A/N: HP characters are not mine, everyone else you don't recognize is. Comments and opinions are really appreciated. I really do believe that there's no such thing as a bad opinion, it's just your opinion sooo fire away.
The flames cackled as she tossed and turned. A cloaked figure stood in the doorway of a grand house looking out on to the fire. She moved as if on air toward the blazing fire and threw a handful of green dust into if. Her blue eyes darkened as she watched the fire burn into the night. Taking a deep breath with her hand clutching her side, she chanted softly at first but the chanting grew louder and louder, and the flames roared into a bright blaze until abruptly, nothing was left but a pile of ashes; the woman nowhere to be seen.
Mia bolted up gasping for breath. Beads of sweat mixed with salty tears as they rolled down her face. As she wiped them away, she heard Skye stirring. Clutching the chain around her neck, she rubbed the pendant and closed her eyes. She felt her heart beat return to normal as she breathed in and out slowly. Opening her eyes, she rubbed her side with her free hand and eased back into the comfort of her pillows. Ace jumped unto the bed and snuggled up to her aching side meowing softly. Her eyes drooped and she drifted to sleep, cat at her side, and hand fisted around her pendant.
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Mia had risen early, and taking advantage of her sleeping room-mate's snores, she slipped into the adjoining bathroom and indulged in a luxurious bath. She sighed as she felt her shoulders relax, the stress evaporating like the water around her. This magic thing isn't so bad, she thought, a few things to get used to but that's nothing new. She had been getting used to things all her life.
Before her hands could get pruny, she drained the bath and dried off. She stepped into a robe, her whole body glowing from the heat. With a creak the door opened and she spied Skye still in bed mouth hanging open and eye mask firmly in place. Moving to her bed, Mia pulled her tattered journal out.
I had another dream last night. The pain in my side was more real, so real that I guess I started crying. I've never actually woken up from the dreams crying before. I'm surprised that I didn't wake Skye up…my new room-mate.
Looking over at the neighboring bed she nodded her approval.
Nice, she wrote. Probably the nicest room-mate I've ever had.
Mia rose thoughtfully and began to dress. Putting on her crisp new uniform, she thought of all the roommates she'd ever had making a mental list in her mind. Chrissy, then Montana, Nora, Faith, Terri, Chelsey, Eleanor, and now Skye; wow, she thought, that's 8 including Skye.
8 roommates, 8 different boarding schools all over the U.S. and the U.K. Mia sighed, remembering the first train ride she had taken to her very first boarding school. She had been 10. It had all began so long ago. Since, but before she could form the thought, she shook it out of her head and unconsciously fingered the pendant hanging from the chain around her neck.
Skye pulled the sleeping mask out of her eyes as her mouth opened into a wide yawn.
"Morning." She managed in between yawns, "Time is it?"
"Good Morning," Mia greeted, "6:20."
"Mmmmm 6:20." She slipped the mask back over her head and burrowed deeper under the blanket.
Mia ran her fingers through the thick waves spritzing it with a little anti-frizz product. A few more products on her face concealed her lack of sleep and with a dab of gloss she was ready for her day. Hoisting her book bag onto her shoulder she moved noiselessly toward the door. Halfway out the door, she heard Skye call her name.
"Where you going?" she asked from under the blanket.
"Exploring," Mia replied quietly
"Mmmkay," Mia shut the door as she said, "Don't get lost."
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Mia looked around her in awe, glad she was alone, she let it all hang out. She oohed and aahed at almost everything around her. Nothing was just normal, everything was impressive without being incredibly ostentatious. The ceilings were high and the tall windows showcased the majestic grounds. The moving paintings big and small watched her almost as much as she watched them, probably more. The castle was unlike anything she had ever seen before.
Getting up early to explore her new school had become a ritual. It was her way of coming to terms with moving to a new school every year. The castle was enormous but had a feeling of warmth. She could picture students milling about as they went from class to class. Grazing her hand against the stone wall, she could almost feel the history, a history she would soon become a part of in her own way.
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Wandering the halls aimlessly had finally brought her to the Great Hall. She had not realized just how massive the castle was and still did not know. She put a hand over her chest to calm her racing heart. A few obstacles had come in her way, moving staircases had veered her off course and a pesky poltergeist had made her heart jump more than once. As soon as she felt her racing heart calm, she flipped her hair over her shoulder and shifted her book bag so that it rested comfortably on her right shoulder. Stepping through the doors of the Great Hall, she blinked at the bright sunshine shining through the windows and the ceiling above. Keeping her eyes on the cloudless ceiling she walked absently into a fast moving figure. Taken off guard, she lost her balance and fell, her butt smacking the hard stone ground.
Draco peeled his eyes from the letter in his hands and looked into a face he did not recognize.
"Sorry," he muttered offering a hand.
Mia took the offered hand and picked up her fallen book bag.
"Oh sure apology accepted." Mia said blowing her hair out of her eyes as she watched him walk briskly away in a flurry of black robes. She lost the slick blonde head in the crowd of students entering the Great Hall. As she turned, a familiar voice called out her name.
"Mia!" Skye strode toward her, her blonde hair flying back, her model figure catching the appreciating look of every male that had eyes.
Mia arched her eyebrows in mock surprise, "You're awake?"
Skye smiled graciously her dimples flashing.
"What house are you in?" she asked her eyes scanning the now crowded Great Hall.
"G-something," Mia replied guilty she didn't know her own house.
"Gryffindor. Great. I've been looking for a reason to sit at that table." Skye pulled her towards a table and pulled out a chair.
"Is this your house too?" Mia asked as she sat down in front of a delicious assortment of breakfast foods.
"No," Skye jerked her head, "Ravenclaw, but everyone in the house has their nose in the air and something shoved high up their bums."
Mia appreciated her honest sense of humor and smiled privately into her goblet of juice.
"Excuse me."
The two girls looked up to meet a pair of be-spectacled green eyes.
"Yes?" Skye answered as she flipped her blonde hair over smoothly her shoulder.
Mia rolled her eyes at the obvious move and watched Harry over the rim of her goblet.
"Is this seat taken?" He asked politely.
"Of course not," Skye batted her baby greens at him and twirled a strand of hair around her finger.
"Morning Mia," He smiled and nodded in her direction and she returned the nod, "Skye right?"
"Yes!" Skye exclaimed putting her hand out, "Nice to meet you Harry…" She paused and winked at Mia, "Potter."
Mia lifted her goblet her blue eyes dancing with amusement.
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Harry strained to listen to Professor Binn's droning voice but failed to catch a word of his lecture. The man—the ghost—had Harry's mind wondering about other things besides goblin wars and the like. His eyes wandered the room. In front of him, Hermione was ceaselessly prodding Ron awake with the tip of her quill. The Ravenclaw's were disturbingly awake, their quills moving in time to the tempo of the professor's words. Scanning the room, his eyes fell on the back of Mia's dark mass of curls.
She seemed changed since he had last seen her. For the better, he thought. She didn't seem as sad sitting across from him at breakfast. Her eyes shone and her skin looked like it was glowing. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair as he remembered how stupid he had sounded at breakfast and how uncomfortable he had been when he had seen Skye's not-so-discreet wink. It had taken lots of self-control not to spit his juice out. Thankfully, his two best friends had come to the rescue. Tapping his foot restlessly, he looked around wondering why anyone would ever allow History of Magic to be 1st period. Several annoyed looks thrown in his direction forced Harry to straighten up and listen to the monotonous lecture about how giants had gained their independence.
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Mia sighed and rubbed a hand over her tired eyes. She sat alone in the library, a book and a feather spread out in front of her. The day had barely even gotten started, and already she had two scrolls on giant uprisings, one on unicorns, and two on animal transfiguration. She had failed miserably at trying to transfigure her feather into a fluttering dove. She repeated Hermione's words in her head, your wand is like an extension of your hand, and your hands' movements are your wands' movements. Easy to say but not easy to do. Her wand did not feel like an extension of her hand, it felt more like, well, a stick. The only magic she had done with it so far was make it shoot sparks, and technically that wasn't even magic. She groaned as she laid her head on the table. Her groan received a harsh shush from the cranky old librarian. Desperate, she stared at the feather imagining that it would sprout wings and fly away, but it just sat on the table, motionless.
"Voler," she whispered waving her wand the way she had been taught. The feather shuddered but it was still a feather, not a beautiful flying dove.
Sighing, Mia pushed her chair back and pulled her bag off the ground. She walked to her next class her head drooping.
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Harry and Hermione walked to the stone gargoyle guarding their headmasters' office and gave them the unusual password (Toblerone).
"Do you know why he sent for us?" Hermione asked nervously.
"I'm sure it's nothing to be nervous about." Harry replied to comfort them both. The last time he had been summoned to the office, the news had not been good.
They were called in before they had a chance to knock on the heavy door. The two entered, the same nervous look on their faces. Closing the door behind him, he walked into the familiar office.
"Welcome," Dumbledore conjured up two armchairs and gestured for them to take a seat, "I trust you have already met our new student, Mia."
Harry and Hermione nodded.
"I have a favor to ask of you." Dumbledore said his expression serious.
"Anything professor," Hermione feeling a wave of gratitude for the old man wash over her, she knew she would do anything he asked of her.
"Thank you Hermione," Dumbledore trained his blue eyes at Harry, "Do you feel the same way Harry?"
Harry nodded without hesitation.
"What I am asking will take patience and time, but will come out with a great reward in the end." He paused to look at each of them in turn, "As you know, Mia is entirely new to magic. You both know how that feels because at one point you were first-years and I'm sure if you were in her place, you would be experiencing the same difficulties."
"She has been thrown into this world without warning and lags behind all of her classmates most who have grown up in the wizarding world. I have chosen you both because you have excelled greatly. Hermione, you are the top in your class," he glanced at a blushing Hermione, "and Harry you show true promise of succeeding in the field of an auror. What I am asking is that you both take time to tutor Mia."
He paused for a moment to let his request sink in. Hermione twirled a strand of hair thoughtfully and was the first to answer affirmatively. She looked at Harry and he smiled in agreement.
"Thank you," Dumbledore nodded, "I expect you to help her along with the things that you are learning in your lessons, and to teach her what you have learnt your years here at Hogwarts," pausing, his blue eyes twinkled with amusement, "you will be allowed the use of the room of requirement for your tutoring sessions."
The two students rose as Dumbledore rose and graciously accepted fancily packaged chocolates he called Toblerone. When they were in the corridor, Hermione turned to Harry excitedly.
"Oh Harry, just think, we get to be a part of Mia's learning experience! I suppose I will do Transfiguration and Charms, and you Defense Against the Dark Arts!"
Harry nodded in agreement but loosened his tie. Oh boy.