Elements of Hope

Ok so it's been a while but I only got one review so there.

"Have you heard of Elementals, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked.

"I've heard of elements but…" Harry said.

"Elementals are people, not necessarily witches or wizards, that can control different elements." McGonagall said. "Now…in most cases they can only control one element, at the most two." Harry watched her, not really sure what was going on. "Three years ago, two Elementals by the names of Greg and Charlene Turner were killed by Voldemort."

"Ok…" Harry said, still not getting it.

"It has been rumored that their daughter, who was fourteen at the time and a Bauxbatons student, was killed as well." McGonagall said.

"Rumored?" Harry asked.

"We heard from Severus, before we learned his true nature…" McGonagall's voice had turned bitter by this point. "That this may not be the case. I have no doubts that Fleur or her sister, most likely, would know of whom I speak."

"But why are you telling me this then?" Harry asked.

"Because, Mr. Potter, Mr. and Mrs. Turner were a two of the rare elementals that controlled two elements each." McGonagall said. "Mr. Turner, earth and water, Mrs. Turner, fire and air."

"So you're saying that their daughter could be in control of all four?" Harry asked.

"It is a very, very high probability." McGonagall said.

"So…if she wasn't killed…where is she then?" Harry asked, having completely forgotten what McGonagall had said about Snape.

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Draco was, once again, walking the halls of his littler corner. He stopped and watched as Snape came down the hall towards the room that housed the girl. He had a box in one hand and…what looked to be a cake in the other.

"You might as well open the door for me instead of just hide there and think I would know." Snape said. Draco walked forward, feeling silly.

"Why do you have a cake?" He asked. Snape sighed and looked behind himself down the hallway. Draco leaned slightly to look past the professor and down the bare hallway.

"Open the door and come in with me." Snape said, finally. Draco straightened instantly, his eyes shooting wide open. "Open the bloody door before I drop something." Draco shook his head and quickly opened the door. Snape walked in and, after another look up and down the hall, Draco followed. The door shut loudly behind him, making him jump. By the time his attention was back on Snape, it was to find the man kneeling on the ground and removing things from the box next to a terrible looking girl.

She wasn't terrible looking in the way that…Pansy Parkinson was. Dear Merlin did Draco hate that girl. No…this girl was terrible looking in the way that someone who most obviously was a beautiful young woman but had been abused so horribly for Merlin only knew how long that the beauty was now hidden by scars and pain.

"Draco." Snape snapped. Draco jumped and tore his eyes away from the girl to look at Snape. "Don't just stand there." Obediently, Draco approached the two slowly and sank down to his knees by the professor. Unable to resist, he looked at the girl again to get his first real look at her.

The first thing he noticed was that she was undoubtedly the thinnest girl he had ever seen. She was dressed in nothing more then a ripped t-shirt that possibly used to be white but not was a medium-dark grey, as well as black shorts that were equally ripped and seemed too big for her small body.

How much weight has she lost if she's most likely been here for years and I doubt that Voldemort or anyone, even Snape, had given her new clothes? Draco thought, his eyes slowly climbing up the girl's body, stopping momentarily at the dirty silver chain with a small pentagram pendant hanging off it, a different colored gem at each point. His eyes stopped on her face and he, yet again, jumped as he noticed her own, dark blue eyes, looking at him.

Snape was talking. Damn it! Why did he have to let his curiosity take control again?

"Draco…learn to pay attention." Snape said. "Unless, of course, you do not wish to know her name." Both teenagers instantly looked at him. Snape looked at the girl. "I believe you should introduce yourself." Draco looked at her as well to see her eyes widen. She moved slightly and the light from the closest candle caught on the gems on her necklace and they glittered brightly for a moment.

"Grace…" She said, finally and quietly. Draco looked at her eyes again to see them resting on him once more and he then noticed the look of fear in them. She was afraid of him? Why? That question was answered quickly.

His father. Draco had no doubts that his father was one of her tormentors. There was no way he wasn't. Lucius Malfoy tormented everyone in his life so why would he leave this girl alone if she was an easy access deal?

"He's gone…" Grace said, quietly. She was no longer looking at Draco but at the spot where Snape had been kneeling. Draco looked as well before jumping to his feet.

"I'm not even supposed to be here." He said. Grace's dark eyes watched him as he frantically tried to figure out why Snape would have left without indicating it to him. She looked down at the food before picking up a tart and tapping Draco's leg with her foot. Slowly and carefully, she lifted the tart up, offering it to him. Draco stared at her before taking it and sitting back down on the floor to eat it.

"Your father is an awful man." Grace said.

"I know that." Draco said. "He's probably put you through the same hell in one year that he put me through my whole bloody life." His voice had turned bitter as he finished off the tart. Grace offered him one of the cups that Snape had brought in with the pumpkin juice. Draco took it, not really sure how someone who, not even five minutes ago was scared of him, was nonetheless offering him stuff. "Just don't start thinking I'm like him, alright?"

"Ummm…ok." Grace said. She looked more relaxed now then she did when he first saw her that day.

"Why did Snape bring a cake in?" Draco asked, looking down at the cake that was sliced into pieces but none of the pieces had been touched.

"Birthday…" Grace said.

"It's your birthday?" Draco asked.

"Next week." Grace said. "Three years…"

"Three years?" Draco asked, confused.

"I've been here three years." Grace said.

"Oh…" Draco said. He mentally hit himself. 'Oh' was the best he could come up with? Draco Malfoy, king of quick, witty comebacks, couldn't even think of anything to say to a girl that's been locked up and tormented for three years straight but 'oh'. God he was getting pathetic.

"Why are you here?" Grace asked.

"No where else to go." Draco said, simply. "You?"

"My father." Grace said, looking away.

"Kind of the same for me I guess." Draco said. "Although you already know a bit of that." Grace nodded. "So…who's your father?"

"He's dead." Grace said. "He sold me." Draco didn't need to ask what she meant. Her father had sold her to Voldemort for some reason or another and that's why she was here. "Why do you have no where else?" Grace was amazed with herself for speaking so much to this guy she didn't even know.

"I was supposed to kill Dumbledore but couldn't so Snape did it and now we're both stuck here." Draco said. "We show our faces anywhere in the wizarding world and we're dead." Grace tilted her head, her eyes holding a hint of an emotion that wasn't fear. Draco finished off the pumpkin juice he had been given and stood up. "I really should go."

"Will you come back?" Grace asked, wondering why she wanted to talk to him again.

"I can…try." Draco said. For the first time in three years, a small smile crossed Grace's face. Draco was amazed at the change and he stared at her for a moment before both of them jumped terribly as the door opened. They both relaxed when they saw Snape.

"It's time to leave now, Draco." Snape said.

"Bye…" Draco said, moving his fingers in a slight wave towards Grace as he headed to the door. Grace nodded but didn't say anything in return. Draco left the room and watched Snape close the door. "What's going on?"

"Any way possible, you will come back here." Snape said. Draco stared at him in confusion. "You both have suffered the same. Is it not better to have someone you can talk to who knows how it feels?" Draco nodded slowly and Snape left. He stood there for a moment, staring at the door, before he went to his room.

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"So what did McGonagall want?" Ron asked.

"She wanted to tell me about Elementals." Harry said.

"What are those?" Ron asked.

"People who have control over one of the four elements." Hermione said. It was really the first thing Harry heard her say since his arrival apart from 'hello Harry'. "They don't necessarily have to be witches or wizards."

"Oh." Ron said. "But why would Harry need to know that?"

"Harry?" Hermione asked.

"There's a girl…" Harry said. "In Voldemort's captivity."

"Is she an elemental then?" Ron asked. Harry nodded. "So what's so important about her apart from the fact that she's a hostage?"

"She has control over all four elements." Harry said. Ron and Hermione stared at him with wide eyes.