11
Albus Dumbledore sat in silence as he intently listened to Harry and Elle. His tiny eyes glinted to the light of his desk candle. But he didn't seem surprised. When they finished, he smiled.
"I see you two have finally done it." said Dumbledore, pleased; the tips of his fingers touching. "Don't get me wrong, I knew nothing about this. But I wasn't completely ignorant about it either."
"Sir?" said Harry, confused and somewhat annoyed.
"I knew you had something very significant about each other. You asked me before if I knew something important, Harry. I did, but I couldn't very well tell you without knowing what it is. But you've done it, both of you. You found each other."
Harry and Elle refused to look at each other. Smiling, the professor sensed something between them, an unspoken strength and wave of passion.
"Professor, the thing is, we don't know what to do about it. We're confused, really, on where to start and how," said Elle.
"Well, now you know you need the other one to complete the banishing of the Dark Lord. Quite simple. But you'll need a lot more than just the power of the other. Say you've got Voldermort cornered and both of you throw him a spell together, it's very likely that he'll have one of you caught in his wand too, and one of you will die. He, though, will live. Now, what use is the one left without the other?"
"That's the problem," said Harry in a breath. Dumbledore focused on Elle this time, a gleam in his eye switched something on in Elle's head, and she said, "we'll have to be one."
Harry looked at her, perplexed. "What does that mean?"
"It means, Harry, that you and Ms. Matthews will need the very thing that saved you, to destroy him."
Harry left ahead. He didn't seem very pleased about the information, and Elle knew he was still affected by the whole thing because he left with giving her just one look before disappearing out of the room. It hurt Elle that it upset him, but she couldn't let that get in the way of what she knew they had to do to. Anyway, after all this, Elle thought, she'll be out of his life. And be to him as vapor as she once had been.
"Professor, I have a question," said Elle the moment Harry shut the door. The professor was now standing next to the table of refreshments, pouring himself some Brandy. "Go ahead, Ms. Matthews."
"The things I know about Harry are just as vague as my dreams can be sometimes, but if there's one thing I know to be especially true. It's what his mother did to save him."
Dumbledore looked at her and took a swig of his drink.
"But I don't know what saved me," said Elle. She frowned miserably at herself.
"Elle," Dumbledore began, "do you believe that what save you wasn't strong enough to destroy him?"
"Well, he still lived after that. Until Harry finished him off."
The professor gave a light chuckle. "Ah, the wonders of the young mind. I bet you even if he did attack Harry first, he would still have lived. And you would have finished him off."
Elle shrugged and forced a weak smile on. The professor then put a hand gently on her shoulder and locked his eyes on hers, with a sudden seriousness. "Love is as mysterious as people put it. No one can really give meaning to it, perfectly describe it, because it simply is beyond description. Love has reasons the heart cannot understand, and it also does things that need no explaining. You just need to believe in it. Don't you believe then that it saved both you and Harry for a special purpose?"
Elle nodded, speechless but truly considering idea.
"Then you don't need to question its mysteries. Voldermort couldn't understand love, and a love that much defeated him. I believe if he stumbled upon it once again—one stronger—it'll be the end of him."
"I don't think Harry will forgive me. I feel it'll take a lot more to earn his trust again." Elle said sadly.
"If I may say so, Ms. Matthews, he's already way ahead of you," said Dumbledore. Looking up, Elle threw him a puzzled look. She could tell he was smiling from under his long beard, and could swear she saw him wink.
After that day, Harry refused to talk to Hermoine and Ron regarding how he felt about Elle. And they refrained from mentioning it, anyway, afraid it would stir an outburst of emotions they couldn't even picture out. All they did for the next few weeks was concentrate on finding out what they needed to do to destroy the Dark Lord—that "oneness" that the professor had mentioned. Elle, on the other hand, concentrated on acting like nothing's happened whenever Draco was around. Draco had a great senses when it came to people hiding something. He could tell just by the way one sat, ate, moved, wrote, talked and sometimes, even breathed, that they were hiding something. And since Elle had to do all of these around him, she had to be very very careful. She had to mind her every move being that Draco was the one person that knew her the most in the castle.
Eating a piece of cake, Elle forked on it resignedly. Across her were Crabbe and Goyle, next to her were Draco and Lavender on either side. She tried desperately to act as normal as she could. Just extra gestures could set her off. Draco stole a piece of her cake and chewed on it savagely.
"Something's wrong with it." muttered Draco. "Funny aftertaste. Don't you taste it, Elle?"
"No, I don't," said Elle as she put a piece in her mouth and ate. "Nothing's wrong with it."
Draco let out a disgusted snort. "Think those elves are getting sick of the same routine every day. Really, someone should entertain them. I can already imagine those Weasel twins making fools of themselves trying to." He was referring to Fred and George who were talking loudly in the Gryffindor table. Crabbe and Goyle snickered. Elle looked at their way then at Harry who wasn't sitting very far from them.
"I really wish they do one of their pathetic rule-breakings again so they'll finally get expelled." Draco added, elbowing Elle jokingly. He continued to insult them, but Elle didn't laugh. She didn't even give a response. She just continued to eat. She was thinking about Harry now that she saw him. They haven't talked in a while, and she was beginning to feel he was deliberately avoiding her.
"What's the matter with you?" Draco asked, breaking Elle's chain of thought. Elle trembled slightly at the sound of Draco's harsh tone.
"What?" Elle looked at him, annoyed.
"Weren't you listening?" said Draco. He was looking at her, disgruntled. Elle shook her head. "I told you there's something funny in that cake. Stop eating it." Draco ordered.
"I find it tastes good. I think I'll finish it." said Elle finally and cut the last piece into two then finished it. Draco glared at her in disbelief. She had just unknowingly answered him back. Elle caught herself and cursed in her head. She felt Draco's eyes about to bore a hole on her back.
"You're odd lately, Elle," said Draco as he returned to his plate. "You better mind your manners before I decide to do something about it you're not going to like."
Elle kept her mouth shut for the rest of the meal. On the other side of the room, however, was a less heated conversation. Harry had just finished his second serving of strawberry pie and was just about to cut himself another slice when, for a fleeting second, his eyes swept passed the Slytherin table. He immediately caught sight of Elle, concentrated on her plate. She was looking rather anxious, Harry could tell. And when he saw that icy blond hair of a boy next to him, Harry realized why. Draco Malfoy was talking, as usual with an annoying smirk on his face. Harry groaned inside. Oh how he hated Malfoy, and now that he was sitting right next to Elle, Harry couldn't help but feel a little tinge of jealousy rise. He swore to himself that one day he'd give Malfoy the torment he deserved. He just needed to give it time.
When a burst of laughter erupted next to him, Harry looked at Fred and George. They were performing some trick that sent the table laughing loud enough to catch the other house tables' attention. Though the twins had already finished their seven year course in Hogwarts, they were invited by Professor Dumbledore to have a showcase of all their own original products. Ron wasn't so happy to see them, though, being the sibling they liked to bully the most.
Harry had now forgotten about what he was feeling earlier, but at that moment Elle had her eyes on him.