ok, just a bit of explanation before I get into this new chapter. I
uploaded the unfinished version of the last part, so theres more so GO BACK
AND READ IT!!!! And iphi, im sorry your notes keep getting erased b/c of my
carelessness, as well as the notes for the illustrious severa and any
others who had left some that I didn't get a chance to see. Enjoy!
Part 3
All of the Professors had gathered into Dumbledore's office for the "emergency meetings" that had begun to take on a normal bi-weekly schedule. Had Snape's message not been the reason for this one he would have been more composed; as it was, he was struggling not to lapse into the excessive tapping on his chair that drew annoyed looks from McGonagall. Dumbledore walked in, late as usual (his excuse being that he never wanted to wait for others to arrive to begin so he always made sure his entrances were after everyone else's). He began as he walked to his desk.
"I have just heard from one of my sources that Voldemort," Snape and McGonagall were the only teachers who could keep from flinching, "has sent envoys to consult with Erichtho," Again, Snape and McGonagall were the only two who seemed able to restrain themselves. The others each made their own personal noises of shock and disbelief. Dumbledore, however, continued, "This action shows that he is being more careful this time, hopefully giving us more time to prepare as well. As for our preparations, I have as of yet not been able to convince the Ministry that Voldemort has returned, though some have taken up with our side and have temporarily abandoned their posts. As for the emissaries we sent, Hagrid and Madame Maxime have not yet sent word on their progress, though this isn't necessarily a bad sign. I encourage you all to be on alert, and to make absolutely sure that your students are mastering all the necessary skills. I see that some of you have changed your lesson plans to this end; I am appreciative. Those students may well be the only defense we have," That statement, which Dumbledore had been ending every meeting with since the first meeting after the students left for break, signaled the end, and the Professors began to rise. Snape rushed out with almost unseemly haste.
. .. .
"Are they usually late for breakfast?" Elokin asked, taking a seat next to Hermione, one of her first newly made friends.
"Yes, they're horrible in the morning. They sleep late, sometimes even are late to their first class!" She had to restrain a grin at the human's enthusiasm. At least it was better than talking about the.
".house elves that make this food, I'm surprised you can even eat it!" She sighed. It was time she confronted this.
"You know they like what they do, don't you?" Hermione's eyes widened.
"I can't believe you, of all people, would say that! You, who come from a place where elves are free, who have an elf for a friend, who know how they are treated."
"I didn't say they like how they are treated. I said they like what they do. And they do, so much so that they would leave their homeland and come here, where they are treated horribly, just to continue their chosen profession. Your heart's in the right place, but you're going about it all wrong. You keep proposing that the elves do things that would jeopardize their positions, when what you should be working toward is making those positions better for them. Don't demand the elves do things, because they know that if they stand up, they will be fired and another will happily take their place. Demand that the employers do something," Hermione sat, seeming to take in what Elokin was saying.
"You mean the love serving others that much!" Elokin nodded. "Well, there have been campaigns for work-rights before. I'll have to do research on that over the break." At this, Elokin's eyes darkened. Hermione, who in just a few days had become very perceptive of her new friend's moods, stopped.
"Is something wrong?" Elokin shook her head. "I just have to stay over the break and my friends are going to leave. I thought maybe someone was going to stay." Hermione perked up.
"Harry and Ron are! They always stay over. Don't worry; you'll have loads of fun. They always go on their best adventures while I'm. gone." Hermione slowed, getting that for the first time. They were interrupted by the entrance of the owls.
"Mail's here," Hermione said, a copy of the Daily Prophet dropping into her hands. At the Ravenclaw table, Tsukiko had begun screeching and several of the owls flocked over to her, wanting some pleasant conversation after their long journeys. A shining black owl caught Elokin's eye.
"That's the Malfoys' owl," Hermione explained, "It comes almost every day to give Draco something. That family is so cruel to their house-elves, it breaks my." she was stopped as the owl swooped above them and dropped a package in Elokin's lap. It was a red tin with a green card tied to the front. Curious, Elokin gingerly opened the envelope and read the card. Her eyes widened, filling with tears.
"No.not here too." She got up quickly and ran out of the Great Hall. Hermione got up to follow, but true to her namesake, she was quite swift. She picked up the card and read it, then set it down just as quickly. It was at that moment that Harry and Ron arrived.
"Was Elokin ok? She ran right past us," Harry said. He noticed the card. "Was it something she got in the post?" Hermione nodded. She began to put the letter and the tin in her bag.
"Wait, what was it? Why are you taking it?" Ron said, grabbing for the note.
"So no one else reads it. It was very personal,"
"You read it!" he exclaimed.
"Just enough to see what the problem was. Now lets get out of here before."
"I don't think that was meant for you, Granger. In fact, I am certain you are the last person who was meant to read it." Draco Malfoy loomed over them, glaring at Hermione.
"You. you." she could barely keep her anger in check, and for a brief moment Malfoy thanked something Holy that she wasn't what Elokin had called an animus wizard. She turned on her heel and stormed out of the Hall, in a gesture that dared anyone to follow her.
. .. .
Snape hurried back to his office with long, sweeping strides. He flung open his door, then bolted it shut. It was then that he realized that his door had been partially open before he came in. He took out his wand, walking slowly through his office and through the open door which separated it from his living space (the second of the two rooms allotted to all Hogwarts teaching staff). From his bedroom, he had a clear view to the bathroom, whose door was also open. He walked in to see the faerie girl.
.lying on the tile floor next to the toilet, still with exhaustion. "How did she get here?" he whispered, looking up at Moaning Myrtle, whose transparent eyes were filling with ghost tears. "She was sad," the ghost whispered in reply, her voice of one who was in too much pain to make a scene of bursting into tears. He bent down and.
.touched her face. Elokin made a slight noise, and he realized how cold his hands must be, or at lest, how warm her face was. He thought for a moment about taking her to the Hospital Wing, then, realizing Madame Pomfrey couldn't possibly know more about this than he did, he gently picked up the exhausted faerie, carrying her to his bed. He went back into his office, this time taking two jars of herbs from his cabinet. None of his jars were labeled (for he had no need of labels, and anyone who did didn't belong in his office), the first holding a few slender, dried green pods, the second a mass of dried brown beans. He filled a beaker with an opaque white fluid and began to grind the beans into a powder, which, when put in with the simmering liquid, made it turn a deep brown. With a scalpel he sliced open the green pods revealing sticky black seeds, which he proceeded to add. In next was a cupful of crystalline powder, at which point the concoction began to steam. He raised his wand, and muttering a few words under his breath, the beaker rose and poured its contents into a wooden cup. At that moment, he heard the distinct sounds of waking from a less-than-desired rest. With the cup in hand, he went back into his bedroom, where a disoriented Elokin was raising her head. She looked at him with alarm.
"How did I get he. oh," she said, memory coming back to her, "I'm sorry.so sorry." she began to try and get up, failed, and rested her head on the headboard. "I didn't know this was your place. it felt safe. I thought maybe Professor McGonagall or Fletwick."
"I am as safe as they," he said, offering her the cup. She drank a little, her face squinched in anticipation of the concoction. After the first sip her eyes widened.
"It's sweet," she murmured in surprise.
"Hot chocolate," he said simply. She drank down the rest, her body filling with warmth. It was all coming back to her now.
"This wouldn't be happening to me if I were a proper faerie." she muttered, now angry. Snape's head shot up.
"Explain," he said in a tone harsher than he would have chosen had he responded a little less quickly. She didn't seem to notice.
"If I weren't half-faerie, so many people wouldn't be after me to.They all seem to think 'Her mother chose a human, so why shouldn't she chose from outside her race." He nodded in understanding.
"I think it is more your public status, away from your homeland, than your birth that makes you a target," he said quietly. She shook her head.
"No. It happens at home too. I can't go home for the solstice because of all the people who have been bugging Auntie Vicky," His ears perked up at the name, then he nodded to himself.
"You are having problems here at school as well? Tell me who and I assure you they won't bother you again." It seemed at that moment that she realized she was talking to a teacher. She shook her head.
"I'm late for your class," she whispered. Without a word, he helped her up and they walked together in silence.
sorry about the copious description. The next part will be more action packed, I assure you, so keep reading!
Part 3
All of the Professors had gathered into Dumbledore's office for the "emergency meetings" that had begun to take on a normal bi-weekly schedule. Had Snape's message not been the reason for this one he would have been more composed; as it was, he was struggling not to lapse into the excessive tapping on his chair that drew annoyed looks from McGonagall. Dumbledore walked in, late as usual (his excuse being that he never wanted to wait for others to arrive to begin so he always made sure his entrances were after everyone else's). He began as he walked to his desk.
"I have just heard from one of my sources that Voldemort," Snape and McGonagall were the only teachers who could keep from flinching, "has sent envoys to consult with Erichtho," Again, Snape and McGonagall were the only two who seemed able to restrain themselves. The others each made their own personal noises of shock and disbelief. Dumbledore, however, continued, "This action shows that he is being more careful this time, hopefully giving us more time to prepare as well. As for our preparations, I have as of yet not been able to convince the Ministry that Voldemort has returned, though some have taken up with our side and have temporarily abandoned their posts. As for the emissaries we sent, Hagrid and Madame Maxime have not yet sent word on their progress, though this isn't necessarily a bad sign. I encourage you all to be on alert, and to make absolutely sure that your students are mastering all the necessary skills. I see that some of you have changed your lesson plans to this end; I am appreciative. Those students may well be the only defense we have," That statement, which Dumbledore had been ending every meeting with since the first meeting after the students left for break, signaled the end, and the Professors began to rise. Snape rushed out with almost unseemly haste.
. .. .
"Are they usually late for breakfast?" Elokin asked, taking a seat next to Hermione, one of her first newly made friends.
"Yes, they're horrible in the morning. They sleep late, sometimes even are late to their first class!" She had to restrain a grin at the human's enthusiasm. At least it was better than talking about the.
".house elves that make this food, I'm surprised you can even eat it!" She sighed. It was time she confronted this.
"You know they like what they do, don't you?" Hermione's eyes widened.
"I can't believe you, of all people, would say that! You, who come from a place where elves are free, who have an elf for a friend, who know how they are treated."
"I didn't say they like how they are treated. I said they like what they do. And they do, so much so that they would leave their homeland and come here, where they are treated horribly, just to continue their chosen profession. Your heart's in the right place, but you're going about it all wrong. You keep proposing that the elves do things that would jeopardize their positions, when what you should be working toward is making those positions better for them. Don't demand the elves do things, because they know that if they stand up, they will be fired and another will happily take their place. Demand that the employers do something," Hermione sat, seeming to take in what Elokin was saying.
"You mean the love serving others that much!" Elokin nodded. "Well, there have been campaigns for work-rights before. I'll have to do research on that over the break." At this, Elokin's eyes darkened. Hermione, who in just a few days had become very perceptive of her new friend's moods, stopped.
"Is something wrong?" Elokin shook her head. "I just have to stay over the break and my friends are going to leave. I thought maybe someone was going to stay." Hermione perked up.
"Harry and Ron are! They always stay over. Don't worry; you'll have loads of fun. They always go on their best adventures while I'm. gone." Hermione slowed, getting that for the first time. They were interrupted by the entrance of the owls.
"Mail's here," Hermione said, a copy of the Daily Prophet dropping into her hands. At the Ravenclaw table, Tsukiko had begun screeching and several of the owls flocked over to her, wanting some pleasant conversation after their long journeys. A shining black owl caught Elokin's eye.
"That's the Malfoys' owl," Hermione explained, "It comes almost every day to give Draco something. That family is so cruel to their house-elves, it breaks my." she was stopped as the owl swooped above them and dropped a package in Elokin's lap. It was a red tin with a green card tied to the front. Curious, Elokin gingerly opened the envelope and read the card. Her eyes widened, filling with tears.
"No.not here too." She got up quickly and ran out of the Great Hall. Hermione got up to follow, but true to her namesake, she was quite swift. She picked up the card and read it, then set it down just as quickly. It was at that moment that Harry and Ron arrived.
"Was Elokin ok? She ran right past us," Harry said. He noticed the card. "Was it something she got in the post?" Hermione nodded. She began to put the letter and the tin in her bag.
"Wait, what was it? Why are you taking it?" Ron said, grabbing for the note.
"So no one else reads it. It was very personal,"
"You read it!" he exclaimed.
"Just enough to see what the problem was. Now lets get out of here before."
"I don't think that was meant for you, Granger. In fact, I am certain you are the last person who was meant to read it." Draco Malfoy loomed over them, glaring at Hermione.
"You. you." she could barely keep her anger in check, and for a brief moment Malfoy thanked something Holy that she wasn't what Elokin had called an animus wizard. She turned on her heel and stormed out of the Hall, in a gesture that dared anyone to follow her.
. .. .
Snape hurried back to his office with long, sweeping strides. He flung open his door, then bolted it shut. It was then that he realized that his door had been partially open before he came in. He took out his wand, walking slowly through his office and through the open door which separated it from his living space (the second of the two rooms allotted to all Hogwarts teaching staff). From his bedroom, he had a clear view to the bathroom, whose door was also open. He walked in to see the faerie girl.
.lying on the tile floor next to the toilet, still with exhaustion. "How did she get here?" he whispered, looking up at Moaning Myrtle, whose transparent eyes were filling with ghost tears. "She was sad," the ghost whispered in reply, her voice of one who was in too much pain to make a scene of bursting into tears. He bent down and.
.touched her face. Elokin made a slight noise, and he realized how cold his hands must be, or at lest, how warm her face was. He thought for a moment about taking her to the Hospital Wing, then, realizing Madame Pomfrey couldn't possibly know more about this than he did, he gently picked up the exhausted faerie, carrying her to his bed. He went back into his office, this time taking two jars of herbs from his cabinet. None of his jars were labeled (for he had no need of labels, and anyone who did didn't belong in his office), the first holding a few slender, dried green pods, the second a mass of dried brown beans. He filled a beaker with an opaque white fluid and began to grind the beans into a powder, which, when put in with the simmering liquid, made it turn a deep brown. With a scalpel he sliced open the green pods revealing sticky black seeds, which he proceeded to add. In next was a cupful of crystalline powder, at which point the concoction began to steam. He raised his wand, and muttering a few words under his breath, the beaker rose and poured its contents into a wooden cup. At that moment, he heard the distinct sounds of waking from a less-than-desired rest. With the cup in hand, he went back into his bedroom, where a disoriented Elokin was raising her head. She looked at him with alarm.
"How did I get he. oh," she said, memory coming back to her, "I'm sorry.so sorry." she began to try and get up, failed, and rested her head on the headboard. "I didn't know this was your place. it felt safe. I thought maybe Professor McGonagall or Fletwick."
"I am as safe as they," he said, offering her the cup. She drank a little, her face squinched in anticipation of the concoction. After the first sip her eyes widened.
"It's sweet," she murmured in surprise.
"Hot chocolate," he said simply. She drank down the rest, her body filling with warmth. It was all coming back to her now.
"This wouldn't be happening to me if I were a proper faerie." she muttered, now angry. Snape's head shot up.
"Explain," he said in a tone harsher than he would have chosen had he responded a little less quickly. She didn't seem to notice.
"If I weren't half-faerie, so many people wouldn't be after me to.They all seem to think 'Her mother chose a human, so why shouldn't she chose from outside her race." He nodded in understanding.
"I think it is more your public status, away from your homeland, than your birth that makes you a target," he said quietly. She shook her head.
"No. It happens at home too. I can't go home for the solstice because of all the people who have been bugging Auntie Vicky," His ears perked up at the name, then he nodded to himself.
"You are having problems here at school as well? Tell me who and I assure you they won't bother you again." It seemed at that moment that she realized she was talking to a teacher. She shook her head.
"I'm late for your class," she whispered. Without a word, he helped her up and they walked together in silence.
sorry about the copious description. The next part will be more action packed, I assure you, so keep reading!
