Skuld: making your mind up

yep I know its been forever, but hopefully the its worth it.


Chapter 17

Mia flopped down on her narrow, bed sinking down into its squashy mattress after her seemingly endless night on the ward supervising a mainly empty hospital wing.
With her eyes closed she felt a soft thud of weight land on her chest and opened her eyes smiling, “hello sweet!”
The small shiny eyes of her fluffed up magpie blinked back at her.
“I think I’ve finally got something right, Ba- um you know who’s going to be pleased at last.”
Sorrow opened and closed his beak, making a soft clattering sound.
“I know, you aren’t happy.” She sighed and closed her eyes again, “If you’re going to look at me like that then you can just let me get some sleep. Until you learn to talk and give me some advice then you’ll just have to bear with me.”
The bird flapped and squawked, she opened one eye to look at him, “nice try. It’s time for bed.”


The following days flew by quickly in a succession of seemingly endless hours brewing and mixing potions and tinctures as requested by the Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey, in preparation for the undisclosed first trial for the tournament. Mia had to admit that she’d pretty much forgotten about the contest although it seemed to be all anyone else was concerned with. Taking the first early morning she’d had free for some time to get out and walk round the grounds she paused and smelled the air, then quickened her walk until her initial sniff of suspicion was confirmed.
“Dragons, these people must be crazy!” she said to herself, “sending children to have anything to do with dragon.”
“Getting sentimental? Don’t, those kids wouldn’t give a second thought to any harm that might come to you if the positions were reversed.” The gruff voice of the fake Alastair Moody suddenly came from behind her and she turned her head quickly to look at him, brows raised.
“How can you say that, they’re just children?! I can’t believe Dumbledore would send Potter in to face those beasts, he’s not even of age, and that poor girl from Beauxbatons, goodness knows what could happen.”
He was standing closely behind her, so as they wouldn’t be overheard,
“That’s they way things are with this system, you’re helping help change it, when we’re in charge these, damn muggle born savages will be driven out, we, the true wizards can govern.”
“I don’t see how this has to do with blood lines, there’s just as many pureblood wizards here as any other.” She was looking away into the distance now, with knitted brows.
“Of course you don’t understand my sweet little thing,” he rested one arm briefly around her shoulder in a gesture of seeming possession or comfort, “that’s why you need me to look after you, and explain things to you. You’re doing very well, if all goes to plan important people will be very happy with you, I could look after you all the time, but if they don’t imagine, we never see each other again, then where would you be, without me to take care of you?”
Mia turned sharply, “I don’t know! I mean everyone here seems so nice, but without you, I don’t know.” She looked down, thinking it was hard to remember what it was like to live without having him telling her what to do, or looking after him, she must’ve only been about the age of that Potter boy when she went to live away from home she thought.
“Well do your job, and I’ll do mine and then hopefully you wont need to find out.” He spoke quickly and then limped his way rapidly back towards the castle, leaving Mia alone again to consider the sentiments.