Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling rocks my socks…you know why!
Chapter 9
Mia rose rubbing her tender bottom.
"Sorry," Harry said giving her a sheepish look.
Mia rose slowly biting back a groan of pain, "It's all right."
She ached everywhere. Her side was still smarting from her newly acquired non-tattoo and tutoring sessions with Harry were not exactly speeding up her healing process.
Her dreams had finally stopped, and she could sleep.
She was disappointed, but at the same time glad that she no longer had to worry about waking up in pain.
Playing with her necklace absently she sighed.
She missed her mom.
"Mia,"
Harry's voice scattered her thoughts.
Dropping her hand, she looked up into his nervous green eyes, "Sorry, what were you saying?"
His face fell, "Erm nothing," he mumbled.
Mia peered at him her blue eyes narrowed in curiosity but she shrugged it off when he turned away towards the book she had lovingly dubbed Mikey.
Joining him in front of Mikey she looked over his shoulder, "So what's next on the lesson plan?"
"Well I thought that we'd wrap it up for tonight," Harry said moving quickly away.
"Oh," Mia said disappointed.
Harry shuffled his feet uncomfortably, "Well."
Clearing his throat, he opened the door that connected them to the outside world and stepped out.
"Wait!" Mia called stopping him before he rushed out, "You can walk back with me!"
Harry shut his eyes and contemplated making up an excuse and escaping while he still had the chance but he banished the thought. Just because she wasn't interested in him that way didn't mean that he should be a jerk.
She hadn't even really turned him down, but on the other hand no answer usually meant NO.
Harry watched as she grabbed her jacket and waved a quick good bye to Mikey. He couldn't help but smile when she did that. He had grown accustomed to her naming their spell book and saying good bye to it after every tutoring session.
They fell into step as they walked back to the Prefect Dormitories.
"So," Mia began dragging out the word to fill the silence, "it's a Hogsmeade weekend."
Harry looked at her surprised. Had she not heard a word he had said?
"Yeah," he replied.
"What is Hogsmeade?" she asked genuinely curious.
She had heard what he had asked in the room of requirement and now she was just making polite conversation. Durr Harry don't be stupid. She doesn't like you that way! He didn't want to scare her away.
"It's a magical village," Harry explained, "like Diagon Alley, except that's a street, or err an alley but it's different because it's a—"
Mia laughed the melodious sound filled the air between them, "A village, yeah I got that part."
They continued their walk in companionable silence.
They stopped when they reached the portrait of the young irritated girl in robes.
"Password," she asked lazily.
"Piggly Wiggly."
The portrait giggled and swung open allowing them access into the warm common room.
The pair climbed in and Harry hung back unsure of what to do next.
Mia turned to face him, "You know," she began, "I was won—"
"Well well well."
They turned towards the drawling voice Harry knew all too well.
"If it isn't Pothead and another one of his whores," Draco's eyes flicked over to Mia as he sauntered down the winding staircase.
Harry stepped forward his teeth bared but Mia stopped him sensing trouble brewing in the air.
"Oh," Draco stopped at the foot of the stairs his hands up in mock surrender, "I'm sorry, did I offend you?"
Harry moved forward again but Mia stood in his path her eyes blazing.
"Harry," she purred throwing a look over her shoulder, "maybe Draco's just a little thirsty."
Harry's eyes widened but he stood his ground playing along with her.
"Yeah Malfoy," Harry said trying to mask his obliviousness to the situation by crossing his arms and hovering over Mia's shoulder, "thirsty?"
They were a team.
"Some pumpkin juice perhaps?" Mia asked a smirk tugging on the corner of her lips.
Draco reached instinctively for his wand.
Mia felt Harry stiffen beside her but she remained motionless and waited for the Slytherin's retaliation.
"You better keep this one on a leash Potter."
And with that, he exited with a swish of his billowing black robes.
Harry snapped his jaw shut when he realized it was hanging open.
"What just happened?" he asked gesturing towards the blonde boy's exit.
Mia shrugged smiling brightly, "Just a little inside joke between me and Draco Malfoy."
Mia laughed at the confused look he threw at her and she explained the pumpkin juice incident.
"That's," Harry said in between laughs, "bloody brilliant!"
She took a deep bow and blew kisses to an imaginary crowd, "Yes yes thank you thank you."
Grinning, she flopped gracefully down into a waiting armchair.
"You know," Harry said his expression serious, "Malfoy doesn't give up that easily, you better watch out for him."
"Harry," Mia said as she looked him in the eye, "I can take care of myself."
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Mia sniffed.
Hhhmmm smells good.
Ignoring the beads of sweat rolling down her forehead she reached for the finely chopped roots on her chopping board.
Glancing at her instructions she read them silently to herself.
Drop the Galfin roots into the mixture one by one every five seconds.
Stirring with one hand and dropping the roots in with the other she felt the sweat stinging her eyes. Blinking them away she didn't notice the passing swish of dark robes.
1…2…3…4…5—Drop
BOOM
Snape strode over his face twisted in a snarl, "What happened here?"
"I-I" she looked up at him dumbfounded.
Her potion was everywhere. Neville blinked when he realized he was covered in the same thick crème-colored paste that adorned the front of Mia's black school robes.
"Well?" Snape demanded his beady black eyes trained on her.
"I don't know," Mia replied her voice wavering.
"Detention!" he yelled, "And 10 points from Gryffindor for incompetence!"
Her head snapped up,"What!"
"Make it 20!"
Snape whirled leaving a speechless Mia in his wake.
"What happened?" she whispered mostly to herself.
"I think your potion just blew up," Neville answered as he wiped the potion off his robes with a sick sounding slurp.
Mia looked over at him, "Yes thank you for that."
"No problem," Neville said throwing a good-natured grin her way not reading the sarcasm in her voice.
Looking down she trained her eyes on the blotches of paste that had made it on to her text. She read what she could despite the splotches all over the page and tried to recall what she had done wrong.
She just didn't know.
Letting out a heavy sigh she resigned herself to wiping the muck off her robes doing her best to ignore the snickers and pitying glances that were thrown in her direction.
As she felt her energy draining her ears perked up.
"Oh Draco, that was so funny," Pansy giggled as she hung unto the blonde boy's arm.
Draco looked over at her. He was bored again. His little stunt had gotten Potter's little bitch into detention, but still he wasn't satisfied. He looked over at the girl on his arm, she was wrong, it hadn't been funny, it had been hilarious.
Mia watched the blonde boy's perfect little lips curl up into a smug little smile.
Oh you are so dead.
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Harry moved over to Mia's side but she ignored him.
Grabbing her stuff, she ran to the door a confused Harry at her heels.
"Mia!" he called.
"What!" she asked whirling on him her blue eyes searching the corridor for the slicked back blonde hair.
Catching the dangerous look in her eyes he fell back to a safe distance.
Where the hell is he?
The blonde head bobbed in front of her and she straightened her shoulders.
Her legs took long determined strides towards him and her feet planted themselves firmly in front of him.
"Draco," Pansy whined her nose turned up, "she's in our waay."
"Don't worry Pansy," Draco said his eyes surveying the bright-eyed brunette coolly, "I'm sure Potter will be along soon to collect his little bitch."
"You bastard!" Mia lunged but was held back.
"See," Draco drawled eyeing Harry with disdain, "he's come right in time."
"Come on Mia," Harry said calmly ignoring the Slytherins' taunts.
"No," Mia spat struggling against his grip, "you saw what he did to my potion!"
"What is she talking about Draco?" Pansy whined at his side.
"Potter, you might want to keep this bitch on a leash," Draco smirked, "or I just might have to put her down."
Mia bared her teeth at him, "Shut up you arrogant son of a bitch, I know you did something to my potion."
"Mia let's—"
"Potter!" Snape pushed through the gathering crowd of Slytherins and Gryffindors his eyes widening as the scene unfolded in front of him, "Draco, Pansy," his eyes narrowed when he saw the girl struggling in Harry's restraining hold.
"Professor," Pansy began her eyes wide with innocence, "she started it."
Mia let out a disgusted sound as she rolled her eyes.
Snape ignored it and turned his threatening gaze on the milling crowd of curious students, "Scatter," he said his eyes narrowed.
Hermione stepped forward but Ron held her back.
"Harry will be fine," he said taking her elbow to lead her away.
"I'm not worried about Harry," she said throwing a look over her shoulder but moving away when she caught the Potions professor's menacing expression.
Snape turned on the remaining four sixth-years, "You will leave as well Potter," he nodded to Pansy, "Ms. Parkinson."
"Excuse me?" Pansy asked as she tightened her grip around Draco's arm.
"Do not question me," Snape snapped.
Harry looked down at Mia.
She nodded and stepped away as he released his grip.
"Go," he commanded.
Pansy reluctantly let go of Draco's arm and stepped away.
Wrinkling her nose as she stepped past Mia, she stuck it in the air as if she had taken a whiff of something filthy.
Mia held her ground as she locked eyes with the Slytherin Queen.
The rustling of heavy black robes brought her attention to the retreating Potions Professor. Moving behind Draco, the three re-entered the Potions classroom.
Snape paced and flicked his wrist in a gesture for them to sit.
Draco sat an expression of boredom on his handsome face.
"You," Snape said moving in on Draco, "will be joining Ms. Gulielma for detention for tampering with her potion."
The look of boredom was replaced by one of bewilderment, "What!"
"You heard me Mr. Malfoy."
"You have no proof that I tampered with her potion!" Draco said his face reddening with his effort to clear his name.
"3 mature Galfin roots at the same time?" Snape asked leaning over the boy's desk, "How did she happen to get mature Galfin roots when we were using young undeveloped roots?"
"She got the—"
"We are done," Snape interrupted.
Draco rose his jaw clenched.
Silence blanketed the room as soon as the dungeon door shut behind the Slytherin King.
Mia watched as Snape took a seat behind his desk.
"Thank you," she began quietly not knowing what else to say.
Snape's head snapped up and his dark eyes narrowed at her, "Do not take this as preferential treatment."
"N-no," Mia said as she shook her head surprised.
"I will not tolerate disrespect," he continued, "you will not be going to Hogsmeade."
"Excuse me?" Mia asked not sure she had heard him correctly.
"You and Mr. Malfoy will be in detention," Snape rose, "maybe it will teach you something but," he eyed her as she rose slowly and snorted, "I highly doubt that."
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Skye leaned in her green eyes wide, "Then what happened?"
"I don't know," Hermione replied, "Snape scared everyone away."
"Except those four," Skye said as she turned in the general direction of the two Gryffindor boys.
"Harry," she hissed ignoring the disapproving looks thrown in her direction by surrounding Ravenclaws, "Harry."
The boy-who-lived looked to the insistent girl his eyebrows raised, "What?"
"What happened?" Skye whispered loudly.
Harry threw her a confused look when the classroom door opened. As soon as Mia walked through the door Skye waved him off and moved to clear the seat next to her.
"Mia," Professor Flitwick squeaked from his place in the front, "Professor Snape explained your tardiness, please take your seat."
"Thank you professor," Mia slid into her seat, her robes making a sloshing sound when she leaned back.
Hermione leaned over her wand out, "Tario."
"Hhmmm that's much better," Mia wiggled a little in her seat as her robes dried within seconds, "thanks Hermione."
The bushy haired girl blushed and mumbled.
A small smile escaped the girl's lips but vanished as soon as Skye pounced.
"Well what happened?" she asked earnestly throwing a dirty look at a Ravenclaw who outright shushed her.
"Skye," Mia warned, "not now all right? I'll tell you about it later," ignoring her friend's shocked face she pulled out her Charms text, "now what are we doing in class right now?"
"Fine," Skye let out a resigned sigh, "but you have to promise to tell me as soon as class is over."
She held out her pinky expectantly and Mia rolled her eyes.
"Oh come on Skye," she looked around, "not here."
"Do it," she said poking her pinky out.
"Fine," Mia linked pinkies with the other girl and tried her best not to let out a groan as Skye leaned over to kiss the fisted part of her hand.
Mia leaned in reluctantly and repeated the other girls' gesture.
"There," she said as soon as she got her pinky back, "happy?"
Skye smiled as Professor Flitwick stood up on his stack of books.
"Now remember class, two scrolls on whitelighters."
"Yes I am," she said after the Charms professor had dismissed the class.
Mia looked up at her shaking her head as she chuckled, "You suck."
Skye patted her back as they walked out of the classroom, "I know."
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Hermione watched the two girls interact so animatedly together. Her mind kept going back to their pinky promise. How they had linked pinkies like they had known one another for years when in reality it had really only been a few weeks. They were real girlfriends.
That's what she missed, having girlfriends.
She had that once, in the muggle world, but not at Hogwarts. Ever since she had stepped on that train and befriended the Boy-Who-Lived and the red-headed Weasley, the closest girlfriend she had had was Ginny Weasley, but the younger Weasley was her boyfriend's sister.
It was just too weird.
Everyone thought of her as the girl in the super trio, girls were only interested in her because she was Harry Potter's best friend. They sucked up to her and played nice with her but ultimately used her for the greater cause: obtaining Harry Potter's affection.
Hermione knew it and was constantly on her guard. She had never yearned for female friendship before, because honestly she had the two best guy friends a girl could ask for, but what about girl friends?
"Hermione," Ron waved a hand in front of her, "Herms," he called out a little louder.
She snapped out of her reverie and looked around, "Oh I'm sorry I was—"
"Aaah," Mia waved her hand at her, "don't worry about it we weren't talking about anything important anyway."
"Would you just tell us what bloody happened?"
The entire group turned slowly towards Harry. He stood stock still his tall frame cast a dark shadow over them.
His green eyes were hidden by glinting glasses, but the tone in his voice had been no mistake. He wanted answers.
Mia recovered first and she stood her 5'6" nothing to his 6 feet.
"Fine," she squinted at the sunlight, "Malfoy and I have detention together this Saturday for."
"And?" Skye prompted.
"Snape said that Malfoy did sabotage my potion," she shrugged, "something about mature roots, I'm not really sure."
Hermione's ears perked up, "Well of course! That's why your potion exploded, mature roots were too strong for it, and everyone knew we were using young roots."
Mia glanced at her, "That's what Snape said."
Hermione's cheeks reddened and she retreated back to her shy state.
"What else?" Harry questioned his voice quiet.
"That's it," Mia said, "Oh, I miss Hogsmeade."
"No!" Skye cried disappointment filling her voice.
"That's it?" Harry asked his voice severe.
Mia turned to him slowly, "Excuse me?"
"Is that all?" he repeated slowly.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" she stepped towards him closing the gap between them.
Their eyes locked.
"You had all of us wondering what went on in that room and now you're telling me that you don't get to go to Hogsmeade because you have detention!"
"Well," she stepped back her eyes still trained on his, "I'm sorry that I wasted your precious time, but let's not forget that you were the one who kept bringing it up."
She picked up her book bag and nodded to the rest of the group, "Good afternoon."
She strode away her school robes billowing behind her.
"Well mate," Ron said standing, "I really think you've hooked her."
A/N: So so sorry that it took me so long, my computer's not been friendly. A bunch of things worth mentioning in this chapter:
Whitelightersborrowed from the TV show Charmed with a few minor adjustments…not claiming it for my own
The pinky promise is a shout out to my room-mate, it's something that we do, something that probably a lot of people do but you know it makes us feel special.
More to come soon hopefully if my computer feels like cooperating…feedback please, good or bad I really would like to hear (or in this case read) what you think.