A/N: Tehe this has taken me a bit o' time. All the way since the 17th of June. Hope I didn't make you guys anger but I lost it for a bit. The first part in italics is the pervious chapter's ending re-written (I hate the other one)
Dobbey: Thanks for reviewing twice. I skipped summer because I can't do much until Elwyn arrives other than having Harry pout away, not that it isn't fun to have him pout. Yup you caught my mistake too, I must have been in the 7th year mood when I wrote the beginning. Thanks for reading
brezzybrez /u/709553/ : Thank you, sorry I took so long
Dragon Sword Master /u/575256/ : I know you want Harry and Hermione to break if off…maybe they do… ….but Harry's minds been swimming and he's only been in the Hospital Wing until now. Attract, attack and attach all look like the same word to me. Enjoy
"Don't fight Elwyn." He knew that he had no idea who she was but he still drew her to him and consoled her.
She let him hold her. She wanted to stay forever. She wanted to be with him. But no, she pulled away, kissed him on the check and left the Hospital Wing. Harry ran after her. He found her in the hall. He took her arm and turned her to him.
"Harry, I have to go." Elwyn said seriously, "I have to speak with Dumbledore. I am so sorry I can't tell you." But she quickly began thinking aloud. "I mean I shouldn't have told you. It's my fault. Now it's getting complicated. I wouldn't have said anything if you hadn't frightened me so! I can't say another word to you no matter how badly you or I want to. It's for your own good…my good…for goodness sake it's for the good of all the students here. Leave me. I'm sorry." She pulled away.
Harry refused her reasoning of apologizing. He stopped, turned her slowly in a wide turn so she would lock eyes with him. He pulled her and kissed and a strong sweet kiss. She accepted it allowing him to open her mouth. When Harry pulled away he was surprised he didn't have to keep her from fleeing.
"Elwyn I care do about you."
At that she quickly nodded and disappeared into the darkness.
Harry sighed as the morning sun burned his black shoes upon his feet. He still sat in hospital wing. He had waited, but the sun crept through the filmy windows. If she did not return by the time the sun touched his shoes he told himself had to go. The sun came and his feet burned.
He was late to class. Very late. He fell into Potions and was greeted by the entire class turning to his presence and Snape giving a 'well-earned' detention.
"Potter. Hey!" Malfoy whispered over. Harry guessed Snape wasn't going to stop Malfoy since he looked straight at them. Harry turned. "So Dumbledore knocked you out? Dueling!"
"It wasn't Dumbledore." Harry grunted. Who started this story?
"What? Did you knock yourself out then?" Malfoy snickered. "Run into the wall in fear? Did Dumbledore curse you?"
"It wasn't Dumbledore!" Harry pushed nearer to speaking level; "I dueled El-!"
"Potter!" Snape's icy voice darted in; "Do you realize you've been talking since you've been here. Perhaps another detention? No? I ask you to be silent like the rest of the class."
Harry nodded. Of course, why would Malfoy be punished? Harry took a sweep to look around the class it seemed everyone had been eavesdropping.
What was the story that circulated around? Dueling Dumbledore, certainly not! Harry would be dead. Had no one heard of Elwyn? She was definitely there. Hermione knew, she saw…Oh right. Hermione. It seemed to long ago, was it yesterday he saw her? Not even 24 hours and her love had totally left him. He would break her heart today. He was no fool. He would not this linger on any longer.
After Transfiguration, in which he had not retained a single thing, he went to lunch to number one, find out the story that had circulated, and… break if off with Hermione. Oh it seemed so easy in his mind. So easy until the entire hall turned when he entered. His steps echoed. But as he passed whispers crept up his spine. It seemed everyone but he knew what happened to him.
"Dueled Dumbledore…Nearly killed…Lessons to fight You-Know-Who…Someone else with him…"
But he found his friends with a sigh of relief.
"Have you heard the stories about you Harry?" Hermione spoke first.
"I didn't duel Dumbledore." Harry sighed as he sat down.
"That's what I told them!" Hermione said in his defense, "I told them it was Elwyn, but someone started the rumor it was Dumbledore! I guess that travels faster than dueling a student…"
"So you don't know who started it?"
"Nope." Ron shook his head. "You should hear some of the stories. I heard some first years say you were transfigured into a spider by Dumbledore and it took all night to turn you back, but not before you bit Madame Pomphery."
Ron chuckled, but this certainly wasn't funny to Harry.
"How do they say the duel started?"
"You won't believe it." Ron snorted, "They said you were taking lessons with Dumbledore to fight You-Know-Who."
"Ron why don't you just say Voldemort?" Hermione pestered while others flinched. Harry, however, was too busy thinking.
"Well actually that's pretty close. Elwyn was taking lessons from Dumbledore and I tagged along. So…" Harry trailed. That was that, he knew the story. It was just a mess of rumors, nothing he couldn't handle. Now to the next thing on his agenda.
But before any form of words could leave his mouth Malfoy appeared behind him.
"So dear famous Harry Potter would you mind turning into an itty-bitty spider for us again? Sure could help if you ever tire of that Weasley." He smirked.
"Just leave Malfoy, nothing you say is ever true." Harry grunted.
"Well I wouldn't go accusing people of lying Potter. What is it now, you're accusing the whole school of lying about who you fought? You were about to say it was who?" Malfoy sneered.
"I dueled El-!" Had someone seriously cut him off again?
"Harry Potter." He looked up. It was McGonagall this time. Were people trying to keep Elwyn a secret or something? "Come with me."
Harry nodded getting up. He followed McGonagall to her office.
"Why can't anyone know I dueled Elwyn!" Harry wasn't going to listen to whatever she would say, he wanted to find out why he kept being shushed.
"Ms. Artensen must keep a lower profile that you Mr. Potter." McGonagall said matter-of-factly.
"Why?"
"There are some things you simply must accept." McGonagall said.
Was she serious, asking Harry Potter to simply accept without reason!
"I must also remind you that you will not be attention the trip to the Dragon Breeding Grounds tomorrow." McGonagall said, "Good day, Mr. Potter and please catch up on your work."
Harry stormed off. They had a study hall now, but he wasn't going to waste his time studying. When he arrived in the common room he found Ron and Hermione. They had been waiting, they knew he wanted to talk.
"What did McGonagall want?" Ron asked when Harry plopped down.
"Not to tell anyone about Elwyn! Not to tell the truth! To accept the rumor of dueling Dumbledore!" Harry spat out.
"Are you serious?" Ron shook his head.
"Very. There's something about Elwyn that the entire staff is trying to protect." Harry sighed.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked sincerely. Harry looked at her and hated the way she spoke to him since they were going out. He wanted their old relationship back.
"I mean that Elwyn has something to do with Voldemort. Something to do with me and is related to Dumbledore in some way." Harry sighed leaning his head back and running his hands through his rough hair.
"Excuse me?" Hermione said blinking quickly, "Generally speaking Voldemort, Harry Potter and Dumbledore aren't names to ease you troubles when together."
"Well she called Dumbledore 'Uncle.'" Harry said quickly.
"In front of you?" Hermione asked putting down he books.
"No, I heard through the door." Harry shook his head.
"And V-Voldemort?" Ron tried.
"I don't know! There's too much mystery around her!" Harry was far too frustrated with his lack of information; "All I know is Voldemort gave her the scar on her cheek." When Ron and Hermione were out of questions Harry decided to keep talking about what he knew. "I sounds like her father is in hiding. He couldn't send he letter straight to her for her safety. So she must be hiding from something. Her relations make her reluctant to speak with me or even be around me." At that Harry stopped, something he said, or all of it, seemed like she couldn't ever be around him for their own sakes…
"Voldemort Harry?" Hermione said, "I hate to say it, but it sounds like she has some pack with him. He's notorious to give scars as signs of loyalty." Harry looked up, "Minus yours of course. But, Harry, think about it. She's afraid being around you will get you in trouble. She can't speak with her parents. It sounds like she's with Voldemort." At that Harry shot up violently, "Not willingly I'm saying. What else is there?"
"Why did she call Dumbledore 'Uncle' then?" Harry said in her defense.
"I've always read the Dumbledore clan doesn't have any descendents after Professor Dumbledore and his siblings." Hermione shrugged.
"Dumbledore wouldn't lie. He didn't know I was eavesdropping and it was Elwyn who said it." Harry said defensively.
"She has the ability to lie Harry." Hermione sighed.
"No, there's a reason." Harry shook his head. Perhaps Hermione was so keen to dislike Elwyn because she felt threatened by him.
"Doesn't mean it has to be a good reason." Hermione said in that came tone that itched at him.
"Hermione…"
"Yes?"
"Why do you speak like that since we've been going out?"
"Excuse me?"
"I miss the way we used to be."
"Harry are you-"
"Breaking up with you."
Ron shifted in his seat blushing violently but neither Harry nor Hermione noticed him.
Hermione looked at Harry with wide eyes. Now? He's doing this now? She should have kept quiet from the beginning. It was just a crush. He had grown too attractive too quickly and now she pitied herself for rationalizing it.
"Okay." She nodded. "But," she painfully looked away, "Is Elwyn's mystery bothering you more so because- because-"
"I won't tell you."
Silence followed, well near silence Ron hadn't stopped shifting in his seat.
"We should start our homework." Hermione said, "For goodness sake Ron, stop rustling about."
Harry nodded. It took about a half-hour for things to fall into place. Poor Ron, he had been alone since Harry and Hermione were together. It felt, dare Harry say, normal, or as normal as it could be with the thoughts of Elwyn drifting about in the back of his-no she was a distraction. A distraction he wasn't smart enough to ride himself of.
By the end of the day Harry was nearly enjoying the rumors about it. They were far too bazaar to not laugh. He thought the spider was odd but later he could also travel at the speed of light, sing so loud he made Dumbledore lose his hearing, and Dumbledore mocked Harry by turning into a Dementor. While the last one wasn't funny, Harry had to play along at least a little.
Dinner came and Harry darted to the Hospital Wing. He was looking at the clock constantly during Charms. It seemed it would never switch from 'Class Five' to 'Dinner Time!' But it did and when Harry entered the Hospital Wing he was alone. He was beginning to think that perhaps he had imagined Elwyn. He looked around her bed: nothing. He sat on the bed but Madame Pomphery shuffled in.
"Harry dear, what are you doing here? You should be down eating with everyone else. Are you still feeling the Griffin's Tea?" She stood him up to look at him.
"No, I was just looking for Elwyn." Harry said quickly shrugging Madame Pomphery away.
"Oh… she's-out…with Dumbledore!"
"Out?"
"Around the grounds somewhere. Professor Dumbledore offered her some fresh air." Madame Pomphery began showing him to the door.
Harry knew she was lying. Elwyn was probably with Dumbledore but not 'out.' It's dark out and it was November anyway. Harry admitted he'd have to find her tomorrow. He was too far behind on his work. Dinner. Work. Bed. It was nothing new until he had another dream. It was strong, but when he woke he couldn't recall much of it. Elwyn was in it and there was pain but to whom he could not remember.
He woke, but didn't put on his uniform. He wasn't going on the trip; there was no need. He stumbled into the Great Hall to see the mass of sixth and seventh years. He figured the fifth years were either happy to be the upperclassmen for a day or pissed they couldn't come. Everyone was bundled up to go out into the blistering cold that November brought to Hogwarts. Harry smiled so Ron and Hermione wouldn't worry. He wished he could go. But it was too dangerous. They would later separate into smaller groups and Dumbledore was right, there would be a foolish Death Eater out there somewhere. Besides Elwyn was somewhere in the castle.
"Why does Dumbledore have to be right?" Ron grunted, "I bet we could fight anything that came at you."
"Not saying anything would attack that is?" Harry smiled.
"Nothing probably would have happened, Dumbledore is just being careful." Hermione reminded. The few teachers that could come were calling all the students to the door. They would travel from Hogwarts by means of Thestrals. "Goodbye Harry. At least you have time to catch up on your work."
"Right." Harry sighed and bid them farewell and soon he was alone in the Great Hall.
He decided not to go looking for Elwyn. He was too stubborn to look anymore. Somehow he rationalized that she was avoiding him. He followed Hermione's advice and set off for the library after getting his things in the Common Room and after looking in the Common Room for Elwyn.
He saw the library was empty. Not even the librarian was there for he was a chaperon on the trip today. But Harry scanned a second time to see Elwyn sitting with the morning light warming her back. She looked up when she felt his presence. She smiled a bit, but Harry could see that she was already suppressing her joy.
"Hello." She said quietly.
Harry didn't say anything he only obeyed his urge and took Elwyn's hand to raise her out of her chair to face him. She said nothing but followed slowly until she faced him. The morning light warmed their sides as they unbashfully looked upon the other.
"You did it, didn't you?" Elwyn asked nodding.
"Did what?" Harry asked cocking his head a bit.
"You broke Hermione's heart."
"I did not break it!" He said defensively, "I just-…-I gave it back."
"You shouldn't have done that." Elwyn shook her head slowly.
"I don't want hers." Harry said truthfully, "Why trail her along in a lie?"
But Elwyn was looking disturbed. She knew that now with Hermione gone she could no longer bring her up as a distraction. Oh, why did she have to know Dumbledore was right? Why did he have to look out for her so? This was perhaps one mistake she was willing to make. But she gently pulled her hand away from Harry's.
"Because-" She began planning on following with a long elaborate explanation.
"Because now you've lost your excuse." Harry said bluntly.
Elwyn wasn't going to hide. She knew Harry had heard her and Dumbledore speaking.
"And if I have?"
"Don't go searching for a new one." Harry said almost begging a little and then filled the space between them. She looked straight into his eyes but not longingly.
"Harry, I have to search for one." She said strongly and pulled away.
Harry quickly began frustrated. Would she never open up to him? She turned away from him but he came around to face her with an angry look upon his face. "Why don't you just tell me who you are?"
"You already see who I am." Elwyn tried.
"I want to know why you shutter away from me." Harry said strongly almost not believing what he was about to say. "I want to know why you called Dumbledore 'Uncle', why you have a scar from Voldemort, why you have to hide away under Dumbledore, and if you're…" ah the last one stuck in his throat a moment, it was so Hermione, "if you're loyal to Voldemort."
Elwyn's expression even changed when Harry said the last one. The pervious statement gave a look of pain, but they final caused her to cock her head and smile, at which Harry was reveled.
"You want to know Harry? You really want to know?" Elwyn's tone became a bit annoyed. "Think about it Harry. If I could I would and you shouldn't know as much as you do." She turned away as she always did when she felt herself becoming too emotional.
Harry ran around to face her and as he spoke she tried to look away.
"Elwyn, I already know to much. I can only piece it together, and I'll probably piece it wrong." Harry said taking Elwyn's arms.
She looked up to Harry and wanted to smile.
"I'm Dumbledore's niece."
His eyes opened and jaw dropped. He didn't actually expect her say saw anything. He expected to have to keep fighting.
"How's that possible? Dumbledore is like 150. And his brother, Aberforth, well he's just a bartender and not in hiding." Harry shook his head. It couldn't be true, it didn't make sense.
"Albus, Aberforth and Alden." Elwyn nodded, "Alden is my father and he's nearly 75. Needless to say my grandparents spaced their children apart."
"Why doesn't anyone know about another Dumbledore?" Harry said quickly, "Who's to say he exists."
"Well he is in hiding." Elwyn said matter-of-factly. "Just because everyone knows about Albus doesn't mean they all know about Aberforth and Alden."
Elwyn couldn't keep talking here. Well she shouldn't have begun talking anyway. But even walls have ears and they couldn't talk here. She took Harry by the hand and lead him away.
"Wait, where are you taking us. I'm not done yet." Harry said as she dragged him through the empty halls.
"It's not safe to speak there. We may have been the only two there, but…" She trailed off, she didn't want to think about what would happen if more knew about her.
She stopped him in front of the Room of Requirement. They went inside to find in much like how it was for Dumbledore's Army. Though it was smaller and cleaner with a very comfortable floor. When Elwyn saw no chairs she simply fell onto the floor and leaned against the wall where Harry joined her.
"So why is Alden in hiding?" Harry asked.
"Dad's half the age of Albus and when he was born Dumbledore already had quite a name for himself. The simple rumor of another Dumbledore sent the dark forces after him. Living in hiding was all his could do." Elwyn sighed. Silence filled the room. Harry and Elwyn's minds surged.
"So?" Harry asked in hopes she would continue, "How did you come along if he lives in hiding."
Elwyn looked and Harry with a smile, "No one can be kept hidden in the dark forever. You know that." She looked forward shrugging, "So he cracked. Yes when he was sixty." She quickly defended him, "He doesn't look old. Neither did my grandparents, they made an delayed-aging potion and passed the formula to their children." She smiled remembering something, "But dad refuses to tell me… Anyway, he got out. Disappeared for a couple years. Came back with a new world of trouble."
"He fell in love." Harry nodded looking to her.
"He fell in love with a muggle." Elwyn nodded still looking forward. "And I came along as soon as they came to Albus' doorstep. My muggle mother died giving birth…" She looked further away now in shame. But Harry would not have it; he gently took her chin and pulled her to look at him.
His look begged her to continue. Tears had formed in the back of her eyes and she smiled to quickly spit out the rest. "And Voldemort found me when I was four, he tried to kill my father. I got a scare and a new life of hiding with muggles. And that's that. There are always people out for us. Dumbledore's and Potter's shouldn't be too close or else we attract too much attention. Dumbledore says rumors have already ignited."
Harry looked at her for a while, she kept trying to look away stubbornly but always looked back.
"Just because things might happen, doesn't mean they will." Harry said coming closer.
He knew she would squirm a bit, but her tenseness only pushed Harry closer. He kept coming to her until he lingered directly over her. She could not move further back without fall to the floor. Her mind was refusing his approaches but all else was waiting for him to make his move. When she stopped he took it. He took her lips in a simple sweet kiss. He held it just long enough to feel the smooth taste of Elwyn. Pulling but inches away he looked to see her expression changed. She did not want to fight him and certainly not now since he was the only one who knew her. She felt him wrap himself around her back and careful pull her to the floor as he kissed her once again. This kiss was much unlike the pervious, his mouth had opened and his tongue mingled with hers as he gently lay above her. Her warmth now flowed through him as she ran her soft hands through his hair. A brief thought entire both their minds: the fear of not stopping. But just as the thought ran out of their minds Harry scar became pulsing in a cold pain. The pain caused him to recoil away from Elwyn sit himself away and against the wall. He had felt this pain before and of all things to stop them, this was it.
A/N: Right. I hope you enjoyed a whole lot o' crap happened this chapter. For those who might wonder what I'm doing my chapter names in. It's just numbers in German, nothing special. I do speak German though. I have a deadline to meet. I have to finish this my July 16th! Review!