Unmentionable
Ah…what happened to all my reviewers? Oh well. I finished the book (July 23) and I'm not sure if I was crying because it was sad, or I was crying because of the fact that I had been swimming for the whole afternoon and now have a considerable amount of chlorine in my eyes. Well…into the story then. Anyways. Two questions: 1) Should Dumbledore die?(in seventh year of course because he's still needed) and 2) Should I make Snape bad guy?(again for seventh year)
Leah had started going everywhere, either with the cloak around her, or with Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny around her. She stayed close to them to make sure there was no way that Draco could pull her away. She had a few reasons for wanting to avoid him; one was because she didn't want to face him after what she had told him the night of the dance. Another reason was because she didn't want to face him after seeing him at that gathering.
Christmas was fast approaching and Leah had forgotten about what Sirius and Lilly had said to her. She had gone into Bellatrix's body twice more and once she had managed to transport into Peter's body (after that experience, Leah had spent quite a lot of time with a disgusted look on her face and refused to answer questions). As for the Defense classes with Professor Salenger…they were actually almost like Remus' classes, except more advanced. Professor Salenger had indeed referred to the list of students from the DA to use for demonstrations. Leah had caught glimpse of that list and saw that, next to each name, Dumbledore had put what year and house they were in.
"Mom says we should all go there for the holidays." Ron said, a week and a half before Christmas. Leah was overly exhausted, having had performed the night before then gone to Dumbledore's office to take another trip into Bellatrix's body. She had her head on the desk and every so often, Harry or Hermione had to poke her to wake her up. Although they were in charms and Flitwick didn't mind all that much, especially seeing as how it was Leah.
"Can't you guys let me sleep in this class? We have potions next and there's no way Snape will let me sleep." Leah grumbled.
"Well I have to get an answer." Ron said.
"What for?" Leah asked.
"Mom wants to know if you, Harry and Hermione will be able to stay with us over the holidays." Ron said. "We're gonna spend most of the time at home but we'll be at Headquarters on Christmas, just so we can see everyone."
"Oh…you sure your mom actually wants me around?" Leah asked.
"Yeah…she even told me that, if need be, to try and force you." Ron said. "She said that this was going to be your first Christmas without any real family, apart from your grandpa, and that you really should spend it with us. You are considered part of the family anyways." Leah thought about this. The bell rang and they all stood up and headed towards the dungeons.
"Excuse me…you're Leah Black right?" A timid second year asked. Leah looked at her and nodded. "I…I have to give you this." The girl handed over a scroll to Leah before running off. Leah opened the scroll and read it. It told her to be at Dumbledore's office after potions was done.
"It probably isn't important enough that I have to miss a whole hour of being tortured by Snape." Leah muttered, stuffing the scroll away.
"Huh?" Hermione asked.
"Nothing…don't worry." Leah said. She automatically went to the back of the room and sat next to Draco, her now permanent seating spot. He had stopped trying to talk to her after a week of having her ignore him. He had gone back to acting like his normal jerky self and making rude comments quietly. Leah had, on several occasions, bitten her lip so hard, to keep herself from yelling at him, that she had actually broke the skin. She was now very used to tasting blood, especially in potions.
"I have been asked to inform you all that, after the holidays, there will be apparition practice courses." Snape said. "It will cost money but will prepare you for your tests when that time is to come." Leah sighed. She had heard, from her grandfather, that there would be apparition tests in April for people who had their birthday either on or before that day. Since Leah's birthday was in June, she'd have to wait for the tests that would take place on August first.
"You can do yours with Leah, Harry." Hermione said. Leah looked at the back of her head.
"Yeah…Hermione and I can do ours on the first test day, but think about it…you get more practice time then us." Ron said. Leah rolled her eyes and got to work on the potion that Snape had assigned them.
"Umm…Black." Draco said.
"What?" Leah asked.
"You just grabbed my knife." Draco said.
"Huh?" Leah looked at the knife in her hand. It was Draco's (her handle was blue, not black). "Oh…umm…sorry." She put the knife down on the table and picked up her own. She stared at the cut on her hand from the night before. Leah could feel Draco's eyes on her so she busied herself with the potion making. She wasn't even aware of all sound going off.
It's all working? Are we sure?
Leah stopped cutting up the roots. She stopped doing everything but listening to Bellatrix's voice.
I cannot, you know that…Wormtail, yes…but how? Does she not know?
Leah felt light headed suddenly. She was vaguely aware of the fact that Draco was talking to her, and shaking her slightly. She looked up, noticing no one in the class was looking at her, then looked at Draco.
Ooooh…someone's in trouble.
"Le…Black!" Draco said, loud enough for the people in the desk in front of them to turn around. They jumped up as well when they looked at Leah. Her eyes were closed, her face was pale, and she was breathing as if she was not used to the air. Soon half the class was looking at her.
"What's wrong with her?" Neville asked.
"If we knew that…we would tell you." A Slytherin said.
"No you wouldn't." Harry said.
"Shut up!" Draco said. Everyone stared at him now. Suddenly Leah jumped up and ran to the door.
"Miss Black where are you going?" Snape asked.
"None of your business." Leah called over her shoulder as she ran out into the hall and to Dumbledore's office. She slid to a halt in front of the gargoyle and gave the new password before going up the stairs and knocking.
"Come in." Dumbledore said. Leah went into the office and looked around before finding Dumbledore with Fawkes. He looked at her. "What's wrong?"
"You know." Leah said. "You know why I keep hearing Bellatrix in my head."
"Leah…" Dumbledore said.
"Why haven't you told me?" Leah asked. "I heard her…just now. She was talking to someone and asked if I knew. Then she said that you knew something that I should know. And I just knew that it was this…the reason behind me hearing that damned bitch in my head." Dumbledore sighed and gestured to his desk. Leah sat in her normal chair and Dumbledore sat in his. She crossed her arms and waited.
"I did know. But only just recently gained the information." Dumbledore said. "You and Bellatrix are connected, more strongly then any of us realize."
"I don't want to be connected to that heartless bitch." Leah said.
"I am well aware of that." Dumbledore said. "You may not be aware of this, your mother confided it only to myself and Remus. The real reason that she did not bring you back to Azkaban since you were five."
"I thought it was because of the dementors." Leah said.
"Partially." Dumbledore said. "Think back to your last visit. Do you remember anything?"
"I remember standing by the door of dad's cell while mom talked to him…then I heard a scream…" Leah said. "So I left the cell and…" She closed her eyes, forcing herself to remember. "Walked along the hall and pushed open another door to…Bellatrix's cell. That's all I remember."
"Because Bellatrix had rendered you unconscious." Dumbledore said. "Sabrina told me that, when she noticed you were gone, she went to find you. She did find you. She performed a spell that knocked Bellatrix away from you, but not before taking notice that both of you were bleeding. Sabrina told me about being worried. I have spent some time looking for reasons as to why you hear Bellatrix, ever since you told me."
"And…" Leah said, becoming impatient.
"I have come to the conclusion that Bellatrix had mixed her blood with yours, so as that she would be able to hear or see through you." Dumbledore said. "That spell is very affective…with a wand. But since she was without a wand, it…"
"Backfired." Leah said.
"Yes." Dumbledore said. "The reason you haven't heard anything until last year, is because, mainly, there was no reason for Bellatrix to talk until then, having been stuck in Azkaban."
"Ok…well…that solves that…what did you want me for?" Leah asked.
"I need you to, yet again, go into Bellatrix's mind." Dumbledore said.
"Ok…what ya got for me?" Leah asked. Dumbledore reached into his desk and pulled out a silver chain with an orange gem dangling from it. Leah took it from Dumbledore. "Pretty…I guess."
"Concentrate." Dumbledore said.
"Yeah, yeah…hey…would it matter if I somehow got transported into someone else's body?" Leah asked. "Because that has happened before."
"It shouldn't, no." Dumbledore said.
"Ok good." Leah said. She held the necklace and closed her eyes, focusing on Bellatrix. Once again she felt the tug. This time, when she opened her eyes, she found herself looking at Bellatrix. Leah panicked slightly, wondering if, somehow, she had transported her whole body.
"Honestly Narcissa, you really think that Voldemort won't induct Draco?" Bellatrix asked. Leah stopped panicking. She was in Narcissa's body.
"He keeps dodging the question." Narcissa said.
"He will induct Draco into the Death Eaters." Bellatrix said. Leah felt a weird pain in her stomach. "The Dark Lord is just waiting until he comes up age."
"I know…" Narcissa said.
"What is the real reason that you feel panicked by this?" Bellatrix asked.
"Well…it's Draco." Narcissa said, looking around. "He's not showing any signs that he's actually excited about joining. If I didn't know better…I'd say he didn't want to join."
"Non-sense." Bellatrix said. "He's just trying not to make a scene."
"Make a scene? Whenever I ask him about it, he just shrugs or nods." Narcissa said. Leah felt her anger.
"What was that?" Bellatrix asked.
"What was what?" Narcissa asked, looking around.
"In your eyes." Bellatrix said.
"My eyes?" Narcissa asked. Leah felt the tug again. She wondered why she was getting pulled back when she didn't feel the need to…yet. She opened her eyes to see Dumbledore standing in front of her with her hands on her shoulders.
"What's wrong?" Leah asked.
"Shh." Dumbledore said. A second later the door opened and Leah turned around to see Hagrid coming into the office. Leah spun around in her chair to look at him. He had Draco with him. "Hagrid."
"Professor Dumbledore sir." Hagrid said. He pushed Draco forward. "Out with it then. Tell him what you've done." Draco didn't say anything. "Right then. Him and Harry were fighting…again."
"Potter started it." Draco said.
"And you did nothing to provoke him?" Dumbledore asked.
"For once…I didn't." Draco said. He suddenly noticed Leah.
"Leah…what are you doing here?" Hagrid asked, noticing her as well.
"Just umm…" Leah said, looking at Dumbledore.
"Discussing future career options." Dumbledore said. "As I have told her. If she so wishes too, she may return to Hogwarts and teach…if we are short of jobs that is."
"Yes…exactly." Leah said.
"What happened in this fight between Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore asked.
"Tell him. Go on." Hagrid said, nudging Draco and making him stumble forward.
"Potter tried the full body bind curse on me and I countered with…" Draco said. He sighed and muttered something.
"Speak up!" Hagrid said.
"Well it doesn't matter what I countered with." Draco said. "The point is…the spells hit mid air. One of them hit Weasley, the other one hit Parkinson. And I get the blame for it. Like normal."
"Where is Harry now?" Dumbledore asked.
"Probably with Ron in the hospital wing." Hagrid said.
"All I did was walk past him…maybe bumped into him." Draco said.
"I sorta doubt he would try to body bind you just for bumping into him." Leah said.
"Well it's not my fault he's a bloody prat." Draco said. "Maybe you should talk to him about not jumping to conclusions."
"I've tried…it doesn't work." Leah said. She dropped the necklace onto Dumbledore's desk before looking at the headmaster. "Thanks for the advice." Leah stood up and left the office. She barely even got past the gargoyle by the time Draco had caught up with her. She looked at him. "What did you do?"
"Why do you care?" Draco asked.
"I don't. But because of you and Harry acting like fucking idiots every time you see each other, I have a friend in the hospital wing…again!" Leah said. "If you ask me. Christmas can not come fast enough." She spun around and walked away. Leah had walked into Ginny who asked Leah if she was going to join them over Christmas. Leah told her that she would join them as long as Fleur didn't bother her too much. Ron had told her that Fleur was going to be there as well because of wanting to do wedding plans.
All she could think about was the fact that this Christmas was not going to be uneventful.
Next chapter will be Christmas stuff…and sad stuff…but also a happy thing too. So it's sorta…lose something…get something in return kinda deal.