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Chapter 4: The Confrontation
"What did he say next? I want exact words!" Draco was desperate to hear Mia's tales. Small times where Potter made a fool of himself. Arriving late to a class, tripping over his robes, talking back to teachers. Anything. Mia had taken to sitting near Potter just so that she could report back to Draco how badly he was failing Potions.
"He called after Snape and said, 'Oy. Professor Snape! Who graded this essay? My marks are much lower than Barnes' and she's bloody daft!' I swear that's exactly what he said! I was appalled! That git couldn't tell a dry Mandrake root from a fresh one!" Mia knew she was exaggerating, but she couldn't help herself. The sheer look of shock on Draco's face made it all worth it.
"I'll Avada that prat if it's the last thing I do. Talking to you like that. I can't believe he's in the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He's a first year. It's not allowed! That Dumbledore's always breaking the rules for his precious house. It's not fair!" Draco finally said with a huff.
I usually agreed with him. The bias is unreal. It's something you would only notice if you were in one of the other houses. Mia comforted Draco and tried to calm him down. She didn't want anyone to hear him and take points away. Ironic, but a very real possibility in the crowded Great Hall.
She and Draco, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle headed to Transfiguration. Ravenclaw and Slytherin first years had this class together. Mia struggled to keep up with their quick pace. Their long legs being able to walk faster to class. At this rate, they'd get to class way too early.
Sure enough, it was only them and one other student talking to Professor McGonagall. Mia didn't need to see her face to know it was Hermione Granger. She'd know that curly hair anywhere.
Trying to escape her notice, Mia took a seat next to Draco and the others near the back and tried to distract herself with Crabbe talking about Transfiguration notes. As Hermione finished her conversation with the Professor, she saw Mia concealed by Crabbe's loud talking and gestures.
Hermione looked at Mia for longer than socially appropriate and Mia didn't want to deal with the confrontation that she knew was coming. Looking at Mia, Draco noticed something was wrong. He sprung to action, eager at the opportunity to mess with Hermione. He only glanced once more to see that Professor McGonagall was leaving to her office in the back for a moment in between classes. This is it. He won't get caught.
"What are you looking at, Mudblood?" Draco sneered at Hermione as he said this. Mia remembered hearing this slur from her sister once. When father heard her say it, he grounded her for a month and took away her wand for a week. He explained the word's meaning to Mia, and told her to never say it, to even think it.
Draco seemed to be using the slur freely, with no realization of what it means. That made Mia uneasy. It must have shown on her face. A teary-eyed Hermione looked back and forth between Draco and Mia and yelled, "This is who you're hanging out with now, Mia? I thought you were better than that!"
Suddenly, Mia pushed Draco back as he tried to defend Mia. An anger she hasn't felt in weeks bubbled to her lips without warning.
"You're one to talk! The second you got placed in Gryffindor, you completely dropped me for that git, Harry Potter! I thought we were friends! I didn't have any friends for so long!" Mia yelled across the room. She didn't care if Professor McGonagall heard her. She had to let it out. It had been eating her from the inside out.
Hermione looked thrown by what Mia said. For once, Hermione didn't have an answer for Mia. She was in the wrong and she only realized it now. All those times helping Harry and Ron on their adventures and she completely forgot about Mia and how alone she might have been.
"That's what I thought. Get out of here. I can't stand to look at your face any longer." Mia's anger starting to subside to annoyance. Mudblood was on the tip of Mia's tongue. She wanted to say it to Hermione, to make her feel as bad as Mia did that first week at Hogwarts. But she stopped herself. It would only confirm everything Hermione thought about the Ravenclaw and Slytherin houses. And Mia knew that she wasn't like Draco in that sense.
Hermione, looking dejected, left the classroom. People started to slowly flood in for Transfiguration class.
"Mia. That was bloody brilliant! I've never seen you talk to anybody like that before" Draco smiled and raised his hand for a high-five. Mia returned the high-five, and surprising herself and Draco by saying, "Neither have I."
Mia just finished her Transfiguration class and parted ways with the Slytherin boys. She left in a daze. After that confrontation with Hermione, Mia's head was all over the place. She knew she had Potions next, but she soon found herself standing still in the middle of a staircase. Suddenly, it decides to move 90 degrees to the left.
Mia cursed to herself. She had forgotten for a second that the blasted staircases moved as they pleased.
"Watch your language, young lady!" said a high-pitched voice coming from Mia's left. Mia was relieved. She wouldn't be alone on this staircase, aimlessly looking for the Potions class. Looking all around her, she started to think she was going crazy, as nobody else was on this staircase.
"Hello? Who said that?" Mia said with uncertainty. She could not deal with ghosts right now.
"Yoo hoo! Over here!" An old woman with a pitchfork yelled from the painting on the wall to Mia's left.
"Oh! Hi there. Sorry about the swearing. Is there any chance you know where Potions class with Professor Snape is? I seem to have lost my way after the staircases shifted." Mia pleaded to the painting with hope.
"Sorry, sweetie. I haven't got a clue." The portrait replied. She chose this time to walk away from the center of the painting and away from Mia's view of her.
"Hey! Get back here! Please? I can't miss a class!" Mia huffed and walked away from the painting. She travelled up the stairs, not knowing where it leads. Maybe she can find someone to give her directions that wasn't inside of a painting.
This particular staircase led Mia to a dimly lit corridor. All of a sudden, Mia was terrified. She was no longer annoyed that she was late for class. She just wanted to get out of here. Mia has seen enough Muggle horror movies to know how this situation usually pans out.
Mia started frantically looking at all the open rooms for refuge. All the while, she had a vise grip on her wand from inside her cloak, ready to use at a moment's notice.
All were empty except for the last room on the right. Mia ran inside without expectations. She closed the door and looked at her surroundings, trying to calm down her frantic breathing.
The room was just like the others, except for one thing. A mirror. Mia thought to herself how odd it was to only see a mirror in the room. The mirror itself was exquisite. So grand with detailed carvings all along the frame.
That wasn't what caught Mia's attention, though. As she looked at her reflection, Mia was shocked at what she saw.
Mia saw herself, slightly taller than she currently is, as if she was almost Madison's age. To her right, Draco had an arm around her and looked lovingly at Mia's reflection.
Mia looked to her left, expecting to see that Draco has found her, only to find that she was still alone in the dark room. Mia looked back at the mirror and still saw Draco there. Mia started to think she was losing her mind.
As she looked more and more at the mirror, she noticed what they were wearing. Both were in their uniforms, however, on each of their robes, she saw the pristine prefect badge Mia and Draco were sporting.
Mia looked away from the mirror again, down to her clothes. To Mia's disappointment, the prefect badge in the mirror wasn't on her robe. As Mia looked back to the mirror, all she could feel was longing. Longing to be happy with Draco. Longing to wear that prefect badge and make her parents proud. Longing to be older. Mia lost track of time looking at the mirror. She could have been there for hours without knowing.
Mia heard a scuffling from the entrance to the room. She reluctantly looked away from the mirror to see who had bothered her.
To Mia's surprise, it was Harry Potter.