Chapter 5
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all that it entails belong to JK Rowling, except for Miss Leila Mae Potter.
… … … … …
Leila snuggled closer to Fred as the sunlight peered through the window. She smiled contentedly as his arms wrapped tighter around her. Leila slowly opened her eyes to find Fred's eyes focused on her face and a grin spreading across his face. She quickly shut her eyes and opened them again, to check if she was dreaming. Fred was still there when she opened her eyes and a grin to match Fred's plastered Leila's face.
"G'morning, Leila," Fred whispered.
"Morning," Leila whispered back.
Fred bent his head down to place a kiss on Leila's nose. Leila's eyes fluttered and her heart jumped. Being with Fred just seemed easy, as if things had always been this way. There were no hoops to jump through and no obstacles to conquer. Things had never been simple with Draco. Even with her relationship with Fred still budding, she could confidently say that he was fully committed to this; something which she constantly had to remind herself of with Draco. Fred surprised her with another kiss, gently pressing his lips on hers. Leila practically melted at this gesture and any comparisons to Draco quickly fleeted from her mind. Leila sighed as Fred broke the kiss to rest his forehead on hers, while his arms remained snugly wrapped around her. She placed her hands on his cheeks, while one of his hands released her waist for her hand. Fred genuinely smiled at her, which caused her to blush. She crinkled her nose in frustration to her blush; but Fred placed a comforting kiss on her crinkled nose.
"Stop making me blush," Leila hissed with a twinkle in her eyes.
Fred placed his mouth to her ear, breathing hotly; which caused Leila to slightly squirm. She tried to move, but his arms firmly pinned her down.
"I like it," Fred whispered.
Leila's face reddened even more, so she pretended to be mad and pushed at Fred's chest to get off her. Fred laughed sitting back on the chair. Leila sat moved to sit on her knees while Fred smiled, pushing a stray strand of hair out of her face. Footsteps could be heard slowly descending the stairs, so Leila buried her face in Fred's chest. His chuckle brought a smile to her lips, but both faded as they pretended to be asleep as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley graced the living room. Mrs. Weasley walked over to George, who was asleep, brushing her hand through his ginger hair. Concern filled Molly's eyes as she looked between her son's peaceful face and his bandaged injury. Arthur's hand rested on Molly's shoulder as she brusquely wiped a tear from her cheek.
"How's he doing, Molly?" Arthur asked.
"He appears to be fine given the circumstances," Molly commented.
"And how are you feeling, given the circumstances?" Arthur asked.
"My poor baby," Molly said on the verge of tears.
"He's alive; that's all that matters," Arthur said.
"I suppose that you're right," Molly sighed.
Molly placed her hand on Arthur's, exchanging understanding glances. Molly released a sob she had been holding back and Arthur's arm wrapped around her shoulder. She leaned her head into her husband's embrace as her gaze moved from an injured George, to his twin, Fred, who lay asleep on the chair with Leila Potter. A smile crossed Molly's face at the sight of her son with Leila.
"At least something good came of last night," Molly said.
Arthur looked over to Fred with Leila and nodded.
"Leila's a good match for Fred," Arthur agreed.
"I've always thought so. I've dared to hope for so long now that one of the boys would end up with her; but I'm glad that it's Fred," Molly sighed.
"She'll be able to keep him in line," Arthur chuckled.
"And maybe someday soon she'll actually be a real part of the family," Molly smiled.
"Aren't we getting a bit ahead of ourselves, dear? They're so young yet. Besides, Leila already is a part of the family," Arthur said.
"Oh, you know what I mean. Anyways, a mother can hope, can't she?" Molly argued.
"Of course you can," Arthur agreed.
"They're not that much younger than you and I or James and Lily were when we all got married," Molly said lightly.
"I thought you didn't approve of the children marrying that young," Arthur commented.
"This is different, Arthur," Molly said.
"Well, let's get through Bill's wedding first, before you start planning another one," Arthur smiled.
Molly and Arthur left the living room and walked to the adjoining kitchen for breakfast. Leila, who was still awake for the whole exchange, thought about what was said. Mrs. Weasley wanted her and Fred to get married. The prospect of marrying young slightly overwhelmed Leila. Marriage wasn't even close to being in her picture; but it was still nice to know that she had support behind this relationship. More footsteps could be heard coming downstairs. Bill and Fleur walked to the kitchen for a spot of breakfast with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, before the men had to leave for work. Leila couldn't force herself to get up for breakfast. She preferred to remain in the comfort of Fred's arms who had actually fallen back asleep.
As soon as Harry and Ron trudged down the stairs, Mr. Weasley and Bill had to leave for work, while Fleur and Mrs. Weasley went upstairs. This left two teenage boys, with bottomless pits for stomachs, with all the breakfast food. At the sounds of scraping plates and the desire for at least some breakfast, Leila slowly unwrapped herself from Fred's arms and walked over to the breakfast table. Leila greeted the boys pleasantly, but both of them exchanged glances and burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" Leila asked.
"Have you seen your hair?" Ron laughed.
Leila turned around to examine herself in the mirror that hung on the wall. Ron was right, her bed head was atrocious; but she wouldn't let him get the better of her. So, she sat down in the seat across from Ron, grabbing a slice of toast as she smirked.
"You've had worse bed head, Ron," Leila retorted.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Harry smiled.
"Oh shut up, will you? And pass the jam," Leila groaned.
Harry and Ron both chuckled, as Leila reached over the table to grab the jam herself. When she looked back to the boys, they looked about ready to burst out laughing again, so she quickly smoothed her hair out with her fingers.
"Happy?" Leila asked.
"My opinion doesn't matter, but Fred's infatuation must be blinding him if he's happy," Ron snorted.
"Finally learned a big word, did you Ron?" Leila retorted.
"Not as big as your hair of course," Ron laughed.
"Can't you be nice to me for just one second?" Leila hissed.
"Don't make me come over there with spiders, Ron," Fred yawned.
Ron slightly jumped at Fred's mention of spiders. Leila smirked at Ron, knowing full-well that Ron, Fred, and spiders were not a good combination. Ron shook his head looking over to the chair where Fred still lay, slightly wincing then turning back to Leila. He quickly shoved some toast in his mouth before speaking.
"Changing subjects then…about the You-Know-Whats…" Ron began with his mouth full of food.
"Sh!" Leila hissed.
"I'm being quiet," Ron hissed back.
"What about them?" Harry asked.
"Well, where do we start?" Ron asked.
"Hermione mentioned that she's been doing some research," Leila said.
"Oh yeah, she's just been saving it for when you two got here," Ron said.
"Well in four days we'll be out…" Harry began.
"Five days, mate. We've got to stay for the wedding. They'll kill us if we miss it. Besides, you said last night…" Ron said.
"One extra day in the comforts of home won't kill us, Harry," Leila added.
"But don't they realize how important—" Harry began.
"Of course they don't," Leila said.
"They haven't got a clue. And now that you mention it, I wanted to talk to you both about that," Ron said gloomily.
Ron stood up and walked over to the stairs to make sure that Mrs. Weasley wasn't coming. He then walked over to the living room to make sure that Fred and George were both asleep before making his way back to the breakfast table to rejoin Harry and Leila. Once he returned, he leaned his head down and motioned for the Potter twins to lean in closer.
"Everyone's been trying to get it out of me and Hermione, especially Mum. They want to know what we're off to do. So you'd both better brace yourselves because Mum will come to get it out of you next. Dad and Lupin have both asked as well, but when we said Dumbledore told you both not to tell anyone but us, they dropped it. Not Mum, though. She's determined," Ron whispered.
"I won't say anything," Leila said.
"We all know that you can keep a secret," Ron said.
"If you're referring to Malfoy…" Leila began.
"Settle down and don't get your knickers in a twist, Leila; you took what I said the wrong way. I'm just letting you both know about Mum so that you're not caught off-guard or anything," Ron said.
The conversation came to a lull as Ginny and Hermione entered the kitchen. Hermione sat to the left of Leila and Ginny sat beside Harry. In the corner of her eye, Leila caught Ginny watching Harry. Leila knew that Ginny missed Harry. According to Harry, Ginny understood why he broke-up with her. They at least had some closure despite their close proximity. She and Draco were miles and miles apart; yet there was no closure to that relationship. But her prior relationship with Draco Malfoy was in the past, or at least that's what she reminded herself of as Fred sat on the other side of her. Leila looked at Fred and intertwined her hand in his free hand while he quickly downed his breakfast. She could feel Hermione's flickering glances; but for now she was happy and it had been a long time since she had last felt happy.
Ron's prediction came true all too soon. After lunch, Fred and Leila had decided for a brief stroll outside. They had just gotten out the door when Mrs. Weasley bustled out after them.
"Leila, can I borrow you for a minute?" Mrs. Weasley called.
"Erm—I suppose so," Leila said hesitantly.
Leila knew that right before lunch she had cornered Harry. She didn't get anything out of Harry, so now she was going to try her luck at Leila. Leila received a sympathetic glance from Fred as she released his hand and walked over to his mother.
"Don't worry Fred; this should take only a minute," Mrs. Weasley smiled.
"A minute my arse," Leila muttered under her breath.
Leila turned back to look at Fred who leaned against the fence. He simply shrugged so she turned back to Mrs. Weasley who was examining the flower pots.
"Leila, dear, I just wanted your opinion on something," Mrs. Weasley said.
"Fine by me," Leila said.
"I was wondering what you think we should do with these before the wedding," Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Probably put some flowers there," Leila shrugged.
"Of course, of course. But what kind? I was also wondering if you too were under the impression that you, Ron, Harry, and Hermione were dropping out of Hogwarts?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"They all told you that we are," Leila said.
"Don't you consider your education important?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Of course I do; but…" Leila began.
"Then why are you abandoning your education?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"I don't mean to be rude, but you're not getting any more out of me than you did with Harry, Hermione, or Ron," Leila said.
"Don't you understand the risks? You're barely of age, any of you," Mrs. Weasley asked.
Leila looked back at Fred again, who was standing alone kicking at the grass. She locked eyes with Fred, her heart yearning to be near him. He was the one small comfort she had found over these dark days, and she was ready to abandon him in search of Voldemort's Horcruxes. She almost regretted jumping this relationship because in only a few days, they would be torn apart for an unknown amount of time. Her relationship with Fred, made this decision harder, but it was something she had to do. Her eyes quickly fluttered back to Mrs. Weasley.
"Mrs. Weasley, I understand what you're trying to get at; but it's not going to work. There isn't anything that will stop us from doing what we need to do. So please stop trying to press us for information. I'm sorry, but you're not going to get anymore. As for the flower pots, I'm rather fond of lilies," Leila said attempting to change the subject.
"Of course, lilies are beautiful. I suppose they remind you of your mother," Mrs. Weasley sighed.
"They do," Leila admitted.
"Would you mind potting some with Fred before the wedding? There are just so many things that need to be done and I would appreciate your help," Mrs. Weasley said.
"Of course, anything we can do to help," Leila said.
Mrs. Weasley enveloped Leila in a hug, which almost knocked the wind out of Leila. As Mrs. Weasley held her, she could hear slight sniffles coming from her second mother. Leila hugged Mrs. Weasley back and then walked back to Fred. Fred reached for her hand which Leila willingly accepted.
"What was that about?" Fred asked.
"What do you think?" Leila asked.
"Let me guess: you, Harry, Ron, and Hermione?" Fred asked.
"Of course," Leila groaned.
"And what did you tell her?" Fred asked.
"I told her that I wasn't going to be the one to spill the beans," Leila said.
"Her best bet would have been Ron," Fred said.
"And I may have told her that we would plant flowers before the wedding," Leila added.
Fred shrugged and didn't push the subject any further which relieved Leila to no end. She knew that Fred was probably just as frustrated with her, but he kept his composure and the pair enjoyed an afternoon in the sunshine on the land accompanying the Burrow. Even during this dark time, Fred made her feel so carefree. She didn't have to worry about sneaking around behind people's backs nor did she have to worry about her brother's opinion. For once she could just enjoy things. They were sitting near the water when Mrs. Weasley called them back to the house for dinner. Fred stood up and offered his hand to Leila. Leila smiled and playfully smacked at his hand and stood up on her own.
"What am I not good enough for you?" Fred teased.
"No, you're too good for me. I don't deserve it," Leila said.
"You deserve to be happy, Leila," Fred said seriously.
"I am happy, thanks to you," Leila smiled.
"Well, you'd better get used to it," Fred grinned.
"We should probably get back before your mother sends the Order out looking for us," Leila said changing the subject.
"I suppose you're right," Fred said.
"It's just so far to walk…" Leila whined.
Fred chuckled, bending his knees to lower himself for Leila to jump onto his back. He carried Leila all the way back to the house piggy-back style as they chatted about nothing of importance. When they reached the back door, Fred slowly released Leila as she planted her feet safely back on the ground. The couple shared a few heated kisses before actually entering the house, only to find the room packed with Weasleys and Order members. Leila blushed as George gave her and Fred a thumbs-up when they entered the house holding hands. She knew that things were moving very fast between her and Fred; but she figured things couldn't go much worse than they did with Draco.
The days seemed to fly by but that was because everyone staying at the Burrow was busy preparing for the upcoming nuptials of Bill and Fleur. Just when Leila, Harry, Hermione, and Ron thought they could have a moment to finally talk about their mission, Mrs. Weasley came up with something else that needed to be done. The only good thing about Mrs. Weasley's motives was that she usually paired Leila on tasks with Fred. One evening, she managed to escape Mrs. Weasley's watchful eye and snuck up to Ron's room while Fred was playing George and Ginny in a game of Exploding Snap. She was almost to Ron's attic room, when a scream from Mrs. Weasley erupted through the entire house. Leila paused for a second, listening to make sure Mrs. Weasley was not about to storm upstairs, and then she opened the door to Ron's room.
"It's almost done!" Ron shouted as he quickly bolted to his feet.
"You don't have to explain your messy room to me," Leila smiled.
"Oh, it's just you," Ron groaned.
"Nice to see you too. Thanks for the invite to this little gathering by the way," Leila said.
"We didn't mean to exclude you Leila, it's just that…" Hermione began.
"Hermione, I was only joking," Leila commented.
Hermione quickly shut her mouth and turned her attention back to the piles of books before here. Leila sat down beside Hermione, examining the pile of books before her. She saw the piles included Lockhart's books, so she dug for all of those and threw them into the toss pile.
"What are you doing that for?" Hermione questioned.
"You really think a book from Lockhart is going to help us destroy Horcruxes?" Leila asked.
"They're still something of value," Hermione said.
"Yeah, because the guy's a fraud," Harry stated.
"But…" Hermione began.
"Do you remember second year when Lockhart gave us that ridiculous quiz and Hermione was the only one that passed?" Ron asked.
"What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?" Leila began.
"All right, all right! We get the point! Lockhart's books can be tossed because what we really need to figure out is where we're going after we leave here." Hermione said slightly flustered.
"I think we should go to…" Harry began.
"Godric's Hollow. I understand why Harry, but shouldn't we make the Horcruxes our first priority?" Hermione asked.
"It might be a good starting place as any, Hermione," Leila added.
Leila, like Harry, wanted to go to Godric's Hollow. She wanted to return to the place she had once called home. Dumbledore had once told her that it did no one any good to dwell on the past, but her thoughts frequently turned back to that fateful night. What if by some miracle, that night never happened? Would she have more brothers to frown over her dating selections? Would she have a little sister to confide in? Would the Potters be a family to rival the Weasleys in children and happiness? But more importantly than the questions that would remain unanswered; she had a deep desire to see her parents' graves. Leila wanted a chance to pour her heart out to her parents, to know that they were close to her. Leila's reverie was soon marred by Hermione's painstakingly obvious assumption.
"Don't you think there's a possibility that Voldemort's keeping watch on Godric's Hollow? He expects you to go back and visit your parents' graves once you're free to go wherever you like," Hermione said.
And just like that Leila's hopes were shattered; but her vision had been colored by the want to see her parents. Leila was a smart go, but her emotions often colored her judgment. She knew that Hermione was right, and offered no counterargument. She looked to Harry, whom she was sure was trying to give Hermione a reason she couldn't refuse.
"This R.A.B person, you know, the one who stole the real locket?" Ron said.
"What about him?" Leila asked coldly.
"He said in his note he was going to destroy it, didn't he?" Ron asked.
Leila watched as her brother moved for his rucksack. She cringed as he pulled the fake locket from the pocket. That locket had cost them more than they had gained. It had cost them Dumbledore's life. Dumbledore seemed to be the only one who always knew what to do. As Harry reread the note, which they had looked over countless times at the end of last school year, tears trickled from Leila's eyes. No matter how much she tried to tell herself otherwise, that night would always be a pain in her heart.
"What if he did finish it off?" Ron asked
"Or she," Hermione interjected.
"Whichever, it'd be one less for us to do!" Ron said enthusiastically.
"We'd still have to find the real locket. Besides, we have to be realistic about this. I doubt it was destroyed. Whoever this R.A.B person is, probably never made it out of the cave alive. For all we know it could be on the bottom of that lake!" Leila said.
"We need to be slightly optimistic too." Hermione said.
"Fine, say he or she did get out of the cave alive, how likely is it that they would have gotten their hands on a basilisk fang?" Leila questioned.
"There's got to be other ways to destroy it." Harry said.
"There are." Hermione said.
Hermione bent over to under Ron's messy bed. She pulled out a small stack of old books, which Leila had never seen before. Leila quickly reached for the top book Secrets of the Darkest Arts. Ron and Harry both bolted upright, with their eyes wide. Leila only flipped through the pages, looking for something useful.
"Dumbledore only removed them. He—he never destroyed them," Hermione said.
"How in the name of Merlin's pants have you managed to get your hands on those Horcrux books?" Ron gasped.
"It was rather simple actually. I mean anyone really could have gotten them," Hermione said.
"Which was how?" Ron asked.
"A Summoning Charm. You know—Accio. They zoomed right into the girls' dormitory," Hermione said.
"And when exactly did you do this?" Harry asked.
"Just after we left the Astronomy Tower, after Dumbledore's funeral. I had said that I wanted to double check everything, and none of you wanted to come with me. I was thinking that we would need to know more, so the idea came to me…" Hermione said.
"And here we are, yeah, we get the picture," Leila said.
"I can't believe that Dumbledore would be angry. It's not as though we're going to make a Horcrux," Hermione said.
Ron reached for another book in the small stack of books, as did Harry. The boys slowly paged through the books, but Leila immediately stopped when she came to the page with instructions to make a Horcrux. She could easily imagine a teenage boy Riddle paging through this book with utter fascination. The thought made her slightly sick to her stomach. Leila walked over to the window for a breath of fresh air, while Hermione explained to the boys the horrendous things which she had found during her research. Leila looked up into the night sky to see the stars twinkling overhead as she exhaled deeply. Hermione moved to stand beside Leila. Leila looked back at the boys who were still engulfed in the books on Horcruxes.
"Isn't it odd to know that we're looking through the same books Riddle did?" Leila asked.
"A bit, but if can help us destroy him; then it's what needs to be done," Hermione said.
"Brilliant job getting your hands on the books by the way," Leila sighed.
"About the books and such, I've been thinking its best not to keep our eggs in one basket, if you know what I mean. I think that you should take some, just—just in case something happens…" Hermione began.
"It's a smart idea, but I don't fancy the idea of lugging around a library on my back," Leila said.
"I've already put an Undetectable Extension Charm on my beaded bag. I was thinking of doing the same thing to one of yours," Hermione said.
"You have just about everything planned, don't you?" Leila asked.
"Hardly," Hermione whispered.
Just as Hermione walked back over to Harry and Ron, the door flew open to show an enraged Mrs. Weasley. Leila instinctively ducked to hide while suppressing a giggle. The scene of the teenagers made chaos look welcome. Hermione tripped over the books, Ron slipped on Chocolate Frog card, Harry grabbed his wand, and Leila hit her head on the window sill. The hilarious scene did nothing to soften Mrs. Weasley's demeanor.
"I'm so sorry to break up this gathering you have here…" Mrs. Weasley began.
Mrs. Weasley expressed her disappointment in them, and extracted Hermione and Leila from the room. The girls followed Mrs. Weasley, with their heads hung. Not because they were ashamed of what they were doing, but because they were ashamed they had gotten caught. With so many people in the house, you think it would have been easier to escape the clutches of Mrs. Weasley.
The time passed by slowly until Leila and Hermione were excused from wedding details and were allowed to head upstairs to bed. Leila discreetly handed Hermione the small bag, which needed the Undetectable Extension Charm, while Fleur and Ginny were changing. She then quickly changed into her pajamas before crawling into bed. She was almost instantly asleep before her head even hit the pillow. Her mind raced during her sleep, until everything went dark.
There was a long table in the dark room. No one could be seen, but whispers filled the air. A cold voice bellowed the Cruciatus Curse, but no scream filled the air. Instead, the slight groan that escaped clenched teeth could be heard, followed by panting for breath. Footsteps and slithering broke through the momentary silence.
"Draco, Draco, Draco."
"Yes, my Lord?"
"Do you understand what I am asking of you?"
"Yes, my Lord."
"Good, then bring me Potter."
Leila clutched her pillow tightly through the dream.
"Not Harry…no Draco…not Harry…"she muttered in her sleep.
When the dream ended Leila bolted out of bed and to the bathroom, carefully trying not to awake the other three girls in the room. She locked the door to the bathroom and slid down the door and to the floor. Her tears overtook her. Voldemort had a plan to get Harry, using Draco. She had to warn her brother, it was the right thing to do. Dumbledore had told her once not to tell him of her dreams; but this one concerned him. He needed to know. Leila stood up to examine her hideous state in the mirror. She brushed away a few stray tears and opened the bathroom door only to find Hermione waiting. Leila groaned, trying to walk past Hermione.
"I don't think so," Hermione hissed.
"Well, I do," Leila hissed back.
"You had a dream like Harry's didn't you?" Hermione questioned.
"I've told you before, I don't have dreams like Harry's," Leila answered.
"But you do have dreams about things that aren't normal, don't you?" Hermione asked.
"Everyone does," Leila said attempting to evade the question.
"But not like the kind you just had. You need to know Occlumency…" Hermione began.
"I already do and it doesn't help!" Leila exclaimed.
Hermione threw her hand over Leila's mouth, looking her in the eyes. They listened to make sure that no one had woken up, but all that could be heard through the Burrow were the snores of its many occupants. Hermione dragged Leila back into the bathroom.
"How long have you had these dreams?" Hermione asked.
"About a year," Leila said.
"What are they usually about?" Hermione asked.
"I don't want to talk about it. I just need to warn Harry," Leila said.
"What did you see? What does it have to do with Harry and Draco?" Hermione questioned.
"Voldemort wants Malfoy to bring Harry to him," Leila whispered.
"This is probably just another plot like the one with Sirius," Hermione said.
"But Hermione, I didn't see him taking Harry, which was the essential part in Harry's dreams. Harry mind was always there for the actually thing, I've only heard the plan. That's different. Besides, we're not even sure it's a connection to Voldemort," Leila said.
"It doesn't matter. If you tell Harry about this dream or any of them really, he'll blow things completely out of proportion," Hermione said.
"Then help me watch over him. I can't lose my brother," Leila said.
"Leila," Hermione sighed.
"Hermione, please. I need your word that you'll help me to watch over him, and if Malfoy gets anywhere near us, you need to get Harry far away. I'll take care of Malfoy," Leila said.
"Leila, you're overreacting," Hermione pleaded.
"Your word," Leila hissed.
"You have my word," Hermione sighed.
Leila and Hermione walked silently back to the room they shared with Ginny and Fleur, both of whom were still asleep. The girls crawled back into their beds, neither speaking a word of what just happened. Leila lay awake in bed, hoping that these next couple of days would pass quickly. Once they were on the road, Malfoy would have a much harder chance of finding Harry. It was surprising how her day could go from one extreme to the other. Her day had started practically perfectly with Fred and now ended in mortal fear because of Draco.