A/N: Still sticking with short extracts all put into a long chapter. I had an amazing review on the last chapter, and has helped me get this one typed up in time :P However, I have English coursework due in next week along with two mock exams I can't do bad at, soooo this means the next chapter will probably take longer than usual and won't be up by next Thursday. I'll aim for the Thursday after though. As always, review review review, they make me happy... xD Z-Nugget xx
Sleeping arrangements suddenly, once again, became very awkward. Mia had gone straight back to the common room, Fred's arm still around her shoulder as all conversations halted, accusing eyes falling onto the outsider. Ginny was nowhere to be seen.
"I'm getting my things" she muttered to Fred, slipping out from under his arm and rushing up the stairs. If she'd had any luck the fourth year girls dormitory would have been empty, but once gain she was instantly under scrutiny as the door swung open. "I'm just getting my things" she repeated, keeping her head down and quickly pushing everything from her table and draws into her trunk. Thankfully the brunette hadn't really unpacked that much, mostly living out of her suitcase, so it took only a few minutes to be finished and haul it from the room. Of course the problem came when trying to get it down the stairs. Seeing no other option, Mia took her wand out, opting for magic to float the trunk to the common room. People still stared when she reappeared, but seemed to lose attention within seconds.
"Where are you going to go?" Fred asked with a sigh. He'd initially suggested she share with him and the rest of the seventh year boys, but there were numerous problems with that that didn't even need explaining. So there really wasn't much point in her staying in the Gryffindor common room longer than necessary.
"Technically I still have a bed in the fourth year Slytherin dorm..." Fred really didn't look happy with that solution. "I'll be fine" It felt like that was her new motto or something. And he still didn't look happy. But there was nothing else that could be done. So with that Mia levitated the trunk again and stomped through the portrait hole.
Of course the problem occurred when getting to the Slytherin portrait and getting asked for the password. Ah, password. Now the Gryffindor one, easy. Slytherin on the other hand. Problematic. It took twenty minutes for a first year to come scuttling along and provide her with the unimaginative password. More stares proceeded with the walk through the common room, green gloomy lighting not something she had missed, case floating dutifully behind and up the stairs. There were three girls in the room.
"What do you think you're doing?" the one closest demanded. Mia ignored her for several seconds, floating the trunk over to the empty bed and standing in front of it.
"This is my bed, in my dorm room, in my common room." She held up her finger, cutting off the same girl just as her mouth opened. "I don't care what you think, or want or even need. I am staying in this room. And you will not be asking me anything, not going through my things and not even talking to me as I doubt you really want to. But I will be staying here " Mia finally took a breath, lowering her hand. "Is that clear?" She wasn't sure what exactly had come over her, but suddenly she wasn't in the mood to take any crap.
ZNZNZN
As the weeks past Mia found herself spending more and more time in the library. It wasn't as if she wanted to, but there was suddenly a lack of places she was welcome. The Gryffindor common room wasn't exactly off limits, and it was fine when she was with Fred, but alone everyone just glared and whispered. So, when Fred was busy and with the new curfew in place, the only place the brunette found sanctuary in was the library.
"Closing Miss Lestrange, please return to your dorm room." Sighing, and defeated, the Slytherin stood up, slowly closing her potions book and placing it back on the shelf. At least one plus side of this was her grades had become excellent. She managed to make the walk back to the common room last fifteen minutes, and thanks to a general rule, by midnight everyone was in bed. Taking that into account, and how much her room mates despised her, Mia trundled over to the most secluded puffy arm chair and collapsed back. It was strange not having fire places to make the common room cosy. Well, that wasn't strictly true. There was one fire place in the Slytherin common room, but didn't seem to work any long.
"You're back" The brunettes head snapped up towards the voice.
"I've been back for weeks" She informed as the voiced person frowned. "You were just too busy to notice." His frown deepened. "That looks painful" He followed her eyes down to his bandaged hand.
"It is."
"Why didn't you go to the hospital wing?"
"And say what?" Mia sighed, running a hand through her hair. Clearly this was going nowhere.
"Why are you talking to me?" Draco seemed momentarily perplexed, the cogs slowly turning as he tried to come up with an answer.
"I don't know" he said finally, shaking his blonde messy head and padding off up the staircase.
"Prick" Mia muttered, pulling her legs up onto the chair and shutting her eyes.
ZNZNZN
DA meetings had also become a little difficult. Hermione, who had been so worried of another fight breaking out, had made sure each girl was always at the opposite end of the room and never practicing in the same group. It worker ok she guessed, but really wasn't that great.
They were practicing the patronus charm today, much as they had been for the past few months, it being a lot harder than anyone anticipated. A handful had managed it once or twice so far, though Mia was not one of them.
"This is never going to work" she muttered negatively, wand dropping to her side. Normally she excelled at charms, but this one just wouldn't work.
"You have to concentrate" Harry said whilst walking over, "Don't think of any distractions, just dementers and the charm." The brunette huffed, raising her arm again. It wasn't that easy trying to clear your mind, but once she thought she had, she tried again.
"Expecto patronum!" It was brief, very brief, but a small ball of light erupted from her wand, forming into something similar to a dog, but not at the same time. It had larger, sharper, teeth, pointy ears and a long bushy tail, all appearing in a yellowish-tanned glow. And then it was gone, her concentration slipping. Although that could have been due to the chandeliers suddenly shaking.
"What's going on?" she asked Fred and George when they walked over, everyone gathering in the middle of the room just as the big mirror smashed. Involuntarily Mia grabbed Fred's hand. He squeezed back. There was a small hole in the bricks, and as soon as Harry stepped closer the whole wall exploded back into the room. Mia turned away to avoid the dust, assuming Fred was pulling her closer for the same reason. When she turned back round she realised that might not have been the case. Umbridge was stood at the front of the group, flogged by Filch and the rest of his stupid little squad, including a blonde haired Slytherin, grinning smugly as he held a struggling Cho Chang.
"Fantastic" Mia grumbled.
They'd all been subjected to Umbridge's 'special' detention for taking part. The devil in pink sitting at what had been Dumbledore's chair before he disappeared, the rest of the DA sitting at the desks and copying down individual lines into their skin. Mia had been given 'I must not be bad' again, which had previously started to heal over, opening up once more. Everyone was furious by the time Umbridge let them go, most holding their hand to their chest and scurrying off quickly.
"Why's yours so bad?" George asked as he and his twin caught up in step with Mia. Fred took her hand, lifting it up to get a better look.
"It's fine. She's been making me do it in every detention since the start of term." They both looked shocked.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" She shrugged, attempting to pull her hand away but Fred held on. "It won't happen again." He promised, finally letting go as the three started walking again.
They didn't get very far, stopping again when they noticed a first year sat on one of the walls crying and clutching his hand. Umbridge really had been busy. Fred sat down beside the boy, George crouching down in front of him whilst Mia stood awkwardly at the side. She was no good at this comforting thing, but apparently the twins were.
"It'll be alright" They soothed, "It'll stop hurting soon." Mia stood, mouth hanging open slightly having had no idea they were so good with little children. But given the fact they had a younger sister who was temperamental to say the least, it was probably to be expected. Someone coughed up a head, an annoying little cough the brunette recognised instantly. Somehow she'd also only just noticed Harry standing in front of them. She really wasn't in an observant mood today.
"As I told you before Mr Potter, naughty children deserve to be punished" Ok, so if it hadn't been noted before, it was now clearly and plainly obvious to say that Umbridge was a complete nut job who really needed sorting out. And apparently the twins were having the same thought pattern, because whilst she was talking the twins had stood up, turning to one another as Umbridge walked off.
"You know George, I've always felt that our skills lived outside the world of academic." George grinned,
"Fred, I was thinking exactly the same thing" Mia closed her eyes, this could never end well.
And it didn't. Well, at least not for Umbridge. The fifth years were all sat in the Great Hall, precisely half way through their theory of charms exam when banging from outside could be heard. Umbridge quick walked from the front platform to the double doors and opened them, all heads turning in anticipation to watch as a charmed fire work flew into the room and exploded into blue light. After five seconds 'whaaaaay' could be heard down the corridor, getting louder and louder until two identical red heads burst into the hall on brooms, throwing down fireworks to everyone who had previously been doing their O.W.L's. The whole fifth year had stood up in unison, most cheering the twins on as they high fived and threw more fireworks. Mia couldn't help but laugh, especially when Fred swooped down to take her hand and pull her up onto the broom behind him.
"You're mad" She shouted over the noise just so he could hear, holding onto his waist. Mrs Weasley was going to kill them, but that didn't need to be mentioned until afterwards. The fireworks continued, and now that she was on the broom the Slytherin could see both twins had bags over their shoulders which were containing the explosives. Both red heads suddenly hovered next to each other, a bigger than the rest firework in Fred's hand that he waited to use until George gave him the thumbs up. When it was dropped it exploded into a massive red and orange dragon, which chased Umbridge from the hall, ending with another explosion that in turn caused the rules hammered into the wall outside to break and fly off the wall. Everyone followed the twins outside as they flew off into the sky, Mia holding on tighter the higher up they went, and then, just like that there were a giant 'W' in the sky. "How about we go back down?" She suggested, her head buried into the redheads back. It wasn't that she didn't like heights that much, more that being on a broom made for one person was never going to end well and that wasn't a drop she'd like to experience when it was very unlikely someone would catch her this time. Fred shrugged, nodding at George before descending. The other brother stayed in the sky, weaving in and out of the clouds and waving to the crowd.
"How can you not like flying when you're on the quidditch team?" Fred asked once they'd landed, both jumping off the broom and taking several steps forward. They weren't in the courtyard, Fred choosing the back off the school instead, closer to the owlery.
"I do like flying, I don't like falling from great heights"
"You wouldn't have fallen" She raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "You wouldn't! Am I not a trustworthy person?" She kept her eyebrow raised. "Oi" Fred's hand reached out in his friendly manor to take her own, grinning foolishly. "Say I'm trustworthy" Mia shook her head, grinning back.
"Nope, you would've let me fall" He opened his mouth in protest but nothing came out. "Exactly! You're guilty" He was still grinning when he sat down on the grass, looking up at her with sad puppy dog eyes. "And that is not going to work. It's wet!" He continued with the look until she gave in. "You're a horrible horrible person, how do you sleep at night?" the brunette asked whilst gingerly sitting cross legged.
"Comfortably in my nice warm bed, you should try it sometime" One of Mia's eyebrows raised.
"Are you propositioning me Mr Weasley?" She questioned, trying to keep a serious face, but the idea of it made her crease with laughter.
"Of course" Whatever facade she'd been trying to keep up was gone with that comment, and she was all but rolling on the ground, the wet grass leaving green stains on her previously white school shirt. And then, without warning Fred was kissing her in between the laughter, both mingling together rather nicely.