◤ ❝There is something peculiar about her. She's different in a way that makes you want to find out everything there is to know about her. Kind of like a spell. You learn, and you make mistakes, and you do everything possible to master it. I have a feeling no one has ever mastered the art of figuring out just who Andromeda Erebus is, though...makes you quite eager to try though, yeah?❞ ― Andrew Vaisey◢

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CHAPTER SIX: MOIRAI

September 16, 1996

         The insomnia set in by the third day back at Hogwarts. After her short meeting with Slughorn, Mia's focus centered on two things. Neither was school. First, the leather book that was her living nightmare because she still hadn't had a chance to look at it since that night. Secondly, the cabinet. The stupid, miserably broken cabinet that she was ready to obliterate herself was hitting the last bit of nerve that she had, and it was only the third week of school. With the tasks the Dark Lord assigned her, as well as the homework that her teachers were giving her every day, she wasn't quite sure the last time she slept. Her nights all blurred together between doing her Potions homework on the old, dusty couch in the Room of Requirements to spouting useless spells and curse words at the cabinet.

Tracey was the first to notice that Mia wasn't in her bed when she was supposed to be, which ended up with an elaborate lie that she was sneaking into the library at nights to study for Astronomy and Charms. Not her best, but it was better than anything else she could have come up with. Theo was next, and naturally, convincing her cousin of something was like telling a rock to speak. He picked up on her drowsiness and overall unpleasantness when she snipped at him in Defense for letting his quill's ink spill onto her parchment by accident. With a raised eyebrow, he said they would talk about it later. Her excuse was that she was on her menstrual cycle. That was always an easy one to use.

As far as how her relationship with Draco was progressing—well, they hadn't killed one another yet. There were a few close calls. Mia noticed that he was dragging his heels just as much as she was nowadays. She'd resorted to making a potion that would allow them to stay up longer; that way, they could try more of the spells that she'd found from the library. So far, none have worked. The cabinet remained broken, even when they both used their magic to aid in the strength of the spell. Draco had to drag Mia away from the thing once or twice so she didn't put it in splinters. She had watched a couple of books fly over her head and slide down the side of the cabinet. Overall, the first week had been miserable. As expected.

"There better be something in that about how to fix this. Otherwise, I'm going to throw it into the fireplace and laugh while it burns," Draco called out behind his back.

He was sitting in front of the cabinet, a book in his lap with the spells that they highlighted for the night to use. It was his turn to try and fix it. Mia had been at it all last night, and that resulted in her sleeping through Transfiguration the following morning. She was positive that McGonagall only let her slide because she saw the dark circles surfacing on Mia's pale skin. Instead, she was sitting in the dusty chair behind him, reading the book that Vaisey gave her. She was halfway through it, and she could tell by how quickly she turned each page that she was getting attached to the mythology.

She scoffed, but didn't lift her head from the book. "As if you'd ever get close enough to try."

"Why exactly are you so interested in it?" he asked, turning to face her so that his voice was no longer muffled. "Didn't you say your mother picked it up in a muggle bookstore? I can't imagine there being anything worth reading inside of that thing. Much less, Celicia actually wanting it."

"That's your problem. You don't give things chances," she said, turning to him. "Just because it's a muggle book doesn't mean it isn't worth reading. I'm interested in it because it's interesting."

He rolled his eyes. "Fantastic reasoning."

"They remind me a lot of myself," Mia confessed, glancing down at the script in the book and frowning a bit.

Draco snorted. "Really? A book called 'The Furies' reminds you of yourself? I never would have imagined after watching you kick the cabinet because you were so furious with it. It's stupid, useless text, Romy. I don't give chances to things that are undeserving of them. Father taught me that, and as far as I'm concerned, muggles deserve none of my time...that includes their books. You're wasting precious time doing idiotic things when you should be more focused on the Dark Lord's mission."

Mia slammed the book shut, annoyed as she glowered at the blonde boy across the room. This was one of the things that she absolutely hated about Draco. He didn't have deep conversations; he deflected with spite and brute humor to pretend he didn't have the heart for an intellectual talk with someone else. Not that she was running around Hogwarts hoping to gauge a discussion out of every stranger, but she didn't like his consistency to block out any attempt to connect with her beyond what was necessary. She knew everything about him already. He may as well give into learning more about her, as well. If not that, then respect her enough to stop being such an arrogant ass around her.

"Both you and I know that Lucius Malfoy is not deserving of the pedestal you set him on. This...this anger that you have festering inside of you, don't direct it my way, Draco. Direct it towards the damn cabinet. Direct it towards Potter, or Parkinson, or Snape, but you need to stop directing it my way because I am not them. I'm not on the Dark Lord's side right now. He is not the one I need to have my back within these walls. I am on your side. The least you could do is pretend that you're on mine, as well. How many times do we have to have this conversation before you start treating me like I'm more than some imbecile you're forced to chat with?"

Draco's brows raised in surprise, and his lips parted like he was ready to begin an argument with her that they both knew would have no clear winner. But he didn't. He stopped, something he had never done for anyone else, and he recounted that her words were not said to make him angry. He let out a dark exhale, glaring at Romy for a few minutes before letting his shoulders settle and his annoyance die. 

"Why does the book remind you of yourself?"

Just like that, Mia and Draco were back to civility with one another. She watched him for a bit, narrowing her eyes before giving in. "They're misrepresented. Horribly. People saw them as these ancient, wicked spirits who have nothing but evil riddled in their souls. That wasn't who they were. They just believed in vengeance, and because of that, they were considered ugly inside and out...ever since I came back this year, everyone has been avoiding me like I had dragonpox over the summer and developed horns on my forehead. They're avoiding us all. Me, you, Theo, Crabbe, and Goyle—it's not fair."

"I didn't peg you as someone who cares about what other people think," Draco said in surprise. "If anything, I would think you liked the way that people fear you."

Mia shrugged. "I don't care. I just don't like being looked at like a murderer when all I want is justice. There's a difference between revenge and retribution. I'm not innocent. I know that...but it does make it more difficult to pretend I'm a normal student when the rest of the world is reminding me that I will never be one. It doesn't bother you? The stares? Not even a little?"

"They've always stared," Draco replied, his shoulders falling in a comfortable manner. "Not that I blame them."

"You are so full of it."

"I'm serious. They've always stared. They knew who my father was, and eventually they knew who I was...we both know I don't exactly have a personality that blends into the back of the classroom. I stopped noticing and caring long ago. Why give them any power over you when they can't possibly control that power in the first place?" he asked, frowning. "And, as far as I'm concerned, you don't remind me of them, Romy. You're right—you may not be a saint, but you aren't evil. You aren't a murderer, and you definitely aren't ugly. Now, Bulstrode? I pity whoever is stuck with her."

"Not Parkinson?" Mia teased, clacking her tongue in amusement as she stared at him in accusation. "By the way she's clinging to you this year, I'm beginning to pity you."

"Your comment at the dinner a few weeks ago didn't help," Draco retorted, rolling his eyes. "I had to listen to her complaining about you and I spending so much time over the summer. She's jealous of you. Not only does she think we shagged over break, but she is convinced you and I used to love one another as children. Can you believe it?"

Mia's lip curled in disgust at the mere thought of being in love with Draco. Never in a million years would she imagine ever having feelings for the boy. Simply being friends with him was irritating enough. She shuddered a little bit. "That's a terrifying thought."

"Sleeping with me, or being in love with me?" he asked, a smug smirk growing on his face. "I find both to be honors in the highest degree. You would be a very lucky little witch, Romy. Been having daydreams about being with me since we were little, have you?"

She laughed. Loudly. For the first time in a while. "Oh, please! I'd rather shag one of the Weasel twins...even beginning to imagine all of the diseases you've contracted from Parkinson is enough to flee in the other direction."

Draco scoffed at her, the thought of Romy being with a Weasley enough to make his face twist in disgust. How he'd love to see that couple happen! He raised his eyebrows at her, ready to shoot something her way about Pansy when her face twisted a bit in thought. He had familiarized himself with this expression. Her dark, brown eyes would narrow, and she would get a crinkle in her forehead that only disappeared when her thoughts were spoken aloud to someone. Usually him. He waited until she looked up at him, mouth open with a question on the tip of her tongue.

His eyes waited expectantly. "Spit it out, Erebus."  

"What happens when we fix the cabinet? Say we do let them in, and I become Slughorn's favorite student, and you finish the mission that the Dark Lord gave you. What happens then?" 

Draco could see the fear tracing its footsteps back to Romy. "Then, we're under the protection of the Dark Lord as he wins the war."

"Will he?"

There it was. Andromeda and Draco didn't break their eye contact as those two words put a poison throughout the room that was deadlier than any curse: doubt. For the first time, they were acknowledging that they were becoming doubtful of their chances of winning the war. They hadn't always been. Only a few months ago, they were certain that they would come out of the Second Wizarding War alive and victorious with the Dark Lord's symbol branded on their left arm. But their certainty was changing. Their hope was disappearing, and Romy and Draco were slowly becoming exhausted. It was only the third week. Only the third week.

"Yes," Draco said, firmly. One of them had to pretend they were certain. "We will."

They never spoke of that moment again.

――――――――――

September 17, 1996

Andromeda tugged at the sleeves of her robe, grumbling incessantly under her breath while Tracey and Daphne talked about what their plans were going to be for the Hogsmeade trip in October. She knew what hers would be—sleeping. She had gotten in later than usual last night with Draco, and she managed to get an hour of sleep before she was being shouted at by Daphne to hurry up. That was why she was struggling to get herself together on the walk to breakfast, pulling her thick hair up after she threw her tie around her shoulders. She had been close to hexing the blonde girl when she woke her up, but that temptation was growing even stronger now that a migraine was shaking her brain around.

"Do you reckon it will even be fun this year? Everyone is saying that their parents won't sign their permission slip because they don't want them leave the school...I mean, after what happened to Hannah Abbott's mother..." Daphne trailed off, a frown pressing on her face as they turned around the corner.

The three girls nearly ran into a group of boys standing off to the side of the Main Hall, chatting with way too much energy for teenage boys so early on a Tuesday morning. Andromeda's eyes traveled over the familiar faces, noticing that it was all of the players from the Quidditch team. Blaise was chatting with a fifth year, and Crabbe and Goyle were shoving one another around. All except for Draco, which set off a spark of confusion as to why he wasn't joining the rest of his team on the day of tryouts. Everyone knew he was set in place to be Captain this year. She wasn't the only one to notice either.

Tracey grabbed a hold of Mia's elbow, leaning closer to her. "Is Draco not playing this year?"

"He didn't say anything to me," Mia replied as she kept her eyes on the team.

She ended up catching the attention of Vaisey who had been laughing loudly alongside Urquhart, another seventh year that she didn't know wanted to tryout for the team. Mia didn't like the way her lips turned when Andrew's eyes met hers. They had ran into each other a few more times in the last few weeks. Once or twice in the common room did he start a conversation with her, and once or twice did she roll her eyes when he winked at her. She raised a brow at him across the hall, and before she knew it, he pushed past the reckless boys to get to her. Tracey gave her arm one last squeeze before she left with Daphne to the Great Hall, starting up a new conversation on why Draco wasn't with the others.

"Rather excited, aren't you?" Mia asked, her eyes going back to the mischievous band of Slytherins.

He smiled down at her and shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "It's my last year playing on the team. I'm ecstatic. All of us are just trying to find a bit of normalcy again. Are you coming to watch tryouts? You should bring your friends with you—maybe get your cousin to try out, too, while you're at it. His height could be an advantage to the team. We're losing a lot of our players from last year, and everyone's getting antsy that we won't be as good because of it."

"I don't know..." Mia trailed off, her face twisting. "Theodore never wanted any part in that group. With everything that's happened, the two of us just want to stay back and not attract any more unnecessary attention to ourselves...besides, I can already hear the vile things the Gryffindors will say about a Nott being on your team. I don't think if I'll be able to restrain myself from cursing one of the Gryffindors if they talk bad about him."

"And they can come directly to me if they have an issue. With everything that's happened, the thing you need most is to find something to distract you. Come on, Mia. Live a little. You're sixteen. You need to have fun once in a while. I'll bet you have been holed up in your dorm reading that bloody book for the last three weeks," Andrew said. She frowned deeply, her dimples showing, and he knew immediately that he was right. He grinned. "See! Come to tryouts, and if you get bored, you can leave and babbler on about how I was wrong for the rest of the week."

Mia couldn't help but shake her head, smiling lightly. "We'll see. I'm not making any promises."

"Good enough for me." Andrew took a step closer to her, and Mia was surprised to see that she didn't recoil like she expected herself to. "Maybe afterwards, we can have a conversation about that book of mine?"

"Maybe we can."

Vaisey could not keep a smile off of his face for the life of him, and he knew looking into the bitterness of all Andromeda Erebus was trying to represent that there was something underneath there. Something beautiful. Something that no one else had taken the time to see, and he assumed because of how terribly hard it was to become close to a girl with poison around her every move. He knew he had to go slow with her if he wanted to find a friendship in whatever they had. Otherwise, she would pull away from him quickly and she would be gone forever...and Vaisey wasn't ready to lose her.

Andromeda noticed that Vaisey went to talk again, but he didn't have a chance to get a word out before he was interrupted by another voice. "Mister Vaisey, shouldn't you be getting to breakfast before tryouts this morning? And Miss Erebus, I believe you have nonverbal spells to work on for my class."

Professor Snape was looming over the teenagers, standing with his hands behind his back. Mia and Andrew both turned to him, the latter stepping away from the former so that there was more distance between them. Mia, on the other hand, just glared at Snape. Every bit of resentment returned back into her bloodstream just as quickly as it had disappeared in the presence of Vaisey, and she was biting her cheek to keep from snapping at Snape in front of Andrew.

"Yes, sir," Vaisey agreed, a frown forming on his face as he glanced to his right at Mia. He realized that she wouldn't be looking away from Snape anytime soon and could physically feel his mood deflate. "Goodbye, Andromeda."

Mia unclenched her jaw to reply, barely glancing over at him. "I'll see you at tryouts, Andrew."

The Quidditch player sent a nod in the direction of Professor Snape before he was slowly walking back to the Great Hall, glancing over his shoulder one last time at them before disappearing around the corner. Mia turned back to look at Snape, raising her brows expectantly and crossing her arms over her chest. He stared back just as tenaciously, and it was a few seconds of them waiting for the other to react before Professor Snape looked back at the door as if remembering what occurred only moments ago.

"The last thing you need is an arrogant Quidditch player distracting you from what your focus should be on right now, Miss Erebus," Snape finally said, his eyes detached from any emotion but disappointment as he narrowed them. "I would expect such actions from Mister Malfoy, but not from you. You, of all, must understand the consequences that come from distractions."

Andromeda would have cracked right then two months ago. She would have cursed Professor Snape on the spot for his accusations and insinuations about her and her family. He offered nothing valuable to her. No resource, no form of authority over her. Not anymore. But she knew what his use was in this War. She knew what his use was for Draco, and if she had to put up with him for the rest of the year, she would make that sacrifice. But to hell if he believed she would allow him to speak like he had any power over her. He had nothing. Something they had in common.

"I'm not the only one who understands the consequences that come from distractions, Professor Snape," Andromeda said. "And I'm not the only one who has felt the effects of death because of those distractions. Remember that before you come and tell me how to complete what I was entrusted to do. Not you. I would appreciate it if you spent more time worrying about your other student's lives instead of mine...like Saint Potter. We all know how important he is to you. Now, if you would excuse me, I have some nonverbal spells I need to be working on."

Andromeda didn't wait to see his reaction, and if she had any form of empathy left for the man, she would have regretted what she said to him about his involvement with Lily Evans. But Severus Snape was not a good man, and she was not a good person, and the world would continue living with them struggling to make up for all of their bad parts with the small, morally correct parts that they had left. Merlin forbid, there was not much in either of them. Just a little bit left to love, and just a little bit more left to be loved.

Her way into the Great Hall went as it had every single day for the last seventeen days. She would walk past the tables of the other houses, take in their stares, and move on until she reached the Slytherin table where the stares stopped. Most everyone in her house had finished with that after the first week. It took a bit longer for the first-years, but eventually they did, as well. A lot of them could find some way to relate to what she was going through. Some of them had members of their family involved with the Dark Lord. Others just had family that were dead. Slytherin knew their own, and Mia may not have been their favorite person, but she was grateful to see that even the first-years started glaring at those staring.

She took her seat in between Tracey and Theodore, directly across from Blaise as the group of sixth-years continued on with their morning conversation. Mia's eyes traveled over a few seats down where Draco sat next to Pansy, looking even more dreadful that she did this morning. His head was practically falling into his eggs, and his girlfriend didn't look too pleased that he was paying more attention to the back of his eyelids than he was her. Mia couldn't help but huff silently under her breath, rolling her eyes and focusing back on those around her.

"...just don't understand. Look, I get that we need a new captain, but why would those buffoons let Urquhart try and fill that position when he hasn't even been on the team before! They are going to obliterate us! And with Potter as the Gryffindor's captain and Malfoy deciding to spend more time in Parkinson's mouth than out on the pitch, we have no chance this year. None! This year is going terribly!" 

Daphne went on a winded rant, her hands flying around and almost spilling Blaise's porridge all over his lap in the process. He scowled at her and pushed it further away from her erratic movements, mumbling about how someone needed to shut the girl up before he glued her lips together.

Then, she turned to look over at Mia with even wider eyes. "What did Vaisey want? Please, please, please tell me he's going to try out for Captain. He's the best Chaser we have on the team, and he'd be perfect as Captain."

"He just wanted to make sure that we were going to the tryouts this morning," Mia said, shrugging once. She nudged her head in Theo's direction, busy scrambling to finish his notes for Transfiguration. "He did say that Theodore should try out for the team. They need some more people to play this year since a lot of the boys aren't playing anymore."

Theodore's head shot up, looking at his cousin with an expression that could kill. Waves of panic were felt from the few inches between them, and she could hear the boy screaming at her inside of his mind. She barely flinched at the foul reaction. Daphne's eyes lit up with excitement, no doubt thinking about how she could be cheering on Theodore, but Mia didn't waste any time to fix the problem before everyone got too worked up.

She glanced over at Theo. "I told him that wasn't something you were interested in. Don't worry."

"Oh, but you're so good at flying, Theodore!" Daphne exclaimed. "You would be perfect on the team. I can already see it! Oh, I can't wait! You have to try out!"

This behavior wasn't uncommon of Daphne Greengrass. She meant well, but it was something that reminded everyone why exactly Daphne and Theodore would never be together. He was an introvert, and he would rather be a recluse and hide from everything instead of put himself out there. She was the complete opposite in every way, and sometimes, she pushed until she got her way. Mia knew this, and that was one of the many reasons why she had never approved of the two of them dating. She straightened immediately, noticing that her cousin was cowering back into himself. It was a common habit, but one that had disappeared the older he got. She was quick to make sure that it didn't become common again.

"Daphne," Mia started, trying her hardest not to snap at the girl. "Let it go. Now."

Daphne glanced between Mia and Theo before frowning, her face dropping as she nodded and let go of the subject like she was told. Theodore started to relax within seconds, his breaths evening out and his grip on his quill loosening so he could return to his homework. There was a bit of an awkward tension after that, and everyone ate in silence for the most part until Tracey decided that she wanted to stick her nose into the business of Draco. It had more to do with her constant need to annoy him rather than actual curiosity, but nonetheless, it happened.

"Malfoy, are you going to tell us why you've decided not to play this year?" Tracey asked, expectantly. Pansy glared daggers into Tracey's skull, but the brunette payed no attention.

Draco snapped his head up to look at her. "That's not any of your concern, is it, Davis? We've had this conversation twice, now...half-bloods truly aren't as smart as the rest of us, are they? If they were, you would know that I'll be at tryouts—but with you coming, I may have to quit before your bad luck spreads all over the field."

"It's my concern if your laziness is leading our house to lose against Potter and the other Gryffindors," Tracey huffed, narrowing her eyes. "Mind you, everyone at this table knows your luck is far less favorable than mine, Malfoy."

She spit his name out like it was a disease, and not a single person missed the insinuation she was throwing his way about the connection between his luck and his last name.

"Why don't you shut your mouth and stop acting like you know anything about him," Pansy interjected before Draco could say anything, snarling at Tracey. Mia snorted loudly, gaining the attention of everyone around her. Parkinson directed her wrath Mia's way. "Have something to say, Andromeda? Go blather off to your new boyfriend and tell him to be a better Chaser, and we won't have to worry about our house this year."

Mia raised one hand in surrender, biting down on her apple with the other. Like Pansy knew anything about her boyfriend. Besides, she really wasn't interested in starting anything with Pug-face Parkinson this morning. She was exhausted enough, and the girl was already great at making a fool of herself just by opening her mouth. She met Draco's eye and raised a brow at him, but didn't say anything about his putrid excuse or intruding girlfriend. He could deal with that all on his own. She didn't rule his life. As far as she cared, if he decided not to play Quidditch then her job would be a lot easier.

Just when she thought her morning was going to slow down, she was lifting her head again when Blaise coughed loudly and muttered something under his breath. "Miss Erebus! Mister Zabini! Just the two I was hoping to find this morning..." 

Find? Mia thought. More like searched and seized. 

Professor Slughorn stood right behind Tracey, barely giving a second glance to anyone else at the table. Makes sense. Half of their parents were Death Eaters, anyway. Andromeda turned to him with a bright smile, poisoning the surface of her lips with mock joy. He beamed back at her. "I wanted to invite the two of you to dinner tonight in my rooms. We'll be having other guests, of course—please do me the honor of attending!" 

"Of course, Professor," Blaise said. 

There two things on her mind about how she could benefit from the dinner. One, she could try and sneak another peak at the book he was so adamant on protecting. The second being that, maybe, a conversation would come up that could shed some light onto the reason why Slughorn even came back to Hogwarts in the first place. Mia knew it wasn't because he missed teaching. If anything, it would be because he missed shaking his students out like they were shiny toys, hoping their fame would fall out on him.

"We'd love to, sir," Mia added. 

"Ah—wonderful! I'll see you then!" 

Mia watched as Professor Slughorn turned around, clearly over the moon that he had two more people attending his dinner, and she could feel the smile fall off her lips. She turned back to look at Blaise across from her, scowling at him. "If you abandon me tonight and leave me alone with them, you will never see another tomorrow, Zabini."

"You almost went a whole meal without threatening someone. Almost," Zabini commented. He would never admit it to anyone—his ego was too big for that—but he knew that Mia's threats weren't just threats; they were possibilities, and he did not want to become one of her possibilities.

Mia flashed him another fake grin. "I'll try again at dinner." 

"Don't bother. We already know it's not possible."

With that, Mia had launched the rest of her apple at Blaise and reveled in knowing that some things were going right this year. They hadn't fixed the cabinet yet, but they had a few more months to figure it out. Until then, she could focus on how her mission with Slughorn was progressing and how she was getting closer to digging out the information that she needed from him. The brunette glanced Draco's way and sent him a wry smirk. He responded by shoving his eggs into his mouth, frustrated that she was having better success than him.

Breakfast ended only a bit after that for most of them. Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise, and Draco all had to leave early so that they could get themselves changed for tryouts. Mia had only briefly let her eyes travel further down the table to see that Vaisey was getting up, as well, with Urquhart and a few other boys. She talked a bit more with Tracey and Daphne about Hogsmeade, the girls making conversation on things they were planning on buying as Christmas gifts for their family. Daphne's list was particularly long. Theodore stayed silent, speaking up every once in a while when Daphne asked him a question. It was as natural as it could be for a group of Slytherins. 

Then, of course, they were back to a conversation that Mia knew would come sooner or later on their way to the Quidditch stands. Theodore had gone to study before class, but Mia suspected it had more to do with staying away from the pitch and Daphne so no one created any more ideas on him joining the team. 

Daphne crossed her arms over her chest, twisting her body so she was walking backwards on the path. "Are we not going to talk about what happened?" 

"Talk about what?" Mia asked, playing clueless. 

"Oh, you know what," Tracey scoffed out, siding with Daphne on this one. "Spouting on and on about how you didn't like Vaisey anymore, yet he's making sure that you are coming to tryouts? What happened to no relationships? Did you suddenly have a change of heart after realizing how idiotic it was to pretend you didn't have feelings for him?"

Mia rubbed at her face in annoyance, but there was still something in her that fluttered with happiness. It felt normal to be speaking about a guy she may be interested in with two of her friends; almost like nothing in the past summer had changed. She had no intention of letting that feeling go and settled on giving into their pushing.

"I didn't have a change of heart," Mia interjected, staring straight ahead as the pitch got closer to them. She could faintly see shades of green of the returning members. "I'm only getting to know someone better. There are no feelings—at least there aren't on my end, and as far as I'm concerned, even if there are, that's between Andrew and I."

Daphne and Tracey met eyes, and Daphne grinned widely at Mia. "Andrew? Are we on a first-name basis with him, now?"

"Horrid is what you guys are. Absolutely horrid." 

The three girls got to the stands just in time to see the rest of the boys come out of the changing room. It was easy to place each of the players in their year, noticing that a few third and fourth-year girls had come from the opposite changing room. Daphne, Mia, and Tracey all hummed in appreciation at that. It had been a while before they had a female on the Quidditch team. Hopefully, Urquhart was fair and didn't write them off because they were the opposite sex. Half of the reason why the other houses did so well was because they had females on their team. 

Tracey let out a groan when they made their way up the stairs. "Brilliant. Our lovely roommates are here."

Parkinson and Bulstrode were sitting with a selection of girls from other houses. Daphne had a few choice words for Lily Moon when she noticed that the Hufflepuff was there as well, grumbling about how she still hadn't forgiven the girl for the accident she caused in Potions second year. Marietta Edgecombe and Cho Chang were in the crowd, as well, surprising Mia of all people. Correction, enraging her. She didn't like the idea of them feeling comfortable in the vicinity of her. Not after what they said.

Before she could take any action, they lifted their heads up. They must have felt the daggers being sent into their skulls from her, and Mia couldn't have been more satisfied to watch their eyes went wide with horror. It didn't take long for them to scurry off to the other side of the stands. 

"Wonder what that was about," Daphne commented. Tracey just sent Mia a side-eye.

They didn't speak any more about it, choosing to sit lower rather than high up in the middle like their roommates and the Ravenclaws. They were closer to the pitch, but that also meant that they had a higher chance of being in the front if something went wrong—which would be surprising if something didn't. They watched Urquhart section the players out according to their year, and Tracey made a comment or two about how Urquhart had gotten more attractive over the summer. 

Mia was more interested in watching how the tryouts played out than talking about it the entire time, which was part of the reason why she was glad that Daphne and Tracey had someone they could converse with who loved to talk as much as the other. Urquhart had started off with making sure the first years could lift off their broom, and then had them do a few trial runs around the pitch. That knocked the numbers back by more than half. It thinned out even more after an altercation or two led some Slytherins to Madam Pomfrey. Once again, unsurprising.

Once or twice, Mia's gaze went to watch Vaisey. He didn't do much for the first half of tryouts, mainly because Urquhart was working with the players that hadn't been on the team last year. He looked rather bored, to be honest, and started up a conversation with Zabini about Merlin knows what while waiting in the air for instructions from Urquhart. It took a while for him to notice that she was there. Only when Blaise was called off did he glance over to the stands and make eye contact with her. A grin spread over his face, and he was winking at her from across the field. 

"Oh, Mia," Tracey drawled out, patting her friend's knee. "There are definitely feelings on his end. No boy would be that excited to have someone come to tryouts if they didn't have feelings for them."

Mia didn't say anything, but did purse her lips to keep a small smile from growing. Tryouts went much like she thought they would after that. A lot of fights between the Slytherins that Urquhart and Vaisey took responsibility of breaking up. Crabbe and Goyle trying to hit their bats on everything that moved. Zabini was a surprisingly good Chaser, something that none of the girls had expected until they watched him out there, but it was clear that the team still carried its weight on Vaisey being the Chaser. Mia was proud about that, and for the first time, she couldn't help but sit there excited for the rest of the Quidditch year. 

Then, she would look at the other side of the pitch and see Draco. That brought her back to reality. She kept her eyes on him for the other half of tryouts, her emotions mixing in concern and anticipation as she watched him settle into his position as Seeker. One wrong move, and his left arm would be exposed for the entire team to see. One wrong move, and he could end up in Madam Pomfrey's care and inspecting eyes. That would be it for them. 

Thankfully, nothing like that happened, and Urquhart ended up finding a solid team that, surprisingly, consisted of mostly sixth-years. Tracey and Daphne were happy about that. Mia was just glad that they had seven good players and not a single one of them was her cousin. It was just unfortunate that they had to get to Defense class in a few hours. The last thing Mia wanted to do was spend time with Snape...but for some reason, he wasn't the thought on her mind. 

No, instead, she thought about what Vaisey said earlier. All she wanted right now was to have a conversation with him, and only him, and that weighed her down even more. She was developing feelings for the boy again, and that could be the worst or best thing imaginable for her right now. 

She was just going to have to wait and see which one it will be.

――――――――――  

"Want to tell me what is going on with you and Snape? He acts like he has a vendetta against you―and as far as I know, you aren't frolicking around with the Gryffindors enough for him to want you over a cauldron and scorched to a crisp."

Andromeda learned one of the best things about Andrew Vaisey was he didn't push. She figured as much when they spoke on the first night in the common room, and he said nothing about her family or the events that happened over the summer. It was only solidified when they met like talked about on the stands of the Quidditch pitch after everyone else had left. He changed out of his playing robes and switched to his uniform, and they picked up a conversation like they had been friends for years. He knew his limits, though. He never touched on the subject of family, and he remained true to accepting her answers when she didn't want to say anymore.

Mia shifted around a bit, opening her mouth to try and form an explanation on why Snape disliked her so much without giving away the true reason. "He believes he knows what is best for me, but we both know that he's only looking out for his own back. We go back and forth most of the time we're in each other's presence. My actions cause us to...disagree over a lot of things. Me coming here today was one of those disagreements."

"Ah. I was one of those disagreements?" Andrew corrected, raising his brows. Mia didn't say anything, and he laughed out loud with a smug smile on his face. "Figured that was why he sent me away so quickly. He never minded me until this year. What, does Professor Snape think I'm a bad influence on you?" 

"The day that you are a bad influence on me is the day that Binns' catches on that he's dead," Mia snorted. She stared at Vaisey for a while, biting down on the side of her cheek as she wondered what to say next. Surprisingly, the filter that locked her mouth was not as secure as usual. "Snape has always been someone I respected greatly, ever since I came here first year, but respect becomes stronger when it's mutual...and that is the last thing he thinks of me. He visited my mother and I at our manor after the news broke of my father. He came to the funeral, as well. I think he's convinced himself that he has to watch over me as a duty to my mother—but it's only made my life more complicated having someone hover over my every move."

"He's not the only one," Vaisey revealed. 

Mia raised a brow at him. "Pardon?"

"He's not the only one who watches over you," Vaisey repeated. She waited for him to explain. "You know who my father is, Mia. He digs and he gripes about the lives of everyone in the Wizarding World. It's not something I pride myself in being involved with, but sometimes it can be challenging to ignore him. All I heard this past summer is talk of your family spending time with the Malfoy's. I wasn't sure if it was true, but I can see that it is...he watches over you. Your cousin, as well." 

Andromeda's body stiffened a bit, knowing that she was entering a topic of conversation that she wasn't even comfortable talking about with Theodore. Him bringing up his father made it even worse. She knew she had gone too far in mentioning her family. They were one thing, but her involvement with Draco was entirely different. It was too much, too soon, to reveal to someone she couldn't trust. Not when Vaisey's father was notorious for blabbering his mouth off to every tabloid in the Wizarding World. Draco was too personal. She shifted around in her seat, and Vaisey clearly caught wind that she didn't want to talk about Malfoy. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't—"

"No. It's alright," Mia interrupted. "It's true about spending the summer with the Malfoy's. My mother and his are close friends. Grieving alongside one another made us close. He's family. Just like Theodore."

Vaisey didn't push anymore, just nodding and smiling at her. "How is the book?"

"I'm almost finished," Mia said, relieved to have a new topic of conversation. "You were right." 

"About?" 

"Them being much like us. They carried serpents around their waists, talked of retribution in a way that assured those in the wrong were being tried of their crimes at any means necessary...most in our house would either be terrified or honored to have that comparison," Andromeda explained, a watchful eye on Vaisey's response to her. She wondered how different it would be than Draco's. 

"Which are you?"

"That depends on who committed the crime—how terrible that crime was. Some people deserve a second chance. Others should have never been given a first." 

Vaisey didn't say much about how vague she was with every sentence that came out of her mouth. He was still learning which corners to push and which ones to keep where they were. Her family and Draco Malfoy were two that he decided he wouldn't press matters on anymore. Snape was one he had a feeling he would hear more about. The book that she was so interested in, as well. It was going to take time for him to get close to Mia. It was going to take even longer for her to trust him, but that was something he was willing to wait for. She was someone he was willing to wait for.

It was a nice gesture. Just one that may not work in his favor if he was going to be putting his efforts into making a Death Eater trust him. One, mind you, that didn't even trust herself.

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Slowly trying to show the character development of Mia with every chapter is genuinely very difficult, but it's noticeable when looking from this chapter to the first.

Tell me what you guys think! What are you excited for? I'm excited for Slughorn's Christmas Party.

MOIRAI: THE THREE FATES