You Only Live Once

CHAPTER 15

"They will eat you alive!" Sirius shouted, his voice echoing off the high ceilings of the Potters' living room. He was pacing a frantic line across the rug, his dark hair messy and his eyes wide with a mixture of genuine fear and white-hot anger. "You think you're one of them now? You think snogging Nott protects you somehow? Oh, but of course you do. You wanna know why? Because you're a bloody idiot, Ro!"

The silence that followed was heavy. Mira flinched at the name, her fingers digging into the velvet fabric of the armchair.

"Snogging Nott?" Fleamont asked, his face pale as horror filled his features. He dropped the evening edition of the Daily Prophet onto the coffee table, looking at Mira as if she had suddenly grown a second head. "Rosie, tell me he's joking."

"That's not the problem here, Dad. Although seeing them kissing was... ewww" James stated. He was slumped on the sofa, his face twisted into a grimace that much resembled a child being asked to eat his vegetables. He looked over at Mira with a look of pure betrayal. "I mean, out of all the people in Slytherin, you picked the one who looks like he'd curse his own shadow for being too loud?"

"Okay, let's all calm down" Euphemia suggested, her voice a steady anchor in the rising storm.

Mira remained abnormally quiet. She sat cross-legged, her small frame swallowed by the oversized armchair. She felt the sting in her eyes before she felt the first tear fall. The shouting was a physical weight on her chest. Mia noticed the way Mira's shoulders trembled and the way she stared at the floorboards as if they might open up and swallow her. It was enough.

"That is quite enough from everyone" Mia said firmly, standing up to shield Mira from the boys' intense glares.

The situation was already bad enough. When they had arrived at King's Cross that morning, the air had been crisp and full of the usual holiday excitement. But the kids didn't even get a second to greet Mia and Monty before the atmosphere turned frigid. Out of the steam emerged Walburga Black, looking like a queen of a dying empire, flanked by her husband, Orion, and their youngest son, Regulus.

Regulus had given Mira a pained, apologetic look—one that spoke of long lectures and rigid expectations—before his mother even managed to utter a word. After the most awkward greeting in the history of greetings, where the air felt thick enough to choke on, Walburga had delivered the blow. She had invited Mira to the Black Christmas Ball, stating with a sharp, terrifying smile that she wanted all of her son's "close friends" there. She informed the stunned group that Regulus would write to Mira about the time, date, and place, then swept away without giving anyone a chance to decline.

Now, back at the Potter residence, the reality was sinking in.

"Do you want to go, Rosie?" Mia asked softly. She moved toward the armchair, turning everyone's attention to the teenage girl who was lost in thought.

Mira finally lifted her head. Her face was pale, but her eyes were steady. "Yes" she replied, her voice barely a whisper but carries a weight of certainty. She looked at Mia, who was already offering a small, encouraging smile. "All my friends will be there. I'll be fine."

"She's mental!" Sirius bellowed in exasperation, throwing his hands up. He looked to James and Monty for support, receiving a synchronized nod of approval from both. "It's a den of vipers, Ro! You don't just walk into the Black ancestral home for a party. You pose as  a Potter. They'll spend the whole night insulting your blood and your family."

"It's her choice" Euphemia said, her tone brookng no further argument. "Now! You boys go to sleep. All of you. This discussion is over for the night."

James and Sirius mumbled something dark under their breaths about "suicidal tendencies" and "Slytherin traps" but they did as they were told. They knew the look on Euphemia's face meant business.