Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You said, remember that life is
Not meant to be wasted
We can always be chasing the sun!
So fill up your lungs and just run
But always be chasing the sun!
(Chasing the Sun - Sara Bareilles)

August 1st, 1971

Despite the horror stories of getting splinched—including actually experiencing it herself while on the run the past year—Hermione still preferred to travel by Apparition over Floo or Portkey. While Harry and Ron each preferred the simplicity of using the Floo, Sirius agreed with her on her favoured method of getting from place to place, though he insisted that her reason for enjoying Apparition was simply because she had been the first in her class to get her licence, and continuing to use the skill she had so quickly picked up was a silent way of patting herself on the back without drawing attention or publicly inflating her ego. She never argued with him over it.

Hermione's least favourite method of travel was Portkey.

It was a rough process that was never as instantaneous as Apparating, and she had rarely ever been able to land squarely on her feet once she arrived at a destination. Still, sometimes a Portkey was the fastest and most efficient way to travel, especially over long distances.

Immediately after the war, she had obtained an International Portkey allowing her to travel to Australia to see her mum and dad.

She told passing acquaintances that her parents now lived in Melbourne, eager to start an early retirement. She told closer friends that she had altered their memories for their own good. But those who knew her best had been told the truth: there was no coming back from the in-depth way Hermione had Obliviated her parents. It was for their own safety, she knew, but they were lost to her forever. Still, she had requested a Portkey and, for eight hours, spent a day in Australia, tailing Wendell and Monica Wilkins just to make sure they were happy. When she went home, she had immediately collapsed and nearly vomited from the mixture of stress and uncomfortable sensation associated with Portkey travel.

This time, she actually did.

After spinning and speeding backward for what felt like at least twenty minutes, Hermione slammed, feet first, into the ground. Her knees buckled on impact, and she hit a cold floor, relishing the feel of the cool stone against her cheek. She felt briefly relieved before her stomach lurched and she violently retched up the birthday cake that Mrs Weasley had spent all day making for her.

It took several minutes for Hermione to regain her balance, but the moment she did, she realised the gold chain was still clenched around her right hand while the crimson box holding the end of the chain was in her opposite palm. She dropped them both immediately and reached for her wand, only to find it missing.

"Fuck," Hermione whimpered, the expletive on her lips showing the stress of her situation as it was something she rarely did.

Someone had planted a Portkey in her birthday present, she had essentially been kidnapped, and, if she remembered correctly, her wand was sitting on the bookshelf just inside her bedroom. She had not carried it with her during the birthday party since she saw no reason to, especially since the war had ended.

With no way of testing the object magically, Hermione slowly reached for it, assessing it by touch. When nothing happened, she let out a sigh of relief and pulled on it, slowly bringing the other end out of the box. Her eyes widened as she lifted the pendant that hung suspended on the gold chain.

It could not be mistaken for anything but a Time-Turner.

She paled at the sight of the instrument. "Okay, this is not good. So not good." She felt her anxiety build as she scanned the room around her. Not Grimmauld Place, that much was certain, but she still knew it well. Hogwarts. Specifically, what looked to be the empty and undecorated classroom where she had spent years learning Defence Against the Dark Arts.

It was that tiny factor that triggered something in her.

Remus.

She reached for the crimson box the Time-Turner had been placed in and ripped the lid off completely. Inside lay a typical birthday tag that read:

Happy Birthday.
Always,
Remus

But it was not the tag that drew her attention—it was the neatly folded square of parchment beneath it, nestled at the bottom of the small box. Hand shaking, she retrieved the square and slowly opened it.

Her worst fears were confirmed. This was not some underhanded plot by an enemy. This was not a prank by the Weasley twins. This was not a burst of accidental magic.

It was Remus.

He had done it on purpose.

Dearest Hermione,

First of all, you are safe. I plead for your forgiveness for what I've done, but in all honesty, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. Either betray you, my dear friend, by tricking you into accepting this gift, or betray someone I loved a long time ago who made me promise to betray you. Please know that I've spent years conflicted over the choice.

When I was much younger, I was given knowledge that I've protected for many years. Knowledge, instructions, and a mission. That mission has now been fulfilled, and you hold in your hand the fruit of my labours. You might recognise the Time-Turner in your hand from when you entered the Department of Mysteries to rescue Sirius. Once I saw it and recognised it for what it was, I knew it was almost time. You needed to go back.

If I've charmed it properly, the instrument in your hands is not only a Time-Turner but also a Portkey. Very clever, those Unspeakables. Hopefully, you've been taken to Hogwarts, specifically the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom if I've done my calculations correctly. It should be the first of August, 1971.

Again, I beg your forgiveness and hope that in time you'll understand and forgive me. I'm only following the instructions of someone who understood time better than I ever did. She told me that time was a loop. Every action we take is the causation of destiny, time travel won't change anything.

You remember in your third year when you went back in time to save Sirius? You mentioned that the only reason Harry was able to conjure his Patronus is because he'd already seen it conjured. This is how time works. Which, unfortunately, means that nothing you do will change what is meant to be. It breaks my heart to know this. To know that you will be your brave, self-sacrificing Gryffindor self and run headlong into the fray in an attempt to stop a war that cannot be stopped, to save lives that cannot be saved, and to redeem those who are, at that moment in time, irredeemable.

But you will try anyway. Because that is your heart, Hermione. It's why you are so loved.

But please, I beg you, do not blame yourself over the future. What is meant to happen will happen regardless of how it comes to be. Live your life. Enjoy your life. And hopefully, very soon you will come across a very lonely boy who is terrified to go to Hogwarts and is desperate for some understanding friends.

Your ever devoted and obedient friend,

Remus

PS: Say hello to Dumbledore for me. He and I have always had a shared interest in "Chocolate Frogs."

"No!" Hermione shouted as the feeling of betrayal washed over her.

How could he have done this to her? She was just starting to live again, to feel as normal as she possibly could considering she had essentially lost her parents, went to war, had been tortured, and killed a man all within one year. That was not even including whatever it was that she had done regarding the bond that now existed between her and Sirius.

Sirius!

He had kissed her and promised her that they would talk tomorrow. They would be open and honest and deal with the "awkward adult conversations," as he had so eloquently put it just minutes earlier. She wanted that conversation! She wanted answers to the questions that had been bothering her all year when it came to the consequences of the Blood Magic she had used to bring him back to life. Remus had taken that from her, only to give her a new set of problems and even more questions without answers.

She read his letter again, unable to push down on the anger that was rising in her chest every time she looked over the words pleading for her forgiveness. He had stolen a Time-Turner, held on to it for over a year, and had followed through with an elaborate plan to send her away, all because someone from his past told him to.

Slipping the Time-Turner securely around her neck, she moved to leave the empty classroom. She needed answers; if this was not some horrible joke that her werewolf friend had played on her, and she really was in 1971, then there was only one place where she could get the help she needed.

"Chocolate Frogs," Hermione said to the gargoyle guarding the staircase that led to the headmaster's office. It had been just over four months since she had last seen it. They had won the war, and Harry had returned to the office to speak with Dumbledore's portrait, making plans to securely hide the Elder Wand. The castle had been nearly destroyed, though now it was nothing if not immaculate, or as immaculate as a centuries-old castle could be.

The gargoyle moved, and Hermione made her way up the stairs and through the open door. She was shocked to see how similar Dumbledore's office appeared to the one years in the future. The desk was littered with the same small jumping trinkets and baubles beside a large sweet dish that sat to the left side of the desk. On the right stood a large golden perch where the most beautiful red and gold bird sat, chirping a sweet song.

"Hello, Fawkes," Hermione said softly, with great affection.

"Good evening," a voice came from the nearby shadowed window, and Hermione let out a loud gasp. "Lovely sunset."

Hermione stared, wide-eyed, at the living figure of a slightly younger—and certainly not dead—Albus Dumbledore. The old wizard's eyes shone a bright, unnatural blue that sparkled with delight, mischief, and curiosity.

"I've always compared summer sunsets to the colours in a phoenix's tail. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, sir," she answered without hesitation.

"You seem to be familiar with the creatures. Or at the very least one of them. You called Fawkes by his name. I can only presume that the two of you are acquainted?"

"Yes, sir."

"Loyal creatures. Mine especially, though I don't intend to boast."

Hermione smiled softly, knowing Fawkes's loyalty from Harry's stories of their second year when the beautiful bird came to his aid, blinding a basilisk and ultimately saving his life.

"He seems to trust you. I would like to think that I may put a great deal of trust in his judgement of character."

"I hope that means you'll trust me then, sir," she said quietly, her nerves aflutter.

"I hope so too, Miss . . ."

"Granger. Hermione Granger."

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Granger." His eyes twinkled when he smiled at her. "Now, I have a question for you. The security wards around Hogwarts, put up by my own wand—" Hermione's wide-eyed gaze fell upon the Elder Wand on the desk, "—are pieces of very sensitive magic. They have the magnificent ability to prevent Apparition, you see. That being the case, they also alert me when breached, and I was alerted within the hour that a breach took place in the form of Apparition. Something which should not be possible."

"It wasn't Apparition, sir. It was a Portkey," She corrected with a frown, her stomach churning a bit at the reminder. "Well, sort of. Sir, I need your help."

"I will be happy to advise you as best I can. I trust you'll be forthcoming in helping me as well? I might have a few questions for you."

She hesitated to speak again, remembering the rules that had been drilled into her by Professor McGonagall during her third year when she had been given a Time-Turner to use for her classes. Thus far, she already had broken the most important one: do not let yourself be seen. But without any answers to how and why she had arrived here—not to mention how to get back—Hermione handed over the folded piece of parchment with Remus's words on it.

Dumbledore took his time looking over the letter, his impassive face showing no concern or fear like she was feeling. Hermione was about forty percent certain that she would somehow get in trouble for whatever it was that Remus had done to her. Eventually, Dumbledore adjusted his glasses and looked up from the parchment. "What year do you come from, my dear?"

The simple question caused Hermione's eyebrows to rise into her hairline. "You believe me?"

He chuckled. "While I don't consider myself overly attentive of the latest Muggle fashions, I can't imagine your clothing is of this era."

Hermione glanced down at her attire which she did not find to be so strange, but she recalled seeing photos of her parents from the seventies, and she could not help but let out a nervous laugh. Yes, she must look terribly strange. "1998, sir."

"Quite a trip."

"I didn't do it."

"No," Dumbledore agreed. "This Remus Lupin seems to have sent you here," he said the name with a smile on his lips, and Hermione wondered if the headmaster had already met the younger version of her friend . . . or whatever one would call someone who intentionally tricked a person into time-travelling. As if Dumbledore knew what she was thinking, he stated questioningly, "A friend of yours from the sound of this letter."

She hesitated. "Yes, sir. At least . . ."

"Do you feel that he lies, that he has sent you back in time with malicious intent?"

"No," she said quickly, no hesitation in her voice. "I trust him with my life." She remembered the final battle of Hogwarts in the Forbidden Forest. She had trusted Remus with her life, and he had trusted her with his. She had nearly sacrificed herself for Remus and Sirius at the hands of Voldemort. She could not help but feel deep pain over what felt like a great betrayal. "At least, I did until about an hour ago."

The headmaster chuckled. "Or a few decades from now, as the situation appears to be both."

"I need to go back."

"Mr Lupin's letter says otherwise."

"Sir, I've experimented with time travel before," she said, her voice gaining an edge. "In my third year, I was provided a Time-Turner in order to have access to multiple classes without overloading my schedule."

"Forgive me, my dear, but that sounds like the very definition of overloading one's schedule. Did it work out well for you?"

"It was . . . fine," she lied as she remembered how frazzled she had been by the end of the year, snapping at professors and friends, the lack of sleep having practically aged her an extra few years. "But I've studied Time-Turners since then; I know all the laws and rules of time travel. Me being here could be catastrophic. I could change things just by talking to you."

"According to your friend, you being here seems to have already occurred."

She raised a brow. "Sir?"

"I've had a similar thought about time. When using magic to alter the past, are we, in fact, altering anything, or merely inserting ourselves as the catalyst that causes the future to happen as it already has?"

"That is . . . I mean to say . . ." It did make sense. Remus had brought up the night of Sirius's escape and how Harry was able to summon his Patronus under the knowledge that it had already happened. Full circle. But that was not the only reason she needed to go home. "Sir, I don't belong here."

"Unfortunate as that may be, I regret to inform you, Miss Granger, that I know of no way to send you home." His words caused her heart to sink. No. If Albus Dumbledore couldn't help her, who possibly could? "And even if I were available to do so, I would hesitate to take action. You say you've studied time travel in depth? Have you by any chance read about Eloise Mintumble?"

Hermione had read about the famous time-travelling witch. Eloise had been an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries, researching in what Hermione now knew to be the Time Room. During her experiments, she had sent herself back in time five centuries and upon her miraculous return—which was still a mystery to the Wizarding world as Time-Turners were only known to go backward, not forward—she aged the five centuries she had travelled through and died.

Her eyes widened. "Oh my God. You're saying that if you were to send me back to my own time, I would instantly age thirty years?"

"That is a very large possibility."

She thought about it for a long moment. Would it be worth the risk? Would she even survive it? Did that matter? Her being there and speaking to Dumbledore alone could cause a rip in time and change everything. The Butterfly Effect. She had fought so hard and sacrificed so much over the last year in order to help win the war. What if she did something here and now that ruined it all? No. She had been willing to sacrifice her life for the cause four months ago in battle; this was no different.

"I don't care. I'd rather forfeit my life than to risk ruining the future by any actions I take."

Dumbledore smiled at her words as if taking a survey of her character. "Thinking back to Eloise Mintumble," he said, ultimately ignoring her decision, "I assume you read what happened as a result of her time alterations?"

"Her meddling with the past is the reason the Ministry of Magic enacted so many laws regarding time travel. She single-handedly erased over twenty-five people from history," Hermione said, repeating the words as though she were reading them directly from a book.

"Are you familiar with children's stories, Miss Granger?"

Hermione scoffed at the memory of the book that man in front of her bequeathed to her in his will. "Beedle the Bard?"

"One of my favourites." Dumbledore beamed excitedly. "Yes, the Bard took stories from actual events and wrote them in a way to tell a story, to entertain the masses, and to teach a lesson. What is your favourite tale, Miss Granger?"

"The Three Brothers," she said, biting back the sarcasm that she felt was due in her answer.

"I am a fan as well." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, and Hermione struggled not to turn her gaze to the Elder Wand on his desk. "And do you believe that Death, who handed over the Elder Wand, the Cloak of Invisibility, and the Resurrection Stone, was an actual being?"

"No, sir. Even if the brothers and their objects truly existed, which I highly doubt," she asserted with a silent chuckle, "death is not a person."

"So the tale has been passed down as instruction then. What lesson perhaps would children learn from such a tale?" he asked her.

"Not to treat death lightly," Hermione answered. "The brother who took the Elder Wand thought he could thrust death upon others by force, but in the end, there is always someone stronger than you. The brother who took the Resurrection Stone thought he could steal from death, but you cannot control who lives and who dies. The final brother thought to evade death by hiding, but death comes to us all in the end."

"What lesson, do you think, children and adults alike would learn from Eloise Mintumble's story?"

Hermione stared at the man as she pieced his words together. Then her eyes narrowed and her temper flared. "Are you saying that she didn't destroy twenty-five people? That the Ministry of Magic made it all up in order to avoid having people foolishly use magic to alter time?"

Dumbledore grinned. "That would be a very cunning story to create."

"Yeah, the author was probably in Slytherin," she muttered bitterly.

"Do you have the Time-Turner, Miss Granger?"

"Yes, sir." She reached beneath the collar of her shirt and removed the chain, lifting the instrument over her head and holding it out for the wizard to inspect.

"Marvellous," he said with an airiness, as though he were looking at a pretty flower or a piece of artwork instead of the life-altering device that it was. "I've only seen drawings of them myself, but not in great detail. I was, however, under the impression that for time travel to be possible, the sand must move through the hourglass?"

"No, that's not how Time-Turners work. You spin them and then go back a few hours at most, and then you move until you catch up with your present timeline. The hourglass is merely a container for the sands of time. I'm not sure if moving them in one direction or another is what triggers the magic," she said clearly. However, as she focused on the instrument in his hands, she furrowed her brow in concentration. Dumbledore was right. The sand in the hourglass was sitting firmly on one side, despite being turned upside down in his hand.

"Is this the same Time-Turner you used before?"

"No, sir, this one is . . . it was . . ." She recalled the night she and Remus had gone into the Department of Mysteries—when they had stepped into the reconstructed Time Room. She remembered how he appeared confused that she wanted to leave the room, surprised that it had not been her planned destination. "Remus said he took it from the Department of Mysteries. It's new. I've never seen one like it before."

"During your very busy third year, did you happen to take Ancient Runes?"

She actually rolled her eyes. As if not taking Ancient Runes was even an option. "Of course, sir."

"Tell me, what does this mean?" He tipped the Time-Turner to show her an engraving on the bottom.

It took Hermione only a moment to decipher the rune. "Predestination."

"Something tells me that your Mr Lupin knew what he was doing when he took this Time-Turner and gave it to you. You seem to be an intelligent young lady who adheres to the rules quite well." Hermione almost laughed. That was an understatement. It took a life or death situation plus Harry Potter to get her to break rules. "May I make a suggestion?"

"Sir?"

"Treat this letter as your new set of rules." He held the parchment out to her, and she hesitantly took it, glaring down at Remus's familiar script.

"I can't just exist in this time, sir. I'm . . . I know what's happening out there right now. I know war is coming," she explained with a heavy heart.

"There are rumours." He gave a slight nod, refusing to give any more details to her than she was giving to him.

"Muggle-borns are being attacked," she stated, watching his face as he seemed to acknowledge the statement and agree. "Viciously. I'm a Muggle-born, sir. I can't just fall from the sky into this time and attempt to live without drawing attention to myself. I'm frankly not thrilled about the idea of coming face to face with Death Eaters." Again.

He smiled at her. "I have a suggestion. How would you like to return to Hogwarts?"

"I'm eighteen, sir, well . . . nineteen now. Today is my birthday. Or was. It was the nineteenth of September when I left." She sighed in disappointment as she remembered it had been close to midnight. The day after her birthday. She and Sirius were supposed to talk.

Hermione frowned. Damn you, Remus Lupin.

"Well, many happy returns to you, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said with such a genuine voice that it made her smile sadly. "Now, as I was saying, you've already crossed the boundaries of time, why not push the line a little further? I have, in my possession, a very rare De-Ageing Potion. It was a gift from a friend on my one-hundredth birthday. I've only kept it for emergencies. Every few years, I see a student or two attempt to age themselves in order to sneak into Hogsmeade to purchase firewhisky. The spell is rarely effective, and the hospital wing is often a refuge for a couple of elderly third years. Normally, we can de-age them with charm work, but I've always been worried that a student might accidentally go a little too far. Sometimes, a potion does the trick. I suggest that you take this potion and become a student here at Hogwarts once again. I believe it is the safest place for a Muggle-born, as you say."

She remembered seeing the work of an Ageing Potion; though Fred and George had not used it to purchase firewhisky. They had the Marauder's Map for that. No, the twins had used an Ageing Potion in order to try and wiggle their way into the Triwizard Tournament. A plan that backfired badly and left them in the hospital wing until they returned to their sixteen-year-old, beardless selves.

"How young?" She hated admitting defeat, but Remus had clearly left her no options in this awful situation, and without knowing a way home, she needed to make a plan to secure her own safety.

"I would suggest eleven. You will return to the school in one month to be sorted along with the new students. You would then not stand out or draw unwanted attention to yourself."

It made sense. Bringing her in any older would draw attention. Hogwarts had not had a transfer student in over a century. She would be as easy to pick out in a crowd as Harry had been, and she knew how big of a target that had made him.

"Would I be able to stay inside the school year-round? I would stand out during holidays. I've no family here, sir."

"Then we should find you one. Perhaps a good pureblood family. We could then further alleviate your worries about being recognised as a Muggle-born."

"I can't say I'm familiar with any good pureblood families, sir," Hermione snapped in reply.

"Luckily, I am." He beamed, his attention suddenly drawn to her hands. "That is a beautiful bracelet, Miss Granger. I am familiar with the words. Are you acquainted with the Potter family?"

Hermione held back her snort. "You could say that."

"And do you trust them?"

She frowned as she thought of Harry. Harry who had saved her life. Harry, who called her his sister. "They are . . ."

"Family?" Dumbledore offered.

"Yes," Hermione confirmed immediately. "But not . . . I'm sorry, sir." She frowned as wayward tears began to escape from the corners of her eyes. Would she ever see her best friend again?

"Nothing to apologise for, my dear." He offered her a handkerchief, and she smiled gratefully as she took it. "May I suggest a trip to the hospital wing? Perhaps a short rest will help."

"Thank you, sir."

He reached his hand into a drawer after waving the Elder Wand to unlock it. Removing a small, red phial, Dumbledore smiled. "Here is the potion we discussed. If you like, hand this," he said as he passed the potion over to her and then pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill, scribbling a note and rolling it up quickly, "and this letter to Madam Pomfrey. If you decide you agree with my suggestion, she will know the proper dosage. You and I shall meet again once I've conducted a little business on your behalf, and then we shall set a plan in motion to keep you safe and protected until I am able to privately investigate the instrument you've brought with you."

"Thank you, sir." She sniffled again. "You're being incredibly calm about this, all things considered."

"I am a man of many interests. The future is one of them. I must ask, however, that you divulge no further information about your origins to anyone, myself included. Nothing that could alter this timeline."

"But sir, I thought you said that anything I do has already been done."

"You are responsible for your own actions, yes," he agreed. "But not the actions of others. I can see you are fairly skilled at Occlumency, as I've been attempting to break through some of the walls you've erected inside your mind during our conversation."

"I'm aware, sir." And she had been. From the moment she arrived in the headmaster's office, she had felt the familiar nudges against the barriers in her mind that protected her memories. Occlumency had never been something that she was skilled at, but since the war ended, Sirius had forced Hermione into a pseudo-friendship with Draco, who had been assisting her with the skill. Though she imagined it was more for his own amusement over the fact that he had finally bested her at something.

"Forgive me, but I felt it was necessary to at least test your skills before offering my assistance at integrating you among my students."

"I understand, sir."

"I only bring that up, because if you speak of the future to others who are not so skilled, they could easily divulge the information to parties that would put you in grave danger, as well as others who might be privileged to your knowledge."

"I understand, sir. I won't speak a word."

He stood and walked her to the door. "Thank you, Miss Granger. Please get some rest, and I will see you in a few hours."

Chapter Text

You don't know about my past, and
I don't have a future figured out.
And maybe this is going too fast.
And maybe it's not meant to last
(Taking Chances - Celine Dion)

August 1st, 1971

Hermione slowly made her way down the corridor leading toward the hospital wing. It was so familiar and yet so different from all the many nights she had spent there. Nights recovering from accidentally turning herself into a cat and then, shortly thereafter, the time she spent after being petrified by the basilisk, or the days of recovery after the battle at the Department of Mysteries. The last time she had seen the hospital wing of Hogwarts had been directly after the end of the war when she had offered to assist Madam Pomfrey with the seriously wounded.

As she walked through the door to the infirmary, Hermione was surprised to see it empty and quiet. Just another reminder that she was, in fact, in 1971 and not 1998.

This was not home.

A younger-looking Madam Pomfrey approached, and the soft eyes of the mediwitch made Hermione smile. "Hello, dear. How may I help you?"

It had been jarring to see a living Professor Dumbledore, but this familiar face made her feel closer to her actual life. "Umm. The headmaster asked me to give you these," she said, holding out the rolled parchment in one hand and the bottle of De-Ageing Potion in the other.

Madam Pomfrey took the letter first, mulling the words over for a bit before eyeing the potion curiously, her brow raised. Eventually, she lifted her gaze once again to Hermione. "And have you decided what you want to do?"

"I . . . I'm not sure," Hermione admitted sadly, letting out a quiet sob as she covered her face with her hands. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

Remus had literally thrown her into an impossible situation. Just a few hours ago, she had been home, celebrating her birthday with the most important people in her life. Harry, Sirius, Ron, Remus, Tonks, Teddy, and the Weasleys. God, she would even be happy to see Malfoy at this point! How was she supposed to follow Remus's instructions and live her life? This was not her life.

Damn you, Remus.

"Do it. I don't have any other options."

"Very well," Madam Pomfrey agreed with a frown. "Have a seat on any bed. The headmaster insists that you get some rest, and if you are serious about taking this potion, you'll need to be lying down regardless. It can be a bit unsettling as it takes effect."

Hermione smiled kindly. "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. It's nice to see a familia—" She faltered, suddenly realising she was about to reveal the fact that she had known the mediwitch in the future. Her brows furrowed. It was clearly going to take her some time to adjust to everything.

"I understand, dear." Madam Pomfrey nodded with a wave of the parchment. "Dumbledore explained in his letter. Not in much detail, mind you—he does like his secrets—but I won't be asking questions. I know better than most not to go about meddling with unfamiliar magic." She set down Dumbledore's note on the side table and turned her full attention to Hermione. "Now, how old are you, dear?"

"Nineteen; just turned, actually," Hermione said as she sat on the edge of the bed, taking a deep breath to steady her fraying nerves. She had planned to spend the rest of her birthday reading her new books and then maybe having a late cup of tea before going to bed. Now, she was here, planning to erase not only her most recent birthday but the seven that came before it.

"All right, you'll need to drink this." Madam Pomfrey measured out a large portion from the phial, pouring it into a small cup and handing it over to Hermione. "Take it quickly; it tastes fairly awful, and the adjustments won't be comfortable by any standard, but you can take a Sleeping Draught if you like, and you'll drift off before you feel a thing," she said, reaching for another small phial in the nearby cupboard.

Hermione worried her bottom lip between her teeth before hesitantly asking, "May I . . . May I request the Dreamless Sleep Potion?"

"Are you familiar with it?"

Dreamless Sleep was highly addictive, and Hermione would not normally ask, but without her friends and family here to help her through the night, she thought it would be better. The last thing she needed was to scare the daylights out of Madam Pomfrey by screaming herself awake. "I am. It's best for everyone if I take it. I've . . . I've been known to cause a stir in my sleep."

"I'm not opposed to dealing with a few nightmares, dear."

Hermione sighed irritably, knowing that the woman was just doing her job, but she was not in the mood to argue. Reaching her right arm across her torso, she tugged at the sleeve of her dress and began rolling it up her arm, revealing the deep, purple scars that covered her flesh.

Mudblood.

Madam Pomfrey gasped, and her eyes widened. She looked up and met Hermione's calm gaze, and, without another word, she dipped her chin, reached into the storage cupboard, and handed the purple potion over.

Hermione gave her a grateful nod and tugged on the cork, downing the bottle in a single swig, the familiar liquid sliding down her throat. She then took the De-Aging Potion and swallowed every last drop. Squeezing her eyes shut and willing her tears to retreat, she turned and settled herself on the pillow as the Dreamless Sleep overtook her.

August 2, 1971

Hermione slept just a few hours, but she did not dream. She had no nightmares of Bellatrix Lestrange torturing her, no flashing images of Padfoot bound and thrown over the back of Fenrir Greyback or of herself being splinched, no thoughts of Harry lying dead on the ground of the Forbidden Forest or of Sirius and Remus being tortured.

Nor did she dream of home.

When she finally opened her eyes, she felt different. Sitting up, it was still dark, and she briefly wondered if she had not fallen asleep for more than a few moments. She was shocked when her dress got caught underneath her as she moved. Looking down, she realised her clothing was several sizes too large.

"I see that you made a decision." Professor Dumbledore stood at the foot of the bed, a soft smile on his face. "I'm very glad. I've come to inform you that I've obtained a home for you. A pureblood couple have agreed to take you in. I hope you'll trust my judgement in saying that they are good people—better than most, in fact."

"Thank you, sir." Hermione bowed her head sadly, her eyes twitching with surprise at the light, airy sound of her voice. Her words came out strangely as well. With a groan, she reached up, brushing her fingers against her mouth where she felt the protrusion of her overly large front teeth. "Wonderful," she said with a bitter growl. "Madam Pomfrey, may I make a request?"

"What do you need, dear?"

"I need . . . my teeth back to normal. I had them fixed fourth year, and I know it's completely superficial, but if I'm going to be forced to attend Hogwarts again, I'd rather not have one extra thing against me."

At the thought of being teased over her teeth again, she felt a string of very sharp emotions rise within her chest. She wanted to cry right then and there, which felt ridiculous considering that she had not cried over anything else that night. She let out a heavy sigh of frustration when she pieced it all together and realised that the De-Ageing Potion had not just made her look eleven, she actually was eleven years old. That meant dealing with puberty all over again, rapidly changing hormones, and growth spurts. She wondered if her mental acuity would be changed at all. Or, God forbid, her magic. Another thing she clearly had not thought through before taking the potion.

"I imagine when you've reached the age that your teeth were fixed, they will adjust automatically," said Madam Pomfrey.

Hermione rose a brow. "I don't understand."

"Well, dear, it's still your body. The potion doesn't exactly give your physical self a new start. You've already lived and gone through physical experiences, and at the age those occurred, your body will tend to readjust itself, as a way of catching up, I suppose."

Immediately, Hermione looked at her left arm, rolling back the now-too-large sleeve of her dress. A sob escaped when she saw the flawless skin of her youth, unblemished, scar and curse free. "But . . ." She looked up, tears in her eyes. "They'll come back?"

Madam Pomfrey frowned. "It's highly likely, my dear. I'm sorry."

"Then I ask that my teeth be fixed now. If I can expect my scars to all return to me one day, I'd like to have this one thing, I suppose." Hermione looked up pleadingly at Madam Pomfrey, remembering the many times that the mediwitch had treated her injuries and dried her tears. "If I had my wand, I'd do it myself. Can you . . . Can you shrink them for me, please?"

The older witch finally relented and approached the bed. "Of course dear, you just tell me when." She handed a small mirror to Hermione, who choked out a gasp as she looked at her reflection.

Eleven-year-old Hermione, almost twelve. Buck teeth and bushy hair, a smattering of light freckles across her nose and cheeks. She smiled sadly and nodded, opening her mouth to allow Madam Pomfrey to begin the spell.

Wincing a bit as she felt her teeth shrink, Hermione kept quiet until they felt and looked exactly as they had before. Then she nodded, running her tongue over each tooth. "Thank you. I feel a little vain about it, but . . ."

Madam Pomfrey smiled and gently squeezed her arm. "We've all got our own insecurities, dear. Think nothing of it."

"Now, Miss Granger, if you're feeling up to a Floo trip, I'd like to bring you to meet your new adoptive family," Dumbledore said. "Though none, save for the family in question as well as Madam Pomfrey and myself, will know any details of your true identity. I will ask all involved to take an Unbreakable Vow to protect your secret."

Hermione smiled gratefully. "Yes, sir." She stood up and almost fell off the bed, forgetting she was a few inches shorter now. The front of her dress fell off one shoulder, and Hermione grasped the fabric quickly, embarrassed as she looked with wide eyes at Madam Pomfrey. "You wouldn't happen to be willing to do a little more altering for me, would you?"

The mediwitch gave a soft chuckle, waving her wand over Hermione's dress, shrinking it to better fit her form.

"Not sure what I'm going to do without you, Madam Pomfrey."

"I suppose I'll see you in a month, my dear. Feel free to come by if you need anything once you've returned to Hogwarts."

"I will." Hermione nodded. "Thank you again."

Dumbledore stood at the door, holding it open. "Come, Miss Granger."

She quickly followed him through, staying a few steps behind him as the pair walked back to his office in silence.

The headmaster approached the fireplace, reaching for the powder on the mantle. "Here you are, my dear. Now, I've already explained a bit of your arrival to the family taking you in. They only know that you are a Muggle-born in need of great protection and that your family is no longer with us," he explained as he placed the powder in her small, open palm. "They've been kind enough not to ask any further questions, though I might have insisted upon it regardless. I promise you, they can be trusted with your life."

"I appreciate you putting such a great deal of effort into securing this for me, sir." Hermione smiled at the old wizard and stood back, allowing him to step forward into the large fireplace. She sighed as she looked at it, remembering that only four months ago she had been coming through that particular entrance, breaking into the school, alongside Sirius, Harry, Ron, and Draco.

"Listen carefully, and follow just behind me." Dumbledore tossed the Floo powder down, spoke a clear, "Potter Manor!" and vanished in green flames.

Hermione gasped. "Potter?" She knew she should not have been surprised, considering Dumbledore had brought the Potters up before, but to know that she was about to enter the home of Harry's relatives caused anxiety to creep up inside of her.

She summoned her Gryffindor courage and stepped into the fireplace. "Potter Manor!"

Hermione let out a gasp as she exited a massive fireplace, her eyes adjusting as she looked around a giant drawing room that rivalled that of Malfoy Manor. She had heard and said the word manor, but she could not wrap her head around it until now. It made sense, of course; Harry's ancestors were purebloods until his father married Lily Evans and moved to the cottage in Godric's Hollow.

Unlike the vast, chilled space that was the pristine Malfoy Manor, Potter Manor gave a much warmer impression. It was as if someone had put an Enlarging Charm on the Gryffindor common room; the large array of windows surrounding the circular room were draped in deep crimson crushed velvet curtains with gold lining, the furniture was made of polished dark oak, and the soft-looking armchairs and sofas were covered with pillows in a variety of soothing colours.

"Wow," she whispered, eyes lit up in awe as she scanned the room with a smile. How did this place already feel like . . . home?

"Is it to your liking, then?"

Hermione turned her attention toward the sweet feminine voice to see three other people in the room, all standing and watching her with amused expressions on their faces.

Dumbledore stood beside a couple who—though certainly older than Hermione's parents—were nowhere near as old as the headmaster himself. Both appeared to be in their early fifties, though there was a youthful twinkle in the man's hazel eyes. He had familiar salt and pepper hair that appeared to almost stand on end despite it thinning along his hairline.

The woman who had spoken bore an uncanny resemblance to Andromeda Tonks, all but the colour of her hair—dark auburn instead of brown. She smiled brightly, her grey stare and aristocratic features only enhanced by good humour and perhaps a little mischief in her eyes. She had a softness to her that reminded Hermione of Mrs Weasley.

"It's beautiful." Hermione smiled gratefully. "Thank you, for . . . for allowing me into your home."

"It's your home now too, dear. I've been in dire need of another woman around the house." The witch smoothed her hair before clasping her hands eagerly in front of herself. She laughed sweetly when her husband winked at her. "I'm desperate to escape the foolishness of youthful boys and old men who absolutely refuse to grow up."

"My wife exaggerates," the wizard said. "She loves it. Keeps her on her toes."

The witch extended her hand. "Dorea Potter."

The wizard grinned down at Hermione. "Charlus."

Shaking Dorea's hand, Hermione smiled at them both. "Hermione."

Dumbledore beamed, looking just a bit too proud of himself. "Well, I don't mean to be rude and under stay my welcome, but I have only one month left to prepare my speech for the start-of-term feast." He reached into his robes, removing a familiar-looking envelope and handing it to Hermione, who looked down at it with a twinge of nostalgia.

Her Hogwarts letter.

Her second first Hogwarts letter.

She wiped a tear from her eye, trying to push the memory of receiving it the first time out of her mind. Instead, she focused on committing this moment to memory. "Thank you, Professor. For everything."

"I look forward to seeing you again at Hogwarts in one month's time, my dear girl. Charlus, Dorea, I hope to see you both more often."

"Hopefully not too often," Dorea said in a teasing tone. "I'd rather not receive letters from the Headmaster of Hogwarts. I imagine it will usually be bad news."

Dumbledore shook Charlus's hand and then accepted a chaste kiss to the cheek from Dorea. He gave one last smile to Hermione before stepping back into the fireplace and vanishing in a burst of green flames.

Dorea turned immediately to Hermione with a sweet but energetic smile. "Now, Albus explained that you've had quite the rough night. We won't pry, promise," she said to Hermione's relief. "But the hour is late, and I insist we all get a good night's rest and start fresh and early tomorrow." She clasped her hands together as if she were already planning out a day full of activities, something that made Hermione slightly anxious.

"Tilly!" Dorea called, and, with a soft pop, a small, spritely house-elf appeared in front of the Potters and Hermione.

Hermione paled at the sight of the house-elf and took in a sharp breath. No. Absolutely not! She was not being adopted into a pureblood family that enslaved house-elves!

"A Young Miss?" The little elf looked up at Hermione with large, expressive eyes the colour of the sky on the brightest day in summer. The creature smiled up at her, jumping up and down with the excitement of a Weasley on Christmas morning, turning and grinning at Dorea and Charlus as though they had just gifted her something precious. "Tilly is so excited! Tilly has wanted to care for a Young Miss. Not that Tilly doesn't love the Young Master."

Charlus chuckled affectionately. "Be careful, Tilly; you don't want to play favourites now."

"Tilly does as Tilly does," the house-elf said with what sounded like a tone of humouring defiance. Hermione nearly choked as Charlus let out a loud laugh.

Dorea rolled her eyes. "Hermione, this is Tilly. She'll take you to your room. Be careful, or she's certain to go overboard and start dressing you up like a doll. And don't let her spoil you."

The elf rolled her bright blue eyes, mimicking Dorea's expression perfectly. "Tilly does not spoil," she said, sounding offended. "Tilly coddles, dotes, and pampers."

Charlus smirked. "That's the same thing."

"Tilly does as Tilly does." The little elf shrugged, brushing him off as she reached for Hermione's hand, giving a soft tug. "Young Miss will follow Tilly. Master and Mistress must go to bed, yes they must. Tilly will be cross if theys be staying up too late again."

"Yes, Tilly," Charlus said with a grin on his face, pretending to be scolded by the house-elf as though he were a young child. "Goodnight, Hermione. Sleep well. We'll figure everything out in the morning. You're safe here."

Hermione wanted to take another moment to properly show her gratitude to the couple, but she was tugged out of the room by the overly excited—and strangely independent—house-elf.

"Tilly? Can I ask . . . Are you treated well here?" Hermione whispered with a frown. "Do you . . . ? I mean to say . . . wouldn't you rather be a free elf?"

"Tilly is a free elf."

Hermione's eyes widened in shock. "What? You've been given clothes?" she asked, looking at the little tea towel that Tilly wore. Hermione knew it was the typical uniform of the house-elves, and the quality of their care could often be seen in the cleanliness of the cloth. Kreacher, for instance, had been perpetually filthy.

"Tilly does not need clothes to be free," Tilly explained in a tone that Hermione felt was just a bit patronising. Tilly continued to tug on Hermione's hand, leading her down another long hallway and up a flight of stairs.

"Tilly took care of Mistress Dorea when she was a Young Miss. When Mistress married Master Charlus, Mistress Dorea asked Tilly to come live with her. But Mistress Dorea's mother was not happy, no, no she was not. Tilly's old Mistress Violetta was not happy at Mistress Dorea's wedding. Tilly's old Mistress Violetta said that Tilly would have to stay with her just to spite Mistress Dorea. But Mistress Dorea yelled at Tilly's old Mistress Violetta; told her she was taking Tilly. She hexed Tilly's old Mistress Violetta good, yes she did. She hexed her."

The house-elf let out a happy, nostalgic sigh of contentment. "Tilly is very happy to takes care of Mistress Dorea and her family. Tilly is free from the bad Mistress Violetta."

"I'm glad." Hermione smiled, happy to hear that Tilly appeared to be well cared for. Her happiness was short-lived as she realised that she needed to set immediate boundaries with the elf. "Tilly. I insist that you don't clean up after me. I can do my own cleaning, and I am good at cooking as well."

Suddenly, Tilly stopped in her tracks and turned very slowly, wide eyes watering with fat tears, a sad little frown crossing her face. "Young Miss doesn't want Tilly?"

Hermione frowned, shocked at the sight of Tilly's expression. She was much more used to Kreacher's insults or Dobby's short attention span. "No, no, Tilly, I just don't want you to have to take care of me."

"Young Miss wants Tilly to be sad? Oh, poor Tilly!" She burst into tears, releasing Hermione's hands and covering her face as she sobbed, bracing herself against the nearest wall like a heartbroken woman in one of those old romance movies that Hermione's mother used to watch. "Tilly wished and wished and she wished so long for a Young Miss, and Young Miss doesn't want Tilly. All Tilly ever wanted was to care for a Young Miss."

"Tilly, please don't cry!" Hermione said, horrified by the scene she had caused. "Please, please. I don't want to make you sad. I'm sorry! Please, please stop crying." When Tilly's knees buckled and she collapsed into a crying heap on the floor, Hermione surrendered. "Okay, okay. You can take care of me, just please stop crying."

"Tilly accepts," the elf said, immediately halting her sobs and standing up, dusting her hands off on her little tea towel and looking no worse for wear. She reached again for Hermione's hand and tugged her toward a large room at the end of the hallway. "Tilly's new Young Miss learns fast, yes she does."

Hermione moved forward, gobsmacked. Had she just been emotionally manipulated by a house-elf?!

Tilly opened the double doors at the end of the hallway, pointing out the personal bathroom as they walked into the suite.

Hermione's eyes widened at the sight of the large room with a massive four-poster bed in the centre, draped with beautiful blue and gold curtains. A large antique wardrobe stood at the end of the room; its open door revealed not clothing, but a generous stack of various folded fabrics.

Tilly approached the wardrobe with a smile on her face, pointing to the linens excitedly. "Tilly is going to make Young Miss new robes and dresses. Young Miss needs new clothes and books and quills, and Young Miss needs a wand! Mistress told Tilly that Young Miss goes to Hogwarts soon with Young Master. Tilly will be sad to see them go, but she is proud, yes she is, ever so very proud."

Hermione could not help but smile sadly at what looked to be real tears—very different from the fake manipulating ones she had seen only moments earlier.

Tilly, though, had brought up something that Hermione had already forgotten. She looked down at the envelope in her hands and smiled, running her finger over the scripted lettering across it that read:

Miss Potter
Second Floor Room at the end of the Hallway
Potter Manor

She stared at the words with disconnected emotions. She knew that she would not be able to be called "Granger" here. Dumbledore had found her a pureblood family for a reason. As a Muggle-born, she was in danger and would draw unwanted attention over her blood status. She needed to appear as average as possible. But her surname was the last thing she had left of her parents, and the feeling that she had lost that now, too, broke something inside of her, something that needed to be broken. She had spent months mourning the loss of parents who were not actually dead.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she cracked the seal and removed the neatly folded parchment from the thick, heavy envelope. No longer Granger. Maybe she could learn to heal now.

Harry had apparently been right. Hermione was, in fact, a Potter.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Dear Miss Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on the first of September.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

Hermione allowed herself to smile as she read the letter. Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall. Some things could be familiar. Some things could still be home for her.

Her attention was reclaimed by Tilly who had, in the few minutes that Hermione had been distracted by her letter, fashioned a light blue nightdress for her and was now proceeding to try and dress Hermione herself, just as Dorea had warned her she would do.

"Tilly," Hermione mumbled, trying to tug her dress away from the house-elf's hands. "I can undress myself." She was caught off-guard when the feisty little house-elf actually growled, freezing Hermione in shock, at which point Tilly took advantage of the situation and proceeded to undress and then redress her.

"Young Miss is stubborn. Sleep now. Young Miss needs rest."

Hermione sat on the bed completely defeated, wondering if the basilisk had taken her down as quickly as this little elf. Voldemort sure had not been able to. She shook her head in amusement, trying to clear out the sudden image of a house-elf Dark Lord. Frightening and definitively undefeatable.

"Thank you, Tilly." She crawled into the bed quickly, a bit afraid that Tilly would drag her beneath the covers and tuck her in tight enough to trap her there.

The house-elf snapped her fingers, extinguishing all the lamps.

Hermione could only hope the Dreamless Sleep that she had taken the night before was still in her system. The last thing she wanted to do to this gracious family—and the overprotective house-elf—was to scare them with her screams.

Chapter Text

I learned from you that I do not crumble
I learned that strength is something you choose
All of the reasons to keep on believin'
There's no question, that's a lesson, that I learned from you
(I Learned From You - Miley Cyrus)

August 2nd, 1971

Hermione slept soundly without dreams and awoke rested and bleary-eyed in the comfort of a large four-poster bed. Confused at first at the feel of the bed that was so different from the smaller one in her room at Grimmauld Place, Hermione struggled to take in her surroundings. She studied the large room from right to left, her gaze coming to a halt on the silhouette of a figure standing before her in a blaze of sunshine.

The figure leant closer, and Hermione blinked to see a head of messy black hair. She smiled, stifling a yawn. "Mmm . . . Harry?" she murmured in her sleepy state.

"Who's Harry?" a vaguely familiar, but still strange, voice replied.

Hermione's eyes snapped open, and she blinked rapidly to clear her vision. She stared up into the face of a young boy with familiar black hair that stood up so high in the back that she could see it from her position in front of him. Instead of the sparkling emerald eyes she had grown so used to over the past seven years, she saw her reflection in hazel brown.

This was not her Harry.

1971.

Hermione drew in a sharp breath as everything came flooding back: the crimson box in the Black family library, the Time-Turner charmed into a Portkey, the letter from Remus, meeting with a very much alive Albus Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey and a De-Ageing Potion, Flooing into a large manor, and meeting the Potters and that incredibly bossy house-elf.

And now there was a boy standing at the side of her bed, staring at her with a curious gaze and a crooked smile.

"So you're my new sister, huh?"

"Who are you?" she screamed and twisted violently away to the opposite side of the large bed. This translated, apparently, to an invitation for the boy to climb onto the mattress with her to get a closer look. She held up her hands defensively, flexing her fingers when she remembered how much smaller her limbs were again thanks to the De-Ageing Potion.

"Wait." She looked at the boy closely, shocked at the nearly identical resemblance to her best friend. How had she not assumed? 1971, Potter Manor. She gasped, bringing one hand to her mouth. "You're James? Oh my . . . goodness, you . . . you look—"

James grinned smugly. "Handsome? Dashing? Brilliant?"

Hermione let out a loud laugh, shocked by how genuine it sounded. She had not had a good laugh since this whole fiasco began. She smiled at him; his strong resemblance to Harry and his apparent lack of understanding in regards to personal space made him somewhat endearing.

"You look like a right mess is what you do. Do you even own a brush?" She subconsciously reached up to smooth his hair as she had done to Harry for the past seven years, unable to stop herself from doing so, as though her muscles acted on their own.

"You're one to talk." James laughed, reaching a hand up to shake out his hair, making it look twice as bad. He then ruffled her locks teasingly. "I think I see a bird somewhere inside your hair. Can you hide snacks in this mane of yours?"

"Never thought to." She scowled, almost taking the chance to properly scold the boy for talking to an adult like that, but then she remembered that she was no longer an adult. Her mind held the memories of a nineteen-year-old witch from 1998, but, in fact, she was now an eleven-year-old girl living in 1971.

"Well, since you don't, can I hide snacks there?" he asked with a grin. "Seems a bit more convenient than weighing down my pockets."

She rolled her eyes. "No, you cannot hide sweets in my hair."

He laughed again, the sound a joyous one, unlike Harry's which always seemed to come out like relieved surprise, as though he were continually shocked that he was able to find humour in life. James, however, was completely unburdened.

"Look at us, siblings already! Always wanted a little sister," he said, leaning back against the headboard. He rested his hands behind his head, making himself comfortable.

Hermione gathered that his parents had informed him of her apparent adoption. She was shocked to see that he was reacting quite well to the news.

"When's your birthday?" she asked.

"Twenty-seventh of March."

"Well, mine's the nineteenth of September, so technically I'm older than you . . . little brother," she teased.

Unaffected by her news whatsoever, James shrugged as he sat up a bit. "Technically, Mum said that we're telling everyone you're my twin sister. And I'm insisting that I was born first. After all, I was here first." He tossed his head back confidently—nearly smacking it into the headboard—as though he already had won the argument.

"Twins?" She raised a brow. "We don't look a thing alike."

"That's your issue?" James snorted loudly. "Considering that I woke up this morning to my parents telling me I had a brand new twin sister, and 'Oh, don't tell anyone that Albus Dumbledore dropped her off,' I think I'm handling this pretty well. And your problem is that we don't look alike? But hey, if you don't want a brother, fine. Not like I'm heartbroken or anything," he said, feigning a pout.

"No, I'm . . . I'd like a brother," she said, the words bringing a hint of pain with them as she thought about Harry. Harry was gone, but James—Harry's father—looked so much like him. It hurt to stare at him for too long.

James, noticing her shift in mood, frowned and paused a moment before reaching across the bed, yanking on a lock of her hair.

"Ow!" Hermione snapped, narrowing her eyes at him. "What was that for?"

"Well, we're siblings now, and I feel like I've missed out on some really good pigtail-pulling years with my sister."

She glared and rubbed the sore spot on the side of her head. "Remember that when I hex that mop of hair off your head."

"Can't hex me without a wand. And by next week I'm sure you'll have gotten over it. I have a very forgivable face. Mum says so."

He was incredibly arrogant, and Hermione could not help but chuckle at his confidence.

"What's next week?"

James beamed with excitement. "We're all going to Diagon Alley to get our wands and stuff for Hogwarts."

"Oh, I didn't even realise." She knew that she would be returning to Hogwarts and that her wand was left behind in 1998, but Hermione had forgotten that she would need to get a new one if she planned on attending Hogwarts again.

"What? Think you can do magic without a wand?"

Hermione chuckled again, knowing that she could, in fact, do just that. Unlike older and more powerful witches and wizards like Professor McGonagall, Sirius, and Remus, Hermione could only do such magic under great stress, but she had been getting better with Sirius's tutelage.

"Do you ever shut up?" she asked James.

"Very rarely," he answered, clearly unoffended by her jab. "Get up. Mum sent me in to tell you breakfast is ready." He bounded from the side of the bed and headed toward the door.

Hermione smiled. "Good, I'm starving."

He stopped in his tracks, his hand on the doorknob. "Oh hey, since you're going to be my little sister and all, I think there's something really important I should know."

"What's that?"

"What's your name?"

"You don't even know my name? Your parents didn't tell you my name?" Hermione asked in disbelief. "Your parents told you that you have a brand new sister, and you wake her up, jump on her bed, pull her hair, and you don't even know her name?" What was wrong with him? Did he have even one suspicious bone in his naive, scrawny body?

"They might have mentioned it. I heard sister and twin, but then Tilly showed up with breakfast . . ." he explained, scratching his head.

"Hermione."

He raised a brow. "What?"

She smiled sweetly. "My name is Hermione."

"That sounds fake."

Her mouth fell open. "It is not fake!"

"That doesn't sound like a real word."

Hermione scowled at him. "It's not a word, it's my name."

"It's a mouthful, is what it is," he said, chortling. "I'm gonna call you Mia."

Having a brief flashback to her short-lived relationship with Viktor, Hermione slowly enunciated, "Her-my-oh-nee."

James blinked as he replied in a similar tone, "Her-my-uh-nee. My-uh. See?"

Hermione growled, pinning him with a glare she normally reserved just for Harry and Ron—and sometimes Sirius. "I don't like nicknames."

"I don't like bossy sisters. Clearly, we've both been shorted by this family." James shrugged, unaffected by her sour mood and her glaring. That would pose a problem down the line, she supposed.

"My name is Hermione Granger," she said firmly, already forgetting how her Hogwarts letter had been addressed.

"Potter," James corrected her.

She blinked. "What?"

"Your name is Hermione Potter. Mia Potter, actually."

"Potter? I'll . . . I'll have to get used to that."

"You're my sister," James said with a genuine smile, looking at her in a way that reminded her so much of Harry that it hurt, but she still smiled back at him. "And that makes you a Potter."

Hermione's nose stung as she felt tears well up. Wasn't it just last night that Harry had told her the same thing?

"There you are, dear!" Dorea smiled up at Hermione from the large dining room table as she entered the room behind James.

"Hello again, Mrs Potter, Mr Potter," Hermione blinked at James with wide eyes when he pulled out her chair for her, surprised that the boy who had tugged her hair just minutes ago upstairs was being a perfect gentleman. She eyed the Potter parents, who smiled proudly at their son and acted as if his actions were not anything out of the ordinary.

"Well, we should probably skip right ahead and have you start calling us Mum and Dad," Charlus suggested with a kind smile, and Hermione's chest tightened. "No sense in living a double life now; it'll just get confusing. Besides, we've made it perfectly clear that you are family now. It's okay if you don't want to talk about what happened before. Albus wasn't very forthcoming about the details, just that there was a young lady who needed a family."

"I'd always wanted a little girl," Dorea admitted with a gleam in her eye, and Hermione could not help but be overwhelmed by their instant acceptance of her.

James scoffed. "Thanks, Mum."

Charlus smirked at the boy. "Eat your breakfast, son."

"Albus left some parchments for us to sign and send to the Records Division at the Ministry in order to officially make you Hermione Potter," Dorea explained as she sipped at her morning tea.

"Mia," James blurted out, after swallowing a mouthful of porridge.

"What's that?" Charlus looked up from his morning paper.

"Her name's Mia."

"I hate nicknames," Hermione repeated, narrowing her eyes at James.

Dorea beamed at the two children. "I think it's cute. Mia is a lovely name," she said to Hermione.

"If you'd like, we will still call you Hermione," Charlus assured her.

"I'm not going to." James shrugged as he placed half the dish of sausages onto his plate. "She's Mia now."

"Fine." Hermione teasingly glared at him. ". . . Jamie."

"Well, that's . . ." James frowned, rolling the name over and over in his head before nodding. "Actually, I think I quite like it."

Hermione bristled.

"I'm glad you two are already getting along. If you have need of anything, Hermione, please just let us know," Dorea insisted.

"Thank you, Mrs, err . . . Mum." Hermione swallowed, the word sounding artificial in her mouth. "I think I'm okay right now. Just adjusting, I suppose. It's been a strange few days," she admitted quietly, letting her previous polite smile fall from her face.

"No frowning now," Dorea said immediately. "I know you have had some hardships lately, but we're Potters, and we push on. You take what happens, learn from it, and bravely move forward."

"Courage and Craft," Hermione whispered.

Impressed, Charlus said, "House words."

"I hope I can live up to them." Hermione smiled tightly, fingering the bracelet around her wrist, glad that none of the Potters appeared to have noticed it thus far. If they did, they did not care. Maybe they assumed Dumbledore had given it to her. She was worried that they would accuse her of stealing, especially since she had only known them for less than a day. Sirius just had to give her a Potter heirloom on her birthday. It would be difficult to explain how she knew their grandson.

Charlus grinned proudly. "I think she'll be a Gryffindor."

"Of course she will. All Potters are Gryffindors." James rolled his eyes as if the point were moot.

Dorea folded her arms across her chest. "I wasn't."

"Well, you weren't fortunate enough to be born a Potter, dear," Charlus teased.

"Don't you mean fortunate for you?" Dorea winked at him.

"What house were you in?" Hermione asked politely, reaching for a piece of toast in front of her.

"I was a Slytherin, dear," Dorea explained.

Hermione's eyes went wide. Harry's grandmother was in Slytherin?

"Sneaky little snake tricked me into our first date." Charlus scooted his chair closer to his wife, reaching for her hand which she casually allowed him to take, a devious smile on her lips.

"Are you complaining?" Dorea asked.

"Not a bit." He smiled flirtatiously, kissing her wrist.

Hermione chuckled and glanced at James who was rolling his eyes.

"Don't worry, Mia. Mum was probably the only good Slytherin to ever come out of that snake pit."

"Don't start causing trouble already, James." Dorea shook her head and sighed as she released Charlus's hand, picking up her cup of tea. "There's already enough animosity between the Houses. I won't have you walking into that school and being a problem child."

James widened his bright eyes and stuck out his bottom lip as he stared at his mother. "Does this look like the face of a problem child?"

"Don't give me that innocent look, James Charlus Potter." Dorea's eyes narrowed into slate grey slits. "I know better by now. Speaking of innocent, you better be exactly that when we go to Diagon Alley tomorrow."

James looked surprised but excited. "I thought we were going to Diagon Alley next week?" he asked as he refilled both his and Hermione's pumpkin juice from the carafe, oblivious of her astonished reaction.

She had never seen a boy do such a thing without an ulterior motive.

Dorea sighed in mild frustration. "No, we told you last week that we were going this week. Tomorrow in fact. Charlus, are you certain he's ready to go to Hogwarts on his own? Poor boy might get lost on the train or fall in the lake."

"No one falls in the lake." Charlus laughed.

Hermione joined in, chuckling at the memory of a young Dennis Creevey, who actually had fallen in the lake on the inaugural boat ride to the Sorting Ceremony.

Tilly appeared, clearing away plates and levitating new dishes to the table and refilling cups that the Potters had not refilled themselves. The small family smiled at her, all saying words of gratitude as she moved around the table with a determined air. "Tilly's young Master will not fall in the lake," she insisted. "Tilly taught him to swim—oh, yes she did."

"Tilly," James said with a pout, "Mum's not sure I'm ready to go to Hogwarts." He let his pout turn into a grin, and Hermione furrowed her brows, recognising the look. It was the same look Harry got whenever he and Ron planned on sneaking out of the castle beneath the cloak.

Tilly suddenly turned on Dorea, and with a fierce voice, said, "Tilly's young Master will go to Hogwarts. Young Master is the smartest wizard, brave and valiant. They lets young Master into Hogwarts to be the greatest wizard." She left a silent "or else" hanging in the air.

Hermione stared at the scene, only ever having heard a house-elf speak like that before when Sirius and Kreacher were in a row; those never ended well. However, Charlus was chuckling under his breath, Dorea seemed only mildly put out, and James looked smug at Tilly's endorsement. Well, now Hermione was certain she knew who was responsible for James's abundant self-confidence.

"I can't believe you turned a house-elf against your mum," she quietly scolded him.

"Our mum," James corrected, throwing her a crooked smile.

Hermione smiled, shaking her head and reaching for her empty plate as she stood.

Tilly got to the plate at the exact same time and sent Hermione a challenging look. "Tilly will take young Miss's plate."

Hermione pulled the plate back with a frown. "Tilly, I can clear away my own plate."

Tilly persisted, however. Though rather than the fake tears of the night before that Hermione was prepared to ignore this time, the house-elf began growling. Wide-eyed, Hermione promptly released the plate.

Tilly took the plate and beamed with the same sudden affection she had shown James not moments earlier. "Young Miss is the smartest witch. She goes to Hogwarts soon with young Master and will make her House so proud, yes she will!" She stomped her little foot at the end of her decree and vanished with a soft pop, taking Hermione's empty plate with her.

"I've never seen an elf so . . ." Hermione began, still in shock.

"Overbearing?" Charlus suggested with a hearty chuckle. "She's been like that since about a week after moving into the Manor. So happy to be here that she overdid everything. I didn't grow up with house-elves myself, so I was used to doing most things on my own just like you," he revealed. When he smiled at her, Hermione could not help but feel better. "I learned quickly not to get in her way. The third time she caught me hanging up my own robes, she threatened to bite my hand."

Dorea laughed at the memory and regarded Hermione affectionately. "It's true. So get used to her, love, but try not to let it go to your head." She dipped her head to her son with a knowing smile.

"I don't know what you're all talking about. Tilly's a genius." James shrugged and drained his pumpkin juice.

"I'll keep an eye on him at Hogwarts," Hermione offered, looking at James with a smirk. "I'm sure his head will deflate a little without Tilly there to dote on him."

Charlus smiled, leaning in conspiratorially. "You're officially taking on the position of sister?"

"Courage and Craft," Hermione repeated her new House words, yielding to the circumstances she had been forced into—or maybe lucked into. "I'm a Potter now. Something tells me that looking after him will come with my new name."

"You're a good girl, Hermione," Dorea said proudly.

Hermione swallowed hard and turned to smile at James. "Mia. I think I'd like to be called Mia."

James threw his fists into the air in a sign of victory.

After breakfast, Hermione retired to her room where she was forced into an incredibly large bathtub by a very pushy house-elf. She was only allowed to scrub herself because she had promised to let Tilly brush her hair when she was done. Hermione was glad for it in the end as Tilly took to her bushy locks with determination, taming the curls into submission and promising to look for a spell that would make it easier next time. Hermione wished her luck with that.

New, handmade robes waited for her, set out on her large four-poster bed in a variety of beautiful colours. She smiled as she touched them, never having imagined she would casually wear something so fine in all her life. She hated to be doted upon like this, but she could not help but feel grateful for the Potters who brought her into their home with such ease and no awkwardness at all. Other than Tilly, none of them coddled her or pitied her. For all they knew, her family could have been slaughtered by Death Eaters, and yet they treated her like any other child. Like their own child.

And James treated her like a sister already. It almost felt like she was with Harry, though he lacked the knowledge of pureblood etiquette that had been instilled in James from birth. Hermione wondered how much of that would change when they went to Hogwarts and he was no longer under the gaze of his parents. A part of her could not wait to see. The thought surprised her, and she swallowed a note of anxiety that threatened to push its way in, torn between wanting to get to know James better and knowing what the future had in store for him.

After dressing in the new robes that Tilly made for her, she reached beneath the mattress of her bed and pulled out the folded parchment that Remus had left in the crimson box. She read it again, over and over, frowning at the words. A part of her was still quite angry that she had not been consulted. His words were easy enough to decipher.

I'm only following the instructions of someone who understood time better than I ever did.

You needed to go back.

Remus had sent her back because she already had been back. If Remus and Dumbledore were right, and time was a loop, then sometime in his past, Remus had met Hermione and discovered her secret about the Time-Turner. She must have told him how she had arrived in 1971. Remus had likely been torn over his orders—this mission—and Hermione figured out that it must have been her who begged him long ago to make sure she was eventually sent back.

But why? If not to end the war early, if not to destroy Voldemort before he grew into power, if not to save so many lives . . . then what?

Live your life. Enjoy your life.

Was that the reason? Was Remus somehow giving her a second chance at life? Was this her reward for all her efforts in the war? A normal childhood with a chance to grow up in the Wizarding world without being knocked aside due to prejudice? She had been gone less than a full day, and somehow she already had been gifted with a family and a brother and a chance to experience Hogwarts without the need to fight trolls, three-headed dogs, basilisks, Death Eaters, and Voldemort.

Dumbledore told her that Remus's letter was her guide now—her new rules to abide by. As much as it pained her to agree with him, she did. She was good at following rules. Especially when Harry and Ron were not there to convince her otherwise.

Thinking of them hurt. Thinking of everyone back home in 1998 hurt. But hurting was against her new rules.

Live your life. Enjoy your life.

Hermione sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out. She could do this. She would use the letter as her guide. She would live her life as instructed by Remus and Dumbledore. She would try to enjoy her life. But Hermione Granger's life came with baggage. Baggage that she could not carry here in 1971. So she would do the only thing she could do.

Her attention was drawn to a mirror that hung on the wall, and she examined her reflection with a nod of acceptance. She would leave the baggage with Hermione Granger and start fresh—as Mia Potter.

Mia spent her first day as a Potter getting a tour of the ancestral manor and a history lesson on her adoptive family. Dorea was a skilled witch who exuded intellect and grace but somehow still clung to that piece of mischief that lingered in her gaze. Charlus, not knowing how much Mia was privy to about the Wizarding world, attempted to educate her. She did little to stop him as it was an opportune time to bond with the man whom their world would see as her father.

"How are people not going to ask questions about me?" she asked him as they strolled through the family orchards—which reminded her a great deal of the ones in the Weasleys' back garden.

"Well, we're the last of the Potters," Charlus explained. "When Dorea and I married, a good many of the other pureblood families weren't too pleased with it. Her mother had wanted to marry her into one of two other families, but her father loved her and let her choose her own husband." He let a smug expression cross his features. "I like to think she chose well."

Mia smiled. "I do, too."

"Well, when we married, most of Dorea's family cut ties with her, and my parents died the year after. I worked from home for a long while, and it took years and years before we had James. By the time we had the 'Potter heir,'" he said with a roll of his eyes, "society didn't care much about what we were doing. People we went to Hogwarts with had all their children right out of school, so it was hard to fit in with the crowd after James was born. We didn't even publicly announce his birth. Didn't want Dorea's family causing trouble, you see. People know the Potter name, but we've purposely kept to ourselves. Dorea does her charity work, and I've consulted here and there over the years, but people who know that we have a son would be embarrassed to think they'd forgotten we also had a daughter, so they'll never question it."

"Is James going to be upset when he finally figures out that no one out in the world knows who he is?" Mia asked with a wry smile.

Charlus shook his head with a chuckle. "Your brother creates his own world, and in it, he's the highest ranking authority."

"We'll see about that." She was all too eager to take her new brother down a few pegs once they got to Hogwarts.

Meals were served in the formal dining room at the long oak table, though each member of the Potter family all sat at one end, close enough to pick off one another's plates, something that Charlus and James did constantly despite Dorea and Mia's objections. After dinner, the family gathered in the drawing room where Dorea and Charlus watched their children play game after game of Exploding Snap, talking constantly about their eagerness to attend Hogwarts in less than a month.

When Tilly announced it was time for the family to get some rest, Mia practically ran to her room, taking off her robes and throwing on her nightdress swiftly in order to make sure that the house-elf did not do it for her. When Tilly came in later to see if Mia had need of anything, she grinned at her as though she were a challenge. Instead of fighting her new young Miss, Tilly wished Mia sweet dreams.

But as much as Mia Potter wanted to set aside the baggage of Hermione Granger, the two identities were still of the same entity, and just a few hours into the night, Mia began screaming in her sleep.

"Please! Don't hurt them! Please! No!"

"Mia? Mia? Are you all right?"

"Let him go. Please, let him go!"

Her mattress dipped, the motion slightly drawing her out of her nightmare, and when she felt hands on her shoulders, she startled fully awake.

"It's okay." He patted her head affectionately. "It's just a nightmare. You're safe."

"Harry?" Mia whispered.

There was a long pause. "It's James."

Mia looked up at him, tears still welling in her eyes. "Jamie?"

"Yeah, it's me." He looked down at her with a sympathetic gaze, and in the dark, she could almost mistake the hazel colour of his eyes for green.

Her tears overflowed, and a bubble of pain burst inside of her chest as she cried and reached out to hug him close to her, sobbing quietly in his arms.

"It's okay, Mia." James patted her back when she hugged him tight. "I've got you now. You're fine. I'll . . . I'll protect you now."

Chapter Text

'Cause it's you and me and all of the people
With nothing to do, nothing to lose
And it's you and me and all of the people
And I don't know why I can't keep my eyes off of you
(You and Me – Lifehouse)

August 3rd, 1971

Mia woke up the following morning on the right side of her bed next to Jamie, who was using their tightly clasped hands as a pillow under his cheek. She smiled sadly, staring at the boy who looked so much like Harry that her heart ached. Then again, most things hurt these days. She'd had nightmares constantly since the war—since Malfoy Manor really. She had spent a month at Shell Cottage recovering from her run-in with Bellatrix Lestrange where Sirius kept watch over her while she slept, guarding her against the night terrors that plagued her. When she had moved into Grimmauld Place where the memories continued to haunt her sleep, Sirius would be there to comfort her—more than likely feeling responsible since it was his cousin who had tortured her. But when Sirius was not there, it was Harry who would hold her until she stopped crying and fell back asleep.

Regarding James now with his eyes closed, she could not help but see the son in the father, and it warmed her heart to think that somehow fate had smiled and given her a piece of Harry to keep with her in this time.

James was abundantly kind about the situation, and instead of asking Mia questions about her nightmares, or even bringing up the fact that he'd had to stay with her through the night, he teased her about her hair and began enthusiastically planning the rest of their day trip to Diagon Alley.

Much like the morning before, they had breakfast as a family—the conversation littered with many warnings about wandering off. Most of these were directed at James, who appeared to be oblivious to his mother's stern gaze.

When they stepped into the Floo, arriving in Diagon Alley seconds later, Mia smiled at the familiar sights.

Her focus was immediately drawn toward Flourish and Blotts, a strong part of her eager to get her hands on the earlier editions of books she had bought during her own time.

"Can you two be trusted to be on your own while I head into Gringotts?" Dorea asked, her attention strictly on James.

"You don't trust your own son?" he asked, pretending to be offended.

"The last time I brought you to Diagon Alley, you got lost for three hours, and we found you in the back storeroom of Sugarplum's Sweet Shop." Dorea stared down at her son accusingly, and James rolled his eyes.

"That was not the last time we were in Diagon Alley." James scoffed as if the date of the incident was the problem. He turned to Mia, shaking his head. "Mum exaggerates."

Mia quietly laughed as Dorea's jaw twitched, clearly debating whether or not bringing him was a smart move on her part. "I'll take care of him, Mum."

Dorea smiled thoughtfully at Mia, then she turned and pointed a finger at her son. "James, stay with your sister. I mean it, young man. You can look around for a bit, but meet me at Ollivanders in twenty minutes. And don't wander. And do not go anywhere near Knockturn Alley."

"Yes, Mum." James bobbed his head, and the newly acquainted "Potter twins" were left to their own devices, one incredibly eager to run amok.

"Do you want to go to Flourish and Blotts?" Mia asked, scanning the shop with anticipation.

James made a face at her idea. "Or we could go to Broomstix."

"Obscurus Books?" Mia suggested.

He smirked. "I counter your boring idea with a trip into Gambol and Japes."

A joke shop? Mia shook her head. Absolutely not. The last thing she needed was a Potter in a joke shop. She had spent enough time dealing with Harry and Ron inside Zonko's and eventually Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Though she missed her friends, she could not help but feel relieved that she need not worry about encountering Fred and George in this era.

"We should be looking for things on our lists for school." She frowned at him, unaware that she had adopted the look Dorea used when trying to rein in her son.

"Fine, fine. Let's head over to Quality Quidditch Supplies then," he said as though it was a great sacrifice on his part.

"You don't need Quidditch supplies," Mia scolded him. "First years aren't allowed to play."

"Then I'll be pretty famous when I make the team, won't I? Youngest Chaser in a century! That's what they'll call me," he said smugly.

"You're incorrigible," Mia said, laughing.

While she knew James would not become the youngest Chaser in a century, she could not help but feel a strange bit of pride in knowing that Harry would carry on James's Quidditch dream. Even if the sport was a ridiculous waste of time and an excuse to be barbaric. Was it too much to ask to deal with a boy, just one boy in her entire life, who was not obsessed with the insane excuse for a sport?

"Flourish and Blotts first, and then I'll agree to accompany you to your little broom shop. It's not like we even have money to buy anything just yet. We're only browsing while waiting for Mum."

James looked to be okay with the small compromise, and the two headed toward the bookshop.

A thin, sallow-faced woman stormed past Mia on the right, her feet stomping a little as she sped forward. She glanced back once, dark circles beneath her eyes and an exhausted scowl fixed to her jaw. "Severus, hurry, your father wants us back before noon!"

Severus?

Mia turned around to follow the woman's line of sight, but as she moved she collided with someone, losing her balance, and gripped the only thing within reach to keep from falling: a threadbare coat.

"Don't touch me!" the boy she had run into shouted.

She looked up into a pale face draped in black hair, and dark eyes narrowed at her. Shocked at the familiar sneer, she let go of his coat and mumbled out a quick, "Oh, I'm so sorry."

His gaze narrowed angrily before shoving her out of his way. "Watch where you're going!"

Mia tripped backward, still awkward and unused to her smaller frame. She tried to recover her balance but fell to the cobblestone road, skinning her knees and scratching her palms against the rough surface of the street.

"Hey! Don't shove my sister!" James yelled, rushing forward.

"She should watch where she's going," the sour-faced boy said, glaring daggers at James as the two faced off.

"Severus! Get over here!" the gaunt woman yelled.

James scowled at the offending stranger. "Sounds like Mummy's calling you."

Mia sniffed and looked down at her bleeding knee. It certainly was not the worst injury she had ever had to deal with, and she almost laughed at the sting of the cut compared to the Cruciatus Curse or the feeling of being splinched. No, this was nothing, though she was slightly embarrassed by tripping so easily.

As James continued stalking after the other boy, presumably to make sure he did not double back for another round, a shadow fell over Mia from behind.

"Hey, you okay? That looked like a bad tumble."

"I'm fine," Mia grumbled as she tried to pick a few bits of gravel out of the minor wound on her leg.

She turned her attention upward to thank the person for being considerate, but when she went to speak, her mouth fell open as she stared up into a colour of grey that she was intimately familiar with and instantly set her heart aflutter: the colour of campfire smoke on an early autumn morning. Her breath caught in her throat.

"I . . ." She exhaled slowly and unconsciously whispered, "Sirius?"

The boy in front of her quirked an eyebrow, and a smile crossed his face. "Have we met?"

Mia blinked. "What?"

"You called me Sirius."

"What?" she repeated, silently scolding herself for being so easily distracted that she broke one of the main rules of time travel. Cringing, she sought out an excuse to cover her tracks. "No. I said are you serious? A bad tumble. Are you serious? I've had worse."

The boy pondered her answer as though he were trying to decide whether or not she was lying. "Huh."

Mia swallowed and decided to go for casual. "Why did you think we'd met?"

"My name is Sirius," he said with a wink.

She laughed. "Are you serious?"

"Yep."

He grinned, and Mia melted.

This was Sirius. Sirius Black. Her Sirius. No, no, not her Sirius. Her Sirius was not even her Sirius, and he was almost thirty years in the future waiting around for her, the day after her nineteenth birthday when they were supposed to talk about their bond.

Their bond!

Mia's eyes widened as she looked at the boy, wondering if the bond still existed here and now. She recalled reading about the life debt ritual and how it was supposed to exist throughout time and space, but did that mean time travel as well? Certainly not. Hesitantly, she tried to seek out that magical feeling inside of her but came up empty. Something was missing.

"I'm . . . fine," she finally answered Sirius's original question, trying to distract herself from gawking at him.

His lovely aristocratic angles were hidden beneath the softer features of his face, but she knew that those rounded cheeks leftover from childhood would soon fade to reveal a chiselled jaw. His fair skin—not sickly pale, like when she had first seen him in the Shrieking Shack—contrasted dashingly against the shiny black hair that hung just past his ears. Without the aged lines, numerous scars, and tattoos, Mia struggled to search the boy's face for the man who had left her in his family library just days ago.

There was the smallest hint of mischief in the boy's eyes, and Mia smiled.

Found you, Sirius, she thought to herself.

He gestured to her knee, pulling her out of her daze. "You're bleeding is what you are."

She frowned and looked down, embarrassed.

"Here," Sirius pulled a silk handkerchief from the pocket of his finely made robes—finer than even her own, which was truly saying something as Tilly's seamstress skills were excellent. He knelt down at her side and held out the handkerchief.

She eyed the black silk, taking immediate notice of the Black family crest embroidered in silver in the corner of the cloth. "Are you sure? This looks expensive."

He smirked. "All the better to ruin it, then."

She smiled gratefully and pressed the cloth to her small wound, wiping the blood from her skin. "I'm H—Mia, by the way."

James returned at a jog. "What an arse! You okay, Mia?" he asked, concern and irritation in his voice.

"Fine, just scraped my knee. And watch your language." Mia smiled up at James, who was ignoring her scolding in favour of observing the other boy.

Sirius reached out to Mia, helping her to her feet, and she awkwardly slipped his handkerchief back to him with a grateful look.

"Hey, thanks, mate." James extended a hand to Sirius.

Sirius nodded, taking the hand. "No problem."

"James, this is Sirius," Mia said, smiling brightly at what she suddenly realised was a very historically important moment. She beamed at the two boys, searing the memory into her mind. She hoped that she could keep it, so when—or if—she returned to Harry, she could tell him all about it or, better yet, show him inside of a Pensieve. "Sirius, this is my brother James."

"You like Puddlemere?" Sirius asked, gesturing to the shirt that James was wearing beneath his open robes.

James grinned. "Doesn't everyone?"

"I don't," Mia interjected. "I don't like Quidditch much."

"You don't like Quidditch?!" both boys shouted at the same time, eyes wide and gaping at her as though she just had sprouted a second head.

"What the hell, Mia?" James clutched his chest as if heartbroken. "I knew you didn't want to go into the Quidditch shop, but I didn't know it was this bad." He shook his head. Considering his reaction, Mia might as well have been infected with dragon pox.

"What's wrong with you?" Sirius gaped.

James sniffled. "Why do you want to hurt me?"

"Oh for the love of G—Merlin." Mia rolled her eyes at the melodramatic scene playing out before her. "Can we go look for our books now?"

"No way," James said with a scowl, his eyes narrowed at the bookshop. "That greasy-looking git that knocked you over is in Flourish and Blotts with his mum. I'd rather avoid meeting him again."

"Who was he?" Sirius asked, a matching scowl crossing his face.

James shrugged. "No idea. Just another sleazy snake in the making."

"Not a fan of Slytherins?" Sirius asked.

"Why, are you planning on becoming one?" James joked. "Then again, anyone who would plan to be sorted into Slytherin has to be mental."

Sirius laughed awkwardly and sighed. His smile completely faded from sight as he muttered, "Not like I have a choice."

"Sirius Orion Black!"

Mia's eyes widened at the familiar sound of Walburga Black, and she spun to see the horrible witch across the street, alive and in the flesh. It was more than a little uncomfortable to see the woman in front of her and not be able to cover her up with curtains after spending months inside Grimmauld Place being screamed at by her portrait. Walburga Black never hesitated to call her a "filthy Mudblood who was tainting the Ancient and Noble House" by stepping foot inside.

The wretched woman glared down at Sirius as she stormed across the street, ignoring James and Mia entirely. "Did I not tell you to stay by your brother?"

"What for? He hasn't let go of your skirt all morning." Sirius eyed the smaller boy who was, in fact, holding onto Walburga's hideous black dress with a tight fist.

His grey eyes, so similar to Sirius's, were small and wide as he looked nervously between his mother and brother. Mia held her breath at the sight of him—Regulus Black—remembering the grief in her Sirius's eyes when he spoke of his brother's death.

This younger version of Sirius did not look overburdened with grief. Instead, he appeared to be fuming with rebellious anger. "You probably didn't even realise I was gone until you looked for him."

"You watch your mouth, you little—" Walburga raised her hand, clearly having no qualms about striking her own child in the very public square of Diagon Alley.

Sirius, defiant as ever, did not even flinch.

Mia, however, felt like reaching for her wand to defend Sirius, only to remember she no longer had a wand.

"Walburga," Dorea interrupted as she glided over, approaching the scene. For as calm as she sounded, her eyes were cold and hard as she stepped between Walburga and Sirius, forcing him back to stand side-by-side with James and Mia.

Walburga glared, lowering her hand. "Aunt Dorea."

Dorea looked over Walburga as if assessing her. "It's been a long time."

"Not. Long. Enough," Walburga seethed.

Lifting a slender brow at the childish antics, Dorea looked away dismissively. "Still just as dramatic as ever, I see."

"Still married to a blood-traitor, I see."

"Blood-traitor, yes." Dorea laughed, looking down to examine her manicured fingers. "How clever of you. My brother must be so proud."

Still caught up on the word "aunt" that Walburga put in front of Dorea's name, Mia quietly observed the two women. She had almost forgotten that Harry's grandmother was a Black. She had researched it, of course, in preparing for the life debt ritual, needing something from the Black bloodline in order to call for Sirius. However, she had all but forgotten the connection after meeting Dorea face-to-face, finding no similarities between her adoptive mother and the vile witch standing in front of her.

Walburga turned her focus to James. "I'd heard you had a child some time ago."

"Yes, this is my son, James, and my daughter, Mia," Dorea said.

"A daughter too?" Walburga said the word as if it came with great shame. "I'd not heard." She openly patted Regulus on the head, silently showing off that she had provided not just one, but two sons to the "Noble and Most Ancient House of Black," thus one-upping Dorea.

"Well, you know how society is. Once you've got the heir, what more reason is there to celebrate?" Dorea remarked sardonically.

Walburga inclined her head. "I suppose you're right."

"I was being sarcastic, you overstuffed bint," Dorea said, nose twitching.

James and Mia both goggled, wide-eyed, up at their mother, who was usually so calm and collected but had just displayed the classic Black temper, grey eyes narrowed at Walburga.

Sirius, however, beamed up at Dorea Potter as though she were the greatest thing he had ever seen in his entire life. With a look of awe on his face, he grinned and extended his hand to her. "Sirius Black, ma'am. An absolute pleasure to meet you."

"Dorea Potter." She smiled down at the boy, ignoring the look of loathing that crossed Walburga's face as she took Sirius's hand. "And whom do you belong to?" she asked knowingly.

The sound of Walburga grinding her teeth together was audible as she fumed. "That is my son."

Dorea gasped in feigned shock. "But he can smile, Walburga. Where on earth could he have learnt to do that?"

Sirius's grin widened, and he looked over at James and Mia with great appreciation before turning his admiration back to Dorea.

"Sirius is the heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black," Walburga said proudly, though she refused to look at the son she spoke so highly of. The same son she nearly had struck only minutes ago. "You remember that, don't you, Dorea?"

"My own House? Yes, I'm fairly certain I can recall."

Walburga snorted. "Surprising, considering that you refuse to act accordingly."

"I act as my conscience dictates, and I teach my children to do the same," Dorea said, affectionately moving to stand behind James and Mia, putting a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Shame." Walburga glanced down at the children as if Dorea's actions immediately labelled them as blood-traitors. "I teach my children obedience and tradition."

"You teach bigotry and hatred, and you don't fool me for a second," Dorea said viciously, looking as though she were a viper ready to strike. Suddenly, envisioning Dorea Potter as a Slytherin was not so difficult for Mia.

Mia tugged on Dorea's sleeve, eager to get away from Walburga. "Mum, weren't we supposed to get our wands soon?"

"Yes, well." Dorea let out a shaky exhale. "If you'll excuse me, Walburga, my family and I have some school shopping to do."

"Sirius is attending Hogwarts this year as well. Certain to make Slytherin House very proud." Walburga turned her nose in the air and stormed away, clearly eager to have the last word. Dorea, likewise, turned and walked off in the opposite direction. Regulus immediately followed after Walburga, but Sirius did not move.

"I heard at the Sorting we have to fight a dragon," he said with a grin, acting as though nothing had happened.

Mia shook her head. "That's rubbish, Sirius."

"Sirius, come!" Walburga screamed from across the street, but Sirius continued to ignore her.

James's eyes brightened. "I wonder what kind of dragon it'll be!"

"Jamie, we don't have to fight a dragon," Mia insisted.

Sirius grinned excitedly. "I hope it's a Chinese Fireball!"

"Or a Peruvian Vipermouth!"

"Wicked!"

The boys laughed when they had realised they had spoken simultaneously.

Mia glowered. "Are you two even listening to me?"

"Sirius! Come!" Walburga screamed once more, stomping her foot.

"Woman treats me like a bloody dog," Sirius growled.

Mia stifled a laugh as he began to move. "We'll see you on the train?"

"Save me a seat," he said, smiling as he turned to catch up with his family. He dodged to the side as Walburga tried to smack him, laughing when she missed her target.

"Well," Dorea said as the children caught up with her. "Interesting friend you've made."

Mia sighed, her heart clenching as she suddenly realised just how much she had missed Sirius's smile and laughter. "He was nice. A boy shoved me down, and Sirius helped me," she explained, gesturing to her skinned knee.

"A son of Walburga Black helped a Potter?" Dorea laughed softly as she knelt down to examine Mia's injury. She waved her wand gently over the scrape, cleaning what was left. "Salazar Slytherin must be rolling in his grave."

Both James and Mia laughed.

"All right, we're a little behind thanks to that nonsense. I would have just walked away had it been anyone else," Dorea explained. "But there's something incredibly satisfying about ruffling that vulture's feathers."

The Potter family made their way to a narrow, shabby-looking shop ahead of them. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.

Mia smiled brightly up at the sign, and James bounced on his toes as they entered the shop.

"Good afternoon." Mr Ollivander smiled as they approached the counter, glancing with anticipation at the children.

Mia regarded the man who, only months ago, had been devastatingly unhealthy the last time she had seen him at Shell Cottage. The man before her now looked bright and healthy despite his age, obviously eager to help two new customers.

"Dorea Black," Mr Ollivander said with a tone of fond nostalgia. "Ten and a half inches. Cherrywood, pliable, dragon heartstring core."

Dorea chuckled. "It's Dorea Potter now. My children are going to Hogwarts this year and are in need of wands."

Mr Ollivander grinned. "Always happy to provide wands to new Potters. Charlus's wand is eleven inches, walnut, supple with the core of a unicorn hair, is it not?"

"You know it is, you great show off," Dorea said in amusement. "James, you first."

"Hold out your arm. That's it." Mr Ollivander measured James from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and around his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."

Mia blinked, wondering if her original wand was somewhere in the shop, waiting to choose her, or if perhaps she would end up with something different and the beautiful vinewood wand would sit on a shelf and wait.

After only three tries, James eagerly reached for an eleven-inch mahogany wand with a unicorn hair core as Mr Ollivander held it out to him. His eyes lit up, and he let out a breath. "This . . ." he whispered, "this feels . . . good." He grinned and swished the wand which immediately sparked red and gold.

"Ah, wonderful, wonderful," Mr Ollivander exclaimed. "This has very consistent magic. Good for transfiguration. Now, the young lady?" He looked to Mia, who immediately approached the counter to be measured like her brother had been.

The wandmaker turned to the shelves and pulled out three boxes for her to try. The first was a brittle ash wand with the core of a unicorn hair, but it did not touch her fingers for longer than three seconds before he shook his head and removed it from her grip.

"Ah, here." He pulled a familiar-looking wand from a box, and Mia's eyes widened.

No, no, absolutely not!

"Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

Harry's wand. Mia recognised it immediately and hesitated to touch it. She knew this wand and knew its brother, and she swallowed hard as she slowly put her hand out, panic rising to the surface. She refused to swish it, to flick it, or to move it at all.

Mr Ollivander focused on her and frowned at her reaction to the wand and removed it from her palm, watching as she let out a deep sigh of relief. "Interesting," he muttered and replaced the wand with another.

A warmth ran across her fingers like soft bath water after being out in the cold for too long. "This feels . . . familiar."

"Ah, good." Mr Ollivander smiled. "Ten and one-quarter inch, vinewood with the core of a dragon heartstring."

Mia stared at the man. It was not her original wand—the measurements were slightly off—but it felt familiar in her hand. "Dragon heartstring?"

"Yes, Miss Potter, very powerful. The dragon that donated the heartstring was an old Ukrainian Ironbelly. He donated two others that year. A wand made of willow that I sold to a young Muggle-born girl just this week, and another vinewood in the back, just a bit longer than this."

Somehow she had ended up with the sister wand of her original; it made Mia feel like she had not left it behind in 1998 after all.

"Perfection, as usual, Mr Ollivander." Dorea smiled and placed fourteen Galleons in the wandmaker's hand. He bowed in thanks and escorted the Potter family through the shop door.

Maybe this won't be that bad, Mia thought.

1971 was slowly beginning to feel like home.

Chapter Text

And how can I stand here with you,
And not be moved by you?
Would you tell me,
How could it be, any better than this?"
(Everything - Lifehouse)

September 1st, 1971

Mia quickly followed James through the barrier that separated platforms nine and ten. The twins eased their way through the stone wall, both grinning as they pushed their carts; James's taller than Mia's as it held a large cage with one of the family birds, a small owl with speckled brown and white wings by the name of Hector. Though Mia had been offered the chance to bring her own familiar to Hogwarts, she had declined. A part of her was unwilling to bond with another creature, so soon after leaving, the same way that she had done with her beloved Crookshanks.

Smoke billowed out of the engine of the train. The familiar sight of the giant, scarlet steam engine calmed Mia's frazzled nerves—nerves that had been building since Tilly had woken her that morning. It was a familiar kind of anxiety; one that made her think of her original first trip to King's Cross and the anticipation of attending Hogwarts for the first time.

Despite knowing exactly what would happen when she stepped foot on the train that would take her to school, she was not lingering on memories of a battle-worn castle. She had spent the past month as Mia Potter, the daughter of Charlus and Dorea Potter, twin sister of James Potter, and it was practically effortless to get lost in her new life.

The small family rarely left the comfort of the manor; instead, they spent the late mornings reading together or separately in the massive library that rivalled that of the Black family library at Grimmauld Place. Afternoons were spent in the orchard, garden, or the small clearing that James was determined to eventually convert into a proper Quidditch field where he practised flying, pestering his sister to join him. She always refused.

Evenings were spent enjoying dinner together, listening to their parents tell stories, playing Exploding Snap or wizard's chess, and eventually, rushing off to bed to escape the grip of the overbearing house-elf who had apparently made a game of trying to tuck the young Potter children into bed. While James normally enjoyed being doted upon, he had seen the amused and proud expression on his sister's face when she had properly evaded Tilly, and he quickly decided to join in on the fun—much to Tilly's annoyance.

It was only the nights that made Mia's life difficult.

She had refused to let her parents know about her nightmares, not wanting to frighten them or let them see how utterly broken she was. Thankfully, James was always there, sneaking into her room and crawling into her bed an hour or two after they separated into their own suites. He would take her hand into his own, utter promises of protection, and the siblings would fall soundlessly asleep.

Life was strangely good here, and Mia was adjusting well, reading Remus's letter each night before bed to remind herself of her rules.

Live your life. Enjoy your life.

Dorea looked to her children, tears welling in her eyes. James immediately showed his soft side by hugging his mother tightly around the waist and not making a fuss as she affectionately tried to flatten down his black hair that was standing up in several different directions in the back. "Be sure to write to us after the sorting."

"When you get sorted into Gryffindor," Charlus added with a chuckle.

Dorea stared at her husband. "Or Slytherin."

"Anywhere's just fine."

Both Mia and James chuckled at the way that their mother crossed her arms over her chest before mumbling something derogatory under her breath that ended with, " . . . as if children of mine would be Hufflepuffs."

Charlus patted James on the shoulder once before bringing the boy into a tight hug. After releasing his son, he reached a long arm out for his daughter, pulling her in as well. "Go on then, you'll want a good seat."

"Hey, isn't that Sirius?" James asked.

Mia turned out of Charlus's embrace to follow after her brother, spotting the Black family off to the side—consisting of Walburga Black, a pouting Regulus, a tall man with a fixed sneer on his face that could only be Orion Black, and an utterly annoyed and impatient-looking Sirius, who caught her eye and broke into a grin as they passed him on the platform.

Mia started to smile until she made eye contact with Walburga Black. "Let's head inside, Jamie." Escaping the older witch's utter contempt was an absolute necessity.

Sirius sighed as he watched his friends disappear onto the train, wishing he could just make a run for it and escape his parents.

"Do not disgrace our family, Sirius," his mother threatened. "You have an attitude problem and a habit of flocking to ill-bred children."

She was doubtlessly referring to the Potters, whom she had great fun lecturing Sirius about after meeting them in Diagon Alley. He had mentioned that he stopped to help, offering Mia his handkerchief when he saw her knee bleeding. Any other pureblood girl, and Sirius might have been praised for his efforts, but his mother had been furious. She ended up incinerating the handkerchief and using a painful Scouring Charm on his hands, muttering about how one never knew the type of filth that blood-traitors mingled with.

"Luckily, when you're sorted into Slytherin, you won't have to interact with that kind of filth and muck as often."

Sirius groaned impatiently. "I'm going to miss the train if I don't go now."

"Please don't go," Regulus whispered.

"I'll write to you every week, Reggie," Sirius promised, seeing the tense look his brother was giving him. They were as close as they could be, given their home life, though it seemed almost as though their parents were intent on creating animosity between them as though they could hold Regulus over Sirius's head in an attempt to control him. He wished them luck with that.

Regulus frowned. "I want to go, too."

"Don't be ridiculous, my precious boy." Sirius's mother beamed and pulled Regulus closer to her. "You have a whole year just with me. Without distracting influences," she said, narrowing her eyes once more at Sirius.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Subtle."

"What did you say?" she snapped at him.

"I said . . ." He tried to think of a lie—What rhymes with subtle? "Bubble."

"Bubble?"

He let out a disappointed sigh. "Yeah, I'll admit it, I wasn't even trying there."

"Get on the train before I change my mind and send you to Durmstrang," she said through clenched teeth. Though he knew she had no issues with publicly disciplining him, the platform was overly crowded, and she was clearly more interested in leaving as quickly as possible.

"Reggie, Father . . . Walburga, it's been great." Sirius saluted them all with a smirk on his face as he ducked away and rushed toward the door of the train, tugging his trunk behind him.

When he made his way aboard, he smiled as he ran into Mia and James, both having watched his farewell to his family from an open window. "You weren't really going to leave without me were you?"

"It's not my fault that you lingered behind to kiss your Mum," Mia teased.

"Ouch, kitten has claws." Sirius smiled broadly at her, and Mia beamed.

"Hurry up, you two," James called after them, "before all the compartments get taken up."

"You boys go find one, I'm going to watch the train leave," Mia said with a smile.

"Girls." James rolled his eyes. "So bloody sentimental." He laughed, and Sirius joined him. The two made their way down the aisle, eagerly searching for an empty compartment.

"Boys," Mia muttered affectionately, watching as her brother and Sirius disappeared into the crowded aisle.

Misty-eyed, she watched from the window when the train pulled out of the station as the clock struck eleven. Her new parents waved from the platform, and she let out a shaky breath as she was carried away from the anchors of her comfort in this world. Closing her eyes, she remembered that soon she would be at Hogwarts—her safe place. The place where she had grown and blossomed within magic. Her true home.

Mia summoned her inner Gryffindor courage and headed down the aisle to search for Sirius and James.

As she walked, something tugged inside of her as though an invisible string were pulling her gaze to the side. It felt similar to the something missing she noticed when she was around Sirius. She had originally assumed it was the magic that she knew existed between them but might have been fractured during her time travel. Now, however, she was forced to rethink her theory as a similar emptiness moved her gaze on a small compartment at the front of the train where a pale, thin boy with sandy-blond hair sat with his nose stuck in a book.

She raised a brow as she studied him, unsure as to why her magic was reaching out needily.

The boy's nose twitched, and she watched him sniff the air; immediately a confused expression painted his face as his soft green eyes turned and peered up expectantly at her.

She took quick notice that, unlike most of the other students, the boy was already wearing black Hogwarts robes. They looked slightly big on him, covering him from head to foot—save for his hands and the small expanse of neck where Mia could see the faint outline of what looked to be a fresh scar.

Mia let out a soft gasp.

Remus.

She turned her head away from him, stifling her anger as she moved past his compartment, breathing heavily. This boy was the reason she was here in the first place. The reason she had been torn from her own time and thrust into the past without her permission. The reason she was an eleven-year-old again and forced to create a new life and a new identity.

Mia wanted to walk into that compartment and hit him. But then she remembered the confused expression on the boy's face and the scar on his neck. This was not the Remus that tricked her into going to the past; this was just a boy, a boy who, from the looks of it, was feeling very ill.

Mia suddenly realised that the full moon was due in just three days' time. Damn.

He was probably in a lot of pain, feeling sick and on edge, and now he had to deal with the stress of his first trip to Hogwarts.

And hopefully, very soon you will come across a very lonely boy who is terrified to go to Hogwarts and is desperate for some understanding friends.

Her frown deepened. Remus was her friend. No matter what he had done, she had always trusted and admired him. He had been the best teacher she'd ever had the privilege of being mentored by, and he was always there for her. She, in turn, had tried to be there for him, helping Tonks with his transformations and the healing that he needed afterward. At his worst moments—like when he doubted his ability to be a good father—it had always been Hermione to bring him friendly comfort and raise his self-esteem. She could not just turn her back on him now.

With a take-charge attitude, Mia turned back to Remus's compartment, poked her head inside the door, and smiled at him. "Hello!" she said brightly.

Remus jumped at the sudden noise and stared back at her with wide eyes. He clutched his book tightly to his chest, as though he was trying to physically erect a barrier between them.

"Umm . . . me? Hello, m-me?" he stuttered, a very confused expression on his face. "I mean hello. . . umm, hi."

"Are you waiting for your friends to join you?" Mia asked sweetly, trying to ignore the way he shied away from her.

Remus frowned. "No."

Mia tried to hold back her emotions. She had known that he would be alone and would not have been there with friends, but she could not very well let him know that.

"So you're here alone?" she asked, stepping further into the compartment and watching closely as he pressed his back tightly against the window, trying to distance himself more.

"D-Do you . . . ?" he stammered again, his breathing heavy as she closed in on him. "I mean . . . yeah, I'm alone. That's fine, though," he insisted quickly. "I'm okay. I mean, did you need this compartment?"

She watched him carefully, noticing that his gaze flickered between her and the door, looking like he wanted to make a hasty retreat.

"No, my brother's getting us one in the back," she answered, and then pointed to the book he clutched tightly. "What book are you reading?"

"Hogwarts, A History."

"Merlin, that's my favourite!" She grinned and sat down right beside him, watching as he took in a sharp breath and stiffened.

She took a moment to let him adjust to her presence, realising that Remus had probably been terrified at this point to be around other people, especially without his parents to look after him. She recalled an older Remus telling her how afraid he had been of hurting others, or even worse, infecting them. It explained everything about the terrified-looking, lonely boy in front of her. But the older Remus had implied in his letter that his younger self was in desperate need of understanding friends. And his letter was her guide and her rules, and she would obey it.

Mia smiled over at him, gesturing to the book in his hands, watching as he very slowly let his guard down a little.

"My favourite, too." He gave her a nervous smile. "I was really excited to go, so I wanted to read up. I didn't think I'd ever be able to attend."

"Why not? You're a wizard, aren't you?" she asked.

"I . . . I, umm . . . yeah. I mean, my parents weren't sure if they wanted to send me somewhere else is all."

Mia understood why he lied to her and did not push the issue any further. Instead, she beamed at him, offering a friendly smile. "Well, lucky us then."

He raised a brow as though he did not understand the word. "Lucky?"

"Yeah, you're coming to Hogwarts, and now we're going to be friends."

"Friends?" The word sounded painful as it left his lips.

She did her best to hide the expression of grief that threatened to escape her. Yes. Remus was her friend and would be her friend again. She needed him, just as he very desperately needed her.

Eventually, she held a hand out to him that he gaped at with wide eyes. "I'm Mia Potter."

"Remus Lupin," he said without touching her, still staring at her extended hand.

"You know, I don't have germs."

"I know, I mean . . ." He glanced up at her face and then back down at her hand, and she could almost see him calculating the risks. Any other child would have probably thought him to be completely strange or possibly have been offended by his reaction, but Mia knew better, which was also why she refused to back down.

Shake the bloody hand, Remus, she urged him silently.

After a moment, he looked up at her, and she tried to express to him the safety of the situation. Slowly, he took her hand, and she smiled as though she had just received an Outstanding on a test.

"Come on, Remus," she said, tugging on him like Tilly was constantly doing to her.

Remus looked panicked, but he did not struggle against her. "Where . . . Where are we going?"

"To join up with my brother and our friend." She watched as he hesitated, lingering in the door to the compartment that had—up until she arrived—been his safe and secluded place. She waited patiently, communicating with her stance that she was not letting up.

"If you come sit with me, I'll buy us all a feast off of the trolley," Mia said, resorting to simple bribery. "You like Chocolate Frogs?"

With mischievous grin, she watched as the invisible barrier he had put up between them fell down with a silent crash.

As they made their way to the back of the train, she could hear loud laughter coming out of a compartment near the end on the right side of the aisle. And then a very familiar voice shouted out, "See ya, Snivellus!"

Mia frowned. "Oh, no."

"Something wrong?" Remus asked.

"At least two things." She sighed in frustration as she witnessed a young Severus Snape bolt from the compartment door, a sneer on his face as he stormed down the aisle.

Severus made his way past Mia and Remus, shouting, "Move!"

Mia jumped back, not wanting him to push her over again as he had done in Diagon Alley.

A small red-haired girl passed Mia and Remus, tossing them an apologetic look before following after the boy, calling out, "Sev, wait up!"

Mia let out a growl of frustration and made her way to the compartment door, throwing it open and staring down at a laughing James and Sirius. "What did you do?"

Hazel eyes bright with delight, James smiled up at his sister. "We got a compartment!"

"That's not what I meant. Were you mean to the two other students that just came out of here?"

"We didn't do anything," Sirius defended immediately. "That greasy git started it."

"Yeah, he called us stupid."

"And the girl?" Mia asked, eyes narrowed at her brother.

"Probably just another Slytherin like that kid." James shrugged.

Mia rolled her eyes. Oh Jamie, if you only knew what you'd just done.

"You know he's the one that pushed you in Diagon Alley, right?"

Sirius growled. "Yeah, I'm not polite to blokes that shove girls."

She sighed in frustration, knowing that their intentions had, at least, originated from a semi-good-natured place, though she was not pleased with how they had gone about it.

"Thank you for defending me, I suppose. However, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," she added stubbornly as she moved completely into the compartment, reaching back to grip Remus's hand and drag him inside with her, taking a seat across from James and Sirius and pulling Remus down beside her. "By the way, this is my new friend Remus."

"James Potter." James smiled and held out his hand.

Remus stared at it much the same way he had stared at Mia's when she had introduced herself, but this time he did not waste much time in shaking it before another hand was held out to him.

"Sirius Black."

"Remus Lupin," he offered with a small smile.

"What house do you want then, Remus?" James asked quickly.

"Gryffindor," Remus stated without a skipping a beat.

James grinned. "Good. Hey, Mia, you want to hear something funny? Sirius might end up in Slytherin."

Sirius scoffed and held his head high, determination on his face. "Not if I can help it."

"Mum was in Slytherin," Mia pointed out.

"Really?" Sirius baulked. "But your mum seemed so . . . nice."

"She's a Black. Like your mum," Mia pointed out.

"Your mum is nothing like my mum," Sirius said, quick to defend the honour of one Dorea Potter. "At least I hope not, for your sakes."

James cocked his head. "Your mum called my mum 'Aunt Dorea.' That makes us family, yeah?"

"All pureblood families are related somehow if you go far back enough," Mia explained, shifting her bookbag to the floor.

"I never cared to look too hard at my family tree," Sirius said with a grimace. "It crisscrosses too often."

Mia gave him a knowing smile. She had seen the Black family tapestry with her own eyes, and Sirius was by no means exaggerating. There never was a tree with more intertwined branches.

"We're second cousins, I think," she said, pointing to herself, James and Sirius. "However, considering what Sirius said about the crisscrosses in the family tree, there's a chance it could be once removed. Maybe twice. I'd have to research a little just to be sure."

Sirius chuckled. "She always talk like this?"

James grinned, poking Mia's leg with his foot, laughing when she shoved him off. "It gets better the farther she is away from a library or bookshop."

"Move it, first years!"

A shout came from outside the compartment, and all four inside turned to look at the window as a tall, blond boy shoved his way into view.

"Salazar, if I knew what House they belonged in, I'd already be taking away points," the boy drawled.

Mia's eyes widened at the sight. There before her stood the mirror image of a fifteen-year-old Draco Malfoy, recognisable smirk on his lips and two large boys flanking him on either side, also very familiar. For a second, she felt incredibly out of place before she realised that the blond boy in question was not, in fact, Draco, but his father, Lucius Malfoy, and the cronies at his side must have been Crabbe Sr and Goyle Sr.

She felt a sharp pain and pressure in her chest at the sight of Crabbe. Though she had watched as Lucius Malfoy had been struck down by the wand of his own son, seeing Crabbe was more difficult as it was her own wayward curse that had killed the man during the final battle in 1998. The first and only time the words "Avada Kedavra" had left her mouth.

She was distracted from her remorseful thoughts as Lucius Malfoy turned his bullying attention toward a boy in front of him.

"Prefect coming through. Out of my way!" he said as a small first year tried to walk past him. He shoved the boy violently, and the first year collided with the door frame of the compartment, sinking quickly to the ground, nearly being trampled by Crabbe and Goyle in the process.

James and Sirius stood quickly, scowls on their faces at the scene, and Mia jumped from her seat to reach the round-faced boy.

"How awful! Are you all right?" she asked, grabbing his hand and helping him to his feet.

"Yes, thank you," he mumbled, a sad frown on his face.

"What an arse," Mia growled, eyes narrowed at the back of Lucius Malfoy's head as he walked away from them. "Just because he's a prefect, he thinks he can go about shoving people?"

Sirius glared after Lucius, tapping his wand in his palm threateningly despite not yet knowing how to properly use it. "He thinks he can do whatever he wants because he's a Malfoy."

"You know that prat?" Remus spoke up.

"Met him over the summer. He's going to be betrothed to my cousin."

"You sure you're okay?" Mia asked the boy. He nodded, favouring his shoulder—it would certainly be bruised the following day.

"Come on in," James insisted.

He took a seat opposite Sirius, sandwiching Mia between himself and Remus. "Thanks for being nice to me."

James grinned and began another round of introductions. "Course, mate. I'm James."

"Sirius."

"Remus."

"Mia." She smiled at the boy.

"I'm Peter," he said with a kindly, hopeful expression on his face.

No!

Mia's smile disappeared with the what felt like all the blood from her face, and her stomach lurched. She turned her face away from the boy, trying to control her anger as cold dread flooded through her body. She tried to focus on something to ground her.

Sirius and James were already deep in discussion with one another, Remus had re-opened his book, and Peter sat there quietly, so close to Mia that she wanted to scream. She closed her eyes and tried to think of Remus's letter. Her guide and her rules.

Every action we take is the causation of destiny.

Mia silently ground her teeth together. Though she felt proud to have been the reason to introduce James to Sirius and Remus, she was also the catalyst that brought Peter Pettigrew into the company of the future Marauders. She swallowed her guilt and wondered if anyone would notice if she hexed the boy to her left into oblivion. Remus had told her in his letter that she could not change anything. That there were those who were irredeemable. She knew that one such person was sitting right beside her.

A voice distracted her from her bitter thoughts: "Anyone want anything from the trolley?"

She jumped up, desperate to get away from Peter. "I'll get it. My treat."

Sirius grinned at her. "Careful, if you spoil us too early, you'll never get rid of us."

"Like feeding a lost dog?" Mia chuckled, and her smile brightened when Sirius let out a familiar barking laugh, soothing the open wound that meeting Peter Pettigrew had caused.

"Can I get two boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and five . . ." she began, figuring she could not leave Peter out without appearing rude and suspicious. But then she remembered Remus was probably feeling sick due to the approaching moon. "No, six Chocolate Frogs?"

"Get me some Pumpkin Pasties, Mia?" James begged her.

"Can I have a Cauldron Cake?" Sirius added excitedly.

Mia rolled her eyes. "And what they said."

With her arms full of treats, Mia made her way to sit in between Sirius and James, wiggling her tiny hips and forcing both boys to make room for her. She subconsciously needed to feel surrounded by them both as she looked across at Peter Pettigrew, who was making himself comfortable next to Remus. Though she had been very content to sit beside the young werewolf, being so near to the traitorous rat had left her feeling sick inside, as though her magic were violently trying to repel him. Somehow, feeling cocooned between her brother and Sirius erased the sickness.

They crashed from their sugar high a few hours later.

Mia fell into a quiet slumber, grateful for James and Sirius sitting beside her to chase away the nightmares. Instead of memories of war playing behind her closed eyes, she dreamt of Hogwarts and of Harry and Ron.

When her eyes opened hours later, she blinked the sleep away and surveyed her surroundings with an amused smile on her face. James, to her left, had snuggled into her shoulder, his messy black hair tickling the side of her cheek as he softly snored. Sirius, however, had collapsed on her lap, his long black locks strewn all over her thighs, his legs splayed out toward the end of the bench.

Mia smiled down at him affectionately and ran her fingers through his hair without a thought as to how strange it might appear.

"You seem pretty close to Sirius after only just meeting him," Remus commented.

Mia glanced up with a smile. "I guess I have a habit of adopting strays."

"I heard that," Sirius mumbled sleepily, snuggling further into her lap.

Mia looked down at him, wondering how he was so easily affectionate with Walburga as a mother. She could hardly imagine that woman being the type to hug her children.

"If you're awake, why are you still on my lap?"

"This 'stray dog' enjoys having his head scratched." Sirius reached up without looking, took her hand, and put it back on his head. When she laughed and swatted him gently, he grabbed her free hand and laced his fingers with hers.

Mia blushed, shocked, but continued to run her fingers through his hair, remembering how an older Sirius would shift into Padfoot and crawl next to her, head against her thighs as she petted his soft black fur. Apparently, the man had always been a bit of a lap dog, and someone who clearly did not know the meaning of personal space.

"I'm going to ignore the fact that your head is on my sister's lap because there are more important things to take care of right now," James said with a yawn as he sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Like what?" Mia wondered, still running her fingers through Sirius's hair.

"Remus, Peter," James addressed them with a very intense stare. "I have a very important question for you both, and the future of our friendship hangs in the balance here."

Remus sat back with a concerned look on his face as though James were just about to ask if he was a werewolf. Beside him, Peter swallowed hard.

James's voice was completely serious when he asked, "Which Quidditch team do you support?"

Mia rolled her eyes. "Ugh."

"Puddlemere United," Remus answered immediately with a big smile.

"You like Quidditch?" Mia stared at him with shocked eyes, and Remus smiled at her and shrugged. She teasingly scowled at him. "Traitor."

"I've always liked the Falmouth Falcons," Peter answered but then quickly added, "But I could like Puddlemere."

"Good answer," Sirius said, his head still buried in Mia's lap, eyes closed.

"What about the Chudley Cannons?" Mia asked with a mischievous smirk.

"What?" James yelled, and Sirius, echoing James, pushed off of her lap.

"Are you out of your mind?"

"They haven't won the League Cup since like 1892!" Sirius shouted and narrowed his eyes.

Mia burst into laughter as she stood. "If it's that easy to rile you all up, this is going to be a fun year. We better get our robes on. I'll leave so you boys can change."

She caught a brief look of relief on Remus's face that she assumed had been because he was already wearing his robes and would not have to explain to his new friends about whatever scars covered his body.

Just as she moved to open the door to the compartment, a voice echoed throughout the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately."

She turned back once more at the compartment full of boys, watching as Sirius and James struggled to find their robes whilst Remus turned his attention quietly back to his book. Peter, however, was smiling up at her, and Mia could not help but hate him for it. She wondered if she treated the boy kindly enough, would he change? If she fostered a bit of courage in him, would he stand up to the Dark Lord and not betray his friends? No. Not only had Remus's letter said that she would not change anything, but a sinking feeling in her gut told her on instinct not to trust him.

No. Mia would not be overly kind to the boy who would grow into the traitorous man.

It was then that she remembered her first ride on the Hogwarts Express when she had accidentally created a bit of resentment between herself and Ron. This time, she decided to do it on purpose. Pausing in the door, she stared at Peter, and muttered, "You've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"

A few minutes later, the train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out onto a tiny, dark platform. A lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Mia heard a familiar voice: "First years! First years over here!" Her smile brightened at the sight of Hagrid. "C'mon, follow me—any more first years? Mind yer step, now! First years follow me!"

Mia reached for her boys, tugging them along into a row to keep them close. She purposely kept Peter at bay as she moved ahead, linking her arm with James's as the students began walking behind the half-giant.

Hagrid led them through the darkness, separating the first years from the rest of the students who were entering large carriages drawn by thestrals. "You'll get your first sight of Hogwarts in a sec," he called over his shoulder. "Just round this bend here."

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid said, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore.

James and Sirius raced to get into a boat first, and James grinned as he won, claiming himself captain in the process. Mia reached for Remus's hand, and he politely held it to help her climb in, following swiftly behind her.

"Sorry, Pete." Sirius looked back at the boy with a shrug. "We'll see you on the other side of the lake, mate."

Peter nodded, and Mia could not help but feel incredibly satisfied. Her satisfaction did not last long, however, as the boats surged forward across the lake, and both Sirius and James began rocking back and forth.

"James Charlus Potter! If I fall in this lake and get eaten by a giant squid, I will haunt you forever!" Mia screamed, gripping the side of the boat.

James laughed. "Aww Mia, you know we'd save you if you fell in."

Sirius grinned. "Yeah, I'm sure one of us knows how to swim."

"Heads down!"

Everyone ducked obediently, and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They moved along a dark tunnel—which appeared to be taking them right underneath the castle—until they reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

"See? You're fine." James smiled at Mia, who had accepted Remus's hand to maintain her balance as she climbed out of the boat. If she had not been so annoyed with her brother and Sirius, she would have taken great pleasure in seeing Remus opening up so easily to her, taking her hand without hesitation when she reached on instinct for him.

They scrambled up a passageway in the rock following the light of Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

Mia took a deep breath as the doors began to open.

It's good to be home.

Chapter Text

I'll be there someday, I can go the distance
I will find my way, if I can be strong
I know ev'ry mile, will be worth my while
When I go the distance, I'll be right where I belong
(Go the Distance - Michael Bolton)

September 1st, 1971

The awed first years walked through the entrance hall, and Mia let out a sigh of relief; there were no battle scars in the hall, nor any signs of the war's wounded and dead. The beautiful stone walls were accented with lit torches, and the staircase drifted off to the side leading up to the dorms she was so eager to see once again.

Professor McGonagall led the students into the small chamber off the hall where they would wait to join the rest of the school in the Great Hall and be sorted.

James bounced eagerly on the balls of his feet. "Are you ready, Sirius?"

"It's going to be a Hungarian Horntail. I know it!" Sirius said excitedly.

Mia groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Oh, not this again."

"Wh-What about a d-dragon?" Peter sputtered out.

"We have to fight a dragon!" James said with a bright grin, turning to look at the short boy who cowered at the words.

"You get into Hogwarts or you burn alive!" Sirius exclaimed with a dark, amused look in his eyes.

There were other students in the back listening, all appearing equally terrified.

Mia scowled. "Will you two stop?"

"Or it eats you!" James added, ignoring her protests.

Remus leant in and whispered to a wide-eyed Peter, "They're taking the mickey out of you."

"Have you been sorted before?" James asked Remus with a devious smirk.

"C'mon Remus, you can help us take down the Romanian Longhorn!" Sirius patted his new friend on the back. "You, me, and James will take it down together. We'll be legends!"

"You guys are morons."

Mia turned at the voice to see the familiar face of the red-haired girl from the train. Severus Snape stood beside her, glowering at the eager Marauders.

The girl pursed her lips, folded her arms across her chest, and levelled James and Sirius with a condescending glare. "You're sorted by a magically enchanted hat."

"Oh yeah?" James turned and stared at her, an amused expression on his face as though she was giving him a proper challenge. "How do you know that?"

"It's in Hogwarts, A History," she, Remus, and Mia all said simultaneously.

Sirius and James burst into laughter just as the doors opened, and Professor McGonagall stepped back through them.

"Now, form a line," she told them, "and follow me."

The Great Hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles floating in midair over four long tables where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were covered with glittering golden goblets and plates. At the top of the hall was another long table where the staff was sitting.

The first years were led up to the front of the room so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there, floating above the tables, ghosts shone a misty silver.

Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the students. On top of the stool, she put a pointed wizard's hat.

James and Sirius eyed the dirty, old hat disappointedly, and the redhead—that Mia knew had to be Lily Evans—looked incredibly smug at the sight and raised an eyebrow at James and Sirius, muttering, "I told you so."

For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth, and the hat began to sing:

Stick me here upon your brow
And let me sing my song.
I'll dig inside your tiny minds
To see where you belong.

Sit right down and let me see
The puzzles in your mind,
For you will notice there is not
A secret I can't find.

You might belong in Gryffindor
And wear the red and gold.
Chosen by brave Godric,
Who picks the daring and the bold.

Perhaps you'll find in Hufflepuff
You prefer yellow and black.
The followers of good Helga,
Kindness they never lack.

If you find yourself in Ravenclaw,
You'll wear the bronze and blue.
And see that wise Rowena
Likes her students original and true.

If you're destined inside Slytherin,
Silver and green you'll don.
Salazar made Ambition
His House's words and song.

Regardless of where I place you
Hogwarts binds you all together,
For even once outside these walls
Your magic lives forever.

Professor McGonagall then stepped forward, holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, please place the hat on your head and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Adrian!"

A blond boy slowly made his way to the stool, put on the hat and waited for a few moments.

"SLYTHERIN!" shouted the hat.

The boy made his way to the far end of the hall where a table dressed in green and silver was filled with fellow Slytherins waiting for him with applause. Among them, Mia immediately caught sight of the pale white-blond hair of Lucius Malfoy, his prefect badge glimmering in the light. To his left and right sat Crabbe and Goyle, respectively, and across from him was another head of blond hair belonging to a girl that Mia quickly assumed to be a young Narcissa Black.

"Alton, Samantha!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Bagman, Otto!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Belby, Damocles!"

Mia's attention quickly fell to the boy that approached the hat. She knew his name well as she had been researching him since the summer after Dumbledore's death. With Snape on the run, Remus no longer had a Potions Master to brew his Wolfsbane Potion—Slughorn was an excellent teacher but also a bit unreliable and had no reason to be charitable to an old student, especially without Dumbledore there to lean on him. She had taken up the task of attempting to brew the potion but had been unsuccessful at it. In her endeavour to get the potion correct, she had read about its history, and the wizard who created it: Damocles Belby. Staring at him in the Great Hall, she found herself eager to pick his brain over the coming years in an effort to secure the helpful elixir for her friend.

Eventually, the hat yelled, "SLYTHERIN!"

Mia smiled as she noticed who was next. "Good luck, Sirius."

"Luck?" Sirius grinned at her. "I don't need luck. I've got determination on my side."

"Plan on tricking the Sorting Hat in order to get into Gryffindor?" James snickered.

"That sounds very . . . Slytherin of you," Mia teased.

Sirius turned, stepping a little too close to her as though he were trying to be intimidating. Unfortunately, all it did was remind Mia of an older Sirius who was waiting for her somewhere in the future. "Just for that, kitten, I'm getting into Gryffindor just to spite you."

"Black, Sirius!" Professor McGonagall called, and they all watched as Sirius strutted forward, a smirk still on his face when the hat fell over his eyes.

Despite knowing the result, Mia watched nervously, waiting as the Sorting Hat took its time. Sirius did, indeed, look determined, and she could only imagine the mental argument he was having with the hat, refusing to be placed in the Hogwarts House of his ancestors.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat eventually shouted, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers.

"HA!" Sirius said with the brightest smile Mia had ever seen as he turned and pointed at her and then silently did what she figured was an "I told you so" dance on his way to the Gryffindor table.

Mia chuckled. "I'll never hear the end of this, will I?"

Remus grinned wryly. "Unlikely."

"Brown, Alice!" became the next Gryffindor to join the table, and Mia smiled at the young girl's resemblance to Neville Longbottom. The fact that the girl's last name was Brown made Mia wonder if she was related to Lavender.

"Carrow, Alecto!"

Mia narrowed her eyes, knowing the name well. The Carrow twins were Death Eaters that had evaded Azkaban after the First Wizarding War and spent the last year of the Second Wizarding War tormenting students as teachers inside the sacred walls of Hogwarts.

It was no surprise when the hat called out, "SLYTHERIN!" for the sister, and then again as her brother Amycus followed.

"Catchlove, Greta!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Evans, Lily!"

The redhead stepped forward and smiled nervously as she sat on the stool.

There was barely a second after it had touched her dark red hair, the hat cried, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Lily took off the hat, handed it back to Professor McGonagall, then hurried toward the cheering Gryffindors. As she went, she glanced back at Snape with a sad little smile.

James scratched his head. "Huh, pegged that one as a Ravenclaw."

Mia rolled her eyes. "You said on the train that she was probably a Slytherin."

"Nah. She knew about the hat like you and Remus."

Remus eyed James with a smile. "That make us Ravenclaws, too?"

"Hope not. You two leave me alone with Sirius? Who'll keep us in line?"

Mia scoffed when James winked at her. "If that's even possible."

"Fawcett, Julia" became the newest Ravenclaw, and "Gudgeon, Davey" was sent to Hufflepuff.

When an anxious-looking, lanky boy stepped forward, Mia smiled sweetly, patting his shoulder and offering him silent support. Despite his nerves, "Longbottom, Frank" was sent to the Gryffindor table without hesitation.

"I'm nervous." Remus swallowed, staring at the stool with a look of trepidation as his turn to be sorted grew closer. "That's not very courageous of me, is it? I shouldn't even be here."

Mia laced her fingers through his, offering a gentle squeeze of encouragement. "'It takes a great deal of courage to see the world in all its tainted glory, and still to love it.'"

Remus looked back at her and smiled, surprised. "Oscar Wilde. You read Muggle literature?"

"I do. But he was actually a wizard."

"Really?" Remus asked excitedly.

"Lupin, Remus!" Professor McGonagall called out, and Remus turned, making his way toward the stool, taking a seat as the hat was placed on his head.

The Hat barely even touched him before it shouted out, "GRYFFINDOR!" and the large table of lions roared with cheers, none louder than Sirius who eagerly welcomed his new friend to the table. Mia applauded with everyone else, smiling brightly at Remus.

"Macdonald, Mary" followed Remus into Gryffindor, and soon after, a familiar head of straggly, waist-length, dirty-blond hair called "Maestro, Pandora" was sent to Ravenclaw.

Despite knowing the outcome, when "Pettigrew, Peter" was called forward, Mia prayed to Merlin that he would be sent to Slytherin or even Hufflepuff—or better yet, home. But Peter joined Sirius and Remus at the table with a smile, and Mia frowned.

"Care to wager how long it takes the hat to stick me in Gryffindor?" James asked with a grin, practically vibrating with excited anticipation.

Mia laughed at her brother. "Something tells me it'll be instantaneous."

James grinned smugly. "Bloody right."

"Potter, James!"

In record time—Mia was not even sure the brim came close to James's head—the hat cried out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

She smiled, watching as her brother darted down the steps and rushed into the applause that fueled him, turning back to grin up at her.

"Of course," came a bitter voice from behind her.

Mia turned and peered at Severus Snape, who had his arms folded over his chest whilst he glowered at the Gryffindor table. "There's nothing wrong with Gryffindor."

Snape scowled at her. "Says another future little lion."

"My mum was a Slytherin," she said with a shrug. "Just because it's tradition that they sort us into separate houses doesn't mean that it's correct. They try to divide us this way because it's tradition, but we all mingle in the world once we leave Hogwarts. You can still be friends with her, you know."

"No idea what you're talking about," Snape said with glaring eyes that focused on the Gryffindor table where Lily sat, purposely ignoring the ruckus that James and Sirius were causing beside her.

Mia shrugged. "If you say so."

The Gryffindors continued celebrating—egged on by Sirius and James—so loudly that Professor McGonagall had to pause the Sorting to throw a few sternly worded threats to her own House if they did not calm themselves. When she returned to stand beside the stool, she looked down at the parchment in her hands in irritation before calling out, "Potter, Mia!"

Mia muttered a polite, "It's actually pronounced My-uh," to Professor McGonagall as the hat was dropped on her head. The last thing that she saw before the hat fell over her eyes was the expectant expressions on the faces of James, Sirius, and Remus all waiting eagerly for her to join them at the Gryffindor table.

"Hmm . . ." whispered a voice in her ear. "Well, this is interesting. Wasn't expecting someone like you, Miss Granger."

Potter, Mia silently corrected.

"Ah, but you know you can't keep secrets from me. I can see every little puzzle inside your mind. Past, present, and future. Although for you I suppose all three are the same, aren't they?"

Mia impatiently sighed, thinking, Just put me in Gryffindor, please.

"Are you sure? It seems Ravenclaw was an option your first time around. You've got a clever mind indeed, very brilliant and talented, too. You'd do well in Ravenclaw."

I wouldn't be challenged in Ravenclaw, she mentally countered, determined not to end up anywhere but Gryffindor.

"No, no, you don't absorb knowledge for the fun of it, you like to use it, don't you? You take what your mind absorbs, and you use it. Very resourceful. Very cunning. Very ambitious."

Her eyes widened as she caught on to what the hat was insinuating. Don't. You. Dare. I do know where you are kept. Might be a little sad if you're too close to Fawkes when Burning Day approaches.

"Was that a threat? How very daring of you, Miss . . . Potter."

Yes. Daring! And very brave of me, if I do say so myself.

"Better be . . . . GRYFFINDOR!"

Mia let out a long sigh of relief, and she rushed away from the hat, still shocked that she had almost ended up in Slytherin this time around. Draco would faint if she ever got the chance to tell him.

She ran into a hug from James that awaited her at the Gryffindor table where her fellow lions were applauding her wildly. Taking a seat beside Remus, she stared across from her where Lily Evans gazed up at the Sorting Hat as "Snape, Severus" was placed in Slytherin.

Lily lowered her gaze sadly to the table.

Mia glanced up to watch Snape slowly make his way to Slytherin; an empty space was made beside Lucius Malfoy, who patted him on the back in congratulations.

Eventually, the final students were called to be sorted, "Shingleton, Gaspard" went to Gryffindor, "Stebbins, Rikard" was placed in Ravenclaw, "Tuft, William" joined the Gryffindor table, and a beautiful "Zabini, Elora" fell swiftly into Slytherin.

Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there. "Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Zowzy! Biggly! Gimble! Bazinga!"

The students chuckled, save for the Slytherins who all irritably rolled their eyes and sneered.

Dumbledore—clearly unaffected by the attitudes of the Slytherin students—continued his speech. "A large welcome to all new students. May you find Hogwarts to be your home and sanctuary, a place of safety and familiarity in a world that can otherwise often prove strange and unfamiliar. Though, I will not deny that Hogwarts can be strange indeed. Now, before we send you off to bed, tuck in, and enjoy this wonderful feast!"

The golden plates in front of them were suddenly piled with food: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, and gravy.

Everyone immediately dove in, loading up their plates.

Mia had spent years at this table eating many meals, generally surrounded by Harry and Ron who often choked on bites and made messes. She groaned, unable to think about dealing with that again as she looked over at Remus, James, and Sirius—all who were keeping themselves miraculously clean as they ate.

She gaped at the sight. "Merlin, the three of you actually have table manners?" Of course, she knew that James did, though she had worried he would somehow turn into a pig once around boys his own age.

Sirius eyed her curiously. "What did you expect?"

"From eleven-year-old boys?" Mia asked, laughing. "I expected you to be shovelling your plates down your throats by the truckload."

"Glad to surprise you?" Remus asked, the look on his face telling her he was trying to decide whether or not to be offended by her assumptions.

"Peter, wipe your face, mate," James called down the table. "You're lowering the bar we've apparently raised for ourselves."

Between bites, the boys quickly began discussing Quidditch, and even Remus joined in, tossing a smirk to Mia before speaking, clearly finding it humorous that she had assumed he did not like the sport simply because he loved books as much as she did.

Ignoring their conversation, Mia gazed across the table where the redhead in front of her picked sadly at her food. "Hi. I'm Mia Potter."

The girl gazed up, and her bright green eyes sparkled. The colour made Mia's breath hitch in her throat as her heart desperately called out for her best friend, for Harry.

"Lily Evans."

Mia collected herself and cleared her throat before speaking again. "I wanted to apologise for my brother and my friend." She gestured to James and Sirius who, despite having had manners five minutes ago, were now using their spoons to launch peas into one another's open mouths. They had surprisingly good aim.

Rolling her eyes with an embarrassed sigh, Mia turned back to Lily. "I'm not sure what happened, but I think they were rude to you and your friend on the train, and I would like to apologise on their behalfs."

"They were." Lily scowled down the table, glaring at James and Sirius before turning back to Mia. "But Severus can take things a little too seriously from time to time."

Sirius turned and smiled. "Someone call me?"

"Eat your treacle tart, Sirius," Mia ordered, and he bowed his head in feigned reverence, returning to his plate.

"Did you see the ceiling?" Alice smiled sweetly as she looked up in awe. "It's so beautiful."

Lily's solemn expression faded, and she smiled as her attention turned upward. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Are you a Muggle-born?" Mia asked Lily—already knowing the answer—using her knowledge to press for an open conversation with the girl who would grow up to be her best friend's mother.

"Yes," Lily admitted. "Something wrong with that?"

Mia frowned at the girl's tone. Clearly Lily had already been dealing with prejudice in the Wizarding world, and Mia knew exactly how that felt. "Not at all. I'd love to learn more about Muggle-borns if you're ever interested in sharing. I've read a bit about the Muggle world myself, but I've always wanted a Muggle-born friend."

Slowly, the visible tension in Lily's posture faded, and she tentatively smiled. "Really?"

"Friends?"

"Sure!"

"What about the rest of you?" Mia asked the other first years at her table. "What are your families like?"

"Pureblood," Alice admitted with a shrug. "I've got an older brother who graduated from Hogwarts last year."

"Same here." Frank Longbottom smiled. "Pureblood, I mean. I've got no brothers. It's just me and Mum."

"I'm pureblood, too." Mary Macdonald joined in on the conversation, switching her seat from where she had been on the other side of Gaspard and William. The two boys did not looked phased by the shifting, too caught up in looking at Chocolate Frog cards.

"Me, too," Peter chimed in.

"You're all purebloods?" Lily asked with furrowed brows, looking like she suddenly felt very out of place even more than she was.

Sirius looked over at Lily. "It's not all that it's cracked up to be, Evans. Trust me."

"Why's that?" Lily asked.

"Because most pureblood families have dwindled down so much that if they want to stay pureblood, they end up marrying their own cousins," Mia said, chuckling as Sirius nodded his head with raised brows.

Lily gasped. "Are you serious?"

"No, I'm Sirius." Sirius grinned. Remus and Mia groaned, but he ignored them. "And yes, it's true. My parents are second cousins. It's a flip of the Galleon whether or not purebloods come out crazy, but it makes for good-looking blokes like me." He winked at the small grouping of girls at the end of the table. Alice and Mary blushed, but Lily looked annoyed, something Mia appreciated.

"There are some pureblood families that don't care about blood status, though," Mia insisted, looking at Lily. "Like mine. The Potters are perfectly normal witches and wizards."

"Mia, look!" James yelled, excitedly.

Everyone turned to watch as the heir to the House of Potter, the only son, descendant of the great Ignotus Peverell—and future father of The Chosen One—balanced his wand on his forehead.

Mia stared at him in disbelief and let out an embarrassed sigh as glanced back at Lily.

"Your brother?" Lily asked with a raised brow.

"Yes."

"He's . . ." Lily looked at James, who was being cheered on by Sirius and Peter.

"He grows on you," Mia promised.

"I'm sure he does." Lily watched as the wand fell from James's forehead, hit the table, and shot red sparks upward into his face. James gave a shout and fell backward off his seat, his glasses going with him.

"Bloody hell!" James yelled as he retook his seat, slipping his wand back into his robes and looking at his broken spectacles with consternation.

"Give them here." Mia reached out, annoyed. James, however, ignored her expression as he placed his broken glasses into her hand and watched as she said, "Occulus Reparo!"

"Little sister to the rescue!" James beamed at her, taking his mended glasses.

"You're younger?" Alice asked Mia.

Mia rolled her eyes. "By barely a minute."

"You're twins?" Lily asked in patent disbelief.

"He got the Potter looks, I got the Potter talent." Mia grinned smugly.

"I'm talented," James insisted.

Mia stared up at him incredulously. "Says the boy who dropped his wand while balancing it on his face."

"In James's defence," Sirius interjected. "He had it up there for like a whole minute before it fell."

Mia scoffed, stabbing her fork into a carrot with a little more effort than was necessary. "I'm so glad that I'll be sharing a room with girls."

"You're really going to leave me alone with them, aren't you?" Remus looked up at her, shaking his head as though she had just betrayed him, though a small smirk played across his lips.

"You'll survive," Mia promised him. "If you manage to keep them in line, there's a Chocolate Frog in it for you."

"Deal." Remus's happy expression disappeared suddenly, and he clutched at his side, wincing.

Mia immediately frowned at the sight, something inside of her hurting for him. "Are you all right, Remus?" she asked quietly with concern, trying her hardest not to sound as though she were pitying him. She knew that the older Remus hated being pitied more than almost anything.

"Yeah. I, uh . . . I was sick last week." Remus frowned through the lie. "Might be coming back a bit."

"Do you need any . . . ?" Mia began but was cut off as Professor Dumbledore stood to speak once more.

"Ahem! A few more words now that we're all properly fed. There are some start-of-term notices. First years should note that the forest is forbidden to all students. Mr Filch, the caretaker, would like me to remind you all that magic should never be used in the corridors between classes. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch."

"I'm trying out!" James insisted.

"You can't, you're a first year!" Mia said.

"We'd like to welcome a new addition to the staff," Dumbledore went on. "Professor Fenwick, who will be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Place your bets, everyone," a vaguely familiar voice called out, and Mia turned to see the red hair and freckled faces of two older boys. One carried a parchment in his hands, the other collected coins in his upturned hat.

"Bets?" Mia asked, regarding the twins who slightly resembled Fred and George.

"See how long this professor lasts. No Defence teacher ever makes it past a year," the twin collecting the coins said.

The twin with the parchment grinned. "They say the position is cursed."

"That sounds like rubbish," Peter spoke up, rolling his eyes.

The twin with the hat full of coins scrutinised Peter with a look. "Hear that, Gideon? Ickle firsties know better than us."

"I heard that, Fabian," the twin with the parchment said. "Care to put your Galleons where your mouth is?" He narrowed blue eyes at Peter, who instantly began to stutter.

Mia smiled at the sight. Gideon and Fabian Prewett: Molly Weasley's younger brothers.

Dumbledore was still speaking, oblivious to the gambling happening at the Gryffindor table. "Lastly, all students should be aware that Professor Sprout has successfully transferred and planted a Whomping Willow on the grounds. All students should avoid the tree at the cost of life and limb. Whomping Willows are sentient trees, and prone to irritable bouts of violence."

At the announcement, Mia's gaze darted immediately to Remus, who sat staring at his now empty plate with wide eyes, taking in slow deep breaths. She wanted to reach across the table and take his hand in a comforting way, but she could not let him know yet that she was aware of his secret and the real reason the Whomping Willow had been planted.

"A tree is violent?" Lily asked.

"Very. I've read about them," Mia said.

Sirius let out a barking laugh. "Of course you have, kitten."

"Now, off to bed with you all!" Dumbledore clapped his hands together and instantly all the dirty, empty plates vanished from in front of them.

"All right first years, follow me!"

Mia looked up to meet the familiar face of a young Kingsley Shacklebolt. It was odd to see the Minister for Magic this young, herding around a group of eleven-year-olds, but the shiny prefect badge on his robes made it all the more real.

As the students stood and headed for the door, each led by their prefects, Mia caught the glares that passed between Kingsley and Lucius Malfoy. She could not help but see the amazing parallels to the future. Kingsley Shacklebolt, future Minister for Magic and Order member, and Lucius Malfoy, Death Eater and Voldemort's right-hand wizard.

"Keep up now, don't get lost!" Kingsley yelled over his shoulder as the Gryffindors made their way through the entrance hall and toward the large staircase. James and Sirius were at the head of the group, trailed by Peter. Mia stayed behind, reaching for Remus's hand as he struggled going up the stairs, obviously in pain. "The stairs move frequently so keep that in mind, especially when you're running late to class. The professors aren't lenient, not even our own Head of House, and she knows all too well how easy it is to get stuck on the stairs. Or in the stairs, if you're not too careful."

"What do you mean 'in the—' Ow!" Frank yelled as his foot fell through the vanishing step.

"Trick step. It catches all the first years eventually," Kingsley said with a low chuckle as Frank blushed beet red.

Mia could not help but remember Neville's run in with the same trick step. Like father like son. She smiled, hoping that she could bring memories of Frank and Alice to Neville when . . . if she ever returned to her timeline.

Chapter Text

Oh, why you look so sad? Tears are in your eyes
Come on and come to me now. Don't be ashamed to cry
Let me see you through 'cause I've seen the dark side too
When the night falls on you. You don't know what to do
Nothing you confess, Could make me love you less
(I'll Stand By You - The Pretenders)

September 2nd, 1971

The morning after the Sorting Ceremony was spent at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall—new and returning students eagerly devouring breakfasts alike.

Mia smiled affectionately at her brother, pushing his hair back in an attempt to make it sit flat, much like their mother always did. James retaliated by messing up his hair worse than ever and grinning defiantly at his sister. Peter clung to Sirius's side the whole morning until the owls arrived to deliver the post.

All the children had written home the night before, so James and Mia were not surprised to receive letters from their parents who were excited over them both being sorted into Gryffindor. Each parent took a moment to offer words of advice for the coming year, and there was even a little note at the bottom of each letter from Tilly, who proudly praised the young Potters, writing about how she knew they would get into Gryffindor because they were so very talented and brave.

The reading was interrupted when a bright red envelope fell to the table in front of Sirius, dropped by a large Eagle owl that attempted to bite the boy as he reached for it, snatching a sausage off of his plate before taking flight again.

"Bloody owl." Sirius stared down at the letter in front of him with a sigh. "Well, I can't say this was unexpected."

"What's the matter?" James asked. "Wait . . . is that what I think it is?"

Mia shook her head, disgusted with Walburga Black. "A Howler."

"What's a Howler?" Lily asked, taking a seat beside Mia and looking across the table, curiously noticing the way Sirius was glaring down at the red envelope with disdain.

James and Mia each winced, waiting for the oncoming storm, while Lily looked on eagerly. The rest of the table politely turned their heads away, though Sirius was already getting curious looks from the nosy neighbouring tables of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.

"Screw this," he growled and reached for the letter, tearing it open in bold defiance.

A roar of sound filled the entire Great Hall, and the enraged voice of a wailing Walburga Black deafened the large room:

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK! YOU DESPICABLE EXCUSE FOR A WIZARD! BRINGING SHAME ON THE HONOUR OF MY FATHER'S HOUSE! YOU HAVE BROUGHT DISGRACE UPON YOUR FAMILY! HOW DARE YOU BREAK TRADITION!"

Mia scowled at the familiar screams, her body tightening in response to years of having had to listen to the woman's derisive remarks.

Sirius sat firm, however, glaring at the crimson Howler with pure hatred, while all the rest of the students shrank from the noise as if they were hearing their own parents.

"THANK SALAZAR THAT WE STILL HAVE YOUR BROTHER TO CARRY ON THE PROPER TRADITIONS OF THIS NOBLE HOUSE. YOU HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT A DISAPPOINTMENT SINCE YOUR BIRTH! IN FACT, I WISH YOU'D NEVER BEEN BORN, YOU WRETCHED LITTLE—"

"Incendio!" Mia snapped with a flick of her wand.

Instantly, the red envelope burst into flames, the screaming voice fading away in smoke as the envelope curled and fell into a small pile of ashes.

James, Lily, and the other Gryffindors stared at Mia with wide eyes, clearly shocked to have seen her accurately cast such a spell, but she did not care. Her gaze, instead, fell upon Sirius who continued to look down at the remnants of the letter as though it were still yelling at him.

Students eventually left the Great Hall for classes, but whispers followed Sirius for the rest of the day. Mia and James were there to glare at people who stared at him, especially the Slytherins who knew the Black family and had found the scene hilarious. Somehow, in the aftermath of the event, very few remembered that Mia had performed magic even before she had stepped foot inside a classroom.

When Remus joined his friends for class, looking the worse for wear even though he had slept in, Mia smiled and quietly filled him in on what had happened at breakfast.

As they took their seats in Charms, the young Gryffindors silently encircled Sirius with James and Mia on either side of him; Remus and Peter taking the seats in front and behind him respectively. Sirius said nothing to his friends to let them know he was grateful, but he did turn to Mia and offer a small smile.

Distracted by the unsavoury morning events and Sirius's smile, Mia was not paying attention when Professor Flitwick asked the first question: "Can anyone tell me what the differences are between a charm, hex, jinx, and a spell?"

Mia knew the answer. She had spent six years at Hogwarts and was known as the brightest witch of her age. She had left her sixth year with top scores and received eleven O.W.L.s. during her fifth year. However, she had not been fast enough on this first day of Charms.

Lily Evans was faster.

Her hand shot up in the air in record speed, and she shook it desperately, sitting on the edge of her seat.

James and Sirius chuckled at the scene, and Mia stared at the girl from behind, horrified. Good God, is that what I look like? She quickly made the decision to relax and take her time, lowering her hand.

Her over-eagerness to prove her talent and intellect was what got herself, Harry, and Ron off to a rough start, and she was supposed to be enjoying this life. Mia nodded quietly to herself, deciding she would lay low. While she still planned on performing to her usual standards during lessons and exams, she knew she had nothing to prove to anyone else.

September 5th, 1971

Days went by, and the students fell into a comfortable routine.

Lily showed great talent in Charms, while James and Sirius both excelled at Transfiguration—which was sometimes hard to believe, considering they looked to be rarely paying attention and were constantly getting into trouble.

Unsurprisingly, Remus was excellent in Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Mia sat staring at him during the entire class with a knowing smirk on her face.

Surprisingly, Peter was half-decent at Potions, but he was instantly topped by Lily Evans and Severus Snape, who became Professor Slughorn's favourites.

Herbology was a nightmare for everyone when Lily accidentally put too much water in the pots containing the blossoming bouncing bulbs, resulting in a class-wide mud fight led by James and Sirius. Almost everyone laughed and enjoyed themselves, except for Lily, of course, and Remus, who had been excused from class because he was sick.

Mia frowned from the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall as her brother and friends ate dinner. It was a lazy Monday evening, and the sun had just set. A full moon hung in the sky, and she could not help but be worried about Remus, knowing that he was spending his first night alone in the Shrieking Shack.

She excused herself early from the meal and sneaked back to the dorms where she dug into her trunk and pulled out a small bag of Chocolate Frogs that she kept on hand, just in case.

She found her way into the hospital wing where she smiled at Madam Pomfrey.

Madam Pomfrey looked up. "Miss Potter, are you feeling well?"

"Yes. I'm adjusting," Mia said, knowing the mediwitch was probably curious. "I was just wondering if Remus Lupin was cleared for visitors? I know he was sent here with a stomach ache a few days ago."

She said the words, but let her eyes do the talking for her. She hoped that Madam Pomfrey would understand.

If the mediwitch caught on, she refused to acknowledge anything specific about Remus or his current condition. "No visitors tonight, dear. Perhaps tomorrow."

She understood. Because she knew that Remus was not in the hospital wing at all, but in a shack beneath the full moon, somewhere between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.

"Would it be all right if I left something for him?" she asked, holding out a handful of Chocolate Frogs. "These are his favourite. They'll make him feel better."

Madam Pomfrey inclined her head. "I'll take them, dear. It's very kind of you to think of him."

"He's . . . my friend." Mia smiled sadly and turned to walk away.

The following day, Remus was still missing from class, recovering in the hospital wing. He rejoined his friends that night for dinner, taking a seat directly next to Mia who smiled sweetly and filled his dinner plate for him while he lifted his arms on the table and rested his chin between his palms.

She gently brushed the fringe from his forehead.

He looked up at her gratefully as he reached into his pocket to pull out a Chocolate Frog card, placing it silently in front of her.

She looked down and saw the bold face of Godric Gryffindor staring up at her. The bottom of the card in handwritten ink read: Thank you.

Mia smiled at him. "You're welcome."

October 4th, 1971

Despite finding herself bored with the actual class work since she knew it all, Mia kept herself busy by taking care of her brother and friends.

James and Sirius had already received detention once for being caught out of bed after hours, attempting to find the kitchens to sneak snacks back into the dorms. Remus did his best to stay out of trouble, but James and Sirius were relentless in trying to get him and Peter involved in their escapades.

Mia was slowly building friendships with her roommates—Lily, Mary, and Alice—who were far less annoying than Lavender and Parvati.

During the approaching full moon, Remus fell ill once again, and Mia's heart clenched inside of her chest as she watched the boy descend into sickness. She felt helpless and anxious, and, when he disappeared to the hospital wing early Sunday morning, it took hours of pacing back and forth outside the Headmaster's office before Mia finally said, "Acid Pops!"

The gargoyle retreated, allowing her to walk up the spiral staircase.

Dumbledore greeted her with a smile. "Good evening, Miss Potter. How can I help you this night? I hope it's nothing to do with the circumstances surrounding your presence here in 1971? I've had little time to arrange a secure investigation of your Time-Turner."

She paused, caught off guard by his words. Had she already forgotten that Dumbledore promised to look into the Time-Turner and potentially send her home?

"No, sir, I did not imagine you had already done so. It's fine. I'm growing accustomed to this new life that I've been . . ." Forced—no—tricked into. She ignored the terms that floated across her mind. ". . . presented with. I'm doing what you said. Following the rules that Remus left me."

"Yes, your future Mr Lupin. I've noticed you've taken quite a shine to another Mr Remus Lupin here at Hogwarts. I can only assume they are one in the same."

She nodded with a sad smile. "They are, Professor."

"As much as I caution myself about knowing more about the future, I cannot deny that it gives me great relief to have a bit of knowledge concerning this one particular student," he said, sharing in her expression.

"That's actually the reason I've come tonight, sir," Mia said. "I know."

"You know?"

"I know the real reason the Whomping Willow was planted this year, sir."

"I see."

"I'd like to request permission to stay with him. Not in the shack, of course," she said quickly. "But before and after. In the future, I've taken care of him. I know how to heal his wounds and what potions he needs to let the pain pass by easier." She wished she knew the one that would make the most difference, the Wolfsbane Potion, but that would not come to exist for several years.

Dumbledore momentarily lost that constant twinkle in his eyes. "There is no cure for lycanthropy, Miss Potter."

"No. But . . . he's my friend, and knowing what I know . . . I can't let him be alone." She looked down. "It's painful."

"You have a good heart, Miss Potter, and good intentions. But, regardless of your presence, young Mr Lupin will experience the pain of his transformations." Dumbledore spoke clearly, with great sympathy in his voice. Mia knew that he had been the whole reason that Remus was even allowed to attend Hogwarts. He had a personal investment in the boy.

"I meant it's painful for . . . me," she said anxiously and then jumped to clarify, "to know that he suffers alone."

"I see. I suppose you have a way to inform him that you know of his condition?"

"Yes, sir. In my original timeline I'd figured it out on my own," she said, remembering the essay that Snape had forced her to write, purposely hoping that someone like her would figure out Remus's secret and publicly out him. But she had kept that secret for nearly the entire year. "I assume I'll just go along similarly to the way I did before."

Dumbledore smiled gratefully. "Then you have my permission to visit him during times when he is ill."

She sighed in relief. "Thank you, Professor."

"Unfortunately, Professor Sprout has already escorted young Mr Lupin beneath the Whomping Willow for the night. You are, however, welcome to wait for him in the hospital wing. Give this note to Madam Pomfrey, which will explain your presence. I give her permission to assist you with any potions you might have need of in order to help Mr Lupin recover more easily."

October 5th, 1971

Several hours later, Mia awoke in the hospital wing, having been offered a bed by Madam Pomfrey to wait out the long hours until the moon finally set and it was safe to have Remus brought back to the infirmary. She nervously waited for the mediwitch to levitate him into a nearby bed, and, when her gaze finally fell onto his broken and bleeding form, she covered her mouth to stifle the sob that threatened to escape her.

"I thought you'd seen this before, Miss Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"I . . ." Mia frowned and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I have, it's just . . . He's so young. It's not fair."

She made her way to the side of the bed, looking down at an unconscious Remus. In the future, he would be able to wake himself shortly after sunrise, but now, being so small and so young, the pain was too much to bear. She shook herself and stiffened her spine. "He needs a Calming Draught while I heal his wounds."

"It's on the table, dear." Madam Pomfrey pointed, and Mia nodded, reaching for the phial. After tipping the potion down Remus's throat, she examined the small scars scattered around his face, noticing that they were not from Moony's claws, but more than likely from the wolf throwing himself against the shack in frustration. Some even still had splinters in them that Mia slowly and carefully removed.

After Madam Pomfrey gently levitated and flipped Remus's body, Mia turned her attention to the deep wound that ran the length of his back along his spine, knowing this was where his skin split open during the transformation. Lifting her wand, she syphoned off the blood silently before repairing the skin. She did her best to remain emotionless despite the fact that it reminded her of the immediate aftermath of war.

"You're quite skilled at that, Miss Potter. May I ask if you were a Healer in your previous life?"

Mia frowned, thinking of the war. "No, just . . . skills I had to pick up over the years."

"Perhaps with this second chance at life you've been given, those skills could be put to good use in a career," Madam Pomfrey offered with a kind smile.

"I'm grateful that I have years to think about it," Mia admitted. Remus's letter told her to live and enjoy her life. She would do so by not worrying about the future. At least, no more than she needed to.

"He should wake soon," Madam Pomfrey cautioned as she watched Mia apply drops of Dittany to the marks on Remus's face. "There's more Calming Draught and Pain Potions should you have need. I'll leave the two of you alone."

Being alone, waiting for Remus to wake up, Mia could not help but recall the first time she had helped to heal her friend.

"It's all my fault," Hermione cried into her hands. "I should have asked Snape to teach me before—"

"I think everyone was a bit busy, yeah?" Tonks cut her off and gave her a sad, crooked smile.

"I should have learnt how to brew the potion. Now Remus is suffering." Hermione wiped her eyes. She had looked into the potion, of course, but with tracking down her parents—only to find the Obliviation irreversible—she had been too distracted to brew anything, let alone brew a potion that could prove lethal if improperly done.

"That is not your fault," Tonks insisted, her tired eyes dark.

She and Hermione had been up for hours, listening as the wolf in the basement below howled and threw himself roughly against the metal bars of the cage that kept him locked inside. Even Padfoot had not been able to keep him calm all night.

Teddy had caught a small cold, causing Remus to worry and stress, which apparently made the wolf inside of him as anxious as ever. Sirius had wanted to take him somewhere to spend the full moon outdoors where he could run off his energy, but there was not any place secure enough, and there was no way of knowing if Moony would try to make his way back to Tonks and Teddy, hurting anyone in his path on the way.

During the night, every time he let out a loud growl followed by a painful yelp, Tonks and Hermione jumped and closed their eyes tightly.

"You think he's up yet?" Hermione wondered, looking as the light from the morning sun streamed in through the cracks in the curtains.

"Almost," Tonks said with a sigh of relief. "I thought I'd give him an hour after the last of the howling stops. Give him a chance to recover his modesty before I go down. It's nice of you to come and help."

"Remus has always been there for me when I've gotten hurt." Hermione shrugged, remembering how she had woken up after the battle in the Department of Mysteries at the end of fifth year, and it had been Remus by her bedside, offering to take care of her while still quietly grieving over the death of Sirius.

"All right, let's head down."

As the two witches made their way into the basement of Grimmauld Place, Hermione was instantly met with the smell of blood and sweat. She frowned as Tonks walked ahead to make sure Remus was at least clothed.

Padfoot was asleep in the corner, looking worse for wear, having spent the entirety of the night trying to keep the werewolf in check.

Hesitantly stepping forward, Hermione eyed the cage at the end of the room where Tonks, wand at the ready, inclined her head to her. Remus had instructed them to be on guard. He stated that, even after transforming back to his human state, the wolf might linger beneath the surface. There was no way to tell what the lack of the Wolfsbane Potion would do.

"Remus?" Hermione whispered as she approached the open door of the cage.

Remus's eyes, she was surprised to see, were golden as he deigned to register her presence. When he made eye contact with her, he growled low and dangerous.

Padfoot, instantly awake, snarled in warning.

Hermione looked over her shoulder at the dog before returning her attention to Remus. She kept her distance and knelt on the floor without making any sudden movements. "Tonks, roll him the phial of Calming Draught. He's Remus, but the wolf is still on edge. The draught should bring him down," she explained and watched carefully as Tonks pulled a small phial out of the bag that Hermione prepared, rolling it forward to Remus, who stared down at it.

"Remus, take the potion," Hermione instructed, tilting her head to the side and exposing her neck as a sign of submission.

His lupine eyes appeared to glow for a moment at the sight before changing to the usual soft green irises. He let out a wince of pain and reached immediately for the phial, tipping its contents down his throat, coughing, and then collapsing on the ground.

"Hold him while I tend to his back," Hermione said to Tonks as they both moved swiftly into the cage and over to Remus's body.

"Hello, love." Tonks sat down by his head, stroking her fingers through his sweat-soaked hair and pulling gently on his shoulders to show the fresh wounds on his back to Hermione, who quickly removed the blood and healed the skin.

When Hermione finished, she signalled to Tonks, who turned Remus back over and smiled into her mate's eyes. "C'mere and let me clean up that beautiful face."

Remus frowned, struggling to keep from sobbing through the pain or falling unconscious. "It hasn't been this bad in years."

Tonks kissed his forehead. "The wolf's worried about Teddy is all. It's to be expected. Mum fire-called this morning, by the way. He's already feeling better."

Remus let out a sigh of relief, wincing in pain when Hermione mended another wound.

Hermione whimpered. "I'm so sorry, Remus."

"Not your fault," he said, reaching out and taking her hand. For some reason, the gesture looked like it brought him more comfort than it did her.

"I should have learnt the potion when I had the chance."

Remus shook his head. "There's nothing to apologise for, Hermione. If anyone can figure out how to properly brew Wolfsbane Potion for me, it'll be you. I know you can do it." He smiled over at her but then hissed as a new painful sensation rocked its way through his body.

"I'm going to go get more Pain Potion for you." Hermione moved to stand

Tonks shook her head and stepped out of the way. "You stay. I got it." She walked past Padfoot, motioning for him to follow. When the dog hesitated, she sighed. "C'mon. You need rest too, y'know." Tonks took the stairs up, two at a time, Padfoot slowly following after her.

Hermione studied the beaten man in front of her, feeling awkward. He was shaking from the pain. Biting her lip, she moved forward almost on instinct to run her fingers soothingly through his hair just as Tonks had done.

He sighed with evident relief, his voice breaking a little when he quietly said, "Thank you, Hermione. You've always been . . . very . . . very kind to me, in regards to my condition."

She frowned, wiping a falling tear from her eye. "You've never deserved anything less than kindness, Remus," she whispered and sat in shock as he broke down at her words. The man let out a quiet sob and pulled his arms around her waist, his shoulders shaking. Her eyes widened in surprise that he would show her such vulnerability, but she continued to stroke his hair, whispering words of comfort.

A soft swear on the stairs alerted her to Tonks's return, and Hermione stiffened for a moment, realising her position might look incredibly inappropriate in front of Remus's wife.

Tonks, however, did not appear to care in the slightest. Instead, she looked grateful and relieved as she approached, handing over the phial of Pain Potion.

Remus opened his eyes, his gaze landing on the chair beside his bed where Mia sat. He looked tired and confused, which she fully expected.

"Mia," he whispered hoarsely.

She smiled at him affectionately. "Hello, Remus."

He looked around slowly, panic rising in his eyes. "Wh-Where am I?"

"In the hospital wing. Do you need another Pain Potion?"

"What are you doing here? Why are you here?" He moved to sit up, but the action was clearly painful. He let out a quiet cry, one hand instinctively reaching around to his back.

She took a quick look while he was distracted, glad to see that the wound had healed cleanly, but the scar was still red, and the skin was pulled tight. It looked uncomfortable, to say the least.

When he returned his focus to her, he jolted, clearly unaware that she had come so close. To prevent him from hurting himself more, Mia placed her hands gently on the exposed skin of his shoulders. "Calm down, Remus, I'm taking care of you."

He pulled away from her, wincing as she touched him. "What? No, I'm fine, just a little sick is all. I don't want you to catch anything."

"I'm not going to, and you're not sick."

He looked up into her eyes, terror recognisable in his own.

"Remus, I know."

"You . . . know?"

His bottom lip began to quiver, and suddenly, Mia realised his age. This certainly was not the grown man that had been a symbol of strength for her. And that older Remus had been known to break down post-transformation, crying into her arms. This was a terrified, eleven-year-old boy who had never known kindness in regards to his condition, aside from his parents. However, Mia was convinced he had suffered at home, as well.

"I know about your lycanthropy," she said clearly with as kind a tone as possible.

"I don't know what . . ." he began but gave up when the tears welled in his eyes. Covering his face with his hands, he asked, "How?"

Anywhere she touched, he tried to pull away, but Mia refused to let him. She soothed the skin of his arms with gentle caresses and smoothed his hair away from his forehead with her fingers.

"I read books, I know the signs, and I'm even smarter than you," Mia said affectionately. "I figured it out last month when you were sick during the full moon. It's why I left you the Chocolate Frogs. I know they make you feel better."

She frowned when she reached up to run her fingers through his sweat-soaked hair and he flinched.

Remus whimpered, his head still in his hands as he cried. "You should go. I . . . You weren't supposed to know. I'm going to have to leave. No one was supposed to find out."

"No one's going to find out," Mia promised. "I brought my suspicions to Dumbledore, and he's given me permission to be here with you each month, before and after your transformation."

"You're . . . you're not afraid?" Remus slowly lowered his hands to look at her, shocked.

"Of you?" Mia smiled. "Why would I have reason to be afraid of you, Remus?"

"I'm a monster!" he shouted, eyes flashing gold.

Mia growled angrily, and the ends of her hair sparked with riotous magic. "Don't you dare! That's my friend you're talking about! You are a survivor of a situation that someone else put you in." Tears formed in her eyes as she related to her own words. "All you can do is follow the rules, keep people safe, and try to find some semblance of happiness in the process."

He shook his head. "There's no happiness in this, Mia."

"There will be," she promised him as she thought of Tonks and Teddy. "And until you figure it out, it's my job to help make it less painful. Do you need another Pain Potion?"

"Did . . . Did you heal me?" he asked, reaching behind his back to touch the scar. "Madam Pomfrey did it last month, and . . . it feels different."

"I'm a very fast learner."

Remus frowned. "I don't want your help. I don't want to hurt you."

"And I don't want you to hurt longer than you're forced to," she said, not taking no for an answer. "You let me take care of you and be there for you so you don't have to be alone. In exchange, I promise to never be in harm's way when you're close to your transformation. It's not like I plan to follow you beneath the Whomping Willow."

His eyes widened. "You know about that?"

"Once I told Dumbledore what I'd figured out and that I wanted to help, he explained everything to me."

"I'm . . ." Remus looked down, suddenly appearing embarrassed and self-conscious. She knew the look. She saw it constantly anytime people brought up Harry's past or Ron's family. It was the look someone got when they thought they were being pitied. "I'm not another lost stray like . . . like Sirius."

Mia smiled down at him. "No, you're not. Sirius is a lost pup who needs a good home." Sirius was wounded and beaten, and it had taken him weeks to properly bounce back after his mother had sent that Howler the morning after the Sorting. "You're a boy who happens to be a werewolf who needs a good friend."

"Why are you so . . ." Remus began, trying to look for the right word, " . . . kind to me, Mia?"

She swallowed the whimper that threatened to crawl its way out of her throat. Scooting over, she took a seat beside him on his bed, gently putting an arm around his shoulders. He shivered at the touch, and she could see him trying to hold onto his strength, trying not to show weakness.

"You've never deserved anything less than kindness, Remus."

He let out a quiet sob and wrapped his arms around Mia's waist, his shoulders shaking as he cried against her.

Her eyes softened at the boy exposing his vulnerability for what, she assumed, was the first time. It felt to her like he had opened up his heart right there. She promised herself that she would treat it well.

Chapter Text

Something's wrong, shut the light
Heavy thoughts tonight
And they aren't of snow white
Dreams of war, dreams of liars
Dreams of dragon's fire
And of things that will bite
(Enter Sandman - Metallica)

December 18th, 1971

Snow blanketed the grounds of Hogwarts whilst the students gathered their trunks together and prepared to spend the Christmas holidays at home. Few children remained at school, though the weather was perfect for snowball fights. Gideon and Fabian Prewett had even created a school-wide competition that ended up with seven Slytherins—and four confused Hufflepuffs who got caught in the crossfire—in the hospital wing. James, Sirius, and Remus had come out on top in the first year division of the games, but all three boys nearly got frostbite because of it. Mia refused to participate. Three of the Marauders, however, caught her giggling over the top of her book as she sat nearby when their fourth—Peter—was buried beneath a sheet of fresh snow that fell from the roof.

It was the day after the last full moon of the year, and Mia thought Remus was looking surprisingly healthy, considering. Somehow, over the months, being able to be there for him before and after the full moon appeared to make his recovery much easier. It also helped that she knew how to treat his wounds and what potions worked best to get him through the pain. He had put weight back on, and the colour had returned to his face.

Christmas was approaching, and the holidays had never felt better for her.

"Sirius, why are you still in your pyjamas?" Mia asked as she descended the staircase from the girls' dormitories. "We need to leave for the train soon."

"Mum . . ." Sirius said the word with a scowl on his face, "told me to just stay here."

He had sent letters home, specifically to his father and brother, leaving Walburga out of the equation after the Howler she had sent him months ago.

Mia knew that Orion Black wrote back once a month, requesting reports of Sirius's classwork and asking if he was in need of anything; the parchments looked more like a supply order form rather than a letter from a parent to a child. Regulus wrote back once, telling Sirius to stop writing to him, and calling him a blood-traitor. The words had clearly been fed to him by Walburga, who probably threatened Regulus with the same treatment as his older brother if he did not cut ties with his only sibling, but the effect had been the same regardless of the intent. Sirius had lashed out at the breakfast table, retreated into himself for several days, and then acted out in class, ending the week with detention.

It was not a surprise that Sirius was not wanted home for Christmas.

"Is your family going somewhere for the holiday?" Remus asked as he came down the stairs with his belongings in hand.

Sirius shrugged bitterly. "If they are, they haven't clued me in on their plans."

"Ridiculous. They shouldn't be angry with you over something you couldn't control," Mia said, though she knew that Sirius had desperately wanted to be in Gryffindor and had likely requested it of the Sorting Hat.

"Who cares?" He crossed his arms over his chest, reminding Mia of his older self being forced to stay trapped inside Grimmauld Place while the rest of the Order was free to come and go as they pleased.

Mia frowned and sat beside him on the sofa. "You do."

"Like hell!" Sirius snapped.

Despite his bitter mood, he reacted to her sitting next to him as he always did. He tilted to the side, landing his head in her lap and silently reached his hands up to grab at her fingers and place them on his head.

Mia smiled and began petting him affectionately.

"I'm better off on my own," he said with a sigh.

"Come home with us," Mia suggested as she stopped petting his head.

Grey eyes opened in wonder as he stared up into her face. "Really?"

She grinned, excited. "Absolutely! You'll spend Christmas at the manor. You need a proper Christmas, Sirius. I won't stand for you just sitting in the common room on your own. Remus, you're still coming too, right?" she asked, suddenly feeling guilty for not inviting Sirius sooner.

She had written home earlier that month asking if Remus could stay. He had told her that he believed his parents had both grown accustomed to not having their life revolve around his symptoms and were now nervous about having to go back to the way things had been before Hogwarts, if only for a short holiday. Mia's parents had been more than happy to invite Remus into their home, something he was clearly both nervous and excited about as he claimed he had never stayed with friends anywhere outside of Hogwarts.

"Of course. Trying to complete a collection?" Remus chuckled. "You going to ask Peter to go home with you next?"

"Absolutely not!"

Both boys widened their eyes at her tone.

"I just mean," she said, trying to recover from her mistake, "Peter and I aren't close like I am with the pair of you." She knew that both Remus and Sirius were aware that there was no love lost between her and Peter. She was never exactly rude to him, so they never made a fuss over it.

"I can only stay until Christmas Eve, though," Remus reminded her. "My parents will be home by then."

Mia inclined her head. "Of course."

James grinned as he slid down the railing of the stairs that connected the common room to the boys' dormitories. "You'll be happy to know, dearest sister, that I have everything packed, and I didn't use your bloody checklist to do it," he smugly informed her.

"You have all your clothes?" Mia asked with a raised brow. She had made the list for a reason. She saw how frustrated their mother had been in the days leading up to the first of September. James's trunk had been a nightmare.

"Yes," James answered.

"You packed all the books you need to finish your homework?"

"Yes, I did."

Mia looked him over carefully. "Jamie?"

"Mia?"

"Where's your wand?"

Three seconds passed before his nose twitched, he cursed under his breath on a groan, and quickly ran back up the stairs.

"Keep your wand on you at all times, James Charlus Potter!" Mia called up after him.

Remus laughed. "How are the two of you related?"

"Pretty sure Mum accidentally hit him with a Confundus as a baby," Mia said cheekily.

From the top of the stairs echoed a loud, "Ha! Found it!"

Mia patted Sirius's head once more and shoved at his shoulders to get him off of her. "Go get ready."

Sirius rolled off of her, throwing his head back to get the hair out of his face, and yelled, "James! Come help me pack!" as he made his way toward the staircase.

"Thought you said you were staying here?" James raised a brow as he twirled his wand in his hand, hopping down the steps.

Sirius winked at Mia but was quickly thumped in the head by James, who had been trying to stomp out Sirius's bad habit of flirting with her.

"Your lovely sister," Sirius said as he turned back to an unamused James, "has invited me home with you for Christmas."

"Wicked!" James grinned. "We can go flying in the orchards, and you can help me set it up for Quidditch! Why didn't I think of inviting you?"

"Because you are apparently a terrible friend," Mia said, looking up at her brother with a smug grin.

James helped Sirius pack his trunk, and the boys quickly made their way down to the entrance hall where the students would be loaded into carriages and taken down to Hogsmeade Station.

"Sirius, look." James chuckled as he walked to the foot of the staircase, watching as Severus Snape walked ahead of them side-by-side with Lily Evans.

Sirius looked up and held his breath while James fired a jinx at Snape's feet, making him trip mid-sentence.

"Sev? Are you okay?" Lily knelt at her friend's side with a frown.

Snape growled. "Fine."

"My turn," Sirius snickered and sent the same jinx the moment Snape regained his footing. The boy fell forward once more, this time landing with a loud thud and a slew of mumbled swears.

Lily furrowed her brow. "Sev?"

"I'm fine, Lily!" Snape snapped at her angrily, and she took a step back from him, appearing hurt by his tone.

"I've got a good one. Locomotor Mortis," James whispered, flicking his wand just so.

Snape's legs snapped shut together. His eyes went wide at the sensation, and he bunny-hopped forward twice, trying to hold his balance before he tumbled forward into a line of Hufflepuffs, knocking them down like a row of dominoes.

James and Sirius burst into hysterical laughter.

Lily descended upon them.

Sirius jumped out of her way, having seen the kind of damage that she could do with magic when she was actually trying. The last thing he wanted was to be caught in the wake of an accidental outburst.

She poked a slender finger at James's chest, bright green eyes narrowing as her fury was aimed at him. "You!"

James smiled innocently. "Me?"

"Him?" Sirius also feigned ignorance.

"You ridiculously stupid, ignorant . . ." Her hair began to spark like Mia's often did, and Sirius braced for impact. "Toerag!"

Her scream gained the attention of every other student in the entrance hall, Snape and the tumbled Hufflepuffs included. Before James could say another word, Lily propelled the flat of her hand to the round shape of his cheek. The sound of her slap echoed off of the walls as she turned on her heels and stormed out of the castle.

Sirius stared at the scene, completely gobsmacked.

"Did Lily Evans just smack you?!" Remus demanded, eyes wide at the sight of James holding a hand to the side of his face.

"What?!" Mia shouted as she ran down behind Remus. She turned and glared at Sirius. "What the hell happened? What did you do?"

"Me?" His eyes went wide at the accusation. "If I did something, Evans would have smacked me! No, she hit James." He pointed at his friend, who stared off in the direction Lily had left, his hazel eyes wide and his hand still fixed to his reddening cheek.

Mia frowned. "What did you do, Jamie?"

"What's a toerag?" Sirius asked, feeling a modicum of respect for Evans for creativity. Then again, maybe it was a Muggle thing.

Remus tried, and failed, to stifle a laugh. "Lily called James a toerag?"

"Look, dear, there's Mia!"

Mia could hear her parents the second she stepped foot off the train. She smiled at the sight of them both.

Her father was not even trying to be quiet when he said, "That must be the Lupin boy. You don't think . . . she's too young for a boyfriend."

"I think it's cute." Dorea teased him. "You behave. Mia says they're just friends."

In the hopes of cutting off the conversation before Remus heard—though he likely already had thanks to his enhanced senses—Mia rushed into her father's open arms and hugged him tightly.

When he released her, Mia turned back and smiled at Remus. "Mum, Dad, this is Remus."

"Glad to have you, son." Charlus grinned and extended his hand to the boy. "Charlus Potter. This is my wife, Dorea."

Remus smiled slightly and reached his hand out to take Charlus's. "Remus Lupin, sir. I really appreciate . . . I mean, I am very g-grateful," he stammered a bit before inhaling a deep breath to calm himself. "My parents wanted to say thank you, for letting me stay for a few days."

Dorea beamed brightly. "You are more than welcome, dear. The more the merrier!"

"Oh!" Mia blushed when she realised that she had forgotten to send a last minute owl home. "I, umm, is it okay if Sirius stays with us for the holiday as well? His mum, well . . ." She did not want to divulge all of Sirius's concerns to her parents, so she looked up at her mother and tried to explain in not so many words. "He got sorted into Gryffindor."

Dorea frowned in obvious understanding. "Oh, dear."

Charlus chuckled. "Shame for Slytherins."

The moment Sirius approached, Dorea pulled him into a swift hug, beaming. "You lovely, little rebellious lion! I hear you're coming to stay with us for a few weeks? What a wonderful Christmas surprise!"

"Really?" Sirius asked with a raised brow and a smile plastered on his face.

"Of course, love! The more the merrier!" Dorea repeated her words from earlier.

Charlus turned his attention to Mia. "Where's your brother?"

All three children groaned.

Mia rolled her eyes and gestured to the train. "He'll be a minute."

Charlus opened his mouth with a curious expression when a loud shout came from the train: "Let go of my trunk, Potter!"

"The screaming redhead is Lily Evans," Mia told her father. "Jamie fancies her."

The boy in question was trying to carry Lily's trunk. "I'll carry it for you," James insisted. "Your hands are delicate flowers, you shouldn't have to worry about this big trunk. Want me to carry your bag, too?"

He smiled, touching his cheek when Lily ripped the handle of her trunk out of his hands.

"Get away from me, you prat!" she shouted, storming away as quickly as possible, her long red hair flowing behind her.

"Write to me? Owl me? Floo me?" James called desperately after her, waving his hands.

"Argh! Go away!" Lily's voice echoed in the distance.

"Mum!" James rushed into his mother's arms. Charlus stared down at his son with laughter in his eyes after watching the scene.

Dorea, on the other hand, looked horrified. "James? Is everything all right?" she asked as she examined his cheek since he could not stop touching it.

James beamed brightly. "Everything's grand. I'm in love!"

"Oh, dear." Dorea sighed again.

"I think it's cute." Charlus echoed Dorea's words from earlier, chuckling quietly as his wife glared at him.

"Just ignore him," Sirius encouraged the parents. "We had to spend eight hours on the train listening to his nonsense."

"Goodness, James, darling, did someone give you something?" Dorea felt his forehead. "Mia, was he poisoned?"

"Unfortunately not." Mia stared at her brother, still lost in the midst of his stupidity. "This is all him."

"She hit me," James said dreamily, staring up at his father with a proud look on his face as though he had just won the Quidditch Cup.

Charlus blinked, holding back another chuckle. "Who hit you? That little redhead?"

"Smacked him hard, too." Sirius barked out a laugh. "It was hilarious."

"Yeah." James smiled, not catching on that he was being teased. "Did you see her eyes when she did it? Prettiest shade of green I've ever seen in my life. Mum, can we go to Diagon Alley? I want to get her something for Christmas!"

Dorea frowned, concerned. "Umm . . . maybe later, dear. I'd like to get you four home, maybe put a charm on your face." She turned James's cheek to examine it closely. "Your eye looks a little swollen."

"You think it'll bruise!?" James asked excitedly and pulled away from his mother as though she had already raised her wand to put a glamour on him. "I'll wear it like a badge of honour."

"Eight hours, you say?" Charlus asked, looking down at Sirius.

Sirius smirked. "I almost wished I'd gone home to my parents, sir."

Charlus laughed. "That bad?"

Mia rolled her eyes. "I almost went home with Sirius to his parents."

The Potters and accompanying strays waited in line for the station's Floo to open, and one by one, each of the children arrived through the fireplace in Potter Manor, followed by both parents. Sirius looked unaffected by the surroundings of the house, but Remus's eyes were wide.

Mia smiled at his look of wonder that nearly matched her own the first time she had arrived inside the Manor. "Come on Remus, Sirius, grab your trunks, and I'll show you to your rooms."

Sirius raised a brow. "Grab my trunk?"

"You plan on sleeping in the drawing room?"

Sirius looked around. "No, I mean . . . I thought you had house-elves."

"Unfortunately, we do." Mia seethed, and James laughed. "But that doesn't mean you can't take care of your own things."

Mia was already not looking forward to a fight with Tilly—who still spoiled James to a ridiculous point—but she would be damned if she saw Sirius take advantage of Tilly's need to pamper.

"Mia has issues with the elves," James explained with a wry smile.

Sirius looked at Mia, completely confused. "You don't like house-elves?"

"I'd like it if the elves were able to choose for themselves whether or not they wanted to be tied down to a family," she tried to explain but knew it would be for nothing. She'd had plenty of these arguments with an older Sirius Black. "And I'd like it if the elves were paid for their hard work."

"Paid?" Sirius let out a loud, disbelieving laugh. "Are you taking the piss?"

"She's really not." James shook his head. "Come on, Remus, I'll show you your room. These two are going to be a while."

"Mia, that's what elves are for," Sirius explained as James and Remus vanished down the hallway.

"They are living creatures and not property that can be used and abused, Sirius!"

"They abuse back just as good as they get. My mother's elf is a rotten little sponge that acts just like her. Curses, spits, and bows at the same time."

Mia grumbled and looked away from him. The image of Kreacher popped into her head too easily, especially as she recalled him calling her "Mistress" and "Mudblood" in the same sentence.

"Maybe if someone treated them properly," she mumbled under her breath.

"Why the hell would I treat something properly that called me a 'beastly little ingrate?'" Sirius asked.

"Ugh, I am not having this argument with you again, Sirius Black!" Mia snapped at him, heat rising in her chest that she knew could trigger a panic attack at any moment.

He blinked at her in confusion. "What do you mean again?"

"I . . . I mean . . ."

Shit.

How was it that he had the ability to make her forget what year she was living in? It was those grey eyes. They looked the same. In thirty years, those eyes would still be the same—the same infuriating, unnatural shade of grey that caused her to lose herself.

"Just drop it. I don't want to talk about it anymore." She reached for the handle of her trunk, carrying it off toward the hallway.

"Young Miss!" Tilly popped into the room with wide blue eyes and an excited smile. "Tilly is so happy you is home! Tilly will take Young Miss's trunk. Young Master tried to sneak his trunk upstairs." She eyed Mia as though she knew she was behind it. "Yes he did, but Tilly caught him. Now Young Miss will give Tilly her trunk, and Tilly takes care of it."

"See?!" Sirius pointed at the elf.

Tilly turned her attention to Sirius and examined him very closely. "You is Young Master Black, yes you is?"

"Yes, I am," Sirius said.

Tilly continued to stare at him. "Young Master Black takes his own trunk." She turned away from Sirius, taking Mia's trunk down the hallway.

"Oh, I should have mentioned," Mia said with a smug grin. "Your family was apparently really mean to Tilly. So I guess you'll have to carry your own trunk."

Sirius should have been offended, but in the end, he laughed. "Anyone who doesn't like the House of Black is okay in my book." He grinned defiantly at Mia and gripped the handle of his trunk, following after the house-elf.

The excitement of being home for Christmas lasted the entire evening. Tilly had made all of Mia and James's favourites, which happened to also be all of Remus and Sirius's favourites. The manor was decorated with a brightly coloured Christmas tree in every room, faerie lights twinkling from within, and mistletoe hanging over Charlus and Dorea's room. The guests were given a tour of the Manor, and the boys spent hours before bed flying out back over the freshly fallen snow that covered the orchard and gardens.

It was perfect.

But nothing is ever really perfect.

"No! No! It's a fake! Please! We've never been inside your vault . . . It isn't the real sword! It's a copy, just a copy!"

Sirius's heart pounded when he was awakened by screams. He leapt from his bed and looked out of his door just in time to see James rush down the hallway.

"What's going on?" Sirius demanded, panicked.

Remus popped out of another door. "Was that Mia?"

"What's wrong with her?" Sirius asked as he rushed after his friend, tugging on James's robes as the three boys approached the double doors at the end of the hallway.

"Move!" James shouted and burst into the room.

Sirius looked to see the girl thrashing and crying in bed.

Without another word, James crawled into the massive four-poster, pulling her into his arms. "Mia? Mia, love, it's fine. You're safe," he whispered over and over until her cries quieted.

Sirius stepped inside, looking down at his friends, scared and worried. Despite the life he had back home at Grimmauld Place, he had never heard screams like that before. "What happened?"

"She has nightmares," James explained. "Mia, you're safe. I've got you."

"Is she okay?" Remus asked, standing behind Sirius.

"I don't know." James frowned. "I knew she had nightmares, and I didn't even think to check and see if she was okay at Hogwarts. Has Evans, Brown, or MacDonald said anything to either of you?"

Sirius shook his head as he stepped closer. "How often does she have them?"

"Almost every night." James sighed, looking like he was doing a good job of berating himself. Sirius knew how protective his best friend was of his sister. "She's probably been having nightmares all year, and I didn't even think to talk to her roommates about it."

"Jamie?" Mia whispered, her eyes fluttering open.

James held her close. "I'm here, love."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to . . ." She started crying again, but James quickly wiped the tears with his pyjama sleeves and kissed the top of her head.

"No, no. You don't get to apologise. It's my job. My job to keep you safe."

Mia let out a quiet sob and clung to her brother.

Something inside of Sirius felt like it came to life in a singular moment, empty and wanting and lost all at once. "Our job," he whispered through the darkness

Mia sat up, looking at Sirius and Remus standing at the foot of her bed. She did not look embarrassed to have them there. Instead, she let out a sigh of what sounded like relief.

Sirius walked to the other side of her bed and reached out, tucking a curl of her hair behind her ear. "It's our job. Our job to keep you safe."

"Sirius?" she whispered.

"Hey, kitten. Scoot over will you?" He smiled and crawled into the bed beside her, flopping his head on her lap like always.

She laughed through her remaining tears, smiling down at him and running her fingers through his hair.

James narrowed his gaze at his friend. "We're supposed to be making her feel better, Sirius."

"No." Mia smiled up at her brother. "This helps." She beamed down at Sirius who was happily staring up at her.

"You boys should go back to sleep," she said, looking guilty.

"We're not leaving you alone," Remus stated firmly. "You going to make room for me? Or do I have to sleep on the floor?"

Sirius chuckled and scooted closer to Mia, making room.

December 19th, 1971

Mia's eyes opened as the light from the nearby window flooded her room. At night, the cold and dark memories plagued her nightmares, but in the morning, warmth enveloped her entire being.

She looked down at the mess of long, silky, black hair against her stomach. She chuckled softly at the feel of Sirius's arms wrapped around her waist, using her body as a pillow. She watched closely as he took slow, shallow breaths, and felt additional ones behind her. Craning her head upward slightly, she noticed that somehow during the night, she had navigated herself onto Remus's chest, bracing against him with one of his arms wrapped around her shoulders.

She smiled and leant into the embrace, a sense of peace gliding over her even as she thought of the future. A future where Remus would be ostracised from society, forced into poverty due to prejudice and fear. Left in loneliness for years and years whilst looking for some semblance of family. A family she knew he would eventually get, but not until he had suffered a great deal.

She wrapped her left arm against his, squeezing his hand gently. She would make it up to him somehow.

She was determined to love him enough so that he could get through the years of loneliness and pain that lay ahead of him.

A light snore from below brought her attention back to Sirius as he turned his head to face her, still asleep. He almost looked innocent like this. She smiled and reached her right hand out to run her fingers through his black hair affectionately. She could not imagine this boy, this sweet boy, would grow up to spend twelve years in the hell that was Azkaban. Innocent of any crime, put away without a trial, all while mourning the deaths of his friends. His soft skin was blemish free now, but she knew it would eventually be covered in scars, tattoos, and lines marking the years that would be stolen from him. Sure, he would eventually be free, but the veil would take him from her. She would call him back, but it would still be one more year stolen from him.

She was determined to love him enough so that he could get through those years of suffering and anger that were ahead of him.

"You look comfortable," an amused but tired voice came from the door where James stood, smirking. He yawned and made his way back to the bed, shoving Sirius's legs before retaking his place beside Mia, snuggling into her right side, using her shoulder as a pillow.

She smiled and rested her cheek on the top of his messy head of hair and blinked away the tears forming in her eyes.

In one hand she held Remus close to her, lacing her fingers through his. She wove her other hand through Sirius's hair, comforting them both as he slept.

A painful realisation came to her: she could somehow make Sirius and Remus's lives a little better by being there, but she had no hands left to grip tightly to James.

Nothing you do will change what is meant to be.

No matter how hard she tried, she would not be able to save her brother.

Chapter Text

Hit me with your best shot
Why don't you hit me
With your best shot
Hit me with your best shot
Fire Away
(Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar)

February 28th, 1972

It was as if Charlus Potter had convinced his wife that children causing mischief was a rite of passage. James, Mia, and Sirius returned to Hogwarts after the Christmas holiday, new gifts in hand that had been delicately wrapped and given to them Christmas morning. Each with a very careful warning in Charlus's firm script:

Don't. Get. Caught.

In the two months since they had been back in school, James and Sirius had not been caught out of bed after hours once. That was due, in large part, to the fact that James now possessed the most fantastically charmed Invisibility Cloak.

When her brother had opened his gift Christmas morning, Mia simply stared at it. That very cloak was the cause of a lot of trouble with her, Harry, and Ron. Though, more times than she could count, it had gotten them out of trouble as well.

James had been floored by the present and used it nearly every night since returning to Hogwarts.

Dorea, likely saddened by the thought that Sirius might not have presents come Christmas morning, dug through her old Black family heirlooms—ones that had, in all probability, been looked over properly by a Curse-Breaker. When morning arrived and no gifts had appeared overnight for Sirius, Dorea handed her small gift to him with a bright smile.

He had looked shocked, clearly not expecting anything, let alone something that had belonged to his family. The small penknife fit perfectly in his hand, and he grinned brightly when Dorea explained that it was enchanted to be able to unlock any door and untie any knot.

Thus far, Sirius had used it to break into Filch's office four separate times.

Mia's gift confused her at first when she opened the small package containing a beautiful small hand mirror. That is, until she pulled it from the box, revealing its twin beneath it. She brightened, recognising the gift immediately; the last time she had seen the mirrors, one of the two belonged to Harry, and it was broken.

After thanking her parents, she gave the second mirror to James.

She had woken up every night over the Christmas holidays with her brother, Sirius, and Remus in her bed—all having arrived to the sound of her screams, at least until Remus left to spend Christmas with his family.

James had taken her aside before leaving for King's Cross Station. "Take the mirror and talk to me every night before bed. That way I know you're okay. And if you're not, you can come and sleep in my bed."

Since returning to school, she had called her brother through the mirror several times each week. Nights when the nightmares became too much, Mia would descend the staircase from the girls' dormitories and make her way up the boys' quietly, slipping into the room shared by James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, and crawl in beside her brother, who kept the nightmares at bay.

Each morning upon waking, James would give his sister his Invisibility Cloak so she could slip back into her own room, unnoticed by snoring roommates.

Having to sneak around at night made Mia feel weak, especially since it was to keep a dead woman from haunting her thoughts. This weakness was why she had ultimately stopped contacting James at night a little over a month into the new term. He would ask her about it every morning, and she would lie, feeling guilty for making him worry over her. But a harsh reality check would hit her from time to time: James would not be around forever. She would need to sleep on her own at some point.

"Morning," Mia said with a yawn as she reached the Gryffindor table for breakfast.

James stared at her, or actually, stared at her hair.

She knew it was an especially spectacular mess—at least twice as voluminous as normal and looked tangled beyond repair. The dark circles beneath her eyes looking back at her from the mirror were nearly purple from exhaustion, and she was struggling just to reach for something to eat.

"You look awful, Mia."

"You flatter me, big brother." Mia narrowed her eyes but dropped the attitude when James poured her a glass of pumpkin juice and slid a plate of toast in front of her. She let out a soft sigh and smiled at him gratefully.

"He's right; are you okay?" Sirius asked, sitting down beside her. "Your hair is . . . less puffskein nest and more ball of tangled yarn." He grinned and poked the knotted mane on top of her head.

Mia growled, swatting at his hand, moving out of his reach as he tried to continue petting her wild, messy locks. "Don't touch my hair, Sirius. I woke up late and didn't have time to charm it properly."

"Why'd you sleep in?" James asked pointedly. "Were you . . . ?" he began to ask as he did every morning, but Mia shook her head.

"No. Lily, Alice, and Mary kept me up all night giggling over a bunch of nonsense."

Though Lily was more prone to serious conversations than Mia's other two roommates, she would still join in on ridiculous conversations about boys. It annoyed Mia to no end. Mostly because, for the first time ever, she actually wanted to join in.

In her original timeline, she had not even thought about boys in such a way until at least third year—the embarrassing exception being Professor Lockhart, and even then it was barely a passing thought. Ginny once explained to Harry and Ron that Hermione was far too sensible, but all other girls were normal.

"Did Evans mention me?!" James asked with a bright smile.

"I don't know, I tried not to pay attention," she lied.

In truth, no, Lily had not asked a thing about James. The only name Lily had mentioned was Remus, and even then it was under a blushing whisper that grated on Mia's nerves. It was not until Alice giggled about James, and Mary started talking about Sirius's beautiful eyes that Mia had had enough and stormed out of the dorm and down the stairs to get a head start on her homework, something she had not done—or needed to do—since they came back from holiday.

"Morning." Remus approached with a yawn, his face was pale and he looked just as tired as Mia felt.

She knew the full moon would rise the following night, and Remus needed his energy. Despite not feeding herself, aside from the few bites of toast that James had sent her way, she immediately went into precise, practised actions. She poured pumpkin juice into a tall glass and set it in front of Remus before reaching across Sirius for the large platters of bacon and sausage, loading Remus's plate with protein and fresh fruit. Once filled, she set it down in front of him.

She hardly noticed it when Remus fixed her breakfast in simultaneous silence. He poured her a small cup of tea, adding one cube of sugar, and pushed it across the table. The two worked in tandem, as he casually reached over her arms to set a bowl of porridge down in front of her.

"Sorry," Remus muttered as he spotted a raspberry in the midst of the fruit topping of the warm porridge, settled in the midst of blueberries. He reached over and plucked away the offending fruit, tossing it into his mouth.

As the two began to eat, the rest of the group stared in absolute silence.

"What?" Remus and Mia muttered at the same time.

James blinked. "That's . . . creepy."

Sirius laughed. "You've never seen it before? They've been like this for months."

Remus and Mia promptly rolled their eyes and ignored the continued jokes and stares as they turned back to their food. When Mia casually touched a piece of the toast that James had given her, Remus reached over Peter's seat, snatching up a jar of marmalade and scooting it across to her without even looking.

James looked positively perplexed by the behaviour. "You two develop mind-speak or something?"

Mia smirked, swallowing a bite of her toast. "Don't be jealous, Jamie. Just because Remus is my best friend doesn't mean you're any less my big brother."

"What the hell does that make me?" Sirius pouted.

Mia stared at him incredulously. "Usually? A pain in my arse that has somehow been tethered to me for eternity."

Sirius winked at her, not bothering to flinch when James reached across the table to thump him on the side of the head. "I didn't know you cared, kitten."

"What about me?" Peter asked, his tiny, watery eyes meeting Mia's blinking gaze.

She returned her attention to her food, ignoring him. If you can't say anything nice . . .

"I still think the breakfast thing is creepy," James remarked. "How come Remus can't get his own bacon? There's a plate right in front of Peter."

"Because he likes it undercooked," Mia replied matter-of-factly. "The plate in front of Peter is too burnt."

"Why don't you let me or James make your tea?" Sirius asked with a raised brow. "Last time one of us did, you didn't touch it."

"Because she doesn't take milk in it," Remus explained.

"How do you even notice things like that?" James asked.

At the same time, both Mia and Remus just shrugged.

James and Sirius had little time to come up with more questions or jokes at the pair's expense because, right then, Frank Longbottom stumbled over to the table looking worse for wear.

"Frank? Are you all right?" Mia looked up at the boy with concern.

He tried to smile but it did not reach his eyes. "I'm fine, thanks, Mia."

"You are not. What happened?" 

While the Marauders had banded together due to circumstances that first day on the train, their bond had solidified due to sleeping arrangements. Frank, on the other hand, roomed with the other two Gryffindor boys in their year, Gaspard and William, who had apparently been best friends since they were toddlers. Not wanting him to be friendless and left out, Mia had extended a hand of friendship to Frank.

Frank sighed loudly. "Some first year Slytherins hit me with a nasty charm when I caught them picking on some Hufflepuffs," he admitted, his face turning red. "I told the snakes to leave them alone, and they turned on me instead. I thought they'd maybe try a hex or two but didn't think one would actually stick."

"Which one?" Sirius asked.

"They stunned me."

"What?" Sirius snapped. "Those rotten, low-life snakes!"

"They stunned you?" Mia's eyes widened. She felt her own temper flaring, and Sirius's seething just egged her on. "Merlin, that's a fifth year spell! How did they even know how to do that?"

"Once I woke up, I overheard them bragging that Malfoy and Mulciber have been teaching all of the first year Slytherins advanced hexes and jinxes," Frank said bitterly.

"You should tell Professor McGonagall," Lily said as she sat down on the other side of Frank. Keeping her attention on her friend, she purposely ignored Sirius and James as though they were not even there, despite James smiling brightly at her.

Sirius growled. "No way. What we should do is get even!"

"Yeah," James agreed, bringing himself back to the conversation when Lily refused to acknowledge him. "You shouldn't have to take that crap from them. C'mon, Frank. You, me, Sirius, Remus, and Peter are going to go show those serpents why lions are the kings of this castle!" He stood up, turning his attention to the gang of Slytherin first years that were sitting at the other end of the Great Hall.

"You idiots are going to get points taken away from us!" Lily hissed. "If you get away with that, you'll still end up hexed. Frank just said that the Slytherins are using fifth year spells!"

But nothing Lily said deterred the boys.

James led the charge beside Sirius, followed behind by Frank who looked ready to redeem himself. He might have been as clumsy a child as Neville, but he had taken to Gryffindor courage almost immediately. With James's influence, he was also unfortunately taking to recklessness with ease as well.

Mia sighed and stood up when she saw Remus follow after the others. "I better go and help them."

"Mia!" Lily scolded her.

"He's my brother, they're my friends. I don't let people hurt my friends," she said firmly, and then she felt a dangerous chill run over her skin as she added, "ever."

"Lost, little lions?" Amycus Carrow asked as the group of Gryffindors approached the end of the Slytherin table. He sat there snickering with his small gang that included his twin sister Alecto, Elora Zabini, and Severus Snape.

Sirius narrowed his eyes at him. "Shut your mouth, Carrow."

"Piss off, blood-traitor," Alecto hissed. "Everyone knows that you're nothing but a disgrace now, Black. Ruined your family name."

"My family name was shit generations before I came along. In fact, I'd gladly trade names with you, except that everyone knows all Carrows are coat-tailing morons."

Alecto appeared enraged by the comment, but her brother—and obvious little leader of their gang—stayed in his seat, glaring up at Sirius.

"I'd rather be on the coat-tails of something proper than sitting in the filth with blood-traitors and Mudbloods," Amycus sneered. Alecto laughed, Elora Zabini rolled her eyes as though she were bored of this confrontation already, and Snape averted his eyes from the Gryffindors entirely.

A memory of Draco came to the forefront of Mia's mind.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood!"

Though it currently did not show, she had the slur carved into her skin. By the end of her time at Hogwarts, Hermione had grown numb to the sound of the word when it was thrown at her, but something about this moment brought it all back up. It could have been the fact that she was young again, experiencing unstable emotions as her body fought to catch up with time and her own memories, or it could have been that Amycus was just a boy and already so filled with hate, much like Draco had been when he had first began bullying her. Just twelve years old and already prejudiced.

It was more likely, though, that it riled something up in her because, for the first time ever, the derogatory term was not being thrown at her, but at the table across the Great Hall where Amycus glared at the back of Lily's head.

Mia was not the Mudblood, here. Harry's mother was.

Fury built swiftly inside of her, and the memories of hate and anger and war and death all came to the forefront in one moment—egged on by the dangerous look in Sirius's eyes—and she finally snapped.

"You watch your fucking mouth, Carrow!" Mia stepped forward, pushing herself between James and Sirius, both of whom stared at her with wide eyes.

Amycus glared at her. "Or what, Potter?"

"You don't want to test me," she threatened, thinking of Marietta Edgecomb, Rita Skeeter, and Dolores Umbridge. She had been unforgiving during her original timeline, but now she knew what some of these children would grow up to be capable of.

Elora narrowed her eyes, suddenly interested. "Don't threaten us, Potter."

"We're not threatening," James said. "We're returning the favour. You lot hexed Frank first, without reason, too."

"Longbottom?" Snape drawled, rolling his eyes. "As if we'd need a reason. He hexes himself by accident twice a day."

"Get bent, Snivellus!" Sirius growled.

Snape's words were laced with sarcasm as he shot back, "Clever retort, Black."

"I'm serious," Mia told Amycus, and she watched closely as his hand hovered over the side of his robes. She could feel Remus right at her back, his breath on her neck and his hand on her shoulder. Without turning to look, she could not tell if he were trying to hold her back or stop himself from attacking. "You pull a wand on any of us again, and you'll regret it."

James glowered. "Forget wands, one more word . . ."

"Just one?" Snape's upper lip curled. "Surely you can count higher than that."

And, just like that, Sirius lunged over the top of the Slytherin table.

In all likelihood, the fight lasted for less than a full minute. Wands were drawn, though Sirius was more than happy to handle things "the Muggle way," as he so liked to call it when he threatened physical violence. Advanced hexes were thrown from the Slytherins; Mia, being fully developed in her magic, tried to non-verbally counter the spells without drawing attention to herself. Unfortunately, it was when Frank got involved that things went completely south.

The problem was that the only charm Frank Longbottom had properly mastered was a Wand-Lighting Charm, which would not have been helpful in the fight anyway. But instead of saying "Lumos," like he meant to, Frank flicked his wand forward and said "Fumos," accidentally casting a smokescreen spell.

A defensive cloud of smoke poured out of Frank's wand, covering the fight completely. Unable to see and aim wands properly, the Slytherins made to retreat, but the Gryffindors followed Sirius's example and went "full Muggle."

When Professor McGonagall stormed into the Great Hall and cleared the air of the smokescreen, she was left with four Slytherins and four Gryffindors on the ground. Sirius had Snape by the collar on the floor. James was struggling against Alecto Carrow and Elora Zabini—who were pulling at his hair—refusing to hit either of the girls. Remus pinned Amycus against the back wall, his forearm to the Slytherin's throat. He growled as he held back Mia, who was seething and trying to reach around Remus to scratch Amycus's smug face. The Slytherin spat toward Mia, causing Remus to turn on him instead. Frank stood in the middle of the floor with wide eyes, tightly gripping his wand that was still pouring smoke.

"Mr Longbottom!" Professor McGonagall shouted. "Put your wand down!"

Frank suddenly snapped to and dropped his wand, which fell to the floor and set off sparks. Thankfully, the smoke stopped.

"What on earth? All of you stop this moment!"

One by one, each Gryffindor stepped back, though it took Mia's help to get Remus off of Amycus. Sirius and Snape jumped away from each other, glowering, while the two Slytherin girls let go of James's hair and he pouted, rubbing his head.

"Shameful, each of you! Fighting like common thugs in the Great Hall! Mr Malfoy!"

"Professor?" Lucius Malfoy approached the scene slowly, having been sitting on the other end of the Slytherin table during the entire ordeal.

"Are you a prefect or are you not? A fight breaks out at your own table, and you sit idly by?"

"Forgive me, Professor . . ." Lucius stared at the young Slytherins, and they all averted their gaze. It was clear that the fighting was not the problem in the blond's eyes, but the outcome. "I'll be certain to be quicker on my feet next time."

"There will not be a next time. Twenty points from each of you! Mr Malfoy, I expect your first year charges to be escorted to your Head of House for proper discipline."

"Absolutely, Professor." Lucius dipped his head and walked away, the first year Slytherins following behind him and out of the Great Hall.

Professor McGonagall turned on the Gryffindors. "As for you. I expect better from my own House. Detention, all five of you, this Saturday!" she said and stormed away.

James looked around. "Five? There's six of us."

"Peter stayed back at the table," Remus said and gestured to the other side of the room where Peter swallowed as five pairs of eyes narrowed in his direction.

Sirius's mouth fell open in shock. "That little shit."

"Some Gryffindor." Mia rolled her eyes, still fuming. Realising that she was still gripping Remus's arm, she slowly released him, clearing her throat. "Sorry about that."

He grinned at her, his eyes momentarily flashing gold. "You're fun when you're all angry and riled up."

For the first time, Mia felt a strange bit of exciting adrenaline flood her chest at the sight of it. Normally, when she saw the gold in his eyes, it was in anger or stress, the wolf trying to break through Remus in a moment of emotional weakness. He looked anything but weak right now, though; he looked . . . thrilled. The grin he gave made her cheeks warm.

James laughed, breaking her from her daze. "Mia said, 'Fuck.' That was almost worth the detention."

"I did not!" The warmth fell from her cheeks as her face paled. She had rarely ever said that word, least of all in public! The occasional mild swear here and there, of course, but she had never been one to resort to crude language.

Sirius beamed at her, a look in his eye similar to the blush-inducing one in Remus's. "You absolutely did. It was fucking brilliant."

She put her hands on her cheeks, embarrassed. "I really said that?"

Remus chuckled. "You did."

"Oh Merlin . . . I blame you!" She removed her hands from her face to point at Sirius. "You're the one teaching us all foul language!"

Sirius laughed joyfully, holding his hands up in surrender. "Oi! I'm going to start blaming you every time I hit someone, then. You're violent, you are."

"Keep it up, Sirius. You got me detention. I've never been in trouble my whole life until I met you." Which was the worst lie she had ever told. She had been in detention before, but never for something like this. It was always for getting caught with Harry outside of the castle or teachers misinterpreting their efforts to save the world as causing trouble.

"You're welcome."

She huffed, folding her arms across her chest as she pinned Sirius with a stern look. "Excuse me? Welcome for what?"

His grin grew when she growled at him. "For fixing your boring life."

"Maybe let's stop talking, Sirius," Remus offered with a chuckle. "Mia can be a little scary sometimes."

March 4th, 1972

"I'm gonna hex Peter next time I see him," James said firmly as he stood in the trophy room with the other three Gryffindors, each with a worn rag in their hands, cleaning and polishing every surface, medal, cup, crown, and prize until they gleamed brightly.

They were supposed to have been separated for their detention, but Filch was not around to supervise, as he had been called away to deal with something on the third-floor corridor, mumbling ". . . bloody Prewett brats."

Frank had been excused from detention due to his cauldron melting the day before, where he ended up in the hospital wing with bandages on both hands.

"I'll do it," Mia offered. "Peter already knows I don't like him."

"Why is that?" Sirius turned around from the other side of the room to look at Mia, who was busy polishing the last Quidditch Cup to have been won by Gryffindors. "What'd Peter ever do to you?"

Mia glowered, wanting to stomp her feet in frustration. "I don't have to like everyone, you know. Besides, he didn't stand up for his friends."

"Yeah," Remus said thoughtfully, "but you've never taken a shine to Pete."

"I . . . I don't know," Mia snapped, not wanting to talk about it.

It was one thing to ignore the short, watery-eyed boy or set him up for a little jinx from time to time, but the boys were asking her to divulge the origin of her distaste for Peter Pettigrew, and she could not do it. Thinking about her hatred for the boy only brought up a sickening anger inside of her. Everything was Peter's fault. James and Lily's death, Harry becoming an orphan, Sirius getting locked up in Azkaban, and Remus being left alone for twelve years.

"Did he do something to you? Say something?" James asked, his gaze filled with sudden concern.

"No. He just . . . I don't know. I don't trust him," she said with a tone of finality, hoping none of them pushed the issue any further.

After what felt like minutes of absolute silence, Sirius walked the length of the room and rested his head on her shoulder. "I think you've only got room in your heart for the three of us, is that it?"

She laughed, hitting him in the face with the dirty rag in her hands. "You barely fit. If Remus and James get any taller, you're the first one to get the boot."

He grinned at her. "Ouch. I see how it is."

"I can only handle the three of you. Four would be a nightmare. And I can barely keep you and James in line." She pointed a scolding finger at Sirius. "Thankfully, Remus happens to be mature enough not to get caught up in your nonsense."

"You know he's right here in detention right with the three of us," James pointed out with a chuckle.

Sirius threw his dirty rag at Remus. "Hey, Lupin, want to come down off that pedestal Mia's put you up on?"

Remus's face turned red, and he smirked. "Shut up, Black."

"That's not a very mature thing to say, Remus," James teased. "Sounds to me like you're getting caught up in our nonsense."

James and Sirius broke out into laughter, and Remus narrowed his eyes at his friends. While they were distracted, he reached for his wand. "Vermillious!" Red sparks shot out, snapping against Sirius's backside like an electric shock.

Sirius gave a yelp and jumped in the air. He glared and then raised his own wand, sending the charm right back at his friend. "Vermillious!" The red sparks shot forward, hitting Remus right on the tip of the nose.

"Ow!" Remus growled in response and raised his wand again. "Vermillious!" The red sparks flew at Sirius, who tried running from them, but in the end, they snapped him on the side of the head.

"See, Mia?" James pointed out. "Remus is just as bad as the rest of us."

Mia glared at Sirius and Remus. "Stop provoking one another. We're supposed to be in detention!"

"Stop telling us what to do!" James laughed and aimed his wand at her. "Vermillious!"

She watched in shock as the red sparks shot from James's wand hit her forehead. "Jamie! I can't believe you!"

"You hexed your own sister?" Remus teasingly glared at James. "Vermillious duo!" Red sparks emitted from the end of his wand toward James, but then diverged midstream like a fork in the road, one spark hitting James in the leg, the other one hitting Sirius in the back.

"Ow! I didn't hex Mia!" Sirius shouted.

Remus laughed. "No, but you had that coming anyway."

Mia stomped her foot. "This is ridiculous! It's not even a hex, it's a charm. You three knock it off!"

"Not until you admit that Remus is just as bad as we are!" James grinned and moved around the room with the other two boys, each constantly throwing the same charm over and over, snapping the others repeatedly.

Mia folded her arms in a huff. "I will do no such thing."

"He's attacking us right in front of you!" Sirius pointed out, and Mia only smirked in reply.

"I happen to think you deserve it."

"Oh, just because you're in love with him—" Sirius began with a roll of his eyes but was unable to finish that sentence.

"Vermillious trio!" Mia said loudly, and the sparks flew out of her wand with an incredible strength, separating into three distinct paths, each headed for a boy's backside, snapping them hard and loud like a whip. They all yelped, turning wide eyes back at Mia.

"Whoa," James muttered.

Sirius gaped at her. "That was . . ."

Remus grinned. "Impressive. Vermillious!" A small spark flew at her, and Remus chuckled when she yelped as the snap hit her on the nose. He smiled at her with mischief in his eyes. "I don't know, maybe they have a point about me."

"What is going on in here?" Professor McGonagall demanded as she appeared in the doorway.

"Nothing, Professor."

They all looked down, avoiding the gaze of the intimidating witch. When she seethed and turned on her heels to leave the room, Remus, standing next to Mia, looked up. Their gazes connected, and when gold met brown, they both grinned, blushing.

Chapter Text

Got a secret
Can you keep it?
Swear this one you'll save
Better lock it, in your pocket
Taking this one to the grave
(Secret - The Pierces)

June 20th, 1972

"Please take care of yourself." Mia frowned as she stood in front of Remus, staring worriedly up into his soft green eyes. "And write to me if you need . . . anything."

The term ended with nothing more exciting than exams, Quidditch finals, and the end-of-year feast. No three-headed dog, or devil's snare, or giant chessboard, or flying keys, or dead troll, or Voldemort. Just a typical year of school. The biggest announcement by the end of the term was that the Slytherins had won the House Cup. It was not surprising, considering how many House points were taken away from Gryffindor thanks in part to the newly-minted Marauders and the Prewett twins.

"You worry too much. The past year with you . . ." Remus reached out and tucked a curl behind her ear. She beamed as she remembered that, at the beginning of the year, he had been too terrified to even shake her hand in introduction. It was amazing to see the changes that had occurred within the young werewolf. "Mia, I've honestly never felt better."

"Still," she said, fussing with the collar of his robes to keep her hands busy. "Don't think asking for help makes you weak or cowardly."

"Remus!"

He turned at the sound of his name being called out just in time to be approached by a man and woman that Mia assumed were his parents. Suddenly, his confident disposition faltered in the face of his family, and she caught the change immediately.

"Hi, Mum," he said quietly.

The woman wore Muggle attire. A light brown, modest dress that was obviously handmade. Her sandy hair matched Remus's perfectly. While she was still in her early thirties, Mrs Lupin had clearly suffered through the years, as lines of stress encircled her beautiful eyes that were as green as Remus's.

Mrs Lupin slowly approached her son, reaching out as though she wanted to hug him, but she stopped mid-motion and patted him on the shoulder.

Mia watched the interaction carefully, sad to see the distance at which Remus was kept by his own mother.

A nervous-looking man stood an extra foot behind Mrs Lupin, bags under his eyes and his hands in his pockets. A good ten years older than his wife, Mr Lupin looked like a man who could have once smiled as brightly as Mia knew Remus was able to, but she doubted that Mr Lupin still had the ability or the will to even try.

Though Remus took after his mother in appearance, Mia could see the shabby, lonely disposition of an older Professor Lupin in the visage of his father standing before her.

It was painful to witness.

Remus's parents stood nervously, both obvious in their need to get out of King's Cross as quickly as possible.

Mia could not stand the tension, so she smiled up at Remus's mother. "Hello."

Remus flushed, embarrassed. "Oh, sorry. Umm, this is my friend Mia Potter. Mia, these are my parents." He gestured to them both, looking like he wanted to take someone's hand. Instead, he ran a nervous hand through his hair.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you, Mr and Mrs Lupin." Mia extended her hand which was taken immediately. The fact made her want to narrow her eyes at the couple. They had so easily offered their hands in introduction to a strange girl, but neither had properly hugged their son after not seeing him since Christmas. No wonder Remus was so terrified when she first met him on the train.

Mrs Lupin smiled kindly to her. "My boy wrote home telling me about his wonderful new friends."

The words were tense and matched the look on Mr Lupin's face perfectly. It was clear by their posture that both of his parents wanted to leave, but the fact that Remus was not moving apparently forced them to make awkward conversation.

Mrs Lupin's voice lowered to a whisper as she said, "I . . . I can't tell you how much I appreciate you keeping his . . . illness . . . Your discretion is—"

"It's nothing, Mrs Lupin. Remus is my friend," Mia said brightly, reaching out and curling her arm around Remus. "I would do anything for him."

Both Mr and Mrs Lupin gaped at the sight. Mr Lupin looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack, while Mrs Lupin looked as though she would burst into tears at any moment.

Remus winced, clearly noticing the shift in his parents. "Mum . . . Please . . . please don't cry." He sighed and attempted to offer a comforting hand to his mother as he often did with Mia when she cried. He stopped, looking as though he thought better of it, especially when Mr Lupin gave him a pinched look from behind his wife's shoulder.

"Honestly," Mia assured Mrs Lupin with a smile, "Remus has probably done more for me this year than I've done for him. Can't tell you how many times he's saved me." She chuckled softly and reached up to brush Remus's hair from his face, purposely touching him as much as possible; she felt the need to prove to the Lupins that it was safe—that he was safe.

Mia could not understand any of it. From what Future Remus—as she had named him in order to separate them in her mind—had told her, his father once worked for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She knew the circumstances surrounding Remus's initial infection had been due to his father's stance on werewolves, but she had assumed, after his son being one for eight years, he would have seen for himself that Remus was not dangerous outside of the full moon.

Mr Lupin remained distant, staring at her as she continued to lavish friendly affection on his son.

Mrs Lupin, on the other hand, appeared to break through the wall that separated her from her child, and she smiled, approaching Remus and pulling him into her arms for what was clearly the first time in many years.

Remus's eyes widened, but he refused to hug the woman back, especially with Mr Lupin staring at them from behind, shocked at the display. Eventually, it was too much to bear, and Remus conceded, hugging his mother back tightly.

Mia smiled sweetly, trying to keep herself from crying at the sight of Mrs Lupin joyfully weeping on Remus's shoulder while he patted her on the back.

Mr Lupin cleared his throat. "Love. We, umm . . . We should go."

Remus broke away from the hug first, looking at his mother with a sad smile before she turned to Mia. "Please know you are welcome to our home anytime, you sweet girl!"

"Maybe not anytime, Mum," Remus said, looking exceedingly uncomfortable.

"Well, no, obviously, but she understands."

Mia smiled at Remus's mother. "I understand."

Mrs Lupin stared at her like she'd just seen magic for the first time in her life. "You truly do, don't you? Where on earth did such a kind girl come from?"

"Mum!" Remus looked down, embarrassed.

"Mia!"

Mia turned and spotted her parents waiting down at the end of the platform—James and Sirius standing next to them. She waved and then turned to say goodbye to the Lupins. "It really was lovely to meet you both."

Mia reached up to hug Remus tightly, glad that he did not hesitate to hold her close to him with a level of comfort that was noticeably absent when he had hugged his own mother. He buried his nose in her curls, and she could hear him breathing in her scent. Mia hoped that it would help get him and his wolf through the long summer his parents had planned.

He had told her recently that the small village that they lived in the past few years had been compromised. Rumours of a werewolf roaming the village had reached the ears of the Lupins, and before anyone could become suspicious of Remus, they planned on relocating.

Mia would not see Remus again until the first of September. Thinking of that caused her to frown as she pulled away from him. "Have a good summer, Remus. I'll miss you."

"Have a good summer, Mia." Remus kissed her cheek before turning and walking away with his parents.

September 22nd, 1972

"Remus." Mia frowned down at her friend. "The full moon is tomorrow; you really should be back in bed resting."

"Can't rest. Quidditch," Remus said half-heartedly, vaguely motioning his hand in the direction of the Quidditch pitch.

Although they had been back in school for a few weeks, the summer had done a number on Remus. Somehow, being separated from Mia and the rest of his friends, coupled with needing to move and be around his nervous parents—mostly his father—Remus had reverted a bit back to the nervous and stressed out boy that Mia had met the year before. His face was once again pale, and he had lost the weight that Mia had taken such effort the prior year to put on his skinny frame. The only difference was that he now stood a good two inches taller than her.

"James and Sirius will understand," Mia argued.

Remus rolled his eyes as he rested his head against the cold bench in the Gryffindor stands, letting the frosty metal cool the skin of his face. He said that the approaching moon sometimes made his skin feel like it had the worst sunburn—hot and itchy.

"No, they won't. They'll say I'm a bad friend for not watching them try out. They've already taken the mickey out of me for not trying out myself."

Mia felt a breath of protective anger fill her lungs. "They're being mean to you?"

She had spent the summer worried for all the boys. Remus was practically missing, considering that he and his family were always on the move. He answered her letters when he could, but between relocating and dealing with the summer moons, he was ill more often than not.

James had crashed his broom during a particularly bad windstorm at the beginning of summer, breaking his left leg and hitting his head. Unable to heal it at home due to the specific way the bone broke, the Potters had to go to St Mungo's where James spent the night, prematurely ageing his worried sister.

Sirius had been another issue. Though he spent the first two weeks with the Potters, he had returned to Grimmauld Place and then remained there without a single owl sent to his friends the rest of the summer. When Mia and James finally reconnected with him on platform nine and three-quarters, the only thing Sirius would say was, "I don't want to talk about it."

Her boys were making it increasingly difficult for her to take care of them.

"I don't need you to protect me, Mia," Remus said irritably.

She glared at him, shocked by his tone. "Don't get snappy with me, Remus Lupin. I know that's the wolf coming out."

Sighing in frustration, Remus threw an arm over his face. "I'm sorry. I just . . . I miss enough of my life one day out of the month, never mind the lead-up to the moon and then recovering. I don't want to have to constantly hide away in my room."

"You shouldn't have to." Mia brushed her fingers through his hair, and he opened his eyes, squinting against the sunlight as he looked up at her. "I just don't like seeing you in pain."

"Worry more about your brother being in pain." Remus sat up, gesturing to James doing loops on his broom in the centre of the field. "Four Galleons says he loses his glasses and crashes into something."

Mia smiled, allowing Remus to divert their conversation. She looked to where Sirius sat on his broom near the end of the field, vertically balancing the Beater's bat on his head—just as James had done with his wand. "Another four says Sirius hits himself with that Beater's bat."

"Two Galleons says Peter falls off his broom."

"Only two?" Mia scoffed as she looked at the short boy, struggling on his broom that barely hovered more than ten feet from the ground. "That's easy money for you, Mr Lupin. You should have bet me twenty."

Remus laughed and then a cold breeze passed through the stands, causing his body to shiver and tense in obvious pain.

"That's it. Lie down," Mia ordered, patting her lap.

"Lie down?" He eyed her beneath furrowed brows. "I'm not Sirius. I don't need you to pet me."

She ignored him, his brusque tone, and his attitude. "If you refuse to go inside, then I insist you lie down out here. There's plenty of room on the bench. I'll rub your shoulders, too, if you like."

Remus raised a brow, contemplating her ultimatum for a moment before he sighed and leant backward, dropping his head onto her lap as though it were a pillow. Placing his arms on his chest, he laced his fingers together. "I'm not doing this because you're right."

"Of course not, love." Mia smiled and dug her fingers gently into Remus's shoulders.

"You didn't win this argument," he insisted.

"Wouldn't think of it."

"I'm doing this because no bloke in his right mind would ever turn down a shoulder rub from a pretty girl."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please."

"Please, what?" he asked, cracking open one eye and looking up at her.

"I'm already going to rub your shoulders, you don't have to . . . to . . ."

"To what?"

"I don't know. Act like Sirius?" She shrugged, frowning.

By the time the war ended, she had been more concerned with other things than how she looked, but being back in her awkward, younger body—even with her teeth prematurely fixed—brought up old self-esteem issues that she was forced to relive. She was well aware that her hair had always been a bit out of control, though Tilly had helped teach her spells to calm it into soft curls versus the bushy mess it often resembled. She had never developed the same curves that Lavender had, and her eyes were not as mesmerising as Lily's were.

"You don't have to lie to me," she said quietly.

"What did I lie about?" he asked, offended.

"For one, calling me pretty."

"Mia—"

"Don't, Remus," she cut him off quickly. "Please. Just . . . lie down and let me help you."

"But I—"

Her eyes pleaded with him. "Remus . . ."

"Well, look at this sight," James said as he, Sirius, and Peter walked into the stands, their clothes covered in sweat and dirt, brooms slung over their shoulders. "Remus doesn't do a thing, and he gets special treatment."

"Yeah, I took a Bludger to the back. Where's my massage?" Sirius asked, grinning when Remus growled in response.

"You two go rub each other," Mia suggested to James and Sirius with a laugh.

James chuckled. "Sirius isn't really my type."

"James wishes he was my type," Sirius said.

"So?" Mia looked up at the boys. "Did you make the team or what?"

"Sirius and I made the reserve player list." James seemed to be happier about being allowed to have his broom at school than to actually have an official position on the team. No longer in the running to be the youngest Chaser in centuries, he had calmed down in reference to his future Quidditch career.

"Better than nothing." Sirius smirked and then looked behind him. "Right, Petey?"

Peter pouted, struggling to hold onto his gear. "It's not my fault I fell off my broom," he said, rubbing his backside.

James and Sirius shared another laugh while Mia grinned, passing two Galleons into Remus's open hand.

September 23rd, 1972

"Hey, where's Remus?" James asked as he entered the common room, catching Sirius and Peter in a game of Exploding Snap. Sirius laughed as a card blew up in Peter's face.

"Hospital wing," Sirius answered without looking up from the game. "Headache again."

"Again? He's always either going home to visit his sick aunt or in the infirmary." James frowned. "You'd think Madam Pomfrey would give him something better than a simple Pain Potion."

Sirius shrugged, more concerned with beating Peter for the tenth time in a row than whatever was happening with Remus. Sirius had his own secrets about his family and did not care to readily share them with his friends; he gave Remus the same respect.

"My point," Peter said with a grin as he tapped one of the cards that Sirius put down.

Sirius huffed and threw James a dirty look for distracting him from the game. Irritable over the loss of one point, he purposely threw down a manticore card, knowing it was already set to go explode.

"My poi—ouch!"

Snickering, Sirius shuffled the cards left in his hand. "My point."

"Mia said it's something called chronic migraines," James went on, gesturing to Peter's hand and silently giving him tips on the game. "Says Muggles get them a lot. Makes them sensitive to light or something. Probably why he stays in the infirmary when he gets them."

"We can get Muggle diseases?!" Peter exclaimed loudly and dropped all of his cards, a look of horror and disgust on his face. Two of the cards exploded in a puff.

"Of course we can, Pete." James rolled his eyes, waving away the smoke. "You've had the flu before, yeah?"

"Yeah. That's a Muggle illness?"

"Some of theirs we can't catch, and some of ours they can't get. Muggles can't catch dragon pox," Sirius explained as he gathered up what cards were unsinged, a bit put off by the tone in Peter's voice.

"Lucky them."

Sirius laughed at his friend. "Yeah, their pox is called chicken."

"What do they do with chickens to get sick from them?" Peter asked, looking disgusted.

"What do we do with dragons?" Sirius countered with a wry grin.

"Can you two shut up for a second?" James groaned, looking stressed out. "What's our Potion lesson this week?"

"Sleeping Draught," Peter said. "Remember? Frank messed his up the first time and had to be sent to the hospital wing for a Wide-Eye Potion."

"Does the Sleeping Draught contain aconite?" James asked quickly.

"Aconite? You mean monkshood?" Sirius looked up at his best friend with raised brows.

He knew James was not the best at Potions, but he was no Frank. Poor bloke had to sleep in the common room for a week because his roommates said that whatever potion he had spilt on himself clung to his skin and made their whole room stink. James had offered to let Frank sleep on the floor in their room, but he said the sofa in the common room was fine.

"No way, mate." Sirius shook his head, worried that James would accidentally poison himself. "That stuff's toxic. We're not allowed to use it yet. Why do you ask?"

"Because I found Mia making a list in the library," James whispered, taking a seat beside him. "I was under the cloak and meant to play a prank and move her things anytime she looked away. But then I saw a list she was writing. Had aconite on it."

"You think she's making a poison?" Peter asked, intrigued.

"Of course not!" James snapped.

"Maybe she's just skipping ahead, you know she likes to read," Sirius suggested, patting Peter on the shoulder to calm his nerves. They weren't exactly friends, but he did not think that Mia would poison Peter just because she didn't like him much.

"I don't know, some of the books she was reading. They, erm, looked like they were from the Restricted Section. Big potion books," James said and gestured their size with his hands.

"So ask her."

James frowned at Sirius. "I can't get up the girls' dormitory stairs."

"And why would you want to, Potter?"

They all looked up to see Lily Evans descending the stairs; her usual expression of contempt reserved only for James turned momentarily to indifference.

James predictably blushed. "Evans, I . . . I . . . "

"Evans, is Mia up there?" Sirius asked, patting James on the back. "We need to talk to her."

"No." Lily shook her head. "She went down to see Madam Pomfrey a few hours ago."

"A few hours ago?" James snapped back to reality. "What was wrong with her?"

"Same as usual I, suppose. She gets really bad headaches during, well, girl stuff."

"What girl stuff?" Peter asked, confused.

Sirius sighed, embarrassed for his friend. "Shut up, Pete, you wouldn't understand. She do that often, Evans?"

Lily narrowed her eyes at him. "About once a month like the rest of us."

"Not that. Honestly, how am I the most mature person in the room right now?" he asked, genuinely confused. James and Peter both shared a look of bewilderment, clearly trying to figure out what Lily had meant in the first place. "I mean how often does she go to the hospital wing?"

"Oh." Lily looked suddenly guilty. "About every time. She's been going there since last year. Said she gets really bad headaches when it happens."

James frowned. "How bad?"

"She usually spends the night there. Why? You didn't know she had migraines?"

"Migraines?" Sirius asked. "The Muggle headache?"

"Yeah," Lily confirmed. "She has to take a Sleeping Draught and a Pain Potion to get through the night when it happens."

"Thanks, Evans." James dipped his head to her, giving a knowing look to Sirius while Peter sat there restacking his set of cards, already done with the conversation. "I think I'll go check on her later. See if she's okay."

Lily frowned as she made her way to the portrait door. "You're welcome. Tell her I hope she feels better."

September 24th, 1972

"Sirius! Sirius, wake up, you prat!"

"What. The. Fuck. Potter?" Sirius groaned into his pillow, his long black hair tangled around his head the same way his bedsheet was tangled around his leg. He kicked that leg out, hoping to connect with James in retaliation for sticking his bony finger in Sirius's ribs. "Go back to sleep."

"Wake up, arsehole!" James smacked him on the back of the head. "Where's my cloak? You had it last when you sneaked into the kitchens two days ago!"

"It's in Pete's trunk, mine's full. Where're you going with the cloak anyway? What time is it?" He blinked away his sleep and looked at the window. "Shit, is it even dawn yet?"

"I'm going to the hospital wing," James said. There was a loud creak that Sirius knew was the sound of Peter's hand-me-down trunk opening. Peter gasped awake at the noise.

"You think something's up?" Sirius asked, sitting up.

"My sister's reading restricted potion books, making lists with poisonous ingredients, and she and Remus just happen to both get sick every month with the same Muggle illness?" James scoffed. "You don't find that at all suspicious?"

"Maybe they're off snogging," Sirius suggested, equal parts amused and annoyed at his own suggestion as it put an odd image in his head that he was not sure he liked very much.

"What the hell!?" James snapped, his eyes wide.

"What? It makes sense. They're always together."

"You need to stop talking. It's bad enough that you both are constantly snuggling up with her. Are you two coming or not?" James asked with a shout, kicking Peter's bed.

"It's not even six in the morning!" Peter whinged.

"Exactly," James pointed out. "I want to catch them doing . . . whatever they're doing before they have a chance to come back to the tower. If they're really sick in the infirmary, then they'll both just be asleep."

"Fine, but if I'm waking up this early, you owe me breakfast. And I don't mean wait until the table is full, I mean, you go down to the bloody kitchens and then bring it to me. In bed. On a silver tray." Sirius continued to grumble out requests—and addendums to said requests—as they slipped the cloak over themselves and left Gryffindor Tower.

"What happened?" Mia gasped as Madam Pomfrey set a bloodied Remus down on the bed. He had never looked this bad before, not even after the first moon she had seen him through in this time. He was pale and sallow, looking worse than usual. In addition to the long wound that opened across his back, he had four long deep slashes that covered his chest.

"It looks like he clawed himself up pretty badly this time." Madam Pomfrey sighed as she helped Mia close the wounds quickly.

"Oh, Remus." Mia frowned, blinking away tears. "Where's the Calming Draught?"

"Right here, dear." Madam Pomfrey placed the phial in her hands. "And the Pain Potions are in the drawer as usual; he'll need a Blood-Replenishing one as well when he wakes," she insisted before stepping out of the room.

"Come on, love," Mia whispered to Remus as his eyes began to open. "Drink this for me." She held the phial to his lips and let the liquid slip down his throat.

He coughed and reached out, gripping her arm to steady himself. "Mia . . ."

"I'm here," she promised him, kissing his forehead. "I'm going to fix you all up."

Remus turned his head away, but she still saw his eyes were wet as he tried to hide his face from her. "It's getting worse."

"It's because you're growing up. Hitting a growth spurt. You're a good two or three inches taller this year than last." She reached for the Pain Potion. "Not to mention . . . other changes, I assume."

Remus closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "I hate my life."

"Don't say that." Mia frowned, handing him the Pain Potion and letting him drink it on his own, which he did begrudgingly. She cupped his jaw. "Here, let me look at your face. These don't look too bad. I can use Dittany and they won't even scar."

"I'm so tired, Mia. I don't want it to hurt anymore. My skin breaks open, my bones shatter, and I lose my . . . myself." He refused to make eye contact with her, turning his head away from her gaze once again.

It had only been a year ago that he had opened up and let her see the vulnerable parts of him, but things were different now. As uncomfortable as the words were, she knew was right, they were growing up, and she did not just see Remus as her best friend anymore. There was something . . . something else lingering just beneath the surface. Something that she could not quite place. Remus must have sensed it too because he was pulling away from her and had been for some time. She wondered if it was just a boy thing—as she recalled Harry and Ron behaving differently at this age as well—or if Remus's wolf had something to do with it.

"You're in there still. I promise you," Mia whispered. "You're not alone in this."

"I am alone! I'm always alone!" Remus shouted and threw the empty phial across the room. "I go out to the shack alone, I transform alone, and I tear myself apart because of it! I wake up alone in the shack and start the long walk back to school alone before I usually collapse outside of the Whomping Willow. Alone."

"I wish I could be there with you," Mia admitted, trying not to take his anger personally.

Remus growled. "Don't be stupid, Mia. I'd kill you."

"I'll figure something out. I promise. I'll make this better for you, love. I'm . . . I'm going to try and find a potion to help. I don't know how to make it yet, it'll take some research, but I will."

"Nothing's ever going to get better, Mia." Remus sighed. "Just let me sleep. Leave me alone. Please." He closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands.

Mia took a moment to wipe at her eyes before asking, "Do you want the Sleeping Draught?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Remus reached out as she put the phial into his hands, but he refused to meet her gaze before tipping the draught down his throat and letting sleep take him quickly.

Madam Pomfrey approached with a frown a few minutes later. "He's out?"

"Yes."

"Poor thing. Breaks my heart every month. To think a sweet boy like that has to endure so much pain all because some sadistic creature decided to turn a four-year-old boy into a werewolf."

"He's never known anything but pain."

"I don't think so. You and those boys of yours show him love and friendship." Madam Pomfrey smiled. "And, as much as it pains me to say, even a bit of fun and mischief."

"He deserves better than this."

"On that, Miss Potter, I will agree with you. Are you staying longer?"

Mia looked up pleadingly. "If that's all right?"

"Of course, dear. I have to run some errands. If he wakes, you know where the extra potions are," she said, gesturing to the cupboard in the corner before walking out the door of the infirmary.

Just as the doors closed, there was the sound of scuffling in the corner of the room.

Mia jumped from her chair, wand aimed forward. "Who's there?" She narrowed her eyes but saw nothing. When no one responded, Mia took a deep breath and whispered. "Expelliarmus!"

Suddenly, there was a shimmer of silver as three wands shot toward her, pulling the Invisibility Cloak with them. The wands filled her hand, the cloak falling to the floor at her feet, and she looked up to see a hunched over James, clumped together with Sirius and Peter, all looking shocked and terrified.

"Jamie! How long have you all been there?"

James ignored her as he stepped forward, snatching up his cloak from the floor before moving to the bedside and staring down at his sleeping friend. "Is Remus all right?"

"Bloody hell . . . Look at him." Sirius's wide eyes moved over Remus's body.

Mia cursed under her breath for not changing the blood-stained sheets that clung around Remus's waist, revealing his bare chest that was covered with the fresh wounds from the night before.

Peter gaped at the sight. "Looks like he got chewed up by something."

"Jamie." Mia turned on her brother, panic in her voice. "How long have you been there?"

"I don't know." James shook his head and then glared up at her. "How long has my best friend been a werewolf?"

"Mia, is he okay?" Sirius inquired, still staring down at his friend, looking sick at the sight.

"He's fine right now," Mia whispered, ignoring James's outburst and favouring Sirius's concern. "He needs rest."

"Is he . . . Merlin, they let him into Hogwarts." Peter grimaced, and before he had a chance to blink away the look of disgust on his face, Mia had him at wand point, a look of absolute loathing in her eyes.

"Mia!" James shouted.

"Why shouldn't they let him into Hogwarts, Peter? Should they have cast him out? Maybe even locked him up? Like an animal?!" She growled, standing at the foot of Remus's bed, effectively separating Peter from the rest of them. "Who would be next, Peter? Round up all the Muggle-borns?"

"Whoa!" Sirius stepped forward defensively in front of Peter, something that made her blood run cold. "Mia, Pete didn't mean anything by it. Right?"

"R-Right," Peter mumbled nervously.

"See?" Sirius slowly approached her with calm grey eyes, reaching up and helping her lower her wand. "It's all right, love. We're just shocked. Remus is our friend, too. How long have you known about him?"

Mia frowned, letting her anger dissipate and be lulled away by Sirius's gaze. "Since first year. I read about it, saw the signs, went to Dumbledore and asked permission to help him recover each month. He can't be around humans when he changes because the wolf takes over, but I'm there before and after, to help with the pain and to heal his wounds."

"What happened to him?" James asked, concerned.

"He's basically locked up when he transforms," she explained as she moved, walking over and pulling out clean sheets from the cupboard by the bed. She pulled the top sheet off of Remus, keeping the one below to preserve his dignity. After tossing aside the blood-stained sheet, she draped a soft clean one over his sleeping frame. "Since he's alone, he lashes out and attacks himself in frustration."

"He told me he got those scars from camping trips with his dad," Sirius remarked. "Said he fell off a mountain last summer."

She turned and eyed the boys. "You can't tell anyone."

"Of course not," James agreed.

"No, I mean it." Mia grew serious. She trusted James and Sirius, of course, but Peter was still there, and it was taking every last inch of humanity inside of her not to curse him. "I want . . . I need you all to take a Wizard's Oath."

"Whoa." Sirius's eyes went wide. "Mia, you can't just take our words for this?"

"No. I'm sorry, not with his reaction." Mia's eyes turned to Peter, and she narrowed them into slits. "Remus trusts me to take care of him and to keep his secret. I know you all love Remus, but I can't risk anything happening to him. If people found out that he was here, they'd take him away."

"Done." Without needing her to say another word, James held up his wand. "I, James Charlus Potter, swear upon my wand and magic as a wizard never to reveal to anyone that Remus Lupin is a werewolf without his permission."

The wand glowed red for a moment before returning to normal, sealing the oath.

Sirius stepped forward without hesitation. "I, Sirius Orion Black, swear upon my wand and magic as a wizard never to reveal to anyone that Remus Lupin is a werewolf without his permission."

"Peter?" Mia eyed him carefully as his gaze turned to the floor, hesitating.

"What the hell, Pete?" James snapped. "Do it!"

"I-I . . ." Peter stammered nervously.

Mia stepped forward in a predatory manner that Remus and his wolf might have appreciated. "Make the oath. Or I'll figure out a way to Obliviate you." She could see James and Sirius stare at her from the side. "We're only second years; I wouldn't trust me to remove just this one memory."

"I love it when she's scary." Sirius exhaled with a grin, and James made a face.

"I, Peter Evan Pettigrew," Peter said quietly, gripping his wand with white knuckles, "swear upon my wand and magic as a wizard never to reveal to anyone that Remus Lupin is a werewolf without his permission."

Once the oaths were complete, the room fell silent, and Mia closed her eyes, listening closely to Remus softly snoring behind the four of them.

James nervously adjusted his glasses and finally broke through the quiet. "What do you need aconite for?"

Mia slowly tilted her head toward her brother, scowling. "You snooped through my things?"

James looked down guiltily. "Accidentally."

"Aconite is also called wolfsbane. I can't cure him, but I think if I try hard enough, I can come up with something to help him."

"What can we do?" Sirius demanded.

Mia shook her head. "Nothing. Just keep the secret." She glared at Peter and repeated, "Keep the secret. Educate yourselves about his condition. Be his friends, and don't treat him any different. He hates pity."

James frowned. "That's it? He's been alone through this since he was four?"

"A werewolf named Fenrir Greyback attacked him. Remus's dad was working at the Ministry, and Greyback had been arrested on suspicions of killing Muggle children. Remus's dad knew that Greyback was a werewolf, but because the Ministry doesn't know how to properly keep a registry, his name wasn't on it, and he was set free. Mr Lupin said . . . some awful things about werewolves in general; Greyback infected Remus in revenge."

Sirius shook his head. "And I thought I had a fucked up childhood."

"His parents did the best they could after." She was still a bit uneasy with Mr Lupin's continual prejudice against werewolves and fear of his own son. "They didn't think he'd be able to come to Hogwarts, so they taught him as much as they could at home."

"Always knew he was ridiculously smart for a reason," James said.

Sirius asked, "So how did he get in?"

"Dumbledore."

"Hagrid's right." James grinned. "Great man, that Dumbledore."

Mia smiled at her brother. "We should leave. Let him get some rest."

The four made their way to the door of the infirmary, but not before Mia readjusted Remus's sheets and blankets, setting another Pain Potion on his side table in case he woke up. She smiled down at him, sad that she had somehow failed to keep the other boys from knowing his secret, but resigning herself to the fact that she knew from her original timeline that they had eventually discovered it.

"Hey, Mia?" Sirius asked as they left the hospital wing. "You say he can't be around humans, right?"

"Right."

There was a long pause while Sirius contemplated something. Then, he visibly brightened. "What about other animals?"

Mia grinned.

Chapter Text

I'm so sick,
Infected with where I live
Let me live without this
Empty bliss,
Selfishness
I'm so sick
(I'm So Sick - Flyleaf)

April 25th, 1973

It only took five days for Sirius's world to go to shit.

He had not been eager to return to Grimmauld Place for the holidays but, for the first time since he had been shipped off to Hogwarts, his parents were abnormally insistent that he come home.

His father had suggested that he come back the summer before, and he had, only to have Walburga lock up their Floo Network and restrict all use of the owls, thus cutting him off from his friends in the hopes that he would figure out his priorities in regards to his family. That, of course, had not worked in the slightest. So when Sirius and Regulus arrived home in late April, he was prepared for a battle against his mother.

A battle that had not come right away.

While his parents prepared him and Regulus for the upcoming engagement party for Narcissa and her fiancé, Lucius Malfoy—the actual reason that he had been brought home for holidays—Sirius thought of new ways to remind his family that he was nothing like them.

His first night home, he charmed his standard green and silver bedspread and matching curtains to reflect his Gryffindor pride, changing them into deep crimson and a brilliant gold. He had also taken the few photos he had of himself, James, Remus, and Peter—courtesy of Mia—along with some Muggle posters he managed to procure, and placed them on his wall with a modified Permanent Sticking Charm.

The photos had not triggered a reaction in his parents.

The posters on the other hand . . .

"What have you done?!" Walburga screamed when she burst into his room to witness him on the bed, lazily flipping through a magazine as if he had not a care in the world.

Sirius offered her an innocent look. "What's that, Mother? I haven't done anything. I'm just sitting here, enjoying my lovely holiday with my delightful family. Relaxing for a bit and reading. Do you know what a motorcycle is?" he mused aloud as he returned his attention to the magazine.

"You ignorant and ungrateful child, what are those?" She pointed to the canopy of Sirius's bed.

He turned his attention toward the ceiling, following her shaking index finger, as though he were unaware anything was, in fact, on the canopy of his bed.

Sirius smiled and turned slowly back to her. "Why, dear Mother, they appear to be large photographs of women in various degrees of dress, or undress, depending on how you want to see it. Bikinis." He grinned as he relaxed back on his pillows to stare up, letting out a happy sigh. "Muggles come up with the best things ever."

She tried to remove the offending material, but Sirius was well-versed in Sticking Charms. He had been enjoying himself far too much to admit that he did not know the counter-spell to remove them even if she threatened to Avada him.

She swore he would be punished for it, but Sirius was no longer afraid of the back of her hand. She could try to hit him all she liked, but he would never again back down.

It was with this same cocky ego that Sirius entered Malfoy Manor, five feet behind his properly dressed family. Walburga was in a finely made purple gown on the arm of his father in traditional—yet stylish—black dress robes with his long ebony hair tied back with a leather thong. Regulus—ever the doting son—held Walburga's other hand, dressed to match Orion perfectly.

Sirius, however, strolled into the manor wearing black jeans, dragonskin boots, and his hands in the pockets of his long, open robes. His hair was left messy and down, hanging nearly to his shoulders.

"Cygnus." Walburga smiled as they approached her youngest brother, who stood proudly beside Abraxas Malfoy.

A cookie-cutter version of Sirius's mother in appearance, his uncle, unsurprisingly, barely smiled at her presence. His scowling attention was all for Sirius. "I see you're allowing the boy to dress himself these days. Are you suddenly destitute, sister? Have all your house-elves died, leaving him to his own devices?"

"The boy has a name," Sirius muttered under his breath.

Walburga ignored Sirius entirely, as well as any conversation pertaining to him. "Narcissa is as lovely as ever. She'll make a fine wife for your boy, Abraxas." She turned her attention back to Cygnus and sighed dramatically. "Shame, of course, that you were forced to break tradition and marry your daughters off out of order. Any word yet on dear Andromeda?"

Cygnus's jaw tightened, and his nostrils flared. "Still missing."

"Not that this isn't all fascinating," Sirius interrupted loudly, and all of the adults turned and gaped at him for speaking out of turn, "but can a bloke get a drink?"

"You ungrateful little—" Cygnus began, but suddenly a hand fell on his shoulder, silencing him.

"Let the boy be. How many of us were perfect little noblemen at thirteen? I'll get the little whelp out of your hair."

Sirius grinned up at his uncle Alphard, who moved past both Cygnus and Walburga to put an arm around him.

"You dote on him too much, Alphard." Walburga scowled but said nothing more.

Alphard chuckled deeply as he walked Sirius over to the bar, silently motioning to the house-elf behind it with two fingers. Sirius memorised the movement when the house-elf reappeared with two glasses of firewhisky. He made eye contact with the creature, gestured with two fingers the same way his uncle did, and the elf sneered at him before walking to the other end of the bar.

"You're going to give them heart attacks, you know."

Sirius snorted. "The elves?"

Alphard gave him a look. "Your parents."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Well, that's the plan. I figure if I time it right, they'll all drop dead at once, and you and I can take over the family. We could flip a Galleon for all the vaults and properties, Uncle. Or duel to the death, leaving one victor standing. Do you think you could take me?"

Alphard genuinely laughed and slid one of the small glasses toward him. "Here, boy. Drink up."

Grinning, Sirius looked down at the glass. "Firewhisky?"

"Your first?" Alphard asked, and Sirius nodded. "A momentous occasion, then. What should we drink to?"

"This sham of a marriage?" Sirius suggested.

"Be careful, Sirius," Alphard quietly advised. "Do not think yourself to be untouchable."

"You know this is wrong," Sirius ground out, taking his first sip of firewhisky, which burned going down. He coughed loudly, and Alphard patted him hard on the back. Sirius cleared his throat and let the warmth from the drink settle over him before he took a second hesitant sip that didn't burn as much. "Cissa's going to be miserable."

"Matches made this way are traditional. You'd do well to keep your opinions quiet on the matter. Your cousin will do what she's been raised to do. It's not in her nature to stir things up. Unlike yourself. I hear you're making a name for yourself at Hogwarts. You and that Potter boy."

"James." Sirius nodded. "He's my best mate."

"Be careful," Alphard warned. "Your parents have eyes everywhere. You won't be a boy much longer. That drink in your hand is the first of many, and once they realise you're approaching manhood, they'll be making more detailed plans for your future."

"What do you suggest?" Sirius asked, feeling his stomach churn at the thought of letting his parents sell him off the way Cygnus was doing with Narcissa. Then again, it might have just been the firewhisky. "Go along with them? Let them force me into a sham of a marriage like Cissa? Shit, I'm shocked they didn't have us marry each other."

"No, we live in a time now where the pureblood families are trying to unite together. Our world is changing, Sirius, and we all need to make decisions on how we're going to adapt to it." Alphard tilted his drink back, finishing it off. "If I go and make pleasantries with people I dislike for the sake of family, will you promise to stay out of trouble?"

"You want me to take an Unbreakable Vow?" Sirius suggested with a smirk, and Alphard laughed.

"No, I think not. I rather enjoy having you around for situations like these, and something tells me you'd end up breaking that vow all too quickly. And then who would keep me company?" He ruffled Sirius's hair before stepping away from the bar and making his rounds.

Sirius would have been perfectly content to remain by the bar for the rest of the night, but his focus fell across a blur of blond hair as Narcissa was pulled quickly from the large ballroom.

Curious and concerned for the one cousin he had left that was not a complete disaster, Sirius slipped into the shadows of the hallways and followed after, eagerly listening for voices.

When he came upon a door that had been slightly cracked open, he pressed his forehead against the frame and slowly opened the door just a bit to peer inside, only to find Narcissa and her intended husband face-to-face.

"All I said was that I thought it was an extreme reaction. Muggles have their own world that's separate from ours already; why even bother to have thoughts of them?" Narcissa asked coldly.

Lucius turned on her, positively livid. "You were not given to me to have opinions."

"I have not been given to you yet, Lucius!"

"Do you think you can get out of this marriage? I would very much like to see you try. Our arrangement was sealed with blood." He closed himself in on her, their noses nearly touching. "Only death will separate us now. So straighten your priorities on your own, or I will do it for you," he growled and stormed toward the door.

Sirius's eyes went wide, and he ducked away into the nearby alcove just as Lucius burst through the door, moving quickly back toward the ballroom. Inside, Sirius could hear Narcissa's sniffles.

He opened the door slowly and took a deep breath before speaking. "Cissa?"

She turned on him, quickly wiping the tears from her face. "Sirius! What are you doing back here? Get out!"

"You're not really going to marry that fucking creep, are you?" he asked incredulously.

"You're too young to understand." She scowled and made her way through the door, shoving past him. "If you were smart, you'd know better than to question my marriage when I overheard your mother in the early stages of planning yours."

"Oh, fuck that," Sirius snarled. He would make sure no other nasty pureblood family would even consider him marrying any of their girls. Trailing after his cousin, he reached out and gently took her hand to stop her from running away from him. At her cold expression, his own softened. "Cissa, do you need help?"

"I said, leave it!" She yanked her hand away from him and rushed back into the ballroom where the entire crowd had fallen into complete silence.

All eyes stared at the fireplace where a dark-haired witch had recently stepped through; the green flames behind her had not yet died.

"Dromeda?" Sirius gasped, eyes wide.

"You didn't think I'd miss my baby sister's engagement party, did you?" Andromeda smirked at Narcissa and moved to embrace her, but swiftly, the rest of the Black family—save for Alphard, Sirius, and Regulus—stepped in between the sisters. "I see. I figured this might happen." She shrugged and flashed a small diamond ring at the crowd. "I got married. Don't worry. I didn't expect any of you in attendance."

"You did not," Cygnus growled at his daughter. "Tell me you didn't run off with that filthy—"

"Muggle-born?" Andromeda smiled almost sweetly as she cut him off. "Why, yes, I did. He's a lovely man. And to think, I'd almost lost my chance to find real love and happiness."

"Get out, you nasty blood-traitor! You have brought shame, shame upon the House of Black!" Walburga shrieked.

"Wait!" Cygnus seethed, glaring at his daughter. "Andromeda, I will give you one chance to fix this. Put an end to that marriage," he spat the word. "And you can redeem yourself and your honour by letting me arrange a proper one for you."

"What pureblood man would take a girl who's been sullied by a Mudblood?!" Walburga screeched.

"I'll take her."

Everyone turned to see Abraxas Malfoy staring ahead at Andromeda, who instantly looked nauseated.

"My own wife died some years ago, and I've been looking for a replacement. I have my heir in Lucius, but . . ." He scanned her with cold, lecherous eyes. "A man has needs."

"Sorry to break hearts, then," Andromeda said coolly, not breaking her stare away from the elder Malfoy until he sneered at her in disgust. "I didn't just come for my sister. I came to see you, father." She stepped forward and reached into the pocket of her robes, pulling out what looked to be a small photo. She suddenly appeared nervous as she held it out to the man who took it and instantly froze, his face paling. "I've named her Nymphadora."

"Crucio!" The shout came from behind, and Andromeda fell to the ground screaming.

Sirius looked up to see his eldest cousin, Bellatrix, standing beside her new husband, the elder of the Lestrange brothers, both glaring down at Andromeda, who was seizing in the middle of the ballroom.

"Stop!" Sirius shouted and rushed forward, only to be held back by his collar by Alphard, who raised his wand.

"Bellatrix!" Alphard snapped. "This is completely unnecessary!"

"Father?" Bellatrix turned and looked at Cygnus as though waiting for permission to either continue or a request to let Andromeda go.

Cygnus glared down at the photo in his hands and shook his head.

"Uncle!" Sirius shouted, trying to somehow plead for Andromeda's life.

"Leave her," Cygnus growled. "She is no longer my daughter. Shove the blood-traitor through the Floo, and never let me look upon her again." He turned his gaze away from Andromeda and looked immediately to Walburga. "You should take to heart what has happened here. It is one thing for me to lose a daughter, but another for our House to lose its proper heir."

All glaring eyes suddenly fell on Sirius as he stood, shaking with rage.

April 30th, 1973

When Sirius and Regulus stepped off the Hogwarts Express in Hogsmeade after their return, it only took a few minutes before the brothers collided with violent intent on both parts.

Sirius had not intended to clash against his younger brother that day, but when he and his friends stepped off the train to spot Lily Evans arguing with Snape near the horseless carriages, there was bound to be drama between Gryffindors and Slytherins.

Lily looked hurt when Snape gestured back toward the train where a group of his Housemates stood waiting for him. The Carrow twins were flanked by two older Slytherins, Evan Rosier and Titus Wilkes, and off to the side of the little posse was Regulus.

Snape sighed when he returned to his friends, looking defeated as he avoided eye contact with his fellow snakes. Sirius thought the defeated look on his face was kind of funny until he overheard the conversation.

Wilkes narrowed his eyes. "Are you done playing house with your little Mudblood, Snape?"

Snape did not respond but looked properly admonished.

Sirius, triggered by the horrible word, immediately went into a frenzy. "What the hell did you call her?!"

James followed suit and moved to stand in Wilke's face. Remus, who stood just as tall as the others, immediately flanked him, pushing Rosier out of the way.

Wilkes grinned smugly. "I called the little ginger bitch a Mudblood. What's it to you, Potter?"

Sirius turned toward Snape, growling as he shouted, "She's supposed to be your fucking friend, you bloody coward! You going to stand up for her, Snivellus?"

"Why would he?" Amycus glared at Sirius even as Snape remained silent. "Severus knows better. He might only be a half-blood, but his blood is still too rich for the likes of her. Is that it, Potter?" Amycus asked, turning toward James. "Eager to dirty up your House?"

"The Potters are already filthy," Regulus said, stepping forward. Already wearing his pressed Slytherin robes with his hair neatly pulled back, he looked the absolute opposite of Sirius regardless of the colour of their hair and eyes. "Hanging around with this blood-traitor."

Thinking of Andromeda screaming on the floor as Bellatrix cursed her while Narcissa—along with the rest of his family—looked on, Sirius snapped and punched Regulus right in the face, feeling a crunch beneath his knuckles.

It was the worst fight since he had started Hogwarts. Five students in total ended up in the infirmary. Regulus, Peter, Snape, and Amycus were all treated for broken noses, and James fractured his collarbone. Remus was the only one to get by with nothing but a few scrapes, and he stuck around the hospital wing long enough for Madam Pomfrey to get frustrated with Sirius and send him away. Remus was charged with escorting him to the common room as Sirius stubbornly refused to be treated for his black eye, split lip, and a burn on his neck from a wayward hex that he swore up and down he would get Snape back for.

Mia was worried.

Sitting in the common room, biting her nails, she expectantly kept her eyes trained on the door. None of the boys had taken the carriages back to the castle from Hogsmeade Station, and the Gryffindor table had been filled with rumours of a fight that had broken out between several of their own and some Slytherins.

After some prying, she discovered that most had ended up in the infirmary, but that they would be well enough for classes. Still, she waited on the sofa, staring at the door as though she could will at least one of them through it to give her some reassurance that they were all fine.

She hoped it would be Remus.

He had begun pulling away from her since the first full moon of their second year. She had not been aware if James, Sirius, and Peter had told him that they knew his secret, or if the Wizard's Oath she made the three boys take included Remus in their secrecy. Either way, no one mentioned it to her again. When she arrived at the hospital wing the following month to be with Remus, Madam Pomfrey sadly sent her back to the Gryffindor common room, letting her know that Remus had requested he be left alone.

Each month during the week of the full moon, Remus retreated into himself, ignoring anything she said or did to bring up his health or condition. She tried multiple times to talk to him, pleading with him to let her help.

On a good day, he would explain, "Please, Mia, stop waiting for me. It makes the walk back to the hospital wing that much harder."

On the days after the full moon, if she asked how he was feeling, he would completely ignore her and leave the room if possible.

She knew better than to bring it up on the days leading up to the full moon. Remus was downright volatile. More than once, she saw him stare at her in a predator-stalking-his-prey way that both terrified and excited her.

Eventually, James intervened.

"Yes, Mia, we've talked to Remus about his condition. It's . . . complicated. Can you just, I don't know, pretend you don't know that he's a werewolf?"

"What?" Mia asked, shocked by the request. "How could I just . . . ? Why?"

Her brother sighed. "It's personal. Look, you know you're one of his best friends, but you're a girl. And . . . he can't handle you as his caretaker anymore."

"There you are!" Mia shouted, pulled from her heavy thoughts as she watched Remus help Sirius through the portrait hole.

It was late, and she had heard that most of the boys were staying the night in the infirmary. All the other Gryffindors had gone to bed, but Mia had waited up, hoping for news about what had happened.

"Hey, kitten." Sirius winced as Remus dropped him on the sofa.

"I've got some Pain Relief Potion in my trunk upstairs if you want it," Remus offered.

Sirius shook his head.

Mia frowned and sat down next to him on the couch to look at his face. "Sirius, what happened?" Without answering her, Sirius tilted forward and slowly lowered his head to her lap. "No, no. You need to get fixed up. Didn't you go to the hospital wing with the others?"

"He refused to let Madam Pomfrey touch him," Remus said irritably. "We stuck around to make sure James and Pete were fine, and then I was told to get him back to the tower before he bled all over the infirmary."

"Mia can heal me," Sirius mumbled, closing his eyes and wrapping an arm around her waist.

Mia turned to look at Remus, who watched the scene with a sad smile, as though he were remembering how good it felt when it was him that she took care of and healed. When he noticed her staring at him, Mia could see him put his barriers back up.

"I'm going to bed," he said. "You need help up the stairs, Sirius?"

Sirius shook his head. "Good, here."

Remus offered her a small smile. "Goodnight, Mia."

She could only smile sadly in return.

Once Remus was gone, she tilted Sirius's head to look up at her. The soft curves that he had when they first met in Diagon Alley had given way to the sharp angles that he would carry with him for the rest of his life. There in her lap with his long black hair tucked behind his ears, and his face covered with evidence of a physical brawl, she could immediately recognise the older Sirius buried behind the stare of the teenager as he snuggled her.

"What happened?" she murmured. "Alice and I were helping Frank get his trunk from the train. When I looked back, the rest of you were being restrained alongside the Slytherins."

"Snape's a bloody git," Sirius grumbled, reaching up and grabbing her hand, putting it on his head like usual.

She frowned but stroked her fingers through his hair regardless. "What did he say this time?"

"Nothing, not a thing. Wilkes called Lily a you-know-what, and Snivellus just stood there. Didn't even defend her. And she thinks that James is a toerag while that greasy git parades around acting like her friend."

"So you punched him for it?"

He shook his head. "No. I punched Reg."

"Why did you hit your little brother?" she asked, eyes wide. "Sirius, he's eleven!"

"I don't give a shit. He's a little prick, just like the rest of my family." He pulled away from her, something that he had never willingly done before. There was a lost look in his eyes as he turned to gaze into the fireplace ahead of them.

"Come here, Sirius." Mia took her wand and muttered a Healing Spell for the swelling on his eye. She moved his collar to look at the injury she could see peeking out from beneath the fabric. "I've got some Dittany upstairs if you want me to fix your lip and the burn on your shoulder."

Sirius's hand touched hers, lacing their fingers together. "Can you just stay with me?" he asked, though not making eye-contact. "Let the things scar."

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to imagine she was back home—back in 1998. It was something she rarely did these days: wish to go home. James, Sirius, and Remus had made it easy for her to do what Future Remus's letter instructed: Live your life. Enjoy your life. Her boys made it a simple thing to do just that. But lately, with Remus pulling away from her, and Sirius constantly getting into fights, she was reminded that these boys would grow up to become the wounded men she had known for years.

She could see the beginnings of Sirius breaking, and it broke her heart to know his future and not be able to stop it.

She missed Sirius. Her Sirius.

For a moment, she could pretend that the boy holding her hand innocently in the Gryffindor common room was the man who had kissed her passionately in the caved-in passageway. She could pretend that it was the day after her nineteenth birthday, and she was at home at number twelve, sitting on the sofa in the drawing room, holding Sirius's hand. They would talk about the life debt ritual, and he would explain to her what he knew about the bond that had happened because of it. She would ask him why he had kissed her in the middle of the battle. And, if she were very, very lucky, he would say it was because he wanted to. Not because of magic.

Mia opened her eyes and looked over at the thirteen-year-old boy sitting next to her, nervously licking the cut on his lip as he stared off into the flames, deep in thought.

Sometimes, this Sirius was easier to deal with. She did not feel much of a magical bond with him—just an itchy emptiness that tugged needily inside of her—which brought both annoyance and relief at the same time. Annoyance, because she knew he would grow up to be that beautiful man who had kissed her until her toes curled. Relief, because he was safe. Without a mystical bond to pull him toward her, Mia could trust that this Sirius said and did what he really wanted to. He was honest.

"What happened with your family? When you and Regulus were gone?"

Lost in his own thoughts, Sirius shook his head and leant against her as visions of Malfoy Manor and Narcissa's engagement party ran through his head. Bellatrix had tortured her own sister with the Cruciatus Curse, and no one had done a thing about it save for him and Alphard. Even then, they had not made much of a difference.

Andromeda had been blasted off the tree the moment they got home, and Walburga made him watch her do it. Then, at wand point and with a Blood Quill in hand, he had been forced to write the words of his House—Toujours Pur—repeatedly until they were carved into the flesh of his hand. The wound had only just healed, and he was happy to see it had not left a permanent scar.

"Just a bunch of typical drama," he lied. "Nothing to worry about, love. I'm fine."

"Sirius? Please don't hide things from me."

"It's just pureblood shit, Mia. My parents are apparently getting ready to plan out my whole future, wife and all." He laughed dryly and then smiled when he felt her growl in response to the news. "Don't worry, if they set up an arranged marriage, I'll just elope with James. That'll teach them."

"I'm sorry about your family."

"Can we not talk about them anymore?" Sirius asked, cuddling back into her side.

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

Sirius tilted his head up and winked at her. "Anything?"

She rolled her eyes in reply.

"Well, since apparently my ideas are all off the table . . ."

"How many ideas did you have?" she asked, looking scandalised.

"About you, kitten?" He gave a teasing grin. "About six hundred and forty-three."

Mia laughed but still shoved him. "Get off my lap, immediately."

Sirius gripped his arms around her waist tightly, refusing to be pried away from her. "No, it's my lap! I'll behave!"

"You don't know how!"

"Then join me and start misbehaving!"

"Fine!"

He let go and sat up quickly, looking at her with wide eyes. "What?"

"Not that." Mia rolled her eyes. "I mean, I figured out how to cheer you up. You say Regulus has been a prat?"

"Prick. I said prick," Sirius clarified.

"Whatever. How would you like it if I help you prank your brother?"

Sirius felt himself light up like a Christmas tree. She wanted to prank with him. She wanted to prank his brother. He very briefly wondered if he could figure out how to transfigure diamonds for her. "Really?"

She shrugged, suddenly looking nervous. "Maybe just once."

"But you said you hated pranks. You told me and James we were childish and immature because we made Rikard Stebbins's hair vanish." He grinned at the memory.

"Because you had a childish reason," she defended.

"And you yelled at me and Peter for charming Snivellus's shoes to quack when he walked," Sirius added.

"That was stupid. He just changed his shoes. You should have put a sticking charm on them," she said under her breath, clearly not realising she had spoken aloud when her eyes widened and she looked at him, covering her mouth.

But it was too late; Sirius heard. "You want to prank with us! Mia, I'm so happy!"

"Just once!" she reiterated firmly. "And only because I think Regulus deserves it."

Chapter Text

Perfect by nature. Icons of self-indulgence.
Just what we all need,
More lies about a world that. . .
...never was and never will be.
Have you no shame? Don't you see me?
You know you've got everybody fooled
(Everybody's Fool - Evanescence)

May 12th, 1973

It did not take long for Mia to come up with a half-decent prank to pull on Regulus, and Sirius was thrilled that it involved the rest of Slytherin House. Though she had been fairly quiet about the details of said prank, she promised him it would be worth it, and that all he had to do to help was borrow James's Invisibility Cloak.

When it came to pranking his younger brother with Mia, Sirius had only two conditions: the first was that it was only the two of them that pulled the prank. Saying that not only because he was not in the mood to explain to his mates why Mia had thrown caution to the wind to sully her reputation as a humourless swot just to make him happy, but because the four Marauders no longer fit under the cloak these days let alone squeezing in a fifth person.

The second condition was that they set up the prank for the twelfth of May.

Mia never asked why at first, assuming it had something to do with scheduling their misbehaviour around Quidditch practice. So, immediately after dinner on the twelfth of May, she and Sirius slipped beneath the cloak and headed down the staircase, walking in the direction of the dungeons.

She had never been this close to the Slytherin common room before but remembered Harry's explanation and directions regarding how he and Ron had reached the room on their quest to interrogate Malfoy about the heir of Slytherin during her original second year. The memory of sitting in the hospital wing, Polyjuiced into a cat, made her nose twitch in irritation. As they made their way deep beneath the castle, Mia was really wishing she had the Marauder's Map with her.

She chuckled softly. "Too bad there isn't a treasure map showing a big 'X' over the Slytherin common room. That would make this easier."

"A map of the castle would make a lot of things easier," Sirius quietly agreed, and Mia grinned.

Eventually, they came upon what looked almost like a dead end where they met a large expanse of bare, damp, stone wall.

"This it?" Sirius whispered, making a face. "There's not even a portrait here."

Mia flashed a smug grin. "What better way to hide something than in plain sight? Most of them are absolute prats, but Slytherins know how to keep their secrets." She thought briefly of Draco Malfoy being a spy for the Order of the Phoenix for nearly three years without anyone but Snape aware of the situation. Somehow standing here outside the common room to the snake pit, she almost missed the annoying prat.

"What now?" Sirius asked, practically jumping out of his skin in excitement.

"Now, we make sure no one's inside. Homenum Revelio," she whispered and waited for several moments. "We're good. They must all still be down at dinner. Good thing we left early."

Sirius lifted the cloak off of the both of them. "That reminds me, if the guys ask, you and I sneaked off early to go snog in a corner."

Mia turned, gasping at him, her face burning hot. "Sirius Black! You did not tell Remus and Jamie you were going off to snog me!"

"You left a few minutes before me." He smirked as he wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. "You should know better than to leave me unsupervised for any stretch of time. I'm shocked McGonagall hasn't put a tracking collar around my neck by now."

She rolled her eyes.

"But then again, they did look suspicious about me heading out after you. At least Remus did, and I figure if they're already thinking it . . ." Sirius laughed, and Mia smacked his arm. "Don't worry about your sweet little reputation, kitten. James was too busy asking Evans if she was going to come cheer for him at the Quidditch match next week."

Mia winced. "And what did she say to him?"

"Nothing. But she dumped her mashed potatoes on his head and told Remus to find friends who weren't idiots."

Mia laughed softly. "Poor Jamie."

Sirius scoffed. "Poor Remus."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean Evans clearly fancies him. And even if he's got it back for her, he's got the Marauder's Code to follow. Don't touch another bloke's girl," he said with a tone of finality. Mia's mouth dropped open, and her eyes widened in anger. "No, I'm not saying all girls should be in the Pussy Cat Club, Mia. You're strong and independent and can snog whoever you want, whenever you want, okay?"

"I am not snogging anyone!" she hissed. "And neither is Remus."

Sirius raised a brow. "What's that now? Oh." His eyes widened and he laughed, grinning brightly. "So, that look on your face isn't about us making up rules about dating birds, it's about Remus? You fancy Lupin?"

"Shut up. I do not," Mia growled, her heart racing. "One more word, Sirius Black, and I will march right out of these dungeons, and this prank is over."

She had no claim to any boy—certainly not Remus. She knew that for a fact. Tonks was his mate, though she was not even a month old in this time—a fact that caused Mia to shake her head a little—but at the same time, her three boys were just that: hers. And while she was more than okay knowing Lily Evans would someday marry her brother, she was absolutely not okay with the girl taking a fancy to her werewolf.

No, wait, not her werewolf.

"Fine, fine," Sirius agreed, pulling her out of her crisis. "But I reserve the right to make fun of you both if I ever catch him eating your face."

"Shut up, and let me concentrate," Mia said and then turned her wand on the wall in front of her, waving it back and forth as what looked like heat waves poured out of the tip, painting the wall with an invisible barrier in front of them. "There. That should do it. Of course, we won't be able to tell until some Slytherins come back."

Sirius tossed the cloak over the both of them, and they slipped back into the shadows, hiding in a dark alcove that faced the blank wall at an angle. They sat down, pressing their backs against the stones and crossing their legs so as not to accidentally knock over the suit of armour that stood in front of their guarded safe space.

"You going to tell me exactly what we're waiting for yet?" Sirius whispered.

Mia just grinned at him.

Less than five minutes later, the hallway began to fill with students dressed in black and green robes. It was as if Lady Luck decided to smile upon the two Gryffindors committing mischief. The first to appear was a smug-looking Regulus Black, flanked by his lanky cronies.

"I'll take that bet," Regulus said. "Twenty Galleons on Slytherin to win next week's match, another five if we win the Cup. And I'll give all my winnings to anyone on the team that can knock my blood-traitor brother off his broom."

From beneath the cloak, Sirius made a rude hand gesture, and Mia stifled a laugh.

"What's the password again?" Regulus asked the boy next to him.

"It's 'basilisk,' but . . ." The boy scanned the hallway. "Where's the—?"

"Did we take a wrong turn?" Regulus asked with raised eyebrows as he did a quick check of the wall, turning around to look back down the hallway.

Lucius Malfoy walked forward with Mulciber, Avery, Wilkes, and a scattering of younger Slytherins behind them including the Carrow twins and Snape. "What are you first years doing just standing around?"

"Nothing," Regulus said nervously, looking embarrassed. "I just . . . I mean . . . We can't find the entrance to the common room."

"Pathetic." Lucius rolled his eyes and turned, only to find himself in a similar position. Instead of speaking, Lucius scanned the corridor with narrowed silver eyes, his jaw tight before glaring down at Regulus. "What did you do? Where is it?"

"I don't know!" Regulus yelped.

"Should . . ." Alecto muttered. "Should we go and fetch Slughorn?"

"Absolutely not!" Lucius snapped. "You want to tell that bumbling idiot that his entire House can't locate their own fucking rooms?"

Snape rolled his eyes. "So, we're supposed to just sleep in the hallway?"

Lucius narrowed his gaze. "Unless you'd like to sleep in the lake, Severus, which can be arranged quite easily."

An hour later, not a single Slytherin had gone for help, but five had turned on one another.

Lucius Malfoy spent most of the night trying to keep his Housemates from tearing each other apart. Apparently, putting the already on edge and suspicious Slytherins into a stressful situation with no one to take it out on but one another caused them to do just that.

Sirius grinned from beneath the cloak as he and Mia watched the wonderful entertainment.

Eventually, the two silently slipped out of their alcove and down the corridor, leaving an entire houseful of sleeping snakes crumpled on the cold stone floor outside their common room with no way inside.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Sirius shouted excitedly once he and Mia were safely ensconced in the Gryffindor common room. "How did you do it? Was it a Locking Spell?"

"It was an adjusted Muggle-Repelling Charm mixed with a Notice-Me-Not," Mia said proudly. The smile on his face filled something inside of her up and warmed her thoroughly.

"That's amazing!" Sirius beamed. "You're amazing! You're pranking with us more often. We need your brains. Your clever, sadistic brains!"

He leant forward and kissed her forehead, and she smiled up at him, surprised at how Sirius was suddenly taller than she was, and how she had not noticed until now.

"I'll think about it."

"You better, kitten." Sirius grinned again and kissed her cheek.

He lingered.

The light feeling of stubble against her chin caused her to let out the smallest of sighs, but it was audible. Everything suddenly felt very warm, and Mia knew it was not just her because Sirius pulled back and dropped his excited smile, favouring a confused look instead as he stared down at her.

Mia swallowed hard and tried to not look at his lips. Those lips that were so young and untouched by time and circumstance. His innocence was still there behind his stare, and it made her smile as she forcefully pushed down the memory of an older Sirius pulling her into his lap, passionately devouring her lips with his own in the heat of battle.

Sirius cleared his throat. "Umm. Thanks," he said, breaking the strange spell that, for a moment, had them both wrapped in a cocoon of awkward tension.

"Anytime," she said with a soft smile.

"I can't wait to see Regulus's face in the morning at breakfast. To think, he's going to spend his twelfth birthday on the floor in the dungeon." He let out a barking laugh.

Mia's eyes widened, and guilt flooded her. "Birthday!?"

"Don't even try to feel bad for him," Sirius insisted, looking completely unrepentant. "Last November, my parents didn't send me a thing for my birthday, but Reg did. A lovely family photo where my head was cropped out and glued in place was a picture of our nasty house-elf. He deserves to be taken down a few notches, trust me."

Biting her lower lip as the guilt ebbed and waned, she finally conceded. "Well . . . he was trying to bribe people to knock you off your broom. Speaking of which, I don't want you and James playing in the game next week. It's too dangerous of a sport on a normal day, let alone with your own family plotting against you."

Sirius grinned and pulled on one of her curls, chuckling when it bounced right back like a spring. "Nothing's going to keep me from the sky, kitten. Besides, we're the only reserve players on the team, and at the Ravenclaw game, Smith and Morgan crashed into the stands. They're still in the hospital wing and aren't allowed to play. That gives me and James our chance to show what we can really do."

"Just . . . promise me you'll be careful. Jamie's my only brother, and you're . . ." Mine. "You're my friend."

"What are you two up to?" Remus asked as he descended the staircase from the boys' dorms, looking down at them.

Mia looked up with a blush.

Sirius grinned and shouted, "Snogging!"

Mia gasped—even as her stomach flip-flopped at the thought—and elbowed him in the ribs.

Hard.

May 19th, 1973

It was a perfect day for Quidditch. The sun was shining—though there was the hint of a chill in the air—as Sirius and James caused an uproar amongst the crowd, taunting the Slytherins whilst flying overhead. Enjoying his moment a little too much, Sirius swooped down to the ground, gripping a handful of pebbles out of the dirt before taking to the sky once more. Throwing the pebbles into the air softly, Sirius gripped his Beater's bat and swung as though the small rocks were tiny Bludgers. As they sailed toward the Gryffindor stands, Sirius pulled his wand and transformed them all into roses, each landing delicately into the hands of the girls who were swooning and chanting his name.

Mia was grinding her teeth.

James, seeing Sirius's trick, swooped to the ground likewise, pulling a weed from the grass below and flying up and forward, holding it out with a grin toward Lily. "Evans! Want me to win the game for you?"

Just as sunlight struck the weed, it transfigured into a brilliant red Asiatic lily.

Lily, with no hint of malice on her face, reached up to touch the little flower, and everyone could see James hold his breath. Mia could see Lily—in the very moment that she touched the beautiful blossom—gripping her wand.

With a quickly whispered, "Incendio!" the flower in James's hand burst into flames.

"She's getting more creative at telling him to piss off," Remus commented with a small smirk as he sat next to Mia in the stands.

"She'll get over it one day," Mia said with a smile as she watched her brother fly away, deflated. A small shiver ran up her arms as the chilly breeze passed over her.

"You cold?" Remus asked, removing his red and gold scarf and wrapping it around her.

She smiled up at him sweetly, watching as his eyes flashed gold. Satisfaction served to warm her along with Remus's scarf as she had another confirmation on the change in their interactions.

All she had wanted to do was take care of him, but Remus—along with James and Sirius—were slowly becoming men right before her eyes, and men did not want to be taken care of, not in the way that Mia felt she needed to. It was worse with Remus, she knew, who had to compete with a primal wolf inside of him, struggling for control. When she had stopped trying to protect him, she immediately noticed a change; especially during moments like this when the wolf inside of him was clearly trying to protect her—even with something as small as a long scarf against a cold breeze.

"Thank you," she said softly, watching as Remus puffed out his chest a bit in response to her gratitude.

With a roar from the crowd and Madam Hooch's whistle, the players took to the sky. James flew fast, reaching the Quaffle before anyone on either team.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Gryffindor Reserve Chaser, James Potter. Potter, speeding along, makes a pass to Smythe. Smythe to Prewett, Prewett back to Potter, and right past Slytherin Keeper, Emma Vanity! Gryffindor takes the first goal of the game!" the announcer shouted.

Mia and Remus cheered from the stands, shouting James's name, and soon the entire section was screaming, "Potter! Potter! Potter!"

"Oh, his head is never going to deflate now," Mia groaned.

Remus grinned. "At least this time he'll have an ego over something he's actually done."

"Slytherin now in possession," the announcer continued. "Captain Steve Laughalot isn't laughing now as he dodges Bludgers on his way toward the Gryffindor Keeper. Laughalot shoots and misses, thanks to a hit from Reserve Beater, Sirius Black! There's nothing funny about this situation now for the Slytherins!"

"Go slower!" Mia screamed as Sirius passed by her in the stands, laughing as he did.

Sirius was in his element and had never felt more fulfilled in his years so far at Hogwarts. James rushed down the pitch, desperate to knock at least one snake off their broom. Sirius, however, was being surprisingly obedient after being ordered by their team Captain to remain close to the end of the pitch to help their Keeper block the goals; she had just been released from the hospital wing after breaking her arm a month earlier.

As a flash of gold flew across the field, attracting the attention of both Seekers, a flash of something else caught Sirius's attention across the pitch.

Light reflecting off of pale blond hair in the distance. The sun hit the hair in such a way that it was almost reflective. This surprised him because the pale blond head was turning away from the game entirely rather than focusing on it. But that was not all: the blonde in question was climbing up the stairs toward the back of the stands.

"Cissa?" Sirius muttered curiously, wondering why his cousin was even out here. She hated Quidditch, and Sirius knew that Malfoy had not played since he was a third year—having been permanently banned for too many fouls.

Sirius narrowed his eyes as he watched his cousin, and when her arms went out to her sides like she was spreading wings, he realised what she was doing.

"No!" he shouted and flew at breaking speeds, dropping his Beater's bat in the process. He leant forward on his broom to gain momentum just as Narcissa vanished over the back railing of the stands.

"Both Seekers are in a race for the Snitch—Hey is that Black? Sirius Black has broken away from formation and is heading toward the Slytherin goals, no Quaffle in his hands, and he seems to have lost his bat! Is this a new secret play?" the announcer asked. "Black rushing at speeds unheard of for that Cleansweep for sure. Black flies through the Slytherin goal and . . . and . . . over the railing of the stands?"

Sirius dove over the edge of the railing, gripping his broom and gasping when he saw Narcissa ahead of him, falling toward the earth, her body relaxed as though she was not expecting impact.

He moved for his wand only to realise he could not remember a spell to slow her down, though he knew that one existed. "Fuck! Cissa!"

Sirius stretched his arm forward, grabbing hold of the bottom of her left foot and clinging to it tightly as he pulled his broom upward, slowing their descent, but it was not enough. He lost his grip and watched as she fell, still a good twenty-five feet above the ground. In a panic, he put his feet on the edge of the broom, pushing against the handle and launching himself forward.

He reached out and pulled hard once he had a grip on his cousin, rotating backward and tugging her into his arms just as his back collided with the ground.

May 22nd, 1973

When Sirius's eyes opened again, his vision was blurry.

"Cissa?" was the first thing he whispered when he remembered what happened. He recalled the game, spotting his cousin, and falling forward until . . . pain. He let out a loud cough and then yelped as the muscles in his back spasmed. "Ow! Fuck!"

"Well, it's good to see you're awake, Mr Black," Madam Pomfrey said as she approached. "Though, I can't say I care for your language myself. I'll let it slip for now as long as you tell me how much pain you're in."

Sirius took advantage of the punishment-free zone and snapped, "A lot of bloody fucking pain! Shit! Arse! My back fucking hurts. What the bloody hell happened?"

Madam Pomfrey stared at him, her hands on her hips. "Are you quite done?"

Sirius thought for a moment, took in a sharp breath, and then let out one word: "Tits."

The mediwitch rolled her eyes and pinned him with a scowl. "You'll be fine. Drink this." She shoved a Pain Relief Potion into his hand, and Sirius took it without question.

The pain dulled to a gentle throb, and Sirius let out a great sigh of relief. "What happened?"

"You strained your back, pulling various muscles when you hit the ground, and fractured your pelvis, young man. You've been here for several days now, unconscious for most of them, which is good considering what we had to do to repair the muscle and bone damage. You wouldn't have liked that one bit."

Sirius groaned. "Mia's going to kill me."

She had been worried about him hurting himself at the game, and not only had he essentially blown her worries out of the water, but he propelled them into space. Although, technically, he could argue that he had not hurt himself playing Quidditch.

"Where's my cousin? Is she all right?"

"Narcissa Black? She'll be fine," Madam Pomfrey said simply and then walked away.

"Wait! What happened to her? Is she okay?" When no response came, Sirius growled. "Is anyone even going to tell me if we won the game?"

"Is that really all you can think about right now?" Mia snapped as she stormed into the infirmary, the doors slamming against the walls in her wake. James, Remus, and Peter closely followed behind, almost getting hit with the doors in the process. "You nearly died, you bloody idiot! Have you any idea how worried I've been? How worried we've all been?!"

Her hair sparked as she glared at him.

Something in his chest expanded and warmed him. He loved it when she got angry. "Miss me, kitten?"

She let out a loud scream of frustration and then stormed away, using her wand to fling the doors back open before disappearing through them.

"Oh, she definitely missed me." Sirius chuckled and turned his attention to his friends. "All right, first, did we win? Second, where's my cousin?"

"Well, we won," James said with a grin, running a hand through his already messy hair. "Even secured spots on next year's team as long as your back is good to go come September. Full players too, not just reserves."

"Your cousin is fine," Remus said. "Nothing a Calming Draught and Muscle Relaxation Potion couldn't fix. You, however, took the brunt of the impact."

Sirius averted his gaze for the moment, knowing that if anyone understood what it felt like to be broken in the hospital wing it would be Remus, and the thought made him feel guilty for complaining so much earlier.

"Most people think she tripped," James added. "A lot of the Ravenclaws are spreading a rumour that another girl pushed her because they're jealous about her marrying Malfoy."

"What does Mia think?" Sirius asked, and the three other boys raised their eyebrows in silence. "Oh, shut it. I know she's got a theory. She bloody knows everything!"

"Mia thinks someone Imperiused Narcissa," Remus whispered. "That someone made her jump."

"Malfoy," Sirius growled.

"Mia thought so too. But you can't prove it." Remus frowned as he picked up the empty Pain Relief Potion phial, sniffing it and snorting as though he were amused at whatever the dosage was that Sirius had taken. "Mia already went to Dumbledore. Last we heard, Narcissa said it was an accident. She's going with the tripped excuse."

"No way." Sirius shook his head. "My cousins were walking with books on their heads to balance when they were four. Narcissa wouldn't just trip. If Mia thinks someone Imperiused her, then I believe it. And it's got to be Malfoy. He was threatening her at their engagement party minutes before her sister was tortured on the floor!"

James gaped. "What? When the hell did that happen?!"

"Shit." Sirius had not meant to tell anyone. "Look, it's . . . family stuff, okay." He looked away from his friends, his temper rising as he felt pity pouring off of them.

"My cousin, Andromeda, married a Muggle-born and popped a kid out, causing a fuss amongst the older folks." He grimaced, muttering "ignorant arseholes" under his breath. "That's not the point. I heard Malfoy tell Cissa to straighten out her priorities or he'd do it for her. Then he told her she could only end their engagement by dying."

"Aurors were called in," Peter spoke up. "Malfoy was at breakfast this morning when they came. He wasn't arrested, though."

"Your cousin was sitting with him," James said apologetically. "If he really did that to her, then he just got away with it, and Narcissa doesn't look like she's going to be accusing him of anything."

"Why'd Mia think it was Lucius?" Sirius asked. "It's obvious to me, but I'm curious."

Remus scratched the side of his head. "I'm not sure exactly. She just said that Lucius Malfoy was a monster who wouldn't think twice about turning his own wife into a puppet. Then she . . ." He looked down and sighed. "She said that he deserved what he got. I don't know what that means."

Sirius frowned, but then nodded slowly. "Probably the prank. She charmed their common room door, locked all the Slytherins outside of it. That's probably it. Oh, that reminds me, Mia mentioned the word 'map' during that prank, and it got me thinking."

Chapter Text

Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel
Like you're less than fucking perfect
Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel
Like you're nothing, you're fucking perfect to me
(Fuckin' Perfect - Pink)

July 17th, 1973

The summer before their third year at Hogwarts was filled with something Mia had not been familiar with until recently: fun.

Sirius had recovered from what would officially be labelled a "Quidditch Injury." Despite Narcissa's insistence that Lucius was not behind her accident, Sirius caused a scene in the Great Hall on the last day of school by punching Malfoy in the face and earning himself a month's worth of detention come the following September. His last words to his cousin before he was pulled off of her fiancé were, "You owe me a life debt, Narcissa Black!"

Sirius arrived at Potter Manor after what could not have been more than three hours alone with his family. He boasted that all it had taken for Walburga to let him leave was threatening to owl the Daily Prophet and provide them with an exclusive interview about how the newly infamous Sirius Black came to his cousin's rescue while her fiancé was missing in action. He promised he would be sure to include a detailed description of what it felt like to be a hero, and that he had already forgiven Lucius Malfoy for not even bothering to say thank you. Several derogatory terms were thrown at him as well as a large antique vase before he jumped into the fireplace and vanished over to Potter Manor where he had taken up residence in a guest room for the rest of the summer.

It was not until Mia grew bored enough to go searching for the boys in late July that she stumbled upon them taking a break from one of what was probably a twelve-game Quidditch series.

James had taken Sirius through the large orchards and came out on the other side of a winding river that cut through the edge of the property line. It was secluded and beautiful, and Mia cursed herself for not exploring the grounds earlier. She had thought to ask James why he had never shown her the river before, but Sirius was there, and it would look suspicious if Mia—who supposedly lived at Potter Manor her entire life—did not know where their land ended.

Determined to make up for lost time and last year—when she had spent an entire hot summer sweating inside—Mia asked their parents if they could have friends over to go swimming.

James and Sirius were thrilled with the idea, but Mia was not happy with their planning.

"Peter's birthday is this Friday; we should have him over for a party!" James said excitedly; Sirius appeared eager to join in on the idea of surprising their friend.

Mia had snapped out a quick, "No!"

"Why not?" James asked.

"I can't this Friday," she said before coming up with the worst excuse ever, knowing it would put an immediate end to the argument. She forced a blush across her face to appear embarrassed. "Girl stuff."

Both boys nodded quickly, awkwardly avoiding her gaze.

Mia smirked at them and rolled her eyes. "How about the Tuesday after that?"

"Why then?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know. It just feels like a good day to be with family and friends. To celebrate." She smiled and walked away.

"Fine. Fire-call your friends and tell them to be here July 31st!" James called after her. A full minute later, he shouted, "And make sure to invite Evans!"

"She's gone, mate," Sirius said with a chuckle, picking a splinter out of his hand and cursing himself for deciding to not wear gloves when flying. He made a mental note to try and sneak back over to Grimmauld Place before school started up again so he could steal something worth selling in Knockturn Alley for enough Galleons to get a new broom.

James stared off into the space where his sister had disappeared, his jaw slack. "Do you . . . Do you think Evans will come?"

Sirius smirked, waggling his eyebrows. "You think they'll wear bikinis like my motorcycle girls?"

He looked in the same direction that James was, where Mia had gone.

She had always been small and skinny, but the years had been as good to the girl. Of course, Sirius had always found her eyes to be appealing. The colour of chocolate. She was pretty when she laughed and even more when she was angry, especially with him; her cheeks reddened, and her hair sparked. One morning, a few weeks into the summer holiday, he woke from a dream with the thought of burying his fingers in her mess of curls. He blamed the motorcycle magazines for putting thoughts into his head. Not that it mattered, as he refused to stop reading them.

"Mia's looking fit," he muttered out the side of a grin as he recalled the way her blouse fit just a bit better than it had a few months ago. He was completely distracted by his vivid imagination until something hard hit him on the side of the head. "Ow!"

"My sister is not fit!" James snapped. "And she's certainly not going to wear a bloody bikini. That's a Muggle thing."

Sirius laughed but immediately pretended to be sombre. "Evans is a Muggle-born, maybe she'll wear one."

His laugh returned when James's face paled, the blood presumably travelling to points further south. "Hypocrite!"

July 31st, 1973

"I can't believe you bought that." Mia laughed as she, Alice, and Lily sat on her bed at the manor. On the other side of the room, Mary grinned, hands on hips, wearing her brand new pinstriped bikini.

Alice gaped at it, tilting her head to the side, her cheeks pink. "Where'd you even get it?"

"Muggle part of France," Mary said and, without any hint of modesty or shame, adjusted her cleavage. "You think Sirius will like it?"

Mia seethed visibly. All the girls swivelled to look as her face turned crimson.

Mary beamed excitedly. "You fancy Sirius!"

"I do not!"

"It's all right." Mary laughed. "Look at the boy. He's bloody perfection."

Lily rolled her eyes, pulling her hair over her shoulder to secure it in a long plait. "Don't tell him that. His head is big enough as is. Mia, how come you never told us you liked Sirius?"

Mia watched as Lily wrapped her arms around her own pink, one-piece swimming costume. She knew her friend was feeling awkward and uncomfortable considering James had already been staring at her that morning, and that was before she had so much exposed skin—though not nearly as much as Mary. Mia had needed to send several owls back and forth to Lily to convince her to come, all with the promise that she would be able to keep James under control.

"I didn't say anything because there's nothing to say." Mia walked into her bathroom, leaving the door cracked a touch as she fumbled her way into her solid black swimming costume. She glared at herself in the mirror, frustrated that, just when she thought she had gotten over her awkward stage of life, she had been thrown back in time to relive the experience. Her hips were bony, her stomach still held a tiny bit of baby fat, and her breasts were in an awkward in-between sizes stage that made her hate every shirt that she owned.

"We're young and shouldn't be concentrating on boys right now," she said with a glower as she walked out of the room, pushing the door open for Alice, who entered it to change.

Mary shrugged, fixing her blond hair up into a high ponytail. "Why not? They look at us all the time. I say it's only fair that we look right back."

"They look at you," Mia corrected.

"Oh, they look at you too, lovely. I caught Adrian Abbott trying to look down your blouse last year in Potions."

Mia's eyes widened. "That's disgusting. He's a Slytherin!"

Mary's smile remained in place. "He's also fit."

Lily rolled her eyes. "You think everyone's fit."

"I appreciate beauty," Mary said with a sigh, as though she were reflecting on the great wonders of the world. Mia met Lily's eyes, and they shared a laugh. "So fine, you don't fancy Sirius. That means you wouldn't mind if I snogged him today?"

Mia paled, and her fists clenched tight as she felt that emptiness inside of her fill with something boiling hot. She tried to tell Mary to have at it and that Sirius was as good as hers if she wanted, but the words would not come out.

Mary immediately took notice, gesturing in amusement. "See? Fine, fine. Sirius is off limits."

"All my boys are off limits," Mia clarified, a strange sense of possession coming over her. Visions of Lavender Brown eating Ron's face, and Cho Chang breaking Harry's heart came to her, and she shook her head. Not this time.

Mary laughed, jumping on the bed so hard that she knocked Lily off the edge. "You can't keep them all to yourself!"

"Fine, Lily can have James," Mia agreed, and Lily scrambled off of the floor, looking at her furiously. Mia only smirked in reply but refused to take back the announcement.

"Alice likes James," Mary pointed out.

"Alice can have Frank," Mia insisted, folding her arms over her chest defiantly. Both Mary and Lily giggled. "What? Tell me they're not perfect for each other, and I'll take it back."

Lily raised a brow after genuinely thinking about it for a minute. "Wow, they really are."

"Who's really what?" Alice asked as she walked out of the bathroom wearing a flower-covered swimming costume.

"You and Frank, perfect for one another," Mary answered.

Suddenly, Alice blushed to the tips of her toes, and she covered her mouth. "How did you know?"

Mary's eyes widened with the greed of a girl who breathed gossip as easily as oxygen. "How did we know what, little Miss Brown?"

Alice shook her head and made to run for it, but Mary was too quick and tackled her to the ground, straddling her waist and pinning her arms down beside her head, thus preventing Alice from hiding the blush that crept over her cheeks and the silly grin forming on her face.

"No way, you're not getting away! You've got a secret, and I will find out or die trying!"

"I kissed him!" Alice finally blurted out, and the other three girls gasped.

"How about that?" Mary sat back on Alice's legs and smiled slyly. "Frank Longbottom, you dirty boy, who knew? There you have it, Lils. Our little Alice is all grown up and over James Potter. He's all yours."

"I do not want Potter!" Lily screeched loudly. "If I fancied anyone—which I don't—it'd probably be Remus!"

Mary grinned as Mia's jaw visibly tightened.

"Like I said," Mia twitched her nose as she spoke, "my boys are off limits."

"What about the rest of us?" Mary laughed, finally moving off of Alice and letting her up. "Are we to die as old spinster witches, just us and our kneazles?"

Mia could not help but give in to Mary's beautiful smile. "Fine, you can have Peter."

Mary shrieked in horror, and the girls all laughed. "Eww, I don't want Pettigrew! He's always just staring at me in Charms."

"So," Sirius said smugly as he reentered James's bedroom where the boys had been changing into their swim trunks, "the sounds were a little muffled, but what I gathered is that Evans still hates James but might fancy Remus, except she says she says she doesn't fancy anyone. Brown used to fancy James, but apparently, Frank here failed to mention that he's snogged the bird."

"She kissed me!" Frank yelled as if defending himself as his face turned beet red.

"Good on you, mate." Sirius winked and continued with a grin. "Macdonald wants me. Badly too, I'm guessing," he said as though that were obvious. "But Mia's hopelessly in love with me and determined to become the next Lady Black. James, are you going to be my best man?"

"That's my sister," James grunted, throwing a punch to Sirius's shoulder that was easily dodged.

"I'm just taking the piss out of you," Sirius said with a laugh. "Mia wants Remus too."

Remus's eyes widened. "What? You're lying."

"Stop talking about my sister!" James yelled.

Sirius walked into James's bathroom, leaving the door open as he stood in front of the mirror to run his fingers through his hair, making sure his tousled look was perfect and did not resemble James's mess in the slightest. "I think it's only fair seeing that she was talking about us. Get over it, mate. We've got bigger things to worry about."

"Like what?" James narrowed his eyes.

"Like beating the shit out of Adrian Abbott when we get back to school."

"Do I want to know?" James asked with a sigh, hanging his head in his hands.

Sirius sucked in a breath, thought about not telling him, but decided against that plan of action. "It has to do with your sister's tits."

Looking ill, James muttered, "My sister doesn't have tits," under his breath.

"They say anything about me?" Peter asked from the corner of the room.

Sirius frowned, remembering Mary shriek. He made a mental note to talk to his friends about how to actually speak to girls instead of shadowing them like a creep. "Sorry, Pete, bad luck."

Twenty minutes later, the nine teenagers were at the river, half already in the water, taking advantage of the perfect weather. It took picturing Cormac McLaggen in order to keep the blush off of Mia's cheeks as the boys made their way through the orchard, shirtless. The other girls had not been so successful at hiding their looks of approval, though Lily had taken the high road by turning away and hiding her face entirely.

James spent his time diving off of the tree branches into the deeper parts of the river, doing back flips and cannonballs, each time surfacing in Lily's direction only to be disappointed when she was not looking at him.

Frank and Alice were on the other side of the bank quietly talking, and Mia could not help but smile when she watched her friend reach for Frank's hand and lace their fingers together innocently.

Remus was curled up beneath the giant oak, book in hand, occasionally looking over to watch while Peter failed to keep Mary's attention as he told her the story about how he successfully brewed a Shrinking Solution even though it was a third year potion. Mary sent Mia a look that said she would rather hear he could perform an Enlargement Charm.

"This," Lily said, interrupting Mia and Mary's silent conversation with a bright smile, "is called a transistor radio." Her green eyes lit up the same way that Harry's always did when talking about Quidditch, or the way Sirius looked when plotting a devious prank.

Mia watched with an amused expression on her face, while Sirius sat down and grinned at the redhead, his arms folded across his chest.

"It's a portable device that Muggles use to listen to music." Lily glanced between Sirius and Mia, and her smile fell. "And . . . and . . . you've got magic versions don't you?"

"Yes," Mia admitted with a chuckle.

"But do go on," Sirius encouraged her. "Tell me about this thing called music," he said sarcastically. "What is . . . mooseek?"

Lily glared at him.

"You're good fun, Evans." Sirius smirked as Lily shook her head, though she failed to keep a grin off her face as she stormed away from them, rescuing Mary from Peter's stories.

Turning the radio on, Sirius's amused smile turned genuine. "Muggles are awesome."

"Have you ever listened to Muggle music?" Mia asked.

"Yes," Sirius said, fidgeting with the knobs and buttons. "Used to sneak into Muggle London when Walburga took me to Diagon Alley. There was a record store I would hide out in."

"I never knew that," Mia said with a bright smile.

"Because I just told you. Oh bugger this," he said in a frustrated voice and reached for his wand, touching the top of the radio that was previously playing static but, with a little magic, suddenly began playing loud Muggle music, clear as day.

"Lean on me, when you're not strong . . ."

Mia beamed, recalling listening to this song on a tape that her Muggle mother made for her, unaware that most electronic devices would not work around magic but especially at Hogwarts. "I love this song. It actually reminds me of you, Sirius."

Lily gasped, looking back at Sirius. "You're not supposed to use magic outside of school!"

Everyone else chuckled sweetly at her, which only made her angrier.

Mia turned and smiled at her friend. "It's more to do with the International Statute of Secrecy thing than it is the Underage Magic thing. The Ministry isn't tracking specific wands or wizards but the presence of magic in general. When a Muggle-born is at home, there's a higher chance of random Muggles that aren't aware of magic stumbling upon the secret if children are just randomly twirling their wands about. However, in magical households, magic is constantly flowing, and the ministry likely leaves it up to the parents to make sure the children aren't using their wands outside of Hogwarts."

Lily's mouth had dropped open in shock, but before she had a chance to ask more questions or to retort about unfairness to Muggle-borns, Sirius turned the radio up, drowning out her protests.

"Please, swallow your pride . . . If I have things you need to borrow . . ."

Sirius scoffed. "Swallow my pride? This reminds you of me? Unlikely, kitten. But since we're apparently making song dedications . . ." he said with a devious grin, and the radio glowed purple when the tip of his wand touched it.

"Let's . . . get it on."

"Absolutely not!" Mia scowled and tapped her wand on the top of the radio, letting the song change once more.

"Baby, baby, don't get hooked on me . . ."

Mia laughed. "That's better."

"Already on my way there." Sirius grinned darkly down at her and touched the radio again with his wand.

"Touch me in the morning, and then just walk away."

Mia scowled, folding her arms across her chest. "You're doing this on purpose."

"Am I? Is there a problem, Miss Potter?"

Mia tapped the radio again.

"And they called it puppy love."

She burst into hysterical laughter, loud enough that everyone turned and gaped at her. Sirius stood by, an amused expression on his face as he tried to understand what exactly was so bloody funny. Mia continued to chuckle, tipping over and holding her side tightly until Sirius charmed the song again.

"You'll be the queen of my highway, my motorcycle mama . . ."

Mia rolled her eyes, charming the radio.

"You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you."

"Are you two done doing . . . whatever is it you're doing?" Mary asked from the riverbank where she and Lily were lying out on their towels, sunglasses resting on their eyes.

"Fighting?" Mia asked.

Sirius chuckled quietly. "Foreplay?"

"Just leave the music on for more than five seconds!" Lily snapped.

"Fine. But not this song. She doesn't get to win." Sirius grinned at Mia and tapped the radio once more.

"And there he was this young boy . . . a stranger to my eyes . . ."

Mia frowned. If he was still playing the game, it suddenly was not so much fun anymore. She had known this Sirius for over two years. Still, whenever she looked into those beautiful grey eyes, all she could think of were the equally beautiful grey eyes of a man somewhere far in the future, hopefully waiting for her.

She looked away from him, something that was difficult to do since he refused to stop staring at her or step out of her personal bubble.

"Strumming my pain with his fingers. Singing my life with his words. Killing me softly with his song . . ."

"What's wrong, kitten?" Sirius asked. "Weren't you just smiling two seconds ago? Want me to go tell Macdonald and Evans to piss off, and let us have our fun?" He grinned and reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I felt all flushed with fever . . . Embarrassed by the crowd . . ."

"I'm fine, Sirius," she lied. "Just distracted. Thinking about school. It's only another month away, and I'm going to miss this." She gestured to the river and the orchard. "It's nice to be outside without worrying about everyone else. My own little private world where everyone I want to stay safe stays safe."

"You worry too much, love," Sirius said and leant back, dropping his head into her lap like he always did.

Despite the fact that the action was as innocent as it always had been, she wore nothing more than a swimming costume and was suddenly very well aware of how fast her heart was beating.

"You bloody well need to relax, woman. The world's not going to end just because we leave your little safety bubble." Sirius pouted when she had not started petting him, reaching up and putting her hand on his head in silent demand that she play with his hair.

"And then he looked right through me . . . As if I wasn't there . . ."

"You don't understand." Mia frowned and pushed him away.

Standing up, she made her way over to Remus as though he were the only other person there at the river. She sighed and sat down beside him, instinctively leaning her head on his shoulder, still frowning.

"Do I need to drown him for you?" Remus asked with the smallest of smirks, not even bothering to take his attention off his book, though he tilted his head slightly to the side to gently rest it on top of hers.

"I'm sick of his optimistic view of everything. Just tells me to relax as though there's nothing wrong in the world. Like I'm supposed to ignore all the things I'm worried about."

"Sounds familiar."

She sighed. "Don't start. Sirius trying to cheer me up is in no way like me trying to do the same with you. He doesn't know me. Not like—" like he's supposed to, "—you."

"Fair assumption, I suppose. Except that he does know you. Just because he doesn't sit around and talk books and dreams and fears with you on a regular basis doesn't mean he doesn't care. He's just acting out because he thinks you fancy him," Remus admitted and then sat back, watching her very carefully.

She shook her head, feeling herself blush. "That's ridiculous."

"Not so. You look lovely today, for the record," he said, turning back to his book.

Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart rate increased. She was used to Sirius's blatant flirting, but Remus was . . . different. When their eyes met once more, she could not help but think he actually looked a little smug.

"You look nice too." Mia smiled, and Remus scoffed. "What?" She quickly noticed that not only was he the only one of them that had not stepped foot in the water the entire time, he was also the only boy who was still wearing a shirt. James and Sirius basked in their pale frames, and, despite being exceptionally lanky and in dire need of sun cream, Frank was bare as well. Even Peter had taken off his shirt, eager to show that his leftover baby fat was edging away thanks to a growth spurt that summer.

"You're staring at me," Remus commented and raised a brow.

"You're still wearing your shirt," she said.

His eyes widened, and his face flushed as he frowned. "You know why."

"They're just scars, Remus." Mia smiled sadly at him. "'Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.'" She reached over and gently touched the side of his ribs where she knew three long, deep scars rested on his skin. "You're beautiful."

Remus's brows knit together, and he turned his soft green eyes to her, staring with a look of wonder and confusion. He looked like he wanted to say something but could not bring himself to find the courage, so instead, he broke eye contact, cleared his throat, and smiled down. "Who was that?"

"Khalil Gibran," she replied with a disappointed sigh. "Poet."

"Wizard?" Remus asked, playing their game.

Mia smiled. "Muggle."

Chapter Text

I believe I can see the future
Cause I repeat the same routine
I think I used to have a purpose
But then again
That might have been a dream
(Every Day is Exactly the Same - Nine Inch Nails)

September 2nd, 1973

The first few days back at Hogwarts, Remus almost felt normal.

The full moon was still over a week away, and he barely felt it approaching. Ashamed as he was to admit it, Mia had been right the year prior when she had suggested that his transformations were getting worse because of a growth spurt. Though he had grown another inch over the summer, his transformations were not nearly as bad as last year—still agonising to the point of wishing he could black out, but not nearly as torturous. The aches, pains, and nausea that came with the approach—and descent—of the moon, were dealt with, in part, due to a massive supply of chocolate that his friends had given him for his last birthday. Unfortunately, their supply ran dry within two months, but thanks to James's Invisibility Cloak and a few unadventurous nights scouring the castle that led to what Sirius dubbed "the most amazing discovery ever," Remus and his friends found the most glorious secret that Hogwarts had kept hidden: a secret tunnel leading to Honeydukes.

Well-plied with sugar and eager for the term to begin the following morning, Remus sank back into the pillows strewn about his four poster bed, welcoming the night with a book in his hands, while his three comrades were off sneaking in third and fourth helpings of dinner from the house-elves in the kitchens. It was only when he yawned, catching a faint scent in the air, that he was reminded of another unfortunate symptom of lycanthropy that had, until very recently, remained dormant.

"Jamie?" Remus heard Mia whisper softly.

He closed his eyes, letting the scent of her wash over him like the river behind Potter Manor had washed over his body once Mia finally convinced him to jump in with her. The water then had been cold—which was helpful—but the scent in the air that now poured over him was warm. Much too warm. He swallowed hard and tried to remain quiet.

"Sirius?" she whispered next, and a part of him bristled as he heard her pull the curtains away from the bed across from him.

She had come looking for her brother, of course, and Remus had immediately assumed it was because of her nightmares, which grew worse upon their initial return to Hogwarts each year. He felt terrible for her and wanted to help, but—despite the fact that Sirius's bed was directly next to James's—Remus could not help but silently complain over the fact that once she had found her brother missing from the room, she had gone to Sirius next.

He heard footsteps, and his eyes widened. He had known she would not find Sirius in his bed, which only meant that she would seek him out next, but he was yet unprepared as her scent grew closer, so he clenched his eyes tight to try and focus on something else. It was normal for a fourteen-year-old boy to deal with arousal, especially in the general vicinity of the female population, but it was something entirely different for one who had a nervously charged werewolf inside his head.

He finally heard her whisper his name and groaned quietly. He forced the sound back down his throat as he tried to forget that she had called him beautiful a month ago with her hand against his scars, nothing but a scrap of cotton separating her touch against his skin.

"Yeah?" He winced as he pulled the curtains back revealing a sad-looking Mia with dishevelled hair—which was not helping his issue—fidgeting with her hands. She had dried tear tracks on her cheeks. "You okay, love?"

"Are you okay? Oh, are you sick? I thought it had been getting better. I'll go." She frowned and made to move.

"No, it's nothing." Lie. "Not wolf related at least." Lie. "I think I just ate too much at dinner." Lie.

"Oh." Mia chewed the side of her lip, toeing the floor.

"Nightmares?" he asked softly, and she hesitated before nodding. "I don't know when James is due back. Those idiots ran for the kitchen the second we got back to the dorms," he admitted, a part of him annoyed that James was not here to take care of his sister. The wolf in him was grateful that he had been alone—the sole person left behind to care for the girl.

"I should just . . . This is ridiculous. I am this old, and I can't sleep without my bloody brother." She sniffed, looking embarrassed, and Remus knew for certain that she had woken up in tears from whatever it was that plagued her.

"Do you . . . Do you need company?" he asked, rephrasing his original Want to climb in? with something he felt was more appropriate. It had been a year since they had shared a bed at Potter Manor. It felt innocent then, especially since James and Sirius were both there with them, encasing Mia between them all as if to protect her from her dreams. They were barely twelve at the time. Hell, most of them still drank their pumpkin juice from straws.

But now . . .

"Is that all right?" she asked quietly.

"Come on." Remus scooted to the side, kicking back the covers and allowing her to slip beneath them. He set his book down on the bed, somehow using the pages to keep her body from touching his as she made her way beneath the blanket, and closed the curtains behind her, blocking out the light that the sliver of moon in the sky allowed into the room.

He was momentarily reminded of the many times she had crawled into his bed in the hospital wing on the mornings after his transformations, once she was finished healing his bloodied and broken body. At first, it had been healing to his soul to have her there, willingly touching him and showing kindness, but after so long, it became increasingly difficult to rely on her so much. Not only did he not want to become dependant on her, but a nagging sense of pride somewhere deep down said that he wanted her to see him as strong.

Now, with her head cradled against him, he was suddenly the caretaker, and his wolf gave an internal yip of approval. He remained absolutely silent, not wanting to question her about the nightmares or her dried tears. That was the comfort of their friendship. Words were never necessary.

The moment she fell into a deep, deep sleep, Remus could not stand it any longer. He leant forward and nuzzled his nose into her hair and breathed in deep, hoping that if he grew accustomed to her scent it would not feel like a craving every time she walked into a room. He exhaled slowly with a frown when it did not work. Yearning to inhale her scent increased steadily, and he gave in to it, burying his nose in her mane of curls again.

Just then, he heard the door to the dorm room open as his three friends returned.

"Don't take it personal, Pete," James said consolingly.

"Bloody house-elf called me fat," Peter bitterly grumbled as his footsteps carried him into the bathroom where Remus heard the shower turn on.

Sirius burst into a fit of laughter. "She didn't look like she was trying to offend. Just said how no other wizard enjoyed her food as much. Ever."

"Shh!" Remus scolded quietly, kicking the curtains around his bed aside.

"What's wrong?" James asked, raising his wand defensively, squinting across the room into the darkness toward Remus's bed.

"Lumos," Remus whispered and held his wand up to look at James, then moved the glowing stick over the form of the sleeping girl next to him.

James raised a questioning brow and nodded with a comprehending frown as he crossed the room to Remus's bed. Tucking his wand back in his pocket, he tossed the Invisibility Cloak over Remus's trunk and smiled appreciatively.

"Thanks," he said before collecting his sister in his arms.

Sirius frowned as he watched Mia subconsciously snuggle deeper into James's embrace. "Still bad?"

"Still bad." James nodded, and Sirius and Remus watched their friend bring his sister to his bed and tuck her in quietly.

All three boys shared a look of frustration and desperation. Wizards, the lot of them, and no idea how to fix the one person they had sworn to protect.

Our job, Sirius had said.

And they were failing.

September 3rd, 1973

Mia did not know what she was thinking when she chose her elective courses for her third year. The classes offered were as usual: Divination, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, and Care of Magical Creatures. She was absolutely not going to have an exact repeat of her original third year at Hogwarts. Her life was already upturned thanks to a Time-Turner, and she was in no mood to use another one just to accommodate a full schedule.

It had been her plan to take on Ancient Runes with Remus and Lily—seeing that it was a subject she never tired of learning—as well as Arithmancy because it was the hardest, and she could use a refresher course. Despite what her friends were aware of, Mia had no need for Muggle Studies, and she laughed hysterically when she overheard the boys thinking about taking on Divination.

Sirius grinned at her. "You're not interested in predicting the future?"

"Not in the slightest, Sirius Black." Mia scoffed, as though she were offended by the question. "In fact, I might already be a Seer. Which is why I don't need to take Divination."

She smiled up at Remus, who passed her morning cup of tea across to her as she refilled his glass of juice, their tandem breakfast routine never breaking momentum as they engaged in conversation with others.

"You're a Seer? That's sexy. Ow!" Sirius winced and looked up to see James glaring at him. Brushing off her protective older brother, Sirius turned his attention back to Mia. "Come on then, love, give us a prediction."

"Fine," she agreed boldly in between sips of tea. "I predict that a girl will smack you by the end of the day."

"Ooo, I love it when girls smack me. Will it hurt?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll do my best."

Sirius winked. "I bet you will."

"Knock it off!" James groaned and hit Sirius again, while Remus laughed quietly.

"Hey, she said she's a Seer," Sirius said in his own defence, holding up his empty plate as a shield against James and his attacks. "I want her to tell me my future!"

Mia frowned as a cold chill filled her.

She closed her eyes and could see it so clearly. Their future, her past. Sirius and Remus standing in the Shrieking Shack, reunited after twelve horrible years apart, both looking broken and wounded beyond repair. Images of Sirius being attacked by dementors, and of an older Remus sobbing in her arms after his first full moon in years without the Wolfsbane Potion. Memories of pulling Sirius from the veil, and of Remus crying over the thought of his child being infected with lycanthropy. A vision of them both being tortured by Death Eaters, and Voldemort with the Elder Wand aimed at her.

And nothing of James.

"Mia?" Remus whispered gently, reaching across the table to touch her hand. "Where'd you go?"

"Far away," she admitted sadly and then turned to look at James and Sirius, who looked just as worried. "Stop. I'm fine."

She finished her breakfast and pushed her plate away, but not before grabbing the last two pieces of bacon she had not finished and setting them onto Remus's plate. He looked up at her with a grateful smile but scowled when Sirius snatched one piece up for himself.

"You boys go ahead with Divination if you'd like. Write down all your little predictions and let me know what you 'see,'" she said, actually bringing her fingers up to use air quotes sarcastically. "I'll be more than happy to tell you how wrong they are."

A part of her thought how amusing it would be to really pretend to be a Seer. She would become the most famous Seer of all considering how much she knew about the future. As laughable as the thought was, it was equally dangerous. Mia could not imagine what Voldemort would do to her if he knew that she had detailed knowledge of his eventual destruction.

In the end, only Peter kept the course, which was fine with her as it was one less class where she had to look at him.

Despite standing firm on Divination, she had still broken down when James, Sirius, and Remus had guilted her into changing her choice of electives. While she kept Ancient Runes to stay close to Remus and Lily, she now stood outside the castle near the Forbidden Forest where a large group of small pens had been put together to look like a Muggle petting zoo.

A battle-worn man leant against a large post, looking grumpy as though someone had just rained on his parade.

"I'm Professor Silvanus Kettleburn," the old wizard grumbled. "Welcome to Care of Magical Creatures. Not that you'll actually be caring for anything of any real interest. As the Ministry has seen fit to remind me that if one's leg is eaten by a dragon, one shouldn't then try to introduce said dragon to students."

His left leg was missing just below the knee. Unlike Mad-Eye Moody, who wore a wooden prosthetic, Professor Kettleburn appeared content to just hop around.

"It wasn't even really a dragon," he added with a pout as though it made all the difference.

"Merlin, this is where Hagrid gets it," Mia whispered to herself as the professor, with his one remaining hand, scratched at the stump where his forearm used to be.

"Oh, this?" He gestured to the elbow as the students stared. "Chimaera. Cuddly little things. They've got quite the appetite, though." He smiled wistfully as if he were remembering an old pet. "Right then, come on over and take a peek at the pens. We've got nifflers right there, a few puffskeins, some nogtails, and a knarl. Thought I'd show you lot a handful of little things to start with."

James pouted, his shoulders slumping as he made eye contact with a nogtail that purred at him. "These fluffy things are pets. Where're the dragons?"

"I want to see the chimaera that chewed his bloody arm off," Sirius whispered.

"I want to be in Arithmancy," Mia complained.

Remus chuckled softly and patted her shoulder consolingly.

"Professor?" James asked. "Are we going to see anything, I don't know, bigger than this? I heard we've just got a herd of hippogriffs brought in. And there are unicorns in the Forbidden Forest, aren't there?"

Professor Kettleburn shook his head. "Not for you lad. Unicorns don't take much of a liking to young men. They wouldn't like you much."

"Evans must be a unicorn." Sirius chuckled, and Remus joined in, while James glared at them both.

"As for the hippogriffs, they're being evaluated before students are allowed near them. Temperamental, if you aren't respectful of them." He dipped his chin, and Mia quietly smirked; the thought of watching either of the Carrow twins getting mauled by a hippogriff—as Malfoy had been—made her happy inside.

"So nothing interesting, then?" Sirius complained.

"Depends on what you'd consider interesting. I think it's interesting that you've got a niffler about to take that Muggle watch off your wrist."

"Hey!" Sirius yelled, spinning around just as the tiny animal latched its little paws on his arm, tugging at the watch that he had bought that summer. "Let go!"

Rolling her eyes, Mia approached, putting her hands under the front legs of the niffler and prying it away from Sirius, giving the boy a reproachful look in the process. "It's only a baby," she said with a teasing lilt to her voice.

"You can ask me anything you want about any creature that exists, I've basically seen it all," Professor Kettleburn said and moved like he was going to cross his arms over his chest, except he was missing one of them. "I'd rather you see with your own eyes, but the Ministry has rules in place. So, you'll just have to trust your books there and my expertise."

"What's the proper way to feed a werewolf?" Sirius asked, and Mia turned and glared at him after putting the baby niffler back with the others.

Remus shook his head knowingly as he approached the niffler pen.

"Let's say," Sirius continued, "that you've got a werewolf—cute little thing. And your werewolf starts getting fat . . ." He grinned and watched as Remus turned and narrowed his eyes at his friend.

Professor Kettleburn stared at Sirius. "Mr Black. Werewolves aren't pets."

"They did this on purpose didn't they?" Mia asked Remus.

"Yes."

"You knew?"

He chuckled. "Of course."

"Is this the entire reason that we're even in this class? Remus, please tell me that we did not sign up for an entire class based on the fact that Sirius wanted to make a werewolf joke." She glared and watched as Remus turned and grinned wryly at her, silently confirming the answer she already knew. "Wonderful. I could have been in Arithmancy right now with Lily."

"You could be in Divination with Peter," Remus teased.

"I don't need to read tea leaves in the bottom of a cup to know that I'm going to throttle Sirius when Professor Kettleburn is not looking." She turned to glare at Sirius, who was now asking about dragons as though purposely diverting attention from the subject of werewolves, despite the fact that he had been the one to bring it up in the first place.

"I was never allowed to have a pet," Remus said under his breath as he looked down into the pens of the small animals, all of which appeared to be scuttling as far away from him as possible. Some were quaking and looked terrified. Remus exhaled sharply at the reaction and frowned.

Mia placed a hand on his arm and smiled. "Don't take it personally. They can smell you just as easily as you can smell them. They see you as a predator." She caught his immediate horrified look and sighed. "It's not a bad thing, Remus. Predator and prey is the way life is. It's the way animals work, even magical ones."

When he still refused to take the self-condemnatory look off his face, she went on. "Do you know much about hippogriffs?"

"Just what the book mentioned," he replied, gesturing to the tome in his bag.

Mia smiled, knowing that he had already read the whole thing. Had she not known him well enough, she would have assumed he had read all of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in order to make sure his name and address was not listed inside, but she did know him better and was well aware that Remus took his studies just as seriously as she did.

"Tell me some defining characteristics of a hippogriff."

Remus let out a frustrated sigh. "Why do I feel that this is one of the life lessons you're always trying to teach me?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Humour me."

"Fine. Hippogriffs are proud, easily offended. You're supposed to take extra caution when approaching them, bowing and such. They're extremely dangerous, but can be fiercely loyal and protective of . . ." He stopped and glared at her. "I am not a hippogriff, Mia."

"No, you're not," she agreed pleasantly. "Now, what do hippogriffs eat?"

"Small mammals," Remus answered. "Ferrets and weasels, usually."

"So hippogriffs are predators?"

"Technically," he said slowly.

"And would you say that hippogriffs are absolute bastards for being what they are?" Remus's jaw tightened, and his nose twitched. "Well look at that. If I didn't know any better, I would say that you have been easily offended. Wounded pride?" She asked, and Remus growled low in response. "You know that with that glare you've got in your eyes right now, you look extremely dangerous. But I'm not afraid because I know how fiercely loyal and protective you are."

"I am not a hippogriff," Remus repeated, his eyes flashing gold so quickly that she knew she was the only one to see it. "Stop trying to convince me that I'm not a monster."

She met him, glare for glare, and leant in close to his face, refusing to back down. "Stop trying to convince yourself that you are one!" she snapped and turned on her heels, storming away from him in a flurry of bouncing, wild curls.

Remus sighed in frustration as he watched her go, annoyed that the breeze blew toward him, essentially shoving the scent of her hair in his face.

"What did Sirius do now?" James asked as he approached Remus, watching Mia stomp away from the rest of the class.

"Sirius is still over there bothering Kettleburn." Remus gestured. "What makes you think he's the one that pissed her off?"

"He usually is." James laughed, and for a moment, Remus joined in. "So what did you say to get her that mad? She normally reserves that particular scathing look for Slytherins." He leant casually against the animal enclosure, and Remus took a step away from it, watching closely as the little nogtails made their way back to the centre of the pen, one even coming up to sniff at James's hand as it hung over the fence.

"She's pissed at me."

"That is obvious," James said with a chuckle, gently scratching the nogtail on the head.

"She tried convincing me that werewolves aren't monsters," he said, trying to take himself out of the sentence by referencing the species as a whole. It did not do much for the conversation, as James just shook his head and laughed harder.

"Oh, that would certainly set her off. There are few things that'll anger my sister to the point where she looks lethal, and anyone talking poorly about you is near the top of that list. It's about tied with anything to do with Sirius's family, or me putting myself in danger. Remember at the river when I slipped on that rock and hit my head? She yelled at me for hours after you all left."

"That's different," Remus insisted and lowered his voice despite the fact that they were not standing within hearing range of anyone except the little nogtails and nifflers. "She's naive if she thinks that she can talk me out of being dangerous."

"Get over yourself, mate," James said reprovingly. "Everyone's dangerous."

Remus growled. "Not like me."

"No, not like you," James agreed. "Mia's dangerous because she's too smart. Girl knows hexes and charms that we're not supposed to even learn until N.E.W.T. levels. Evans is the same. Sirius is dangerous because his temper's too short. The second years have a pool going around to see how many fights he gets into this year. It's a ten Galleon buy in, if you want."

Remus shook his head.

"I'm dangerous because I don't let people know how good I am at what I do," James went on as if he were a professor in his own class. "Everyone thinks it's ego and that I'm overcompensating. I'm not."

Remus understood. He, James, and Sirius had practise duelled a time or two the previous years, and James always dominated the two by speed alone.

"Peter's probably the only one of us who's not a danger," James laughed, trying to break up the tense moment.

"Peter's dangerous. He's too unsuspecting not to be," Remus said with a chuckle, and James followed suit.

"Hey!" Sirius ran over to them with a grin. "Did you guys know that chimaeras purr if you scratch their belly? And they make the same noise when they're eating human flesh."

They all looked back to Professor Kettleburn who was absently scratching his arm stump again.

Just before class ended, Mia returned, and without a word to Remus, she wound her hand back and hit Sirius over the back of the head. He let out a small yelp and turned to face her while James and Remus laughed behind his back.

"I must really be a Seer. I predicted that you'd be hit by a girl today."

Chapter Text

Sometimes I wish I could save you
And there're so many things that I want you to know
I won't give up till it's over
If it takes you forever I want you to know
(Save You - Simple Plan)

September 3rd, 1973

After lunch, the Gryffindors and Slytherins made their way to the first Defence Against the Dark Arts class.

Mia was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet as she walked into the room and took her usual seat beside Remus with James on the other side, and Sirius and Peter sitting behind them. Lily sat with the Gryffindors as usual—though as close to the Slytherins as was permitted, with Snape doing the same on the opposite side. Lily was flanked by Mary and Alice, who was offering a comforting glance to Frank who looked nervous, as this was his worst subject.

As Remus took his seat, he elbowed her. "What has you in such a good mood?"

He avoided talking to her directly throughout lunch. She assumed that he was worried she would bring up the subject of werewolves again, and they'd argue. She knew there was nothing she could say to change his mind about his own condition, but she was too stubborn to back down.

She had eaten in near silence, only casually talking about classes from time to time, though never with him. It was not until Sirius asked what the next class was that Mia cheered up dramatically. She was in her third year, on her way to Defence class, with Remus. Finding amusement in the little things helped to make her ignore the tension that was hovering in the near future.

A tall man with deep auburn hair stepped through the doors of the classroom, shutting them closed behind him before he made his way to the front in just a few strides as his legs were so long. He had a familiar twinkle in his eye, and when he aimed his wand at the board, a name appeared on it: Professor Ignatius Prewett.

"Good afternoon. Now, there's not much room in here, so everyone stand up," Professor Prewett instructed, and the students all stood from their seats. With a flourish of his wand, one by one, the desks in front of them transfigured into small wooden blocks. "Someone pile those in the corner. There will be no need for desks in this class! What you learn about Defence Against the Dark Arts is practical. You can only read so many books and write so many essays."

Sirius and James looked beside themselves with joy.

"That's not to say you won't have to write a couple essays." Professor Prewett chuckled, and Mia stifled a laugh as she saw James and Sirius deflate instantly. "Just not while you're in the class. When you're here with me, you will be learning to wield your wands, focus your magic, and defend yourselves properly."

Mia could not help but wonder what was happening out in the world right now. There had been reports in the Daily Prophet of Muggle muggings and a few attacks on Muggle-borns, and although the term "Death Eater" had not been used yet, it was obvious who was behind it all. She wondered whether Dumbledore had already formed the Order of the Phoenix yet. If so, she imagined that Professor Prewett was a member. She knew that his nephews—Gideon and Fabian—were, or would be at some point in the near future. She imagined that this immediate lesson on defence was for a reason. Things were getting bad outside the walls of the castle, and they all needed to be on guard.

"Can someone tell me what the greatest disadvantage one can have when dealing with the Dark Arts is?" Professor Prewett asked. Many hands went up in the air. "Yes, Mr Snape?"

"Incompetence," Snape drawled, staring across the aisle to glare at the Marauders.

Professor Prewett actually appeared amused by the answer and gave a throaty chuckle, which actually seemed to irritate Snape as he scowled up at the teacher. "Not quite, my boy, not quite. No. Fear," he explained. "Fear can be healthy when it's used properly. But fear can also be debilitating if not focused."

He turned around and gestured to a black trunk on the floor. He kicked it once, and the large chest began to shake from within. Some students gasped, others looked intrigued. Mia looked captivated with excitement.

"Who can tell me what a boggart is?" Professor Prewett asked.

Four hands jumped in the air: Snape, Mia, Lily, and Remus.

"Yes, Mr Lupin?"

Remus puffed out his chest, suddenly in his element. "It's a shape shifter that bases its form on the fear of others."

Professor Prewett grinned. "Ten points to Gryffindor."

"I've always wanted to see one of these," Remus quietly admitted to Mia, who beamed up at him proudly.

"Boggarts are usually found in dark spaces. Old dressers and wardrobes, inside cupboards, or beneath the stairs. This little bugger," the professor said with a chuckle, kicking the trunk again, "was found by my nephews while they were cleaning out the attic of a friend's house. I offered to take it off their hands. Now, when I let this creature out of its cage, what will we see?"

Lily's hand flew up quickly.

"Miss Evans?"

"We don't know, sir. If it takes the form of fear, then it will look differently to all of us."

"You're almost entirely correct. The boggart deals with individuals. So, it will focus in on one of you at a time. If you're in a group, such as you are now," Professor Prewett said, gesturing to the class as a whole, "then it'll confuse the boggart and give you a better chance of defeating it. But if it keeps its focus easily, then it will conform to your worst fears, and everyone will be able to see them. Not just you."

Several students paled, Mia included. Something deep down told her that she would not see Professor McGonagall this time, telling her that she had failed all of her exams.

"The charm that repels a boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes a boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing. We will practise the charm without wands first. After me, please . . . Riddikulus!"

"Riddikulus!"

"Miss Macdonald, will you come and help me in teaching the class how to focus the charm?" He smiled down at Mary, who slowly moved to the front of the class, staring down at the closed trunk. "Now, what are you afraid of?"

"Rats," Mary mumbled quietly.

Sirius, James, and Remus all shared a look. Peter looked down at the floor, utterly devastated. Mia caught the expressions and quirked an eyebrow, figuring that the boys had at least begun their Animagus training.

"All right, now, when I let this boggart out and it turns into your fear, I want you to aim your wand and envision something funny in your mind. See it very clearly, focus, and say, 'Riddkulus,' all right?"

Slowly the class moved away from Mary, but none faster than Mia, Remus, and Sirius who stood with their backs pressed tightly against the rear wall of the classroom.

Professor Prewett flicked his wand, and the latch keeping the boggart in the trunk opened. The lid kicked backward with a bang! A very large rat with small, watery eyes and long, yellow front teeth crept out. It was the size of a dog. It turned and sniffed toward Mary, who looked petrified.

"Riddikulus!" she finally shouted, watching as a large mousetrap appeared beneath the rat and sprung forward.

Peter gave a loud yelp and turned to vomit in a nearby dustbin.

Mia grinned vindictively at the sight but turned her attention back to the rat, which had turned into a rubber toy rat that squeaked as the metal trap continuously squeezed it.

"Well done!" Professor Prewett said with a grin, and Mary smiled. "Everyone form a line!"

They all did, save for the three frightened Gryffindors at the back of the room.

The professor gestured to Alice. "Miss Brown!"

There was a loud crack, and where the rubber rat had once sat now stood a large cockroach towering over young Alice.

"Riddikulus!"

The cockroach slipped on a banana peel that had appeared at its feet and fell backward onto its back, unable to right itself.

"Mr Pettigrew!"

Peter slowly stepped forward, nervously holding his wand in hand. With a crack, the upturned cockroach turned into a large cat that paced back and forth across the room, stalking with its yellow eyes turned on Peter, licking its jaws.

"Riddikulus!"

The cat shrunk down quickly to the size of a pygmy puff with a large red bow wrapped around its neck. It let out the smallest meow before the weight of the bow was too much and the little kitten toppled forward, smacking its small face into the floor.

"Miss Evans, you're up!"

Lily stepped forward just as the tiny kitten shifted and grew tall and large, taking the shape of a man with a white painted face, curly red hair, and big floppy shoes.

James gaped. "What the hell is that?"

"A clown," Mia answered quietly, and everyone stared at her. "It's a Muggle . . . thing." She shrugged and then added, "I read about it."

"Riddikulus!" Lily shouted, and the clown looked down at his chest as they all heard a ticking sound. He pulled open his large vest to reveal a clock strapped to sticks of dynamite stuck to his shirt. Suddenly, the clown exploded right in front of everyone, raining down confetti upon them all.

Professor Prewett looked impressed. Lily looked proud. James looked besotted.

"All right, Mr Potter, you're up!"

"Poor Jamie," Mia whispered to Remus with a frown. "He won't admit it, but he's afraid of snakes. The Slytherins are going to have a fit."

She sighed as she watched her brother approach the pile of confetti on the floor as it shifted in front of him. Though, instead of the large snake she had expected to see, all she saw was a set of double doors. Her mouth fell open as she looked up at those familiar white oak doors.

"Is that my . . . ?" she began with panic in her voice, and almost immediately she felt two hands on her shoulders, holding her steady. One belonging to Remus, the other to Sirius. She turned back and the looks on their faces said that they knew what was about to happen.

Mia looked on as James stared at the silent white doors, and suddenly a sharp scream echoed from behind them.

Mia's scream.

James stood frozen.

"Go ahead, James," Professor Prewett encouraged as the door continued to hold back the screams behind it.

"Riddikulus!" James finally shouted, and the scream behind the door turned to laughter.

Instead of looking proud or even smug, he spun away from the boggart with his head low and his brow furrowed in anger. Without another word, he turned and walked out of the room, not giving a passing glance to anyone as he left.

"That might do for now," Professor Prewett said as he aimed his wand at the boggart, shouting a charm to contain the creature, sticking it back inside the trunk. "Read chapter one in your books, and be prepared next class to dive into basic defensive spells. Dismissed."

Everyone turned to leave, none more eager than Mia and the Marauders who were determined to go after James, but unfortunately, the professor called out, "Not you three. Misters Black and Lupin, and Miss Potter, will you linger for a few moments?"

They each gave a heavy sigh.

Mia turned once the rest of the students had left and the door shut them in the quiet classroom. "Sir, I think I should go after my brother."

"Can I assume that the voice Mr Potter heard beyond that door was yours?"

"Yes," Remus and Sirius answered together, both looking stricken.

Mia stared at them with wide eyes, embarrassed. "I have nightmares sometimes."

"Are these nightmares shared?" Professor Prewett asked, his focus shifting between the three of them. "Some fears are much worse than others, Miss Potter. I hadn't thought that a group of thirteen-year-olds would have more to fear than a few bugs, a ghoul or two, perhaps a banshee if we were lucky. I made a mistake in my assumption, and for that, I apologise." He touched his hand to his heart in a gesture of true remorse. "I will say the same to young Mr Potter next I see him."

Mia inclined her head. "Thank you, sir."

"That being said, I refuse to allow my students to let their fears overtake them. It was the purpose of this lesson after all." He stood and moved to the trunk. "An important talent in learning to fight the Dark Arts is observing your surroundings. Do you know what I observed today?" he asked them, and they all shook their heads. "When I spoke of my intentions to release the boggart where everyone would see it, I observed a large group of curious but nervous students. And three students . . ." He pointed to each of them individually as he sat down on the shaking trunk. "Three Gryffindors at that, who were hiding in the back of the room, looking terrified."

Mia refused to break eye contact with the man.

"Gryffindors aren't known to back down from their fears. Being sorted with the bold into the House of the Great Godric does allow for weaknesses." Professor Prewett smiled softly. "Those include pride. I imagine each of you was not afraid to face the boggart, but more worried that others would see your fears for themselves.

"May I make a suggestion? I suggest that you face all of your fears. Both the ones you believe that the boggart will take the form of, as well as your fear of others seeing your personal phobia. Miss Potter? Do you trust these boys? Are they your friends?"

"They're my best friends," she whispered quietly.

"And do you trust them?"

"With everything." Except the truth.

Professor Prewett turned to the boys. "And the two of you?"

Remus dipped his chin solemnly. "I trust them."

"I don't want them to see," Sirius blurted out, a look of frustration and anger on his face.

Intuitively, Mia reached out and took his hand, and Sirius's anger melted into what looked like shame and guilt.

He laced his fingers with hers and just silently nodded. "Fine. But I don't go first."

Remus sighed. "I'll do it. They already know anyway," he muttered bitterly and stepped forward, gripping his wand.

Professor Prewett stood up, reaching for his own wand and aiming it at the shaking trunk. "Now, Mr Lupin, I want you to take your time with this. Don't just shout the charm quickly to get the boggart to go away. If I'm right . . . If I'm right, you'll each need time to focus on the image, perhaps examine your fears closer in order to conquer them, instead of hiding them away."

Remus gave a curt nod.

Professor Prewett flicked his wand, and the trunk flew open with a bang.

Nothing happened at first, which shocked Mia. She had fully expected to see the image of a moon appear in the centre of the room. She had seen Remus's boggart before, in this very classroom, during a lesson that he had been teaching. Of course, now Mia knew where Professor Lupin got the idea of bringing a boggart into the class in the first place.

A low growl could be heard, and Mia's eyes widened as a massive wolf slowly crept from the trunk.

Remus looked at their professor in a panic, but the man only offered an understanding smile. "Professor Dumbledore explained your situation, and you're safe here. No one's going to find out anything that you don't want them to."

The wolf's enormous paws hit the floor, and Mia gaped at the sight. She had seen it before, of course, though it had been at night with only the moon giving light to the scene. It had also been a blur of motion when she had first seen an older Remus transform into the beast that now stood before them all.

Almost as though history were repeating itself—at least her history—Mia could feel Sirius move closer to her. She turned slightly to see a protective look on his face and could not help but smile inwardly at the familiar gesture before her attention was brought back to the large werewolf that now stood face to face with Remus.

The wolf growled viciously, its golden eyes glared at Remus, who was shaking.

Mia observed silently, examining the eyes of the large wolf and the colour of its fur, completely unaware that its muzzle was drenched in blood; the crimson liquid dripped from its mouth creating a pool on the floor at Remus's feet.

"It's all right, son," Professor Prewett said, holding his wand tightly in his hand, just in case. "I'm here, take your time."

"It's beautiful," Mia whispered softly to herself as she noticed the way that the light hit the wolf's fur. A lovely colour of sandy blond, just like Remus's hair.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Remus turned on her, his own eyes flashing gold, reflecting the wolf standing behind him. He glared at her as if she were stupid, and the look took the breath right out of her. "Do you know what this is?!"

"Yes!" Mia yelled back at him.

"Do you know whose blood that is, then?" Remus growled at her, the sound almost identical to the snarling beast behind him. "Go on, Mia, take a fucking guess!"

Sirius reacted quickly by standing in front of her, but she pushed him away from her, never taking her focus off of Remus, his stare full of rage.

As if to make his point further, the boggart wolf dropped something from its jaws into the pool of blood on the floor. Everyone turned to look; and Mia gasped as she saw the glimmer of a goblin-made gold bracelet, engraved with the words of House Potter.

"I'm done." Remus shook his head, furious, and aimed his wand. "Riddikulus!"

The boggart wolf shrunk down, much like Peter's boggart cat had, into the small frame of a tiny wolf pup, the sight of which made Mia want to sob as she recalled that Remus had been bitten and turned when he was only four years old.

Remus glared at everyone before stalking toward the door.

"Oh, no you don't," Mia said firmly as she stood in his way.

"Move," Remus growled down at her.

"I am not afraid of you," she said, reaching up to touch his cheeks with her hands. He tried to pull away from her at first, but she held on. "No! You would never hurt me. And I am not afraid of you."

"You should be," Remus whispered, the expression of anger having fled his face as he looked down at her with grief as though he had already killed her—or worse, infected her.

Sirius's annoyed voice broke the tension. "If you're done with your pity party, Remus, I'd like to get my own over with and forget this day ever happened," he said bitterly as he approached the front of the room and glared at the professor, angry for being put in this situation. "Just do it."

Remus and Mia turned just in time to see the small wolf pup grow upward, changing into human form. Mia raised a brow as she saw Sirius standing there, face to face with himself. She stepped closer, followed by Remus, who had gripped her hand in the process, and the two lingered behind the real Sirius, staring into the visage of his boggart.

"Merlin." Sirius shook his head. "Walburga would love this."

Mia immediately noticed the differences in the boggart. Sirius's doppelgänger wore green and black robes, the Slytherin crest embroidered on the lapel. His hair, while still long and black, was neatly kept and tied back with a leather thong, much like the one Regulus wore. He also had a sneer on his face that immediately reminded Mia of a young Draco Malfoy.

Then, the boggart of Sirius raised his wand with a vicious smirk. As the robes came up over his arm, Mia saw the outline of something dark and black against his skin. She gasped, realising immediately what it was, but she had no time to say or do anything as the boggart silently mouthed, "Avada—"

"Riddikulus!" Professor Prewett shouted, and the boggart exploded into a thousand wisps of smoke.

Sirius stood there, staring ahead with wide, terrified eyes.

"I'm sorry, son." Professor Prewett shook his head. "Boggarts do not have the ability to cast spells, but . . . Habit I suppose, defending against curses."

Mia rushed forward and flung her arms tightly around Sirius who, unlike Remus, immediately held her against him, burying his nose in her hair.

"You boys did good work today. I'd like to work with you individually on a few things. I think it's important. As for you, Miss Potter, I'll be on the lookout for a new boggart so you can finish the lesson. In the meantime, I hope you're able to talk about those nightmares to someone. It's not good to let fear fester."

"Thank you, Professor," Mia said, though she certainly did not mean the words.

As soon as the three left the classroom, Sirius muttered, "Mia? What was your boggart going to be?"

She did not want to tell them, but they had both opened up, letting her see the weakest parts of themselves: their deepest fears. Fears she knew were unnecessary.

Remus was not a monster, and Sirius was not a Death Eater. But she could not help but frown, knowing their eventual fates. Remus would, in fact, be labelled a monster, cut off from society and forced into poverty because of his affliction. Sirius would eventually be labelled a Death Eater, framed for the murder and betrayal of his friends. Their deepest fears would haunt them for years to come.

"My boggart would have been the two of you," she said, "telling me how much you hated me."

Sirius and Remus had equal looks of confusion on their faces, and she could tell they thought her fear was stupid.

"That's . . ." Sirius began.

"Impossible," Remus finished, taking her face in his hands just as she had done to him earlier. "Mia, you're my best friend. I could never hate you. I actually can't think of a single thing you could do to ever make me hate you."

"He's right. Why the hell would you be afraid of something so . . . stupid?" Sirius asked, and Remus let out a sigh of frustration.

Mia didn't even flinch at them.

"Because you're that important to me. Because . . . I'm terrified to think that in twenty years you'll both be gone, everything will have changed, and you'll just . . . hate me." She shook her head and growled, "Look, fine, it's stupid, I get it."

Sirius offered a small grin. "At least you realise that, kitten."

Of course, she would not tell them the whole truth. Her boggart would have been the two of them standing in front of her, but instead of the thirteen-year-old boys who now walked beside her, they would appear as near forty-year-old men, and at their feet would be the body of a twenty-one-year-old James Potter, eyes blankly open—whom Mia had failed to save.

Chapter Text

I'm goin' home, gonna load my shotgun
Wait by the door and light a cigarette
If he wants a fight well now he's got one
And he ain't seen me crazy yet
(Gunpowder & Lead - Miranda Lambert)

November 3rd, 1973

It had taken days for the Marauders and Mia to get back to normal after dealing with the boggart. None of them talked about what had happened—especially James, who had gone on pretending as though the entire class hadn't seen inside his deepest fears.

Regardless of what occurred, Mia still quietly slipped into the boys' dorm late at night, crawling into James's bed and holding onto her brother tightly to drive away her nightmares. Nightmares that were now plagued with visions of him dead instead of the usual images of Bellatrix Lestrange torturing her. Sometimes the nightmares would shift, and she would see Sirius and Remus being tortured all over again in the Forbidden Forest. She would get up quietly, so as not to wake her twin, and peek in on her other boys because she needed to see them with her own eyes to make sure they were safe.

The mood stayed with her for well over a month; the parallels between this year and her original third year that took place in 1993 were eerily similar: Sirius had spent his first month in detention with McGonagall, reminding Mia that it was in her original third year that the older Sirius Black escaped Azkaban. Remus put a great deal of effort into his studies, meeting one-on-one with Professor Prewett. The way he carried himself made her smile and think of the brilliant Professor Lupin she had met long ago, who raised her study of Defence Against the Dark Arts to a higher level than ever before.

Anytime she looked at James, she would frown and the happiness in her life would be sucked out of her as if a dementor was nearby. In fact, it was in her original third year when she had first come face to face with the dark creatures. Mia wished that she could conjure her Patronus to cheer her up without anyone noticing.

"Hogsmeade!" Sirius shouted with a grin as he plopped himself beside James at breakfast the first weekend of November. "All right, mates. Do we have our lists?"

Mia raised a suspicious brow. "Do I want to know what you four are up to?"

Sirius grinned at her. "Just a little project, kitten."

"Sirius found a secret passageway into Hogsmeade last year," Remus said with a chuckle. "He wants us to go looking for more while we're down there today."

"Oi! That was a Marauder secret! Remus, you're the worst secret keeper ever!"

Surprised by how his words triggered something deep down inside of her, Mia snapped, "He is not! In fact, Remus should always be your secret keeper." She eyed Sirius and then let her gaze linger on James before drifting to Peter. "Always."

Peter whispered, "I'm good at keeping secrets."

Mia internally grimaced, remembering the words which had been exchanged between Harry, Peter, and Sirius that fateful night in the Shrieking Shack.

"Oookay." Sirius raised a brow at the strange turn the conversation had taken. "Back to the plan. Are you all in?"

"I've got something to do first," James said and stood up.

Immediately, the boys groaned at the movement, clearly knowing what he was planning as he pulled his legs over the bench and began walking down the length of the table.

"This is going to be ugly." Remus shook his head and looked away.

Sirius, on the other hand, was watching eagerly with a devious grin on his face. "Who wants to bet he'll end up wearing whatever it is she's eating?"

"Beautiful morning, isn't it, Evans?" they could hear James declare down the table. "Not nearly as beautiful as you."

Mia winced and covered her eyes and waited for her brother to blow it.

"So, how about you let me show off that pretty face of yours in Hogsmeade, yeah?"

There was a loud crashing noise followed by a small round of laughter and applause as James walked back to his seat looking utterly devastated. A bowl of upturned porridge rested on top of his head, the warm milk leaking down his face.

"Could have been worse," Sirius suggested.

James pouted. "How?"

"You could have asked her last night. She had soup for dinner."

Remus, Mia, and Peter stifled their laughs as James slowly removed the bowl from his head and manoeuvred his wand to Scourgify his hair. It ended up looking worse once it was clean, sticking up straight in the back.

Sirius shook his head and sighed loudly, drawing all attention back to him. "Now that your weekly emasculation at the hands of Evans is complete, can we go back to our Hogsmeade plans?"

"You going to Hogsmeade, Black?"

Mia turned to spot a fourth year Ravenclaw grinning down at Sirius. Much to her annoyance, Sirius turned on his seat and grinned up at the girl.

"What's it to you, McKinnon?" Sirius asked, looking the girl over.

Mia clenched her fists tightly.

"Oh, I was just wondering who was going to walk me all the way down." McKinnon pursed her lips, and Sirius's gaze immediately drew toward them. "It's an awful long way to walk by yourself. You wouldn't happen to already have a date, would you, Sirius?"

"Well, I was planning on spending the day with these sad sods." Sirius gestured to his friends, all of whom now looked mildly offended over the fact that he had been an arse about this trip for weeks only to ditch them now for a pretty skirt. "But what kind of gentleman would I be if I let a pretty girl walk alone?"

"See you outside then." The blonde winked at him and sashayed off.

Sirius turned back and grinned at his friends. "Change of plans, mates. I've got a date!" he said excitedly and stood up from the table, patting James on the back before rushing out of the Great Hall, leaving a quiet table behind.

Every third year Gryffindor girl was staring at Mia. A few other tables had turned to gawk at the scene as well. It was not everyday a fourth year asked a third year to go to Hogsmeade, but then again, this was Sirius Black. Even a few passing Slytherins had been watching from the sidelines.

"Who was that?" Alice whispered to Lily.

"Marlene McKinnon," Lily replied stiffly. "She clearly didn't know better."

"She obviously doesn't know Mia," Mary added as she stabbed her fork into a piece of fruit on her plate, glaring at McKinnon from behind as though she would jump to attack if Mia would just ask her to.

Mia shrugged her shoulders, looking at her plate but no longer having the desire to eat. "It's fine. Sirius is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He's free to date whoever he wants. I would have just assumed he would have enough class to stick with someone his own age," she said, but then quickly tried to bite back the hypocritical words.

"She's a slag," Mary muttered angrily. "I saw her snogging a fifth year Puff not three days ago in an empty Charms classroom."

Mia scowled, feeling like all the blood was rushing to her head. "I said it's fine. Sirius isn't my boyfriend or anything."

"You should come to Hogsmeade with us girls." Lily smiled at Mia brightly, reaching over and taking her hand. "We're going to go to the Three Broomsticks to get a butterbeer, and then maybe stop by Honeydukes. No, Remus," she said when he turned in her direction. "You can get your own chocolate; you'll be down there yourself!"

Mia pushed her plate away from her entirely. "I'll think about it, Lily."

"Okay, meet us out front if you're up for a girls' day. I have to finish a Charms essay before I get ready. Meet you all back here," she said to Alice and Mary who smiled up at their friend as she stood and walked away from the table.

"You sure you don't want me to smack McKinnon?" Mary whispered conspiratorially. "I caught Rikard Stebbins trying to look up my skirt last week, and he begged me not to tell. I could trade the favour he owes me and get the password to Ravenclaw Tower. We could put flesh flies in her bed."

Mia stared at her friend in horror, glad when Remus cleared his throat, drawing her attention.

"Are you really that upset with Sirius going on a date?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes and let out an irritable exhale. "I just think it's immature of him to make plans with his friends and then back out over a girl."

"Trouble in paradise, Potter?"

Cringing at the drawling voice, she turned to see Snape standing behind her next to Regulus Black and a first year Slytherin who looked slightly familiar.

"Piss off Snivellus!" James snarled.

"He wasn't talking to you, blood-traitor!" the young Slytherin snapped.

Immediately, the Gryffindors were on their guard as James stood.

Regulus laughed, patting the boy on the back. "Back down, Barty. He's excitable, this one."

Mia scowled at the use of the boy's name. Barty. Young Barty Crouch, Jr. Her hands were shaking as she glared at him. This was not the best morning to come face to face with so many future Death Eaters, regardless of the fact that two of them would eventually defect; they had been Death Eaters all the same. It did not help that, as teenagers, they were incorrigible prats.

"What do you want, Snape?" Mia hissed.

"Just to see if you're all right," he said with a smirk. "That looked rather uncomfortable from where I was standing."

He chuckled, and the noise grated on her skin.

Regulus sneered, not nearly as amused as his friends clearly were by the situation. "It's embarrassing, watching my brother panting after that girl. Everyone knows that the McKinnons are blood-traitors. He should be put out of his misery. Next, he'll be off snogging Mudbloods."

Remus and James made furious moves forward, but Mia got there first—CRACK!

She punched Snape in the face with all the strength she could muster, and it had felt just as good as it did when she had hit Draco.

Snape fell backward, black eyes wide as he held the left side of his jaw in his hand.

"You rotten, hypocritical coward!" she screamed, glaring down at him.

Regulus and Crouch looked gobsmacked at the sight, and James and Remus were gaping as though they had never seen her before in their lives.

"I didn't bloody say it!" Snape shouted up at her.

"No! But you were content with sitting back and allowing the other Slytherins to voice your prejudices for you. Besides," she growled, narrowing her eyes at Regulus, "Sirius has already smacked this one for being a little prick."

"Miss Potter!" Professor McGonagall bellowed, and Mia turned to look at the older witch. "Do you care to explain yourself?"

Mia looked between Snape and Regulus who continued to stare at her with hate in their eyes. "No. Won't make a difference."

Nothing you do will change what is meant to be.

Words from Remus's letter floated across her mind. It had been too long since she had read it, but she needed the words now. She needed to remember her guide and her rules. To remember that he had told her she could not save lives that were not meant to be saved. She could not stop a war that was not meant to be stopped. And she could not redeem those who, at this moment in time, were irredeemable.

"Can I assume that I'm headed to detention shortly, Professor?" Mia asked. "And that I'm forbidden from attending Hogsmeade?"

"Absolutely, young lady. And I still want a proper explanation for your behaviour!"

"Very well." Mia almost smiled as she gathered her bags and turned to look at a very pleased-looking James, Remus, and Peter. She grinned at her brother and best friend before her eyes fell on the rat and she glared. "What can I say, Professor? I just can't control myself when the people I love are threatened."

Her eyes were empty and cold, and her body language was eerily calm and collected, but she noticed that Peter abruptly stopped breathing, only regaining the function of his lungs once her stare relaxed.

Sirius slipped through the portrait hole with a bright, smug grin spread across his face. His lips were swollen, and his hair was pleasantly dishevelled, or least it had been when he caught a glimpse in a reflection.

There were a few lingering first years on the sofas, hunched over rolls of parchment in a panic, still trying to find the comfortable routine of homework and life that the older students had fallen into since the beginning of the year.

Sirius practically skipped up the stairs to the dorms. Upon entering, he spotted Remus, who was sitting on his bed with a large book open in his hands, his body surrounded by empty candy wrappers and discarded Chocolate Frog cards.

"Hello, my fine, furry friend." Sirius threw himself onto his own bed and rested his hands lazily behind his head.

For as happy as Sirius was, Remus looked the polar opposite. He glared across the room at Sirius. "Where the hell have you been? Curfew was an hour ago."

"You're going to make a wonderful—or really inconvenient—prefect one day," Sirius said with a chuckle. "I was in Hogsmeade."

Remus did not look impressed. Sirius wished Peter was there to talk to.

"This whole time?" Remus sat up and closed his book, giving Sirius his full attention. "We went looking for you and couldn't find you anywhere," he said in an accusing tone.

"Marlene and I were out by the Shrieking Shack." Sirius waggled his eyebrows, and Remus's nose twitched. "Did you know that it's apparently haunted?" he joked, hoping to bring a little humour to the all-too-serious-looking boy. "Girls love it."

"That's ridiculous." Remus scoffed.

They had all heard the rumours. Ghosts had been heard bellowing out of the Shrieking Shack, and the town of Hogsmeade had been urged to avoid the place like the pox. The Marauders knew the truth, of course, and Remus did not look amused that couples were using the view of his "dog house"—as Sirius was prone to call it—to snog in front of.

"Ridiculous but true, mate!"

"So you've been out snogging a girl while staring at my . . . cage. How romantic of you," Remus said sarcastically, rolling his eyes as they briefly turned gold before returning to their normal shade of green.

"If you had been snogged like I was just snogged . . ." Sirius let out a satisfied sigh. "You might see that place a little differently too."

"Unlikely," Remus growled.

Sirius sat up and stared across the room at his friend. "What's got your tail in a twist? I've had the best bloody day of my life, and you're acting all morose and shit. You should be asking me for details, and I should be bragging about those details over a couple bottles of butterbeer with my best mates!"

"Then go find James and Peter, I'm not in the mood," Remus snapped and reopened his book.

"What happened? Honeydukes out of Chocolate Frogs?"

"Mia's in detention right now," Remus replied quickly, slamming his book shut.

"That's unlikely," Sirius said, disbelievingly, crossing his arms. Apart from the prank she had helped him pull on Regulus, Mia never stepped a toe out of line. In fact, she often tried to keep all of them out of trouble. Besides, he was certain that even if she ever did break a rule, she would certainly never get caught. Mia was brilliant, and her Disillusionment Charm was a thing of beauty. "What did she supposedly do?"

"No supposedly about it," Remus insisted. "She got busted in view of about fifty students and half the professors."

"Holy shit." Sirius was suddenly captivated. "What happened? What did she do?"

"Do you care?"

Defensive, Sirius jumped to his feet, officially done with Remus's pissy mood. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Is she all right? What happened to her!?"

Panic suddenly flooded him. Had something serious happened to Mia? Did the Slytherins retaliate for the prank they had played on them last year?

Remus slowly rose from his bed, standing, unintimidated, inches taller than Sirius. "Well, once you'd sauntered off on your bloody date, Mia was being consoled by her friends."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sirius asked, confused. "What did she need consoling for? What happened?"

"Because you're a blind idiot, and you don't deserve what you can't even see!" Remus clenched his fists in a clear bid to contain his anger. "Mia fancies you, dickhead!"

Sirius stumbled back in shock.

Remus stepped forward, crowding him against the footboard of his bed. "She was upset about you running off with McKinnon!" Clearly angry, Remus's eyes flashed again, and the colour change did not go unnoticed by Sirius. "Then Regulus called you a blood-traitor and said you'd be bringing home Mudbloods next, and I'm pretty sure he even threatened your life, mate."

Sirius snarled, his brow furrowing together in anger. "They made fun of Mia?"

"That's not the point, Sirius. It wasn't about her. It was about you," Remus said, his voice lightly touched with envy. "She punched Snape in the face, made him bleed and everything, and McGonagall saw it all."

Sirius's eyes widened. Mia punched Snivellus?

"She did it for you, and you were off snogging some Ravenclaw that you'd never even met before today."

The silence was suffocating as he processed everything.

Mia had been unlike any girl he had ever known. She was James's sister, but nothing like a sister to Sirius. She had always been his friend—more than a friend. She had been his safe place for as long as he had known her.

"I . . . I didn't know."

"You don't even bother to try," Remus accused bitterly.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this, Remus?" Sirius asked, wide-eyed. "She's James's sister. She's Mia. She's our friend . . . She's . . . She . . ." he stammered as he paced back and forth in the room.

He had been out in the snow not an hour ago, locked in his first snog with a fourth year Ravenclaw who obviously fancied him. It had been one of the best nights of his entire life, and that did not say much considering how shitty his life had been up until Hogwarts. Until he had met James and Remus and Peter and . . .

Mia.

"She's ours," Remus said firmly. "Ours to take care of. Ours to protect," he went on, his eyes fierce. "Our job. Remember, Sirius?"

"I remember," Sirius whispered.

That first night in Potter Manor had been horrible. He thought the Potters to be this perfect family with perfect children. James and Mia exuded joy and love. To hear her screaming in the night had terrified him. He remembered watching as James crawled into her bed and pulled her tight against him, and suddenly, she had calmed down. Just like that. It had been like . . . magic. Sirius remembered feeling envious of his friend for having a power that felt so important. Sirius wanted that power. Wanted to be able to calm her screams and dry her tears. So he had taken it upon himself to declare that she belonged to all of them: James, Remus, and himself.

It had felt right at the time. James was her brother, and Remus had always been her best friend, and Sirius was . . . was . . .

Oh, fuck.

"Our job," Sirius repeated, the words feeling like they were trying to choke him as they came out.

"Then do it! Bloody take care of the girl, and stop hurting her by being an arrogant prat! James can't take care of her forever, and if you don't man up and do it—" Remus stared at Sirius, eyes hard with conviction. "Someone else will."

"Oh, like you?" Sirius turned his narrowed eyes up at his friend, and suddenly, they were no longer children, no longer little boys who played with toy dragons and talked about nothing but Quidditch. A girl was involved and not just any girl. A girl they had both somehow claimed, even if neither was certain what that meant just now.

"Someone should!" Remus snapped back.

"What's going on in here?"

The voice distracted both of them, and they turned to see James standing in the doorway, a worried expression on his face as he watched his best friends looking as though they were nearly ready to start throwing hexes.

"Nothing," they both said at the same time and separated, going to their own beds.

"Okay." James watched them closely. After a few moments of silence, he made his way to his own bed and turned to look at his best friend. "How was your date?"

Sirius frowned. "Fine. It was . . . I don't think I'm going to see her again."

"Bad luck. You should have stuck around a while longer then. Did Remus tell you that Mia punched Snivellus?" James laughed. "It was hilarious. The only time I've ever seen her that angry before is when you were in the hospital wing last year."

Mia did not get back to the common room until well after midnight. She was exhausted after spending her entire day helping Professor McGonagall organise first year Transfiguration essays, and then—because her offence had been of a violent nature—she had spent her night polishing each and every candelabra in the Great Hall.

Instead of making her way back up to her dorm room, she collapsed on the sofa in front of the fireplace and fell swiftly asleep.

Her rest did not last long, and soon she jolted awake, heart racing. She covered her face with her hands and willed the tears to retreat as she forced the image of Voldemort from her mind. Forced the sounds of Sirius and Remus screaming from her thoughts. She stood, looking to the stairs leading to the girls' dorms with hesitation. She hated dreams that involved her boys. It always made her worried that somehow, if she did not see them with her own eyes, that meant that they were not safe.

Slowly and quietly she made her way up the stairs to the boys' dorms and slipped inside the room her brother shared with the other Marauders. She quickly peeked in on a snoring Jamie who was in a deep sleep, sprawled out across his bed, one leg hanging off the edge. She smiled and ran her hands affectionately through his messy hair, making it a touch worse.

Her gaze then fell across the room where she could see, framed against the moonlight, Remus's heartbreakingly beautiful silhouette. She watched closely as his chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. She made no closer move toward him, knowing that this close to the full moon he was a light sleeper, and she did not want to wake him when he needed all the rest he could get.

Before she turned to leave—and despite the fact that she was annoyed with him—Mia peeked behind Sirius's curtains to check on him. He was on his side with one arm crossed over his chest, gripping the other gently. Her brows knit together as she remembered an older Sirius. This was how he slept in the bed in the tent when they had been on the run. She remembered Apparating out of Godric's Hollow and how Sirius had been splinched. She had bandaged and repaired his wound just as he had done to her months prior. While he rarely complained about the injury that she took responsibility for, she noticed that he favoured the wounded arm in his sleep.

"You okay?" Sirius mumbled as his eyes opened.

She frowned, not noticing before that he was awake.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Need me to get James?" Sirius sat up and rubbed his eyes, turning to look to the side where James was out cold. "Oh, well. I could wake him up."

"No, don't. I'm fine." Her focus drifted across the room hesitantly at Remus's bed.

"Come on," Sirius said and scooted backwards on his mattress.

"No."

Sirius frowned, looking angry. "You want Remus?"

"How was your date?"

His anger seemed to dissipate at her words. Without answering, he reached out and grabbed her hand, tugging her forward until she fell onto the mattress.

She hissed but kept quiet, not wanting to rouse the others from their slumber. By the time she righted herself into a sitting position on the bed, Sirius's head was in her lap, and she let out a frustrated growl.

"Shut up and pet me."

"Sirius," she groaned.

"Date was awful. Should have just gone with my friends."

Mia frowned, letting his words roll around in her mind. "I'm sorry you had a bad time. If it makes you feel any better, I didn't have the best day myself."

Sirius let out a quiet chuckle. "I heard about that. You know it's our job to defend and protect you, right?"

And just like that, she was back in the tent on the run with Harry, Ron, and Sirius. Only this time in her memories it was not Sirius in bed with a splinched arm, it was her in bed, the long scar on her splinched back slowly mending while she rested. The Tales of Beedle the Bard in one hand, the other gently stroking the black fur of the giant dog who slept with his head in her lap.

Mia frowned as she brushed her fingers through Sirius's hair. "Maybe we'll just agree to always take care of each other."

Sirius smiled.

Chapter Text

You held me down, but I got up
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground"
(Roar - Katy Perry)

March 27th, 1974

Sirius did not take another girl to Hogsmeade for the rest of the year. He also did not take Mia. Despite not dating another girl after Marlene McKinnon, the fact that Sirius had gone to Hogsmeade with the girl—only to ignore her the next morning—had earned him a reputation. Regardless of the fact that he spent his nights in the Gryffindor common room playing Wizard's Chess and Exploding Snap with James, rumours began to circulate the school about the young playboy who was often "seen" snogging behind tapestries, in empty classrooms, and even, apparently, in Professor McGonagall's office.

It annoyed Mia more than it did Sirius, and she began to really understand why the older Sirius did not have much concern when it came to being in the Daily Prophet so often. His infamous reputation had been filling the gossip mill since he was only fourteen years old.

While the year started out stressfully, by the time spring rolled around, the Marauders and Mia were back to normal. She had taken to reading Remus's letter again before bed every night and sometimes in the morning; it was necessary to remind herself over and over of her number one rule: Live your life. Enjoy your life.

And so she did.

Once, during the middle of March, to celebrate James's—and technically her—fourteenth birthday, Mia slipped into the laundry room of the castle late the night before and grinned when she spotted a fresh stack of newly laundered Slytherin robes. She was suddenly very grateful for the sewing charms that Molly Weasley had taught her years earlier.

The morning of James and Mia's birthday, after opening the gifts that the owls flew in from their parents as well as the few treats that were given to them from their friends, Mia smiled deviously up at her brother.

"I have a birthday gift for you. Does everyone know how to do a Heating Charm?" she asked. "And can you keep it subtle?"

"Did you do something bad, kitten?" Sirius asked with a grin.

Mia only smiled innocently in response.

He barked a laugh and grabbed his wand, motioning the others to do the same. "Oh, this should be good."

"Now, everyone aim your wands to the Slytherin table and use a Heating Charm. Not hot enough to burn or scald, but . . . uncomfortably hot," Mia emphasised.

As one, the Gryffindors swished their wands and uttered the incantation, putting focus on the green and silver table at the other end of the Great Hall. At first, nothing happened and Sirius looked disappointed. They kept on with the incantation and suddenly there was a quiet Pop!

Followed by several more.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Mia snickered as she watched Snape look up from his breakfast and cast a glance around the table. Amycus Carrow followed suit.

Pop!

The older Slytherins were looking around, trying to find the source of the noise.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

"What's happening?" James asked with a grin.

Mia beamed. "Just watch."

Pop! Pop! Pop!

One by one, the Slytherins stood from their seats, confused and shouting. Pop! Some were struggling with their robes—Pop!—trying to get them off as quickly as possible.

All of a sudden, freshly popped popcorn kernels began shooting out of the lining of the Slytherin robes, overflowing their pockets and collars, covering their table and blanketing the floors.

Sirius smiled in approval. "Very clever, kitten. Not quite the most awful thing you could have done to them, but entertaining, to say the least. What do we give her, boys?" he asked, looking around the table.

"Exceeds Expectations," Remus said politely with a smirk on his face.

"I have to agree with Professor Lupin." James laughed, and Mia stifled a chuckle at the moniker.

"I'm only seeing Acceptable myself," Sirius admitted with a frown. "You need to learn how to get a little dirty with your pranks."

Mia merely smiled sweetly at him. "Do you know how long it took me to sew popcorn kernels into the lining of each and every Slytherin robe?" she asked with feigned superiority. "You need to learn patience."

"Wheeeee!" A joyous yell echoed from just outside the Great Hall as Peeves the Poltergeist flew through the open doors, a large bucket in his hands. "Sticky, slippery snakes!" he chanted, hovering over the Slytherin table where he tipped the bucket he carried, drenching each and every popcorn-encased Slytherin in litres of melted butter.

Mia's notional grades were immediately changed to Outstandings across the board.

The boys spent the better part of a month trying to figure out how she had been able to get Peeves to help her, but Mia kept her lips sealed. Peeves was a wild card that would ultimately be dangerous in the hands of the Marauders.

June 20th, 1974

"Mia, wake up."

"Mmm," Mia mumbled into her pillow.

There were only a few days left of school, and she was already looking forward to sleeping in her large bed back home. Exams were over, and she had performed outstandingly. Third in her year just behind Lily and Remus—tied with Severus Snape of all people. Mia, of course, knew that she could easily top them all—having already taken and excelled in all of the classes the first time around—but she also knew that Lily and Remus were being looked at for future prefects and the upcoming year would make all the difference for her friends. She had been a prefect before and something told her that doing so again would make it difficult to completely embrace Remus' instructions; her guide and her rules: Live your life. Enjoy your life. So instead of worrying about exams or future prefect badges, Mia dreamt about the orchard behind Potter Manor, where she had planned a summer of reading and watching her boys play Quidditch. Lazy mornings in the family library, afternoons with her mother in the garden, and maybe a repeat of last summer's gathering of friends at the river.

"Mia, wake up."

One of her eyes cracked open, and she groaned. "Sirius?"

Grey eyes sparkled down at her. "Wake up, kitten."

Mia bolted upright in bed, gasping as she gathered her sheets around her body as though he had never seen her in a nightdress before. "Sirius, how did you get up the stairs?"

Sirius chuckled at the action, clearly thinking the same thing. She had slept in his bed once, for crying out loud. Though when they had awakened the following morning, there was an awkward tension in the air. From that point on, when Mia had nightmares, she went straight to her brother.

"You're kind of sexy when you're embarrassed."

"Sirius! The stairs! How did you get up the stairs?" she snapped. "They're charmed so boys can't climb up them."

"You're adorable when you underestimate me."

Mia glared up at him, trying her darnedest to not let him see that she was in fact impressed that he had somehow figured out how to get around such an old charm.

"Now get up; you and I have a wedding to get to."

"A wedding?" Mia groaned and fell back onto her bed, pulling her blanket over her face.

"A wedding," Sirius confirmed, yanking the blanket back down and smiling at her.

"Are you proposing? Because it's been a few years since you've done that."

"I still maintain that buying me a Cauldron Cake is worthy of my eternal love."

She remembered their first trip on the Hogwarts Express and how she showered them all with treats from the trolley. James graciously gave her the title of Best Sister Ever. Remus and Peter thanked her for her generosity. An eleven-year-old Sirius implied that chocolate gifts were a traditional form of dowry and then begged her to be his wife.

Mia yawned, pushing him away from her face. "Well, you can earn my eternal love if you let me go back to sleep."

"No. I have a wedding to go to, and you're coming with me."

"You want me to be your date to a wedding?"

Sirius laughed, stepping back and running a hand through his hair. She wondered if that was a tell. She had never been able to figure out exactly when Sirius was trying to hide something.

"If this is a date, then I am officially worthy of all the shitty rumours going around this year. No, this is certainly not a date," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her up into a sitting position. He tugged on her legs, moving them off the side of her bed as she continued to glare at him. "I just have to go to this wedding, and, well . . . I'd rather have you there than one of the guys."

Mia blushed as she remembered dancing at Bill and Fleur's wedding with an older Sirius. He had told her that he hated weddings because he had been forced to go to so many as a child.

"Most of the weddings were for cousins, aunts, and uncles of mine, all destined to marry one another, or married off to the worst type of people to ever exist. Like the Malfoys and the Lestranges."

She gasped at the memory. "Are you talking about Narcissa's wedding?"

"Yes."

She felt her heart still in her chest as she tried to blink away the images of a cold drawing room. "Sirius . . . I . . . I can't go."

"Why not? It'll be a laugh. By the way, how are your roommates still asleep? I expected to have three girls screaming at me by now. Or asking me to stay," he said with a wink.

"I put a Silencing Charm around my bed before I go to sleep," she curtly replied. "Where's the wedding at, Sirius?"

"Silencing Charm? Were you expecting me?"

"Sirius! The wedding! Location!"

He rolled his eyes dramatically. "Malfoy's place. Big manor that's as ugly and cold as—"

"I can't go," she stressed quickly, forcing the memories of a Cruciatus Curse out of her mind. The place where she had been tortured. Where her friends had been imprisoned. Where Sirius had almost died—again. "And . . . I don't want you to go there."

He frowned, his brow furrowed. "I don't want to go either, but I have to."

"Why?"

"Because Narcissa wasn't always like this," he admitted sadly, running a hand through his hair again. "She's my cousin, and I feel like . . . if it was me trapped in a situation like that, I'd really want someone to show up at the last possible second and offer me a way out."

Mia frowned at his earnest expression. "She won't take it. I'm sorry, Sirius, but she won't."

He shrugged his shoulders, undeterred. "Probably. In which case, you and I will drink the Malfoy's good firewhisky and champagne and then plant dungbombs inside the wedding cake."

"That might almost be worth it." Mia genuinely laughed. It was terrifying to think of returning to Malfoy Manor. She did not want to go, but Sirius was determined to leave, and the thought of letting him go by himself made her blood run cold.

He beamed excitedly. "It's settled then! Get up, and get out your good dress robes!"

"Wait. How are we getting there?"

Sirius pulled from his robes a silver envelope with beautiful black script written across the front of it and the Malfoy family crest in the corner. "Invitations are set up as Portkeys."

Mia eyed the envelope. "Sirius, that invitation is addressed to Regulus Black."

"Is it?" Sirius feigned innocence as he turned and examined the invitation. "Huh, I guess it is."

"I'm going to be sick," Mia said as she slowly stood up after landing outside of Malfoy Manor. She hated Portkey travel.

She scanned the grounds as they made their way up the long path leading to the intimidating home, James's Invisibility Cloak thrown over them. Glancing around, she did not know why she was shocked that it was still dark. "Why are we here so early?"

"It's the Summer Solstice."

Mia stared at him. "And?"

"And a new moon."

The two made their way inside manor, sneaking in behind a large family. The invitation tucked inside Sirius's robes granted them access through the security wards.

"And . . . ?"

"And what?" he asked, looking at her strangely until his cheeks turned a bit pink, and he winced. "Sorry. I guess I forget that your parents don't observe most pureblood traditions. Today is the Summer Solstice, and it also falls on a new moon, which calls for a wedding at sunrise. The Summer Solstice represents fire and cleansing, the new moon is a time to plant seeds for the future, and the sunrise speaks of birth . . ."

"Ugh." Mia made a face. "You have pureblood mouth."

Sirius barked out a laugh and then immediately quieted himself when a few guests turned to try and find the source of the noise. "Sorry, should I have thrown in a few 'fucks' and 'shits' to Muggle it up for you?"

Mia rolled her eyes. "You're so crude."

"You love it."

Her cheeks felt like they were suddenly on fire. She would never verbally admit to enjoying Sirius's crass language—language that had rubbed off on her when she was good and furious. Usually at his expense. "So, you're saying that they've chosen this day specifically? Is that why they pulled Narcissa out of school a few days before graduation? To get married?"

"Looks like the Malfoys and the Blacks think that this marriage will be the beginning of something big," he said sarcastically as they observed the gathered crowd. Most were older Wizarding families, Wizengamot members, Ministry officials, and the highest of pureblood society. Mia recognised Sirius's parents in the corner arguing and quickly tugged on his sleeve to pull him in the opposite direction.

"The union of the Malfoys and the Blacks is something big," Mia acknowledged. "It will create awful power. They plan on cleansing away inferior blood with fire, and using Lucius and Narcissa to birth and then lead a perfect pureblood world."

She grimaced as she remembered hearing such awful pureblood propaganda in her other time. How Lucius Malfoy had used his own family to further himself with Voldemort, and how Draco had been branded a Death Eater because of it. Mia grinned as she recalled Draco's defection.

"It won't work."

"Damn right it won't. I'm going to stop the bloody wedding."

"Sirius, that's not what I meant." Mia frowned as they ascended a large staircase. She paused as she thought about the fact that they had passed the drawing room and she had not even noticed it. How had that happened? It was the object of her nightmares, and she had just walked through it as though it were nothing.

"Here," Sirius whispered, breaking her concentration. "Stay under the cloak while I go in."

Before Mia could stop him, Sirius stepped out from under the Invisibility Cloak and slipped through an open doorway. Frowning, Mia followed, keeping the cloak tight around her as she watched.

"Cissa," Sirius said as he walked into the bridal room.

The young woman sat at a large vanity, her beautiful blond hair plaited back with soft curls framing her face. The blue ribbon tied around her elegant white dress matched her eyes perfectly. She was a vision, save for the missing smile a bride should normally be wearing.

Narcissa gasped at the sight of Sirius. "What are you doing here? You weren't even invited!" She stood and ran to the door, peeking out to make sure no one had followed him.

Mia ducked her head to avoid taking an elbow to the face.

"About that." Sirius pulled the silver envelope from his robes with a grin. "I wouldn't expect to see Regulus today. He sends his apologies, but the lad's lost his invitation."

"You have to leave," Narcissa insisted, looking to be in no mood for his games. Her voice was bitter and cold, but there was an edge of panic to it as she said, "Leave now."

Sirius shook his head. "Not without you."

"Are you out of your stupid little mind, cousin?" she snapped at him like a viper, quick and sharp. "This is my wedding day!"

"It doesn't have to be." Sirius dropped his casual attitude. "You can run. Go be like Andromeda. Find someone who actually loves you and won't treat you like a house-elf or a broodmare."

"I do not want to be like Andromeda," Narcissa said, tears trembling in her eyes.

"She's free. Free from all of this pureblood supremacy shit."

"She was tortured by her own sister!" Narcissa argued, picking the sides of her dress up in clenched fists as she began to pace back and forth in the room. "At my engagement party! And you, a fourteen-year-old boy, were the only one to try and stop it, Sirius! I am not Andromeda. I don't have the ability to walk away from this. My choice has already been made."

"Made for you."

"Yes, made for me," she agreed. "As yours will be for you. Andromeda ruined both of us by running off with that Mudblood," she spat, her eyes turning cold and distant.

"Don't call him that! You've never called them that before!"

"It's what they are." Her blue eyes narrowed at him. "They are Mudbloods, and you're a blood-traitor!"

"And the blood-traitors are right!" Sirius yelled and stepped forward, meeting her eye-to-eye. He reached for her arm to keep her from walking away from him. "Cissa, don't think I don't know what Lucius is up to. I overheard my parents talking to Abraxas last Easter. I know who they're following and what they're wanting to do."

"Don't," Narcissa begged, her stony resolve cracking.

"Cissa—"

"Please . . ."

"You're marrying a fucking Death Eater!" he yelled, and she fell to the floor, covering her face as she sobbed.

He silently stroked her hair, trying to offer her comfort in the only way he knew how. After a full minute, Narcissa finally spoke. "You're going to be one too."

Sirius jumped back from her as though she were infected. "Like hell!"

"You're too young," Narcissa said quietly as she stood, reaching for the nearby dresser for a handkerchief to wipe her eyes. "That's the only reason they haven't done it yet. Don't you see, cousin?" She turned to look at him sadly. "This is our life; obey or die."

"Like you almost did? He Imperiused you, didn't he?"

Narcissa did not deny it. She just stood there, her eyes blank of all emotion.

"Didn't he?!"

"I wasn't listening like a good wife," she conceded. "I told you; obey, or die."

"I saved you. And for what?"

"You shouldn't have," Narcissa said with a sigh. "I would have been better off as some grave memorial plaque on the back of the Quidditch stands at Hogwarts. As it is, I'm the future Lady Malfoy." Sirius blanched at the words. "And you're the Black heir. You need to forget about me, and start worrying about yourself, Sirius."

At the sound of footsteps, Mia scooted into the room, pulling the Cloak off to reveal herself. "Sirius! Someone's coming."

Narcissa's eyes widened in horror. "You brought a Potter to my wedding? Salazar! Sirius, are you not planning on surviving the year?" She shook her head and moved behind her young cousin, shoving at his back. "Get out, both of you!"

"Cissa, come with me," Sirius said with one last plea.

"Get out!"

An hour later, Sirius and Mia stood at the back of the gardens outside Malfoy Manor beside the hired servants and house-elves. Sirius had used the Invisibility Cloak to find Abraxas Malfoy's stash of firewhisky, and he had drained nearly half of a bottle already. They remained quiet and unobserved, looking oddly in place with the "commoners" who watched from the back of the gathered crowd.

At the front of the garden, Cygnus Black placed Narcissa's hand into Lucius's, and the presiding wizard tied their hands together with two cords; one black, the other silver to represent each House in the marriage. General introductions were made where the presiding wizard spoke of duty and honour but never love.

Sirius continued to drink, and Mia eventually took the bottle away from him, swallowing a large gulp herself before passing it off to a server beside her.

"Narcissa of the House of Black," the presiding wizard intoned. "Turn to your new Lord Husband and make your vow."

"I, Narcissa of the House of Black, give to you, Lucius of the House of Malfoy, my virtue and m-my voice. My body and my obedience."

Sirius winced at the words, and Mia took his hand in a gesture of comfort.

"To take your name as my own and uphold it with honour and purity. I pledge to you my firstborn son, your heir who will carry on your legacy and the legacy of your fathers. I . . ." Narcissa hesitated for a moment, and Sirius stood at attention, watching eagerly.

"I willingly bind myself to you until death separates us and swear this vow upon my magic. Suscipiam illud vinculum," she chanted, and the black cord around her wrist glowed before turning silver to match the other.

Sirius deflated, and Mia held his hand tighter. She waited for Lucius to make his vows to his new wife, but when none came, her brows knit together in confusion, especially when the presiding wizard said, "I now declare you bonded for life!"

There was polite applause, and the guests all stood at once to form a line and make their congratulations. Servants surrounding Sirius and Mia went to work, carrying around silver platters stacked with flutes of champagne and small tumblers of firewhisky.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Mia muttered, shocked by what she'd just witnessed. "He didn't vow anything to her. He's supposed to say something."

"Let's go, Mia. Suddenly, crashing the party doesn't seem so fun after watching my cousin willingly enslave herself." Sirius tugged on her hand to leave, but she stood firm as though she were still waiting for the ceremony to continue. For someone to shout "Stop! We forgot something!" but no one did.

"I've seen a wizard marriage before." She thought of Bill and Fleur, who had been bonded with love and devotion, each making beautiful vows toward the other. "That wasn't—"

"Normal?" Sirius asked. "No. That was an old bonding ceremony. Narcissa just tied her magic to Malfoy for life, and it wasn't even a proper Marriage Bond. It sounded more like what . . ." He hesitated, and a bitter expression fell over his beautiful features. "Like what happens when we get a new house-elf."

Mia grimaced. "There are different types of bonds?"

"What?" Sirius looked down at her with a raised brow. "Of course there—"

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

Mia froze on the spot, her eyes wide and frightened at the sight in front of her. She gripped Sirius's hand like it was her lifeline and silently began wishing that she was back in 1998, the day after her nineteenth birthday, where she and Sirius were safe and alive.

Sirius glared ahead at the young woman that stood before them. "Bella."

The woman looked much the same as Mia recalled, though younger. Her black hair was as thick and shiny—just missing the streaks of grey. She shared the sharp, angular features that appeared to be a Black family trait, and her hooded eyes were identical to what Mia remembered of an older Andromeda.

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "I'd say it's good to see you, but since your very appearance makes me want to Scourgify my eyeballs—"

"You are pushing your luck, little cousin." Bellatrix sneered at him. "You dare come here, step foot inside this house after everything you've already done?"

Mia wrapped her arms around Sirius's bicep, clinging to him tightly as the word "Crucio" echoed in her mind.

"And you've brought a Potter as your date?" Bella's stare fell on Mia, and she scowled at her with a look of hate that did not exactly rival the one an older Bellatrix gave to a young Hermione Granger before setting the Cruciatus Curse upon her.

"It's tradition, didn't you know?" Sirius smirked defiantly, apparently unafraid of the woman whom he had witnessed torture her own sister. "The official bridal-bonding with blood-traitors. It'll bring the happy couple wonderful luck for their marriage. Lots of blessings, many sons, blah, blah, blah . . ."

Bellatrix took another step forward. "You are nothing but an insolent little blemish on an otherwise perfect Noble House."

Mia looked up at Sirius's determined face and then turned to stare at Bellatrix. She remembered seeing an older Bellatrix with a bound black dog hovering behind her, cackling with glee.

"I've just caught myself a wayward blood-traitor. Sirius Black, back from the dead."

Something lit inside of Mia at the memory, and she felt herself reaching for her wand.

"I'd love more than anything to rid our family of you for good myself!" Bella snapped.

Mia shoved herself in front of Sirius, eyes blazing. "You will not touch him!" she growled, wand raised in time to meet Bellatrix's own.

Sirius gasped and reached for her hand. "Mia."

"Oh, she's got fire." Bellatrix grinned down at her. "I should smack that look off your face."

Mia glared up at the older witch. "I've had worse."

"You're lucky it's considered bad taste to spill blood on the morning of a marriage. Especially one so important." Bellatrix leant in close to Mia and whispered, "Maybe another day, little girl. I look forward to it. Dealing with you, my little cousin here, and all of your adorable blood-traitor friends. It's rumoured you even have a pet werewol—"

Too far.

"You will not touch my family, you bitch!"

Sirius put his arms around Mia's waist and tugged her back several feet, shoving himself between her and Bellatrix, his eyes wide.

"You dare speak to me that way? Do you have any idea who I am?" Bellatrix shrieked, her hands shaking with rage, and her eyes alight with fury. "You filthy little blood-traitor, I will enjoy watching you die screaming!"

She had screamed. Mia had screamed and screamed right there in Malfoy Manor, and yet she did not die. She vividly remembered the sight of the black dog launching on top of the dark witch, jaws clamped around her throat, ripping and tearing as she struggled for air.

Mia stood, unafraid as Bellatrix Lestrange looked down threateningly at her.

"And I will enjoy watching you die . . . gasping."

Before Bellatrix had a chance to raise her wand again, Mia tapped the bracelet on her wrist, the same wrist Sirius was gripping, and chanted, "Portus!"

Chapter Text

Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
(Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield)

June 20th, 1974

Sirius and Mia arrived in Hogsmeade Village under the vista of a beautiful sunrise that pushed its way over a lavish Scotland horizon. From the spot where they landed, Hogwarts could easily be seen in the near distance.

"Come on," Mia muttered as she began making her way up toward the castle.

"Mia!" Sirius shouted after her, reaching for her hand. "First, you can't just go back up this way and knock on the front door. We sneaked out; we have to sneak back in." He sighed irritably and tugged on her wrist, leading her through a copse of trees on a path that led to an old, abandoned cottage.

"What is this?" she asked as he led her through the front door.

"Old hunting lodge. Used to belong to the groundskeeper before they built the new one for Hagrid. We found it this year. It's dangerous to walk through. Pretty much condemned, but it's the cellar that we're after," he said and pulled lightly on her wrist, guiding her down a set of stairs that opened up into a small cellar. In the back was a locked door.

"Alohomora," Sirius muttered, and the latch opened. "It leads into Hogwarts. Now, are you going to tell me what happened back there? How the hell do you know how to do a Portus Charm? That's beyond even N.E.W.T. level."

"Do you trust me?" Mia asked, sighing when Sirius nodded. "Then know that I can't answer your questions all the time, but I have my reasons."

They walked through the dark passage, her lit wand the only light to guide them. The pair continued until it felt like they were climbing, up and up, over rocks and dips in the ground, as the cave-like tunnel ascended higher.

"I do trust you, Mia, but I'm seriously doubting your level of sanity, considering what I just saw," Sirius muttered quietly and the two fell silent once again.

He held his hand out to her automatically when a portion of the passageway was partially blocked by old barrel drums with Blishen's Firewhisky labels branded into the wood—obviously, someone had once used the inlet as a secret storage facility what looked to have been at least thirty years ago.

"You do know who you threatened, right?" Sirius eventually asked her.

Mia nodded calmly, ducking beneath an exquisite spider web so as not to damage it. "Bellatrix Lestrange. And I didn't threaten, I promised. She threatened you, my family, and Remus. That I will not allow. Wait, this is . . ." She blinked and looked around as the secret passage finally came to an end.

"Just another passage. We've found loads so far. Door right there opens up to a mirror on the fourth floor. Look, you can't just go around threatening Bellatrix Lestrange. Merlin, I thought . . . She had her wand, and the last time . . . She could have killed you!"

"She didn't. We escaped," Mia whispered, placing a gentle hand on his cheek.

It broke her a little to see him so worried, so angry over something she had done. She put herself in harm's way in the worst possible situation, but she could not help herself. She had faced Bellatrix Lestrange, the object of her worst nightmares, and instead of being afraid of getting tortured again, Mia had only thought of Sirius. Of Bellatrix sending Sirius through the veil. Of their capture at the manor.

It was all for him.

She noticed that his breath was heavy. He was in good shape and still young, so the climb had not likely exhausted him, which meant that his adrenaline was still pumping out of fear. It only made her angrier at Bellatrix.

"I'm all right," she promised him, stroking his jaw with her thumb, always amused that he already had stubble. Remus did too, but James and Peter complained about their lack of facial hair, and she had even caught James using a Shaving Charm back at home in an effort to trick the hair into growing faster.

"I'm sorry I put myself in danger, but we're both fine." She hugged him tightly, pressing her face into the fabric of his robes. "We're fine. I'm fine. I'm alive."

"You're alive," Sirius repeated in a soft whisper, pulling her away from his body and to stare in her eyes. "Mia, you have no idea how . . ." he began to say but stopped. How scared I was, he silently finished. How scared I was to lose you.

Without a second thought to remind him of the fact that this was James's sister or that Remus would probably kill him for being so reckless with her, Sirius crushed his lips against Mia's, desperate to feel her, to taste her.

He had assumed she would be frozen in shock by such a physical declaration, but he was pleasantly surprised when he felt her hands at the back of his neck, holding him close to her. She whimpered against his mouth, and Sirius groaned at the sound, savouring it with delight and vowing to create it again.

He eagerly gripped her arms, holding her tightly, terrified that she would escape and this moment would end—because it would have to eventually end. He let his hands move down as he kissed her so that he could rub circles over her ribs until she whimpered again. He gently traced the seam of her lips with his tongue, silently requesting entrance. When she opened her mouth, he gratefully took the opportunity to explore. When her own tongue touched his, Sirius felt his body stiffen as a realisation—a truth—swept through him:

She tasted how firewhisky felt.

She was warm and delicious, and a burning sensation rose from deep inside of him. Suddenly, he was terrified. He had not felt this way with Marlene McKinnon months ago in Hogsmeade. No, his first snogging session had been wet and awkward, all hands and mouths. He had easily walked away from Marlene after snogging her and, other than the feeling of pride in his chest and the desire to brag to his friends, nothing lingered.

But this . . .

This burned him.

It scorched him from the inside out and lit a fire in his lungs that sucked all the oxygen out of them. His adrenaline-fueled passion turned swiftly to reverence, and his bruising kiss softened as his hand came up to thread through her messy curls.

He was certain she would hate him once he pulled away, so he needed to tell her how he felt right now, knowing that he would be unable to do so later with words. He worshipped every moan and whimper that she sighed into his mouth; for a singular moment, he imagined that the sounds could sustain him forever. They could heal him and make him no longer Sirius Black—no pureblood supremacy, no expectations, no hatred, or bigotry. No choices to make or future to face and certainly no dragging her down with him.

He was pulled from his despairing thoughts when she nibbled on his lower lip, and his eyes rolled as he felt every ounce of blood in his head rapidly drift south with the gushing force of a waterfall.

"Mia," he whispered, moving his hands to her hips and pulling her tight against him. She felt perfect. She felt like . . . like . . . Mine.

Mine, Mia thought and tried not to cry.

Her hands touched his chest, and her eyes opened. In the shimmer of her still-lit wand that had fallen to the ground, her eyes needily sought out inked flesh and scars but only found pale, flawless skin.

Her first kiss with an older Sirius had been passionate, desperate, and deliciously punishing. This younger Sirius lavished her with gentle hands and soft, eager lips. A part of her wondered if they were, in fact, two very different men, but he tasted like firewhisky and smelled like fresh cut grass and leather.

She kissed him desperately, trying to find her Sirius inside of him. She ran her fingers up the length of his neck and moaned when his hands graced her hips and held tight. She wanted to tell him. Tell him everything—the truth that she had been hiding for years, but she knew she could not.

He touched her so gently that it drove her mad, and she wanted nothing more than to crawl into his lap as she had years ago—or technically, as she would twenty-five years from now. The taste of him brought her back to her own timeline, and she fought back the tears that were surely on their way as he unknowingly plucked at the string of their bond; it vibrated through her, sending shivers up her spine.

He must have felt it too. He broke the kiss with a loud gasp the very moment that she felt the emptiness in her soul shiver with satisfaction.

"Mia, I'm so sorry."

She knew that look. A very specific type of panic.

She had seen it only once before in her life, shortly after the end of the war when Sirius all but tricked her into befriending Draco Malfoy, who was having trouble adjusting to his new blood-traitor status. The two had gone to lunch, and the little ferret insinuated that she was getting fat. In the silence that followed a typical spat between them, Hermione had looked up and offered him forgiveness. He blew it off immediately, likely having assumed she meant his most recent remark. She clarified by telling him that she forgave him for the way he had treated her their entire childhood; that after the war, she understood at least a small part of what he might have had to grow up with. And she forgave him.

Draco had gaped at her the same way that Sirius looked at her now—like he had been reminded of where he came from and what was expected of him. Like the history of his family just came crashing down around him, and he was unworthy of the gift she was offering. Why would a Malfoy be deserving of her forgiveness? Why would a Black be deserving of her love? Draco had walked away that day and ignored her for a week. They had never talked about it again.

Sirius would walk away now, too, she realised.

"I won't tell Jamie," she said sadly, accepting that for some reason Sirius needed to run and maybe James would be as good a reason as any. Sirius was not ready to face this, whatever it was between them. He would be one day. The day after her nineteenth birthday, he would be ready, and she would be willing. "You don't have to apologise. You know how I feel. I'm going to live my life, enjoy my life. I'd like to do that with you."

Sirius stood there, staring at her like he wanted to look away. As though he was struck by the light and beauty of the sun, but it was burning his eyes to keep staring.

"I'm not worthy of that," he muttered. Before she had a chance to follow up with an irritated scoff and a reproachful lecture, he cut her off. "Not of you. Not now. Hell, Mia. You defended me not an hour ago against the craziest witch I've ever known, my mother included. And I just stood by like a first year Hufflepuff."

"Sirius—"

"You deserve better," Sirius said quietly as he walked away from her. Hovering by the door, he softly added, "Remus is in love with you."

July 16th, 1974

Mia and Sirius did not speak again about what had happened in the secret passage.

They also did not speak about the fact that the passage was no longer a passage. After Sirius left her there alone post-kiss, she shot out an angry "Bombarda!" and the walls collapsed. Sirius had already been long gone when it happened, but she was certain that he knew she had done it since she overheard Peter asking about the broken passageway days later only to watch as Sirius hushed him and cast a sideways glance in her direction.

Everything else seemed to go back to normal after that.

Sirius returned to Potter Manor a week after going home to Grimmauld Place. Mia had asked him how things went with his parents when they found out he had stolen Regulus's wedding invitation. As usual, he responded with an, "I don't want to talk about it," but she caught the glimmer of something on the back of his hand where the words Toujours Pur sat on his skin: a scar. She wanted to press for information but knew better. Sirius rarely opened up about his family, and he certainly was not going to let himself become vulnerable like that with her—not after their kiss.

That kiss had rivalled her first.

Very much the same yet perfectly distinct from one another. She frowned at the thought that she might not feel his lips again for many years, if ever. Mia was ultimately terrified that if the timelines ever caught up with one another, she would vanish into thin air—into non-existence. She worried that since Future Remus remembered her enough to send her back in time, that it meant she had perhaps died somewhere along the way. She had never recalled meeting an older woman in the Order, and Harry certainly never mentioned having an aunt other than Petunia Dursley.

It had taken her days to push that unbearable thought from her mind, knowing that if she died here in the past, Remus would not have sent her back to face it.

Remus.

"Remus is in love with you."

That was what Sirius had said to her in the dark passage. He apologised, said she deserved better, and then stepped aside and showed her whom he thought was just that: better. To him, better was Remus; and Remus, apparently, was in love with her.

Being around the boys was painful and confusing, so for most of the summer, she retreated to the family library, eager to research bonds in the hopes of getting answers about her and Sirius. She needed to know what she had created when she brought him back from the veil. She needed to know exactly what it was that tied them together, especially after witnessing that abhorrent excuse for a wedding ceremony at Malfoy Manor. The last thing she wanted was for Sirius to be tied to her like a house-elf.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say that you're hiding in here, my girl." Dorea stood at the entrance to the large library, a sly smile on her face and a cup in each hand. "Come and take a break," she insisted as she brought the cups to a nearby table and sat down on the small sofa. "Now, tell me what's bothering you."

Mia sighed, closing her book. "Nothing."

"A true Gryffindor then? Incapable of lying?" Dorea tutted. "No, no, I think not. Try again."

"Does it matter?" Mia asked sadly.

"If it matters to you, it matters to me." Dorea smiled and sipped her tea quietly, crossing her legs at the ankles. Unconsciously, Mia mimicked her. "You've been in this library since the moment you returned from school, despite the fact that your letters spoke of nothing but the orchards and the gardens and, yes, the library. You wouldn't be my Mia without a book in your hands, but this level of self-sequestering is unhealthy."

"I'm researching."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance?" Dorea offered. "It is my library after all."

Mia hesitated briefly, automatically throwing up her Occlumency shields despite the fact that her mother had never once mentioned anything about potentially having skills in Legilimency.

"I'm researching . . . bonds."

She waited, watching her mother, fully expecting her to be astonished or concerned. As it was, Dorea did not so much as lift an eyebrow, but she did smile teasingly as she reached for her cup of tea to again take a sip, letting the moment linger in the air before returning the cup to its saucer on the table.

After another much too long moment of silence, Dorea calmly asked, "Is this about Sirius or Remus?"

Mia's eyes widened, and she felt her cheeks warm over. "What?"

"I said," Dorea spoke clearly, enunciating every word, "is this about your bond with Sirius or your feelings for Remus?"

"How did you . . . ? I never . . ."

"Tilly," Dorea said.

At the call of her name, the little house-elf popped into the library with a bright smile on her face. "Does Mistress and young Miss need more tea?" she asked, staring at the cups curiously.

Before either witch could answer, she snapped her fingers and a teapot appeared in her small hands, and she began to refill the cups.

"Tilly, my daughter was just asking me how I knew about her bond with the young Master Black and her affections for the young Master Lupin. Do join us for conversations, dear," Dorea said to the elf. "Your opinions are quite strong on both matters, after all."

Tilly silently consented and took a seat across from Mia, a stern look on her face. "Young Miss made a bond. Tilly sees it with her own eyes, yes, Tilly does. Young Miss used Blood Magic. Bound herself to the House of Black," Tilly said clearly and then quietly added, "Young Miss should have been bound to her own House."

"The Young Miss is already bound to House of Potter, Tilly," Dorea kindly scolded the elf, gesturing to Mia's bracelet. "She wears our words upon her wrist."

Mia consciously covered the bracelet with her other hand, her heart race accelerating at an alarming rate. "And Remus? How did you know about Remus?"

The little house-elf smirked, looking at Mia with an incredulous expression that made her feel just a bit stupid. "Tilly has eyes."

"Thank you, Tilly," Dorea said, looking far too amused for the topic at hand. "As always, I appreciate your discretion when it comes to the Masters of this House."

"Tilly does as Tilly does." The house-elf chuckled softly and then vanished with a pop!

"Now, may I ask my daughter a few questions in regards to this bond that she has apparently made with Blood Magic?" Dorea asked carefully. Her words almost sounded like a threat or blackmail, but she showed no malice in her face or demeanour.

"I-I didn't . . . I can't tell you," Mia said, shaking and on the verge of tears.

Dorea reached for one of Mia's trembling hands and surrounded it with her own. "Calm down, sweet girl. I did not slip Veritaserum into your tea. Though I'm not above such things," she said with a wry grin. "I understand that you cannot tell me certain things as they pertain to the future; is that why you refuse to speak?"

Mia felt her stomach drop. "The future?"

"Yes, dear. Where you're from."

"How did . . . ? I don't . . ."

How had she messed up? Had she been talking in her sleep more than normal? Did Dorea use Legilimency on her without knowing it? Did Dumbledore break his promise to her? Had Madam Pomfrey been compromised?

"'Every action we take is the causation of destiny, time travel won't change anything,'" Dorea said, quoting Remus's letter. "I went through your belongings the first night you arrived here."

When Mia's mouth fell open accusingly, Dorea pointed at herself and said, "Slytherin."

"You've known this whole time? You read my letter?" Mia tried to catch her breath. "How have you not mentioned it until now? It's been years."

"Because it wasn't useful to bring it up until now," Dorea explained, and Mia stared at her mother, never before seeing her more Slytherin than this moment. "I have no care to learn the future. As ambitious as Slytherins usually are, my ambitions were always specific. I wanted Charlus as a husband, and I wanted out of my hideous family. Both achieved. According to your letter and my own research—" She grinned when Mia sat up a little straighter. "—Yes, I have been researching. Time cannot be altered regardless of your presence. According to your letter, you were sent back for personal reasons, not to change the world or stop this heinous war that appears to be all too quickly upon us."

"What if I could stop it?" Mia choked on the words as they slipped past her lips. "What if I could end it? Change it?"

"Is the time you're from a good place?" Dorea asked.

"Yes," Mia admitted sadly, "but only after so much suffering."

"And if you changed something now, who is to say that there would not be more suffering?" Dorea stood and moved to sit directly beside Mia, taking both of her hands within her own and sighing as Mia began to cry.

"You don't understand . . . people are going to die."

Dorea inclined her head. "People tend to do that. Mia, sweetheart, we are all given a number of years to live our lives. The content, not the length of those years, is what matters. You cannot cheat Death. If you were to change something now, save one life, Death would only take another."

Mia looked away, ashamed as she asked, "What if I didn't care who was taken instead?"

"You've lost so much, my girl, and we promised to never pry into your past." Dorea pulled Mia into her arms, stroking a hand down her curly hair. "But your loved ones mean just as much to you as anyone else does to their loved ones. A life is a life, and you are not capable of being so selfish to risk one for another when you already know the outcome."

Mia continued to cry, heartbroken. She did not want to hear these words, not from Dorea. She wanted someone to give her permission to fix the future, to save them all. The tears eventually stopped flowing, and she looked up at her mother and threw caution to the wind. Damn the consequences.

"What if it was Jamie?"

Dorea looked very briefly caught off guard, but her expression was shielded away almost instantly. She drew in a slow and calculated breath before firmly insisting, "My answer remains the same. I have faith that however long your brother's life is, it will be filled with meaning and love."

"How can you know that?" Mia broke down again, wishing, pleading for Dorea to change her mind and let her confess everything. The burden was too much.

"Because you wear our words," Dorea whispered, touching the golden bracelet on Mia's wrist. "James is currently the last of the Potters. Which means that in the future, he is either alive to give you this bracelet himself, or he has had children or grandchildren and they have placed this in your care. Therefore the Potter name continues, and James lived with meaning and love in his life."

Mia did not respond with words but nodded rapidly.

Dorea cleared her throat. "Now, enough with this sadness. I plan on helping with what I can in the here and now. Tell me about this bond. Are you married to Sirius in the future? Are you a Black?" she asked with a grin. "Don't mind my smugness, but the idea of a son of Walburga taking to wife a Muggle-born is immensely pleasing to me. I'm tempted to break out the good champagne."

"No," Mia admitted with a soft chuckle. "At least, I don't think so. He . . . I . . ." She struggled to find words. "I saved his life. He died. I . . . called him back."

Dorea's eyes widened in what appeared to be genuine shock for the first time since the conversation began. "A life debt ritual? Sweet Salazar . . . Do they teach Blood Magic that powerful to children in the future?"

"No, well I, I . . ." Mia cleared her throat. "I stole restricted books from Dumbledore and found the spell." Dorea laughed, and Mia gaped at her. "What's funny about that?"

"My sweet little Mia, who follows rules to the point where she refuses to divulge secrets about the future, stole restricted books on Blood Magic from Albus Dumbledore. I can't think of anything funnier than that."

"So what does this mean?" Mia asked after joining in on the laughter, wiping tears of amusement—no longer sorrow—from her eyes. "Before I left, Sirius said he knew what was happening with this bond that was created. And the Black house-elf recognised me as its Mistress even though Sirius and I are not married. I thought the bond was gone when I came back here, but he . . . Sirius . . . Sirius kissed me last month, and I felt it again. Like a strong vibration, deep inside." She touched her sternum, watching as Dorea's lips pursed in thought.

"That sounds to me like an unsealed bond," Dorea said and then sat back, tapping her finger against her chin. "There are several different types of bonds and they exist in the world whether created or not. Only when prepared or provoked are they visible to the eyes of creatures like house-elves. They have their own bonds that they are born into. That's why they can see them so well. It sounds like you added Blood Magic, which strengthened a bond between yourself and Sirius that already existed. Otherwise, the Blood Magic was what provoked an already prepared bond."

Mia stared. "I didn't create it?"

"No one creates bonds, we merely accept and define or decline them altogether."

"What do you mean define?"

Dorea stood and walked to a nearby glass case where several vases sat. She waved her wand in front of the middle shelf; the glass became wood and the vases vanished altogether. Another flick of the wand and a small door opened in the centre much like a safe would. Inside were several old books. Mia could not read all the titles, but she recognised Nature's Nobility, a book by Godelot—the same person who wrote Magick Moste Evile—and a book she was certain had something to do with Sex Magic. Relieved that her mother did not pick up that particular text, Mia focused on the book that Dorea did grab before closing the wooden safe and transfiguring it back into a glass case.

"There are four general types of bonds that exist," Dorea said, flipping through pages until she landed on the one she was looking for. "The first and most abundant is the Familial Bond. It exists between parent and child, brother and sister, and even extends through friendship. Most of those bonds are born finished and need no ritual to seal them. However, because they are not sealed, they are easily broken, as the Black family often does by blasting us off the family tree. You've been bonded to House Potter by your acceptance of this bracelet," she went on, pointing to the item of jewellery. "Because no ritual was formed, it was as though you were born into the family."

Mia smiled softly as Dorea handed her the book on Bonds. "So I really am a Potter?"

"If a Potter allowed this bracelet to be given to you with Familial intent, then you are in fact a Potter. Bonds begin with preparation triggered by emotions. You were emotionally connected to the Potters in the future, yes?" Dorea asked, smiling when Mia nodded.

"The second step to a bond is provocation triggered by actions. Someone had to actually give you this bracelet. Finally, bonds are sealed through intention. When Charlus and I sent in your records to the Ministry, you were officially ours. Officially a Potter, thus sealing the Familial Bond. Not that a bond would matter. You have been a Potter since you stepped foot into this home, merely because I willed it to be," Dorea said with an air of arrogance.

"What other bonds are there?"

"The Bond of Servitude." Mia felt her face pinch up in a self-righteous scowl, and Dorea sighed knowingly. "Yes, I mean house-elves, and no, Tilly was not forced into one. To this House at least. Those bonds are a one-way vow. Unfortunately, some older marriages use them similarly."

"Sirius and I attended Narcissa's wedding." Mia flinched, forgetting that she was not supposed to tell anyone that. "Well, I mean . . . we sneaked in."

"He took my daughter to a Black-Malfoy wedding." Dorea chuckled, more amused than anything else. "That boy has moxie. I bet Walburga was beside herself."

"She never saw us. We only spoke with Narcissa." Mia almost told her that they had seen Bellatrix as well, but she was not in the mood to deal with the possible outcome of that bit of information let loose. "Her vows were one-sided, and they were all about obedience and loyalty."

"That sounds like a typical pureblood wedding. At least among those who practice the old traditions." Dorea sighed as she sat back down, shaking her head. "Embarrassing, but it brings up the next bond which is Marital. Marital Bonds are sealed during a wedding ceremony, prepared by the interest of love or desire, and provoked either by a proper engagement or . . ." She cleared her throat. "Intimate matters."

"You mean a Marital Bond can be provoked," Mia clarified, eyes wide in shock. "Just when two people . . . are intimate?"

"Yes and no. When two people become involved romantically, the bond that already exists is manifested into defining itself, preparing itself for eventual sealing. If the pair does not eventually marry, the bond remains unsealed and essentially void." Dorea shrugged her shoulders as if it were nothing of consequence. "It is the marriage ritual that seals the bond."

"What's the difference between a sealed bond and an unsealed bond?" Mia asked.

"Sealed Marital Bonds can only be broken with death. There is no divorce in the Wizarding world, and bonds are the reason why. If a man was bonded in marriage to his wife and then left her for another, the new marriage would be rejected by his magic and by society. Sealed bonds of any kind amplify our magic. It's the reason witches and wizards generally live much longer than Muggles and why, when we're injured, we can tap into our magic and our bonds to heal ourselves."

"I never knew any of this," Mia said, enthralled and annoyed at the same time. "You would think that at least some of it would be beneficial to teach at Hogwarts, especially to Muggle-borns who don't have parents to pass down the information. How many Muggle-borns might have rushed into a magical marriage only to find no way out of it?" When the thought occurred to her, she swallowed nervously. "Do you think that Sirius and I have a provoked, but unsealed, Marital Bond?"

Dorea seemed to hesitate, which actually made Mia panic a little.

"No," she finally admitted. "I believe you have something very rare: a Soul Bond."

Mia felt something flutter inside of her chest as she nervously asked, "What's a Soul Bond?"

"It's a bond that extends beyond Familial and Marital," Dorea said softly, almost reverently. "It connects two magics together in a powerful way that can weave into the fabric of time itself."

"But that just sounds like what the life debt ritual can do. The book I read said that people used to use life debt rituals to bind others to them in marriage or servitude. How is a Soul Bond different?"

Taking Mia's hand, Dorea smiled sweetly, squeezing her fingers. "I believe that your life debt ritual added magic to your bond, strengthening it. If you knew Sirius in the future, then it stands to reason that he remembered you from his own past. Those memories and emotions from him would have prepared the bond, or perhaps your emotions for him here in this time began the preparation, I can't be sure." Dorea frowned in consternation. "Time travel is quite bothersome."

"Agreed," Mia said stiffly.

Ignoring her comment, Dorea continued. "Because the Soul Bond and life debt both extend beyond time, there's really no way to tell what the original catalyst was. However, the difference between the two is the fact that a Soul Bond cannot become a Bond of Servitude. A Soul Bond acts much like . . . werewolves," she said, smiling when Mia stiffened at the word. "Werewolves have mates. Sometimes they find them, often they do not. It's very rare if I understand. However, when a werewolf is properly mated, nothing comes before their mate. Protection and happiness are key. The same is true with a Soul Bond. Marital Bonds can still exist through abuse; Soul Bonds cannot."

Mia tried digesting so much information. "And you think Sirius and I . . ."

"Yes. It would explain how your bond exists in both timelines, and your behaviour with one another."

Mia feigned innocence. "What do you mean?"

"I mean James writes home just as often as you do. And I am not as blind as your brother and your father. While I haven't wanted to bring it up, because I imagine it involves your past and I made a promise," Dorea said with a sigh. "I know about your nightmares."

Mia frowned and looked away, embarrassed.

"I also know that when they happen, James takes care of you, but also, that Sirius does. I believe that is the bond calling him to you."

"So it's not his choice." Mia frowned, feeling sick inside. Whether she was the one to provoke it or prepare it or whatever, it all came down to the fact that Sirius was not in control of his behaviour. It meant nothing. "It really is magic. He protects me because of the bond, he kissed me because of the bond."

She looked away, suddenly angry at herself for allowing that glimmer of hope to creep in. She remembered being so worried in the future when older Sirius had kissed her and then did not speak about it for months. They were supposed to talk the day after her nineteenth birthday. Was that when he would have admitted that he had not meant to do any of it? That he had been forced into it all by magic? Had he wanted to wait because he knew he would need to let her down gently?

"Stop that!" Dorea said, her tone scolding as she pointed at Mia's head. "I can see the wheels turning. No, the bonds force nothing, they merely suggest. A bond, however, prevents harm. Sirius would never be able to harm you. Nor you him."

Mia scoffed. "I hit him all the time."

Dorea chuckled, grey eyes rolling in amusement. "I mean true harm. Nor would either of you willingly let harm come to the other. It's all about intent."

Mia nodded as she remembered how Sirius had so openly protected her while she healed from being splinched, and how he came to her rescue when she was being tortured by Bellatrix. Likewise, it was Bellatrix's threats against Sirius's life that had forced Mia's hand in threatening the witch. She began wondering how long the bond had been affecting them both. Was it the bond that made her want to bring him back from the veil? Was it the reason she followed Harry into the Department of Mysteries when he thought that Sirius had been captured? Was it the bond that had originally called out to her in desperation to save Sirius's life from dementors all those many years ago?

"For a Soul Bond to be fully sealed or on its way to being sealed with a ritual, both parties need to be all knowing of the situation and the bond, willing to openly accept the bond, and loving of their bond mate."

"That makes sense," Mia agreed. "That's why the bond feels different here. In the future, Sirius told me he knew about the bond, but here he doesn't, so it's different. Does that mean we're destined, though? It gives us choice, but . . ."

"But what if you wanted to choose another?" Dorea asked with a smirk. "Perhaps a young Mr Lupin?"

Mia shook her head, feeling her face burn hot with awkwardness. "No. I know Remus isn't meant for me," she insisted, the image of Tonks and baby Teddy entering her mind. "It's just . . . I feel trapped. Sirius kissed me and left me and told me I should basically go to Remus instead."

"Then why don't you?" Dorea asked plainly. "Your Soul Bond is not sealed, Sirius has not proposed marriage, and meant to be or not, you are young. Mia, I grew up knowing that in the future my parents would choose my husband for me. I would be bound to him in servitude and marriage, and I would be miserable all my life. But I chose to go against what I assumed was fate. I made my own, and I found love and happiness."

"Doesn't the Soul Bond existing mean that Sirius would be my happiness?" Mia asked sadly as tears began to form again.

"Not without both of you being knowing, willing, and loving at the same time." Dorea wiped the tears from Mia's cheeks. "In the meantime, I encourage you to follow your letter. Live your life."

"Enjoy my life." Mia nodded solemnly until something occurred to her and she jolted, looking up at her mother in shock. "Wait. Did you basically just give your teenage daughter permission to rebel?"

Dorea took in a deep breath. "Charlus is a sweet and naive Gryffindor, but I am not so trusting, even of my children. But since we're on the subject—diverted from the original topic of conversation as we may be—do you know how to perform the proper Contraceptive Spells?"

Mia bobbed her head anxiously and began stammering out, "Umm, yes. From . . . before. Not that I . . . cause I never . . . I have never . . . But I knew, because . . . just in case."

"Good." Dorea exhaled gratefully. "That only leaves one last important thing."

"What's that?"

"Do not tell your father or brother a word of what we've spoken about today."

Chapter Text

We're both looking for something
We've been afraid to find
It's easier to be broken
It's easier to hide
(First Time - Lifehouse)

September 2nd, 1974

Since the full moon fell on the first of September, Remus was not aboard the Hogwarts Express. Instead, he had been Side-Alonged to school a day early so he could be taken to the Shrieking Shack without bringing attention to himself.

Mia was taking her mother's advice to heart and decided to try and enjoy her life in the moment—with Remus.

After the Sorting of new students and the start-of-term feast were over, she retired to the hospital wing to wait for Remus, something she had not done for a few years. Madam Pomfrey initially insisted on sending her back to Gryffindor Tower, but Mia had taken a page out of her Slytherin mother's book and feigned sickness in order to stay the night.

When Remus was brought in the following morning, she was glad to see that his wounds were not as bad as she remembered. She watched from her own bed as Madam Pomfrey healed his back and the few scratches he had inflicted on himself, including a new one across his chest. Had he not been wounded, Mia would have blushed at the sight. Remus used to be very skinny, bordering on underweight, but playing Quidditch with James and Sirius over the summer—not to mention the physical stress of his monthly transformations—had put a little bulk on him.

When Madam Pomfrey stepped out of the room to let Remus sleep, Mia slipped behind the curtain, sliding onto the chair beside his bed, and quickly took hold of his hand.

Remus yawned, slowly opening his eyes and turning his head to the side to look at her. "Morning."

She smiled sweetly at him. "Morning."

"How was the train? Sorry I couldn't make it—previous engagement," he joked, and Mia could not help but chuckle quietly. His nonchalance at her presence warmed her inside, making her have the slightest bit of hope that he would not reject her presence there in the future. She only wanted to help. She only wanted to be with him.

"It was a bit of a pain without you there," she admitted, still holding his hand, marvelling at how much bigger it was than hers now that they were older. "Jamie asked Lily to sit with us since we had an extra seat, and she hexed him with a Hair-Thickening Charm." Remus cringed at the tale, and she smiled. "I know. If anyone doesn't need a Hair-Thickening Charm, it's Jamie."

Remus reached his free hand up and tugged on one of her curls. "I think all Potters should avoid that particular hex," he said with a playful smile.

She smirked, narrowing her eyes. "Funny. Sirius left the compartment an hour into the trip to go snog some brunette Ravenclaw." Noticing that Remus's stare went cold at the words, she pointed at his face. "What's that about? Why the angry eyes?"

"Sirius shouldn't do that in front of you," Remus said with a growl.

She brushed it off as genuinely as she could. While she was being as sensible as possible when it came to Sirius, she had a particular distaste for many of the girls he chose to associate with, which only made her question traits about herself that might be similar. She hoped that he did not have a type. What was more, she hoped that if he did, that she was an anomaly.

"I'm fine. He made his choice, and I'm not going to sit around like some lovesick puppy over Sirius Black, of all people," she admitted confidently. "He told me I deserve better."

"You do," Remus insisted. "You never did tell me exactly what happened between you and Sirius."

"Does it matter? I just want to move on." When Remus did not reply but continued to stare at her, she sighed. "We kissed, and he went mental." She shrugged her shoulders, leaving out the part in the story where Sirius told Mia that Remus was in love with her. "It's for the best."

She watched Remus as he swallowed, running the pad of his thumb in small circles over her knuckles. When he inhaled slowly, she watched his reaction closely. His throat bobbed, and his eyes closed. Had she not known him better, she might have assumed him to be in pain. But this was not Remus in pain; this was Remus trying to focus. Her heart thudded a little as she wondered about the thoughts possibly moving through his mind.

"So," he eventually said, his eyes opening once more and pinning her to her seat. "Where was Peter while Sirius was off confirming poorly constructed rumours and James was being hexed?"

Mia frowned, and the thudding of her heart changed into an irritated staccato.

Remus's brows knit together in obvious concern. "What?"

"He'll be in detention all this week. Peter was caught nicking things from the trolley."

"Stealing?" Remus frowned, his lips parting in surprise. "Peter's got plenty of money to pay for things. Even if he didn't, he knows Sirius or James would lend him a few Sickles."

"Caught in the act. Looking for attention, I'm guessing. Let's not talk about Peter, please." She laced their fingers together, relieved when he squeezed her hand instead of pulling away. "How are you feeling?"

He smiled softly at her. "Pretty good right now."

"Really?" Her eyes lit up. "What's different?"

"Nothing. The transformation was the same as usual. The waking up part has been good so far."

She smiled coyly at him and looked away, the intensity of his gaze strangely intimidating. It had not always been so; Remus had always been comfortable, though the change in his demeanour was not unpleasant or unwanted. "I thought you'd be mad at me for coming here. You told Madam Pomfrey to keep me out a few years ago."

"I just didn't want you playing mediwitch for me." He sighed, looking embarrassed as he scratched at his chest, startling when his fingers touched the new scar there. Tugging on the sheet to hide his skin from her gaze, he cleared his throat. "I don't like you seeing me like this. The only thing worse would be you seeing me actually transform."

Mia kept her face blank at his words, knowing that she had, in fact, once seen him transform into a large werewolf. A large werewolf that had turned on her, Harry, and Ron. A werewolf that had chased her and Harry through the Forbidden Forest.

"But you're okay with me here now?" she asked with trepidation.

"I'd be mental to say no to waking up next to a beautiful girl any day of the month."

She noticed that Remus's eyes flashed gold at her smile. She was certain that she was blushing, and his attention only made her blush more. Averting her gaze for a few moments, she did her best not to argue the fact that he had called her beautiful.

"I know it's a while off," Mia began, biting her lower lip nervously, staring at the floor. "But do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?" she asked hesitantly, slowly bringing her gaze up to look at him.

Remus sat there, pale and wide-eyed, his irises back to their soft green. "You . . . You want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

"Yes."

"We've gone to Hogsmeade. You've never needed to ask me before."

"That was just as friends," she blurted out before she had a chance to think the words over. Realising her blunder, she looked away, humiliated, but Remus squeezed her hand again to get her attention, and she drew her eyes back to his face.

"You mean . . . a date?" Remus asked, needing clarification. "With . . . me?"

"If you don't want to, I understand . . . I just thought that—"

"Is this because of Sirius?" he asked, his brows furrowed, and his gaze suddenly dark.

"No," Mia answered immediately, much too quickly for his liking if the way his nose twitched was any indication. "No. I . . . I don't think so. I'm not asking you because Sirius broke my heart or anything. Because he didn't. I didn't kiss him, to begin with; he kissed me. I won't lie and say that him running off didn't hurt a little, but . . ." She exhaled sharply, fighting through the awkwardness of the situation. "I . . . I like you, Remus. I have since I first met you."

Of course, Mia was thinking of the first time she had met an older Professor Lupin who saved her and her friends from dementors—the first Patronus Charm she had ever seen. He was wise, kind, and powerful, and a schoolgirl crush had developed rather quickly. It faded over time, of course, only to resurface here in this time in the guise of a deep, abundant friendship.

"I don't want to be a backup," Remus whispered.

"You are not a backup. You deserve better than to be anyone's backup," Mia said firmly but then frowned. Was he? She knew about her bond with Sirius and knew that Remus would eventually find Tonks and have his own family. But a part of her did not care. Remus would not find Tonks for many, many years, and Mia did not want him to be alone the entire time. Neither did she want to be alone herself.

"I'm not like Sirius. I won't just take a girl to Hogsmeade, snog her, and walk back up the hill alone."

"So you're saying you want something exclusive with me?" Mia asked softly, her heart pounding against her chest back to that exciting pleasant rhythm. Remus must have heard the change because he looked guilty over her reactions.

"You deserve better than me."

Mia narrowed her eyes. "I'm getting really tired of boys saying that."

"I'm not messing about, Mia. We could never . . . I mean . . ." Remus swallowed and held her hand tighter, lifting their laced fingers from the side of his bed to her gaze. "This is it," he said firmly. "It's not fair to you. You deserve someone who can . . ." But he did not finish his sentence with words, merely raked his gaze over her body, letting his stare linger on her lips while licking his own.

His stare was enough. She understood his meaning even as he looked her over with heated eyes that left her feeling warm all the way to the tips of her toes.

"I could never . . . I could never kiss you."

"That's ridiculous! Of course you could!"

"No, I couldn't!" Remus snapped at her. "Mia, you've seen my boggart; my worst fear is hurting or infecting you."

"Your worst fear is you attacking me in your werewolf form," Mia argued, annoyed with him. "If you think I'm thick enough to go snogging your muzzle in the Shrieking Shack then we have bigger problems than I thought."

She glared at him, ignoring the twitch of his nose when she mentioned his muzzle. She knew he hated it when she referenced specifics of his lupine alter-ego, but Mia also knew that he needed to get over it.

"It's not happening in human form either," he vowed.

"Lycanthropy can only be transmitted through a bite wound from a fully transformed werewolf on the full moon."

She narrowed her eyes, recalling a similar argument between an older Sirius and Future Remus at Grimmauld Place the night they all found out about Tonks's pregnancy. Mia sighed irritably realising that if he was still worried in the future about his lycanthropy being transmitted to others without a full moon bite, then she knew she was going to struggle with convincing him now.

"Remus, I refuse to let you keep from enjoying every aspect of life because you're afraid of hurting people—of hurting me."

"I refuse to put you in harm's way," Remus growled and tried to pull his hand away from her, but she held onto it tightly, glaring at him when he huffed and tried again. "That's why you deserve better than me. It's this." He held their hands up to her face. "Or nothing. That's all anyone can have with me. Ever."

"Fine." Mia scowled and stood up, releasing his hand and turning her back on him. She watched in the reflection of the window nearby as he reached out for her instinctively and then pulled his hand back, looking shocked. He shook his head, and she wondered to herself what his inner wolf was trying to tell him at that particular moment. Was Moony wanting a connection? Or was the wolf trying to remind him that Mia was not his mate?

"I'll see you in class," Mia said as she turned back around. "You should probably talk to Jamie before Hogsmeade. It's two months away, but still. He'll probably want to do the whole 'big brother' talk." She rolled her eyes. As if James had any room to tell her whom to date considering the production he put on anytime he asked Lily to borrow a quill.

"Wait . . . what?" Remus blinked confusedly and looked up at her. "But I thought—"

"You thought I'd embrace your condition for the past three years of friendship and then turn tail," she said with a wry smile, "the moment it became inconvenient to me? I told you, Remus. I am not afraid of you, and I'm not afraid of your ridiculous rules. And they are ridiculous. Though to make you comfortable—for the time being—I will abide by them."

He sat in silence, looking utterly gobsmacked.

"Get some rest," she whispered as she kissed him on the cheek.

She would obey his rules like a good little Gryffindor, but the Sorting Hat almost put her in Slytherin, and if a Slytherin knew anything, it was how to exploit loopholes.

September 3rd, 1974

Gryffindors and Slytherins slipped through the dungeon doors to enter the Potions classroom. Cauldrons had already been set up at each station, and Slughorn stood at the head of the class, grinning brightly. The look on his face was incredibly disconcerting to Mia, who had never known the man to be happy without a self-serving reason.

"Good morning! Good morning! I'm very excited for today. Some of you have displayed a fine aptitude for Potions," he said, eyeing Snape, Lily, Damocles Belby, Adrian Abbot, and Mia. When his gaze fell on the four Marauders, Slughorn sighed. "Others still need a bit of improvement."

None of the boys looked more annoyed by the declaration than Remus.

"Over the next few months, in addition to brewing pre-approved potions from the textbooks, I am assigning each of you one specific potion ingredient. I want to see your skills at discovery and invention!"

Mia's eyes widened; depending on the ingredient, this could be an outright disaster. She could only imagine what Frank would do if given something like alihotsy; the common ingredient in Laughter Potion was also known to cause hysteria. While Alice was quite adept at brewing, one thing was for certain: Neville's aversion to cauldrons was a genetic trait passed down by his father.

Slughorn then went down the list. Alice received a chizpurfle fang, Amycus Carrow got dandelion root, and his sister received leech juice. Frank—thankfully—took eye of newt, which was not known to explode in any form. Mary received flobberworm mucus, and Elora Zabini took baneberry. That just left the Marauders and the future members of the Slug Club—though Mia was determined to avoid the group at all costs.

"Mr Black," Slughorn said with a smile and placed a small bottle on the table. "Your ingredient is fairy wing."

Sirius glared at the bottle as though it were contaminated. "These are used in Beauty Potions. Give it to one of the girls."

Both Lily and Mia turned and scowled viciously at him.

Slughorn merely ignored the outburst and moved down the line. "Mr Potter, you have onion juice."

James frowned and slumped forward against the table. "The only thing you can make with onion juice is a fungal removal potion."

Slughorn grinned as though that were the whole point. "And it's quite easy to make too. I hope you're up to the task.

James glared at the professor before sullenly staring down at his ingredient and huffing.

Slughorn placed the next bottle in front of Peter. "Mr Pettigrew."

Peter paled as he read the label. "R-Rat spleen?"

The Marauders all snickered audibly, and even Mia could not help but chuckle silently to herself.

"Yes, it's quite common in shrinking solutions. You seem to be rather proficient at the brew; I assume you'll do just fine." Slughorn grinned and moved on. "Mr Lupin," he addressed Remus, who still looked annoyed about being at the bottom of any class.

Remus eyed his ingredient as it was placed in front of him with a look on his face that said he was not amused in the slightest. He glanced between the other three Marauders as well as Mia, all of whom looked perfectly innocent.

"Moonstone, sir?"

"Yes," Slughorn jovially replied. "When in powdered form it can create a lovely Draught of Peace, but be careful. It's also known to be an active ingredient in love potions." He continued to give a good belly laugh while Remus blushed red.

Sirius laughed quietly. "Careful with that moonstone there . . . Moony."

Mia's eyes lit up at the nickname, and she turned to stare at the boys, all of whom looked mildly amused at Sirius's joke, except for Remus, who turned and punched him in the shoulder.

"Shut up, Padfoot," he growled.

She knew that the boys had begun their Animagus training, but despite the many rat jokes at Peter's expense, she had not realised that they were already so far along in their instruction that they had discovered all of their animal forms and created the lifelong nicknames that would accompany them. She could not help but smile proudly at their progress, which only made her realise that she had originally wanted to follow their lead into Animagus training—on her own at least—and she had barely even begun the meditations to start it. Thankfully, the boys were illegally researching all on their own, while Mia already knew the process after she had read a book on Animagi training following the war.

Adrian Abbot was given nightshade, and Lily was handed a bottle of ashwinder eggs, leaving Snape, Mia, and Damocles Belby.

"Mr Snape," Slughorn said the name proudly. "A phial of moondew."

Snape looked smug as he reached for the ingredient.

Mia rolled her eyes, knowing that he was already predictably planning on brewing a Draught of Living Death.

"Miss Potter." Slughorn smiled and handed her a container of lacewing flies.

She grinned at the sight of the main ingredient in the first advanced potion she had ever brewed: Polyjuice Potion. "Thank you, sir."

"And finally, Mr Belby." Slughorn set a bottle down in front of Damocles.

"Aconite." Damocles inclined his head curiously, and Mia's eyes widened.

"Also called monkshood," Snape chimed in.

Slughorn grinned. "Yes indeed, Mr Snape, five points to Slytherin!"

"Also called wolfsbane," Mia added.

The professor chortled, looping his thumbs in his suspenders and leaning back proudly as though every correct word out of the mouths of his students was a direct reflection on him. "It is! Though rarely known as such. Ten points to Gryffindor!"

Mia turned and grinned smugly at Snape, who glared at her in response. She shifted her attention back to Damocles with a kind smile. There were few Slytherins who could carry on a conversation without sneering or spitting slurs, and Damocles was one of them.

"I'm excited to see what you come up with. I've read a lot about it."

"You have?" Damocles asked. "It's usually used as a pain reliever or a poison. I can't help but wonder the properties it exudes when the stem, leaves, and flowers are brewed or stewed separately."

"The sprigs are an ingredient in Wideye Potion. Perhaps it could be used as a mind sharpening ingredient?" she proposed, smiling when Damocles nodded thoughtfully at her suggestion.

An hour into class, everyone was working silently while Slughorn was asleep in the fluffy armchair, which sat behind his desk instead of a proper seat.

Mia was busy examining her lacewing flies to prepare for her Polyjuice Potion, though she was seriously considering making a few adjustments to it to see if she had it in her to invent something new. She had always been terrific at creating and adjusting her own charms and transfigurations, but Potions was something for which she always felt she needed to follow the book. However, Snape—and therefore Harry in sixth year—were proof that potions could be altered for the better.

"What are you up to?" James asked as he approached the table she shared with Snape, Damocles, and Lily. Damocles had left his seat to dig through Slughorn's supplies, offering James his first chance to see what Mia had been talking to the Slytherin about.

"Nothing," Mia said innocently.

"I saw you talking to Belby," James whispered. "Still looking into wolfsbane?"

She eyed him carefully and confirmed with a quick nod.

James smiled, clearly remembering that when he had questioned her about the toxic plant on a list he found her writing, she admitted that she was wanting to use it to potentially create a potion that could help Remus with his "furry little problem" as Sirius was calling it these days.

"Speaking of," James said, tilting his head in the direction of Damocles's cauldron, "I heard a rumour that a certain sister of mine is trying to get involved with a certain friend of mine."

"Not a rumour. I asked Remus to Hogsmeade, and he's not the type to be casual about such things. I told him to talk to you instead of you finding out and thinking that we were keeping secrets," she said, daring him to challenge her.

"You asked Remus to Hogsmeade?" Lily asked before James had a chance to say anything.

Mia turned and her mouth fell open. She knew that Lily fancied Remus a few years earlier but had already forgotten, and now she felt bad for perhaps hurting her friend's feelings.

"Umm . . . yes. I'm sorry, Lily, I should have—"

"No. I think you two are well-paired," Lily said with a sincere smile.

Snape scowled, turning his attention to Lily. "Why do you care anyway?"

"Because Mia and Remus are my friends, Sev," Lily scolded him quietly before stirring her potion in the cauldron.

James looked at her hand and sucked in a sharp breath. "Evans. Is that . . . an engagement ring?"

Everyone turned and stared at Lily, shocked. It was not completely uncommon for witches to be betrothed so early, at least among old-fashioned pureblood families, but everyone knew Lily was a Muggle-born.

"What?" Lily held up her hand in obvious shock and rolled her eyes at James. "This is a mood ring, you dolt. My parents bought it for me this summer." At his continued look of utter non-comprehension, she shook her head. "It's a Muggle thing."

Mia laughed at her brother when he sighed in loud relief.

"How do Muggles make rings that tell your mood?" James asked. "That sounds like magic."

"It's not magic," Mia answered. "There are crystals in the ring that react to changing temperatures thus altering the colour of the ring." When she turned to see James—and several others—staring at her perplexed, she rolled her eyes. "Oh Jamie, honestly, read a book!"

"So what's your mood right now, Evans?" James grinned, staring at the ring on her finger.

"Annoyed," Lily answered immediately and turned away from him, putting her focus back on her cauldron.

Mia shook her head at James, and he frowned up at her innocently, looking genuinely confused over how he had messed that up. She grabbed his full attention by snatching his chin in her fingers to prevent him from staring at Lily. "So. Remus. What did he say to you?"

"Not much. A lot of stuttering. Sirius is still taking the piss out of him for it."

They both looked back to the Marauder table, where Sirius was indeed whispering to a consistently red-faced Remus, who was angrily trying to grind his moonstone into a powder.

Mia frowned. "Be nice."

"Absolutely not. He's a bloke that wants to snog my sister. Friend or not, there's a process he's got to go through," James said firmly, the hint of mischief in his eyes.

"He does not want to snog me." She gripped his face harder, and James's eyes widened at her volatile reaction. "He's a perfect gentleman and always has been. Much more than either you or Sirius could or will ever be. I will date whomever I please, James Charlus Potter, and you will get over it!" she snapped, releasing him with a shove so that he fell to the floor, staring up at her with evident awe.

Mia turned back to her cauldron and glowered down at it, resisting the urge to glare at Lily, who was stifling her giggles after watching James be literally put in his place.

James stood, dusted off his trousers, and made his way to the back of the classroom to rejoin his table.

Mia sighed, hoping that the awkward moment was over.

It wasn't.

"I'd go ahead and stop the Love Potion you're making there, Remus," James called out loudly. "I really don't think she needs it! My sister's just over the moon for you."

The classroom burst into laughter, and Mia turned red with rage as she swivelled on her stool and narrowed her eyes at her brother, who was looking smug at the little scene he had caused. Sirius was grinning next to him, and Peter was laughing quietly, trying to avoid Mia's glare.

Remus had his head buried in his folded arms, but she could see that his ears were a violent shade of red. Mia glared at her brother but then decided to smile in her mother's most threatening Slytherin manner.

Game on.

Chapter Text

Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace
(Halo - Beyoncé)

October 4th, 1974

Mia let James think he was safe.

He was not.

As his sense of self-preservation was so off, he continued causing problems in all of their classes during the month that followed the initial challenge between the siblings. Poor Remus got caught in the crossfire; in each class, James would have something to say about the potential future relationship between his sister and friend.

Remus, ever the loyal Gryffindor, did his best to stay out of the fight itself and also to respect James's wish that he not start anything with Mia without permission—something that thoroughly pissed her off.

In Charms, James would summon things from Mia's desk with a well-timed Accio when her back was turned, claiming that Remus wanted a memento to get him through the rest of the day. In Care of Magical Creatures, James would loudly ask Professor Kettleburn for details regarding the mating habits of werewolves. In Herbology, he would transform fluxweed into roses and pretend to be a Muggle delivery service on behalf of Remus, who would stand at the back of the room with dirt on his face, hiding his embarrassment while simultaneously trying to plant his puffapod.

The only four classes in which Remus and Mia got a break from James's antics were History of Magic (where James and Sirius napped), Defence Against the Dark Arts (James was not stupid enough to mess with their new professor, Auror Proudfoot), Transfiguration (James and Sirius took this class seriously due to the nature of their Animagus training), and Ancient Runes (which Mia and Remus had without any other invading Marauders).

The two would sit beside one another in Ancient Runes. Often, in the middle of class with their heads buried in a book of translation texts, Remus would reach over to take Mia's hand and smile, lacing their fingers together. She would breathe in deep and let the feeling of calm that he exuded wash over her; somehow it made her feel that putting up with James was all worth it.

It was especially worth it the morning of the fourth of October.

"Just don't drink the pumpkin juice, and you'll be fine, Lily," Mia whispered.

"How did you even slip the potion into the whole batch?" Lily asked as the two girls sat at the Gryffindor table, waiting for the rest of the student body to arrive for breakfast.

"I'm friendly with the house-elves." Mia grinned, happy to know that in this timeline she was able to make peace with the small creatures, considering the elves at Hogwarts in the future were utterly terrified of her and her knitting habits.

"You sure it's going to work? It's brilliant, but you're going to get in trouble for it too." Lily eyed the High Table with a raised brow. "I'm not one to promote breaking the rules, but if you want Slughorn to give you credit for this, you'll have to accept responsibility for it."

"As long as I can still go to Hogsmeade when this is over with, I'll take whatever punishment is meted out," Mia said, beaming excitedly.

One by one, students filled the Great Hall, taking their seats at the tables. Slowly, in various stages of exhaustion, the four Marauders joined Lily and Mia. Peter, James, and Sirius looked worse for wear, but since they were in a post-full moon week, Remus was looking better and better every day.

"Morning, boys." Mia smiled brightly as she went into her usual routine of gathering a plate for Remus while he simultaneously fixed her tea and porridge. "What are you all so exhausted from?"

She had assumed they were up late practising their Animagus transformations. She had been doing the same thing, though in the privacy of her dorm room seeing as she was only in the early stages of meditations to find out what her Animagus form would be.

"Up late snogging," Sirius lied, smirking at her while Mia rolled her eyes.

A month ago, she would have been annoyed by his typical behaviour, but she was already long over it. Sirius had fallen swiftly into confirming all the rumours about his bad reputation to be true. His reasoning was that he might as well do the things he was being accused of. Peter was in awe, James was amused, Remus was disgusted, and Mia was suddenly indifferent. She had known that Sirius had a past when she, Harry, and Ron had listened to an older Sirius and Remus talking about their shared history and the rebellious nature of youth. Mia knew that she would be confronted with it at some point, and this was that moment in time.

So she ignored it and focused on her rules: Live your life. Enjoy your life.

And she was about to enjoy it immensely.

"Eat up." Mia smiled across the table at Remus, offering a nod of gratitude as he passed her a jar of marmalade. She noticed his eye turn to a tall, empty glass sitting in front of him. She normally filled it with pumpkin juice every morning, but today she made no move to do so.

He reached for the pitcher in the middle of the table to fill the glass himself, but Mia silently covered the top of it with her palm, shaking her head slowly as she sipped her tea and gave him a knowing look.

Remus's eyes widened as he realised that something bad was about to happen. He turned to the side and watched as James, Sirius, and Peter guzzled their morning juice as usual.

"Do I even want to be here for the fallout?" Remus whispered.

Lily laughed. "Oh, yes."

Suddenly, all across the Great Hall, each and every student partaking in their morning pumpkin juice experienced a bit of transfiguration: their hair shifting to various shades of vivid colours.

The Slytherins all gaped at one another and scowled at the shades of black and green that their hair had turned. The Ravenclaw table was almost entirely peopled with navy blue heads of hair, while the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors were a flutter with mixtures of yellows, bright greens, and various shades of purple.

Two of the three pumpkin juice-drinking Marauders were sporting a predictable shade of sky blue hair.

Lily looked perfectly scandalised at James's hair and mouthed "Oh my God" to Mia before covering her mouth to hide her shock and laughter.

James blinked and looked around the room. "What's happening? What did you do?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes at his sister before grabbing a spoon and examining his reflection.

"Oh, I just slipped a potion in with everyone's morning juice." Mia smiled innocently.

"Clever, kitten." Sirius chuckled, rolling his eyes as he ran fingers through his sky blue hair. "Is this supposed to be a prank? Random shades of colour? Could have done that with a simple Colour Change Charm. You wasted a potion on this? That's barely an Acceptable in my book."

Mia sat tall, looking down at her nails as though she were inspecting a fresh manicure. "Oh, I did use a Colour Change Charm. I used individual ones on each lacewing fly that went into my modified Polyjuice Potion."

"So you slipped us Polyjuice?" James blinked, confused as he blew strands of hair out of his face. It looked much more out of control than his black hair ever did, which was saying something. He patted his palms down his chest and then inspected his fingers. "I don't get it. Why'd only our hair change? And shouldn't we all look alike?"

"That's if you use the hair of any normal witch or wizard, but if you use the hair of a Metamorphmagus, you can allow the drinkers of the potions to essentially alter themselves."

Mia was grateful for her past friendship with Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin who had once confessed that Metamorphmagi were immune to Polyjuice Potion, as they could change the shape of their face and colour of their hair at will. She was even more grateful to find that Professor Slughorn's collection of strange and rare ingredients—which included hairs from goblins, werewolves, and one Metamorphmagus—rivalled that of Professor Snape. She was just as easily able to pilfer from one as she was from the other.

"Did you know that most Metamorphmagi hair changes colour to depict their moods?" She looked across the table at Remus, who was grinning at her, clearly impressed. "I got the idea from Lily's mood ring."

"Fine, fine. You're very bright; cleverest witch ever," James conceded while rolling his eyes. "Now what do the colours mean?"

"Well," Lily chimed in, amused. "The Slytherins are predictable—black and dark green showing anger and envy. They're presumably upset at what Mia's done to them and jealous that they didn't do it themselves. Ravenclaws are all dark blue, meaning that they're amused, and Hufflepuffs and most of the Gryffindors seem to be stuck between anxious, annoyed, and happy."

"And us?" Sirius pointed to his head of light blue hair.

"Oh, that particular shade of blue is my favourite." Mia beamed. "It means satisfied."

Lily blushed bright red, stifling a snort by burying her face in her hands.

"Satisfied?" James blinked nervously, swallowing as he looked at Lily.

"Yes. Tell me, big brother—" Mia leant across the table, lacing her fingers together and leaning her chin on them as she stared at James, a wicked gleam in her eye, "—in the half hour that you've been awake, what on earth could you have done to make yourself so amazingly satisfied?"

Remus's eyes widened, and he turned and covered his mouth, hiding his laughter with a loud cough. The rest of the Gryffindor table was not nearly as subtle with their guffawing and giggles.

James's face immediately turned bright red, and his eyes lingered on Lily before averting his attention elsewhere.

Sirius caught on quickly, but—rarely ashamed of anything—he shrugged his shoulders and looked at James. "Well I don't know what you're so satisfied about, but I woke up and had a wank in the shower."

The table broke out into a roar of laughter, and James slowly covered his face with his hands and waited patiently for the laughter to die down. In that time, his hair shifted from bright blue to a bright red to match his face before turning a slightly darker shade of teal, indicating acceptance.

He eventually smiled over at his sister, shaking his head.

"Well?" she asked.

James stood, bowing dramatically before her. "You win."

"And Remus?" Her eyes narrowed as James's hair shifted to a brighter green indicating anxiety, while Sirius's turned dark green. Mia ignored both shifting shades.

James laughed and reached across the table, extending a hand to his werewolf friend. "Remus, I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, mate."

Remus blinked at the gesture and then smiled, taking his hand.

Before letting go, James gave a good tug and leant forward, whispering, "You do realise though that if you hurt—or do anything unsavoury with—my sister, I'll be known as the famous James Potter, wolf slayer, right?"

"Got it." Remus nodded firmly, grinning.

"Now, just to test a theory," James said, reaching for the pumpkin juice and filling Remus's and Mia's empty glasses. "Go on. You want my approval? Drink up, Moony."

Remus cleared his throat and held his glass up to Mia, who merely flushed before toasting, "To us, I suppose," and the two drank their juice.

It took less than five seconds for both of their heads to turn a brilliant shade of soft pink. Mia immediately looked down, her cheeks flushed at the sight of Remus's hair, already knowing that hers would match it. Remus looked confused as he reached for a spoon to look at his reflection.

"What's pink, then?" James asked, looking at Lily.

Beaming excitedly at her two friends, Lily answered, "Infatuated."

March 26th, 1975

"Ow! Fuck!"

"You're all still concentrating too much on the transfiguration portion and not enough on the meditative state," Remus instructed his three friends as they sat in a clearing out by the Forbidden Forest where the three almost-Animagi practised their training.

Remus sat on the ground leaning up against a large tree, his eyes tired and his muscles sore as the full moon was the following evening. Thinking about his own transformation only made him less sympathetic to the mild annoyances that his friends were currently going through. As it was, James had grown half an antler that he had twice gotten caught in the branches of the low-hanging trees, Sirius was stuck with four big black paws but nothing else, and Peter had been able to grow a tail and elongated teeth, but was unable to return to normal. Their ridiculous appearances should have kept Remus in high spirits all night, but he was more stressed than ever.

"Whath's wong, Wemuth?" Peter slurred through his gigantic teeth.

"I still haven't bought Mia anything for her birthday," Remus confessed. Unable to even glance at Peter without laughing, he decided to turn to the friend that looked the least ridiculous, which was James. "What should I do, Prongs?"

Remus and Mia had officially been an item since the morning of what was now known as "The Great Rainbow Explosion of 1974."

Mia had ultimately taken credit for the prank, which earned her a week's worth of detention for drugging her fellow students, but also an extra fifty points from Flitwick and Slughorn each, for impressive work in altering a potion with a charm.

A few weeks later, she and Remus walked hand in hand down to Hogsmeade where he treated her to a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, and she lavished him with gifts of chocolate from Honeydukes before moving on to Tomes and Scrolls, where they spent hours eagerly digging through old books. After finishing their shopping, they walked back up to the castle, stopping to embarrass Sirius, who was snogging a third year Hufflepuff in view of the "haunted" Shrieking Shack, and then retiring to the Gryffindor common room where they snuggled together on the sofa in front of the fireplace to read their new books.

It was a comfortable relationship built on friendship and common interests, and most nights were similar to that first date: Mia leaning her back against Remus's chest while he draped his arm around her shoulders, nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck while reading the book in his hand as she kicked her feet up at the end of the sofa, quietly browsing through her own novel.

James and Sirius eventually tired of teasing the couple, though Mary, Lily, and Alice were constantly asking Mia details about the more amorous aspects of her relationship with the quiet Marauder. No details were ever given because, as per Remus's original rules regarding their relationship, no details were ever created. While he remained adamant that they not cross any lines where she could possibly be infected with his lycanthropy, he was thrilled that she had not slipped him any more of what she now called Mood Juice, because every morning he would have walked to the Great Hall sprouting bright blue hair. Having a girlfriend was leaving him in quite a frustrated state. If pain were not an issue, Remus might have looked forward to the full moon, as the transformation always burned off excess energy.

His friends naturally made things much worse. It was completely impossible to talk to James, considering Mia was his sister, and she had been insistent that Remus keep Peter's nose out of their business. That only left Sirius who had—over the last six months—grown ten times worse in regards to the rumours that were going around the school about him. Sirius had almost come to his senses early January when he had shown up in the dorms looking unbelievably guilty.

"What did you do?" Remus asked immediately. "And why can I smell firewhisky all the way over here?"

"I fucked up," Sirius said, swallowing hard. "I fucked up bad."

"Padfoot, what did you do?" Remus's eyes flashed with worry as he stood to help his drunken friend to his bed.

"I had sex with McKinnon," Sirius confessed.

"Is that . . . not . . . normal?" Remus raised a brow, having believed most of the whispers exchanged in the Great Hall in regards to Sirius's nightly activities. While he was quite certain his friend was not the father of McGonagall's secret love child—all other rumours were never denied by Sirius himself.

"No, it's not bloody normal!" Sirius shouted. "It was the . . . it was the first time. Fuck, she's going to be pissed."

"Marlene? Why? Were you that bad?" Remus snorted.

Sirius looked up and glared at him. "No, I was fucking fabulous, thank you, Moony! But I . . . I kind of . . . ditched her right after." He winced, covering his face which was painted with shame.

Remus shook his head. "You're disgusting."

"I know! It's not even her I'm worried about. You can't tell Mia," Sirius begged. "She'll hate me."

"Why would my girlfriend care who you shag?" Remus asked, narrowing his eyes as a crack of jealousy became visible in his expression.

Sirius fell back on his mattress, groaning over his mistakes. "Because she thinks Marlene's a slag. And I don't . . . Fuck, Moony, I know she's your girl, but I still don't want her to look at me like everyone else does, okay?"

Remus had been jealous and annoyed, but a large part of him understood. He was territorial and possessive when it came to Mia, and he still did not understand how Sirius could have run away from her when she had clearly been so willing to open her heart to him. But he knew how it felt to look at the girl, think that the sun rose and set every day with her, and that he would never measure up.

Remus was constantly fighting the wolf within himself. A subtle voice in the back of his head that crept up every now and then demanded that he take her, kiss her, pin her up against a wall and ravish every part of her. It was that same wolf that would peek out from time to time and snap at her bitterly when she would say or do something he did not like too close to the moon. He was in constant worry that he was on the verge of dramatically screwing things up with her.

So he understood what Sirius's concerns were and promised his friend that he would keep his secret.

The secret of Sirius's virginity—or sudden lack thereof—did not last long despite Remus's efforts. Once the final line had been crossed, Sirius threw caution to the wind as he buried his personal issues—and himself—inside any girl that would have him.

When Mia had found out, she had scolded him profusely about being disrespectful of himself and others.

Sirius had then tried to crawl into her lap to have her pet his head—something that was incredibly funny now that the Marauders knew what form Sirius would take as an Animagus—but Mia had shoved him off of her, much to Remus's amusement.

They were all quickly growing up, and Sirius was trailing behind.

"What?" Remus blinked, brought back to the Forbidden Forest and his three friends.

James cleared his throat. "I said, you would know better what to buy Mia than I would."

"You still haven't got her gift? You're the worst boyfriend ever." Sirius laughed as he began using his massive paws to dig in the ground, a sight that actually caused Remus to laugh out loud.

"I meant to, but the last Hogsmeade trip was cancelled because of how The Magic Neep was attacked."

It had not been widely publicised, but the morning after the attack on the greengrocer's shop, Dumbledore had not been at breakfast. Rumours circulated around the school that the Muggle-born who owned the shop had been assaulted by wizards in dark cloaks and masks.

"I wanted this birthday to be a good one. You're all going to have your typical party in the common room, meanwhile, I'll be stuck in the bloody shack," Remus muttered bitterly, a growl escaping his throat.

"Bad luck that the full moon falls on our birthday." James frowned. "She'll understand."

"I know, that's what makes it worse." Remus sighed. "I'll wake up the next morning after not being around for her birthday, and instead of me doing something nice for her, she's going to be in the hospital wing, holding my hand while Madam Pomfrey shoves potions down my throat."

"Well, I know it goes against your instincts," James offered, "but maybe let her just take care of you."

Remus snarled at the suggestion, and his eyes flashed gold.

"Easy, Moony," Sirius said, holding his transfigured paws up in supplication. "Prongs is right. Girl's a caretaker, and you haven't let her do a single thing for you since first year." He shrugged his shoulders, shaking the dirt out of his paws and watching as they transformed back into hands easily. "Girls are all about the intimate stuff—"

James narrowed his eyes. "Watch it."

"Not that. Come on Prongs, look at Moony and tell me that he's having sex." Sirius chuckled at the thought. "Obviously not. He looks like . . . like . . . like you." James threw a rock at him that Sirius quickly dodged, then proceeded to bury. "I mean, girls like the little moments where you let them in your head. Show the softer side and all that crap."

Remus scoffed. "And you know this from experience?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I know this because every girl I've ever snogged or shagged has complained about the fact that I don't do all of that mopey, vulnerable bullshit. So do that, and you'll get along famously."

James eyed Remus carefully. "Not too famously."

March 28th, 1975

Remus winced as he woke up in the hospital wing the morning after the full moon. It had been a particularly bad one. With no rest leading up to the transformation and the stress of worrying about Mia's birthday, Remus had shifted and then immediately taken his frustrations out on himself. It also did not help that Mia had come to say goodbye to him as he walked to the Whomping Willow, and she hugged him so close and tight that he could still feel the warmth of her body by the time the moon was high.

Frustrated did not even begin to cover it.

Sensing her nearby without opening his eyes, he asked, "How was your birthday?"

"It was sad without you there."

He opened his eyes to see her frowning at the deep cut on his right shoulder. She eyed it carefully, her nose twitching, and her hands fidgeting.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Remus called.

"Yes, dear?"

"No offence, but . . . could you let Mia heal me this once? It's been a few years, and I remember I liked the way she did it." He frowned, hoping to not upset the mediwitch responsible for his monthly recovery.

Madam Pomfrey smiled at the pair. "Of course. As long as you feel comfortable with that, Miss Potter?"

"Yes," Mia said immediately. "Are you sure?"

He nodded, offering her a beseeching look even as he forced down the primal urge within him that said, No! We are the protector! Don't let her see us weak! "I'd rather you do it this once. Please, Mia?"

She smiled at his request and reached quickly for her wand. "Roll to the side."

He could feel it as she syphoned the dried blood off with her wand. The pain did not hurt as much as usual; Madam Pomfrey was efficient but lacked a gentle touch due to time constraints. That, and there was just something about Mia's magic that spoke to him—that spoke to his wolf.

He rolled back over when his wound was closed, and he smiled with satisfaction at the pleased look on her face.

She eyed him with a smirk. "Was that my birthday gift?"

Remus shrugged. "James's idea."

"Smart boy, that James Potter." She smiled, taking advantage of the moment by running her fingers through Remus's hair and grinning smugly when he let out a relaxed moan. "You could just get over yourself and let me do this more often. It makes me happy to help you."

"It makes me uncomfortable," Remus admitted, forcing himself to get the words out in order to be honest with her, no matter how emasculating it felt. "But if it makes you happy," he relented with a sigh, "I could learn to deal with a little pampering from time to time."

He knew she wanted more—and Merlin, so did he—but he could not cross that boundary. Here, however, post-transformation, he had little energy to fight her off, and he knew she would never take advantage of him in a weakened state knowing how important it was to him that she always be kept safe.

She smiled and leant over, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. "You make me happy."

Chapter Text

I miss that town, I miss the faces
You can't erase, You can't replace it
I miss it now, I can't believe it
So hard to stay, Too hard to leave it
(Photograph - Nickelback)

May 25th, 1975

I need a place that looks like the Forbidden Forest where no one can enter but me.

She concentrated on that exact thought as she walked, passing in front of the stone wall on the seventh floor three times. Slowly, a circular wooden door appeared, and Mia let a smile cross her face as she opened it and walked into the Room of Requirement. The view was incredible.

Kicking off her shoes as she stepped inside, she moved through the magically created trees and undergrowth, feeling the soft grass on her bare feet. Where there should have been a wall to her left, instead was a view extending to the Black Lake. To the right, she could see the shadow of Hogwarts, which was odd since she was technically inside the castle at the moment.

The forest lay ahead of her, and Mia smiled as she walked through the shadows of the trees, glancing upward at what should have been ceiling. Instead, she saw sky lit only by a perfectly circular moon, hung large against a black background. A full moon was her motivation for this, and she used it to calm her, to relax her as she wiggled her toes into the soil. A part of her felt guilty that she was using the very thing that caused Remus pain to take away her own anxieties. To persuade her guilt to leave, she reasoned that, in the end, this would make it easier for him.

It was good to know that Padfoot and Prongs—and yes even Wormtail, for now—would soon be there for Moony during his transformations, but she longed to be there with them. With him.

It had taken months to get the meditations down correctly, to relax enough to allow herself to dip into her "inner animal"—an animal she had assumed would have been an otter but was not. As soon as she discovered this, she tried to summon a Patronus and watched, shocked, as the silvery otter she had come to know and love morphed into a slightly larger beast with slender limbs and a tail as bushy as her hair. It now made sense why an older Sirius had been surprised to learn that Hermione's Patronus was an otter—because Mia's Patronus was certainly not.

She closed her eyes and felt the wind cover her skin, felt the glow of the moon against her back and the dirt shift between her toes. She focused on her inner animal, but also reached out with purpose to Moony, to Remus, who was in the Shrieking Shack at this very hour. She reached out to Prongs and Padfoot, knowing that the boys had followed Remus out the doors of the castle; unable to join him in the shack just yet, they had instead retired to the actual Forbidden Forest to practice their own transformations.

Something inside of her pulled and tugged in multiple directions and she realised quickly it was not just one bond but many. In her meditative state, she could feel and see them clearly. A golden string that tied her to Sirius—a Soul Bond prepared by emotions triggered by memories, provoked by kisses in two different decades, and left unsealed. A lighter, silver string connected her to James—a Familial Bond, as her mother had explained it, prepared by her sisterly love for Harry, provoked by her gift from Sirius, and sealed by the Potter's official adoption.

But there was a third string, something almost invisible as though it existed but had yet to be awakened. Something that reached from her out to Remus, far away in the shack, but did not end there as it extended back into the Forbidden Forest where she lost it.

Another bond?

Letting go of the thought took time, but she released it with effort, knowing she had to have a clear mind to complete the transformation.

Mia let out a deep sigh of contentment and acceptance, and she felt her body shift beneath her. Hands became paws, and she dug sharp black claws into the earth, feeling the way the dirt shifted under her touch. Her vision increased tenfold, and she could see the forest ahead of her as though she were looking through a pair of omnioculars. She could feel her ears shift upward, and the sounds of nearby whispering voices were heard as though they were right outside the door.

Outside the door?

It was relatively easy to slip back into the corridor without being spotted since she had the Room of Requirement on her side. Asking it to create a doorway that was both invisible and silent was less of a feat than she had imagined. Disillusioned, she closed the door behind her, spotting Sirius, James, and Peter. They were huddled together as they held wands up to nearby paintings and looked behind tapestries, likely searching for more hidden passageways.

"I know she came this way," Sirius said. "I saw her sneak off the other night, and she disappeared up around the seventh floor."

Peter sighed. "If we could just finish the map, this wouldn't be a problem. Oh, bugger, I think I left my bag out in the forest."

"Beasties have gotten to it by now," Sirius said with a chuckle.

Frowning, Peter moaned miserably. "That was a new bag. And I had a Charms essay in it."

"What'd you bring your book bag for anyway?"

"I had snacks in it. Thought if we all got through a full transformation that we might be hungry. Training always makes me hungry."

Sirius snickered. "Cheese?"

"Shut it."

"I don't think she's up this way, Padfoot," James said, sounding annoyed. "I'm starting to worry, though. It makes me nervous that I'm more concerned that my sister is sneaking off in the middle of the night than I'm worried about her dating a werewolf who happens to be my best mate."

"Hey, I thought I was your best mate?" Sirius pouted.

James groaned. "You are."

"Hey!" Peter whined.

James pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can we pretend that the both of you have self-esteem that doesn't revolve around me? I'm thrilled that I'm the centre of your entire world, but Mia's still missing!"

"Who's missing?" Mia whispered as she cancelled her Disillusionment Charm, popping up right behind James with a grin.

"Mia!"

"Me?" she asked, acting innocent to the point of batting her eyelashes. "I know exactly where I am."

"What are you up to?" Sirius asked her point-blank.

"What are you up to?" she countered. "It appears that all of us are out past curfew."

"We at least have the cloak," James protested, narrowing a suspicious gaze at her. "We're not going to get caught."

Mia rolled her eyes and tapped her wand on the top of her head, recasting the Disillusionment Charm on herself and very nearly disappearing into the stone background of the wall behind her. "It only counts if you're actually wearing the cloak, Jamie."

Sirius looked amused, as usual. James looked mildly embarrassed as he scrambled for the cloak. Peter looked flustered and nervous.

She glared at him with a murderous look in her eye, glad that they could not see her. "What's wrong, Pete? Worried that you're being watched by someone you can't see?"

"Very funny. Come on out, Mia," James said with a chuckle. When she was visible once more, he asked, "Seriously, what are you doing out past curfew?"

She put her hands defiantly on her hips. "I asked you the same thing."

"My-uh!" James whinged.

"Jay-mee!" Mia copied, matching his tone and pitch.

"We were looking for Ravenclaw's lost diadem," Sirius blurted out. When Peter and James looked at him incredulously, he went on, "What? It's not technically a lie. We were doing that all week before tonight."

Mia smirked at him. "Good luck finding that."

James shook his head and waited another moment, staring at her with a strained expression that she assumed he thought was intimidating but came off looking a bit constipated. He was just precious.

When she remained silent, refusing to "fess up," James huffed. "Fine, we'll wait until the next time you go out and track you then."

"You won't find me." Mia grinned smugly. "Your map isn't finished."

All three boys swallowed and stared at her.

"What?" James gaped. "What map?"

"The map you four have created of Hogwarts and all the secret passages that lead into Hogsmeade." She chuckled softly and watched as their eyes widened.

"That lying werewolf!" Sirius snapped. "Leave it to Remus to bail on his mates and tell all our secrets to his bloody girlfriend."

"Remus didn't tell me anything. You should always trust Remus, Sirius. If your secrets aren't being properly kept," said added pointedly, her gaze turning to Peter, "maybe you have a rat in your midst."

Peter shrivelled before her, looking terrified. "I d-didn't say . . . Did I?"

"I've told you repeatedly, Peter's a terrible secret keeper; very, very twitchy," she said, twitching her nose and pointing at it.

James stared wide-eyed at his sister while Sirius glared down at Peter. "You little—"

"Uh oh. Looks like I've accidentally put Peter in the doghouse." She grinned at Sirius as he suddenly paled at her words, his grey eyes widening.

"Mia . . ." James whispered.

She turned to her brother. "What's wrong, dear? You're looking at me like I've just sprouted antlers." When James began breathing erratically, she could not contain the laughter anymore. "Oh calm down, the lot of you!"

"How long have you known?" Sirius yelled.

"About the map or you three becoming Animagi? Illegally, I might add." She stared at Sirius, as he appeared to be vacillating between amused and furious.

James huffed. "Both."

"I told Sirius years ago that we should have a map of the castle. Plus, I just heard Peter talking about it a few minutes ago when you didn't know I was here. I assume the problem is you haven't figured out how to track everyone's movements?"

Despite the fact that James and Sirius remained silent on the matter, Peter spoke up. "Pretty much." James and Sirius threw him a glare, and he looked away from them innocently as though he had not even spoken.

"Try a Homonculous Charm." She smiled sweetly at her brother, all hints of malice and devious mischief gone from her eyes. "I'd offer to show you myself, but it looks to be a Marauders' thing, so I'll let you three work it out with Remus when he's feeling better."

"Speaking of Remus feeling better . . ." Sirius eyed her. "We're becoming Animagi to help him. You told me that he should be safe around other animals."

"I know." She smiled, picking up the defensive tone in his voice that she knew he often used when people he loved were being threatened. "I assumed as much."

"That's great, but how did you know?" James asked.

"I'm surprised Sirius hasn't figured it out yet," she admitted with a soft laugh. "Remus either, to be honest. Though he might just be too polite to ask why my scent has changed."

Sirius stared at her curiously and then inhaled deep and slow, his eyes darkening. "Wait, why do you smell . . . canine . . . ish. How?"

She smiled wryly. "How'd you do it?"

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How long?"

"Six months, give or take."

"Bloody hell! It's taken us three years to get this far! Are you at full shift?" Sirius demanded bitterly. When Mia shrugged her shoulders lightly, he stomped his foot. "Fuck!"

James blinked, confused. "What's going on?"

"She's an Animagus too!"

"Keep it down! What's the matter with you?" James glared at Sirius. "Filch could be just around the corner, and if so, we're all buggered, you bell end!"

"You're having trouble with the final shift, right?" she asked, amused. "Keeping the form at will?"

"Yes," Sirius snapped, enviously. "I was the first to fully shift. Prongs can get there as well, but neither of us can hold it for more than a few minutes. Won't be much help with a werewolf if we turn into snacks ten minutes past moonrise."

"You have to find something to ground you. An image to keep in your mind. Your reason for doing this," she offered politely.

"We use the shack," James admitted.

Mia shook her head. "Not strong enough. A shack can be knocked down; also, outside of the shack, Remus is still the wolf. You need something permanent."

"What do you use?" Peter asked quietly.

"The moon," she admitted, and all three boys grimaced as though they could sense how Remus himself would react. "It's morbid, I know, but it'll never go away, and as long as it's there, he'll turn. He's connected to the moon, and we're connected to him through the moon. It's all tied together."

"So what are you?" Sirius finally asked. "I smelled canine, or something like it, but I can't tell what."

James chuckled. "I would have thought you'd be a cat."

"Why's that?" Mia narrowed her eyes. She had, in fact, worried about such a thing happening. It would have been ironic considering she had accidentally turned herself into a cat during her original second year.

"Because you and Sirius fight like cats and dogs." James grinned, and both Mia and Sirius rolled their eyes. "So what are you?"

"Guess you'll just have to wait and see."

Later that night, Mia pulled the Invisibility Cloak from James's trunk and wrapped it around herself. She had not had nightmares that often since her encounter with Bellatrix the summer before, and she imagined it had something to do with facing her fears. Regardless, she struggled to sleep some nights, especially during the full moon when she knew that Remus was alone and in pain.

It had not occurred to her until she began her training inside the Room of Requirement, but one night just after Christmas, she sought out the Room of Hidden Things. A part of her wanted to look for the diadem, which she ultimately found and immediately refused to touch. It was not as though she could control Fiendfyre or had a basilisk fang on hand. Another part of her wanted to look for other missing parts of history. She wanted to see everything that the Fiendfyre during the final battle might have destroyed. She wanted to look for old books and buried treasures that the castle had kept hidden for centuries.

What she had not expected to find was a mirror.

A wondrous mirror, taller than a wardrobe, with a beautiful gold frame, stood on two clawed feet. The inscription at the top made her gasp as she recognised from Harry's stories what this was: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

The Mirror of Erised.

Very, very slowly, Mia approached the mirror and took in a sharp breath.

A name escaped her lips on a pained whisper, something she had not said out loud in over three years: "Harry."

There he stood before her, or next to her really, as she gazed in the reflection and saw herself standing beside him. Harry looked just as she remembered. The spitting image of James, with two exceptions: a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead and the most brilliant green eyes, the colour of emeralds in direct sunlight.

Standing on either side of Harry were the smiling faces of his parents, though not as adults. No, James and Lily appeared in the mirror as they looked to Mia right now, fifteen and full of life. James looked like he could be Harry's brother.

The Potters, all together again.

Mia sniffed at the sight and wiped away a tear. She stood with them. Harry had thought of her as a sister, allowed her to wear the words of his House that had provoked a Familial Bond and made her a Potter. James, her brother in everything but blood, and Lily, quite possibly the only female aside from Ginny Weasley that Mia could ever consider a true friend. Mary and Alice were lovely girls, but Lily was more; Lily was . . . family.

Ron appeared close behind Harry, a hand on his shoulder, and Ginny beside him making moon eyes at Harry.

To the left of Mia's reflection stood Remus, just as beautiful as he was right now, perfectly fifteen and perfectly hers. However, his reflection changed, and she watched closely as he aged right in front of her eyes into the professor she had originally met, except his eyes; those were still the same eyes as her Remus. Only her Remus held a blue-haired child in his arms, and Mia smiled at the sight of little Teddy Lupin and Tonks, who moved to stand beside her husband. They were smiling brightly, and Mia felt guilty and jealous at the same time until the reflection of Remus smiled at her with that loving expression she knew too well.

She was not his mate, but she was still his memory, and Mia knew better than anyone that Remus had a capacity to love that rivalled Harry's; there was room for her in his heart.

An older Sirius appeared in the mirror, slowly walking up behind her, his grey eyes boring into her as if they could liquefy her very soul. He approached her reflection from behind, but his eyes remained fixed on her as his arms wound themselves around her reflection's waist tenderly, intimately. He knew her. He remembered her.

He looked exactly as she remembered: war-torn and battered by life but vivacious and full of fire. He wore the scars and tattoos that his younger self had yet to bear, and she mapped each mark with her gaze until it landed on one she was sure she had seen before, but never placed it until now. In faded black ink, peeking out from beneath an open shirt right over his heart was a name.

Mia gasped and turned away from the mirror as quickly as possible.

She was not ready for this.

She remembered what Harry had told her about the mirror: it showed the deepest desires of our hearts. But Dumbledore had cautioned her friend that the mirror gave neither knowledge nor truth.

And she needed both.

May 26th, 1975

"You're here early, Belby."

"All right, Potter?"

Mia smiled as she walked into the Potions lab to find the young Slytherin hard at work, sweating over a steaming cauldron. "Still experimenting with the aconite?" she asked, trying to hide exactly how curious she was about his investigations.

While the rest of the class had finished their experiments anywhere from a week to three months into the year, Damocles kept digging, insisting that the longer he brewed, stewed, or dried the aconite, the more properties it released.

"Found something new you might be interested in. Look what happens when I add scarab beetles to the brewed wolfsbane."

He dropped the beetles into the cauldron, and Mia gasped when the liquid let off a faint blue smoke that she knew all too well to be a chief characteristic of the Wolfsbane Potion. She squealed with excitement. "What did you do?"

He smiled at her, a look of pride and excitement in his eyes. "Kind of got the idea from you actually. You mentioned that aconite could be used for mind sharpening. I tried mixing it differently with a Wideye Potion, but then . . . Snape suggested that I could extract more potency from the aconite sprigs if I cut them after stewing for two weeks. Smug sod was right too."

Son of a bitch! Was it really that bloody simple?

Mia had been working on the Wolfsbane Potion since Professor Snape had killed Dumbledore and ran off. They found his notes on how to brew the potion, of course, but it had always said to stew cut aconite sprigs, never to cut previously stewed aconite sprigs. A part of her thought he might have done it on purpose in order to remain useful to Remus—to somehow keep an old rival indebted to him.

Mia really wanted to punch Severus Snape in the face. Again.

"Then, instead of the Wideye Potion, I thought to mix it with a Wit-Sharpening Potion."

"Isn't that used to counter a Confundus Charm?" Mia asked.

"Yes. Adding the beetles like you would to a Wit-Sharpening Potion not only sharpens the mind, but it clears it and holds it in place. Unfortunately, I can't think of many uses outside of maybe people who've gone mad under the Cruciatus Curse. Even then it would have to be administered immediately and daily."

"I'm sure you'll find a good purpose for it, Damocles." Mia beamed. "You're brilliant. This will change lives, I just know it."

And another thing she just knew, was the proper way to brew a Wolfsbane Potion.

Mia made her way back to the Gryffindor Tower with a skip in her step, surprised to find all four Marauders sitting around the fireplace, Marauder's Map in hand. As she stepped through the portrait hole, she laughed when they all jumped and Sirius quickly closed the map.

James sighed at the sight of her. "Oh, it's just Mia."

"Just?" She scoffed and walked over to sit down beside Remus, kissing his cheek. "Hello, love."

His tired eyes lit up, and she brightened at his reaction.

"I thought you were going to be in the hospital wing for a few more hours. I would have come to see you."

"Couldn't stay away." He grinned and put his arm around her, leaning forward and placing a kiss on the top of her head. "My friends here told me that you helped with our little project. A Homonculous Charm; I should have known."

"You would have gotten there." She smiled and cuddled gently into his side, trying to be careful, knowing that he would have fresh wounds and deep bruises. "You had these three prats to distract you from your brilliance. I was all on my own."

"Prats? You think Moony there is the only brilliant one?" Sirius handed her the map and touched it with his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

"Appropriate password." She nodded her head with amusement, doing her best to look as impressed as possible as the map came to life before her very eyes.

The map was just as it always had been, magical and brilliant and quite a bit less worn than it was when Harry had it. She quietly sought out Gryffindor Tower, relieved that her name showed Mia Potter and not Hermione Granger. She wondered briefly if James had done a bit of concealing magic until she remembered that the Familial Bond being sealed would have changed her name.

"Very clever," she said, doing her best not to be sad that her past self had somehow vanished further into oblivion.

"Watch this. Mischief managed," Sirius said with a grin and the ink displaying the map vanished before her very eyes, leaving behind blank parchment.

She chuckled at how very much like Fred and George they all looked in that moment. "Is your mischief ever really managed, though?"

"That's not even the best part. You try to read it," he insisted, "but without the password. You can use any other spell you want."

Mia rolled her eyes, knowing perfectly well what would happen when she tried to break into it without the password, but she had to placate them now—especially Sirius, who was so very eager to show off.

"Aparecium." She tapped her wand on the top of the map. Slowly, as though an invisible hand were writing upon it, words appeared on the smooth surface of the parchment she was holding. Chuckling softly at the sight, she read aloud:

"Mr Padfoot offers congratulations to Miss Potter for her noble attempt at sneaking into such a brilliantly crafted magical object but offers his condolences over her failure. He understands she must feel very envious over her lack of such a creation. He also offers compliments to Miss Potter on her very shapely arse."

Remus and James each punched Sirius in the shoulder at the same time.

Mia laughed and continued reading as the words faded in and out of the parchment.

"Mr Prongs would like to remind Mr Padfoot not to talk about Miss Potter's arse, which is most certainly not shapely."

"Mr Moony agrees with Mr Padfoot over Miss Potter's shapely arse, but he is too much of a gentleman to say such things aloud."

She fell over laughing

Remus held his hands up as James turned to descend upon him. "You wouldn't strike an injured man!"

James smirked at his friend as he snatched the map back from his sister. "You're lucky she likes you so much."

"Yeah, I am," Remus said with a smile.

Mia bit her lower lip and grinned. "I have a surprise for you," she whispered into Remus's ear, purposely getting close enough to let her lips linger on his skin. He let out a soft breath, and she watched closely as he swallowed at her touch. "But it won't be ready for another three weeks."

"What is it?"

"Something . . . that will change everything."

He raised a brow. "You're really not going to tell me?"

"You'll just have to wait and see."

Chapter Text

You can kiss me in the moonlight
On the rooftop under the sky, oh
You can kiss me with the windows open
While the rain comes pouring inside
(This Kiss - Faith Hill)

June 17th, 1975

"Do you trust me?" Mia asked him softly.

The full moon was approaching that coming Monday, and Remus was already a little on edge. It did not help that exams were also that week, and he was determined to ace every class in order to secure the Gryffindor prefect badge for which he was hoping. Only Mia knew about his ambition to become a prefect; he confessed it to her late one night while the two sat in the common room, flames flickering gently in the fireplace in front of them while he lazily linked their fingers together with one hand, using his free one to draw soft circles on her shoulders.

He had told her how he felt the need to prove he was a real wizard because the world would never see him as one. She had frowned and tried to ease his frustrations as she was prone to do, making him promises that one day he would be a great duellist, able to fight off all manner of Dark wizards and even creatures like dementors. Remus had chuckled at her vivid imagination and insisted that he would be happy to have a calm life after Hogwarts with a job if he was lucky. Becoming a prefect and being one of the top students was his life goal—to show that being a werewolf did not make him any less knowledgeable in magic.

He had never told anyone else his worries like that, not even his parents.

He trusted Mia with anything.

"Of course I trust you." Remus gave her a nervous smile, staring at the goblet in her hands as she held it out toward him. He peered into the viscous grey liquid; blue smoke wafted ominously off of the top of the surface. He trusted her, especially with potions, but that did not rule out her having something devious up her sleeve, and Remus always liked to be prepared. Plus . . . ominously wafting smoke.

"Then take it," she pleaded with him, and he raised a brow at the genuine expression on her face. "Every day for a week before the moon."

Remus very nearly jumped away from the potion at the mention of the moon, suddenly much more nervous than before. It was one thing to maybe slip him a joke potion that turned his hair a different colour. There was also the time when she dared the Marauders to take a Laugh-Inducing Potion in the middle of Transfiguration and then placed bets on who would get detention first—Peter had.

But to take a potion that she was hinting had something to do with the moon?

"Mia, I know you're good at potions but—"

"Remus, please."

He could actually see tears forming in the corners of her eyes and the sight made his chest tighten. He really could not stand it when she cried.

"I know it's difficult for you to trust people when it comes to your lycanthropy. I know that you struggle in letting me help you."

Remus scoffed. That was an understatement; he had barely allowed her back into the hospital wing since they had started dating at the beginning of the year. Even then, she had only healed him the once.

"But I want—I need you to do this for me. Please take this potion." She was begging him now, and something about the way the word "please" fell off her lips sent a primal vibration through his chest.

She held the goblet out to him again. "This one tonight, and then again every night until the moon."

He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent to try and ground him. That scent used to send him into a frenzy, but now that he was allowed to hold her hand, to brush the hair from her neck and breathe her in whenever he wanted, it calmed him. It also helped that her scent was no longer mingled with Sirius's—just his. Remus would certainly lie about it if she ever asked him, but when she hugged him tightly, he would rub his cheek against hers on instinct, scent marking her as his own.

"I trust you," he said, reaching for the goblet. Her eyes brightened so much that her irises changed from brown to a shade of amber that caught him completely by surprise. If he had not known her scent so well, he might have actually assumed someone had Polyjuiced themselves as Mia, and the potion was wearing off. Just in case, he waited a few seconds, watching her intently.

Her eyes returned to her usual chocolate colour, and he sighed in relief.

"Thank you." She smiled sweetly and kissed his cheek.

Remus nodded, shaking his head and blinking his eyes rapidly, wondering if he was seeing things. He brought the goblet to his lips, drinking it down in one large gulp, figuring that if he got it over with quickly he would have less of a chance to let his nerves get the better of him.

The second the liquid fell into his mouth, though, he almost gagged on it. Forcing it down his throat, he grimaced, swallowed, then turned to her as though she had just smacked him. He coughed, trying very hard not to vomit, and dropped the goblet, kicking it away from him. "Ugh, I trusted you! That tasted like . . . like . . ." But there was no comparison.

"Like licking the inside of the Sorting Hat?" Mia offered.

Remus's eyes widened, and he nodded.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Can't seem to make it any better. But you still have to take it."

June 24th, 1975

"Where's Mia?" Remus yelled as he burst into the nearly empty Gryffindor common room.

After waking up in the Shrieking Shack following the full moon, Remus had made his way through the tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow at unheard of speeds. Still slow and aching, but he was not limping, bleeding, or on the verge of blacking out. When Madam Pomfrey was not looking, he snatched three phials of Invigoration Draught, tossing them back like they were shots of firewhisky before he darted out of the infirmary against the mediwitch's instructions.

The students were leaving Hogwarts for the summer that morning, and he had originally planned to leave by Portkey later that afternoon once he was feeling better.

But this could not wait.

"Well, look at you, Moony." Sirius grinned as he walked down the stairs, his broom slung over his shoulder.

Everyone else in Gryffindor Tower had likely left early that morning, trunks all packed and ready to go, but James and Sirius had mentioned the day before that they were wanting to have one more fly around the pitch to celebrate another year of winning the Quidditch Cup, though Gryffindor still lost the House Cup when James had lost fifty points after he had been caught glueing rat traps to the floor outside the Slytherin common room.

Sirius set his broom down at the foot of the stairs next to his trunk, which had been covered by an assortment of stickers and logos of Muggle bands he had become obsessed with over the years. "You're all up and looking less like shit than you did last month. Hey, Prongs!" he called up the stairs. "Come check this out! Moony doesn't look like he recently threw up."

James rushed down the stairs, broom in hand and robes hanging open loosely over his red and gold Quidditch jersey, wand tucked behind his ear. "Wow. You look . . ." James paused, tilting his head to the side as he stared at Remus. "More healthy, less sane? What's got your tail in a twist?"

"I've used that one before," Sirius muttered to James.

"Fine," James huffed. "What's got your paw in a . . ."

"Pickle?" Sirius offered.

"Thank you, Mr Padfoot," James smirked.

"You're very welcome, Mr Prongs."

"Will you two idiots shut up?" Remus growled. "Where's Mia?"

Sirius stuck out his lower lip in a pout. "Apparently morning Moony is a prickish Moony, Prongs."

"Indeed he is, Padfoot," James tutted while shaking his head disapprovingly.

Remus took in a slow deep breath, not having the patience for their usual antics. "Tell me where Mia is," he began slowly, "or I'll go and tell Lily that you're the one who stole all of her books and wrote 'Mrs James Potter' in them."

James laughed mockingly, listing up the sleeve of his robe with a proud grin. "Nice try, mate, she already knows that. I've got the scar from her stinging hex to prove it."

Remus growled and ran his hands through his shaggy hair in frustration. "Why are you two being so difficult?"

"Not sure," James admitted casually. "Might be your reactions, if I'm being honest. I'm feeling very provoked into the need to fuck with your head a little right now." He chuckled, and Sirius joined in.

Remus turned and snarled at them, actually feeling it when his eyes flashed gold.

They immediately stopped laughing, though neither looked actually frightened. Four years of watching Remus fold his socks had left his friends less than intimidated by him.

"Okay, okay," James conceded. "Why do you need to see my sister?"

"She's been feeding me a potion all week," Remus admitted, trying to calm himself down.

"What potion?" Sirius asked.

Remus sighed. "I'm not sure. She didn't tell me what it was called."

"You took a potion from your girlfriend without finding out what it's called?" Sirius gaped at him.

Remus refused to make eye contact. "I know, I know."

"Better yet, you took a potion from Mia without finding out anything about it?" James asked, looking horrified. Growling werewolf? No problem. Potentially poisonous sister? Everyone on alert. "You do remember The Great Rainbow Explosion of 1974?"

"Or the Laugh-Inducing Potion she dared us to drink?" Sirius chimed in.

"Or the Exploding Potion she flushed down the second-floor girls' bathroom?"

"Pretty sure that was us, mate," Sirius said thoughtfully.

"Oh, yeah." James nodded with a nostalgic smile. "But what about the Babbling Beverage she slipped Peter last Spring? He's still not allowed within ten feet of the Hufflepuff table."

"Or the prefects' bathroom," Sirius continued.

"Remember when Macdonald punched him in the face?"

"Knocked out one of his teeth." Sirius laughed at the memory. "Remember how we told him we could fix it with a Sticking Charm, Prongs?"

"But we put it in backwards!" the two said at the same time, leaning on one another as they burst into laughter.

"Hey!" Remus shouted. "Can we reminisce about Peter's miseries later? The bloody potion she gave me. . . it kept me there!"

Sirius blinked, confused. "Kept you where?"

"Kept me . . ." Remus sighed and collapsed onto the large sofa; he could smell her scent all over it. "It kept me present. I was there, in control. For the most part."

"I don't understand," James said as he moved over and took a seat next to him. Sirius leant against the empty fireplace, arms crossed over his chest, one foot crossed over the other.

"When I transform, I become the wolf," Remus explained. "The wolf takes over completely. I'm still there, but it's like watching from behind the scenes while someone else takes control of my body. I barely remember anything each month because it's like I'm not even really present, but last night I was there."

He looked up at his friends, who both stared at him with wide, interested eyes. "Last night was . . ." Remus's voice trailed away as he remembered.

He had been taken out to the Whomping Willow as usual and had turned back to see Mia smiling at him from the doorway of the castle, a hopeful look in her eyes that made him feel genuinely nervous. She had not told him any more about the potion the rest of the week but still forced him to drink the nasty stuff each day leading up to the full moon, including that night.

Slipping beneath the willow, Remus made the stressful walk to the Shrieking Shack. Once there, he fell into his usual routine of undressing and taking in slow, deep breaths as the moon began to rise.

His skin had itched badly, and it felt like he needed to scratch it all the way down to the bones. A heat washed over his body, and he could feel the blood pumping through his veins, throbbing as it flooded his head, toppling him to the ground where his knees buckled and the shift began to take place. Pain. Always pain. Excruciating pain as his bones shifted, elongating until some of them broke, only to heal themselves back in place moments later. His muscles tore, adjusted, and repaired themselves, and the skin of his back split open to accommodate the shape of his secondary form. Fur, both soft and coarse, pushed its way through his skin, and his face elongated into a snout at the same time as his hands fell to the ground heavily, shifting into large paws.

Normally, the wolf would have taken over, searching for a way out—searching for something to kill, something to tear at, and—lately—something to take, to claim, to fuck.

Of course, trapped in the Shrieking Shack, there was nothing and no one, at which point the wolf would usually turn his frustrations on himself. It had been horrifying over the years to watch from behind the eyes of the creature as its desires changed. It had been one of the reasons Remus insisted on not getting too physical with Mia. He worried that one day the wolf would take over completely and there would be nothing Remus could do to stop him from hurting her.

But last night . . . the wolf was in the back and Remus at the front.

He had sat there in the shack, smelling the air and looking around, waiting for the wolf to begin tearing into his own flesh angrily when attempts to escape failed—but nothing happened. He had stood up on his hind legs, stretching to look through the cracks in a boarded-up window where he gazed up at the moon that still called to but did not dominate him.

"I was fully in control," Remus admitted quietly, reverently. "I mean, I transformed and everything like normal, but it was like I could see with my own eyes and move willingly."

"Merlin," James whispered, shocked by the revelation. "And Mia—"

"I need to know where she is, Prongs," Remus said, looking up at his friend desperately.

"She left early with Evans for the train," James answered immediately. "We stuck around to wait for you."

"Well, I'm here now." Remus leapt from the sofa and made for the portrait hole quickly. "Let's go!"

Lily helped some of the first years with their luggage, purposely trying to get the attention of the current prefects and Head Boy and Girl as though their opinions mattered on who would become prefects the following year.

Mia, meanwhile, turned her gaze over the horizon at the castle in the distance, worrying her lip between her teeth as she nervously thought of Remus, praying to Merlin that she had not botched the potion. She was terrified something had gone wrong, and he would be furious with her for tampering with something so very sensitive.

Trying to distract her thoughts, Mia helped a second year Hufflepuff try to wrangle his owl back into its cage.

"Mia, I thought you said Remus wasn't feeling well today?" Lily asked.

"What?" Mia blinked, looking up at Lily. "He's not well. He was in the hospital wing last I heard."

Lily pointed behind Mia. "Well, he doesn't look very sick. He's running toward us."

"What?" Mia gasped and turned quickly.

Lily was right; Remus was at full sprint. James and Sirius trailed behind, unable to keep up with him despite it being just hours post-moon.

Mia's eyes widened at the sight of him looking so good, and she wondered what the hell she had done to the potion to get these results. Wolfsbane had never done anything like this to Future Remus, at least not that she knew of.

He continued to rush forward, his eyes fixed on her, and Mia swallowed nervously as he closed the distance between them, panting, with sweat on his brow. He must have run the whole way down from the castle.

She worried that he would yell at her, call her a know-it-all, or tell her to mind her own business from now on. She was terrified that he would say he could no longer trust her, break her heart, and tell her how dare she stick her nose where it did not belong.

"Remus, I can explain . . ." she began to say, but he swallowed the rest of her sentence as he crushed his mouth over hers, kissing her soundly.

He had not waited patiently, silently requesting permission, like Sirius had done. Remus took immediate advantage of the way her lips parted in a shocked gasp, and he invaded hungrily, moaning and growling against her lips, and the sounds vibrated in her throat, tickling. Cold shivers quickly transformed into heated waves that travelled over her entire body.

His kiss was like throwing a rock into the Black Lake: a deep plunge in the centre and then watching as the effects rippled outward, reaching the bank of sand and rocks the way that his kiss reached all the way to her toes.

At first, she could scarcely hear the whistles and cheers from the students surrounding them, but when her hearing fully returned to her, she blushed in realisation of where they were. She gasped for air the moment that Remus let her go, but he did not move far, pressing his forehead against hers and gazing deep into her eyes.

"I love you," he said before she got her breath back.

Her heart swelled at the words, and she had to blink away the tears forming in her eyes to make sure it was really him standing in front of her. She reached her hands up and touched his stubbly cheeks, relishing the sudden feel of his hands buried in the thick of her hair.

It really was Remus.

And Remus had kissed her.

And Remus loved her.

"You are brilliant and wonderful and absolutely perfect, little witch." Remus grinned brightly, his eyes flashing gold. "And I love you."

Her voice was shaky when she quietly asked, "It worked?"

Remus laughed and kissed her again, this time less desperate and hungry, but she could feel his smile against her lips. She was not surprised at all and could not help but return his smile when she realised that he tasted like chocolate. She let out a laugh as he picked her up into his arms and spun her around joyfully.

"Ahem!"

Remus and Mia broke apart to turn, red-faced, toward an approaching James.

"Took you long enough, Moony!" Sirius hollered from behind him.

"Lily." Remus turned and looked down at his friend with pleading eyes. "I would never under any other circumstances ask this of you, but . . ."

"Ugh." Lily frowned. "You want me to distract Potter, don't you? Fine, but I can't guarantee he'll be returned with all present attachments." She wielded her wand for emphasis as she pushed her way between Remus and Mia to present herself in front of James, who almost missed her while he was staring down his sister and friend.

"Potter? Could . . . Could you . . . Oh God. Could you sit with me on the train?" Lily's voice was tight, her words sounding like they were being pushed through clenched teeth. "I'd really like you to explain Quidditch to me."

Without prelude, James dropped to his knees, looking up at her with deep admiration. "I knew it! I knew if I just kept at it, you'd realise how much you love me!"

"Shut up, you great bloody prat! I do not love you!"

"Marry me!" James implored, arms wide open as though he fully expected her to fall into them willingly.

"This day just gets better and better," Sirius noted aloud, a truly pleased look on his face.

Lily turned and glared at Remus, who was already halfway onto the train, gripping Mia's hand tightly. They both offered Lily an apologetic smile, silently declaring that they owed her. She nodded in reply, presumably calculating the massive interest that was instantly accumulating on this favour for her friends.

Remus rushed down the centre of the train, making his way back to the last compartment, generally reserved for the Marauders. Though they did not have an actual stake of claim on the carriage, it was always empty after Sirius started a rumour that the boys had placed a Pimple Jinx on the compartment that would target anyone entering it without the Marauders' permission.

The couple entered and found Peter already sitting there.

"Hey, Remus, I didn't think you were going to be—"

"Get out."

Peter's eyes widened, and he responded quickly by standing up and moving to the door, keeping his eyes on Remus the entire time.

Remus broke for a few moments and sighed, "Just give us a half-hour, mate," he said with a slightly softened tone.

"An hour," Mia amended.

Remus immediately reacted, grinning. "An hour."

Peter flushed red and turned quickly, closing the door behind him.

The moment he was gone, Remus turned swiftly, cupping Mia's cheek in his hand and bringing his lips down to hers, kissing her sweetly and gently, trying to communicate his gratitude without words. Her potion had kept him awake, alive, and in control for the first full moon since he was four years old. He had spent the night in silence, finding no need to howl or whimper. He had wanted to sleep but could not. He was finally able to experience his wolf form with purpose and control. It was there in the shack, bathed in the light of the moon, that Remus knew he had to kiss her, even if it was just the once.

But kissing her was addictive. She made him feel like a wizard, a human—like a man.

The wolf lingered still in the background of his mind, urging him to grip her harder, hold her tighter, closer—Devour her!—but Remus held back. He was more man than wolf, and she had proven that to him. He did, however, whimper when she pulled away from him for a moment, but she smiled at his complaint and then aimed her wand at the door.

"Muffliato, Colloportus!" she said before drawing down the window shades.

Remus swallowed hard at both the Silencing Spell and the Locking Spell.

"Do you really think Lily can keep James distracted?" Mia asked, her cheeks pink.

"He proposed marriage to her in front of at least fifty other students. I think she'll last maybe ten minutes," he admitted honestly. Telling Peter to take off for an hour had been highly optimistic and incredibly unrealistic.

"Ten minutes." Mia nodded and pressed her hands against his chest, letting the bench behind him buckle his knees forward until he was sitting, and she was pulled down with him, trapped tenderly in his arms, her legs draped over his, and her feet kicked up on the edge of the seat.

Remus grinned and leant in, pressing a soft and significant kiss to her mouth.

He placed gentle and sweet kisses along her jawline, trailing down to her pulse point where he hesitated, trying to fight off—but ultimately giving in to—the need to suck at her skin. He was tender, placing an open-mouthed kiss on her neck, letting his tongue linger on the skin and tasting her for the first time. He let out a deep growl and it rumbled in his chest; he then groaned as a mewling sound escaped her swollen, parted lips. His hands roamed up her back, holding her tighter to him as he traced her collarbone with his mouth, a voice in the back of his mind urging, Keep going. More. Ours.

But that voice was drowned out when Mia leant close, brushing her lips against the shell of his ear, whispering, "I love you."

He paused as the declaration hit him, and he vaguely recalled telling her the same thing just outside the train right after he kissed her. Remus had not expected to say it out loud, but the words would not be contained. He certainly had not expected her to return the sentiment, and now that she had, he sat back looking at her in shock and awe, a part of him waiting for her to take it back and apologise immediately.

She did not.

She smiled at him and touched his face and looked into his eyes as though he were worth more than all the gold she had at Gringotts. As a Potter, he assumed she had a hell of a lot. She looked at him like he was worth a damn, like he was suddenly, somehow, miraculously worthy of her.

He said nothing else but kissed her once more, chastely, and nuzzled his nose into the side of her neck, exhaling slowly to calm himself down.

"Are you okay?" she whispered.

Remus smiled and pulled away from her to place a kiss on her brow. "I don't think I've ever been more okay in my entire life," he replied quietly, stroking her cheek gently with his thumb. "You tip everything upside-down. I was never meant to have friends. You changed that. I was never supposed to be close to someone like this; was never supposed to be properly conscious and in control under the moon. No one was ever supposed to . . ."

"I love you, Remus. You are so very much supposed to be loved."

He pressed his forehead against hers gently and closed his eyes, focusing on the moment and freezing it somewhere in the back of his memory so he could review it again during times of stress and sadness. "You changed everything, Mia."

He felt her stiffen at his words and could hear her inhale sharply. Remus's eyes opened to look up at her staring down at him as though she were looking for something specific inside of him. "What is it? What's wrong?"

She shook her head frantically, almost looking like she would cry at any moment.

"Mia? Did I do something wrong?" He was beginning to panic but let out a small sigh of relief when she shook her head again and smiled, although tears still lingered in her eyes.

"I haven't changed anything. You can't change what's meant to be." She began to worry her bottom lip between her teeth. "I'm just doing what I'm supposed to, Remus. I have to enjoy my life. I ended up being very lucky that you're such a big part of that life."

She looked like she was holding something back as she brushed the hair from his forehead affectionately and whispered, "Please always be a part of my life."

"Breaking up with me already?" he joked, but a part of him was terrified. "Am I that bad of a kisser?"

Mia threw her head back and laughed.

"Remus, you are such a good kisser that I could probably snog you for the next thirty years, but it would eventually get awkward. I'm just saying . . . we never know what the future has in store, and I want to make sure that, no matter what, you'll always be in my life. My best friend."

"So you're not breaking up with me?" he asked, seriously this time.

"No, you prat! I just want you to know what I feel for you, that I love you . . . and it goes beyond this relationship. You are a part of me, and that started long ago—long before I ever met you on this train," she admitted, leaning down to feather her lips lightly against his own.

"I promise. Always in your life."

She let out a long sigh of relief.

"Now that we're not breaking up," Remus remarked with a chuckle, "I need to lie down."

She raised an amused brow. "My lips too much for you?"

"Your lips are a great many things, and I look forward to discovering them all. Unfortunately, the full moon was last night," he reminded her, shifting her from his lap and then tipping backward to lie down on the bench. "I'm needing at least another six hours of sleep."

"I meant to ask about that," Mia said, curious. "The potion was meant to keep you alert and in control, but you look—or at least you did until just now—like nothing happened at all."

"Oh, your potion did what it was supposed to, I guess," he admitted, yawning. "But I needed to see you today, so I sneaked out of the infirmary after downing three phials of Invigoration Draught."

"Three?!" She blinked down at him, wide-eyed as he fell unconscious. "Remus Lupin!" But he only snored softly in response. She let out a frustrated sigh, making plans to scold him later for self-medicating.

Just then, there was a loud bang on the door, and Mia rolled her eyes and aimed her wand at it. "Finite Incantatem!"

James was the first to burst through the door, a dangerous look in his eyes, hair standing on end more than normal as though he had been recently electrocuted.

Mia gaped at him as he walked into the compartment.

Sirius followed close behind, grinning at Remus's supine form. "Wore him out did you, kitten?"

James punched him and then turned his gaze on Mia. "What happened in here?"

"What happened to your hair?" Mia countered with a raised brow.

Sirius cleared his throat, holding back another laugh. "Let's just say Evans is going to take some time to think about Prongs's proposal of marriage."

Chapter Text

Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live
Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Show me how big your brave is
(Brave - Sara Bareilles)

June 24th, 1975

"My dad wants to take me camping for the next few weeks," Remus said as he held Mia's hand, helping her off of the train with a smile.

He had slept for six hours of the ride, just as he said he needed, and he looked well rested for it. Mia had sat in her seat during the trip back to King's Cross Station with Remus's feet in her lap, which forced James, Sirius, and Peter to sit on one side of the compartment together. She finished reading a book on ancient runes that Remus had bought her, while James and Peter played a game of Exploding Snap—which Remus slept through soundly—and Sirius flipped through an old subscription of a Muggle motorcycle magazine.

"Owl me when you get home then. I'll start brewing the potion the minute I get to the manor, and you can come and take it home with you. Or," Mia offered with a smile, "take it at our house. We could set up some strong wards in the orchards by the river. You wouldn't be stuck in a—"

"I'm used to cages. And I wouldn't want to risk being so close to you." He pulled her gently into his arms and kissed her temple. She could feel him relax a bit as her arms wrapped around his waist. His soft chuckle was quiet, but she felt the vibrations in his chest. "But I will absolutely take you up on that potion again."

"James! Mia!"

"It's my parents. Come on!" Mia tugged on Remus's hand. "You'll have to come to our place first anyways since you skipped your Portkey," she insisted and watched as Remus winced. "Already forgot about that, did you?"

Before Remus could say another word, Dorea was right in the thick of the group, pulling Mia and James into hugs. She took one step back to look at James's hair, which still had not calmed down after Lily zapped him. "Oh my goodness."

"Isn't it hilarious?" Sirius asked, grinning widely.

Dorea stared at the mess and winced as she tried to pat it down. "And how is the young Miss Evans?"

"That's the future Mrs James Potter," James declared, not deterred in the slightest.

"How bad was it?" Dorea asked Sirius, Mia, and Remus.

Sirius laughed loudly.

"He proposed," Mia said, trying to lace her fingers through Remus's even as he tried to awkwardly shake her grip off in front of her parents.

Charlus frowned. "Again?"

"This time it was in front of the whole train," Sirius continued, laughing. "She hit him with a hex I've never even seen before."

"Static Jinx, actually," Mia supplied. "She invented it herself."

Sirius grinned. "Muggles are great."

"Remus." Dorea smiled and leant in to kiss his cheek affectionately. "Can't tell you how happy Charlus and I are about this." She gestured to Mia and Remus's hands with a bright smile on her face.

"We are?" Charlus raised a brow but then immediately looked guilty when Dorea turned and narrowed her grey eyes at him. He cleared his throat and nodded, shoving his hands into the pockets of his robes. "Oh yes, certainly. Good match. Shall we be off?"

They all stepped after Charlus, heading toward the line for the Floo when a voice called Remus's name loudly from behind them.

Remus and Mia both turned, spotting Mr Lupin looking haggard and dressed in what appeared like hand-me-down robes. He had a stern expression on his face, and Remus let go of Mia's hand the moment his father's eyes fell on them.

"I'm sorry," Remus said as his father approached. "I know I was supposed to take the Portkey, but I ended up on the train, and there wasn't a way to owl, and I fell asleep—"

"It's fine," Mr Lupin said roughly. "Let's go; your mother's in the car."

"You have a car?" Charlus and Sirius asked at the same, their eyes bright and interested.

"Erm . . . yes. My wife is a Muggle," Mr Lupin answered with a frown, wearing an expression on his face that said he was prepared for someone to belittle him over his choice of spouse. When the Potters all smiled at him as though his announcement were less interesting than the fact that he owned an automobile, he visibly relaxed a little and cleared his throat.

"Thank you for looking after the . . . the boy." He gestured to Remus but refused to make physical contact with him.

Mia growled quietly to herself at the sight, watching her recently confident boyfriend shrink in the shadow of his father. It reminded her far too much of seeing Lucius Malfoy and Draco. She knew Lyall Lupin was not any sort of Death Eater; he was just a confused man who didn't understand how wonderful his son was.

"Say goodbye to your friends," Mr Lupin instructed. "Professor Dumbledore already sent your things back to the cottage."

Remus nodded and turned to quickly clasp hands with James and Sirius, smiling as Dorea leant in and hugged him gently. Charlus held out his hand to the boy, and Remus nervously took it with a sad smile. Clearly without thinking, Remus smiled at Mia and leant down, placing a chaste kiss to her lips and hugging her tightly.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear, and she smiled brightly at the words.

"I love you too," she reminded him, her gaze drifting to Mr Lupin, who stood behind them looking positively horrified by either what he had just seen or heard or both.

"Remus, let's go right now," the man insisted, and Remus nodded politely, giving a regretful glance back to the Potters before following as his father quickly departed King's Cross Station through the Muggle exit.

Charlus cleared his throat as he looked at his daughter nervously. "Soo . . . the Lupin boy, hmm?" he asked with a raised brow that made him look far too much like James when he was trying to be serious in an awkward situation.

Mia chuckled at the sight as she realised Harry did the same thing. She grabbed her trunk and began following after her family, rolling her eyes at her father. "He's a perfect gentleman."

"Yeah, he very gentlemanly snogged her in front of the entire train." Sirius smirked, and his grin only widened when Mia glared at him.

"Was this before or after James proposed to the Evans girl?" Dorea asked as though this were common conversation, her relaxed face the very opposite of Charlus's, who looked to be nearing a coronary.

"Before. Pretty sure Evans was a strategic move on Remus's part. Mate loves wizard's chess, and he knows how to handle pawns." Sirius chuckled, practically skipping past his own parents with indifference as they greeted his brother warmly—or with as much warmth as Walburga and Orion Black could muster.

"Evans is not a pawn!" James snapped.

"I didn't say she was the pawn."

Charlus pouted. "I don't like it."

"Charlus," Dorea scolded, not even looking at her husband. "Mia dear, make sure to owl Remus and his parents when we get home. We'll have them all over for dinner sometime this summer. Get to know them."

"I will." Mia smiled sadly, thinking of the moon the following month. "They're going to be camping for a few weeks though and then Remus has . . . a prior engagement. So I wouldn't expect anything until July or August."

July 14th, 1975

While Mia had not expected to see Remus for another month or so, she had thought he would have owled her or fire-called her at the very least to let her know that he and his family had made it home. He had done so every year since meeting her, so when Mia woke each morning and no letter had arrived, she became more and more worried. She tried placing a fire-call to the Lupin Cottage—a place she would later know as The Den—but their Floo Network was blocked. James and Sirius tried to cheer her up, insisting that there was no way Remus would just ignore her and that he was probably in some far away wilderness with his dad on an extended camping trip with no access to owls or the Floo.

Lily's letters helped some.

Dear Mia,

Before I ask for details regarding your film (it's a Muggle thing, I'll show you sometime) worthy kiss with a young Mr Lupin, I need to let you know that your brother mentioned something about wanting to give me his mother's ring, so please watch him. I will not be the motivation behind his theft of your family's heirlooms.

Now, about my two favourite bookworms. I was under the impression that you two kept your displays of affection in private, but that kiss was something else! The whole train was talking about it. I tried to keep the gossip to a minimum, I promise.

Strangers are one thing, but your friends are another. Mary is staying with me for the summer, and she's begging me for details too inappropriate for me to even write.

Let me know if we're still coming to your house this summer to have another river picnic. I'll bring pop for you to try. It's like cold, fizzy butterbeer.

Love,

Lils

Dear Lily,

First of all, my mother offers you thanks in regards to the whereabouts of Grandmother Black's opal ring that did, in fact, go missing the first day we got home. James is now missing his broomstick, which was confiscated from him and is being held ransom until he writes you a letter of apology, so let me know when that happens.

Tell Mary that the details of my private relationship are just that—private; also, the only details of said relationship were in plain view in front of the train. That was, in fact, our first kiss, followed swiftly by our second and third and then our fourth, fifth, and so on once we actually boarded the train.

Thank you for your great sacrifice of distracting my brother. I know it was a bother to you, but it did give me the opportunity to tell Remus that I loved him without a pestering older sibling ready to poke fun at our expense.

Speaking of Remus . . . he hasn't written. I think something's wrong. His dad met him at King's Cross and looked so very angry. I don't think he knew about our relationship, and he was clearly upset about it.

Not sure about the river this year. If Remus doesn't write me soon, I doubt I'll be in much of a mood to celebrate anything.

Love,

Mia

PS: I know what films and pop are.

Dear Mia,

Your brother's letter arrived this morning. Please tell your mother he can have his stupid broom back, but I am enclosing his "apology" so that perhaps your parents can see the type of ludicrous things I have to put up with on a daily basis from him. And, though you would be a wonderful sister, (and I would love to replace Petunia with you; she's being an arse lately) my answer to his continual proposal is still a resounding: Over my dead body!

I'm sorry to hear about Remus. Has he written yet? I'm sure it's nothing. He told me before that he goes camping with his dad a lot, and I doubt they'd bring an owl along unless for emergencies.

We've all known that you both were in love for a long time, but it's so sweet to know that you finally admitted it to each other! Mary is positively beside herself and wants to know when you'll get married and start popping out lots of little Lupins! I told her that our Mia was going to have a proper career and not end up someone's little house witch.

Let me know immediately when he writes you.

Love,

Lils

PS: Of course you know what films and pop are. Can you, Madam Muggle, please educate the rest of pureblood Wizarding society? Is it too much to ask that people don't look at me like I'm speaking Martian when I mention a telephone?

PPS: A telephone is a machine that we use to communicate, similar to fire-calling only without sticking your head in a Floo.

July 24th, 1975

The Potter family—currently sans Sirius, who had been required to return to Grimmauld Place at the beginning of July—was comfortably enjoying the late evening, listening to the Wizarding Wireless Network that played instrumental music. Charlus and James were engaged in a game of wizard's chess while Dorea and Mia each had a book in hand.

When the green flames burst through the fireplace, everyone turned to see a dishevelled Remus step out, not bothering to dust the soot from his weathered robes.

Mia rushed forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him tight. "Where have you been? Why haven't you written me?" she cried, pulling away to examine his face as though she were looking for injuries—a long-term habit she had kept after being in a war.

Remus, for some reason, was doing the same to her. "You're okay?"

He was panting hard, panic evident in his tired eyes. Mia could tell that he had not slept for some time. She had known that the full moon was the night before, and she had been so worried because Remus had not even written to collect the Wolfsbane Potion she had brewed for him.

"You're not hurt?" he asked, touching her cheeks and looking over her shoulders and her arms. "You're not . . . ? You didn't . . . ?"

"I'm fine, love."

Without another word, Remus sighed in relief and fell to the ground, his knees colliding with the floor as he buried his head in his hands to cover the shame on his face.

"Remus?" Mia whispered, moving to touch his shoulder, but he flinched away from her.

"Mia, darling, let's go fix some tea for our guest," Dorea said politely as she stood. As James and Charlus glanced up at the witches, Dorea gave them a sharp look that said, Take care of this!

Remus looked up just in time to see Mia disappear through a door. His first instinct was to assume that her mother did not want her near him. He had not even looked at himself in a mirror since waking up after the moon. Merlin, he must look a fright.

"Moony," James whispered, kneeling down beside him. "Moony . . . Remus, what happened, mate? Mia said you were supposed to write her over a week ago. She's been beside herself, a right nightmare worrying about you."

"I-I couldn't . . . My dad." Remus frowned and looked up at Mia's father, who stared down at him with concern written on his face. "Sir, I . . . I'm sorry to just burst into your home like this, it was very . . . very impolite of me."

"He really is a gentleman. Come sit down, son." Mr Potter nodded to the chair that his wife had left unoccupied. "Let's have us a little chat about my daughter and why you were so worried she'd been hurt in your absence."

Remus turned a panicked eye to James, who nodded at him. "You've got to have more than your mates in your corner, Moony. You have to learn to trust people."

"Is this about the werewolf business?" Mr Potter asked, and both Remus and James turned and stared at him, utterly astounded. "What? You think Dorea and I didn't know? Son, I read the papers, and I might not leave the house too often, but I still have Ministry contacts. I remember hearing about your attack. They kept it out of the Prophet sure, but I remember hearing rumours and stories because your father went and made a bit of a name for himself. Plus, you're on the registry." Mr Potter sighed, reaching a hand out and patting Remus on the back when he flinched at the mention of the registry. "It's a right load of rubbish, but it's there for those who go looking for it. Dorea goes looking for a lot of things."

Remus started taking in short quick breaths. "But I . . . But you . . ."

"But you thought we'd come chasing after you with lit torches and pitchforks?" Mr Potter raised a brow. "Slow and deep," he advised with a smile, patting Remus on the back again. "You'll pass out soon if you don't calm down, lad. Might be a little embarrassing if Mia comes back in here and sees you out cold on the floor. She'd think one of us did you in. Can't have that, now can we?"

"With all due respect sir, how could you let your daughter date a werewolf?"

"I didn't know she was dating one until we saw the two of you at King's Cross. Of course, Dorea knew. She knows everything, she does. Cheeky witch."

"And now?" Remus asked. "Now that you know?"

Mr Potter gave him a look that was a bit intimidating. James tried to copy the expression but failed miserably and ended up just looking confused.

"Son, I'm more concerned with you being a teenage wizard than I am about you being a werewolf."

Having the good sense to blush and avert his eyes, Remus panicked for a completely different reason. His anxiety did not fade much, even when Mr Potter and James started chuckling.

"Now, before I get to deliver a speech I've been preparing for the day my daughter brought home a boy," Mr Potter began, sitting up straight with a look of mild excitement, "I still want to know why you came Flooing into my house in such a panic."

Remus frowned, shame filling him up as he remembered the nauseating fear that felt like it had permeated his every cell. "My Dad saw me . . . He saw me kiss Mia goodbye. I was stupid and foolish and selfish. Last night was the full moon, and I came over as quick as I could. I had to wait until my parents . . ." He cleared his throat and whispered, "Until my parents let me out."

"You thought Mia'd be a werewolf?" James gaped at him in confusion and concern "Why? Did you bite her?"

"No!" Remus shouted, his eyes wide, horrified by the suggestion. "But I . . . Prongs, you saw what I did!"

James blinked and laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "You kissed her. No offence mate, it was right disgusting to watch, but last I checked, a little snogging does not a werewolf make."

"My Dad always told me . . ." Remus began with a frown. "He said that I could never . . . And he worked for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures; he would know, wouldn't he?" Looking between James and Mr Potter, he felt something heavy sink into his stomach. "Wouldn't he?"

Mr Potter frowned and sat forward, leaning his elbows on his knees as he met Remus's gaze. "Did you know that there are some pureblood families that think Muggle-borns actually have mud in their veins?"

Remus scoffed. "That's preposterous."

"It is just as preposterous to think that a werewolf can infect someone every other day of the month save for one. And that's for less than twelve hours. Not even half a day. I'm sure my daughter could tell you the actual percentage of when you're actually dangerous—"

"Roughly 1.643835616438356 percent if we're basing it on a year of three-hundred and sixty-five days," Mia said, standing in the doorway beside her mother, cups and teapot in hand.

Remus let out a breath and wiped the back of his hand across his eyes. "Mia."

She ignored him and looked up at her mother. "I'd have to also factor in leap years and the occasions of blue moon occurrences. Do we have any Arithmancy books I haven't read yet?"

Remus let out a laugh as though he had been holding one in for a long time.

Mia sighed as she placed the cups and teapot on a nearby table, kneeling down in front of Remus, taking his hands within her own. "I've told you repeatedly, I am not afraid of you. You will not infect me. You will not hurt me. How was last night?"

"Worst moon of my life," he admitted and turned to the side, showing a new scar that ran the length of his cheek. "I was so worried about you."

He exhaled slowly, frowning at how tiny her hands were in his. Our job, Sirius had said, Our job to protect her. Remus had thought he failed.

"All right, ladies." Mr Potter stood up, groaning as he stretched his arms above his head. He gently took Mia by the arm, helping her to stand before shooing her back toward her mother with a gesture. "Back out of the room. Now that this sad business is over with and the boy is on his way to being happy again, I need to make sure he's not ever too happy."

Mrs Potter rolled her eyes. "Charlus, you're being a little ridiculous."

"I already gave him a good speech, Dad." James said with a grin. "Besides, it's not like he's anything like Sirius."

Mr Potter laughed. "Thank Merlin for that."

"That reminds me," Mia said with a mischievous smirk and pulled an envelope from her pocket, passing it over to her mother. "Lily wanted me to show you the kind of letters that Jamie writes her."

"Mia, no!" James jumped from his seat and dove for the envelope, falling short as Mrs Potter held it over her head at the last minute, allowing him to collapse face-first into the carpet.

"Oh James, darling." She frowned as she read the letter that James had apparently sent Lily. "Your spelling and penmanship are atrocious and as . . . alluring as Miss Evans's eyes are, no girl wants to hear that her stare reminds a boy of the grass beneath a Quidditch pitch." Sighing loudly, she handed the letter to her mortified son. "Take this and try again."

James blinked. "What?"

"I said go to your room, get out some parchment, and try again. Leave out all comparisons of her attributes to sports, and learn more than one way to tell a girl she's beautiful." She shook her head in disappointment. "And stop talking about yourself. Humility is a virtue in young men who all too often appear overly confident."

"Sirius is overly-confident, and he always gets the girls," James said, pouting as he took the letter. Remus wondered if anyone else caught him sniffing the paper. From the way Mia was suddenly pinching the bridge of her nose, he assumed she had.

"Oh darling, Sirius lucked into the Black family features; you have Potter hair." Mrs Potter smiled affectionately and ruffled James's hair. "Remus, please fire-call your parents and let them know where you are. As upset and ignorant as they may be," she said with a tone that held zero remorse for her outspokenness, "they love you and will likely be concerned if they wake and find your bed empty."

Remus nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"That's not to say you're not welcome here with their permission. Yes, darling," she said, rolling her eyes when Mr Potter cleared his throat. "So long as Remus and Mia permit themselves to remain in their own rooms at night. No wandering now. I have eyes everywhere."

Wide-eyed, Remus swallowed hard as he looked back and forth between Mr and Mrs Potter. Mia's father had a pleased look on his face as he folded his arms across his chest. Remus could not be certain, but he thought he saw Mrs Potter winking at Mia.

Chapter Text

Without the mask, where will you hide?
Can't find yourself lost in your lie.
I know the truth now, I know who you are
(Everybody's Fool - Evanescence)

August 25th, 1975

The rest of the summer broke down into lazy, relaxed days previously unheard of. After Flooing into the Potter Manor in late July, Remus's parents came to collect him, and Charlus and Dorea took it as an opportunity to reach out to them on behalf of the children. Mrs Lupin was easy to persuade in regards to the new relationship that her son had with Mia, but Mr Lupin looked pessimistically nervous about it all until Dorea produced old books on werewolves from the family library.

"Where did you get these?" he asked her, wide-eyed. "I've studied everything, and I've never seen these before."

"Sometimes it can be helpful to be associated with a family who has a history with dabbling in the Dark Arts," Dorea said nonchalantly. "It's my understanding that werewolves have been used in past wars by Dark wizards blackmailing them with promises of freedoms. Unfortunately, it's a likely thing to recur. I assume you've heard the rumours?"

Mr Lupin nodded, whispering to keep his voice low, though he was unaware that Mia's hearing was amplified thanks to her Animagus training. "Death Eaters. That's what they're calling themselves."

Mrs Lupin gasped. "You think whoever is behind these attacks on Muggles and Muggle-borns will be after wolves next?"

"We can't say," Charlus sadly admitted, "but we will offer you and your family any knowledge we have. Your son has become quite a fixture in the lives of our children. My daughter especially has a fondness for your boy."

Mrs Lupin looked pleased at that; Mr Lupin looked tense.

Eventually, however, the Lupins learned to relax a bit. After witnessing for himself the effects of Mia's Wolfsbane Potion the following full moon, Remus's father began to seemingly shift his perspective on werewolves.

Mia had made everyone promise not to speak about the potion and admitted that she had not been the one to discover it and would not take credit for another wizard's brew. She did, however, assure the family that she would provide Remus with the potion each month until it was made available to everyone.

Four days post full moon found the Marauders and Mia at Lupin Cottage, enjoying the large expanse of woods behind the small home.

Sirius had nicked a bottle of Mr Lupin's firewhisky from inside and had convinced each of his friends to partake with him in celebration of the upcoming year, which he declared would be the best ever. He had been visibly stressed on and off all summer. Any time Sirius returned from Grimmauld Place to either Potter Manor or Lupin Cottage, he had new bruises and scrapes and a sour attitude to go with them. He drowned his worries in firewhisky and had taken up a habit of smoking Muggle cigarettes, much to Mia's disapproval.

"Come on, let's go fly," Sirius said, reaching for his broom and looking down at his four friends as they sat around a clearing in the woods behind the cottage.

"Absolutely not. Never mind that I wouldn't fly completely sober," Mia declared with a toss of her head, "but I will not sit on a broom after any amount of drinking."

Sirius grinned at her. "Lightweight."

"Please be careful." She frowned as James stood up to join Sirius, reaching for his broom. He was followed behind by Peter who could not stand not doing everything that James and Sirius did, even if it was phenomenally stupid. Mia could not help but hope that the little, intoxicated rat fell off his broom. Of course then the boy would assume she would just patch him up, and she would never be able to feign ignorance since they all knew she helped to heal Remus's wounds on a monthly basis.

"You two behave," James said with a smirk, pointing at Remus, who had his arm securely wrapped around Mia's shoulders as he leant back against a large tree.

Remus grinned, saluted James, but confirmed nothing as the three boys took flight, leaving him and Mia behind on the ground.

"I thought they'd never leave." Mia grinned and turned, cupping Remus's face in her hands and placing a searing kiss to his mouth.

Remus seemed a little less burdened with the idea of potentially infecting her lately, and he responded in kind by threading his long fingers through her mane of wild curls, holding her mouth firmly against him as he greedily robbed her breath from her.

"Amazing," she whispered as she leant back from him, looking down at the smug grin on his face and the twinkle of gold that speckled his eyes.

He removed one hand from her hair, placing it on her exposed neck and following it upward as he traced the flushed line of her throat with a smile that clearly told her he knew he was the reason for the change in the colour of her skin.

"You should always look like this," she said, beaming at him, her breath catching momentarily as he ran his thumb across her jaw line, boring his eyes into hers in a predatory way that thrilled her.

"How's that?" he asked.

"Smug." She laughed softly. "Confident."

"Hard not to be when you react the way you do." Remus leant forward to kiss her again, but she pulled away from him teasingly. His nose twitched, and he let out a low, needy growl before his hands gripped her around the waist and pulled her into his lap, where her knees fell on either side of his legs, straddling him.

Mia whimpered softly as warmth pooled in her belly, fanning outward across her ribs and settling against her hips where he branded her skin with his palms. He deftly slipped his hands beneath the hem of her blouse and ran his fingers along her shivering flesh.

"Just like that." He grinned and kissed her again, deep and hard, and Mia moaned into his mouth.

Purely out of instinct, she rolled her hips forward, but Remus had her up and off his lap before she reached the evidence of his desire for her.

He had actually all but tossed her away from him so that she was sitting in the middle of fallen leaves and dirt. She looked up at him, surprised, as she tried to catch her breath. She noticed that Remus was doing the same thing, though his eyes were clenched tightly.

"Are you okay? Don't hyperventilate on me." She could not help but chuckle a little. "Remus, seriously, breathe through your nose. You look like you're going to pass out."

"Can't," Remus said, shaking his head.

"Don't be ridiculous, of course you can." She leant forward and began crawling back toward him to make sure he was okay. While she knew their snogging was amazing, she never thought it would bring him to a state of unconsciousness.

"Mia, please don't . . ." He winced a little and cracked an eye open, looking embarrassed. "I can . . . I can smell you. And if you don't stay right where you are, I can't be held responsible for my actions."

She rose a confused brow at his words. "What do you mean you can smell—? Oh." And understanding washed over her. She flushed bright red and covered her mouth, consciously sitting back on her heels and tightening her thighs as if it would help. She struggled to make eye contact with him over her momentary humiliation.

"Please don't be embarrassed. It's not like I'm over here without my own problems."

Mia's eyes widened, and she looked skyward as if doing so would make it so that she would absolutely not stare at his trousers and the obvious arousal that she now knew was there.

"This is ridiculous," she admitted. "We're both normally functioning young adults. We shouldn't be embarrassed by our mutual . . . attraction."

"Only you can make so many three-syllable words sound sexy." Remus gave a throaty chuckle. "But no, we're not both normally functioning young adults. You're a devious little witch who seems bound and determined to bring an overly-sensed werewolf to his knees."

Her eyes finally drew back to him, and she noticed that there was no hint of soft green in his irises now. She was looking at the wolf behind the man, and his stare was penetrating and burning her up inside.

"Remus." When he continued to just stare at her, she swallowed and whispered, "Moony."

Remus grinned darkly at her and lunged forward, pushing her back against the dirt and leaves, his mouth devouring hers. It was melting, drugging, and she keened when he tore away from her lips and placed a wet kiss to the hollow of her throat. Her eyes rolled, and she arched her body, watching as he took in a sharp breath through his nose, and his body quaked above her. Her face flushed with heat when she realised how well her siren call had worked for the wolf, and she reached a hand out to touch his cheek.

"Remus. Remus, I love you."

His eyes connected with hers and, slowly, they shifted back to green. He very nearly collapsed on top of her. "I'm sorry. It's . . . I can't seem to control myself."

"It's okay," she said, smiling as she ran her hands gently through his hair. "If it makes you feel any better, I have a hard time controlling myself around you, too."

"It does in fact, not make me feel better," he answered with a sharp laugh as he leant his forehead against her shoulder to steady himself. He pulled away from her and looked down, his brows furrowed together. "I really am sorry. I don't mean to go so . . . fast."

She giggled incredulously, fingers clinging tightly to his shirt to prevent him from creating more distance between them. "Remus, we've been dating for almost a year, and our first kiss was only two months ago. I think you've got pacing down fairly well. If anything, I should have cause to complain about your lack of affections until recently. I've been a very patient witch, you know." Her eyes softened when she saw him smile in return, before bringing his lips to her cheek.

"I just don't want to hurt you. It's foolish of me to not be in complete control."

"'First love is only a little foolishness and a lot of curiosity,'" Mia quoted with a smile that deepened when Remus looked down at her and brushed the hair from her eyes.

"Shaw?" he asked with a raised brow, playing their game. "He was a Muggle."

"Yes." She grinned and leant up to kiss him. "A very, very smart Muggle."

"So are we foolish or curious then?" Remus asked her as he fell to the side, leaning his head against a propped arm while lacing his free fingers together with hers.

The setting sun behind them cast a glow over their bodies, and Mia smiled at the way their skin shimmered softly, reflecting the various shades of reds and golds in the evening sky.

"We're foolish to think that our curiosities are dangerous. At least one of us is." She poked his nose, and he narrowed his eyes in response. "'Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey.'"

"Quoting Lord Byron to me? Now you're not even trying," Remus said with a raised brow, scoffing as he sat up. Mia reached for his collar to tug him back down, and he laughed, pushing her hands away with a grin. "Absolutely not. I'm not rewarding you for an easy fallback on the one line in The Giaour related to wolves. It's a poem about vampires."

"Would you like me to quote Little Red Riding Hood?" Mia chuckled.

Remus narrowed his gaze. "Cheeky witch."

"Cheeky witch who thinks her wizard is being a little dramatic."

"Cheeky witch who forgets her wizard is a dangerous werewolf," Remus said, his eyes suddenly serious. "'It needs but slight provocation to make the wolf devour the lamb.'"

"I am no lamb!" Mia snapped at him.

He grinned suddenly with amusement. "No, you are a lion."

"Yes, 'Now the hungry lion roars, And the wolf behowls the moon—'" Mia began but was interrupted.

"No Shakespeare. I hate Shakespeare."

Her eyes widened. "You take that back. He's one of the greatest poets and playwrights in Muggle history!" And the entire reason she was named Hermione—at least in the other timeline—as Helen Granger had been a fan of A Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare.

"Well, first, he was a wizard," Remus clarified.

"What?"

"And second, he was a wizard who was tried and convicted for stealing the works of Muggles and Obliviating them afterward."

Mia fumed, pouted, and then finally resigned herself to ignoring everything Remus said until she had a chance to research it herself. She reached out and tugged on his collar, placing a firm kiss to his lips before whispering against them, "'A wolf is handsome in the eyes of a lovesick girl.'"

"You're incorrigible," Remus mumbled against her before returning her kiss, his lips moving slowly, gently, like the peaceful calm before a raging storm.

September 20th, 1975

Mia and the boys returned to school the following September.

James, more than ever, was determined to properly woo Lily Evans, who was more determined than ever to avoid him at all costs.

To repay her efforts for being a good distraction the previous June, Remus promised Lily—by swearing on both of their new prefect badges—to do his best to deter James from the worst of his public declarations of love.

Peter came back to school with a chip on his shoulder and, not one day into the new year, was put into detention for hexing a group of first years. Mia was livid, and the rest of the Marauders were concerned for their friend.

Sirius had met everyone on the Hogwarts Express looking nervous and smelling like he had just eaten an entire carton of cigarettes. He fidgeted the whole trip to Hogwarts. When Mia casually brought up his family, he snapped at her and told her not to worry about him.

Remus and Mia, strangely the calmest of the group, had nothing on their minds but one another, and she was steadfast in keeping to her rules: Live your life. Enjoy your life.

And she was very happy to enjoy every bit of her current life with Remus.

Remus, however, was more tenacious than ever at trying to control himself. That first kiss had opened a floodgate for him. Despite the Wolfsbane Potion each moon, he admitted that he was struggling with his inner wolf at all times.

Mia insisted that it was not the wolf but the man inside, and she suggested he talk to Sirius about it. James was certainly a no-go when it came to talking to anyone about her, but she figured if anyone knew how to help Remus let go a little it would be Sirius.

His friends and Mia were up to something, and Remus could not figure out what it was.

The morning of the full moon, Mia overflowed his plate with extra portions knowing he would need his energy for later that night. Instead of her morning tea, she was drinking pumpkin juice. Remus also noticed that instead of their typical drinks for dinner, his three friends and his witch were drinking coffee with their evening meal, and he was sure he saw Sirius and James each take what smelled like Invigoration Draught.

He tried to put the thoughts from his mind as he made his way to the Whomping Willow, but just when Professor Sprout left him alone, familiar scents assaulted him. He turned and looked, wide-eyed, back at his friends and girlfriend who all stood facing him and the recently frozen tree.

"What are you four doing here?" he asked, jumping away just in time as the Whomping Willow unfroze and swung a low-hanging branch within a foot of him.

James grinned. "Thought we'd keep you company, Moony."

"What? Are you . . . ? Wait . . ." He looked at Sirius, James, and Peter. "You mean you're finished? You actually bloody did it?" he shouted out of both excitement and fear.

Sirius's suggestion that the three become Animagi to keep him company during the full moon was based on a theory that they would not end up hurt in the end. Of course, with the Wolfsbane Potion, there was a better chance, but he was still on edge about the idea.

"We had a little help." Sirius rolled his eyes as Mia nudged him in the ribs.

Remus blinked at her. "Mia?"

They looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then they shifted into their Animagus forms.

Remus's eyes went wide at the sight.

Prongs, the stag, stood tall and large with massive bone-like antlers jutting from the top of his head and short brown fur covering his body. He toed the soft grass below with a heavy hoof, and a small rodent took notice of the movement. Wormtail, the rat, crawled up Prongs's leg and over his shoulder to perch on one side of the large stag's antlers, with watery eyes staring ahead at Remus.

As calm and collected as Prongs and Wormtail were, the two other predators of the group looked less so. It was evidently the official first meeting of Padfoot and Mia in her Animagus form, and the two were not seeing eye to eye.

Padfoot, the large, bear-like dog was growling low and trying to pin down a smaller, vibrantly coloured creature to the ground as a sign of dominance. Mia, in the form of a fox, struggled against the massive black paw. When she had finally had enough of Padfoot's antics, she sunk her tiny, sharpened teeth into his leg, her long bushy tail a blur as she darted away from him.

Sirius shifted back into his human form, wincing as he looked over his right arm, which was punctured but not bleeding."What the hell, Mia?"

"You keep your filthy paws off of me, Sirius Black!" Mia yelled after shifting back into her own human form.

The two stared at one another, mere inches between their identical scowls.

"I can't help it." Sirius smirked. "It's the beast in me. It's a strong need to dominate and create a little hierarchy in this . . . pack."

"If there is any hierarchy in whatever this is," she hissed, "you'd better believe I am above you!"

Sirius winked. "You like it on top, do you?"

"Ahem!" Remus made his way back away from the Whomping Willow, glaring at Sirius.

"Sorry. Girlfriend, right, got it. To be fair, she did just have her mouth on me," Sirius said, showing Remus his bitten arm.

Remus did not bother to look as he made a beeline right for Mia. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She smiled nervously. "I wanted it to be a surprise. Can I come with?"

Remus could already feel the pull of the moon as it began to rise. He grinned and cupped her face gratefully, crushing his lips to hers and diving in for a deep kiss that was interrupted when an antler nudged him sharply in the shoulder.

"We'd better hurry," Mia said, gesturing to the tree. "Peter, a little help."

Wormtail jumped down from Prongs's antlers and scampered through the patch of grass to touch the small notch on the tree that stilled the violent branches.

"Let's go," Mia said, but before she had a chance to move forward, Remus kissed her again.

"You did this for me?"

She beamed up at him. "I'd do anything for you."

Sirius interrupted the couple, putting an arm around each of them. "So before she has a chance to say no, I'm voting that Mia's new name is Foxy."

"Absolutely not!" Mia took Remus's hand and the two passed by Sirius beneath the tree. Up ahead, James had shifted back to human form in order to fit through the tight passage on their way to the Shrieking Shack.

"How about Vixen?" Sirius called after them.

"How about I bite you again?" Mia threatened. "I hate nicknames."

"It's not a nickname, it's a Marauder name!" Sirius countered.

"I am not a Marauder."

He barked a laugh. "Then what the hell are you?"

"Mine." Remus grinned and walked into the Shrieking Shack with a smile on his face for the first time in his life.

They allowed Remus his privacy to undress in the shack while they waited, listening closely as he transformed on the other side of the large door.

Despite joking not ten minutes earlier, when they all heard the harsh sounds of Remus screaming beyond the barrier that separated them from the wolf, Mia let out a quiet sob, and Sirius pulled her into a tight, comforting hug.

"I didn't know," James mumbled, a frown etched on his face. "I didn't know it was this bad. He sounds like . . . Merlin, it sounds like . . ."

"It sounds like someone's got him under a Cruciatus Curse," Sirius answered knowingly.

Mia wiped the tears from her cheeks and turned to face the door as the screaming stopped. "Come on. Padfoot goes in first, followed by me, then Prongs and Wormtail," she instructed carefully. James clearly did not like the order, but she insisted, and Sirius took her side on the subject vehemently.

"We're both predators. Sorry, Prongsie, but you're prey. Mia's right; we need to be careful with our approach here."

And they all shifted.

The little fox pawed her way into the room slowly behind Padfoot, looking immediately for the wolf who—just as she remembered—was beautiful. The massive beast stood looking down at the black dog in front of him, and Padfoot was smart enough to put his chest to the ground, ears back and tail tucked as a show of passive submission.

Mia, likewise, followed his lead, though she kept her eyes trained on Moony, who caught her gaze and slowly stepped back, nodding his head.

Remus was still there.

She made her way over to Moony, nuzzling her head against his large paw, her puffy red tail wrapping around his leg.

Moony leant down and brushed his snout against Mia's furry face before moving forward and doing the same to Padfoot, scent marking them both.

The door opened again as Prongs stepped forward, and Moony growled at first sight, but Mia nipped him in the leg reproachfully, bringing him back to attention. He huffed out a short breath before rubbing his snout against Prongs and Wormtail in the same fashion as before.

Submission established, the five animals spent the night roughhousing in the Shrieking Shack—a constant blur of black and red as Padfoot tumbled over the little fox, one always desperate to pin the other and create the hierarchy that Sirius had mentioned earlier.

Only once did things get out of control.

In the very early morning, when the moon still hung in the sky, Mia curled up against Moony, her head resting between her paws and relaxing at the feel of the rush of the wolf's breath against her face as their snouts lay side by side.

On the other side of Moony, rested Padfoot, snoring with his head leaning against the shoulder of Prongs, who slept soundly with his legs folded beneath him.

Mia's pointy ears perked up at a noise, and her eyes opened to look across the room where she spotted the rat skittering about. Suddenly, the sight of it brought back a vivid memory.

The shack. Sirius. Remus. Harry. Ron.

"You don't understand! He would have killed me, Sirius!"

"Then you should have died! Died rather than betray your friends! As we would have done for you!"

Mia glared at the rodent in front of her, the memory fueling a powerful rage deep within her. It was primal, something predatory that she had not felt before in her Animagus form, but she felt it now as she stared ahead.

Rat. Peter. Scabbers. Wormtail. Traitor!

Padfoot jolted awake in a panic, shocked at first to find himself in Animagi form. Realising where he was and having the good instinct not to shift back—considering Remus was still Moony Moony—he let out a puff of breath in relief.

There was a loud, shrill barking sound, followed by a sharp squeaking noise, and Padfoot drew his gaze toward the commotion that had clearly been the cause of his waking.

With wild, amber eyes, the little fox dove over the large bed in the corner, chasing Wormtail who buried himself into the mattress. Snarling viciously, she dug down, snapping and lashing forward.

He thought, at first, that she was playing just the same as she had been with him for most of the night, but then he remembered that Mia and Peter did not get along in human form, and something lead dropped into his stomach. Jumping to all four feet, waking Prongs and Moony in the process, Padfoot leapt onto the mattress and clamped down on the scruff of Mia's neck, carrying her away from the bed.

He gently dropped her down in front Prongs and Moony, who eyed her curiously. Wormtail reappeared on the floor, staring ahead, and she turned and hissed viciously before Padfoot lowered himself to the ground in front of the rat and growled at her.

She looked at him pleadingly. He had expected to see her lost behind her Animagus eyes—the amber was a dead giveaway—but she still looked like Mia. There was conscious understanding in her gaze, and that scared the hell out of him. It was one thing to be amused and even a little aroused when the witch got angry, but she had claws and fangs in this form, and Peter might as well be food.

Padfoot stayed where he was, watching as Moony stood up, leaning down to press his muzzle against the top of her head, breathing on her from above until her black and red ears lowered.

She let out a slow breath and turned away from them all, curling herself into a ball in the corner of the room, tucking her face into the fur of her tail.

They woke the following morning, and Mia turned away to allow Sirius and James to cover up a naked and sleeping Remus—who miraculously lacked any wounds at all, save for a few bruises from the actual transformation.

"Want to tell us what that was all about this morning?" Sirius asked, his arms folded over his chest.

"Instincts," Mia replied quietly, "I guess I'm not used to controlling them in Animagus form."

"That's understandable I guess." James shrugged, running his hand through his already messy black hair. "But I still think you owe Peter an apology."

Mia inhaled sharply and looked at her brother like he had just asked her to kiss a dementor. "I will not apologise for acting on instinct. It's not my fault."

"Mia," Remus moaned from the corner. "Please . . . I don't want anyone to fight."

She turned bitterly away from them all and then slowly brought her gaze up to Peter, who looked at her with watery eyes. It was hard now not to see him for what he really was: selfish. He stole things from the trolley, abandoned his friends in times of crisis, even spied on people—which she had caught him doing twice already this year. And while Sirius and James often got carried away when they fought with Slytherins—Snape especially since he had started being a bit of a berk to Lily in public—Peter had been thrown into detention twice for getting caught bullying younger students.

Now that she was an Animagus, Mia could see it all. See Scabbers the rat with his missing toe that he lost while framing Sirius. Sirius who had thought Remus was the spy when all along it had been Peter. Peter who betrayed his friends, rather than die for them as they would have done for him. Peter who got her brother killed. Peter who made Harry an orphan.

"I'm sorry, Peter," she said through clenched teeth.

James, Sirius, and Remus all smiled in relief at her words.

Peter stared ahead at her looking as terrified as he should have been.

Chapter Text

You think the only people who are people
Are the people who look and think like you
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger
You'll learn things you never knew you never knew
(Colors of the Wind - Vanessa Williams)

October 1st, 1975

The curse of the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professors continued.

Their first year instructor, Professor Fenwick, did not even last the whole year before he was called away on some emergency that Mia assumed was related to Order business. During second year, Professor Dearborn made it all the way to the Easter holidays, when it was suspected he was almost poisoned by his own house-elf. Professor Prewett, the best Defence teacher they'd had so far, had been terminated at the end of the year due to many complaints from parents—all Slytherin. Last year, Professor Proudfoot had been in an unfortunate accident where a Fire-Making Charm got out of control, set the entire classroom aflame, and she spent a month at St Mungo's before returning to her work in the Ministry.

By the end of September, the position of Defence Professor had not yet been filled.

When a notice was put up in the common rooms informing all students that Defence Against the Dark Arts was resuming the following Wednesday, most were thrilled at the prospect of, once again, indulging in a favourite class. Soon, the betting pool for the new professor's longevity was re-activated at the hands of Sirius and James who continued on the noble tradition established by Fabian and Gideon Prewett.

Holding tightly to Remus's hand, Mia was strangely nervous as she walked to Defence alongside her brother, Sirius, and Peter. She did not have many good memories of Defence Against the Dark Arts from her previous fifth year. Most especially, she hated the memories of Dolores Umbridge. While she had no clue what that pink-cardiganed troll was doing during this timeline, Mia could not help but be reminded of her cruelty anytime she looked into Remus's beautiful eyes, for it would be Umbridge who would draft the anti-werewolf legislation that would make his life so difficult in the future.

"Aren't you excited?" James wondered aloud as the five of them entered the room and immediately took their usual seats near the front. Defence was the only class that James and Sirius did not linger in the back somewhere.

"I guess," Mia said, bouncing her knee beneath her desk anxiously as though she were expecting a lump of pink to walk through the door, followed by an annoying, high-pitched "Hem hem!"

No pink burst through the door, though. Quite the opposite, in fact.

A tall, lithe man with sharp, angular features stepped into the room as if he owned it. His chin came to an actual point, and his cheekbones were as high as the level to which he held his nose in the air. When the man turned, Mia was not surprised to see judgmental eyes looking down at them. What she was surprised to see was that, instead of wearing typical professor's robes, this man wore the colours of what she could only assume was his former House at Hogwarts: a green dress shirt and a striped silver tie, covered with black robes that had a dark green lining.

The Slytherins in the class were beside themselves with amusement.

The Gryffindors all wore matching looks of disgust and horror on their faces.

"I am Professor Higgs. This is Defence Against the Dark Arts. Get out your books," he said in a sharply pitched tone. His brows furrowed with an expression that said he was not happy to be there. He turned around to the chalkboard at the front of the room and began writing.

"Still excited?" Mia murmured to James, who was already pouting as he pulled The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection out of his bag, followed by a roll of parchment.

Knowing that all of the boys except Remus would forget, Mia produced extra quills for James, Sirius, and even Peter, whom she had been reluctantly trying to be nice to since her near-mauling of him in the Shrieking Shack the prior month.

When the five of them looked up at the chalkboard to begin taking notes, all four boys paled at the words on the board, and Mia audibly gasped. Written in beautiful script was a short list numbered one through five—similar to one found in the books on their desks.

1 Werewolves
2 Vampires
3 Hags
4 Veela
5 Zombies

Just above the list was written: How to Kill.

Mia gaped at the board in horror, and her hand went up immediately. "Professor? I'm sorry, but are you honestly advocating murder to your class of teenage students?"

The professor narrowed his eyes at her. "Of course not, Miss . . ."

"Potter," Mia said, seething.

"Miss Potter. Murder is defined as the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another. As the beasts on this list are not humans, I am, therefore, not advocating murder. You may call it hunting if you like," he said with a roll of his eyes and an airiness to his voice that said the words meant little to him.

"Call it whatever you like, it's murder."

"Are zombies humans, Miss Potter?"

"No, sir, they are former humans, technically considered undead or living dead." She grit her teeth. "Though, it has been thought that they might be related to Inferi."

"And would you politely ask a zombie to not eat your flesh?" he inquired with a sarcastic tone and an arrogant look that would have rivalled that of an adult Lucius Malfoy, something that only pissed her off further. "Do you perhaps think that the beast is capable of human thought and the ability to develop conscientious decision-making skills?"

"No sir," she said, her hands clenched tight and shaking. "But werewolves, vampires, hags, and Veela are otherwise—"

"Harmless?" He stared at her condescendingly with a sneer toying at the corner of his lips.

"No, of course not," she retorted with a scowl, "but—"

"So, I should allow my students to leave this classroom without the proper knowledge to defend themselves against such horrid creatures?"

"They are not horrid creatures! The Ministry, in fact, classifies them all as 'Beings.' Under that definition, a Being is any creature that has sufficient intelligence to understand the laws of the Magical community and to bear part of the responsibility in shaping those laws," she nearly quoted the classification legislation of 1811 verbatim as her blood pressure began to rise.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for your tone, Miss Potter. And, while you are correct in your Ministry classifications, said classifications fall under the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical . . ." He looked at her as if waiting for her to finish his sentence, but before she had a chance to, he continued, "Creatures."

"I don't think Professor Dumbledore would want any students to know how to kill someone," James chimed in, a look of righteousness on his face that helped to replace the blind rage inside of Mia's head with pride and a feeling of solidarity. "Mia's right, killing is just another word for murder."

"Very well." Professor Higgs waved his wand, and the word Kill on the board changed to Defend Yourselves Against.

"That's hardly necessary now that we know the original intentions," Mia pointed out. "Werewolves and vampires are not born but made, and they should not be treated any differently than the rest of us. They are no more deadly with their conditions than an overly arrogant wizard is with his wand or a Muggle with a gun."

"That may be your opinion, Miss Potter."

"It's fact, Professor."

He glowered down at her. "Ten more points from Gryffindor for insolence."

"Mia!" Mary hissed at her from behind, begging her to shut up so they would stop losing House points.

Mia turned around, fiercely glaring at her friend with no intentions to lose this argument.

"I was going to save this for next week's lessons, but since Miss Potter's bleeding heart is under-informed on the consequences of dealing with dark creatures . . . " The professor walked back to the desk and reached inside an expensive-looking dragonhide briefcase, retrieving a stack of photographs. He dropped the stack of photographs right on her desk. "These were leant to me by a friend who works in the Auror department."

She refused to look down, already knowing what they were.

"Care to tell me what you see, Miss Potter?"

"No, sir." She tightened her jaw, still refusing to look.

"Mr Black." The professor turned to Sirius, who was glaring up at him along with James. "And Mr Potter. Pass along the photos. These are taken of victims of vampire attacks and werewolf maulings. While Miss Potter is correct in assuming that Professor Dumbledore would potentially not approve of my lessons, the Ministry has found you to be of appropriate age to learn what is out there in the world."

As the photos were passed around, most students gasped at the sights. Others looked away, horrified, and Frank was in the corner vomiting into a rubbish bin. Even the Slytherins looked a bit taken aback by the images.

James, Sirius, Mia, and—surprisingly—Lily all refused to look.

Peter, however, did; his watery eyes went wide, and his face paled at the sight. He was also the only one to shift his attention to Remus who sat quietly with his head down beside Mia, shamefaced.

"There are some witches and wizards who like to think that dark creatures can be assimilated into civilised society," Professor Higgs said, purposely glancing down at Mia. "They are wrong. Listening to them is foolish. You need to be prepared to defend yourself. This class is called Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Dark creatures are covered in your books for a reason. Mr Lupin."

Remus nearly jumped out of his seat. "Sir?" he asked quietly.

"Lyall Lupin is your father, yes?"

Remus slowly nodded.

"Good. If I recall, Lyall Lupin was well known for his career in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He did wonderful work there. Can you please inform your friends what your father—a man familiar with the classifications of Beings and Beasts," Professor Higgs said, pointedly looking down at Mia, "had to say in regards to . . . I apologise, what division did your father work for?"

"Werewolves," Remus whispered, looking down at his desk.

"Yes. What did your father, an expert on the subject, have to say in regards to werewolves?"

"I-I don't . . . I don't . . ."

"Come now, Mr Lupin. Do speak up. Make sure Miss Potter can hear you."

Remus hesitated. "I don't remember word for word, sir."

"Try," Professor Higgs insisted. "If I recall, he was quite famous for his bold declaration."

"Werewolves . . . are . . . are nothing but soulless, evil creatures." Remus paused and took in a slow, shaky breath. "And they deserve nothing but death."

"Fuck this, and fuck you, you psychotic wanker!" Sirius stood up, kicking his chair over. Everyone stared at him in shock as his cold grey eyes stared challengingly at their new professor. "I did not leave my shitty, prejudiced family to come to Hogwarts to learn how to be shitty and prejudiced!"

"Fifty points from Gryffindor for language and insolence, Mr Black, and detention with me every Friday for the rest of the month."

"Like that's new. I'm out of here."

He reached for his bag and tore out of the classroom, stopping only once by the door to look back expectantly as James stood to follow him. Shockingly, Lily followed after James. One by one, each Gryffindor stood and made their way out of the classroom, leaving behind only Peter, Mia, and Remus.

"I'm going to Professor Dumbledore," Mia insisted as she reached for her bag. "Remus, come on." She held her hand out, but he hesitated to take it, not meeting her gaze. "Remus," she said in a harsher tone, trying to snap him out of whatever horrible thoughts he was stuck in.

Eventually, he stood to leave the room but did not take her hand.

She looked back at Peter who was slowly shrinking low in his seat, making no movement to leave. She swore under her breath as she followed the rest of her House out of the classroom, letting the door slam shut behind her.

"That fucking prick!" Sirius was out in the corridor screaming when Mia and Remus joined them. James had a hand on Sirius's shoulder trying to calm him down. Looking up as Mia and Remus joined the group, Sirius demanded, "Where's Peter?"

Mia huffed. "He stayed."

"That little shit," Sirius said as he tried walking back to the class but was held back by James.

"Leave him. You walking back in there would only make things worse."

"Where's everyone else?" Mia asked, looking around and only seeing a few Gryffindors.

"Frank went to the hospital wing, and Alice went with him." Lily frowned, her cheeks red with anger. "Mary stormed off to find Professor McGonagall to let her know what happened and to see if we can get some of our points back. I'm on my way to see Dumbledore. That was a nightmare. I don't care what that wizard thinks of werewolves, vampires, or hags . . . those photographs should not have been shown to a group of fifth years."

"Maybe they . . . Maybe we should know what could happen," Remus muttered quietly, hands stuffed in the pockets of his robes. "Naivety isn't safe."

"Excuse me?" Mia turned and gaped at him, but it was Lily who was instantly in front of Remus, a hard glare in her bright green eyes.

"Absolutely not! That man wasn't teaching us to overcome naivety, Remus, he was trying to teach us how to hate. All creatures and beings have the ability to cause harm to another. Even unicorns can trample you to death if you startle them. People like Professor Higgs hate Muggles because, historically, Muggles were known to burn witches at a stake, or sink them in a river—"

"That's stupid. They could just use a Flame-Freezing Charm or a Bubble-Head Charm," Sirius interjected.

"—and they hate Muggle-borns because they think we steal magic," Lily continued, ignoring the interruption. "Should my name be up on that board, too?"

"No!" James shouted.

"Shut up, Potter, I'm not talking to you," Lily hissed and turned her attention back to Remus. "Are you all naive in trusting me? Maybe I'm just waiting around to steal all your magic!"

Remus stared incredulously at her. "Of course you're not."

"So are we all right then? Can I go and complain to Dumbledore now? Or maybe I should walk back into the classroom and learn how to murder people." Lily's eyes shone brightly with righteous purpose, and Mia was immediately reminded of Harry.

This is where he gets it, she thought with a smile. This is where Harry gets that fire.

"I think we should all go talk to Dumbledore. Maybe the more complaints he gets, the faster that tosser gets fired," James chimed in, and Lily nodded in approval, though she did not bother looking at him.

"You go ahead, Lily," Mia said. "We'll all be right behind you."

Lily nodded, giving each of them a last glance before taking off toward Dumbledore's office.

Once she was out of sight, James turned to the rest of them. "So . . . Evans knows."

Mia nodded. "Clearly."

"Wait, what?" Remus blinked. "She knows? As in about me?"

"Unless she's secretly dating a vampire, I'm pretty sure that little speech was all about you, mate. I'm going to talk to Dumbledore later; I need a cigarette," Sirius said as he turned down the hallway toward the Quidditch pitch.

"I'll make sure he doesn't get into trouble," James offered, following after him.

"Are you okay?" Mia asked Remus, placing her soft palm against his cheek. At the touch, Remus flinched which caused Mia to frown. "Don't do that. Please don't let one horrible person ruin what you've worked so hard for. I don't care what he said, or what your father once said before he changed his views." She leant up and kissed him gently, frowning when he refused to return the affection. "Remus, you are the very embodiment of goodness."

Remus swallowed. "I'm still a werewolf."

"And you're a wizard, a brilliant one at that. And I'm going to prove it to you." A sudden thought occurred to her. "In fact, you're going to help me with a project. We're going to learn Defence this year, properly, and not from that awful wizard."

"I don't like that look in your eye," Remus said, raising a nervous brow. "You look like Sirius when you get that look in your eye. It's dangerous."

She grinned up at him. "Kiss me, and I'll make it go away."

He hesitated only a moment before leaning down and gently brushing his lips against hers.

She pressed her body up against his and moaned into his mouth on purpose, and soon, he was slanting his mouth against her and moulding to her form tenderly but purposefully, as though he were using this moment with her to remind himself that he was human. Mia did not mind. A part of her wanted him to use all of her if it would bring him back to the confident wizard she had snogged all summer.

It was a gentle and loving moment until Mia smiled and pulled his bottom lip between her teeth and gave it a soft nip. Something primal inside of Remus ignited, and suddenly, Mia found herself being pulled down the hallway and into a broom cupboard.

"We shouldn't be here," she said teasingly as she wrapped her arms around Remus's neck.

"Who's going to miss us?" Remus pulled her tight against him.

She was thrilled that he was losing himself in a kiss that rivalled their first. Unlike the sweet, gentle affection they had expressed just moments earlier, this kiss was filled with passion, desire, and a powerful, needy hunger. The magic between them thrummed as though it were trying to merge into something entirely new.

Remus broke away from her mouth to place tender kisses along her jawline, tracing it back until he was gently sucking on a sensitive spot behind her ear, and she let out a quivering mewl at his touch.

Mia released her hands from behind his neck and traced their way down the front of his chest, pulling away his robes to reveal the simple red cotton shirt beneath. She tugged at the fabric, pulling it from his trousers. Once it was free, she dipped her hands under the hem and placed her palms on his hot, hard skin, running them quickly up his bare chest.

At the sudden feel of skin on skin, something in Remus snapped. Still green-eyed and human, he reached down, cupping her arse and lifting her up against him, pressing her into the wall behind her for leverage as her legs wound themselves around his waist.

Mia pulled her hands free of his shirt to weave them through his shaggy hair, tugging once when his tongue trailed against her collarbone, and she felt the echoing tremors of a growl that came from deep inside his chest.

"Remus," she moaned. At the sound, his grip on her arse tightened. Leave a bruise, she could not help but think as she leant forward, sweeping her lips against the shell of his ear as she whispered, "I want you."

"What?" Remus breathed, pulling away from her and looking straight ahead. His eyes were wide, pupils blown with lust. "You mean . . . ?" He began, and Mia nodded frantically.

He stood, suddenly nervous, and she could see the gears in his head begin to move at a frenzied pace. Seeing his hesitation and knowing that it had everything to do with his lycanthropy, Mia tilted her hips until she felt the most exquisite contact with him. It was the first time she had ever felt an erection, and the touch flooded her ego causing her to boldly press harder, seeking friction.

The sensation hit Remus all too quickly, and he fell forward, holding her still against the wall. His hands firmly gripped her thighs as he panted against her throat, whispering, "Fuck," softly across her skin.

"Yes . . . Remus."

"No," he finally said on the edge of an exhale.

"No?" Mia blinked. "No," she repeated the word. "You're saying no to me?"

"I'm saying . . ." Remus groaned as the previous pleasure began to turn into uncomfortable pain. "I'm saying . . . not yet. I'm saying not here. Not with canisters of Mrs Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover on shelves behind us."

He let out a laugh, and soon Mia joined him. Slowly he released his grip on her but moaned at the contact her body made against his as she slid back down until her feet touched the ground.

"Soon," Mia whispered.

After a moment of apparently weighing the pros and cons in his head, Remus agreed. "Soon."

October 7th, 1975

Mia rolled her eyes as she eavesdropped on Sirius and her brother.

"I still can't believe she knew about this room and never told us." Sirius pouted in the corner of the Room of Requirement next to James, who was staring at the back of Lily's head while she talked with Remus. "A whole room that magically changes to whatever you want. I bet this is where she did her Animagus training, don't you think?"

"Probably. We caught her up here, right outside, that one time, remember? It is awesome, though." James grinned, looking around at the room that had formed itself into a new Defence class, with books of all kinds layering shelves that wrapped around the edges, and a raised duelling platform in the centre of the room.

"It would be better if there was a stripper pole." Sirius gestured to the platform. "Right there."

James laughed. "Shut up, Pads."

"Both of you shut up," Mia said from behind them. James had the sense to at least look slightly ashamed. Sirius only grinned at her. "All right. You all know why you're here. We've had terrible instructors in the way of Defence, and this year—"

"We have a prejudiced prick," Sirius offered.

"Well, er . . . yes." Mia sighed. "None of you are stupid, and I know some of you read the Prophet. It's not just Muggles and Muggle-borns that are being targeted. You hear how the Slytherins talk. Blood-traitors." She pointed to herself, James, and Sirius. "That's what we are," she said clearly, "and we're called that because sides are being chosen. A war is coming, and I'm not foolish enough to think that we're safe because we're teenagers."

"Do you really think war is coming?" Frank asked with a frown.

"I think it's already here, but we're not being told anything about it," Mia admitted. "I can't say much, but I've heard my parents talking."

Frank nodded, looking down at the ground sadly. "Me too. My mum had a meeting with Professor Dumbledore over the summer. After he left, she came and told me to start taking my Defence and Potions classes more seriously. I think she's wanting me to go into Auror training when I graduate."

"That would be amazing," Alice said with excited eyes.

"We need to be able to protect ourselves," Remus declared, standing beside Mia at the front of the group. "I'm sure you've all heard about Death Eaters by now. We need to know how to fight them if necessary."

"Not just Death Eaters," Mary bitterly spoke up, arms crossed over her chest. Her normally flawless, beautiful skin was marred by a sickly black and purple bruise that started at the bottom of her left hand and flowed upwards against her shoulder and collarbone, ending at the edge of her jaw.

"No." Mia frowned at her friend, feeling her stomach turn at the sight of Mary's bruise. "Not just Death Eaters. I think Slytherins are being recruited here. Everyone saw what Mulciber did to Mary last week. That was Dark Magic, but since they can't prove anything, he's getting away with it."

"There's no denying it now," Remus said, putting a hand on Mia's shoulder. "We don't know who or how, but the Slytherins are learning Dark Magic."

Mia did not miss the look of sorrow that crossed Lily's face as her gaze fell.

"It's also why none of them is allowed in this group, and why you've all signed a secrecy pact." Remus held up a parchment with all of their names on it.

"I should probably also inform you that this parchment is jinxed," Mia admitted, though she had not bothered to the first time around—not in depth. "If you speak about this group or its location, your face will breakout in pimples that spell SNEAK across your face. I will not remove it, so keep your mouths shut."

"We should have a name for the group," Lily chimed in, trying to brighten the otherwise suddenly tense moment.

Mia smiled. "I agree."

"How about . . ." Sirius stood up and grinned, "the Disillusioned Invisible Circle of Kids?"

After a moment of thinking about the name, James burst into laughter with Peter snickering beside him.

"No." Mia glared at Sirius.

"Cultivation Of Combative Knowledge?"

"Sirius!" Mia hissed at him.

"Training Wands Against Tyrants!" Sirius shouted.

At this one, even Remus broke into a short burst of laughter, doing his best to cover it up with a series of coughs.

Mia glowered ahead, ignoring the giggles echoing around the room. "I'm warning you, Sirius Black."

He held his hands up in what looked like actual surrender. "Fine, fine. Have it your way. We can be adults about this. Now, all in favour of Club of United Novices—"

"Jamie, get him out!" Mia screeched.

"It's called Assisted Defence," Lily quickly chirped to put an end to Sirius's behaviour, "and that's it! I mean . . . if that's okay."

Mia let out a sigh of relief. "That's fine. The A.D."

"Who exactly is going to teach us, though?" Peter asked.

"Remus and I," Mia answered quickly, and there were whispers and murmurs all around the room. "Is there a problem?"

"No offence," Otto Bagman from Hufflepuff spoke up. "I know you two are some of the smartest in our year, but . . . what makes you qualified to teach the rest of us?" he asked, and the few Ravenclaws in the room nodded their heads in agreement.

"Disarm us," Mia challenged. "Any of you."

She stared sternly at her brother and Sirius, who had been previously instructed to keep their wands holstered—the Gryffindors had already agreed that Mia and Remus were the most qualified students who also had the ability to lead with responsibility. Sirius and James, while talented duellists, were too easily distracted.

"Go ahead," Remus repeated the challenge. "I'll even accept a few hexes or jinxes, that is, if you can land any."

"Expelliarmus!" someone from the back shouted.

"Protego!" Remus called back, wand still tight in hand.

"Expelliarmus! Glacius!" a Ravenclaw yelled, aiming her wand at Remus.

"Protego! Levicorpus!" Mia called and watched as the challenging witch lost her wand and then flew up into the air by her ankle, hovering her at an angle to prevent her from revealing her knickers to anyone below. Mia wanted to make a point, not be unnecessarily cruel.

James had a grin splitting across his face, and Sirius's eyes lit up.

Mia winced, realising that she had used a jinx created by Severus Snape—one that she knew, for a fact, James and Sirius would later use against him.

"Liberacorpus," she said and lowered the Ravenclaw to the ground. "Are we done? Or would any of you like to see what a Stunning Spell feels like?"

Chapter Text

Let's go all the way tonight
No regrets, just love
We can dance, until we die
You and I, will be young forever
(Teenage Dream - Katy Perry)

October 24th, 1975

"I don't have a happy thought, Mia!" Sirius snapped as the two faced off against one another inside the Room of Requirement a week before Halloween.

The Assisted Defence group—which Mia was still struggling not to mentally refer to as Dumbledore's Army—excelled at disarming, though it took some of the younger students a little longer than the rest. Remus helped everyone catch up with spells they should have perfected during their first four years at Hogwarts, and James and Sirius had been helping Mia handle the pairing for duels, where both boys shone.

Mia had taken it upon herself to begin teaching the Patronus Charm.

"Try harder, Sirius. You have happy memories, I know you do," she insisted and watched as he struggled to maintain the smallest silvery wisp at the end of his wand.

"I do not!" he said, admitting defeat. "Fucking Higgs has me in detention every bloody Friday, which means I'm not allowed to go to the Halloween Ball."

The dance was not something Mia was particularly excited about. She knew it was all a ploy on the staff's part to try and distract the students from the fact that the Wizarding world was on the brink of a war.

"Girls everywhere must be devastated," she said dryly, rolling her eyes.

"They are!" Sirius pouted like a child as he moved back into the corner to sit beside his best friend. James, considered the best in the group, and Frank—who had become quite quick on his feet during weeks of exclusive duelling training—were taking a break.

"You doing okay, Lily?" Mia approached her friend, who was struggling with her Patronus. So far, no one had been able to create a corporeal one, save for Mia, whose silvery fox danced around the room playfully, interacting with everyone except for Peter, who nervously shied away from it.

Lily frowned, clenching her wand with determination. "Having a hard time thinking of happy thoughts. Everything from Hogwarts feels blurry. Like time's going too fast, so it's hard to focus on one thing, and everything before Hogwarts . . ."

"Severus?" Mia whispered.

Looking to be on the verge of tears, Lily nodded, turning away to wipe her eyes. "He was my best friend, Mia. How could he be friends with Mulciber and Avery? After what they did to Mary, he still hangs around them, and I'm not naive enough to think that he doesn't know when the Carrows are up to something."

Mia knew how this story began and ended. A lonely half-blood boy and a confused Muggle-born girl met and became friends. Hogwarts separated them into different Houses, and somehow, the influence of others ruined everything. The boy grew bitter and dark, while the girl remained bright and joyful. There would be a great deal of hurt, pain, and love lost; by the end of the story, the main characters would be dead.

"Do you want to know what I think?"

Lily looked back at her. "Of course. I trust your advice."

Mia thought of Draco, her own bullying wayward Slytherin. "I think just because a boy can be cruel, hurtful, and unbelievably stupid, doesn't mean he won't grow up to be a good man. But—" She hesitated, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, "—he's still a boy, and therefore can be cruel, hurtful, and unbelievably stupid. You're my friend, and I don't want you to be the one he hurts."

Lily nodded, looking slightly mollified. "Thanks."

"Don't be afraid to make new happy memories."

"Easy for you to say." Lily chuckled, using her wand to gesture across the room. "I'm not the one who has the lusty eyes of a werewolf staring at me," she whispered, and Mia levelled her with a stern look. "Don't worry. I've known about Remus since first year. Kept his secret this long, haven't I?"

"Thank you. About keeping the secret, not calling my boyfriend's eyes lusty." Mia laughed and turned around to spot Remus staring at her intently.

"Go," Lily urged her with a giggle. "See if you can't help Remus find his happy thought."

"You're awful." Mia rolled her eyes and moved to join Remus.

"It's getting there," he said when she approached, redirecting his focus on his wand as it struggled to hang onto the silvery wisp it was emitting.

Mia grinned coquettishly. "You thinking of something happy?"

"Can't think of anything too happy. Prongs is right there." He gestured to James, who was in the corner, consoling a bitter Sirius who was still pouting with his arms folded over his chest.

"What's your happy thought?" Mia asked, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend's waist from behind and snuggling her cheek into his back, breathing in his wonderful scent of parchment and grass. The scent was calming, grounding, and she was sure she could summon a Patronus just by breathing him in.

"Happy thoughts? Well, there's Hogsmeade Station, the woods out behind my house," Remus said with a grin and added, "broom cupboards. Broom cupboards make me very happy."

She smacked him lightly on his arm. "Happy thoughts, not . . . frustrating thoughts."

He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her flush up against him. "Oh, are you frustrated, Miss Potter?"

"You have no idea, Mr Lupin. Now, stop flirting. Do the charm. Focus on something less . . . anticipatory. Something from the past," she said with a helpful smile as she pulled away from him.

"That's easy then," Remus said quietly and then looked ahead. "Expecto Patronum!"

Unlike the struggling wisps everyone else was having trouble with, a silver wolf fluidly formed out of the end of Remus's wand to stand tall and regal in front of the group.

"Whoa!"

"Did you see what Lupin did?"

"That's amazing!"

"It's . . . a wolf," Remus said, his expression tense and confused.

"A Patronus is a manifestation of who we are. The purest part of us." Mia placed a hand on his arm and watched as he struggled with her words and the image of the wolf in front of him. "This is who you are, Remus."

"That's not who I am." He shook his head and withdrew his wand, the Patronus vanishing into mist.

"You are the wolf the same way I am the fox. I imagine James and Sirius's Patronuses will echo their forms as well. Stop trying to separate the two of you," she pleaded, taking his face into her hands and staring deep into his beautiful green eyes. "I love the wizard and the wolf."

"I love the witch and the fox," he replied with a silly grin on his face, though it looked a little forced.

"As long as you don't call me Foxy," she said after a quick kiss.

"As long as you go to the Halloween Ball with me next week," he replied with a grin.

"One condition. We come back here at the end of the dance."

"Here?" Remus raised a brow and smirked. "Are you wanting to duel your date?"

"This room can turn into anything we ask it to." Mia swallowed, her eyes focused and serious as she stared up at him.

Remus slowly nodded, but his lips formed a nervous, tight line, and she could practically see the wheels in his head spinning quickly.

"Stop thinking too hard."

"You're one to talk. The only reason I don't get to lecture you on overthinking things is because I'm sure you do all your stressing in private, collecting yourself so you can impose your thoughts on my unexpecting brain," he finished with a laugh.

"I just like the way you blush, love." Mia smiled sweetly. "What memory did you use? To conjure the Patronus?"

"The river. That first time with all of us out behind your orchards; perfect day, all of my friends." He let out a relaxed breath and put an arm around her shoulders. "You in a swimming costume. Everyone seemed happy."

"It was a good day."

"Plus, Sirius was eavesdropping while you were getting ready, and he heard you telling the girls that you fancied me." He chuckled and fought her when she struggled to get out of his grip.

She glared across the room at Sirius. "I'll kill him."

October 31st, 1975

Mia's flowing, lilac-coloured dress hung in smooth layers around her legs. The bodice was soft and loose, and the multiple straps holding it in place were thin, showing off the golden hue of her shoulders. She let her hair go—different from the way she had confined it during the Yule Ball in her original fourth year—using only a ruby-encrusted gold comb to hold back her rich curls. Remus loved when she left her hair wild and often expressed how he felt in control when his fingers were buried in their depths, so she was all too willing to forego the Sleekeazy's Hair Potion for the night.

She walked down the stairs from the girls' dormitory and smiled at the sight of her boys in the common room. Sirius was missing, of course, forced into detention with Professor Higgs as he had been every Friday that month—writing lines, washing chalkboards, and even polishing the professor's shoe collection. James and Remus turned from their place at the foot of the stairs to look up as Mia descended toward them.

"Merlin," Remus whispered.

His lingering gaze burned her skin. She was certain that if she broke eye contact and looked down, she would see a brand on her flesh anywhere he was looking. She blushed under the intensity of his eyes and almost entirely missed the fact that her brother was staring open-mouthed at something behind her.

Mia turned and smiled as she watched Lily walk down the stairs, wearing a brilliant shade of green to match her eyes. Her long, red hair had been curled at the ends, pulled to one side, and tied with a simple, gold ribbon.

"We'll see you all down there," Lily said with a smile for Mia as she linked arms with Mary and left.

James stared after her.

"You really aren't going to attack her verbally? Embarrass her over how she looks?" Mia asked, but James just shook his head side to side slowly, staring at the door long after the portrait closed behind Lily. "Jamie? You're not going to go and tell Lily how pretty she looks?"

"There aren't words," James whispered. "They should've sent a poet."

Remus groaned and nudged James in the ribs. "Ugh. Knock it off, mate, you're upstaging me here." He held Mia close, his hands tenderly resting on her waist. "You, my witch, are a vision. Lilac is a good colour on you."

Mia's smile dropped for a moment, and her breath caught as she remembered dancing with Future Remus at Bill and Fleur's wedding, wearing another lilac dress and hearing him tell her those same words. She could not help but wonder if she had picked this dress out specifically because of that.

She let out a shaky breath, and her smile returned as she looked him over, trying to push the past—or future, as it were—from her mind. "And you," she leant up and kissed his cheek, "my handsome wizard, are simply dashing in dress robes."

James cleared his throat. "Ahem!"

Mia rolled her eyes and in a sardonic, dry tone, said, "Oh, Jamie, you are the very definition of dapper." She chuckled as James preened like a peacock under her compliments. "In fact, if you weren't my brother—"

"Ugh!" James grimaced and flinched away from her like he had been scalded.

Mia giggled, burying her laughs in Remus's arm.

"You always take things too far, Mia." James stormed away from her to the sofa where he lifted something from the cushions.

"Where's your date, Jamie?" Mia asked, leaning into Remus's embrace, relishing the warmth of his arms around her.

"No date. Even Peter ditched me to go with some witch from Hufflepuff. I'm going stag."

Remus and Mia both groaned as James grinned at his pun.

"That was funny." He walked back to them, a large bottle in his hands, and summoned three shot glasses that flew toward him from a corner of the room behind an armchair. "Courtesy of dear Padfoot, who shall be with us in spirit tonight."

Mia shook her head but accepted the shot of firewhisky after James poured. "Leave it to Sirius to cause problems and not even be there for it. I still don't know how he can drink this stuff," she said before tossing it back and shivering as the liquid burned its way down her throat and settled in her stomach, warming her body instantly.

"It'll be easier when it's mixed in with punch."

"You will not," Mia scolded him with wide eyes.

"I'm under a Marauder's Oath to do as much damage as possible in my best friend's stead." James shrugged his shoulders and then patted Remus on the back. "Don't worry, my perfect, pristine prefect. I'll do it when you're not looking. Your virtuous reputation will remain intact."

"Unfortunately, so will yours," Remus said with a wry grin. "If Lily sees you spiking the punch, you're going to wake up with missing bollocks."

"If I wake up next to Evans, I'm willing to risk that," James said, waggling his eyebrows before leaving the common room with the bottle tucked in his robes.

Remus chuckled. "Is it sad that I almost hope he succeeds? Poor Lily."

"He won't succeed. Not yet."

He smiled and nuzzled the side of her neck, leaving a trail of soft kisses along her skin that felt like fire in his wake. "You really do look lovely."

Mia whimpered under his touch, certain that she would be a pile of ashes come morning. When his lips touched her pulse point she felt the firewhisky in her belly ignite while, at the same time, Remus breathed in deep and let out a vibrating growl against her skin that only made the flames burn hotter. Her cheeks flushed when she realised he had smelled her.

"Do you want to skip the dance?" She could feel Remus's movements still, and she knew he was trying to collect himself and calm down.

His eyes flashed gold as he swallowed. "No. You . . . looking like you do, smelling like you do . . . I'm going to need a few cups of James's special punch to dull a few of my more primal senses." He leant in and kissed her cheek before taking her hand and grinning. "Plus, I want the whole of Hogwarts to see how pretty my witch is."

When they arrived in the Great Hall, Mia smiled at the decorative pumpkins that lined the walls. As usual, there were candles lit above them, hovering mid-air. Though the Weird Sisters were not in attendance—or born yet, for all Mia knew—there was a nice instrumental band playing in the corner of the room.

Before she even had a chance to wonder about being asked, Remus swept her out on the dance floor, wrapping her in his arms and swaying to the music. She laughed at his bold move and smiled up at him as he draped one hand around her waist, the other laced with her fingers. The moment their eyes connected, he brought their entwined hands together and brushed his lips against her knuckles. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, wondering why every moment of life could not be this wonderful.

"Don't mean to cut in," Lily said as she approached them, "but we're supposed to dance next." She gestured to Remus and herself before offering an apologetic look to Mia. "Professor Dumbledore's idea; the Head Boy and Girl, and then each set of prefects."

"Go ahead. I'll go find Jamie and see how much trouble he's getting in." Mia chuckled as Lily rolled her eyes and took Remus away by the hand.

Mia made her way around a few tables that had been set up on the edge of the large dance floor. She saw Alice and Frank dancing close together. Mary was being adored at the other end of the hall by a small group of Hufflepuffs trying to get on her dance card. Otto Bagman stood next to her with Davey Gudgeon, who was wearing an eye patch after he had gotten too close to the Whomping Willow a few days ago.

Alecto Carrow was on the arm of Mulciber, and Amycus was missing—banned from attending the dance like Sirius had been—after he had been caught hexing a third year by Professor Sprout. Elora Zabini was being scolded by Professor McGonagall for snogging her current boyfriend, Adrian Abbot—her third "victim" that year. She was still wearing a locket given to her by her last beau, who was currently nursing a broken arm after someone cursed his broom, knocking him off of it mid-Quidditch practice.

Snape sat alone in the corner, pouting and glaring at the dance floor, while Remus whispered something in Lily's ear, so that she tilted her head back, laughing. The sight made Mia smile, knowing that the two were just friends, but the hateful look on Snape's face made her pause on her way toward James, who was lingering suspiciously by the punch bowl.

"Are you even going to bother asking her to dance?" Mia asked Snape.

"I don't know what you're referring to."

"Oh, please. You can't even answer that without taking your eyes off of her. You have no right to sit back and pout that she's not with you when you don't have the courage to get up and ask her to dance yourself."

"Perhaps it's not jealousy, in fact, that lights my anger." Snape turned and glared at her. "Lily is more than free to dance with whomever she pleases. I do, however, have a problem with her dancing with . . . whatever she pleases."

Mia's eyes darkened, and her jaw twitched. "I would be very careful if I were you, Snape. I have no problem smacking that sneer right off your face . . . again."

She felt a tug on her hand, spinning around involuntarily until she hit something hard. She looked up at the grinning face of Sirius, who moved quickly to the dance floor.

"Sorry, you looked like you needed a save from Snivellus over there." He smirked, looking her over. "I'd hate for his greasy hair to stain your pretty dress."

Mia laughed as he dipped her dramatically. "What are you doing here? You're going to get in so much trouble."

"I came to dance with the prettiest girl in the whole school. But seeing as Remus seems to be keeping her occupied, I settled for you." He laughed as she slapped his shoulder. "You really didn't think I'd miss this, did you? I can't stay long, though; I'm almost done writing one thousand lines of 'I will not be taught by stupid snakes.'"

Mia gasped. "You didn't?"

"Oh, he's not actually going to read them." Sirius rolled his eyes. "Do I smell firewhisky? Did Prongs actually do it?"

"No. Well, probably," she admitted and looked over her shoulder as she watched her brother consume a large cup of punch before subtly walking away from the table and disappearing into the crowd. "We actually all had a drink before we came to the dance."

"Sweet, little, innocent Mia, drinking firewhisky and shagging werewolves," Sirius tutted as he spun her around. "What is the world coming to?"

"What? We aren't . . . I . . . We haven't—"

"I'm just teasing, love." Sirius smirked. "That's a pretty colour on your cheeks, though."

Mia frowned. "Sirius—"

"I have my moments, you know," he continued, ignoring the look on her face. "Moments where I think, 'Now how did I fuck that up?' Times when I watch you looking at him and wonder if you'd have looked at me that way."

"I did," Mia admitted sadly, "but you ran, and I told you that I wasn't going to wait around for you."

"I'm glad you didn't. You're happy, he's happy. How can I be pissed about any of that? Jealous, sure," he confessed with a smile. "Which is why I took this little moment of your time. I'm nothing if not a little selfish. Needed one quick dance to keep me going."

"What happens when you need another fix?" she asked him, frowning.

"Ah, kitten, I didn't take Divination. At your recommendation, I skipped the very class that could have foretold the future and let me know how this whole story ends."

Mia rolled her eyes. "Divination is rubbish."

"There're those claws we're all so fond of."

"Am I interrupting?" Remus spoke from behind Mia, and she went to separate herself from Sirius. Instead, he dipped her again.

"Moony, you're looking suave and sophisticated. Care to cut in?" Sirius asked, pulling Mia back up to a standing position. "Little witch can't keep up with me."

"I'll do my best, Pads," Remus said, smiling.

Sirius reached for one of the cups in Remus's hands, downing the contents quickly and then laughing a little. "Oh, Prongsie. Poor boy dumped the whole bottle in. Better get your fill now before McGonagall has a taste. Now, if you two are done occupying my very limited amount of time, I have a Defence professor to pester."

While Sirius slipped out of the Great Hall with great haste, Mia turned back to look at Remus, who was coughing a little after sipping the punch.

"He's right, this is awful." He winced and handed her the cup to let her have a taste, smiling when she mimicked his expression.

She laughed and dragged him back over to the punch bowl where several others had quickly gravitated, filling and refilling their cups. "We better follow his advice and drink up before it's too late."

Two songs later, James was in the corner of the room being yelled at by an irate Lily, who was pointing at the punch bowl. James held his hands up innocently, but Lily grabbed him firmly by the collar of his dress robes, dragging him through the centre of the dance floor, and over to where Professor McGonagall was sitting.

"That's our cue to leave," Mia said, swiftly taking Remus's hand and rushing toward the exit before an intoxicated James could accidentally admit that they had known his plan all along.

Giggling, thanks to the help of firewhisky punch, Mia and Remus ran up the large staircase, making their way around the long corridors on their way to the seventh floor in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.

Before Mia had a chance to ask the Room of Requirement anything, Remus had her pinned to the wall, lowering his mouth to hers. Soft, warm, and tasting of citrus, sugar, and firewhisky, Mia melted in his grip, shivering as she felt his hand press against the outside of her thigh, hiking her leg up over his hip and pressing firmly against her.

"Room," Mia moaned against his lips.

"Hmm?" Remus replied, still kissing her.

"The room, Remus." She begrudgingly pulled away. "I need to create the room."

"Fuck the room," he growled and broke away from her lips to suck at the place behind her ear. When she mewled quietly, Remus chuckled against her skin and moved in to taste her once more, grinning when she repeated the noise.

"Remus," she moaned, and he moved from her neck to capture his name as it left her lips, grinning against her as he dug a free hand through her hair, using the leverage to deepen the kiss while his other hand lazily stroked her thigh through the soft silk of her dress.

Mia playfully nipped at his lower lip, and the reverberating sound he made against her triggered something in her body, and she felt a rush of warmth cover the skin of her cheeks before moving south, bathing the flesh of her chest, stomach, and thighs in heat. Something deep beneath her navel began to tighten and coil, and she fought tooth and nail against the voice in her head that was screaming out, begging for friction.

"Remus, we have to stop."

Remus immediately put space between them, looking at her worriedly. "Did I do something wrong?"

Mia exhaled, breathing heavy. "Merlin, no. Too right. But there is no way I'm ending this perfect evening getting caught by Filch whilst shagging my boyfriend against the wall."

Remus paled when she said "shagging," and Mia felt her cheeks flush again.

"Okay." He nodded, his recent confidence suddenly failing a little.

"Do you trust me?" Mia asked him after a long pause.

Remus nodded again. "Of course. Do you trust me?"

"With my life." She kissed him lightly again before she closed her eyes and paced back and forth in front of the stone wall.

Chapter Text

Deep in the dark
You'll surrender your heart
But you know
But you know that you can't fight the moonlight
(Can't Fight the Moonlight - Leann Rimes)

October 31st, 1975

"I don't understand," Remus said as he walked into the Room of Requirement—which was no longer a room, but rather what looked to be the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. Everything felt so real: the smell of the grass beneath his shoes, the breeze moving through the leaves in the trees ahead of them, even the bright moon reflecting off of the water on the Black Lake.

Moon?!

Remus took in a sharp breath as his focus turned up. Painted across a sky of black velvet was the brightest, fullest moon he had ever seen with his own, human eyes. Something tightened in his chest, and he closed his eyes as he waited for the itching, the aching, the pain to come, but instead of sharp stabbing against his skin, he felt something soft, pliable, and warm.

"Love, look at me."

Remus opened his eyes, still breathing heavily. A hazy mixture of chocolate brown and amber looked back at him, and he could read the love in their depths. Mia's soft hands touched his face, beckoning him toward her where she placed a kiss full of promises against his mouth, chaste and sweet.

He looked skyward again, and only then did he realise that he was still shaking against her, a hand firmly gripped on her arm as if he needed it to steady himself. "I don't understand. Mia, what did you do?"

"This is where I trained to become an Animagus," she told him. "I asked the Room of Requirement to place me in the forest where I could see the trees, touch the dirt, and smell the air. I asked to be able to see the shack—" She pointed to the shadowy silhouette in the distance. "And for the brightest full moon it could summon." Her eyes were full of guilt at the fear she had brought out in him, but something told Remus she knew that this would happen, at least initially. "I wanted to be connected to you during my training; to remind myself why I was doing it."

"How am I not—?"

"Transforming? That's not a real moon."

"Why did you bring me here?" he asked, focus still fixated on the orb in the sky.

"I . . ." She hesitated. "I wanted to give you something. I wanted you to see it with those beautiful, green eyes. See it and not fear it." She traced her fingers along the lines of his mouth and then leant in, capturing his lips tenderly with her own.

He closed his eyes and let the light of the moon—real or not—wash over him as he relished the warmth of the girl in his arms. Remus turned away from the brightness in the sky, still not entirely sure about what Mia had done, but suddenly very grateful that she had. He was desperate to show her his gratitude.

He kissed her deep and slow, reverently running his hands over the silk of her dress, feeling the outline of her waist, the dip in her lower back, and the curve of her hips that made him keen at the touch.

She responded in kind, her small fingers playing at the clasp on his robes. When she unhooked it and began to push the fabric over his shoulders, Remus pulled himself away from her as he opened his eyes and looked down. "Here?"

"Couldn't think of anywhere better," she admitted with a shy, nervous smile. "You, me, the earth, and the sky."

Remus held her in his arms and dipped her backward as Sirius had done earlier that night while they danced, but instead of a smug grin, Remus smiled softly. Instead of bringing her back to her feet, he placed her gently there upon the soft grass. Kneeling close beside her, he brushed a lock of hair from her face and drank in the image of her, bathed in the light of the moon—something he might never see again, not with his own eyes, not in this form.

"Would you think less of me if I admitted that I was scared?" His brow furrowed, and his eyes were set with worry. She looked so small lying beside him, beneath him, as he leant over her to kiss her cheeks. She looked too fragile, too tender, too breakable. Much too easy to devour.

She whispered the words she had been repeating to him for years, "I'm not afraid of you. I'm a little scared, but not of you."

Desperate to comfort her, as he noticed she was shaking, Remus kissed her soft and slow until he could hear the beating of her heart calm down as she relaxed. He pulled away from her, not entirely sure what to do. He never thought a moment like this would have been possible for him, so when Sirius and other boys talked endlessly about sex, Remus generally tuned them out.

"'If the moon smiled, she would resemble you.'" Mia smiled up at him, stroking his cheek with the tips of her fingers. "'You leave the same impression—'"

"'Of something beautiful,'" Remus said and breathed in deep as though her words began to set him on fire, and he needed to finish them or burn up from the inside out, "'but annihilating.' Sylvia Plath."

"Muggle or witch?"

"Who cares?"

He dove forward, claiming her mouth with passion and drive, rekindling the slow burn that they had ignited against the stone walls outside the Room of Requirement. She pushed the robes from his shoulders completely this time, but he refused to break the kiss when she deftly played with the buttons of his shirt until they all opened to expose the skin of his scarred chest to her.

He hesitated when she pulled away from him, tugging the sleeves off his arms to draw the shirt away from his body before her hands traced the outlines of the scars that ran across his ribs. He frowned and closed his eyes tight, unable to watch her touch him, fairly certain she would find him lacking if she looked too close. His eyes were still closed when he felt her lips brush against the scar that cut across his chest, and the sudden contact sparked something deep and primal—sparked something old and feral but new to him all the same.

He found himself suddenly above her, wedging a knee between her thighs. He breathed her in deep, setting his lupine senses aflame. Her scent lingered in the air, and he could taste it in the back of his throat. She smelled like a forest after a rainstorm. She tasted like honey and something he could not put into words, something that felt like hope burning inside of his chest.

Remus bent forward and captured her lips once again, trying to remember that last, lingering taste until he found it on the tip of her tongue. He pulled away and whispered, "You taste like the sunrise."

His erection grew more uncomfortable in his slacks as her hooded eyes lifted to meet his, and her words whispered against his lips, "You taste like moonlight."

Suddenly, he was unable to hold the wolf back any longer.

Capturing her mouth once again in a bruising kiss, Remus reached down and touched the skin of her ankle, then slowly followed the trail of flesh upward until his hand met creamy thigh, the silk of her dress bunched up against his forearm. The tips of his fingers brushed against lace; he shivered and tucked his knuckles beneath the band of fabric, tugging down at the same time that her hands found the buckle of his trousers, unwilling to break the kiss or open his eyes in worry that he would look into hers and see fear. They fumbled awkwardly, limbs tangling as they desperately fought to remove their clothing. He was working on instinct now, each move he made fueled by the whimpers, mewls, and soft cries escaping her throat.

Settling into the cradle of her thighs, Remus finally broke their kiss to look down at her, waiting for silent confirmation, trying like hell to stay out of his head like she always told him to. He worried that if he questioned himself and hesitated now, she would assume it was because of her, and Remus could not bear to have her think of herself as anything but absolute perfection. So he kept quiet and waited, watching her eyes closely and inspecting her for any hint of anxiety.

"Please," was what she finally cried, and the wolf inside him howled in victory.

Adjusting himself with a shaking hand, Remus pressed forward until he felt a wet warmth encase him, a tightness that was so suffocatingly perfect it made him dizzy. His body begged him to move forward, so he did, and he heard her gasp just as he felt her tighten painfully around him.

His eyes opened wide the moment he realised what had happened, and he looked down at her, terrified. He had known what would happen but had forgotten in the moment, and he cursed himself for being so ignorant.

Her face and body were tense, and Remus breathed deeply, begging for forgiveness with his eyes.

Our job. Our job to protect her. Not to hurt her.

Never hurt her.

"I . . ." he began, choking on an apology.

"Yours," Mia said on a slow exhale.

She took another breath, let it go, and he felt her grip on him relax just a touch.

He looked down at her confused until he remembered her words earlier when he had questioned her about the moon in the sky above them: "I wanted to give you something."

"Yours," she repeated, touching his chest.

The wolf inside of him keened. Ours.

Remus swallowed hard before slowly moving once more. Pulled into eyes that were filled with love and acceptance, he felt a flood of emotions fill him. The girl beneath him, covered in silk and moonlight, loved him—loved Remus and accepted the wolf inside. She had given him everything he never thought he deserved and more. He felt honoured that she had somehow found him worthy of this moment—this painfully beautiful moment bathed in the light of the moon where he was more man than monster.

"Remus," she moaned, and it fueled him further, pushing him, edging him ever closer to something he had never known, not like this.

She smelled like a rainstorm, she felt like heaven, she tasted like honey and a sunrise and . . . and something else he could not quite place, but it burned deliciously.

He felt her undulate beneath him, and he seized the cry of her lips with his mouth, drinking in her pleasure until his own broke inside of her.

Remus let out a low growl against her lips, quivered when she kissed him lightly, and collapsed into her arms beneath the brightness of the moon above them.

It was absolute, utter, infinite, complete, and outright perfection.

Almost, a voice whimpered in the back of his mind.

Almost perfection.

But not quite.

Just in case, when his energy returned minutes later, Remus tried again.

Hours passed, and the moon still hung in the faux sky above them, covering their sweat soaked, naked bodies.

"That was . . ." Mia panted, every nerve in her body tingling, over-sensitised, and a little sore.

"Yeah . . ." Remus breathed heavily against her, his hot breath dampening her collarbone where his face had landed. He inhaled and moved up, hissing a little as he pulled out and away from her, landing next to her on his back.

Mia exhaled. "Wow."

"Really?" Remus turned and grinned at her.

"Not wow for you?" She frowned, her swollen lips pouting.

She had not expected their first time to be that great. Reading books and hearing gossip in the dormitory during both times at Hogwarts had prepared her for bland, awkward, disappointment. She knew that she and Remus had passion unlike anything else she had ever felt for a boy before, but she anticipated that even if she got over the pain that sometimes came with sex, it would not be swiftly followed by pleasure like that.

"No. Wow! Very wow for me," he promised with a chuckle as he continued to try and catch his breath. "I just didn't think wow for you."

"Oh, very wow." She joined in the laughter, a bit delirious, until they both fell into a strange silence as they stared up at the sky.

There was a heaviness to the air, and after a pregnant pause, Remus broke the silence: "But?"

"I'm not your mate," Mia admitted automatically.

He stared at her. "How do you know that?"

"Don't you?"

Remus thought for a moment. "Well, yeah, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Okay, I know. I just didn't want to hurt your feelings by saying it."

"Why would that hurt my feelings?" She frowned at him, leaning over on her side and resting her head on her open hand. "If something's not meant to be, it's not meant to be."

"You sound like someone who buys into Divination."

She would have scowled at him, but she had been screaming his name just minutes earlier, and she felt that her intimidation tactics would need to be recalibrated when it came to Remus. "There's a difference. Werewolves have mates; there are studies that prove it."

"You're not upset?"

"Are you?"

"A little," he confessed.

Mia reached over and brushed the sweat-soaked hair from his forehead. "Tell me why."

"Because I . . ." He turned and stared into her eyes, reaching out to stroke his knuckles tenderly against the skin of her cheek.

She smiled. "I love you too, Remus."

"I do love you."

"I know."

"Plus, you're my best friend."

"You're more than that to me." She pulled herself forward, melding her body against his and sighing as he wrapped his arms around her to kiss her forehead. "You're . . . I don't know. Mine," she said possessively, and Remus chuckled. "You belong to me. At least until you find her."

After a tense moment, he whispered, "What if I don't?"

"You will," she promised as the vision of a pink-haired woman and a blue-haired baby came into her mind.

"You don't know that, Mia. Do you know the chances of someone like me finding their mate? Rare. Beyond rare. I thought you . . ." He sighed sadly. "You've always been good to me. You've never been afraid to touch me. I just assumed."

"You'll find her. I promise."

"You don't regret it?" he asked hesitantly.

"Honestly, I'm having a hard time feeling guilty enough to not want to do it again." Mia laughed, tracing her fingers over his ribs, following the lines of scars down to the taut muscles of his stomach. He was beautiful, and she could stare at him all day and night.

He blinked down at her. "Why would you feel guilty?"

"I don't know," she lied. "It feels like . . . I'm helping you cheat on her."

He shook his head in disbelief. "A future mate I might never meet."

"You'll meet her, and then what? What will I be? How can she not hate me?" she asked and gasped at the very real thought of a very real person waiting for Remus in the future. Tonks. His mate. His wife. Mia covered her face. She had slept with Tonks's husband!

Another thought jolted her. Remus—Future Remus—he knew!

That was how time worked. He said it in his letter. Anything she did had already been done, which meant that when Future Remus sent her back in time, he knew exactly what was going to happen. He knew that on Halloween their fifth year, she would take him into the Room of Requirement and they would make love beneath a full moon. He had known that she had been his girlfriend, that they had been in love!

Mia suddenly remembered a conversation she overheard between Future Remus and Tonks the day before they had gone into the Ministry to fetch Sirius from the veil.

"But you know I love you, right?"

"Yes, Remus, you love me. You'll never leave me. I'm your mate; I get it."

Mia silently gasped at the thought: Tonks knew everything.

"You'll be my best friend." Remus kissed her temple, unaware that she was having a complete internal crisis. "You're mine too, you know. You belong to me. It's like . . . if I were an alpha wolf, you'd be my beta."

Mia chuckled, calming down at his words, always happy when he referenced his wolf without words of self-defamation. "What about Sirius, James, and Peter?"

"They're in the pack too, but you're . . . I don't know. Is there a word that means soul mate but doesn't?"

"Ever the poet." Mia beamed up at him. "You're thinking of a kindred spirit."

"Yeah. You're mine. It's like you're my heart, but not . . . my soul. Does that make sense?" he asked, looking guilty when she adjusted their bodies so that she could look at him.

She nodded. Remus was her heart. She could admit that.

"If I meet my mate, she'll understand that. If she doesn't, then she's not really my mate."

"So you don't feel bad?" Mia asked. "Like, you don't think you should be out there looking for her?"

"Why?" He raised a brow. "What other person our age starts any relationship thinking, 'Wow, this is it. I'm going to marry this person, and if it's not meant to be, then I'm out of here?'"

Mia laughed. "Jamie."

"James is a special case."

"You're saying you'd rather be like Sirius?" She frowned a little at the thought of Remus having the reputation that Sirius had.

Remus laughed, shaking his head with a defeated sigh. "Isn't there a safe and less horrible middle ground between James and Sirius?"

"Yeah. I call that safe middle ground 'Remus.'"

"I'll never get used to you thinking of me as safe."

She kissed him softly, whispering, "You'd never hurt me."

"You say that like someone else would." When she did not answer, Remus sighed and pulled her tighter into his arms. "I'm not your mate either."

She frowned at the truth of his words. "No."

"But you know who is."

Mia sniffed, irritable. "I don't want to talk about it, Remus."

"He'll figure it out. He's just—"

She scoffed. "Stupid?"

"Oh, incredibly." He nodded with wide eyes. "I was thinking more along the lines of ignorant, though. Sirius needs to grow up first. You've always been more mature than the rest of us, and I know I'm different too because of my condition. James, Sirius, and Peter are the ones who get to cling to their childhood a little longer than us."

"Please don't ever mention my brother or Peter while we're naked."

Remus smirked down at her. "I can mention Sirius, though?"

"I'd prefer it just be the two of us, but considering I brought your future mate into the bedroom . . ." She ran her hand along the grass between them. "Figuratively," she added with a chuckle. "I suppose you have the right to push my buttons when it comes to Sirius."

"You love him," Remus whispered.

Mia groaned and put her hands over her face. "You suck at pillow talk."

"Ask the room something for me," Remus insisted.

"What?" she asked, pulling her hands down to look at him.

He smiled sweetly at her. "Tell it to take the moon away. Make it disappear. I want to show you something."

Mia silently agreed, closing her eyes and making the small request of the room. When she opened her eyes, the brightness of the forest was gone; they were still on the grass, now under a blanket of open, black sky, speckled with stars.

"You're the sky, Mia," Remus whispered in her ear. "You're this amazing, endless, magical entity. We've just established that you can't have the moon," he said, pointing to himself.

"Okay."

"So tell me what do you see without the moon in the sky?"

"A terrible metaphor," she said, earning a poke in the ribs. She let out a heavy sigh, already knowing where he was going with his point, but she let him anyway because when it came to her, Remus got away with anything. The man—and boy—could do no wrong. Everything he ever did was for her benefit. "Stars. I see stars."

"What star do you see first?"

She pointed straight ahead. "The brightest. Alpha Canis Majoris," she said, using the technical term for the star stuck inside the beautiful constellation. Then she sniffed, resigned. "Also known as the Dog Star."

"We like to call that star—"

"Sirius," she whispered with a heavy breath. "The brightest star in the sky is Sirius."

"So what now?" Remus asked, looking oddly pleased with himself after psychoanalysing her and tricking her into some semblance of acceptance. "What about us?"

"What do you want?" Mia asked.

"I don't want to be alone," he confessed sadly, "but I don't want to stand in your way of anything that could happen."

"No dating each other?"

He cringed, looking awkward. "Might get complicated."

"I agree," she said, hesitation in her voice.

"But . . . ?" he prompted, a hungry look in his eyes.

She leant forward, kissing his neck. "But there's no reason not to take advantage of the fact that we're physically compatible?"

"You don't think I'm just a randy bloke looking to get a girl in the sack?"

"You already got the girl in the sack."

"Three times," Remus said the words through a cough and then pretended like he was clearing his throat, but she looked up and saw the amazingly smug look on his face that could rival that of James during a Quidditch match.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, well done, you."

Remus shrugged. "I think I earned an O.W.L."

She smirked, wiggling against him. "Lose the ego, and I might consider you for a N.E.W.T."

"So, we're really okay?" He pulled away from her to look into her eyes. When she smiled, he leant forward and kissed her sweetly. "No weirdness?"

"No weirdness. Strangely, no weirdness. I think in twenty years we'll look back and laugh at the fact that there's no weirdness." She could just imagine that awkward conversation. The fact that he would grow up to become her professor would certainly add to the tension in the room.

"You do that a lot," he said, observing her while running his knuckles up and down the flat plane of her stomach, watching closely as she shivered in response.

"What's that?"

"Say 'In twenty years,' like it's some goal you've got in your head. Where exactly do you think you'll be in twenty years that you add everything up to it?"

She smiled sadly, thinking of everyone back at Grimmauld Place in 1998. "I'll be with you, and Sirius, and . . . everyone else. Family, friends. I see the war over, and I see you with a wife and family, and Jamie's family . . ." She frowned as the thought of Harry came into her mind.

"You don't have a family?"

She smiled as brightly as she could, blinking away the tears that were pricking at the corners of her eyes. "You're my family."

"I love you, Mia."

"I love you, Remus."

"Round two?"

She burst into laughter, and he snatched the noise right from her lips with his own before rolling over and pinning her beneath him, grinning when her leg hitched itself up against his hip.

"Don't you mean round four?"

"Semantics."

He chuckled, placing a kiss to her throat that relit the fire in her belly. If she did not know him any better, she might have accused him of trying to condition her. Pavlov's dog. Lupin's witch. Drooling at the sound of sexy growling instead of a bell.

"How are you not exhausted?" she asked through short breaths.

"Wolf thing," he whispered against her skin, slowly moving south where he placed kisses against her collarbone and in the valley between her breasts.

"I thought you were very . . . animal." She chuckled at the thought and then whimpered as his lips reached her navel, her fingers moving into the depths of his shaggy hair.

"My wolf likes you," he mumbled against her stomach.

"I really like your wolf," she admitted with a grin, licking her lips as her eyes closed.

Remus sighed, and she felt his head rest on her hip. "Why can't you be my mate?" he whined. "You're perfect."

"Your mate will be perfect. I just happen to be a close runner-up."

"Close?"

She felt him move lower once more, his hot breath on her thighs, making her whimper. "Mmm. Very close."

"How close?" he growled, sending vibrations across her skin.

Mia quivered against the grass. "Very close!"

Chapter Text

Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave?
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?
(A Thousand Years - Christina Perri)

December 19th, 1975

"What do you want for Christmas?" Remus groaned the question into a pillow as Mia kneaded the muscles of his back. He was extremely sore and exhausted. It was nearing time for dinner, and he had spent the whole day recovering in bed.

Mia was almost just as exhausted, having helped him with his recovery. Her soreness, however, was much more pleasant than his.

The night before had seen the four Marauders and Mia in the Shrieking Shack. James and Sirius suggested letting Moony out a little to run through the forest, but Remus had been insistent that they keep him properly shut away until he felt in complete control, which he admitted might not ever happen. Drinking the Wolfsbane Potion the week prior helped him stay in control. Having four Animagus friends around him during the full moon kept him calm.

Mia suspected that having a naked girl waiting for him in his bed once he left the hospital wing might make enduring the full moon almost worth it.

Though they put an end to their official relationship the night they had given their virginities to one another, Remus and Mia did not tell a soul. It certainly made it easier when they were occasionally caught snogging on the sofa in the common room, empty classrooms, or dark corridors.

Despite knowing that their stories ended with different people, Mia and Remus had found a safe solace in one another. He would use her during his more aggressive moments as the full moon approached, allowing him to wear himself out a bit, which he admitted helped control his temper. She would use him to fulfil the most important rule in the guide that his older self had left for her: enjoying life.

The days before the full moon, anyone searching the dark alcoves of the castle would find Mia pressed up tight against some rough surface as she coaxed the animal out of Remus, nipping at his lips and neck and roughly pulling at his hair while he drove into her, growling behind golden eyes as she moaned, "Harder," into the shell of his ear.

He still had not lost control with her, and Mia almost wished that he would. His aggressive side was becoming addicting, and she felt guilty that he would feel anxious and worried after the rougher moments they shared together, nervous that he might have hurt her. She did not dare tell him just how much she enjoyed it.

The morning following the full moon was a day of recovery. After his potions and healing in the infirmary, Remus would return to the dorms, citing the need for sleep. His understanding friends—who had all caught up on their lack of sleep during the morning hours—would vacate the room to allow him to recuperate. The moment James, Sirius, and Peter were off to the Quidditch Pitch where they always ended up, Mia would slip up the stairs and into Remus's bed, where they would shut the curtains and put up the strongest of Silencing and Locking Spells.

They lazily made love beneath the comfort of clean sheets. She traced the lines of his scars, kissing away the new scrapes, and they fell asleep in one another's arms with whispers of "I love you" on their lips.

Remus and Mia were the perfect safety net for one another—having the ability to express and feel love in a way that kept them free from heartbreak. He did not have to be alone while he waited decades for his mate to suddenly show up in his life. She did not have to force herself to deal with the issue of her bond with Sirius and the future where she knew he was waiting for her—the day after her nineteenth birthday.

They could use each other to escape their entwined futures with other people.

They used each other well.

And often.

"You still haven't gotten me a gift?"

She sat straddled over the back of Remus's bare legs, moving her hands down to the strained muscles of his lower back, still sore from the transformation the night before. His skin was littered with various scars that she found surprisingly beautiful, as though they told the story of his character. She leant down and pressed her lips to each one affectionately.

Beneath her, Remus let out a satisfied sigh. "Haven't had a chance to do much shopping. I'll have to stop by Diagon Alley sometime before Christmas. That is," he offered with a chuckle, "unless you just want your present to be a repeat of today."

She tried to control the shiver that went through her. The tone of voice and confidence he used when privately flirting made her muscles clench and her nerves ignite like fireworks. Aside from running for her life during the war, she had never been one to regularly exercise, but Remus was doing wonders for her now when it came to working up a sweat.

"I hardly think I can open this in front of my parents and brother on Christmas morning."

"Do you want something . . . boyfriendish? We haven't told anyone. I don't want your parents to think poorly of me if I'm inconsiderate enough to buy you something ridiculous like sweets."

Mia shrugged, digging into a particularly rough knot that caused him to hiss and then groan as it released. "You're not my boyfriend. You're under no obligation to do anything of the sort. Just because we didn't take out a page in the Prophet announcing our 'torrid breakup' doesn't mean we're hiding our sudden lack of relationship."

He rolled over and looked up at her. Despite their abundant lack of clothing, he kept his gaze on her face. "Aren't we?"

She frowned, awkwardly picking at her thumbnail until he took her hands to still them from fidgeting. "Not exactly. I mean, we're not correcting people when they assume we're still together, but—"

"I think you're scared," Remus said. "You're worried that if we start telling people that we're not together that they'll—"

"Find out we're still shagging and think I'm some scarlet woman?" she asked with a mocking tone.

Remus chuckled, kissing her fingers. "No. I think you're afraid that once Sirius knows we're not together, he'll be forced to make a decision about you, and no matter what choice he makes, it terrifies you."

She glared down at him as though the accusation of her being afraid was the lowest thing he could ever say to her. "I'm a Gryffindor."

"You told me that the Sorting Hat wanted to put you in Slytherin," Remus challenged her.

"That stupid hat was just trying to rile me up," she snarled. "That's beside the point. I am not afraid of Sirius."

To try and change the subject, Mia rolled her hips over him and grinned when he let out a low keen. She could feel him stirring beneath her and smirked that she could silence him with such a simple gesture.

"No, you're in love with Sirius," he countered.

Mia sighed; maybe she wasn't so talented at shutting Remus up.

He looked like he was trying to fight back the urge to take her again so soon. His face showed a stern concentration, but she felt him swiftly growing hard again beneath her.

"You're worried that he'll find out we're not together, and he won't tell you that he loves you as well." She clenched her teeth and schooled her expression, trying not to let him see how his words affected her so strongly. "And he probably won't, because he's just as terrified as you are."

"I'm pretty sure we made a rule to not talk about Sirius while we're naked," Mia said firmly, and Remus rolled his eyes.

"I have sex with you to work out pent up aggression. You have sex with me because you're hiding," he accused her.

She stared down at him, her mouth falling open in shock. "I have sex with you because I love you."

"And I love you, but you know it's different. It would be different if I were Sirius."

"Jealous?" she teased, trying to ease the tension and securely bury her rising fears of inadequacy and rejection that Sirius tended to bring out in her.

Remus laughed. "Hardly. I'm the one you're on top of, aren't I?"

"And what if it was suddenly Sirius?" she asked him point-blank. A part of her worried that Remus was not being entirely honest with her. This was their safe place, here in the arms of one another, and she knew that Remus would be alone for years. A part of her did not want to pursue anything further with Sirius because she did not want to leave Remus by himself. She did not want her friend, her heart, to be alone.

"I would be happy for you," he promised, and she frowned as she saw the sincerity in his eyes. "I'd be watching him to make sure he didn't screw it up. Your happiness would bring me happiness."

Her frown deepened. "You'd be alone."

"Not that our time together isn't anything short of, well, mind blowing, but I did manage to get along before we started shagging."

Mia smirked down at him, seeing the wonder of a confident Remus, who would have blushed at this conversation not two months earlier. Thinking of Sirius, however, pulled the amusement away. "He's wounded."

She broke eye contact with Remus and sighed, hating how easily he was able to read her. When the two friends-turned-lovers were caught in a moment of passion, it was helpful that he knew her so well. He paid close attention to the way her eyes clouded, the slightest gasp on the edge of her lips, or the smallest twitch of her nose. In the aftermath, when she felt vulnerable and exposed, he saw right through her and brought everything to the surface, forcing her to address her issues.

"So are you." He reached up and took her hand, tugging it forward until she fell on top of his chest, where he then wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "I don't know why you are or what you're always holding back, but I can see it, smell it."

"I don't know how to deal with him at this age," she admitted, hoping to change the subject from her own wounds—wounds he could apparently see—to Sirius. Mia worried what would happen when the scars of her past began to literally come back to haunt her. How would she explain them, especially to Remus, who had seen all of her perfect, unblemished flesh?

"You're the same age," Remus pointed out.

"No we're not; you said so yourself. You and I are different. Sirius is . . . a child right now. He's spoiled and thinks he can get away with anything. He pouts when he doesn't get everything he wants, and he refuses to open up to me—or anyone—about his problems. I could never be intimate with him, not now, not like . . ." She sat up and gestured to the small space between them. "Not like this."

"Do you know what your problem is?" Remus asked, tracing his fingers over her hips. "You try to get everything right on the first attempt. You're so brilliant at Charms, you can alter them to create your own. You brew the Wolfsbane Potion with ease; and from what you told me about it, one mess-up and I'll be the one that suffers. You became an Animagus in six months, while it took Sirius, James, and Peter three years. Not to mention that for a pureblood who's never taken Muggle Studies, you're astoundingly knowledgeable about things that I don't even know, and I've got a Muggle mother. Everything is easy for you."

She rolled her eyes. "Are you saying Sirius wouldn't be easy?"

Remus scoffed. "To get into bed? You'd barely have to blink your eyes at him. But to break through those defensive barriers he puts up around him? It could take years. Plus, you don't like that he doesn't just open up to you—that it's not as easy as magic."

"Not everything comes easily to me." She pouted, arguing with him in order to avoid the real issue. "I'm rubbish at flying."

"Maybe you should challenge yourself then."

December 24th, 1975

Christmas Eve found everyone in wonderful spirits. Charlus and Dorea had decorated the entire house, much to the great displeasure of Tilly, who wanted to do it all on her own. James and Mia were happy to be home from Hogwarts, enjoying the company of family and friends; Sirius was nearly a permanent guest, and the Lupins had come by to enjoy the festivities with the few friends they had left in the Wizarding world.

Presents had been exchanged with bright smiles around the largest Christmas tree in the whole manor. Charlus and Dorea, as per usual, doted upon the children as well as their guests, who all—save for Sirius—struggled with the lavish gifts that were given to them.

By the end of the night, Remus had more chocolate than he could possibly carry, so it was helpful that Mia's gift had been a new school bag with an Undetectable Extension Charm. Remus's gift to Mia had been a beautiful phoenix feather quill and new rolls of parchment.

As usual, James and Sirius got new broomstick servicing kits. James had the A.D. communicating Galleon that Mia had made with a Protean Charm turned into a necklace for her, and she in turn—as a gift—offered to allow him to teach her how to fly.

Sirius also presented Mia with jewellery in the form of mismatched earrings—the left, a sterling silver silhouette of a cat with the word kitten engraved on it; the right, a golden image of a fox. Mia presented him with a gift of her own creation: a plain, but beautiful, silver chain that had been charmed as an emergency Portkey.

"Touch it, and say Portus," she instructed, "and it'll bring you right back here."

She knew Sirius had issues with his family. After their encounter with Bellatrix at Narcissa's wedding, she realised that at some point in the future, Sirius was going to need a safe escape. She frowned at the thought that he could have used this gift while in Azkaban.

Sirius smiled softly at her. "It's great. I'll wear it always," he promised and slipped the chain around his neck. "If it's for emergencies though, what if I don't have a wand to activate the charm?"

"What do you think we'll be working on in A.D. when we get back to school?" she asked with a devious smile.

"You don't know wandless magic," Sirius whispered incredulously.

"I know a little." She smiled at the memory of her and an older Sirius in front of a tent late at night. Harry slept on inside, the Horcrux locket around his neck, while she and Sirius stood out, side-by-side by the fire—Hermione desperately trying to freeze the flames, and Sirius doing so with great ease, all wandlessly.

"Does anyone want some more pumpkin cider?" Mia asked as she stood to go into the kitchen. She was excited because for her Christmas gift from Tilly, she had asked her to take the night off. Begrudgingly Tilly agreed, allowing Mia a bit of a free run of the kitchen.

"Thank you, dear." Dorea smiled at her, and a few other hands were raised.

"I'll help," Sirius said as he moved to follow her.

Before either could make it toward the kitchen, however, they were suddenly stuck in place.

"What the . . . ?" Mia blinked, a slight look of fear crossed over her as she realised she was trapped in a near two-by-two box next to Sirius.

"Uh oh," James laughed, pointing up.

Hovering above them was a cluster of charmed mistletoe.

"Who did it?" Mia turned and glared at her brother.

James held up his hands. "To be fair, I set several mistletoe loose before you told me Evans changed her holiday plans and wouldn't be coming over."

"Tricking a girl into kissing you won't win her affections, darling," Dorea amusingly reprimanded her son, looking completely nonplussed about Mia and Sirius's awkward situation.

"Take it off, James," Charlus instructed; his voice sounded amused, but the look on his face was clear discomfort.

"Can't. Only one way to get out of it." James laughed again and looked over at Remus, who preoccupied himself by seeing how many things he could fit inside his new bag, resolutely not looking at Sirius and Mia.

"Sorry, Remus. You heard Prongs, only one way out." Sirius wrapped his arm around Mia, brushing the hair from her face with gusto. "You might want to look away while I ravish your woman, Moony."

"No ravishing," Charlus said with a huff. "James, get that thing away from your sister."

"The mistletoe or Sirius?" James asked innocently.

"It's fine by me." Remus shrugged with a smile as he looked up at Mia. Everyone else went absolutely silent, and Mia's eyes widened as she stared at her traitorous ex. "She's a free witch."

"What do you mean, a free witch?" Sirius asked.

"We broke up," Mia admitted impatiently, casting a scathing look at Remus.

James turned on Remus, glaring him down. "What did you do?"

"Jamie!" Mia snapped. "He didn't do anything, other than out my single status just now with his big, stupid mouth. We broke up months ago. It was perfectly amicable."

"We're better as best friends." Remus smiled up at her. "Just not meant to be."

"How come you didn't tell anyone?" James blinked, looking both confused and hurt, likely because they had kept a secret from him.

"Wasn't your business," Mia said simply, wishing that she could hug her brother, but the damned mistletoe kept her in place. "Plus, there was no drama, and we knew once it got out, there would be rumours going around. I had no desire to correct all of the stories that would circulate, declaring that I'd broken the heart of the handsome Gryffindor prefect."

"How come you'd be the heart-breaker?" Remus asked with a laugh.

"The girl is always to blame," she said.

Mia knew from experience that, when it came to rumours and gossip, she would always be the one in the wrong. She was surprised that her face was not plastered across the Daily Prophet by now. Then again, Rita Skeeter was not writing for them yet.

"Can I get out of this please?" she asked Sirius, who still had his arm around her as she pointed up at the mistletoe.

He stared at her, suddenly looking like he was lacking in the confidence he'd had only moments earlier when he was under the assumption that Mia was taken. Sirius swallowed, released her, and cleared his throat. He leant in, brushing his lips lightly over hers. It was a feathery touch, barely ghosting over her skin, and it still left her breathless.

Neither bothered to close their eyes as it happened so fast. Mia gazed into the storm grey irises in front of her, seeing as they momentarily bled silver. She inhaled the moment he came so close, and she smelled it all: parchment and grass—like Remus smelled—but also firewhisky, leather, and the lingering hint of tobacco that should have disgusted her had she not grown so accustomed to his scent.

It had been enough to break the mistletoe's charm.

It had been enough to leave her painfully wanting more.

It had been enough to reignite something deep inside.

It had been just enough to pluck a tiny gold string that connected their magic.

Walking away from one another was painful, but Mia forced herself to pretend nothing was amiss even though her hands were shaking. Bringing the cider back to her family and friends, she watched as everyone went about their business as though nothing had happened—everyone except Remus, who shook his head and looked away from her, and her mother, who pinned her with a scrutinising look. Mia fumbled as she handed a glass of cider to her mother, trying to look unconcerned; she was certain she failed.

Slytherins could be intimidating when they wanted to be.

January 6th, 1976

The new year brought with it a new world.

James and Mia returned to Hogwarts wearing matching slings. She had fulfilled her gift to James, and the moment the two of them mounted his broom, everything went south. They ended up crashing in the orchards, each breaking an arm. Despite repairing the breaks with potions and magic at St Mungo's, they were forced to wear the slings under the insistence of their mother and Tilly until they were both fully healed.

Peter came back to Hogwarts looking sickly and haunted. Mia had read in the paper that his father, Evan Pettigrew, had been arrested for suspicious behaviour in Knockturn Alley. Though he had been released later on for lack of evidence, she knew that this was the beginning of the end for Wormtail. If Peter had not been involved in the Dark Arts before, he was now connected to them through his father.

Lily stepped off the Hogwarts Express in tears after Mulciber and Avery called her a Mudblood to her face, and Snape stood by, averting his gaze in front of his friends. Lily was not prone to emotional outbursts like that, but Mia knew this had been building over a long period of time. Soon, Snape and Lily would break permanently, and everyone but Lily would have seen it coming since the Sorting Hat had placed her into Gryffindor.

Though Sirius continued drinking and smoking over the holidays, he returned to school with a new nervous habit: fidgeting with the chain Mia had given him whenever he was visibly anxious. Even when he was able to control his expression, touching the chain became a dead giveaway to his emotional state.

He had not sent a single owl to his friends since leaving Potter Manor on Christmas morning to return to Grimmauld Place, but Mia could tell something was very wrong. Instead of stepping off the train and fighting his brother, the two Black siblings had scarcely looked at one another. When they did, instead of the typical look of repugnance in Regulus's face, Mia could see trepidation.

It unnerved her.

When she found Sirius sitting alone in the common room after the start-of-term feast, fiddling with the chain around his neck as though he were already contemplating using it to escape back to Potter Manor, she took a seat beside him. He had not rolled over into her lap for well over a year—not since she and Remus became serious—but Sirius looked like he needed comfort. Silently, she tugged on his arm, encouraging him to tip to the side to rest his head against her thighs as she ran her fingers through the black silk of his hair.

Instead of retiring to the common room with his friends the night they had all returned to Hogwarts, Remus had been pulled into Dumbledore's office to speak privately.

Mia worried that perhaps she and Remus had been caught in one of their private moments and someone had outed their torrid affair, but when Remus met up with everyone the following morning, she did not need him to tell her what was wrong once the owls brought in the morning paper.

WEREWOLVES ON THE MOVE IN SCOTLAND—IS HOGWARTS SAFE?

"It's not me," Remus said, a look of shame and sorrow on his face.

"We know that, Moony," James insisted, putting a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

From the corner of her eye, Mia could see Sirius fiddling nervously with his chain. She reached across the table and took Remus's hand in her own.

"We're with you every moon," Sirius finally muttered. "You've never even left the shack once."

"You can't be with me anymore. Not for a while at least," Remus whispered, looking down at his empty place. When Mia moved to get him food, he held up a hand and shook his head. "Not hungry. Dumbledore knows it isn't me, but some of the staff know about my . . . condition, and they're nervous. So, they'll be watching me over the next couple of months. At least until the other wolves are caught."

"Are they sure it's werewolves?" Peter asked, clearing his throat nervously. "I mean, there's been . . . y'know . . ."

"Death Eaters," James said, his eyes fierce and angry.

"Yeah," Peter muttered. "Them."

"It's wolves. There've been . . . maulings." Remus frowned at the word, and Mia squeezed his hand tightly. He swallowed hard, and his face paled. He stared ahead at his and Mia's connected hands and winced a little as he unconsciously scratched at his shoulder where she knew the deepest of all his scars rested.

Her eyes widened as she realised that Remus was not worried. He was afraid.

She gasped as a horrifying thought entered her mind: Fenrir Greyback is coming.

Chapter Text

Ring the alarm
I been through this too long
But I'll be damned if I see another chick on your arm
Won't you ring the alarm?
(Ring the Alarm - Beyonce)

February 14th, 1976

"Where the hell have you two been?" Sirius yelled as Remus and Mia approached the breakfast table Saturday morning.

Remus looked terrible despite having taken his Wolfsbane all week. The full moon was the following night, but knowing that his friends would not be able to be there with him had taken a toll. Even with Mia's multiple attempts to help him relieve some tension together, Remus was still strangely distant.

"Hospital wing," Mia muttered. "Remus had a . . . headache," she said quietly, realising that they were in mixed company as Mary, Alice, and Frank had joined the Marauders.

They sat down, and Mia worked to fix Remus some breakfast when she realised that Lily was surprisingly missing. The heartbroken look on James's face at the end of the table told her that something had happened. She snapped her fingers to get Sirius's attention. "What did he do?"

Sirius chuckled. "Broke his hand."

"What?" Mia shouted, climbing over the bench to rush to her brother's side. "Jamie, are you okay?"

James looked up at her with sad eyes, gesturing to his hand. "What? This? Hurts a hell of a lot less than my completely shattered heart," he moaned and flopped his forehead flat against the table with a loud thud.

"What did he break his hand on?" Mia looked up at Sirius, who was still laughing.

"Diggory's face."

"Amos?" Remus rose a brow. "Aren't Hufflepuff's generally a little on the . . . pacifist side?"

"They are." Sirius nodded as he filled his plate with an assortment of breakfast items, and then, being the doting friend that he was, did the same for James, pushing the plate in front of him. "Prongs asked Lily to go to Hogsmeade."

"So? That's not unusual. He asks her to go to Hogsmeade anytime he's allowed to and every other time he's not." Mia took a seat beside her brother, affectionately ruffling his messy black hair, and smiling a bit—she could just imagine a bird taking up residence right in the centre of it.

"He bought her a gift," Sirius said, gesturing to the small velvet box on the table.

Mia gasped at the tiny, unwrapped gift and snatched it up. "Jamie, please tell me Grandmother Black's opal ring isn't in here? You know Mum said if you tried to steal it again she would put a hex on it, and all your hair would fall out." She shook her head, unable to stop herself from thinking that the hex might be an improvement.

When she opened the small box, she could not help but smile a little at the sight.

It was a pair of silver earrings, similar to the pair Sirius had given her for Christmas. Instead of a fox and a cat, the silver silhouettes were of a stag and a doe. Mia's heart warmed at the sight.

Though she had known what Lily's Patronus would be long before her friend ever actually cast it, Mia could not help but smile in the Room of Requirement the moment Lily completed the charm. A brilliant silver doe had emerged from the tip of her wand and pranced around the room, exciting the eyes of every member of the A.D., but no one more than James whose eyes lit up in obvious joy at the sight before immediately casting his own Patronus, a noble stag.

James had been beyond elated at the pair. Lily had looked positively confused and took extra steps to avoid him at all costs in every subsequent meeting as well as class. Mia knew the gesture her brother was trying to send was amazingly sweet, however, she could not help but understand why Lily might react poorly.

"Oh, Jamie, these are beautiful, but you should have known how she'd react."

"She didn't get them," James mumbled into the table followed by a string of swears and other unintelligible words that she struggled to make out.

"What?"

He, presumably, repeated his words, all still mumbled against the top of the table.

Frustrated, Mia looked at Sirius for clarification. "You speak 'Pouting Prongs' better than anyone else. What is he saying?"

Sirius winked at Mia, gesturing to his ears making her realise that she was wearing the earrings that he had given her. "The earrings that Prongs made are beautiful, though highly unoriginal," he said, "but Lily never got them. Poor Prongsie got up, asked the lovely Evans to go to Hogsmeade—"

"I was going to give them to her in Madam Puddifoot's," James bellowed as he sat up straight; there was a large red mark on his forehead from hitting it against the table. "She would have loved them."

Sirius sighed and patted James on the back when he put his forehead back down on the table. "She said no. As usual. When Prongs tried to be a little more convincing, Evans said she already had a date."

"Amos?" Mia asked with wide eyes, and Sirius nodded.

"That explains the broken hand," Remus muttered as he leant the side of his head against the table.

Mia frowned at the look on his face, assuming he had a pre-moon headache. She looked up at Sirius, gesturing to a large plate of scones sitting next to him.

Sirius nodded in understanding, reaching for the chocolate one on top and passing it over to Remus who managed to grunt, "Thank you," before picking it apart.

"So Jamie punched Amos?" Mia asked.

"Pretty much," Sirius said, grabbing a scone for himself. "Evans slapped him in the face and called him a hot-headed cretin. Then she told McGonagall what Prongs did, and the poor old boy's banned from Hogsmeade for the rest of the year."

She could not help but think of Harry and how he had clearly gotten his temper from his father. Harry always had a short fuse. While not nearly as bad as Ron, Harry never had the ability to let things go. He was always so quick to take the bait when provoked by people like Draco, or in some cases, his own friends. Mia was just glad that Sirius and Remus never played on her brother's weaknesses.

"Oh, Jamie. That temper of yours is going to get you into trouble."

"It already did by the looks of it," Remus muttered.

"So just the three of us then?" Sirius asked.

"Three of us what?" Mia looked up, smiling as poor Remus—despite being so ill—still shoved a bowl of porridge in front of her. She gently patted him on the head in thanks for the effort, silently telling him there was no need.

"Hogsmeade," Sirius replied.

"I'll be in bed. Not feeling up to sitting up, let alone walking all around the village. You two go," Remus insisted.

Mia caught a sudden change in the tone of his voice. She turned and looked at him and could not help but wonder if he was up to something.

"How about it, kitten?" Sirius smirked, waggling his eyebrows at her. "Come to Hogsmeade with me?"

"Umm . . . okay," Mia said, a bit on edge considering he was in such a good mood, which was drastically different from how he returned to Hogwarts after the Christmas holidays.

"It's a date." Sirius grinned and smacked his hands on the table. The loud slap reverberated through the table, causing James to yelp.

"You sure you don't want to go?" Mia turned and looked back to Remus, who was smiling softly, picking chocolate chips out of his demolished scone and eating them individually.

"No, no," Remus replied. "You two go and have fun . . . by yourselves. Enjoy the holiday."

"What holiday?" Mia asked.

Before anyone could answer, the owls flew into the Great Hall carrying an assortment of envelopes, boxes and packages. A few letters fell in front of Remus, but he pushed them aside, ignoring them completely. At least ten envelopes and three small rectangular boxes were dropped in front of James, a few landing on his head and falling to the floor, though it looked as though he did not notice.

One by one, over a dozen owls hovered over the Gryffindor table, showering Sirius with letters and boxes of all shapes and sizes—most of which were pink or red.

Mia paled in understanding, feeling her heart drop into her stomach. "Oh no."

Remus smirked up at her. "Oh yes. You, my dear Mia, just agreed to go to Hogsmeade, on a date with Sirius Black . . . for Valentine's Day."

"I didn't mean to," she hissed down at him quietly while Sirius collected his many deliveries, separating them into stacks. "You did this on purpose, didn't you? Remus, is that why you've been . . . avoiding me?"

He shrugged, pushing the plate of chocolateless scone crumbs away from him. "I figured if Pads was going to smarten up, this weekend would be an opportune moment."

Annoyed, she looked around the Great Hall for the first time since sitting down at the table. Couples all around the room were exchanging cards and gifts. Two rosy-cheeked Hufflepuffs with swollen lips were being escorted out by a perturbed-looking Professor McGonagall. A pair of Ravenclaws were snogging beneath their table. Three Slytherin girls on the other side of the room were taking turns shooting heart-shaped bubbles out of their wands. When the bubbles burst over the table, rose petals showered down.

Mia cringed in disgust. "Do I look like the kind of girl who can be swept off her feet with roses and hearts?"

"I'm being as considerate as I can be right now, but don't try my patience by asking me what kind of girl you look like." Remus stared at her, and she quickly noticed the change in his eye colour. He sat up for the first time since arriving at the table just to whisper into her ear, "I, of all people, know what it takes to sweep you off your feet."

Mia did her best not to blush but was failing.

"You'll notice, though, Sirius presented you with neither roses nor hearts, just the request that you accompany him to the village."

She huffed, deciding to ignore Remus. Looking at the stack of Valentines and boxes of sweets in front of Sirius, she gestured flippantly to the piles and asked, "What is all of this nonsense?"

"The usual." Sirius shrugged, using his wand to separate the piles further. Mia noticed that he was resolutely not letting his fingers touch a single thing on the table. "All right, are we ready? Peter get over here. Prongs, I know you're heartbroken, and Moony's under the weather, but I really don't think Frank is going to be enough if this gets out of hand."

Mia watched curiously as both Remus and James sat up, relocating on either side of a very nervous Peter. Frank sat beside Alice and an amused-looking Mary.

"Am I missing something?" Mia asked.

"Oh, that's right," Mary said. "You and Remus went down to Hogsmeade early last year and missed the deliveries. Sirius got a load of gifts last year on Valentine's Day, only he wasn't smart enough to inspect them all." When Sirius flipped her a rude hand gesture, Mary burst into laughter.

"What happened? I remember last year. Remus and I were running an errand for Dumbledore and were supposed to meet you three—" Mia gestured to James, Sirius, and Peter, "—at the Three Broomsticks for lunch, but you never showed."

"That's because they were locked in our dorm all day long wrangling Sirius." Remus smirked, and Sirius turned and gave him a scathing look in return. "He was still completely nutters by the time I got back."

"What happened?" Mia repeated.

Everyone turned and looked at Sirius who was turning a little red in the face. "It's nothing, Mi. Someone . . . just sort of . . . slipped me a Love Potion. It was no big deal."

"No big deal?" James yelled, wide-eyed. It was the first lively thing Mia had seen him do that morning. "You punched Peter in the face because you said he was keeping you from your true love, a third year Hufflepuff you'd never even met!"

"It wasn't that bad," Sirius said quietly.

Peter glared at him, clearly still not happy about being punched a year earlier. "You tried transfiguring a bag of Galleons into a diamond ring so you could go and propose marriage."

"They're exaggerating."

Remus chuckled softly. "Am I exaggerating when I say that when I walked in the dorm room, James and Peter were trying to get your clothes back on you because you said that you couldn't possibly wait a minute longer to ravish your blushing bri—"

"Exaggerating!" Sirius snapped. "Can we please ignore the past and get a move on?" He growled under his breath, and his three friends all shared a laugh at his expense. Mary and Alice were giggling, and Frank was shaking his head at the sight.

Mia was annoyed, glaring at the envelopes and boxes. "Poor you. It must be so awful to have girls literally throwing themselves at your feet. Or on our breakfast table to be more accurate. If I get glitter in my porridge from one of those insipid cards, I'll throw a fork at your head. It's looking a little big."

Sirius leant across the table and smirked at her. "Green is a good look on you, kitten."

"Maybe I should go sit with the Slytherins then," she snipped at him with narrowed eyes. "You are incredibly presumptuous. So what's your little plan for getting through all your fan mail?"

"Peter taste tests all the chocolate. James and Remus keep him in check to make sure he doesn't end up accidentally betrothed to some strumpet on my behalf."

"You're willing to do this?" Mia stared at Peter, who simply shrugged. She rolled her eyes. Of course Peter would do this. He had no backbone whatsoever. She was surprised that his Animagus form was not an earthworm. "Why don't you just throw the chocolate away?"

"Because it's not all tainted," Sirius answered, with a tone that had an underlying duh to it.

"Is it really worth all this trouble?"

"It's not for me." Sirius shrugged and turned to look at Remus, who looked slightly abashed by Mia's sudden stare.

She rolled her eyes so hard she nearly went cross-eyed in the process. "Really?"

"It's a waste to just throw it all out," Remus argued.

"You lot are utterly astonishing. Fine, let's get on with this nonsense." She waved her hand as if she were giving her express permission for the boys to continue.

The first box was opened by Peter since Sirius refused to even touch it, James was wounded, and Remus was still ill. The long, red box wrapped in paper with tiny pink hearts on it was tied with a golden ribbon that reminded Mia a little too much of the crimson box she had been given by Future Remus for her nineteenth birthday.

Peter opened the top of the present, revealing an assortment of chocolates inside.

"Any sign of evil tampering?" Sirius asked, peeking over James's shoulder as though he were waiting for the box to explode.

James, in turn, retrieved a card attached and opened it carefully, watching as nearly a pint of glitter mixed with tiny pink and red paper hearts fell out of the envelope and onto his lap.

Mia covered her breakfast.

"I wouldn't eat any of these," James cautioned. "This letter is . . . graphic." He blushed and made to hand the letter to Sirius, but Mia snatched it from his grasp with narrowed eyes.

My Handsome Black Lion,

Come to Ravenclaw Tower tonight. The answer to our door's riddle is "Water." My bed is up the stairs, fourth on the right. I'll be wearing nothing that you can't lick off me.

Callista Hitchins

"Who the fuck is Callista Hitchins!?" Mia snapped viciously as she finished reading the letter, her face reddening. The people around the table all went wide-eyed, but Remus had an amused grin on his face as though this were exactly what he was waiting for.

"The future Mrs Peter Pettigrew, that's who!" Peter shouted and stood up, his eyes glazed over and chocolate smeared on his open mouth as he began frantically searching the Great Hall.

Both James and Remus reached up and took a hold of one of Peter's shoulders, holding him down. "Told you this one was tainted. Bin it," James said, passing the box down to Frank, whose job was to toss the poisoned pile.

Mia seethed. "Are any of them anonymous?"

"No." Sirius shook his head, chuckling in amusement. "They all seem pretty intent on making sure I know exactly who they're all from."

"Mary, do you have a quill and parchment?" she asked. "I've left my bag in my room."

"Umm . . . sure," Mary said nervously, reaching into her bag and pulling out the requested items for her friend. "Do I even want to know? You've got that scary look in your eye, Mia."

"I love that look." Sirius grinned, his grey eyes darkening.

Despite being completely distracted, Peter was given another box to unwrap. They had little time to get through the large stack of gifts, seeing that Sirius fully intended on taking Mia down to Hogsmeade, but he was apparently not going to miss watching Peter humiliate himself just a little for the sake of being on time.

"Do you think Callista would like these?" Peter asked, his eyes misty as he chewed on one of the chocolates.

"Sorry, mate." James grinned and patted Peter consolingly on the back. "These are clean and, therefore, belong to Mr Moony." He passed the box to the side where Remus began a small collection, replacing Peter's empty plate with a new box.

"Ooo. Another card." James chuckled as he opened the envelope. "Aww, Pads, she wrote you a poem."

Sirius grabbed the card before Mia had a chance to, and he laughed, reading it aloud after clearing his throat, "'Roses are red, violets are blue. Meet me in the dungeons, for a right seeing to.'"

The entire table—sans Mia—burst into laughter.

She narrowed her eyes, feeling sick to her stomach. "Who was that?"

"Umm . . ." Sirius looked at the bottom of the card. "Kathleen Birchgrove. Name doesn't ring a bell," he admitted, handing the card over.

Mia passed the envelope over to Alice while writing the name down on her list.

"Well, this card's not so bad." James passed the box of sweets over to Peter, who immediately began eating. "Seems like something you'd write, Mia."

Sirius smirked as he grabbed the card, reading the verse aloud. "'This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath. May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.'"

"THAT!" Mia shrieked, "is Shakespeare!" She snatched the card violently out of Sirius's hands. Her eyes lit up, and her hair sparked in fury. "It is uncreative, pretentious, and I wouldn't be caught dead quoting some thieving wizard posing as a Muggle poet!"

Remus burst into laughter so loud that he had to bury his head in his folded arms as he leant forward on the table, one arm eventually moving to grasp at his side as he continued to howl.

"Shut up, Remus!" Mia snapped.

By the end of breakfast, Peter had confessed his eternal love for seventeen individual witches from three of the four Houses in Hogwarts. Apparently, Gryffindors knew better. He attempted to propose to ten of them and began trying to take his clothes off during the last three boxes of chocolates he was forced to sample. By the time Frank had thrown every last tainted treat in the bin, Remus had Peter in a full body bind. For the sake of their friend's dignity, James placed a temporary Silencing Charm on him to keep him from singing sonnets to a few confused Ravenclaws who had come over to take a peek at Sirius's Valentine's stash.

Mia had a list of seventeen girls that had tried to slip Sirius a Love Potion. In addition to Callista Hitchins, eight other Ravenclaws joined the stack, including Sophia Buckley, Mirabella Ellis, Abbie Snow, and Adelia Chapman. A small collection of Hufflepuffs—whom Mia previously thought too sweet to do something so devious—included Heather Hopkirk, Ophelia Shaw, and Lavinia Sheppard. There were even some Slytherins including Bonnie Penrose, Kathleen Birchgrove, Ambrosia Mablethorpe, and even the infamous Elora Zabini.

Mia fumed, very much lacking the strict sense of morality that she had once possessed as Hermione Granger.

"Give me all the cards. All the ones from girls who tried to poison him." She reached her hand out fiercely to Alice, collecting the pink and red envelopes from her.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I'd hardly call it poisoning. A little pushy, but—"

"Pushy?" Mia growled out the word, hair sparking, leaving small scorches on the Gryffindor table.

She placed the pile of envelopes in front of her and glared down at them, muttering a quiet incantation and waving her wand over the bundle. They glowed dark red for a moment before disappearing from sight.

"Mia?" James stared at his sister. "Do I want to know what you just did?"

Remus raised a brow. "Better yet, do you need an alibi?"

She shrugged innocently. "I just returned them to the sender."

One by one, each letter magically appeared in a puff of red smoke before girls across the Great Hall. The Gryffindor table fell eerily silent as they watched and waited for any sign of explosion as the returned cards were reopened. Upon opening, instead of the original Valentine inside, there was a small untraceable note:

Love Potions are IMMORAL and should be BANNED at this School.

As if the notion of being caught sending Love-Potion-tainted chocolates were not enough, one by one, seventeen girls began screaming. Their shrieks of horror echoed off of the surrounding walls and vaulted ceiling. Covering their faces, the witches dashed toward the exit, but a few stopped, tears in their eyes to turn and look in the direction of the Gryffindor table where they met the shocked expressions of James, Peter, Remus, Frank, Alice, and Mary.

Mia, however, looked full of righteous anger, and Sirius sat wide-eyed.

"You're horrible!" one girl screamed, running out of the Great Hall in sobs, and Mia growled, as her inner Animagus stirred.

The formerly beautiful brunette Ravenclaw, along with sixteen other girls, had their faces horribly disfigured by a series of red and purple pustules spread across their foreheads, clearly spelling: S-L-A-G.

Those who were in the A.D. knew exactly who had set the jinx upon the girls, so Mia knew her time was limited if she wanted to stay ahead of the rumors—true or not—that she had cursed her fellow students.

"I'll be going to the hospital wing," she explained with a calm tone as the rest of the Gryffindors stared up at her in silence. "I'll collect an antidote for Peter while I'm there."

The struggling boy let out a distraught cry, breaking James's Silencing Charm in displeasure at the idea of being forced out of love with one Elora Zabini.

When her friends continued to gape at her in shock, she sighed. "Don't worry. I'll tell Madam Pomfrey how to take the jinx off of them."

She knew back in her original timeline, the sneak, Marietta Edgecombe, still bore the scars of her betrayal of Dumbledore's Army, but this, Mia could admit, had been a little extreme. She had merely wanted to make a point: no one messed with what was hers.

"We still on for Hogsmeade?" she asked Sirius.

"Fuck yes," Sirius said, staring at her as she stood there, looking just a bit crazed. When she smirked at him, his grin widened, and he leered at her excitedly as she walked out of the Great Hall in the wake of the chaos she had created on his behalf. When she opened the doors to leave, Sirius could still hear the echoing sound of crying coming from Mia's victims.

Clearing his throat, he sat back and tried to subtly put his hands beneath the table to adjust a sudden problem. The moment he cupped himself through his trousers, James punched him in the arm, causing Sirius to accidentally hit himself in the dick. Groaning, he leant forward and put his face on the table, coughing. "You . . . c-cock."

"That's still my sister!"

Leaning to the side so he could look at his best friend, Sirius forced himself to smile through the pain. "I've never seen her so furious. I can't help that her hair sparking turns me on."

"Knock it off, Padfoot!" James growled and tried to punch Sirius in the arm. Sirius grabbed James's hand with a devious grin.

As expected, James used his broken hand to hit Sirius with instead. "Ow!"

Chapter Text

Are you aware of what you make me feel, baby
Right now I feel invisible to you, like I'm not real
Didn't you feel me lock my arms around you
Why'd you turn away?
(Losing Grip - Avril Lavigne)

February 14th, 1976

"Am I incredibly stupid?" Mia asked as she stood in front of the full-length mirror in the dorm room she shared with Lily, Alice, and Mary, looking over her outfit of choice.

She had yet to fully adjust to the Muggle attire of the 1970's, and it was rarely a concern considering she wore her robes and uniform at school and at home all of her clothing was made by Tilly. However, the older she got, the more she was forced into shopping trips with her female friends, which always seemed to land them somewhere in Muggle London. Over the summer, Lily had all but insisted that Mia purchase the tightest pair of denim bell bottoms that possibly ever existed.

Mia paled at her reflection, shaking her head and laughing at the fact that she looked almost identical to old photos of her Muggle mother. Her ensemble came complete with a flowy blouse, and the only jewellery she ever wore: the charmed Galleon necklace James had given her, the earrings from the younger Sirius, and the goblin-forged bracelet from the older Sirius.

"Stupid for what?" Lily asked, grinning as she slipped herself into a dark blue jumpsuit, her long red hair curled slightly and hanging over her shoulders. "You look amazing, by the way."

"I look ridiculous. These are too tight. Why do trousers have to be this tight?"

"It's the Muggle fashion," Lily explained with a smile. She chuckled a little as she helped Mia with her belt, ignoring the withering glare being sent her way. "You purebloods are so much fun. Besides, I never see you complain about tight trousers when boys are wearing them."

Mia blushed. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Lily laughed. "Oh please."

Mia sighed, annoyed with how self-conscious her reflection looked in the mirror. "Lily, am I incredibly stupid?"

"Are we talking about you cursing twenty girls in the Great Hall this morning for hitting on Black?" Lily asked using her prefect voice. Mia rolled her eyes.

"It was seventeen. And they didn't hit on Sirius, they tried to poison him. Besides," she said as she took in a slow, deep breath to calm herself, "I already gave the counter-curse to Madam Pomfrey. They'll be fine."

"So your self-imposed stupidity must be in regards to your rumoured date with the infamous Lothario?" Lily asked with a raised brow.

Mia knew her friend was only teasing, but the stack of Valentine's Day cards on the breakfast table, and the rumours she had heard over the years, not to mention the few times she had actually seen Sirius sneaking off with some random witch behind corners and down dark corridors made her feel terribly inexperienced by comparison.

Awkwardly, she smoothed her hands down her blouse, frowning at her reflection.

"Oh, Mia, I was just kidding." Lily grabbed her hand and pulled her over to sit on the bed beside her.

"I'm not good at this, Lily. I can't look at him and not think about . . ."

"His past?"

The future, Mia thought but said nothing.

"Does it upset you? The gossip about him?"

"No," Mia said, surprised by her answer, but then she had known the older Sirius's reputation long before she had ever been sent back to meet his younger self. "What bothers me is that he's unreliable. I can't trust that he'll tell me the truth. He's all sarcasm and jokes, and while it's endearing—slightly," she allowed with a roll of her eyes, "he's not open about anything. It scares me."

"You dated a werewolf for a year," Lily pointed out.

"Yes! And I'm more afraid of Sirius Black!" Mia shouted. "What the hell does that say about me?"

"Probably that you really like him. And you're afraid of getting too close and getting hurt. Do you think he'd hurt you?"

"He can't," Mia said, thinking about what her mother had told her about the Soul Bond and how she and Sirius would be incapable of truly harming one another. Although, she knew that's not what Lily meant. "I've known Sirius for years. He's always bordered this strange line between protector, friend, and . . . something else."

"Is he the reason you and Remus broke up?" Lily asked, her brows furrowed.

"Yes," Mia admitted, sighing as she put her face in her hands. "And no. It's complicated."

"Uncomplicate it."

"I don't think I can."

She almost laughed at the idea of confessing her secrets. Telling Lily all about how she was sent back in time by an older Remus—who had a wife and child but never before thought to mention that he had dated her in the past. How Sirius had been dead, and how she had brought him back to life, thus provoking an ancient and rare bond that tied the two of them together.

Oh and you're also my best friend's dead mother, and his father—aka your husband—is my brother.

"Let's just say that Remus and I aren't meant to be."

Lily smirked incredulously. "Do you really believe in soul mates?"

"Lily, there are some things that as a Muggle-born you're going to need to open your mind up to," Mia said and then silently laughed, realising how pissed off she would be if someone had said that to her. "Werewolves have mates. I am not Remus's. If I was, believe me, I would be with him."

"Oh." Lily frowned. "Does he know . . . ?"

"Who his mate is?" Mia shook her head. "It's rare that werewolves ever find them. I believe she's out there, but he's not so sure."

"So, that means he can't be with anyone else?"

Mia could see the sadness in Lily's green eyes, and she could not help but smile at the pure empathy in their depths. "He can, it's just . . . I don't know. He's described it as knowing that perfection is right there, but not being able to reach it. Like trying to scratch an itch on your back. You can stretch and contort yourself all you want, and it might feel good, but if you can't reach that one spot, then it's a little frustrating."

"That's awful. Poor Remus. How does Sirius fit into this?"

"You could say . . . our magic is compatible." Mia shrugged not knowing how else to explain it without confessing too much.

Dumbledore had cautioned her to keep her secrets for the safety of others, and if there was anyone she wanted to keep safe just as much as her boys, it was Lily Evans. She knew, in the end, what would happen, but if there was one thing Mia was not going to chance it was the eventual birth of Harry Potter.

"I think you should give it a chance," Lily said with a look of determination. "If the only reason you're holding back is because you're scared, then that's not very Gryffindor of you. So—" She took in a deep breath, and Mia could not help but smirk at her sudden gusto. "—suck it up! Take your tiny little arse in those tight little trousers downstairs, and have fun on your date!"

"Your optimism is both infectious and incredibly irritating. Speaking of dates, how's Amos?"

Lily glowered. "He'll live. Your brother on the other hand . . ."

Sirius watched as James paced back and forth by the front doors of the castle as the other students began filing out to leave. Remus was already upstairs in his bed resting up for the full moon tomorrow night, and Peter was in the hospital wing—apparently, seventeen love potions required more than one simple antidote. James would have been on the pitch, except he had come to see Mia and Sirius off.

"Do not snog my sister. Do not touch my sister's arse. Do not touch my sister's waist. Do not touch my sister's . . . Do not touch my sister."

Sirius blinked at him, feigning ignorance. "So you don't want me to touch . . . your . . . aunt?"

"Pads," James said, seething.

"What if she slips and falls and hurts herself?" Sirius asked with a smirk. "You expect me to just leave her there on the ground? That's not very gentlemanly of me."

"You are not a gentleman, Padfoot. Hence this little speech."

"I remember the speech you gave to Moony, I think I can switch out my name for his and we can be done with this."

"You get a different speech, arsehole," James snapped. "My sister will not be another notch on your bloody bedpost."

"So little faith in me, Prongs?" Sirius said with a light-hearted voice, but his eyes had narrowed in annoyance at the fact that his best friend clearly thought so little of him.

Sirius wanted to tell James that Mia could have been his girlfriend a long time ago, but he had sacrificed that potential for her sake. He tried not to think about that. His reasons before had been sound, and they had not really changed. Had they?

It was moments like these that made him regret every one night stand and quick shag in the broom closet he had ever taken part in. Sure, when it happened it was helpful in burying the shitty feelings inside of him. Shagging Muggle-borns and half-bloods always made him smile a little, as though he were somehow ruining the Black family name in the process. The short, sweet moments he shared with random girls helped to make him forget that he would eventually have to go to a home where he was constantly reminded of his duties to his family. His family, who did nothing but tell him what a worthless piece of blood-traitor trash he was. Good for nothing.

Well, Sirius knew that there was at least one thing he was apparently very good for, and he had a long list of girls to verify it. Loudly. Multiple times.

Over Christmas holiday, his parents sat him down and told him they were in the process of looking for his future bride. Suddenly, the scandalous nights with random Ravenclaws stopped being fun. He had turned sixteen in November, and Walburga bitched and moaned about how he should have been marked for the cause over Christmas, but their guest of honour had business elsewhere. Sirius did not want to know who they were talking about, but he knew exactly what they meant when they said the word "marked."

Most nights he struggled to sleep, dreading summer holidays when he knew he would have to go home. Ridiculous days like Valentine's Day made him live in the moment, forget that he would have to face the expectations of his family soon. He could be a stupid, impulsive teenager, for now.

But James was quick to remind him that he could be neither stupid nor impulsive with Mia.

"Fine. I won't fucking touch your bloody sister."

"Wow."

"Oh fuck," Sirius muttered and turned, cringing to see Mia scowling at him from the bottom of the staircase. "You're an arsehole, Prongs."

"Lovely way to start off our date," Mia said scathingly as she stormed past both of them, shoving Sirius in the shoulder as she moved. Lily, just behind her, gave James a burning glare as she pushed her way through the door, linking her arm with Amos Diggory's as she reached him.

"Fan-fucking-tastic," Sirius groaned, patting James on the back. "Thanks for that, mate."

"Well, I didn't want her upset," James murmured under his breath.

"I know, I know," Sirius said. Then, with his friend distracted, he slapped James in the dick with the back of his hand, sending him groaning to the ground while Sirius darted off after Mia.

"Mia!" He called after her, but she was not stopping. "Mia—Fuck!" He slipped, his dragonhide boots not having much purchase in the snow. "Kitten, will you wait up?"

"Careful." She turned and glared at him. "Don't get too close. Wouldn't want you to accidentally touch me."

"You know that was because of your bloody brother," Sirius rolled his eyes as he used a nearby Hufflepuff to help regain his balance. Smiling gratefully, he scooted off after Mia before she had a chance to outrun him. "I'm apparently good enough to be his best friend, but a far cry from being worthy enough to even hold your bloody hand."

"Do you really think Jamie is capable of just forgetting your reputation?" she asked him sharply.

"Considering how often he asks me for details, I'm pretty certain it's impossible. Unless you know how to Obliviate him for me," Sirius suggested with a smirk. "Look, you don't want this to be a real date, you let me know right now, kitten."

Mia said nothing.

"Why'd you and Remus break up?" he asked, splitting the silence between them that had lasted the whole walk down to Hogsmeade. High Street was flooded with other students, mostly couples rushing off to Honeydukes or Madam Puddifoot's. Mia rolled her eyes at the sight, and Sirius took notice and let out a laugh. "I'd have thought you'd be the romantic. Aren't you and Moony always quoting poetry at one another?"

"Not always poetry," Mia argued, turning back to look at him. "As for our breakup, I told you. We made better friends."

"But you're willing to come on a date with me?" Sirius asked. "Does that mean our friendship isn't worth saving?"

"Where do you want to go first?" Mia asked, ignoring his questions.

"You lead." Sirius shrugged and began following her through the street. "So, if you and Moony are better as friends, why do the two of you still sneak off together?"

Mia turned, gaping at him. "What?"

"You and him are hiding something." Sirius stared at her. "I know you are. He sneaks off in the middle of the night sometimes, comes back into the room smelling like the soaps from the prefects' bathroom."

"I imagine he's leaving to shower, then. What does that have to do with me?"

"You smell like the same soaps," Sirius pointed out, and he felt a growl deep inside his chest forcing its way out when he noticed the skin of her neck flush at his words. "Taking trips together up to the private baths for a little post-breakup snog?"

She turned and snarled at him. "Green is a hideous colour on you."

Sirius glared back at her, feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand on end the way that his fur did in his Animagus form. "I don't share."

"I'm not yours."

"Funny, the way you cursed all those girls this morning sure seemed to say otherwise."

"I would have done the same thing for Jamie or Remus," she insisted.

He rolled his eyes, not believing her for one minute. "So, let's get some things in the air, kitten," he said as he continued following her, casting a dirty look at Snape while he watched him enter Dervish and Banges. "Are you pissed at me because I kissed you a few years ago and then walked off, kissed you last Christmas and then walked off, or because I told James that I wouldn't touch you?"

"None!" she snapped. "All!"

He sighed irritably. "Merlin, you're bloody frustrating. When did you and I stop being able to just . . . I don't know? Talk?" He reached for her hand, pulling her around to face him. "We've been friends since we were eleven, Mia. You seemed just fine with me, for the most part, the whole time you dated Remus. Now you're either pissed off at me all the time, or . . . petting my fucking head in the common room."

Mia scowled. "Want me to stop?"

"Being pissed? Yes!" Sirius yelled. "What the hell do you want from me?"

"I don't know! I don't . . . I don't know."

"Can you try and figure it out?" he asked sincerely.

"Learn Occlumency," she blurted out. "Learn Occlumency, and I'll tell you everything."

"So you are keeping secrets?"

She chuckled quietly. "All girls have secrets."

The two made their way into the Three Broomsticks. Sirius ushered Mia into a booth with his hand on her lower back, tossing his usual charming smile up at the bartender. "Rosie, two of your best butterbeers for me and the lovely lady."

They ate in virtual silence. Sirius gave her the time she needed, though he would never offer such peace to any other girl who all but ignored him while on a date. After a long while, she looked up at him and smiled; the sparkle in her eyes had returned. It lit something inside of Sirius and made him grin at her. Not his usual flirtatious act, but a true grin. A genuine smile, and he gave it to her because, in this moment, he was actually happy.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Mia admitted. "I just . . . I feel like I'm having trust issues lately."

Sirius smiled in return, not placating her with audible forgiveness as they left the Three Broomsticks and walked back up the street.

"Do you care if I stop in at Honeydukes?" she asked. "I promised Remus I'd get him some Chocolate Frogs."

"Getting the ex presents while on a date?" Sirius teased, tucking a lock of hair beneath the wool knit cap she wore. "You're not doing much for my ego here, kitten. Go on," he said, gesturing toward Honeydukes. "I was thinking about heading into Zonko's myself."

"I'll just be a few minutes." Mia smiled and squeezed his hand, rushing off into the shop.

"Was wondering if you'd show up."

Sirius turned to see Marlene McKinnon approaching him. Well, shit. He nodded at her, trying to be polite. "McKinnon."

"You didn't answer my card this morning." She pouted, her blue eyes flashing as she tossed her long blond hair with one hand. "Hurt my feelings."

"If you didn't notice, I had quite the pile-up of mail." Sirius chuckled, purposely not making eye contact.

He had gone back to his room after the debacle in the Great Hall, fully intent on finding some good sweets that he had sneaked away in his trunk. He wanted to bring them down to Peter in the hospital wing. A card on his pillow stole his attention, however, and he recognised Marlene's handwriting immediately. He burned the thing without opening it.

"What can I say? I'm a popular bloke."

"I see that."

"My date's in Honeydukes," he explained when he saw her looking up and down the street as though she were preparing to Disapparate away with him Side-Alonged against his will. Considering the shitstorm of Love Potions that came in his mail, he would not put it past her. She had not exactly been amicable about him not wanting to shag her again.

"New girlfriend?"

"You know me better than that." He laughed, hoping to remind her of how unreliable he was. "When have I ever had a girlfriend?"

"I thought I came a little close." She leant in, touching the collar of his robes. "Wouldn't you say? I thought what we had was pretty special."

"Special, sure," Sirius acknowledged, not wanting to hurt her feelings. "Fleeting, though. I'm not good with the commitment stuff. You know that." He shrugged his shoulders, hoping that it would shrug her off of him, but she held on tight.

She stared hard into his eyes, and Sirius groaned in irritation. He knew that look. It had been the look she had given him the morning after he left her in front of the Shrieking Shack after their first snog. It was the same look she had given him later when she saw him after their first shag—where he also up and left her. It was determination. Marlene McKinnon did not take rejection well, and Sirius did not like needing to give a firm no to the girls that got a little clingy.

The Ravenclaw, however, was pushing it as she leant in much too close for his liking—at least for his liking while he was on a date with another girl.

He froze, shocked, wondering if he should shove her into the nearest snowbank. He pulled away from the girl too slowly.

Marlene's lips landed on his.

"Sirius?"

Fuck.

He turned quickly, pushing Marlene off of him as he spotted Mia standing outside of Honeydukes, glaring at the scene in front of her.

"She kissed me!" Sirius shouted, pointing at Marlene. He turned back and glared at the blond, only to see her grinning up at him with a vindictive look on her face. "You planned this? What the hell, Marlene?"

"See how you like being left alone!" Marlene huffed and then turned to walk away.

When Sirius turned back to explain and apologise, Mia was gone.

Remus was too restless to sleep. A headache from that morning had edged itself away, but the lingering symptoms of unease continued to plague him. If there were not three feet of snow on the ground, he might have thought to go outside and run the energy off. As it was, he tried to force himself to relax in the common room with a book, until he felt something hot in the pocket of his trousers and curiously reached down to retrieve the charmed Galleon that Mia used for their A.D. meetings.

Looking at the coin, Remus raised a brow.

RoR?
-MP

She wanted to meet in the Room of Requirement now? Worried that something happened, Remus stood and made his way over to Peter's bed and dug through his friend's trunk, knowing that Peter never kept the Galleon on him—always afraid of accidentally spending it. When he found Peter's charmed Galleon in a pouch in his friend's trunk, Remus saw that there was no message on it. So Mia was not calling a group meeting. This message was specifically for him.

Your date?
-RL

Remus tapped the Galleon to relay the question to her.

A moment later he got a reply.

Need you.
-MP

He sighed, shaking his head, already running through the list of how many ways Sirius had fucked this up.

On the grass of the recreated Forbidden Forest in the Room of Requirement, Mia sat, embracing her knees against her chest. She had to focus on swallowing the emotions that had threatened to show since the moment she stepped out of Honeydukes. Or maybe before that. Before, when they had walked High Street screaming at one another. Would that be her life? Fighting with Sirius?

"It's day."

Mia turned at the sound of his voice to see Remus looking curiously around the room.

"Normally when you turn the room into the forest, you make it night."

"I didn't want to remind you of the moon right now," she lied. The truth was, she could not bear to look at the stars.

Without another word, she stood and rushed forward, running into Remus's arms as they opened for her. She clung to him tightly and sighed with relief when she felt him nuzzle her neck and breathe her in. Safe. Here in his arms, she was safe. No speaking was necessary.

Mia turned her chin up and pulled him down to meet her lips, trying to convey her need. This close to the full moon and having lacked "affection" all week, she knew that he would break easily. A part of her felt bad about it, but Remus did not fight back in the slightest, responding to her immediately and aggressively, delving into her mouth with his tongue while his hands took her by the hips—hard—and tipped her backward until she fell to the grass with him on top of her.

"Remus, please," Mia moaned as he pulled away from her mouth to stare down into her eyes.

His were golden, and for at least a moment, she knew that hers would be amber.

He tore his fingers into the unbelievably tight denim surrounding her arse and thighs while she simultaneously pulled her blouse over her head. She felt him shiver when his hands touched her bare skin. He grinned as he removed each and every last scrap of fabric from her form, leaving himself fully clothed in the process.

Mia looked up at him eagerly, and despite his golden eyes, the growl in his throat, and his flaring nostrils—all the obvious signs that the wizard shifting above her was more Moony than Remus—she felt safe. She tried to reach for him, but he smacked her hands away as he undid his own buckle, taking full control as he pulled his cock free of his trousers.

Fix me, she thought with tears in her eyes.

With no preparation or warning, Remus sheathed himself inside of her to the hilt, and Mia cried out at the intrusion that caused a lustful mixture of pain and pleasure to churn inside of her body.

She closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the moment, ignoring the fact that she was doing exactly what she had always accused Sirius of doing—using sex as a way to distract from pain and hurt. Despite the fact that her body was growing tenser with every thrust, Mia tried to relax into Remus's hands—though his grip was so tight, she knew she would be bruised come morning.

There was nothing but the two of them, the sky, and the earth. Remus was rarely one to speak during sex, especially this close to the moon when he offered her his primal grunts and growls, but between her own gasps and building moans of ecstasy, she heard him lace words between each thrust—"tight," and "wet," and "deep,"—and a very possessive tone when he groaned out, "Ours."

He hitched her leg over his hip and the new angle let him drive deeper, hit harder.

When he bottomed out inside of her, Mia fell over the edge.

She gripped his shoulders, digging her nails into his flesh, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist, and holding him against her, bringing him down quickly in the aftermath of her shattering. She relished the muffled sound from his lips that he cried into the crevice of her neck as his body went rigid above hers.

It was easy. Being with Remus was easy. It was a dance that she knew all the steps to. A song where she knew all the lyrics. He was Hogwarts, a History, and she had memorised every single word of him—could see every page behind closed eyelids.

My heart. My heart. My heart.

Her soul protested.

The moment she came down from her high, reality flooded back. Somehow, the intense physical pleasure she had brought her walls down for, left her open and vulnerable. Unable to stop herself, Mia burst into tears.

Remus reacted immediately. Pulling away from her and looking down into her face with guilt, he gasped. "Mia? I didn't mean to . . . Are you okay? I'm so sorry if I hurt you . . ." He tried to apologise, but a look of confusion crossed his face when she shook her head and tried to snuggle further into him.

"Mia?" he asked, clearly worried. "What did Sirius do?"

She could not tell Remus the reason she was really crying. She had been upset at seeing Sirius kiss another girl—or as he claimed, another girl kissing him. She had been angry over their fight and bitter about the way he always treated whatever relationship they had with such frivolity, but she was not angry with him.

She was angry with herself.

It was easy to be with Remus in this time, to be open with him, because she had his letter to guide her. A letter where he begged her to not blame herself for what the future had in store. Remus did not blame her for not changing the outcome of the war. He did not blame her for not saving his friends. He did not blame her for leaving him alone for decades.

It was hard to look at Sirius and see the pain he was quietly suffering through because of his family. He was already turning cold and hard, and anytime he pulled away from her, closed himself off from her, all she saw was a stoney, angry face. Waxy skin, sunken eyes, and the long, matted hair of escaped murderer, Sirius Black. The man she met in the Shrieking Shack all those years ago.

By not changing the future, she would leave Remus alone, and he forgave her for it.

By not changing the future, she would leave Sirius broken—twelve years in Azkaban.

Who could possibly forgive her for that?

"Mia?" Remus asked her again, drawing her back to him. "Mia, what did Sirius do?"

Nothing, she thought. He's an innocent man. He didn't deserve it.

She had to tell Remus something, so she whispered, "McKinnon," knowing it made the most sense right now.

"That arsehole." Remus sighed and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry, love. I pushed you into this too soon."

"Remus? I . . . I think something bad is going to happen to Sirius, and I don't know how to stop it." She frowned, thinking of everything in the future. Sirius blasted off his family tree, framed for the murder of his friends, losing everything and everyone, and imprisoned for twelve years.

"Mia, it's not your job to fix the world," Remus whispered softly, rolling off of her and wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her close up against him and moulding her back to his chest. "Sirius needs to figure out how to take care of himself."

Remus tucked himself back into his trousers and relaxed against the grass. Eventually, Mia stopped crying, and he could make out the soft puffs of breath against his neck indicating sleep. Knowing she needed it, and he could use the rest as well, Remus stayed put.

Minutes later, something burned in his pocket, and Remus carefully reached into his trousers, removing the Galleon and glaring at it.

Where's Mia?
-SB

Remus remained silent as he replied, not wanting to disturb the girl in his arms.

Our job!
-RL

He glared down at the message that he sent back to his friend, reminding him of the oath they had taken years ago. When Sirius did not reply immediately, Remus sent another message to further his point.

You fucked up.
-RL

It was several minutes before the Galleon grew hot in his hand again. When Remus looked down, he saw the reply:

I know.
-SB

Chapter Text

Cause I may be bad
But I'm perfectly good at it
Sex in the air
I don't care, I love the smell of it
(S&M - Rihanna)

March 13th, 1976

The Room of Requirement was turned into a replica of the Gryffindor common room, as Remus said it was one of the few places where he felt at home. Mia worked on the room, while the other girls collected treats from the kitchen, and the Marauders sneaked into Hogsmeade to acquire drinks. The only difference in the faux Gryffindor common room was the distinct lack of other students. A large table was provided in the centre where gifts—all from Honeydukes—drinks and food were set out like a feast.

It had taken a plethora of promises, pleadings, and many called in favours to get Lily to look the other way when the Marauders brought in firewhisky for Remus's birthday party. She finally relented after Remus pulled the "sad, lonely werewolf who only turns sixteen once" card. The only things Lily insisted on were that the party happen on the weekend—so that the preparations for upcoming O.W.L.s would not be disturbed—and that it take place in the Room of Requirement—so that younger years would not walk in on the older Gryffindors (prefects especially) setting a terrible example for the future of the Wizarding world.

"A toast!" James announced with a grin, pouring the first of what was sure to be many shots of firewhisky for the gathered fifth year Gryffindors. "To Remus. Happy birthday, and many happy returns to you, Moony!"

The small crowd toasted to Remus and downed their firewhisky, though Lily, Alice, and Frank were more than happy with the butterbeer that had also been brought into the castle, courtesy of Madam Rosmerta.

Mary leant forward with a curious expression, setting her glass down on the table. "I have a question. I've wanted to know for a while now. What's with the nicknames?"

"What nicknames?" the four Marauders chorused, their tones innocent despite the identical smirks adorning their faces.

Mia began to chuckle quietly, intrigued to see how the boys got out of this. Playing stupid was not something Mary would likely tolerate.

"Moony," Mary said. "Why do they call you that, Remus?"

"Once, during summer holiday after third year, Remus pulled his pants down in front of a group of Muggles," Sirius joked.

James and Peter burst into laughter.

Remus punched Sirius in the arm, indignantly shouting, "I did not!"

Mary snickered, red-faced. "Okay, and Padfoot?"

"I have very delicate feet," Sirius said, winking at her as though stating the texture of one's soles was the ultimate pickup line.

Mary, in turn, rolled her eyes and moved on to Peter. "Wormtail?" she asked with a scrunched nose. "Honestly, how do you even like that name?"

Peter meekly shrugged. "I'm not exactly a fan. They picked it."

"Why?" Alice asked.

"Peter was born with a tail," James said. "They had to cut it off. His mum keeps it in a jar on the mantle."

Both Remus and Sirius howled with laughter, while Peter, wide-eyed, vehemently denied the story in its entirety.

"Care to know why we call James, Prongs?" Sirius asked Mary, a strangely seductive tone in his voice as he waggled his eyebrows.

"Not with that look on your face." Lily scoffed, rolling her eyes. "It's probably just as equally disturbing as the rest of your stories, and there'll be just as much truth to it. Honestly, Mary, you shouldn't believe a word they say; it's nothing but sarcasm, arrogance, and exaggerations."

"I exaggerate nothing, Evans." James winked at her, the firewhisky clearly helping him shift his love-struck antics into genuine flirting. Neither, however, worked on Lily, as she folded her arms and scooted closer to Mary, further distancing herself from James. He scooted closer to her in response.

"I take offence at being called a liar," Sirius declared. "If anyone here is a liar, it's Mia. She almost ended up in Slytherin, did you know?" He was glad when Mia smiled at him, though her eyes were slightly narrowed.

After their epically failed date on Valentine's Day, Sirius returned to the castle to find Mia had disappeared somewhere with Remus. Once the two had returned to the common room, Sirius had apologised profusely for what happened with Marlene, and Mia forgave him, hugging him tightly and apologising as well. They both agreed that a first date on Valentine's Day had been a bad idea and that in the future, they would just try to be casual about whatever it was that was happening between them.

Remus had given Sirius the cold shoulder for a week.

When James found out what Sirius had done on his date with Mia, he broke Sirius's nose, being the good brother that he was. Being the good friend that he was, he escorted Sirius to the hospital wing where Sirius, being the good friend that he was, concocted an amazing story about a Fanged Frisbee flying into his face—the culprit having mysteriously escaped. When Mia heard about what happened from Remus and confronted James and Sirius about it, they both gave her the rehearsed Fanged Frisbee excuse and refused to make eye contact with her until she let it go.

Things mostly went back to normal after that, though Mia could often feel Sirius's gaze on her when she was not looking.

"You were almost a snake?" Mary gasped at Mia.

Mia smirked, remembering her conversation with the Sorting Hat. "It's not a bad thing. My mother was a Slytherin for crying out loud, and she's one of the best witches I've ever known. That doesn't make me some sort of liar."

Sirius beamed at her. "There's only one way to find out. I suggest we play a game!" he shouted enthusiastically, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small phial, presenting it with a flourish.

Remus gaped at his friend. "You were serious about that?"

"Aren't I always?"

"What is he talking about?" Mia asked.

"Veritaserum or Dare." James poured himself another shot of firewhisky and then leant over to refill a few empty glasses around the table. "The Prewett twins taught us. You put Veritaserum in a shared bottle of firewhisky. Every round begins with someone issuing a dare to everyone. Each person can choose to perform the dare. If they don't want to, they can choose to drink the Veritaserum. The person who issued the dare then gets to ask the table of drinkers any question."

"Any question except the truth of how we all got our nicknames," Sirius added quickly. "Those are absolutely off limits. The stories are better, trust me."

"Where did you get Veritaserum?" Lily asked, tossing a scathing look at Sirius, who was already reaching for the second bottle of firewhisky in the centre of the table, twisting it open with practised ease.

The four Marauders grinned at each other before answering Lily in a way that sounded suspiciously rehearsed:

"I brewed it," said James.

"I bought it," said Remus.

"I found it," said Peter.

"I nicked it," said Sirius.

"I'm in!" Mary said with a delighted look on her face. "Come on, girls. There are things I've been dying to know about these boys."

"There are things I would rather remain in the dark about," Lily said flatly. "I don't want to play."

James grinned and winked at her. "Come on, Evans. Are you afraid I'll ask you how often you dream about me?"

Lily scowled in response. "Fine," she said, accepting the challenge. "I'll play. But just so that I can set the record straight, once and for all; then maybe you'll get off your bloody high horse."

"High horse?" James tilted his head. "Is that like a Pegasus?"

"Muggle phrase," Mia muttered to him.

"So, we're all in?" Sirius asked, adding the drops to the bottle.

"Do you know what you're doing there?" Alice asked nervously.

"Yep. Just following the instructions left by the Prewetts. Too much, and we'll all end up confessing our deepest secrets without provocation. Too little, and we'll manage to get in a lie or two. Needs to be exact."

"I think this is a bad idea," Remus said, shaking his head.

"Nonsense, Moony. This is your birthday party, and therefore, you think it's a brilliant idea. I promise. Now, each shot glass will have enough Veritaserum to answer one question, so each round you have to drink another shot."

"You realise we're both prefects, right?" Lily pursed her lips, looking at Remus, who only shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

Sirius grinned and held up his glass. "I'll go first. I dare everyone to take off their shirts!"

"So we're just easing into this then?" Remus asked sarcastically.

"How is that fair?" Mia huffed, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. "We've already seen all you boys without your shirts on!"

Sirius smirked, raising a brow challengingly. "Then take the Veritaserum, kitten."

Mia hesitated. She knew this was a dangerous game. She knew too much and had too many secrets that she could never divulge. A part of her imagined that in the worst case scenario, she could easily stun them all and ask Professor Dumbledore to Obliviate their memories. She reasoned, however, that nothing too life-altering would come out of this game, since Sirius's intent was, apparently, just to see the girls topless.

"Fine," she agreed, pouring herself a shot of the laced firewhisky.

"I'll take the drink," Lily decided, reaching for the bottle after Mia, followed swiftly behind by Mary, Alice, Remus, Peter, and even Frank. By the time all the drinks were poured, Sirius and James already had their shirts off, both grinning.

Mia scoffed at Sirius. "You completed your own dare?"

"Something tells me it's going to get hot in here. Everyone drink!" Sirius ordered.

One by one, they downed their shots. Mia, Remus, Peter, and Mary were used to the feel of firewhisky. Lily, Alice, and Frank, however, all started coughing as the liquid burned a path down their throats.

"Answer truthfully," Sirius insisted as if they had a choice. "Why didn't you accept the dare?"

"That's your first question?" James gawked at him, wide-eyed. "You can ask them anything, and you want to know why they didn't take the stupid dare?"

Sirius shrugged as he rolled his shirt up tightly, tapped it with his wand and transfigured it into a headband he then used to hold his hair back from his face. "I'm curious. Plus, the good questions will come once we're all good and sloshed; now answer the question."

"I don't want Jamie to see me topless," Mia answered immediately, realising that she could have also included others in her answer, but the Veritaserum provoked the topmost reasoning.

"I'm shy," Alice answered.

"I thought it was a stupid first dare," Mary replied.

"I didn't want Potter to pass out," Lily answered, glaring at both Sirius and James.

"I was just doing what everyone else was doing," Frank answered honestly.

"Same here," Peter said.

"I don't want people to see my scars," Remus replied, mirroring Lily's glare at Sirius.

Sirius winced apologetically. "Sorry, mate."

"What scars?" Mary asked.

"I fell down a mountain," Remus answered immediately, looking relieved that the Veritaserum had already worn off.

Mia was impressed with Sirius's ability to follow the Prewett twins' instructions. The Veritaserum clearly only lasted the one question.

"My turn!" James said eagerly, staring at Lily beside him as he revealed the second dare: "I dare you all to kiss the person to your left."

"Veritaserum," Lily refused immediately, glaring at him.

One by one, they all twisted to look at the person to their left. Mary laughed and leant over, planting a quick kiss on Lily's lips before she had a chance to think twice.

Alice, next to Mary, blushed and reached for the bottle, muttering, "No offence," under her breath to her friend.

A grinning Frank, however, blushed as he leant over to kiss his girlfriend. Alice giggled at their rare public display of affection.

"You're really not my type, Pete," Remus said, shooting his friend a good-natured smirk as he reached for the bottle.

"Sorry, Frank." Peter chuckled and grabbed his shot.

Mia turned to Remus, sitting to her left, and smiled. She had no problem with this dare, and she proved it by leaning over and kissing him gently and sweetly, nothing like what they had done earlier that week when they had celebrated his actual birthday in the prefect's bathroom.

When they broke apart, Mia heard someone clearing their throat behind her and turned to look at Sirius, who was smirking at her.

"Hello, lady on my left."

Mia rolled her eyes, motioning with her hand to silently tell him to get it over with.

Sirius leant in close to Mia, closing his eyes.

However, before their lips could connect, James blurted out the question, "Why don't you like me?" whilst looking directly at Lily.

No one had taken their drinks yet, so the table fell silent. Sirius groaned, and Mia echoed him, knowing that this could get ugly now that James had taken a fun game and made it personal. While looking at her brother and Lily, Mia felt Sirius kiss her on the cheek to fulfil his part of the dare.

"Ask a different question, mate," Remus suggested.

"No," James insisted, his eyes a little glazed from drinking so much already. He gestured to Lily's glass. "Drink up, Evans."

With narrowed eyes and her lips pressed together, Lily snatched her shot of firewhisky off the table and slammed it back, wincing at the burn before turning to James. "I don't like you because you think you're better than everyone else. You never talk about anything but yourself unless you're embarrassing me. And while you are talented at many things, you lack any form of humility. You're spoiled, you refuse to take no for an answer, and you're mean to my friends!"

The room fell silent as Remus, Peter, and Alice drank their shots and all whispered something along the lines of, "I actually like you, James."

"All right, someone else go and lighten this shitty mood. It's Remus's birthday for crying out loud!" Sirius snapped.

"I'll go," Mary offered.

They all watched as Lily furiously turned away from James, folding her arms tightly across her chest. With his lips still parted in shock, James was silent as he processed Lily's words. Mia frowned at her brother, knowing that Lily spoke the truth, but with the amount he was drinking, she worried that James would not remember enough in the morning to make the necessary changes to his attitude and actions.

Half an hour later, they were sufficiently plied with firewhisky. Mary still ended up topless at one point, much to the delight of Peter, who had wilted when she refused to snog him on a dare. Alice and Frank were passed out in a corner, but only after confessing—under Veritaserum—that their shared worst fear was not surviving the war. Sirius had put his hand on Mia's knee when she paled at that, assuming that she was secretly afraid of the same thing.

The rest of the group—sans Peter who, too, had reached his limit and collapsed into a large fluffy armchair in front of the fireplace—began repeating old dares, knowing each of them would take the Veritaserum instead, finding that digging into everyone's secrets was far more entertaining than watching Mia give Remus a lap dance at Lily's amused suggested dare. James mumbled to Sirius that he thought Lily's dares were uncreative and needed work.

"Who was your first kiss?" Mary asked the group.

"Mia," Remus said fondly.

"Amos," Lily admitted shyly. James was clearly doing his best to ignore her.

"Sirius," Mia whispered, and Sirius's eyes widened just a little at the declaration.

"James," Sirius answered at the same time that James said, "Sirius."

Everyone turned to gape at them. "What?!"

"I don't want to talk about it," Sirius replied swiftly, pouring himself another shot of the untainted firewhisky as he recalled the moment in question and how he and his best friend had sworn each other to secrecy about the hows and whys of it.

James poured himself another shot, lifting it in apparent agreement with Sirius's sentiment while the rest of the group laughed at the sudden discomfort between the two. It did not last long as Sirius and James toasted glasses before downing their individual drinks.

Eventually, the dares stopped altogether and the questions turned personal.

"Why did you curse all those girls on Valentine's Day, Mia?" Mary asked with a smirk. "You've always been clever with your pranks, but that was just . . . something else."

Mia rolled her eyes, and Sirius watched as they glinted amber for the smallest moment. "Because it was sick that girls were trying to trick him into loving them. Also, if any of my boys choose to fall in love with a girl, that girl needs to be approved by me."

"So, you're okay if Remus falls in love with someone else?" Mary asked.

Mia smiled. "Of course, but only if she's perfect for him. Until then, he's still mine."

Sirius heard it when Remus whispered, "Bloody right," in Mia's ear, making her blush. The colour spread down her neck, and he watched as she adjusted her seating, leaning just a touch closer to Remus in the process. His eyes narrowed, head full of jealousy and firewhisky, and his nostrils flared when he inhaled sharply, catching a scent on the air that made something inside him twist with envy.

"I dare Potter to go ride his broom around the Quidditch Pitch!" Mary declared, distracting Sirius from his shifted mood.

James stared blearily at the girl, one eye half-closed. "I've done that a thousand times. For the record, I could still do it in my current state," he insisted, taking another sip of his drink, not even noticing that, ten minutes earlier, Mia had charmed his glass to refill itself with water.

Mary smirked. "I dare you to do it . . . naked."

"Done!" James said loudly with a determined look on his face as he clumsily got to his feet. "Evans, come on, you'll want to see this!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "I really don't. You and Mary go ahead, I'm heading off to bed. Happy birthday, Remus," she said before heading to the door, ignoring James, who was still clearly under the impression that she was coming to watch him fulfil his dare.

As the door closed behind them, the three remaining friends sat beside a near-empty bottle of firewhisky.

Sirius leant forward and poured them each another shot.

"You're not going to watch Prongs?" Remus asked.

Sirius shook his head. "Not this time. As funny as it'll be if he falls off, even I don't want to see what'll happen if he gets splinters. Besides," he handed the glasses to them, watching closely as they drank, "I still want to play."

"I think we're done with the game," Mia murmured as she moved to sit up.

She had evidently forgotten that Sirius had poured her drink from the laced bottle, and he used that to his advantage when he asked, in a deceptively casual tone, "So how long have you two been shagging?"

"Since Halloween." The words spilt out of her mouth before she even fully processed the question. Mia gasped, covered her mouth, and then turned to glower at Sirius.

"I knew it! I fucking knew it!" He stood up and kicked over the small ottoman he had been resting his feet on, feeling the betrayal as it shined through in the heat of his glare. "I could smell him all over you. I've been smelling it for months!"

"So what?" Mia shouted furiously. "You've been going around shagging every Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor that bats their eyelashes in your direction. I've never been with anyone but Remus. Is that your problem? That I chose him and not you?"

His skin was hot, burning with anger and covetous energy that felt like lightning rolling beneath the surface. He remembered the kiss in the secret passageway and how something inside of him just clicked together the moment he tasted her for the first time. The look she had in her eyes then was only for him. Her kiss belonged to him. Her words were his alone.

"You did choose me!"

"And you didn't want me!" Mia yelled, her voice breaking.

Sirius could see her eyes glistening as tears threatened to overflow, and that same clicking thing inside of him turned into a dull ache at the thought that he had made her cry.

Mia spun on her heel, her hair slapping him across the face in the process as she fled the room. Before he had a chance to go after her—and he wanted to—the light in the room shifted, and Sirius was suddenly in Remus's shadow.

"You're such an arsehole."

Sirius stared up accusingly at his too-tall friend. "You told me you split on Halloween!"

"We did," Remus said with a glare. "Right after the first night we were together. But she's the closest to perfection I'll ever see unless I find a true mate, and—"

"And that makes it okay to fuck her without actually being her boyfriend? You're using her!"

"She's been using me too! She uses me to forget about you, because you're too stupid to see that she wanted you first, and you fucked it up!" Remus snapped, his eyes turning golden. The smallest part of Sirius told him that it would be smart to be afraid, but he was too stubborn to care.

Sirius cursed Remus's recent growth spurt and his own poor genes that kept him shorter than his friend. Remus took a step forward, forcing him to take a cautionary step backward as the common ground was taken from him.

"So, I go to her, and I'm with her, and I take care of her while she waits for you to figure out what it is that you bloody want from her! I'm there so she doesn't have to be alone, 'cause Merlin knows you never have to worry about that!"

Sirius tried to defend himself. "I haven't even touched another girl since—"

"Since Marlene on Valentine's Day?" Remus growled, eyebrows raised. "Yeah, Mia told me about that. Came to me crying her bloody eyes out. You are not supposed to hurt her! It's our job to protect her!"

"I know that, Moony!" Sirius yelled, throwing his glass down on the floor and feeling a sense of short-lived enjoyment when it shattered. "I'm trying!"

Remus glared at him. "How are you trying?"

"I'm screwed up, mate." Sirius sighed, running a hand over his face. "I'm . . . I'm protecting her from me. But fuck, I can't keep away from that girl. It's like she's . . . like she's mine, and my body and soul knows it," he said, pounding his fist against his chest angrily.

He knew it. He knew she was his, and he needed to be with her, but then he thought of his family and the sick and twisted way his parents had looked at him during his last visit. He had seen the way Bellatrix had looked at Mia when threatened. He could not expose her to his family. It was too dangerous.

"But my brain keeps telling me that I'm never going to be good enough for her. So, I try and keep away, because it's better." He sucked in a deep breath to calm his nerves only to have Mia's lingering scent of arousal in the air flood his senses. "I wouldn't have if I knew she was just going to go running to your bed!"

"You stupid mutt," Remus snarled.

Sirius glared up at Remus. "Bloody fucking wolf."

"Sort your life out, mate," Remus ordered him, a challenging look in his eye. "Get over this jealousy, because until you make a final decision about Mia, I am going to be there anytime she wants me . . ." He leant in close, and Sirius could see the wolf behind his friend's eyes. Remus growled low with a provoking tone, "And she wants me . . . often."

Shaking with envious resentment, Sirius declared, "She wanted me first. She wanted me first, and she kissed me first. I can still remember every detail. I bet her lips still taste like firewhisky, don't they?" He smirked, attempting to ruffle his friend's fur.

Remus merely grinned at him, completely unperturbed. "The rest of her tastes like honey."

Once he left the Room of Requirement, Sirius's plan was to track Mia down in the Gryffindor common room and give her a piece of his mind. He wanted to be angry with her but knew that he did not have any right to be. Still, drunk as he was, he let his emotions carry him through the corridors. He did not even make it back to the Gryffindor tower before he caught her scent in the air and turned, spotting her in the corner of a dark alcove in the back of a corridor on the fifth floor.

She was crying.

He could see the moonlight reflected on her tear streaks, the large window letting in enough light to illuminate her face. He frowned and slowly made his way over to her, no longer determined to yell or scream, instead intent on apologising. Merlin, he hated it when she cried.

Swallowing hard as he approached her quietly, he softened his gaze as he whispered, "Mia."

When she lifted her head, he did not see the sadness he expected; he saw righteous anger flashing in the depths of her glare. He was shocked at the sight—but far too inebriated to react—when she slapped him hard across the face, turning his head to the side from the strength of it. His head turned back, slow and deliberate, a dangerous growl crawling its way out of his throat as he set his gaze upon her.

She drew in a sharp breath. It looked like she had a torrent of angry things on the tip of her tongue ready to fling at him, but she did not have the chance to say any of them as he swooped in, stealing the words from her mouth and the breath from her lungs as he covered her lips with his own.

With his hands on her waist, Sirius lifted and slammed her body up against the stone wall behind her. He ravished her mouth almost violently, all lips, tongues, and teeth, drinking in every bit of her. A part of him worried that the lingering drops of Veritaserum on her tongue, mingled with his own, would force him to confess his deepest secrets to her. Confess that he loved her, that she terrified him. Confess that he was worried she would be used against him by his family. Confess that it was painful not to touch her—to taste her at every waking opportunity.

When she moaned his name and bit his lower lip hard enough that he tasted blood, he was reminded of who he was: Sirius Orion Black. Sirius Black, who was selfish, impulsive, reckless, and greedy, and damn the consequences! He needed the girl to know what she was doing to him and everything that he wanted to do to her.

Frantically, his hands skimmed down her ribs and over her lower back to her arse, lifting her hips upward. He pushed himself between her thighs and let them wrap around his waist. Breaking his territorial marking on her lips, he gently pressed kisses to her neck as he tilted his hips forward, pressing his erection against her.

"Do you see what you do to me?"

She whimpered in reply, raking her nails over his scalp. She took hold of his hair and tugged, trying to pull him back to her lips, but Sirius resisted. The harder she pulled, the tighter he gripped her hips, and the harder he ground himself against her.

He let a hand wander away from her side, over her bare thigh, pushing the hem of her skirt up around her hip as he drew patterns across her skin, watching with egotistical amusement as her lips parted, holding her breath, waiting for him to keep going.

Snaking his fingers beneath the edge of her knickers, Sirius groaned and rested his forehead against her collarbone, breathing down against the lush skin of her breasts, which he was desperate to see, but lacked the additional hands necessary to divest her of her clothing without leaving her untouched.

Stroking his index finger softly over her slit, he marvelled at the silky wetness that coated his fingertip. "Tell me, kitten," he said with a low, gravelly voice, pulling away and pressing his forehead against hers to stare deeply into her eyes. "Is this for Remus or me?"

He chuckled when she refused to answer. She was always so defiant—never the one to be bossed around. He wanted the answer she refused to give but relented in hearing it for himself when she mewled as he stroked the pad of his thumb upward, circling her swollen and soaking nub of nerves.

Her eyes were wide when she gasped, her lips parting when he dipped a finger inside of her, curling it and stroking her from the inside. He added a second finger, grinning smugly when she whimpered in response and tightened her fingers in his hair.

"Merlin, your eyes are the colour of chocolate," he whispered, refusing to break his gaze, "but I bet they look like firewhisky when you come."

And they did.

Mia's eyes practically glowed amber when her body shook and her hips snapped forward.

Sirius stole the cry from her lips as it tried to escape, taking it, claiming it as he had claimed her climax for his own, feeling her tighten and pulsate around his hand, her nails digging into the back of his neck as he kissed her deep and hard.

They were both left gasping when he finally broke away from her. He lowered her legs to the ground, but she refused to remove her hands from around his neck, her breath hot against his mouth.

Slowly and deliberately, Sirius brought his fingers to his lips, watching her flush as he took one into his mouth, sucking her essence off of the digit without breaking eye contact, moaning.

Fuck, if Remus wasn't right. She tastes like honey.

Chapter Text

Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play
(Shake it Out - Florence + The Machine)

March 13th, 1976

"I'm not going to apologise for sleeping with Remus," Mia said, breaking the silence now that she and Sirius were seated in the dark alcove on the fifth-floor corridor, the scent of arousal lingering in the air.

After he had touched her, tasted her, and brought her to blinding rapture with only his talented hands, Mia and Sirius fell to the floor, the combination of alcohol and an emotionally charged night rendering them helpless against exhaustion.

He leant to the side and dropped his head onto her lap. Keeping his face forward, he decided to ignore the fact that he wanted to turn around and pet her some more instead of letting her pet him. A soft smile appeared on his face when her fingers ran through his hair, gently this time, unlike the passionate pulling they had been doing minutes earlier.

"Can you blame me for being jealous?" he asked, looking up at her.

Mia sighed looking down at him, pressing her lips together. She looked caught off guard when she was met with sincerity.

"No," she finally answered, "but you still don't have a right to be."

"Do you hate me? I know I got a little carried away there. Okay, a lot carried away." He frowned, feeling sick with himself. He had meant to ask permission at the very least. "I didn't mean to . . . take advantage."

"I think I took just as much advantage as you did, and I wasn't exactly complaining. Do I hate you after that?" She chuckled softly but then sighed. "A little. Not because of what we just did, but because I know it meant nothing to you."

He sat up and stared at her, offended. "What do you mean nothing? I came chasing after you. I tried to apologise before you bloody hit me, and then . . . Merlin, Mia, you know how I feel about you!"

"How?" she asked point-blank.

Sirius froze.

"See? You know how you feel, and I know how I feel, but you can't say the words."

"I have my reasons," he said softly, his eyes downcast.

"Your family?"

"I . . . I have to keep you safe," he admitted in a low voice. "It's like there's something inside of me . . . the deepest part of me that needs to keep you safe. It's always been there. Since the first time I ever saw you. When Snivellus shoved you down, I just . . . I felt anger—something triggered inside of me—and I needed to make sure you were okay. That sounds ridiculous, right?"

"No. You've always kept me safe. You're my constant protector, Sirius."

He looked up at her and saw the way she stared past him, through him, as though he was not there. Sometimes she looked at him like she expected something—someone—that he was not.

When she reached out and gently touched his face, he flinched regretfully. He could not remember the last time that he had done that. Fear of touch had been instilled in him from a young age. Walburga had never been affectionate with him, but she had turned cruel when he started mimicking the voices he heard from the front windows of Grimmauld Place. Muggles walked back and forth to and from work, and Sirius listened to them with curiosity. They all sounded so different from one another and especially from his parents. When he echoed their accents and language, Walburga struck him hard across the cheek. His father, predictably, did nothing to stop her.

Thinking about what he wanted to protect Mia from caused him to remember too vividly. He hoped that she had not noticed the way he briefly pulled away from her, but the sympathetic look in her eyes said otherwise.

Sirius closed his eyes. Please don't pity me.

It hurt to see the way he pulled back at her touch. Sirius looked like he was in pain the moment her fingers grazed over his cheek. She knew that he had never received a gentle hand at home, and she could not help but wonder if he bothered to intimately, gently, touch all the girls he slept with over the years—or let them touch him like this. She thought of her older Sirius who had spent twelve years in Azkaban, a year on the run, one more imprisoned inside Grimmauld Place, and then alone, trapped inside the veil. Had he ever known any kindness or gentleness apart from his friends?

It broke her heart to think about.

"I have to keep you safe too," she whispered when he turned his face into her hand, kissing her palm.

She thought of him falling off his broom over the edge of the Quidditch stands, lying broken in the hospital wing. She thought of an older Sirius trapped in a cell, waiting for the Dementor's Kiss. She thought of pulling Sirius from the veil and feeding him potion after potion to make sure he survived the ritual. She thought of throwing herself over his body as Death Eaters tortured him while Voldemort turned the Elder Wand on her.

"You don't understand, Mia." Sirius sighed, looking pained. "I have to keep you safe . . . even if it's from me."

"You would never hurt me," she reminded him firmly.

"No, but my family would." He looked up at her. "And until I know that they won't be a problem . . . I don't know what I could ever be to you. I'm not good for you. I'm not much good at all."

"You are a good man, Sirius Black!" she snapped, pulling his face into her hands to kiss him soundly on the mouth as if she could force him to take back his words.

"One day, maybe," he said as he pulled away from her, "but in the meantime . . . I can't."

"Then what was tonight about?"

"Me lacking any form of self-control." Sirius laughed sadly, putting his head in his hands. "Merlin, it's like the same feeling deep down inside of me makes me want to keep you safe but also makes me need you. Fuck. Mia, you have no idea the things I want to do to you."

She took in a sharp breath that hitched in her throat, her cheeks warming over.

Sirius groaned. "That's not helping by the way. The sounds you make, and the colour of your skin . . . Bloody hell, I could smell you all night."

Mia scrunched up her nose, grimacing slightly. "I really wish you and Remus would stop doing that."

"Oh, don't act like you can't do it too. You're just as much an animal as I am."

She had the decency to look away from him but did not deny his accusation.

After a long moment of silence, Sirius asked, "Is Remus the only one?"

"Yes."

"Can you keep it that way? I know I don't have the right to ask, but I trust Remus and only Remus."

Mia shrugged wondering what Remus would say if he was there. "That depends. Are you going to want me, too?"

"Yes," he admitted right away.

She narrowed her eyes. "I'm not sleeping with both of you."

"I didn't mean it like that." Sirius scowled but then added, "Not exactly like that. Remus told me why the two of you are still shagging. He keeps you safe, not alone. Makes you forget about me."

Mia frowned, feeling just a bit betrayed. "He shouldn't have said that."

"I'm not going to have sex with you. It's crossing a line that I don't think I could ever go back from. So, I don't want you to wait around for me. If you . . . I guess, need someone, then be with Remus, but only Remus."

"Fine, but as for you, no Gryffindors. Do what you have to do," she said with a bitter tone. "I'm not naive enough to think that you're not going to go off and keep shagging the school. At least until it's safe like you say, but no Gryffindors." Her eyes narrowed at him. "I don't ever want to hear about you with other girls in my own common room."

Sirius nodded, agreeing immediately. "Done."

"And no McKinnon," she growled viciously.

"Fuck, I will make an Unbreakable Vow over that crazy bitch."

"And you need to apologise to Remus," Mia insisted, her voice firm. "I don't even want to know what the two of you talked about after I left."

"No, you don't." Sirius rubbed his hands down his face looking ashamed. "I will, I promise. He's not going to stop being one of my best mates simply because he's shagging my . . ."

Mia stared at him, eyebrow raised.

"Our girl?" he offered with a small laugh. She huffed in reply, and he laughed harder. "You know it's pretty much the truth. You've been ours for years, kitten. Mine and Remus's, and to a lesser and not at all sexual extent, James's."

"Thank you for that clarification," Mia said with a disgusted shudder. She then took in a deep breath, exhaling and letting the stress from her shoulders release after a long moment. "It feels like we're creating terms for some sort of pre-engagement."

"Aren't we?" Sirius smirked. "We basically just created a short list of people we're each allowed to shag while the world rights itself to create the perfect situation for the two of us to finally be together. Which may or may not ever happen."

"It will. Even if it's not for another twenty years, it'll still happen." After a brief pause, she teasingly asked, "You think tonight will hold you over until then?"

"Fuck no." Sirius barked a laugh, looking at her with a familiar twinkle in his eye. "Speaking of which . . . You wouldn't be terribly inclined to return the favour, would you?"

"Absolutely not." She laughed, shaking her head as she moved to stand up. "I'll consider what you did an apology for tricking Remus and me into confessing our secret to you. We're currently even, Padfoot."

"Wait!" Sirius called after her as she began making her way back toward Gryffindor Tower. "We need to include one last, very important thing in regards to our . . . arrangement."

Mia looked back, raising a brow. "Never tell Jamie?"

"Never."

March 16th, 1976

Despite the regular meetings of the Assisted Defence group in the Room of Requirement—where the advanced students began learning basic wandless magic courtesy of Mia—they still had to attend official Defence Against the Dark Arts classes with Professor Higgs. The former Slytherin had not toned down his prejudices against creatures and beings, who he referred to as "half-breeds," but thanks to the multitude of complaints from everyone except the Slytherins, the professor was no longer allowed to show graphic photographs of attacks, nor was he to refer to defence against any creature as "killing."

Despite the minor improvement, the class still felt like a preparatory course for future Death Eaters. Mia would have bet good money that, had she not looked like a toad, and they had both been capable of human emotions, Professor Higgs would have fallen madly in love with Dolores Umbridge.

Professor Higgs met them in front of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, his teeth bared in a way that barely qualified as a smile. "Pair up! Separate Houses."

When the students refused to acknowledge one another, save for Lily, who out of pure habit gravitated toward Snape only to have him shake his head at her, the room came to a standstill.

"Abbott with Longbottom!" the professor hissed impatiently, pointing his long, skinny finger as he paired everyone off. "Belby with Brown, Zabini with Macdonald. Lupin and Evans with the Carrows. Potter with Snape, no . . . Miss Potter," he corrected when James became visibly excited about the potential of duelling his nemesis.

"Mr Potter and Mr Black, I'd like you to pair with one another, and I expect actual offensive and defensive measures to be taken this time." Professor Higgs glared at the two before turning around and pairing up the rest of the students.

"What about me, Professor?" Peter called from the back, the odd Gryffindor out.

"Pettigrew? I didn't see you, boy. Wait on the sidelines until Longbottom inevitably faints or becomes otherwise incapacitated."

"Lily, keep an eye on Remus for me," Mia whispered as both prefects took their place opposite the Carrow twins.

Remus was barely holding himself together as it was the morning before the full moon, and if it were not a danger to his fragile ego, Mia would have insisted that he leave class immediately and go to the hospital wing instead of facing off in a duel.

Lily nodded to Mia, shooting her an understanding smile. But before she could even face her own opponent, let alone keep an eye on Remus, a hot spark snapped her in the leg. "Ow! You're supposed to bow first!"

"I don't bow to Mudbloods," Alecto Carrow said.

All of the Gryffindors turned to stare at their professor knowing it was impossible that he did not hear the slur, but he looked perfectly content to ignore the word.

When Professor Higgs did nothing, Lily turned her eyes to Snape, who pretended not to have heard the exchange as he stared daggers across the room at Mia.

"Some friend," Mia muttered under her breath.

That, however, the professor clearly heard as his eyes narrowed into slits. "Don't wait around all day!"

James and Sirius were the only pair to offer a proper bow to one another, but they were both more intent on watching their friends duel the Slytherins instead of facing off against each other.

The moment Professor Higgs turned around and made his way to his desk to take a seat, as he always did during practice duels, every Slytherin made the first attack.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Stupefy!"

"Flipendo!"

"Verdimillious!"

"Petrificus Totalus!"

"Impedimenta!"

The Slytherins all yelled, followed by a united, simultaneous echo from the Gryffindors: "PROTEGO!"

Not a single attack landed.

Adrian Abbott and Damocles Belby followed the proper instructions, so Frank and Alice were able to have a legitimate practice duel, though both Gryffindors—being members of the A.D.—were levels above the Slytherins and easily disarmed them in the end. Frank, being the kind of person he was, walked across the room and extended a hand to Adrian, helping him up before returning the boy's wand. Alice followed his example with a smile.

Seeing this somehow infuriated the other Slytherins, and someone—Mia could not see who—threw a stunning spell at Frank, knocking him backward, rendering him unconscious.

"Hey!" Lily shouted, outraged.

She made her way across the room to revive Frank, but before she could reach him, the Carrow twins attacked, each sending a Stunning Spell, only one of which Lily managed to block. The other hit her hard in the shoulder, knocking her to the ground.

The sight triggered something in James, causing him to leave Sirius's side to rush to Lily's aid. He easily defended himself against the onslaught of hexes and jinxes that came his way. The Slytherins could have been throwing Cheering Charms at him for all the good it was doing.

"Evans, you all right?" James asked, his concerned gaze running over her body for injury.

Mia did her best to keep an eye on the situation, but she caught a glimpse of Snape with his wand aimed at James's back.

"Levicorpus!"

An invisible hand snatched James by the ankle, tugging with the intention to levitate him upward.

Before James could even lose his balance, however, Mia stepped in front of her brother and shouted, "Liberacorpus!"

"How did you know that spell?" Snape demanded with a glare. "Where'd you learn that?"

Mia glared right back. "Stupefy!"

He blocked it deftly before casting an ineffectual Knockback Jinx, which she ducked. When his spell failed, he cried, "Serpensortia!" and a long snake erupted from the end of his wand, hissing and striking out at her.

Sirius and Remus both stepped forward to help, but she held up a hand to stop them, aiming her wand down, amused at the irony of the situation with which she was faced.

"Vipera Evanesca!" she cast, watching the snake vanish in a puff of black smoke. This only enraged Snape further, but he did not attack. She watched him carefully, waiting for a sign, but he made no move.

The Carrows did, however.

With Lily still unconscious and being revived by James, the Slytherin twins each sent a spell at Remus, who was distracted watching Mia.

"Impedimenta!"

"Stupefy!"

Remus—in his current condition—being knocked to the floor by the Carrows was enough to tear Mia's attention from Snape, and the moment her eyes turned away from him, he aimed his wand and roared, "Langlock!"

Rendered silent with her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, Mia was unable to cast any spells verbally. That was when Snape began attacking with a renewed vengeance. "Locomotor Wibbly!" he called, causing her legs to collapse beneath her. "Expelliarmus!"

Her wand flew across the room.

She glared at Snape and felt a slight tingle—similar to when she shifted into her Animagus form—and could not help but wonder if, in her anger, her brown eyes had turned amber.

"You son of a bitch!" Sirius shouted, rushing toward Snape, wand outheld. A sudden and silent shield flew up, blocking him from moving further. Sirius whipped his head around and caught sight of Professor Higgs holding his wand up with a smarmy smile on his face.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor, Mr Black, for interfering. Keep your distance, all of you. I'd like to see how this plays out." He chuckled at the sight of Mia, wandless, silenced, and immobile from the waist down. "Finish your duel, Mr Snape."

Snape looked confused at first, but then glowered down at Mia and raised his wand. His lip curled as his eyes filled with contempt. He began his spell, "Stupe—"

Ginny, you'd appreciate this, Mia thought, squeezing her eyes shut as she cast her very first non-verbal, wandless Bat-Bogey Hex.

Before Snape had a chance to finish his spell, he sneezed, letting out a loud scream as a massive, bat-shaped bogey crawled out of his hooked nose. It grew wings and began attacking him viciously, slapping its wings against the sides of his face.

"Finite Incantatem!" James hollered.

Mia let out a gasp as her tongue was released, her legs regaining sensation. "Accio wand!" Her precious vinewood wand flew into her hands. Aiming the wood at Snape, she shouted, "Stupefy!" eyes blazing as Snape fell backward, hitting the ground unconscious.

She stood up and looked around the room.

Frank was sitting next to Lily while Alice helped him nurse a head bump he had received from being stunned. James hovered protectively over Remus, who had also been revived, though his eyes were trained on the unconscious Snape. Elora Zabini and Mary had both, apparently, lost their wands in the duel and were now in the back of the room pulling each other's hair. Mary appeared to be winning.

Sirius, still blocked by Professor Higgs's shield, was pacing back and forth like an animal in a cage, his grey eyes glaring between the professor and Snape, looking positively murderous.

Mia could not help but remember a similar look on the older Sirius Black in the Shrieking Shack when he first came face-to-face with Peter Pettigrew after twelve years.

Peter had been in the back corner the entire time, quietly watching as the chaos unfolded. He looked like he wanted to sink straight into the wall.

"Well, this was . . . illuminating," Professor Higgs drawled, as though commenting on a mildly interesting experiment. "A fifteen-inch essay due tomorrow on the effects of layering attack spells. Though it is the full moon tonight. Will you be able to finish your homework, Miss Potter, or are you hoping to stage an intervention for the werewolves that have been reportedly seen in the area?"

She glared up at him silently, refusing to let him provoke her into an outburst.

A clear dismissal, the students began to filter out of the classroom, but Sirius lingered, stalking toward Snape. "You ever speak to Mia again, Snivellus, and you're dead," he growled dangerously before storming out of the room.

Outside the classroom, Remus looked like he could pass out at any moment. Mia ran her fingers through his hair, pushing sweat-soaked fringe from his forehead.

"I still want to know where you found that spell, Potter!" Snape called, glaring in Mia's direction the moment he stepped out of the Defence classroom.

Sirius turned and launched toward him, fists raised. "I told you to never speak to her again! You're dead, Snivellus!"

"Whoa, hey! Back off!" Lily intervened, stepping in between them.

"Out of the way, Evans!" Sirius snapped.

"Sirius," Mia hissed, grabbing his hand as she glared at Snape from over Sirius's shoulder. "Sirius, please, don't. He's not worth it."

Sirius slowly backed down, but threw both Snape and Lily a dirty look before turning back to Mia and protectively wrapping an arm around her.

"Severus," Lily whispered.

He sneered at her. "Don't you want to go check on your friends and their . . . pet?"

Lily visibly recoiled at his words. When James and Sirius moved behind her, she held her hand up and turned to glare at them. "Everyone out of the hallway right now, or I'll start taking away points!"

"One of these days, you're going to have to choose a side, Evans." Sirius glared at her before turning around to storm out of the corridor, leaving behind James and Mia, who were busy holding up Remus.

"Ignore him," Mia said.

Lily frowned. "Which one?"

"Both? All?"

March 17th, 1976

"Mia? Mia, wake up."

"Peter?" Mia rubbed her tired eyes, looking down at the boy who was standing at the foot of her bed, practically quivering. "Peter, I swear to Merlin, if you're actually here in the girls' dorms I am going to hex you into next year. How the hell did you get in here?"

"Rat," Peter said, pointing at himself as though that were a fully articulated sentence.

"Fine. That answers the how; I'd like to know why. If Mary knows you can sneak into the dorms, you're a dead man. Not even Jamie can protect you from Mary's wrath."

"Mia, you have to come with me. Something happened. We can't get him to calm down."

She bolted up, throwing her legs over the side of the bed. "Peter, where's Remus?"

The full moons had been getting progressively worse since the werewolf sightings in Scotland. Attacks were getting closer and closer to Hogsmeade and, therefore, Hogwarts. Remus was a constant nervous wreck, and the fact that the four Animagi could no longer be with him in the shack made it all the worse.

"He's in the Room of Requirement; James was able to lock him in." Peter's small, watery eyes were as wide as they could be, the sight unnerving Mia as she jumped out of her bed, slipping on her outer robes as quickly as possible.

Not waiting for Peter, she rushed down the stairs, through the common room, and out the portrait hole in a blur.

When she reached the seventh floor, she followed the shouts echoing loudly in the otherwise silent corridor. Turning a corner, Mia spotted Sirius sitting on the ground with his back up against the wall, his eyes dark and rimmed with red. His head hung low in what looked like shame as a red-faced James held him at wand point.

Mia often compared James to Harry, but it was moments like this—when James lost his temper—that Mia was able to see the difference between father and son. While Harry had kept his Seeker's frame throughout school, James had filled out, and when he needed to appear intimidating he had no trouble standing taller and using his larger frame to do so.

"—should curse you right here!" James bellowed, looking close to tears himself. "You're supposed to be better than your bloody family, Sirius!"

Cringing at the volume, Sirius shrank further against the wall.

Mia gaped at the sight in horror. She had never seen James properly angry with Sirius. Even when the two had fought over Sirius's issues with her and Remus, James seemed to react as though it were his brotherly duty, regardless of how he felt about Sirius. Now, however, he looked furious with his best friend. It had been a long time since James had used Sirius's name instead of affectionately calling him Padfoot.

"I know . . . I-I can't . . ." Sirius stammered, looking anguished.

"Jamie?" Mia whispered, taking a slow step toward the scene. "Jamie, where's Remus?"

Sirius swallowed, getting to his feet and hesitantly taking a few steps toward her. "Mia."

"He's in the room," James said, holding out his wand to block Sirius from moving any closer. He turned his gaze on his best friend, glaring sternly before turning back to his sister. "There was an . . . accident."

"No." Mia shook her head, already knowing what he was going to say. How had she forgotten? Her eyes bore into Sirius's face, and he broke under her stare, turning away from her.

"Mia, I'm so sorry. I can't tell you how sorry I am," Sirius choked out, clearly grieving.

"Everyone's safe. But Sniv—Snape," James corrected himself, "found a way beneath the Whomping Willow. I got there just in time. Snape's with Dumbledore, but Remus was in a state when the sun rose. Professor Dumbledore asked us to deal with him, but Mia . . . he won't listen to us."

"How did Snape figure it out?" she asked, looking directly at Sirius, tears already welling in her eyes. Had it not been just days ago he refused to break eye contact with her as they held each other in a dark corner, confessing feelings of affection and making promises of safety?

"I let him overhear me," Sirius mumbled. "I made him think that we were keeping something secret up in the shack. Made him think that we'd all be expelled if we were found out. Then . . ." He brought his hands to his face and shook his head, exhaling shakily. "I'm so sorry, Mia. I let him hear me talk about the notch in the tree."

She closed her eyes, unable to yell at him. "Sirius, you could have killed him. You could have destroyed Remus over this. His whole life."

"Mia, please," Sirius rasped, voice raw. "Scream at me, hit me, tell me you hate me."

"I won't bother." Mia sighed, unable to give him anything but her quiet disappointment. "The saddest thing about you, Sirius, is that I expected something like this to happen. I don't even have the energy to be angry with you because it won't change anything. Nothing ever changes," she said sadly and looked at the door. "Jamie, let me in the room. I want to see Remus."

"Just be careful," James whispered as he walked to the door. "He hit Padfoot a few times."

"Good," Mia said.

"Mia, I'm so—" Sirius began, tears streaming down his face.

"I'm not the one you need to apologise to. You were supposed to be a good man, Sirius."

Her eyes widened once the door to the Room of Requirement closed behind her. James had apparently asked the room to recreate the Gryffindor common room like it had the night of Remus's birthday party. Was it really only four days ago that they were all in here, laughing and enjoying each other's company?

The room was virtually destroyed. Furniture was upended, curtains torn, and there were large holes in the walls. Mia frowned as she ran her fingers over one of them, noticing blood on the stone.

She heard a noise in the corner and spun to see Remus huddled against the wall, knees pulled to his chest with his arms wrapped around them. Even across the room and in the dark, she could see a new long scar cutting through his face, beginning at his left eyebrow and slicing against the bridge of his nose, ending in the centre of his right cheek.

"Hello, love," Mia whispered as she moved closer until she could kneel down before him. Remus turned his face away from her, quietly sobbing into his folded arms. She worried that he would flinch away from her like he used to when she would approach him about his lycanthropy after a rough moon. She worried he would snap at her, put up walls and block her out, or just ignore her altogether, but the moment she sat down and leant against him, Remus fell into her arms, crying into her lap.

"It's going to be okay," she whispered, stroking her fingers through his hair as she tried to hold back tears of her own. She kissed the top of his head, holding him close. "Dumbledore will fix everything. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I could have killed someone. I could have killed him," Remus said through gasping sobs. "I'm going to end up like the rest of them—like Greyback. I'm going to end up hurting someone."

"I will never let that happen. I swear on my magic, Remus, I will do everything possible to make sure you never become like Greyback."

Chapter Text

I'll do whatever it takes to turn this around
I know what's at stake, I know that I've let you down
And if you give me a chance, Believe that I can change
I'll keep us together whatever it takes
(Whatever it Takes - Lifehouse)

March 17th, 1976

The Marauders, in addition to Mia, were called into Dumbledore's office once Remus calmed down.

The headmaster looked eager to take care of the situation as quickly as possible. "Gentlemen, if you wouldn't mind waiting on the other side of the door. I must have a quick word with Miss Potter on an unrelated issue," he said with a smile, his blue eyes twinkling.

James and Peter each took hold of Remus's and Sirius's arms, as their two friends were barely able to hold it together long enough to stand, let alone walk.

Once the door was shut, Dumbledore gestured to the chair opposite his desk, and Mia took the seat with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry about this, Professor. I should have done something to prevent it." She wanted to cry, but her eyes were dry and red. She had been emptied of all of her tears while comforting Remus in the Room of Requirement that morning.

"You and I have had this conversation several times over the course of the years, Miss Potter. And I reassert my position and advise to you to follow your Mr Lupin's letter. May I ask, have you tried to change anything since you've arrived in this timeline?"

She sighed, biting the inside of her cheek. She had put a great deal of thought into her time travel and what she could and could not do. "I don't know, sir. Sometimes I can't tell if I'm purposely trying to fix something or if I'm just reacting normally. There are days when I wonder if I'm not the catalyst you often talk about. If my being here isn't what triggered a reaction, to begin with."

Mia's biggest issue with being in the current timeline was always Peter. Had she been given the opportunity, she would have prevented Pettigrew from ever meeting James, Remus, and Sirius, and yet it was she who first came to Peter's aid on that first train ride. She thought of how difficult it had been to control her rage when face-to-face with the traitor—especially during the first night in the Shrieking Shack—and wondered if perhaps her bitterness toward him would be what eventually pushed him to become an irredeemable man.

There was also the more recent issue of Snape.

"I think I'm the reason last night happened, sir," Mia revealed. "There was an altercation in class between myself and Severus. Sirius took it personally. I think Sirius did what he did in retribution. It's my fault."

"The Chudley Cannons are in last place in the league right now; is this also your fault, Miss Potter?" Dumbledore questioned. "It rained last week; is this your fault as well? It has been some years since I've read your letter, but may I ask what it says in regards to blame?"

"'Do not put blame on yourself over the future,'" Mia quoted the letter word for word with a sigh, understanding Dumbledore's point. She knew the words perfectly. She still read the letter often, as it connected her to the future. "'What is meant to happen will happen, regardless of how it comes to be.' I understand, sir."

He smiled. "Good. Now, while I have always tried to follow my own instincts when it came to your knowledge of the future, and avoid asking too many questions, I would like to request your advice on the matter at hand."

"What can I help with, sir?" she asked dutifully.

"I am struggling with how to handle the situation. Mr Lupin's secret will be kept; I've taken proper measures with young Mr Snape to assure that. However, I feel it would be irrational of me to look the other way when one student knowingly put the life of another in jeopardy." He frowned; the disappearance of his smile was unsettling. "I would like you to tell me a little of what you know about Mr Black's character."

Mia sighed. Why did it always come down to Sirius?

"I can't lie and say that I'm not biased. Sirius and I . . . There are complications. But . . ." She thought of her original third year and what happened in the hospital wing before she and Harry took the Time-Turner to save Sirius.

"Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen," Professor Snape said. "You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?"

"My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus."

She and Harry had known of Sirius's innocence relating to the murders of James and Lily Potter, and they had fought to convince Snape, Fudge, and Dumbledore with everything they could, but in the end, they knew it would not be enough. The words of a couple of teenagers, an escaped convict, and a werewolf would hold no power.

"If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight."

Innocent.

Sirius had been innocent of murder then but was sent to Azkaban anyway. Mia knew that Sirius, this younger Sirius, would suffer, and it didn't matter when or for what crime he had committed. He would suffer.

"He is a confused boy. A confused and angry boy who is fighting against the prejudices of his family by lashing out, but . . . he is a good man, and he's punishing himself enough for what he's done," she said firmly, recalling the red rims of Sirius's eyes as he waited outside the Room of Requirement, his remorse evident.

Dumbledore's smile returned. "Thank you, Miss Potter. I will take your words into consideration."

He had. Dumbledore had been amazingly creative with his eventual punishment of Sirius—who had spent years in detention and showed nothing for it. Rather than make him shine trophies or candelabras, or even go so far as expelling him, Dumbledore had insisted that Sirius—who was much too smart for his own good—tutor other fifth years who were struggling with preparations for their O.W.L.s.

The punishment forced Sirius to interact with the other Houses—Slytherins included—and also made his own revising mandatory. When Mia had been told what Sirius's punishment would be, she could not help but laugh as she remembered a conversation she and an older Sirius once had, where he promised to one day tell her how he managed to get nine O.W.L.s.

April 14th, 1976

"I'm not mad at him, I'm disappointed in him."

Mia leant against the sofa in the common room, an Arithmancy book in her hands. It had been two years, and she was still miffed that her boys had essentially tricked her out of taking the class. She would be glad when O.W.L.s were over so she could drop Care of Magical Creatures—again. While flipping through the pages of her textbook, she realised that, instead of reading them, she was using the motion as a distraction to avoid putting effort into the conversation with her brother.

"But Remus forgave him," James reasoned, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of her, wearing his Quidditch gear and looking uneasy.

She frowned, lips pursed and eyes narrowed. "Well, maybe Remus shouldn't have. Sirius was selfish and foolish, and this bitter rivalry between the two of you and Snape has now grown far past schoolyard bullying—which I also don't approve of."

James immediately shifted his gaze elsewhere, looking chastened. She knew that expression. It was a James Potter Classic that would be passed down to his son. It roughly translated into: I'm sorry my actions have made you feel this way, but I'm certainly not going to stop doing them. At least Harry had the good sense to only use it when it came to risking his life to save the world. James used it to escape her wrath and to continue harassing Slytherins.

"No one died," James tried to remind her with a sheepish smile, "and Dumbledore put Snape under a Wizard's Oath to keep Moony's secret." She knew that he was purposely not calling Snape a rude name in an attempt to wheedle back into her good graces. "It's been a month, Mia. Remus is fine, Snape's fine, but you're still giving Sirius the cold shoulder."

"His fur will keep him insulated during the storm," she said with a bite to her tone.

"At least scream at him or something." He sighed, turning pleading hazel eyes up at her. "Mia, I've never seen him this bad before. I'm really worried he's going to do something stupid if you don't forgive him."

Mia stared down at her brother shrewdly, slowly arching a suspicious brow at him. Not taking her eyes off his face as she closed her book and set it down beside her on the sofa, she leant forward, studying his eyes intently. She watched as James slowly cracked under the pressure of her scrutiny, a calculating trick taught to her by Dorea.

"Jamie?" she began calmly, a storm hiding behind the soft façade she presented. "Did Sirius threaten to sit out the game if I didn't forgive him?"

Her suspicion was confirmed the moment James's eyes widened.

"Mum's right. You should have been put in Slytherin. Please, Mia, it's an important game. If we beat Slytherin today, we'll have another chance at the Quidditch Cup!"

She could not believe that Remus had forgiven Sirius so quickly. James, too, had been swift to accept the apologies, despite the fact that he had been close to cursing his best friend over the incident.

"Fine!" Mia snapped at James kneeling before her, begging her to forgive Sirius for the sake of Gryffindor pride. "Send him down and then both of you get to the pitch before the whole school thinks that the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain skipped out on his own game."

As though he had been waiting for her answer, Padfoot descended the staircase from the boys' dorm room and padded over to the couch, resting his large head on her thigh, looking up into her face with big eyes and letting out a low whine.

"Puppy eyes," she said with a scoff. "Clever. Go win your stupid game. You have my forgiveness. For now."

Mia followed the boys down to the pitch where she joined Lily, Mary, Alice, Frank, Peter, and an exhausted-looking Remus in the stands. There was a subtle chill in the air. The other students did not look like they minded, but she noticed Remus reacting poorly to it. She waved her wand over his body to cast a Warming Charm.

He let out a sigh of relief and smiled, pulling her in close for a hug. "Thanks, Mia."

She breathed in the scent of him in as though it were oxygen she had been deprived of for a long while. After the narrow miss where he could have killed Snape, Remus had been predictably withdrawn, though, thankfully, he had not reverted back to how he was during their first few years at Hogwarts. He did, however, tell Mia that it would be best, for now, to abstain from one another physically, at least until he had time to work through a few issues regarding his lycanthropy and how he was trying to deal with what happened the last full moon. She had been respectful, of course, especially since, if they had theoretically fallen back into bed with one another, she was not certain if she would have done it just to make Sirius angry, and Remus did not deserve to be used like that.

His hug made her happy to think that her best friend was coming back to himself, especially considering the full moon was in just a few hours.

Madam Hooch made James shake hands with the Slytherin Captain, Lucinda Talkalot. Then a whistle blew, and the players took to the sky immediately.

"Gryffindor in possession of the Quaffle; they are starting this game off quick. Captain James Potter never tries to lure the Slytherin team into a false sense of security. Potter to Florence, Florence back to Potter. Potter throws the Quaffle. Beater, Sirius Black, hits the Quaffle in and scores!" The announcer went on as the Gryffindor stands erupted in cheers. "Strange move by Sirius Black, reminiscent of Muggle batsball by the looks of it, but it's all legal play!"

Even after all these years, Mia smiled as she watched the game. While Quidditch had always been a stupid—and dangerous—sport to her, she had grown to love watching it. Flying right in front of her, Sirius caught her attention. When he turned to wink, she could not help but let herself gaze at his body in his red and gold jersey, with flowing robes blowing in the wind behind him. Her mouth briefly watered at the sight. When she was forced to swallow, her eyes narrowed. She would absolutely not swoon over Sirius Black in Quidditch robes! He did not deserve her swooning right now. She huffed and folded her arms across her chest defiantly and sought her brother out amongst the players, rolling her eyes as he dominated the game with ease.

"Slytherins have the Quaffle, and it looks like Captain Talkalot has spotted the Snitch!"

Everyone turned their attention to the diving Seekers, bobbing and weaving in between Bludgers and the other players after the small golden fluttering object as it flew just a bit faster than the Cleansweeps they rode.

Mia's attention was diverted elsewhere as she watched a man in Auror robes approach the stands where Professor Dumbledore sat with the rest of the staff.

Dumbledore suddenly stood, wand held outward. A bright light engulfed the pitch, putting an immediate stop to the game. The Snitch, along with speeding Bludgers, stopped dead in the air and fell from the sky, landing on the grass.

The headmaster pressed his wand to his throat, casting an Amplifying Charm before speaking in a voice that echoed loudly. "Apologies, but this game has been postponed for the time being. All students must return to their Houses without delay. Access to outside areas of the castle is strictly forbidden until further notice."

"What's happening?" Alice asked, deferring immediately to Lily and Remus, both of whom were transitioning into prefect mode and ushering the Gryffindors out of the stands.

Lily frowned, dodging a stampede of flustered first years. "Who knows?"

"Remus?" Mia whispered as she approached him. "Are you all right?"

He shook his head, looking on edge. "No. They've forbidden access outside the castle. I'll be out there in less than two hours." His eyes flickered toward the Whomping Willow, which could be seen just over the edge of the stands in the distance. "Why would they forbid anyone to go outside the castle?"

Mia's mouth turned down in concern. "I don't know, but I'll find out."

After leading the students back to Gryffindor Tower with Lily, Remus left immediately for the hospital wing, where he was to meet Madam Pomfrey who would take him to the Whomping Willow. As the sun began to set beneath the horizon, Mia watched nervously from the common room window where she could see the treetops of the Forbidden Forest.

"He'll be all right," James said as he approached her, fiddling with something in his hand.

"What's that?"

James smirked. "Snitch."

She chuckled softly. "You're a Seeker now?"

"Nicked it. Didn't get much else out of today's game. Wanted a souvenir," he admitted, shrugging. "Why do you think they closed off the grounds?"

"I don't know. But I'd really like to find out. I'm worried about Remus. Before Dumbledore made the speech cancelling the game, an Auror came and spoke with him," she told her brother, brows furrowed in concern. "Something must have happened out there."

"I didn't even know Aurors were here," he said quietly. "You think it's about what the Prophet's been saying? About the . . . maulings?"

"Probably. Hey . . . is that . . . ?" She squinted at the sight of someone down below walking away from the forest. At first, she assumed it was Hagrid, but even from this distance, she could tell by size alone that this person was not half-giant.

"The professors are probably doing a security check," James said, following her line of sight.

"Jamie, get the Cloak. Something doesn't feel right."

Five minutes later, Mia, James, Sirius, and Peter were slipping out of the portrait hole and down the large marble staircase. Both James and Sirius struggled to remain beneath the cloak that barely covered their feet these days. Peter had already shifted into his Animagus form, scurrying along the edge of the wall, while Mia trailed behind them, Disillusioning herself.

"Go to the front," she whispered, trying not to accidentally run into them.

Once downstairs, she reached forward, grabbing the cloak and stopping James and Sirius when she heard voices down the hall.

"Have they identified the body yet?" Professor Sprout was whispering to Professor Kettleburn, who was leaning against the wall, using it as leverage to make his way through the corridor. Professor Sprout looked worried, while Professor Kettleburn looked annoyed.

"If there's anything left to identify."

"They're sure? It's the same one?" Professor Sprout asked.

"That's what the Aurors said. Reckons the wolf's been in the Forbidden Forest for a few weeks now, waiting the moon out and picking off people in Hogsmeade to bide his time," he answered her.

Mia held back a gasp as she waited for the two professors to get out of earshot. "We have to get to the Whomping Willow," she instructed the boys and made a dash for the door, figuring it would be easier to make a run for it outside instead of risking running into more professors within the castle.

Outside, they observed from the edge of the castle, opposite the bridge and the vegetable gardens, as Madam Pomfrey walked a nervous-looking Remus toward the tree. Mia watched as Remus paused, sniffing the air.

He turned to look in their direction, but would not be able to spot them in their current invisible state. He stared for a long while, though, until Madam Pomfrey nudged him gently with a hand on his shoulder.

"No time to waste, Mr Lupin."

He nodded, pressing forward beneath the tree.

Mia let out a sigh of relief when she saw Remus disappear from view and Madam Pomfrey make her way back across the grass.

"Something still doesn't feel right," James said.

Mia nodded in agreement, her stare held on the Whomping Willow long after Madam Pomfrey returned to the castle.

"Do you smell that, Mia?" Sirius asked, his voice anxious. "Something new."

"I don't think it's new." She worried her bottom lip between her teeth as a shiver crept up her spine. As if to confirm her suspicions, the passage to the Whomping Willow reopened, and all of the teenagers suddenly held their breath.

A large, familiar figure emerged from the passage dragging something at his side. As the remaining light of the setting sun angled over the person, Mia's eyes widened as she saw a vicious-looking man with matted grey hair. Even from this distance she could see the glint of sharp, pointed teeth.

Fenrir Greyback.

"Sufficient for you?" a sharp voice muttered from around the corner, and Mia almost let out an audible gasp at the sight of their Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.

"Reckon you've done well enough," Greyback rasped.

Mia shook with rage at the sight of him. This was the creature responsible for causing so much pain to Remus. This was the werewolf responsible for attacking Bill Weasley. This was the beast who had captured her, Harry, Ron, and Sirius and brought them to Malfoy Manor. She swallowed down the rising bile in her throat and pushed back the thought in her head that screamed Attack! Kill! Death Eater! forcing herself to remember that, in the end, the werewolf was to die at the hand of Draco Malfoy.

Unfortunately, that not-at-all-tragic death would not occur for another twenty-two years, and Future Remus had never relayed a story about running into Greyback whilst he attended Hogwarts. Mia had no idea what was going to happen.

"I've been at this school all year, just for one errand?" Professor Higgs snapped.

"I'd be watching the tone if I was you. If you haven't noticed, I've got a time limit here," Greyback said, gesturing to the quickly darkening sky. "So, if we're finished . . ." He made to reach down on the ground for something, but Higgs stopped him.

"Not a word," Professor Higgs sneered. "You and I are done."

"I don't normally take orders from wizards, but seeing as you play fetch so nicely . . ." Greyback laughed mockingly. "Fine, fine. No one'll ever know your secret. You still sticking with the story that your son drowned at sea?"

Higgs narrowed his eyes. "I have no son."

"Oh, I beg to differ. Saw him just last moon, I did. Right in my pack where he belongs. Bottom of the pack o'course," Greyback crooned, licking his lips, "but he's Pack all the same."

The knuckles of Higgs's left hand turned white with the deathlike grip he had around his wand. "And this . . . filthy half-breed?" He looked disdainfully at the ground. "One of yours?"

"Oh, this?" Greyback grinned darkly as he reached down and pulled up by the collar an unconscious Remus. "This here is one of my favourites."

Mia felt Sirius move forward, but she reached out and stilled his movement beneath the cloak. She had faced off against Greyback before and knew that they would not stand a chance against the vicious werewolf—especially if he were paired with Professor Higgs. Not when they had Remus as a hostage.

Greyback patted an unconscious Remus's cheek. "He and I have a past. Been waiting for him to grow up is all. Bringing him on in to meet the rest, come morning. Whole pack'll be in Wiltshire this time next week. Pass that information along to your Dark Lord, yeah? If he's as friendly to wolves as you all say he is, maybe I'll put in a good word for ya, Higgs."

"I'd appreciate it if you pretend that we've never met, half-breed. Get yourself and your . . . progeny into the forest before someone sees you. Or else we've both risked everything for nothing."

"I'll say hi to your boy for you then?" Greyback cackled as Higgs stormed off, throwing Remus's body over his shoulder and rushing quickly into the forest.

"What the fuck?" Sirius whisper-shouted, throwing the cloak off of him. "Fuck, fuck, what do we do? Do you know who that was?"

Mia nodded, wide-eyed after dispelling her Disillusionment Charm. "Greyback," she said in a terrified whisper.

"What're we standing here for?" James demanded. "We have to go after him! He's got Remus!"

"We have to be smart about this, Jamie." Mia nervously paced back and forth, trying to think. "We were lucky we were downwind. Remus only smelled us because we were familiar and so close. If Greyback knew we'd heard everything, we'd be dead. Or Remus would be."

"And Higgs, that prick!" Sirius growled dangerously.

James grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her hard. "Mia, we have to go before Greyback and Remus get away!"

"Jamie, the full moon rises in less than a few minutes. They'll both transform." He looked confused, so she tried again to explain, "Greyback is Remus's sire. And worse, an Alpha. Which means if we go into that forest to bring Remus back, even on the Wolfsbane, Remus won't be able to help us. Moony's instinct will be to submit to Greyback."

"We can take that bloody werewolf!" Sirius snapped.

"No, we can't, not in human form, and even then . . ." She paused before continuing in a voice she tried to make as clear and rational as possible, given the circumstances, "As big as the two of you are in Animagus form, you still have trouble reigning in Moony when he gets out of control. We're talking about a fully grown, fully embraced werewolf. Did you see his face? His hands? He stays mid-transformation so he can maul and infect people in between moons. It wouldn't create werewolves, it just scars them for life and induces wolfish behaviours. He does it because society fears werewolves so much. He's as savage as it gets. Being an Alpha only makes him stronger."

Peter shifted back into human form, looking positively terrified. "What'll we do, Mia?"

"What makes him an Alpha?" James asked.

The solution thrummed under her skin, and Mia smiled. "A pack."

Chapter Text

Blood on blood
One on one
And I'll be here for you
Till Kingdom come
Blood on blood
(Blood on Blood - Bon Jovi)

April 14th, 1976

Mia could not believe she never saw the signs.

"You're mine, too, you know. You belong to me. It's like . . . if I were an alpha wolf, you'd be my beta."

"What about Sirius, James, and Peter?"

"They're in the pack too."

"We're Pack," she whispered in realisation. "We have to go. I'll explain on the way, but I think I know how to save Remus." She smiled nervously as she took her first steps toward the forest, flanked immediately by James and Sirius who had no reservations about trusting her or following her after two werewolves.

"Wait!" Peter called. "I . . . I . . ." His round face was pale, and his eyes were wide; though he refused to make eye contact with any of them. "S-Someone should tell Dumbledore."

James looked as though he agreed with Peter, but Mia was already in predator mode, and she could smell the fear rippling off of him. She heard Sirius growl low in his throat—he could likely smell it too—but she held up a hand.

"Peter's right. If he wants to go and tell Dumbledore, he should. Tell him that Greyback took Remus into the forest and that you saw him with Higgs. Don't say a word about us. Remember, you're an illegal Animagus too," she pointed out, her threat clear. If Peter somehow got the three of them caught for being Animagi, Mia would take him down with them.

Peter nodded, shifted into his rat form, and scurried away.

Mia sighed and turned back to her brave Gryffindor boys. "Marauder does not equal Pack," she said firmly as she stormed past James and Sirius, her eyes fixated upon the shadowed trees in front of them. She knew what she needed to do in order to save her friend—her Alpha—and she could not help but feel a weight lifted off of her shoulders in knowing that Peter Pettigrew would not be a part of the pack they would create.

Where they were going, there was no room for cowards.

"Mia, have you been in the Forbidden Forest before?" James asked as he and Sirius followed his sister.

Her steps held no hesitation as she turned toward an unmarked path. "Sort of," she lied.

She had been in the forest numerous times over the course of her life. She remembered that the thestral herd generally lived to the right of where they were headed, and noticed the prints on the ground confirming her suspicions. She knew that the centaurs lived closer to the centre of the forest in a large clearing that was similar to the one where the final battle of the Second Wizarding War took place. Where Harry killed Voldemort. Where she, Remus, and Sirius almost died.

Not again.

"I turn the Room of Requirement into the Forbidden Forest sometimes. It replicates it perfectly, but since the room can't produce living beings, it's virtually empty. Allows me access to the forest without the element of danger. It's where I trained to become an Animagus," she explained, leaving out the part about how it was her go-to room to shag Remus.

"Moon will be up soon, kitten," Sirius said. "Better start explaining your plan before we have to shift."

"Werewolves are similar to regular wolves in that they can either belong to a pack or be a lone wolf. Remus is a lone wolf, but only because of circumstances," she said as she struggled to step over a large, broken tree branch, watching as both Sirius and James cleared the obstacle with the ease of their long legs. "Each pack has an Alpha, the strongest. He controls the pack, and amongst werewolves, the progeny of the Alpha don't have the ability to fight back. They aren't powerful enough. Remus needs to embrace his inner Alpha."

"But Greyback's the one who turned Remus. That makes him his progeny, right? So how can Remus be an Alpha?" James asked.

"Because Sirius and I made him one," Mia said. "We didn't mean to at the time of course, but we did."

Shock on his face, Sirius took hold of her arm and spun her to face him. "How?"

"It's a bond. I felt it during my training while I was reaching out for Remus during my meditations. I could feel the Familial Bond that reached out to you, Jamie," she said, refusing to speak of the Soul Bond she felt between herself and Sirius. "There was something else, though. An invisible string that took me to the Shrieking Shack during the full moon, but also brought me back to the forest where I knew you two were training. It was an unprovoked Pack Bond." She looked skyward, shook off Sirius's grip, and moved faster as the moon began to rise.

"I know about bonds. Unprovoked bonds don't mean anything, Mia," Sirius said as he followed her. "It basically just says we're all connected just by existing in the same world."

"For witches and wizards, yes," Mia agreed, though she noted that Sirius was ignorant to a lot of the details. "Werewolves are different. Regular bonds usually exist between family members or married couples; there's no hierarchy except with house-elves, and even then it's only one-sided. Werewolf packs have a hierarchy; it's necessary for their survival or else they'd all just kill each other."

"What does that have to do with us?" James asked as he leapt over a large rock. "We're not werewolves."

"Most bonds are provoked by emotions and actions, Jamie. Preparation and provocation. Sirius and I took the first step to prepare a Pack Bond with Remus the first night we were with him in the Shrieking Shack."

"We submitted," Sirius said, clarity written all over his expression.

"Translate?" James snapped, narrowing his eyes at them.

"Because Sirius and I are pack Animagi, we had to submit to Moony in order to show we weren't a threat to him. Passive submission at least; folded ears and tucked tails," she answered. "Then Moony passively scent marked us. When Sirius and I did that, we were recognising the potential for a Pack Bond, and in doing so, we established the hierarchy."

"We made Remus an Alpha by literally bowing at his bloody paws." Sirius barked a quick laugh. "Okay, so we can get him away from Greyback by what . . . active submission? That'll provoke the bond?"

She nodded quickly. "First, we have to get Greyback out of the way. Moony won't be able to see us provoking the bond until Greyback loses rank in front of him. That'll require bloodshed." She swallowed hard. Of course it requires bloodshed, what bond ritual doesn't? Her mind drifted back to pulling Sirius from the veil, the blood from her hand, the golden glow, and then suddenly, the pull toward him—for him.

"Okay." James nodded, looking nervous as they continued moving through the forest. "Us three against a crazed, blood-thirsty werewolf. No problem," he said sarcastically. "What's the next step after provoking a bond?"

"Sealing it," Mia answered and then cleared her throat. "Umm . . . we don't need to do that."

"Why not? Wouldn't it be stronger?" James asked with a raised brow.

"Yes, always, but . . . It's just that you and Sirius definitely wouldn't want to do it."

"Hey, if Remus's life is on the line here, Mia, I'd do just about anything," James defended adamantly.

Sirius laughed but then he cleared his throat in an obvious bid to be stern. "Prongs, werewolves seal their bonds by mating and then marking each other."

James stood still for a moment, his face turning an interesting shade of crimson. "Right. So he'll survive just fine with an unsealed bond?" he asked clearly, and Sirius stifled a laugh but nodded. "Is the plan to just—?"

James was cut off by a loud scream in the distance, followed quickly by another. The three looked skyward and saw the full moon in all its bright, damaging glory. They listened to the echoes of Remus's painful cries, and Mia winced, closing her eyes and burying her face in Sirius's chest as he wrapped a protective arm around her. Remus always had to suffer through the transformation, but she could not imagine what was happening to him now, knowing Greyback was there with him.

She could not fathom how afraid he was.

"We need to find them before they find us," James insisted. "Shift now and stay in sight."

"You keep to the back and sides," Sirius instructed. "Moony recognises Prongs, but to Greyback, you're nothing but prey."

James, looking indignant, nodded anyway, and turned from them both to shift. His arms fell forward moulding into long legs that had him hit the ground with hooves. He gave a shake of his messy hair, and his head formed into the face of the noble stag, antlers branching outward, large and sharp.

Mia chuckled at the sight. Prey indeed.

Sirius took a deep breath and leapt forward, shifting midair and landing on the ground with big black paws. Padfoot's eyes turned to look back at her, and he pressed his muzzle into her open hand, a silent gesture of comfort.

Mia inhaled sharply, trying to control her emotions. Was it really just a few hours ago that she had been so angry with him?

She closed her eyes and slipped to the ground in a movement that still felt like water pulling her down. Her eyes opened, and her pointed ears twitched as she listened up ahead. The screams had stopped, but she could hear noises. A look to Padfoot next to her, and Mia knew he heard it too.

Whimpering.

Stealthily, she and Padfoot followed straight ahead toward the noises, while Prongs stopped and lingered several yards to the side. She looked at her surroundings as she moved through the brush and felt a sharp, painful memory resurface.

This is where it happened the first time.

She knew that collection of trees just to the right, and as she checked behind her for a moment, she could see the pathway perfectly, as though she were looking back through her human eyes, but not just Mia's eyes. Hermione Granger's eyes.

Running through the forest with Harry's hand clenched tightly in hers, a recently spun Time-Turner around her neck, and a werewolf on their heels. Remus transformed. Those trees, that path, it was all the same, and Mia could almost see Buckbeak in the distance waiting for them. If she looked far enough ahead with her vulpine eyes, she was certain she could see the lake bank where Harry fought dementors. She could hear Moony howling in the distant memory, echoing in her mind as she ran, following Padfoot, and the scents and sounds that drew them both continually forward.

"The Executioner! He's gone to get the dementors! This is it, Hermione!" Harry said before helping her on top of the back of the hippogriff.

They flew, flew far too high and much too fast for her liking, all the way back to the castle where she could see Sirius Black, escaped convict, sitting in a room and looking out of the thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower.

"Stand back!" Hermione said to Harry, and she took out her wand, still gripping the back of Harry's robes with her left hand. "Alohomora!"

The window sprang open, freeing Sirius Black.

Sirius climbed onto the back of Buckbeak, flinging a leg over the large flying beast and leaning forward, looking at Hermione with an apology in his eyes and . . . something else that she did not know how to place. She nodded to him with a sympathetic smile, silently saying it was okay for him to hold onto her as they flew away. While Hermione kept her eyes shut tight for most of the flight, she opened them the moment Buckbeak put his claws down on the top of the West Tower.

Harry jumped off immediately, but for a brief moment, Hermione could not move because Sirius still had an arm around her waist.

"Sirius, you'd better go. Quick," Harry panted. "They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment. They'll find out you're gone."

Suddenly, Sirius let go of Hermione.

She turned and smiled at him, and he looked on the verge of tears as his slate grey eyes met her gaze. She passed it off as gratitude, knowing that the innocent man probably had not seen kindness in a very long time.

Sirius Black smirked at her. "I owe you a life debt, little witch."

He'd known, Mia thought, her breath catching in her throat as she continued to run, the memory clearer now than ever before.

It all started that night. The Shrieking Shack. Sirius, Remus, and Peter. A full moon and a transformed werewolf. Hermione had howled to distract Moony from their earlier selves, and he had come straight for her. She remembered the essay she had written for Snape: werewolves only respond to the call of their pack.

Future Remus was right; time was a circle. She was a catalyst, and everything that was happening was meant to happen. The night she had saved Sirius's life, he had recognised her. Recognized Mia in Hermione Granger's eyes. The night she created the life debt that he owed her. The same night she called into the forest, and Moony had responded.

Tonight was the night that made that moment in the future possible. Tonight, she would become one of Remus's own kind.

Pack.

The memories cleared from her mind as she noticed Padfoot slowing down ahead of her. She inhaled slow and deep. So many scents lingered in the forest that it was difficult, at first, to pick through them. She smelled a nest of birds in the trees above her and a herd of thestrals a mile behind. Somewhere in the far distance, she could smell the sweet lingering scent of a unicorn and its foal. She could smell Prongs moving around the small clearing; if she focused her eyes she could see him straight through the trees.

Finally, just up ahead, she smelled something wonderfully familiar: parchment and grass.

Moony.

And something horribly recognisable: blood and sweat.

Greyback.

She closed in on Padfoot, silently slinking beneath his bear-like frame and hovering around his giant paw, rubbing the side of her cheek against it as a silent way of letting him know that she was there, she was okay, and she was ready. She felt his confirmation when he breathed down against the fur of her head.

Moony was flat on the ground, whimpering softly, gold eyes looking up as the large, grey, matted wolf hovered over him dominantly. Stiff-legged and tall, Greyback was much larger than Moony, who, in the shadow of the Alpha, looked like a cub in comparison. Greyback growled, teeth bared, his hackles bristling, and his tail high as he leant down trying to pin Moony further into submission—forcefully nudging the younger wolf's snout with his own to push his neck to the side.

Moony was struggling, and Mia knew it was because of the Wolfsbane. Remus was in there, and he was fighting back even though she knew Moony would feel the need to submit to his Alpha. Moony let out a soft growl when Greyback pushed him again. As punishment for essentially speaking against his Alpha, the grey wolf viciously bit at Moony's flank, tearing his teeth into flesh.

Mia's eyes widened, and she went to move forward to attack, but Padfoot's mouth around the scruff of her neck prevented her from doing so blindly.

The smell of Moony's blood flooded her senses and made her feel sick. It made her think of every morning after the full moon she had ever been through with Remus. When he was eleven and sobbing into her arms. When he was thirty-eight and trying to hold composure so as not to frighten her. She had seen enough of Remus's blood. Too much of it.

She took in a slow breath to calm herself, and leant forward slightly, nipping Padfoot's paw to let him know it was time.

Padfoot crept slowly through the brush, advancing through the trees. He made no sound at first, but there was no need to be quiet; his size alone would draw Greyback's attention even if the old werewolf had not smelled him.

Greyback turned and growled at the dog, towering over him, but Padfoot did not back down.

Mia trained her gaze on Moony, who was staring at Padfoot and taking in short shallow breaths. Calm down, love, she thought.

Greyback gave a low growl of warning.

Padfoot ignored it, of course, leaping forward and sinking teeth into the werewolf's neck with abandon.

Greyback fought back, and suddenly, the two were struggling for the upper hand, each on their hind legs trying to force the other backward into submission.

Mia made a run for it, darting quickly over to Moony. She looked up into his eyes, and he backed away from her, his focus darting to Greyback as though he was trying to plead with her to run, to save herself and Padfoot. Moony could not help them.

There was a loud yelp, and she turned in horror to see Greyback fling Padfoot off of him, the dog's body slamming into a large tree behind him and crumpling to the ground with a thud, blood spurting from his front leg. A frenzied rage filled up inside of her, and she rushed forward, jumping high and landing on the back of the large wolf, digging her sharp, narrow teeth into the back of the beast's neck, biting hard and feeling powerful when she tasted copper. Greyback let out a loud howl and began thrashing, and she struggled to hang on. The motion was too rough; she lost her grip and flipped over his head, landing hard on the ground in front of the wolf, who snarled down at her, his lips curled back over his large fangs.

She tried to run but realised her back leg was injured. She would never escape in time. She bared her own teeth, not willing to show fear to the beast, even now, when the danger was all too real.

Her defiance appeared to only enrage Greyback more—or excite him, she could not tell.

The rushing sound of hooves drowned out Greyback's snarling, and she looked up to see Prongs charging, head bowed down and forward. Prey indeed. There was not enough time for Greyback to react as the pointed antlers of the mighty stag impaled him through his ribs and neck, running him straight to the ground. Prongs shook his head, bucking his back legs wildly, tearing fur and flesh. He eventually dislodged the wolf from his now-bloody antlers before turning around to deliver a fierce back kick to the open wound in Greyback's side.

Blood spurted to the ground. Greyback snarled in bitter pain as he tried—and failed—to move.

Another low growl filled the air, and the three Animagi turned to see Moony slowly stand, his snout high as the scent of Greyback's blood triggered something primal inside of him.

Mia limped toward Padfoot, who was licking at the large gash in his front paw. They both watched cautiously as Moony walked over to sniff at Greyback's shaking body.

Greyback snarled up at Moony, but Moony suddenly, confidently, and viciously growled back; his eyes a pure liquid gold, practically glowing in the dark of night.

Mia nipped at Padfoot's uninjured paw to get his attention, and she moved forward, creeping low before the sandy wolf, who immediately looked down at her. She lowered herself as far to the ground as possible, ears back and tail tucked, and Moony watched closely, approval in his eyes at the sight.

Padfoot followed close behind her, mimicking her movements exactly.

Following their instructions, Prongs kept his distance, stepping backward and keeping his eyes trained on the injured Greyback, just in case.

As Moony stepped forward, Mia and Padfoot turned their heads to the side at the same time, willingly exposing their necks to the werewolf who towered over them, looking larger now than even Greyback, who was monstrous.

Moony stepped forward, leaning down and sniffing at Mia before wrapping his jaws around her neck in a show of dominance. Showing that he could kill her but was choosing not to.

She remained firmly on the ground, her throat bared even as Moony moved over and repeated the process with Padfoot.

Once he had finished, Moony stepped back and turned to look at Greyback, who was snarling up at his progeny, slowly backing away from him, his golden eyes almost flashing red with absolute rage and yet a hint of fear.

Moony let out a loud howl and they all watched as Greyback turned and ran into the distance. The moment he was gone, a bright silver light swirled in the air, encircling the wolf, the fox, the stag, and the dog.

Mia could not help but remember the bond she had provoked with Sirius. By blood and sacrifice, she thought just as light and magic burst all around them.

April 15th, 1976

Sunlight broke through the trees the following morning, and Mia opened her eyes to find that she had shifted back into human form overnight. She did not remember falling asleep, so she could only assume that when the bond was provoked and the light erupted around them, it knocked them all unconscious. She winced as the sun blinded her for a moment, and she pushed up but felt something warm both pulling and pushing her down.

She glanced downward to find Sirius peacefully asleep in her lap, arms wrapped tightly around her waist, his mess of black hair covering his face. Turning her head, she saw Remus and smiled, the weight of his arm around her shoulders making her feel safe like he always did. She exhaled slowly and leant back into his embrace while stroking her fingers through Sirius's hair, a habit that had become more soothing for her than it had for him over the many years.

"You look comfortable," James's voice broke through the silence.

She turned and looked over at her brother who was smirking at her, his black hair sticking up in the back and his glasses slightly askew. "I am," she admitted.

James chuckled softly. "Reminds me of when we were little."

She smiled a bit sadly. "Yeah. I miss those days."

James nodded and let out a loud sigh. "Me too. Mostly because I didn't feel awkward about you cuddling with my mates. Ah, the good old days when Moony wasn't naked behind my sister, and Padfoot didn't have a morning erection."

"What?!" Mia jumped and accidentally threw her hip bone into Sirius's forehead.

"Ow! What the fuck?" Sirius yelped, gripping his head.

James laughed.

Mia brought her hands to her mouth and gasped. "Oh, Sirius, I'm so sorry!" She pouted at the sight of him holding his forehead, then leant down and kissed the top of his head. "Are you okay?"

"Never better. Fought a werewolf, got injured," he groaned as he sat up, holding up his arm to show the gash in it. "Bonded myself to my mates, and woke up to a girl assaulting me. You know, just like any other morning." He hissed and scraped a hand through his hair, shying away from the sunlight. "All right there, Prongs?"

"Woke up with blood in my hair," James admitted. "Other than that, I'm good."

Mia gaped at him. "Blood in your hair?"

"Yeah, from the, you know—" He used his hands to mimic his antlers thrusting forward, "—epic werewolf skewering. I don't suppose this is a story we could tell Evans?" He chuckled, his overwhelming confidence clearly coming to the fore, much to Mia's dismay. "I come out of this looking pretty bloody heroic if I do say so myself."

"You were quite the champion, Jamie." Mia smiled at him and then laughed when his smug face turned to something looking like genuine appreciation.

Sirius smirked. "Absolutely! Prongs the Protector!"

James grinned back at his best friend. "Padfoot the Paladin!"

"And Vixen the Vanquisher!" Sirius turned and beamed at Mia.

She glared at him. "Stop calling me Vixen. I don't like nicknames."

"Mia the Marvellous!" James declared.

"Not to break up this little celebration," Remus mumbled roughly, his face buried in the crook of his arm as he curled up behind Mia, still naked, "but can someone please transfigure some trousers for me?"

Chapter Text

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
Yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive
(Iris - Goo Goo Dolls)

June 8th, 1976

Peter had miraculously done what he had set out to do: inform Dumbledore of Greyback's appearance and Higgs's deception.

As the three Marauders and Mia—now a fully formed pack under Remus as Alpha—made their way through the forest, they had been cut off by a group of Aurors and professors with wands drawn. Before anyone caught sight of them, James, Mia, and Sirius ducked beneath the Invisibility Cloak and slipped through a small grove of trees, unfortunately, leaving Remus to handle the fallout.

He had explained to Dumbledore and the Aurors what had happened, leaving his friends' participation out of it, naturally. Greyback stunned him inside the passage beneath the Whomping Willow, but not before Remus heard him discuss his plans with Professor Higgs. It was a lie, of course; Remus had been stunned long before Higgs showed up, and it was Mia, James, and Sirius who had to inform him of their professor's participation in his abduction.

Remus said his memory was vague after that. He knew that he had transformed at the full moon and awoke alone in the forest that morning, though he had seen Greyback's blood on the ground and had assumed that they fought sometime during the night, especially since Remus himself was wounded.

The Aurors were rude and suspicious—and though they had a right to be, considering Remus was lying—their mistrust of him had everything to do with his lycanthropy and nothing to do with his ability to fabricate stories on a whim.

Remus had been escorted to Dumbledore's office where the Aurors questioned him for two hours, accusing him of being in cahoots with Greyback because of their "connection." They had even gone so far as to accuse Remus of participating in the murders that Greyback committed in nearby villages.

Dumbledore drew a line at that point, bringing in Peter to make a statement. Since Professor Higgs's son had mysteriously gone missing two years earlier, the Aurors had enough to suspect foul play.

Remus was finally allowed to head to the hospital wing; a lot of good it did him at that point, considering the deep bite wound in his side from Greyback had already healed thanks to his lycanthropic regenerative abilities. Just one more nasty scar to deal with.

Sirius was proudly wearing a new scar across his arm from where Greyback had clawed him. Fortunately, he had been in Animagus form at the time, so there was no chance of Sirius getting infected. Of course, he wanted to brag about his grand adventure and trophy scar, but without revealing too many secrets in doing so, Sirius was forced to lie and say that Filch's cat attacked him.

After the long night, Mia nursed a sprained ankle from when Greyback threw her off of him, and James proudly declared that he was the only one of his friends to walk away from the altercation unscathed.

Sirius called James "Prongs the Protector" the rest of the month, and James's ego continued to swell to a record-breaking size.

Winning the Quidditch Cup again did not help matters.

By the time June rolled around, James was impossible to be near, always retelling stories of his grand adventures to those who were allowed to hear them, and tales of his Quidditch prowess to the rest of the student body. When he was not talking, he was playing with that stupid Snitch he had stolen—and subsequently carved Lily's initials into—proving that not only was he an excellent Chaser, but he could have been a Seeker if he wanted.

Since Mia was focused on her O.W.L.s, she had little time to try and rein in her outrageously arrogant brother.

She breezed right through her examinations, which was a massive difference from the first time around when she had spent weeks revising and re-reviewing, driving herself to the brink of a nervous breakdown. Knowing that she already received eleven O.W.L.s in her original timeline gave her the confidence boost she needed, and she even requested to sit for O.W.L.s for classes she had not taken. It was out of the ordinary, certainly, but McGonagall pulled a few strings—mostly out of curiosity—and Mia was soon looking forward to breaking her previous record.

The last O.W.L. to be taken was Defence Against the Dark Arts. After Professor Higgs was arrested months earlier for his participation in Greyback's attempt at kidnapping Remus, the class had been taken over by Professors Flitwick and McGonagall for the fifth and seventh years only—in order to prepare for their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s—while the rest of the students were dismissed from their end of year exams in Defence.

All fifth years flooded into the Great Hall to take their exam, and Mia laughed when Professor Flitwick purposely separated the Marauders by several seats.

Sirius was seated several chairs behind James, with Remus two seats to the right of him. Peter got stuck in the back of the room between the Carrow twins, who kept whispering to him. Mia sat between Lily and Mary with Alice and Frank behind them, and from the looks of the test that was put before them, establishing the A.D. had been an incredibly good idea.

Mia finished her exam in record time, smirking as she glanced around the room to see that every other member of the A.D.—save for Peter, who was chewing his fingernails and staring down at his paper, anxiously scuffing the ground with his toes—had also finished quickly. In the corner of the room, she saw Snape's hand flying across his parchment, his black curtain of greasy hair shrouding his face.

"Five more minutes!" Professor Flitwick announced.

Mia rolled her eyes at her brother, who was dangerously leaning back in his chair. He yawned loudly, and began ruffling his hair, making it look worse than ever. He turned around in his seat to make eye contact with Sirius, who was leaning his chair back on two legs as well, grinning and giving James a thumbs up.

Mia chuckled quietly, imagining how the boys would react if she could tip their chairs over from across the room. She frowned at the sight of a nervous Remus, who—though clearly done with his exam—was looking over his answers. She made a quick "Pst!" sound and caught his attention. She raised a brow at him, and he smirked at her, shrugging his shoulders and lowering his quill in surrender.

As though Remus Lupin wouldn't pass his Defense O.W.L. with flying colours.

"Quills down, please!" Professor Flitwick squeaked. "That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchments! Accio!" Rolls of parchment zoomed through the air and into Professor Flitwick's outstretched arms, knocking him backward off his feet. Several people laughed.

Mia and Lily sighed and stood up, rushing to Professor Flitwick's side, and helped him to stand.

"Thank you," Professor Flitwick panted. "Very well, everybody, you're free to go!"

"How do you think you did?" Mary asked Mia and Lily as they joined up with Alice, heading toward the lake. All four girls linked arms, which caused Mia to laugh and roll her eyes.

"If I don't get an Outstanding, I'll scream," she admitted, remembering the feeling of only receiving an Exceeds Expectations the first time she took the test.

"Me too. I wonder if we were adequately prepared," Lily said, nervously worrying the buttons on her robes between ink-stained fingers. "With Professor Higgs being arrested . . ."

"You'll have done brilliantly, Lils." Mia looked ahead, watching her brother play with his stupid Snitch, while Sirius and Remus laughed, and Peter had his nose buried in his exam questions. "I'm going to go sit with the boys," she said and made to leave to follow her pack—and Peter—to the beech tree by the edge of the lake.

"Oh, no you don't," Mary insisted, locking her arm tightly with Mia's. "We've been nice because you're a bit of a nutter when it comes to revising, and we didn't want you to curse our faces, but I have been waiting months and months, and our exams are finally over; so now you're going to tell us what happened with you, Sirius, and Remus the night of Remus's party."

Mia immediately flushed, looking longingly at her boys, who all smirked at her while she was literally pulled away from the comfort of their gossip-less conversations. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mary. Remus and I dated for a year, you knew that."

"Did you snog Sirius while you were with Remus?" Alice asked innocently. "Was that why he was so angry?"

"Remus was angry? How did you know?" Mia asked.

"When Frank and I woke up in the Room of Requirement, everyone had left," Alice said as she pulled her scarf from around her neck and transfigured it into a blanket to sit on. "We went back to the common room, and Remus was there pacing in front of the fireplace. He looked furious, and when we walked in, he asked if either of us had seen you or Sirius."

Mia groaned. "Ugh, it's nothing, I assure you."

"Didn't sound like it to me," Lily muttered under her breath.

"Got something to say, Evans?" Mia asked with a raised brow and a slight smirk.

"Well, when you came back to the dorms, I remembered I had left my Charms essay down in the common room," Lily said, her cheeks turning slightly pink. She bit her lower lip and nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I overheard Sirius and Remus talking."

Mia narrowed her eyes. "What did they say?"

"I just heard bits and pieces. Sirius told Remus that he was okay with everything, then he apologised." Lily rolled her eyes. "Which was odd in itself because I didn't think Sirius Black capable of such a feat."

All the girls chuckled softly.

Mia shook her head and smiled. "Sirius can surprise you sometimes. If he's given a proper chance, he can be a really good—"

"Impedimenta!"

All four girls turned and looked as a group of students began gathering in a crowd. Mia's lips parted, and her eyes widened as she saw James glance behind him, a grin on his face as his eyes met Lily's.

"Oh no," Mia mumbled and stood up quickly. "Jamie."

"What's going on?" Lily asked.

"Lily, stay here. I'll deal with this," Mia said, eager to prevent her friend from witnessing what she knew would be a devastating event.

Nothing you do will change what is meant to be. Future Remus's words echoed in her head, but she pushed forward, growling as the group of students grew larger and larger, cutting off access to the scene at hand: James with his wand pointed at Snape.

"Scourgify!" James said coldly.

"Leave him alone!" Lily screamed, pushing her way past Mia.

Snape was on the ground, choking on soap bubbles. Sirius and James both spun, each pretending like they were perfectly innocent of all crimes. Mia closed her eyes, not wanting to watch.

"All right, Evans?" James asked, the tone of his voice suddenly pleasant, deeper, more mature.

"Leave him alone," Lily repeated, looking at James with every sign of great dislike. "What's he done to you?"

Sirius scoffed loudly and turned around, staring at Snape with absolute disgust.

"Well," James began, pretending to deliberate the point before glancing at Sirius for confirmation. Sirius just shook his head sternly, as if silently telling James to keep his mouth shut as to the real reason for their assault. "It's more the fact that he exists if you know what I mean."

Mia stared down at Remus, who was still on the ground, nose stuck in a book that he was clearly not reading. She narrowed her eyes and knelt in front of him. "Hello!" She snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Prefect!"

Remus buried his face further with an exhausted sigh, and Mia shook her head in frustration. Ever since he had nearly killed Snape months earlier, Remus had done everything he could to avoid the Slytherin, which left Sirius and James without anyone keeping them in check.

"I'm staying out of it, Mia," Remus muttered, shifting uncomfortably.

"'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,'" Mia quoted with a frown.

Looking incredibly guilty, Remus confessed, "Mia, Snape's been after the two of them for weeks. I tried the first few times, but I can't control James or Sirius, let alone a Slytherin that keeps making snide remarks about my condition or talking about how you—" He stopped mid-sentence and cringed, dropping his gaze and refusing to meet her eyes again.

"How I what? Snape said something about me?"

"No, but the Carrows did. Alecto called you a . . . whore," Remus admitted with a low growl. "Snape laughed. James heard him. That's why James and Sirius were in detention all last week. They were caught hexing the Carrows outside the pitch. This is them getting back at Snape."

"You four are toddlers. I'll take care of this myself." She moved to stand up, and there was a sudden commotion. She heard Sirius yell and saw two flashes of bright light. People began shouting, and Remus was suddenly up and at her side, pushing through the crowd to see what happened.

Mia watched as her brother held Snape mid-air, using the boy's own curse against him. She winced at the thought that it was her wand that had taught James and Sirius that spell, to begin with. She momentarily felt guilty over the treatment of her future Potions Professor until she saw a cut across James's face, blood leaking down his cheek and staining his robes.

"That snivelling son of a . . ." She stormed forward, rage fueling her.

She hated that James and Sirius were bullies, hated that part of herself that had treated Snape similarly, but Snape gave as good as he got, and more often than not, he was the one starting the scuffles over any perceived insult. It did not help that knowing James's ultimate fate caused her to be overly protective of her brother. Plus, he was a mirror image of Harry, and protecting Harry had become second nature to her over the years.

Mia reached for her wand and glared ahead as she moved, but she suddenly felt two large arms around her, pulling her back into the crowd.

"Let him down!" Lily screamed.

"Certainly," James said, and he jerked his wand upward.

Snape fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Disentangling himself from his robes, he got quickly to his feet, wand up, but Sirius shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!" and Snape keeled over again, rigid as a board.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily shouted. She had her own wand out now, and James and Sirius eyed it warily.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," James said earnestly, though everyone knew he would never raise his wand against Lily; he had a multitude of hex scars from her to prove it.

"Let me go, Remus!" Mia snarled as she struggled against his long arms.

"I am not letting you run into this with James and Lily pointing wands at each other," Remus argued firmly.

"Take the curse off him, then!" Lily shouted.

James sighed deeply, turned to Snape, and muttered the counter-curse. "There you go," he said, as Snape struggled to his feet. "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus—"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"

The crowd fell into utter silence.

Mia's face paled. "Lily," she whispered, watching closely as her friend stared into Snape's cold face.

Mia—no, Hermione—had been called Mudblood more times than she could count, but as she watched Lily and Snape stare at one another, she wondered how much it would have hurt if it had been Harry or Ron who called her that horrid name instead of Draco. If Remus or Sirius used it against her, Mia knew it would shatter her heart in ways that could not possibly be put back together; an ultimate betrayal said in a flash of regrettable anger.

"Apologise to Evans!" James roared at Snape, wand pointed threateningly at him, eyes blazing.

"I don't want you to make him apologise," Lily shouted, rounding on James. "You're as bad as he is."

"What?" James yelped. "I'd never call you a you-know-what!"

"Mary, grab Lily, and get her out of here!" Mia demanded.

Mary nodded, a scathing look on her face as her eyes narrowed at Snape.

It was one thing to hex each other in the hallways. It was one thing to call names, make fun of Houses, and cause problems on the Quidditch pitch, but there was one line that no one ever crossed: no one ever called Lily Evans a Mudblood in front of the other Gryffindors.

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch." Lily stormed closer to James. For a moment, he actually looked a little terrified. "Walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can—I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK!"

"Come on, Lils." Mary took Lily's hand, leading her away from the crowd.

Mia watched closely as her friends walked away and could tell Lily was holding back tears. She turned on the boys, her glare directed at all of them—Snape included.

"What is it with her?" James asked, trying and failing to look as though this was a throwaway question of no real importance to him, but Mia could see he was hurt and felt guilty. Though, if she guessed, he was not sure what he felt guilty about.

"Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate," Sirius said. There was another flash of light, and Snape was once again hanging upside-down in the air.

"Liberacorpus!"

Snape fell back to the ground.

James and Sirius spun on their heels and looked immediately past Mia at Remus who shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

"How could you?" Mia demanded of James, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Did you hear what he called Evans?" James snapped at her.

"You are a Gryffindor!" She smacked him on the back of the head. "Act like it!"

"No one asked you—" Snape began, glaring daggers at Mia.

She turned on him immediately, actually feeling it when her eyes flashed amber with anger as she pointed her wand at him. "You! You threatened my friends, called Lily a Mudblood, and you made my brother bleed. Go back to the castle, Snape, before I decide to pay you back in kind."

"I look forward to the day when you try, Potter" he sneered at her as he stood, turning and making his way toward a group of Slytherins who had stood by to watch the whole ordeal with amused expressions on their faces. Mia could just imagine how pleased they were to see Snape lose his Muggle-born friend so publicly.

"I am officially done." Mia put her wand back in her robes, shaking her head in disappointment. "I would have thought what happened back in March would have given the four of you some perspective, but clearly, I was wrong."

"Oh, c'mon, Mia, just because I don't want the greasy git dead doesn't mean that I'm going to jump at the chance to be his best mate," James said. "I took it easy on him. After what he said about Remus? You would have hexed him too! Never mind that he was laughing after—"

"The Carrows called me a whore?" Mia guessed.

Both James and Sirius turned and glared at Remus, knowing immediately that he was the one who told her what had happened.

"No one talks about my sister that way," James snapped.

"I am not yours to protect!" Mia yelled.

Then all at once James, Sirius, and Remus began arguing vehemently with her; clearly, she had said the wrong thing and struck a nerve.

"Grow up, Jamie!" Mia cried. "You're holding onto a grudge you've had since you were eleven because some stupid boy pushed your sister down. You're my brother, and I love you, but Lily's right. You're so full of yourself sometimes."

"Mia . . ." Remus reached for her, but she pulled away from him.

"You are supposed to be the voice of reason. You're supposed to understand why they shouldn't bully others!" She pointed at James and Sirius. "You are supposed to be the smart one!"

"Hey!" Sirius said, offended.

At the sound of his voice, Mia turned on him. "Who started this today, Sirius?" She asked him point-blank. James and Remus looked away, but Sirius held her stare. "You're supposed to be a better man than this!"

"I am a better man! Better than him!" Sirius yelled, pointing after Snape.

"'If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals,'" Mia said sadly and turned away from James and Sirius both, tears in her eyes.

Remus followed after her immediately. "Who said that?"

"A good man I once knew," Mia whispered, the image of an older Sirius burned into her mind as she walked away from them all.

June 16th, 1976

Frank Longbottom should have counted himself a lucky man.

After the now-infamous story of what happened by the Black Lake spread like Fiendfyre through the school, Frank was the only boy in Gryffindor Tower to whom any of the girls would speak. Unfortunately, that meant when the Marauders failed to get either Mia's or Lily's attention to beg forgiveness for their immature idiocy, Frank was sent as a messenger to parley between the genders. Naturally, it did not work, and when Frank tried for the fourth time to relay a message from Sirius, it took Alice begging Mia not to hex her boyfriend for him to walk away unscathed. Don't kill the messenger and all that rot.

The moment she left the boys down by the lake, Mia had returned to the castle and made her way to the Room of Requirement, requesting it to turn into a familiar room for her. She spoke to Hogwarts in great detail as the room conformed around her, walls changing colour and texture, the floor shifting from hardwood to marble, and expensive furniture popping up out of nowhere. Hanging from the ceiling was a large chandelier, the final touch on what looked nearly identical to Malfoy Manor.

She created the place she hated more than any other place in the world.

Because she desperately needed something to destroy.

For the better part of three hours, Mia hexed, smashed, destroyed, and set fire to everything within reach. She blamed the Death Eaters and Voldemort more than she blamed the Marauders for what had happened. While James and Sirius were acting like arrogant children, she knew that Snape had been dabbling in the Dark Arts; and even if he had never caused a problem before, that was the line that James drew with everything and everyone. Mia knew James would grow to be a good man, to join the Order of the Phoenix, and fight against the Dark Arts. In a way, she imagined he thought he was doing that now.

In an incredibly stupid and immature way—that she did not approve of—she supposed he was.

She wanted to be furious at Sirius, though, who should have known better, but try as she might, she just could not fuel her rage toward him. She had known Sirius for years. She had seen him older, sitting around a table at Grimmauld Place, throwing bitter insults back and forth with Professor Snape, who was always provoking him. It was a constant and deeply rooted grudge.

She could not change anything.

When she even tried, it did nothing but stoke the fires of an already resilient rivalry.

Every decision she made either triggered a chain of events she was trying to prevent or added fuel to the open flame of the future that she could see unfolding right before her eyes. Her very existence in Diagon Alley five years ago triggered the bad blood between Severus Snape and James Potter. The same event that brought Sirius Black into their lives. Her love for Remus and her mistaken sympathy for a bullied Peter Pettigrew had formed the Marauders. Her need to defend her friends had her at war with the young Severus Snape, and her use of his curse in front of him had put a bulls-eye on her back. She was the reason the Marauders fought him now. The reason that Severus lost control and cut ties with Lily, the only thing potentially keeping him from fully being recruited by Death Eaters. Now he would be. Snape would join Voldemort, overhear a prophecy, and unknowingly bring about the deaths of James and Lily.