Meet Laia Cortes, our resourceful young heroine, as she struggles to balance her life and her magic.

She kept her arm at his throat and pressed even harder.  She was right in his face and their noses were almost touching.  If it had been anyone else, Draco probably would have tried to kiss her, but he didn’t trust that she wouldn’t kill him on the spot. 

Her heart was pounding and she could hardly breathe. She tried desperately to convince herself that it was from the sports, but she couldn’t deny the effect this boy was having on her. Their noses were touching now and when he leaned a little further she tilted her head up to meet his lips...  

Laia couldn’t believe he had the nerve to ask her what was wrong. As if it wasn’t obvious. She had now killed two men. She had sold her soul and her left arm to the devil. Close enough, anyhow. And yet, what choice did she have? She had been forced into this, and Draco couldn’t see anything wrong with that? She found her voice. 

“Piss off, Malfoy.”

“Laia, good to see you’re awake,” he said throatily.

“Mister Rowle,” she spat in return.

"We decided it was only fair that I should see to your punishment,” he said lightly.
         

There was a faint noise, a click, followed by… were those footsteps? Laia raised her head and opened her eyes, and then sat up with a jump. Her gaze was being met by a pair of cool, brown eyes that had just come out of the bathroom. She let her eyes wander downwards and found that the brown eyes were attached to a beautiful, black boy with high cheekbones and a set of abs, revealed by the fact that he was standing wrapped in only a towel around his waist. 
 
 

“Lynn Clairmont…interesting” the hat said slowly. Laia tried not to show her surprise as its voice sounded in her head, calling her by her birth name. “Very interesting. A few years later than expected, but here you are, ready to learn. A flair for getting into tough spots, but a calm and cool mind underneath it all. Well, in that case it had better be….” 
 
 

“Oh Merlin’s beard, I am so not ready to be normal again. I can’t get this close to someone, not now, not…” Laia's train of thought was broken off abruptly with the sight of Pansy fawning over Draco as they entered from the street. 

Laia looked behind her to make sure the Weasleys had gone. Then, in a flash, she had him pinned against the wall and her wand pressed against his throat.  “You know what I can do. Don’t pretend like you aren’t afraid of me,” she hissed.
                The look of shock in Draco's blue eyes was quickly replaced by anger. “I’m not afraid of you.”
 

 “I certainly hope this isn’t whom you have chosen to associate with at school, Laia,” Narcissa stated, with her nose in the air..
“I can assure you that my grandson would not associate with the likes of your kind,” Mrs. Longbottom responded in turn. Both women grabbed the arms of their respective charges, turned them immediately around the opposite direction and began to drag them down the street while muttering under their breath. 
 
 
 

“Come on, Laia.  You’re better than this,” his voice sounding surer than he felt.  Draco knew he was playing a fine line between calming her down and just provoking her further.  His voice was soft, almost gentle, when he began to speak again.  “I know what you’ve been through, Laia.  With Fernando, your parents, your brother...  I know you made it through receiving a Dark Mark, through training with that Carrow woman, through living with Ravenclaws."

Now, it was Draco’s turn to take a step towards her. He walked around the desk and came to stand right in front of her. “You deserve so much better than him, Laia.” He reached one hand out to stroke her hair. He let it trail down to her collar bone, then down her shoulder, and finally he drew two cold fingers across her forearm, where her Dark Mark was hidden. She involuntarily shivered.