Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. But I sincerely wish I did.
Leah's second year at Hogwarts was not going well. A message had been written on the wall, "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir beware."
Leah shuddered when she thought of it. Draco had been ecstatic, saying that Slytherin was purging the school of all the filthy Mudbloods who were unworthy to study magic. Leah said nothing, but she did not share his views. All their lives, they had been taught that they were better than other wizarding families because they were from one of the oldest Pureblooded wizarding families. Leah knew her brother shared their father's view on the subject, but she herself was not worried about blood status. Still, she had to play her part.
After what happened at the end of last year, Leah had not seen much of Hermione this semester. It bothered her to no end, but she still couldn't understand why she was so concerned about Hermione. She desperately wanted to speak to her, but was unsure of what to say after their fleeting moment last year in the hospital wing, before they went home for summer break.
She saw Hermione of course, at mealtimes, and during Potions, and every time their eyes met, Leah felt that peculiar feeling in her stomach again. It was maddening to the young witch.
Currently, she was sitting in the common room reading her Potions book. She spent most of her time studying, as she believed education was important. She was a flawless student.
The door of the portrait hole banged open, and in walked Draco flanked by Crabbe, Goyle, and a girl Leah knew was named Pansy Parkinson. Leah despised Crabbe and Goyle and wondered continuously why Draco kept their company when they were both clearly below his intelligence level.
"Why hello, sister mine. What are you doing in the common room all alone?" Draco asked her.
"Studying, Drake," she replied.
"Don't call me Drake," he snapped.
Leah smiled at this. He asked her not to call him Drake at least once a day, and she did it anyways. She was fond of this pet name.
Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy sat on the couch opposite them, looking oddly stiff.
"Draco, what do you know about the Chamber of Secrets?" Crabbe began warily.
"I've already told you everything Father told me about it. He says it was opened once fifty years ago. He says that the Chamber was opened by the Heir of Slytherin to purge all of the Mudbloods away from the school," Draco said in a bored voice. Leah assumed he was used to explaining things to Crabbe and Goyle over and over.
(Hermione's POV)
Hermione sat uncomfortably in the Slytherin common room, opposite Leah and Draco Malfoy, trying to look normal, even though she was freaking out on the inside. She couldn't believe the Polyjuice Potion actually worked, and here they were, in the Slytherin common room, doing their best to interrogate the Malfoy twins without them realizing it wasn't really Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson.
Hermione was also dealing with the strange feelings that came about every time she saw Leah Malfoy. She didn't know what to call them. Leah wasn't like Draco. At least, she didn't think Leah was like Draco. She appeared to genuinely care about Hermione last year when Hermione was in the Hospital Wing after the Sorcerer's Stone incident.
But this year, Leah had yet to speak two words to her. Leah's very presence made her nervous and jittery, something that was very un-Hermione-ish.
"But you must have some idea whose behind it all Draco?" Goyle asked.
Hermione had yet to speak. She did not trust herself in front of Leah not to ruin the whole operation. She sat there quietly, trying to read Leah's face, but Leah looked merely bored.
"You know I don't Goyle. But I wish I knew who it was. I would help them," Draco replied, looking at Goyle as if he were stupid.
Hermione noticed Ron's fists clench at this. Hermione knew how Harry and Ron hated Draco, and truthfully, she hated Draco as well. She couldn't believe he was Leah's twin brother.
"All I know is last time the Chamber was opened, a Mudblood died. As for me, I hope it's Granger," Draco said with derision.
Hermione clamped her mouth shut so she didn't make a rude retort to Draco, and she noticed Harry and Ron shift uncomfortably. Hermione also noticed that at the mention of her name, Leah's head shot up, and for a minute Hermione thought she was going to say something to Draco about being rude about her, but Leah sat there, quiet as ever.
"You three are acting very… odd," Draco commented.
"I have a stomachache. Perhaps I should visit the hospital wing," Hermione heard Harry invent wildly, and then he jumped up as if to leave.
Hermione noticed that they were starting to slowly change back into themselves. With no more explanation to Leah or Draco, her, Ron and Harry ran to the portrait hole, barely escaping.
(Leah's POV)
"That was very odd," Draco said to Leah as soon as they were gone.
"Yes, they were all three acting very strangely, asking you all those questions about the Chamber of Secrets, when we've all already discussed it numerous times," Leah said.
Something was indeed very odd about their conversation with Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson, but Leah couldn't place her finger on it. She didn't know Pansy very well, but there was an air of familiarity that Leah usually didn't feel with her.
But something much worse was on Leah's mind at this particular moment. Hermione was Muggleborn. Of course, the thought had crossed Leah's mind before, as Draco had continuously complained about the trio. Leah felt very much like she was being torn in two places. On one hand, she was raised to hate anyone with less purer blood than her own. But on the other hand, when it came to Hermione, Leah found that she couldn't care much about her being Muggleborn. She still felt that strange pull towards her.
Leah reasoned that being friends with Hermione would be so much easier without Draco around, as he was a lot of the reason she didn't outright follow Hermione around on a daily basis, because she just wanted to be near the girl. Draco sometimes made her life harder that way, but Leah wouldn't trade him for anything. He knew her so well, he knew what it meant to be a Malfoy, and what was expected of both of them. He just accepted it so much easier than Leah did.
Nevertheless, his comment about hoping Hermione died weighed heavily on her mind. She had never fathomed that Hermione might possibly be in danger over the Chamber of Secrets business, and it made her heart sink and her throat dry to think of Hermione being hurt.
The days turned into months, and Leah found herself continuously worrying over Hermione, even though she still really couldn't consider them friends. The day of the Quidditch match put her worse fears in reality when she realized that Hermione had been petrified. At this news, she vowed to go see Hermione in the hospital wing even if she knew that Hermione couldn't speak. Leah hoped she would feel her there. But there was no way to get away with this without Draco knowing unless she did it after he had went to bed. His constant keeping tabs on her annoyed her now more than ever, as she had to pretend to be normal, when all she could think of was Hermione, petrified and alone in the hospital wing.
She stole of the dormitory one night, determined to go see Hermione. She snuck out of bed fairly easily, and made her way to the hospital wing, jumping at all the small noises, and hearing phantom footsteps.
When she made it there, she went immediately to Hermione's side. It was worse than she thought. Hermione lay there as if she was frozen in time. It sickened Leah to see her in this state.
Leah closed her hand around Hermione's hand. She felt so cold to Leah's touch. It was unnerving. She sat there for another hour, just staring at Hermione, wondering what she would say if Hermione were able to wake up, and catch her standing there, watching over her.
Leah made it back to the Slytherin Common Room without incident, and marveled at her luck. She still felt uneasy seeing Hermione like that.
A few days later, all rejoiced when the Mandrakes were turned into stew to revive the Petrified people. And Harry Potter and Ron Weasley apparently went into the Chamber of Secrets, defeating the monster, and making the school safe again. Draco was furious, but Leah was secretly relieved. Hermione was going to be okay.
Leah stole into the hospital wing once again, unable to stop herself from seeing Hermione.
"I was wondering if you would show up eventually," Hermione said amused when Leah walked in.
Leah said nothing and sat down beside Hermione, feeling a sense of déjà vu.
"Why are you here?" Hermione asked briskly.
"I couldn't stay away." Leah answered before she could stop herself.
"You make absolutely no sense, Leah. You barely speak to me all year, yet you show up when I'm hurt. Just like last time. Exactly what are you playing at?" Hermione asked warily.
"I don't know, okay, I'm sorry. I guess you could say I want to be friends with you. I'm just not very good at going about it," Leah said.
"It's because of your brother. You know he hates me, and yet you want to know me. You're so conflicted," Hermione said, voicing her thoughts.
"Yes, Draco does hate you, but that doesn't mean I do. I sort of… well I guess you could say I like you. I think you're very interesting, and I want to get to know you. I am not my brother." Leah said, deciding to be honest about her feelings.
"Okay, we can be friends," Hermione said smiling.
"Friends," Leah agreed.