Chapter Ninety
Fire and Ash
There's a history through her
Sent to us as a gift from the future, to show us the proof
More than that, it's to dare us to move
And to open our eyes and to learn from the sky
(Chasing the Sun - Sara Bareilles)December 31st, 1978377,670 Grains of Sand LeftMia had not even thought about the New Year until Lily asked her what her
resolutions were going to be. She thought about the potential resolutions for those she
loved: Sirius, who drank and smoked too much, Remus, who had become a proper hoarder
with his chocolate these days, and James, who had put on a few pounds due to lack of
Quidditch. Even Lily was resolving to try and reach out to her sister in an attempt to stay
connected to her only living blood relative and Muggle roots.
What was the one thing Mia felt she needed to focus on?
Live your life. Enjoy your life.
It was becoming harder each day and, though she had long given up trying to change
the past in order to alter the future, Mia could not help but focus on the approaching years,
letting the feeling of helplessness bury her. She had thought about it logically, she had done
the Arithmancy calculations, and she reread Remus's letter often to try and convince herself
that she was doing the right thing by trying to move on.
A large part of her needed one last reminder. She needed someone to tell her that
what she was doing—or not doing—was, in fact, the right thing.
So she summoned her Gryffindor courage and Apparated to Ottery St Catchpole.
Instead of directing herself down the familiar path to the Burrow, she headed toward
Rookhouse—aptly named due to its resemblance to the chess piece.