Over-the-Top Acting

Seeing that it was about time, Mia decided to wait for Harry to finish class. The two siblings hadn't spent any proper time together in ages.

"Mia, you're here? Aren't you busy these days?" Harry came out of the classroom and looked at Mia in pleasant surprise.

"I'm mostly done. Now I'm waiting for the new data from St. Mungo's." Mia held Hermione's hand as she walked with them.

She heard that Professor McGonagall had told them about the Chamber of Secrets, and that they even suspected Draco was the heir.

Just because Draco despises Muggles? What a hasty conclusion, Mia thought silently as she listened to Ron's reasoning.

But she hadn't expected Harry to be convinced too.

"As for Goyle and Crabbe, maybe we could trick them into telling us the truth." Ron, the great strategist, began coming up with a plan.

"They wouldn't be stupid enough for that, but perhaps there's another way. I should warn you, it'll be difficult, not to mention it'll break nearly fifty school rules." With that, Hermione took them to the library, where they found the recipe for Polyjuice Potion.

... Hermione, did you memorize the school rules just so you could break them?

Never mind. Going after Draco was safer than going straight for the Chamber of Secrets.

The second-year Quidditch Match was about to begin, with Slytherin facing Gryffindor.

Dressed entirely in green, Mia stood out too much in a sea of red, so she had to give up on watching Harry's match with Ron and Hermione.

"Did Draco drag you out to watch the match again?" Mia turned to look at Theodore, who was reading a book. He could actually concentrate with all this noise.

"No." Theodore shook his head, the blue pendant around his neck standing out.

"Then why are you here?"

Theodore didn't answer. He merely glanced at Mia.

*?*

The match soon began, and the two teams competed fiercely. With their new equipment, Slytherin scored repeatedly and pulled sixty points ahead of Gryffindor.

Mia felt that Harry's Quidditch matches had hardly ever been peaceful.

Wood had just warned Harry to be careful when an out-of-control Bludger snapped the front off his broom, sending him falling.

Why does Wood keep getting knocked off his broom? Mia quickly cast a protective charm on him.

The Bludger chased Harry all over the pitch. It wasn't hard to tell that someone was trying to stir up trouble again.

Mia wanted to use magic to take control of the ball, but Harry and the ball were flying a little too fast, and she could easily hit Harry by mistake.

Hermione and Ron, on the other side, had the same idea. Fortunately, Harry had the protective item Mia had made, which could protect him at a critical moment.

As Harry dodged the Bludger, Draco still found time to come over and mock him. But because of that, Harry spotted the Golden Snitch. The two raced to catch it, but in doing so, Draco also put himself within range of the Bludger's attacks.

Draco was caught in the attack and knocked off his broom. Mia hurriedly cast Protego on him. Seeing that he should be all right, she turned her attention back to Harry, ready to save him at any moment.

Just before the Bludger struck Harry's arm, the Golden Snitch bracelet activated its defensive magic and blocked the attack. Harry also managed to grab the Golden Snitch before falling off his broom.

"Harry Potter has caught the Golden Snitch! The Gryffindor Quidditch Team wins!" Catching the Golden Snitch meant the match was over, and Mia hurriedly jumped straight down from the stands.

"Harry!" When Mia arrived, she saw that the Bludger was still trying to attack him.

"Diffindo!" The ball shattered.

Mia helped Harry sit up on the pitch. "Harry, are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I caught it." Harry held up the Golden Snitch in his hand and gave it to Mia.

"You!" Mia opened her mouth, but looking at Harry's beaming face, she found herself somewhat at a loss for words. "Idiot."

"Harry!" Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid had arrived too.

"Are you all right?" Hermione crouched down and asked worriedly.

"Just a little dizzy." Harry held his forehead. Mia guessed it was from the impact just now. It seemed the item still needed improvement.

"Don't worry, Harry, I can fix you up." Lockhart had also hurried over, and he reached for his wand as he spoke.

*!* Something was bound to go wrong if Lockhart treated him. Mia quickly shielded Harry with magic, blocking Lockhart's spell.

"Let's go to the Hospital Wing first and have Madam Pomfrey take a look. It's probably a concussion." Mia quickly took Harry away, afraid that Lockhart would do him harm.

Before they left, Hermione noticed Draco, who was surrounded by people, looking at Mia.

Hospital Wing

"Mr. Malfoy, don't make such a fuss. You can leave now." Madam Pomfrey was somewhat speechless as she looked at Draco, who was lying on a hospital bed and wailing.

"Make way. Drink this and you'll be all right, dear." Madam Pomfrey made her way through the Quidditch team crowding around the bed and went straight up to Harry with the medicine.

"After you've taken the medicine, stay here for a night so I can keep you under observation."

Harry took Madam Pomfrey's medicine, but no sooner had he drunk it than he sprayed it out.

George and Fred hurriedly dodged, and Mia quickly leaned back, bumping straight into Wood's arms. Wood put a hand around her waist to steady her.

"Thank you." Noticing that their position was somewhat intimate, Mia quickly moved away.

"You're welcome." Wood looked away, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck with one hand.

"Did you think it was Pumpkin Juice?" Madam Pomfrey poured another cup and stayed until she saw Harry drink it.

The Hospital Wing didn't allow too many people inside, so seeing that Harry was all right, the others prepared to leave. Mia had intended to stay a little longer, but Wood quietly tugged her sleeve.

After leaving the Hospital Wing with the Quidditch team, Wood and Mia separated from the group.

"What is it?" Mia wondered why Wood had pulled her away.

"Um, thanks for what you did on the pitch." Wood pressed his lips together, holding the back of his neck somewhat awkwardly. If not for Mia's spell, he reckoned he would have spent another few days in a hospital bed after falling off his broom.

"You're welcome. It was nothing." Mia chuckled.

"Um, if you want to watch us practice, we do it every Saturday." Wood's words really surprised Mia. Wood had actually invited a Slytherin like her to watch Gryffindor practice.

She still remembered how, the first time, he had only let her stay after a whole group of his teammates pleaded on her behalf.

When Mia didn't speak for a long time, Wood asked again, "Um, will you come?"

"I can come?"

Wood's puppy-dog eyes lit up instantly, and a smile spread across his face. "Yeah, then I-we'll wait for you. I'll get going. Go keep Harry company. See you!"

By the time she returned to the Hospital Wing, Mia still felt it was somewhat unreal. Was that really Wood? It couldn't have been Polyjuice Potion, could it?

"Ow!" Noticing Mia had returned, Draco immediately raised his voice and wailed, drawing her attention at once.

"Young master? Are you hurting again?" Goyle and Crabbe quickly looked at Draco in alarm. Hadn't he been perfectly fine just now?

*...* Didn't she know whether Draco was hurt or not? Mia stared speechlessly at Draco's over-the-top acting.

Blaise looked away, somewhat embarrassed. Strange. Draco was the one wailing, so why was he embarrassed?

Pansy and Astoria looked at Draco worriedly. Unable to bear the sight, Daphne pulled her innocent younger sister over, while Theodore didn't spare Draco so much as a glance.

Mia returned to Harry's side without looking anywhere else.

Draco: Heartbroken.