"You haven't been sorted yet, have you?" Draco asked Thane, and I could tell he was obviously avoiding Pansy. And unfortunately he's avoiding me as well. However, if this means he'll bond with Thane and things will be less awkward, I'm all for it.

 "No, I'm being sorted in Dumbledore's office before dinner," he said and I ignored the fact that Draco was avoiding me, walking right up to the two boys.

 "I have to go talk to Dumbledore, so I'll show you the way," I said and he nodded at me.

 "Why must you leave me?" Blaise asked dramatically and I laughed.

 "I was escorted to St. Mungo's about ten days ago, I think I need to go let them know I'm out," I said.

 "Trust me, he knows your out," Pansy snorted.

 "Yeah but they'll probably have to go over some things; they're considering her as a huge threat right now," Ariana said.

 "That's probably true seeing as he's her father," I said, and then was shushed.

 "People still don't know about that!" Ariana hissed and then Pansy, Ariana, and I started giggling.

 "You are all ridiculous," Blaise smiled.

 "Wait, Dumbledore sees me as a threat, too?" I asked and Ariana nodded solemnly.

 "He acted like he believed you were okay, but he really thinks something bad is happening to you, whether it has something to do with your father or not," she said.

 "Well I have to figure out how to control it, so we'll sneak into the Restricted Section sometime," I said and they all nodded, including Draco.

 "What exactly are you controlling?" Ariana asked as we climbed into a carriage with Crabbe and Goyle.

 "The Power of the Phoenix," I said, just as they yelled my name happily.

 "You're back!" Goyle smiled and I nodded.

 "Of course," I said, and they each hugged me.

 "Shut up," Ariana glared at them and then she looked over at me.

 "What is that?" she asked.

 "It's this weird power that almost no one has and it is basically the power of controlling fire," I shrugged.

 "Interesting," she nodded.

 "No one can supposedly beat her in a real duel," Pansy said.

 "I did," both Draco and Thane said at the same time.

 "You did?" Thane asked and Draco nodded.

 "It's easy to calm her down if you know the right thing to say," he shrugged.

 "Oh...I just pinned her," Thane smirked at me and I flipped him off.

 "I wasn't focused, I was extremely upset. Besides it wasn't a real duel," I said to both of them.

 "That and I don't think she really wanted to hurt either of you," Pansy said.

 "I watched her fight Thane and she was upset before fighting, so I don't think she really had it in her to fight. Once he wrestled her to the ground she was just emotionally drained; I could see that she just wanted to break down and cry," Pansy said.

 "Why exactly did you feel the need to pin her on the ground?" Draco raised his eyebrows.

 "Well I tried holding her to the wall until she fizzled out, but she just burnt me, so I had to pin her hands on the floor and make sure she couldn't kick me at the same time," he said.

 "It was a good strategy," Pansy admitted.

 "Draco is really good at talking her down though. He had her against the wall and kept talking to her as something fizzled out one at a time. She stopped struggling, then her hands went out, then her hair went out, and then her eyes stopped...glowing," Pansy said.

 "The big deal breaker was when he said he didn't trust her," Pansy said seriously, and I felt my palms spark.

 "Ouch!" Blaise yelped, jumping away from me and I realized the spark from my hands hit his own hand.

 "I'm so sorry!" I cried, reaching out to touch his arm, but he jerked back in reaction. I stopped and slowly pulled my hand back, dropping it to my lap and Blaise looked embarrassed. He went to say something but just dropped his gaze instead.

 "I didn't mean to...it just sparked...I can't control it," I said helplessly to the shocked faces around me. The carriage stopped by the school and I realized everyone sorted of inched away from me, afraid I'd burn them a well. I grabbed my trunk quickly and jumped down, running off to the school so they didn't see the hurt in my eyes.

Third Persons POV

Everyone looked shocked and scared as Leah said a helpless apology. The second the carriage stopped she grabbed her things and ran off, but not before they all saw the hurt clear in her eyes.

 "I didn't mean to upset her," Blaise groaned.

 "How do we know she can keep it under control, though? What if she just playfully smacks us or something and catches us on fire?" Pansy bit her lip with worry.

 "Don't say that, she wouldn't ever do that," Draco said, but his expression was doubtful.

 "Well not on purpose," Blaise said as they started walking towards the doors.

 "She could go off at any time," Ariana said quietly, as if someone would hear her.

 "I cannot believe you guys," Thane frowned and then jogged off after Leah.

 "No, I don't want him alone with her! His idea of comfort might be a little too intimate for my taste," Draco said heatedly.

 "She'd probably get too heated herself and burn him," Crabbe muttered and Goyle nodded.

 "Guys, enough," Draco snapped.

 "We're talking about her behind her back as if she isn't our friend. Pansy, she's your goddamn sister, Blaise you two are best friends, and as for me...I'm...someone she loves. We shouldn't be doing this to her; she needs us," Draco said, sending a glare to everyone.

 "She doesn't need us, and I'm certainly not helping her," Goyle said, and Crabbe agreed. They were given vicious glares, to which they ran away.

 "You were just complaining that Thane was gonna snog her to death, so don't get all snappy with us! You need to realize that Thane isn't interested anymore! He's a better friend to her than you're being, so maybe you should reevaluate and realize he's better for her! I'm team Lane all the way if you're going to be such an ass! If you're going to piss and moan about it, you might as well back it up by being a really good friend to her!" Pansy said quite angrily before storming off. Blaise sighed heavily and went off after her, sending Draco a look.

 "She keeps bloody blowing up at me, and it's even worse that he's right," Draco muttered darkly and Ariana made a sympathetic face.

 "Maybe you should think about your choices then. You're only pushing Leah away, so who's to say Thane isn't a better choice since he's taking her in. You are your own worst enemy right now, Draco," she said and he looked at her for a moment.

 "You're right," he sighed.

 "You're welcome," she said, putting a hand to his shoulder.

 "I still don't trust you very much, so do not touch me. If this is your way of trying to get together with me, do not think about it because I still love Leah," Draco glared.

 "I meant nothing by it, Draco," Ariana glared back and he slowly nodded.

 "Good," he said.

 "Draco...are you taking her back?" Ariana asked as they walked into the castle.

 "I want to, but I just...she hurt me so badly. I never thought she'd do that to me, but if she'd do that...what else would she do to me? I mean what happens if Voldemort wins and we have a kid? Would she let Voldemort turn it into an absolute monster? Leah was raised by good people so she has some good inside of her...what if Voldemort ordered her to kill the kid? Would she do that? Would she cheat on me again? Would she still love after she's been able to kill freely? Maybe she's just not...humane enough for me anymore," he said.

 "Leah loves you, Draco. I can see that... so I really don't think she'd ever want to hurt you again. I noticed that she lost weight, and I saw those cuts on her arm. She did that for you. She did that because she wanted to feel anything but the loss of you. Imagine what would happen if she never got to be with you again? What would happen if you died and she never knew that you still loved her? She could move on physically but still love you mentally, and then when you die, she'd be ruined because she thought you died hating her. You are literally her other half; she just isn't the same anymore," Ariana said as if she's known Leah her whole life. It was a pretty good observation though, because Draco looked thoroughly convinced as if what she said was God's word.

 "That doesn't change what she did though," he said, looking pained.

 "I didn't get the whole story...but I'm guessing at some point she cheated on you with Thane. Tell me, did she make the move?"

 "No," he said miserably.

 "Did she break it off?"

 "Yes."

 "How far did she let it go?"

 "His tongue was down her throat."

 "Draco," Ariana groaned, "that's the shocker point for people who are suddenly kissed! When they realize there is a tongue in their mouth that doesn't belong to them, they snap to attention. She really didn't mean to do that to you."

 "It's too much for me to handle, I'm sorry," he shook his head and they went and sat down at the Slytherin table. Pansy was visibly seething and Blaise was trying to talk her down, which was not working.

 "Welcome back," Pansy said sarcastically.

 "Sod off Pansy, I'm not in the mood for your bitch act," Draco said coolly and a heavy silence made its way across the Slytherin table. Everyone was aware that something was not right in Leah's friend group; especially since she was nowhere to be found.

Leah POV

 "Leah, wait up! Leah," Thane called and I came to a stop, spinning around.

 "What?" I snapped.

 "Hey, relax," he said softly, putting his hands on my shoulders. I felt Mort start to purr and he licked a tear that escaped my eyes.

 "They really didn't mean to upset you. They were shocked that you sent off a spark, that's all," he said gently.

 "They were horrified and couldn't get far enough away," I said hotly.

 "No," Thane disagreed, "they just weren't expecting it."

 "Okay fine, we'll see about that," I said dismissively.

 "Come on, show me the way to Dumbledore's office," Thane coaxed and I sighed, walking along side of him.

 "Just behind that gargoyle...I don't know the password," I frowned.

 "Lemon drops...cockroach clusters... licorice wands... chocolate frogs," I listed, and at 'chocolate frogs' the gargoyle sprung to life.

 "Oh cool," I said and we made our way up the stairs. I heard the voices before I even made it to the door and brought Thane to a silent halt.

 "She is a major threat! We cannot have her freely roaming the halls!" Umbridge said.

 "I am aware that she causes a problem, but I will not toss out one of my students in a time of great need," Dumbledore said.

 "She killed a student! If she isn't insane, then she was in complete control when she did that! I say we send her straight to Azkaban before another incident," she hissed.

 "It is believed that she way merely possessed," Dumbledore said calmly.

 "Then it could very well happen again! Send her to Azkaban where she can cause no harm, whether she's possessed or not!" Umbridge protested.

 "Not yet, Dolores, I will attempt to help her first," Dumbledore said firmly.

 "I will have you fired, and then I will do what I please with the girl," she threatened.

 "You cannot send her to Azkaban without complete proof that she was not possessed, no matter what position you have in this school. You are not Merlin," he said, and I just knew his eyes were twinkling. I took that moment to knock on the door.

 "Come in," Dumbledore said, and I opened the door, meeting Umbridge's gaze with my own cold one.

 "I'm back," I smirked. I felt like I should pull the 'I have a scar' card to try and prove I was possessed, but if he connects me to being a horcrux, I'm finished.

 "I really need to speak with you about something before you say anything. I had a dream in St. Mungo's about Mr. Weasley. He was being attacked by a snake and...I found out that it actually happened. Did I control that?" I asked, making my voice shaky and letting the tears from earlier form once again.

 "You saw the dream too?" he asked, freezing.

 "Yes sir, and I spoke to Harry about it; he had one too. The only thing is, I don't have a scar," I lied.

 "He must possess you then," Dumbledore mused, and I knew he truly believed it.

 "Miss Riddle, you couldn't have possibly dreamt that," Umbridge said.

 "I did, and he was there," I pointed to Thane.

 "She was thrashing around; I thought it was just a normal nightmare," he nodded.

 "Why was this boy with you?" Umbridge asked.

 "He used to live in the insane ward until they released him," I said.

 "What'd you do after you woke up?" Dumbledore asked and I froze. Thane cleared his throat and I took a shaky breath.

 "I talked with Thane," I said.

 "Did you tell anyone about the dream?" he asked.

 "No, I didn't even explain it to him. I just shrugged it off," I said.

 "Don't worry about it Leah, it does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live," he smiled.

 "Now, Severus will give you extra occulemency lessons to keep blocks up as you sleep. That and so Voldemort will stay out of your mind even when awake," he said.

 "Thank you, sir," I nodded.

 "Now, welcome Thane Thorne," Dumbledore smiled.

 "Thank you," he nodded.

 "I believe you were already educated in magic, correct?"

 "Yes sir, I know everything I need to know up to my fifth year," he nodded.

 "Brilliant, so we'll sort you and until you become better acquainted with your house, Leah will assist you in adjusting," he said and he pulled out the sorting hat.

 "Just relax," Dumbledore chuckled as Thane jumped when the hat touched his head.

 "Slytherin!" the hat shouted and Thane sent me a smirk.

 "I get to annoy you all day every day," he said and I rolled my eyes.

 "Hush.Did he have to think about it?" I asked.

 "Apparently I'm very brave and would exceed in Gryffindor, and I'm extremely bright which would make Ravenclaw an excellent choice, but the darkness that runs through me and the cunning wit I possess places me in...Slytherin!" he gave me a cheeky grin.

 "Maybe it's just because you're insane, not dark or cunning," I made a face at him and he laughed.

 "You are too," he joked, ruffling my hair.

 "Thane," I complained, shoving Mort into his arms so I could smack him.

 "Oh don't be violent in front of Mort, I don't want to set a bad example," he teased and I scowled.

 "Well I believe he'll be right at home in Slytherin!" Dumbledore chuckled.

 "We're just going to shun you, that's what we'll do," I muttered.

 "Actually, Ariana is already thrilled that I'm there, so she'll argue if you shun me," he said smugly.

 "Do not use my friend's emotions against them," I smacked his head.

 "What if I used yours against you?" he teased and I glared.

 "I do not find you the least bit amusing," I said and he laughed.

 "Alright, let's head down to the Great Hall," Dumbledore said, and Umbridge walked out huffily. Thane and I started snickering and we followed them down to the Hall. The doors opened and we walked in, but the first thing I saw were the Ministry officials guarding the doors. They aren't supposed to be here! Then of course I saw my friends rushing at me. I was smothered in hugs from all of them and I heard apologies spinning around in my head.

 "Leah, we are so sorry! I never wanted to upset you!" Blaise said and I smiled at them.

 "We didn't realize we upset you," Pansy said, and I saw Draco sitting at the table, looking over in anguish. He was biting his lip and I sincerely wanted to make it all better. However, I was afraid of what he'd do if I comforted him, so I thought it best to leave him alone. The memory of that night flashed through my mind and I winced.

 "Miss Riddle," Dumbledore said from behind me, and I jumped slightly. The others were excitedly talking to Thane about his sorting and they couldn't hear what was being said.

 "We must try not sink beneath our anguish, Leah, but battle on," he said, and I realized with a start that he used occulemency to see what happened that night, seeing as I was thinking of it. I gaped at him and then hurried to my seat as I realized I was the only one left standing. The only seat left was next to Draco and I scowled at the others who tried looking innocent, yet failed.

 "Obviously Thane is in Slytherin," I said and he gave me a bright smile.

 "Cheer up, now you get to see my beautiful face every morning," he said and I felt Draco tense beside me, but Ariana shot him a look and he smiled.

 "Dreams really do come true Leah," Draco said, nudging me playfully. I gawked at him for a moment before laughing slightly.

 "More like nightmares," I said.

 "Oh hush, we're already sharing a pet," Thane teased.

 "Sharing? Mort loves me more than he loves you. Therefore, he is mine," I said, pointing my fork at him.

 "I'd rather him be dead than let you own him," Thane snorted.

 "Okay, I'll have Hydra eat him then," I shrugged and he gasped dramatically.

 "How could you?" he asked and I giggled.

 "Mort knows I'd never hurt him," I cooed.

 "Hydra on the other hand..." Draco trailed off and the two of us laughed while the others shared smug smirks. I have a feeling they're up to something. Food appeared before us and I grabbed some ham and green beans.

 "That's it?" Draco frowned at I looked over at him.

 "I'm not hungry," I shrugged and he grabbed my wrist.

 "Leah do not-"

 "Oh no, no, no! I'm really just not very hungry, I promise. Everything's fine," I said reassuringly and he frowned but let go of my wrist.

 "Eat," Thane said firmly and I glared.

 "I am, what does this look like?" I asked, holding up a forkful of ham.

 "Not much," he said.

 "Shut up," I shot back.

"I'm saving room for treacle tart," I said and Pansy snorted.

 "Dear God, she can't be too full for that," she said sarcastically.

 "Oh let her be, she'll eat, won't you?" Ariana asked and I sighed.

 "Yes, I'll eat. Besides, I'm not losing any more blood so I can hold up longer. I'm okay I promise," I said but Draco was still watching me with worry.

 "I'm not going to help you this time if you go back into depression," Thane said coolly.

 "Yeah because you helped so much when I was passed out for days," I snapped.

 "Hey, you weren't dying," he said.

 "Yes, yes she was," Draco said in protest.

 "Back to team Dreah," Pansy muttered and I gave her a weird look.

 "I checked in on her almost every hour and if her condition changed I would've helped. I didn't want to baby her because she needed to work things out on her own," Thane said.

 "Now it's team Lane," Pansy muttered again and Blaise smirked at her.

 "Are you guys..." I started accusing them of betting on who I'd be with, but Ariana cut me off.

 "Well I for one want to go to sleep," she said, and I went to stand up.

 "You stay here and wait for Thane. You can show him the common room; I need to talk to Pansy anyway. Blaise you can come along too- no not you Draco," Ariana said and they all left leaving Draco, Thane, and me alone.

 "Where the hell am I supposed to go?" Draco asked as they walked out.

 "I don't know," I shrugged as Thane at his treacle tart.

 "You could go make friends with the Gryffindor's," Thane suggested and I snorted.

 "That's unattractive, love," Draco said immediately and then we just looked at each other. Thane looked between us in confusion and I gave Draco a small smile.

 "Nah, you love it really," I shrugged and he laughed a bit. We stood up and started walking to the common room when I saw Cho talking to Potter. I slammed Thane and Draco into the wall and shushed them.

 "There's another Hogsmead trip next month, did you see?" she asked and I narrowed my eyes, keeping the other two boys slammed against the wall.

 "What? Oh no, I haven't checked the notice board since I got back..." Potter said.

 "Yeah, it's on Valentine's Day," she said and I clenched my fist, which was currently resting on Thane, seeing as he was behind Draco, who was next to me. They gave me confused looks but I just glared.

 "Right, well I suppose you want to-"

 "Only if you do!" she said excitedly and I was seething.

 "I...er..." Potter sounded like he was frowning and I felt a bit hopeful he was turning her down.

 "Oh, it's okay if you don't. Don't worry about it, I-I'll see you around," she said and the boys went to leave, but I kept my grip firm.  I heard Cho walk away, but Potter has yet to move.

 "Cho! Hey- Cho!" Potter called and I cursed under my breath.

 "Do you want to come into Hogsmead with me on Valentine's Day?" he asked and I felt my nails dig into Thane's throat where my hand still rested.

 "Oh, yes!" she said happily and I could tell they were smiling.

 "Right...well that's settled then," Potter said, and I heard them both walk away. I released the boys and started pacing.

 "Dammit!" I yelled, slamming my fist into the wall.

 "What?" Thane asked, rubbing his throat.

 "He's fallen for her," I seethed.

 "Are you about to tell me you like Potter as well?" Thane raised his eyebrows.

 "She needed to win him over to gain his trust," Draco explained.

 "This chick! I cannot believe this...I can't do something as simple as seducing scar head! What is wrong with me?" I asked, tearing myself up over this.

 "Am I prettier than Cho or not?" I asked and they looked at me wide eyed.

 "Of course you are," Thane rolled his eyes and Draco nodded.

 "Well then where did I go wrong?" I asked, throwing my hands up in exasperation.

 "Maybe he doesn't trust you," Draco frowned.

 "No, he told me everything about what he was going through the other day. He trusts me completely...I just don't get it! I'm worthless," I said desperately, slumping against the wall.

 "Stop tearing yourself up about things; you can get him back," Thane said soothingly.

 "I cannot, he's already moved on! I'm so stupid!" I cried.

 "Leah..." Draco said gently.

 "Someone kill me now!" I said, putting my face in my hands, and when they were pulled away, I thought it was Thane. However it was Draco's grey eyes that I saw when I looked at the person eye level to me.

 "Leah you can get him back. Don't take this as an insult, but you have a knack for stealing guys hearts, do you not?" he asked, and I flinched.

 "Yes..."I said guiltily.

 "Alright, then treat this like you're trying to steal me back from Ariana," he said and Thane frowned.

 "Why would that work?" he asked.

 "Last year Ariana and I dated and Leah was not happy," Draco smirked.

 "Not happy is an understatement," I mumbled.

 "Or treat it as you getting Weasley to fall for you," Draco shrugged and I nodded.

 "Alright, I'm going to steal Cho's precious boyfriend," I nodded.

 "Now let's go to the common room," Draco smiled, and the second we walked in, Pansy stole Thane.

 "Sorry, we just need to talk to him," she smirked, dragging him over to Ariana and Blaise. Draco and I raised our eyebrows at each other and just shrugged it off.

 "Leah about what Pansy said...that I wasn't there for you...she was right," he said and I looked at him out of the corner of my eye.

 "I understand why," I said.

 "I was being selfish," he said.

 "You needed time alone," I shrugged.

 "Your life was a bit more important," Draco frowned and I sighed, turning to look at him.

 "Do you think that it was your fault? Because Jesus, Draco, it wasn't. With or without you there, it would've been the same. Remember when you told me we should just take it easy and be friends? You probably thought that would've helped, but it didn't. I still cried and I still cut myself, so Draco it doesn't matter if you were there or not," I said and he looked pained.

 "I feel like I should've thought things over a lot better before screaming at you like that. I saw you crying and I just...at that moment I didn't care. In the back of my mind I was cursing myself for causing you that pain but I could only think about you and him. I'm sorry I caused you pain, that's all I really want to say," he concluded and I smiled softly.

 "It's okay," I said, standing up and looking over at the others who were excitedly writing on a piece of paper. I rolled my eyes and went up to bed because quite frankly, I was exhausted.

Ariana's POV

I have a brilliant idea. I know for a fact that Draco is not going to take Leah back, no matter how much he thinks things through. He needs to fall in love with her all over again. Kind of like when couples renew their vows.

 "Well I for one want to go to sleep," I said, cutting off Leah and standing up. Leah went to follow but I shot her down. She obviously cannot know about this. I don't think she's going to ask Draco to come back to her either, so like I said, they have to fall in love again.

 "You stay here and wait for Thane. You can show him the common room; I need to talk to Pansy anyway. Blaise you can come along too- no not you Draco," I said and we all left leaving Draco, Thane, and Leah alone.

 "What's going on?" Pansy asked and I smiled.

 "Well, I came up with a plan to make those two fall in love again," I said and they shared looks of approval.

 "How do you plan on doing this?" they asked as we entered the common room.

 "Well I figured that it would take a short while, and if we start now, it'll be complete by May," I said.

 "May?" Pansy asked, wrinkling her nose.

 "It's a five month plan. Month one, we make Draco notice things about Leah. I mean specific things that make her look even prettier; like her hair or her eyes or the way her cheeks are flushed. We could even go as far as saying how tiny her waist looks one day or how amazing her legs look another day. After a month of that, we move onto getting them alone more often. We need to give them a little more time to bond again. Like what I did tonight in the Great Hall, only we need to bring Thane along as well. Month three is doing things in a group together, but it requires pairs. So for example, if we go to a dance we go as a group, but when a slow song comes on, we all pair up and leave those two out. You two, Thane and me, and then Leah and Draco," I explained and they both nodded like they were following.

 "As for month four, we trick them into going on a date; just the two of them. This could take planning, so we might have to take the month to plan for the date, or schedule small dates within the month. I say it should lead up to one big date," I said and Pansy smiled.

 "I completely agree," she nodded.

 "This is a really good plan," Blaise smiled.

 "Right...and then month five," I started saying, but was cut off when the common room door opened. Leah walked in, followed by Thane and Draco, and Pansy raced over, grabbing Thane.

 "Sorry, we just need to talk to him," she smiled and pulled him over as Leah and Draco sat by the fire. I watched as they started talking and I just smiled to myself. We relayed the plan to Thane and he smiled.

 "Here, let's write it down and we can check off each month. Let's call this "The Dreah Initiative'," he laughed quietly so they didn't hear.

 "Awesome," I chuckled, writing down each month and the goals of them. When I got to month five I looked up at the others to see them anxiously waiting to see what the goal was.

Month Five: The Kiss.

They looked at it excitedly and out of the corner of my eye I saw Leah get up to go to sleep.

 "How are you gonna pull that off?" Thane whispered and I smiled.

 "It's simple, we have a party and play spin the bottle, only we charm the bottle to land on Leah if Draco spins it, and vice versa," I said and they all high fived each other.

 "Ariana, you're a genius," Thane beamed at me, and I blushed, quickly looking down at the parchment.

 "I'll keep this, okay?" I asked, rolling up the parchment and putting it in my pocket.

 "Hey guys," Draco said, walking over and we tried not looking guilty, which worked quite well.

 "Hey," Blaise said.

 "What were you doing?" he asked in confusion.

 "Playing tic tac toe out of boredom," I lied and he nodded.

 "Well, I'm going to turn in. G'night guys," he said and we watched him walk upstairs.

 "Let the fun begin," I said under my breath and the others snickered.

***