Hermione swallowed hard and turned to smile at James. "Mia. I think I'd like to be
called Mia."
James threw his fists into the air in a sign of victory.
After breakfast, Hermione retired to her room where she was forced into an
incredibly large bathtub by a very pushy house-elf. She was only allowed to scrub herself
because she had promised to let Tilly brush her hair when she was done. Hermione was
glad for it in the end as Tilly took to her bushy locks with determination, taming the curls
into submission and promising to look for a spell that would make it easier next time.
Hermione wished her luck with that.
New, handmade robes waited for her, set out on her large four-poster bed in a
variety of beautiful colours. She smiled as she touched them, never having imagined she
would casually wear something so fine in all her life. She hated to be doted upon like this,
but she was grateful for the Potters who brought her into their home with such ease and
no awkwardness at all. Other than Tilly, none of them coddled her or pitied her. For all
they knew, her family could have been slaughtered by Death Eaters, and yet they treated
her like any other child. Like their own child.
And James treated her like a sister already. It almost felt like she was with Harry,
though he lacked the knowledge of pureblood etiquette that had been instilled in James
from birth. Hermione wondered how much of that would change when they went to
Hogwarts and he was no longer under the gaze of his parents. A part of her could not wait
to see. The thought surprised her, and she swallowed a note of anxiety that threatened to
push its way in, torn between wanting to get to know James better and knowing what the
future had in store for him.
After dressing in the new robes that Tilly made for her, she reached beneath the
mattress of her bed and pulled out the folded parchment that Remus had left in the crimson
box. She read it again, over and over, frowning at the words. A part of her was still quite
angry that she had not been consulted. His words were easy enough to decipher.