Chapter 34
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter world obviously belongs to JK Rowling and not me. Obviously.
… … … …
After one more kiss under the stars, Leila and Draco walked into the tent to find Harry, Hermione, and Ron sitting at the table talking.
"That's what he's after. You-Know-Who's after the Elder Wand!" Harry practically shouted.
"What exactly did we miss?" Leila asked.
"Harry and Ron are under the impression that the Deathly Hallows do exist," Hermione groaned.
"And you clearly aren't," Leila commented.
"You believe it, too?" Hermione asked.
"Honestly, no," Leila said.
"Thank you. Even Leila and Malfoy admit that it's a load of bullocks," Hermione said.
"You never asked me, Granger," Draco said.
"She didn't have to," Ron scoffed.
"Well, I think it's true," Draco responded.
"You think what's true?" Leila asked.
"The Hallows, I think they exist," Draco stated.
"You what?" Hermione gasped.
Draco nodded his head and walked over to the table and sat beside Harry. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all remained quiet as Leila slowly walked over to the table and stood behind Draco. Leila placed her hands on Draco's shoulders as everyone's attention was on him. He shifted uncomfortably, clearly not used to siding with Harry and Ron. He took a moment to think over how to proceed, before he spoke up once more.
"You heard me, I think they exist," Draco repeated.
"Why?" Leila asked.
"It just makes sense," Draco shrugged.
"How does it make sense?" Hermione furthered.
"First, as Weasley pointed out back at Lovegood's, Potter's Invisibility Cloak isn't your average cloak. From what he said, it's been passed down. My father had one, but it didn't last him more than a decade," Draco began.
"Is that your only proof? Because that could be argued as coincidence," Hermione argued.
"As loony as Lovegood is, he could give a history of wizards with that Elder Wand," Draco continued.
"He probably made it up," Hermione scoffed.
"Hermione, I already told you it's hard to lie under pressure," Ron added.
"Besides, those wizards really did exist," Draco said.
"How do you know?" Leila asked.
"You weren't the only one who paid attention during History of Magic," Draco grinned back at Leila.
"Back to the point, Malfoy," Harry said.
"What more do you need me to say, Potter? I agree with you," Draco said.
"I suppose that will do," Harry grumbled.
"This is mental," Hermione groaned.
"This is exactly what Lovegood meant about you being narrow-minded," Draco added.
"Don't talk to her like that!" Ron hissed.
"Leave it be, Ron. He's said far worse things to me before," Hermione scoffed.
An uncomfortable silence overtook the room. Leila could read a slight expression of pain on Draco's face. He probably knew that insulting Hermione wasn't going to help his cause, especially since she was the only one to give him a fair chance from the beginning. His fingers pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Hermione looked back to the letter from Lily Potter, which Harry had snitched from Grimmauld Place. Ron practically glared daggers at Draco while Harry buried his head in his hands. Leila decided to break the awkward silence.
"Then what about the second Hallow, the Resurrection Stone?" Leila asked.
Harry pulled the Golden Snitch Dumbledore had given him from the pouch around his neck. He gave it a shake before he handed it to Leila.
"I think it might be in here," Harry said hesitantly. "But You-Know-Who is only interested in the Elder Wand."
"He was looking for something," Draco added.
"Yeah, Harry," Leila scoffed.
"No, something else. I was never told what it was though," Draco said quietly.
"He probably only thinks it's a powerful wand and since we have twin cores, he thinks he needs it," Harry pondered aloud.
"Harry, I'm sorry, but I think you're wrong about this," Hermione sighed.
"But it all fits," Harry furthered.
"No, it doesn't. Right Leila?" Hermione asked.
"I—I'm not sure," Leila said hesitantly.
"Just a moment ago you agreed with me. If this is because of Malfoy…" Hermione began.
"I'm capable of thinking for myself," Leila scoffed.
"I didn't mean it like that," Hermione groaned.
"Think about it, Dumbledore usually let me figure stuff out for myself. This feels exactly like something he'd do," Harry said.
"Harry this isn't practice or a game, this is the real thing. The one clear instruction you received from Dumbledore was to find and destroy the Ho—you-know what's," Hermione insisted.
"Granger, I already know about that you're after Horcruxes," Draco sighed.
"How much do you know about them?" Ron questioned.
Ron stood up and walked closer toward Draco, who clutched Leila's hand for support.
"Ron, knock it off," Leila groaned.
"It's a fair question," Ron continued.
"I agree with Ron," Hermione sighed.
"Harry?" Leila pleaded.
"I'm curious, but only to see if he could be of anymore help," Harry added.
"You can't be serious," Leila scoffed.
"Leila, its fine. I actually know very little about them, beyond what was in the books in Leila's bag," Draco answered. "I'm still not exactly sure what they are, though."
Hermione nodded, seeming to accept the answer; but now Leila was a little perturbed with him. She knew that he had gone through her bag, but he had actually read the books she had marked with the information on Horcruxes? But the thing that upset her most was that he had never told her.
"Why didn't you tell me you had read them?" Leila questioned.
"Because there wasn't exactly a good time to tell you. I only read them after you tried to drown yourself. After that, you had memory loss and then after that we had the whole wedding thing. It wouldn't have been a very cheerful conversation. 'Hey Leila, what color should the table napkins be for the dinner after the wedding? Oh, by the way, what's a Horcrux?' I'm sure that would've gone over real well," Draco explained.
"You're right, I'm sorry," Leila sighed.
"Wait, can you say that again?" Draco teased.
"You heard me," Leila scoffed.
"As much as I hate to break up this couple moment, we need to get back to the issue at hand: we need to forget about the Deathly Hallows because we can't afford to get sidetracked from our real mission," Hermione interrupted.
"Hermione, they have to do with our mission. I can just feel it," Harry argued.
"You still don't believe in this, do you?" Hermione asked Ron.
Ron hesitantly sat back down beside Hermione before looking back to Harry, Leila, and Draco.
"Ron?" Hermione questioned.
"Can't a bloke have a minute to get his thoughts together?" Ron asked.
Hermione raised her eyebrows at him which caused him to take a big gulp of air before speaking again.
"I dunno…I mean…bits of it sort of fit together. But I think we're supposed to get rid of Horcruxes. That's what Dumbledore told us to do, well except Malfoy. Maybe we should just forget the Hallows," Ron said awkwardly trying to please both sides.
"Thank you, Ron," Hermione said stiffly. "I'll take the first watch."
Hermione then stood up and headed for the entrance of the tent. Ron and Harry both stood up and instantly headed for the bunk beds, probably exhausted from arguing. Leila slid on the bench beside Draco, but he turned sideways so that Leila could back into him and he could wrap his arms around her. They sat there in silence for a few minutes, before Draco spoke lowly.
"What made you change your mind?" Draco asked.
"I never actually said that I did. All I meant was that I was open to the idea. I do agree that we should be hunting the Horcruxes, but if both you and my brother have a feeling about these Hallows; I think it's at least worth looking into," Leila explained.
"Weasley has a feeling too," Draco said.
"Yeah, well, he's trying to impress Hermione," Leila chuckled.
"That whole triangle thing still confuses me," Draco groaned.
"Well, Ron likes Hermione, that's obvious and Hermione's confused about her feelings for Ron," Leila whispered.
"But where does your brother play into all this?" Draco asked.
"Does he have to?" Leila questioned.
"I mean think about it, when we joined up with them, Potter and Granger were alone together and from the sound of things, they had been for several weeks," Draco furthered.
"So?" Leila said.
"Something had to have happened between them," Draco said.
"Since when have you been so concerned about the love lives of Harry, Ron, and Hermione?" Leila chuckled.
"I'm not," Draco stated.
"No, that's only why you're trying to explain that something's going on between my brother and Hermione," Leila said shaking her head.
"I'm just trying to point out that it could be a possibility and I don't want this to all come to head and have us be in the middle of it all," Draco sighed.
"How about we just let them be and they can sort it out on their own," Leila suggested.
"Because that's what they're letting us do?" Draco scoffed.
"Draco, please?" Leila begged.
"Fine," Draco conceded.
"I know things were tense today, but I really like having us all together," Leila yawned.
"I know you do," Draco whispered. "You should get some sleep."
"What about you?" Leila asked.
Draco kissed Leila's temple as she practically melted in his arms. But then he stood up from the bench, which caused Leila to groan. Then, with one swoop her tiny frame was in his arms. Leila playfully smacked at his chest and kicked at the air.
"Draco, put me down," Leila giggled.
"Or what?" Draco said lowly.
"Or my brother is going to kill you," Leila explained.
"I think I'm growing on him," Draco smirked.
"Exactly, we've made so much progress. We don't want to regress now," Leila said.
"What if I told you I didn't want you to leave my arms?" Draco asked.
"I'd say that's very sweet of you, but like you ordered me before, I need to get some sleep," Leila stated.
"I didn't order you," Draco argued.
"Yes, you did," Leila quipped.
"Will you two knock it off? Some of us are trying to sleep," Ron groaned.
"Sorry, Ron," Leila called.
Draco set Leila carefully back down on the floor, but she looked at him pointedly. He tried to kiss her, but she put her hand over his mouth.
"What?" Draco asked with Leila's hand on his mouth.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" Leila asked removing her hand from his mouth.
"Sorry, Weasley," Draco groaned.
"Better," Leila smirked. "I suppose this is goodnight then."
Draco leaned down and gently kissed Leila, before they both headed for their own bunk beds. Leila slept above Harry's bed, while Draco slept above Ron's bed. In the morning, the crew packed up the tent in a downpour of rain before they Disapparated from their campsite from the night before. The rain continued to pour at their new site near the coast. The boys quickly worked together and set up the tent. But the rain continued to pour through their weeks of travel. It seemed that there couldn't have been more than one day of sun, which was immediately followed by several days of rain. Through their travels, Leila became worried about Harry. He kept to himself and the leadership role seemed to be taken over by Ron. As they marched through the tall grass, Leila and Draco followed behind Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
"I'm worried about him," Leila told Draco.
"Why?" Draco asked.
"He's not acting like himself," Leila sighed.
"I suppose so. He barely makes any jabs at me anymore," Draco said.
"But I'm worried if it's for a different reason," Leila whispered.
"What's got you so worried?" Draco asked.
"Well, you know that Harry's mind has a connection to…You-Know-Who, right?" Leila asked.
"Yeah," Draco responded.
"What—what if he's communicating with Harry again?" Leila questioned.
"I don't know what he'd have to manipulate him though. You're here with him," Draco responded.
"The Second Prophecy—my prophecy," Leila whispered.
"You think that your brother knows about it?" Draco asked.
"It makes sense. He keeps to himself and hardly contributes anything substantial. What if it's because he thinks I'm going to betray him?" Leila whimpered.
"Then maybe you should talk to him about it," Draco suggested.
"But then what if he actually doesn't know about it?" Leila groaned.
"I know you're not going to like this; but either way, it's probably something you should talk with him about if you're so worried about it," Draco sighed.
"If only he wouldn't have been so stubborn and actually learned Occlumency when he was getting the lessons," Leila moaned.
"He took Occlumency lessons?" Draco asked.
"That's right, you would've thought they were remedial Potions lessons. But, yeah he did. I did too. Fifth year from Snape," Leila said.
"It did seem odd that Potter went from nearly failing Potions one year to top of the class the next," Draco stated.
"Well, he was only so good at it last year because he had the Half-blood Prince's potions book," Leila sighed.
"Half-blood Prince?" Draco asked.
"Also known as, Snape," Leila explained. "Hang on a minute, why does everything keep coming back to Snape?"
"Dunno, he was a spy," Draco suggested.
"There's something more to him, I know it! I know that I know it; but it's like I can't remember what," Leila said.
During the nights, Ron would play with the radio, trying to find Potterwatch, a radio station that told the truth about Voldemort and what was happening in the world. Every once in a while, they would venture into Wizarding territory, but that often brought them within too close for comfort with the Snatchers. The weeks seemed to drag on as they searched for Horcruxes. Ron was the one who remained the most hopeful, but he was still rather rigid with Draco. Not that Draco was perfectly cordial to Ron to begin with. The boys arguing was the only thing that brought something to normally dull days. Not that Draco and Ron arguing was something Leila condoned, but it broke up the monotony of searching and finding nothing, Harry keeping to himself, and Hermione ignoring Ron as much as possible.
As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, March was soon upon them. They had a small celebration for Ron's birthday, but it wasn't much of an affair seeing as they were technically fugitives on the run. Hermione and Leila had snuck into a Wizarding village and "paid" for some sweets to bring back for the celebration. By paid, they technically stole them under the Invisibility Cloak, but Hermione had put some money where the sweets had been, double what they had been worth. But by this time, Leila still hadn't confronted Harry about her own Prophecy and he was still very much keeping to himself. It wasn't that Leila hadn't tried to tell her brother about it, but either she was interrupted by Ron or Hermione or she completely lost her nerve to talk with him. It wouldn't exactly be a cheerful conversation, telling her brother that she was supposed to be the one to deliver him to Voldemort. The longer she avoided telling him, the more her thoughts focused on her Prophecy. Snape's voice resounded in her head with the words that been burned into her head since that awful night.
"A girl born as the seventh month waned
That could've meant anyone born at the end of July, really.
A sister, closest with the Chosen One through all his pain
But this line meant it could only be her. Harry was the Chosen One and she was his sister. She had tried her best to be there for her brother, but it always seemed like she came up short.
With her the Dark Lord will seek to gain
Again, obvious. Voldemort was going to use her in his plan. His plan to destroy her brother. His first plan of kidnapping her had failed. Could that be all it meant, or was there more to this part of the prophecy?
To win the fight, no matter whose blood be stained
Voldemort only cared for himself. He didn't care whose blood was shed. Hers, Draco's…
The girl will fight but it will be in vain
She had been fighting Voldemort for years. While she hadn't always been active in seeking him out, rather playing shadow or second to her brother, she still had put up a fight against him. But it scared her: how it could it be in vain?
For she will deliver the Chosen One unrestrained
Right into the hands of he whose existence is his bane."
These two lines scared her the most. She was to be the one to hand Harry over to Voldemort. It scared her that she was even capable of something like that. How would she do it? Why would she do it? Could this prophecy be a bunch of malarkey? That was probably the only question she could answer: it most likely wasn't. Leila would cry herself to sleep at night thinking about the possibility of betraying her brother, but she just couldn't seem to say anything to him. One night keeping watch, she cried outside the tent. Normally, no one seemed to notice; but this time Hermione did and came and sat down with her outside the tent.
"Leila, are you all right?" Hermione asked.
"It's nothing," Leila sniffled.
"I don't believe you," Hermione furthered.
"Really, Hermione, it's nothing," Leila said wiping at her nose.
"Sometimes you're incredibly stubborn just like your brother, you know that? I heard you talking in your sleep the other night," Hermione sighed.
"I wasn't having one of those dreams, I haven't had one for a while; but now that I say that, I'm going to have one," Leila rambled.
"I know, but you said 'Harry, I'm sorry,'" Hermione continued.
"Did Harry hear?" Leila asked.
"No, he was keeping watch and Ron was asleep. Malfoy was awake. He looked concerned and I asked him about it, but he kept saying that I would have to ask you," Hermione insisted
"Draco says I should talk to Harry about it, but I just can't," Leila muttered.
"Talk to Harry about what?" Hermione asked.
"You know that I would never purposely hurt my brother, right?" Leila asked.
"Of course. He's all the family you have left, not counting your Muggle relatives; but no one really counts them anyway," Hermione said.
"Exactly. If I tell you something, do you promise not to say anything to anyone?" Leila asked.
"You're not hiding something about you and Malfoy again are you?" Hermione questioned.
"I don't even know what you could possibly think that I'd be hiding about him," Leila scoffed.
"Pregnancy?" Hermione asked.
"Bloody hell, Hermione! There's no way that's even a possibility," Leila practically shouted.
"All right, then what is it?" Hermione chuckled.
"Your mind went there, really?" Leila questioned.
"I'm sorry, it just seemed the logical worst thing to happen next with you two," Hermione argued. "But really, what's got you so bothered?"
"Th—there's a second prophecy…" Leila began. "A second prophecy…concerning me."
"What?" Hermione gasped.
"Sh!" Leila shushed.
Hermione threw her hands over her mouth and looked back into the tent to see if the boys had noticed. When they realized they were in the clear, Leila explained everything she knew about the prophecy to Hermione. Her friend listened quietly, but in the end, she simply said that she didn't put much stock into prophecies. While some of them may be true, everyone is able to make their own choices and aren't bound by what someone foresees. People might choose that way in the end, but it didn't mean they had to. While Hermione thoughts comforted her somewhat, she knew that it was exactly what Hermione was trying to do. It was a simple concept: prophecies were bound to come true, but Leila liked the thought of being able to choose the terms in which it was carried out. Hermione then offered to finish the watch for her, but only if she promised to talk with Harry about it soon. So, Leila walked inside the tent and went to bed fully intending on talking with Harry about it the very next day. He needed to know that however it happened, she wouldn't intentionally bring him harm; but that voice inside her head still responded with a "what-if."
The next day was a dreary one. The old English proverb of "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb" didn't hold true for this year. The weather had been absolutely dismal at the beginning of the month and here they were at the end and it wasn't any better. The only positive thing to happen that day was that Ron finally got the radio tuned in to Potterwatch. Ron called for them to come over. Hermione had been polishing the Sword of Gryffindor and Leila had been reorganizing her beaded bag. Leila and Hermione were instantly at Ron's side, with beaded bag and Sword of Gryffindor in hand, while Harry slowly came in from outside. Draco remained seated on the step to the kitchen while the rest of them crowded around the radio.
"Password was 'Albus'!" Ron beamed.
"Brilliant, Ron," Leila grinned.
"Thanks, Leila," Ron said.
A familiar voice began to speak over the airways. Leila instantly recognized the former Gryffindor and Quidditch announcer's voice as Harry sat down beside her.
"…apologize for our temporary absence. There have been a number of house calls in our area by those ever-charming Death Eaters. I mean, their name just speaks volumes about how we feel about them…"
"That's Lee Jordan!" Hermione shouted.
"I know!" Ron smiled. "Cool, eh?"
"...nothing to worry about for a while though, seeing as we've found ourselves another secure location," Lee continued. "I'm also pleased to announce that two of our regulars have joined me here this evening. Evening boys!"
"Hello."
"Good evening, River."
"Lee is River," Ron explained. "They've all got code names so that if the Death Eaters somehow catch wind of a show, then they can claim innocence; but you can usually tell…"
"Sh!" Hermione shushed him.
"Ron, we've got ears," Leila groaned.
"But before we hear how it really is from Royal and Romulus," Lee went on. "Let's have a moment to honor those deaths which the nutters in charge haven't deemed worthy enough to mention. It is with heavy hearts that we inform you, our loyal listeners, of the murders of Ted Tonks and Dirk Cresswell."
"Isn't that Tonks' dad?" Leila asked.
"Yeah, his was the house I went to the night we escaped Privet Drive back in July," Harry responded.
"…Gornuk was also killed. It is believed that Dean Thomas and a second goblin were traveling with those murdered and that they may have escaped. Dean if you're listening, owl your parents. They're desperate for any bit of news. Same goes for any of you who have any information on Dean. He's a good bloke, so here's to hoping that you're out there somewhere alive," Lee continued.
"Here, here," Ron whispered to which Harry, Leila, and Hermione all nodded in agreement.
"Meanwhile, in Gaddley, a Muggle family of five has been found dead in their home. The Muggles are claiming that it was some sort of gas leak, but I've got information on good authority from members of the Order of the Phoenix that their deaths were indeed a result of the Killing Curse. Yet more evidence that Muggle killings are to Death Eaters as games of Quidditch are to the pros. Killing is nothing more than a sport to them under the new regime, which is absolutely sickening."
Leila looked back to Draco who was still sitting on the stairs. He looked as if he was going to be sick to his stomach.
"Finally, we regret to inform you that the remains of Bathilda Bagshot have been discovered in the ruins of her Godric's Hollow home. Evidence shows that she died several months ago. While the Order informs us that her body showed signs of injuries inflicted by Dark Magic, we still are not entirely sure how her home came to such disarray. It very well could be from the Death Eater who left his signature in her blood, but your guess is as good as ours. So please join me for a moment of silence in memory of Ted Tonks, Dirk Cresswell, Bathilda Bagshot, Gornuk, and all those unnamed, but none the less regretted, Muggles murdered at the hands of the Death Eaters."
Silence fell over the airways as well as the teenagers listening from the tent. Leila looked back to Draco once more who had his hands folded and his eyes focused on the floor. While this was hard for her to listen to, it had to be terrible for him as well. That was the life he had once been so attracted to and now here he was with his heart probably full of regret.
"Thank you," Lee said. "And now we turn the show over to our regular contributor Royal with an update on how this new Wizarding regime is affecting the Muggle world.
"Thanks, River," said the unmistakable bass voice.
"Kingsley!" Ron shouted.
"We know, Ron!" Hermione hissed.
"Muggles remain ignorant of the source of their suffering as they continue to sustain heavy casualties," Kingsley said. "Yet, we continue to hear truly inspirational stories of witches and wizards risking their lives to protect Muggle friends and neighbors, often without the Muggles' knowledge. I'd like to appeal to our listeners to emulate their examples, perhaps by casting a protective charm over the Muggle dwellings on your street. This simple measure could save many lives."
"And what would you say, Royal, to those listeners who reply that in these dangerous times, it should be 'Wizards first'?" Lee asked.
"I'd say that it's one short step from 'Wizards first' to 'Purebloods first,' and then to 'Death Eaters," Kingsley smoothly replied. "We're all human, aren't we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving."
Leila heard a rustling come from behind her, which she turned to see Draco escaping into the dining area of the tent. She groaned and stood up and followed after him. He was pacing the small room muttering to himself.
"Draco," Leila sighed.
"Leila, not now," Draco answered, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I can tell that this something is bothering you," Leila furthered.
"You think?" Draco hissed.
"It's no reason to get pissy with me," Leila scoffed.
"Maybe not, but you wouldn't understand," Draco sneered.
"Then explain it to me," Leila continued.
"I can't even explain it to myself," Draco said shaking his head. "I mean, I was raised that way Leila. Seventeen years of it. It's like I was bloody brain-washed."
"But the fact that you realize it says something," Leila responded.
"But I'm not even sure what I think about it though. I just don't like that it was what I was forced to think," Draco added.
"I'm not going to tell you what to think," Leila sighed.
"No, but I know what you want me to think," Draco groaned.
"True, but I think it's time you decided for yourself," Leila stated.
"Leila, get back in here! Remus is talking!" Harry called to her.
Leila bit her bottom lip as she looked out toward the others.
"Go on, I'll be fine," Draco assured her.
She pressed a kiss against Draco's cheek before she walked back to where Harry, Hermione, and Ron sat listening to the radio.
"And what about Leila? We know that you had a close connection with her. The papers have been smearing her for months, but those of us here know that it's simply a ploy by You-Know-Who himself to turn us all against her; but for months now, she's been labeled as Undesirable Number Two. What would you tell her if you knew she was listening?" Lee asked.
Leila felt slightly choked up knowing that Kingsley, Remus, and Lee didn't think she was a traitor.
"If Leila was listening, I'd tell her that she's a very brave girl. I know that these past few months haven't been easy for her, but know that while much of the world has seemed against her, I never turned my back against her. She has a big heart and I trust that she will do the right thing, just like her mother. She's grown into such a beautiful woman, a woman I know her mother would be proud of." Remus answered.
He's right, Mum would be proud of you," Harry grinned.
"I know," Leila said with tears glistening in her eyes.
"I don't know that I've told you this, but I'm really glad you're here and that we're friends," Hermione sniffled.
Hermione stood up and walked over to her friend and wrapped her arms around her. She rested her head on Leila's shoulder and Leila rested her head on Hermione's.
"Too many emotions," Leila sniffled and chuckled at the same time.
"Girls," Ron said shaking his head.
"Shut up, Ron," Leila sniffled again.
"…and may I add that while we here at Potterwatch applaud Hagrid's spirit, we would urge even the most devoted Potter supporters against following Hagrid's lead. 'Support Potter' parties are unwise in the present climate." Remus continued.
"Indeed they are, Romulus," Lee said. "We suggest showing your support by tuning into Potterwatch. Moving onto news concerning the Chief Death Eater himself and here to give his views on some of the rumors surrounding him is a new correspondent: Rodent."
"Rodent?" yet another familiar voice said.
Leila froze as Ron, Harry, and Hermione shouted "Fred" in unison. Hearing his voice brought back a surge of memories from the summer: the kisses, the hand-holding, an easy and simple felling. But it was also met with a twinge of guilt. They hadn't even had a proper goodbye and here she was gallivanting around with Draco.
"As our listeners will know, unless they've taken refuge at the bottom of a garden pond or somewhere similar, You-Know-Who's strategy of remaining in the shadows and pulling the strings is creating a nice little climate of panic. Mind you though, if all the sightings of him are genuine, we probably have two dozen You-Know-Who's running around the country," Fred explained.
"The air of mystery thing is working for him though. He's creating more terror by actually not showing himself," Kingsley added.
"Agreed," Fred said. "So people, you need to keep your knickers on and calm down. Things are bad enough without inventing stuff as well. For instance, there's this new idea that You-Know-Who can kill you with a single glance of his eyes. Don't be fooled, that's a basilisk, listeners! One simple test: Check whether the thing that's glaring at you has got legs. If it has, it's safe to look into its eyes. Although if it really is You-Know-Who, that's still likely to be the last thing you ever do."
Harry started laughing and soon Hermione and Ron joined in. Leila allowed herself to smile. She had forgotten how easily Fred could brighten her day.
"And the rumors that he keeps being sighted abroad?" Lee asked.
"Well, who wouldn't want a nice little holiday after all the work he's been putting in?" Fred responded.
Leila snickered at Fred's response.
"Point is, people, don't get lulled into a false sense of security, thinking he's out of the country. Maybe he is, maybe he isn't, but the fact remains that he can move faster than Severus Snape confronted with a bottle of shampoo…" Fred continued.
"I forgot how funny he was," Leila chuckled.
"…I never thought I'd hear myself say it, but safety first!" Fred finished.
"Thanks for the wise words Rapier," Lee said. "Any last words?"
"Yeah, I heard what Romulus said about Leila and I just wanted to tell her that I don't blame her for anything and she'll always have a place in my heart," Fred said.
Leila's eyes widened in shock at Fred's words, but a whir of blonde hair moved past her and headed outside the tent. She turned around and looked to Harry, Ron, and Hermione whose mouths were gaping open at the radio. Her head was spinning.
"Draco!" Leila called after him.
Leila ran out of the tent after him with her beaded bag swung across her shoulder.
"We should go check on them," Harry said.
"Harry, I don't think…" Hermione began. "All right, I'll admit it. I'm curious."
Hermione, Harry, and Ron followed them out of the tent. They found Draco with his back to Leila only a few feet from the tent, standing in the light from the setting sun. It was easy to see that he was upset.
"Draco, talk to me," Leila begged.
"Leila, I just want to think," Draco hissed.
"Please, just tell me what you're thinking," Leila continued.
As Leila continued to get information out of Draco; Harry, Hermione, and Ron stood at the mouth of the tent talking.
"Well, this is awkward," Hermione said.
"Fred may be my brother and as much as I hate to say it, I actually feel somewhat bad for the bloke," Ron commented.
"Didn't you hear what else Fred said?" Harry asked.
"Harry, Fred said a lot of other things, but this directly affects us," Hermione answered.
"Yeah, but so does the fact that He's abroad! He's still looking for the wand! I knew it!" Harry said excitedly.
"Harry—" Leila groaned.
"Come on, Hermione, why are you so determined not to admit it? Vol…" Harry began.
"POTTER, NO!" Draco shouted from where he stood with Leila.
"HARRY, NO!" Ron shouted from right beside Harry.
"—demort's after the Elder Wand!" Harry finished.
"Potter, the name's taboo!" Draco shouted.
Draco yanked Leila by the arm back to where Harry, Hermione, and Ron stood.
"We don't have time to pack things up. We need to go now," Draco commanded.
Suddenly, whirring noises could be heard from inside as the Sneakoscope began to spin. The sounds of heavy boots landing on the ground quickly filled the air. Everyone drew their wands, but the boys backed in around the girls attempting to hide them. A Snatcher that Leila remembered seeing once at the Manor stepped toward them. He had a red scarf around his neck which he took off and sniffed before he grinned at them and spoke.
"Hello, beautiful."