Author's Notes: caleb and Angharad Marared Rhodri Gwynedd, paternal instinct is a strong thing. Snape was thoroughly disgusted with himself afterwards however. I wonder will he take it out in Ellie later on? ;-)

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Series is the property of J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Sixteen: Talk with Dumbledore

When Ellie awoke, she was aware of a light buzzing noise around her. She opened her eyes slowly and tried to sit up. Everything looked blurry to her and her head felt heavy. She felt hands on her, gently easing her back down. The buzzing noise got louder. Slowly, the buzzing faded, and was replaced by the sound of people talking. Her vision became clearer also, and she made out two figures, one standing on either side of her, talking to each other over her head. As the figures came into focus she realised they were Madame Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore.

Ellie felt confused. Where was she? Why did her head hurt her so much? She attempted to speak, but all that came out was an incoherent mumble. It got the adults attention though, and they stopped speaking and turned to face her.

"Where…," Ellie muttered, attempting to speak again. Madame Pomfrey moved closer to her.

"What's that dear?"

"Where am I?" Ellie managed to say.

"You're in the Hospital Wing. You had a bit of an accident, but don't worry, you're fine. I dare say you have a bit of a headache though, hmm?" Madame Pomfrey told her gently.

Ellie nodded her head slightly, but then winced as a sharp pain shot through her skull.

"Try not to move dear. You'll feel better soon," Madame Pomfrey said.

Ellie muttered a reply and closed her eyes, making her feel better. She heard Dumbledore's voice, although she couldn't make out what he was saying. She vaguely recalled that she wanted to talk to Dumbledore for some reason, but she couldn't think why. Slowly the sounds around her began to sound further and further away, until eventually she could hear them no more.

The next time Ellie awoke, she was much more alert. She sat up and looked around, making out the rest of the room easily. She could only just remember the conversation she had with Madame Pomfrey before. The details of what had happened were beginning to come back to her, and she was able to piece together why she was here.

Someone had aimed a hex at Devin, but he had pushed her into its path instead. The voice that shouted the spell sounded familiar, although Ellie couldn't place it. She began to wonder how long she had been here, and looked around for Madame Pomfrey.

The room was empty, apart from her. Ellie debated whether to call out. The creak of the big double doors at the end of the room made the decision for her. It wasn't Madame Pomfrey however, it was Professor Dumbledore.

Ellie felt slightly alarmed when she saw him. She had never spoken to him before and although she had only heard good things about him (well, apart from Mrs. Manning's first outburst about him); he was still a very daunting sight. Dumbledore seemed to sense her anxiety however, and he offered her a warm smile. This put Ellie at ease immediately, although she could not help but look at him in awe as he approached her.

"Well my dear, are you feeling better?" he asked in a kindly voice as he took a seat beside her bed..

"Yes sir," she said.

"Good," he said, giving her another smile. Ellie smiled back and then dipped her head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Your classmates have been very concerned about you from what I've heard – particularly young Mr. Logan," he continued. Ellie felt even more embarrassed, and began to blush. Dumbledore chuckled to himself.

"Do you remember what happened?" he asked her.

"Mostly. I remember Devin coming up, and I remember… I remember pushing him," she admitted, blushing again. She half-expected Dumbledore to reprimand her but he remained silent, so she continued.

"Then Devin took out his wand, but someone else cast a spell from behind me. I didn't see who. I remember feeling like someone had just punched me in the back, but that's about it. I suppose it must have been a good spell," Ellie finished, smiling wryly as the last sentence.

Dumbledore laughed.

"Yes, it was a good spell. Too good by all accounts. Young Chris Dunne, for it was his spell, had no idea it would be so powerful. He learned about it from his older brother over Christmas apparently. I have had words with the brother about being careful with what he teaches his younger brother in future."

"I wonder if that's what Chris and Thomas were talking about the other day?" Ellie wondered to herself.

"What exactly did the spell do?" Ellie asked, curious.

"It threw you high up into the air, and as you know Eleanora, what comes up must usually come down. You hit the ground with quite a thud I'd imagine," Dumbledore told her. Ellie laughed suddenly at the image of her being thrown up in the air. Dumbledore looked at her, amused.

"Well, no harm done. I hope Chris didn't get into trouble over it," Ellie said, recovering from her laughing fit.

"I'm afraid he is spending some time in detention with Professor McGonagall for the rest of the week," Dumbledore admitted.

"Everyone knows I'm okay though, right?" Ellie said, thinking of Jamie.

"There were some rumours floating about, but Professor McGonagall saw to it that your classmates knew you were in fact still alive, I can assure you. Thankfully Professor Snape was able to get you to the Hospital Wing quickly enough for Madame Pomfrey to see to that," Dumbledore said, a twinkle in his eye. Ellie however, looked startled.

"Professor Snape?" she asked, frowning.

"Yes, Professor Snape. He happened to be nearby when you ah, fell, and carried you to the Hospital Wing immediately," Dumbledore replied. Noting the surprised look on Ellie's face he added, "That surprises you?"

"Well, yeah," Ellie admitted.

"Would you expect Professor Snape to simply walk away from an injured student?" Dumbledore asked.

Ellie thought about this, and then felt stupid.

"No, of course not," she said, and Dumbledore nodded.

Ellie still felt a bit strange about the idea of Snape carrying her to the Hospital Wing though. Talk about awkward! At least she had been unconscious! She would never be able to look him in the eye again after this.

Thinking about Snape made Ellie think about her mother for some reason. She remembered that she had wanted to talk to Dumbledore about her. She couldn't let the opportunity slip past now that he was here.

"Professor Dumbledore, could I ask you some questions about… my mum?" she said, feeling nervous but also excited.

"Of course," he replied.

"How did she die?" Ellie asked quietly.

"Ah. You were never told?" Dumbledore asked, and Ellie shook her head.

"She had an accident. She fell down a long staircase. She died from her injuries," Dumbledore said, a sad note in his voice.

"Oh," said Ellie, surprised. That was not what she had expected at all.

"So it wasn't…" she began.

"Yes?" Dumbledore asked gently.

"It wasn't my fault?" Ellie finished, looking doubtful.

"No, of course it wasn't," Dumbledore told her firmly. Ellie sighed with relief.

"So it happened right after I was born?" Ellie asked, curious.

Dumbledore hesitated.

"Actually, it happened the night you were born. You see, your mother was still pregnant when she fell," Dumbledore explained.

Ellie looked at him, confused.

"But… but if she died… then why didn't…?" Ellie began, agitated.

"Why didn't you die?" Dumbledore finished. Ellie nodded.

"It's a hard question to answer. The healers at St. Mungo's managed to save you while your mother died. I don't think there is a real answer to that question, except that life can sometimes seem very unfair."

Ellie felt some tears running down her cheeks, and turned her head away from Dumbledore, feeling embarrassed. Dumbledore patted her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"I do know one thing Eleanora. Your mother would be very proud of you if she could see you today. You've grown into a fine young witch." Ellie looked up at Dumbledore gratefully as he said this. Somehow, it made her feel better. Dumbledore gazed at her with a kindly smile, and then stood up.

"And now my dear, I must leave you to rest," he told her, and she nodded, brushing the tears away from her face. He began to walk away but stopped when he reached the door.

"If you ever want to talk to me about your mother, or anything else," he called back to her, "don't hesitate to ask." He gave her one more smile, and then left.