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

The Most Powerful Piece

Mikayla was startled out of her sleep by the shrill ring of her alarm clock, she magically turns it off as she didn't want it to fully wake up Fred, who was stirring in his sleep. "Is it time to get up?" Fred asks, his voice deep with sleep while his eyes remain closed. "Not yet, love. I'm just going to do the flowers so they're in full bloom for the wedding." Mikayla tells him while she quietly gets to her feet, "you can go back to sleep, I'll be back up soon." Mikayla added as she leaned down to place a gentle kiss on Fred's forehead, which brought a soft smile to his lips, "okay, well if you need me, just give me a shout." Mikayla promises Fred that if she needed his help that she would ask for it, before exiting the room.

There were a few things Mikayla wanted to prepare before officially starting the day. She needed to conjure the flowers, send a note to the trio, set up the Valentine's Day activity for after whatever Fred had planned for them, and make a special breakfast for them. Mikayla started outside, conjuring fresh white wild flowers into the pots and sporadically throughout the floral arch. She gave the flowers a spray of water, and made sure everything was still in perfect condition for Kingsley and Penelope's wedding ceremony in just under six hours. The couple had decided to invite Mikayla's House Elf friends, Dobby, Peppy and Kreacher, to join them for the ceremony to fill the three empty chairs.

Penelope and Kingsley felt it made the most sense, as they got along with the elves and they were already going to be on the grounds as they are being commissioned to do the catering for the wedding. On her way back inside, Mikayla set up a mini painting studio in the sunroom. She set up two easels next to each other with a blank canvas on each one and a box full of painting supplies. In the box there was a wide variety of acrylic paints, two paint palettes, all different types of brushes, and two mason jars of water to clean the paint off the brushes. Her plan was that they would both paint a solo piece of whatever they wanted while listening to music and chatting.

When they finished their painting, they could display them somewhere in the house just to add a bit more colour and personality to the Manor's walls. She had no idea what Fred was planning for them, he wanted it to surprise and Mikayla respected his wishes, no matter how tempting it was to look into the future and prepare herself. Next, she went to the ballroom to conjure the flowers for the centrepieces and décor. Walking along the tables to make sure that nothing was moved out of place by the flowers. She had to cast protection charms around the flowers, to keep them in pristine condition and prevent any pollen, petals or leaves from falling off the flower and onto guests' plates.

As soon as she was finished she made her way to the kitchen, scribbling her note to Harry, Ron and Hermione on the way. She wanted to give the trio time to discuss the Deathly Hallows without her intervention, as she could only confirm that they were on the right track of their discovery or help them understand the meaning behind it. From what Mikayla saw a few nights ago, they are on the right track by continuing their hunt for the Horcruxes, but it seems that Hermione is in denial of the possibility that such items could exist. With that in mind Mikayla wrote:

Deathly Hallows are real, Dumbledore wanted to warn you that Voldy was after the Elder Wand. Do not go looking for it. Ron is right, he gave you the Horcrux Hunt for a reason, it's the only way to beat him. Be careful and you'll have to stay low once the latest issue of the Quibbler is published. Love you all, M x

Mikayla wasted no time once she arrived in the kitchen, wary that Fred may come looking for her if she is much longer. For their couple's breakfast in bed, Mikayla pre-made whatever she could; the fruit salad, mixed berry smoothie, the batter for the pizza waffles and strawberry cheesecake flapjacks that made up her breakfast course. Mikayla didn't want to do anything too filling, just in case food was incorporated in Fred's Valentines' activity. It would take her twenty minutes to cook the flapjacks and waffles simultaneously, which would be just enough time that Fred wouldn't become suspicious of what was taking her so long, as Mikayla is a known perfectionist. She grabbed a food tray, putting two clean empty plates on it, one for each of them, before surrounding the empty plates with the food and smoothies she made.

Mikayla carefully walks up the stairs, focusing solely on the breakfast tray to make sure she doesn't spill or drop anything on it. Her hands were slightly unsteady, shaking a little as she climbed the steps, praying to reach the level ground of the first floor hallway. A breath of relief left her lips as she arrived at the top of the stairs, her eyes leaving the tray's visage to navigate herself back to the young couple's bedroom. An excited smile began to grow on her face as she used her elbow to push down the door handle, pushing the door open and stepping into the room. Fred was now sitting up in bed, looking up from the piece of parchment he was reading, and began to grin as he took in the sight of Mikayla carrying a tray of delicious looking food for them to share in bed.

"I was about to come looking for you, but got distracted by this." Fred informs Mikayla as he trades her the letter for the breakfast tray, to give Mikayla a chance to read it as she climbs into bed next to him. Mikayla's eyes initially scanned the letter, not knowing the value of the information it held until the words of the final paragraph before the farewell jumped out at her. 'I wish there was more that I could offer you other than a handful of Phoenix tears, but I must prioritise my family's survival over anything else. Good Luck with all of your endeavours and may Merlin give you all the strength to destroy the darkness that aims to destroy our world. Your friend, Atlas Morgan.'

Fred holds up a vial that holds the rarest key ingredient for the Blood Vow Reversal potion that will help Mikayla protect Avery from her parents plans for her, Phoenix tears. Mikayla's eyes welled up in tears, she couldn't believe that they had achieved what Dumbledore didn't think was possible. Avery will not be condemned to spend her life miserably following orders from Voldemort, she will finally be truly free from the ties her parents knotted her up in. "I-I, um..." Mikayla couldn't get the words out, but her speechlessness was enough for Fred to wrap her up in his arms and began whispering reassurances into her ears. It has been exactly four months since Cairo gave Mikayla and Fred the breadcrumbs for reversing a Blood Vow by sharing all his research on ancient Pureblood practices.

For a whole month, Mikayla and Fred surrounded themselves in ancient potion texts to fill in the gaps of the recipe, it wasn't until they found the right combination that Mikayla had a vision confirming their findings. But the confirmation of it being possible at all did not mean that it would be achievable by the time the final Battle began. This was the very moment that made all the torture, sleepless nights and grovelling since Avery's 'Death' worth it because they have achieved something that they didn't fully believe was attainable, a way to break a Blood Vow. They have gathered everything that they needed in order to allow Avery to return as herself, destroying any forged connections that her parent's made with Voldemort.

Fred whispers barely breaking through the deafening overwhelming feeling of joy that swarmed Mikayla's mind. She felt as if his words sealed up the cracks in her heart, for a split second it was enough to mend her brokenness. It wouldn't be enough to hold her together forever, but it would fuel her determination until the moment she reunites with her sister. A quiet sob muffled against Fred's chest as he said, "we did it, Mia. We're going to save your sister, we're going to free Avery from him once and for all." Fred didn't have to delve into the specifics of who they were freeing Avery from, because it had a double meaning.

They would technically free her from the control that Voldemort would have over her due to the Blood Vow, but they would also be severing Fergal's last ounce of power over his daughter. Avery will only ever have to answer to herself as soon as the Reverse Blood Vow potion touches her lips, all her choices will be entirely her own, and her destiny will be written by how she spends her freedom. Avery would no longer be just another Pawn in this war, weaponized by darkness of her family's past, she will be her very own Queen. The most powerful piece who is more than ready to dominate the board.