◤ ❝You've only ever sought out half the truth. What happens when the rest of it is revealed to you? Then what will you do?❞ ― Celicia Erebus  ◢

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CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX:  DEIMOS

July 14, 1996

             Andromeda Erebus stood silently in the Malfoy Manor, brown eyes empty and composed as she watched the scene in front of her. Her hands were in fists at her side, one of them clutching onto her wand defensively, ready for any attempt the woman in front of her may make to end her life if she felt like it. Bellatrix Lestrange didn't like her, that much was obvious by the meeting only a week ago, where the marks from her nails still cut deep into Andromeda's thighs. Even now, with only three people in the room, she could still tell that Bellatrix was considering murdering her right then and there. The only thing preventing that from happening was their Lord's purpose for her and Draco Malfoy that school year at Hogwarts.

Speaking of the grey-eyed boy, he stood on the opposite side of the room, his body tense and prepared for the next blow that would come from his aunt. In a flash of color and an unforgivable word, Andromeda flinched when she heard Draco cry out in agony. Her and Draco were not close friends, and in no degree would she consider him someone she cared much about, but the sight of someone withering in pain that she knew―that would be her partner in these missions, that she grew up with―sickened her to the core. Perhaps it was simply because she knew that she was next. Whatever Bellatrix dealt to her nephew would be intensified the moment Andromeda was in front of her instead. The Cruciatus Curse needed hatred, ill-will, in one's heart to proceed. Bellatrix had enough of that for Andromeda's family.

"En...enough!" Draco cried out, his body curling on the ground, and Andromeda's jaw tightened as she watched it happen, diverting her eyes to the portrait of the Malfoy family off to the side. "Please! Enough!"

Bellatrix must have felt generous that day because she let up on her nephew with a sigh and tut of her tongue, walking around his body as he struggled to regain his labored breaths. Andromeda's heart was racing in her ears, the grooves of her wand reminding her that it was there, especially when Bella looked up from her silent reprimanding of Draco to Andromeda―and a manic grin twisted on the tips of her mouth, her wand waving around near her face as she strutted in an intoxicated-manor toward Andromeda.

"Onto the next, then, shall we? Did Daddy teach you about these Curses before he was killed by one of them?" Bella taunted, giggling to herself at the joke, her eyes twinkling on Andromeda. "Traitor, that man was. My Lord deserved better than his treachery. He deserves better than you, scum―CRUCIO!"

Andromeda didn't get the opportunity to respond to her. Before she could prepare herself, a hot white flash of pain was pulling at every tendon, every muscle, every vein in opposite directions―pain, unbearable, to a degree that she could already begin to feel the thoughts in her brain jumble up and become more incoherent as the only feeling pulsing through was agony―and Draco had finally pulled himself up into a seated position, his exhausted and pained eyes watching with a wince as Andromeda withered on the ground, the echo of her scream coursing off the walls of the manor. It was obvious that Bellatrix did not give Andromeda the opportunity to deflect the curse, much too late.

Draco stopped being able to watch after the third scream, wishing that Romy would just submit. He knew how she was from growing up with her―she was much too stubborn for that, just like she always had been―but Bellatrix had no intention to stop and at the degree she was inflicting the curse, it wouldn't be long before she passed out from the pain. He stopped focusing heavily on the ceiling of his home when the room stilled into a deafening silence, following the obscure sound of someone Disapparating.

When he looked back, Bellatrix was nowhere in sight, and Romy was laying face-up on the hardwood floor, her chest heaving up and down as she choked for gasps of air. She managed to roll over on her side, her curly brown hair falling in her face and her eyes immediately connecting with his across the room―and something changed in that moment between the two of them. An understanding deeper than it had been before at their meeting with the Dark Lord. Draco and Andromeda could see very clearly now that they were looking at the only person in the world offering them a chance to survive through this. They would experience their pain together, their suffering, and the realization of that settled deep in their guts and hardened their cold hearts in the process.

―――――――――― 

May 6, 1997

Andromeda lost her perception of time the moment she dropped to her knees in the bathroom. It could have been days and she surely would have believed so had it not been for the fact that the sun was only just going down, which meant that it couldn't have been more than a few minutes since Madam Pomfrey administered the dittany to all of the cuts that she and Professor Snape could not heal. Draco passed out long before then from the pain, his arm falling slack off the side of the bed frame until Mia caught it, clutching onto him like he'd disappear right in front of her and the only thing she'd have left was the gut-wrenching pain in her stomach right now.

If she was meant to think of anything else in that moment, she failed. Between the blind rage that tugged at her chest every time Draco groaned in his sleep at a wave of pain, to the concern she had for him, what was happening on the other side of the castle was temporarily erased from her mind, either as a defensive mechanism or an unintentional blockage―but that would not last for long.

"Andromeda."

Mia jolted at the sound of her full name, caught off guard. She glanced over to the entrance of the Hospital Wing to whoever said it. At the door was Andrew Vaisey, his usually-bright green eyes dark and burning with concern, something unlike him that instantly brought her back to reality―and just like that, the defensive mechanism was defeated and the blockage cleared, reminding her of what she had just done. A wave of nausea fled through her system and she shot up instantly, her hand leaving Draco's as she rushed toward Andrew.

"Mia―"

"Where is he?" she rushed out, blanching. "Where is he, Andrew?"

"He wouldn't tell me. He ran out of the common room like his arm had been burned right then and there. Mia, are you okay? Is Draco...what is―"

Andrew wasn't given the opportunity to finish his series of questions for her. Mia could only run so fast through the halls, up the stairs, with the urge to vomit only getting worse the closer the distance became. She had to hope that he would go where she could find him easiest, and by the time she'd reached the seventh floor, her three paces in front of the Room of Requirement were rushed, and she wrenched the door open and crossed quickly through the rows and rows of miscellaneous things to find where the center was.

Then she stopped. Her hand fell to her stomach and tears began to strangle her from the depth of her throat as she stared at the scene in front of her. Theodore was there, his white school polo rolled up to show what heinous and irreparable thing she had done to him―what she had nearly forgotten about. The Dark Mark sat there, saturated and blotchy, knowing that it did not belong on his arm and trying to find its way back to his rightful owner. Theo stared back at her, his eyes bloodshot and swollen, showing the sobs which had previously consumed him to match with the ones wracking through his body now.

"Mia...what did you do?"

She jumped, her tears taking off at the tone of Theo's voice, stepping forward. "It's not...I had to...Theo―"

"You gave me this?" he asked, horrified. "You―"

"―it's not permanent. It's not...." she shook her head, refusing it, taking another step forward and raising her hands, as though that would make any difference. "I didn't....I didn't have any other choice, Theo. I used a Switching Spell....I had my ring and his Mark needed to be gone until he could be properly healed so that Pomfrey wouldn't―"

Theo gawked at her, his eyes only burning hotter with tears. "This is meant to be Draco's Mark?"

"He tried to kill him."

Mia's words were gone by that point, like she'd just come to the realization by saying those five words what had just occurred between herself, Draco, and Potter. Nothing left inside of her to give to, she stared at her cousin, feeling every piece of her world shatter right before his very eyes. Because Theodore stood in front of her bearing the Mark she prayed he would never have to, and it was her doing, while Draco laid in a hospital bed floors below with physical scars on his body that would never heal to pair with the others.

"Potter tried to kill him...he tried to...he could've died―bled out right there in my arms―I...I tried...." her mind was out of sorts, her body trembling under the weight of the last few moments of her life. Theodore watched helplessly with his Dark Mark moving against his skin, and she felt ill again at the reminder of what she'd done glaring back at her. "I did this. I...my god, what have I done? I'm so sorry―Theo, I'm so sorry...I'm so sor..."

The apologies came out over and over until her voice refused them, the sobs overcoming her. Just when she thought there was nothing else that could be done and she had destroyed everything with him, Theo walked over to her slowly and wrapped his arms around his younger cousin, clutching onto her tighter than he ever had before. The action only ignited another wave of agony, because she didn't deserve this. Mia had just branded his skin with the Mark of their fathers, the Mark he'd spend his whole life fearing, her Mark, and yet he continued to stay when any other would have murdered her on the spot for what she had done.

He clutched the back of her head and pressed a kiss to the side of her temple, her tears catching on his shoulder as he held onto her to keep her upright. "I didn't know what to do, Theo. I didn't...I did what I thought I had to. If they found out, they would've....all of us would've been....I didn't have a choice―"

"I know, Mia," he muttered underneath his breath, and she felt the tears from his cheeks above her hit her collarbone, the two of them unsure of when they would ever stop―if they would ever stop. "I know. I know. I forgive you."

That made her fall slacker in his hold. "What? You shouldn't―"

"I do. I forgive you. I know. I know, Mia. I forgive you."

"No―"

"I forgive you. I'll always forgive you."

Theodore repeated those words with every protest that escaped his cousin's mouth while simultaneously trying to ignore the foul things coursing through his brain at what was on his arm. He understood, of course he did, but that did not mean Theodore did not feel an instantaneous urge to cut off his own arm just be rid of the Mark that had been slowly eating away at his family for decades―but then Theodore thought about it more and more―and he understood. He could live with a temporary Mark on his body, so long as that meant that Mia was safe another day. Even if he hated every moment of it. Because she had already made that sacrifice for him.

They didn't move for a while, Mia's sobs slowly dying down until she was shivering in his arms. That was when he realized she was drenched in water from head to toe, like she'd been sprayed down, and he reluctantly let go of her to glance down at her and actually look at her that time. Theo always knew her. Better than she knew herself. The look dawning her face right now was empty, lost―broken―in a way that he had not ever seen before, even when her father died. Tears were still falling down her face at a different pace, like she'd given up and these were just the residual droplets after a heavy storm.

"What can I do?" he asked softly, his words barely breaking the silence between them.

She glanced up at him, sniffling and rubbing her nose on her robe. "You need to go talk to Andrew."

"Mia―"

"He's worried about you," she interrupted quietly, glancing down at her cousin's arm again with hatred burning in her eyes. Hate for herself. Then, she paused, her brows stitching together. "Does he know?"

Theo visibly recoiled at the question. "No. I would never―"

"He'll find out soon, Theo...about me. About Draco...about this...that is, if he hasn't already started to put the pieces together. He knows how suspicious we've been the last few months, and with this..."

Mia paused, still staring at the Mark on Theo's arm. She felt empty. Knowing what had to be said, and wishing she never had to say it. He knew too, by her expression and words, where she was headed. His heart broken at the short pause, his jaw tightening with an instant protest stuck in his throat, but he couldn't get them out―so he could only shake his head, his eyes burning on Mia's. The Dark Mark cast a dark shadow between the two of them.

"Theo, I think that you and I should distance ourselves from one another."

"No."

She clenched her jaw, feeling another wave of tears. "Theodore."

"We aren't doing this again, Andromeda."

"Last time, you didn't have that Mark on your arm. Last time, I didn't give it to you. Last time, you weren't in love with someone―someone who makes you happy, Theodore. I won't let you sacrifice that for me. What happens when he puts the pieces together? When he finds out what Draco and I have been doing all year? What we are? You have a choice, Theo. You have a way out. This only shows that I'm bad for you―"

When she gestured toward the Mark, Theodore pushed her arm down quickly, his flushed face filled with frustration and anger. "Why is it that you are always the one deciding, Andromeda? You are always the one sacrificing―always the one giving pieces of yourself away, deciding what is best for the both of us like I have no say in the matter―but this is not just your decision. You said it yourself. I have the choice. Just as you had the choice to join him to protect me and Aunt Cece. Just as you have spent all year protecting me. You do not get to decide when to push me away anymore, Mia. That is not just your decision." 

"You're right. I've made my choice, Theodore. You still have yours. You can still choose differently. Choose what I didn't―"

"Do you not still have a choice, Mia?" he interrupted brazenly, making her halt. "You have one. Whether you have let yourself see it or not. You have a choice. A choice to be happy―I'm not the only one who's fallen in love―I'm not the only who has found someone I would sacrifice everything for. You refuse to believe you have a choice because then you must fear you'll make the wrong one."

Mia was silenced by Theodore's truth, finally looking away from the Mark and meeting his eyes. She didn't deny what he said. In the past, she had. In the past, she would have pretended like he never once uttered the words―but she knew it was true now. After what happened, there was no longer any denying that she had fallen in love with Draco. She would, in a split second, sacrifice everything if he meant he were alright. She looked back at the Mark one last time before clashing with Theo's tearful blue irises.

"And what happens when I don't know what the wrong one is anymore?"

Theo didn't say anything to that. His chest rose and fell in tune with Mia's. He could see that she was struggling to form her next sentence, brows furrowing as she went through how to get out what thoughts were running rampant in her brain. Normally, Mia would have been telling Draco all of this. She ran to him first about her fears. He understood, he knew, he was her partner, but then another rush of emotion caught in her chest when she remembered why Draco wasn't the one in front of her right now.

"I could have killed him."

Theo stayed silent, waiting.

"I would have done it, Theodore, because all I felt in that moment was this rage―this seething, indescribable rage that I haven't ever felt before...not even after Father was killed―and that terrifies me...because if this is what I am, if this is who I am..." a lump stopped her from talking momentarily, and she swallowed to escape it "...if this is what it feels like to be in love with someone...I'm terrified. Because I would give it all up for him. Right now, every bit of it, if he asked me to."

"Why is that such a bad thing, Mia?"

Again, she said nothing. The silence was enough, deafening both of their ears as they stood there, both of them empty of emotions and trying their hardest to find any more energy to continue a conversation that was only draining themselves more. Theo could see her internalizing everything, her thoughts running a mile a minute, and he glanced down at his arm for a moment―the sight was gruesome, not a true Mark like the one on Mia's arm, already splotching and fading in some areas. Trying to go back to Draco. Just like Mia was.

"You should tell him," she looked up, pulled from her thoughts again, and frowned. "The only thing you have left to lose is him...and he isn't going anywhere without you, Mia. I can assure you of that. He's loved you a lot longer than either of you realize."

――――――――――

May 7, 1997

When Draco woke up, the first and only thing that he felt was pain. Blistering pain down his entire body, like he'd just been thrown through the ringer and lost―a thousand times. Perhaps it was not such a bad comparison when he remembered what happened. With his eyes still closed, he shuffled around slightly, wincing and breathing through his nose heavily when he felt a cold chill go down his spine. Then, he slowly opened his eyes, squinting until he realized that it was dark and the light was only the cast from the moonlight.

He paused when he noticed someone nodding off next to him. One of her arms was lent up next to his waist, supporting her head. He couldn't quite tell if she was awake or not at first given the curtain of dark hair hiding her face, but when he saw her other hand reach to turn the page of the book sitting in her criss-crossed lap, he knew she was. He relaxed, his head falling back to the pillow and he watched her for a few moments. Her shoulders were tense, and the way she began tapping her finger along the spine of the book showed him that something was running through her mind. Draco knew that, while she was flipping through the pages, she wasn't reading them at all.

"Isn't it past visiting hours?" he asked suddenly, wincing when he heard his voice. It was hoarse and dry, a foul taste in his mouth that must have come from one of the potions they'd given him while he was in the hospital wing.

Mia lifted her head up in an instant, her brown eyes wide with relief the moment she heard his voice. Draco noticed immediately that her eyes were swollen and puffy, like she'd been crying. She was wearing the same clothing as earlier, and the way her hair was curled and tangled meant she hadn't done anything with it since it got wet. The pain in his chest dulled when he noticed the smile inch up on her face and she raised her eyebrows knowingly.

"Pomfrey always gets really into these muggle romance novels half past ten," she explained, shrugging and sitting up fully, tucking her hair behind her ears. Draco ignored the urge he had to do it for her, knowing it would hurt to move. "She'll be occupied for a while. It's just past midnight."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I gave it to her, obviously."

Draco's brow quirked, a smirk growing on his face. "I'm sure that was entirely out of the kindness of your heart."

"Of course. You know me. Always using the kindness of my heart. No ulterior motives."

Even though he could see her trying, the smile never met her eyes. Draco knew a genuine one from a fake one. There was a brightness in her eyes when she was truly happy, something he always tried to get out of her because it brought a smile to his own face seeing it. She didn't have that now. Masking it was concern and worry, her smile dropping when she could no longer pretend, another rock forming in her throat as she flickered her eyes to his shirtless body. The scars were red, but healing.

"You should be a little more inconspicuous with your wandering eyes, Romy."

Mia choked out a laugh but instead of letting it build in her chest, it only brought forth the tears. She clenched her jaw tightly and glanced out the window to the left of him, trying her hardest not to let them show. When she felt him grab a hold of her hand, she turned back to Draco. He had a tight grip on her, his eyes soft and knowing when theirs met again, his thumb rubbing along hers.

"I thought you were going to die," she admitted. Her voice broke at the end, and his grip on her hand tightened. "I thought he killed you...you were just laying there...I was just sitting there in your blood―"

Draco interrupted her before she got carried away. "I'm right here, Romy. Much to your dismay, you can't get rid of me that easily."

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't joke right now, Draco. Do you realize how bad it could have been? What if I hadn't known that spell? You'd have bled out in minutes, in my arms―" she stopped herself from thinking about it, and his face fell again of all attempted humor. She wiped one of the escaped tears with her free hand.

"I'm sorry."

She looked at him painfully. "You scared me."

"I know."

"I could have lost you."

"I'm not going anywhere, Romy," he promised. Then he paused. "Not without you, at least."

Mia scoffed, shaking her head, an actual smile that met her eyes forming. "All pitiful in a hospital wing and you still manage to flirt with me. I was expecting you to ask me to fluff your pillows and get you water."

"Now that you've mentioned it―"

Draco stopped when there was a pain on his left side ribs, and he winced, sucking in a sharp breath that had Mia frowning in concern. She was half-raised, waiting to go get Pomfrey, but he held onto her to keep her seated. But then, the realization finally hit. Panic crept up on him immediately, his grey eyes falling on Mia's, who looked worried at the panic―thinking it was the result of his injuries―but then she understood. She glanced over at his left arm, still bruise-looking, but not visibly Marked.

"I temporarily fixed the problem," was all she said to him, her words empty-sounding.

That worried him even more. "What did you do?"

"There's no reason to be concerned about it right now. You need to focus on healing," she dismissed. He noticed her twisting the ring he'd gifted her and Theo, making his eyes narrow in question, but before he could ask any more questions, she was changing the subject. "Can I ask you a question?"

"My answer is not a guarantee―" he stopped his remark suddenly when he saw the look on her face and nodded. "Always. What is it?"

"You said something....before...when you received the letter from Narcissa..."

Draco's face paled when he remembered what had caused him to be in the bathroom. He remembered the panic attack, he remembered the moments before it, but it was the moments after it that had him reeling back to understand. The letter, however, he could recite clearly in the back of his mind. Mia noticed the way it stirred the emotions again, sitting up straighter.

"It wasn't her. Just a way to get it past and into school. He said that he was becoming more impatient...that they were waiting until it was complete before they released the others," Draco muttered obscurely, careful with his words. Mia knew what he was saying, though. "He threatened her―threatened you...he said if I fail, then it would only be a matter of time before Mother was reunited with Father, and you..." he clenched his jaw, having to physically spit the words out they burned so much "...you with your father."

Those words fell heavily on Mia, just like she knew they fell on Draco given his first reaction. Draco didn't want to speak on it any more, and thankfully, she had no more words to give for it. How was she to comfort him? Neither of them could say it wasn't true. They knew it was. It was the reason why they joined in the first place―because they had no other choice―but now...now the Dark Lord knew. He knew that Draco could be used as Mia's weakness just as painfully as she was his. That was only another weapon they granted him in the end, just like Mia feared.

She traced her finger delicately along one of the small scars on his pale skin, reminding her of the one she had on her left palm. All wounds they received in the last year. When Draco exhaled, Mia paused, thinking that the action was hurting him. He urged his arm back, shaking his head at her. So she continued, pursing her lips together, tracing her thumb along the next one. They were small, but it was obvious that they were there if one was looking hard enough. Mia didn't mind. She loved him in all of his faults and imperfections long before he had any of those. She was just grateful he was still with her.

One of the scars reminded her of the crack on the Cabinet, just below the handle, and she hated herself in that moment for even knowing that about the damned thing that was ruining their lives. Then, a thought struck her.

"Draco?"

"Hm?" he asked lowly, his eyes half-lidded and sleepy.

She stared at the scar. "I know how to fix it."

That woke him up instantly. "What―"

"We've been treating it like it needs to be repaired. Reparation spells are all we've centered around," she explained, her words coming out quiet but rushed, her energy spilling over. She met his eyes, excitement lighting up inside of her. "What if we need to truly mend the Cabinet? Heal it? We've repaired the external structure...the cracks, the foundation, but what if the reason it isn't working is because it's broken in a different way? Internally?"

Draco paused and she waited impatiently as he revelled in the new information. She knew, by the look on his face, that he knew she was right. Grey eyes met with brown. In that moment, with both of their bodies covered in external scars healed and internal ones unfixed, the two of them felt an emotion that they hadn't known for a very long time. Hope.

"Romy, I could kiss you right now."

Mia broke out into a grin and shot up out of the seat. Her curtain of brown hair fell over him, and then her lips were on his for the first time in too long. Draco ignored the pain that came from raising his arm to hold her face, basking in the feeling that could not have come at a more necessary time.

――――――――――

May 10, 1997

"Serves him well not to play. He should have been expelled―"

"―well I'm only surprised Mia didn't kill him if I'm honest―"

"―would've done us all a favor if she had―"

"―I can't believe the two of you are together now, you fucking a―"

The Slytherins had found out what happened to Draco not long after it happened. Well, the entirety of Hogwarts had. Apparently, Moaning Myrtle had been spying on Draco and Mia when she heard him crying, and she had seen the whole thing long enough to go screaming through the halls until the entire school knew about it. The reminder only ignited the fury inside of Mia, and she'd not seen a second of Potter since. Thankfully, given that she was worried what she would do if she had. Snape never questioned her about her actions―what she'd nearly done, what he walked in on―and neither did Dumbledore.

That, however, was not what the most interesting thing to happen was. While it definitely created more trauma for the pair, that was not the focus of her friends' attention. Specifically from her big-mouth, Myrtle exposed that Draco and Mia were seeing one another. Even though neither of them had any intimate displays in the bathroom because Mia was too busy comforting him, that must have been enough for Myrtle to get the idea and blabber her mouth to everyone.

Mia expected a different response from their small group of friends, if she were being honest. All of them were gathered in the common room, taking up the small seating area by the fire, highest up on the totem pole now that the seventh years had basically cleared their things with the year coming to an end. Tracey and Daphne were on the loveseat directly in front of the fire, Andrew (the lone seventh-year not clearing his things up) seated on the ground leant against the front of the couch that Mia and Theo were on. Draco sat by himself in a chair directly across from her, Blaise was on the side of the loveseat next to Daphne with his legs on the arm of Theo's side of the couch. A mess, they were.

"Wait, so you and Vaisey..." Tracey paused in confusion, glancing between Andrew and Mia. Daphne shifted to her side, smiling sadly at Theodore who's eyes were instantly on hers. She was the only one in the group to know, besides Mia and Draco. To everyone's surprise, Theo slowly raised his hand, and Tracey's eyes widened even more. "You and Vaisey? How in the bloody hell did I manage to miss that? Wait―"

Tracey glanced over at Daphne, who nodded, and then Tracey gaped with her mouth open, sitting back in her seat. Blaise snorted. "Can't believe you of all people didn't catch that one, Davis."

"What is that supposed to me―" Tracey stopped when Blaise gave her a knowing look and she blanched. Rather than turning the focus on herself, she darted her eyes at the scapegoat, which just so happened to be Mia. "This makes so much sense now. You and him have been sneaking out past curfew, haven't you?"

"It's a wonder you're not a Ravenclaw," Mia said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Tracey scoffed and went on to talk about all of the things that were suddenly adding up. Mia, in the meantime, focused on her cousin as the pride swelled in her chest that he'd told others. Andrew had shifted closer to him so that they were touching, his silent act of comfort for Theo. The cousins were coping with what had happened a few days ago, the Mark nearly completely gone. Theo had had difficulty adjusting to hiding it, but thanks to the tips from Mia and Draco (who had also felt sick when he realized what Mia did to protect him) he managed. With every bit that disappeared from Theo's left arm, it was replaced on Draco's. Further proving that the Dark Mark could never go away.

The thought of Draco made Mia look up. She wasn't surprised to see that his eyes were already on her. They softened when they connected with hers, warming Mia up more than the fireplace next to her did. She wasn't entirely sure why the third-years had lit it since it was warm outside, but she had a feeling they were practicing Incendio. Her and Draco hadn't tested out the new revelation about the Cabinet yet. While they were eager to, Draco needed to heal. He was released the night after it happened, but Pomfrey told him he shouldn't exhaust himself. So they didn't.

"Mia?"

Mia looked up at the sound of her name, surprised when she saw Pansy standing to the side of Theo where Blaise's legs were. Instantly, everyone quieted down, half of them expecting a big spectacle to come out now that Parkinson knew Mia was with her ex-boyfriend. To their surprise, Pansy leant forward and handed a letter in her direction. Mia blinked at it, thankful for Theo, who took it from Pansy with hesitation and gave it off to his cousin. Mia only looked at it like it was poison in her lap, then back at Parkinson.

"Dumbledore found me and asked me to give that to you. It was delivered for the both of you. I heard what happened..." Pansy started slowly, her eyes flickering over to Draco for a split second before they returned to Mia. Something was different in them. No longer filled with a distaste like before. "Potter deserves whatever comes to him."

That was a Slytherin's way of saying: I'm glad you're alright. Before Mia could attempt to say anything, too shocked at the response, Pansy gave them a nod and turned away, clearing her throat and going off to the side where Urquhart was waiting for her. They'd been together for a while now, both of their personalities meshing well with one another, surprisingly. The silence only grew between the group of them, each more confused than the next at the act of civilness Pansy had just showed Mia.

"Was that genuine or should I expect a death threat in this?" Mia asked suddenly, looking down at the letter again. Her sarcastic remark was silenced when she recognized the writing on the front, the names of her and Theodore written in the center with a messy handwriting that could only belong to one person. "Theo. This is from Grandfather."

Theodore's expression dropped the moment that their grandfather was mentioned. Neither one of them were great with handling grief, which mean the news about Kal had not quite hit either the way that most would have expected. As far as they knew, Eleanor was still recovering at St. Mungos, but Celicia had not responded with word of how she was yet. Theodore shifted closer to her, their shoulders touching, while their friends all shared looks with one another and got up. Well, all except for Draco and Andrew, who hesitated for a second and decided to stay.

Mia immediately handed the letter off to her cousin. She should not be held responsible for opening letters. Not when the one from her father was still sitting in a book in the Room of Requirements like it didn't exist. Theodore understood. He went to open the back of it with his finger, the anticipation enough to eat the two of them alive. Then, he pulled it out, revealing a parchment that was shorter than most of the essays they'd been assigned in their lifetime.

"I think this is his will," Theo muttered under his breath. He stopped when he felt something shift behind the letter and went to grab it. "Here, there's something else..."

Theo handed the second piece of paper off to Mia, who took it reluctantly. Then she paused when she realized what she was looking at now. One side of it was ripped, like it had been taken from a book binding, and her brows furrowed in confusion. Theodore looked at it too, not having started the letter.

"It's a family tree," she said, meeting Theo's eyes in confusion. "What―"

"'I write my will for only a certain number of people, because while I have met many in my lifetime, there are so few that deserve the time I am willing to write for them. To my daughters, Athella and Celicia, I write to the two of you with an equal amount of love in my heart. You were both a blessing to me that any father would compare to saving their life. To my grandchildren, Theodore and Andromeda, I write to the two of you with an unearthly amount of pride and adoration. I have assigned this letter specifically to the two of you because I know that there will come a time when you must discover the truth, and it will be best that I am the one to tell it, as it is my story that was most impacted...'" Theo stopped reading for a second. "What is he talking about?"

"Theodore."

Theodore turned to Andromeda once again, only to find that her hands were shaking as she stared at the family tree in her hands. The branches were long and extensive, much longer than Kal's will, and it seemed like every few seconds another one was being added―but that was not what Mia's attention fell on. She pointed to one specific thing, and then she turned to look at Theodore with an unsettled heart. His dropped to his stomach, eyes so focused on the family tree that he forgot what was in his hands.

"Read the rest of the letter."

Theo blinked and cleared his throat, nodding and turning back to the letter that held the answers.

"I have attached a family tree for the two of you that might make more sense. You see, most pureblood families have a family tree, blood taken from the infant on the day of their birth to add to the tree. Something was peculiar about Celicia's, your mother, Andromeda....well, perhaps it was not too peculiar. Eleanor never loved me as I expected. She resented me much of her life for the arranged marriage...as you must have seen by now, Celicia is not mine. Eleanor had been in love before she met me, to a man that never knew he had a child. His name was Ira Patil―we went to school together, of course I had always known Eleanor fell in love with him. We had Athella when we were young. Children, expected to create a family after a forced marriage...Athella was beautiful, with blonde hair like her mother and blue eyes that you hold onto, Theodore. Celicia was the opposite of us both. Brown hair, brown eyes, almost like she wasn't mine from the beginning.

Eleanor hated herself for what happened, and that hatred was pushed onto Celicia, no matter how much I tried to stop it. It only grew worse when Ira was murdered―a Death Eater, wouldn't you imagine? He had a family of his own, of course, but Eleanor never recovered. None of this is said to spite my wife. I love her dearly, even if I may have never been in love with her. I tell the two of you because you, Andromeda, are more than just my own. You have other cousins. Family that you deserved to know. I apologize for that. I hope this gives the two of you an understanding of why Eleanor hates Voldemort and his followers so much. Why she detested your fathers. He has taken everything from her.

Andromeda―I have attached on the back of our family tree another of your father's. The Erebus family. I believe this may provide some clarity for you. Your father passed before he could tell you the truth of your name..."

Andromeda slowly turned around the family tree of Kal's, still processing what was just said before, only to see that there was a very small family tree on the other side. Much smaller, and less extensive, than the other. The Erebus family. Andromeda was at the bottom. She paused, her eyes tracing up past her parents' names, to her grandparents, following a trail until she got to the very top.

And then she paused.

Antioch Peverell

(1214)

"Weren't they the brothers―"

"Yes."

Death had always been out to get her in the end.

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Author's Note:

Not me throwing two out big things at the end of this that I've been building up for 36 chapters...hello. So: run-down. We now know the truth about why Eleanor was a horrible bitch (kind of, I still don't like her but whatever) and why she hates anything to do with Death Eaters. She had an affair with Ira Patel and Celicia is their child, which makes Athella and Celicia half-sisters. I've been building this piece up for a while with the subtle hints of how Eleanor treated Celicia throughout her life, given that she was a reminder of her lost love. Celicia also just didn't look anything like her parents.

And then, of course, we have the Mark with Theo and Draco. I played around with this concept for a while. I really liked the way it turned out. While the Mark can never be truly gone, Mia was able to preform a spell using the ring Draco gave her that connected with Theo to temporary switch the Marks. However, because Voldemort made sure the Marks were permanent, it was only a temporary solution. In conclusion: Theo is the best person ever, and I need a Theo in my life. He loves Mia so much and all he cares about is her health and safety.

Draco and Romy are adorable. That's all.

And then...THAT BITCH REALLY ENDED WITH A CLIFFHANGER LIKE THAT. Yes, I did. I'm That Bitch and I apologize. But now you guys officially know the truth! Mia is a descendent of the Peverells, and a descendent of the Elder Wand. This explains much of the Erebus family past. Their association with Death and darkness, and how (literally) all of them have faced Death at an early age due to tragedy.  Alastiare's parents, as mentioned in the last chapter, were killed because his dad got into an argument over a relic. Death has always followed them to finish off the job for the wrongdoings of the Peverells as told by the Tale of the Three Brothers.

...am I missing something?

Let me know what you thought!! I appreciate and read every single comment. All of the overwhelming love on this story means the world to me, and I'm so happy to see you guys loving Mia as much as I do. Only 4 chapters left now. I'm hoping to finish them up soon! I'm on break and my next semester of college doesn't start until January 4th.

DEIMOS: spirit of fear, dread, and terror