The Amazing Thing About: Friendship. Chapter fifteen.
Author's note.
Hello and welcome to chapter fifteen! We are finally at the halfway point of this installation of The Amazing Things series. If you've read this far I would like to thank you. We have a long journey ahead of us. Again, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.
...
In silence she was led to the headmaster's office. Along the way students whispered as they passed but she kept her head down. She could only imagine what they would think of her. To attack another student? Especially one younger than her? That had to be seen as unfair at the very least. She was older. She should know better. When she passed Tasha and Cas she glanced their way expecting to see them disappointed but the girls were just looking on and gave her little gestures of support. It eased her nerves a bit but it was short-lived.
The walk felt like it took an eternity but once they reached the office she was told to take a seat. Shortly after Malfoy was brought into the office as well. While she looked his way as he was told to sit he didn't spare her a single glance. She watched as his jaw clenched and dropped her gaze. He didn't appear hurt so that was a good sign. It was most likely his pride that was smarting at the moment. Eliza kept her eyes on the ground as Dumbledore and Mcgonagall spoke quietly. Eliza thought she could hear something about 'arriving' and she felt her guts churning.
It wasn't very long before the office door opened again and Eliza turned her head as Dumbledore was bombarded by a man with long platinum hair. "I want an explanation as to why this was allowed to happen!" He snapped but Dumbledore passed him to take a seat at his desk. "I assure you, Lucius. No one allowed' this." His tone was calm and he leveled a gaze on the man over his spectacles. "We are gathering information as we speak about what happened." He looked at Eliza and she looked away.
"She attacked me for no reason!" Draco protested, rising from his chair, and pointing an accusing finger at her. "Ask anyone at the table! She was like a rabid dog!" He jabbed an accusatory finger her way but with one look from his father his mouth snapped shut and he seethed silently. A rabid dog? Was she foaming at the mouth? His flair for the dramatic was astonishing.
Lucius turned and looked down his nose at Eliza while his son sneered at her as if he'd won some sort of victory. "I want her severely punished for what she's done." Lucius looked like he wanted to spit on her and crush her beneath his shoe like she was a mere insect. She tilted her head up to stare at him. "If you taught your son how to respect others I wouldn't have had to do it for you." She felt her temper bubbling. Eliza didn't care who he was. He wasn't going to talk about her like she wasn't there.
"Insolent little-" The man raised his hand but Dumbledore stood from his seat. "Enough!" He declared. Then there came the sound of the door slamming closed behind her and Eliza turned her head before straightening her spine. It looked like she was getting her wish though she was regretting that now. Her parents entered the room, her mother immediately coming to her side and wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. Her father, however, stood between her and Draco's father. The tension in the room was palpable and Eliza could feel the anger ebbing off of her dad in waves. Oh, she was in big trouble and she only hoped they wouldn't try to pull her from the school. Despite all she'd heard about the place and the dangers she'd made friends here and what if no other school was willing to accept her after this? The gravity of the situation had her heart pounding.
Dumbledore greeted them and her mother rushed to take his hand. Her father however didn't move. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back towering over Lucius. He wore a serious expression as he looked down at the other man. "Lucius." His tone was flat as he addressed the other. While her father was usually stern he was also charming and welcoming but it was rare when she saw him how he was at that moment. He looked like he wanted to curse the man where he stood.
"Reginald." Lucius' grip tightened on his walking stick, his slimy tone offered zero respect. The way he said her dad's sounded like an insult. Her father's mouth twitched. "Did you raise your hand to my daughter?" He asked.
The blonde hesitated, his eyes flickering to Eliza. "I wasn't aware that she was your daughter." He said but her father narrowed his eyes at him. "So you admit to it." Eliza's mother tucked her under her arm as the two men stared at one another. The tension crackled between the two and Eliza wondered how well they knew each other. From the way her dad was acting she couldn't imagine how this interaction would go down if they weren't currently in the headmaster's office.
"Mr. Montgomery." Dumbledore stepped from around his desk. "I'm afraid Eliza did attack Draco. I would like to ask her some questions." He said, tone calm and collected.
Her dad shifted his gaze from Lucius and he inclined his head. "Of course, Albus." He then came to stand behind Eliza, his hand on her shoulder. His hand was heavy and it felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. She just had to tell the truth but that was liable to lead to further questions, she felt it in her gut. Lucius stayed where he was while Draco glared at her. From his expression, this wasn't going the way he'd hoped and she was slightly enjoying it. Was his father the only weapon he had? If so he was fighting a losing battle.
Though her parents were strict she had a feeling they would be understanding considering the circumstances. At least that was the hope she was clinging to. One thing they'd always taught her was that standing up for loved ones was the bravest thing one could do. While she wasn't overly close to Harry she still cared about him. That counted right?
"Eliza. Why did you attack Draco?" Dumbledore asked.
She kept her back straight and her expression neutral. "He was mocking Harry for falling from his broom during the quidditch match. He's already ashamed of his reaction to the dementors and it isn't right to have him constantly reminded and turned into a joke." She didn't need to lie. She wasn't regretting what she'd done in that sense. Lucius sucked his teeth at her answer but Dumbledore spoke before he could. "So you were standing up for Harry?" He asked. She nodded. "Draco is a bully and a coward. I approached him to tell him as much."
"And the attack?" Dumbledore prompted. Eliza lowered her eyes to the floor. "That was an accident." She hadn't intended to hurt him when she'd got up from her seat. She'd just wanted to let him know that not everyone would go along with his 'jokes' or ignore them. While Harry and his friends took the high road she'd lowered herself to Draco's level.
Lucius hissed. "An accident?" But Dumbledore interrupted him again. "From what we've heard from the other students thus far there were no wands produced aside from Draco's friends." He said. "That leads me to believe that this was not intentional." He was staring at Eliza over his spectacles and McGonagall cleared her throat from the side. "I am inclined to agree. It seems to me that this was, as Ms. Montgomery says, an accident."
While she was glad they appeared to believe her that didn't mean she was out of the woods. Lucius scoffed and Eliza could feel her father's hand tighten on her shoulder ever so slightly as if the sound made him have an emotional response. "Accident or not, we will be deducting points from Ravenclaw and Eliza will be given detention for the rest of the month." Dumbledore said firmly.
Lucius did not appear happy with the decision whatsoever. "That's it? My boy is attacked and she walks away with a slap on the wrist?" He was visibly furious. The headmaster clasped his hands. "We do not expel students for such minor first offenses, Lucius. They are children and children bicker and fight. Draco is unharmed. There is no need for extreme action." He said while a tone of finality.
The look on Lucius' face was one of murder. If looks could kill she'd have been dead ten times over but he could do nothing with the current company present. So he barked a command to his son and strode from the room with Draco in tow. As he passed her Eliza noticed that his usual smug expression was nowhere to be seen. In its place was one of worry or even fear. It confused her and she did a double-take before she was addressed by the headmaster.
"Ms. Montgomery. I trust I do not have to explain to you the severity of what you did." He said as he approached her. She tried to maintain eye contact with him but she faltered. "I understand, sir."
He looked to her parents. "Upon her acceptance here at Hogwarts, we took your explanation of what occurred at her previous school into consideration. We expected some...Difficulty." He chose his words carefully as he spoke and Eliza felt like she was going to throw up. "But until tonight she has not presented any behavior that gave us any concern. " While he wasn't speaking directly to her she felt the weight of it in her gut. "I believe this was an emotional outburst. Tell me, has she ever shown any inclination for the magic she used this evening?"
Her mother took Eliza's hand. "No, Headmaster. We hate to admit but Eliza's use of magic hasn't been her strong suit for some time now."
Merlin, hearing her mother say that was painful. Sure, she hadn't been the most proficient with spells since the start of her fourth year. She found it difficult to keep up with her peers in that sense but she wasn't hopeless. She was making progress these days and she wanted to tell them but she didn't want to interrupt. Her house was going to be angry with her for losing them points and detention was going to make it so that her practice sessions were to be put on hold for the time being. She didn't want to add to that.
"So there has been no wandless magic in her past?" Dumbledore asked. Her father spoke up. "Not since she was a very small child and her magic was beginning to develop much like we all experience at that age." He said. Dumbledore nodded and finally turned his gaze back to her. "Have you done this before, Eliza?" He seemed to stare through her as if he already knew the answer.
"No, sir." She lied. She worried that if she told the truth it might drag her friends into the mix and that wasn't something she was willing to do. He continued to stare as if waiting for her to crack until he inclined his head. "I see." He turned away from them to return to his desk.
"Due to these unusual circumstances you will meet with me once a week in my office and we will attempt to harness this new ability. To control it." From thin air he produced a piece of parchment and looked it over. "Tuesdays after your herbology class you will report here." It appeared he was looking over her schedule. Her mouth dropped open but she snapped it shut quickly and nodded. "Yes, sir."
McGonagall spoke briefly with her parents before they escorted her out of the office and down the hall. "I'm sorry." Eliza apologized to them as they walked. Her father settled his arm around her shoulder, pulling her against his side. "We know. We aren't happy to have been called here and I should be angry with you but.." He trailed off and her mother took her hand, interlocking their fingers. "Your father and I know you've been keeping things bottled up. But we didn't expect that to trigger such a response."
Eliza feared that they would try to get her back into counseling but she didn't want that. She was already feeling out of place and now to know she was going to be trained by Dumbledore himself she worried that might come off as strange to her friends. If they added counseling to her plate she was afraid she'd be seen as unstable though she had a feeling that ship had already sailed. If she was lucky, she would be gossip for a week before something else interesting happened.
"You're a good girl, Eliza. I believe this situation is our fault. We should have waited a while longer before allowing you back to school." Her father's voice was soft and she felt terrible for putting her parents in this situation. She knew how much they worried about her. His words had her on edge fearing the worst. "But you were standing up for a friend and I truly believe you didn't mean to hurt that boy." Eliza felt herself deflate with relief. They weren't going to pull her out. 'Thank Merlin.'
As they approached the entrance hall they passed students whose eyes followed but they weren't looking at her. They were watching her parents. Some whispered to each other and others openly gawked. She couldn't deny they were an intimidating couple. They'd obviously been at work when they were notified and were in full Hit taskforce uniform with their ranks displayed on their collars. Her parentage was now out of the bag and would likely be topic of conversations to come.
She walked with them to the reception hall until they stood before the giant entrance to the school. "From now on we'll be expecting progress reports in your letters." Her mother said as they faced her but her father's gaze was firmly fixed behind her and he frowned. Eliza turned to see Fred, George, and Lee standing awkwardly to the side caught. They'd probably been trying to be sneaky but her father had sharp observation skills. "Friends of yours?" Her father asked before raising his voice with a tone of authority. "You three. Come here."
Eliza looked to her mother for support but she was in full mom mode. "What are you doing?" Her father asked as the boys stood at attention and Eliza felt embarrassment burn on her face. "We were just checking on Izzy, Sir." Lee stuttered only for Fred to jab him with his elbow. "Eliza." He corrected.
George was holding Rikki and handed the ferret over to her. "We kept him occupied while you were gone." He said. "I swear Ginny was ready to adopt him if we didn't."
Her mother arched a perfectly groomed eyebrow. "Izzy?" The corner of her mouth curled up. "That's cute." But her father was showing no signs of amusement. With his height and build he was a brick wall with brushed back salt and pepper hair that matched his mustache and beard. Even at his age he looked like a force to be reckoned with and Eliza couldn't blame the boys for acting nervously. They introduced themselves and her father shook their hands.
"Oh, these are Arthur's boys." Her mother's demeanor changed from protective mother to soft in an instant. "He and his wife had us over for dinner last week. Lovely couple." She remarked. Her father's expression softened only a fraction. "You're father is a good man. Very proud of his children." He said and the twins glanced towards each other as if to question just what her father had heard of them. It seemed he hadn't been told of their troublemaking nature as he would absolutely have said something if he had.
Her mother tapped her husband on the shoulder. "Dear we need to get going." She said before hugging Eliza and turning to the boys. "It was a pleasure meeting you. Keep our Eliza out of any more trouble if you could." She said and Eliza wanted to burst out laughing. Them? Keep her out of trouble? Trouble was their middle name! Her father leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Remember. Progress reports. Once a week." He said and his mother gave a parting wave as they exited the castle.
Eliza sighed heavily once they were gone. She felt like she'd gotten off easy but she had a feeling that Christmas break would bring a few lectures. "Wow. So those are your parents." Fred said and George patted her shoulder. "No wonder you're so obsessed with your grades."
She turned to head for the library. By now she'd already missed her potions class and since Snape was the head of Slytherin house she was almost grateful for how long she'd been in the headmaster's office. He would no doubt have some words for her or at least a withering look or two. "So what happened?" Lee was quick to ask. She glanced back at him and the twins. "Don't you have class?" She asked and they all shared a look. "We're skipping." George said and she sighed. "Don't get yourselves in trouble just to get the juicy gossip." Eliza said.
"We're not! Just wanted to make sure you were alright." Fred sounded offended at her assumption. "Well..Ravenclaw is losing points and I'm getting detention." She told them. As they passed through the astronomy courtyard they stopped her and sat her down. "That's it? That isn't terrible." Lee said with a smile. Since when was detention 'not that terrible?' Then again she considered who she was talking to and it made sense that they didn't see it as a big deal. But she'd never been given detention before and she was really proud of that.
"That means no meet-ups." She told them and their expressions changed. "How long?" Fred asked. "A month." She sighed. "And Malfoy?" George asked. Eliza shook her head. "Nothing. His father made a big fuss. Wanted me expelled I think."
The twins wrinkled their noses and Lee patted her hand as he crouched in front of her. "Good thing he didn't get his way. I'm sure he was beside himself when he saw your parents." He tried to make light and she nodded with a small smile. "That was pretty satisfying. All of Draco's talk about 'his father' and his face when he saw my dad was almost worth it."
The boys smiled. "I bet. Would've loved to see that." Fred said as Rikki jumped to the ground and began sniffing around. " We saw him leaving Dumbledore's office. Never seen him look so angry." George added. "Heard him chewing Draco out about being embarrassed by a girl." Lee snickered.
"How's Harry?" She asked. Fred shrugged. "He's alright. Appreciates what you did but feels sorry that you got in trouble for it."
George ruffled her hair as her expression fell. "Cheer up. Malfoy's had it coming a long time."
Eliza batted his hand away and ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm sure my house is going to be mad." She said. Her friends might forgive her but as for the rest of the house, she was sure she'd be getting the cold shoulder for weeks to come. "They can get stuffed." Lee said.
She proceeded on to tell them that Dumbledore was going to have her in his office every Tuesday and they looked more impressed than anything. "Well that's something isn't it?" George said with a small smile. It gave her hope that she wouldn't be treated like a weirdo. "He's one of the most talented wizards who can do wandless magic. No one better to teach you than Dumbledore himself." Lee's words were encouraging and she nodded. "You're right. I should look at it as a privilege."
Since they were skipping the guys used their time to put her in a better mood. As dinner came closer she hesitated when they headed for the great hall. "I don't know..Maybe I should just go back to my dorm." She said, not ready to face the entire school muttering about her. "You have got to stop caring about what other people think, Iz." Fred hooked his arm over her shoulders and began to guide her. "Right. Take one out of our book. People talk about us all the time."
