Hopefully there aren't too many mistakes...I tend to still forget a few after I've read ac chapter a dozen times. But, yes, anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter. I really like reviews...you don't know how much they make me dance in my pants. lol x)
3rd Year Part 4
It was the moon that caught her eye, the glint of something so shimmery and hopeful in this sea of black ink. It was a fascination strong enough for her to finally break her period of floating and swim up towards the moon.
Her hair, a shinny dark brown glistened underwater, floating around her head, and her skin, so pale, was the only thing that next the brightness of the moon in the water that was so prominent.
It never struck her how odd it was to see the white orb underwater just slightly above her, rather, she never thought twice about it and had a compelling sensation of reaching it- just touching it with the tips of her fingers.
And then she remembered she wasn't breathing…she needed air, oxygen to keep her living. Her eyes widened as quickly as her lips parted for a breath only to swallow a never ending amount of water.
"Elise..."
The girl squirmed in the heap of blankets tangled around her body.
"…It's alright, I'm here"
She tossed herself up, frightened and exasperated, trying to breathe "…I-I…"
Where was she? What was happening?"
Elise felt a small and delicate hand rest on her back. Elise looked around and sideways to see her best friend, Holly. "A-are you alright?"
Everything felt unnerving… her body was shacking and she didn't know how to control it. "Holly!"
In a desperate cry of relief, she hugged the blonde, who was surprised by it but then acceptingly combed her friend's hair as a means of calming her down.
"….Where am I?"
"In the common room….Do you remember anything?"
Elise moved away from Holly, watching her strangely until she'd actually tried to remember. It was as if her heart was telling her not to remember but then her mind was trying hard to push the memories back into her head. And then it hit her just when her brain had started to materialize the setting of the common room-making everything so very real. The pain, the mental sore, and his face…those three things had undisputedly burned her memories.
"…Regulus…" she whispered, touching her lips in a faint shock, only loud enough for herself to hear.
The anger wasn't in her heart as much as she'd expected it would have been; instead there was an eerie sense of dread, fear and awe.
When Holly noticed Elise finally realize, she smiled a little meekly "You were out for a whole day..."
Elise looked around, watching the other girls, still, despite her spasm from before, sleeping peacefully in their bunks for the night. There were signs of a day's passing; most of the personal belongings of the girls' were messily stowed away in bags near their beds, indicating that the last day of school wasn't too far. Scarves were packed, extra uniforms already folded and only a few necessary items were left on their desk for rest of their last week in Hogwarts.
She then turned to her friend who was looking at her a little concerned. Holly was dressed in her night robes and her short golden hair was disheveled, suggesting she was the only one who'd woken up to come to Elise's aid.
"It's Wednesday?..."
Holly nodded. "….we'd taken you to the hospital wing after…" she was uncomfortable in bring up the incident "… you know… and you were unconscious for a good while until you woke up for a brief period…"
"A brief period?" Elise didn't remember any of it. What did she say? What did she do? "…what did I-"
"-I don't know… Bradley was with you then" she apologetically smiled at her but Elise didn't need her apology. She was here now, it didn't matter "…but he told me, everyone was afraid because you weren't responding to anything"
"So why am I here now?"
"Well Madame Pomfrey did a few tests" she waved an imaginary wand "… and you were fine, and so when you fell asleep it only affirmed you just needed some rest"
Eli's mind was churning things slowly; there were so many things she wanted to ask and yet so little questions were actually coming out of her mouth. She wanted to ask of if were brother knew, what did Randletop actually do and even what had happened to Regulus, but knowing Holly, she'd be the last one to actually tell her the real facts without any biased opinions. But what choice did she have; Eli felt horribly out of terms with everything she wanted to know exactly what had happened.
"Did James ever find out…" her voice trailed into silence as she studied Holly's face.
The girl shook a no' and went to explain herself, but before she could continue she lowered head and came in closer to Eli to make anyone who was probably pretending to sleep couldn't hear her next words. "…Randletop had a fit after your duel….he went on to emphasis strictly that these duels were only to disarm…"
Disarm only? Eli was in disbelief; all this time it was the Professor himself who was encouraging and pushing the students to realize that it isn't a time to hesitate. The dark Lord's at his height, if one of his many followers that walk among you happen to ever raise a wand, you should do more than just disarm.
"…he continued the final duels, but spoke strictly never to speak of your duel ever again…." She huffed "… but what was even more shocking was how he didn't expel Regulus on the spot! He only sent him to the detention hall only to think of a punishment later!"
Elise wasn't surprised at all of what she was telling her. It's was Randletop's idea of the duels and so why wouldn't he keep quiet of this incident. If he didn't, he losing the job would be a sure deal. The issue with Regulus was no different; expelling a boy without any real reason would definitely raise a red flag for Dumbledore.
"And for me?" surely Eli thought she was probably going to be punished. Both Regulus and she were at fault…
Holly crossed her arms finally moving back to sit up straight "You've suffered enough, he doesn't have the gall to punish you."
Why is the ingredient Humweed used with ingredient Surgunwood in an Accelerator potion?
A) To quicken the breakdown of the wood
B) To turn…
She scratched her head for the answer trying to tear her attention away from the raucous from the hall outside. The dungeon's door might be closed, but she heard the echoing voices of students hurrying to finish all their last minute packing and goodbyes.
Yeah, definitely visit me over the summer…
-Noo! She's going to a muggle camp for summer? …How ….so very-
-Will you write every-
-Did you pass Flitwick's final?-
Yeah I-
Ten minutes!
"Miss Potter!" Eli tapped out of the conversations outside and quickly looked up at the Potions Professor, Slughorn "… Ten more Minutes" he nodded slowly at her to make sure she understood and then glazed at the door as if to indicated to her not to be distracted so easily.
But how could she think straight with all the noise? Everyone was already leaving, taking in their last moments of Hogwarts and here Elise was, stuck, on the last day of school, in Potions class making up her final. If wasn't for getting knocked unconscious or for Regulus, even, she wouldn't be here-no, instead she'd be basking in the courtyard with her friends making sure to they were still going to contact her over the summer.
She sighed, angry, looking down at her test paper, scratching the tip of quill against the blank margins of the paper.
...Humweed? ... But that was never in her review papers. Or maybe it was….-no, she was mixing the name with Gilliweed….maybe?
She'd already gone through the test once and answered as many questions as she could, and now she was on the second run to finish and reread the ones she'd missed deliberately from before. This question was the last of them all, but she still had no idea of the answer even when reading the question a dozen times. In the end, she guessed, specifically, D. It was only one question among fifty five, it wouldn't cost her that much….
"Alright…" she sighed once again, a little defeated this time. It was a little out of character for her guess- she didn't even put any effort in the answer. "Here you are" she pushed herself off the wooden seat and flipped her exam over to the Professor.
"With six minutes to spare…" he grinned, taking the exam and spare quill and ink bottle from the girl.
Eli didn't have time for all this, James and Sirius were probably, already, heading towards the station and she hadn't even, properly, said goodbye to Bradley and Holly.
"I'll be sending your grades in the mail, then" he perused over the papers.
The girl nodded a faint smile with a quick 'thank you and goodbye' before dashing out of the classroom. She'd walked into a hectic hallway with students left and right walking and talking in their casual attire, carrying their trunks, bags and animal cages. Looking both ways before actually stepping out into the hallway, Eli headed swiftly towards the Ravenclaw tower.
It wasn't as crowded as it was this morning, when people were flicking away their bags to the station with one wave of the wand. Right now, there were only a few students who were hopelessly searching of things they'd left and lost in the common room since December.
A small girl struggled down from the staircase that led to the girl's dormitories. "Eli! Hey!" Holly tugged her heavy bag with one last burst of strength, forcing the case to slide down the last few stops-almost kicking her legs. "I got you bag for you" she nodded at canvas satchel falling from her shoulder. "I was going to meet you at the classroom but I guess you're here now…" her voice was trailing for she was much more preoccupied with making sure she'd brought down every one of her own luggage.
Elise smiled a' thanks' before taking the bag and slinging it across her body. "Why didn't you send your larger trucks to the station this morning?"
Holly flipped her blonde bangs away from her face and finally looked up at her friend with a funny face "…I forgot…" she nervously giggled before pulling out her wand and quickly waving at the truck, making it disappear. She was left standing with only her small backpack.
"And I got Calcifer for you" Bradley walked in from to door of the common room just stopping in front the Rowena's statue, holding up a bird cage with the Elise's long eared owl. He stood with his own backpack packed on his back and his frog, Myrta, caged in his other hand. "But I don't think he's too fond of Myrta" he laughed following the bird's dark gaze towards the ribitting frog, occasionally screeching.
"You two better write to me this summer" the three walked down towards Hogsmeade with the pool of students also heading out to the station. Holly excitedly sauntered down the dirt road with a hopeful smile towards Eli and Bradley. A few other third year Ravenclaws walked along side the two; Patricia Rogerson, a lanky tall redhead, Alvernia Jones, or Al for short, was Bradley's right hand man, a friendly fellow with too many stories, and the Frampton Twins, Charlie and Gregory, two unlikely brothers who were complete opposites, Greg was a little too rambunctious and Charlie was a little too bashful.
"I'm sure Bradley, here, won't miss a month" Greg cracked and Holly immediately blushed at the comment- Bradley following with a nervous chuckle, looking away with his hands in his pockets.
"Greg, honestly" Charlie was embarrassed for the two and for his brother's remark, thumping his brother in his arm.
Al threw an arm around his best friend with a wide smirk "Make that daily"
Eli and Patricia giggled at their reaction; Elise quickening her pace to fall into step with Holly who was trying to suppress her blush, even still. "I can't promise daily..." she looked back at Bradley who was still looking away as he walked, trying to be as casual even though they were all well aware of his nerves "but will monthly, count?"
Her face slowly relaxed and now she was genuinely smiling at her best friend; Holly parted her lips to speak but then they were all suddenly interrupted.
"Miss Potter...Miss Potter!" Her voice could be heard over the students' voices, but it became even clearer as curious students quieted to hear.
All the way down the unpaved road from Hogsmeade came Professor McGonagall, her robes ruffling rapidly behind her as she scurried to Elise and her group. There was a stern and yet distressful expression on her face. When her eyes had lain upon the girl, she'd stopped hollering her name and quickly made her way through the students.
Elise was stunned a bit and stopped in her trial, in fact, most for the student did, just to watch what was going on.
"Y-yes Professor?"
Was she getting busted for the duel, maybe McGonagall had found out and was about to expel and forbid her from returning to Hogwarts…
When she finally stood face to face with the Potter, her eyes fell soft and she sighed faintly.
So she wasn't in trouble?
"You need to come with me, quickly, please say goodbye to your friends..." she spoke concise and clear and yet Elise didn't understand.
"Am I not going on the train-"
"I'm afraid not, my dear…please quickly"
The girl looked back at her concerned friends who smiled reassuringly to her. "Go on…" Bradley finally spoke.
"…Remember, we'll write soon" Holly smiled once again but this time with a little sad expression on her face.
She nodded, looking down at her feet before looking up to meet all their gazes. Leaving her friends felt odd and so frightening…. Was she about to embark on something where she wouldn't see them again?
"My dear, please hurry" McGonagall outreached her arm to help and direct her to where to go.
"Professor, what is it? Where are we going?" Eli briskly walked, following the woman and ignoring the innocent looks and stares she received from those who she was passing and struggling to weave through.
The professor didn't speak a word; her pained expression in getting the girl to the Inn was the only thing Elise received. It wasn't until they had beaten the crowd of students and quickly ducked into the Three Broomsticks Inn did the professor finally acknowledge Elise's question.
"I'm afraid there has been an incident…" she spoke softly while they walked through the door into a somewhat crowded inn. The rush wasn't as alive as it was during her trips to Hogsmeade with her friends; today only adults occupied the small tavern.
"…What kind of incident..."
The young blonde barmaid, Ms. Rosmerta, stepped out from the behind the bar, quickly handing the drink to a customer before hastily walking up to the McGonagall and Elise.
"Have you gotten any news of others? Did Dumbledore….-"
Dumbledore?
The woman nodded a no, stopping the teacher before she could continue, and then the professor took a sigh of relief, holding her chest. "Thank heavens….we already have enough, I don't think the stu-"
She didn't like what she was hearing. What was happening, why were they so concerned? "…Professor…" Eli finally, stopped the two and dreadfully and curiously called for attention. What was going on?
Rosmerta finally looked over to Elise, a sad and pitiful look on her face; the Professor also looked sideways towards her student. She didn't feel comfortable telling her, she didn't feel comfortable telling any of the other students either.
Once again, Elise received no response; instead, McGonagall insisted she follow her up to one of the private rooms. She obeyed…reluctantly….
The professor knocked, once and then twice, before slowly opening the door.
There stood, professor Slughorn, Flitwick and Sport, the house heads, worried next to Headmaster Dumbledore and Mr. Crouch, the head of the Magical Law Enforcement?
At once, they all looked up at her and McGonagall, but Elise didn't realize the severity of the situation until her eyes had laid upon James and Sirius sitting still and somber next to a few other students; two crying Gryffindor sisters, a quiet Hufflepuff boy in the corner, three lone Ravenclaws and only one Slytherin boy… Regulus…
But he could be the least of her problems at the moment.
"Eli…" James let out a sigh of relief but the sense of grief was still concentrated in the air. He stood and up and walked up to her and held her quickly into a tight hug. Elise was stricken with fear. She stared at her brother's chest, stunned and surprised but frightful.
"I must take my leave…." Mr. Crouch left, he wasn't able to handle any much of this, and so he quickly left with an apologetic gesture towards Dumbledore.
"J-James…?"
"Eli…" Sirius had slowly walked up but stopped himself a step short from the two.
"…Dad…" he let out a heavy breath and she didn't know why tears were suddenly starting to weal in her eyes. "…he's dead…" his sweater caught all of her tears. She never knew when to stop; crying was the only thing her body knew how to respond to the horrible news. While she didn't believe any of it, she managed to cry even harder into her brother's shirt.