Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter are NOT mine!

Chapter Two: Promises

MiaPOV

"…I now declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Mia smiled softly to herself, watching from where she stood as Remus and Tonks leaned towards each other to share a sweet, gentle kiss, the latter's' hair an even brighter shade of pink than normal and falling in loose curls just past her shoulders for the occasion. Tonks locked her arms around Remus' neck as they held each other close, smiling into the kiss, and when they did break apart, there was an adoring, tender light in the werewolf's eyes that Mia had rarely ever seen before. Their intimate moment was broken when Sirius—being Sirius—wolf-whistled and started clapping, followed shortly by Mia, Brian, and Tonks' parents, Ted and Andromeda. Remus sent a playful glare towards his best friend while the pink in Tonks' hair spread down to her cheeks, highlighted by the rays of the afternoon sun that was shining through the window. There was a couple of minutes where hugs and kisses were exchanged, everyone vocalizing their joy at the lovely union between the new Mr. and Mrs. Lupin. Mia received and extra tight hug from Remus, who thanked her for being a part of it all, to which Mia happily told him it was an honor to be able to witness it.

It was a gorgeous summer's day in Carriage, and the perfect setting for a small, quickly thrown together wedding ceremony. It was only last week that Remus had dropped by the Black household, telling them the news that he and Tonks were officially engaged. Mia was surprised, but extremely happy at the announcement, and she openly expressed it by wrapping Remus up in a tight embrace, after Sirius let out a loud, boisterous noise of joy, having no issue berating his friend for waiting so long. Understandably, both Remus and Tonks wanted to get married as soon as possible, what with everything going on, however it was going to be difficult to even find a wizard who would be willing to conduct the ceremony, given all the anti-werewolf propaganda that had been going on.

Therefore, they had decided to find a local Muggle reverend to do the task. Someone who didn't know who, or what, the engaged couple were and would have no questions asked. Due to the hastiness of it all, only the members of the household and Tonks' parents were in attendance. When they had first arrived at the house earlier that morning, Mia had to admit that upon meeting Mrs. Tonks, she was nearly frozen with fear and her hand immediately went for the wand in her pocket, only to be stopped by Sirius before she could even think about shouting a curse.

Andromeda Tonks bore a striking resemblance to her older sister, Bellatrix Lestrange. Everything from the dark hair to her eyes, however, the more that Mia looked at her, the more she could spot the differences. The eyes were a shade or two lighter and much more kind, with thinner lips, more of an olive toned skin color, and when she smiled it gave a feeling of comfort, rather than terror. Thankfully, Mrs. Tonks took no offense to Mia's reaction, and she even apologized for frightening Mia. It turned out that Tonks had mentioned the attack Mia had suffered at Bellatrix's hands, and Mrs. Tonks expression displayed nothing but deep shame and sadness as she apologized to Mia for what her sister had done to her. After the initial fear had faded, Mia reassured Mrs. Tonks that she had nothing to apologize for. On the contrary, Mia admired the woman, knowing that being so different from her family and going to great lengths to live her own life separate from them as their beliefs had to have been hard on her. Mia supposed that was something that Mrs. Tonks and Sirius bonded over.

Mia had spent some time after the introductions fixing up the living room as best she could, bringing in flowers from the garden and creating fairy lights with her wand to decorate. She even went as far as to string up golden bells across the ceiling, so that when Remus and Tonks shared their kiss at the end, they would all begin ringing. She wore the summer dress that she had adorned last year for Harry's surprise birthday party, while forcing a fussy Brian into a button up red shirt with black pants that she had no doubt he would chuck off the very moment their guests were gone.

Once everything was over, the Muggle reverend shook hands with the couple, giving them his blessings and congratulating them on their union. When he was gone, Remus and Tonks only stayed for a short while longer before deciding to head out. Sirius was kind enough to pay for them to spend the night at a small bed and breakfast in town, so they could share their first night together.

"But why can't they stay here?" Brian had asked innocently when the topic came up.

"Grown ups like to have time alone together when they get married Brian," Mia explained to him. "And since Remus and Tonks need to head back to work right away, we want to make sure to give them their privacy."

"Oh, okay," Brian said, seeming satisfied with the answer he got before going off to play with some of his toys.

"Thank you, Mia," Sirius breathed when the small boy was out of earshot. "Having to talk to Harry about…that was bad enough. There was no way I could get through trying to explain it to a seven-year-old."

"You mean, about sex?" Mia inquired with a mischievous smirk.

"Nope, no, absolutely not! You are not allowed to say that word in this house!" Sirius said, shaking his head vigorously. "Merlin's beard, I can't handle that!"

Sirius' response had reminded Mia so much of her father that it was hard not to cry through her laughter and ignore the stinging pain in her chest. Over the course of the rest of the night, Mia had dinner with Sirius and the Tonks', and after sharing delicious cake and tea for dessert, Mr. Tonks suggested that they leave for home as well. Shaking hands with both of them, Mia bid their guests goodnight, watching from the window as Sirius led them down the pathway of the front garden, speaking with them only for a moment at the gate before the couple vanished into the night. Then, it was a matter of getting Brian into the bath and then into his pajamas while Sirius cleaned up downstairs. Brian's night had ended with him being curled up against Mia's side in bed, drifting off into a sound sleep while she read to him, making her voice soft and gentle to ease him into the slumber he always tried so desperately to fight off. Mia had just smiled lovingly at her little brother, brushing his bangs out of his face before kissing his forehead and slowly standing up from the mattress. When she was sure that he was securely tucked into his covers, and turned off the lamp next to his bed and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her. By the time she had gone back downstairs, the lights and bells had been taken down, along with most of the flowers, although Sirius did leave some bouquets in vases here and there. She found him in the kitchen pulling out a bottle of Firewhiskey he kept hidden in the topmost cabinet.

"Is Brian asleep?" he asked as she walked in.

"Like a bear in hibernation," Mia replied, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "But he will be up bright and early in the morning, riding around on that train."

"I probably shouldn't have made it lifelike and ride around the room," Sirius confessed.

"Probably," Mia agreed with a chuckle. "It's his favorite birthday present though, Sirius. He loves it so much. Thank you."

"Of course," Sirius said, bringing the bottle and two glasses over to the table with him. "I've grown very fond of him, I wanted to make sure that he had a good birthday since it was his first without you and your parents here."

Mia nodded, knowing all too well the feeling of missing her parents on her birthday. She gratefully accepted the glass that Sirius poured for her and took a small sip as he sat down across from her, feeling the liquid burn on its way down. For a little while, the two of them sat together in silence, just enjoying each other's company and the warm feeling the whiskey brought. There was muffle music coming from the living room via the radio, and the open kitchen windows drew in a nice breeze every now and then. Mia relaxed in her chair, inhaling through her nose and smelling the scent of the honeysuckles in the bushes just beneath the windows.

"Mia," Sirius said, finishing off his glass. "We need to talk more about what you told me the other night."

A heavy sigh fell past Mia's lips, and she took another sip of her drink. She knew that this was going to come up again at some point, but it didn't mean that she had to like it.

"I told you as much as I could, Sirius," she stated. "If you still have more questions, it's better to ask Harry about it."

"I doubt that he will have much more to say about the subject as you," Sirius commented.

"Then why bother discussing it any further?"

"Because I'm still trying to understand. You say that you, Harry, Ron and Hermione are leaving, that none of you are returning to school for the new year, all because Dumbledore supposedly left a job for Harry to do. Yet you won't tell me what this task is, or how long you all will be gone for, or even trust anyone else with this information."

"I told you Sirius, it's dangerous."

"Which is why you need all the help that you can get! I can come along with you, if need be, I can be of help—"

"I'm sure you could, but you can't," Mia cut in. "This is something Dumbledore explicitly left for Harry, and he needs me, Ron and Hermione to help him do it. The more people that are involved, the greater the danger will be, and we will have a lesser chance of completing this mission. Believe me, I don't want to keep you in the dark, but you'll be safer this way. And I need you to be with Brian."

Mia's voice wavered slightly on her last sentence, and she gripped the glass in her hand tighter.

"The Trace on Harry will break once he turns Seventeen in a few weeks. It will make it harder for enemies to track him, but it will also give more incentive to go after the people he cares for. I will be with him, but Brian will be vulnerable. He needs you, Sirius. Whether you put the house under the Fidelius Charm again, take him out of the country, or make him drink Polyjuice Potion until the threat is over, it doesn't matter to me. I know that I'm being selfish asking this, but Sirius…I'm begging you. You have to make Brian your number one priority, because if anything happens to me you will be all that he has left."

"Nothing is going to happen to you, or to Harry," Sirius countered, a protective blaze in his gray eyes. "I won't let it."

"You can't protect us from the danger ahead, Sirius," Mia muttered softly. "And you can't stop us from going. We have to do this, if we even have a chance at winning this fight. But you can protect my little brother. Please, promise me that you will."

Sirius was obviously not happy at all with all that Mia was telling him about what she and the others were planning to do, but Mia also knew that he understood there was no stopping them. He, like several others, know the prophecy that determined the fate of Harry and Voldemort, and he knew that if they had found a way to make sure that Harry would come out of this alive, he couldn't interfere. The older wizard gave Mia a penetrating, hard look for several minutes and she never broke eye contact with him. Eventually he made a noise of severe disapproval, but also reluctant resignation, pouring himself another glass of whiskey.

"I swear to you, on all that I hold dear, I will care for and protect Brian with my life," he said. "And you had better swear to me that you will do everything in your power to stay alive. I mean it, Mia. If you and Harry go off on this mission, and you do something reckless that gets you hurt, so help me, I will ground you for a year, and I don't give a damn how old you are. I lost James and Lily already…I can't lose either one of you, too. You both mean so much to me, and I can't—"

Sirius' voice broke off and he stared angrily into his glass before tossing it back in one gulp, slamming it back down onto the table before groaning, placing his face in his hand. The words he spoke, and the ones he couldn't quite bring himself to say out loud were crystal clear and it made Mia's heart swell as well as break. She knew how much this was sure to be hurting him and she hated being the cause of it. Blinking back her tears, she swallowed the lump in her throat and stood up from her chair, walking over so that she was standing right next to Sirius. Bending over a little, she wrapped her arms around him the best she could, giving him a comforting squeeze. A few seconds later, he reached over with one hand to return her hug, and she heard the quivering tone of his voice and the shake in his shoulders as he exhaled, trying his best to keep his composure.

"I promise," she whispered. "I will do what I can to stay alive and come back home. I promise."

=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=

"Mia!"

A wide, beaming grin grew across Mia face as she listened to the delighted shrieks of Brian's laughter while she spun around in circles, with him thrown over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She went faster and faster until the world around them was nothing but a colorful blur streaking past their eyes. At some point, Mia finally stopped spinning them around and set Brian on his feet, taking amusement in seeing him instantly start to sway and lose his balance, his toothy smile still in place. Indeed, Mia herself still felt as though the world was spinning and when she tried to take a step forward, her knees nearly buckled out from under her. Then, Brian clumsily wobbled forward and then tried to tackle Mia, ramming himself right into her midsection. Mia pretended that he was successful in knocking her over and fell down to the ground with a bit of a dramatic flare, sprawling herself out onto the warm grass and giving Brian the chance to climb on top of her.

"I win!" he announced triumphantly.

"Oh really?" Mia countered with a wicked smirk. Before Brian knew what was happening, Mia grabbed hold of him and flipped them over so that she was hovering over him and then she began ruthlessly attacking his sides. The little boy burst out into uncontrollable laughter, trying his best to squirm away from his sister to no avail. Mia merely maneuvered her way around his flailing limbs and kept on tickling him.

"Mia! S-s-stop!" he laughed.

"What's the magic word?" she teased him.

"P-pretty please w-w-with s-sprinkles on top!"

Satisfied, Mia ceased her attack on her brother and sat back on her heels as he laid there, collecting his breath and grinning widely with flushed cheeks.

"You cheated," he panted, not sounding upset in the least.

"You shouldn't have let your guard down," Mia giggled. "Now, what game should we play next?"

"Hide and Seek!" Brian exclaimed, already jumping to his feet in his excitement. "I'll go hide, and you count to one hundred! No peeking!"

"You've got it, Bry," Mia agreed with a smile before she sat herself down fully on the ground and covered her eyes with both of her hands. "One, two, three, four…"

She heard the sound of Brian scampering off as she continued counting, and she made sure to take her time to give him an opportunity to find a good hiding spot. The two of them had been outside all morning and afternoon, playing all different kinds of games together. Mia had let Brian pick the games, and most of the time, she had let him win. It was yet another beautiful day in July, and she didn't want to waste the chance to have fun outside. With Bill and Fleur's wedding steadily approaching, Mia knew that the carefree, happy days like this that she had with her brother were limited, and she would be damned if she didn't make the best of them. So, she had been spending nearly all of her time with him for the past couple of weeks, much to the boy's delight.

Sadly, she hadn't been able to bring herself to tell him that she would be leaving within the next month or so, and there were times she didn't think she could bring herself to do it. Whenever she went away before, she always knew that she would eventually be coming back, and Brian knew to expect her during the Christmas and summer holidays. However, this time was completely different. There was no school for her this year, only hunting the remaining of Voldemort's Horcruxes, and she couldn't come back until each one of them was found, and destroyed. No matter how long it took. In the back of her mind, she knew that something could go wrong and she may not see Brian again, but whenever the thought started creeping to the front of her mind, she forcefully pushed it back, not wanting to dwell on it at the moment. All she wanted to focus on was having a wonderful summer with Brian. Mia kept on counting out loud, maki9ng sure that wherever Brian might have gone to, he could still hear her. When she reached one-hundred, she opened her eyes and stood back up to her feet.

"Ready or not, here I come!" she called out.

The next several minutes were spent trying to locate the rascal she called her brother, and she checked the usual spots first—behind the bushes, underneath the picnic tables, and inside the huge empty flower pots that Sirius magically enlarged so he could grow some pumpkins for the upcoming autumn season. Mia turned over every stone, checked every crevice of the backyard and garden, but there was still no sign of Brian anywhere. She wasn't sure how long she searched for, but after a while she stopped over by the tables, her smile faltering a bit as an all too familiar feeling of worry started to settle in her heart. Where on earth could he be? It's never taken this long to find him before. Mia did one last quick scan of the entire yard before she called out.

"Okay Brian, I give up! Where are you? Brian?"

"I'm up here!"

Brian's voice seemed to come from above her and she spun around quickly, gasping in utter shock when she saw that he was crouched on a branch in the tree that was closest to her. Her mind went blank for a moment before panic took over. It might have been one of the lower hanging branches on the tree, but it was still over ten feet from the ground!

"Wha—how did—Brian, what are you doing?! How did you get up there?!"

"I jumped," he explained, as if it were the most simple thing in the world.

"Jumped? But…how…"

"I jumped and the wind carried me," Brian said, cheerfully. "It can carry me down too, watch."

"No!" Mia yelped, rushing forward so that she was directly below him. "Don't move! I'll get you down!"

"It's okay Mia, I've done it before," Brian reassured her. "Look!"

"Brian, don't!"

But it was too late. The younger boy bent his knees low, a determined expression on his face, and then he catapulted off of the branch, soaring high in the air for a couple of seconds before he quickly started to descend. Mia let out a shriek of horror and immediately went for her wand in her back pocket, ready to break his fall, but to her astonishment, it wasn't needed. When Brian was halfway to the ground, he suddenly slowed down considerably until he was almost floating the rest of the way down. Mia was frozen for a brief moment until her senses came back to her, and she held out her arms just as Brian came down to her. She easily wrapped her arms around him and held him tight against her, letting out a shaly breath and her heart pounding against her chest. Now that he was in her arms, she felt like she could breath again.

"I flew, Mia, did you see?" Brian asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Mia replied in a daze. "Yeah, I saw."

"Are you two all right?"

Mia looked over Brian's shoulder to see Sirius had come charging out of the house with his wand raised, his eyes darting all around for any sign of a threat, or an attack.

"I heard you scream," he said.

"Yes, we're okay," Mia reassured him, swallowing hard. "Brian just scared me a little. He flew up into the tree and then floated down."

"Flew?" Sirius repeated.

"Accidental magic," Mia explained before placing Brian back down on his feet and kneeling so that she was eye level with him. "Brian, you can't do that."

"But why?" he asked.

"Because you need to be careful about your magic. Remember what Dad used to say? If someone who isn't a witch or wizard saw you, it could cause a lot of trouble. And your magic won't always be there to help you, the wind might not have caught you this time, and you could have been hurt. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Brian muttered, although he didn't look happy about it. Seeing she got her point across, Mia's face broke out into a tiny smile.

"Just so you know, however, that was awesome magic that you did," she praised him.

"Really?" Brian said, his face lighting up.

"Really," Sirius added with a smirk. "Not even I could fly at your age. That's some special talent you've got. You're going to do splendid when you go to Hogwarts."

"Thank you, Sirius," Brian said with glee before turning back to Mia. "I promise, I won't fly into the tree again. Can we still play?"

"Actually Brian, I need to talk with your sister for a minute," Sirius said, giving the boy an apologetic look when he pouted. "It won't be for very long, then you two can keep playing until dinner. How does that sound?"

"Okay," Brian answered, appearing glad that their break from play time would only be temporary. He went off towards the garden, claiming to be on the hunt for any Gnomes that might have gotten in, while Sirius brought Mia back into the house. Once they were inside the kitchen, Sirius shut the back door behind him before turning to face Mia.

"Is everything okay, Sirius?" she asked him.

"There's been a change of plans for Harry's evacuation from Privet Drive," Sirius replied quietly, leaning against the island.

"What do you mean?" Mia said, surprised. "I thought Mad-Eye was going to pick Harry up and take him to the Burrow through Side-Along Apparition?"

"Unfortunately, that won't work, now," Sirius grumbled with a frown, looking agitated. "Pius Thicknesse has gone over at the Ministry. Under the guise of Harry's protection, he has connected the Floo to his house at Privet Drive, and has set up notifications to go off if anyone where to use a Portkey or get him out through Apparition. Voldemort knows that he nor his followers can touch Harry until Lily's charm breaks when he turns seventeen, or, as we know, when he no longer calls that place home. They believe that they have Harry cornered until the thirty-first, so we've had to think of a Plan B."

"What is it?" Mia inquired.

"We've leaked a fake trail at the Ministry, making them think that he's not going to be moved until the day before his birthday. We're hoping that will keep them off of our backs and keep them preoccupied. However, Voldemort is sure to keep some sort of surveillance around Privet Drive for precaution, because the very moment he sees the opportunity to strike, he will."

"So how are we going to get Harry out, then?"

"Do you remember Mundungus Fletcher?" Sirius asked, to which she nodded. "He actually came up with a brilliant idea, if you can believe it. We're going to gather volunteers to help get Harry out, by means of transport that the Trace cannot detect—brooms, Thestrals, and such, Arthur and I may even be able to tune up my old motorbike as well. There will be a dozen different safehouses, including here and the Burrow, that will receive every ounce of protection that we can spare. The volunteers will all be paired up, and will each go to a different safehouse, and the Death Eaters will not know which one Harry will have been taken to."

"But they'll just follow whoever has Harry and still attack him," Mia said, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"That's the thing," Sirius continued. "They're not going to know which Harry Potter is the real one."

"The real one?"

"Mad-Eye has a batch of Polyjuice Potion available," Sirius told her. "The volunteers are going to drink it and change into Harry, so the Death Eaters will have no idea which one to follow. And once they all pass through the boundaries of the protective enchantments around the safehouses, they can take a Portkey to meet up at the Burrow."

"That…really is brilliant," Mia admitted, her brain going over the plan in her mind and finding that it covered all of the basics.

"I was sure as hell surprised to hear it come out of Mundungus' mouth," Sirius said. "We already have quite a few people who have already volunteered for the extraction, including myself. It's going to happen early next week, so in the morning on the day of, I'm going to take you and Brian over to the Burrow before meeting up with Remus—"

"You mean before we meet up with Remus," Mia corrected. "I'm going to volunteer as well."

Sirius only looked mildly surprised at her statement, his eyebrows rising a bit and crossing his arms over his chest.

"I thought you were afraid of heights. The only transports we are using will be in the air."

"I know, and believe me, I am. But if this is the only way we can guarantee that Harry will be taken from Surrey safely, then I'm all for it. Besides, the more decoys the better, it'll increase the chances of our success, especially if Voldemort has no idea when we'll actually be moving him. If anything, you can bring me along just to smack some sense into Harry, because there is no way he's going to willingly go along with this plan."

That managed to get a small chuckle out of Sirius, and he shook his head.

"Well Mia, as much as I would prefer you not to do this, you are seventeen now, and there's really nothing I can do to stop you," he said. "Are positive about this?"

"Yes," she replied, forcing herself not to think about having to go flying yet again. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep Harry safe."

"I know," Sirius said with a fond smile, before it faded. "Have you told Brian that you're going away, yet?"

"No," Mia answered, her eyes trailing down to the floor. "Every time I start to, I just choke up. It's hard for me to get the words out. But I do know I have to tell him soon. I just wanted to make this summer a great one, without him dreading the end of it, when I'm gone."

"You should give him more credit," Sirius advised. "He's a smart lad, and he'll be upset at first for sure, but I think he will come to understand the importance of this task you're taking on. And it won't be forever."

I hope not, Mia thought to herself. Just as she was about to open her mouth, they were interrupted by the sound of a quiet voice.

"You're leaving?"

Mia's body froze for a second and then she looked over to see that the back door was now almost all the way open, and Brian was standing in the doorway. The gleeful, happy face she had seen not even fifteen minutes ago was gone, and a confused, apprehensive expression had taken hold on his young face.

"Where are you going?" Brian continued. "Back to school?"

"Um," Mia muttered, suddenly finding it difficult to speak proper English. "Not—not exactly…"

"Where are you going, Mia?" Brian asked, his entire body tensing up slightly, as though he was bracing himself for a terrible impact.

"Brian, I…" Mia started, scrambling to find the right words to say. "It's a bit hard to explain, but…I have to go away."

"Why?" Brian demanded, his face falling even more. "Why are you going?"

"There's something very important that I have to do, and it's going to take a long time, more than likely—"

"You always leave!" Brian yelled, and Mia's heart shattered at the tears building up in his eyes. "You always leave me!"

"Bry, I promise, I'll be back—"

"No, you won't! Mummy and Daddy promised they'd come back, and they didn't! They lied, and you're lying too! You're a liar!"

"Brian, do not yell at your sister," Sirius reprimanded. "This is very hard for her."

"You're always gone! I never see you, you're always at your stupid school, with your stupid friends, learning stupid magic! And you keep saying bad wizards are out there, and they hurt you, but you're still leaving! You don't care!"

"That's not true, Brian," Mia countered, her voice quivering. "I do care, and I care about you, so much."

"You're a liar!" Brian repeated, the tears spilling down his cheeks. "I hate you!"

"Brian!" Sirius scolded, but the boy paid no heed and he angrily sprinted out of the kitchen, wiping at his eyes as he went. Mia stood stock still, a horrible aching in her heart she had never felt before, and she could feel the immediate burn in her eyes.

"He didn't mean that, Mia," Sirius said. "He's just upset."

"I know," she mumbled. "But that doesn't make it any better. He can't think that I don't love him, I can't let him believe that."

"He doesn't, Mia. Brian is a very smart boy, I think a part of him knows that you would do anything for him, and it's because of that that you need to go. It will all be all right, I know it will."

"How can you be so sure?"

Mia's question came out as a borderline whimper, and she blinked rapidly to keep her own tears from falling. Sirius didn't respond, but he did go around the island in order to wrap her up in a comforting hug, letting her sink into the embrace and hide her face in his shoulder. Nothing was said between the two of them, but Mia could feel the reassurance and care the older man seemed to be pouring out of himself, as though trying to project them onto her as much as he could. It meant more to her than he could ever realize, and she let out a shaky breath as she returned the hug, feeling the fragmented holes in her heart reseal themselves just a little bit.

=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=

In the early evening of July the twenty-sixth, Mia found herself gripping Sirius's waist in an iron grasp as they descended from the quickly darkening sky on the back of a Thestral, the other members of their party close by and following their trail in perfect formation, with Mad-Eye up ahead in the lead. They had all been placed under a Disillusionment Charm before taking off for Privet Drive, so that way they would travel without being detected by unwanted eyes, both Muggle and Wizard. During the entire ride, Mia had done the exact same as she had done with Harry the least time they had ridden on Thestrals, when they were fifteen: she buried her face into Sirius' back and tried her best not to squeeze the very life out of him as her fear made her completely ridged from her head to her toes.

Mia focused her thoughts on the roaring sound of Sirius' old motorbike that Hagrid was currently riding behind them, attempting to distract her from the fact that she was diving towards the oncoming ground below them. At long last, Sirius urged the Thestral to slow down and then within the next minute, they were touching down onto the luscious green grass of the Dursley's back yard. After taking a couple of deep breaths, Mia lifted her face from the back of Sirius' black robes and very nearly slipped off the beast in relief. One by one, the Disillusionment wore off, and every last member of their group was revealed just as the back door to the house was thrust open, and Harry came outside, his lips pulling up into a grin at the sight of them all. Once everyone dismounted from their creature, broom, or bike, there was some general greeting exchanged between them all. Hermione flung her arms around his shoulders while Ron clapped him on the back, and then they moved aside for Mia to have her turn, wrapping her boyfriend up into her embrace and placing a swift, yet loving kiss to his cheek.

"Hey, you," she said warmly.

"Hey," he replied, his arms automatically going around her waist and holding her close.

"All righ', Harry?" Hagrid greeted with a beaming look. "Yer lookin' righ and fit."

"Yes, he's absolutely gorgeous," Mad-Eye grunted as he limped past them all to head on into the house. "What say we get undercover before someone murders him?"

"Has anyone told you that you truly do light up the room, Mad-Eye?" Tonks asked with an eye roll as they all started filing into the house. Harry kept a hold of Mia's hand as they followed everyone else, and she didn't mind in the slightest. This was the first time she had seen him since they left Hogwarts last month, and even though it hadn't been too long, she still missed him. They all congressed in the kitchen together, with everyone making themselves comfortable on the counter, in kitchen chairs, and even on the table itself. Mad-eye easily closed off the curtains to the windows to give them all some privacy as Harry voiced his surprise to Kngsley that he was here instead of looking after the Muggle Prime Minister, whom he had been assigned with protecting.

"He will be all right without me for tonight. You are mush more important," was Kingsley's response.

"I've been telling him that for years, but it never seems to stick," Mia said offhandedly, throwing a smirk in Harry's direction.

"Most things don't," Hermione added while Ron snickered in agreement.

"Hey Harry, guess what?" Tonks announced from her place atop of Mrs. Dursley's washing machine, waving her left hand to show her new ring.

"You got married?" Harry yelped, shooting a glance between her and Remus.

"Yes, and it's about bloody time, too," Sirius grinned.

"Give it a rest, Pads," Remus sighed in a long-suffering tone.

"Never," Sirius stated simply. "I'm not nearly through with all the 'I told you so's—'"

"You are for tonight, Black, we don't have time for all of this!" Mad-Eye grunted in annoyance as he heaved two bulging sacks off of his shoulder and dropped them at his feet, fixing his electric blue eye on Harry. "As I'm sure you know by now, Potter, our original plans for getting you out of here has changed. Pius Thicknesse has gone over at the Ministry, which has caused a big problem for us. He's made it impossible to get you out by the normal means—Floo Network, Portykey, Apparition, none of that will work now. They're watching nearly all means of transportation around this place, so we've had to get creative and think of another way that the Trace can't detect. You do know about the Trace, right?"

Harry gave a nod to show that he did.

"Good. Now, we will not be able to wait around here for the Trace to break once you turn seventeen, the Death Eaters are already doing that more than likely, since at that time you're going to loose all the protection that your mother's charm gave you. So, we're going to leave here by means that the Ministry won't be able to detect through the Trace. We'll use brooms, Thestrals, and Sirius' old motorbike. Other than you becoming of age, the charm will break once you no longer call this place home. You and your family have separated under the terms that you're never going to live together again, correct? Therefore, the minute you leave, the magic will end once we're out of range.

"We've leaked a fake trail at the Ministry that you are not going to be moved until the day before your birthday, which we're hoping would have reached the Death Eaters by now. They have no idea that we're leaving tonight, which is our advantage over them, so if there are any patrolling around, it'll be easy to get past them. There are several assigned safe houses that have been provided with the best protection that we can offer them, and they all look like the place we could be hiding you—Molly's aunt Muriel's home, Kingsley's place, my house, you get the idea. You'll be going over to Tonk's parents' house, and from there, you will be able to use a Portkey to meet up with the rest of us at the Burrow."

"All right," Harry said slowly, looking as though he was analyzing everything Moody had explained in his head. "But won't it be obvious where we're going once they see us all heading to Tonk's parent's house?"

"Ah, here's the thing, Potter," Moody continued. "We all won't be heading to Tonk's parents. There's going to be eight Harry Potter's moving through the sky tonight, each one going to a different safe house, and if there are any Death Eaters around, they won't know which Harry Potter is the real one."

"The real one?" Harry repeated, a suspicious and somewhat dreading tone in his voice. Mia mentally braced herself for the reaction she knew was coming, while Moody reached into the pocket of his cloak and pulled out a flask that was filled with what looked like mud.

"I believe that you're familiar with this particular brew," Moody stated as he uncorked the flask, and realization dawned on Harry's face.

"No!" he protested loudly. "Absolutely not!"

"Told you he'd take it well," Mia chimed from next to him.

"If you think I'm going to let seven people risk their lives—"

"—because it's the first time for all of us," Ron piped up with an eye roll.

"No, this is different! Drinking that, becoming me—"

"Well, none of us really fancy it, mate," Fred cut in from where he stood next to the refrigerator. "Imagine if something went wrong, and we were stuck as scrawny, specky gits forever."

"You can't do it without my hair," Harry reminded them, looking as though he were willing to bolt if need be. Mia frowned and made a point of tightening her hold on his hand.

"Oh well, that's that planned scrapped, then," George said. "Obviously there's no chance at all of us getting a bit of your hair unless you cooperate."

"Yeah, fourteen of us against one bloke who's not allowed to use magic—we've got no chance," Fred added with an eye roll. "Then again, we could always just have Mia distract you with a kiss."

"Very funny," Harry said with a scowl while Mia glared at her favorite twins.

"If it has to come to force, so be it, Potter," Moody growled. "This is the only way. Everyone here is overage, and willing to take the risk. Give up your hairs. Now."

Harry openly glared at Moody, but after a brief moment, he knew that it was useless to argue any further. Letting go of Mia's hand, he reached up to the top of his head and with a forceful yank, managed to pull the required hair for the potion. Moody directed him to put the hairs in the flask, and when he did, the potion instantly bubbled, transforming into a golden color. After that, Moody called forth everyone who was going to be a decoy, and Mia found herself bracing again when she stepped forward.

"What?!" Harry exclaimed, his green eyes widening. "Mia, you can't!"

"What, did you think I was here as a protector?" Mia asked, trying and failing to lighten the mood a little. "I'm nowhere near as good as Mad-eye, Kingsley, or Tonks for that matter, Harry. I've already decided."

"But—"

"For Merlin's sake, save it you two, we're on a time crunch, here!" Moody snapped. "Thatcher, get over here, and Potter, stop arguing or I'll stun you."

"Alastor," Sirius said, a warning in his voice as he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Fine then, you can stun him, let's just get this done!"

The fear and worry in Harry's eyes was unmistakable, and Mia knew that this was not easy for him to deal with. She gave him a sweet, yet quick peck on the cheek, whispering words of comfort and reassurance into his ear before pulling away to stand over with Ron, Hermione, Tonks, Mundungus, Fleur, Fred and George. One by one, they took a swig of the Polyjuice Potion, and it took everything Mia had to keep herself from gagging and throwing it back up. Even though she's had the revolting concoction before, it didn't make it any better or easier trying to force it down her throat. She gasped when she was able to swallow it, and grimaced when she immediately started to feel it take effect. In a matter of seconds, she could feel herself begin to grow a little taller, her eyesight was becoming horribly blurry, and her hair was shrinking back into her scalp. Her insides felt like they were churning and she hunched over slightly at the uncomfortable feeling it gave her. However, the sensation only last for a minute before it faded away, and Mia could tell that the transformation was complete. Blinking a few times to try and clear her vision, she straightened back up, quickly feeling how tight her clothes had become. Moody dumped out the contents of the sacks onto the floor, revealing several sets of the same outfit, as well as luggage matching Harry's own trunk, and owl cages with stuffed, snowy owls perched inside.

All of the decoys started to get changed into the new clothes so they would all have the same matching outfit, and Mia suddenly felt very awkward with having everyone seeing her boyfriend undressed. Also, the brand new feeling of the appendage in between her legs had her reeling, and it was beyond weird. She tried not to think about it, but considering how much it moved when she did, it was easier said than done.

Urgh, how can guys even deal with this thing?!

After everyone was finally dressed, Moody declared that it was time for them all to start heading out. It had been decided before leaving for Provet Drive who would be partnered with who once they left the Dursley household, and Mia ended up being paired with Sirius. The two of them would use the same Thestral they used to get to Surrey, and would be returning back to Sirius' home before going to the Burrow. Harry ran out into the front hall to grab Hedwig and his things, and then they all trailed back outside into the garden to prepare for departure. While the majority of them called for their brooms, Mia, Sirius, Bill, Fleur, Hermione and Kingsley were all hopping up onto their Thestrals, and Hagrid began revving up the motorbike engine. Harry hurriedly sat himself down in the sidecar that made him ride below everyone else, making him look like a child in a car seat, with his rucksack at his feet and Hedwig's cage wedged between his knees. Mia gave him a sympathetic smile before she wrapped her arms around Sirius' waist again, trying to control her breathing. If she was going to pretend to be Harry, she needed to be convincing, and look more comfortable in the air, at least until they were out of Surrey. Therefore, she kept her face out of Sirius' back, but her grip on him was iron clad.

"Good luck, everyone!" Moody shouted, climbing aboard his own broom with Mundungus. "See you all in about an hour at the Burrow. On the count of three. One…two…THREE!"

Before Mia knew it, the Thestral crouched down low before leaping off of the ground, taking flight into the air along with its other heard members, and also the several brooms that also took to the sky. Everything around her was a whirl of dark clouds, with the lights from the neighborhood quickly falling far down below them, and she had to bite her lip especially hard to keep herself from screaming. She was sure that somehow her grip on Sirius tightened even more, and for a moment she was worried, but the man made no noise of discomfort or asked her to ease up. Her heart was beating so fast that it was almost painful, and she was sure that the tears building up in her eyes was a mixture of the force of the wind and her own mounting fear. Off to the side, she could hear the motorbike, roaring like a ferocious dragon, and it comforted her to know that Harry was next to her, even if for a brief moment. They all climbed higher and higher into the air, moving hastily through the clouds to get whatever cover they could before starting to head off in different directions.

It was when they finally broke through the thick clouds that everything went to hell.

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