A/N: A huge thank you to Cae-Leigh Anne, 19irene96, and kate3110 for reviewing/commenting! And another thank you to everyone who has liked and followed Part 2—keep 'em coming!
October 31, 1991
"He's an arrogant prat."
"He's a child, Sev. It can't be that bad."
"-Lazy. Conceited. Mischievous."
Ellie rolled her eyes. Setting aside her tumbler of fire-whiskey, she addressed her disgruntled colleague. "I think you're talking about James now."
"They're practically the same person," Severus sniped before taking a long swallow out of his own glass, "There's not an ounce of...her...in him."
As they usually did on Halloween, Severus and Ellie had joined one another for drinks, though this year, they were doing so in his office at Hogwarts. Ellie had picked the location, hoping to visit with Draco and catch a glimpse of Harry while she was there.
When Dumbledore had heard of their plans, he'd been adamant that Ellie remain out of sight, going so far as to insist she walk the castle under James's invisibility cloak. The Headmaster had gifted it to her several years ago in order to help with her entering and exiting the castle without being seen. Having to use it while wandering the halls was a new condition. then again, they'd always planned their yearly sob fest off of school grounds.
Ellie took a sip of her fire whiskey. It scored a path down her throat, the feel of which used to make her grimace, but now was welcome. At least she could still feel something.
"Albus says he's very kind. That sounds a lot like Lily to me." She said quietly, staring into the fire in front of her.
The sound of Severus glass slamming against the side table next to his armchair startled Ellie, her head jerked towards him.
Black eyes were blazing, more so than usual, and his lips were up in a snarl. Ellie hadn't seen Severus this angry since she'd accidentally jinxed his hair pink while they were dueling a few months back. She'd found it hysterical of course.
He rose from his chair and began pacing in front of the fireplace. "He's nothing like her," he spat. "He's already used his celebrity status to secure a spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Seeker. And he managed to get past the rule banning first years from having brooms."
"Hm. So, you're actually angry because Slytherin won't win the Quidditch Cup this year."
If Severus glared at her any harder she'd burst into flames and crumble into a pile of ash on the floor.
"I'm not going to dignify that with a response," was all he said.
Ellie chuckled and shook her head. "I knew it."
She and Severus lingered in semi-comfortable silence, each lost in thought. He remained in front of the fire, one arm braced against the mantle as he stared into the flames while she remained in her chair, swirling her glass of fire-whiskey in her hand.
Suddenly, a light knock sounded from the office door.
"Are you expecting anyone?" Ellie asked.
Severus ignored her question. "Get under the clock," he said.
Ellie did ask he asked. Rising from the chair, she slipped the clock over her head and watched silently as Severus answered the door.
"Miss Farley," Severus drawled, "This had better be important."
A teenage girl dressed in her school robes stood on the threshold. Out of breath and red in the face, she stammered, "There's a troll in the dungeons, P-professor!"
Severus looked stupefied for all of a second before his usual stoic expression returned. "Is this your idea of a practical joke, Miss Farley?"
"No s-sir! Professor Quirrell came into the Great Hall during the feast and said there was a troll in the dungeons. The Headmaster had the Prefects take the students to their dormitories."
"And why aren't you with them?" Snape asked quietly.
The girl's eyes widened. "I-I, well, I thought-"
Severus was unimpressed. "I suggest you return to the Common Room, Miss Farley. Instruct the students to remain calm and wait to hear from me."
"Yes, sir!" The girl left in a flurry of black robes.
Moments later, Severus and Ellie were out the door and racing down the corridor.
Ellie, still under the cloak, struggled to keep up with Severus. "Slow down, Sev. The other teachers have probably taken care of it already." She took in her surroundings, "Wait, where are we going?" They were making their way out of the dungeons.
His pace didn't falter. "To the third floor."
It only took her a moment to understand. "You think its a diversion."
"Hm."
"Quirrell?"
He cut a glance in her direction, or rather, where he assumed her to be. The only indication Ellie was beside him was her voice and the sound of her heels clicking against the floor.
Ellie took the cue to be silent, and followed Severus to the third floor. When they arrived at a nondescript door, Severus muttered alohomora under his breath. The door swung open and they rushed inside, wands drawn.
Severus immediately ran towards the very thing that had stopped Ellie just inside the door. "When Albus said the stone was well guarded, I didn't think he meant by a three headed dog!"
"Get over here, Stroud!"
She let out a chuckle, "I'm good over here, thanks!"
Still trying to navigate around the large, slobbering dog, Severus glared at her, taking his eyes off the beast for only a second. It was a second too long. The dog's jaws shot forward and snapped at him, the edge of on tooth slicing Severus's leg and sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Shit!" Ellie exclaimed as she rushed forward. She gripped the man under his arms and drug him away from the dog, careful to avoid getting injured herself.
Severus managed to get to his feet and limped towards the door. Pulling it open, he hardly waited for her to follow him through before slamming it shut. He bent down to inspect his leg, blood already beginning to drip on the floor.
"Sorry," Ellie said sheepishly, "I would've helped had I known you had no idea what you were doing."
Severus looked up from his leg to glare at her. "I knew what I was doing," he insisted.
Ellie watched him straighten and limped away from her. "If you say so, Sev." She hurried forward to catch up with him. "Where to now? The dog was clearly still capable of guarding the stone, and the trapdoor didn't appear tampered with. I doubt Quirrell had more luck than we did."
Severus wobbled down a flight of stairs, Ellie on his heels, "Now we find the troll. Though, I honestly have no idea-,"
He was interrupted by a loud bang coming from the floor below. The two immediately made towards the noise.
The huge commotion was coming from the girls' bathroom, and they were nearly there when Severus hissed to Ellie, "Put on the cloak!"
She did as he asked, and a good thing too, because McGonagall rounded the corner seconds later. The Gryffindor Head of House knew Ellie was secretly working for Dumbledore-though she still thought that Ellie was Ari. It would be acceptable for McGonagall to have discovered Ellie, however, due to the fact that Quirrell followed right behind her, the Invisibility Cloak was a lucky break.
"Oh, Severus." McGonagall said, "There's a troll running about the castle, did you hear?"
Severus nodded, "Miss Farley informed me. Unusual don't you think? For a troll to happen in?" His eyes cut to Quirrell and Ellie noticed the man begin to squirm.
Before McGonagall could answer, an echoing thud shook the floor. The professors, and an invisible Ellie, wasted no time rushing into the bathroom. She was the last through the door, letting it slam shut behind her. Ellie came to an immediate stop when she saw the scene before her.
Quirrell had taken a seat on a nearby toilet, whimpering slightly with a hand over his heart while Severus inspected the large troll that was currently unconscious on the floor. McGonagall was glaring, white-lipped, at three Gryffindors, each of whom was doing their best to appear as small as possible. Ellie had been on the receiving end of one of the professor's glares as well and found herself sympathizing, especially when she noticed one of the Gryffindors was Harry.
"You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?" McGonagall demanded of the trio.
Harry bowed his head.
A young girl stepped forward, "Please, Professor McGonagall-they were looking for me."
A true Gryffindor, Ellie thought, cutting a fine line between bravery and stupidity. At least McGonagall now looked shocked instead of furious, "Miss Granger!"
The girl, Granger, continued her explanation, and Ellie took the time to study Quirrell. He was still on the toilet, though now he appeared less scared and more...annoyed? Maybe Ellie imagined the way his eyes were narrowing at the children.
She started towards him, angered at the look he was giving her godson, when her foot caught on a piece of rubble. It moved only slightly, not enough for McGonagall to stop her tirade or for Quirrell to notice, but just enough for Severus to look threateningly in her direction and for Harry to glance around the room suspiciously.
Ellie stilled.
"-Dumbledore will hear of this. You may go." The first years hurried out at their Head of House's dismissal.
McGonagall sighed. "Is it dead, Severus?"
"Unconscious."
"W-will it w-wake soon?" Quirrell stammered.
Severus looked at the man with disgust evident on his face, "Don't think for one second I don't see past your simpering, whining-!"
"That's enough, Severus," McGonagall said forcefully. "Go inform Albus of what happened here. Please."
After shooting one last glower at Quirrell, Severus left the bathroom and Ellie followed, doing her best to remain silent.
They were almost at the Headmaster's Tower when Severus muttered, "I told you he's just like his father."
This time, Ellie didn't dispute it.
Dumbledore was sitting at his desk when Ellie and Severus pushed the door to his office open. His expression was stern, a rarity, as he sat with his hands folded before him, peering at them from behind half-moon spectacles.
"Remove the cloak please, Estella." He said quietly.
She did as he asked, sliding off the invisibility cloak and tucking it beneath her arm. "Apologies, Albus. I forgot I was wearing it."
Severus and Ellie each took a chair opposite Dumbledore.
"The stone is still safe I presume?" The Headmaster asked.
"The was no indication Quirrell had gotten past...Fluffy," Severus forced the dog's name past his lips. "However, that doesn't mean he won't try again, or that he didn't learn something during this attempt."
"I have no doubt he will try again." Dumbledore said calmly, "Estella, have you discovered how he plans to use the stone should he acquire it?"
In darker, more select circles, it was often speculated that the Dark Lord had fled to Albania after his defeat at Godric's Hollow. It would appear Lucius thought so. Ellie could think of no other reason why he would have sponsored Quirrell.
"All I know for certain is that Lucius funded Quirrell's expedition to Albania. I can only speculate that it had something to do with the Dark Lord."
"Speculation is all we need to justify the security measure we have taken to guard the stone," Dumbledore said.
Severus nodded in agreement. "It can't be denied now, though, that Quirrell is after it. He needs to be watched."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, "I was under the impression you were doing just that."
"Yes, well, unofficially I suppose," Severus cleared his throat, "I'll keep a closer eye on him now. Another troll incident would be...unfortunate."
"Speaking of the troll," Dumbledore turned to Ellie, "I'll have to contact the Ministry to remove it. It would be best if you act as if you have no knowledge of the situation; no one can know you were here."
"Of course."
"Splendid." Dumbledore clapped his hands together, "Now, it would be best if you departed a bit early, Estella. There's quite a bit more activity around the castle than usual. I'd hate for someone to stumble upon you."
Ellie and Severus bid the Headmaster goodbye and exited the office. When they made it to the bottom of the staircase, she paused to look at his leg. "You really should get that looked at."
"It'll be fine in the morning."
"I'm serious, Sev. Merlin knows where that dog's mouth has been."
He rolled his eyes, "Quite your harping. I'd like to be off. Did you leave anything in my office?"
"No. You go on. There's something I want to do before I leave anyway."
Severus regarded her suspiciously, "And what might that be?"
"Just a pit stop. It won't take long."
She had done nothing to ease his mind. "Perhaps I should accompany you."
Ellie laughed, "On that leg? I don't think so. It won't take more than a minute and I'll be on my way."
Severus looked at her skeptically, but relented. "Very well. I'll see you at Christmas, then?"
"Of course." They'd both be required to attend to Malfoy's Christmas Ball. Much to their displeasure.
The two said their goodbyes, and Severus limped away. As soon as he was out of sight, Ellie slipped the invisibility cloak back on. Pulling it tightly too her, she made her way down the corridor.
It took Ellie awhile to find the classroom she was looking for, Dumbledore having been vague on its exact location. But eventually Ellie found it, and when she did, she wandered cautiously into the room. In its center, the reason for her detour rested, the glass reflecting a beam of moonlight from a nearby window. When Dumbledore had shared with her and Severus his plan to use the Mirror of Erised to hide the Sorcerer's Stone, she'd been eager to see the mirror for herself, fascinated with how it worked and that Dumbledore possessed such an artifact. Ellie approached the mirror now, slowly, suddenly finding herself weary of what she might see in it. When she raised her eyes towards the glass, Ellie's breath caught; she wasn't prepared for what she saw.
Standing next to Ellie in the mirror, as she expected, was Sirius. Since he was constantly at the forefront of her mind it was no surprise to her that her old lover was one of her deepest desires. What did surprise her, however, was that Sirius wasn't alone. In his arms was a child. And judging by the piercing blue eyes and dark, wavy hair, it was their child.
The girl was around four or five years old. She sat on her father's hip with her arms clasped loosely around his neck. Sirius's own arms were divided between holding the child and hugging Ellie tightly against him. As she gazed in disbelief at their little girl, he looked at Ellie affectionately. His eyes were smiling, his face handsome and vibrant unlike when she had last seen him in Azkaban. In the mirror, he was the man she remembered from their youth, though he was also slightly different. Sirius's eyes had lines around them, as did his mouth. He appeared more refined, more mature. Ellie suspected she saw Sirius now as she likely would have seen him in his thirties had he not been arrested. Not been taken from her.
Her deepest desire was this man. Loving him. Being loved by him. Having children with him.
Ellie sank to her knees in front of the mirror, head hung as tears fell from her eyes. She would allow herself this one moment, this one instance of grief, of despair, and of mourning for the man she had lost and the future they would never have.
