Chapter 43
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter world obviously belongs to JK Rowling and not me. Obviously.
… … … …
Leila clung tightly to Draco as they Disapparated. She squeezed her eyes shut as their former scenery swirled around them. Vomit lurched in her throat but thankfully they landed before it went anywhere. She opened her eyes to see that they had landed on Hogsmeade's High Street. The dark shop fronts lined the street with the only light spilling out into the darkness was from the Three Broomsticks. The boys awkwardly released each other's hands as Harry looked up to Leila. They must have had the same thought on their mind. The last time they had been in this spot, they were with Dumbledore, one of their former mentor's last moments alive. But neither had the time to say anything because a shrill shriek pierced the once-silent night. With one hand, Leila tried to cover her ear while she attempted to bury her face against Draco, who was muttering to himself.
"This is not good, definitely not good," Draco muttered.
"What's going on?" Leila whispered.
"Sh!" Harry commanded.
As Ron, Harry, and Draco moved closer together; Leila poked her head back up and looked over to the Three Broomsticks where the door had suddenly burst open. About a dozen or so Death Eaters clothed in their dark cloaks ran into the street with their wands drawn as the screaming sound continued to echo through the air. Ron began to draw his wand too, but Draco clasped his hand against Ron's wrist. Ron looked to Draco confusedly, but it was Harry who answered.
"Too many of them to stun," Harry whispered.
"Not to mention it would obviously give us away," Leila too whispered.
"Sh! No more talking," Draco whispered.
Ron nodded his head gently as they could do nothing but watch the Death Eaters making a scene in front of them. The screaming noise still screeched through the air until one of the Death Eaters must have gotten annoyed with it, because with a swish of his wand the sound lessened until it was no more than an echo in the distant mountains. Spells were being fired at anything that seemed to move, but thankfully none were directed at them until one of the Death Eaters got the bright idea to try an Accio charm.
"Accio Cloak!" the Death Eater roared
The boys tightly gripped the folds of the Invisibility Cloak, but nothing happened. The Cloak didn't even attempt to fly from them and into the Death Eater's hands. For reasons that Leila, not to mention the rest of the group, couldn't fathom; the Summoning Charm had failed. But that still didn't stop Leila from clinging even tighter to Draco while Hermione did the same to Ron. Leila knew that Draco was probably getting tired of carrying her, but they couldn't exactly do anything about that now. Suddenly, from behind them another Death Eater began rushing toward them. He must not have seen them because he walked right past them, muttering.
"Potter, you're more of an idiot than I thought," the Death Eater muttered.
Leila recognized the voice, which caused her stomach to drop.
"Theo!" Leila gasped. "No!"
Hermione's hand flew over Leila's mouth, but it was too late. Theo stopped suddenly in his tracks and looked over his shoulder. Everyone under the Cloak stood still and made absolutely no noise as Theo looked right at them. They hoped that he couldn't see them, but Theo clearly had heard Leila's gasp. For a moment, he removed his hood, revealing his gaunt face. Maybe he did it to get a better look at them, but Leila couldn't be certain. He definitely had paled even more since they had last seen him at Malfoy Manor. It looked like being one of Lord Voldemort's followers didn't suit Theo any better than it had Draco. By this point, Theo was breathing heavily and his eyes were glimmering in the moonlight from tears.
"I probably shouldn't do this; but just this once," Theo muttered. "Don't expect a second chance."
With that, Theo pulled his hood back over his head and headed in the opposite direction of most of the Death Eaters who were headed right for them. Draco, Ron, and Harry quickly backed away and down the nearest side street as the Death Eaters brushed right past them. Hermione and Leila were let down onto their feet as they all ducked and carefully pressed against the wall of one of the empty buildings as the Death Eaters continued to scour Hogsmeade.
"Let's just leave," Hermione whispered. "Disapparate now!"
"I agree with Hermione," Ron said.
"Me too," Leila agreed.
"They've likely put up an Anti-Disapparation ward by now," Draco said breathing heavily.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked.
"They were ready for us. That screaming was from a Caterwauling Charm. It lets them know when someone Apparates into a place," Draco explained.
"And you didn't tell us about this sooner because?" Ron furthered.
"Because I didn't know they'd have one over Hogsmeade," Draco said, his voice sounding cold.
"Now's not the time to question each other, we need to figure out what we're going to do," Hermione hissed.
"Hermione's right," Harry agreed. "We need to come up with a plan."
"I thought you said our plans never work," Leila stated.
"Do you have a better idea?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, shut it. They're just around the corner," Leila breathed.
Everyone was silent for a minute as they listened to the footsteps of the Death Eaters running up and down and watched the beams of light flying along the street.
"We know you're here, Potter!" a Death Eater shouted. "There's no getting away! We'll find you and your precious sister if it's the last thing we do!"
Leila slightly whimpered as Draco gently squeezed her thigh reassuringly.
"They've definitely done something to trap us," Harry said.
"I'm pretty sure that's what 'no getting away' means," Leila said sarcastically.
"Now isn't the time for your sarcasm," Harry hissed.
"You know I can't help it when I'm nerv…" Leila began.
"What about the dementors?" another Death Eater called, silencing Leila.
"Yeah, let 'em have free rein! They'd find Potter and his sister quick enough," a third Death Eater shouted.
"The Dark Lord wants Potter dead by no hand but his…" the first Death Eater began.
"An' the dementors won't kill him! The Dark Lord wants Potter's life, he didn't say nothing about his soul," the third Death Eater continued.
"An' he didn't say a damn word about the girl," the second Death Eater added.
"They'll be easier to kill if they've been Kissed first!" The third Death Eater said.
The Death Eaters seemed to be congregating close to them as they finished their conversation. They took plenty of time to weigh out the pros and cons of their situation, but at last they agreed to allow the dementors into the village. The thought made Leila cringe. How the hell were they supposed to fight off dementors and go unnoticed?
"Let's hope the Malfoy boy is with 'em. I have some unfinished business with him and his bloody father and finding him Kissed would bring sweet revenge," the first Death Eater spoke.
Leila could feel Draco tense up beside her. With her hand she reached for his as the voices soon faded.
"What'd you do to piss him off?" Ron asked Draco.
"If the voice is who I think it is…" Draco began.
"We need to get out of here! We have to try to Disapparate before the dementors get here," Hermione interrupted.
"Draco already said…" Harry began.
"We have to try! What other choice do we have?" Hermione said, sounding panicked.
"We need to stay calm. Panicking isn't going to help us," Leila stated.
"We need to try, please," Hermione persisted.
Still under the Invisibility Cloak, they all joined hands as Hermione tried to Disapparate them; but nothing happened. The air around them didn't swirl and there was no droning pain in their ears or stomachs. The cold seemed to be biting deeper against their flesh as Leila withdrew her hand. She swore under her breath as the teenagers looked to each other with unsure looks on their faces.
"Can we panic now?" Ron questioned.
"No time for that," Leila responded.
"Well, we need to get the hell away from here. The dementors are coming," Harry said.
"You don't say?" Leila said sarcastically.
Harry gave Leila a pointed look before she muttered an apology. The older Potter twin nodded his head to the left for them to follow behind. Everything past their knees was clearly visible beneath the Invisibility Cloak, but by this point the Death Eaters had left and the dementors didn't care whether they were beneath it or not. The dementors were going to find them if they didn't find somewhere safe. Harry led the group down the side street as they walked tightly against the walls of the buildings in Hogsmeade. They tried to walk quietly without making a sound, but Leila was heavily breathing, trying to keep herself calm. They came to a corner and when they moved around it they ran into trouble. Waiting for them were at least a dozen dementors gliding through the air. The night sky seemed to darken even more, if that was even possible. Even in the darkness they were plainly visible with their dark hoods and scabbed and rotting hands. Ron had described the dementors perfectly third year: she felt like she was never going to be cheerful again. While Leila didn't have as strong of a reaction to the dementors as Harry did, she still was terrified of them. She felt bad because she knew that the dementors fed on fear and she was certainly a beacon of fear at that moment.
Leila began to shake with fear as the dementors drew closer. Draco's arm wrapped tightly around Leila's waist as she tightly gripped her wand. She wouldn't give them what they wanted. She couldn't. She refused to be the reason she, Harry, Draco, Hermione, and Ron became soulless. She refused to be the reason they met their end at the hands of Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters. The rasping breaths that had once caused fear to shiver down her spine now seemed to cause bits of confidence to grow inside the pit of her stomach. With each inch they neared, the more her confidence grew. Without even planning to, both Harry and Leila raised their wands at the same time. Harry whispered the all-too-familiar words while Leila internalized them. A silver stag burst from Harry's wand and charged for the dementors while a silver ferret burst from Leila's wand and ran on the back of Harry's Patronus before it launched from the stag's head right into the core of the dementors. The dementors quickly began to scatter from the Patronuses; but their relief was short lived as a shout came from the shadows.
"It's Potter! I saw his Patronus, a stag!" one of the Death Eaters shouted.
"And someone's with him! The other Patronus is some kind of rodent," another Death Eater shouted.
"Ferret, it's a bloody ferret," Leila muttered.
"I don't think they really care," Ron muttered back.
The dementors had completely retreated by this point when the steps of the Death Eaters were becoming louder. Thankfully, before they had too much time to panic, a door flung open on the left-hand side of the narrow street. The rough voice of a man commanded them to get inside and quickly. Without hesitating or worrying that the Invisibility Cloak was properly adjusted, the five teenagers hurtled themselves through the open doorway. Part of Leila was worried by their complete trust in a stranger. What if this person ended up being a Death Eater in disguise? What if there was a whole room full of Death Eaters waiting for them? But Leila knew that they couldn't afford to stay outside any longer and just wait to be caught.
"Upstairs, keep the Cloak on, and keep quiet!" the tall man muttered.
Their savior walked outside into the nightmare, slamming the door behind him.
"Where are we?" Draco whispered.
For a moment, the group stopped in place to take in their new surroundings. There was a single candle lighting the room; but it wasn't hard to mistake the grubby, sawdust-strewn bar. This was the place they had come fifth year when they originally formed Dumbledore's Army. While Fred and George had twisted her arm and dragged her inside, she easily recognized the unkempt place.
"This looks like the Hog's Head Inn," Leila responded.
"Where?" Draco continued.
"Sh! He said to keep quiet," Hermione reprimanded.
"He also said to get upstairs, so c'mon," Harry said.
Harry led them behind the counter of the bar and through another doorway which led to an old, rickety, wooden staircase. The group climbed it as fast as they could, but Draco, who was bringing up the rear of the group, accidentally slipped out from underneath the Cloak. Once they were upstairs, Ron held the Cloak up for only a moment as Draco slipped back under before they crossed the threadbare carpet of the room and headed toward the grimy window. With the Cloak still covering them, they looked down at the scene below. Their savior was the only person standing outside not wearing a hood. He stood outside arguing with the Death Eaters.
"You send dementors down my street, I'll send a Patronus back at 'em, I've told you a hundred times that I'm not having it," the owner of the Hog's Head hissed.
"That wasn't your Patronus! That was a stag, so it has to be Potter's!" one of the Death Eaters roared.
"Stag?" the barman roared. "Stag? You idiot…Expecto Patronum!"
The barman's Patronus erupted from his wand and charged down High Street. It clearly looked nothing like Harry's Patronus, but maybe with a bit of luck and a reliance on most Death Eater's easy manipulation, they might buy it. If they were easily manipulated by Voldemort, it couldn't be too hard to convince them they were seeing things.
"That's not what I saw—" the Death Eater began.
"Then how do you explain the second Patronus?" another Death Eater hissed.
"This hunt for Potter's driven you all loopy," the barman hissed. "You can't even distinguish a single bloody Patronus. Your Dark Lord should reconsider who he has out on the streets. I'd certainly be ashamed of you lot."
"I assume you aren't deaf old man because Curfew was broken. You had to have heard the blasted noise. And in case you're too senile to figure out what it means; there's someone out here in the street against regulations," another Death Eater stated.
"If I want to put my cat out, I will, and be damned to your curfew!" the barman hissed.
"You're telling me that you set off the Caterwauling Charm?" the first Death Eater scoffed.
"So what if I did? Going to cart me off to Azkaban? Kill me? Sick the dementors on me? Do it then. I just hope for your sakes you haven't gone and pressed your little Dark Marks and summoned him. He's not going to like being called out here for an old man and his cat, now is he?" The barman easily lied.
As the men outside continued to argue outside, Leila moved in closer to Draco. He wrapped his arm around her waist as she turned her head to get a better look at their surroundings. There was an oil painting of a young blonde girl. She seemed to be gazing right at them, even though they were underneath the Cloak. Leila bit her bottom lip in frustration: that girl looked familiar. She couldn't place where she had seen her before; but somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that she had seen that sweet face before with those familiar twinkling eyes. The girl winked in her direction before a vacant expression resumed on her face. Leila jolted a little in surprise as Ron breathed a sigh of relief.
"I think they're gone," Ron stated.
Leila turned her attention back to the window as Harry and Draco each pulled a side of the curtains toward the middle. They all breathed the sigh of relief they had been holding back as they escaped from underneath the Cloak. Leila still felt tense because she was unsure which side the barman really was on. Sure, he was fighting with the Death Eaters on their behalf; but maybe the old coot was looking to get a handsome reward by turning them in himself. Leila looked up to Draco with a look of worry on her face, but he bent down and gently kissed her temple.
"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you," Draco whispered.
Leila stood there in Draco's arms trying to stay calm as Ron pulled out his wand to light the room. With his other hand, he tapped Hermione on the shoulder which caused her to turn around and Leila gently broke from Draco's arms.
"Did you get a proper look at 'im?" Ron asked.
"He's the barman here. We saw him when we met here for the D.A. fifth year," Leila stated.
"We must not have been paying attention back then because he looks an awful lot like…" Ron began.
"Dumbledore. They've got to be some relation," Hermione finished.
"Dumbledore?" Leila asked.
"You didn't get to see his eyes did you?" Hermione asked.
"Blue, weren't they…" Harry muttered.
Harry too appeared puzzled for a moment, so he pulled out his two-way mirror from the sack around his neck. Leila closed her eyes for a moment trying to remember Dumbledore's eyes. She remembered the soft twinkling blue eyes that had looked so calm despite the danger so often swirling around them. When she opened her eyes, she saw the same soft, blue, twinkling eyes on the girl in the painting. It couldn't be, could it? But Hermione interrupted Leila from her thoughts. Leila found Hermione standing beside a mirror which was hanging on the wall.
"Harry, I can see you in here," Hermione said.
Leila looked over to Harry who was holding his two-way mirror in front of him. He looked over to Hermione and then back to his mirror.
"You're in here too, Hermione," Harry said.
Harry walked over to the mirror hanging on the wall and looked at it in slight confusion. Draco followed him over and pulled the mirror from the wall. He turned around so that he was facing Harry, but the mirror wasn't. He too looked from the mirror over to Harry. He nodded his head slightly in approval before placing it back on the wall.
"Two-way mirror? Brilliant," Draco commented.
"Sirius gave me mine, but…" Harry began.
"But how did he get the other one?" Leila finished.
"Maybe…" Hermione began.
Suddenly, the barman burst through the door looking gruff. The teenagers instantly backed away from the mirror and turned their attention to their savior.
"You bloody fools," the man began as he looked each of them in the eye. "What were you thinking, coming here? Have you any idea how dangerous it is? You should be bloody thankful someone tipped me off."
The teenagers looked to each other for a moment, before Leila attempted to break the silence.
"Thanks for saving us Mr…" Leila began.
"You're Aberforth, aren't you?" Harry interrupted.
"Aberforth? Who the hell is he? I thought you were trying to tell me he's a Dumbledore," Leila questioned.
"Aberforth Dumbledore; he's Dumbledore's brother," Draco explained.
"Oh…that makes more sense. Merlin, I can be an idiot sometimes," Leila muttered as she face-palmed her forehead.
"You'll hear no arguments from me," Harry said.
"Shut it, Harry," Leila hissed.
Leila then looked to Aberforth. The only reaction the older man gave was a raise of an eyebrow before he turned toward his cupboards. Harry however, continued to press the man instead of focusing on Leila's blunder.
"You sent Dobby, didn't you?" Harry questioned.
"Thought he'd be with you lot. Where've you left him?" Aberforth asked.
"He's dead," Harry said sadly.
"I'm sorry to hear it. I liked that elf," Aberforth said as he continued to dig in his cupboards.
"My mental aunt killed him," Draco said.
"She's one right piece of work, she is. Was half expecting you to follow in her footsteps, boy," Aberforth stated.
"But he didn't, he's here, isn't he?" Leila said, immediately coming to Draco's defense.
"I'm not blind, girl," Aberforth scoffed.
"You're awfully cheerful," Ron said sarcastically.
"Ron," Hermione hissed as she elbowed Ron.
Ron groaned at the contact in his ribs from Hermione's elbow as Aberforth gave him a pointed look before he shook his head.
"Sorry," Ron muttered.
Aberforth grunted as he noticed the lack of light in the room, so he aimed his wand at several lights and caused flames to flicker on. Harry looked back once more to the mirror and then looked to Aberforth.
"The mirror, how'd you get it?" Harry asked.
"Bought it from Dung 'bout a year ago," Aberforth answered.
"Dung had no right selling that to you. It belonged to…" Harry began.
"Sirius. Albus told me. Albus also told me you'd be hacked-off if you knew I had it," Aberforth continued.
"You're just lucky he didn't get a hold of you last year. If it wasn't for me he probably would've ripped Dung's head off," Leila commented.
"You can be as hacked-off as you like, but ask yourself: where would you be if I didn't?" Aberforth finished.
"You've been keeping an eye on us then?" Hermione asked.
"I thought that much to be obvious," Aberforth said gruffly.
"The silver doe!" Ron gasped. "Was that you too?"
"What in Merlin's name are you talking about?" Aberforth questioned.
"Someone sent a doe Patronus to us," Ron explained.
"Brains like that, you could be a Death Eater, son," Aberforth scoffed.
Ron looked quizzically to Aberforth who waved Ron off as he set a tray of Butterbeers and sandwiches on the table, but Draco, who was standing behind him, whispered in the ginger's ear.
"His Patronus is a goat."
"Oh that's right," Ron began. "Yeah…well, I'm hungry."
"You would think of your stomach at a time like this," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.
"But it's right there, Hermione," Ron whined.
Hermione raised an eyebrow at Ron, who muttered to himself. Aberforth appeared slightly amused by the situation, but a façade soon replaced his slight smile and twinkling eyes.
"Go on, eat," Aberforth commanded.
Draco and Ron both looked to Hermione and Leila before they plunged for the food. Leila chuckled as Draco stuffed his face with a sandwich and reached for a Butterbeer. She and Hermione reached for some food once they pushed Draco and Ron out of the way. Leila made eye contact with Hermione, who gave her an odd look.
"What?" Leila asked.
"Speaking of Patronuses...Leila, yours makes more sense now," Hermione smirked.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Leila muttered.
"Oh, I think you do," Hermione grinned.
"Shut it, Hermione," Leila hissed, blushing furiously.
"What's she getting at?" Harry asked.
"Now's not the time for this," Leila attempted to explain.
"Do we want to know?" Ron asked.
"She's just embarrassed," Hermione chuckled.
"Can we please just change the subject?" Leila begged.
"What's wrong with Leila's Patronus?" Ron asked.
"Oh, nothing's wrong with it. It's just funny how it knew her heart better than she did," Hermione continued.
"I'm still not following," Harry stated.
"Me either," Ron said.
"Well if neither of you get it, I'm certainly lost," Draco said.
"It can stay that way," Leila muttered.
"Leila, how long have you been able to do a corporeal Patronus?" Hermione asked.
"No comment," Leila muttered.
"You were there, Hermione," Harry responded.
"And would you say that it's changed at all?" Hermione grinned.
"Stop!" Leila whined.
"No, the only one I've seen change is Tonks," Harry stated.
"Exactly," Hermione teased.
"Wait, what is her Patronus?" Ron asked.
"A…" Hermione began.
"Ferret," Harry finished. "No…no…You've got to be kidding me."
"I don't get it," Ron said in confusion.
"You're not alone," Draco furthered.
"Good," Leila muttered.
"Really, this whole time?" Harry questioned Leila.
"As much as I hate to interrupt...actually, I don't mind. We need to figure out the best way to get you lot out of here," Aberforth interrupted.
Leila breathed a sigh of relief at Aberforth's timing. She couldn't bear the thought of having to explain her Patronus to Draco. However, in her defense, she had the Patronus before Draco was turned into a ferret.
"We're not leaving," Harry said. "We need to get into Hogwarts, tonight."
"Don't be stupid, boy," Aberforth hissed.
"We've got to," Leila said, coming to Harry's defense.
"Got to? What you got to do is get as far away from this place as you can," Aberforth said.
"Dumbledore wanted…" Hermione began.
"My brother wanted a lot of things," Aberforth spat. "People always had a habit of getting hurt carrying out his bloody plans. So forget my brother and his clever schemes. None of you owe him anything."
"We've got to get into the castle: Dumbledore gave us a job to do," Harry stated.
"Did he now? Nice job, I hope? Pleasant? Easy?" Aberforth scoffed.
"I—It's not easy, but we've got to…" Harry began.
"There you go again with the got to. Get it through your skulls, all of you: my brother is dead! Let this bloody thing go and save yourselves before you meet the same end he did," Aberforth hissed.
"His death was all part of his plan!" Leila shouted.
Five pairs of eyes quickly turned to Leila. Her fingers had gripped the glass of Butterbeer a so hard that the glass was beginning to crack.
"It was all part of his plan?" Leila said, now a little unsure of herself. "He died on his own terms, not You-Know-Who's?"
Leila knew in her heart that what she had just stated to be true. Somehow it made sense, but it was as if only a piece of the puzzle had been snapped back into place. Dumbledore had died on his own terms? Yet Snape had murdered him? Had Dumbledore anticipated Snape turning on him? But if that was the case, then why had he placed so much trust in Snape knowing that the git would turn on him? Snape. Why was it that things always seemed to come back to Snape? Dizziness began to make Leila's head swirl, so she stumbled into the nearest chair and held her face in her hands.
"Leila, are you all right?" Draco asked.
Draco was on his knees on the floor trying to look Leila in the eyes, but she kept her eyes tightly closed and placed her fingers on her temples.
"I just need a moment," Leila muttered.
Draco looked to Leila worriedly as she attempted to put together the puzzle that was her mind; but there were just too many missing pieces. It was as if she had the pieces, but then she suddenly no longer had them. They were somewhere in the maze that was her mind. How did she know that information? Aberforth shook his head at Leila as he turned to take a swig of Butterbeer. Hermione sipped her Butterbeer before she attempted to get more information out of their savior.
"Do you hear from the others much? The Order?" Hermione asked.
"The Order's finished. You-Know-Who's won. Anyone who says otherwise is kidding themselves," Aberforth answered.
"But you're in the Order of the Phoenix. I saw you in the picture…" Harry began.
"I was. Like I said, it's over. It'll never be safe here for you lot. Go abroad and go into hiding. If you're smart that's what you'd best be doing," Aberforth said.
"I can't leave. I've got a job to do," Harry furthered.
"There you go again with the got to. Get it through that thick skull of yours Potter that whatever my brilliant brother told you was a lie. He conned you into whatever it is you feel that you owe him," Aberforth continued.
"He was a good man," Harry argued.
"You didn't know him as I did, Potter. Since my brother could talk, he could lie," Aberforth said. "The illusion you have of him is going to get you killed and you wouldn't be the first one to die because Albus could con one into doing things for his benefit. Secrets and lies…came naturally to Albus. Did he ever mention my name? Did he ever mention hers?"
"You blame him for Ariana, don't you?" Draco interrupted.
"You have no right to talk about her!" Aberforth roared.
"Who's Ariana?" Leila asked.
"The girl in the picture, his sister," Draco answered.
Draco nodded over to the portrait of the young girl.
"Never pegged you for a Rita Skeeter reader, Malfoy," Aberforth scoffed.
"Well, I…" Draco fumbled.
"Elphias Doge mentioned her to us," Harry said, trying to save Draco.
"That old berk," Aberforth muttered. "Thought my brother was the be all and end all; much like you lot."
Draco pounded his fist against the table. Something inside him snapped. While Aberforth may have been partially right, he had no right to judge them like this.
"You don't know what I think," Draco defied.
"Don't I, Malfoy?" Aberforth furthered. "Is that guilt I sense?"
Draco shifted uncomfortably in his chair as Aberforth's bright blue eyes looked him over.
"I know you were there the night Albus died. It was your job to kill him, correct?" Aberforth furthered.
"That's not important," Draco said.
"Isn't it? The almost assassin of my brother?" Aberforth hissed.
"I couldn't do it. He knew I couldn't. He tried to help me," Draco hissed back.
"Because that worked out so well for you," Aberforth scoffed.
"I may not have been anywhere near as close to your brother as the others in this room; but what I do know is that he genuinely cared about people. Something rare to find these days," Draco argued.
"Funny thing, all the people my brother seemed to care about ended up in a worse state than if he'd left 'em alone," Aberforth added with a shake of his head.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry interrupted.
"Never you mind," Aberforth stated.
"That's a serious accusation to make," Leila furthered.
"Shows how little you lot knew him," Aberforth muttered. "So trusting, too much admiration of the fool."
"This isn't about your brother; this is about what happened to your sister, isn't it?" Hermione asked.
"I hate to sound insensitive, but what happened to his sister?" Leila questioned.
"I was just going to ask the same thing," Ron commented.
Aberforth glared at Hermione for a moment before he turned his back to them. He appeared to be looking at Ariana's portrait. He must have been looking for guidance from her portrait because she gave him a smile and a slight nod of her head. The older man then turned back around with his lips moving, as if he were chewing the words he was holding back. But he didn't hold back for long before he burst into a long-winded speech.
"When my sister was six years old, she was attacked by three Muggle boys. They'd seen her doing magic as they were spying through the back garden hedge: She was only a kid then, it's not like she had any control over her magic at such a young age. No witch or wizard can at that age. Hell, there are grown witches and wizards these days that have little to no control over their abilities. What they saw scared them, I expect…" Aberforth began.
"I think I scared Piers Polkiss with some unintentional magic before Hogwarts. He had me cornered in a shrub when the twigs began to snap at him," Leila stated.
Aberforth simply looked at Leila with an agitated look on his face as he stood tall, as tall as her brother had once stood.
"Sorry, continue please," Leila apologized.
"Well, anyway, they forced their way through the hedge and when she couldn't show them the trick, they got a bit carried away trying to stop the little freak doing it," Aberforth continued.
"Piers was a bit thick to even think twice about what happened," Leila muttered.
"It destroyed my sister what they did to her, which even I don't know entirely what they did. She was never the same; never quite right again. She wouldn't allow herself to use her magic ever again, which was worse because she had no way to release it or get rid of it. So it turned inward and drove her mad, it exploded out of her when she couldn't control it. At times it turned her very strange and dangerous; which contrasted to her normally sweet, scared, and harmless self. And then my father went after those bastards who hurt my sister…" Aberforth furthered.
"That's what got him locked up in Azkaban, isn't it?" Draco asked.
"Yeah, it is Malfoy; but it wasn't for blood supremacy like those idiots claim. He attacked those Muggle boys and was locked away for it. He never once explained his rationale to the Ministry; because if they knew what had become of Ariana she would've been locked up at St. Mungo's for good. They'd have claimed she was a serious threat to the International Statute of Secrecy. Having an unbalanced witch like her, with magic exploding out at any given moment, when she couldn't hold it in any longer would have ruined everything, or so they would've claimed. But my father couldn't bear the thought of locking her away. So he kept quiet and willingly took the burden on himself, despite the downward spiraling effect it had on my family in the long run."
"I know Mum and Dad would do the same for us, they already have," Ron said looking down at the table.
"But we had to keep her safe and quiet," Aberforth continued. "We moved…"
"To Godric's Hollow," Hermione stated.
"Godric's Hollow, that's right. After everything my father had sacrificed for my sister, we put up a front that Ariana was ill and my mother looked after her. Only we left out that Mother was really trying to keep her calm and happy."
"That had to have been a terrible burden," Hermione sighed.
"Didn't seem to matter much at the time, I was always her favorite. Not Albus, he was always up in his bedroom if he was home, reading his books and counting his prizes, keeping up with his correspondence with 'the most notable magical names of the day.' He didn't want to be bothered with her. He couldn't afford to be bothered my his own little sister despite how much she needed him. At least she had one brother willing to be anywhere near her. She liked me best. I could get her to eat when she wouldn't do it for my mother, I could calm her down when she was in a fit of rage, and when she was quiet she liked to help me feed the goats."
"Your Patronus…" Leila began. "Is a goat. They must represent a significant part of your heart. Harry's represents Dad's, Tonks changed to represent Remus…"
"Yours represents Draco," Harry muttered.
Leila gave Harry a look and then looked to Draco, but he looked completely oblivious. Something about this didn't sit right with her. Leila looked away for a split second, her thoughts weighing heavily on her. Another piece of the puzzle being put in place: "Expecto Patronum!" "Lily." "After all this time?" "Always." When would these memories finally start making sense? Someone's Patronus matched her mother's; but who? And how did she know this? Why couldn't it all just fall into place? Leila began to breathe heavily when Draco placed his hand on hers. She looked into his icy eyes, which she could tell were worried about her; but she nodded her head.
"I'm sorry," Leila muttered.
Aberforth looked at her oddly before continued.
"Then when she was fourteen…I wasn't there you see," Aberforth said. "If I'd been there, I could've calmed her down. She had one of her rages and my mother wasn't so young as she once was. She already had spent so many years caring for her, caregivers burden they'd call it, she must have been physically and emotionally exhausted…but it was an accident. Ariana couldn't control it…and—and-and my mother was killed."
Hermione gasped and threw her hands over her mouth. Ron patted Hermione's back in comfort while Leila squeezed Draco's hand. Harry simply kept looking to Aberforth. Even though none of them spoke the words, they were all thinking the same thing. How long had it been since he had talked about this? Or had he even spoken about this before?
"Well that put an end to Albus's trip with Doge. They came home for the funeral and then parted ways: Doge off to explore the world while Albus claimed the right of head of the family. Ha! I told him I'd look after her. Told him I didn't care about school; but he told me I needed to finish my education and that he'd take over my mother's job. Bit of a step down don't you think? A brilliant genius as himself stuck caring for his uncontrollable sister. Probably resented her; but despite that, he did all right for the first few weeks…until he came. Grindelwald."
"So that part is true then?" Draco asked.
"Think he wasn't capable of something like that?" Aberforth scoffed.
"Someone once said that we have both Dark and Light in us," Leila said softly.
"My brother tell you that?" Aberforth scoffed.
"No, Sirius," Harry said, coming to his sister's defense.
"Well, my brother didn't see things that way back then. All he saw was power and intelligence. Something Grindelwald had an even playing field with Albus; someone just as bright and talented as he was. And once he showed up, Ariana took a backseat to their plans of a new Wizarding Order and those blasted Hallows and whatever the hell plans they had that were so much more interesting than a young girl's safety. She didn't matter when Albus was working for the greater good. After a few weeks of their lunacy, I couldn't take it anymore. It was just about time for me to go back to Hogwarts and I needed to be sure she'd be taken care of; so I had a talk both of them. I told Albus to give it up. He needed to look after Ariana and whatever great plans he had shouldn't come before her. He didn't like me calling him out like that. Neither did Grindelwald; called me a stupid little boy. Said I was standing in the way. Said that she wouldn't need to be in hiding with their brilliant plans: Leading Wizards out of hiding and teaching Muggles their proper place."
"No, that doesn't sound like our Dumbledore," Hermione said.
"Your Dumbledore?" Aberforth scoffed. "Your Dumbledore's best friend cast a Cruciatus Curse on me. Granted, Albus did try to stop him, but all three of us began to duel. But poor Ariana, the flashing lights and the bangs set her off. She just couldn't stand it…"
Aberforth's face lost all color and it looked like he was trying to blink back the tears.
"All she wanted to do was help; but she didn't know how. Didn't know what she was doing…and I don't know which one of us did it. Could've been any of us, we weren't paying any attention to her. All I remember was seeing her lying there…dead," Aberforth choked out.
Several tears rolled down Aberforth's cheeks but were lost in his scraggly beard. Both Hermione and Leila's faces were wet with tears. Draco was pinching the bridge of his nose while Ron looked pale as he rested his chin on his hands. Harry looked angry as he folded his arms across his chest. The girls apologized for Aberforth's loss. Leila couldn't imagine what she'd do if she lost Harry. Harry really meant everything to her, despite how stubborn and hot-headed he could be.
"Gone. She was gone forever in only a second,' Aberforth croaked.
The older man wiped his nose on his sleeve before he cleared his throat before he sat down on a chair at the end of the table.
"Course Grindelwald scampered off. He already had a history back in his own country and couldn't afford to be responsible for Ariana too. But Albus, he was freed. Freed from the burden of his sister, free to become the greatest wizard…" Aberforth began.
"He was never free," Harry said.
"I beg your pardon?" Aberforth said.
"Never," Harry furthered.
"Harry's right. The night your brother died, he drank a potion that drove him out of his mind. He started screaming and pleading with someone who wasn't there. 'Don't hurt them, please…hurt me instead.'" Leila said, coming to her brother's defense.
"He thought he was back there with you and Grindelwalk, I just know it," Harry said. "It was torture to him, if you'd seen him then, you wouldn't say he was free."
"How can you be sure Potter? How can you be sure that my brother wasn't more interested in the greater good than you? How can you be sure you aren't dispensable, just like my sister?" Aberforth argued.
"I trusted him," Harry responded.
"A boy's answer," Aberforth scoffed.
"I'm going to keep fighting even if you've given up!" Harry hissed.
"Who say's I've given up?" Aberforth furthered.
"'The Order is finished. You-Know-Who's won, it's over and anyone pretending different is kidding themselves," Leila repeated. "Or something like that."
"I don't say I like it, but it's the truth!" Aberforth continued.
"No, it isn't," Harry argued. "Your brother knew how to finish You-Know-Who and he passed the knowledge on to me…"
"Hem, hem," Leila said in her best Umbridge impression.
"Us, but I'm going to keep going until I succeed or die. You may think I'm blindly following, but I know how this might end. I've known for years," Harry finished.
Harry was breathing heavily by this point, waiting for Aberforth to argue with him; but the older man didn't. He merely scowled.
"We need to get into Hogwarts. We'll do it with or without your help," Harry added.
"But, if you can help us, well now would be a good time to mention so," Leila piped in.
Aberforth looked between Harry and Leila before he cleared his throat and stood on his feet. Once again, he walked over to the portrait of Ariana.
"You know what to do," Aberforth spoke.
Ariana smiled and nodded before she turned and walked away. This wasn't what people in portraits normally did, usually they just walked out of the sides of their frames. But she just kept going farther back in what appeared to be a long tunnel. She kept walking until she was no longer visible.
"Where have you sent her?" Leila asked.
"You'll see," Aberforth stated.
"You'll see? You'll see? Not cryptic at all, you really are related to him," Ron muttered.
"There's only one way in now," Aberforth said. "I'd wish you luck, but I don't think even that will be of any help."
Aberforth began to walk down the stairs when Hermione called after him.
"Thank you, Mr. Dumbledore!" Hermione called.
The old man didn't respond, but his footsteps did halt for a second before they continued.
"He sure knows how to boost one's confidence," Ron said sarcastically.
"I don't think he's really given up," Hermione said.
"Why's that Granger?" Draco questioned.
"He did save us, twice," Hermione said.
"Well, he did mention that he was tipped-off earlier," Leila said.
"Wonder who it was," Harry stated.
But no one responded to Harry because their eyes were all fixed on the portrait.
"She's coming back," Ron said.
"But who's that with her?" Draco asked.
Somebody much taller than a young Ariana was limping beside her, looking very excited. Leila's hands flew over her mouth when she realized who it was. His hair was much longer than the last time she had seen him. He also appeared to be covered head-to-toe in gashes and bruises, while his clothing was ripped and torn. The figures continued closer until the portrait swung forward, revealing an entrance to a real tunnel. And limping out of the tunnel was a grinning Neville Longbottom.
"Damn glad to see you lot. I just knew you'd come, I just knew it!" Neville shouted.
Author's Note: So here's another chapter for you…almost to Hogwarts! Almost! As an author I don't know that I'm even emotionally ready for these last chapters. It's insane to think that it's all coming to an end…at least Lost Along the Way. As far as what I'm going to write next, I'm gonna try and do some doubling up. The top two choices are only separated by 4 votes. So, I will try my best at a Post-Hogwarts fic…but, if all else fails, I have started a few chapters of a fourth year fic. If I get really ambitious, and get one of those done sooner than anticipated, I'll think about an AU Potter family alive, which was in third place. Thanks to all of you who have supported this story. I'll thank her again in the responses to reviewers, but The Wilde Rose really deserves my thanks for the sincere and sweet PM. Thanks!
I know this is probably stupid, but here's a request to you readers: what do you like best about Leila? Or WBAD/LATW? This isn't even to raise reviews…you can PM me if you'd like. On the note of reviews, we're getting close to 1000, something I never even imagined possible when I started WBAD! So thanks!
HermioneandMarcus: Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate that you take the time to respond to my stories. What do you like best about them?
TheEvilPinkCupcake: I'm so glad that you love my story! It really means a lot to me, and that you express that in your reviews. What do you love most about it? Also, in answer to the sequel question can be found above at the beginning of my author's note.
Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: Haha, thanks for the review! I really do appreciate that you take the time to review…even if it's only a word :P (That was a tongue sticky-out face to show that I'm joking with you. Sometimes sarcasm isn't very evident in typing.)
xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Yes, snippets of snape's memory. Do you remember why Leila would be seeing them? She also had a few more this chapter. Thanks again for your continued response. I'm so glad that you've stuck with Leila (and me) so long!
Nadi: Thanks for the review! I'm really glad to hear that you read my story! It really means a lot. What do you like the best about it?
Dream Lighting: Thanks for the review! What do you like best about Leila and Draco? Or even this fanfic in general?
Luli Cullen: Thanks for your review to my chapter and all the chapters you've reviewed. You've been pretty faithful to my story and I appreciate it.
xxxRena: I'm so glad you liked the chapter! What do you like best about Draco/Leila? And yes, I'm going to kill someone that wasn't killed in the canon storyline…but that's all I'm telling.
LeilaxDraco Fan: Thanks for the 2 reviews ;) Physically, I'm fine…but the insurance ruled my car a total loss so now I have the joy (sarcasm) of finding another car. I enjoy writing Dreila fluff :D What do you like best about them as a couple? As far as boys go…well, they can be cuter and more romantic, like Draco…but the question becomes are they really genuine? So far the ones I've found that are willing to do that end up being jerks in the long run…maybe I should be more like Leila and look for the jerk first and then change him. Haha. The final battle gives me shivers just thinking about finishing writing it. As far as your sequel information, it can be found in the first paragraph of this author's note. :) I'm so very glad that you love Leila so much (I'd assume so, since she's part of your name…haha)
TheWildeRose: I know I already responded to a lot in my PM…but your reviews, thanks for making them so genuine. I really do appreciate it. I also appreciate that you took the time to review all three chapters even though I was ahead of where you were reading. I know some people might find it annoying when people review past chapters, but I really like it. Im glad that you read my story…As far as Hogsmeade: it was answered above…but what about the rest of the students…we'll have to see. I think some of them may be more accepting than others. I'm glad that you see the sense in my timing to get Draco to where he is now. It was sooo hard for me to take my time. I really just wanted to make him a good guy right away, because I always just thought that given the opportunity, he would be good…but I knew if I wanted it to be realistic, I needed to make him evolve as a character. And in the long run, it worked for me because now I can write him the way I think he would act if he were better and it makes sense because I took those steps. I really tried to make Leila like a real character (she's kinda based on me…haha) So thanks again for your reviews and your PM. They really mean a lot!
Guest: I'm so glad that you love my story. What do you like most about Leila? Or what do you think makes her worthy of being canon? Thanks for the review!
Hollis Annalise: Well…Draco will have to die…someday…but when I'm not at liberty to disclose :P (Most likely not anytime soon though) Draco is getting cheeky! But I think it also shows how much he feels comfortable around that group. So thanks for your review! Here's another chapter!
AbominableSnowman23: I like the promise too! What do you like best about Dreila? Thanks for understanding why I took the time with this story! And thanks for the reviews! Also, good luck on your Remember the Titans story! Love it so far.
Maeve Epans: I'm glad that you have finally found them: to love. (Did you find the one-shots as well?) Also, what did you like best about them? It really felt like forever to get to a point where I was comfortable having them act like that with each other…but after everything they've been though, it was time that they start trusting each other. Thanks for the kind review, I hope you continue to do so!
Marlene: How about 6 days, is that okay? I just couldn't find the motivation to post last night. (it's so hard, with the clicking and all) I kid, I kid…but really, thanks for the review! The reaction from the Room of Requirement should be interesting. It's not a secret that he's with them…but the others are probably going to question if he's really on their side or not.
Nikki-W94: Thanks for the review! The final battle has been hard to wrap my head around so far…the feeling of the end. What do you like best about their relationships (I agree with you that they're sweet)
Also, I do have a twitter account where I've been putting spoilers. Cpjjgj cpjjgj23. Hope to see some more of you there!