Leo was the only Slytherin left at Hogwarts, and convincing her mother that she wanted to remain there over the holiday had been difficult. Narcissa had been resistant to Leo attending school outside Malfoy Manor in the first place, but she eventually folded when Leo insisted she was enjoying being at Hogwarts and wanted to experience it without having to worry about other people being around.
Besides, Quirrell would be there, too.
Although, it would have been nice to be able to sneak through Malfoy Manor to check on her family. Just to make sure they were alive despite what her dreams were telling her. As it was, the Slytherin dungeon was empty, and she was left gasping for air when she woke, without assurance that their blood was still in their bodies.
"Are you done?" Regulus asked.
She heaved a groan, ribs raw. "Is it early?"
"I don't think curfew is over just yet."
"So I'm stuck here."
"The dungeons aren't so bad."
"I wasn't talking about the dungeons." When he didn't respond, she rolled her head to the side to look at him. His expression was one of annoyance. She huffed and sat up, grabbing her pillow and throwing it at him. It sailed harmlessly through him and onto Pansy's bed. Leo picked up her wand and levitated the pillow back to herself. Hugging it to her chest, she stared absently at the lake pressing up against the dorm window. The waters were murky and green, and the glow of the algae sent rippling shadows across the floor.
"We should just leave," she muttered. "Dumbledore's here; he can deal with Quirrell and Tom and Salazar knows what else pops up. We should just leave."
Regulus gave a thoughtful noise instead of his usual dismissive scoff. "To where?"
She pondered that for a moment. The Manor often felt stifling, and her parents would surely ask too many questions. Grimmauld Place was a possibility, but Regulus had barely functioned the one time she'd been there. And— "Azkaban. We should break Sirius out," she decided.
He laughed.
"Stop. We should. That's where we can go." She laid back, staring up at her canopy. "Do you think the dementors are worse than the inferi?" He didn't answer, so she did it herself. "I don't think anything's worse."
"There is. He's out there. He's here."
She slid her stare over to him. "Yes," she murmured in agreement. "And I guess so are we." Because she had a purpose, right? What would she be without that?
Trelawney screamed when she saw her.
"Hello, Professor," Leo greeted, bewildered but unsure what else might be an appropriate response to a full-grown witch having that reaction upon meeting her. "I'm on my way to the Great Hall for breakfast. Are you staying for the holiday as well, then?"
Trelawney had the pastel gossamer fabric at her front bunched in one hand, which she'd pressed to her heaving chest. "Child," she crooned. "Oh, oh, child." She was backing steadily away as she said it. Her next breath came out as more of a whimper. "You're bringing it here. It's because of you. Pity. Such a pity. Oh, these halls are no place—"
"Sybil. I think that's quite enough."
Leo had never heard McGonagall sound irritated in quite that way before. She'd heard her annoyed, of course. Disappointed. Frustrated. But this was unique. When she turned to look at her, the professor was frowning at Trelawney so severely that her lips had nearly disappeared. Her gaze shifted to Leo, and the frown shifted to placidity. "Are you joining us in the Great Hall, Miss Malfoy?"
"I was planning to." Leo glanced sidelong at Trelawney, who was regarding her with a sort of horror. That, at least, was something she was used to. Though getting it from a professor she'd before only seen at the high table was a bit odd. "Am I supposed to be going somewhere else?"
"No, most certainly not. Do join us. Sybil?"
Trelawney shook her head. Still clutching gossamer, she stepped away and said, "No, Minerva. Certainly not. Not with the dark cloud brought over the—"
"Very well, then. Come along, Miss Malfoy." McGonagall motioned sharply to Leo and strode past her. Leo glanced one last time at Trelawney's wide-eyed, trembling form and followed.
The Great Hall felt far emptier than it normally was. Everyone remaining in the castle for the holiday was gathered around one single table, students and professors alike. She approached the only one there that she thought might appreciate it. Or, at the least, tolerate it. "Good morning, Percy."
"Miss Malfoy," he greeted politely, already shifting on the bench so there would be plenty of room for her without the possibility of knocking elbows. "Here for the holiday, then?"
She nodded and craned her neck to look at the book he was working out of. "O.W.l.s?"
"They're only months away, and preparation is key. I'll be spending as much of this time studying as I can, I think. And yourself? You'll have your own tests."
"I'll be fine with my tests." She cast a brief glance down the table one way and then the other before reaching out to fill up her plate. "I think I'll be looking into alchemy."
"You have talked about being good at potions," he mused. "I'll be studying in the library after breakfast; you're more than welcome to join me."
On Christmas day, Leo awoke to Regulus intently studying the gifts piled at the end of her bed. "Anything good?" she asked, reaching for her wand and bringing it with her to sit on the floor.
"You have something from our cousin. And the Weasley."
She reached for Percy's gift first. "Do you think he liked what I got him?" The gift was rectangular, wrapped in brown paper and tied with red twine. Regulus never answered, and she tore the paper to find that she'd gotten a well-used copy of Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes.
"That will come in handy," Regulus murmured.
"We don't have this one at home." She would know. She'd scowered the shelves at Malfoy Manor ever since she could put together the meaning behind Regulus's words. The only books she was sure they had that she'd never seen were the ones Lucius kept stored away under the drawing room. This was also the first time she'd ever received a gift outside her family.
Speaking of family . . . . Leo reached for Tonks's gift. It was bigger than the book had been. And heavier. It came with an envelope attached to the top, her name written in loopy handwriting. It was stiffer than she expected from an envelope that thin. The first thing she pulled out was a Christmas card. The front had a glittering illustration of a Christmas tree. When she opened it, that same loopy handwriting was written on the inside.
Happy Christmas! I added ours so you can know what we look like. It's been forever. Send back one of you!
The second thing in the envelope was a square photograph of three people: a man and two women. Only the women looked like people she'd met before, and even then just barely. The man was grinning, brown hair neat and healer robes crisp. One of the women looked an awful lot Narcissa if her mother had dark curls. The younger woman's hair was a vibrant pink, and she had an auror badger pinned to the collar of her robes. The white space below the still photograph had more of Tonks's handwriting: My family
The box held something that looked . . . somewhat similar to but not quite like any camera she'd seen before. It was smaller. Squarer. The box had a small booklet titled Polaroid.
After going through the other numerous gifts—including a dragonhide wand holster from Draco that was near identical to the one she'd sent him—she tried to figure out how to take a picture of herself with the camera Tonks had sent. She did manage to take several photos—including one of the spot where Regulus was floating that printed out as a picture of the empty space in front of the window—but wasn't able to get a proper picture of herself. So when she left for breakfast in the Great Hall, she took the camera with her.
"Good morning, Miss Malfoy," Percy greeted. He was wearing a comfortable sweater that made Leo wonder if it felt warm. A glance around showed her that his brothers and Harry were wearing similar sweaters. "And, well, happy Christmas," Percy continued, flustered. "Thank you for the gift. I— It was unnecessary, really. I appreciate it, truly, but—" The tips of his ears were red. "I suppose a typewriter will take some getting used to. Where were the enchantments done?"
"I had it sent from Amanuensis. Will it be good for you?"
"It certainly will be. As soon as I master how to put scrolls onto the . . . track? It will more than halve my essay-writing time, I'm sure."
She finally sat, glancing across the available breakfast but not letting go of the camera to reach for any of it. "I need a photograph," she said, eying the Yorkshire pudding. "Do you know how to take one?"
He didn't, but it was simple enough that she explained it to him and then passed him the camera.
"What is this for?" he asked, snapping of picture of her with Sir Nicholas in the background, studying one of the numerous giant trees Hagrid had dragged inside for Flitwick to decorate.
"My cousin. Thank you." She waited for him to put the camera on the table before picking it back up. "Are you planning on the library again for today?"
He looked bemused. "Not today. As . . . frustrating as they can be, I like to spend the holiday with my brothers. You're welcome to join us. I believe Ron is brining Harry along as well."
She glanced down the table at the others. She doubted she would be as welcome as he was implying.
Outside of meals, Leo had seen little of anyone but Percy throughout all of the holiday break. Given that she was the only Slytherin still at Hogwarts and that few other students had stayed, it wasn't shocking. But that Christmas afternoon, Percy took her outside to meet with his brothers. The similar sweaters they'd all been wearing at breakfast were now hidden under their coats, and they all had replaced their pointed hats with beanies. Percy's had ear flaps with braided strings, which he'd tied under his chin. He was pulling on knitted gloves as he led her outside. "What do you usually do during the Christmas holiday, Miss Malfoy?"
After opening gifts, Narcissa, Lucius, and Draco would spend most of the day together in the drawing room or out on the lawn or gardens, enjoying their new things. Leo tended to join them outside, since she would usually have received a new broom or other flying-related items. But other than that, she was often separate from everyone, digging through whatever books or practicing whatever magic Regulus had directed her to. One Christmas, she'd accidentally knocked the spellbook she was studying into the fire, which she'd sat too close to in hopes of finding out what the warmth felt like. It had been her first time using a flame-freezing charm—something she'd seen her parents using for years to protect her—but she'd managed the spell decently enough to save everything but the book's back cover.
"Flying, usually," she settled on. "I like to fly."
"I've noticed. Do you often— Oof!" His question was cut off by a hefty snowball to the face. That was followed by roaring cackles.
"You've been hit," Leo observed. She glanced to the side and found Percy's brothers and Harry grinning. Harry's expression flickered a bit when he saw her.
"George!" Percy sputtered, wiping his face clear.
"Not George!" one of them crowed.
"Fred!" Percy corrected, annoyance not damped in the slightest.
Leo looked between the twins. It felt a bit like a lie.
"We were about to get started," Ron said, bent over and packing snow together.
Percy huffed. "Alright. Are you ready, Miss Malfoy?" He stalked forward and stooped to gather his own snow.
"Ready?" she asked.
Percy lobbed a snowball that hit rather harmlessly against Ron's shoulder. "This is a snowball fight," he said to her. "My brothers are . . . ." He shook his head. "Best to arm yourself."
She watched as he joined the other four in a flurry of snowballs, although he kept his distance far more than they did and spent most of his time ducking behind objects and trees. She crouched down, digging her fingers into the snow. Percy—anxious to the point that he'd actually started trembling—had tried to convince her to put on gloves and a hat and a coat, and he'd only looked worse when she informed him that she had only one coat at Hogwarts, and it was for formal occasions. Besides, the snow didn't make her feel any colder than she always was. She packed the snow tightly together. She'd made snowballs before, of course, but there had never been anything with her brother that could actually be called a 'snowball fight.' Draco had never liked the cold, and she'd been seven when she'd learned sticking charms were helpful for keeping him from being a moving target.
"Why'd you bring her here?" Ron protested loudly.
Percy sniffed, lifting his chin. "Miss Malfoy is also at Hogwarts over the holiday. She is also my guest. It would be rude of you to exclude her."
Ron made a face, and Fred and George seemed to be gearing up to protest. She interrupted that by nailing Harry in the face with her snowball. He deserved it; she was sick and tired of Regulus talking about how important he was. "I don't have to play if you're that afraid of losing," she said, bending down to form another snowball.
"Did you hear that, George?" Fred asked with a gasp. "She thinks we're cowards!"
Her years on a broom—dodging bludgers a chasing snitches—had granted her a dexterity and agility that now let her her weave between their snowballs with ease. Percy was not so lucky.
By now, sneaking about the castle was just one of many skills that she'd picked up at Hogwarts, but it was probably the one she used the most. It was useful in situations like now, late at night—long past curfew—and in the library's restricted section, paging through tome after tome for even a sliver of information that she could use against the locket. She wasn't finding anything, but that just meant it was going to be like many other nights: disappointing and anything but noteworthy.
That was until she heard scuffling from several bookcases over.
Regulus dove into the shelves towards the sound, and she followed, creeping as silently as she could. Something was quietly moving around. Too quietly to be Peeves.
"It's Potter," Regulus said, sounding amused.
She peaked around the edge of a bookcase, and sure enough, Harry was right there, only his head and hands visible. A lantern sat at where she imagined his feet would be if she could see him, and he was hefting a large book. Before she could say a thing, he opened the book, and it released a bloodcurdling scream.
"Shut it!" she hissed, rushing forward even as he snapped the book shut and stumbled backwards. The screaming didn't stop, he knocked the lamp out, and what was seemingly an invisibility cloak shifted to expose more of his shoulders. Worse than that, she heard something in the hallway that was not than the scream from the book.
"Leo?" Harry asked, eyes wide.
Leo snatched up the book from where he'd dropped it and shoved it haphazardly onto a shelf. She grabbed at his cloak, dragging it across herself as well. It was huge—she'd never seen an invisibility cloak before in anything but illustrations, but this one seemed larger than she expected—and she just hoped that would be enough for at least the bare minimum of distance. Though if he ended up frostbitten and bloody in exchange for her not being caught due to his mistake, that was on him. In a whisper, she demanded, "Run."