Chapter 10 – Revelations
Lucius Malfoy stood off to the side of the fireplace studying his master well in what little light that was present. The Dark Lord sat in an overstuffed chair that seemed to make him look even smaller than he already was. His head had dark brown hair, with gray hair showing at his temples, his skin was pale due to the fact that he never went out into the sunlight unless he was going to torture muggles or unless absolutely necessary. He was thin from all those years as a phantom, living yet not living. Lucius could not see his eyes, and he really didn't want to see them. Seeing the Dark Lord's eyes meant that pain would insue. Lucius shuddered at the thought of being tortured, by the Dark Lord personally. It had happened before and it was not very pleasant.
"My dear boy, what is the situation with our spy at Hogwarts?" the Dark Lord asked in an annoyed, but slightly cracked voice.
"It seems that two new students have been transferred to Hogwarts. Where from, I do not know, my Lord. But they were sorted into Gryffindor House, one girl and one boy the same age as Harry Potter and his annoying friends." Lucius spoke quickly and as calm as possible considering the Dark Lord could kill him any minute for saying something wrong. Even if he was the Dark Lord's second in command he was not an idiot he knew his boundaries. "It is also said that they have befriended Potter. The boy, whose name is Leon Wood, is seen standing by whatever Potter deems is right. Whereas Potter has developed a small crush on the girl, Liliana Forest."
With all that said Lucius bowed his head out of fear of the Dark Lord than anything else. 'To think that I, a Malfoy, am afraid! Ha! How ridiculous!' he thought still feeling afraid of the actions of a muggleborn wizard known as the Dark Lord.
"Well, it seems that Potter found himself a little mate and lackey. Wonder where that would put the Granger girl and Weasley boy?" the Dark Lord spoke quietly but knew that Lucius would catch every word he spoke. "Guess...out with the old and in with the new!"
"Yes, my lord. It seems that we may have some use for those two..." a female voice spoke from the shadows behind Lucius, "...they know much and we seem to know so little...my lord." This voice was seductive and knowing.
"You would do well to know your place girl!" Lucius spoke venomously before he could stop himself. Lucius tensed his entire body waiting for the inevitable torture to begin, but it didn't.
The Dark Lord chuckled and spoke, "Lucius you should know not to speak to her that way. You might meet an untimely demise, when you least expect it." He grinned making his face contort into a sneer, "You will also be wise to listen to what she says."
The girl's voice spoke again, "I also believe that my sister is nearby my lord. You should have our spy keep a close eye out for her."
"Do not tell me what to do my priestess! I know what has to be done." Voldemort spoke harshly to the girl, causing Lucius to sneer at her.
"Forgive me, my Lord, I just want you to be successful. I do not presume to tell you, my Lord, what to do." she spoke a timid, but strong tone. 'I only tell you what you need to know old man.' she thought to herself.
"All is forgiven my dear, but do remember that I am in charge. Understood?" Voldemort spoke in a slightly soft, caring voice.
"Yes, of course, my Lord." the girl spoke.
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In a room a girl sat by the window as she spoke to her three companions. There was a full moon in the sky helping to show her face.
"She is near...I can feel her," the girl said to her three companions.
"Do you know where, priestess?" the young man with a deep green cloak asked a bit concerned.
"No...I just know that she is near. You know that I cannot tell exactly where she is, Connor," the young priestess replied.
"Forgive me, priestess. It is just that she must be stopped. The sooner, the better," Connor spoke a little annoyed.
"Forgiven. But Connor remember that patience is required for what is yet to come," the priestess spoke solemnly. "You will have to teach him and be prepared for anything."
"Yes, priestess," Connor said thinking of what is yet to come.
"That goes for you, two, as well," the priestess spoke to the other two young men. They were both wearing dark brown cloaks with matching pants and boots and with deep green vests over flowing white shirts.
"Yes, priestess," they both said in unison.
"We must also be careful. The full moon is upon us...time is drawing near." The priestess spoke in a concerned voice as she turned to look out the window. She was tense for she knew of what was to come and it was not all good.
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Harry and the others had just finished their breakfast, when Liliana commented on how it was going to be a beautiful day.
"Well, then, let's go outside and enjoy it." Harry suggested with a huge smile on his face.
"Really?" Liliana asked.
"Yes, really. Besides I'm starting to feel a little cooped up studying all the time." Harry replied and gave her a knowing smile.
Liliana blushed a little at his double meaning that only they shared in knowing. "Umm...yeah...you're right..." she spoke a little softly before she finished in a more louder and cheery tone, "...let's get going then!"
She grabbed his arm and dragged him off towards the entrance and exit to the Great Hall. As they were heading outside to enjoy the day Liliana, had nothing to do except to think about what had happened between her and Harry.
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Harry was having trouble with his extra potions homework.
"How am I suppose to know what the properties of rosewood are?" Harry said out loud as he threw his quill down onto the table next to the parchment frustrated.
"What's the matter, Harry?" Leon asked as he finished his last minute essay for Charms.
"I've looked in every book in the library and have not found one mention of rosewood." Harry said annoyed by Snape's temper for giving him extra homework for paying more attention to what Liliana was doing than to what he was doing.
"Well it all depends on what part of the Rosewood you are using. The properties are probably scattered throughout numerous books. Especially for healing potions or ointments for many ailments that are to occur in an individual. What part does your essay have to be over, Harry?" Liliana asked as she sat next to him thinking that she was glad that it was just her, Ginny, Leon, and Harry in the common room.
"Goodnight, everyone." Ginny said to Liliana, Leon, and Harry. "Hope you get your homework done before breakfast."
"Goodnight, Ginny." Liliana and Harry turned their heads to say at the same time. They then looked at each other and smiled.
"Yeah, goodnight, Ginny..." Leon said as he saw the look that Liliana and Harry had just shared. Then he stopped and looked at Ginny as he said, "...if you want to wait a few minutes, I'll walk you up. I just need to finish putting my things in my bag."
"Sure." Ginny said with a slight blush and a huge grin waiting for Leon. As she noticed the way that Liliana and Harry were starting to look at each other and blush. "So are you done with your homework?"
"Huh? Oh, yes. I just finished when Harry said something about Rosewood properties." Leon replied as he picked up his bag and placed his hand lightly on her lower back to guide her up the stairs. As they walked up the stairs they both thought at the same time, 'I know how I feel, but I don't know how to tell...'
Their thought was cut off by Ron coming down the stairs and saying, "I'll take my sister to her dorm now, why don't you just go to bed now."
Leon's hand fell away from Ginny's back and he nodded his head to Ginny as he said, "Goodnight, Ginny, I hope that you have the sweetest dreams possible for someone as beautiful as you." He then smiled at the furious looking Ron standing on the stairs and walked by as he said, "Goodnight to you too, boyo. I would be careful if I were you. You might get hurt one of these days."
Everyone heard what Leon had said and just stared at his back in shock as he went to bed except for Ginny who was looking pissed off at what just happened. Once Leon was out of sight Ginny spoke in a calm clear voice, "Ron! You have no right to treat Leon that way. He never did anything to you. Now get out of my way. I'm going to bed!"
Ron just stood there looking more pissed off and ran after his little sister.
Liliana and Harry just looked at each other and wondered what they just witnessed. That was until Harry broke the silence to say, "You have beautiful eyes."
This caused both of them to blush and to sit in awkward silence, until Liliana remembered what they were doing before Leon and Ginny went up stairs to go to sleep. "So what properties of the Rosewood is your essay over?"
"Huh? Oh! Yeah, Snape said to write about the properties of the bark." Harry replied as he looked at his notes to make sure that was all he had to write about.
'Why just the bark? He would normally tell me to just write all the properties of anything. I wonder what is so important that I just write about the bark.' Harry thought as turned to look at Liliana to ask, "Do you what the properties of the bark are?"
"Yes, the bark itself is poisonous. If a person were to ingest the bark in its natural state they would die a slow death. If it were dried and eaten the person would die in a matter of minutes." Liliana spoke as Harry wrote it down and then he stopped.
"Wait if the bark is so poisonous how could it be used for healing potions?" Harry asked with such curiosity that Liliana couldn't help but smile.
"The bark has to be powdered from its natural state and then dried. In this form it is still a danger but it will only cause the person to become overly ill. That is why it is very important that the person who is dealing with the material to take very cautious steps to keeping the Rosewood safe. Once powdered it can be boiled in water to help any ailment and can be added to a few other herbs to help enhance its potency in a certain potion. Another way to use Rosewood would be to cut it into thin strips and boil it. This causes the bark to be edible, and it helps to restore the body but not the mind of the person." Liliana replied as Harry just wrote everything down. "I think that is pretty much all that can be said for the bark. I hope that helped."
"Yes, it did. I was surprised that anybody knew about it, because Hermione did not know anything about Rosewood." Harry said with a smile. "Thank you, for helping me, Liliana."
"Not a problem, Harry. It was my pleasure." Liliana said as she got up to go to bed.
"Wait, Liliana," Harry said stopping her from leaving. "I was wondering how did you know about the Rosewood bark?"
"My old teacher taught me a few years about it. It is very common from where I come from," Liliana replied as she turned to sit on the sofa in front of the fireplace.
"Oh," Harry said as he started to put his things away and then stopped to go sit next to her on the sofa. "Liliana...what is it like where you come from?"
'Why does he want to know? It wouldn't hurt to tell him. He already knows a lot about me.' Liliana thought.
"It is very beautiful and private. Only a few people know where it is. Every morning you wake up with the sun in your face and the smell of newly blossomed flowers. The birds singing sweetly as you rise out of your bed. It is a place where things can go on without anything bad happening to people." Liliana replied sounding even sadder as she spoke.
"You miss it don't you?" Harry asked.
"Yes and no. I miss it because I have never left it, but I love being here too. I have made new friends and a new life that makes me happy." Liliana replied with a soft smile when she turned to look at Harry.
"I'm sorry that I brought this up earlier, but you really do have beautiful eyes." And with that said Harry leaned in and kissed her before she could do or say anything. The kiss was so sweet and warm, but brief, too brief for her liking when Harry broke the kiss. So she decided to kiss him to have that feeling back. She felt light headed and safe like nothing in the world could stop them from being together. She broke the second kiss to come up for air and realized that Harry had both his arms around her waist holding her in his lap.
'When did we get into this position?' Liliana thought as she shifted a bit to get a little comfortable.
"Wow..." Harry said as he caught his breath and let Liliana get comfortable in his lap.
After the kiss they both just sat there for a few minutes looking into the fire feeling completely comfortable and content. Until they realized that they better go to bed.
-- -- -- --
Harry was not even arguing with Liliana dragging him around anywhere after that kiss they shared the other night and of the course the many more they shared the following nights. He was pretty much putty in her hands, but who really cared? As long as she was around, he was his old self.
Harry noticed that only Leon and Ginny were following them. 'Wonder why Ron and Hermione didn't come?' He mentally shrugged it off thinking a little bit of how he was seeing less and less of his old friends. 'Oh, well, they do have rounds to make,' he thought as he and the others started to walk across the courtyard to the only place outside the halls of Hogwarts that they enjoyed the most on days like today.
'What was that?' Harry thought as he saw something in one of the tower windows move. 'Nobody is allowed up there?' He shrugged it off for now as he noticed that Leon saw it too.
Harry looked at Liliana as she enjoyed the smell of the morning air, the sun shining on her face, and the small sounds of the nearby birds singing. 'She looks so happy,' he thought with a smile. His smile faltered when he decided to stretch his muscles and his gaze fell on the tower window that he had seen something move in. He stopped stretching and slowed down his pace and turned to look up at the window more closely. He could see nothing in the window, 'I just saw a person staring down at us.'
Liliana had turned to look at Harry when she realized that he was slowing down his pace. "What's wrong?" she asked with a hint of curiosity.
Harry whipped his head around and looked with a slightly blank expression, and then it soften as he said, "Nothing. I just remembered that I need to talk to Leon about something." He said it loud enough for both Leon and Ginny to hear it. He then stopped walking and turned to look at Leon.
Leon couldn't think of anything that Harry needed to talk to him about when he heard what he said. He looked Harry in the eye and knew something was troubling him and that was not good. Except for maybe the person in the tower window. He nodded his head and said, "Right, I almost forgot about that. Ginny why don't you and Liliana go ahead of us, so Harry and I can talk?"
"Um...okay." Ginny said a little relieved considering she was trying to think of a way to tell him that she liked him.
The girls went ahead of the boys and sat under the tree.
Liliana noticed that the boys were walking slower and intently talking to each other. She also noticed how quiet that Ginny got all of sudden.
"Is something wrong, Ginny?" Liliana asked as she turned to look at Ginny with a concerned expression on her face.
'Haha. She is staring at Leon. This is going to be very interesting.' Liliana thought with a small smile and noticed that Ginny didn't hear a word she said.
"Ginny. Hello," Liliana said waving a hand in front of Ginny's face. "Hello, Ginny are you there?"
"Huh . . . Oh! Sorry about that Liliana. I was just thinking." Ginny said a little embarrassed.
"It's quite okay. I think that you have every right to think all you want when looking at 'Leon'. He is quite handsome after all." Liliana said with an amused tone.
"I-I don't know what you are talking about!" Ginny stuttered and blushed at the same time. Liliana noticed that the boys were done talking and heading straight toward them. She gestured to Ginny to let her know that they were coming.
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Harry let the girls walk ahead of them a bit before he asked, "Did you just see a person in the same tower window looking at us?"
"Yes, it looked like a woman. Could it just be one of the many ghosts here on school grounds?" Leon replied.
Harry gestured to Leon to walk with him as he said, "I don't think so. Nobody is suppose to be up in that tower, human or ghost."
"Well, if that is true then she had to be real. None of the ghosts would go anywhere they aren't suppose to be." Leon said as he noticed that Harry had looked up at the girls and slowed down a bit more.
"Well, if she was real then who is she? And why was she looking at us?" Harry asked Leon as they both were trying to think about some of the possible answers.
"I don't know. She could just be lonely, especially if she has been up in the tower all by herself." Leon said trying to think of something more plausible.
"I don't think so. She looked down at us in particular instead of just looking around at everyone else and the scenery like a normal person would do if they couldn't go outside." Harry said still contemplating.
"You think that she is trying to hide from something, here at Hogwarts?" Leon asked starting to get a few more gears working in his head.
"That could be it, but I have this feeling like there is something more to it. For one if she was hiding, from who and why? Two, why was she looking directly at us then anybody else?" Harry said putting his thoughts into words. Both he and Leon walked in silence until Leon said, "I guess the only way to know is to ask her."
Harry turned his head and gave a sigh, 'He's right. But how do we get to her without getting caught?'
"You're right. But for now let's relax a little bit. It's such a beautiful day to waste." Harry said clapping a hand on Leon's shoulder as he said this and led him the rest of the way to the tree in silence.
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Harry noticed that Liliana warned Ginny that they were coming. Harry sped up a bit to get to the girls first. Then he sat directly next to Liliana before Leon or Ginny could say anything.
Harry smiled at Liliana and she returned the smile as he leaned his back onto the trunk of the tree, and put his arm out so she could lean on him.
'Why I should hit him for being so bold, but I think that she wouldn't approve of that.' Leon thought. 'Huh. They seem so comfortable around each other though. Maybe I could learn something from them.'
Ginny almost stopped breathing when Harry just walked up and sat by Liliana. Then he just smiled at her.
'Why can she be the one to stay completely calm around Harry and I'm a complete annoying little girl around Leon?' Ginny thought gloomily. 'Wait if Harry is sitting next to Liliana, then Leon is . . .'
Leon didn't know what to do when Liliana accepted Harry's offer and leaned her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her once she was comfortable. Ginny was just as surprised as Leon when Harry and Liliana started to cuddle. Then she realized that Leon was just standing there, staring at them.
"Why don't you sit down . . ." Ginny said, but noticed he wasn't paying much attention. ". . . next to me."
'Well, that got his attention.' Ginny thought.
"Huh? What did you say?" Leon asked coming out of his daze.
"I said 'Why don't you sit down next to me.'" Ginny said in a calm tone, gesturing to the spot next to her, and smiled sweetly.
Leon's eyes glazed over a bit and he immediately sat to where she gestured. 'Wow! She just asked me to sit next to her...sit down before you do something stupid and make a fool of yourself,' Leon thought to himself.
Ginny giggled at the reaction that she was able to get out of Leon. 'Wow! I can't believe that I just said that, but I really can't believe that he did what I said.'
Harry and Liliana both smiled at each other once they got comfortable, but their smiles grew as they watched the exchange between Ginny and Leon.
'I think that I could get use to this.' Harry thought. 'I am here with good friends and the woman I love. Love? Wait a minute? How the hell did we get in this position?'
'I don't know how, but I really could care less. She is warm and soft. I could lie like this all day. But then there was that woman in the window. I wonder who she is. She was looking at me and Liliana than at Leon and Ginny. I don't like that she was staring at us like that. I won't let anything happen to Liliana.' Harry thought as he tighten his arm around Liliana's waist and started to doze off, when he saw Leon and Ginny chatting away with each other.
'I wonder what he is thinking right now.' Liliana thought as she looked up at Harry's face. His arm tighten around her waist and his eyes were closing.
'He must be tired.' Liliana thought as she, herself, yawned. She snuggled deeper into Harry's body and dozed off herself.
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Liliana was walking into a small pond with a small child in her arms.
Once she was chest deep in the water, she stopped and held the child at arm's length. The child was beautiful with black hair, lightly tanned skin, and hazel colored eyes.
'He is simply beautiful.' Liliana thought. 'I wonder who his mother is.'
"Mommy! Play!" the child said in an excited voice and splashing water at her.
'What? I am his mother? But that doesn't make sense. I must be dreaming again.' Liliana thought a little bewildered.
"Mommy? Not play?" the child asked a little disappointed.
"Huh?" Liliana said coming out of her reverie. "Oh! Of course mommy is going to play with you. Sorry, baby. Mommy was thinking."
"Thinking about Daddy?" the child, asked innocently and a little sadly.
'I wonder where his father is. Father? That would mean that he is my Husband. Who and Where is he?' Liliana thought. 'And why is this little one so sad? Now I have to cheer him up.'
"No. I was thinking about the best way to tickle you!" Liliana said in a mischievous and happy voice. And then, she started tickling him with no mercy until she was splashed with water from behind.
She turned around and there in the water in front of her was Harry with nothing on but a pair of swimming trunks. He was smiling and said 'Gotca! Now leave my son alone!' She was surprised to see Harry, but she knew that she was not going to go down so easily.
"I don't think so! He is mine!" Liliana said in a dramatic voice.
"Daddy! Help!" the child screamed when Liliana resumed her tickling.
"That's it! I'm coming, my son! I will have to do the only thing that will stop the tickle monger!" Harry said and grabbed Liliana and kissed her fully on the lips until they were swollen.
"YAY! Daddy saved me!" the child said between the two of them.
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Liliana woke up from her dream in Harry's arms. He was looking down at her face contently.
"So you return to the landing of the living." Harry said with a huge warm smile.
She blushed because she could not remember how they got in this position to begin with. But she really didn't mind waking up in his arms. 'It feels so safe and natural to wake up in his arms and looking into those bright green eyes of his.' She thought as she looked back into his endless deep green pools. She felt like she was back home with all her loved ones to keep her safe and content. What took them days would take him just one look and a smile.
Once she recovered from her embarrassment she noticed that it was about lunch time, she smiled faintly and said, "I'm hungry, can we get something to eat?"
'She seems to make things seem so simple.' Harry thought as he chuckled.
"Whatever you want," Harry said with a huge smile, "as long as you keep that smile of yours."
Liliana's smile grew, "Okay! Let's go before Ron gets to the Great Hall and eats everything."
Harry chuckled, drawing the attention of Leon and Ginny. "We are going to go in and have some lunch, want to join us?"
"Sure, we would love to." Ginny answered for both her and Leon as they got up.