"Trust me, Hermione. If you knew the Alecto Carrow that I knew growing up, you
wouldn't give her memory a passing thought."
"You'll have your revenge," Mia whispered to Sirius, who looked up at her with confusion, but the
sincerity of her tone had him nodding his head before returning his gaze to James.
December 12th, 1976Mia walked into the infirmary the following morning after being forced out of it in
the first place by her well-meaning parents and a protective Remus, all of whom had
insisted she needed to eat.
She and Sirius stayed up all night, keeping watch over James as he rested and
recovered. Her parents slept in an enlarged bed at the end of the hospital wing, and Remus
stayed in the bed opposite James. Peter tried to remain in the infirmary with the rest of
them, but anytime he came close to James, Mia tensed up and breathed hard—to the point
that her magic could be seen radiating off of her as a warning. Peter apologised to her
parents, saying that it would be best if someone returned to Gryffindor Tower to inform
the rest of their House about what had happened. No one argued with him.
That morning, Mia had been reluctant to leave her brother's side, but at the very
least she knew she needed coffee, so she went to the Great Hall to fetch a cup. Returning
to the hospital wing, she was surprised to see Lily sitting in her chair. Mia silently slipped
through the double doors, watching curiously as her friend studied James.
Lily tucked a strand of her long, red hair behind her ear and then twisted the end of
it, a nervous habit Mia had picked up on years earlier while watching her prepare for exams.
Anxiety, worry, and fear were written on Lily's face, and Mia frowned at the sight, but the
corner of her mouth turned up when Lily seemed to hesitate only briefly before taking
James's hand within her own.
Mia tried her best to stand quietly as long as possible to give Lily as much time as
she could, but a yawn overtook her.
Startled, Lily dropped James's hand and stood, spinning around. "I just wanted to
see if I... Peter told us what happened. I needed to see it for myself. Are you okay?"