The Exchange – From Friend to Foe

"Oh. Hi Leir." Haley quickly swiped at her cheeks.

"Haley, are you okay?" asked the Hufflepuff. "You don't look too good."

"It's nothing. Stupid really…"

"Come on. I know just the thing that will cheer you up." He held out a hand to the girl.

Seeing the offer of friendship, Haley gladly took the hand that helped her up. "So where are we off to?"

"Ah, ah. I don't want to spoil it," Leir playfully wagged his finger. "First, let's grab a bite to eat. You look like you could eat something."

As if her stomach had finally awoke from some sort of slumber, Haley suddenly felt very hungry. She followed Leir into the Great Hall where she took a seat at the Hufflepuff table.

For the next twenty minutes, Haley ate quietly to herself, trying to regain the energy she had lost from feeling so emotionally drained. A rather disgruntled Ernie MacMillan dropped into the seat across from her.

"Hello Ernie," Leir greeted.

"Oh. Hello." He glanced at Haley. "So here you are. Draco Malfoy's been tearing up and down the halls trying to find you. Knocked me over twice, he did."

"Oh…" was all she thought to say.

"In fact, I'm pretty sure he's on his way here. That is, after he checks the courtyard."

'Oh no… I don't want to see him though. Not now!' Haley slumped.

Leir sensed the distress in the girl. "Well, I'm full up. How about you?" He didn't wait for an answer. He grabbed Haley's wrist and led her out of the room. "Sorry about that," he said after releasing her. "It's just, for a moment there, it didn't look as if you wanted to be found."

"Well you were right," Haley frowned. "I don't really want to see him right now."

"I understand. Shall we go then?"

"All right."

Leir headed towards the entrance of the school. "So how about you tell me what's going on."

"It's stupid. Don't worry-"

Leir stopped and looked the girl in the eye. He placed a hand upon either shoulder. "Haley, if it's enough to make your eyes red and puffy then it's worth knowing, if only to help you vent."

She offered the boy a light smile. "Okay…"

"Okay." Leir continued to walk as Haley followed beside him.

"There's this boy… At first, we didn't really get along but now he's probably one of my best friends. And I thought we were getting along pretty well, but…"

"Go on."

Haley looked up at her surroundings. "Are we going outside?"

"Just to the greenhouse. So it'll be cold for a moment, but I'll help keep you warm."

"O…kay…"

Once outside, Leir quickly wrapped an arm around Haley's shoulders as they hurried towards the greenhouse. The cold air nipped at her tear-stained cheeks. But soon enough, the warmth that existed magically in the greenhouse surrounded them.

"Look." Leir pointed out. "Even in the dead of winter, things find a way to grow…" He smiled at the girl. "See? Even if things seem hopeless out there, nothing's impossible."

Haley stepped forward and looked at the strange plants in the room. Through the windows, the scenery was painted white with snow, but inside the greenhouse the plants were blossoming. The contrast was refreshing. She began strolling up and down the aisles, running her fingers lightly over the various leaves. He was right. This did seem to cheer her up a bit. Flowers in the winter seemed like a rare thing, but here they were with their radiant colors distinct against winter snow. And despite how awful she felt right now, she couldn't help but smile.

"Much better." Leir smiled. "That's exactly the response I was looking for."

Haley turned to smile at her friend. "Well, thank you. This is lovely. I can't believe I never came here before. I mean, these weren't here during our detention, right?"

"They were actually." He chuckled in seeing the surprise on the girl's face. "They were just sprouting then. But there're a lot of things people tend to overlook when it's right in front of them."

There was a sort of gleam in Leir's eyes that seemed to unsettle Haley's stomach. But she pushed the feeling away and continued to graze the plants.

"So… this boy," Leir carried on, taking a seat on one of the empty tables in the room. "I'm assuming it's Draco..." He looked to her response, but she was solemn. "Is he the one that hurt you?"

And suddenly, all the emotions that she had felt within the past forty minutes came crashing back. Tears sprang back into existence. Haley did her best to keep them back, but she felt so exhausted by all the emotions that drained her. "I did something stupid." Her voice shook. "I fell in love with him. And even more, I told him too." Haley shook her head. "I should have never…" she closed her eyes as more tears fell. "I feel so foolish…"

Leir immediately hopped off the table and walked over to his friend, wrapping his arms around the crying girl. Haley leaned into the comforting embrace, letting her tears shake her very core.

"I suppose I set myself up for disappointment," she said against his chest. "I don't know why, but I just felt so sure that he'd feel the same way about me the way I do for him. But as it turns out, it seems he can't even stand who I really am…"

"That's ridiculous." Leir frowned. He lifted Haley's chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. "If he can't see how great you are, then he doesn't even deserve you."

Leir reached up and cradled Haley's cheek in his hand. She froze at the touch. "Leir… what are you…?"

The boy leaned forward, bringing his face closer to hers.

This wasn't what she wanted. "No, Leir! What are you doing?" She tried pushing him away, but he still held on.

"Don't fight it, Haley. You and I have something special. Can't you feel it?"

"Leir, if you don't let go of me right now, I swear I'm jinx you so fast it'll make your head spin. Literally." She gave one last shove, forcing the boy to crash into one of the tables behind him.

At that moment, a handful of pages fell out from the back of Leir's coat. In seeing them, Haley quickly stooped down and picked them up. 'These are from Ethan's album! These are the pages that were torn out!' She looked back up at Leir. "What are you doing with these?"

"Oh don't worry about those-"

"You stole Ethan's album?"

"I didn't steal it okay? He's the one that left it out." Leir straightened himself out before continuing on. "I was there the night Colin Creevey spilled the beans about his crush on that Maxwell guy. Maxwell was so busy rejecting the poor fool that he never noticed I had seen it. After that, I just had to get my hands on it."

Haley's mind would have reeled at the idea of Colin Creevey being in love with Ethan. But she had other things she was worrying about. "So you broke into his cabinet and stole it?"

"I said I didn't steal it. I had every intention of returning it. I just happened to have dropped it before I got the chance to."

"Yeah, but you ripped some pages out before doing so. These pages!"

"I was admiring his work. I must admit, I was very drawn to his subject."

"So what is this exactly? You keep pictures of me in your coat? Don't you think that's a little strange?"

"It's no different than a person keeping a picture of a loved one in his wallet."

"But these are whole pages. Not just one, but several! Several that you stole!"

"So what? He has the negatives. He can reproduce them."

Haley shook her head and stood up. "That's not the point, Leir. These pictures don't belong to you."

The Hufflepuff snatched the pages out of Haley's hands. "They do now. And what does he need them for anyway? I'm the one you care for."

Her mind was spinning. "What?"

"Come on, Haley. I know you care for me. You saw me when no one else did. My own family ignores me, but you! You saw me. You care for me."

"As a friend!"

"Oh don't deny it! You cared enough to visit me in the hospital. You said you were worried about me. Concerned, in fact. And then all those times you conveniently bumped into me…" Leir moved closer to the girl. "You don't have to play with me anymore. I'm more than willing to submit myself to you."

"I don't want you to submit anything!"With every step he took forward, Haley quickly took one step back. "You've got it all wrong. Sure I was concerned, but if any of my friends get hurt, of course I'm concerned. And all those times I bumped into you were just coincidence! I never meant anything by them."

"Sure." He rolled his eyes. "And the next thing you're going to tell me is that the little stunt you did right there," he motioned behind him. "The whole hugging bit? That was just you wanting comfort, right?"

"Yes! I was- am genuinely upset! You gave me a hug and I accepted it!"

"It's one thing to accept it, Haley, but you were crying on my shoulder, clinging to me."

"I was not 'clinging'! I thought you were just trying to be a supportive friend, not a perverted stalker."

Haley turned to leave, but Leir immediately grabbed her wrist and yanked her back by his side. "You can't honestly expect me to believe that you're that naïve to what you were doing. You care for me. I know it."

"Let go of me." Haley said slowly through gritted teeth. "You've no idea who you're dealing with." She pulled her wrist away from him and took another step back. "Look. You've obviously got things mixed up. I don't like you like that, Leir."

"Liar!!"

Haley flinched at the sudden outburst and the power in his voice. His eyes, once soft and caring, were cold and wild. If she didn't know any better, she wouldn't have recognized her once cheerful friend.

"You do care, Haley," Leir reasoned. "You just haven't exactly realized it yet. You may think you're in love with Draco Malfoy, but you've yet to realize that the one you love is standing right in front of you."

This was getting annoying. "I'm leaving now." And with that, Haley abruptly turned and hurried back towards the exit.

"No! Wait!"

Again, Leir made a grab for Haley's wrist, but this time she was ready. As soon as she felt him lean in for the grab, she spun back around and with one hand punched him across cheek. She grabbed her wand with the other and pointed it directly at the ailing boy. "Leave me be!" she growled.

Leir immediately clutched the already swelling cheek. "You! You hit me!"

"And I'll do it again if you don't stop this nonsense."

"Haley, you're making a big mistake."

"Actually, the mistake was befriending you in the first place. Goodbye, Leir. Have a nice life."

"Mavillianous!"

Instantly, Haley felt her legs give way as every muscle in her body slackened. Her wand slipped out of her grasp as she fell forward towards the cold concrete below her. 'What? What's happening?' Haley's eyes were wide with panic. 'I can't move!' Her breathing sped up as her heart pounded in her fear.

"Haley… I'm sorry…" Leir crouched down beside the girl. "I didn't know what else to do. I only meant to use it as a precaution, but you left me no choice…"

'What's going on?!' Her mind was screaming for her to get up, but her body remained motionless. She felt Leir turn her so that she was facing the ceiling. He climbed on top of the girl, straddling her sides. 'No! Get off of me!!'

She saw him reach into his pocket. He pulled out a glass ball, similar to the one he had given her on Christmas. This one, however, was without smoke. "They're hardly ever used nowadays which was why I was so confident that you wouldn't know what it was. It's a neat little trinket my family has picked up. It's called an Immobility Orb. Fitting, don't you think?" With his free hand, he caressed Haley's cheek lovingly. The girl wanted nothing more than to rip that hand of and hit him with it. "Fill it with a type of paralysis perfume that your target breathes in and you can knock anyone down with a simple utterance of the key word. 'Mavillianous…' I guess you could say I used that particular word for sentimental reasons. My family's very keen on it, you see. My great-aunt Emiry Mavillian was famous for its use, but that's a whole other story."

Haley put the pieces together. 'That's the thing Pansy was talking about this morning! So that must mean Leir is apart of the Mavillian family and that the stupid orb was just a contraption he used to drug me! What's he going to do to me?!'

"My sister," Leir continued. "She came up with the potion. Older versions had an awful smell, but being as smart as she was Natasha easily reinvented it so the perfume was practically non-existent. I mean, you didn't notice it, did you?" He chuckled. "Of course you didn't. Look at the position we're in." Haley never thought she could hate someone as much as she hated Leir right now. Not only was he taking advantage of her but he was mocking her as well. "Me, I made the smoke dance. But my parents were too busy with everyone else to care. But it's significant, don't you think? It's rather hypnotizing in fact. But no. No one cared. When you're the youngest of seven, no one cares what you do."

Leir placed the ball back into his coat. He used that hand to prop himself up as he continued to gently graze Haley's cheek with his other hand. "But you cared. You came to me when I thought no one ever would. After all, I'd been kicked out of two others school before coming here. And then I was only let in because of how well my sister did here. No one gave me the time of day. And you came along. I'm grateful for you Haley. You mean a lot to me. And I mean a lot to you, too. You just haven't realized it yet. But I'll help you."

'Oh God, what is he going to do?!'

Leir moved his hands to the bottom of Haley's sweater. He lifted it just above her midriff. "You have very beautiful skin, Haley," he purred. With his fingers, he traced the light outlining of her abs. "You must be incredibly athletic. I could tell from your punch that you're strong. I never realized just how strong until now. But I can forgive you, Haley. Just like you're going to forgive me."

'I don't want this! Someone help me, please!"

"Now, now. Don't cry. I'll make this as painless for you as possible."

She didn't realize it until he had said it, but there were more tears running down her face. She was scared. She didn't want this.

Leir bent down and kissed Haley's neck. His hands traveled down and began to unbutton the girl's jeans. His kisses were getting forceful as he moved to lower her zipper.

'NO!! DON'T TOUCH ME! PLEASE!! SOMEONE HELP!!' Her mind was shrieking the words she wished to call out. She shut her eyes, trying to picture being anywhere but here. All she could see was Draco. 'Draco… I need you…'

"Impedimenta!"

Haley felt Leir's body go rigid before he collapsed on top of her. 'Get him off! Get him off!'

"Deletrius."

Haley gasped. She felt her muscles spring back to life as she shoved Leir off of her. He landed with a dull thump next to her. Haley scooted as far back from him as she could, fixing her clothes along the way. Placing her hand beside her, she felt her hand graze the wand that had rolled away from her.

"Haley?"

Startled, Haley snatched up her wand and whirled around to face the speaker. Her face, stained with fresh tears, held an expression of anger and warning as she held her wand up at the ready. Her mind was muddy. She just wanted to escape. It didn't even register in her mind that it was Draco who was standing before her.

"Haley, relax…" Draco quickly tucked his wand away and held up his hands to show her he meant no harm. His face showed nothing but concern for the girl.

"Dra… Draco…" Haley huffed, wand still pointing at him.

"Yeah, it's me." Slowly, he crouched down next to the girl.

Her breathing was labored. After a few moments of mentally assuring that it really was Draco, Haley broke down. "Oh God, Draco!" She lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his torso. She buried her face in his chest, letting her emotions flow and releasing the tears of fear and relief.

Draco instantly returned the embrace and cradled the girl in his arms.

"He- he tried to-" she stammered.

"Shhhh… it's okay… I'm here now…" Gently, he rocked her. She clung to him as if he were her lifeline. He stroked her hair softly, rubbing her back in comfort.

"Draco?"

Draco turned to see Blaise in the doorway with Ethan and Pansy close behind. "She's here."

"Did he-" Ethan started.

"No, thank God."

"Is she all right?" This time it was Pansy who spoke.

Draco didn't answer. He wasn't sure what to say.

Haley listened to the voices of her friends. At that moment, she was grateful for all of them. Her breathing slowed to a calmer pace as she let herself get lost in the comforting arms of Draco.

"Draco, get her out of here. Take her back to her room," Blaise instructed, finding the need to take charge. "Pansy, go find Snape or McGonagall. Someone. Tell them what happened. And Ethan and I will take care of that." He motioned towards the stiff form of Leir Valex.

"Come on, Haley. Let's go." Draco slowly stood, still hanging onto the girl. Haley let her arms drop to her sides, her wand still secure in her hand. She let Draco lead her back towards the school.

The students they passed all stared in curiosity. But Haley didn't care. After everything, she felt numb. Her tears were finally subsiding and her breathing finally slowed to a normal pace. She couldn't stand to look up. She stared at the ground and continued to let Draco guide her through the torrent of onlookers.

Quickly and without words, they made their way through the halls and through the Slytherin common room. Her door was still unlocked from when Draco entered earlier, but she was too weary to care or notice. He led her to her bed, but she froze, spotting something on the floor.

'The orb… that stupid bloody orb…' She walked up to it and picked it up. Again, she watched the smoke dance, but instead of feeling mesmerized, she grew angry. In a flurry of rage, and with all the strength she could muster, she threw the cursed object against the nearest wall, effectively shattering it to bits.

Draco slightly flinched at the outburst. But when Haley buried her face in her hands, he was right by her side again, pulling her into a hug. "Rest now Haley."

"I just want this day to end…"

"I know…" In one swift movement, Draco lifted Haley and placed her gently in her bed. She immediately rolled onto her side, curling up as tight as she could.

She felt the bed move. Draco climbed in next to her with her back to him. There was no way he was leaving her side now. He wrapped an arm around Haley's waist, pulling her in as close to him as he could. She closed her eyes and sighed, overwhelmed by his comfort and warmth. Despite what he had put her through earlier, she was still so grateful for him. He kept his promise. He protected her. He was there when she needed him. Knowing this, she held Draco's hand in hers. "Will you be here when I wake up?" she asked, quietly.

"Of course," he whispered back. "I'm not going anywhere."

"…Thank you…"

"… Rest now, Haley. I promise… things will be better when you wake up."

And with that, Haley let the last bit of energy she had escape her as she fell into a deep sleep.

--

Draco wasn't exactly sure how long he had stayed with Haley. A couple of times he heard a knock on the door, but he didn't dare move. He didn't want to. He was more concerned about the one in his arms.

She had moved in her sleep so that she was turned towards him. Draco took the opportunity to study the face that he had grown to love.

'If I didn't show up, he would have…' The thought alone of someone else touching his Harry made the blonde angry. 'I'll kill him… Once I get my chance, I will kill that son of a bitch…' He tightened his hold around Haley. 'I'm sorry Harry… I should've known. I should've recognized that stupid orb… And if it weren't for Maxwell's stupid 'badger' comment, I might not've made it to you on time… I'm so sorry… when you wake up, I'll make things better.'

Draco lightly kissed Haley's cheeks. He brushed aside the hair that fell over her forehead. There he spotted the famous scar. With his fingers, he traced the imperfection over and over as if to commit it to memory.

"I'll never let anyone hurt you like that again…" he whispered against her ear. Again, he kissed her, this time on her forehead. "I love you, Harry…"

Author's Notes/Disclaimer: I own naught Harry Potter and other related objects other than Ethan, Leir, and… well… this story. Muahahaha…

Don't worry. You'll find out what happened to Leir in the next one. Muahaha.

'Tis true! It's been five years since I started this. I actually wanted to try to finish this by the fifth year anniversary, but oh well. Here's a chapter instead. And I know it's almost two o'clock in the morning here, but I'm sure in some other place in the world, it is still June 23rd. Actually, I was just about to go to sleep, but the I decided to finish this chapter instead.

Anyway, please review! And thanks to all who have! Yay. Any questions you still may have will most likely be answered within the next remaining chapters. So… cheers!