Chapter 4

The blinding light surged through the room as Elethia slowly opened her eyes. There were her five friends waiting for her. Alice and Marlene smiled, seeing her awaken, while Severus, Lily, and Frank looked concerned. Elethia slowly sat up from the bed that she was in only to realize that she was in the hospital wing. She looked around and saw Madam Pomfrey tending some of the other students.

"What happened?" Elethia asked.

"Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Slughorn found you in the potion's storeroom. There was devil snare in there. If they hadn't found you, you would've..." Marlene explained.

Elethia looked away, knowing what she meant. She didn't want to think about it anymore. All that came to mind was the note and who sent it. It was rather strange indeed. She had a sneaky suspicion it was Black and his gang, but she had no proof.

"Are you sure you're alright." Lily asked.

"I've been better."

Alice chimed in to say, "I still can't believe someone tried to hurt you. Who would even do that to you?"

"Do you honestly have to ask?" Severus chimed in.

The group turned to him, and Elethia knew what he meant as he stared at her with a bored expression. He was also thinking it was them. She never thought someone would stoop so low to potentially kill her. In the couple of months that she was in Hogwarts, the boys often tormented her and Severus. She still never understood why.

"Ugh!" Lily said with disgust. "That does it! I''m going to have a word with those toerags."

She marched off until Frank stopped her by grabbing her elbow. "Wait."

"You saw what they did."

"It would be ill-advised to approach them without a plan."

"So you're saying we should let them get away with it?" Marlene asked angrily.

"No. But we need to be smart. If we confront them, then what? We need to consider the consequences before we act."

Alice stared at Frank intently to ask, "What do you suggest we do then?"

He took his wand out from his sleeve and clutched it in his hand as he addressed to Elethia, "It's time to properly teach you how to defend yourself."

Frank was true to his word as he taught Elethia in the grounds after their classes for the past couple of weeks. He was brutal, showing no mercy by using Expelliarmus to flick her wand away and knocking her to the ground or lifting her in the air upside down. He even tried to teach her Protego to reflect his spells back at him, but every time she tried, she could never measure up. The word always spilled from her lips, but the incantation was not enough.

When Elethia fell to the ground with an "oof", Frank helped her to her feet and had her sit on a rock nearby and said, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

Frank eyed her suspiciously before he said, "What's the matter?"

"It's just-I still can't get over what Black and the others tried to do. They enjoy tormenting me. I'm no more than a plaything to them."

"Well, now you'll be able to show them what you're capable of when I'm done with you."

Elethia smiled and thanked him before they went back to work. The rest of the days had been a blur. The young witch studied for her lessons and hung out with her friends, but she still never understood why the four boys always played practical jokes, especially on Severus and her. It was why she bonded with him so well as they discussed how horrible they were. They were in the library doing their homeworks until they heard, "Well, well. We've got Cromwell and Snivelus."

They turned to see Black, Potter, and Pettigrew. Snape glared at them when they called him that horrible nickname. Elethia watched Pettigrew stuff his face with the sugar quills on the table, while Potter sat beside Elethia, while Black sat across from them by sitting next to Severus. He took the parchment from Severus's hands and immediately stood from his seat, avoiding Snape, while Severus ordered him to give it back.

"What is it, Snivelus? A letter to your mother?" The three boys then ran out of the library, while Madam Pince told them to quiet down. Elethia and Severus decided to chase them down, so they did. Some of the students made their way for them by nearly shoving themselves against the wall and then asked each other if they were alright.

The three boys ran all the way to the clocktower courtyard with Severus and Elethia trailing behind them. Their mouths slightly parted when Black threw Severus's homework in the fountain. There were students watching the whole scene as they saw the three boys laughing, while Severus picked up his drenched homework. Elethia glared at them and made her way over as she pushed Black, forcing him to stumble, but the grin still remained on his face, while James and Pettigrew went "ooh".

"I think she wants you, Sirius." Potter said.

"Do I look like I'm in a gaming mood?" Elethia snapped at him.

Potter raised his hands. His smirk never left his face, while Pettigrew's nearly wavered. The only one's who fell completely was Black's as Elethia said, "Why don't you all leave us alone and go on with your pathetic lives."

Black narrowed his eyes, and a smirk graced his lips, while Elethia glared at him one last time before she headed back to Severus until she heard Black exclaim, "Flipendo!"

Elethia felt a hard shove against her back. The next thing she knew, she found herself in the fountain. All of the students laughed at her, except for Severus.

"Looks like someone wanted to go for a swim." James laughed.

Snape extended his hand, helping her out of the fountain, and then glared at the trio. Elethia's tears prickled her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She didn't want to give them the satisfaction.

"Come on." Snape said, while he narrowed his eyes at the boys. "Let's get you back to your Common Room."

Elethia looked back when Severus escorted her out of the Courtyard, watching the boys stare at her with such mischief, while her peers laughed at her. The young witch couldn't help but feel humiliated as she was being led away from the awful scene.