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( the beginning )
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━━ Mila huffed as she entered the Common Room, announcing her presence. Most people were usually alerted to her presence anyway, no matter if she made a fuss or not. However, as she looked around the room, she noticed there weren't many people still awake. It was a late hour, and the loudest thing in the room was the crackling fire.
She caught the eye of her friends, and made her way over to the couch they had occupied. Harry was on the floor, facing Ron and Hermione, and Mila went to his side. It was nice to belong somewhere, and for Mila, that place was by Harry. She had been there in first year, when they'd stopped Professor Quirrell from getting the Philosopher's Stone; in second year, when she and Harry killed the basilisk; in third year, when they met Sirius; and fourth, when Harry had come out of the maze after seeing Voldemort try and fail to reanimate. By his side, she had stayed, and him by her's.
They hadn't heard so much as a soundbite from Voldemort since then, and now in their sixth year, it finally started to seem like he had never come back. Things had calmed down since the Triwizard Tournament. The benefit was, of course, no Voldemort, but on the other hand, it gave Mila a lot more time to get in trouble. Restlessness didn't suit her.
"How was detention?" Harry smiled at her.
"Snape kept me back way longer than anyone else. Completely unjustified!" Mila complained. Ron and Harry laughed and even Hermione, who often disapproved of Mila's antics, cracked a smile.
"Well, you did set Malfoy's desk on fire. What was he supposed to do? Give you house points?"
"But unlike my cruel punishment, that was justified. He was being ... Malfoy."
Harry nudged her and spoke quietly, "And I appreciate it, but you need to stop getting in trouble for me." The reason Mila has set Malfoy's desk on fire was because, once again, he'd kept making snide remarks about Harry. That wasn't what Mila had told Snape, instead opting for the excuse that she had seen a mosquito on his desk and hadn't wanted Malfoy to get malaria.
Mila smiled back at Harry, "Worth it." If possible, his own smile widened even more.
"You're right Mila, it was worth it. His face was priceless," Ron agreed and Mila turned her attention to him. She noticed he was sitting a lot closer to Hermione than he normally dared to, and it made her cheerful to think they might finally be making a bit of progress.
