Part Two: Tempting Fate

I don't hear you leave.
I wonder how am I still here.
I don't want to move a thing;
It might change my memory.

Elliana sat in her dormitory at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, studying for a particularly difficult Arithmancy exam. Her dorm mates rarely spent time up here, and she found her room peaceful. Elliana was in her fourth year at the boarding school now, and she loved it. She had been placed in Slytherin, and found that it suited her well. It was the most stable place she had ever been. After Mr. Darley and his daughter had taken her in, her life seemed to turn around. Granted, she never let people get close to her.

Elliana had just celebrated her fourteenth birthday not too long ago. She hadn't told anyone it was even her birthday. It had been hard enough to finally tell Mr. Darley her name. She had given her adopted surname, Stormborne, as well. Not long afterwards, a trunk was delivered to the Darley residence. Elliana was shocked to find that it was her trunk. It would be a mystery, as long as she lived, as to how the trunk had found it's way back to her. Maybe Mr. Darley was right…maybe she was a witch. Maybe she had Summoned the trunk by will or something. Elliana cursed it night after night, but never out loud. She didn't really want bad things to happen to the trunk.

The lamp flickered briefly in front of Elliana and she shrugged it off. If the power went out, she's climb up on the roof and do her homework there. It was a full moon tonight, and it would grant her enough light to see. The moon drew her in. Elliana closed her book and sighed. She looked around the room for something to do.

The window was open, even though winter was fast approaching. It let a cool air in that Elliana's roommates hated. She basked in it, though. She found the chill pleasing. Her bed was wedged in the corner, and her trunk sat at the end of it. In contrast to her roommates' walls, Elliana's corner was mostly bare. She had a shelf up with a few trinkets and books on it, but very little more.

Alison's bed, to the left, was made up with fluffs and ruffles. Elliana silently wondered how little animals could be so appealing. Alison's wall was covered with posters of puppies and lambs and kittens. It sickened Elliana, but to each her own. Natalie's bed on the opposite wall was covered with a homemade quilt. Elliana often wondered what it would be like to be covered in a quilt that had been made with love and care. She had never experienced it, she didn't think. Above Natalie's bed were ribbons and trophies of all sorts. Natalie was an excellent chaser and an academic leader.

Elliana sat down cross-legged on her bed and grabbed her hairbrush. She hummed as she began to work through the tangles. Elliana found her hair a source of great amusement. It shimmered blue, and that scared most people. Elliana found it ironic that she, the Mouse, would have anything noteworthy about herself. Luckily, there were no random claims to sorcery here- they were all very well founded.

Elliana finished brushing her hair and looked at the clock. Her roommates would still be out on their dates. It was a Saturday, and still early. It irked Elliana to be bored so early. She couldn't focus on her exam anymore. Maybe she could dance a bit before her roommates got back. Usually, Elliana had to sneak out to get privacy. Tonight she could bask in the warmth of her room.

Once in her tunic, Elliana warmed up with stretches. She started slow with some small spins and gradually pushed herself to larger ones. Once in full motion, Elliana was swept away from conscientiousness. She was thrown back with the power of a vision.

A thin woman with long, curly red hair spun around gracefully and moved with the ease of an expert. The woman danced to music in her head. The room was small, and seemed to tilt every now and then. The back wall was lined with boxes, and in front of them sat a cedar trunk, swirled with runes and carvings. Next to the woman sat a little girl, watching the first intensely. The little girl could have been no older than three, but she had a dancer's form already.

As the older woman stopped dancing, the little girl stood up and moved forward. Elliana watched from outside of this scene as the little girl started spinning, imitating the older woman. The woman laughed and helped the girl straighten her back and lift her leg higher. The woman loved the little girl; that was apparent.

Elliana was thrown out of the vision with startling force. She looked around instinctively. She was still alone, but now settled firmly on the floor rather than in the fluid motion of dance. The clock had progressed fifteen minutes. Elliana sighed and grasped onto the images as they slipped away.

"Elliana, are you going to Hogsmeade?" Alison asked as she brushed her hair up into a ponytail. Elliana looked up from her Potions book and shook her head. Alison snorted and turned around. "You never go anywhere. Surely you must tire of being alone."

Elliana's eyes flashed gold with anger and Alison leapt backwards in fright. She had never seen this occur before, although Natalie had told her of it once. Elliana stood up and tucked her book away; eerily silent. She strode past Alison and almost got to the door. Alison grabbed her arm.

"Elliana, I'm just trying to help. Maybe I could get someone to go with you? I know this fifth year boy in Ravenclaw…" Alison trailed off as Elliana glared at her. The eyes had changed back to a sea green, but they were still stormy. Alison had always tried her best to be nice to Elliana, but Elliana wouldn't have it. She took it as pity, even though Alison meant it as kindness.

"I'm going to the library." Elliana said shortly, grabbing her bag. Alison let go of her arm, but made no move to get out of Elliana's way. The girl that Elliana had always pegged as kind and sweet now had a look of Death on her face. It frightened Elliana not in the least.

"Of course you are." Alison said shortly. "You'll rot in there, Stormborne. You've been to Hogsmeade all of once in the time that I've known you, and that was to buy a Herbology book because yours got eaten by a Kneazle." Alison didn't laugh, or make any sign that this was intended to lighten the situation.

"Then I rot." Elliana growled, pushing her way past her roommate. She got all the way down the hall before she had the slightest bit of yearning to go to Hogsmeade. Elliana ignored it with force. She would crush the little voice.

Elliana walked down the girls' staircase and found herself once again in the Slytherin common room. She hated the common room for the most part, but it wasn't so bad when it was empty. The room seemed to have infinite dark corners, but the whole room was dark. The walls were painted a rich emerald green and were lined with silver. The high back chairs that were placed around two center tables were made of a deep mahogany and cushioned with a sleek, green material. Elliana noted that the common room had been decorated for class, not for comfort. One wall sported a large, marble fireplace. The marble was a grayish white with bits of silver embedded in. The fires never seemed warm in this room; as though they themselves had also been made for class over comfort.

The room was empty now, and Elliana was grateful. She might have considered staying here, but she had to go to the library. There was an essay due on Monday, and Elliana was only halfway done. As she left the common room, she reflected how highly unusual this lack of energy was for her. Maybe she was getting sick. Maybe she should take some time off from school. No, that wasn't possible. As Elliana debated this in her head, she rounded a corner and smacked into someone.

"What the hell are you doing?" A voice demanded as Elliana faltered backwards. Elliana looked up to see a Slytherin fifth year looking back at her. His name was Wynton Ashwinder. She didn't know him personally, but she recognized him as a Prefect.

"I was walking." Elliana retorted.

"Since what, yesterday?" The boy laughed. It was the malicious laugh of someone who thought they were being clever. Of course, Elliana was quite positive that his response lacked any intelligence whatsoever. Elliana grabbed her fallen bag and put it over her shoulder, starting past Wynton. "Stormborne!" Elliana stopped at her name and spun around. Her instincts told her to keep walking, but that damned little voice dared her to stay.

"Yes?" Elliana asked impatiently, crossing her arms. She had the disadvantage here, though. She had to figure out how to change that. Elliana found that age was a disadvantage in this hierarchy of a school. The older people almost always won the arguments, while the younger people were left a few house points shorter. Also, in Slytherin, the richer people were of a higher rank than the poor ones. Here, Elliana was the poorer one. She told no one of her living status away from school, but people could tell. Elliana was a little more closed off than the others- she had no wealth to flaunt. She didn't buy Christmas presents for anyone- most overlooked the fact that she had no one to buy them for. It was taken merely as a stingy aspect of her makeup. Wynton looked at her with amusement, as most did. He, of course, was dressed sharply. His boots were polished, his collar was starched, and his name brand black sweater was lint-free.

"Where are you going? Hogsmeade is this way." The Ashwinder boy had been placed in Slytherin for a reason, of course. This was one of those reasons. He was obviously cunning. Smart enough to force information out of her. She couldn't very well reply, 'I'm not going to Hogsmeade' because that would have sounded stupid. At the same time, Elliana couldn't think of any reason that she couldn't go to the wizarding village. She hated crowds. She hated social things. But that was about it. Damn.

"I'm going to the library." Elliana said. Wynton shrugged.

"I could have guessed that, Stormborne. But it's a Hogsmeade day, and I'm sure you've studied more than anyone else this past week." He smirked in jest and shoved his hands into his robe pockets.

"I'm so thankful for your concern." Elliana replied, rolling her eyes. "Now, if you'll please let me get on with my studying." The fifth year closed the gap between them. His hazel eyes lacked anything but taunting.

"There's going to be a ballet." He said quietly. Elliana looked at him doubtfully.

"In the village?" She asked, fidgeting with her bag. A ballet! A real ballet! She'd never been to a ballet before, and it irked her that she hadn't known about it. Elliana bit her lip.

"Yes. And I know you like dancing, Stormborne. I've seen you sneaking out at night more than once to dance. Come to the village." He pulled out something from his pocket and handed it to her. It was a program for the ballet- and a ticket.

"With you?" Elliana asked, looking at the ticket in disbelief. Again, she pondered what she had done to deserve- what? Kindness? The boy smiled.

"Yes. With me." Wynton raised an eyebrow, waiting for the refusal that she wanted so badly to give. But she couldn't. She wanted to see the ballet. Elliana forced herself to believe that this was not a social thing at all.

"Fine. But it isn't a date." Elliana said. She looked and him defiantly and he laughed. Okay, Elliana thought. Maybe he was just trying to be kind. Or maybe he really wanted to take over the world. She was confused.

"Okay. The ballet starts at six, so we can have dinner first. Well, you can have dinner and I can have dinner and it will be in the same restaurant but it won't be a date. Would you like to change?" Wynton started back towards the common room and Elliana followed. Of course, she'd dress up for the ballet. It was expected. Besides, she'd seen the theatre in Hogsmeade. It was exquisite.

"Yes, and I'll meet you back here in a few minutes." Elliana said once they reached the common room. "Ashwinder?" She asked as she started up the stairs. He turned around to face her.

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

Elliana had never been so excited in her entire life. She was going to a ballet! Had she been a small child, she might have bounced around. As it was, she smiled and hummed to herself as she walked back to the dorm. She opened the door and found Alison inside.

"Stormborne." Alison said shortly. Elliana ignored her completely and forced her happiness to remain inside. She opened her trunk and found her favorite set of robes. As she pulled them out, something else caught her eye. It was a bit of shimmery blue material that caught the light and changed colors. Elliana set the dress robes aside and pulled at the material, finding that it was attached to a dress. Elliana held the dress up to herself in front of the full-body mirror. It was floor-length, and all made of the shimmery blue material. The sleeves, however, were made of a sheer silver fabric that also draped across the neck. Curious, Elliana slipped behind the dressing screen and changed into the dress. It fit perfectly. The again, Elliana partially expected this. It seemed that everything she had found in her cedar trunk was custom made for her. It was odd.

Elliana walked over to the mirror and felt the dress sway with her every move. She smiled slightly at her reflection and then grabbed her brush. She unbraided her hair and brushed it smooth. Elliana pinned it up into a twist and pulled a cloak on. She hurried out the door and down the steps, bursting with excitement.

"Stormborne."

Elliana looked towards the voice and found Wynton Ashwinder sitting by the fire. He smiled at her and swept over to the bottom of the steps. He offered her his arm and she took it politely.

"Shall we?" He asked. She nodded and smiled as they left the common room.

The walk to Hogsmeade was cold, as winter full upon them. Christmas holidays started in a week, so the next few days would be full of exams. Elliana felt slightly guilty for not studying, but that was largely overwhelmed by her excitement. She didn't hold up her end of the conversation, but Wynton seemed to understand.

"I suppose you're staying for the holidays. I am too. At least, this year. I stayed my first year because my father was away on business, but he's been home since. This year, he's going to visit his father. I have no interest in going to Norway to visit a senile old man. Believe me, my father reprimanded me heavily for telling him I'd rather stay at Hogwarts." Wynton watched as the theatre came into view and Elliana's eyes widened. "I've heard the Transfiguration exam is going to be awful this year." Elliana was in Wynton's Transfiguration class, she realized. She took the class with the fifth years as an accelerated course. Elliana pulled out the program and looked through it, wondering which pieces she would know. She had never seen a ballet, that was true, but she had heard most of the music at the Darleys' home or from her mother long ago. She barely remembered dancing with her mother, but the music seemed to stay with her.

They passed the theatre and continued down the road to a small restaurant. A middle-aged wizard seated them by a window. Elliana found herself watching the people outside. It was starting to snow. The people all looked so happy and carefree. Two little girls danced in the snow and played with the few flakes that had begun to stick on the street. Elliana felt so detached from the world in her own happiness. Wynton put a hand on hers and she looked up, startled. She hadn't been paying attention, and a waitress had come to take their order.

"I'd like the soup, please." Elliana said softly, looking slightly embarrassed about having been distracted. Wynton ordered a ham sandwich and two hot chocolates- one for each of them. The waitress took their menus and swept away.

"Stormborne, are you okay?" Wynton asked as Elliana's eyes went to the window again. The snow was no longer pleasant, large flakes. It was sleet, and very very watery. Elliana's eyes held a fear of something…like she was in a different place.

"Yes…I'm fine." Elliana took a sip of her water and kept her eyes from the window. She couldn't think of what was outside. It would mar her happiness. Wynton looked concerned, but didn't say anything. He waited for her to speak. She began, slowly. Elliana wasn't quite sure why she owed him any explanation whatsoever. But the explanation came anyway. "I don't like rain…or sleet. Uncontrolled water…that sort of thing."

"Stormborne, there's a lake at Hogwarts. You see it every day." Wynton made sure to keep the sneering out of his voice. It was difficult. Elliana looked up at him and met his eyes.

"Not if I don't look."

Wynton handed the witch in the box office their tickets and held the door open for Elliana. An usher seated them. The seats were extremely good; first row mezzanine. Elliana sat patiently, listening to the music that lifted into the highest rafters. The music before the ballet was wonderful. It had a slow, dreamy quality that seemed to lull Elliana out of reality.

After the incident in the restaurant, the rest of the meal passed uneventfully. The sleet continued to come, but Elliana ignored it. She had to draw out her excitement about the ballet and push away her silly fear. Wynton had been relatively quiet, and that was to be expected. Elliana knew that people saw her as fragile and troubled. They either feared her or pitied her. She hated it, and that's why she pushed people away. There had to be a barrier between herself and others. There had to be.

The gold outer curtain rose and the inner curtain parted. The first piece was by an old Norwegian wizard, and was rather upbeat. The whole company, it seemed, was on the stage dancing a large duel. Elliana looked in the programs. Oh, that made sense. The goblin rebellions. Elliana watched as the goblins, dressed in olive-colored tunics, slowly overtook the wizards and witches and scattered on the stage. They danced their victory and the inner curtain closed. The audience rose with applause.

The next piece was a solo dance by a young man. Halfway through the piece, three other people- two women and another man- joined him. They danced friendship, hardship, and success. The first man and the dark-haired woman parted from the other two and seemed to carry on their own romance. The dark-haired woman's moves became slower, and she crumpled to the floor. The three others gathered around her, weeping over her still body. Oh…Elliana remembered now. The founders of Hogwarts. Rowena Ravenclaw had died unexpectedly, and Godric Gryffindor had been torn apart. Then he-

Elliana watched as the man dancing Gryffindor drew a vial from a pouch around his waist. He slipped the cork from the bottle and held it up. The audience gasped, for the better part of them knew how the story went. Gryffindor drank the contents of the vial and threw it aside, not flinching as it cracked on the stage. He danced across the stage and his movements became slurred and slowed. Gryffindor ended crumpled next to Ravenclaw's body. Elliana knew of a muggle tale that had been inspired by this event. A few minutes after the silent observance and mournful dances of the two other founders, Ravenclaw woke up. She conveyed to them that she had been under a Sleeping Spell, and wasn't really ever dead. The woman dancing Helga Hufflepuff pointed to Gryffindor's dead body. Rowena hurried over to him and wept.

Then, she touched his lips before drawing a dagger from the folds of her tunic. She held it up, and it caught the glimmer of the stage lights. Elliana gasped as Ravenclaw plunged the dagger into her stomach and bent over, dead.

The audience silent for a moment, and then the applause was thunderous. Elliana decided that that dance was singularly the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her whole life. The curtain closed and the applause quieted. A moment later, the curtain opened again and the stage was clear.

The ballet progressed through history, and was thoroughly exciting. Elliana's favorite dance had to have been the Fall of Grindelwald. The Founders' dance had been beautiful, but Grindelwald's dance was full of passion and excitement and lots of fancy wand tricks.

The end of the ballet came as the biggest shock. In the program, the dance was called The Great Drowning. Elliana watched the dance with wide eyes, waiting for the water. She knew there would be water. The story of the Drowning was a sad one. A whole shipment of Ollivander's wands had been on a boat from England to Norway to sell. Along with these wands were several loads of books, cauldrons, and other supplies needed to set up a wizarding supply center, much like Diagon Alley, in Norway. Elliana watched as the woman who had danced Hufflepuff came out and danced a woman on the ship. The woman was a dancer. The man who had danced Slytherin came out and danced the father. Various members of the company danced people at the port, crew members, and the waves.

Elliana watched in horror as the waves rose, and the music turned into rain. The crew was trying to buckle down and save themselves from the storm. They all went below deck to seek shelter from the impending hardship. In an ironic twist of fate, all of them died. No one was left alive, the ballet said. No one.

Elliana knew that this was wrong. It suddenly all became very clear, and Elliana had to turn away from the ballet. Luckily, the curtain came down and the audience's applause drowned out Elliana's tears. She slipped from the mezzanine and went into the loo. Quickly, she dried off her tears and hurried back to find Wynton.

"What did you think?" Wynton asked, taking her arm. Elliana bit her lip and tried to think how she could answer him clearly, tersely, and without giving away her emotions.

"I thought the Fall of Grindelwald was the most exciting." Elliana said. And that was it. Wynton seemed to know that she didn't want the matter pressed, and left her alone. They walked back to Hogwarts in silence, and Wynton let Elliana stay in the Entrance Hall at her request. She made her way down to the common room after a while. It was crowded, and she slipped past them all and up to her dorm.

Elliana sat alone on Christmas Eve, reading a favorite novel of hers. She had already read it six times, but she never tired of it. Her roommates were gone for the holidays. Most of Slytherin was. Only Wynton had stayed, and she had been avoiding him. Elliana felt horribly guilty about losing herself over a dance, so she avoided him. She hadn't been going to meals. Eating wasn't important, really. She had some crackers stashed on her shelf and that was it. Elliana had trained herself long ago when not to be hungry.

Exams had gone well- Elliana was easily the top of her class. She had immersed herself in her studies after the ballet. She couldn't bear thinking about what she had seen. Elliana supposed she had always known it, but she thought she had been the only one. Apparently, it was a huge loss to the wizarding world. Everyone knew about it, it seemed. Elliana shook the thought out of her head.

A knock on her door shook her out of her reverie. Elliana groaned to herself. Of course, she knew who it had to be. She tried to ignore it, but she knew that Wynton would come in with or without and invitation. Elliana pointed her wand at the door and watched as it swung open. Wynton stepped inside.

"I see. Death by starvation. What, did you not get a perfect score on the Potions exam?" Wynton taunted her. Elliana rolled her eyes and marked her page, putting her book aside. She didn't move from her bed, though.

"The Potions exam was frighteningly simple and I got one hundred and five percent." Elliana said flatly, tucking her knees to her chest. Wynton laughed and sat on Alison's bed; frowning deeply at the ruffles.

"Of course you did. Now, do you want your Christmas present now or tomorrow?" Wynton asked. Elliana wanted to throw him out the window. Did he even realize she was trying to avoid him? He was being overbearing in the least.

"I don't want it." Elliana said shortly.

"Yes, you do."

"I didn't get you anything."

"But now you'll have to." Wynton threw her a box. Elliana made no effort to catch it, and it landing on the end of her bed. She just let it sit there.

"You already took me to the ballet. That was a wonderful Christmas gift." Elliana said, sighing. "I don't want anything that I can't give in return." She picked up the box and handed it back to him.

"You can keep it. Maybe you'll change your mind." Wynton said, standing up. "Honestly, this fluffy bit is too much." He crinkled his nose at the comforter. "I hope, for your sake, that it's just a phase." With that, he stepped out the door and closed it behind him.

Elliana rolled her eyes again and threw his gift aside. She was sick of being followed around. He didn't exactly follow her, per se, but he definitely showed up at least twice after her classes or something. Elliana, who had never really had friends, thought that that was extensively stalkerish and foul. She basked in the silence of having him gone.

January came and Elliana's roommates returned. Alison said nothing to Elliana. She was still mad about their fight before Christmas. Natalie, on the other hand, had participated in a Quidditch competition over the holidays and had yet another medal to add to her growing collection. Elliana was glad that classes had started again. She noted that Wynton never talked to her anymore. Was that what she had wanted all along? Elliana wasn't sure.

One night, Elliana was sitting in the back corner of the library with her homework spread out around her. She was reading over a chapter for Herbology when someone stood in her light. She set her book down and looked up, quite annoyed.

"Yes, Ashwinder?" Elliana asked, not standing up. Wynton looked quite vexed, and knelt down to be at eye-level with her.

"What's the key, Elliana?" He asked, deadly serious. Elliana was taken aback, but she masked this surprise.

"What key?" She asked flatly.

"The key. I've tried so hard to be a friend. No one else will. Everyone else either fears you or you've pissed them off. You don't let anyone in. Your roommates avoid you, your classmates ignore you, and you don't let it bother you at all." Wynton raised an eyebrow and watched her. She didn't flinch or act as if this was a shock at all.

"There is no key. I don't care." Elliana said, her voice devoid of emotion.

"That much is apparent. I've tried to be nice to you, I've tried to give you space. Nothing works. Maybe I'm not the type of person you want for a friend- but I don't think that's it. I think you have some sort of issue with people altogether. What is the key?" Wynton kept his voice even to match hers. He wouldn't plead, but he wouldn't yell either.

"I don't want to talk now, Ashwinder. I'm trying-" Elliana reached for her book but Wynton grabbed her wrist. She glared at him, but he didn't let go. Elliana yanked her wrist away. "Don't touch me."

"Fine, I won't. But I want to know right now why you do this to people? Why do you push everyone away? I do not intend to sit here all night and play psychiatrist with you, so you'd better give me some answers soon. I am not one to be played with." He was serious, Elliana realized. He actually expected her to tell him something…something that would settle his curiosity enough to let her be.

"I have to."

"Push everyone away?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I am not going to sit here and spread my life out like jam in front of you, Ashwinder. Leave me be." Elliana looked away. She forced thoughts of the ballet from her head.

"Not yet. I want to know why you won't tell me."

"I don't tell anyone." Elliana answered pointedly. It was true. She didn't have friends. Friends were dangerous, she'd found. The last person that had tried to be her friend had ended up very hurt indeed.

"Stormborne, give me a straight answer."

"Once you utter something, it becomes real. And once something becomes real, it can be used against you." Elliana stood up and pointed her wand at her homework, muttering something and causing it to pile up nicely and slip into her bag. She looked back at Wynton.

"Stupid riddles. I'm in no mood."

"You wouldn't have that problem if you had gone away." Elliana retorted.

"I will go away now." Wynton stood up and shook his head. "I won't ever speak to you again, for that is obviously what you want. You can go back to your solitude. You can go back to your world of no friends, no one to talk to. You can drown in it!" Wynton almost fell backwards when Elliana slapped him. He could feel his cheek swelling and he looked at her in shocked disbelief.

"Don't ever say that again." Elliana growled.

"I won't ever say anything again." Wynton turned on his heel and strode out of the library. Elliana watched him go, and then grabbed her bag. She ran out of the library and in the opposite direction Wynton Ashwinder had gone.

Elliana stepped off the train at Platform nine and three-quarters. She dragged her trunk through the barrier and continued in solitude through the station. Once she got outside, she spotted Kristin Darley. Kristin was Conner's daughter, and had adopted Elliana. Kristin swept over to Elliana and helped her with her trunk. It was always a wonder to Elliana why Kristin never got hurt doing this. Everyone else had.

"How were the exams, dear?" Kristin asked sweetly. Elliana was appreciative of a place to live and a family, but she had never truly gotten close to them. Elliana smiled for Kristin's sake, though.

"They were difficult, but I did well." Elliana said, putting her trunk into the car. Kristin would drive to a town a few miles away and they would floo home from there.

"Are you still the top of your class?"

"Yes." Elliana said as Kristin started the car. "I'll know whether or not I'm a Prefect by the end of July."

"That's wonderful, dear." Kristin said as she pulled out of the station parking lot. "I was a Prefect when I was in Hogwarts. Of course, I was never the top of the class- but I was a good student. The key is to be nice to everyone." Kristin smiled good-naturedly, but Elliana was annoyed. Stupid keys.

"We'll see." Elliana said with finality, ending the conversation.

The town was small, and Elliana had never learned its name. But, it had a connection to the Floo network without having to fight the crowds in Diagon Alley. Kristin returned the car to a friend and pulled Elliana's cedar chest out of the back seat. Elliana carried it while Kristen opened the door into the museum. They took the lift to the top floor and then opened the door into a small room- the Salem exhibit. The room had a fireplace on one wall. Kristin threw some Floo powder into the fire and motioned for Elliana to go first. Elliana pulled in her trunk and shouted, "Valley Lodge."

Elliana whirled in the Floo system and watched as two dozen fireplaces whizzed by. Finally, she found her stop and stepped out. Kristin's house was a quiet, but modern home on the outskirts of Dublin. Elliana liked it here. The living room was done in modest colors, and Mr. Darley sat on the gray couch. He stood up and swept Elliana into a hug. Elliana complied and smiled.

"Hello, Mr. Darley." Elliana said. Conner let her go and grinned.

"Elliana, lassie. How was Hogwarts? I got your letters, of course. I'm so sorry I couldn't write you back every time. My hands ache, you know. You did get the letters I did send, of course. And the description of the ballet sounded wonderful!" Conner laughed and greeted Kristin as she stepped out. Of course, Elliana had left out the bit about the Great Drowning. "The cookies from Honeydukes were heaven." Conner continued. "I think Kristin found a recipe for them somewhere. Kristin?"

"Yes, dad. I did."

"Good, then. I daresay we'll be having more of those. Oh, you must be tired, dear. Why don't you go up to bed. I had Jitter air it out just yesterday." Conner smiled as the house-elf entered the room with dinner for Elliana. The house-elf followed her up the stairs and set the tray carefully on her desk.

"Thank you, Mr. Darley." Elliana called once she had set down her trunk. A chuckle told her that he had heard. Elliana gave Jitter her bag of dirty robes and things. He took them down and promised to have them wash in the morning. Elliana slipped off her shoes and locked the door.

Her room was very much like her dorm at school- little decoration. Her bed had a plain blue comforter on it and her curtains matched it. Next to her bed was her desk, and over the desk were three shelves. Elliana loved books, and each shelf was full of them. Her dresser was on the opposite wall next to her closet door.

Elliana pulled a pair of pajamas out of her dresser drawer and slipped them on. She climbed into bed and turned out the light, sighing. It had been a long year. Wynton had left her alone, true to his word. Everyone else had left her alone as well. She talked to no one. It seemed as though Wynton had put the world under a Silencing Charm whenever she came near anyone. It was lonely, but it was exactly what she had asked for. Elliana had danced more than ever. It was a way to get away from her pain. She had always convinced herself that she was happy in her life. She knew now that that was not true. Elliana had never been happier than the moment that Wynton asked her to the ballet. Someone had cared, and yet again she had pushed them away. Fate had dealt her a hand to play, the stakes had been raised, and Elliana had folded because the risk was too high.

The October moon was taunting. The moon had power over the tides, Time, and souls on earth. It was all under the influence of a silver orb in the night sky. The moon had power, and everyone else were weaklings. Night was a playground for nightmares and deceptions. Spiders and crawling things that sent chills up one's spine. Night showed no mercy to anyone but the Damned. Night was their playground.

The castle grounds were silent, but ever moving. A girl danced by the lake, out of view of most windows. She danced, totally secluded in the world that she called her own. The girl was in a star-crossed reality. Never really there, but never really gone either. She danced oblivious. And dancing would become her oblivion.

The icy lake sang to her. Her lullaby, but haunting all the same. The ripples in the water called to her; beckoned her. There were mermaids in the lake, but they weren't the source of the phantasmal torture. Something else was…not the sirens of old or the night birds. It was something more haunting. Like demons or goblins with their enchanting song.

As the girl danced, she held all of the secrets of her past in her fluid motions. She did not seem to care about the world around her. It was her secret, this dance. Fully undisturbed until a shadow rose in the night. A spy, filching her secrets slowly from beneath her. A spy that would be the death of her, it seemed.

Elliana jolted from the dream. The morning sun was streaming in her window and the birds were singing cheerfully. Elliana shook the nightmare from her head. Her nightmares were as strong as ever these days. Summer nights often found her staying up late just to avoid them…it never worked. The nightmares came as an onslaught of fear and omen. Elliana sat up in bed, thankful for the morning.

While most students welcomed summer holidays, Elliana found herself dreading them. The visions would never leave her, it seemed, but she still had to maintain a happy façade for those around her. Her new family was quixotic, and never cleared their eyes long enough to see her true feelings. Elliana found that all the better. If she could hide herself from them, the prying questions would go away.

As for the visions, it was clear that they would stay. Elliana had made a decision in the past two weeks away from school. This was power, and this power must be used properly. She would have no power swinging in front of her face and hitting her with surprising force. Elliana decided that if she was to suffer pain, she wanted to use it to her eternal advantage.

The books on the shelf were a place to start. They were nothing compared to the volumes of the Hogwarts' library, so Elliana began to make notes and such about possible further research. She wanted to know what this thing was, and how to use it. Her search had started two days again in a new book called Unfogging the Future. It would become the volume for the Divination classes at Hogwarts next year, but Elliana had ordered a copy as soon as it hit the shelves. She was Flourish and Blotts' favorite customer these days. Elliana had little money, but she had worked out a deal with the store last year. They would send her copies of any new books, and she would read them. Then, Elliana would write an article promoting (she hardly ever disliked a book) the volume. Flourish and Blotts would publish these articles in their magazine, The Bookshelf. If the article did as it was intended and promoted sales, Flourish and Blotts would give Elliana points towards any book she chose. Also, Elliana would buy books with whatever money she did have. Conner Darley was relatively wealthy, and he would buy her school things and give her pocket money.

Elliana got out of bed and got dressed, silently turning over her plan in her head. She had found a bit about true Seers in Unfogging the Future, but most of the text was worth a Heating Spell in summer. It was a teaching guide, according to the bock jacket. Somehow, Elliana thought that the only thing that that book could teach was proper con-artistry.

"Good morning, dear. Did you sleep well?" Kristin's voice chirped as Elliana walked into the kitchen. Kristin was at the stove cooking eggs and…vegetarian sausage, it seemed by the smell. Elliana didn't mind eating vegetarian. She didn't dwell much on what she ate. However, Elliana had found that she couldn't resist fresh fruit. It was odd that Elliana would like such a frivolous, cheerful food- but she did. Oranges were her favorite.

"Yes." Elliana said, grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl. She frowned at the lack of oranges, but shrugged it off. Kristin brought the food to the small table in front of a picture window and sat down. Elliana served herself some eggs while Kristin helped herself to the sausage.

"That's good. I have to go to the shop today, so you'll have the house to yourself." Kristin and her husband ran a fairly large jewelry store in the center of Dublin. Elliana nodded and continued to eat in silence. The house to herself? Good. She might be able to get some studying done. "Maybe you could go for a walk later. You haven't been getting out much." Kristin suggested, taking Elliana's empty plate to the sink and then coming to sit back down.

"Okay." Elliana said. She might go for a walk, just to please Kristin, but not anytime soon. She wanted the better part of the morning to read her books. Then she could partake in these formalities. Elliana gave Kristin a smile and stood up, walking from the kitchen. "Have a good day at work!" Elliana called before she shut the door to her room.

True to her plans, Elliana spent all morning reading over any books she had that fit the subject material. Then, she checked over books of curses and hexes, just to be sure there was no malicious intent involved. Elliana was fixing herself a sandwich for lunch when the doorbell rang. Slightly annoyed at an unexpected arrival, Elliana walked to the door. Through the peephole, she saw a girl smiling. Elliana opened the door.

"Yes?" She asked, masking her impatience. The girl looked to be about Elliana's age, or maybe a little older. She had brown hair that fell a little past her shoulders and greenish blue eyes. Elliana looked her over carefully- she didn't seem to mean any harm.

"Hi!" The girl said. "My family just moved in down the street and I wanted to get to know the neighborhood. My name is Brooke." Brooke smiled and held out a hand. Elliana raised an eyebrow and Brooke withdrew her hand sadly.

"Hello, Brooke." Elliana said icily.

"Well, that was it…I just wanted to meet some new people. I'll be going to Hogwarts in the fall and I just-" Brooke babbled on until Elliana put up a hand.

"Did you say Hogwarts?" Elliana asked.

"Oh my gosh…you aren't a muggle, are you? Because if you're a muggle and I just said that…and oh my gosh…I just keep talking and I'm probably…oh my gosh." Brooke stuttered.

"I'm not a muggle."

"Oh, that's good. Gosh, I could have gotten in so much trouble with the Ministry for breaking the codes of secrecy with muggles and then my mom might get fired and I just don't know what I would have done. I mean, we just moved to Ireland and it would be awful if I screwed that up within our first week here. I'm so glad you aren't a muggle." Brooke took a deep breath, and Elliana interjected in her pause.

"Where are you from, then?" Elliana asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Originally, and I mean a loooong time ago, my family is from Wales. But, I was born in France. I don't have an accent because we moved to Sweden before I was two. Then, my father got put on watch for the Dark Arts in Germany. That didn't last long…I don't know why. I guess Daddy got tired of it. Mom got a job with the Norwegian Ministry of Magic and we stayed in Norway until last month. We moved to England while she was adapting to her job, but Daddy's allergic to something there so we moved here and Mom floos." Brooke smiled happily. "I'm so glad we moved to Ireland. It's such a pretty country. I've heard that New Zealand is the prettiest place on earth, but I don't see how it can be. Ireland is just breathtaking!"

"Norway, then?" Elliana asked.

"What?" Brooke asked, caught in her own reverie. "Oh yes, that. Well, we lived there the longest so I suppose that, yes, that's where I'm from. I don't really remember the other places all that well. You don't remember things from your younger years, you know. All you remember is random pictures. Hardly ever words that people say to you. Have you ever noticed that?" Brooke asked. Elliana nodded.

"Quite. Would you like something to eat?" Elliana motioned inside.

"Gosh, I feel so rude. I mean, I just came over here to introduce myself and here I am eating your food. Well, not really. I haven't technically eaten anything yet. But here I am, walking into a stranger's house. My! Is that a Monet?" Brooke stopped to admire a painting that hung in the entry hall.

"Sisley."

"It looks unbelievably like a Monet. My mother took me to an art exhibit in England before I came here and I saw a lot of work by Monet. You know the Louvre in France doesn't even have possession of a lot of the impressionistic works? They're mostly in a building across the way." Brooke peered closely at the painting.

"It was after he met Monet. They might have collaborated." Elliana said in amusement. She led Brooke to the kitchen and quickly made the girl a sandwich. Brooke began talking about her love, music. Elliana brought the plates to the table and listened to Brooke.

"I play the violin and the piano." Brooke said. "My mother says that the piano isn't a real instrument. She says the music practically creates itself and it doesn't take as much skill as other instruments. Of course, I told her that you can mess up a lot on a piano piece. It takes a lot of skill to move your hands across that distance. It takes a lot more coordination than violin. Of course, violin's really quite difficult as well. It was awful during my first two years playing. My mother wouldn't let me play in the house. I had to practice in the garage or at school." Brooke said sadly. "I don't think I ever quite got over that." She added as an afterthought. Elliana smiled in amusement behind her sandwich and nodded.

"It's hard to pull yourself through things like that." Elliana said, half-sarcastically. Brooke nodded in agreement.

"Tell me about it. Sometimes I think my mother holds me back. I could have been a great violinist, but those first few years were hard. Not a lot of support around my place. Everyone's into doing their own thing. Do you ever feel like that…oh my gosh! I am so horribly rude! Here I am babbling on and on and I never even asked your name! My father always complains that I have no social grace, and I suppose that's right. I'm sure if we had stayed in Norway they would have put me in Etiquette School. What is your name?" Brooke looked with interest at Elliana.

"Elliana." Elliana said, laughing softly. Brooke nodded as though that was enough for her and continued.

"Oh yes. That's a lovely name. Sounds like the name of an artist or a dancer. They always have such pretty names. Stage names, I suppose. You're lucky you have a pretty name to begin with. El-lee-ahn-na." Brooke sounded it out. "My name is so horribly boring. It's only one syllable as well. Brooke. Not Helena. I always wanted my name to be Helena. It's such a beautiful name. Of course in the play she's quite whiny." Brooke laughed and finished her sandwich.

"You've read Shakespeare?" Elliana asked, with mild interest. Brooke nodded.

"Oh yes. I love his plays. He was a Squib, you know. The wizarding world sort of shunned him- he was quite egotistical- and he wrote plays for muggles. A Midsummer Night's Dream…completely true. Boy was Titania mad when she heard that Shakespeare made her fall in love with an ass…that part was made up. She merely fell in love with Nick Bottom as he was- and that was bad enough, mind you. It was all twisted up for a long time…and oh, why am I telling you? Of course you know already." Brooke took her plate to the sink and returned.

"No…I didn't know that." Elliana let Brooke stay for an hour more before telling the girl that she had to clean the house. Elliana found Brooke's stories interesting, and liked the fact that she didn't have to do much talking. Brooke didn't ask any questions that Elliana would have felt annoyed with. In fact, Elliana had had a bit of fun that afternoon. Brooke said her goodbyes and promised to visit Elliana some time later that week.

On Friday of that week, Elliana had found a huge lead, or so she thought. She figured that anything that mentioned true Seeing had to be worth following up. Elliana wrote down all the source titles, and put down her quill. She read over the article again.

There is a type of Seeing that is completely involuntary. These Seers are often struck with violent visions, leaving them dizzy or ill afterwards. In some northern parts of Europe, these visions are thought to be a symptom of madness. Although these visions do not truly cause madness, the accompanying nightmares drive some insane.

Elliana closed the book and sighed. She wasn't hungry, but she had skipped breakfast to study. Turning off her lamp, Elliana walked downstairs. She got a bowl of cereal and sat down at the table, humming to herself until the doorbell rang. Elliana had been expecting Brooke some time today. The girl had promised to be back before the week was through, and the week was rapidly ending.

"Elliana! Hi! Oh my gosh, you'll never ever guess where I went yesterday. I'm so excited!" Brooke was holding a large stack of volumes that Elliana recognized as textbooks. Elliana smirked.

"Judging by your cargo, I'd say Diagon Alley." Elliana said, motioning Brooke in. The girl complied happily, practically bouncing inside. Of course, Brooke stopped to look at the Sisley, and then made her way through the kitchen and to the table.

"No, before that silly! We had to go to Diagon Alley afterwards to pick up my things for Hogwarts. I start in the fall, I told you." Brooke set her books down and started writing her name in the inside covers of each. Elliana had Brooke pegged for the bookplate type, but she was proven wrong.

"Where did you go?" Elliana asked.

"Hogwarts! We Flooed to Hogsmeade and then walked up to the school. It was amazing, let me tell you. I've never seen such a beautiful castle. It's Unplottable, you know. The Ministry of Magic is like that too. My mother had an awful time finding it the first day we got to England. Hogwarts was extraordinary! And I got to meet the new Headmaster- Dumblywindow or something." Brooke cursed under her breath as she realized she had just written 'Dumblywindow' in her Advanced Transfiguration book.

"Dumbledore." Elliana said, handing her an enchanted ink-eraser. Brooke took it gratefully and nodded.

"Quite. He's a funny old man, let me tell you. His office is absolutely insane…you'd never believe all of the things he has in there. His most prized possession, it would seem, is this stupid tattered old bowler or something." Brooke rubbed at the ink.

"The Sorting Hat?" Elliana said, slightly amused.

"Oh…yeah, that. I'm not quite I understand the purpose of having an old hat sitting on a shelf, but whatever. Does he have all of his Bertie Botts?" Brooke tapped her head with a forefinger.

"Yes, he's the smartest wizard there is." Elliana said.

"Quite, but they can still be a little funny up there. It seems to me that he's far too nice to be a Headmaster. Wouldn't you think they'd have to be strict and such? I don't know…he was nice enough. Gave me a lemon drop. Fond of them, I think. And then, Elliana- he had a phoenix! A real live phoenix…I suppose it's the only one in the world. Imagine owning the only phoenix in the world!" Brooke's eyes widened happily.

"A phoenix?"

"Yes! It wouldn't come near me, of course. I hate flying things. I suppose it could sense that or something. But it was still an extraordinary experience- being able to see a real phoenix. I don't suppose that will ever happen again unless I get in trouble at school or some such thing. What do you think?" Brooke had finished labeling her books and propped her chin on top of them, watching Elliana.

"You don't seem the type to get in trouble." Elliana said, quite truthfully.

"Yes, but I talk an awful lot. I have a hard time focusing in boring classes because I'd much rather be talking to my friends and the like. If it's an interesting class, I ask lots of questions. I want to know everything. My father says that that's an unattainable goal, but I really am working for it. My mother says I just like to hear myself talk. That's not true at all, you see. I hate my voice. It's so incredibly boring. I had voice lessons once, and my teacher lectured my about enunciating and speaking clearly. She said that if I was going to talk, I might as well do it properly. Also, she lectured about something called 'fricatives' which I still fail to understand." Brooke sighed and tapped her fingers on the stack of books.

"Fricatives are the sounds-" Elliana started.

"I know what they are. I just fail to see why they're important. Of course, in musicals you have to enunciate everything…I don't see how muggles are so fascinated with musicals. People just don't break out into song…it's totally unrealistic. Have you ever seen a muggle musical, Elliana?" Brooke flowed between subjects like people through the Chunnel. Elliana nodded.

"Only once. Mr. Darley took me to see it." Elliana answered.

"I've seen a couple. I don't find them very entertaining." Brooke shrugged. "I prefer to listen to orchestras and such. Of course I would, though. Right? I mean, I play violin and such and it only seems appropriate that I would like to listen to violins." Brooke smiled happily.

"There are other instruments besides violins." Elliana pointed out.

"Of course there are, but violins are the most important. Mother agrees with me on this. I've heard some great violinists. I've never seen a dance, though. You know…a ballet. I've never been to one. I bet you've been to loads. You've probably been in a few, too." Brooke winked.

"No."

"Do you do anything special? Father says that everyone does something special. I personally don't think I do anything special, but that's all right. Everyone plays the piano, it seems. I'd like to think I'm decent at it, though. I like the classical stuff. It isn't very easy, but it's very nice on the ears. Unless, of course, the person playing is utterly horrible. Do you think I'm utterly horrible, Elliana?" Brooke looked very concerned at this question and Elliana felt very powerful.

"I've never heard you play, Brooke." Elliana said factually.

"Oh. Right. Gosh, I feel like I've known you forever. Usually, I don't just talk like this to people. I mean, I'm not shy or anything- Heavens no. But I usually at least wait a while before I talk so much. It's only fair, you know. But you're so easy to talk to, Elliana." Brooke patted Elliana on the shoulder.

"I feel so blessed." Elliana said, smirking. Brooke laughed.

"You're so amusing. Sometimes I feel like I don't understand sarcasm, but I really do. It's not always meant to be mean, you know. Between friends, it's like a joke. What you just said- that was a joke. See? And I understood. I have to laugh at some people. You know the sort, of course. The types that don't get a joke until five or six minutes later. Those sorts amuse me. That's why, if you don't understand a joke, you laugh anyway and pretend like you do. What do you do, by the way?" Brooke asked.

"I dance."

"Oh! I'm horrible with that, of course. Mother says I ask too many questions and then don't wait around for an answer. I do wait, of course. I always come back to the question, at least. Sort of like going through a buffet. You know everything is good, so you can only take some stuff on the first go. You have to come back to the rest later." Brooke shrugged happily.

"I understand." Elliana said.

"Well, I really came so that you could explain our assignments to me. I got all my homework, of course. I just need an overview to catch me up. People say I'm an awfully fast learner, and I probably know most of it anyway. I read through some of the books last night, but I'm afraid I got stuck on the Potions bit. Could you help me with that?" Brooke handed Elliana the Potions book.

"Sure."

The next two hours were amusing in their own way. Elliana found that, yes, Brooke was an extremely fast learner. She also found why Brooke would ever get in trouble- she couldn't stop talking long enough to have a question answered. Although Brooke was like a buffet, Elliana figured that it would get annoying to some of her Professors. Professor Grimer, the Potions Master, in particular.

After Elliana had Brooke thoroughly caught up, Brooke bid her farewells and hurried home. Her mother would be getting home soon. Elliana closed the door behind the girl and sighed. She found that she had had fun that afternoon, even though she was now exhausted. Listening to Brooke was fast-paced. However, Elliana had learned that Brooke was going to be a fifth year- just like herself. Elliana didn't think that Brooke would be a Slytherin. Brooke didn't strike her as the cunning, ambitious type. Brooke talked as much as a Gryffindor, was smart like a Ravenclaw, and worked hard like a Hufflepuff. Elliana wondered where that tattered old "bowler" would place the girl.

The summer passed by quickly, now that Elliana had Brooke to listen to. Elliana found herself more and more involved in the conversations, and this surprised her. She had never talked much, but yet she was talking now. Her words were no where close to comparing with Brooke's, but the were there. Elliana was so exhausted at night that she couldn't avoid sleep. The nightmares haunted her yet, but they faded with the morning sun.

Elliana and Brooke worked on their homework on Friday afternoons. It became sort of a tradition. Brooke came over some other afternoons as well, but she left her textbooks at home. One day, Brooke brought Elliana a novel to read. Brooke raved about the novel for quite a while…she had apparently just finished it. Elliana started reading it as soon as Brooke left that afternoon and stayed up all night to finish it. Brooke was right, it was a good book. On Brooke's next visit, Elliana gave her a book to read- her own favorite novel.

After much thought, Elliana decided that Brooke was a friend. Brooke never asked questions, even as Elliana began to talk more. Elliana continued with her search, but her progress was slowing down. She needed the Hogwarts library. Elliana was counting down the days until school, and it was already half-way through August. Elliana smiled to herself. She'd be fifteen soon. Her birthday was fast approaching. Kristin asked her often when her birthday was, but she never told. Elliana didn't want to tell anyone any more than she absolutely had to.

Elliana woke up one morning to silence, and it frightened her. She looked out her window and found that a storm was rising. It was her birthday, and Fate had decreed it would rain. Elliana groaned and hurried downstairs. She was hungry, and she wanted to be with someone in the storm. Even though she would say nothing to them about her fears, it was a comfort to hear another voice.

"Kristin?" Elliana called, looking through the empty house. Her heart raced as the rain started. Everything bad had always been accompanied by rain. It was raining now, and she couldn't find Kristin anywhere. Finally, Elliana opened the door to the dining room.

"SURPRISE!"

Elliana leapt backwards in shock. Standing in front of her was a relatively large swarm of people. Mr. Darley, Kristin, Brooke, Kristin's husband whom Elliana rarely saw, two people whom she assumed were Brooke's parents, and an owl. Elliana blinked and looked around.

"Oh my…"

"Elliana!" Brooke said, running forward and hugging her quickly. Before Elliana could object, Brooke started talking. "You never told me it was your birthday, silly! I asked Mr. Darley and he said he didn't know! I had to go look up an Age-Defining charm and figure out how old you were. Silly bean, I never would have thought you wouldn't have told anyone!" Brooke bounced up and down, obviously the brains behind the operation. Elliana smiled slightly. It was a sweet gesture, even though it had scared her something awful.

"Thanks, Brooke. Thanks, everyone." Elliana said, putting on her happy façade again. It felt less of a façade today than usual. Elliana stepped forward and looked around. People she knew…people she didn't. And a pile of gifts on the table. Elliana blinked. She had gotten very few gifts in her life. Kristin usually sent her books that she asked for, and Mr. Darley sent her money. Not many people had ever taken the time to pick things out for her. And not all of the gifts looked like books.

"Elliana, come open your gifts!" Kristin said, smiling. "And then we can have cake." Brooke's mother had made a cake, apparently. Elliana smiled and sat down. She wasn't quite sure to act, but she figured that it would involve a lot of smiles, feigned happiness, and 'thank-yous'.

Brooke sat down beside Elliana and handed her the first gift. Elliana turned it over in her hand. The wrapping was a very pretty shimmery blue paper. Not wanting to rip it, Elliana pulled off the tape gently. Inside was a plain white box. She opened the lid and inside sat two beautiful combs for her hair. Each one was delicately painted with the ocean waves. The waves had been enchanted to crash and reform. Elliana smiled at Kristin.

"Thank you so much…these are gorgeous." Elliana set them aside and folded the paper. She wanted to save it. It was silly, but she didn't want to throw anything away. The next gift was from Brooke's mother. It was a small snow-globe with a tiny ballerina spinning inside. The ballerina went through a slow, graceful dance to a classical tune. Brooke named it, but Elliana wasn't paying much attention.

"Brooke told me that you danced." Brooke's mother said. "I hope you like it."

"I do! It's so beautiful." Elliana said, watching the ballerina carefully.

Elliana was completely overwhelmed by the kindness these people had shown her. She had never really let any of them know her, and they were eager to show her love anyway. Elliana took all of her gifts up to her room at the end of the day and wrote down everyone's name. She would be sure to be nice to them. And send them cookies from Honeydukes at Christmas.

Her favorite gift from the day had been a book, ironically. Brooke had gotten her a leather-bound copy of The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Also included in this was his plays mocking the goblin rebellions and other wizarding events. Elliana managed to read Othello and The Merry Wives of Windsor before she went back to Hogwarts.