VI - LEFKILOU
The last classes for today are potions that Leora will share again with the Gryffindor. She was walking beside Theodore and Pansy when she saw a commotion that happened in front of the door to the potions class.
Turned out it was Harry and Draco again, fighting.
“Like them, Potter?” said Malfoy loudly as Harry approached. “And this isn’t all they do — look!”
He pressed his badge into his chest, and the message upon it vanished, to be replaced by another one, which glowed green: The Slytherins howled with laughter. Each of them pressed their badges too, until the message POTTER STINKS was shining brightly all around Harry.
“Oh very funny,” Hermione said sarcastically to Malfoy and his goons, who were laughing harder than anyone, “really witty.”
“Ugh… did… did my cousin just make a badge dedicated to insulting Harry? Daphne, Draco beat you in that.” Said Leora and Daphne indeed were glaring viciously at Draco.
Daphne stomped towards Draco as he stood in front of Harry and said, “Leave him alone, Malfoy.”
Harry was surprised by Daphne who unexpectedly stood up for him. “He was mine to insult, not yours. Only I can insult him!” Declared Daphne
Alois looks ecstatic as he immediately starts whispering something to Blaise while Lorenzo rolls his eyes, clearly not a fan of a drama and just shoves away people who linger near the door as he enters the class.
“Wanna bet who will win?” Asked Leora to Theodore who instantly smirked handsomely, “Sure, my bet is on Draco, he won't go easy just because it's Daphne.”
“Oh Teddy, you know nothing don't you? Daphne is really vicious when it comes to Harry.”
“Piss off, Greengrass. It's not the time for you to announce to the world that you are such a blood-traitor emphasizer.”
Daphne snarled as she took off her wand, “Watch your mouth, Malfoy. I might jinx you and hurt you, this is the last warning to leave him alone. I don't want to hurt Leora's cousin.”
Draco scoffed and took out his wand too, “Wanna have a go with me, Greengrass?”
Both Daphne and Draco glaring at each other with the wands out. There's so much tension between them. Anger, Resentment, but mostly…
Jealousy.
Leora instantly knows, because he accidentally saw a little glimpse of the future, that if she does not stop this tension, Draco and Daphne will end up hurt each other very badly.
it's going to be bloody.
“Sorry, Theo. It seems there will be no bet.” Said Leora as she let out a tired sigh, and immediately bonked Daphne and Draco head together until their forehead hit each other.
“Fucking hell Leia!”
“Ouch! Leora?!”
Leora smiles coldy at both of them that immediately makes them freeze. “I know you both are rather smitten with Harry, but I won't forgive you both if you end up hurting each other badly.” She looks at them straight in the eyes as she uses her charmspeak, “Move. now.”
Daphne and Draco immediately part away and make a way for Leora to enter the class.
Soon after, the rest also entered the class.
Not long after that, Snape finally comes and starts the class. On the hallway through the potions class suddenly there was an interruption from Colin Creeveys who informed Snape that both Harry and Leora were needed for wands weighting and some photoshoot with the daily prophet.
***
Harry and Leora walk together, they have some casual conversation and Harry also thanks her for stopping Draco and Daphne before.
Eventually they arrived in a fairly small classroom; most of the desks had been pushed away to the back of the room, leaving a large space in the middle; three of them, however, had been placed end-to-end in front of the blackboard and covered with a long length of velvet.
Five chairs had been set behind the velvet-covered desks, and Ludo Bagman was sitting in one of them, talking to a witch who was wearing magenta robes.
Viktor Krum was standing moodily in a corner as usual and not talking to anybody, While Mattheo was talking with Sebastian not far away from Victor.
Cedric and Fleur were in conversation. Fleur looked a good deal happier, she kept
throwing back her head so that her long silvery hair caught the light. A paunchy man, holding a large black camera that was smoking slightly, was watching Fleur out of the corner of his eye.
When they arrived, all eyes were immediately on them.
“Ah, here they are! The Hogwarts Champion! The boy who lived and the Black Heiress, In you come, in you come . . . nothing to worry about, it’s just the wand weighing ceremony, the rest of the judges will be here in a moment —”
“Wand weighing?” Harry repeated nervously.
“They are going to check if our wands are fully functional or not, don't worry.” Explained Leora
“The expert’s upstairs now with Dumbledore. And then there’s going to be a little photo shoot. This is Rita Skeeter,” Continue Bagman, gesturing toward the witch in magenta robes. “She’s doing a small piece on the tournament for the Daily
Prophet. . . .”
“Maybe not that small, Ludo,” said Rita Skeeter, her eyes on Harry and Leora but mostly on Harry.
Her hair was set in elaborate and curiously rigid curls that contrasted oddly with her heavy-jawed face. She wore jeweled spectacles. The thick fingers clutching her crocodile-skin handbag ended in two-inch nails, painted crimson.
Leora is already familiar with Rita since she always wants to interview her father on where he has been missing this whole time and also write some article about him for witch weekly. To be honest, the woman is a menace.
“I wonder if I could have a little word with Harry or Leora before we start?” she said to Bagman, but still gazing fixedly at Harry.
“That sounds lovely, Miss skeeter but I have to refuse, and you may have already know since I became the Black family Heiress. I am immune to the press and have a certain right to refuse interviews. I hope you won't mind it.” Said Leora, she was glad her house protected her from this kind of thing.
A certain noble house has a right to refuse press due to protection of their good name and reputation.
“That's a shame, but I understood Lady Black, may one day I have the opportunity to interview you when you feel like it. As for the little youngman here, certainly interviewing you wouldn't have such an issue?” Said Rita.
“Certainly!” cried Bagman. “That is — if Harry has no objection?”
“Er —” said Harry.
“Lovely,” said Rita Skeeter, and in a second, her scarlet-taloned fingers had Harry’s upper arm in a surprisingly strong grip, and she was steering him out of the room again and opening a nearby
door.
“We don’t want to be in there with all that noise,” she said. “Let’s see . . . ah, yes,
this is nice and cozy.”
It was a broom cupboard. Leora grimaced seeing Rita dragged Harry there.
***
While Leora anxiously waited for Harry to get out from Rita's grasp, Mattheo attempted to make some conversation with her. They did talk for awhile until Dumbledore gallantly save Harry from that wretched woman and the weighing wand ceremony finally begun.
“May I introduce Mr. Ollivander?” said Dumbledore, taking his place at the judges' table and talking to the champions. “He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the tournament.”
One by one the champions had their wand checked, Leora was having the third turn, when her time came she nervously gave her wand to be checked by Mr.Olivander. Her wand is not wizard-made, it's actually given by her mother and made directly from Olympus.
“Hmm… it's not one of mine, I always curious about Miss Black, where do you get such a fine wand like this?” Said Mr.Olivander curiously.
“It's a family heirloom from my mother's side, Mr.Olivander. So I'm afraid I can't tell you much about its components.” Answered Leora as she smiled politely, she wore her heiress face so Mr.Olivander wont pried more on the matters. The truth is just she can't tell that the component of her wand came from Olympus, like her mother's sacred rose wood, her mother's hair as its core, and etc.
“Hmm…. it's seems something was off, your wand is broken? I can't use any spell…” Said Mr.Olivander when he try to casting spell using her wand.
“Ah, my apologies. I forgot to tell you that my wand only answered to me.” Explained Leora as she took her wand and cast a spell. "lefkilou.”
A swarm of white butterfly flew from her wand beautifully, “Marvelous! Marvelous Miss Black, well done! are you crafting the spell yourself?”
“Thank you Mr. Olivander, yes I crafted it myself but it's just a simple spell for party decoration.”
“You are too humble Miss Black, to think at such a young age manage to craft a new spell and also I heard what you did with the age line, it's seems the rumor about The little Heiress from house black is genius is true.”
“Ah it's not much, really. You flatter me too much but thank you for the kind words. And I take my wand is good enough to be used for the tournament?”
“Yes, yes, you may use this wand for the tournament Miss Black.”
“I see,” Said Leora as she flicked her wand and the butterflies seemed to disappear, “Then, I will step down now so the other champions can have their turn, if you may, please excuse me, sir.”
“Very well Miss Black, it's been a pleasure talking to you.”
“My pleasure as well.” Said Leora as she walked back to the room where the other champions are.
Leora smiles a little mischievously, the truth is her butterflies are not gone, it's just turned invisible so she can use the butterflies to scoop out any information regarding the first task of the tournament.
It was never just a party decoration.
***
“So, did you figure out what the first task is?” Asked Draco, as Leora and the rest of their friend group were lounging in the Slytherin common room.
“Well, we will find out.” Said Leora as she summoned her white butterflies. Leora then swirls her wand and the butterflies immediately merge into a blue projection of the professors, the champions judges, people from the ministry and Leora’s father. they are all seated on a round big table with Dumbledore in the head seat.
“So, are we all on board with this?” Asked Ludo Bagman.
“I'm still against it. Isn't it too much? some of them are still minors.” Said Regulus, Leora can see even from the projection, her father looks pale and seems agitated.
Karkaroff scoffed as he mocked, “Didn't think the infamous Lord Black would have such a faint heart. Have you gone soft? or is it because your daughter is competing?”
“Such a big word came from someone who escaped Azkaban by selling a bunch of death eater names.” Said Mad-Eye Moody with a clear distaste of Karkaroff.
“Enough. We are not here for some childish squabblers. The decision is already made, the champions all agree to enter the tournament they might as well be ready for any task we give them.” Said Madame Maxime.
“The discussion is close, Dragons will be the champions first task to conquer.” Said Barty Crouch Senior in his final tone, and at the same time the projection started to get blurry before it eventually disappeared.
Leora looks at her friends and smiles, “Well, it seems I need to fight a dragon.”