Wohoooo! Second book is DONE! I am sooo excited right now, you guys have no idea! I never ever thought I would get this far and I'm so happy that I already have two books done! Again I'm sorry if the last few chapters were not so good, I swear, I'm never doing anything in just Harry's POV ever again, haha. Well, I hope that you all liked it in the end, I sure did, and I love the scene when Mia and Hermione are reunited with the boys, I've been looking forward to it ever since Mia got petrified. Please read and review, I want to know what you guys think, it's very important to me, and it always inspires me. Any comments, or even any suggestions you have for future book, I would be more than happy to hear them. Hope you all like it, and I'll be starting "Prisoner of Azkaban" as soon as I can, but school starts tomorrow, so I can't make any promises on fast updates. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter are not mine.

Chapter Seventeen: Together Again

HPOV

"I seem to remember telling you both that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules…"

Harry and Ron were standing in Dumbledore's office in front of his desk. The Headmaster himself was seated, peering at both boys over his half-moon spectacles and resting his chin on his folded hands.

The boys themselves looked terrible, especially Harry, who was covered from head to toe in dirt, blood, sweat, and grime, and looking as though he was fantasizing about falling into his bed in Gryffindor tower. They had only just finished explaining the entire story to Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and were very tired. After Harry and Ginny left the Chamber of Secrets, they met up with Ron and Lockhart in the tunnel. Ron was overjoyed to see that his sister was alive and well, and, surprisingly, he pulled her in for a tight hug when he helped her climb through the hole he made through all the rubble from the cave-in. Once Harry had gotten through, they all went up the tunnel by hanging onto Fawkes, who flew all of them back up to the bathroom, where Moaning Myrtle was floating above her toilet. They hurriedly brought Ginny up to Professor Dumbledore's office, where they found him talking with Professor McGonagall and the Weasleys. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley pulled their daughter in for a loving embrace when they saw her, and everyone listened patiently as both Harry and Ron told the whole story from the very beginning. Harry hearing the monster in the walls, finding out about Hagrid's past, Mia and Hermione realizing the monster was a Basilisk, finding the parchment in Hermione's hand, going into the chamber, everything. Harry even explained how he destroyed the dairy, and Ginny tearfully told her parents how she found it in her cauldron after they left Diagon Ally last summer and how she had been writing in it all year.

Ginny had been requested to be sent up to Madame Pomfrey for a full check-up with her parents while Dumbledore asked Professor McGonagall to awaken the school. In light of how the night's events turned out, Professor Dumbledore had said that a grand feast was in order, to celebrate the school staying open and that the threat of the Chamber of Secrets is finally over. Ron seemed happy when Professor Dumbledore mention the revival of the petrified victims, who were supposedly being awoken as they spoke, and Harry beamed at the news. As Ginny, her parents and Professor McGonagall left Professor Dumbledore stayed behind with Harry and Ron, who, at Dumbledore's words, dropped open his mouth in horror.

"Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words," Dumbledore went on, smiling. "You will both receive Special Awards for Services to the School and—let me see—yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor."

Ron went as brightly pink as Lockhart's valentine flowers and closed his mouth again while Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

"But one of us seems to be keeping mightily quiet about his part in this dangerous adventure," Dumbledore added. "Why so modest, Gilderoy?"

Harry gave a start—he had completely forgotten about Lockhart. He turned and saw that Lockhart was standing in a corner of the room, still wearing his vague smile. When Dumbledore addressed him, Lockhart looked over his shoulder to see who he was talking to.

"Professor Dumbledore," Ron said quickly. "There was an accident down in the Chamber of Secrets. Professor Lockhart—"

"Am I a professor?" said Lockhart in mild surprise. "Goodness. I expect I was hopeless, was I?"

"He tried to do a Memory Charm and the wand backfired," Ron explained quietly to Dumbledore.

"Dear me," said Dumbledore, shaking his head, his long silver moustache quivering. "Impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy!"

"Sword?" said Lockhart dimly. "Haven't got a sword. That boy has, though, he'll lend you one."

"Would you mind taking Professor Lockhart up to the infirmary, too?" Dumbledore said to Ron. "I'd like a few more words with Harry."

Ron and Lockhart both took their leave from the office, shutting the door behind them. Once they were gone, Harry turned to face Dumbledore, feeling a little nervous.

"Sit down, Harry," Professor Dumbledore said, gesturing towards the chair in front of him, and Harry sat.

"First of all, Harry, I want to thank you," said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling. "You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you."

Said bird was currently perched upon Harry's knee, letting him stroke the pillow soft feathers.

"And so you met Tom Riddle," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "I imagine he was most interested in you…"

"Yes sir," Harry confirmed. He hesitated and then said, "Professor Dumbledore…I couldn't help but notice certain things—certain similarities—between Riddle and me."

"Did you, now?" said Dumbledore, looking at Harry from under his thick silver eyebrows. "And what do you think of this, Harry?"

"I don't think I'm like him!" said Harry. "I mean, I'm—I'm in Gryffindor, I'm…"

But he fell silent, a lurking doubt resurfacing in his mind as he remembered talking to Mia about his hidden fear the last time he was in this office.

"Professor," he started again after a moment. "The Sorting Hat told me I'd—I'd have done well in Slytherin. Everyone thought I was Slytherin's heir for a while…because I can speak Parseltongue…"

"You can speak Parseltongue, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly, "because Lord Voldemort—who is the last remaining ancestor of Salazar Slytherin—can speak Parseltongue. Unless I'm much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to do, I'm sure…"

"Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?" Harry said, thunderstruck.

"It certainly seems so."

"So I should be in Slytherin," Harry said, looking desperately into Dumbledore's face. "The Sorting Hat could see Slytherin's power in me, and it—"

"Put you in Gryffindor. Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue, resourcefulness, determination, a certain disregard for rules," he added, his moustache quivering again. "Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You know why that was. Think."

"It only put me in Gryffindor," said Harry, "because I asked not to go in Slytherin…"

"Exactly, "said Dumbledore, beaming once more. "Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

"That's what Mia said before," Harry said, a tiny smile coming to his lips.

"Then Miss Thatcher is an extremely smart young girl," Dumbledore said, smiling. "If you want proof, Harry, that you belong in Gryffindor, I suggest you look more closely at this."

Dumbledore reached across his desk, picked up the blood-stained silver sword, and handed it to Harry. Dully, Harry turned it over, the rubies blazing in the firelight. And then he saw the name engraved just below the hilt.

Godric Gryffindor

"Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Harry," said Dumbledore simply.

For a minute, neither of them spoke. Harry stared down at the sword, and he allowed himself to smile, some of his fears ebbing away. Professor Dumbledore was right—Riddle chose to hurt people, he set his own path, and Harry chose his. He will never be like him. While he was thinking, Dumbledore pulled open one of his desk drawers and took out a quill and a bottle of ink.

"What you need, Harry, is some food and sleep. I suggest you go down to the feast, while I write to Azkaban—we need our gamekeeper back. And I must draft an advertisement for the Daily Prophet, too, as we'll be needing a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher…dear me, we do seem to run through them, don't we?"

Harry nodded and then got up and crossed to the door. He had just reached for the handle, however, when the door burst open so violently that it bounced back off the wall, revealing Lucius Malfoy, dressed in long black robes of the highest standard with silver fastenings, the outmost fury in his face. And cowering behind his legs, heavily wrapped in bandages, was Dobby. Something seemed to click in Harry's brain as he stared at the little house elf—so this was Dobby's master! The family he served was the Malfoys.

"Good evening, Lucius," said Dumbledore pleasantly. Malfoy did not return the greeting as he shoved past Harry and walked into the office, with Dobby at his heels. As it appears, Malfoy was furious at the fact that Dumbledore was back at the school after he had been suspended. Dumbledore calmly and cheerfully explained how the other school governors contacted him after Ginny Weasley was taken into the chamber and wanted him back at once. He even hinted that the governors claimed Malfoy had threatened to curse their families if they had not agreed to suspend him in the first place. Harry had to resist the urge to smirk and the look on Malfoy's face.

"So—have you stopped the attacks yet?" he sneered. "Have you caught the culprit?"

"We have," said Dumbledore, with a smile.

"Well?" said Mr. Malfoy sharply. "Who is it?"

"The same person as last time, Lucius," said Dumbledore. "But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary."

He held up the small black book with the large hole through the centre, watching Mr. Malfoy closely. Harry, however, was watching Dobby. The tiny elf was doing something very odd—his great eyes were fixed meaningfully on Harry, and he kept pointing at the diary, then at Mr. Malfoy, and then hitting himself hard on the head with his fist. While Harry was trying to figure out what Dobby was trying to tell him, Dumbledore continued talking to Malfoy, explaining how Ginny had been possessed by the diary, and how Harry had discovered it, so that Ginny was not to be blamed. When the subject turned to how Ginny could have gotten the diary, Harry was still watching Dobby as he pointed to the diary, then at Malfoy, and then hit himself. At that moment, Harry understood what Dobby was trying to say, and nodded at the little creature.

"Don't you want to know how Ginny got hold of that diary, Mr. Malfoy?" asked Harry.

"How should I know how the stupid little girl got hold of it?" he sneered.

"Because you gave it to her," stated Harry boldly. "In Flourish and Blotts. You picked up her old Transfiguration book and slipped the diary inside it, didn't you?"

"Prove it," he hissed, his face pale, but his eyes made of steel.

"Oh, no one will be able to do that," said Dumbledore, smiling at Harry. "Not now that Riddle has vanished from the book. On the other hand, I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort's old school things. If any more of them find their way into innocent hands, I think Arthur Weasley, for one, will make sure they are traced back to you."

Lucius Malfoy stood for a moment, and Harry distinctly saw his right hand twitch as though he was longing to reach for his wand. Instead, he turned sharply and began striding out the door.

"Come Dobby!" he snapped over his shoulder at the elf. "We're leaving!"

Malfoy thrust open the door and stormed out of the office, with poor Dobby trailing behind him. Harry watched them go, wishing that there was something he could do for Dobby. No one deserved to be treated so badly—he knew from experience. He stood there thinking for a moment until a sudden idea came to him.

"Professor Dumbledore," he said hurriedly. "Can I give that diary back to Mr. Malfoy, please?"

"Certainly, Harry," said Dumbledore. Harry thanked him, then he grabbed the diary off the desk and ran out the door. Hoping his plan would work, he took off one of his shoes, pulled off his slimy, filthy sock, and stuffed it into the diary.

"Mr. Malfoy!" he shouted as he ran to catch up. "Mr. Malfoy! I have something of yours..."

MPOV

Voices. That was the first thing that registered in Mia's brain as she slowly began to wake up from her slumber. There were soft voices surrounding her, and she couldn't make out whose they were. As she grew more conscious, they started to grow louder, and she started to have feeling in the rest of her body. For some reason, her limbs felt extremely stiff, as if they were suffering from lack of use, and her body felt heavy. Her mind was a little groggy and she couldn't figure out exactly what was going on or where she was.

"Miss Thatcher?" came a quiet voice from beside her.

Mia moved her hands ever so slightly against her sides, and she was surprised and confused to feel the crinkling of sheets beneath her. What on earth…

"Miss Thatcher, can you hear me? Miss Thatcher, can you open your eyes for me , dear?"

Mia turned her head ever so slightly towards the voice, and, after a few seconds, she willed herself to open her bleary eyes. She was met with the faint glow of a bedside lamp, and everything was blurry for a moment or two before things started growing into focus. After blinking a couple times, Mia could make out the smiling face of Madame Pomfrey, who was sitting beside her in her night robes and looking positively overjoyed.

"Welcome back Miss Thatcher," she greeted cheerfully.

"M-Ma…Madame Pomfrey?" said Mia, her voice hoarse and a little scratchy, as if she hadn't used it in months.

"There now, save your strength," Madame Pomfrey said, reaching beside her and grabbing a glass of water. "Everything's fine now. Just take a sip of this."

Mia, still confused, did as she was told and allowed Madame Pomfrey to lift the glass to her lips, and she closed her eyes as the cool water refreshed her throat.

"Can you try moving for me?" Madame Pomfrey asked. Mia nodded, and then she tried to sit up in the bed she was resting in. It took about a minute, but once she got used to the feeling in her arms, she was able to sit straight up and lean back against the pillows.

"Where am I?" Mia asked, looking around her.

"You're in the hospital wing dear," Madame Pomfrey replied. "you've been asleep for quite some time. What do you remember?"

Mia frowned at this. Why was she in the hospital wing? She stared around and saw that there were other people in the hospital wing besides herself. Colin Creevey was in the bed directly across from hers, and he was staring sadly down at his camera, which appeared to be broken in his lap. Next to him was Justin Finch-Fletchy, who was speaking with Professor Sprout. What had happened? The least thing that Mia remembered, she was walking down a corridor, and she saw Ginny—

Oh no! Everything instantly came rushing back to Mia in a tidal wave, leaving her stunned and her stomach filled with dread as she remembered what had happened.

"Merlin's beard!" Mia exclaimed, throwing the covers off of herself. "Madame Pomfrey—the Chamber of Secrets—the monster—it's a Basilisk!"

"Miss Thatcher, calm down!" Madame Pomfrey said, placing her hands on Mia's shoulders in an attempt to make her lie back down on the bed. "There's nothing to worry about—"

"Yes there is!" Mia said, sitting back up and trying to stand. "I have to tell Professor Dumbledore—Moaning Myrtle's bathroom—the Basilisk—Ginny Wealsey's controlling it, but it's not her fault—someone's making her do it—"

"Miss Thatcher, keep still!" Madame Pomfrey ordered, trying to place the blankets back over Mia's body. "You can't be moving to much right now—"

"We have to tell Dumbledore!" Mia nearly yelled, once again throwing the blankets off and trying to stand. "We have to go before it attacks someone else—"

"Oh for heaven's sake child, you were more behaved when you were petrified!" Madame Pomfrey sighed exasperatedly, forcing Mia's shoulders against the pillows. Mia stopped trying to get out of bed and stared at the matron.

"Wait…I was petrified?" Mia said in a quiet voice.

"Yes," Madame Pomfrey answered, seemingly relieved that Mia was finally still. "You were petrified for almost three months, Miss Thatcher. You don't have to worry about the chamber anymore—the monster has been killed."

"It has?" Mia said, dumbstruck.

"It has indeed," came another voice. Mia turned her head to see Professor McGonagall walking towards them, a rare smile on her face.

"It's good to see you awake and well Miss Thatcher," she said as she came to a stop beside Mia's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"All right," Mia replied. "Still kind of stiff, but all right. Professor, what's going on? Is the monster really gone?"

"Yes it is, Miss Thatcher," Professor McGonagall answered. "It's a very long story, but to put it simply, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley managed to take care of it."

"What? Why—oh no, what did they do now?" Mia groaned. McGonagall's mouth twitched and Mia could have sworn she was trying her best not to smile.

"They found the Chamber of Secrets, and Mr. Potter was able to defeat the monster, and the Heir of Slytherin as well."

"But how? I thought Ginny…"

"Miss Weasley has been through a terrible ordeal, but she is perfectly fine now," said Professor McGonagall. "I will let your friends inform you of the details of what happened this evening. In the meantime, you and Miss Granger need to work on getting yourselves strengthened up for the feast—I will see you when Madame Pomfrey deems you fit to come downstairs."

"Granger?" Mia repeated blankly as Professor McGonagall turned and left the wing. She looked over to her right and saw a familiar girl with bushy brown hair and brown eyes sitting up in bed.

"Mione!" Mia yelled, tossing her covers aside and jumping out of bed before Madame Pomfrey could stop her. She ran over to Hermione's bed, stumbling only twice, and then threw her arms around her best girl friend, hiding her face in her shoulder.

"Mia!" Hermione gasped as she returned the hug, wrapping her arms around Mia's frame tightly. "You're awake!"

"Are you okay?" Mia asked as she let go. "You're not hurt are you? Oh Mione, I'm sorry, I didn't want you to get petrified too, I wanted to warn you guys, but the Basilisk—"

"Mia, it's okay," Hermione said, interrupting Mia with a smile. "I'm just glad you're all right."

"Ditto," Mia agreed, leaning back in and giving Hermione a softer hug. "How did you get petrified Hermione?"

"It was a couple months after you were," Hermione replied. "Harry heard the voice again, and I realized that he was hearing some kind of serpent. I went to the library and found a book on Bsilisks, and I figured that was what you must have found out. I went out into the corridor and I ran into the Ravenclaw Prefect—she's in the bed over there—I told her what the monster was, and when she pulled out her mirror…we saw it. I kept the paragraph about the Basilisk in my hand though. I hoped Harry, Ron or one of the teachers would find it."

"I guess they did," said Mia. A thought came to her mind and she bit her lip.

"What happened after I was petrified?" she asked. Hermione sighed.

"It wasn't too good. Everyone was really upset, especially Harry. He wouldn't leave your side, he was here every day, and he barely even talked. He blamed himself for you being attacked, which was ridiculous, but I was feeling the same. I can't imagine how he and Ron got on with the both of us petrified."

"They probably crashed and burned in all our classes," Mia chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "I can't wait to see them."

"Me too," Hermione said. "I can't believe they solved it!"

Mia and Hermione continued talking about what had happened while Madame Pomfrey checked them over, mumbling under her breath about strapping Mia down to the bed next time she was in the infirmary. The process seemed to drag on, and Mia was starting to grow restless. She wanted to go down to the feast, she wanted to see Harry and Ron. She couldn't imagine how worried they must have been, and she wanted to show them that she was all right, as well as Hermione. Then, after about twenty minutes of being prodded and pinched, the elderly nurse gave Hermione and Mia her permission to leave. The girls didn't need telling twice, for they hopped out of bed and raced out of the hospital wing and out into the corridor. The two witches flew down the staircase, taking them two at a time, and Mia felt her excitement bubbling inside her. Her hair bounced as she ran, and soon enough they came upon the ground floor of the castle, running into the entrance hall. The doors to the Great Hall were open, and Mia could hear the loud chatter of everyone inside. As her and Hermione approached the doors, they were delighted to see Sir Nick coming through them. Sir Nick beamed at the sight of them and floated over.

"Hermione! Mia! Welcome back girls," he said.

"Thanks Sir Nicholas," Hermione said, smiling as well.

"I'm glad you're doing better," Mia added.

"Same to you," Sir Nick said, bowing his head. As he floated away, Mia and Hermione looked into the hall to see a marvelous sight. All the candles and torches were lit, filling the hall with a warm and lively glow that made Mia smile. There was laughter and happiness in every corner of the room, something that has been missing from the castle for many, many months. Everyone was in their pajamas, and eating and drinking well into the late hours of the night. Mia drew her attention to the Gryffindor table, and her heart danced in her chest as she saw two familiar jet black and flaming red heads in the crowd. She could see Harry and Ron speaking with some of the other boys in their dorm, and after a couple seconds, she saw Neville look up. He grinned widely and turned his head back to Harry and Ron, speaking quickly to them. Both boys quickly snapped their heads in their direction, and Mia felt overwhelming joy as she looked at those bright pair of green eyes she has missed so much. In the next second, she was running down the aisle between the two tables, her smile growing even wider and her hair billowing behind her as she moved. Harry jumped up from the table and started running towards her as well, his smile dominating his face and his eyes glowing. She met him at the middle of the aisle, and without another minute to waste, Mia threw her arms around him, nearly tackling him to the ground. Her smile never left her face as she held him close to her, happy that she was with her best friend once again. Harry's arms latched onto her tightly in an iron grip, as if he never wanted to let her go, and he lifted her off her feet, swinging her around in a circle. Mia giggled as he did this, and even when he placed her back on her feet, he still didn't let go, and the two of them stood there for a moment, wrapped up in their hug.

"Mia," he said, sounding so very happy and relieved. "I've missed you so much."

"Missed you too," Mia said, giving him a squeeze. "Um Harry? I love you and all, but I do kind of need to breathe…"

"Oh, sorry," Harry said, slowly removing his arms from around her and taking a step back, his smile still on his face. "I'm just so glad to see you."

"I'm glad to see you too," Mia said, smiling fondly at him. She turned her head to look over at Ron, and she giggled when she saw him blushing at the fact that Hermione had wrapped him up in a hug as well.

"You solved it! You solved it!" Hermione gushed. "I knew you guys could do it!"

"Well…er…thanks…um, yeah…" Ron muttered, looking extremely awkward. Mia kept on giggling, and Hermione soon let go of Ron, a proud and beaming grin on her face. Ron let out a relieved breath, but barely two seconds passed before Mia took Hermione's place.

"What is it with girls and hugging?" he groaned, causing Mia to laugh.

"We just love you that much Ron," Mia said. "And I've gone almost three months without torturing you—I have a lot of work to catch up on."

"Oh joy," Ron mumbled, but Mia could still hear the smile in his voice. They were interrupted by a high squeal and Mia released Ron to see a teary-eyed Jenna Sterling run over to her from the Hufflepuff table, along with Alex and Justin Finch-Fletchy, who Madame Pomfrey must have released after Mia and Hermione. Jenna threw herself at Mia and cried into her shoulder and Alex joined in as well, grinning from ear-to-ear. Mia embraced both of them, smiling and comforting Jenna with soft words while she saw Justin shake Harry's hand, apologizing over and over for ever suspecting him to be the Heir of Slytherin. Mia, Jenna, and Alex only hugged for half a minute before she was nearly ripped out of Jenna's arms to be sandwiched in between two people. Through the tangle of limbs, Mia saw Fred and George beaming happily down at her, squeezing the life out of her tiny body.

"Fred—George—not breathing!" she gasped.

"Mia darling…"

"…we're simply not caring!"

The twins laughed as they gave her an extra hard squeeze before finally releasing her. After giving her a short mock-lecture on wandering the school at night and getting herself petrified, they patted her shoulder and went back to sit with Lee Jordan. Once everything was finally settled down, Mia, Harry, Ron and Hermione sat down at the table to eat, and Mia invited Jenna and Alex to sit with them for a while. Mia sat in between her and Harry, who didn't seem to want remove himself from her side yet. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Harry," she said. "You don't have to keep worrying. I'm okay now, Hermione and I are fine."

"I know," Harry said, giving her hand a tight squeeze. "I'm just glad it's all over."

"Me too," said Mia as she glanced over at the high table. "Wait a minute—where's Hagrid? And Professor Lockhart?"

Ron snorted into his pudding and Hermione looked at him with furrowed eyebrows.

"Well, Lockhart's a long story, we'll tell you tomorrow," Harry replied. "But Hagrid should be here very soon."

And indeed he did. The feats lasted well into the night, and at half past three, the Great Hall door burst open to reveal a cheerful Hagrid, looking better than he ever did, striding into the hall. He looked around the room and the minute he spotted Harry and Ron, he made his way over to them and cuffed Harry and Ron so hard on the shoulders that they were knocked into their plates of trifle, causing Mia and Hermione to laugh. He thanked them over and over again for what they did, and Mia couldn't help but wonder what exactly the boys had been up to since she and Hermione had last seen them. Whatever it was, she knew that it was something good, and she reminded herself to ask them about it tomorrow. After a little while, Jenna and Alex went back to sit with their friends at their house table, giving Mia an extra hug before they left, and no sooner had they gone then when Ginny Weasley came over. She looked much healthier than Mia had ever seen her. Her eyes were once again bright, and most of her color had returned to her cheeks. Ginny stood there looking slightly fearful, not meeting Mia's eyes and she opened her mouth several times, no words really coming out, and she was twisting her hands nervously. Mia simply reached out and took her hand, causing Ginny to look at her. Mia gave her a kind smile and then scooted over to make room. The little redhead gave a small smile in return, and she took a seat next to Mia, quietly reaching for some more cake.

Near the end of the feats, Professor Dumbledore made some announcements before it was time for bed. First and foremost, he told them all that as a school treat, all final exams that were to take place at the end of the year had been canceled. All the students cheered at this bit of news, and Mia practically fainted in relief—she couldn't imagine the horror of having to face the exams in just a couple days' time. Also, due to Harry and Ron's heroic efforts, Gryffindor house received two-hundred points apiece, resulting in them winning the house cup for the second year in a row. All the Gyrffindors cheers wildly at this, clapping and jumping up and down in their excitement. And for the cherry on top, Dumbledore announced that Professor Lockhart would not be returning for he had to be emitted into the hospital to help regain his memory. While almost every single person in the hall cheered at this news, Mia raised her eyebrows at Harry, who merely grinned at her.

"Shame," said Ron, helping himself to a jam doughnut. "He was starting to grow on me."

…..

Mia and Hermione were inside their dormitory, packing away the last of their things for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express that was leaving in an hour. Mia was folding up her robes while Sapphire kept rubbing herself against her leg, obviously happy to be back with her mistress and soaking up all the affection she could. Smiling down at her cat, Mia closed up her trunk with a snap, finally done, and turned to Hermione.

"It's been a crazy year, hasn't it?" she said.

"It sure has," Hermione answered. "Do you think next year will be any better?"

"I highly doubt it, with our luck," Mia giggled, bending down to pick up Sapphire into her arms. "I wonder what we're going to have to face next year. Maybe something cool, like a werewolf."

"Mia, that's not funny," Hermione scowled.

"I'm only joking Mione," Mia grinned.

"I still can't believe we missed so much schoolwork this year," Hermione fretted as she too closed her trunk.

"I'm sure you'll make it all up with all the classes you've picked," Mia said. "Honestly Hermione, how on earth are you going to do all those electives at once? It's just not possible."

"Professor McGonagall said that she might be able to work something out," Hermione said. "She wrote an owl to the Ministry. Anyway, I'm just happy to be going home."

"Me too, I can't wait to see my parents," Mia said. "They must have been so worried…"

"Mine were too," Hermione said. "But at least it's over. Are you ready to go? Harry and Ron are waiting downstairs."

"Yeah, I'm all set," Mia replied, placing Sapphire into her carrier and closing it shut. Once they made sure they had everything, Mia and Hermione went down the spiral staircase to see Harry and Ron waiting for them in the common room, their trunks at their feet, and Hedwig and Scabbers safely secured in their cages. The four friends left the common room and joined everyone else as they walked through the corridors and made their way down to the entrance hall. It was still crowded with students waiting in line to take the carriages down to the train station in the village. Harry and Ron were amazed when they came up front and saw that the carriages were pulling themselves. They managed to grab a carriage along with Rachel Collins and her friend, a black girl wearing Ravenclaw colors, with lovely woven bracelets on her wrists and a friendly smile. They all made pleasant talk as they rolled across the grounds, down the path to the station, where the train was waiting to take them all back to London. Mia talked with Hermione about their trip to France, which Mia was very excited for. She could tell Harry wasn't a little sad, but she assured him that it was only for three weeks, and she would be back in time for them to spend time together before the new school year started.

In no time at all, they had made it to the station, and they helped each other out loading all of their belongings on board. They found an empty compartment, and were soon joined by Fred, George and Ginny. Mia helped Ginny place her trunk on the rack above them, and she looked out the window to see Hagrid ushering the first years onto the train. She pulled the window open and stuck her head out.

"Hagrid! Don't forget to write this summer!" she called out to him, smiling.

"O' course Mia!" Hagrid yelled, waving his colossal hand. "I'll send you lot some rock cakes!"

Mia grinned as she stuck her head back inside, shutting the window as she did so. She took a seat next to Harry, waving at Hagrid as the warning whistle blew and the porters started going up the platform, shutting all the doors and calling out the five minute warning. And then, the train slowly started to move away from the platform, slowly gathering speed until it was leaving Hogwarts and the village far behind in its wake. Mia stared out of the window, watching as the castle grew smaller and smaller, sighing softly when she reminded herself that it would be over two months before she saw it again.

They all made good use of their time during the ride back to King's Cross by playing Exploding Snaps, Gobstones, trading Chocolate Frog cards, and, in Mia and Hermione's case, reading. Harry told them all how he had freed Dobby the house elf from Lucius Malfoy's clutches, and Mia laughed, imagining the look on Mr. Malfoy's face when he saw Dobby with the sock and the diary. She had hoped that Dobby would be able to find work somewhere, and that he was enjoying his freedom. Sapphire, still soaking up Mia's affection, was napping soundly in her lap, flicking her tail back and forth. Harry and Mia shared a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans while Fred and George wrestled each other for the last Chocolate Frog. Mia watched them in amusement, stroking Sapphire's back, and she laughed when they ended up in a heap on the floor. Time passed far too quickly, and soon enough, they found themselves only ten minutes away from King's Cross station. Mia, Hermione and Ginny all left to go and change back into their Muggle clothes in the bathroom while the boys changed in the compartment. When they came back, the train was starting to slow down a little, and they began lifting their things from the racks above them.

"Hey Ginny," said Harry. "What did you see Percy doing, that he didn't want you to tell anyone?"

"Oh, that," said Ginny, giggling. "Well—Percy's got a girlfriend."

Fred dropped a stack of books on George's head, and Mia stumbled, nearly crashing to the floor with her trunk.

"What?"

"It's that Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater," said Ginny. "That's who he was writing to all last summer. He's been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in on them kissing in an empty classroom one day. He was so upset when she was—you know—attacked. You won't tease him, will you?"

"Wouldn't dream of it," said Fred, who was looking like his birthday had come early.

"Definitely not," said George, sniggering.

"Are you sure that this girl wasn't beat upside the head or something?" Mia asked.

"Mia!" Hermione scolded.

"What? It's not like you're not thinking the same," Mia said as Fred and George howled with laughter.

All in all, they were all in pretty high spirits as the train pulled into the station and stopped beside the platform. Everyone on board all swarmed out onto the platform, eager to see their waiting family members. Placing Sapphire back inside her carrier, Mia followed everyone else out into the crowd. Harry wrote down his home number twice on a piece of parchment, then he tore it in two and gave them to Ron and Hermione.

"This is called a telephone number," he said. "I told your dad how to use a telephone last summer—he'll know. Call me at the Dursleys', okay? I can't stand another two months with only Dudley to talk to…"

"Hey!" Mia protested, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm right here you know!"

"Yeah I know," Harry said cockily, grinning as he dodged Mia's fist.

"You watch yourself Potter," she said. "Just because I was petrified doesn't mean I still can't kick your arse."

"You wouldn't do that, you love me too much."

"That's debatable right now," she said as she frowned. "You went into the Chamber of Secrets, fought and nearly got killed by a Basilisk, and faced off against Riddle all by yourself! It figures, the minute Hermione and I aren't there you two cause more trouble than I would've thought you could!"

"I couldn't leave Ginny there, and I had the sword!" Harry argued.

"Yes, but you still got poisoned! You're lucky Fawkes was there or you could have been killed!"

"As much as it pains me to say it, I really missed this," Ron said, grinning as he watched Mia and Harry go at it.

"Shut up Ron!" Mia and Harry said in unison, making Hermione erupt into a fit of giggles. They continued walking until they were next in line to go through the enchanted barrier separating them from the Muggle world. Ron and Hermione went through first, and Harry and Mia were next. He turned to Mia and smiled widely.

"Good to have you back Mia," said Harry.

"Good to be back," Mia said, smiling as well. "Now and always?"

"Forever and ever," Harry answered, taking her hand in his. Together, they ran towards the barrier and ventured to the other side, where they were met immediately by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, the Grangers, and the Thatchers, all smiling and waving frantically at them. Mia couldn't help but smile.

It really is good to be back…

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