Euphemia couldn't breathe.

She couldn't freaking breathe. There was loads of suffocating water surrounding her, crashing violently in waves above her head as some unknown force dragged her down to the bottom, tugging and tugging whilst she desperately raised her arms up, trying to swim out of the dark mass that was swallowing her up.

Mia attempted to scream for help but her mouth opening only allowed the water to choke her, tightening her chest as her lungs begged for air, for any oxygen or release from the prison of water they had been trapped in. She kicked her legs desperately but something kept pulling her down, again and again, even as she managed to tug herself away. It kept coming back, never failing to haunt her and pull her down to the bottom.

"You're coming with me," a familiar voice suddenly hissed, low and malicious, and a shiver ran down Euphemia's spine, making her look over her shoulder for who had spoken, still floating underneath the water. Her body had stopped struggling now, almost as if it had accepted it's fate but fear was looming over her, like a huge shadow enveloping her in it's grip, not letting her go.

Mia was abruptly whirled around, making her scream loudly but only bubbles came out of her mouth, her hair floating out in all directions as she kicked her legs again, trying to escape from this underwater hell but she soon realised that the weight on her foot was that of a person, another person pulling her down and she peered at this mysterious figure, trying to ascertain who it was.

Orion Black. Orion Black glared up at her, his eyes dark and cruel as he tightened his grip on her ankle, tugging her down even further no matter how much she struggled in his vice-like hold, wiggling her foot desperately to try and free herself of the manacle that was his hand. "Go away!" Euphemia shouted at him but he simply sneered, pulling her even further away from the surface.

"You may have escaped once but you won't do it again. I will find you again," Orion threatened her, his eyes narrowing as Mia's breathing became ragged, the water rushing around her, the currents becoming stronger and more vicious as she tried and tried to pull away, tears now pouring down her face (not that you could see them - they just rolled off her cheeks into the violent waves).

"Mia, you can't run. You can't hide. Wherever you go, I will find you. Mia, you need to stop screaming because no one is going to hear you. Mia, you need to-"

"WAKE UP!" Charlus yelled at his girlfriend, frantically shaking her shoulder to try and break her out from her deep slumber as she writhed around on the bed, the covers wrapped around her ankles like manacles as she sobbed into her pillow, moving around like she was trying to gain height.

It was the middle of the night and the entirety of Charlus' bedroom was bathed in darkness, except for the soft glow that was coming from the end of his wand, which he had scrambled for as soon as he heard Euphemia screaming. At first, he had been frightened because he had thought she was actually being hurt but had soon realised that Mia was just having another nightmare, except this time it was much more violent than the ones in the past.

Even though she had been having a wonderful time at the Potters, nightmares had plagued Euphemia's sleep ever since she had been rescued from the wedding. She may have acted like she was alright, Mia may have even thought that she was doing alright, but the reality was that something as psychologically damaging as nearly being trapped in a marriage with one's disgusting cousin didn't just leave one's mind, no matter the situation.

The nightmares hadn't actually been that bad so far - Euphemia had mostly been able to snap herself out of the bad dreams and curl into Charlus' side, whimpering a little but feeling comforted when his sleepy hand would rake through her hair comfortingly. The only occasion when she had been truly unsettled had been when she had accidentally whacked Charlus with her pillow but Mia had managed to wake herself up out of that.

Now, however, Euphemia wasn't waking up. Charlus knew not to panic, he knew she was conscious because her ragged breathing was filling the room as she wriggled about on the bed, the sheets still tangled between her legs as a sheen of sweat drenched her face. Her hair was a mess, like she had been pulling at it in her obvious distress and tears were pouring out of her eyes.

Charlus couldn't help but be concerned and frantic though as Mia whispered broken things underneath her breath, mumbled words that he couldn't quite catch. He just knew that he had to wake her up, he had to help her and he couldn't do that until she was conscious. Suddenly, Euphemia let out a scream that shook Charlus to his core but it woke her up and she bolted upright in the bed, panting heavily as she glanced around, wide eyed and scared.

Charlus melted with relief at her waking up but was immediately doused in concern as she trembled furiously, her hands shaking terribly as they ran through her hair, her eyes darting around nervously as if she was looking for someone. "Mia?" Charlus asked softly, not wanting to startle her and Euphemia turned her head slowly, practically collapsing into her boyfriend as soon as she saw him.

"Shush, shush, it's alright. I'm here, I'm here," Charlus muttered as Mia fell into his open arms, wrapping her own arms around his waist and holding on as if she thought he was going to disappear if she let go. Charlus just held her for a few moments, stroking her hair as she sobbed furiously into his chest and he tried to comfort her but decided to just let her cry, to just let her release all of the emotions that she had evidently been bottling up inside of her.

"I-I t-thought you-you'd left and you....you w-weren't t-there—Or...Orion had me and I c-couldn't find y-you.....I was so scared," Euphemia cried and Charlus tightened his grip on her, just hugging her tightly as he tried to control the anger rising within him upon the mention of Orion's name....that scumbag's name didn't deserve to be uttered from his girlfriend's lips.

"It's okay. I'm here now. You're safe, you're okay," Charlus whispered in her ear, resting his head in the crook of her neck and shoulders as he rubbed her back reassuringly, trying to stem the tears that were heaving through her body, accompanied by gasping breaths and the occasional hiccup. Mia practically collapsed into him, shaking with sobs and Charlus just held her, knowing that she just needed to be secure at that moment.

There was a noise from outside of the bedroom and the sound of a door opening, followed by footsteps and Charlus glanced up from where he was hugging his crying girlfriend, wondering who it was. His silent question was soon answered when his own bedroom door opened and Everleigh stood there, donning a dressing gown over her nightdress as her wand was illuminated at her side.

"Is everything okay? I heard screaming," Everleigh asked, her brow furrowing in concern when she saw that Euphemia's face was burrowed in Charlus' nightshirt, her body shaking with sobs, as Charlus' own face looked rather helpless like he didn't know what to do or say in this situation. Mia sniffed loudly and brought her head up, "Sorry if I woke you, I just had a nightmare. I'm such an annoyance, I'm sorry-" she started to apologise but Everleigh cut her off quickly with a dismissive shake of her hand.

"Don't ever apologise for your emotions, Mia," she told the girl sternly, moving forwards and kneeling at the end of the bed so that her face was directly in front of Euphemia's tear-stricken one, that was just peeking out from underneath Charlus' arms, "I was already awake anyway, I'm a light sleeper so don't worry about it. Now, I want you to take a deep breath and calm yourself down because crying hysterically isn't going to help, darling," Everleigh said gently, reaching forward and wiping some of Mia's tears away.

Euphemia looked taken aback by Everleigh's reaction to her waking her up - if that had been Cassiopeia or Arcturus, she would've been yelled at and called a 'baby' or been punished for being 'weak.' Her father had once said to her that 'Crying is for the weak' when she had cried over cutting her knee open, at around age seven, and that sentiment had stayed with her for the majority of her life. The Potters evidently didn't think like that.....

Charlus still looked unsure on how to deal with Mia and he looked upset about the fact that his girlfriend was crying, her sadness making him sad and he hugged her harder, just wanting to make her feel better but not really knowing how. Everleigh seemed to see how lost Charlus was and she gently eased her son's arms from around his girlfriend, taking Euphemia's hand in her own, "How about we go and have a little chat downstairs? I'll make a cup of tea," she suggested softly and Mia nodded, smiling gratefully.

Before Euphemia made her way out of Charlus' bedroom, she pressed a kiss to her boyfriend's cheek, "Thank you, Flea," she whispered in his ear and Charlus smiled, glad that he had been able to make her feel a little bit better. The rest of that was down to his mother - Everleigh always had a knack for these kinds of things and Charlus was positive that the woman would be able to comfort Mia effectively, being the wonderful maternal figure that she was and all.

"Come on, sweetheart," Everleigh reached out her hand and led Euphemia downstairs. Once they had reached the kitchen, Everleigh turned on the lights slowly with her wand so that the sudden light didn't shock either of their eyes that had become accustomed to the dark. Mia sat down unsurely at the kitchen table as Everleigh handed her a few tissues, waving her wand to boil the kettle at the same time.

Euphemia wiped her tears and blew her nose quietly, silently ashamed that Charlus' mother had to look after her like this - she felt rather like a child and didn't want to be a burden but Everleigh didn't seem to mind. Nevertheless, Mia found herself automatically apologising, despite what Everleigh had said upstairs about never being sorry for her emotions, "Sorry about this," she mumbled sheepishly.

Everleigh turned from where she was now stirring their steaming tea cups, her eyes narrowed sternly, "What did I just say about not apologising for having feelings? You're allowed to be upset at times, you know, Mia. Everyone has emotions and it doesn't make you weak if you show them," she told the girl before pouring the milk into their tea and bringing one of the mugs in front of Euphemia.

Mia bowed her head as Everleigh took a seat beside her, "I know but....that's just always what my parents told me-" she started to say but was cut off by the hiss of outrage that escaped from Everleigh's mouth, "If your parents told you that, then they're more cruel than I ever imagined them to be. Parents who act like that don't deserve to be parents," Everleigh exclaimed quietly, shaking her head and taking a sip of her tea.

There was a moment of silence in which Euphemia drank some of her tea, the hot drink actually soothing her throat which was raw from crying and it was quite comforting, causing her to relax a little more. Everleigh suddenly placed her hand over Mia's, "What was the nightmare about anyway, sweetie?"

Though still surprised that Charlus' mother actually cared, Euphemia found herself answering, albeit rather shakily, "Orion. I was drowning, I think, and he kept pulling me down and saying I couldn't escape him," she told Everleigh honestly, her voice breaking a little and the woman melted in sympathy, opening up her arms and embracing Mia.

"Well, you have escaped him, haven't you? And we're never going to let him hurt you ever again. I can promise you that, Mia," Everleigh reassured her as Euphemia uncertainly welcomed the hug, eventually relaxing in Charlus' mother's hold, feeling secure in the maternal embrace. Mia found herself enjoying the feel of being in a motherly hug, as she had never really experienced that with her own mother, Cassiopeia.

"Thank you," she whispered, tears starting in her eyes again at Everleigh's kindness, even in the middle of the night when she would probably prefer to be sleeping. "But I do have to ask-" Euphemia pulled away slightly so that she could glance up at Everleigh, "Why are you being so lovely towards me? I'm truly grateful, I am, but...you don't even know me properly," Mia asked, the question having been on her mind for a long time since being at the Potters.

Everleigh took another sip of her tea before holding Euphemia by the shoulders gently, looking into her eyes, eyes that were so broken that they broke Everleigh Potter's heart, "You want to know why? One - because I would never turn anyone away, especially a child, if they needed help and I would love them unconditionally like my own child if they needed that love, which you definitely do," she stroked Mia's hair as the girl looked down shyly, touched by the sentiment.

"And, two - because my boy, my beautiful, brave son loves you with all of his heart. I can still remember the summers when he would receive letters from you and his entire face would light up and the summers when you weren't friends....he was miserable, trust me. Charlus loves you so much and, because of that, I love you because my boy has one of the kindest hearts in the universe but he doesn't express his feelings very well. He fears to love people because he doesn't want to lose them, like with his Grandad. But Charlus loves you, no matter what the consequences, and he expresses it openly, something that he doesn't do often, which is how I know that you're very special to him, Euphemia Black," Everleigh finished her diatribe with a smile.

Mia was overwhelmed, she felt her eyes welling up with tears as she heard about how much Charlus loved her, from his mother's perspective. And the way that Everleigh was just willing to love her because she trusted her son's judgement and knew that there must be a reason why Charlus loved her so much - that meant so much to Euphemia and she threw herself at Everleigh, feeling her arms wrap around her once more.

There was something about this hug with Everleigh....it was a motherly hug, a maternal touch that made everything seem like it was going to be alright, even if it wasn't necessarily going to be. This was something that Mia had never really had with Cassiopeia, this was the connection that their relationship had been lacking and it really showed in the way that Euphemia had turned out to be.

Mia hadn't realised how much she had been lacking in a mother's love until Everleigh came in with her hugs and made her feel wanted, made her feel special and, most importantly of all, made her feel loved. Euphemia may have resolved things slightly with her own mother near the end but she knew that she would never be able to have this connection with Cassiopeia, because there would always be that lingering reminder of the times that Cassiopeia tortured Mia until she cried herself to sleep.

The bond between Cassiopeia and Euphemia would always be severed and Mia knew that it could never be fixed because too much had happened between her and her mother. The worst thing was that she had thought it was normal to have that kind of relationship with one's mother, Euphemia had never really questioned any of it until she got a real feeling of what having an actual mother felt like.

And, in that moment, Everleigh just held her. She didn't try and pretend that everything was okay, because it wasn't, and she didn't try and brush any of Mia's feelings underneath the carpet. Everleigh understood that Euphemia was hurting, that a part of her had been lost when she had been forced into that marriage and that it would take a long time for her to find it again. But she would find it once more and Everleigh would help her. Like a mother should.

Mia knew that Everleigh wasn't her mum, she knew that the blonde woman embracing her hadn't given birth to her or raised her through childhood. Everleigh had only known of her for the past few years and had only met her properly in the past few weeks (accompanying her son to visit the amnesiac version of Euphemia when she had been in third year didn't really count) but she had taken Mia in like her own child and given her the love that she had been lacking.

There was a sudden sound by the doorway and both Everleigh and Euphemia's heads shot up, from where they were hugging at the kitchen table. "Who's there?" Everleigh called out quietly, so as not to wake the rest of the household. In response, Charlus shuffled rather sheepishly into the doorway and waved awkwardly, appearing rather like a child that had been caught committing a wrongdoing.

"Sorry, I was worried. I couldn't sleep without knowing whether you were alright," Charlus said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he looked at his girlfriend, who simply chuckled. Everleigh made an 'awww' noise before silencing as both Mia and Charlus shot her disbelieving looks before returning to staring at each other.

"That's okay. Thank you for caring, Flea," Euphemia smiled, feeling truly warmed by the fact that Charlus had physically been unable to sleep due to worrying about her too much. She slowly removed herself from Everleigh's motherly hug, sending a grateful smile to the woman beforehand, and made her way over to Charlus' side, slipping her hand into his grip.

"I love you so much," Mia told him, squeezing his hand and Charlus' eyes lit up, as they always did when she expressed her feelings for him, "I love you more," he insisted playfully, tilting his head to one side teasingly as her eyebrows shot up, "Oh, I didn't know this was a competition, Potter. In that case-" Euphemia's retort was cut off as Charlus crashed his lips against hers, chuckling into the kiss.

Mia smiled, cupping Charlus' face in her hands as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him so that they were practically pressing up against each other, their lips connected as a surge of passion and love channelled their kiss. The two of them were so lost in each other and they didn't even think to pull away for air, continuing to kiss enthusiastically, Charlus' hand roaming through Euphemia's hair erratically.

A sudden noise broke them apart and they both had to snap themselves out of the trance that they had been trapped in to look for the source of the noise which happened to be....Everleigh. The woman in question glanced up abruptly from where she had been moving the empty teacups from the table to the sink, the clashing of the china being the sound that had broken Mia and Charles' rather heated kiss.

"Oh, don't mind me!" Everleigh said brightly, appearing rather amused, "Carry on with your....uh....proclamation of love for one another. I'll just be here, like always, washing the mugs, you know...." she trailed off awkwardly, seeing Charlus' glare and taking that as her cue to leave, "Okay, never mind. Bye bye!" Everleigh waved, slipping past them quickly as Euphemia buried her face in Charlus' chest out of embarrassment.

"I completely forgot she was still there," Mia mumbled into Charlus' nightshirt, her face brick red from humiliation, "That is so embarrassing," she groaned, making a frustrated noise as Charlus chuckled, rather embarrassed himself but finding Euphemia's distress at the situation much more amusing.

Mia's head shot up at the sound of her boyfriend's laughter, "Why are you laughing? Your mother just watched us snogging and it wasn't exactly the most chaste thing in the world!" she exclaimed, lifting her hands up frantically and Charlus grabbed her hands fondly, pulling her closer, "It was a little bit funny, you have to admit that, love," he grinned, rubbing his fingers over her knuckles affectionately.

A small smile finally cracked through Euphemia's stony expression and she giggled a little, "I still won't be able to look your Mum in the face after that, though, Flea," she told him with a tiny shake of her head and Charlus laughed, "She won't care. She was just giving you love advice, for Merlin's sake!" he pointed out, referring to Everleigh and Mia's previous conversation about Charlus' love for her.

Euphemia's face paled, "You heard that?" she asked and Charlus smiled nervously, "Only parts of it," he defended himself and Mia pulled her hands out of his hold so that she could bury her face in them, "This day just gets better and better," she muttered sarcastically and Charlus laughed, "It's early morning, actually," he corrected her and Euphemia's eyes widened.

"You have got to be kidding me....we need to get to sleep." she facepalmed but Charlus simply chuckled again, moving forward so he could wrap his arms around her waist, placing a kiss on her forehead, "I'd rather be here with you," he whispered and Mia felt her heart beat a little faster and her face get a little pinker.

Because she felt exactly the same way.

I wanted to update this last night but I got my phone taken off me so sorry about that :(
If any of you are still here, thank you for sticking around! I've been extremely busy lately and I have my GCSEs coming up but I will still be updating, don't worry. On another note, please make sure you all stay safe from the Corona virus x