Let me apologize for the delay. It was both intentional and not; I already have further with the chapters and then contracted an illness—story block. Serious-ly? Nah. Not me but Harry's godfather. Then I, cough, started, cough, another, cough, story. I dunno what happened but I finished that story quicker than this one in my mind. Aha-ha-ha, shame me.
Maybe it's because the second story in my head was like a side story, nah, quick story? I definitely didn't work on the paragraphs there than here. They're NOT in any way connected but I'd appreciate if you can drop there too, Read and Review:
LEAST LOVED. It's a story focusing on Ron and his second chance. The chapters are shorter compared to this story though but it's a quick paced one.
Previously on For Blood We Bleed:
"How're we getting to King's Cross tomorrow, Dad?" Fred, Ellie guessed, asked.
AN: Basically, Ellie 'returned' to her world, met her favorite character—Harry Potter, worked with the goblins, learned while at Diagon Alley, met the Weasleys and Hermione, and finally on their way to Hogwarts. Hope this quick recap helps.
Disclaimer: I own nothing about Harry Potter and the cover image.
Chapter 7: To Hogwarts
"I need to talk to you in private," Harry told Ron and Hermione when the train has left the platform. They're still standing by the hallway, about to find their compartment.
"Go away, Ginny," pushed Ron to her younger sister.
"Oh, that's nice," Ginny scowled at Ron as she walked away.
Ellie turned to follow Ginny as she decided to give the three their Golden Trio space. She wanted to join them but they needed time for themselves. She understood she's only the new friend here so she needed to give them their usual space. She just wished they won't need to share any deadly encounters like the three did with the troll on their first year just so she can be their friend, too. Nonetheless, she'll never selfishly demand their complete acceptance of her as she'd rather have true friends than simply allies.
Walking away from Harry, Ellie felt loneliness creeping at her stomach. She's just so used to being with him as they've always been together in Diagon Alley. Doing things together, eating together, juts always together.
"Ellie, where are you going?" Harry pulled her arm.
Startled, she looked back at him. "Oh, I thought you need to talk in private?"
At the corner of her eyes, she noticed Ginny looking back at them. Feeling guilty, she ignored the younger girl for now. She felt too happy that she could stay with him. Although she quite knew the people here through the book, the idea of meeting them and talking with them scared her a bit.
"You have to help me explain it to them," Harry said as if stating the obvious.
"Err, okay?" she answered hesitantly. Explain. They didn't talked about this explaining-thing before but she had an idea what she's about to help explaining with the other two.
They found the only almost empty compartment at the end of the corridor. It has a single occupant who seemed to be fast asleep. And he's an adult. This puzzled the three since there's usually no adult in the train aside from the witch who sold the sweets.
Originally, Ellie wasn't bothered on this when she read the book but thinking it over now she's torn to believing either this was a plot by Dumbledore or maybe Lupin has no extra for riding the Knight Bus or energy to simply apparating to Hogwarts. She'd have to watch closely this ever loyal man of Dumblydore.
"Who'd you reckon he is?" Ron asked as they observed the stranger's shabby robes and sickly complexion.
"Professor R. J. Lupin," whispered Hermione.
"How'd you know that?" asked Ron in surprise and awe.
"It's on his case," she pointed towards the battered case by the rack.
Embarrassed, he tried once again to save his first blunder. "Wonder what he teaches?" Ron sat next to Harry next to the window, across the sleeping professor.
"That's obvious, Ronald. There's only one vacancy, isn't there? Defense Against the Dark Arts." Hermione answered, stifling an eye roll, as Ellie sat next to her, just next to the sliding door.
Hermione clasped her mouth when she realized she talked too loudly. They watched the sleeping professor and when Harry deemed him to be sleeping he told them what he heard from Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys 'talk' last night. Then he told them that Mr. Weasley earlier asked him to never look for Sirius Black. Ellie, on the other hand, made sure that she had confounded Scabbers and led him to sleep with a simple wandless charm. For proper measures, he put a Silencing Charm on its cage.
"Sirius Black escaped to come after you? Oh, Harry!" Hermione felt troubled.
There was silence inside the compartment.
"No one even knows how he got out of Azkaban," Ron quietly reminded them.
They knew about Azkaban. It's the magical fortress-prison set on an island in the middle of the sea, Hermione confirmed it to be in the middle of the North Sea since she read ahead. It's hidden from the muggles and completely unplottable. But the worse part of this prison was the presence of its guards, the dementors. Most of the prisoners inside its walls died of despair, having lost the will to live.
"But Ellie, has another thought," Harry looked up at the silent Ellie who's looking at the door as if waiting for something or someone.
When Harry met this girl, he never thought she'd grow in him. She's the most wonderful girl she met, even compared with Hermione. She has always taken him as priority and he felt cherished which was a very fresh feeling. He's valued not because of being The-Boy-Who-Lived but because he's Harry, just Harry. His thoughts and ideas were always heard as she encouraged him speaking up. She asked what he wanted and even if she tried to be as subtle, he knew she's helping him to cope with his status. She's teaching him things he should know and probably will save him not only against Voldemort and his followers but also in living in the magical world that's full of prejudice and olden traditions. Not only those, but she'd always answer his questions without lying, though sometimes she'd answered vaguely.
The wonderful girl simply understood him. His pain from his childhood, his loss for his love ones, his confusion with his new world, his need for care and friendship, the understanding for his actions and the simple happiness that made appearance every now and then. She knew just what to do to make things alright for him as if he's an open book to her. This should have scared him but all he felt was happiness being with her.
"Ellie?" he called her softly.
Ellie who was lost in her mind as she tried to remember the next thing to happen on this ride, heard her name being called. She turned to them and noticed that Lupin's ear twitched. She smiled at herself, closely watching the 'sleeping' man on the corner of her eyes.
"Well, as I told Harry, I thought different from what everyone believes."
"How so?" asked Hermione.
Ellie told them what she told Harry back in the Knight Bus. His parents and their friends while in Hogwarts, with Sirius Black's personal and family backgrounds, about Voldemort's first rise to power and the hiding of some families for being personally targeted by the mad Dark Lord. She dropped hints that there seemed to be some unknown factors playing at the background, especially when it's reported that Sirius Black killed Peter Pettigrew. Unknown backstory, loopholes in the reported incidents, seemed to swim in her story. She was proud of herself as Lupin seemed to hear most of her recount. She wanted him to wake up from being puppet with the old coot. Hopefully.
"Think about it, the only remains found in the blasting site was a finger from Peter Pettigrew. There was no splatter or blood, no whatever from the guy. It was an explosion for one and all the victims left quite a lot more than a cut finger."
Ellie always made her stand sound logical and answered their comments with both truths and rumor of somewhat. This was the best way for the meantime, she promised herself to tell them the whole truth when the chances were no longer against them.
"I think the Ministry had some concrete evidence if they didn't give Sirius Black any trial. It must have been the case," explained Hermione.
"No, it should never be the case. Every criminal or suspect is entitled to his trial," countered Ellie. "Maybe it was a chaotic time but there's always after the cleanup. Why even those believed to be Death Eaters were simply liberated when they claimed being under Imperius Curse when a simple Veritaserum can tell the ministry the truth. You see now there's something working under these cases."
Ellie wanted to tell them that it was all Pettigrew and Death Eaters and all the bigots in the ministry! But she knew it will just complicate things. She needed to lay the traps first before making a move. The enemies weren't just Voldemort and his horcruxes. It was a long road to trek, she thought.
They continued their banter but none won. No one mind, though. They only got mostly with guesswork and logical analysis since they didn't have any evidences yet. They actually enjoyed it especially Ron who seemed to flourish with strategic discussion, one of the things Ellie noticed with this chess genius. At the end, Harry, Ron and Hermione, seemed to be almost converted, at least they started thinking for themselves not simply following the herd of sheep-wizardkind.
Ron and Hermione also recounted their stay in Egypt and France with their own families. At midafternoon, though, it started to rain. Then the lady of the sweets trolley arrived and they bought a small mountain of sweets from her.
Around the same hour, they received an unpleasant visit from Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle who seemed intent to make it a habit every time they rode the train. Draco stood there with his usual smirk and was about to talk nasty when he noticed an adult inside their compartment. He obviously blanked out. A snigger from Ron woke him up.
"Who's that?" he scowled and then his eyes found Ellie who's busy with her chocolate frogs. He looked at her in furrowed brows.
"New teacher. Do you need something, Malfoy?" asked Harry as he watched him.
Malfoy wouldn't actually risk it when there's a teacher next to them. He looked icily at Harry and Ron and then back at Ellie. Ellie, however, didn't care much for anytime now their guest will arrive.
Suddenly, the train jolted and started to slow down.
"We can't be there yet," said the surprised Hermione.
The pistons of the train went off as the lamps inside the train died down, plunging the place in darkness. There were voices of surprise, confusion, dismay, pain, and then sounds of moving around, some kicking, banging and falling to the floor.
It felt somewhat cold, chilling and they noticed that it's raining harder now. Looking outside the window, Ron noticed movement outside the train.
"There's something moving out there. I think people are coming aboard," Ron said.
"Why would they? This is solely for Hogwarts students," asked Hermione. She was shivering with the rest as they stayed seated.
"Anyone injured? Ellie?" Harry called. He hasn't heard her voice since after their discussion earlier. He stood to trace his way towards her. He called again as he's feeling worried now. "Ellie?"
"Harry, sit down," she told Harry who found her side rather quickly. She has already stood in the center of the compartment, moving her wand around. "Draco, Vincent, Gregory, come inside." Ellie used to call the book characters with their first name. Being an editor has its perks and eccentricities, she used to say.
There were scrambling and some hissing as three more people entered their cabin.
"Colloportus!"
"Ellie?" Harry stood closer to her.
"It's alright, Harry. I just locked the door," she whispered back. She's experimenting if a Dementor can still enter after all the wards she set up. Though she only chanted the Locking Spell, she had already set-up various defensive wards she learned so far.
Bang!
Something hit their door which completely woke Lupin up while the rest jumped in surprise.
"Harry? Ron?" Ginny's voice came from the other side of the door.
"Hold on," answered Ellie. She opened the door and Ginny and Neville dashed inside. But since everyone was blinded in this black out she was hit on her stomach. "Ouch!"
"You alright?" she heard Harry who's never left her side asked close to her.
"Y-yeah. I'm good." It was a nice jab, though. "I think Professor's already awake with all our ruckus."
"Stay where you are." Lupin called for a small light on his wand and started scrambling from the corner to go out and probably check on the issue for the train's breakdown but another jolt from the train sent him sprawled to his original seat.
They all yelped in surprise and didn't immediately notice when the door slowly slid open. The wind that entered felt chilling and they practically felt their breaths freezing up. Then very slowly, in the dim light, a glistening, grayish, slimy looking hand appeared from outside followed by a completely hooded cloaked figure. It was towering them, its head almost next to the ceiling. The cloaked figure seemed to move inside but they didn't hear any footsteps. Looking properly, they saw it gliding inches above the floor while making a rattling sound, slow and dragging, as if taking a deep breath.
It was suffocating. All warmth was suddenly lost. The chilling air became frigid air, compressing their lungs, making all of them light headed.
Suddenly, Ellie saw them once again, after a very long time—fire and stakes, people dragging people—no, her kind, stabbing stakes to their chest, chopping off their heads, burning them alive as the rest of the people around danced and celebrated to her kin's death. She felt the turbid air filled with smoke and smell of burning flesh. She felt the heat on her skin and shiver ran through her spine as she listened to the voices that wailing, pleaded, and even cries of children.
On the other hand, the people inside the compartment whimpered. No one knew how long the cloaked figure stayed with them. It might have been hours or seconds when suddenly a shrill voice tore the chilling silence. It was a hair raising scream, as if the owner was being tortured, full of pain and fear.
That woke Harry fast. He actually fell unconscious after that cloaked figure appeared. He didn't know why, he just felt very weak and then he heard a terrible and terrified scream from faraway. He's not sure who it was but he's sure it wasn't one of them. Soon a shrill, hair raising laughter followed, again not from one of them. He didn't know what's happening! Finally he heard a familiar voice but it was also screaming alarmingly. He never heard her so scared and wounded. He awoke and found himself down the compartment's floor next to the screaming Ellie.
"No! Mum! Dad! Noooo!"
Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes shut tight, and both hands clamping her ears as if trying to block any sounds. She was kneeling on the floor next to Harry, still screaming and wailing.
"Ellie! Ellie!" Harry shook her but she wouldn't stop, unable to recognize him.
People inside their compartment were able to calm down after Professor Lupin sent the cloaked figure away with something bright from his wand. Ellie stopped screaming but kept on bawling her eyes without recognizing their calls. Harry felt her raw fear and hurt, he hugged her and cooed her saying over and over again, 'everything's alright'. They watched Harry as he tried to call her reason.
Harry never pushed Ellie to tell him anything about herself, most especially her past. When they talked it's always about him. He was grateful but also upset that she seemed to not trust him with her own story. But now he realized her story might just be much darker than his, making it more difficult for her to talk about them. He remembered her saying once that she needed to return home first so she can know what to tell them about her family but she seemed to have an idea what may have happened to them already.
"H-Harry?" Ellie finally recognized him but she just sobbed and drowned herself to Harry's chest. "They're dead! All dead! They killed them… they're burned…" her muffled words kept rushing out as she cried her heart out.
Everyone was silently watching the two. Even Lupin didn't know what to do. All he could was to bring out chocolates and handed them each a piece. He gave the largest piece to Harry so he could share to Ellie. Everyone was grateful at the chocolate that definitely spread warmth after eating, erasing the earlier chill brought by the dark creature.
Soon Malfoy, together with Crabbe and Goyle, had to leave their compartment since they're closing in to Hogsmeade. He halfheartedly stood, exiting by the sliding door while trying to check back on the scene he's leaving in the compartment, at the still crying Ellie, with his eyes inscrutable.
AN: Thank you for reading and reviews!