Chapter 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, it all belongs to JK Rowling…I'm merely an obsessed fan with ideas stuck in my head.
… … … … … …
Leila walked into Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and was amazed by what she saw. The twins really had done well for themselves, and Leila couldn't possibly imagine a better place for them. The store was piled high from floor to ceiling. with colorful joke products. Leila imagined one could spend hours in this place. She was also sure that there were plenty of products that Filch had already or would soon be banned. Leila looked around to find the store packed with Hogwarts students; luckily Fred waved at her and walked over to meet her.
"You're just in time Leila. I was about to give Harry the grand tour. Why don't you come along?" Fred said.
"I suppose I could do that." Leila said.
Fred winked and he showed Harry and Leila around the store. He pointed out the various products, including some stories of how he and George invented them. They had just about everything you could think of in the store: Muggle tricks, love potions, joke products, even some defense products. Harry and Leila were checking out the Decoy Detonators when someone who worked for Fred and George came over.
"There's a customer out here looking for a joke cauldron, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley." She said.
"Mr. Weasley?" Leila laughed.
"Find that funny do you?" George asked.
"I'm sorry it's hard for me to imagine you two as adults, Mister Weasley." Leila smiled.
"That's all right we aren't really." Fred smiled.
"Verity, I'm coming. But you two can help yourself to anything you want, free of charge." George said.
"I can't do that." Harry said.
"You two don't pay here." Fred said.
"You certainly can't just expect me to literally take what I want." Leila said.
"Of course we do. You two gave us our start-up loan, we haven't forgotten." George said.
"I had." Leila whispered slightly paling.
Her thoughts turned back to after fourth year. They had donated the winnings from the TriWizard tournament to the Weasley twins. She and Harry hadn't needed the money, and then Cedric… Fourth year had been an awful year. She didn't like to think about it too much.
"I think I need some air." Leila said.
She quickly rushed out of the store to sit on a bench outside of the shop. Diagon Alley was all boarded-up; but even a change of scenery couldn't distract Leila. She couldn't help but let her thoughts go back to that year. That year where everything changed.
Flashback to 4th year
Leila had been excited that Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were at Hogwarts. For once something exciting would be happening that she wouldn't be involved in; she could simply be a spectator, which was all right with her. She was rather tired of having to watch her and her brothers back year after year. Nothing was supposed to happen this year. The night the champions were picked she had been sitting at the Slytherin table chatting with Daphne and being annoyed by Malfoy. Fleur Delacour. Viktor Krum. Cedric Diggory. They had all been chosen as TriWizard Champions, but then the unexpected happened. A fourth piece of parchment shot up from the cup.
"Harry and Leila Potter." Dumbledore had called.
Leila and Harry had looked at each other oddly, each wondering if they had entered the other in the competition. In a flurry they both had been escorted down to the trophy room. Leila knew Harry was suspicious of her, but she hadn't entered them. It was a brilliant plan though. Combined, their age was over the legal age of seventeen; but how their names had shout out of the Goblet after Cedric's was a mystery. Only to later find that they had been entered under another school. A lot of yelling took place that night, but it was ultimately decided that they must compete. Both of them must compete individually, even though their names came out together. Honestly, Leila was quite terrified at the prospect of the TriWizard Tournament. She wasn't anywhere near as brave as her brother; but that didn't matter.
Slytherin surprisingly had been supportive of her, well most of them. They assumed that she actually was Slytherin enough to figure out a way into the tournament. They thought that Leila had been cunning and resourceful to enter; two traits valued in Slytherin. Leila didn't stop to correct them because she didn't want the attention. She just wanted to forget the whole thing. Of course they were brutal to Harry, especially Draco Malfoy. They made fun of him for not being smart enough to figure it out how to enter himself. They made fun of him for being an attention-seeker. It was odd to see Slytherin protect their own and terrorize Harry even though they were in the exact same situation.
Then there was Cedric. Leila had met Cedric during her first year, when she was searching for a book in the library. He helped her find the book, and they had formed a friendship. Cedric would help her with her homework if she needed it. The two got along quite amicably. It was in Leila's third year, that Leila's crush began on Cedric. He had to have known that she liked him, but Cedric never said a word, and he always remained kind to her. After her name was called out of the Goblet, he became wary of her. They were still friends; but Leila couldn't help her jealousy over his choice of Cho Chang.
The first task was quite daunting she had to face a Romanian Longhorn dragon. She had been terrified but she completed the task. She came in second place behind Harry. The second task, she had to save Daphne from under the water. She and Harry both used gillyweed, only Leila didn't wait under the water for the others. And the third task….well, that's where everything went wrong.
Cedric and Harry had been allowed into the maze first, but she followed closely after. Even though she and Harry were competing against each other, she stayed right next to him through the maze. They had decided that they would get through this together. She wouldn't admit it, but the maze terrified her. After much wandering through the maze they caught up with Cedric Diggory and it was a race for the cup. Cedric fell, but Leila helped him up. When they got to the cup, they decided that all three of them should grab the cup. But none of them knew the cup was a portkey.
The cup transported them to a graveyard. Cedric instantly began celebrating and kissed Leila. Right after he kissed her, he was killed. Leila vividly remembered watching the life leave his body. She and Harry were trapped. Peter Pettigrew had everything set up to resurrect Voldemort. They were forced to watch Pettigrew add the ingredients to the cauldron. The last thing he required was their blood. Harry kept him distracted enough that Pettigrew forgot to get her blood and only took his blood. Her brother was so much braver than she was. She really owed him her life.
They witnessed Voldemort come back to life that night. They then dueled Voldemort and he quickly caught on to Pettigrew's mistake. He cast a Cruciatus curse on Leila, but she felt hardly any pain. For being the most evil wizard in history, she had expected much worse.
"You fool! You only took the boys blood!" Voldemort had hissed.
But Voldemort was too selfish and proud to let anyone else take care of her. Apparently, her mother's protection still flowed through her veins, but their mother's protection for Harry also flowed in Voldemorts. So instead Voldemort focused on Harry and trying to kill him. Harry and Voldemort's wands connected and she saw Cedric and her parents. Next thing she knew Harry had grabbed her hand, flung himself over Cedric, accio'd the cup, and they were back at Hogwarts.
The rest of that night was a blur.
End 4th year flashback
Leila breathed heavily outside the joke shop. So many bad memories. Voldemort had come back and Cedric had died. The loss of Cedric hurt her deeply. Leila hadn't been herself for most of last year. With everyone cramming so hard for the O.W.L.S., she felt practically alone and isolated in Slytherin. She had sunk into somewhat of a depression, but she never wanted to show her weakness. Daphne was probably the only one who knew how much of a mess she was last year. But if it hadn't been for the D.A., she probably never would have come out of her depression. Cedric had been like her first love, even if he had never shared the same affection. Leila was instantly knocked out of her reverie.
"Move it, Potter." Draco Malfoy sneered walking past with his mother.
Leila chose not to say anything. She honestly was too spent and had no energy to waste on Draco Malfoy. Leila watched Draco and his mother walk; they appeared to have somewhere specific in mind. Ron, Harry, and Hermione soon came outside and saw her sitting on a bench.
"You all right, Leila?" Harry asked.
"Fine." Leila muttered.
"You kinda ran, is something the matter." Harry asked.
"Really, Harry. I'm fine." Leila said.
"You want to come and walk around the Alley with us?" Ron asked.
"I've got nothing better to do." Leila sighed.
Harry offered her a hand to help her up, she accepted, stood up, and walked around Diagon Alley with them. They walked down the cobbled roadway.
"How are Fred and George doing it? Half the Alley's closed down." Hermione commented.
"Fred reckons people need a laugh these days." Ron said.
"I reckon he's right." Harry said.
"Funny how this time last year even though Voldemort was back, things weren't this dark." Leila said.
"It's not funny, and don't say that name." Ron said.
"Sorry, poor choice of wording; but don't you know what I mean?" Leila asked.
"That's because the Daily Prophet, Fudge, and Umbridge were trying to make us into nutters just to keep things the way they were." Harry said.
"Oh no." Hermione gasped.
The group stopped in front of what used to Ollivander's Wand Shop.
"We already knew this was closed, Granger." Leila groaned.
"But still, everyone got their wands from Ollivander's and to actually see it like this. Sometimes you can't possibly believe things are true until you see it for yourself." Hermione said.
Harry opened the door and was followed by Ron and Hermione. Leila hesitantly stood outside at first, not sure if she should go in; but she caught another quick glimpse of the Malfoys, and decided that she would much rather be out of their sight. She looked around, seeing all the wands scattered on the floor as well as broken glass covering every surface. Ron walked to the window and looked out into the Alley.
"Harry, is it just me or does it look like Draco and Mummy are two people who don't want to be followed?" Ron said.
They all moved to the window to watch Draco and Mrs. Malfoy subtly stroll into Knockturn Alley.
"Come on." Harry said.
"We'll be seen!' Hermione said.
"Get under this." Harry said whipping out his invisibility cloak.
"What about our feet? We're too big to fit all four of us anymore" Leila said.
"Hurry up or we're going to lose them." Harry growled.
They all squished under the cloak. They didn't fit as well as they had when they were eleven, so four pairs of feet could be seen. Luckily for them it was natural to see odd things in Knockturn Alley, so no one noticed anything out of place. They attempted to silently followed the Malfoy's, but every once in a while, they would clumsily run into one another. They suddenly came to an abrupt halt, which almost caused Leila to go flying from underneath the cloak, but Ron's hand firmly grasped her arm and kept her in place.
"They're in there." Hermione whispered.
"Bourgin and Burkes." Ron whispered.
"I can't see. Ron's head is in the way." Harry said.
"What if we went up there?" Leila asked pointing to the roof of the next shop.
"That would be smart. We may be caught here." Hermione said.
The group followed Leila a bit out of the way, and then they helped hoist each other up onto the small roof of the building next to Bourgin and Burkes. It was too hard to hoist each other up with the Invisibility Cloak on, so they took it off and hoped they weren't noticed. Once hidden from plain sight by another roof, the four peered over into Bourgin and Burkes. Leila didn't like what she saw. She saw Mrs. Malfoy, Draco, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Fenfir Greyback (she only noticed him from the wanted posters). Something was going on. Something had to be going on. Two known Death Eaters, plus two family members of an incarcerated Death Eater. Something was definitely going on. Draco was looking at a black cabinet. He walked around the cabinet, placing his hand along it. Just then Greyback appeared in the window and they all ducked. They stayed there ducked for a few minutes hoping they weren't noticed, but preparing mentally in case they were.
"Is he gone yet?" Ron whimpered.
Leila bravely peered over the roof, while the others remained huddled. She couldn't see into Bourgin and Burkes because a curtain for the window they were looking in had been drawn.
"They closed the curtain." Leila whispered.
"Damnit." Harry whispered.
"Maybe we should get going." Hermione whispered.
"For once, I agree with Granger." Leila said.
"That's got to be a first." Ron said.
"This isn't the time for jokes, Ronald." Hermione hissed.
"Right." Ron said.
They quickly and quietly left the rooftop that overlooked Bourgin and Burkes. They didn't worry about the Invisibility Cloak for their return trip. Harry silently lead them the whole way back to the joke shop. They passed many odd strangers including a man talking to himself, or was it a wall? But Leila knew what Harry was thinking, because she was thinking the same thing. But it couldn't be possible could it? The annoying prat that followed her around like a lost puppy a Death Eater? It made sense if you put her dream and what she had just seen together. But she had never told Harry the full context of her dream; and like Dumbledore said, she wasn't supposed to tell Harry her dream. Leila firmly decided that: no, it wasn't possible. Draco Malfoy couldn't possibly be a Death Eater. After what happened in the Ministry of Magic last year, there was no way Voldemort would ever put faith in a Malfoy again.
When they got back to the shop Harry and Ron snuck in under the Invisibility Cloak leaving Hermione and Leila to be interrogated by Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley also dragged Fred and George over with her, neither of whom looked pleased to be under the control of their mother.
"Where have you two been?" Mrs. Weasley demanded.
"Sorry, that would be my fault. Granger and I were talking." Leila said.
"Were you now?" Mrs. Weasley said knowingly.
"Not exactly talking…." Hermione began.
"She saw me sitting outside. I needed some air. It was getting hard to breathe." Leila said.
"Like we told you, Mum, we saw Leila run out of the store." George said.
"See exactly like we told you." Fred said.
"Why did you run out of the store? You needed to tell someone! These are Dark times, surely you two haven't forgotten!" Mrs. Weasley reprimanded.
"I'm sorry, but I just couldn't stay. George just reminded me of the TriWizard Tournament, which reminded me of Cedric and…and…" Leila couldn't continue.
Leila felt the room closing in on her again, but Mrs. Weasley gave her a look that told her that she needn't go any further. Mrs. Weasley turned to the twins and swatted each of them in the arm with her bag.
"Don't you two boys think? The girl's been through enough without you two bringing it up." Mrs. Weasley muttered.
"But how were we supposed to know?" Fred asked.
"We didn't technically mention Cedric." George commented.
"You just were supposed to know. Now, apologize." Mrs. Weasley demanded.
"Sorry." Both twins muttered.
Mrs. Weasley gave Leila a side-hug, and gave the twins a look that they knew that they were finished. So Fred and George went back to attending to their customers.
"Now, where are the boys?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
Harry and Ron waved from the back room.
"Right over there." Hermione pointed.
"Ronald Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley yelled.
Mrs. Weasley took off stomping here way through the store to where Harry and Ron were. Leila half-smiled at the sight, but turned to see Hermione looking at her.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Hermione asked.
"It's nothing for your to be concerned about Granger." Leila said.
"Losing Cedric must have been hard on you. You obviously liked him for so long." Hermione began.
"Just shut it, Granger." Leila hissed.
"I know we're not friends, but if you need to talk I'm around." Hermione said.
"I'm sure McLaggen will keep you busy. He's eyeing you up, in case you couldn't tell, Granger." Leila said.
"Well…" Hermione said flustered and blushing.
"Besides, I don't need to talk to you." Leila finished.
Leila shook her head and wandered the shop until it was time for them to leave. She ran into many people from school. There were plenty of Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, but she couldn't recall seeing any Slytherins in the store. It was times like this, where Leila wanted nothing more than to be alone; but seeing as she was under protection detail, that wasn't going to happen until they were back at the Burrow. Luckily, there were plenty of things in the shop to keep her occupied until they left. And soon, but not soon enough, Mrs. Weasley was ushering them out to the car. The car ride back to the Burrow seemed to last forever and Leila's thoughts again turned back to Cedric. Merlin, how she missed him. While Harry, Hemione, Ron, and Ginny carried on about the twins' joke shop, Leila remembered all the times she had spent with Cedric, and how she wouldn't get to spend any time with him again. It was like last year all over again. But she didn't want to look weak in front of the others, so while she thought she focused on the scenery outside.
When they got back to the Burrow Leila went directly to the room she shared with Harry. She sat on her bed and buried her face in her hands to cry. A soft knock came at the door and Ginny walked in.
"Hey." Ginny said.
"Hi." Leila said tearfully.
"Hermione said that you were kinda down today. Do you want to talk about it?" Ginny asked.
"What good will talking about it do? It's in the past. It's done with, it's over." Leila said.
"Ah. This is about Cedric isn't it?" Ginny said.
"Am I that transparent?" Leila groaned.
"When it comes to Cedric, yeah, you are." Ginny said.
"Granger told you, didn't she?" Leila sighed.
"That too." Ginny smiled.
"Fred and George reminded me of him today." Leila said.
"What did they do?" Ginny asked.
"They mentioned the money Harry and I won from the TriWizard tournament. Then everything all came back at once." Leila said.
"They can be idiots sometimes." Ginny said.
"It's not their faults, they couldn't have known. Besides, your mother already made them apologize. They didn't have to do that." Leila said.
"Yes they did, and you know you can talk to me." Ginny said.
"What's to tell, you already know most of this?" Leila said rolling her eyes.
"Sometimes it just helps to get it out, rather than keeping it all inside, even if it is in the past." Ginny said.
"You know that I had crush on him all of fourth year, and before that, even though we were just friends. It just hurt because he was killed right in front of me. I never want to see something like that again. Someone you love die before your eyes. I should probably just stop loving people because they always seem to die. My mum, dad, Cedric…" Leila sobbed.
"I'm so sorry about all that, Leila; but you know as well as I do that's not a reason to not love." Ginny said.
"When I look back on it all, I feel like such an idiot." Leila said.
"Why's that?" Ginny asked.
"I remember I asked him to the Yule Ball, but he politely declined." Leila said.
"Why?" Ginny asked.
"Because he said that it wouldn't be appropriate for two champions to attend the ball together." Leila smiled.
"So who did you end up going with again?" Ginny asked.
"Do I really need to remind you?" Leila groaned.
Leila rolled her eyes and reminded Ginny of what happened that night.
Flashback
The night of the Yule Ball had finally arrived and Leila was wearing dark blue dress robes that went all the way to the floor. She didn't really want to go to the dance, but it was required of champions to attend the ball, which included a meal. Leila hadn't spent long getting ready, opting to spend more time with Harry and the Weasleys. Leila waited until the last possible minute to head to the ball, this way she didn't have to be there longer than she had to. She was almost to the Great Hall when Professor McGonagall caught her. Professor McGonagall quickly walked away from where she was talking with Harry and Pavarti.
"Miss Potter, where's your date?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"You're lucky I'm even here." Leila said.
"You must have a date. It's tradition for the champions and their dates to have the first dance, and then to sit at the front table with the judges." Professor McGonagall said.
"Well, I don't have a date." Leila said.
"Miss Potter!" Professor McGonagall gasped.
"Why didn't you go with Ron, he did ask you." Harry added.
"I didn't see a point if I couldn't go with whom I wanted to. Besides, he only asked me because Granger turned him down." Leila said.
"Well, a partner is required for the first dance. Let me see here." Professor McGonagall said looking around.
Just at that moment Draco walked up with Pansy glued to him. Leila hoped that Professor McGonagall didn't notice him; but it was too late because Professor McGonagall called him over.
"Ah, Mr. Malfoy come here please." Professor McGonagall said.
"Yes, Professor." Draco drawled.
"Miss Potter needs a partner for the first dance and the dinner." Professor McGonagall said.
"He's my date." Pansy said possessively.
"I will not dance with him, besides, like Parkinson said, he's her date." Leila said.
"You will dance together and you will act civilly together during dinner." Professor McGonagall said sternly.
Pansy scowled, and began complaining to Professor McGonagall, who quickly ushered her into the Great Hall. Draco stood there smirking at Leila, both of whom were being steadily watched by Harry. The champions were lining up and Leila was forced to take Draco's arm. She walked into the Great Hall on the arm of Draco Malfoy. She was pretty sure she had seen Cedric watching them. Jealousy was it?
"Bet your loving this, aren't you Malfoy?" Leila said.
"Of course." Draco drawled.
The orchestra began playing and Leila reluctantly let Draco take her waist. Draco led her around the dance floor, but Leila didn't want that. She tried many times taking the lead, and successfully ran Draco into Cedric many times. Killing two birds with one stone…
End Flashback
"Ah…I remember what happened now." Ginny said.
"That was an awful night. I wanted so badly for Cedric to notice me." Leila said.
"Who did he go with again?" Ginny asked.
"Cho Chang." Leila spat.
"Now I remember why I hate her." Ginny said.
"No, you don't like her because she and Harry had a thing." Leila smirked.
"So not the point, we're talking about you." Ginny responded.
"I sometimes wondered if he ever liked me back, even though he was with her." Leila said.
"Well, since I'm obviously no fan of Cho; I'll say that he did." Ginny said.
"He kissed me that night." Leila said.
"What? When?" Ginny asked.
"In the graveyard. Right before he was killed, he kissed me." Leila said.
"You've never told me that before." Ginny said.
"I've never told anyone before. That's probably because I didn't know what it meant. I didn't know if it was in celebration or because he actually cared for me. The only one that knew about it was Harry." Leila said.
"That's a bit awkward." Ginny said.
"Not as awkward as Ron telling my brother who I'm snogging." Leila said.
"Oh, we're so going to find you an actual boyfriend this year." Ginny said hugging her.
"And who exactly do you have in mind?" Leila laughed wiping away her tears.
"As long as it's not Dean Thomas or a Slytherin, I don't care." Ginny said.
"You're a lot of help." Leila said.
"That's what I'm here for." Ginny said.
"I really miss you during the school year. I hardly get to see you." Leila said.
"That's probably because you're hanging out in the dungeons." Ginny teased.
"Daphne's not that bad." Leila said.
"Hermione's not that bad either." Ginny said.
"At least I can tolerate Granger." Leila said.
"Yeah, that's why you two have been arguing all summer." Ginny said.
"It's the nature of our relationship." Leila argued.
"If you say so." Ginny said.
Leila smiled and Ginny smiled back. Ginny rubbed Leila's back, and Leila wiped away the tears that stained her cheeks.
"You feeling better?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah, a little. Thanks, Ginny." Leila said hugging Ginny.
"No problem, but next time you need me; come to me yourself. Don't make Hermione worry about you. It's a scary sight." Ginny teased.
"Granger was worried about me?" Leila asked.
"Of course she was. I think if you two actually gave each other a chance, you could be friends." Ginny said.
"It's not going to happen, never ever." Leila said.
"It could if you at least tried." Ginny sighed.
"Can we not talk about Granger? I'm rather exhausted and would like go to bed." Leila said.
"I expect." Ginny said.
"I'm going to go to sleep, so good night." Leila said.
Ginny hugged Leila and left the room. Leila changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed. But, she couldn't fall asleep, so she stared out the window at the night sky. She could hear everyone else chatting downstairs, but she had no ambition to go and join them. She lay awake so long that she was awake when Harry came into the room.
"Leila, you awake?" Harry asked.
"Yeah." Leila said.
"You kinda just left. You ok?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, just thinking." Leila said.
Soon sleep overtook Leila, but it was a restless night. Her dreams were focused on Draco Malfoy. In her dream or nightmare, she married the prat; but the scene suddenly changed to the dream she had been having frequently over the summer. When she woke up Ron and Hermione were in the room and they were chatting with Harry about Malfoy. Could she ever get away from him?
"Yes, I've already agreed it was fishy, Harry. But, haven't we agreed there could be a lot of explanations?" Hermione said.
"But why was Malfoy in there?" Harry asked.
"Maybe he broke his Hand of Glory." Ron said.
"His what?" Harry asked.
"The shriveled up arm that Malfoy has." Leila said half-asleep.
"Well, look who finally decided to wake up." Ron said.
"I love Malfoy bashing; but as much as I love it; I'm not in the mood right now." Leila said.
"Didn't know that was possible." Ron teased.
"I'm going to be stuck near him all year; I'd prefer not to include him in my summer as well." Leila groaned.
"Well, this is important." Harry said
"So what's so important that we're talking about that prat first thing in the morning?" Leila asked.
"Aren't you in the least bit suspicious after yesterday?" Harry asked.
"Kinda, but it's Malfoy." Leila said.
"You probably know him better than any of us." Hermione said.
"Oh no. Just because he annoys me half to death does not mean that I actually spend time getting to know the creep." Leila said.
"Well, you're in the same House as him, the same classes as him, you have prefect duties with him…" Hermione listed off.
"Not to mention that he's always trying to get you to go out with him." Ron said.
"So what?" Leila aked.
"But you would know if he's been acting odd, wouldn't you?" Harry asked.
"I haven't seen him since last year." Leila lied.
"Lucky you." Ron said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Leila asked.
"We ran into him yesterday in Madam Malkins. He was getting fitted, but Mummy provoked Harry and then they left." Ron said.
"Harry, you really have to be more careful." Leila said.
"So you're saying something's up with Malfoy?" Harry asked.
"No, I'm not. I'm just saying you got to stop being so cocky. It will get you into trouble and I'd prefer not to have a dead brother." Leila said.
Harry looked at her and sighed. Leila finally sat up, while Ron moved over and Hermione shifted uncomfortably.
"I still think something's up with Malfoy. I mean what was he doing with that cabinet in Bourgin and Burkes?" Harry asked.
"Browsing for furniture?" Ron asked.
Leila snorted at that comment but Harry looked at her.
"It doesn't make sense." Harry said.
"It's a creepy shop, he's a creepy bloke." Ron said.
"Harry, there are plenty of reasons for Draco to have been there. Maybe he was selling dark items before another Ministry raid." Leila said.
"But Malfoy's father is in Azkaban. Don't you think Malfoy'd like revenge?" Harry asked.
"How exactly is he going to get revenge?" Ron asked.
"I don't know! He's up to something. I mean his father's a Death Eater and …" Harry trailed off.
"You couldn't possibly think that?" Leila hissed.
"It makes sense, don't you see?" Harry asked.
"No Harry, absolutely not!" Hermione said.
"You're basing your theory on nothing." Leila said.
"What? What is Harry's theory?" Ron said.
"Harry's under the impression that Draco Malfoy is now a Death Eater." Hermione frowned.
"Malfoy a Death Eater? What would You-Know-Who want with Malfoy?" Ron asked.
"Think about it, he's replaced his father as a Death Eater!" Harry said.
"Malfoy's only sixteen. I hardly believe Voldemort recruits sixteen year olds, Harry." Leila added.
"Sirius said that his brother Regulus…" Harry began.
"Malfoy a Death Eater? It does seem very unlikely, Harry. What makes you think…" Hermione interrupted.
"Remember in Madam Malkins? She barely even touched his left arm and he jerked away. He's been branded with the Dark Mark." Harry said.
Leila thought about Harry's last comment. She had gone to reach for Malfoy's left arm yesterday and he had instantly recoiled telling her not to touch him. Maybe Harry was wrong. It wouldn't be the first time. Harry was wrong about a lot of things; but Leila hoped that this time he was. For once, Leila just wanted one school year not marred by anything Dark. Leila, Ron, and Hermione all looked at each other.
"I don't know Harry." Ron said.
"Honestly, I think he just wanted to get out of Madam Malkins because we were there." Hermione said.
"But what about Bourgin and Burkes? It was an initiation." Harry said.
"I'm not sure Harry." Hermione said.
"Yeah, I still don't reckon You-Know-Who would let Malfoy join." Ron said.
"Do any of you believe me?" Harry asked.
None of them answered. Leila thought that what Harry said could be true, but she didn't want to believe it was. Harry grabbed his dirty clothes and hurriedly left the room. Mrs. Weasley had been on them all week to get their laundry done before the last minute. Leila stared at her pile of laundry in the corner.
"I can kinda see his point, but it just doesn't add up." Leila said.
"He's an evil git all right, but Malfoy a Death Eater?" Ron asked.
"But we all know that Harry's not going to drop this." Leila sighed.
"I sometimes wonder if it gets to Harry." Hermione asked.
"What gets to him?" Leila asked.
"Well, I mean last year we were all prefects and Leila you're in a completely different house than your brother. Sometimes it feels like we aren't around him as much as we should be." Hermione said.
"Harry doesn't want us babysitting him; but he does have you two in Gryffindor." Leila pointed out.
"But still, I don't always feel right leaving him by himself." Hermione said.
"Harry's a big boy, Hermione." Ron commented.
"I suppose you're both right. Well, I should probably go start packing. I'd suggest you two do the same." Hermione said.
"We got a few weeks left, Hermione." Ron whined.
"Your mother said that she didn't want a lot of last minute laundry." Hermione said.
Ron rolled his eyes and Hermione left the room. Leila watched out the window, debating with herself on whether or not she should tell Dumbledore of her suspicions.
"You ok, Leila?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah, when did you get in here?" Leila asked.
"Just now. I warned Harry that Phlegm was in the kitchen and then came in here." Ginny said.
"After a summer you still can't stand her?" Leila asked.
"Can you stand Hermione?" Ginny smirked.
"Oh shush." Leila said.
"I'll just be leaving." Ron said awkwardly standing up.
"Go do your laundry, Ron." Hermione yelled.
Leila and Ginny laughed.
"And you wonder why she annoys me?" Leila laughed.
"Aw c'mon, you know she's growing on you." Ginny said.
"I just learned to tolerate her better." Leila said.
"If that's what you think." Ginny smirked.
"Want to go outside and toss the quaffle around?" Leila asked.
"My favorite avoiding Phlegm activity." Ginny smiled.
Leila playfully shoved Ginny and they snuck outside to toss the quaffle around. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were soon outside and wanted to join in. By that point Leila decided that she was going to owl Professor Dumbledore.
"Harry, do you mind if I borrow Hedwig?" Leila asked.
"Who are you owling?" Ron asked.
"Professor Dumbledore." Leila said.
"Did you have another dream?" Harry asked concernedly.
"No, I just had a question about my prefect duties." Leila lied.
"Yeah, you can borrow her." Harry said.
"Thank you, you're the best big brother." Leila said.
"I'm your only big brother." Harry said.
Leila walked back inside and wrote a letter to Dumbledore. She knew that she shouldn't write her suspicions out, just in case the letter was intercepted.
Professor Dumbledore,
I need to meet with you when term starts.
Leila Potter
She attached the letter to Hedwig and watched her fly away. The rest of the summer was spent trying to get the boys to pack, avoiding Phlegm, and of course playing Quidditch.