On the morning of the first of December, Marisa was up at half past six. She knew it was ridiculously early, but she had a feeling a certain someone would be waiting for her.
Once she was dressed, she grabbed the bag of Zonko's tricks she'd bribed a third-year to get and walked downstairs into the common room.
As she had expected, Leo was sitting in the cosiest armchair, with a long thin parcel on his lap.
"Is that a broomstick?" Marisa asked, trying to control the massive grin spreading across her face.
Leo nodded.
"But it's against the – oh!" she said suddenly, remembering the day at breakfast when a broomstick had arrived for Leo, "an administrative error, indeed! I can't believe I didn't think of that before!"
She reached out her hand to take it, but Leo shook his head.
"You can only have it if you forgive me."
"That's blackmail!" said Marisa, no longer trying to stop grinning. "As a matter of fact, I was going to forgive you anyway. I got this for you as an apology." She handed him the joke bag and then reached out for the broom.
"How did you get this?" asked Leo. "I thought first-years couldn't go to Hogsmeade."
"They can't," said Marisa, "I bribed a third-year." She began pulling the paper off the broom as Leo started to inspect the tricks.
Once the paper was off, Marisa gasped. "A Nimbus 2000? How – "
"Much did it cost? Quite a lot, but it's a small price to pay for getting my ally back."
"And of course, next time you need a favour, I'll feel guilty about the broom so I'll have to do it."
"Got it in one."
"You do realise the flaw in your plan… I don't have a moral code, so I won't feel guilty!"
Leo glared at her.
"Anyway, I'd better go and hide this before anyone else spots it." Marisa picked up the broom and went back upstairs.