◤ ❝I made sacrifices. You were mine.❞ ― Alastiare Erebus ◢

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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:     TYCHE

February 14, 1995

             The word 'fortune' only came in one form to Alastiare Erebus―the physical expense. Wealth could stack upon his namesake like towers of Galleons, but when it came to fortune in matters of luck, he may as well dig himself a hole six feet under. He was not lucky. Merely in the right places at the right times, and more often than not, those places only happened out of coincidence. Some may say he was lucky to have evaded Azkaban like his fellow Death Eaters after the end of the First Wizarding War. He would only say that he was chosen to be the recluse, the shadow behind the Dark Lord doing his bidding without question. He slid through the cracks of incarceration because his of ties to the Ministry of Magic. That was a matter of life's work, not fortune. Not luck.

"HA! Well! If it isn't the traitor in question! Have fun slithering around in the Dark Lord's bed all these years I was locked away, rotting in your prison cell? Forgot my name, I bet too, didn't you, friend? Too busy planning his return?"

Alastiare's eyes darkened, hooded with emotions unlike any he had felt before―happiness, anger, guilt, mistrust, happiness, love, anger, guilt, guilt, guilt. The man in front of him was a shadow of his old self, the former twenty-two year old nothing but a hollowness that just escaped its last carving. His friend. His brother. Sirius Black stared at him, now well into his thirties and a year fresh out of a prison break from Azkaban. The tweak in his eye stung with rage the longer that they stood in front of one another, boarded up in the safe house's walls that Alastiare found him in. Months after the events with him, Lupin, and Pettigrew―a lifetime since he last saw his friend.

"Too busy planning yours," was the only thing he could manage replying, afraid if he spoke too much that his emotions would trample over his words and win the fight.

The falter in Sirius' face was just enough for Alastiare to flinch, knowing what was to come next. "You...you would speak so highly of yourself, wouldn't you, Erebus? You played us! You played ME! Believing you were anything different! What, now that your Dark Lord and Voldy is returning, you want to get in with me so that you can know all of my secrets like last time? Well, I've only got  one―THEY'RE ALL DEAD! And you could have STOPPED IT! Where was your planning when we needed it most, hm, Alastiare? Where was your righteousness THEN?" 

Alastiare's jaw tightened, rising in the one emotion he wished to have suppressed: anger. "You would have my head stuck to the end of your wand, then, wouldn't you? While you muck around with all of the others who stopped believing in you years ago, those who thought you capable of murder―"

"And are you?" Sirius interrupted, coldly, his glare seething deep into the man's skin. "Are you capable of murder, friend? Is that not why you are here, to finish the job so that you can carry on with this lie and say that you aren't what your arm tells? Go boasting like the fucking KING you are, Alastiare! That you have found the wanted murderer of Lily and James Potter! You would have to turn yourself in as well, though, wouldn't you? TRAITOR!"

"Perhaps that is what I am, but not to you, Sirius."

A scoff appeared from the back of Sirius' throat. "All this time, and you still position yourself as this bloody misunderstood person―humor me, Alastiare! How have you betrayed your 'Dark Lord'" his hands raised dramatically at the nickname of the man "more than you have betrayed my trust? Our friendship? Go on, spit out your lies. You were always so talented at telling them, being the Slytherin that you are. I'll bet you had Pettigrew working with you the whole time! Did you proposition him, was it you that turned him on us?"

"I warned you endlessly not to trust him. You valued your friendship with them over ours, and that has always been the truth since we were children," Alastiare jumped forward, sneering with ice cold eyes. "I was the one who vouched in your name despite the eyes that leaned against me, Sirius! The others could have murdered my entire family for the interferences I made in your defense! It was ME who continued to ask about your well-being from the Aurors at the Ministry, ME who constantly badgered Crouch about sentencing you without certifiable evidence! It was not your friend Lupin who tried to put you on trial to prove your innocence, it was ME! And you would call me the traitor!"

Sirius stared at him vacantly. "You're lying."

"Because that is all we Slytherins are good for, aren't we? Nothing more than a placeholder for you to point your finger at in cases of evil, am I right?" Alastiare scoffed loudly, his heated stare only withering down the man before him. "I was not meant to know about his plan with the Potters. He only revealed it to a few, and I was not one of them. Not even the Prophecy―"

"You are lying," he interrupted again, through gritted teeth. "You were always following behind his every move. His right-hand man, one of his most trusted. You're just as bad as―"

"As who? Severus? You compare me to a man whose loyalties run parallel to mine, Sirius. You can't find it blind coincidence that the Dark Lord's most loyal were also the most gifted in Occulumency and Legilimency―"

"So what then, Alastiare? You're on OUR side?" Sirius barked out a laugh, shaking his head. "You're just covering your own scared ass now that I've escaped, that's it, isn't it? Trying to weasel your way into my trust again like the rat you are, pretending you have been fighting for us when you just watched as we fell―"

Alastiare's eyes sharpened, glaring. "I had a family to protect."

"So did I. Now they're dead. Harry's got no one―"

"And you want to pin their deaths on me?" he asked harshly. "Does that give you the satisfaction that you missed when you tried to kill Pettigrew at Hogwarts last year? Does it make you feel a little bit less guilty, thinking it was me who held the responsibility instead of your fellow...what is it you called yourselves, Marauder? You chased after the man in the same school they went to, Sirius! My daughter feared you...and what, would you rather her be the orphan instead of Potter's son? Let Andromeda suffer that fate instead of your precious godson? Need I remind you, you have more than―"

"They would have both been protected, safe, if you had chosen us from the beginning!"

"You say that, but how many died in your Order at the end of the War, Sirius? I was not going to let that be my wife. Not my little girl. If it is the Dark Lord I have to betray to protect them, I will do it. Even if it is you who I must sacrifice, I will for them," Alastiare declared without an ounce of passion losing its hold. His cold, calculating eyes waited on Sirius. "Lily and James died so that their son could live. They are not the only ones willing to make such a sacrifice."

Sirius narrowed his eyes on him. "What happened to your values on self-preservation? Did they fall off the deep end, too?"

"Loyalty comes before life, Sirius, and I would gladly give mine for those I love."

"Then you must have lost all loyalty in me," he snarled. "Unless you failed to have any in the first place, and I was the fool who believed you...after all, that is what my gift is, is it not? Believing in friends that turn out to be enemies."

"You once believed in the opposite. In an enemy becoming a friend."

A shiver of cold air passed between them at Alastiare's reminder of their beginning as they stood so dangerously close to its end. Years and years, sitting on emotions and unspoken thoughts that only resulted in an ugly argument. Bitterness―deep, deep, deep―and so emotionally intertwined with hate and betrayal that neither Alastiare nor Sirius could get over it. Perhaps, at one point in his life before the first War, Sirius could look the man in the eyes and call him a friend. That was before he lost two more in process to another's betrayal.

Now, all he could see was the Dark Mark that caused so much destruction to his existence. Ruined it, ripped it away, and stole away any remaining life he once happened to have. Looking at Alastiare, all he felt was sickened. At himself for believing in the man, for trusting him, for caring about him as much as he once cared for James―and at the War, which split their friendship down the middle and handed them no fortune in return.

"Another mistake I'll regret for the rest of my life, it seems."

Alastiare paused and let the indifference crease along his aging features. It was much easier to turn his blood cold, to pretend like Sirius had not just wounded him in every possible way, than to let him see the pain. The man brought out his wand, and Sirius stiffened immediately. That was the only time Sirius saw the flicker of hurt that reflected in the exhausted man's eyes.

"My promise still stands, Sirius."

Recognition flashed in his former friend's gaze, knowing exactly what promise he was referencing to. The same promise that was bound fifteen years ago, with a small hand looping gently into Sirius' pinky finger. Andromeda Erebus, the little girl with the eyes like her mother and every other feature so closely resembling her father. Sirius saw her when he broke into Hogwarts last year, the first time since his escape―a quiet Slytherin, having just turned fourteen at the time, and resembling far too much in personality to his favorite cousin, Andromeda. The same woman she received her namesake from.

"Tell her I said happy fifteenth birthday, Alastiare."

Alastiare never did.

――――――――――

February 14, 1997

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIA!"

Andromeda hated her birthday. Every single thing about the day annoyed her to wits end, and she wasn't entirely sure if it was because of the commercialized, muggle-like tendencies that it brought out of people or because it was shared with (quite possibly) the worst holiday in the world―but she hated it. Each celebration of her birth in her family always ended up with her feeling disheartened, either because someone forgot or because all she received was a 'Happy Birthday' and no proclamation of love afterwards from her parents. On the day where love was exuded, she had never received much of it. Irony, it seemed, at its finest.

Except today felt different. That may have had something to do with Tracey and Daphne hanging halfway over her face. Both of them were grinning brightly from ear-to-ear before a loud 'pop' rang in their common room, and pink glitter showered from Daphne's wand and onto Mia like a Fairie just vomited all over her. Mia paused, eyes still bleary from sleeping (for longer than three hours, that time) and slightly lethargic enough not to understand what was going on. That was, of course, until she realized that she was covered head-to-blanket in the kind of glitter that stayed in one's hair for years.

"I..." she paused, suddenly at a loss for words as she glanced down at the glitter then to her friends. Mia was having trouble deciding whether or not to yell at them until she turned blue, or to suddenly sob that they even remembered it was her birthday in the first place.

"I told you we should've gone with the confetti Lockhart used in the Great Hall a few years ago," Tracey huffed out, turning shoot Daphne a look as she said so. "At least she wouldn't need a thousand showers just to get it out of her hair, Daph―"

There was a sudden scoff, and all three of them turned their heads to see Parkinson putting on her uniform for the day. Having caught their attention, she wrinkled her nose dramatically. "She needs a thousand showers. It might do her some good to get rid of that stench...what is it, desperation?"

"Pansy, it's her birthday―" Daphne tried to defend.

Mia rolled her eyes, reaching over to her nightstand so that she could wave her wand easily across the mess of glitter. "Scourgify―it's all right, Daphne. Special treatment from Parkinson, even on my birthday, may just burst open my hopeful little heart."

"If that's the case, then happy birthday, Andromeda," Pansy sneered, grinning at the prospect of her own joke while Millicent choked down her own sniggers in the background. "I guess it is a good thing your birthday is on Valentine's Day. At least you'll get some attention...even if it is out of pity."

"Ouch! There it goes, my heart." Her hand went to her heart, dramatically gasping. When Parkinson rolled her eyes and returned to her tie, Mia smirked and looked at her friends. Tracey looked enthralled that her nemesis (aside from Draco) was put in her place, while Daphne just chewed her lip anxiously. "Was glitter really necessary?"

"No," Tracey responded at the exact same time Daphne nodded, saying "Yes!"

Daphne shot her friend a look before continuing. "Come on, Mia. You're legal now. You only turn seventeen once! Think about it, you can officially Apparate―"

"More like fall onto the floor," Mia corrected sharply, disgruntled over the fact that she hadn't successfully Apparated after two lessons. She thought because she was so well-versed in nonverbal and wandless magic that she would be better, but ever since December, that part of her magic did not like her much―or rather, she didn't like that magic. Even Snape was getting curious at her failure.

"―only for now! I bet you'll perfect it at tomorrow morning's lesson, but you don't have your Trace anymore either! That's so cool! I don't even get mine off until May."

"Can't wait for the day you can Apparate and not fall into me," Tracey grumbled to Daphne, rubbing at her hip. Mia had seen the huge bruise that appeared after a mess of tumbles between the two girls a week ago. "I still have that bruise from last week."

"Well it's not as bad as the one Mia gave Theodore―"

"I bet you wish he showed you his bruise."

As Tracey grinned when Daphne flustered dark over the comment made about Theodore, Mia resisted the urge to gag and got up from her bed, grabbing her uniform and quickly darting into the bathroom before Parkinson could say anything to her. A quick three-check assurance that the lock was securely doing its job, and she was pulling off her pajamas and moving to take a shower. Then, on her way to rid herself of the glitter mess in her curly hair, she stopped.

Mia hadn't glanced in a mirror at her reflection since Slughorn's Christmas party, back when she looked more like an Inferi than a witch. Now, the person in front of her was more recognizable. She was still thin, and weight was one thing she hadn't picked up on seeing as she was currently using Daphne's skirt from third year, but her cheeks were not deathly. They used to sink into her skin, hollowing out her eyes and her cheekbones. She looked alive now, albeit alive and severely ill, but still―better than December.

Then, she made the bad decision of looking down at her left arm, and the bliss was interrupted. Growing health and the Dark Mark inflicted deeply into her arm were opposites that did not attract. Unconsciously, her fingers trailed up slowly to the Mark, resting gently on the raised skin and trying to ignore the way it moved against her touch. Alive, beating, sucking out the good from her like a parasite she could never cut away.

Peaceful content suddenly ruined, Mia moved into the shower and vowed to never find another mirror ever again.

――――――――――

Arms were reaching around her frame the moment she got down to the common room, securing themselves to her body before lifting her up and squeezing tightly. Daphne and Tracey continued to bicker behind her, but all she could focus on was how quickly her heart suddenly sped out of her chest. The fear and panic came from a place of trauma, not accustomed to the physical reaction, but before she could even realize what was happening, she was set back on the ground and lips were landing sloppily on the side of her glittery hair (she couldn't get it all out).

"Happy Birthday, my Mia!" the culprit of the embrace cheered, and she relaxed instantly when she recognized the voice as Andrew Vaisey. He pulled away from her so that she could see him completely now, grinning brightly from dimple-to-dimple. "I may have gotten a bit too carried away in my affection―I know you hate hugs―but it's your birthday! And Valentine's Day! What a perfect combination for me to declare my love for you, my Sweet Frog―"

Mia's hand laid over his mouth, stopping him from declaring anything to her in front of their common room. She smiled despite herself, shaking her head at him as she dropped her hand. "I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but the declaration will have to come later."

"In writing, perhaps?" he offered cheekily, still grinning.

"Maybe you could pass it along," she said, her secondhand meaning not lost to Andrew because he instantly straightened up. One brow arched curiously, asking her a silent question, but he didn't lose any of the happiness on his face. Making her point known, she glanced over his shoulder. "Where's my cousin? I'm expecting a big spectacle from him."

A snort came from behind her, Tracey. "I don't think Nott knows what those words mean together."

"No, he does," Andrew said immediately, coming to her cousin's defense while smirking underhand. He gave Mia a pointed look, then glanced behind her at Tracey. "But only when they are Mia's doing."

"I resent that," Mia rebutted, although she had to admit that there was some truth in the matter.

She glanced around their common room for the first time, unsurprised to see that there were a lot more people awake than usual given the festive day. Most of them were holding various pink-and-red cards, others with balloons and different flying objects that nearly made her want to vomit. While they were no Hufflepuff in terms of celebration, even Slytherins got excited about the day. Something brightened in the air, more than likely because everyone was happy to celebrate the holiday without the looming disgust of Umbridge pained in the back of their traumatized minds.

When a flying card whizzed right between her and Andrew's faces, the positive attitude that she was trying to put on for the day died right there. "I hate Valentine's Day."

"Most everyone unable to feel human emotion does," a new voice interrupted, making Andrew turn around so that Mia could see past him. Blaise was grinning at his joke, holding up a green card that magically flickered to a bright pink when he twisted it. "So it only makes sense that you would...guess who got a valentine already?"

"Not even breakfast yet? Must be your mother."

He shot her a look. "Funny, Andromeda, but no. However, I do suspect she'll be finding herself another man to marry by the end of the day."

Everyone's faces pinched up slightly at the mention of Blaise's mother, knowing that her reputation for gaining wealth included bad habits pertaining to her husband's coincidental deaths. No one could say much, as all of their parents favored badly in the 'good' department, as well. Tracey was the only one with semi-sane parents, and while none of them would go against their pride, everyone knew that it had to do with her being a half-blood instead of pureblooded like the rest of them.

"Why is there glitter in your hair?" Blaise suddenly asked, his eyes narrowing on her dark hair where the pink was still prominently stuck. "Did you piss off a Fairie...did it piss on you?"

Daphne jumped in before she could stop her, beaming. "It's Mia's birthday, you idiot! She's seventeen today."

"Happy Birthday, Andromeda. Are you expecting a hug?"

She only stared. "Are you expecting me to want one?"

"No," he said, dully. "You and affection don't agree with one another...now, can we go get breakfast? Because as much as I enjoy these heartwarming conversations between us, I'd rather enjoy the company of my girlfriend today than the likes of you people―especially if I'm being forced to go to Snape's class today of all days."

"Go on," she urged, nodding her head at him before turning to the others around her. "You know,  you don't need to stick by my side just because I'm another year older. I'm going to wait until Theo comes down."

"Oh, well, I can stay with you―" Daphne tried to interrupt.

Andrew glanced over at her. "That's all right. I'll keep her company."

Blaise was already walking toward the exit when he threw over his shoulder. "Good luck with that! He was trying to drag Malfoy out of bed when I got up!"

Tracey gave Mia one last nod before following along, leaving a hesitant Daphne who took her only chance right then to give her a quick hug. The second the blonde had her in the embrace, she wanted out of it. It reminded her of when her mother tried to hug her after Christmas, and her arms remained still at her sides like a statue. Before she could complain or push the girl off, Daphne was rushing away and following after Tracey like it never happened in the first place.

"Why is everyone trying to hug me?" she said the moment they were gone, glowering at nothing when she turned to lean up against the sofa behind them.

Andrew smiled at her, leaning up against it next to her. "People care about you. Even us Slytherins are capable of showing affection, you know. We may not be the best at it, but we still try."

"Not my family."

"Oh, I know that plenty well," he said with a twinge of humor, snorting softly. When she turned to look at him with raised, accusatory brows, he responded by shoving his hands innocently into his pockets. "What?"

She rolled her eyes at his actions. "You know what."

"Maybe I do," he shrugged. Then, he paused and hesitated in taking his next breath. For the first time that morning, his smile fell and morphed into a resigned straight line. "Have you talked to him?"

Andromeda and Andrew weren't stupid. Both knew what the conversation they were having was about without needing to explain it using details, and they could very easily omit the parts out that were too sensitive for any prying ears. They still knew what the underlining topic was, which was why Mia's mouth suddenly felt dry at the question he asked her. If she was looking for confirmation in her suspicions, she may as well have gotten it written down right then and there by Andrew.

"No," she said quietly, glancing down at her hands to occupy her attention. "I've been waiting to see if he would bring it up first, on his own time and at his own pace."

Andrew's lip quirked up. "That's funny. He's been waiting on you to realize it so that he wouldn't be the one to start the conversation. I told him that we could speed up the process with...what did Davis call it...a big spectacle, but―"

"Why did you kiss me?"

Once again, the smile disappeared and the teenage boy next to her fell silent. Mia waited, having all the time in the world for him to reply. She was plenty aware of why he said he wanted to kiss her, but there was something that made her wonder if there was another reason he was hiding. Andrew sighed, one hand going out to run through his messy black hair. Then, his green eyes turned to face her and he sent her a sad smile.

"I want to tell you my side to this, Mia. I've wanted to tell you for a while, but it isn't all mine to share. I'd spill everything to you here and now, but...you should really talk to him," Andrew admitted, giving her a melancholic half-smile. "I don't regret it―kissing you, you know, and I hope you know it wasn't to use you. Or him. Not in the way I know you may be thinking. We'd never...nothing happened prior to that. I would never hurt him like that."

"A sure way to get people to realize their feelings?" she asked knowingly, arching a brow in his direction to prove that she understood more now than she did before. For the first time since meeting him, Andrew's cheeks flushed and he shrugged again. "When did..."

"Talk to him, Mia. Please," he begged, pleading with her quietly. "Let him explain things. And if you still have questions for me, I'll gladly answer them all...but for now, I'd like to give you your birthday present―"

"Andrew. I don't―"

Mia hated presents. It was a shared problem that Theodore had too, which was why they promised a while ago to never buy each other anything. Her protests were interrupted when both hands came out of his pocket to reveal a sheet of parchment. She looked at it, confused, and just as she went to ask him a question, his wand was waving around the sheet and the piece of parchment expanded to be two thick books. Andrew grinned, proud of himself, and she couldn't help but wonder if Theodore was the one who taught him how to do that during their 'Transfiguration homework'. The books were old, a mucky brown that reminded her of the ancient ones in the Restricted section.

"You got me books?" she asked with interest, leaning closer into him so that she could glance at the titles. When she noticed one of them, the intrigue grew even more and a smile immediately started growing on her face. "You didn't...you went to that bookstore?"

He smiled, nodding as he handed them to her. "I went over the holidays. Theodore mentioned before that your birthday fell on Valentine's Day, so I took the opportunity to go with my mother back to the store where she got the first book you liked. It's not much, but I thought it may help distract you―"

"Andrew, seriously, they're perfect," she interrupted, grateful that he thought to get her anything at all. She grinned down at them, noticing that they looked like additional text about Greek Mythology. She turned back to him, grabbing his face so that she could press a quick kiss to his cheek. "Thank you―for more than just the present."

"You don't need to thank me for anything, Mia."

"I do. So, thank you. For the books, for being the friend I needed despite how I acted toward you... and for making him happy."

Andrew's eyes softened down on her, the green somehow turning lighter at the final piece of her thanks. Before he could say anything, his words were stuck back in his mouth when the product of their conversation came through the men's corridor. Theodore was rolling his eyes dramatically, fixing his tie to perfection while a sluggish Draco trailed behind him, pulling down on his left robe sleeve. Crabbe and Goyle were even further behind them, pushing at one another and eyeing the exit to get to breakfast and food as soon as possible.

Theodore glanced up as he walked, still fiddling with his tie, and his mouth pulled down in disgust at the different Valentine's Day decorations around. Then, he spotted her and Andrew leaning against the sofa in the middle and his frown literally turned around. A sound came from the back of Andrew's throat at his grin, but he stayed in his spot while Mia stood up to her full height. Not that it mattered much, seeing as the instant Theo was close enough, he grabbed her by her arms and pulled her strongly into his chest.

One hug she would always accept. Unlike with Daphne, and even Andrew, she knew her cousin's embrace like the back of her hand. She didn't hesitate to return the hug, wrapping her arms around his lanky waist and letting him squeeze her half to death as he so pleased. A kiss was pressed to her forehead, and she smiled before pulling away to greet her family member. Theodore grinned down at her, returning back to adjusting his tie and taking a brief glance over her head at Andrew.

"Happy Birthday," he said softly, blue eyes washing over her features then stopping on her hair. He frowned, narrowing in on the glitter. "What happened to you? Did you throw a party without me?"

"Daphne," was all she needed to say for him to let out a soft hum in understand. She went to ask if he was ready to go to breakfast when a shimmer of silver caught her eye as he straightened his tie. Immediately, she was reaching out to pull his left hand away so she could see the cause of it. "When did you get this?"

A thick-banded, silver ring was settled on his middle finger with a large circular head. Just as she went to inspect it, realizing that there was a capital 'R' where a center stone would usually rest, Theo yanked his hand away from her and stuck his hands into his pockets. The action made her instantly suspicious, dumbfounded as to what the issue was and where he would have suddenly obtained a new piece of jewelry without telling her. The only place that made sense was Andrew, and she glanced subtly over her shoulder to see that he was looking at the ring with just as much curiosity.

"Fine, then," she huffed dejectedly. "Don't tell me. Are you ready to go to breakfast?"

He nodded, and then hesitated before looking at Andrew and gesturing his head in the direction of the door. Mia knew that the older boy had stood to his full height behind her when she felt his looming figure. As they turned to the exit of the common room, she stayed in place so that she could see Draco once they'd passed. His eyes were already waiting for her when she turned to him. Although his expression was blank, there was something in his gaze that made her want to look away with flushed cheeks. She didn't, but she did move her eyes down to his uniform.

"Your tie isn't fixed," she said pointedly.

Draco glanced down at it, his lip pulling up on one side. "I suppose it's a bit too short for my tastes."

When she looked at it close enough, she realized he was right. It was too short for his body, and if he were to actually tie it correctly, it would look odd. He may get a few distasteful looks from their professors today, but she knew he didn't care enough to fix or change it. She nodded slowly, and then she glanced over to the doors to see that Andrew and Theo were waiting, having side-stepped so that Crabbe and Goyle could run through the door first.

For some odd reason, there was a heaviness to her chest as she stood next to Draco. Maybe it was because it was her birthday and she was anxious, or perhaps it was because there were floating pink hearts going around the common room and circling every so often over their heads. They had never been this way―awkward. The only other time she'd felt this way was when they returned from the holiday break, and they made small talk in the middle of the dungeon corridor after she caught him making out with Parkinson. Why was it so uncomfortable now?

She spared another glance at her cousin before clearing her throat. "Are you coming to breakfast?"

"Not yet," he denied, shaking his head. He wouldn't make eye contact with her again, his gaze sticking to the women's corridor behind her shoulder. "I need to talk to Pansy. Go enjoy your morning with Nott and the others, Romy."

Right, she thought. Because it was Valentine's Day. For some reason, she felt upset. Was she upset that he had chosen to spend his Valentine's Day morning with his girlfriend, or was she upset because she wanted him to spend his morning with her on her birthday? Mia swallowed down those emotions, ignoring them and deciding it was stupid how she was reacting. Her old self back in September would have laughed at the way she was acting now. She nodded, pulling Andrew's books close to her side.

"Well. I'll see you in Defense."

"All right."

As she walked away from him, Mia couldn't help the growing hurt that Draco hadn't wished her happy birthday.

――――――――――

The day felt like it would never end. Defense class went as it had every week since Christmas break. Snape would lecture, give them a brief moment at the end of class to preform the defensive spells they were to write a report on, and then he would glare at the side of her head for the remaining portion of it. He did, however, have less time for that than Mia was sure he would have liked given the chaos of students' gossiping about their valentine's. Even his own House was mildly disruptive, with Theo and Mia drawing with their wands on parchment to see who could make the ugliest valentine card for the other. She did notice that Parkinson and Draco never arrived to class, nor did Blaise, and she could only imagine what they were doing.

However, throughout the day, Draco barely paid any attention to Mia even when he finally did show up to their later class. That gave her time to ignore the ugly feeling in her chest, and to focus instead on how she was going to begin the conversation with Theodore both of them were skirting around. She would have delayed it, giving him the chance to bring it up when he wanted, but she knew her cousin and that would never happen. So she bided her time, sitting with her friends at lunch and barely flinching when she saw the letters land on her plate from her cousin's owl, Hephaestus. Her mother and grandparents, surely, but she ignored the letters and shoved them deep into her book bag.

Time came around quickly for her. After their Charms class ended, she was able to convince her cousin to sneak up to the Astronomy Tower with her. Her excuse was to open up her birthday letters from their family in privacy, and he followed along without question. Theodore even kept quiet when they had to sneak around just to get to the Astronomy Tower in the first place. Although, even if they did get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, Mia had the good excuse of taking Astronomy class and wanting the extra help.

Her legs hung off the ledge of Astronomy Tower, Theodore's body radiating heat next to her in the cool air of the afternoon. He wasn't bold enough to let his limbs hang freely, but that could have something to do with how high up they were. Another tell of the difference between the cousins. Instead, he just kept his long legs bent at the knees and allowed his arms to rest on them. Neither spoke for a while, enjoying the silence that came with spending time together. Mia let her pale skin react to the smallest glimmer of sunlight, reflecting her poor health like she were looking in a mirror.

"Get any valentine's today?" she asked softly, unable to use her full voice and break the peace.

Theodore grimaced, turning to her. "Apart from the one you butchered in Snape's class earlier?"

"That's offensive. It was my best piece of work yet," she scoffed in amusement. Then, she paused, letting the growing smile fall. Nervously, she started to mess around uncomfortably with her fingers. "Nothing from Greengrass?"

Theodore's silence said it all. Similar to her, one of his hands went to clasp his wrist so that he could hold on tightly to something. Mia let out a small hum, acknowledging that Daphne had sent him a valentine like she expected. The quiet started to build again as she struggled to figure out a way to approach the conversation. How did one bring it up?

"You know."

Apparently, she didn't need to bring it up at all. "What?"

"You know," he repeated, his jaw tightening as he flickered his eyes momentarily over to her. "Don't you? You keep fidgeting, playing with your hands. You only do that when you want to say something, but you aren't sure how to say it."

She blinked, looking down at her fidgeting hands, before swallowing hard. "Yes."

"I know it's wrong."

Mia's head shot up in alarm. "It's not wrong to love someone, Theodore."

"But it's wrong to love him. Do you have any idea what Father would do if he found out? If any of the others in our House knew? Andromeda, I feel disgusting—" 

"Stop, Theodore. You are not disgusting for loving a boy. You're not disgusting for wanting to be happy. The gender of the person shouldn't interfere with how they make you feel, whether they are a female, male, witch, wizard, goblin, troll―whatever your heart decides it wants to love, Theo. And if your father refuses to accept you for loving a boy, then he doesn't deserve to know any other part of you. He never has. The same goes for those in our House...but do you honestly think they'll mind? That they would feel any different about you? I'm sure they would be more offended that the boy you love is a half-blood than that he is a boy. Although, I do think they like Vaisey so you may be in luck there."

Even through his blinding tears, Theo managed a scoff and shook his head. "Not Draco."

"Those are extenuating circumstances there. He's never minded Andrew much."

"Oh, I wonder why."

Theodore's attempted quip was not lost to Mia, who looked at him with a gasp before she moved to land a gentle hit to his shoulder, making him sway lightly to the side with a laugh. She tried to commit that sight of him to memory, not the one from a few minutes ago where he was trying his hardest not to cry in disgust over himself. He paused, the laugh dying in his swollen throat, and turned to look at her with appreciation. Tears streaked down his face, lightening his bright blue eyes and making them a dangerous sea of emotion.

"This is tragic, you know," she began casually, pursing her lips as she looked over at her cousin. "We're simply so irresistible that we have people falling for with both of us. Should we begin playing for keeps?"

Theo's lip twitched in amusement. "I have absolutely no feelings for Malfoy, so I believe you can keep your keeps."

She shot him a look. "There's nothing going on with Draco and I."

"You do understand you're telling this to someone that, not only knows you better than anyone else, but has been keeping the best-kept secret of Slytherin for four years? Come on, Mia," Theo scoffed. "I played into your game for a while, let you convince me you didn't like him that way, but you are so in love with that boy that it's sickeningly obvious to everyone but the two of you."

"How did this conversation turn around into talking about me?" she accused, shaking her head dismissively. "We were talking about you, not me. I'm not what matters right now. Theo, if I had known, I wouldn't have made as many comments about you and Daphne―"

"Ah, yeah," he winced, glancing down as his hands. "I was in the wrong there. I still haven't figured out how I plan on telling her...I never pursued anything, but..."

"...but she still loves you," she finished. She frowned. "Daphne may be very narcissistic, but she has a good heart. She'll be upset, of course, but she will want you happy. No matter who that is with. That's all any of us want..." she paused, glancing at him. "Is this why you've always hated attention?"

"Scared me to death thinking people would figure it out, honestly. Sitting on it and pretending like it wasn't true seemed better than accepting it. It wasn't until Andrew and Quidditch that I finally started to see the world differently...it stopped mattering so much that people would figure it out, but that people would hate me for it...that you would hate me for it..."

"For liking men?" she asked, incredulously.

Theo shook his head. "No. For liking him...I saw how he was around you. How you were around him. He's been your crush since we were fourteen, Mia. He brought out the part of you that I missed, and to think that I was starting to like him in any way made me drown in guilt. I couldn't take that away from you."

"Oh, Theo," she whispered, breathlessly. She scooted even closer to him, pulling her legs up so that she was looking directly at him. He glanced up, and she took his face in her hands, rubbing away at the tears falling down. "I would tear this world in two for you. Rip my heart out and give it to you if you needed it, and that would be the easiest thing I'd ever do in this lifetime. I liked Andrew, and I think that he is an amazing person, but the idea of you suffering for the sake of me is my worst nightmare. Never―" she held his face tighter "―NEVER sacrifice your happiness for the sake of mine, all right? Because your happiness is worth so much more than that, and you deserve every opportunity to be loved by someone as great as Andrew."

"He doesn't even love me..." he dismissed, frowning as he looked weakly at her. "He loves you."

She let go of him to scoff. "No. He loves the idea of fixing me because he's got too kind of a heart...I do think he loves me, but not the way that he cares about you. It's different. I was a pitifully blind idiot. The way that he moves with you, constantly looks for you in a room...I should have realized it sooner."

"Sounds familiar."

"Theodore―"

"Things are changing, Mia," he started, his voice drifting off as he gazed distantly at the setting sun. "Quickly, and more than any of us are ready to admit...these next few months, weeks, however long we have to pretend we belong in this state of normalcy―it's going to be disrupted. By your missions, by the Dark Lord, by something...and not knowing where all of us will be when that disruption occurs terrifies me to no end. I stopped caring about who in this world would hate me for kissing another boy when I realized I may not be in this world by the end of the war. Just...don't let something pass up because you are too afraid of losing it. Sometimes it's better to have had it and lost it than to have never had it at all."

Andromeda swallowed hard, trying not to let his words phase her. "I don't know what―"

"You do," he interrupted, turning to her with a sad smile. "You know. I think you've known since you came back, but you've been too afraid to admit it. I know that feeling, but when you allow it...it's relieving. You feel like you can breathe for the first time in a very long time―even if it is only long enough to catch your breath before every other fear falls on you."

She was quiet. Resigned. Unwilling. Her heart clenched in her chest, comparing to someone taking their shoe and stomping on it with the weight of a giant. But there was some relief that came with her cousin's words, even when the darkened sky lit up with pink fireworks in the shapes of a million hearts, she thought of only one person.

"What if I'm not ready to admit it yet?"

"That's all right, too. Just...don't take four years, yeah?" he advised, nudging her with his shoulder. He turned his head to press another kiss to her forehead like earlier. "For what it's worth in this mess, I don't know what I would do without you. We don't say it nearly enough, but...I love you more than you know, Mia."

She moved to grab his hand, squeezing it tightly in hers. "You already know I love you...and it's because I love you, I'm telling you to get off your ass and go find your valentine. I'm sure he's eager to ask you a million questions about how this conversation went."

"Wha―" he paused, looking down at her startled. "He knew you knew?"

"I alluded to my suspicions this morning. He did nothing but grin at the mention of you."

Theo's cheeks flushed, and he bit back the smile threatening on his lips before nodding once. "Fine. Well, I'll go celebrate this ugly Valentine's Day for the first time if you'll go find Draco."

"Right," she scoffed. "I think he's forgotten it's even my birthday. I'm sure he'll have me read twenty more chapters from that damn book tonight just for fun―"

"Just go find him, Mia."

Theodore's words hinted at something more than she knew, and she shot him a suspicious look that he only shrugged off before he scooted back in order to stand up. He wiped away any remaining tears with his robe sleeve, then held his hands out for her to stand up next to him. The second they were both stable on their feet, Mia's arms were wrapping around Theodore and pulling him tightly to her. Any degree of tension between the two evaporated, his shoulders relaxing when he moved his arms around her to squeeze her tightly in return. His chin sat comfortably ontop of her head, feeling her heartbeat.

"Two in one day?" he muttered into her hair. "Is it my birthday?"

"Just appreciating the best present I've got in this life."

――――――――――

Andromeda originally had no intentions of working on the Vanishing Cabinet on her birthday. If there was one thing she drew the line at, it was that. Mainly because she assumed Draco would be...preoccupied with Parkinson, and she would just fester in annoyance over that instead of getting anything done. That plan did not go accordingly, seeing as her feet were taking her up the flights of stairs to the seventh floor with a pounding heartbeat and fast-acting legs. Theodore's words rang dangerously in her ears, and she blamed them on why she suddenly felt the urge to chuck herself back down the moving stairwell.

On her way up, she passed by a few students daring to stay out and snog until the last minute of curfew. She chose to ignore the hormonal teenagers, rolling her eyes and moving on until she finally reached the door outside of the Room of Requirements. Crabbe and Goyle weren't standing watch, which made her wonder if Draco was even in there or if he allowed them the night off. Three long strides later, and she was cautiously opening the door and entering.

The path traveled to the empty portion of the room where the Cabinet sat was a familiar one, and when she finally got there, she could not ignore the way her heart fell staggeringly at the sight of Draco standing in front of the ugly, broken thing that they called a mission like it was any other day. What had she been expecting? More importantly, why had she been expecting anything?

Draco turned his head when he heard her footsteps. In the past, he used to raise his wand in case she was an intruder. By now, they knew the way each other sounded when they walked. A book was in his hands, one she immediately recognized to be Epps', and she pursed her lips before walking further into the room so she could set her bag down.

"You got here later than usual," he commented conversationally before turning back to the Cabinet. He muttered another spell under his breath three separate times. "I thought maybe Greengrass and Davis had roped you into the little Valentine's party they were planning last minute, but I suppose no one wants to mess around with the blood-traitor and the ditz―"

Her jaw tightened, but she ignored it and moved to grab another book that was on the stool. "I was out with Theodore, actually."

"Well, now I know you weren't partying. Nott wouldn't know fun if it were a bludger to the face―" Draco stopped talking suddenly, and she glanced up to see why when she realized that he turned around to face her. His brows stitched together, the book in his hands closing shut when he took a step closer to her. "Have you been crying?"

"Got glitter in my eye," she excused shortly before reaching for the book in his hands, attempting to ignore the heavy gaze he kept on her face. "What spell were you just using? I figured we could go over the last few spells in chapter two-hundred―"

"You don't have to work on this tonight, you know? I'm plenty capable of handling a night's work myself," he said, his grey eyes still inspecting the obviously-stained tear streaks along her pale face. He subconsciously found his hands raising, thumb rubbing along her cheek for a few seconds before Mia jerked her head away. "Romy―"

She ignored it, moving closer to the Cabinet with the book now in her hold. She pulled her wand out of where she'd stuck it in the band of her uniform skirt, glancing down at the spell. The incantation 'Instaurabunt Civita―' only made it halfway out of her mouth before her wand was being ripped from its base out of her palm. She scowled instantly, whipping her head around to face Draco.

"What are you doing? We haven't used that spell yet."

He watched her, squinting. "You're mad at me."

"I'm always mad at you," she said sharply, moving to grab the wand from his hand. When he jerked it back, preventing her from successfully getting it, the frustration on her face creeped up even more. "Would you stop being such a git and give me back my wand? You're acting like a child. We don't have time for these games―"

"Tell me why you're upset then," he offered, lifting her wand up higher when she jumped again. He glanced in feigned curiosity at the object in his hand. "Dragon heartstring, correct? From what I hear, they are entirely willing to change their loyalty―"

"Give me back my wand, Malfoy."

"Oh, it's Malfoy now. Come on, Erebus. Tell me."

"Draco―"

She tried to grab it again, glaring daggers at his amused face when he only raised it past her height's capabilities. When she saw that he was not letting up, she turned instead to the alternative method. Glancing briefly at her wand, her hand raised and she was quick to say the charm before he could counter it.

"Expelliarmus!"

Instantly, the wand in Draco's hand went flying out of it and skidding a few feet from where she had been expecting it to land in her palm. Both of them were quiet, their eyes focusing on her wand which laid flat against the decorated rug. She could instantly feel a million questions rattling in her brain, unable to understand why her charm hadn't worked as planned, especially wandlessly. Draco went to open his mouth, perhaps to ask the same question, but she stopped him by walking over to snatch her wand back up.

"That could have been your eye with how unfocused I was casting that," she scowled, making an easy excuse for why the magic hadn't worked as she meant for it to. Draco looked unconvinced. "You're lucky I sent it in the other direction."

He still looked suspicious. "Romy, your magic―"

"Is still perfectly capable of causing damage when tempted," she interrupted hotly, steering him away from a conversation she didn't want to have. "Can we please just try a few of these spells? I want to get to bed at a decent time. We have Apparition in the morning."

"Fine."

He dropped that conversation, and she allowed him to grab the book from out of her hands so that he could go back to reading the spell from earlier. She was ready to say nothing, perfectly fine wallowing in annoyance and frustration for the rest of the night, but Draco was the one becoming antsy. His shoulders were tense, eyes looking over at her questioningly every so often and making her even more aggravated as she read through the definitions of the reparation spells.

After another unsubtle glance, she shot her head up to give him a dark look. "What, Draco?"

"I still want to know why you're mad at me," he said, and her speaking was all he needed to stop trying the spells on the Cabinet and move to stand closer to her. She watched him blankly, especially when a smirk started to rise along the edges of his lips. "Come on, Romy. We tell each other everything. What did I do now? Let me guess...said the wrong thing about Nott earlier? Interrupted you and your boyfriend this morning? No...is it because I accidentally wore your tie?" 

"Draco, shut up."

"I bet I know what it is," he suddenly jumped up excitedly, a wicked grin twisting on his face. "Romy...are you mad because I forgot your birthday?"

She stared at him with a dull expression, arching a brow. "It's my birthday?"

"You know, I wouldn't poke fun at you for being upset if you were. It's entirely reasonable. You are not the first to be mad that I've forgotten their birthday," he continued egotistically, boasting with the smirk that she wanted to knock off his face with the thick book.

"If you think I'm upset over you not buying me flowers and serenading me happy birthday with that ferret squeak you call a voice, you are bargaining on the wrong Slytherin in our year. I couldn't care less that you don't know my birthday, Draco, but what I do care about is fixing this Cabinet―"

"Hm? Guess I'll have to return this birthday gift then..." he sighed dramatically, his hand going into his trouser pockets to pick something out. "I knew the flowers and the singing was over the top. Too soft for me. I'd rather be a ferret again than afford to let my impressive reputation drop that much."

Mia hated the way that her heart lurched when he pulled out the small, emerald green pouch from his robes. The feeling from earlier when she'd been walking to the Room returned, startling her so much that she swallowed down the growing lump forming in her throat. She stared at it, letting her attention flicker between his growing grin to whatever he was holding in his hand. He waved it around tauntingly, and she knew that he was waiting to see her break and reach for the damn thing―to prove that she had, indeed, been upset because she thought he forgot her birthday.

"I'd rather you be a ferret again, too. At least I could smother you with my shoe when you annoy me," she said drily, refusing to let her eyes catch the tempting little pouch again. "Like now."

"You'd miss me too much, admit it."

"I don't think I would."

Draco suddenly stood up straighter, rolling his eyes in a sudden burst of exasperation at her. He turned on his heel momentarily, cursing under his breath, before he took a few more steps forward and took the book from her hands so that he could throw it onto the stool beside them. She frowned, glancing at it just before she felt something being shoved into her hands. Looking down, she saw that it was the green pouch he'd been tempting her with. She'd won. Feeling victorious, she looked up at him to see him scowling at her, although the intention behind it was not there.

"You are the most insufferable, stubborn fuck of a person I have ever met in my entire life, Romy," he said, the tone of his voice suggesting that his words were not as serious as he hoped they would be. Then he sighed and gestured to the bag. "Go on, then. Open it before your curiosity kills you."

Mia would have waited it out longer just to annoy him, but she decided it was better to just ease the curious itch in her spine by pulling open the strings binding the pouch shut. She held it up upside down, holding her palm out for the object to fall into. After a few shakes, it finally did, and she was met with the cool feeling of silver on her flustered skin. The ring was recognizable almost instantly, and she looked up at Draco in shock, wanting to ask a million questions.

"Is this the same―"

"As Nott's?" he finished, humming his answer with a nod. "The idiot wasn't meant to let you see his until after I gave you yours, but I suppose he's never been as good at subtlety as he thinks."

She ignored that comment in favor of inspecting the ring, noticing that they were identical in everything but the band size. The 'R' that shaped the center of the ring was also different of only one thing, a small space in the dot of the 'R' left empty whereas Theodore's was filled a crimson color. When she went to question Draco on the difference, he was already another two inches closer and hovering slightly over her.

"The R is just for show. You've mentioned before that you and Nott were always bound more to your mothers' maiden names than your father's. I figured it was a better emblem than your family's or the Slytherin crest..." he trailed off, and Mia was surprised to see that he looked slightly wary down on her "...it's more than just a ring, though, Romy. When I was looking through the duel-magic spells in one of Epps' earlier chapters, it gave me the idea. I modified it a little, but it should still work―"

Mia gaped down at the ring, suddenly understanding what he did. She looked at him incredulously. "Blood magic?"

"Knew you'd enjoy that bit of it," he said with a humored snort before nodding. "Essentially. You only need to put a drop of blood onto it like Nott did this morning, and the hope is that you two will be able to feel one another's magic with it. Assurance that the other is still alive and what not. That, or the two of you will just look a bit mental with some blood on the rings. We can test it out tomorrow before Appariti―"

Draco was cut off abruptly when the words were knocked out of his mouth by Mia. She had jumped up, underestimating the close proximity between them, and wrapped herself tightly around his neck. Thankfully, he only stumbled back a few feet and corrected his balance so they wouldn't fall. His arms did wrap protectively around her waist, digging his fingers into the exposed skin of her raised shirt to hold her upright against his body.

Like a current fully broken free of its confinements, the two of them molded into the others figure and accepted the embrace for what it was worth. Mia's arms tightened around the back of his neck, knowing that he could undoubtedly feel the racing beat of her heart between their pressed chests. She could feel his, slamming like a broken record against his ribs. The affection they so often chased away from suddenly felt necessarily, desired.

She only pulled onto him closer as she mumbled into the nape of his neck. "Thank you, Draco."

"Happy Birthday, Romy."

If he happened to press a lingering kiss to her cheek as soon as they pulled away from one another, Mia may have been tempted to admit the impossible to herself. Perhaps Theodore was right. It may feel like a breath of fresh air to admit her greatest secret out loud, but she was worried if she ever allowed herself that luxury, Draco Malfoy may stop breathing all together―and admitting she may or may not be falling for him was not worth the possibility of losing him forever. She would take the sliver of breathless pain that came with his kiss on her cheek.

Besides, it would only be a few weeks before she finally discovered that one of the birthday letters hidden in the bottom of her school bag came from her deceased father. For now, she could live in the fortunate moment of happiness she'd received before the misfortune of her last name caught up with her all over again.

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

Author's Note:

10,248 words! Hallelujah. I was going to originally split this up, but I decided against it because it just needed to stay together to make the most sense. SO MUCH HAPPENED IN THIS CHAPTER! Before I get into any questions and responses, I would like to briefly mention that this chapter is a bit longer than most because I start class next week and updates on this story will become scarce. If I have the opportunity to update, I'll try my hardest to! NOW...

What did you think of the fight between Alastiare and Sirius? Now we finally know why he missed her 15th birthday...based on that fight, do you have any new theories as to what happened in the Department of Mysteries that could have led to Alastiare's death? We're slowly getting closer to it being revealed! (The past goes in chronological order, by the way!)

Theodore and Mia finally talked, and Theandrew is rising! That particular scene of them on the Astronomy Tower has been written for this story since the first chapter, and I was so happy to finally write it down. His coming out was so necessary to perfect and get right, especially because the LGBTQ+ community is not as often represented in the Harry Potter books as I would have liked. Yes, while Theo does have feelings for Andrew, I wanted to make sure that him being gay is not just for a couple's trope. He is more than just half of a ship, and his characterization was important to get right for that.

ALSO! Draco and Romy! I spent fifty years (exaggerating but felt like it) trying to figure out the birthday present that Draco would get her. I decided on the rings because I knew that would be the best way for Draco to show how much he cares about Mia. By giving her something special that connects her to her family, which means more to her than any other. One of her greatest fears is losing Theo, and now she can have that little reassurance thanks to him.

Also...we kind of made a huge step in Romy admitting she may have feelings for Draco? AND THEY HUGGED. Progress.

....that end though. What do you think the letter Alastiare wrote to Mia says?

As always, let me know what you thought about the chapter! I worked my energy and abilities off to get this chapter out to you before classes start, and I'd love some feedback on what you thought! Only a few more months until HBP is finished...

TYCHE: THE GODDESS OF GOOD AND ILL FORTUNE