OMFG. I forgot to thank all my reviewers the last chapter! I'm such an IDIOT. I really do appreciate it when people comment and I just wanted you guys to know that :) Thank you!

I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that could get me sued.

Harry twirled a spoon idly through his morning soup with a curl of a smirk on his face. Any onlooker would have been wondering what he was smiling about. As far as anybody else could see, Harry had nothing to be happy about. He was alone again and the only person who even bothered to glance at him was Astoria. The rest had forgotten about him a long time ago and he was more an invisible entity who took up space.

But, of course, there were no onlookers.

Even the non-magical population he had managed to endear himself to avoided turning his way during meal times. For all of their supposed support, many still kept clear of even coming close to something Slytherin. The rest of the magical population treated them lowly enough. So during meal times, Harry was free of both magical and non-magical scrutiny (with the exception of Astoria once again).

Contrary to loneliness, Harry felt relaxed and peaceful during these periods. Not only was he less obligated to act his part, but he also had the opportunity to observe the overall climate of the student population. It was important to keep an eye on the effects of his actions from afar especially in the non-magical realm at this point in time.

He had been working on Timothy for nearly half a year now. Everything he did during his time amongst the non-magicals was to encourage confidence and self-assurance. His posture, his questions, his personality, his subtle hints to other classmates, and even the way he breathed (hitched, most of the time) was part of his effort to instill a character strong enough to spark a change in the system.

It was definitely working. By now, the rest of the non-magicals blatantly respected Timothy just because he was capable of taking charge of situations and was accustomed to it. Now they didn't just turn to him during emergencies. Now they came to him when they had smaller problems like a subject might to a ruler. All of this respect and responsibility heaped on to Timothy's shoulders had certainly changed the boy for the better, in Harry's opinion. He walked with a straighter pose, smiled more often, and his voice was no longer the scratchy uncertainty that almost all the other non-magicals utilized.

But it wasn't enough. Harry had seen it for a few weeks but he had hoped that things would pick up and he wouldn't have to intervene with the established process.

He had become complacent over the last few months. Perhaps this Light world where mistakes and lax attitudes were allowed had given him a nice opportunity for a new life and actual companions at the onset, but now Harry saw that unless he took action, nothing would be any different than it had been back in the Dark. Blaise had almost completely forgotten about him like the rest of the student body and Astoria, for all of her borderline obsessive observations, didn't view him any more as a friend than that prat Ronald Weasley did. Maybe Harry had been hoping that somebody would miraculously take it upon themselves to befriend the new Squib and he would be happy but that had only been the stupid wish of a hormonal teenager. To be honest, he had forfeited his chance at any sort of real friendship when he had decided to make himself a virtual ghost among the magicals and a pretty little puppy for the non-magicals.

Perhaps if he hadn't been so fascinated with the outcome of social upheaval within Hogwarts, he could have gone and made himself a new life. Even with his sad position as a Squib and Slytherin, he could have made something of himself.

But the chance had been too great to ignore. Really, the Light couldn't have been expecting to continue on as it did, did it? There was obviously going to be a schism between the magical and the non-magical even outside of Hogwarts with the way the hierarchy had been set up. The Light was certainly a near-paradise compared to the Dark for Squibs and their families but it was obvious that as generations continued, such sanctuary from the Dark would become expected and they would demand for more and more. Really, all Harry was doing was accelerating what would happen in the next few decades.

Why couldn't he just keep a damper on his curiosity? If he hadn't felt tempted, obligated, to take on this challenge, he wouldn't be stuck in his own elaborate plans. Entertainment and curiosity aside, Harry almost had no idea why he was doing this in the first place. This schism might help Tom in the long run and maybe it was a kind helpful push for the non-magicals, but he honestly hadn't planned on helping his guardian anymore than he had planned on helping the poor souls devoid of magic. Quite frankly, Harry found it a lot funnier to hinder Tom's plans because it irritated him so and he wasn't exactly a saint made to help the underprivileged.

But Harry had grown far more lenient on himself, allowing more mistakes and slower reactions to scenarios that he should have addressed faster. A part of him blamed it on the Light atmosphere but he knew that most of it probably had to do with the fact that he was finally away from Tom and his high expectations. Like a mere child finally allowed to play on his own, Harry was acting lazy and nowhere near as polished as he was used to.

So Harry had taken action. He couldn't wait any longer.

Timothy needed some competition.

The choice of competitor was obvious. He had almost subconsciously labeled Leila for the position from the start. She was Timothy's partner, his counterpart. When he was rash, she was level headed and calm. When he had doubts, she was the one to eliminate them. When he struggled with classes or new expectations, she was there to support him all the way. Harry could see that Timothy depended on her and favored her like no other. Most of it came from their long, close friendship and, of course, Timothy's sad one-sided love.

Leila was the perfect choice because of her place in Timothy's life. He would never expect her to suddenly become a competitor for the limelight. To him, she just wasn't the type to do so. He thought her sweet, polite, and innocent on all levels.

But Harry knew better. He would have been impressed by how stifled her hunger for power was had it been an actual conscious effort on her part. She might have been as pretty as a flower on the outside and just as bright, but she was about as filthy and greedy on inside as a human could possibly get. And the hilarious part about it all was that she didn't even know it.

She must have done something unspeakably horrible or gone through something impossibly traumatic in the past for such a vicious part of her personality to be hidden away like it was. Most like her had a tendency to either fall into silent resentment for the world or turn right into an open monster intent upon satiating her desire for control. Only something big could have gotten her to turn into the perky Ravenclaw she was today. The façade was like her shield against her hunger and blockade against inevitable insanity. Harry knew it would eventually lead to that had she succumbed to her need for power. He had seen such a result almost every day of his life through Tom.

Harry knew the possible negatives of bringing Leila into the scheme of things. If left as she was, she would most likely end up Timothy's most loyal supporter and an asset with her intelligence. But he couldn't wait anymore. Every day Harry spent here meant every day Tom had to find him. And while he doubted that his guardian could yet bring down the Light barrier, he knew that the Dark's ruler would begin to pour far more resources into such a task if he knew for sure that his Horcrux was within. Harry wasn't being arrogant. It was just a fact. He was a piece of the Dark Lord and any threat to him meant a threat to Tom.

So Harry had taken it upon himself to create another, far more potent dreaming charm within the bowels of the Chamber of Secrets.

Now, he was smirking in the dead freezing morning because his efforts had certainly produced the results he had been looking for.

"What is wrong with you?" Timothy shouted, his voice loud and almost fearful even from across the entire Great Hall. "How could you say that?"

Leila was standing above her sitting friend at the Gryffindor table, her hands on her hips. "I'm just stating fact," she said coldly but just as loudly. "Maybe if you could just –"

"Don't be stupid! You're insane for even thinking it!"

"Don't act like you haven't been thinking it!" she retorted. "I know you have! You had to have been! You don't just go around this year suddenly all Mr. I'm the Best and not even consider it!"

Harry was disappointed when McGonagall intervened and split the two up with a stern glare and a few reprimanding words he couldn't hear. He hadn't heard the beginning of the argument, but judging from what he had heard, everything was falling into place.

Only next time, he had to make sure that their confrontation happened somewhere nobody could interrupt.

~0~

Leila knew she wasn't acting herself. She had sensed it from the very moment she had first woken up from the dream. It had only begun two days ago and already she could feel herself unraveling and she didn't know why.

She just couldn't get it out of her mind. She couldn't help but fall back on those images. For weeks she had begun to see Timothy as hope, as a chance for people like her to finally find a high place in magical society. But her dreams had changed all that.

It was the same one every time. The parameters were fuzzy, the scenario unclear, but she knew that every single time she came out on top – not her best friend. She was the one people looked to for answers. She was the one people revered, worshipped, because she had done the unthinkable. She had done what nobody could.

Exactly what she had done, she couldn't yet remember once she woke up and it frustrated her to no end. She wanted to see it, to taste what she had accomplished. She was a Ravenclaw. People like her loved to see the fruit of their labors and revel in it.

The more she thought about it, the more she had seen why she would make a leader just as good as Timothy. She was smart and her teachers adored her. She already garnered enough attention because of her high grades and sweet disposition but Leila also knew that she was…pretty.

Oh, she wasn't stunning by any measure. She had neither the aristocratic lilt to her face nor the elegant bone structure that so many purebloods were born with but she was beautiful in her own right. Among a sea of apparently mediocre non-magicals, she shone like a jewel.

But she had never taken advantage of that. That would have been cruel and she wasn't cruel. She was nice and she cared about other people. She helped other people and smiled to keep everybody else just as happy as she. Leila was a kind person. So many people had told her so. And she knew she was. She felt sick when she saw others injured and angry when others were unjustly treated.

So why was she now having these thoughts? Why was she suddenly condemning her best friend because she thought she could do better? Timothy was trying his best! She knew that. He honestly wanted to help the people he did and he was often successful.

But sometimes, just sometimes, Leila couldn't help but notice the small things, the little things that he could have done to do better. He could have sent somebody else to get the nurse or maybe he could have used the information he had on certain people to fix a problem rather than stick to his stubborn Gryffindor morals and revert to blatant approach. At times, she felt…sidelined. Like she didn't really matter when he was in his "leadership mode". Timothy hadn't always been this way. He hadn't always been able to stand up for himself and take command.

"Leila? Leila!"

Leila jumped out of her thoughts and looked around her English class in brief confusion before she realized that the teacher had been speaking to her for the last few moments. She flushed in embarrassment and said, "I'm sorry, professor. Could you please repeat the question?"

The teacher pursed his lips and replied, "Please remember to pay better attention in the future, Leila. I will allow this to pass this once because you are normally very attentive." He then turned away and glanced over at the opposite end of the room where Timothy sat. For the first time in five years, Leila wasn't by his side.

She waited for the teacher to ask her friend the question but she noticed how his gaze flitted over Timothy's form and came to settle upon another in the adjacent seat.

"Mr. Evans. Perhaps you can answer this?"

"There is a certain duality to the character," Harry promptly responded. "Although that would almost be redundant because humanity is rarely ever less than that. Nobody really only has one face, one personality they have to present."

A flash of approval entered the teacher's eyes and he smiled. "Very good. You are improving."

Leila scowled at the compliment. Of course Harry was doing better. She was tutoring him after all. With her help, he was no longer the pathetic runt of the class. No, now Harry was the one person nobody could really hate. He was always smiling, always supportive. He was painfully quiet and slow at times but even she had to admit that he was endearing. His quiet need for her help always gave her a warm feeling in her chest: pride. She was actually indispensible to the Slytherin squib and he always said so.

Leila frowned and furrowed her brow as she watched Timothy grin and give Harry a congratulatory punch on the shoulder. What was her best friend doing appearing so cheerful like that? Irritation flared at the realization that Timothy wasn't exactly bothered by the fact she was gone. She was actually avoiding him, furious with him. Yet there he was, smiling, because he no longer had only one friend to depend upon.

Now he also had Harry.

It was Harry. Ever since he had arrived out of nowhere, Timothy had begun to grow out of his delicate persona. Before Harry had come, Leila always had Timothy glancing at her, looking to her for answers and help. She had liked that. She had liked helping him and the rewards that came with it. It made her feel filthy to admit, but Leila had liked the way Timothy used to be more than she did his new personality. Of course, now Harry needed her but he always looked to Timothy first. Always Timothy. And Timothy now didn't completely depend on her because he drew his courage and strength from Harry.

Suddenly, the entire class began to stand up and Leila realized that she had forgotten to pay attention again. She hastily packed away her belongings and stepped out of the class, not even bothering to jot down the homework. Once she entered the hallway, she deftly avoided the crowd she had grown so accustomed to over the last five years and brooded.

Only when she was standing in front of the Black Lake did she finally realize that her feet had unconsciously taken her to the location she always ate lunch with Timothy. She flushed at her lack of attention but let out a quick breath of relief that he had yet to show up. She was still angry with Timothy for brushing off her suggestion this morning and she had no intention of coming anywhere near his vicinity until he properly apologized.

Really, had her idea been that bad? She thought it had been brilliant. She had been thinking about her dream again, furiously wondering what exactly she had done in it. She couldn't help but daydream about the things she could have done, the impossible obstacles she had overcome. She had initially thought it an amazing academic feat. Then she had believed it to be a great deed on her part, probably saving another's life or something similar. But none of those things were impossible. Many had done the same before her and she clearly recalled that she had done the unthinkable in her dreams.

Then, as she had been eating breakfast, the idea struck her and she had to share it with Timothy, give him the amazing advice.

But he had rejected it, loudly, in front of the entire school and left her humiliated.

"Hey – um – Leila?"

The Ravenclaw girl spun quickly on the spot, prepared to snap at whoever had decided to bother her only to freeze upon seeing Timothy's face.

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head while, to her great irritation, Harry lingered behind him with a tentative smile. "I guess…I mean…it's great that it's lunchtime, isn't it?"

Leila sometimes wondered whether Timothy would ever learn how to properly begin a conversation when he was flustered. He had obviously thought he wouldn't see her here today after she had avoided him during classes.

"I suppose," she replied frostily.

When she offered no other words, Timothy sighed and plowed on like the Gryffindor he was. "Look, I'm really sorry about this morning. I didn't mean to say it so loudly but you really shocked me, Leila."

She raised one eyebrow. "So you're here to apologize?"

"Harry did let me know how rude it was of me," he laughed uneasily.

Leila pursed her lips into a thin line. So it had been Harry's idea to apologize. Since when did the shy new guy give advice?

"It was rude of you. Especially since I meant what I said."

Timothy's laughed nervously. "Leila, it was sort of funny the first time but now it's a little…" He paled when her stony expression didn't falter at all and hesitantly asked, "Wait…you can't be serious."

"You know me better than that. Of course I'm serious!"

"But…"

"But what?" Leila hissed. "You won't even consider it?"

Timothy sighed heavily. "Alright. I have been thinking along those lines for a while now. I mean, it's naturally one of the first things that came to mind."

"Then why won't you actually do it? Why don't you start now?"

"You…you don't get it." Timothy crossed his arms. "I can't just…just…"

"Take the plunge? Actually do something of use?" Leila snarled. "Are you afraid?"

"Of course I am!" He threw his hands up in the air. "They have magic! We don't! How in Merlin's name could we ever hope to compete with them?"

She could hear the rationale behind her friend's words. It made sense. But there was still a part of her that only saw a coward before her, one too afraid to take on the unthinkable.

Leila shivered. The unthinkable. This was what she had been dreaming about it, she was sure now. The idea she had reached this morning was what she had managed to accomplish in her dreams. But perhaps, just perhaps, it didn't have to remain so ethereal…

Leila shook away the idea. Surely not. That was just silly of her to even think of doing such a thing. Standing up to the wizards and witches? That would certainly be difficult to take on. It still stung that Timothy clearly thought they couldn't do it at all but she could now see why he had been so skeptical.

Still, there was that part of her just wondering…

"You're probably right," Leila sighed in defeat. "It is a silly idea."

Timothy smiled and pulled her into a hug. "Come one, Leila. You're definitely the brightest person in the entire school. You've got so much going to for you."

Leila smiled back but it was small and thin. Maybe for now it was a silly idea, but it wouldn't be for long. She would find a way to accomplish it. She would find a way to make the fighting ground even between them and the magical students.

And if it meant doing her planning without Timothy, then so be it.

~0~

Harry caught up to Leila just as dinner came to end that day. He had been keeping an eye on her throughout the day. After the morning's conflict, he knew that she was beginning to crack. Maybe she had reconciled with Timothy during lunch and seemed, to the entire world, back to herself, but Harry could spot the defiant glint in her eyes that signaled her determination.

Harry still hadn't yet heard exactly what she had suggested during breakfast. When he had asked Timothy, all he had gotten was a quick "maybe later". The uneasy expression on the Gryffindor's face had pleased Harry. Not only was Timothy reluctant to share the idea with Harry because it had involved Leila, but also because Timothy had been guilty of the same thoughts. Of course, he had shoved it to the back of his mind but now that his best friend had brought it up again, the idea that plagued his dreams was resurrected and brought to the forefront of the mind again.

Exactly the way Harry wanted it.

And Harry was fairly sure of what the idea was. Leila and Timothy had made a point of never actually articulating it, but how could Harry not know what it was when he had been the one to plant it in their minds in the first place?

"Leila!" he called out when her brown locks came into view.

She hesitated in her step and turned around towards the source of his voice before she finally spotted him. "Oh, hello Harry."

That was strange. He could hear the slight coldness in her voice that he hadn't heard before. Normally, she greeted him warmly and with an offer of another tutoring session. Now, there was something blocking it, something that made her abstain from offering help and smiling genuinely. She had realized something today that apparently didn't place Harry in a favorable light.

"Do you have a minute?"

She pursed her lips and Harry could almost hear the rejection already.

"It will be quick," he added. "Just a few minutes."

She didn't have any excuse to say now, Harry knew. Nobody had classes after dinner and after so many weeks leeching off her knowledge, he knew her schedule like the back of his hand.

"Alright," she relented.

They detached themselves from the crowd and slowly walked side by side in a corridor devoid of other students, free to speak their minds (if they ignored the staring portraits).

"I just wanted to know what exactly you spoke to Timothy about this morning," he began. "It's not that I'm going to defend him or anything like that, but I just wanted to know so that maybe I could help." He added a tentative smile for good measure.

Leila relaxed a bit at his façade of uncertainty. "Timothy hasn't told you yet?"

"No. He just avoids me whenever I bring it up."

She nodded in understanding and shifted her books in her arms before replying. "Well, it wouldn't hurt for you to know. Just…promise me that you won't laugh it off like Timothy did."

"Of course not," Harry grinned.

Leila took a deep breath as if she was about to take a large plunge. Then she blurted it out in a rush of words. "I suggested that maybe we should start facing the magicals." As if that didn't seem like explanation enough, she hastily continued. "Well, I don't mean like fight them or anything. They would win, obviously. But I mean just try to get some better treatment, you know? I'm not asking for much. Just…just something better. Aren't you sick of sitting at the end of the table, furthest away from the Head Table like some animals unworthy? Aren't you sick of the magicals waving their wands like they're so much better?"

Harry smiled widely and this time, it wasn't a forced one. "I understand you completely. And I think you have the right idea."

Her eyes widened at that and she stopped in her tracks to stare at him in wonder. "You really think so? You don't think it's stupid?"

"I think it's brilliant," he assured.

Leila bit her lips. "Timothy thinks it's stupid."

"Maybe he has a few good points," Harry relented. Then he slyly added, "But since when did you ever let that stop you? You're so smart I bet you've thought it out carefully."

"Yes…yes, I have thought about it." A new gleam had entered her eyes, a new sort of confident conviction in her ideas now. She smiled at him. "Thank you, Harry. That really helped me."

"Just don't go off and start doing anything risky though," he said with fake concern. "I wouldn't want you doing anything without Timothy first."

If her smile had been capable of appearing any wider, Harry was sure it would have split in two. "Don't worry. Don't you worry about a thing, Harry."

~0~

"Are you sure you must leave now?" Sara Fawcett, as Draco had learned the girl was named, asked.

Draco plastered on an expression of regret as he stood outside her door, ready to leave. "I wish I didn't have to, but I need to find my friend. He's important to me." Important because without him, I'm pretty much a dead man walking.

Sara's mouth frowned in disappointment but she managed to say, "Thank you, by the way. Thank you for helping my mother and…talking with me." She flushed a little towards the end of her sentence.

Trust a filthy, weak witch to feel enamored just because he had touched her hand and offered her his condolences. It was obvious she didn't have very many people to speak to - pathetically obvious. But Draco only smiled gently and lowered his voice to a secretive whisper. "Can I trust you?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed breathlessly. "I would carry anything you want me to keep a secret to my grave!"

Draco smirked at her eager participation. "Then I need you to do me a great favor, one that could place your life in danger."

Sara's eyes widened but she continued to listen closely. Good, so she was either brave or silly enough to really do whatever Draco asked of her.

"I need you to continue asking around for my friend. Ask people you trust – and I mean truly trust – to look for him too and bring the information back to you. Ask them to ask their friends and so on and so on." He reached down to the ground and searched for a brief moment before picking up a suitably sized stone. He pulled out his wand and whispered a few words under his breath and it glowed a bright red color before it settled back to its original shade. "Keep this with you at all times and don't let it out of your sight. Once you receive any information that could help me, hold this and say your name. I will receive the notice and contact you for the information."

Sara reverently took the stone into her hands and cradled it for a moment before her head snapped back up to listen as Draco continued.

"Please remember that this must be secret. I…" A little white lie couldn't hurt, could it? "…I am an unregistered wizard like your father was. If anybody heard about me, I would be taken too. Please remember this." Draco wrapped his hands around hers for emphasis and added for good measure, "Please, Sara?"

The use of her name made Sara flush a brilliant scarlet and she breathed, "Of course. I owe you that much."

A horrible thought occurred to Draco that moment. What if she used the stone just to contact him when she had trouble? That would be a problem. He couldn't have her bothering him because of her silly needs and worries. "And remember contacting you takes a lot of my power," he said. "So please do not contact me unless it is necessary."

She nodded once and she seemed a little downcast before she bit her lips. "Could you…could you tell me what your name is?"

The question threw Draco off for a moment. He had completely forgotten that she didn't know who he was quite yet. He had grown up so accustomed to people recognizing him on the spot he hadn't bothered to introduce himself.

But, of course, she couldn't know his real name. That would just cause problems if she did get caught with the enchanted stone.

"My name is Marcus. Marcus Flint." Hell, if she did get caught, she might as well get caught knowing the name of the one person Draco disliked almost as much as he did Harry. Maybe that way, Flint would be rid of once and for all.

Sara swallowed thickly. "Marcus…"

Draco had had enough of the girl's presence. She might have been slightly older than himself, but she was easier to play than a child. Boring, really, after a bit.

"Goodbye, Sara." And he placed a soft kiss on her hand before departing. It was good manners to depart on good terms, after all.

Even it meant he would have to wash his mouth afterwards.

Hey I actually got an update on time for once :D

And yup, Leila's getting some showtime. I really hate her but I guess that's why she's so fun to write. To be honest, I had her planned to be Timothy's competitor from the beginning.

Sara Fawcett is actually a character from the Harry Potter books. She was a Ravenclaw in Harry's year but I made her older in this fanfic because practically nobody knows her anyway so I can do as I like :P

It seems sort of risky for Draco to be setting up a network like this but he did put himself under another name and he is sort of naive about the actual world at this point. He's got battling in duels down pat but actually making his way in the real world with no hierarchy or word games to play? He's got a ways to go before he gets the kinks worked out. Plan to see him mess up quite a bit ;)

Leila is beginning to see Harry as a competitor too...did you get that? I don't know if I made it clear or not but she is beginning to see that Timothy is slowly replacing her with the new kid. Is it jealousy? Maybe. Okay, yes. It's the first little knot Harry hasn't planned for!

And this, once again, isn't edited. Actually, now that I'm at it, I'm pretty much not going to edit anything because I'm too lazy...so unless I explicitly say I DID edit it, I guess you should assume any errors are a result of my lack of revision :(

For those of you who thought Sara would be Hermione, I thought the idea was actually pretty brilliant (I didn't even consider it!). But I already said that she was at Hogwarts. She was one of those lucky Muggleborns. She will become a larger player in the future but I had to have her at Hogwarts for it. For now, she's just the show-off witch that annoys Harry sometimes during class :P