Chapter 3
Flashback
Leah and Harry watch as the Dursley’s drive away from King’s Cross laughing, wondering how they were going to find the stupid platform. With their trolleys full with their stuff, they head inside, keeping an eye on the platform numbers for 9 ¾ . After a while they start to lose hope, especially after speaking with the ticket inspector. Then suddenly a group of redheads pass them, speaking of ‘muggles’, Leah recognizing their only way nudges Harry to follow them.
As Leah watches them she notices a kind looking woman, holding her daughter's hand, they seem to be the only ones without a trolley, the rest of the group, four boys, have their trolleys and are arguing with each other. Actually it seems like the two identical boys are making fun of their younger brother, Leah smiles at that, thinking of the times she makes fun of Harry. The younger brother looks to be a first year too, though taller than her and Harry, he looks just as nervous as them.
After watching the eldest boys run through a wall, and getting help from the kind mother of the children, both her and Harry make it to the platform. Seeing the magnificent scarlet train waiting for them, Leah smiles just as brightly as the train, imagining that a train as wonderful as this one would take them to a place even more spectacular.
Looking away from the Train, Leah looks at the crowd of parents saying goodbye to the children, or helping their children move their belongings onto the train, sensing a feeling of unease at the crowd coming from his sister, Harry nudges her elbow with his and gives a reassuring smile, saying everything will be fine. Feeling better, Leah smiles softly and starts to make her way along the train, trying to find an empty compartment for them.
Passing through people, Leah hears people gasp at her scars, ‘just as always then, still look weird in a magical world with bloody goblins in it’, used to the reaction by now but still annoyed by it, she turns her head a little more so her hair would hide her face while still looking for an compartment. Finally seeing one, she motions to Harry to follow her more closely so he won’t lose her. Stopping next to a door she turns towards him.
“Okay, we’ll move your stuff onto the train first as you’ve got Hedwig on your trolley, shall we move her first or your trunk?” Leah asks, looking at all the stuff they need to load onto the train.
“I say we try my trunk first, move the heaviest and then put Hedwig on top and push it back to make room for your stuff to be loaded on before we go find the compartment.” Harry states, also thinking about how much work this is gonna be for their small bodies.
“Alright then. We’ve got this.”
That was easier said than done, it turns out. Every time Leah had just been about to push the end of the trunk onto the train towards Harry holding the other end, it would slip.
“Want a hand?” One of the twins asked, standing on her left.
“Yes, please,” They both pant.
As the twin called “Fred” moved towards the group to help them, he got on the train to help Harry pull the trunk on. Then Leah feels someone stand next to her, helping lift the trunk and put it on the train.
Looking up to say thanks, Leah stares at the boy in front of her, soft red hair, slightly ruffled as if he’s wrestled with someone, freckles dusting his cheeks, and deep brown eyes staring into her own. She opens her mouth to speak, but notices the boys gasp at her scars, eyes looking alarmed, then flickering with recognition. Sensing what the boy might say, Leah turns around to grab Hedwig passing her to Harry on the train, then going back to get her trunk, noticing the boy, Fred, her mind supplies, already grabbing it and helping Harry and his brother put it on the train. Passing him, she mumbles a “Thank you” before getting on the train, not wanting to look at him again, after the look in his eyes. Leah and Harry both thank the other brother, before they can turn to find the carriage, one twin looks at Harry’s forehead scar after his hair shifted wiping his forehead, both twins then look at me, well my scar, instantly knowing who we are.
“Blimey. Are you-?”
“They are.”
“What?” said Harry, confused.
“The Potters” chorused the twins.
“Oh, them, yeah we are.” said Harry.
The other twin gaped at them, Leah could see Harry going red before he noticed how she was hiding. She looked at him, noticing his stare and moved her head, her hair moving out of her face, the twin looked at her for a bit, then looked back to Harry, still gawping at having met them. Fred though, couldn’t stop looking at her, looking as if he was about to apologise for earlier, she looked at him as she shook her head at him gently, ‘it’s fine’. He still stared at her and opened his mouth to start talking but a voice could be heard calling for them from outside the train. They both took one last look at them before hopping off the train. Leah’s eyes followed Fred as much as she could before he was out of sight.
End of Flashback
As Leah stares at him, she can’t help but feel the flutter and tightening of her chest, forcing her to concentrate on her breathing and trying not to show the grimace on her face at the feeling. Ever since their first meeting Leah has always noticed him and as such tried to avoid him after seeing his reaction to her face, but after a week of this in first year, Fred had sought her out to apologise for his reaction, he didn’t try and give excuses, only apologised. This had caught Leah by surprise as many people had given excuses before to explain themselves and make it seem like it was her fault. After this, they became sort-of friends, they’d greet each other in the halls and when she would visit Harry in his common room he would come and sit with them talking to her about all the pranks he had planned. Little did he know that this would ,unknowingly to him, cause a competition between the twins and her.
At Halloween in first year, before the troll incident, Leah had managed to transform all of the Slytherin furniture into frogs, and make the frogs follow Fred and George around, making it seem as if they had done it, though they had denied it, they still got punished for it. This had led to them trying to find out who did it, starting the prank war with someone. Over the years it had escalated and many people had tried to find out who the prankster was, as she had never been caught and had never told anyone about her extreme pranking levels, no one expected her to be the prankster, leading to bets between students and teachers watching everyone trying to figure it out. Watching the twins trying to figure it out was funny in first and second year, but was outright hilarious after that, but after the incident in second year, Leah had stopped hanging out with Fred as much as she did, it hurt too much for her. Though she still talks to him to try and keep him from asking what happened, he seemed to think they had just drifted apart, which they had, that just wasn’t the reason she could barely be around him anymore.
Fred starts to walk towards her, as he does she notices that George was the person with him, this made her feel better that it wasn’t just her and Fred. Her friendship with George had started the same time as her friendship with Fred, though while her and Fred had shifted apart, her and George had gotten closer, she considered him one of the best people in her life. Along with Ron, he had always been there when needed, making her laugh and sneaking her out of the castle to get sweets and butterbeer. She had also helped him with a few prank ideas and had regrettably been a test dummy for a product of his for the joke shop, this had left her with two black eyes and a broken nose (she didn’t speak to him for a week when they found out that the bruises would not go away without a special type of cream that Madam Pomfrey did not have with her), needless to say she was never a test dummy for him again, and if a couple of weeks later George found his bed smothered in Murtlap juice, that was his business.
As George makes his way towards her, he pulls her into a hug, Leah’s head resting under his chin, his arms squeezing her to him, drawing a squeak from her and a laugh from him when she hits his back in retaliation. When he finally lets her go, he looks down at her smiling at the annoyed expression on her face.
“What's up, little snake?” George has called her that since they became friends.
“Nothing much, just on my way to Snape’s classroom to make up for missing a lesson.”
“Merlin, have fun with that, we just got shouted at by him for asking a simple question,” said Fred. Leah looks at him with exasperation.
“Was the reason for you asking said question for a future prank? What was the question? And more importantly, should I be worried?” asked Leah, already dreading the twins' answers.
“The question wasn’t anything bad-”
“We just wanted to know what would happen if we mixed limewood with a crushed unicorn horn-” said George.
“He wouldn’t tell us what would happen, so we’re just gonna have to experiment with it-”
“You shouldn’t worry, we’re only trying to find out if the prankster is in Ravenclaw.”
“Yeah so, you shouldn’t worry, unless you go into the Ravenclaw common room-” said Fred.
“Or Ravenclaw table we haven’t decided yet.”
Listening to them trying to figure it out was so funny, Leah was trying desperately not to laugh. She did feel sorry for the Ravenclaw’s though, but not enough to stop them from continuing their plan, her curiosity winning over, also wanting to see what would happen.
“Well I wish you two luck with your endeavours, hope I’ll be able to see the finished results.” Leah said, as she started to walk away from them, starting to feel the tightening getting worse, she hadn’t taken her potion today and was starting to feel the beginning of the effects.
“Hey Leah, wait!” no no no, why. She turns her head to see Fred leaving George and walking with her down the corridor.
Leah slows down her walking so he could say what he needs to. She turns to look at him, and sees that he was already looking at her.
“What’s up? I’m kinda running late and don’t want to get in more shit with Snape.” Hoping that that would cause Fred to leave her alone.
“Just wanted to talk to you quickly.” he said, looking like he was struggling to get the words out.
“Can you talk quickly, I’m in a rush.”
Fred stops walking, causing Leah to have to stop so she could talk to him.
“Um, I just wanted to ask you, if you were okay. We haven’t really hung out this year, and you’ve looked sick recently.” he states looking unsure.
“Yeah, Fred I’m fine, just stressed and worried about Harry. And I’ve been a bit busy this year, sorry.” Leah says, biting her lip, thinking about a way to get out of this conversation.
“And, I’ve noticed that you’ve been hanging out with Malfoy more this year.” Fred looks her in the eyes as he says this, as if he was searching for something in her gaze.
“Wait, are you annoyed that I’m hanging out with my friend, really Fred? That’s what you wanted to talk about?” Leah says, rolling her eyes and starting to walk away. Stupid Weasley.
“No, I’m not annoyed that you’re hanging out with a friend, I’m annoyed that you’re hanging out with Malfoy, someone who bullies nearly everyone in this school, especially your friends!” Fred said, standing up straight, looking more annoyed.
Leah felt the anger in her rise.
“Listen, you can’t tell me who to hang out with. And you think I don’t know all of that. You’ve seen me punch him for the things he’s said-”
“-then why are you still friends with him? You know what he’s done, all the things he’s said about Harry, about Hermione, about my family?” Fred interrupts, starting to raise his voice, disbelief and anger all over his face as he waits for me to try and disagree with him.
“I never said he was a good person, I know all that he’s done and I have argued with him about that and tried to get him to stop. I do not excuse his actions, but that does not mean that he isn’t a good friend.” Leah, also starting to raise her voice.
“How can he be a good friend if he’s-”
“At least he has never said anything bad about my scars to my face or behind my back.” She interrupts him, looking into his eyes.
They show that you’re brave, and that you’re a survivor, that makes you even more beautiful.
Fred's angry expression breaks, as he looks confused by her words and her tone. Leah see’s a flicker of guilt in his face, before it disappears and he tries to say something else. Before he can, Leah see’s her opportunity and turns around and hurries away to Snape’s classroom, leaving Fred standing in the hallway on his own, arm slightly outstretched as if he wanted to pull her back.
As Leah turns the corner and it out of his sight, she stops and leans against the wall, breathing heavily as she tries to stop her fast breathing and the tears in her eyes from falling. Fucking Weasley. She manages to leave soon after and gets to Snape’s classroom a few minutes early. He is already at his desk awaiting her, he looks up when he hears her enter, his cold eyes analyzing her as she walks towards him. When she gets to the desk in front of him to sit down and find out the potion that he wants her to make, she sees him lift a hand up, signaling her to stop.
“Miss Potter, have you taken your potion, that I so kindly made you, today?” Snape speaks softly, his quiet noise loud in the silent room, apart from the rustling of her bag.
“No Professor, I haven’t had the chance to yet. I just had breakfast and I can’t take it on an empty stomach.” Leah says, looking at the teacher. Snape did make her potion for her, every month he made a new batch and gave it to her, it was supposed to last a month, but lately the pain in her chest had been increasing, so she’d been taking more of it. That had backfired as she was running out quickly, so she had decided that she would only take it every other day until she could get her new batch.
“Professor, I have something to ask you.” Leah started hesitantly.
“Ask away then, I will not be kept waiting.” Snape replies, looking annoyed at the mention of a question.
“When you give me the new batch, can you give it to me in a weekly supply instead of a monthly?” she does not look at him as she asks this, scared of facing judgement.
“Are you incapable of looking after your supply?” Snape sneers.
“No professor, it’s just,” Leah breathes slowly to not panic. “The pain is getting worse and I don't want to blow through my supply, so if it was a weekly batch, it would lessen the temptation to take more of the potion.” Leah does not look into his face as she says this.
When she does not hear anything for a while, Leah looks up at Snape, while she wouldn’t call his face sympathetic, it looked like a somewhat similar emotion was on his face.
“Of course, I will still make it monthly, but I will start giving you enough to last a week at a time. But we should consider a stronger potion if the pain is increasing, or we can go to Madam Pomfrey and she can tell you your options again.”
“Thank you Professor, and there is no need to see Madam Pomfrey, I already know my options and this is the best one.” Leah says with a small smile on her face, trying to reassure him and herself, that she knew what she was doing, in truth, she just knew that the other options of surgery or telling him just weren’t an option for her.
“Well then I say that we start with what we are here for today. Sit down and listen before you get your ingredients.”
“Yes Professor” She says sitting down.
“There will be no need to talk. And Potter, while we are on the topic of supplies, I just want to say kindly stop your brother or your friends from going into my supply cupboard.” He looked her in the eye, trying to see if she knew anything about that.
Leah felt confused, before remembering about the twins' prank idea. But she still felt confused about why Harry was mentioned. Harry hadn’t been near Snapes supply closet, none of her friends had either, someone else must have stolen something. That must be why Snape had Moody check his cupboard a couple of weeks ago, trying to find evidence against someone.
“Back to potions, today you will be doing a potion that even most seventh years struggle to accomplish, but as you have shown talent in potions over the years, I believe that you will not struggle too much to finish this potion. If you do manage to be able to brew it then even if by some tragedy you fail your exams, this potion will make up for it and you will still be able to be at the top of your year.”
As he says all of this, Leah can’t help but be excited by the challenge, Potions and Transfiguration had always been her best, loving a challenge, Leah felt herself sit up straight as she waited to be told the Potion she would be brewing: Ostensio Memorias. The potion to make the brewer show off any memory they wanted. She had heard of this potion last year and couldn’t wait to brew it. She always loved a challenge.