Being around the boys was painful and confusing, so for most of the summer, she
retreated to the family library, eager to research bonds in the hopes of getting answers
about her and Sirius. She needed to know what she had created when she brought him
back from the veil. She needed to know exactly what it was that tied them together,
especially after witnessing that abhorrent excuse for a wedding ceremony at Malfoy Manor.
The last thing she wanted was for Sirius to be tied to her like a house-elf.
"If I didn't know any better, I would say that you're hiding in here, my girl." Dorea
stood at the entrance to the large library, a sly smile on her face and a cup in each hand.
"Come and take a break," she insisted as she brought the cups to a nearby table and sat
down on the small sofa. "Now, tell me what's bothering you."
Mia sighed, closing her book. "Nothing."
"A true Gryffindor then? Incapable of lying?" Dorea tutted. "No, no, I think not.
Try again."
"Does it matter?" Mia asked sadly.
"If it matters to you, it matters to me." Dorea smiled and sipped her tea quietly,
crossing her legs at the ankles. Unconsciously, Mia mimicked her. "You've been in this
library since the moment you returned from school, despite the fact that your letters spoke
of nothing but the orchards and the gardens and, yes, the library. You wouldn't be my Mia
without a book in your hands, but this level of self-sequestering is unhealthy."
"I'm researching."
"Perhaps I can be of assistance?" Dorea offered. "It is my library after all."
Mia hesitated briefly, automatically throwing up her Occlumency shields despite the
fact that her mother had never once mentioned anything about potentially having skills in
Legilimency.
"I'm researching... bonds."
She waited, watching her mother, fully expecting her to be astonished or concerned.
As it was, Dorea did not so much as lift an eyebrow, but she did smile teasingly as she
reached for her cup of tea to again take a sip, letting the moment linger in the air before
returning the cup to its saucer on the table.