"This attitude is unacceptable," Headmistress McGonagall stated firmly as Mia's parents and Draco's parents sat in her office. They had received a letter from the headmistress informing them that their children had been involved in a fight, and they had decided to meet with her on the day of the final Tournament test to discuss the matter.
"I would like to know what happened," Enzo said, his expression stern. "My daughter doesn't go around punching everyone. There must be some reason."
"Mr. Borghese, it is unacceptable under any circumstances to resort to violence, regardless of the reason," McGonagall responded firmly. "A teacher must be notified if there is a problem."
"It seems to me that if a teacher sees two students hitting each other, they're not going to give them a medal, so to speak," Izzy hissed.
"Proffesor, please tell us what happened," Lily requested.
"From what I understand," McGonagall explained, "Mr. Malfoy here tried to apologize to Miss Borghese. The conversation escalated until Miss Borghese began to physically assault Mr. Malfoy."
"And that's it?" Enzo asked incredulously. "You don't know anything else?"
"I'm afraid not," McGonagall replied, massaging her temples. "The students who witnessed the fight did not witness the entire conversation."
Mia and Draco sat quietly in the room, not looking at each other. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy exchanged worried glances. Their son had not been prone to violence before, and something had clearly changed since the incident.
"What will the punishment be?" Lucius asked.
"I will not be the one to determine the punishment," McGonagall replied, getting up from her chair. "I do not have all the necessary information, and I do not want to be unfair to any of the parties involved. I recommend that you both find out what happened and take appropriate action to discipline your respective children. I understand that today is the third and final task of the Tournament, and I assume you have come to support Harry. When you are finished here, please close the door."
Once McGonagall had left her office, there was a tense silence. The parents looked at their children, clearly concerned. It was obvious that they all had their suspicions about what had led to the fight.
"Hey, dolcezza, what's wrong?" Enzo asked, his voice filled with worry, as he knelt down and placed his hands on his daughter's legs.
"Dad..." Mia began, but her voice broke, and she hugged her father tightly.
Enzo was taken aback. Mia was not known for crying easily, and seeing her so emotional was a cause for concern. He exchanged a worried glance with his wife while he tried to comfort his daughter, gently stroking her hair.
"Draco, start talking now," Lucius said sternly.
"Why does everyone assume it's my fault?" Draco retorted angrily, though he looked conflicted.
"Because of your reaction just now, young man," Enzo stated firmly, getting up and leaving Mia in his wife's arms.
"Draco, what have you done?" Narcissa asked, her voice filled with sorrow.
Draco hated seeing his mother cry more than anything in the world.
"I... I..." Draco began, struggling to find the right words. "I wanted to apologize to Mia for what happened with her friend, but she refused to accept my apology. She told me that she should apologize to Jace."
"Tell them the whole truth," Mia suddenly shouted, her tears still fresh. "Tell your parents how you said you didn't give a damn about Jace and how you told me to go back to Durmstrang. Tell them that you told me your life was much better before I showed up. Tell them how..."
"Don't you want to continue speaking?," Draco challenged her, just as furious as Mia. "Because the conversation didn't end there."
"Don't you dare," Mia hissed.
"Are you afraid that I'll tell your parents the real reason my face is bruised?" Draco taunted.
"Don't you dare, Malfoy, or I swear that will be nothing compared to what I'll do to you," Mia warned.
"You said to tell them the truth," Draco snapped back at Mia.
"Don't you dare," Mia repeated, rising from her chair.
"Are you afraid that I'll tell your parents that the reason my face is covered in bruises is because I implied that you were in love with... Jace?" Draco finally said, an arrogant smile on his face.
Surprisingly, it wasn't Mia who launched herself at Draco, but Enzo.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOUNG MAN, DO YOU HEAR ME?" Enzo roared, as James attempted to restrain him.
Mia bolted out of the office without looking back. Enzo tried to get to Draco, but James prevented him from approaching. Isabelle stared at the closed door where her daughter had disappeared. Lucius regarded his son with anger and disappointment, while Narcissa and Lily looked at Draco with a mix of disappointment and sadness.
"IF YOU COME NEAR MY DAUGHTER AGAIN, I WILL KILL YOU," Enzo shouted at Draco. "I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR FUCKING WANDS. I WILL KILL YOU WITH MY OWN BARE HANDS."
"Please, Lorenzo, calm down," James implored.
"CALM DOWN? CALM DOWN?" Enzo retorted, his anger unabated. "WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON? SHE IS YOUR DAUGHTER TOO."
"EVERYONE, PLEASE, JUST SHUT UP!" Isabelle finally shouted in frustration.
"Draco, you are off the Quidditch team," Lucius said with suppressed anger. "You will also be attending anger management classes and seeing a psychologist. This cannot continue."
"You can't make me," Draco muttered defiantly.
"I can and I will. I am your father," Lucius replied, his tone final.
"Mom, mom, please," Draco begged as he sat with his parents, Lucius and Narcissa.
"We have not raised you like that," Narcissa said, her voice filled with disappointment. "What you have done to Mia, I have no words to tell you how disappointed I am."
"I'm still me, I'm your son," Draco said desperately.
"BUT MIA IS MY GODDAUGHTER!" Narcissa exploded. "You told Mia that our life was better when she wasn't there. You don't know how horrible it was to lose her."
"I know perfectly well," Draco said, tears welling up in his eyes. "Harry and I grew up living with the ghost of Mia and everything she represented."
"YOU DON'T KNOW!" James suddenly exploded. "YOU DON'T KNOW, DRACO. Your godmother and I, the whole family, sacrificed part of our lives during the war to protect Mia. Don't talk about something you don't know, and certainly don't you dare talk to my daughter like that ever again."
"What happened to you, Draco?" Lily asked, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don't recognize you. You weren't like that. What you said to Mia is unforgivable, especially about Jace. You have no right to air what Mia feels or doesn't feel about him. Your father is right; you have to learn to manage your emotions. And I think... I think that for a while, you should avoid coming to Potter Manor."
"If I don't see my daughter again after this year, it will be your fault," James said angrily as he left McGonagall's office.
Mia had run out of McGonagall's office without looking back. Her parents, her family, now knew how she felt about Jace. It was an admission she had never intended to make, and she cursed herself for not realizing it sooner. Taking out her wand, she invoked her Patronus, and seconds later, she found herself wrapped in a tight, comforting hug.
"What's wrong, little one?" said Barty's soft voice.
"I..." Mia began, sobbing.
"Let's sit down and tell me what's happening," Barty suggested.
Mia and Barty sat in a secluded grotto, while Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar sadly watched Mia, sensing her distress.
"How did you know you were in love with Evan?" Mia asked Barty, her voice trembling.
"It wasn't easy to accept," Barty admitted. "Even though I didn't have issues with accepting gay couples, I had doubts about myself. I thought there was something wrong with me, that Merlin hated me."
"I thought... I thought you had always been comfortable with your sexuality," Mia said, surprised.
"Now I am," Barty said with a small smile. "But at the time, it wasn't so easy. My father has always been a serious man, and nothing I did seemed to be enough. Being gay would have disappointed him even more."
"I think you're very brave," Mia said sincerely. "I think you're a person who has been through terrible things.
"Evan used to tell me the same thing," Barty said, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "The fact is, I didn't start to realize how I really felt about Evan until he kissed me."
"Evan kissed you?" Mia exclaimed in surprise. "But you told me Evan didn't..."
"It was at a party in our fifth year," Barty confessed. "We were both very drunk, Evan a little more than me. Evan didn't remember the next day, but I did. After that, I just let myself go with the flow. Seeing Evan smile made my days happy, and even when he frowned or wrinkled his nose, it made me laugh. It was a bunch of little things that made me realize I liked Evan."
"I like Jace," Mia said, her voice barely above a whisper, "but I don't know how to tell him."
"You've finally realized it, little one," Barty said happily. "You've taken your time."
"What are you talking about?" Mia asked, puzzled.
"I've watched both of you over the years, and it's undeniable how you feel about each other," Barty said softly. "You've just taken much longer than he has."
"But it's impossible," Mia said, her voice filled with despair. "We can't be together; the rune prevents us from being more than friends."
"You don't know?" Barty said in disbelief.
"Know what?" Mia asked.
"The rune doesn't stop you," Barty explained. "I thought Magnus had told you."
"But... but..." Mia stammered, at a loss for words. "Wait a minute, how do you know this?"
"During the time I was in hiding, I dedicated myself to studying magical imprints," Barty revealed.
"What's that?" Mia asked, intrigued.
"Every wizard and witch has a magical imprint that makes us unique," Barty explained. "When you perform magic, you leave a kind of residual magical trace that identifies you as you. It's how blood wards work in mansions, for instance."
"It sounds fascinating," Mia said, her interest piqued.
"Since I knew I was a wanted man, I needed a way to identify potential enemies," Barty continued. "So, I specialized in studying magical imprints. I thought that if I could identify the magical imprints of my enemies, I could find you. The fact is, your magical imprint, Mia Borghese, is very special. Evan placed you under a kind of locator spell that I never managed to decipher. He always visited you and your mother at least once a year."
"I never saw him," Mia said, her confusion evident.
"He never spoke to you directly, but he made sure you were safe," Barty explained. "Since Evan didn't leave any indications of how to find you, I had to devise my own means. I thought that if I could identify the magical imprints of my enemies, I could find you. I've seen you grow, Mia Borghese, and Evan is exactly where he wants to be. I know he would be proud to see the woman you have become. I am."
"Thank you very much," Mia said, hugging Barty tightly.
"When you had the accident in New York that you didn't remember, I had to investigate because a witch with angel blood was very unlikely," Barty said. "There was only one explanation for you to resist the poison of the demon that attacked you: you must have some Shadowhunter ancestor."
"And what did you find?" Mia asked, intrigued.
"Pauline Borghese was a Shadowhunter, but she married a Muggle, and her angel blood continued to be passed down from generation to generation without being activated until Magnus saved your life," Barty revealed.
"So what does all this mean?" Mia asked, intrigued.
"That for the purposes of magical law, you are a witch, not a Shadowhunter," Barty explained, "and therefore, you are not governed by their rules; you are governed by ours."
Mia's eyes widened with realization. "So, the Parabatai rune doesn't prevent Jace and me from being a couple?" she asked, her fear slowly giving way to hope.
"No, little one," Barty assured her. "If you become a couple, which I hope will be the case, and you get married in the future, you will get married under magical and Muggle law, not like Shadowhunters."
Mia felt a wave of relief wash over her. "Thank you very, very much," she said, hugging him tightly.
"What are you going to do now that you know?" Barty asked, amused by her mischievous expression.
"You'll see," Mia replied, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Well, little one, I have to go," Barty said, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be watching over you, and we'll meet again in a week for our plan. I love you so much, little one."
Mia smiled warmly at him. "I'd like you to survive our little adventure," she said. "The study of magical imprints sounds very interesting, and I'm sure my godfather Regulus would also be interested. You could make it known to the magical world."
Barty tilted his head thoughtfully. "I'll think about it, little one," he replied. "Now, go get your man."
With a final hug, Barty disapparated, leaving Mia with newfound determination. She now had the knowledge and confidence she needed to pursue a relationship with Jace.
"I don't know what's wrong with Mia," Jace complained, his frustration evident. "She's been really weird lately."
Theo, sitting across from Jace, looked concerned. "Have you tried talking to her?"
"I've tried," Jace replied, his expression filled with frustration. "But she always says she's busy."
Theo leaned forward, intrigued. "What happened in the grotto?"
Jace blushed slightly. "I was writing a song... well, actually, I was writing a song for Mia, for her birthday. But Mia showed up, and I got nervous."
Theo raised an eyebrow. "What did you say to her?"
"I told her that the song was for a girl I liked and asked her to sing it with me to get her opinion," Jace admitted, his face growing even redder.
Theo pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure. He felt an overwhelming urge to shake some sense into his friend. "Let me get this straight," he said, exasperated. "You asked Mia, the girl you've been in love with since we were twelve, to sing a clearly romantic song that you're planning to dedicate to her on her birthday. And because you got nervous, you made Mia think that the song was for another girl."
Jace groaned in embarrassment. "Teddy, when you put it like that, I sound like an idiot."
Theo sighed, realizing that the situation was even worse than he thought. "You are an idiot," he stated bluntly. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but Mia loves you."
Jace blinked in surprise. "Of course she loves me. I'm her best friend."
Theo mentally cursed Magnus for not letting him spill the beans earlier. "I didn't mean it like that, but Jace, my friend, you need some serious help if you can't see what's right in front of you."
Jace was about to respond when Mia suddenly arrived. "Guys, what's up?" she greeted them, smiling breathlessly.
Jace looked relieved to see her. "You're okay?" he asked, his worry palpable.
"I'm more than okay," Mia replied, her smile growing wider.
"I'm glad," Jace said, visibly relieved. "You worried me the other day."
Theo sighed internally, "Teddy, I apologize in advance for what I'm about to do," Mia said, turning her gaze toward him.
Confused, Theo asked, "What are you going to do?"
"This," she said grabbing Jace's shirt, and then she kissed him.
The moment Mia kissed Jace, his world seemed to stop. He was utterly taken aback and lost in the sensation of her lips on his. They had always been close friends, and he had never considered anything beyond that, but the way Mia kissed him made him reconsider everything. His skin tingled with electricity, and he felt as if fireworks were going off behind his closed eyelids. Butterflies swarmed in his stomach as the kiss deepened. When Mia finally pulled away, Jace was left breathless, and for a moment, he couldn't believe what had just happened. Then, he realized that Mia was no longer in front of him. Instead, Theo was the one in front of him, squealing and gasping like an excited schoolgirl.
"She kissed me," Jace exclaimed, his eyes wide with astonishment, still feeling the warmth of her lips on his.
"Damn, Mia kissed you!" Theo shouted, jumping up and down with excitement. "The sexual tension was already getting to me.
"She kissed me," Jace repeated, his hand subconsciously touching his lips as he tried to process the unexpected turn of events.
Theo continued to express his excitement. "This is what I was referring to when I told you that Mia loved you. She's in love with you."
Jace's mind was racing. "But... but we can't. The Parabatai rune..."
Theo interrupted him, laughing. "Look, I don't have time to explain it all right now, but the rune doesn't prevent anything. Magnus told me the other day, but he won't let me tell you."
Jace's eyes widened with realization, and a wide grin broke out on his face. "So that means..."
"YES!" Theo squealed with delight.
Without wasting a moment, Jace made up his mind. "Where is she? I have to find her."
Theo pointed in the direction Mia had gone. "She went towards the Quidditch pitch."
"I'm leaving," Jace declared, already running in the direction Theo had indicated. "Teddy, you don't know how much I love you right now."
Theo couldn't help but laugh. "Use protection!" he shouted after Jace, still giddy with excitement. "I don't want to be an uncle so young!"
Jace ran as fast as he could, determined to catch up with Mia. She was walking calmly toward the Quidditch Pitch, her steps measured and deliberate. He had to reach her, had to let her know how he felt. As he approached, he could hear her soft laughter carried by the she could react, Jace caught up to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. Mia gasped in surprise and then burst into laughter.
"You're mine, princess," Jace said in her ear, his voice husky with emotion. "Neither Viktor's nor Draco's. You are mine now, and I will never let you go."
Mia turned in Jace's arms, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "I didn't expect you to do it."
Jace grinned confidently. "So, do I look handsome to you? I knew it."
Mia rolled her eyes playfully and began walking away from Jace. She started counting in her head, "one, two, three," knowing it wouldn't take long for Jace to catch up with her.
"Princess, I'm sorry," Jace said, blushing slightly. "Don't leave me alone."
Mia smirked at him. "Aren't you a possessive and jealous boyfriend?"
"I don't like to share," Jace admitted, gazing at her with possessive intensity. "That's what it's like to be an only child. My things are mine and no one else's."
Mia's heart swelled with affection. "I love you," she told him with a tender smile. "I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner."
Jace's expression softened. "Don't worry," he said softly. "The important thing is that we're a couple now."
Mia raised an eyebrow, teasing him. "I don't remember hearing you ask me."
"But you kissed me!" Jace protested incredulously.
Mia grinned mischievously. "I've also kissed a couple of guys, and they're not my boyfriends."
Jace pouted. "Are you going to make me ask you?"
"Of course," Mia said, crossing her arms and pretending to be serious. "and kneeling."
She expected Jace to protest or laugh it off, knowing he had a bit of a proud streak. However, to her surprise, Jace immediately dropped to his knees in front of her, his eyes locked on hers.
"Mia Borghese," Jace began, his voice filled with sincerity, "you are the most beautiful girl I know. You are intelligent, kind, an incredibly skilled duelist, and you brighten my days with your smile. But above all, you have a huge heart. I don't know what I've done in this life to deserve you, but I thank God for the day you bumped into me. I promise you that I will spend the rest of our days loving you and making you laugh. I will always take care of you, princess. So, Mia Borghese, will you do me the great honor of becoming my girlfriend? "
With tears in her eyes, Mia nodded vigorously, unable to speak. Jace stood up, laughing with joy, and pulled her close, capturing her lips in a sweet, passionate kiss.
