Chapter 5: The Mirror of Erised
"What are you doing here?" Harry said. His face in complete shock. He didn't expect to see anyone else. He just wanted to see the Mirror of Erised again. To see his parents again. He had been waiting all day for the perfect opportunity to sneak into the room for the second time.
"Me? What are you doing here?" Mia was momentarily relieved to see another person. Then she remembered the other person was Harry Potter.
"I'm here to see the mirror again. I saw my parents when I looked at it. What do you see?" Harry said with sudden curiosity as he walked over to the Mirror of Erised.
"I see myself older… and as prefect" Mia said with hesitation. She intentionally didn't mention the bit about Malfoy. A blush crept up to Mia's cheeks, and she was suddenly glad that it doesn't really show on her olive skin tone.
"Heh. Of course, you did. Ravenclaw through and through, aren't you?" Harry said with a smirk.
Hot anger coursed through Mia. Not wanting to reveal anything to Potter she simply huffs and looks back at the mirror.
She hated that what she saw in the mirror was so obvious. Nothing mysterious about her. Just a plain old Ravenclaw. Wants nothing more than a blimmin' prefect badge. Then she remembered Draco. He's in the Mirror of Erised as well. This mirror obviously showed Mia what she wanted. Her dreams. Is Draco just a fantasy? Like the shiny prefect badge?
"Mind if I join you? I've been waiting to see my parents again all day. I even thought of skipping class to see the mirror" Harry said as he plopped down next Mia.
"I missed a class today. I got lost after Transfiguration and stumbled upon the mirror. I've been here since" Mia replied back, still not taking her eyes off the mirror.
"You missed class? Wow, I guess you're not quite Ravenclaw through and through. Got a bit of Slytherin in you. I guess that's why you hang around Malfoy and his friends. Wait a minute. Ravenclaw had Transfiguration from 3:30 to 5:00pm. You've been here since then?! Do you have any idea what time it is?" Harry said. He finally tore his eyes away from the mirror and looked at Mia.
"No. What time is it?" Mia asked. Suddenly, she panicked. Maybe she really had been there for a long time. It only felt like minutes when she was looking at the Mirror of Erised.
"It's quarter to 9:00pm! You've completely missed dinner!" Harry said panicked as he looked at his watch.
"Are you serious? I have to get back to my dormitory! Everyone is probably worried sick!" Mia said. She stood up quickly, and instantly regretted it. Getting up so abruptly and all those hours without eating or drinking. She felt as if she was going to faint. Black spots appeared, and suddenly, she was falling.
Harry was in shock and was able to catch her head and neck before they hit the hard, concrete-like floor.
"Oh my god, Mia! Are you okay? Please wake up!" Harry yelled, more panicked than ever. He couldn't calm down and think of what to do. A mere minute later, Mia was still in Harry's arms, and she cracks open her eyes again. The first thing Mia sees as her eyes are registering back to normal is green. Harry's green eyes filled with concern and then relief.
"Mia! You're awake! What happened?!" Harry was hysterical as he was shaking a fatigued Mia, trying to wake her up further.
"I'm fine. I'm fine. This happens sometimes when I skip meals. I just need to lie down for a second. Let the blood drain back to my head" Mia said in a low whisper.
Mia positioned her head on Harry's lap and tried to take deep breaths. The sooner she is back to normal, the sooner she can forget about this whole day.
"We need to get you to Madam Pomfrey. You look so pale" Harry said with a shaky voice. He was blushing furiously. He's never been this close to a girl before, and he's gotten past the cooties stage by now, unlike his friend, Ron.
"Alright. Let's get out of here" Mia replied. She slowly got up, leaning against Harry for support.
"Lead the way" Mia said once she was fully upright.
Harry went from swooning to determined. He was going to get this girl to Madam Pomfrey if it's the last thing he does. He didn't care at that moment that she was smitten with Malfoy. It was the decent thing to do to help Mia out.
And he did.
"Good heavens!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed as she rushed over to the two First Years by the door.
Madam Pomfrey had Mia lie down on one of the many empty beds in the Hospital Wing. Harry had sat down on the foot of the bed, finally taking his rest as well. He explained to Madam Pomfrey about the fainting but didn't mention the mirror.
Madam Pomfrey didn't look like she fully believed Harry, but she let it go anyways.
"Both of you, eat this" she handed them both broken pieces from a chocolate frog and left the room.
Without hesitation, Mia chomped down on the chocolate, knowing very well it'll do the trick. As she was eating, her mind wandered back to her sister and her friends. Will they even notice that Mia was gone? They haven't gone looking for her, obviously.
Harry looked at Mia with curiosity and another feeling he couldn't quite pinpoint. This girl. He thought he knew her, but he obviously didn't. He didn't know anything about Mia.
Right at this moment, Madison came bursting through the door. Harry and Mia, both knocked from their trains of thought, looked over at the door.
"Mia! Are you alright? Where have you been? I didn't see you in the dormitories after your Potions class!" Madison ran over to Mia's cot and reached for her hands. She saw they were filled with chocolate.
"Did you skip dinner again? You know what that does to you. What were you thinking?" Madison's tone went from worried to angry. She hates babying and prefers tough love, especially around her sister, Mia. Call it middle child syndrome.
"I just got lost after Transfiguration. I'm fine" Mia replied with as much confidence as she could muster.
"Okay. Well. I'll check up on you tomorrow. I didn't owl Mum and Dad yet because I know Mum worries too much" Madison replied.
"Oh good. Yeah don't tell them about this. It'll only create trouble" Mia said back. She wouldn't mind Mum knowing, but from the look on Madison's face, Madison would mind her knowing. Madison was supposed to be taking care of Mia while she was at Hogwarts. If word got back to Mum that Mia fainted, in her First Year nonetheless, Madison would get a Howler for sure.
Madison kissed Mia on the forehead and told her not to skip any more meals. Then she left the room.
Harry was in shock. He's never seen such an odd sister dynamic like this before. They're both in Ravenclaw, and they're sisters, and yet they don't seem close at all. But he didn't say any of that. Especially not after the long day they've both had.
"That was your sister? She seems… nice" Harry said as cheerfully as he could, but failed.
Not wanting to have an argument with Harry today, she merely nodded. Harry slowly got up, recognizing that it's now the appropriate time for him to go.
"You don't have to leave if you don't want to. I'm going to get really bored just staring at the wall and I don't think Madam Pomfrey would let me leave" Mia said to Harry as he was getting up.
"You know what? Let's spring you out of here. Fred and George showed me a secret door to the kitchen. The house-elves will be glad to give us real food" Harry said remembering the last time he visited the kitchen and being bombarded by a feast.
"We can't do that! We'll get caught. And I'm not sure we'll be allowed down there" Mia said with uncertainty. Listening to herself, she sounded like a swot. She didn't want to risk anything that would make her unworthy of the prefect badge she longed so much for.
"Oh, it's fine! I can see it in your eyes. You need some adventure. And that chocolate isn't dinner. I swear you'll be fine!" Harry said with eagerness. Mia thought about that first feast in the Great Hall that she didn't have the appetite for. She couldn't eat a single thing after she saw Hermione being sorted into Gryffindor. Off to sit with Harry Potter. Now, Harry Potter is offering to eat with her a feast. Will she take it now?
"Fine. But if we get caught, you're dead Potter. You hear me? Dead!" Mia said with a huff. She could support herself by now. So, she stood up slowly and they both made they way out of the empty Hospital Wing while Madam Pomfrey was still gone.
Mia followed Harry down to the basement underneath the Great Hall. There seemed to be a long, empty corridor. From across the hall, the only thing she sees is a painting of a bowl of fruit.
"Are you sure we're in the right place? There's nothing here but a painting of fruit. I was expecting actual food, Potter, not just a picture of it…" Mia said with uncertainty. Her panic started rising as she noticed she was alone with her old nemesis. Was he just tricking her into coming here? Would he hex her?
"Yeah, you have to tickle the pear to show the door" Harry said as he walked over to the painting. Mia followed Harry, suddenly thinking he's gone mad. As Harry approached the painting, he started tickling the pear in the bowl of fruit.
"That has got to be the most idiotic thing I've ever hea-" Mia stopped her sentence as she heard the pear make an audible giggle and transform into a green knob, the same color as the pear used to be.
"What the... This school never fails to amaze me" Mia said. Eyes wide and a look of astonishment clear on her face.
"After you" Harry said with a smirk on his face as he opened the door for Mia.
They made out like bandits. The Hogwarts house-elves were more than happy to feed Harry and Mia. Mia was shocked to hear that a lot of the elves remember her older brother, Mason visiting the kitchen often when he went to Hogwarts.
They left with their stomachs full and carrying some desserts to eat later: peppermint humbugs, apple pie, and jam doughnuts. Harry learned that Mia was a vegetarian, something not often seen in Hogwarts. He was in shock and wanted to learn more.
"How can you possibly survive? Most of the main meals have meat in them. No wonder you're so skinny. Are your parents vegetarian too, and they made you do this?" Harry rattled off as he ate his food.
"My parents aren't vegetarian. I made the decision myself. And I always find something to eat at the feasts. There are plenty of vegetarians at Hogwarts" Mia lied lightly. The only ones she could think off the top of her head were the Patil's, but she didn't say that.
"Huh, well if you say so" Harry replied. They were on their way back from the kitchen and they had just reached the top of the stairs that led them back to the Great Hall.
"Mia?!" a familiar voice yelled from across the Great Hall. Mia looked over to see who had called her. Her heart dropped. It was Draco. Even from this far, Mia could tell that he looked outraged. And he was heading over.
Mia was panicking. It's not what you think, was what she wanted to say, but she couldn't find her voice. Draco had reached them.
"It is you. I thought for a second it was Granger with Potter, but it was you. What are you doing with this blood traitor? Is this where you've been all night?" Draco said in a pointed tone of disapproval.
"No, no, it's all a misunderstanding…I got lost after Transfiguration… and I couldn't find anyone for a while, and then I found Potter and I was really hungry…because it was after dinner time… so we went to the kitchen…" Mia struggled for words as she looked at Draco's upset face.
"Do whatever you want with this Scarhead. See if I care" Draco said with a sneer plastered to his face. Mia was in pure shock as she saw Draco walking away from her. Draco hating her. Breaking the rules with her nemesis, Potter. Her nightmare was becoming a reality.