Leo and Marisa had finally begun to settle into Hogwarts. They were enjoying their classes, particularly Potions. They were both near the top of the class in that and rivalled each other intensely.
Marisa's favourite subject, however, was by a long margin Flying. She loved the sense of power and control it gave her, and the sheer exhilaration of the wind in her hair.
Leo preferred Transfiguration, which he was fairly good at. He felt that magic was the most important thing to learn.
Leo received an owl from Lucius, but it was not what he had hoped. No, it said in as many words. We did not.
They continued with the secret flying. Leo read books while he watched Marisa soar through the air.
Marisa's campaign to re-establish her reputation also continued. She never openly confessed after the Potions incident, but Slytherins weren't stupid. They worked out soon enough that when Pansy Parkinson lost her wand for a few days, when Crabbe grew absurdly long toenails, the common factor was that they had insulted Marisa a few days before.
People left her alone after that. She was no longer openly called "Mudblood" and she made a friend in Daphne Greengrass, who could see Marisa's power and decided to work with her instead of against her.
Leo found making friends a lot easier, but he had to avoid spending too much time with Marisa. In the library he spoke to Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw, and got to know him well. He began to develop two circles of friends: Slytherin blood-purists and intelligent Ravenclaws and Slytherins of all blood statuses.
Marisa sort of fell into a category of her own. He spent as much time with her as he could without making his fellow Slytherins suspicious. They plotted together and talked about everything they could think of. They exchanged knowledge: Leo telling Marisa about the Wizarding War and Marisa telling Leo about the wonders of Muggle technology.
Together they charted the passageways of Hogwarts, making careful notes in case they ever needed to escape through the halls.
And it was on one of those explorations that they made the most exciting discovery of all.