Chapter Seventy-Nine
Life Isn't Fair
I stand naked before you now
No walls to hide behind
So here am I, you see all of my scars
Still here you are, I bare my soul and I'm not afraid
Not afraid
(Beautiful With You - Halestorm)May 31st, 1978The Marauders and Mia had decided to stay at Hogwarts during Easter holidays.
The excuse was that they needed the time to revise, but in reality, they all knew that Lily
was not yet ready to return to Potter Manor and call it "home" so soon after losing her
own. James stayed with Lily in her room for the first few weeks after her parents' deaths.
When time permitted, Sirius slept on the sofa in their personal common room,
saying that he felt a strange need to be close to the witch he now thought of as a sister—
to make certain she was all right.
Mia did not mind in the slightest as it gave her one extra reason to avoid Sirius's
bed at night, where he would undoubtedly catch a glimpse of the scar on her forearm. After
the horrible way he had reacted to seeing the purple mark on her ribs, she was not looking
forward to his eventual discovery.
The final Quidditch match of their school careers took place, and, as usual,
Gryffindor dominated the pitch. While they won the game and the Quidditch Cup, Sirius
was mildly disappointed he had not been able to knock Regulus from his broom, as the
younger Black had not been present for the game. Rumours circulated that the Slytherin
Seeker had been acting strangely, a bit morose since returning from holidays, and his gaunt
resemblance to a sixth-year Draco Malfoy did not go unnoticed by Mia.
Thankfully, with a silver Quidditch Cup to make sweet love to, neither Sirius nor
James took much interest in Regulus's whereabouts or appearances. Focusing on their
unblemished Quidditch record and accompanying new fame was also helpful in diverting
the attention that Sirius would normally be spending on Mia.