Chapter 16:

"HEEELLLPPP!!!" Leah yelled frantically. But these dull yells of help were only echoing off the walls opposite the door of the dungeon for the last ten minutes. And Leah's frantic attempts were only growing weaker. Malfoy sat where he had been ten minutes ago, now holding his hands against his ears, so to block the echoes from the dungeon penetrate into his head. "Cut it out!" he finally shouted, but the faint echoes still lasted in his head, swimming about, bouncing off the insides of his head. "It's no use now," Malfoy continued. "Filch's already gone by the looks of it."

Leah looked angrily at the door, kicked it and sat down on the cold floor. "I wish I never came with you," Leah complained, looking at Malfoy sourly.

But on the other hand, Malfoy was astounded. "What do you mean by that? I didn't drag you here with me."

Leah didn't answer; she knew that it was her choice to come.

"But you know," Malfoy said upon reflection, "If you didn't come then we would have all been caught."

"I suppose," Leah grumbled. She wasn't used to taking credit; in fact, she never took credit for her own actions because other people always trampled through her work. She cleared her throat and tried to think of something to say; something to talk about so to kill the hours ahead of them. "Um, it's a bit cold, isn't it?" was the first thing that came to her mind. Damn, she mentally kicked herself, why do I always talk about the bloody weather, or anything so obvious?

"Yeah, but I'm used to it," Malfoy said. "I would have thought that you were too, seeing that you went to Durmstrang all that time."

"Well, at Durmstrang, we wear fur lined cloaks, not pyjamas," Leah replied, looking down at her flimsy flannelette pyjamas. "Anyway, why are you so used to it?" Leah tried to keep the conversation going.

Malfoy didn't reply for a moment, selecting appropriate words, "My mansion's always cold. It's a bit like this castle really; made of stone and not much light."

"Oh. Well, at least it's a home, right?" Leah added, finding Malfoy's reply made the situation worse.

Malfoy said faintly, "Yeah…"

"Where abouts do you live?"

"Wiltshire, how about you?" Malfoy replied, taking a little more interest.

"Cambridge."

"Nice place," Malfoy said absent-mindedly.

After a pause, Leah asked, "Malfoy, why do you have a problem with Harry?"

Malfoy shivered at the mention of 'Harry' and shrugged. "I don't know. I suppose it's because he's a big headed, attention seeking, 'I'm the world's hero' oaf."

"If anyone's attention seeking, it's you," Leah said, her temper starting to warm.

"Me? Attention seeking?" Malfoy asked, not believing what he had heard.

"Yes, you. Comprehendé?"

"Alright, how am I attention seeking. Please enlighten me," he said, his temper starting to get the better of him.

"Ok. You always think you're the greatest Quidditch player, just because you didn't catch the snitch, you're Snape's pet, you're racist when you don't even give them a chance and you always pick on someone that's lower or smaller or weaker than you, just to make yourself fell better. See? I know you like the back of my hand." Leah crossed her arms and looked at him in the semi-darkness with confidence.

Malfoy was enraged, "How can you say that? You don't even know me and you're already starting to insult me. For your information, you don't know anything. I don't see it fair how you can just waltz in to this school and make friends with the enemy, that have been so for the last two thousand years or so. You just barged in and destroy all the routines, the traditions, everything! Why can't you just pack up and go back to where you came from; you don't belong here."

Leah's temper steadily grew as she listened to him and picked at a new freckle on the back of her hand that she didn't realise was there. "Well, thanks for making me feel welcome here!" Leah shouted.

"Well, you're not!"

"Racist prick," Leah muttered under her breath, but was too loud that Malfoy could hear.

"Muggle-lover," Malfoy also muttered, only it was barely a mutter under his breath.

"Big headed, stupid…" her voice grew a little louder.

"Potty's 'let's save the world'…" and Malfoy's voice reflected hers.

"…racist, self-righteous…" her voice was far from a mutter now.

"…conniving, selfish…" and his voice also getting louder by the insult.

"…slimy, inconsiderate GIT!" Leah shouted her finish.

"…ignorant, nosy BITCH!" Malfoy also shouted simultaneously.

The dungeon echoed eerily after the explosion, as both sat up and glared at each other. But from within herself, Leah could feel a familiar bubbly feeling that soon erupted into laughter. She was unable to hold back neither the smile that cracked her face nor the hysterical laughter that soon came afterwards. Malfoy sat watching her dumbfounded, for a moment, but as if he had caught that disease, he too, was unable to stop himself from laughing.

This rare moment, where both were happy at the same time and could laugh, not at each other but with each other, lasted for some time. Even towards the end, the laughter didn't die down easily; some short laughs were followed after a few seconds silence.

"God, I wish this door would just open," Leah said as she got up. She went over to the door and kicked it with all her might, forgetting that she hadn't any shoes. The pain of it all caused her to sware loudly and jump about on one foot.

"Sit down before you do yourself any more damage," Malfoy ordered and got up and took off his cloak. He tossed it to her carelessly and grumbled as he sat down, "I guess you're feeling cold, right? Just put that on, but be careful you don't get it dirty," he added.

She pulled the black cloak around her and sat down, feeling a little more at home. The pain in her foot was still ringing through her leg but the cold stone floor somehow eased the pain slightly. Leah battled in her head, whether to thank him or not, for a long time, until she came up with something better to say. She cleared her throat, "Um, sorry for saying all those things."

He looked up, "Er, it's ok." He had never really heard anyone apologise so honestly, and it caught him by surprise. He cleared his throat and shuffled where he sat; he felt uncomfortable. He wasn't used to being alone with a girl, or a person even, who had previously been his enemy.

Leah sat, looking at him from the opposite wall. She knew that she made him uncomfortable; you could just see it in his face. They way he hesitates, the way he looks down, not straight at you… the signs were all there. She was kind of enjoying all this, only because this time, it meant that she had the power. She tugged at her borrowed cloak, wrapping it tighter around her body.

Malfoy thought fast for something to say; he didn't like awkward silences, especially when one was expected to say something. "So are you still going out with Potter?" Malfoy had a stab.

Leah rolled her eyes, what that the best he could do? "Ugh, there you go again…"

"No I don't, this is a conversational question. I'm curious and usually in a civilized conversation, when one person asks a question, the other replies; not complain."

"You're being smart with me, Malfoy," Leah warned, but also playing with him.

"I'm always smart; can't you see my enlarged brain?" Malfoy asked, being silly.

Leah laughed a little, "I can only see that you're big-headed."

"Are you always so flattering?" he asked.

"Of course I am," she said sweetly, giving him an equally sweet smile.

Malfoy shivered in his spot and Leah smiled evilly. "Cold?" she asked.

He looked at her suspiciously, like a dog making sure that no-one will come up and dig up his bone. "Anyway, are you going to answer my question?" he changed the subject.

"Well, to answer your question; no, I'm not going out with Harry anymore. I broke it off with him…" she trialled off, unwilling to continue. Malfoy snickered and she looked up, "What?" she asked accusingly.

"Nothing," he quickly said. Leah narrowed her eyes. Damn, if only I was a Legilimens, she thought sourly. "Tell me," she ordered after a failed attempt to try and read his mind.

"Alright," he said and took a pause. "Well, knowing you and knowing… Potter, I thought it wouldn't last; and I was right, wasn't I?"

"I suppose you were," she said and Malfoy looked triumphant. "But," she said and the look on his face faltered slightly. "Because I've broken up with him, doesn't mean that we won't stay as friends."

"Fine," he said, his eyes narrowing. "Go ands save the world with Potty and his wonder trio. You're not worth befriending."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leah said angrily.

"It means that… oh forget it, I didn't mean it anyway."

Leah looked at him weirdly, "ok…"

"Well, we'd better get some sleep – we've got a big day to face tomorrow," he said abruptly and lay down on the cold floor. She clung onto the cloak and lay down also. It wasn't easy getting to sleep on such a cold, clammy, damp, hard floor. Several times she shuffled about, her body getting colder and colder. She drifted off though, despite the uncomforting feelings.

Sometime during the night, Leah woke up. Her hands were freezing, her nose numb, and a headache starting to rage in her temple which was next to the ground earlier. She sat up groggily, rubbed her eyes and looked around in the semi-darkness. She could make out Malfoy sleeping by the opposite wall and could make out him to be shivering. His breath rattled every time he breathed in and was also uneven.

She crawled over, the coldness penetrating through her thin pyjamas into her legs and hands. Once she came beside him, she unwillingly but nobly took off her borrowed cloak and lay it on top of him. He stirred only slightly and slept on, leaving a very cold Leah sitting next to him, her bones betting chilled.

As she sat there on the floor, she cupped her hands together and blew into them. The heat from her breath only lasted for a fraction of a moment but was relief in the slightest. A mumbled grunt came from beside her as she rubbed her hands together.

"Get in."

"Huh?"

"Get in under the cloak, you idiot. Body warmth," he grunted, his tone grumpy.

Leah got under the cloak gingerly, and lay at the furthest possible end of the broad cloak. It wasn't any better.

"Get in closer."

Leah grunted a reply and slowly edged towards him. He brought out his cold hand, grabbed her waist and dragged her closer to him. His body was surprisingly warm compared to his hands but he seemed to have fallen fast asleep and left his arm dangling over her waist. Leah tensed up, but only momentarily as sleep dragged over her now slightly warmer body.

Time was pushed by as the two slept side by side and the sun light could just penetrate through the crack under the door. Both drifted toward to misty and fresh morning of reality from the deep darkness of sleep. But the first to wake was Malfoy.

He awoke from probably the worst sleep he'd ever had in his entire time on Earth. And not only that, what woke him wasn't the sun, but a headache that had developed through the night. The pain was mostly gathering around his left temple and panged when he sat up. His vision blurred and the dark dungeon in front of him swayed but lasted no more than three seconds, and was back to where he had been three seconds ago. Whoa, he thought and lent on his arms supporting him behind his back. He took in a couple of cold but deep breaths and looked down at the sleeping body in front of him.

Leah was sleeping in a somewhat awkward position, her arms folded around her and the cloak dragging off her body. Malfoy who had been looking at her suddenly looked down at his watch and poked Leah in the side when realising that it was near breakfast. She woke up from a pain in her side and saw Malfoy stooping over her.

"Come on, we've got to get out of here," he said and momentarily left Leah's vision. She sat up and saw him standing by the door. A couple of hammers at the door followed soon afterwards.

On the other side of the door, Mrs Norris wandered about the corridors. Muffled bangs echoed across the corridor and she slinked over to the door being hammered. She let out a couple of high pitched "mew"s and sped to where Filch was.

Inside both Malfoy and Leah heard her cries and stopped hammering against the door. It was soon after that some jangling of keys could be heard on the other side and light poured through the now open door.

There stood Flich, his eyes bulging for a moment and then inspecting the scene. He connected the boy and girl together and an evil smile spread across his face.

A/N: R&R! Thought they'd take the opportunity, didn't you? Well, sorry to bust your bubble, but it's going to take a little more time yet… but don't worry, better stuff coming up soon. :)