As the Second Wizarding War ended, many students decided to go back to Hogwarts to finish their studies. Anne-Leigh Conway was one of them.
While she attempts to come to terms with what's happened, she gets entangled in an effort set forth by Headmi...
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Chapter 14: Draught of Living Death
Days went by, and Leigh found herself successfully avoiding Nova better than expected. She stayed out of the dorms as much as she could, mostly spending time in remote corners of the library or outside.
Her habit of sneaking down to Evan's photo at night continued, and she started to feel a gnawing feeling of guilt every time she considered stopping the nightly occurrence. She was yet to be caught by anyone patrolling the corridors, and her dorm-mate ever noticed her leaving, so she figured there was no harm. Right? As long as her coursework was up to standard she had nothing to worry about.
It was early in the week, and Leigh sat down in potions, Ron taking a seat beside her. She was patiently flipping through some of last class' notes to remind herself of what they had covered so far, before the class kicked off and Slughorn went through the steps to create the Draught of Living Death, mentioning again and again the dangers of the potion.
Leigh quickly darted off to retrieve the ingredients, soon returning to drop the various items on the desk in front of Ron and getting ready to prepare them as she started the steps.
It wasn't long before Ron, who had acted awkwardly for the last 10 minutes, nudged her shoulder. "So..," he started, picking up a sopophorous bean and twiddling it between his fingers. "How are you doing?" He almost seemed to wince at his own question, and she looked at him warily.
"Why do you ask?" She asked with a squint, eyeing him suspiciously. Leigh reckoned it was the first time Ron had ever asked her how she was doing. They were friends, but not exactly the closest of friends.
"No reason," he was quick to reply, and Leigh chuckled internally. He peeked at her from the side of his eye, and she patiently waited for him to continue. "It's just...you and Nova aren't on the best terms, especially after that scene in the great hall."
Leigh shrugged, yet clenched her jaw slightly at the mention. "She was an idiot," she mumbled quietly, although loud enough for Ron to hear.
He nervously scratched the back of his neck, but nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she was."
Leigh sighed, feeling bad to make this already awkward interaction even more awkward. It was probably Hermione who set him up to it. She lowered her guard and gave him a small smile to show she appreciated the support.
"So...that's why I thought I'd ask how you were." He glanced at her, lowering his voice slightly to make sure no one overheard their conversation. "I heard from Nova that she sometimes wakes up and you're not there. That you're gone full nights sometimes."
So Nova had noticed after all. Leigh rolled her eyes. "Ronald, I'm fine. Why do you ask anyway?" Quickly, she added: "And Nova should consider shutting her mouth for the first time in her life."
"Well," Ron mumbled, "as much as I agree with the Nova comment, I'm your friend–"
Leigh groaned, tired of the charade. "Ron, just spill," she huffed. She agreed, they were friends, but not that kind. She grabbed an ingredient from the pile in front of her and started to prepare it, cutting it into small pieces.
