Hi there everyone! It's so nice to see you all again! Well, here it is, what you've all been waiting for, the first chapter of "You Were Always There: Part Four." Hehe, I'm so excited for you guys to read this, it took me forever to write it! My finals for school were last week, and let me tell you, they were NOT fun! I just wanted a few days of relaxation and chill time before I got started on this book. It has a nice, easy beginning, nothing too drastic. I hope you all like how I opened up the chapter, I know some of you in the past have said you would like to see the Thatchers be a little less perfect, and I agreed, so I hope this fixes that problem a little. I am soooo excited to be doing this book, and I can't wait to see what you guys think! Sorry if it isn't the most exciting chapter, but I love it, and it's very important for later in the story! So please, PLEASE review, let me know of any comments or questions, and I will post the next chapter as soon as I can! Love you all, enjoy!

Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter are not mine.

Chapter One: Aphrodite's Tale

MPOV

It was a rather hot and humid summer's day in Little Whinging, with a blazing sun beginning to sink over the houses as it made its decent into night, and very few clouds drifting across a lovely dark blue sky that stretched on for miles and was slowly turning gold. The residents of Privet Drive were all going about in their daily routine, men just coming back home from a long day at work, women playing with their children or tending to the garden while they played on the lawn, and the paperboy making his usual rounds, dropping off the evening edition of the newspapers into mails boxes or mail slots. For the most part, it was a typical day in a typical place. That is, except for the argument that was currently taking place in the house of number two, Privet Drive, between a stubborn fourteen year old girl and her father.

"But Dad, Alex's birthday party is Friday!" Mia Thatcher exclaimed, desperately trying to find a way out of the situation she was in. "I promised him I would go, and all of my friends are going!"

"You shouldn't have made that promise, Mia," Ben said, looking sternly at his daughter. "I'm sorry love, but I have the late night shift at the office, and it's your mother's orientation weekend with the agency. You can go over your friend's house some other time, but this Friday you have to watch over Brian when he gets done camp at his preschool."

Mia groaned loud in frustration, wanting to stamp her foot on the ground like a child. She had really been looking forward to going to Alex's birthday party this weekend—it was being held on their small estate just a little ways north of where her friend Ron and his family lived. His family owned a group of horses and raised them on the estate, and that was what Mia had most been looking forward too. She absolutely loved horses, and Alex's dad was going to give the party guests a riding lesson. However, her plans for a fun time were abruptly cut short when her father came to her and said that she had to watch over Brian the very same day. Ben was unfortunately going to be held up at work, covering for one of his bosses, and Catherine had finally decided to go for her real estate license at the beginning of the summer. Now that both of her children were old enough to attend school (preschool, in Brian's case), she took the opportunity to do something she's always wanted to do. So, after weeks upon weeks of studying as well as handling all her usual motherly routines, she finally did it. As of just a few days ago, Catherine Thatcher passed her final exam and has become a fully licensed agent. The only flaw to this was that her orientation and training was this weekend, starting on Friday morning. Mia has been arguing with both of her parents for most of the day, suggestion other people who could look out for her little brother during the day, but it was no use. Everyone else was either busy, or Ben and Catherine didn't trust them enough to care for a four-year old. So Mia was stuck with him, and wasn't happy about it.

"But why is it always me that has to watch him?" Mia said angrily. "It's not fair!"

"Don't raise your voice to me Amelia Marie," Ben ordered, a warning look in his eyes. "You're watching him because one, you're his sister and that's what sisters do, two, your mother and I have no other options, and three, because I said so."

"I can't believe it! Every time I try to make plans the little bugger ruins it!" Mia said.

"If you keep this up then you won't have any plans for the rest of the summer," Ben threatened, his own voice rising with authority.

"But Dad—"

"But nothing."

"You can't do this!"

"I'm your father, and I can," Ben said, putting an end to the discussion. "Now stop back talking, or you'll be grounded for a week. You're going to stay home with Brian on Friday, and that's final!"

Mia glared fiercely at her father before making a shout of aggravation and storming up the staircase to her room, slamming the bedroom door shut behind her. She went over to her bed and then flopped down onto it, grabbing her pillow and stuffing her face into it, once again screaming out her frustration. Why? Why was she always stuck taking care of Brian whenever she has plans? Her mom and dad had friends, surly they couldn't all be busy on the same day? The camp didn't even last all day, Brian was coming home at one 'clock! This was so unfair! She was always stuck with him, and she hated it! Little brothers are such a pain! Groaning again, Mia rolled onto her back and glared at the ceiling as if it was somehow all its fault. For half a second, Mia considered going to the party anyway, but she knew she couldn't—Catherine would skin her alive is she disobeyed and left Brian alone, and she couldn't take him to the party either. She would have to watch over him constantly to make sure he didn't get hurt, and it was too far of a trip for a small boy. There was nothing she could do.

Mia laid there glaring at the ceiling for a long while before she sighed and sat up on her bed, her scowl still on her face. She eventually got up and then made her way over to her desk, which was sitting right next to her window. It was littered with a bunch of her school books, as well as folders and sketchbooks containing all the drawings she's made over the years. Once she sat down, she picked up the folder holding the most recent of her drawings, and a small smile came to her face as she looked at the sketches she drew of Padfoot. The giant black dog was bounding through a pile of leaves, chasing birds, or simply stretched out lazily in a patch of sun, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Padfoot was her favorite subject to draw, other than her friends, and she enjoyed creating these pictures because it portrayed a happiness and zest of life that has been denied him for so many years.

Padfoot was actually a man named Sirius Black. He was a convicted murderer who escaped from the wizard prison, Azkaban, last summer, and has been on the run ever since. Mia and her best friends, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, had come face-to-face with him just last month, and Mia could easily admit that she was scared. Up until that point, all four of them believed that Sirius was a deranged, dangerous and powerful dark wizard who once worked for the most evil and feared dark wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort. They also believed that Sirius was a traitor, a spy who sold out his best friends, James and Lily Potter, to Voldemort, and that he was the reason Harry's parents were dead. But that wasn't the case at all. It turns out, a man named Peter Pettigrew was the one who caused the Potters' deaths, not Sirius. Pettigrew, or Wormtail as he was called in school, had spent twelve years hiding as Ron's pet rat Scabbers, while everyone else in the wizarding world believed him to be dead. Sirius had broken out of Azkaban because he found out that Wormtail was at Hogwarts with Harry, and he wanted to go to the school to find the rat and kill him, as well as protect Harry.

For a while, it seemed as if Sirius was going to be a free man. They had Wormtail tied and gagged, and were going to present him to the Ministry as proof of Sirius' innocence. But the opportunity was snatched away from him—Remus Lupin, their professor who was with them at the time, was a werewolf, and what they all didn't realize was that there was a full moon that night. As Lupin transformed, Wormtail escaped, and Sirius was forced to flee into the night, riding a Hippogriff that Harry and Hermione had stolen and saved from death. Now, he was on the run yet again, but at least Mia and Harry knew he was safe. Sirius had sent two letters to Harry since they left school, and he always sounded cheerful in them. Mia would always send him one of her pictures of him in his dog form, and he would always thank her and ask how she was doing. As much as she was glad Sirius was safe, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Harry. Sirius had asked him if he wanted to move in with him before Wormtail escaped, and for just a little while, Harry thought he was going to leave his horrible relatives behind forever. However, Fate clearly had other plans, and Harry lost his chance. He's been a little glum about it all summer, and Mia did her best to try and cheer him up some.

Speaking of Harry, Mia saw something out of the corner of her eye and she looked over, smiling as she saw Harry staring at her through the window of his house, waving frantically like a mad man. The sight made Mia giggle and she quickly got up, grabbing her black marker and pad of paper as she went. Going over to her window, she sat down on the ledge and then opened it up, feeling the cool breeze drift on in. She saw Harry glance over his shoulder, apparently checking to see if the Dursleys were coming, but Mia could see them through the small gap in between their curtains. They were all still in the living room, their eyes glued to the television set. When he was sure they weren't coming, he opened up the window and smiled at her. Harry was fourteen, like her, and he had a messy mop of black hair on top of his head, with round glasses and bright green eyes that could be seen at a distance. The two of them have been best friends since they were small children, practically inseparable. He leaned down and his hand was moving for a minute before he held up his own pad of paper, with black letters spelling out the words: "Everything okay? I saw you argue with your dad."

Mia sighed before she picked up her own pad and started writing her reply. This was a little technique they came up with not too long after they came home for the summer holidays.

"Stuck watching Brian again. Can't go to Alex's party."

"It's okay Mia. At least you still have me."

"Well, that certainly brightens up my day."

"I knew you loved me."

"I was being sarcastic, Potter. Heard from Ron yet?"

"Not yet."

"I hope his dad can get tickets. It would be amazing to go!"

"I know, it would be a lot of fun! And thanks for the cookies, loved them."

Mia smiled at this. At the very beginning of summer Harry's cousin Dudley brought home a note to his parents from the school nurse, saying that he was now too big to fit into any of the schools uniforms. He was horribly obese and it was a risk to his health, no matter what Mr. and Mrs. Dursley tried to come up with as an excuse. So now, Dudley was forced to go through the diet of a lifetime. All his favorites were cut out, doughnuts, soda, candy, everything. What made it bad was that everyone in the house was going to follow the diet as well, including Harry. Mia was angry with this at first—Harry was thin enough already, she's always had her suspicions that the Dursley's never feed him right, and she was horrified when Harry told her about the diet he was going to be forced to endure. So naturally, Mia snuck him food weekly, either handing it to him directly or sending it over with Hedwig. Ron, Hermione, Hagrid and even Mrs. Weasley had risen to the occasion as well. Harry was sent so much food and sweets she wasn't sure how he was hiding it in his room. Also, little did Harry know that Mia, Ron and Hermione were planning on giving him the surprise of a lifetime. Ron and Hermione were planning on sending Harry cakes for his birthday that was just in a few days, and Mia had a surprise for him too. She was excited for Harry to get the cakes, because at that rate, he would be all set until they went back to Hogwarts.

"No problem. Have you heard from Griff?"

"Not yet, it's been a couple weeks though."

"I'm sure he's fine. We'd know if he wasn't."

"I suppose."

Mia and Harry continued talking for just a while longer until she heard her mother calling her downstairs for dinner. Seeing as she was still angry with her parents, Mia would have rather stayed talking with Harry, but she was running low on paper, and she didn't want to starve herself to death. So she picked up her marker and wrote her farewell.

"I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"All right. Now and always?"

"Forever and ever. Goodnight Harry."

"Night Mia."

…..

Mia's irritation with her parents continued on into the next day, and she hardly spoke a word to them. She didn't pay much mind when her father said goodbye before he left for work, nor when Brian tried to get her attention before he and their mother left for the day camp at his preschool. She knew she wasn't being fair to Brian. It wasn't his fault, but she was too stubborn to care at the moment, making her mother frown disapprovingly at her. Once they were gone, Mia showered and got herself ready for work. Well, at least her work over at Mrs. Brugger's house. Mrs. Brugger was a kind and gentle old lady who lived only a few streets away from Mia's house. She met the old woman when she helped to carry her groceries home one day when it was raining, and Mrs. Brugger seemed to have taken a shine to the young girl. They ran into each other last summer when Mia and Brian were at the park, and she offered Mia a job. It was simple cleaning and straightening up around Mrs. Brugger's mansion of a house. The poor woman had been on her own for many, many years, with her family only coming to see her a couple times a year, and the house eventually went into disrepair. Being as old as she was, she couldn't keep up with daily household chores on her own. So she offered Mia some money to come over a couple times a week to help out. Mia was too happy to accept. She really got along well with Mrs. Brugger, and she was wonderful company, telling her all kinds of stories, mostly about the things her and her late husband Robert did when they were young. They were quite the adventurous couple, although Mrs. Brugger hasn't been on any kind of adventure since he died.

When Mia was all set to go, she grabbed her bag, made sure all the windows were shut, and then headed out, making sure to lock the front door with her key. She walked out into the bright sunlight, shielding her eyes from the blinding rays of the sun. When her eyes finally adjusted to the light, Mia started making her way to Mrs. Brugger's house. While she walked, she thought about a song she had heard on the radio the other day, and she started humming it to herself. It was a song called "Halfway to Heaven," by an American musician, named Celine Dion. Mia was quickly becoming a huge fan of hers, and this song was one of her favorites. After a couple more minutes of walking, she went from humming to singing the song softly to herself.

"Come and go with me
Wherever I am I want you to be
Walking with your hand in mine
Feel so fine
When I'm close to you
I know what it means to want to be true
Never felt this way before
Is there more

Are you feeling the same as me honestly
Don't you think it's unreal
I'm not dealing in fairy tales
If this fails
I don't know what on earth I will do 'cause I'm
Halfway to heaven
Let's go all the way
I don't want to give it up
'Cause I'm already falling in love

When we reach that place
I'm dying to see the smile on your face
I'm so sure you'll want to stay
That's okay

I have so many dreams to share
Please be there
Let me share them with you
If you're looking for happiness nothing less
Come with me, baby I'm looking too and I'm

Halfway to heaven
Let's go all the way
I don't want to give it up
'Cause I'm already falling now
Halfway to heaven
Let's go all the way
I don't want to give it up
'Cause I'm already falling in love…"

Mia continued singing this song all the way to Mrs. Brugger's house, and by the time she got there, the song was over, and she was staring up at the magnificent house. It was quite tall, and covered with ivy that was slowly making its way up the walls, and a creaking porch swing that swayed back and forth with the light breeze. The house itself was a dull, dark blue color that has been fading away for years, and even the numbers above the front door was starting to peel off. Mia trudged up the stairs past the swing and then knocked on the door, hearing Mrs. Brugger's call of "Come in!" She carefully opened the door before stepping inside the front hallway. There was a marvelous grand staircase directly in front of her, leading to the upper floor, and to her right was the dining room while the living room was to the left. If she were to continue down the hall, she would come across old paintings and sculptures that Mrs. Brugger and her husband had collected over the years, a door leading to the basement as well as one of the two bathrooms and Mrs. Brugger's bedroom. Past the kitchen in the back was a patio that overlooked the entire backyard. The only thing wrong with this beautiful house was that there was clutter almost in every room. Boxes filled with old stuff was piled against the walls, the rooms were dusty, with white sheets covering the furniture in the unused bedrooms upstairs. The only thing that was well kept and tidied up was the garden out back, where Mrs. Brugger grew all sorts of wildflowers. Besides her grandson, they were her pride and joy. Mia turned into the living room to see Mrs. Brugger sitting in her rocking chair, with an open cardboard box at her feet, and wiping some dust off of a book she held in her lap.

"Hello Mia dear," Mrs. Brugger welcomed, smiling as she walked in.

"Hi Aggie," Mia greeted with a smile of her own. "Sorry I'm a little late."

"It's no trouble at all sweets," Mrs. Brugger said, gesturing over to the chair next to her. "I couldn't sleep very much last night, so I decided to get a head start. I found these old books of mine in the basement. French novels and journals, written during the Second World War I was thinking you'd like to borrow some of them. It would help you practice your French."

"Oh Mrs. Brugger, I couldn't possibly—"

"Nonsense child, go on ahead. I read them from cover to cover, they're really of no use to me."

Mrs. Brugger picked out a few books from inside the box and handed them over to Mia, who took them carefully into her hands. The spines were definitely worn out and the pages were starting to yellow slightly. But to Mia, they were priceless, a piece of history that Mrs. Brugger trusted her to take care of.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Mia asked as she placed the books inside her bag.

"Well, I'm hoping we can get the rest of this room done, then we can have a nice hot cup of tea before starting on the rooms upstairs," Mrs. Brugger answered. "I think our major project for this summer is getting all those empty rooms cleared out."

"Won't your kids be upset if we touch their things?" Mia asked.

"Don't worry about that dear," Mrs. Brugger said, waving it aside. "My son hardly comes to see me, and my daughter has moved to Australia for her work. Both of them took whatever was important to them when they left. Trust me, they won't miss a thing."

Mia nodded, deciding not to push the matter. Mrs. Brugger talked about her children often, telling her the happy days her and her husband spent with them. Yet even though Mrs. Brugger tried to play it off as no big deal, Mia knew that the fact her kids didn't really talk to or came to visit her anymore hurt her greatly. Mia was probably the only real company she's had in a very long time. Pushing away these sad thoughts, Mia and Mrs. Brugger finished going through the box of books, figuring out which ones were still in good conditions and which ones had to be tossed. When that was over, Mia got out the duster and started wiping away all the cobwebs on the walls and in between the creases while Mrs. Brugger cleared away the last of the cardboard boxes. The entire house had a certain mix between a Victorian and modern day style, making it unique and interesting. The walls had blue and white flower wallpaper, with a cream colored carpet that needed to be vacuumed. While she was dusting a glass cabinet in the corner, she saw that it was filled with cute little porcelain teddy bears, all smiling or hugging or kissing. Some of them looked as if they were centuries old, chipped in a couple places.

"Some of them were my mother's," Mrs. Brugger said when Mia asked about them. "Some of them got broken when they came here from Germany over fifty years ago."

"Your family was from Germany?" Mia asked.

"Most certainly," Mrs. Brugger answered, easily slipping into a German accent. "I attended school here in Britain with my sister, and when the war started, we were forced to stay, as it was too dangerous to go back to Germany. My parents were able to join us in 1940, right after my brother died while fighting in the army."

Mrs. Brugger went quiet, and Mia knew better than to ask any more questions. In no time at all, they had everything dusted, wiped down the furniture with some wood polish, vacuumed the carpet, polished the silver, and washed all the throw blankets, chatting the whole time. By the time they sat down for that cup of tea, it was almost noon, and Mrs. Brugger made them both some finger sandwiches to nibble on. It was at this time that Mia asked the elderly woman how exactly she met her husband.

"Oh, it was such a long time ago," Mrs. Brugger said, a wistful and dream-like expression coming across her face. "It was only a couple years before the war had started. I was fifteen at the time, and my father took us to France to visit an old wealthy friend of his. It was right around Christmas time, and his friend invited us to a grand ball held in one of the old palaces by the river. It was such a lovely ball, filled with beautiful music, and people dancing all around. However, I couldn't help but notice that there was one man who was staring at me the entire time. He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen, with warm eyes, and a smile that made my heart feel like it had wings. He asked me to dance and I gladly accepted. It felt like we were floating across the dance floor, and all I could see was him. The music was faint in my ears, and it was like everything around us faded into sweet nothingness. There was no one but us, and it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. He took me outside into the gardens, with all the snow it was like an enchanted forest, and we danced some more. We parted that night without getting the chance to learn each other's name, although he called me Aphrodite before I left, and I had given him my handkerchief."

"But how did you find him again?" asked Mia, completely captivated by the story.

"It wasn't until after the war that I saw him again. My mother, sister and I worked as seamstresses at the time, and a woman walked into our shop with her cousin behind her. Imagine my surprise when I looked up and saw my handsome gentleman standing in front of me. I recognized him instantly—I could never forget those eyes. He smiled and said that he found his Aphrodite once again. By the spring of the following year we were married."

"That is so romantic," Mia sighed. "You must have loved each other very much."

"He was my everything. He showed me the world, gave me a love I never thought existed, and always picked only the sweetest fruit to us to share. He died almost eight years ago, and I guess I just never found the need to go through all of our things, all of our treasures, remembering what once was. It was so painful…but it doesn't seem so bad now that you're hear Mia."

All Mia could so was smile at the woman. Her story was something like a fairy tale, so beautiful and romantic. Now Mia wasn't at all what could be classified as a girly-girl, but she was still a girl. She hoped that one day she could find her long lost love like that. When the two of them were done with their tea, they headed upstairs to get started on the empty rooms. They started with her daughter's old room first, and Mia had to admit, it was beautiful. The walls were a soft lavender color, and it looked like a room only a princess could reside in, with the canopy bed and the chaise seat next to the small fireplace. Mrs. Brugger had been right, there was not much of anything left in this room, the bookshelf being stripped of its books, and the only thing left on the dressers were small figurines like the ones Mrs. Brugger had downstairs, only these were of pretty ballerinas.

"Emily always wanted to be a dancer when she was a little girl," Mrs. Brugger said fondly, gazing at the tiny dolls. "But then she fell in love with the ocean and everything in it—she's studying Marine Biology in Australia, and I couldn't be more proud of her. Well, we should get moving dear. Need to get this stuff boxed up and put in the attic before you need to leave."

An hour later, Mia and Mrs. Brugger managed to finish their task with placing Emily Brugger's thing in storage for safekeeping, and Mia made the trip upstairs to the attic, which was big enough to be considered a spare bedroom. When she came back down, she saw that Mrs. Brugger was in a different room, staring down at a picture frame in her hands.

"What's that?" Mia asked. Mrs. Brugger smiled and handed the picture to Mia. The young witch looked down at the picture and a wide smile came across her face as she stared at the couple in the picture, a teenage girl and boy. The girl looked to be about fifteen or so, with long blonde hair pulled back, some of her loose curls falling onto her shoulder, wearing a lovely dress. Since the photo was in black and white, Mia couldn't depict the exact color, but it didn't appear to be a dark dress. It had lace along the hem, sleeves, slightly ruffled layers, and little pearls in the stitching around the thin belt. It was truly beautiful. The boy holding her close was handsome, with sleek and smooth dark hair, dark eyes, and wearing a sharp black suit, holding the girl in a gentle embrace, a love-struck smile on his face.

"Is this you and your husband?" Mia said.

"That was the night we met. There was a man taking photographs, and we had our picture taken together," Mrs. Brugger said. "He kept it for all those years until we met again. It's my favorite one. Well, I suppose you should get going dear. Wouldn't want to keep that nice young man of yours waiting, would we?"

Mrs. Brugger ended her sentence with a sly, suggestive smile, causing Mia to roll her eyes fondly. Whenever the subject came to Harry, Mrs. Brugger would always bluntly ask why the two of them haven't kissed yet, no matter how many times Mia tried telling her they were just friends. The woman wouldn't let the subject go, and she had this twinkle in her eyes, similar to Dumbledore's whenever he knew something that someone else didn't and took amusement in keeping it to himself. Mrs. Brugger laughed at Mia's expression and then the two of them made their way down the staircase, with Mia making sure her dear friend got down all right. When they got to the living room, Mrs. Brugger asked Mia to wait a moment while she went to go and get Mia's earnings. Mia placed the strap of her bag over her shoulder and waited patiently as the woman left the room and came back five minutes later, with the money in one hand, and something wrapped up in a cloth in the other.

"Here sweets, I want you to have something," Mrs. Brugger said.

"Aggie, you've given me enough already," Mia tried to protest.

"Take it as a token of my affection," Mrs. Brugger said kindly. "And for being such a good and caring friend to me. I really don't have any left. They were mine, but I think they would suit you more."

Mrs. Brugger pulled away the cloth and Mia gasped in wonder as she gazed at two lovely silver combs in the shape of butterflies, with some rhinestones embedded in their wings.

"Oh they're so beautiful!" Mia gushed. "Aggie, I can't take these."

"Yes you can, and you ill," Mrs. Brugger said, taking the combs in her hand and ordering Mia to stay still as she pulled some of the girl's hair back and held it in place with the combs, making it so her curls framed her face nicely.

"Simply gorgeous," Mrs. Brugger smiled. "That boy won't be able to keep his hands off of you."

"Aggie," Mia groaned, causing the old woman to laugh. Mrs. Brugger saw Mia to the front door and out onto the porch. Mia smiled and gave her a tight hug.

"Thanks for everything Aggie," she said.

"Thank you, Mia," Mrs. Brugger said. "I'll see you on Saturday. And tell Harry I said Happy Early Birthday."

"I will," Mia promised. With another wave, Mia hopped down the porch steps and then started making her way back to her own house in Privet Drive. She fingered the combs in her hair and smiled, touched by the sweet gifts Mrs. Brugger gave to her. It didn't take too long for her to reach her house and she smiled widely as she saw one of her favorite people in the world waiting outside. Harry was sitting on the front steps to her house and when he saw her, he smiled widely, quickly getting to his feet and walking over towards her. They met when Mia reached the lawn and he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, holding her close. Though it wasn't unusual for them to hug when they saw each other, Mia was a little shocked by the intensity of the hug, yet returned it all the same.

"Hey Harry," she said. "Missed me that much? You know it's only been a couple days since I saw you right?"

"Of course I did," he replied as he let go of her. "You're the only one who's sane around here."

"Gee, thanks for that," she said.

"I just can't stand Dudley and his stupid tantrums," Harry muttered. "He made a big deal out of having to have the same amount of food as me, so my aunt started giving him more."

"Are you serious?" Mia exclaimed. "Do they really need to fatten him up any more? And what about you, you're almost a stick, you should be the one getting more food."

"Thanks for boosting my self-esteem Mia," Harry chuckled.

"Oh, you know what I mean!" Mia giggled and she playfully slapped his shoulder. "How much longer until you have to be back?"

"I got all my chores done, even some of tomorrows, so I don't have to be home until about five to start dinner."

"Good," said Mia brightly, hooking her arm through his. "Then we have enough time to grab some soda pop form the store."

"Mia, I don't have any money," Harry objected.

"That's what you have me for, duh," she countered, as if it were obvious.

"Mia, you don't—"

"Nope, it's your birthday week, you're getting spoiled," she said simply, dragging him along. "Just go along like a good boy or I'll tell your godfather on you."

"He's somewhere in the south, he can't do anything," Harry said.

"I could always ask him to send you a Holwer," Mia suggested with an evil smile.

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me," Mia said. Harry huffed and she giggled as they kept walking together down the street. After about a minute, Mia noticed that Harry was staring at her.

"What?" she said.

"What's in your hair?" he asked.

"Oh," said Mia. "They're some combs that Mrs. Brugger gave me as a gift. Why? Do they look weird?"

"No," said Harry. "They look really nice…makes your hair look pretty."

Harry, realizing what he just said, immediately turned cheery red and cleared his throat awkwardly as he looked away, changing the subject to the Quidditch World Cup they were hoping to go to this summer. While he talked, Mia could feel her cheeks burn at least three shades of red and she smiled shyly at the ground.

Harry thinks my hair is pretty? He's never said anything like that before…

Read and review please! Thanks!