◤ ❝Fear is, after all, the most present emotion felt within the human heart. The only combatant capable of destroying it is hope...but so many have lost hope and suffered their fears because of it.❞ ― Albus Dumbledore◢

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CHAPTER SEVEN: APATE

October 2, 1996

       "Today, we will be learning about the Unforgivable Curses."

Andromeda glanced up from her quill, having been picking away the dry ink that was on the tip of it and placing it on Theo's parchment when she heard what came out of Professor Snape's mouth. A cold chill ran down her spine at the mention of the Unforgivable Curses. Only a month ago she would be jumping with excitement over the idea of learning more about the Dark Arts. Instead, her stomach just bubbled with dim interest. At least they were moving onto something that didn't involve nonverbal spells. They'd been working on perfecting them since the start of the semester, and Mia was about to lose her mind if she had to listen to Snape talk anymore about things she already learned. True, she knew about the Unforgivable Curses, but she also knew there was still a lot she could learn about them. No longer for her own enjoyment, but for her safety. As much as she hated to admit it, Snape was the perfect person for that. 

"You have been introduced to these curses before in your curriculum for this class, I believe...although the methods of how you were taught had less to do with theory and more to do with practicality. However, the Unforgivable curses are more than just practicality. They are varied in their technique and held to a great sentence because of their capabilities. Now, who can inform the rest of the class on the three curses, and what those curses do?"

Mia hesitated, something unlike her as her breath got caught in her throat. She wasn't particularly keen on answering that question. She noticed that there were a few hands raised, some Gryffindor and some Ravenclaw, but many of those in the room stayed still. All of them knew what the curses were by now. They had seen enough evidence in the Daily Prophet and Quibbler about the war to distinguish them and what they did to their victims. It was just another unfortunate reality on how much things had changed since their fourth year when Barty Crouch Jr. first exposed them to the curses.

"There is the Cruciatus Curse, sir," Parvati Patil said, speaking out when Snape called on her. "It causes terrible pain to its victim." 

She flinched instinctively, her skin crawling at the memory. It was more than just terrible pain. It was poison seeping into one's bloodstream and splinters cracking in their skull; it was never-ending, insufferable and blistering inside of their bones until they pass out from the pain. As Patil spoke, she felt eyes on the side of her face and barely glanced over to see Draco staring already. Nothing was said between them, but they knew that the other was recalling their time back in the dining hall of the Malfoy manor. Their ears ringing with each other's screams. The Cruciatus curse was treacherous enough on its own, but when Bellatrix Lestrange was behind it, the pain was unbearable.

They were not the only two to know the effects of the Cruciatus curse from a Lestrange, either. Neville Longbottom shifted uncomfortably in his seat from the front of the classroom. Mia would have pitied the boy if she could. It seemed like it would be worse to lose a parent to their own mind than to death. Andromeda knew her father was no longer suffering. Longbottom had to wake up every day never knowing the terrors that haunted his family. Wavered, Mia blinked and tried not to imagine how many more ended up like Longbottom's parents. How many crimes she was linked to because of the mark scarred into her skin.

Snape nodded his head, drawing back the attention of his students. "Correct, Miss Patil. The Cruciatus Curse is commonly referred to as the Torture curse, an appropriate name for what it has been frequently used to do in the past. It is, perhaps, considered to be the strongest curse one may find in the Dark Arts. What many don't realize is that there are certain...requirements that come with preforming this curse."

Blinding hatred.

Uncontrollable anger.

Weasley snorted and mumbled what he thought was under his breath. "Being in Slytherin?"

"Last I recall, you were fondling for years with a pet rat loyal to the Dark Lord, Weasel," Mia interjected quickly, glaring daggers at his head from across the room. "And he was in Gryffindor."

Theodore's elbow jutted into her side as warning, but she didn't let down from her glare across the room. Most of the other Slytherins had the same reaction as her, all ready to stand up for their house by any means possible. Mia was just faster with her words. Potter and Weasley both turned their heads to look at her, their eyes littered with anger as they were reminded of the traitor in their house. Everyone knew Pettigrew was the lowest form of what makes a person--Mia saw enough evidence of that as he tailored to the Dark Lord like a house elf. Pitiful. Even against her lord, she had enough self respect. 

She raised her brow, daring them to say anything back to her. Oh, she was pleading for a fight. She needed something to take her frustrations from the past few weeks out on.

"Twenty points deducted from Gryffindor for Weasley's inability to sensor his prejudices," Snape dully said, his eyes narrowing at Weasley for the comment on his house before returning back to his subject. "Who can tell me what the next curse is?"

Potter's eyes gleamed with something that Mia didn't like, and she knew automatically that something was about to be said that would send him to Madam Pomfrey. "Andromeda can tell us all about the Imperius curse seeing as her father was under it for so many years." 

She saw red. A flash of green moved through the dark classroom, and things were shuffled to the side. In those few seconds, her vision blurred in blind rage. The only thing she could focus on was the hands wrapped tightly around her wrists to prevent her from grabbing a hold of her wand. Her cousin was halfway out of his seat, keeping her back from advancing any further than her standing position. Potter stood up as well, but his wand was already aimed in her direction. Weasley wasn't far behind, positioned behind his best friend and waiting for the word to move. 

She could vaguely hear Professor Snape attempting to get them to stop their foolishness and sit back down, but Mia knew that she was too far gone with wrath. She could have easily broken out of Theodore's hold; she could have sent curses at Potter so easily his brain matter would be splattered all over Weasley's uniform--show him what the Cruciatus curse was like under her hand. She restrained, though, and only because she could feel her cousin's grip getting closer to her Dark Mark. That snapped her back into focus, but it did not take away any of the fury. She was shaking uncontrollably. She knew she must have looked mad.

"Talking about the Killing Curse seems more fitting, though, doesn't it, Potter?" Mia snapped, taking a step forward under Theo's hands. She didn't even know what was coming out of her mouth anymore. "Why don't we talk about how your precious godfather murdered my father in cold blood? How Sirius Black took away the life of someone who tried to save his? Or would you rather talk about how he got what he deserved in the end? Wasn't he a Gryffindor too, Potter?"

Potter reacted like she knew he would. "Stupefy!"

"Ennervate!"

"Expelliarmus!"

Two spells went off at once, one coming from Theodore and one spilling out of Andromeda's mouth as the family of purebloods pointed their wands at Potter. Rather than Potter's wand going across the room like Mia intended, Potter himself went soaring back and took Weasley along with him. His own spell had rebounded on him, and rightfully so. Granger struggled to help up the two buffoons that toppled over the desk with the help of Dean Thomas. Andromeda wasn't done yet. She took another daring step forward, her fingers digging into her wand core. Theodore's hand fell back around her wrist, pulling her so that she was standing at his side rather than in front of him. For the safety of the class or her, she wasn't sure. 

"Detention! Both of you," Snape declared, annoyance in his voice as he glanced in between the two students on opposite sides of the room. "I expected more than this idiocy as sixth years, but clearly, I was wrong." 

Mia scowled at Potter. "Blather your mouth off about my family one more time, Potter, and you won't enjoy what happens to you any more than your godfather enjoyed what happened to him." 

Andromeda jerked free from Theodore, grabbing a hold of her things and pushing her way past her cousin to get to the door. Snape could give her as many detentions as he wanted; she wasn't staying in the same classroom as Potter. Over his dead body. On her way out, she accidentally met eyes with Draco, but she didn't care how angry he was that she was starting things with Potter and his friends. If it had been the other way around, he would have sent them to St. Mungos in a heartbeat. She was being kind this time. All Potter got was a bump on his head. 

Rather than be angry, Draco watched her as she walked out of the Defense classroom. His jaw tightened, restraining him from walking out after her to make sure that she was alright. He looked over Theodore to see if he would be making any attempt. Theodore looked just as torn between going after Romy or staying in the class, but finally decided that he would just see her afterwards. Potter was shifting around in his seat, struggling to keep his cool under Snape's frustrated watch while Granger looked like she taking the boys' heads off with her words. No need, as Draco's piercing scowl was enough to scorch Potter's body within seconds. To Draco's right, Zabini coughed down a snort and watched as the rest of the class tried to pretend like nothing ever happened.

"You know," Blaise muttered out, keeping his eyes on Snape as their head of house returned back to the front of the class. "Mia's rather attractive when she's angry."

Draco rolled his eyes, shoving the boy. "Oh, shut it, Zabini."

"Just an observation. You must have noticed before."

"She'd skewer your organs and feed it to her cat for a snack."

Blaise pursed his lip. "D'you reckon she'd at least feel a bit sorry?"

"Yes," Draco admitted. Then, he turned to give Blaise a smug smirk. "For her cat."

――――――――――  

Mia went to the library to calm down after leaving Defense class. She considered going down to the grounds of the Black Lake, but she figured she could be of more use around books. Maybe she could find another spell for the cabinet while sorting out her frustrations. Madam Pince was watching over the rows of books like a vulture, ready to snarl at two students who looked like they were a second away from accidentally setting a page on fire. Andromeda's lip quirked. She'd always liked Madam Pince. Most of the students grow to hate her by the middle of their first year, but she was the complete opposite. She lived in the library throughout her first four years at Hogwarts. Long hours and late nights were clocked in this place. Madam Pince knew her well, and she knew that Mia cared about the books in the library almost as much as she did. Because of that, the two of them developed an odd friendship. 

"Miss Erebus," Madam Pince greeted, her dark eyes lifting as she directed her attention away from the second-years. "How have you been? You haven't visited in quite some time." 

Mia nodded at Pince in greeting. "I'm well, Madam. I'm sorry I haven't had the opportunity to come around. Professor Snape has had us working on nonverbal spells for the last month... I've been trying to perfect them. I've only just gotten them to work properly." 

Not a complete lie. 

"Ah! I expect no less from a scholar like you. I always enjoyed nonverbal spells...they were my favorite form of magic arts. No more about me, though. Are you looking for anything in particular today?" 

"Actually," Mia said, raising her brows as she smiled at the woman. "Do you have any idea where I can find a book of spells centered around fixing something? My cousin, Theodore, accidentally broke one of my mother's favorite fine chinas over the summer, and we've been trying to find a spell that could fix it before Christmas as a surprise to her...it seems like we've searched everything, but nothing has worked. We decided to wait until we had access to more resources before we continued trying."

Madam Pince's forehead wrinkled in thought, her mind reciting down all of the aisles in her library to think of a book that could help Mia. She glanced at the young brunette in front of her. "Do you have the china with you? Perhaps, I could take a look at it for you and find the appropriate spell." 

"I don't," Mia said, dejectedly with a false frown. "It's too large to transport to Hogwarts, and she didn't want to part with the pieces. We were hoping to try fixing it again when we go off on break, but I wanted to have a few choices just in case some failed to work."

"Let me see what we have that may bring a smile to your mother's face this Christmas." 

That was the woman that Pince rarely showed to anyone--Andromeda didn't know why she was still her favorite student, especially after all the rumors surfacing because of her father. She assumed it was because the older woman didn't care to listen to the talk of the Hogwarts students. But by the sparkle in her eye when she talked about Celicia, Mia wondered if she just believed there was no truth to those rumors. Mia didn't know if she appreciated it or hated it. She was so used to being the pariah, and she had allowed it to feed into her hatred of Hogwarts. It made what would happen after they fixed the cabinet much easier...yet she couldn't help but hope that certain people stayed out of the battle. That they would hide, and not fight a losing battle.

Pince took a step down from where she sat, and Mia realized that she was going to be leading her down an aisle rather than simply pulling a book for her. She followed behind quietly, smirking when Pince slammed the book shut that the second years were using and put it back on the shelf. She may just like the woman because she was as bitter as Mia. They got to the back of the library where most of the advanced books stayed and further down an aisle until they finally got to a stop.

"Now, I have a few books in mind..." Pince began, levitating a book from its place high on the shelf. She handed it to Mia. "'A Wizard's Guide to Reparations' by Lyonell Stout will be the most helpful for you. It has the most spells for larger objects, but it is rather lengthy and some of these spells require specific attention to detail. However, I have no doubts that you will be able to perform them after a bit of practice, Miss Erebus. There are a few others just in case you still find yourself stumped after Mister Stout's guide. Hecuba Maryam, Peter Twoff..."

Mia grabbed a hold of the books that Pince handed her, ready to thank the woman when they were interrupted by a quiet clearing of a throat from down the aisle. Both of them turned around, expecting to see a terrified student asking for help, but were surprised to see that it was another sixth year. Draco sent them both a polite nod, but there was something hidden underneath his eyes that terrified Mia, especially because he was looking directly at her. She knew what that look meant. Fear.

"Andromeda, Professor Dumbledore asked me to give this to you."

Mia's body went rigid, the books sliding down her arms as every muscle in her body tensed up. She had to remember that she wasn't alone with Draco, though, and Madam Pince wasn't a fool to people's actions. Taking a deep breath, she reached out to grab the letter that Draco extended out to her and carefully opened it. 

Dear Andromeda, 

I would like to speak with you if it is no inconvenience, Miss Erebus.

Please come to my office at 8 p.m. and we can discuss the topic matters. You are in no trouble.

Yours sincerely, 

Albus Dumbledore

P.S. Have you tried Sherbet Lemons?

She exhaled deeply when he said that she was in no trouble, but that didn't mean that he was telling the truth. From what she has heard about the man, Albus Dumbledore has told lies before. She was no exception to the limits he was willing to bend with his honesty. Glancing back up, she turned to Madam Pince and gave her a smile to assure her that everything was alright. 

"Thank you for your help, Madam Pince. I'll keep you updated on how it goes," Mia said, grateful for the books that she had in her hand. It was something new. Something helpful. "And I'm sure my mother appreciates it even more." 

Madam Pince smiled, as well. "Very well, Miss Erebus. I'm always willing to help someone that cares about my books. Have a good afternoon. You too, Mister Malfoy." 

The second that she disappeared around the corner of the aisle, Mia's shoulders dropped significantly. When she looked down at the letter from Dumbledore once more, she realized that her hands were shaking and the books in her hand were better on the table than in her grasp. She was terrified. All she could think about was Dumbledore finding out that she was a Death Eater, or that she was working to bring more Death Eaters into Hogwarts. Dumbledore must have found out she was trying to find something from Slughorn for the Dark Lord. He found out she was on the wrong side. She had been caught. Potter found out. He told Dumbledore. She must have read over every word a thousand times before someone grabbed a hold of it from her, snatching the paper away with their pale fingers.

That was when she remembered she wasn't alone in this. Her head snapped up in panic, watching as Draco's grey eyes quickly read over the letter. His jaw tightened, and all Mia could do was wait for his body language to turn from fear to uncontrollable anger. The longer she waited, the more frantic her muscles would spasm without control. She killed them both. Killed their families. Murdered their chances. It was her fault. He had been right. She would be their undoing.

But Draco never got angry. He looked from the letter back to her, and he noticed right away that her wide eyes were flooding over with tears. This was the first time that he had ever seen her this way. Even during her father's funeral, she hadn't shed a tear in front of him. He'd never witnessed anyone cry but Pansy when she was throwing one of her fits. He didn't know what to do when it was someone he actually cared about.

"It's over," Mia spluttered out, blinking rapidly and staring at Draco. She didn't even feel the tears run down her face. "He knows. They're dead. We're dead. It's all my fault." 

Draco thawed out, reacting on impulse. He stepped forward to grab a hold of her arm and pull her further into the aisle, away from any listening ears. His fingers tightened around her flustered skin. "Would you stop it? Don't do that, Romy. You have no idea what this is about. He could just be checking up on you because of your father. Slughorn may have asked him about you. Don't forget about what just happened in Snape's class. It could be anything." 

"And if it's not?" Mia hissed back, finally wiping away the tears that fell on her face. "What do we do then? Go to Azbakan? Join your father, rotting in a cell for the rest of our lives? Or do you propose spending the rest of our lives running from the Ministry like dear Aunt Bella? I'd rather die."

Draco rolled his eyes. "You're being ludicrous now, Andromeda. That's not going to happen."

"How do you know?" she asked, glaring daggers into his face. "How do you know, Draco?"

"Because it's what you always say to me when I act like this," Draco replied. "Because we've been careful. Dumbledore is a fool, Romy.  If he knew anything about us, he would have sent for someone to take us away the moment he found out, not sit down and have a chat with you over sherbet lemons. Do you honestly believe he would just let you wander the halls if he knew? Come on, now. Be logical."

He knew she was projecting her emotions onto him, which was why he was restraining himself from saying anything he would regret. She would rather argue with him than cry, and he was willing to let that happen so long as Pince didn't come back and ask what was wrong. He watched Mia's face begin to relax, and she stood up straighter in front of him. She still looked a mess. She'd been that way since Defense class, he figured. Her brown eyes were lighter than usual, possibly because of how her tears diluted them, but probably because he had never been close enough to actually look into them. Sparking a thought, Draco released his hold on her arm like it was on fire, putting it in his pocket.

He raised his brows at her. "All right now?"

"Yes," Mia answered. They looked at each other for a few moments, neither one of them speaking. Then, she broke the silence. "What do I do?" 

"Act normal. Pretend. It's what we are best at. If he asks too many questions, tell him you need to start on your Transfiguration homework..." Draco paused for a moment, a frown forming on his face as he watched her. "If you need me, use legilimency. I can be there within seconds. I reckon we stand a chance against anyone in this bloody castle together."

Mia nodded and they stood there for a while, her recollecting her thoughts as she leaned against the book shelf. "Is Snape upset?" 

"He's not pleased that one of his students decided to attack another, but I suppose you'll get the blunt end of that punishment considering Potter started it," Draco said, shrugging a bit as he leaned on the book shelf as well. "I don't think it was wise to start an argument about what happened in front of our entire year---" Mia went to interrupt and he beat her to it "--but Potter had it coming for him. If you hadn't of said something, I would have. Your father may have been a traitor, but he doesn't deserve to be belittled by someone unable to understand his sacrifice." 

Mia was surprised when those words came out of Draco's mouth, her brows furrowing as she looked closely at him. He was acting weird. Odd, even. Their heart-to-heart talks never involved compliments, not about their families. She definitely never expected for Draco to talk in her father's defense. 

Rather that commenting on his unusual behavior, she decided to change the subject. "When was the last time you rested? You look horrid."

"You haven't looked in a mirror recently, have you?" Draco retorted with a snort, smirking at her. "You look like something that just crawled from the Great Lake. It's pitiful, actually. You may want to do something about that before you break the windows in the common room."

Mia's mouth opened, and she whacked his shoulder with the nearest book she could grab. "At least I don't look like a failed Transfiguration spell! What half-breed are you again? A human and a...what, ferret?"

Draco's face dropped, but there was amusement written clearly in his eyes at the conversation they were having in the back of the library. "That wasn't very nice, Andromeda."

"One of my most charming traits is my witty insults," Mia grinned, any traces of panic or fear completely written off her face. Their heads turned when they heard Pince's voice yelling at someone, no doubt the second years from earlier, and Mia sighed. "We need to leave before Pince comes back here."

"Afraid of what she'll find us doing?"

Mia scoffed. "In your dreams, Malfoy."

"You've caught me redhanded, Erebus."

――――――――――   

8 o'clock came around sooner than Mia wanted it to. She hadn't spoken to anyone since she left the library, purposefully ignoring the pointed look that Madam Pince threw her on the way out--like she was suggesting that she and Draco had done something more than simply talk in the back aisles of her library. Theodore had tried a few times to speak to her, but he was always shut out when she pretended he wasn't standing in front of her, focusing instead on the book in front of her. Even the fate of the Furies couldn't keep her away from the meeting she would have to have with Dumbledore, and walking towards the gargoyle that led to his office felt like someone had poured ice water into her veins. 

Draco's words rang in her ears like a mantra, every one of them repeating constantly to keep her calm so that Dumbledore didn't notice any suspicion. She could play the minds of others, but not him. No matter how untrustworthy he may be, there was no denying that Dumbledore was one of the brightest wizards of the age. 

Standing in front of the gargoyle, she swallowed the lump in her throat. "Sherbet lemons."

At the given password, the ground beneath the gargoyle began to shake, rotating clockwise away from its current place until a set of stairs were revealed to Mia. She stared at them for a moment, remembering the last time she walked up those sets of stairs had been when she was informed of her father's passing. She never thought she would have to see them ever again. This time, her mother wouldn't be waiting in the office with bloodshot eyes and a steel soul. She was on her own. 

The moment she reached the top of the steps, her nose was flustered with a musty smell, mixed with a fragrance she knew immediately belonged to the bowl of sweets that Dumbledore always kept on his round table. Her eyes set on the portraits, surprisingly awake as the old Headmasters mumbled conversations with one another, then turned anxiously to see that Dumbledore was tending to his phoenix, Fawkes, with his back turned to her. 

"Good evening, Miss Erebus." 

Mia jumped slightly, then quickly scolded herself. "Hello, sir." 

"I trust Mister Malfoy delivered the note to you without any complications?" he asked, finally turning around so that he was facing Mia with a small smile on his face. "I would have requested another student to do so. After what happened in your Potions class, I thought a familiar face might be more appropriate. I know that you and Draco have become quite close. Watch over him, would you? I know it has been difficult for his family, as well, this year."

She wasn't surprised he knew about what happened in class earlier, but she was surprised that he had brought up Draco. A red flag and a warning sign flashed through her mind, but she continued on. "He did. I appreciate it, Professor. The Malfoy's were kind to my mother and I this summer; I intend to repay that in any way necessary... but I wanted to apologize for what happened in Professor Snape's class--"

"There's no need for that," Dumbledore interrupted, waving her off and sitting down in his chair. "I understand your father is a sensitive topic. Others have caused disruptions with classmates for far less. I can assure you that Mister Potter and I will have a talk soon about his actions. I called you here today because I wanted to speak with you to see how you were adjusting to Hogwarts this year. I know it can't be easy."

"I'm growing used to it, sir," Mia said, honestly. She made the few steps forward so that she was sitting in the chair opposite of him, ignoring how her heartbeat raced at the proximity between them. "Being in Slytherin has taught me not to care what everyone else has to say. It's also taught me to stand up for what I believe in. Hogwarts has always been my home; I think no differently this year. "

"I wouldn't ask for anything less. Just know that, should there ever be a problem, I am always here. Others, as well... Professor Slughorn seems to have taken a liking to you. I spoke with him just yesterday, and you were a large topic of conversation. He says you are an exceptional student, though I've thought nothing less. He believes, much like myself, that you have a successful future ahead of you, Miss Erebus. Take that compliment in high regards coming from him." 

There was the lump in her throat, choking her up as she tried to ignore the tsunami of emotions that hit her directly in the face. But among all of them, the most prominent was anger. Bitterness crept up her throat as her fingernails dug deep into her palms. Dumbledore knew nothing about her, yet he was sitting before her lying directly to her face. He was wise, but the twinkle in his eyes faded with every deceitful word that stumbled from his lips. He knew she had no future for her, not with the reputation of her father. Unless she changed her name and altered her appearance, she was wearing shackles around her ankles for the rest of eternity. 

Keeping from grinding her teeth, she let out a false smile. "Professor Slughorn has been a big help in making this year more comfortable...I've learned so much from Snape in Potions, but I truly believe that with his mentoring, I could learn so much more both inside and outside of the classroom." 

And accomplish her mission. 

Dumbledore didn't seem to think anything of her actions. All she could imagine was Draco next to her glaring at her and shouting for her to be "a little more obvious, Romy," in her mind.

"As I'm sure he would be more than willing to mentor you. I just wanted to make sure you were settling well. You are a bright, young witch, Miss Erebus. Your mother and your father passed down their best traits. You have mastered skills even the oldest of wizards still struggle to grasp... work on them, and never stop. Magic is constantly changing, Andromeda. You must always be wise and change with it. It is easy to settle into something, but finding where you are truly happiest is the most difficult task of all. Too many stop because they are afraid. Fear is, after all, the most present emotion felt within the human heart. The only combatant capable of destroying it is hope...but so many have lost hope and suffered their fears because of it."

―――――――――― 

Mia wiped her palms on the sides of her skirt, trying to get the sweat off of them that had collected from her gripping her hands into fists the entire time she was talking to Dumbledore. Her palms had crescents branded into the red skin from her nails. Everyone else had gone off to bed, giving her the opportunity to let her thoughts roam wild. As she turned around the corridor, determined to get to bed so that she could rid herself of the entire day, someone grabbed a hold of her upper arm roughly, pulling her into one of the many coves in the walkway. She had barely been able to make out what the person was wearing before their hand covered her mouth, and her mind was reacting on impulse. Everte Statum.

"Ow, what the hell, Romy!" 

The person that grabbed her groaned in pain, and Mia's body relaxed instantly when she heard the familiar voice paired by the nickname. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed a hold of her wand from her pocket and mumbled a faint "Lumos," so that she could see clearly. The sight didn't disappoint. Draco was disheveled on the filthy ground, his head propped up on the stone wall as he glared up at the girl with a scowl. Cobwebs were on his white school polo, and she was pretty sure she saw a spider crawl in his blonde locks. She let a toothy grin twist on her face, momentarily forgetting about what happened only moments before. 

He all but growled at her as he pushed himself off the ground. "Honestly, who else do you think it would be?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the millions of people that want me dead," Mia snipped back, narrowing her eyes at him as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Be lucky that was the only spell I used on you."

Draco scoffed. "Worse has been done to me."

Mia frowned deeply, her face relaxing as she let her hands fall to her sides once again. She knew Draco was just worried about what happened with Dumbledore. He had quite literally watched her fall apart over the very thought of having to speak with the Headmaster, but that still didn't give him the excuse to startle her in such a way. He knew how jittery and unsettled she had felt the last few weeks. 

"What happened?"

"He just wanted to speak to me about what happened in class today. Make sure that I was adjusting back into school well," Mia explained. Draco's brows furrowed in disbelief, and she nodded in confirmation. "He didn't seem suspicious at all. More... upset? He spoke about you."

"What about me?" he said, taken back that he was a part of the conversation. 

"He wanted to know if you and your mother were well, that he was relieved we were becoming close. He told me to keep a watch over you," she began. "It was odd. He was odd. I expected him to be upset with me for attacking Potter, but he almost sounded like he was taking my side in the matter. Seems like The Chosen One has upset him."

Before either one of them could continue their conversation, they were cut off by the sounds of footsteps walking through the corridor. Immediately, Draco and Mia stopped speaking, their ears ringing in hyperawareness as they pressed further into the walls. He whispered gently under his breath a single word that caused the light on her wand to disappear. Just when they believed that they were safe to speak, another light appeared. The devil reincarnate had escaped hell and appeared right before the two. Pansy Parkinson, the sixth year prefect for Slytherin, was standing in front of the small cove with her wand held high in her hand. In that moment, Mia wasn't sure if she should laugh at the situation or fear the consequences that would come from the wrath of a jealous girlfriend.

Pansy took a moment to register what she was actually seeing--and Mia admitted, it did look bad. She hadn't been in their room most nights, Draco had been distancing himself from everyone because he was stressed out, and on top of that, their summer retreat the past summer didn't ease Pansy's assumptions that she and Draco had been together. Now, with the boy an inch away from her face, in a dark corner of the castle, Mia could literally see the gears turning in Pansy's head. 

Next to her, she heard Draco let out an exasperated sigh and rub at his eyes, but all Mia was looking at was Pansy and how her expression changed from a look of pain to a hardened expression of hatred. "I didn't think I needed to tell either of you that it's past curfew. I hope your excuse is better than being a two-faced, lying slag, Andromeda."

Surprise ran through Mia's body like a cold bucket of water had been dropped down her spine,  and she raised her eyebrows as if she hadn't heard Pansy right. Then, rather than getting upset, Mia actually grew amused at the insecure Slytherin's words and let out a snipping laugh. "I'm not having an argument with you over something so stupid, Pansy. I'm truly sorry that you're so insecure, but that doesn't give you reason to take it out on who your boyfriend chooses to be friends with... and since you need an excuse so badly, I just got out of a meeting with Dumbledore. I'd be more than happy to go back to get him."

"That won't be necessary," Pansy spat back, glaring daggers at Mia.

"Didn't think so," she replied, and then she took a step forward. Like the scared little wench she is, Parkinson shuffled back unconsciously and tried to hide the panic that littered her pugface. "Calm down, Parkinson. I have no energy to fight you. You are my last concern. Don't assume you're any more important to me than the dirt underneath my shoe."

Turning to look at Draco, who had been terrifying quiet as he watched the two girls go at each other, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "When you have your girlfriend in check, we'll continue this conversation. I'm going to sleep."

She moved past Pansy Parkinson's bulky frame as she went back in the direction to the Slytherin house. Mia was exhausted, and there was no room left inside of her to fight over something so idiotically adolescent. She didn't have any energy to be a teenage girl. What she said hadn't been a lie. Of the many issues that she had piling on her agenda, having someone call her names because she was close with her boyfriend was not even close to the top. Draco could do with her what he wanted. Curious, she did spare a single glance back to see how Draco was handling the situation...and he was handling it, all right. Handling it all the way up Parkinson's skirt. 

Scoffing under her breath, Mia couldn't help but think that they were perfect for one another. Pansy had no respect for herself, and Draco didn't care in the slightest for anyone but himself. Yes, they truly did deserve each other. The sight of that alone was enough for her to be satisfied that she wasn't in a relationship with anyone. Even if her heart wasn't. 

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I love this chapter. It was a filler in a way, but it had a lot of necessary scenes and needed character interactions. Let me know what you guys thought!  

Who do you think will catch feelings first? Draco or Andromeda?  

APATE: DEITY OF DECEIT