◤ ❝You are far too similar to him, Miss Erebus. Charismatic, and intelligent, and hiding beneath it all a disturbing amount of darkness that this world should never see. I had hope that you could be what he never was, but I can tell that I was once again tragically mistaken. ❞ ― Horace Slughorn ◢

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂ 

CHAPTER TEN:        NYX

October 19, 1996

      Andromeda ended up going along with Potter and the others, who had grabbed Hagrid to rush Katie Bell back to Hogwarts. Both she and Vaisey kept sharing similar looks of caution, staying a bit behind everyone. They knew they weren't wanted there, but it felt wrong even for them to just abandon Katie. Even if she was halfway to the castle, Leanne was still in tears. All that they knew right now was that Katie had grabbed a package from the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks to deliver to Hogwarts. Given the state that she was in, Leanne threw out the notion that she may have been under the Imperius Curse, and after touching the contents inside, Katie was then cursed by the object. An opal necklace was wrapped beneath sodden paper, and Harry had recognized it just as quickly as Mia had. It belonged in Borgin and Burkes behind a thick layer of glass so that no one could ever be tempted by its darkness.

By the way that Potter continued to glance at her from the corner of his eye, she had a feeling that the two of them were thinking similarly on who was responsible for it. The only difference being that Potter was hellbent on proving it to the rest of the school, and Mia would do everything in her power to make sure that never happened. Draco. She did not know why he would do it, nor how he did it, but there was not a glimmer of doubt in her mind that he was the one behind it. He always was a careless thinker. 

It explained everything, of course. Why he had been acting so weird the past week, why he was so relieved that he wasn't going, why he didn't want her to go. Draco had known all along what was going to happen at Hogsmeade, and he hadn't warned her. He didn't give her the chance to tell him how stupid it was, just like he didn't tell her why he was even trying to curse someone in the first place―that was what scared her most of all. There was no reason she could think of for why Draco would do intentional harm to a random student. Not unless it was his individual mission from the Dark Lord, and it made no sense for their lord to care about the life of any Gryffindor that wasn't named Potter.

That only meant that the necklace was meant for someone else, and Mia was determined to figure out who. After they arrived at the castle, Potter and his friends quickly scurried off to go fetch Dumbledore, the cursed necklace wrapped multiple times in a thick scarf. Vaisey and her went to go in the direction of Madam Pompfrey to see what Hagrid had done with Katie, but Mia's feet were dragging in the attempt to take her elsewhere. The thumping in her chest rose as her frustrations became heavier, and the urge to throw something at a wall increased tenfold.

"Andrew," she muttered, grabbing his hand to stop him before they got to the hospital wing. He glanced down at her with concern. "I need to go see someone. I'll talk to you at dinner...tell me how she is, please."

Vaisey quirked a brow in confusion but nodded anyway. "Of course. I'm going to stay until I hear from Madam Pompfrey about her condition." 

"You have the heart of a Hufflepuff, Vaisey," she breathed out in thanks, squeezing his hand. 

"I resent that. Don't go spreading it around, Erebus." 

Mia left him soon after that, her feet taking her up the same path of staircases that had become so familiar to her in the past few weeks. With every step, she could feel her anger boiling even more. Katie Bell's face would never escape her mind―she had seen people cursed before, she had experienced the Cruciatus curse, and yet, there was an inescapable horror that came with witnessing a classmate she grew up with in a state like that. In that moment, she remembered what it felt like to fear things because she feared for Katie. A girl she had never talked to a day in her life, and she wanted nothing more than to reach out to her and help. It was as unfamiliar a feeling to her as the fear was.

The way to the Room of Requirement was a long one, and by the time she had reached the seventh floor, her anger had reached blind lividity. The wall where the Room stayed was unusually absent of their watchmen, Crabbe and Goyle, and Mia didn't waste a moment before she was starting toward it. As she grew closer, the door started to appear where the wall was, and by the time she had reached it, she was nearly ripping the handle off to get inside. The door disappeared behind her, and she found herself weaving through all of the stacks of hidden things to get to the center of the Room.

There, she immediately recognized the Vanishing Cabinet set in one of the corners next to another stack. On the opposite side was the rug, stool, and chair that she and Draco used so frequently, and sitting in it was the head of blonde hair that she wanted to rip from the scalp. He had sat up the moment he heard the door open, flinging himself off the chair with his wand raised in preparation for battle. His relief appeared when he noticed it was only Mia, but he should not have been relieved in the slightest. No, he very well should keep that wand raised high. 

He frowned at her. "Romy, what―"

"Katie Bell was cursed today in Hogsmeade. Both Imperiused and by a necklace," Mia said, leveling her voice so that none of her anger was shown. She tried to remain calm as she raised her brows at him in expectancy. "You wouldn't have any idea about that, would you?" 

"Of course not," he replied, though the way his voice stuttered gave him away. 

"Because I would hope that you would not act out of such complete and utter foolishness without at least telling me first. Now there is a classmate of ours in the hospital wing because someone thought they were wise enough to use the Imperius curse to carry a Dark object into Hogwarts, past a Sensor that they knew would set it off. So, please tell me that I am blowing this out of proportions and assure me that you are not so stupid, Draco! Tell me that I'm wrong."

Mia's voice was starting to raise as she glared at the boy. There was a deadly look in her eyes as she all but cursed him herself, spitting venom through her words. The time for rational and niceties was over. Her chest lurched when she watched him, her mind racing with the smallest hope that she was wrong. Draco was silent, though. His pale face had blanched to white and his eyes were withering away into a guilt that she had never seen before. It was without any words that he had just confessed to his crimes, and there was nothing that he could do to take it back now that she had seen it.

She shrunk away from him in horror. "You did...my God, you did. Draco, what in the hell were you thinking? That necklace could very well kill that girl! She has no part in this! Was Katie Bell your target or could it have been any woman that entered the bathroom at Three Broomsticks? Because Tracey was there. Daphne was there. I was going there. It could have been any of us―and for what? For what?"

"You don't understand." Draco flinched, his eyes constantly shifted away from hers. 

"I have understood you this entire time, Draco," Mia said, coldly. He had struck a nerve. "I have been the only one in this to understand you. I am the one who has always been there. Don't you dare ever make the accusation that I haven't. Don't belittle me so much that you think I wouldn't understand."

He looked at her, pleading. "Then trust me when I say I had to do this."

Had to? Mia's eyes narrowed to slits as she watched him. "So that's it, then? The Dark Lord wants you to kill someone...who was that necklace meant for, Draco?"

"I can't tell you that." 

"What, are you afraid I'll tarnish your plan and take all of the credit for myself?" she hissed, stepping forward. He winced at her anger, but didn't move backwards. "You realize that if you don't tell me who you are so intent to kill, there is no way I can help you with this. More people will be hurt in the process because of you. More classmates. More innocents―"

"And since when have you cared about any of them?" he spit back, glaring back at her with a fire burning the grey in his eyes. "What caused a sudden change of heart―'the innocents.' Please, Andromeda! If I must remind you, we are sending Death Eaters into this very castle and you know as well as I do that they will hold no regards about who is innocent and who is not. Protect them from yourself if you seek to better the world as you'd like it." 

They were biting at one another like wolves, neck and neck with every intent to tear out more from the other. Draco had allowed his rage to burn for too long, and the accusations and looks that Andromeda was throwing his way had been too much for him. He barely recognized the girl in front of him as her brown eyes darkened considerably. Never had she looked at him like this, and never had he felt this way about her. He absolutely hated it.

"I care when it concerns my friends. I apologize that you hold no concept of that meaning, seeing as that would also require a sense of trust―another concept your small-minded self must not grasp since you clearly haven't the faintest trust in me," she jeered.

Draco was shaking her head before she even finished speaking. "This has nothing to do with trust. I'm trying to protect you." 

"FROM WHAT? There is NOTHING in this world that can protect me now! I have sworn an allegiance to the same person you have, Draco! I have sold my soul to him and in return been granted a life sentence of torture and blind loyalty. So, if you think that there is anything that lives and breathes that can protect me from my fate, you are wrong. Don't insult me by assuming that I am incapable of taking care of myself. I know better than anyone else how to protect my own skin. I have been doing it for sixteen years."

"Not from this," he hissed, "this is something you can never return from, Romy." 

"I have followed you this far, Malfoy. If you think I am not plenty prepared to follow you into this darkness as well, you are wrong about that, too." 

Mia had given up on shouting, but her voice was still harsh. The force of it made her teeth grind together as she watched him hopelessly. She realized for the first time that tears were falling from Draco's eyes. His blonde hair was a mess, disheveled out of its usually near perfect state. Though she knew she looked no better than him. Tears of her own stained her face, throat raw from arguing. Only now that all words were lost to her did she let out a breath of air. Neither of them bothered to wipe away the tears sitting stationary. They had shown greater weakness than that to each other before.

Mia swallowed the lump that was forming in the back of her throat, ignoring how both of their chests were rising and falling heavily from shouting. "Your mother asked me before we arrived if I was prepared to kill for you...the Dark Lord told me that I had a third mission―a mission that was only mine should it fail to be yours. I am in this whether you want me to be or not. I have always been in this. The best way you could possibly protect me is by allowing me to help you before you expose both of us." 

"And what did you say?" he asked, his eyes burning with every emotion on the spectrum. "To my mother. What did you say?" 

"I said yes, of course. What else would I say, you fool? While you are so quick to try and protect me, I have been doing the same thing all along―but I need you to let me. Let me help you with this. You and I have always worked better together. Tell me, who is it that he is instructing you to kill?" she asked, then paused. "Is it Potter? Snape? Is it me?" 

Draco recoiled. "I would never―"

"Then who, Draco?" 

The desperation to know was clearly there, and the exhaustion followed close behind. There were two people in the world that she absolutely despised fighting with, and Draco was one of them. Fighting with Theodore was the other unspeakable crime. Simply looking at the state Draco was in brought a bitter feeling in her chest, to see someone she cared about hurt and know that she was the reason why. It was deafening, her ears ringing from all of the blood that rushed to her head when she shouted earlier. There was a silence that overcame them before he said anything more. 

"Dumbledore."

Mia stumbled back, falling on the heels of her feet like she had just been hit. "Dumbledore? The Dark Lord wants you to kill Albus Dumbledore? Draco, that's impossible―"

"You think I don't know that?" he asked, shaking his head as he moved back to the chair. He threw himself in it, elbows on his knees as he tugged on his blonde hair anxiously. "I know well enough that there is no way I can kill the man directly. The necklace was meant to be delivered to him by Filch from Rosmerta. It was supposed to be simple." 

"Rosmerta? What does she have to do with this?" 

"I used the Imperius Curse on her so that she would preform it on anyone who walked through the bathroom alone, to take the packaged necklace and deliver it to Hogwarts. Katie was never meant to touch it, only carry it..." Draco swallowed hard. "I needed to find someone that everyone trusted. Rosmerta was the first person that I thought of. No one would bat an eyelash at the barmaid."

Mia slowly moved to sit down on the stool in front of him. He barely glanced up, his glossy eyes watching his hands and fumbling around with the bulky ring on his finger. "Draco...what he's asking of you..."

"I know. It's a death sentence no matter what. Either I kill one of the greatest wizards there ever was, or the Dark Lord kills me. I'm assuming he asked you to take my place because it would give him reason to do the same if you fail, as well."  

"He needs no more reasons to want me dead," she scoffed. "He has plenty." 

Draco eyed her down. "Which is precisely why I will not give him any more. Stay out of this, Romy. Please." 

"That's not your decision to make for me. If you are entering hell, I will be following alongside you. I'm not leaving you to this by yourself. He never should have asked you to do something so dangerous alone in the first place...we will think of a way. Just as we always do. You need to be careful in the coming days, though. Potter suspects you had a hand in what happened today, and seeing as he still searches for proof that we're Death Eaters, I have a feeling this will only fuel his obsession." 

Draco sat up straighter in the chair, his face twisting with hatred at the mere thought of Potter. He glanced at her, and some of the anger faded, but there was a remnant of fear reflecting his grey eyes. "Does he suspect you?" 

"No. I believe the petrified look on my face when I saw Bell screaming bloody murder deduced that I was not the one behind it," she said, "but he recognized the necklace, and he knew I recognized it too. He'll have probably ran to Dumbledore about his suspicions already. Daphne says he's been seen having frequent meetings to the headmaster." 

"Wonderful. Has he created a banner to hang from the Great Hall with a picture of me and 'Death Eater' underneath it yet?" Draco scoffed. "If only I could kill him instead. That would solve everything." 

"Or end your life completely. The Dark Lord would skin you alive for taking away his glory of killing Potter himself. Just stay away from him, and things will defuse on their own. Until then, I found something to help our other problem."

He snorted loudly. "Which one? The list is getting quite lengthy these days." 

"That one," she pointed towards the cabinet, and retrieved the book from her robe pocket. She hadn't even realized how much it was weighing her down. "It's the book from my father's library, an exact replica...I have a different feeling about this one. It may be the very thing we need." 

"I'd wager so." He eyed the book in her hands. "It's going to take us until June to finish it all." 

"Good thing that's when our deadline ends." 

Draco rolled his eyes. "Deadline on our lives? Deathline seems more fitting." 

The world around them was spinning again, neither of them mentioning the dry stains on their cheeks or the hollow feeling that still sat in their stomachs. Dread, as most people called it. His from a place of concern for Mia, and her for him. He'd never wanted her to get involved with this part of their mission; he had fully intended to keep it from her as long as possible. Both to protect her and himself. He would be too concerned, too worried over her. Now that she knew, sitting in front of him with those brown eyes of hers,  the dread threatened to topple over. 

She lunged the book at him. "Your dry humor is not amusing." 

"Another day, then."

"Preferably never again."

―――――――――――――

October 22, 1996

Mia had been walking to the Great Hall for breakfast when she was stopped partway there. She had to admit that it was not one of her finer moments; her hair was pulled into the largest pile of mess that she could create and a tie hung loosely around her neck―she was pretty sure it was Theo's anyway with how far down it went passed her torso. Ever since Draco revealed the Dark Lord's mission, they had been splitting up the workload between Dumbledore's demise and the Vanishing Cabinet. Mia had nearly forgotten that she had a job of her own she needed to be doing. However, the reminder came like a slap in the face that morning. Professor Slughorn didn't seem to notice her unruly appearance at all as he stood in front of her. His bright and cheerful eyes were watching her like she was a trophy he'd just won.

"Miss Erebus! How wonderful to see you! I looked all over for you at Hogsmeade, but I was later informed of what happened..." 

"I apologize, Professor," she said, her lips pulling to a false smile. "Andrew Vaisey and I followed Harry Potter and his friends to make sure that Katie Bell was all right and the cursed object was given to the proper authorities here. None of us wanted another person harmed by it." 

Slughorn only waved her words away. "No need to explain! You did the right thing, Miss Erebus. I had no doubts that you wouldn't. I only wanted to chat with you about our next meeting and the plans that I am making for a Christmas party!" 

Mia would have twisted her face in disgust right then if she had been with anyone else. The mere word 'party' had long since grown to bring an uncomfortable memory to her mind of all the 'parties' she went to as a child. Really, they were just the families of former Death Eaters getting their affairs in order if the Dark Lord ever returned. The vivid flashback of her standing in the corner of the room wearing an atrocious purple dress never left her mind; the similar look of disgust that she remembered on Draco and Theodore's faces were permanent scars as well. 

"That sounds lovely, sir. I think that what many of us need right now is the opportunity relax and spend time with friends." Anyone who knew Mia well enough would be able to pick up on the sarcasm. Right now was easily the worst moment possible to throw a Christmas party. "Do you have a date set in mind?" 

"No, no, not yet...Miss Granger is speaking with Mister Potter about an available date for him so that we can finally get him to come to one of our meetings!" Slughorn beamed, and Mia wanted to scowl. Of course, she thought, everything revolved around the Chosen One. "Speaking of dates, please bring along your friend―Mister Vaisey, he is the Chaser for Slytherin, correct? I have heard great things about him..."

The dig was not missed. Slughorn wanted to find out how good of a Chaser Andrew actually was. Gwenog Jones, captain of the Holyhead Harpies, was often a boastful conversation he brought up any time someone asked him about previous Club members―he had an eye for Quidditch players that showed talent just as much as witches with a preference for nonverbal magic. Mia wanted Vaisey to have no involvement with Slughorn, the very idea a horrible one, but she knew that it would be easier to win his trust. Plus, she would have asked Vaisey to be her date anyway. Theodore would never accept, he hated parties more than her, and she refused to fuel the rumor about her and Draco by asking him. 

Andromeda nodded compliantly. "Of course. I'll be sure to bring it up to him as soon as I see him next." 

"Wonderful! Now, more information will come to you and Mister Zabini about the next meeting before the party..." 

Slughorn's words trailed off as she focused her attention on someone behind him. Leanne was walking out from the Great Hall with a few of her other housemates. She looked dreadful―there were dark circles underneath her eyelids like she hadn't slept in days, and Mia suspected as much. They discovered two days ago that Katie Bell's injuries were too extreme for Madam Pompfrey or Snape, who had come to aid with his speciality in the Dark Arts, and sent her off to St. Mungo's to be helped further. She had to receive that news with caution. Vaisey pulled her aside in the common room to mutter the news to her. Draco didn't take it any better and groveled in guilt the past two nights. 

He had been remaining true to staying away from Potter, though. His concern rested more in the long stares that Snape sent his way―given all of the practice Mia had put him through, Draco knew that those looks were a product of Legilimency being used. Since then, he had been keeping his mind guarded all the time from their professor. Andromeda had received a look or two of her own, but she could tell that he was not prying into her mind like Draco. Rightfully so, assuming he didn't want her to crawl about in his mind, as well.

"...I would love to discuss it more with you next meeting! We have not spent much time talking about how incredible of a student your mother was! Truly, truly a magnificent witch when it came to Potions." 

She blinked out of her daze and looked back at Slughorn when he mentioned her mother. "I forget so often that she was in the Club, as well." 

"Oh yes. Your mother was one of my favorite students! She and Lily Evans made spectacular partners in my class―I put the two of them together myself. Never received anything less than Outstanding on their work." 

Andromeda sucked in an unexpected deep breath when she heard the name of her enemy's mother. She never knew that her mother associated with Lily Evans outside of the Slug Club. Well, she assumed they knew of each other, but she never would have imagined her mother making an effort to talk to her. Harry's mother was muggleborn. Even if the Radnor woman had a tolerance for their kind, it would still look unacceptable by her housemates. Mia wondered if Slughorn knew that and purposefully put them together because of it. The reminder that her and Potter's lives were too intricately intertwined was not a kind one. 

"I would love that very much, sir." No, she wouldn't. "I'm sorry to leave you so suddenly, but I was going to grab breakfast before my Defense class―"

Slughorn's eyes widened in understanding. "Of course! I need to go rally up the other members and mention the Christmas party to them as well. Have a wonderful day, Miss Erebus. I look forward to meeting Mister Vaisey....Oh! Mister McLaggen!" 

He was off like the wind after that, barely giving Mia enough time to say goodbye before he was chasing after Cormac McLaggen. 

Getting to the Great Hall, she quickly made her way over to her house table. It was surprisingly empty, most students sleeping in or rushing to class. Theodore was already there, eating quietly to himself. Zabini, Daphne, and Tracey weren't there, neither were Crabbe and Goyle (surprisingly), but Pansy Parkinson had finally made a reappearance into society. She sat further down than usual, three or four fifth-years between her and Draco as she kept her face into her bowl of porridge. Mia had a feeling it would be extra soggy given the sobs that were coming from her. Bulstrode looked like she was trying to comfort Parkinson to no avail. She sat down on Theo's left, briefly acknowledging Draco across from her as she reached for an apple. 

Theodore looked at her instantly, relief on his face. "Finally. I thought you'd forgotten what food was...." he paused, his brows pulling down as he looked at the tie wrapped around her neck. "Is that my tie?" 

She glanced down. "Probably." 

When she looked back up, Draco was staring intently at the striped, green tie with a curious look. Then, they widened in recognition. He met her eyes, a smirk pulling on the corner of his mouth as he glanced from the article of clothing back to her face. Instantly, she realized that he was trying to tell her that it was not her cousin's but his instead. Mia rolled her eyes, knowing that she had probably grabbed it accidentally thinking it was her own while in the Room of Requirements.

Just as she went to grab a few pieces of toast, someone sat down next to her. Uncomfortably close, she flinched instinctively into Theo's side as she looked to see who it was. Theo was not far behind, merely having to turn his head to see over hers with their height difference. Andrew was there, first sending a small nod to her cousin in acknowledgement before glancing down at her with a smile. 

"Hi there," he said casually. 

She raised a brow. "Did they never teach personal space to seventh years? It's an important skill to have before you graduate into the world, you know."

"Personal space implies lack of personal comradery. You and I are friends, therefore the terms are void," Vaisey explained, shrugging his shoulders but still scooted over a bit so that her bare thigh was not touching him. "But I suppose I'll comply since you asked so nicely." 

"How kind of you," she said. Then, she remembered the conversation she just had in the hall. "Speaking of friendship, Slughorn has decided that he wants to throw a Christmas party for the Slug Club." 

A scoff was heard across from her. Draco sneered into his eggs. "Of course he is." 

"He wants for me to bring you along." Mia chose to ignore Draco, keeping her attention to Vaisey. 

Immediately, the lackadaisical smile twisted into a full grin. She knew what was coming, his cheekiness was anticipated the moment she opened her mouth to ask him. "Andromeda, are you asking me to be your date?" 

"Friend," she corrected, rolling her eyes with a smile. She nodded her head back in the direction of Theo. "Unfortunately, my dearest cousin suffered more prolonged trauma than I did from all of the parties my mother dressed us for when we were younger, so he was not an option." 

A sound of agreement was heard beside her, Theo acknowledging her thoughtfulness. He nudged her knee with his own to give a silent thanks for not making him suffer through the party or Slughorn's commentary on how his father used to be 'such an amazing man' before he turned into a Death Eater. They were already well aware that Eldrice Nott was not a kind or amazing man anymore. He hadn't been since the Dark Lord took him from his family. 

"I take it as a compliment that you thought of me secondly, then." Andrew grinned. 

A harsh sound of someone getting up aggressively from the other side of the dining table caught her and Andrew's attentions, both of them stopping their conversation to look over in surprise. Draco was been the one to make the noise, the boy already halfway to the exit of the Great Hall with tense shoulders. Mia frowned. Her eyes followed the blonde boy as he left, wondering what had riled him up so much that he would just up and leave so angrily. Theo snorted under his breath, shaking his head as he brought his breakfast back up to his mouth to continue eating. Vaisey had watched him go with a curious look in his eyes.

"Well," Vaisey said, breaking the tension. "Malfoy never has liked me much." 

Mia shrugged, giving him a half-smile. "He doesn't much like anyone these days." 

"Ah, true, but I suspect he may have been upset you didn't ask him secondly." She had thought about it, but she wasn't going to mention that. Vaisey didn't press any more, and instead leaned forward to look at her cousin. "Still not up for my offer, Nott?" 

She glanced between them in confusion. "What offer?"

"I asked Theodore if he would reconsider playing for the team. Urquhart is a dreadful captain and all of us know it, so I have resorted to calling the shots most of the time―he doesn't much mind, as long as he gets to keep the precious title to boast around. I care more about making sure my team is good rather than what that team calls me. Titles don't make true leaders any way...Mattins is thinking about quitting Keeper. I wanted to put Zabini there and have Theodore play third Chaser if he wants to accept my offer."

Andromeda leaned back a little bit in thought. Truthfully, she hadn't been thinking much about the Quidditch season this year. It was the last thing on her mind, but she still found the sport interesting and used to love going to the games. November was coming up, and that meant that the game between Slytherin and Gryffindor was also fast approaching. What Vaisey said made sense; Theodore was tall and lanky, and Blaise was built more for a Keeper than a Chaser anyway. Plus, it might do her cousin some good to get involved in something. It would keep him distracted from worrying over her.

She looked to see that his face was twisted in indifference. "I don't know..." 

"Potter is going to have to replace Bell with someone else―positions are changing in other houses, and it's the perfect time to join," Vaisey added, urging the idea onto Theodore with a passion in his voice that she hadn't heard before. Maybe Slughorn had been right about his potential for something greater in Quidditch. "Look, no need to make a decision now. We have a few weeks until we play Gryffindor...but I want you playing for us, Nott. I can train you myself." 

An unfamiliar pinch rose in Andromeda's chest and she had the urge to reach up and kiss Andrew right then and there for being so kind to her cousin. For most of their lives, she and Theo hid themselves in their school work and tried to attract as little attention as possible. That meant that they were often overlooked, and for Vaisey to see Theo's potential and extend his own efforts to help made her heart swell. If Andrew's intentions were to get on her good side, using Theodore was the perfect way.

Theodore looked to be in conflict with himself, twiddling his fork in his hand as he frowned. He nodded once to Vaisey to say he would think about it, and the older boy grinned just as he always did before allowing Theo to return to his food. Instead, he turned to Mia and his forehead creased in confusion when he saw the way that she was looking at him. 

"What?" 

"You," she said, rolling her eyes again in feigned annoyance. "Sometimes I wonder how you even made it into Slytherin, you have so much enthusiasm and compassion." 

"Gateway to ambition." He shrugged. "I may not be the stereotypical brood in our house, but neither are you if I remember. Besides, I can assure you I have plenty Slytherin qualities. Determination, for one. Most recently, in regards to wooing you with said enthusiasm and compassion." 

Mia scoffed, shoving him gently in the shoulder. "Go to class, Andrew." 

"But I enjoy your company so much, Andromeda," he flirted, then paused and looked down the table at Theodore. "You too, of course, Theodore." 

To her surprise, her cousin's mouth twitched with a smirk as he started to pack up all of the homework he'd had placed around him before their Defense class. Stopping, Theo glanced over at them. "Not that my opinion has ever held steady concerning your relationships with others, but I appreciate his resiliency, Mia." 

"Oh, bloody hell," she muttered, her hands going to her face in exasperation.

Vaisey laughed, and the sound filled the space between them. "All right, all right. I'm leaving. I'll speak with you later...and Nott? Think about it. We can go out to the pitch one day this week before practice and mess about to see if you like playing. You may end up enjoying it more than you think."

He got up from the table with a final smile directed at Mia. She shook her head in a daze as she watched him leave, the hint of her own smile resting on her face as she returned back to her food. A quiet hum came from the back of Theodore's throat, making her turn to look at him with narrowed eyes. Now that everyone around them was gone, he was back to comfortably talking as much as Mia didn't currently want him to.

"Do not even start."

Theodore grinned, and even annoyed with him, she was happy to see it. "Not starting anything. I just like seeing you happy―the last month, you've begun withering into yourself. Even with me. Mind you, you never have liked other people, but still...Vaisey brings out the part of you that I missed seeing. It comes as a relief to know there is someone that makes you smile like that." 

Even though Mia knew he meant it in good faith, that struck a nerve in her. The smile fell off her face and she fumbled lazily at the tie around her neck, pulling at its end. "You know that nothing can come out of it, Theo. His father reports to the Daily Prophet. Can you imagine what slander would come from his son being involved with an Erebus his father writes so frequently about? Besides, I have no intentions to―"

"―be in a relationship," Theodore recited, rolling his eyes. "Yes. I've heard, and usually I would be all for your infinite celibacy to keep my sanity in check, but I think Vaisey could be good company for you. He cares about you. More than other people." 

In translation: Draco. Andromeda knew that it was false, and that there are probably no one aside from Theodore and her mother who cared about her more than Draco did. After all, the argument that they had the other day was still fresh in her mind. He had been trying to protect her, in vain of course, but it was the sentiment that their protection was not just one-sided that comforted her most.

She sighed. "Not this again." 

"I'm not bringing it up anymore...I just―Mia, I'm not blind. Vaisey isn't either. You have been trying to distance yourself from Malfoy, and with good attempts, but the tie around your neck speaks otherwise." 

"Wha―" she glanced down at it and then back at him. "It's not like that at all." 

Theo frowned. "No. I didn't think it was. I know that it's something more, but I promised to trust you and I always have, so I haven't asked questions...but despite whatever you and he have gotten yourself into, you still deserve to be happy. Vaisey has brought that back into your life―so, coming from the opinion of your dreadfully protective older cousin, allow yourself the chance. Try, if not for yourself than for me." 

"You know that works both ways, don't you?" she asked, then looked at him pointedly. "You would be an incredible Chaser, Theo, and Vaisey isn't the only one who knows it...you need something for yourself. Hiding away like you do worries me too, you know. Here, if you try out for the team, then I'll give Vaisey a chance. Sound like a fair deal to you?"

Theo paused, weighing his options. "All right." 

The cousins stuck their pinky fingers out on instinct, a small sentiment from their childhood that they had gotten from their mothers. Athella and Celicia had always done this whenever they made any promises with one another. A muggle commonality, but oddly comforting. It was the childlike, harmless version of an Unbreakable Vow for them. After Theodore's mother passed away, the sentiment only grew in its meaning as they realized how much they needed one another to get through life. Although only connected pinky fingers, it meant family for them. At the end of the day, Mia had come to see that that was the most important thing―and maybe it was possible to have two families. A family with Theodore and her mother, and one entirely different with Draco. 

Two of the most important men in her life, and yet, she had also come to understand that they were her two greatest weaknesses. The book that Vaisey had given her about the Furies mentioned that the women only acted to punish those who harmed family. That was her purpose, after all. To protect Draco and Theodore, and even her mother, from the Dark Lord's wrath and the Ministry's punishment. A war against two sides. Andromeda, after some consideration, started to see that she was even more like them than she had ever known before. It made her wonder, though―without them, what would she truly be? Who would she be? 

How soon would that darkness become deliberate, and how quickly could it destroy?

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂ 

Author's Note: 

Andromeda is slowly starting to realize who is important to her and growing relationships with people! Which is a very good thing and a very bad thing if you think about it. What do you think would happen if Mia were to lose Theodore, her mother, and/or Draco? How would you answer those final questions?

Let me know what you thought! Comments on this story are always appreciated (if you comment a question you have or a theory, I will probably reply with a paragraph). So let's discuss! 

How did you guys think their fight went? Excited to see any more in the future? 

Thank you guys! 

NYX: GODDESS OF THE NIGHT, MOTHER OF EREBUS