Theodore Nott was snogging his sister.
Snogging wasn't quite the word, though—it looked more like they were making out. Nott's robes ere open at the front, his white school shirt unbuttoned nearly to the waist. Leila's school robes were draped over a nearby bench, and her shirt looked strangely rumpled, as if Nott's hands had already been inside of it. There were purple blotches on her neck.
As Harry watched, Nott's hands slid under Leila's shirt once again, and Leila attacked his mouth with even more ferocity. And suddenly Harry was filled with a kind of rage he'd never before experienced. That was his sister that snake was touching.
Harry had forgotten about Leila's confession to writing Nott during the summer. He recalled it now, along with her threat to tell his parents about the Aperio. But Harry didn't care about that anymore. All he wanted to do was get that son of a Death Eater away from his sister and beat him up. Or kill him. Maybe both.
Harry swooped towards the door. Sirius had guessed what Harry was about to do, and was running towards the greenhouse as Harry transformed back.
"Harry…don't…"
But Harry ignored him and bolted through the door and towards the couple. Neither looked up; they were too busy engrossed with each other and hadn't heard him come in…
"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY SISTER!" Harry bellowed.
Leila and Nott jumped apart as if they'd been hit by lightning.
Harry headed for Nott, who shrank back, fear flickering in his eyes. Pulling back his arm for a mighty blow to Nott's nose, he swung…
"PROTEGO!" someone screamed, and Harry felt himself flying back. He landed in the dirt, crushing several Poisonous Poppies as he fell. In a second, though, he had scrambled to his feet once more, drawing his wand. Nott had his wand out too and was leering at Harry, almost daring him to cast the first curse.
Leila was standing between them, her wand pointed to the spot where both boys had been a moment before. Her face was furious. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Sirius crash through the door and skid to a stop, looking like a deer caught in headlights.
Leila was wavering, unsure of whom to point her wand at. She finally decided on Harry.
"Stay away from my sister," Harry growled, and red sparks shot out of the end of his wand.
Nott paled, but continued to glare back. "You must be blind, Potter, 'cause in case you didn't notice, she was kissing me back."
Harry would have thrown a hex at him right then—he already had a whole list of them in his mind that he wanted to use—but Leila was keeping him in check. Jeremy had spoken almost reverently of Leila's spectacular Furnunculus curses.
"Sneaking out like this…with my sister…you're dead, Nott," Harry shot at him. Maybe if he Petrificus Totalised Leila, then he could kill the awful Slytherin. No, that wouldn't work, Sirius was behind him. On the other hand, maybe his godfather would help him kill Nott and come up with a good idea as to where to hide the body. Harry snuck a quick glance at Sirius, and his hopes failed. Sirius was looking uncertainly from Harry, to Nott, then to Leila, and back to Harry.
"Your sister was the one who suggested our meeting here," Nott said coolly, but Harry could see his hands shaking. For good reason, too; Harry's spectacular Defence Against the Dark Arts skills had become well known throughout Hogwarts.
"Liar!" Harry yelled. "You have no right… Keep your dirty Pureblood hands off my sister or…"
"Or what, Potty?" the Slytherin said. "You'll stutter at me?"
"Or you'll wish you'd never been born to your filthy Death Eater parents," Harry spat.
"Don't talk about my parents."
Nott's voice was deadly soft. Harry laughed bitterly. "Why? Are you ashamed of the truth? I'd have though you'd be proud to have parents who serve Voldemort…bowing like puppets to his every whim."
"Shut up."
"Aren't you a Death Eater too? I heard Voldemort's been recruiting. Did you think a nice Dark Mark tattoo would go nice with your hair colour?"
"I said, shut up!"
"Well, I know your father's a Death Eater… He probably does Voldemort's dirty work for him, doesn't he? Torturing Muggles, killing off Muggle-borns, fighting Aurors… But that's all in the job description, isn't it?"
"Harry…" Leila cut in, her voice pleading. Harry ignored her.
"What about your mummy? She's probably got a Dark Mark too… Even if she's not, I bet she hangs around your mansion, inviting all her Pureblood friends over for tea and simpering in her wealth… Does she know you like my sister? You didn't tell her, huh? She'd probably murder you; I've heard half-bloods have contagious diseases, you know. If she only knew…"
"SHUT UP ABOUT MY MUM!" Theodore Nott suddenly bellowed, and Harry had to dodge a spell that suddenly burst from the Slytherin's wand.
"Why? It's such an intriguing conversation," Harry said sarcastically. He wanted to push Nott to the breaking point…he wanted a duel. "What else does your dear Death Eater mum do all day long? Cower in a corner whenever Voldemort drops by? She's probably just like all the other Death Eaters… She isn't capable of thinking for herself…"
"My mother is DEAD!" Nott shouted, and Harry froze.
He stared back at Nott, who was shaking now, and very red in the face, his wand still pointed directly at Harry's heart. Harry was surprised that the Slytherin hadn't lost control yet…
But those word…My mother is dead… They pulled at something inside of him, because he knew how it felt, to have lost parents, and have people insult them. Aunt Marge's hateful words came crowding back into his mind: "Your sister was a bad egg… Then she ran off with a wastrel… A no-account, good-for-nothing, lazy scrounger…"
Harry pushed every bit of remorse and compassion he had momentarily felt for Theodore Nott out. This bloke had just been snogging his sister… his father had attacked Harry and his friends in the Ministry. There was no way Harry was going to feel sorry for Nott. He deserved anything he got.
"Your mum is dead? Pity…think of all the Muggles she could be attacking right now… all the work for the Dark Lord she could be doing…"
"Harry, SHUT UP!" someone screamed.
But it wasn't Theodore. Leila's eyes were wide and furious, and she had darted right in between the two seventh years…right into the line of fire…
"Leila, get out of the way!" Harry yelled.
"Silencio!" she yelled, and the spell hit Harry before he could block it. Leila took a few breaths, still looking at her brother. "Shut up, OK? SHUT UP!"
She turned to Nott.
"Theodore…"
"Don't talk to me."
"No, Theodore…I need to know something…" she was pleading with him. Harry tried desperately to counter the Silencio charm, but he had always had a hard time with that particular nonverbal spell. He wanted to send a good Sectumsempra spell at Nott, but Leila was still in the way.
Nott wavered, but then he took a step closer to Leila. She met him in the middle ground, still pointing her wand at Harry. "Theodore…tell me something…are you a Death Eater?"
Nott looked at her, then to Harry, then back at Leila. "No."
"Tell me one more thing…it's really important! How…how did your mother die?"
Nott froze. His eyes flickered with fear, and suddenly Harry was intrigued. What was Leila doing? Did she think there was something important surrounding the unknown circumstances of Nott's mother's death?
"She died in childbirth," Nott said quickly. And unconvincingly.
"Tell me the truth," Leila whispered, her eyes wide and beseeching.
"Not with those two here," the boy snarled. He gestured towards Harry and Sirius.
"Please…" Leila said again, putting a hand on his shoulder. "They don't matter. I need to know."
"Fine," he spat, after a long pause. "My father killed her."
Leila gasped, her eyes wide. Sirius was staring at Nott as if he'd never seen him before. And the pieces were beginning to fall into place in Harry's mind…
Finite Incantatem, Harry thought forcefully, and suddenly he could speak again. "You saw her die," he stated, and Nott suddenly looked scared again. But he didn't try to deny it.
Harry remembered the Care of Magical Creatures class during his fifth year when Hagrid had taught them about Thestrals. He and Neville had been able to see the skeleton-like horses, along with one other stringy Slytherin bloke… Theodore Nott.
"Why?" Leila whispered.
"I don't know," Nott said harshly.
"How did she die?"
"They tortured her for days, and then my father used the Avada Kedavra."
"Why?" Leila said again.
Nott kicked at an old bucket. "I don't know, alright? I just don't know! My father always told me that she was a traitor and she deserved to die like that, but I don't know what she did."
There was a long silence. Then Leila spoke. "What was her name?"
"Aurelia. Aurelia Nott."
"What was her maiden name?"
Nott looked long and hard at Leila before replying. "Yaxley."
Pandemonium broke out. Leila threw her arms around Nott and he stumbled back. "Your mother was A.Y.!" she cried happily.
Sirius appeared by Harry's side. "Sirius! Did you hear?" Harry said excitedly and his godfather nodded, a huge grin spreading over his face.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Sirius said to Nott, shaking his hand.
Poor Theodore Nott looked completely bewildered… Well, I would too, if I were right in the middle of a shouting match with my girlfriend's brother and then suddenly they all start acting weird and half-way friendly towards me, Harry thought. He hastened to explain.
"We found a note your mum wrote right before she died," he said to Nott.
The Slytherin's expression turned from confused to completely shocked. "You did? Where?"
"In the Room of Requirement," Sirius answered.
For some strange reason, Nott didn't even ask what the Room of Requirement was. Had Leila told him? Then suddenly it hit Harry.
"Oh… How could have I been so stupid?" he groaned. "That's where Leila's been going every night."
Sirius looked confused, but Leila and Nott exchanged glances. "Been watching me on the Marauders' Map, have you?" Leila said, narrowing her eyes.
"I didn't know where you went! I was stupid. I forgot that people didn't show up on the Map if they were in the Room of Requirement."
"And you let that little hint slip when you told me…" Leila trailed off. Harry was glad she didn't continue; he'd told her that fact when he explained how Malfoy had used the room to plan his pathetic attempts on Dumbledore's life.
"So you've been meeting him in the Room of Requirement all this time…" Harry said, feeling a little of his anger come back.
"Not all the time," Leila said defensively. "Not until you showed it to me…before we just did the broom closet thing…"
"What did you do in broom closets?" Harry growled, not sure if he wanted to know. Now he really wanted to kill Nott… They'd been meeting for weeks—months probably—and he hadn't known.
"That's not important," Nott said quickly, glancing nervously at the red sparks that were bursting from Harry's wand at intervals. "I want to see this letter my mum wrote."
"It's in my office," Sirius said suddenly. "I'll show it to you now, if you want."
It was an odd procession that made their way back up to the castle. Sirius led the way, followed by Leila and Nott who walked together, and Harry coming behind, keeping an eye on the couple. They were fortunate not to meet Filch or Mrs. Norris on the way up, but as they rounded a corner on the fourth floor, they ran into Professor McGonagall, clutching her old tartan dressing gown around her and holding her lit wand high.
"Good lord. What are you all doing up at this time of night?" she demanded, looking at Sirius coldly over her glasses.
"Not important, Minerva," Harry's godfather said quickly. "We've just discovered who A.Y. is," he added in a lower voice.
McGonagall's eyes widened. "Really?" she breathed, glancing at Sirius's followers. Her eyes rested on Nott for just a moment before she nodded and let Sirius lead the way to his office.
Once they were situated in Sirius's office, which was painted red and gold and had Quidditch posters all over the walls, Theodore Nott was given the letter. Leila kept her hand on his shoulder as he read it.
"What is the object she spoke of?" Nott said once he'd finished. His jaw kept twitching, but he locked eyes with McGonagall.
She shifted uncomfortably. "I can't tell you exactly why it was important, but I will say that it was a tiara which used to belong to Rowena Ravenclaw herself."
"So she didn't die in vain," Nott said softly, looking down at his lap.
"No, she didn't," McGonagall said firmly. "I am not exaggerating when I say that what your mother did is probably one of the bravest and most crucial steps anyone has ever taken towards securing Lord Voldemort's downfall. Because of what she did, many lives will be saved."
Harry thought he could see a hint of smile on Nott's face. He was beginning to feel a little warmer toward the dark-haired Slytherin, but he still didn't like the way Leila's fingers were now massaging Nott's shoulders.
"The time has come for us to take sides," McGonagall continued softly. "Voldemort is only gaining power, and if we do nothing to prevent it, he will take away everything we hold dear."
Nott nodded, still not looking at her.
"You have said you're not a Death Eater," Sirius broke in from the corner, and McGonagall's face relaxed a bit.
"Just not having the Dark Mark is still not proof of loyalties, though," she continued, looking straight at Nott. "So I am forced to ask directly, Mr. Nott. Where do your loyalties lie?"
There was a long silence. Then Nott looked up and met her eyes. "I will never serve the Dark Lord," he said firmly. "My father has been pressuring me for some time to become a Death Eater, but I will never do so. I can't…" He swallowed hard. "I can't join Father…not after seeing him murder her…and especially not now that I know why Mum died."
McGonagall looked at him long and hard. "You're certain, Mr. Nott?"
Nott took a deep breath. Harry could hear the seconds ticking away on the clock on Sirius's desk. "I'm sure."
Harry walked back to the tower with his sister, who was clutching an excuse signed by McGonagall just in case they met Filch.
"Um, Leila?" Harry said tentatively. She did not reply. Harry sneaked a glance at her. She was staring straight ahead, her jaw set.
Harry inwardly groaned. Oh Merlin…
"Leila…"
"What?" she snapped.
Harry's stomach sank. "I'm…sorry…" he finally blurted out. "I was a real prat, bursting in like that and trying to beat him up…"
"Yeah, you were," she acknowledged stiffly.
"I shouldn't have said those things either," Harry continued. "I just… I felt…" He struggled for a moment, trying to find the right words. A memory flashed into his mind; a memory of him and Ron catching Ginny snogging Dean behind the tapestry and how angry Ron had been. Ron had looked like he wanted to tear Dean limb from limb.
"I just felt so angry," Harry continued haltingly. "I mean, you…and him…"
"Just what I need, a super over-protective older brother invading my life," Leila said, tossing her head. But she didn't look quite so mad anymore.
"I was being just like Dad," Harry mumbled. "Judging people before ever giving them a chance."
"Too right," she said.
"And I'm sorry."
Leila didn't speak for a while. They climbed the last stairway to the seventh floor and ducked through a narrow doorway into a shortcut to the Common Room.
"I forgive you," Leila finally said as they approached the portrait hole. "But I'm still going to be mad at you for a while. Just to make me feel better."
"Er, OK," Harry said, not quite sure of what she meant.
"Starting now," she informed him, then gave the Fat Lady the password and stormed through the portrait hole, leaving Harry standing alone and feeling very bewildered.
True to her word, Leila didn't speak to him for the entire week preceding the first Quidditch game. Some of the Gryffindors were very curious as to why the seemingly inseparable siblings were now ignoring each other pointedly. Jeremy had different feelings.
"It's about time you two had a row," he said the next day at breakfast, slapping Harry's back. "The two of you were entirely too nice to each other for siblings. It's just not natural."
Quidditch practices were rather awkward. Harry spoke to Leila when he had to—he was Captain, after all, and he avidly refused to let personal feuds come before the team. But it did sound strange to hear Leila shouting, "Demelza, tell that idiotic brother of mine that I was passing the Quaffle! He's blind as a Vampire at noon!"
Demelza would faithfully repeat what Leila had said, until Harry finally yelled, "I heard her the first time!"
Every night Leila was free, she would slide out of her chair at eight o'clock, take her books to her dormitory, and slip out of the Common Room, but not before throwing Harry a grin and wink. He knew where she was going, and he tried not to think about his sister tangled in the arms of Theodore Nott, Slytherin. At least she hadn't fallen in love with Draco Malfoy…
The next Order meeting was scheduled the evening before the match. Harry left Jeremy in charge of the team's practice. He knew Jeremy would do a good job, but it would also infuriate Leila, who secretly wanted to be Quidditch Captain once Jeremy and Harry had graduated.
When Harry arrived at Grimmauld Place, most of the Order members had already arrived, including Luzita Clark. The Transfiguration professor was bustling around the nearly-full living room, introducing herself and chatting amiably with everyone she met. Harry saw Moody standing in the corner, watching Clark carefully with both eyes. Harry waded through the crowds towards the old Auror.
"Hey, Professor," he greeted Moody.
Moody grunted and nodded in return.
"Does she have the Mark?" Harry asked softly out of the corner of his mouth.
Moody shook his head quickly. "I probably shouldn't be sharing this with a student, but you're not the average student, are you, Potter?"
Harry suppressed a grin. In the corner, Clark was now deep in conversation with Molly Weasley. The latter seemed to be telling a story; she was waving her hands and talking expressively.
"I've checked everything—background, family history, occupational records, every listing for Clark or Putnam—that's her mother's maiden name—the Wizengamot has tried in the last two hundred years, but she's clean. There is no reason in the world not to trust her, but every time she's around, my Auror senses go on high."
"Have you checked to make sure she's not under Polyjuice?" Harry asked.
"She's not. I already ran some tests."
"Under the Imperious Curse?"
"Again, no."
"She's acting," Harry observed. Now Clark was embracing Kiara with a large smile on her face. "She's not nearly that pleasant at school."
"She is when Minerva and I are around," Moody said.
"Not with students, though," Harry insisted. "She's everyone's least favourite teacher. She hates Gryffindors, and she's always favoring Slytherins."
Moody turned his head and focused his non-magical eye on Harry. "What's so wrong about that, Potter?" he growled. "I was in Slytherin."
Harry gaped at him. "I…er…you…" he stammered.
Fortunately he was saved from having to reply by Sirius calling, "Listen up, people, let's begin!"
For the most part, the meeting was boring. Sirius told the Order about how Harry had found Ravenclaw's tiara (leaving out the fact that Leila had been there as well). Regulus said he'd gotten the diary and the ring destroyed, and had made a good start on breaking the enchantments surrounding the tiara. Mundungus Fletcher reported his attempts and failures of convincing any of the newest Death Eater recruits to consent to spy for the Order. "They were too scared of You-Know-Who," he said. "Of course, I Obliviated them once they said no."
As the Order had a long discussion regarding ways to infiltrate Death Eater circles, Harry found himself wishing he were back at Hogwarts on his broom…
Fred elbowed him, then gave a long, comical yawn. Harry grinned.
"I'm missing Quidditch Practice," he whispered.
Both twins looked sincerely sympathetic. "That's awful, mate," George said.
"Thanks for the box," Harry said softly. "We've made good use of its contents.
They both were delighted. "What did you do…" Fred started, but cut off when he noticed Mrs. Weasley glaring at them.
"I'll owl you later," Harry promised, and Fred nodded.
Harry turned his attention back to the meeting. Now the attendees were discussing how to destroy Nagini. Clark was listening intently, and a few times she made comments or suggestions. Harry noticed that he and Moody weren't the only people watching Clark—McGonagall was keeping a sharp eye on the new Transfiguration teacher as well.
Harry was very glad when the meeting adjourned. He wanted to get back to the Gryffindor Common Room and see how the practice had gone. The team had been working on some complicated new plays…
He hardly noticed when his mother kissed him goodbye.
Author's Note: I am officially caught up with myself. Now your waits will be waiting for me to write a chapter rather than post it…
So now you know who A.Y. was. I thought about making you wait another twenty chapters or so, but figured you'd waited so long for the third person in the Aperio…I'm not that mean. By the way, the third person is revealed in chapter 40. Which I haven't finished writing yet either. Hopefully I'll get 39 and 40 up before I leave on a two-week vacation on Wednesday.
Hope you liked this chapter! Next chapter I get to try my hand at some Quidditch scenes. The title? "Triumph and Tragedy."
Please review! We're getting close to 600!