Important Note: As the chapter title says, there is a big argument in this chapter. Elizabeth is not portrayed in the best light, and this is probably the first angsty chapter I've written. This was not easy to write but very vital to the story. Just please, please, hang in there and stick with me through all this. It was a long time coming, and everything will make sense in a few chapters, and I promise that I will be updating very soon so you all are not kept left hanging. Hopefully, by the end of the week or early next week, it will all be resolved, as I'm planning to write a lot this week. This is too big an arc to put in one chapter. It'd just be unrealistic if I did.

Minerva McGonagall watched Elizabeth enter the maze, with apprehension in her heart. She knew that the maze had been stripped of danger, but she didn't like that she was going off to perform the spell by herself. Though Elizabeth didn't say it, Minerva could sense that the restorative spell wasn't something Elizabeth wanted her to see. But why? And why would Elizabeth be so comfortable with doing it by herself?

Dumbledore walked up to stand beside her. "Mr. Black has returned to his seat in the stands. His worry for Harry's wellbeing is equal to the concern Arthur and Molly Weasley show for their children." he said. He turned his head to look at her, and she met his gaze with the same grace she always did, despite her internal fear. "It's difficult for parents to know their children are putting themselves at risk, isn't it?" he asked.

Minerva knew Albus better than anyone else. So she understood that was his way of allowing her to open up to him about her thoughts on the current situation, rather than him just asking a question and wanting an answer.

"As worried as I am for her safety, I'm even more worried about how easy it was for her to leave and do it on her own. She's a child, doing something like that, and understanding the complexity of the situation better than all of us, it should have her shaking and scared. I know she is strong but to this level… it's unnatural, Albus."

They both turned back to watch the maze. Since they were not in the stands, they couldn't tell where Elizabeth was. Arguably, Minerva should have been sitting in the stands, watching her daughter closely, but the entrance felt safer to her. As if all it took to be with Elizabeth as she did the spell was just to take a few steps, instead of going through an entire maze.

"She is a remarkable person, Minerva. And I find that sometimes the most remarkable have secrets that we cannot even fathom." Albus replied.

"Why wouldn't she tell me? I've known her the whole time she's been here, she's been my daughter for almost a year. I didn't want to pepper her with questions about her past before we were officially family, but I thought she would know she could come to me with anything. And yet, tonight she revealed something I didn't know a thing about. I won't deny that it concerns me."

"I think we have all discovered tonight that Elizabeth has more secrets than any of us knew."

Elizabeth walked out of the maze into utter chaos. People were crying, Cho Chang was sobbing, and the professors were trying to calm everyone down and get students inside. Ginny came running up to Elizabeth and hugged her tightly.

"What the heck were you doing in that maze? My mum wouldn't let me go down to see you, then you went inside, and there was that huge blast and flash of light, I got so worried!" She exclaimed.

"I'll explain everything, Gin. I promise. But, what happened?" Elizabeth asked once Ginny let her go. At that point, Mr. Weasley came up to them, looking quite relieved.

"Ginny! There you are! You shouldn't have come down here by yourself! Your mother only let you stay on the terms that we stick together!" Mr. Weasley scolded, hugging his daughter close.

"Dad, I needed to see Elizabeth! And I told you where I was going!" Ginny retorted.

"I was busy talking to Professor Burbage!"

"Both of you, please stop! Will someone please tell me what happened?" Elizabeth asked, breaking up the fight.

Both redheads' faces went pale at her question.

"Harry, he came back… but Cedric was dead."

An hour later, Elizabeth was in her mum's quarters with Remus watching over her. He had attended the task with Sirius and was now in charge of keeping Elizabeth in Minerva's quarters, safe and sound. She was technically supposed to be asleep, but after learning what had happened, Remus understood her need to be awake for any news. They were currently sitting at the kitchen table, drinking cups of hot chocolate.

"Is Harry going to be alright?" Elizabeth asked.

"He should be, at least physically. But I think it will take some time for him to recover mentally from what happened." Remus replied wearily. The events of the evening took a toll on him.

"What about you? Are you feeling bad or any sort of side effect?" Remus asked.

"I'm fine, Remus. I promise. Just a little beat. But I want to stay up until my mum comes back, in case she has any news." Elizabeth responded.

Remus nodded, taking another sip of his hot chocolate. The beverage might be out of place for the summer, but he thought she needed a calming, and delicious drink.

"What about Moody?" Elizabeth inquired.

"Madam Pomfrey will sort him out." Remus reassured. Elizabeth arrived in the Hospital Wing minutes after the real Mad-Eye Moody had been discovered. Elizabeth had been shocked to hear about Barty Crouch Jr. impersonating him for the whole school year. Madam Pomfrey gave her a quick assessment and proclaimed that she was in good health, considering what she'd just done. Minerva ordered her back to their quarters to rest for the night in a safe place, and Remus had volunteered to go and make sure she stayed there this time.

Minerva did return a while later, very, very angry, the angriest Elizabeth had ever seen her.

"What happened?" She asked. Minerva looked annoyed that she was still awake.

'You ought to be in bed. After what happened today, you need your rest." She said.

"But I want to know what happened!" Elizabeth protested.

"Elizabeth, go to your room and sleep. You need it, and I won't have any teenage attitude." Minerva ordered. Elizabeth felt a little put out. Minerva had never spoken to her like that before. But she obediently went to her room, not wanting to cause any more trouble.

She crawled into bed and was happy to see Novo had teleported into her room. She had no idea why he could do what he could but was immensely grateful for it. She stroked his head as she drifted off, and fell into a deep sleep.

Elizabeth awoke the next morning, feeling refreshed but also apprehensive. She still didn't know what had happened with Harry, and would Minerva still be angry?

"Well, I won't find out anything if I don't leave my room." Elizabeth said to Novo. He meowed in response, though she wasn't sure how supportive it was. It sounded like a feed me meow instead.

Elizabeth donned a jean skirt and red shirt, and ran a brush through her long hair, leaving it unbraided for the time being. She looked ready for the day, whatever it held. She walked out of her bedroom and was surprised to see that it was past nine. It was unusual for her to sleep in that late, but she supposed it wasn't that weird, considering how tired she was last night.

"Good morning." She heard Minerva say. She was in the kitchen, drinking a cup of tea.

"Good morning." Elizabeth said, a little unsurely.

"I apologize for being cross with you last night. I had received some terrible news, and took it out on you, even though it had little to do with you." Minerva apologized.

Elizabeth smiled, happy that this was resolved. "I understand. When people are angry, they're usually irrational." She agreed. Minerva nodded and passed her a cup of water. As Elizabeth drank it, Minerva said, "We need to talk about last night."

"We do. What happened to Harry?" Elizabeth asked.

Minerva's lips went thin. "I'll tell you in a moment. But first, why didn't you tell me about the connection you have to the protective wards?" she asked.

Elizabeth choked on her water. That wasn't what she was expecting. "What, what do you mean?" She asked, afraid she already knew.

"I mean, you have power over Hogwarts that no one else does, aside from… you know. And, it is a very important power that ensures the safety of the residents of everyone in the castle. Why did you keep it a secret?" Minerva asked.

Elizabeth became very, very, pale. She was afraid this would happen. "I, I, I thought I would jinx it if I talked about it." she said quietly.

Minerva saw through her lie. "You know how irrational that is. You're a smart girl, you wouldn't think a thing like that."

Elizabeth gulped. "Can, can we please not talk about this?" she asked.

Minerva looked at her suspiciously. What was going on with her? "Why? Last night proved how important this is. Why wouldn't you have told me or anyone else about it? You could have gotten to the grounds much faster if I were aware of what the warning meant, or Madam Pomfrey even. Why did you keep it a secret?" she pressed.

Elizabeth started to sweat. Her panic was increasing, and her brain was going a million miles an hour. What was she going to do? How was she going to get out of this? Could she get away? She didn't want to be here….

"Please… can we talk about this later?" she pleaded in a very quiet tone.

This concerned Minerva. "Elizabeth, I only want to understand what happened." she said.

"You don't understand!" Elizabeth exclaimed. She looked as surprised as Minerva at the words that came out of her mouth. "You'll never understand! Can you please just leave me alone?!" she demanded, hoping that this all would end.

This angered Minerva. "Elizabeth, I'm just trying to have a conversation with you. Events occurred last night that proved there are things about you that I don't know. And, that is not something I want to happen, since I'm your mother-" Elizabeth cut her off.

"YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER!"

Minerva was stunned. Elizabeth was at this point crying. But she didn't stop. The floodgates had opened, and all the things she worked so hard to keep secret came tumbling out.

"MY MOTHER IS GONE! SO DON'T PRETEND THAT YOU'RE MY MOTHER WHEN YOU AREN'T!" Elizabeth yelled. Her face was red with an emotion she couldn't begin to describe, and Minerva stood there in shock and anger.

"Elizabeth, you do not speak that way to me. You agreed to the adoption, you signed your name on the parchment. I don't understand why you are acting like this, and if you stop yelling and explain yourself, we can move past this." Minerva said, trying to gain control of her anger and the situation.

Elizabeth was shaking. "Move past this? MOVE PAST THIS? YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I GO THROUGH, AND I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU BECAUSE I'M SUPPOSED TO BE PAST ALL THIS! AND EVEN IF I'M HONEST ABOUT MY GRIEF AND WHAT I REALLY FEEL, THEN I LOOK UNGRATEFUL AND SPOILED! AND NO ONE I KNOW UNDERSTANDS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE SO ALONE!"

Elizabeth was sobbing. The defenses she had worked so hard to build and maintain had broken down, leaving her completely vulnerable. And, unluckily, she was left vulnerable at the exact moment Minerva fired back.

The elder witch didn't know what to think. The girl she had fought for, cared for, adopted as her daughter, had said that she wasn't her mother. It felt like she was being disowned by her own child, the one she loved with all her heart. Her own heart felt like it was being ripped out, and she too lost control of her words, too wrapped up in her emotion to think straight.

"If you don't see me as a mother figure, and I'm not important enough to be a confidant for you, then fine. As of this moment, I'm no longer your mum. You can be as alone as you want." she said simply. Minerva could feel her heart breaking on the inside.

Elizabeth stood there. She was silent. As was Minerva. It was as if time stopped in the room. Until Elizabeth turned around, and walked out the door, closing it behind her with a soft click.