CXXIV. NO NEED FOR APOLOGIES

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Mia awoke at half-past four the morning of the hearing as she looked around. She looked at the calendar on the bedside table and saw it was the day of the hearing. She sat up, feeling like her head was being pounded with a baseball bat as she looked at the end of the bed. She saw a pretty floral dress with black dolly shoes laid at the foot of her bed. She smiled lightly as she furrowed her eyebrows. She changed into her dress, put her shoes on and tied her long hair into two plaits. 

Mia looked at her bed, reached under her pillow, grabbed the packet of Opioids and walked quietly down the stairs, past the heads of Kreacher's ancestors, and down into the kitchen.

She had expected it to be empty, but when she reached the door she heard the soft rumble of voices on the other side. She pushed it open and saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, Lupin, and Tonks sitting there almost as though they were waiting for her and Harry. All were fully dressed except Mrs. Weasley, who was wearing a quilted purple dressing gown. She leapt to her feet the moment Mia entered.

"Mia! You're alright darling!" Mrs. Weasley said as Mia stood there, twiddling with her hands. "How are you feeling?"

"Um," she said, her voice shaky. "I'm sorry." She looked at Sirius and his face relaxed as her eyes watered. "For, for the, the other day. I um. . . ."

"Mia," Sirius said as the young girl looked at him. "You don't need to apologise." Mia nodded. "I went through the same thing you did when I was around your age. I've been there." She looked at the packet in her hand and nodded. 

"How, how did you s-stop?" she asked, her eyes watering as Mrs. Weasley felt her heart break as she looked at the little girl. 

"It was difficult," Sirius said, "but I had James and Remus to get me through it. The first thing is to throw that away." Mia looked down at the packet in her hand and furrowed her eyebrows. She walked to the skin, feeling everyones eyes on her as she opened the packet and poured it down the sink. She turned the tap on and they dissolved as she watched it. She turned around and saw everyone had grins on their faces.

"We're proud of you Mia," Lupin said as Mia smiled lightly. 

"Now, come have some breakfast dear," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling at Mia as the young girl followed her and sat down at the table. Mrs. Weasley placed a couple of pieces of toast and marmalade in front of her and an hour later, Harry walked into the kitchen and had a look of shock when he saw Mia. 

"Mia!" he said as his sister looked at him.

"Harry," she said, "I'm er, I'm sorr. . . ."

"Don't be," he said, "I'm just glad you're okay." Mia smiled lightly as Harry hurried to her and hugged her tightly, but carefully.  

Lupin glanced at the twins, then said to Tonks, "What were you saying about Scrimgeour?"

"Oh. . . . yeah. . . . well, we need to be a bit more careful, he's been asking Kingsley and me funny questions. . . ."

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