Chapter 18-Leo's Best Friend

I stare down the hallway after Albus and Leo as they scamper off and wonder how they can have such energy about them, day and night. I have energy only in the sun's highest hours. My power waxes and wanes with the strength of its rays. Its eye stares down at me and commands me to do its bidding. It is interesting because today more than usual I feel it.

I look down at the ground and notice some slightly damp robes lying there. I set myself on the ground beside them and notice they belong to a Slytherin boy, but female undergarments and seaweed are inside. How very curious. Knowing the nature of this school, I have to stop myself before my imagination runs too wild. I reason the house elves probably know who they belong to considering they wash everyone's clothing, so I tie everything into a ball of fabric and am about to get up when I see a bit of motion to my right.

"Oh, hello," I smile at a little bird hopping about my feet. "I don't have any breadcrumbs for you," I tell it. It hops onto my foot so I put a finger out and the little finch hesitates, poking my still appendage with her talon before stepping aboard. I lift her to my face and tilt my head back a bit to get a better view of her. "You are remarkably bold. I have to say, though, I am surprised over something else. Don't birds all migrate when it gets cold like today?"

"What are you doing?"

I look up at Leo who's for some reason returned.

"I made a new friend," I inform him.

"Another bird? Does this often happen to you?"

I realize he is right. First Lovey and now this finch. "It must be the pearl," I reason. "Though I don't much know why it would want me to befriend birds."

"Did you name it?" he asked, bending down before me.

"It might already have one," I say. "I'll ask. What's your name?" The bird hops a bit. I look back to Leo. "I shall make it a priority to discover what she is called and why she has been parted from her kinfolk."

"Maybe she's like Darius and Sloane. An outcast." I detect sarcasm. He is making fun of me. Not that I much care.

"Perhaps she is an outlier," I whisper to the wind, though I assume Leo is so as to assume I am talking to him. "That is what we shall call her until we learn her proper name."

"Outlier? That's not a name, though. Besides, isn't that a bit insulting?"

"Not a bit. We aren't calling her strange. We're calling her unique. There is a difference."

"Is there, though? Is there really?"

"Quiet, you. That pearl is making you cynical. And you," I look to Outlier. "Run along. I cannot have you on my finger all day." I dispense of her on the ground and pick up my things. "Now, I must find where the house elves are or else discover to whom these robes belong."

So I go back to my room and deposit my things on the bed before picking up Jeremy's robes and walking back to the Great Hall where by now Frieda is only sitting to make conversation.

"Frieda," I interrupt. "Where is Jeremy?"

"Jeremy who?"

"The Gryffindor sixth-year Quidditch player."

"The Gryffindors are still on the pitch. Have been all morning. You know they've got a game tomorrow against Ravenclaw. They'll be there half the day practicing, until the other team boots them off. Why?"

"I need to give Jeremy back his Quidditch robes."

She's been poking at the pattern on her plate for a while, but she stops and slowly looks up at me. "Wait…his robes? Why do you have those?"

"Because I needed to wear them."

"Wear them? Did he, like, give them to you to wear?"

"Well, I certainly didn't steal them."

"But why?" I don't quite fancy that smile she's wearing.

"Because he thought I looked cold. All I was wearing were my kickers." I walk away.

"WHAT?!" she shouts behind me, but I disregard her antics. She's always buzzing about one thing or another and this time she can't escape her crowd of followers to chase after me.

I walk out onto the grass and breathe in the fresh air. Somehow it feels different. The sun doesn't feel warm against my skin. It feels more like I'm dispensing its warmth than anything. As I walk, I almost feel a bit like the moon, reflecting all of that light about me for the world to see. For a moment I stop and let the breeze blow up through my robes and along through my hair so strands of it come flying out from the braids growing roses on my scalp. I stare across the green at the little figures swirling up through the air like little bubbles floating to the top of a glass. I am quite enthusiastic about the Quidditch game tomorrow, especially after reading heaps about the game's history in an article Leo wrote for his paper.

I smile at Outlier flying above my head. She's following me like Lovey does except Lovey usually only follows me at sundown and sunrise because she's nocturnal.

I walk down to the pitch and wait beside the stands, staring up at the magnificence of the men flying above in all of their glory. They whip this way and that in blurs of fiery red, tearing across their narrow range of sky to fight for each ball as a separate entity chases after the snitch. Jeremy I know is a chaser. I've seen him play since the start of last year. He does quite well for himself.

The Gryffindors come back to the ground so the leader can boss them about a bit, telling one if he's to feint, he's got to do it quicker, ordering the other to let the beater more room on his left. Then, he sends two up in the air to practice the moves he's asked of them for a bit. Someone whispers to the chief and points to me. I realize that standing in the shadows I must look rather sketchy, like a dementor with white glowing eyes, so I step out into the light.

"It's just a Hufflepuff," I hear the captain say.

Jeremy looks my way and does a double take, then taps the shoulder of his coach, whispers something, and runs over to me.

"Hey," he greets. "You brought them back." I stare at him for a moment. "What?" he asks, still a bit out of breath from his workout above. He smells sweaty, but I don't mind. I kind of like it.

"I just...didn't think you would recognize me, is all," I say.

Jeremy smiles and crosses his arms. "You think I would forget the girl who flew down from the roof in nothing but a slip?"

I shake my head. "No, I don't suppose you would."

He looks at me for a moment and then down at his Quidditch robes.

"Oh! You can have these back," I tell him, holding them out for him. He walks forward and takes them.

"Thanks," he says. And for a moment we say nothing. "Hey, have I seen you somewhere before?"

Every day of your life since birth? I think to myself. Our parents went to school together. We knew each other before we came to Hogwarts and we're in the same year. We've always had classes together. But I think that is a bit much, so I just stick to the monosyllabic, "Yes."

"In the lunch room?"

"We have a few classes together. I only know your name is Jeremy because you're on the Quidditch team and you draw for Leo's paper," I lie. "I'm Carina."

"Oh, yeah, I know," he responds. No he didn't. We both lie. "We've just never much talked."

"I understand," I say, saving him from an uncomfortable explanation of why he'd just asked if he'd ever seen me, yet knew who I was. "I hope you win." I wink.

"Win?"

"The Quidditch game tomorrow against Ravenclaw."

"Oh, yeah? You got friends in Gryffindor?"

"Leo's in Gryffindor."

"You're Leo's friend?" He stared at me incredulously.

"Why so surprised?"

"Because Leo…" I cock my head. "Ah…it's just…many people can get the wrong impression. He's a friendly guy, but he doesn't really consider everybody he talks to his friends."

Ah, I see. Jeremy doesn't think Leo and I are really friends. In truth, he may be right. I think we are friends because he is the only person save Frieda who I have ever spoken with in Hogwarts who has remembered me. Still, I get the strange impression Jeremy thinks lowly of me and it irks me. I don't know why. I've never been put off by what others think of me before, but I can't stand to think he has me wrong in his head.

"I know," I say nodding. "He's more closed off than he makes the appearance of. Many of his closest friends don't even know what they mean to him. Between you and me, I think you are his very best friend."

"Really. And…why do you say that?"

"Because he trusts you and confides in you and talks about you more than most."

"Oh."

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing, it's just…between you and me, I don't know if he's my best friend or not."

"Is there someone else?"

He shakes his head. "I guess not."

"Then let it be so. But in secret." I smile.

He knits his eyebrows and leans against the structural support of the stands. "That's a weird thing to keep a secret. Don't you think we should let Leo in on it?"

"He'll find out for himself. We've just got to wait a bit. He's still on his guard because of his mother."

His playful grin drops. "You know about Leo's mother?"

I nod my head as a breeze comes and pops the collar of my uniform up against my neck. "It's a sad thing, but I think she'll come back to him." And then I realize what I've said and I cover my mouth and look over to him. "Oh, please don't tell him I said that! I didn't mean to!"

He straightens his back and walks close to me. He leans in near to me in the shadows of the bleachers. "Why did you say that? You haven't told Leo that, have you? That's not funny."

"I didn't mean for it to be funny! It's the truth! And no, I wouldn't dare tell Leo! Things will work out in the end. Though I can't see past this day, I can feel further. Something strange surrounds it all. I know it."

He looks me over, fascinated for a moment. "Lorcan says the same thing about his mother."

"Did she leave too?"

"No. Maybe I shouldn't say, but she's ill. Degenerative spell, I suppose. Hit to the brain, making her mad. But Lorcan thinks she'll come back. Do me a favor and don't tell either of them we talked, okay?"

"You don't have to ask. I won't tell anyone. Though I did tell Frieda I was coming and your teammates are watching us."

He looks over his shoulder at his teammates impatiently waving to him to come back over.

"I didn't mean it that way. People can know—."

"I know what you meant," I say. "But all I did here was return your Quidditch robes and chat about the weather."

He looks my face over slowly, examining my black eyes like there's something inside them he's trying to find.

"What?" I ask. "Is there something on my face?"

"No, it's just…you really are Leo's friend, aren't you? He tells you things."

"I certainly hope I am, but it's hard to tell with him."

"I'm afraid I know exactly what you mean. Say…does he tell you anything he doesn't tell me; do you think?"

I shake my head. "I don't think so. We really just met a few weeks ago."

"You just met and Leo told you about his mother?"

"HEY, JEREMY!" a teammate shouted. "GET OVER HERE!"

"I'LL BE RIGHT THERE! CAN'T YOU SEE I'M BUSY?!"

He turns back, but suddenly his interest in me makes me realize. No one's that interested in me. I'm afraid he's trying to suck information from me. Like suddenly he's found some fount of information on Leo to get the latest news on his friend. He's no Slytherin, but anyone can be manipulative. Just look at the very girl I am. I use people for my own ends on a daily basis. Even if Jeremy's intentions are pure, just to know more about his friend, I don't want that to be the only reason he's talking to me.

"Well, it was a pleasure speaking with you, but I should be going. I'll let you practice," I say quickly.

"Don't worry about them. They can wait. We've been at it for hours."

"I don't like talking about Leo and Lorcan behind their backs," I tell him straight out. He looks surprised, like he wasn't thinking we were and I fear I've misjudged him, but I must continue to make my point clear. "I worry about Leo, but I won't tell you a thing I don't think he's already told you. It wouldn't be prudent or true."

"I didn't expect you to," he said, "but I'm sorry if it seemed that way."

I'm not expecting this quick apology. I'm rather taken aback and can't hide the pleased smile that forms on my face and all of a sudden we're both smiling and just then we start laughing for no reason at all and I don't know what's happening for everything started so very serious and now we just find ourselves silly.

"But I should go," I tell him. "I have other things I've to get done."

"Hey," he stops me as I turn to leave. "Gryffindors are having a party if we win. There'll probably be people from other houses there."

"How very smashing," I tell him. "I do hope you enjoy yourself."

"Ah...What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Hm..." I think. Leo is a Gryffindor. He will be at the gathering, so I can't much expect him to stay up with the dwarves and me in the darkness brainstorming. Besides, I need my sleep to get up at sunrise. "I'll probably run barefoot through the grass around Hogwarts with the foxes until I'm tired. Then, I was thinking of building a little home out of wood for the gnomes. They always try to bite me, so perhaps if I do something nice, we can resolve our differences."

Jeremy stares at me for a spell. "Oh," he says simply. "Well, if you're not too busy with that, you could come to the party."

"I could," I nod. I've never been to a Gryffindor party before. They always run so late and I like my sleep. Perhaps I shall ask Leo what they are like to see if I should go. I sigh. "Well, I shall have to weigh my options. I'll ask Leo if that's okay. Goodbye."

"Wait, why would you..."

I run off and Outlier takes off to fly in my wake.