Chapter 5: Flashy Entrance

I've never been more relieved to go back to school. Escaping the place where my worst memories – my worst fears – are held will do me good, I'm sure. Seeing Remy and the Evans twins is a nice bonus as well.

Leo was dreading the end of the summer holidays. As the date drew closer to September first – to returning to Hogwarts – Leo's nightmares became more intense, something that he hadn't believed was possible. He could now feel what was happening, relive those terrible moments over and over again.

It got to the point where he would lay awake at night, waiting for the Weasley twins to fall asleep. When that happened, he would sneak downstairs and go to sleep on the couch until his nightmares awoke him and he headed out to the field to fly. Mrs. Weasley was still waiting with a mug of hot chocolate when he got back.

On their last evening, Mrs. Weasley conjured up a sumptuous dinner that included all of Harry and Leo's favorite things, ending with mouthwatering treacle pudding and a large chocolate cake. Leo almost got into a fistfight with Ron over the last slice. Fred and George rounded off the evening with a display of Filibuster fireworks that they had received from Leo last Christmas; they filled the kitchen with red and blue stars that bounced from ceiling to wall for at least half an hour. Then it was time for one last mug of hot chocolate and bed.

At least, for everyone else. Leo decided that it was best if he just stayed up that night and snuck downstairs to fly around the field for a bit. He was surprised to find Mrs. Weasley waiting for him in the living room, holding a glass containing some purple liquid. She handed it to him.

"This is a Dreamless Sleep Potion. It should help," she smiled at him.

At those words, Leo immediately drank down the potion. He was about to thank her when he felt his eyes droop shut and he fell backward on his feet. He awoke in the twins' room at dawn with everyone else, more rested than he had been in months.

Mrs. Weasley dashed about in a bad mood looking for spare socks and quills – though still found time to ask Leo how he had slept. He had simply responded with a bone-crushing hug before dashing away to make sure his things were gathered. When he returned to the twins' room, he found Apollo waiting with what Leo was sure was Sirius's reply. He seemed affronted by the mere presence of the screech owl next to him, which most likely carried Remus's response.

"Don't worry about it, mate," Leo assured his feathered friend. "You had a very important job, delivering and bringing back Siri's letter. This fellow had it easy – no offense."

The screech owl merely hooted, shrugging it off as Leo retrieved both the letters. The screech owl and Apollo both took off once he had what he wanted. Apollo never wanted to be in his cage, so Leo figured he'd just let him fly off to Hogwarts on his own and meet him there.

He looked down at the letters, prepared to open them when Fred and George barged into the room, scrambling for their things. Leo rolled his eyes as he stuffed his letters in his pocket before collecting his things, putting them in his trunk, and lugging it downstairs.

Leo couldn't see how nine people, seven large trunks, two owls, and a rat were going to fit into the small Ford Anglia Mr. Weasley had. What he had failed to take into account, however, were the numerous magical modifications the man had made to it. Apparently, it could even fly.

"Not a word to Molly," he whispered to Leo and Harry as he opened the trunk and showed him how it had been magically expanded so that the luggage fitted easily.

When at last they were all in the car, Mrs. Weasley glanced into the back seat, where Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Leo, and Percy were all sitting comfortably side by side, and said, "Muggles do know more than we give them credit for, don't they?" She and Ginny got into the front seat, which had been stretched so that it resembled a park bench. "I mean, you'd never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?"

Leo had to stuff his fist in his mouth to stop himself from laughing.

Mr. Weasley started up the engine and they trundled out of the yard, Harry and Leo turning back for a last look at the house. They barely had time to wonder when they'd see it again when they were back. George had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks. Five minutes after that, they skidded to a halt in the yard so that Fred could run in for his broomstick. They had almost reached the highway when Ginny shrieked that she'd left her diary. By the time she had clambered back into the car, they were running very late, and tempers were running high. Leo would've been more than happy to be even later.

Mr. Weasley glanced at his watch and then at his wife.

"Molly, dear —"

"No, Arthur —–"

"No one would see — this little button here is an Invisibility Booster I installed — that'd get us up in the air — then we fly above the clouds. We'd be there in ten minutes and no one would be any the wiser —"

"I said no, Arthur, not in broad daylight —"

Leo was disappointed when Mrs. Weasley won the argument. He had been looking forward to seeing the car fly.

They reached King's Cross at a quarter to eleven. Mr. Weasley dashed across the road to get trolleys for their trunks and they all hurried into the station.

"Percy and Leo first," said Mrs. Weasley, looking nervously at the clock overhead, which showed they had only five minutes to disappear casually through the barrier.

"I'll find us a compartment in the back," Leo informed Harry and Ron.

He and Percy then walked forward briskly before disappearing through the barrier and reappearing on the other side in front of a scarlet steam engine that people were currently flooding into. Leo separated from Percy at once and headed toward the end of the train. He managed to find a compartment at the very end of the train that was blissfully empty. He was loading his trunk into it when the compartment door opened.

"Zabini's looking for you, you know," a voice behind him drawled.

"Who?" Leo replied, turning around to see Draco standing there with his trunk.

Draco rolled his eyes in response before loading his trunk up next to Leo's and taking a seat next to the window. He was about to remind Leo who Zabini was when he decided it would be more fun to play along with the boy's ongoing joke.

"Oh, you know, the bloke whose nose you broke at my father's party," Draco reminded him.

"I broke his nose? Brilliant," Leo replied, grinning when Draco snorted with laughter. "How much trouble am I in for doing that, by the way?"

"None, actually," Draco shrugged as Leo sat down opposite him. "Zabini was the one who got in trouble. Father was livid, yelled at him for insulting a valued house-guest then kicked him and his mum out."

"Wow," Leo raised his eyebrows in response. "Guess I underestimated how badly your dad wants access to the vault."

"What're you on about?"

"When my dad came of age, he put restrictions on the Black family vault that prevented your dad – among others – from accessing it. That's why your dad wanted you to be friends with me," Leo explained.

"He was hoping you'd release the restrictions when you came of age."

"Exactly. No offense to you, Draco, but I have no intention of doing that. Friends or not."

"None taken. I-"

Leo never found out what Draco was about to say as the train lurched and began to move. Seconds later, the twins popped by, looking surprised to find him with Draco. They exchanged looks before shrugging and deciding it wasn't any of their business.

"Hey, Leo, have you seen Harry and Ron?" Fred asked, pulling his trunk into the compartment and setting it up on the rack as George did the same.

"No. Why, they haven't made it on board?" Leo inquired with a small frown.

"No, and no one else has seen them either," George informed him as he and Fred sat down next to Draco.

"I'm sure they'll turn up eventually," Leo shrugged, not entirely perturbed by their absence. "When they do, they better not make some sort of flashy entrance without me – otherwise I'm going to be royally peeved."

The other three gave snorts of laughter before stopping and staring at each other. Even Leo could feel the awkward tension in the air, and he had a tendency to be blissfully oblivious to almost everything around him. It remained like this for a full minute before George was the first to break it.

"So..."

"Your dad's a git," Fred finished.

"So I'm learning," Draco remarked in a dry tone.

Fred and George were taken aback at this before grinning widely. The awkward tension quickly faded, and the four talked amicably for a while, much to Leo's joy. He wasn't sure how well Draco would do when he came face-to-face with a Weasley – considering his family's, at best, contentious relationship with them – but was pleasantly surprised to find that he was getting on well with the Weasley twins. Now, if we could only work on his relationship with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. He sighed.

Halfway through the train ride, not long after the four had changed into their robes, Zabini – flanked by Crabbe and Goyle - found them. Leo had been wondering what had happened to Draco's bodyguards but hadn't bothered to ask given that he didn't actually care all that much. That being said, he wasn't entirely surprised to find that they had taken up with Zabini. Seems to be a shift in power among the Slytherins.

"I'm not surprised to find you clinging to Black, Malfoy. But I thought you'd have more class than to slum it with the Weasleys. My how the mighty have fallen -"

"If you have a point, can you make it already? I don't have the patience or attention span to sit through a villainous monologue," Leo informed him.

Zabini flushed an angry shade of red.

"Think you're so clever, Black, with all your witty comments and snide remarks?"

"Yes, actually, I do," Leo replied with a small shrug. "Thanks for calling my comments witty. Really brightens up my day."

Leo's friends snickered quietly at this, and Leo could practically see steam pouring from Zabini's ears. The angry Slytherin dug into his pocket and pulled out his wand, but was surprised to find three more pointed back at him. Draco and the Weasleys had risen from their seats, their wands leveled at Zabini and his cronies. Not even Zabini was stupid enough to go against those odds.

"You're making a mistake, Malfoy, dredging around with this muck -"

"Probably," Draco replied, parroting the word Leo had said to him on the train last year. "But it's what I want."

Zabini stormed from the compartment, Crabbe and Goyle at his heels. The three lowered their wands before returning to their seats and resuming their previous conversation, which was something having to do with how competent a teacher Lockhart would turn out to be. Leo's money was on 'not very'. The other three were inclined to agree.

As the train continued on towards the castle, Leo became quieter and more withdrawn, preferring to let the other three carry the conversation while his mind turned toward the castle. He couldn't help but think about everything that had occurred at the castle with Quirrell a few months back - he still couldn't believe two and a half months had passed since then, it still felt so recent. But Quirrell wasn't what had him worried. After the panic attack in Azkaban, Leo was afraid that being surrounded by the stone walls of Hogwarts would trigger another one. He didn't think he was quite prepared to handle himself if that happened.

When the train finally pulled into the Hogsmeade station, the four grabbed their trunks and the two second-years followed Fred and George as they disembarked and headed toward a hundred or so carriages. Leo was slightly appalled and highly interested to see what they were being pulled by.

There were creatures standing between the carriage shafts; if he had had to give them a name, he supposed he would have called them horses, though there was something reptilian about them, too. They were completely fleshless, their black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which every bone was visible. Their heads were dragonish, and their pupil-less eyes white and staring. Wings sprouted from each wither — vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats. Leo thought they looked badarse.

The four climbed into a carriage, which smelled faintly of mold and straw. The carriage lurched forward a few minutes later, the trundling through a pair of magnificent wrought iron gates, flanked with stone columns topped with winged boars. The carriage picked up speed on the long, sloping drive up to the castle; Leo's face growing paler as the many turrets and towers drew nearer. At last, the carriage swayed to a halt, and the four stepped out, Leo shivering as he did so.

He missed the looks his three friends exchanged as the four of them joined the crowd swarming up the steps, through the giant oak front doors, into the cavernous Entrance Hall, which was lit with flaming torches, and housed a magnificent marble staircase that led to the upper floors.

Leo and the twins separated from Draco as they entered the Great Hall, headed toward the Gryffindor table. Once there, Leo collapsed into his seat at once and placed his head down on the table, ignoring the people around him. He vaguely heard the Sorting Hat singing its song, but was too engrossed with his fork and how it sparkled in the light to pay attention to what it was saying. He only really acknowledged anything when Ginny's name was called and she was Sorted into Gryffindor. Once the Sorting was done, Dumbledore rose to his feet.

"Welcome!" said Dumbledore, the candlelight shimmering on his beard. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, but it can wait until the feast. Dig in!"

The golden plates and goblets before them filled suddenly with food and drink. Leo absentmindedly put some potatoes and steak on his plate. He didn't really eat it, instead choosing to poke at it and move it about as he tried and failed to summon up any sort of appetite. Fred and George exchanged worried looks across from him. The looks grew more concerned when, upon the appearance of the desert, Leo only stared morosely at the various chocolate dishes. Leo never turned down chocolate.

He only looked up when George nudged him from across the table.

"Hey, I heard Harry and Ron flew to school in the car -"

"They hit the Whomping Willow -" Fred continued.

"But they're both alright," they finished together.

"Those gits," Leo stated in a tone full of mock outrage. "They didn't even bother to invite me."

The twins snorted with laughter before grinning widely as Leo took a piece of chocolate cake and put it on his plate. He only ate about half of it, but it was progress in the twins' book. They high-fived under the table as the food disappeared and Dumbledore got to his feet once more.

"I have a few start-of-term notices to give you," he informed them. "First and foremost is that, as always, the Forbidden Forest on the edge of the grounds is – as the name suggests – forbidden."

Leo had a sudden urge to go there at that moment. At the very least, it would get him out of the castle.

"Secondly, I'd like to present your new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor: Gilderoy Lockhart -"

Many high pitched shrieks of joy filled the Great Hall at this announcement. Leo made gagging motions when Lockhart, dressed in robes of aquamarine, gave great flourishing bows before smiling at them all and winking at several students. That just caused more screams. Dumbledore seemed to realize that he wouldn't be able to get much more said, so he dismissed the Great Hall and sent them off to their dorms.

Once in the common room, Leo bolted for the boys' staircase. He hurried up it, right to the top, and at last reached the door of his old dormitory, which now had a sign on it saying SECOND YEARS. He entered the familiar, circular room, with its six four-posters hung with red velvet and its high, narrow windows. His trunk had been brought up for him and stood at the end of his bed.

Leo climbed into his bed, closing the curtains around him and lighting his wand before taking his letters out from the inside of his robes. He decided to open up the one from Sirius first and read:

Leo,

I remember Lockhart well. He started Hogwarts during our fifth year and was quite full of himself for a first year. He thought he was better – both in looks and talent – than everyone else, and expected immediate popularity. When that didn't happen, he took to shadowing the most popular and talented people in the school. Your father was on the receiving end of most of this.

He mainly ignored Lockhart at first, but we all became frustrated when he constantly followed us around, boasting about all his nonexistent talents and ambitions we knew he would never achieve. Cas got fed up with it one day and froze him upside down to the wall next to the giant hourglasses. He let him down an hour later, and I think Lockhart's held a grudge since then.

Every time after that, he took every chance he could to challenge Cas to duels – not knowing that Cas avoided conflict like the bloody plague. When Cas refused his challenges, he took to the skies and played Seeker on his house's Quidditch team, hoping to beat him. Needless to say, he was unsuccessful.

All in all, Lockhart's an egotistical twit with – at best – an average amount of talent when it comes to magic.

Hope this helped – and good luck dealing with him!

Love,

Uncle Siri

P.S.: I hope you're aware that I'm going to continue to say 'no'.

Leo snorted at the last line as he digested what Sirius had written about Lockhart. He turned to Remus' letter next, hoping it would contain something more that he could use against the 'egotistical twit'.

Dear Leo,

I don't remember much of Lockhart during school – I only recall that he was sorted into Ravenclaw, played on their Quidditch team, and had a rather unhealthy obsession with your father.

I heard about him more in recent years – all the feats he supposedly accomplished are complete rubbish. It's impossible to cure a werewolf, even with the Homorphus Charm – and making a vampire eat nothing but lettuce for the rest of its life when they can only survive by drinking blood? As your father would say, 'that's a load of bollocks'.

Those were the only two books I really flipped through, I couldn't stop laughing long enough to read the rest. Not entirely sure what Dumbledore was thinking hiring Lockhart – but I'm sure he knows best.

I wish you all the best.

Remus

P.S.: Colovaria is a spell that helps when you need to change the color of something – or someone. I've also enclosed a list of what you might need for the potion you were thinking of as well. I'm tempted to ask who/what you plan on using them on, but I think I may already know.

P.P.S.: Silencio is good for keeping creatures and people quiet. Muffliato is what you will want to use to stop people from hearing you. Use Finite Incantatem to remove them when you're done. Hope you sleep well.

Leo couldn't help but wonder how Remus knew that he wasn't sleeping well based solely on the spells he asked for, but assumed it had something to do with what his father had gone through. With a shrug, he pulled out the list Remus had included, a mischievous grin on his face as he read it over. Have to get this to the twins tomorrow...

A/N: To those of you asking about pairings, I've already got it sorted. However, Leo's won't be coming into play until book four. They're twelve at the moment, and twelve-year-old boys don't really pay much attention to girls. I won't tell you who he and anyone else are paired with - you'll have to wait and see for yourselves. ;)