Destiny Denied

The Reading Bean was a peculiar shop. Located in a small courtyard nook of the old downtown area, it was quite the university hang out. The 'who's who' among the intellectual crowd of the school could be found there on most afternoons, but especially Friday night and Saturday morning. It was a red brick building, though over the hundred or more years the building had stood, the color of the bricks had faded, and was no longer as bright. There was ivy crawling up the front wall, as the other three walls were connected to some other shop in the courtyard, making one large structure. It was two stories high, but also had a full basement, giving three levels of shopping space.

The basement was devoted entirely to children's literature, and there were play things down there as well. The reading area was decorated as a forest, and the children's chairs were all mushrooms or flowers or other plants found in a fairy's forest. There was a playhouse painted with the gray stones of a castle, and trees and dragons and other scenes from stories had been painted along the walls.

The top floor was dedicated entirely to non-fiction, reference and school books. Luckily, the school had put its own cashier on the top floor, specifically for when text books were purchased. There was also a large reading area, full of wooden tables and chairs for visiting students.

The coffee shop located within the store, was on the first level, as was the cashier and the only public exit. The cashier's platform overlooked the rest of the first floor, and from behind the counter every aisle of books was visible. Along the walls the sections were located; Mystery to the left of the entrance, and political drama south of that. Self help was located along the back wall. Between the two, there was a spacious lounging area, full of overstuffed furniture and bean bags. Quite a few university students, and other teenagers, would lounge around, drinking their coffee and socializing and reading books. To the right of the lounging area, was another row of bookcases. There was an aisle devoted to religious books, and the rest of the area to the right of the coffee shop was fiction.

Lenore Lector, Leo to her friends, had been working there for nearly two years; since she herself had started University. Currently, she was leaning up against the counter, her nose pressed into the last few pages of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. She had received the British editions for Christmas. She was wearing her Reading Bean green apron, and had her long hair messily braided into two plaits. Her small black, rectangular reading glasses were slipping off the end of her nose, but she turned the page and kept frantically reading.

The bell above the entrance jingled. Leo, however, paid no attention. Soon the section of counter that allowed employees to get to the coffee machines lifted and closed, as a tall, very thin girl entered. She had darker skin and black eyes. Her shoulder length black hair was pulled into a loose ponytail by a white scrunchie, and she too was wearing her khaki work polo shirt and green apron.

"Leo!" she said, sounding exasperated. "Where were you yesterday?"

"Huh?" Leo asked distractedly, not even looking up from her pages.

"Where were you? I dropped you off at your house after work, but your mother called me yesterday morning, said you never came home. I told her, of course, that you had stayed the night at my apartment, so you owe me one, but where did you go?" she asked, leaning against the counter.

Leo was still reading furiously. "Leo!" the girl shouted.

She jumped a bit, and looked up from the words. "Sorry, Tawna. Thanks," she said, and looked at the pages again. Tawna was a tall, lanky girl, and so thin that she looked almost awkward at her height. Her arms were long, almost a bit too elongated, especially since she was so expressive and animated in life. Most of her height came from her legs, which were greatly appreciated by the male population of the University (though she was completely oblivious.) She had a beautiful face and smile, though again, she seemed to not quite realize it.

"So what's the story? Did you sneak out to meet a boy or something?" she asked, sounding hopeful. Leo had never paid much attention to boys, and Tawna was always trying to steer her in that direction. Tawna grabbed a large porcelain mug and began to fill it with coffee, then stepped towards the espresso machine.

"Yeah, I met someone interesting," she said, still engrossed in her book.

"So what's his name?" Tawna asked, setting a mocha in front of Leo.

"Huh?" Leo answered after thinking a bit, trying to seem distracted so she would not have to answer her friend. She succeeded, and Tawna sighed heavily.

"What are you doing, anyway?" she asked, leaning over and resting her head on her shoulder to see where she was in the book.

"Cramming," Leo answered, smiling slightly to herself.

"Oh, another trivia thing?" Tawna asked, and stepped away, grabbing herself another mug and filling it with hot water.

Leo chuckled, "Yeah, a big one."

Tawna ripped open a tea bag and dropped it into her mug, then two sugar cubes from a nearby dish. "Well, since you mysteriously disappeared yesterday, and left me to cover your shift all alone on a Friday, you missed the goodness of my news. Oh lucky me," Tawna said with smile, leaning against the counter again. "My chem Professor told me that I was doing well, and next year I get to wear a lab coat for O Chem." She smiled broadly.

"Good. That's great news Tawna," Leo said, flipping the page. Tawna was a Bio Chemistry major. She had offered to let Leo be her roommate, as they had known each other since High School, but Leo couldn't bring herself to move out of her house, she loved it too much.

A pair of teenage girls approached the counter. "Uh..." said the first one, looking up at the menu.

"I'll have a house cup, Quad ristretto Grande, no-whip half-caf mocha," said the second. Tawna moved to get it, but Leo stopped her.

"I got it," she said, still not looking up from her book. She moved her hand over the counter, grabbing the second to largest mug and taking it towards the espresso machine.

"I'll have a Caramel Macchiato," said the first girl.

"To go or house cup?" Leo asked, tapping the espresso machine lightly.

"Uh..." the girl said again. She looked to her friend.

"House cup, and she'll want it iced, and Venti." The second girl added, putting her purse on the counter.

"You wanna grab the tab, Tawna?" Leo asked, still not looking away from the Potter pages. She moved the mug under the chocolate pump, then put it on the counter, and grabbed a tall, thin glass for the iced caramel.

"Did you see that guy in the metaphysical section?" the first girl asked the second.

"Yeah, the tall blond? What a hottie! Probably a little old for us though," the second replied. Leo however, looked up from her book with a start. The espresso machine faced the aisle of the religion section of the store, and there, standing and looking at the metaphysical books, was Draco Malfoy. She slammed down her book, and didn't bother to lift the counter to let herself out, but instead, jumped over it and jogged to him.

He was wearing a long black leather coat, with relatively normal looking Muggle clothes underneath. He was looking through a book called "Magick for the Modern Day Witch" but had snapped it shut and put it back on the shelf. It seemed he was aware of her presence, but did not say anything.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed quietly.

"Did you know none of the witchcraft books actually have anything to do with Magic?" he asked, his eyes roaming casually over the books, and onto Leo.

"Can't you get into trouble for this?" she asked, folding her arms to hide the shiver that went down her spine when she met his eyes.

"The Ministry has more important things on its hands. Besides, Granger wanted me to keep an eye on you," he said, turning and facing her now. "Are you ready yet?"

"No, as soon as I got home I had to go to work!" Leo was exasperated and excited and tired. The coffee didn't help.

"I can see that. Cute," he said, picking up one of her braids and tossing it over her shoulder. Leo ignored him.

"I haven't even had a chance to talk to them yet," Leo said. Malfoy's expression changed at this however, and he leaned in a bit towards her.

"We only have until noon," he said, raising his eyebrows a bit for emphasis.

"I know, and I still don't know how I'm going to explain this to our parents." Leo sighed and looked towards her feet.

"Both of your sisters have long hair like you?" Malfoy asked, looking at a point above Leo's shoulder.

"Yes," she said, looking back up at him.

"Here they come," he said, nodding his head in their direction. Leo turned around to see Cathy and Anna coming in the door, their eyes roaming around the store for her.

"Oh... crap!" Leo growled slightly under her breath, to Malfoy's great amusement, and walked towards them.

"Where have you been?" Anna asked, looking up at Leo.

"Where did you go after you got home? I thought you went up to your room..." Cathy said. Her speaking voice was quite a lot smaller than Anna's.

"Um..." Leo turned and looked over her shoulder at Malfoy. He smirked slightly at her, and she turned back towards her sisters, only to find that their eyes had traveled as well. "Listen, we have a lot to talk about. Where's Tawna?" Leo asked, beginning to look around.

"Right here, why?" she asked, giving Leo as start as she was standing right behind her.

"Jeez, Tawna! You - oh never mind, where's Jim?" Leo asked, placing a hand on Anna's small shoulder.

"I don't know. Why?" Tawna asked.

"Well, uh - I won a vacation." Leo lied. It was the first thing she could think of.

"What?" Cathy asked, seeming as though she didn't quite believe her.

"I've, uh, won a vacation to the set of Goblet of Fire, and we need to leave... uh, now." Leo said, glancing over her shoulder at Malfoy again, who continued to watch with an aloof smirk on his face.

"What? Leo - how much coffee have you had today?" Cathy asked.

"Not enough; trust me." Leo shook her head. "Listen, we need to leave before noon, and-" but she was interrupted.

"Leo, it's already 11:50!" Cathy said.

"I already took your shift yesterday, I don't know if Jim will give you anymore time off after you disappeared yesterday..." Tawna said, speaking at the same time as Cathy.

"Well, then, I quit," Leo said, pulling off her green apron. "I need you three to come with me."

"I don't know Leo, I start classes Monday-" Cathy reasoned.

"We can't leave right now, Leo! We're right in the middle of our shift, and my chem. classes started two weeks ago, I still owe that Latin paper to Professor Pulvis, I can't afford to miss school-" Tawna added.

"I'll go with you Leo," Anna interrupted. The other three stared at her. Leo's face broke into a smile.

"Thanks, LeeLee," Leo said, stroking her blonde hair and using her pet name. She turned around and looked at Malfoy. "You see the creepy looking guy over there?"

"Yes," Anna answered.

"Go talk to him. Tell him you're my littlest sister, and that I'm convincing the other two and quitting my job," Leo instructed.

"You want me to talk to the creepy guy alone?" she asked, sneering a bit and raising one eyebrow.

"Don't worry, he's not as creepy as he looks," Leo smirked, and glanced at Malfoy again. Anna sighed and started towards him.

"You're really going to quit?" Tawna sounded sad.

"Look, Tawna, I promise this is worth it. Please just come with me. Please?" Leo begged. She then began to rack her brain for another quick lie, "I promise to have you both back in time for classes Monday." Cathy and Tawna exchanged wary glances.

"We're leaving for England this afternoon, and you'll have us back by Monday?" Tawna asked suspiciously.

"How long are we staying, two hours?" Cathy asked.

Leo realized the stupidity of promising a Monday morning return when she intended to, in fact, not come back for a very long time. "Listen, I know it sounds crazy, but I've never needed anything else from either of you this much in my entire life," Leo stressed. "Please, this isn't a joke, I need the both of you. I can explain once we're there, I swear."

Tawna and Cathy looked at each other for a long, doubtful moment. Leo knew that they were both hardcore Ravenclaws at heart, and it was hard trying to talk either of them into doing something impulsive. Especially when they both knew she was out-of-her-mind crazy and lying through her teeth.

"All right," Cathy sighed, and Tawna rolled her eyes and nodded.

Leo squealed and jumped up and down, clapping. She wrapped her arms around her sister, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Go talk to Mr. Creepy while Tawna and I go beg for time off! And make sure you tell him you're excited to go to the movie set."

Tawna and Cathy exchanged looks again. "Oh you guys... it's all real... I can't wait 'til you can see it." Leo sighed happily, then grabbed Tawna's wrist and dragged her towards the stairs. She heard Cathy muttering something about 'Too much coffee.'

Leo made her way to the large staircase that led downstairs to the children's section. That was where she had worked before she began working in the coffee bar. She would have preferred, though, to still work in the children's section. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Leo cut through the lounging area, and then along the back wall towards a large blue door that had a sign that read 'Employees Only' in large white letters. She pushed it open, still holding Tawna firmly by the wrist, and entered her boss' office. He was a tall man, large around and relatively soft looking. His short brown hair was beginning to thin on the top, and his forehead was longer than it should have been. He didn't look up when the two girls entered.

"Jim, I'm quitting!" Leo announced, letting the office door close behind Tawna.

"No, you aren't," he replied, without ever looking up from his paperwork.

"Jim," Leo said with almost a whine, "I have to go to England today, and I won't be in for a while." Her tone had that of a spoiled child begging their father. Leo, however, had a large smile on her face, and pulled it off without sounding spoiled.

"How long?" he asked, turning to his next page.

"I'm not sure," Leo said. "Oh, and Tawna has to come with me." Tawna opened her mouth to protest the time, but Leo shushed her quickly.

"My best baristas?" he asked, sounding as though he wasn't going to let them have the time off, "I'd better call Marissa and Melody," he sighed. Leo squealed happily, releasing Tawna's hand to jump up and down. She bent over and kissed Jim on his bald head.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she squealed again. Leo was excited and her voice was slightly louder than normal.

"Thanks Jim," Tawna said, a hint of amusement in her voice. She shook her head slightly at Leo as they made their way out of the office. Instead of going back into the children's section, however, they turned further into the Employee only hallway, and entered a blue locker room.

Leo pulled open her locker after quickly turning the combination, and took from it a long, dark blue robe and a box that held three paperback books, but looked like it had room for one more. She pulled the robe around her shoulders, then tossed her green Reading Bean Apron inside.

"What is that?" Tawna asked, as she too removed her apron and closed her locker. Leo smiled to herself as she fastened the robe closed.

"Mr. Creepy gave it to me," Leo said.

"You didn't join a cult did you?" Tawna asked, halfway joking. Leo laughed.

"No, no, it's a lot better," she said, putting a hand in her pocket. However, she felt something small, and pulled it out. It was a small black leather book with silver writing engraved on the front.

"Didn't you say we had to leave before noon?" Tawna asked, looking at a point above Leo's head.

"Yeah, why?" Leo asked, much more subdued now, and put the book back into her pocket.

"Well, we have two minutes then," Tawna answered.

"What?" Leo nearly shouted. She turned around frantically, and quickly found the clock on the wall. She grabbed Tawna's wrist again, and started out the room at a run.

"Bye Jim," Leo said as the passed his office, and left the 'Employee Only' area. Leo leapt over one of the unoccupied mushroom seats in the reading area, and started up the stairs, taking two at a time.

Once they reached the main floor, Leo released Tawna, ran towards the coffee bar, and leaning over the counter, pulled a small white 'closed' sign from a shelf. She set it on the counter by the register, and scooped up her Philosopher's Stone book, tucking it in its place in the box set. She jogged over to the small group in the metaphysical aisle, who were all looking at her with an entertained sort of expression, though Malfoy seemed the most amused.

"Are we ready?" he asked, smirking at Leo slightly, and there was a twinkle in his eye.

"The creepy guy is British?" Anna asked, looking at him quizzically. Leo chuckled, and Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her, though he wore a small, amused smirk on the corner of his mouth.

Leo was breathing heavily. "We're ready," she said with a small smile.

"Good, grab hold," he said, taking a dirty red shoelace from his pocket and handing the other end to Leo. She took it eagerly into her hand, and held her box of books close to her chest. Cathy, Tawna and Annabelle looked at Leo strangely.

"Grab the shoelace!" Leo instructed, and Anna promptly put her hand on it. Cathy looked at her in a peculiar way, but shifted her messenger bag on her shoulder, and also grabbed the shoelace.

"Are you sure you didn't join a cult?" Tawna asked.

"Tawna!" Leo shouted playfully, as she was wearing a large, giddy smile.

"Fine," Tawna sighed. She put her hand between Anna and Cathy's, and looked around the group. "Is there any particular reason we're holding a piece of garbage in the religious section?"

Anna smiled suddenly, and looked at Leo, catching her eye, but just then, there was a familiar tug behind their navels, and the whirl of color started. Leo closed her eyes to fight the now familiar sensation of a Portkey. She felt herself break into a huge smile when her feet set down on the floor, and she felt the air temperature drop. She began to laugh.

Leo opened her eyes and looked at her sisters and friend. They were all looking around with stunned expressions, and Cathy and Tawna had both turned strange shades of green, and their mouths were hanging open slightly.

"Granger! We're here," Malfoy shouted, turning towards the hall.

"It's Weasley!" Leo heard Hermione shout from down the hall. They were back in the Drawing Room, and she couldn't help but look around again. It was just as she had pictured it when she read the books; snakehead doorknobs and all. Leo was surprised to find she had actually missed it in the few hours she had been away. She caught Malfoy's eyes again, and he was wearing a mischievous smirk.

"Isn't it great guys?" Leo asked, looking at Anna, Tawna and Cathy. Tawna and Cathy simply stared back unblinkingly.

"Oh, I'm so glad you made the first Portkey. Dinner's ready, and we can explain everything to you then," Hermione said when she entered the room.

"Great, I'm starved," Leo announced, patting her stomach. She hadn't eaten anything since the Onion Soup the night before.

"Me too," Anna said. She stepped towards the door, and she and Leo looked back at Tawna and Cathy. "What's their problem?" she asked with a smile. Leo just shrugged, and she and Anna continued out of the room. Anna slipped her hand into Leo's, a common habit of all three sisters, to hold hands, and continued down the hall with a wide eyed, giddy expression. She was looking at the portraits with excitement, though wasn't saying anything. She too, seemed to know where the stairs to the kitchen were, and Leo did not have to lead her.

"Cool, huh?" Leo asked on the stairs. Anna turned towards her with sparkling eyes and a large smile.

"Completely," she answered. "So this is where you disappeared to yesterday?"

"Yep!" Leo answered with a large smile. They entered the kitchen, only to smell the wonderful dinner that awaited them. A house elf, which Leo assumed to be Dobby, was placing a basket full of freshly baked bread on the table in the center of the room. There was a large, juicy looking roast, surrounded by roasted potatoes. There were dishes full steaming vegetables, corn and green beans and carrots. Along with the bread, there was what looked like some sort of dessert. The house elf, with a very long, cartoon like pointy nose, left the basket of bread on the table and went back into the kitchen area.

"Take a seat, girls," Bill said, motioning to two seats between him and Malfoy. Malfoy looked up at Leo, seemingly surprised by the fact that she chose to sit next to him. She turned and looked at him, catching the surprised look on his face. He very quickly looked away from her, but she simply smiled at him and gently nudged him with her elbow.

"This is so cool," Anna said with a large smile.

"So you would be Annabelle, the youngest?" Bill asked. Anna turned and smiled largely at him.

"How ya doing Bill?" she asked excitedly. He smiled softly.

"Very well. It's nice to meet you," he said with a slight chuckle, reaching for the serving dishes.

"I was thinking the same thing! Pass the carrots, please," Anna said.

Hermione came in just then, leading Tawna and Cathy. Cathy was still looking shocked, but Tawna had passed into what looked like nausea. Cathy quickly took her seat, but continued to look around the room, especially at the faces of the people sitting at the table. Tawna was still standing in the doorway.

Dobby came in again, and happened to almost run into her. Tawna had read each of the Harry Potter books, and had seen the movies a few times. Mostly, however, she just listened to Leo and Cathy talk about them. She was nowhere near the fan that the Lector sisters were. Tawna looked down at Dobby, his long, pencil shaped nose, and his large tennis ball eyes. Perhaps it was his long feet, or his long ears that did her in.

"Aaaah!" she screamed, flinching slightly and taking a startled step in the other direction.

"Aaaaaaaah!" Dobby screamed back, likewise taking a step away from her. They looked at each other for a moment, before Tawna took her seat next to Cathy, and Dobby placed the two pitchers of water on the table.

"Sorry, Dobby, she's never seen a house elf before," Leo explained, scooping vegetables onto her plate. Dobby and Tawna looked at each other again, and Dobby did some sort of strange bow.

"Better not let her see the Hippogriff in the attic," Ron mumbled.

"Buckbeak is still here?" Anna asked excitedly.

"You didn't tell me he was still here!" Leo added, looking around the table.

"Geez, I shouldn't have said anything..." Ron mumbled again, though Ginny was chuckling slightly.

"We can go see him after dinner if you'd like," she said.

"Speaking of which, this looks delicious, Dobby, I didn't know you could cook so well," Leo said, feeling particularly talkative.

"Thank you Mrs., Dobby learned at his first Master's house," he said, and he and Malfoy exchanged strange glances, before Dobby scurried out of the room. Ron exchanged a look with Harry.

"Did he just call Lenore 'Mrs.'?" he asked.

"I think he said Miss-es... just plural, for some reason..." Malfoy corrected. He was now wearing a very calculative look.

Everyone had put food on their plates, and they were almost all eating, except for Cathy. She was looking around the table with a sad, confused sort of look. Leo watched her eyes roam from Kingsley and Bill, over her sisters and onto Malfoy. Then across the table to Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Where is everyone?" she asked, though a hint of sadness in her voice suggested she could guess. Everyone around the table grew quiet, and most of them looked down at their plates. Leo, however, looked first to Harry, to make sure he was not about to say anything stupid, then to Hermione to explain.

"We'll discuss things later," Leo finally said. Cathy looked a bit confused, but nodded, and looked at her plate. Leo could tell she was thinking about many things.

"So, Bill, how'd it work out with Fleur Delacour?" Anna asked, cutting her meat into bite size pieces. Bill chuckled appreciatively.

"It worked. And then it went out," he said, smiling at her.

"Good, I never liked her much anyway," Anna said. Bill laughed this time, and Ginny, Ron and Hermione seemed amused too. Leo smiled broadly. She wouldn't mind spending a great deal of time with these people. It was just as good as she had always imagined it to be. She just wished the circumstances could have been a bit better.

"How old are you?" Bill asked.

"Twelve," Anna answered matter of factly.

"You act a lot older than twelve," Bill smiled.

"I get that a lot," Anna said.

It seemed that dinner was going to continue on normally, but there was a tremendous bang upstairs, that rattled even their drinking glasses. Immediately, the Order members were on their feet, and Leo was close behind. She followed them up the kitchen stairs as they ran.

"What was that?" Ginny asked, and she and Harry checked the Drawing Room quickly. Leo lost them however, as she was following Hermione. She seemed to know exactly where to go, and wordlessly, took the steps to the second floor two at a time. She was halfway down the hall, and Ron was right behind her. She flung open a door and screamed, turning away. Ron caught her, and held her close as she began to cry. Leo stopped where she was, but she could see enough of the blood-splattered room to know what had happened.

Bill and Malfoy had just come up the stairs, with Anna not far behind. "What's wrong?" she asked, coming dangerously close to the door.

"Nothing for you to see," Bill said, turning around immediately and grabbing her around the waist, picking her up and carrying her away. She was a normal size for someone two or three years younger than her, so she was frequently being picked up and carried around, even against her will.

Harry and Ginny were just making it up the stairway. "Was it-" Harry started to ask, seeing everyone gathered around. Bill nodded, and Harry began to swear. Leo was watching Ginny's face though. She approached with a sad, but distant look on her face. She drew out her wand, and slowly walked into Neville's bedroom. She silently shut the door.

Leo was staring blankly at the closed door, but looked away. She felt a hand on her shoulder, "You all right?" Malfoy asked. Leo nodded silently. She looked up to Hermione, who was crying violently into Ron's chest, then to Ron, who was staring at the floor with his jaw set and his brow furrowed slightly.

"Come on," Malfoy said quietly. He put his other hand on Leo's shoulder, and guided her back down to the kitchen. Tawna and Cathy had remained in the basement, and their plates had likewise remained untouched. They looked up at them with wide eyes, having no idea but fearing the worst anyway. Anna was sitting next to Bill, looking smaller than usual.

"What was that?" Kingsley asked.

"Longbottom," Malfoy said, seeming annoyed, but Leo somehow knew that it was his expression of grief. Leo sat down next to Cathy, and automatically reached for her hand.

"Have they always been like that?" Leo asked. "Ginny and Harry I mean."

"Like what?" Kingsley asked.

"Only since James died," Bill answered in a very subdued voice.

Leo was slightly confused, "But it's been so long, and they never really knew him-"

"Not Harry's father, James - their son." Bill looked at Leo, conveying more with his eyes than his words. Leo looked away, feeling foolish, and like an intruder. She stuck her free hand in her pocket, and felt the small black book. She suddenly remembered the picture of James and Lily Potter, and the small boy sitting on Sirius Black's knee.

"I think I need to throw up," Tawna said in a slightly choked voice.

"Me too. I'll take you," Leo said quickly, standing and leading Tawna out of the basement. They quickly made their way up the stairs, and Leo opened the toilet door for her. Leo leaned against the wall, resting her head, and closing her eyes. She heard footsteps on the stairs, but wasn't surprised to see Malfoy emerge from the stairwell.

"Sure you're all right?" he asked. Leo opened her eyes and looked at him very calculatingly. He confused her to no end. Why would he, of all the people in this world, care about a Muggle? She opened her mouth to answer him, or perhaps ask him a question, but whatever she was thinking was suddenly shoved out of her mind, by a high, shrill scream.

Malfoy reached for his wand quickly, just as Tawna came stumbling out of the bathroom. Leo and Malfoy caught her together to keep all three of them from falling. In the bathroom, standing at the sink was a silver ghost, with long, waist length hair and large round eyes.

"Hello Draco," the ghost said in a wistful voice.

"Hello Luna." Malfoy looked to be just as startled as the rest of them.

"Where's Neville?" she asked. Malfoy and Leo exchanged glances.

"He killed himself a few minutes ago, Luna," he said.

"Oh, that is most upsetting," she replied, sounding saddened, and floated past them and down the hall. There was a clatter on the stairway, and the basement had emptied.

"What's wrong?" Kingsley asked, his wand ready.

"Luna's a ghost," Leo answered.

"I didn't know Grimmauld Place had any ghosts," Cathy said.

"Finney Park, and it didn't," Bill answered, tucking his wand into his robe.

"Someone better go tell Hermione," Kingsley said, likewise putting his wand away.

"I'll go," Leo said.

"I'll go with you, I have some things to do," Malfoy said.

Leo looked to Anna, who was still standing next to Bill after they had emerged from the stairs. "Take care of Cathy and Tawna, okay LeeLee?" Anna nodded, and grabbed Tawna's hand, holding it tightly.

"Come on," Malfoy said, placing a hand on Leo's shoulder briefly and leading her away. They went up the stairs to the second story, and saw the light of an occasional spell shine underneath the door. Leo could hear two female voices, and from what she could hear of the conversation, assumed it was Ginny and Luna. Malfoy then led her up a staircase at the end of the hallway, and up to the third floor. He knocked briefly on a door in the middle of the hall, then entered. Ron and Hermione were sitting on their bed, and looked scandalized that Malfoy had entered without permission, though their looks softened when they saw that Leo was with him.

"Excuse me, Headmistress, I need to floo to the castle," he said, going towards the fireplace and scooping something into his hand from a clay jar. Leo was too preoccupied watching someone use floo powder to deliver her news.

"Hogwarts, the Potions Dungeon!" Malfoy said loudly and clearly, and the flames went a bright shade of green. In a flash and a swirl of the flames, he was gone. When Leo finally looked away from the fireplace, she found Ron and Hermione looking at her expectantly. It seemed that they had not interrupted anything but conversation, but Leo still felt suddenly out of place.

"Luna's here," she managed to say.

"What?" Hermione asked, sitting up a bit straighter.

"She's a ghost, and she's down in Neville's room with Ginny." Leo folded her hands behind her back out of awkwardness. Hermione got out of bed quickly. Leo hadn't noticed until she stood that she had changed into purple pajamas. She grabbed a bathrobe from a nearby chair and put it on.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked as she pulled her arms through the sleeves.

"I saw her myself," Leo answered.

"Your first ghost, how'd you like it?" Ron asked. Leo paused and looked at him in surprise. She had to stop and think for a moment, then her face spread into a slight smile.

"It was cool, all things considered," Leo answered. The fire erupted in noise again, and the flames were climbing high into the chimney flue. Malfoy's face suddenly appeared in the fire.

"You're back already?" Ron asked with what sounded like disappointment in his voice.

"You know I can't stay away from you, Weasley," Malfoy drawled. Leo smirked a bit. "How many do you think we'll need?"

"One for each Muggle, of course," Ron said.

"Obviously," Malfoy drawled again, this time with impatience.

"You might as well just bring enough for all of us then," Hermione said, and grabbed Leo's elbow. "Let's go."

There was a clinking of bottles, and Malfoy's hand had appeared, sticking a case that held ten potion vials through the fire and onto the bedroom floor. Leo looked over her shoulder at them, she had not yet seen a potion. However, she let Hermione lead her down the stairs and onto the second floor.

"Go ahead to bed, Lenore," she said. "We've expanded the room while you were gone, and with Kingsley's help we were able to procure another bed. I'm sorry, you'll have to share a bed with one of your sisters."

"That's more than fine, Hermione," Leo said. "I think we'd sleep on the floor, just to stay here." Leo smiled honestly at Hermione, catching her off guard. She blushed just a bit, and looked down slightly. She was quiet for a moment, and Leo knew exactly why. It must have been hard for Hermione to fathom that their terribly dark, wretched world would seem so attractive to outsiders. Leo hoped that Hermione might understand a little more than Ron or Malfoy, as she had come from a Muggle family. She knew the seduction of Magic.

"Malfoy will be in, in a moment, to give you a dreamless sleep potion. You've read about those, right?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, I know what they are," Leo said.

"Well, I think they would be best for tonight," Hermione sighed. They looked at each other for a moment, and wordlessly, Leo started towards the first floor. She was at the bottom of the stairs before she heard the bedroom door open.

Leo reached the first floor bedroom, and opened it slowly. She was slightly surprised to see Tawna and her sisters already waiting for her. "What's going on?" Cathy asked.

"Neville's..." Leo paused, and they all looked saddened. "He's killed himself. Luna was murdered yesterday, but she's here now as a ghost." Leo continued, "And Draco will be in to give us some sleeping potions."

"I'm not really tired, we've only been up for a few hours," Anna said. "But sleep sounds pretty good to me right now."

The bedroom door opened just then, and Malfoy stepped in, holding a sectioned wooden box, with eight of the vials left. He found Leo in the room immediately, and seemed to ignore the rest. "Potions for you four," he said, taking one delicately from the box and handing it to Leo.

"Here, Annabelle, you first," Leo said, motioning for her youngest sister.

"I'm sleeping with you," she said, pointing to the bed closest to the window.

"That's fine." Leo handed the potion to her. She slipped off her shoes quickly, and crawled onto the large bed.

"Oh, they took the couch out of here," Leo said, looking towards the corner of the enlarged room. She turned and met Malfoy's gaze.

"That's all right," he said, taking two more bottles from the case. "I'm sleeping in Mrs. Black's old room-"

"With Buckbeak? I mean, after what happened third year?" Anna asked. Malfoy looked at her, a little taken aback, seeming to forget for a moment that they all knew his past as if they had lived through it with him.

"No... I'll stay in my quarters at Hogwarts for tonight, but we've arranged for him to be taken back to Hogwarts at a later time," he explained, handing the final bottle to Leo. He looked at her intently. "Goodnight."

"Night," Leo answered back, forcing herself not to smile at him. He nodded, and the corners of his mouth pulled back into a slight smile. He let himself out of the room. Leo found herself sighing slightly, but did her best to quickly hide it from her sisters.

"That worked fast," Cathy said, motioning to Tawna, who had fallen back on the bed from her sitting position.

"Don't worry, she's skinny, we can move her," Leo said with a bit of a grin. After they had moved Tawna into a sleeping position, and Anna and Cathy had taken their potions, Leo removed her shoes and her blue robe. It had only been a few hours for them, but it had been a whole day for her. She sighed, and once she was in bed, swallowed her potion.

Surprising even to herself, Leo was the first to wake up the next morning. She looked to both sides, to see that Tawna and her sisters were still sleeping soundly. The small clock on the nightstand showed that nearly eleven hours had past, but without dreaming, it had felt like only moments.

After climbing out of bed, Leo put on her shoes to keep her feet warm, and pulled on her blue robe again. She made a mental note to ask for a clean one soon. As quietly as possible, so not to wake the three other sleeping tenants in her room, she closed the door and started into the hallway. She was walking slowly down the hall, and glanced up at the stairway, seeing a little boy scuttle across it. He had black hair and looked to be young, but most definitely out of the toddler stages.

Leo was so busy looking up the stairs at the little boy, that she hardly noticed she was about to walk into Draco Malfoy.

"Morning," he said briskly, snapping her attention to him. He had a bit of a mischievous grin on his face.

"Jeez! Good morning, Malfoy. You scared me," Leo said.

"I tend to do that," he said with a smirk. Leo laughed slightly and shook her head. She walked past him just a bit, turning into the bathroom.

"So who's the kid?" she asked. She looked at the toilet room's sink, and saw that there was a strangely shaped bottle with a strip of paper on it reading 'mouth potion' and a pump on top.

"What kid?" Malfoy asked, leaning in the doorway.

"Upstairs, had dark hair," Leo said, moving her hand towards the bottle. "This is like toothpaste, right?" she asked. He didn't look a bit confused at the Muggle terminology and nodded, pulling his wand out and conjuring a toothbrush for her.

"There aren't any children here, you better tell Granger what you saw." He was watching her very carefully while he spoke, and she had begun to brush her teeth. There was a long moment of silence, and Leo pretended to not notice Malfoy watching her attentively. She soon finished, and rinsed her mouth quickly.

"You don't think it's another ghost, do you?" Leo asked. "It looked a bit like James."

"It might be," was all he said.

Leo was thoughtful for a moment again, but then spoke, "Did you ever have any children, Malfoy?" she asked.

There was something between thoughtfulness and sadness in his eyes, but after a moment he answered her. "My second wife was expecting a son when she was murdered."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Leo said, and honestly felt it.

"No, it's all right now," he said, and the two of them started towards the basement for breakfast.

"If you don't mind me asking, she was Muggleborn, wasn't she?" Leo asked. Her curiosity for Malfoy seemed to intensify the more time she spent with him. He was nothing like the books had shown him to be, and the change in him was vividly apparent.

He smirked just a bit, "I guess you could say that."

When they entered the basement they saw that Kingsley was reading the Daily Prophet while he had his toast and tea. "Good morning, Minister. I didn't expect to see you here so early."

"Good morning, Professor Malfoy," was all he said in reply. He looked to be quite engrossed in his morning paper. The others began to file into the room for breakfast, all looking very groggy. Ron was the funniest in appearance though, his red hair was messy, and his eyes were half open. He yawned frequently, which only seemed to elongate his nose further.

Leo was among the first to finish, and decided to go to the Drawing Room, where she had left her books the night before. She was distracted however, by the Black Family Tapestry. She found herself standing in front of it, staring at it and taking in every detail. She had seen many fans online try to place the family on the tree, but they hadn't gotten it quite right. Narcissa Malfoy, for example, was actually Sirius' second cousin, making Draco Malfoy his third.

The tapestry was what looked like aged silver fabric. There had been green leaves embroidered on it, but their color too had faded. The bordering needlework was particularly breathtaking in detail. Leo's eyes followed the Celtic knot work, and she could only assume that the Black family was primarily Irish. Though she guessed there was a lot of French in them too, as the family motto was in that language.

She heard footsteps behind her, and turned around quickly, "Morning Hermione, I-" but she stopped dead, her mouth hanging open when she saw who was actually in the room with her.

He was a lot taller than she had imagined. His black hair was layered around his face but above his shoulders. It was a very flattering cut and Leo had seen it on many men half his age. He had aged gracefully, considering the life he had led, and Leo could see, even from across the room, a certain twinkle in his gray eyes. She stared at Sirius Black, not quite sure how or why he was in the room with her.

The door opened, and simultaneously Sirius vanished. "Hermione! Did you see him?" Leo asked frantically, making her way towards her.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Sirius! He was just in the room, there by the sofa." Leo pointed enthusiastically.

"Lenore..." Hermione seemed both confused and skeptical. "It's probably just a side effect of sleeping potion, being a Muggle," she trailed off.

"No! I saw James this morning, Ginny and Harry's son, but he was older than he was in the picture I've seen," Leo explained quickly.

"Listen, you've got to stop talking like this," Hermione instructed briskly. "If Harry hears you," but she said no more.

"Hermione, I know what I saw. They weren't ghosts like Luna. She was all silvery and kind of see through, Sirius and James were opaque, they looked like real people," Leo reasoned frantically.

"Well then where did they go?" Hermione asked, a tone in her voice that suggested she sounded disappointed in Leo. This hurt Leo, feeling somehow like she had let her down.

"I don't know," Leo admitted quietly, and decided to say no more on the subject.

Just then, the door to the Drawing Room opened again, and Anna stepped through. "I thought I'd find you two in here," she said, and Ginny and Cathy were not far behind. Their similarity in appearance was almost amusing.

"So why are we here, again?" Tawna asked as she entered the room. She seemed to be a lot more at ease, and closer to her old self.

"Oh, well, now would be a perfect time to explain everything to you," Hermione said. Anna and Cathy sat down on the couch, looking eagerly at Hermione. Ginny sat next to them, and so Tawna rested on the arm of the couch.

Hermione cleared her throat and looked at her attentive audience. Leo sat in one of the arm chairs, ready to hear as well, especially to shake the feeling of disappointment that she was feeling only a few moments ago. "Luna and I had been working on a theory, that perhaps something had gone wrong in our fate. We think that something happened a long time ago, that thwarted our destiny; that threw it off track."

"That's doesn't sound very fun," Anna said. Hermione looked at her, seeming to suppress a smirk. Just then, there was a strange gurgling sound, like that of water passing through a straw, and Luna's ghost drifted through the wall.

"Hello," she said almost dreamily, drifting next to Anna. Luna looked a little confused at the present, and looked to Leo, then Hermione. "Why are there so many Muggles?"

"Good question," Anna said, raising an eyebrow towards Leo.

"Oh," Leo blushed a bit, "Well, I needed your help."

"With what?" Cathy asked, sounding quite confused.

"Well, Hermione was asking me quite a few questions, and put on the spot like that, it was really very difficult for me to remember so much about the books. Especially since I hadn't read them since-" Leo cut herself off.

"Ya, I know," Anna said quickly, nodding her head. A look passed between Leo and Anna, and Hermione seemed quite baffled by it.

The door of the drawing room opened, and Harry, Ron and Malfoy stepped in. "We figured we might be missing something interesting," Ron explained. He and Harry stood behind the couch, while Malfoy crossed the room and stood next to Leo's chair.

"But how does that explain me?" Tawna asked suddenly. "Thought you'd just bring me along for the ride?" The corners of her mouth were threatening to spread into a grin, and Leo recognized in Tawna the same feelings she had had her first day in the wizarding world. The shock was beginning to wear off and the excitement was setting in.

"You're a chemist," Leo said. "It's very much like potions making, so I figured you could show Malfoy some of the simple Muggle sciences. That would take the Death Eaters by surprise." Hermione gave Leo a strange look, and Malfoy glanced at her as well. "You know, a little nitroglycerin or some solid potassium..." Leo grinned naughtily.

"Wow, that would be mean!" Tawna said, sounding a little surprised. Then a looked passed behind her eyes, "Oh wait, Death Eaters, right."

"We want to see if we can find something in our past that will help us rescue Professors McGonagall and Trelawney," Hermione said. "That's why we decided to invite Lenore here, so that-"

"Wait, Voldemort has McGonagall and Trelawney?" Anna asked.

Hermione looked to Leo, "You didn't explain?"

"I didn't really have time, Mione," Leo said, and realized only moments after that she had used Ron's nickname for her. She looked quickly to her sisters to prevent any awkwardness. "Trelawney goes by JK Rowling to us lowly Muggles."

"No way!" Anna said excitedly.

"She's a witch?" Tawna asked.

"That explains a lot," Cathy mumbled. She was a lot more quiet than usual, which was saying something.

"Anyway, so Hermione was picking my brain for information about the books, and it gets pretty hard after four hours of reciting facts. It's always easier in discussion, and I didn't have any reference-" Leo's heart suddenly dropped. Her stomach leapt into her chest, pushing her lungs away so that she caught her breath, "Oh no."

"What?" Four voices demanded.

"I only brought the first four books!" Leo said, and now her surprise was turning into a chasm of sorrow. She couldn't bear the idea of letting them all down.

Cathy tutted suddenly. It was the first 'Cathy' noise that she had made since she arrived. She pointed to her denim messenger bag on the couch. "There's a copy in there, it's American though."

"You carry a copy of the fifth book around with you?" Tawna asked in disbelief. Leo smirked, quite relieved. Had she not been just as hardcore geek about Potter, she would have to tease Cathy about it. But as it was, Leo had moments when she out-dorked Cathy in the Potter realm. Especially when it came down to the Marauders.

Ron picked up her bag, seeming to think for some reason that it would be lightweight. Leo and Anna would have known better. Cathy was always carrying books around, that's why she carried such a large bag as a purse.

"What all do you have in there?" Ron asked, handing it to her.

"Purse things... and a few books," Cathy said. She pulled out her worn copy of 'Order of the Phoenix', and handed it to Leo. The jacket was no longer on the book, and the silver of the cover had turned to a darkened gray. The corners were frayed, and the metallic embossing on the spine had nearly all worn off.

"Holy puffskien, how many times have you read that?" Ron asked.

Anna immediately burst into mad giggles, "Holy puffskien?" Ron narrowed her eyes at her in great 'Ron' fashion. Leo held the copy of 'Order' in her lap, holding it anxiously. She had not read the book in over a year.

"Good, now we have copies of all five of the published books. Malfoy, why don't you take Tawna to Hogwarts so she can show you some Muggle chemistry," Hermione began, but didn't get the chance to finish. At her words, there was great commotion from the three Lector sisters.

"What?" Cathy said, jumping into an attentive posture.

"No fair!" Anna complained simultaneously.

"I want to go to Hogwarts!" Leo added greedily.

The rest of the witches and wizards in the room all seemed startled by this, though Ginny suppressed a snigger. Malfoy too, was quickly wearing an amused smirk.

"I think," Hermione started after a moment, "that we can arrange for you all to eventually see Hogwarts. But for now..."

"How soon?" Anna asked. "You still haven't shown me Buckbeak!"

"We can take care of that later," Hermione said, desperately trying to hide a chuckle that seemed very familiar to Leo. "But we need to get the day started, we haven't the time to waste."

"Well, do you have Muggle chemicals at Hogwarts?" Tawna asked, turning towards Malfoy. He nodded.

"We have a few. What we don't have I'm sure we can acquire later today," he answered. "Shall we?" he motioned towards the door. The three Lector sisters looked on with jealous eyes.

"Let's get started girls," Hermione said. Leo and Anna sighed longingly and turned towards their books, while the rest excused themselves to various work and tasks.

They had all been working long into the evening, with Hermione and Luna pointing things out periodically, or elaborating events. Dobby had arrived just past six o'clock to announce that dinner was finished. Hermione looked at her wristwatch and hastily announced that she had business to attend to at Hogwarts. Dobby escorted the Lectors down to the basement, where Kingsley was sitting, looking over the Evening Prophet and a few scrolls with official looking seals. However, there was no one else in the basement yet. The food however, was spread across the table.

Anna sat down and eagerly started filling her plate. "Good evening, Minister," she said, putting a spoonful of potatoes onto her plate.

"You catch on quickly, sprite. Good evening to you too," he said with a smile before going back into his paper. Anna smiled back at him before helping herself to tomato slices. There were sounds of footsteps on the stairs, and soon three Weasleys appeared.

"Who wants to see Buckbeak?" Bill asked. Anna jumped to her feet, and continued to bounce up and down.

"Me! Me! Me!" she cried, a rare moment in which she showed her age.

"I thought Buckbeak was at Hogwarts," Leo observed. Bill chuckled while he watched Anna's exuberance.

"No, we're taking him just now," Ron said.

"Then let's go," Cathy said, and was the first to start back up the stairs. Anna slipped her hand into Leo's, and begun pulling her up the stairs. Bill led the way, all the way to the second floor, at the end of the hall. Bill motioned for them to be quiet by putting his finger to his lips. He opened the door slowly, and in the corner, by the window, stood Buckbeak.

Anna's grip tightened on Leo's hand, and Leo fumbled to catch her breath. He was the size of a normal horse, but his upper body was that of a bird. It was hard to wrap her mind around what she was actually seeing. He eyed the girls as they stepped slowly into the room, pawing the floor with his front left talons. He was a steely gray, and his feathers shined from the light from the window.

"Anna, would you like to go first?" Bill asked.

"What, you mean actually touch him?" she sounded both excited and fearful. Bill nodded and grinned. Anna smiled back, and dropped Leo's hand. Ron and Ginny were standing back with Leo and Cathy.

"Buckbeak," Bill addressed the creature. "This is Anna." Bill put his hands on Anna's shoulders and brought her closer.

"Now remember to keep eye contact," Bill said quietly.

"I know," Anna said quickly. At this, Leo blinked repeatedly to keep her eyes hydrated before it was her turn. Anna stepped forward, keeping her eyes on Buckbeak. She bent over into a deep bow, letting one of her knees bend, but keeping her head upright and looking into Buckbeak's yellow eyes. After only a moment, his knee bent, and he had bowed in return. Anna smiled and glanced over her shoulders at her sisters. She turned back towards Buckbeak, and reached out her hand, patting him lightly on the top of the head.

Bill turned towards Cathy and Leo, "Who's next? Lenore?"

"Go ahead, Cathy," Leo said, recognizing the excitement in her little sister's eyes. Cathy stepped forward, and Anna stepped to the side. Cathy went into a profound bow as well, and Buckbeak also responded positively. Soon both girls were stroking the feathers on the back of his head. Leo stepped forward cautiously, slightly fearful of the magnificent creature, simply because of his size and novelty. She met his eye, and just as she was about to bow to him, he stepped forward, and nuzzled the side of her face with his. The three Weasleys had all taken a step forward, but suddenly seemed bewildered at Buckbeak's actions. Leo was taken by surprise as well, but knew better that to make any sudden movements.

"I've never seen him do that before," Ron observed. Leo reached up to pet him, and suddenly had the strangest feeling of déjà vu, like she had been around the animal before.

"That is strange," Ginny said, a calculating tone to her voice.

"That's so cool, Leo, he likes you," Anna said, still petting him, but having moved to his back, just above his wings.

"Cool? Don't you mean weird?" Leo chuckled, and as she said this, Buckbeak, nestled her again. The girls stood around him, stroking his feathers for almost two full minutes, before Anna's stomach gave a loud growl.

"Was that you?" Bill asked Anna. She nodded with a large grin. "Well then," he said, and with a wave of his wand, conjured a bucket full of dead fish. Cathy pulled a face at the smell, and Buckbeak abandoned the girls' attention for his supper.

"What say you to dinner?" Bill asked with a smile, and turned towards the door. Anna smiled wickedly and ran and jumped on his back. He buckled slightly from surprise, because surely it was not from her weight. He laughed appropriately and shifted her weight on him, giving her a proper piggy back ride on the way down to the basement.

Cathy and Leo exchanged chuckles on their way back, though they both kept looking over their shoulder to see Buckbeak one more time. By the time they reached the basement, Kingsley, Tonks and Harry were enjoying a nice dinner. Dobby had prepared three roasted chickens, potatoes, tomato slices and a variety of other vegetables. He had also baked fresh bread.

"Dobby, you've outdone yourself," Leo said to him as he brought out pitchers of water.

He smiled at her, and once he had set the pitchers on the table, bowed deeply to her again, and thanked her before scampering back off to the kitchen.

"Tonks!" Anna cried, hopping off of Bill's back. Tonks turned and looked quite startled as she counted up the Lectors.

"The Muggles are multiplying around here," she said. Anna's smile faded away and she gave her a calculating expression. Harry and Kingsley chuckled at this.

"They seem to be useful enough," Harry said. "Did you find anything substantial today?" Leo suddenly felt uneasy. Harry Potter, THE Harry Potter had asked her if she had helped him, and deep in her heart she knew they were getting nowhere.

"We got a lot done today, but no big breaks," Cathy said, sitting herself next to Bill. Anna, though she was still periodically flashing furtive glares at Tonks, had filled her plate and was busy eating. Leo sighed and sat down next to Cathy, at the end of the bench. There was still room on the other side of Kingsley, but Hermione, Malfoy and Tawna were still out at Hogwarts. Leo began to fill her plate, while Tonks and Kingsley discussed Ministry affairs. There was a flash from the fire, and soon whooshing sounds filled the basement as Tawna and Malfoy appeared in the fire place. Tawna looked slightly green and very dizzy, but Malfoy had his arm securely around her from behind, and he held on to her until they were out of the fire place. Leo was slightly taken aback at how comfortable Malfoy was around the four of them. She would never have imagined him to be so indifferent to Muggles, let alone spend the day with one. Tawna reached for the table, and sat down quickly, placing her between Tonks and Harry. Tonks pulled a face and brushed some of the soot of her arm that Tawna had gotten on her.

"Get any work done?" Leo asked, as Malfoy made his way around the table, and sat down next to Leo.

"Tons," Tawna said. "We've got an order placed for some liquid nitrogen; it should be here in a few days." She looked warily at the food, but didn't begin to fill her plate. Leo reached over and brushed away some of the soot from Malfoy's back and shoulders. He gave her a peculiar look, and Leo turned back to her plate, feeling her cheeks turning pink. Anna was smiling at her broadly, and Leo tried not to look at either of them.

"What's that?" Tonks asked.

"A liquid form of a gas, you should know that, your dad was a Muggle, wasn't he?" Anna asked viciously.

"Annabelle," Cathy tutted, and Leo didn't know whether it was to scold her or correct her. Leo would have corrected her herself, but Tonks beat her to it.

"He was a Muggleborn, thankyouverymuch," Tonks said back testily. She eyed Anna up and down, before hastily finishing her meal in silence.

Leo ate quickly, still feeling quite embarrassed about trying to clean up Malfoy's robes. It didn't help that she could feel him periodically looking at her throughout her dinner. So she finished quickly, and went towards the drawing room. She was very much hoping to see Sirius again, but wouldn't mind have a few minutes alone to kick herself for humiliating herself in front of Malfoy. She began pacing back and forth in front of the Black tapestry. She had intended to observe it again, but had become too distracted with her bashfulness. Leo had never been very comfortable around boys; it seemed to be the one area in which she was shy. Her hands fumbled with her long hair, pulling it in front of her and running her fingers through it. As soon as she had the tiny tangles out, she would braid it. It was a nervous habit of hers.

She heard the door open and turned around, hoping to see Sirius again. However, it was Draco Malfoy. He had cleaned himself up somehow, and she figured it must have been with a charm of some sort. His silvery blonde hair was down and loose. It had been since Leo had first seen him in her bedroom a few nights ago, but she had been so affected by the Warner Brother's image of slimy, slick Draco Malfoy, that it took a bit of getting used to. Especially the part about how good looking he was. Pointy, yes, but still terribly attractive.

"Oh, stop smirking," she commanded, letting go of her hair. He raised an eyebrow playfully and smiled at her fully. He was quiet for a moment, looking her over. Leo was growing ever more uncomfortable with these bits of silence where he took her in with his eyes, and so blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"So did you use a Cleaning Charm or a Vanishing Charm to spiff up so quickly?" Leo asked. Malfoy began to come towards her, still smiling.

"Vanishing Charm," he answered simply, still observing her. At first it had been a heavy serving of creepy with a side dish of flattering, but the more he watched her, the more the creepiness faded. Leo was growing more and more uncomfortable in the situation, as she could feel something rather like sexual tension brewing between the two of them more than ever.

"Aren't you going to say something like, 'You're clever for a Muggle'?" Leo asked, just to break the silence. She felt like taking a step backwards, but forced herself not to.

"That's a little conceited, don't you think, Leo?" he asked, still grinning like a fool.

Leo huffed. "I am not conceited, I will have you know, Draco Malfoy," she said testily. He chuckled at this and came even closer. It puzzled her that he knew about her vanity button. She hated that people thought her arrogant or stuck-up, just because she was intelligent.

"Come now, don't you think I know you better than that?" he asked.

"Well, actually," Leo began matter-of-factly. He was smiling wickedly at her, and had reached out, putting a hand on her shoulder. Leo felt a strange tingling in her stomach at his touch, and she was very aware of the fact that it was infatuation. Something in the back of her mind told her that he knew it too.

"But, I'm a Muggle," she blurted out.

"Do you think I care?" he asked, looking her straight in the eye. His voice had dropped in pitch as well as volume. He put his other hand on her shoulder, and seemed to be leaning closer.

"Whoa, am I interrupting something?" Anna asked.

"No, just talking," Malfoy answered. "I'm sure you'd find it boring anyway." He turned away and greeted Bill and Cathy as they entered as well. Ginny and Tawna came in a few moments after that, and they all began idle chatter. Leo turned to study the tapestry, just to clear her head a bit, though she wasn't really doing any studying. Luna seemed to have joined discreetly, because Leo caught her silvery figure out of the corner of her eye.

"Hermione's back, she's eating now, but she mentioned wanting to jump right back into it," Ginny said.

"I'm game," Anna said, plopping down on the couch, right onto Bill's lap.

"Same here," Leo said, turning from the wall and sitting down on the middle cushion. The rest began to banter about jokingly, but Leo was caught up in thought. This time about the work that they had been doing with Hermione. Hermione and Luna had thought that they needed to review their past, to see if something had gone awry. If that thesis proved true, however, the only way to correct that would be to go back somehow, but that involved quite a bit of time-

"I'm back, let's get started," Hermione announced as she entered the drawing room. Bill picked Anna up with him as he stood, then set her back down on the couch. She giggled madly.

"That's my cue to leave then. Good night ladies," he said, looking pointedly at Malfoy. Malfoy drew his wand quickly and hexed him with the Tickling Charm. He managed to pull his own wand out and reverse it before Hermione got too crotchety. Anna laughed appropriately at this, and Leo and Cathy found themselves wearing large smiles. Malfoy sat himself down next to Leo, and she turned and looked at him, smiling broadly. She managed to inch just slightly closer. Hermione cleared her throat.

"All right, we very much need to get back to work before it gets too late," Hermione said testily, looking pointedly at Malfoy.

"Can't I stay to help?" Malfoy asked, draping an arm over the back of the couch, behind where Leo was sitting. She didn't seem to notice. Hermione, on the other hand, did.

"No, you're distracting my Muggle," she said, though by the look on her face, Leo could tell she was trying hard not to laugh. Malfoy and Leo exchanged smiles.

"I think she likes being distracted, Granger," Malfoy said, still smiling at her. Leo smiled back, more sheepishly than ever. She could feel her cheeks burning crimson, and looked away from Malfoy's gray eyes.

"Out!" Hermione said strictly, pointing at the door.

"Fine," he sighed, running a hand over Leo's hair quickly. "Goodnight girls, Night Leo," he said on his way out the door. They were all silent in awe, all except for Leo. She was still wearing a vague smile and looking towards the door. Her stomach felt as though it were home to a thousand caged butterflies, but at the same time, his smile and his touch felt all too familiar to her.

"I can't believe you like Malfoy," Cathy said disgustedly, watching the door carefully, making sure it was closed for a moment before she said anything.

"He doesn't seem all that bad, he might have changed," Anna reasoned.

"He was perfectly polite with me," Tawna added.

"I think Draco's a lot different than the books portrayed him," Leo said, feeling like she was defending the both of them. "His second wife must have done a lot for him. I think she was a Muggleborn."

"He married a Muggleborn?" Anna asked, just as surprised as Leo was when she found out.

"Malfoy's only been married once," Hermione said, looking quite confused.

"What?" Leo asked.

"He was married to Pansy Parkinson," Hermione answered, now giving Leo a calculating expression.

"Yeah, and how much time have you spent on a 'Leo' basis with Draco Malfoy anyway?" Cathy asked. It seemed the question had been plaguing her.

"What?" Leo gasped, looking at Cathy and feeling an explosion of information in her head. They were becoming quite frequent at Grimmauld Place/Finney Park.

"I said," she started.

"Oh my god!" Leo shouted, jumping to her feet. Her head felt as if it might burst, as another sudden realization hit her. The past few days had suddenly all made sense, everything she had wondered about, everything that seemed wrong or peculiar; she suddenly knew why, and felt quite dizzy.

"What?" they all four asked in unison.

"I know what's going on!"