"Not one-hundred and eight?" Sirius suggested as one corner of his mouth lifted.
"Merlin, no." Mia chuckled at him. "That's just indecent."
"I didn't mean anything by it," Ron muttered. "Just... shocking is all."
A strange silence fell over the table, and Mia had no idea how to repair it. It had
been slightly easier talking to Harry, to whom she still felt connected, and Ginny had made
herself comfortable with the situation merely by being blunt about it, but Ron was difficult.
She recalled the feeling of pulling away from him during the Horcrux hunt when he had
turned bitter and angry and abandoned them. After he left, she had spent time thinking
about her friendship with Ron and how he had treated her over the years. Most of the
problems she blamed on situations and a lack of maturity, but for being a Gryffindor, he
was, at times, awfully cowardly, resorting to cruelty and envy as shields with which to
defend himself. And now... now he reminded her far too much of another Gryffindor
she had known who was envious of his friends and broke under the pressure of fear and
change.
"Would―" Mia cleared her throat. "Would you go and get the photographs, Sirius?"
Sirius acquiesced with a smile, and Harry looked up excitedly.
"Hermione, you look beautiful." Ginny smiled brightly as she stared at the
photograph in her hands. A young Mia, James, and Remus were posing for the camera.
The two boys were wearing dress robes, and Mia was wearing a lovely lilac gown. "Where's
Sirius in this?"
Mia laughed at the memory. "He had detention."
"I still sneaked a dance in, if you remember!" Sirius called over his shoulder at the
witches from his seat on the sofa where he, Remus, Ron, and Harry were looking over old
Quidditch photographs so that Harry could see Sirius and James flying.
"You sneaked out of detention; why am I not surprised?" Ginny mocked. "What
about you, Hermione? Ever sneak out of detention?"
"No. I did my crimes and served my time."
"You actually got put in detention?"