Living in a world so cold

[Leah Winters]

The young witch, Leah Winters had a conundrum on her hands. Bleak Street held such dark memories mixed in with the little good that had ever came out of this street, and currently the thoughts of the past and present problems were weighing on on her mind. She recalled running into Link Black, or as his name used to be, Link Woods, on this very street and him saving her from certain unsavory residents. Luxen had tortured her here, possibly in this very spot, although that thought was somewhat blurry, him having almost crushed her mind into nothingness.

She remembered many things, but the one thing that stuck out was meeting Henry Drake right outside The Silver Snake. He stumbled upon her and Luthor Silverback doing something atrocious and his memory was properly erased of that event and now they were together...almost lost in what you could call love. Did love feel this panicky? They had a time limit on their relationship, and when the last grain of sand hit the bottom of the glassy hourglass they would die.

Leah accepted her fate, but would Henry accept his? Could he keep in mind that if by chance he were to survive they would be together in happiness? It was a lot to take in for a young man, not yet thirty. They barely knew one another and he was already plunging head first into uncharted dangerous waters. She must keep him safe from anything, especially the threats that were so focused on destroying him.

 

[Leah Blade]

Leah pushed open the door and quickly walked out from the restaurant that she was in previously. She came here to Bleak Street to get away from being upset about Chase being sent to Azkaban, and to get away from Mikayla who was devastated about Chase sent to Azkaban. That was the reason Leah didn't go to the trial because she knew if she did, she would've done something that would've made Chase's punishment a lot worse than what it already was. She probably would have cursed the new Ministeress, and anyone else that had gotten in her way and have been sent to Azkaban also, but for a longer time.

The young girl knew that if she came to Bleak Street, she would have to put on a cold, hard persona, which was exactly why she came here. She knew that if she did that, it would make her feel better, and she would realise that it wasn't as bad as she truly thought. Sure, Chase didn't deserve it, but hopefully, he would be broken out soon, or let early. It wasn't for life, at least, which was what she had expected to be honestly.

As she began walking down the pavement, there was a younger girl there, who was slightly familiar to Leah. She looked pensieve, and Leah wasn't sure whether she should disturb the girl or not. She hesitated, before nodding, her blue eyes almost gentle, as she gazed at the girl. She was familiar to her, because she, like Leah, knew Chase and Mikayla as well, and so Leah had met her through them. It was better to talk to someone about what they were thinking, instead of suffering in silence, she knew. 'It's Leah, right?' She asked, remembering the name as she spoke. 'We met before with Chase, remember?'

 

[Leah Winters]

Perhaps this visit to Bleak Street wasn't the best idea for Leah's emotions. She needed a distraction, something to do on her evening off and wandering around this street seemed like it would be a very relaxing idea, yet it did nothing but stir up old memories and force her to face the things that she had tried desperately to forget. It looked as if she were intentionally punishing herself, but that wasn't the case at all. She wanted closure and to be able to face her bad thoughts and destroy the horrible impact they made upon her mind. Strolling upon this street and seeing the key points of where certain things had happened would help her build up a wall to force away any sort of stirring emotion.

Leah wasn't alone in the quiet for long, a familiar female voice rang out only a few feet away, making Leah turn to face in the not so unwelcome intruder. "It is. You must be the other Leah." Not so well known, Leah. She neglected to add, although it was sort of true. "I do remember you. Funny how much we have in common. Both Death Eaters, Our names are the same, and I too see Chase as a brother." She gave the woman a smile. "How have you been since the trial?"

 

[Leah Blade]

Leah cracked a rare smile at what the girl said, and nodded. 'Yes, I guess you could call me that.' She replied, chuckling slightly at the humour in it all. She gazed at the girl, struggling to make out all of the facial features in the dark, before answering her question. 'Not too well, to be honest.' She replied slowly, not wanting to show any forms of weakness. 'It's hard with Mikayla, she's devastated. And Alex...' She trailed off, not wanting to end up saying anything nasty about Alex, and clenched her fists. Is being a jerk, she thought to herself, before saying it diplomatically, 'Is being Alex. But I think he's probably upset as well. And I... Well, let's just say that if I had attended the trial, both he and I would've been sent in.' She admitted.

She knew that Leah wasn't as tough as she was appearing to be, so she inquired. 'What about you?' It was best to keep Leah's mind off from whatever she was thinking before, it seemed to work, as Leah appeared grateful for the distraction. Well, almost grateful as a Death Eater would appear to be. 'I know the two of you were close. I didn't really get to know him much, because of our families...' She was brought up by a foster family, but still kept her original last name, so she hadn't been able to see Chase, until recently, and she had found out that he had been sent to Azkaban, after they had just started getting to know one another. He was the one who had persuaded her to become a Death Eater, and how could he have been so dumb as to get caught?

 

[Leah Winters]

Leah wouldn't call her that, because unlike many she did somewhat respect and like this woman. They were both Death Eaters fighting for a common cause, and she was the cousin of Chase Blade, so disregarding her for the sake of nothing would be foolish on her part. Leah enjoyed having allies, people she could call friends, because when the war eventually came, she would need them to watch her back, and she in return would watch theirs. "I'm sorry to hear that. I understand it must be very tough on you... I was surprised to not see you at the trial." She had attended and attempted to sooth Chase in the best way possible, but Melodie Lowe interrupted as the words slipped from her mouth and then....Chase was taken away.

"I have a feeling he will be taken out of Azkaban before too long. I have not allowed myself to feel any sort of emotional turmoil because it forces your mind to shut out any potential optimism that would allow you to formulate a plan of breaking him out." Leah was already trying to think of something to get him out, but breaking someone out of Azkaban was not your average stroll in the park. It was possible, of course. Many had done so before him, but it would still take several skilled witches and wizards to get him away. "Don't lose hope, because there will always be a possibility of getting him out."

 

[Leah Blade]

Leah's fist clenched again, as she heard Leah trail off, guessing where she was leading. She had heard from Mikayla about what had happened at the trial, and had promised herself, as well as Chase in her heart that she would make Melodie Lowe pay. 'I promise you that Melodie will pay.' She hissed, her voice filled with venom. She couldn't believe that the girl even had the audacity to turn up at the trial, and then she never got to say what she wanted. She probably would've made Chase's punishment a lot worse. 'And I won't get caught.' She added.

As Leah continued on, the twenty-one year old nodded in agreement. 'He will be.' She agreed. 'I will do all I can in my power to get him out early, but I will do what I can to make sure I am not caught.' She didn't add that if it was up to her or him, she would save her own neck, and then yet again try to save him. She wasn't going to foolishly throw herself in, that was why she had been sorted into Slytherin at Hogwarts, and not Gryffindor. Even though they were cousins, she knew he would understand that she had to save her neck. Plus, since he was in Azkaban, she was looking after Mikayla and Alex, since Gregory wasn't doing a very good job. With Alex he was, but Mikayla trusted Leah, and Leah wouldn't destroy that trust.

 

[Luthor Silverback]

The ground rattled slightly as the metal belly of the Silver Snake slid past the two girls, the snake had a mission to perform and would not be disturbed as she slid into one of the dark alleys. Out from the Silver Snake, Luthor began walking down the street as few of the witches and wizards that walked by glanced over at him. One began making their way towards him to which he paid no mind however before contact could be made someone quickly grabbed the man and began whispering into his ears. Luthor smirked for only a moment as he thought about what the ugly witch must've told the man, probably something about the hag population that had gone down recently due to Luthor's interests. Perhaps she told the man who Luthor's father was and the rumor that was beginning to fill Bleak Street that the Lord of Nightmares had indeed returned from death. Luthor could only imagine what fear was filling the man as he quickly turned and began walking away.

Luthor saw Leah Winters before him talking to another, his mind was brought back to Cordelia Doyle and as he walked closer he began examining Leah Winters. Luthor confirmed his initial thoughts that Cordelia and Leah Winters were connected somehow though he did not need to voice this out loud. Luthor looked around wondering where the House Elf Tin had gotten too, perhaps he was helping Sigourney with something. Luthor walked up to the pair and looked at them both "Who is she?" Luthor asked ignoring the other one as he gave his sole attention to Leah Winters. He knew however just by looking at her what she was, another weak soul that walked his Earth and breathed his air. He hated it however kept it where it was supposed to remain, inside. Luthor had begun learning to keep his anger and his secretes inside so that when he did unleash them on whatever poor creature stood before him, they would be given his full wrath. It was a pointless thought as Luthor kept his eyes on Leah Winters, his expression as cold as always, since it would be simpler to just kill her and take one of her bones for his collection.

 

[Leah Winters]

"If I can help you out with Miss Melodie, then please let me know." Leah despised her if only for the fact that she was the reason Chase went to prison. She was aware that Leah Blade would be careful when carrying out a plan of escape, but the worry that Chase's sentence would become harsher if caught was still ever present. "We'll all figure out a way to get him out." It would be difficult, but the more Death Eaters that helped, it would become simpler and simpler to provide distractions and think of an amazing plan.

The conversation went into a lull as none other than Luthor Silverback entered the scene. Leah had seen him wander towards them, with a little smirk upon his childish lips. She was not surprised to see him, it being Bleak Street and the Silver Snake not being far from where they were standing. "This is Leah Blade." She introduced them. "Leah, this is Luthor Silverback. Luxen's son. I'm sure you've heard of the Dark Presence that used to roam these streets in search for weak prey." She decided against adding how Luxen was reborn. Perhaps that news flash was not meant for everyone.

 

[Leah Blade]

Leah smiled slightly at the younger girl's reply, and nodded. 'I definitely will.' She answered. 'I'll bring it up at the next Death Eaters meeting.' The other Death Eaters should help them figure out a way to get Chase out, simply because he was a Death Eater as well. Even the older pure-blood Death Eaters, hopefully would help them even though he was a young Death Eater and a fool to get caught.

She rose an eyebrow when a young boy appeared. Leah noticed how he spoke confidently, and ignored her as he spoke to the younger girl. So this was Luthor Silverback. She filed the name in her mind for future reference. 'Ah, yes.' She nodded, 'I've heard about the Dark Presence, and admired him as well.' She admitted. She wished that she could've done something like that, preying and destroying weaker prey. She was careful to keep every single shred of emotion from her face as she gazed at Luthor. She gathered that he was not an ordinary young boy since Luxen was his father, and Leah appeared to be wary around him, as well as the cold expression he had on his face as he gazed at the younger girl.

 

[Luthor Silverback]

Luthor looked at the pair as they both spoke about his father, he didn't like the way Leah Winters spoke about him as though he searched out for weak opponents especially since he had found her. He also didn't like the way Leah Blade talked about him as though he was something to be 'loved' when Luthor knew the truth. His father was fear incarnate and had set everything that had happened in motion long before his death. Luthor himself was living proof of that since his father had left Sigourney to be his trainer, hissing the dark things that he knew to be true since the moment he was born. They were both fools and therefore they were both weak if they did not understand such simple things about the man that had terrorized the people of Bleak Street for so long. Luthor smirked again however as he looked over at Leah Blade, he didn't like the secretes that were always being kept around the Silver Snake. It seemed so pointless and less effective even if he knew what the purpose of them were. "You should learn from Leah Winter's mistakes" Luthor said to the older woman.

"When Henry Drake fails his judgment in the next few days, father's going to kill them both" Luthor said as his smirk once again only lingered for a moment and then vanished back into his cold features. He did not entertain the idea that Henry Drake would pass the judgment because he knew that it was not possible. Luthor looked back up at Leah Winters for a moment before he turned and walked away from the pair, he needed to find Tin and speak with him. Luthor knew what he had done and that his Aunt might not appreciate his openness with strangers however he was still quite angry at Leah Winter's betrayal at not killing the man that Luthor had wanted dead and so decided that it would be a fitting punishment to mock her of pending murder. Luthor did not hold onto any ideas of trying to spare Leah Winters of her fate even though she had been one of the few people that had ever gotten close to him, at least as close as it was possible to get him.

 

[Leah Winters]

Leah nodded, pleased that the Blade woman would be taking her cousins recent imprisonment very seriously and would be taking the necessary steps to ensure that he would be out of that hell hole as soon as possible. She didn't exactly know what to think of Luthors sudden appearance, but the boy always did have a habit of turning up when the situation had some sort of dark appeal to it. She was aware that the little boy didn't think too fondly of her anymore since betraying him and his beloved Aunt Lolita, and that could be a sort of downfall for her and Henry both.

"When, if, maybe." Leah spat out. Their togetherness could end in death, but if she brought the Potters to Luxens feet, and perhaps a few gifts for Tin and Luthor, then they might actually survive this predicament. Leah didn't let Luthor bring her down, because he was only a little boy reliant upon the grown ups to make sure he became the next Lord Voldemort. If he didn't watch his step, the many that worked for him may begin to work against him. "Besides, Luthor...you may be getting a little....almost child like gift from me soon." Leah called out, as he left the two women.

 

[Leah Blade]

Leah gazed between Leah and Luthor, as they spoke to each other. Luthor appeared to hate Leah, and Leah appeared to hate him, but had to be nice to him. She didn't understand why, seeing as Leah was nineteen, and Luthor was either seven or eight years old, so why did she seem to fear him, respect him and be nice to him? She wasn't sure, so she just stood there, listening, determined not to show any of her confusion. When Luthor told her that she should learn from Leah's mistakes, she rose an eyebrow at him curiously. 'And what mistake is this?' She inquired.

When Luthor continued on, as if she hadn't asked a question her eyebrow rose yet again. What did he mean when he said that his father was going to judge them both? Wasn't Luxen Silverback, who was also known as the Dark Presence dead? There was no way someone could come back from the dead surely. And since he was dead, that was why more people came to Bleak Street then there used to be, but she was sure that soon, Bleak Street would be forbidden to the 'good people' again. She gazed at Luthor's cold, hard expression, knowing that he really did believe what he was saying, and that he knew Leah would be killed.

She remained silent, even when Leah argued, saying that it was only possible she would be killed. And then when Leah continued on saying that Luthor would be receiving a little, almost child-like gift from her soon, she turned her gaze away from the retreating Luthor onto Leah. An almost child-like gift that was little, she had a general idea of what that could be. 'What's he talking about?' She mouthed at Leah, wanting to know what he was telling her about.

 

[Leah Winters]

Leah felt more furious than she let on but when Leah Blade asked what mistake she had made, she couldn't help but whip around and glare at the girl. Venom dripped from every feature as she said, "Never you mind. This is between me and the Silverback family. Just heed my advice, and keep away from every single one of them." It would be the best step the older woman could take regarding life choices, and she desperately hoped that she, herself would soon be safely out of this situation.

She watched the small retreating figure and kept silent until he was completely out of sight, and when the last shadow disappeared around the building corner, Leah took a deep breath. "That little boy is the key to everything. You may not think of this now, but soon he may be in charge of your fate, as well as everyone else who has ever been involved with the Silverbacks."