Harry Potter and the Lost Half-Bloods. *1*

Leo

LEO: Okay. Before you give me the lecture, let me stop you right there. I'm aware of the whole, 'with great power, comes great responsibility' speech. I realize that testing out my newfound human lighter property in the middle of the school grounds probably wasn't the best idea. But hey, we all learn from our mistakes. My mistake just so happened to be starting a fire beside a wooden shed.

As for Frank Zhang, I wasn't terribly concerned that he was aware of my new power. I barely knew the guy. He seemed decent and awkward enough. I trusted him. As for his little shapeshifting power, he was lucky a cool guy like me witnessed it. Had any of the other Slytherins witnessed it, they might have spread his little secret throughout the school.

I know what you're thinking. Leo! How could you have gone through all of these traumatic events in one day, and be so unbelievably calm! I may be able to control fire suddenly, but I am not hot-headed. I'm chill! I understand that the world is a crazy and unpredictable place sometimes. Sometimes people die, sometimes accidents happen, and sometimes you witness a tall, yet clumsy baby-faced looking guy turn into an animal. That's just life!

"Pipes! Got a sec?" She was sat beside the devil himself: Draco Malfoy.

"I'm kinda busy." She said, as if it were the most obvious thing of all time.

"Oh, I'm sure you're very busy listening to Malfoy's exaggerated summer memories. What story are you listening to now? The one about the time you had to lift your poor, rich boy butt off of the couch and had to make your bed all by your poor self? Ah, that was such a tragic tale. It brings a tear to my eye."

Piper shot me a glare. Draco paused for a moment, then laughed.

"Hah, Valdez. Quite the joker you are." He smirked.

"The only joke in this room is your attempt at starting something more than a friendship with Piper. Hah, that's a funny one right there!" I pretended to wipe a tear of laughter and flick it away. "Really, it's a knee-slapper."

Piper stood up and crossed her arms.

"Leo, you need to leave."

"I don't need to do anything besides breathe, eat, and sleep. Has Draco changed even your basic knowledge? Pipes, this is just sad."

Piper stormed away. At least I had gotten her away from Draco.

"Hold it right there, Valdez." Draco snarled.

"Hold what, your ego? I'm afraid I don't have the strength to hold anything that big."

He glowered at me. After regaining his composure, he straightened his posture and smiled.

"You don't want me as an enemy, Leo."

"Please, I'm shaking in my boots. You terrify me." I said monotonously.

"If you were anything less than a pureblood I would have planned your funeral the second I laid eyes on you. The thing is, whether you believe me or not, I like you, Leo. I think you're a decent wizard. You're strong. Though you lack common sense, you're actually pretty smart in classes as well."

"Your point?"

"You could be useful." He stood up and brushed off his robes, as if the dust didn't deserve to be stuck to his clothes. "That's why I'm letting you stick around. So you can find out where your loyalties lie. You're very quiet about things like politics, war even. Soon you're going to have to speak up, everyone will. I'm hoping you'll speak up for the right side." He left.

I hated him.

Not only did he have the snooty attitude, but he was more melodramatic than I was. He even had a better dramatic exit! That, I wouldn't stand for.

I stayed in the common room for the rest of the night. Later, Piper came back.

"Finished hiding from me, Pipes?"

She glared at me.

"Are you honestly that full of yourself? I had corridor patrol with some Hufflepuff I've never even spoken to. Yet, he was a better friend to me than you've been."

"I've been the bad friend? Piper! Open your eyes. You are I were best friends until last year! You spent every waking second of fifth year ignoring me and blowing off our plans all for that stupid blonde baboon! You and I got close again at the end of last year, and it's only the first day of classes and you're still wrapped around Draco's finger!"

"You're jealous. Get over yourself, make some other friends. You're clingy and pathetic, Leo Valdez!" She shot.

"Am I really such a bad friend for looking out for you? Draco Malfoy is a fiend, not a friend! He is using you. I don't want to see you get hurt! Even worse, I don't want to see him turn you into another him."

She sighed.

"I can make my own decisions, Leo. I want you to trust me! I know who I am, and I know what's right and what's wrong. I'm not going to become some death eater. I can take care of myself."

I was too exhausted to continue this stupid argument. Things were getting quite heated.

Heated.

My hands were beginning to feel oddly warmer the more frustrated I got, and I didn't even realize it until a small flame began to dance in the palm of my hand.

The only reason I needed Piper in the first place was to talk to her about my fiery situation. Suddenly, I didn't think that was the best idea.

I threw my hands behind my back.

"Look, I'm sorry. I do trust you. I'm just being my over-protective self. Okay? Cool! Glad we settled this!"

She eyed me curiously.

"I'm glad too. Um, bye, Leo."

"Seeya, Pipes!" We stared at each other for a moment before she finally went up to the girl's dorm.

"Hey, Di Angelo! How's it going?" He was the last one left in the common room. "How was your first day at Hogwarts?"

"Let's see...I passed out in the halls, got glared at by multiple ghosts, and ate an apple and half of a sandwich for lunch. Quite eventful." He summarized.

"Huh. Sounds like eventful is definitely the word for it."

An awkward moment of silence passed between us.

"Whelp, gotta go--"

"Hold it right there, invisaboy. I saw you with that hat yesterday. That hat turned you invisible. Uh, any explanation would be appreciated."

"Got it from Zonko's." He lied, oh-so-obviously.

"What's that symbol mean, N.Y?"

I pointed to the odd symbol on the hat.

Nico glanced at it curiously, then shook it off.

"It's the brand logo," he lied. "Gotta go."

A strange kid he was, but I kinda liked him. He was cool. And with the flames constantly erupting from my hands, I'd take any cool I could get.