A/N: To answer a few questions, yes, Hermione/Mia is the reason that James and Sirius do not like Snape. Since we only see Marauders through memories in Canon, I really wanted to expand on the friendships and animosities between characters. Hermione is the catalyst that essentially creates the majority of events that happen in the 1970's, just like Remus's letter told her. She cannot change anything—she only sets things in motion if she even tries. Yes, the third wand with the dragon heartstring belonged to one Lily Evans! Canon never said what the core of Lily's wand was, so I played with it. I try to put a lot of those hidden gems in the story if I can. Lots of references to Part One and to Canon. This is one of my favorite chapters ever and it brought tears to my eyes to read it again before posting. Those who have already read Part One (and if you haven't, how are you even reading this now?) will recognize bits of this chapter from Chapter 13!

Chapter Twenty
Adopting Strays

September 1st, 1971

Mia quickly followed James through the barrier that separated platforms nine and ten. The twins eased their way through the stone wall, both grinning as they pushed their carts; James's taller than Mia's as it held a large cage with one of the family birds, a small owl with speckled brown and white wings by the name of Hector. Though Mia had been offered the chance to bring her own familiar to Hogwarts, she had declined. A part of her was unwilling to bond with another creature, so soon after leaving, the same way that she had done with her beloved Crookshanks.

Smoke billowed out of the engine of the train. The familiar sight of the giant, scarlet steam engine calmed Mia's frazzled nerves—nerves that had been building since Tilly had woken her that morning. It was a familiar kind of anxiety; one that made her think of her original first trip to King's Cross and the anticipation of attending Hogwarts for the first time.

Despite knowing exactly what would happen when she stepped foot on the train that would take her to school, she was not lingering on memories of a battle-worn castle. She had spent the past month as Mia Potter, the daughter of Charlus and Dorea Potter, twin sister of James Potter, and it was practically effortless to get lost in her new life.

The small family rarely left the comfort of the manor; instead, they spent the late mornings reading together or separately in the massive library that rivalled that of the Black family library at Grimmauld Place. Afternoons were spent in the orchard, garden, or the small clearing that James was determined to eventually convert into a proper Quidditch field where he practised flying, pestering his sister to join him. She always refused.

Evenings were spent enjoying dinner together, listening to their parents tell stories, playing Exploding Snap or wizard's chess, and eventually, rushing off to bed to escape the grip of the overbearing house-elf who had apparently made a game of trying to tuck the young Potter children into bed. While James normally enjoyed being doted upon, he had seen the amused and proud expression on his sister's face when she had properly evaded Tilly, and he quickly decided to join in on the fun—much to Tilly's annoyance.

It was only the nights that made Mia's life difficult.

She had refused to let her parents know about her nightmares, not wanting to frighten them or let them see how utterly broken she was. Thankfully, James was always there, sneaking into her room and crawling into her bed an hour or two after they separated into their own suites. He would take her hand into his own, utter promises of protection, and the siblings would fall soundlessly asleep.

Life was strangely good here, and Mia was adjusting well, reading Remus's letter each night before bed to remind herself of her rules.

Live your life. Enjoy your life.

Dorea looked to her children, tears welling in her eyes. James immediately showed his soft side by hugging his mother tightly around the waist and not making a fuss as she affectionately tried to flatten down his black hair that was standing up in several different directions in the back. "Be sure to write to us after the sorting."

"When you get sorted into Gryffindor," Charlus added with a chuckle.

Dorea stared at her husband. "Or Slytherin."

"Anywhere's just fine."

Both Mia and James chuckled at the way that their mother crossed her arms over her chest before mumbling something derogatory under her breath that ended with, " . . . as if children of mine would be Hufflepuffs."

Charlus patted James on the shoulder once before bringing the boy into a tight hug. After releasing his son, he reached a long arm out for his daughter, pulling her in as well. "Go on then, you'll want a good seat."

"Hey, isn't that Sirius?" James asked.

Mia turned out of Charlus's embrace to follow after her brother, spotting the Black family off to the side—consisting of Walburga Black, a pouting Regulus, a tall man with a fixed sneer on his face that could only be Orion Black, and an utterly annoyed and impatient-looking Sirius, who caught her eye and broke into a grin as they passed him on the platform.

Mia started to smile until she made eye contact with Walburga Black. "Let's head inside, Jamie." Escaping the older witch's utter contempt was an absolute necessity.

Sirius sighed as he watched his friends disappear onto the train, wishing he could just make a run for it and escape his parents.

"Do not disgrace our family, Sirius," his mother threatened. "You have an attitude problem and a habit of flocking to ill-bred children."

She was doubtlessly referring to the Potters, whom she had great fun lecturing Sirius about after meeting them in Diagon Alley. He had mentioned that he stopped to help, offering Mia his handkerchief when he saw her knee bleeding. Any other pureblood girl, and Sirius might have been praised for his efforts, but his mother had been furious. She ended up incinerating the handkerchief and using a painful Scouring Charm on his hands, muttering about how one never knew the type of filth that blood-traitors mingled with.

"Luckily, when you're sorted into Slytherin, you won't have to interact with that kind of filth and muck as often."

Sirius groaned impatiently. "I'm going to miss the train if I don't go now."

"Please don't go," Regulus whispered.

"I'll write to you every week, Reggie," Sirius promised, seeing the tense look his brother was giving him. They were as close as they could be, given their home life, though it seemed almost as though their parents were intent on creating animosity between them as though they could hold Regulus over Sirius's head in an attempt to control him. He wished them luck with that.

Regulus frowned. "I want to go, too."

"Don't be ridiculous, my precious boy." Sirius's mother beamed and pulled Regulus closer to her. "You have a whole year just with me. Without distracting influences," she said, narrowing her eyes once more at Sirius.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Subtle."

"What did you say?" she snapped at him.

"I said . . ." He tried to think of a lie—What rhymes with subtle? "Bubble."

"Bubble?"

He let out a disappointed sigh. "Yeah, I'll admit it, I wasn't even trying there."

"Get on the train before I change my mind and send you to Durmstrang," she said through clenched teeth. Though he knew she had no issues with publicly disciplining him, the platform was overly crowded, and she was clearly more interested in leaving as quickly as possible.

"Reggie, Father . . . Walburga, it's been great." Sirius saluted them all with a smirk on his face as he ducked away and rushed toward the door of the train, tugging his trunk behind him.

When he made his way aboard, he smiled as he ran into Mia and James, both having watched his farewell to his family from an open window. "You weren't really going to leave without me were you?"

"It's not my fault that you lingered behind to kiss your Mum," Mia teased.

"Ouch, kitten has claws." Sirius smiled broadly at her, and Mia beamed.

"Hurry up, you two," James called after them, "before all the compartments get taken up."

"You boys go find one, I'm going to watch the train leave," Mia said with a smile.

"Girls." James rolled his eyes. "So bloody sentimental." He laughed, and Sirius joined him. The two made their way down the aisle, eagerly searching for an empty compartment.

"Boys," Mia muttered affectionately, watching as her brother and Sirius disappeared into the crowded aisle.

Misty-eyed, she watched from the window when the train pulled out of the station as the clock struck eleven. Her new parents waved from the platform, and she let out a shaky breath as she was carried away from the anchors of her comfort in this world. Closing her eyes, she remembered that soon she would be at Hogwarts—her safe place. The place where she had grown and blossomed within magic. Her true home.

Mia summoned her inner Gryffindor courage and headed down the aisle to search for Sirius and James.

As she walked, something tugged inside of her as though an invisible string were pulling her gaze to the side. It felt similar to the something missing she noticed when she was around Sirius. She had originally assumed it was the magic that she knew existed between them but might have been fractured during her time travel. Now, however, she was forced to rethink her theory as a similar emptiness moved her gaze on a small compartment at the front of the train where a pale, thin boy with sandy-blond hair sat with his nose stuck in a book.

She raised a brow as she studied him, unsure as to why her magic was reaching out needily.

The boy's nose twitched, and she watched him sniff the air; immediately a confused expression painted his face as his soft green eyes turned and peered up expectantly at her.

She took quick notice that, unlike most of the other students, the boy was already wearing black Hogwarts robes. They looked slightly big on him, covering him from head to foot—save for his hands and the small expanse of neck where Mia could see the faint outline of what looked to be a fresh scar.

Mia let out a soft gasp.

Remus.

She turned her head away from him, stifling her anger as she moved past his compartment, breathing heavily. This boy was the reason she was here in the first place. The reason she had been torn from her own time and thrust into the past without her permission. The reason she was an eleven-year-old again and forced to create a new life and a new identity.

Mia wanted to walk into that compartment and hit him. But then she remembered the confused expression on the boy's face and the scar on his neck. This was not the Remus that tricked her into going to the past; this was just a boy, a boy who, from the looks of it, was feeling very ill.

Mia suddenly realised that the full moon was due in just three days' time. Damn.

He was probably in a lot of pain, feeling sick and on edge, and now he had to deal with the stress of his first trip to Hogwarts.

And hopefully, very soon you will come across a very lonely boy who is terrified to go to Hogwarts and is desperate for some understanding friends.

Her frown deepened. Remus was her friend. No matter what he had done, she had always trusted and admired him. He had been the best teacher she'd ever had the privilege of being mentored by, and he was always there for her. She, in turn, had tried to be there for him, helping Tonks with his transformations and the healing that he needed afterward. At his worst moments—like when he doubted his ability to be a good father—it had always been Hermione to bring him friendly comfort and raise his self-esteem. She could not just turn her back on him now.

With a take-charge attitude, Mia turned back to Remus's compartment, poked her head inside the door, and smiled at him. "Hello!" she said brightly.

Remus jumped at the sudden noise and stared back at her with wide eyes. He clutched his book tightly to his chest, as though he was trying to physically erect a barrier between them.

"Umm . . . me? Hello, m-me?" he stuttered, a very confused expression on his face. "I mean hello. . . umm, hi."

"Are you waiting for your friends to join you?" Mia asked sweetly, trying to ignore the way he shied away from her.

Remus frowned. "No."

Mia tried to hold back her emotions. She had known that he would be alone and would not have been there with friends, but she could not very well let him know that.

"So you're here alone?" she asked, stepping further into the compartment and watching closely as he pressed his back tightly against the window, trying to distance himself more.

"D-Do you . . . ?" he stammered again, his breathing heavy as she closed in on him. "I mean . . . yeah, I'm alone. That's fine, though," he insisted quickly. "I'm okay. I mean, did you need this compartment?"

She watched him carefully, noticing that his gaze flickered between her and the door, looking like he wanted to make a hasty retreat.

"No, my brother's getting us one in the back," she answered, and then pointed to the book he clutched tightly. "What book are you reading?"

"Hogwarts, A History."

"Merlin, that's my favourite!" She grinned and sat down right beside him, watching as he took in a sharp breath and stiffened.

She took a moment to let him adjust to her presence, realising that Remus had probably been terrified at this point to be around other people, especially without his parents to look after him. She recalled an older Remus telling her how afraid he had been of hurting others, or even worse, infecting them. It explained everything about the terrified-looking, lonely boy in front of her. But the older Remus had implied in his letter that his younger self was in desperate need of understanding friends. And his letter was her guide and her rules, and she would obey it.

Mia smiled over at him, gesturing to the book in his hands, watching as he very slowly let his guard down a little.

"My favourite, too." He gave her a nervous smile. "I was really excited to go, so I wanted to read up. I didn't think I'd ever be able to attend."

"Why not? You're a wizard, aren't you?" she asked.

"I . . . I, umm . . . yeah. I mean, my parents weren't sure if they wanted to send me somewhere else is all."

Mia understood why he lied to her and did not push the issue any further. Instead, she beamed at him, offering a friendly smile. "Well, lucky us then."

He raised a brow as though he did not understand the word. "Lucky?"

"Yeah, you're coming to Hogwarts, and now we're going to be friends."

"Friends?" The word sounded painful as it left his lips.

She did her best to hide the expression of grief that threatened to escape her. Yes. Remus was her friend and would be her friend again. She needed him, just as he very desperately needed her.

Eventually, she held a hand out to him that he gaped at with wide eyes. "I'm Mia Potter."

"Remus Lupin," he said without touching her, still staring at her extended hand.

"You know, I don't have germs."

"I know, I mean . . ." He glanced up at her face and then back down at her hand, and she could almost see him calculating the risks. Any other child would have probably thought him to be completely strange or possibly have been offended by his reaction, but Mia knew better, which was also why she refused to back down.

Shake the bloody hand, Remus, she urged him silently.

After a moment, he looked up at her, and she tried to express to him the safety of the situation. Slowly, he took her hand, and she smiled as though she had just received an Outstanding on a test.

"Come on, Remus," she said, tugging on him like Tilly was constantly doing to her.

Remus looked panicked, but he did not struggle against her. "Where . . . Where are we going?"

"To join up with my brother and our friend." She watched as he hesitated, lingering in the door to the compartment that had—up until she arrived—been his safe and secluded place. She waited patiently, communicating with her stance that she was not letting up.

"If you come sit with me, I'll buy us all a feast off of the trolley," Mia said, resorting to simple bribery. "You like Chocolate Frogs?"

With mischievous grin, she watched as the invisible barrier he had put up between them fell down with a silent crash.

As they made their way to the back of the train, she could hear loud laughter coming out of a compartment near the end on the right side of the aisle. And then a very familiar voice shouted out, "See ya, Snivellus!"

Mia frowned. "Oh, no."

"Something wrong?" Remus asked.

"At least two things." She sighed in frustration as she witnessed a young Severus Snape bolt from the compartment door, a sneer on his face as he stormed down the aisle.

Severus made his way past Mia and Remus, shouting, "Move!"

Mia jumped back, not wanting him to push her over again as he had done in Diagon Alley.

A small red-haired girl passed Mia and Remus, tossing them an apologetic look before following after the boy, calling out, "Sev, wait up!"

Mia let out a growl of frustration and made her way to the compartment door, throwing it open and staring down at a laughing James and Sirius. "What did you do?"

Hazel eyes bright with delight, James smiled up at his sister. "We got a compartment!"

"That's not what I meant. Were you mean to the two other students that just came out of here?"

"We didn't do anything," Sirius defended immediately. "That greasy git started it."

"Yeah, he called us stupid."

"And the girl?" Mia asked, eyes narrowed at her brother.

"Probably just another Slytherin like that kid." James shrugged.

Mia rolled her eyes. Oh Jamie, if you only knew what you'd just done.

"You know he's the one that pushed you in Diagon Alley, right?"

Sirius growled. "Yeah, I'm not polite to blokes that shove girls."

She sighed in frustration, knowing that their intentions had, at least, originated from a semi-good-natured place, though she was not pleased with how they had gone about it.

"Thank you for defending me, I suppose. However, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," she added stubbornly as she moved completely into the compartment, reaching back to grip Remus's hand and drag him inside with her, taking a seat across from James and Sirius and pulling Remus down beside her. "By the way, this is my new friend Remus."

"James Potter." James smiled and held out his hand.

Remus stared at it much the same way he had stared at Mia's when she had introduced herself, but this time he did not waste much time in shaking it before another hand was held out to him.

"Sirius Black."

"Remus Lupin," he offered with a small smile.

"What house do you want then, Remus?" James asked quickly.

"Gryffindor," Remus stated without a skipping a beat.

James grinned. "Good. Hey, Mia, you want to hear something funny? Sirius might end up in Slytherin."

Sirius scoffed and held his head high, determination on his face. "Not if I can help it."

"Mum was in Slytherin," Mia pointed out.

"Really?" Sirius baulked. "But your mum seemed so . . . nice."

"She's a Black. Like your mum," Mia pointed out.

"Your mum is nothing like my mum," Sirius said, quick to defend the honour of one Dorea Potter. "At least I hope not, for your sakes."

James cocked his head. "Your mum called my mum 'Aunt Dorea.' That makes us family, yeah?"

"All pureblood families are related somehow if you go far back enough," Mia explained, shifting her bookbag to the floor.

"I never cared to look too hard at my family tree," Sirius said with a grimace. "It crisscrosses too often."

Mia gave him a knowing smile. She had seen the Black family tapestry with her own eyes, and Sirius was by no means exaggerating. There never was a tree with more intertwined branches.

"We're second cousins, I think," she said, pointing to herself, James and Sirius. "However, considering what Sirius said about the crisscrosses in the family tree, there's a chance it could be once removed. Maybe twice. I'd have to research a little just to be sure."

Sirius chuckled. "She always talk like this?"

James grinned, poking Mia's leg with his foot, laughing when she shoved him off. "It gets better the farther she is away from a library or bookshop."

"Move it, first years!"

A shout came from outside the compartment, and all four inside turned to look at the window as a tall, blond boy shoved his way into view.

"Salazar, if I knew what House they belonged in, I'd already be taking away points," the boy drawled.

Mia's eyes widened at the sight. There before her stood the mirror image of a fifteen-year-old Draco Malfoy, recognisable smirk on his lips and two large boys flanking him on either side, also very familiar. For a second, she felt incredibly out of place before she realised that the blond boy in question was not, in fact, Draco, but his father, Lucius Malfoy, and the cronies at his side must have been Crabbe Sr and Goyle Sr.

She felt a sharp pain and pressure in her chest at the sight of Crabbe. Though she had watched as Lucius Malfoy had been struck down by the wand of his own son, seeing Crabbe was more difficult as it was her own wayward curse that had killed the man during the final battle in 1998. The first and only time the words "Avada Kedavra" had left her mouth.

She was distracted from her remorseful thoughts as Lucius Malfoy turned his bullying attention toward a boy in front of him.

"Prefect coming through. Out of my way!" he said as a small first year tried to walk past him. He shoved the boy violently, and the first year collided with the door frame of the compartment, sinking quickly to the ground, nearly being trampled by Crabbe and Goyle in the process.

James and Sirius stood quickly, scowls on their faces at the scene, and Mia jumped from her seat to reach the round-faced boy.

"How awful! Are you all right?" she asked, grabbing his hand and helping him to his feet.

"Yes, thank you," he mumbled, a sad frown on his face.

"What an arse," Mia growled, eyes narrowed at the back of Lucius Malfoy's head as he walked away from them. "Just because he's a prefect, he thinks he can go about shoving people?"

Sirius glared after Lucius, tapping his wand in his palm threateningly despite not yet knowing how to properly use it. "He thinks he can do whatever he wants because he's a Malfoy."

"You know that prat?" Remus spoke up.

"Met him over the summer. He's going to be betrothed to my cousin."

"You sure you're okay?" Mia asked the boy. He nodded, favouring his shoulder—it would certainly be bruised the following day.

"Come on in," James insisted.

He took a seat opposite Sirius, sandwiching Mia between himself and Remus. "Thanks for being nice to me."

James grinned and began another round of introductions. "Course, mate. I'm James."

"Sirius."

"Remus."

"Mia." She smiled at the boy.

"I'm Peter," he said with a kindly, hopeful expression on his face.

No!

Mia's smile disappeared with the what felt like all the blood from her face, and her stomach lurched. She turned her face away from the boy, trying to control her anger as cold dread flooded through her body. She tried to focus on something to ground her.

Sirius and James were already deep in discussion with one another, Remus had re-opened his book, and Peter sat there quietly, so close to Mia that she wanted to scream. She closed her eyes and tried to think of Remus's letter. Her guide and her rules.

Every action we take is the causation of destiny.

Mia silently ground her teeth together. Though she felt proud to have been the reason to introduce James to Sirius and Remus, she was also the catalyst that brought Peter Pettigrew into the company of the future Marauders. She swallowed her guilt and wondered if anyone would notice if she hexed the boy to her left into oblivion. Remus had told her in his letter that she could not change anything. That there were those who were irredeemable. She knew that one such person was sitting right beside her.

A voice distracted her from her bitter thoughts: "Anyone want anything from the trolley?"

She jumped up, desperate to get away from Peter. "I'll get it. My treat."

Sirius grinned at her. "Careful, if you spoil us too early, you'll never get rid of us."

"Like feeding a lost dog?" Mia chuckled, and her smile brightened when Sirius let out a familiar barking laugh, soothing the open wound that meeting Peter Pettigrew had caused.

"Can I get two boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and five . . ." she began, figuring she could not leave Peter out without appearing rude and suspicious. But then she remembered Remus was probably feeling sick due to the approaching moon. "No, six Chocolate Frogs?"

"Get me some Pumpkin Pasties, Mia?" James begged her.

"Can I have a Cauldron Cake?" Sirius added excitedly.

Mia rolled her eyes. "And what they said."

With her arms full of treats, Mia made her way to sit in between Sirius and James, wiggling her tiny hips and forcing both boys to make room for her. She subconsciously needed to feel surrounded by them both as she looked across at Peter Pettigrew, who was making himself comfortable next to Remus. Though she had been very content to sit beside the young werewolf, being so near to the traitorous rat had left her feeling sick inside, as though her magic were violently trying to repel him. Somehow, feeling cocooned between her brother and Sirius erased the sickness.

They crashed from their sugar high a few hours later.

Mia fell into a quiet slumber, grateful for James and Sirius sitting beside her to chase away the nightmares. Instead of memories of war playing behind her closed eyes, she dreamt of Hogwarts and of Harry and Ron.

When her eyes opened hours later, she blinked the sleep away and surveyed her surroundings with an amused smile on her face. James, to her left, had snuggled into her shoulder, his messy black hair tickling the side of her cheek as he softly snored. Sirius, however, had collapsed on her lap, his long black locks strewn all over her thighs, his legs splayed out toward the end of the bench.

Mia smiled down at him affectionately and ran her fingers through his hair without a thought as to how strange it might appear.

"You seem pretty close to Sirius after only just meeting him," Remus commented.

Mia glanced up with a smile. "I guess I have a habit of adopting strays."

"I heard that," Sirius mumbled sleepily, snuggling further into her lap.

Mia looked down at him, wondering how he was so easily affectionate with Walburga as a mother. She could hardly imagine that woman being the type to hug her children.

"If you're awake, why are you still on my lap?"

"This 'stray dog' enjoys having his head scratched." Sirius reached up without looking, took her hand, and put it back on his head. When she laughed and swatted him gently, he grabbed her free hand and laced his fingers with hers.

Mia blushed, shocked, but continued to run her fingers through his hair, remembering how an older Sirius would shift into Padfoot and crawl next to her, head against her thighs as she petted his soft black fur. Apparently, the man had always been a bit of a lap dog, and someone who clearly did not know the meaning of personal space.

"I'm going to ignore the fact that your head is on my sister's lap because there are more important things to take care of right now," James said with a yawn as he sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Like what?" Mia wondered, still running her fingers through Sirius's hair.

"Remus, Peter," James addressed them with a very intense stare. "I have a very important question for you both, and the future of our friendship hangs in the balance here."

Remus sat back with a concerned look on his face as though James were just about to ask if he was a werewolf. Beside him, Peter swallowed hard.

James's voice was completely serious when he asked, "Which Quidditch team do you support?"

Mia rolled her eyes. "Ugh."

"Puddlemere United," Remus answered immediately with a big smile.

"You like Quidditch?" Mia stared at him with shocked eyes, and Remus smiled at her and shrugged. She teasingly scowled at him. "Traitor."

"I've always liked the Falmouth Falcons," Peter answered but then quickly added, "But I could like Puddlemere."

"Good answer," Sirius said, his head still buried in Mia's lap, eyes closed.

"What about the Chudley Cannons?" Mia asked with a mischievous smirk.

"What?" James yelled, and Sirius, echoing James, pushed off of her lap.

"Are you out of your mind?"

"They haven't won the League Cup since like 1892!" Sirius shouted and narrowed his eyes.

Mia burst into laughter as she stood. "If it's that easy to rile you all up, this is going to be a fun year. We better get our robes on. I'll leave so you boys can change."

She caught a brief look of relief on Remus's face that she assumed had been because he was already wearing his robes and would not have to explain to his new friends about whatever scars covered his body.

Just as she moved to open the door to the compartment, a voice echoed throughout the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately."

She turned back once more at the compartment full of boys, watching as Sirius and James struggled to find their robes whilst Remus turned his attention quietly back to his book. Peter, however, was smiling up at her, and Mia could not help but hate him for it. She wondered if she treated the boy kindly enough, would he change? If she fostered a bit of courage in him, would he stand up to the Dark Lord and not betray his friends? No. Not only had Remus's letter said that she would not change anything, but a sinking feeling in her gut told her on instinct not to trust him.

No. Mia would not be overly kind to the boy who would grow into the traitorous man.

It was then that she remembered her first ride on the Hogwarts Express when she had accidentally created a bit of resentment between herself and Ron. This time, she decided to do it on purpose. Pausing in the door, she stared at Peter, and muttered, "You've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"

A few minutes later, the train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out onto a tiny, dark platform. A lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Mia heard a familiar voice: "First years! First years over here!" Her smile brightened at the sight of Hagrid. "C'mon, follow me—any more first years? Mind yer step, now! First years follow me!"

Mia reached for her boys, tugging them along into a row to keep them close. She purposely kept Peter at bay as she moved ahead, linking her arm with James's as the students began walking behind the half-giant.

Hagrid led them through the darkness, separating the first years from the rest of the students who were entering large carriages drawn by thestrals. "You'll get your first sight of Hogwarts in a sec," he called over his shoulder. "Just round this bend here."

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid said, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore.

James and Sirius raced to get into a boat first, and James grinned as he won, claiming himself captain in the process. Mia reached for Remus's hand, and he politely held it to help her climb in, following swiftly behind her.

"Sorry, Pete." Sirius looked back at the boy with a shrug. "We'll see you on the other side of the lake, mate."

Peter nodded, and Mia could not help but feel incredibly satisfied. Her satisfaction did not last long, however, as the boats surged forward across the lake, and both Sirius and James began rocking back and forth.

"James Charlus Potter! If I fall in this lake and get eaten by a giant squid, I will haunt you forever!" Mia screamed, gripping the side of the boat.

James laughed. "Aww Mia, you know we'd save you if you fell in."

Sirius grinned. "Yeah, I'm sure one of us knows how to swim."

"Heads down!"

Everyone ducked obediently, and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They moved along a dark tunnel—which appeared to be taking them right underneath the castle—until they reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

"See? You're fine." James smiled at Mia, who had accepted Remus's hand to maintain her balance as she climbed out of the boat. If she had not been so annoyed with her brother and Sirius, she would have taken great pleasure in seeing Remus opening up so easily to her, taking her hand without hesitation when she reached on instinct for him.

They scrambled up a passageway in the rock following the light of Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

Mia took a deep breath as the doors began to open.

It's good to be home.