Chapter 39
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter world obviously belongs to JK Rowling and not me. Obviously.
… … … …
Leila looked to her brother and squinted her eyes because the sun was too bright and the clouds were far off in the distance, but she didn't say anything. So, Harry repeated himself, causing Leila to stand up on her feet folding her arms across her chest. She shifted awkwardly as Harry watched her.
"Talk? That doesn't sound good," Leila responded.
"We're in a bit of predicament," Hermione said.
"How so?" Draco asked.
"The goblin wants the Sword of Gryffindor in return. It's the only way he'll help us," Harry said.
"Help us with what?" Draco asked.
"You didn't tell him, Leila?" Ron asked.
"There hasn't exactly been an opportune moment," Leila said hotly.
"No, I suppose being near death is a good excuse not to tell him," Ron responded.
"Tell me what?" Draco questioned.
Draco stood up from the sandy ground before he looked to Leila, who locked eyes with him for a moment before she looked to Harry. Harry looked to Ron, who looked to Hermione. Hermione rolled her eyes and groaned.
"Really?" Hermione asked.
"Oh, I'll do it," Leila groaned.
Leila turned toward Draco and reached for his hand. She looked into his eyes and took a deep breath before she looked back once more to Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Hermione nodded her head for Leila to continue so Leila sighed and turned toward Draco once more.
"Sweetheart, we… erm, well, we want to break into Gringotts," Leila stumbled.
"What? Are you mad?" Draco hissed.
"Questioning my mental sanity isn't going to get you on my good side, which is where you'll need to be to get the information," Leila said slightly heatedly.
"Well, one would have to be mad to attempt to break into Gringotts," Draco argued.
"But that's not all," Hermione interjected.
"It never is with you lot," Draco muttered.
"There's a particular vault we need to break into…" Leila began.
"I figured as much," Draco scoffed.
"It's your aunt's. We're pretty sure she's hiding a Horcrux in her vault," Leila said.
"Wouldn't surprise me: she collects a lot of Dark objects," Draco shrugged.
"Have you been in there before?" Hermione asked.
"Of course. Mother had a key and would check on it while Auntie Bella was in Azkaban," Draco responded. "Wait, why?"
"Show him," Hermione said looking at Leila.
Leila pulled her Chocolate Frog cards out and sighed. She handed them to Draco, who took them, a confused look on his face. He looked them over and shrugged before looking up to Leila.
"I'm afraid I don't understand," Draco responded.
"Hogwarts meant a lot to Tommy-boy…" Leila began.
"What's your point?" Draco interrupted.
"He used objects that meant something to him and the Slytherin locket had a double meaning for him. Hogwarts was the first place that ever felt like home to him and he was the Heir of Slytherin," Leila explained.
"Sorry for accusing you about that Potter," Draco grumbled.
"If it makes you feel better, we accused you of being the Heir for a while," Ron shrugged. "We even…"
"Sh!" Leila shushed.
"You even what?" Draco asked suspiciously.
"Ron and I took Polyjuice Potion and Leila snuck us into the Slytherin common room," Harry said.
"You what?" Draco asked in disbelief.
"We almost were caught, but Leila had a quick save," Ron chuckled before making kissy lips.
"Don't remind me," Leila blushed as Ron continued to make kissy noises.
"Wait a minute, was that when you kissed me on…" Draco began.
"I only did it because Crabbe and Goyle were turning back into Ron and Harry," Leila groaned.
"That wasn't the only time we were almost caught," Harry chuckled.
"Because some bloke forgot to take his glasses off," Ron said rolling his eyes.
"But you were the one who kept having stomach issues," Harry responded sarcastically.
"We get it, you both were idiots that night," Leila groaned.
Draco studied Harry and Ron for a moment as if his mind had just been blown. For a few moments he struggled to find the right words to say. He had always thought that Leila had broken down her barrier toward him that night and now he'd found out she only did it to save her brother's arse. But it didn't really matter now. He had Leila, well, at least for now. Fred had basically said that he was throwing in the towel, but the fact that he couldn't exactly be rid of the bloke bothered him. The Weasley twins had always entertained him, but he knew in fifth year that the bloke had feelings for Leila; but then he also knew the Weasleys to be trustworthy. If Fred said that he wouldn't go after Leila, he wouldn't. When Draco broke out of his reverie, he found Leila, Ron, Harry, and Hermione looking at him strangely.
"Everything makes sense about that night now. But now that I think about it, I never did see Goyle with glasses again," Draco pondered aloud.
Harry grinned sheepishly as Draco shook his head and slightly chuckled.
"Back to the Horcruxes," Hermione said, clearing her throat.
"Right, what exactly do these Chocolate Frog cards have to do with the possibility of a Horcrux in my aunt's vault in Gringotts?" Draco asked.
"Slytherin's locket was a Horcrux, which we destroyed. Gryffindor's sword, he never got his creepy hands on, thankfully; so that leaves…" Leila began.
Draco nodded his head as if he knew where Leila was going with this before he turned his attention once more to the Chocolate Frog cards. First, he examined the Ravenclaw card, but shook his head. He couldn't even really determine what Ravenclaw's object was. The only thing he saw was some bloody tiara. So, he looked over Hufflepuff's card once more. He was about to hand the cards back to Leila when something in Helga Hufflepuff's hand caught his eye.
"It couldn't be…" Draco muttered.
~*Flashback*~
Draco walked behind his mother into Gringotts Wizarding bank. He pouted as he trailed behind her. This was supposed to be his day, seeing as they were finally shopping for supplies for his first year at Hogwarts. Normally, most shops had a tab going with the Malfoy name on it, so the reason they were at Gringotts wasn't because they needed any money. They were there because his mother insisted on checking on his incarcerated aunt's vault. While anyone would be a lunatic to try and steal from a Gringotts vault, before his aunt was put away, she asked his mother to check on her vault to make sure "those filthy creatures didn't knick anything while she was disposed of." He hated checking on his aunt's vault because he wasn't allowed to touch anything.
His mother handed Auntie Bella's key to the goblin who then escorted them to the cart. They took the usual ride with his mother's usual reprimands to sit up straight and not get too close to the goblin. Sure the first dozen or so times he had rode in the cart to the vault the ride had been thrilling, but by now it was just the same boring ride. Even the dragon no longer brought the thrill it once did. The bloody thing was a coward, not to mention chained up. So when they finally reached the vault, the goblin placed the key in the vault causing it to open. His mother walked in first, but the followed after.
"Mother, when will we get my wand?" Draco asked.
"We have an appointment at Madam Malkins to get your robes when we're done here and then you can meet me over at Ollivander's," Narcissa responded.
"Do you think we'll see Leila Potter here today?" Draco asked.
"Draco, not now; I need to make sure everything is here," Narcissa reprimanded.
Slightly miffed by his mother's attention was on his aunt's possessions, he slightly narrowed his eyes. He then took a few steps forward when he noticed a golden cup with two handles with some sort of creature engraved on it. If he was going to get ignored he might as well get something out of it. His little hands grasped the cup when he felt slightly bitterer about being there.
"I want to go meet Leila Potter," Draco demanded.
"I'm almost done, sweetheart," Narcissa commented lightly.
"No! Now!" Draco shouted.
Narcissa sharply turned around and looked at her son with narrowed eyes. She noticed the cup in her son's hand and practically flew at him. She snatched the cup from his hand and placed it back on a shelf that was a little higher and beyond his reach.
"What have I told you about touching things in here?" Narcissa hissed.
"I'm not supposed to," Draco pouted.
"Good, now stay close by me or I'll make you wait with the goblin in the cart," Narcissa threatened.
"Fine," Draco muttered.
"You know better than to mutter," Narcissa reprimanded.
"Sorry, Mother," Draco responded.
Narcissa looked at her son and nodded her head before she went about finishing looking over Bellatrix's things. Draco stood there staring up at the cup he had almost knicked. It's not like his aunt would miss it, she was locked up in Azkaban. Besides, he at least deserved some compensation for his misery.
~*End Flashback*~
Draco shook his head and looked once more at the card in his hand. Leila walked closer to him and placed her hand on his shoulder causing him to turn and look into her emerald eyes.
"You recognize one of them, don't you?" Leila asked.
"Hufflepuff's cup, tried to knick it before first year," Draco said.
"What would you do that for?" Ron asked.
"That vault was the only place where the rules were enforced…" Draco began.
"And of course being the spoiled prat you were…" Harry interrupted.
"Yeah, well Mother caught me and it put it out of my reach," Draco finished.
"So that clearly isn't the only Dark object in there," Hermione sighed.
"Of course it isn't, Hermione. This is the Lestrange's vault we're talking about," Ron said.
"Do you remember exactly where it is?" Harry asked.
"Yeah," Draco responded.
"Will you help us then?" Harry asked.
"You don't have to ask, I'm on your side mate," Draco responded. "Besides, anything to get revenge on my aunt after what she did to me."
Draco looked down at his bandaged arm which temporarily covered his Blood Traitor scar. Leila wrapped her arms around Draco's midsection and rested her head against his good arm. Harry reached forward and gently patted Draco's upper arm in an understanding manner.
"Now that that's settled, what do we do with the goblin?" Harry asked. "He'll help sneak us into Gringotts, but his price is the Sword."
"We need to be careful, goblins are known for double-crossing," Leila said.
"If we can only show him that he can trust us…" Hermione began.
"I'm not trying to insult you, Granger, but we can't afford to be so naïve given our predicament," Draco added.
"He's right, Hermione," Harry said.
"Says the boy who already shook on it with the goblin?" Hermione asked.
"Harry, you did what?" Leila asked.
"What else what I supposed to do? It's the only way he'd do it," Harry said.
"And how exactly are we going to destroy the Horcrux we find now that you've given the Sword of Gryffindor to the goblin?" Leila asked.
"I never specified when he'd get it," Harry argued.
"Did he?" Draco asked.
"Well, no," Harry responded.
"Then we need to keep guard of the Sword. He probably never specified for the exact reason you did. Now if you won't give him the Sword when he wants it, he'll claim you broke your end of the deal," Draco said.
"And if we don't already have enough of a mess of the situation, how exactly are we going to sneak all five of us in there?" Leila asked.
"Harry's Cloak," Ron suggested.
"It will fit one maybe two at the most," Hermione said. "Besides, to even get past the front desk we need to appear as someone who can get into the vault."
"This plan just keeps getting more bloody complicated by the minute," Ron groaned.
Suddenly, lightening flashed across the sky. They hadn't even noticed the dark clouds headed toward them and now the storm was practically upon them. The rain began to pour on top of them as Leila squealed at the raindrops pitter-pattering onto her face. She pulled the hood of her sweatshirt up to try and protect herself from the rain when she noticed each Ron and Harry go on either side of Draco. Together, Ron and Harry helped Draco across the sand and back to the small cottage. A year ago, Harry and Ron wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near Draco Malfoy. Things had changed so much and the thought brought a slight smile to Leila's face.
"Leila, you coming?" Harry shouted.
Leila then began to run and soon past in front of the boys, catching-up to Hermione who was running in the lead. Leila waited outside the door for the boys, but when Ron, Draco, and Harry reached her, Draco stopped and told the others that they'd be inside in a minute. Leila blushed at Draco's intense gaze as she could hear Harry muttering 'bloody hell' several times.
"Now, where were we before Ron so rudely interrupted us?" Draco grinned.
"So he's Ron now?" Leila asked cheekily.
"Is that really all you got out of that?" Draco asked.
"I think there may have been something about snogging me senseless, but that's only if you read between the lines," Leila answered.
"And did you read in between the lines?" Draco questioned.
"You tell me," Leila smirked.
With his good arm, Draco snaked it around Leila's waist and pulled her closer to him. With one hand, Leila wiped several raindrops from her face before she placed her hands against his chest as her breath hitched.
"You seem awfully sure of yourself," Leila attempted to respond evenly.
"Well, if you're that repulsed by me…" Draco began.
"I didn't say that," Leila chuckled.
"Then what are you saying?" Draco smirked.
"Just kiss me already," Leila groaned.
With a smirk still on his face, Draco leaned forward and gently kissed Leila as the rain continued to pour on them. As Leila kissed Draco back, a thought suddenly came to her. She roughly broke away from Draco. Draco looked at her confusedly, but a smile spread across Leila's face.
"Polyjuice Potion," Leila whispered.
"And how does that correlate to what we were doing?" Draco asked.
"It doesn't; but it's how we're going to get into Gringotts," Leila responded.
"Should I be feeling used?" Draco questioned.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Leila chuckled as she placed a hand on his cheek.
Draco kissed the palm of her hand that was pressed against his cheek.
"We should probably go over your idea with the others before we get too carried away," Draco suggested.
Leila stood up on her tippy-toes and pressed a gentle kiss against Draco's lips.
"I love you, you know," Leila whispered.
"Good to know, now get inside before you catch a cold," Harry grumbled.
"We said we'd be inside in a minute," Leila quipped.
"I gave you a minute, now get inside," Harry said.
Draco and Leila both chuckled at Harry before following him back inside. When the group of five finally met in private, Leila shared her idea with them. They all agreed that it was just what they needed for the plan; but there was only enough Polyjuice Potion left for two people. Hermione had plucked a hair from Bellatrix from her coat upon their arrival to Shell Cottage while Draco's (well, technically Ron's) sweater had a long blonde hair attached to it. It belonged to either Lucius or Narcissa Malfoy. The thought of turning into Bellatrix terrified Leila. She tried to act like everyone else did about her, cool, calm and composed; but oddly enough, Voldemort no longer seemed to be her biggest threat, Bellatrix did. She hadn't told anyone, but she had been having nightmares of Bellatrix almost every night. If Hermione and Luna had noticed that she hadn't been sleeping properly, they hadn't said anything; but still there were times when she was afraid to fall asleep knowing that her torturer was bound to make an appearance in her dreams.
Thankfully, Hermione had offered to turn into Bellatrix when the time was right for them to break in Gringotts. They needed to make sure that Griphook and Draco were both fully healed. But Leila knew the goblin was going to be a pain in their arses and delay the trip until he was good and ready. Then surprisingly, Draco volunteered to take the Polyjuice Potion with the long blonde hair. Despite his misgivings toward his parents, he claimed that he knew their mannerisms the best so it only made sense for him to take the potion.
Just as Leila had predicted, Griphook remained a pain in the arse until well into April. It seemed that it was the goblin's new mission in life to irritate the witches and wizards who had saved his very life, while the whole time clinging to the Sword of Gryffindor. While his legs were fully mended, he demanded to still have trays of food like Ollivander who was still very frail. But his demands came to an end after Bill and Fleur had an intense argument, Bill marched up to the goblin's room and put an end to his idiotic demands. Of course, that didn't sit well with Griphook, being put in his place by a wizard. So when he joined the already overcrowded table of Fleur, Bill, Harry, Leila, Hermione, Ron, Draco, Dean, and Luna, he refused to eat what everyone else ate. Instead, he would purposely ask for meals that repulsed them and made sure that they hardly ate a well-cooked meal. While Leila could usually stomach the roots and various fungi he wanted, it was the raw meat that made her stomach curdle.
One blustery April evening, the night Mr. Ollivander was being relocated, Leila walked into the living room to find Draco sitting on the sofa by himself. She looked over to the kitchen to see Harry helping Fleur with dinner, so she turned her attention back to Draco. The bed that had once occupied the room and been transfigured back into the normal living room furniture, so Draco slept on the floor with the other boys. Draco sat there with his left sleeve rolled up tracing the words branded onto his arm. He looked at them solemnly while his fingers traced each letter of BLOOD TRAITOR.
"Draco?" Leila whispered.
Draco instantly looked up and met Leila's eyes before he quickly pushed his sleeve back down. Leila sighed and sat beside him. She took his hand in hers and brushed away the hairs from his face, while his gaze focused on the floor.
"What's going on?" Leila asked.
"Nothing, I can't handle," Draco responded.
"I know you can handle it; but the thing about being 'one of us'" Leila said using air quotes. "Is that you don't have to. We're all here for each other, even the so-called blood-traitors."
"That's going to be there forever, isn't it?" Draco asked.
"Probably," Leila answered honestly. "But I don't think most people will care. Besides, I think of it as a mark of your bravery and how far you've come."
"How do you always know the right thing to say?" Draco asked.
"It's not about knowing the right thing to say, it's finding the words your own heart can't necessarily speak," Leila responded.
At that moment, Leila heard a slight commotion coming from the back door. She leaned back against the couch to see that it was Luna and Dean coming inside with armfuls of driftwood. They walked into the dining room where Ron and Hermione were setting the table. While Luna continued to chatter, Hermione interrupted rather heatedly about the Erumpent horn that had nearly destroyed the Lovegoods' house, while Luna was being rather Luna-like and refused to believe her. The Ravenclaw girl still insisted that it was Snorkack horn and that it was probably already reforming. Draco snickered from behind her, causing Leila to turn and face him.
"Sorry, this is entertaining. Actually, the whole lot of you is entertaining. Pity it took me so long to realize it," Draco said.
"Yeah, you missed out. If only you weren't too busy being an arrogant and annoying prat," Leila winked.
"But I didn't miss out on getting you all riled up," Draco smirked.
"Shut it," Leila hissed.
Draco then moved to tickle Leila, which she responded to with a squeal. Her legs kicked at the air as she begged Draco to stop tickling her. Only, he didn't stop until he caught sight of Mr. Ollivander and Bill standing at the bottom of the stairs with a large suitcase. Leila tried to sit up and catch her breath as Luna walked over Mr. Ollivander and hugged him to say her goodbye. Mr. Ollivander chuckled slightly and thanked her for being a comfort at Malfoy Manor. Fleur then asked if Mr. Ollivander could return Auntie Muriel's tiara while he was there, to which he eagerly obliged. Fleur handed him the worn velvet case, to which Griphook made some snide comment about, but Bill quickly shut him up. Then Mr. Ollivander's eyes locked with Leila's.
"I'd like a word with Miss Potter in private for a moment before we go," Mr. Ollivander said.
Leila looked at him in confusion, but Bill helped him slowly walk over to the sofa as everyone else relocated to the kitchen. She shifted awkwardly on the sofa at Mr. Ollivander offered her a smile.
"How are you feeling, Mr. Ollivander?" Leila asked sweetly.
"I'm on the mend," Mr. Ollivander answered. "But I couldn't help but notice how you've avoided me most of my stay here at Shell Cottage."
"I—erm—well…" Leila fumbled to find the appropriate words.
"I don't believe it's something that you've done knowingly. Perhaps it's been out of unwarranted guilt for that night?" Mr. Ollivander furthered.
"Was—was it you that night I was in the cellar?" Leila whispered.
"You tell me, Miss Potter. 12 ¼ inches made of Willow and a core of Dragon heartstring," Mr. Ollivander stated in a familiar tone.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I never once thought to help you out of there," Leila sniffled as she buried her face in her hands.
"My dear, I harbor no ill feelings toward you," Mr. Ollivander said as he reached out a feeble hand to gently pat Leila's back.
"I was so selfish," Leila gently cried.
"Miss Potter, there is no need for this on your conscience. You had your own tortures to deal with. As morbid as this sounds, I would much prefer being locked in that cellar then have to go through their games as you did," Mr. Ollivander said. "So please, dry those tears and know that when everything has settled, it will be you in my gratitude."
"I don't understand," Leila responded.
"Just know that if there is anything I can do for you in the future, please don't hesitate to come to me," Mr. Ollivander replied.
"But why?" Leila asked.
"Sometimes it's better to just accept things rather than to question them," Mr. Ollivander chuckled.
"And I'm guessing this is one of those times?" Leila asked.
"Good luck, Miss Potter because from what I gather, you're going to be needing plenty of it," Mr. Ollivander said as she tried to squeeze Leila's shoulder.
Mr. Ollivander then moved to stand up which caused Leila to quickly get to her feet in order to help him up. Bill must have noticed that their conversation was done because he walked into the living room and transferred Mr. Ollivander's weight from Leila to himself. Leila wiped away a straggling tear before she reached for Mr. Ollivander's arm.
"Mr. Ollivander…thank you," Leila whispered.
"No, thank you, Miss Potter," Mr. Ollivander smiled.
While Leila wasn't exactly sure what transpired from the conversation and felt slightly confused, she was at peace as she watched Bill and Mr. Ollivander set off into the night. Hermione then called her over to the table to join them for supper. The first course of supper was a silent affair. The only sound was that of the fire crackling. Fleur hardly ate anything and focused her attention on the window watching for Bill. Even Luna didn't talk, at least not very much. Thankfully, things became a little livelier when Bill returned right after they had finished eating their first course of soup. Bill walked through the door with his long ginger hair tangled by the wind carrying a sack in his hands.
"Everything's fine," Bill announced. "Ollivander is all settled in. Dad says hello. Ginny sends her love to all of you. Fred and George are driving Muriel and Mum up the wall because they're still operating an Owl-Order business out of her back room. Mum's been trying to keep busy with her knitting and sewing."
Bill then handed the sack in his hands over to Draco.
"She heard that you've been wearing Ron's clothes which are a bit too small, so she made you some sweaters and pants. She guessed at the size and says you don't have to wear them if you don't want to and that you shouldn't feel bad if you don't. It's just been keeping her busy while she's stuck at Muriel's," Bill explained.
Draco opened the sack to find several sweaters and pairs of pants in the sack. While, none of them had an emblem of any sort on them; they were just a plain color; but Draco felt grateful. He had never had anyone actually take the time to make him anything because they wanted to out of the goodness of their heart. His clothes were always tailor made at the finest Wizarding tailor shops. His mother didn't have time for such nonsense as she had once said. He couldn't exactly find the words to say. After everything he had done to torment the Weasely family over the years, he didn't deserve this.
"I can't accept these," Draco said.
"They're just clothes, mate," Ron chuckled. "Besides, they aren't going to fit anyone else around here."
Draco nodded in agreement before he looked to Bill.
"Next time you see her; can you thank her for me?" Draco asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure it will cheer Mum up knowing that you actually took them," Bill responded. "Speaking of cheering-up, Aunt Muriel was glad to have her tiara back. She kept going on about how she thought that we'd stolen it."
"Ah, she eez charmante, that aunt of yours," Fleur said crossly.
With a wave of her wand, Fleur caused the dirty soup bowls to rise and form a stack midair. She caught them and marched out of the room. This seemed to be Luna's cue to start talking more.
"Daddy's made a tiara," Luna piped up. "Well, more of a crown really."
Harry, Ron, Draco, Leila, and Hermione all looked to each other around the table attempting to hide the grins on their faces. They all recalled that ridiculous looking headdress they had seen on their visit to Xenophilius.
"He's trying to re-create the diadem of Ravenclaw…" Luna began.
"Even if the thing was real, it was lost a long time ago," Draco responded.
"It exists and Daddy's even identified most of the main elements now. Adding the billywig wings really made a difference," Luna added.
"Yeah, sure did," Ron coughed.
Hermione tried to kick Ron from under the table, but she accidentally kicked Harry.
"Hey!" Harry hissed.
"Sorry," Hermione groaned.
Hermione then kicked once more under the table and this time she got her target.
"What was that for?" Ron growled.
"You know what it was for, Ron," Hermione hissed.
Suddenly, a loud bang came at the door. Everyone looked toward the door. Who could it be? The place was supposed to be under wards nearly impossible to get through. Bill instantly jumped to his feet and pointed his want at the door. Hermione, Leila, Ron, Harry, and Draco did the same as Bill walked a few steps closer to the door while Griphook slipped underneath the table. Fleur ran from the kitchen, while Luna and Dean simply stared at the door.
"Who's there?" Bill called.
"It is I, Remus John Lupin!" called a voice over the howling wind. "I'm a werewolf, married to Nymphadora Tonks, godfather to Leila Potter, and you, the Secret-Keeper of Shell Cottage, told me the address and bade me to come in an emergency!"
While Leila was slightly excited at the prospect of seeing her godfather again, she was slightly worried. What could the emergency be?
"Lupin," Bill muttered before he ran to the door and allowed Remus entrance.
Remus practically fell over the threshold. He looked awfully pale wrapped in his traveling coat. When he straightened up, Leila thought he looked much older than he had the last time she had seen him, but he looked around the room taking in who was all there before he shouted.
"It's a boy! We've named him Ted, after Dora's father!"
Hermione squealed in delight while Leila stared slightly confused at her godfather.
"Wait, Tonks was pregnant?" Leila questioned.
"I knew there was something we were forgetting to tell Leila. Guess that's what it was," Ron responded.
"Yes, yes, Tonks was pregnant and had the baby," Lupin stated.
Leila then rushed forward and hugged her godfather. With a grin still across his face, Remus hugged his goddaughter tightly as the room broke into rounds of "Congratulations." With all the commotion, no one noticed Draco slip into another room.
"I'm guessing if you named it Ted, then it's a boy?" Leila asked.
"Yes, it's a boy," Remus chuckled.
Leila then hugged her godfather again.
"You'll be godmother?" Remus asked her.
"Me? After everything, you're sure?" Leila asked.
"Of course. Dora and I both agree that we want you and Harry to be godparents. There's no one better than you both," Remus said.
"I think you could do better than Harry," Leila teased.
"Well, are you two up for it or not?" Remus chuckled.
"I—yeah—blimey," Harry said.
"Someone's got to make sure Harry doesn't mess the kid up too much," Leila joked.
As Bill hurried to fetch some wine, Fleur ushered Remus to the table to stay for a drink. He agreed to stay only for a while as he embraced Harry in a hug. When Bill began to pass out the goblets he noticed that he had one extra.
"Who didn't get one?" Bill asked.
Everyone scanned the room, but it was Ron who spoke up first.
"Where's Draco?" Ron asked.
Leila looked around the crowded kitchen and noticed that just as Ron had noticed, Draco wasn't with them.
"I'll go find him. Go on and start without me," Leila said.
As they all raised their goblets, Leila slightly raised hers and tipped it toward Remus before she went in search of Draco. She looked in the small living room, but she didn't find him there so she continued upstairs. The door to the room that had once been Ollivander's was open a crack and candlelight was spilling out of it. Leila walked in the room and found Draco sitting there calmly reading a book. He didn't even appear to be bothered.
"Why'd you leave?" Leila asked.
"Didn't want to be a sore spot with Lupin and spoil his excitement," Draco said.
"You're not a sore spot," Remus said.
Both Leila and Draco quickly turned around to find Remus leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed.
"You should be downstairs celebrating," Leila said.
"So should you," Remus responded. "Leila, give me a minute alone with Mr. Malfoy."
Leila looked hesitantly between Draco and her godfather before Lupin nodded with his head for Leila to leave the room. Lupin moved and sat beside Draco on the bed. Draco looked at the older man hesitantly.
"I know you and I never were close, Draco…" Remus began. "But we are family."
"I suppose we are," Draco responded.
"What you did isn't exactly a secret. Just know that you do have family that supports you. Dora's proud of you and so is Andromeda; she went through what you're going through. While it isn't exactly the same, you're not alone in this," Remus explained.
"I trusted them for so long," Draco sighed.
"You remind me of a friend of mine," Remus smiled.
"I do?" Draco asked.
"He's actually your mother's cousin, Sirius," Remus answered.
"I've only heard bad things about him," Draco responded.
"Well, I expect so, he was a blood-traitor in the eyes of your family," Remus said.
Draco rubbed his left sleeve absently.
"While you're a little more cautious than Sirius, I can see a bit of him in you. But the thing with Sirius, was that he didn't give a damn what his family labeled him as. He made his own family with his close friends," Remus continued.
"I don't really have any close friends anymore," Draco said.
"Looks to me like you have plenty of people downstairs who would be willing to prove you wrong," Remus chuckled.
"They only tolerate me because of Leila," Draco responded shaking his head.
"It may have started out that way, but that's not the way I see things. Don't tell her I told you this, but it wasn't even Leila that noticed you weren't there. Bill noticed we were missing someone and Ron pointed out that it was you," Remus furthered.
"Why are you doing this?" Draco questioned.
"Because I know that even though Sirius never talked about it, it hurt when his family turned their backs on him. I suppose in a way, I'm trying to make up for my poor judgment as a friend to not talk with him, by talking with you. Besides, even back when I taught you at Hogwarts I knew you had a bit of Sirius in you, even if you weren't too keen on showing it," Remus explained.
"I wish I could've met him," Draco sighed.
"He mentioned you a couple of times. That he thought it was cruel that you had to grow up the way you did. When they were younger, he was quite close with your mother. But when the time came, your mother chose the side of her family rather than what was right," Remus continued.
"Probably because it's easier," Draco muttered.
"Usually is," Remus nodded. "Now, what do you say we go downstairs and celebrate my fathering skills?"
"I'd say they're up to par," Draco chuckled.
"Good man, good man," Remus chuckled as he patted Draco on the back. "And Draco, just remember that you're not alone in this. There are plenty of people on your side, myself included."
Leila sat on the stairs waiting for Remus and Draco to finally emerge. When they finally did, Leila caught the tail-end of a story about the infamous Marauders which brought a smile to Draco's face. As Remus patted Draco on the back while he laughed. Leila found herself surprised that Remus actually seemed to be enjoying himself with Draco. Maybe it was just the delight of becoming a father that was effecting him, but it also seemed to be having a positive effect on Draco. It was good to see him smiling and actually smiling. The smile seemed to be contagious because Leila too began to grin. They headed downstairs, where they found everyone waiting with their goblets on the table. Apparently, no one had done any toasting.
"Finally, I was about to drink the bloody thing," Ron said.
Everyone chuckled at Ron's statement as Bill once again began to pass out the goblets of wine. Once again they all raised their goblets.
'To Teddy Remus Lupin, a great wizard in the making," Lupin toasted.
"To Teddy!" They responded before they took a drink of their wine.
"But we have someone else to officially welcome to our family of misfits. To Draco Malfoy, may he always know that he's stuck with us," Remus grinned.
Once again, everyone toasted, but this time to Draco, before they broke into laughter at Lupin's sentiment. Draco made eye contact with Remus and nodded his head in thanks. His former DADA professor was right, this was his family. While it might take some time getting used to, these people had welcomed him despite everything. These were the people that truly cared about him. Instead of moping around about how he didn't belong, he needed to accept that these people cared about his well being. While they may have had their scuffles in the past, they accepted him. Finally, a place where he felt as though he were among equals; a group where he felt he belonged.
Fleur then began to inquire about Teddy as much as she could. Remus, filled with excitement over the birth of his son, eagerly answered any questions that he could. He beamed like a proud father should. It seemed all too soon, when he announced that he must leave. They understood why he must leave, but at the same time it was kind of sad to end the jovial atmosphere of Shell Cottage. Remus stood to his feet and fastened his traveling cloak around himself. He promised to bring pictures of Teddy in a few days, to which Harry, Hermione, Leila, Draco, and Ron looked to each other. They weren't sure they would be there for Remus' return visit; but time would tell. Remus said his farewells, hugging the women, and shaking hands with the men. When he shook Draco's hand, he whispered something only for him to hear. Leila would have to make sure to ask Draco what Remus had told him.
Leila stood by the door waiting for her godfather, wanting to be his last farewell. He smiled at her as he walked toward her. Even though they were often parted, Leila felt that Remus was one of many fathers to her. It was hard growing up not having parental figures to mold your character, but when she thought about it, she was blessed to have more than just one set of parents. She had many people who loved her and helped to define the young woman she was today. Remus embraced his goddaughter in an embrace.
"I'm so very proud of you Leila. I know Lily and James would be too. Don't let your doubts go to your head because you're a good person and the perfect woman to be goddaughter to my child. I don't know what you and Harry have planned, but have a little faith in yourself. You'll need it," Remus whispered for only Leila to hear.
"I love you, Uncle Remus," Leila whispered.
"I love you too, Leila. You're like the daughter I never had," Remus responded.
"Or don't have yet," Leila grinned.
"We'll see about that," Remus chuckled.
"Take care and give everyone my love," Leila said.
"Same goes for you," Remus smiled. "And Leila."
"Yeah?" Leila responded.
"Try to behave a little," Remus joked.
"You know that I never do," Leila laughed.
Remus then placed a kiss on the top of Leila's head before departing into the wild and stormy night. Bill then refilled the goblets with just a little more wine and raised his glass.
"To Godmother Leila and Godfather Harry, what an honor," Bill toasted.
Leila blushed as they toasted and took another sip of wine. What a joyous night to be with those closest to you. But she knew the feeling couldn't last long because it was the beginning of the end.