The Other Potter

CLXII. TRUTH COMES OUT

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A few evenings later, Mia was walking back from Quidditch practice with Harry and Ron. It was only a few days before their match against Slytherin, and Mia was getting in as much training as possible. When Mia pushed open the tapestry to take their usual shortcut up to Gryffindor Tower, however, they found themselves looking at Dean and Ginny, who were locked in a close embrace and kissing fiercely as though glued together.

"Oh shit," Mia muttered.

"Oi!"

Dean and Ginny broke apart and looked around.

"What?" said Ginny.

"I don't want to find my own sister snogging people in public!"

"This was a deserted corridor till you came butting in!" saidGinny. Dean was looking embarrassed. He gave Mia a shifty grin that Mia returned.

"Er . . . c'mon, Ginny," said Dean, "let's go back to the commonroom. . . ."

"You go!" said Ginny. "I want a word with my dear brother!"

Dean left, looking as though he was not sorry to depart the scene.

"Right," said Ginny, tossing her long red hair out of her face and glaring at Ron, "let's get this straight once and for all. It is none of your business who I go out with or what I do with them, Ron. . . ."

"Yeah, it is!" said Ron, just as angrily. "D'you think I want people saying my sister's a. . . ."

"A what?" shouted Ginny, drawing her wand. "A what, exactly?"

"He doesn't mean anything, Ginny. . . ." said Harry automatically.

"Oh yes he does!" she said, flaring up at Harry. "Just because he's never snogged anyone in his life, just because the best kiss he's ever had is from our Auntie Muriel. . . ."

"Shut your mouth!" bellowed Ron, bypassing red and turningmaroon.

"No, I will not!" yelled Ginny, beside herself. "I've seen you with Phlegm, hoping she'll kiss you on the cheek every time you see her, it's pathetic! If you went out and got a bit of snogging done yourself, you wouldn't mind so much that everyone else does it!"

Ron had pulled out his wand too; Mia and Harry stepped swiftly between them.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Ron roared, tryingto get a clear shot at Ginny around Harry, who was now standing in front of her with his arms outstretched while Mia was standing in front of Ron. "Just because I don't do it in public — !"

Ginny screamed with derisive laughter, trying to push Harry outof the way.

"Been kissing Pigwidgeon, have you? Or have you got a pictureof Auntie Muriel stashed under your pillow?"

"You. . . ."

A streak of orange light flew under Harry's left arm and missedGinny by inches; Harry pushed Ron up against the wall.

"Don't be stupid. . . ."

"Stop it!" Mia yelled.

"Harry's snogged Cho Chang!" shouted Ginny, who soundedclose to tears now. "And Hermione snogged Viktor Krum, and Mia's had sex with Malfoy, it's onlyyou who acts like it's something disgusting, Ron, and that's becauseyou've got about as much experience as a twelve-year-old!"

Mia's blood froze and her mouth opened in shock as Harry and Ron let go of each other and stared at Mia in horror. Ginny's face dropped as she looked at Mia in horror. Mia's mouth shut and nodded as she sighed.

"Oh my Merlin, Mia I am so. . . ."

Mia put a hand up to silence her as Ginny fell silent. Mia said nothing as she looked at Harry and Ron. Both of them had their mouth opened in shock as they stared at the girl. They were both lost for words as Mia checked her watch.

"We should head back," Mia said, her voice shaky, as if she was trying to act like nothing happened. Mia checked her watch and carried on walking towards the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Dilligrout," she said, her voice still shaky to the Fat Lady, and they climbedthrough the portrait hole into the common room. Mia said nothing as she walked up to her dorm in silence.

"Mia, you okay?"

"I think I'm going to die tomorrow," Mia said quietly as Hermione looked at her confused.

"What? Why?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow," she said as Hermione nodded. Seeing the look on Mia's face, she knew it was best to drop the subject.

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"EUPHEMIA!"

Mia woke up with a start. Today was the day Gryffindor and Slytherin would play in Quidditch, but Mia was terrified to go into the common room.

"What happened?" Hermione asked as Mia changed into part of her Quidditch gear.

"Harry and Ron found out," she said, pulling on her boots. "About what happened at the Yule Ball." Hermione's face dropped in horror as Mia nodded.

"How?"

"Ginny blurted it out," she said, "after she told Ron you snogged Krum and Harry snogged Cho."

"Oh my Merlin, I'm so sorry," Hermione said as Mia tied her hair into a messy bun.

"MIA GET DOWN HERE!"

"Fuck, now Ron's pissed off," Mia said as she stood up. She sighed as she walked downstairs and was met with only Ron.

"He's gone to beat the crap out of him," Ron said as Mia's face dropped.

"Fuck sake!" she yelled as she ran out of the common room. She ran out, her hair hanging around her neck as she desperately searched for her brother. She ran down the corridor and found her brother pinning Draco against the wall, both of them looking ready to kill.

". . . .YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF HER!"

"HARRY!" Mia yelled, a red energy ball appearing at her hand as it came between Harry and Draco. "What the fuck is going on?!"

"He took advantage of you!" Harry yelled as Mia sighed.

"No he didn't!" Mia said as she looked at Draco. "Just go, please." He said nothing as he looked at Mia before nodding. He sent Harry a look that could kill before stalking off.

"You're telling me, you, you knew what you were doing?" Harry asked, looking at his sister in horror.

"Kinda," she said as she looked at him, "we were both drunk and. . . ."

"How could you?!" Harry yelled as Mia looked at him. "How could you, Mia?! What were you thinking?!" Mia hesitated as Harry looked at her.

"I don't know," she said as she looked at him.

"Exactly, you weren't thinking?!" Harry roared as Mia stared at him. "You were being stupid, Mia! So bloody stupid!" Mia's eyes watered as Harry carried on screaming at her. "You disgust me! It's a good thing Mum and Dad aren't here to see the disappointment their daughter has grown to be! You're an embarrassment, Mia! Don't speak to me, I wish you were never my sister! I wish I wasn't related to you!"

Harry stormed away, leaving Mia standing in the middle of the corridor, tears streaming down her face as her breathing was uneven. Her hands began trembling as she looked around before running down the corridor.