LVII. THERE'S NO HOGWARTS WITHOUT YOU

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"Oi Malfoy!"

Mia had showered, changed into new school robes and was making her way down the corridor when she saw Draco, Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy standing together. Draco turned around and saw Mia walked towards him. 

"What do you want Potter?" he asked. Mia said nothing as she looked at his friends.

"Piss off," she said.

"Who do you think you are?" Pansy screeched. Mia rolled her eyes and made them glow red as she looked at her. 

"I won't ask again," she said, a small energy ball appeared at her fingertips. Pansy's eyes went wide as she, Crabbe and Goyle hurried away.

"What do you want?" Draco asked again. Once Mia knew Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle were gone, she looked at him.

"Thank you," she said, a small smile on her face.

"For what?" he asked.

"Well," Mia said, "Dobby paid me a visit before school started, warning me about something dangerous that's happening. I learnt today what family he used to serve."

"W-What does this have to do with me?" he asked, trying to act clueless but Mia knew. 

"You know what," she said, smiling softly. "So thank you for the warning." She sent him a sweet smile before walking past him and towards the Great Hall.

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Mia had been to several Hogwarts feasts, but never one quite like this.

Mia was sat in between Harry and Ron, chatting away to Ginny and Neville who was sitting opposite them. 

"I wish Mione comes here soon," Mia said grinning, "I've missed her so much."

"Hey Mia?" Neville asked as the ginger girl looked at him. 

"Yeah?" she asked. 

"You got your wish," he said, nodding to the Great Hall door. 

Mia furrowed her eyebrows and looked at the Great Hall door. Harry and Ron turned to the door and grinned when they saw Hermione. Hermione, beaming with joy, ran to her best friends. Mia got up from the Gryffindor table and ran to Hermione, beaming. The two girls met in the middle and hugged tightly. Harry and Ron joined them. Hermione then hugged Harry tightly, and as she was about to hug Ron, she stopped herself and took a step back. 

"We-welcome back, Hermione," Ron said as they shook hands. Mia and Harry exchanged looks.

"It's good to be back," Hermione said happily, "congratulations. I can't believe you solved it."

"Well, we had loads of help from you," Mia said as Harry and Ron nodded, grinning. "we couldn't have done it without you." 

Hermione beamed at them. 

"Thanks," she said as Professor McGonagall tapped her glass.

"Could I have your attention, please?" she asked. The four immediately sat down.

"Before we begin the feast, let us have a round of applause for Professor Sprout, Madame Pomfrey, whose Mandrake juice has been so successfully administered to all who had been Petrified," said Dumbledore as everyone.except Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and a few Slytherins applauded them. "Also, in light of the recent events, as a school treat, all exams have been canceled."

"Oh, no," Hermione whispered as everyone around her cheered loudly.  

Dumbledore sat down and before Mia could say anything, the doors to the Great Hall open. Mia looked around and her eyes lit up when she saw Hagrid. 

"Sorry I'm late," he said, "the owl that delivered my release papers got all lost and confused. Some ruddy bird called Errol." 

Ron's eyes went wide as Mia chuckled. Hagrid walked right up to the Gryffindor table as Mia, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all turned around to face him.

"And I'd just like to say that if it hadn't been for you, Mia, Harry, and Ron, and, Hermione, of course," he said, "I would, uh, I'd still be you-know-where, so I'd, I'd just like to say thanks." he chuckled as Mia stood up and smiled. Her eyes watered slightly as she looked at Hagrid. 

"There's no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid," she said as she hugged Hagrid as best as she could.

Dumbledore stood up and began to applaud, Professor McGonagall doing the same. Hagrid looked up at them as Mia let go of him and began clapping loudly. Harry, Ron and Hermione began joining in quickly and eventually everyone in the Hall, to join in as well. 

While Crabbe was about to get up and applaud, Draco stopped him while Seamus put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly as both Mia and Hermione had tears of joy rolling down their cheeks.  

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The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal with only a few, small differences. Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were canceled ("but we've had plenty of practice at that anyway," Ron told a disgruntled Hermione) and Lucius Malfoy had been sacked as a school governor. Draco was no longer strutting around the school as though he owned the place. On the contrary, he looked resentful and sulky. On the other hand, Ginny Weasley was perfectly happy again.

Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. Mia, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny got a compartment to themselves. They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays. They played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of Fred and George's Filibuster fireworks, and practiced disarming each other by magic. Mia was getting very good at it.

They were almost at King's Cross when Mia remembered something.

"Ginny, 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.

"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?" she added anxiously.

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

"Definitely not," said George, sniggering.

The Hogwarts Express slowed and finally stopped.

Harry pulled out his quill and a bit of parchment and turned to Ron and Hermione.

"This is called a telephone number," he told Ron, scribbling it twice, tearing the parchment in two, and handing it to them. "I told your dad how to use a telephone last summer, he'll know. Call us at the Dursleys', okay? We can't stand another two months with only Dudley to talk to. . . ."

"Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward the enchanted barrier. "When they hear what you did this year?"

"Proud?" said Mia. "Are you crazy? All those times I could've died, and I didn't manage it? They'll be furious. . . ."

And together they walked back through the gateway to the Muggle world.

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