↠ This chapter is dedicated to all the girls at MsMarauders for letting me be part of their family ↞

The two girls stood in the courtyard of the manor, their grey eyes focused on the sky above it. The youngest who was about 10 kept looking at her sister and then towards the heavens. Her short blonde bob fluttered softly in the morning breeze as the snow fell on her shoes.

The girl next to her had just had her 12th birthday and resembled her younger sister more than anyone else in the household. She had the same stormy grey eyes with blue softly laced in them and cream blonde hair. Her eyes were determinedly fixed on the 'white' Christmas Eve morning sky. She tore her eyes away from the sky and looked at her younger sister. "Hey, you"

The younger girl turned her head and looked. "Pardon? My name is 'You'? How did I never know that?". The older merely shook her head. "Just give me the broomstick, please". Her sister looked the taller girl and handed her the Nimbus 1999 which lay in the grass. "Now, you wait here while I have my turn, Leo" the older said. The younger one, Leo smiled silently as she watched her older sister mount her broom and fly towards the sky.

Only did a few minutes pass, Leo heard a scream which definitely belonged to her sister. She turned her head towards the way her older sister had gone but could only see the grey sky. A small figure came into a view, a few seconds later but Leo couldn't tell what it was. The figure landed next to Leo with a thump and the girl couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was her sister's body, lifeless with a tickle of blood oozing from her forehead.

"No.. no.. NO! WAKE UP! IMANI!"

I woke up with a start. My eyes darted across the room. I was leaning against a bookshelf in the Hogwarts Library and had a Most Macabre Monstrosities book held in my hands. It wasn't Christmas Eve (thought it was the day after Christmas or shall I say Boxing Day?) and there was no Imani around me.

I sighed, hoping I'd never have that nightmare again when I heard a clattering of footsteps and voice calling out my name. I got up from my space, dropped Most Macabre Monstrosities on a table and headed out the aisle. Just as I exited, two boys halted in-front of me; one fourth-year and one first-year. The older one was Harry and the younger one was Theo, the youngest Malfoy child. "Who are you?!" the two boys screamed at each other. They turned to me. "Leo Malfoy, who is he?!"

I smiled. "Oh, you two"

I gave them each a hug and said "Theo, this is Harry. Harry -- Theo, my younger brother". "Merlin's pants!" Theo squealed "You're Harry Potter! The Harry Potter! It is such a pleasure to meet you!" "Shut up, Theo" I said "You're embarrassing him!" "Hey, Theo" Harry said shaking Theo's hand who looked like he was about to pass out. He turned to me. "I never knew you had another sibling that was younger than Draco"

"Well, there are a lot of things you don't know about me, Potter"

Theo looked at me and said, "By the way, Leo, I really need help in some stupid Potions homework so just tell me whenever you're free to help me". "I sure will, Theo" I replied "See you soon!" He pulled me into a hug, waved at Harry and ran off. "Your brother's really cute" Harry murmured, his eyes focused on Theo's back. I smiled and looked at Harry.

"I'm sorry about the ball"

"What?! Nah, that was my fault so I should be apologising"

I pulled him into a hug and as soon as I let go, I realised something. The egg. "Harry? Can you keep a secret?" His emerald green eyes filled with interest as he nodded. I told him about Moody's peculiar words during the ball and Harry's eyes kept growing wider at the second. After I told him, "So, what do we make out of this?"

"That Moody has a mental problem?"

I punched him in the gut. "You are so worthless, Scar-head!" *

(*I wrote this randomly and re-read it once and Leo and Harry absolutely remind me of Annabeth and Percy. Don't y'all agree?)

"Ow. The more you grow on me, the more you remind me of your brother"

"Seriously, Harry" I said irritated "Now listen. Midnight, meet me outside the Ravenclaw tower with your invisibility cloak and map and we'l--"

"Hold up! How did you know about the cloak and map?"

"Because I'm smart, Harry. I know things. That's why I'm a Ravenclaw whereas you have seemed to have destroyed your brain during these years and got stuck in Gryffindor. May I continue?"

"Humph. Fine!"

"Anyway, meet me outside the tower," I continued "again with your cloak and map and egg as well and we'll go together and solve the riddle". "I'm sorry?" he asked puzzled "We? Together? Don't you think that we shouldn't?"

"Is this about our genders because, seriously I don't care at all! I'm trying to help you, Harry just like you tried to help in the first task. So you in or you're out?"

He considered this for a moment. "As long as you tell nobody" he said. "Not even Padma?" "Her, yeah. But nobody else. Not even your brothers". I shook his hand. "Deal! I'll meet you at midnight!"

I clapped him across the back and went out of the library where I found myself face-to-face with the one, the only... *drum roll*... Padma!

...looking back, I have no idea why I did the drum roll because she isn't even special.

I sighed. It was 12:10 a.m. and Harry wasn't here yet. "Why, oh, why" I mumered softly. "Psst, Leo!" I looked around me but there was no sign of the source. Suddenly, Harry who was standing in-front of me pulled of his invisibility cloak scaring the hell out of me.

"Harry James Potter! You nearly gave me a heart attack, idiot!"

Oh, sorry" he replied with a mischievous grin etched on his face. He held out his hand to me. "Are you coming?" I smiled and took his hand as he pulled me under the cloak with him. He slipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out his Marauder's Map. "Leo, could you?"

I took it from him and whipped out my wand. I tapped the empty (as it seemed) parchment and said "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good.... well, we are". "What the heck?" Harry breathed. I gave him a I-am-way-more-smarter-than-you-because-I-got-sorted-in-Ravenclaw look and he immediately understood. He started to advance forward when I stopped him.

I pointed at the map. A dot labelled 'Argus Filch' (or as Padma liked to call him, 'Long Haired Greasy Cat Psycho') was moving rapidly towards us. "Oh, great!" Harry whispered sarcastically. Filch's tall figure came into the corridor. "Who's there?" he called out. Harry and I stayed there, without making a single noise. "Great sizzling dragon bogies . . . frog brains . . . rat intestines . . . I must be imaging things" he cursed to himself and went away, huffing.

"Come on!" I rushed towards the Prefect's bathroom. I pulled off the cloak once we reached the bathroom. "Pine fresh!"

The statue slid open revealing the bathroom which I had snuck into many times, even though I was not a prefect with Padma. It had a white marble floor which had a huge golden-lined swimming pool sunk in it with probably more than three dozen golden taps on the sides. The walls were white as well with a huge mosaic window opposite the door which had a mermaid on it who was fast asleep, her hair fluttering as she snored soundly. "Wow!" Harry said, his eyes looking around wildly.

I pulled him into the place and explained the plan. "Harry, you can go into the pool or bathtub thingy and take the egg with you and I'll just sit by the sidelines". "Why me?!" he wailed. "Because I haven't brought a bathing suit with me, idiot!"

"Fine!" Harry huffed "turn your face around so I can take off my clothes" "I don't have to because I've seen Draco and Theo change many tim—" "NOW!" I turned by head towards the wall and waited for two minutes. "Can I?" I asked Harry impatiently. Splash!

"Yeah, sure"

I turned my head back and saw Harry whose only head and top part of the neck were above the water. "Leo?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"Um, yesterday you mentioned that you lost a lot when you were young," Harry said, biting his lip "what does that mean?". I recalled what I had said yesterday during the Yule Ball:

"ONLY BECAUSE YOU SAVED THE STONE, CHAMBER AND SIRIUS BLACK, THAT MEANS YOU'RE SPECIAL?! THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO'VE LOST A LOT AS A YOUNG CHILD! MAYBE YOU LOST YOUR PARENTS BUT THERE ARE MORE STUDENTS HERE HIDING HUGE THINGS! FOR EXAMPLE, ME!"

"Harry, that's not important right now" I said taking off my slippers, sitting at the edge of the bathtub and putting my legs in the water. "Leo, please. I promise I won't laugh or anything". I looked straight into Harry's eyes and sighed. I pulled out my wand and pointed it straight in front of me.

"Expecto patronum!"

A wisp of blue smoke and a small white ghostly Thestral shot out of my wand flying around the room. "Do you know what a Thestral is?" I asked Harry, sadly; he shook his head, eyes focused on my patronus.

"A Thestral is a winged liked horse creature that can be only seen by those who have seen death. They pull the so called 'horseless' carriages to Hogwarts"

Harry must have gasped but I was so caught up in thoughts I didn't hear him. "Can you see them?" he asked me. I nodded solemly.

"How?"

"When I was about 10, I watched my older sister, Imani lose her life" I replied "It haunts me even now, years later". "I'm sorry, Leo. I didn't know it was like that" I looked at Harry and shook my head,

"Oh, Harry. Why the hell are you apologizing?! Anyway, just put the egg underwater and let's do this once and for all!". Harry looked at me, apologetic. "The egg, please?". I got up, pulled on my slippers and grabbed the egg. I handed it over to Harry who mouthed me a 'thank you'

↠  okay, I think I'll have to split this into two parts because I didn't want to keep y'all waiting! A lot has been happening since I published the last chapter. First of all, you all probably know about the new Wattpad message board thingy. Also, thank you to the girls at MsMarauders for letting me join the community. Anyway, I have also opened a graphic shop if you want to check it out. I might just open a portfolio too but as
-emmahayley- said, I could even add a section in my shop. Anyhow, thank you for reading! ↞

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