III - IN MY BLOOD
The storm had blown itself out by the following morning, though the ceiling in the Great Hall was still gloomy; heavy clouds of pewter gray swirled overhead as Leora examined her schedule at the Slytherin table while having her breakfast.
"It seems that we have care of magical creatures with the Gryffindor again, Daphne." Said Leora as she gave Daphne a playful smirk who looked excited.
"I can't wait to crush him." Said Daphne as her friends looked at her in disbelief and Draco grimaced.
There was a sudden rustling noise above them, and a hundred owls came soaring through the open windows carrying the morning mail. Draco Malfoy’s eagle
owl had landed on his shoulder, carrying what looked like his usual supply of sweets and cakes from home. "Mother gave you some." Said Draco as he gave some of the sweets to Leora who happily received it.
"Tell aunt Cissa, I love her very much!" Said Leora as her own Crow arrived, Gracefully Azriel landed on her shoulder and dropped some letters from Andromeda and Regulus.
Leora opened the letter from Andromeda first, the letter contains about The Tonks summer and how they miss Leora especially her cousin, Dora. Andromeda wished her well after the war as she also sent some sweets and cakes for her. The Black heiress smiles fondly as she folds the letter and starts to open Regulus' letter.
Dear, my little stars
Ma Fille Cherie, I hope you are safe and well at Hogwarts, I miss you already and start to think maybe I should just homeschool you at Grimmauld place but I know you love your friends so I just have to be patient until Christmas.
I probably could attend Hogwarts during the tournament as some honorary guest if I coax Lucius and people from the ministry — so I could see my beautiful daughter. And I know you are very much brilliant, the brightest star that may illuminate the whole universe with your grace, but darling daughter, I absolutely forbid you to join the tournament. I know you can trick Dumbledore and devised some clever spells but, NO!
That's dangerous, so please spare your old father's heart and mind by being a good little princess and behave.
Have fun at Hogwarts, enjoy the tournament, I love you and miss you, stay safe my little stars.
Your Father's
R.A.B
Leora smiled fondly at her Father's letter and immediately tucked the letter safely as she continued having her breakfast peacefully.
***
Hagrid was showing some creatures to the Gryffindors when The Slytherins finally arrived with Draco saying “And why would we want to raise them?”
Crabbe and Goyle were chuckling appreciatively at his words. Hagrid looked stumped at the question.
“I mean, what do they do?” asked Malfoy. “What is the point of them?”
Hagrid opened his mouth, apparently thinking hard; there was a few seconds’ pause, then he said roughly, “Tha’s next lesson, Malfoy. Yer jus’ feedin’ ’em today. Now, yeh’ll wan’ ter try ’em on a few diff’rent things — I’ve never had ’em before, not sure what they’ll go fer —got ant eggs an’ frog livers an’ a bit o’ grass snake — just try ’em out with a bit of each.”
“First pus and now this,” muttered Seamus.
“Ouch!” yelled Dean Thomas after about ten minutes. “It got me!" Hagrid hurried over to him, looking anxious.
“Its end exploded!” said Dean angrily, showing Hagrid a burn on his hand.
“Ah, yeah, that can happen when they blast off,” said Hagrid, nodding.
“Eurgh!” said Lavender Brown again. “Eurgh, Hagrid, what’s that pointy thing on it?”
“Ah, some of ’em have got stings,” said Hagrid enthusiastically (Lavender quickly withdrew her hand from the box). “I reckon they’re the males. . . . The females’ve got sorta sucker things on their bellies. . . . I think they might be ter suck blood.”
“Well, I can certainly see why we’re trying to keep them alive,” said Malfoy sarcastically. “Who wouldn’t want pets that can burn, sting, and bite all at once?”
“Just because they’re not very pretty, it doesn’t mean they’re not useful,” Hermione snapped. “Dragon blood’s amazingly magical, but you wouldn’t want a dragon for a pet, would you?”
Harry and Ron grinned at Hagrid, who gave them a furtive smile from behind his bushy beard.
"Hmm… I see, so that's your type, Potter? You like things that will burn, sting and bite you? And clearly not pretty, no wonder you drool over that Chang girl, she indeed looks like that." Commented Daphne as Harry looks surprised that someone notice his interest towards Cho Chang,
When Daphne sees a faint blush on his cheek that only fuels more of Daphne's anger.
"Shut up, Greengrass, you are not as pretty as you might always think you are. At least you will never be my type." Said Harry when he finally snapped.
Daphne gasps as Alois looks offended by Harry's comment, "Are you blind, Potter? Our Daphne is one of the prettiest girls in Hogwarts! Second to Leora of course."
"Second?!" Yell Daphne in disbelief,
"It doesn't matter, even though she is beautiful like a goddess with her hair that looks so silky shiny and her blue eyes sparkling prettily, clearly her heart is not as beautiful as she looks." Retorted Harry that caused Daphne to suddenly become quiet as she covered her mouth.
"That's too much, Potter!" Said Blaise angrily, thinking Harry hurt one of his friends.
"S-Sorry— Greengrass I didn't mean—" Harry was about to apologize but Suddenly stopped when he saw Daphne grinned.
"So you think I'm beautiful? Beautiful like a goddess with silky and shiny hair? You think my eyes are pretty, aren't you potter?" Asked Daphne as she smiles, and for a moment Harry lost in her smile.
… she is so beautiful.
But before Harry could retort, suddenly he heard someone scream.
"Leora!" Called Theodore worriedly as Leora started to scream and push him away.
"No! Don't touch me!" Said Leora, her eyes clouded by thick mist, and Theodore instantly knew she lost again either in the past or future.
"Leia please… it's me, it's Theodore. We are in Hogwarts."
Draco immediately rushed towards her cousin, "Leia!"
"It's a manticore! — Annabeth… it took Annabeth! — Luke… Why? Why? Why?!" After she said that, Leora fainted as Theodore immediately caught her and carried her to the hospital wings followed by the rest of her friends.
"What happened?" Asked Hermione worriedly, "Hagrid, do the creatures have some hallucination effect that can cause people like that?"
Of course the answer is no, the golden trio and Hagrid know how Leora is a seer that sometimes accidentally lost in the past and future, they found out about that in their second year. But Hagrid understand Hermione was trying to hide this fact by making as if Leora got sting by the Blast-Ended Skrewt.
"Yeah, they might, they might. So be more careful."
The rest of the students nodded in understanding thinking that Leora probably didn't wear her gloves properly.
***
Leora dreams about the past, that day when she meets Nico and Bianca for the first time, also the day she got kidnapped with Annabeth by the manticore.
Luke kidnapped Annabeth so she could bear the sky for him while he kidnapped Leora because Hecate wanted Leora as one of her new disciples as the past of the bargain if Kronos army wanted Hecate to be on their side instead of the Olympia.
Surprisingly, Hecate was kind to Leora. And Leora loves learning magic and mist with her, it's fascinating.
"You can create everything, Leora Black. You are talented in old language and the true language. Remember that."
And then Leora woke up in Hospital wings, seeing her cousin arguing with Madam Pomfrey.
"I know you are all worried about your friends, but she will be fine under my care and you all still have classes so leave my hospital right now." Scold madam pomfrey as she tried to extrude Draco and the rest from the Hospital.
"She is dying! my cousin is dying and you expect me to go to the class?!" Said Dravo dramatically.
"I'm not dying, cousin." Said Leora with a lazy smile, her friends immediately rushed towards her and surrounded her in a big circle.
"Leora! you gave me a heart attack!"
"Leia! Are you all right?"
"Leii! I thought… I thought…"
"Don't do that again, Black."
Soon Leora was bombarded by her friend's concern. But she, with the help from madam Pomfrey, manages to convince her friends that she is all right and sends them away to classes.
Near Dinner time, Leora was finally discharged from the Hospital and immediately walked towards the Great Hall. She was surprised to see people crowded on the entrance hall, and as she manage to see what the commotion are she let a loud annoyed sigh when she found it was her cousin again, fighting with the golden trio.
“And there’s a picture, Weasley!” said Malfoy, flipping the paper over and holding it up. “A picture of your parents outside their house — if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn’t she?” Ron was shaking with fury. Everyone was staring at him.
“Get stuffed, Malfoy,” said Harry. “C’mon, Ron. . . .”
“Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren’t you, Potter?” sneered Malfoy. “So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?”
“You know your mother, Malfoy?” said Harry — both he and Hermione had grabbed the back of Ron’s robes to stop him from launching himself at Malfoy — “that expression she’s got, like she’s
got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?”
Malfoy’s pale face went slightly pink.
“Don’t you dare insult my mother, Potter.”
“Keep your fat mouth shut, then,” said Harry, turning away.
BANG!
Several people screamed and a roar echoed through the entrance hall.
“OH NO YOU DON’T, LADDIE!”
Professor Moody was limping down the marble staircase. His wand was out and it was pointing right at a pure white ferret, which was shivering on the stone-flagged floor, exactly where Malfoy had been standing. There was a terrified silence in the entrance hall. Nobody but Moody was moving a muscle. Moody turned to look at Harry,
“Did he get you?” Moody growled. His voice was low and gravelly.
“No,” said Harry, “missed.”
“LEAVE IT!” Moody shouted.
“Leave — what?” Harry said, bewildered.
“Not you — him!” Moody growled, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Crabbe, who had just frozen, about to pick up the
white ferret. It seemed that Moody’s rolling eye was magical and could see out of the back of his head. Moody started to limp toward Crabbe, Goyle, and the ferret,
which gave a terrified squeak and took off, streaking toward the dungeons.
Leora immediately rushed and shielded her cousin along with Crabbe and Goyle as she glared dangerously towards Moody with her wand pointed out. The five Will of Wisp surround her protectively as she also casts protego around Draco.
"Don't you dare to touch him." She hissed at Moody, she looked like she was about to lunge and attack moody.
Moody was stunned for a moment before he laughed hollowly and his mad eye looked like it became wilder and wilder and he finally spoke in a raspy voice.
"You look so much like him, you are really your Father's Daughter aren't you?"
Leora frowned in confusion, she was about to say something but Mcgonagal showed up.
“Professor Moody!” Professor McGonagall was coming down the marble staircase
with her arms full of books.
“Hello, Professor McGonagall,” said Moody calmly.
“What — what are you doing?” said Professor McGonagall, her eyes landing on a white ferret in Leora arms, "Miss Black? What happened?"
Leora snarled and looked murderously at Professor Moody, "He turned my cousin into a ferret, Professor." Answered Leora.
“Cousin — Moody, is that a student?” shrieked Professor McGonagall, the books spilling out of her arms.
“Yep,” said Moody.
“No!” cried Professor McGonagall, pulling out her wand; a moment later, with a loud snapping noise,
Draco Malfoy fell from Leora embrace and had reappeared, lying in a heap on the floor with his sleek blond hair all over his now brilliantly pink face. He got to his
feet, wincing.
“Moody, we never use Transfiguration as a punishment!” said
Professor McGonagall weakly. “Surely Professor Dumbledore told
you that?”
“He might’ve mentioned it, yeah,” said Moody, scratching his chin unconcernedly, “but I thought a good sharp shock —”
“We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender’s Head of House!”
“I’ll do that, then,” said Moody, staring at Draco with great dislike.
Draco, whose pale eyes were still watering with pain and humiliation, when Moody was about to touch him, Leora immediately shoved Draco behind her back and snarled at Moody.
"Don't you dare touch him again!" Spat Leora as the Will o Wisp turned into a black fire, a big Crow landed on her shoulder and shrieked dangerously at Moody. "In the name of my Blood, I, Leora Pandora Black, will—"
"Leora stop!"
Draco, who realized that Leora was about to curse Moody with a blood curse, immediately stops her. Since Leora is the heiress of Black House she obtains the ability to use the Black Blood curse, Sauinor. In the warring era the Black ancestor devised the curse to kill their enemy by turning their blood into a dangerous black poison that soon caused the infamous Black Death in Europe for half centuries. Draco never saw Leora this angry before, she is always so kind and sweet, but right now there is a pitch black abyss in her starry eyes.
"Leora stop, please…." Said Draco as he begged her while holding her hand, and she finally stopped.
She waves her wand and the Will O Wisp dissipates. "Never touch my blood." Said Leora as she was still holding Draco's hand and dragged him towards the dungeons.
That day, half of the school saw the wrath of Leora Black for the very first time.