Bookworm

17

The first Gryffindor practice of the season came and went. Much to her friends' dismay, Mira wasn't able to attend to cheer them on from the stands.
No, she had told them. She had more important things to sort out whilst everyone was distracted that night.
They understood immediately, even offering to tell people that questioned her absence that she had fallen ill. Mira felt awful-they seemed to hang onto her every word about anything going on in the world and followed her blindly. She would need to rectify that later-but now, she had more pressing matters to attend to.
The Diadem, for instance.
Hogwarts life was much more hectic than she gave it credit for, and between lessons, homework and having to try and do the impossible task of sneaking out without being caught, Mira hadn't had a chance to get it yet. There were too many students sneaking about themselves-she couldn't risk being seen. Maybe, whilst four of Hogwarts's biggest troublemakers were busy, she could sneak in and out. A quick, simple job.
The only person Mira encountered was the dreaded Umbridge. Mira watched from afar as she hummed to herself, strutting down the corridor as if she owned the place. When she disappeared to go down the moving staircases and probably head back to her classroom, Mira snuck off in the other direction, to where she knew the Room of Requirement to be. She finally found the statue of the dancing troll and began pacing, deep in thought.
I need the place where it's hidden
I need the place where it's hidden
I need the place where it's hidden
Nothing happened for a few moments, and Mira feared that she had read the book wrong and gone to the wrong place. But, sure enough, moments later the image of a door began to blossom on the blank wall. A grin stretched across her face and she glanced up and down the corridor before entering the room.
It was huge, and the objects creaked and swayed slightly as she walked past. It took her a shorter amount of time to find the wardrobe with the diadem than it did the trio in the books-she knew exactly what she was looking for.
And sure enough, there it was. Perched on a table next to the wardrobe-of course, Harry hadn't tried to hide the book yet, so he hadn't move the Diadem to the top of the wardrobe. Mira carefully wrapped the object in a cloth before shoving it into an inside pocket of her robe-it was uncomfortable, but hidden in the massive pockets.
"I'll have to speak to Dumbledore about getting the sword soon." She muttered, looking the large black wardrobe up and down. "And I need to ruin this so that Draco cant repair it next year." She muttered, putting the wand in her dominant hand-left-and raising it swiftly as she took a few steps back.
"Bombarda maxima!" She cried. She wasn't expecting the debris to explode as much as it did and let out a squeak, shielding herself from it as it rained down around her. Only when there was no more noise did she allow herself to peek out, looking at the ruins at her feet. There was no evidence that the wardrobe had ever even been there.
Just for good measure, Mira spent the next half hour floating random pieces of wood around the room and leaving it there, hidden under piles of other things. Sure, Draco could try and find the pieces, he might even succeed, but not if I took a piece with me. Mira thought to herself grimly as she looked down at the whole door that was still laid on the floor. It was the largest piece to have survived, and Mira knew that without the door the wardrobe would not work.
The only question was, how was she meant to carry it through Hogwarts without someone seeing and questioning her?
Oh well. She'd have to cross that bridge when she came to it.
With one last wingardium leviosa, Mira left the room of requirement and swiftly began down the corridor. She got a few corridors down without seeing anyone, which she saw as a success.
"Mira?" She spun on her heel and nervously smiled at Harry as he stood looking at her in confusion, still in his full quidditch gear with his broom hanging from his hand.
"Hi Harry!" she cheerfully waved. "What can I do for you?" He furrowed his eyebrows and looked between her and the door, then Mira noticed the empty piece of parchment in his hand.
"I, um, came to apologise for what happened..." Mira nodded, smiling at him.
"I'm sorry too, Harry. I know you're going through a lot and I shouldn't have taken what you said to heart. Would you mind walking with me?" She gestured to her side, the one without a door, and smiled at him before she continued walking. She heard his hasty footsteps and he was quickly by her side, eyes fixed on the ground and his lips pursed. They stayed like that for a new minutes before Harry asked the question that seemed to be bothering him the most.
"Mira, why do you have a door?"
"Why not?" she shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant about the whole situation. They quickly arrived at the portrait that hid her room and Mira stopped dead in her tracks, looking at Harry.
"You want to come in?" she asked him. He looked at her as if she had just grown another head.
"Come in where?"
"My room, Harry." She chuckled. "You didn't think I slept in the entrance hall, did you?"
"I...never really thought about where you slept." He told her honestly. Mira let out an airy laugh before turning to the portrait and saying the password loudly.
"Harfield." It swung open and allowed her entry. The painting was nothing special, just a picture of a landscape that looked like it was from somewhere in Yorkshire, like Mira was. She waved her wand and the door went through the narrow gap first at an angle-it only just fitted, to Mira's relief. Gesturing for Harry to follow, Mira went though after it and caught the door before it hit the floor, propping it up against the wall for now. Harry's gaze lingered on it, amused, before he scanned the rest of the room and picked his way across to the sofa, sitting down in the little space available.
Mira was just relieved that she'd put the books back and sealed it up each time she left the room.
"It's...nice." Harry finally said. Mira snorted.
"It's a mess, Harry. I know. My research just got on top of me." She lazily flicked her wand, like she had been practicing, and focused all of her energy on the spell she wanted to cast. Harry watched in a stunned silence as all the books and papers swirled around the room and landed in a hazardous pile in the corner, almost as tall as he was. "That's much better." Mira smiled as she dropped down in one of the chairs and fixed her gaze on Harry.
"Look, Harry," she began softly. Harry hated the tone of voice she was using-as if she pitied him. He averted his eyes to the merrily crackling fire. "Now that you know the password-you can come here whenever you like. It can be a place to cool off and think, where you wont be found and annoyed." His ears pricked at her offer and he glanced over at her.
"I don't need somewhere to do that. I'm fine." He insisted. Mira only raised an eyebrow.
"Show me your hand, Harry." She demanded. He thrust his right hand toward her immediately, but she batted it away and grabbed his left one. He winced slightly, glaring at her as she dropped it once more with a nod.
"Has Hermione used essence of murtlap on it yet?" She asked. He gave a stiff nod and shook his sleeve back over his hand. Mira watched silently.
"I know what's going through your head, Harry. You might think you're so alone in this, but I can promise you that you're not. You have all your friends and family by your side-"
"But I don't. My family are dead!" Harry snapped, the anger that had been bubbling all day reaching the surface. Mira shook her head.
"Is Sirius not your family? Remus, I'm pretty sure, had everything not happened, he would be like an uncle to you. And Molly and Arthur see you as another son, Ron and the twins like a brother-"
"Okay." Harry caved. "I get what you're trying to do, Mira, I really do. And I appreciate it-but I'm fine. I don't want to worry them with my problems."
"You're scared of putting them in danger, aren't you?" she said softly.
"You think that you know exactly what's going through my mind! Well, you don't!" Harry looked at her angrily. Mira calmly leaned back in the chair, not allowing it to escalate into another argument.
"Just think on it, Harry. And if you need anywhere to go, my door-portrait is always open. If you have the password. Only you, the twins and the others know it and they only come in with me. Don't hesitate to knock." She smiled at him. He nodded and stood up, looking at his watch-his new one, from Sirius.
"I should be going. Are you going to Hogsmede this weekend?" He asked her, sparing her a glance as he reached the door. Mira only nodded in response. "Hermione mentioned something, we're going to the Hogs Head. If you want to come along, that is." Mira smiled at him.
"I'd love to, Harry."