Chapter Twenty-Two
Backlash
Mia's first weekend back at Hogwarts was filled with homework and Quidditch, and the first full week wasn't much different. Almost all her teachers began their lessons by remind them that their exams were only five months away. Every night was spent on either homework or Quidditch and although both of those meant Mia spent her evenings with Reuben, it wasn't exactly quality time. On top of homework and Quidditch, Reuben was a fifth year and had his OWLs in the summer, meaning he was even busier than Mia.
On the second Friday of term, Mia had breakfast with Reuben, getting his help on a Rune translation which was due that morning. Reuben was checking the final part of the translation when the post arrived. Even though it had happened every morning for the past three-and-a-half years, Mia still marvelled at the post. How did the owls all know to come at the same time? Was there some kind of signal? Did they hang around outside until it was time?
A pair of owls landed in front of Mia and Reuben. Reuben's was an official looking owl, bearing a copy of the Daily Prophet, whereas Mia's was her own owl, Felix, with a letter from her parents.
"I don't know why you get the Prophet, Reu," Mia said, untying the letter as Felix helped himself to her bacon rinds. "It's not like you ever read it."
"I skim it," Reuben said defensively, paying the owl, laying the still folded paper on the table and then returning to Mia's translation. "Professor Hawksworth says it's important for our OWLs – and our future lives as citizens of the Wizarding World – to keep abreast of current affairs. There, all good," he said, handing Mia's essay back and reaching for his paper.
However, before he got there, Mia snatched up the paper and unfolded it; she'd just seen Cassie's name in the sidebar.
"Hey!" Reuben protested, but stopped as he saw the headline:
'29 Years on from the Mass Breakout from Azkaban: the Wizarding World Remembers.'
With the paper on the table between them, Mia and Reuben read the article. It was largely about the ten Death Eaters who'd broken out from Azkaban in 1996, but there was a whole sidebar on the eleventh escapee, six-year-old Cassiopeia Lestrange, and, by extension, her daughter Cassie.
"Crap," Mia said as she finished reading.
"You're friends with Cassie, aren't you?" Reuben asked.
"Yeah," Mia said. "She really doesn't need this, just as things were getting back to normal and people were moving on." She glanced over at the Hufflepuff table. Al was sat with Cassie, his arm around her shoulders, talking to her quietly. Mia guessed they'd seen the paper.
There was a pause – Reuben was clearly not sure what to say. Eventually, he asked, "Are you gonna read your letter? Who's it from – your parents?"
"Yeah," Mia said, stuffing the all but forgotten letter into her pocket. "I'll read it later." She looked down at the remains of her breakfast, having lost her appetite. "I'm off to class," she told Reuben. "See you later." She kissed him on the cheek and left the Great Hall.
Hugo was already waiting outside the Charms classroom, looking glum.
"Did you see the paper?" Mia asked him.
"Yeah. I'm going to write to Mum tonight and ask her if there's anything she can do about Rita Skeeter," he said.
Mia hadn't seen the by-line, but it made sense – Skeeter had written the original article about Cassie last term. "Do you think she'll be able to do anything?" Mia asked.
"Dunno," Hugo shrugged, "but it's worth a try. She probably hasn't done anything illegal, but Mum does have some sway over her, remember?"
Mia had heard so many stories about Lily and Hugo's parents' time at Hogwarts that it took her a minute to recall the one about Hugo's mum imprisoning Rita Skeeter in a jar whilst in her illegal beetle animagus form after she'd started a smear campaign against Lily's dad.
Theo and Ruby came round the corner. "Seen the paper?" Theo asked.
"Yeah," Mia said. "And... let's not talk about it in public. Cassie's going to hear everyone talking about it today – let's at least make sure she doesn't have to hear it from her friends."
"Fair enough," Theo shrugged.
An hour later, when Mia slipped into the seat next to Cassie in Wizarding Social Studies and asked to compare Rune translations at break, she was rewarded with a nod and a grateful smile. Throughout the day, Mia and the rest of the gang curtailed their classmates attempts to talk about the article, and at dinner Mia was relieved to find it wasn't nearly so big a topic of conversation as last time.
"Hey, wonderful PA!"
Mia looked up to see Samuel sitting down opposite her.
"Please don't say practice tonight or Matilda will murder us all!" Lily said dramatically.
Samuel laughed. "No, not tonight, tomorrow morning," he said. "I spoke nicely to Dom and she's agreed to let us have the slot they booked, on the understanding that we do the same for them before they play Hufflepuff in March. Can you send out MIs, Mia? Ask for the team at ten and the reserves to join us and give us a game at eleven."
"Sure," Mia nodded. She reached into her bag for the red and gold pad of MIs she always used for official Quidditch team business. Still eating with one hand, she filled out two MIs with the other hand, then duplicated the messages and addressed them to the team and reserves.
"Anyone free to fold and throw?" Mia asked once the messages were all written. "I for one don't fancy being late for the HEC meeting and having to face the wrath of Matilda."
Lily and Hugo both helped, and soon a little flock of red and gold planes were zooming up and down the table looking for their recipients. Lily threw one which flew right back at her.
"You sent me one?" Lily asked. "But I'm right here!"
"I forgot," Mia shrugged. "Right! Is that all of them? Let's go!"
At the HEC meeting, after some brief notices and announcements, Matilda set everyone to making posters and leaflets about the Fashion Show which Professor Longbottom had quickly agreed to when the deputation of Mia, Hugo and Emma had asked him about it. They quickly decided on a Magical Creatures theme and so all contestants were asked to come dressed as their favourite magical creature, with the rules stating that nothing new was to be bought for the costumes, with everyone only allowed what they already had or could beg, steal, borrow or make.
There had been much debate on slogans, and they had ended up going with several different ones. Lily and Mac were working on a huge poster which declared: 'Make costumes, not waste', whilst Mia, Eiley and Emma's poster said, 'A recycled Hippogriff is a happy Hippogriff' and the more detailed leaflets bore the headline: 'Wanted: Hogwarts' Next Top Model'.
After an hour's hard work, and some duplication spells from the older students, everyone was armed with posters. They went off in pairs to put them up around school, whilst Matilda, Lily and Mac stayed behind to do the usual weekly survey of creatures seen outside the greenhouse. Mia paired up with Eiley, and they put their first poster up opposite the portrait of the Fat Lady, before traipsing up to the Astronomy tower and back again, decorating the walls with the HEC slogans along the way.
When they got back to the Gryffindor Common Room, a boy was drawing on the poster they'd put up there. Mia recognised him as Javan, the sixth year boy who'd caused trouble at the first HEC meeting.
"You go in, Eiley," she said to the first year girl. "It's almost curfew."
Eiley looked over at Javan, but did what she was told. Mia turned to Javan.
"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.
Javan turned around. He'd turned Lily and Mac's slogan into 'Make Love, Not Babies' and added some graphic illustrations, as well as giving human body parts to Lily's drawing of a unicorn.
"What's it to you?" Javan sneered, taking a step toward her. He was a good head taller than Mia, and clearly intended this to be an intimidating gesture, but Mia refused to be intimidated.
"Look, I know Matilda pissed you off when you were trying to study last year, but this vendetta against her and the HEC is really not on."
"I don't give a damn about some stupid kids' little Environmental Club," Javan shrugged.
"You're got a funny way of showing it," Mia retorted. "If you really didn't care you'd just ignore the posters. Yeah, those kids were idiots last year, but they're trying to do a good thing here. And bullying twelve-year-olds is really not a good look for one of the oldest Gryffindor students who's supposed to be setting a good example."
"Shut up!" Javan snapped. "I'm not bullying... I'm just fed up of their stupid sanctimonious little posters, that's all."
"Well, take that up with Professor Longbottom," Mia shrugged. "He's the one who gave them permission to put the posters up. Now put that back to how it was before."
Javan took another step toward Mia and she had to force herself to hold her ground and not back away.
"You can't make me," he said.
"No, but if Professor Longbottom wants to know who's defaced a poster and left that where any random first year could see I won't lie," Mia told him.
"Little snitch," Javan growled, grabbing Mia's wrist.
"Let go of me," Mia said, fighting to stay calm.
"You can't make me," Javan shrugged.
Mia was just contemplating whether she should struggle, or try and get her wand out of her pocket, or scream, when a loud voice came from the other end of the corridor,
"Everything alright here?"
Javan let go of Mia's wrist immediately and jumped back. Mia looked up to see seventh year Josh Young walking toward them.
"Mia? You alright?" he asked.
"Fine," Mia said quickly, rubbing her wrist.
"What's going on?" Josh asked, looking over at Javan and then back to Mia.
"Nothing," Javan said. He turned back to the poster and removed all his additions with a swipe of his wand. "There. Happy?" he said aggressively, stepping toward Mia again.
Josh was instantly between them, his wand pointing at Javan's throat. "You threaten her again and you'll have me to answer to," he said, calmly but firmly.
"Whatever," Javan said. He stepped around Josh, snarled, "coffee éclairs," at the Fat Lady and disappeared through the portrait hole.
Josh turned to Mia. "You okay?" he asked again.
"Yeah," Mia nodded, taking some deep breaths.
"Sure?" Josh asked.
"Yeah."
"Did he hurt you?"
Mia looked down at her wrist. It was slightly red where Javan had held it. "Not really," she said. "Honestly, Josh, it's fine."
"Well... If he gives you any more trouble, let me know and I'll hex him."
"Thanks," Mia said, thinking that she probably wouldn't tell him.
"Coffee éclairs," Josh said, making an 'after you' gesture at Mia.
Mia climbed into the Common Room with Josh following behind her. Mia quickly scanned the room and spotted Javan sat in a corner with his friends. She turned and headed in the opposite direction. Reuben was sat in an armchair by the fire and Mia headed over to him.
"Hey," she said, perching on the arm of the chair.
"Oh, hey," Reuben said, looking up. "How was the HEC meeting?"
"Fine," Mia said, still thinking about Javan. She massaged her wrist absent-mindedly.
"Are you mad at me?" Reuben asked.
"What? No – why would I be mad at you?" Mia asked.
"Because I just changed the subject at breakfast... I'm sorry, I didn't know what to say."
"It's fine," Mia said. "No one really knows what to say – it's an awful situation. We've all agreed not to talk about it unless Cassie brings it up – everyone's going to talking about it and the least we can do as her friends is give her space away from it all."
"Fair enough," Reuben nodded.
The portrait hole opened and Matilda and Lily came in.
"That poster out there's ace, Mia!" Matilda called as she walked past. "The first thing anyone will see when they come out in the morning."
Mia gave her a thumbs up and then turned back to Reuben. "Right," she said decisively. "Homework!"