Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, places, names, plots, historical incidents in the magical world, ghosts, objects or anything else that the genius J. K. Rowling has come up with. But do try not to steal my plot. Ask nicely and I might let you.

Harry Potter and the Light of Life

Chapter II: First day back.

When Harry came down to breakfast in the Great Hall next morning, it was so early that not many people had risen yet. He had woken early after a troubled night filled with scream from children, green light and the high-pitched laughter of Voldemort. As he looked around, not feeling too peaky, he saw to his relief that nearly none was seated at either of the House tables. The staff table was half empty (no Order members he noticed), but his heart sank as he spotted a small group of people at the Gryffindor table, sitting and eating. Harry didn't recognize them, so he guessed they were first years. He could always avoid them. But wait, one of them was as tall as he was...

Then it hit Harry, of course! It was the five orphans! Their heads were bent down and they were just picking at the food on their plates. The little boy was sitting on the lap of the tall girl, playing with a hairy ball, which Harry strongly suspected to be a puffskein. The boy was the only one of the orphanages who seemed to be noticing the world around him; the others were just staring at their plates with empty eyes. Harry knew how they must feel.

"Whare's mssopt?" Harry heard the little boy ask.

"Mrs. Spot has gone away," said the tall girl. Harry saw that the shoulders of a girl with brown hair starting to shake.

"Ai want mssopt!" yelled the little boy, hitting the girl's arm with the puffskein. She just continued to butter her toast.

"Eat up, Ana," the tall girl said to the brown-haired girl who he suspected was crying, but she put no force was behind the words. As close as Harry had gotten now, he could see they looked extremely miserable, traces of tears on their cheeks and bags under their red, puffed eyes. As they became aware of him, they all looked up.

"Err..." was all Harry seemed to muster.

"I hope we haven't taken your seat?" asked the tall girl.

"Oh. No," Harry said as he sat himself down next to the oldest looking boy. "Are you alright?" he asked, the words out of his mouth before he realised their stupidity. Asking someone who has just been attacked by Lord Voldemort if they were alright was just about as stupid as...well, he couldn't think of anything more stupid at the moment.

"We could have been worse," said the tall girl, still buttering the same piece of toast she had been scraping at for the last minutes. Harry stuffed his mouth with toast to prevent himself from saying something even more stupid.

"What year are you in?" asked the girl, seemingly just to have something to talk about.

"Fifh' yea'" Harry managed to say through his toast. "Gryffindor."

"I must be your age then. I'm sixteen."

"Me too," said Harry.

"Benedict," she said as she stuffed toast into the little boys mouth, "is two and a half."

"I'm Damien," said the boy Harry was sitting next to. "And that is Anabella-"

"Ana," corrected the girl, hiding her crying face in a mass of brown hair that looked as bushy as Hermione's.

"My name is Willow," said the thin sandy haired boy. "Willow Vind."

"I'm Harry," Harry said. "Harry Potter." As whenever people saw him for the first time, their eyes shot up to his forehead, where he knew his scar was visible. Even Benedict, the little boy, seemed to know the story of The Boy Who Lived. He had dropped his puffskein in the tall girl's pumpkin juice.

Madam Pomfrey was suddenly rushing over to them and ended the uncomfortable silence.

"Are you feeling better now, my dears?" she asked. None of the children answered, they just looked down on their empty plates. "Well then, let's get you out of here. Professor Dumbledore would like to see you all in his office. Oh, I see you have met Mister Potter."

"Just briefly," said Harry.

"I am sure you will meet again sometime. Now if you just hand me Benedict, Ms. Libertine, there you go." Madam Pomfrey chatted as she always did, as she lifted the boy into her arms. The rest of the children also got up. The tall girl fished the puffskein out of the goblet with an old looking wand.

"Good day, Harry Potter," she said, before she ushered the children out of the hall along with Madame Pomfrey, the puffskein in her hand licking it's fur clean of the pumpkin juice with a long pink tongue.

Harry was playing with the flame of a candle he had summoned when Ron and Hermione joined him at breakfast. McGonagall, who apparently had returned, came around with their timetables. First up was Advanced Potions with Snape. Harry had been astonished when he had received an E on his OWL in Potions, but if he ever was going to become an Auror he needed the subject.

"You look sad, Harry" said Hermione. "Is something wrong?"

"Of course something is wrong!" said Ron, "He has just found out that he is going to be locked up in the dungeons with Snape."

"Shut up, Ron," said Hermione. "Harry, what is it?" Harry told them about his meeting with the children.

"They looked devastated, like there was no tomorrow. I can't help feeling like them. They're orphans, just like me. One of them is our age," he finished with.

"That little boy that sat on my lap last evening, he didn't seem to realise what had happened," said Hermione absently.

"What do you think is going to happen to them?" said Ron. "They don't have anywhere to go."

"They're having a meeting with Dumbledore now though," informed Harry. "So I guess it's being decided now."

"I'll hope they'll be able to stay in the castle," said Hermione. "They need to be somewhere they feel safe after what they have been through."

"Well, no time to think about that now," said Ron, looking up at the enormous clock on the wall. "We have to get our books now or else we'll be late for Potions. Don't want Snape on out tails the first day."

As before, the Gryffindors were having Potions with the Slytherins, but now also with the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs. Unsurprisingly enough, Crabbe and Goyle was not there, but Malfoy was, as always, pleasuring them with his company. But before he could do anything, Snape came and let them in. The Potions master seemed to still ignore Harry.

"What a relief!" whispered Ron. "Lets just hope the slimy old git keeps it up."

The potion they were starting the term with was the common Pepper Up potion. It was harder then Harry had though a so commonly used potion to be. The salamander blood was the far worst ingredient. The lizards needed to be fed pepper continuously to able it to live outside the fire and the pepper made the whole class sneeze. When Harry finally added the three drops of the strengthening blood and stirred seven times to the right, there was a knock on the door.

"Yes?" said Snape. The door opened and revealed Professor McGonagall.

"Professor, would you mind if I borrowed Ms. Granger for a moment?" McGonagall wondered.

"If you must. Be quick," Snape said, as he looked irritated at Hermione. Hermione looked puzzled back at Harry and Ron, before she got up and followed McGonagall. Ron silently raised his eyebrows at Harry, asking if he knew what was going on. Harry shook his head and checked on both his and Hermione's potion.

They didn't have to wait long before they found out, for after a good 15 minutes Hermione came back, followed by none other than the tall girl.

"Ms. Granger," enquired Snape as Hermione shut the door, "May I ask whom you have found it fittingly to bring to my class without asking me first?"

"Yes, Professor. This is Ms. Libertine. Professor McGonagall has just informed me that she is a new student at Hogwarts. She was elected into Gryffindor house in Professor Dumbledore's office not yet an hour ago. She is here to follow the class as any other student." This seemed to satisfy Snape.

"Take your seats and don't waste any more of my lesson." Hermione and the tall girl, or Ms. Libertine, made their way towards Harry and Ron, but stopped when Snape decided to open his mouth again.

"Ms. Libertine, would you like to tell me why you haven't brought a cauldron?" asked Snape.

"I don't have one, sir."

"And why haven't you got a cauldron? Did you really think you could manage without it in a year with Advanced Potions?" Harry couldn't hold himself any longer.

"Sir, she was just attacked last night! Go easy on her, for-"

"Be silent, Mr. Potter, I am not interested in your opinion. I was asking Ms. Libertine why she hasn't brought a cauldron, not you." His gaze shifted from Harry to the girl. "So, do tell us all. Why haven't you brought a cauldron?"

"I don't have one, sir."

"Then tell me how you planned to get through my class without it."

"I don't, sir. Someone is buying my school supplies for me in Diagon Ally this moment. I'll have them by lunch. I'm sorry, sir."

"No, Ms. Libertine, I am sorry. To have another Gryffindor in this class. There is still time enough for you to make the potion. Get back to work, all of you." With that he conjured up a cauldron with a fire burning beneath it beside where Ron was sitting.

As always, Snape kept a close eye on the Gryffindors. Seeing as Neville Longbottom no longer was in the class and since he was ignoring Harry, Snape couldn't do anything else than throwing rude remarks at the other Gryffindors and praising the Slytherins to sickening heights. The few Hufflepuffs and the group of Ravenclaws were left mostly alone, but still the Potions Master managed to take a few points from each of the three houses, giving Slytherin just as many.

But even if Snape was keeping an eye on them, Hermione was able to tell Harry and Ron through the corner of her mouth that the tall girl, who's name was Leia Libertine, was along with Willow Vind and Damien Burrow, new Hogwarts students. Leia, who no doubt was hearing what they were whispering about, was not even glancing their way.

"But I thought Hogwarts was the only wizard school in Britain. Where has she learned enough to start in sixth year?" whispered Ron, watching his Pepper Up potion boiling.

"It's supposed to simmer," whispered Hermione, as Snape glided their way. Ron quickly lowered the flame. When Snape had passed, Hermione continued. "She told me on the way down here that a Mrs. Spot had thought her in the evenings. Of course, the children usually come here when they are eleven, but I don't know why neither she nor the other two did. Well, I suppose I will just have to ask her later. You see, I have been made her Companion, the boy who was starting third year was given one too. I will teach her how things work in the castle, helping her with her homework if she needs it, making sure she is alright."

"Just to get this straight," said Ron, "now you are taking more subjects than anyone, you have Prefect duties, you're the best student in the whole ruddy school and you have the responsibility for another student, not to mention helping me and Harry out with out homework?"

"You forgot S.P.E.W.," Hermione told him and that seemed to be the end of their conversation.

To his own big surprise, Harry's Pepper Up Potion didn't look too different from Hermione's, the only difference being that it was not as brightly red as hers. Ron's was more orange though. They all delivered a sample, Harry keeping a flask hidden in his pocket, worried that Snape might try another foul trick.

"Ms. Libertine, have you finished your potion?" asked Snape as Harry, Ron and Hermione were clearing anyway their supplies. Hermione looked alarmed over at Leia, who was still bent over her cauldron.

"Yes, Professor, It's finished," Leia said, straitening up.

"If it doesn't trouble you too much, I would like a sample," mocked Snape.

To Hermione's relief, the girl poured a glowing red liquid in a flask and put it on Snape's desk. From what Harry could see, it was even redder than Hermione's.

"Look's like you won't have much to help her with," Harry heard Ron tell Hermione as they left the dungeons. Harry couldn't help thinking the same.

But in Transfiguration, things turned out quite different. After being introduced to the class by McGonagall in the beginning of the lesson, Leia proved to possibly be as horrible as Neville Longbottom. But where Neville tended to blow things up, nothing happened to the pot plant Leia was supposed to turn unto an owl. Not that anyone but Hermione did it perfectly, but even Neville had something that looked like and owl at the end of class (even though it still had green, leaf like feathers). When they were finally dismissed from McGonagall's classroom, the only change that had been made to Leia's pot plant was that it sometimes flapped it's leaves as if they should have been wings. But as Ron pointed out, as he and Harry made their way to the Great Hall for lunch, that it could have been the caused by the draft from the open window.

"How can someone be so lousy, but still so brilliant?" Ron mused as they sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"How should I know?" Harry said as he helped himself to some pumpkin juice. The rest of their classmates soon joined them.

"You will not believe what happened in Herbology!" Neville told them as he sat down opposite of them. "I won 15 points for Gryffindor!" Neville, who rarely won any points for Gryffindor (but lost quite a few), was nearly glowing with pride.

"Well, good for you, Neville," said Ron, "but Snape took just as many points form us during Potions."

"Still as mean ey?" asked Seamus Finnigan, who along with Neville was taking Advanced Herbology instead of Potions.

"Yeah," said Harry, "no news there."

"Look," said Dean Thomas suddenly. "There comes Hermione with the new girl. Looks like she has gotten her new stuff." There was no arguing that she must have gotten her new stuff, because both she and Hermione were carrying enormous bags. Leia looked like she should break any moment, her thin arms didn't look fit to carry what looked like the whole Flourish and Blotts. Harry spotted Hermione carrying a large package with Madame Malkin's Robes For All Occasions seal stamped in it.

"What was her name again?" whispered Neville as Hermione and Leia made their way up between the tables.

"Leia Libertine," said Harry. Soon the two girls were seated next to Harry, looking exhausted.

"Do you have everything you need now?" asked Harry.

"Yes. At least I think so," said Leia, looking as if she was praying there was no more things for her to carry.

"Hi," said Ron, popping out from behind Harry, "we haven't been introduced. I'm Ron Weasley," Ron said as he shook Leia's hand.

"Leia Libertine. Nice to meet you, Ron."

"Pleasure," said Ron, returning to his food.

"Neville Longbottom here," said Neville, while blushing furiously.

"Nice to meet you too, Neville."

"Dean Thomas," said Dean as he shook her hand.

"Seamus Finnigan, Ms. Libertine."

"It's Leia. Nice to meet you all."

OOO

After continuing with Transfiguration straight after lunch and then a History of Magic lesson, the sixth years Gryffindors were free to go. Harry had discovered, to his pleasure, that they didn't have as many classes this year, instead it was written 'NEWT Studies' on his timetable. Harry and Ron were taking Hermione's council for once and actually planned on spending their time to do something useful. They had brought the Potions essay Snape had given them on Glover Hipworth, the inventor of the Pepper Up Potion, down to the shades of one of the trees by the lake. Hermione was giving Leia a tour of the castle, though Harry couldn't forget Ron's remark, "In other words, a tour of the library."

"Harry?" Ron asked when they had finally gotten started.

"What?" mumbled Harry, as he bit his quill, trying to figure out if the fact that Glover Hipworth had been very easily infected with the flu when he was a small boy had anything to do with him inventing the Pepper Up potion.

"What do you think of Hermione?" This made Harry forget all about Hipworth, and look up at Ron.

"What do you mean, 'think of Hermione'?" Harry knew what Ron was implying, but hey, why let Ron know that? It would be fun to see Ron squirm a bit after his argument with Hermione during History of Magic, annoying Harry more than once.

"You know, what do you think of her as a girl?"

"What do you mean, 'think of her as a girl'?" asked Harry innocent.

"Come on Harry, not even you are that thick! Do you think Hermione is good looking or not!"

"What do you mean-" Harry started, but stopped when he saw Ron's ears grow alarmingly red. "Alright, alright," he said, scratching his cheek with his quill. "I don't know, I guess she is quite good looking. But she is not for me mate, I could never think of Hermione in any other way than as a friend." Ron drooled further on his notes.

"Do you think I might...?" Ron trailed of in a scarlet blush.

"Might what?" asked Harry, very well knowing what Ron was fussing about.

"Do you think I might have a chance?"

"On getting together with Hermione?" asked Harry. Ron was soon sporting a nearly maroon colour.

"I know it is far fetched and all, Harry, after all she still writes with Krum and...What are you laughing at?" Harry had lost control over his locked up emotions and was rolling laughing on the grass.

"Come on, Ron! The two of you have been arguing like a married couple for years! If I haven't totally lost it, I would say you have a very good chance."

"But then, you might have lost it, look what happened to Cho Chang..."

"That was a crush, Ron. You've liked Hermione for quite a while now, haven't you?" said Harry, grinning madly.

"I guess you could say that," said Ron, finally the same colour as the jumper Mrs. Weasley always sent him for Christmas. "Since fourth year...is it that obvious? Do you think she knows?"

"Knowing Hermione, I would say she does," said Harry, still chuckling. "But why don't you ask her yourself, because here she comes." Hermione was walking towards them from the castle doors and Harry waved at her.

"We were just having a very interesting conversation-" Harry started with, but was interrupted by Ron.

"About Glover Hipworth! Really brilliant guy, don't you think?"

"Is that why you have spelled his name wrong?" asked Hermione as she looked through Ron's notes. Harry couldn't help but laugh.

"Anyways Ron," said Hermione as she gave him his notes back, "Dumbledore wants too see all the Prefects in his office now, Professor McGonagall just told me in the library." Ron packed his things.

"See you later Harry," they both said as they left Harry. He decided after a few minutes of trying to focus on Glover Hipworth's youth, that it was no use. Whenever he was alone these days, his mind always drifted, and it never seemed to drift over homework. He packed up his things and walked back to the castle. When he was nearly at the entrance of Gryffindor Tower, he ran into someone. Or rather stumbled over them.

Leia was sitting in the middle of the stairs; her left leg stuck in the false step everyone knew was there.

"Mr. Potter!" she exclaimed with relief when she saw him. "Can you help me, please? Hermione showed me the step, but I forgot and...well..."

"Sure," Harry said. "You haven't been stuck here long have you?"

"No, I just came back from the library. Thanks, Mr. Potter," she said as Harry pulled her up. Together they collected her books, which had fallen out of the bag.

"And my classmates mostly call me Harry," said Harry, as he gave her back her books.

"Oh, I just heard Madame Pomfrey talk to you as Mr. Potter, so..eh."

"No harm done," Harry said as they both skipped over the fake step. He could help to notice how thin she was. Her legs seemed as wobbly as him own, just that hers weren't covered in pants, but knee socks and the usual skirt.

"Are you alright?" Harry found himself asking her for the second time that day.

"I don't know," said Leia slowly as they turned the corner. Harry saw her eyes cloud over with horrible memories. Harry felt helpless, but he was strongly reminded of his own pain when Sirius had died. Leia looked as he suspected he himself had done right after the loss of his godfather and friend, totally lost and unable to comprehend what had happened.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, before remembering that he hated talking about Sirius' loss to anyone.

"I would rather forget," she said, not looking at Harry.

"I know how you feel," he whispered and for the first time, Leia smiled at him, though the smile never reached her eyes.

"If it is any comfort," said Harry, "You were on the right way if you were looking for the Gryffindor common room."

They walked the rest of the way to the tower together, neither feeling the need to say anything. Harry thought about what girl Leia could be. He didn't get the strange Cho feeling, butterflies in his stomach and the ability to never say anything sensible in her presence. But it wasn't the Hermione feeling either. Or the Ginny feeling. All right, perhaps some of the Ginny feeling, but Leia was a stranger. He decided she was a Ginny feeling with a bit of the Luna Lovegood feeling on top.

"Have you finished the Potions essay?" Harry asked as they were crawling through the portrait hole. Thy found the common room nearly empty, seeing as most people were still in class

"No," admitted Leia as Harry sat down in his favourite armchair by the fire. Leia sat down too. "Hermione showed me a book in the library, but I couldn't concentrate."

"That's understandable," said Harry.

"Hermione is very clever, isn't she?" said Leia, looking into the fire.

"Yeah," said Harry, "Ron and me always get loads of help from her. The tree of us are best friends."

"My best friend is...was...Juliette. She was also the smart one. She was just 14, but still second oldest of us all. We got separated last night. Just thinking about what happened to them...her...Billy..." Her eyes had gone all glassy, and Harry wondered why girls always had to cry around him. But at that moment, they heard raised voices from the stairs, and a second later the portrait swung open and revealed none but Ron and Hermione. They were yelling at each other, obliviously.

"I am telling you, Ron, you have to take your Prefect duties more seriously! I don't understand how Dumbledore could have made you the Gryffindor Prefect, I am sure Neville would have done a better job!"

"Oh, so you're saying you would rather have it that I wasn't made Prefect and perhaps Harry was it instead! What's wrong with what I do anyway?" shouted Ron at Hermione.

"Let's see! You put Quidditch in front of your duties, you don't tell off people who are bigger than you, or whom you like, you lack firmness and that lowers the moral of the younger students!"

"And you can say all that about me, just because I supported my head in my hands during the meeting!"

"Yes, Ronald! I know you, and have done so, for five years!"

"Then I am sorry to say you don't know me at all!"

To Harry it seemed like Hermione had nailed Ron. But the last comment in their argument, hurt more than just one.

"Just sod off Hermione! From now on I won't meddle in your business and you won't meddle with mine. And if some cosy Death Eater should come to say hello, I hope you snuff it!"

"You didn't mea-"

But before Hermione had gotten to say her bit, a thin figure ran between them, knocking into them as it scrambled out the portrait hole. Harry could only imagine the pain Leia was feeling now, and it was not cooling down the anger he felt rise because of Ron's stupidity.

"Are you really that stupid!" he yelled at Ron, who still looked like he could twist Hermione's neck.

"I didn't know she was here, it's not my bloody fault she is touchy!"

"Not your fault!" yelled Harry. "No, I guess it was Voldemort's fault since he killed all her friends yesterday-"

"Don't say that name-"

"CAN YOU SHUT UP!" yelled Harry, making both of them back up. "STOP ARGUING NOW! YOU ARE EVEN HURTING OTHERS WITH YOUR BICKERING!" He took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. "I don't want some silly promise about that you have agreed not to argue. Find out what the problem is, and FIX IT!" With that Harry stormed up the stairs to the boys dormitories, leaving Ron and Hermione to sort their friendship out for themselves.

Harry must have dozed of sometime, because Neville woke him up when he closed the door behind him.

"Hi, Harry," Neville said as he threw his books on his bed. "So this is where you are hiding."

"Hiding?" asked Harry. "From who?"

"Ron and Hermione, of course. They are having a gigantic argument down in the common room." He paused for a second. "Yep,we can hear them all the way up here. Do you know what it's about?"

"Long story," Harry said, not bothering to explain it all to Neville. "Let's just hope they don't start hexing each other."

"Hermione would beat Ron into a pulp."

"Not so sure actually. Ron has gotten much better in the DA," said Harry, feeling the need to defend his best friend.

"I was just thinking about the DA, Harry. Is it continuing or what, now that Umbridge is gone?" Harry hadn't thought about that.

"I dunno, Neville. That all depends of the new teacher." The new teacher certainly looked cool enough, though Harry. The man in his twenties he had seen in the hall yesterday looked like what Harry himself wanted to be someday.

"He looked cool though," said Neville, obviously thinking the same as Harry.

The new teacher had actually reminded Harry strongly of Bill Weasley. Professor Dominic Bloom, as Dumbledore had introduced him to the students last night, had worn nothing less of black, dragon hide boots, a black robe that looked like the latest fashion from Madam Malkin's and a blood red shirt. He had had dark brown, shiny, curly hair, which looked better than Harry's hair ever had. Harry didn't know this because he had been looking, but because he had been seated next to Lavender Brown, who had drooled over Professor Bloom before and during the sorting with her friend Parvarti Patil.

"We don't have him till Wednesday," said Neville after checking his timetable. That seemed like forever to Harry. If yesterday and today was how the rest of the year was going to be, he wondered how the next days could get anymore exiting without killing him before next week.

While Ron and Hermione were still arguing, Harry went down to dinner with the rest of the Gryffindors.

"My parents fight a lot," Seamus told them.

"Why?" wondered Neville.

"They're both quite stubborn. And since she's a witch and he's a muggle, mam always wins. If he tries anythin' funny, she just threatens to put a Full Body-Bind on him. I remember one time, when he had eaten up a treacle tart she had made for her friends from Hogwarts who were coming over the next day. She stunned him, that is how mad she was!"

"Where's Leia?" asked Dean suddenly.

They all looked up and down the table, but couldn't see her.

"Probably wasn't hungry," lied Harry, although he knew the reason to be quite different. After Sirius had fallen into the veil, he had also felt the need to be alone, so he felt it was right of him to cover up for her.

OOO

"Harry! Wake up! Harry!"

Harry felt as if he had just gone to sleep when Hermione's voice drifted into the darkness behind his eyelids. At first he though it was his conscience yelling at him for not finishing the potion essay, but when the voice started poking his arm, he decided it was the real Hermione.

"Was up?" he asked dazed. Hermione answered by pulling of his sheets.

"Hermione! What if I hadn't been wearing anything!"

"I don't care! Up, Harry, please hurry! I really, really need your help!" Harry was still searching blindly for his glasses with his hand.

"What problems could you has gotten into that needs resolving in the middle of the night? Please don't tell me you have woken me up because of a book you have forgotten in the library."

"Leia didn't come back!" Hermione whispered furiously at him. "I was busy fighting with Ron so I didn't notice her bed was empty till now! And it's long past curfew, so if you could help me search for her, I swear I will do your Potions essay for you."

"Are you sure you told her about the curfew?" asked Harry, slipping on his sneakers.

"Positive. Professor McGonagall will be so disappointed if I let Leia down. Hurry, Harry!"

Harry didn't bother putting on anything else, so in his pyjamas and sneakers, with his Invisibility cloak under his arm, he and Hermione slipped out of the boys' dormitory.

"How did your argument with Ron go?" asked Harry as they were creeping down the Charms corridor under the cloak.

"Not too good. Oh, don't be mad Harry!" she said when Harry sighed. "But we have agreed on one thing though, to always speak our mind, so that we have don't to guess what the other is thinking and make wrong assumptions."

"What do you mean?"

"For example, if Ron thinks I am being bossy, he tells me, rather than rolling his eyes when he thinks I am not looking."

"And you? You will just continue as you always have done?" Hermione twatted him on the head. "What good would it do though?" wondered Harry.

"I read it in 'Men are for Mars, Women are from Venus'. It is a Muggle relationship book Harry, you wouldn't know it." She was right, he didn't know it, but now he had confirmed what he had believed from some time now, that Muggles had strange ways to cope without magic.

"Where do you think she can be?" asked Hermione when they came to the end of yet another corridor. They had now searched what felt like the whole castle, meeting Mrs. Norris twice and seeing Filch lump by in a joining passage once.

"No idea," said Harry. "We've searched everywhere." Suddenly Hermione did what she usually did when she had a great idea, she hit herself on the head.

"Of course! How could I have been so stupid! The hospital wing!"

With that she dragged Harry along, until they stood outside the doors to Harry's second home at Hogwarts.

"Alohomora!" whispered Hermione and the door clicked open. They tiptoed inside and Harry could feel Hermione letting out a breath she had been holding when they saw Leia's long black hair on the pillow in one of the beds.

'Finally,' thought Harry, as they edged closer. There was no mistaking her now, not from this distance. Besides, she had the little boy, Benedict, in her arms.

"She was just lonely," whispered Hermione.

With that the two of them tiptoed out again, leaving Leia and the little boy to a well-deserved night's rest.

A/N: That was as you may have noticed, the end of another chapter! Tell me what you think! Review!