Disclaimer: I own none of this. I bow to the fantastic imagination of J.K. Rowling and her glorious Potterverse.
8
Elena was furious with Severus as she stalked down the murky corridor that led out of the dungeons. How dare he treat her with such contempt? Even if she hadn't been telling the truth about her origins, as he erroneously suspected, she was still a human being -- or, at least, she had been a human being at one point -- and she deserved respect.
Too angry to be fully aware of her actions, Elena walked through a trio of startled-looking students. As they gasped in surprise Elena realized that she was still visible. She whirled around in annoyance and snapped out, "What? Do you have a problem, children?"
The tall red-head gulped nervously, "No. No problem here."
Elena wondered why they looked so worried. As Hogwarts students, they should be accustomed to run-ins with assorted spirits.
As she watched their hair and robes being tossed about, she abruptly noticed that she was still raising a brisk breeze due to her emotional turmoil. With this realization, the wind immediately ceased.
As the weather show came to an end, the bushy-haired girl stepped forward with a placating smile. "Hello, I'm Hermione Granger. She gestured to her companions, "these are my friends, Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter. We're all seventh-year Gryffindors. You must be new here."
Elena felt her annoyance spike. It was one thing to be badgered by a cranky old bastard; it was another to be condescended to by a seventeen-year-old girl. "Must I, Hermione Granger and company?"
The girl showed a measure of uncertainty for the first time in their encounter. "Well, I just assumed, since we have never seen you before and most of the ghosts like interacting with the students. And in Hogwarts: A History, no ghost of your description is listed under current ghostly inhabitants."
"You know," said Elena in a contemplative tone, "the old H & H isn't always correct. Like all books, it's only as reliable as its authors, and shouldn't always be believed."
The girl looked a little surprised and more than a little curious at Elena's response. "So you've been here for quite some time. I suppose that makes sense. Only older spirits are capable of manipulating their environment, performing tasks like raising winds or telekinetically moving objects. In fact, if I had to guess…"
A sharp elbow to the ribs, originating from the black-haired Harry Potter, abruptly ended her discourse.
The boy cleared his throat. "Sorry for the misunderstanding, Miss. It's a pleasure to meet you. Umm…I guess we'll be on our way now." It looked as though Hermione was going to argue against their departure, but she was prevented from doing so as her male companions proceeded to drag her away.
Elena's ire drained away as she watched the young students walk down the hall. They were no doubt up to something untoward, since it was well past curfew.
Elena hoped that it was just childhood mischief, but in her heart she knew that it was most likely some far-too-adult task related to the war and its dangers.
Although Hermione's rather bossy interrogation had bothered her, it was no surprise that the girl acted with the confidence of an authoritative adult. She had been forced to grow up too soon. As a friend of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Probably Wouldn't Survive the Year, she and young Weasley were prime targets for the Death Eaters.
The lives of those three, as well as the rest of the students at Hogwarts, were in danger…in danger of being stolen from them by death or the living death of toiling as a Death Eater under the painful yoke of Lord Voldemort.
Her little encounter with the famous Gryffindor trio reminded Elena that her choice to help or abandon the wizarding world could not ethically depend solely upon her interaction with one of its most prickly members.
Still, now she was at a loss as to how she should proceed. Elena was definitely not prepared to deal with Severus anytime soon, and she didn't particularly feel like making overtures to another Hogwarts professor.
Sighing as she faded into invisibility, Elena decided to wait and see if anything developed from her meeting with Severus. Perhaps he would wish to speak with her again…and perhaps he would suddenly develop the sunny personality of a perpetual optimist.
Whatever. For now, this was out if her hands. If nothing happened within the next month, then she would seek another avenue through which she could provide aid. As a being accustomed to the gradual passage of time over centuries, waiting a few weeks seemed like not waiting at all.
9
Severus sat in the library after hours. It had been two weeks since his meeting with the ghostly Elena Morreton, and evidence of his fruitless research sprawled out before him.
He had searched through the Hogwarts class lists for any mention of an Elena Morreton, beginning with the era of the Founders, and found nothing.
Assuming that Morreton could possibly be her married name, his search for Elenas had produced twelve names. None of them matched Ms. Morreton in physical description, except one Elena Harold, who joined Hogwarts in 1918, and was still alive and well in Wales, babysitting for her numerous great-grandchildren.
He also checked the records of Hogwarts staff members and guests, but this also produced nothing.
Sighing, he slammed yet another Hogwarts yearbook closed. It appeared as though Elena Morreton had never set a living foot within the walls of the school, but Severus knew this was highly unlikely, since ghosts only haunt areas to which they are closely connected.
The Bloody Baron had taught potions at Hogwarts. Nearly-Headless Nick had served as Headmaster for a record-breaking short term of two weeks before his nearly-decapitating fatal accident had occurred.
Elena Morreton would not be here if she had neither lived nor died within the bounds of Hogwarts. Rubbing his weary eyes in frustration, Severus decided that it was time to bring this to the Headmaster.
Albus was under an almost unbearable amount of stress these days, trying to protect his beloved students from Death Eaters and his own position as head of the school from Ministry idiots.
Although he was hesitant to admit it, Severus had another reason to keep his meeting with Elena secret. He was, despite annoyance at her attitude and her many prevarications, fascinated by the beautiful and mysterious spirit woman.
Severus stood, stretching the kinks from his stiff muscles and joints, and began his walk toward the Headmaster's chambers. As he passed the familiar portraits and suits of armor, Severus reflected on the different circumstances that had brought him to Albus in search of aid and guidance.
The first time, he had been suicidal and filled with regret and self-hate, emotions that had become his faithful companions over the years. Since then, he had arrived with eagerness, ready to prove his loyalty with suffering and pain, and abject weariness, wretchedly tired of this seemingly useless fight with the dark.
His reluctance to see the Headmaster now rested in Albus' extraordinary ability to read the thoughts and emotions of those around him. Severus was convinced that the old wizard was at least a partial empath, and now he feared that Albus would detect his obsession with the lovely phantom.
Finding himself before the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to his superior's office, Severus muttered, "ring pop," and the statue rotated out of the way to reveal steep stairs. As he ascended, Severus ruminated that Albus' pearly white teeth were at complete odds with his disgusting proclivity for muggle candy.
Entering Albus' study Severus inclined his head toward Fawkes in response to the regal bird's nod of recognition.
As he settled into a comfortable wingchair, he heard Albus' greeting from the door that led to his private chambers. "Hello, Severus. What brings you here at this hour? You need your sleep. Poppy tells me that you still haven't recovered from last week's visit to Voldemort."
Severus nodded tersely. This was an ongoing argument between himself and the rest of the Hogwarts staff. He had long ago accepted the fact that his life, his health, was forfeit. His fellow professors had yet to come to this inevitable conclusion.
"I have come to you for advice, Headmaster," Severus began as Albus lowered himself into a chair. "I had an unexpected visitor about two weeks ago, and I find myself in need of guidance."
"Very well, Severus, but let me ring for some tea first. You look too thin." After Albus summoned a house elf and requested some refreshment, Severus related the events of a fortnight ago, and the research he had performed since then. When he concluded his tale, Albus sat in silence for a few minutes, pulling on his long beard as he considered what path should be taken.
After a long period of consideration, Albus lifted his head and met Severus' gaze. "This is indeed a mystery, Severus. Even if she never met the founders, there should still be some record of her presence at Hogwarts. Yet she never was a student or staff member, nor is she listed on the visitors' lists. Fascinating…"
"I believe that you must find a way to contact her and inquire as to the rest of her story. At this point, help from any source must not be dismissed. We cannot afford to turn away possible aid." He chuckled a bit as he continued; "I do believe your first meeting was cut prematurely short by a clash of personalities."
His expression turned more serious. "Severus, my boy, you must learn to control your temper. One day it could result in a great deal more than a messy room and an unnecessary detention for Ms. Granger."
Severus nodded in agreement at this last statement, but protested the first. "I do not believe that it would be wise for me to contact Ms. Morreton, as we have already had an argument at our first encounter. Perhaps you or Minerva should approach her."
Albus shook his head in disagreement. "This woman chose to contact you, Severus. Not me and not Minerva. I'm sure that Elena Morreton had her reasons for establishing a connection with you, and I believe that we should foster this relationship, such as it is."
Severus sighed as he reluctantly accepted Albus' reasoning. This was the advice that he both dreaded and desired. Dealing with Elena Morreton was going to be frustrating and time consuming, even if it did end up being of use to the light side.
But it would also mean that the maddeningly lovely ghost would be his responsibility alone, a reality that satisfied the possessiveness that he already felt for her.
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There you go. Next chapter should have more interaction between Sev and Elena, as well as a bit more about her past.
Please review. I'll post the next chapter when I have a grand total of 20. That's just eight more…is it too much to ask?