It was funny, really, how Charlus never really thought about how much his advice to Euphemia that day in the Transfiguration office would impact the girl's decisions. Nor did he consider that the words that came out of his mouth could actually change everything forever - it was just another tip, another piece of advice but it was his advice that changed everything.

The months after the day Mia had gotten her Howler and the advice from Charlus, the 29th of April, went by rather fast for some and for others they crawled by rather slow. It really depended on what was happening in your life and whether it would impact how fast the time went by or not.

For Euphemia's group of friends, it went by almost torturously slow because Mia had made the executive decision to start cutting off her contact with them all. It wasn't what she really wanted, it hurt her to do so and it hurt many others as well but Charlus told her to do what she thought was best and this was what Euphemia believed was best.

Some little part inside of her believed that she could keep her friends safe if she stopped putting them in danger by hanging out with them all.

It wasn't like Mia had suddenly stopped being friends with them in an instant moment, it was a gradual process that made some of the months seem incredibly long to the group of friends.

She just started hanging out with them less and less, day by day. Euphemia would stop involving herself in conversations as much to see how much her silence and presence made a difference.

This all probably was not helped by the fact that Mia received a lot of hate mail from Cassiopeia over the course of the last few months of her third year.

There were no more Howlers, thank Merlin, but she got daily letters which just insulted her and told her how much of a disappointment and a disgrace she was.

It was why Euphemia finally decided to just stop all her friendships with the supposed 'filth' because of the things Cassiopeia was saying in the letters.

Mia did find it hard, though. Slytherin House was a very lonely place to be if you didn't have any friends and with Druella and Orion watching her every movement, she had no chance of freedom which meant she was often constricted and felt rather suffocated and claustrophobic.

Walburga also didn't help, she and Heather went out of their way to make Euphemia's life a misery though occasional little comments and sympathetic looks from Mary did make Mia feel a little less alone.

The worst bit of cutting off her friendships with the gang was that she had to sit next to Minerva in Transfiguration, next to Charlus in Ancient Runes and she had to work at the same place as Pomona and Florean in Herbology.

It wasn't that it was awkward, Mia still chatted to them and they chatted back to her because she had explained why she was doing what she was doing and they respected her decision but it didn't mean that they were happy with it.

"Why do you have to always be so damn noble all the time, Mia? I can see that you're unhappy - why don't you just come back to us? We'll protect yer!" Minerva whisper yelled at Euphemia one Transfiguration lesson in about mid May.

The Scottish girl was obviously extremely frustrated with her best friend and she let her know which just made Mia feel even worse and she actually raised her hand and asked Dumbledore to excuse her from the lesson for a few minutes.

When she returned, all eyes were on her and she sat down next to a guilty looking Minnie and a worried Eugenia who both immediately leaned in and tried to talk to her again but Euphemia just tiredly blanked them and got on with her work.

She could always sense Charlus' eyes on her and she often got concerned looks sent her way from Lyall and Florean. Filius forever tried to talk some sense into her and Alastor and Pomona were very good at cornering her after classes to try and speak with her.

It was all extremely stressful to Mia, she just couldn't wait for the year to be over but then again she didn't want to return to her home for the summer as that would mean facing Cassiopeia and, after the sort of things her mother had been saying to Euphemia in letters, that wouldn't be a good thing.

Then again, Mia could always explain to her parents that she wasn't friends with them anymore but she knew that she would feel like she was lying to them as she knew, deep down, that she still wanted to be mates with them all.

Charis actually came in help a lot during the last few months of third year as she offered Mia to come and hang out with her friends.

Everyone knew what Euphemia had been doing, the entire Great Hall heard the insults that were flung at her from her very own mother so there was no need to hide any secrets.

It had taken a few weeks for the gossip and the eyes to stop following Mia around and that was only because there was a rumour going around the school that Alice Whittington had been seen kissing Drew Murray when she was meant to be dating James Dwyer. Which was more interesting than last week's gossip about Euphemia Black's family issues.

Charis' friends were rather nice, like Charis herself, but they were fourth years and acted much older than Mia which meant they treated her quite like a baby which irritated her.

She spent a few lunchtimes with them so that she didn't seem lonely but she soon became bored with their chatter about boys and makeup and hair and music bands.

So that was how Euphemia ended up spending her lunchtimes in the library, eating in the Great Hall as quickly as possible and then rushing to a secluded spot in the corner where she could submerge herself in reading and forget all about her problems.

All because she followed Charlus' advice and did what Mia thought was best....which turned out not be actually great.

But there was no turning back now.

~~~

It was one such lunchtime that Euphemia's reading was interrupted by the incessant giggling of a group of Ravenclaw first years.

She could hear their whispered conversations from over the few tables that were placed in between them and it jerked her back to reality because she wasn't usually joined by company and it surprised her.

A pang of sadness rang through Mia when she saw the group of obviously very close friends which just reminded her cruelly of the friends she had left behind.

The recurring dream she had had months back came to mind as Euphemia realised exactly what it had meant - she had to pick one lifeboat otherwise she would drown.

And so she had picked the lifeboat where she would forever feel upset but she would at least be safe from the cruelty of her family if she pretended to agree with their views. Then why was it that Mia felt like she was drowning anyway?

"Mia?" came a familiar voice from afar and Euphemia's head shot up at the sound of her name to land eyes on a girl she had not seen for a very, very long time because she had been caught up in the drama of her own life.

The girl in front of her had sparkling green eyes and blonde hair swung back in a ponytail and she had obviously come from the table of Ravenclaw first years. The sight made Mia's heart lift and she felt happy for once in a while.

"Clover?" she gasped and the blonde nodded before the two friends embraced tightly, Euphemia holding onto Clover a little longer than was necessary.

There was reminder in Mia's head that, even though Clover was not a muggle as Euphemia originally thought, Clover had still been brought up by muggles so could possibly be a half blood which meant she would not be accepted by the Blacks. This made Mia feel quite dismayed but she still kept a tight hold on the younger girl.

"I heard what happened - I hope you're okay," Clover whispered in Euphemia's ear as she stood on her tippy toes to reach Mia's height.

"Hasn't everyone heard what happened?" Euphemia commented dryly and Clover let out a giggle before she pulled away and dragged Mia over to meet her table of friends who were all looking at the third year in curiosity.

"Girls - this is my friend, Euphemia Black. She was my first witch friend and is going through a very hard time at the moment so I think it would be nice if we let her sit with us for a bit. What do you all think?" Clover asked her friends and they all seemed to agree, nodding eagerly which took Mia by surprise as she had not expected such a nice offer from Clover.

"Cloves...you don't have to..." she tried to protest faintly as Clover forced her down into a seat next to a freckled girl with ginger braids. "I don't have to - I want to," the blonde said firmly before she sat down at the head of the table and proceeded to introduce all of her Ravenclaw friends in first year.

There was Evelyn (Evie for short) - who was the girl beside Euphemia with ginger braids and freckles - she liked to doodle and paint sunsets and sunrises from the morning and the evening.

Next to Evelyn was Daphne who had dark hair rather like Mia's but she had it tied back into a ponytail whereas Euphemia's was falling past her shoulders. Daphne enjoyed reading books which made her a rather typical Ravenclaw, Mia thought.

There was Elsie and Jacqueline - a pair of sweet girls who appeared to be the best of friends as they giggled together and told Euphemia about how much they hated Potions but loved Charms.

Elsie had cute blonde pigtails and Jacqueline had a short bob rather like a boy's and she seemed rather tomboyish as well. Last but not least was Victoria who was a very shy girl with black hair that covered her eyes which were surrounded by large spectacles which made her look like an owl.

Once Mia had been introduced to them all, they all started chatting and Euphemia found herself relaxing for the first time in weeks until she saw Florean Fortescue looking at her with a weird expression on his face.

He was stood a little apart from the table that she was seated at and the boy was leaning against a bookshelf with a rather troubled look.

"Excuse me a minute, girls," Euphemia suddenly said quietly and she raised herself from the table as Jacqueline avidly told a story about the time she had stuck her brother to a tree with accidental magic and it had taken three days for him to be detached.

Mia smiled a little at the story but Jacqueline's excited voice soon faded off into the distance and she was faced with Florean who now looked extremely sad when Euphemia looked even closer.

"What's wrong, Flo?" Mia asked softly, slipping into the habit of calling him by his nickname which just sent a flash of pain through his usually laughing and mischievous eyes.

"What's wrong?" he repeated her question with a rather bitter tone that did not suit the usually joyful boy whatsoever. Euphemia fell silent and bit her lip, her eyes turning downcast as she realised just how upset her best friend really was.

"How many times do we have to say it, Mia? We don't hate you for your surname and we don't care that your family don't like you! We-" Florean attempted to try and convince her to change her mind but Mia cut him off almost immediately after he had started.

"Do you get tortured by your parents if you so much as smile at a muggle, half blood or 'blood traitor'? I'll be lucky to even be alive by next year so don't tell me what to do because I know what's best for everyone. It might not be the best for me but it will keep others safe and that's all that matters!" she proclaimed, her cheeks becoming flushed as she tried not to lose her rag with him.

Florean looked saddened by some of the things she was saying, especially at the reminder that one of the Unforgivable Curses was used on one of his best friends frequently.

He didn't want to lose her, he wanted to be there for her but he also didn't want to force her into doing something that she didn't want to do. "If you think that's best then...." Florean trailed off and Mia nodded firmly, tears shining in her eyes before she reached up and hugged him tightly, clinging to him for support.

"I think it's best for now. I'll try and work out a better plan - once I've persuaded my mother not to kill me, maybe I can start hanging out with you all again. I'm very good at lying and pretending to be on other people's sides when I'm actually not," Euphemia laughed a little as she came to an end, watching as Florean looked at her thoughtfully and in a rather melancholy fashion.

"Just be careful, okay?" he made her promise before he picked up his bag from where he had dumped it on the floor beside where they had been standing, "Goodbye for now, Mia Black," Florean waved at her and she high fived his open palm, making them both giggle.

"I'll work something out! Mia knows best, after all," she called with a smile before she also waved at his retreating figure, "Goodbye for now, Florean Fortescue."

~~~

Across the border and far away from Hogwarts in Scotland, a small muggle girl by the name of Amy was playing in the puddles that littered the streets of her home village which was named Little Hangleton.

It was a warm summers night in 1950, despite the rainfall from the night before and she was playing about with her hoop, jumping in and out of the puddles.

Her mother called for her to come inside from the mouth of the cottage that her family occupied and Amy, who was merely seven, shouted back that she would be one minute for her hoop had decided to roll all the way down the road.

Sighing, her mother waited at the doorway as her child ran down the street, chasing after her hoop with a small giggle every time it got further and further away as it would only prolong the time she could stay out playing and that meant she wouldn't have to go to bed as early as her mother planned.

Once she was out of sight of her mother, Amy decided to keep rolling her hoop down the road so that she could continue chasing it and the toy eventually ended up on the immaculate lawn of the Riddle Manor, having rolled through the slightly ajar gate, left open by someone entering previously which was suspicious because the Riddle Manor had been silent and empty for seven whole years. Not that Amy would notice that, though.

However, Amy did become slightly panicked as her mother had always warned her not to go near the Riddle Manor as there were rumours that it was haunted because of the ruthless murders of it's occupants.

The Riddle Family had been killed there just before Amy was born, seven years ago in the year of 1943 - in the midst of the war.

Their murders had originally been suspected to have been done by some Germans and there was a rumour that maybe some gas had leaked out and poisoned them all but many of the villagers suspected Frank Bryce, the gardener for the Riddle Family.

Amy had only heard a few things about Frank Bryce and she knew that he was a very scary man that did not appreciate his lawn being trampled, especially by the likes of her wooden hoop.

The fun had suddenly gone out of playing and Amy scrambled frantically across the grass to retrieve her hoop.

"Who goes there?" echoed a cold voice from out of the darkness that was slowly covering the village of Little Hangleton.

A shadow appeared on the garden shed as far as Amy could see and the voice did not sound friendly whatsoever. "It's only me, Amy. I'm just getting my hoop, I'm terribly sorry to have bothered you-" she stammered, her little hands shaking as they gripped her hoop.

A man suddenly emerged from the shadows and Amy could already see that this man was definitely not Frank Bryce as Frank Bryce had slightly greying hair and was rather plump.

This man must've been in his early twenties at the youngest and had slicked black hair and a very pale complexion.

His long hands clutched some sort of white stick and Amy could've sworn his eyes flashed red as he looked at her coldly but she told herself it was just the light that was emitting from the old manor house which had spilled out onto the grass as the man came out.

Tom Riddle looked down at the little muggle girl who was a pathetic shaking mess as she held her hoop in one hand, her brown plaits gleaming in the light that came from the doorway.

He was here at his family's house for very important business, a meeting with his most loyal companions that he had referred to as the Knights of Walpurgis in their days at Hogwarts.

At only the age of twenty three, Tom Riddle was not as ruthless as he would become but he found himself irritated by the muggle girl who had trespassed on his lawn.

As much as he had despised the Riddles that lived in this very manor house and as much as he hated his name, this was his manor now and she was trespassing on his property.

Tom had business to do, he couldn't stand around talking to muggle girls who didn't deserve his time nor his patience, not that there was much of it.

"Begone, girl," he hissed and she scurried off faster than anything. However, Tom wasn't going to let her get away with trespassing and he waited for her to get to the gate before he waved his wand and a green light shot out of it.

Amy had in fact looked back to see whether the strange man in the Riddle House was definitely letting her go and that was when the small girl saw Tom raise his wand and, before she could even speak, a strange green light struck her in the chest and she fell to the pavement, her hoop clattering beside her.

"Riddle? Are you coming?" Arcturus Black, Euphemia's father, asked from inside and he bowed his head at the man, stepping into the manor with a muttered apology.

"Let us commence the plans," he told the room full of his loyal servants and they all clapped and cackled in unison.

Meanwhile, Amy Stratton's mother wandered the streets of Little Hangleton, calling out for her daughter who had not returned after chasing her hoop.

She completely disregarded the fact that the Riddle Manor was lit up inside for the first time in seven years. It was ironic really, because the lights of the house was the last thing Amy saw before she was murdered, not that Mrs Stratton would know that, of course.

That must've been record timing for that update, I've surprised even myself lol.