Just so that everyone knows and doesn't wonder about the change in tense, I've decided to make the story third person past tense rather than third person present tense because it sounds better in my mind if I do that! I'll go back and change the other chapters, but for now its just this one onwards!
I can't apologise enough for the lack of posting with this story, or Life, Love, and Marriage According to the Ministry, but I plan to update LLMAM in the next couple of days and hopefully will be posting more regularly after that!
Chapter Seven
Elaina was incredibly nervous as she finally managed to follow the four Marauders into the Great Hall, trailing behind them despite James and Sirius both having insisted on holding each of her hands in their own for some sort of moral support. She couldn't say she didn't appreciate the gesture as she was confronted with the full glory of the Entrance Hall, let alone the massive imposing hall into which they were now making their way.
If nothing had managed to prepare her for the sight of the halls of Hogwarts, this... Was something else entirely. She wasn't able to take in the full magnificence of it all in one glance, and had it not been for the boys tugging her along, she felt sure she would have stopped and spent a long time taking it in.
Of course, had she not had the Marauders flanking her, she would also have noticed the number of students in the cavernous room who'd turned to stare at them all, or the silence which had fallen. This all, she did of course notice, however a moment too late to be able to turn around and flee as she inexplicably wanted to because the grips on her hands had tightened in her moment of hesitation and refused to let her do as she wished.
Elaina had a faint sense that she should have been scared about their restraining of her, however she couldn't work out why exactly that was. She knew the sort of thing which had happened to her, but she had no specific idea of it all, and so to feel some niggling in the back of her mind which suggested she should panic at that moment was still a little odd. Of course, there was the other fact that she'd probably just lost herself in some dream which was how she found herself there in the first place, but still... At that moment she wasn't at all sure she'd not want it to actually be real if it could be.
'Come on love, you've got this. Just aim for Ravenclaw again or Hufflepuff and we'll get you through.' Fighting it off, she gave up the fruitless resistance as both Potter and Black looked at her with matching expressions, as if to tell her that despite the way they'd had to help her down some of the stairs, blocking her line of sight as they averted their eyes as if by that they could help her down without letting on that they'd realised how much the long drops had left her shaking, they believed she could be brave enough to do this. Which was an entirely normal level of bravery considering it was what a whole load of first years had to do every year.
Concentrate on that, and you'll be fine. Elaina told herself as she strode along nervously behind them, trying to focus on the fact that she had yet to work any of this out yet, and not on the way that if she allowed her gaze to stray, she would be able to pick out any number of students who had some connection to the generation she'd read about. In the books. The books about the boy who's father's hand she was currently clinging onto for dear life as he and his best friend tugged her towards the front of the Hall. It was obvious that they knew exactly what had happened, obvious as much as it was that they were continuing to hide something from her, namely what Pettigrew had meant by her taking one of them back, but she'd have to ignore that for the moment.
Somewhere along the line, Remus and Pettigrew had split off from their small group, and she looked back to see where they were, feeling slightly more scared as she realised she'd been so engrossed in her thoughts that despite their annoyingly slow progress through the space, they'd managed to reach the stool on which the Sorting Hat rested, flanked by a rather imposing looking Albus Dumbledore.
Elaina had already decided that she wouldn't tell anyone about what had happened to her really, that she'd woken up in the Hospital Wing with no memory of how she got there and homesick for a world that hadn't even happened yet. It would do no good for her, and looking up into the twinkling eyes of the Headmaster for a moment before she dropped her gaze down and away, she reiterated that it would be no good for anyone else if she was to be sent away to a specialist ward at St. Mungo's either. No, she decided as she gave the boys' hands one last squeeze and whispered her thanks before she'd found her arms curling around her, I will stay, I will keep my mouth shut, and if I don't wake up before it all begins to happen, I will fight.
'Miss Devereux. Might I say that it is such a pleasure to have you up and about again. I would rather we stayed here and talked as old friends, however I am sure that your friends are positively champing at the bit to see you again, and the others are desperate to know what they can about your stay in the Hospital Wing as well.' Dumbledore told her, his cheery voice almost booming through her in a way that made her sure that all those currently straining to hear closest to them would no doubt now be whispering to their classmates. Sure enough, it was only a moment before she heard the sound of whispers echo though the Hall, and was more grateful than she could express when Black and Potter turned to face the hall and made their way back to the Gryffindor table to join their friends on the mimed request from the Headmaster.
'Miss Devereux?' Elaina found herself whispering, a question to herself really. Was she called Elaina Devereux here? Was that a muggleborn or a pureblood name? She had no idea, and yet she found herself hoping for the former even though she felt some guilt over not wanting to be a pureblood if she could help it. It was no doubt the opposite of what she should want in the world of the time, but still, she cleared her throat and her mind and attempted to speak so that she could be heard. 'I-Thank you, Professor?' She forced out between suddenly dry lips. Why could she bring herself to speak to the silly Marauder boys, to Pettigrew no less, but not to Dumbledore.
'Alas, there is nothing I have done which should be thanked.' Was the only response she received, along with a glimpse of some pain in the much elder man's eyes before he began to usher her towards the stool, lifting the Sorting Hat himself as she sat down on the chair, dropping a little because of how low it was. They couldn't have made it larger, of course... That would be too easy for people who could use magic after all. She knew that she shouldn't have been so sarcastic in her mind before the Sorting Hat began to analyse her, but she couldn't help it, the embarrassment of the situation added to her nervousness, panic, and shaking limbs too much to keep it away.
The Hat said but one thing to her in the instant it touched her head. She had, quite honestly, expected to become a Hat Stall due to the length of time it took the Hat to sift through her memories and thoughts in an attempt to find an answer to what she was... But no, she got one thing before it immediately shouted the course her life would now take - to an entirely shocked, and in some cases horrified, crowd of students and professors.
'Merlin woman, don't let me regret this.'
'GRYYYYFFFFIIIINNNDDDDOOORRRRRRR!'
