The Holidays

The holidays were approaching, and all the students had packed their things for the train home.

"Mia!"

"Draco?"

"Could you come visit my house during the holidays?" Draco asked hesitantly.

"Sorry, I probably can't." Mia wanted to see Narcissa, that gentle mother, but her aunt and uncle would never agree.

"Then, can we write to each other?"

"Yes, I'll wait for your letter."

Only then did Draco leave, satisfied. Mia looked at Theodore, who was still there.

"Theodore?"

"Are you feeling all right?" Theodore pressed his lips together awkwardly. He wanted to invite Mia too, but his father...

"Thank you, I'm fine. Do you want to write during the holidays?" Mia asked tentatively.

"Yes! This is for you." Theodore took out an object. It was a Dark Magic artifact. A Dark Magic artifact!

Mia quickly looked around. "Are you crazy? What if someone sees you taking that out here?"

"This is for you. It can protect you." Theodore pressed it into Mia's hand. Mia looked at Theodore. The Nott family had been Death Eaters who followed Voldemort and were among his inner circle, so it was no surprise that they had something like this, but the Ministry of Magic regulated such things very strictly.

"You..." Mia was at a loss for words.

"I have to go. Goodbye." Theodore left without a care. Mia looked at the object in her hand and sighed. After all, it was a thoughtful gift from Theodore.

He really wasn't afraid she would report him. Mia watched his retreating figure with a reproachful look.

Hogwarts Express

After leaving Luna, Hedwig, and their luggage with an attendant, Mia and Harry were about to board when they saw Hagrid organizing the students as they got on. They sent Hermione and Ron aboard first, then ran over to him.

"I thought you two were going to leave without saying goodbye." Hagrid looked down at the two little ones in front of him.

"This is for you." Hagrid pulled a photo album from his pocket.

Mia and Harry opened it to find a family portrait, with Lily and James each holding a child.

"Thank you, Hagrid." The two children hugged Hagrid's legs, just as they had when they first met him.

"Off you go, children. If that idiot Dudley bullies you, just threaten him..." Hagrid thought for a moment. "Tell him you'll give him a pair of pig's ears to match his pig's tail."

Mia couldn't help laughing, though her eyes were full of gratitude. Harry reminded him, "But Hagrid, you know we're not allowed to use magic outside Hogwarts."

"I know, but your cousin doesn't, does he?" Hagrid winked.

The train was about to leave, and Mia and Harry had to get on.

"Goodbye, Hagrid."

"Goodbye, children."

"Feels a bit strange going home, doesn't it?" Hermione and Ron leaned out of the train door as Hermione spoke to the two of them.

"We're not going home, not really." Harry didn't like it there. It wasn't home.

They were only living under someone else's roof. Mia didn't like it there either.

The train was about to depart, so the four returned to their compartment and waved reluctantly to Hagrid as they pulled away.

"What's wrong? Why are you so down?" Hermione asked in confusion, looking at Mia, who had slumped against her unhappily as soon as she got on the train.

"It's nothing. Remember to write to me during the holidays, Hermione," Mia said glumly.

"Of course! We can also discuss all sorts of things during the holidays." Hermione really enjoyed talking with Mia. Mia's vast store of knowledge could answer all her questions.

After leaving the station and saying goodbye to their friends, Mia and Harry carried their things back to the Dursley family's house.

Fortunately, Harry finally had a somewhat more normal room too: Dudley's small bedroom.

Mia continued studying the combined use of Ancient Magic and alchemy during the holidays, although the Ministry of Magic expressly forbade underage wizards from using magic outside school.

But Mia discovered that the Ministry of Magic's tracking could actually only pinpoint a location and detect magic being used around an underage wizard. If an adult wizard was nearby, it would be overlooked. Besides, someone like Mia didn't much like being watched and constrained by others.

So Mia developed an alchemical device that contained the magical fluctuations of an adult wizard. Once activated, it could interfere with the Trace's detection, making it mistakenly register an adult wizard nearby.

Mia spent most of her time reading and researching in her own room or Harry's.

"Mia, why haven't Hermione and Ron written to us?" Every day, aside from being made to practice magic by Mia, Harry waited eagerly for letters from his friends. Hedwig wasn't allowed out of her cage, so he could only hope his friends would write to her.

"Hermione isn't someone who breaks her word. I'm afraid something must be stopping her." Mia was severely restricted in everything she did now, and she had no way to contact her friends either.

"Really? They don't hate me, and Hogwarts wasn't just something I imagined?" Harry's words filled Mia's eyes with heartache. Harry was a somewhat sensitive person, and with only Mia left by his side, he treasured her and his hard-won friends all the more.

"No, Harry. Hermione, Ron, you, and I are all very important friends to one another, so they must have been held up by something. Let's wait a little longer, all right?" Mia comforted Harry gently, and Luna jumped into his arms and rubbed against him.

"Thank you, Mia. And you too, Luna."

"Thanks for putting up with it too, Hedwig." Mia stroked the somewhat restless Hedwig through the cage. The poor thing had been shut up for almost the whole holiday.

"Hoot, hoot." Hedwig was aggrieved too.

"Harry Potter! Mia Potter!" The brother and sister heard Uncle Vernon shouting and exchanged a helpless look.

When they went downstairs, Aunt Petunia was decorating a cake. They had an important guest today.

"They're in there, Vernon."

"I'm warning you, if you can't control that owl and that damned cat, get rid of them!" Uncle Vernon stopped adjusting Dudley's collar and warned them.

Mia's gaze turned dangerous for a moment, and a flash of red passed through her eyes. She quickly reined in her emotions. As Mia grew stronger, her magic had become more easily affected by them.

"But they're miserable cooped up. If I could let them out for an hour or two..."

"Hmph! So they could deliver secret messages to your freak friends? Don't even think about it!"

Dudley straightened his collar and bumped into Harry, not forgetting to sneer at them. "Who would want to be friends with you?"

"I think you should show some gratitude. We've raised you since you were little, given you food, and even given you Dudley's small bedroom. We've practically done everything in our power to be good to you," Vernon said earnestly to Harry and Mia.

Neither of them bought it. Over the years, the Dursleys had abused them plenty, and whatever debt of gratitude they owed had long since been canceled out by all the years Mia and Harry had spent being ordered around. If the Ministry of Magic wouldn't detect magic used on Muggles, Mia would have used her wand on them long ago.

But Uncle Vernon had important business to attend to, so he had no time to bother with them further. "They could be here any minute. Let's rehearse. Petunia, when Mr and Mrs Mason arrive, you'll be..."

"In the living room, ready to welcome them in the friendliest manner." Aunt Petunia demonstrated with a smile and a gentle voice.

"Excellent! Dudley, you'll be..."

"I'll be waiting to open the door for them."

"Very good. And what about you two?" As they spoke, the three of them came over to Harry and Mia.

Mia folded her arms, rolled her eyes, and pulled Harry back upstairs.