The Downfall Of
Harry Potter
Prologue:
When Leah Rowle first started at Hogwarts, she knew what she was there to do: Kill Harry Potter. So, when she started there, she sat on the chair of the sorting hat, begging not to be put into the Slytherin house, although this was the house she truly wanted to be in. She needed to change her last name, too, for her father was a Death Eater that everyone knew. She changed it to Roller. She needed to lie to everyone, including the hat, about her likes, dislikes, interests and habits. She had been attending Hogwarts quietly in the Ravenclaw house, completely inconspicuous.
And then she met Draco Malfoy in the halls one day on her way to one of her classes. He looked into her eyes as she looked into his, and she knew she couldn't lie to him like she had been everyone else. Stopping him before he could turn away, she told him to meet her in the school library after last period.
When Leah walked into the library that day, Draco was already there. She walked near him without a moment of hesitation and stopped a few paces away from where he was standing. He looked at her then, and asked her why she had called him there. In a clear but angry tone of voice, she said, "Harry Potter must die."
Not understanding, he demanded she explain herself. She started off by telling him that everything she did was a lie. His eyes narrowed, so she continued. "When I walked into the doors of Hogwarts, I was laughing with you at everything you made fun of. I am a true Slytherin. But, I knew I had to get in close with my surroundings so no one would suspect anything. I had to lie to the hat about literally everything so I would seem Ravenclaw-worthy. I begged the hat not to put me in Slytherin and pushed my real thoughts to the back of my mind where the hat could not read them. I really and actually wanted to stand alongside you, Crabbe, and Goyle, and mock everything, especially that Longbottom kid. I will tell you the truth right now, Draco Malfoy. I absolutely despise Harry Potter. He deserved to be killed by Voldemort. I do not understand why Potter is even here if he knows he will ultimately be destroyed. I trust you with this information, Draco. Tell anyone and I will kill you personally. Understand?"
After her speech had ended, Leah seemed very pleased with herself, although she hoped she would not have to kill Malfoy. His face drawn up with shock, Malfoy nodded his head slowly. Yet something was nagging him at the back of his mind. It was if he could believe her or not. Without a second thought, Malfoy crossed his arms over his chest and said simply, "Prove it." So, Leah rolled up her sleeves, took her wand out of her boot, pointed it at Malfoy, and said, "Petrificus Totalus!" without hesitation.
Just as it is supposed to do, Malfoy's entire body locked up, and the only thing he could move were his eyes, which were wide with fear. Grinning devilishly, Leah said the counter spell.
"Believe me now, Malfoy?" To her surprise, he didn't, because it wasn't bad enough.
"Anyone can body-bind someone!" he laughed.
"Look, Draco," Leah said very quietly, pulling up the sleeve on her left arm. "Does this look like anything?"
Traced in her veins was a light outline of the Dark Mark.
Noticing it immediately, Draco gasped and backed away a step, banging into a desk behind him.
"My last name isn't Roller," Leah explained, then whispered, "Rowle," in his ear.
"I believe you now. But something still doesn't make much sense to me. You are a Slytherin, so mustn't it have been torture having to be with those stupid Ravenclaws for the past few years? I know it would have been for me."
Leah smiled lightly at his confused expression. "It was hard," she admitted, "But what do you prefer? Having another Slytherin not smart enough-" Malfoy flinched when she said that, making her smile, "to get in close with the enemy so we know what would really help our side win, or get someone from the outside to do that for you?" Malfoy gulped, and nodded. She was smart … smarter than any Slytherin he knew. As much as he hated to think it, smarter than him.
"One more question," Draco said. "I know why I want to get rid of him, but, well, what do you have against him?"
"Not many people know this, but my mum died when I was really young. Everyone says it was some sort of 'freak accident', but with the Potters being at the scene and being the only other ones there with my mum, I just know they were responsible. Being the last living Potter, I just want to tear Harry to death!"
"Excellent." Draco was happy that someone, other than the idiots Crabbe and Goyle, who shared the same thoughts as him, and who would actually go through the trouble to get it.
"Do we have a deal, Malfoy? You keep my secret, and I don't kill you."
Beginning:
"Malfoy's been acting quite strange lately," Ron whispered to Harry, sitting on the floor of the Gryffindor common room.
"Yes, he has, hasn't he? Maybe we're thinking that for different reasons, though. What do you mean by acting strange?" Harry responded, coming to sit next to Ron.
"Well, I've seen him pass something to Leah every time he passes her in the hallway, and she turns her head back to see his reaction after he gives it to her."
Harry was a little bit shocked. This was the first he'd heard of this.
"Leah? As in my girlfriend, Leah? What could that fowl, loathsome, evil little cockroach be giving to my girlfriend? And, on top of it, she actually turns to see his reaction? How long has this been going on?" he bellowed.
"Whoa, easy there, Harry. Don't want to wake anyone up now, would we?"
"Yes, thank you, Ron," Harry said in a much calmer tone.
"If you haven't seen that going on, then what do you consider weird about him lately?" Ron inquired.
"Well, he has been smiling quite a bit more, but he's been avoiding eye contact with me in particular," Harry said quietly.
"Maybe he found himself a girlfriend," Ron suggested, and then looked at Harry. They both laughed, as if to say, "Not bloody likely!"
"I mean it though, Harry. Malfoy never smiles like that. I caught him after potions the other day, and he even had a glint in his eye!" Ron exclaimed.
"Yeah, imagine that," Harry mumbled, getting up from his spot next to Ron and going up the stairs to their dormitory.
"Hey, Ron? Do you remember that smile you saw on Malfoy's face that you were talking about earlier? What kind of smile was it?" Harry asked, suddenly remembering something.
"Yes, I do remember. It was a sort of smug-like anxious smile, and he always looked like he was remembering something good that had happened to him," he said, shuddering at the memory of Draco's smile. "Why do you ask, Harry?" Ron asked yawning and getting up and following Harry up the stairs.
"Because I distinctly remember seeing Leah with that same type of grin on her face. I wonder if there is a connection between the two." Harry jumped into his bed and Ron did the same. From underneath his comforters, Harry could hear Ron's heavy breathing, so he turned over and fell asleep too.
The next morning, Harry woke up; still thinking about what Ron had told him. He knew that something was going on between his girlfriend and that pale-faced jerk. Ron still hadn't woken up, so Harry knew he had to be quiet. Slowly getting up out of his bed, he had a flashback of Leah's smile. Strolling over to his dresser, he threw his jeans and a t-shirt on to go see Leah.
About 10 minutes later, Leah and Harry were walking around the halls of Hogwarts, hand in hand.
"So, Leah, Ron has seen you looking at Malfoy and him giving you things in the hallway. What is that all about?" Harry began.
"Harry, it's nothing. I promise," she assured him smoothly, kissing his neck.
Harry caught a glimpse of her eyes and they had no hint of false information. Could it really be nothing? Harry thought to himself.
"I feel very strongly about you, Leah, and I am exceedingly curious as to what that snake would want to give you. Please tell me."
Leah sighed, and then began to explain, "It is honestly and absolutely nothing of importance, but if you must know, he is giving me little vials of sleep potions. I have trouble sleeping. I keep having nightmares, and when I wake up from them, I can never fall asleep. Does that satisfy you?"
"Oh. Yes. Why yes, it does," Harry responded, rather baffled. He did not know of such a potion that assists one's sleep, other than The Draught of Peace. Maybe that was what he was giving her. Still, he didn't trust Malfoy. "How do you know he's not poisoning it in between, though?" he asked.
"Because I haven't had a nightmare since, and I've been sleeping like a baby because of it."
Harry looked into her eyes again, and felt a little bit more at ease. "Oh, and Leah? I was pondering the thought of us going out together tonight, if you would like."
"I would love to! And I have the perfect place!" Leah exclaimed.
"Where is it?" Harry inquired.
"It's a surprise," Leah replied mysteriously.
"Then how will I know where to go to meet you?" Harry asked, puzzled.
Leah pulled two small objects out of her pocket and handed one to Harry, saying, "Here. This is a tracking ring. I will wear this one and the other one is what you will use to find me come 8:00. Do not come before then, because I will not be there yet. I will be there just as the clock strikes eight. I'm going to be apparating just on time. Not a moment sooner or later. Understand?"
"I think so. Not before eight, follow the ring. How will I know when I am there?"
"The ring will tell you what to do. It is not a compass. It will say, for example, 'Turn Right here' or 'Go Straight'. It is programmed to find the other ring. As long as you have that one and I have this one, we will have a wonderful night," explained Leah.
When she finished, Harry kissed her on her forehead. The school day was soon to begin. Saying a quick goodbye, they went back to their dorms to get ready.
After walking away from Harry, Leah went over to the Slytherin house to speak with Malfoy. She quickly said the password, and closest to the door was Crabbe.
"Malfoy! Your girlfriend's at the door," Crabbe hollered, and went back to what he was doing. At this, Draco came running down the stairs of the boys' dormitory, a smile imminent on his face. Swinging Leah up and around in his arms, he kissed her cheeks lightly. Setting her back down on her feet, he asked her what she was doing there so early.
"Well, I had a talk with Harry earlier," she began, and Draco's expression flickered, and then he narrowed his eyes. Leah continued, "Like we had thought out originally, he fell in love with me easily enough, and always wants to go on dates, as you suspected. You wouldn't believe how torturing this is! Anyway, do you remember the rings you gave me so you could find me during school? Well, I have one on my finger right now and I gave Potter the other. He thinks he is going on a mystery date with me tonight. He will follow the ring, and it will lead him to me."
"And what does this have to do with me, Leah?" Draco had no idea why she was bringing this up to him.
"Well," Leah commenced, and started whispering her plan into his ear. "Understand?" she asked, when finished. Draco nodded, and then spun her again. The warning bell rang to begin the day. "I must leave now, Draco. Promise me you will do exactly as I have instructed."
"Indeed I will. We will be ready," Draco replied solemnly. Kissing her goodbye, he wondered if the plan would really work.
Walking back into the Slytherin house, Draco went to go get his robes on for the day, as he was still wearing his pyjamas. Yelling to Crabbe and Goyle that it was time to get their robes on, he found a photograph on the stairs to the boys' dormitories of him and Leah a week after she had told him the truth about herself. He picked up the picture, smiling. He stayed there on the stairs, staring at it, until he remembered his purpose. He looked one last time at Leah's smiling face and his arm around her waist, and stuffed it in his pocket.
The day went by pretty quickly after that. Potions class with Harry was hard to get through without smiling. At lunch, he explained the entire plan to Crabbe and Goyle. They thought it was a pretty good idea, but Malfoy had to explain it a few times for them to fully understand what was going to happen that night at 8:00 p.m. But Harry kept looking at Malfoy, and it made him nervous, as if Harry suspected something.
At last, the final bell rang. No one could have run faster than Draco and Harry on their way out of their classrooms. Draco needed to find something appropriate to wear that night, as did Harry. Malfoy figured to wear something not too dressy, and something he would not mind getting sweaty, for he would be doing magic that night. As for Harry, he had to pick out something classy and formal and yet cool and composed. When Ron came into the dorm room and saw Harry digging through his clothes, he was surprised.
"Whatcha lookin' for, Harry?" Ron said loudly, making Harry jump.
"I have a nice date with Leah tonight and I don't have anything to wear! Ron, do you know what size of suit your brothers are? Maybe…I could…borrow one? I doubt my dress robes from Fourth Year would still fit."
"Sure! Let's go ask them if they have something for you to wear!"
Five minutes later, they were searching through Fred and George's clothes to find something nice for his date.
"Let's find something suitable for our little buddy Harry," said George when Ron finished explaining Harry's dilemma to him and Fred.
"Well, we have this sky-blue button-down shirt here that would go nicely with these electric blue jeans. Word of advice, mate, they aren't kidding when they say electric," Fred told him.
"No thanks. I would rather not smell like smoke for my girlfriend tonight," Harry said, thinking about what Fred had meant by 'electric'.
"How about this? It's a classic puffy shirt, and it's known to all of the Muggles because of a guy on a moving picture box wore one of these. Add an eye patch and a hook, and your girlfriend will be scared that you'll take her away for her booty!" George suggested, Fred and Ron trying not to laugh behind him.
"No thanks, I would like to be on a nice date with my girlfriend, not scaring her, you know?" Harry said, looking at the puffiness of the shirt.
"Eh, Ronnie boy, you wouldn't happen to still have that…nah, he couldn't still have it…" Fred asked, starting to talk to himself. "Worth a shot," he said, and started talking to Ron. "Ronnie, do you still have that charmed moving cloud sweater from great-aunt Tesse?"
"Yeah, but Harry wouldn't…" Ron said, trailing off.
Harry looked at his watch. He needed to be at the mystery place in 20 minutes. "Anything else you guys have? I need to be there at exactly eight, or 1 minute later," he said worriedly.
"Well, we still have this…but you won't like it," Fred said, looking into his drawer. He pulled out a white shirt with a black vest and bowtie drawn onto it. "It comes with these pants, too, Harry," he said, holding out a pair of black dress pants.
"Can't forget these!" George said, pulling a pair of black dress shoes out of what must have originally been a tissue box, but it appeared to have been charmed to hold what looked like that pair of shoes and 5 others.
"Great, guys! That is exactly what I was looking for! I promise you I will return them to you as soon as I get back to Hogwarts tonight! I owe you guys one!"
"Each?" George and Fred asked together, but Harry was already gone with his new clothes to put on.
"He'd better bring those back. Who knows when we'll need dress robes again?" Fred mumbled to George.
When Harry arrived at the place where the ring had led him, Harry was excited. It was a very fancy restaurant; he could just tell from the outside. But when he got in, he knew his date wouldn't go at all as planned.
Walking in, Harry saw the completely unexpected. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were all there with Leah, wearing a very nice violet dress, all tied up and gagged next to Malfoy. He instantly thought that Malfoy had followed Leah, even though that's not what happened. Jumping to conclusions, he reached for his wand, but it wasn't there. Malfoy removed something from his pocket, asking, "Looking for something, Potter?"
Harry had no idea how Malfoy got his wand. Raising his own wand, Malfoy shouted, "Flipendo!" a spell that knocks someone back. Harry sat down hard in a chair nearby, and Malfoy yelled out, "Incarcerous!" a spell that shoots ropes out of one's wand and binds the other person up. Unable to move his body, Harry looked at Leah. He tried to send messages to her through expressions, but she looked away before he had finished.
Malfoy whispered something in Crabbe's ear, making them both grin evilly. Leah's eyes widened as Crabbe stalked over to Harry, and after he raised his fist, it all went black.
When Harry woke up, he wasn't in the restaurant anymore and Leah was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Malfoy was standing in front of him. Harry tried to get up, but he was still bound up and in the chair.
"Where's Leah?" he exploded at Malfoy.
"Oh, Leah, darling! He's awake now!" Malfoy called off to somewhere behind him.
Skipping through a doorway came Leah with a thrilled smile on her face.
"Don't you dare call her darling, Malfoy!" Harry spat at him when Leah had reached them.
Looking around, Harry noticed that Leah was wearing something different than what she had before: Slytherin robes. Draco's Slytherin robes. Draco himself was wearing faded blue jeans and a green t-shirt. Putting his arm around Leah's waist, Draco watched Harry struggle against the bonds. Leah smiled. Harry was surprised. It made no sense! Leah enjoying watching Harry struggle and wearing Malfoy's Slytherin robes. She didn't mind having Malfoy's grimy arm around her. Harry didn't understand. What was going on between Leah and Malfoy? Leah was his girlfriend, not Malfoy's! He was furious that Leah was treating Malfoy like her boyfriend instead of Harry.
Then he considered the thought of trickery. Was Leah tricking Malfoy and then would rescue Harry later? Or maybe the other way around…and then all of the pieces came together. His expression must have changed when he realized the horrible truth because Leah smiled.
"You … you used me," Harry panted.
"You're a smart boy, aren't you, Harry?" she said, going down on her knees so she could see his face. She started to stroke his cheek, but when Draco cleared his throat, she stopped. "I sure did, and you completely fell for it."
"Listen, Leah. That git is controlling you. Don't you understand that?" Harry pleaded.
"No, you listen, Potter. It isn't all about you," Leah said in a voice that was very different from the lovey-dovey tone he was used to from her. "When I walked into Hogwarts," she continued, "I had a job to do. Sure, I was a measly first-year, but I was smart enough to defeat and kill you. I didn't know how to do it. Now, get ready to say goodbye to everything you know and love. I am strong enough, Harry Potter, I am!" She punched his nose, hard enough to make it bleed, and she stood up. "That was for calling Draco a git," she snarled.
"You lied to me! You tricked me! And, on top of it, for Malfoy. What has he ever done for you?"
"What has he done for me? What has he done for me?" Leah hissed. "I'll tell you what he has done for me! He has kept my secret, something you would never do. Pathetic, wouldn't you say? I tell you I am a Slytherin, and I get the 'No, you're not. You're a Ravenclaw'. Am I right, Potter?" She growled the last part.
Then Harry understood a bit more of what he hadn't before. "Malfoy is a Slytherin. You decided to not be an true Slytherin so you could sneak in without getting caught," he guessed. "Then Malfoy caught you doing something un-Ravenclaw like one day, and he tricked you into telling him everything. You pretended to be my girlfriend so you could lure me here…where is here, anyway?"
"Yes and no, Potter. You are almost 100 percent right, but not quite. And for your information, you're in Malfoy Manor," Leah growled at him, and then turned to Malfoy. In a much sweeter tone, she said, "Draco, honey, could you please give our, ahem, guest and myself a few minutes alone? I promise not to do anything I will regret."
Malfoy narrowed his eyes at Harry, and then left the room through the door where Leah entered. He then peeked around the doorway and blew Leah a kiss. She caught it in her hand then put on her cheek. They held each other's gaze for a few seconds, and then Malfoy disappeared around the doorway again.
After Malfoy left, Leah turned around. She wasn't smiling anymore. Instead of a smile, her mouth was curved into a sort of grimace; as if she hated what she was about to do.
"So, Leah," Harry said, improvising for more time, "How many times have you been here at Malfoy Manor?"
"Countless. I come here during the summer. Why?" Leah answered, the grimace not leaving her face.
"It's a nice place. Can you imagine living here?" Harry inquired, hoping to have her turn away for just one minute so he could wriggle free.
"Yes. Yes I can. And when Mr. Malfoy comes out of Azkaban and comes home, we will have wonderful news for him," Leah replied, making Harry wonder.
"What news would that be?" Harry asked with honest curiosity in his voice.
"Your death," Leah said evenly, taking her wand out of her boot. "Crucio!" she said, her voice dripping with evil glee.
Bringing the chair down with him, Harry fell over in pain and surprise. Malfoy must have heard the chair fall because, in an instant, he was at the doorway, gazing in. Leah turned to him, looking like a child on Christmas morning, but leaving her wand on him so he was still being Crucio-fied.
"Why didn't you call me?" Malfoy asked with mock sadness.
"I'm sorry," Leah said, skipping over to him, leaving Harry on the ground. She grasped Draco's hand and lightly pulled him over to where Harry was.
"Interesting," Malfoy whispered, stroking Leah's hand, looking at Harry. The pain had completely vanished. He was able to force a whisper from his throat, but Leah and Malfoy wouldn't know that he could do that yet. He would wait until he was certain that he would be able to speak clearly so he could do a spell properly on Malfoy. He started to think about the spell she had used. The Cruciatus curse, an unforgivable curse. Harry was sure the Ministry of Magic would arrest her if they knew, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to bear seeing his ex-girlfriend being taken away.
"You know, Draco," Leah said for Harry to hear, "I think I should let you two solve this on your own. I'll be up there," she gestured to the balcony just above them, "watching you guys. I'll give you what you need when I think you're ready, okay?" A look of understanding passed between her and Malfoy, and Malfoy's eyes glowed as if a flashlight was being flashed behind them.
"Yes, yes." Draco gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Leah closed her eyes and savoured the feel of Draco's soft lips on her. When they separated, Leah opened her eyes again and put her hand down into her combat boot. When she took her hand out, she was holding an object Harry had never seen her with before; it was a sheathed black-handled dagger. As she bowed down next to Harry, he thought that she was going to stab him, but instead she sliced his bonds. Although she had done that, Harry stayed down on the ground. It was the first time he had ever felt fear towards Malfoy. Grinning, Leah turned away from the two of them and sprinted to the steps of the balcony and ran up to the top of the banister to get a better view.
"C'mon, Harry. Get up now. We're not going to hurt you…much," Draco sniggered.
Harry whimpered quietly, but still stood up. The last thing he wanted was to be known as before he died was a coward. Plus, he could probably take Malfoy any day of the week, especially without Crabbe or Goyle around to save him.
"Come on, Draco! More blood!" she shrieked.
"I'm trying," he hissed between his teeth, sweat dripping from his brow and punching Harry's nose, which made a satisfying crunch. Harry made a feeble attempt to punch Draco back, but Draco grabbed his wrist and pinned it behind his back. Pushing Harry forwards, making him stumble to the floor, he smirked at his success. He looked up at Leah, and yelled out, "I think we're ready."
From the balcony, Leah shook her head and gestured to Harry, who was trying to get up. "Pathetic," she said, smirking as well. Draco nodded, and pushed Harry back down with his foot.
Draco crossed him arms, admiring his handiwork. Harry groaned, clutching his stomach, where three ribs lay broken as a result of a kick from Draco earlier on. Draco was circling him, laughing slightly and wiping the sweat off of his face with the back of his arm. He looked up at Leah, and found out that she was laughing, too.
We need more blood, like she said, Draco said to himself. What can I do to get something of a pool growing, hmm? Then he remembered a spell his father's friend, Severous Snape, had taught him himself: Sectumsempra. It cut the victim as if they had been slashed with an invisible sword. Perfect.
"Sectumsempra!" he bellowed, wand pointed anxiously at Harry, who was still moaning on the ground. Immediately, blood squirted out of Harry's body and formed a pool, just as Draco had wanted.
"Now?" Draco asked, hope obvious in his voice.
"Now!" Leah agreed, pulling her dagger out of her boot, where she'd had it since before her first year at Hogwarts.
"Finally, some good use for this thing," she mumbled under her breath, dropping it down for Draco to catch.
Snatching the weapon out of the air, Draco turned to face the almost-dead Harry Potter and unsheathed it.
"And now the infamous Harry Potter is dead!" Draco cried triumphantly, and, with that, he bent down to Harry's level and pushed the blade deep into his chest, faltering his beating heart and silencing it forever.
Leah, grinning delightedly, swung her legs up and over the banister. Letting herself fall straight down to Draco, Leah was completely silent. Then she kissed Draco full on the mouth and her arms wound themselves around his neck.
"Whoa," Draco said when Leah took her lips off of his. And then he put both hands on her waist, dipped her, and kissed her back. After a long and passionate kiss, Draco finally removed his mouth off of hers and brought her back up from the dip. Leah grinned, and it wasn't her usual tight-lipped smile, but a full-on toothy beam that made Draco grin back in spite of himself.
"Well, then," Draco sighed with finality, taking off his t-shirt, which was stained with sweat, and throwing it onto the ground next to Harry's motionless body.
"We should mend this, don't you think?" Leah asked. "I mean, if someone sees the hole, it'll be obvious. But Avada Kedavra leaves no trace, so we should mend it as if that's what happened."
"Okay," Draco sighed, but did it anyway.
"Better. Now, remember what we have to do," Leah said, then yawned.
"Sleep," Draco said. "We'll wake up early tomorrow so we can get back to the school earlier than usual."
"O-o-kay," Leah yawned again, and was scooped up into Draco's arms as he carried her up the stairs and Draco's room. Draco took the floor to let Leah sleep in his bed, and there, the two of them fell asleep till early the next morning.
The next day at Hogwarts
"Hi Ron, Hermione. How are you?" Leah asked, coming up to them in the Great Hall for breakfast.
"Good," they replied in unison. "You?"
"Excellent," she said, smiling. "Hey, wait a minute," she said suddenly, her brows knitting together. "Have either of you seen Harry?"
Ron looked around the Gryffindor table, not seeing his best friend.
"I don't know where he could have gotten to," Hermione said. "I'm sure he'll turn up. So, anyway, how was your date last night?"
"It was phenomenal," Leah exclaimed, completely honestly. She had stayed overnight in the Manor with Draco, and they came back early so they wouldn't be late for first lessons. As far as everyone else knew, Leah and Harry had just gone on a date, and he was probably sleeping in. But, she knew the truth. It was only a matter of time before someone found him dead, and she would have to act devastated. After all, everyone still thought of them as a couple. She had Draco would just have to hide their love for a wee bit longer. Just then, Neville Longbottom came running at full speed into the Dining Hall, only to trip on the carpet and fall flat on his face. Everyone laughed, and Draco shot a glance at Leah, who winked in return.
"Harry!" he yelled out, getting back up and running again. "He's…he's…"
"Spit it out, boy!" Snape growled from the staff table.
"DEAD!" Neville's voice rang out through the great hall, echoing. Hermione was as white as a sheet with a look of utmost terror on her face, and Ron looked as if he were about to pass out. As for Leah, she did exactly as she was supposed to: burst into tears. After all, the whole school, minus Snape, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle thought they were still together and all. Snape shot a glance at Draco, who returned the look and nodded, smirking. Snape smirked as well and nodded back. Draco threw a quick look at Leah with admiration in his features. Leah buried her face in her hands so people couldn't see that she was smiling a little bit, but kept on sobbing.
"How do you know?" Dumbledore's voice boomed from the head of the staff table.
"He…he was in his bed…completely not moving, Professor," Neville uttered, looking at his feet.
"Did you check his heartbeat or breathing?"
"No sir, I just thought I should tell you first." Neville was shaking.
"Good point." He turned to Professor McGonagall. "Minerva, get Mrs. Pomfrey and send her immediately to Potter's bed in the Gryffindor dormitories."
"Yes, headmaster," she replied, getting up at once.
Leah continued to cry, and Hermione, in a daze, rubbed her back in slow circles.
"Roller!" Snape barked.
"Yes, sir?" she asked innocently, looking up at him with wide eyes.
"Come here," he ordered.
Leah dried her eyes on her sleeve and marched up to Snape.
"Is it true?" he whispered. "Did you succeed?"
"As terrible as it may be," she simpered, but gave him a little wink.
"How unfortunate," he said the smirk from before not leaving his face.
Leah broke into fake sobs again at the front of the hall. The entire room was silent except for Leah's tears.
"Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger," Dumbledore said softly, "Could you come up here for a moment?"
The two of them stood up very slowly and trudged to the front of the hall.
"Yes, sir?" Ron mumbled once they had reached the front.
"I realize Mr. Potter was a good friend of yours, and I would not mind it if you do not come to class today."
"Thank you, sir," she said glumly.
Then Dumbledore turned to Leah and said that she could do the same if she wanted to.
"Thank you, sir," she sobbed, turning around and walking to the Ravenclaw table. Slumping down between Cho Chang and Padma Patil, she dropped her gaze to her shoes to hide her face again. Cho rubbed her back and whispered in her ear, "I know how you feel." She really did, because she had lost Cedric Diggory a few years precedent.
"I'm so sorry!" Padma Patil said softly. She knew Harry because of her twin sister, Parvati, who was in Gryffindor. Harry and Ron had taken the two of them two the Yule Ball. Leah, head in her arms on the table, false sobs raking her body, was smiling because of how easily everyone believed Longbottom.
"Thanks, guys," she sniffed, hiding a chuckle.
Draco looked pretty satisfied, and he was whispering to Crabbe and Goyle, who were grinning stupidly.
"Yeah, it was all too easy," he whispered in Goyle's ear so no one could hear.
"Poor you!" Luna Lovegood said from across the table, her usually mystical eyes drooped.
"Ugh," Leah moaned, looking up. "Thanks, guys," she whispered. "You're the best."
Just then, Mrs. Pomfrey, the school healer walked in, noticeably shaken. "Longbottom was correct," she uttered, a tear trickling down her cheek.
"Do we know what happened, Poppy?" Dumbledore asked.
"No trace, sir. My guess is the you-know-what-unforgivable."
"Good guess," Dumbledore said, scratching his chin. "Does anyone know what Mr. Harry Potter was doing last night?" he asked the students.
Leah blushed and stood up. "I do, sir," she called. Dumbledore looked at her expectantly. "We were on a date, sir, at a restaurant. Everything was normal. We've done it before." All of the students looked at her. "Oh, I mean, we've gone out before. We didn't…I mean…we haven't done it before, oh, you all know what I mean!" she exclaimed, sitting down and crying again.
"You hadn't even done it yet?" a Ravenclaw third year asked.
Leah almost snapped, "Like you have," at her, but controlled herself and said instead, "We were going to wait until after N.E.W.T. s, as a celebration." It was a lie, too, but it actually made sense, and the other Ravenclaws nodded.