◤ ❝You carry your head, your heart, and your hope in three men so easily capable of tearing you to pieces. You have made a grave mistake, Miss Erebus. Now that they hold these sections, what is left inside for you to protect? Your soul is nothing without them. It will rot just as quickly as his did if you do not take them back. The moment they adapt to permanence, you are lost forever.❞ ― Severus Snape ◢

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN:   COMUS

December 20, 1996

                 The walk to Slughorn's office was short, but the ringing of the clock alerted them that they were already a few minutes later than the expected arrival time. Andromeda would have been concerned, but after noticing McLaggen and Granger staggering quickly through the corridors, her worry lessened (what a surprise it was to her that Weasley wasn't her date instead). Halfway there, Andrew eventually loosened up and gave back into his old personality. If there was any indication of his oddness from earlier, it was gone. Instead, there was a skip in his step Mia hated to find endearing. Excitement and eagerness were two emotions buzzing around in his brain, and she knew that without even needing to look further just how much he was looking forward to the evening. Merlin knows why. She would rather pitch herself off the side of the castle than think about the night's forecast.

The door to his office was open when they got there, only seconds after Granger and McLaggen. The place looked exactly how Mia's nightmares pictured it would, and she blanched the second that she stepped inside. In one direction, there was a small huddle of people dancing to the music fluttering softly throughout the place. The other side had a group of people conversing around a large section of food, laughing their way through sips of mead. The urge to turn around and walk right on back to the Slytherin common room was far too strong, an impulsive panic starting to attack as she remembered the memories from her past. Just when she moved to turn on her heel, Andrew tightened his hold on her arm closer to him. 

"Ah, ah, ah," he scolded as he looked down at her. She glowered at him. "It isn't nice to leave your date before the party's even begun, Mia." 

"You can run away with me. Now, can we leave before anyone sees u―" Mia's words fell in her throat when she saw who was coming up to them, only seconds after their arrival. Should she have been surprised in the slightest? Instantly, her eyes darkened and she stood up straighter. "Professor Snape. I wasn't aware this was a crowd you often affiliated yourself with."

Snape frowned at her, his dead eyes moving slowly from hers to Andrew's at her side. He did not look pleased in the slightest to see the Quidditch player wrapped up around her side, and the way his lips pulled down were the first evidence of that. Mia ignored the urge to flinch instinctively, imagining all of the horrible things he was thinking. Displeasure filled every wrinkle on his face, feeding into his already-lacking compassion. The second piece of evidence was his words, as he turned his icicle stare back on her with an expression that said everything and so much more. No, he certainly was not pleased with the predicament she had gotten herself into with Andrew Vaisey. 

"Miss Erebus, just as well. I was not aware that you were still affiliating yourself with such a crowd," he said, coarsely. "I was under the impression that you would have Mister Malfoy escorting you to the party this evening." 

Mia's jaw tightened. "You were mistaken." 

She knew exactly what he was doing. Snape thought that Andrew was a distraction, and finding any weak point to take a hit at was his tactic at hand. He was reminding her of her mistakes in getting close with the boy. Knowing full well that nothing was going on between her and Draco, he still attempted to implant that idea into Andrew's mind. Judging by the expression that hung over Vaisey's face as he listened to their conversation, her date was beginning to believe it. She dug her heel further into her shoes, trying to avoid the urge to spit an unmannerly choice of words at her professor in front of the entire room. If she had to push Andrew away, it would be on her terms. Her words. No one else's.

"Miss Erebus, if we could speak privately for a mome―" 

Mia interrupted Snape by grabbing a tight hold of Andrew's hand. "My apologies, professor. I just remembered I'm meant to owe Andrew a dance. Perhaps we can talk afterwards."

Before Snape could say or do anything to stop her from her swift exit, she was dragging Andrew into the heart of the chaos. The dance floor was full with former and current Slug Club members, and Mia had to ignore the urge to scoff when she noticed Granger make a break out of McLaggen's arms. Instead, she focused on her own problems and turned to see that Andrew already had a hand outstretched for her. Like the gentleman he was, he waited patiently for her permission to dance. She sighed before grabbing his hand, allowing him to pull her in. She didn't have the opportunity to mention that she hated dancing before he was starting to shift them side-to-side. The lessons from when she was a child burned in her brain, and she unconsciously followed along.

"I see I am just as much Snape's fan as always," Andrew hummed in her ear as they swayed. "I think I may be growing on him. Don't you think? Perhaps he'll invite me to dinner one night." 

Mia grit her teeth. "He was out of line. He had no right to speak so ill of you in front of your face."

"I'm not so sure I was the intended victim. Merely a means to his true purpose. He seemed desperate to rile you up...and it's working," he said, tightening his hold just a bit on her waist. "Mia. Are you all right? You were upset earlier, and I know that it had nothing to do with attending this party. Even with Theodore, you seemed particularly...detached."

He tried to find the right word for his tongue, but it seemed like none fit the way that he wanted them to. Settling with detached, he looked down at her with piercing green irises. Mia frowned, her eyes staying on the location over his shoulder where she was watching Blaise speak quietly with his date. She tried to ignore the confrontation with Andrew, knowing that she could not handle another argument like the one she had earlier with her cousin. At the reminder of Theodore and a potential scapegoat, her brows shot up and she turned to look at him. 

"What caused a rift between you and my cousin? The two of you were the best of friends a week ago, and now Tracey tells me neither of you have been attending your private practice with one another. Just the same, you looked like you were ready to argue with him over something in the common room earlier. Something happen?" 

Andrew's lips pursed. "Matters of unimportance." 

"Then, your question of my wellbeing is, as well," she said, blandly.  

When her grip on his hand loosened, he sighed deeply. "Mia, please―" 

"I don't answer to you, Andrew. Nor do I answer to Snape, or to my cousin, or to anyone else. Whatever this is..." she glanced between their hands with a scowl "...is a temporary delusion you have that you will be the one to fix me―that I am some quaffle you can chase until you win...and if you believe that holding my hand and asking me about my problems will be what puts me back together, then you truly have no idea what damage you are trying to mend." 

Her heart burned at the words she was saying to Andrew, wanting nothing more than to melt into a flicker of flames. The truth, as painful as it may be, seeded itself well in her reply. She had to keep Vaisey safe from everything that she was slowly guiding him toward. Mia had to keep herself safe, no matter the cost. When she attempted to pull out of his grasp, determined to find a corner of the room where she could scout for the blasted leather book of Slughorn's, Andrew only tightened his hold on her hand. Her head turned to him in surprise, brown eyes flickering with confusion and frustration as she turned to his green ones. 

"Theo was right," Andrew said in realization, his eyes widening slightly. "You are trying to push everyone away. At first when he came to me, he believed it was only him. That perhaps he had done something to set off your actions. Then, he noticed your distance with Malfoy, as well...we thought―well I thought―that maybe it was only them..."

Bloody fucking hell, she wanted to scream out. Was she truly so transparent to these three boys that they could tell every attempt she was making to push them away from the dangers they were in? Did it truly seem so unbelievable to want distance from them? Why could they not simple accept that she needed them away from her? 

Her jaw clenched. "So you've resorted to listening to my cousin's insane theories?" 

"Are they truly just theories, Andromeda?" 

"If there is no truth to them, I suppose that leaves them to theories, doesn't it?" she retorted, morosely. She glanced back over his shoulder with a frown as they continued to sway. "You never used to push, Andrew. It was one of the reasons I valued your friendship so much. Why all of the sudden need to pry into my life? What changed?" 

Andrew twisted them around gracefully, moving so that they were closer to the center of the room. "Nothing has changed on my end, Mia. I am just as much on your side now as I was before. Possibly even more. All I have tried to do from the moment we began speaking is show you that not everyone is your enemy...that you are just as deserving of happiness as any other witch or wizard out there." 

"Well..." she began, a cold smile falling on her face. "That's where you're wrong." 

"And why is that?" 

"Because you say that you have seen the good in me. You mention time and time again that you believe there is something inside of me deserving of happiness...but anything that you have seen, any potential for good that you may have witnessed...where is it now, Andrew? Because I have not seen or felt anything good within myself since my father left me. You have been holding onto the hope of someone that died the same moment he did. You and Theodore...these theories that you have come up with...you would rather believe that I am pushing you away than simply accept that I am just not the person you hope I could be...and continuing to question me will only show you how quickly I make enemies nowadays, Vaisey."

Mia slipped out of Andrew's hold that time, giving him a parting glance to see that his eyebrows were stitched together in thought. A burn started to rise in her throat the longer that she stared, and she eventually had to turn on her heels in any attention to escape her date. It was finished. She pushed Vaisey away. He had to stay away after what she just said, and now all that was left was her other objective. Her eyes instinctively looked around the room, darting in every direction to find the bookcase of Slughorn's that the leather book was last seen in. 

In her search, she stopped dead in her place when she saw Potter standing across the room from her. Emotions running ramped from her argument with Vaisey, she couldn't deny the way her mind twitched for revenge. Her blood turned cold, freezing over her anger from earlier and settling into a dangerous territory of ice. Always, in the moments where he was needed least, Potter always found his way back into the scheme of things. Always Potter. Always Potter constantly getting into everyone's business, and always him finding his way out of trouble afterwards. Always Potter being given the easy hand of cards while the world around him suffered with the unbearable losses. Her hands balled into fists at her sides, resisting every urge to give the crowd a show of their Saint Potter. 

"Plotting murder days before Christmas isn't getting into the festive spirit, Andromeda." 

Mia's face twisted into a deeper scowl as she turned her head to look at Blaise. The sarcastic condescension in his tone made it worse. The smirk on his face only grew when he noticed her distaste, and she moved her glare from him to the brunette girl that was standing at his side. Her glare barely lost any heat. Sylvia Groes was very pretty, and the sea blue dress robes that she wore reminded her faintly of the day in Potions when Blaise mentioned smelling the sea. She had the sneaking suspicion that if she was close enough, the girl would smell of vanilla and whiskey, as well. 

"When have I ever been one for festivities?" Mia asked him with a scowl. "He's lucky he still has a head. I'd sooner enjoy serving it up to Slughorn for dinner."

"Don't mind her," Blaise said to Sylvia, patting her hand on his arm. He sent Mia a humorous expression as he rolled his eyes. "I assumed you would be in a better mood tonight. You and Vaisey looked pretty chummy out on the dance floor. Seems both of us were able to find out who that Amortentia was about, didn't we?" 

Blaise was grinning as he turned to glance down at Sylvia once again. She only smiled up at him, her teeth showing her happiness to be in his presence. It made Mia sick. Her stomach churned at the display of affection, eyes flickering away from the couple at the ill feeling. She ignored Blaise's comment, unknowingly trying not to let it get to her because of the mention of the Amortentia and Vaisey both. Perhaps that was why the reaction made her feel so ill. Looking at a relationship going to perfectly and knowing she was destroying every one in her life was not a particularly kind emotion to feel.

Sylvia gave a generous smile Mia's way. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mia." 

"You as well, Sylvia," Mia said politely, but she could hear in her voice that she was severely lacking an empathetic bone or two. She turned to look at Blaise again. "Reckon Slughorn will notice if I make a quick exit?" 

"Considering he is currently on his way over to you at this very second, I'll have to say that it is highly likely. Have fun! Stay away from Potter!" 

The urge to suddenly drop dead had never been as desired as it was then. The reminder of why exactly she despised parties so much became bright and clear, as well. They were social occasions. Every moment was spent having conversations with others and catching up with friends. Mia hated people, and she hated talking to them even more. Darting back and forth between conversations took more energy out of her than Legilimency ever had. She barely had the opportunity to regain her bearings and prepare for yet another dreadful talk when she heard her name being shouted from across the room. 

"Miss Erebus! You came!" 

Oh, how desperately she wished she didn't.

She looked over to see Slughorn and smiled brightly. "Professor! You throw an amazing party."

"Thank you, thank you! I am so happy to see that you could attend! You certainly look wonderful, Andromeda!" he beamed before turning to glance at her side. His smile dropped significantly as he glanced around for a few moments. "Where is your date? I was hoping to have the opportunity to finally meet Mister Vaisey. I was speaking so highly of him to Gwenog earlier."

Mia gave a tight-lipped smile in return. "I believe he went to lavatories, sir." 

"Ah, always the worst timing, I have," he said dejectedly. Before he could say any more, she watched with curiosity as his eyes brightened once again. Mia barely had the opportunity to turn around before a warm hand intertwined with her own and latched deeply on. "Mister Vaisey! We were just speaking about you! Oh, the two of you just look wonderful together!" 

You must be joking, she thought. Bile rose in her throat, and she resisted the urge to vomit right there. Every possible emotion rattled through her bones at once, making her lightheaded. Mia kept her eyes on Slughorn, trying to prevent her frustration from rising in the face of her professor. Nonetheless, it continued to grow stronger the more aware she became of Vaisey's hand in hers. Why had he not run? Why would he not just leave her the bloody hell alone and move on with someone better than her? She truly thought her words had been enough.

Clearly, she had been wrong. Vaisey squeezed her hand. "All good things coming from Andromeda, I'm sure. It's a pleasure to finally speak with you, professor." 

"Of course! Just the same to you, my boy! Truly, what I have heard from others about your performance on the Quidditch pitch is simply extraordinary!" Slughorn praised, raising his voice with enthusiasm. "After I heard what happened to you at practice, my condolences went straight to Andromeda in hopes for your quick recovery... our house mustn't lose its best captain!" 

"Oh, Urquhart is the captain of the team, sir. I'm merely the Chaser."

Mia bit the inside of her cheek, playing up appearances as she turned to him. "Not merely. You've been leading the team since the beginning of the season, Andrew. You know as well as I that you are more fit for the title of captain." 

"She is right, Mister Vaisey," Slughorn agreed, nodding his head as he gestured. "If you would like, I would love to introduce you to Gwenog Jones...she is a captain too, you see. I believe she can give you some very great pointers for a future in Quidditch after graduation! Miss Erebus, you are more than welcome to come with us!" 

The thought of doing that was repulsive, and she sent the two of them a false smile. "Oh, I couldn't, professor. I actually have to go speak to Professor Snape about something, but please, introduce Andrew. He deserves the opportunity." 

Her eyes caught with Andrew's then, despite her attempts to do the opposite. He was already looking down at her, his lips pursed tightly. Right then, she could tell that he saw so easily through the falsities of her conversation with Slughorn. Of course, he knew that neither one of them were acting on their true personalities around the man. However, there was not much that could be said. If she could steer Andrew out of her way, and in the direction of something that may benefit him, then that would be the best thing. Getting Slughorn away from her so that she could find the bloody book would be a plus, as well.

"Very well then. Come, come, Mister Vaisey!"

Andrew gave her one last look, and within it, said a million things that she knew they would never speak about. The most important being that he came back.  Most wouldn't. Not after what she said to him. Finally, he detached their hands so that he could follow silently behind Slughorn as the man guided him through the slews of people. As they walked away, becoming lost in the crowd, she couldn't help but feel the breath of fresh air escape her lungs. Her feet moved backwards, carefully guiding her to one of the corners of the room behind a curtain so that she could stay out of everyone's way. 

Then, she began looking all over the room. Where Slughorn's desk used to be, there was now a table full of drinks that she had a feeling were not entirely legal for the underage students. That would not be where he hid the book. Her eyes searched through the other parts of the room, tugging on her bottom lip with her teeth the more anxious that she got. From her place, she could see Vaisey striking up a conversation with Gwenog, and Looney Lovegood dancing to herself in the middle of the dance floor. A surprising amount of envy stemmed in her chest at the sight of the blonde girl, wishing more than anything that she could live in the oblivious world of the Ravenclaw. 

Where did he hide it? she snarled in her mind. 

Her search was cut short when a figure stepped in front of her view, blocking the party from her and instead replacing it with black robes. A glower began to resurface on her face, and she looked up at Snape. His expression was no kinder now than it was when she had Vaisey by her side. To make matters worse, she was alone and away from the crowd now, and that meant he did not need to sensor his words as he would in any company. 

She frowned immediately. "Don't start. I know I've messed up."

"Applying to which aspect of your life, Miss Erebus?" he asked, casually. His raised brows insinuated that there was clearly more than just one thing she has messed up in recently. "You have been creating an inventory of mistakes as of recently. I am curious to which one you are finally recognizing." 

"That was entirely unnecessary." She glared at him, her arms crossing over her chest in defense. "You know as well as I do what I am talking about, Snape. I know it was a mistake bringing him here, but I had no other option." 

"I assume the option to come alone was not considered in your neediness for the affection of boastful Quidditch players." 

She shot him a dark look. "You think that is what this is? Needing the affection of anyone is the last concern on my mind, Snape. I have been trying to push them away ever since we last spoke." 

"I noticed your fleeting attempts, Andromeda," he hummed, then narrowed his eyes down on her. "Fleeting, a word that is becoming of your situation. It seems you are doing no greater a job at getting rid of Mister Vaisey than you are your other...companions." 

"Cousin," she corrected, her lip curling up. "Theodore is my cousin, Snape."

"And Draco? What is he to you?" 

"My responsibility." 

"He is more than that, Miss Erebus. All three of them are, and you are too blind in your attempts to run away to see it for yourself. Your perceptions are failing you, and that is something you cannot afford to sacrifice right now. If you only look at the current situation, you would understand why they are finding you so transparent in your...ah, what did Mister Vaisey call it, detachment."

Mia's eyes flared with anger, arms falling to her side. "You were eavesdropping on me?"

"He is not just your responsibility, Miss Erebus, and he is more than just my only." 

Snape did not falter in his words, but she did. Who else did Snape have the responsibility of looking after if not simply Draco? Her anger died with her as she considered his words, eyes slowly widening as she realized what he had just said. Slowly, and ever so presently, she felt the desperation begin to creep back up her spine. He could not lead her onto false pretenses and expect her to simply accept them like they were true. No, because she knew just as well that Snape was a traitor to his own words just as everyone else in the world was. 

"You're lying," she hissed quietly. "Why would you look after me when you said yourself what my fate is in this?"

"Because I am one of the very few who believe it can change," Snape said, distantly. He turned, looking over to ensure that there was no one close enough to hear their conversation. To anyone else, it looked like a student and a professor speaking causally with one another. "But you must do a better job than whatever foolish game you are playing right now, Andromeda."

"I have been trying―"

"You have not," he interrupted, silencing her immediately. "Your feeble attempts to push them away are in vain because you are not willing to part with them. You carry your head, your heart, and your hope in three men so easily capable of tearing you to pieces. You have made a grave mistake, Miss Erebus. Now that they hold these sections, what is left inside for you to protect? Your soul is nothing without them. It will rot just as quickly as his did if you do not take them back. The moment they adapt to permanence, you are lost forever."

Andromeda could feel the walls caving in on her as Snape spoke, knowing that within his words, there was an undeniable amount of truth to every sentence. She had been fooling herself for two days, and that was long enough to see that she was not truly trying to push away anyone. Not in the way that Mia knew she was capable of. Not in the way that Mia knew she, most certainly, could. It was without doubt that she could tear down every connection she ever built with Draco, Andrew, and Theodore...but it was the pain that must come along with it that she was delaying. 

"But if I do it now, they'll suspect even more...pushing away from Draco right now, it will only make things more difficult―"

"Then take them back one-by-one," Snape said, matter-of-factly. His dark, cold eyes glanced down at her briefly. "If you continue trying to run away from them so quickly, you will inevitably trip, and they will still be the ones there to catch you. You assume that it is an action meant to be quick, painless, and easy. It's not." 

Mia's mouth was dry, and she swallowed hard. She watched with a new sense of brokenness as Vaisey laughed a distance away, smiling brightly with a drunk Slughorn. "What if you're wrong? What if separating myself from them is the only thing that is keeping me alive in this? If I lose them...if I relinquish this hold I have on my compassion, what keeps me from becoming him either way?" 

"Your soul is already fallible, Andromeda. It is just as capable of corruption with or without them...the only difference in choosing to stay is that you will guide them down the path of darkness, as well. The only hope you have is not if you hold it in the hands of someone else like Mister Vaisey, but in your own." 

She scoffed. "Because then I can destroy it myself. Self-preservation is truly not an obvious trait of mine, then, is it?" 

"On the contrary. I believe it is the strongest." 

Another wave of emotion hit her, but she refused to look in Snape's direction again. Although she could not say that she trusted the man, the respect that she had for him was growing quicker than she ever thought possible. The truth, as she was beginning to see, was that the differences between herself and Snape were not as easily recognized as she once thought they were. 

"And what if I can't do it?" 

"You will."

"But if I can't," she urged. "If I can't let go, what do I do?"

Snape glanced down at her. "You accept the consequences that may follow and live with the guilt after all of it is finished." 

Mia knew without any explanation that he was thinking of Lily Potter. The glimmer in his eyes, a flicker of emotion in a man so desperate to hide his, gave him away. She was the only person that could ever bring out any emotion within Snape, just as she was the one person whose death he would have to live with after all this time. Seeing how he had coped, and the effects that her death left on him, made Mia wonder what state she would be in if she felt loss just the same. That thought alone tugged her out of her mind, turning her eyes back to the crowd again to see that the conversation between Slughorn and Vaisey had just ended. Now, Slughorn was downing a goblet of mead as he made his way through the crowd. 

By that point, Vaisey was searching through the same crowd. She could tell that he was trying to find her, his green eyes piercing through the crowd of people as his height gave him away. Mia wanted nothing more than to down her own goblet of mead, in hopes that it would take away the feelings she had in her stomach. Hope. 

Knowing the answer already, she asked anyway. "Who do I start with first?"

"The one you can survive losing." 

Mia sighed, her hands finding the material of her left arm without thought to rub at it. Just as she did so, she felt the pressure of another hand pulling her wrist back down to her side. Snape stared at her with a frown, flickering his attention from her left arm to her wrist. Then, without another word, he was leaving to make a quick escape to a different corner of the room. Mia shared the same idea, following along in hopes that she could blend in and find the bloody book before she left. 

On her venture around the room, expertly avoiding Vaisey's search around every corner, she grabbed a goblet of mead off the table. Nerves were causing her to shake, and she could only hope that the drink would bring some relief to the symptoms. As she brought the goblet to her lips, glancing harrowingly around the room, she stopped before any of the liquid actually hit her tongue. Near the entrance of the room was a bookshelf, covered by colorful tinsel so that it was not obvious to the blind eye. On the top shelf, in between a Potions book and what looked to be a Potions kit, there it was. The blasted, leather book. 

As she started for it, her steps quickening impulsively, she was stopped when a hand grabbed her upper arm and tugged her back. Just as she turned around with a feverish glare on whoever laid their hands on her, another disruption made all eyes in the party turn. Andromeda barely had the chance to recognize the green tie of Andrew before the shouts stole away her attention. 

"Professor Slughorn!" came Filch, snarling and breathing heavily as he rushed into the room. The squib carried the deviant look of satisfaction in his eye, meaning that he caught a student doing something they shouldn't. Being tugged by their ear, Filch dragged the body from behind his back so that they were in the view of the room and Slughorn. "I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him with an invitation?" 

If Mia had to imagine the worst possible case scenario happening in that moment―with her eyes set on the book, Vaisey holding her back, and the hoard of people growing close to her side―it was realizing that Filch was holding Draco Malfoy. Fury blistered through her like dragon's breath, but it was the instantaneous rush of worry that overtook any kind of anger that she was feeling. She met panicked eyes with Snape a few feet away, surrounded by Slughorn and Potter both. Neither one of them could let Draco be reprimanded. 

Oh, for the love of Salazar, she was going to regret this. 

"I invited him." 

All array of eyes turned in one direction, some shocked and others exasperated, but they all held the same attention on Andromeda. She knew that the words had come out, if only by the unsettled expression growing on Draco's face and the way that Vaisey slowly let go of her arm. In her peripheral vision, she could see that he was one of the shocked looks. Slughorn turned to look at her with a small frown, his eyes darting back and forth between Draco, then Andrew, then back to Andromeda. His red face, already showing his drunken state, looked in more perplexion than anyone else. 

She continued, lying straight through her teeth. "I asked Draco if he would attend the party with me when the conversation was first brought up, professor, but he was previously unavailable to attend. The invitation was still up in the air, and I forgot to mention that I was bringing another guest." 

Slughorn's face slowly morphed into recognition, but she could see that he was still struggling to understand. Out of dislike for Draco, perhaps. He was probably questioning why she would want the likes of Lucius Malfoy's son to attend his party. Mia's jaw tightened a bit, turning to look back at Filch and Draco. This time, she focused her attention solely on him. His grey eyes already on her, his brow furrowing with a crease growing on his forehead. If he was wondering why she just covered for him, he would surely be prepared for the conversation she was going to have with him after the party―when she murdered him herself for being so careless.

"I see..." Slughorn paused, then his face broke out into a kind smile as he looked at them. "Well, then, it is Christmas after all. It is not a crime to come to a party. I see that the circumstances were only a mere accident. You may stay, of course, Draco." 

Mia let out a breath of air, relaxing if only a bit. Filch was not as kind in his reaction, his ears turning red in outrage as he scowled at Slughorn. However, the man would never speak up about it, and he turned on his heel to stomp his way out of the room. Just as easily as it had been disrupted, the party returned back its usual festivities. However, the color had already been drained out of Mia's face and any attempt to pretend enthusiasm was lost in her eyes. From a few people between, she noticed that Potter was staring suspiciously between Draco and her. One too many glances between them, she wondered what conclusions he was drawing about the situation. 

Draco acted better than she did, going immediately to Slughorn to thank him for his understanding. Slughorn, wearing a drunk perspective, nodded acceptingly. "It's nothing, nothing. I did know your grandfather after all. Of course, I understand wanting to escort Miss Erebus to the party...all a matter of misinterpretation..."

At the mention of her name, she turned to the conversation to give Slughorn a small nod in appreciation. She did not say anything, too busy trying to diffuse the situation that just happened. Glancing over, she noticed that Andrew was gone. The pinch of her heart hurt, but she had to remind herself that it was best if he was upset with her. Maybe if he believed he was the second option, or the third option behind Theodore, that it would make it easier to let go of him. Her eyes then moved to Snape, who was already glaring heavily at the back of Draco's head like he wanted to inflict the same amount of pain Mia did.

At least they had that in common. 

"I'd like a word with you, Draco," Snape said suddenly, interjecting in the middle of what Draco looked like he was going to say. He paused, before his withering eyes turned to Mia. "You too, Andromeda." 

Slughorn glanced in between them, hiccuping from the intoxication of the mead. "Oh, now Severus. It's Christmas. Don't be too hard on―"

"I am their Head of House, and I shall decide how hard, or otherwise, to be on Mister Malfoy," Snape replied, his eyes growing colder the longer he glared at Draco. He turned his shoulder, averting his gaze between the two of them. "Follow me, you two." 

As he whirled on his feet, turning to make way for the exit, Mia was struck with the frantic thought that she still hadn't gotten the book. Her eyes flashed to Draco, and upon feeling her stare, he looked back. When he noticed the sudden panic on her face, he frowned and went to open his mouth. Before he could, she was subtly shaking her head. He must have realized what she was trying to do because he nodded once, and his lip pulled down for a second. Then, she knew he understood. With his Occlumency down, she pushed a quick message into his mind. 

Slughorn has a book I need. Create a distraction, quickly. Potter is watching.

If Draco received the message, he showed no indication of it. He only looked at where Snape had already disappeared, no doubt wearing down his patience for him. Then he stumbled into Slughorn, putting a hand on his shoulder. As she heard Draco gushing about his gratitude once again, she moved closer to the bookshelf. With a quick glance around the room, she noticed that everyone was preoccupied with something else. When she heard the loud clang of something hitting the ground, and the persistent apologizes from Draco, she grinned. In a quick motion, the leather book was expertly pulled from its place and hidden underneath the expanse of her arm. 

Before she could turn to see if Draco was following, a hand being placed on the small of her back ushered her out the door of the party. Mia glanced up at Draco as they finally entered the hallway. Her hand went to grab his coat, moving to quickly put the book into the inside pocket before Snape realized what she had grabbed. Draco frowned down at it, his eyes meeting with hers, before he pulled the coat back to its original place. They exchanged no more words, only stopped dead in their place when they saw Snape waiting in the shallow of the dark night. 

"Professor―"

Draco went to speak, but he was interrupted when Snape held his hand up. He beckoned both of them forward, his footsteps taking them down the corridor. As they followed blindly behind, Mia finally took the opportunity to look over at Draco. 

Keeping her voice at a whisper, she confronted him. "What in the hell were you doing? If I hadn't been at the party, do you have any idea the trouble you may be in? What if Filch had caught you walking out of the Room? Do you know the suspicion that would be placed on what you were doing?" 

"I was trying to complete our mission while you were off partying," Draco whispered back, his voice strained as he frowned down at her. "There was no one to watch the Room, and since you've decided not to assist in helping me anymore, I took matters into my own hands. I thought I was careful." 

"Not careful enough!" she hissed, lowly. "And I was trying to complete my mission. Don't forget that we have more than just one bloody responsibility here, Draco!" 

He rolled his eyes, keeping his attention on Snape's back. "I apologize, Romy. I was beginning to feel like I was in this on my own as of recently. I hope you can forgive that you had to lie about inviting me to your stupid party in front of your boyfriend. Did you hurt poor Vaisey's feelings?"

Just as Mia was ready to raise her voice and unleash all hell on the blonde boy, Snape was turning around quickly to send a startling sneer at them. Even in the darkness, the weight of it was enough to send both of them into immediate silence. "Would the two of you stop acting like toddlers?"  

Draco and Mia shut up, giving each other brief glowers as a parting finish. Snape opened up the classroom that was in front of them, ushering the two inside before he quickly flicked his wand at the lock on the door. Mia paused, her lips pursing as she glanced at it. The urge to put a protective spell on the room so that no one could hear their conversation nagged her, but she dismissed it in favor of stepping further into the room. Trying to find some relief for her feet, she moved to sit on a desk. Bunching the red dress in her hands, she hopped up and waited for the argument to unfold. 

When Snape stayed quiet, Draco sighed and moved to lean up against the same desk she was sitting on. "Come on, then. You've clearly got enough you want to say." 

"I believe Andromeda has already covered the beginnings of this conversation. How could you be so careless? You wander mindlessly around this castle like you haven't the slightest bit of worry in the world. Not only that, but the stunt that you pulled with Katie Bell proves that you are so clearly incapable of making any rational decisions without someone there to hold your hand."

Draco flinched, the reminder of Bell still fresh. "I had nothing to do with what happened to her."

"You sound just as defensive as she did when I asked the very same question," Snape said coldly, his hand gesturing to Mia. "The two of you are falling on an incredibly thin line, and it is narrowing every minute. You cannot afford mistakes, Draco, because if you are expelled―" 

"I didn't have anything to do with it, all right?" 

"I hope that you are telling the truth, because it was both clumsy and foolish. Already you are suspected of having a hand in it." 

Draco scowled at Snape, standing up a bit straighter. "Who suspects me? For the last time, I didn't do it, okay? That Bell girl must have had an enemy no one knows about...." 

Despite being irritated with the boy, that did not mean she would not take his side on things. After all, it was Draco who had been there since the beginning. Her hand went out to lay on his arm by her thigh, squeezing it gently. He glanced over at her, but she was already looking in Snape's direction. Their professor's attention moved from her expression to the way they were touching each other. Something unrecognizable flashed in his solemn eyes before he turned to stare directly into Draco's grey eyes. The distance growing in the gaze was the first alarming sign of what he was trying to do. Immediately, Mia sat up straighter and tugged harder on Draco's arm so that he would look away.

"Don't you dare, Snape," she snarled, protectively. 

"Don't you look at me like that!" Draco said at the same time, his eyes lighting with rage. "I know what you're doing, I'm not stupid, but it won't work. I can stop you." 

A surge of relief overcame her when she noticed the strain that spread over Snape's face, an expression that she was sure to have worn before in the same situation. Draco had done it. The Occulumency had worked. Snape sent a sharp glance her way, their eyes meeting for a split second. She knew that he would never dare to invade her mind again, though. After what happened before, the possibility of her using Legilimency against him terrified him too much to ever attempt it twice. 

"Aunt Bellatrix has been teaching you Occlumency, I see," Snape said, lowly. He turned to Mia. "I suspect you had a hand in the training, as well, given your considerable growth. A Legilimens and an Occlumens, complete opposites rivaling the mind. What thoughts are the two of you trying to conceal from your master that you would so desperately seek opposite defenses?"

Draco glared at Snape, standing up fully this time. "I'm not trying to conceal anything from him. We just don't want you butting in."

"Andromeda has already divulged me in your lack of trust in me, Draco. However, I was not aware the extent to which you fear my interference," his eyes flickered between them with a dark stare. "The two of you realize that, had anybody else failed to come to my office when I repeatedly told them to be there as you have done―" 

"So put me in detention! Report me to Dumbledore!" 

Mia's nostrils flared, and she jerked Draco by the same arm as before. "Don't be an idiot, Draco."

"You know perfectly well that I do not wish to do either of those things," Snape dismissed quickly. Just as Draco went to jeer again, Mia scowled and tightened her hold on him. She would always take Draco's side, but right now, he was being a brat. Snape took a step forward, his voice lowering. "Listen to me, Draco. I am trying to help you. I swore to your mother that I would protect you. I made the Unbreakable Vow―" 

"And can the same be said for Romy?" he interjected as gestured Mia's way. Draco's brows raised in question. "Did you make an Unbreakable Vow to protect her as well, or did you assume that I was the only one that needed protecting? Because it looks like you'll have to break it. I don't need protecting. I have all of the protection I need in Andromeda. Her only. It is our job. He gave it to us, and us alone. We have a plan, and it is going to work. It's just taking a bit longer than we thought that it would." 

Snape glanced between Mia and Draco with narrowed eyes. "What is your plan?" 

"I don't believe that is any of your business," Mia interrupted. "Again, Snape, we don't need your help. We have enough resources to complete our goal without another mistake."

"Like tonight?" He looked at Draco. "You were alone, which was foolish in the extreme, wandering the corridors without look-outs or backup. These are elementary mistakes that you seem to be making. The only reason why you are not being sent directly to Dumbledore is because Andromeda happened to conveniently support your idiocy by sacrificing her own reputation." 

Draco's scowl only dropped into a harsher line as he felt Mia's hand tighten on his arm again. "Like I said. We protect each other. More than you would ever do for us. Besides, I would have had Crabbe and Goyle with me if you hadn't put them in detention." 

"If your friends Crabbe and Goyle intend to pass their Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. this time, they will need to work a little harder than they are doing at the prese―"

"What does it matter? Defense Against the Dark Arts...it's all just a joke, isn't it? An act? Like any of us need protecting against the Dark Arts―"

Mia's lip twitched into a smirk despite herself. While she had always known that she and Draco carried a variety of shared beliefs, the fact that he was expressing the same thoughts as her so freely was just another reminder of why they were partners in this. The belief in the Dark Arts was only one of many examples of their similarities.

"It is an act that is crucial to success, Draco! Where do you think I would have been all of these years ago, if I had not know how to act? Where do you think Mia's father would be if he did?" The sudden words were enough for Mia to slide off the desk and stand up. The expression on her face had him stopping in his place, frowning between them. "Listen to me, both of you. You are being incautious, wandering around at night, letting yourself get caught. You say you are protecting each other, but what will you do when one of you slips up and makes a careless mistake? You are responsible for more than your own lives now. If you are placing your reliance in assistants like Crabbe and Goyle―"

"They're not the only ones," Draco hissed. "We've got―

Immediately, she silenced him again by tugging his arm. "Draco, stop. He deserves nothing more that you have to say."

"You must learn to confide in me―" Snape went to speak.

"I know what you're up to." Draco glared at him. "You want to steal our glory."

"You are speaking like a child. I quite understand that your father's capture and imprisonment has upset you, but―"

Snape had already said the fatal words, though. Draco bristled immediately at the mention of his father, having a worse reaction that Mia had with her father when Lucius was brought up. He ripped himself free of Mia's hold on him, wasting no time in rushing out of the room. Andromeda, although she knew that Draco was acting in childish fashion, could not necessarily say anything when the same argument had been said about her. Her reaction was no better than Draco's had been. The concern overruled any other emotion, and she turned to look at Snape with a final look. 

Snape was already frowning, his eyes moving to meet hers. "Go after him. Watch over him." 

"Isn't that the opposite of what you told me to do earlier?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"I also mentioned to begin with the one you could survive losing. I am beginning to see that there are some exceptions where you can exist without your heart in your own hands, after all."

 If there was any chance that Andromeda would stay around to understand the weight of Snape's words, it died as quickly as her worry set in for Draco. She did not give another glance his way. Instead, she pulled on the ends of her long dress and escaped through the classroom to find the cause of her heart's distress. Perhaps, in some circumstances, there was the chance to survive without hope. It was the other two―the matters of the head and the heart―that would become the greatest challenge Mia would ever face in this war. Death was tolerable in comparison to the pain that love would bring her.

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Author's Note: 

8,500 words down! I LOVED this chapter, and I am very happy with the way that it turned out. This was one of the chapters that I was so excited to write for, and I finally have it finished! This chapter kind of stands as the halfway point of this story, and I can't wait to get into the second half where we begin to see Mia decide whether or not to follow Snape's advice. 

Do you think that she should follow Snape's advice? Do you agree that Andrew was the easiest for Mia to push away...and what do you think about her having her own "horcruxes" in a way? What's in Slughorn's leather book? 

Please, please, leave comments letting me know what you thought of this chapter and this story. Give me some theories as to what you think is in store for Mia. Are feelings starting to happen between her and Draco? Or is she still caring for Andrew? 

This was such a long chapter. Feedback is always appreciated! 

COMUS: GOD OF FESTIVITY AND REVELS