In The Fight To Survive (Golden Trio Era) {4}

Nott Penelope

CW: BLOOD & GORE & REFERENCES TO EATING DISORDER

Mikayla couldn't believe at first that she is only in the lower levels of the same building as the Banquet Hall as she appeared in the ruins of the Merry Merrows' bar. There was rubble, dust and bodies already blanketing the floor as those still standing fought gruelling battles on the uneven ground. Today wasn't going at all to plan, but part of her was relieved that she didn't have to present to a room of a hundred and thirty two people, especially since one of those people had set them up for an ambush. Mikayla had to figure out who it was, she needed to pay attention to everyone's movements, to find who betrayed them or who may be in danger if they've been replaced by a fake.

This is like fourth year all over again, only a lot more dangerous. Mikayla ducked as a dark curse came rocketing towards her, instead hit the light fixture behind her, sending shards from the broken bulbs flying in every direction, one piece settled into the eye of a masked Death Eater that had been trying to sneak up on the blonde. They howled in pain as blood started seeping from the wound, Mikayla did not recognise the voice, but it was rare for Death Eaters to verbally express their pain, usually they retaliate with something deadly than what they were hit with.

Mikayla had noticed that there was a lot less Death Eaters' present in battles since Sundry Valley, there numbers were dwindling with each fight, and that made Mikayla extremely nervous. Most would see the lack of resistance as an sign of success, that Death Eaters weren't answering the cry of battle out of fear that they may die by the hand of their peers. Mikayla was not like most, she knew that pulling back their ranks meant that something big was coming, something that she's not if the Order is ready for. For now, she couldn't dwell on trying to figure out what this event may be, she had more pressing matters to sort out first.

"Look at you, you've gotten fatter since I saw you last. You've always been a greedy little bitch, Black, no doubt your eating your feeling again. I'm surprised you can still Apparate with such a heavy load." Mikayla felt a chill run down her spine as she watched her wicked ex-aunt Cassetta circle her like a shark, looking at her disapprovingly as her eyes scanned her body. Mikayla knew what she was doing, Cassetta had built the very foundations of her eating disorder. For years she made Mikayla hate the way she looked, that even with the shape of her ribs printed against her skin that she was overweight, that would never be loved.

Her taunting might've worked a few months ago, when Mikayla was still denying the fact that she had a bad relationship with food. It would've been easy to make her fall apart, relapse to her starving ways, and continue to strive for that impossible image of perfection that Cassetta and Fergal had sculpted for her. Mikayla was stronger now, she didn't miss or skip meals, she no longer felt as though she needed to punish herself for things out of her control. She's had many close calls, old habits die hard, but she did it, because Mikayla was not weak. She refused to let her demons destroy her, to trick her in to indulging their devilish nature, because she was fighter, just like her Mam and Dad.

Each of their battles were different, but they did not let fear restrain them into submission. Sirius battled the beliefs pushed onto him as a young child, he didn't let the toxicity of his family's purist ways to shape him, instead he fought back. He was pushed out of childhood home, disowned by his blood as marked as a traitor, but he did it because he saw the truth, that the blood that runs through your veins doesn't make you better than everyone else. Her mother didn't let her sickness destroy the brilliantly bright person she was, she accepted Death and made sure her daughters weren't left drowning in the grief of losing her. Enya had built the bridge from Mikayla and Avery, helping them to find each other and become true sisters.

Mikayla did both, she didn't let Fergal to taint her good heart and didn't let her eating disorder destroy the person she was destined to be. Through his many forms of abuse, Fergal taught Mikayla that as long as she did the opposite of everything that he did that she would be a good person. Fergal believes that Purebloods are superior, Mikayla found that everyone is equal, that there is no better than but different than. That everyone's differences is what made the world so bright and colourful when you stepped out of the shadows and into the light, and to continue to grow that you embrace these differences with an open mind and heart.