Bookworm

19

Mira was over the moon two weeks later when Hermione had sought her out in order to give her one of the DA coins. She admired it closely and grasped it in her fist, but was surprised at what Hermione said next.
"You and Harry can change yours and it reflects onto all the others."
"Why me?" Mira stared at her incredulously, very conscious that the library was packed with students on that day as she shoved it deep into her pocket.
"Well...Harry lands himself in detention a lot. We voted on it and decided that the next best option was you." Mira smiled thankfully but shook her head.
"As much as I appreciate it, I've never actually been in a duel. You, or even Ron would be better than me at it. I cant teach people for waffles-"
"Harry said the same thing...just, with different wording. Give it a try, will you?" Hermione smiled and Mira nodded hesitantly before turning back to her book.
"What did you get for question seven in history of magic?"
Hermione handed out all of the others later that night, but Mira noticed that she didn't share the information of Mira having an ounce of control also. She grabbed her sleeve and pulled her aside when Harry got everyone started on the shield charm.
"I thought you said people voted on it?" She hissed. Hermione smiled apologetically.
"Well Harry, Ron and I did. And we're the organisers of this, so what can they really say? Besides, no one would complain in fear of the twins targeting them."

Mira spent the next few weeks refraining herself from hexing the Slytherin quidditch team as they ruthlessly attacked the Gryffindor team. Especially when Alicia was targeted and had to be rushed to the hospital wing. Mira had sat by her bedside as the girl cried and ranted for hours on end, Madame Pomfrey having pinned her eyebrows back into her normal hair. There wasn't anything she could to until they had stopped growing themselves. The twins had snuck off when they learned of the news and still hadn't returned, leaving only Mira, Lee and Angelina trying to comfort the girl.
Ron had become the keeper for the team, something that Angelina wasn't at all overjoyed about she confided.
"He made a brilliant save at practices..." she admitted. "But he's no Wood."
"If you're holding keepers up to Wood's standard you'll never get anyone." Lee pointed out. "Just give him a chance."
"I am, but if he loses us the first game of the season then I'm afraid he's going to have to go."
"You cant blame him for being nervous," Mira glanced up from her essay. "And the Slytherins aren't helping. They're being downright fowl to him in particular..." she thought of the badges and song and shook her head. "You're going to need to keep an eye out for him. And keep the Malfoy boy away from the Weasley's and Harry at the end of the match."
"What's that meant to mean?" Mira had shut her book and stood up. She only shrugged miserably as she began heading for the door.
"It means what it means, but I wont be able to make the match. So you guys need to keep them separate." She sent Angelina a stern look before sweeping from the room. She had decided that she needed to go out on that day, when everyone would be distracted.

The day came bright and early, and the twins were disheartened when Mira wished them all good luck. She at least sat to breakfast with them to raise morale and Fred was pouting at her.
"What do you mean you wont be there?"
"I have other things to do," the girl responded in a quiet voice. Fred didn't question her further, only looked at her like a kicked puppy and shrank in his seat. Mira picked up a piece of toast and jumped from the bench. "I'd best be going. Best of luck, all of you." She pecked Fred on the cheek and clapped Ron on the back before rushing from the hall.
On her way back to her room, she had the displeasure of bumping into Malfoy. His back was turned to her, but there was no mistaking his blonde hair even from the distance. He was in his full robes, broom in hand and seemingly boasting about something to the girls before him. Mira ducked behind a tapestry as they began walking; getting closer and closer to her. She took her wand out and pointed it at his back.
"Silencio!" She hissed. She had spent time developing the spell and now only she was the one that was able to undo it. He would have to wait until she got back, but she held no sympathy for the boy. She only did what needed to be done.
He had already begun to panic on the corridor when he suddenly found himself mute. They had already made their way past her hiding spot, so Mira slipped out and rushed up the corridor before any of the Slytherin's saw her and flagged her down. When she arrived back at her room, she hastily took out her Half Blood Prince book and sat down heavily, reading over all of the details.
It wasn't until she heard a distant roar from the stadium that Mira was knocked from her intense revision session and she shoved her book away once more, sealing up the sofa and moving to the fireplace.
"Grimmauld Place!"
The kitchen was empty when she finally stopped swirling. Mira cast a glance around and decided to venture further into the house. As far as she could tell, it was empty. She moved upstairs and found Kreacher talking to himself in one of the side rooms. With only a glance she noticed that he looked much healthier and happier, the house was almost spotless from top to bottom and he himself seemed to be much cleaner. Mira smiled sadly at him and sat on the sofa in the room he was in.
"What would Miss Moriarty like from Kreacher?" He bowed deeply with his nose almost scraping the floor.
"You can apparate people, can't you?" She asked him. He nodded and actually managed a smile. It was small, but it was there. Mira clapper her hands together and leaned back into the crease of the cushions. "You know the mission that Regulus was on?" She asked softly. Kreacher froze, refusing to bring his eyes to meet hers. "Don't you?" Mira pressed. Slowly but surely, he nodded his head.
"What mission?" Mira jumped almost a foot in the air and span to see Sirius was in the corner of the room, lounging beside the window. He stood up swiftly and strode across in the room. Mira shrank back. His grey eyes were swirling with fury, his face twisted in pain and misery. "WHAT MISSION DID MY BROTHER GO ON, HARFIELD?"
"He set out to destroy Voldemort!" The words fell from her lips before she had time to think. "He...he died collecting a weapon, one that I already have!" Sirius paled and sank on the sofa beside her.
"His death was an act against his master?" Sirius buried his face in his hands and wailed. "I always thought he died rotten to the core!" This caused Kreacher to break out into wails and cries as he stamped his feet and punched his head. Sirius paid him no mind and sobbed quietly into his own hands. Mira didn't know what to do.
She gently called Kreacher's name and held a hand out to him. The elf took it and allowed himself to be pulled into her side in a gentle hug as Mira grabbed Sirius's hand away from his face and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"I'm finishing it for him." Her voice was much stronger than she felt, but it needed to be. They needed to believe in her. "I'm going to finish what he started, and I'm going to kill Voldemort before Harry even has the thought!" Kreacher had stopped crying and was clutching onto the bottom of her robes snivelling pathetically.
"Kreacher will help. Kreacher helped Master Regulus, Kreacher will help Mistress Harfield."
"I'll help." Sirius sniffled and straightened up. "I want...I need to repay him." He clenched her hand tightly. Mira softened but pulled away.
"Sirius, you can't be seen in public."
"DAMN THE LAWS!" Mira shrank back once more at his explosion, before leaning forward and rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands, sighing deeply.
"I suppose...you'll need to come as Padfoot. The one I'm after is kind of out of the way." She nodded her head to herself and looked down to Kreacher. "Is it possible for you to apparate dogs?"
"Kreacher can apparate anything." Mira readied her wand and looked to Sirius, who just morphed into the big black shaggy dog and whined. Mira felt her heart melt and forced herself not to reach out and play with his fur.
"Can you get us to Little Hangleton?" Kreacher nodded and reached out to the pair and they were gone.

The feeling of apparition was a new one to Mira and it was certainly an unpleasant one too. She stumbled face-first into the grass of the field they landed in and heaved, if anything just to get rid of the taste of vomit from their journey. She had always been carsick as a child, but she would take that over apparition any day.
It took her a couple of minutes to recover and pull herself to her feet. She steadied her wands and brushed off the concerned looked from Sirius, instead squinting into the sun and taking in her surroundings.
The field was vast and empty except for a few scattered cows. Mira nodded toward a run-down shack in the far distance, one a few miles away that could only just be made out against the shrubbery behind it. They began the trek over, Sirius bounding in front of them joyfully.
"So how has he been treating you?" Mira was genuinely interested, and ready to hex Sirius for being cruel to the elf. Kreacher was silent for a few moments as he struggled to keep up with her strides.
"Master Black has greatly improved since you spoke to him," He begrudgingly admitted. "Kreacher wishes that he would stop inviting half-breeds and mud-"
"Kreacher," Mira sharply warned. Sirius appeared by her side, as a man this time, with a handsome grin on his face.
"There are chickens over there, I scared them off." He nodded his head once and smiled proudly.
"You sure did, Padfoot." As she said this, the warm happy atmosphere seemed to change. Sirius frowned and turned back into his dog, his hackles rising and snout snarling as Mira walked further forward. She was suddenly scared, fear set into her very bones as she got closer and closer to the door. Trepidation hung in the air thickly.
"There is dark magics here, Mistress." Kreacher tugged on her robes and stopped walking, Padfoot just behind him with his tail between his legs. "We coulds turn back and get the help of the Order-"
"Don't be ridiculous." Mira tugged her robes from his hand and looked back to the shack. It was certainly empty, the dust looked as though it hadn't been disturbed for months at least. Mira walked forward but felt something tug the back of her robes. Sirius had taken hold of them in his mouth and was growling as he attempted to drag her away roughly.
"For Christ sake!" Mira pulled out of her robes and was left in just her shirt, skirt and tie. She glared at Sirius. "We have to do this, Black! Dumbledore will die if not!"