her with a big, mischievous grin and his hand already on the doorknob.
"You can get on my nerves so easily that it's obvious that you're a cat mom."
He laughed when she flipped him off, waved goodbye and left.
•••
She welcomed the next day with a slight headache and panic when she discovered she overslept thanks to the wine she finished alone after Sirius left and the dreams that plagued her later.
They weren't her usual nightmares. They were...
Full of hooded with passion grey eyes, long black hair, insatiable lips and big, warm hands...
Well, admittedly her dry season lasted longer than ever but even she felt her cheeks burn when she thought about that dream. Right before she woke up, she felt Hermione's prude indignation coming in waves from that part of her mind she usually occupied.
It wasn't the fact that she had those dreams that angered Hermione, rather who those dreams were about.
She pushed those thoughts aside while throwing clothes into her open trunk in a frenzy.
Half an hour later she tumbled from the fireplace into still empty Three Broomsticks only to see Sirius leaning over the bar and talking to a voluptuous barmaid. He said something at which she bursted out with a hearty, hoarse laugh.
There was that jealous pang that Mia didn't want to dwell on.
In that moment Sirius saw her from the corner of his eye and turned fully towards her; he looked rested and was clean shaved. But his hair was again in a messy bun and he wore a muggle attire; black jeans, sweater, motorbike boots and a worn off leather jacket.
He grinned to her.
"Hangover love?"
"After two bottles?" Mia huffed and turned towards the barmaid. "I have a reservation for a room. Two nights. "
"Potter, right? Oh Merlin, you look nothing like them! I'm Rosmerta. Come on, dear, I'll show you to your room. And you!" she waved her finger at Sirius who immediately made an innocent face. "Be a decent boy and take a look on the bar while I'm gone."
"Yes, Madame!" he saluted jokingly and leaned again over the counter. He winked at Mia.
Madame Rosmerta led her up the stairs to the upper floor of the inn.
"Merlin, like a little boy, I swear! If he wasn't so charming, I would strangle him years ago!" Rosmerta ranted until she stopped in front of blue, wooden door. "Here you go dear! I hope it'll be okay. If you'll need anything, you can find me either downstairs at the bar or on the second floor, second door on the left, okay?" the woman smiled warmly.
"Thank you, I'm sure it'll be lovely." Mia smiled; Madame Rosmerta was as charming as Hermione remembered.
"I love your accent dear! Where are you from?" the barmaid asked curiously while Mia levitated her trunks inside the room; it was a simple bedroom with a small bathroom. The furniture was in the style that she associated with a typical neat inn. The interior was decorated in white and blue.
"I grew up in Los Angeles, but I jumped from place to place when I went to school. I guess it's just a mix of everything I've picked up along the way."
Mia went back downstairs with Rosmerta while she chatted about that one customer from San Franciso who had the 'most lovely accent she ever heard!'. Sirius seeing them pushed from the counter putting his hands into pockets of his jacket.
"Ready for the tour?"
"Yep. Even wore normal shoes for once." she waved her foot in flat boots.
"What tour?" Rosmerta asked clearly thirsty for some gossip; Sirius just put a finger to his lips and smiled.
"Bye Rosmerta!" he said in a sing-song voice grabbing Mia's hand and dragging her from the inn.
The morning was crisp and cold. The sun made the sky opalescent; it's colour somewhere between baby blue and white. Hogsmeade's main street was almost completely deserted because of the still-too-early hour.
The gravel crunched under their boots when they walked down the road. The few passers they saw eyed them curiously; Mia guessed the Daily Prophets article was still fairly fresh in their minds and seeing them walk, holding hands in the middle of Hogsmeade could cause some gossip.
Sirius looked like he didn't mind though. He was buzzing with some restless energy; his eyes were shining as he glanced at her every now and then.
"You had too much sugar?" Mia laughed.
"I don't know." he admitted with a laugh. "I've slept well, and I couldn't stop thinking about today. I was looking forward to it."
"To showing me Hogwarts?" she asked teasingly at which he only shrugged.
"I'm kind of jealous, you know? You can only once see Hogwarts for the first time. Admittedly seeing the castle from the school grounds is nothing compared to seeing it from the lake, but still."
"From the lake?"
"Yes! If you go down the main road there's a train station." he pointed towards a small aggregation of buildings looming in the distance. "Each year Hogwarts Express transports students from King's Cross Station here. Then the first-year students sail to the castle by boat and older years ride in carriages." he waved his hand towards the opposite direction. "And the castle will be visible just...around...this corner." at that moment they passed the street corner and Mia saw a castle on the top of the hill just above the surface of a huge, dark lake. Unintentionally, she opened her mouth in amazement.
Hogwarts Castle was enormous with countless towers and turrets it loomed over its extensive grounds bathed in golden autumn aura. Flocks of birds, likely owls, circled between masts and towers and greyish-green fields. Mia saw a tall tower that must have been the owlery because the flocks started and landed their flights there.
The forest surrounding both the castle and Hogsmeade looked like a dark, impenetrable mass. At the edge of it was a small hut with a string of white smoke rising from the chimney and a patch of fenced field.
The clear, autumn air and the bright, cold light of the early morning made everything look surreal.
Buried under all of her delight and surprise there was this pang of sorrow and nostalgia that Hermione felt thinking about Hogwarts.
"I gather that you like it?" Sirius' amused voice pulled her out of her wonder.
"You were right. It really is something" she admitted softly, mainly meaning these words to Sirius but partly directing them to Hermione who always insisted that her memories of Hogwarts aren't just altered by nostalgia.
That her old school is truly a wonder.
Sirius squeezed her hand lightly and they continued walking down the main street of Hogsmeade.
•••
Walking around Hogwarts grounds took them a good portion of the morning.
Sirius showed her Hagrid's hut, the Black Lake and the Giat Squid.
("It almost ate me one day!"
"Bullshit, they're not aggressive!"
"I swear on my mother's tender heart!"
"That's a very bad thing for you to swear on, Sirius Black.")
They've saw the Whomping Willow and Sirius explained to her how Remus used it every month to get to the Shrieking Shack. He didn't mention about the Marauders becoming an animagi to accompany their werewolf friend during his transformation.
When they entered the castle, the Sunday breakfast was in full swing; voices of students buzzed from the half-open doors to the Great Hall.
Sirius threw a careful look towards the Hall and tugged her in the opposite direction.
"What's there?" Mia asked.
"The Great Hall. But we'll eat breakfast in the kitchens. We officially shouldn't be here so it's better to stay out of the crowd."
"Why? I thought you're the schoolboards chairman."
He looked her in the eyes and sent her a lopsided grin.
"YOU shouldn't be here. Dumbledore wrote to me asking to keep you out of the castle until the official part of the Tournament."
Mia narrowed her eyes.
That old fucker.
She felt disappointed but fairly, not surprised.
"And you decided that it would a great idea to take me here nonetheless?"
"Of course!" Sirius said happily, leading her through the dark corridors. "I won't let Dumbledore spoil my fun." he murmured as they reached a painting of fruit bowl. He reached towards it and tickled the green pear. The fruit giggled audibly and transformed into a green doorknob.
"What do you mean by 'spoil your fun'?" Mia asked suspiciously at which he just flashed her a heart-melting smile opening the portrait and leading her into the kitchen.
"I've meant our fun of course. Don't worry, love."
Mia hummed sceptically; she had a crippling feeling that the retired Marauder was preparing something she won't appreciate as much as the rest of the tour.
•••
After the breakfast at which Mia had to almost fend off the pampering kitchen-elves that swarmed her after Sirius introduced her as a 'friend' he led her outside again towards the Quidditch Pitch.
She could see small figures of players darting high above the ground; judging by the red and gold smudges they've made it was the Gryffindor team training.
She felt uncomfortable even watching them.
She often wondered if her fear of flying was her own thing or if it was just Hermione's phobia projecting on her.
"You want to meet Harry?"
Mia looked at Sirius with big eyes; his expression was solemn, and gaze was cautious and searching.
What he wanted to achieve? Show her 'hey, this is the boy who's life depends on your actions.'?
If so than it was far too kind on his side. It was enough for her to look him in the eyes knowing that in another life he would be dead in a year and a half.
Did she want to meet Harry?
She had to admit she was curious. Mainly the things that would be different in Harry after growing up with Sirius.
And maybe just a tad bit what was so special in this boy.
All in all, so many people would die in his wake...
"You don't mind?" she finally asked.
Sirius looked at her with a soft smile. She couldn't bear the tenderness she saw in his eyes.
"I think you should. You're his family after all."
Mia looked down and nudged a patch of loose soil with the tip of her shoe.
Lilith, help me...He's going to hate me so much.
"Are we though? We're really not even related." she asked quietly.
She felt his hand under her chin delicately guiding her to look up at him. He took her hand and drew soothing circles with his thumb. His other thumb drawn over her bottom lip which she started nervously tugging at with her teeth, freeing it from the abuse.
She didn't even realise she started doing it.
Mia wondered how anyone could have such expressive eyes. Because there was a lot for her to unpack in the way Sirius looked at her in that moment. She couldn't focus when Sirius looked at her like that.
"Maybe not by blood. But by magic...definitely. Besides..." he hesitated like he wondered how to put his thoughts into words. "I want you two to meet. I feel like it's important. To me and...just generally speaking. If you don't mind of course."
She nodded. The sooner she met Harry, the better.
The way his eyes lit up made her smile. His enthusiasm was contagious. It gave him some kind of boyish and mischievous vibe despite the greying temples and crow feet forming faintly at the corners of his eyes.
"Let's go!"
The closer they were, the more weight Mia felt in her stomach.
She couldn't say if it was more related to the players flying on the brooms above their heads or something else... She wasn't used to this kind of stress. Rather, she used to completely ignore all stressors and blow off the steam later at home.
When they entered the Quidditch Pitch, Sirius put two fingers into his mouth and whistled piercingly. Few heads turned towards them; Mia saw one of the figures waved and the players slowed down and relaxed visibly. Two figures darted towards the ground. One of them, a small girl with fiery red hair, hopped to the ground from almost 5 feet discarding her broom on the grass. The second one, a tall boy, landed softly and swinged the broom over her shoulder.
The girl darted towards Sirius with a squeal and threw her arms around his shoulders hugging him.
"Uncle Sirius!"
Sirius laughed and swirled with her making her feet dangle in the air.
Mia didn't expect Ginny there. Not at all.
Ginny from Hermione's memories was too shy at the age of thirteen to even talk properly with her older brother's friend.
This Ginny just hugged Sirius like a favourite uncle she hasn't seen for far too long.
The boy just reached them with an easy stride.
"Hi dad!"
Harry James Potter was almost nothing like she remembered.
Gone was the malnourished, bony kid she had in the memories. Fourteen years old Harry was tall, fit and was oozing with easy confidence that was so characteristic for Sirius in his youth. But his black hair was as messy as ever and his emerald eyes were cautious behind his glasses. The silvery, resembling a lightning, scar stood out on his tanned skin and peeked through his hair, spreading on eyelids and the bridge of his nose.
He put down his broom and hugged Sirius with a smile.
"I've came to say 'hi' before tonight." Sirius patted his son on the back. "And I wanted to introduce you to someone." he winked to Mia above Harry's shoulder at which she rolled her eyes. The boy turned towards her with slightly suspicious and guarded expression.
"Hi Harry, I've heard so much about you." Mia nodded with a polite smile. "I'm Mia Potter."
"You're my family?" Harry asked frowning. Mia threw a glance at Sirius who nodded slightly. She saw that Ginny was looking gingerly between the three of them.
"Yes, a distant one but yes."
Harry narrowed his eyes still looking uncertain.
Well, he's still a kid.
But she still couldn't get why he looked so cautious about her.
Mia didn't have much experience when it came to dealing with teenagers.
Sirius sensing the awkward atmosphere turned to Ginny:
"Ginny! Congratulations on becoming the seeker! I knew you would do great." he said smiling warmly. The girl beamed.
"Well, the trial was easy, so it wasn't really a bother. But thanks uncle." she waved her hand pretending not to consider it as a great achievement but the sparkle in her eyes and the sly smile tugging at the corner of her mouth told Mia that she was proud of herself. "But you could tell Harry to get his act together because we just started the training and Angelina is already threatening to strangle him."
"Gin!" Harry hissed but the redhead only laughed mockingly and continued.
"He's so distracted thinking about Cho Chang that he just misses every time someone passes him the quaffle."
"Ginny!" the boy groaned again this time seeing the mischievous smile that bloomed on his father's face.
"Cho Chang, ey?" Sirius asked and chuckled seeing Harry's face go red.
Mia watched all of this with a smile; small details stayed the same but seeing Ginny tease Harry like one of her brothers just warmed her heart.
"It's not important!" Harry said quickly. "You're staying till tomorrow?"
Sirius nodded.
"Yes. I'm going back to London on Monday morning. There's...a lot of things going on right now." he shook his head and glanced at Mia.
Harry, clearly not knowing the full story, interpreted that words and that look in his own way, and clearly annoyed asked:
"So...are you two dating or what?"
In that exact moment Ginny shoved her elbow into his side and Sirius flicked his forehead.
"Ouch! What was that for?!"
"That was a reminder that there is such thing as good manners, and you are still obliged to use them." Sirius responded lightly. Ginny huffed a laughter and said:
"Come on, Harry. We should get back before Angelina hexes us out of the team."
"She wouldn't...this team wouldn't score a single point if it wasn't for me..." Harry grumbled but picked up his broom and without looking at them shoot into the air.
Ginny looked at them apologetically and ran to pick up her broom. A second later she was also in the air.
"Well...that went strangely." Mia said blowing away a stray hair-strand from her face.
"Forgive him..." Sirius said looking up after his son; his voice was underlined with irritation. "He's...used to being two of us, three when Remus lived with us. I don't meet people...let alone date. I've usually just fend off various individuals, because in majority they see in us a rich, eye-candy and the 'Boy who lived'." he ran his hand over his face looking fed up with even thinking about it. He looked at her and mustered up an awkward smile.
"I get it." Mia shrugged. "I mean, I can't even count guys who thought I only ever dreamt about being their trophy wife." she felt as awkward as he looked. "It must be hard being a single parent, managing the family business and try to keep you two happy and safe...even when it means that there's only the two of you."
He shrugged and put his hands into his pockets looking at his b
"Sometimes I regret coming back here." he admitted quietly. "We would definitely have less problems living in Aussie and minding our own business."
She looked up at the Quidditch players darting around in the air; she couldn't tell which one is of them is Harry or Ginny.
She felt guilty knowing what waited for them in the future. She dreaded it and felt responsible.
She hated it.
Through years she convinced herself that the feelings she had towards wizards and witches from United Kingdom that she remembered but never met, were only echoes of those Hermione projected on her.
She convinced herself that the guilt that plagued her wasn't hers.
Now she wasn't so sure about that.
But she was nearly sure that Sirius and Harry staying away from Voldemort and his fallowers in the UK would only cause him to expand quicker to other countries looking for the child that defeated him first time.
"There's no sense in thinking about 'what if's'." she finally said. "You made the choice you thought was the best for both of you back then. That's what matter now."
Sirius nodded and smiled slightly; he didn't look convinced. He motioned with his head towards the audience stands.
Mia fallowed him still deep in thought; she almost collided with his back when he stopped. She looked around and realised that he led them towards the broom shack near the one of the locker rooms. She frowned confused seeing the mischievous glint in his eyes when he turned to her.
"Why are we here?" she asked suddenly feeling suspicious. "You want to show me your favourite snog closet or what?"
Sirius chuckled shaking his head. He opened the shack and picked up one of the brooms.
"Seeing Hogwarts from the lake for the first time is wonderful and all...but seeing the castle from above is the real thing." he leaned on the broom looking at her playfully.
"No." Mia's eyes went wide when she realised what he wanted to do. "Absolutely not."
"Oh, come on, Mia." he looked at her pleadingly. "It's breath-taking! Worth seeing even just once!"
"I don't fly! I've told you the last time I've tried I've almost crashed!" she turned, wanting to go back to the castle, as far from the damned brooms and Quidditch pitch as she could but Sirius, dropped the broom and grabbed her by the wrist, tugging her lightly, making her spin and collide with his chest.
The witch gasped quietly. She lifted her eyes, ready to nag him when she met his stare.
If there were awards for the most heart-breaking puppy eyes, Sirius Black would just snuff out the competition. She felt heat rush to her cheeks. She probably would get mad at herself for getting so flustered if it wasn't for his racing heart, she felt under her palms that told her that he was as nervous as she was. His hand on her waist was warm and firm.
"Come on, fly with me..." he purred. "I promise to keep you safe, love."
Mia felt her mind went blank for a second and before she thought this out she asked:
"You won't go fast?"
The old Marauder beamed.
"I'll be as slow as a flobberworm under the slowing-charm." he took a step back and crossed his heart with one hand. He mounted the broom and extended his palm towards her.
Mia felt that her hand suddenly became cold and sweaty.
Why she even agreed?
Why?
Because you're a soft idiot that's why.
She took his hand and let him lead her to sit behind him guiding her hands around his waist.
She gripped him tightly squeezing nervously around his midriff and pressed her face into his leather-clad back. He put a calming hand on hers and grabbed the broom handle.
"Ready?"
"No." she mumbled into his back and felt a low rumble of his laughter.
And then he shot up.
The air whistled in her ears drowning out her own scream. She squeezed her eyes shut so hard she almost saw stars under her eyelids.
Sirius...didn't go slow.
They darted high into the crisp, autumn air. Her loud curses mixed with his barking laughter and the whiz of every manoeuvre Sirius did.
And just then hearing him laugh, feeling the rush of air in her hair she felt the overwhelming sense of déjà vu.
The air, the slightly coloured with insanity laughter, the massive body of a hippogriff beneath her.
A man on the run holding her for his dear life while she and his godson helped him escape his fate.
And she felt an echo of what Hermione felt that night; fear, excitement, freedom.
But then they darted up, then down, then left, then it felt like they made a barrel roll.
Mia wasn't sure, she just cursed and screamed alternately.
The memories evaporated, replaced by her own despise of flying.
After a while she felt that they were slowing down and that their flight was levelling out.
Her hands were numb from how tightly she held on to Sirius.
They've stopped; the air whistled around them and she knew they were high, high above the ground.
"Open your eyes, Mia. The view's amazing." she heard Sirius's amused voice.
"No" she grumbled with her face still tucked away into his back.
"Come on..." again with that purring, raspy voice. "Be a brave girl for me."
Her resolve broke a little, but her mind was still filled with fear.
"Fuck off, Black."
His hand covered hers again in a soothing gesture, squeezing gently.
"Look at me, love."
Something in his voice made her open her eyes.
Sirius looked at her over his shoulder; the loose hair strands that slipped from his bun danced wildly around his face. His eyes were warm, and a light smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He squeezed her hands again.
"There she is." he teased making her huff shakily. Her eyes didn't leave his even for a moment, refusing to acknowledge that they were probably at least hundred feet above the ground, the only indication being the baby blue halo of the autumn sky around his head. "Relax, I've got you. I won't let you fall." he promised.
She nodded carefully, relaxing her shoulders and lifting her head a little. The wind caressed her face when she turned towards the sky taking in the view before them.
They were over the Hogwarts grounds. Hogsmeade stretched beneath them like colourful patchwork; the smoke rose from countless chimneys and people looked like ants scattered on the ground.
The Forbidden Forest stretched to the horizon with an impenetrable, dark mass. Mia thought, she saw a bony, black silhouette resembling a horse floating above the sea of trees for a moment, then plunge back to earth.
Sirius didn't seem to notice it, looking toward the castle. His face was filled with such longing that she almost felt his heartache.
The castle's turrets shone faintly.
The lake flickered with thousands of tiny waves.
The air caressed her face bringing the bittersweet aroma of falling leaves and smoke.
She felt herself relax a little more and take in the view around. She still didn't dare to look down, sure that her fear would kick in the moment she did. So she just let herself enjoy the longest flight she ever managed to pull off without an accident.
Sirius was looking at her with the same light smile. She felt a very unwelcome blush on her face.
There was something new in the rich palette of emotions she slowly learned to read from his eyes. Something she couldn't quite pin down.
"What are you looking at?" she asked quickly looking away.
"Just..." he started but then shrugged with a breathy chuckle. "Nothing." he turned a little more towards her. "Up for a little longer ride?"
She nodded but then added in a stern tone:
"But no barrel rolls. And don't go fast or I'll puke all over your back. And that would be a waste of very nice jacket." Mia wanted to shake her finger at him but then she remembered that they are definitely too high, so she just glared at him and gripped him harder.
Sirius rolled his eyes grinning.
"Believe me, this jacket had seen so much puke already." he laughed at the disgusted face she made. "Hold tight doll!"
"SIRIUS DON'T!"
Any threats she had on her mind died with the rush of air and the scream that left her lungs.