You Only Live Once

CHAPTER 45

Three months and eleven days . Three months and eleven days of darkness. Three months and eleven days of starvation and torture. Three months since she left Lily and James' house and never made it back to Potter Manor. Three months and eleven days of not seeing her baby. It had been three months and eleven days since Mira Potter had been abducted and held captive by the Dark Lord. Worst part was that the one who had brought her there was someone she knew , someone she once called her friend. Barty.
Most days they just left her alone in the dungeons , bringing her a slice of bread and a glass of water once a day. Some days they brought her up for some questioning. Thankfully, as Voldemort had branded her with his mark, she wasn't tortured too much, or too badly for the matter.
She hadn't seen many people she recognised that far, but she wasn't spending much time upstairs. The past few days through, a new face had appeared. Someone who she had hoped she met under different conditions. Narcissa who also brought baby Draco with her, too afraid to leave him alone with anyone else. Narcissa was kind , bringing her more food and water everyday and most important of all , keeping her some company. Turns out Regulus had talked about her to his cousin and as soon as Narcissa heard of Mira's abduction she rushed to the place where she was held . Apparently someone as important to her dear cousin as her shouldn't have to go through captivity alone. Or at all but she couldn't help that part.
Narcissa and Mira were mostly talking about Regulus, sharing fond moments of the life she had shared with him. Narcissa even brought photos of when they were children to show her, some including Sirius as well. They were also talking about their babies , and when Narcissa told her that Draco wouldn't eat much Mira suggested she tried sliced apples and Narcissa couldn't have been more grateful to her. Their daily chats had become the part of the day Mira was most excited about. So when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs she couldn't help but feel excited. But it wasn't Narcissas' face that she saw .
"Teddy?" Her eyes softened at the sight of the boy she once loved, standing at the end of the stairs, just a few steps away from her . He looked older than when she last saw him, more worn out. Only twenty years old and already a husband ,a father and a soldier . Those were things most people did in their thirty's, if ever.
"Oh, Mira" he quickly took the few steps that were separating them and crouched down to her level, clutching at the iron bars . Mira, even with Narcissas' help, was still weak so she spent most of her time on the floor, not wanting to waste the little energy she had left.  "I came down here as soon as I learned. I didn't want to believe it . And I couldn't fathom that I didn't know sooner . I didn't know,Mira. I swear if I knew-"
"Teddy" she cut him off with a smile, putting her hands over his . "I'm still alive. That must count for something" she chuckled , desperately trying to show him that she was just fine all things considering. He had things to worry about, much more important things and she wasn't one of them. Not anymore.
"The Mira Aisling isn't as easy to break as one would think"he said with a smile mirroring hers. That statement was the reason her smile fell instantly. How did he know? How long did he know? "Don't worry , I haven't and won't tell a soul" he reassured her with a soft laugh.
"Who told you?" She questioned . She was sure that he wouldn't tell anyone, he wouldn't do that to her , not when he knew in how much danger he would put her in.
"I just found out a week ago. I must say , I was a little shocked at first and it took me sometime to really understand everything. But I got there. " he explained , totally avoiding her question. But when she saw her raised eyebrows he knew he had no choice but to tell her the whole truth, no matter how hard it was . "Regulus and Evan, Mira. They're not dead."
Her hands flew to her mouth, a loud gasp leaving her lips and tears starting to form in her eyes.
"And they told me everything." He continued , taking ahold of her hands through the bars. "It'll all end , darling. They have everything. I will help too. Tonight everything ends. We're getting you out of here" he told her and she never thought she had heard words coming out of a person's mouth that sounded sweeter than that moment.
The thought of everything ending was wild in her head. She had let go of that hope months ago, when Regulus and Evan's deaths were announced . She knew she would have to do everything to protect Harry, Lily and James. Anything to protect her family. But she knew that the war would be far from over without Lily and James' sacrifice. Mira had prepared herself for long years of missions and deaths and danger . But this would never happen. Everyone would live a good life. A normal life. And most important of all: Regulus and Evan were alive. Her Regulus. Her Evan.
"I must say though. A lot of things make sense now. A lot of your fears actually."
"What do you mean?" She asked with a chuckle , wiping some of the tears that had fallen from her eyes.
"Now I get why you were afraid to love me"
Just then Mira realised how much they had grown. They weren't sixteen year old teenagers anymore. Their biggest concern wasn't their homework or if the person they liked, liked them back. They were more mature and could understand each other better. "I gotta go. We must make a start if we want to be out tomorrow morning." Theo said turning so he could go up the stairs.
"Teddy" Mira called his name , making him stop in his tracks. "What's the date?" She had kept track of the days she had spent in that place but she still had to make sure they had time.
"October 30th"
And as Theo went up the stairs to the ultimate victory , Mira sat there in the dark , smiling like a fool because everyone would finally be able to live their lives. Because they would soon learn how their lives should have been like. Because from the next morning she wouldn't know everything that would follow.
Meanwhile, her  family and friends back in London were  scared and shaken . They were  a huge target. But Mira's absence haunted them every second of every day and they weren't able to think of anything else but ways to save her. They didn't know where she was or if she was still alive .