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 VI: Malfoy's Unexpected Defender.
The last lesson on Thursday was Potions and it went as bad as always, seeing as Snape had stopped ignoring Harry. But Snape, as Malfoy, didn't manage to annoy Harry to the same extent as they had last year.
The potion they had started making was called the Draught of the Living Dead. If you ever needed to pretend you were dead, this was what you were looking for. The potion left you as dead for a period of time, depending on how much you took. Well, you didn't die exactly, it just stopped everything; your heart, your breath, anything that showed you were alive. Put your body on pause, in a way.
It was the first time they used Runespoor eggs in their Potions. Snape himself had added the powdered eggshells to each of their infusions of asphodel and wormswood, he apparently believe they would try to steal the rare powder for their own, illegal use. Which he, of course, was right in believing.
The class had ended in Leia and Hermione delivering their oh-so-perfect potions, just as usual. Hermione worked twice as hard with Potions, trying to get as good as Leia. But for once, Leia seemed to get everything right, and Hermione still had 'E' in potions.. Harry could see it angered Hermione greatly, but he didn't mention it, though he was afraid Ron would.
Harry's potion hadn't gone too well. Ever since he had realised Leia could tell the future, the need to ask her what would happen to him had be going over and over in his head. What if it was already decided that he should win over Voldemort? That would be such an enormous relief. But then, it was more likely Voldemort's victory over him that would take place, so Harry was in a dilemma. Did he want to know the future, or didn't he?
All this thinking had resulted in his potions boiling a minute or two too much, which made it yellow, instead of the blood red it was supposed to be. Snape had smiled when he had seen it.
Harry shoved his books into his bag and headed for the door. Now he was really in the mood for a good, long Quidditch practice to get his mind of everything. But what met him outside the dungeons, quickly put a stopper to his thoughts anyway.
Draco Malfoy was standing there, side by side with Blaise Zabini. Pansy Parkinson was nowhere to be seen, neither was Crabbe or Goyle. Harry wondered what the Slytherin was up to this time.
"Potter, just the one I wanted to see," started Malfoy in his usual sneer. "I wondered if I could have a word?"
"You've had more than one already, now you can sod of, Malfoy!" answered Harry right back. He was in no mood for Malfoy now, not that he ever was. The coward never dared anything, Harry was quite frankly tired of him.
"Oh, but I would like some more words Potter. But not with all this lower class around!" Malfoy said, looking at Hermione, Ron, Leia and Dean, who all had filed up behind Harry.
"We are higher class than you will ever be," Hermione said, earning her Malfoy's attention.
"Really, Granger? Since you are Pottyhead's girlfriend now, have you come to think of yourself as better than the rest of us?" Hermione was infuriated, but Harry was the one who answered.
"She's not my girlfriend, Malfoy. And if she for one moment thought that she was better than you, which she doesn't, she would be right in thinking so!" Harry yelled, his anger getting to him. Malfoy could bitch as much as he wanted about him, but he would never allow him to hurt Hermione or Ron!
"You have some nerve, Potter, but there is no reason to get mad. All I asked for was a few words with less people around."
"Oh, like the wizard's duel in our first year?" Harry wondered. "Filch was dying to meet me, but I don't remember seeing you there. Who are you leading me to this time? Your daddy perhaps, waiting to take me to his master? I can imagine you, just like him, crawling at Voldemort's feet-"
"Shut up Potter!" Malfoy sneered, his cheeks flustering with anger. "Malfoy's never crawl!"
"Oh, that's not how I remember your father in the circle of Death Eaters. He was crawling! And so was your Auntie Bellatrix when she apologized to him. After that night Malfoy, I will never listen to anyone in whose blood runs the blood of a Death Eater!"
"Don't say that!" said a voice Harry hadn't thought he would be hearing. Leia?
Harry turned around to look at her.
"Don't judge him because of who his father is," she said, looking past him, straight at Malfoy.
"He doesn't need to!" said Ron. "Malfoy here has proved time after time, all by himself, that he is the pure offspring of evil!"
Harry, for once, didn't know what to say. Was Leia, a Gryffindor, and someone who he had just started to think of as his friend, sticking up for Draco Malfoy? And she, who had been attacked by Death Eaters less then 2 months earlier! Malfoy's drawl brought him back to the world. The pointy-faced boy was talking to Leia.
"And you must be...Ms. Libertine. Am I not correct? And why would you, surly a half-blood since you come from an orphanage, be defending me against Potter? Isn't he your saviour?"
"I am not defending you, I am merely advising Harry-"
"WHA-" Harry started, but Leia ignored him and continued.
"-AND for your information, I am of purer blood than you, Draco, even if you can trace your line back to both the Malfoy's and the noble Black's."
"And how can that be?" asked Malfoy, suddenly very interested.
"None of your business. Now, Harry," she said, looking Harry in the eyes, Harry looking straight back. "Just listen to him, what he has to say, he might have changed. There is no reason he is as horrible as his fat-"
But with that, Harry had just about had enough.
"YOU KNOW NOTHING!" he screamed right in Leia's face. He was angry, so angry he hadn't been in a very long time. Never before had a friend betrayed him! He felt the need to hit something, hit something so that it broke, so that it hurt!
Not wanting it to be his friends that he hit, Harry turned and ran up from the dungeons, ran away from Leia, away from Malfoy, away from them all.
OOO
When Harry sat down at dinner he was so careless that he managed to trip over his goblet. Furiously, he clanked it back up. He and Leia had seemed so alike. She had been the first person who could look him in the eye and understand what he was feeling. And now she was defending Malfoy!
Hermione and Ron came rushing into the hall a few minutes later. Harry saw them both sigh with relief when they saw him. He noticed Leia was not with them.
"Thank Merlin we found you!" exclaimed Ron, "Hermione was worried sick that you would do something stupid. Don't worry," he added, "we told Leia to bugger off. She didn't reply though, she just stared back with those grey dull eyes."
"Thanks," said Harry.
"I can't imagine what would make her do something like that," said Hermione.
"Probably knocked her head when she was little," said Ron. "Well, there has to be something wrong with her when she's defending Malfoy!"
"But didn't you hear her, Ron? She said she was not defending Malfoy, but advising Harry."
"I's still tha same," said Ron through his potatoes. Harry again felt strongly for siding with Ron.
It was still a few hours left before Quidditch training began, and since Ron and Hermione had patrolling duty to do, Harry was left alone. As always, his mind wandered, still not in the direction of his homework, but around what was currently pissing him of. Leia.
How could ANYONE be so understanding, and at the same time, not understand anything? They had told her about the Order and everything! What if she was a fake? What would they tell Dumbledore?
That was what he was thinking about when he sat down in a patch of blinding sunlight on one of the lesser-used staircases. It felt good to let the sun wash away his problems. The light warmed him all the way down to his toes, much like Lupin's chocolate, and he closed his eyes.
But suddenly, the sun disappeared. Harry opened his eyes to get up, since a cloud obviously had covered for the sun, but found out that someone had stepped in front of the window instead.
When he saw who it was, he was leaving anyway.
A/N: Another chapter! Just stating to obvious... If you want to state anything, then you better review! That would be absolutely corking!
