As my mother closed the door behind her, I reached under my bed and pulled out my cauldron, already full of the foul looking potion. Not that it would have been odd to see me brewing this potion, or any potion at all, really. It's just that I have a whole room in the basement used specifically for storing and brewing potions, and it would make zero sense for me to have one here in my room where my things could get ruined should an accident occur.

I looked down on it as it bubbled and cackled. I scowled at it, loathing the potion I have been forced to brew since childhood.

I wrinkled my nose: Polyjuice Potion has never smelled good.

But with any luck, this would be the last time I would ever have to lay my eyes on it. For weeks, I had prepared for this day. I could only hope that it would be enough.

I measured the correct(or incorrect, depending on your view point) amount of boomslang skin, and added it to the potion, praying that after weeks of calculation and careful planning, it was not all going to come to an end here.

The bubbling ceased immediately. I breathed a sigh of relief. That was the final ingredient of the potion, and it was now ready. I rummaged in my pockets for a vial, and carefully dipped it into the potion with the steady hand of a potions maker. Filling it to the brim, I put the stopper on it and set it down beside me.

Now there was nothing to do but wait.

I tried to occupy myself by trying a new potion, but my attention was elsewhere and any lapse in concentration for potion-making could be disastrous. I tried a safer route, reading a book, but I have reread most of the books in my collection and no matter how brilliant a novel was it could not draw my attention from the matter at hand.

But then my eyes caught the wooden box sitting at the edge of my bookcase. It had been a week since she had last written, and I needed something to distract me….

I walked over and took the box from the shelf, familiar in my hand, and went to lie down on my bed. It was a magical box, for it didn't matter how many things you put in it, it would never get full. I opened it and randomly picked a letter from the box. I hastily unfolded it and began to read.

Leila,

I'm really beginning to get scared. I've been trying to focus on my studies, but to no avail. A Muggleborn named Colin Creevy has just been attacked, and I'm so afraid it's going to be me next. I don't know what to do for once!

Harry & Ron are fine, but a couple of days ago, right before Colin was attacked, Harry had a bit of an accident. It was nothing to do with You Know Who, but a Quidditch match. You see, someone fixed a Bludger to focus on Harry. Harry was flying fantastically until the very end, when the Bludger finally caught up with him and broke his arm. He still caught the Snitch, though! And then the wonderful Professor Lockhart tried to heal him, but a teeny, tiny, thing went wrong and he accidently removed the bones in his left arm. He's okay now though! I just thought you'd like to know.

Thanks so much for the tip about Polyjuice Potion, Leila. It's really complex, of course, but I should be able to brew it. Don't send any to Hogwarts: I don't want you to get in trouble. I told Harry & Ron that I got this out of a book, and they believed me easily. I really wish I could tell them, especially Harry, the truth, but I'll respect your parents' wishes.

Love from,

Hermione.

I closed my eyes, laid the paper down, and sighed. Of course, I had to pick the letter that would remind me of the task I must perform. Actually, I want to perform it. It's just that it could have so many unpleasant consequences.

Tired of reading letters, I threw it back into the box and slammed it shut. At that very moment, my door opened slightly and my father poked his head in.

"Hey, Lei." He said with a small smile. "Potion ready?"

"Yeah, of course." I leaped off of my bed, and grabbed the vial from under it. I walked back over to him. "Here you go." I said, handing it over.

"Great!" He said, patting me on the head (apparently, he hasn't realized that I'm 15 years old). Almost as if it were a reflex, I glanced down at my necklace, a simple silver chain with a large jade hanging from it. My mother said my father had gotten it for me, but I'm not sure if I believe that.

He wasn't finished. He was truly beaming now. "I can't believe I'm going to be a part of the Order again. Of course, there will be people I miss….the McKinnons...the Longbottoms…but Moony and Padfoot will be there! It'll be great to be with the old crowd again, taking a stand against Voldemort."

In my mind, I wondered how he could believe that something like Polyjuice Potion could fool Dumbledore, but I kept my silence. I couldn't say anything that would disrupt my carefully constructed plan.

"Thanks again for the potion, Leila. I've gotta go." And with that, he left, slamming the door behind him.

Now my nerves really started to set in. It wouldn't be long now until all hell broke loose. That potion would only last for 15 minutes, not an hour. It's good that my dad was going to the Order meeting instead of my mum, because he wouldn't be able to tell the subtle difference in the altered potion. It's also good that Order meetings are top secret, because I wouldn't want to put my dad in danger.

I shivered and ran my hand over my necklace as I digested that lie. Many of my troubles would go away if I could be away from my father….one of the reasons I was doing this. I ran my hand over the bruise on my neck and comforted myself with the fact that soon it will all be over, though it might take much strength to get to the place where I needed to be.

Distraction. I needed a distraction. I grabbed a random book off of my bookshelf and forced myself to begin reading. Eventually, it took my mind off of the matter at hand.

All too soon, my comfort was interrupted. My door flew open, showing my irate father standing there, with many people behind him, looking beyond him in shock, surprise, and curiosity.

He strode towards me fast, but deliberately. I had just enough time to stand up before his hand was on my neck, pinning me on the wall. I looked at him determinedly, not wanting to show any fear at all.

"Idiot girl!" He shouted. He was angrier than even I imagined possible. "How….how dare you expose our secret like this? You have no consideration for others, do you? Of course not, you're too selfish to think of anyone besides yourself and your little dream to go to Hogwarts! Why can't you be more like your brothers?" And with that, he slapped me across the face and threw me to the ground. Hard.

But before he could do anything else, the people I had saw earlier –and had expected—sprang into action. A tall, pale man, with black hair and dressed entirely in black rushed forward seized him in the exact way he had me, pointing his wand right in his face, breathing heavily. He looked even more furious than my father had been with me.

An old man with a long silver beard, purple robes, spectacles, and a crooked nose, walked towards me. This must be the famous Dumbledore. How anxious I had been to meet him! I tried to sit up, but found that my arms were too sore and covered with bruises to manage the effort. I collapsed again, more tired than ever.

Other people were rushing forward as well. I recognized my mother, of course, eyes brimming with tears. I also recognize a familiar bushy haired know-it-all. I was very surprised; I had not expected Hermione to be here at all. The two boys with her I did not know, but it wasn't too hard to guess who they were.

The dark haired boy was wearing a look of disgust, shock, bewilderment, and concern. I didn't know how anyone feels so many emotions at one time, but I suppose not very much is impossible for this boy. Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived. My twin brother.

I couldn't fathom what the red head was feeling; he very simply looked very pale. I knew enough from Hermione's letters, though she didn't say it outright, that she liked him. This must be Ron Weasley.

Three people remained standing at the back of the room, looking like they had no idea what to do with themselves. The older women (that I recognized from that fateful day at lake) and Hermione told me that her name was Professor McGonagall, and she taught Transfiguration at Hogwarts. She was clutching her heart and too looked very pale. She shot furious and astonished looks at my father every so often.

The man next to her looked more shocked than anyone else. He had long, unkempt, black hair and was pretty tall. I immediately recognized him from pictures my father had around the house. My brother's namesake, Sirius Black.

The last man appeared to be very tired, but had resoluteness about him that I had never seen before. It was a very calm kind of angry, not at all like the anger my father had let loose on me. He looked like he would be very kind, but seemed to be somewhat….troubled. I also recognized this man from my father's photographs. This had to be Remus Lupin.

Not more than 5 seconds had passed while I made my evaluations. By that time, Dumbledore, Mum, Hermione, Harry, and Ron had all came to kneel beside me. Hermione's face, like my mother's, was streaked with tears.

"Leila." It was Dumbledore who spoke first, and I felt a mild shock at his knowing my name. "Can you sit up?"

I couldn't a few seconds ago, and had no reason to believe that I would be able to now. I shook my head.

"Oh, Leila," said Hermione through her tears. I hated how much suffering I was causing her. "I can't believe he did that to you. How long has this been going on?"

She obviously inferred from the bruises covering my arms that this was not the first time something of this nature had occurred. And she was correct.

"A long time," I said through my pain. "I'm sorry, Mum—Hermione. I couldn't tell you, I swear I couldn't—"

My mum interrupted, an anguished look on her face. "And why on earth not? Oh, sweetie, I can't believe I never knew this went on, I'm such an idiot." The pain was evident in her every word.

I sighed, knowing hell was about to break loose. "He….he made me take the Unbreakable Vow. I didn't know…I was only five, you see. And I….healed my bruises with salve."

I looked at my mum pleadingly, watching as my mum's expression turned from devastating sadness to the most unimaginable anger before my eyes. But somehow, she was calm when she next spoke.

"Don't move," she said. Her voice was firm and crisp. Standing up, she walked to where the black-haired man had now magically bound my father, his wand still firmly pointing at father's neck. My mum glanced at the black-haired man.

"Severus, please back off for a moment. I would like to have a few choice words with my husband."

A/N: First of all, I would like to thank all of you who have read and reviewed this, especially you wonderful people at HPF. A special thanks to dumbledorelove (bookslug here) for offering to be my beta, though I forgot to send the second chapter to her. My apologies.

And if you haven't reviewed, please, please do. They mean so much to me, and motivate me to keep writing. Especially since I have an English speech due tomorrow that I haven't completed yet. *is a guilty procrastinator* Anyways, please review!

If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them, unless it reveals too much of the plot, of course. I think I'll answer many questions & raise some new ones in the next chapter, so please hang tight.

Again, thank you so much for reading! It means the world to me, I swear.