Harry, Ron, and Hermione were down in the Gryffindor common room, all sitting on the cosy couch in front of the fire. They seemed to be in an argument.
"I really don't like her, and nothing you say could make me tolerate her! And you should hate her, for how she treats you!" Hermione scolded Harry, swatting him in the arm with her hand.
"C'mon, it's not like she's that mean. Just a little sarcastic and all, but that's how she is to everybody, you can't take it personally," Harry defended the person just as Ron took a deafening slurp of what appeared to be cocoa.
"If that's how she is to everybody, then that's another reason to dislike her! Does she go around calling everyone a perky know-it-all?" Hermione asked, anger in her eyes.
"Well, you did tell her that she looked like she had just brawled with a kneazle. We had a long night, you knew that."
"What, busy shagging," Ron erupted into full-body hackles just as he bit into a fairy cake from the kitchens. The crumbs being dropped onto the warm floor sounded as loud as Hagrid's footsteps.
"That's gross! She's my cousin, Ron!" Harry clenched his hands and his cheeks went red with embarrassment.
"I know, I'm kidding. But she really does have a nasty attitude, y'know. She almost even acts like a Slytherin, don't you think?" Ron commented with a mouthful of cake as he grabbed Hermione's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Harry didn't notice the two's affection as he stormed up to the dormitories.
Leonora awoke again and didn't hesitate to record it on another piece of parchment. She thought about picking up a dream journal, but she remembered she had a limited supply of galleons. If she wrote really small then she could probably fit about two more dreams on the same parchment, she thought.
It didn't bother Leonora at all that Harry's friends didn't like her, but it didn't settle with her as to why Harry was defending her.
The girl got dressed for the day in a sweater and black trousers, tucking the folded dream parchment into her pocket. If Snape asked about her dreams again, she could just show him the new one.
Snape. The witch remembered their long conversation the night before, and then the Legilimency. She figured it was going to be awkward if she bumped into the Professor in the large house.
It wasn't long before she smelled something good coming from downstairs, so she decided to venture out of her room.
Following the smell, she ended up in the kitchen and was surprised to see Harry cooking a meal. Leonora cleared her throat just as Harry cracked another egg into the pan.
"Oh, hey Leonora. Do you like eggs? I also have some bacon on the stove, if you'd like," Harry said, his words coated with excitement. Leonora didn't approve of his use of her first name, but she let it slide.
"Sure," Leonora awkwardly replied, and with a flick of her wand, two plates and forks floated from the cabinet and set themselves on the dining table. Goblets flew from the cabinet by Harry's head and he ducked just in time before getting hit in the face. Leonora filled the cups with pumpkin juice with two wand movements.
"You seem cheery today," Leonora commented in between bites of egg, remembering how the night before, Snape accused him of being at fault for his godfather's death.
"Yeah, I guess I am."
"So, I've been meaning to ask you something," Leonora began, then, "Why don't you find me intolerable?"
Harry looked up from his food and let his fork clank onto the plate. "Er, well, we're family, you know?"
"I don't think that's a good enough excuse, considering the fact that we both despise our family and I've only been nasty to you so far."
"I don't hate my family! I mean, yeah, I didn't have the best childhood, but they're not family where it counts. I just think. . . it would be nice to have someone that I can count on," Harry tried to explain.
"You can count on Lupin, Dumbledore, your idiot friends-"
"It's not the same. I meant that it'll be nice to actually have family, for once."
Leonora stayed silent, understanding what he meant. The people who raised him were his blood, but they didn't care for him. His friends cared for him, but they weren't his blood. He was desperately seeking someone that he could relate to so he wouldn't be alone, and she realized that she was his last chance. His only living relative left.
She'd be lying if she said she'd never wanted to care for somebody. All her life she'd never known what it was like to be part of a family; her parents and sister had hated her for as long as she could remember and she never made friends, but if she did she pushed them away to protect herself from getting hurt. Everything she had done so far was for herself, and she wouldn't mind caring for someone else, now.
"Alright, Potter. Truce," Leonora held her wand out backwards; the fat end facing Harry. Harry did the same, and as their wands touched, a silver ribbon swirled around their wands.
"So what does that do?" Harry asked after the ribbon was no longer in sight.
"It won't let us hurt each other, no matter how small the jinx," Leonora explained, even demonstrating with failed harmless jinx attempts on her cousin.
"Ah, a truce. Why would you do such a thing? Was it just my assumption that you loathed Potter, Bishop? Or were the tripping hexes out of endearment?"
At the sound of Snape's voice behind her, Leonora's walls immediately went up. She couldn't lose to him again.
"Tripping hexes?" Harry echoed. "Was it you who made me trip down the winding stairs to the Tower?"
Leonora stifled a laugh as she recounted the memory, although it was not the one that Snape saw in her mind. "Aw, come on, that was just hilarious."
"I hit every single step! I couldn't go to Quidditch practice that evening because I was stuck in the Infirmary with Pomfrey fussing over my concussion and sprained ankle!"
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Leonora apologized before turning to her Potions teacher, then, "I expected you to have some decency and forget about everything you saw."
Snape pursed his lips together before speaking, "Professor Dumbledore will arrive at noon to speak with you, Miss Bishop." He left the room, his robes billowing behind him dramatically.
"What the hell was that about?" Harry questioned once they heard the door to his potions lab close.
Leonora explained about her premonition dreams and how Snape used Legilimency against her while witnessing some of her least favourite memories.
"How do you know how to use Occlumency already?" Harry wondered.
"I read it in one of Hermione's books that she left on her bed a few years ago. It seemed like it was from the Restricted Section. The book said that some people have it easier than others, too, so I guess I'm one of those people," Leonora explained as she and her cousin started washing all the dishes with a few cleaning spells.
"Maybe it's connected with your dreaming thing," Harry thought, making his cousin shrug and mutter a 'maybe' in reply.
After all the dishes were pristine and back in their corresponding shelves, Leonora let Harry read her dream she had that night.
"This is exactly what happened, except I didn't notice Hermione and Ron holding hands. Or that Ron was eating so loudly. This is crazy," Harry exclaimed.
"Snape believes that these are premonition dreams, but I don't exactly. I've always thought of Divination as some sort of nonsense."
"Me, too. But how else would you know all of these details?"
"I don't know," Leonora confessed.
The rest of the day went by fairly quickly - Leonora and Harry worked on some homework together for about half the day before they went their separate ways. Leonora continued to read her Divination book, not sure what Harry was up to.
Leonora and Dumbledore's meeting was brief; only discussing the nature of the dreams and how she was to practice with Professor Snape to guard her mind. He then mentioned something about a letter from her parents.
"I have it here with me if you want to read it. It's been checked for curses and I can promise that there are none."
"I'll read it," Leonora said without hesitation. She was not scared of her parents.
The headmaster handed her a folded piece of parchment. Leonora unfolded it, noticing that the seal was already broken. Of course, Dumbledore read it first.
Leo,
My little child. Elettra told me that you've moved out of her house already. What a shame. She hadn't even gotten the chance to get reimbursed for the weeks that you spent there.
Upon contacting the Ministry, it turns out that even they don't know where you're living now, either. The Wizarding Family Counsel has reached out to us many times in the past few months with accusations against us, but we are not required to answer them since you have been emancipated. Your father and I would like it very much if you cleared these disturbing allegations at once.
We'd all forgive you for the rumours that you've spread, all of us, and we'd be delighted to give you a second chance.
Remember your dearest Uncle Enedius? He's getting married, and he's asked me to cordially invite you to his wedding for this coming Thursday at five o'clock p.m. at his residence. I hope to see you there, my lion.
with love,
Mother
Leonora reread the letter almost two times before her reading was interrupted by Professor Dumbledore's questions.
"Is there anything unusual about this letter that suggests something?"
The girl gulped, knowing that she should reveal the truth to Dumbledore as he was going to protect her, but not wanting to make it real.
"She says that. . . She wants to know that I'm living somewhere safe. Also, if I clear them from the Wizarding Family Counsel, they'll give me a second chance to prove myself to The Dark Lord and take the Mark. The thing with Enedius means that there is something planned on Thursday evening and, uh, my father is going to scoop my eyes out. She's warning me to be safe on that day," Leonora explained to Dumbledore.
"That is a lot of information from one letter, Leonora. Would you mind explaining it to me?"
"Sure. My father always reads my mother's letters to me before she sends them, so she's had to fool him while I read in between the lines. I can usually tell that there's an underlying meaning when she uses other names for me and not Leonora. My father is the one who is giving me a second chance to take the dark mark, not my mother. She never wanted me or Elettra to be involved with the Death Eaters, but she has to keep up appearances. And my uncle got his eyes scooped out when he crossed the family over."
"Ah, that does make sense. How do you know that she doesn't want you there on Thursday rather than telling you to meet up with her?"
"She uses lion when she's being protective of me."
"I see. You and Harry are to spend the whole day on Thursday here, just for safe measure. I think Hermione would be glad to catch you up on what you miss. Is that alright?" Dumbledore asked as he stood up and got ready to floo back.
"Yes, Professor."
Leonora was snacking on a sandwich that Dumbledore brought her from the dining hall when Harry burst into the kitchen.
"Do you have Silon?" He asked, out of breath.
"No," Leonora suspiciously answered.
"She's not in her terrarium, either. I just remembered that I left her on the couch last night," Harry replied.
"And then I picked her up after you left and then. . . I left her on the couch, too," Leonora realized.
"Go yelling around the house in parseltongue to see if she answers!" Leonora ordered Harry.
They had gone to every room, looked behind every book and under every chair, and even after two hours, the pair couldn't find the reptile. They were exhausted, but not only had they failed to track down Silon, but they also succeeded in making the whole house a disorganized mess.
"Is it even possible that she could've left the house? Would the ward have stopped her?" Harry frantically thought out loud.
"Don't be absurd! The ward stops dangerous people with harmful intentions towards you from entering this house, it's not a cage for snakes! She could be in the vents, the floorboards, the walls, or just outside the house in general. If she got outside, she probably will get eaten or run over by one of those Muggle contraptions. She's gone," Leonora concluded the search for her lifelong companion, although Harry probably bonded more with the reptile in the past few days than she had in fifteen years.
"I'm sorry, I should've brought her up with me-" Leonora interrupted Harry's apology.
"Stop it with all the apologizing, Potter! It's not your fault. In all the fifteen years I've had her, I'm the one that should know how to take care of her," Leonora solemnly stated, making Harry gasp in shock.
"You've had her for fifteen years?" Harry nearly shouted.
"Of course I have- Oh, you don't know. Well, it's a pureblood tradition to give your child an animal on their first birthday. The Bishop family animal is a snake; everyone in my family has their own snake, and each is enchanted to die when their owner dies," Leonora explained to the awestruck Harry. "Most people don't participate in the tradition anymore because they think it's cruel, but that's just my family for you. Cruel."
"They don't have to be your family anymore," Harry stated.
"I know."
The never ending day finally came to an end after Leonora and Harry spent some time in the library. Harry was playing wizards chess against himself and Leonora was reading another book. She finished the Divination book and picked an interesting book from Sirius' library about snakes, no doubt still mourning the loss of her friend.
ஓ๑ ️๑ஓ
On Sunday, Leonora and Snape spent most of the day working on her Occlumency. It was some of the hardest work she'd ever done, and by the end of the day, she was exhausted.
The next few days until Thursday were filled with antagonizing anticipation for Leonora, and it didn't help that Harry kept trying to get her to be nice to his friends.
"How was your weekend, G- Hermione," Leonora said through clenched teeth.
"It was good. I spent most of my time studying for my Arithmancy exam today and catching up on homework," Hermione answered slowly, not knowing how to interact with the sharp-tongued girl.
"Arithmancy sounds te-" Harry kicked Leonora's shins again, "rrific. Sounds terrific. Definitely not as tedious as the Potions essay was. Twelve inches of blarney, if you ask me," The witch tried her best to be sociable.
"Yes, I do quite enjoy Arithmancy," Hermione politely responded, giving Ron a desperate glance to join the conversation.
"So, uh, do you like Quidditch?" Ron asked Leonora.
"Quidditch? It's not my favourite," Leonora curtly responded, somehow exhausted by all the politeness and insults she had to repress.
She turned to Neville for the rest of dinner that Tuesday to have a chat.
"Where were you the past weekend? I was hoping you'd help me harvest the seeds from the Venomous Tentaculas," Neville curiously asked.
"Taking Occlumency lessons from Snape," Leonora lied, although it was partially true, "My parents are out to get me since I refused the Dark Mark, and Dumbledore thinks it's best if I keep my mind guarded."
Neville's face was full of worry for his friend, partly because her family was out to get her and partly because she had to spend extra time with his least favourite professor.
"I'm sorry," Neville replied with a frown.
"It's alright, I get by fine," Leonora responded to Neville's concern. "You probably won't ever see me on the weekends, unless I have detention or something. This Occlumency stuff is really important."
"Do you think you're going to miss Hogsmeade?" Neville asked.
"I don't think so. If Snape says I have to, I'll take it up with Dumbledore." Neville nodded.
"Hey Neville, do you know anything about catching snakes? I've lost Silon."
"Oh, there's many ways. . ." Neville went on about the ways to lure a snake back for the rest of dinner.
It was finally Thursday, and Leonora was as paranoid as ever. Her, Harry, and Snape were confined in 12 Grimmauld Place that Thursday, each extra cautious. Snape never retreated downstairs to his potions lab and instead spent every minute with Leonora in the library. Dumbledore had obviously informed the professor about the letter, but he didn't look worried. As the girl thought about it, she couldn't recall a time where Snape ever looked worried.
To keep their minds off the possibility of intrusion, Leonora and Harry went about trying to lure Silon out of her hiding spot, wherever she was. In each room, they placed a heat-generating plant that Neville gave his friend. He said that snakes were attracted to heat since they couldn't produce their own. Next to each plant, they placed a dead mouse, which was Harry's idea.
"I'm not joking! Every time she talked to me she always mentioned how much she missed mice," Harry had said to his cousin. Leonora thought it was a ploy for Harry to give her free food that Silon enjoys, but she tried to ignore it as she really was running low on her stash of gold.
Snape rolled his eyes as he saw the arrangement and muttered something about it being their house and they could do whatever they wanted to do with it.
It wasn't long before it was dusk and dinner was history. Leonora could barely keep her eyes on the page of her snake book; her foot uncontrollingly tapping.
"Bishop," Leonora heard Snape say and she looked up from her book. He was handing her a light purple potion.
"Calming Draught," He simply said as he shoved it into her shaking hand.
"Thanks." Leonora lifted the vial to her lips and drank it, appreciating the gesture. She was immediately much more serene and could finally focus on her book.
Only about ten minutes later did something arrive in the floo; a wooden box. She let Snape inspect it first, as it was addressed to her, and when he opened it she couldn't help but laugh at his shocked expression.
"Is this your pet snake?" Snape asked, handing the box to the student.
"Yes, it's Silon!" Leonora gasped at the snake looking back up at her. Without hesitation, Leonora picked up her snake but immediately felt a tugging motion in her stomach, and before she knew it, she was standing inside the Bishop residence.
It was a portkey.
She hated portkeys more than apparation; her stomach was doing flips in her abdomen and dizziness fogged her balance. Leonora could barely stand, and as soon as she arrived, she felt a hand on her arm and back.
"Leonora, you're finally here," A calm and sing-song voice said; it was her mother. She led her to a chair in the lounge and sat with her for a few minutes.
"Mother?" Leonora gasped once she had a grip on reality.
"I'm sorry, my lion. Your father will be home any minute," Her mother apologized, tucking a strand of her daughter's curly black hair behind her ear. The woman stood up and sat in the chair across from Leonora as she was trying to figure out a plan.
Of course, they used her snake against her. She couldn't help but wonder if Harry was safe and what Snape was doing right now; she didn't want anyone to feel guilty after her parents got a hold of her. Leonora just needed a way out.
Her mother hadn't bound her to the chair, so she could technically leave right then. But that would drive her mother to use force against her, and she didn't want it to come to that.
But did that matter? She was ultimately the one to kick her out, so maybe she shouldn't care about her mother having to use force against her. She still had her wand in her back pocket, though, she could just stupefy her and leave.
Leonora reached to her back pocket to grab her wand, but it wasn't there.
"I had to take it, Leo, I had to," Her mother said, sadness in her voice.
"No, you didn't. If you're so regretful about this then why can't I leave?" Leonora battled, her fists clenched with anger.
"There's more to it than that, and you know it. I've got to keep up appearances. If I don't show him that I'm loyal to him and my husband only, then he'll disregard me as just a protective mother when I'm telling him that Elettra isn't the one for the job. She's really scared, Leo."
"So you're choosing Elettra over me? Is it because I'm a Mudblood?" Leonora spat the words at her mother as she flinched.
"You're not going to die here, but Elettra could. And I don't care about your blood, you're still my daughter."
"It wasn't your right to switch us! You ruined our lives! I'm not your daughter, and because of you, that girl is dead at the hands of The Dark Lord! He killed your daughter!" Leonora screamed, not noticing the tears falling from her eyes.
"Your father would have killed her if she was a squib, anyways! I switched her for the benefit of all of us."
"Not for the benefit of me. You didn't care that you had taken me from a loving household and into a cold and spiteful one. I don't care if I had been poorer, all I wanted was a family who actually cared about me!" As Leonora finished yelling, the two witches watched from the window as Rician Bishop walked through the front door and into the house.
"Leonora," Her father's cold voice greeted her, and just when she was going to bitterly reply, his wand was pointed towards her and she was magically bound to the chair. She felt invisible ropes tugging at her as she tried to get out.
"You disgusting bastard, let me go!" Leonora shrieked, making her father tsk and shake his head.
"You see, I can't do that. Not until I've got the satisfaction of seeing that you've paid for what you've done. Going around, telling everyone that we tried to force you to pledge allegiance to The Dark Lord. Spewing nonsense about how you hate us and how we treated you horribly. You're going to pay, child. Crucio!" Rician set the Cruciatis curse on his daughter.
The pain was so unbearable that she couldn't find the strength to scream in pain. Leonora squeezed her eyes shut, and all she could do was wish the pain away.
She couldn't help but notice that her mother stood next to her father with a collected expression on her face. Either she was a really good actress, or she didn't actually care if Leonora got hurt. The Bishops were very a manipulative bunch, so it was never easy to tell when someone was being genuine.
The curse was followed by a string of other curses that she was too out of it to be aware of, oblivious to the amount of time passed. It wasn't until she was given three drops of Veritaserum that her mind cleared.
"Do you think you've paid for what you've done, child?" Her father sneered, leaning close to her for intimidation.
"Yes, although I haven't done anything but tell the truth," Leonora replied in a monotonous voice.
"You tried to bring dishonour to the Bishop name! Need I remind you that it is your name, as well?"
"No."
"Good. So, tell me, Leonora," Her father circled around her chair, then, "Where are you living?"
Leonora clenched her lips together, trying to fight the urge to answer. She couldn't reveal the address, or Harry would be in danger. She actually wasn't positive if she physically could, because of the Fidelius Charm, but she couldn't lie either.
"Hogwarts," She replied, and when she did, she let out a relieved breath. To her father it must've looked like she was tired from trying to fight the truth, so he gave her a malicious grin. But she didn't lie as she did live at Hogwarts five out of seven days in a week.
"Ah, of course, Dumbledore was willing to take you under his wing. Not surprising. I do hope you remember your uncle Enedius?"
"Yes."
"Well, his story is not as gruesome as yours will be. You'll be glad to be blind before you face the Dark Lord tonight. Oops, did I say that out loud?" Rician chimed, and Leonora knew he said it purposefully. He never revealed anything he didn't want to; he was trying to make her afraid.
"I'm not afraid of him, or you. I'm Gryffindor, and I'm nothing like you cowards, kissing his feet just because you are frightened for your reputation. If-"
Leonora's sharp words were cut off with her father summoning a vial filled with a clear substance and splashing it on his daughters face.
The girl immediately screamed out in pain as she felt the acid eating away at her skin and burning her eyes. Soon, all she could see was black and a weird mixture of colour. She suddenly felt the acid being wiped off her face by with a wet cloth. She assumed that her father left her to suffer alone and her mother was the one helping her.
"Mother," The girl cried, her tears only making her raw face sting.
"Shh, I'm here. I'm here," Her mother whispered into Leonora's ear, soothing her by running her hand from her forehead and down her curly hair.
Time passed by slowly, although she didn't know how much time passed until it was time for her to be presented to The Dark Lord. She knew that meetings normally occurred at around midnight and that it was nine o'clock when she was portkeyed to the Bishop residence, so it couldn't have been too long.
Leonora continued to go in and out of consciousness on the way to the meeting at Malfoy Manor, but she felt the familiar tingling of using the floo and the smell of the black powder. Her mother must've helped her walk to the floo.
She was sitting in front of the warm fireplace, coughing from dust caught in her throat. The world was still smudged black, and her head was pounding. Leonora guessed that whatever kind of acid was thrown at her was meant to get immediate attention if it came into contact with you.
"Get up," An unfamiliar voice hissed, accompanied by someone grabbing her arm and yanking her up from the ground.
The blinded witch was then forced to walk down a flight of stairs until she was thrown onto the cold, stone ground. She caught herself just in time from smashing her head onto the floor, and she dizzily swayed back and forth on her knees with no sense of balance.
"Nice of you to join us, Leonora," The one voice that she could recognize in the room stated. The Dark Lord's snake-like voice sounded pleased to finally have the girl of his disposal.
"Leonora. . . don't forget to Occlude," She identified the voice as Harry's, who sounded heartbroken to see her. She was disappointed as well that he managed to get captured, and she couldn't help but think that it was her fault.
After hearing Harry's advice, Leonora raised her wall and cleared her mind.
"Harry? Why are you here?" She questioned in the direction where she heard the voice.
"Enough!" The Dark Lord boomed, and she heard a hissing of a snake. It was definitely not Silon - it was the hiss of a much, much bigger snake.
The whole room went still; the hushed whispers among what Leonora assumed were the Death Eaters ceased. She heard someone speak up, and his voice was clear as day.
"Do you want me to undress that one, as well?" The raggedy voice asked.
"Make it quick. I'd like to see them suffer for a bit," The Dark Lord impatiently replied, and Leonora heard big footsteps coming towards her. Before she knew it, her clothes were ripped off and she was exposed to the whole room. The man tied her hands together behind her back with some kind of curse before he returned to where he came from.
Leonora felt vulnerable, but she then realized that was how they wanted her to feel. Vulnerable. Powerless. Helpless. And she vowed to herself and to Harry she wouldn't give in, no matter how much every single blink of her eyes hurt, or every single hair touching her face stung, or how weak her muscles were. She had to get her cousin out of there because she was the one who brought him there.
"It is very cold down here, don't you think? A bit breezy, if I say so myself. You think you can turn the heat up a smidge?" Leonora casually conversed, not talking to anyone in particular.
"What are you doing?" Harry frantically whispered. Leonora guessed that he must have been close unless he was a bad whisperer.
"You think you're so clever? How about we do turn up the heat," The Dark Lord suggested, and before Leonora knew it, she was getting prodded with scalding hot fire irons on her torso.
The room was filled with the two cousin's screams of pain until The Dark Lord got bored of the muggle way of torture. He ordered his followers to do whatever they wanted with their wands on them, probably for the sake of entertainment.
Half of the time she spent there she didn't know was going on; different people took turns on each of them with strands of curses flying everywhere. Harry and Leonora both tried their hardest not to react, not to give him the satisfaction of seeing them cry in pain. Leonora wasn't so sure if she could even produce tears at that point.
It felt like forever until all of the bugs stopped crawling from underneath her skin, the needle hexes pricking her ceased, and the nail-remover curse stopped at her fourth toe on her second foot.
"I think that's enough play-time," Voldemort cleared his throat.
"Leonora, are you alright?" Harry whispered to her.
"What do you think, Potter?" Leonora snapped, her voice weak and raspy. She felt the acid's effect more and more each minute; her mind was fogging up, her movements were sluggish, and she could barely keep her eyes open. Not like she needed to, though.
"Someone check up on the Bishop. I'd rather she not be unconscious," Voldemort lazily commanded, then, "You're not as strong as you thought you were, child."
Leonora bit her lip, knowing that if she retorted she would get more than cutting words thrown her way. She also thought that maybe he was right. All of her life she'd been stone cold and guarded, acting like she was the strongest person you'd ever met, but on the inside she was weak. She was damaged from her hellish childhood, fragile from her insecurities, but disguised it all with her irritability and arrogance.
Familiar-sounding footsteps stopped just in front of her, and she felt a small breeze in front of her face. Someone, probably a medi-wizard, was running a prognosis spell on her with a wand near her face.
"What's my diagnosis, Medi?" Leonora questioned, and before she knew it, she felt two people holding onto her; one on each arm. She assumed one was Harry, but she had no idea who the other one was. Instantly, Leonora felt the Apparation-tug feeling in her stomach, and the surrounding noises continued to get quieter and quieter until she completely blacked out.
ஓ๑ ️๑ஓ
"I can assure you that I'm perfectly fine. Nothing's hurting anymore, Madam. I'll just get out of your hair."
"Mr Potter, you will stay right in that bed until I dismiss you!"
Leonora felt a sharp pain in her head at the raised voices, and as she opened her eyes, everything looked the same as when her eyes were closed. Her eyes stung as they were exposed to the air and she let out a surprised wail. It didn't take long for her to notice all of the other pains in her body; aching ribs, sensitive skin, lack of toenails, burns covering her whole body, and needle wounds on her arms.
Madam Pomfrey rushed over to the girl's side and set a vial against her lips. Leonora downed the potion despite the foul taste, and almost immediately, she felt the effects of the numbing potion.
"How are you feeling?" Madam Pomfrey softly asked, brushing strands of hair out of her face.
"Better," The girl admitted, her voice scratchy as if she hadn't used it in a long time. "How long has it been?"
"Not long. You've been in and out of consciousness for two days. You're in the infirmary right now."
"Oh. How did I get back? How's Harry?" Leonora wondered.
"I'm good!" Leonora heard her cousin shout from across the room.
"Alright, that's enough shouting. Do you feel up to a medical exam, Miss Bishop?" Madam Pomfrey questioned.
"Yeah."
"Okay. I'm going to test your vision first, is that alright?" Leonora nodded in response.
The medi-witch asked countless questions about the pains in her eyes, even feeling some spots with her fingers.
"Do you see anything?" Madam Pomfrey questioned.
"Not really, but there's a glowing thing over there," Leonora pointed to the dull glow she saw, remembering where Harry's voice came from and assumed it was near him.
"Can you see this?" The witch asked, and before she knew it, there was a circle of light waving back and forth in front of her face.
"Yes, yes I can see it! Is that a Lumos, or something?" The girl excitedly exclaimed, a smile overcoming her face.
"It is. What colour is it?"
Leonora focused harder on the waving light, but all she could tell was it turned from a warm white to a cool white.
"I don't know," Leonora confessed, her shoulders slumping down.
"It's alright, honey. It is a good thing you still have some sight left, or it would be hard to regrow your eyes," Madam Pomfrey reassured the girl and put a comforting hand on her forearm.
"Regrow my eyes? What do they look like?" Leonora curiously asked, putting her fingers up to her eyes.
"Don't touch them," Madam Pomfrey yanked her hands down, then, "Severus has been working on a Vision Balm for you, you'll have to apply it straight to your eyes then. For now, let's just continue with the examination."
Leonora obliged, but couldn't keep her mind off of how Madam Pomfrey avoided her question of her appearance. Could it really be that bad?
"You'll have to stay in the infirmary for a while, Miss Bishop. These burns are very serious and will take at least a week to heal," Madam Pomfrey concluded the examination, excusing herself from the room.
"Harry?" Leonora called out.
"I'm here," He responded, much closer than before. He must have pulled up a chair to her bed, she thought.
"How did we escape? Who was holding my other arm? Also, are you hurt? What-" Leonora was cut off by her cousin.
"I'll explain, and if you have questions after you can ask, okay?" Leonora nodded, wanting him to continue. "We were portkeyed out by Draco Malfoy, yes, Draco Malfoy. I still don't like it, I hate it, but we're alive. Dumbledore told me that your mother and Malfoy's mother worked with Snape for the plan to get all three of us out of there safely, which is something I wanted to ask you if it sounded likely."
"Yes, that does sound like something my mother would do, and Narcissa Malfoy is my mother's closest friend. They both are determined to keep their children out of the trouble that Death Eaters bring about," Leonora explained.
"But why would Malfoy agree to the plan, especially if it involves saving us?" Harry queried, not caring to mask his hate for the blond boy.
"Fear makes people do things they wouldn't do. My guess is that he was desperate."
"That makes sense, I guess," Harry sighed, and Leonora could tell that he didn't want to talk about Malfoy anymore.
"How did you end up in the Dark Lord's hands, anyway?" Leonora changed the subject.
"Oh, uh, that. I used the floo at. . . the house. . . when I heard that you were portkeyed. Someone was waiting for members of the Order to arrive at your house, er, the Bishop house, . . . and when they saw it was me, they just brought me straight to Voldemort," Leonora winced at the use of his name, "I know it was stupid, but I wasn't thinking. I just knew I had to do something," Harry defended himself and Leonora nodded. She wasn't sure she would do the same for him, unfortunately, but she admired his intentions behind his actions. Very Gryffindor-like, even though it almost cost him his life.
"Well, thanks for trying to save me even if it horrendously backfired. But, do me a favour and tell me what I look like." Leonora inquired hopefully.
"Wha- Your face? I mean, it's. . .uh, y'know. . ." Harry nervously stammered.
"That bad, huh?" Leonora commented, her stomach dropping. Harry didn't have time to reply before the doors to the infirmary opened with a loud creak and someone walked in.
"Who is it?" Leonora asked Harry, who gave her a one-word reply: 'Snape.' Harry got up from the chair beside Leonora and returned to his bed.
"Miss Bishop," Snape greeted her, and she heard the man sit in the chair Harry exited moments before.
"Professor," Leonora replied.
"I assume Madam Pomfrey has done a vision exam?"
"Yes, sir. I can see light, but not colours," She responded with a sigh.
"After a month of applying my Vision Balm, I can assure you that you will regain sight. Normal injuries do not incapacitate those with magic as much as they do for muggles," The Potions Professor explained, but Leonora read between the lines. He was trying to reassure her - or even comfort her.
"Yeah, uh. . . I'll be glad to get that sight back," Leonora awkwardly enthused, hoping that he'd read between the lines and see her gratitude.
"Indeed. I have the vial here," Snape put the vial in her outstretched hand, then, "Only use almost an ounce per eye and coat your whole eye with it - including the tear ducts. Apply once a day - I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will remind you." Leonora thought she heard a hint of knowingness of the medi-witch's persistence in his voice.
The witch did as he said, noticing that the professor didn't leave but instead stayed to see her apply the balm. It was uncomfortable as she had to put her finger underneath her eyelid several times, but she felt it was worth it since her eyes needed the hydration.
She noticed how rough and bumpy her eyeballs were, and came to the conclusion that they didn't look so hot either. When both her eyes were coated she gave the vial to Snape who then put it on the table next to the bed.
"Do you remember any of the curses that were used on you before arriving at Malfoy Manor? It would help to understand the physical condition you were in when you received your eye injury," Snape questioned further.
"I don't remember much. I was oblivious to everything that came after the. . ." Leonora paused, almost revealing that she was under the Cruciatis curse, and thinking against it, then, "acid. The acid."
"If you remember anything, inform me," Leonora nodded at her teachers request.
"Is there something else?" Leonora questioned as she didn't hear him get up or leave.
"Yes. Your premonition dreams, Miss Bishop. Professor Dumbledore will be coming down after dinner to speak with you on the matter," Snape concluded. Leonora heard him stand from the chair and exit the infirmary.
Right as the infirmary doors closed, Harry was on the girl's case.
"What the hell was that?" Harry snapped and his footsteps frantically nearing Leonora's bed.
"Was what?"
"You know! You and Snape being so. . . chummy?" Harry accused.
"Am I not allowed to be on friendly terms with one of my professors?" Leonora disputed, a sarcastic smirk finding a way onto her face.
"No, you're not when it's Snape!"
"Maybe not for you, Potter," Leonora spat.
"It makes absolutely no sense! You're Gryffindor, you suck at Potions, no offence, and you're my cousin. There are too many reasons for him to hate you," Harry debated.
"You wouldn't get it. There's no use in talking about it, now. I need some rest," Leonora concluded the argument by laying down on her bed and turning away from her cousin.
She heard Harry huff with irritation and return to his own bed. It only took moments for the girl to fall asleep, as she was tired out from the few hours she spent the day awake.
