Generations: Finding Home

by Charlotte1

Alecia Malfoy, Rachel Weasley and Katie Potter are starting their 1st year at Hogwarts. Leshia stumbles onto a trail that might lead to the whereabouts of her missing mother Hermione. Can she convince Draco before it's too late? Will they save her on time

3. Part Three

Thank you very much for the reviews. I think I'm on the creative superhighway, this chapter just sort of fell out of my head, so here goes. Enjoy, I'm not used to updating so quickly with mega chapters :) but this was fun

Part III

For the second time in twenty-four hours Leshia woke up woozily in the hospital wing. This time though the concerned faces of her friends greeted her with big smiles when they saw Leshia beginning to come to.

" Leesh," Katie uttered softly.

" We were so worried," Rachel added firmly, as though angry that Leshia was somehow worrying them on purpose.

" What happened?" Leshia croaked and she tried to move, but found her body wouldn't obey her commands. " Why can't I move?" she frantically cried.

" Professor Dumbledore's put you in a body binding spell," Katie explained looking concerned.

" Why?" Leshia demanded.

" Because you had a heart attack Leesh," Rachel said softly. " It was too soon after treatment for you to be running around the castle getting stressed out, so they're keeping you here, whether you like it or not."

" For how long?" Leshia managed feeling miserable.

" We don't know," Katie offered. " We were supposed to go and get them when you woke up, they wanted to talk to you."

" Who's they?" Katie and Rachel looked darkly to each other.

" You're not going to like it," Rachel warned.

" Who?" Leshia pressed frantically.

" Well the minister of magic is here…"

" What!"

" Everyone's concerned that there's a band of nutcases loose at the castle," Katie tried, but Leshia wasn't really listening.

" Who else?"

" Dumbledore."

" And?"

" Well that's it," Katie said with a frown.

" Good," Leshia said firmly.

" Leesh what's going on? Your dad hasn't even been in to see you, he's locked himself in his study," Rachel said uneasily.

" I don't want to see him, and he's not my dad anymore," Leshia exclaimed firmly. " He's just a frightened coward." A tear trickled from her eye and her friends knew not to go there at this moment. They were under the strictest instructions not to aggravate or stress Leshia out, she was too fragile to deal with heavy emotion at this moment. The second heart attack, or rather the latest, as it wasn't clear how many she'd suffered during the initial assault, nearly finished her off. The only reason she was still alive was because Filch, of all people, had seen a student darting into a classroom when they oughtn't to have been. Eager to catch another a thief in the act he rushed after her and found Leshia unconscious and blocking the door.

Thankfully the damage had not been irreversible and Madam Pomfry had managed to rescue Leshia from death's door without more of St Mungo's healers having to apparate out. Her body needed rest, and Leshia was not the kind of child that liked to sit still or do as she was told so Dumbledore had reluctantly put a spell on her so she wouldn't cause herself more harm.

Katie and Rachel got to their feet and left a miserable Leshia to go in search of Dumbledore. They hadn't stepped three steps outside the hospital wing when they found that Dumbledore, Minister Crayik and his entourage of Aurors were making their way down the corridor towards them, and from the direction of the classrooms Draco was stood in the corridor watching them approach.

Not wanting to tell him he couldn't see his daughter, the girls were relieved to see that Draco was hovering at a distance, not wanting to come close.

" Is she okay now?" he asked in a small voice, addressing the girls, who both nodded quickly. A look of relief crossed Draco's face, only to be replaced with sadness again.

" Evening Draco," Crayik called to one of his once-greatest Aurors. Draco seemed to look straight past him and managed a nod.

" Good evening sir," he said and sidestepped, almost stumbled, over to the wall for some support. He looked wretched. Something very serious must have happened the girls concluded and for a moment they felt very sorry for not only Leshia, but Draco as well.

" You should accompany us Draco," Dumbledore called to the young man, concern filling his face, but the younger man shook his head and took a few steps back.

" That's not possible Albus," he said and started to back away again, his aura screaming out grief and dismay. Dumbledore looked aggrieved and sighed heavily, before looking at the young girls standing before him.

" Perhaps is it best if for the moment you allow us to speak with Miss Malfoy in private," he told Katie and Rachel kindly. They nodded reluctantly and their loyalty warmed Dumbledore's heart. " It will not take long, as I believe Leshia has little she wishes to tell us."

" Can we wait here?" Katie asked, knowing it was past curfew.

" Of course." Smiling at the headmaster as he walked in, they turned to watch Draco still backing away looking as though he were still caught in some nightmare.

As the figures surrounded her bed Leshia felt indescribably afraid of them. Intensely vulnerable, she desperately wanted to be able to jerk away from them. Dumbledore, being a wise and sensible man, in an instant released the spell and Leshia sat up, hugging her knees for comfort.

" I will not place this spell on you again Leshia if you promise me you will not try to escape again," he told her kindly. " Your health might suffer irreversible damage if you leave before you are ready once more." Leshia nodded quickly, knowing that she was going to have to listen…just this one time.

" What happened to me?" she asked softly.

" That is what we are here to find out," Crayik interrupted, sounding gruff, already aware that the girl had lied and would undoubtedly do the same again. He had been all for leaving out the pleasantries and going straight for the truth potion. However, Dumbledore had vehemently refused him, letting him know that if he did such a thing he would set Draco loose on them, and knowing the extent to Draco's anger when his family came under threat, Crayik quickly relented. He'd been miserable for a whole week when Draco announced he was resigning. The then young Malfoy had been excellent at his job and was heading for great things, but his wife's disappearance and the strain of having an unruly daughter to raise on his own had meant being an Auror was out of the question. In a way Crayik resented this girl sitting before him for depriving him of one of his best men.

" Well I don't remember anything," Leshia said softly, holding the minister's gaze unblinkingly. Crayik felt a shiver run up his spine. The girl was a perfect blend of her parents, Hermione's features with Draco's colourings. Those eyes, though differently shaped, were Draco's. Her gaze was equally as intense as her father's, and in that moment Crayik realised he wasn't going to get anything out of this girl, not if she resisted.

" That's all right Leshia," Dumbledore said kindly, flashing Crayik a warning look and he sat down on the stool that Katie and Rachel had been sharing for the last two hours in their unwavering vigil. His kindness softened some of Leshia's bravado and she felt comforted.

" Sir," she began softly. " What happened? Why did I get a heart attack, what did they do to me?" Dumbledore shook his head.

" Terrible things, curses that we've not seen the likes of before," he explained. " Undoubtedly learnt from dark acquaintances. Your heart suffered terribly, but as did many of your other organs. You were extremely lucky that we were able to restore your appearance, as your skin had suffered from severe burns and other abnormalities." Leshia shuddered despite herself; that was lucky.

" Do I look like me?" she asked worriedly, not having seen her reflection yet. Dumbledore smiled.

" You will not notice a difference when you see yourself again," he said kindly. " Your left arm," he said pointing to where a thin red line snaked its way almost the entire length and circumference of her arm. " Was particularly difficult to repair. Almost entirely severed and ravaged, we were afraid you might lose it, but the healers at St Mungo's have not been nominated for practitioners of the decade seven times in a row for nothing. I am forever in debt for their skill and perseverance."

" Me too," Leshia said softly, cringing at the thought of losing her arm.

" You need not worry Leshia, there are no lasting effects of the horrors your assailants released on you," Dumbledore said and his look turned slightly serious. " It is now important to ascertain whether there is a band of assailants roaming the castle feely attacking whoever they wish, or whether they were singling you out." He held Leshia's gaze seriously and the girl knew that he knew her thoughts.

" I already have a lot of enemies," she finally managed, desperately not wanting to let go of her secrets.

" Can you give us any names so we can begin interrogation…" Crayik began, but Dumbledore looked to him severely.

" Questioning," he said with such force that for a moment the light in the room seemed to dim.

" Yes, that's what I meant," Crayik quickly continued. " Force of habit," he offered with a shrug, but Leshia could tell he wished the headmaster would stay out of all of this. " Any names?" Leshia shrugged.

" All of Slytherin?" she suggested with a stale expression. Crayik was not impressed.

" This is a very serious matter Miss Malfoy, you should know better than to fool around," he said sternly. Leshia glared at him, 'Why, because of my father?' she thought bitterly.

" I'm not fooling around," she cried out instead, acting indignant. " They hate me. They call me blood traitor. I can't think of any of them that have enough intelligence to pull off a stunt like this, they're all as thick as two short planks…"

" Leshia," Dumbledore sighed, but his eyes twinkled.

" If you want to question people question the whole lot of them, but you won't find anything. Whoever it was will have covered their tracks, they'll all lie for each other. You'll never get anywhere." She sounded determined and angry. Crayik regarded her with a raised eyebrow. " You may as well give up."

" And let a group of people terrorise the school?" Crayik laughed cruelly.

" They weren't after the school, they were after me," Leshia said softly, her eyes never leaving Crayik's face.

" So you wish for us to let them get away with it so they can come after you and finish you off, is that it?" he asked.

" No," Leshia said darkly. " This time I'll be ready."

" I think, that is enough for now gentlemen," Dumbledore announced and he got to his feet.

" But Professor…" Crayik began.

" Need I remind you that this girl has been through a terrible ordeal and requires rest Minister?" Dumbledore said and his eyes blazed with a hidden passion. " She has told us what she knows, now, if you would like to go on ahead, I would like to have a few words with Miss Malfoy alone." He was sounding so forceful that Crayik and his gang of burly Aurors grumpily conceded and stalked off. Once the door had shut Dumbledore sighed heavily and looked down at Leshia sadly.

" Leshia," he said softly. " Grief is a terrible thing, something that I'm afraid you do not fully understand."

'This is about dad,' Leshia grumbled internally.

" I know that something's happened to her sir, I just know it," she blurted out. Dumbledore held her gaze as though trying to read her like a book. Eventually he nodded slowly.

" You must remember that your father grew up in dreadful times Leshia. He suffered many grievous heartbreaks during the war, as most did," Dumbledore explained softly. " They left him weary, but not weary enough to love and love he did. He loved your mother so much that he would have gladly given his life to save her, and then they had you. His heart swelled with so much love, and I feared that he would fall so terribly hard should anything happen. Your family was in danger from Voldemort's followers and eventually something terrible did happen. Draco's decline into grief was not obvious to the outside world, but inside he was hanging on by a thread, and that thread was you." He paused and looked into Leshia's eyes, but was aggrieved to see no emotion in her slate eyes. " Losing your mother was a fatal blow to your father's outlook Leshia, you must understand that judging him by your own high standards is going to cause you both unnecessary heart ache. You cannot understand how he suffers. To throw his heart out once more and believe what you so blindly cling to might be the end of him."

" But…" Leshia burst out and then trailed off, objecting to him telling her her faith was blind.

" Should you be wrong," Dumbledore suggested. " You, I fear, will suffer greatly and this alone will drag your father down. He has no choice but to remain afloat." With this the wise headmaster got to his feet and smiled at the young girl. " You must follow your heart," he said softly. " But don't drag your father down, he's been struggling his whole life to stay above water. If you cling on, he might not make it up again." With this he left Leshia staring after him with a tear in her eye. How could he defend Draco's decision to be a coward?

XXX

After a whole week Leshia was finally released from the hospital wing on full recovery. She was getting extremely anxious to be cooped up in bed and even though she had a steady stream of visitors while she was incarcerated – excluding Draco of course, she was dreadfully lonely. In order to celebrate her release from Madam Pomfry's clutches several Gryffindors had stolen a case of butterbeer from Hogsmeade and they drank well into the evening, enjoying any excuse for a party.

Leshia was a living legend amongst her peers now, after Amy and Sarah had spread the gossip that she had been solely responsible for the excellent party enjoyed by all on Halloween and also purely for surviving the terrible onslaught she'd endured. Shying away from the attention and because she was exhausted, Leshia managed to get away at about eleven and she and her friends crept up to their dormitory largely unnoticed. Silently they changed and then gathered on Leshia's bed, looking at one and other happily.

" You glad to be back?" Katie asked, breaking the comfortable silence. Leshia nodded fervently.

" That Madam Pomfry runs a tight ship! I'm telling you, if I can get through school without ever having to stay there again I'll be happy," she explained firmly. The other two grinned. " Yeah I know, seems hard to imagine doesn't it? Me staying out of trouble for seven years…" She drifted off and leant back on her pillows. " Is there any new gossip?"

" Gracie Wallis in Ravenclaw is going out with Parys, Nicola's devastated," Rachel sniggered. Leshia grinned.

" And there's a rumour about that Professor Larkin fancies Ryan Lofting, you know, in sixth year," Katie said with a giggle.

" Really?" Leshia chuckled, but her throat went a little dry and there was no twinkle in her eye. " Poor guy."

" She says it's not true, she gave Rodeo detention for bringing it up the other day," Rachel laughed. They trailed off, there wasn't much gossip to go around, they'd been filling Leshia in daily on the happenings in class.

" And did I get any letters?" Leshia asked sounding as though she were desperately trying to sound casual, but not succeeding. Katie and Rachel exchanged an exasperated look.

" You know that you haven't, you've been asking us every single day," Rachel grumbled. " Leshia please…can't you just let it go?"

" Let what go? My mum?" Leshia asked shrilly, anger flashing in her eyes.

" That's not what I meant! Just please…go easy okay?" Rachel complained softly.

" Your dad's not been the same since it happened," Katie tried softly, ignoring the urgent look from Rachel – 'not mentioning Draco' had been a rule that she'd tried to press, but Katie hadn't agreed then and she didn't agree now.

" I don't care how he feels," Leshia said with frightening ease. " He's no concern of mine now."

" Leesh," Rachel sighed. " You can't just disown family members. Don't you think I would have got rid of Katie by now if you could?" Katie shot her cousin a playful punch before turning back to Leshia with concern in her expressive eyes.

" This is your dad we're talking about here, he's always meant the world to you…he's all you have left…" She drifted off as the bored and noncommittal look didn't leave her friend's face. How was it possible, that she could just switch off part of her heart? How could you stop loving someone overnight? It didn't make sense.

" So what are we going to do about Ashton and the others?" Rachel suddenly asked, changing the awkward conversation. Leshia blinked slowly and a small dark smile spread across her face.

" Nothing," she said distantly. Rachel and Katie frowned in unison.

" What do you mean?"

" Yeah! Shouldn't we be plotting a horrible revenge? I thought that was the plan! I've been looking forward to it," Rachel complained. Leshia shrugged.

" For now let's wait, he'll get what's coming, just not yet," she said firmly. " Besides, I need him. Right now I've got the upper hand. He knows that if he does anything I'll tell and I need him to tell me where my mum is…"

" Look Leesh if he knows," Katie said dramatically, pulling an expression that read 'and-it-aint-likely' loud and clear. " Then he's not going to just tell you is he? He's not going to get himself in more trouble!"

" I know," Leshia replied softly. " But he'll crack eventually. We just have to keep him scared."

" Well what if he doesn't?" Katie wailed exasperatedly.

" Then I loose my mum for good," Leshia snapped back. Silence. This was awful, never had their friendship felt so awkward and forced. For a moment it felt as though they were balanced on the edge of a sharp blade. One wrong move and their age-old friendship might come crashing around their heels.

" Katie fell in the toilet this morning, did you hear?" Rachel suddenly beamed with a bright smile. As Leshia rolled around laughing Katie attacked her cousin with a pillow and for now, the crisis was over.

XXX

Come Monday morning Leshia felt her skin creeping anxiously. As of yet, it had been easy to pretend that her father had ceased to exist leaving only a strict and grumpy teacher in his place as she hadn't seen him, but today was her first day back and their first subject was Defence Against the Dark Arts. She wasn't sure how much her anger was going to stand fast when she clapped eyes on him again. Over breakfast it was hard enough to refrain from looking in his direction and he was unashamedly watching her, aware that everyone noticed he was doing so.

Rachel followed Leshia's lead and averted her gaze from the head table, but Katie couldn't resist and she looked up several times, each time regretting doing so, because the look of sadness on Draco's face was overpowering. He looked so alone that she felt like kicking Leshia for being so selfish. When the post arrived however, and she saw the look of blind hope on Leshia's face as she looked up, haplessly searching the feathered skies for a winged messenger bringing her news of her mother, her stomach churned with guilt. How could she accuse her friend of selfishness, when her only crime had been having too much faith in her mother to believe that she would willingly try and forget them. It was a quiet breakfast, and as they headed off to Defence Against the Dark Arts, the girls grew quieter still. As they lined up in the corridor outside of the classroom however, the silence was shattered by a snide cackle. Damian Allseyer was slowly starting to clap his hands and soon, his Slytherin classmates had joined in, Archie and Violet albeit slowly, as they were slow to catch on.

The corridor was soon awash with applause, but had any mistaken this for genuine congratulatory applause then they should have taken a closer look at the snide and evil expressions the clappers were wearing.

" Great," Leshia drawled once they'd finished. " You've proven you can clap your hands together. Well done."

" We're applauding the heroes of the hour," Allseyer sneered with a malicious grin. Leshia, not for one minute believing it to be herself, but curious to see if Ashton and his friends hadn't been able to resist gloating and actually told people it was them. If he had, then intimidating him with the knowledge that she knew it was him was going to be difficult.

" And they are?" Leshia asked in a stale tone. Allseyer fidgeted from one foot to the other, 'he doesn't know,' Leshia thought happily.

" People I'd like to shake hands with that's for sure," he finally replied darkly.

" Well when they're locked up in Azkaban, you'll be able to walk up to their cells and shake them all you like." Laughter filled the corridor, coming from Allseyer and his friends.

" How are they ever going to get caught, there's no proof and you don't even know who did it!" he said triumphantly. Now it was Leshia's turn to laugh, before she stopped abruptly and adopted an incredibly eerie expression, with her mouth turned up in a lopsided grin.

" Don't I?" She let the realisation sink in and suddenly Allseyer's expression turned calculating. Before he had a chance to reply though, heavy footsteps from the end of the corridor alerted the children to Draco's approach and everyone darted into line checking their shirts.

Up close Draco looked haggard. He was paler than usual, with dark circles under his eyes and a dark tinge to his normally bright eyes. His manner was different also. Where before there had been a mischievous spirit to his daily search of the line-up for untucked shirts, today, he merely glanced up and down with no real interest. Once he was satisfied he opened the door and headed in before of the class, whereas before he would have held it open and made them pass him, intimidating them in the process. His desk was unorganised, the room was musty and the board hadn't been wiped clean from the lesson he had been teaching the last Friday.

" Get out your books, turn to page one hundred and ten," he ordered in an expressionless tone and everyone quickly complied. Leshia had to admit, the last time she'd seen him this bad was when Hermione had first disappeared and for a moment she realised she could make it all better if she forgave him, but then he finally looked at her and her anger came flooding back. In an instant Leshia looked away and pulled out her book, turning the pages like everyone else. Up in the front of the classroom Draco's heart ached a little more and he looked away, busying himself with sorting through his desk. Here he found a stack of parchments with a small note attached that had Leshia crossed out several times and Malfoy scrawled instead on it – looking at her name every day had been too painful.

" These are the notes you missed," he said emotionlessly, dropping the notes down on Leshia's desk.

" Thank you sir," Leshia replied in an equally as emotionless tone. The whole class remained deathly still, watching this new dynamic in awe. What the hell was going on?

" Vampires," Draco said loudly, turning to look at the class. " Last week we focused mainly on methods in which to recognise them. Would anyone like to remind the class what the key features are?" Several hands went up into the air and so the class began.

Leshia didn't shy away from joining in the discussions; she participated like any other student. It was just that, which had Draco feeling drained by the end of the lesson. She was behaving no differently to her peers. She was behaving as though – and even seemed as though she felt - he were just another teacher. When she met his eye, she gazed almost past him. There was no passion, not emotion, no adorable tantrum that would normally accompany one of their fallouts…there was nothing.

At the end of the lesson there were still a few moments until the bell, and realising that for now this was how things were going to be between them, Draco took his chance to check up on how Leshia was coping. After letting the class chatter for the last five minutes he walked up to Leshia's desk and looked down at her. She looked up at him blankly.

" How are you feeling, after…" he trailed off, but held Leshia's gaze.

" Fine sir," she replied simply and looked back to her friends.

" Your arm…"

" It's fine," Leshia cut in forcefully. Everyone watched as Draco's shoulders dropped and several of the more sentimental members of the class (Katie included) glanced to Leshia with wounded expressions. Seeing the father's heartbreak was too much for some of them. The bell bleared out over the school and Draco nodded his head towards the door, giving them leave to go. To his dismay Leshia was so eager to leave that she was the first one out. At the door a figure lingered, but as Draco looked up with a solemn face it was Katie that stood there, looking at him with sympathy in her eyes. Draco held her gaze for a few moments before hanging his head, his eyes falling to the ground, the epitome of loneliness.

XXX

" Allseyer's freaked," Leshia told the others as they hurried with their classmates to the Potions dungeon.

" Well why does that matter?" Rachel asked.

" Because," Leshia said significantly. " He's going to spread word that I know who attacked me. Ashton is going to find out and it's going to rattle him. He'll wonder if I really know or not and for now I'm going to string him along, let the self-doubt set in." Rachel beamed at her friend as they walked in and found their usual seats.

" Awesome plan mate," she said gleefully and then turned on her cousin, noticing that Katie was unusually quiet. " What's wrong with you?" Katie looked up from her reverie and shook her head jerkily.

" Nothing," she lied and opened her books, turning away from the other two. Leshia and Rachel exchanged a sidelong suspicious look, but before they could start their interrogation Snape glided into the classroom.

His lesson was fantastically evil as usual, and by the end Leshia felt relieved that at least his treatment of her had not changed. That look of terror on his face when he found her lying half-dead was probably because he thought she was someone else…or he was afraid of the dark. By the end of the lesson Leshia had lost Gryffindor ten points, and she was gleeful as they were given leave to go. Her mood was short-lived.

" Miss Malfoy, remain behind," Snape ordered and Leshia came skidding to a halt beside his desk as everyone else filed out looking curiously back over their shoulders. Once everyone had filed out Snape looked up from the papers he'd been sorting and cast the girl his usual superior glance.

" We are yet to discuss the details of your detentions," he said airily. Leshia frowned heavily.

" What detentions?" she asked sounding confused.

" Oh you don't remember?" Snape asked, and he looked highly pleased at the situation. " The detentions every Sunday for the rest of the year, for lying to a teacher." In a sudden flash of memory it all came flooding back and Leshia's mouth dropped open. Surely he couldn't be serious? " I am deadly serious Miss Malfoy, for whatever reason you are behaving so foolishly self-righteous that you could pass for your mother. In not telling us who attacked you, you are endangering the rest of the school. You are going to be punished." Leshia narrowed her eyes furiously at the potion's master for his dig at her mother.

" Fine," she managed angrily, not wanting him to gain any satisfaction from her complaining or begging to get out of it.

" Good, for the time being your task will be," he began. " Every Sunday, for three hours a day you must help Professor Malfoy with his resources. They require constant sorting, and as I have nothing for you to be doing, you may as well help him." Leshia's expression darkened in misery. How dare Snape get involved! This was between she and Draco, how dare he stick his big nose in where it wasn't wanted.

" I'll do anything else," she said quickly. " Anything! I'll scrub cauldrons, sort stock jars, pickle pigmy eggs just please, anything but that!" A small smile snaked its way onto Snape's face and looked so out of place there it quickly morphed into a sneer, almost as though it were trying to fit in with its surroundings.

" Well you are going to have to get over whatever preteen crusade your on Miss Malfoy, because that is what I am asking, and if I hear that you are wasting Professor Malfoy's time, I shall double your sentence, and you shall have to spend both Saturdays and Sundays working with him."

" Preteen crusade?" Leshia spluttered and angry tears stung her eyes. " You don't know anything about it!" With that she darted out of the dungeon, tripping over Rachel in the corridor outside.

" Leesh what's wrong?" Rachel asked worriedly, looking as though she herself was a little pink around the eyes – normally a sure sign that moments before she'd been angry.

" I'll explain later, let's just get out of here," Leshia grumbled leading the way. " Where's Katie?" she asked looking around herself.

" Oh," Rachel stammered. " Library." Leshia knew it was a lie, but couldn't be bothered with whatever argument she and Rachel had evidently just had. There would be time for that later. Right now she just wanted to set as much a distance between herself and Snape as possible.

XXX

The trio were in terrible spirits for the remainder of the day, not even Hagrid could cheer them up after lunch with his lesson on baby animals and the appropriate care that ought to be given. All the other girls and some of the boys were swooning with joy at the cute and cuddly little creatures, but Leshia, Katie and Rachel were reserved and nothing held their attention very long.

" Some'in happened?" he asked them at one point, but they just smiled at him distantly and shook their heads. Classes rolled by and still they remained in an eerie calmness, not really talking to one and other, just trudging through in their own misery. After History of Magic, the last lesson of the day Leshia had quidditch practice, and after changing into some tracksuit bottoms and a jumper she raced down to the field with her broom where Luka and Mila (Keeper and Chaser respectively, and also a very much loved up couple) were ambling round, waiting for everyone else to arrive.

" Hey Leshia," they greeted her enthusiastically.

" I just had the best lesson with your dad," Mila said joyously. Leshia tried to hide the indignant look that had suddenly bustled onto her face. " He let us do whatever we wanted, he was just reading through newspapers the whole time." Leshia frowned and shrugged. Fighting the urge to go, 'yeah, so?' as this would probably seem extremely cocky and wouldn't earn her any favours, she smiled.

" That's great," she forced herself to say and thankfully the others started to arrive. By the time Luke and Tom arrived (straggling onto the field ten minutes after Ryan and Daniella) Leshia was up in the sky doing loops to keep herself entertained and to vent some of her pent up anger.

Training was exhausting, and it had never felt so good to be so physically challenged. Luckily the weather had eased and the snow had been melting all week, leaving only a mildly cold fog to contend with. Pleased with the calibre of his team Ryan sent them off with praise ringing in their ears.

" Something bothering you Malfoy?" Ryan asked as he caught up with her. He'd seen the little seeker trudging back to the castle on her own, and from the moment he clapped eyes on her, he'd seen she was severely troubled by something.

" Yes," she sighed. " Just Snape being an idiot." Ryan knew this wasn't the whole extent to her problems, but let it slide.

" Leshia?" The girl looked up, Ryan sounded very concerned, and besides, he never called her Leshia.

" Yeah?"

" I've been hearing things since lunch…about you knowing who attacked you," he said uneasily. Leshia looked away quickly, not wanting to lie to his face, he'd been so good to her by looking out for her.

" Just people spreading rumours," she said lightly. Ryan didn't believe her for one second.

" My God, you do know," he exclaimed sounding shocked. Leshia snapped her eyes on him and opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come. She didn't want to lie. " Malfoy do you know?"

" I think I do," she said softly.

" Tell me!"

" I can't," she said softly.

" Well why? We all want to kick the living daylights out of them, and you're protecting them?" Ryan demanded sounding extremely frustrated.

" No I'm not…look I can't explain, it's too complicated. Just look at it this way," Leshia tried, stopping at the main entrance and looking up at her captain. " This person, they have something that I want, no, that I need. If they get the stuffing kicked out of them by you lot, or thrown into Azkaban by the minister of magic, then I'm going to lose this chance and it's too important for that." Her eyes must have revealed how sincere she felt about this because Ryan nodded in understanding.

" But what if they try again?" he asked sounding concerned once more.

" I don't think they will, not yet," she said truthfully.

" If you ever need my help, don't hesitate to ask." Leshia nodded dolefully. " And no more playing hide and seek in the dungeons!"

XXX

As Leshia and Ryan entered the common room Leshia was surprised to see Ashley and Nicola march over to her.

" I wouldn't go up there," Nicola warned her.

" Yeah, they're tearing chunks out of each other," Ashley added. Leshia's brow furrowed in confusion, but then she realised what was the matter and she ran up the stairs two at a time, bursting in on a very angry argument that had Katie in tears and Rachel bright red in the face. The moment their eyes fell on Leshia Katie's tears dried up, only to be replaced by a determined expression and Rachel began shaking her head.

" Don't Katie!" she said angrily, but whatever it was that Katie wasn't supposed to be mentioning, was about to come out and Leshia braced herself for it.

" I think you're being selfish," Katie exclaimed simply. Leshia looked surprised and she shut the door quickly behind her.

" What?" she asked sounding amazed.

" The way that you're treating your dad, I think it's really selfish and I think you should stop it." It was evidently taking a lot of effort to say these things, as Katie looked terrified by her own determination. Across the room Rachel's face was scrunched up and for an awful moment it looked like she was about to cry.

" I don't…" Leshia began, but trailed off, not quite knowing what to say. Unsure of where the anger was that had been rippling through her all day, and ought now to be springing to the surface with this betrayal.

" Katie!" Rachel finally managed and she wiped furiously at her face. " What did I tell you!"

" Draco's heartbroken Leshia," Katie carried on sounding more forceful now. " He's your dad, he's given up everything just to be with you here and you're treating him like dirt, just because he won't believe you. He's been through an awful time, are you surprised that he won't blindly cling to a hope in hell that your mum's not losing her mind again?" Leshia nodded calmly, inhaling slowly.

" Do you agree with me?" she asked softly, her eyes the only part of her that burned with fiery passion. They alone expressed the anger that raged beneath the surface.

" It's not important what I believe, this is about you not ruining the relationship you have with your dad. Do you know how jealous we've always been of you?" Katie demanded exasperatedly. " You're a million times closer to him then I am to my dad. He understands you better than anyone. I wish I could have the same thing with mine…" she trailed off sadly, voicing for the first time the secret things that she and Rachel had always discussed.

" Answer the question."

" This isn't about me!" Katie cried out in frustration. " Leshia I love you, don't do this to yourself. Don't cut off your leg to spite your foot!"

" Do you agree with me!"

" No!" Rachel and Leshia stared in shock at Katie, who panted and shook her head. " I don't," she added softly. For a moment or two Leshia opened and closed her mouth wordlessly.

" Fine," she finally uttered and gave Katie the same blank look she'd been giving Draco all morning. Katie knew what that meant and she hung her head.

" Leesh," Rachel tried, but Leshia simply walked over to her bed and shut the curtains, closing out the miserable look that Katie gave Rachel, and ignoring the tears that fell from Rachel's face – a sight she'd never seen.

XXX

As the days passed Leshia had never felt so depressed. Ignoring her feelings for her father and one of her best friends drained her, so the time she spent with Rachel, who was flittering between Leshia and Katie wasn't joy filled in the slightest and they started to resent one and other a little too. It was a sombre morning the day of the Hufflepuff match. Leshia sat with the team and chatted tactics, the only thing that didn't require any emotional thinking.

Soon they were making their way out into the rain and starting their warm up lap around the packed stands. The weather didn't dampen the spirits of the school crowds though and everyone seemed as enthusiastic as ever. Even Katie and Rachel managed to forget about their predicament and got a little carried away with the crowds.

As planned, the second the whistle was blown Leshia darted high up into the air and hung there, looking down on the action below her with vague interest. It was a high goal match, definitely a crowd pleaser, but Leshia couldn't bring herself to feel enthused.

When each side had scored at least ten goals, Leshia spotted a gold glint near to Josie Managan, the Hufflepuff seeker, who was hovering several feet below, under the field of play. Without hesitation she dived at lightning speed, dodging expertly past the Hufflepuff beaters who had spotted her dive. People gasped and 'oohed' as the small Malfoy darted and weaved, chasing Managan's tail, who'd by now spotted the snitch as well. With nothing to lose, Leshia threw herself into the chase, closing in steadily and surely on the alarmed Managans's broom tail. Finally, after an exhausting chase they were neck a neck, Managan's arm outstretched to the snitch.

" Oh no you don't!" Leshia cried out and with a violent jolt, she shoved her body into her fellow seeker's. She'd only meant to knock her off track, but felt horrified when Josie toppled off her broom and fell to the ground. Had Leshia not had her hand outstretched for the snitch, she never would have caught it after such violent play, but as the crowds jumped to their feet in outrage (the Hufflepuffs) and glee (the Gryffindors) Leshia felt her hand close around the little wings and she held on.

It wasn't technically foul play, shoving your fellow seeker was a legitimate move, but as the other sodden Gryffindor players cheered around her, Leshia felt sick to her stomach as the teachers flocked around poor Josie on the ground. Unable to handle the guilt anymore she dived down to the ground and jumped onto the soaking grass.

" I'm sorry," she cried out frantically, pushing through the teachers to see Josie was unconscious.

" Out of the way Miss Malfoy, quickly," Professor McGonagall ordered pushing Leshia aside. " We need to get this girl to the hospital wing."

" But…" Leshia tried, panic filling her confused mindset.

" And might I say," McGonagall was continuing on. " I am most disappointed with your display in sportsmanship." Leshia hung her head and swallowed at an empty throat.

" So am I," she uttered softly once the teachers had cleared away poor Josie's unconscious body. Only two figures remained out in the torrential rain, and looking up Leshia caught eyes with her father. He was looking at her strangely. He was disappointed. Suddenly angry Leshia turned on heel and stormed off, dragging her broom through the mud to the changing rooms where she sat and listened to the cheers going up around the stadium in her honour, feeling disgusted with herself.

XXX

The following day Leshia woke late, feeling extremely woozy from being in the rain, she thought it almost cruel of fate to burden her with a cold when she was suffering so already.

" That's what you get for knocking someone off their broom," she grumbled to herself as she pulled on some warm clothes. Katie and Rachel had gone without her down to breakfast so feeling as though the world was against her, Leshia trudged on. The main hall was practically empty as the last stragglers came down to breakfast and as Leshia sat down Katie jumped to her feet rushing off, muttering some excuse about returning a book.

" I'm still reliving your glorious victory from yesterday," Rachel said happily, stretching out her arms. Leshia shrugged.

" It wasn't glorious Rach, it was cruel," she said softly, reaching out and helping herself to some toast.

" You can't help it she can't stay on her broom."

" Yeah well I didn't have to push her did I?" Leshia countered dejectedly.

" Then why did you?"

" I wanted to win."

" Well then, case closed, you did," Rachel said happily, downing the rest of her orange juice. She glanced at Leshia and then at Katie's retreating back. " So, that cousin of mine," she tried casually. " She feels really bad you know Leesh."

" Good," Leshia sighed, nibbling on the corner of her toast. " That makes two of us."

" Three," Rachel corrected. " I hate seeing you guys fight."

" Well maybe if she hadn't betrayed me we'd still all be friends," Leshia grumbled.

" Look, I know she was a bit of a muppet, but that's Katie isn't it? You know how she's really sensitive about the relationship she has with her dad. She finds it hard…you know…he just doesn't get her and she sees you and Draco as sort of a saving grace. She's living vicariously through you."

" What does that mean?" Leshia asked with a wrinkled nose and an expression of intense confusion. Rachel frowned.

" Not sure, I heard it on Suzy Panter once and thought it sounded good," she said with a shrug. Suzy Panter was the wizarding world's Jerry Springer, broadcast on the wizarding radio. Lavender was hooked and the amount of hours that Rachel had had to listen to the drivelling psychobabble was quite astounding.

" I'm not forgiving her Rach so don't even go there. Besides, how can I forgive someone when they're not even sorry?"

" She's sorry she hurt you," Rachel said softly. Leshia sighed.

" Yeah well so am I, but…" she trailed off, as suddenly after an irritating pang and flash, Tally had suddenly appeared on the chair opposite her. Rachel choked on her orange juice as the houself suddenly appeared on the bench at her side and quickly darted away from the small green madam.

" From Master," she said aloofly, holding out a slip of parchment. Leshia took it and glanced at it.

Heard about your punishment.

Come round at seven

Tally disappeared with a pop and Leshia dropped the parchment.

" Dinner time," she sighed. " He's going to make me miss dinner. I'm telling you Rach, he'd better not try and talk to me."

XXX

It was with a heavy heart that Leshia trudged down to the Defence Against the Dark Arts office. She'd had a miserable afternoon trying to catch up on all the work she'd missed. Cramming four essays into one afternoon had ensured she was now in a foul mood and more so, because the work she'd produced wasn't very good at all and she felt ashamed of it. It was an internal struggle to lift her hand and knock the door, she so did not want to spend any time with her father lest it crumble her resolve, but she had to, and with a heavy heart she knocked loudly.

" Come in," Draco's voice called from the study. Leshia sighed heavily and pushed hard into the door. Draco was sitting on the ground surrounded by piles of documents. They looked suspiciously like the kind of documents he'd be found continuously rifling through when he'd worked at the ministry before coming to Hogwarts. Angry with her own curiosity, Leshia pushed the feeling away and looked blankly to her father.

" What do you want me to do sir?" she asked. He slowly made his way to his feet and nodded his head to a box full of photographs and parchments.

" I want you to sort that out into some sort of order," he said softly, his eyes crinkling with the hope that she might drop this insane behaviour and return instantly to the Leshia he knew and loved, but her anger was too deeply ingrained and with a nod she dragged the box away from Draco and sat in the corner pulling out pictures Draco had collected over the years as an Auror and case documents, all for the purpose of showing his sixth and seventh years.

She ignored the olive branch. As long as she could remember, she'd been begging Draco to have a look at this stuff. Draco sighed and looked down to the ground with a shake of his head. Things were worse than he'd thought. So with a resigned sigh he returned to his cross-legged position on the floor, rifling through his paperwork, stealing furtive glances at Leshia's back, wondering when he'd stopped being her idol.

XXX

They worked in silence for an hour until Draco got to his feet and walked over to his desk, taking his chair gingerly. On cue, two plates of food appeared on the table.

" You should eat something," Draco said softly, picking up the knife and fork in front of him. Leshia held her gaze fixed on the task at hand.

" I'm not hungry," she said sounding non-committal.

" You're still weak…"

" It's none of your business," Leshia interrupted lightly, as though talking to Draco was nothing more than an expenditure of energy and the contents of their conversation meant nothing to her.

" Leshia please?"

" I'm not hungry sir," Leshia said pointedly and briefly looked up with a 'and there's nothing you can do about it' expression. Draco held her gaze callously for a moment before dropping the cutlery again and grabbing a pile of papers from the corner of his desk.

" When you finish that you can go. I won't make you come back," he said dispassionately, before walking into his bedroom, closing the door behind himself.

'Why are you doing this?' a small voice came from the part of Leshia's conscience she often got angry with. 'You're killing him and you hate it too! You're such an idiot!'

" Go away," Leshia complained angrily.

'Well when you've lost all your friends and family, don't come crying to me about it.'

" I wish you'd get lost," Leshia grumbled angrily slamming a picture down on a pile she'd mentally labelled 'Gory' in her 'Gross'; 'Bloody'; 'Gory'; 'Gruesome'; and 'Indescribable' taxonomy. Wish granted Leshia felt suddenly alone and she sped up her task, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. Not that the common room held much joy for her anymore either, but anything was better than this self-inflicted agony.

X

Dear Minister,

I wrote to you last week, but I still haven't received any reply. Maybe it's because I wrote it in English, but maybe you could get someone to translate it into Spanish. Estoy Ingles! Hablo Ingles?

My mother has disappeared. Her name is Hermione Malfoy, but she's been going under the name of Leshia Westcoast. She works at the Americas Institute. I have reason to believe that something sinister has happened to her. I really think it would be in everyone's best interests if you looked into it.

Please. Thank you.

Yours Sincerely, Leshia Malfoy

P.S. Thank you for the Maracas, they were a very nice present. The spell is finally beginning to wear off so they're not shaking so much anymore (" Thank God," Rachel had said, those self-shaking Maracas had been driving everyone in Gryffindor tower mad, especially seeing as they refused to be muffled under a pile of Leshia's clothes in her trunk), but it's not quite what I was asking for. No qiero otro Maracas!

X

Dear Ambassador,

It's Leshia Malfoy again, I've been writing to you since October, but you haven't yet written a reply. I guess my letters must be getting lost somewhere over the Bermuda triangle or something, because I don't know why you wouldn't write back to me – it's strange though, because I didn't think it affected owls.

My mother has disappeared. Her name is Hermione Malfoy, but she's been going under the name of Leshia Westcoast. She works at the Americas Institute. I have reason to believe that something sinister has happened to her. I really think it would be in everyone's best interests if you looked into it.

I'm making sure you get this one, so I'm copying it out three times.

Please help me! Thank you.

Yours Sincerely, Leshia Malfoy

X

Dear Ambassador,

I'm sending you a howler and reporting you to the newspapers! That sombrero you sent me instead of a reply shrunk my best friend's head, it took all day for it to return to normal! You can't send a child something like that!

Pig!

Leshia Malfoy

X

Dear Minister,

No, I said NO MORE MARACAS! Oh I give up…

Leshia Malfoy

X

The pile of unopened returned letters lay in a small pile in front of Leshia's plate. She was staring at them with a defeated stare. Was the whole world against her? Not letting the uncooperative Mexican Magic officials get her down she pushed them away and looked down at the small number 12 she'd carved into her porridge.

'Happy Birthday,' she thought reservedly. It had been a meek day so far. Only Rachel had greeted her with a big smile and even though she'd receive all the usual presents, she'd returned the ones from Draco and Katie, leaving her with a few odd gifts left that weren't appealing in the slightest – a home sewing kit from Tally, some chocolates and sweets that had frozen and gone off in the blizzard raging across the north of Britain from the Potters and the Weasleys and a book on managing your anger from Nicola and Ashley. She'd made use of the Writing Kit Rachel had got her straight away by sending yet another letter off to Mexico, not that it would ever get read, but she had to try. Rachel had been violently sick when she tried one of the gone-off sweets – maybe her Uncle Fred and George had slipped a few of their inventions in by accident – and was now in the girl's toilets feeling extremely sorry for herself. Not as sorry as Leshia, who sat on her own at the end of the table, wallowing in self-pity.

" Cheer up, can't be that bad," Ryan Lofting's voice came and he and his friends Luka and Oskar dropped around the young Malfoy.

" It is," Leshia sighed and then smiled brightly. " But I love misery right?" Ryan grinned and shrugged – that's what everyone was saying, he didn't believe it to be true for one second.

" You can't be miserable on your birthday kid," Oskar told her with a small smile. Leshia made a small smile of confusion, how did they know?

" Happy birthday!" they suddenly burst out and from nowhere streamers exploded around them. People turned to stare semi-interestedly as the guys produced a card and a present.

" Ah thanks," Leshia beamed. " You really didn't have to!" Tearing the paper from the present she found it to be a very heavy book all about Quidditch history at Hogwarts.

" It automatically refreshes itself after each match," Ryan explained. " Look…" he opened the pages and turned to the end showing Leshia where a commentary and a picture of their latest match told about and depicted her shoving Josie from her broom. Grinning broadly Leshia looked up to the guys and her expression told them how much their kindness had meant to her.

Once they'd left, heading into Hogsmeade with everyone above third year, Leshia turned the pages and felt another pang of glee when she found that at the beginning of each year in the great book, it gave a description and mug shot of all the players on the teams combined with stats that looked to change with every game.

" This is the absolute best book ever," she sighed contentedly. The hall started emptying and with her new favourite present Leshia headed up to her room coming across a green looking Rachel on the way.

" You feeling better?" she asked with a small smile. Rachel shook her head jerkily.

" There's nothing left in my stomach," she groaned. Leshia smiled sympathetically and sat Rachel down in the common room showing her the book to cheer her up. For hours they pawed over the pages, going back to the days of their parents and looking at the games their parents had played in.

" Your dad looks so mean in these pictures," Rachel chuckled, seeing the pictures of the young Draco Malfoy in his school days. Leshia nodded with a smile.

" He was mean back then…" She suddenly stopped. Her good mood had staved her anger so much that she had forgotten that she'd been ignoring him for weeks now. The two girls looked at each other in surprise, before shaking it off and looking back to the pages. " Yeah, but look at your dad!" Leshia squealed happily seeing Ron in all his once-dopey glory.

" Did your grandfather play Quidditch? I know mine didn't, but I've got a few great uncles that did," Rachel said.

" I don't know, let's see." Together they started peeling the pages further back, but then Rachel went quiet looking up at the portrait hole. Katie had just walked in with her satchel and frowning heavily at Rachel.

" Oh damn," Rachel hissed. " Katie I'm so sorry, I completely forgot." Whatever it was she forgot Leshia didn't find out because within seconds she was on her feet and rushing out of the portrait hole following a grumpy Katie. Leshia sighed and put the book away in her own satchel, which was still lying out from the night before with her finished homework tucked into it – with her new found solitude Leshia had been finding a lot of time for homework and her marks were better than ever. Looking around for something to do Leshia's eyes fell on Rodeo who was watching her from a table in the corner. He and Parys were working on their Transfiguration essays. Catching his eye he grinned charmingly at her, and with nothing better to do, Leshia got up and wandered over to them.

" Hi," she said and she looked questioningly to the chair beside them. " Can I sit down?"

" Of course," they both chuckled.

" I hear it's your birthday," Parys said with a small grin. " You look wicked miserable for it to be your birthday, but then again, you've had a pretty lame run of luck recently." Leshia grinned at the boy, he was more understanding than his carefree bravado gave him credit for. Like fire and water the boys differed. Rodeo was tall and wiry with the makings of broad shoulders, blonde hair that seemed to defy the affects of winter and was getting lighter by the day it seemed, and large understanding blue eyes that danced with mischief. Parys was tall, but not wily like his skinnier friend, he was built more solidly, yet it didn't give him the impression of looking stocky. His short black hair, dark eyes and olive skin gave him an exotic look, but his nondescript English accent said otherwise. They were only young still and yet to grow into their looks, but those girls in first year who were mature above their peers ogled the best friends unashamedly.

" Happy birthday," Rodeo said cheerfully and Parys quickly followed suit.

" No more birthdays, I'm sick of it," Leshia laughed and she noticed a pile of cards lying on the windowsill. " Fancy a game of exploding snap?" The boys grinned and quickly they were laughing themselves silly with their exuberant game. Their mirth was dampened when two seventh year girls nobody really liked, Cathy and Gemma, told them to keep it down, that some people were trying to work.

" So what are you guys doing at Christmas," Leshia asked them curiously realising she knew little about them, as they settled down on one of the cosy sofas.

" I'm going back to London, we're having a huge reunion with my six brothers and sisters and all their screaming babies," Parys said with a roll of his eyes.

" I'm going back to Sweden to visit my grandparents," Rodeo added, not wanting his friend to hog all the attention. Leshia frowned.

" How are you getting there?"

" Well I take the train back to London with you guys and then take a plane to Sweden," he explained. Parys and Leshia were still staring at him blankly.

" And a 'plane' is?" Leshia asked frowning at her pronunciation, hoping she was getting it right.

" It's a…"

" Oh yeah," Parys suddenly interrupted with a 'light bulb switching on' expression. " Yeah my dad told me about them once, that's what muggles fly instead of brooms right?"

" Yeah well they're more like buses that fly, they take people to faraway places," Rodeo explained.

" How far?" Leshia suddenly demanded sounding breathless.

" Well anywhere," Rodeo said with a frown. " Anywhere you want to go."

" Even Mexico?"

" Well yeah." Leshia's mind was racing.

" And how do you catch one of these plane things?"

" You pay money at a travel agents, then you can go. Mexico would probably be expensive, like four hundred pounds or something." More blank looks. " That's about eighty galleons." For the remainder of the afternoon Leshia pressed Rodeo for more information on one of these plane thingies and exactly how she would be able to catch one and from where. By dinnertime she was hastily relaying her plans to Rachel.

" At Christmas I'm going to buy a ticket to go on one of these muggle planes, and I'm going to find my mum by myself!"

XXX

The weeks continued to fly by and soon the holidays were upon them. All of Leshia's friends – Rachel and the boys, who she'd taken to hanging around with more and more – were going home and knowing that whichever choice she made, to stay or go, Draco would follow, she decided it would be nicer to avoid him with all her creature comforts around her. Also, Leshia had two big reasons for wanting to go to London. She had a plane ticked to secure and she desperately wanted to pay the Ministry a visit to see if she could get them to try and find Hermione.

The train ride back to London was an exuberant one. Katie and Rachel sat in their own compartment with Ashley and Nicola, but Leshia shared one with the sixth year boys, intermittently joined by Rodeo and Parys. There was much laughter as the older boys doted on and teased Leshia as though she were a little sister and she was having the time of her life. What was even more enjoyable was that when Leshia headed for the toilet she came across Cole Ashton walking down the aisle. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and even though he scowled at first, he quickly lost his bravado when he noticed Leshia was smiling at him darkly, her expression reading loud and clear, 'I know, and there's nothing you can do about it.'

But all good things must come to an end, and soon the train was pulling into King's Cross where eager and excitable parents were waiting, bouncing up and down on their heels, hands all aflutter as the train pulled into the station to be greeted by a wall of waves. The guys helped Leshia down with her trunk and she begrudgingly followed everyone off the train, holding Philly close so that he didn't escape. The families started to clear away while mothers hugged their daughters close, showering them with kisses, and fathers clapped their sons on the back heartily congratulating them on a successful term. Once this barrage of family bliss had finally moved on two lone figures remained on the platform, looking as far from a picture of family bliss as was humanly possible. Leshia avoided Draco's eyes and started towards the barrier. As she passed him Draco watched her pass, sadness lacing his face.

The entire walk home Leshia remained several paces ahead of her father, refusing to walk with him, refusing to acknowledge that they were together. With every stride she took away from him, Draco's heart began to sink a little deeper. By the time he reached their grand townhouse Leshia had fished out her own keys and was off exploring the house to see if everything was where she'd left it. He didn't see neither hide nor hair of her for the rest of the afternoon and only managed to clap eyes on her at all because Tally (who had apparated home) was dragging her into the kitchen by her ear to eat dinner with Draco.

Had he not been terminally depressed with her treatment of him Draco might have smiled at the sight of Leshia being dragged in, hunched over so that the elf didn't pull her ear off, but as father-daughter relations were in disrepair at this moment he merely looked away blankly. No words were uttered between them during dinner, and had Tally not been angrily lecturing Leshia the whole way through about being a spoilt young lady, and had Leshia not been angrily shouting back that Tally was an ugly little toad then it would have been a silent affair.

It was a sign of how bad things were that Draco secretly enjoyed the noise, as under normal circumstances such a display would have had him taking his dinner through to his study to eat in peace and quiet.

Over the following days things got worse and Leshia started disappearing, where she was going Draco didn't know and the one time he tried to question her on her disappearing act she blanked him as usual and dodged the question. The haggard father began looking forward to the dinners, which were always accompanied by theatrics between Leshia and Tally. Come Thursday evening Draco walked into the kitchen to find dinner on the table and a distraught looking Tally. Not particularly interested in the latest melodrama in the houself's life, he took his seat and started to eat in silence. After five minutes he was surprised to see that the houself hadn't walked off to drag Leshia in.

" Where's Leshia?" he asked her with a frown. Tally's eyes brimmed over with anguished tears and in an instant Draco felt his heart freeze. " She's not here is she?" Tally shook her head.

" Tally doesn't know where Miss Malfoy has gone!" she squealed sounding horrified that she wasn't doing her job very well. So badly in fact that she'd lost her charge.

" Well how long has she been gone?" Draco asked seriously, getting to his feet and wiping his hands on his napkin. Tally relayed her daily sightings of Leshia to Draco while he bounded up the stairs three at a time towards Leshia's room. As he searched through her things to see if there was any hint as to where she may have gone Tally explained that she hadn't seen Leshia since three-o clock.

" You're supposed to tell me when she goes out Tally!" Draco rounded on the elf angrily. Tally wobbled on the spot looking mortified once more.

" But Master, Tally not knowing about Leshia going out," she squeaked. " Tally believed Miss Malfoy was in her room." Draco frowned and looked to the window where the curtains were ever so gently swaying in the breeze. He wrenched them open and found the window prized open. Down at the end of the garden a long wooden object lay in the snow, it had bristles on the end.

" Unbelievable, she flew down from her room?" he grumbled and wrenched the drawer of her bedside table open. Brochures from muggle travel agencies spilled out, and after shoving them out the way Draco fell on the remains of a broken piggybank, with a few sickles and knuts lying in the bottom of the drawer. He dropped down on the floor, leaning against the bed for support.

" She's run away…" he whispered and frantically grappled for the brochures. Without even glancing at the bronzed attractive faces on the cover happily frolicking on white sands under the title 'Real Mexico', he knew where these brochures were advertising.

" But Master, Miss Malfoy hasn't brought any of her things," Tally said, trying to regain her composure. Draco frowned and looked around realising everything was still in place. Surely she would need some things, if she were going all the way to Mexico.

" Her muggle passport," Draco suddenly exclaimed and he raced back out again, this time practically jumping down the entire length of the stairs. When Leshia had been little Hermione had ensured that she keep a passport for her daughter in case there was ever any need for it. Surely in order to travel on muggle transport she would need it? With his heart in his throat Draco ripped out the drawer from the bureau in the parlour and found with a state of complete relief that three maroon passports lay in the drawer, untouched since Hermione had lovingly placed them there five years ago. An anguished sound escaped Draco's throat and he leaned back on the bench in the parlour, relief and pain making his skin crawl.

" Well where the hell is she then?" he growled, getting angry himself now, he'd been easy going so far, but now Leshia was treading the line. She had no right to be treating him like this. She was still his daughter no matter how hard she wished she wasn't. Getting to his feet he stalked to the hall and pulled on his long thick black coat, scarf and gloves. " Tally I'm going to find her, if she comes back here you have my permission to hold her by the ear until I get back. Keep her here at all costs is that understood?" Tally nodded, getting herself under control once more. Striding determinedly forward Draco headed out into the snowy December's evening and turned left heading for the nearest muggle shops.

XXX

Meanwhile Leshia was going blue in the face from trying to argue with the woman behind the desk at First Choice travel agents. At first she'd been all too happy to oblige, expecting the girl's parents to come along any time soon. She'd looked up a seat on the next available flight to Mexico City that cost under £400 pounds and had finally found one available in early January. As she had turned on Leshia expecting her to say something along the lines of, 'My parents will be along soon to pay for it and sort out all the grown-up stuff', the girl instead had pulled out a wad of cash.

" Is this right?" Leshia then asked handing over the muggle money. The woman, a certain Karen Straff, looked at it in surprise.

" Excuse me?" she had asked. " You can't just pay for it in cash."

" Why not?"

" You're under aged! You must be over the age of sixteen to purchase flights with us," she had tried to explain.

" But I need to get to Mexico, my mum's there!" the girl had complained sounding desperate. Karen had felt momentarily sorry for her, but guidelines were guidelines and she was up for promotion soon. She couldn't go breaking the rules now.

" I'm sorry Miss Malfoy, but I can't help you unless you have a parent or guardian present…" This is when Leshia had suddenly got to her feet and angrily started demanding that she put her on the flight. Her outburst was scaring the other customers away and several left the shop muttering about 'strange girls' and 'what on earth would she want to go to Mexico at this time of year for?'

It was a matter of chance that Draco happened to be passing and heard snippets of their conversation.

" Excuse me?" he said quickly, and the old couple turned around.

" Yes love?" the old woman asked kindly.

" I'm sorry, but I happened to overhear your conversation. Have you seen a blonde girl, about this high, planning to run away to Mexico?" he asked, holding his hand up half way up his chest. The old gentleman smiled.

" Yours is she?" he chuckled. Draco nodded with a tired look.

" She's up there in First Choice Travel," the lady explained and she briefly reached out and squeezed his arm tightly. " Good luck with that one." Draco nodded gratefully and hurried on, reaching the travel shop and glancing through the window to see Leshia was on her feet arguing angrily with a bewildered looking woman and an officially dressed muggle man, who looked as though he were trying to get rid of her. Inhaling slowly, Draco set his face angrily pushed the door to the shop open. Nobody paid him any attention as all eyes were trained on his daughter, who was providing some decent entertainment he had to admit.

" Well what one earth would you people know about efficient travel? You're completely out of…" Leshia was telling the bewildered muggles spitefully, when suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder.

" That's enough Leshia, let's go," Draco said sounding so powerful that the muggles turned to look at him with wide eyes. Leshia's shoulders dropped and she closed her eyes slowly. How had he found her so quickly?

" I'm not going until they get me a ticket to Mexico," Leshia muttered sounding drained.

" You're not going to Mexico," Draco said even more forcefully.

" Yes I am! I'm going to find mum and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

" She doesn't want to be found Leshia," Draco said coldly, not wanting their private business to spread around muggle London. " Now let's go." He tried to drag her out, but she was resisting.

" No. You can't make me," she complained and struggled free, finally spinning round and looking up at Draco with a cold expression. Draco slowly exhaled and leaned close, looking so angry that everyone in the shop wondered whether the young girl was dim-witted not to be quivering under such a look.

" Yes I can," he said slowly. " I'm still your father, and you will do as I say." Leshia looked so wretched that some of the women excused her behaviour. She was obviously a very disturbed young lady. " Now come on." Taking her under the arm Draco led her towards the door. " I'm sorry for the disturbance," he said at the door.

" She left this," Karen suddenly called out, holding up the wad of money. Draco shook his head.

" Keep it." With this he marched Leshia out of the shop and straight home without a word. Once they reached the house Draco let Leshia go and braced himself for an angry tirade that never came. She was staring up at him distantly.

" You're not going to stop me you know," she said sounding scarily mature.

" Watch me," Draco said firmly and he strode over to the bureau, taking out the three passports and holding his wand to them. Leshia's eyes went a little wider, as though she wanted to stop him, but didn't believe he would actually do it.

" You wouldn't," she said airily. With a silent incantation the passports suddenly burst into flame, and Draco dropped them to the ground leaving them to turn brown and crisp on the beautiful rug. Leshia stared at them silently feeling herself loose a little control.

" You think that's going to stop me?" she said looking up and shaking her head.

" Well what are you going to do Leshia? You can't apparate, you can't take a broom all the way to Mexico, there are no portkeys that I'm aware of. What exactly is it that you plan to do?" Draco asked slowly, putting emphasis on every word. Leshia's brow lowered in anger.

" I hate you," she repeated for the second time in her life.

" I know you do, what do you want, a medal?" her father exclaimed, his voice breaking. Leshia glared at him more severely and turned on heel stomping up the stairs. Loud noise ensued, when she slammed her door so hard flakes of paint fell down in the kitchen, which was followed by the sound of some obnoxious Witches girl band that blasted out from her radio. Cauldron Chicks was a hit success with most youngsters, but Leshia and Draco had a grudge against the band – Draco because it was headed up by Pansy Parkinson, and Leshia because she hated everything Draco hated. With her turnaround in personality, that would probably explain why she was now blearing it out and singing along hoarsely at the top of her voice.

" How does she even know the bloody words?" Draco grumbled as he sat down in the kitchen, little flakes of paint flittering down onto his head.

" Master?" Tally asked sounding a little timid. Draco made a deep sound from his throat to show he was listening. " Would Master like Tally to bring Miss Malfoy down for dinner?" The little elf looked terrified at the prospect of doing so and was extremely relieved when Draco shook his head.

" No, if she wants to starve then let her," he sighed and leaned forward, looking at his paint splattered dinner, which had long gone cold.

" Let Tally heat it up master!" Tally squeaked in alarm as Draco reached for his fork, but Draco batted her grasping hands away.

" I just don't care anymore."

XXX

Draco sank into such a depression that he didn't even start showing up for dinner anymore. He kept to his study, going over the secretive papers he'd been receiving all week, and when he was sighted by Leshia he normally had his nose buried in a newspaper looking thoughtful. Every now and then Draco would hear hurried footsteps up and down the stairs and then the door slamming. So he guessed Leshia was going about and doing as she pleased, but what she was doing he had no idea and it hurt him so badly. They had been so close and now they were like strangers to each other. He'd let Hermione down, and this was one of the hardest things to deal with.

Christmas came and went with nothing to mark its doing so. No tree and no presents. Tally tried to cook a nice meal, but neither Draco nor Leshia showed up for it. The days were blurring together, and the only thing of any significance that happened was that one night, when Draco was to be found in his study he heard muffled sobs. Frowning he looked to his door and saw the shadow of a person at his door. The door handle started to turn, but then with pattering footsteps the shadow disappeared. What had happened to make Leshia come to seek him out in tears he couldn't know, but that evening he'd gone to sleep with a smile on his face.

Before too long it was time to board the Hogwarts Express back to school and Leshia was more than happy to see her friends again and get away from that batty houself Tally. On the train Leshia found an empty compartment and sat eagerly awaiting company, but for a full hour no one came to sit with her. Feeling extremely dejected she got to her feet and padded up the corridor. Finally she came across Rodeo and Parys who were sitting with some boys from first year and they greeted her exuberantly, but there was nowhere for her to sit.

Feeling like a prize fool Leshia continued on her way until she stumbled across Katie and Rachel talking happily eating sweets from the trolley.

" Leesh!" Rachel cheered a little guiltily. Leshia managed a small smile.

" How was your Christmas?" she asked, trying to avoid Katie's eyes.

" Oh great fun, everyone was at the burrow, Katie and I had to cram in with Sarah and Amy and like a million of our other cousins, but it was really fun…" she drifted off when she saw the dejected look on Leshia's face. " Oh Leesh, come in. Sit down."

" No I…" Leshia trailed off and looked now from Rachel to Katie. God, they looked even more alike somehow and suddenly she realised if it came down to it, she'd never win Rachel. They were family, blood is thicker than water. Without thinking she opened her mouth to say something to Katie, but her pride was too great and she stepped back wishing she could just be normal and have fun with her friends. These girls were her 'sisters', they were all close, why was she ruining things?

" I'm sorry," she uttered, her eyes fixed on the ground and she darted out again rushing to her empty carriage where she shut the curtains and sank down in her seat, her heart racing.

'See,' a small satisfied voice came. Leshia shut her eyes and felt tears prickling her nose. 'You've alienated everyone, and still your miserable.' Feeling her resolve weakening, realising it wasn't too late to fix this mess Leshia was nearly on her feet, but then a picture of her mother flashed before her mind's eye and she sank down again, filled with renewed fervour to find her. It was an obsession, and she couldn't shake it. She had to find her mother.

XXX

Over the following days everyone watched in dismay as both Leshia and her father suffered. They were mere shells of what they once were and no one knew what to do to stop them on their slippery decline into further depression. As the first Saturday drew by Rodeo, in an attempt to cheer Leshia up, but also because he'd promised came bounding down the stairs with a big sack full of oblong objects. All the first years were sitting in the common room working on a group project they'd been set by Professor Sprout – tending to baby Hillipups (tiny pear shaped half plant half beasts in varying shades of red and green with little legs and arms and mouths, when they grew older they lost their legs and set their roots down, but for now, they were blindly stumbling around and crying miserably). The children's task was to keep the little babies alive and happy and were busy trying to feed them with pipettes.

" It won't sit still, how am I supposed to feed it with a pipette? One drop is bigger than its entire mouth…" Rachel began crossly.

" She Rach, it's a she," Katie corrected and expertly fed her little boy Hillipup with ease. Rachel glared at her friend.

" How can you tell?"

" Weren't you listening? The red ones are boys and the green ones are girls!" Rachel pulled a face as Katie bent down to her Hillipup, and across the potting tray makeshift nursery she had expected Leshia to smile, but Rachel was surprised to see Leshia crumpling her face slightly and looking away. Things were worse than they thought, so it came as rather good timing that Rodeo bounded in and dropped his large bag just short of the nursery.

" Careful!" everyone in the class shouted, startling the little Hillipups (at the same time wondering how on earth they could be startled, did they have ears?).

" Oh calm down, who cares about a bunch of walking crying pears?" Rodeo chuckled.

" Easy for you to say, yours just sleeps," Parys grumbled indicating the fattest Hillipup of the bunch who was slumped on one side sleeping in a little soil den.

" Are you sure that thing isn't dead?" Leshia asked and she poked it with her pipette. It gave a lazy sounding cry, before burrowing deeper under the soil. Those closest to it could have sworn they heard muffled little snores coming from the soil.

" What's in the bag?" Sam Thomas asked curiously, leaning over so much that the pipette went straight down his Hillipup's throat, which startled the poor little thing into vomiting bright pink goo all over the pipette head, before bursting into wails of anguish.

" I thought you'd never ask," Rodeo said triumphantly and from his bag he retrieved a shoe with a blade attached to the bottom. " This," he began. " Is a skate. My dad's got loads because the sponsors love to unload gear on him, so I brought a whole load along so I can show you what I've been going on about all term!" The children grinned gleefully, but then were reminded of their temporary parenting duties when two Hillipups walked right into each other, bouncing off one another and then bursting into wails.

" Let's just wait for them to go to sleep," Rodeo said and they carried the tray to the girls' dormitory, putting it out of the draft and out of direct sunlight. What followed was an amusing scene where they tried all manner of ways to get their Hillipups to sleep. Some tried lullabies, the others make makeshift slings out of old socks and tried rocking them to sleep (this option resulted in very pink stained socks) and finally they tried turning their backs on them. Nothing worked.

" Ouw!" Leshia suddenly yelped diving back from the nursery tray. " The bloody thing bit me, look!" She held up a blood stained finger as proof.

" How?" Parys asked sounding bewildered. " They don't have teeth!"

" Well it must have a beak or something, because that hurts," Leshia grumbled. " I'd only been trying to stroke it."

" Wait that's it!" Katie exclaimed and she reached into her satchel pulling out a feather, while everyone watched in amazement, she tickled the Hillipup on its back and soon it was snoring soundly. A mad scrabbled ensued as everyone used the feather to send their Hillipups off to sleep and finally they had some peace and quiet.

" I've never been so happy that you're a swot!" Rachel said happily as they traipsed down the stairs in their thick jumpers and scarves, heading out to the lake.

" I just listen Rach, there's a difference," Katie countered grumpily.

" Here someone take these from me," Rodeo called appearing with several long stick like objects. Everyone refrained from asking what everything did until they were sitting on a bench beside the large frozen lake. Rodeo dolled out the skates and made sure that everyone had a pair that fitted for the most part.

" Right, maybe we should see if you can actually skate first," Rodeo said with a grin to the wizarding kids. Muggleborns and half muggles managed okay, but the second Leshia and the others stepped foot on the ice they toppled over and they didn't improve for the first hour they were out there in the cold.

" Why would you do this for fun?" Leshia demanded through clattering feet as she sat up on her knees, exhausted from falling over the whole time. Rodeo laughed and left her stranded in the middle of the lake and easily skated back, doing little tricks on his way.

" Show off," Leshia grumbled and she climbed to her feet, edging forward slowly and shakily.

Craaaaccckkk

Leshia stopped and looked around. What on earth was that? Nothing.

" Come on Leesh hurry up, we're getting a game going!" Rodeo called from up the lake.

" I'm coming, hold your horses!" Leshia called back and started edging forward again.

Craaaaccckkk croooakkk

Again Leshia stopped and looked around wildly, that hadn't been her imagination, the ice was groaning and complaining. Mind racing Leshia edged forward again as the ice protested loudly.

" Oh no," she whispered as ahead of her a large crack formed, snaking its way towards her. Panic struck in and without knowing what else to do she started running, skate clad and all across the ice, but she wasn't fast enough and from below her the ice gave way and she went clattering into the freezing waters. Her horrified cries drew the attention of the others, who turned around to see that Leshia had disappeared.

" Where is she?" Rodeo said with a frown.

" Help!" her mangled cry came and then an arm rose from the ice.

" Oh my God she's fallen through!" Rodeo yelled to the others and he started racing off to help her, jumping forward and sliding on his front across the ice to the hole where Leshia was no longer to be seen.

" Leshia!" Katie and Rachel were screaming, and after having kicked off their skates, were running towards Rodeo.

" Get down, you'll break more off," he yelled to them and they mimicked his action, crawling forward on their stomachs.

" Where is she?" Katie cried and tears streamed down her face.

" I don't know, she's gone under," Rodeo cried out in panic. For a moment there was an eerie silence as the wind swept powdery snow onto the trio of panicked children.

" Leesh," Rachel whimpered and Katie wrapped her arm around her. Beside them Rodeo was rubbing furiously at his eyes, trying to fight the tears away.

" Leshia!" they heard Parys scream and suddenly there was a crash in the ice and he was down on the ground pulling a struggling Leshia from the waters. " Help!" he cried desperately to the others. Within moments they'd joined him and with the four of them they managed to pull their frozen friend from the waters below.

" Leshia!" Katie and Rachel cried, wrapping their arms around her. Leshia herself was gasping at the air, shaking from the cold and the shock.

" Leshia you nearly died," Katie cried and she pulled back with tears streaming down her face. They caught eyes for a moment and there was no more anger, there was nothing but love and friendship. It warmed Leshia's heart and wordlessly they made up.

" Stupid muggle games," Leshia joked through chattering teeth, and everyone laughed sporadically, the adrenalin still running through them.

" Come on, you have to get to the hospital wing," Rodeo said and the others helped her to her feet and slowly they made their way back to the castle. By the time they reached the entrance hall Leshia had turned slightly blue from the cold, so it came as a shock to Professor McGonagall when they traipsed in.

" My Goodness, Miss Malfoy, what's happened?" she gasped and hurried them towards the hospital wing.

" I fell through the ice professor," Leshia chattered, her jaw vibrating with cold at lightning speeds.

" What were you doing on the lake and what on earth are those things on your feet?" she demanded.

" They're skates…" Leshia began, but suddenly they rounded the corner and came across Professor Dumbledore walking along having a serious hushed conversation with none-other than Draco.

" Leshia," Draco stammered when he saw his daughter. " What happened?" He looked horrified that his daughter once more was suffering.

" She fell through the ice," Rodeo said softly.

" My God…are you all right?" he tried to step closer, to touch her arm, to make sure she was okay, but Leshia pulled away and carried on walking without another word.

" Miss Malfoy!" McGonagall called and rushed after her, with the children in pursuit, leaving Draco with his hand mid reach, his eyes closed. Dumbledore lowered his head and turned to watch Leshia being led away by her entourage and he frowned. It was time for him to intervene.

XXX

Luckily Leshia didn't require a lengthy stay at the hospital wing, and after being forced to consume vast amounts of chocolate and after promising that she would take a warm bath she was free to go. She felt much better as she and her friends walked back to the common room, but before she managed to catch up with them completely she was surprised when Dumbledore appeared in their path once more.

" Leshia," he said kindly. " Could you possible spare an old man some time so as we might chat?"

" Of course Professor," Leshia said reluctantly and she followed him to his office, marvelling at the rotating staircase that lifted them into his circular office. She took one of the cushy seats and looked around herself appreciatively. She'd heard lots of stories of the wonderful things that could be found in the headmaster's office and desperately wanted to time to examine everything, but Dumbledore was taking his seat smiling kindly at the girl. Leshia held his gaze, knowing already what Dumbledore had summoned her here to say. Determined that she wasn't going to sway, no matter what the kindly old man threw at her, she clenched her jaw and gave him an expectant look.

" I trust you have recovered from your accident at the lake?" he said kindly. Leshia nodded quickly.

" I was just on my way to have a hot bath, Madam Pomfry made me promise," Leshia explained.

" She is a very wise woman, I will try not to keep you too long," Dumbledore promised.

" Sir…how long is this going to take?" Leshia asked withy a frown. The age-old headmaster gave her a deep look.

" As long as it takes Leshia," he said softly. With an exasperated sigh Leshia leant back in her chair and looked petulantly at her feet.

" No offence sir, but I don't see how any of this is your business," she said coldly. To her surprise Dumbledore started laughing heartily.

" You are right of course, but I am an old fool and have always had a habit of sticking my nose in where it is not wanted," he said fondly.

" If its not wanted, then why do you do it?"

" Because we don't always know what's best for ourselves Leshia," Dumbledore explained with a twinkle in his kind eyes. " We are so blinded by our own feelings that it takes someone on the outside to tell us what's really before our eyes."

" Is that what you're going to try and do? Tell me what to feel?" Dumbledore shook his head slowly, and there was no lie in his face. The young girl felt slightly better for it and she looked away to where a beautiful Phoenix was regarding her with a tilted head.

" To begin with," Dumbledore began slowly. " I am going to tell you nothing." Leshia looked back to him with a frown, if he wasn't going to say anything then how was he going to try and tell her what to think? Curious, she raised her eyebrows, and Dumbledore smiled at her and then looked down at a large shallow stone basin on the desk in front of him. Leshia frowned at it and looked up questioningly.

" This," Dumbledore began. " Is a pensieve. It as a means by which to examine and pour over memories at your leisure. By the time you reach my age dear girl, you'll notice that your head is so full memories occasionally tend to fall out, and this helps to keep them all in check." Leshia nodded curiously. Her mother had once told her all about pensieves when she was a little girl, but then Leshia's face fell. Memories. That sounded time consuming…and tricky. What was Dumbledore hoping to achieve?

Leshia was starting to get impatient when Dumbledore slowly reached out and placed his wand to his head, after a few moments the tip started to glow white and as he pulled his wand back a sliver of shiny white thread appeared to be attached to the end. He placed it in the basin and moments later a shimmering white swirling cloud appeared. Dumbledore watched as Leshia became entranced in the swirling clouds and smiled.

" Are you ready?" he asked. Leshia quickly looked up at him and frowned.

" What do you mean?" she asked sounding surprised.

" Lean forward, and you'll see," he said sounding so trusting, that after a moment's hesitation she leaned forward. Suddenly she felt a pull on her face and it was as though she was being sucked into the basin. In fright she shut her eyes and only dared to open them when the sensation had finished.

" Did it work?" she asked sounding confused, but the Dumbledore sitting in front of her didn't react to her. He was writing in a large book. " Sir?" Leshia asked louder. Still no response. " Hello?" she suddenly said waving her arm in front of the headmaster. No response, and looking at her hand she noticed that the basin had gone. In fact…lots of things had changed. Professor Dumbledore for that matter looked slightly younger, and was wearing different robes. The desk was arranged differently.

There was a knock at the door and after finished his sentence Dumbledore put down his quill and looked up expectantly.

" Come in," he called and slowly the door opened revealing a familiar blonde face. For a moment Leshia felt betrayed.

" You said we'd be looking at memories! And now he's here?" Still Dumbledore ignored her and her father at the door walked in seemingly not noticing that Leshia was on her feet glaring at him.

" Draco?" Dumbledore seemed surprised, as though he had been expecting someone else. For a moment Leshia faltered and she darted out the way as Draco took a seat opposite the headmaster. Why had he changed clothes? And for that matter, how long had his hair been so long? " Something awful has happened, hasn't it?" the headmaster asked slowly. " To Hermione?" Finally, it dawned on Leshia what had happened and she felt incredibly stupid that it had taken her this long to figure out. She was in one of Dumbledore's memories, and by the looks of it, a terrible one. Back at the table Draco was nodding slowly.

" I'm getting worried, that's why I came…" he said sounding so unsure, so alone. For a moment Leshia felt a pang of pain. She remembered the first few days, when Draco had seemed the most derailed, when it started to be clear that Hermione was missing.

" What's happened Draco?" Dumbledore asked anxiously. Draco shook his head and he gulped.

" She never arrived in LA three days ago, no one's heard from her and there's been strange men hanging around the house," Draco said in a rushed tone. By the serious look on Dumbledore's face, it was clear that this was something to be concerned about at the time. Leshia vaguely remembered severe caution in the years prior to Hermione's disappearance. When strange people were seen around the house they went to a special room in the house with no windows and a hearth, ready for escaping with floo powder should the need arise.

" This is very worrying," Dumbledore said gravely and by the pallor of his skin, that much was obvious.

" I just can't imagine…I can't bear it. I told her not to go! But she was so sure of herself…so…" Draco's hands started trembling and he crossed his arms across his chest, shoving his hands into his armpits in an attempt to stop them. A strange agonised sound escaped his throat. " You have to help me Albus, please?"

" Of course Draco." For a moment Draco's stricken face calmed and he looked briefly to his watch. " Yes you must go."

" I'm sorry, but I've left Leshia with the Potters and every second she's away from me I fear that they'll get to her too," Draco stammered and he climbed jerkily to his feet. " Please help us Albus, I can't imagine life without Hermione…I can't imagine my daughter growing up without her mother…"

The memory started to disappear and Leshia found herself back in the present, staring across the table at her own headmaster. She forced a neutral expression onto her face and didn't react when Dumbledore smiled at her. He started to load up his wand with another memory and Leshia looked away to the window, wondering how long this was going to take and how many of these memories she was going to be able to withstand. As the basin filled again Dumbledore raised his hands as though saying 'after you'. With a sigh Leshia reluctantly leaned forward and tried to keep her stomach settled as she was dragged forward again into yet another memory.

Opening her eyes Leshia was surprised to find herself in her kitchen back home, sitting at the dining table sat Draco as she remembered him from before their departure to Hogwarts. Gone was the long hair to be replaced with easy-to-manage short hair, a permanent frown on his forehead, morning stubble always adorning his face, and looking wired from working all the time, this was Draco at his most serious, this is how miserable he was before he'd become a teacher and the spirit had returned to his eyes. Two cups of coffee sat amongst the strewn Ministry papers and although Draco looked pleased to see his old friend, his eyes kept darting towards the papers, as though taking a coffee break was going to ruin his schedule – back then, it almost always did.

" I trust Leshia is enjoying her holiday at the burrow?" Albus asked conversationally. Draco managed a small smile and for a moment his face lit up at the sound of Leshia's name.

" Yes," he said heartily. " At least I'd imagine so, as I've only received a brief letter telling me that we should move to the country. Too busy to write I'd imagine, they've just been holding quidditch competitions." He looked wistful, as though he wished he could drop everything and join in.

" You did not wish to join them?" Dumbledore asked curiously. Draco managed a noncommittal shrug.

" So many Weasleys in one place, I'd imagine the noise would drive me mad after an hour, let alone a whole week," he tried, but he wasn't convincing. The obvious reason was on the table all around them for all too see. He was so swamped with work that taking an unplanned coffee break threw a spanner into the works. A week was simply out of the question. After retiring from the Auror department Draco had not expected to find a job that was as time consuming. He was wrong. As one with so much experience in the dark arts and dark circles, he was high up in the research branch of the Auror department. He still had to work twenty hours a day, but at least he could work from home most of the time, and he didn't run the risk of losing his life just by going to work.

" I see I have caught you at a bad time," Dumbledore was continuing. Draco tried to shake his head, but it wouldn't behave and he ended up making a strange circular motion with his head.

" Sort of, we're a man short and all the extra works seems to be coming my way," Draco explained glancing despairingly at the table. " When Leshia gets back I'll never be able to find her under all this paperwork." Dumbledore smiled.

" It is because of Leshia that I have come, I have her letter," he said taking from his pocket the large Hogwarts acceptance letter that Leshia had been looking forward to getting since she was four. Draco smiled and looked away to a far point in the distance that only he could see.

" Is it time already?" he asked, sounding truly relaxed for the first time. " God, times flies by doesn't it…" Dumbledore was nodding, seeing pain in Draco that even Draco himself hadn't realised was there until just now. He glanced back at the document in front of him and pushed it away soberly. " Albus…I've wasted the time we had together. I should have been there for her, instead, work consumed me."

" You have wasted nothing Draco," Dumbledore said softly. " The bond you and Leshia share is stronger than any I have seen of its kind."

" But now she's going…when she's gone, I'll have no one left," Draco was starting to sound aggrieved.

" Draco," Dumbledore suddenly said with such purpose that Draco looked up at him curiously. " If there was a way for you to hang on to Leshia a little while longer, would you take it, even though it meant leaving all this behind?" Draco lowered his head. Forget his quest for repentance? After all, that is why he put in such hard hours, to make up for the sins in his youth. But Leshia, his little girl. There was a way he could hang on a little longer, help her through these hard years of her life. Suddenly, his mind was made up, and he sat up looking as though the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders.

" Yes…"

Once more everything went white and Leshia found herself in her seat again. Without any words of explanation Dumbledore was already getting another memory ready and Leshia felt a sense of extreme discomfort. She didn't like this. She hated to see her father vulnerable, but Dumbledore was ready and he looked to her, sterner this time.

" I don't want to," she said softly.

" But you must." There was no argument, she had to obey and with a heavy sigh she leaned forward and got the shock of her life when her eyes cleared of the spinning. It took her a moment to get used to the dark of the hospital wing, but there, right in front of her lay the unconscious mangled body of herself. This must have been that terrible night. Draco was sat beside her present self, his chin resting on his hands, staring blankly at his daughter's body. Across from them stood Dumbledore, looking gravely down at Leshia's unconscious form.

" Will she recover Albus?" Draco asked barely in a whisper, as though the pain at seeing his daughter like this had stolen from him the ability to speak. Dumbledore was looking grave.

" We do not know," was all he said.

" I can't bear to lose her," Draco croaked and his voice contorted as though a silent sob had risen in his throat.

" I know."

" She's all I have left…" Draco trailed off and hung his head, wrapping his hands around the back of his neck. " And her mother doesn't want to know. Albus, I've been hiding it from her, I can't bear the thought of crushing her again. Hermione, she's told me to stop writing…how can I tell her? How can I break her heart all over again?"

" Be truthful," Dumbledore replied calmly. Draco closed his eyes and hung his head back.

" But the truth hurts," he finally said sounding so pained that Leshia looked away feeling her eyes stinging. The single tear that slid out from under one of Draco's closed lids went unnoticed and soon the memory faded.

" Professor please," Leshia said strongly when they were back in the present. Dumbledore raised one eyebrow at her curiously. " What's the point in showing me this? I don't want to see." Without heeding her Dumbledore filled the basin with yet another memory and Leshia stared at it angrily, she started to rise from her chair, but when the basin was full Dumbledore looked up at her with a very stern look.

" Sit down," he said simply and helplessly Leshia obeyed, leaning forward to this new memory. Fearful of what pain it was going to reveal next.

As the spinning stopped Leshia found herself in Dumbledore's office once more. Draco sat hunched over on the seat beside her, he looked drained, this cannot have been so long ago.

" She's not getting over it Albus, it's been a month. She hates me," Draco was explaining miserably. Dumbledore shook his head.

" She is experiencing grief that she never truly resolved all those years ago when her mother was cruelly taken away from her," he said in a soothing tone. " She does not hate you, and she will come to learn this in time."

" But I can't go on like this," Draco cried out and he dropped his head into his hand. " I can't stand by and have her ignore me Albus, it's too hard. I'd rather be somewhere else, anywhere else…Albus I'm thinking of resigning." Dumbledore looked visibly saddened by this, and yet he managed to nod.

" You must do what you feel is best. Will you return to the ministry?"

" Maybe…I might not stay in Britain, the pain here is too great, the memories…" He trailed off and at his side Leshia gasped. Her father was thinking of leaving? A lightning bolt of terror shook her resolve. She couldn't have her dad leaving her and going off to some distant land when she might only see him a few weeks of the year.

" No dad!" she cried out in the memory, but this Draco couldn't hear her. The memory started to fade and as she snapped back to the present Leshia was looking at Dumbledore wide eyed.

" Just one more," the headmaster said softly, filling up the basin slowly while Leshia willed him to speed up. She needed to see…she needed to know. She practically dived face first in when Dumbledore pulled his wand back and found herself back in the study with the snow falling outside. Draco and Dumbledore were getting to their feet and with a pang Leshia realised this memory had taken place today as both Draco and Dumbledore were wearing what she had seen them in earlier.

" I'm sorry to see you go Draco," Dumbledore was sighing. Leshia's jaw dropped. He was leaving. He was leaving for definite, and it was all her fault.

'Now you have no one,' her annoying conscience whispered and try as she might, there was no way to look around this, it was true!

" Dad," she tried meekly, running to catch up with the men as they walked out of the office and down the stairs.

" I've been given a job in China," Draco was saying as they walked along the corridor. " It's not going to be the same, but there's no memories to haunt me there." Leshia felt tears stinging her eyes. China!

" You will be sorely missed Draco," Dumbledore said firmly. " Not only by your friends, but by your pupils. We haven't had so much success with a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher since Remus left. The children have responded to you Draco, they love you." Draco sighed and shook his head.

" There's only one child that I care about, and she hates me." Leshia felt rotten to the core.

'Stupid idiot!'

" She doesn't hate you…" Dumbledore tried, but at this moment they rounded a corner and Leshia saw herself and had a fright. Wow, she really had been blue that morning, no wonder Draco had been so concerned for her. As she watched the replay from earlier Leshia was amazed by the way her earlier self was behaving. As the scene played out she watched her father's face and it fell more and more until finally earlier-Leshia and the others stalked off leaving Draco head hanging and eyes closed.

" I leave tonight Albus. I'm a broken man…there's nothing for me here anymore."

XXXXXXXX

End of Part III

Don't have the time nor the net connection handy to search for the accurate exchange rate sorry if it's wrong. And my Spanish is way off (been a long time since GCSE I tell you), but then again I'm assuming Leshia's would be too

Reviews are more than welcome!