Chapter 30, Ghost Story
"Find your power and purpose."

1993

"There's no other choice," Remus tried explaining, "You need to accept this punishment."

Mia refused to accept it. She merely defended herself and her friends from the insults and mockery. It wasn't like she committed a crime against nature.

"You have to accept the suspension or else you could be expelled."

She scoffed in disbelief, "And what about him? Will he also receive a punishment?"

"He will be dealt with, but I don't care about him," Remus calmly approached her, as if not to agitate her more. "You petrified a guard for trying to break you off him. You were hurting Malfoy with no intention of stopping."

"Malfoy is more than alright. I barely touched him."

Remus shot her a look, "His nose and arm are broken, and you threatened to do worse to anyone if they intervened. Now they're all afraid of you." 

"Then let them be afraid!"

He looked at her as if she were a glass about to shatter, as if a grenade had been placed inside her and was bound to explode at any second. She was ashamed for disappointing him, but she wouldn't apologize for her words when they were nothing but the truth.

"They all think the worst of me," Mia glanced out of the tower, looking out into the stormy waters and darkened skies. "I'm considered nothing but a danger because of my name. They see a death eater in me, so excuse me for being tired of trying to earn their respect."

"And by attempting to run away, would that have granted it?"

She halted, wondering how he knew when it had been a secret between her and Cedric. He promised not to tell anyone, but it seemed she placed her trust in the wrong person.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mia feigned ignorance and headed to the tower's exit, but Remus prevented it by blocking her path. "Let me go."

"Don't pretend to be crass. You know exactly what I'm referring to."

"I have to head to class-"

Remus cut her off, "You have been excused for the rest of the day, so you're not going anywhere."

Her patience started to wear off as she couldn't fathom having this conversation any longer. She was aware of losing control and slowly starting to dive into her darkness, but if she were to admit it, that meant everyone had been right about her.

"I can't believe he told you," she muttered under her breath, choosing to place her anger on the Hufflepuff instead.

"He was only worried about you-"

"Worried about me?!" Mia incredulously asked, and slammed her hands on the railing.

"He's not the only one," Remus admitted. "I know you. I can see you're in pain, but you're not allowing yourself to feel it. You're pushing your emotions away because you think it makes you strong."

She took a shaky breath, "Big deal. All of us are in pain. Harry's in pain, Hermione's in pain, Ron's in pain. Even you."

"Yes, but they're feeling it. I also am," he argued, a sudden flash of thunder illuminating his scar. "You're not and that's why you're acting this way."

Learning the full truth behind her father had been difficult to handle. She had been trying to pretend it wasn't affecting her, but how could she? Everyone's exclusions and insults were justifiable. She was her father's daughter, someone meant to become a death eater and carry on his legacy. Of course they'd view her as a threat. Even she did.

"Everyone looks at me as if expecting me to go dark one day," Mia said, her voice resembling a low whimper. "I never understood why, but once you told me the truth, I finally understood them. I tried pretending I didn't care, so for months, I hid what I felt by trying to earn their acceptance. But how can I earn something I never had and never will? It's unfair, because it's what I deserve!"

"And you believe hurting others will grant you that?"

He always said the right things, but he was now doing the opposite. She just wanted at least one person to understand her viewpoint. It wasn't like she intended to hurt the guard, but he got in the way and got caught between the crossfire.

"I don't care anymore," Mia declared in a stern voice, but her face told a different story. "If I can't earn their acceptance or respect, then I might as well be feared."

"And you're proud of that?" Remus incredulously asked, refusing to believe the most rational girl was actually saying these words. "You injured an innocent guard and attacked your fellow classmate-"

"He deserved it!" Mia's voice shook with anger. "Someone needed to knock him off his pedestal, so that's exactly what I did! I'm not going to apologize for defending my friends, so don't expect me to do so."

He knew this outburst was just a way to cover her real feelings. She had never been one to indulge in her emotions. She always repressed them and masked them with sarcasm or anger, but hearing how accepting she was becoming of this made him afraid she might take the wrong path.

"I would do anything for you, Mia," he softly said, and moved closer. "I've watched you grow and can say I helped your mother raise you, which is why I can say with liberty that this path you're taking won't get you anywhere."

"Being weak also won't."

He shook his head in disapproval, "There's a difference in standing up for yourself and being cruel. By making everyone afraid of you, you're proving them right. You're proving that you are your father's daughter and are going to follow in his footsteps one day."

"I'm not," she hastily responded, afraid he was now viewing her as a terrible person as well. She'd be able to deal with the others' shun, but not his. "I won't ever become him. I can promise you that."

"I know, but you're letting this darkness consume you. Don't let this truth become you," Remus knew this wasn't an answer she expected, but it's what she needed to hear. "You have to fight and find your power and purpose."

Present Day

Mia spent the last few years stumbling through darkness. Even now, she still struggled to find an escape. Hiding her pain for the sake of others was easy for her. It was a skill she learned to master and prided herself with.

Well, at least that was the case until today.

Dimitri drew his wand at her. His strong feelings influenced the strength of the curse and made it an infinite hex insistent on keeping her trapped. He was powerful and unlike any other wizard she had come across, his resentment for her was corrupting his senses into granting this torment.

Bella's screams could be heard from the trees. In spite of being under the curse, it was much more painful not being able to protect her. Bella was innocent and had been thrown into this world because of her, and now there was the uncertainty of having the capacity to save her.

"You have to fight and find your power and purpose."

Mia remembered those words. She held them deep in her heart and recited them like a prayer. They had been her pillar and kept her afloat for years, but there was a flaw in them. She never believed she had a purpose. She considered that people were put into this world for no reason other than to exist.

Her fate had been sealed since birth. It was dictated that the heir of the Dark Lord's Hand was meant to carry his legacy. A tragic path meant to be followed and obeyed with complete devotion.

Power and purpose.

A complicated concept, indeed.

But then, something changed within her.

As she endured this curse, she started to understand those words.

Hiding couldn't be a concept for her existence any longer. The once constant fog that hovered over her shoulders needed to fade and for the first time, she considered that her purpose was fighting against her destiny.

Mia reached for her wand standing a couple inches from her. Through her tremulous limbs and clouded sight, she pushed herself to escape from the pain of this curse. She moved quickly toward her wand and firmly grasped it. To her father's surprise, he lost focus upon her liberation.

It was incomprehensible escaping the curse. The Longbottoms had been tortured to insanity at his hands, so seeing his daughter defy all laws of nature was an unsettling sight to behold.

A defensive spell was then casted. Red and green collided, creating mixtures of sparks and electrifying jolts. Branches and rubble from the boulders soared around, and formed a blaring sound that combined with the explosions created.

Dimitri no longer cared for his plans, "Avada-"

"Oppugno," she cast, making the boulders dash toward him and prevent him from completing the killing curse.

Droplets of blood poured from his forehead from barely missing dodging the rest of the rocks. His hair became unkempt and his once pristine appearance was now ruined. He tilted his head slightly at her and yelled, "Reducto!"

A flash of light stormed toward her. Mia drew her wand ahead and cast a protective barrier, preventing the curse from impacting her. His failure felt like acid burning his blood that he recklessly drew his hand in the direction of the grass she stood on. Flames then surrounded her like an ambush and captured her in its gates.

Mia cast Aguamenti in her mind and a surge of water began to extend all over the flames. The fire became extinguished and left nothing but a burnt circle and smoke behind.

Dimitri lowered his wand, his expression contorting into a stoic one. He was now calm and pacing slowly around her, as if contemplating what to do next. She waited for him to make the next move, but he then took out a small red vial from his pocket. He dangled it for a second and formed the ghost of a smirk, "I'm a man of my word, darling. I offered you a choice and you chose wrong. Seems I'll have to use this on your vampire then."

Mia internally panicked at his threat. She knew the risk that came with defying him, but a part of her had believed that he was being dishonest. Lies were all he carried and she so foolishly believed the opposite.

But she wouldn't dwell on her failures.

Not when the man she loved was being threatened. If Dimitri was intent on giving him the cure, he would have to go through her first.

"Don't you dare speak of him," Mia prevented him from attacking by using her magic to move a tree trunk in his direction.

A successful action that sent him to the ground unconscious.

But then, Bella's scream was heard.

Mia looked into the forest and her heart dropped when seeing James holding her wrist with intentions to attack. She jerked her wand forward, an explosion of light striking James in the chest and sending him crashing deeper into the forest. She ran toward Bella and noticed the high amount of blood pouring from her broken leg.

"You have to go," Bella winced at the pain. "I can't walk with this leg, so get out of here while you still can."

Mia gripped tighter onto her wand and pointed it directly to her broken bone to cast a healing charm. Bella felt a sudden warmth before a cold graze. The pain came to an abrupt halt and once she looked down, she was stunned her leg was now healed.

"Come on," Mia pulled her closer to disapparate, but her attempts were prevented once a pair of sharp hands yanked her by the neck.

Her back crashed onto the nearby tree trunk and her head began spinning uncontrollably. A surge of pain ricocheted throughout her body as a trail of blood ran down her face.

James kneeled in front of her, but not before glancing in Dimitri's direction. He was pleased when noticing the wizard was still unconscious, granting him the opportunity to torture the girl he was prohibited from hurting.

Mia attempted to reach for her wand, but the vampire was much quicker. Her weapon was split in half and left her entirely defenseless. Wandless magic had never been her strong suit. The last time she attempted it, she nearly lost consciousness from how uncontrollable her power became.

"Looks like you're nothing without your magic," he clenched his jaw as his grip on her arm became tighter. The sound of her bone snapping and painful screams consumed the forest as he relished the moment, "This has to be my favorite part. Seeing you completely defenseless is just as great as breaking Edward's little heart."

Her gaze hardened at the mention of his name. As if her wand had returned to her grip, a powerful force emitted from her body and sent him crashing into the lake.

Blood poured onto the once green grass and transformed it into a muddy brown color. At the sight of it, her adrenaline finally kicked in. Mia applied pressure on her broken arm and snapped the bone back into place. She refrained from screaming knowing it would only delight the vampire, so with haste, she pushed herself off the ground and remained wary of her surroundings.

The water James had crashed into was completely still. The wind and the thunder was gone entirely silent, allowing the sound of her racing heart to be heard much loudly. Her hands trembled with every breath and for the first time, she was afraid.

Behind her, Bella stormed in her direction like a baby deer searching for its mother. She panted uncontrollably as her head whipped back and forth continuously, but her worries became greater once seeing Mia's blood and broken arm. "Are you okay?"

Mia had gone quiet.

Silence was usually comforting, but this one was an indication that the worst was yet to come. She glanced in the spot her father had been in, and felt her entire body run cold when not finding him present.

As if it were a coincidence, the trees and the ground suddenly started shaking. The wind blew uncontrollably and thunder blared from afar.

"What's happening?" Bella asked in a panic.

Mia couldn't find a reasonable explanation other than knowing this was linked to her father. He was hiding in the shadows to take her off guard. Now that she lost her wand, he had a greater advantage and he knew it. If he wanted to attack, it would be the ideal time to do so.

"Let's just go," she finally said, both she and Bella starting to run into the forest.

A dark cloud of smoke apparated in front. Standing before them, Dimitri had replaced his wand by a blade instead. The handle was bony white and had the Dark Mark carved in the center. Its silver edge matched the sharpness of his piercing eyes and fit perfectly in his palm as if it had been made just for him.

Mia barely had time to perceive the blade slicing through her shoulder down to her collarbone until it was too late. She reached for his wrist in an attempt to prevent the weapon from hurting her, but a grating kick against her ribs sent her falling down just when James regained consciousness.

The vampire bolted toward them and grabbed Bella by the base of her neck. She reached into her pocket for the can of pepper spray her father gave her and used it on him. James clenched his jaw and growled, giving her time to run in the opposite direction. He gave her a ten second head start before lunging toward her and landing right in front. Like done so earlier, he entangled his hand around her neck and proceeded to throw her into the trees.

"Leave her alone!" Mia tried casting a defensive spell, but Dimitri's pointy shoes kicking her in the chest prevented her from doing so.

The impact took her breath away, allowing him to take advantage and crouch down to her level. He pinned her broken arm down and brought his hand to wedge the blade directly into her heart.

Pain covered her entire body, but despite her arm becoming much more injured, she mustered enough strength to prevent the weapon from plunging into her chest. She gritted her teeth and managed to use both her legs to shove him off, sending the blade flying behind him. He became distracted for a mere moment, allowing her to get up and start heading the other way, but Dimitri's hands found their way to the collar of her jacket that permitted him the chance of slamming her into the nearby tree.

Dark patches clouded her vision and shaped his face into a blur. His degrading gaze burned a hole into her and his breath hit her complexion like sulfuric acid. She brought her non-injured arm to his face and rammed her elbow against it with an extreme force.

Dimitri crashed her back into the log much harder. Her expression remained impassive to prevent giving him the satisfaction of seeing her in pain, which only intensified his anger. She lunged forward, resulting in both of them crashing to the ground in a grating collision.

"You're strong enough to die for him," Dimitri landed a direct hit to her broken arm, prompting loud and unbearable screams to escape. "But you're too weak to surrender."

Blood dripped from her mouth and forehead as she breathed uncontrollably. Fighting with this broken arm gave him an advantage and made her weak. She couldn't let him win against her. She needed to continue and rid him of the cure before it was too late.

Upon his haste distraction, Mia applied pressure in her arm and whispered a healing charm. Warmth and cold collided against the other before hardening her bone, signifying her spell had been a successful.

Dimitri exhaled sharply and pushed his hair back. He paced toward her slowly, as if taunting her about her weakness. She attempted to direct a few boulders toward him, but his protective shield barricaded their impact. The blue in his eyes transformed into a darker shade and before she could attempt another attack, he raised his foot to strike it directly into her chest.

Pain reverberated throughout her body at the impact. The few fractures in her ribs and concussion made it harder to get up, but one look at her father heading to her was enough to stand from the ground with haste.

Mia took the chance to make the first move by swinging her fist at his face, landing a punch directly to his jaw. She noticed his blade had found its way back to his palm. One wrong move cost her everything and it was now that everything because much graver.

Dimitri held her by the arms and pinned her down. She flailed in his hold and frantically sought for an escape, but he was much stronger. The edge of his blade ran a line down her cheek, his attempt at leaving a scar that would remind her of this night.

"Look over there," he demanded, and held her face harshly to force her to see James about to bite Bella's wrist. "If you can't save her, how will you save yourself?"

Mia tried to use her magic against him, but she was growing weaker by the minute. She was trapped under his hold and her failure would cost an innocent person, but she was more terrified of losing a friend than losing herself.

She weakly extended her hand in James' direction and placed her entire strength onto him, but Dimitri prevented his accomplice from getting attacked. Instead, she listened as he called him over and Bella was then tossed aside.

James stood alongside Dimitri. He narrowed his eyes and slowly crouched to her level. A taunting smile crossed his features as he grasped onto the same arm he injured earlier. Upon noticing she healed herself, his rage intensified into applying a grating pressure against it.

"Your dad and I chose our stage well," he told her. "It's too bad Edward didn't have the strength to turn you. Instead, he kept you this fragile little human. It's cruel, really."

She scoffed, "You know what else is cruel? Being used as a pawn in someone else's game. What makes you think he's going to spare you?"

His humor disappeared at her ridicule. Impulsively, he brought his hand down to her fingers and snapped most of them as if they were nothing but glass. He smiled at her painful screams, but his delight was cut short once he was sent into the nearby rocks.

James gave a menacing growl, "Are you forgetting we're on the same side?! I want her dead just as much as you do!"

Dimitri remained calm, unaffected by the vampire before him. He kept his gaze on her and watched her attempt to escape, but he drew his wand forward and restrained her to the ground.

Mia wanted to move. She wanted to hurt him worse than he hurt her, but she was stuck. She was numb from her entire body, trapped under the rain and her father's mercy.

"Deal with your human," he told James, and replaced his wand with his blade. "I'll handle my daughter. She belongs to me."

James was hesitant, but eventually resigned and walked away toward an unconscious Bella.

Mia slowly regained the sensation on her body. She lifted herself up in the only way she could, carefully and with caution. Her hand was broken and all the hits had clouded her perception, making it harder to cast any kind of spell. She could feel her father's eyes on her, his observation, his mockery, and his shame. He still had the cure and waited to weaken her to taunt her with it.

Her voice was low and shattered, "Incendio!"

Dimitri deflected the spell like it was nothing. He tilted his head to the side and attacked her once again with a counter-curse. She landed by the lake's edge, and he slowly began to approach her as if this were anything but ordinary. He stopped a couple inches before casting the Dark Mark onto the sky.

An imminent sign that death would arrive.

Mia tried to get up, but she sunk to the water and started resigning to the fact that she had lost. She failed to protect her loved ones and due to her mistakes, they would pay the price even after her death.

Dimitri held the cure and mockingly waved it in the air. Its poisonous contents danced within the vial, waiting to be used against its victim. Immortality was at risk and a grand power like this had been placed in the wrong hands, but it wouldn't be a success. Not when seeing the cure brought her courage to resurface.

If Mia were to die tonight, there was no certainty on whether or not Dimitri would or would not force it onto Edward. Destroying it was the only solution and even if it could cost her own life, she wouldn't allow a deadly weapon to haunt anyone with its existence.

Mia stood completely still and let him come closer. He flicked his blade upward and walked to her with a new determination. She remained in her spot and allowed him to hold her by the throat. He relished at her feigned defeat and brought her down to the water. She grasped onto his arms and tried pushing him away, but his strength would always exceed hers.

But never her intellect.

With the cure in his pocket, Mia stopped fighting against him and harshly pried the vial away. He didn't notice her action until it was too late and the contents were emptied into the lake. Red and gray combined, signifying the end of a threat and the start of his failure.

Dimitri was consumed by a fit of rage. The most valuable weapon was with him and his hubris had put a cease to his advantage. All he saw was red and an insatiable need to punish her for shaming him.

His hands found the base of her neck and proceeded to bring her out. He held the blade much harshly and wasted no time to inflict it into her abdomen. Blood seeped through her shirt and poured into the lake. She panicked under his hold, refraining from screaming and still attempting to free herself.

"Do you hear that?" Dimitri whispered into her ear. "Silence. No one's here for you. All this time, you've been protecting people that don't care for you."

His words cut her deeper than anything.

"Did you actually think anyone could love you?"

(She didn't, but she longed for it.)

"No one in this family is meant to be loved, especially you."

"Screw... you," she managed to say amidst his hold.

Her eyes welled at the hard truth. His words should be taken with a grain of salt, but a part of her believed them. It was a thought that lingered in the back of her mind ever since she was a child. If she was meant to become him, it was unfathomable for someone to love her.

No one could love a monster.

Not unless they were one as well.

Love was delicate. It was a privilege not many obtained, but only the fortunate ones. She longed to be embraced by the honor, but she was damaged beyond repair to believe she was worthy of such. Love wasn't for sinners. It wasn't for someone tainted, but for someone pure and clean.

Mia lived through ghost stories. She endured tragedies and accepted them, but as her blood stained the water, it was anger instead of sorrow felt. Abiding by a forced sentence was unjust. It was a torture inflicted by a burden meant for another. A fate dictated by the senseless and biased.

She was loved.

She was loved by many.

She was loved by him.

And that was enough.

But then, the angel of death appeared beside her. It waited for her last breath, for her defeat, and for her acceptance. Without it, her soul wouldn't be as replenishing. It wouldn't satisfy the joy of acquiring another life.

Mia tried to fight against her father, but he pushed her further into the water and inflicted his blade into her again. She searched within her for any leftover strength, but fate was now interfering. Her vigor had faded into the abyss and left her stranded, setting her up for an imminent fall from grace.

Flashes of thunder flooded the night sky. The electric blares took on the form of death's claws and reverberated throughout the forest. Water seeped into her skin, its transparency no longer present and taking on the redness of her blood.

She tried to fight.

She tried to breathe.

But it wasn't enough.

Fate had been written in the stars like a prophecy. She was always destined to perish and it was her naivety that contributed to it. Destiny could never be escaped. It would always follow like a twisted shadow, haunt the corners of the soul, and destroy the light threatening to emerge.

Mia looked to the sky and for the first time, she prayed for her prophecy to be changed. Her love was no longer a ghost story, but a tale of bittersweet happenings that she finally accepted. He wanted her company, her flaws, her past, her present, and her future. He wanted all of her and she wanted all of him.

She was fully devoted to him, but it was her prophecy that threatened to destroy it.

Anyone would beg their tormentor for mercy, but Mia would never. She would beg the universe for a second chance, but with her heart on her sleeve, she came to an understanding that this truly was a fate never meant to be escaped.

The rhythm of her heart came to a stop, now encompassed into a memory.

A black door opened at the bottom of the lake and slowly dragged her to its end. Her descend was sudden, so unexpected, but all the signs were shown.

In her dreams they were present.

They were an evidence and a warning ignored... and now a tragic ghost story.

And so, the fallen Grey took her last breath and entered the black door to welcome death like an old friend.